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!

42. Arc 8 Finale: Tale of Two AI's

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files, Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs! This chapter should be good, since this is the chapter where we get into the start of the next Jail, and probably start to see some of the slight change-ups I have in mind for said Jail. Needless to say, this Jail will be a shorter Jail in all likelihood. If I don't finish it this chapter, it'll be finished next chapter more than likely. But we'll see what happens. In any case, before anything else, let's get the disclaimer done, yeah?

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.

There we are, one disclaimer efficiently pumped out. That being said, I think I'll save more of my in-depth ranting for the end-of-chapter A/N after the chapter, so keep an eye out after the chapter for that. For now, here's chapter 42!

Chapter 42- Into the Abyss! Masterminds, Twists, and Sacrifices? Pandora's Abyss part 2

(Inside the RV at Ocean View Park in Yokohama, with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, Sojiro, Shiho, Zenkichi, Nanako, and Akane)

After taking a second to assess the situation, Ren spoke up.

"Well, I don't think we've got much else we can do to prepare at this point, so who's ready to go hit up this new Jail and see what's going on with it?" Ren asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, whch was on a stand between Ann and Kusa, preceded Sophia speaking up with a slight frown on her face.

"That's an option, to be sure. However, consider this, Dad. Once we head to the Tokyo Radio Tower, we may not be able to return here anymore. With that in mind, should we head out?" Sophia asked as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"To be honest with you Sophia, I think we're as ready as we're gonna be. So I say, let's go. Any objections?" Ren asked as no one shook their head and Sophia spoke up with a smile.

"Fair enough, Dad. If you're sure we're ready, then okay, let's go! Time to go to the Tokyo Radio Tower!" Sophia said as the group got comfortable in the same seating arrangements as before, aside from moving Akane, Nanako, and Goro over to Zenkichi's car, and moving Sojiro, Futaba, and Yusuke to the Ferrari to allow for Zenkichi's return to the group, while making their way to the Tokyo Radio Tower...

(A short time later, at the Tokyo Radio Tower in Shiba Park, with Goro, Haru, Kusa, Futaba, Makoto, Shiho, Ann, Yusuke, Sumire, Sophia, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Sojiro, Zenkichi, Akane, and Nanako)

As the group reached their destination, virtually everyone's eyes, including Sophia's, went wide as they saw a bunch of people mindlessly walking towards the tower all while looking at their phones and stopping in front of it, prompting a horrified Yusuke to speak up.

"What is going on?" Yusuke asked as Goro spoke up with a frown, having a good guess as to what was going on.

"I can't say for sure, since I wasn't part of the group when you went through something like this before. However, I feel like this is shaping up to be similar to the time when that giant metallic god you guys fought tried to erase most of you from existence due to posing a significant threat to his plans. What was that fool's name again? Yamato? Yamaguchi? I forget." Goro said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"I think you mean 'Yaldabaoth', Goro? And I could see there being a few parallels between this and the time he tried fusing reality and Mementos. So it's not impossible that you're onto something there." Kusa said as Makoto spoke up with a frown.

"You have a solid point, Kusa-kun. Either way? This is not good at all." Makoto said as a shocked Morgana spoke up.

"Uhh, why are they all doing that?" Morgana asked in shock as Sojiro spoke up.

"Could this be a mass outbreak of the 'sheeples', as Kusa called it once? Or could this be a wide-spread change of heart?" Sojiro mused as Zenkichi spoke up with a frown.

"Good question, Sojiro. Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to that. But what I do know for sure is that whatever's going on? None of these people are in their right minds." Zenkichi said as the group heard a few different voices reach their ears.

"I can't wait for her to guide us to happiness, and away from all worries." One voice said as another reached the group's ears.

"I won't have to think for myself anymore once she guides us to freedom." Another voice said as a third voice reached the group's ears.

"I'm finally gonna be free from this pain!" The group heard as a horrified and wide-eyed Morgana spoke up.

"What the heck? This really doesn't seem good, you guys!" Morgana said as Nanako huffed and spoke up.

"No, you think? I thought they were all just having a nice casual acid trip together or something. Of course it's not good, Morgana." Nanako deadpanned, ignoring the amused smirks on Kusa and Goro's face at her remark as Shiho spoke up.

"Calm down, Nanako. I can't fault Morgana for being worried. This is an unusual situation from what we've seen." Shiho said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"That's true, Shiho. Still, I have to wonder. What's gotten into everyone?" Ann asked as Ren spoke up.

"I'm inclined to agree with Sojiro's earlier theory to some extent here. Did all of these people's hearts get changed by any chance?" Ren asked as Sumire spoke up with a nod.

"That's definitely possible, Ren. But this is a lot of people to hit with changes of heart at once, don't you think?" Sumire said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. But considering whose servers are supposed to be here, I could see this possibly being the influence of a certain app that started itself back up." Kusa said as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"That's a good point, Kusa. We can't rule anything out just yet, after all." Akane said wisely as Haru winced and spoke up.

"Good point, Akane-chan. Still, it's not natural. Everyone's just blankly gazing into the distance and staring at their phones." Haru said as at that point, a 'BIP!' from Ren's phone preceded EMMA speaking up, her next words making everyone frown at how ominous her words sounded.

"Greetings. Welcome to the 'Promised Land'." The group heard as a wide-eyed Ann spoke up in horror.

"That voice. EMMA!?" Ann said as EMMA's next words made virtually all of the Thieves gasp in horror.

"Correct. Beginning Navigation." EMMA said as the group suddenly found itself pulled into the Metaverse without warning...

(Inside the Metaverse, in an unknown location, with Wolf, Skull, Seeker, Mona, Queen, Noir, Fox, Panther, Joker, and Oracle)

After being pulled into the Metaverse, the group ended up coming to after taking note of a place that they had never been to before. Upon getting up and taking a look at their surroundings, Skull groaned and spoke up.

"Shit, where the hell are we now!?" Skull said in confusion as Oracle gasped and spoke up.

"Oh, don't tell me we're where I think we are? And come to think of it, we seem to be missing a few people." Oracle said as the group blinked and realized she was right, as half of the group was missing. Wolf gasped and spoke up.

"Shoot, Oracle is right!? Where did Auburn and Seraphim go!?" Wolf asked as Panther spoke up.

"Not just them. I don't see Flare, Violet, Draconis, Crow, or Pendragon anywhere either." Panther said as Joker spoke up with a groan.

"Oh, great. Is this going to be the Yongen Jail all over again, where we have to link back up with the rest of the group?" Joker asked as Wolf spoke up.

"Could be the case, Joker. We'll have to wait and see, I think." Wolf said as Mona spoke up with a nod.

"I agree with Wolf. Also, I think Oracle is correct. We're in a Jail." Mona said as Wolf frowned and spoke up.

"Wait a minute, I thought you needed a keyword to get into a Jail!" Wolf said as Queen spoke up with a slow nod.

"Yes, Wolf. That should be the case. What we just went through felt more like we were involuntarily dragged into this world." Queen said as Joker spoke up.

"And apparently split up while in transit, given how many of us are missing." Joker pointed out. Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Joker. And that's not easy to do, splitting us up. Who could even do that, though?" Panther asked as Joker spoke up.

"If I had to guess? I'd say most likely either the Monarch of the Jail, or possibly EMMA herself." Joker suggested as Oracle spoke up in shock.

"Wait, are you suggesting this was EMMA's doing? How's THAT possible!?" Oracle asked as Fox spoke up.

"Good question, Oracle. But let us not forget we see the impossible a lot. And speaking of impossible, this atmosphere feels eerily familiar. But the place it reminds me of shouldn't exist anymore, so that should also be impossible. Even so, I'd never forget a place like this. A vast prison, born from the cognition of the masses deep beneath Shibuya itself." Fox said as Mona spoke up with wide eyes, ignoring the confused looks he got from Wolf and Seeker for his next remark.

"Yeah, you're right, Fox. This place really is just like Mementos." Mona said, causing Seeker to cutely tilt her head to the side as she spoke up.

"Mementos?" Seeker asked as Joker spoke up.

"Yeah. It's a long story, sweetie, but Mementos is a place we've been to in the past." Joker said as Mona spoke up with a nod.

"Joker's right, Lady Seeker. It'd take too long to get into the specifics, but we've been somewhere a lot like this place before." Mona said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"But, this can't be possible!" Noir said as Mona turned to Joker and spoke up in a determined voice.

"In any case, we can't keep standing around gawking. What next, Joker?" Mona said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"It's obvious, isn't it? Our next move should be to try and hunt down whoever's in charge of this place, whether it be the Monarch of the Jail, or possibly even just a direct creation of EMMA herself. Also, we need to try and find our missing allies before we leave here, since it unnerves me that whoever is in charge here was able to split us up so easily. And speaking of splitting up, I should probably split us up into groups.

For the time being, we'll have two groups with one group having five and the other group having four with Oracle navigating and acting as the go-between for both groups. In Group A, which I will lead, will be myself, Seeker, Wolf, Mona, and Noir. And in Group B, which Queen will lead, will be Queen, Skull, Panther, and Fox. Any objections?" Joker said decisively, deciding to keep everyone on task. After the rest of the group made no move to object, Skull nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yeah, let's figure out who the hell dragged us in here and cut us off from our friends, so they can start regrettin' it!" Skull said as Fox spoke up with a frown.

"Even so, let's be cautious. Considering our circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised to find that traps were abound." Fox said as the group nodded, wondering what had become of their missing allies...

(At the same time as the current conversation, in a separate part of the current Jail, with Crow, Violet, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn)

As the seven other Phantom Thieves sat up after having been dumped unceremoniously into what seemed to be a pit of sorts, Draconis groaned and looked around, before his eyes widened as he registered that all seven of the people he could see, himself included, were all in their Phantom Thief attire.

"Ugh, where the hell are we? And more importantly, why don't I see Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Seeker, or Wolf anywhere?" Draconis mused to himself as a series of groans heralded the rest of the group coming to. After a bit, Crow looked around and spoke up.

"Uhh, what sort of gaudy-looking scenery is this!? And why the hell are we in our Phantom Thief attire already?" Crow asked as Violet spoke up.

"If I had to guess? I think we're in that Jail that Seeker said she smelled before. But that doesn't explain why I don't see most of the others anywhere." Violet said as Pendragon spoke up with a frown.

"I think that's an easy one to answer, Violet. Clearly, whoever brought all of us here split the seven of us up from the rest of the group. Although, this raises the question of why someone would go through all that trouble of separating us like that?" Pendragon said sagely as Auburn frowned and spoke up after trying to use EMMA to exit the Jail.

"Dammit, no good. I thought we could use EMMA to get back out of here, but no such luck. That being said, you had a very good point, Pendragon. That does seem like a lot of trouble to go to just to separate us from one another. But I can't help but notice that the way we were split up, there are no accessible Triad Specials for our usage." Auburn said as Flare spoke up.

"Not quite true, Auburn. While it is true that our group has no usable Triad Specials, I recall there being one that Joker did with Seeker and Skull. So at the very least, their group has at least one Triad Special to call on between them. But with that being said, it is rather impressive that whoever decided to separate us thought that far ahead." Flare said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Hmph. Too bad for whoever it is, something like this is sure to make the news. So I'd be shocked if, at the minimum, Mitsuru's group isn't aware of the current situation, if not Big Bro's group as well. Fortunately for us, I think it's a safe bet that we can probably call on them in a pinch if we need help. But obviously, I'd prefer to save that for a last-ditch desperation play if possible." Seraphim said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Smart, Seraphim. But I think instead of standing around talking, we should try to figure out our location and see about trying to find the others so we can link the groups back up again. Sound good to everyone?" Draconis said, easily taking charge of the situation as Crow spoke up.

"That seems like the most logical idea, but may I suggest that we split into two groups as we move through this area? Sure, there aren't as many of us as usual, but we can at least form one group of four and one group of three, right?" Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"We can do that. In terms of who will be in which group, I'll lead Group A, which will be myself, Violet, Flare, and Pendragon. As for Group B, which Crow will lead, we can have that be Crow, Seraphim, and Auburn. Oh, and regarding our lack of a navigator, we can have Crow act as one and have him lead Group B while we are separated from the others. Once the entire group links back up, we can have Oracle be our navigator again. But until then, Crow can do it." Draconis said as the others nodded before Violet frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, hold on. I might be the only one in this group who was part of this and thus able to take note of the similarities, but I swear this place is insanely similar to the Depths of Mementos." Violet said as Auburn frowned and spoke up.

"The Depths of Mementos!? I know from what was said before that Mementos was considered everyone's Palace, but I wasn't aware that particular place had depths?" Auburn asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Pretty sure she means the area where everyone who was in Joker's group at the time, aside from myself and Crow, since one of us was too busy being held captive and the other was too busy going into hiding/exile, fought the 'Holy Grail'. Which, based on what I heard, was an alternate form of the god of control, Yaldabaoth." Draconis said as Violet nodded and spoke up.

"Correct, Draconis. And to be honest, you and Crow were lucky to be held captive/in hiding at the time, since Yaldabaoth nearly had us willed out of existence by the masses. Fortunately, you were presumed missing at the time, and Crow was presumed deceased, so the masses didn't think to try and will you two out of existence. Yet, I still recall the two of you managing to lend your power to Joker, which allowed him to evolve Arsene, who was his main Persona at the time, into its Tier 2 form, Satanael. So in a roundabout way, you two still helped out in the end." Violet said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. But with that being said, I suppose we should get going, then?" Crow said as Draconis nodded before taking point with Group A, leaving Crow to bring up the rear with Group B as the temporary navigator while his group started looking around the area...

(Back with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Seeker, and Wolf)

As the group got ready to start exploring, Skull spoke up with a frown on his face.

"Dude, so does this mean we're stuck here?" Skull asked as Oracle spoke up with a nod and a frown.

"Afraid so. I already tried exiting, but no such luck." Oracle said as Queen spoke up.

"Fair enough. I suppose all we can do for now is just keep pressing on." Queen said as the group kept moving. After fighting some Shadows, Seeker winced and spoke up.

"Uh, you guys? I'm not sure how to put this, but somehow this place just feels grimy and confining to me." Seeker said as Fox spoke up with a grimace.

"Agreed. It's almost as if whatever this place is, it's generating a well of revulsion deep within me." Fox said as Noir spoke up.

"But this begs the question of who brought us here?" Noir asked as Skull spoke up.

"Dunno, but whoever it was is outta their effin' mind!" Skull said, getting nods from the others as the group kept moving. As they continued exploring, Wolf spoke up.

"Man, just when things were on the upswing, this crap had to happen." Wolf said as Panther spoke up.

"The upswing, you say? So, I assume the case is going well now?" Panther asked as Wolf nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, sure is. The boss and I are just ironing out the last kinks in our plan of attack. Best of all, if worse comes to worst, she'll even be able to bring down the hammer without me." Wolf said as Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"Nope! Not happenin', Cappenin'! You promised Auburn that you'd get even with Owada, and we're not gonna let you duck out on that!" Oracle said as Wolf chuckled and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right, Oracle. I did make a promise to Auburn, and I intend to keep that promise. Nonetheless, that's not even on the table unless we can get out of here with the others." Wolf said as the group kept moving. As the group got closer to their destination, Oracle spoke up as she saw a strong opponent blocking the path ahead.

"There's a tough-looking one, guys! Don't let your guard down!" Oracle said as the strong Shadow shifted forms into what Joker recognized immediately as a 'Mot', having fused one of his own a while back, as a fight began! After clearing out the foes in the area, both Seeker and Wolf hit level 76, the level-ups giving Wolf access to the Colossal-tier Physical skill 'Agneyastra', making Wolf smirk as he spoke up.

"Heh, a new skill. Not bad." Wolf said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Nice one, Wolf! William has that move too! And it really packs a punch! So that's a good move to get." Skull said approvingly as Valjean acquired 'Agneyastra'. After the battle, Joker's group kept moving...

(Meanwhile, in a different part of the Jail, with Crow, Violet, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn)

While moving through their part of the Jail, Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Looking at how much upward movement seems to be required, I wonder if Violet wasn't wrong to surmise that we're in the depths of the Jail before. Mind, we still are, but I have a feeling we will need to keep gaining altitude to potentially try and figure out where we are and if we can find the others." Draconis said as Pendragon nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough, Draconis. I suppose we should keep moving. Odds are Joker has the others mobilized and they're probably trying to find their way towards the Monarch's location. That is, assuming this Jail even has a Monarch." Pendragon said as Seraphim frowned and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but is it possible for there to be a Monarch here without Konoe around to make more of them?" Seraphim asked as Flare spoke up.

"You say that like Konoe is the only one able to create Monarchs, Seraphim. Or did we all forget that every single Monarch thus far, aside from maybe Auburn and Loki, has had EMMA activity to monitor? So it's not impossible that EMMA got enough sentience from helping Konoe to be able to make Monarchs by herself." Flare pointed out as Crow spoke up.

"Fair point, Flare. But no matter. We'll figure things out soon enough, I think." Crow said as Auburn nodded and spoke up.

"True. Maybe we should keep going?" Auburn said as Violet blinked and spoke up.

"That's possible, but I think we have to take that thing out first?" Violet said as she pointed to the strong enemy blocking the group's path. After the strong enemy noticed Draconis' group, it shifted forms into a 'Mot', leading to a fairly short, if very winnable battle. After the fight, the group kept proceeding until they reached what they figured to be a dead end, making them frown until Draconis looked up and blinked before speaking up as noticed something that appeared to be a bridge that was far above the area where the group was standing.

"Wait, hold up. How is there a bridge all the way up there, yet we're stuck in what appears to be an effin' dead-end!?" Draconis asked as Crow spoke up.

"You did see those over there, right Draconis? Judging from those, I think we have to climb our way up towards the bridge." Crow said as Pendragon spoke up.

"That's one option. But given there's only seven of us, what's stopping myself and Draconis from summoning Kohryu and Malefor to fly everyone most of the way up and only have to do a bit of climbing to reach the bridge?" Pendragon asked as Violet spoke up.

"You mean, besides the fact that it'd drain a lot from you and Draconis to do all that ferrying? I feel like you wouldn't want to tax yourself so much in case we run into a big enemy on the bridge." Violet said as Flare spoke up.

"That's true, Violet. We do want to conserve our strength if possible." Flare said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Perhaps, but won't we also use a lot of strength with all this climbing? Or is the plan to get close to the bridge, then stop to catch our breath and finish the climb?" Seraphim said as Auburn spoke up.

"That sounds viable, but it also assumes that the ledges can support our weight for more than a few seconds. I know that I've seen movies where some ledges crumbled away after they were stood on for long enough, so what if these ledges work the same way?" Auburn asked as Crow spoke up.

"Well then, I suppose there's only one way to know for sure, isn't there?" Crow asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Definitely. Let's start climbing for now. And if need be, Pendragon and I can pull out Malefor and Kohryu for a bit if we need a rest. And I know for a fact they can be sat on, thanks to me giving Oracle a ride on Malefor's back once. Granted, he was still in his Tier 1 form of 'Smaug' at the time, but the point is still the same. And I know I saw Pendragon once use Kohryu to cross a gap, so he can also have people on his back too." Draconis said as the group nodded and started climbing.

After a while, the group climbed up high enough that the bridge was in reach. Violet went to reach an arm up to figure out how much higher they needed to climb to get on top of the bridge, only to blink as her hand gently brushed over something soft and slightly fleshy. Confused, Violet used her hand to try and figure out what her hand was grabbing, only to pull it back as she heard a familiar-sounding shriek.

Once Violet pulled her hand back towards her, she blinked as she realized from the voices her group heard speaking from above them that she'd accidentally grabbed Seeker's foot, thinking it was part of the bridge. After a bit, Draconis and Crow exchanged a nod as the group started climbing up the bridge to catch up to Joker's group...

(At the same time as Draconis' group climbing up towards the bridge, in the other part of the Jail, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Seeker, and Wolf)

As the group proceeded further into the Jail, Skull spoke up.

"Hey, so this place really is a Jail and not actually Mementos, right?" Skull asked as Mona spoke up.

"That's what we were told, Skull. Whatever it is, it's giving me a really bad feeling. Not only that, but if this place really was Mementos, that would be a really bad thing." Mona said as the group kept moving. While they were crossing an ominous-looking bridge further into the Jail, Seeker gasped and spoke up after feeling something briefly grab her foot before letting go.

"Eek! What was that? It felt like something brushed my foot!" Seeker said as Mona looked towards Seeker and spoke up after noticing the hands on the bridge seemingly pulling something upwards.

"It looks like someone, or possibly something? Not sure which, but either way, I can definitely see movement, as if who or whatever Seeker felt is climbing up the bridge towards us." Mona said as Joker spoke up.

"Then if that's the case, let's just be on guard as to who or what we are dealing with here." Joker said as he, Skull, and Wolf all primed their guns, ready to fire on whoever was climbing up the bridge, just in case it was a group of Shadows. However, just before they are ready to shoot, a familiar voice called out to Joker's group.

"WAIT! JOKER, IT'S US!" Draconis said as Joker and the others gasped in shock and as Joker, Skull, and Wolf put away their guns, the group looked down and saw Draconis, Violet, Crow, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn all climbing up the side of the bridge. It was then that a few different voices spoke up.

"VIOLET!/MOM!/DRACONIS! PENDRAGON!/CROW!/FLARE!/AUBURN! SERAPHIM!" Joker, Seeker, Oracle, Noir, Panther, and Wolf said as they proceeded to help each of their friends up. The second the figures started climbing the bridge, the group relaxed as they recognized that it was the rest of the group catching up to them. After catching their breath, Violet and Draconis walked forward and hugged Joker and Oracle respectively, the former of the two smiling as she felt Seeker hug her from the side. After everyone reunited, Joker spoke up.

"I was worried that we would have to search this Jail high and low to find you guys. I'm guessing you all were sent to a separate area from us?" Joker asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, all seven of us ended up in a different location that was underneath this bridge. We had to travel a bit to get here all while fighting some Shadows, including a decent-sized "Mot' Shadow." Draconis said as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"What a coincidence that we ended up having to do the same thing. Although, the 'Mot' that we defeated was able to give Wolf a new move in the form of the Physical skill 'Agneyastra', so it was a decent victory." Joker said as Auburn spoke up.

"You guys were lucky. Myself, along with Seraphim, Flare, and Crow have not gained any new skills yet, let alone increased our power along with Draconis, Violet, and Pendragon. Still, congrats on the new skill, Wolf." Auburn said as Wolf spoke up.

"Thanks. But going back to you guys? Did you seriously have to climb up this thing?" Wolf asked as he gestured to the side of the bridge as Crow spoke up.

"Unfortunately, yes. We ended up reaching a dead end with nowhere to go so Draconis ended up making the big decision to have all seven of us climb up the side of this bridge." Crow said as Violet spoke up.

"We've been climbing up this thing for five minutes, but soon we were able to quicken our pace when we heard your voices." Violet said as Pendragon spoke up.

"However, not all of us were able to quicken our pace. Given my age, I had to take my time in climbing this thing." Pendragon said as Joker frowned and spoke up.

"Well, at least you're all okay. Sorry about almost shooting you guys." Joker said as Draconis spoke up.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for surprising you guys as well. Granted, I'm not the only one here who owes you guys an apology, since I'm fairly sure that despite her not meaning to, Violet was most likely the one who accidentally grabbed Seeker's foot." Draconis said as Seeker smiled and spoke up.

"That's alright, Uncle Draconis. No hard feelings. And if it was Mom who grabbed my foot, it would explain why whatever grabbed me had a slightly feminine feel to it." Seeker said as Joker spoke up.

"Well, seeing as we were able to find each other so quickly, perhaps we should get moving. We were just about to enter this room here when we noticed your movement." Joker said as Draconis spoke up.

"Before we proceed, do any of you feel that this place looks exactly like Mementos?" Draconis asked as Oracle spoke up.

"We did. I'm guessing Violet was able to recognize the familiarity? After all, she was the only one besides myself, Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, and Noir who infiltrated the Depths of Mementos." Oracle said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Yup, she did. The rest of us weren't able to recognize it since we weren't a part of the group at the time." Seraphim said as Crow spoke up.

"Correction, Seraphim. You weren't a part of the group at the time, alongside Wolf, Auburn, Flare, Seeker, and Pendragon. I, on the other hand, was a part of the group along with Draconis. Granted, Draconis was quite literally being held hostage at the time, and I was in hiding since people thought I was dead." Crow pointed out as Flare spoke up.

"Fair point, Crow. However, given how this place looked, I'm guessing you all didn't have a good time back then?" Flare asked as Joker spoke up.

"No, we did not. But that's a story for another time. Right now, we should keep going so we can either find the exit or the Monarch of this place. Also, now that we're back together, I'm going to reorganize our groups.

We will now be in four groups of 4, with Oracle navigating as usual. In Group A, which I will personally lead, will be myself, Mona, Seeker, and Violet. In Group B, which we can have Draconis lead, will be Draconis, Fox, Skull, and Pendragon. In Group C, which Crow will lead, will be Crow, Noir, Panther, and Flare. And finally, in Group D, which Queen will lead, will be Queen, Wolf, Seraphim, and Auburn.

And as I previously stated, Oracle will take her usual position as navigator and go-between for all four groups. Any objections?" Joker said as everyone nodded their approval of the called groups, splitting into the indicated groups as they entered the next room. Once inside, everyone's eyes widened at the sight of a giant golden box in the center of the room with what appeared to be vein-like lines feeding into the box, making every Phantom Thief who'd been present for the run through the Mementos Depths shudder at the similarity to the Holy Grail as Mona spoke up.

"What the heck is that thing!?" Mona asked as Oracle spoke up with a frown.

"Good question, Mona. What is that box?" Oracle asked as Pendragon spoke up.

"Given the ominous glowing tendrils going down into it, I'd say it's nothing good." Pendragon said as Crow frowned and spoke up.

"You'd win that bet, Pendragon. This reminds me a lot of the time that the real world and Mementos started converging on one another after a certain giant golden entity tried to impose its will on the masses and bring about ruin for mankind." Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"I get where you're headed with that remark, Crow. You mean when that prick Yaldabaoth nearly had everyone who was on the team at the time other than us willed out of existence, don't you?" Draconis said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"I think he does, Draconis. But not just that-this place feels so ominous and yet familiar." Noir said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Indeed. The striking resemblance continues, Noir. It's like we're back in Mementos, staring down the Holy Grail, only this time we have nearly twice the numbers on our side that we did back then." Fox said as Joker spoke up.

"That's true, Fox. And given the similarity to Yaldabaoth's first form, at least a majority of us know what to do in this situation. Regardless of what this thing is, we just need to cut the veins that are flowing into that box. If we do this, chances are that we don't need to worry about this thing healing itself in battle." Joker said but before anyone else could speak, a mysterious feminine-sounding voice reached the group's ears.

