The Phantom Thieves were in a bind. All except for Joker, Crow, Dragon, Viper, and Mona were struck with Marie's mind control. Despite their defiance, they didn't have a way out of this situation...until a mysterious woman named Erina appeared, intercepting Marie and her shoulders. "Erina...?" Mona asked. "Who is this...?"
"She fits the description! It's her!" A soldier exclaimed, recognizing this Erina character immediately. "She's the leader of the filthy rebels making a mockery of the great lady Marie! We know you've been skulking around in the Shadows. So, you finally decide to reveal yourself!"
"Hmph..." Marie scoffed at the appearance of Erina. She was not impressed in the slightest.
"Listen, young men and women...and catfish face..." Erina whispered to the group.
Catfish face?! Mona took offense to that! "What the - at least call me a cat...!"
"Whatever, we have to retreat from here." Erina whispered.
"Believe me, we were thinking the same thing..." Viper said, panting softly. Breaking free from Marie's mind control was not an easy feat. The only thing keeping her and Crow conscious right now, was the adrenaline pumping through their veins.
"But..." Mona began.
"We have to leave. Now." Crow said. He knew they didn't want to leave their mind controlled friends, but they literally had no options.
"Retreat is our only option." Dragon hated leaving the others as well, but there was no other choice. If they didn't retreat, they would lose, and be put under Marie's thumb.
"I hate to do it, but it's the only way to survive." Joker nodded.
"I'm glad you're able to read the situation." Erina said with a firm nod. If they were stubborn, this whole thing would've been a waste. "In that case, I'll lead. We have to punch through their forces. Follow me!" Considering that Erina was a completely fresh combatant, her combat ability would be greatly appreciated going forward.
"It's do or die time...!" Mona exclaimed.
"I don't like either option, if we're being honest." Viper said. She didn't even want to be in this situation, but she could tell that going with Erina was their best bet at survival.
"Really?!" Marie said with a mocking tone. "You're bolting after such a grand entrance?" She snapped her fingers, commanding her new toys to act. "But we've only just started having fun!"
"Don't let the rebels escape!" Skull shouted.
"We'll crush the rebels where they stand!" Violet exclaimed.
"Stop, in the name of Lady Marie!" Fox demanded.
"Lady Marie's wish is our command!" Panther smiled. All of their voices were joined with Marie's own. Despite their efforts to resist, they weren't able to completely push Marie's influence off of them.
"We gotta go!" Viper hissed.
"We'll be back for you guys!" Mona said.
Dragon's mask burned off as Bella appeared behind her. If they were making a break for it, she needed to provide an opening! "Forgive me!" She swung her hand down, and Bella did the same. This prompted a large Megidoloan to drop on the area. Dragon couldn't dare hurt her friends, or Panther, so she focused on the soldiers. The sheer expanding size of this explosion is what truly caught Marie and her minions off guard.
"W-What the...!?" Marie had to cover her eyes from the blinding light. The other Phantom Thieves did as well. Any solider that somehow wasn't caught in this blast was blown away from it.
"Whoa...!" Erina's visible eye widened from Dragon's display of power. If these guys were really fighting against Marie, she absolutely needed them on her side!
"Now!" Dragon exclaimed. She was a bit winded, which didn't make any sense! "Why am i so tired...!?" This feeling was all too similar to the first time she awakened Belle Star back in Kaneshiro's Bank, or the Cinema Labyrinth. But that was such a long time ago by now! She was an experienced Persona user at this point, so why was she huffing and puffing after just one spell!?
"This way!" Erina exclaimed. With such a strong opening, they could easily make their down an alleyway nearby! The light was still rather blinding, so it took a few precious moments for Marie and the others to regain their sight.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Marie looked the Phantom Thieves she had under her control. "Go after them! NOW!"
"..." No response at first. Their bodies refused to move and their faces showed resistance.
"I. Said. Move. "Marie snapped. She managed to spur Skull, Panther, Fox, and Violet into action. They were a little behind...but they were going to rush after the escapees.
.
The group rounded a corner as quickly as they could. Dragon's Megidoloan did buy them some time to create some distance, but they weren't exactly safe yet. "Wait...!" Erina held her hand out, causing the wounded Phantom Thieves to come to a halt.
