[Flashback.]
Ryuji, Ann, Futaba, and Sumire were eating lunch together at Shujin. With summer break over, they were back to the rhythm of school. It wasn't so enjoyable for Ryuji and Ann, but they had to set a good example as Senpais to Futaba and Sumire. "Ahhh..." Ryuji let out a heavy sigh, slumped over.
"What's up with you?" Ann tilted her ehad. Ryuji looked even more exhuasted than usual. "You're not bored, are you?"
"A little." Ryuji admitted. The Track team was doing okay these days, and he was happy to see it. The incident with EMMA was over, so it was back to mundane school life. At least last year, the thrill of being a Phantom Thief when needed was present! But these days...? Not so much... "It just feels so...dull."
"I know what you mean." Futaba nodded in agreement. "But like...isn't that a good thing?"
"I hardly feel it." Sumire admitted. She had a gigantic lunchbox on her lap. At this point, nobody was surprised at this. "Coach keeps me busy every single day. But at least I haven't cried yet...!" She was close some days, but it was worth the effort.
"You've just gotta do something to occupy yourself." Ann said.
"I did." Ryuji said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. This was the first time he was going to say this in a place where he could actually see someone's reaction. "I told Ren about it over the phone, but...I got a job!"
"WHAT?!" The eyes of the three girls widened. Ryuji? Employed!? No way!
"Yeah." Ryuji nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed about their reactions. "I work at that flower place at the underground mall! I admit, I 'unno anythin' about flowers or whatever, but the lady that works there is really nice."
"I'm so proud of you!" Ann gave Ryuji a pat on the back. "Why the sudden interest in employment, though?"
"Well...everyone's got their own things goin' on." Ryuji said quietly. "Everyone cept for me. I don't really have any plans on goin' back to the track team here. I wanna start runnin' again, but I'd only slow 'em down. You know how I mentioned movin' to get that surgery? I'm kinda tryin' to save up for that. To make it easier for my mom, too."
"Aww, that's so sweet!" Sumire had a bright smile at Ryuji's motivations.
"Ryuji's growing up..." Futaba faked a sniffle. "He's come so far, I'm so proud!"
"Wh-! Hey! I'm older than you!" Ryuji exclaimed. How did Futaba make it sound like she'd been watching over him this whole time!? "Ah, anyway. I was just thinkin' I gotta start takin' things seriously sooner or later. I know it ain't easy, and when the days get hard, I briefly wonder if the Doc was right...but I know he wasn't. We fought 'im for a reason. I wanna run ahead at full speed!"
"That's so cheesy." Ann couldn't help but poke fun at Ryuji. But the smile she wore said she was happy he came to this conclusion. Everyone had their own ideas for their future, but right now, they were still there for one another.
"If you start going the wrong way, I'm gonna push you back on." Ann said.
"Us too!" Sumire nodded with a smile.
"Thanks, guys." Ryuji looked to his friends. "I definitely wouldnt'a made it this far without you guys."
[End Flashback.]
It was time to rescue Skull and Noir. But it wasn't going to be easy, considering the two of them were some very serious muscle for the Phantom Thieves as a whole. On the upside, they did not have to fight the two of them directly; they only needed to break Marie's flag in the middle of the room. The downside, was that it was still going to be a fight nonetheless. Noir and Skull were not alone and had numerous Legionnaires to support them in this fight.
"In the name of Lady Marie!" Noir said while smashing her axe onto the ground. The sheer force of the impact caused the floor to crack and split apart slightly. "You will kneel down before her!"
"Save yourselves the trouble now and give up!" Skull said with a mocking laugh. As the one under Marie's control the longer, it would've been near impossible to wrestle him from her grip conventionally.
"You guys know the plan!" Joker exclaimed. Everyone nodded and split off immediately. Joker, Panther, and Mona jumped towards Skull; Dragon, Crow, and Violet leapt towards Noir; and this left Wolf, Sophie, Viper, and Erina tasked with breaking down that flag. Oracle was in the back, ready to provide support. Toshiro and Ichinose were standing further back. While Toshiro was more or less scared out of his wits, Ichinose did have a gun for self defense in case things went south. With this plan, they aimed to divide and conquer!
"..." Toshiro said nothing, but the nervousness was written all over his face.
"I'm not going to repeat myself, but you need to stop that worrying nonsense." Ichinose sighed. She really did not want to have the same conversation with Toshiro over and over.
"So you've come to kneel first?" Skull said while looking towards Mona, Joker, and Panther. There was a grin on his lips as lightning charged around his pipe. "Then so be it!" Skull then slammed his pipe on the ground, an electrical shockwave exploding outward towards the three of them. The three of them were able to leap off to the side and avoid it, but Marie was making sure Skull used every bit of his power in the process. William was summoned next to him to show that he was serious.