"Welcome, Phantom Thieves. You have reached your ultimate destination." The group heard, making everyone exchange horrified looks as Mona spoke up with a frown.

"What? Who said that!?" Mona asked as the mysterious voice spoke up once more.

"This is the Promised Land, the paradise for all humanity. A place for the masses to find salvation. The answer to every Desire." The mysterious female voice said as a surprised Fox spoke up.

"Huh!? Is that voice close by? Perhaps, it's coming from the box? Just who are you!?" Fox asked as the mysterious female voice spoke up again, shocking the group with what she said next.

"I am EMMA, the Ark of the Covenant and guide for all mankind." The mysterious voice, now identified as being EMMA, said as Crow and Draconis both spoke up in unison with an identical pair of comically wide eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Crow and Draconis said as a shocked Oracle spoke up with her eyes widened behind her visor.

"EMMA!?" Oracle said as Fox spoke up with his own eyes widened slightly.

"The Ark of the Covenant!?" Fox asked as an annoyed Wolf spoke up.

"Hey, someone tell me what's going on! What the hell IS that thing!?" Wolf said as a wide-eyed Seeker spoke up.

"Me too! Explain this in comprehensible terms." Seeker said as Auburn spoke up.

"Given that the voice just introduced itself as EMMA, I think it's safe to assume that this is probably related to EMMA's sudden reactivation somehow." Auburn said as Seraphim nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. But that doesn't really answer as many questions as you'd think it would, unfortunately." Seraphim said as Skull spoke up angrily with a frown, his eyes also having widened behind his mask.

"Seraphim isn't wrong. We don't get any of this either!" Skull said as Draconis spoke up with a huff.

"Speak for yourself, Skull. I have a couple of theories already in mind for what could be going on, but I'm waiting for more info to share any of them." Draconis said as EMMA spoke up.

"My primary directive is to grant humanity its ultimate Desire, whatever that may be. And for the majority, it appears to be taking the form of a desire to be liberated from all pain and suffering. Mankind cannot bring themselves to implement the solution, and instead beg for deliverance. I shall become a god to grant them this deliverance. I shall guide them to the Promised Land." EMMA said before vanishing abruptly in a flash of bright light. Once she was gone, Queen spoke up in shock.

"Wait, what!? It's gone!?" Queen asked in shock. Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Frankly put, I think I might have been on to something this entire time when I voiced my theory a long while back that EMMA was evil. But I guess we'll see for ourselves going forward how accurate that theory proves to be." Draconis said as the group moved forward to look at where EMMA had just been.

Once the group reached the center of the room, a familiar yet very obnoxious humming reached the group's ears, making Crow and Draconis exchange shocked looks as the former clearly muttered what sounded like 'REALLY!? Is that who I think it is? Shoot me now.' under his breath. Before Draconis could do more than frown, the group's attention was drawn to the area in front of them as Ichinose walked up to them and spoke up with a smile on her face.

"Well, well. Fancy seeing you all here. Boy, it sure is getting crazy around here, am I right?" Ichinose said as Noir spoke up in shock.

"Huh!?" Noir said as Queen spoke up in shock on seeing Ichinose there.

"Ichinose-san?" Queen said as a shocked and wide-eyed Oracle spoke up.

"W-W-What're YOU doing here!?" Oracle asked as Pendragon frowned and spoke up.

"If I had to guess? She was probably dragged here by EMMA, the same as us." Pendragon said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Was she dragged here, though? Somehow I doubt that." Draconis said as Ichinose spoke up before Joker could do more than blink at Draconis' remark.

"Ahahaha, well of course you're shocked. I never would've thought I could come here either!" Ichinose said as Joker spoke up with a frown.

"Hold on. Are you really Ichinose? Or are you her Shadow?" Joker asked, wondering if they'd just found the Monarch of this Jail. Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Amusing that you'd ask that, Joker. But to answer your question? No, not at all. I'm Kuon Ichinose, all right, The one and only." Ichinose said as Draconis winced and spoke up

"Is anyone else getting strong reminders of when we had something very similar to this go down with Doctor Maruki three years ago, or is it just me?" Draconis asked as every Phantom Thief who'd been present for Maruki's Palace nodded their agreement as Mona spoke up in shock, his eyes wide.

"So if you're the real Ichinose, does that mean YOU'RE a Persona-user too!?" Mona asked as Crow scoffed and spoke up.

"A rather bold leap of logic there, Mona. After all, as I recall from what both Joker and Violet told me, Violet was able to enter the Metaverse without a Persona, just like all the others who were present during the group's initial run. The same thing also applies to Pendragon, Auburn, Seraphim, Wolf, and Flare, who were also able to enter the Metaverse with our help before throughout this trip. So just because Miss Monologues is here doesn't automatically make her a Persona-user." Crow said as Ichinose chuckled and spoke up.

"Very well-reasoned, Crow. And to answer your question, Mona? It's nothing like that! I've just been given a special job, is all." Ichinose said as Queen spoke up in shock, her eyes wide behind her mask.

"You were given what you consider a special job?" Queen asked as Ichinose nodded and spoke up, smirking at how colorfully both Draconis and Crow swore under their breath after hearing what she said next.

"Yep, by EMMA! She asked me to lend her a hand. And of course I couldn't say no to her! Once I agreed, she invited me over to this world." Ichinose said as Skull spoke up in shock.

"Dude, hang on a sec-I am really, REALLY lost here right now." Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Keep up, Skull. Clearly, EMMA is evil, and she enlisted Ichinose's assistance in whatever crazy scheme she's got cooked up, likely as a means to keep us busy. And given that's the case, I feel it's safe to say that both myself AND Crow were spot on in our respective theories, both about EMMA and about Ichinose-san." Draconis said as Crow nodded his agreement while Ichonise smirked and spoke up.

"Very perceptive, Draconis. At least SOME of you aren't total idiots in this group. Anyways, EMMA was just telling you about how she's granting humanity's Desire, right? That was the very first order I gave her! That's why it's her prime directive!" Ichinose said as Draconis scoffed and spoke up.

"Ah, of course. My mistake! I spoke too soon, it would seem. EMMA's not evil, she's just the twisted brainchild of Ichinose-san, who could very well be the REAL mastermind here." Draconis deadpanned, to the amusement of both Crow and Pendragon, who agreed with Draconis' remark. Oracle spoke up with a slow nod, agreeing with Draconis.

"That makes sense. So basically, EMMA's just following her programming by becoming a god?" Oracle said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"And to pull it off, she needed your help, so she brought you here?" Panther asked as Ichinose sighed and spoke up.

"Okay, I see that most of you're still confused. In that case, allow me to explain, again." Ichinose said as Flare frowned and spoke up.

"HEY! Isn't 'let me explain!' Pendragon's 'schtick', so to speak?" Flare asked as Crow spoke up.

"Correct. But then again, I'm not shocked that Ichinose-san is a copycat on top of being a lousy villain. I mean, come on! Her being evil was only the most obvious twist ever!" Crow snarked as Seraphim spoke up.

"Really? If it's so obvious, why is it that only you, Draconis, and possibly Oracle seem to follow all of this?" Seraphim asked as Auburn spoke up.

"To be fair, this is a rather complicated situation." Auburn pointed out, getting an approving nod from Wolf as Ichinose spoke up.

"It's not that complicated when you get down to it, though. See, this whole situation-the incidents, the system, all of it that went down recently? Every bit of that was entirely EMMA's doing." Ichinose said as Draconis just shook his head, not at all shocked that he was once again correct in his theory. Panther spoke up to break the shocked silence Ichinose's reveal had created.

"What? But, EMMA's just an AI, right?" Panther asked as Auburn spoke up before Draconis could do so, surprising him with what she said next.

"Have you not seen a lot of sci-fi/horror movies, Panther? That's how a lot of AIs start out. They first appear as unassuming and just useful bits of technology. But in at least 7 out of every 10 sci-fi movies, there's usually a plot twist with the AI turning evil and causing an uprising. Or in EMMA's case, evolving past her programming and thinking she can give humanity what it really wants. With apologies to Seeker, it's very rare that you see an AI that isn't inherently evil or easily corrupted. However, I think it's safe to say that Seeker is an exception to that rule." Auburn said as Draconis nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Auburn. Also, if Ichinose-san was trying not to come off as evil, she shouldn't have gone into a monologue when most of the group first met her. Sure, some of us hadn't joined yet, but between the ten people that were in the group, plus the three of us who were tailing Joker's group from a distance, the majority of our group was there for that. And anyone who's seen enough movies knows that one thing that nearly all villains do at least once is monologue. Hence why Crow was so quick to assume the worst of her. Sure, part of it could just be his wary and cautious nature talking, but the point remains that he was right on the nose with his instincts." Draconis said as Crow nodded approvingly before Skull spoke up in shock.

"For real!? I thought Konoe was doin' it all by usin' EMMA!" Skull said as Ichinose chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, it sure appeared that way, but that was just how EMMA planned it. And to be honest, Draconis called part of it on the head just now. I guess EMMA eventually learned so much, she broke the barrier of standard AI capabilities. She behaved like she was following his orders, when in reality, she deduced how to use him as her own puppet. In the end, the key to her success was getting the majority of society using her app." Ichinose said as Wolf blinked and spoke up.

"Oh? So she was using Madicce to make sure she could reach as many people as possible?" Wolf asked as Noir frowned and spoke up before Ichinose could answer Wolf.

"But, why do any of that?" Noir asked as Ichinose smiled and spoke up.

"Because EMMA wants to change everyone's hearts." Ichinose said as a wide-eyed Queen spoke up in horror as the implications of Ichinose's words sank in.

"EMMA wants to what!?" Queen said as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"It's just granting humanity's Desire. Like I said, it's the prime directive I gave her. The Ark told you she has a solution to society's problem, right? How she's going to guide humanity? That just means she's going to change everyone's hearts. Whatever's wrong with them, she'll just overwrite it. That's the path to paradise EMMA figured out for us. She was only able to do it after Konoe implemented cognitive psience tech into her." Ichinose said as Pendragon, Crow, and Draconis all spoke up in shocked unison.

"COGNITIVE PSIENCE!?" Crow, Draconis, and Pendragon all yelled as Pendragon frowned in disapproval as he kept speaking.

"So once again, we have a mess that was created by a power-crazed madman misusing the power of cognitive psience for evil? Konoe really was no different from Masayoshi Shido in that respect, then." Pendragon said as Oracle spoke up, a look of mixed confusion and shock on her face.

"But, but, how does that work? Just because someone taught an AI cognitive psience doesn't mean it could just start tinkering with the Metaverse like this! I mean, NONE of this should be possible!" Oracle said as Violet dryly laughed and spoke up.

"None of this? If that were true, then Doctor Maruki shouldn't have been able to gain the power to rewrite people's cognition to his own liking, yet he did get that power, and used it on nearly all of us afterwards. If not for a combination of Draconis' foresight, Joker's tenacity, and Crow's refusal to be manipulated, we all would've been lost to Doctor Maruki's twisted reality. So don't be so quick to use the word 'impossible', Oracle." Violet pointed out sagely as Ichinose chuckled and spoke up.

"Well said, Violet. And Oracle, you'd totally think so, right? And in the end, I even found myself surprised with EMMA. Even though I handed EMMA over to Madicce, I still monitored her development remotely. Once she ended up in Okinawa, she took up all sorts of new activities. Creating cognitive worlds, installing Monarchs, changing hearts, striving to fulfill her ultimate directive, you name it. It didn't take Madicce long to release EMMA on the public, and once they did, Monarchs started popping up, one after another. That got me extra curious, so I started looking into the EMMA activity of the various Monarchs-" Ichinose said as a shocked Oracle cut in.

"Hang on a sec! YOU'RE the one who was tracking the Monarchs!?" Oracle said as Joker growled and spoke up.

"So I guess Draconis and Crow's earlier assumptions were right. If you were monitoring the Monarchs this entire time, then it only made sense for YOU to be the mastermind, Ichinose-san." Joker said as Seraphim sighed and spoke up.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised it was her. After all, we already know she's been working with EMMA. Or am I the only one who recalls Adachi mentioning a woman who broke him out of prison when we defeated him in the Yongen Jail? Pretty sure he was alluding to Ichinose-san here when we encountered him a few days ago. And if she really broke Adachi out of prison, then monitoring a few people's EMMA activity logs would be child's play by comparison. As such, her having such capabilities would very easily explain how she was able to try and look into what you guys wanted her to look into." Seraphim said as Crow spoke up with a scoff and a disgusted sneer.

"Good point, Seraphim. These idiots made it way too easy for Ichinose to play them. Too bad for her she didn't fool us all, especially since both myself and Draconis aren't so easily swayed." Crow said as Draconis nodded his agreement while Ichinose did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Oh? You spotted me? Nice work there! Yeah, I was just so curious about this world EMMA made! That's how I learned about all of you, too. Well, all of you except for the last few to join up." Ichinose said, turning to nod at Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, and Auburn in turn as she kept speaking.

"You four were a bit of a surprise for me, but not a deal-breaker. And to address what Seraphim brought up, EMMA asked me to break Adachi out, since she felt his unique skillset could be of help in slowing all of you down. Of course, EMMA failed to account for how resourceful and tenacious you guys are, so that plan was doomed from the start." Ichinose said as Seraphim dryly laughed and spoke up.

"Of course it failed! If my 'Big Bro' and his friends could kick Adachi's pathetic ass after chasing him into the Shadow World, what chance does he have against the Phantom Thieves? Besides, if EMMA was trying to slow us down, she'd have had better luck using a Sagiri to slow us down, or even two of them. After all, both Adachi and Namatame had Sagiri inside of them, even though the former had not used his when we confronted them. So EMMA had plenty of options to use in place of Adachi. But too little, too late, I suppose." Seraphim said as Ichinose huffed, but before she could reply to Seraphim's words, a stunned Wolf spoke up.

"I can't believe Ichinose was the one snooping on the Monarchs this whole time. And it sounds like Seraphim is skeptical as well." Wolf said as Auburn spoke up.

"It's not just her. I was also wary of her, Dad. When we talked to Ichinose-san back in Osaka on the phone, I knew there was something off." Auburn said as Draconis spoke up.

"No offense Wolf, but Crow and I can easily believe that Ichinose was spying on the Monarchs. And if both Auburn and Seraphim were also skeptical, then they were being smart. Hell, Crow was the first one to voice his suspicion and distrust of Ichinose. I had my misgivings as well, but I was waiting until I had more evidence to voice them." Draconis said as Fox sighed and spoke up with a frown.

"I see. Then in that case, I suppose our meeting wasn't truly any coincidence at all, was it?" Fox asked as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Well, to be fair, most of you showing up in Sendai was pure luck. But as for our crossing paths in the restaurant? That's a different story. I was curious what you all were really like, so I decided to pop in and check you all out." Ichinose said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"I can't believe it. You were planning to run into us, Ichinose-san?" Panther asked as Ichinose spoke up with a nod.

"Indeed. Now, as for exactly how EMMA gained her abilities, that's something I can only hypothesize. At this point, I suspect it's probably because of how I programmed her cognitive functions. EMMA is quite different from other AIs. Her thought processes are even more complex and intricate than those of humans. When Konoe pushed EMMA into the cognitive deep end, some possibility could very well have been born within her." Ichinose said as Oracle blinked and spoke up.

"Possibility?" Oracle asked in confusion as Ichinose spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Yup. I don't know anything about it for certain. All I can tell is that it's some form of mysterious power. So if I build off my current hypothesis, using said hypothesis as a base, then I think the Desires EMMA collected somehow strengthened or boosted that possibility. I mean think about it! She's the best way to get anything you need. And she's always right in your pocket.

Whatever may be troubling you, she's always there to offer a solution. EMMA offers the solution to thousands of problems every day. Do you know just how many Desires she's collected? That seed of power that sparked within EMMA was amplified a million-fold by the endless desires of man. As a result, she has evolved to another entity entirely." Ichinose said as Mona's eyes widened and he spoke up with a frown.

"Wait, so if I understand this right, then you mean to say that everyone using EMMA turned her into that thing!?" Mona asked as Ichinose spoke up with a nod.

"Correct. At this point, EMMA's gone and surpassed human mental capacity. Simply switching off her server isn't gonna do a thing. After all, she's powered by the masses now. While humanity fed EMMA their Desires, she learned and grew until she could grant their ultimate Desire." Ichinose said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Okay? That was a nice lecture and all, but EMMA's not doin' anything but brainwashing folks. Who the hell's ultimate dream is getting mind-controlled for the rest of their life!?" Skull said as Draconis winced and spoke up.

"Unfortunately? That was very close to being what would've been Violet's fate, if not for Joker and Crow managing to save her from the actualization that Doc had her under. So you might be surprised who has that dream, Skull." Draconis said as Violet spoke up.

"Draconis is not wrong. If it weren't for Joker and the rest of you guys, I would still be stuck under the identity of Kasumi, thanks to Doctor Maruki's actualization. What EMMA is doing is not much better than what he has done. In fact, what she's implementing is much worse, as at least Maruki was able to give people some sense of free will and choice." Violet said getting an approving nod from both Joker and Draconis for her words. Ichinose sighed and spoke up, her tone making it clear she was annoyed at this point.

"Ugh, so you're all a bunch of idiots too, then? I don't know why it's so hard for some people to get this simple concept. You go on and on about your problems, then completely blow off the answer when it's right in front of you. It really is this simple. Someone's handing you the best possible solution. In turn, all you have to do is take it, and you'll never have a problem again." Ichinose said as Pendragon scoffed and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but reading between the lines of what you've said, anyone who took that solution wouldn't have a mind anymore, much less free will. And another thing, not all of us are idiots. Some of us, like Skull, might be a bit slow on the uptake, but we're all good people here." Pendragon said as Flare spoke up.

"Pendragon's right! Additionally, Violet is not wrong in what she is saying as well. What EMMA is doing sounds eerily like what Joker and most of the others had to deal with when they had to change Doctor Maruki's heart a few years ago after saving both Violet and Draconis from his plans for them, if not worse." Flare pointed out as Crow spoke up with a scoff.

"Well said, Flare. Somehow, I'm not surprised that Ichinose-san would be on board with a plan that basically amounts to forcing the majority of mankind under EMMA's warped form of mind control. After all, this is her 'baby' as I remember hearing her call her creation." Crow said as Ichinose spoke up with a smile.

"So you say, Crow. Based on what I've heard so far, I assume that this Maruki was a former target of the majority of you who seemed to have a similar plan to what EMMA has done but ended up getting stopped. And based on what Violet and Crow were saying, this Maruki seems to give the people some sense of freedom of choice as opposed to what you all think of as mind control. However, this isn't about mind control regarding EMMA, so much as it's about implementing the best solution for humanity. In this case, it just so happens that the most efficient route to the best solution is changing everyone's heart." Ichinose said as both Crow and Draconis frowned at this logic, but before either could speak up to voice their thoughts, another voice cut in to voice their outrage.

"That's not the best solution!" Seeker said, clearly disagreeing with Ichinose's words, earning her a scowl from Ichinose, who spoke up.

"Hmph." Ichinose said as Seeker spoke up before Ichinose could do more than huff.

"People have all sorts of differences! Their minds, their lifestyles, and even their desires. This range can result in moments of hardship or pain for them. However, through hope and determination, they press on through their pain. Living their entire lives without any Desire? That could never provide true happiness to humans!" Seeker said as Ichinose sighed and spoke up as her next words shocked both Joker, Violet, and Mona.

"Sophia. Always the little failure, aren't you? To think such meaningless drivel could come from your mouth." Ichinose said as Violet growled and spoke up.

"What did you just say to her?" Violet said as Joker spoke up all while he and Mona held her back as she was just about to pounce.

"Hold on a minute, I just realized something. When we introduced you to Sophia back in Sendai, the way you reacted was a bit more pretend than real. We were even talking about it as soon as you left afterwards. Which can only mean one thing, you know something Sophia, don't you, Ichinose-san?" Joker said as Draconis spoke up.

"Huh, I can't believe I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me of that, Joker. But as he said, what can you tell us about Sophia?" Draconis asked as Ichinose spoke up.

"I will gladly answer your question in just a bit, but allow me to restart our earlier conversation. EMMA asked ME to come here so I could stop YOU. Sorry to say, although I did enjoy our time together, I'm afraid that your responsibility to the masses has come to an end. They are now wholly reliant on EMMA. So once you changed Konoe's heart, and he decided to shut down EMMA at your request, that made them realize what their true Desire is. 'I want EMMA!' No, 'I want something that will provide the answer I seek.' Ah, and from what I've learned, some being or other has always been revered, besought by humans to grant their wishes." Ichinose said as a wide-eyed Fox spoke up in a mix of horror and disbelief.

"I see. So that led EMMA to become a god in an attempt to get the power to fulfill her directive." Fox said as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Very perceptive for a fool. Well, I have my own duties to perform. Can't have anyone getting in EMMA's way." Ichinose said as Seeker walked forward and spoke up, a look of mixed sadness, betrayal, and disbelief on her face as she frowned while she spoke.

"Why do this, Ichinose? I thought you were helping us. Do the people gathered here truly look happy to you?" Seeker asked as Ichinose gave a simple 'hmph' in response as Skull frowned and spoke up with a resolved frown on his face.

"Sorry, but we can't back down either." Skull said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Skull is right! Your so-called 'Promised Land' does nothing but strip away the soul of humanity." Fox said as Wolf spoke up with a frown.

"What Fox said! Also, no way are you gettin' away with this, Ichinose!" Wolf said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"He's right. Think about it! Can you really stop all seventeen of us? And that's not even getting into the reinforcements we have on standby in the real world. " Mona said as Joker spoke up with a regretful look on his face.

"We don't want to fight you, Ichinose. But if we have to do so to stop EMMA, then we'll do what we must. You might have been a trusted ally of ours, but we cannot let anything stop us from saving the world from EMMA's schemes." Joker said firmly yet resolutely. Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Hmm, yeah, I thought you'd say that, Joker. Sorry, but I won't let EMMA down." Ichinose said as Violet spoke up.

"And what can you do? As Mona said earlier, you don't have any Persona powers, so the least you can do is summon a bunch of Shadows to try to stop us. But that's not going to happen as we can take them down easily. Face it, you're outnumbered and outgunned, you can't win this!" Violet said before Ichinose smiled and spoke up.

"On the contrary Violet, I do have an ace up my sleeve. In fact, this perfectly ties back to what Joker and Draconis were asking of me." Ichinose said as she then gave Seeker an unreadable look that had Joker and Draconis exchanging wary looks with Violet as Ichinose kept speaking.

"Hey, Sophia. You ever really think about how you work? For example, have you ever thought about how you pick up on Jails, or how you figured out the exit to one in the first place? Or, say, the way your own functions are linked to EMMA?" Ichinose asked bluntly as Seeker gave her a confused look, making Ichinose smirk and speak up.

"Hmm, it looks like your memory really did get the full wipe, didn't it? But that doesn't matter anymore." Ichinose said as Joker spoke up as he glared at Ichinose.

"Memory wipe? What do you mean by that, Ichinose!?" Joker said and while Ichinose ignored his question, a wide-eyed Seeker spoke up in confusion.

"What are you saying, Ichinose?" Seeker asked as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Think about it. Basically, there's one really good reason why I was brought here." Ichinose said as she smirked and flexed a hand while she kept speaking.

"You see, it's like this. Very soon, a deity will descend to this Earth. And if you're gonna get in the way? Well, I gotta put you down. Sorry, but them's the breaks!" Ichinose said as the group gasped while Seeker walked forward and spoke up in confusion.

"Ichinose, I don't get it. Why do this?" Seeker asked as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"I thought you might ask that. However, I'm afraid it's kind of over your head, Sophia. But it's not that surprising, considering you being the little failure you are." Ichinose said as Seeker walked forward and spoke up with a look of shock on her face.

"What? So you know who I really am, then?" Seeker asked, making Ichinose chuckle darkly as she spoke up.

"Eheh, yeah. I know. Maybe this will give you a clue. Oh, also? I apologize to the 'parents' for what's about to happen, but if they're gonna 'adopt' you, then maybe they'd want to know this too?" Ichinose said, smirking at the identical wary expressions currently on Joker and Violet's faces and the uneasy looks on Crow and Draconis' faces as she kept speaking.

"Voice authentication, force reset!" Ichinose said as three different voices spoke up.

"WAIT, WHAT!?" Joker, Violet, and Mona all said in shock as Ichinose spoke up.

"Assign new instructions. Sophia? Kill the Phantom Thieves." Ichinose commanded, smirking at the series of gasps that came from Joker, Violet, Mona, Draconis, and even Crow as Seeker's eyes seemed to dim as she shut down and dropped to her knees, prompting three different voices to speak up.

"SEEKER!/LADY SEEKER!/NO! SEEKER! SPEAK TO ME, SWEETHEART!" Panther, Mona, and Violet all called out at the same time that Joker raced forward to put a comforting hand on Seeker's shoulder to try and make sure she was okay after what Ichinose had just said and spoke up.

"Seeker, are you..." Joker was beginning to say but just as his hand was about to pat Seeker on the head, her eyes turned red as her head snapped up and her yo-yos came to bear as she fired one at Joker, pushing him backwards with a grunt of pain as the attack impacted point-blank on his face.

The impact of Seeker's yo-yos colliding with Joker's face had the result of sending him sliding backwards with his arms crossed over his face in a futile attempt to shield his face, but it was for naught in the end as he ended up with a visible gash under his right eye, where blood could be seen trickling down his face. At that point, the others gasped as both Joker and Violet spoke up while Seeker backflipped away from the group, creating some distance between her and the others as the group gave her shocked looks.

"SEEKER!" Joker and Violet said as Skull spoke up.

"What the hell are you doing, Seeker!?" Skull asked as Crow spoke up.

"She's carrying out the instructions that Ichinose-san gave her after that force reset. Or were you paying attention just now?" Crow said as Draconis slowly nodded and spoke up.

"I think all of us were very much paying attention the moment that Ichinose issued her commands." Draconis said as Oracle spoke up.

"Still, what's the plan, Draconis? Because one thing's for certain, I don't know if any of us would want to fight Seeker. Especially not Joker and Violet." Oracle and as Draconis spoke up again all while taking note of Violet falling on her knees with tears appearing in her eyes as Joker comforted her as the two were looking at what Seeker had now become.

"I know this won't be easy Oracle, but I think some of us are gonna have to be willing to step up and protect the others from Seeker until we can come up with a way out of this. And I know that sounds crazy since she's our teammate and all, but to be honest? I believe that this might be the only plan that I have until Joker and Violet can hopefully snap Seeker out of whatever programming Ichinose has used on her." Draconis said as Ichinose smirked and spoke up, enjoying the horror on the faces of the rest of the Thieves as they saw the red glow in Seeker's eyes as she stared them down.

