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!

38. Final Interlude part 1: Rematch Prep

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files, Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs! Here we are, at the final Interlude of the story! Yes, you read that right. The final Interlude. I'm well aware there are still three Arcs left, but there's just not a big enough gap between Arcs 8 and 9 to justify an Interlude (much like the case was with Arcs 4 and 5), and the end of Arc 9 will literally also be the end of the final battle, so there wouldn't be a point to an Interlude after that Arc. Hence, this is the final Interlude. And the reason that Arc 10 has no interlude is that the end of that Arc will be the end of the story as a whole. So, this will be the last time in this story I have to type out an Interlude, so let's make the most of this, shall we?

That being said, for the next couple of weeks there will NOT be uploads for this story, since jdimock requested I skip the next two weeks' uploads since he has finals and stuff coming up and wants to focus on his studies. And he does a lot for this story, so I figure I can throw him a bone with this and respect his wishes. Truth be told, this is good for me as well, since this chapter going up is the last of my current backlog of chapters. However, with any luck, I'll have chapter 39 typed out and ready to post by the time the two-week hiatus is finished, along with hopefully a couple other chapters. But we'll see what happens. Either way, shout out to jdimock for all he does on this story! Hopefully your finals and stuff go well for you! And now that I've gotten that out of the way, I think we can get this chapter started.

Naturally, before we get started, I have to do the disclaimer as per routine and necessity. So let's get it over with.

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in ANY way, shape, or form ((excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Taichi, Momoe, the OC Personas Malefor and Albus, and the Phantom Thief attire for Draconis, Pendragon, and Seraphim, all of which I do own. I do not, however, own the OC Personas Hester and Houdini, nor the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/Flare.

The OC Persona Hester and the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/flare were created by, and thus belong to, thalassatides (at symbol) bsky on X (or Twitter as it used to be called). If you happen to be on X, feel free to look up thelassatides (at symbol) bsky's work, as they do some good work. As for the OC Persona Houdini, that belongs to Flower Boy Jun over on Amino Apps. If you use that site, go look him up, since he has some very interesting OC Persona designs and also does amazing work.

As far as the Phantom Thief attire concept for Akane/Auburn, Atlus technically owns the attire that Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire was based off of, aka her Monarch outfit, but I own the modifications made to the outfit to create her Phantom Thief attire, so I own Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire, but not the outfit it's based on, if that makes sense at all.

Also shout-out to jdimock for giving me the idea to make Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire a color-swap of her Monarch outfit, even if I ended up making her Phantom Thief attire largely different from aforementioned Monarch outfit, it was still jdimock's idea, so shout-out and credit to him for having the idea)) and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus and Sega (where it comes to Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, as well as Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Reload), as well as to a point Koei Tecmo (where it pertains to Strikers). The rest of the spinoffs belong to various other companies, all of whom know who they are.

And when it comes to Persona 1, Persona 2-Eternal Punishment, and Persona 2-Innocent Sin? As far as I know, they were made by a different studio, who also knows who they are. Full ownership credit for the Persona spinoffs (Phantom X, Tactica, the 'Arena' games, the 'Dancing' games, and the 'Q' games) belong to the studios that helped make them, as well as Atlus and possibly Sega. And full ownership credits for Persona 1, Persona 2- Eternal Punishment, and Persona 2-Innocent Sin belong to the studios that made those games, so all credit to them.

With that disclaimer done and dusted, I think that we're as good as we're gonna be to get this going. So without further delay, let's get this on the road! Here's chapter 38, aka the final Interlude!

Chapter 38: Touching Base, Meetings, and Reunions! Clash of the Persona-Users! Arc 7 (and final) Interlude part 1

(Near the RV, in Dotonbori, with Ren and Sophia)

As Ren stood outside of the RV with Sumire's phone in his hand, inside of which was Sophia, Ren decided to consult the map on Sumire's phone to see where everyone was. Near his location, he noticed Zenkichi hanging near the bridge with Kusa and Morgana, and near them, he saw the dots of Yusuke and Shiho standing together. Around the corner from Yusuke and Shiho, Ren saw Haru and Sumire, and down the road from them near the shops, Ren saw the trio of Ryuji, Sojiro, and Ann browsing the wares on offer. Near them, Ren saw the unlikely duo of Makoto and Goro looking around together.

And further down from them, Ren saw the trio of Akane, Nanako, and Futaba looking around, making Ren smirk to himself as he decided to stretch his legs and check in with everyone, starting with Zenkichi, Morgana, and Kusa. After approaching the trio, Ren spoke up.

"Huh, so you're hanging out with Kusa and Morgana this time around, eh Zenkichi? Interesting." Ren said as Zenkichi turned to Ren and spoke up with a smirk.

"Hey, boss. Look at us now, eh? What started as just a deal turned into me full-on joining the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Never thought I'd see the day." Zenkichi said as Morgana spoke up with a smirk.

"To be fair Zenkichi, you also never thought you'd see the day when your daughter was nearly used as leverage against you, and the rest of us by extension. So, it's to be expected that none of us could've seen this day coming." Morgana pointed out helpfully as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"You have a point, Morgana. But even so, I doubt that Zenkichi was asking for your commentary." Kusa gently rebuked Morgana before turning to look at Zenkichi as he spoke up.

"Sorry about that interruption. Please, continue." Kusa said as Zenkichi spoke up with a smile.

"Don't worry about it, Kusa. He's not wrong, after all. Anyways, where was I? Oh, I remember. Not only did I end up being a part of the group, but you guys also taught me how to cook. I must admit, I'm impressed with the resourcefulness of this group. But even so, I can't say I expected a bunch of annoying young misfits like yourselves to be so caring." Zenkichi said as Kusa spoke up with a frown.

"Misfits, you say? While I can't argue with that, I feel like that's only true for most of us. But there are a few of us, such as myself, that would be offended at being called a misfit. Still, I suppose you're entitled to your own opinion too, Zenkichi." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up with a smirk.

"He's not wrong though, Kusa. While that may be true for those such as you, me, Makoto, Sojiro, Akane, and Shiho, the rest of the group are somewhat like misfits. Think about it. We have a crippled runner, a sadistic heiress, a cynical jaded ex-assassin, a man with a false reputation for assault, a gymnast who sees an AI as her daughter, a quirky hacker, an eccentric artist, a sweets-loving model who likes women, an amnesiac AI, a teenager who has likely experienced a near-death situation worse than both you and Goro combined, and an inspector who was emotionally broken and needed a former cat and an impulsive young martial artist to help him mend his strained relationship with his daughter. So with that being said, I'm pretty sure that makes us a group of misfits, or misfits by association in the cases of you, me, Makoto, Sojiro, Akane, and Shiho." Morgana said as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"Eh, you're not wrong, Morgana. But what you failed to mention was how all of that has only served to bring our slightly unusual group closer together." Kusa said sagely as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"Kusa's not wrong. Our group has become something like a slightly unorthodox family of sorts. But thanks to that, as well as Nanako by some extension, I got to see Akane smile again. Seriously, that Leblanc Curry is the real deal." Zenkichi said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, never doubt the power of Sojiro's curry, Zenkichi. I've yet to meet anyone who hasn't had a smile put on their face by the mere act of trying that curry." Kusa said as a smirking Morgana spoke up.

"Oh? I could think of two exceptions to that off the top of my head. Or were you referring to just humans with that statement?" Morgana said as Kusa subtly elbowed Morgana in the stomach and spoke up in a strangled whisper so only Ren and Morgana could hear.

"Zip it, Morgana. I wasn't counting those two on purpose. Besides, I highly doubt that this is a good time to explain the story of the Velvet Room and its attendant to Zenkichi. So let's leave it at that, yeah?" Kusa said, getting an agreeable nod from a wincing Morgana as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Uhh, Kusa? I'm not sure what you mean by all that, but I figure it's not my business. So I won't ask. That said, I know all I've done is rely on you guys, so allow me to clean this up once all's said and done. I'd appreciate you letting me off the hook by then." Zenkichi said as Ren spoke up.

"That depends on what you mean by 'letting you off the hook', Zenkichi. If you're asking to be let out of the Phantom Thieves, that's a big no-can-do. You see, once you awaken to a Persona, you're a Phantom Thief from that point on. As Sumire once told Sophia, 'Once a Phantom Thief, always a Phantom Thief.' So you're stuck being one of us for the rest of your life. We might go into a state of pseudo-retirement after this case is over, but we'll always be ready for it, should we ever get the call back into action." Ren said sagely as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Fair enough. Oh, right. I almost forgot. Akane kept bugging me about getting you guys a gift. So, here. This is from us." Zenkichi said as he handed Ren a keychain, making Ren blink at it as he spoke up.

"Thank you. Is this supposed to be in the shape of a police baton?" Ren asked skeptically. Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"Well spotted, Ren. I figured it could be an ironic sort of souvenir for you, given your past history with the police. That said, I'm sure it's kinda weird to give a police baton to the Phantom Thieves. But I guess I thought it'd look good on ya." Zenkichi said as Kusa grinned and spoke up.

"Eh, I'm sure Ren will find a use for it. And I'm sure he can find an equally ironic phrase to put on the keychain if he can find someone who writes in small enough Kanji to fit it on the baton. However, I'll refrain from saying it here, since it's a bit of an explicit phrase." Kusa said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Uh, Kusa? If you're thinking of the phrase I think you are, I don't think that's a good idea. I think you guys have already given the police ENOUGH reason to want you guys arrested. Antagonizing them with that phrase would just be adding fuel to that metaphoric fire." Morgana gently but firmly rebuked Kusa, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Fair point. Never mind what I said." Kusa said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"I think I know what you had in mind. Ironic that you, of all people, would be the one to suggest it, given who said that phrase originally, but I suppose that's a good sign that you can joke about him already." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Yes, well, I can't be touchy about him forever, can I?" Kusa said sagely. Zenkichi smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, nice to see Kusa trying to put his past behind him. But, y'know, it might be kinda cool stickin' it to some overpowered creep with something so simple. They say the hero makes the weapon and not the other way around, am I right?" Zenkichi said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Uhh, I'm not sure that's entirely correct, but if you say so?" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Nah, that seems accurate to me, Morgana. Besides, let's not burst Zenkichi's bubble after he helped bring in Konoe." Kusa said wisely as Zenkichi smirked and spoke up.

"Thank you, Kusa. Glad at least one of you wants to let me have my moment for a bit. You know, back in the day, fugitives would become detectives all the time. Maybe Ren should try becoming an officer himself." Zenkichi said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Did you seriously just suggest that my brother become a cop, Zenkichi? While that is Ren's choice, I think he would be too hard-pressed to trust his fellow officers to really be effective in that line of work. Besides, with all respect to Makoto since she's trying to do it, and to you since you're actually doing it, isn't it considered something of a contradiction to be both a Phantom Thief and a cop? Although, to be fair, you're moreso an inspector than a cop, aren't you? But still, I didn't think that those two things went hand in hand, but I suppose there's a first time for everything." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"Kusa has a point. Sorry Zenkichi, but I'm not interested in being a cop at this time. I might consider it later on, though. But we'll see what the future has in store for me. For all I know, I might have my hands full with being a full-time husband, Phantom Thief, and possibly even father at some point way down the line." Ren said with a smirk as Zenkichi chuckled and spoke up.

"Hahaha, I figured you'd say that. Can't say I'd ever picture you flashin' a badge. And I do agree with Kusa when he says that's moreso something that appeals to Makoto. But even so, thank you. You guys helped me find something I'd lost a long time ago. If, later on down the road, you find you're in a similar place and don't know what to do for whatever reason? Well, just lemme know. I'll be the man I should've been back then." Zenkichi said as Ren nodded, accepting the 'Baton Keychain' accessory from Zenkichi as he turned to Morgana and spoke up.

"I can see Kusa wanting to hang out with Zenkichi, since I've gotten the sense that those two have built something of a rapport with one another, but I figured I would've seen you either bothering Futaba, or possibly staking out the local sushi restaurant. But this isn't a bad thing either, Morgana." Ren said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Eh, I can't be predictable all the time, Ren. Besides, now is hardly the time to stuff myself with sushi. Not when the end of our journey is in sight." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"POTENTIAL end of our journey, you mean. Sure, we beat Konoe, but that doesn't instantly mean the case is closed. We're still waiting on confirmation that EMMA has been dealt with, along with that sleazy bastard Owada." Kusa pointed out as Morgana spoke up.

"Fair. Besides, I have a feeling we're not quite done yet anyway, if only because there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding Lady Sophia's past, which she knows we'll help her find the answers to. I already assured her of this earlier." Morgana said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was in Ren's hand, preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up, with what looked suspiciously like the faintest hint of a pink blush on her face as she spoke.

"You did indeed, Morgana. And I appreciate you assuring me." Sophia said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Of course. Even if we don't say it, you know we're all here for you if you need anything Lady Sophia, within reason." Morgana said, getting a grateful yet almost shy smile from Sophia as Ren turned to Kusa and spoke up.

"So, hanging out with Zenkichi this time, huh Kusa? Makes sense." Ren said as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"What can I say? He's one of the few that I've not spent a lot of one-on-one time with yet. Besides, I didn't see anyone else lining up to hang out with him, so I figured why not? No sense making him stand over here alone. Seems like a bit of a show of disrespect to him after he played such a large part in helping defeat Konoe." Kusa said as Zenkichi smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, all I did was help write his calling card and contribute to helping him see sense, Kusa. The rest of the work was mostly you, with help from the others." Zenkichi pointed out fairly. Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair, but you can't deny that you played a part in that. After all, after me, your words were probably among the most persuasive to Konoe. But I'll accept the credit that's mine to take, since I did do a lot of the work with my little speech to try and help him open his eyes to the error of his ways." Kusa said as Zenkichi nodded and Kusa kept speaking.

"That being said, I suppose you have a lot of others still left to speak to, so carry on." Kusa said as Ren nodded and walked over to Yusuke and Shiho and spoke up.

"So you two are hanging out together, eh? I suppose it was going to happen sooner or later, but it's still intriguing to see you two together." Ren said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Yes, that's true. But at the same time, Shiho asked me if she could view the bridge with me. And I figured it would be rude to turn her away, so here we are. That being said, I've seen a wide variety of signs on this trip, but I must say this one stands out the most. It's a simple statement about cutting excess fat and staying healthy, all at the same time. It does indeed make one want to 'hustle their muscle'." Yusuke said as Shiho winced and spoke up.

"Uhhh, I'm not entirely sure that's how that saying goes, Yusuke? But if you say so?" Shiho said uncertainly as Yusuke spoke up in surprise.

"It's not? My mistake. Very well, I shall sketch this image as a way of closing out our trip. I'll call it, 'Muscle and Fitness'." Yusuke said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a frowning Sophia speaking up.

"Good grief, that's how you're commemorating our trip, then!? Ugh, leave it to Yusuke, I guess. Although, I hardly think that a sketch of us working out is the best way to commemorate what we've been through so far. Sure, there are some of us, such as Mom, Shiho, Ryuji, Kusa, and to some extent Makoto, who would be considered athletic. But I don't think the rest of us fit that description, necessarily." Sophia said as Shiho spoke up.

"That's true, Sophia. Your mom is big into gymnastics, while both Kusa and Makoto are into martial arts, albeit in different branches. Makoto favors a more aikido-focused style of martial arts, while Kusa's seems to be a cross of kung fu, jujitsu, and a smidge of kickboxing. Ryuji, for his part, is an enthusiastic runner, and I was a volleyball player. However, after what Kamoshida tried to do to me, I had to take a step back from the sport since his actions completely ruined volleyball for me.

After all, how can one enjoy a sport that's tainted with memories of your coach attempting to take advantage of you as a means of seeking revenge on your best friend for rejecting him? With apologies to Ren for bringing up such a graphic subject in front of Sophia, that's essentially what Kamoshida did to me." Shiho said as Ren smiled and spoke up while looking at Shiho.

"That's all right, Shiho. I understand that you've been through a lot in recent years because of Kamoshida's actions, so I can't fault you for feeling the way you do. But at least you've got Ann and the rest of us to help you through those hard times." Ren said kindly as Shiho smiled and spoke up.

"That's true, Ren. I do have you guys. And of course I have my lovely fiance to lean on." Shiho said with a giggle as Ren kindly nodded and spoke up.

"Of course. That being said, I still have a lot of people left to speak to, so I hope you'll forgive me if I cut this short so I can keep moving." Ren said as Shiho nodded and Ren kept moving, walking over to Haru and Sumire as he spoke up again. Once he reached Haru, Ren smirked and spoke up.

"So you and Sumire are hanging out this time, eh big sis? Interesting." Ren said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, Ren-kun. Good day. I went and checked in on how our store here was doing. Everyone was working so hard inside, and not only that, but the customers looked really happy, too. I want all of our restaurants to make everyone feel welcome, no matter who they are. I'll need to work just as hard once we get back to Tokyo." Haru said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"That's true, Haru-senpai. We are getting close to the point where we have to start heading home, aren't we? Hard to believe we're already almost at the end of our vacation." Sumire said as Ren smiled at Sumire and spoke up.