"This won't be easy!" Joker grit his teeth. They knew exactly how durable Skull was, and Marie's mind control made it so he didn't feel pain either. Luckily they weren't aiming to knock him out. Their object was to keep him busy. "Here goes! Raoul!" Raoul appeared next to Joker as the two jumped ahead. Joker aimed a kick at Skull, and Raoul did the same for William. Both Skull and his Persona blocked their attacks easily, leaving Skull with a wicked grin.
"Out of my sight!" Skull's pipe slammed into Joker's chest, while William fired off a strong bolt of lightning at Raoul. Both of these attacks pushed Joker and his Persona back, causing them to crash into a view boxes. "Ahahahahah! For the Leader of the Phantom Thieves, you sure are one brazen fool!"
Joker winced as he looked towards Skull, but he smirked as well. "I was just the bait."
"Hah!" Skull scoffed as he took a step forward, raising his pipe, but Panther's whip coiled around his arm. "Huh?" He looked back, only to see Panther a fair distance away, restraining Skull with all her might. "Just what do you think you're doing!? Come back to Lady Marie's side right now, traitor!"
"Like hell!" Panther shouted back. "Ryuji, I know you're better than this! Don't let this woman tell you what to do! She's not in control of your legs, you are!"
"Don't you know that this doesn't work!? Your words will not get through to him!" Skull rolled his eyes while drawing his shotgun. He was about to shoot at Panther, but Mona was already in the way.
"Diego!" Mona summoned his Persona, who launched a Miracle Punch in Skull's direction. A flurry of punches collided against Skull's body, throwing him backwards and from Panther's whip. Now that Mona actually had to hit Skull, it didn't feel nearly as great as some of their earlier banter might suggest. "Sorry, Skull! But it's for your own good!"
Despite the fact that Skull crashed through a few barrels and boxes, he stood up just fine. The unfortunate perk of Marie's control meant no damage would slow him down. "You'll pay for that!" Skull started to run forward, as William fired an orb of lightning into the sky. Skull then leapt into the air, slamming his pipe downward on the sphere. This caused it to soar towards the ground at speeds that would make a meteor jealous. It exploded against the ground before Mona and Panther had a chance to move. The surge of electricity blew Mona and Panther backwards and threw them to the ground.
"Owwww...that hurts..." Panther winced. It was not enjoying being on the receiving end of Skull's attacks. No wonder she was always glad that he was on their side.
"Ugh..." Mona's eyes were spinning after that. Even in this strange part of the Metaverse, elemental advantages were still very potent.
Skull landed on the ground and went to lunge at Panther, but Joker's knife stopped him. "You again?" Skull sucked his teeth and proceeded to swing at Joker, who parried his strikes with his knife. Sparks flew from each and every clash of the weapon. "You just don't know when to give up, do you?"
"Never have, never will!" Joker grinned before leaping up, using Skull as a footstool to bounce behind him.
"Wh-!?" Skull stumbled forward and turned around to keep an eye on Joker. That was a mistake, because Panther stood up quickly and used Celestine's power to launch a fireball into his back, causing him to stumble forward. This made him turn again, where Mona struck him with a saber slash from Diego. This was really getting on his nerves. "That's enough!"
"C'mon, Ryuji." Joker narrowed his eyes. "You gotta fight it. Even if it's impossible! This woman doesn't control you!"
"She might have your head, but she doesn't have your heart!" Panther exclaimed after. They knew Ryuji well. If he was in there, he wouldn't let Marie control him like some puppet!
"Ngh..." Skull shook his head briefly. There was almost a flicker of resistance, but it was snuffed out by Marie just as quick. "Enough of this! You will soon learn the joys of Lady Marie, whether you like it or not!"
"We're not getting through to him like this." Panther hated to say it. Marie's control was too strong, but they weren't out of options!
.
.
"AHAHAHAHA!" Noir laughed as she summoned Lucy, pointing forward. Without wasting a single second, Lucy began to open fire on Dragon, Crow, and Violet. The three of them were forced behind cover immediately as the bombardment began. "Don't hide! You had such gusto when storming this place, where did it go!?" She mocked.
"I was dreading this..." Violet said with a sweat drop. How were they ever going to get close!? And if they got close, Noir was terrifying with an axe. This was, by far, the scariest thing she'd ever had to face.
"Everything about Noir puts us at a disadvantage..." Dragon grunts. "But we have the means to keep her busy. Our victory is their return. Luckily, we do not have to fight to the finish."
"I'll take point." Crow said. Seeing Noir like this...he did hate it. She was better than this. He knew that deep inside, she must have absolutely loathed being under someone else's thumb; especially when that person was someone like Marie. Something had to be done about this and fast.
