Persona 5: Daywatch

Wednesday, 17 August 2016
Noon
Akasaka Mitsuke, KFTV Studio

The director of Good Morning Japan held a thumb up. "Okay, everybody. Excellent work, we're ahead of schedule. Go grab something to eat." He nodded to the girl on the interview couch. "Thank you for your patience, Togo-chan." His phone rang and he let out a sigh before adjusting his new, red-framed glasses, then stepping aside to answer.

Hifumi stood and straightened her formal, maroon dress. It was showier than she preferred, the lacy arms and neckline felt gaudy. But Mother was being even more iron-fisted than usual after walking in on the Phantom Thieves.

A familiar red-head walked in from the staff hall, holding several plastic-wrapped onigiri from the cart vendor who stopped outside some days. She waved an over-sized rice triangle in the air. "Got 'em, Dad!"

The director waved her over. "Perfect timing, we're off for lunch. Will that be all? Good." He folded his phone, then took the stuffed rice treat and tore the plastic off.

There was normally a barrier between director, cast and guests, but Hifumi felt like she was walking on pins and needles since her mother threatened the most supportive boy she'd ever met. Her being here to record Friday's Good Morning Japan brought her to Mother's palace doorstep. She bowed to the director's daughter, hoping the girl closer to her age would be more amenable. "Good day, Yoshizawa-san. Please forgive the intrusion, but Mother keeps my phone when I'm expected to be on-camera. Could I make a two minute call to confirm an appointment after our shoot here?"

The red-head's eye twitched. "Oh, I understand. I'm afraid my phone is old and not-so-reliable, but if you can get it to work you're welcome."

Hifumi took the proffered smart phone with several cracks in its screen. It looked like it had been driven over. She tapped in Akira's digits, and noticed the phone's contact book fill in his name even before the call connected. That spark of possessive jealousy flared inside and she wondered how he could possibly know the director's daughter.

"Fact Checker, Ella Fynoe," Akira's voice scratched over speakers that sounded like they'd been hit with a hammer several times.

Damn it, why did his off-beat humor have to make it so hard to stay mad at him? Hifumi swallowed her laugh and got straight to the point. "It's Hifumi. Mother has my phone, but we're at the KFTV studios today. I'll be done in an hour, perhaps hour and a half," she glanced up, "correct, Director?"

He sped up his chewing, then swallowed a bite of edamame onigiri. "Another fifteen minutes lunch, one hour tops for the rest of shooting. You're quite the trooper, Togo-chan."

"Right," she said, raising her voice a bit for the fears the phone's microphone might not pick up everything. "Under an hour and a half. The rest can come in piecemeal, but somebody with the Nav is going to have to bring me."

The speakers crackled, eating some of Akira's words. "…getting equipment with … in Kichijoji. Ryuji will… your model on the inside. I'm not… Futaba's joke, but Ann… get you."

Her nervousness pushed Hifumi to raise her voice even more, "Okay, I'll be waiting in the south wing. The desk clerk will be expecting her." She wanted to get some more specific clarification, not even being certain if Ryuji, Futaba, or Ann was going to be the one to meet her at the studio's south wing, but the call quality was so bad she didn't trust the ability to clarify without the director or his daughter hearing everything. She cut the call and a low battery warning winked in the corner.

Hifumi handed the phone back to the red-head. "Please forgive my intrusion, it looks like your phone battery is almost out."

The younger girl in a yellow dress gave a casual nod, her over-sized onigiri polished off despite the mere minute spent on the phone. "It just seems to do that, Ven—I mean, Togo-san." She glanced down at the large onigiri still held in her left. "Oh, don't you have anything for lunch? Here, you have to give the body proper fuel or it won't be able to perform when you need it."

The reasoning was sound, especially with her future excursion into Mother's palace, so Hifumi took the shrink-wrapped onigiri and bowed in thanks.

