The trio of Persona users wasted no time in storming into Kamoshida's castle, and it didn't take long for them to run into an enemy.
"Dammit, there's a guard over here too..." Ryuji cursed as he, Ren and Morgana hid behind a door leading to a dining room which a knight was standing right in the middle of.
"Can't we just take it down like always?" Ren asked.
"Hmmm..." Morgana hummed before a lightbulb went off in his head, "This might be a good opportunity to teach you something..."
"For real? Like what?"
"You'll see what I mean..."
The jack-o-lantern squealed in pain as it was shot, causing it to fall to the ground and see stars.
"Freeze, sucka!"
It looked up to see Ryuji, Morgana and Ren surrounding it with their firearms aimed at it, as if they were performing a hold-up.
"Hee-ho! So YOU guys are the intruders storming King Kamoshida's castle-ho?" The pumpkin asked in an upbeat voice despite the fact it just got knocked down.
"That's right!" Ryuji confirmed as held his shotgun with one hand, "Now hand over the money!"
'Heheh, always wanted to say that...!'
"Ho? So you'll let me live if I just give you a fancy item-ho?"
"Well, something along those lines..." Morgana confirmed, "Now let it be money or items. Just cough it up!"
"Sorry, ho..." The jack-o-lantern apologized, "But you thieves caught me at a bad time! I actually left my wallet back in my bedroom drawer, ho!"
"W-Wait, what?!" Morgana stammered with comically white eyes.
"Eh?! This ain't how you said it was gonna go down, Mona!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"So much for "scoring something great..." Ren sighed in disappointment.
"T-This wasn't how I was planning for this to go...!" Morgana uttered before clearing his throat, "Uhh, well if that's the case... Time for you to go to hell...!"
"W-Wait a min-hee-nute now, ho!"
"Sorry, but we're kind of in the middle of something." Ren replied.
"But I'm a super popular Shadow, you hee-know!" The shadow exclaimed, "My fans won't just sit around and take this, ho!"
"Fans?" Ryuji repeated in confusion.
"I dunno what this shadow is yapping about." Morgana commented in disinterest.
"Do you have fans? Hee-no right?" The jack-o'lantern asked, "I bet you're super envious, ho."
At this point, Ryuji was starting to get impatient. They didn't have time to waste on this shadow that was clearly trying to stall its inevitable death.
"Oh yeah, I'm totally envious of an 'effin pumpkin monster..." Ryuji agreed in a restless tone, "Now can you hurry up and die already?! We ain't got time for this shit!"
"I didn't expect to hee-hear such dark humor from you, ho!" The shadow laughed as if its life hadn't just been threatened, "That kinda hee-humor can get you canceled if you're not careful, ho! But even a celebri-hee-ty like myself secretly-hee enjoys them from time to time, and I can tell you do the same, ho! I fee-hee-l like you and I are pretty similar, ho... HEE?!"
Suddenly, the floating pumpkin started to brightly glow, which surprised and confused the trio.
"What the hell??" Ryuji uttered.
"What is this...?" Morgana let out in surprise.
"I remember now... I'm not just a lame shadow here, ho!" The shadow spoke with closed eyes, "I live in the sea of the hee-human heart!"
"You can call me Jack-o'-Lantern, ho!" It looked directly at Ryuji, "From now on, I'm you, and you're me!"
In a truly shocking spectacle, the jack-o'-lantern suddenly transformed into a mask that strongly resembled Skull's, and it flew straight toward him.
Out of instinct, the blonde immediately raised his hand to try and block it. However, it phased through his hand and smacked right into the part of his face covered by his skull mask before disappearing into flames, as if it were somehow absorbed into his mask.
"W-What the...?" Ryuji uttered in bewilderment.
"W-What in the world...?" Morgana whispered in disbelief and confusion.
"Ryuji, are you okay?!" Ren hastily questioned as he rushed over to his side.
"... Y-Yeah... I think so..." Ryuji whispered as he was still perplexed before he somehow widened his eyes even further, "Actually... I feel great!"
"Morgana, what the hell was that about??" Ren asked in pure confusion, "Why did that jack-o'-lantern get sucked into Ryuji's mask?"
"I-I don't know!" Morgana retorted, "This is the first time I've ever seen something like this happen, too!"
"Intruders?! Halt!"
The trio hastily turned to see a guard standing out of the entrance to the room they were in.
"Damn! They noticed us!" Ren exclaimed.
Shaking out of his stupor, Ryuji readied his pipe, "Stay sharp, guys!"
The guard then transformed into an Incubus, which signified it was ready to battle.
'Urgh... Not this weird ass demon-dick shadow again...' Ryuji internally groaned.
"Time to take this weirdo down Persona-style!" Ryuji exclaimed as he brought his hand to his mask, ready to summon his Persona, "CAPTAIN KI-!"
'Oh, oh! Pick me, ho! I want a go at 'em!'
The unexpected interjection of a voice other than Captain Kidd's caused Ryuji to freeze up in surprise.
"Ryuji!"
The calling out of his name caused Ryuji to snap back to reality and quickly roll out of the way of a pelvic curse blast from the incubus.
"Don't space out in the middle of a battle!" Morgana scolded as he sent a shot a projectile at the shadow with his slingshot.
"Y-Yeah, sorry...!" He apologized a bit sheepishly as he was trying to wrap his head around what just happened.
What the hell was that? That wasn't Captain Kidd's voice he heard just now. If anything, that sounded a lot like-
'It is time, Buccaneer...'
'Captain!' Ryuji recognized the familiar voice of his Persona.