"What?!" Viper peered around the corner, and to her disgust, there were still a few soldiers lingering about. "You said this was a safe path!" She hissed at Erina.
"Wait, it's okay! They are frazzled, and haven't had the time to set up a proper formation!" Dragon pointed out.
"Good. So we crush them and move on." Crow said as they took cover. The soldiers were standing, shaking but at the ready. If it weren't for the fact most of them were so exhausted, they could steamroll these soldiers and move on.
"They're really out in the open..." Joker was surprised at how sloppy their formation was, but he wasn't going to complain about it.
"Let's take care of them, quickly!" Mona said.
"Leave it to me!" Erina said, taking charge to make things easier for the Phantom Thieves. She rounded the corner, much to the soldiers surprise. They had no idea what to expect, and the leader of the supposed Rebels was far from it! "Take this!" She spun her lance around, before crashing down onto the group of soldiers. This generated enough force to knock the soldiers away in separate directions.
"Wh-what were we doing...?" One of the soldiers questioned. For a brief second, they completely forgot what their orders were.
"We've an opening!" Dragon said while leaping out from the corner, along with Crow and Mona. The three of them quickly picked off the confused soldiers before they had a chance to retaliate.
"Whoa, even when wounded, you guys move fast." Erina sounded impressed! She knew helping them was the right idea.
"We fight much better when we're not." Joker added, slipping around a corner with Viper. "I can't say we're at our best right now, but we're hanging in there."
"Let's just hurry and escape already." Viper groaned. The only saving grace here was Dragon, otherwise she was certain she'd go crazy. They still had to make their way to the back alleyway, and they had some distance to cover. But escape wasn't going to be that easy.
"Get back here!" Panther exclaimed. She wasn't alone; Violet, Fox, and Skull were quickly approaching.
"They're still following us?!" Viper could not believe it.
"That's not good..." Joker grit his teeth. Outrunning Skull on foot wasn't going to be easy; but they had Violet and Fox to contend with as well! Not to mention Panther with the long range of her whip.
"You will not get away!" Violet exclaimed, using her gymnastic skills to quickly close the gap between herself and the retreating Phantom Thieves. She was easily flipping over boxes, barrels, anything and everything that stood in the way. With these skills, she was going to reach them in no time.
"Wha...!? She's incredible!?" Erina gasped.
"Uh oh! Here comes Violet!" Mona gasped. "Diego!" In an act of quick thinking, Mona moved to strike before Violet could get close. While she was in the air, Diego released a quick tornado of wind to catch her, and send her off her flight back. Violet went crashing into the ground due to having no place to land. "I'm sorry!"
"Don't apologize!" Crow stepped forward as Hereward appeared in front of him, loosing several arrows of Curse magic into the sky. These arrows began to rain down on Skull, Fox, and Panther. They briefly stopped their charge as the arrows descended on him, pelting them harshly. Fox unseathed his sword as Gorokichi appeared, freezing and slashing through the arrows. "Tch..."
"Hey!" Viper was in front of the trio with a wicked grin. "You've got too much energy!" Nuwa appeared in front of the trio, pointing her hands forward as they were all entrapped within a colorless sphere. She used a widespread Life Drain on all three of them. This felt good; while it didn't completely heal her injuries, she actually felt funtional now! "Aaaaaah, much better!"
"What do you think you're doing!?" Skull growled. Viper gave a disguisted look, since Marie's voice was merged with his own.
"Gross." Viper stuck her tongue out in disgust, before leaping back.
"Raoul!" Joker needed to get them distance and fast. Raoul dropped down from above with an axe kick, creating a gigantic explosion of curse magic in the process. "Phantom Judge!" This attack surged through the area, succeeding in knocking back Skull, Panther, and Fox all at once. It didn't knock them down, however. As the dust from the attack cleared, the four pursuers were stuck, gripping their heads in agony.
"Guys...!" Dragon clenched her hand into a fist.
"They're fighting it..." Erina was amazed. But she didn't want to get caught up in it, because she could see this wouldn't last. "Now's our chance. We have to flee!"
"Right..." Joker nodded. Everyone could see this was their chance.