Wednesday, 17 August 2016
Afternoon
Togo's Temple, Front Bailey

Coming all the way from Kichijoji meant Akira wound up the last Phantom Thief to rendezvous. Makoto and Futaba kept a wary eye on the Palace, where there was less a low layer of fog and more a ground-level cloud stretching up meters above all but the tallest towers of the Palace. Despite the lack of wind, it rolled as if it had a will of its own. Ann gave a new retractable whip made of sword blade segments a few experimental swings well away from the others. Ryuji knelt down, finishing assembly of his wood-stock rifle, then stood up and handed it to the shogi maestra. Hifumi drew back from her summer homework chat with Yusuke and took the weapon as if afraid it would go off on its own. She stood in her bright red and dark blue rebel form shrouded by her voluminous hooded cloak. He tried not to stare at the way her knee-high boots fitted snug against her toned calves.

Morgana bounded into the middle of the Thieves and waited for Ann to step closer, her whip retracted to a sword form. "Welcome back, Phantom Thieves. We've got a few things to do before we get started."

Akira stepped forward and raised a hand. "May I start? I've been meaning to say this for a while." When the others all turned curious gazes at him, he decided to just go for broke and bowed at the waist. "I'm… I'm sorry about being such a pain in the ass."

Futaba squawked, "What? No way!" at the same instant as Ryuji blurted, "Effin' finally!"

Makoto tapped him with her elbow.

Yusuke tilted his head a bit. "I am afraid I do not follow."

Akira tugged at the still unfamiliar, new strap keeping his P90 hanging on his shoulder, and stared at the gravel at his feet. "It happened every time. When we had an enemy, somebody's Shadow to fight, at least I had a goal to look at. But after we won every battle to change someone's heart, I lost sight of that. I spent so much of my life getting ready to fight I'm still not much good when there isn't a fight in front of me. I paced. I snapped. I sulked and did all the stupid shit that I should've known better 'cause that shi—"

Hifumi cleared her throat.

"—stuff pissed me off when other people did it." He forced himself to stand straight. "We won. No, you guys won, and dragged me along with you because I couldn't cut it on my own."

Ann took a step closer. "We didn't carry you, we did it together. All of us."

Akira's gaze fell back to the gravel. "When Futaba's heart changed, we followed the same procedure that succeeded three times before. If I really trusted you, if I really believed in you, I wouldn't have gone to shi…wouldn't have panicked." He drew in a breath and tried to will his heart rate to slow down as he thought about the girl's limp body in his arms. "But when I saw Futaba-kun there, all I could think was I broke my promise to God and Father Motoori to never kill, never even try to kill anybody ever again. When Morgana was telling me and Ann about becoming gentleman thieves, I thought I'd be just like Arsène Lupin and play monster to real monsters without becoming a killer myself. But when Futaba was there and wouldn't wake up no matter how much I shook her, I thought I'd killed her. Somebody who was just like me, just wanted to live."

Futaba sniffled and Hifumi put an arm around the shorter girl's shoulder to draw her close.

Morgana allowed a beat to pass before he stepped back towards the longcoated boy. "Joker? I won't say that there haven't been some days that we didn't have to tolerate you. But you've come from a very rough road and done your human best to be there for every one of us. Even when you didn't think you'd get anything for it."

Ryuji glanced from Akira to Ann and muttered, "Oh, he thought he'd get somethin' for it."

Makoto jabbed him with an elbow.

Morgana ignored them. "I promised to lead you at first because I just wanted something from you, help changing a palace so I could cause aftershocks in the Metaverse and get my human body back. But I saw something special in you way back then. That was why I nominated you to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves when we were celebrating Kamoshida's change of heart. You see your inability to do everything yourself as a weakness, but what you don't see is how much you reach out to others to bridge those gaps. How there's just something about you that calls to other people, even if it's not the same thing to each person. You're not the only one worried about who you could be or what you might become. I've had this distorted body for so long, I can't even remember what my human face looked like." He smirked and thrust out his little chest. "I'm sure I had a sturdy body and did a good deed a day, rain or shine. That I was the kind of gentleman who chastised people who smoked inside, and saved bullied cats."