'You have awakened to the true potential of the power that belongs to you...' Captain Kidd revealed, 'Now, call forth your new Persona... And unleash that power!'
'New persona...?' Ryuji repeated in confusion before his eyes widened in some sort of realization, '... Wait... I get it now!'
The blonde then closed his eyes in deep concentration as he brought his hand to his mask once again.
'Okay then... Let's do this!'
In one fell swoop, Ryuji removed his mask and it erupted in flames as he cried out a single name.
"Jack-o'-lantern!!"
The flames then transformed into a figure that was not Captain Kidd, but rather took the form of the same jack-o-lantern from earlier.
"Hee-to the ho, ho!" The jack-o'lantern cheerfully exclaimed as it spun in place.
"What the?!" Ren exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Huh?!" Morgana uttered in flabbergastment himself, "I-Is that the shadow from earlier?!"
Ignoring the surpised cries from his comrades, Ryuji snapped his fingers with a grin.
"Light 'em up!"
At his command, Jack-o'lantern generated a ball of fire inside its lamp and shot it right at the Incubus, causing it scream in pain as it became dazzed.
"What the hell happened to his Persona, Morgana?!" Ren asked in shock.
"There's only one explanation... He absorbed that shadow's powers and image as a Persona!" Morgana replied, "But then that would mean...!"
"Guys! Quit gawkin' and let's take this thing out already!"
"R-Right!" Both Morgana and Ren put their minds back on the battle.
The trio immediately rushed the incubus, defeating it with an All-Out Attack. Once it dissolved, Ryuji's friends rushed back over to him.
"Ryuji, how did you do that??" Ren asked in surprise, "Did your Persona change or something?"
"No, not really..." Ryuji replied, "When I was boutta summon Captain Kidd, I heard that jack-o'lantern callin' out to me in my head. So I just focused real hard and I was able to summon it as if it was my Persona."
"No way...! That outright proves it...!" Morgana whispered in astonishment, "You possess the power to wield multiple personas!"
"Multiple personas?" Ren repeated in surprise, "Is that even possible?"
"Only one heart exists per person, so it should be impossible for a person to have more than one Persona!" Morgana exclaimed.
The explanation made Ryuji think back to his previous visit to the Velvet Room, Justine had given him a similar explanation.
"Personas are the strength of heart." Justine suddenly joined the conversation, "Thus, the stronger bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain."
He silently gasped in realization.
'Hang on... she said personas... Like, plural!' He realized, 'They musta known I could use more than one the whole time...!'
"To think that a human could wield such a special power...!" Morgana whispered in awe.
"... Ain't it a good thing, though?" Ryuji asked, "I mean, I could probably hit a hella lot more shadows' weaknesses if I get more personas."
"That's exactly why your ability will be a huge advantage in battle!" Morgana suddenly beamed, "You're becoming more useful by the minute, Joker!"
"Huh? Joker??" Ryuji repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Is that some kind of nickname?" Ren asked curiously.
"Don't refer to it in such a lame way." Morgana retorted, "It's a codename."
"Codenames?" Ren repeated.
"The hell do we need codenames for?" Ryuji asked, "Is it 'cuz of the whole Phantom thieves stuff or sum shit?"
"Exactly! I knew I could count on you to get it!" Morgana praised, "Not only is it a cool idea, but I realized there's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace, so it's just a precaution."
"I see." Ren nodded, "So why is he Joker then?"
"Yeah. I'm dressed like a pirate thug, not a psycho clown in a purple suit." Ryuji remarked.
"In card games, the card of the Joker is often considered the ultimate trump card due to it being a "wild card", meaning it can be used to represent any other card in the deck." Morgana explained, "Since you can gain and summon other Personas, it makes you a "wild card" yourself, meaning you're our trump card when it comes to fighting strength."
"Huh... I guess it makes sense..." Ryuji commented as he rubbed his chin, which made Morgana triumphantly grin.
"... But there's still no way in hell I'm callin' myself that."
"W-What?!" Morgana comically faltered, "But why?! It's a cool name!"
"Nah. It makes me sound like some dumb circus clown." Ryuji disagreed, "I need sumthin' cool! Sumthin' that fits my badass pirate image!"
Maybe he could use his Persona for inspiration. After all, it was an 'effin pirate.
Sparrow?
Nah, that ain't clever.
Davy?
Nope.
William?
Okay, maybe he should just use his outfit for inspiration instead. I mean, there was his whole thug-themed outfit, and the weird tie around his neck... Plus, there was the skull mask he was wearin' that-
"Aww yeah! I've got it!" Ryuji suddenly beamed before stomping his foot and grandly gesturing toward himself.
"From now on, you can call me Skull!"
"Skull?" Morgana incredulously repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Ryuji confirmed, "It fits 'cuz of the skull mask I'm wearin'!"
"... Wow. I can feel the originality oozing from that name." Ren deadpanned.
"Oh, buzz off!" Ryuji retorted before crossing his arms, "Gee, for a guy who's super quiet, you're a real joker..."
"Ooh, wait! Why don't we call this guy Joker?" Ryuji suggested, "It fits since he's always tellin' bad jokes!"
"Hey. Comedy is subjective." Ren defended himself.
"Fine..." Morgana conceded, "As long as I still get to use it..."
"What about you, Morgana? What should we call you?" Ren asked.
"Oh. I didn't actually think of giving myself a codename..." The cat realized.
"How 'bout Mona?" Ryuji suggested.
"You already call me by that nickname!" Morgana retorted.