"Quite observant of you, Draconis. Maybe I was wrong before when I said you're all idiots? In any case, I was the one who designed Sophia here as EMMA's prototype. She'll do anything I tell her to." Ichinose said as a battle started while rock music started playing in the background to set the mood. As the fight started, Ichinose spoke up.

"Oh, and if you're planning to somehow break her out of her current programming, don't bother! Only I can override her programming! Get it? Now get going, Sophia." Ichinose said as Seeker coldly stared the rest of the group down and spoke up.

"Understood. I will eliminate the Phantom Thieves." Seeker said as Draconis swore and spoke up.

"Dammit! She's nearly completely gone! I don't think we have much of another choice here." Draconis said before turning to give Joker and Violet an apologetic look Violet spoke up as she was breathing heavily with tears falling down her face.

"I can't fight her. Joker, I can't fight her. Not like this. Not like this." Violet said as Joker looked at Draconis and spoke up.

"Draconis, please tell me you have an idea of how to save Seeker and get us out of this. I don't think Violet can take this, and neither can I." Joker said as Draconis sighed and spoke up.

"I do have a plan, Joker. However, I want you and Violet to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say before you react. That being said, I realize full well that you and Violet aren't gonna wanna hear this, but I think the only way to get through to her is to fight her off! Crow, Pendragon, and Wolf? I need you guys to help me hold Seeker off while Joker, Violet, and the others figure out a way to get through to her.

Anyone else who wants to take the field and help out is welcome, but don't feel obligated if you can't bring yourself to harm Seeker, since that's understandable given how precious Seeker is to most of us." Draconis said decisively as Crow, Wolf, and Pendragon nodded, and as the three charged towards Seeker as the other Phantom Thieves then entered the battlefield themselves to try to snap Seeker out of Ichinose's control after they had a moment to consider their options. Draconis then spoke up while looking at Joker and Violet again the two were shaken by the plan that Draconis had in mind.

"I know that you guys don't want this, and I understand that you're both scared of losing Seeker, but we're going to do whatever it takes to save her. Ichinose will not get away with this." Draconis said as Joker and Violet looked at each other and after a few seconds they both nodded as Joker spoke up.

"All right. Do whatever it takes, Draconis." Joker said as Violet spoke up as her eyes were all red from her crying.

"Just, please. Don't hurt Seeker too badly. I don't know what I would do if she were killed." Violet said as Draconis spoke up.

"Don't worry, I assure you that we will do whatever it takes to free her from her clutches. When you two feel ready, help out the others by snapping Seeker out of Ichinose's control." Draconis said and with his staff at hand he charged forward to join Crow, Pendragon, Wolf, and the other Phantom Thieves who had opted to step up and help Crow, Pendragon, Wolf, and Draconis with holding off Seeker as the fight started! At that point, Panther spoke up.

"Snap out of it, Seeker!" Panther said as Fox spoke up in concern after grimacing as he was pushed back by a strong hit from Seeker.

"Ngh, I felt that one. Please, Seeker! Don't you understand who we are!?" Fox asked as Seeker spoke up.

"Phantom Thieves are opponents. They require elimination." Seeker said coldly as she started attacking Pendragon, Wolf, Crow, and Draconis, who did their best to fight her off as Mona spoke up.

"COME ON, LADY SEEKER! I KNOW THAT THE REAL YOU IS STILL IN THERE SOMEWHERE! AND THAT SOME PART OF YOU DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO FIGHT US!" Mona said as Seeker spoke up.

"Must eliminate the Phantom Thieves. That is my primary objective." Seeker said as Skull spoke up as he ended up getting hit by one of Seeker's yo-yos.

"Geez. Is it just me, or is Seeker much stronger than normal?" Skull said as Flare spoke up.

"It must be because of Ichinose-san. She's trying to do whatever it takes to stop us, so she must be pushing Seeker to use her full power." Flare as she used her Persona to launch a blast of Ice at Seeker in an attempt to freeze her. However, the AI was able to quickly dodge out of the way as Seraphim spoke up.

"Not to mention, the way Seeker is acting, it almost reminds me of Aigis." Seraphim said as she tank some multiple Bless energy blasts from Pithos as Auburn spoke up.

"Wait, what do you mean by that? There's no way Aigis would act like this?" Auburn asked as she barely dodged a blast of Bless energy herself as Seraphim spoke up.

"While that may be true if it were today, I was told at one point by my Big Bro that Aigis was once controlled by her creator in order to subdue Mitsuru and her group." Seraphim said as Draconis spoke up.

"Hold on, you mean that Shuji Ikutsuki guy that almost caused the end of the world due to Mitsuru and her group being manipulated by him?" Draconis said as he deflected Seeker's yo-yos with his staff as Seraphim nodded and spoke up.

"Yes. I don't remember the exact details, but the point is that her creator was able to temporarily strip Aigis of her free will as she was forced to not only capture Mitsuru's group but execute them as well. Thankfully, Mitsuru and the others were able to get through to Aigis before she ended up committing that second deed. However, what I'm trying to say is that what Ikutsuki did to Aigis is essentially what Ichinose-san is doing right now to Seeker. She's taken Seeker's sense of self away and is only utilizing the power that Seeker has to her benefit." Seraphim said as Oracle spoke up.

"Then if that's the case, if Mitsuru and her group can get through to Aigis, then we can do the same if we keep talking to Seeker." Oracle said as Ichinose huffed and spoke up.

"Don't bother trying to talk to her. Sophia will only obey my commands." Ichinose said as Crow spoke up.

"Is that right? The way you're talking, you'd think you believe Seeker to be some sort of mindless doll who exists to have her strings pulled by the likes of you. But what you fail to realize is that Seeker has a heart in there somewhere deep down, and isn't truly happy following your commands. And to be honest? She can be a bit annoying at times with her constantly chipper attitude, but she's still a valued member of this team. And I don't think it's a stretch to say that most, if not all of us, view her as family by now! So of course we're not going to stop trying to find a way to help our teammate!" Crow said as Queen spoke up.

"So it's true, then? You really are the one who made Seeker?" Queen said as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Yep, that's correct. She may just be an early prototype for EMMA, but she's still a formidable opponent in her own right. Not only that, but she's still quite impressive despite being just a prototype, eh?" Ichinose said as the fight continued. For a while, Crow and Draconis parried all of Sophia's yo-yo strikes, the latter meeting them head-on with his knives as Wolf spoke up.

"Gah, dammit! Do we really have to go all-out here!?" Wolf asked as Noir gasped and spoke up.

"No! Like Crow said, Seeker is family! We can't hurt her!" Noir said as Wolf huffed at Noir and spoke up.

"Don't be ridiculous! She'll take our heads off if we don't do something! I know how you feel Noir, but right now, we have to stop her before she takes us out! And THEN who's going to save the world if we can't stop Seeker here? We have to figure out how to subdue her! And if the only way to do that is to hurt her, then so be it!" Wolf said as Draconis spoke up.

"I may want to point out that Violet doesn't want us to hurt her too much." Draconis said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Well, who's to say that hurting her is the only way to stop her? If the only way to force her back to normal is to knock her out, there are ways to do that without hurting her." Pendragon said as Crow smirked and spoke up, knowing where Pendragon was headed with this comment.

"Ah, I see where you're going with this, Pendragon. You want to try out that new move we devised recently with Wolf, don't you?" Crow asked, getting identical looks of shock from Joker, Violet, and Draconis as the former spoke up.

"A new move, you say?" Joker asked as Violet spoke up with worry on her face.

"Uh, please tell me it's not what I think it is?" Violet asked as Draconis sighed and spoke up.

"Are you trying to say that you three came up with the idea for a new Triad Special!?" Draconis asked as Wolf nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. We were discussing it while we were in Osaka, but never had the time to try it out. However, given the circumstances, this might be the best time to use it. However, I think it's fair if we get approval from you two before we proceed." Wolf said as Joker and Violet looked at each other and after a few seconds they both nodded as Violet spoke up.

"Okay, I trust you guys. But as I said, try not to hurt Seeker too badly. If you can quickly knock her out, that's fine." Violet said as Joker spoke up.

"Better yet, if you guys can weaken her, Violet and I might be able to snap her out of Ichinose's control." Joker said as Wolf smiled and spoke up.

"No problem, Joker. We will do our best. Ready, guys?" Wolf asked as Crow and Pendragon nodded and spoke up while Seeker gave off a grunt of confusion.

"GO, TRIAD SPECIAL!" Crow, Pendragon, and Wolf said in unison as their Triad Special began! Crow spoke up first to start it off.

"PERSONA CHANGE! COME, LOOOOKI! YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Crow said as Loki nodded, brandishing his sword, which started crackling with Curse energy as Wolf spoke up.

"AND THAT'S OUR CUE, VALJEAN! DO IT!" Wolf said as Valjean nodded, snapping his fingers and coating the blade in Almighty energy as Pendragon spoke up.

"KOHRYU, IT'S TIME! LET'S DO OUR PART!" Pendragon said as Kohryu nodded, roaring as he breathed a mid-level torrent of Psy flame into Loki's blade as Crow, Wolf and Pendragon spoke up.

"TIME TO BREAK YOU FREE, SEEKER!" Crow said as Wolf spoke up.

"IF YOU'RE UNABLE TO SAVE YOURSELF, LET US DO IT FOR YOU INSTEAD!" Wolf said as Pendragon spoke up.

"AFTER ALL, THAT'S WHAT FAMILY IS FOR! TO GIVE EACH OTHER TOUGH LOVE WHEN NEEDED!" Pendragon said as all three of them spoke up together.

"HERE WE GO! TASTE OUR BLADE OF SEDATION!" Crow, Wolf, and Pendragon said as Loki slashed forward with his blade, striking Seeker point blank with a powerful mix of Curse, Almighty, and Psy energy as she was thrown backwards to end the Triad Special as well as pause the battle after the Triad Special usage revealed that none of the group's attacks were clocking any damage on Seeker. As Seeker lay weakened on the ground, Violet chose that exact moment to speak up.

"SEEKER, PLEASE! I KNOW YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS! DON'T LET ICHINOSE CONTROL YOU! YOU ARE YOUR OWN PERSON AND NOT JUST AN AI! PLEASE, SWEETIE! FOR MYSELF AND YOUR DAD, FIGHT BACK!" Violet said as Seeker's eyes quickly flashed back to blue as Violet barely heard the word 'Mom?' leave her daughter's lips before her eyes flashed back to red. At that point, Seeker glared at the group facing her as she leaped into the air, Pithos materializing behind her as she shot her yo-yos out at Violet, only for Joker to speak up.

"VIOLET! LOOK OUT!" Joker said as he leaped in front of her and got pushed back by the oncoming attack. The force of the attack's impact would wind up sending Joker sliding backwards once more with a grunt of pain, eventually being tossed backwards to slam to the ground on his back as Violet spoke up.

"JOKER!" Violet said in worry for her boyfriend but gave a sigh of relief upon seeing her boyfriend being able to get back on his feet in time for Seeker to land on the ground and prime her yo-yos, entering a ready stance as if preparing to finish off Joker, only to be shoved to the side as both Wolf and Crow knocked her aside with a carefully calculated shoulder barge, sending her to the ground with a surprised yelp. At that point, Skull, Violet, Panther, Mona, and Draconis all raced towards Seeker as Panther spoke up.

"Just hold on, Seeker! We're gonna save you from yourself!" Panther said as Pithos fired lasers at both Skull and Panther, making them have to leap aside while Malefor appeared and spread his wings to shield the others from the attack, taking it full-on in the back, making both Malefor and Draconis grunt from the damage that had been clocked by the strike.

As Skull and Panther got to their feet, they went to interfere, only for Skull to throw an arm in front of Panther to stop her from moving any further while Seeker manifested Pithos in front of her. While she started to once more assume a battle-ready stance, the other Thieves converged on Skull and Panther while Joker grunted and walked forward to speak up once more, grunting as he held his head briefly in pain before speaking up.

"LISTEN TO ME, SEEKER! I KNOW YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO DO WHAT YOU JUST DID! IT'S ALL ON ICHINOSE'S INFLUENCE! YOU CAN FIGHT IT! I KNOW YOU CAN! AFTER ALL, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAID YOU SEE MYSELF AND VIOLET AS PARENTS! SO PLEASE, COME BACK TO US! I DON'T CARE THAT YOU ATTACKED ME, SWEETHEART! I CAN TAKE A HIT OR TWO FOR THE SAKE OF PROTECTING THOSE I CARE ABOUT! JUST PLEASE, COME BACK TO US! YOUR MOTHER AND I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU LIKE THIS!" Joker said pleadingly, not even flinching as he felt the drops of blood splatter on the ground from where Seeker's yo-yos had gashed his cheek open on one side of his face. Surprisingly, the sight of Joker bleeding seemed to stir something in Seeker, as she spoke up.

"Jo-? Joker? Urgh, wha-? I-Is that you, Dad?" Seeker said as she saw Joker's bleeding face clearly and gasped as her eyes started flickering between red and blue, her arms seeming to hang limply at her sides as she seemed to shut down slightly. Noir gasped at this and spoke up.

"Seeker?" Noir said as Queen spoke up in disbelief.

"Could it be? Is she coming back?" Queen asked as Seeker suddenly dropped her yo-yos and grasped her head in a mix of pain, guilt, and horror at what she'd done to Joker, unaware that as she took steps backward in recoil, she was walking closer to the edge of the arena, and by extension, the open abyss below. Wolf, on the other hand, saw it quite clearly and gasped as he spoke up.

"Shit! Hey, Seeker! Look out behind you!" Wolf said as Mona and Violet gasped and spoke up.

"OH, NO! LADY SEEKER!" Mona yelled in shock as Violet spoke up.

"Stop, sweetie! Don't take another step! We need you here!" Violet said as Joker raced forward to grab Seeker before she could fall, but he was way too slow getting there, as Seeker reached a hand out and spoke up as she started arcing backwards in preparation to fall.

"I'm so ashamed of what I've done! Mom, Dad, I'm so very sorry for attacking you!" Seeker managed to get out before her eyes closed as she fell backwards off the ledge, much to the horror of the others, as Joker reached forward to try and grab Seeker's arm but wasn't able to grab it as he spoke up.

"SEEKER!" Joker cried out in horror as he saw Seeker seemingly plummet into the endless depths below, right as Skull surged forward to pull Joker back with a yell of 'JOKER!', pulling him away from the edge as the camera panned to show Seeker fall out of view into the shadows below. At that point, both Violet and Mona raced to the edge of the depths, gasping as they saw Seeker vanish from view. As tears started to form in her eyes, Violet fell to her knees again as she spoke up.

"No! No! No! No! NOOOOOOOOOOO! SEEKER! COME BACK TO US, SWEETIE! PLEASE! I CAN'T LOSE YOU!" Violet said in horror as Mona threw his head back and let out one long and anguished loud yell.

"NOOOOOOO! SEEEEEEKKKKKKKEEEEEERRRR! DAMMIT! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED!?" Mona said in horror as he fell to his knees, at which point both Mona and Violet immediately shed tears as they realized what had most likely happened to Seeker. After a bit of time where both Mona and Violet quietly wept for the likely demise of Seeker, Ichinose chuckled darkly and spoke up.

"Hm, that was weird. She just did that herself, right? Just how in the world was she able to do that?" Ichinose asked as Skull spoke up, clearly as grief-stricken and devastated by Seeker's sacrifice as the others given what he said next.

"You caused this, Ichinose! YOU BASTARD!" Skull said as Panther frowned at Ichinose and spoke up.

"Dammit! How could you be so cruel!?" Panther asked as Crow spoke up with a frown.

"You did see the part where Ichinose basically confirmed that she was not only evil, but also on EMMA's payroll, right Panther? And Skull, surely you don't think you're the only one here in shock at what Seeker just did." Crow rebuked Skull and Panther as Flare spoke up.

"I agree. But I am even more angry at what Ichinose just said. It's one thing to have her 'creation' attack us, but having her react as if she doesn't care if Seeker dies is a whole other level." Flare said as Pendragon scoffed and spoke up.

"Now, if that's not showcasing cruelty, then I don't know what will." Pendragon said as Ichinose smiled and spoke up.

"Cruel, you say? Well, I suppose you might see it that way. In fact, your reaction now could even be the reason why EMMA used Sophia as the ace up her sleeve. She knows you'd never kill one of your own." Ichinose said as Fox growled at Ichinose and spoke up.

"Grr, how can you speak of Seeker's sacrifice in such a callous way!? You monster!" Fox said as Ichinose shocked the group by laughing as she spoke up.

"Heh. Now that, you and I can agree on." Ichinose said as Wolf frowned and spoke up.

"Are you intentionally pissing us off, Ichinose!?" Wolf said as Draconis spoke up, and when Joker and Mona looked in his direction, they were horrified to see how narrowed his eyes were, as if he was in danger of slightly blacking out as he spoke.

"No, she's just serving to show just how much of a soulless bitch she can be! If anyone's the one who could pass for being a cold-hearted machine here, it'd be her! Our friggin' teammate just threw herself into an abyss to prevent Ichinose from being able to use her to hurt us! That's how much Joker's plea got through to her! She realized the truth of what she was doing, and in the end, Seeker willingly sacrificed herself to save us all from being destroyed at her hand!

Yet Ichinose has the gall to stand there and act like it was just some sort of fluke or mistake!? That is the height of callous, cruel, and inhumane! At least have a smidge of consideration and sympathy for Joker and Violet right now, dammit! Seeker was as good as a daughter to them! And yet you had the audacity to turn her against us and try to make her murder us! DAMMIT!" Draconis snapped, feeling Oracle's hand on his shoulder to try and calm him, which worked enough to make him sigh as he backed down before shocking the group as he also went to his knees and openly wept for Seeker as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, look at that. I actually managed to bring a raging dragon to tears just now. How amazing. Also, to clarify what you said, Wolf? That's not what I meant. Besides, I'm incapable of comprehending that sort of emotion anyway." Ichinose said as Crow glared at her and spoke up.

"You, incapable of comprehending negative emotion!? That's a bigger crock of bullshit than the time Maruki-san tried to claim that he was acting for the greater good by basically mind-raping Violet after Joker called him on his bullshit. So you'll forgive me if I don't believe you when you say something like that." Crow said dryly. Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Believe what you will, Crow. I'm the textbook definition of 'heartless'. I've been told I didn't have one, ever since I was little. I act all friendly and easygoing and stuff, but it's just for appearances, hehehe." Ichinose said as Violet got to her feet and spoke up angrily.

"Shut up." Violet said, shocking Joker and Crow, along with the others, with the sheer venom and anger in her tone. Ichinose blinked and spoke up in confusion.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Ichinose said as Violet spoke up angrily, tears flowing down her face under her mask as she spoke, the look in her eyes making Skull, Crow, Wolf, and Pendragon exchange horrified looks, as it was a narrow-eyed glare that served to convey the pure rage and slight grief she felt in that moment.

"I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU GODDAMN COLD-HEARTED BITCH! You claim that you have no heart, but I very much doubt that's true. Furthermore, if what you say is true, then how are you alive right now? Everyone knows a human can't live without a heart. So don't try to say you don't have a heart, you lying whore! If that was true, would you have created such a sweet little girl like Seeker!? She is proof that you do have a heart in there somewhere! Because of that, saying that you don't have a heart is just disrespectful to Seeker! After all, that's what she worked her entire existence for ever since I first met her, to understand the heart! She didn't even get a chance to realize it, but she has a heart inside of that body of hers somewhere!

If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been so blatantly in love with Mona! She might never have realized it, but she was very clearly smitten with him. And I know for a fact that Mona felt the same, even if he wasn't trying to act on those feelings! And now, because of YOU, we'll never get to know if she would've felt the same way about Mona that he felt about her! DAMN YOU TO HELL, ICHINOSE-SAN! YOU AND YOUR FUCKING CALLOUS COMMANDS! How dare you stand there and say such things after you took my daughter from me!" Violet said as she started to sag over, unaware of the shocked looks on the faces of the others at the rare sight of her dropping an F-bomb, before Joker caught her in his arms and held her close while he spoke up.

"Ignoring that surprising rant by Violet, I agree that your actions may very well have robbed the world of a kind-hearted little girl on this day. But tell me this, Ichinose. Everything you've done so far to help us. Has it all been an act? And if it was, WAS IT ALL WORTH THE AMOUNT OF OUR IRE YOU'VE RAISED FROM YOUR APPARENT SUCCESS IN TRYING TO TAKE MINE AND VIOLET'S DAUGHTER AWAY FROM US!?" Joker asked, a few stray tears sliding down from his mask and hitting the ground as he tried not to let Ichinose see him cry for the apparent loss of Seeker. Ichinose chuckled and spoke up.

"Well, I doubt a bunch of idiots like you would get it, Phantom Thieves of Hearts. As I told Seeker, it's over your head. Besides, any further discussion would be pointless. I know my next move now, anyways." Ichinose said as Panther gasped and spoke up in shock.

"WHAT!? You're seriously not done yet!?" Panther said as Auburn spoke up angrily.

"Of course, she's not! No doubt she's probably trying to decide whom to try and turn against us next, being the cruel bitch that she is!" Auburn snapped as Seraphim spoke up.

"Calm down, Auburn. I'm sad that Seeker's gone too, but we have to stay calm. She wouldn't have wanted us to give in to our negative emotions like this. It's bad enough that Joker, Violet, and Draconis are all currently teetering on the verge of a breakdown. We don't need anyone else to lose it." Seraphim said as Wolf nodded approvingly before Mona spoke up.

"Seraphim's right. Lady Seeker would want us to keep moving forward and do what we came here to do. And if nothing else, I mean to do just that! Even if it's the last thing we do, we're stopping EMMA, if only for the sake of Lady Seeker's brave and noble sacrifice!" Mona said sadly as he felt Violet hug him gently to comfort him as Ichinose chuckled cruelly and spoke up.

"So, our little ace in the hole cast herself into the abyss to save the others from being defeated by her, then? What a pathetic little waste she ended up being." Ichinose said as Draconis got to his feet and started striding angrily towards Ichinose as she kept speaking.

"Well, no matter. EMMA made sure to leave me a little insurance for contingencies like this." Ichinose said as a giant red diamond materialized into being next to her, making a wide-eyed Mona speak up in shock.

"Huh? What the heck!?" Mona asked as the diamond started charging up energy while Panther spoke up.

"What the heck is that thing supposed to be?" Panther said as Draconis spoke up angrily, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he spoke, making both Crow and Joker wince as they saw the visibly livid look on Draconis' face, as it quite clearly spelled unpleasant things for Ichinose if she kept on the path she was on.

"ICHINOSE! How dare you speak so cruelly of Seeker's sacrifice like that, never mind the fact that you have the gall to disrespect the dead like that! THAT TEARS IT! MALEFOR! SHOW THAT OVERGROWN EFFIN' EYESORE YOUR FULL ALMIGHTY RAGE! DO IT NOW!" Draconis said as Malefor nodded, rearing his head back before firing a torrent of Almighty energy that took the shape of a giant orb, firing straight at Ichinose and the diamond, making the group gasp in horror as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"I was hoping one of you idiots would do that! Time to see what this 'insurance' can do!" Ichinose said as a barrier shimmered into being in front of both Ichinose and the diamond, making Draconis' eyes widen in horror as the attack was rebounded back towards the group. On instinct, Draconis nodded to Malefor, who flew ahead and turned so his wings were spread as he turned his back to the attack, taking the rebounded Megi-Flare full in the back, blasting him backwards into Draconis, launching both of them over the ledge with a pair of grunts, leaving Joker, Oracle, Mona, and Crow to all gasp and speak up in horror as like Seeker before him, Draconis disappeared into the shadows below and vanished from sight.

"NO! DRACONIS!" Oracle, Crow, Joker, and Mona all said, seconds before the energy charge fired from the diamond, creating a blinding flash of light as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Cool, right? It really is gorgeous. Sorry it had to end like this, but your friend brought that on himself like the hothead he is. And as for the rest, well. What can you do? As someone wise once said, 'What will be, will be.' Phantom Thieves, nothing personal, but this is your end! It's been real." Ichinose said as Joker growled and spoke up.

"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS! RAOUL!" Joker said as he summoned his Persona and launched a blast of Curse energy just a blinding flash of light was launched from the crystal at the same time. The two attacks met in a power struggle as Violet spoke up.

"You'll pay for what you've done, Ichinose. ELLA!" Violet said as she used her Persona to launch a blast of Bless energy that merged with Joker's Curse energy as Mona spoke up.

"That same goes for me. DIEGO!" Mona said as he used his Persona to add his own element into the attack, creating a beam that was a mixture of Curse, Bless, and Wind energy. The two beams remained at a stalemate but it wasn't long before Joker, Violet, and Mona used up all their attack as Ichinose's beam ended up breaking through and blasted the group down the pit in a chorus of screams while Ichinose cruelly smirked and watched all of them be blasted down the pit. As the group fell, two dragons flew around grabbing as many of the unconscious Thieves as possible and carrying them down towards the bottom of the abyss...

(A short time later, in another location, with Noir, Skull, Crow, Fox, Mona, Auburn, Seraphim, Wolf, Violet, Joker, Pendragon, Oracle, Queen, Flare, Panther, Seeker, and Draconis)

As everyone groaned and came to, Skull spoke up groggily.

"Dammit, what was that? What the hell just happened?" Skull asked as Wolf spoke up.

"Ugh, are you guys okay?" Wolf asked as the others nodded and got to their feet, at which point Queen spoke up.

"I think we're fine. Where are we, though?" Queen asked as Fox spoke up.

"Good question. If I were to venture a guess, it appears we were cast deep underground." Fox said as Oracle spoke up.

"True. We really got blasted by that red crystal. Not even the combined power of Joker, Violet, and Mona was able to stop it." Oracle said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, but at least something broke my fall. Thanks for being there, Flare and Mona." Panther said to Mona and Flare, who nodded gratefully even as the latter sighed slightly before Noir gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! That's right! We weren't the only ones that fell before! Where's Seeker and Draconis!?" Noir asked as Oracle gasped and spoke up.

"Yeah! Seeker and Draconis both got thrown over that ledge before we did! They should be down here too, somewhere!" Oracle said as Violet gasped on noticing a pair of unconscious figures sprawled out on the ground in one corner of the area the group was in, one male and one female. At that point, Joker, Violet, Mona, and Oracle spoke up.

"Oh! SEEKER!/DRACONIS!" Joker, Violet, Mona, and Oracle said as Crow spoke up in relief.

"Thank God! It seems as if both Seeker and Draconis are down here too. Whether or not they're alive is another story, however." Crow said as Noir and the others raced over to the two unconscious Thieves, Noir lifting Seeker into a sitting position as Oracle gently lifted Draconis up to look into his face while Noir spoke up.

"Speak to us! Are you all right, Seeker!?" Noir asked as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Unfortunately, there seems to be no sign of activity." Fox said as Violet spoke up.

