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!

17. Arc 3 Finale: Hyodo Dethroned

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files, Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs! Not really a lot to say here, I think. So, let's hit up the disclaimer and get it knocked out right away.

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

Actually, talking about spinoffs, I did manage to finally get my hands on a digital copy of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax recently (A/N: and by recently, I mean as of the point I wrote out the initial start-of-chapter A/N for this chapter), but I've yet to sit down and play through the story mode of either Arena or of Arena Ultimax (both of which are included in Ultimax apparently), so I'm waiting until I play through those to make judgment one way or the other on if an adaptation of the Arena/Arena Ultimax stories is in the cards or not.

For now, my recommendation to anyone reading this is to assume that it's a tentative no on adapting Persona 4 Arena/Arena Ultimax unless I say otherwise. But if (and I do mean IF) I decide to do one, it won't be until after I finish my adaptations of both Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable, and both of those are still a ways off from even getting started (even if I do have the first 3 chapters of the Persona 4 Golden adaptation already typed out), so there won't be any news on that for quite a while.

And while we're on the subject of spinoff adaptations, I've watched a playthrough of the Persona 5 Tactica story, and unless I change my mind, that one will NOT see an adaptation, largely since the apparent timelining for the events of Tactica slightly contradicts the established canon of Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal (insofar as the supposed start of Tactica is set during the time that Ren is supposed to be in jail after having turned himself over to the police following the defeat of Yaldabaoth), making it unlikely at best that I can fit that timeline in with what I established for the third semester of Royal in the original Phantom Files.

Furthermore, the fact that Tactica is set when it is also has the added result of confirming, or at least heavily implying, that the third semester of Royal is considered to be non-canon to Tactica's storyline, since the timeline for Tactica is apparently set at some point after Christmas, thus likely being around the same time that Maruki would have altered reality in Royal.

So because that would contradict pretty much everything from chapter 86 onwards in Persona 5- The Phantom Files, I don't think I could fit a Tactica adaptation in unless I made it as a standalone adaptation that would be non-canon to the events of Phantom Files.

Therefore, allow me to extend my most sincere and heartfelt apologies to anyone who was curious to see me adapt Tactica, but the way the plot was written for it, it just doesn't fit with what I've established for both Phantom Files and Phantom Files Book 2: Rise of the Monarchs. Therefore, it's pretty unlikely you'll see an adaptation of Tactica from me.

But that's enough of a tangent about potential future adaptations and addressing potential stories that could happen eventually, we're here to type out the next chapter of Rise of the Monarchs! So let's get on with that, yeah? Keep an eye out after the chapter, since I'll likely do another A/N afterwards. But for now, on with the chapter! Here's chapter 17!

Chapter 17- Thawing Hyodo's Heart! Trauma Cells, Calling Cards, and an Icy Monarch battle! Icy Redemption part 4

(In the RV hideout, with Ren, Yusuke, Futaba, Kusa, Goro, Haru, Makoto, Ann, Morgana, Sophia, Sojiro, Sumire, and Ryuji)

After gathering everyone at the hideout, Ren spoke up.

"Well, we know what we have to do next. But before that, I think we should go over what we know so far, since it's been a while since we had a discussion of that sort." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Hm. Let's review our situation before going into Hyodo's Trauma Cell." Morgana said as Kusa blinked and spoke up from his seat in the passenger seat behind Ann.

"Trauma Cell? Is that a new term I should know about?" Kusa asked as Sumire spoke up.

"That's what we call the areas we go to in order to fight Lock Keepers, who are essentially guardians of the 'key' we need to unlock the chains on a Monarch's Birdcage of Desires, thus opening our path to send the calling card and fight the Monarch." Sumire explained as Goro and Kusa both nodded their understanding alongside Sojiro, before Kusa spoke up.

"Ah, I see. That makes sense. Sorry for the interruption. Please continue." Kusa said as Makoto nodded and spoke up from between Ann and Haru.

"Very well. Based on the voices we heard at the birdcage, I think the snow sculpture incident from two years ago had to have been involved." Makoto said as Futaba nodded and spoke up from above Kusa and Goro, where she was stretched out on the cubby bunk, happily typing away at her laptop.

"True. A nine-year-old girl even lost her life as a result of that incident. And because it was sponsored by the city, all fingers pointed to the one directly in charge." Futaba said as Yusuke spoke up.

"True, but at the same time, it was reported as an 'act of God', making it an accident where no parties are held responsible. So how could this be the Monarch's source of trauma?" Yusuke asked as Haru spoke up.

"I wonder if that grieving voice we heard was the mother of the girl who lost her life. She really seemed to have it out for Mari-san in particular." Haru said as Goro spoke up from behind her at that point.

"It most likely was. But I think we have to also realize that she was wrought with grief and sadness after having lost her child. None of us can fathom how painful that must be, to go through the grief of losing a child." Goro said as Sumire frowned at that and spoke up.

"I don't know that I entirely agree with you on that one, Goro. After all, my sister died in an accident to protect me a bit over four years ago at this point. So I think that my parents, at the very least, can understand the pain of losing a child, much as I can understand the pain of losing a sibling. And I know that Ren, in particular, got a taste of what that sort of feeling was like when we all thought we'd lost Kusa-kun near the end of Shido's Palace about three and two-thirds years ago." Sumire said as Ren nodded his agreement before Goro spoke up.

"I see. My apologies for not taking your situation into account, Sumire-san. But also, I don't think the snow sculpture incident was the main source of trauma for Hyodo. Am I the only one who recalls that other voice we heard near the end of our glimpse into Hyodo's trauma?" Goro pointed out as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"True. Now that you mention it, I recall that we all heard another weird voice in there too, complainin' about his pay or some shit?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Ohh, right. You mean that sniveling sad-sack who was whining about not getting paid enough? I believe I've already said that I wouldn't be surprised if he was somehow linked to Hyodo's trauma." Kusa said sagely as Sojiro spoke up.

"That is true, Kusa. However, just because we heard him complaining about his pay, that doesn't instantly make him the source of Hyodo's trauma." Sojiro gently but firmly rebuked Kusa, who nodded as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"If that's the case, there has to be more to this than we know. Let's go to the Trauma Cell and investigate!" Ann said as Morgana spoke up.

"We'll need to go to where this incident took place. Should be within this park. It's probably safe to assume that a warden'll be there waiting for us. Be ready for anything, guys." Morgana said as the group nodded their agreement. After thinking it over, Ren decided to do a bit of cooking to stock up on extra heals, including trying out the new Jingisukan recipe he'd gotten. After cooking some Jingisukan, Yusuke spoke up in surprise.

"Mm. The lamb meat is a hint gamey, yet it forms a perfect harmony with the lightly sweet vegetables served with it. This is truly magnificent!" Yusuke said as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Right!? Plus, isn't jingisukan supposed to be healthy? Not only that, the taste is out of this world! Doesn't get much better than this." Ann said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Indeed. Call me over when you decide to cook this again. Don't worry, I'd be happy just to taste test." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up.

"WHAT!? Hey, don't leave me out of this! I want to taste test, too!" Ann said as Sumire and Kusa both sweatdropped at the reactions of Ann and Yusuke before the latter turned to face the former as he spoke up.

"Ren really just created a legion of fans who adore his jingisukan, didn't he?" Kusa deadpanned as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, Kusa. I do believe you're right. Fortunately, Yusuke and Ann are both spoken for already, so I don't have to worry about them making a play for Ren." Sumire said as Goro spoke up.

"That's true. And the fact Ann doesn't really like men that way anymore helps your case all the more, Sumire-san. As for Yusuke, I'm pretty sure he's quite happily committed to Togo-san." Goro said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Good point. Y'know, if you weren't so pathetic about it, you could probably be quite contentedly committed to Haru by now. However, both of you continue to insist on claiming that there's no shot that the two of you would work out as a couple. But I call bullcrap on that.

If my daughter can find a loving relationship when she used to be a big-time shut-in, then there's no reason you and Haru can't work as a couple, Goro. So it's just a question of when you want to stop pussyfooting around about it and make a play for her." Sojiro said as Goro and Haru winced at the brutally honest remarks from Sojiro as Ren smirked at Sojiro giving Goro a much-needed dressing down, all while noting that the jingisukan was a big hit with the group, and that he should save the leftovers for later use.

After pocketing the resulting 'Jingisukan' items, Ren spoke up after getting the group's attention.

"All right, after thinking it over, I think the time is right for us to go find this Trauma Cell and get it dealt with. But before that, let's establish our lineup for this part. In Group A, which I will lead, will be myself, Skull, Fox, and Queen. Draconis will lead group B, which will be himself, Violet, Seeker, and Mona. Finally, Crow will be in charge of group C, which will be himself, Noir, Pendragon, and Panther. Oracle, for her part, will alternate navigating for all three teams. Any objections?" Ren said as the others nodded their agreement before heading over to where they'd seen flowers left. Once there, Ann spoke up with a frown.

"Ah, right. This is where the accident happened, isn't it? Pretty sure that's why these flowers are here." Ann said as the others nodded their agreement. At that point, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up once Sumire pulled her phone out of her pocket so the group could hear Sophia.

"Correct, Ann. If we put in the keyword here, we should be able to access the Trauma Cell." Sophia said as Morgana spoke up.

"True, but don't forget that there may be enemies ahead. You sure you guys are ready?" Morgana said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"We're as ready as we're going to be, Morgana. Let's get to the bottom of this. After all, the sooner we identify the root of Hyodo's trauma, the sooner we can get started on preparing the calling card for her. And as the one closest to the target in this instance, I feel like it's only right that Haru should be the one who gets to write this calling card." Ren said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-kun. I'll keep that in mind for later. But for now, you're right to say we're all ready. I want to see what happened to Mari-san with my own two eyes. That said, the keyword is 'Snow City'!" Haru said as a 'BIP!' from Ren's phone preceded EMMA speaking up.

"Keyword successfully entered. Beginning navigation." EMMA said as the group was sucked into the Metaverse, none of them seeing the brief look of wide-eyed shock on Goro's face as he'd recognized the voice speaking as the same one that had said that exact same phrase before he and Kusa were sucked into the Metaverse when Kusa came to fetch him from his hideaway on the outskirts of Yongen-Jaya...

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

"What is this?" Fox asked, his eyes having widened behind his mask as the group saw the snowy landscape they'd arrived to. Noir frowned and spoke up while stroking her chin.

"Good question, Fox. If I had to guess, it looks like this is the Snow Festival, or at least where it happened previously." Noir said as the group saw the massive piles of snow and a pair of cranes in the background seemingly excavating something. Skull then blinked and spoke up.

"Hey, check out those two suits over there." Skull said, pointing towards two men in suits. Draconis frowned at this and spoke up.

"Good catch, Skull. I bet one of those two is the source of that mystery male voice we heard after the rest of our glimpse into Hyodo's trauma." Draconis said as the others nodded before listening in as one of the two well-dressed men spoke up.

"Heh, I didn't know you were accepting rebates. Haha, I see a career man in the making." The more well-dressed of the two men said as the other man, a listless man from the sound of his voice, spoke up.

"Sir, would you please be discreet about this!? Imagine if the mayor found out about this." The listless man said as the well-dressed man spoke up with a smirk.

"Hm? Yeah, I can do that. But in return, you need to do me a favor. I want her to take full responsibility for the incident. That way, she'll resign. Once that happens, I'll be the new mayor in town, and as for you? You'll be my well-paid associate. You will cooperate, won't you?" The well-dressed man asked as the listless man sighed and nodded before he spoke up.

"Yes, you're right. Yes, of course I'll cooperate with you. Not like I have a lot of choice at this point anyways. If the mayor ever got wind of this, I'd be out of a job no matter what I do here." The listless man said. Unbeknownst to the two men, Hyodo had heard them speaking and spoke up, sounding aghast as she spoke.

"What did you just say?" Hyodo asked as the men gasped and turned around, the listless man speaking up first.

"Ahh! Mayor!?" The listless man said as the well-dressed man spoke up with his arms crossed and an unfazed look on his face.

"Oh, it seems I've been found out." The well-dressed man said as the listless man spoke up in a vain attempt to save face.

"I-It's not what it looks like, Mayor! This is merely-" The listless man said before Mona spoke up to cut off his defense.

"Mayor? Did that man just say 'Mayor'!? Does he mean Mayor Hyodo?" Mona said as Noir gasped and spoke up.

"No! Then, does this mean that Mari-san saw this happen?" Noir said as Hyodo's voice was heard at that point.

"SILENCE! I had no idea you were behind this, much less that anyone was behind this!" Hyodo said as the listless man huffed and spoke up.

"Y-You really don't get it, do you? This festival is held by the city, meaning it comes out of the taxpayer's pocket. I figured, why not lower costs and hire cheaper construction?" The listless man, who had been outed by the Mayor as a callous city employee, said before scoffing as he kept speaking.

"And what's wrong with getting compensated for it? The rest of our staff makes these deals all the time! So what's the harm in one little mishap? That sculpture collapse was just bad luck!" The callous city employee said as Hyodo gasped and spoke up.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. I'm calling the police!" Hyodo said as the callous city employee spoke up.

"Hmph! Fine then. Go ahead and do it. But I'm bringing you down with me!" The callous city employee said as Hyodo's voice could be heard speaking up again.

"What did you say?" Hyodo said as the callous city employee spoke up.

"I'm going to testify that I did it under your orders. Then you'll be ruined. After all, you're the one in charge here. See, I even have the papers you signed, right here." The callous city employee said as the well-dressed man spoke up with a smirk.

"Such an unfortunate turn of events. Sorry to say, but you're finished, Mayor." The well-dressed man said as a flabbergasted Hyodo spoke up.

"What are you saying? You're a councilman, aren't you? Don't you want to do the right thing!?" Hyodo said to the well-dressed man, who was now revealed to be a councilman. The councilman spoke up.

"As far as I'm concerned, that's whatever's right for me." The councilman said as the callous city employee spoke up.

"Well? Are you finally ready to listen? Answer me, Mayor!" The callous city employee said as he shifted forms into a four-armed 'Lock Keeper' with shields in each arm. Fox blinked at this and spoke up.

"Be ready!" Fox said as a fight started! As the fight started, the 'Lock Keeper' spoke up.

"How can you blame a peon like me? We don't get paid enough for this!" The 'Lock Keeper' said as Draconis scoffed and spoke up.

"Shut up! You're just a sniveling coward who put his greed above his duty to his city! You have no room to deflect your blame!" Draconis snapped as the 'Lock Keeper' spoke up, seemingly not hearing or choosing to ignore Draconis' words.

"This world revolves around money! In other words, money talks and bullshit walks, Mayor!" The 'Lock Keeper' said as Skull growled and spoke up.

"Bastard! How dare he say such things? So he threatened the mayor, is that it!?" Skull said as Noir winced and spoke up sadly.

"Oh, my. I had no idea Mari-san went through something like this at the hands of her own staff. Something so awful." Noir said as Crow spoke up with a firm look on his face.

"That's true, but that's also unimportant for now. Right now, we have to focus on defending ourselves. We can sympathize with Hyodo afterwards." Crow said as Mona nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Crow's right! Think later, act now! We've got a real fight on our hands here!" Mona said as the fight began! While fighting the 'Lock Keeper', he laughed maniacally and spoke up.

