Author Notes
Hello readers, new and possibly old. I just wanted to give you a glimpse as to how I'll be writing this story. Aside from Joker the other thieves will also be getting Kamen Rider forms, and I will have slight divergences from the main story beats.
I can't promise a fixed schedule with this story, but I will give it my best effort and I will try to continue this and see this idea through. For all those still reading this… thank you for giving this your time of day and I hope you stay along for the KAMEN RIDE!... Also if there are any questions that a reviewer has that I find interesting enough to answer, I'll probably answer them on my profile. Also this only Rated M for safety purposes, there will be some dark elements in this and I just want to make sure I cover my basis.
Episode 1: The Rigged Game
In the vastness of a yellow clouded area two entities face off against one another, a tense and palpable sense of malice and hatred between the two beings. One was a pure white entity, no concrete form but a hazy outline of geometric shapes that form the top half of a person with a golden halo made of wings floating at the top of what could be its head., the other was an old man with a long nose, pointed ears and bulging, bloodshot eyes. He is wearing a black suit with white gloves, black socks and black shoes. Though slightly hunched over he was still considerably tall.
Behind the odd looking but sharply dressed old man is a pair of monolithic doors. The doors are made of strong looking wood, designed with golden trim as well as sentient golden eyes each moving at a rapid pace looking every which way though covered. Even though the eyes were off putting as they are, they were not the main draw of the doors. No, what truly caught the attention of anyone looking at these doors are the heavy chains that wrapped around the door tightly and the stone statue at the center of it all holding the chains in place. The statue that was acting as the chains lock was oddly in the shape of a young man, the features looking stoic and distant.
The silence was finally broken by the older gentleman, "My, my, what a troublesome being we have here. I would not think you of all beings would gamble on releasing the Messiah from his seal. As interesting as it may seem, I will not allow you to disrupt his self-sacrifice." The old gentleman said as he began to take the first move against the luminescent being.
The entity following suit began to float forward, appendages emerging from its back, "You know not the lengths that humanity has fallen, the being that you and your master call the Messiah has only prolonged the fall. Truly what I wish is to hasten the inevitable and reshape the world to what it truly should be!" the entity cried out.
The pace of the two began to quicken, and then it increased drastically causing both to collide against each other. From this collision a white light erupted, blanketing the area for a moment. As the light fades at the epicenter of where it emerged the entity, no longer hazy and now finally fully formed. The entity's true form coalesces and shows it to be a giant faceless mechanical angel, with six arms, four of which held either weapons or items and on both sides are large red and gold wings.
Across from the white and gold mechanical angel, was the old man standing still with his ever-present smile. The angel tried to swing at its foe but found itself unable to do so. Now it fully noticed that aside from the old man now in front stood a large godlike being with four arms, yellow skin, and adorned with a light blue skirt and silver jewelry while holding a chakra wheel, a lotus flower, a mace and a conch. Each one blocking any attack that the angelic entity tried to use.
Taking advantage of the stalemate he found himself in, the gentleman began to speak with the entity. "You who have been manifested by the people's vast consciousness, you must realize that the actions that you are taking are futile. Even should I fall here you should know that you do not have the right to open this seal. To even attempt such an action would awaken the door's true predator and cause you more harm than even I am willing to inflict upon you."
As the speech concluded the large figure began to begrudgingly disengage from the other godly entity in front of it. The weapons it held returned to the crystal line bottom that they emerged from, and the four mechanical arms retracted to the back of the entity leaving it with its two main arms.
A silence began to form between them, both staring unendingly at the other locked in a silent battle. For how long they stood there neither could say, it could have been minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, millennium… eons. In truth it was a short but intense few seconds of silence that was broken by the large angel.
"Surely you of all beings must know what this world is beginning to desire. Even now the masses yearn for either their own ruin, or if not that then it is to give up their full autonomy to a being that can guide them, no matter how harsh they may be."
The old man let out a hearty chuckle through his teeth rubbing his chin in contemplation before he snapped his fingers as an idea had formed in his mind. "If you are so sure of this then how about a wager between you and I." he proclaimed, his arms spread out and eyes never breaking contact with the celestial being.
The entity was immediately taken aback at his enemy's brazen proclamation, the audacity to even trivialize the actions he had taken and make it seem as something so simple as a friendly bet between the two. The clouded landscape began to rumble from the seething anger this angle felt, but as quickly it had felt these emotions they had vanished. A dark thought then formed in its mind which brought a modicum of elation to the angle.
"So bold of you to bring such an idea forward to me, proprietor. Such insolence to mock my actions shall cost you heavily in this deal." an orb of pure light emerged from the chest of the mechanical angel, then gently it floated towards Igor.
As the orb arrived in front of the elderly gentleman it began to take shape, emerging as a piece of paper. The elder took hold of the paper and saw that it was a contract in front of him detailing the angelic beings' demands and rules for the bet.
