With the two Aizen Squad bases overcome, the Phantom Thieves returned to Leblanc. "We've rescued quite a number of people between both bases. Do you think this is enough for what you'd like to plan, Toshiro?" Hifumi asked while looking to the slightly nervous man in question. She had a curious look, because they were likely thinking the same thing.
"I believe so. Although I'm not sure how many of them are willing to help us..." That was the one snag in Toshiro's plan he was worried about. On paper, the numbers looked good. But in theory...
"About that, we've got some good news!" One of the citizens turned Rebel exclaimed. "More and more people are stepping up and offering to fight!"
"That's a bit unexpected." Yusuke admitted. But he wasn't complaining about that news either.
"Not really." Zenkichi shook his head at Yusuke's shock. "You guys have an effect on people. You don't just speak with pretty words, you put your lives on the line. You practice what you preach. Doesn't matter where you are. Metaverse or reality...that kinda attitude stands out to people. You asked them to fight with us, and we've been showing that we're the kind of people that are worth fighting with."
"Wow, Gramps. That was pretty wise of you." Futaba said with a snicker. While she was impressed with Zenkichi's words, she couldn't give him the credit that easily.
"Don't make it sound like that's the first wise thing I've ever said!" Zenkichi still fell for the bait, even knowing Futaba's intentions.
"But he is right!" The rebel said while clenching a hand into a fist. "They've decided to place their faith in you instead of giving up!"
"Then we won't let them down." Ren said firmly.
"Just say the word and we'll get it done! We can move out at any time!" The rebel exclaimed. Those words really made it set in that their offense on Yoshiki was drawing closer.
"We should probably take as much time as we can to prepare." Yusuke said. "We only get a single chance at this, after all."
"And I'd hate to mess up after everyone came out to join us!" Ann was just as fired up.
"I would say this has gone better than Marie's Kingdom. We didn't have to spend a majority of our time infighting." And that was not something Akechi would complain over either. It was less time wasted.
"Oooh, the final battle approaches." Ichinose held her usual smile. Free of tension as always. "How exciting!"
"I'm ready to do what I can as well." Sophia spoke with a determined nod.
"We're going to win this thing!" Sumire grinned.
"I hope we can actually go home after this one..." Mika was hopeful, but at the same time, she was already prepared for this
Everyone was getting excited. But Erina, off in the corner, couldn't help but feel a little off. Noticing this, Hifumi was the one that stepped over to her. "Erina? Are you alright?" She would've expected Erina to be the one that was the most excited to get this done.
"Hifumi? Oh..." Erina, upon being noticed, looked over at the group of citizens that were surrounding Toshiro. "It's just, it looks like Toshiro has completely won over everyone's hearts." There was a pause, followed by a mildly frustrated sigh. "I wonder why I'm so frustrated. Oh, right. I'm sorry that all of you had to help me earlier."
"You don't need to apologize for that." Hifumi said with a gentle smile. "If you didn't act as quickly as you did, we may not have been able to rescue those citizens in time."
"Hah..." Erina managed a slight smile. "I think it was really impressive how you pulled off our sudden change in strategy! You're always so well prepared for the best and worst case, Hifumi. I don't know how you do it!"
"I don't do it alone, that's for sure." Hifumi replied with a faint giggle. "I wasn't alone in this plan either. A good plan is nothing without those being capable to execute it. I've seen many battles during my time playing Shogi and as a Phantom Thief. Sometimes things didn't go according to plan, as much as I would've liked them to. In the earlier days, most of the planning was left to myself and Makoto. When we have such a skilled team, even the most absurd ideas are feasible."
"You're always thinking so far ahead, aren't you?" Erina added with a small laugh.
"I do my best." Hifumi replied with a nod. "A good tactician absolutely needs to consider the possibility of failure. Personally speaking, however...I detest losing more than anything else. You can ask Ren, Ann, or Akechi. They know that more than anyone." Ren and Akechi were just like her in that regard as well.
"I could tell. I feel the same way." Erina snickered. "It's an honor to fight alongside all of you. I'll continue doing my best to improve my skills. I don't want to fall behind."
As they talked, two citizens approached them. "Oh, there she is! Miss Erina!"