"You're guilty too, right? What about that little girl, Mayor? She died, all because you gave your approval to our project!" The 'Lock Keeper' said as Panther scoffed and spoke up.

"How dare you! Saying such atrocious things to the Mayor and trying to place all the blame on her." Panther said irately as the Lock Keeper laughed and spoke up.

"Report it if you want. I'll take the mayor down with me!" The Lock Keeper said tauntingly as Mona spoke up with a frown.

"Dammit! He's up to something. Can anyone stop him!?" Mona asked as Pendragon and Draconis nodded before summoning Kohryu and Malefor to slow the Lock Keeper down using their flame attacks and claws to hold back the Lock Keeper, who laughed and spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Now we're accomplices, Mayor! Hope we can get along." The Lock Keeper said as Crow spoke up with a snarl.

"You? Accomplices with the Mayor? Cut the bullshit! Hyodo might have done a lot of bad stuff, but she'd never willingly be an accomplice to the likes of you! So shut your mouth with those lies!" Crow spat irately at the Lock Keeper as Noir smiled gratefully at Crow and spoke up.

"Crow-kun, thank you." Noir said gratefully as the Lock Keeper laughed tauntingly and spoke up.

"You want to stay mayor so badly? What a greedy woman you are!" The Lock Keeper said as he put his shields in front of him and charged straight towards the group, who had to scatter to avoid the attack. While doing so, Queen spoke up from atop Anat.

"He's attacking with the shield. Watch out, everyone." Queen said as she rode Anat and dodged the attack from the Lock Keeper. Panther frowned while dodging the attack before she spoke up while glaring at the Lock Keeper behind her mask.

"Still, you're atrocious! Saying such awful things about the Mayor!" Panther said as Noir spoke up.

"Panther's right! We're here to set Mari-san on the right path. Listening to thugs like you is a waste of our precious time!" Noir said as Oracle spoke up.

"Don't forget, the birdcage should be open once we beat him. Everyone, do your best!" Oracle said as the fight continued. After a while, the 'Lock Keeper' spoke up once more.

"Haha, it's useless! After all, that girl died because of you! You should've just resigned and disappeared when you had the chance! Give up already! Hahahaha!" The 'Lock Keeper' said as Skull growled and spoke up.

"Ugh, shit! Man, he's tough. Go down already, dammit!" Skull snapped as the Lock Keeper laughed and spoke up again.

"It's too late to change anything. The death of a sweet little girl at the hands of a collapsed statue is so tragic." The Lock Keeper said while swinging his shields directly at Joker, who made good use of the tumbling skills Violet had taught him during the training sessions she'd give him to teach him gymnastics to dodge the attack before growling at the Lock keeper while he spoke up.

"This man is the worst. He doesn't care about anyone, let alone a child. He just wants power, and is playing dirty just to get it." Joker snarled as he summoned Raoul and launched a decent-sized blast of Curse energy at the Lock Keeper while Crow nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"All of this reminds me of how Shido-san was before his downfall about three years ago. He and this man are not so different if you think about it. That said, we need to break this pathetic worm faster! Draconis, do you think you can break out that move that you, Fox, and Violet used against Natsume's Shadow? We might need the extra firepower here!" Crow said to Draconis, who smirked and spoke up.

"I think that can be arranged rather easily, Crow. Right, Fox and Violet?" Draconis said as both Fox and Violet nodded, the latter smiling at Draconis while speaking up.

"Fox and I have your back if you need to do that Triad Special, Draconis!" Violet said approvingly as Seeker spoke up.

"Regardless of what you decide, I think we all agree that no one likes a pushy politician." Seeker said as Joker, Crow, and Draconis spoke up as one at that point.

"AMEN TO THAT, SEEKER!" Joker, Crow, and Draconis said in unison as the 'Lock Keeper' spoke up tauntingly.

"Why single me out!? If I'm corrupt, then so is everyone around me!" The 'Lock Keeper' said as Draconis spoke up.

"Wrong again, you son of a bitch! Time to teach you some self-respect, as well as respect for those around you! Fox, Violet, you guys ready to finish this fool off?" Draconis asked as Fox spoke up with a nod.

"Ready as always, Draconis." Fox said as Violet nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"You know it! Let's get him!" Violet said as she, Draconis, and Fox spoke up as one.

"GO, TRIAD SPECIAL!" Draconis, Violet, and Fox said in unison as their Triad Special started! Draconis spoke up while brandishing his bo staff.

"Since you like blowing hot air so much, let's see how you like it when it's blown right back at you!" Draconis said as he whipped his bo staff around in a circle at a high speed, generating a mighty gust of wind as Fox spoke up.

"A wind attack, you say? Let's add some ice to that! KAMU SUSANO-O! STRIKE!" Fox said as Kamu Susano-o waved his sword, generating a lot of ice energy into the tornado, turning it into a frigid gale as Violet spoke up with a smile.

"And now to give this attack our blessing! LET'S DANCE, ELLA!" Violet said as she summoned Ella, who waved her palm to loose a large torrent of Bless energy into the tornado, giving it an ethereal glow as Fox, Draconis and Violet spoke up as one.

"TIME TO BLOW YOU AWAY! GO, DIVINE BLIZZARD!" Draconis, Fox, and Violet said as they launched their Triad Special at the Lock Keeper, hitting it for massive damage and sending it reeling as Noir readied her axe and spoke up after the others took a step back.

"Prepare yourself! I shall now cleave through your shield!" Noir said as she slammed her axe down hard on top of the 'Lock Keeper', shattering his arm shields and making him groan as he fell forward and dissolved into black mist, ending the battle. From the ensuing EXP gain, Queen hit level 38 and gained the mid-tier Nuclear skill 'Mafreila', making her speak up with a smile.

"It seems I've awakened to a new skill!" Queen said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Hell yeah, babe! That skill looks sweet!" Skull said proudly as Anat acquired 'Mafreila'. After the fight, Mona spoke up.

"Good, that's all of the enemies dealt with. And since we destroyed the Lock Keeper, we can get into the throne room now." Mona said as Skull spoke up.

"Fair enough, but who were those guys? They were arguing with the mayor just now." Skull asked as Queen spoke up.

"Good question, sweetie. To answer it, one was a city employee. The other must've been a councilman, and probably someone higher up on the ladder on top of that. Anyways, it seems this employee accepted an illegal donation from the contractor who ended up building the sculpture." Queen said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"So it was a payment for landing them the job, or in other words, bribery. We don't know if the structure collapsed due to a structural issue or a lack of care. Either way, the result is still the same." Fox said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Correct. The result was a tragic accident that took the life of a young girl who was far too young to die the way she did." Draconis said flatly as Crow spoke up.

"That, and a mountain of proof that there's corruption among the staff of Sapporo's city council." Crow said as Queen spoke up.

"Well said, Crow. Either way, the councilman was in the know. Not only that, but as Draconis pointed out just now, he tried using a fatal accident to take Mayor Hyodo's position. Or at least it was something along those lines." Queen said as Oracle gritted her teeth from next to Draconis and spoke up.

"Grrrgh, I don't care why they did what they did! The fact they used the tragic death of a young girl to threaten the Mayor is unforgivable." Oracle said as Draconis gently snaked an arm around Oracle's waist comfortingly, getting a grateful smile from her as Mona spoke up.

"Agreed. Also, everything makes sense now. Hyodo overheard this conversation by chance and found out the truth about the accident. Not only was it someone from the city, but even her own staff had blackmailed her." Mona said as Skull spoke up with a frown.

"That's messed up! These greedy assholes only wanted money and power!" Skull said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Agreed, Skull. That being said, now I have a better understanding of what Hyodo must be thinking. When she found out those around her were immoral, she became determined to purge the corruption above all else." Fox said as Noir nodded and spoke up with a frown.

"Good point. That's why she's overworking her staff and trying to push her ethics bill through, then." Noir said as Morgana spoke up.

"Makes sense to me. And on top of it, she's trying to manipulate the people into re-electing her." Morgana said as Violet spoke up at that point.

"That's true, but could it be that she has good intentions, even if she's chosen a terrible way of achieving said intentions?" Violet asked as Joker spoke up.

"I get what you're trying to say, Violet. However, the problem with your question is that regardless of what her intentions were, what Hyodo's doing is still wrong and wholly unacceptable, no matter her intentions. Sorry Noir, but it's true." Joker said as Noir winced and spoke up.

"That's okay, Joker-kun. I might not like it, but you're not wrong. Ohh, Mari-san, how could you have fallen so far from the woman I once knew?" Noir said as Crow spoke up.

"I'm afraid there's simply not a good reason for something like that, Noir. The best I can tell you is we can get the answer to that, whatever it might be, directly from Hyodo's Shadow." Crow said as Pendragon frowned and spoke up.

"True, but this assumes we can get her to admit to anything after we beat her." Pendragon pointed out wisely while Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Crow's right, as is Pendragon. Well, no matter what the reason, the birdcage is finally open. Let's head back to the hideout and discuss the specifics of the calling card." Mona said as the group nodded and exited the Metaverse at that point...

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

"So, what do we do for the calling card?" Ryuji asked after everyone was seated. Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Good question. Either way, maybe we shouldn't go overboard with it. Truth be told, I don't really see her as a bad person." Ann said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's true, Ann. The real bad guy here's the one who took the bribe." Ryuji said as Futaba spoke up with a frown.

"No, the guy who offered the bribe in the first place is the true villain." Futaba said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Technically, everyone involved in the incident is a villain of sorts, including Hyodo. She had the chance to do the right thing and blow the whistle on those bastards, but did nothing. So that makes her guilty by association, and thus an accomplice." Sojiro said as Goro spoke up.

"Precisely. I know she's a friend of Haru's, but that doesn't excuse her from her crimes, I'm afraid. She still has her share of the blame to own in this." Goro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. While what those scumbags did to Hyodo is all sorts of screwed up, Hyodo chose to not report them. So that unfortunately places an equal share of the guilt in that incident on her shoulders." Kusa said as Yusuke spoke up.

"That is true, but was there not also a portion of the blame to give to the shoddy contractors who built the sculpture? They deserve the most punishment." Yusuke said as Sumire spoke up.

"I wouldn't say the most punishment, but they do deserve a portion of it at least." Sumire said fairly from next to Ann. Haru sighed at all the condemnation aimed at Hyodo, which Goro heard and spoke up.

"I know this is rough for you, Haru. But you have to realize, none of us want to see Hyodo punished. But she also cannot get away with what she's been doing. Surely you realize that? For what it's worth, I'm sorry you're being put in the position of having to help punish a friend, but she brought it on herself." Goro said gently to Haru, who nodded. But before she could acknowledge Goro's words, Zenkichi spoke up from outside, revealing he'd been standing outside listening to the conversation the entire time.

"Wow, you guys sound pretty heated. But who's to say one man's more evil than the next?" Zenkichi said as Ann got up to let him into the trailer, moving so she could sit in the spot vacated by Kusa, who got up and stood next to Yusuke so Ann could sit next to Ren as Makoto spoke up.

"So, you were here all along." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Be nice, Makoto. Yes, it is true that he was eavesdropping on us, but we were the ones talking loud enough to be eavesdropped on in the first place. That said, we don't approve of being eavesdropped on, but regardless, long time no see, Zenkichi." Ren said as Zenkichi smirked at Ren's attempt at being welcoming as he spoke up.

"Yep. Sure has been awhile. You guys forgot about me, didn't you. Why would you not get in contact with me?" Zenkichi asked as Ann nervously spoke up.

"Well, now that you mention it, we did accidentally forget about you." Ann said as Futaba bluntly spoke up.

"Gramps, or rather Zenkichi? You completely slipped our minds." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"But in our defense, there was a lot going on, between investigating Hyodo's Jail, which we have confirmation at this time beyond the shadow of any doubt that Mariko Hyodo is the Monarch of Sapporo. But we've also been chasing leads that lend credence to the possibility that there could be corruption and bribery at play behind that snow sculpture incident that killed a nine-year-old girl about two years ago.

So we've been busy infiltrating her Jail. We just now got to the point where we can send the calling card, after exposing a pair of men that basically blackmailed Hyodo into keeping quiet about their bribery that led to the snow sculpture collapse that killed a girl." Kusa said as Zenkichi gave Ann and Futaba a hurt look as he spoke up, not hearing Kusa's explanation as a result.

"All right then. Maybe I'll forget to keep you from getting arrested!" Zenkichi said as Goro scoffed at the thinly-veiled bluff behind Zenkichi's words while he spoke up.

"Please. If you're gonna make an empty bluff like that, then at least don't make it such an easily called bluff, Zenkichi. We all know you can't afford to do that, since you yourself said that we're your only chance at cracking this case." Goro said bluntly to Zenkichi as Ryuji spoke up with a wince.

"Okay, calm down, Zenkichi. We're sorry." Ryuji said as Zenkichi sighed and spoke up.

"Ah, forget it. And thanks for that explanation, Amamiya the youngest. So what's our situation?" Zenkichi said as the group took turns breaking down what Kusa had just said in detail. After they finished, Zenkichi stroked his beard in thought as he spoke up.

"Ah, now I get the picture. So that's how Mariko Hyodo became a Monarch then. And, that would also explain your debate as to who was the worst of them all." Zenkichi said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Yep. Actually, what's your take on it, Zenkichi?" Ryuji asked as Zenkichi frowned and spoke up.

"Honestly? My take? My take is that other than Sakura the elder, Amamiya the eldest, Amamiya the youngest, and maybe both Amamiya the middle and Yoshizawa, you kids are naive." Zenkichi said as Ryuji spoke up in confusion.

"Uhh, whaddya mean?" Ryuji said as Zenkichi spoke up while crossing his arms.

"First of all, it's clear that Mariko Hyodo was cornered by a pair of rotten scumbags. And I agree with you when you said it was tragic. But what is she doing in response? Isn't it just as wrong to change people's hearts and manipulate them?" Zenkichi asked as Sojiro spoke up.

"Good point, Inspector. Two wrongs don't make a right, after all." Sojiro said wisely as Ann winced and spoke up.

"That may be true, but even so, does that instantly make her evil?" Ann asked as Zenkichi kept speaking as if Ann hadn't spoke up.

"Well said, Sakura the elder. Furthermore, that accident was her responsibility, being that she's at the top of command. Regardless of who did what, a real leader takes the fall." Zenkichi said as Ren and Kusa both winced at that, not being able to refute his point as they knew he was right. Kusa spoke up at that point.

"You're not wrong to say that, Zenkichi. Both Ren and I have done that for this team at least once each in the past, twice in Ren's case. So you have a good point." Kusa said as Ryuji spoke up with a sputter.

"B-But, even so!" Ryuji said as Zenkichi spoke up with a frown.

"It may be a bitter pill to swallow, especially for a group of justice-loving kids who operate outside the law like you do. But the real world isn't so cut-and-dry." Zenkichi said as Goro spoke up.

"We realize that. Both myself and Ren have witnessed that first-hand through our experiences with the legal system." Goro said dryly as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Exactly, so you get what I'm saying. And the longer you keep up this hero charade, the harder it'll bite you in the ass down the line." Zenkichi said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"Zenkichi, that's terrible! Take it back!" Futaba said as Kusa spoke up with a sigh.

