Hey guys and gals, welcome back to MHA: The Value of a Thief and this time around we'll be following up from last chapters cliff hanger.
This will mostly just be focusing on Yusuke's introduction to the Phantom Thieves as well as his first battle.
There will also be confident stuff that'll be done for this chapter that I hadn't gotten the chance to do yet.
So with that said, how about we get this chapter
Madarame Palace
Third person P.O.V.
Just as the group of five reached the open doors welcoming them back to the lobby, a hoard of shadow security guards burst from the ground in front of them.
"Shit! Everyone get ready!" Joker called as they readied their weapons but he also noticed Mona was still not looking great before the guards turned into several Koppo Tengu and rushed them.
"Hgg" Joker growled, as he blocked an attack from one Koppa tengu who tried to kick him.
"Whoa!" Panter cried, as she moved out of the way from the Tengu's wind attack before using her whip on one.
"Move out of the way! Ya bastard!" Skull yelled, as he swung his weapon at another Tengu smashing to the ground.
"Come on! Come on!" Morgana yelled, trying to slash at the Tengu who dodged the attack before slashing the not-cat sending him flying back.
"Mona!" Joker yelled, quickly jumping and catching his companion.
"What in the world is happening?" Yusuke gaped, trying to comprehend the battle he was witnessing before they all felt another presence in the room.
"Leaving so soon, rats?! You haven't even admired the special exhibit yet!"
The Thieves eyes widened at the recognisable voice as they turned around to see the ruler of the Palace, Shadow Madarame. His Shadow Self wears traditional yellow kimono with make-up on his face, with his hair being styled in a Japanese topknot look that closely resembles a paint brush, as well as his eyebrows, which are bushier than his normal ones.
"Sensei…?" Yusuke hesitantly asked, his face showing clear disbelief "This has to be some type of elaborate joke!"
"MADARAME!" Joker growled, gripping his knife as he blocked the attacks from the two Tengu's while protecting Mona.
"Ew is that what he looks like in here" Panther gulped, as she saw the disgusting smirk on Shadow Madarame's face before jumping away from another wind attack.
"Tch, first it was a pervy, tacky king and now it's a smiling flamboyant shogun!" Skull scoffed, before getting in the face by the last Tengu.
"Of course, that plain and boring look was what I cultivated for the public! It's all an act! Honestly who in their right minds would live in some run down shack" Shadow Madarame scoffed "I have a mansion more fitting of a man with my repertoire, under a mistresses name of course".
"Living your life off other people, some set up you got" Joker scoffed, as he leapt away from the two Tengu's while carrying Mona.
"What about the Sayuri? You have the real one, so why make copies? Why do you have the real one if it was supposedly stolen? Or was that just a part of your act as well?" Yusuke demanded, clearly heart broken as tears streamed down his face.
Panther was about to move to protect Yusuke but her own opponent kept her from doing that.
"It seems you are not as foolish as I thought! The lie gives me not only a story of why my previous students have left me, but also another source of income. Sayuri being stolen was nothing but a false rumour! It's the perfect set-up for a pitiful sob story and a perfectly calculated staging!"
"What are you talking about? If people think the painting is stolen, then what is the point of the counterfeits!?" Yusuke screamed, now ignoring the battle around him.
"How about this? 'The police were able to recover the painting, my maiden work and the most coveted of all! If it were to go public, it would put the Sayuri at risk, but I can't let it rot away in storage… Perhaps you could have it, for a special price, of course." Madarame acted, with a clear sense of smugness in his voice.
"How's that for preferential treatment!? Art snobs love a good story and pay handsomely at that! The worth of art is to the beholder. If they wish to pay me millions for a counterfeit and a few lies to repeat to their most trusted, then why should I stop them?"
Yusuke collapsed to his knees as he took in all of this information, literally hyperventilating because of this.
"You keep going on about money this and money that. No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum!" Skull yelled, as he slammed his weapon into another Tengu however more showed up "Shit!".
"You're supposed to be an artist right?! Aren't you ashamed of stealing your pupils' work?!" Ann screamed, as she whipped two more Tengu's to the ground while more showed up.
"Do you actually think I care about the art? It's nothing but a tool, a means to an end! It's my ticket to money, luxury and fame!"