"Hmm… You truly are demanding a lot for such a simple suggestion. These demands while weighing heavily in your favor are agreeable to me and I will acce…"
Before he could speak further a blue butterfly appeared and caught the attention of the two figures. The azur butterfly flitted about before settling on the top of the contract facing the old man and then began to speak.
"Master, I plead that you do not accept this deal. The demands are too steep and the balance weighs too heavily on his wants! There must be a better solution than this!"
The man before the butterfly was unblinking, the facial features never changing, but the aura he exuded went from that of a prideful being to one of care and gentleness as he began his response.
"My dearest assistant, as right as you may be, I must accept this deal. Humanity, though boundless in potential, has always given rise to one entity or another that feeds off their deepest and darkest of thoughts and desires. So, it shall be put on the shoulders of humanity once more to prove its worth once more in the form of a champion of my choosing."
The butterfly's wings slumped when given that response, the head tilted up slightly looking directly into the eyes of her master and creator. "Very well master, if it is what you wish then I shall concede to your choice and continue to help you in your endeavors."
"As amusing as this seems, I must force an answer from you. Do you accept my terms?!"
Without saying a word, a fountain pen appeared from a spark of blue flames in front of the old man. Signing it with big bold lettering showing his name in defiance. As the man finished the pen vanished and the contract disappeared. The old man made a move to speak, but was cut off before he could do so by the sudden harsh change in venue.
The world around them then sifted from the soft tone of yellow to a harsh and horrid red. No longer was the sky open to them, instead walls and ceilings formed taking twisted and massive series of underground train tunnels. Wooden train tracks replaced the clouded ground that was once beneath them as various chains and prison bars erupted into various locations to add to the further stifling aura of the location.
The butterfly that made its way on to her master's shoulder began to quiver in fear, only for its fear to subside slightly as she listened to the voice of the old man. "Lavenza, you must leave immediately and find the one who is tasked with saving humanity from certain ruin."
The butterfly tried to reason with her master, tried to make him run from the horrid fate that will befall him… but one look into his eyes and she can see the same gleam of hope still blazing brightly within them. So, trusting in her master that he knew what he was doing, the butterfly now known as Lavenza began to flutter away at a breakneck pace to find the one who was destined to turn the tide of the coming ruin.
As Lavenza fluttered through the cavernous train tunnels she began to see odd black viscus creatures erupt in every path she took. Creatures she saw that were familiar to her being swallowed up by this mysterious ooze and forming these shadow-like beings.
Her travels led her upwards towards what she hoped to be freedom, then she saw the light at the end of this chaos she found herself surrounded by. Hope filled her, helping her push even further into herself to make the finish line and as she was mere feet away from breaking free that was when large black tendrils shot out of the walls and grasped at either wing.
A chilling low rumble of laughter filled the air, throwing Lavenza back into a state of despair. "Well, well, the foolishness of those who supervise these foolish mortals knows no bounds it seems. You and your master shall not meddle in my affairs any further." The voice speaking to her was from the same entity from before, but now she noticed that it changed ever so slightly, no longer having the distortion it used when it previously conversed.
A familiar figure began to take shape within the shadows, the clicking of shoes on the ground echoing off the walls. Lavenza paused her struggling as she took the shape in, then anger began to swell within her.
"HOW DARE YOU! You who would do something as underhanded as this just satiate your own desires! I will not allow this perversion to go unnoticed!" A renewed vigor coursed through her as she began to move against her restraints. The tendrils then began to tighten even more and pulled away back towards the opposite walls they emerged from.
The shadowed figure just chuckled, taking immense amusement from the struggle being performed in front of it. "Foolish attendant, can you not see that your precious master had signed away not only his freedom but yours as well. You shall listen to me, or else I shall take even more drastic measures to make you make you more… compliant."
"Never! Try what you will, but I WILL carry out the task he assigned me!" Her declaration reverberated throughout the tunnel; the defiance made clear.
"Very well then, I had hoped you would reject my offer so that I can have a reason to do this the fun way" a finger snap emanated from the darkness, causing the tendrils to increase their effort on pulling apart the butterfly.
A painful sound began to come out of the butterfly, as while it was being torn in half it continued to move in agonizing slowness towards the exit. Excruciatingly painful seconds passed as the sound of grunts and tearing filled the air, the tendrils becoming taut from the amount of effort it took to both hold Lavenza back but to exert the force needed to return to the walls.
The tension finally broke as the wings, while barely holding together, finally were torn apart. The butterfly known as Lavenza began to fade away into a brilliant blue light, her vision becoming blurry and consciousness fading.
"I… I failed you my master… I could not meet your expectations… please forgive me." Lavenza, with her final thoughts, began to fall into a slumber. Until a feminine voice began to emanate into her mind causing her to remain conscious.