Ryuji let out a loud, amused snort. The president elbowed him. He elbowed her back. "Fine! I'll clam up."

"Anyway," the team leader continued, "I swore I'd save those in trouble, and I'm going to be here to save you until you realize you're safe. All of us will, and I know you'd do the same for us. Because we're Phantom Thieves, and it's all for one and one for all!"

Futaba threw her fist in the air, a hiccup interrupting her, "Y-yeah!"

"I think those are the musketeers," Hifumi muttered.

Futaba cackled.

Yusuke gripped his rifle strap. "What is so amusing?"

Futaba clutched her staff weapon to help her stand, but waving couldn't brush off the question. After a beat, the hacker explained, "If this was a sentai series, this would be the point where there's the sound of shattering glass and the narrator tells the audience that through our love and friendship we've gained a new power."

Makoto chuckled. "Like when Natsu spends half a volume getting beat up by the villain of the week, then jumps to his feet and goes 'I can't let down my friends!' and turns the whole fight around?"

"Yeah!" Futaba stepped out from Hifumi's arm. "Like gaining lightning immunity. That would be so cool. Seeing one of those Hifumi cognitions coming out," she started awkward steps, then thrust out her hand with two fingers extended, "and shooting us with lightning like Azula and just blowing it off would be peak bad-ass."

Hifumi stood straighter and placed a hand on her chest to emphasize the displeasure her mask only allowed to show on the lower half of her face. "A member of the Togo kingdom would not fall to the ravages of madness!" She lowered her hand and spoke in a more normal tone. "Also, I'd rather not use the comparison of a mother who was supportive until her mysterious disappearance. We haven't yet saved mine." She crossed her arms, tapping a slender, white-gloved finger against her chin. "That reminds me, you all used pseudonyms the other day as an additional protective measure against the Palace ruler. What should mine be?"

Yusuke's eyes traced over her, stopping on her etched greaves. "Cavalier?"

Hifumi shifted her weight from foot to foot, still looking a little awkward with the rifle Ryuji gave her earlier. "I'm not sure how apt that is when I have no horse or other means of enhanced conveyance."

"Your Persona teleported me in that foggy courtyard. I'd likely have been killed by that guardian dragon if you hadn't," Makoto pointed out.

Hifumi raised a fist. "I shall always be prepared to defend gentleman thieves!" One of the red lights under her voluminous cloak dimmed and the transfer student had the distinct impression she was squinting in thought. She shook her head. "Though that felt more like castling in chess. Even more of a brief interpose, really. And it might be wise not to try to test that, I feel like that was the absolute maximum of what Dihya could do."

Ryuji scratched his scalp with his metal-capped club. "Cape?"

Futaba bound back for the taller girl and yanked, forcing a nasal voice as she called, "No capes!" When the clasp snapped open, she stared at the heavy cloak in her hands. "Whoa. Edna Mode was wrong!" She handed the cloak back to Hifumi. "Uh, maybe Rebel?"

Hifumi settled her cloak back on her shoulders and the clasp snapped back. "Rebel has a bad sound across Japanese history."

Futaba scratched her head. "I was trying to think of superheroes that use shields, but 'Captain Japan' kinda sounds too long anyway."

Ann shifted her weight to her far foot. "You knew where everyone was, but Oracle kind of already has the seithr kind of name. Oh! Before we got back to Rider, you were so ready to give orders and it saved our butts! Maybe something like Queen?"

Akira smiled, especially since he didn't have to give the suggestion. Now the title that he saved for the woman most appropriate for it could take her rightful—

Hifumi gave a brief, apologetic bow. "Thank you, but as much as I may like to play Queen of the Togo Kingdom in shogi, I feel that would be presumptuous for the newest member joining a team of veterans with a very qualified vice leader." That slender gloved digit tapped on her chin again. "Though your mention reminds me there are forms of vision besides pagan rituals, like a bird's eye view." She snapped her fingers despite her gloves. "You're all so much stronger than me, but when looking through Dihya I can look down upon the Palace and try to find the safest paths or most optimal weak points to attack. May I be Hawk?"

