21 April 2018
The group gathered at the school's rooftop to discuss how they were going to send the calling card. Since the effect only lasts for a day (At most), they must send this warning in the morning and complete their plan at the end of the day. After a minor debate, it was decided that Ryuji would write the calling card. Akira hands out the advanced amour Morgana and himself received from washing sooty clothing they found in the Metaverse; they accomplished this thanks to the laundromat nearby Lablanc. Everyone bids their goodbyes and heads home full of enthusiasm and determination to defeat Kamoshida. Akira's phone pings upon entering the cafe,
Ryuji: Man. There's so much I wanna write on the calling card. It's kinda tough figuring out what to say.
Ann: Are you sure you're really capable of this?!
Ryuji: Don't worry I got it. I even made a logo for us.
Ann: ... A logo?
Ryuji: Yup. You'll get to see it tomorrow.
Ann: Well, that's worrying...
Ryuji: Anyways, you guys should rest up.
If we screw up tomorrow, we're totally done for.
Akira: I'm counting on you guys.
Ann: Yup. I'm sure we can do this.
Ryuji: Just remember. We can't trust any shitty adults.
That's why we gotta do this ourselves.
Anyways, let's pull this off and surprise everyone!
The young witch's eyes scan the room only to land on the coffee brewing stand on the counter. Two nights ago Sojiro taught some of the basics of making coffee, maybe he could put his skills to the test. Spotting Akira standing behind the counter to face the coffee brewer, Sojiro encourages him to use the beans on the shelves and goes to buy some cigarettes. Akira took his time conducting two coffees, one for himself and one for Sojiro to test out when he returned. He sat at the counter with Morgana at his side, taking one sip of his drink. The warm taste forms a grin on Akira's face, Morgana comments how based on the teen's reaction it must be delicious. He even mentions that coffee could help heal wounds in the Metaverse. Well if Akira's lollipops work then the majority of food and drink they bring into the Metaverse should have some kind of benefit for the team.
"Looks like you're doing well." Akira turns his head to see that Sojiro is back, "Here, let me have a sip." The young witch nods, standing up to allow Sojiro to sit in his place. As Akira walks behind the counter, he watches Sojiro as the man lifts the cup towards his mouth. His face scrunched up as the liquid hit his taste buds making Akira second-guess his skills. Placing down the half-full cup of coffee, Sojiro states that Akira has used Blue Mountain, impressing Akira that the man was able to identify an ingredient from the coffee's flavour in one sip. Sojiro must be a genuine expert on this subject. He offers the teen some constructive criticism on furthering his skills and praises Akira for using the method he taught the teen. With a grateful smile, Akira thanked Sojiro, waiting for the man to finish the coffee before beginning to clean up.
Once it was only Morgana and Akira inside Leblanc, Morgana said "Hey Akira?" The teen in question finishes drying his hands and turns to the cat. "I have a question regarding your Umbra witch business..." Akira silently nods as a go-on for Morgana, "What's the main purpose of being an Umbra witch? You mentioned that they're followers of the dark but what exactly does that mean?"
Akira lets out a minor laugh, strutting towards the counter, "It means us Umbra witches were to ensure the balance of the light and dark forces in the world, alongside the Lumen sages. Umbra witches maintained that the followers of light didn't attempt to overthrow the clan while Lumen sages had done the same with the followers of the dark. Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Morgana shakes his head, "No, no... not right now. Let's just go to bed and focus on what's to come tomorrow." Akira nods in agreement, removing his apron and putting it away. The two head upstairs for a good night's sleep.
22 April 2018
"Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust... We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." Ann was underwhelmed by the message; It sounded like a tryhard. She spots her friends further down the hall and paces over to them.
Ryuji grins proudly, "Not bad, eh? I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference."
The lighter hair blonde responds, "Um... yeah... I know what you wanted to say, but it sounded like an idiot trying to be an adult."
Morgana peeks out of Akira's school bag to add on, "Your logo's a little lacking, too."
The blonde boy's smile falters, "Okay, y'know what? Th-that ain't true!" The four overhear the crowd of students at the boards, gossiping about the teacher and who these Phantom thieves are. However, their voices soon die down as Kamoshida marches behind the crowd.
Reading the calling card, Kamoshida's face distorts into anger "Who's responsible for this?!"
Morgana grins at the display, "...Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires."
Ryuji nods in agreement, "I think it's hittin' him pretty hard." The calling card sets the teacher off to prosecute the students around him.
"Did you do this? Or was it you?" Students scatter as Kamoshida's accusations become intimidating. The teacher twists his body and notices the remaining students down the hall. He marches up to them with a grim glare, "...Was it you two?!" He seems to ignore Ann, though that's a blessing for her since she adverts her head down.
Akira makes a smug smile, "What if it was?"