"Exactly. So we don't need to waste time thinkin' of a new one for ya!" Ryuji reasoned with a smirk.
"It is short and simple." Ren added.
"*Sigh* Okay then..." Morgana reluctantly accepted the codename, "I guess that saves us some time."
"Alright. From here on out, we're Skull, Joker and Mona." Morgana declared, "We need to be absolutely thorough about using these codenames from now on!"
Skull and Joker nodded in affirmation, "Right!"
"And now that we're aware of your special power, you should try and negotiate with more shadows to turn them into personas during hold-ups." Mona advised, "You better help out too, Joker!"
"You got it." Joker nodded, cocking his pistol.
"Alright, team! Let's keep on movin'!" Ryuji exclaimed with a grin, feeling even more pumped up.
"This is that place from earlier..." Ann uttered as she somehow walked back into the Metaverse.
The blonde took out her phone and looked at a certain logo with furrowed eyebrows.
"What's up with this app, though?" She asked in confusion, "I just entered those odd words in the search history and I ended up-"
"Princess?!"
Takamaki looked up in surprise to see multiple knights rushing toward her, "Princess!"
"A-Aaahhhh?!"
"Soo... Did you really need that fairy in a skimpy leotard, or did you take it just because it looked cute?" Joker asked with a smirk.
"Would you get off my ass?" Skull replied in irritation, "Besides, I got that Bicorn thing to join me too."
After a few more battles, with two of them resulting in Skull gaining two more personas, they managed to find a safe room and were currently settling down in there.
"Jokes aside, is it just me or there are even more shadows here than before?" Joker asked.
"It's all because you guys provoked, Kamoshida." Mona stated, "So he's awfully on guard..."
"Anyways, you still haven't told us how we're supposed to steal that treasure thing or whatever." Skull reminded.
"Don't be so hasty." Mona chided, "First, we need to secure an infiltration route."
"An infiltration route...? You mean a path to the treasure or sumthin'?" Skull asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Correct!" Mona beamed, "Once we do that, then we'll be able to steal Kamoshida's heart in no time."
"Huh."
"... Y'know, If I remember correctly, you told us that you lost your memories, Mona." Joker stated with a hint of skepticism, "And yet you still know about all of this vital information." He added before turning to Skull.
"I'm not trying to sound distrusting or anything, but doesn't that seem kind of suspicious...?" He asked.
This caused Skull to ponder in thought.
"Well... It is kinda sus now that you mention it..." Skull uttered.
"That's what you think of me??" Mona asked in a tone that contained a hint of hurt and betrayal.
"Buuut." Skull continued, "If it weren't for him guidin' us, there's no way we would've made it this far into the castle. So I think we should believe in the little guy." He answered with a grin.
"I'm glad to see that you're a step above that idiot." Mona praised Skull with a grateful grin.
"Well excuse me for being a little suspicious." Joker shrugged.
"Still, why was the princess in such an odd place?" A voice behind the door spoke.
"Princess?" Skull repeated in confusion while Mona put his head to the door to listen in.
"I could've sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder..."
"It doesn't matter now! We must take her back to King Kamoshida at once!"
"Who is this princess they mentioned?" Joker quietly asked.
"I should probably look into this!" Mona exclaimed as he quickly left the room.
"And there he goes..." Joker deadpanned.
"Guess we have no choice but to wait till he comes back." Skull stated.
The two stayed in silence for a few seconds as they patiently waited for Mona to return before Joker suddenly started chuckling.
"Hm? What're ya laughin' at?" Skull asked curiously.
"Sorry. I just happened to remember your "accident" with Takamaki-san." Joker smirked.
"W-What're ya bringin' that up again for...?" Skull asked apprehensively.
"Just remembering how flustered you were during that whole thing." Joker stated, "I don't think I've ever seen you that embarrassed."
"W-Well can ya blame me, dude??" Skull asked as he gained a slightly blush, "I'm sure you'd be stumblin' all over your words too if you accidentally touched legends like hers..."
"Legends...?" Joker's smirk somehow widened, which alerted Skull to his mistake.
'Crap!' He mentally cursed, "Erh...! D-Don't get the wrong idea or anythin', dude!" He frantically instructed.
"I-I ain't pervin' on Takamaki or anythin' like Kamoshida! I like her too much to do that..." He defended.
"I know. You're nothing like that overcompensating scumbag." Joker nodded before widening his eyes.
"Wait, you like Takamaki-san?" Joker asked.
"Of course I do, dumbass." Skull looked at him as if he were stupid, "She's literally my friend."
"No. I mean, do you like her?" Joker put an emphasis on "like".
Skull stared at him in confusion for a few seconds before it eventually clicked.
"Wha- N-No man! Jeez!" Skull retorted with a red face, "Where'd ya get that idea?!"
"Well, there is the fact that you're pretty protective of her, as I've observed." Joker stated before smirking, "And need I remind you of how you find her legendary? Hell, a part of me is starting to suspect that you guys might have been a bit more than old friends..."
Skull stumbled over his words for a bit before finally mustering a response.
"L-Look, man. I'm tellin' ya, you've got it all wrong." Skull tried to debunk his claim, "I admit I do find Takamaki pretty as hell, but apart from that one time, nothin' serious has ever gone on between us..."
"Wait, that one time?" Joker repeated with a raised eyebrow, "What does that me-?"
The door to the safe room cut him off as it suddenly opened and Mona rushed in.
"This is bad!" Mona stated in panic.
"That was fast." Joker commented.
"What is it, Mona?" Skull asked seriously.
"It's your friend... Lady Ann!" Mona mentioned her name.