"Bwuh?" Akira intelligently blurted.

Hifumi fiddled with her cloak with both hands. "Oh, is that no good either?"

"No, it's fine," he said, squelching his own disappointment. "I just thought Queen sounded perfect for you."

She bowed again, shallower this time. "I'm flattered, truly. But the queen is a piece in chess that has unparalleled power, even beyond any of the pieces in shogi. I can help you all do what you do a little better, but it feels… conceited to name myself something like that when it's all of you doing so much." She reached to her face under her voluminous hood. Akira couldn't tell if the hard shell over her upper face disappeared or the optics just turned off, but the red form of her Persona coalesced above her for a moment. "And it feels like Dihya takes much less effort to call out. Though I don't feel like she has offensive magic like I've seen from you," she finished with a nod to Ann and Makoto.

Morgana grinned. "No objections here. And your power has clearly stabilized since the day you awakened to your Persona, just like happened with all of us." He turned back to the lobby building and flicked his crossbow to the ready. "Okay, Hawk? Take to the flank guard. Rider, Fox? Up front with me." He looked up at the longcoated boy. "You think you're up to the front?"

Akira smirked and drew a black steel machete even bigger than his previous over-sized survival knife. "When am I not?"

Afternoon
Togo's Temple, Hall of Interns

No sign of the damage caused by their first fight against Big Green lingered, but the Phantom Thieves defeated the patrolling Shadow and made their way to the far door. Unlike the open field last time, a short, covered walkway extended the short distance to a new palatial castle building. Etched above the door read 'Hall of Decay'. Akira stepped forward to read the placard, "I have no voice and yet I tell of all things. I have leaves but am no tree, pages but am no royal. I have a spine but no heart, no arms to toil."

Ryuji scratched his head with his square-studded club. "The eff is with this damn place an' all these nonsense poems? No animal's got a spine an' not a heart!"

Makoto rolled her eyes wide enough to be visible under her mask. "It's the classic hiding of clues within misdirection of any brain teaser, Reaper." She scratched her own head. "Though I confess I'm rather stumped by what kind of entity would have servants without being royalty."

Futaba stepped closer to read, her goggles making her attention look intense even if her posture was relaxed. "Page is in katakana, though. Maybe it's talking about a different kind than boys running messages for bigwigs?"

Akira shot straight. "Books!" Wood gears clacked behind the gate and it rumbled sideways into the wall.

Hifumi wrapped her arm snug around his and gave a broad grin. "I knew you'd get it."

Akira choked at the feel of her svelte body against his arm, and took a few moments to regain cognizance after she let go.

The Hall of Interns was filled with imagery of rods and people scrambling after yen notes, with plenty of bright colors even if just to highlight within the gloom. An active, but petty kind of cruelty. Light fixtures styled like drooping willow branches lit the Hall of Decay, though all in a dim grey that seemed to leech the color out of everything. The screen paintings in this hall showed flies, choking clouds, and emaciated bodies with weak arms reaching out from piles on carts. Exhibits of masked men and women with bowed backs and drooping shoulders stared at clocks and calendars.

Makoto lowered her shotgun, the gun-light unnecessary. "This resembles what a lot of people describe as their careers. I hope Big Sis doesn't feel like this about hers."

Hifumi took a hesitant step inside with them. "Mother… I'm partly responsible for this."

Ann shook her head. "You're not the one who made your mother become what she is."

"Not entirely, no," Hifumi replied. "But we were so close when I was a little girl. She taught me how to read and we'd spend long nights brushing each other's hair as the other one read. She taught me how to study, mnemonics for remembering numbers and math equations, how to balance the household budget and invest. We'd go shopping together for the parish's food and clothing drives." Her cloaked shoulders drooped. "I ended up spending more time with Papa because he was fun, he taught me how to play shogi and took me out sight-seeing between his tournament games or fundraisers."