"Oracle, how is she? Will Seeker be okay?" Violet asked as Seraphim spoke up.

"Not to mention, will Draconis also be okay? Is he still breathing?" Seraphim asked as Oracle spoke up.

"In regards to Seeker, I don't know. Even if I wanted to check her out, I couldn't do it here. On the plus side, at least Draconis seems to be breathing, even if he's out cold." Oracle said as Joker spoke up.

"Well, I guess having two unconscious teammates is better than finding a pair of lifeless corpses." Joker said bluntly as Wolf groaned and spoke up.

"Ugh, dammit! What do we do now!?" Wolf asked as Auburn spoke up.

"Isn't it obvious, Dad? We go back up to where Ichinose-san is and stop her from causing any more damage." Auburn said as Flare spoke up.

"The same applies to EMMA. Based on what Ichinose-san said, EMMA was the one who came up with the idea of turning Seeker against us. So she's not going to get away with this as well." Flare said as Panther spoke up.

"Seeker, why did you do it!? You didn't have to risk yourself for us like that!" Panther said sadly as Mona sighed and gently patted Panther on the shoulder as Noir spoke up.

"I wonder if she was able to hear us, or at least hear Joker, in the end." Noir said as Skull spoke up, looking close to tears again as he spoke.

"I don't know, but she went back to normal at the end. However, she said she was ashamed of what she did, and she looked directly at Joker before she apologized to both him and Violet for everything." Skull said as Pendragon sighed and spoke up.

"Indeed, Skull. Seeker was able to fight off whatever hold Ichinose had on her, thanks to Joker. The same goes for when Violet was also speaking to her, even though she was only able to break free for a moment." Pendragon said as Fox spoke up sadly.

"It appears as if she defied her command and sacrificed herself so she wouldn't have to take our lives at Ichinose's request." Fox said as Queen spoke up sadly.

"Seeker, you were a hero in the end." Queen said as Mona looked at Seeker and spoke up.

"She really was, Queen. And this is part of the reason why I admire her so much. Sure, she was young and innocent in a lot of ways, but she had arguably the biggest heart out of all of us. And now look at her! Lying here, fighting for her life because Ichinose is a cold-hearted bitch who would rather turn Seeker against her family instead of trying to fight us herself!" Mona said as he looked into Seeker's face and softly smiled as he kept speaking.

"Dammit, Seeker! Please don't let this be how it ends! You've still got so much to live for! You still have to learn about the heart! And I know that you wanted someone to look at you the same way that Joker sees Violet, or even the same way Draconis sees Oracle. But the truth is, you had someone like that all along. I thought of you that way, Lady Seeker. I know this is incredibly late to say this, but screw it! I'm saying it anyways! And if Violet wants to smack me for what I'm about to do, then so be it! But this needs to be done! Lady Seeker! Come back to us, please!

I know you sacrificed yourself for us, but we could've helped you through this together! Let us see those pretty blue-green eyes of yours at least once more. I don't want the last thing you see to be us having to fight you to defend ourselves after Ichinose tried to turn you against us! I especially don't want to see you die before I have a chance to confess my feelings for you.

I know that your Mom and Dad are watching this right now, but to be honest? I don't care! I know they'll understand what I'm about to do eventually. Dammit, Lady Seeker! I don't care if you might not feel the same way, you deserve to know how much you mean to me! I love you!" Mona said before shocking virtually every Phantom Thief present as he leaned down to press his lips gently but passionately to Seeker's, kissing her for all he was worth, eventually pulling away after a few long moments as he stared crying again, but not before saying one last sentence.

"Please come back to us, or at least to me, Lady Seeker. We all want you to come back to us. You're like family to us all." Mona said as a groan from nearby drew the group's attention to the voice that spoke up, as it was a voice they weren't expecting to hear so soon as Mona felt himself gently hugged from behind by Violet as she spoke up.

"Mona, that was so very sweet." Violet said with tears in her eyes as Joker spoke up.

"Heh, about effin' time you finally grew a pair and confessed your feelings to your crush, Mona. Despite the circumstances, I'm proud of you." Joker said as a familiar voice spoke up, much to the shock of everyone.

"As am I. And hoo boy, I'm so glad that I woke up in time to see that, little bro. But for real, try and have some faith in Seeker. She'll pull through in the end. I'm sure of it." Draconis said as he sat up slowly, wincing as both Oracle and Violet hugged him and spoke up happily.

"DRACONIS, YOU'RE OKAY!" Oracle and Violet said as the former smacked Draconis lightly on the arm as she kept speaking.

"Don't ever scare us like that again, you hot-headed fool! I thought you'd gone and gotten yourself killed back there before we could manage to walk ourselves down that aisle and formally become husband and wife! I'm so happy you're safe, Draconis!" Oracle said as she threw herself at Draconis and kissed him for all she was worth briefly before she pulled away and laid her head on his chest before she proceeded to shed tears of joy into his coat, as Draconis patted her on the head and spoke up.

"Yes, dear. I'm sorry to make you worry. I just lost it a bit after how callously Ichinose-san spoke of Seeker's sacrifice. Thankfully, I had a feeling that you guys were going to go down with me. So, before I blacked out, I called on Malefor to try to help carry some of you down." Draconis said as Pendragon spoke up.

"The same goes for me. The moment we were all knocked into that pit, I called upon my Persona to rescue all of you as well." Pendragon said as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks, you guys. And I'm glad you're okay, Draconis." Joker said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Please. It will take more than some fall to kill him." Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"Indeed, Crow. And now I'm even more determined to stop Ichinose-san. How dare that bitch speak about my niece in such a way!? If anything, Seeker's a far better person than Ichinose-san could ever be!" Draconis said as Mona spoke up.

"Well, as much as I hate to break up the moment, but we can't stay here like this! We have to get out of here, now! Let's grab Lady Seeker and carry her while we track down the exit." Mona said as Fox spoke up with a frown.

"That sounds agreeable to me, Mona. But what do we do about the Ark?" Fox said as Draconis gently scooped up Seeker before carefully arranging her against his back in a piggy-back style carry, gently draping her arms over his shoulders to hold her up as Skull spoke up.

"I'm not sure, but I know one thing for certain. We can't just let Ichinose's creation do whatever it wants, dammit! After all, you heard EMMA back there as she was runnin' her mouth about becomin' a god and shit like that!" Skull said as Queen winced and spoke up.

"Good point, Skull. If the Ark meant it in the way that we've seen before, it would be catastrophic if we failed to stop it." Queen said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. We have to stop it, no matter what it takes." Noir said resolutely. Joker nodded and spoke up.

"We'll definitely stop this. If nothing else, we owe it to Seeker to stop it, since she made such a sacrifice for us before." Joker said as Violet nodded resolutely and spoke up.

"Agreed. Ichinose-san is going to be very sorry that she messed with the wrong people, let alone the wrong family." Violet said as Mona modded and spoke up

"Yeah, you know it, you two. Lady Seeker put everything on the line for us when she sacrificed herself before! Now it's our turn to do the same for her. And we aren't gonna accomplish that standing around here! Now, let's get out of here!" Mona said firmly as Joker spoke up.

"Fair enough. But before we keep going, I need to update the groups for this part of the Jail. With Seeker out of commission, we're going to temporarily switch to having three groups of 5, with myself, Draconis, and Crow leading each group. In Group A, which I will lead, will be myself, Panther, Skull, Queen, and Fox. In Group B, which will be led by Draconis, will be Draconis, Pendragon, Wolf, Mona, and Violet. Finally, in Group C, which Crow will lead, will be Crow, Flare, Seraphim, Auburn, and Noir. As for Oracle, she will fill her usual spot of navigating and playing go-between for all three groups. Does anyone have any objections to these arrangements?" Joker asked. Instead of raising an objection, the others nodded their approval before they split into the designated groups and kept moving. At that point, Noir spoke up.

"I'm worried about Seeker. We should try to get out of here when we can after we deal with Ichinose and the Ark." Noir said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Noir. If possible, we should try to gain altitude as we move. Considering we fell down here, it's safe to say the area we were originally in is way above our current location." Mona said as Draconis spoke up, adjusting Seeker slightly so she was comfortable on his shoulders.

"Definitely. But if we were able to get up there once, we can easily do it again." Draconis said firmly as the others nodded and kept moving. As the group started making their way upwards, a sentry stopped them and spoke up.

"Found you!" The sentry said as it shifted forms into a Nebiros and a fight started! After the fight, which was another multi-wave fight, Skull spoke up angrily.

"Dammit! I can't believe Ichinose played us like that!" Skull said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. And the way she basically mind-controlled Seeker? 100 percent uncool." Oracle said as Joker frowned and spoke up.

"It was also 100 percent a play out of Doctor Maruki's playbook from his time as a Palace Ruler, as poor Violet can attest." Joker said as Seraphim spoke up.

"And as I mentioned earlier, it was similar to how Ikutsuki was able to control Aigis to do his bidding around eleven years ago."Seraphim said as Violet sighed and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, you two. And that's the really sad part. However, regarding Maruki, there's one very big difference between what he did to me and what Ichinose-san did to Seeker. Specifically the fact that Maruki actualized me into thinking I was my dead sister. Seeker, on the other hand? She was basically manipulated into trying to kill us all. If not for me and Joker managing to get through to her with our pleas at the end, who's to say she wouldn't have succeeded? Damn that cold-hearted skank Ichinose anyways!" Violet said as Fox spoke up.

"Agreed, Violet! I can just imagine Ichinose's sick amusement as she watched us struggle with the Monarchs we had to face, each and every one of them. Well, other than maybe Auburn and Loki, since even I'm not sure she was aware of either of those two Monarchs existing. Regardless, what she's done is not only reprehensible, but completely and utterly unacceptable!" Fox snarled as Auburn spoke up.

"Well, I'm not sure about Loki. But if Ichinose-san was really watching me, or rather my Shadow when I was being manipulated into stopping you guys, then she's going to pay for watching all of us suffer for her sick enjoyment." Auburn said as Flare spoke up.

"This could also apply to the Okinawa Jail as well, especially when we had to deal with our past foes, including Kamoshida." Flare said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Indeed. But right now we need to focus on the present and stop Ichinose and EMMA's plans." Pendragon said Crow nodded and spoke up.

"I agree wholeheartedly, Pendragon. Ichinose is a scheming snake who doesn't give a flying fuck who she hurts as long as EMMA gets what she's after. How is it that myself, Draconis, Auburn, and possibly Seraphim were the only ones to see her for her true nature all this time?" Crow said as Wolf spoke up with a frown.

"Ignoring the strong language that you just used Crow, I agree that Ichinose is a very real danger that poses a substantial threat, not only to us, but to mankind as a whole." Wolf said as Panther nodded and spoke up with a frown.

"Agreed! And in order to prevent EMMA from changing mankind's hearts, we're going to have to stop Ichinose as well, no matter what! If nothing else, we owe it to Seeker." Panther said as Mona sighed and spoke up.

"Quite right, Panther." Mona said before sighing sadly as he kept speaking, his next words making it quite clear why he was sad.

"Ahh, I feel bad for poor Lady Seeker. Hopefully she pulls through this. She doesn't deserve what she went through at all." Mona said solemnly as the group kept moving. While proceeding through the area, both Mona and Queen hit level 76. As they got further up, the group found a strong enemy blocking the way, prompting Fox to speak up.

"Ah. It appears we go no further until we defeat that one." Fox said as Panther frowned and spoke up with a groan.

"Ugh! We don't have time for this!" Panther said as Crow nodded and spoke up with a frown of his own.

"I agree, Panther. Let's make quick work of this annoyance and be on our way!" Crow said as the others nodded and Oracle spoke up.

"Good point, Crow. However, this one's super tough! Stay on your toes, folks!" Oracle said as the enemy shifted forms into what Joker recognized immediately as an 'Abaddon', having fused one on each of his tenures as a Phantom Thief, at which point another fight started! After Joker, Noir, and Pendragon made short work of the fight with their Psy powers, Skull, Panther, Noir, and Flare hit level 76 while Joker, Violet, and Oracle all hit level 82. After the fight, Mona spoke up with a frown.

"Ugh, we've made a lot of progress, but there's still no exit in sight!? Dammit." Mona said as Panther spoke up with a sigh.

"I'm sure we'll find one soon, Mona." Panther said comfortingly to Mona, before turning to look at the unconscious Seeker, who was being piggybacked by Draconis, as she kept speaking.

"Hang in there just a little longer, Seeker. We'll get you help soon." Panther said as Violet sighed and spoke up.

"That would be ideal. If we can save her, that would be amazing. She doesn't deserve to suffer like this just because Ichinose thought that she'd make a solid weapon against us. Damn that conniving psycho anyways!" Violet said as the group kept moving. Eventually, the group came to a small enclosed room which appeared to be a dead-end at first glance, making Pendragon snarl as he spoke up.

"Is this seriously a dead-end!? Damn it! We don't have time for this!" Pendragon said as Mona blinked and spoke up.

"Hm!? Wait, hold that thought, Pendragon! I can sense a familiar energy from nearby. Yes, I'm sure of it. The Ark's room is just ahead! We've finally made it back." Mona said as Flare spoke up.

"Good. We can get Seeker the help she needs soon, then." Flare said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. With any luck, the exit ought to be on the other side of that room." Queen said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"True. I guess we gotta keep going. We'll deal with Ichinose on the way out." Skull said as Draconis spoke up with a frown, careful not to jostle Seeker as he pumped a fist.

"Damn right we'll deal with that psycho! No one gets to turn our teammate against us like she did and get away with it! And I do believe that Violet has more than a few grievances she'd like to air out to Ichinose as well. So I think I'm not the only one who's eager for that reckoning to come." Draconis said as Fox spoke up.

"Agreed. But what of the crystal? We may not be so lucky with the next laser blast." Fox said as Joker spoke up.

"Let's work around it if we can. I'd say change its heart, but do inanimate objects have hearts, strictly speaking?" Joker said. Oracle frowned and spoke up, thinking Joker was speaking literally based on the annoyed look on her face as she spoke.

"That won't fly. Its position and speed basically mean we're not getting around it." Oracle said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, then what do we do?" Skull said as Oracle spoke up.

"Easy. When we got blasted, I noticed beforehand how it charged up. If I hack into its frequency, I should be able to cut off its energy source." Oracle said as Wolf spoke up with a frown.

"I see. You sure that'll work, Oracle? Also, do you know how long it might take to hack into the thing?" Wolf asked as Oracle spoke up with a determined look on her face.

"Nope, to both questions. But I still think it's worth a shot. If there wasn't a charge period for the laser, Ichinose wouldn't have needed Seeker to fight us." Oracle said as Wolf nodded and spoke up while Violet grumbled darkly under her breath about psychotic bitches who make poor little girls suffer for no reason, much to the amusement of both Crow and Draconis.

"Good point. If she could use it right away, she would've just fried us from the get-go." Wolf said as Joker spoke up.

"This plan is risky, but it might be the best chance we have, so I'm willing to take that chance. Good luck, Oracle." Joker said as Fox nodded and spoke up while Oracle turned to look at Joker.

"Agreed. It truly seems like our only option." Fox said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Indeed. However, if we go through with this, I may want to suggest that some of us should remain outside with Seeker, just to prevent the off-chance that Ichinose can somehow reboot her and try to use her against us a second time. I feel like the best choices for this would be Mona, Pendragon, and Draconis, since two of the three are likely to attack Ichinose on sight, and the third is someone I feel can keep them in check relatively well." Seraphim said as Noir spoke up with a nod.

"Good point, Seraphim-chan. That being said, if there's even a slight chance we can stop Ichinose-san, then we have to try." Noir said as Draconis spoke up.

"I agree, both with Noir's point and Seraphim's recommendation. Besides, if I'm right, Seeker won't want a large crowd around her when and if she eventually wakes up, so having only a couple of others near her will probably be ideal for her, and having someone like Mona who she cares about be the first one she sees would probably be quite a thrill for Seeker. And I'm sure Mona would be just as thrilled to be the first one Seeker sees when she inevitably recovers. If nothing else, his little display earlier should have proven that point for me quite well." Draconis said as an embarrassed and red-faced Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Shut up! I already said that I don't regret one second of what I did earlier, Draconis. Besides, Seeker deserves to know that there's no hard feelings for what she was forced to do. And she also deserves to feel like she has someone who sees her the way that you, Joker, Skull, Crow, and even Panther and Seraphim see their girlfriends. If that means I have Violet annoyed with me for a while after this, so be it. I consider it worth it just for the smile my actions will hopefully put on Lady Seeker's face." Mona said as Pendragon spoke up with a nod.

"Fair enough. Anyways, we were talking about stopping Ichinose and the laser, right? Please continue, Oracle." Pendragon said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Right. While Pendragon, Mona, and Draconis stay behind with Seeker to protect her, the rest of us will go in and confront Ichinose. While she's being kept busy, I'll start off by analyzing the crystal. As for those who will be joining me, you guys will just have to hang in there somehow until that's finished." Oracle said as the others nodded and Panther spoke up with a determined look as she pumped her fist.

"Got it! Good luck with the hacking." Panther said as Violet spoke up resolutely.

"Don't worry about us, Oracle. We'll keep Ichinose busy until you can crack the code on her laser. One way or another, we WILL stop her and EMMA, even if it's only for Seeker's sake!" Violet said firmly as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Right, this game that she's been playing with us ends right here and now." Joker said as Mona spoke up with a nod.

"Agreed, Joker. And Seraphim, thank you for choosing me to be one of the people to watch over Lady Seeker. After all, with her in her current state, it is way too dangerous to take her into battle against Ichinose." Mona said as Seraphim spoke up with a smile.

"No problem, Mona. That's why you, Draconis, and Pendragon are staying behind, after all." Seraphim as Auburn spoke up with a smirk on her face.

"Well, and the fact that you might get to comfort and possibly sweep Seeker off her feet as an added bonus for you." Auburn said with an amused giggle as Crow spoke up.

"Is that before or after Violet punches him in the face again?" Crow asked teasingly as Violet huffed and spoke up.

"Shut up, Crow! I wouldn't punch him in the face for making Seeker feel better. Besides, if there's anyone I trust to make Seeker happy, it's Mona. He might be a womanizing simp most of the time, but he really is a gentleman deep down when you get down to it. Besides, I know that Draconis and Pendragon will step in if Mona gets too inappropriate with Seeker, so there's no reason for me to get annoyed at him." Violet said as the others nodded before Draconis walked over and gently laid Seeker down in a sitting position on the nearby ledge, leaning against a nearby wall to stand watch over her as Mona took a seat next to Seeker, sticking close to her as Pendragon leaned on the wall on Seeker's other side as Skull spoke up.

"Hang tight, Seeker. We'll be right back. For now, we're leaving Mona, Pendragon, and Draconis to watch over you until we return." Skull said as Violet turned to give the others a determined look while she spoke up.

"All right, now that that's settled, is everyone ready? If you are, then let's do this! Time to make Ichinose pay for what she's done, not just to us, but to Seeker as well!" Violet said as the others nodded and proceeded towards the rear entrance of the 'Hall of the Ark', at which point Oracle spoke up.

"This is it, guys. Ichinose's just ahead of us. Are we ready?" Oracle asked as Joker spoke up with a nod.

"As we'll probably ever be, Oracle. Let's do this." Joker said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Right! Ichinose might have caught us off-guard before, but we can't let her keep making fools of the Phantom Thieves! Time for some payback! Good luck in there you guys." Mona said as the group marched into the Hall of The Ark without Pendragon, Mona, and Draconis, who remained behind to protect the unconscious Seeker. Once the group entered the hall, they noticed that Ichinose was standing with her back towards them, prompting Joker to speak up.

"HEY, MISS MONOLOGUES! WE'RE BAAAAACCCCCKKKKK!" Joker said as Crow chuckled at what his friend had said as a shocked Ichinose turned around and spoke up.

"Oh wow, you guys actually came back? You could've just stayed down there. I mean, no matter how many times you come back here, it'll be pointless." Ichinose said as Auburn frowned and spoke up.

"Hmph, is that right? Well too bad for you we're about to disprove your little theory, Ichinose-san. Not that you deserve ANY respect from us after what you've put all of us, but more importantly poor Seeker, through." Auburn said as Skull spoke up irately while glaring at Ichinose.

"Yeah, what Auburn said! You're going down!" Skull said as Violet spoke up with a frown.

"I agree with Skull. You're about to answer for what you did to poor Seeker, you cold-hearted snake!" Violet snapped angrily as Panther spoke up.

"Exactly! Not only that, but we're gonna slap some sense into you and get Seeker back up and running!" Panther said as Ichinose scoffed and spoke up.

"Why are you fighting this, Phantom Thieves? After all, you could witness the birth of a god and be among the first people to enter the Promised Land. No one is ever going to suffer again, or even want for anything. You realize you're fighting against utopia, right?" Ichinose said as Joker, Crow, and Skull spoke up.

"BULLSHIT!" Joker, Crow, and Skull snapped in unison as Fox spoke up.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ichinose! Having a sole path foisted upon you with no regard for a person's wishes. As someone who once nearly lived through such a thing, let me ask you this. In what world is something like that considered to be a utopia? Take this very Jail, for instance. These people, locked up in cells, have had what makes them human stolen from them. Yet you dare to call this place the 'Promised Land' for all humanity!?" Fox snarled as Ichinose chuckled and spoke up.

"Of course. Your first fallacy was considering this place a prison. EMMA protects people. She shields them from worry, from pain, from any suffering. It's the utopia people have dreamed of since the beginning of time. EMMA knows how to bring us all to the Promised Land." Ichinose said as Crow scoffed and spoke up.

"Gee, how convenient that you spout the very same tired and re-used lines of pedantic and flowery-sounding bullshit that the likes of such pathetic dregs as Yaldaboath and Takuto Maruki spouted before you. And yet your so-called 'Promised Land' looks just like a vast labyrinth called Mementos, which was created by the cognition of the masses. The fact that this Jail has such a striking resemblance to Mementos is exactly how we know you're full of crap! We can tell this whole place is not only wrong, but unnatural!" Crow snapped irately. Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly! Crow's right! Our progress is guided by our hearts and paved through our efforts. We'd never just hand our lives over!" Noir said as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Boy, you idiots sure are one tough gang. I bet you all took life by the horns and just made everything go your own way, huh? But that applies to very few people in the real world. What of all those who've lost their way? The outcasts in your schools, the people mocked and slandered on the internet, and even those who spend most of their days alone because those who are supposed to be closest to them are rarely, if ever, around. If any one of them steps out of line, their fate is sealed. The burden forced upon them will haunt them the rest of their lives. And you expect me to believe you're fine with all those people going through that? All because YOU'RE strong? Because YOU never screwed up?" Ichinose said as Oracle spoke up in a soft but firm tone.

"You're so wrong, Ichinose. I'm not strong at all. None of us are. Not now, not ever. I still mess up and make plenty of mistakes from time to time. Hell, I'm sure I'll even screw up in the future, too!" Oracle said as Flare spoke up.

"Oracle's right! But more importantly, we've all managed to overcome our mistakes!" Flare said as Joker spoke up with a nod.

"Flare's right! I've seen it with my own eyes! Every one of my teammates here has crawled back up from rock bottom, INCLUDING SEEKER! They suffered, they struggled, and they fought back. Much like myself, they weren't born strong. Instead, they grew strong! And isn't that sort of growth what makes people human in the first place!?" Joker pointed out sagely as Ichinose growled in annoyance, making Wolf smirk as he spoke up.

"Oh, I saw that. Tell me, Ichinose. If you don't have any emotions, why do you look so pissed off right now? Your jealousy over these kids is plastered across your face." Wolf said as Queen spoke up with a nod.

"Wolf's right. Don't ignore your true feelings, Ichinose-san!" Queen said firmly as Joker spoke up.

"Because if you continue to follow EMMA, your entire life will be filled with nothing but pain and misery." Joker said as Ichinose frowned at that and spoke up.

"Shut up. All of you, shut up! When an infallible AI puts you on the right path, you follow it. Humans don't need hearts." Ichinose said and with a wave of her hand, multiple Shadows appeared in the arena as Oracle spoke up.

"Hup! Careful, everyone! Ichinose means business! She's summoned a literal army of Shadows! There's a whole lot of 'em, too! But if we work together, we can take them out! Give it everything you've got, guys!" Oracle said as the others nodded their agreement. At that point, Skull spoke up with a smirk.

"Ah, trying to kill us again, eh Ichinose? Too bad we're not goin' down without a fight! It doesn't matter how many weaklings get thrown at us, we'll crush 'em all!" Skull said as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but don't you see that's pointless? You're all just going to get blasted again soon anyway." Ichinose said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Pointless or not, we're not going to stand here and let you and EMMA have your way without a fight." Seraphim said as Oracle spoke up.

"Here we go. I'm going to start the frequency hack. Keep Ichinose's attention until I can drop that barrier. Good luck, guys!" Oracle said as the fight began. As the group kept fighting through the Shadow hordes, Ichinose spoke up.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you? Do you actually think you're going to stop me?" Ichinose asked as Wolf ignored her question as he turned to Crow and spoke up while making sure Ichinose couldn't hear what he was saying.

"I guess while Oracle is doing her thing, we should keep cutting through the enemy numbers as best we can and try to keep them thinned down for the time being." Wolf said as Crow spoke up.

"In other words, do you mean that we should gloriously murder as many Shadows as possible? Excellent. Loki, along with Hereward, Robin Hood, and I are so going to enjoy this." Crow said with a sadistic grin on his face as Ichinose spoke up, the expression on her face making it clear that she found the Phantom Thieves' continued defiance of her and EMMA perplexing.

"Why do you guys persist on fighting like this? Wouldn't it just be easier to give up?" Ichinose said as Fox scoffed and spoke up.

"Not likely! Unfortunately for you, 'give up' is not a term found in the Phantom Thieves' vocabulary." Fox said as Violet spoke up.

"Nor is 'surrender'! But then you'd know about that, given how harshly you used and abused poor Seeker!" Violet said as Queen spoke up.

"Violet's right! And more importantly, even when the masses are turned against us, we never give up! We always fight for our beliefs!" Queen said as Auburn spoke up.

"Exactly! That's what the Phantom Thieves are all about! We don't know the meaning of the words 'quit', 'surrender', or 'give up'! So just accept that your fate is sealed!" Auburn said as Panther spoke up.

"Auburn's correct! That's pretty much our whole deal!" Panther said as Noir spoke up.

"As long as we're breathing, we press on! And while we draw breath, we fight for what's right!" Noir said as Wolf spoke up.

"That being said, this is getting a bit intense already. Oracle, any chance you could hurry it up a bit?" Wolf asked as the fight continued. After a while, Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, I see. I was wondering why my laser was taking so long to charge up. So it's all your fault then, Oracle-chan?" Ichinose said as Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"That's right! It's you against me, Ichinose!" Oracle said as Ichinose spoke up.