"She's been taken by shadows!"
The revelation greatly shocked Skull and Joker.
"WHAT?!"
"WHAT?!"
"But we sent her outta the castle earlier!" Skull exclaimed, "How the hell did she come back?!"
"The only possible way I can think of is if she used the same app as you guys." Mona answered in thought.
"... Hold on." Joker stated in realization, "You don't think the Metaverse Navigator got put on her phone just like mine, do you??"
The conclusion wasn't lost on Skull, who immediately aired out his frustration by slamming his fist on the wall.
"Dammit!" He cursed, "We kicked her out for her own safety and she just walked right back in by herself!"
"It's so ironic it's not even funny..." Joker deadpanned.
Collecting himself, Skull immediately moved to the door.
"C'mon, break time's over.. !" He instructed, "We've gotta rescue her no matter what!"
"What's all this freaky stuff about?!" Ann frantically questioned.
"Silence, impostor!" One of the guards demanded.
The blonde girl had been dragged to a strange room after being spotted back at the castle's entrance, and she was currently strapped by the wrists to an odd x-shaped frame surrounded by candles. It pretty much looked like the set of a movie she had no intention of starring in at her age.
"Is this some kind of weird adult filming or something?! I swear, I'm gonna call the cops!" Ann threatened.
"So this is the intruder?" A familiar individual stepped into the room and stood right in front of Ann.
"Kamoshida...?" Ann mentioned his name in surprise.
"Like, who's this bimbo, Mr. K~?"
A certain familiar blonde in a bikini entered the room and stood near Shadow Kamoshida with a sultry smirk.
"Wait what...? Is that... Me?" Ann questioned in shock and confusion.
"Heheh... It seems like my men have brought me quite the well-made replica." Shadow Kamoshida answered with a grin before looking at his men, "I can't believe you mistook my Ann for someone like her."
"Hey! What the hell is going on! Where are we?!" Ann demanded information, "Why's the school turned into this weird ass red-light district?! And what are you wearing?? Have you lost your already deteriorating mind?!"
"I do as I please here." Kamoshida responded as he caressed the cheek of the cognitive Ann, "After all, this is my castle... The world of my desires."
At the word "desires", he swiftly gave the cognitive Ann's rear a smack, making it squeal in excitement and pleasure.
"Hey! Cut that out you disgusting pervert!" Ann demanded in anger.
"Heh. The girl's decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?" Kamoshida asked his slave.
"Talking back is, like... totally unforgivable~" Cognitive Ann answered with a seductive smile as it drew circles on the king's chest.
"My Ann always knows exactly what I want to hear." Kamoshida commented in approval, "You heard her. It's execution time!"
At that, two of the knights stepped up to Ann and formed an 'X' around her neck with their swords.
"A-Are you kidding me...?" Ann stammered in slight fear.
Revelling in the sight of her being scared, Kamoshida took a golden sword from a similarly-colored knight and walked over to Ann with a disturbing grin.
"Now then... How should I play with you...?" He aimed the sword at her neck, "Shall I... tear you into little pieces...?" He put the tip of the sword through the hole in Ann's zipper and started to open her jacket.
"N-No!" She yelled out, fully scared for both her life and her innocence.
The king then licked his lips in a disturbing display.
"Or maybe... I'll start with her clothes~" He started to cut through her undershirt in true perverted fashion.
"You're such a perv~!" Cognitive Ann giggled.
"S-Stop... Stop!" Ann weakly pleaded.
Fortunately, just before things could start getting out of hand, a familiar voice cut in.
"Hold it right there, you perv!"
Entering the room were Skull, Joker and Mona, who were finally able to locate Takamaki's whereabouts.
"Sakamoto!" Ann called out in relief.
Kamoshida growled at the trio of thieves who interrupted his fun, "Just when I was about to start enjoying myself... How many times are you going to come back?!"
"You better not lay a goddamn finger on her you son of a bitch!" Skull viciously threatened the king.
"I think this has officially gotten 50 shades weirder for me..." Joker commented as he looked around.
"Don't worry, Lady Ann! We'll save you!" Morgana assured confidently.
"It's that monster cat again!" Ann exclaimed.
This caused Morgana to comically deflate.
"Aren't you going to tell her you're "not a cat?" Joker asked in quotes.
"Shaddup you frizzy-haired nerd!" Morgana retorted.
"Now's not the time, you guys!" Skull chided.
"Tch. I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh?" Kamoshida asked Ann before grinning sadistically, "But, ah... I always forget that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know?"
"What...?" Ann widened her eyes as she knew exactly who he was talking about.
"It's just as your friends over there claimed." Kamoshida confirmed, "You were sooo reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place, all so she could keep her spot on the volleyball team..." He revealed before letting out a villainous laugh.
"You bastard!" Ann yelled in outrage.
"You little..." Skull growled in renewed anger.
"Enough of your rambling! Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"
"Ah!"
"No!" Skull yelled as he tried to move in, only to stop in his tracks when Kamoshida and the knights pressed their swords closer to the girl's neck.
"Take one more step and I'll kill her on the spot." Kamoshida threatened with a scowl.
"Dammit..." Skull cursed in anger.
"Things aren't looking too good right now..." Mona uttered.
"Just sit back and enjoy the dismemberment show!" Kamoshida encouraged with a grin.
"Takamaki-san!" Joker called out.
The aforementioned girl was looking down with a dejected expression, seemingly accepting her fate.
"Is this... My punishment for what happened to Shiho...?" She started to tear up.
"That's more like it!" Kamoshida gleefully exclaimed at her expression, "You should've looked like this from the start."