He hits a nerve with the older man, "What garbage... Eh, it's not a problem. You'll be expelled soon enough anyway." For a beat, the group see the shadow version of Kamoshida standing there. The hallway has now turned into a pitch-black void. King Kamoshida stared at them with disdain, "Come... Steal it, if you can!" The area forms back into the school as does Kamoshida standing in front of them back in his PE uniform. He walks away, most likely planning a way to get back at the teens other than their expulsion. Since it was clear this had an effect on Kamoshida's palace, the team beamed themselves into the Metaverse and fortunately, they are able to travel to the saferoom closest to the throne room. Although some of the teammates were cautious about the throne room's doors being wide open -with no guards stationed to protect the treasure- Mona urges the group to move forward. Sprinting past the multiple female statues and up the scarlet stairs, the group push through the double doors to locate the treasure. Which has now taken the form of a large, shining golden king's crown. Upon approaching the floating crown, Mona becomes stunned by its beautiful shine. Before he can stop himself, Mona jumps up to embrace the large object with all four paws. All the while he is meowing.
With a smirk, Joker cracks a joke, "That's not catnip..."
The cat ignores his leader's joke and continues to meow against the treasure. It wasn't until Skull spoke up, "All right, that's enough, you stupid cat!"
Breaking from his astonished state, Mona jumps back down shamefully, "Oh, um, yeah... Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of a lady..."
"You were completely out of character too... What was that about?" Panther questions.
Mona's tone lacks some confidence as he answers, "I couldn't stop it either... To think I'd be drawn to human desires this much..." His face lights up, "Doesn't that prove that I'm human?!"
Skull with a rather befuddled tone, bites back, "How should we know?!"
"A-Anyway, you guys need to carry it!" The three human members circle the crown, gripping the item by its bottom. They take steady steps as they attempt to leave the throne room... Unfortunately, they are stopped by the king spiking a volleyball at the treasure. Making it fall out of their hands and roll over to Kamoshida. The king stood in front of his royal seat, the crown -which was now normal sized- held in his right hand while his princess stood beside his left. Panther has a minor shutter at the sight of her shadow self, she thought she couldn't be disgusted anymore with this man until now. He sees women as nothing more than sex objects. Though at least he isn't brain dead, he was smart enough to know how to ambush the thieves by simply waiting close to the treasure/throne room. After Skull insults Kamoshida by calling him a 'sexually-harrassin' d-bag, the king tries to claim it's a misunderstanding. Panther is quick to call him out on his bullshit only for Kamoshida to shift the blame on people around him, how others around him let it happen so they can profit from his status.
Kamoshida's eyebrows lower and pull together, "There are too many imbeciles who don't understand that! Including naive brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself!"
Panther sighs, uncrossing her arms, "True, she's a total idiot... letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide... And I'm even more of a dumbass for not realizing that! But no matter what kind of fool someone might be... They don't need your permission to live their lives!"
"Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant! There is no wrong using my gifts for my gain! I'm a cut above all other humans!"
Panther claps back, "Above? You mean beneath. You're a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!"
The king begins to chuckle with his head cast down. A strange dark blood aura swirls around his form as the princess backs away. He soon gazes back up with his arms opened "That's right, I'm not like you..." Kamoshida pulls the shadow version of Ann against him, "I am a demon who rules this world!" The red aura engulfs him, his body becomes enormous as his skin turns into a light shade of pink. Goat-like horns grow onto his head and a thick purple tongue pokes out of his sharp teeth. A red cape rested on his back with multiple medals on the fabric. Kamoshida now has multiple limbs, two were holding golden utensils while the remaining held a glass full of red wine with cognitive Ann swimming within the liquid and a riding crop. The throne behind him has extended with a live eye at the top, two golden balls laid at each side of the demon with chained slaves. In front of the demon was a shiny gold champion trophy carrying what looked to be the bottom half bodies of the ladies from the volleyball team.
Joker takes out his dagger, "Let's finish this!"
With a rather gurgling roar, Kamoshida begins his attack. Smacking his riding crop onto the floor, commanding the slaves to throw multiple volleyballs at Mona. He wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack and got bombarded by volleyballs. Each team member does various attacks on the demon: gun, physical, persona elemental and physical skills. Yet this effort becomes a waste due to Kamoshida stabbing his fork into one of the bottom halves sticking out of the Champion Cup, eating the flesh within four bites. He has regained his health.
Mona swiftly guides the team on what to do, "He healed himself? Is it from eating one of those... things in the trophy? Then we should destroy that first!" Everyone aside from Mona focuses on assaulting the trophy (Since Joker had him heal the whole party so they won't risk losing too much health). When it's Kamoshida's turn he buffs his attack by taking a long sip from his glass. Then strikes Panther with his golden knife causing her to lose a significant amount of damage. Joker needs to watch out for his teammates; he can't risk any of them being knocked out. Joker has the final strike of the golden cup as it shatters from his Berith's Cleave attack. The demon becomes dishevelled giving the thieves the opportunity to perform an All-out attack.
In frustration, Kamoshida groans, "I'm the king! If I'm not, then who is?! How dare you keep defying me... Looks like I gotta bring out the big guns! Slaves bring over you-know-what!" The slaves detach from the golden balls and run away from the scene. "Time for my kill shot from when I was active and rockin' it! Kill shot... As in I'll make the kill!" What else would it mean? "What's the holdup? Where's my ball?!"
Abruptly... Mishima appears? The teen runs up to Kamoshida.
He was hunched over with a volleyball in his hands, "I-I'm so sorry, King Kamoshida! I-I have it right here!" The teen hobbles to the demon's side. Skull and Panther question the teen's appearance and Mona explains how this is the cognitive version of Mishima... it's not the real Mishima just a version Kamoshida sees the teen as. Sensing this next attack will be powerful, Joker commands everyone to guard.