"But what about the people who admire you…? Don't you feel any guilt in betraying them?!"Yusuke shouted from the floor, that determination slowly growing as he forced himself to look at the true face of his teacher
"People like you? I never betrayed you Yusuke… It's been like this from the start! " Shadow Madarame stated, before he burst into uncontrollable laughter
"Did you really think I took you in out of the goodness of my heart? You had nowhere to go and genuine talent that only needed to be refined! You were the perfect target! After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back." He grinned, maliciously.
"You and the rest of my pupils are nothing but tools! Like livestock killed for their hide and meat. You are my last remaining artwork and I'll be damned if you think you can rise against me-""And that's why you've been using your quirk to trap them in your paintings when they were trying to take him away right".
Yusuke's eyes widened as he looked over at Ren "What?".
"Yusuke listen, the students of his school, the people you grew up with…they wanted to start and art centre…a place where they could their work and actually teach people art without being treated terribly like Madarame did to them and they wanted to bring you along…because they still considered you family" Joker explained, before pointing his gun at Madarame "And when this bastard found it, he's been using his Quirk to trap them in his painting keeping them from taking you and rising up on their own in the art world".
"AND WHAT OF IT!" Shadow Madarame screamed, pure rage in his voice "All of them were my property from the beginning! They never should have left me! I'm just making sure they'll never leave again and take away the fame and fortune I have now-" "...How amusing".
Everyone in the room stopped as they watched Yusuke slowly laughing to himself "It seems truth truly is stranger than fiction…".
"For the longest time I buried my head in the sand, telling myself it couldn't possibly be true…" Yusuke said to tell himself as he stepped forward. "I called myself an artist, yet I was blind..I could not tell authenticity from artifice even when it stared at me in the face"
"Have you, at long last finally come to your senses?"
Yusuke eyes then shot open with as he felt a great pain fill his head forcing him to grip it "GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!".
"How foolishly you have averted your eyes from the truth"
"NO! Guards! Execute him!" Madarame yelled, as the Tengu rushed towards him, as Yusuke fell to his knees, the pain continuing to course through his being.
"A deplorable imitation indeed…Best you part from that aspect of yourself! "
"Oh no you don't! Arsene!" "Very well! Let us wreck havoc!"
"Keep them busy! Captain kidd!". "Yeah! It's party time!"
"Help me out too! Carmen!" "Fufu, very well let's have some fun!"
"I can still fight! Zorro!" "Let us protect him with our very soul!"
The thieves fought together with their Persona's to protect Yusuke's as the words of the contract flowed through his mind.
" Let us now forge a contract. I am thou, thou art I…"
Yusuke gripped onto the floor to keep him steady, only for his nails to crack and for blood to seep from his skin, leaving a trail of crimson red blood to stain the floor as his fingers dragged across it.
"The world is filled with both beauty and vice…It is time you teach people which is which!"
"Very well" Yusuke stated, rising to his feet as blue azure flames formed on his face and transformed into a kitsune max.
And with his still bleeding hand he gripped onto the mask, and with all of his strength he ripped the mask off with a single elegant tug.
"COME TO ME! GOEMON!".
An explosion of blue flames burst from Yusuke, before a freezing cold wind froze the area around them along with all of the enemies around them before the flames died down.
His Phantom Thief attire outfit consists of a traditional Kitsune style half mask, a black high-collared puff-sleeved jumpsuit with a striped sash worn across his hips, white motorcycle boots, and bright blue gloves, with a hole in the jump suit for his tail.
As for his Persona, he seemed to be styled after Kabuki, dressed in an extravagant blue robe and massive platform shoes in the shape of puzzle pieces. In one hand, he held a massive smoking pipe, large enough to be a dangerous weapon.
With drama expected from an artist about to go on a rampage, Yusuke addressed the remaining guards flaking Madarame, framing each between his fingers.
"A breath-taking sight… Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle… Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known... Abominations are fated to perish!" Yusuke declared, as his Persona stood tall along with the others Persona's while the frozen shadows shattered in pieces around them.
"Whoa, this is impressive" Mona gaped, at how easily he destroyed the Shadows while Joker quickly went to one of the exhibits and grabbed a weapon.
"All the children that looked up to you as father…all the students who entrusted their futures to you…how many of them have you crushed under your heel! How many have you tossed into an eternal tomb of their own works!" Yusuke stated, as he stepped towards Shadow Madarame.