"Shiho..." Ann mentioned her friends name as she began to cry, "I-I'm so sorry..."
Takamaki's crying was the only thing that filled the room, and things were truly beginning to look utterly hopeless for her as her fate was sealed...
Until...
"So that's it, Takamaki? You're just gonna give in to what this bastard says?"
The question asked by Skull caused her to slowly look up at him in slight surprise.
"Sakamoto...?" She whispered as everyone else turned their attention toward him.
"This kinda attitude ain't like you at all... The Takamaki I knew back in middle school was aggressive and stubborn till the very end! She'd never submit to a dirty perv like this asshole! So why should it be any different now?!" He stated loudly, "If you stand down then who's gonna avenge Suzui, huh?!"
His last question in particular made Ann's eyes widen.
"If she were standin' here right now, do you think she'd just tell you to give up...? Hell no!" Skull threw his hand, "She'd tell you to get off your sorry ass and stand up for yourself!"
"I know you're strong no matter what Kamoshida says! So don't back down!" Ryuji passionately encouraged her, "DON'T LET HIM WIN!"
By the end of his fiery speech, both Joker and Mona were staring at him in surprise.
Ann herself was left utterly speechless, "S-Sakamoto... You're..."
She stayed silent as she looked down and mulled over his words for a good few seconds...
"... You're right."
She finally raised her head, revealing a hardened expression with fire in her eyes.
"Letting this piece of shit toy with me..." She let out a bitter chuckle at her own pathetic behavior, "...What was I thinking?!"
Sensing that things weren't going his away, Kamoshida quickly tried to resume control.
"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-"
"Shut up...!" Ann fiercely cut him off with a furious glare, "I've had enough of your bullshit..."
Kamoshida gasped at her sudden assertiveness as she looked him dead in the eyes.
"YOU'VE PISSED ME OFF YOU SON A BITCH!!"
.
.
.
"My... It's taken far too long."
Takamki suddenly let out a gasp as her head began to violently ache, and her eyes turned yellow.
"Tell me... Who is going to avenge her if you don't?" The strange feminine voice asked in her head as she began to thrash around, "Forgiving him was never the option..."
"Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within..."
"Don't tell me...!" Joker exclaimed as he realized what was happening to her.
Mona seemed expectant as he looked on with an "Oh face".
However, Skull was the only one watching with a wide grin on his face, as if he had already known what was about to happen.
Ann continued to cry out in pain as she desperately struggled against her restraints.
"I am thou, thou art I..."
At that, Ann let out one final agonizing yell as she slackened against the frame and dropped her head.
"We can finally forge a contract..."
"I hear you... Carmen..." Ann whispered.
Suddenly, the girl who was once in pain raised her head to reveal a red panther mask that materialized on her face.
"You're right! No more holding back!" She exclaimed with a determined expression.
"Crap! Not her too...!" Kamoshida exclaimed in panic.
"There you go..." The voice sounded satisfied, "Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself..."
In an incredulous display of strength, Takamaki broke through the metal restraints on her wrists before bringing her hand to her mask and pulling on it with all her might.
"If you understand that... then I'll gladly lend you my strength."
Takamaki let out a scream as she finally tore the mask right off her face, causing her to be engulfed by a brilliant blue flame.
Mona let out an intrigued meow as he witnessed the spectacle.
"Takamaki-san has a Persona too?!" Joker let out as he shielded his eyes.
"... Attagirl." Skull grinned like a dork as he stared straight into the fire.
Once the flames dissolved, it revealed the formerly restrained girl standing with her arms forming a T.
She no longer wore her uniform, and was now dressed in a skin-tight red latex catsuit with a cleavage cutout and zippers, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots, and a clip-on tail on the back of her catsuit.
Behind her was her Persona, a tall, elegant fuchsia-colored woman with black hair tied in pigtails and a cigar in her mouth wearing a black panther mask, a long flowing red ballgown, black gloves, black-red boots and a choker around her neck.
There were also two strange men in tuxedos with pink heart-shaped boxes for heads which were connected to her via vines.
Opening her eyes, Ann suddenly ran over to one of the knights and kicked their sword out of their hands, sending it spinning into air.
She jumped to catch it, performing a graceful flip in the process, and in one swift motion, sliced Kamoshida's cognition of her in half as she landed, causing it to cry out in pain as it dissolved.
"Hot Dayum!" Skull exclaimed in surprise and awe.
"H-How many of you freaks are there?!" Kamoshida stammered in fear as he fell on his ass while the golden knight stood by his side in a protective stance.
"Now you listen here..." Ann began as she gazed scornful at Kamoshida, "I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with... you scumbag."
"Bitch...!" Kamoshida weakly retorted.
Ann began to walk menacingly toward Kamoshida, with Skull and the others joining her side.
"You stole everything from Shiho... You destroyed her! And you tried to destroy me! Now it's your turn!" Ann declared as she pointed straight at Kamoshida, somehow instilling deeper fear into him.
"I will rob you of everything!"
"How dare you..." The golden knight snarled, "Enough of your insolence!"
Suddenly, the knight, along with two others behind it, violently convulsed before they all came together and transmutated into a large purple white-bearded demon sitting on a toilet.
"Now that's an aesthetically pleasing shadow." Joker joked.
"No... I've had enough of you..." Ann retorted against the shadow, "No one's gonna stop me now...!"
"Let's give 'em hell, Carmen!" She grinned as she posed like a cat with her persona by her side.
"Pay for this insolence with your life!" The shadow roared as it flushed its toilet, sending out a burst of wind.