Makoto stepped closer. "People need a little discipline and a little fun in their lives."

Movement rounded a corner and one of the patrolling Shadows spotted them before the Thieves could take to cover. "Intruders!" Its body shuddered and swelled into a black pustule, then burst into a towering, brawny green-skinned man with long dreadlocks and a pulsing orb where its stomach should be. Flanking it formed a pair of men with snake arms and serpent coils where the legs should be.

Dihya coalesced above Hifumi and the girl called, "I remember those smaller ones are resistant but not immune to fire as well as firearms."

Morgana shot one in the chest, and it hissed back. "Those scrubs are three yen a pair. Find a weakness on that big one before he starts exploding the whole hall around us."

Futaba shot it with her staff weapon. "Yeah! It's like Sparky Sparky Boom Man, with extra boom!"

The two serpent-men lunged forward, only to halt their advance when Ann swung her sword, extending it into a bladed whip slashing through the air.

Their advance still left them outside immediate support by the physical powerhouse, so Makoto surged forward to apply her studded gauntlets. A series of blows pounded into a serpent-man, but it survived her assault and lashed at her with both snake-arms. She parried one, but the other sank its fangs into her.

Akira ripped off his mask, "Get off! Nike!"

The woman in white, with winged sandals and bladed hoops coalesced, diving forward with a gymnast's grace and coming up with a twirl between both serpent-men and slashing at them. Both dissolved.

Big Green lunged forward, slamming a punch straight into Nike's face, sending it snapping back and toppling both the Persona and Akira.

"Fox, your Persona would be better than Oracle," Hifumi said as she held a hand to her face under her hood.

Futaba backed up. Yusuke squeezed off a gun burst as he advanced, then reached for his mask. "Goemon!" The kabuki-esque thief blew into what Akira still couldn't decide was either an axe or giant pipe, discharging a bolt of lightning into the burly enemy.

Big Green shuddered, but held its focus on Nike as it tromped forward with one leathery fist held high.

Ann snarled, "I don't think so! Freeze!" Carmen manifested beside the towering enemy with a pulsing energy orb in place of a belly, then snapped her thorned whip around its neck. Frost began to spread across its skin from the whip.

Big Green backhanded Carmen, knocking the Persona floating back and her whip slipping loose.

"Any help?" Yusuke surged closer, sliding out his katana and slashing with one smooth motion.

"I'm trying, it has a lot of strengths!" Hifumi shouted, Dihya above her with both its eye-decorated tower shields angled on the behemoth. "It's like trying to pick out the instruments missing from an orchestra when most of the others are playing louder than normal!"

Makoto rode Johanna past Big Green's legs, billowing fire, then swept Johanna around to try to catch and trip the muscled behemoth.

It stumbled just one step, then kicked the cycle-Persona and rider tumbling, then reached the still stunned Nike.

"Wind!" Hifumi cried out. "It's weak to wind!"

"Take my place!" Makoto shouted as she drove back on a fiery motorbike leaving a scorched trail.

Ryuji nodded. "Got it! Captain Kidd," he bellowed as he dashed up to the front. His skeletal pirate riding a tattered ship coalesced, leveled his arm cannon, and unleashed a howl of shredding winds.

Big Green took a step back with a snarl of pain.

Ryuji bared his teeth. "I thought you said he was s'posed to be weak to wind!"

"That is weak to wind," Hifumi retorted. "Look at how little it reacted to fire or blades."

Big Green brought up both its forearms into a wary guard and its belly-orb churned.

Futaba quavered. "I remember this part. This isn't good!"

At last, Akira's head stopped spinning and he pushed himself up, then dismissed the Greek goddess of victory. "This is the best boost I've got. Nekomata!" His fresh out of lockdown fighter growled behind her mask, the forearm blades extending past her hands glistening in the color-sapping light. She twirled through a short little dance before funneling a pulse of howling winds at Captain Kidd.