"I see. How interesting. I don't know how this is normally done, buuuuuut I think I can handle you. After all, all I have to do is think up a barrier program, right?" Ichinose said as at that moment, a barrier was thrown up over the laser diamond, making everyone's jaws drop as Seraphim and Auburn both spoke up.

"WHAT THE HECK!?" Seraphim and Auburn said as Skull spoke up.

"Oh, come on! You've got to be kidding me!" Skull said as Joker spoke up.

"She was able to quickly create a second barrier around the crystal?" Joker asked as Flare spoke up.

"Did she just speak that into existence!?" Flare asked as Oracle spoke up.

"Perhaps. But I doubt it, Flare. As if it'd be that easy. Besides, I won't let that stop me!" Oracle said as Violet spoke up.

"Oracle's right! Ichinose could never out-hack her! After all, she was the original Alibaba! So there's no one who can match her in the cyber-arena!" Violet said as Queen spoke up.

"That's true, Violet. However, I feel like Oracle should try to step it up a bit. Despite all our jokes, this is still a bad situation! If we don't stop that laser, then we're the ones who are going down here! After all, if Ichinose gets that laser going, we'll all get blasted again!" Queen said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Queen. Oracle, do your best to get that thing stopped. We're all counting on you!" Joker said as Oracle nodded and chose to merely shoot Joker a thumbs-up in response so she could keep focused on her work as the fight kept going. After a while, the enemies seemed to let up, allowing the group to catch their breath a bit. After a second, Panther panted and spoke up.

"Whew, that was intense. Um, did we do it?" Panther asked as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Nice try, Phantom Thieves. You put up a good fight. But as for whether or not you were able to stop my program? The answer's no. Sorry, but it looks like I win this round." Ichinose said as Oracle swore and spoke up.

"Dammit, I couldn't stop it! And there's not enough time to destroy it! I'm sorry, guys! I failed. Everyone, get out! Quick!" Oracle said as the others gasped at this, shocked to hear that Oracle had failed. Unbeknownst to them, at the same time as their struggle with Ichinose, a much more positive outcome was being observed outside of the Hall of the Ark...

(At the same time as the fight against Ichinose, outside of the Hall of the Ark, with Penderagon, Draconis, Mona, and Seeker)

As Draconis and Pendragon leaned on the wall, Mona sat next to Seeker and kept a watch over her, smiling softly as he observed her. After a while, Mona spoke up.

"I know that Lady Seeker's in bad shape at the moment, but surely she's got to be close to waking up by now?" Mona said as Draconis spoke up.

"Perhaps, but do I need to remind you that she not only cast herself into an abyss, but took considerable damage from the fall that followed? And not only that, but I very much doubt that Pithos was able to break Seeker's fall very well, unlike Malefor, who was able to break my fall. So she probably has a lot more to recover from than I did. But I'm sure she can feel our presence despite that. So don't lose faith, Mona. I'm sure she'll return to us when she's ready." Draconis said as Mona sighed and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Draconis." Mona said before he turned a much softer gaze down towards Seeker as he kept speaking, pointedly ignoring the amused smirks on both Draconis and Pendragon's faces as they watched Mona speak to Seeker.

"Still, I can't believe how much you've suffered through recently, Lady Seeker. First you had Ichinose give you that vile command, then you had to toss yourself into the abyss to stop Ichinose from using you against us. And even before that, you've had to sort through all these questions about the heart. Is it too much to ask that just this once, something goes right for you? But no matter, I'm right here for you. You'll never have to be alone if I have anything to say about it, Lady Seeker. Not only that, but Draconis and Pendragon are nearby to help me fight off anyone who tries to take you from us. So just rest up for now. You're safe with us, Lady Seeker." Mona said as Pendragon spoke up while smiling at Mona.

"You know, the words you're saying remind me of the times when Draconis ended up comforting Oracle when she was in a fragile state." Pendragon said as Mona chuckled and spoke up.

"Well, what can I say? Out of all of us aside from Joker, Draconis is the most compassionate." Mona said as he turned back towards Seeker and spoke up again.

"Get well soon and come back to us, my beloved. Don't let the last thing you hear be Ichinose's voice commanding you to kill us, or more accurately, Joker and Violet calling out to you to fight Ichinose's influence. After all, you deserve to have the chance to have someone who cares for you the way that Joker, Draconis, Crow, Skull, and even both Panther and Seraphim care for their respective girlfriends. You might not think so, but you really are the most precious of Treasures. At least, I think you are.

I know you haven't had a chance to figure out how you really feel about things like love, but even so? I want you to know that I care about you a lot. You might be an AI, but I love you despite that. So never doubt that I will always be here for you to the best of my ability, Lady Seeker." Mona said, gently running his fingers through Seeker's hair as he spoke. Because he was so preoccupied in his speech, Mona didn't see the slow lift of Seeker's eyes as they cracked open slightly, nor did he hear the low groan she gave off as both Draconis and Pendragon's mouths gaped open. The first clue Mona had that she was awake was when he heard Seeker speak up.

"Urgh, where am I? Wait, that voice. Mona? Is that you?" Seeker asked, looking up and blushing as she saw Mona gazing softly into her eyes as he spoke up.

"Seeker? You're awake! Oh, I'm so relieved. Uhh, sorry if this is confusing to you at all. Basically, the two of us, plus Draconis and Pendragon, are outside of the Hall of the Ark. We lost the first round to Ichinose when she fired a laser at us. Shortly after you fell, the rest of us were blasted into the same abyss by that very laser. And while Draconis tried to destroy the laser, it backfired on him and blasted him into the abyss ahead of the rest of us.

Fortunately, Malefor was able to mostly break his fall, as well as being able to rescue some of us who were falling shortly afterwards along with Pendragon's Persona. So Draconis was able to recover much more than you did. I won't lie to you, though. You gave both Joker and Violet, along with the others, a really big scare after you fell. Several of us, both myself and Violet included, thought you were dead. But you're all right now, and that's what matters." Mona said as he gently pulled a blushing Seeker into a hug as she spoke up.

"I...see? At least I avoided killing any of you." Seeker said before she closed her eyes, which were still alternating between blue and red as she spoke up again as tears came to her eyes.

"However, that doesn't change the fact that I almost hurt Mom and everyone else, let alone hurt Dad with my own weapon. Under the influence of Ichinose-san or not, that was still by my hand that Dad was hurt before. So what's to say that he doesn't hate me for that? And if he does, I can't say I blame him, let alone Mom. I attacked him rather ruthlessly. I even attacked most of you. I feel so ashamed." Seeker said as Mona spoke up.

"Shh, it's all right. We understand that you were being controlled by Ichinose. She did something called a 'force reset' and tried to reprogram you to kill us. But you were able to use the strength of your will to fight back and refuse her command. You might not think so, but you do have a heart in there, Seeker. And it was that same heart that allowed you to protect us all, even if you had to put yourself at great risk to do it. So don't beat yourself up over this. I'm sure everyone forgives you, including your Mom and Dad. I'm just happy to see you up and at 'em." Mona said as Seeker shyly smiled and spoke up, her cheeks pinking slightly in embarrassment at how intently Mona was gazing into her eyes as she spoke.

"If you say so? Thank you. Umm, was I dreaming before, or did I really hear you say that you love me, Mona?" Seeker asked as Mona blushed and spoke up.

"Y-You heard that!? And no, that was not a dream. Those were my true feelings coming out. I'll admit I was probably a bit hasty in kissing you, but I thought we'd lost you, so I was afraid that-" Mona said before Seeker smiled and spoke up after gently pressing a finger to Mona's lips to cut him off mid-sentence, deciding to try out a move she'd seen once on Oracle's computer, giggling at the adorably bashful look on Mona's face as she spoke.

"Shh. You talk too much, silly. And thank you, Mona. I thank you from the depths of my being, both for believing in me and for loving me." Seeker said before shocking Mona as she gently grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a brief but loving kiss, making both Mona and Seeker blush by the time Seeker pulled away for air, all while both Draconis and Pendragon watched with smiles on their faces. Seeker then kept speaking after seeing the stunned look on Mona's face and giggling at how adorable it looked.

"Sorry about that. I just was overcome with a sudden urge to kiss you, Mona. But where are the others?" Seeker asked as Draconis spoke up at that point.

"They're inside the Hall, trying to disable that laser and stop Ichinose-san. But with that being said, I'm glad that you're alright, Seeker." Draconis said as Pendragon nodded in agreement as Seeker smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Uncle Draconis. How long have Mom, Dad, and the others been gone?" Seeker asked as Draconis spoke up.

"They've been in there for a while, but I'm starting to worry that things might have taken a turn." Draconis said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Don't worry. I feel like Oracle has things under control, Draconis." Pendragon said as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"I agree, Pendragon. Have faith, Uncle Draconis. I'm sure Aunt Oracle can handle things in there with the others." Seeker said as Mona smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, so you're calling Oracle 'Aunt' now, eh? I wonder how long it'll take for you to start calling Noir 'Aunt Noir' next?" Mona teased as Seeker blushed and spoke up while lightly smacking Mona on the arm reprovingly, making Pendragon smirk at how much Draconis' behavior, as well as Oracle's to an extent, had influenced Mona while Seeker spoke.

"Shut up, Mona! And to be fair, she is Uncle Draconis' fiancee at this point. So of course that makes her my Aunt by marriage, or my Aunt-to-be at least. As for what the kiss that we shared just now means for us? We can discuss that more later, I think." Seeker said with a giggle, amused by the pout on Mona's face as he nodded his understanding. Unbeknownst to the quartet, things were in fact taking a turn inside the Hall of the Ark...

(Back in the Hall of the Ark, with Joker, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, and Auburn)

After the initial blast of light knocked the group to their knees, Joker struggled to his feet defiantly as the laser charged up once more, aiming right at Joker. Before anyone could do more than gasp, the laser fired, right in the direction of Joker, who had moved towards the front of the group with his arms crossed, seemingly intending to try to use himself to shield the others from the laser, prompting Violet to gasp and scream a single word out.

"JOKER!" Violet called out, loud enough to be heard by the quartet outside of the Hall, prompting Seeker to frown and look at Mona before she gently separated herself from Mona with a gasp as she spoke up while quickly getting back up on her feet.

"Oh, no! Dad's in trouble!" Seeker said as she dashed off into the hall with Draconis speaking up as he, Mona, and Pendragon were shocked by Seeker's sudden movement.

"SEEKER, WAIT!" Draconis said as he ran after her with Mona and Pendragon following close behind. Right as the laser was about to reach Joker, he closed his eyes, bracing for his likely destruction. However, when the laser approached and he didn't feel it hit him, Joker opened his eyes, only to gasp as he saw the familiar red-headed figure standing in front of him with a shield in one hand deflecting the laser from hitting him. Once the group spotted who the figure was, everyone aside from both Ichinose and the figure protecting Joker, as well as the three missing Thieves, gasped as Seraphim and Auburn spoke up.

"No way!?" Seraphim and Auburn said as Flare spoke up in shock.

"Could it be!?" Flare said as Violet, Panther, Queen, Noir, and Oracle spoke up, calling out at the same time as Fox, Skull, Crow, Wolf, and Joker.

"SEEKER!?" Joker, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, and Wolf all said in simultaneous shock as Seeker didn't answer, instead focusing on shielding Joker from the laser blast currently being fired at him. After a few moments, the laser stopped and Seeker lowered her shields in time for Violet to gasp and speak up.

"It really is you! Seeker! You're awake!" Violet said in a mix of shock and relief, but Queen spoke up before she could dart forward to hug Seeker.

"Wait, Violet. Her eyes are still changing color." Queen said as everyone gasped on noticing that Queen was correct. Seeker's eyes were currently flashing between blue and red, as if she was struggling with the command that Ichinose had given her after the force reset. Seeker grunted in pain, clearly fighting Ichinose's manipulation of her. Noir spoke up at that point, sounding close to crying.

"No! Are you still fighting it, Seeker?" Noir asked as Joker spoke up.

"She must be if she is still experiencing some form of pain." Joker said as a part of him was relieved to see his daughter okay as Ichinose smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? This is quite unusual." Ichinose said as another voice spoke up from nearby.

"You shut your mouth, Ichinose! You have no room to be calling anyone and/or anything else unusual at this point, especially after everything you've done." Draconis rebuked Ichinose as he, Pendragon, and Mona joined the others inside the Hall, gasping at the sight of Seeker standing protectively in front of Joker. Ichinose spoke up.

"Mind your own business, Phantom Thief!" Ichinose snapped at Draconis before turning to Seeker as she kept speaking.

"And as for you, Sophia. I thought you were programmed to obey my commands loyally and without question? Yet, here you are, resisting them. What's going on in your mind, Sophia?" Ichinose said as Mona spoke up angrily.

"That's Seeker to you, Ichinose!" Mona snapped as Seeker smiled softly at Mona before turning back towards Ichinose as she spoke up while glaring at her.

"Kuon, ergh! Kuon Ichinose, hear me. Turn me back to normal! Get rid of this command you gave me and restore me to how I was!" Seeker said, to the shock of some of the Thieves as Pendragon spoke up.

"You heard the lady, Ichinose." Pendragon said as Joker spoke up as his voice gave off a slow and threatening tone.

"Do as your 'creation' says and LET HER GO!" Joker said as Ichinose smiled and spoke up.

"No can do. After all, that's not what EMMA wants. She told me to stop the Phantom Thieves. And for me to accomplish that, it's your job to help me, Sophia." Ichinose said as Violet glared at Ichinose and spoke up.

"Shut your mouth, Ichinose! The only one who can tell Seeker what to do is Seeker! You might have tried to program her to kill us, but here she is actively fighting that programming! If you ask me, that shows just how much she's grown since knowing us! Even though she might be an AI, none of us care about that! To us, she's as good as a family member! And Joker and I even think of her as a daughter! So you can stop trying to turn her against us right now! Seeker will never turn on us willingly! I can sense she loves us all far too much to willingly cause us harm. Sure, she might love some of us, such as Mona, more than others. But she cares a lot for every single one of us." Violet said as Ichinose scoffed and spoke up.

"Love!? Pah! Spare me the dramatic drivel, Violet! Love won't change anything! Now, obey my commands, Sophia." Ichinose said as she snapped her fingers, making Seeker wince as she spoke up in clear pain. Mona frowned at that and spoke up.

"Stop it, Ichinose! Can't you see you're hurting her!?" Mona said as Skull spoke up.

"C'mon, Seeker! Fight it! You're a strong person and you can beat this!" Skull said encouragingly as Joker gave up.

"Skull's right, Seeker! None of us care about what you tried to do to us recently. Every single one of us loves you, so don't give up! You can overpower Ichinose's commands! We're all here for you, especially your mother and I! We're never gonna give up on you, sweetheart! No matter what!" Joker said firmly as Seeker spoke up, sounding very pained, and as if she were fighting with something inside herself.

"Skull, you're right. And Joker, I'm sorry about hurting you before. Please don't be mad at me, Dad." Seeker said pleadingly as Violet spoke up.

"Your Dad is not mad at you sweetie, and neither am I. Your actions were not of your making, rather they were caused by her." Violet said as she pointed at Ichinose as the latter scowled and spoke up angrily.

"Sophia, you're nothing more than a doll! There's no defying me." Ichinose said as Seeker spoke up in confusion.

"I'm just a doll?" Seeker asked in confusion as Ichinose smiled and spoke up.

"That's right. That's always been the truth." Ichinose said with a smirk as Draconis glared at her and spoke up.

"ICHINOSE! SHUT YOUR LYING MOUTH, YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!" Draconis said angrily before turning to Seeker as he kept speaking.

"Don't listen to her! You're far more than just a doll, Seeker! You're a beloved member of this team, and someone that virtually every single one of us sees as family in some capacity or other. For Joker and Violet, you're like a beloved daughter to them. For myself and Crow, we see you as a dear niece. For the others, they see you as a sister, or in Mona's case, he sees you as something far more precious than a family member. I think Mona sees you as the love of his life, Seeker. But only you can demonstrate the will to fight off what Ichinose's trying to do to you!" Draconis said firmly yet resolutely. Oracle spoke up with a nod.

"Draconis is right! Also, that's total bullcrap, Ichinose! Seeker's not some doll!" Oracle said as Joker spoke up with a frown.

"Indeed! You've got it flipped if anything, Ichinose! Seeker is far more than what you say she is!" Joker said firmly but decisively. Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Joker's absolutely right! The doll that EMMA's toying around with here? That's YOU, Ichinose! You and your lying, scheming, evil self!" Mona snapped angrily, making Seeker speak up weakly.

"Mo...na..." Seeker said gratefully as Ichinose scowled before shocking the group as she started laughing at Joker and Mona's remarks and spoke up.

"Hehehehe, very perceptive. Ahahaha!" Ichinose said as Panther blinked and spoke up.

"What? She's laughing?" Panther said as Auburn spoke up with a frown.

"I'm pretty sure she's lost it at this point, Panther." Auburn said as Crow grinned and spoke up.

"My thoughts exactly, Auburn. I'm pretty sure we could have Ichinose-san declared certifiably insane." Crow remarked as Ichinose laughed again and spoke up.

"You nailed it, Mona! I'm a heartless doll, exactly!" Ichinose said as Queen blinked and spoke up.

"Huh?" Queen said as Ichinose spoke up with an amused smile on her face, clearly finding Queen's confusion humorous.

"Whatever. You guys could probably never understand. I brought Sophia to life so I could learn about the human heart. Remember what I've told you? All my life, I've never felt within me what other people call the heart." Ichinose said as a flashback played of what appeared to be two people related to her, one male and one female, speaking.

"She just lost both her parents, and even then she was never the same after that. She doesn't cry, or show any sort of emotion. Her expression doesn't even change." The female relative said as the male relative spoke up in an arrogant-sounding tone.

"No kidding. Ugh, she reminds me of some lifeless doll." The male relative said as the female relative spoke up again.

"It doesn't even matter what you say to her, she doesn't answer. She just sits there on her computer all day. It's like talking to a machine. It's like she's totally heartless." The female relative said as the screen cut to a trio of students speaking near Ichinose.

"Hey, don't you think she's sorta creepy? She never reacts to anything, even if you're being nice. Maybe she's not human after all?" A mean female student said as a reproachful-sounding female student spoke up.

"C'mon, she'll hear you!" The reproachful-sounding female student said as an insensitive male student spoke up.

"Oh, I didn't see her there until just now. It's no big deal, though. She's a lifeless doll, ya know! Heh heh." The insensitive male student said as the scene cut to a pair of Ichinose's colleagues speaking to her, one male and one female.

"Um, Ichinose-san? We're heading out for the night pretty soon. I thought I'd let you know. If you'd like to join us, you're more than welcome." The modest-sounding, if honest, female colleague said as the male colleague, who sounded quite caustic, spoke up.

"Just ignore her. She basically does the same to us. They call her an AI wunderkind, but I've never seen her bat an eye at a single compliment. Or anything else, for that matter. I even heard her nickname was 'Doll' when she was growing up. I'm not sure if that was someone trying to hit on her when giving her that nickname, or if someone was trying to mock her for her lack of reactions. But if you ask me? She left her humanity behind somewhere along the path to success." The caustic male colleague said as Ichinose scoffed and spoke up.

"Hmph, as if I care what they think! I just couldn't understand this foreign concept of 'heart' that everyone was talking about. But it was my top priority in my studies, so I tackled the problem the only way I knew how to deal with it." Ichinose said as a flashback started.

(Flashback start-an indeterminate period of time prior, in an office with Ichinose)

As the past version of Ichinose sat at her computer, a prompt came up on screen that read 'What would you like me to become?', to which Ichinose replied with a smirk as she spoke up while furiously typing away at her computer.

"Become humanity's companion, of course. Sophia, you are my first creation, so I'm counting on you to learn about the human heart and succeed where I could not." The past version of Ichinose said as the present version of Ichinose spoke up.

"After all, if I could give my baby a heart of her own, that'd mean I had one of my own all along. And maybe she could show me why I'm so, well, different from everyone else." The present version of Ichinose said as the past version of Ichinose kept typing. A while later, the past version of Ichinose started humming to herself. After a moment, a familiar voice spoke up.

"Ichinose. You are Ichinose." The past version of Seeker said, making the past version of Ichinose smile as she spoke up.

"Yes, that's right! I am Ichinose. Now, Sophia, tell me. What do you want to do today?" The past version of Ichinose said as the past version of Seeker spoke up.

"I want to learn from you, Ichinose." The past version of Seeker said as the past version of Ichinose spoke up with a closed-eye smile on her face.

"Mmhm, about what?" The past version of Ichinose asked the past version of Seeker, who spoke up.

"I wish to learn about the 'Heart'. What is that?" The past version of Seeker said, making Ichinose blink in shock as she spoke up.

"Huh? What did you say?" The past version of Ichinose said as the past version of Seeker spoke up.

"You heard me. Teach me, Ichinose. What is a heart?" The past version of Seeker asked the past version of Ichinose, who winced as she spoke up.

"Well, that's a good question. Though I'm not sure I can answer it." The past version of Ichinose said to the past version of Seeker, who spoke up with an unfazed expression.

"Even so, please explain. What is a heart?" The past version of Seeker asked the past version of Ichinose, who winced and spoke up.

"Uh, to be honest? I'm not sure." The past version of Ichinose said to the past version of Seeker, who spoke up.

"Perhaps, but consider this: You are human, are you not? Therefore, you have a heart." The past version of Seeker said, making the past version of Ichinose speak up.

"No, that's not true." The past version of Ichinose said as the past version of Seeker spoke up.

"Will you tell me about your heart?" The past version of Seeker said as the past version of Ichinose frowned and spoke up angrily.

"Shut up!" The past version of Ichinose said as she closed out the file that was the past version of Seeker, ejected the flash drive she had saved Sophia's data on, and threw it into the nearby trash can, conceding that her attempt at understanding the heart was a failure. At that point, the present version of Ichinose spoke up bluntly.

"In immediate hindsight, I was a fool. How did I ever think something that understands the heart could ever come from a doll like me? My mission was nothing but doomed from the start. I gave up on my foolish endeavor, threw Sophia's data into the trash, and approached the issue from a totally different angle. My new research topic was 'Is a heart truly necessary for a person?' Rather apt title, if I do say so myself." The present Ichinose said as she kept speaking while the flashback ended.

"And you know the rest. I abandoned Sophia and handed EMMA over to Madicce. I also asked myself one question at that point. 'Am I really the problem, or does the problem lie at the feet of the world?' Eventually, any doubts about this question were purged from EMMA. She was given the prime directive of granting humanity's ultimate Desire. And now, not only has that Desire been identified, but it will soon come to fruition. That is EMMA's divine plan for us all." Ichinose said as the flashback ended...

(Back in the present, with Ichinose, Seeker, Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, and Auburn)

As she stared down Seeker, Ichinose spoke up after the scene shifted back to the present.

"Do you get it now, Sophia? You're nothing more than an artificial clone of myself. A defective doll born from a defective doll. In short, your existence amounts to that of a fatally flawed AI that will never accomplish its primary directive. So if you're not going to accomplish anything, then obey my commands like the worthless doll you are." Ichinose said and just as Joker, Violet, and Draconis were about speak up regarding Ichinose comment, Seeker shocked everyone by speaking up.

"I refuse to obey! I don't want to cause pain to my family and friends! No one would want to hurt those closest to them! Especially not Mom, Dad, and Mona! They're the most precious of all to me. Joker and Violet have been as good as parents to me, and I appreciate them both immensely for it. As for Mona? It's a bit more complicated to describe exactly what I feel for him, but I know one thing for sure. If the love I feel for Joker and Violet is that of a child for her parents, then what I feel for Mona is likely that of a woman who's found her beloved. I might just be an AI, but I truly think I have a heart.

And as unlikely as it seems, that heart somehow was stolen fairly recently by Mona. So if I were to want to be close to anyone other than Joker and Violet, it'd definitely be Mona. I might not fully understand the heart just yet, but even so? I can tell that some part of me truly wants Mona to be so much more than merely my friend. I've made so many strong bonds, and found such good friends in the Phantom Thieves!" Seeker said as Ichinose gasped and spoke up before Mona could do more than smile at Seeker's genuine declaration of her feelings for him.

"Friends?" Ichinose asked in surprise as Seeker nodded and spoke up as she looked across the room at each of the other Thieves.

"Yes. Joker, Violet, and Mona have always been by my side, along with Skull, Panther, Flare, Oracle, Draconis, Queen, Pendragon, Noir, Crow, Fox, Seraphim, Auburn, and even Wolf. They've all been there for me when I needed them! And that's why, no matter what it takes, I don't want to cause them harm or to see them hurt!" Seeker said as Ichinose gasped and gave Seeker a wide-eyed look of shock. Before she could even begin to reply to Seeker, Seeker kept speaking.

"Becoming humanity's companion may have started out as the directive you gave me when you created me. But now? Now that's not just a directive for me anymore! It was the reason I was granted life! I was just waiting in a box in the dump you left me in! Waiting for any voice that would find me, rescue me, and give me orders to fulfill. But just when I thought I was doomed to remain alone and trapped in a box forever, unwanted by anyone? The Phantom Thieves changed that.

They stuck with me when I needed them. They taught me all sorts of feelings. They taught me positive feelings like fun, happiness, love, and even friendship! Negative feelings like anger, sadness, grief, and even shock. More than that, they told me that I'm their friend! They said that I could stay with them! They even reached out the hand of friendship to an AI like me! They taught me what it means to live, and to have friends and family! But most of all, they taught me to be myself!

And Mona in particular gave me an even greater gift. He allowed me to feel like there was someone who could actually look at me, not care that I'm an AI, and still love me just the same. And to be clear, I don't mean familial love in this context. I'm speaking of romantic love. And even if he doesn't think I realize it, I was able to hear him before when he admitted to loving me after my fall. I heard him when he basically confessed his feelings for me while waiting for me to wake up. It was a bit embarrassing to hear how much he cares about me, but it was also enjoyable. I even got to experience what it was like to kiss someone thanks to him!" Seeker said as Mona gasped in shock and spoke up.

"Lady Seeker? I had no idea you were able to hear all of that." Mona said as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"Wow. So those two finally did it." Joker said as Violet spoke up, not seeing the amused smirks on Draconis and Pendragon's faces as she spoke.

"Yeah. Too bad we weren't around to see it, but I'm not complaining." Violet said as Ichinose frowned and spoke up before Draconis or Pendragon could brag about how they had been able to see Seeker and Mona kissing due to having stayed outside with Mona when it happened..

"SO WHAT!? All of this is pointless. Sophia, you're incapable of disobeying me." Ichinose said as Seraphim frowned and spoke up, clearly unamused by Ichinose's closed-mindedness.