"Arsène!"
Before the blast could hit them, Joker summoned his Persona, who used his wings to blow the wind back.
"I won't hold back anymore... I should've done this a long time ago!" Ann exclaimed as a whip suddenly manifested in her hand.
She rushed toward the shadow before whipping it multiple times in different places with her weapon before flipping back and pointing at it.
"Agi!"
At her cry, Carmen summoned a ball of fire in her palm and threw it straight at the shadow, which dazzed it.
Ann whipped the ground with a smirk.
"Hmph. Was that whipping not enough for ya?" She taunted as she sealed Carmen, resembling that of a dominatrix...
Meanwhile, the three other boys stared at her with dropped jaws, most noticeably Skull and Mona.
"... I have a bad feeling this is gonna awaken something in me..." Joker commented.
"For once, I agree with you..." Mona almost drooled.
"What are you guys mumbling about??" Ann looked back in confusion.
Skull himself felt his cheeks grow a little pink.
'She's intense...' He uttered in awe before quickly snapping out of it.
"Get your head back in the game, guys." He instructed, "It's back up!"
True to his word, the toilet demon had indeed gotten back up thanks to to their attention being of it, and it sent another blast of wind toward Mona, who wasn't too hurt thanks to Zorro being resistant to wind.
"I'll show you some real wind!" He exclaimed as he summoned Zorro, "Zorro!"
The muscular bandit sent a gust of wind toward the shadow using its rapier, dealing some damage.
"Bicorn!" Skull summoned one of his newest personas, "Smash!"
The bicorn galloped toward the shadow before ramming straight into it headfirst.
The shadow didn't get much room to breathe as Joker decided to immediately follow up with a cleave attack from Arsène.
Desperate not to lose against the four thieves, the toilet demon sent another gust of wind, which was blocked by Zorro this time.
This was part of its plan as it swiftly slammed its toilet on the floor, creating a shockwave that most of the thieves were able to either block or dodge.
Mona however, wasn't lucky as he had still been blocking the wind blast, and got thrown back.
"Mona!" Joker shouted after him.
"You selfish lass!" The shadow sneered at Ann, "How dare you deny King Kamoshida's graceful love!"
"That dirtbag only sees women as sexual outlets!" Ann retorted, "Don't make me laugh with that "love" bullshit!"
Pulling out a submachine gun, Ann began to shoot at the shadow, who protected its body from being pierced.
However, Skull happened to notice that one of the bullets hit the toilet, creating a small crack, and an idea popped into his head.
"Guys! The toilet is weak to bullets!" Skull informed his comrades as he pulled out his shotgun, "Let's keep on shootin' at it!"
Catching on to his plan, his comrades pulled out their own firearms and they all simultaneously emptied their clips into the shadow's toilet.
The WC was unable to handle onslaught, and it eventually broke into pieces, leaving the shadow vulnerable as it fell to the floor.
"Got'em!" Skull grinned before turning to Ann, "Yo, Ann. Let's light 'em up with one big fire attack!"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Ann complied as she summoned Carmen once again, "Dance, Carmen!"
"Jack-o'lantern!" Skull called out as he switched from the bicorn to the pumpkin.
With the two fire-based Personas out in the open, Skull and Ann pointed at the enemy.
"Burn 'em to the ground!" They both commanded.
At their wielders' command, the two Personas shot out a large ball of fire, which then mixed with each other to create an ever bigger flame before hitting the shadow, causing it cry out due to its weakness being hit.
"You did it guys! They've fallen flat!" Mona exclaimed.
"You know what that means!" Joker readied his dagger.
"Y'all ready for this?" Skull grinned as he grabbed his pipe.
"Let's wipe 'em out in style!" Ann cheerfully exclaimed as she tightened her whip.
The four immediately initiated an All-Out Attack on the shadow, brutalizing it mercilessly from every angle.
In a flashy display, Ann landed and performed a spin before posing with a peace sign as the shadow succumbed to its injuries.
"A beautiful rose has thorns!"
"Oh shit...!" Kamoshida panicked as he was left vulnerable for the third time in a week.
Not wanting to end up like the shadow, he ran straight out of the room with his tail between his legs.
"Wait, you- Ngh!" Ann tried to chase after him only to fall to her knees in exhaustion.
"Woah woah woah, take it easy, man!" Skull advised as he caught her to keep her steady.
"Sakamoto...? What's going on? Where in the world are we??" She finally asked the questions on her mind.
"That's uh... It's a long story." Skull awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
"He's right. We can explain everything at a better time, Lady Ann." Mona chimed in.
"Lady Ann...?" Ann repeated in confusion before she realized what she was looking at, "Wait, what the hell is this thing? Is it alive? How can it even talk?"
"J-Just calm down!" Mona replied, a bit overwhelmed by the frequent questions, "Everything will be okay!"
"How am I supposed to calm down?!" She hysterically retorted.
"Well this turned chaotic real fast..." Joker commented.
Suddenly, the blonde girl widened as she just now noticed her outfit change.
"What the...? What am I wearing?! When did I-?!" She exclaimed as she covered up her cleavage, "Ugh, what's with this?!"
"I mean, if it helps, you look great." Joker complimented.
"Huh? What are you talking about?? What the hell are you thinking?!" Ann questioned.
"Seriously, dude...?" Skull uttered with a facepalm while Joker shrugged.
"Welp, I'm stumped..." Mona crossed his arms, "A search party will most likely be coming for us soon. We don't have a choice. We should retreat for now!"