"Terrible or not, he's got a point, Taba. We are tempting fate a lot by doing what we do. So he's not wrong to say that it could end up coming back to bite us eventually. Hell, it's already done that to us at least twice before. Once when Ren had to turn himself in to protect the rest of us from falling victim to a trap Goro had laid for us all, and again when I damn near had to sacrifice myself to stop Maruki's crazy ass from rewriting reality in his image." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Kusa's right. We're aware of the risks we take doing what we do. But your advice is well received, Zenkichi." Ren said. Zenkichi sighed at Ren's response, giving Kusa a curt nod of respect which Kusa returned. Eventually, he spoke up with a more contrite tone.

"Ah, sorry about that. Might've overstepped my boundaries." Zenkichi said as Sumire spoke up.

"No, that's quite all right. You were merely stating your opinion and trying to give us advice. There's nothing wrong about that, Zenkichi." Sumire said as Makoto spoke up.

"Sumire's right. I can understand your line of reasoning. You're saying that the world isn't neatly divided into good and evil." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up to cut off Makoto before she could finish her response.

"But we already knew that. If nothing else, my Persona and my secondary handle of 'Chaos Drake' are proof of that fact." Kusa said as Makoto kept speaking as if Kusa hadn't interrupted.

"Kusa has a point. But even if the world isn't neatly divided into good and evil, that won't stop us from fighting for what we believe in. If we give up now, then the people who are counting on us won't have any hope left." Makoto said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Truth, babe! You're so right! We help people in a way no one else can. That's why the Phantom Thieves exist." Ryuji said as Zenkichi frowned and spoke up.

"Listen. I know you all take this very seriously. Then tell me. Either way the cards fall, you're not letting Hyodo get away with what she's doing, are you?" Zenkichi said as a tense silence fell over the group at that point. However, against all odds, it would be Haru who spoke up next to break the tension, a determined look on her face as she spoke up.

"Correct. We're going to stop her." Haru said as Ann spoke up in surprise at hearing how resolved Haru sounded.

"Haru, you sound so confident and resolved." Ann said as Goro spoke up.

"Of course she does. She knows in her heart that what her friend is doing is unacceptable. And as much as it hurts her to bring her friend to justice, Haru knows full well that Hyodo cannot keep doing what she's been doing." Goro said sagely as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. Goro's correct. What Mari-san is doing is forcing her warped intentions onto other people. And we can't let that happen, no matter what the reason." Haru said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Right. We're the Phantom Thieves! And as Makoto said before, we fight for what we believe in. Yes, we're gonna stop Hyodo. But we'll do it in a way that's true to us." Morgana said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Well said, Morgana. We'll wake her up to the truth." Ren said firmly as Yusuke nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"I have no objections. It's decided, then." Yusuke said as Haru turned to smile at Ren, then at Goro.

"Thank you, Ren-kun and Goro-kun. Both of you were a big help." Haru said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was in a stand placed on the table between Haru and Ryuji, preceded Sophia speaking up for the first time since the group's return to the hideout.

"So how will we send the calling card?" Sophia asked as Futaba spoke up.

"Maybe we could send it over with some curry to the mayor's office?" Futaba said as Sojiro spoke up with a frown.

"Interesting idea, but I don't think it'll work. For one, the Phantom Thieves aren't known for being in the food-service industry, not counting myself." Sojiro said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Truth, Sojiro! What are we, a catering service? If anything, it should be ramen." Ryuji suggested as Makoto spoke up.

"It might be better to avoid closed spaces, actually. After all, she'll probably be outside prepping for the election most of the time. There's no point sending a calling card if the target doesn't see it. Wonder if we can send it somewhere on her campaign route." Makoto said as Haru spoke up.

"Yes, like somewhere she's bound to pass by at some point." Haru said before her eyes widened in realization as she had an idea, which prompted her to keep speaking.

"Oh, I know! Then how about where the Suzushino posters are? I'm sure she'll have a speech over there." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a smile and a nod.

"Good thinking, Haru." Ren said as Goro spoke up.

"True, that should work. Assuming, of course, that she hasn't already campaigned there." Goro said as Morgana spoke up.

"Pretty sure we'd already have heard about it if she'd already been through Suzushino. But yeah, I agree with Haru's idea. And if we time it with Hyodo's speech, it'll be perfect." Morgana said as Yusuke spoke up.

"The question is, who's going to place it there?" Yusuke said as everyone's eyes simultaneously turned to look at a horrified Zenkichi, who spoke up.

"No, you can't be serious. Not again. Seriously?" Zenkichi asked as Sumire spoke up.

"Technically, you can't say again when I'm nearly positive you got Kusa to deliver Natsume's calling card for you before, Zenkichi. So yes, seriously." Sumire said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Thanks in advance, Zenkichi!" Ryuji said as Zenkichi gave the group a disapproving look before he spoke up.

"Now hold on just a minute. Didn't I already pull this stunt for you in Sendai?" Zenkichi said as Makoto spoke up.

"Consider it a favor, then." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"Also, Sumire has a point when she says you had me deliver the calling card on your behalf in Sendai, Zenkichi. Especially after I added my own personal touch to it. So yeah, I'd say this time, you're up to take the risk for the good of the case, and of our alliance. If nothing else, we can have Sojiro and possibly Haru walk with you so that if anyone sees you on camera, you can say that the three of you were touring Sendai together. They can't prove anything if they don't see you posting the cards. So we'll have to do it at night when no one's around." Kusa said sagely. Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, plus you owe us one for being such a meanie earlier." Futaba said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Taba, he wasn't being a meanie. He was just being honest with us. Sure, the bluff about forgetting to keep his end was unnecessary, but I think we all know he was speaking out of hurt at that point, so we can forgive him for it this time." Kusa said wisely as Ann spoke up.

"Futaba-chan has a point. Shouldn't you own up to it?" Ann asked as Haru spoke up with a smile.

"There's no need to worry, Zenkichi-san. We'll make the calling card for you. And by we, I mean myself and probably Kusa, since he'll probably help me proofread the card and make any needed corrections to make it flow better." Haru said as Kusa nodded his agreement while Yusuke spoke up.

"What Haru said. We'll be countin' on you, Zenkichi." Yusuke said as Ren spoke up.

"As much as I hate making references, I think it's warranted here. So please, help us, Inspector Hasegawa. You're our only hope." Ren said pleadingly as Sumire frowned and spoke up.

"While that IS true, did you really have to make a Star Wars reference out of it, Ren? I blame Kusa for getting you hooked on it." Sumire said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Hey, don't knock it 'till you've tried it, Sumire! Star Wars is a great series. Even Taba likes it." Kusa said with a grin. Zenkichi sighed and spoke up.

"Argh, did I really just get cornered into this!? You little weasels owe me big time for this. All right, fine, FINE! I'll post the damn calling card!" Zenkichi said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Ah-ah, watch the language around Sophia, Zenkichi. The last guy who tried corrupting her got threatened with being bodily tossed out of a window while this RV is moving by Sumire. So don't underestimate her 'mama bear' tendencies." Kusa said teasingly as Ryuji high-fived Kusa and spoke up with a grin.

"Truth, man! Sumire is scary when she's protective of Sophia. Yusuke will vouch for that, with all the times Sumire's torn into him for being inappropriate in front of her so far." Ryuji said as Yusuke winced in recollection of the moments in question as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Zenkichi! We really do appreciate it!" Haru said as Zenkichi huffed and spoke up.

"UGH! How'd I let 'em twist my arm like this, anyways?" Zenkichi said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"First rule of dealing with the Phantom Thieves, Zenkichi-san. Unless you're prepared to bend your beliefs a bit but not break them, don't bother dealing with us. I found that out the hard way when I got strong-armed into helping these guys change the heart of a former SIU operative, who just so happened to be Makoto's older sister as well. So these guys are incredibly persuasive when they want to be. But I blame that on Kusa over there. I think his charisma and persuasiveness might be contagious somehow." Goro joked as Kusa gave a mock-offended scowl and spoke up.

"Really? You wound me deeply when you go around spewing such vile lies, Goro. Also, the last time I checked? Pretty sure that charisma was considered to be a virtue, and NOT a disease. That said, if anything, it's Ren's fault these guys are so persuasive. After all, he's just as charismatic and convincing as I am, if not moreso since he might have the closest level of Charm and charisma to Goro over there. And Goro has so much charisma, they literally gave him his own level of charm." Kusa said as Goro just stuck his tongue out in a rare moment of childish immaturity, getting laughs from Futaba, Ryuji, Ann, and Sumire as Zenkichi sighed and spoke up.

"Oh, whatever. But, if we're really doing this? It'll be early in the morning, so don't be late contacting me." Zenkichi said as he left, at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Hey. Hyodo's speech is tomorrow morning. That's when we'll make her aware of the calling card. We only have one shot at this. Let's make sure we're prepared before we send Zenkichi out." Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement.

(A short time later, inside the Sapporo Jail with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, and Pendragon)

After making a trip into the Sapporo Jail to train the team up in preparation to send the calling card and fight Hyodo's Shadow, Joker and Oracle hit level 43, while Crow, Draconis and Pendragon all hit level 39 while fighting strong Shadows, the level-ups giving Oracle the passive skill 'Moral Boost EX' and Crow the heavy-tier Gun skill 'One-Shot Kill', making Oracle smirk as she spoke up.

"BAM! How do ya like my new skill!?" Oracle said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Not bad, Oracle. Very impressive skill!" Draconis said approvingly as Oracle blushed at Draconis' praise while Al Azif acquired 'Moral Boost EX'. At that point, Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, well, well. It would seem that I've gained a new power. This Gun skill will suit Hereward quite nicely since it's a strong move." Crow said as Noir spoke up.

"Oh nice, you learned a Gun skill! We have some of the same sorts of skill! How neat." Noir said, getting an amused smile from Crow as Hereward acquired 'One-Shot Kill'.

While the group continued exploring the Sapporo Jail for more training, they found a downed chain in the area of 'Former Gvmt. Office', making Oracle blink as she spoke up.

"Oh, this is new! The chains are down! Look, Joker! I think you can climb up those chains!" Oracle said eagerly as Joker nodded and the group kept moving. After clearing out most of the nearby Shadows, Fox hit level 40 and gained the mid-tier Ice skill 'Mabufula', making him speak up.

"Hm, a new skill. It seems I can do much with this." Fox said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Indeed. A skill is only as good as the person who gets it, after all. Or so I hear. Either way, good stuff, Fox. Keep it up." Pendragon said encouragingly as Kamu Susano-o acquired 'Mabufula'. After beating a strong enemy, Noir, Crow, Draconis, and Pendragon all hit level 40, the level-ups unlocking new skills for three of the four Thieves in the forms of the passive skill 'Psy Boost' for Astarte, the mid-tier Wind skill 'Garula' for Malefor, and the support skill 'Concentrate' for Kohryu, making all four speak up.

"Oh, look! I've got a new skill!" Noir said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Not bad, Noir. I'm impressed. That's a pretty good move you just picked up." Crow said honestly as Noir smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you for the praise, Crow-kun. I appreciate it." Noir said as Draconis grinned and spoke up.

"And while we're on the subject, get a load of this new move! I guess it was time for Malefor's Wind power to get a boost. Perfect." Draconis said as Mona spoke up with a sly smirk.

"Not bad, Draconis. But I do hope you realize you'll never keep up with me in terms of Wind skills. Even so, that's a nice skill to get." Mona said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Shut up! Who said I was trying to keep up with you, Mona? Go back to simping for Panther and Seeker." Draconis responded playfully as Violet spoke up with a look of wide-eyed horror on her face behind her mask.

"No, please don't keep simping, Mona." Violet said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Be that as it may, feast your eyes on Kohryu's new power! Pretty good, yeah?" Pendragon said as Oracle spoke up.

"Meh, I give it a 5 out of 10. Nah, just kidding. That's a great skill to get, Pendragon. Well done." Oracle said teasingly as Pendragon could only huff while Astarte, Malefor, and Kohryu acquired 'Psy Boost', 'Garula', and 'Concentrate' respectively. While training up in the Sapporo Jail, Skull hit level 40 and gained the passive skill 'Attack Master', making him grin as he spoke up.

"Hell yeah! I got a new move!" Skull said as Queen spoke up.

"Not bad, sweetie. You're coming along nicely in your training, and the results speak for themselves." Queen said approvingly as Seiten Taisei acquired 'Attack Master'. While doing more training by fighting Shadows, Mona and Seeker hit level 40, the level-ups giving Mona and Sekker new moves as the cat-like Phantom Thief gained the upgraded support/debuff skill 'Masukunda', making Mona grin and speak up.

"Heh! Get a load of my new skill!" Mona said as Violet sighed and spoke up.

"What are we gonna do with that ego of yours, Mona?" Violet said as Seeker smirked impishly and spoke up.

"I dunno about you Violet, but I think we could always tickle it out of him." Seeker suggested as Joker and Violet smirked at the idea before the former spoke up.

"I'm not sure how that would look if you were spotted tickling a cat, Seeker. Sorry Mona, but your form in the real world is that of a cat, so you're gonna have to get used to being referred to as one." Joker said while giving Mona an apologetic look, prompting the cat in mention to shrug as he spoke up.

"That's fair, I guess." Mona said as Diego acquired 'Masakunda'. Surprisingly, Seeker also gained a new skill in the form of the mid-tier Bless move 'Makouga?', making her smile as she spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, looks like I've acquired a new skill." Seeker said in surprise as Mona smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, not bad, Lady Seeker. You grow stronger with every new skill." Mona said approvingly as Seeker smiled at the praise while Pithos acquired 'Makouga?'. While training against Shadows, Queen hit level 41 and gained the mid-tier Healing skill 'Mediarama', making her smirk as she spoke up.

"A new skill! Looks like I've gotten stronger!" Queen said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Hell yeah, babe! Nice one! You're doing great!" Skull said proudly as Anat acquired 'Mediarama'. While hunting more Shadows, Panther hit level 42 and gained the support/debuff skill 'Matarunda', making her smile as she spoke up.

"Woo-hoo! I got a new power!" Panther said as Mona spoke up with a grin on his face.

"Well done, Lady Panther! A skill as radiant as you are!" Mona said simpishly as Hecate acquired 'Matarunda'. While battling Shadows, Noir hit level 42 and gained the healing skill 'Amrita Shower', making her smile as she spoke up.

"Oh! A new skill! Now I can work even harder!" Noir said as Crow spoke up with a smirk.

"Not bad, Noir. You're making some real progress there." Crow said honestly as Astarte acquired 'Amrita Shower'.

(A little while later, back in the real world, inside the RV, with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, and Sojiro)

After returning to the real world a while later following a lengthy training session, Ren looked at the others and spoke up.

"That was a pretty productive training session. I'd say we're as ready as we're gonna be. So are we ready to send this calling card?" Ren asked as Ryuji cheered and spoke up.

"Hell yeah, RenRen! I'm ready any time!" Ryuji said as the others nodded their agreement before Yusuke turned to face Haru, a concerned look on his face as he spoke up.