"How many hopes and dreams have you sold for petty cash!" Yusuke growled, pointing at Shadow Madarame.
"I let you live under my roof for years and yet you turn on me, how dare you choose to bite the hand that fed you!" Shadow Madarame glared at Yusuke "The price of your insolence…will be death! Where are my guards kill them all!",
Several more shadow guards appeared around Madarame before they're bodies burst into several Koppa Tengu.
"Tch, looks like we're not done yet," Skull yelled, before Yusuke looked back at them.
"You've done enough please, allow me" Yusuke requested, making Joker smirk as he handed him the weapon he had taken which was a Katana.
"Let's see what you got, Kitagawa…" Joker smirked, as Yusuke nodded and took the weapon "It's time for the show to start".
"Very well, I hope I won't disappoint" Yusuke nodded, before turning to the Koppa Tengu as they darted towards him.
(Play Example! Shinkenger! From Samurai Sentai Shinkenger)
Yusuke entered a stance while gripping the hilt of his sword, waiting for the right moment as a Koppa Tengu darted towards him.
His ear then twitched, as his eyes shot open before he drew his sword.
"HAH!" he yelled, drawing his sword and slashed the Tengu in half, instantly killing it.
Yusuke then jumped in the air, dodging a wind attack from another Tengu before turning his attention towards it.
Pointing his sword at the monster, Yusuke slowly moved to the left as the Shadow moved to the right, both of them waiting for the right moment to strike.
His ear then twitched again as Yusuke readied his weapon.
"Now!" He declared, dashing forward to slash the Tengu but it flew up into the air dodging his strike.
It then followed the attack up with a kick towards Yusuke who blocked the attack with his sword.
Another Tengu moved into to hit his unguarded side, but Yusuke was able to hear the Shadow so blocked the attack with his Scabbard before he jumped back
"Freeze their very souls! Goemon!" He declared, as his mask burst off and transformed into the large Kabuki themed Persona.
"Very well, let us cover this stage in the beautiful ice!" Goemon stated, before blowing a frosty cold breath that froze all the Tengu's in place.
"SORYA!" Yusuke shouted, as he drew his sword and slashed at Tengu's direction, with Goemon doing the same.
Goemon then returned to his face as a mask before Yusuke turned around and moved his sword back into his Katana slowly.
"Enjoy your time in the underworld" he stated, before snapping the sword shut and that moment the Shadow shattered into pieces.
"What the hell was that!" Shadow Madarame growled, as he glared at Yusuke.
"Heh, that's Goemon his Persona. The rebellious spirit that he's kept locked away all this time just to please you" Mona smirked.
"Grr! Fine! Try this guard!" he yelled, before summoning an Ippon Datara that stood in front of him.
"How dare you disrespect Lord Madarame! You shall be punished for your crime!" Ippon Datara yelled, before raising his hammer.
"Yusuke! Look out!" Skull yelled, rushing in as energy appeared swung down towards Yusuke who was pushed out of the way by Skull.
However the impact still made an energy wave that still moved towards Joker and Panther who Joker quickly grabbed.
"HAH!" He yelled, shooting his grappling hook so that they could dodge the attack while Panther pulled her mask off.
"Carmen! Blast him away!" Panther declared, as her Persona, through several fire balls towards the Shadow.
However the two attacks do much as the Shadow swung his hammer again, hitting the two and sending them crashing to the wall.
"Lady Ann! How dare you!" Mona yelled, pulling out his slingshot and fired several shots towards Ippon Datara who moved out of the way before dashing towards Mona.
"What the?! Gah!" Mona cried, as he was sent flying back by the Shadow's attack.
"This is certainly a fast monster" Yusuke growled, getting up "If we could only break his guard, even for a moment".
"Wait…that's it" Joker realised, looking at Panther "Ann, I need you to use your Persona to make him sleepy then pass to Ryuji".
"Huh, sure" Panther nodded, getting up and dashing towards the Shadow.
The Shadow created another energy wave with its hammer but Panther leapt over the attack and ripped off her mask, having her Persona cast Dormina making the Shadow sleepy.
"Skull, you're up next" Panther smirked, as she ran up and high fived Skull.