"Agreed. But at least we got to make a ton of enjoyable memories together during this trip. Isn't that right, beautiful?" Ren said to Sumire, who blushed and spoke up.

"Good point, Ren. We did make a lot of fond memories on this trip. Not to mention, we got our first taste of being parents, thanks to Sophia basically latching onto us as parental figures for her." Sumire said with a smile as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded the AI in mention speaking up with a smile on her face.

"True, but I'm pretty sure these things go both ways, Mom. So even if I did latch onto you and Dad, you two also latched onto me as a daughter at some point without realizing it. So it's not just because of me that we had that shift in dynamic, assuming I have the terminology right for that." Sophia pointed out as Sumire nodded understandingly and Ren kept moving. After a bit, he found Ryuji and Ann, one of whom was looking at the corner ramen shop, and the other was checking out the souvenir shop. Ren went to Ann first and spoke up, noticing Sojiro was with her.

"Ah, so it's your turn to hang out with Sojiro, eh sis?" Ren said as Ann smirked and spoke up.

"Hey, Ren! Are we heading out soon?" Ann asked as Ren spoke up.

"Not sure yet. I know we have some other requests and stuff to do first before we leave Osaka, but we're definitely nearing the point of heading out." Ren said as Ann spoke up.

"Fair enough, bro. Well, since we don't know when we'll be coming back here, I figured I should get something for myself and Shiho. Should I get us the chocolate cake okonomiyaki or the Madeleine Takoyaki?" Ann asked as Ren winced and spoke up.

"Probably the takoyaki, I think. After all, can you imagine how angry and/or jealous Kusa would be if you bought a chocolate dish and didn't get him any? We all know how much of a weakness he has for chocolate. It's almost as big as your weakness for sweets in general. Also, don't forget that you have to share it with your fiance." Ren said as Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Good point. And don't worry so much, Ren. I already bought some for Shiho, too. I'm so excited to walk her down that aisle, and then when we're older, we can reminisce about all our good times on this trip!" Ann said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, were they all good times, though? I'm pretty sure there was a pretty good amount of not-so-good times thrown in there too, Ann-chan. But far be it from me to tell you how to live your life." Sojiro said sagely as Ann spoke up.

"Fair point. Either way, there should be nothing but good times ahead." Ann said as Ren turned to Sojiro and spoke up.

"Sorry you got stuck with Ann this time, Sojiro. You seem to draw the short straw a lot these days." Ren joked as Ann pouted and spoke up.

"HEY! Are you saying Sojiro doesn't want to hang out with me?" Ann said as Ren spoke up.

"Not at all. I was merely suggesting that a lot of the people he tends to hang out with seem to not really pay him that much attention, that's all." Ren said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Nah, it's fine, Ren. I can handle myself. Believe it or not, I was also a young adult at one point in my life. So I don't mind being paid little attention. But I appreciate your concern." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"No problem." Ren said as he nodded and kept moving, heading over to where Ryuji was standing by the ramen shop and speaking up.

"Heh, checkin' out the ramen again, eh Ryuji? Some things never change." Ren said playfully as Ryuji gave Ren a smirk and spoke up while high-fiving him.

"Hell yeah, RenRen! We should prolly snag some ramen while we're here, huh? We've had ramen every place we've been so far, haven't we? Sendai, Sapporo, Okinawa, Hakata, even Yongen and Shibuya. No way we can miss it here. At this point, we've basically eaten all the ramen Japan's got to offer! Hell of a trip, but, man, was it worth it." Ryuji said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which Ren had in his hand, preceded a pensive Sophia speaking up.

"All of Japan, you say? Haven't we only been to 5 cities? Or 6, if you count Yongen and Shibuya as separate cities?" Sophia asked as Ren spoke up.

"That's correct. And I can't help but notice that Kyoto is notably absent from Ryuji's list, despite us going there too." Ren said sagely as Ryuji grinned at Sophia and spoke up, initially not registering Ren's words.

"Aw, who's countin', Sophia!? Either way, we've had a shit ton of ramen!" Ryuji said before his eyes widened as Ren's previous remark about Kyoto registered to him and he kept speaking in surprise.

"Wait a minute! We forgot to eat ramen in Kyoto, didn't we?" Ryuji said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Glad you realized it, Ryuji." Ren said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Eh, my bad. But, y'know? One of these days, we'll have to go and do a ramen tour for real. And we'll have to invite Kusa to join us next time if he's free. After all, he didn't get to be a part of it this time around due to catching up with us after our trip started."Ryuji said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"We can ask him about it, at least. But that's up to Kusa if he wants to go or not." Ren said wisely before heading over to where he saw Makoto across the road and speaking up as he saw her with Goro.

"Heh, so you and Goro finally paired off for a hang out, eh Makoto? Suppose it had to happen sooner or later." Ren said as Goro scoffed and subtly flipped Ren off so only he could see, while Makoto spoke up.

"Oh, hi Ren. I'm glad you're here. Earlier I went to eat some takoyaki before we had to leave Osaka. But, by some stroke of luck, I ended up winning an extra order in a raffle. Do you think you could eat it for me? I don't think I can eat this all by myself." Makoto said as she gave Ren an order of takoyaki before he spoke up.

"I don't mind, but why not offer it to Goro since he was here with you?" Ren asked as Goro spoke up with a frown.

"She did, but then I told her I'm not much of a fan of takoyaki. But I think I can be forgiven for that, given the fact that I had a bad experience with takoyaki a few years back that left me looking like a fool." Goro said bluntly as Ren winced, realizing Goro meant the Shujin culture festival almost four years ago, where he'd gotten the 'special' takoyaki by chance, eaten it in a single bite, and then proceeded to put on a hilarious show, complete with an uncanny impression of a drunk staggering around, before walking off to get water.

After he left, both Ryuji and Futaba had promptly burst out laughing, and even Kusa looked like he was struggling to stifle a laugh. Ren and Makoto, needless to say, were unimpressed with the immaturity being shown by Ryuji and Futaba, and rebuked them for it. But Ren could relate to Goro's plight and nodded sympathetically as he spoke up.

"Say no more, Goro. I understand completely. And for what it's worth? I'm sorry that happened to you back then. Makoto and I both laid into Ryuji and Futaba something fierce afterward when they laughed at you." Ren said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Ren's right. What happened to you back then was very unfortunate. And what those two did was unacceptable. That being said, I understand your position as well. And to be honest, I'd give it to my sister if she were here, but that's obviously not an option right now." Makoto said, and to Ren's surprise, Goro smirked and spoke up.

"True. But who's to say that she might want to have takoyaki with a certain someone instead? After all, based on what I saw when the two left the station where Zenkichi-san was detained, Sae-san seemed quite impressed with him. And speaking of Zenkichi, he might not realize it, but I noticed his face subtly turning red while looking at Sae-san. Maybe it's just the matchmaker in me, but I think there could be something between your sister and Zenkichi-san, Makoto. But that's entirely up to them if they decide to pursue anything with each other or not." Goro said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"I agree. I think they could be a cute couple, but I won't pressure them about it. I'll let time decide what happens there, I think." Makoto said, giggling as she recalled when Kusa had told her something similar four years ago, when she first became a part of the Phantom Thieves. She then kept speaking before Ren or Goro could reply.

"In any case, going back to my takoyaki situation, I'm sure one order's plenty for me. And Ren? Do be sure to let me know when we're heading out, okay?" Makoto asked as Ren spoke up.

"That's fine, Makoto. We might still have some request-related stuff to do, but other than that, I think we'll be good to leave soon enough." Ren said before turning to Goro and speaking up.

"Sorry about teasing you before. I was just surprised to see you hanging out with Makoto voluntarily." Ren said as Goro spoke up.

"Understandable. I may have had my differences with Makoto early on, but if you take the time to get to know her, she's not so bad. A bit of a stickler for the rules, but overall a fun person to know." Goro said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks. I'll choose to take that as a compliment, Goro." Makoto said as Goro spoke up.

"As you should, Makoto. Anyways, I suppose we should be preparing to wind things down now that Konoe-san has been dealt with. However, I can't shake the feeling that there are still some loose ends left for us to tie up. But I'm sure those will be sorted out soon enough. I suppose all that's left for us now is to take care of any remaining requests." Goro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely. But for now, I still have a couple of people left to speak to, so I do hope you'll excuse me, Goro." Ren said as Goro nodded and Ren kept moving after accepting the 'Lucky Takoyaki' from Makoto. After a bit, Ren found the remaining three members of the team, or Futaba, Nanako, and Akane, hanging together outside of a random shop. Once he got close to them, Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Hanging out with Nanako and Akane, eh little sis? You sure that nothing happened between you three last night? Because you seem rather inclined towards spending time with them from where I'm sitting." Ren said teasingly as Futaba blushed and spoke up.

"N-No! Nothing happened, big bro. Besides, I already have Kusa, and he's more than enough for me." Futaba said as Akane giggled and spoke up.

"This is coming from the woman who is secretly attracted to both genders but is committed to Kusa. Not only that, but Kusa has stated more than once that he doesn't mind if you start fooling around with women on the side as long as he doesn't have to worry about you leaving him for them." Akane said teasingly as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"To be fair Akane, would Futaba really take Kusa up on that invitation, though? Sure, she's bi-curious, but would she have the courage to actually let herself act on that bi-curiosity? I don't think she would." Nanako said slyly as Futaba pouted and spoke up.

"Aw, shut up, Nanako! And you and Akane have no room to talk, given how much you two ribbed me last night. Besides, it was because of you two that we ended up running late in meeting up with Ren and the other girls last night. Can I help it if you two are so irresistibly cute and sexy that even women are apt to take notice of it?" Futaba said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Oh-ho. I see what's goin' on here. Did Futaba herself get a new pair of girl-crushes?" Ren teased as Futaba blushed and spoke up.

"REN! Not so loud! Also, does it matter? I'm committed to Kusa! That said, I must commend you, Ren. You sure know how to geek out. Any true otaku would hit this place last!" Futaba said as Akane cheered and spoke up.

"SECONDED!" Akane said, gently nudging a reluctant Nanako in the side and getting her to speak up.

"Thirded, I suppose. Mind you, I'm not as big of a geek/otaku as you two, but that's more because I've never really tried that sort of thing before." Nanako said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Not to worry, Nanako. Between myself and Akane, we'll make a geek and/or otaku out of you yet! And I'm sure you'll look incredible doing it, too." Futaba said as Nanako blushed and spoke up.

"I-If you say so. But you have no room to say that we look incredible when you're the one who got caught by Akane in a compromising position outside of the RV last night. I mean, poor Akane heard noises from outside, and when she went out to investigate, she ended up finding you in just your-" Nanako said as a red-faced Futaba slapped a hand over a giggling Nanako's mouth and spoke up.

"NANAKO! Shut up! Ren doesn't need to know about that!" Futaba rebuked Nanako before turning to Ren after getting her embarrassment under control as she kept speaking.

"Ignore her. But, y'know, come to think of it, we didn't have much time to go to Akihabara this summer, even with that extra detour of us returning to Yongen for a couple of days for the Jail that was there." Futaba said before wincing as she felt something wet rub on her palm, making her shudder as she glared at Nanako and kept speaking.

"EWW! Did you just lick my palm, Nanako!?" Futaba yelped as Akane giggled and spoke up.

"I can see it. Nanako's not exactly a modest woman sometimes. She might look the part of a prim, proper lady, but behind closed doors? All bets are off. Sure, I might be the one to do most of the initiating in our relationship, but once I get her eased into things, she usually takes to new things pretty eagerly. Also, be glad that Nanako didn't try to put your fingers in her mouth just to get your hand off her face, Futaba. She tried that on me once, but luckily I didn't mind since her tongue was so soft to touch. So in essence, you got off lucky as there were plenty of other spots she could've licked instead." Akane said with a smirk as Nanako blushed and spoke up despite her voice being partially muffled by Futaba's palm.

"Shuddup! Besides, if I was gonna do that, I'd do it to you instead, Akane." Nanako said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm sure you would be licking her everywhere. Also, a bit of advice? Be glad it was Futaba who caught you and Akane going at it in the trailer last night, Nanako. I can only imagine the reactions would've been worse if it'd been Sojiro, Makoto, Morgana, Shiho, or even worse, Zenkichi who'd caught you. Besides, I can see Futaba being turned on by you two fooling around. She might not admit it, but I've seen her checking Akane out in particular recently. She might sneak a glance or two at you on occasion, but she mostly checks out Akane." Ren said teasingly as Futaba swatted Ren on the arm and spoke up with a blush.

"SHUT UP, REN! What if Kusa walks by and hears this?" Futaba asked as Nanako spoke up, taking advantage of the fact that Futaba had slapped Ren with the hand that had previously been over her mouth and giggling at the horrified look on Futaba's face as she realized her faux pas in slapping Ren with the hand that had been licked by Nanako, who smirked at her as she spoke.

"He'd probably just say that if it makes you happy, you should give it a go with us, even if it's just as 'friends with benefits'." Nanako said slyly as Ren shook his head and turned to Akane as he spoke up.

"How do you put up with her, Akane-chan? I can't imagine it's easy having Nanako as a girlfriend." Ren said as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"She can be a handful at times, it's true. But I wouldn't change one thing about Nanako. She's perfect to me just the way she is. A bit shameless and bold, but still amazing just the same." Akane said as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"I love you too, Akane. But let's save the bedroom talk for later, when it's just us, yeah? I don't think Ren or Futaba want to hear us flirting so brazenly." Nanako said with a sly smirk as Ren nodded. But as he went to confirm that he'd spoken to everyone, Nanako's phone rang, and she blinked on seeing that it was 'Yu' that was calling. She then spoke up.

"Oh, it's Big Bro. I suppose he saw the news about Konoe-san?" Nanako said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Probably. If you want to go and head back to the RV to take that, feel free. I'll gather the others and meet you back there." Ren said as Nanako spoke up.

"Wait, why do you feel like you should gather the others?" Nanako asked as Ren spoke up.

"It's because I have a feeling that this will concern all of us. Especially given the matter of Yu mentioning a possible rematch between our groups when we last spoke to him on the phone." Ren said sagely as Nanako nodded and spoke up.

"That makes sense given what we talked about with him on the way here a few days ago. Fair enough. I'll go on ahead, head back to the RV, and take this, then." Nanako said as Ren nodded and spoke up,

"Alright then. Akane, you're coming with me. We need to gather the others and give them the rundown of this possible rematch since some of them weren't with us in the RV when we last talked to Yu." Ren said and after a nod from Akane, the three split off with Nanako making her way to the RV while Ren and Akane started to gather the others...

(A short time later, at the RV with Nanako)

"Hello? Nanako Dojima's phone, Nanako speaking." Nanako said as she answered her phone, smiling at the voice that spoke up on the other end.

"Hey, Nanako. It's Yu. I hope you're doing well. I've heard about what happened with Konoe on the news and I wanted to give you and the rest of the Thieves my congratulations for stopping him." Yu said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"Aww, thanks Big Bro. I'm doing just fine. Konoe's Shadow was indeed a pushover when we fought him, but in the end we were able to get him to see the error of his ways." Nanako said as Yu spoke up.

"Well, at least I'm glad you weren't hurt and that the Thieves are now cleared of all charges. That being said, I'm sorry for not checking in sooner, but I've been busy making preparations for a little something that you might recall when I talked with your friends the last time on the phone. Speaking of which, are they with you by any chance?" Yu asked as Nanako spoke up.

"Not right now, but Ren went to gather everyone, so they should be here shortly." Nanako said as Yu spoke up.

"I see. Well, I guess until they get back, we can discuss you. Namely, what you were saying to myself and the others previously about liking both genders." Yu said as Nanako winced and spoke up.

"Eheh, I did say that before, didn't I? Fine, I'll be honest. I like men and women, Big Bro. Not only that, but I even have a girlfriend now." Nanako said as Yu spoke up, his eyes widening mid-sentence as the implications of Nanako's admission sank in for him.

"Good for you, Nanako. Glad to see you're embracing yourself and accepting who you really a-WHAAAAAAT!? You have a girlfriend!? This is news to me. Is it that Akane girl we were talking to on the phone the other day when I called up your friends?" Yu asked as Nanako blushed while she spoke up.

"Uh-huh, that's the one. Let's just say that a lot has happened since I last talked to you Big Bro. During our endeavor to change Konoe's heart, Akane and I opened up to one another about our feelings towards each other. And after a bit of discussion, we decided to give each other a chance. Not too long after, the rest of the Thieves found out about us getting together and they accepted it, including Akane's father Zenkichi." Nanako said as Yu spoke up.

"Quite the small world we live in, isn't it? What're the odds you'd end up dating the daughter of Naoto's one-time senpai in Public Security? That's pretty wild. And here I thought you were going to fall for that cat-boy thing, or whatever else your group considers Morgana. Especially since I know you told Rise once that you had a short-lived crush on him." Yu said as Nanako blushed and spoke up.