"Haru, I know this is a difficult foe for you to tackle, but I take it that won't stop you from doing what's right. As such, would I be correct in believing we can leave this card's contents to you?" Yusuke asked as Haru nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Yes, that's correct, Yusuke-kun. I want to show Mari-san how I feel personally. You ought to rest, the rest of you. However, both Goro and Kusa, if they're agreeable to it, should stay back in case I need them to proofread/ghostwrite the calling card with me. If they agree, I'll get to writing." Haru said as Goro spoke up with a nod.

"That's not a problem at all. I don't mind helping you out at all, Haru. And I know Kusa has no objections to helping proofread the card either, right Kusa?" Goro asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. I'm always up to help proofread our handiwork. The fact I'm basically also being a bit of a third wheel in any chance you and Haru might have to bond over this card is just a bit of an unfortunate trade-off for the three of us working together on this." Kusa said sagely, smirking at the identical blushes that crept up on both Haru and Goro's faces at Kusa's remark about the two of them bonding. Morgana frowned at Kusa's remark and spoke up.

"Kusa, is now REALLY the time to be teasing Goro and Haru about their private lives? You can tease them after we send this calling card and change Hyodo's heart. As for the rest of us? Tomorrow's the big day at last. Tomorrow we confront Hyodo's Shadow after sending the calling card. As such, let's give it our all, guys!" Morgana said as Haru frowned at the reference to confronting Hyodo.

Goro, for his part, blinked when he noticed this and tried comforting Haru by pulling her into a gentle hug, which she blinked at before smiling as she leaned into it, finding the hug surprisingly nice and even slightly comforting. At that point, the rest of the group aside from Kusa went about getting to bed as Kusa, Goro, and Haru headed to a nearby bench area to hammer out the specifics of the calling card. Eventually, after a couple of hours spent brain storming, the calling card was finished and Kusa eventually headed to go lay down for the night, not noticing Ren sitting awake in the tent, unable to sleep.

After a long time of unsuccessfully trying to make himself fall asleep, Ren gave up on going to sleep and slipped quietly out of the tent to go get some air to hopefully get him tired, not seeing an intrigued Yusuke watching him as he left the tent. Once he was on the ground, Ren's phone went off, confusing him, until he saw it was a private chat from Haru. Confused as to why Haru would be contacting him so late at night, Ren pulled out his phone to view the private chat, unaware of Goro watching from nearby, having also had a hard time getting to sleep.

"Good evening, Ren-kun. I'm sorry for the short notice, but could we meet up? I'd like to talk to you. If you have time, it would make me quite happy. I'll be waiting in front of the fountain." Ren read as he blinked at the formal-sounding message before deciding to see what Haru wanted, not aware of Goro trailing him at a distance, also curious as to what was going on, but knowing that he had to listen in discreetly as he wasn't invited. After reaching the fountain, Ren smiled at Haru and spoke up.

"Sorry, just got your private chat, Haru. What's on your mind, big sis?" Ren asked as Haru spoke up with a smile.

"Ah, hello, Ren-kun. I'm sorry to call you out so late." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"It's fine, big sis. I wasn't really able to sleep anyways, so this gives me a good excuse to get a bit of a walk in. So what's up?" Ren asked. Haru spoke up.

"Heh, you're always so reliable, little bro. But, truth be told? I wanted to talk to you about Mari-san. It's strange to me, how I couldn't remember Mari-san until now. Even when Hasegawa-san said her name, it didn't quite occur to me who she was. But the moment she called me Haru-chan the day we met her outside Sapporo City Hall, it came back to me. Suddenly, it felt like a lid popped open in my mind, and my memories came pouring out. And then I remembered all these things about my childhood, and even about Mari-san. Still, how could I forget someone I loved so much?" Haru asked, a slightly sad look on her face as Ren spoke up.

"Heh, it's fine, big sis. It happens to the best of us. After all, other than myself, Goro, and technically Sumire, everyone in this group came dangerously close to forgetting that Kusa existed when Maruki attempted to trap most of us in actualized realities.

And to be honest, if we believe what Goro and Kusa told us before leaving Sendai, then Maruki also lured me into an actualized reality, or attempted to. What he wasn't banking on was for Kusa and Goro to undermine that plan while using the real Goro to act as if he was the actualized version of himself to fool Maruki into thinking his plans hadn't been subverted, thus allowing me to avoid his actualizations as a whole.

In the end, Kusa's foresightedness and decision to place safeguards was what ultimately saved us from forgetting he existed. Even Futaba nearly forgot him, despite remembering the love she and Kusa shared to that point. Heck, even Sojiro almost forgot Kusa, given that he was involved in the actualized reality where Maruki brought Futaba's mom back to life. So don't feel like you're alone in being confused at forgetting someone close to you. It's happened to the best of us, big sis." Ren said kindly.

Haru got to her feet, a slightly saddened look on her face as she looked at Ren and spoke up, not seeing Goro huddled in a nearby bush to listen in, nor hearing the almost involuntary gasp that escaped Goro's lips at what she said next, even though Ren had heard it.

"Perhaps you're right, little bro. But even so, I think what happened with my father affected me more than I realized. All the times we spent together when I was younger were mostly good times. And the moment he passed away, I was devastated and heartbroken. Moreover, I think I must've subconsciously suppressed those memories deep within my heart. And at some point, I got used to hiding things away, and I even forgot a good friend like Mari-san." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Wow, that sounds like that must've been hard for you to go through alone, big sis. I can't imagine how you must have felt at that time, but I'd like to hope you at least knew you could lean on the rest of us for comfort if you really needed to. As Kusa and I both have said before, we like to think that we've turned our little group into something akin to a rather unorthodox family of sorts. So you don't have to suffer through things on your own. And I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that." Ren said, shocking Haru when he turned to a nearby bush and kept speaking, shocking both Haru and Goro, who was hyper-focused on eavesdropping and hadn't realized Ren had caught him when he gasped before, with what he said next.

"But he can come out and speak for himself at this point, since I know he's hiding in a bush listening in on us. Aren't you, Goro?" Ren said wisely as Goro swore quite profusely in his head before slowly coming out of his hiding place and speaking up with a sheepish look on his face.

"Forgive me, Ren. I didn't mean to spy on your conversation. But I saw you leave the tent, and got curious why, so I followed you. You can imagine my surprise when I saw you meeting Haru here alone like this. Truth be told, before I heard you calling her 'big sis' over and over, a small part of me worried that Haru was about to try and make a play for you. Mind you, that would've been entirely more than fair if that's what she wanted, despite the fact that her doing so would be doing an incredible dis-service to not only the both of you, but also Sumire-san, who Ren is supposed to be happily dating. But now I can see that she wanted to lean on you for some brotherly comfort. My apologies for violating your privacy with my paranoid worries and curiosity." Goro said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"That's okay, Goro. I had a feeling you were nearby. And truth be told? I'm glad you were. I know that you still continue to beat yourself up for what you did to me and Futaba-chan before by taking our loved ones from us, but you're the only one who hasn't moved on from it. I know you had a point about what you did being unforgivable, but I think you might be wrong on that.

Yes, it was very wrong, and very painful for both myself and Futaba-chan, but I know that you're genuinely remorseful and repentant for your actions, so I feel like you should be allowed to put it behind you and move on, even if we just agree to forget it happened and do our best to start over. But don't feel like you can't be part of this conversation, Goro. Please, join us." Haru said as Goro blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"If you're sure, Haru." Goro said before standing next to Haru as she spoke up.

"Thanks for understanding, both of you. To be honest, it felt like I was running from the past again. To tell the truth? A long time ago, I remember tagging along with Mari-san and my father during a golfing trip. I was so happy running around that I ended up tripping and falling. Then, of course, I started crying. Then all of a sudden, Mari-san came up to me and said, 'Stop crying and get back up!' And that shocked me at first, because I always thought of her as an extremely gentle person.

But because I knew she was so kind, I managed to stop crying and eventually got back up. I remember thinking Mari-san would never say anything out of place. I trusted her completely. At that point, Mari-san hugged me and said something I'll never forget. Oh, and Goro? I hope that you never forget what I'm about to say, either, since it applies to you just as much as it did me back then. She said, 'No matter how many times you fall down and lose sight of yourself, you can always get back up and start over again. Never forget that.' Can you believe it?" Haru asked as Goro blinked and spoke up.

"I can. But truth be told? Those are some rather powerful, if also quite profound, words of wisdom. I think I could learn much from them, if I'm being honest. Thank you for sharing that, Haru." Goro said as Haru spoke up with a nod, even if she looked a bit sad while speaking.

"You're welcome, Goro. Anyways, I didn't understand what Mari-san meant back then, but I think I do now. You see, there's more to good character than kindness. Being good means dealing with the bad in front of you. Moreover, it means to take a stand, even when all you want to do is run away and discard your pain and guilt. To realize nothing will change if you keep ignoring reality." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"You're very right, big sis. As Goro said before, those are some very wise words you just said. At the risk of sounding like I'm hitting on you, you're quite a strong young woman, Haru." Ren said kindly as Goro spoke up with a scoff.

"You're just now realizing that, Ren? I knew you were a fool, but not to THAT extent. Even I, with all my flaws, know that Haru is one of the strongest people I know. And considering I know people like you and Kusa, that's saying something." Goro said as Haru giggled at Goro standing up for her as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Goro. But I know Ren meant no harm by his words. And Ren? If we're being honest, I have you and the Phantom Thieves to thank for my strength. With apologies to Goro for bringing up the past, I realize that it's far too late to save my father. However, it's not too late for Mari-san. This time, I can change things around." Haru said as Goro spoke up.

"And I believe you can do it, Haru. With any luck, we won't have any surprise guests to ruin the moment this time, like how I ruined your father's change of heart when you and the others defeated his Shadow. I know I need to let that go, but that's probably one of my greatest regrets is that I let myself follow Shido's orders that day, and ended up causing you immeasurable pain, grief, and suffering as a result. I'll do my best to move on from it, but it won't be easy." Goro said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"That's okay, Goro. I'll be here to pick you up as many times as it takes until you can finally let go of your guilt. But back to the topic of Mari-san. I want to tell her exactly what she told me, all those years ago." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Agreed. Let's change her heart for sure tomorrow. But before that, we'd better try and rest up first if we can. I know Goro and I were struggling to fall asleep, probably due to Ryuji and Yusuke's loud selves making it tough to fall asleep. Honestly, how Kusa, Sojiro, and Morgana slept through it I have no idea. Though I would imagine that Kusa having Morgana sprawled out on his chest and purring is a pretty good indicator of how those two slept through it. I'm guessing Sojiro's just learned to tune out background noise when needed." Ren said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, that's a good point, Ren. Thanks for hearing me out." Haru said before hugging a shocked Goro as she kept speaking.

"And thank you for being willing to help Ren talk me through my worries. I can tell you're trying to change for the better, and you're on the right track for sure. Maybe when this is all over, we can sit down and figure out where we stand, just the two of us. Because, to be honest? Even after what you did, I never completely got over my feelings for you, Goro.

But I also know you said before that you didn't think it could work out for the two of us. Maybe you've changed your mind since then, but I respect your wishes if not. But maybe we can look into at least re-establishing our friendship, if not possibly looking into our relationship becoming something more than just mere friendship." Haru said as Goro smiled and spoke up.

"By all means. We can have that discussion whenever you're ready. After we change Hyodo-san's heart, that is. I feel like that should be our top priority right now, above all else." Goro said wisely as Haru nodded before shocking Ren and Goro both by leaning up to kiss the latter on the cheek, smiling as she spoke up while turning to go back to the RV.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to do my absolute best to get through to Mari-san. And after that, I can focus on what comes after that. But for now, I think I need to get some rest. So good night, Ren and Goro." Haru said as she turned and headed back to the RV, leaving Goro and Ren to look at each other awkwardly before Ren spoke up.

"Goro? I know you're probably not sure what to say at this point, but don't worry about it. For now, the main thing is that we're after the same thing, that being to end the threat these Monarchs pose. We can worry about things like where you stand with us and how many of us will trust you after that. And more importantly, I feel I can trust that you're committed to helping us end the Monarchs with all of your might. So try to keep focused on doing the right thing, Goro. And as for the match we agreed on about three years ago? I have every intention of honoring that promise.

However, before we talk about the future too much, let's do what needs to be done in the present first, yeah? But thank you for coming back to help. It means a lot that you're willing to take that sort of step to right all your wrongs. I respect you a lot for that. And for what it's worth? I support you and Haru as a couple wholeheartedly, assuming the two of you decide to give dating a shot. I feel like you both deserve to be happy." Ren said sagely as Goro smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren. To be honest, though? I might not have managed to find the strength to return had Kusa not talked me around more than once when he came to retrieve me from my isolation in the outskirts of Yongen-Jaya. At first, I was overcome with guilt and shame for everything I'd done as Black Mask up to the point you all managed to snap me out of my dark, bitter, vengeful ways.

Admittedly, I was still struggling with it while I helped you all defeat Maruki. But once Kusa, along with you and Kusa's mom, helped me to get away from my past, I started to realize I can't be consumed with anger, hatred, and negative feelings forever. And that's why I started deciding to strive to do what's right. I realize that a lot of what I've done cannot be undone, but I can still do my best to try and do what I can to make amends for whatever wrongs I can make amends for at this point. I feel like that, above all else, may well be my best shot at achieving some form of absolution for the many sins I've committed.

As for our rivalry? I still take that seriously, but now I also consider it to be more of a friendly rivalry than anything. I respect it if you don't feel the same, but I want you to know that I want to do my best to be able to help end the threat of these Monarchs so that hopefully I can actually start to make genuine connections with each of you Phantom Thieves. Sure, there'll be some, like Ryuji and Morgana, who I might struggle to make nice with due to our differing personalities, but I'll do my best to co-exist with them despite that. If nothing else, I owe that much to you all after what I did to both you and Kusa." Goro said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Goro? I want you to listen to me, very carefully. I know you might struggle to accept this, but I forgive you for what you tried to do to me. After all, that was a fake cognitive look-alike of me you killed before. So technically, you never actually attempted to murder me specifically. However, you DID try to murder Kusa when we all confronted you in Shido's Palace, but to be fair? He tried to kill you first when he attempted to smack you with his staff. So I think you can say that we're even on that count.

However, as far as you being capable of making amends to the others? That's up to each of them how much they're willing to make nice with you. But I think you can respect whatever each of them decide as far as that goes. But in all seriousness, it's getting late, Goro. We should get back and at least try to get some sleep for tomorrow. That being said, I appreciate your honesty. It means a lot." Ren said as Goro smiled and spoke up.

"No problem, Ren. If there's one person I don't think I could lie to, outside of Kusa and Haru, it'd be you. We might be rivals, but I also consider the two of us to be friends of a sort." Goro said as Ren nodded, extending out a hand for Goro to shake as he spoke up.

"Friends, eh? I think I like the sound of that. What do you think, Goro? Can we put the past behind us to some degree and start over as friends?" Ren asked as Goro smiled and shook Ren's hand while speaking up.

"I accept. Let us make the most of this newfound friendship of ours." Goro said while shaking Ren's hand, making Ren smile as he felt a newfound sense of comraderie and friendship from Goro, along with the warm and comforting feeling that accompanied the rekindling of his friendly rivalry with Goro. Goro nodded to Ren before heading back to the RV ahead of him. As Ren made to follow, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which she had forgotten to get back from Ren, preceded Ren pulling Sumire's phone from his pocket in time for Sophia to speak up in confusion.