Erina and Hifumi turned. The former recognized the citizen from before. "Oh, you're the one who was hurt. I'm glad you're okay."
"Miss Erina, you were mighty cool out there!" The rescued citizen spoke. "Lord Yoshiki is terrifying, but with yo...it suddenly feels like we're invincible!"
Those words surprised Erina, especially the use of the word 'we'. "Oh, were you planning to fight along with us...?"
"Of course!" The citizen declared proudly. "We're gonna tell everyone that we've got you on our side!"
Erina's eyes went wide. She wanted to accept that, but at the same time, there was something weighing her down at the same time. "Y-You are? But I feel really bad about dragging everyone into this fight with us. Still, I..."
"Ugh, just say thank you already." Mika overheard the conversation and groaned from Erina's response.
"I agree with Mika. What are we doing to do with you?" Toshiro said with a coy smile. "Why don't you just be honest and express your gratitude for them?"
"Whoa, is that actual good advice coming from Toshiro's mouth?" Futaba teased.
"Is the world ending as we know it?" Ichinose added to this with a playful laugh.
"When people see someone fight so earnestly for a cause, it can move their hearts." Makoto told Erina.
"Your feelings have reached everyone, Erina-chan." Haru added with a warm smile.
"Your desire to help people is strong." Zenkichi said from his seat. "Like I said before, that's not something you should ever take for granted. And you've got us in case you go overboard."
"Just don't expect us to clean up after you every single time." Akechi said with a dull expression.
"You guys..." Erina closed her eyes for a moment. Right now, she got it. "I understand now. We're going to defeat Yoshiki together! I'll give it my all!"
Erina's proud declaration got the new rebels riled up. "Yeah! Let's take back our country!" There was a rallying cry following this.
"Looks like she's doin' better." Ryuji said with a grin.
"Accepting gratitude instead of apologizing. Hm..." Toshiro pondered on this for a moment.
"Something wrong, Toshiro?" Morgana asked.
To that, he shook his head. "No...I thought I remembered something, but it's likely just my imagination. More importantly, it's almost time to face off against Yoshiki."
"We'll let you know when the preparations are ready!" A new rebel said.
"Preparations...?" Sumire tilted her head. Just what exactly were these citizens planning?
"Yeah, it's about to get crazy here. When everyone's ready to strike, I'll make the call. We might do one final sweep of the area, just in case..." Ren said. He knew they couldn't afford to mess this up. That's why they had to be as prepared as possible for the coming battle...
.
.
While the group waited for preparations to be done, Yuki approached them slowly. "Excuse me. I have a favor to ask everyone." Naturally, this caught their attention, and they gave her the room to speak. "As it turns out, there are still some Aizen Squad soldiers left at the first base you all dealt with. I'm afraid they'll try and imprison the townspeople again if we leave them be. I want to make sure that doesn't happen."
"That's definitely in the realm of possibility." Hifumi pursed her lips. "It might get bad if the citizens were forced into a conflict before they were ready."
"Then we should take care of it quickly." Ren said.
"But the cameras are up. It wouldn't be wise for everyone to go at once now." Akechi pointed out.
"Then we'll make it a small group!" Morgana nodded. "Seeing it's just remnants, I can't imagine security being too tight."
"I wouldn't mind going." Hifumi offered.
"I'll go too!" Ann said with a grin. "That way I can protect Fumi. And my Persona would be useful in an intricate place like that!"
"You know what that word means?" Mika blinked in surprise. When she made that comment, Ann's head whipped around and the two of them exchanged narrowed gazes. "You know what, I'll go too. Someone has to make sure you don't mess everything up."
"What!?" Ann gasped.
"Besides, someone has to make sure you don't mess up and leave all the heavy lifting to Hifumi-chan." Mika's lips curled into a smug grin.
"...What's happening?" Toshiro whispered.
"Don't get involved. It's for your own safety." Sumire said with a sweat drop.
"If you think you can protect Fumi better than I can, you've got another thing coming!" Ann said with a confident grin. Hifumi could only watch as this kind of fight was a back and forth. "...I'd like a say here."
But she wasn't going to get one. "...So does this make Hifumi the princess?" Ryuji said carelessly, which only added fuel to the fire.
"Oh, you shouldn't have said that." Zenkichi pinched the bridge of his nose.