"BIG BRO! I only had a short crush on him! And it was his fault for paying me such lovely compliments! He once said that my hair looked radiant when the sun hits it just right. He even called me such things as a Treasure, a precious gem, and other charming things. So of course I'm going to like him for that. Not that it matters, since I'm happily dating Akane now. And Akane has done a fantastic job at making me happy so far." Nanako said as a familiar giggle on the other end made her groan in realization as she spoke up.

"Crap, you had this on speaker on your end the whole time, didn't you?" Nanako asked as a familiar voice spoke up.

"Of course he did, Nanako-chan! Why wouldn't he let all of us hear your bright, cheerful voice? Also, even if these guys disapprove, your Big Sis always approves of whatever choices you make in life!" Rise said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks, Big Sis. Wait, these guys? Is everyone there?" Nanako asked as another voice spoke up to confirm her suspicion.

"Got it in one, Nana-chan! We're all here, for the most part. Sensei said something about a couple of us being busy elsewhere that he's trying to round up, but I didn't question what he meant, since I trust him to know what he's doing when it comes to picking up potential stragglers." Teddie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Yes, well, given one of those 'possible stragglers', as you put it, is your girlfriend, I'm not surprised that you're so quick to trust Yu's judgement, Teddie." Yosuke said as Yukiko giggled and spoke up.

"You have no room to tease him about that, Yosuke-kun. After all, the other one Yu-kun's trying to recruit is your crush. Not that I expected you to like your ladies a bit more on the metallic and unique side, but you do you, Yosuke-kun. Besides, I'm sure Labrys-san has a high opinion of you too." Yukiko said as Naoto spoke up.

"While that's funny, I don't think teasing Yosuke-kun about his crush on Labrys while we're on the phone with Nanako-chan is the best idea, Yukiko-senpai. But what do I know? I'm just a detective, after all." Naoto said as Kanji spoke up with a smile.

"You're not just a detective, babe. You're also an amazing woman, and someone I'm blessed to call my wife. Sure, I'm probably not the greatest husband you could've asked for, but I like to think that I do my best to keep you happy." Kanji said as another familiar female voice spoke up.

"Don't sell yourself short, Kanji-kun! You're doing a fine job. And Naoto-kun, you worry too much. Yukiko just likes to tease Yosuke a bit, that's all. Pay her no mind." Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"Yes, well, now that you've all let Nanako know that you're here, can I have my phone back, please?" Yu said as the sounds of a struggle ensued, and several cries of protest were heard before Yu's voice was heard again.

"There we go, much better. Sorry about that interruption. Umm, can you give us directions to the RV your group is staying in, Nanako? We just got into Kyoto this morning, and we're still finding our way around. Rise and I had to spend the last couple of days in talks with some allies to try and discuss an alliance of sorts, so we were already fairly close to Kyoto anyways. So it was not that big of a deal to get the others to meet us here." Yu said as Nanako nodded and gave Yu the directions to the RV, making Yu keep speaking with a grateful tone of voice as he spoke.

"Much better. Now all that's left is to wait for the other Phantom Thieves to arrive so we can discuss business, and then we'll start heading towards the RV." Yu said as Nanako nodded, right as she heard knocking on the RV door as a familiar voice spoke up.

"Nanako, it's Ren. I brought everyone here so we could talk to Yu. Are we good to join you?" Ren asked and Nanako spoke up.

"Yes, you can all come in. I have Big Bro on the phone." Nanako said as Ren opened the RV door and soon he and the rest of the group filed in one at a time, eventually filling the RV. Once everyone was present, Yu spoke up.

"I take it your friends just arrived? If so, can you put it on speaker so I can speak to all of them?" Yu asked as Nanako nodded and did as requested while Yu spoke up.

"Is this Ren and the others who just joined Nanako in the RV?" Yu asked as Kusa spoke up.

"That's correct, Yu. It's us. It took Ren a bit to gather all of us, since some of us were farther away than others, but Ren found us all eventually through the group chat. Sorry to keep you waiting for so long." Kusa said as Yu spoke up with a smirk.

"Not a problem, Kusa. If anything, that gave us plenty of time to catch up to some extent with Nanako. That being said, let me be the first to congratulate you guys on taking down Akira Konoe. Not only was your calling card incredible, but you were able to beat him at his own game. I only regret that I missed the broadcast you all did since I was out of town with Rise making arrangements for a certain something that we talked about earlier. Not to mention, I had to enlist my allies to ensure that I could field a sufficiently large team to match your team's numbers. From what I remember correctly, your team currently has 16 Persona-users ever since Nanako joined you, is that correct?" Yu asked as Ren spoke up with a shake of his head.

"Actually Yu, we now have 17 people in our group. Since our last conversation, we ran into a bit of a sticky situation in the Osaka Jail that caught us off guard and almost cost us our lives. If it weren't for Zenkichi's daughter, and now Nanako's girlfriend Akane awakening to a Persona and saving all of us, we might not be having this conversation right now. Therefore, with Akane being a new Phantom Thief, we now have 17 Persona-users on our side." Ren said as Yu spoke up.

"I see. I managed to get 16 people lined up, but I can probably muster up a 17th person quickly enough if needed. Fair warning, though? If I do get a 17th person to help, she might be a bit of a handful for most of you due to the unique nature of her powers. But I'll explain more about that later. For now, let us get to the important bit. Were the news reports we saw about EMMA being shut down true?" Yu asked as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"That's right. My boss and I personally brought Konoe into custody recently. From there, it only took minimal persuasion to get him to divulge the location of EMMA's servers. My boss is just waiting on the word from me to proceed with a raid on said location, which will result in EMMA being shut down. And since her being shut down means that these guys lose their access to the Metaverse, I'm giving them the chance to resolve any unfinished Metaverse business they might have now. This way they won't have any regrets once EMMA's servers are shut down and they can no longer access the Metaverse." Zenkichi said as Yu spoke up.

"Very well. In light of this, it would seem as though I was wise to accelerate my preparations. Given the fact that EMMA is in imminent danger of being shut down, thus cutting off our main venue for what we discussed, I would say now is the only time we can do this. Phantom Thieves, let me be blunt. My team challenges yours to a rematch. After all, with EMMA shutting down, we might not have a better chance for it than now. So what do you guys say? Do you accept my challenge?" Yu asked as Ren spoke up.

"Can my team have a chance to discuss this amongst ourselves while we come to a consensus? While we do that, Nanako can go sit outside with you and talk to you while the rest of us converse. Besides, I think I have a good idea of her stance on a rematch anyways." Ren said as Yu spoke up.

"By all means, take all the time you need, within reason. However, before you all discuss my proposal, I do want to say something to both Akane and Morgana." Yu said as Akane spoke up.

"Sure, what is it?" Akane asked as Yu spoke up.

"Well for you Akane-san, assuming what Ren said was true, I want to express my thanks to you for saving Nanako's life when she was in imminent danger. I owe you my gratitude." Yu said as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Please, don't think anything of it. I couldn't just stand by while I watched my Dad, the rest of the Thieves, and most importantly the one I love be in mortal danger from a cognitive copy of the man that killed my mother. I owe it to the Phantom Thieves and Nanako for everything they did for me. Plus, I couldn't be any happier now that I'm with Nanako." Akane said as Yu chuckled and spoke up.

"Well, I think I can now safely say that Nanako seems to be in good hands. And assuming that you and the rest of the Thieves accept my proposal, my friends and I will be looking forward to meeting you in person." Yu said as Akane nodded just as Morgana spoke up.

"So what about me? You said you have something to say to me Yu?" Morgana asked as Yu spoke up.

"Well, I'll just get straight to the point. Now that Nanako has a girlfriend, please stop hitting on her, Morgana! She told me about the compliments that you said to her a while ago, and while I don't mind you being nice to her, myself and the others won't allow you to go any further than that if you can understand my drift." Yu said, ignoring the various shouts of 'HUUUUUUUH!?', 'WHAAAAT!?', and 'THE HELL!?', and even what sounded like Rise saying 'GO NANAKO!' from the rest of the Investigation Team to focus on listening to the response from a wincing Morgana, who spoke up.

"Y-Yes, Yu. I understand. I was just trying to be nice and make Nanako feel better. It was never my intention to make her uncomfortable or take her from Akane. So I will endeavor to not hit on Nanako anymore." Morgana said as Ryuji smirked and spoke up.

"Seems easy enough, given how much you've shifted your focus onto a certain red-headed AI lately. So I think you can do it, Morgana." Ryuji said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which Ren had set on a stand on the table between himself and Sumire, preceded Morgana and a blushing Sophia speaking up.

"SHUT UP, RYUJI!" Morgana and Sophia both said in embarrassment as Nanako giggled at the twin blushes on Morgana and Sophia's faces before she left the trailer with her phone in hand, leaving the others to discuss Yu's suggestion. Perhaps only slightly surprisingly, Zenkichi was the first to speak up.

"A rematch with the Investigation Team, eh? Could be a good way to get stronger, provided we can win." Zenkichi said as Goro spoke up.

"Am I the only one who heard him say that his team could be as many as 17? Weren't there only 8 of them last time?" Goro asked, as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. So far we have fought Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, and Naoto before. But as of now, even I'm not entirely sure who these other nine Persona-users could possibly be. However, I have my suspicions since Yu did mention the matter of his group being allied with Mitsuru Kirijo, but even that remains to be seen. Regardless, we'll have to wait until the rematch to see who we're dealing with. Personally, I think we have no reason not to accept." Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up.

"I agree. Plus, I'm sure that those of us who were sidelined last time would relish a chance to join in on the fun this time." Sojiro said as Ryuji, Morgana, Haru, Ann, Yusuke, Ren, and Makoto nodded in agreement. As Futaba noticed Ren nodding, she spoke up.

"Ren, you don't get to chime in on this. You helped Kusa fight Yu at the end of that last match. Although, not that I have room to talk, considering that I basically strong-armed Kusa into having me be his eighth fighter against Yu's group, since we didn't have both Akane and Nanako with us at the time." Futaba said as Akane winced and spoke up.

"Ahh, right. That was when I was turned into a Monarch, wasn't it?" Akane asked as Kusa looked into Akane's eyes and spoke up.

"That's correct. But do NOT blame yourself! Older and more experienced people than you were turned into Monarchs too thanks to Konoe's cheap tactics. So do not blame yourself, since it's not your fault you went through that. None of us here blame you for it. If anything, we owe a lot to that happening. Had you not been turned into a Monarch, we would never have needed to go into your Jail, and in turn, your dad might not have awakened to his Persona, since he did that strictly to save you from yourself. And I respect him a lot for having the courage to put himself on the line like that for you. Not every dad is as courageous as he is." Kusa said kindly as Akane blushed and nodded as she spoke up.

"R-Right. Thank you, Kusa. To be honest, I'm still struggling with the idea that you all very nearly met your demise by what would've been 'my' hand, and thus I wouldn't have been any the wiser about it had you all not shown me what you did." Akane said as she found herself hugged from both sides by Kusa and Futaba as the latter spoke up.

"Hey, it's okay, Akane. I can relate to that. Like you, I lost my mom at a young age. Come to think of it, I think we were even the same age when our mothers died, given I was 12 when my mom passed away. And I'm pretty sure if we do the math, you were also 12 when you lost your mom, so we have that in common. In addition, Nanako also lost her mom at a young age as well. However, if I remember correctly, she was only 5 years old when her mom passed away. But the truth of the matter is that you're not alone in this, Akane." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up with a nod.

"She's right. All of us are here to support you, Akane. We're not just your teammates. I've said this before, and I'll probably end up saying it again. In the Phantom Thieves, we tend to think of each other as a very large, very diverse family. Obviously, this doesn't apply to the couples that exist in the team, nor the potential couples. But otherwise, we all consider one another as family and try to be there for each other as best we can." Kusa said kindly as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Right, I'll keep that in mind. But I think we were discussing Yu's challenge to a rematch, not my past?" Akane said as Ren spoke up.

"That's right. The question we're facing right now is simple. Do we accept Yu's challenge for a rematch, or do we decline? As such, I think we should approach this decision in the same way as we did in the old days, with all of us coming to a unanimous agreement. I, for one, think we should accept the challenge since it could be a good way to test how far we've all come." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"I agree. I vote we should accept. I'm guessing that Nanako voted on this already before leaving the room, and that her vote was yes?" Morgana asked as Ren nodded once to confirm Morgana's guess before Ryuji spoke up.

"I also agree and vote in favor of accepting the rematch. If nothin' else, I want a chance to test my mettle against these guys! They sound strong, and fighting them sounds badass!" Ryuji said as Makoto shook her head while Ann spoke up.

"I agree. I also vote in favor of accepting the rematch. Besides, I think we'd all regret it for the rest of our lives if we decline." Ann said as Yusuke spoke up.

"I concur. I, too, vote in favor of accepting the rematch." Yusuke said as Makoto spoke up.

"I also vote in favor of accepting the rematch. If nothing else, I recall that Chie specializes in kung-fu, so this could be a good way to test my skills against someone who is also good at martial arts." Makoto said as Futaba spoke up.

"Mwehehe! I vote in favor of accepting the rematch. I had fun fighting Rise before, but it felt like she was holding back somehow back then. Maybe this time, she'll put up more of a fight?" Futaba mused as Haru spoke up.

"Only one way to find out for sure, Futaba-chan. Also, I vote in favor of accepting the rematch." Haru said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"I also vote in favor of accepting the rematch. If nothing else, I relish the chance to potentially put Shirogane in her place again. Especially since I have some new tricks that I can utilize against her." Goro said as Sumire spoke up.

"You would vote in favor of a fight, wouldn't you? I also vote in favor of accepting the rematch. If nothing else, we're supposed to be setting an example for Sophia, and I don't think showing her that running away from a fight is a very good example of how to be a good Phantom Thief." Sumire said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Well said, Sumire. If it isn't obvious, I also vote in favor of accepting the rematch. I feel like it could be a fine way to get us some extra training, if nothing else." Kusa said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"I vote in favor of accepting the rematch, since I got bumped out of the match way too soon last time. But then, I suppose it was my own fault for underestimating Chie. I didn't think she had such strong kicks. I can't believe I was forced out of the battles due to having the wind kicked out of me. It was so embarrassing." Sophia said, a slightly saddened look on her face as Morgana smiled at her and spoke up.

"Cheer up, Lady Sophia. I'm sure you'll have a chance to avenge your honor and then some this time. And for what it's worth? None of us think any less of you for how you did last time. If anything, we slightly blame Chie for kicking you so hard. That was uncalled for." Morgana said as Sophia smiled at Morgana while Sojiro spoke up.

"You can flirt with her later, Morgana. Moving right along, I vote in favor of accepting the rematch. I feel like we could use this training just to stay on our toes." Sojiro said as Shiho spoke up.

"Well said, Sojiro. I also vote in favor of accepting the rematch. I feel as if we have everything to gain from accepting, and next to nothing to lose." Shiho said as Zenkichi spoke up with a nod.

"Agreed, Shiho. Also, I vote in favor of accepting the rematch. I think we could use the experience. If nothing else, it'll keep us sharp in case something comes up with EMMA later on." Zenkichi said as Akane, who was the last to speak up, spoke up.

"Well said, Dad. And I vote in favor of accepting this rematch. I wasn't part of the group for the first round, so I want a chance to see how I stack up against this so-called 'Investigation Team' and whatever allies they were able to summon." Akane said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Very good. And Nanako also voted in favor of the rematch when we spoke earlier, so it's unanimous. Akane, go tell your girlfriend to come back in so we can give Yu our answer, will you?" Ren asked as Akane nodded and went to fetch Nanako, at which point Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I wonder how many of Yu's friends will lose their minds when they see Nanako and Akane kissing for the first time?" Kusa asked, as Goro spoke up.

"Probably most, if not all of them. And no, I'm not making a bet on it. I learned my lesson about betting against you after the last bet that I lost." Goro said as Kusa nodded before Akane and Nanako came back in, the latter holding up her phone as Yu spoke up.

"So, Akane tells me you've reached a decision?" Yu asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. We discussed it, and we've unanimously agreed, with Nanako having pre-voted in favor of it, to accept your challenge. We all feel as if we have no reason to decline your rematch challenge, and everything to gain from it. So we accept your challenge." Ren said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Very well. Our group is currently at a hotel with our allies in Kyoto. We can start heading out towards Osaka now to meet up with you guys, since Nanako told us where to find your RV. Odds are good we'll probably be there in a few hours for the rematch, though we might have some people for you to meet before that. In the meantime, I advise that you do as much preparation and training as possible to ensure that all of you are at your best for this rematch.