"Hey, Ren." Sophia said as Ren smiled at Sophia and spoke up.

"Yes, Sophia? What's on your mind, sweetheart?" Ren asked as Sophia frowned and spoke up.

"Why is Haru so upset over Mariko Hyodo? As you might recall, I don't have a heart, so it's hard to understand. Why do people try so hard for others? I wonder if I'll ever know the answer to that." Sophia asked as Ren spoke up with a kind smile.

"You will understand it eventually, Sophia. And even if you don't, that's not going to change the fact you belong with us. After all, you're one of us. So what if you don't have a heart, which I disagree with? You're still the chipper, eager, adorable little AI in the body of a girl that Sumire and I saved from that garbage dump in the Shibuya Jail. And you're also the little girl who I suspect Sumire is starting to think of as either a younger sister or a daughter, possibly the latter.

As for me, I think of you as a trusted ally. Past that, I'm still figuring out exactly what I see you as. Part of me wants to think of you as an adorable younger sister, but another part of me almost feels a certain sense of fatherly pride in how much you've learned since joining us." Ren said honestly. Sophia blinked at Ren, shocked by his honest words as she spoke up.

"R-Really!? That's so nice of you to say, Da-err, I mean Ren. But I'll believe you. However, keep in mind that it may seem like a simple concept to you, but to me? It makes my mind go 'BZZZZZT'. But, despite that? I am humanity's companion. I am here to learn and grow." Sophia said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Sophia. But, it is getting late. I should really try to go get some sleep before tomorrow." Ren said as Sophia blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, that's right. I'm sorry to keep you up. Go get some sleep, Ren." Sophia said as Ren nodded and returned to the RV, where he somehow fell into a slow, but surprisingly restful, slumber...

(The following afternoon, in the north section of Suzushino, with Hyodo)

"Good day, everyone! Are we ready to make Sapporo a paradise as pure as snow? If so, then remember: On election day, please vote Mariko Hyodo!" Hyodo said as she heard voices speak up nearby while looking at the nearby billboards.

"What's that?" A woman said while looking at the billboards. A man near her saw what she was looking at and spoke up.

"Is that a calling card on the billboards!?" The man said as another man looked over and spoke up.

"Dude, I think it is! Is this for real!? Are the Phantom Thieves here in Sapporo!?" The other man said as Hyodo frowned and spoke up.

"What's going on?" Hyodo asked as she was directed to the billboard, where she saw the calling cards plastered across one of her campaign posters. Frowning, Hyodo snatched one off the billboard to read it.

"Is this addressed to me!? Let's see what we have here. This says, 'Mariko Hyodo, the false empress with a frozen heart who rules over a barren tundra of a city, listen to what we have to say, and heed our words. You are a cold manipulator who treats people as tools to be discarded. As much as we have no qualms with you personally, we find your recent actions to be unforgivable, and as such, we will end your reign of abuse.

And in fact, not only will we do that, we will also take back each and every one of the Desires you've stolen, this very night. -Sincerely yours, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts, aka the Phantom Crew. P.S. The esteemed Noir wishes to add her regrets that this was necessary, but alas, this is the only way to save you from yourself.' WHAT!? This is a calling card, for me!" Hyodo said as the camera flickered and cut away to a shadowy location where all that was visible was a pair of glowing yellow eyes that illuminated what appeared to be a blue-clad woman with icy white skin and light blue hair, with lips curled into a sneer as she spoke up.

"The Phantom Thieves? And they say they're going to steal MY Desires? What a bald-faced lie! Those Desires are mine, and mine alone! And as long as I'm the Monarch, I won't let anyone stop me! But if these Phantom Thieves wish to try and take me down? Then very well. I was just beginning to work up an appetite. I wonder what you'll taste like, Phantom Thieves? Perhaps I should gobble you up and find out!" The blue-clad woman sneered as the camera panned back to Hyodo, who looked at her staff and spoke up in concern.

"Why are you just standing there!? Take these wretched things down!" Hyodo said angrily as her staff winced, but hurried to do as instructed. Nearby, the group watched on as the results of Goro, Haru and Kusa's handiwork became apparent to see. Haru frowned resolutely as she spoke up.

"Wait for us, Mari-san. You won't have to remain like this for much longer. It'll all be over soon." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Agreed. But for that to happen, we know what we have to do. We have to go and defeat Hyodo's Shadow. So, without further ado, I say we get this done. If there are no objections, let's begin the operation." Ren said decisively. The rest of the group nodded their agreement before heading into the Metaverse with Ren...

(In the Metaverse, at the entrance to the Sapporo Jail, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, and Pendragon)

As the group stood at the entrance to the Sapporo Jail, Joker looked his friends/comrades over and spoke up.

"Well, this is it. Time to go face our third Monarch fight. For this one, I want the teams to be as thus. On Team A, which I will lead, shall be myself, Crow, Noir, and Violet. Group B, which will be led by Draconis, shall comprise of Draconis, Pendragon, Mona, and Seeker. By default, that leaves Queen to lead Group C, which will be Queen, Skull, Fox, and Panther. Oracle, for her part, is in charge of running navigation for all three groups as well as coordinating our efforts as best she can. Any objections?" Joker said as no one voiced an objection, though Noir smiled slightly and spoke up.

"Let's go change Mari-san's heart! And I'm glad I'm on the front lines for this! I was hoping for that, truth be told." Noir said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"As you should be. Let's make sure she sees the error of her ways, shall we?" Crow said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Let's go! We need to make sure Mari-san's heart is changed." Noir said firmly as the group headed for the birdcage. Once they reached the rooftop, the group wasted little time in barging into the now-open room past the roof, where Skull spoke up to voice the group's arrival.

"Sorry 'bout the wait! We're here to kick ass and-WHAAAAA!?" Skull said, his eyes widening with everyone else's as the group took in the sight of the white-skinned female currently gorging herself on a massive feast, wearing a simple flowing white gown, her icy blue hair tied up in a neat bun behind her as her glowing yellow eyes snapped to glare at the gathered group before seemingly burning with a red glow as she wasted little time in glaring at Skull as she spoke up.

"Silence, impudent whelp." The white-skinned female said as a horrified and wide-eyed Skull spoke up.

"Wh-Who the hell is she?" Skull said as a horrified Noir spoke up, having recognized the female's voice.

"That voice. There's no mistaking it. Yet, that couldn't be who I think it is, could it? Could that be the Shadow of Mari-san?" Noir asked in shock as Crow spoke up slowly.

"If it is, this has to be the ugliest Shadow I've seen thus far, not to mention the most horrifying. And given we've fought a tentacle Persona that belonged in a hentai, that's saying something." Crow said dryly as the white-skinned female spoke up. *1*

"Mmm, this is so good. Must keep eating." The white-skinned female said as a horrified Queen spoke up.

"Is that Hyodo's Shadow? If so, what on earth happened to her?" Queen asked as a horrified Mona spoke up.

"I'm not sure, so this is only guess on my part, but I'm guessing this is Hyodo's distorted form." Mona said as the annoyed white-skinned female spoke up, her next words confirming her identity beyond any shadow of a doubt.

"What do you people want? Mmm. You had best remember your place! And you had best not get in my way! I'm almost there. So close now. Only a few more votes and I'll win re-election!" The white skinned female, who was clearly Hyodo's Shadow, said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"I understand how you feel, but this is wrong, Mari-san. Those votes you gathered by twisting the people's hearts are worthless!" Noir said as Queen spoke up with a frown.

"Noir's right! And if you don't stop your tyranny, your staff will collapse one by one!" Queen said as Panther spoke up.

"Listen, Hyodo! I get why it's hard for you to trust people, but you still have to treat them with decency!" Panther said as an irate Hyodo's Shadow flailed her arms up and down angrily, even while holding a knife and fork, as she spoke up after finishing the bite she was in the middle of.

"You shut your impudent mouths! I've done nothing wrong! I will wring out every last ounce of corruption from my staff by working them into the ground! I'll silence all charlatans who betray me! And I will consume every last vote in the city, whether these people agree with me or not! And only then can I build a safe haven, or more simply put, a radiant snow city that sparkles like winter!" Hyodo's Shadow said as Joker scoffed and spoke up.

"I can understand what you're trying to do, but tell me. Are you happy living a lie, Hyodo-san?" Joker asked bluntly as Noir stepped forward and spoke up.

"Listen to him. When you take away someone's Desire, you rob them of their agency, or more simply put, the ability to make their own decisions. So what good does it do to turn your loyal citizens into mindless drones? Isn't it better to let them arrive at their own conclusions, or better yet, to follow their own hearts!?" Noir said pleadingly as Hyodo's Shadow glared at her and spoke up angrily.

"What? How dare YOU lecture ME!" Hyodo's Shadow said as Seeker smiled at Noir encouragingly and spoke up.

"Good job, Noir. You tell her." Seeker said as Noir smiled at Seeker and spoke up.

"Thank you, Seeker-chan. I appreciate the encouragement." Noir said before turning to face Hyodo's Shadow as she kept speaking.

"Mari-san. Say goodbye to the countless Desires you stole from others. And why, you might ask? Because Beauty Thief and the Phantom Thieves, right here and now, are about to take them back!" Noir said as Hyodo's Shadow frowned at her while setting her food down and speaking up.

"Honestly, these people are nothing more than a nuisance! They're all in my way, making my job harder at every turn." Hyodo's Shadow said angrily while scarfing down food ravenously, making the Thieves recoil as she started to grow in size while she kept speaking.

"This is the last straw, do you hear me!?" Hyodo's Shadow said as the Phantom Thieves could only look up in horror as Hyodo's Shadow started growing taller as she stood up, making the Thieves have to look up at her as she kept speaking.

"You've made me so very hungry, which is not good for you! So be it. It's dinner time, Phantom Thieves! And the main course is YOU!" Hyodo's Shadow said as she leaned backwards as a second face sprouted on her stomach, to the horror of the group, before extending a tongue outwards to consume the entire table in one massive gulp, sucking it into her stomach and consuming it as the group could only gasp in horror as the mouth on the stomach of Hyodo's Shadow breathed a massive torrent of ice at them as a fight began! As the fight began, Noir spoke up with a resolved look on her face.

"Mari-san, what you're doing is wrong! So we'll be taking those Desires back!" Noir said resolutely as Hyodo's Shadow scoffed and spoke up.

"Shut your prissy little mouth! What would you know!?" Hyodo's Shadow said as Crow spoke up with a frown.

"A hell of a lot more than you'd think she does, Hyodo! And you have no idea how painful it is for Noir to have to help take a stand against you, but she's doing it anyway, all because she knows it's the only way to bring you to your senses! So prepare to have your heart changed!" Crow said as Hyodo's Shadow spoke up.

"SILENCE! I will consume all who oppose me, no matter who they are! In this world, there are only two options. You either eat or be eaten! There is no middle ground! So prepare to be devoured, Phantom Thieves! I'LL GOBBLE YOU ALL UP!" Hyodo's Shadow said as the fight started! As the group charged into battle, Skull spoke up.

"What's with all the food? I'm not gonna lie. I kinda want some." Skull said as Panther scoffed and spoke up.

"Skull, can you not think with your stomach for like five minutes!? Now's not the time to stuff your face! Here she comes!" Panther said as Crow spoke up.

"Seriously. Skull has such a one-track mind, it's pathetic." Crow deadpanned as the group charged into battle. After battering Hyodo's Shadow for a bit with Psy and Curse moves, which Oracle had identified as the weaknesses of Hyodo's Shadow, Hyodo's Shadow spoke up in pain.

"UGH, NO! Not Sapporo's future! NO! I wanted to make it as white as snow eventually!" Hyodo's Shadow said as the group kept battering Hyodo's Shadow with attacks, eventually causing her to flash red as she kept speaking.

"Why, damn you!? Why do you insist on standing in my way!?" Hyodo's Shadow said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Because you've lost your way and need to be brought back on track! But that's not for me to take care of. That will be Noir's job, since she's the one of us closest to you!" Pendragon said wisely as Noir nodded her agreement. While the group was fighting, Hyodo's Shadow breathed out a torrent of ice towards the group, nearly hitting Queen, who was barely pushed out of the way by Skull, causing the torrent of ice to hit him instead, making Oracle wince as she spoke up.

"Uh-oh! That's not good! We've got a frozen Skull over here!" Oracle said as Queen gasped before Noir dashed over to Skull and spoke up.

"Not for long! ASTARTE, COME! USE YOUR NEW MOVE AND DEFROST SKULL!" Noir said as Astarte nodded, waving a hand and causing a wave of healing energy to wash over Skull, removing the ice from him with Amrita Shower while Queen, Joker, and Crow slashed furiously at Hyodo's Shadow, who wailed in pain and spoke up.

"STOP THAT! Arghhh, that hurts! I've done nothing to deserve such agony!" Hyodo's Shadow said as Crow scoffed and spoke up.

"Spare us the lies, Hyodo-san! You've done a lot of things to deserve this! Granted, none of us enjoy doing this to you, but you need to be brought back to your senses!" Crow said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Crow's right! I'm sorry, Mari-san. But this is for your own good!" Noir said as Hyodo's Shadow flashed red again while Queen spoke up.

"She's fully consumed with rage right now, I'm afraid. Everyone, keep your guard up!" Queen said as Oracle spoke up.

"True, but her mind is totally unstable! We could deal some serious damage to her right now with Psychokinesis attacks!" Oracle said as Joker spoke up.

"Psy attacks are more effective right now, eh? In that case, let's use that! Pendragon, swap out with Violet so you and Noir can rain all of your combined Psy power on Hyodo's Shadow!" Joker said decisively as Pendragon and Noir nodded, using their strongest Psy moves to deal heaps of damage on Hyodo's Shadow, who spoke up in a vaguely trance-like voice.

"Ohh, that's it. I must eat more! Consume absolutely everything!" Hyodo's Shadow said angrily as the group kept attacking her. After a bit, Hyodo's Shadow caused a snowstorm to appear, making Queen blink behind her mask as she spoke up.

"Whoa, look at the size of that snowstorm! Hyodo's Shadow has some serious lungs on her." Queen said, making Oracle wince as she spoke up.

"Queen's right! That's not good! She's conjured up one very massive snowstorm! Luckily, I hacked the heater to the northwest! Hurry and switch it on to stop the snowstorm!" Oracle said as Draconis nodded, darting over to switch on the indicated heater while the others kept Hyodo's Shadow busy. As the snowstorm stopped, Seeker smiled and spoke up.

"Ahh, much better! The blizzard has stopped." Seeker said as Skull spoke up with a nod.

"Aww yeah, payback time!" Skull said as Hyodo's Shadow spoke up angrily.

"More food! There's still more food! I must eat every last one of you! After all? YOU EITHER EAT OR BE EATEN!" Hyodo's Shadow said as Noir spoke up in an attempt to reason with Hyodo's Shadow.

"Please stop, Mari-san! I know you're still kind, somewhere deep down inside you!" Noir said pleadingly to Hyodo's Shadow, who only scoffed derisively in response before she started flailing the tongue on her stomach around erratically, making the group exchange confused looks. Eventually, the tongue lashed out, darting towards Noir, making to eat her, only for Noir to find herself shoved aside at the last moment as a blue-and-black blur darted into the path of the attack, taking the hit for Noir instead as Hyodo's Shadow swallowed Crow whole. At that point, three different screams rang out from Seeker, Violet, and Panther as several voices spoke up at once.