"Good Mishima- now pass it to me! Don't tell me you can't do something as simple as that!" Mishia does as he's told allowing the demon to spike the ball at the Phantom thieves. The heavy impact of the strike does a lot of damage despite their blocking. "I knew it... I can't go all-out with Mishima providing the backup. Hey, shit for brains! Get off of my court!"
The cognitive Mishima apologies as he runs off, only for a new passer to take his place. A cognitive version of Shiho, "King Kamoshida, I've brought your ball, just like you asked." She wore a very revealing bunny outfit, a snow-fluffy bikini with matching wristbands and collar. The only other colour she wore was the hot pink in her tiara and high heels.
Shiho strides next to Kamoshida, "Now that's a good girl, Suzui." She blows a kiss in the direction of the Phantom thieves, "Yeah, all women should obey my orders like this- ain't that right, sweetheart?" Panther becomes visibly distressed by seeing her friend in such a manner, luckily Mona is able to calm her down by reminding her that it isn't the real Shiho. "Ah, I get it! You want to see my kill shot again, don't you?" There are two ways of handling this, either they continue to attack the demon as he focuses on his kill shot or take down the cognitive Suzui so he can't perform a powerful attack.
"What should we do?" Mona asks Joker. It should be fine to strike the cognitive Suzui; it's not the real version of her after all.
Joker answers, "Let's focus on the fake Suzui." He begins the assault by using Bufu from Silky, hitting a weak point and earning him a baton pass. He gives the extra turn to Skull who has Captain Kid lunge at the cognitive Suzui. Though it didn't abolish the shadow, Skull shoots at her only for a small amount of health left. This results in Panther taking the final blow, using Carmen to eliminate the cognitive Suzui.
"Hmph, even Suzui was useless. Looks like I'll have to give her some special instructions later... One-on-one!"
Panther's jaw tenses in disgust, "Kamoshida, I'll never forgive you!"
Skulls says, "Sorry, Suzui... I swear we'll beat that bastard's ass!"
Mona sighs, "We won't get anywhere with brute force..." He looks to Joker for the group's next step.
Joker thinks of a plan; he needs one of the team members to sneak away and knock the crown from the demon's head. Then the remaining three can distract Kamoshida before he realises one has gone missing. But who would be the best option to steal the treasure? Panther comments that Kamoshida keeps looking at her so she can't go. Leaving Mona and Skull; Mona would be the best option. Skull has more physical power and can handle dealing with damage than Mona. As Kamoshida complains about running out of slaves, Mona takes the chance to sprint to a terrace on the left. The team continued to bombard Kamoshida with various attacks, occasionally either Joker or Panther healing when needed. When Mona makes it to the top of the terrace, he jumps and batters the crown off of the demon's head. Kamoshida goes maniacal and dejected...
It's time for the climax.
Taking two steps forward, Joker gets onto his knees arching his back as his right hand is raised up to the sky and his left goes behind to touch the floor. He shouts "Ors Obelisong!" His outfit departs leaving Joker in his birthday suit, his hair rings around his body to hide his more private areas. His hair forms into a similar shape of a funnel as it dips to the ground. Panther and Skull are dumbfounded by Joker's sudden action while Mona tries to stay more calm and collected.
"Joker?! What are you-" A portal emerges between Joker and the dejected Kamoshida, rising out of the red portal makes Skull stutter in confusion, Panther gasps in amazement and Mona's eyes widen in surprise. Monsouir Charro's upper body is visible, he sports a sinister grin as he looks upon his new prey. Generally, he would be summoned to finish off an angel/s but doesn't mind killing a demon every now and again.
Skull's mouth gapes open, "Woah... That's a huge skeleton."
Monsouir Charro firmly clutches Kamoshida's exposed crown and repeatedly bashes his head into the ground. Every time Kamoshida's forehead impacted the ground he'd let out a painful sob with an almost crunching sound. By the tenth strike, Monsouir Charro does a final pummel to Kamoshida before retreating inside the portal. The demon Kamoshida went limp, gradually transforming back into his shadow human self. A couple of groans of pain barely audible. Joker's hair is arranged back into his uniform, he stands to be faced with three confused team members.
Joker needs to turn their attention to something else, "Skull, pick up the treasure."
The teen blinks multiple times, "O-oh... right." Skulls goes to pick up the crown but is stopped by shadow Kamoshida who is now back into his human form. Kamoshida takes the crown and sprints to the closest open doorway trying to find an escape. The open doorway leads him to a balcony; he has nowhere to run.
"What's wrong? Not running away?" Panther said, "Why don't you run? Aren't you a great athlete?"
Kamoshida stays standing between the two open doors, his back facing the Phantom thieves, "It's always been like this... all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me! I'm doing this all for them! What's wrong about demanding a reward for that?!"
Skull huffs out, "Now you're makin' excuses? We'll do something about that distorted heart of yours."