"Alright, let's do it!" Skull smirked, as he dashed towards the Shadow and slammed his weapon at Ippon Datara causing it to stagger back.
"Yusuke! With me!" Joker called, as he and Yusuke dashed towards Ippon Datara.
"Jack Frost!" "Goemon!" The two yelled, ripping off their masks and summoning their Persona's "MABUFU!"
With the two Persona's summoned they both fired an Ice blast that froze the Shadow in place, leaving Mona dashing towards the Shadow.
"Time for some payback! ZORRO!" Mona called, summoning his Persona who moved in and punched the Shadow right in the face, shattering the ice and causing it to stumble back.
"Now's our chance! All out attack!" All five then rushed in before jumping into the air, attacking the shadow in all directions before dashing past him.
All five then struck a pose, with Joker fixing his glove, Skull doing a rock out sign, Mona crossing his arms with a grin, Panther doing a cute pose with a peace sign and Yusuke striking a dramatic pose.
Behind them we see energy in Ippon Datara burst out before he exploded behind them.
End song
"Hrmph, you impertent brat! You've just thrown away your bright future into the garbage Yusuke!" Shadow Madarame growled "I will pull every string at my disposal to make sure you never paint another piece again!"
"And now…it's your turn! Madarame!" Yusuke declared, before dashing towards the Shadow Madarame.
"YUSUKE NO!" The Phantom Thieves screamed, as Yusuke swung his sword at Madarame.
"WHAT!" Yusuke gasped, as his sword moved right through the Shadow, as his body began melting into paint.
"Heheheheh, you will regret defying me for the rest of your life! I'll make you pay just like that bastard father of yours!" Shadow Madarame grinned, before his body dissolved into a puddle of paint.
"D-Did he…" Panther gulped, but Mona shook his head "No, I think that was a copy".
"MADARAME!" Yusuke roared, dashing ahead but Joker moved in front of him "Get out of my way!".
"No! Security is higher than ever now, it'd be risky rushing in there" Joker stated "Besides, if you kill Madarame here how will he be able to free the other students trapped in the painting".
Yusuke looked down and gripped his hand, not sure what to say "Hah, you're right but what do we do".
"Heh, easy we're going to do our job and change his heart by stealing his treasure" Skull smirked, as Yusuke turned to him.
"Change his heart?".
"We can explain later, for now let's get out of here" Joker stated, before nodding as they turned to the entrance and started leaving but then Yusuke paused.
"When did my clothes change?" he blinked, looking at himself.
"You seriously just noticed that?" Skull sweatdropped.
Opening: Flyers from Death Parade, lyrics be Leeandlie
WOAH! OH! WOAH! OH! OH! YEAH! YEAH!
In the middle of the city we see a gigantic statue of the number 1 hero All Might, however on his chest was a spray painted logo of a top hat and mask with flame coming out the eyes.
YEAH! YEAH! OW!
We then see a blur zoom past the statue, with the camera barely following its movements.
It's your haze of delusion versus reality
We see Joker running from rooftop to rooftop, with a light shining on him as several helicopters chased after him
Just keep stirring the pot to find your individuality
Arsene then flew up behind him before Joker jumped off the rooftop and grabbed his partner's Chain to help him fly.
Delete another problem that is plaguing your mind
We next see Skull running down the highway as several police cars chased after him, a wild grin on his face as he ran
From day to day! To end to end! That's entertainment of our lives
Captain kidd then sailed up and caught Skull as he cheered into the night sky, as face of pure joy behind him
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dancing through the skies
Several paint marks were slashed at the walls, as we see Fox painting everything in the alleyway around him
Let's celebrate our time, and party while we're still alive
He then spun around as Goemon showed and blew his smoke allowing the paint to glow revealing he had painted different hero posters and stop signs.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dancing through the skies
Panther then jumped down onto some train tracks and began dancing, as she began spinning around like a Ballerina
Kick your worries to the side and aim up to the sky.
Carmine then appeared behind her, and below a flaming tornado that spun around her as she smiled up at the beauty.
EVERYBODY! Put your hands up!
We see Queen riding on Johana with Mona on her back, as the two of them drove up an elevator through a window.
We'll be flying~ Can you imagine it?
We see a large UFO flying above the city with Oracle inside, before she tapped a few commands into it
Search and you'll find the stage set within your dreams.