"OH, NO!" Panther, Queen and Mona said at once as Joker, Oracle, Draconis, and Noir all spoke up in unison.

"CROW! NOOOOO!" Joker, Oracle, Draconis and Noir all said together as Oracle spoke up.

"WHAT!? Did she just eat one of us!? Somebody help! Oh, wait! What about those chandeliers above Hyodo's Shadow!? We could drop one of those on her! If I'm right, it should make her spit up Crow from the impact." Oracle said in horror as Mona looked around, eventually seeing some chandeliers above the head of Hyodo's Shadow and smirking as he spoke up.

"I've got it!" Mona said as he spotted a chandelier dangling ominously over Hyodo's Shadow, leaping nimbly atop it and chopping through the handles holding it up with his scimitar, making both Mona and the chandelier come crashing down on top of Hyodo's Shadow, the impact of the latter making Hyodo's Shadow spit out Crow before she could finish swallowing him, sending Crow and Mona both flying back towards the group, where they were caught by Noir and Seeker respectively and hugged by the Thieves in question as Noir glared at Crow while speaking up, surprising everyone with the tears in her eyes.

"I appreciate what you did, Crow. BUT DON'T EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Noir rebuked Crow angrily before pulling him into a hug while kissing him gratefully on the cheek. Seeker just hugged Mona to her for all she was worth, giving the heroic cat many head pats, giggling cutely at the many involuntary, yet contented sounding, purrs he was giving off for her efforts. After Crow pulled away from Noir, he spoke up with a resolved look on his face.

"I'm sorry to scare you like that, Noir. But I wasn't about to sit there and let that monster eat you alive! You've already suffered enough in your life, without having to be literally eaten alive by someone you trusted dearly. It's bad enough you already had one person you trusted betray that trust and hurt you over it. I refuse to let it happen to you a second time!" Crow said before glaring at Hyodo's Shadow as he kept speaking.

"And as for YOU! You pissed me off when you tried to eat me! And now it's time to make you suffer! Noir, Panther, you two up for helping me try out a new move I got the idea for while I was helping brainstorm the calling card last night?" Crow asked as Noir and Panther nodded before they spoke up.

"Gladly. I've got your back, Crow-kun." Noir said as Panther spoke up.

"That goes double for me! Let's give this monster some payback!" Panther said as Noir, Crow, and Panther spoke up in unison.

"GO, TRIAD SPECIAL!" Crow, Noir, and Panther said together as their Triad Special started. Crow then spoke up.

"COME, HEREWARD! Prepare one of your cursed arrows! We're going to need that as the basis for our move!" Crow said as Hereward nodded, nocking an arrow in his bow as Noir spoke up.

"Ah, I see where this is going! We combine our powers into one arrow and strike Mari-san with the combined might of our fury. I like it! COME, ASTARTE! Let's add our personal touch to this move!" Noir said as Astarte nodded, waving a hand and causing the arrow to be coated in Psy energy as Panther spoke up.

"Don't forget about us! DANCE, HECATE! COAT THAT ARROW WITH YOUR BLAZING FIRE!" Panther said as Hecate nodded, waving her hand and washing the arrow in fire as Crow spoke up to finish the move.

"HEREWARD! CHANNEL YOUR CURSE POWER INTO THE ARROW AND TAKE AIM!" Crow said as Hereward nodded, channeling Curse energy into the arrow, brandishing his bow as he took aim at the mouth of Hyodo's Shadow as Crow kept speaking.

"You still hungry, Hyodo-san!? Then chew on this!" Crow said as Panther and Noir spoke up with him.

"GO, PURGATORY ARROW!" Crow, Panther, and Noir called out in unison as the now-crackling arrow that was dancing with flashes of pink and red was loosed from Hereward's bow, flying straight and true into Hyodo's stomach, where a massive explosion was heard as the arrow detonated, coating the inside of the stomach of Hyodo's Shadow with mixed Psy, Fire, and Curse energy, making her shriek in agony, ultimately glaring at the group as she spoke up through strained pants.

"Ugh, that hurts! Quit struggling and come quietly, you pests!" Hyodo's Shadow said as Fox scoffed at that and spoke up.

"Us? Come quietly? Preposterous! We should be the ones saying that to you, Hyodo-san." Fox said as Draconis nodded before speaking up.

"What Fox said. And if anything, you're the one struggling! After all, we didn't literally try to eat another human being as an attack!" Draconis pointed out as Violet winced and spoke up.

"I still find it unbelievably horrifying she tried to devour Crow like that. But that says nothing of how Noir-senpai probably felt seeing Crow take that attack for her." Violet said, giving Noir a sympathetic smile, prompting Noir to give Violet a grateful nod before she sighed sadly and spoke up.

"Violet-chan has a point. That wasn't fun at all, but I get why Crow-kun did it." Noir said before turning to look directly at Hyodo's Shadow while she kept speaking.

"As for you, Mari-san? I hate that it's come to this, but it looks as if the only way to change your heart is to defeat you." Noir said as Crow spoke up.

"Well said. Oh, what's that? Hold on, Noir! Isn't your Showtime ready to use?" Crow asked as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed it is. Shall I use it to finish this?" Noir asked, getting approving nods from the others as she spoke up.

"Very well. SHOWTIME!" Haru said as she turned to Astarte and spoke up while her Showtime started.

"It's Showtime! Astarte, would you care to join us?" Noir said as she did an intricate sort of waltz with Astarte before she brandished her axe as Astarte opened up the skull-like object that was the lower half of her body, revealing she still had the hidden gatling guns in the skull that she'd had as Milady, bringing them to bear as Noir spoke up.

"You've been bad! Time to punish you!" Noir said as Astarte opened fire on Hyodo's Shadow as Noir leapt up and spoke up while swinging her axe.

"This is your end!" Noir said as she swung the axe, making a wave of Psy energy shoot out at Hyodo while Noir spoke up once more.

"COUP DE GRACE!" Noir said as the attack slammed head on into Hyodo's Shadow, making her scream in pain from the impact of the Showtime as she writhed in pain before groaning and slumping to the ground in defeat as she spoke up.

"No, this cannot be! If I fall here, then what kind of monster will be allowed to take my place as Mayor?" Hyodo's Shadow said as the battle ended. From the ensuing EXP gains, Seeker and Mona hit level 42, and both Skull and Fox hit level 43 while Noir and Violet hit level 44, the level-ups giving Skull the mid-tier Elec skill 'Mazionga' and Violet the Physical skill 'Tempest Slash', making Violet smile as she spoke up.

"Oh, wow. I got a new move! Looks like my hard work is showing results!" Violet said as Seeker spoke up.

"Very impressive skill, Violet. I'm happy for you." Seeker said cutely as Violet beamed at Seeker while Ella acquired 'Tempest Slash'. At that point, Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Hell yeah! A new move! Whaddya think?" Skull asked as Queen spoke up.

"Ah, your Elec skills are now all at mid-tier, Skull. Nice job, sweetie. I'm proud of you." Queen said, patting Skull on the shoulder, making him smile as Seiten Taisei acquired 'Mazionga'. After the fight, Hyodo's Shadow reverted to normal as she spoke up.

"Wait! Not yet! I won't let it end this way! I need to wipe out all of Sapporo's injustice!" Hyodo's Shadow said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"Please stop, Mari-san! Haven't you done enough!?" Noir said as Hyodo's Shadow looked up in shock and spoke up.

"What?" Hyodo's Shadow said in surprise as Noir spoke up, looking close to tears.

"You're a kind person, Mari-san, and I know you've tried to shoulder all of this alone. That staff member who took bribes, the councilman who tried to set you up. And on top of that, even the girl who died in the accident two years ago, all of these are things you've tried to shoulder the blame for on your own." Noir said firmly as Hyodo's Shadow gasped in shock at Noir mentioning her past.

"Oh!" Hyodo's Shadow said in surprise as Noir kept speaking before she could do more than gape.

"Each of these things grieved you. And in order to make a city where none of it could reoccur, you took action as you saw fit. Am I right?" Noir said as Hyodo's Shadow sighed and spoke up.

"Yes, you're right. As the mayor, I know very well that little girl's death was ultimately my fault. But my staff betrayed me! All for their insatiable greed! I thought I could leave that awful position behind. Unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as that. Had I gone, I'd only be replaced by greedy scum! That's why I never stepped down! As I said before, in this world? It's either eat or be eaten! And with circumstances being so cruel, I decided I'd be the one doing the eating!

Even if every last one of my votes were false, at least I could use them to make the world a better place! But if I was replaced as mayor with some greedy scumbag, who would be there to honor that poor little girl's memory? An innocent girl lost her life, yet I could do nothing to stop the evil still afoot!" Hyodo's Shadow said as Noir walked up to Hyodo's Shadow and spoke up with a firm look on her face behind her mask.

"Listen to me, Mari-san! It's not too late to set this right. First, you must tell the people everything that has happened! Then, and only then, can you get a fresh start. But this time, it'll be on your own strength!" Noir said as Hyodo's Shadow frowned at this and spoke up.

"That would be nice if it were that simple. But alas, I fear that what you ask is impossible. After all, I cooperated with those awful men to hide the truth of that little girl's death, just so that way I could continue being mayor. There's nothing I can do for that little girl now." Hyodo's Shadow said as Noir grunted in frustration and spoke up, shocking everyone with what she said next.

"Ngh. That's enough! STAND UP, MARIKO HYODO!" Noir said firmly, making Hyodo's Shadow gasp in recognition as Noir kept speaking in a firm yet determined voice.

"Are you just going to stay knocked down like that!? You are a kind and strong woman, not someone who collapses over mistakes! So stand up, and hold your head up high! As I told another friend of mine recently when he seemed to struggle with finding the strength to do the right thing, it's not over yet. Because no matter how many times you fall, you can always get back up and start again!" Noir said passionately but firmly as both Crow and Hyodo's Shadow gave her shocked looks as the latter spoke up, her eyes widening slightly in recognition of Noir's words.

"Isn't that-? Aren't those the words I once told someone I knew, a long time ago? I think it might be. Oh! Wait a minute. Could it be...? Is that you, Haru-chan!?" Hyodo's Shadow asked in surprise as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, that's right, Mari-san. You said that to me a long time ago. And even if you told the people the truth about the incident, there are those who would still see the good in you! Don't let your position ruin you. Think back to what you stood for!" Noir said as Skull grinned at Noir's passionate words, pumping a fist as he spoke up.

"She's right, Mayor! You can't give up!" Skull said as Panther spoke up.

"Noir's right, Mayor! If you tell everyone your side of things, they'll listen!" Panther said as Noir looked into the eyes of Hyodo's Shadow and spoke up.

"To be honest, Mari-san? When my father died, I felt like my heart was going to break for a bit there. But thanks to my family in the Phantom Thieves, I was able to stay strong and move forward! And that's why I know you can too! Remember the part of you that taught me to get back up, no matter how many times I fall!" Noir said as Hyodo's Shadow slowly smiled and spoke up.

"Yes, sweet girl. You're right. Thank you, Haru-chan. What I've done, regardless of why I did it? It was wrong. I drove my employees to the brink and used a strange power to manipulate the votes, all just to protect my position! I was so driven by my personal agenda, I lost sight of how I originally felt about everything. I even forgot what I stood for, and why I ran for mayor in the first place.

To make a city beloved by everyone, as I remembered it being when I was a little girl. To give back to the home where I was raised for most of my childhood and young adult years. That's reason enough to take another stand. I won't make this mistake again." Hyodo's Shadow said as she lifted the gleaming tiara off of her head and tossed it aside as she spoke up.

"I never needed this power from the start! Haru-chan, thank you for setting me straight. I'm proud of you. You've grown so much. Your father must be so happy in heaven to see the fine young woman you've become." Hyodo's Shadow said as Crow scoffed dryly and spoke up.

"That's rather bold of you to assume that Noir's father is in heaven right now. After all, and I apologize in advance to everyone for the crassness of this, but it has to be said, Noir's own father tried to whore out his own daughter just to further his own political aspirations. And that's saying nothing of the fact he tried to force her into a loveless engagement.

Luckily for Noir, she had friends in the company who agreed with her position and helped her break off her engagement. That scumbag Sugimura was in no way, shape, or form fit to be the fiancee to such an amazing and beautiful person like Noir is. But that little quibble aside, I quite agree with what you just said." Crow said as virtually everyone else in the room gaped at the rare show of blunt candor from the usually well-spoken Crow, aside from both Joker and Draconis, who just gave Crow proud smiles for his standing up for Noir, and Noir, who gave Crow a soft but impressed smile while speaking up.

"Crow-kun? I had no idea you felt that way." Noir said as Hyodo's Shadow spoke up once more.

"He's right, you know. You deserve whatever happiness you can find, Haru-chan. Thank you for everything..." Hyodo's Shadow said, trailing off as she vanished in a flash of light to return to her true self as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"Mari-san!" Noir said in a mix of surprise and relief as Seeker cutely cocked her head to the side in confusion and spoke up.

"Happy, did she say?" Seeker asked, but before anyone could answer her, the room started rumbling, making Panther speak up in horror.

"This place is collapsing! Let's go!" Panther said as the group hurriedly escaped the Metaverse...

(Back in the real world, in an intersection in south Suzushino, with Ann, Ryuji, Sojiro, Yusuke, Kusa, Futaba, Makoto, Sumire, Sophia, Morgana, Ren, Goro, and Haru)

"Whew, we're back. That took us quite a while." Yusuke said as the group gathered in the real world. Makoto nodded before smiling at Haru and speaking up.

"Haru? You were fantastic." Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"She's right, you know. You did great back there, big sis. You really showed Hyodo's Shadow the error of her ways." Ren said proudly. Haru smiled at Ren and Makoto as she spoke up.

"Thank you. However, it was only a success because you were all with me. But I do wonder if Mari-san will be okay or not?" Haru asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"Honestly? I'd say so. Her Shadow disappeared like they always do." Ryuji said as Goro winced and spoke up.

"Yes, it seems like this time, we were actually able to change the heart of someone you cared about successfully. And I'm glad for you, Haru. You were able to help that woman get back on the right path with your words." Goro said proudly. Morgana nodded his agreement and spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"Yeah, Goro's right. Your feelings definitely reached Hyodo's Shadow. I'm sure her heart has changed for the better. Well, barring any setbacks, I'd say this wraps up the mission." Morgana said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Not quite, Morgana. We still need to confirm that the citizens are all back to normal. It'd be nice if we could do that right away, but it might take time for that to happen." Makoto said as Ryuji spoke up with a frown while rotating his shoulder.

"Truth, babe! But can't we grab somethin' to eat first? I'm hungry enough to pass out here." Ryuji said as at that moment, an audible growl was heard from the group, who looked around before Ren smiled and spoke up as he gently patted the head of the blushing red-head next to him and spoke up.

"Pretty sure that was Sumire's stomach just now. Which means she's probably hungry. I blame Ryuji for mentioning food." Ren said teasingly as Sumire pouted and spoke up.