"LET'S GO!" Ann and Mika started to storm out of the base, but not before putting on their disguises to blend in since the cameras were active.
"...Wait!" Futaba realized she probably had to go with them.
"Um. I guess...we're going." Hifumi was sweating. She left, and Sumire, Ren, Futaba, Morgana, Sophia, and Ichinose following.
"I have to see how this turns out." Ichinose had no idea what just happened, but she wanted to see how it played out.
"I guess we can leave the base to them." Haru said with a slightly nervous chuckle.
"...Are they going to be alright?" Erina rubbed the back of her neck. It was then she realized something and started to look around.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Toshiro said while adjusting his tie. "The more precaution we take before the final confrontation, the better."
"...I'm very worried." Yuki spoke with a sweat drop. "But I suppose they can handle it. The streets aren't as busy with the bases being dealt with before."
"Town..." Ryuji remembered something. "Oh, that's right! While we were walkin' around town, I think I remember seein' some kinda big box..."
"A large wooden crate, you mean?" Makoto chimed in. "I believe I saw that as well."
"Yeah, I remember that." Zenkichi replied. "It was along the way to the banquet hall. It was pretty damn big."
"It could be useful." Makoto thought aloud. "If it's something that could be valuable in battle, maybe we should get it our hands on it."
"I suppose that's not a terrible idea." Akechi said with slight intrigue. "There could be something about Yoshiki inside of it." Although, when he said that, there was a terrible thought that crossed his mind. Surely history wouldn't repeat itself...
"Why don't we go grab it, then?" Yusuke said. "I've been curious about that box since my gaze glanced upon it. To see its contents...it is a must!"
"Alright, guess we're gonna do that while they're busy..." Zenkichi stood up from his seat. "It's probably heavy as hell, so we're gonna need all hands on deck for it."
.
.
The first group made their way to the Aizen Squad base. There weren't as many Aizen Squad members as before, they were stuck cleaning up the mess the Phantom Thieves left behind. It did look like they were attempting to mobilize once again the moment they got their bearings straight. They had no idea that they were in danger. Panther and Viper were standing next to one another, and in front of Dragon.
"All right, everyone. I've got this. Time to break through with my Persona!" Panther said firmly.
"Psh, I'VE got this! Be sure to watch me, Dragon! I'll be the one doing the protecting this time." Viper said while flipping her hair.
"Ngh...such a strong, prince-like aura is radiating from Panther...!" And Viper, too. But Mona would never allow Viper to hear that kind of compliment.
"...Do we even need to be here?" Joker scratched his cheek as Panther and Viper went off ahead. It wasn't long before the violent sounds of combat started to fill the base, with Panther and Viper fighting hard to outdo one another.
"I thought it would get dicey if I didn't show up to help." Oracle admitted. But clearly they were worried for nothing.
"I'm going to back them up...!" Dragon wanted to be useful, even though this was somehow turning into a competition over her, which she didn't quite understand. She just went ahead to help, only to see Panther and Viper's Personas tearing through the place.
"You're falling behind!" Viper said tauntingly, Nuwa slithering forward to crash into a number of Aizen Squad members.
"You wish! I would say I'm the winner overall!" Panther replied as Celestine threw a fireball at a number of Aizen Squad members. The explosion blew them all away and destroyed them at the same time. "You're fighting a losing battle!"
"This battle isn't over until I say it is!" Viper exclaimed.
Dragon, meanwhile, literally had no idea why they were fighting so fiercely. "...I feel like I'd just get in the way at this point." They weren't even in any danger! They were the danger.
"I guess we should do something." Joker wouldn't feel right standing and doing nothing. So he, Mona, and Violet all went to aid Panther and Viper.
"You know, you didn't have to come." Oracle looked to Ichinose, who just watched on with a shrug.
"I know. But this sounded like it would be fun to watch, and it is." Ichinose said with a snicker. "I'm still learning the ways of the heart. I have no idea what's going on here, but it's got the heart written all over it. I didn't know Viper could be so...passionate? I think that's the word."
"Viper's not really a team player, but she does care about Dragon." Sophie said with a nod. She was going to stand by and simply protect Oracle and Ichinose just in case.