The UFO then began flashing several colours like a Disco Ball that lit up the entire city.
The place where you're the one
Down below we see Noir and Milady dancing like in a ball on Shibuya crossing before the two spun around.
That's where you're meant to be!
Noir then struck a pose as Milady revealed the variety of guns below her dress.
EVERYBODY!
We then see the Thieves falling through the sky towards a variety of statues of Pro Heroes.
Put your hands up!
We see both Panther and Mona aiming firing their guns at a statue of Ryukyu which crumbled into pieces.
We'll be flying!
Then Skull and Fox quickly moved past a large statue Edgeshot, cutting it in half.
Can you imagine it?
Next we see Queen and Noir crashing, punching the large statue of endeavour into pieces.
Search and you'll find the stage you set within your dreams
In the UFO we see Oracle typing in a few more codes with a grin on her face, before snapping her fingers causing her UFO to drop a huge bomb towards the All Might statue.
The place where you're the one, that's where you're meant to be
Joker then grinned as Arsene threw him towards the bomb which he shot with his pistol causing a huge explosion of colours.
FLYIN! Within these memories!
We see the whole team of Phantom Thieves cheering at the beautiful explosion they were witnessing.
FLYING! That you're slowly forgetting!
Joker smirked before he spun around and landed towards the ground as the train passed by him.
Just listen close to the song that lies within you~
Ren then gets up in his school uniform with Morgana in his bag, before he waved to us and walked back towards the crowd of people passing by.
Soul~
My Hero Academia! The Value of a Thief!
Diner
Third person P.O.V.
"Incredible, I had heard the rumours but I never expected you all to exist" Yusuke muttered, as the group hung around the diner.
"Yeah we're pretty cool" Ryuji smirked, with a smug smile.
"I thank you for helping me come to my senses, I've known what he's done for awhile now…but…to admit that the man who took me in when I was just a kid…would do such terrible things…" Yusuke sighed, looking down.
'I can understand what he means by that…' Ren thought, with a frown.
"To betray the only man who ever cared for me…" Yusuke frowned, as Ann shook her head.
"Don't say that, we wouldn't be here right now if the other students didn't care for you like family Yusuke, Madarame may have just been using you but they still loved you, never forget that" Ann said, surprising Yusuke.
"You're right…thank you, Takamaki-san" Yusuke nodded with a smile.
"So…what are you going to do now that you've found out the truth?" Morgana asked, from Ren's bag.
"I…I want to save my brothers and sisters that Madarame has taken away…not only that but…" Yusuke muttered looking down.
"You're wondering if your mother could have been one of the people thrown into the painting, right?" Ren asked, with Yusuke nodding.
"I know it's not likely, but if there's even a small chance I could get her back…" Yusuke admitted, looking down "I also want to know what he meant when he mentioned my father".
"I get that, I doubt asking the real Madarame himself would get much results" Ryujji nodded, sipping some of his drink.
"I know I am asking a lot of you all but…would you please help-" "Sure"
Yusuke blinked, looking up as Ren smirked at him.
"We were already going to change his heart, saving his students is just a bonus" Ren winked, "So, welcome to the team".
"That's great! Happy to have you Yusuke!" "Hehe, you better keep up"
"I will do my very best" Yusuke smiled, as all four clinked their drinks together.
"We should probably mention, your Quirks are upgraded when you awaken to your Persona" Morgana reminded, as Yusuke blinked.
"Now that you mention it, I noticed how my senses are a lot stronger than normal, like I could hear from very far if I focused and I could even detect when the Shadows were about to attack, '' Yusuke admitted.
"Wait, you can use your Quirks there? We can't, what's up with that Morgana" Ann asked, looking over at the Not-cat.
"I'm not sure exactly, best guess I can say it's because his Quirk is a part of his body, can't exactly suppress his hearing" Mona guessed.
"Dang, then I guess you're extra useful" Ren smirked, with Yusuke nodding.
"Indeed, I hope that I will be useful to you all…by the way" he muttered before looking over at Morgana "What exactly is that?".
"Hmm? Oh, he's our cat"
"But…he's talking?" Yusuke blinked, looking confused "I mean I had assumed he was someone with a Quirk that made him look like that"
"Look we'll be here all day if we go over this, he's a cat-" "Not a cat!" "-that identifies as human who you can now understand since you heard him in the metaverses" Ren explained.