I think I speak for all of my teammates when I say we want to fight you guys at your best. After all, as I mentioned previously when we last talked, we weren't even using our strongest Personas before, that is aside from myself since I only have the one Persona due to no longer having the power of the Wild Card. So you should make sure you're as strong as possible before we get there since we'll be playing for keeps this time. And we will NOT be holding ANYTHING back! So prepare now, while you still can. We'll see you when we arrive in Osaka. Bye for now." Yu said before ending the call on his end. Nanako blinked at the curt ending of the call and spoke up.

"That was rather abrupt, wasn't it?" Nanako asked as Akane nodded before Zenkichi spoke up.

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's excited for a chance to battle us again, and to see you, Nanako. So that's probably why he hung up so abruptly." Zenkichi said as Ren spoke up with a frown on his face.

"I'm not sure I like how dismissive Yu was of us, but I agree with him on one thing." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Yeah? What's that?" Kusa asked as Ren spoke up.

"We need to be prepared for them when they show up. To that end, I propose a return to the Metaverse, since I still have two unfinished requests left to do, which are both in the Osaka Jail. Additionally, I know of at least two other Dire Shadows we can go after in the Kyoto and Osaka Jails." Ren said as Goro spoke up.

"Let's not forget the Yongen Jail, Ren. I'm sure there's a Dire Shadow in there as well somewhere." Goro said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah, but wasn't that the Jail with the wonky gimmick that blocked us from leveling up and learning new skills?" Kusa asked as Goro spoke up.

"It is, but I think I have a theory about that Jail that I've been meaning to share with all of you. But I'll hold off on telling you all until after we deal with the Dire Shadow of the Kyoto Jail ." Goro said as Ren nodded his agreement.

"I agree, Goro. But for now, let's start our grinding by completing these last few requests. Is everyone ready?" Ren asked as the group nodded before Ren pulled everyone into the Metaverse...

(Inside the Osaka Jail, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, Pendragon, Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, and Auburn)

While finishing off the last of the requests Joker had, including a request to eliminate the powerful Shadow called the 'Guard Dog of Hades', the ensuing EXP gains from the enemies put Joker, Oracle, and Violet to level 73, Panther to level 68, and Seeker, Queen, Noir, Flare, Auburn, and Seraphim up to level 67, the level-ups giving both Noir and Seraphim new moves in the form of the passive skills 'Gun Amp' and 'Angelic Grace'. Noir spoke up with a smile.

"Oh! A new move! Amazing!" Noir said as Crow smiled and spoke up.

"Not bad. Your Gun moves should now pack even more of a punch." Crow said sagely as Noir smiled gratefully at Crow while Lucy acquired 'Gun Amp'. Seraphim then spoke up.

"Ohh, I've gained a new power! Check me out now!" Seraphim said as Auburn giggled and spoke up.

"Very nice, Seraphim. Lookin' sexy as always." Auburn said as Violet sighed and spoke up in a loud voice.

"AUBURN! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU!? NO FLIRTING WITH SERAPHIM IN FRONT OF IMPRESSIONABLE YOUTHS SUCH AS SEEKER!" Violet rebuked Auburn, who sheepishly apologized and was forgiven as Sraosha acquired 'Angelic Grace'.

After beating the Dire Shadow of the Kyoto Jail (who was basically 'Yatagarasu'), the ensuing EXP gains put Skull, Mona, Crow, Draconis, and Pendragon to level 67, and put Seeker and Noir to level 68. From beating Shadows on the way out of the Kyoto Jail, both Skull and Fox hit level 68, giving them both new moves in the form of the support/buff skill 'Charge' and the Heavy-tier Physical skill 'Brave Blade'. Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Nice! Gettin' stronger every day!" Skull said as Violet smiled and spoke up.

"Huh, would you look at that? A brag that isn't profane? I'm impressed, Skull. Also, that's a nice move. That'll be very helpful to you." Violet said as Queen spoke up with a smile.

"Give him more credit, Violet. Skull can keep his language filtered if he tries. He just forgets a lot. That said, I'm proud of you, Skull." Queen said, pulling Skull into a brief kiss, ignoring the catcalls her action got her from Oracle, Seraphim, and Auburn, though Violet did frown at the three disapprovingly as William acquired 'Charge'. Fox then spoke up.

"A new skill! I can do much with this, I'm sure." Fox said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Awesome! You're hittin' the big guns, Fox! Well done." Draconis said as Fox nodded while Gorokichi acquired 'Brave Blade'. After reaching the exit, the group retreated to the real world...

(Back in the real world, inside the RV, with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, Sojiro, Shiho, Zenkichi, Nanako, and Akane)

"Well, now that we've knocked off the Dire Shadow of the Kyoto Jail, along with the 'Guard Dog of Hades' in the Osaka Jail, our next target is the Dire Shadow of the Yongen Jail. That is, assuming Goro is right about there being one in there." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Actually, speaking of the Yongen Jail, didn't Goro say he had a theory about that Jail that he was waiting to tell us until we defeated the Dire Shadow of the Kyoto Jail?" Kusa asked as Goro nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. You see, I'm aware that there were restrictions in place regarding our inability to level up or acquire new skills within the Yongen Jail. However, what you all failed to realize was that these restrictions were implemented while Loki was in control. Now that we've defeated him and successfully rid him of his resentment and animosity towards us, I believe that these restrictions may very well have been lifted. But there's only one way to confirm this, isn't there?" Goro asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. We have to go back in and check it out for ourselves." Ren said as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Cool! I finally get to see this 'Yongen Jail' that you all have been talking about. I was the only one not able to go in last time." Akane said as Nanako winced and spoke up.

"And for good reason. That place might sound like a proving ground, but it's anything but a proving ground. It's actually quite scary-looking once you see it up close." Nanako said as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"She's right, Akane. This place isn't a game. The Yongen Jail is just as difficult as the Osaka Jail, so you need to take it seriously. Or might I remind you that this was the same Jail where we had to overcome a giant maze that forced most of us to confront our past, which includes me encountering your mom's spirit? So you need to be on guard when going in here." Zenkichi said as Akane nodded before Ren pulled the group into the Yongen Jail...

(A short time later, inside of the Yongen Jail, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, Pendragon, Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, and Auburn)

While running around inside the Jail fighting Shadows, Crow's theory about the restrictions lifting was proven correct when Mona, Queen, Seraphim, Flare, and Auburn hit level 68, giving Queen, Flare, and Auburn new moves in the forms of the passive skill 'Nuke Amp', the passive skill 'Angelic Grace', and the heavy-tier Curse skill 'Maeigaon', making Queen speak up.

"Oh! I've awakened to a new power!" Queen said as Skull smirked and spoke up.

"Nice one, babe! Your Nuclear moves are going to hit even harder now!" Skull said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, Skull!" Queen said as she kissed Skull while Agnes acquired 'Nuke Amp'. Flare then spoke up.

"Oh! I got the same skill that Seraphim just got! Interesting." Flare said as Panther spoke up.

"Looks like that skill gives you a lot of help with evasion. Very useful." Panther said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Well done, Flare." Seraphim said approvingly as Flare nodded while Hester acquired 'Angelic Grace'. Finally, Auburn spoke up.

"Ooh! Is this an upgrade to Houdini's cursed power? Sweet." Auburn said as Seraphim giggled and spoke up.

"Very nice, Auburn. That skill suits you." Seraphim said as she cutely kissed Auburn on the cheek, making her blush as Seeker and Oracle giggled while Houdini acquired 'Maeigaon'. While clearing out Shadows further in the Yongen Jail, Wolf, Pendragon, Crow, and Draconis hit level 68, the level-ups giving Wolf the support/debuff skill 'Debilitate' making him smirk as he spoke up.

"Heh, a new skill! I've still got it." Wolf said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Not bad, Wolf. Let's remind these youngsters that we're still just as capable as they are." Pendragon said approvingly as Auburn spoke up.

"You two aren't that old yet, Pendragon. You're still plenty young and spry. No need to get so cranky yet." Auburn said sagely as Valjean acquired 'Debilitate'. After wandering around the Yongen Jail for awhile, the group eventually found a strong enemy reading that had Oracle's eyes go comically wide as she spoke up.

"STOP! I'm getting another of those strong readings from that Shadow that's in that throne room! Yet, at the same time, it isn't quite identical to all of the other readings." Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"What do you mean by that Oracle? Are you saying that this Dire Shadow is different somehow?" Draconis asked as Oracle spoke up.

"Well, based on my scan of it, on the outside it seems to look like a normal Dire Shadow sentry. However, on the inside, I sense so much fury and rage, almost as if a bull is waiting to charge at us." Oracle said as most of the group exchanged confused looks, until Seraphim's eyes widened in realization as she spoke up.

"Wait, you said 'bull' just now, right Oracle? If that's the case, I think I might have an idea of what we're dealing with. But if I'm right, how is she in the Metaverse? Last I checked, she was only able to enter the TV World because she was tossed in by an outside party. And I'm quite sure Big Bro and the others would've told me if she had gone missing again?" Seraphim said as Joker spoke up.

"Mind explaining what you're talking about to the rest of us, Seraphim?" Joker asked as Seraphim nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. It's a bit of a long story, but the gist of it is that there was a 'case' that my Big Bro and his friends were investigating when they reunited eight years ago, which involved the disappearance of a top-secret weapon. Surprisingly, this weapon was made in the image of a schoolgirl. According to both Yosuke and Big Bro, this girl, or Labrys as she calls herself, spent quite a while in the TV World believing she was the new student council president for Yasogami High. It was only after Big Bro and his friends, along with some other allies who I believe might have been Mitsuru and her group, were able to protect Labrys from her other self so that she could finally accept her Shadow and awaken to her Persona. If I'm right, this might be a cognitive echo of Labrys and her Persona hiding in the guise of a Dire Shadow." Seraphim said as soon after, she and the other Thieves heard maniacal laughter as a feminine voice spoke up.

"Wow, look at how perceptive you are! Very well reasoned for a Phantom Thief! Too bad for you, you missed a piece of that puzzle! But good effort, Seraphim? Or should I call you Nanako-chan?" The voice said, causing the 'Dire Shadow' to shift forms into what appeared to be a robotic blue-haired girl with striking yellow eyes, followed by what was clearly a giant raging bull demon with an eerie red aura rippling from its' body. Seraphim's eyes widened in recognition behind her mask as she spoke up.

"Wait, WHAT!? Impossible! Labrys' Shadow!? I thought Big Bro and the others helped Labrys cleanse you and turn you into Ariadne?" Seraphim asked as the now identified Labrys' Shadow laughed and spoke up.

"They did-or rather, they purified the real version of me. I am merely an echo of myself that the Black Mask left behind as both a safeguard to his hidden treasure and as a stand-in for what you guys would call a 'Dire Shadow'. Despite the fact that the Yongen Jail does not have a Dire Shadow of its' own for who knows why, this is still a great opportunity for me.

If I can crush each and every one of you, I can only imagine hearing the delightful screams and cries of anguish from your Big Bro, not to mention the rest of those fools who defeated me so long ago. They will be completely scarred when they find out that an echo of one of their own had ended the life of one of their closest friends, along with the rest of her allies. Sorry to have to do this to you, but this is as far as you go!" The cognitive recreation of Labrys' Shadow said as she snapped her fingers, and the giant bull that had been flanking her strode forward to stand imposingly in front of the group, despite only its head and shoulders being visible. The giant bull then spoke up in a deep, booming voice.

"Time to put an end to you all! Cower before the wrath of my flames and perish!" The giant bull said as Crow winced and spoke up.

"Shit! He's lost it! Brace yourselves, everyone! He's charging right at us!" Crow said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Got it! Everyone, defensive positions! Oracle, prepare to analyze this thing on my mark! Crow, Draconis, you two have your strongest moves on standby in case we need to put an end to that thing quickly! The rest of you, do your best to hold that bull off! We have to fight for our lives here!" Joker said as the others nodded, and a fight started! As the fight started, the cognitive echo of Labrys' Shadow cackled and spoke up.

"How cute! You fools think you can put up a fight against the might of Asterius!? Don't make me laugh! Why don'tcha just give up already!? No one's ever beaten Asterius in a proper battle before! Sure, he had a few losses in that farce of a contest that Kagutsuchi threw a few years ago, but he was shackled by the rules of the 'P-1 Grand Prix' as he called it back then! Now, he has no such restrictions holding him back! So try as you might, you can't do a thing to hurt him! Ain'tcha got any brains in those heads of yours? If so, I'd advise you to surrender! Do that, and your lives will be spared!" The cognitive echo of Labrys' Shadow taunted the Phantom Thieves as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"I don't care if you are a lady! You're out of your freakin' mind if you think we're gonna surrender to you! You and that giant bull don't scare us! Bring it on if you think you can take us!" Draconis said as the others nodded their agreement and assumed defensive positions while waiting for Oracle to give them an analysis. Not long after the fight started, Oracle spoke up.

"Well, this isn't good, you guys! According to this scan, the 'Frenzied Bull of Chaos', or 'Asterius' as Labrys' Shadow likes to call it, can nullify Curse moves and resist both Fire and Psy attacks. However, he has a big-time weakness to Ice moves! So if you can hit him with those, we have might have a clear shot at winning this." Oracle said as Seraphim spoke up.

"I also may want to warn you all. From what Big Bro and Yosuke told me, 'Asterius' is not just a being that was conjured up. He is technically the Persona of Labrys' Shadow ever since her real self's initial rejection all those years ago. In addition, 'Asterius' has one move known as 'Titanomachia' which not only deals severe Fire damage to all enemies, but also has a high chance to inflict Fear on someone." Seraphim said as Joker swore and spoke up.

"Crap! So we're actually dealing with a Persona user despite our opponent being in the form of a person's Shadow. Thus, we're going to need to be very cautious when that bull uses any of its attacks. In addition, thanks to Oracle's analysis, this means that myself, Auburn, and Crow, along with Panther, Pendragon, and Noir, are mostly limited to chip damage with Physical and/or Gun moves. Luckily, the rest of us should be able to damage him neutrally, alongside both Fox and Flare being able to weaken him thanks to their Ice skills." Joker said as Pendragon spoke up.

"As much as I respect your concern regarding those with a limited moveset for this fight, I can assure you that we are still capable of holding our own against this monstrosity, Joker." Pendragon said as Wolf spoke up.

"While that may be true Pendragon, that still doesn't change the fact that both yours and Noir's battle capabilities will be greatly reduced since this guy can resist Psy." Wolf said as Noir giggled and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but we can still provide buffs and healing, as well as use our non-Psy skills for damage, so we're not completely worthless against our foe." Noir said as Auburn spoke up.

"Noir's right! Most of the people Joker just listed can either help our allies or weaken our foe through indirect means, so there are still plenty of ways for them to be of use despite not being able to use their elemental skills." Auburn said as Violet nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Good point, Auburn. Not to mention, we have a lot of Triad Specials we can break out as a last-ditch measure if needed." Violet said as Seeker spoke up.

"True, but I have a feeling that Dad would want to keep the Triad Specials in reserve so that we can maintain the element of surprise, Mom." Seeker pointed out as Panther spoke up with a nod.

"Seeker has a good point. Besides, we can always just blast through his resistances with our Showtimes." Panther pointed out as Crow spoke up.

"You all raise very excellent points. However, I think Joker has missed one very crucial detail." Crow asked as Joker spoke up.

"Really, and what's that, Crow?" Joker asked as Crow spoke up.

"While I understand that both Fox and Flare can cause significant damage with their Ice skills, have you forgotten that you're a GODDAMN Wild Card, Joker!? You can swap Personas, you fool! Surely you have at least ONE Persona on you with Ice moves!?" Crow pointed out as Joker winced and spoke up before Violet could do more than frown at Crow for both cussing and blaspheming in front of Seeker.

"You're right, Crow. I forgot about that for a moment. My bad." Joker said as he moved to the front lines with Fox, Flare, and Oracle, the latter putting Al Azif on auto-pilot so she could enter the fray. As the fight continued, the group flanked around 'Asterius', trying to find his vulnerable point, only for Draconis and Mona's eyes to go wide as they dove at Oracle and Seeker respectively, managing to push them aside as a giant wave of fire washed over where they'd previously been standing.

Afterwards, the flames were redirected to collide with Panther and Auburn, mostly leaving them unharmed due to their abilities to nullify Fire damage, though most of the flames were redirected towards an unsuspecting Fox, leaving Draconis to quickly dart in front of Fox, manifesting Malefor in time to use his wings to absorb the oncoming attack, giving him a lot of health back thanks to Malefor's ability to drain Fire skills. After Draconis used Malefor to shield him from harm, Fox nodded gratefully and spoke up.

"That was a close one. Thank you, Draconis. I had no idea that attack was coming until Malefor shielded me from it. Hmm, I believe both Joker and Oracle said something about 'Asterius' being weak to Ice moves? If that's the case, let's try this." Fox said as he brandished his sword and held it up as Gorokichi coated the blade in Ice, doing a jump slash at Asterius that made him screech in pain and make Fox smirk as he spoke up again.

"Looks like our friends were right. Our foe cannot stand Ice moves. Flare, shall we use this to our advantage?" Fox asked as Flare nodded and spoke up.