"I think she's gotten better." Oracle was keeping an eye on the battle...no, this was more of a one sided slaughter. But she wasn't going to allow anyone to get caught by surprise. "I know she wouldn't be here if she didn't get dragged like the rest of us, but she's been a big help all the same. I don't think she's all that bad...even if she is pretty bad."
"She lectured me pretty hard about being fake." Those words stuck with Ichinose during the EMMA incident. "IF there's one thing you have to admire, she sticks to her guns about being a bad person. It's impressive. I guess Dragon is her soft spot, like Sophie became for me. So despite how she appears, there is a heart in there somewhere."
"Hehe." Sophie snickered at the compliment to herself. "Praise accepted."
"Dragon just has a way with people. Even a cold blooded snake couldn't escape her kindness!" Oracle said this in a friendly manner. She didn't really think Viper was that bad, it was fun to mess with her. The fact most of everyone's personalities clashed with her own made things lively.
Before long, the base was wiped clean a second time. Panther and Viper did most of the heavy lifting. "Whew! I totally took out more than you did." Panther looked to Viper with a grin.
"You can't even count." Viper rolled her eyes. "I absolutely took out more, and looked better in the process."
"I can stop this argument before it escalates." Oracle chimed in. "I was keeping track of who got the most KOs. This game's winner is...by a single kill...Panther!"
"WHAT!?" Viper gasped.
"HAHA!" Panther jumped for joy when she heard this result. Despite the fact she was a much better model than last year, she did lose to Viper a lot initially. So being able to beat her at something, even if narrowly, was a huge confidence boost.
"Congrats, Panther." Joker said. Seeing the briefly defeated look on Viper's face felt oddly cathartic.
"Ugh." Viper rolled her eyes. "Fine, you win this time. But it was just narrowly!"
"You were pretty good out there too, Viper!" Violet said, hoping that would make Viper feel better.
"Thanks. I do my best." Viper still took the compliment in stride. "I won't lose a second time." All things considered, she was being a good sport about it.
"Aw man." Mona was slightly disappointed. He wanted to see Viper in defeat just a little longer, but he would take what he could get. "Panther really was on fire, there!"
"I really wanted to make up for earlier." By earlier, she meant the whole Marie situation. "And I feel like I was able to fight to my full potential! I wonder if this is what it's like to feel proud of myself?"
"You were great out there," Dragon said with a fond smile. That also gave Panther a great boost of confidence.
"Well, we're done here. I'm going back." Viper shrugged. The sting of defeat did make her feel slightly bitter, but she would turn that feeling around to become even better next time.
"She took that in stride. I'm impressed." Ichinose was surprised. "I thought she seemed more the uppity
"She's amazing, isn't she?" Panther said with a slight grin.
"Huh!?" Mona was shocked to hear this. "All you two do is fight most of the time, and you're complimenting her! I don't get it. You're way better than she is!"
To that, Panther shook her head. "She's adapted to having a Persona pretty quickly. Even if she makes a mistake here or there, she's really talented and works hard at everything she does. I just barely won out. Despite how Mika - er, Viper comes across all the time, she always pushes me to become. I really don't want to fall behind her in anything. Especially not Fumi's affection!"
"I'm not sure what that has to do with it." Dragon replied while glancing away sheepishly. "We're already together. That's not going to change."
"I don't get it..." Mona grumbled. In his eyes, Panther was the best!
"That's what it means to have a rival." Joker replied. "Someone who's equal to you, and that you don't want to lose to. You can't help but find a respect for someone like that. Even if nobody else gets it."
"Mhm." Dragon knew that feeling well. "It is a unique relationship between rivals. I'm sure that Viper feels the same way, even if she would never admit it."
As Viper walked, Sophie and Violet decided to catch up with her. "Eh? What's up?" Viper looked at the two of them curiously.
"Are you okay?" Sophie asked while looking up at Viper. "You seem upset."
"Duh. I lost to Panther." Viper let out a sigh after. "I usually beat her out, too. But that's the second time she's gotten the better of me."
"The second time?" Sophie blinked.
"Is it because of...Dragon?" Violet asked.
Viper's eyes widened just a bit. Violet was the first person to bring that up. She looked to the side with an annoyed expression. "You two can keep a secret, right?"