"...Very well" Yusuke shrugged, before he proceeded to order some black bean jelly while the others sweatdropped.
"Oh yeah by the way I should probably say something" Ren said, making the others blink.
"Ann, I have to say sorry".
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" She asked, turning her head in confusion.
"I should have considered the idea that Madarame come back early, and because of that you were almost pushed into the painting…"
"Ren come on, you don't have to say that there was no way you could have known Madarame would come back early" Ann stated "Besides, that may have been a blessing in and of itself".
"While I was disappointed we were interrupted, I likely would not have been able to come to my senses and awaken my Persona" Yusuke added on.
"Wait, 'interrupted'?" Ryuji blinked, while Morgana's eyes widened "Lady Ann! Don'tt tell me you two!".
"Of course not!".
"What do the two of us do?" Yusuke questioned, as Ren sighed.
"You don't wanna know"
Cafe Leblanc
Third person P.O.V.
After eating for a bit the group decided to leave for now, with Yusuke returning to the Atelier under the lie that he had gone after Ann after she had run away.
Luckily he reported that Madarame didn't remember what happened when Ann used her Quirk on him so they were in the clear for now.
So now Ren was back in Leblanc doing his usual work for Sojiro, who was currently teaching more about making a cup of coffee.
"Ok, today we're gonna try brewing a cup of coffee from step one. Just listen to what I tell ya alright" Sojiro said, handing the young man a jar of beans.
"These guys are Colombian beans, a medium fine roast so don't let the water boil too much".
"Sure thing, hope I don't mess up this place too badly" Ren jokes, as he walks over to the apparatus.
"You're gonna be fine, I'll be here this whole- hmm?" Sojiro blinked, after they heard the door jingle.
"Oh well this is a surprise, never expected to see you working here" They heard, before turning around to see Takemi walking in.
"Ah hey Doc" he nodded, as he worked on the coffee.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Sojiro blinked, looking between the two.
"Ah he comes by my shop from time to time, getting some pain killers and other things for his Hero Training" Takemi explained, as Sojiro looked at Ren surprised.
"What? After Kamoshida left the sub has actually been training us, we need to make I;m in tip top shape especially with the hero experience stuff coming up" Ren explained, with a shrug.
"Fair enough I guess, do you have any options by the way?" Sojiro asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"Eh, not really…I mean what a surprise that the delinquent transfer student isn't on everyone's list to work for a hero agency" Ren shrugged, before he finished his coffee "Okay this should do it".
"Mind if I try, I'm curious to see how his coffee compares to yours Sakura-san" Takemi requested, as Ren poured two cups of coffee for the two of them.
The two adults sipped the coffee before leaning back to father their thoughts.
"Hmm, not bad" Takemi nodded, as Sojiro crossed his arms.
"Well guess anyone can do simple brewing, the thing is you gotta be careful how you mix the beans, the acidity and flavour profile all depend on ratio. Pretty deep, huh?"
"Hmm yeah, guess I'll have to keep that stuff in mind…" Ren nodded, as he tasted his own cup of coffee.
Ren continued working on his coffee making technique for the rest of the night while Takemi and Sojiro talked for a bit before he finished and went up to finish some of his DVDs he had rented.
Shujin Academy
Third person P.O.V.
'Hah' Ren thought, as he walked towards the Shujin school while holding up an umbrella "Sleepy…".
"What did I say, you gotta follow my sleep schedule to the T" Morgana stated, while Ren yawned.
"And have to pay late fees for my Dvds? No thank you" He sighed, shaking his head.
"So what's the plan? You're gonna get the others to go to the Palace today?" Morgana asked, poking his head from the bag.
"Nah, I wanna give some time for us to rest up" Ren sighed, stretching a bit. "I was thinking of taking Yusuke to Mementos, clear up some of those requests and get him more used to his new abilities".
"Good morning".
"Hmm?" Ren opened one of his eyes, looking over to see Makoto walking up to him "Yo, mornin Senpai".
"You seem quite tired, we weren't doing anything bad last night I hope" Makoto questioned, as Ren shrugged.