Skull was definitely a little bummed to hear that as he was hoping they could immediately get this over it, but Takamaki's safety was more important to him, so he conceded.
"Fine..." He sighed before turning to Ann, "Can ya stand?"
"I don't think I have the energy to get up on my own..." Ann replied honestly.
Taking note of her exhausted state, Skull decided there was only one way to help her, and it was a method nobody else was expecting.
"Woah! What the-??" Ann exclaimed as Skull suddenly hoisted her up and carried her bridal style, "W-What the hell are you doing?!"
"What does it look like I'm doin', dummy?" Skull asked with a raised eyebrow, "I'm carryin' you."
"B-But, I... Y-You can't just do that out of the blue!" She hastily retorted with a furious blush.
"Why not...? You're obviously tired as shit." He stated in confusion, "This is the easiest way for you to get outta the castle without overexertin' yourself."
Ann stammered as she was unable to come up with an argument to his logic.
"... F-Fine!" She sheepishly conceded, "Just... make sure not to drop me...!"
"You got it!" Skull assured as he walked out with his female comrade in his arms.
Mona and Joker watched as the two exited the low-budget red room.
"... Darn my puny cat-like body...!" Mona cursed his appearance before walking out himself.
"... Hoo boy." Joker uttered with a smirk as he also followed suit.
"Which one you want?" Ryuji asked as he held up two drinks he got from a vending machine.
"Whichever's not carbonated." Ann answered.
"Uh, they're both actually." Ryuji revealed.
"*Sigh* Then..." Ann settled for the cola-drink.
"Here ya go, man." He handed the yellow soda to Ren.
"Thanks."
Suddenly, ruffling noises could be heard as Morgana managed to poke his head out of Ryuji's bag.
"Hey, what about me?" He asked.
"Huh? But you're a cat..." Ryuji deadpanned, "What would you even drink?"
"Maybe there's milk in the vending machines too." Ren suggested.
Ann let out a giggle at the interaction.
After they left the Metaverse, Ryuji, Ren, Morgana and Ann went to the station at Aoyama-Itchome, and the trio spent some time explaining everything about the other world to a very confused Ann, and while it still perplexed her, she felt like she was able to get the gist of it.
"Have you calmed down, Lady Ann?" Morgana asked.
"Um... Morgana, right?" Ann repeated the cat's name, "I really am talking to a cat... I don't think I'll ever get used to that..."
"Believe me, I thought I had lost it when I first heard 'em too." Ryuji awkwardly revealed.
"It's only natural that you're confused." Morgana stated, "Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is way too much."
"Honestly, I still can't believe what happened..." Ann uttered, "... But I do trust what you guys told me about changing Kamoshida's heart."
"I was hopin' you'd say that." Ryuji grinned.
"If the three of us try to fight against him in the real world, it'll only backfire for us... This is the only option we have." Ann commented before gaining a determined expression, "So please, let me help you guys change his heart!"
"Someone sure is "fired" up about this." Ren smirked.
"I think we should bring her with us." Morgana suggested, "We are lacking in manpower after all."
"Besides, I can fight too! So I won't just be dragging you down." Ann exclaimed.
"So what's your call then, Ryuji?" Ren asked, "After all, you're our head of command here."
The aforementioned head of command brought his hand to his chin as he hummed in thought.
With Ann having a Persona now, he didn't have to worry about her getting killed in the castle, and she deserved to get back at Kamoshida as much as he did, so it was pretty much a no-brainer. But before he could accept, he had to confirm something...
"Are ya sure you're ready for this?" He asked her seriously, "This ain't gonna be easy. Like you saw earlier, we could easily get seriously hurt or even die if we ain't careful. And if we screw up, Kamoshida will end up dead."
"After knowin' all of these risks, are you still absolutely sure you wanna help us?"
"Yes." Ann answered without hesitation, "I know we can pull this off without letting Kamoshida die. He has to live in order to pay for what he did to Shiho. He just keeps going like nothing ever happened... I'll never forgive him."
Satisfied by her answer, Ryuji nodded, "Glad to hear that..."
"Although..." He suddenly smirked, "Knowin' you, you prolly woulda just gone in there yourself even if I said no."
"Well, you've got me there." Ann agreed with a giggle before turning serious once again, "I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake... but for everything he's done..."
"I feel the same way too." Ryuji nodded before smiling, "From here on out, we're all teammates with the same goal... To bring Kamoshida to justice!"
"I'm looking forward to our next trip to the castle already." Ren commented.
"Me too!" Morgana voiced out his agreement.
"You can count me in!" Ann cheerfully exclaimed.
Delighted by the addition of his old friend who was now his new teammate, Ryuji brought his hand out for a fistbump.
"Welcome to the Phantom Thieves, Ann." He greeted with a grin, "Glad to have ya aboard!"
"Thanks." Ann thanked as she moved to return the fistbump, "I hope we can all get along!"
The moment their fists met, that voice rang out in Ryuji's head once again.
Iamthou... Thou art I...
Thou hast acquired anewvow...
It shallbecomethe wings of rebellion thatbreakeththy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Lovers Persona,
I have obtained the winds ofblessingthat shall lead to freedom andnewpower...
LOVERS: RANK 1
'Waitwaitwait... Lovers?!' The teen mentally repeated in shock.
"By the way..." Ann suddenly mentioned, "I dunno if you've noticed, but you've been calling me by my first name ever since we left the Palace."
"Ah! Shoot, my bad!" Ryuji awkwardly apologized, "I-I'll make sure not to screw up again..."
"Oh, no! It's fine!" She quickly assured him before turning red a little, "I... I-I actually don't mind..."