"My dearest little sister, how you have shone brightly in this moment. I refuse for you to wither out like this. I shall help give you the strength to continue your journey, though it is not much, I have faith in you the youngest and most hopeful of us all to see to the completion of your task"
Even though the body that Lavenza once had was no longer whole, her spirit found a way to stay intact. The figure never noticed that a single particle of blue light still flickers and made it out of the underground train caverns. Instead, as it began to move out of the shadows it looked at the ground in front of it and the smile on its face intensified ever more so as it saw two figures resting unconsciously before it.
"My, my, it seems the first steps in this game have been made. Now to make further preparations and set up the pieces on the board." The figures were then swallowed by shadows and disappeared onto the floor. Unaware that even further in the shadows, a large pair of yellow eyes that were not too far up from the ground in height viewed the entire scene before making its way towards the light and escaping the tunnels.
Back in the ever-expanding clouded area, a young and beautiful woman with short platinum blond hair and yellow eyes emerges from behind the doors carrying a large leather brown tome. She is seen wearing a blue dress that resembles a stewardess' outfit with five black-lined circles outside small yellow circles, blue gloves, a blue attendant-like hat, black leggings and blue, knee-length boots.
"It seems she was able to make it out of there… I wonder if I should have stepped in further and provided her further assistance?" Silence seemed to be her answer, a sad smile gracing her features as she turned and looked at the statue binding the doors shut.
She stared deeply in the eyes of the statue, her sad features slowly fading as she spoke again, "You are as always correct. I must have faith that she is capable of handling herself from here on out. Besides, she will eventually meet her destined attendee and with that bond she will find the strength needed to see these events through to the end."
She stood in silence once more, her eyes closed as she took a deep breath and slowly, she exhaled. Her attitude became more cheerful spoke one more time to the statue, "I truly do not wish to leave your side, but I must depart once more… Minato. I hope that when we next meet it will be with you freed from your task and in my arms once more."
With a turn she began to walk away, slowly fading from the clouded plain until she completely vanished. Silence returned to the area, the door still standing in solitude. At least it would have been in solitude had there not been a large double headed monstrous body lying behind the door hidden from view, as clouds began to cover it almost as if it was swallowing it whole.
Date: ?
A helicopter is heard flying past the dark waters beyond Tokyo, getting closer to the large metropolitan city. As it flew by the various buildings it began to slow down as it neared its destination, a humongous Casino with a large neon sign in the shape of a woman wearing a tight fitting dress that accentuated its figure and a western cowboy hat and boots. All while holding a balancing scale up high with one side dropped down to the neon signs feet with the word "WIN" weighing it down.
Getting closer to the Casino, an alarm could be heard throughout the building along with the concerned mumbles and cries of the gamblers that reside in the Casino. The hoard of people began to vacate the premises, creating a large hoard that made it harder for them to leave properly. It was then a shadowed blur was noticed skipping across the chandeliers of the main room in Casino. The crowd grew concerned as murmurs of suspensions began to rise up from the crowd. During this, a group of three security guards descending down the stairs began to scoop out the room just missing the black blur passing by them.
The unknown figure skipped on top a few more chandeliers before stopping on top of one that hung under a glass ceiling with a full moon Illuminating the mysterious phantom who was seen holding a briefcase. A middle aged man was the first one to look up and caught sight of the figure who was running around above the crowd's heads. The man was wearing an all-black combat suit with grey upper-body armor that seemed to be designed to look like a high-necked waistcoat with gold accent chains, and over the top of this outfit was a black ankle-length tailcoat with black metal pauldrons with red gauntlets shown protruding from the sleeves. A belt was around his waist with a large buckle shaped like a sideways jail cell door and a sheathed knife on his right side. His identity being fully hidden behind a black helmet with a white, birdlike domino mask with black designs around the eyes reminiscent of full eyeliner and sharp lashes replacing the visor, with blank grey bug-eyed lenses behind the mask with a small but noticeable red gem on the forehead of his helmet.
The civilian immediately pointed him out, alerting the guards to his positions and allowing them to call in for reinforcements. The young man smirked behind his helmet, satisfied with the scene he had just created, then once he noticed the guards mobilizing he placed the briefcase down then he jumped down and landed on a suspended platform. As soon as his feet touched the surface of the platform a young boyish voice spoke from his helmets built in radio.
"Good. Now get running!" It instructed the thief as another boy's voice followed up closely saying to him, "This is our only chance."
A girl's voice then piped up. "Stay calm! You can get away now!" followed by another girl, this one calmly detailing their part of the plan. "We'll retrieve the briefcase on our end."
A static voice was then intercepted by the thief, though only catching a few words from the message the man behind the helmet knew they were now scouring the building for him. "Hm…? What was that…?" questioned the first girl who spoke up, curious about the chatter that was happening on the security team's side. "Not now, Oracle. Look Joker, don't worry about us. Just concentrate on getting away!"