"Nah, just not a morning person plus I wanted to finish off my DVDs since late fees are coming today" Ren explained before yawning.
"I-I see, I would have expected you to be studying, especially with your situation" she admitted, before looking down 'Perhaps I can offer some tutor sessions to get closer to him…'.
"No way! How did he get this high!" "He had to have cheated somehow!" "I thought I heard a cat, can he hear animals?" "No way an animal would know all this stuff on the test".
The two walked into the school only to find several students up near the notice board making Makoto smirk "Seems the test results have been released".
"Yeah, guess I'll check" Ren shrugged, as they walked up to see the test scores.
'Good top ten as usual-' Makoto thought, before gawking as she saw what was on the second year's results.
What she was shocked about was that not only was Ren in the top ten, but the top 5 of the entire year, shocking the other students.
"Heh, looks like I still got it" Ren smirked, before turning over and heading to class "A bit of advice Pres".
"Huh?" Makoto blinked, looking over at Ren who smirked.
"Doing whatever the teachers want you to do while being bated with promises for your future instead of socialising, it won't be getting you anywhere" he then frowned before looking away "Moment you mess up, everything you've worked for will be gone and no one will be there to help you".
Ren walked off while ignoring the annoyed expression Makoto was giving him, but as he did we see Haru behind her watching him with a worried look in her eyes.
Later in the day
Third person P.O.V.
"So are we heading to the Palace today?" Ann asked, making Ren blinked as he looked over at her as class wrapped up.
"I was actually thinking of Mementos today, you know get Yusuke used to his new powers" Ren explained, as Morgana poked his head out.
"That's actually not a bad idea, we also got some requests we can take care of," Morgana agreed.
"Sweet, I'll text Yusuke about the change of plans and-" Ann stated, before a vibration came from Ren's phone
"Hmm? Oh" Ren blinked, checking his phone before groaning "Ah crap".
"Something up?" Ann asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"It's Maruki, I had promised to help him with a research he's been working on" Ren explained "It might take awhile, so guess we can't get to Mementos".
"I can take them to Mementos," Morgana suggested, "We'll just do a bit of work on the first floor before meeting you near the entrance".
"Ooh! I like that idea" Ann smiled, as Ren shrugged.
"I guess that's alright, better take my bag then" Ren said, handing her the bag making her blink.
"Jesus this is heavy, what do you keep in-" Ann stopped, as she saw Ren's deadpan expression "Oh yeah, stupid question".
After this, Ren left his teammate and started heading down to the practice building so that he could speak with Maruki.
"So, how's business been?" Ren asked, as he sat down on the couch and crossed his legs.
"Well so far, I've gotten quite a number of people visiting and to be honest, I'm quite relieved" Maruki smiled, making Ren blink.
"What do you mean?"
"Well…the whole mess with Kamoshida was why I was called in right and they even warned that a lot of students were affected, so I was expecting some free-floating anxiety but instead, it was your typical college pressure and romantic drama. The sort you see in most high schools. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleasantly surprised" Maruki explained.
"Not surprised, it's sort of expected that they'd have difficulty coming out about that kind of stuff, especially to a stranger" Ren stated, with Maruki nodding.
"True true, I can definitely see that there are still scars but I am at least glad that the ones that did come to me are taking the steps to recovery" Maruki smiled.
"Well that's good, back when I first came here this place seemed like an utter mess but it's good that there's some change" Ren nodded "By the way, about that research thing you talked about last time".
"Ah yes, of course and don't worry it's nothing too intensive. I just need you to answer some questions so I can gauge your replies" Maruki explained, but Ren sweatdropped.
"Uh I was going to ask what this research is for" Ren shot back, making Maruki's eyes widen.
"Oh right of course, I never told you, did I feel sorry about that?" Maruki sweatdropped "What I'm studying is pain felt in the mind, or to be more fanciful, the heart".
This made Ren's eyes widen for a moment as he looked up at Maruki before gulping "S-So what, you're trying to find out about heartburn or palpitations".
"Hehe, no no, I mean pain such as someone saying something hurtful to you or being separated from those you love" he explained, as Ren leaned back.
"So you're looking into Emotional pain, you could've just said that" Ren shot back, making Maruki nod.
"Aha, fair enough, so as you might have figured already that physical pain can be as necessary, an automatic response to injury, illness, all of them but what I'm looking into is pain that comes from one's own heart." Maruki stated.