Dragon nodded and jumped over the barrels, her mask burning away in the process. "Aegis!" Bella appeared in front of her, her shield serving as a barrier between the others. This did mean she was taking an incredibly heavy bombardment in the process, but she was capable of weathering the storm. When Toshiro saw this, his worries only grew, because this was far more than any young adult should be enduring!
She was not the type of person to be under someone's control. Crow summoned Hereward, using his Persona to fire off a large arrow of Curse magic towards Lucy. Lucy countered this with a gigantic missile, and the two attacks exploded, creating a thick cloud of smoke. Crow used this opening to lunge forward, his blade cloaked in darkness. When he was close, he did thrust his blade towards Noir, and she barely avoided with a sidestep. Noir's axe was covered in psychic energy, Their weapons clashed several times, and each strike was a little more violent than the last. The two entered a stalemate, and they struggled to overpower one another.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were striking to kill!" Noir said with a mocking smile. Crow kept his serious visage. With the intensity of their attacks, a single direct hit would've led to a serious injury.
To that, Crow shook his head. "Far from it. I know this woman can take anything I throw at her. You're just borrowing her...and we're going to need her back now."
Before Noir could open her mouth, Dragon's staff slammed into her side. This forced her away from Crow, and she crashed into a nearby wall. "Forgive me, Haru. But this is for your own good!" She hated hurting such a close friend, but it had to be done.
Noir was able to shake off the impact easily. By the time she stood up, however, she saw Ella and Violet a few yards away. "Dance, Ella!" Violet exclaimed, as beams of light and fire from a Sub-Persona began to bombard Noir. Violet's goal was to keep Noir pinned for as long as possible. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be very long. Because Noir sprinted through the light and fire, with her axe grinding along the stone floor. Violet's eyes widened as Noir then swung at her with this axe! She brought her rapier up to defend herself, but the difference in strength was clear and she was sent flying back, tumbling along the ground.
"Violet!" Dragon gasped, only for Noir to come at her with the axe as well. Dragon jumped back from a downward swing that would've caved her skull in, which made her sweat. But she wasn't prepared for the ensuing eruption of psychic energy which threw her back. "Gah...!"
"And then!" She turned to Crow as Lucy was summoned again, firing a large missile in his direction that exploded against him. Noir laughed loudly after her brief rampage. "I do like this one! She's strong, violent! A perfect toy that I can use as much as I want!"
The trio was able to shake off the impact as quickly as they could. But Noir was really able to do some damage. Keeping her busy wasn't going to be easy if she rampaged all over them first! "Leave her out of your schemes, vile woman!" Dragon huffed. "Haru! You cannot allow this woman to control your axe! She isn't nearly as frightening with it as you are." Haru was strong, sweet, and scary all rolled into one. But that is precisely why Dragon had faith she could break free from this.
"This is not someone you want to mess with." Crow said while making way back to his feet. Noir's damage output was absurdly high, but it was something he could endure. "She's stronger than you might think, and far scarier when her axe is in her control. You can take control of the mind and body...but I know her heart is screaming for your head. And she won't have any mercy."
"You think you know her so well, do you?!" Noir took a step forward, only to grasp at her mask. "Ngh...I'll...get you..." Noir's voice broke for a second as she tried to claw her own mask off, but her body wasn't agreeing with her. For a brief moment, Haru was fighting back, much to Marie's dismay.
"That's it, Noir-senpai!" Violet cheered. "You're way stronger than her! Don't let her beat you!"
Crow was still at the ready. It was already established that breaking free of Marie's control was no easy feat. He did have a means to do it with his own power, but he wasn't sure of the mental strain it would do to those under Marie's thrall for so long. It was a last resort...and right now, not needed. As long as Noir fought with herself for freedom, that was less time spent actually having to fight her. "C'mon..." And yet, he still couldn't help himself from wanting to root for Haru.
.
.
"Don't let her near the flag!" A Legionnaire exclaimed. They shot at Erina, but was able to duck behind some cover. This is what Wolf, Sophie, and Viper were for. Any incoming forces were dealt with. Wolf summoned Valjean, whose large, imposing presence was able to contest with a number of Legionnaires. A swipe of his arms and his chains blew away any enemies. "Gaaah!"
"When did they get so strong?!" A Slammer questioned. It tried to rush Erina down, but its attention was instead pulled by Viper's twin machine guns. The bullet struck hard and it staggered a bit, before making an effort to leap at her. Sophie followed this up by summoning Pandora, blasting the Slammer into nothing with a beam of light. "Gaaaah!"
"All clear!" Sophie exclaimed.
"Keep going!" Viper demanded. While they were doing well so far, this did not mean they could keep it up forever.
"You've got enemies coming on your right, Erina!" Oracle reported.