All Kamoshida does is grunt in response, unable to find another excuse to use. Panther sneers, "Scared? Right now, you're seeing the same view that Shiho did." She takes two steps forward as Kamoshida turns to the group, "I'm sure she was scared too... except she had no choice but to jump... What will you do? Will you jump? Or would you rather die here?" Panther's mask fades away, Carmen is now standing behind her with her arms outstretched. In each palm was a ball of fire. Kamoshida recoils at the sight and pleads for forgiveness, "Shut up. I bet everyone told you the same. But you... you took everything from them!" Carmen heaves her right hand, sending the flame just inches away from Kamoshida's face.
The shadow accepts his defeat and throws the crow to the group. Joker captures the treasure in one hand, "Go ahead and finish me off..." He falls to his knees as a tear rolls down his cheek, "You do that... and my real self will go down too... You have that right since you've won..." Carmen throws her last fireball, surprising Skull enough that he calls out Panther by her actual name.
The fire misses the crushed Kamoshida, combusting behind him on the ground. Carmen disappears for Panther's mask to return to her face, she glares down at the shadow, "If his mind shuts down, he can't admit his crimes."
Kamoshida looks down, "I've lost." He shakes his head in shame, "You're through when you lose... What am I- What am I supposed to do now?"
He wasn't asking that to himself, he needs to know what he has to do. Joker responds, "Atone for your sins."
The shadow looks back to the team, "All right... I will leave now and return to my real self... I'll make certain that I-" Kamoshida vanishes before he can finish his sentence. With the shadow version of Kamoshida no longer in the palace, what can be described as an earthquake begins. The ground shakes beneath them as the chandelier above violently swings.
Mona advises, "Hey, just so you know, we don't have much time to waste. The place is about to collapse!" The gang of thieves sprints out of the throne room and begins to run towards the nearest exit. Pieces of the palace start to collapse behind and in front of them, almost halting some of them in their escape. Joker glances over his shoulder to check on his teammates and realises that Mona is in his realistic cat form. They're not out of the Metaverse so why is he- Morgana springs onto Panther's head, leaping onto Skull's and finally Joker's shoulder.
"No fair, you jerk!" Mona meows in response while Joker looks onward, the hallway seems to be clear of any fallen rubble. This could be his chance to enable his beast within form; he'll be faster and ensure his teammates' safety. A loud groan and Ryuji's name being exclaimed makes Joker stop to turn around, Skull was now on the floor with his left hand gripping his knee.
He gazes up to them and waves his dismissively, "Heh... It's been a while, so I just tripped, is all!" Skull lifts himself up and suddenly multiple pieces of the palace crumble in the rear of the hallway. Getting closer and closer to the group. They need to get out of here quickly.
Joker seizes hold of Skull and pulls him up close to his back before doing the same with Panther. Keeping their hands either on his back or shoulders, "Hold on and don't let go!" He leans forward, bending his hands to somewhat resemble paws to transform into his Lion within. Mona bounces up and down on Joker's head as Skull and Panther hold on to his dark mane for dear life. Expressing their confusion on why their friend has suddenly turned into a lion. Joker will explain to them later, at least they are getting further away from the falling rubble pursuing them. As they closer to the end of the hallway, they view a bright light as its doorway. A booming roar emits from Joker as he jumps into the light... Everything goes white until they are all standing back in the alleyway outside of the school. They get their breath back, really exhausted from that final getaway. Ryuji takes out his phone to show the nav; the destination has been deleted.
Ann states, "... It's true. We can't go there anymore."
"What about the treasure?!" Morgana asks.
Joker rummages through the pocket where he previously placed the treasure only to take out a golden medal. After Ann and Ryuji question why it has changed from being a king's crown, Morgana gives a simple explanation. The medal was the source of Kamoshida's desires, it was as important to him as the crown was inside the palace. Ann asks if this will change the teacher's heart to get a 'probably' from Morgana. Ryuji wasn't happy with that answer and so was Akira. Morgana defends that it's his first time experiencing this as well, that Kamoshida should have a change in personality since the palace is gone. All they have to do is be patient and wait for the result in 10 days.
"Hey, before we split..." Ryuji turns his attention to Akira, "Can you explain why in the heck you almost went naked and turned into a freakin' lion?!"
Ann joins in, "Yeah! What was that, Akira?"
Thankfully, Morgana swoops in to explain the majority of why Akira had become naked near the end of the battle. Despite the lengthy explanation, the two looked like they were able to understand the majority of what an Umbra witch is (for the most part). "...Though, I don't fully understand why you changed into an animal, Akira. Is that something you learn from being an Umbra witch?" Morgana tilts his head at the teen.
Ryuji comments, "How can you even learn that?"
Akira lets out an awkward chuckle, "Well, it's a magical technique called Beast Within. There's not much of an explanation on how it works but it's used to enhance our movement and discover other magical abilities."
"So, can you form into any animal you want?" Ann inquires, dragging the 'so'.
The young witch shakes his head, "Not really. There's only a set of Beat Within forms we can take: there's Lion Within to run at high speed, Raven Within allows me to fly for a short period of time, Mosquito Within is mainly used when I dodge an attack at the last second and I should have some form of a Snake Within to travel faster in water but I haven't gotten to experience that yet."
There was a pregnant pause between the small cluster, the three processing the information bit by bit. Ann is the one to break the silence, "Can we see these other forms?"