It sounded like Viper was actually about to open up a little. So, Violet quickly nodded. "Of course!"
"I won't tell anyone." Sophie swore.
"...That girl is special. Nobody else has worked as hard as she did to become friends with me, or even keep me around. She's amazing." She admitted aloud. She didn't...really have anyone to talk to when it came to Hifumi specifically. These feelings had been bottling up for a while. "She's helped me more than she knows. And just when I was going to make a move...Ann beat me to it."
"That explains it..." Violet did recall what happened in Kyoto. This did explain her other behaviors during the summer as well. "I know how that feels exactly. You can't help but get a crush on someone who's helped you so much..."
"Don't worry, Viper. We won't tell anyone." Sophie promised.
"Good. Dragon is important to me, and I do like seeing her happy. But I like seeing her happy with me more. So I'm gonna steal her heart one of these days." That last second took both Sophie and Violet by surprise, because Viper suddenly smiled when she did so.
"W-wait, huh!?" Violet gasped.
"And remember, you promised not to tell!" Viper turned and winked, leaving Violet and Sophie utterly confused. She then went off ahead back to Leblanc.
"...What just happened?" Sophie asked.
"I have no idea." Violet was completely stunned.
.
.
By the time the base team returned, they found a giant wooden box sitting in the middle of Leblanc. Ryuji, Haru, Zenkichi, Akechi, Yusuke, Haru, and Erina were all surrounding it. Toshiro was standing off to the side, watching curiously. "Oh hey, you guys are back!" Ryuji grinned.
"What is that thing?" Mika stared at the box. She felt like she vaguely saw it before...
"Something worth defending." Akechi replied. "This box may contain either something useful to us going forward, or it will turn out to be a complete waste of time."
"We were waiting for you to return before we opened it!" Haru said with a smile.
"We had to drag this thing around town while being shot at." Zenkichi groaned at the experience. "And for some reason, Kitagawa over here got distracted."
"I felt a flash of inspiration when I witnessed Makoto launch that one drummer across the roof!" Yusuke defended himself. "It was an artistic moment that I had to capture within my memory!"
"That sounds like Yusuke." Hifumi shook her head slowly.
"It was quite a battle, but we made it through unharmed." Makoto brushed her hair back. "Since everyone is here, how about we open it?"
"Heck yeah!" Erina grinned. "Let's crack this bad boy open. I wanna see what's inside!" And with that, she and Zenkichi were the ones to open the box. What was waiting for them inside such a heavily guarded and weighted box? Well...
"...What is this junk?" Zenkichi stared at the contents of the box with a deadpanned expression. Inside were various types of Yoshiki merchandise.
"Let's see..." Futaba peered over to see. "Ukiuo-e posters hand signed by Yoshiki, bromide sets, figurines..."
"Here's a complete blu-ray set of Lovercising with Lord Yoshiki." Ryuji deflated.
"We risked our lives for this garbage!?" Zenkichi pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I should've known this would turn out to be a waste of time." The first time with Marie was initally a fluke, Akechi thought. But now, with this second chance, he was going to write off enemy 'intel' entirely.
"Haha!" Morgana couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like your treasure radar was off. Talk about a losing ticket."
'Shuddup, you stupid furball!" Ryuji huffed.
"Technically, you can call it Treasure of his fans." Haru said with a somewhat defeated laugh. "I...don't know what we're going to do with all of this, though."
"Burn it." Akechi and Zenkichi said at the same time.
Ichinose walked over to the box and picked up one of the magazines with Yoshiki on the cover. "This could be a good read."
"is she serious?!" Toshiro said with a shocked look.
"I have a reason for it." Ichinose replied while taking a seat and opening the magazine. "They talk about Yoshiki so highly, I wonder if any traits they describe could be a weakness."
"Oh...that's a...surprisingly reasonable action." Toshiro was relieved.
"Also, it could be funny." And there was the real reason. Ichinose snickered while Toshiro practically fell over.
While the Thieves were discussing what to do with the box, Erina's expression soured a bit. She kept looking around, but she couldn't find what she was looking for. "Did I really lose it...?" Whatever was she looking for? And more importantly...would she be able to find it before they began their assault on Yoshiki's castle?