Ryuji jerked on his feet and inhaled like a runner on his second wind. "Awright! Let's do or die, Captain!" The skeletal pirate leveled his arm-cannon at the green monstrosity again, unleashing a sharp, concussive pulse of wind. Following behind that roared a torrent of leaves and tiny debris caught in a storm of shredding wind.

The combined winds slammed into Big Green and it stumbled back with a pained growl, the growing churn of its belly orb settling.

Ryuji gawked. "Holy shit, we did it!"

"It still stands!" Yusuke reminded them, using Goemon to send a bolt into the humanoid monster for good measure. Carmen likewise shot a bolt of ice into it, but held back in case somebody else had a better idea.

Akira clenched his gloved fists, his heart thrumming. "Round two!" Nekomata danced and twirled a funnel of tearing winds into Captain Kidd, his sails billowing before Ryuji aimed a finger-gun and his Persona unleashed another focused storm.

This time the scuffs and scratches across its skin and tattered leathers on its legs were more obvious. It tried to brace to charge another beam of doom, only for the Phantom Thieves to repeat the same successful formula.

So Big Green threw itself into a snap-punch into Goemon, knocking him flying and Yusuke tumbling to the ground with blood flying from his mouth.

Ann roared in anger, swinging her whip-sword in time with her Persona, cutting gashes across its face.

Big Green reared back a haymaker to pulverize the sensual dancer Persona.

Its fist met Dihya's tower shield, and the eyeblink after it retracted its hand, Carmen was in front of it again.

Akira and Ryuji stepped into that time to slam it with another enhanced windstorm. Carmen shot another ice bolt into the monstrosity as Ann knelt next to Yusuke, so Makoto rode back in on Johanna to help maintain an offensive rhythm until the boys could unleash yet another windstorm, dissipating the powerful Shadow.

As soon as he was down, Morgana approached the blonde and artist. "You two okay?"

Yusuke worked his jaw open and closed, then stood. "I believe Doctor Takemi's medicines will be sufficient this time." He bowed his head at Hifumi. "Thank you for discovering its magic vulnerability. The last time we battled such a foe it inflicted far worse injuries."

Ann nodded. "And it's not like Reaper would've hit it with wind otherwise."

Ryuji slammed the business end of his club on the ground. "Okay, first of all, I always hurt 'em more when I'm usin' Kidd's wind to go faster an' hit 'em harder. Swords were built for a reason. An' second, me an' my Persona are front-line ass-kickers. You let your Persona do all the work most of the time, an' you totally miss out on the satisfyin' crunch when you bash a baddie 'cross the face."

"Except this time," Morgana pointed out.

"Thieves can't afford to argue in the midst of a heist!" Hifumi stepped between them, her hands on her hips and her heavy cloak billowing. She rounded on the track star. "Besides, I was the one who took so long to detect its vulnerability."

Akira shook his head. "It's your first day—"

She held up a hand with one finger aloft. "A moment?" The smoldering red lights under her hood stopped on the class president. "Rider-san? You're looking a little green around the gills."

Makoto held her right arm with her left, though the longcoated boy noticed she avoided the bandage. "It's just a scratch, I don't want to hold everyone up because I'm not at one hundred percent. We don't want to waste energy."

Now that Hifumi pointed it out, Akira noticed her stance wavered. With anybody else he would blame it on poor rest or diet, but Makoto was fastidious and had a whole pre-bedtime ritual to ensure she got good sleep no matter her day. She'd tried to cajole the others into adopting it via chat several times. He let his P90 fall to its strap and approached. "That's one of Takemi's medicated bandages, you should be healed by now." She let him take her arm and peel off a corner. Swollen, black veins spread from a pair of glistening puncture wounds. The inside of the bandage was wet with blood. "Why didn't you say it was this bad?"

Makoto yanked the bandage the rest of the way off and angled her arm to try to get a better view. "It wasn't that bad or I wouldn't have settled with patching it up myself!"