Ryuji's face lights up, "Yeah! You can do this Umbra witch stuff in the real world too, right? You gotta show us!" Akira's eyes dart down in thought, he has never shown off his Umbran abilities to people outside of the family. If he is going to show his Beast Within forms, he'd have to let his friends enter Purgartorio. There's no way he will enable this technique if a stranger can see him. However, would it be a good idea to expose Purgartorio to them? What if angels appear while they're in Purgartorio? Would he be able to protect them? Akira looks up to his friends, "It'll be quick dude, please?"
Surely 5 minutes should be enough, "Ok then but we have to be in Purgartorio if I am going to show you."
"P-Purgartorio? What's that?" Ryuji questions, crossing his arms.
Oh, right... Akira forgot to mention Purgartorio. "You have heard of Purgatory before right?" All three of them nod, "Ok... now there is the Trinity of Realities: Paradiso, chaos/ human world and Inferno. Purgartorio is a realm parallel to the human world, it's a way we Umbra witches can do our business without interfering in the affairs of the human world." Akira swiftly prepares the portal, "In Purgartorio, I will be invisible to everyone. Watch." He takes one step in the portal, vanishing right in front of the group.
Ryuji is taken aback, "Woah?!" His friend has just vanished before his eyes.
Ann gasps and blinks rapidly, "Wow..." The way Akira converted to this Purgatorio seemed similar to how they entered the Metaverse.
Morgana eyes widen, though a smirk soon crosses his face, "Very interesting."
"Akira!? Where'd you go-" Ryuji yelps in surprise as he is pulled by an unknown force, disappearing as well. He searches for the source to now see Akira again, "Dude! Did you have to scare me like that?"
The young witch raises an eyebrow, "There wasn't any other way I could get your attention."
A pout forms on the blonde's face, "Eh, you could've just talked to me?" He says as though it is the obvious solution.
To prove his point, Akira's index finger indicates over to the remaining two. Ryuji's eyes follow the direction his friend is pointing to, Morgana and Ann no longer were visible... Well, not fully visible. It was as if they were turned into ghosts, their bodies were transparent and didn't seem to acknowledge the boys. He could faintly hear their voices as they echoed for some odd reason. "Welcome to Purgartorio, I'll get them in now." The blonde observes Akira as he draws a mysterious-looking circle in the air with his finger; Ryuji has never seen such symbols on the circle before. It must be related to Akira's Umbra witch training. Grabbing Morgana by the collar and Ann by her shoulder, Akira drags them into Purgartorio. The teen swiftly explains how inside Purgartorio everyone will be transparent and won't notice them, Morgana praises him for these unique abilities while the remaining teens try to wrap their heads around this business. Not wanting this to be any more awkward, Akira reminds them of why they are in Purgartorio in the first place, "Hey are you guys ready to see my Beast Withins yet?"
Ann perks up, "I am!" It was nice to have this entertaining moment since it diverted her worries about Kamoshida. To have this moment not to think about that monster was calming. Even if it confuses her somewhat. Akira guides his friends out of the alleyway to stand just outside of the school, giving more space for the Umbra witch to flaunt his magical techniques. He starts off with the Lion Within form, his mane being a deeper shade of black compared to his fur. The stand-out colour in this form was his blood irises and claws. Ryuji and Ann ogle at Akira while Morgana attempts to race him (the cat wants to determine if Akira is faster in this form or not compared to himself). Next up was his Raven Within, basically the form of a Raven but instead it was around the size of an Owl.
Ryuji cranes his neck upwards to view Akira flying across the trio, a small part of him was envious of his friend's special skills. It's awesome to be in this Purgartorio; you can do whatever you want without anyone seeing you. The blonde would use this ability every day if he could. Though Ryuji couldn't fully understand how being an Umbra witch works, he will eventually get the hang of it as he has in the Metaverse.
Once Akira is back in his regular form, Morgana beams up at the teen, "I must admit those are some interesting skills... How many tricks have you got up your sleeve mister?"
Despite the question being rhetorical, Akira replies "Enough more to keep surprising you."
Ann grins, "This is pretty cool, Akira. Why didn't you tell us about this before?"
"I was worried how you'd react..." His friends stare at him rather perplexed by his answer, "I've never 'expressed' this side of me to my friends before. It's something so different from everybody... I was worried that... you'd leave me?" Akira wasn't entirely sure of his reasoning. He just knew that he was anxious about telling others about his family's work.
Ryuji was the first to comfort his friend, "C'mon why would we leave you over something so cool?" He playfully nudges Akira's right shoulder, "Plus, with the stuff we've experienced these past few days, I highly doubt we'd avoid because of this Umbra witch stuff."
Ann nods in agreement, "Yeah, it would be ridiculous for us to leave you."
Morgana jumps onto the Umbra witch's shoulder, "If anything, it makes me want to explore this aspect of yourself." Akira's lips curve upward, quietly thanking his friends for their kind words. Morgana then suggests they now depart and wait for the result.
"Alright then," Ryuji turns and begins to walk in the direction of the train station, "See you tomorrow!" Ann is about to follow suit but is stopped by Akira.
He calls out to his other blonde friend, "Aren't you forgetting something?" Ryuji looks back, Morgana has a straight-faced expression while Ann glances at Akira with an unsure expression. Upon receiving nothing but a 'Huh' as his answer, Akira draws a portal to signal they're still in Purgartorio.