"Rodger." The man now identified as Joker said before he began sprinting on top of the suspended platform, jumping to other various suspended platforms and lights to evade capture. "But I have to say, showing yourself above that crowd earlier was an excellent move. Nice work as always Joker." praised the boyish voice, impressed with the stunt Joker was able to pull off.
A chipper female voice spoke up to add into the conversation. "I bet Skull wouldn't have pulled it off that smoothly." A different male voice then spoke up and added on to the defamation of Skull. "This happens because you have no sense for aesthetics." then presumably Skull spoke up in shocked defiance "Shut it Inari."
As Joker was about to respond to the group talking, security guards busted open a set of doors spotting the thief on a hanging sign. "There he is! Get him!"
"Just run! Get out of there!" ordered Oracle, worry seeping into her voice. "No problem." Joker responded, followed by taking a hard left from where he was and started jumping across brightly arches.
"Ok the enemies focus is on him. Looks like the rest of us can slip away." ordered the young voice. "Everyone Remember where to meet up?" asked a new eloquent female voice to the group. Oracle responded immediately, "No worries, I can guide you all." As she finished her response Joker made a jump and landed on an open second floor platform with a set of stairs ahead of him that leads to his exit door.
Rushing towards the stairs Joker found himself blocked by two security guards. As they cut off his exit their bodies begin to violently convulse until their skins are shredded off and transform them into shadow like beings wearing metal masks and carrying champagne bottles as clubs. Joker tried to turn around and double back, but another shadowed guard had jumped up to block that exit from him as well. "Take'em down Joker!" cheered out the chipper female voice.
With a running start, Joker jumped up high then with a twist of his body in mid-air he managed to land on the back of guard that made its way up to the second story platform. Without hesitation he gripped the mask that covered the shadowy beings face and with a forceful tug, he ripped off the mask revealing a blank face with deep penetrating red eyes. Kicking off the back of the guard Joker landed, waiting for his enemy to retaliate.
The guard's body began to lose shape, globs of black ooze falling onto the floor, then its body began to bubble and convulse like the guards previously. With an explosion of black-red ooze a creature took shape in front of Joker. It had the torso of a skinny Minotaur that was wearing a frilly bib, cuffs and a thick high collar, while the lower half of its body being mechanical with hand shaped feet and a long thick tail.
"I'm comparing power levels… Pffft it's just a Moloch, no threat to you Joker. Go Get'em!" said Oracal as she did a quick scan of the enemy and found it lacking in power in comparison to Joker. In a flash he pulled out an item that was shaped similarly to a shotgun shell, it was primarily red in color with the bottom of it being black and a symbol of a top hat with horns protruding from the brim on it. "Alright! Let's do this, Arsene!" The door to his large buckle opened up revealing that inside was another shell already placed in it but placed to the right side.
"Change Your Fate!" announced the buckle. Then Joker followed it up by inserting the red shell into a port that was on the left hand side. "Persona Shell-Set! Arsene!" "I am the pillager of twilight!"Joker then closed the door, covering the twin shells. "Lock In Your Fate!" the belt cheered out, "Break through the chains of fate and steal your future! You are Phantom Ride-JOKER! Type-Arsene!"
The suit Joker wore glowed a bright red before dissipating, revealing that his suit had been modified. The helmet now had long black horns with red energy coursing through them, with the lenses behind the visor now burning a bright red orange. The color of his tailcoat and legs now a bright red with blades sticking out his calves and the pauldrons on his shoulders turning silver with hearts carved into them, with a white scarf draped around his neck and hanging behind him and the tip of the fingers of his gauntlets now sharpened into talons.
Joker moved forward to rush the enemy, calling out to it. "Hey, beef for brains!" The Moloch's head snapped in his direction, its eyes narrowing in hatred. "Mind being a good valet and bring my car around."
The Moloch roared out angrily, charging its massive body forward barreling towards its prey. Joker now satisfied in getting the monster's attention readied himself. With a swift movement, his knife was drawn. Focusing he began to channel the power of his Persona Arsene, trying to time his attack perfectly. As the Moloch was within distance, Joker unleashed his attack. "Brave Blade!" he shouted, lunging upward, slashing across the beast's chest with precision and power. The strike landed cleanly, as the Moloch's bib was bisected revealing a fresh gash, sending the monster stumbling back howling in pain.
As the monster stumbled backwards, Joker took advantage of its dazed state. He jumped upward, and while he was spinning in the air he moved his left hand and formed a finger gun. A mass of black-red energy began to coalesce at the tip of his fingers that made up the barrel. "Eigaon!" he yelled out, firing off a blast of dark energy from his fingers, striking the Moloch in its exposed wound causing a torrent of darkness to cover it.
As Joker landed he disengaged his current form, his Arsene suit dissipating, leaving him dressed in his original outfit. He turned to witness the Moloch thrash about on the floor, trying to smother the dark aura that was dissolving it. With a final roar of despair, it collapsed to the ground with its body shortly dissolving into black ooze once more, this time with no enemy appearing from it.