"Hey! No fair teasing me, Ren! Besides, can I help it if changing hearts is often hungry work?" Sumire said petulantly, getting amused laughs from Kusa, Futaba, and Ren, as the latter gently pulled her into a hug and spoke up.

"Easy, beautiful. I'm sorry I teased you. But you're always so cute in your reactions when I do it, so can you blame me for liking to see the adorable reactions you have to my teasing?" Ren said gently as Sumire blushed and spoke up.

"Fiiine, I forgive you, Senpai." Sumire said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Sumire has a point. Battles can't be fought on an empty stomach usually." Yusuke said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"The battle's over, but still, I agree with Yusuke." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Ehh, we did just earn an impressive victory. I suppose we have earned the right to celebrate a bit." Kusa said as Morgana's eyes went glinty and he spoke up.

"Celebration!? Hey, guys? Can we try jingisukan? Y'know, that delicious lamb barbecue dish!?" Morgana asked as Sojiro huffed and spoke up.

"Didn't Ren already cook us a ton of that recently, Morgana!? How are you still hungry for it?" Sojiro asked with a frown as Morgana spoke up.

"Yes, that's true. But there's a difference between homemade jingisukan and restaurant-made jingisukan. And I feel like we deserve to see which is better." Morgana said as Futaba smiled eagerly and pumped her fists adorably as she spoke up.

"I agree with Morgana! Ooh, that's a must in Hokkaido!" Futaba said as Yusuke's eyes widened and he spoke up.

"What!? I thought we were finally getting lobster hot pot, weren't we?" Yusuke said in confusion as Goro spoke up.

"I'm sorry, what? Did you just suggest lobster hot pot? In this weather!?" Goro asked dryly as Ryuji spoke up.

"Goro's right! Since when did we decide that? And why would we, when it's so damn hot out?" Ryuji said as Futaba spoke up with a coy sort of smirk on her face.

"That's true, Ryuji. But if you think about it, isn't jingisukan also sorta like hot pot?" Futaba said as both Kusa and Sumire spoke up.

"Seriously!?" Sumire asked in surprise as Kusa spoke up.

"I get what you're going for, Taba. But last time I checked, jingisukan and hot pot are two very different things. And I'd think that out of those of us gathered, that myself, Ren, Ann, Ryuji, Morgana, and Yusuke know that full well, given we had a hot-pot party once to celebrate Yusuke joining the team. I almost included you, but you weren't technically part of the team yet at the time, even if you were probably listening in on the proceedings through your surveillance equipment." Kusa said as Ann spoke up with wide eyes.

"I agree with Kusa! No way! Isn't jingisukan supposed to be barbecue?" Ann asked as Makoto spoke up uncertainly.

"Well, cooking jingisukan does require a utensil called a jingisukan pot to make it, and you can't barbecue in a pot." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"That's true, big sis. And when you put it that way, I don't think it could be truly called either barbecue or hot pot entirely. However, I seem to recall a third category that's sort of a meet-in-the-middle for the other two. What about sukiyaki? I think that might be closer to what jingisukan is?" Ren said uncertainly as Kusa spoke up.

"That sounds accurate, yes. But I'm not sure if it's entirely relevant to what we're talking about." Kusa pointed out as Makoto spoke up.

"True. Though sukiyaki is served hot pot style, its etymology does refer to grilling. I wonder why." Makoto said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"That's all well and good, but I don't think we're getting sukiyaki either." Sojiro said as Goro spoke up.

"Exactly. So does it matter what jingisukan is or is not?" Goro asked as Morgana nodded and spoke up with a frown.

"Right! Does it even matter?" Morgana asked as to everyone's surprise, Haru started giggling at the banter going on, a small smile escaping her lips. Once he caught sight of it, Goro found himself subconsciously blushing as he saw Haru's smile, idly noting that it looked rather adorable on her. Kusa grinned as he noticed the expression on Goro's face before speaking up.

"Oh, what's this? Is Goro noticing Haru over here? I always thought you two were cute together." Kusa said slyly as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Seconded, Kusa! Also, hey! Was that a smile just now Haru?" Futaba said as she looked from an embarrassed Haru to an annoyed Goro, the latter of which she smirked at before he sighed and glared at both Kusa and Futaba in annoyance as he spoke up.

"Kusa? Futaba-san? I legitimately hate you both right now." Goro said, crossing his arms in a rare moment of childish immaturity, making Haru giggle even more as she subconsciously leaned her head onto Goro's shoulder in a contented manner, making Sumire and Futaba exchange sly grins as the former spoke up after seeing the unguarded and genuine smile that slowly crept across Goro's face.

"Oh, look! I think Goro is smiling too. And I have to say, I find myself surprisingly impressed with Goro's smile. Not that it has anything on Ren's, but it's still rather nice to look at." Sumire said in amusement as Ren spoke up.

"As long as we agree that Goro belongs with Haru, and you belong with me, I have no problems agreeing with everything you just said, Sumire." Ren said, turning to Haru as he kept speaking.

"And speaking of smiles, you have a great smile too, big sis. And I mean that in the most familial and platonic way possible." Ren said honestly as Futaba smirked and spoke up with an amused grin.

"Yeah! Straight from Sapporo, it's Beauty Thief's award-winning smile! And it even comes with a special guest appearance by Goro's rare genuine smile!" Futaba said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Be fair, Taba. Neither Haru nor Goro usually have a lot of reasons to be happy these days, so let's not tease them about it much. We should be happy that they've found some measure of happiness for now." Kusa said sagely as Makoto nodded and spoke up with her own closed-eye smile that Ryuji enjoyed seeing.

"Kusa-kun has a point. And to be honest? I'm relieved too. I thought you might be weighed down by all that's happened, Haru." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up with a wry smirk, not seeing Ren, Haru, and Goro's eyes all widen at what he said next.

"Indeed. She was so weighed down that she met up with our leader for a private midnight chat." Yusuke said as Ren and Haru gasped as the latter spoke up.

"Huh!? Were you watching!? I know Goro was eavesdropping, but he had a good reason for it and apologized. But you haven't done either of those." Haru said as Goro spoke up.

"If I had to guess? I'd say he was probably woken up when Ren left the tent, the same as I was. How Ren leaving didn't wake up Ryuji, Kusa, Morgana, or Sojiro, I have no clue." Goro said as Sojiro spoke up.

"I can't speak for Ryuji or Kusa, but I'm usually a deep sleeper once I get to sleep. So I could probably sleep through a concert if necessary. As for Kusa, he's naturally a deep sleeper from what he told me once. Though I also think part of it was having Morgana sprawled out on his chest. I know he always sleeps easier when he has Morgana close by, or even Futaba. Then again, I know they both sleep better when they can cuddle together." Sojiro said with a wry smirk as Futaba and Kusa blushed at being called out by Sojiro. Kusa eventually spoke up.

"I probably didn't hear Ren, Yusuke, or Goro get up. I won't deny that Morgana's purrs are a good source of background noise and deceptively soothing and relaxing for what they are. I know he's touchy about being called a cat, but he really does make a good cat just the same." Kusa said, laughing at the annoyed look on Morgana's face as he spoke up with a slightly childish-looking pout.

"Hey! Don't treat me like a common cat, Kusa! At least treat me with some respect!" Morgana said as Futaba spoke up with a grin from next to Kusa.

"Relax, Morgana! Kusa means that you're the best cat he knows, so take his words as a compliment already, would you?" Futaba said as Morgana nodded while the others laughed, making Ren smile as he could feel a strong bond with his friends in that moment. Afterwards, Futaba laughed as she kept speaking.

"Mwehehe, well now that that's over, let's move on to more important things. All right, Sophia. Find us the best jingisukan in Sapporo!" Futaba said as Sumire pulled out her phone so Sophia could speak up, only getting a vague 'hm' from the AI in question as Futaba blinked and kept speaking.

"Err, Sophia?" Futaba said as Sophia seemed to give a start at being addressed by Futaba, seemingly breaking her out of whatever train of thought she'd been on as she spoke up with wide eyes.

"Wha? Ah, sorry. Okay, I've got it." Sophia said as the group headed off to enjoy their meal and get ready for bed...

(The next afternoon, in Odori Park, with Ryuji, Goro, Haru, Makoto, Sumire, Sophia, Ren, Morgana, Futaba, Kusa, Yusuke, and Sojiro)

"Well, everyone seems pretty normal to me." Ryuji said after the group heard people muttering about how Hyodo was treating her staff and how odd her approval rating seemed to be. Yusuke nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed. Their fanatical support for Mariko Hyodo appears to have died down somewhat." Yusuke said as Goro and Kusa nodded, the latter speaking up.

"I concur. If nothing else, it's definitely a step in the right direction. But I think that we'll all breathe easier once we see for ourselves that Hyodo's change of heart happened successfully." Kusa said as Haru nodded her agreement from behind Goro, who was standing next to Ryuji. Makoto also nodded as she spoke up with a frown.

"I agree. I'm glad they're back to their senses. What a drastic change in attitude. Well, I guess it just goes to show how powerful a Monarch's influence can be." Makoto said as Ann sprinted over to the others and spoke up.

"Hey, guess what! Hyodo's holding a press conference right now!" Ann said as Goro spoke up.

"Well, guess it's time to see if our hard work paid off." Goro said as Haru nodded her agreement before the group pulled out their phones to watch the press conference, or in the cases of Sumire and Sophia, they watched from Ren's phone...

(At that same time, in a press conference room with Hyodo)

"Good afternoon. Thank you all for taking your time to gather here today. Actually, there's something I've been meaning to share with everyone. As of today, I will be resigning from office. I do not intend to seek re-election, either." Hyodo said as she got to her feet and kept speaking amidst the sea of confused murmurs and whispering.

"During my time as mayor, I've betrayed all of your trust. You may think of me as a mayor who's earned your trust, but in truth? There's plenty of things that I have to be ashamed of. The snow sculpture that collapsed was built by an unscrupulous company that bribed one of my staff. And in spite of my responsibility, I neglected to see the finer details of the goings-on around me, and went ahead with the construction.

And as a result of my negligence, the sculpture ended up collapsing, and a young girl's precious life was lost. Furthermore, instead of doing what was right and blowing the whistle on the unscrupulous behavior around me, I elected to cover up the truth, all so I could save my position.

I've been garnering votes I didn't deserve in order to stay on as mayor even after being the reason a poor little girl was taken from her mother in the most tragic way possible. I betrayed everyone to protect myself, and what's worse? I covered it up by allowing more wrongdoing. I am among the guilty in this situation. That little girl who died two years ago? She died because of me." Hyodo said, sighing as she kept speaking.

"And that's why, as such, I will have the police re-investigate the case and offer my full assistance. And again, I will drop out of the election and forfeit my position as mayor." Hyodo said sincerely as she bowed deeply while a number of cameras flashed...

(Back in Odori Park, at the fountain, with Ryuji, Yusuke, Sojiro, Goro, Haru, Kusa, Makoto, Morgana, Ann, Futaba, Ren, Sumire, and Sophia)

"It seems that Hyodo-san's made up her mind." Makoto said as Haru sighed and spoke up after the group put their phones away.

"I wonder if she'll be arrested after all she confessed to?" Haru asked as Makoto sighed and spoke up with a frown.

"Good question, Haru." Makoto said as Goro spoke up with a frown as he crossed his arms.

"Honestly? I'd be shocked if she wasn't. Even if she was doing this with good intentions, there's still a large amount of crimes she confessed to just now. She'll be lucky if they give her clemency at all in light of her voluntarily confessing to her crimes. Given my experience from when I tried to turn myself in to save Ren a few years ago, I don't expect Hyodo's confession to change much about her punishment, if anything. But it's a comforting sign to see that she did the right thing. If nothing else, it confirms that we successfully changed her heart." Goro said as Morgana nodded and spoke up with a frown.

"That's true. Goro does raise a good point. But then again, Hyodo was afraid that if she wasn't the mayor, she couldn't protect her people." Morgana said as Yusuke spoke up.

"That's true. She could have told the truth and made her underling take the blame. But she was concerned about other evils potentially lurking in the shadows of her own organization." Yusuke said as Haru smiled and spoke up with a nod.

"I agree. Also? I think this turned out for the best. Mari-san wouldn't have wanted to hide her mistake forever." Haru said as at that point, Ren's phone started ringing, while a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Ren, Zenkichi is on the line." Sophia said as Ren answered his phone with a smirk.

"Hello, Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Zenkichi's voice speak up on the other end.

"Hey. You guys see Hyodo's press conference?" Zenkichi asked as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Yep, we sure did. Seems like we can call this problem solved where it comes to the Monarch of Sapporo." Ren said as Zenkichi spoke up happily.

"Yep, you all did a bang-up job. Really can't thank you enough. They plan on bringing Hyodo in as a key witness regarding the accident. I knew you'd want to analyze her phone, too. So I pulled a few strings, and now I'm her personal chauffeur, or at least I am as far as the station. And if you want, I can open up some time for you to talk to her. Just tell me where you wanna meet." Zenkichi said as he ended the call, at which point Ren and the others pondered their answer to Zenkichi's question. A short time later, the camera panned over to Hyodo, who was kneeling at the spot where flowers had been left for the girl who'd died in the snow sculpture collapse two years prior, speaking up regretfully.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you. How could you ever forgive me, Kaho-chan? I was just a coward who put her position above doing right by an innocent citizen when they needed me most." Hyodo said as footsteps behind her indicated the arrival of the group, as Haru spoke up with a soft smile.

"Hello, Mari-san." Haru said as Hyodo's eyes widened and she got to her feet, turning to face the group as she spoke up.

"Haru-chan. Listen, there was something wrong with me. It's like I was in a terrible dream. I don't know when it was that my heart grew so cold and bitter. But after what you told me, I remembered who I really was inside. When I became mayor of Sapporo, I wanted to protect this city and everyone in it as if they were my own family. When you put me in my place, I remembered that feeling. And thanks to you, I've finally been able to confront myself. And I realized I was doing a horrible disservice to that girl. I had lost sight of reality and begun acting self-righteous. Nothing I did was for her sake." Hyodo said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"But Mari-san, you were doing the best you could to weed out the corruption in Sapporo and eliminate its injustice, as you yourself said." Haru said as Hyodo frowned and spoke up.

"No. What I just said? It's the truth. Had I not realized my mistake, I would have likely continued to hurt even more people. But that's not what Kaho-chan would want. So let me say thank you, Haru-chan. You saved me from myself. So, thank you for saving this city. No, not just this city. Thank you for saving my family!" Hyodo said as Haru walked forward to tearfully embrace Hyodo as she spoke up.

"Mari-san, I'm so happy you're back to your warm, kind self!" Haru said happily, not even caring about the tears streaking down her face in that moment. Hyodo frowned and spoke up.

"Haru, you're such a strong person. Surely your father's tragic passing must have caused you so much turmoil, and here I am adding to your anguish and suffering. I'm sorry I added to it. But if there's anything I can do in the future, any way I can be there for you? Just ask me. I say this because you're a precious part of my family too." Hyodo said, a few tears running down her face as she returned Haru's hug as Haru spoke up while shedding tears of joy.

"Thank you so much, Mari-san!" Haru said as Hyodo smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, Haru-chan! How it warms my heart to hear you referring to me like that again." Hyodo said as the two women embraced and silently wept for a bit as Makoto spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"I'm happy for you, Haru. You were able to change your friend's heart and save her from herself." Makoto said as Goro spoke up.