"This type of pain isn't born from anything in your body, most of the time it's born from what others think of yourself, in a sense I want to learn more about Psychological Pain" Maruki finished, before looking up "So if I may, What's your take on this?"
'Oh so that's why you wanted me to do it' Ren thought, while rolling his eyes.
"I suppose…it's a necessary kind of pain, you know so you can learn how not to make something like that kind of pain happen again or when it does happen it hurts less" Ren stated, as Maruki raised an eyebrow.
"You seem to know quite a lot about that, have you gone through something similar?" Maruki asked, as Ren frowned.
"Uh kinda yeah, before my trial there was…someone I believed could and would help me…that they were my last hope…but they didn't do anything…and all they said was to just face my mistakes" Ren explained, before sighing.
"I see…you can certainly see this kind of experience, especially after the rise of Heroes…and Quirks" Maruki muttered, with Ren noticing the slight anger in his voice.
"I'm sorry for making you…relive that…" Maruki apologised, "How about we change the subject, let's talk about a Broken Heart then? Have you experienced anything like that?".
"Not really no" Ren shook his head "But if i had to guess, I would say that kind of pain is necessary as while yes it hurts it can also be a valuable lesson for future love or ultimately be a good thing as you could be in a relationship that's not good for you, you need to live through this pain these kinds of pains so that you can become stronger for the future".
"I mean look at me, I went through some really terrible stuff since the start of the year and yet I feel like I'm closer to the real or best version of myself then I ever had before" Ren grinned.
"Mhm…" Maruki wrote something down on his clipboard, as Ren raised an eyebrow "You good?"
"It's nothing." Maruki shook his head and waved it off. "I'm just keeping this in mind for future sessions. You're very unique compared to other students."
"Oh you have nooooooooooooooooooooo idea" Ren smirked, with a smug look glinting in his eyes.
"But as you can see, emotional pain is far more complex and harder to detect than physical pain, that's why I'm doing this to save people who are suffering from eternal pain which I believe is the biggest problem in this Hero and Villain society we live in" Maruki explained "I would even say that it'd be better if this kind of pain didn't exist, so it's interesting to speak with someone who thinks differently".
"So are we doing more of the mental training stuff next time or…?".
"Next time…" Maruki murmured, before his eyes widened and got up in a panic. "Oh crap!-I mean, agh… that was supposed to be today!"
"It's okay!" Ren assured him while raising his hand. "We can do it next time, to be honest I kinda had plans".
"Ah alright then, I'll prepare a special plan for next time I promise" Maruki nodded, as he watched Ren leave.
Maruki was then left alone as he looked down and contemplated everything
"To think he would have such an opposite view from mine…and here I thought I might have been able to get him to help me" Maruki sighed.
"Then there's also Yoshizawa…they seem very close…is there a chance he could…no, I can't think like that" Maruki shook his head before looking towards the mirror "I'm sure he'll understand why I had to do it".
And done, woo boy, that was an interesting chapter to work and I'm sure you guys were expecting this to be the rest of the Palace.
Well that's going to be the focus of the next chapter. I wanted to work on Maruki's stuff and hint at some of the future for this story.
I've been replaying through the Royal and I'm getting some ideas to heavily change the story even more, which may also shift the story of MHA.
I'm going to wait to tell you guys as I wanna decide whether it is a good idea or not but we'll have to see.
But anyway, with that said how about we get to the reviews.
Shadow Joestar: Thanks, glad you liked the idea of the Quirk Trap which I kinda got from Luigi's mansion.
Gamelover41592: Thanks
Leonardo18anime: Thanks and I do have at least 2 or maybe 3 original Palace's planned but we'll have to see as the main problem is just placing where they could meet.
Grand Chaos Master: Dang, didn't expect it to be that good for you
TheBeatles211:
Trust me I got some ideas on how to change up the story of Yusuke's mother which I started hinting at in this chapter, as for the Mutation. Well that's just because of his image since if I remember correctly they were more oppressed.
Yeah I never really liked the scene with Ann and the clothes, just not funny to me and I'm still deciding who the person in the school uniform will be.
But anyway with that said, don't forget to review and favourite this story, and of course.
See you next chapter.