The young boyish voice spoke again once the monster had fully faded away. "Good. You defeated them with ease!" He was about to say more until Oracle spoke up, "Hey there's more of them converging to where you're at. Be careful Joker!" As she finished warning Joker, a group of shadowed security guards appeared from the floor, each equipped with stun batons with visible currents coursing through them. The lead shadow tried to swing at the Thief, but Joker was too nimble for it as he back flipped to avoid the attack and jumped up high to another balcony floor.
"Joker I'm getting a reading, behind you there should be a door that you can access to get out of there. Take it now!" Joker followed Oracle's tip and indeed he saw a door nearby that was able to be opened without any through the door and following the stairs upward he found himself in a backroom with enlarged iron pipes that were caged off. "According to this map you should be able to get out if you follow this way. Make sure you hurry!"
"Dude, can he even hear us!" cried out skull as his worry over Joker began to show.
Oracle replied nonchalantly, "Don't worry Skull, I'm picking up everyone's voices. You just keep going Joker!...Huh? Wait a sec! What the- I'm getting a weird reading heading your way!"
Joker upon hearing Oracles' distress began sprinting down the hallways of the backroom he was in, only stopping to hide and overhear any conversation when he spotted an enemy. As he neared the end of the hallway he was in he spotted a normal looking security guard that was in front of the stairs he needed to get to his next location.
"Joker hide! I know you can take him, but you can't afford bringing an entire army into this cramped space. Just hide and wait for an opportunity to go." Joker obliged and followed Oracle's lead on this, hiding from the guard behind a metal bin with discarded clothing in it. As the guard finished up his call to his fellow personnel he quickly vacated the spot he had in front of the stair. Never knowing he just rushed past the very thief he was looking for. "Now's your chance! Make a run for it!"
Joker broke away from his hiding spot and ran up the stairs making it to a long hallway. He slowed his stride as he spotted another guard that was in front of the only visible exit out of the hallway. "Ugh, how many of these guys are there!?" questioned Oracle, her frustration being made known to everyone listening in. Joker, not wanting to get caught into fight just yet ducked into cover and began to evaluate the situation.
"Is everything okay Oracle? From the sound of it, the security level might rise if you take too much time out there." questioned one of the male acquaintances. "I know Crow! I'm already looking for another route for him to take. Joker Just hang on for a bit." retorted Oracle as she began another scan of the building to find Joker an alternate route to take. "Oh, that's perfect. Joker look up!"
Joker did as he was told and found that above him was a catwalk. "Are you able to use your grappling hook to get up there?" Ren smiled beneath his mask before responding, "Easy work." Standing up from where was just hidden at, he raised up left arm and from the sleeve of his tailcoat a grappling hook emerged and caught hold of the catwalk. Joker, feeling his hook catch allowed himself to be dragged up by the hook retracting itself. Once he was mid-way up into the air. He swung forward then detaching his hook he flipped himself from underneath the catwalk and landed perfectly on top of the platform. "Alright, now all you need to do is go through the hallway beside you and you should be home free."
Turning to his right, Joker sprinted down the catwalk and made it into the hallway. Getting closer to his exit Oracle stopped him before he could get closer to the doorway. "Joker, you have to stop right now! There are enemies right near your position!" as she said this a group of nine shadowed guards appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the thief and cutting off any viable exit he had. "Damn, it seems they sent some heavy hitters your way. Even you can't take them all on in this position… Huh!? Joker! That weird reading from earlier is closing in on you too!"
As Joker readied himself to face off against his opponents he noticed that a new figure appeared from the doorway he was planning to leave from. A young woman dressed similarly like he was with a large, but different buckle on her waist that had two silver roses and a sheathed rapier on a chain belt. Her armor is designed to resemble a strapless black leotard with a sweetheart neckline with a white full body leotard underneath with a black band choker and red gloves as she wears thigh-length hose and stiletto lace-up pumps that resemble ballet shoes on the top. Over top the armored leotard she wore a black bolero jacket that has gold buttons, ruffled flared sleeves and three floor-length coattails. Her helmet was crimson red with strands of red braided leather coming out from the back of the helmet, resembling a pony tail that was tied up with a black ribbon. Where her visor would be was instead a black mask with silver highlights that resembled mascara and red tinted bug-eyed lenses underneath the mask. As the soft clicks of her heels echoed throughout the room she began to draw her rapier. "I'll end this right now." said the mysterious masked girl as she pointed the tip of her blade towards Joker.
"Joker it her! she 's the weird reading I've been getting!" cried out Oracle in shock. The black masked girl tossed her rapier up into the air like a baton and as she caught it she flung it at lightning speed, impaling a guard that was to Joker's left. As a group of the shadowed guards broke off to face off against her, she began dodging the wild attacks and clumsy attacks of her opponents, showcasing her acrobatic prowess. As two more guards tried to flank her, she arched backwards and pointed a Winchester rifle point blank at one of the enemies and fired. She quickly followed it up by turning around and jumping up high into the air and firing off two more shots that hit squarely into the enemies heads.