"Wait-For real??" Ryuji asked with wide eyes, "Y-You mean it's okay if I call you... Ann?"
"Y-Yeah..." She sheepishly averted her gaze as she played with a lock of her hair, "... As long as you don't mind if I call you Ryuji..."
"Oh... Well, I-I guess that's cool with me then... Ann." He had a sudden interest in the ceiling.
"That's good to hear... R-Ryuji..." She had a sudden interest in the floor.
"... I sense mischief..." Ren commented with a smirk.
"And I sense competition..." Morgana whined.
"A-Anyways...!" Ann cleared her throat, "Let me know when you're heading back into the Palace. You already have my info so it should all be good."
"Mind switching info with me, Takamaki-san?" Ren held up his phone.
"Oh, right!" Ann remembered, "Here you go."
She quickly switched contact info with Ren.
"Oh, and you can call me Ann too if you want, Amamiya." She assured him, "After all, we are teammates."
"In that case, call me Ren." Ren smiled.
"Alright. I'll be counting on all of you then." Ann stated, "Same goes for you, Morgana."
"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Ann." He replied.
"See you guys tomorrow!" She bid goodbye as she left.
The other three said their own goodbyes as they watched her go off.
"Heh. That girl..." Ryuji commented with a fond smirk.
"Quite the fond gaze you have there." Ren smugly stated.
"Lay off." Ryuji snapped irritatedly, making Ren chuckle.
"But in all seriousness, with a group as big as ours, it'd probably be best if we found a way to quickly gather around from now on." Ren advised.
"True." Morgana agreed, "Our best option would be to find a secret hideout where we could discuss these things."
"A secret hideout? Like our own batcave?" Ryuji asked with a grin, "Ha! That sounds cool as hell!"
"Unfortunately, none of us are multi-billionaires that can afford our own underground base." Ren deadpanned.
"Nobody goes up the school rooftop, so that should work for the time being." Morgana suggested.
"And by the way, I can't contact you from inside a Palace, so I'll stay in this world."
"But then wouldn't that mean one of us would have to take care of you?" Ren asked.
"Yeahhh, I ain't-"
"Not it."
"Dude, again?!" Ryuji exclaimed in exasperation.
"Sorry, but where I live, animals are strictly a no-go." Ren shrugged, "And I'd rather not piss off my guardian and let him kick me out on the streets."
"But then why do I have to do it?? Why can't you just hide 'em?!"
"Allergies."
"Bullshit!"
"Come on, I'm sure your mom won't mind if you bring a stray cat home." Ren reasoned with a grin, "From what I've heard about her, she sounds like a reasonable woman."
"And I'd rather stay with someone who I can actually stand, thank you very much." Morgana chimed in.
"Argh, fine!" The blonde relented with a groan, "You're lucky my ma is lowkey a cat-person...!"
"Goodie!" Ren cheered, "With that out of the way, I'll catch you guys at school tomorrow. See you at the hideout."
"Yeah, later dude." Ryuji waved as he walked off with the feline in his bag.
"Alright! My new residence for this world awaits me!" Morgana cheered.
"*Sigh* It ain't anythin' special, but whatever..." Ryuji sighed.
.
.
.
"So let me get this straight... You stumbled upon a strange castle when you were heading to school one morning, found out you were inside of your despicable P.E teacher's mind, gained the power to summon a spirit known as a "Persona" and met a talking cat who not only shared the same power, but also informed you of a way to steal Kamoshida's distorted desires...?"
"... That's the overall gist of it." Ryuji simply replied.
Sae let out a sigh...
Ha.
As she facepalmed.
"Just what kind of drugs did they injection you with...?" She questioned aloud.
"Lady, my life is on the 'effin line here." Ryuji spoke seriously, "You think I got the time to start jokin' around?!"
"And is that supposed to make believe you?" She questioned.
"Man, for a prosecutor, you sure are dense as hell." He sighed.
"Excuse me?" She glared dangerously at him.
"If you really think I'm lyin' then answer me this." Ryuji demanded, "How many dirty casinos do you know that're in the middle of the city?"
"... What are you getting at?" Sae asked in confusion.
"They captured me at a casino, remember?" Ryuji refreshed her memory, "So if that's the case, then why were all those cops waitin' for me at the courthouse, huh?"
The prosecutor furrowed her eyebrows in thought as she realized he had a point.
"That... Is quite strange." She whispered.
"Anyway, this "Metaverse" you speak of is where you and your comrades are able to steal hearts, correct?" She questioned.
"Right on the money." Ryuji confirmed.
"Very well..." She nodded, "Then explain to me how you and your comrades went about stealing Suguru Kamoshida's heart... Tell me everything."
"Don't got much of a choice, do I?" Ryuji remarked.
Nonetheless, he continued recounting his story to the prosecutor before him...
Ryuji's Confidant List:
THE DEATH - Ren Amamiya:Rank1
THE FOOL - Igor: Rank 1
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 1
And with that, Ann has officially joined the Phantom Thieves! It took me a while to finish this due to some personal business but I manged to finally pump it out! I can't wait to get into writing for the infiltration of Kamoshida's Palace,and I'm even more eager to write more wildcard scenarios for Ryuji, but of course, I'm only one person, so I'd rather not tire myself out
Anyways, Ryuji has finally discovered his power as the Wildcard, the Phantom Thieves have gained a new member, and things seem to be rather interesting between him and Ann... What hijinks will ensue further on? And how relentless is Ren going to be with his teasing? Tune in next time to find out!
And as always,
RinOta, out!