A minor blush paints the blonde's face in embarrassment while Ann awkwardly laughs, "O-oh..."
The Umbra witch shakes his head with a smirk, "Don't worry, I forgot the first time as well."
26 April 2018
With another flip of the book's page, Morgana lets out another gasp "Woah! Look at that thing!" That thing was a picture of Labolas in the Lemegeton's book Akira has opened. During the last few days until his explosion, Akira has been focusing on spending time with his confidants - Sojiro, Ryuji and Takemi. Becoming closer to them offered the Umbra witch some strengths to aid him in life or even in the Metaverse; he has been learning to cook curry from Sojiro, Ryuji (Due to their training together) supports Akira in being stealthier and Takemi offers him more healing items in exchange for Akira to test out medicine samples. Aside from the nagging thought that Kamoshida had or hadn't been affected by them stealing his treasure, these few days have been rather soothing.
Morgana examines the photo of Labolas in awe, "Imagine how big this beast is..." He was amazed by these infernal creatures; each one inside the book had various designs and builds. If shadows (that present as angels or small demons) can be in the Metaverse then shouldn't these infernals -as Akira describes them- be able to? That made Morgana wince at the thought of encountering this Labolas in the Metaverse. Heck, encountering any of these infernals will terrify the bravest person on earth.
The young witch giggles, "From what I can recall, Labolas is as big as the demon Kamoshida. Maybe even bigger."
In a surprise, Morgana looks up at his friend, "Wait, you've seen this infernal?" The cat has a small laugh, "I bet you were terrified!"
"I was a little but I remembered my mummy had control over the demon so there wasn't much of a reason to be scared."
Akira's response piques Morgana's interest further, "Was it your first time seeing your mommy doing her witch duties?" Akira nods, the memories flooding his mind of his first time seeing his mummy battle angels...
It was a lovely day, the bright sun exposed its face to the world. Since there was nothing else to do for the day, Bayonetta has decided to take her child to the park. They haven't been able to go out as often as they should, due to work, Akira starting school and angels attacking the small family. The majority of the time, Luka or Rodin take Akira outside to explore but the mothers wish to have quality time together without anything bothering them. The last time they were able to spend the day together was when they scheduled a photo shoot for family pictures. Bayonetta watches her son from a bench not too far from the minor playground; Akira is using the monkey bars with another boy. It was nice to see her child interact positively with other children. According to his teacher, Akira always talks and plays with every child in his year. It relieves the witch that her son isn't having trouble with making friends. Since Akira mainly stayed at home in his early years, it worried Bayo that it would hinder his social skills. The 8-year-old boy swings himself off the monkey bars, luckily landing on his feet without losing balance. He encourages his new friend to jump like him, his praise giving the younger boy enough confidence to copy Akira. He wobbles when he lands on the ground but manages to keep balance, earning claps from Akira. The boys share some more kind words before the young child's father calls for him. They both say goodbye and walk back to their parents. Bayonetta notices her son running in her direction, a beaming smile on his face as he waves to her. The Umbra witch stands ready to hug Akira but pauses when the sun begins to shine brighter than it should be. Bayonetta knows what this gleam signifies; angels are coming for a visit.
The young boy swiftly realises his mummy is looking above him, Akira follows her line of sight and gasps. "Mummy, what are they?" He points up to the three figures hovering over them. He has never seen birds as big as the ones in the sky, he hasn't seen such birds hold such odd staffs. Bayonetta knew what these 'birds' were. It was three Affinities, no doubt more third-sphere angels will join them.
Bayonetta struts to her son's side, entering into Purgartorio while she takes out her Love is Blue set. "They're angels little Kiki," She positioned the top of her barrel underneath Akira's chin, making look up at her as the angel began to get closer. "Now, I need to go and wait over there." She motions to the bench she previously sat on, "If they get close to you, remember your training." Bayonetta leaps towards the angels before Akira can respond, he takes a second to process his mummy's orders before rushing toward the bench. Although he wanted to ask for more information, he knew his mummy was serious from the tone of her voice. Akira learnt not to defy his parents when they are -as he likes to call it- in serious mode. He gazes back to his mummy, watching as she fights with amazing speed. These apparent angels couldn't land a hit on his mummy; Akira cheers her on to defeat the nasty angels. Occasionally, he would point out angels' attacks to help his mummy despite her already knowing when they would strike. Akira was never more amazed by his mummy, observing her fight was-
"Can you summon any of these infernals?" Morgana's question breaks the young witch from his thoughts. He glances back at the book to now see the page is on the description of Baal, empress of the fathoms.
Akira replies, "No, n-not yet at least. My parents are able to summon various infernal but I haven't gotten to their level yet. The infernals I can summon so far are Monsouir Charro and Malphas."
Morgana's tail holds upright, "Oh! I wanna know about this Monsouir demon!" He starts to turn the pages, searching for the infernal's name on each page. Akira places his hand on the cat's paws upon locating the correct page. He begins to read the description out loud, "Monsouir Charro, Master of Demise. Once a mortal man focused on presenting a high-class image to his peers, forming a deal with a higher-up of Inferno to achieve his goals, he was then punished for attempting to flee from his debt. His punishment was becoming a resident of Inferno and a soul debt collector. Occasionally he willingly targets individuals who transgressed the moral order. By forging a contract with this demon and trading their soul, they would be given immense power and knowledge." He hums after reading the final sentence, focusing on the immense power and knowledge section. Morgana wonders how far this immense power can transcend. Maybe this immense power is why Akira can wield multiple personas in the Metaverse.