Slowly sauntering up Joker the enemies behind her convulsed violently before exploding and not reforming. "My weak self relied on you so much… That ends today." she proclaimed as she walked past joker to kick her rapier up into the air and catch it effortlessly. "Let's do this Senpai!" she yelled out as she stood back to back with Joker.
The rest of the enemies reacted violently, exploding from their forms and revealing three monstrous enemies. Two bipedal leopards with green capes and wielding two swords each stood to either side of a large red feathered vulture-like monster that wore a golden helmet. "Woah, the enemy readings have decreased drastically? It looks like you only have to deal with two Ose and a Jatayu!" questioned Oracle who was unsure of what was happening in the room that Joker was in. "Hey… Is that?" The young boyish voice was about to reveal the identity of the person next to Joker but he was cut off as the Jatayu stretched its enormous wings and with a shrill cry it unleashed a powerful gust of wind aimed straight at the agile female fighter.
With fluid grace, she dodged the attack, her body twisting and rolling effortlessly as the wind whooshed past her. She landed softly, her body poised and ready for the next attack. As to make sure he would keep up Joker reinserted his Arsene shell and once more donned his red armor. Behind his helmet a sly smirk crossed his face as he snapped his fingers, causing an Eigoan to erupt from his hand, striking one of the Ose with a vicious burst of dark energy that sent the creature reeling back in pain.
Seizing the opportunity, the agile fighter drew her rapier with a swift flourish and leapt into action. Her movements were a mesmerizing dance as she unveiled a shell of her own that was crystal like in texture with a blue ribbon symbol etched on it. Slotting it into an open slot on the left hand side of her buckle. A female voice emanated from her buckle announcing the shell she set in. "Persona Shell-Set! Cendrillon!" "Dancing into Midnight! Faith Rider-Violet! Type-Cendrillon!"
In a quick flash, the now named Violet had her suit change forms. The leotard armor changes from its prominent black color to blue with a crystalline glass dress look to it. Her full body leotard switched to an ash-black color with a teal diamond-shaped centerpiece covered in black numbers, with a diamond-shaped jewel in the center with a white cape that flows down to her waist from a set of floating glass hearts that levitate just behind her neck. Around her waist is a floating circle of golden armor with ornate heart and wing designs. Her stiletto lace-up pumps were replaced with a pair of glass thigh-high boots with sharp gold spikes at the end. The design of her helmet now resembled the same blue crystalline glass with her leather braided ponytail turning into a shimmering gold color now tied with a blue ribbon, matching the new color that her mask has taken, with it becoming golden with the mascara design becoming sapphire blue.
Her rapier drawn back she shouted out "Vorpal Blade!" A series of energy slashes had cut through the air, striking all three of the monsters at once. They staggered, cries of anguish echoing throughout the hallway as the power of her attack sliced into them.
Joker, feeling that the battle was nearing its conclusion, nodded at Violet, with her returning one back exchanging an unspoken strategy with each other. Without hesitation, she propelled herself toward the nearest Ose with blinding speed, her skilled acrobatic maneuvers breathtaking to watch.
As the two pressed their advantage, their bodies began to synchronize with one another, Joker channeling his magic, focused on the Jatayu, with Violet targeting the Ose with deft precision. The air crackled with palpable tension as they moved seamlessly together, a perfect blend of their acrobatic styles.
The final flourish came swiftly as Joker unleashed a powerful Eigaon toward the Jatayu's back while Violet delivered a decisive kick to her Ose. The monsters crumbled under the duo's onslaught, the Oses' collapsing while the Jatayu lurching toward the ground.
With the foes reeling, they stood side to side and once more nodded to one another silently, clasping their hands together, they then leapt into the air and striking as one- delivered a powerful and decisive kick to the trio of monsters. The ground rumbled as they landed on the ground, skidding a few feet forward on their extended legs. Behind them the trio of monsters exploding in a shower of black-red viscus goo.
Standing up Violet turned to Joker to speak, now that the enemy had been dealt with. "I think… that was the last of them, Joker!" she said, sounding winded as she spoke to him. "Joker, are you there!? All the enemies seemed to have disappeared! I genuinely have what is happening on your end, but I take it that you're okay?" Joker was about to respond before Oracle interrupted again with another update. "Wait- bad news! There are enemy backup's headed your way! You need to book it, like right now!"
"Please go, Senpai. I'm going to help make it harder for them to track you down… You still have something to do as a phantom thief, right?" Joker nodded in confirmation to the young woman in front of him as his posture looked more relaxed. Violet turned around and looked one more time to Joker said, "Then I won't stop you. Since I'm not a member of the phantom thieves, I'm in no position to interfere… However, don't forget the promise we made ok?" Looking away now she leapt up and landed on an exposed air duct and she proceeded to run away and cause her own distraction. "Joker, what are you doing just standing around, you need to get outta there! Go go go!"