"I don't...want to hurt...Senpai..." Violet said with a groan, managing to pry the mask off of her face with heavy pants. Her eyes were still a shade of pink, and she threw the mask to the ground in defiance. It didn't last long, because her own mask latched back onto her face. "AAGGH!?"
"..." Joker grit his teeth. He hated to see his friends suffering like this, but they had to escape...
"..." Dragon couldn't even imagine hurting Panther, or anyone. She hated the thought. That's why she had to step back as soon as possible.
"Don't worry, we're almost there!" Erina reassured the group. What she didn't expect was Violet's massive leap forward, cutting them off. "Tch..."
"Did you think you were going somewhere?" Violet spoke with an uncharacteristic mocking laugh. Erina lunged forward with her spear, thrusting it towards Violet, as she fought back with her rapier.
"You will bend your knee to Lady Marie!" Panther said while cracking her whip.
"Pinched..." Crow sucked his teeth. All they had to do was break through, but this fighting was going to wear them down sooner or later. They couldn't expect Erina to do all the heavy lifting either.
Erina and Violet slid back from one another. They were in no better a position. "C'mon..." Erina said under her breath.
"This is it for you!" Violet lunged forward, aiming to strike a well prepared Erina. However, before she could get too close...a yo-yo struck her in the chest, causing her to be pushed back merely from the force. "What!?"
Just as Panther, Skull, and Fox lunged forward, a familiar sent of chains slammed into them, the force knocking them back as well. "Who dares...!?"
"A yo-yo?" Dragon whispered, glancing in the direction it came from. The others did as well. What they saw...
"Mission objective: back up Erina, successful!" That came from none than Sophie! Standing next to her on the building was the last person anyone could've ever expected to see here: Wolf!
"W-What!?" Joker's eyes were wide. "Sophie!? WOLF!?"
"Marshmallow!? Old man!?" Viper was gagged at the sight of them.
"Looks like we made it in time." Wolf said while looking at the situation. The last thing he was expecting was seeing these damned brats fighting each other, but he knew for a fact, even without a glance, that this would never happen normally.
Erina let out a sigh of relief. "Backup's here! You can rest easy, we'll escape for sure, now!"
"But how...!?" Mona asked.
"Questions later, kitty." Wolf said calmly.
"Who are you?!" Fox exclaimed; but this was Marie speaking through his body. "Another set of rebels trying to take my new toys away? I'll break you too!" With that, Fox started to lunge towards the two intruders.
Right as Fox approached, a familiar blue light appeared behind Sophie. "PANDORA!" That call of hers came from the heart, and Sophie's Persona appeared in front of her. Pandora and Sophie took aim together. "Firing!" They released a gigantic sphere of light together, and that sphere shattered into beams of light, crashing down on Fox, Panther, Skull, and Violet. This wasn't meant to damage them, but the blinding flash of lights did force them to close their eyes.
"This light..!?" Skull sucked his teeth. To combat this, he summoned William, who pointed his arm cannon forward. With Skull's destructive power, he was sure to hit something!
"I don't think so...!" With some quick thinking from Erina, she conjured a spear in her other hand and hurled it forward. While her plan was to jam it into William's cannon, he fired too quickly for that. Still, the spear was too close, so an explosion did end up occuring that stopped Skull's attack.
Wolf then jumped down as his mask burned away. "Alright, kids. We'll be back for you later...but for now, we're gonna need you to take a quick nap. VALJEAN!" The ground trembled for a moment, until Valjean slowly began to claw his way out of the earth in front of Wolf. With almighty magic charged in his fist, he slammed it down on the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that ripped through the earth. This shockwave split Fox, Panther, Skull, and Violet in separate directions. Wolf didn't really want to hurt them, but he knew he had to be a little rough if he wanted them off their backs. "Alright, we're good!"
"I have no many questions..." Mona was flabbergasted.
"We can get those answers later." Crow said. For the time being, Skull, Panther, Fox, and Violet were too far away too make any immediate moves. But he still noted how they were getting up as if nothing even happened. That was a clear signal that they had to leave, now.
"This way!" Sophie pointed forward, guiding Erina and the others back to the way they came from.
.
.
The running continued for a few more moments. But after that, they could finally slow down. Erina looked behind them and let out a small sigh. "Alright. I think we've managed to outrun them. I've also sealed the secret passage, so they won't be following us either."