Light twinkled as Hifumi dismissed her scanning Persona. "She's poisoned and it's dampening any attempt to heal her. Who has antidotes?"

Morgana's ears curled back against his head. "I've only been poisoned once, and it was by a Shadow deep in Mementos the first time I can remember escaping from it. It burned itself out before I got to the surface. It's been so long that I forgot to look for a countermeasure." His mouth trembled. "Guys, I'm… sorry."

Makoto shook her head. "If it's been since before Kamoshida, I can understand how it might be forgotten. Just hand me a fresh set of gauze to help control the bleeding. Hawk, find us a Safe Room. We can take stock there. This poison is cognitive so it's unlikely to cause lasting damage. Everyone else?" She raised a gauntleted fist. "We keep fighting. Vary your tactics in case something strikes up another realization in Oracle or Hawk." She returned to the front, hand on her hip as if daring somebody to disagree.

Morgana swallowed, then straightened. "That's my second-in-command. You heard her, everyone. Panther? You've enthralled and put Shadows to sleep before, take the front line with Rider. Joker? Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities. Oracle, hang back and help keep an eye out for Rider."

Futaba swallowed, but made a fist with her free hand. "I… I wanna fight with Joker. I know I may not be as high-leveled as you guys, but I'm a quick learner. Yeah, my muscles might not be as bulgy as Reaper's, but this is a place of the mind and I have brains!"

"Dude!"

Akira held his arms straight forward and took a shambling step. "Braaains!"

Holding still so Hifumi could finish tying a fresh square of gauze over her wound, Makoto laughed. "Okay, okay. Let's just get moving." She gave a nod to the shogi maestra and once the hooded girl pointed, they all started walking.

The Thieves wound their way through what had all the polished, flat planes of wood and subdued paintings of an art hall, but the winding topography of a swamp. They closed on a plastered wall to their right when Hifumi spotted another shrine-keeper Shadow on patrol.

Akira put a little extra oomph into his leap – had to make it look good for Hifumi when he cleared the Shadow's shoulder and ripped off its mask on the way. It swelled and burst into a bird with a three-meter wingspan and plumage the colors of the rainbow. Below it growled a red-furred dog the size of a man. The giant's squared cap angled at him and the orbiting spheres sped up.

"Nice job putting yourself on the wrong side!" Ryuji snapped.

"Shut up!" Makoto spun her fiery bike on its front flame-wheel to bash back at the big red dog with a scaled underbelly when it lunged at her.

The red-wrapped figure hovered over Hifumi. "Be cautious, that Kinich bears the power of radiation. If it stays out of reach, show it our force of modern arms!" Her hands pressed together as if in prayer and the glow behind Dihya's floating face mask intensified.

Akira reached for his mask as he called out, "Nekomata!" She wasn't as strong as Nike, but when Hifumi hadn't found a weakness to exploit one was as good as another. Her bracer-mounted claws sank into the dog-monster with great resistance.

Johanna spat a bolt of fire at the flier, which flapped to dodge.

The enormous bird opened its mouth and unleashed an off-white ray onto Johanna. She dissipated in a swirl of fiery motes and clattering metal panels, leaving Makoto throwing up on all fours.

The red dog leapt at her, forearm claws glinting.

"Kin-ki!" he called out, remembering the promise the twins made. It should be able to add a temporary shell of protection over one of his friends.

His golden oni coalesced and held one hand out in a pose like a Buddhist in prayer.

The monster dog reached its target, and after a flicker its claws scraped over one of Dihya's tower shields. Kin-ki's protective aura solidified around her like the unfolding armor of a Goa'uld. The next instant, Makoto was back before the dog, still on her knees.

Hifumi's glowing optics brightened and she shouted, "I have you now, servants of chaos!" Dihya lifted a tower shield and the light behind her floating face-mask shimmered. An aura like the armor appeared over both Shadows, but retracting until it folded itself away.

Futaba's staff weapon blast missed, but Ann's pistol shot bored straight into the roof of the bird Shadow's mouth and it collapsed to the ground.