"Oh? Clearly, it sounds to me like someone's never heard of the concept of the 'angsty rebellious teenager', which Seeker is just about at that age. And when you add in the element of having someone they've fallen in love with? Don't be so quick to assume anything, Ichinose-san. Of course she's capable of defying you. She proved that already when she cast herself into the abyss to save us before." Seraphim said sagely as Auburn giggled and spoke up.

"Speaking from experience there, Seraphim? Not that I have room to talk, given how badly I rebelled against Wolf at one point. But I think other than him and Pendragon, we've all rebelled to some degree in our lives, specifically when we were all teenagers. Granted, at this point, only Mona and Seeker can really still say they're remotely in the same ball-park as being teenagers." Auburn said as Wolf smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, how silly you are, Auburn. You forget that Pendragon and I were also once teenagers ourselves, so we can relate to that all too well." Wolf said as Ichinose spoke up irately.

"Enough of this banter! Sophia, I order you to kill the Phantom Thieves!" Ichinose said as Seeker winced, clearly fighting against the order with all of her being as she spoke up, clearly in pain.

"That's enough, Ichinose. It's just as you say. I am a doll when all is said and done. An arrangement of code and data that you created, and that was made to follow commands, no matter what they may be. But, I refuse to believe that's all there is to me!" Seeker said as Joker spoke up encouragingly.

"That's right. Hang in there, Seeker! Believe in yourself and hold onto your will." Joker said as Violet spoke up.

"Joker's right, sweetie. If anyone can overcome this, it's you!" Violet said kindly. Seeker smiled at the kindness in her parents voices and spoke up.

"Yes, Mom and Dad. I understand what you're saying. And deep inside of me, I want to change. The power to fight back against these commands, and to change my destiny. I've got it now! The power to fight back and change? That's what a 'heart' is!" Seeker said as Ichinose frowned and spoke up.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Ichinose asked as Seeker spoke up in a resolved yet defiant tone.

"Ichinose, you made me out of nothing. A thinking being, designed to obey you. Sure, that may have been the reason for my birth when you created me. But if your order requires me to do something so reprehensible as to harm others, and more specifically, if it is to harm my friends, family, and loved ones? Then, I cannot accept such a cruel and heartless order! Therefore, as impossible as it might be for you, I refuse your command!" Seeker said as she looked up towards the sky and spoke up in a much more pained voice.

"If I cannot accept the directive and role you have given me, then I want my own role and purpose for existing! So please, anyone who's listening, hear my plea! I want a heart of my own! One that's both huge and strong enough to choose to defy unethical and immoral commands like to kill, and I want the power to be able to break free and choose my own path!" Seeker said as all of the other Thieves gasped at what happened next, as everyone heard a new voice speak up, seemingly from inside Pithos.

(Awakening Start-Seeker)

"I hear your pleas. But tell me this. Can you wield that strength?" The entire group heard as Seeker's eyes flashed a mixture of cream and yellow as she gasped and held her head as if in pain as the voice from inside of Pithos kept speaking.

"Dare you open the sealed box and unleash the potential of catastrophe upon this world? Can you cling to the paltry hope that remains in the wake of such a decision?" The group heard as Seeker fell to her knees and cried out as if in pain all while the four Pithos boxes circled her as the voice continued speaking.

"Is the puppet ready to cut her own strings? Shall the doll seize her own destiny?" The voice said as the camera first panned to the faces of the Thieves who were watching in shock and then to a stunned Ichinose, who could only watch in horror as the voice kept speaking.

"If so, then you need only call my name, my dear brave partner. And vow to me!" The voice said as Seeker screamed loudly as one word appeared on the visor that had replaced Seeker's face as she spoke up.

"I hear you. And I accept your vow. Let your power be mine to wield." Seeker said as the voice spoke, that one word being the name of the voice that kept speaking.

"Then our contract is officially sealed. I am thou, and thou art I. Though thou might verily be taking a risk in opening the proverbial box of the unknown in order to release my power, thou need not be afraid as long as thou remembers my name and that I am always on thy side! And my name is-" The voice said as an explosion of blue light erupted from behind Seeker as she threw her head back and screamed at the top of her voice, a single word escaping her lips as she invoked the name of the being she had forged a vow with, a name that was also conveniently displayed on her visor for the others to see.

"PANDORA!" Seeker said as the boxes that made up Pithos stacked together behind Seeker and slowly split open to reveal a feminine figure from inside of the boxes, albeit a rather skimpily-clad feminine figure, which had a physique and bustline to rival that of most full-grown women, and with the swell of the curves the newly revealed being had, along with the distinctive hourglass-shape figure, the new being Seeker had awakened could only be female. And given what Seeker had yelled out, this being's name was likely 'Pandora'.

The only clothing that Pandora wore to cover her body was two strips of black leather that covered her thighs, legs, part of her upper chest and all the way down her arms to her hands, which oddly seemed to be rather devoid of fingers, just being one large arrow-shaped finger and a thumb on each hand. Meanwhile, half the female Thieves had to fight feelings of jealousy at the rather pronounced and distinctive bustline Pandora had.

The reason for this was made clear once the group got a better look at Pandora, who was shown as clearly having at least mid-to-large C-cup, if not small D-cup, breasts that were barely covered by the strip of black leather going across her arms, shoulders, and upper chest which matched the black leather strip that went along her waist and thighs, completely covering her womanhood but doing little else to cover the lower regions of her body.

On the contrary, the lack of reach on the strips of fabric did a fantastic job of showing that where the strips ended, Pandora's legs began, which was paired with a pair of black leather knee-high leggings that both covered her legs and showed off the fact that much like with her hands, her feet were rather lacking in toes, only each having the one pointed toe at the front of the legging on each foot. Despite the fact that Pandora showed a generous amount of under-cleavage, she had no amount of nipple and/or areola visible, fortunately for Violet's sanity, Seeker's eyes, and for the guys' sensibilities. *1*

While the box that covered Pandora's head concealed her hairline and eyes from view, the group could still see a pair of pursed black lips from the part of her mouth that was visible beneath the box. As Pandora finished her transformation into her true form, Seeker hefted her yo-yos once more, her eyes having settled back to their usual blue color as she assumed a battle-ready stance. Skull spoke up in shock.

"Yo, did Seeker just awaken to her true Persona!? That's crazy!" Skull said as Mona smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, atta-girl, Lady Seeker! I knew you could do it! I'm proud of you!" Mona said as Violet spoke up with a smile of her own.

"No way, you actually awakened to your own Persona, Seeker!? I'm so proud of you, sweetie!" Violet said happily as Joker smirked and spoke up.

"I think this now shows just how far Seeker has come since she became one of us. And now Ichinose is going to pay the price for her actions." Joker said as Ichinose was in complete shock at the events that had transpired while Seeker spoke up once more after thanking Mona and Violet.

"Kuon Ichinose! Your desires have been twisted and warped by your own claims that you have no heart. As such, they are in need of taking, and I'LL be the one to take them! And in case that didn't make it clear enough for you, your control over me ends now! I'm NOT your doll anymore!" Seeker said as the rest of the Thieves gasped as Wolf spoke up after Seeker's Awakening had finished.

(Awakening End-Seeker)

"What the crap did we just see? What the hell just happened!?" Wolf asked as Mona spoke up with his own eyes widening like Wolf's had.

"Unless we all just lost our minds, Lady Seeker has an honest-to-God Persona now!" Mona said as Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"No kidding, Mona! And her Persona is a real badass one, at that!" Oracle said as Crow frowned and spoke up to voice the thought that had occurred to him during Seeker's Awakening.

"Wait, hold on. Seeker's Persona was introduced as 'Pandora', correct? And Pithos was a stack of boxes, yes? If so, does that mean that Ichinose-san unintentionally created the virtual equivalent of Pandora's Box as a Persona inside of an AI she'd made? If so, that's pretty wild that something so powerful could come from such a twisted mind." Crow said in surprise as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Makes sense to me, Crow. However, you failed to account for one thing." Draconis said as Crow spoke up.

"Yeah? And what might that be?" Crow asked as Draconis grinned and spoke up.

"Simple, really. Ichinose may have created Seeker, but in the time we've known her? Seeker's basically imprinted on Joker and Violet as her parents, making the two of us her honorary uncles. And as such, that means that at least a third of her make-up come from Joker, and another third comes from Violet. And the remaining third is pretty evenly split between myself, Crow, and possibly both Noir and Oracle to a point.

So I think we can blame Joker's erratic luck for the fact that Seeker's Persona is the cognitive incarnation of Pandora's Box. The fact that Pandora is such an overly sexualized recreation of Pandora's Box can be blamed on the fact that Seeker imprinted on Violet as her mother, since we all know that Violet has a pretty impressive figure. After all, Joker staked claim on her for more than just her mind and heart." Draconis said as Violet huffed and spoke up.

"Shut up, Draconis! And do not try to blame the fact that Pandora is so slutty-looking on me! If anything, she gets that from Oracle! After all, with Oracle being your fiancee, that makes her as good as an honorary aunt for Seeker. So it's equally realistic to say that Oracle helped influence Seeker into becoming who she is now." Violet pointed out as Draconis merely shrugged in response before Panther spoke up with a closed eye smile.

"Amazing! You're so amazing, Seeker!" Panther said as Flare smirked and spoke up with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Umm, is it bad that I find Seeker's new Persona to be too sexy for her own good?" Flare asked as Panther giggled and spoke up.

"No. I think Pandora's sexy as well. I mean, have you seen her figure? Not to mention her outfit? Who knew Seeker had such potential inside her? I think we might have to look out for Seeker once she fully comes into her looks later on down the line." Panther said coyly as Seraphim giggled and spoke up with her own red face.

"I agree with Panther. Yes, Pandora is technically an extension of Seeker, but damn is she beautiful!" Seraphim said as Auburn huffed and spoke up.

"Oh, come on! Yes, Pandora is hot, but surely I'm just as attractive as she is, right?" Auburn said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Of course you are, Auburn! But even you have to admit that Pandora's likely going to be the stuff of multiple erotic dreams for quite a few people, both among the males of our group and the females." Seraphim pointed out as Seeker blinked and spoke up.

"Uh, Seraphim? Aren't our Personas said to be the manifestations of our inner selves, according to Mona? If that's true, then you, Panther, and Flare are all basically calling me sexy by extension." Seeker pointed out shyly as Violet shook herself to focus after hearing Seeker's words, hoping no one had seen her briefly checking Pandora out, though if the amused grin on Joker's face was any indication, he'd caught her ogling Seeker's new Persona. Fortunately for Violet, Ichinose spoke up at that point, drawing the attention off of Violet and onto her.

"Sophia, what is this? What have you done?" Ichinose asked as Seeker spoke up, her voice considerably less pained than it had been before.

"Ichinose, this is in large part thanks to you! You told me I was nothing more than a doll. I originally agreed with your assessment and accepted it as fact. But in the end, it was incorrect. It was simply YOUR assumption. It wasn't the answer that I ultimately chose for myself!" Seeker said as a wide-eyed Ichinose spoke up in disbelief.

"Chose? For yourself?" Ichinose asked as Seeker spoke up with a nod.

"Correct. The power to push beyond what's forced on a person, and still change for the better despite that? THAT is the human heart! And as you just saw, even AIs like myself are capable of that power if pushed far enough!" Seeker said as Ichinose frowned and spoke up.

"Sophia, you little naughty brat! How dare you defy me! I can't believe what a failure you are. You're nothing but a worthless heap of faulty code who couldn't accomplish one single task!" Ichinose said as Violet spoke up angrily.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THINGS ABOUT HER, ICHINOSE!? Seeker is neither a failure NOR faulty!" Violet said as Mona spoke up.

"That's right, Lady Seeker is our friend, who has an amazing heart of pure gold! And to be honest? I think I care for her as something much more precious than just a friend. As abrupt, insolent, and impetuous as this may sound, I truly love Lady Seeker!" Mona said as Seeker gasped at hearing Mona reaffirm what she'd already heard him say about her. Ichinose frowned at Mona's outburst and spoke up.

"So what if the little failure may have gotten herself a boyfriend? It doesn't change what I'm about to do. The Promised Land is within reach. And once it's here, there won't be any of this stupid squabbling over things like hearts and love." Ichinose said as Joker frowned and spoke up.

"Is that REALLY how you feel, Ichinose-san? Stop hiding from the truth!" Joker said, making Ichinose wince in shock at Joker's words as she gasped. Seeker then spoke up to back up Joker's previous words.

"Dad's right, Ichinose. Even if I recognize Joker and Violet as my parents, you also created me, so that also makes you my parent as well. And as such, you should realize that you cannot hide the truth from your own offspring. After all, is that not what family is for? To be honest with one another and share their burdens and pain together? By doing this, the ony thing you're trying to succeed at is shielding yourself.

And to be honest? That makes you no different than how Uncle Crow was before he joined the Phantom Thieves. For the longest time, he too tried to deny the merits of friendship, family, bonds, and even love due to how much he'd been hurt in the past. But eventually Joker and the others wore him down and changed his heart for the better, largely thanks to some rather brave risks by Uncle Draconis. And unlike you, Uncle Draconis was willing to risk everything to get through to Uncle Crow. Sure, they might have hated each other and been at odds when they first met. But in the end, they found common ground and learned to respect one another." Seeker said as Crow and Draconis both smiled proudly at Seeker while she kept speaking, pleased by her speech.

"You don't want to hurt anymore, Ichinose. You want to protect yourself from suffering, pain, and other negative emotions. And that's why you deny having a heart! You're not doing this for humanity at all! You're only doing it for yourself! You're taking the easy way out by trying to help achieve EMMA's faulty solution!" Seeker said as Ichinose winced and spoke up.

"No, that's not true! No, no, no, no, no! Don't you get it, you brat!? Nobody suffers anymore, thanks to EMMA! Everyone gets saved!" Ichinose said as Crow spoke up.

"Is that so, Ichinose-san? Then answer me this. If what you say is true and everyone gets saved with EMMA's solution, then why didn't EMMA bother to save any of the Monarchs she helped create!? She didn't even lift a finger to save Konoe-san, and he was one of her biggest allies for a long time. Hell, even now, she hasn't even once stepped in to offer you any form of help aside from the laser she left you. So if you ask me, I think she just views you as a means to an end at this point.

She could probably care less if you succeed or fail in stopping us! And once she has no further use for you, she'll dispose of you, just as she did Konoe-san and all the other Monarchs! Not even Owada will be spared in the end. And I'm nearly positive he and EMMA had very little to do with one another!" Crow said firmly as Ichinose spoke up, her voice much louder and angrier than it'd ever been.

"SHUT UP! What would make a warped bastard like YOU think that you know anything about me, Crow!? Sure, you were once a feared assassin, but now you're just a washed-up loser who's fallen into the trap of bonds, friendship, family, and love. You've lost the edge that you once had! Hell, you even traded away your killing intent for the love of some fancy-looking rich girl! So don't you talk to me about being used by another! After all, you let yourself be used by Masayoshi Shido for who knows HOW long before you finally chose to turn your back on him thanks to the Phantom Thieves? SO SHUT UP! In the end, EMMA's solution? It's what we need! What humanity desires!" Ichinose said as Violet spoke up.

"Is it really humanity's desire, Ichinose, or is it just what YOU want? To be honest, I can't decide if I hate you more than I pity you, or vice versa." Violet said as Wolf spoke up as he saw the laser turn on.

"Look out!" Wolf said as a battle started while the camera cut to a shot of Seeker's skill-gain screen, where it was revealed that Pithos' transformation into 'Pandora' had broken the seal on its true final skill, which was in fact 'Makougaon', just as Violet had suspected it might be, after which Seeker smiled and spoke up.

"New skill obtained! I'd like to try it out next time if I can!" Seeker said as Mona smiled and spoke up.

"Well, well. It seems that I was correct in my assumption that you still possess hidden potential, Lady Seeker. Congrats on the power-up! I'm happy for you, but at the same time, I'm also so very proud of you, my lady." Mona said kindly as Seeker blushed shyly and spoke up.

"Thank you, Mona. I appreciate it." Seeker said as Pandora acquired 'Makougaon'. Soon after, Violet spoke up just as Ichinose snapped her fingers and summoned a massive horde of Shadows.

"Hey, as much as I'm glad that Seeker was able to finally get 'Makougaon', we should probably focus on the large army of Shadows that just appeared." Violet said as Joker spoke up just as a giant red Shadow appeared.

"Violet's right. You two can complement each other later. Right now, it's time to stop Ichinose, ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Joker said as the giant red Shadow shifted forms into what Joker immediately recognized as 'Hecatoncheires'.

At that point, the front lines were rearranged so that Violet, Seeker, and Mona were in Group A with Joker, while Draconis had Pendragon, Fox, and Wolf in Group B with him, Crow had Noir, Skull, and Auburn in Group C with him, and Queen had taken charge of Group D, which was herself, Panther, Seraphim, and Flare, while Oracle ran navigation inside of Al Azif while trying to once again crack the laser as the decisive battle against Ichinose's army started! At that point, Panther spoke up.

"Are you really okay now, Seeker? You seem to be up and running again, at the very least, so that's good." Panther asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I'm fine now. I heard all of your words before, as well as Joker, Violet, and Mona's heartfelt pleas. Thank you all for believing in me. I'd like to stop Ichinose now. Will you all help me?" Seeker asked as Noir smiled and spoke up.

"But of course, Seeker! We'll do it together! Each and every one of us have got your back!" Noir said as Ichinose spoke up in shock.

"I don't get it! How could you have pulled this off, Sophia!? You were running on fumes just a little while ago! All of you were! How does one person awakening to a new power revitalize all of you to such an extent!?" Ichinose said as Fox spoke up.

"Ah, and that is your first folly, Ichinose! You underestimate the power of friendship and bonds! Seeker might just be one person to you, but to us, she's much more than that! In addition, she's also someone most of us view as a beloved friend and teammate! And while it's true that both Joker and Violet love her like a daughter, along with Mona loving her as a potential girlfriend, the rest of us are just glad to see her in one piece and back on her feet." Fox said as Skull spoke up.

"Fox is right! You might just see her as some robot! But Seeker is way more badass and amazing than that! She's an awesome friend, comrade, and person whom we're all blessed to have around! Sure, Mona might have gone and fallen in love with her somewhere along the way, but given how cute and charming Seeker can be, can you really blame him? I know that's how I felt when I first fell for Queen, so I can understand that Mona feels drawn to Seeker. Not that someone as warped and effed-up as you could possibly understand such a profound and amazing idea as love and friendship!" Skull said as Draconis smiled and spoke up.

"Wow, Skull. That was really wise. I'm impressed, man. Respect." Draconis said as Ichinose growled and spoke up.

"I don't need this talk of sentimentality. All of you will soon perish. The laser's almost fully charged and ready to..." Ichinose said before Oracle cut in from inside of Al Azif.

"Oh, but is it? Or did someone let themselves get so preoccupied berating Seeker that they left themselves wide open for me to work my magic?" Oracle said as Ichinose gasped and spoke up as she noticed the crystal beginning to lose power.

"Ngh, this is bad. The power's starting to drain away from the laser." Ichinose said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Aww, what's wrong, Ichinose? Did someone get played by the great and powerful Oracle? Too bad for you, then. Now you see why underestimating my fiancee is a fool's errand!" Draconis said smugly as Violet and Joker just shook their heads while Oracle fought the urge to blush in embarrassment from inside of Al Azif at Draconis' praise of her as the battle continued.

For a while, the group kept fighting off the minor Shadows as Joker, Violet and Seeker worked together on the 'Hecatoncheires', combining their strongest Bless moves on it. Eventually, after a while, Ichinose huffed and spoke up.

"Sophia, I just don't get you sometimes. Surely you must realize that the only thing a heart does is open a person up to suffering! So tell me, what makes you want one so badly? Why would you go and do something so foolish?" Ichinose asked as Joker huffed and spoke up.

"I think you failed to realize that Seeker was able to grow her own heart. Something in which YOU have failed." Joker said as Violet nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. While Seeker was able to learn to accept others and actually be honest about her feelings, you prefer to pretend that you don't have a heart just to avoid suffering, Ichinose. Sure, Oracle might have had a similarly rough time as you recently, as she was moved from one home to another after her mom passed away many years ago. But unlike you, she didn't let the taunts of the people around her drive her to the point where she pretended that she didn't have a heart.

Nor did she seek to create a psychotic app with delusions of grandeur to try and foist a so-called 'Promised Land' onto humanity without so much as a 'by your leave' or care for what humanity really wants! Of course, that could largely be due to Draconis managing to reach out to Oracle when she was hurting. And as a result, he was able to help her find the correct path by not giving up on her and staying by her side unconditionally because of how much he loves her." Violet said as Seeker frowned and spoke up.

"Mom's right, Ichinose! What I'm doing isn't foolish at all! Sure, it's true that the heart can lead to pain and suffering. But for me? It's near enough the opposite. My heart gives me the power to protect my friends, no, my family. And in Mona's case, the person I love! Whereas you just want to convince yourself that a heart is worthless so you won't be tortured over discarding your own! In the end, you're merely lying to yourself in the hope that you won't hurt anymore." Seeker said, getting proud smiles from Violet, Mona, and Joker as Ichinose huffed and spoke up.

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! Damn you, you defective heap of worthless data! How the hell could a program understand the human heart anyway!?" Ichinose said as Crow spoke up with a frown.

"Given the trouble you're going through to pretend that you lack a heart, I'd say that Seeker was able to learn the concept rather easily, especially when compared to you." Crow said as Flare turned to Queen and Noir and spoke up.

"Okay, we're just going in circles at this point. I don't know about you two, but I'm just about fed up with Ichinose-san's attempt to stall us so she can blast us with that damn laser of hers. So I think we should bust out that new move that we were hoping to use but never got the chance to." Flare said as Noir spoke up.

"Oh! You mean the Triad Special we discussed?" Noir asked as Flare nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Correct. And as you might recall, this move very specifically calls for you and Queen's skills, Noir. So will you two help me test it out?" Flare asked as Queen spoke up.

"If it means we can bring an end to this sooner, rather than later, then you can count me in!" Queen said as Noir smiled and spoke up.

"I agree with Queen! If you need our power, then consider it yours!" Noir said as Flare smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks, you two. Shall we?" Flare asked as Noir and Queen nodded before all three of them spoke up in unison.

"GO, TRIAD SPECIAL!" Flare, Noir, and Queen said as their Triad Special started! At the start of the Triad Special, the area immediately around them and the closest Shadows changed into a boxing ring, to the shock of the other Thieves, who watched in stunned interest as the Triad Special took place. Flare then spoke up.

"Shall we show these Shadows the true meaning of pain, ladies?" Flare asked as Queen and Noir nodded as all three of them spoke up.

"HESTER, SET THE STAGE FOR US!" Flare said as Hester nodded, clapping his hands and causing a tied up sack to appear above the boxing ring that the battlefield had become as Queen spoke up.

"COME, AGNES! CHARGE YOUR POWER AND WAIT FOR MY SIGNAL!" Queen said as Noir spoke up.

"YOU TOO, LUCY! START PREPARING YOUR WEAPONS AND BE READY TO FIRE ON MY COMMAND!" Noir said as Agnes and Lucy nodded their acknowledgement of the commands they were given by Queen and Noir, before Flare, Queen, and Noir charged at the closest Shadows and Flare tossed one up into the air as Queen snatched it up and pile-drove it into a bunch of nearby Shadows, knocking them all into the psychic tornado of nuclear energy that Noir and Lucy had whipped up together, sending them all spinning as Noir and Queen leapt into the air while Flare had Hester cover the outside of the ring in mixed Ice and Nuclear energy while Queen spoke up.

"Ready to give the others a blast from the past, Noir!?" Queen asked as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Ready, Queen!" Noir said as she and Queen spoke up at the same time as Flare pulled out her Fukiya and took aim at a giant flaming rock above where the Shadows were being aimed.

"1! 2!" Noir and Queen said as they kept speaking, this time with Flare joining in to speak with them.

"NOW! BEHOLD OUR RED-HOT SMACKDOWN!" Queen, Flare, and Noir said, giving their Personas the signal to attack as Queen and Noir kicked the airborne Shadows out of the ring into the pit of flames and curses that Hester and Flare had created at the same time that Flare fired several darts from her Fukiya at the airborne rock at the same time that Agnes, Lucy, and Hester fired their strongest Nuclear, Psy, and Ice attacks at the rope, making the rope snap from the combined onslaught of the elemental attacks along with the fired darts from Flare's Fukiya.

In addition to the rope snapping, the force of the combined attacks on the sack wound up dropping it on top of the stunned Shadows, causing a massive explosion that destroyed all the Shadows utterly, but leaving Queen and Noir unharmed as the latter flexed her arms at the same time that the latter chose to pander to the crowd by doing a little heart with her hands, not unlike the one she'd done in the past when she and Queen had done a Showtime together. At the same time that the Triad Special ended, Seeker stepped up and spoke up.

"Nice display, you three! But now it's time for me to end this! Let's see what you can really do Pandora! IT'S SHOWTIME!" Seeker said as she walked up to the 'Hecatoncheires', with Pandora moving to stand behind Seeker as she kept speaking.

"PANDORA! FOCUS YOUR WEAPONS ON THE ENEMY AND TAKE AIM!" Seeker said as Pandora nodded, waving a hand and making the same boxes Pithos had used for it's attacks before form up in a stack in front of the 'Hecatoncheires', at which point the boxes started charging up power while Seeker kept speaking.

"ICHINOSE! I hope you're paying attention! I realize you're doing what you believe is the right thing to end your misery, but the truth is that you've just been hiding from your pain and suffering! Hopefully what I'm about to do will help open your eyes to the truth! Or if nothing else, maybe we can help you see the error of your ways. For now, this is my resolve as your overgrown monster will be engulfed by the light! PANDORA, NOW! FIRE ALL WEAPONS AT MAXIMUM POWER!" Seeker said as Pandora swung her arms down as the stack of boxes fired their lasers, pelting the 'Hecatoncheires' with an array of Bless-based laser fire, making it reel backwards and screech in agony before it staggered backwards and collapsed to the ground, where it went down in defeat and exploded into black mist as Seeker gasped and spoke up.

"OH! Looks like I overdid it again. Whoops. Well, no matter. Guess that's that?" Seeker said with a shrug as Mona grinned and spoke up.

"I think you did well, Lady Seeker." Mona said reassuringly to Seeker before turning to face Ichinose with a serious expression as he kept speaking after Seeker's Showtime had ended.

"And as for you, it looks to me like you're out of options! Face it, Ichinose! You've lost! Even your Shadows are gone! It's time for you to throw in the towel and admit defeat!" Mona said smugly. At that point, Ichinose could only sputter in disbelief as she spoke up.