As Erina dashed towards the flag, Oracle's warning really saved her. A few Legionnaires took some shots at her, but she was able to quickly duck behind cover. With her spear at the ready, she vaulted over the boxes and down onto her pray. "Take this!" She crashed down onto the two Legionnaires, who cried out as they were killed from the impact. "Thanks, Oracle!" Erina beamed. It was really nice having this kind of support around! She felt like she could do anything!
"I bet she feels like she can do anything and is about to get even more reckless now!" Toshiro groaned. He just had this feeling in his stomach, and Erina would prove to do exactly just that. Since she had cover from three separate people, she was feeling a little brazen and it showed in her movements. "Oh, I knew it..." Why did he have to be right about this!
Erina took her gun, shooting down a few Legionnaires who attempted to peak out. A few appeared behind her, trying to take her down that way, but Wolf intercepted them with his great sword, cutting them down to size quickly. Erina could see the flag ahead, and that was her only objective right now. "I see it!"
"I got this..." Viper summoned Nuwa, who began to rush towards the flag. The serpentine woman coiled around Marie's Flag of Control, constricting the pole tightly until it snapped under the weight of her body. "Bitch's flag is gone! You're up!" As she said this, a few Legionnaires appeared behind the empty flag, just as a last line of defense.
"Erina, now's your chance!" Mona shouted.
"You brats! That stunt again! Stop her at once!" Noir gasped. She went to move to stop Erina, but she was halted when Crow swung his sword at her. It was with that same violent intent as before, which forced Noir to react with all her might. She grit her teeth in annoyance, as she could not push Crow off of her. It felt like her body was rejecting her. "How dare...you fight back...!? Because it's my body...!" Noir shouted at herself. She would not let her own body hurt people she cared about...!
"Damn you!" Skull was pinned down by Joker, Mona, and Panther. They knew how Skull moved and it was easy for them to cut him off, stopping him from intervening.
"They have an opening!" Ichinose beamed. This fight looked hard, but she expected them to overcome the situation.
Toshiro didn't see it that way. Erina was charging headlong into danger...! "Erina, watch out!"
"I'm on it!" Erina ran forward, but one of the Legionnaires had a near perfect shot on her. Luckily for Erina, she was able to shift her body to the side, meaning the bullet that was fired grazed her arm instead. "...!"
"Erina!" Toshiro gasped. That was exactly what he was afraid of, she was nearly shot dead and injured in the process!
The Rebel Corp leader did grimace from it. She felt the way her arm burned from a bullet nearly striking her, but she pushed through the pain. Making sure she set this flag down was far more important than anything else right now. That was her mission and she was going to see it through, no matter what. "I'm alright!" Erina said as the Flag of Freedom, and she promptly slammed it into the opening. Her flag shone brightly as it began to blind all of Marie's forces.
"Dammit! You unruly insignificant brat!" Skull cursed, already beginning to stumble as Marie's voice and influence slowly began to ebb. "I'm going to make you regret this...all...too...soon...you'll see..." In a bright flash of light, all enemy forces were gone. On top of that, Skull and Noir returned to normal, the two of them groaning as their senses returned to them.
"Uh..." Noir took one look at Crow, and just proceeded to fall over. Crow was left with no choice but to catch her as she fell, and she was unconscious as well.
"Guys..." Skull gave his friends a slight smile, before falling unconscious. Joker and Panther held him up.
"We did it! They're okay, right?!" Panther hastily looked the two of them over.
"Looks like they're just conked out. No injuries to speak of either." Oracle reported. It was the same for her, Panther, and Violet. They were okay!
"That was a tough one..." Joker admitting. Fighting his friends was not something he enjoyed. It wasn't getting any easier either, but now there were only two of them left to rescue.
"I really hope they don't remember any of this." Mona sighed.
"Should we begin our retreat?" Sophie asked.
"Yes! We should!" Toshiro was always the first one to agree to a retreat. Even if this situation was handled decently well, that did not change his feelings about things. "We should leave as quickly as possible!"
"There's our Toshiro! You can always count on him to be the first one to flee!" Ichinose said with a teasing grin, clasping her hands together.
"What else is new?" Viper waved her hand dismissively. Toshiro, again, could hardly believe he was being made fun of for wanting to flee. Like a normal person.
"I don't like how quickly he said it, but I do agree." Wolf crossed his arms. They were neck deep in enemy territory, with two unconscious allies. Putting up a fight now was ill advised. "Here, I'll take Skull." Wolf was the only one who could carry him easily, compared to anyone else.
"Thanks." Joker nodded.
"Let's hurry out." Violet said. She and Dragon were willing to scout ahead.
"I'll go ahead and take care of the exit route!" Oracle snickered. "Everyone got their safety buddy! Let's go then!" Oracle led the group out of the armory. They rescued two more of their friends. Now, the only two that were left to save were Queen and Fox. For their sake, the others truly hoped that they were okay...