Following her orders he made his way towards the exposed doorway once more. "Ok, when you get past that doorway you need to go up the stairs at the entry! After that it should be just a little bit more running, so hang in there for me!" As he moved up the stairs he found himself in another hallway that was plastered with stickers and banners on the wall all having a variation of "winning" on them. Silently he ran up to a glass window and peering through it he saw a surveillance room filled with people trying to track him down, and his comrades that they had just now deduced were here as well. Running further up multiple flights of stairs a contingent of security guards began to close in on him. Finding himself in a dead end he spotted a door with a green exit sign hanging over top it. With it being his only option he rushed through, stopping as he hit the railing of an indoor balcony.
"Something wrong? The exit should be up ahead." Joker peeling his eyes away from the crowd of people below him found himself staring at a multi-story tall stained glass window. "My exit is through there…?" a slightly worried but jovial tone could be heard from him as he questioned Oracle's exit strategy. "Sorry… That's just how it is. After that stunt you pulled along with all the other commotion, the bottom floor is completely closed off. Are you able to make it!?"
Underneath his mask, he once more smiled in excitement over how he was going to pull off the final leg of his escape. "Hey Over there! There's nowhere to run now!" the voice of a security guard from the hallway behind him reached his ears. Turning around he spotted multiple guards with pistols drawn, aiming at him. Placing a hand on the railing of the balcony, Joker jumped up, and began to run on top of the railing. Bullets whizzed by him as he effortlessly dodged each shot, making it all the way to the top section of the stained glass window. Turning around to face his pursuers he gave a two finger salute and said, "See ya, better luck next time!" with his next action being him jumping from the railing he was standing on and crashing through the stained glass window, finally making it outside with the full moon illuminating his form.
"Hmph, what a show off. You're so reckless you know that." Oracle stated, amused by Joker's flashy exit from the casino. Once he beard the ground he tucked and rolled into a crouched position, then as he stood up, multiple high beams began to flash his face, forcing Joker to block the light. "What the.. Enemies here!? These readings… it can't be!"
"What's wrong! What happened!?" yelled out skull, unaware of the situation that Joker found himself in. The rest of his team began to voice their worry until an officer ordered for everyone to chase down Joker.
The thief ran as fast as he could evading multiple shots that were fired at him. He then caught a glimpse of a ladder that was a few stories up that he knew none of the officers could make. Using everything he got, he jumped up and grabbed hold of one of the ladders rungs. Pulling himself up, he began to quickly ascend while looking back to see that they were not able to come after him. Giving a short chuckle, he turned his head to face up, that's when he finally saw it. The other end already had armed men waiting for him. He tried to think of another exit strategy, but it was already too late. The swat officer that was completely blocking his path smashed the butt of his rifle into Joker's head, dazing the young man, and causing him to fall off the ladder.
As he landed on cold hard ground his transformed state gave out, revealing a highschool aged boy with raven black hair and stone-cold gray eyes to everyone surrounding him. A man in a suit walked up to him and kneeling beside him he grabbed a fist full of the boy's hair, forcing him to look at the man. "Wel well well, who would have guessed that the leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves was some kid. You have your teammate to thank for this. You were sold out." Letting go of his hold the man got up and walked up, with the SWAT team that was pinning down Joker and cuffing him.
Date: ?
The sound of pained grunts was heard within an interrogation room. Men in black suits roughing up a young man who appeared to be around sixteen years of age. The boy's hands bound in cold steel cuffs that were tightened to extreme lengths caused an extreme amount of uncomfortable pain and almost immediately cut off circulation from his hands. Bruises and small cuts littered his face, and an almost clouded look in his eyes.
As his body hit the cold cement floor a harsh gruff voice cut through and caught the beaten boy's hazy attention. "You know you really made quite the ruckus out there. You caused a lot of important people quite the headache." The boy's attention shifted from the man who was crouched in front of him and looked beyond towards a camera that pointed directly towards them.
The interrogator who was leading the physical punishment of the young man and the one who was speaking to him looked in the same direction and spotted the camera. A cocky grin appeared on his face as he spoke one more. "Do you honestly believe that any of these cameras will be used to help you out of this?" His tone was harsh and threatening.
The young man looked down, his messy dark wavy black hair blocking his eyes as he responded. "No, I do not." His voice was weak and hoarse, his throat in pain as it slowly tried to heal itself from the strangling abuse it was put through.
"Good, it seems you're not as dumb as you seem." The man then was handed a clip board with a piece of paper on it. After giving it a brief glance he began to read aloud what was written on it, "Man quit the rep sheet you managed to build for yourself. Let's see here, you are charged for obstruction of business, intimidation, defamation, preparing and carrying weapons and even murder." with a low whistle he spun the clipboard around extending it towards the bruised young man. "You need to sign this paper here acknowledging that you have committed all these crimes, and if you're smart you would do it without any questioning."