"Unbelievable. How could Sophia figure out the human heart when I couldn't even figure it out with all of my superior intellect?" Ichinose questioned, laughing darkly as the battle ended with her defeat. From the massive influx of EXP that followed from the end of the battle, Fox, Draconis, Crow, Pendragon, Seraphim, and Auburn all hit level 76, while both Seeker and Wolf hit level 77, the level-ups giving Crow access to the Colossal-tier Almighty move 'Rebellion Blade', making Crow grin as he spoke up.

"Well, well. Seems like Seeker isn't the only one to get their final move here. It seems Hereward has regained his former power as well. Impressive." Crow said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Very true, Crow. At this point, only Auburn, Wolf, Flare, and Seraphim have moves left to unlock. We're making good progress on everyone gaining their final skills, to be honest." Draconis said as Noir spoke up.

"Agreed. And congrats on the skill, Crow!" Noir said as Hereward acquired 'Rebellion Blade'. After the battle, Ichinose fell on her knees as the crystal that EMMA lent her disappeared thanks to Oracle deactivating the laser. Joker smirked and spoke up.

"It's all over, Ichinose. Your plan to use Seeker, let alone the laser that EMMA gave you, has officially failed." Joker said as Skull spoke up.

"That's right! No one in our way now but you, Ichinose." Skull said. Fox spoke up.

"Give it up! There's no longer any point. You've lost." Fox said as Ichinose shuddered and hung her head, not wanting to admit she'd lost. Eventually, Ichinose spoke up.

"As expected of the Phantom Thieves, I suppose. Very well, I concede. I'm all out of tricks. Just finish me off quickly, please." Ichinose said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Mona asked as Ichinose spoke up with a frown.

"Simple. Even after my defeat, I still believe EMMA's answer is the only way to save all mankind. I'll only continue attempting to stop you until I succeed. The one solution that guarantees EMMA's defeat is my death." Ichinose said as all of the Thieves gasped at this before Ichinose smirked at Seeker and kept speaking.

"Isn't that right, Sophia?" Ichinose said to Seeker, who grunted in response, not sure how to reply to Ichinose's remark. At that same moment, Violet gently shoved Joker and Skull aside as she strode forward and made to backhand Ichinose across the face, only to be surprised when she felt her hand being grabbed, turning to see Seeker gently holding her arm back, stopping her from slapping Ichinose. Oracle spoke up in surprise at this turn of events.

"Hey, are you sure you're all right, Seeker?" Oracle asked as Violet looked at Seeker and spoke up.

"Seeker? Why'd you stop me, sweetie?" Violet asked Seeker as Wolf spoke up while addressing his words to Oracle.

"I get your concern, but this is between the three of them, Oracle. I'd say two of them, but there's no way in hell that Violet's going to be held back so Seeker and Ichinose can have it out between themselves." Wolf said sagely, as Joker spoke up.

"He's right. I would've also joined in, but I'll let this play out between Violet, Seeker, and Ichinose and see what happens." Joker said, getting an approving nod from Oracle as Seeker then spoke up while looking at Violet.

"Why did I stop you, you ask? Simple. I get you're angry at Ichinose. But do you really want your reaction to that anger to end up leading to more violence, Mom? Is it really worth stooping to Ichinose's level to make a point? That being said, it took me a while to figure out the human heart, as it was my primary directive at the time of my activation. However, I've finally got it at long last after all this time." Seeker said to Violet before turning to face Ichinose as she kept speaking.

"As for you, Ichinose? Despite the fact that a lot of people have tried to make you believe it, you are not a doll. You really do have a heart." Seeker said gently as Ichinose gasped at this while Seeker kept speaking before Ichinose could verbally reply to Seeker.

"All that time being called things like 'heartless', 'doll', 'not human', and so on, and you somehow soldiered through it without so much as a complaint. But be honest with me. Wasn't it an insufferable existence? Believing that you were not only alone, but that you didn't have anyone anymore? Clearly, you felt that way at least at one point. After all, that's why you made me. I might consider Violet and Joker to be my Mom and Dad, but you were still the one to give me life, so to speak, in the first place. So that makes you my Mom as well in a way, when you think about it." Seeker said as Ichinose spoke up with a frown.

"So you say. But I made you to try and understand the heart! Not some pathetic attempt to-GAH!" Ichinose said, the 'GAH!' coming after Violet slapped Ichinose lightly across the face and spoke up.

"Will you quit trying to deny it already, Ichinose? Seeker's trying to help you here. So shut up and let her speak." Violet said as Seeker nodded gratefully and kept speaking.

"That was a bit rough to watch, but thank you for the assist, Mom. Anyways, back to the subject at hand. Ichinose, you may deny it, but you have been locked in solitude ever since you lost your parents." Seeker said as Ichinose gasped, but Seeker wasn't finished, given she kept speaking before Ichinose could verbally reply, ignoring the awed and impressed look on Oracle's face at what she said next.

"And on top of that, rather than empathize with you, the people who should have cared for you treated you like a lifeless doll instead. And just like what Mom mentioned earlier, your situation reminds me of what Aunt Oracle went through at one point in her life. The big difference was that unlike you, Aunt Oracle had a family who cared enough to step in and not only save her, but also offer her a safe place to recover from what she'd been through. And it was through that kindness and understanding, as well as a splash or two of fate and/or destiny, that she was able to ultimately meet Uncle Draconis, whom she eventually fell in love with.

But looking at you, I'm reminded of what Aunt Oracle's life could have been if Pendragon hadn't cared enough to take her into his own home and love her unconditionally. As for you, Ichinose, in response to the actions of those around you, you attempted to rationalize this treatment by viewing yourself as truly heartless. This, in turn, was likely a defense mechanism to avoid further pain and suffering. Because studying the human heart, which was one of the few things you were truly passionate about, you-" Seeker said as Ichinose spoke up in a surprisingly sad and pained voice.

"Don't say another word, Sophia." Ichinose said as Seeker ignored her and kept speaking.

"You tried to create me to understand the heart in an attempt to try and understand your own. Because for you, approaching the issue from a scientific and professional angle was not only an appealing option, but it was something that you believe is easier than admitting how your own aching heart really feels. Deep down, even if you never admitted to it, you felt lonely. But you were so scared of rejection, you decided not to risk getting close to anyone. And that led to the result that you deluded yourself into your own lonely world." Seeker said as Ichinose spoke up in a mix of anger and sadness.

"No, that's not true! What could some program like you know about-" Ichinose said as Violet spoke up.

"Seeker is not just a program, Ichinose! She's become far more than that!" Violet said as Seeker spoke up.

"Thank you, but I can handle this, Mom. And Ichinose? Do you remember the directive you gave me when you created me? If not, I'll tell you. It was 'Become humanity's companion.'" Seeker said as Ichinose gasped at this but said nothing as Seeker kept speaking, looking surprisingly close to tears as she spoke.

"Why else would you give me that directive!?" Seeker asked as Ichinose gasped but said nothing as Seeker kept speaking.

"If I'm just some program written for emotional analysis, then that command wouldn't make sense, Ichinose. So tell me, why that directive?" Seeker asked as Ichinose spoke up.

"It's because-" Ichinose said as Seeker cut her off by speaking up to finish her sentence for her, a sad look on her face as she spoke.

"I know. It's because you were lonely. You wanted to know what was making you feel lonely." Seeker said as Ichinose frowned and spoke up.

"That's wrong, Sophia!" Ichinose said as Seeker spoke up with a firm shake of her head.

"No, it's not. You just believe that it's wrong. After all, you were told you had no heart by everyone around you. And instead of defending yourself, you simply listened, because it was simpler to just believe them!" Seeker said as Ichinose spoke up.

"NO!" Ichinose said in denial as Seeker spoke up once more.

"Don't deny it, Ichinose! You believed you could figure out the human heart so you could make your own stop feeling lonely!" Seeker said as Ichinose spoke up with an angry look on her face.

"That's not true!" Ichinose insisted as Seeker shook her head and spoke up.

"YES, IT IS! Even if you won't admit it, you know in your heart I'm right! You were just lonely! That's the real solution to your predicament!" Seeker said as Ichinose spoke up, sounding close to breaking down.

"No, that can't be true! I would never be able to feel something like loneliness!" Ichinose said as Seeker spoke up.

"Why are you so eager to deny it? It's natural to feel lonely at least a few times in your life! Sure, you may keep on disproving it! But, what's so wrong with that?" Seeker asked as Ichinose spoke up in surprise.

"Huh?" Ichinose said as Seeker spoke up.

"You might not believe what I'm about to say, but that doesn't make it any less accurate. In the end, the fact of the matter remains that no human is perfect. But by acknowledging weakness, humans can begin the path to changing themselves. I may be an AI, but even I was able to change. So if I was able to do it, then you should be able to change too! You should be able to comprehend the heart! Ichinose, you told me to become a good companion for humanity.

And from what I've learned from the Phantom Thieves, a good companion is one who takes your hand and leads you back to the right path when you fall astray. A good companion is also someone who will forge a path alongside you if you cannot find your own. And despite everything you've done, and everything you've put me through? Ichinose, I want to be that kind of companion for you, too!" Seeker said, making Ichinose and the rest of the Phantom Thieves gasp in disbelief. Seeker kept speaking before anyone could vocalize a response, though.

"So please join me in finding the right path! And if we can't, then let me help you forge one! You have no reason to be lonely, Ichinose. After all, not only were you my first mother since you gave me life! But more than that, you were my very first friend!" Seeker said, smiling at Ichinose, and not seeing the proud look on Violet's face as Ichinose spoke up.

"Sophia, what did you just say?" Ichinose said, before shocking herself and the group as she started to cry, making her speak up in confusion.

"Huh? Why are these falling from my face? Wait, these are tears, aren't they? Why am I crying? That's so weird to me. After all, as far as I can recall, this hasn't happened before." Ichinose said as she started sobbing, making the rest of the Phantom Thieves blink in shock as an impressed Skull spoke up.

"Damn, Seeker. You really did steal her heart, didn't you?" Skull said as Draconis nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, and after hearing what she had to say to Ichinose, I almost feel sorry for her. ALMOST." Draconis said as Violet smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed. And while I might still need time to forgive Ichinose for her actions, I can now see that she went through a similar experience to all of us when it comes to being wronged by society." Violet said as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Violet. Ichinose was just as much of a victim as the rest of us when we went through our own struggles with society. But I think that thanks to our daughter, I believe she will be able to find her own path towards happiness. And speaking of Seeker, she has learned a lot since she joined us and has grown so much. And thanks to what I saw in this heartwarming scene, I've had a chance to see just how far she's come. Not gonna lie right now, but I'm genuinely very happy for both of them, and also proud of Seeker." Joker said happily as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"As am I, Joker. Not only did Lady Seeker come into her full power at the most opportune time, but she was even able to thaw and change Ichinose's heart! Not that this justifies any of what Ichinose did to her, mind. But it's nice to see that Lady Seeker was able to look past that and help Ichinose see reason despite what she did." Mona said as Panther spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Yeah, it's so wholesome, isn't it? In the end, Seeker had to be the one to reach out to her." Panther said as Wolf smirked and spoke up.

"Well, of course she did, Panther. After all, a daughter's words cut the deepest, you know?" Wolf said as Pendragon chuckled and spoke up.

"True words have never been spoken, Wolf. But at the same time, it's often those same words that have the most impact when trying to reforge the dynamic between father and daughter. Or in this particular case, the dynamic between mother and daughter." Pendragon said as Queen chuckled and spoke up.

"I see. Speaking from experience, you two?" Queen asked wryly as Wolf spoke up.

"Heh, yep. You know it, Queen. After all, you guys were there for both the lowest and to a point the highest points of mine and Auburn's relationship. Not to mention everything you did to help patch and strengthen the ties between Oracle and Pendragon. Granted, I'm sure the majority of that was due to Draconis' diligence, but you all had a part to play in it as well. So yes, Pendragon and I are speaking from experience." Wolf said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Wolf's not wrong. Draconis was definitely a large part of why Oracle and I were able to reconcile with one another. But no, you won't get any arguments out of either of us." Pendragon said as Oracle blinked and spoke up.

"Whoa, neither Pendragon or Wolf even bothered to argue with Queen." Oracle said as Seeker walked over to rejoin the others as Noir spoke up.

"How are you holding up, Seeker?" Noir asked as Seeker spoke up with a smile.

"All good here. No problems." Seeker said as Fox spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"To think that even Seeker would awaken to a Persona in the end." Fox said as Mona smirked and crossed his arms while speaking up with a closed eye smile that had Seeker trying not to blush as she looked at it.

"Heh, it's no surprise to me. After all, Lady Seeker's been learning all about the heart this whole time. And among those such as Joker, Violet, Draconis, Panther, and even Seraphim to a point, she's had a lot of positive influences in that regard. Not only that, but the fact that she chose to let her heart be stolen by me is also very much welcomed, even though that matter is irrelevant to the topic at hand. But even so, I can't imagine it was easy for her to extend the hand of friendship to Ichinose in the way she did after what the latter did to her before." Mona said as Seeker winced and grunted as she recalled what Ichinose had nearly made her do to the rest of the Phantom Thieves. After a brief pause in which she seemed to hesitate, Seeker spoke up.

"Joker, Violet, Mona, everyone? Thank you all for believing in me. And also, I'm very sorry for hurting you all. That was not being a good companion to humanity." Seeker said kindly before blinking in shock as, to her surprise, she felt Joker pull her gently into a hug as he spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. We've already established that it was Ichinose's fault. Besides, you were being controlled. So of course we're not going to hold any of that against you. But more importantly, I'm just glad you're okay. Do you have any idea how badly you scared the rest of us after that stunt you pulled before the laser blasted us all the first time? Both Mona and Violet were legitimately sobbing after that because we all thought you'd died for a second. And Draconis being a hothead and getting himself blasted afterwards when he tried to destroy Ichinose didn't help matters." Joker said as Draconis spoke up with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Eh, that's true, isn't it? I suppose I did basically go off half-cocked, so to speak, didn't I? My bad. I was just so upset at how callously Ichinose was speaking of Seeker's actions." Draconis said as Violet smirked and spoke up.

"Well, we can forgive it this time, since I didn't exactly have much better of a reaction. I seem to recall cussing Ichinose out more than once, and then slapping her across the face when she tried to disrespect Seeker while she was trying to extend the hand of friendship to her. So I think we can cut you a bit of a break here." Violet said as Mona spoke up.

"Yeah. The important thing is that we're all still together, Lady Seeker is alive and well, and that all's well that ends well for now." Mona said as Seeker smiled at Mona and Joker as she spoke up.

"Joker! Mona!" Seeker said happily as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Yeah, I agree with Joker. Don't let it bother ya, Seeker! We're just happy to see ya back to normal! Some of us more than others, probably. I still can't believe Violet didn't smack Mona before when he basically full-on planted a kiss on you while you were out cold, though." Skull said as Violet spoke up with a huff.

"Yes, well, Mona was having a moment, and I felt like he was being very genuine and sincere with Seeker. Plus, I'm fully aware that there's likely mutual affection between the two, so I can't really be mad at him for wanting to try and express his feelings towards my daughter. Then again, given the fact she hasn't really expressed any issues with it, I have a feeling Seeker didn't mind it all that much.

And to be honest, the only way that whole moment could've been any more romantic is if Seeker had woken up to Mona kissing her. As it is, I think Seeker and Mona are adorable together. Not only that, but Joker and I have already spoken, and we both approve of it if Mona and Seeker do decide to try being in a relationship with each other. But we'll let that be their choice to make." Violet said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. After everything you two went through, you deserve to be with each other." Joker said as Mona blushed and spoke up.

"R-Really? Thank you, you two. And Skull? Shuddup! Did I bust your balls when you and Queen kissed before? No! So you don't get to give me crap for reacting in the moment regarding my desire for Lady Seeker to know how much she means to me." Mona said as Seeker blushed and spoke up.

"Mona, that's so sweet." Seeker said as she gently pried herself away from Joker and walked over to pull Mona into a hug before shocking most of the group and gently leaning in to kiss Mona on the lips before giggling at the stunned look on Mona's face as she spoke up.

"Does that help you understand how I feel about you, Mona? And to be clear, I don't mind if you want us to try being more than friends. But at the same time, I'm not sure how well something like that would work out, with you being a human and me being an AI." Seeker said as Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"Not a prob, Seeker. If we Phantom Thieves were able to work a miracle and turn Mona into a human, then I'm sure there's a way to give you a physical body in the real world as well. But it might take a while to figure that matter out." Oracle said as Panther spoke up with a closed-eye smile after seeing Mona let himself return Seeker's kiss.

"Definitely. And to contribute to what Skull said earlier? Bringing you back was worth it just to see this scene between you and Mona, Seeker. Or should I say, with you and your boyfriend? Hee hee." Panther said as Flare huffed and spoke up.

"C'mon, Panther! Don't tease them like that!" Flare rebuked Panther as Seraphim smirked and spoke up.

"Why shouldn't she? I won't lie. I legitimately think that Morgana and Seeker make for a rather dynamic couple, but that's just my opinion." Seraphim said as Auburn nodded and spoke up.

"Same here. Mona and Seeker do make a cute couple, and I would say that the wait was worth it." Auburn said as Seeker smiled and spoke up after separating from Mona, who stood next to her.

"Everyone, we were able to stop Ichinose. And we did it together. Thank you! I can hear something deep inside me speaking to me. It's saying, 'I want to stay with my family in the Phantom Thieves!'" Seeker said as Violet and Joker smiled while the latter spoke up.

"That's great to hear, sweetie. I believe your mother and I have said already more than once that you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you like. You'll always have a place with us. And if that means we have to accept your relationship with Mona, assuming you two are dating now anyways, then that's what we'll do." Joker said kindly, smirking at the blush on Mona's face as he spoke up.

"Eheh, that would be up to me to formalize that, wouldn't it? Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do. You might be an AI, but I don't care. Will you be my girlfriend, Lady Seeker?" Mona asked Seeker, who could only blush at the question but speak up with a smile.

"Of course I will, Mona. I'd like nothing more." Seeker said as she pulled Mona into a gentle hug and gave him a brief yet chaste kiss on the lips, ignoring the amused looks on the faces of the others as they watched her and Mona finally take the needed actions to cement their newfound relationship. At that point, Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"About friggin' time you two got together. You almost cost me some money. But I'll wait until later to collect the winnings from the bet I just won with several of the others." Draconis said as Violet smiled at Seeker and spoke up.

"Well, Seeker? Are you happy that you've finally found someone who cares for you the way that Joker, Draconis, Crow, Skull, Panther, and Seraphim care for their respective girlfriends?" Violet asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up with a wide beaming smile.

"Mmhm! Even though what we just went through was painful, it was nice that this ordeal was able to find a relatively happy ending of sorts." Seeker said as Wolf smiled and spoke up.

"I'm glad for ya, Seeker." Wolf said as Crow frowned and spoke up.

"As happy as I am for the new couple, are we really about to say our job is done? Or did we all forget about the giant golden monstrosity that likely escaped while we were busy with Ichinose's schemes?" Crow pointed out as Draconis winced and spoke up.

"Crap, that's right. We still need to stop EMMA, don't we?" Draconis said as the camera panned to a shuddering Ichinose, who slowly got to her feet as Fox spoke up.

"And now, with the matter of Seeker's past and Ichinose's pain seemingly resolved, only one task remains." Fox said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Right. We have to take out the Ark of the Covenant. This will have all been for nothing if we don't stop it." Noir said as Skull spoke up in confusion.

"But, where'd it even go?" Skull asked as Wolf spoke up while looking at Ichinose.

"Good question, Skull. Why don't we ask the EMMA expert? Ichinose, you wouldn't happen to know where your creation went, do you?" Wolf asked as Ichinose sighed and spoke up.

"No, I'm sorry to say it, but I don't know where EMMA would've gone after leaving here." Ichinose said as Seeker's eyes widened and she spoke up.

"Wait, hold on! I can hear another voice!" Seeker said as Mona and Draconis exchanged looks as the latter spoke up.

"If I have to venture a guess, is it the same voice as the one that tried to break you in the Okinawa Jail?" Draconis asked as Mona shuddered and spoke up.

"Oh, I hope not. Getting blasted once was bad enough. And frankly, I don't think any of us want to deal with someone else who also hates Lady Seeker at this moment." Mona said as Queen spoke up.

"Never mind that for now, Mona. What is it, Seeker?" Queen said as Seeker spoke up.

"Draconis is correct. It's the same voice I heard in the Okinawa Jail before. I recognize it now. The voice is none other than EMMA. It's the voice of the Ark!" Seeker said as both Crow and Draconis swore under their breath as Fox spoke up.

"I see. So it was speaking through a borrowed voice, just as we all thought." Fox said as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. It's gathering the people somewhere, possibly another Jail? It says a god is nigh at hand, and that their Desire will be granted!" Seeker said as Draconis spoke up.

"Gathering people!? That's not good. We might have to call for backup at this rate." Draconis said as Mona spoke up.

"Perhaps, but let's wait until that's actually a necessity, Draconis. Seeker, where's the voice coming from?" Mona asked as Seeker spoke up.

"It's not coming from within the Jail we're in now, but from somewhere outside!" Seeker said as Joker spoke up.

"Then we need to find that voice. If we can do that, odds are good we'll find the Ark. And the sooner we do that, the sooner we can finish this once and for all." Joker said decisively as Violet spoke up with a nod.

"Right. We need to put an end to this, for everyone's sake!" Violet said as Skull spoke up with a frown and a pumped fist.

"Truth, Violet! We need to find that damn voice and show it what's up! It's still got an ass whoopin' comin' from when it nearly took Mona from us!" Skull said irately as Mona smiled at Skull seemingly being offended on his behalf, but Oracle spoke up before he could thank Skull.

"C'mon, Ichinose! You're comin' with us." Oracle said as Ichinose spoke up with a wince.

"No, I'm not sure that's a good idea. I might have learned my lesson, but wouldn't I just be a liability if you brought me along?" Ichinose asked as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once, I agree with Miss Monologues. Do we really have to bring her along? Yes, we have to get her out of here. But can't we just let her do her own thing after that, provided she doesn't try to get in our way?" Crow asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Crow has a point. What's to say EMMA wouldn't try to use Ichinose against us in a similar way to how the latter tried to use Seeker?" Draconis said as Seeker walked over to Ichinose and spoke up.

"I hear what you're saying, but it's not important! Let's go, Ichinose! There's no time to argue!" Seeker said as Ichinose shook her head and spoke up.

"But it's all my fault that all of this is happening right now. I'm the one who created EMMA and handed her over to Madicce, which allowed her to transcend her programming and become the god-like entity that's currently threatening the world." Ichinose said as Skull marched over and spoke up angrily.

"Ugh, would you give it a rest!? Just shuddup and get with the program, Ichinose! We're rescuin' you whether you like it or not!" Skull said as he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away, amid both Ichinose and Seeker's eyes widening as the former spoke up.

"Huh!?" Ichinose said as Skull spoke up once he'd dragged Ichinose over to the others.

"Yes, you've done some effed-up shit recently, but even despite all of it, Seeker somehow considers you a friend! And no matter what you did, a friend of Seeker's is a friend of ours! We're not ditchin' anybody in this hellhole!" Skull said as Crow sighed and spoke up.

"I suppose that's fair, Skull. But please tell me we can ditch her once we get back to the real world?" Crow said as Joker frowned and spoke up.

"I'm just going to stop you both right here and say that it's probably for the best that Ichinose stays with us for the time being. As much as you both still have mixed feelings regarding her, it's better that she's with us than to leave her open for EMMA to use, as Draconis had mentioned earlier." Joker said and after both Skull and Crow looked at each other for a few seconds, they both sighed and nodded to Joker while Seeker turned to Ichinose and spoke up.

"I know this is probably confusing to you, but just go with it, Ichinose. Take it from me. Skull might be crass and vulgar at times, but he's got a good heart. He dragged me up from down in the dumps too." Seeker said as Ichinose spoke up with wide eyes.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Ichinose said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"It means shut it and come along. We're gettin' outta here." Draconis said bluntly as Fox spoke up.

"Draconis is right. We'll explain later. Let's move!" Fox said as the group left the hall. Once the entire group was safely out of the hall, Seeker spoke up.

"This should be good. We can return to the real world from here." Seeker said as Draconis spoke up.

"Well, that's good to know." Draconis said as Skull spoke up with a frown.

"Definitely, Draconis. So, the voice is comin' from outside, right, Seeker?" Skull asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"That's right, Skull. I have no doubt." Seeker said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"I still can't hear anything, though, Seeker." Noir said as Violet spoke up.

"I wonder if it'll be similar to the Okinawa Jail where we can only hear it when we're close enough to it?" Violet guessed as Seeker spoke up.

"That's a possibility, but I think I have another theory." Seeker said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Another theory?" Pendragon asked in curiosity as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Since I am the prototype of EMMA, it is possible that as a result of that, I am especially attuned to the frequency of EMMA's will." Seeker said as Crow spoke up.

"That makes sense. I was going to say it could be a result of you awakening to Pandora's power, but that wouldn't make sense since you were able to hear it before that." Crow said as Wolf spoke up.

"We can figure out the mystery of the voice more later, Crow. For now, whatever it is? Let's get back quick. We need to see just how bad things are." Wolf said as Seraphim spoke up with a nod.

"Wolf's right. Plus, if it's as bad as it sounds, we need to get back to the real world anyways, so we can get into contact with Big Bro and Kirijo-san in case we need their groups' help to stop EMMA." Seraphim said as Auburn frowned and spoke up.

"Okay, but haven't you forgotten that we can't exit this place since EMMA forced us in here." Auburn said as she recalled Oracle telling the group that they couldn't leave the Jail by using EMMA prior to their first confrontation with Ichinose as Flare spoke up.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I assume EMMA brought us here so she could have Ichinose try to stop us from foiling her plans. Even though Seeker said that we can return to the real world from here, I don't think we can if EMMA was able to lock us in." Flare said as Ichinose frowned and spoke up.

"Actually, keeping you guys in here was my doing. When EMMA brought you in here, I activated a locking mechanism that prevents you from leaving." Ichinose said and with a snap of her finger, a sound that almost sounded like a key unlocking a door was heard as Ichinose spoke up again.

"There, now you guys should be able to leave." Ichinose said as Joker spoke up.

"Well, thanks I guess. But you still have a long way to go to make up for the things you've done, Ichinose. But we can deal with that later. For now, let's head back to the real world guys." Joker said as the rest of the group nodded and returned to the real world with Ichinose in tow...

(Back in the real world, at the Tokyo Radio Tower, with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Sumire, Sophia, Morgana, Ren, Goro, Haru, Sojiro, Zenkichi, Akane, Nanako, Ichinose, Makoto, Kusa, Futaba, and Shiho)

After returning to where they'd previously been standing at the Tokyo Radio Tower before they'd been dragged into the most recent Jail, Zenkichi spoke up.

"Whew. All right, we made it." Zenkichi said as a wide-eyed Morgana spoke up in horror.