"Sounds good to me, Fox! Let's get him!" Flare said as Fox nodded his agreement. At that point, Fox and Flare combined their strongest Ice moves to deal massive damage to 'Asterius', pushing him backwards and making him actually look like he was in pain, much to the shock of the cognitive echo of Labrys' Shadow, who spoke up in shock.

"WHAT!? How the heck are you able to harm him!? You aren't supposed to be able to do that!" The cognitive echo of Labrys' Shadow said. Queen spoke up at that point.

"We do this a lot. You're not the first to be surprised by what we can do, and you probably won't be the last." Queen said as Oracle stuck her tongue out childishly at the cognitive echo of Labrys' Shadow as she spoke up.

"Do you not realize who you're talking to, lady!? We're the freakin' Phantom Thieves! We do the impossible all the time! Not only do we go around helping amnesiac little girls find their memories, but we can also turn cats into humans, help transform bitter assassins into team players, and even tame raging wild dragons. So don't come up to us and try to talk shit about doing the impossible!" Oracle said as Mona, Crow, and Draconis all spoke up, cutting off Violet before she could scold Oracle for her language around Seeker.

"OI!" Mona, Crow and Draconis said as Mona kept speaking.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Oracle? I'm NOT a cat anymore! Also, don't be putting Crow and Draconis on blast like that!" Mona said as Oracle shrugged and spoke up.

"Fine, fine. My bad. Instead, I'll just put this giant eyesore's face on blast!" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"Oh? Did you have something in mind, Oracle?" Draconis asked as Oracle nodded and spoke up with a sly grin.

"Correct. You see, like most of you, I've been thinking a lot recently, and much like both Wolf and Auburn, I had an idea for a new Triad Special that came to my mind while we were going through this very same Jail. However, I couldn't entirely put my idea to the test at the time, since one of the two people whose help I'd need had already gotten a Triad Special at that point. But now that we're back here in the Yongen Jail, I can use this as an opportunity to try my new move out. However, it will require a very specific pair of people to help pull it off." Oracle said as Joker spoke up.

"Let me guess. Do you need Draconis and Pendragon's help?" Joker asked as Oracle spoke up.

"Nope. They both got Triad Specials recently, and thus are ineligible to help with this, Joker. Believe it or not, I was moreso thinkin' I'd need the help of Skull and Seraphim, if they don't mind helping out." Oracle said as the two named Thieves blinked at this in shock as Skull spoke up in shock.

"ME!?" Skull said in surprise as Seraphim spoke up with a smile.

"And me too. Don't forget she asked for both of us, Skull. But I think I have a vague idea of what she has in mind. And if I'm right, this is going to be so hardcore because it will involve a lot of high voltage!" Seraphim said cheerfully as Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"Good. I see you already have a good idea of what I had in mind, Seraphim. Skull, are you in?" Oracle said as Skull spoke up after mulling it over.

"Ehh, what the hell? I'm in!" Skull said with a grin as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Excellent! Then let's do this!" Oracle said as Skull and Seraphim nodded before the three spoke up in unison.

"GO, TRIAD SPECIAL!" Oracle, Skull, and Seraphim said as their Triad Special started! Oracle then spoke up first.

"ALBUS, COME FORTH AND SHOW US THE WAY!" Oracle said as Albus nodded, waving his hand and causing a bolt of lightning crackling with Psy and Almighty energy to appear in Oracle's hand. Skull blinked, then grinned as he spoke up.

"Ohh, I see where you're goin' with this, Oracle. I love it! WILLIAM! HIT ME!" Skull said as William nodded, firing from his cannon and causing a bolt of lightning crackling with immense amounts of Elec energy to appear in Skull's hand as Seraphim giggled and spoke up.

"Don't forget about us, now! SRAOSHA, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Seraphim said as Sraosha nodded, clapping his hands and causing a bolt of lightning crackling with Bless energy to appear in Seraphim's hand. At that point, Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"NOW, TO BRING THEM TOGETHER! PSYCHIC BOLT OF THE ALMIGHTY!" Oracle said as she extended the lightning bolt in her hand as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"SICK! AND HERE'S MY ELECTRIC LIGHTNING BOLT!" Skull said as he touched his lightning bolt to Oracle's in time for Seraphim to speak up with a giggle.

"HEE HEE, DON'T FORGET MY BLESSED HAMA BOLT!" Seraphim said as she touched her lightning bolt to Skull and Oracle's, making the three cross together as Oracle, Skull and Seraphim spoke up together.

"AND NOW TO END IT! HAVE A TASTE OF OUR BOLTS OF ARMAGEDDON!" Oracle, Skull, and Seraphim said together while aiming their crossed bolts at Asterius, causing a massive triad burst of mixed Psy, Elec, Almighty, and Bless energy to shoot out from the crossed lightning bolts, slamming straight into Asterius' torso, making him screech in agony as he was slowly electrocuted, eventually reeling backwards as an explosion rang out from where the bolts collided with Asterius, leaving him panting and struggling for breath as the Triad Special ended. Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Not bad, you three. But let me and Draconis take it from here, yeah? Ready, my brother?" Crow said, getting nods from Oracle, Skull, and Seraphim as Draconis spoke up with a nod of his own.

"I'm always ready, Crow! Let's do this!" Draconis said as Crow nodded before both spoke up.

"MALEFOR/HEREWARD! LET THE ENEMY HAVE THE FULL FORCE OF YOUR WRATH!" Crow and Draconis both said as Malefor and Hereward unleashed their strongest attacks, blasting into Asterius with a combined Laevateinn/Megidola attack that tore through Asterius, leaving a gaping hole in the bull's torso and making him screech in pain before hanging his head as he spoke up once more.

"Well done, Phantom Thieves. You have bested me, fair and square. I concede defeat. Go on and accept your rightful reward." Asterius said as he dissolved into black mist, leaving a flabbergasted echo of Labrys' Shadow to speak up in horror at that point after getting to her feet and approaching the group.

"Wh-WHAT!? YOU DEFEATED ASTERIUS!? NOOOOOOOO! IMPOSSIBLE!" The echo of Labrys' Shadow said before falling to her knees, and slumping forward to the ground where she landed facedown and dissolved into black mist, ending the battle. From the ensuing EXP gains, Joker, Violet, and Oracle reached level 74, while Panther, Noir, and Seeker reached level 69. To everyone's surprise, the level-ups gave Violet a new move in the form of the Severe-tier Physical skill 'Sword Dance', making her giggle as she spoke up coyly with a sly wink to Joker.

"Hee hee, looks like I gained a new skill! Seems like my training's paying off quite nicely. Wouldn't you agree, Joker?" Violet said as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"Nice one, beautiful. I remember you using that skill a lot back in the old days. Well done." Joker said as Seeker giggled and spoke up.

"Very nice, Mom. That's a very good skill you just got." Seeker said as Violet smiled at Joker and Seeker as Ella acquired 'Sword Dance'. After the battle, Joker blinked as he saw a trio of chests behind where the echoes of Asterius and Labrys' Shadow had been standing. After pondering it carefully, Joker opened the chests, finding as he did so that each one had a different weapon in it. The first chest had a 'Hinokagutsuchi' sword in it, the second had an 'Excalibur' weapon in it, and the third had a 'Halberd of Eve' weapon in it. Draconis took a glance at the three weapons and spoke up. *1*

"Hmm, at a glance? I think we may have just found weapon upgrades for Crow, Pendragon, and Seraphim. And this seems accurate to me, given the fact that two of them awakened to their Personas in this Jail, while the third had to confront his former Persona here and purify it. So I can maybe see why their weapons were being guarded by such a strong safeguard, considering that these appear to be Crow, Pendragon, and Seraphim's ultimate weapons." Draconis said sagely as Crow, Pendragon, and Seraphim tried out their new weapons, smiling when they saw that they were perfect fits.

After defeating the 'War-Hungry Horseman', or the Dire Shadow of the Osaka Jail, the ensuing EXP gains brought Joker, Oracle, and Violet to level 75, Fox to level 70, and brought Skull, Mona, Queen, Wolf, Crow, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn all to level 69, the level gains gave Oracle, Draconis, and Crow new moves in the form of the support/buff skill 'Concentrate', the Severe-tier Physical skill 'Gigantomachia', and the Heavy-tier Curse skill 'Maeigaon'. Oracle grinned as she spoke up.

"BAM! How do you like my new skill?" Oracle asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Not bad. That's a pretty good skill you just got, Oracle. Well done." Draconis said approvingly as Albus acquired 'Concentrate'. Draconis then kept speaking.

"Speaking of good skills, get a load of the power-up Malefor just got! Now he can wreak just as much destructive havoc as Kohryu! Fear the might of the dragons!" Draconis said as Pendragon smirked and spoke up.

"Indeed. Our dragons are slowly becoming unstoppable." Pendragon said as Draconis nodded his agreement while Malefor acquired 'Gigantomachia'. At that point, Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Well, well. It would seem that Hereward now has the full spectrum of his Curse power unlocked. Not bad. And I don't think you have 'Maeigaon' yet Joker, so it looks like I beat you again." Crow said with a smug grin as Joker spoke up with a nod.

"That's correct, Crow. Raoul hasn't quite hit that level of Curse power just yet, but I sense he's getting close to it. So well done on getting to that skill before me." Joker said as Crow nodded while Hereward acquired 'Maeigaon'. After defeating a powerful enemy known as the 'Monarch of Snow' (or 'King Frost'), Wolf, Panther, Noir, and Skull hit level 70, the level-ups giving Skull the Colossal-tier Physical skill 'Agneyastra', making Skull grin as he spoke up.

"Hell yeah! A new move! Check me out!" Skull said as Queen smiled fondly and spoke up.

"Not bad, sweetie. But maybe dial the ego back a tad, perhaps? You don't need to be showing off so much, even if it is adorable." Queen said as Skull blinked but nodded after blushing as Queen gently kissed him on the cheek, ignoring the amused giggles from Seeker, Oracle, Auburn, and Seraphim as William acquired 'Agneyastra'. While clearing out Shadows in the rest of the Sapporo Jail, Mona, Queen, Noir, Seeker, Crow, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn hit level 70 while Joker, Oracle, and Violet hit level 76.

The level-ups gave new moves to Seeker, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn in the form of the passive skill 'Angelic Grace?', the passive skill 'Null Bless', the passive skill 'Psy Amp', the Severe-tier Physical skill 'Myriad Slashes', the high-tier healing skill 'Salvation', and the passive skill 'Evade Bless'. Seeker spoke up at that point with a smile on her face.

"Oh!? Another new skill! Surely I have to be running out of new skills to learn by now?" Seeker asked as Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"Actually Seeker, I think that might really be your last skill. I just did a scan of Pithos, and I don't think it has anything else it can learn." Oracle said as Violet spoke up with a questioning look on her face.

"Wait a minute, is this really the last skill that Seeker is going to get? I'm only asking because I don't think Seeker has learned 'Makougaon' yet?" Violet asked as Oracle spoke up.

"Sorry Violet, but I think this is for real. 'Angelic Grace' seems to be Seeker's final skill." Oracle said as Violet sighed and spoke up.

"Still, I don't think this is right. How come I got 'Makougaon' but Seeker didn't?" Violet said as Seeker smiled and spoke up.

"It's okay, Mom. Even though I wasn't able to get the same skill that you acquired earlier, I was still able to become stronger since I started as a Phantom Thief. Don't worry, I'll still be able to help in any way I can." Seeker said as Violet smiled, which was followed by her embracing her daughter in a hug. As all the other Thieves watched on with smiles on their faces at this heartwarming scene, Mona spoke up.

"You know Lady Seeker, despite what Oracle said just now, I do sense a small amount of untapped potential within both you and Pithos." Mona said as Seeker spoke up as she let go of Violet.

"Really? Are you sure about that Mona?" Seeker asked as Mona nodded with a smile as he spoke up.

"Yes, I really do. This might just be my former cat instincts talking, but I have a feeling that there may be more to Pithos than meets the eye. It's almost as if there's still something left inside your weapon that hasn't been fully awakened yet. Even though you might be at your limit, trust me when I say that you still have the potential for greatness, Lady Seeker." Mona said as he gently hugged Seeker which then followed with him pressing his lips to her cheek, making Seeker quietly gasp as her face went bright red in a mix of embarrassment and another feeling that she couldn't quite identify as she felt Mona kiss her on the cheek. Violet shook her head and spoke up.

"Dang it, Mona! I understand that you wanted to help Seeker since you like her, but can you please try to show some restraint in your actions while she figures things out!" Violet said to a suitably-sheepish looking Mona, getting a nod from him as he spoke up.

"Eheh, good point. My apologies for such an unseemly display of ungentlemanly behavior around a lady, Violet." Mona said as Seeker spoke up.

"It felt nice, though. And I can't put my finger on why I feel this way, but having you hold me like this also feels right somehow." Seeker said honestly, making both Mona and Violet's jaws drop as Joker chuckled and spoke up.

"I have my theories as to why you feel that way, but only you can truly figure out the answer to this for yourself, Seeker. But we're all here for you every step of the way while you sort this out." Joker said as he gently pulled Seeker into a comforting hug while smiling kindly at her, making Seeker smile back as she spoke up.

"Thanks, Dad. That's reassuring to hear." Seeker said after stepping away from Joker following the brief hug she exchanged with him as Pithos acquired 'Angelic Grace?'. Next, Draconis spoke up.

"New moves on back-to-back levels, you say!? I didn't expect that. But I'll gladly take it since this skill will go a long way in covering up one of Malefor's weaknesses, since this will eliminate his weakness to Bless, I think. Looks like it's all comin' together rather nicely. As they say, it's 'all according to Keikaku'." Draconis said with a smirk as Oracle playfully booed him and spoke up.

"You got that meme from me, Draconis! I was the one who showed it to you a while ago, so have some originality!" Oracle said as Draconis slyly grinned and spoke up.

"Oh? You mean like this?" Draconis said as he walked over, wrapped an arm around Oracle, and pulled her into a kiss while gently scooping her up bridal-style for a moment as he kissed her before setting her back down and smirking at how red Oracle's face was as she spoke up.

"Y-Yes, that works rather nicely. Though I don't think we should do that too often, lest we give Joker and Pendragon either a stroke, a coronary, or even both." Oracle said as Pendragon spoke up with a nod.

"Yes, that would be appreciated. But I can let it slide this time since you goaded him into it, Oracle." Pendragon said, getting a nod of agreement from Joker as Malefor acquired 'Null Bless'. Pendragon then smirked smugly as he kept speaking.

"Heh, nice! It seems that Kohryu's Psy power has received a significant boost. Be wary if you find yourself on the wrong side of his wrath!" Pendragon said as Wolf spoke up.

"Indeed. Looks like we've both still got it, Pendragon." Wolf said approvingly as Pendragon nodded his agreement while Kohryu acquired 'Psy Amp'. Flare then giggled and spoke up.

"Ooh, looks like Hester's even deadlier now. Enemies, beware!" Flare said as Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Not bad, Flare. That's a pretty good brag." Oracle said as Panther giggled and spoke up.

"And a very sexy one, too. But then again, everything that Flare does is sexy. However, I'll refrain from being too naughty for Seeker's sake." Panther said, getting an approving nod from Violet as Hester acquired 'Myriad Slashes'. At that point, Seraphim smiled widely and spoke up.

"Oh my! Am I truly the first of us to attain the move 'Salvation'!? That's kinda surprising, if true. I half-expected Mona would get there first." Seraphim said as Mona spoke up.

"To be honest, based on my original run as a Phantom Thief, that skill is considered to be the final one for my Persona. While I believe I'm close to acquiring it as well, the fact that you also obtained 'Salvation' is quite impressive." Mona said as Auburn smiled and spoke up.

"I agree. That skill will come in handy in case we find ourselves in a dangerous situation. Plus, 'Salvation' is a term that angels can relate to, so it suits you perfectly, my angelic Seraphim." Auburn said as she gently hugged her girlfriend and sweetly kissed her on the cheek as Seraphim blushed and spoke up.

"AUBURN! Not in front of Seeker! Save it for the bedroom so that I can spank you for being naughty like you always do." Seraphim said as Violet's eyes widened as she spoke up.

"You spank her!?" Violet asked in surprise as Seeker spoke up without thinking.

"I thought spanking was a punishment, not something to be enjoyed?" Seeker said, cutely tilting her head to the side in confusion as Mona spoke up.

"Usually, it's a punishment. But there are some, like presumably Auburn and maybe Panther, who enjoy being punished by their lovers. So it's a personal preference thing, I'd say. But let's not keep talking about that sort of thing, yeah? Your mom looks ready to have a conniption fit, which will most likely involve her smacking both Auburn and Seraphim for being so crass in front of you, Lady Seeker." Mona said as Violet huffed and spoke up with a cute pout.

"Hmph! Excuse me for trying to be serious about being a good mother figure for Seeker." Violet said, blushing as she felt Joker hug her from behind as he spoke up.