With a simple smile, Akira asks "Would you like to read a bit about the angels of Paradiso? I'm sure we have some time left before we go to bed."
Morgana meows in interest, "Sure, if we ever encounter these angels you fight in Purgatorio, I wanna be prepared and know about them." Akira closes Lemegeton's book and places it back in his hidden Umbra seal. Taking out the Hierarchy of Laguna book instead to open on a page of third-sphere angels.
02 May 2018
There was an awkward silence between the group as they stood in the school's gym. The principal called all of the students for the morning assembly to discuss the events that occurred during the last two weeks. He was quickly interrupted by Kamoshida, who got on stage to admit all of his awful wrongdoings. It had gotten to the point where he crashed onto his knees, claiming that he would kill himself to take responsibility. Ann shouted out of the crowd to tell Kamoshida that killing himself was just him running away. Eventually, the police were called and took Kamoshida away and teachers escorted groups of students out of the gym. Although Ryuji and Ann were debating whether this was for the best or not, Akira calmed their doubts with a confident yes. As long as that man couldn't harm any more people, Akira was content with this result.
Ann continued to face the stage until she heard a boy apologising behind her. She turns to see Mishima bowing down to her and two girls behind him, "We all knew... but we pretended we didn't." He admits with a shameful look.
The taller girl of the two adds, "Takamaki-san, I had you all wrong... I'm sorry that I spread rumours about you!"
The girl with shorter hair says, "I didn't know at all... Kamoshida was forcefully pushing himself on you... It must've been so hard!"
"I'm sure there are tons of people who want to apologise to you. We're so sorry!"
Staring down at the dark bronze flooring, Ann replies "No, it's okay. The same goes for me too... Besides, it's all in the past now." A teacher walks up to the students directing the teens to go back to class. The two girls say their goodbye to Ann and leave while Mishima remains. Mishima faces Ruyji and Akira, apologising to them and promising to make it up to them. He then departed from the small group that planned to meet after school to discuss this recent event. Akira hoped Ann was in the right head space, he could tell she had some conflicting thoughts playing in her mind. These thoughts are mostly on her best friend. Akira would like to check up on her himself but they barely know each other, he'd just ask Ann for updates about Suzui-san. With the school day completed, Akira Morgana and Ryuji meet at their usual spot with the medal sitting across from them. Ann was the last to arrive, she informed the group about Shiho's condition; she had regained consciousness. Unfortunately, it was only for a little while yet Ann was able to tell her about Kamoshida confessing to his crimes. Through her tears, the blonde unravels how Shiho's mum is thinking of transferring her daughter to another school. Akira couldn't blame Shiho's mother for considering that option. It would probably be the best for the girl.
With that settled, Ryuji inquires "Why was Kamoshida the only one who had that Metaverse thing?"
Like always, Morgana is prepared to explain aspects of the Metaverse, "It isn't necessarily limited to him. It's something anyone could have if their heart became warped from their desires." Ann mutters the word 'anyone' before the cat offers to check it out.
Unexpectedly, Ryuji is the one to shut down this suggestion, "N-not right now. We better lay low for a while. People are still gonna be talkin' about Kamoshida. Then again, it's totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his palace."
Ann then tells the group, "Yeah about that... Weird rumours about you guys are already going around. Stuff like, you got together and threatened Kamoshida with something close to physical violence... People aren't going to easily believe the Phantom Thieves really exist. The calling card's being treated like it was a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was doing."
Ryuji looks disappointed by this fact, "Makes sense... We're the ones who did it, and I still don't completely believe it myself."
"Let's wait for things to settle down for the time being."
Ryuji takes out his phone, "Anyways, let's check how much this medal can be sold for. It'd be better if we pawned it off ASAP." He begins to type how much the medal is worth, "Ooh, got a hit!" His eyes widen, "... Wait, thirty thousand yen?! That's all a golden medal's worth?!"
Ann grins, "Remember that time in middle school? I lent you some money."
He stands up, "There's no way I borrowed thirty thousand yen from you!"
Cheekily, Ann asks "Wouldn't it be around that much with compounded interest?"
"Interest my ass!"
She replies, "I'm not saying that I'm taking all of it. I mean, it's your fault for not paying me back all these years! It's just common sense!"
Morgana meows, breaking this little argument between the two, "I agree on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation. However, you dragged me into this. It would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission."
Ryuji smiles at the mention of celebration, "I guess we should blow this dirty money on something fun."
"Discussing among Phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?"
Ann begins to object but stops herself after she remembers a certain place they can go. Ryuji turns to Akira and questions if he'd be fine with this little celebration; why wouldn't he be? It'll be a lovely jubilee for the group. Their meeting concludes with Ann setting up a reservation and checking the prices while Akira sells the medal.