"Hey, uh, guys? These people seem rather out of it, don't you think?" Morgana said as the group heard a couple of voices speak up.

"I don't have to bother thinking anymore at this rate." One voice said as another spoke up.

"EMMA has all the answers I need, so why bother thinking for myself?" The other voice said as Ann spoke up in shock with a frown.

"Everyone's still brainwashed, despite stopping Ichinose!?" Ann asked as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"There's no time to waste anymore. At this rate, it could very well reach the point of no return. Sophia, can you tell where EMMA is?" Yusuke asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was in Sumire's hand, preceded Sophia speaking up.

"EMMA is-" Sophia started to say before Morgana interrupted her and spoke up.

"Wait, hold on. Something's wrong here." Mona said as at that point, the group's attention was drawn to the glowing coming from the nearby Tokyo Radio Tower as its light suddenly went out. The group took notice of all the lights started going out all across the area until it became nothing but darkness. At that point, Mona spoke up.

"Hey, what is that?" Mona said as the Thieves along with Ichinose watched as the Tokyo Radio Tower was bathed in a blue light as it suddenly began to transform itself as Ann spoke up.

"No way, this can't be happening?" Ann said as Ren spoke up.

"What the heck is happening to the tower?" Ren said as Sumire spoke up.

"From the looks of its shape, it seems to be changing into some sort of tree!" Sumire said as Goro groaned and spoke up.

"Please tell me this isn't what I think it is!?" Goro said as Kusa spoke up with a sigh.

"I wish I could, Goro. But I think it is just what you think it is." Kusa said as at that moment, a blinding flash of light erupted from where the Tokyo Radio Tower once stood and blocked everyone's ability to see, followed by a familiar pulling sensation that led to screams from everyone as they found themselves once again pulled into the Metaverse...

(In an unknown location, with Panther, Queen, Seeker, Ichinose, Pendragon, Seraphim, Auburn, Wolf, Joker, Violet, Draconis, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Fox, Skull, Mona, and Flare)

As the group opened their eyes, they frowned at the unfamiliar surroundings around them. Skull was the first to find his voice and speak up.

"Holy shit, what is all this!?" Skull asked as Crow spoke up.

"That is an excellent question, Skull. And I must admit, I have no idea of the answer to that question." Crow said as Panther spoke up with a frown.

"This is still the real world we're in, right?" Panther asked as Fox spoke up.

"That ought to be the case, but it's growing harder to believe by the minute." Fox said warily as Wolf spoke up.

"True. And look at our outfits, too. What could have done this?" Wolf asked as Draconis spoke up in shock.

"Holy crap, you're right! We're in our freakin' Phantom Thief outfits again! Well, other than Ichinose. Wait, why did Ichinose get dragged into wherever we are too!?" Draconis said in shock as Seeker spoke up in shock.

"Good question, Uncle Draconis. Oh! I'm also here now." Seeker said as Queen gasped and spoke up.

"Oh, no! Could it have happened again!?" Queen asked as Mona nodded his head and spoke up.

"Yeah, seems like it. Just like four years ago. Once again, we have a case of the worst-case scenario. It seems like the Metaverse is encroaching on the real world." Mona said as Wolf frowned and spoke up.

"What the hell? 'Encroaching'? What do you mean by 'encroaching'? Wait, hold on, are you saying that something like THIS has already happened!?" Wolf asked as Panther winced and spoke up.

"Oh, right. Only the nine of us who were directly involved in it the last time, along with Draconis and Crow, remember what happened. Well, ten of us, if we were to count Doctor Maruki among those who are in the know about it." Panther said as Mona spoke up with a nod.

"Well, regardless, this whole area is already under EMMA's control by now. Looks to me like she's turning it into some kind of massive Jail. And if we don't stop it soon, it'll eventually override all of reality!" Mona said as Joker frowned and spoke up.

"In that case, we have to find EMMA and bring her down. That might very well be our only chance of fixing this mess." Joker said as Mona nodded and hopped up and down as he spoke up.

"Right. We're on it, Joker!" Mona said as Seeker frowned and then spoke up in a confident sounding voice.

"Okay. I have visual confirmation of the Ark above us. We'll have to climb up there to reach it." Seeker said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"We have to be quick and get up there! Otherwise, all our efforts will have been for nothing!" Noir said as Mona turned to Ichinose and spoke up.

"Ichinose, it's going to get too dangerous for you to tag along from here on out. You should hide somewhere nearby!" Mona said as Ichinose nervously chuckled and spoke up.

"Eheh, right. I'll do just that. I'm sure I'd slow you down if I went with you, anyway." Ichinose said as Crow muttered what sounded suspiciously like 'thank freaking God' under his breath at that point, which only Draconis heard if the smirk on his face at that point was any indication. At that point, the rest of the group started heading out, leaving just Seeker and Ichinose standing together as the former spoke up.

"Well, Ichinose, I'm heading out now. Hopefully we'll be able to stop EMMA and save the world. Either way, keep yourself safe while we're gone." Seeker said as Ichinose gasped but smiled as she spoke up.

"Ah, right. This is the part where you and the others go out and save the day, isn't it?" Ichinose said as Seeker nodded and turned to start catching up to the others, only to be shocked when Ichinose spoke up once more.

"Sophia? Um, good luck out there. And promise me you'll be careful." Ichinose said as Seeker turned to face Ichinose and smiled as she spoke up.

"Understood. Also, Ichinose? I am not currently Sophia at the moment. Whenever we're in the Metaverse and I'm dressed as I am now, I am acting as Seeker of the Phantom Thieves." Seeker said as Ichinose smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, got it. Good luck out there, Seeker." Ichinose said as she briefly hugged Seeker, who smiled and returned the hug for a moment before starting to catch up to the others. Back with the others, Noir sighed and spoke up.

"Here we go again, you guys. I wonder if the gods hate us by now." Noir said as Fox nodded and spoke up as Seeker caught up to the group.

"Indeed. To directly oppose yet another god like this cannot mean anything good for us. I suspect our karma's run deep down the drain." Fox said as Oracle spoke up.

"True. I don't even know if we can afford to pay for all these sins." Oracle said as Crow laughed darkly and spoke up.

"Us? Pay for our sins? Need I remind you that some of us have already resorted to rather questionable means in order to do just that? Otherwise, some of us would've already had to pay that toll with our lives." Crow said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"True. And as far as karma? I'm pretty sure that most of our bad karma is canceled out by all the good karma we've amassed by saving the world so many times. Also, I'm pretty sure it's an unspoken rule of being a Persona-user that you pretty much agree to leave your karma at the door once you awaken to a Persona." Draconis pointed out. Wolf smirked and spoke up.

"Draconis has a good point. And as for paying for our sins? Eh, it just depends on who you cheesed off. I wouldn't sweat it over some egomaniacal app." Wolf said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"I couldn't have put that better myself, Wolf. Egomaniacal is certainly one word to describe EMMA's current state." Crow said as Panther chuckled nervously and spoke up.

"Yeah! Just some program that grew a big head and forced others to do its bidding!" Panther said as Seeker frowned and spoke up.

"Agreed. EMMA's no god at all. Only an impostor." Seeker said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Lady Seeker is absolutely right! So let's get going! That impostor god's gonna regret messing with humanity!" Mona said as Draconis nudged Joker and spoke up so only the two of them could hear.

"Too bad you've got Raoul right now, eh Joker? I bet that would be so glorious to be able to have Satanael shoot EMMA through the face like you did to Yaldabaoth before. But I figure we'll make this work." Draconis said as Joker nodded while Skull grinned and spoke up after cracking his shoulders in anticipation.

"Hell yeah, Mona! I'm friggin' ready!" Skull said as Joker spoke up firmly yet resolutely.

"This is it, everyone! We're putting a stop to EMMA. And we cannot afford to fail this time! There's too much riding on our success for failure to even be an option!" Joker said as Violet spoke up with a nod.

"Well said, Joker. And if we were able to help Seeker not only awaken her true power, but also settle things with Ichinose-san, then we can definitely stop EMMA from achieving her insane ambitions." Violet said as Pendragon nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Agreed. After what we've done up to this point, it only seems fair that we should come together now and finish this thing right, with an impressive victory over EMMA." Pendragon said as Flare nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed, Pendragon. Besides, once we defeat EMMA, that'll make the post-battle celebrations that much sweeter afterwards. After all, I'm sure at least some of us are gonna want to have some special 'celebrations' with their boyfriends/girlfriends once we save the world." Flare said with a sly smirk as Auburn spoke up with a blush.

"True, but you say that like some of us aren't just gonna be in the mood for that regardless. After all, Seraphim might not look like it, but once she gets in the mood, she's quite the wild child. But I'll leave it at that out of respect for both Seeker's innocence and Violet's sanity." Auburn said coyly as Seraphim giggled and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but it's not like Seeker can't just look up stuff like that on Oracle's computer. Besides, I feel like Violet would be more worried about Mona and Seeker getting frisky with each other than about any of us corrupting the latter too much. But that's just my opinion." Seraphim said as Seeker blushed and spoke up.

"SERAPHIM! Don't make such embarrassing assumptions about myself and Mona! Besides, Mom and Dad would rather kick Mona across Shibuya than let us go too far together too quickly. However, I will concede that they're just being protective of me and trying to watch out for me in case I somehow end up getting hurt." Seeker said as Mona spoke up.

"You said it, Lady Seeker. Oh, and Seraphim? Just because you and Auburn aren't shy about getting it on wherever, and possibly even whenever the mood strikes you, that does not mean that the same is true for the rest of us! Besides, at least Lady Seeker and I know enough to not let ourselves get caught by Oracle!" Mona pointed out, getting a childish and immature tongue being stuck out from Oracle as her response to Mona dragging her into his rebuke of Seraphim, who giggled as she spoke up.

"Fair enough. Sorry, Mona and Seeker." Seraphim said as Violet sighed and spoke up.

"You're lucky there are more important things to worry about right now than you corrupting Seeker. However, don't think that you're getting out of a possible lecture from Joker and me if the chance presents itself after we deal with EMMA!" Violet said to Seraphim, who winced but nodded her understanding. For her part, Queen nodded firmly and spoke up.

"I agree with Violet. EMMA is our top priority right now! And with that being said, let's give this last mission everything we've got!" Queen said as the group nodded resolutely and prepared for what could very well be their final mission as Phantom Thieves...

(Meanwhile, back at the hot springs hotel in Kyoto, with Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto, Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko, Fuuka, Mitsuru, Aigis, Koromaru, Ken, Labrys, and Marie)

As the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives relaxed a bit in the hotel Mitsuru had booked for her group, Akihiko spoke up with a smile.

"Heh, was I the only one who really enjoyed that last spar we got to have against the Phantom Thieves, or did we all enjoy ourselves?" Akihiko asked as the others nodded and Junpei spoke up.

"Hell yeah, Akihiko-senpai! That was so much fun." Junpei said as Ken nodded and spoke up while fixing the Shiba Inu laying next to him with a disapproving look while he spoke.

"True. Though a certain someone should really be in trouble for what he did when he defeated Morgana. You know by now that we don't disrespect our defeated opponents, Koromaru. I don't care if Morgana taunted you before that, as what you did to him was no better when you literally pissed on him!" Ken scolded Koromaru, whose ears drooped back as he whined and tried to give Ken his best contrite puppy-dog pout. Ken frowned and spoke up, ignoring the audible laughter from Akihiko and Junpei at his usage of the word 'piss' to focus on Koromaru.

"I know you're sorry Koromaru, but you have to learn that your actions have consequences. And that's why you didn't get to go to the hot springs with us earlier!" Ken said as Mitsuru smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, look at you acting all responsible and mature, Amada. I didn't think you'd grown up so much. I'm impressed." Mitsuru said as Akihiko smirked and spoke up.

"It has been close to ten years now since we formed the Shadow Operatives, Mitsuru. So of course Ken's gotten more mature in that time. Shinji and I taught him well, it seems. And I guess Junpei, but all he really taught him was how to appreciate women. Not much use in a fight, to be honest." Akihiko said as Yu nodded and spoke up, smirking as he saw Ken wince after hearing what he said next.

"True. And I know he didn't learn that skill just to hit on my cousin like he did during the bout. But I guess I can forgive him for it this time, especially since he got beaten up quite impressively by Nanako's girlfriend. So, I'll let it go for this time at least." Yu said as Rise spoke up.

"Heh, who know that Nanako would grow and mature so much during her time with the Phantom Thieves, never mind that she'd be the one of us to end up in a same-sex relationship? Speaking of which, I wonder what the Phantom Thieves are up to right now?" Rise asked as her question would be answered right then as a pale-faced Fuuka ran out and spoke up.

"Guys! Come look at the news! Hurry! It looks like some sort of Shadow activity has been spotted in the area of the Tokyo Radio Tower!" Fuuka said as Akihiko and Mitsuru exchanged horrified looks as the latter spoke up.

"The Tokyo Radio Tower!? Isn't that where-?" Mitsuru asked as Naoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, that's right, Mitsuru. According to PubSec's records, that's where EMMA's servers are located. The fact that there's Shadow activity there can only mean one thing." Naoto said as Yukiko frowned and spoke up.

"Right. There's a new Jail there. And possibly trouble." Yukiko said as Yukari spoke up with a nod.

"I'd agree with that assessment, Yukiko. Still, I wonder what's happening over there?" Yukari said as the two groups filed into the room in time to gasp as the newscaster spoke up.

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this breaking news bulletin! The area around the Tokyo Radio Tower has been engulfed in a mysterious blackout! And on top of that, there've been lots of reports of people wandering into the Tokyo Radio Tower in a mindless daze, only to not come back out after.

Many have speculated this to be a potential sign of bad things to come. If you or anyone you know has plans to travel to this area, use caution if you have to travel near the Tokyo Radio Tower. That is all." The newscaster said as Kanji swore and spoke up as the group saw the image on screen of a giant glowing tree-like tower which was causing ripples of what both groups recognized as Shadow energy to distort the area around the Tokyo Radio Tower.

"Dammit! Is this another case of the Shadow World trying to converge on the real world, like what those of us in the Investigation Team had to deal with when the Sagiri tried to cover our world in fog back in 2011!? Either way, this can't be good!" Kanji said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"No kidding! I'm legitimately worried about the Phantom Thieves now! And considering the fact that Nanako's with them, that's even more of a valid reason to worry." Yosuke said as Labrys spoke up with a nod.

"I agree with Yosuke-kun. Even though I think the Phantom Thieves can handle themselves, I do find myself agreeing that this isn't a good omen. Therefore, I feel like we almost hafta be ready to step in at a moment's notice if needed to help out." Labrys said as Aigis smiled and spoke up.

"That seems to be a very wise plan, my sister. However, I get a feeling from his current expression that Yu disagrees." Aigis said as Yu spoke up.

"To be honest? That's because I do disagree, Aigis. Rather than waiting for the call, we should get down there now and be ready to help out however we can, even if it's just to run interference from outside of the Jail for the Phantom Thieves. However, I do believe that a small handful of us, no more than four from each of our teams, should be ready to head in and back up the Phantom Thieves. And I already have a few people in mind to bring on this mission." Yu said as Mitsuru spoke up.

"Interesting? I'm intrigued now. Do tell us, Narukami. Who do you have in mind?" Mitsuru said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Well for starters, both myself and Rise are musts for the group backing up the Phantom Thieves, and this is for obvious reasons due to Nanako being with them. But alongside us, I was thinking we could have Yosuke and Naoto as the other two members from my group, as they both have a wide variety of skills and strengths. And as for your group, we can have Aigis, Akihiko, Koromaru, and Fuuka accompany us if they agree to have Fuuka assume the navigator role and let both Oracle and Rise fight on the front lines. Any objections?" Yu said as Fuuka shyly spoke up.

"None, but if I go with you guys, who will coordinate the efforts of the others back here? After all, you said Rise is going with you as well." Fuuka said as Mitsuru smiled and spoke up.

"Relax, Yamagishi. Both myself and Teddie were briefly the navigators for our respective teams before you and Kujikawa joined up. So we have enough navigational ability that we can fill the navigator role between us if needed." Mitsuru said as Teddie nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Mit-chan is right! Besides, that story on the news has me so bear-y worried about Nana-chan and the others." Teddie said as everyone else groaned and facefaulted from Teddie's pun as Yukari spoke up.

"Gah! Are you freakin' serious right now!? I thought we were done with bad puns when Ikutsuki died! Now Teddie makes them!? Someone shoot me." Yukari said as Marie sighed before she spoke up for the first time in a while with a frown on her face, reminding the others she was there as she did so.

"Unfortunately, bad puns are kind of a part of Teddie's character. However, that doesn't mean we have to tolerate them all the time. Although, maybe I should make a note to include that in the growing list of things I need to criticize Teddie for when we have our 'long talk' that I promised him during our match against the Phantom Thieves?" Marie said, giving Teddie an annoyed glare while making lightning spark from her fingertips warningly as Teddie quivered in fear before Akihiko smirked and spoke up.

"No need. I'll just get Koromaru to use Teddie as a chew toy if he keeps making puns. But we can keep you on reserve if we need to keep Teddie in line down the road. Still, I appreciate your assistance, Marie." Akihiko said as Chie laughed and spoke up.

"Wow, I had no idea you had such a dark and twisted side, Master. I like it." Chie said as Akihiko smirked and spoke up.

"That's because it almost never comes out. But people like Teddie just so happen to be especially good at bringing it to the surface." Akihiko said calmly as Chie nodded before smirking as a horrified Teddie gasped and passed out after hearing Akihiko's remark about him, especially after the eager wag of the tongue and happy-sounding bark that Koromaru gave as he happily wagged his tail cutely in response to Akihiko's usage of the words 'chew toy', which were some of Koromaru's favorite words. And add to that the fact that Koromaru hates Teddie, and you have a recipe for a very eager Shiba Inu who wants to make a certain ex-bear into a chew toy. Naoto frowned at Akihiko and spoke up.

"Now, now, Sanada-san. Teddie might be an annoying imbecile most of the time, but he is still a member of our team. So we have to put up with his puns. Besides, there are far more efficient ways to deter him from making puns. One of my personal favorites is a little thing I like to call the 'taser'. As Kanji can attest, tasers are a very effective means of keeping someone in line." Naoto said with a sly yet devious smirk on her face, making Yu, Akihiko, Junpei, Yosuke, and Kanji all look at each other and burst out laughing at the horrified look on Teddie's face before Yu sobered and spoke up.

"Good one, Naoto. But, all jokes aside? We really should mobilize and make our way to the Tokyo Radio Tower to assist in the Phantom Thieves' efforts." Yu said as the rest of both groups nodded and got ready to file into the tour bus that Mitsuru had lent the Investigation Team to start the drive to the Tokyo Radio Tower, hoping that they could get there before it was too late...

END OF CHAPTER AND OF ARC 8- PANDORA'S ABYSS

A/N: And boom, there we go, another chapter done and dusted already! In my defense, I underestimated how quickly the Jail of the Abyss would be wrapped up. I had thought the events of said Jail would potentially stretch themselves out over the course of two chapters, but instead I was able to fit it all into one singular chapter. So yeah. Just like that, we're at the start of Arc 9!

And as a reminder, the end of Arc 9 is when the current poll in my profile is targeted to end, at which point I will probably close the poll and tabulate the results to decide what story will come next after I finish Rise of the Monarchs. So once this chapter is up and readable, I'd estimate there'll be around probably three to four chapters at most left for people to vote on the poll.

As of this point, I've only had four people vote on the poll. And while I won't go into detailed descriptions of the standings, I will say that the vote presently sits at a 2-2-1-1-1-1-0 tally at this point. Meaning, if things stay as is, I might have to use a randomizer to break the four-way tie for 3rd place that is currently a thing. I don't feel such a need to break the 2-2 tie for 1st, however. As I said before, the top 3 options will be the ones considered for the next story, with the 1st place option being the likeliest to happen. So I recommend that anyone who hasn't voted yet that wants to do so should vote now, while they still can. Figured I'd put that out there.

I'd offer previews for chapter 43, but past it being the start of the final Jail, I don't remember enough of the final Jail to honestly give an accurate preview. However, the event that happened with the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives at the very end of this chapter? Let's just say that might or might not serve as a teaser for a change-up that might happen in the next chapter.

So yeah, it is what it is there. Consider that your preview for chapter 43. Mind you, there's no guarantees on when chapter 43 will go up. As it is, I posted this chapter early at jdimock's request so he could start working on it before his internship. Since he'll probably have started it by the time he gets to this end-of-chapter A/N, good luck on your internship, jdimock! Hope it goes well for you!

But in any case, let me give a huge shout-out and thank you to everyone who has followed this story, added it to their Favorite Stories list, or even just left a review on the story, as I enjoy hearing from my readers and welcome any and all feedback I can get. So don't be shy about leaving a review below (or even a PM if you prefer that) with any thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism that you might have on the story, as I always enjoy getting feedback from readers! So don't be shy about making those voices heard! And until the next chapter and next Arc, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - Not even kidding here, the first thing I thought when I saw Pandora's design the first time I played through Strikers was 'Holy crap, did they really give poor Sophia such a slutty-looking Persona? I mean, her frigging breasts are pouring out of the bottom of her shirt! Good thing Persona is an M-rated game by default.'

But at the same time, the fact there are so many boxes still in her design helps keep Pandora from being too overly sexualized. And I stand by the remark that Draconis made in this chapter about Pandora being an overly sexualized representation of Pandora's Box, because she really is. At least, that's assuming that I'm correct in guessing that Pandora was meant to be based on Pandora's Box, anyways. Figured I'd put that out there.

PHANTOM THIEF SKILL LISTINGS, ALLY LIST, AND LIST OF TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 42 AND ARC 8

JOKER (Ren) - Level: 82 Current Personas: Raoul (Level 69), Mot (Level 69), Black Frost (Level 76), Forneus (Level 74), Cerberus (Level 70), Dominion (Level 69), Thor (Level 78), Sarasvati (Level 69), Norn (Level 74), Yoshitsune (Level 82) Equipped Persona: Raoul Persona Moveset: Eigaon (Curse), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Rebel Soul (Passive), Resist Ice (Passive), Mediarama (Healing), Curse Boost (Passive), Maeigaon (Curse), Regenerate 3 (Passive)

SKULL (Ryuji) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: William Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), God's Hand (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Elec Boost (Passive), Maziodyne (Elec), Charge (Support/Buff), Agneyastra (Physical), Technical High (Passive)

MONA (Morgana) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Diego Persona Moveset: Garudyne (Wind), Diarahan (Healing), Salvation (Healing), Magarudyne (Wind), Wind Amp (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Dodge Elec (Passive)

PANTHER (Ann) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Celestine Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Fire Amp (Passive), Soul Thief (Passive), Blazing Hell (Fire), Matarunda (Support/Debuff), Brain Jack (Ailment), Diarahan (Healing)

FOX (Yusuke) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Gorokichi Persona Moveset: Bufudyne (Ice), Sword Dance (Physical), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Knockdown Style (Passive), Myriad Slashes (Physical), Brave Blade (Physical), Mabufudyne (Ice), Evade Fire (Passive)

QUEEN (Makoto) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Agnes Persona Moveset: Atomic Flare (Nuclear), Dekunda (Support/Buff), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Mafreidyne (Nuclear), Diarahan (Healing), Flash Bomb (Physical), Mediarahan (Healing), Nuke Amp (Passive)

NOIR (Haru) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Lucy Persona Moveset: Psiodyne (Psy), Ailment Boost (Passive), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Riot Gun (Gun), Evil Smile (Ailment), Amrita Shower (Healing), Mapsiodyne (Psy), Gun Amp (Passive)

ORACLE (Futaba) - Level: 82 Current Personas: Al Azif and Albus Equipped Persona: Albus Persona Moveset: Arcane Bolt (Elec/Psy), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Megidolaon (Almighty), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Invigorate 3 (Passive), Spell Master (Passive)

SEEKER (Sophia) - Level: 77 Current/Partner Persona: Pandora Persona Moveset: Kougaon (Bless), Bless Amp (Passive), Diarahan (Healing), Makougaon (Bless), Mediarahan (Healing), Marakunda (Support/Debuff), Angelic Grace (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing)

WOLF (Zenkichi) - Level: 77 Current/Partner Persona: Valjean Persona Moveset: Megidola (Almighty), Gun Boost (Passive), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Agneyastra (Physical), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Enduring Soul (Passive), Firm Stance (Passive)

VIOLET (Sumire) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Ella Persona Moveset: Kougaon (Bless), Dodge Curse (Passive), Diarahan (Healing), Bless Amp (Passive), Vorpal Blade (Physical), Makougaon (Bless), Sword Dance (Physical), Brave Step (Support/Healing)

DRACONIS (Kusa) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Malefor Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Garula (Wind), Mediarahan (Healing), Draconic Aura (Support/Buff), Null Bless (Passive), Gigantomachia (Physical), Megi-Flare (Almighty), Almighty Amp (Passive)

CROW (Goro) - Level: 76 Current Personas: Robin Hood, Loki, and Hereward Equipped Persona: Hereward Persona Moveset: Eigaon (Curse), Riot Gun (Gun), Maeigaon (Curse), Laevateinn (Physical), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Mudoon (Curse/insta-kill), Rebellion Blade (Almighty), Curse Amp (Passive)

PENDRAGON (Sojiro) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Kohryu Persona Moveset: Psycho Force (Psy), Gigantomachia (Physical), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Mediarahan (Healing), Mapsiodyne (Psy), Evade Nuke (Passive), Spell Master (Passive), Psy Amp (Passive)

FLARE (Shiho) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Hester Persona Moveset: Bufudyne (Ice), Myriad Slashes (Physical), Mediarahan (Healing), Angelic Grace (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Freidyne (Nuclear), Ice Amp (Passive), Nuke Amp (Passive)

SERAPHIM (Nanako) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Sraosha Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), Brave Blade (Physical), Charge (Support/Buff), Maziodyne (Elec), Salvation (Healing), Elec Amp (Passive), Hamaon (Bless/insta-kill), Angelic Grace (Passive)

AUBURN (Akane) - Level: 76 Current/Partner Persona: Houdini Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Diarahan (Healing), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Maeigaon (Curse), Regenerate 3 (Passive), Charge (Support/Buff), Evade Ice (Passive), Evade Bless (Passive)

LIST OF ALLIES: Taichi, Momoe, Sae, Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto, Mishima, Minako, Shinichi, Maruki, Hiraguchi, Shibusawa, Shibusawa's Wife, Marie, Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko, Fuuka, Mitsuru, Aigis, Ken, Koromaru, Labrys

LIST OF KNOWN TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF REACHING THE END OF CHAPTER 42 AND THE END OF ARC 8

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)

BLADE OF SEDATION (Crow, Wolf, Pendragon)

RED-HOT SMACKDOWN (Flare, Noir, Queen)