"It's fine, Violet. Seeker and I appreciate what you do. So don't get so upset, beautiful." Joker said as Violet smiled, pulling Joker into a steamy kiss to show her gratitude to him, ignoring the amused looks on Pendragon, Draconis, Oracle, Mona, and Seeker's faces at the moment between the two as Sraosha acquired 'Salvation'. Finally, Auburn spoke up.

"Heh, it looks like Draconis isn't the only one to get a skill to address their Persona's weakness. And I'll definitely make use of this, especially since it complements the 'Evade Ice' skill that Houdini already has in his arsenal." Auburn said as Seraphim smiled and spoke up.

"Nice one, Auburn. We're all coming along nicely, I think." Seraphim said approvingly as Houdini acquired 'Evade Bless'. After managing to fight their way back to the entrance of the Sapporo Jail, Joker pulled everyone back to the real world...

(A short time later, back in the real world, inside the RV with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, Sojiro, Shiho, Zenkichi, Nanako, and Akane)

After the group reconvened in the RV after their return to the real world, Makoto spoke up.

"Well, we got a pretty good bit of grinding in. Now what?" Makoto asked as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Unless we're going to do more grinding, I think all that's left is to wait for Yu to make contact to inform us of his arrival in Osaka with his group." Zenkichi said as Sojiro spoke up with a nod.

"Makes sense to me. Heh, but maybe this is the part where the couples decide to spend some 'quality time' together with this bit of free time?" Sojiro joked as Morgana shook his head and spoke up.

"I doubt it, Sojiro. Sure, this is a good chunk of time to potentially make out and stuff for the couples, but I have a feeling they'd rather wait until there's enough time to really fool around before doing anything like that. Then again, we've all seen how much Sumire, Ann, and Nanako struggle to keep their hands off their respective significant others. And I'm fairly certain that Futaba and Makoto aren't much better off. Haru might have some restraint when it comes to jumping Goro, but that's not saying much if you want my opinion.

And of course, I'm a gentleman, so I wouldn't try anything with Lady Sophia unless we were in the Metaverse and she asked me to do so. I respect her far too much to do anything less than that. As for Yusuke, Zenkichi, and Sojiro, they're either single or their significant other is away for the summer, with the latter reason applying solely to Yusuke's case. Therefore, all three of them don't have anyone to do stuff with. I mean sure, Zenkichi and Sojiro could pair off together, but I don't think those two swing that way." Morgana said teasingly as Kusa winced at the many glares aimed at Morgana by Ren, Sumire, Futaba, Sojiro, Zenkichi, Akane, and even Goro, as an irate Zenkichi spoke up while frowning at Morgana.

"Did you seriously just try to suggest that Sojiro and I become a couple, Morgana!? With all apologies to Sojiro, I don't swing that way. Not to mention the fact that I have my eye on someone else! Also, if we wanted you to poke fun at us, we'd ask you! So shut your ignorant mouth, you stupid womanizing bus!" Zenkichi said as Sojiro nodded approvingly to Zenkichi's rebuke of Morgana before he spoke up.

"I agree. Besides, I like women. Granted, the only woman I ever seriously cared for is dead and gone, so I doubt I'll find anyone else for me, and if so, that's fine." Sojiro said sagely as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was set on a stand on the table between Kusa and Futaba, who happened to be sitting across from each other since Ren, Goro, and Kusa had one side of the booth seats with Sumire, Haru, and Futaba respectively sitting across from them.

As for the others, Sojiro and Zenkichi were sitting in the driver's seat and shotgun seat respectively while Yusuke was leaned on the ladder leading up to the bunk above the driver's seat that Futaba usually occupied, which was instead shared by Nanako and Akane, who had decided to sit up there together while Ann, Makoto, and Shiho sat together on the bottom bunk with Ryuji and Morgana leaning on the wall across from them behind Goro and Kusa. The 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a frowning Sophia speaking up.

"Pay Morgana no mind, you two. I think he was just trying to tease you for the sake of filling the usual 'lighthearted banter' that often happens in free periods like this. But that's just a guess on my part." Sophia said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"That sounds pretty accurate to me. Then again, Morgana IS your potential boyfriend, so I can see you being invested in trying to figure out his eccentricities and mannerisms, all so that you can know what makes him tick, so to speak." Sumire said with a sly giggle as both Morgana and Sophia blushed and spoke up in unison.

"MOOOOM!/SUMIRE! DON'T TEASE US!" Sophia and Morgana both said at the same time, making Ren and Kusa smirk as the latter spoke up.

"Heh, look at that Ren. Sophia's already speaking up in unison with Morgana. Aren't those two just the most adorable thing ever?" Kusa asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. Sure, Sophia could probably do better than a former cat for her boyfriend, but if he makes her happy, then I'll just have to be supportive of her choices. Besides, is it Morgana's fault that you taught him so well, Kusa?" Ren said slyly as Kusa went to open his mouth to reply, only to frown at Ren mid-sentence as he spoke up.

"Eh, Morgana's a smart man so he knows what he wants. And you have a point since he can't help that he was a-HEY! Was that a shot at me, Ren!? I'll have you know that I did my best to instill a healthy respect for women in Morgana during the time I was teaching him the basics of how to impress them. In addition, Sojiro also assisted me with Morgana as well, so you're also taking a shot at him too if you're trying to criticize how Morgana was taught when it comes to impressing women. And I know you know that we respect two things in this group. One of them is women, and the other is Coffee Daddy, or rather Sojiro." Kusa said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"I still find it hard to believe that you all still call me that after all these years. Sure, you dialed it back a lot after I joined the group and got my code name, but you still do it from time to time. And to be fair, Kusa? You did most of the teaching. I just gave a pointer or two every so often. So if Ren is calling Morgana's training into question, he's disrespecting you for the most part." Sojiro said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Ooh, poor Kusa got denied by Sojiro." Goro said as Kusa spoke up with a frown.

"Shut up, Goro! I, for one, believe that Sojiro has raised a fair point." Kusa said before turning to Ren as he kept speaking.

"And Ren? I get that you and Sumire are probably teasing, but can you not use it to take a shot at me?" Kusa said as Ren nodded. Before he could verbally reply to Kusa, Nanako's phone started ringing, and she pulled it out of her pocket to check the caller ID, before blinking as she saw it said 'Big Bro Yu' on the screen. Nanako then answered it, making the group fall silent to listen as she spoke into the phone.

"Hello? Nanako Dojima's phone, Nanako speaking." Nanako said as she smiled at the familiar voice on the other end speaking up.

"Hey Nanako, it's Yu. It took us a bit to get here, but we're in Osaka now. However, it occurs to me that you didn't mention how big the area was in terms of where your group parked the RV. So maybe you can bring your group out to try and find us?" Yu said as Nanako spoke up, catching the group's attention.

"You're here!? Let me go outside and see if I can see you guys at all." Nanako said as Akane moved over, along with Yusuke moving away from the ladder, so that Nanako could climb down, open the door of the RV, and step outside to look around before gasping as she faintly saw a familiar looking group in the distance and spoke into the phone.

"Turn around, and look a bit to your right, Big Bro!" Nanako said as she started waving to try and draw the Investigation Team's attention, at which point Rise noticed her and led the Investigation Team to the RV, at which point Yu and Nanako ended the phone call, just in time for Nanako to dart forward and tackle-hug an amused yet surprised Yu, all while the rest of the group filed out of the RV one by one to see why Nanako had darted out of the RV.

Once the rest of the Phantom Thieves got outside, they understood right away why Nanako had run off in such a hurry. While they were looking for Nanako, she was busy darting around hugging each of the other members of the Investigation Team in turn, starting with Chie, Yukiko, and Naoto, who she'd not seen in the longest time compared to the rest of the Investigation Team. As she hugged each of them, Naoto spoke up.

"It's been quite a while since we last saw you in person, hasn't it, Nanako-chan? And look how much you've grown! You're practically on your way to being a woman. Hard to believe you're already basically the same age that myself and Kanji were when we joined the Investigation Team." Naoto said as Chie giggled and spoke up.

"You left out the fact that Rise wasn't much older than Nanako-chan is now when she joined up as our navigator. That said, look how mature and pretty you've become, Nanako-chan!" Chie said as Nanako blushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"I'm not that pretty, Chie-san. Besides, last I checked, you were quite happy with Yu's friend Kou, from the basketball team. Granted, I'm probably not the first woman you've taken notice of, given how close you and Yukiko-san are said to be." Nanako said as Yukiko blushed and spoke up.

"Those rumors are greatly exaggerated, Nanako-chan. Besides, you have no room to talk, considering you went and got yourself a girlfriend. So you can hardly judge myself and Chie if we happen to swing both ways." Yukiko rebuked Nanako, who blushed at the mention of her relationship with Akane and spoke up.

"No, I suppose I can't judge you two. But in my defense, I wasn't expecting to realize I liked women, much less find a girlfriend when I got left alone in that hotel room by Big Bro and Big Sis a couple of weeks ago. But here we are now, reunited, with me as a fully-fledged Phantom Thief who also has her own girlfriend. Besides, I got the better end of that deal, I think. Not only did I get to meet Suzui-san, the Amamiya brothers, as well as the rest of the Thieves, but I even got to show off my new swimsuit on the beach and turn a few heads. The fact that I managed to meet a woman and then fall in love with her was just an added, if very unplanned, bonus." Nanako said as Kanji smirked and spoke up.

"Fair. But you know, sometimes that's how the best things in life happen. After all, me and Naoto falling in love was very much unplanned, but neither of us would change a minute of it for the world." Kanji said sagely as Teddie spoke up.

"True, you and Naoto were a bear-y surprising romance within the Investigation Team, Kanji. But I still maintain that myself and Emmy-chan are the true power couple of the group." Teddie said confidently as Yosuke and Rise both spoke up while the rest of the Investigation Team booed Teddie's pun.

"AS IF!" Yosuke and Rise both said at the same time as the former kept speaking.

"Besides, if anyone's the true power couple of our group, it'd be Yu and Rise, since they were the first of our group to get married. So quit lying, Teddie!" Yosuke said as Rise spoke up with a giggle.

"Yosuke-kun's not wrong. And do you really have the right to claim that you and Marie are a power couple, considering that my husband felt sorry for you and decided to set you up with her? Because, from what I hear, she's the one who truly wears the pants in your relationship. Besides, Nanako is almost an adult and can make her own choices. So you can quit trying to act like your girlfriend is better than hers, Teddie. Also, I'd bet a lot of money that Nanako could do a better job at picking up chicks than you could, and she's a woman. So I think you can sit down and shut up now." Rise said as Teddie pouted and spoke up.

"How rude, Rise! Besides, you have no room to talk about being mean to Nana-chan when you and Sensei ditched her to shoot those nude scenes." Teddie said as both Yu and Rise's eyes got comically wide at what Teddie had let slip. Nanako frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, nude scenes? You mean like in a porno film, Teddie? I am aware that Big Sis is a famous idol, so I'm not that surprised that her manager is probably trying to get her involved in the more adult side of the entertainment industry. As for Big Bro, I can imagine that Big Sis personally chose him to be in the scene since he's her husband. And if what I overheard after they kicked me out of the hotel room that was booked for Big Bro and Big Sis' honeymoon was any indication, I would say that Big Bro brings a lot of happiness to Big Sis. Not that I blame her, since I could have told her that Big Bro is quite a catch." Nanako said as Yu smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? That would explain why you asked me to marry you a couple of weeks before I returned home from Inaba eight years ago. I understand that you're attached to me Nanako, but we are still cousins. Thus, there would have been a few reasons for me to regretfully turn you down if you had seriously asked me that, not least of which being the age gap between us." Yu said teasingly as Nanako blushed and spoke up, not seeing Yu and Rise glaring at Teddie for mentioning the reason they had to leave Nanako alone in the hotel room when they did.

"BIG BRO! I was only seven at the time! Also, I didn't realize then that it was a bad thing for relatives to like each other as more than friends. Clearly, I don't feel that way nowadays. Which is just as well, given how happy you and Big Sis are. I'd never want to get in the way of that." Nanako said as Rise nodded approvingly and hugged Nanako while speaking up.

"And that's why you're one of the few people who can get away with calling me 'Big Sis', Nanako-chan. That, and I know how protective my husband is of you. So I can imagine him seeing you as a little sister in a way." Rise said as the rest of the Investigation Team laughed, while Nanako blushed in embarrassment, unaware that the rest of the Phantom Thieves had caught up to her at that point.

Once the Phantom Thieves met up with the Investigation Team, Ren spoke up after he and Kusa shook hands with Yu.

"Yu, it's great to see you again." Ren said as Yu spoke up.

"Likewise, Ren. Once again, congrats on taking down Konoe. Serves him right for trying to manipulate us earlier." Yu said as Kusa spoke up.

"To be honest, Konoe was misunderstood when it comes to the basic concepts such as 'justice' and 'heroes'. But after a long struggle, we were able to help him see the light of things." Kusa said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Well, the fact that Konoe was able to admit his wrongdoings earlier shows that he still has some sense of humanity. Even though I didn't see the broadcast with you guys regarding his calling card, my friends and I were able to witness his change of heart during his conference yesterday on TV. And based on the way he was acting as he was confessing his crimes, I think this solidifies that you guys are the real deal when it comes to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." Yu said, and just as Nanako was finished reuniting with the rest of the Investigation Team, they along with Yu took note of the only new girl among Ren's group that they did not seem to recognize. But after seeing Nanako standing close to her upon returning to Ren's group, all of them were able to quickly piece together the identity of this girl as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Well, well, assuming that I'm speaking to the right person since you're standing so close to Nanako, and also because you're the only person that my group and I do not recognize, you must be Zenkichi's daughter and Nanako's new girlfriend. That is, assuming I'm speaking to Akane Hasegawa, right?" Yu asked as Akane blushed but nodded as she spoke up.

"That's me. It's a pleasure to finally meet the people that Nanako spoke highly of face-to-face. Especially since I wasn't part of the Phantom Thieves when they met you guys, as they were trying to save me from 'myself' when they crossed paths with all of you the first time." Akane said as Teddie spoke up dismissively while looking her over, not seeing Nanako's eyes widen next to Akane at what he said next, nor Zenkichi's eyes narrowing at how dismissively he spoke of Akane.

"So, you're the girl who managed to steal Nana-chan's heart, then? I mean, I can see why she'd fall for you, but I still think my girlfriend's better than you." Teddie said as Zenkichi frowned at Teddie and spoke up.

"Are you really trying to bash my daughter in front of me, Teddie? Do I need to have Goro help me practice those detainment techniques on you that I showed Amamiya the middle and Sakamoto once?" Zenkichi said in a threatening way, making Goro and Kusa smirk as they knew he'd make good on that threat, as well as making Ren and Ryuji shudder in remembrance of the techniques in question as Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"Ah yes, you did do that to them, didn't you? Granted, I seem to recall that Sumire was a bit upset with you for a while after that, but she got over it eventually. The fact that you might have given Ann and Shiho a few ideas for new kinks is just a coincidence, I'm sure." Futaba said with a smirk as Shiho blushed and spoke up.

"FUTABA! DON'T TEASE US!" Shiho rebuked Futaba as Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Give her a break, Shiho. After all, I seem to recall that she used to check us out quite frequently, so she's probably just curious as to why we enjoy our fun time so much." Ann said with a giggle as Chie smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, so you two are the kinky types, eh Takamaki-san and Suzui-san? Interesting." Chie said with a smirk before Yukiko giggled and spoke up.

"I can see it. They seem happy enough with each other to have probably gone all the way at least once while they were in the same bed." Yukiko said slyly, making both Ann and Shiho blush while a nearly-inaudible chuckle from in-between Yu and Yosuke drew the Thieves' attention to a dark-haired woman with a black business suit that she paired with a matching-colored black skirt, though she wore the top of the suit open over a form-fitting white tank top that did a nice job of hugging her distinctive curves and pronounced figure.

The dark-haired woman had paired the ensemble with a pair of professional-looking glasses and black stiletto heels, the latter having been picked out for her by a rather insistent Rise. The dark-haired woman then spoke up.

"I didn't think you were the expert on girl/girl relations, Yukiko?" The dark-haired woman said teasingly to Yukiko before frowning at Teddie as she kept speaking.

"Also, give Nanako a break, Teddie! Don't think that I didn't take notice of that comment you made earlier, as I don't think you have the right to compare me to Nanako's new girlfriend." The dark-haired woman said just as Nanako gasped in surprise on hearing the familiar voice of someone whom she'd not seen in a while before she spoke up as the Thieves noted that Nanako seemed to recognize this person.

"No way, MARIE-CHAN?!" Nanako said excitedly as she ran to hug the newcomer that was with Yu's group as the woman named 'Marie' chuckled and spoke up while gently returning Nanako's hug, smirking at the slightly jealous look on Teddie's face as he watched his girlfriend hug Nanako.

"It's good to see you again, Nanako. It's been a long while." Marie said as Nanako giggled as the Phantom Thieves watched in awe and curiosity as Ren spoke up.