"Not only that, she helped melt Hyodo's icy heart. Truly, Haru is the hero of Sapporo right now. And anyone who says otherwise is a fool. I'm just glad things worked out so well for her." Goro said honestly as Sophia's eyes widened as she watched the scene in confusion. After a bit, Hyodo pulled away from Haru and turned to face the group as she spoke up.

"I suppose I must get going. Though I am concerned about the state of affairs I've left our city in with my abrupt resignation from office. But I'll leave it up to my successor to deal with the clean-up and rebuilding. An arrogant wretch like me has no place being the mayor." Hyodo said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"So does that mean you won't be involved in politics anymore?" Makoto asked as Hyodo nodded and spoke up.

"Yes. I'm too ashamed to show my face in public. And at my age, there are plenty of younger folks who can-" Hyodo said, but was cut off by a gaunt-sounding voice speaking up from nearby.

"Hello, Mayor." The group heard as Hyodo turned around, her eyes wide in shock as she took in the person approaching her and spoke up.

"You're that girl's mother!" Hyodo said as the gaunt woman nodded and spoke up.

"Yes. I saw the news report of your conference. So you're resigning. And you're leaving politics for good?" The gaunt woman asked Hyodo, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, that's right. I've promised to step down and never-" Hyodo said as the gaunt woman spoke up angrily, shocking Hyodo and the group with what she said next.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! Resigning won't bring her back! In fact, it won't change a thing! Kaho's dead and gone. And nothing can change what happened to my daughter!" The gaunt woman said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Hey, uh, this is starting to get tense. Shouldn't we get in there?" Ryuji asked as both Goro and Kusa shook their heads, the former speaking up.

"No. Let Hyodo handle this. This is her mess to clean up, after all. I would understand that better than any of us, given how long I've spent cleaning up my own messes." Goro said sagely as Sumire spoke up.

"Not to mention, I don't feel like we have any business butting in on this matter." Sumire added on. Makoto spoke up.

"Goro and Sumire have a point. Hold that thought a moment, sweetie." Makoto said as the gaunt woman spoke up again.

"So you can't! YOU CAN'T JUST RUN AWAY! You need to start over and become our mayor again!" The gaunt woman said honestly as Hyodo's eyes widened and she spoke up in disbelief.

"What did you say!?" Hyodo asked as the gaunt woman spoke up, shocking not only Hyodo, but the gathered group, with what she said next.

"You heard me. When I was weeping with rage and grief after that sculpture took Kaho away from me, you stood there and cried with me. Instead of running away, you were there when I needed someone the most! I know your character more than anyone!" The gaunt woman said sincerely as Hyodo gasped and spoke up.

"Ma'am, are you serious? Thank you so much, for sharing your heart with me. Then I promise, to both you and your daughter, here and now. I will stand back up and become your mayor again!" Hyodo said resolutely as Haru gasped and spoke up in shock.

"Mari-san, look at you, getting back up again." Haru said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"Looks like you were right, Haru. Hyodo just needed someone to give her a light push and a hint of tough love to put her back on the right path." Sojiro said wisely as Sophia gave off a quiet 'hm' from Sumire's phone. A 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"I don't get it, Ren and Sumire. I mean, I know this is a sad moment. Everyone is crying, other than Morgana, Sojiro, Yusuke, Ren, Goro, Kusa, and Ryuji. But it also feels warm and kind. How would you describe this?" Sophia asked as Ren spoke up with a smile.

"Honestly? The only way this can be described is as joy." Ren said as Sumire spoke up.

"Technically, it's also classified as happiness, but Ren is right that this is a joyful moment moreso than a happy one." Sumire said as Sophia smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, I see. So that's why Haru helped Hyodo. To transform sadness into happiness. Recording valuable data. Sophia has learned 'Happiness'." Sophia said as Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"Is that right, Sophia? 'Sophia has learned 'Happiness'.', you say? Since when did you start acting like an RPG character, Sophia? I get it's probably an AI thing, but that's still oddly amusing to me." Kusa said as Sophia only smiled while Hyodo and the gaunt woman embraced one another and had a brief moment of crying before pulling apart and heading their separate ways, at which point Ann spoke up.

"So that woman that spoke to Hyodo just now must've been the mom of the girl who passed away in that accident two years ago." Ann said as Morgana spoke up from Ren's bag.

"True. And, you know? It seems like she really understood Hyodo's intentions." Mona said as Haru sighed and spoke up.

"I'm so happy for you, Mari-san. You were able to find yourself and be able to start over again." Haru said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"She reminded me of what Haru said in the Sapporo Jail." Makoto said as Futaba grinned and spoke up.

"Ooh, I know what you're referring to! 'Stand up, Mariko Hyodo!' Like that?" Futaba said as Haru got embarrassed and spoke up.

"H-Hey, that was a tender moment! No need to re-enact it, Futaba-chan!" Haru said as Kusa spoke up.

"Pay her no mind, Haru. Taba is just being a dork right now. What she really means is she's happy that things worked out for the best for your friend in the end." Kusa said as Goro spoke up.

"I agree with Kusa. It's wonderful that Haru's friend got something of a 'happily ever after' ending in a sense. Sure, Haru herself hasn't quite gotten one of those, but at least she's found some form of contentment and happiness, so I guess all is as it should be?" Goro said uncertainly as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Goro. But, you know? I still think that you could stand to find a bit of that same happiness yourself." Haru said as Goro blushed and spoke up.

"M-Me? Isn't it enough that we were able to change your friend's heart?" Goro said as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Aww, how adorable! Goro's totally blushing! And yeah, but you played it so cool back there, Haru. It really touched my heart!" Ann said as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Agreed. That was well played back there, Beauty Thief." Ren said teasingly, not even feeling the light swat on the arm he got from Sumire as she spoke up.

"Don't tease her like that, Ren! Hasn't she been through enough already?" Sumire asked as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, Sumire-chan's right! Could you please forget it already!?" Haru said as the others all laughed in amusement at the embarrassed looks on Goro and Haru's faces, although the former did smile slightly when the latter leaned slightly into him for comfort as the group headed back to the RV...

(That evening, outside the RV with Ren and Morgana)

"Meow. Well, we solved the problem in Sapporo. The question now is, what comes next? It doesn't seem like we'll be making much progress until Zenkichi gets back, does it? Should we do some sightseeing while we wait? Though it is kinda late, I guess, isn't it?" Morgana said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, who had came outside to see what Ren and Morgana were talking about, preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Well, at this hour, I would recommend the Ferris wheel over in Suzushino." Sophia said as Sumire spoke up in shock.

"Wait, there was a Ferris wheel!? I never saw one?" Sumire said in shock as Morgana's eyes widened eagerly and he spoke up.

"Nice! Ooh, that's a good idea, Lady Sophia! Ren, you should go invite someone to come along!" Morgana said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"You say that like it's not already obvious who I'd invite." Ren teased Morgana, slyly snaking his arm around a blushing Sumire's waist and speaking up.

"What do you say, beautiful? Feel like checking out the Ferris wheel with me?" Ren asked slyly as Sumire blushed prettily but nodded as she spoke up.

"I'd love to go on the Ferris wheel with you, Ren. But what do we do with Morgana and Sophia? After all, they usually tag along with us." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"That's easy. I had figured that we could have the couples pair off to ride the Ferris wheel together, or potential couple in Haru and Goro's case. As for Morgana and Sophia? I figured we could have them share a passenger car together, let them have a little pseudo-date of sorts, see how it plays out for them. I'm aware that Ann, Sojiro, and Yusuke wouldn't have anybody to go with, so either they can share an area together, or they could do something else. How does that sound?" Ren asked Sumire, who shyly smiled and spoke up.

"It sounds lovely, Ren. And I feel like we've not had a good chance to really go on a proper date since before you left Yongen-Jaya three years ago. Sure, we have our little hook-ups, and we've been practically living together for a while now inside the RV, but I don't think we've really had a proper date since you got back." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"That's true, isn't it? I'll have to fix that, then. I wouldn't want to have the most important person in my life, or you, disappointed in me, after all." Ren said slyly as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"I could never be disappointed in you, Ren. You've been a wonderful boyfriend since we got together." Sumire said, leaning in to lay her head happily on Ren's shoulder as Ren spoke up after slyly stealing a kiss from his blushing girlfriend.

"That's good. Well, I suppose we should run it by the others and see how they feel about taking the Ferris wheel together." Ren said as Sumire nodded, the two of them deciding to gather the group together to discuss the plans for checking out the Ferris wheel by way of allowing themselves to enjoy the opportunity for one last night on the town before having to leave Sapporo behind...

END OF CHAPTER AND OF ARC 3: ICY REDEMPTION

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! I wasn't expecting to cover the end of Arc 3 so soon, but it just happens to be that way sometimes. Even so, I'm pleased with the surprise Triad Special I put in for the fight with Hyodo's Shadow, as well as the large amount of character focus Haru got in this arc overall.

Yes, I'm aware that Goro slightly shared some of the limelight near the end of the arc, but I like to think I largely kept it centered on Haru, unlike in canon Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal when Haru's arc of those games was at least partially overshadowed by the whole 'Morgana having a fit and leaving the group' subplot that preceded it, to the point that Morgana largely took more of the focus in that arc than Haru did. Hopefully I did a good job giving Haru sufficient character development in this arc, despite part of it being shared development with Goro. But anyways, enough about that.

The next chapter will be the Arc 3 interlude, wherein I plan to have a lot of fluff present, as well as quite a bit of romance, and maybe even a new pairing being established (despite being hinted at multiple times over the back half of Phantom Files book 1 and teased in this story), so we'll see what happens with that.

And then the chapter after next will be the start of Arc 4, which is going to be an interesting one, since it not only has the usual Persona-standard beach scene in it, but also gives a bit of character development to Zenkichi, along with introducing a new character (or even characters) into the mix.

I might also have other surprises sprinkled into the arc too, but we'll see how that pans out. I'm waiting on a few things to be finalized before I can really make any concrete plans for the next arc. All I can say for sure is that it covers the events leading up to, and the end of, the Okinawa Jail. So there's that bit of previewing to look forward to.

In any event, thanks as always to all who've supported the story thus far, be it through following or favoriting it, and/or even leaving reviews (or even PMing) with your thoughts/feedback/input/constructive criticism on the story thus far. I appreciate that, as I enjoy hearing from my readers. And I usually make it a point to reply to any reviews I get in a timely manner, so as to be better able to improve the story as needed. So don't be shy about making your voice heard, as I enjoy hearing from my readers. And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - YES, Crow is serious when he says the group encountered a tentacle monster that looked like it belonged in a hentai. The monster he's alluding to is in fact Maruki's stage 1 Persona, Azathoth (which literally has a ton of tentacles, and also made some rather awkward moves on Violet during the early stages of Maruki's Palace near the end of canon Royal), so don't think for a moment that Crow's joking about that, because he's not. Alternatively, there are those who think Futaba's default Persona, Necronomicon, looked like a tentacle monster, but it's more of an alien construct, so I don't count it as a tentacle monster. But that's my opinion.

PHANTOM THIEF LEVELS AND ALLIES LISTING AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 17 AND ARC 3

JOKER (Ren) - Level: 46 Current Personas: Raoul (Level 29), Orthrus (Level 36), Okuninushi (Level 46), Queen Mab (Level 46), Naga (Level 46), Valkyrie (Level 46), Hecatoncheires (Level 46) Equipped Persona: Okuninushi Persona Moveset: Psio (Psy), Tempest Slash (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Dodge Nuke (Passive), Dodge Wind (Passive), Makouga (Bless), Psy Boost (Passive)

SKULL (Ryuji) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Seiten Taisei Persona Moveset: Zionga (Elec), Headbutt (Physical), Tarukaja (Support/Buff), Attack Master (Passive), Mazionga (Elec), Rebel Soul (passive), Swift Strike (Physical), Shock Boost (Passive)

MONA (Morgana) - Level: 42 Current/Partner Persona: Diego Persona Moveset: Garula (Wind), Dormin Rush (Physical), Mediarama (Healing), Magarula (Wind), Diarama (Healing), Recarm (Healing), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Dodge Elec (Passive)

PANTHER (Ann) - Level: 42 Current/Partner Persona: Hecate Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Dodge Ice (Passive), Fire Boost (Passive), Soul Thief (Passive), Maragion (Fire), Matarunda (Support/Debuff), Marin Karin (Ailment), Diarama (Healing)

FOX (Yusuke) - Level: 42 Current/Partner Persona: Kamu Susano-o Persona Moveset: Bufula (Ice), Speed Master (Passive), Taunt (Ailment), Knockdown Style (Passive), Vicious Strike (Physical), Tempest Slash (Physical), Mabufula (Ice), Dodge Fire (Passive)

QUEEN (Makoto) - Level: 42 Current/Partner Persona: Anat Persona Moveset: Freila (Nuclear), Defense Master (Passive), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Mafreila (Nuclear), Diarama (Healing), Flash Bomb (Physical), Mediarama (Healing), Sledgehammer (Physical)

NOIR (Haru) - Level: 44 Current/Partner Persona: Astarte Persona Moveset: Psio (Psy), Psy Boost (Passive), Evil Smile (Ailment), Triple Down (Gun), Technical Adept (Passive), Amrita Shower (Healing), Mapsio (Psy), Gun Boost (Passive)

ORACLE (Futaba) - Level: 46 Current Personas: Al Azif and Albus Equipped Persona: Al Azif Persona Moveset: Analysis (Passive), Moral Support (Passive), Active Support (Passive), Moral Boost (Passive), Active Boost (Passive), Moral Boost EX (Passive)

SEEKER (Sophia) - Level: 42 Current/Partner 'Persona': Pithos Persona Moveset: Kouga? (Bless), Rakunda? (Support/Debuff), Diarama? (Healing), Makouga? (Bless), Mediarama? (Healing), Bless Boost? (Passive), Divine Grace? (Passive), Recarm? (Healing)

VIOLET (Sumire) - Level: 44 Current/Partner Persona: Ella Persona Moveset: Kouga (Bless), Dodge Curse (Passive), Diarama (Healing), Bless Boost (Passive), Heat Wave (Physical), Makouga (Bless), Tempest Slash (Physical), Recarm (Healing)

DRACONIS (Kusa) - Level: 42 Current/Partner Persona: Malefor Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Garula (Wind), Mediarama (Healing), Rising Slash (Physical), Megido (Almighty), Vicious Strike (Physical), Almighty Boost (Passive), Sukunda (Support/Debuff)

CROW (Goro) - Level: 42 Current/Partner Persona: Hereward Persona Moveset: Eiga (Curse), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Maeiga (Curse), Deathbound (Physical), Rakunda (Support/Debuff), Mudo (Curse/insta-kill), Megido (Almighty), Curse Boost (Passive)

PENDRAGON (Sojiro) - Level: 42 Current/Partner Persona: Kohryu Persona Moveset: Psio (Psy), Assault Dive (Physical), Mapsio (Psy), Spell Master (Passive), Psy Boost (Passive), Mediarama (Healing), Evade Nuke (Passive), Concentrate (Support/Buff)

Allies: Zenkichi, Ichinose, Shiho