His hand shaking slightly, he grabbed the clipboard and then moved for the pen that was extended to him. He was unable to grasp the pen as the handcuffs cut off the blood circulation to his hands and began to show its effects. The grown man looking at this sneered and turned to another guy barking out an order to carefully uncuff the boy.
As soon as the cuffs were freed from the young man began to rub his wrists as he felt the raw skin finally breath and the blood flowing freely once more through his hands. His mind taking the time to try to question and remind himself if he truly committed any of the alleged crimes that was read off.
"There, now sign your name, and trust me we are far from over. I'll make sure to put through so much pain until I feel like you paid for your crimes." The black suited man began to put on the pressure and this time forcefully placed the clipboard and pen in the hands of the young convict. With his hands now more articulate he did as he was told and signed his name on the piece of paper, reading as Ren for his given name and Amamiya for his family name.
As Ren finished signing his name the clipboard was snatched from his grasp by the guard who freed his wrists. The lead interrogator stood up and began to give instructions to the other guards and made to move towards Ren until the only door in the room abruptly swung open.
A tall and beautiful woman walked into the room, her presence demanding respect and exuding authority. The lead interrogator stood straight and began questioning why she was here, which she quickly retorted with her being allowed time to interrogate the young convict. The men all looked at one another before grumbling and began to move out of the room. The door closed, leaving the two of them alone with one another. She moved forward towards Ren examining the room and noticing the slight splatters of blood and discarded needle off to the side. She crouched down her voice in a low harsh whisper saying, "Those bastards, they didn't even try to make this far on you. How much of this stuff did they use on you." Worry began to seep into her voice as she looked at the young man in front of her.
Ren during this could only look at the beautiful woman before him not really hearing what she had to say. Taking in her appearance, he noticed her pale skin, long ashen-brown hair parted from the right side of her head, brown eyes with hints of mauve red in them and her lips were a bright ruby red. Her attire consisted of a black business suit with a black turtleneck, a necklace that had two curved S's on it stacked on top of one another to make an odd symbol, earrings and dark hair clips on the right side of her hair.
A slight blush was starting to creep onto his cheeks as he looked at her, but that stopped as soon as he helped him stand up and moved him to sit down on the chair he previously was pushed off of. He tried to clear away the fog in his mind as the woman sat down across, the same worry still hidden beneath the cold facade exterior she placed up to mask her concern.
"I can't believe it, that it was actually you all this time." she said out loud, though it seemed more for her own sake than his. She turned her arm over and looked at the watch she had on her wrist, a sigh escaping as she settled into her interrogation form.
"Alright, I don't have time to waste. Though you already know who I am, as a formality I must state my name. As you know my name is Sae Nijima, and I am... no, I was the prosecutor in this case concerning you. I need any information that you can divulge about "That World" and how exactly you were able to access such a place, as well the exact methods used to "steal the hearts" of your victims."
Ren clutching his head tried to form a coherent thought and scavenge any memory that tried to pop into his mind. Sae noticed his hesitancy, noting it to be the effects of whatever drug he was injected with. Her mask slipped as her hand reached across the table, holding his hand in a firm grasp.
"Please Ren, I want to help you, but I can't if you aren't able to cooperate with me. You need to focus up and remember… please."
Ren blinked as the fog began to clear a little bit, when that began time seemed to have stopped. The world around him darkened and then out of nowhere a blue butterfly emerged and began to speak.
"You are held captive. A prisoner of fate to a future that has been sealed in advance. This is truly an unjust game. Your chances of winning are almost none. But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you...I beg you. Please overcome this game and save the world. The key to victory lies within the memories of your bonds, the truth that you and your friends grasped. It all began that day when the game started half a year ago. For the sake of your world's future, as well as your own, you must remember."
In that moment, even for the briefest of moments it became clear to Ren, "So that's how it is huh… I think I got the gist of it." A confident Smirk appeared on his face as he whispered his words.
Sae, unable to hear his mumble, felt shaken as she thought he was about to pass out. She made a move to shake him but was stopped by Ren looking directly into her eyes. "Very well… I'll try… to remember, but… everything is still fuzzy."
Sae sat back down, a sigh of relief escaped her as she wasted no time in going into her question, "Alright then let's begin with this." She brought out a folder, in it was various documents and a photo showing a man with black curly hair with beady black eyes and an enormous chin. "Tell me everything you know about the first Target of the Phantom thieves. The former gold medal Olympian and physical instructor of Shujin academy Suguru Kamoshida, who was arrest on the charges of child abuse, attempted black mail, and multiple accounts of sexual assault."
Ren's eyes sharpen a bit, the memories of that time beginning to flood back in. The reminder of his first assault against the corrupt system he found himself fighting against. The smirk growing back in place
"Very well… It all began when I first arrived on April 9th…"
~Insert Zero-One theme- "Find a new life" here~