"Hmm. I take it she's the 17th member that you alluded to before, Yu?" Ren asked as Yu nodded and spoke up just as Nanako finished hugging Marie and returned to where she was previously standing.

"Correct. Phantom Thieves, excluding Nanako? Meet Marie, or Mariko Kusumi, which was her alias when she went on TV during her time as a weather forecaster a few years ago. She was eventually fired for being too flashy with her reports, but she was a well-known personality on TV for a time. However, that's only one side of her. In truth, she's also a minor goddess of the land who goes by the name of Izanami-no-Mikoto. But she usually just goes by the name 'Marie' when hanging with us." Yu said as every one of the Phantom Thieves other than Nanako, who was too busy hugging Marie, gasped in shock as their jaws collectively dropped. After finding their voices, Ren and Kusa were the first two to speak up.

"WHAAAAAAAT!?" Ren and Kusa said in shock as Ren kept speaking.

"You mean to tell me that Marie, or whatever she likes to call herself..." Ren said as Kusa kept speaking to finish his thought.

"...is not only a former weather girl, but a freaking GODDESS!? Wouldn't that make her a bit too over-powered to use in a fight?" Kusa asked while finishing Ren's line of thinking as Marie giggled and spoke up in amusement of Ren and Kusa's reactions.

"Not really. Once I became complete, my power was reduced quite a bit as a trade-off for being able to summon a Persona. But I can see how you'd think that." Marie said as Makoto spoke up.

"Well, at least that gives us somewhat of a fighting chance when it comes to the rematch. But more importantly, out of all the things for the last part of your name to be, you almost have the same name as me, with the only difference being that your name has an 'i' while mine has an 'a'. I'm not sure if I should be amused, honored, or shocked if not all of the above." Makoto said as Marie smiled and spoke up.

"Hmm, Makoto, was it? I think you can take it how you will, though I'd think you'd be honored to share part of a name with a goddess." Marie said as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"True, she should be honored. But I think Mako-chan might be more embarrassed than anything." Haru said as Yusuke smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, even now, my artistic inspiration is welling up! Imagine it- Makoto, dressed as a goddess, ruling the world with an iron fist of justice, with Ryuji as her enforcer. Just thinking about it fills me with intrigue and potential inspiration." Yusuke said as Ryuji frowned at this and spoke up.

"Dude, you better ask before you consider painting my girlfriend, Yusuke! Especially after what you tried to do to Ann when we first met you!" Ryuji pointed out as Yosuke spoke up.

"Wait, so what did he try to do to Takamaki-san?" Yosuke asked as Ann shuddered in memory of when Yusuke wanted to paint her nude. As she was comforted by Shiho, Naoto sighed as she faced Yosuke and spoke up.

"Yosuke-senpai, I don't think you should have asked that, considering the look on Takamaki-san's face right now. And I strongly suggest that you refrain from pursuing that subject any further." Naoto said as Goro spoke up.

"You know, I was about to say the exact same thing to Hanamura-san. But I applaud you for beating me to the punch, Naoto-san." Goro said and as Yosuke apologized for his sudden curiosity, Kanji spoke up.

"Well, regardless of what happened in the past, it sounds like Yusuke's just trying to find his niche in the world. Can't say I blame him, honestly." Kanji said as Yusuke smiled at Kanji before Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"You have a point, Kanji. It's not our fault that Yusuke is trying to find his next big masterpiece. That being said, there's something that strikes me as odd." Morgana said as Teddie smirked and spoke up.

"Is it the fact that you have a crush on a little girl, and think you have a chance with her when you don't?" Teddie said teasingly, flailing around on his back a moment later after finding himself on the ground after both Marie and Yosuke shoved him backwards onto his back, making Goro, Nanako, and Ryuji all laugh at the sight of the turtled Teddie pitifully flailing around on the ground as Rise giggled and spoke up.

"That seems about right, you two. Though maybe don't go around bullying Teddie around Nanako? I don't think she minds, but I feel like Yu might prefer it if you two can at least try to not be a bad influence on his cousin." Rise said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Your friends? A bad influence on Nanako? I feel like, with all apologies to Nanako in particular, you all seem to be a little late for worrying about that. After all, the way Nanako told it, both Teddie and Chie have already done a pretty thorough job of influencing her, so I feel like Yu is a little late to be worrying about that now." Kusa pointed out sagely, getting a nod from Yu as he spoke up.

"That's fair. And Rise, I don't mind if these guys turtle Teddie around Nanako. If he's going to act foolishly, he needs to realize that there are consequences to his actions. Besides, it wouldn't be any worse than Dojima-san's reaction if he knew about all the times Teddie shamelessly flirted with Nanako over the years." Yu pointed out sagely, getting understanding nods from Ren, Sojiro, and Kusa while Yosuke and Marie high-fived each other, all while Morgana spoke up.

"While I appreciate some of you backing me up regarding Teddie's comment towards me, what I said earlier has nothing to do with a certain AI! Rather, it has something to do with Teddie's girlfriend. That being said, why do I smell what appears to be a faint lingering trace of the Velvet Room on you, Marie?" Morgana asked, making every one of the Phantom Thieves who'd been brought to the Velvet Room four years ago after almost being wiped from existence by a certain god of control, as well as Goro, Sumire, and Kusa, who'd had a chance to meet one of the attendants of the Velvet Room later on, blink at Morgana's mention of Marie smelling like the Velvet Room. Yu then spoke up.

"Oh, right. I knew I forgot something. Marie also used to be a former Velvet Room attendant as well for a time." Yu said as Morgana spoke up in shock.

"Really? She was similar to Lady Lavenza?" Morgana asked as Marie spoke up with a confused expression.

"Lavenza? Who's that? When I was part of the Velvet Room, the only ones I remember being there were 'The Nose' and some stick-in-the-mud called Margaret." Marie said as Yu spoke up.

"If I had to guess, this Lavenza that Morgana just spoke of is probably one of Margaret's sisters, since I recall her saying something about having a lot of siblings, most of whom were sisters, and one of them was a brother. So that's probably who Lavenza is." Yu said as Marie nodded and spoke up.

"I see. That makes a lot of sense. And no, I'm not like her. For one, I was only ever a trainee attendant. I never became a full-fledged attendant, due to leaving the Velvet Room before my training was complete. But I think my decision to leave was probably for the best, since I didn't think I was cut out for that line of work anyway." Marie said as Teddie smirked and spoke up.

"True. Your calling in life seems to be that of a sexy ex-weather girl who loves writing poetry on the side. And you're pretty good at it too, even if you have an em-bear-assing habit of having it turn up in odd places." Teddie pointed out, making Marie blush in embarrassment as she spoke up.

"Shut up, Teddie! And I already told you that most of that was Margaret's fault! After all, she went around hiding my poems until I finally left the Velvet Room when my memories came back to me. However, from what I heard around four years ago, she did get caught doing so by some new attendants who were a pair of blonde twin girls. Not sure why 'The Nose' wanted such young attendants as those two, but I suppose that's his business if he wants little girls to be Velvet Room attendants." Marie said as Ren and Morgana winced, realizing Marie meant Caroline and Justine, who were two halves of a fractured Lavenza that Yaldabaoth, the God of Control, had separated and turned into the image of a pair of young twin girls who he had tasked with overseeing Ren's 'rehabilitation' into a fine thief during the year Ren spent in Yongen-Jaya for probation, with only Kusa for company at first. After shaking himself to not get lost in a long series of memories, Ren spoke up.

"I think I know who you're referring to when you mentioned blonde girls, Marie. But they're no longer a pair of twins, so much as one singular being. But that's a long story that we can get into later on. Suffice it to say, I think we can believe them if they were able to catch this 'Margaret' that you mentioned messing with your notes. Besides, I fail to see how liking poetry is something to be embarrassed about. Nothing wrong with a hobby." Ren said as Marie smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Thank you. Ren, was it? You do make a good point. I shouldn't be so touchy about my hobbies." Marie said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, right. I don't think I properly introduced myself, let alone my team to you yet, did I? Sorry about that. As you already know, my name is Ren Amamiya. The smiling redhead on my left is my girlfriend, Sumire Yoshizawa. To my right, the short-haired guy with the orange-haired girl that is hanging off his arm over there is my younger brother Kusa Amamiya, and his girlfriend Futaba Sakura. To my left, the pensive-looking man in the ponytail and the fashionable ball of floof on his arm is my technical older brother Goro Amamiya, and his girlfriend Haru Okumura. Behind Goro and Kusa, the two younger brunette girls who seem to be attached to each other at the hip are Akane Hasegawa, and her girlfriend Nanako Dojima.

Granted, I'm pretty sure you already know Nanako, given that she's Yu's cousin, despite the former calling the latter her 'Big Bro'. Over to Kusa's right, the blonde-haired girl with the pigtails along with the black-haired girl with the ponytail standing close to each other are Ann Takamaki, and her girlfriend Shiho Suzui. To Goro and Haru's left, the smirking spiky-haired blonde and the short-haired brunette are Ryuji Sakamoto and Makoto Niijima, who are also dating. Outside of the couples in our group, the blue-haired young man on Ryuji's right is Yusuke Kitagawa, our resident artist and eccentric. The two gentlemen next to Nanako and Akane are Sojiro Sakura and Zenkichi Hasegawa, the fathers of Futaba and Akane, respectively.

Last but not least, the smirking blue-haired guy over there who appears to be engaged in a glaring contest with Teddie is the group's unofficial mascot Morgana, who I might want to point out is also somewhat of a ladies' man despite having no luck with them whatsoever. And if Sumire would be so kind as to turn her phone screen towards you so the final member of our group can introduce herself, you can say hi to our group's resident AI, and the girl whom Sumire and I have more or less taken under our wing as a daughter of sorts-" Ren said before being cut off mid-sentence by a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which she'd turned towards Marie at Ren's request, that preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"Hello, Marie-san. I am Sophia, humanity's companion." Sophia said as Marie blinked at Sophia and then spoke up in surprise.

"Whoa! You're an AI? Not gonna lie, for something that is supposed to help people out, you're awfully cute." Marie said as Sophia shyly smiled and spoke up.

"Aww, thank you. Wait, that was a compliment, right?" Sophia asked as Teddie smirked and spoke up.

"Of course it was. Not that you deserve a compliment. Morgana might be desperate enough to settle for a pathetic waif of a little girl like you, but unlike him, I have skills with the ladies. And as a result, I was able to score with a very sexy woman, hence me dating Emmy-chan here." Teddie said as he smugly wrapped an arm around Marie's waist, making her blush but frown at him as she spoke up.

"First of all, be nice, Teddie! Secondly, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Emmy-chan!? I'm still not sure how you were able to get that nickname, as both Marie and Emmy are two different names!? Also, don't insult Sophia! It's not her fault she got stuck in the body of a little girl. In addition, I wouldn't say that you necessarily have been scoring with me, so much as we've cuddled and kissed a few times. I don't give myself up to just anyone, after all. Besides, if I recall correctly, you didn't ask me out, but rather it was Yu being the one who set you up with me. Whereas Morgana, if we believe what Ren said about him, was able to ask multiple women out, even if they friend-zoned him for the most part. So don't be so quick to say that you're better than him." Marie said as Morgana smirked at the flabbergasted look on Teddie's face and spoke up.

"WHAAAAAT!? Come on! Are you really gonna leave me hanging like that, Marie?" Teddie said as Marie ignored him, leaving Morgana and Kusa to look at each other before both had to keep from laughing at the devastated look on Teddie's face. At that point, Yu spoke up.

"Yes, well, all potential dynamics aside, we didn't just bring Marie here for a social call. As you might recall from earlier, I challenged your group to a rematch. However, there are still a few others in our group you've yet to meet. This is because they belong to a separate group, and that group's leader is off securing a hotel for them. From what she told me and Rise when we spoke to her recently, she's also securing a meeting room for our groups to use when meeting one another." Yu said as Goro spoke up.

"I may have asked this before a few days ago, but are you referring to Mitsuru Kirijo and her group by any chance?" Goro asked as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. She will be one of the people whom you'll be meeting, alongside her group of Persona users. So we all have to travel together to Kyoto since the hotel houses the meeting room that Mitsuru reserved for all of us. Oh, and in case any of you are wondering, this is the same hot springs hotel that you guys stayed at earlier when Konoe framed you all." Yu said, not seeing the collective wince that passed over the faces of every single male Phantom Thief present, excluding Zenkichi, who had been elsewhere at the time, at the reference to the hotel where most of the male Phantom Thieves had only barely avoided a rather messy beatdown from the females when Ryuji had gotten caught trying to escape after the males had realized that they'd entered the hot springs right as the time allotment switched from guys' time to girls' time. Kusa then spoke up.

"Fair enough. Aside from Mitsuru, I think I have a vague idea of who these other Persona users are, but I'll withhold any theories and/or guesses for now until we get to the hotel in Kyoto. But if I'm right about my theory, how ironic that I might have already met some of that group without even realizing it?" Kusa mused as Ren gave him a confused look and spoke up.

"Wait a minute, are you referring to those two guys and that dog that you met before while the majority of us were in Fukuoka?" Ren said as Chie spoke up.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you met Master Akihiko along with Ken-kun and Koromaru. You never really told us how you ended up encountering them when we were all talking in the Kyoto Jail." Chie said as Kusa spoke up with a smile.

"It's a long story, Chie. Suffice it to say, during my birthday last week, I ended up going out for a walk and I had a sudden encounter with Sanada-san, Amada-san, and his dog Koromaru, which was rather interesting. Of course, that might partly be because Koromaru's such a good dog and is also very adorable. However, if my assumption about those three is correct, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with Sanada-san being a part of Yu's group. And this is because I'm not sure how Sumire will feel about Sophia being exposed to a guy whose only clothing from the waist up includes a pair of red fingerless gloves, a hooded cape, and nothing else to cover up his very scarred, but very ripped chest and physique. I suppose Sumire can always just turn off her phone so that Sophia doesn't have to look at a basically shirtless and very ripped man with battle scars." Kusa said sagely as Sumire spoke up.

"I would've gone forward with your idea, Kusa. However, if this guy is a member of this other group of Persona users, Sophia would end up seeing what he looks like by the time we go into the Jail for the rematch, anyway. The only possible option for her in that case is to try to avoid looking at him for too long." Sumire said as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"Good point, Sumire. I completely forgot about that. But then again, all of this is merely assuming that Sanada-san is part of Yu's group along with Amada-san, and possibly Koromaru. Although, in regards to Koromaru, I may find it hard to believe that a normal dog can actually wield a Persona." Kusa said as Yu spoke up.

"Unfortunately, aside from Mitsuru-san, I can't disclose all the members of her group until we meet them face-to-face. Sorry Kusa, but you're going to have to wait until we get to Kyoto to see for yourself." Yu said as Kusa nodded in understanding as Sojiro spoke up.

"Anyways, as interesting as this is, I think there's a very relevant question that needs asking. Specifically, did you guys bring your own transportation to get here, or did you have to hitch rides?" Sojiro said, aiming the back half of his words at Yu's group. In response to Sojiro's words, Yu nodded by way of a response while Naoto smirked and spoke up.

"We drove. One perk of having Mitsuru-san as an ally is that it's relatively simple to source a rental car for our use to get us over here. Mind you, I say 'car', but it's probably more accurate to say 'tour bus', given how many of us there are." Naoto said as Ryuji spoke up while in shock.

"For real! Dang, you guys are driving around in style." Ryuji said as Rise giggled and spoke up.

"We can say the same about all of you as well. After all, you guys are using an RV in which the interior is styled like one of those classic diners that one would see in America." Rise said and Goro smirked and spoke up.

"True. But we also have cars that we drove in as well, but they're parked over behind the RV to save space. But with that being said, I suppose now is a good time for us to figure out who rides with whom for the trip back to Kyoto?" Goro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. I think for this trip, we should let Makoto take the wheel of the RV again since it has been a while, and Ryuji can sit up front with her while myself, Sumire, Ann, Shiho, Yusuke, Morgana, and Sophia can join them as well. In the Ferrari, we can have Kusa drive with Futaba riding up front, and Akane and Nanako sharing the backseat. Finally, Zenkichi can drive his own car and have Sojiro, Goro, and Haru ride with him, while the Investigation Team rides in their tour bus. Any objections?" Ren said as no one voiced an objection. Eventually, Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Wow, you really do take charge with your group, don't you Amamiya the middle? Impressive." Yosuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's because we agreed to have him be the leader of our group, although there were instances where I took charge sometimes. Also, he may not look like it, but Ren is actually a very competent leader. So don't be so quick to underestimate him Hanamura-san, as that could lead to your downfall at some point." Kusa said sagely as Ren nodded in agreement before Nanako smirked and spoke up.