"Oracle," Hifumi called out, "The Garm is vulnerable to Marcus' beams!"

Futaba cackled as she tapped her bracelet and transposed into her Persona. The twin prongs on the heavy glider seared into the red dog and it collapsed with a whimper.

The thieves fell upon the downed Shadows without mercy, and once those dissipated took to the door into another cognitive gap in the temple. Once safe inside, Makoto ate one of Haru's carrots and sat in what appeared to be an executive's lobby chair.

Morgana hopped onto the polished, dark wood table in the middle. "How are you feeling, Rider?"

"Much better," she said, sitting straight. She scratched at the back of her head. "I should apologize. I tried to tough it out on the front because I didn't want to scare Hawk away from helping us in the Metaverse. I know you have better reason to change your mother's heart than me, but after what she said about Dad and Big Sis…" Her fists clenched and she growled.

Hifumi wagged a finger. "A shogun and his retainers must know their limits or any battle is in peril."

Yusuke set his rifle on the table so he could sit back in the padded chair. "That was an unnecessary risk. Joker has been clear that Hawk's resolve was beyond reproach even before her Awakening." He pushed his mask up and those dark eyes fell on Hifumi. "What you did with your Persona… what exactly is it? Castling?"

Makoto looked over the shogi maestra. "She called it an interpose in the front Bailey. I know your Persona has shields, but doesn't it hurt you when you take a blow meant for one of us?"

Hifumi slipped her gloved hands under her heavy cloak. "It's all right, I don't bruise easily."

Akira stiffened. "Hif—Hawk, you can't just pretend everything's fine when you're hurt. It could add up and leave you open in the future."

Yusuke's toneless, "Are you really telling others to be forthright about vulnerability?" left the longcoated boy unsure if he was deliberately prodding or not.

Ryuji stretched out his shoulder. "Too bad Hawk can't, like, 'super-strength on everyone'. Like that time we all turned Rider into superwoman and she kicked mind-Sojiro's ass."

Futaba rounded on him. "You guys beat up Sojiro in the Metaverse?"

Yusuke folded his gloved hands together. "We defeated a cognitive likeness of Boss-san in your Palace. He was one of the powerful guardians trying to keep everyone from getting to your Treasure." His eyes came to rest on the longcoated boy. "As diverse as our Personas may be, you seem to pull a new trick out of your sleeve every time you pause for thought in the Metaverse. I don't suppose you've come up with a Persona with restorative power?"

Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana all leaped to their feet with a, "No!"

Hifumi looked over the Thieves. "What am I missing?"

Makoto sighed. "Some of the Shadows Joker turned into Personas should have restorative power, but Apsaras went berserk when he tried once in Mementos. Healed all the Shadows and weakened all of us, and he couldn't un-summon it until we defeated the Shadows. There's got to be some kind of block there."

Futaba scooted closer in on her padded chair. "On the plus side, Joker throwing some kinda buff taught Dihya a new move!" She clapped her hands together. "You oughta hit me with that an' see if I can learn new skill, too!" She dance-wiggled in her seat. "I never thought about bein' a blue mage before."

Akira slumped in his chair. "I don't think that's how it works. All of the people I've infused with power have a pretty strong rapport." His gaze flicked to Makoto. "Remember that time we tried to merge fire in the bank?"

Ryuji laughed. "Yeah. You set her on fire an' the boss whipped us for a round."

Hifumi straightened in her chair. "Actually, it felt more like what Oracle described as her realization that her Persona had a similar power to one used in front of her. There's so much new depth to having and using a Persona that I feel like I've barely begun to scratch the surface of what it means. Scanning Shadows just seems like the most important part of that, if like trying to pick out-of-tune instruments from a full, active orchestra. Identifying music is much easier when you have a single note or instrument played in isolation in front of you."

The artist nodded. After a last check-up, the Thieves readied to charge back into the temple.

AN: "for three yen" is a Japanese idiom implying incredibly cheap, often in reference to a miserly character.