"We owe you one..." Joker said. If it weren't for Erina, they would've been in a terrible situation. That said...he turned to Wolf and Sophie with wide eyes. "And you two...!?"
"Yeah, no, trust me. I've got my questions too." Wolf said with a heavy sigh. Clearly, this wasn't somewhere he wanted to be either.
"I'm happy to see you all again!" Sophie bounced on her feet.
"I'm so confused right now. But I have too much of a headache to deal with it right now." Viper pressed her finger to her temple.
"Still, your timely assistance did save us." Dragon extended her gratitude to Erina, Wolf, and Sophie.
"Yeah, we seriously would've been toast..." Mona said.
"..." Crow didn't say anything.
"It was no problem. It looks like we have the same enemy, after all." Erina replied with a smile. "Besides, it didn't look like any of you were going to back down without my intervention either."
"Absolutely not. But it wasn't as if we could simply flee either." Dragon rubbed the back of her neck.
"Marie is immensely powerful. Not only that - her forces are great. We'd never be able to defeat her head on." Erina explained.
"Ew." Viper rolled her eyes.
"I think it's about time we get a few answers." Crow finally spoke. "Who are you. And what is this place?"
"We haven't exactly gotten those answers either." Wolf pointed out.
Erina realized they were still probably confused. "Right. My name is Erina, the Rebel Corps leader. You must be the...Phantom Thieves, right? I still can't believe you took down those Legionnaires." An idea was forming in head. But there was one thing on her mind. "You guys...Joker...and the rest of you. Why didn't you surrender? You took a serious beating back there, and no matter how much she hurt you, you never seemed to actually fear her...and you two broke free of Marie's mind control..." She looked to Crow and Viper.
"...It wasn't that easy. But I wasn't going to give up." Joker replied. Marie really did lay the smackdown on them, but he refused to give in. "All I've done is resist. She wasn't going to take that away from me."
"...I simply hate losing." Dragon replied.
"Attempts at manipulation piss me off." Crow said. "I wasn't going to allow her to control me like some hapless puppet, I would rather die. No one is putting me on strings again."
"I hate her." Viper replied simply. "My ego is too massive to be under someone else." She's self aware about it, which made Dragon give an exasperated sigh. The one time Viper's ego was actually a good thing.
"Glad to see you guys haven't changed much." Wolf said.
"I see..." Erina looked to the Phantom Thieves for a moment. "One more question. Are you guys really standing up to Marie, or are you just her pawns, trying to entrap me? Speak now so I can make this quick!"
"When did this become an interrogation!?" Mona gasped.
"Don't be stupid." Crow spat. If Erina really was a Rebel Leader, he could understand why she had to ask that, but considering what they just went through...that question irritated him to no end.
"You can trust them." Sophie said firmly. "As we said before!"
"We hate that lady." Joker said.
"I see. I'm sorry, I just had to ask." Erina had a faint smile. "Marie is crafty and can brainwash people into doing anything, including the way you've all been acting until now. Although..." Viper's hatred for Marie felt very real.
"She kidnapped our friends and made them her slaves. We will not be taking this laying down." Dragon said with a determined expression.
"No need to leap to conclusions so quickly." Wolf told Erina. "They're exhausted as well. Let's get 'em back to safety before anything else."
"I agree. Ichinose is waiting for us as well with good news." Sophie added.
"She's here too?" Mona was so surprised...and a bit exhausted.
"Right. Come with us to the Rebel Hideout. I believe all of you are being sincere." Erina gave a slight smile, but her expression was serious. "Marie has no tolerance for opposition. She'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth if she has to."
"Pleasant." Crow sighed.
"I think she'll soon find how hard a cornered thief can bite back." Dragon huffed.
"Come, follow me everyone!" Feeling good with new allies at her side, Erina brought the Phantom Thieves over to her base of operations. Aside from Sophie and Wolf, what the others saw completely shocked them. "Welcome to the Rebel Hideout! Ahaha...I saw that, but it's just a regular restaurant." She said this, but this restaurant had significance to everyone present. The name of the cafe was plastered on top of it for everyone to see:
Leblanc.