"Must be a wild-card thing, then. Back when he had the power of the wild-card, Big Bro had his team gravitated towards him a lot too, or at least that's what Teddie told me once. Mind you, I'm not sure if I trust EVERYTHING he says, since he did once tell me a story about a time when he beat Big Bro, Yosuke, and Kanji in a cross-dressing pageant around nine years ago. Although, to be fair? Back then, I didn't even know that those types of pageants were a thing?" Nanako said as a red-faced Yosuke spoke up through gritted teeth.

"Oh, really? Teddie told you about that, did he? Did he also mention how badly the girls beat him up for it afterwards, along with beating me up? Because that was also a part of the story, Nanako-chan." Yosuke said as Nanako thought about it and spoke up.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, Yosuke? No, he didn't. But I can see him leaving some parts out to make himself look better, I suppose." Nanako said as Akane smirked and spoke up.

"I can see Teddie managing to look good in a dress. I bet he makes for a very convincing girl, unfortunately for Marie-san." Akane said as Kanji frowned and spoke up.

"Can we please refrain from mentioning that cross-dressing pageant? Sure, that day was good for Teddie, mostly because of the fact that he was the one who came out the winner of that damned pageant, but regardless, that was a very awkward time for myself and my fellow senpais?" Kanji said as Marie smirked and spoke up.

"Actually Kanji, I find it quite amusing when Teddie dresses up as a girl. It makes it even funnier when I have him waiting on me most of the time. He might be a braggy little simp, but he's also a very subservient maid as well." Marie said with a smirk as Yu, Yosuke, Morgana, and Kanji all looked at each other before all four burst into laughter at the mental image of Teddie wearing a maid outfit dressed as a woman. Yukiko giggled as she spoke up.

"I seem to recall that he occasionally moonlights as a maid at the Amagi Inn from time to time. And he does a pretty good job of it, too. Furthermore, I also seem to recall a couple of years ago when Nanako-chan managed to make Teddie her slave for a week after winning a bet with him. Poor Yu-kun had to live with the results, but I think he deemed it worth it just for the wide smile on Nanako-chan's face for that whole week. Yu-kun might not look it, but he absolutely dotes on Nanako-chan. After all, there's a reason he was once called the 'Sister-Complex Kingpin of Steel'." Yukiko said as both Yu and Yosuke groaned before the former spoke up with narrowed eyes. *2*

"Really? You're going to bring up those humiliating nicknames from eight years ago, Yukiko? I wouldn't think you'd want to do that, since I recall yours wasn't much better. I think you were something like 'The Unconquerable Snow Black' if I recall right? I don't honestly remember a lot of them, since it's been a while." Yu said as Yosuke sighed and spoke up.

"Good, so I'm not the only one who tried to put that out of their mind, then." Yosuke said as Teddie smirked and spoke up.

"Of course you tried to forget about that. You got stuck with the name 'Captain Ressentiment' if I recall correctly." Teddie said as Yosuke glared at him and spoke up.

"Shut up! At least I wasn't called 'The Beast in Heat', Teddie!" Yosuke said as Marie giggled and spoke up.

"Was that really Teddie's nickname? That's hilarious, if true. I'm not 100% certain of this, but I believe I read online once that only female animals go into heat? If that's true, then even whoever was in charge of those nicknames must've thought Teddie was a woman instead of a man." Marie said as Yu, Yosuke, Kanji, Kusa, and even Morgana all burst out laughing at the horrified look on Teddie's face before Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Aww, don't be horrified, Teddie. I think you're a cute girl. Granted, you're not as cute as Akane or Sophia, but you'll pass muster at least." Nanako said honestly, making Akane and Sophia smile at her while Morgana laughed even harder at the fish impression Teddie was presently doing from Nanako saying he wasn't cuter than an AI. A 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a confused Sophia speaking up.

"Umm, why would Teddie want to be a cute girl? Isn't Teddie a man?" Sophia asked as Ren and Ryuji winced before Morgana spoke up.

"That's a long story, Lady Sophia. Suffice it to say, some people don't identify as the gender they were born as. But we can explain that more to you later. Also, I think Ryuji has a good idea of what we're alluding to, given the horrified look on his face right now." Morgana said as Ryuji pouted and spoke up.

"SHUDDUP! And excuse me for not wanting to think about that incident in Shinjuku a few years ago, Morgana. That shit legitimately traumatized me!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up with an understanding smile on his face while he spoke.

"To be fair to you, that's an understandable reaction. I think I'd have felt the same way you did if I'd had two guys chasing me around with a dress. Mind you, I'd have probably knocked them out, but that's besides the point. Anyways, shouldn't we get going?" Kusa said as the others nodded, splitting into groups and filing into their cars/RVs/tour buses to begin the drive to Kyoto to meet the rest of Yu's group...

TO BE CONTINUED/END OF CHAPTER

A/N: Yeah, this final Interlude is getting split into two parts! I didn't think that doing all the dialogue gathering and grinding would take as much words as it did, but it did, so there you go. The next chapter will be the second part of the final Interlude, and a very long awaited rematch, along with an equally long-awaited reunion of sorts. As a spoiler, there may or may not be some interesting stuff revealed about some of the characters next chapter. But the main draw is the rematch between the Phantom Thieves and the mixed team of the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives. Who will win? You'll have to wait for chapter 39 to find out! So there's your previewing for this chapter.

That said, let me take this chance to thank everyone who's read not only this far into the chapter, but also the story as well, as all the support I've been getting for this story, not just in the form of people following it and or adding it to their 'Favorite Stories' list, but also those who leave reviews on the story, is invaluable! Especially since it lets me get even better as a fanfiction writer and be able to better make the content enjoyable for my readers. So feel free to keep showing this story some love!

Granted, after this Interlude, only three arcs will remain! And two of those three will probably be shorter-length arcs due to the fact they practically happen back-to-back with one another, hence why this Interlude that is being split up is the final one for Rise of the Monarchs. But that's just the way it happens sometimes, I think. Anyways, feel free to leave a review below (or PM me for those not comfortable with leaving reviews) with any thoughts/feedback/suggestions/constructive criticism on this story so far.

Also, I know I said I might do an update on the standings of my current poll, but I'll do that at the end of part 2 of this Interlude, since it makes more sense to do that as the way to really mark the end of Arc 7 and the start of Arc 8. So be patient a little longer for that update. As a reminder, the poll will remain up until I finish typing the last chapter of Arc 9. So there's plenty of time to vote on it still! I won't go into details on the standings, but I will say that the poll standings are surprisingly close at this point in time. Also, feel free to hit me up, whether it be in a review, or through a PM, as I enjoy hearing from my readers! And until next chapter or part 2 of this final Interlude, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - Since I didn't describe them more in the chapter, the weapons gotten from the chests are essentially the ultimate weapons for Crow, Pendragon, and Seraphim, which I thought was fitting to have them be gotten here after beating the 'Dire Shadow' of the Yongen Jail, since both Seraphim and Pendragon awakened to their Personas in that Jail, and Crow had to confront and make peace with Loki in that Jail, hence all three of their ultimate weapons being found here. Even though I renamed his slightly, Crow's ultimate weapon in Rise of the Monarchs is essentially the same as the ultimate weapon he gets in canon Persona 5 Royal by itemizing either Surt or Futsunushi (pretty sure it's Futsunushi) during a Fusion Alarm. As for Seraphim and Pendragon's, here's a brief description of their ultimate weapons.

Excalibur (Pendragon's ultimate weapon) - Attack: 400 Accuracy: 99 Effect: All stats +5 and built-in Regenerate 3 and Invigorate 3 Description: The fabled sword of King Arthur, this blade is said to be the sword of legends, and has been rumored to be the challenge for many prospective kings before finally being pulled from its' stone pedestal by King Arthur prior to his becoming king. Just holding it fills the wielder with vigor. Comes with a matching shield that channels stamina from the air itself to strengthen the wielder.

Halberd of Eve (Seraphim's ultimate weapon) - Attack: 390 Accuracy: 100 Effect: All stats +3 and Resist Curse (medium) Description: A halberd said to be used by the wife of Adam at the time of man's creation, this halberd fills the wielder with resolve and enables them to ward off even the nastiest of curses to a point. Also looks good thanks to the angelic motif on the length of the weapon, and the eye-catching golden sheen of the hilt and tip.

And there's a brief description of Seraphim and Pendragon's weapons. For anyone curious about Crow's ultimate weapon, look up 'Persona 5 Royal Akechi's ultimate weapon on Google', and there should be a link leading to a description of every Phantom Thief's ultimate melee and ranged weapon in Royal (where players can upgrade both the ranged and melee weapons for each Thief, unlike Strikers, where players can only upgrade melee weapons). However, be warned that the article in mention may have slight spoilers for Royal in it. So use discretion when viewing it. But the description of the 'Hinokagutsuchi II' as it's called can be seen in full on that article.

*2* - This part is actually a reference to Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, where all of the Investigation Team (and even several of the former S.E.E.S members from Persona 3) all got stuck with demeaning/insulting titles for the purposes of the 'P-1 Grand Prix', which is a fighting tournament that the Investigation Team (and indirectly the Shadow Operatives) were thrown into that took up most of the story of Persona 4 Arena, and was mentioned in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax too. Note that Persona 4 Arena Ultimax has both the Persona 4 Arena AND Persona 4 Arena Ultimax stories in it, so Persona 4 Arena Ultimax can be purchased to get both games' stories. Back to the taglines for the characters, here's a full listing of everyone's taglines from Persona 4 Arena Ultimax for people to peruse. Credit and a huge shout-out to jdimock for providing me with these taglines.

INVESTIGATION TEAM TAGLINES

Yu- 'The Sister-Complex Kingpin of Steel'

Yosuke- 'Captain Ressentiment'

Chie- 'The Carnivore Who's Discarded Womanhood'/'Spunky Dragon with Deadly Legs' (that second tagline comes from the P-1 Grand Prix's promotional video)

Yukiko- 'The Unconquerable Snow Black'

Kanji- 'The Bloodcurdling Beefcake Emperor'

Rise- 'The Scandalous Superstar Idol'

Teddie- 'The Beast In Heat'

Naoto- 'The 2000 IQ Killjoy Detective'

SHADOW OPERATIVES TAGLINES

Mitsuru- 'The Imperious Queen of Executions'

Akihiko- 'The Two-Fisted Protein Junkie'

Aigis- 'The Heartless Armed Angel'

Labrys- 'Yasogami's Steel Council President'

Yukari- 'The Unsightly Pink Sniper'

Junpei- 'The Mighty Strike-Out Slugger'

Ken and Koromaru- 'The Pretentious Tenderfoot Duo'

OTHER TAGLINES

Shadow Labrys- 'The Raging Bull of Destruction'

Elizabeth- 'The Lethal Elevator Attendant'

Margaret- 'The Sadistic Stud-Keeping Secretary'

Marie- 'The Antisocial Poet of the Hollow Forest'

Adachi- 'The Egocentric Police Dick'

Sho- 'The Rule-Smashing Pun Machine'/'The Scar-Faced Dark Messiah' ((The first tagline is used when facing Sho without his Persona while the second tagline is used when you face Sho (as 'Minazuki') with his Persona))

And that's all of the character taglines for everyone in Persona 4 Arena/Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Either way, I figured I'd mention those taglines for anyone curious about them.

PHANTOM THIEF SKILL LISTINGS, ALLY LIST, AND LIST OF TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 38 AND PART 1 OF THE FINAL INTERLUDE

JOKER (Ren) - Level: 76 Current Personas: Raoul (Level 62), Seth (Level 69), Fortuna (Level 65), Ganesha (Level 64), Kali (Level 75), Cerberus (Level 70), Forneus (Level 67), Mot (Level 65), Lilith (Level 62), Norn (Level 74) Equipped Persona: Raoul Persona Moveset: Maeigaon (Curse), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Rebel Soul (Passive), Resist Ice (Passive), Mediarama (Healing), Curse Boost (Passive), Rakukaja (Support/Buff), Recarm (Healing)

SKULL (Ryuji) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: William Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), Megaton Raid (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Elec Boost (Passive), Maziodyne (Elec), Charge (Support/Buff), Agneyastra (Physical), Technical High (Passive)

MONA (Morgana) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Diego Persona Moveset: Garudyne (Wind), Diarahan (Healing), Mediarahan (Healing), Magarudyne (Wind), Wind Amp (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Dodge Elec (Passive)

PANTHER (Ann) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Celestine Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Fire Amp (Passive), Soul Thief (Passive), Maragidyne (Fire), Matarunda (Support/Debuff), Brain Jack (Ailment), Diarahan (Healing)

FOX (Yusuke) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Gorokichi Persona Moveset: Bufudyne (Ice), Speed Master (Passive), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Knockdown Style (Passive), Myriad Slashes (Physical), Brave Blade (Physical), Mabufudyne (Ice), Evade Fire (Passive)

QUEEN (Makoto) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Agnes Persona Moveset: Freidyne (Nuclear), Dekunda (Support/Buff), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Mafreidyne (Nuclear), Diarahan (Healing), Flash Bomb (Physical), Mediarahan (Healing), Nuke Amp (Passive)

NOIR (Haru) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Lucy Persona Moveset: Psiodyne (Psy), Ailment Boost (Passive), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Evil Smile (Ailment), Amrita Shower (Healing), Mapsiodyne (Psy), Gun Amp (Passive)

ORACLE (Futaba) - Level: 76 Current Personas: Al Azif and Albus Equipped Persona: Albus Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Megidola (Almighty), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Invigorate 3 (Passive), Spell Master (Passive)

SEEKER (Sophia) - Level: 70 Current/Partner 'Persona': Pithos Persona Moveset: Kougaon? (Bless), Bless Amp? (Passive), Diarahan? (Healing), Makouga? (Bless), Mediarahan? (Healing), Marakunda? (Support/Debuff), Angelic Grace? (Passive), Samarecarm? (Healing)

WOLF (Zenkichi) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Valjean Persona Moveset: Megidola (Almighty), Gun Boost (Passive), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Deathbound (Physical), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Enduring Soul (Passive), Tetraja (Support/Barrier)

VIOLET (Sumire) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Ella Persona Moveset: Kougaon (Bless), Dodge Curse (Passive), Diarahan (Healing), Bless Amp (Passive), Vorpal Blade (Physical), Makougaon (Bless), Sword Dance (Physical), Samarecarm (Healing)

DRACONIS (Kusa) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Malefor Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Garula (Wind), Mediarahan (Healing), Assault Dive (Physical), Null Bless (Passive), Gigantomachia (Physical), Megidola (Almighty), Almighty Amp (Passive)

CROW (Goro) - Level: 70 Current Personas: Robin Hood, Loki, and Hereward Equipped Persona: Hereward Persona Moveset: Eigaon (Curse), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Maeigaon (Curse), Laevateinn (Physical), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Mudoon (Curse/insta-kill), Megidola (Almighty), Curse Amp (Passive)

PENDRAGON (Sojiro) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Kohryu Persona Moveset: Psiodyne (Psy), Gigantomachia (Physical), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Mediarahan (Healing), Mapsiodyne (Psy), Evade Nuke (Passive), Spell Master (Passive), Psy Amp (Passive)

FLARE (Shiho) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Hester Persona Moveset: Bufudyne (Ice), Myriad Slashes (Physical), Mediarahan (Healing), Angelic Grace (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Freidyne (Nuclear), Ice Boost (Passive), Nuke Amp (Passive)

SERAPHIM (Nanako) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Sraosha Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), Brave Blade (Physical), Charge (Support/Buff), Maziodyne (Elec), Salvation (Healing), Elec Boost (Passive), Hamaon (Bless/insta-kill), Angelic Grace (Passive)

AUBURN (Akane) - Level: 70 Current/Partner Persona: Houdini Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Diarahan (Healing), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Maeigaon (Curse), Regenerate 2 (Passive), Life Drain (Almighty), Evade Ice (Passive), Evade Bless (Passive)

LIST OF ALLIES: Ichinose, Taichi, Momoe, Sae, Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto, Mishima, Minako, Shinichi, Maruki, Hiraguchi, Shibusawa, Shibusawa's Wife, Marie, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA

LIST OF KNOWN TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 38 AND PART 1 OF THE FINAL INTERLUDE

DIVINE BLIZZARD (Draconis, Fox, Violet)

PURGATORY ARROW (Crow, Noir, Panther)

REBELLIOUS VENGEANCE BURST (Joker, Skull, Seeker)

SNOW CAT-JUTSU (Mona, Flare, Wolf)

JUDGEMENT STRIKE (Oracle, Queen, Pendragon)

STORM OF HEAVEN (Violet, Mona, Seeker)

HELLISH ELEMENTAL TRINITY (Skull, Panther, Flare)

MIRROR OF THE ORDAINED (Pendragon, Mona, Draconis)

KARMA STINGERS (Seraphim, Fox, Noir)

WRATH OF THE CHOSEN ONES (Draconis, Crow, Joker)

CHAOTIC PLASMA RAIN (Auburn, Seraphim, Oracle)

ATOMIC ONSLAUGHT (Wolf, Auburn, Queen)

BOLTS OF ARMAGEDDON (Oracle, Skull, Seraphim)