05 May 2018
Akira couldn't help but melt at the rich taste of his meal. This hotel Ann had chosen was truly high class, maybe he can suggest coming here again with his family. As they binge on this amazing food, they talk about the aftermath of Kamoshida's confession. According to Ryuji, some people have been gossiping about the Phantom Thieves. One individual has even created a website for the Phantom Thieves. It's reassuring that they were able to relieve people and give them hope. After selecting a high-quality meal with Morgana, the three boys' bellies were filled. Their tummies were too full they needed to go to the restroom, taking their aching stomachs to another floor and finding the restrooms.
"Ughh, I'm stuffed..." Morgana huffs out, peeking his head out of Akira's bag.
Ryuji stands in front of the elevator buttons, "I totally panicked when I saw the 'Closed for Cleaning' sign at the bathrooms..."
The cat's ears lower, "You were talking big about eating until you puked, but you really did puke... Are you some kind of moron?"
Feeling insulted by the rhetorical question, Ryuji says back "Hey, same goes for you!" He looks back to the elevator buttons, "What floor was that restaurant on?"
"We came up to get here, so it has to be on a lower floor, right?" Ryuji presses the bottom arrow and waits for the elevator with Akira. The teens focus on waiting for the elevator and they don't notice a party of businessmen stomp towards them. They carelessly push past the boys, ignoring Ryuji's 'what the-' as the man in the middle questions his underlings about updates on a case.
Ryuji cuts in on their conversation, "Hey, you're cuttin' in line!"
One of the men takes a step closer to the teens, "... What do you want?"
Akira glares at him, "We were here first."
"We're in a hurry."
The blonde teen counters back, "Oh, I'm sorry. So you can butt in front of other people if you're in a hurry?"
The bald man nonchalantly says, "It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a daycare?"
The man who had stepped closer to the teens now turns to face his boss, "Sir, we don't have time for this."
"I know." The elevator doors open, the group of men begin to walk inside but Ryuji steps forward. Only to get pushed back.
Not wanting to waste any more time than he already has the main man tells his underling not to bother with them. For some reason, his voice seems familiar to Akira. Like he has... heard him before. Tension slowly builds in Akira's head, causing him to look down and cover his face with his right hand as if it would ease his headache. The hoard of men enters the elevator as Ryuji complains about the 'bossy guy'. He let out his frustration while pressing the button once more, he couldn't stand how blatant that man was. The man looked down at them as if they were insignificant ants. When the blonde turns back to his friends, he notes Akira's sudden change in his demeanour. Ryuji asks if something is wrong only for Akira to answer he's just a bit lightheaded.
Another elevator opens, allowing the trio to head back up to the restaurant. They come to find Ann with her head hung low, she explains how she had a run-in with a rude woman before they arrived. As the boys sat down, she commented on how they might be out of place in this restaurant. It has always felt like this for Akira. For all of them. There's a pregnant pause, everyone is in thought until Ryuji asks Morgana if anyone could have a palace. Soon enough, Ryuji proposes they continue as the Phantom Thieves. They could help those who are unable to fight back, they could change the hearts of horrible people with twisted desires. When Morgana claims they are now an organisation, Ann elects Akira as the leader. He welcomes the role with open arms, along with officially naming their association as 'The Phantom Thieves'. A part of him was tempted to label themselves as Umbra witches -imagining Ryuji, Ann and Morgana in Umbran training uniforms got a chuckle out of Akira- but he restrained himself. They begin to debate over who they should target next, what type of shitty adult can they find and change their heart. They set a rule on whoever they choose, it must be a unanimous decision. Ann informs the group the buffet ran out so they agree to talk more tomorrow and leave the restaurant.
"First off... I'd like to begin by congratulating you." Igor's voice boomed around the room, Akira was back in his cell with chains once more.
Justine remarks, "To think our master would give words of praise..."
Caroline sends the inmate a serious look, "You better treasure this moment, inmate!"
Akira looks ahead to the big-nosed man at his desk, "You have encountered allies who share your ideals, and you have found your place in reality. The time has come... your rehabilitation will soon begin."
The teen raises an eyebrow, "What rehabilitation?"
"I shall explain to you now..." Thank Queen Sheba, Akira hopes he can wrap his head around this as easily as learning about his Umbran history. "You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into a useful power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin... That is the rehabilitation cast upon you."
A look of uncertainty crosses Akira's face, "Coming ruin?" What could this 'ruin' be? Is it someone attempting to resurrect Jubelius again? To reunite the eyes of the world to form Aseir? Weren't they destroyed?
Igor continues, "There are various means by which you may gain the power to resist the ruin. Fighting shadows and gaining experience is one way. The fusion process I taught you prior is another."
Caroline exclaims, "This is all possible because of our master's guidance, inmate!"
The right-eyed twin puts forward, "Though it may be presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well."
"When you're out in reality, you better hone your relationships with those you have contracts with!"
Justine says, "Spending time with those people... will lead to the cultivation of your relationships with them."
"If you've got time to waste, you'd better visit your contractors, inmate!"
Igor has the final word, "Thanks to the contracts you've formed, your heart is steadily gaining the power of opposition. It seems the rehabilitation is going well, this is a truly joyous occasion... I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper. I have high hopes for you."
Akira could feel his bond with Igor growing deeper; more power was flowing within the witch. Enough power to hold onto more persona and slightly powerful demons.