Slowly but surely, the Phantom Thieves were making progress in Yoshiki's Kingdom. Now that they had some of the civilians on their side, they could begin mounting a proper rebellion. Their next order of business was tackling the Aizen Squad bases to free more of the enslaved citizens. "Our next mission is rather simple this time around!" Hifumi said while lifting a finger. She was feeling rather invigorated with the positive upswing in their ensuing rebellion. "We are to attack Yoshiki's strongholds and rescue the citizens trapped within! With the other citizens joining the fight, they may be willing to aid us as well."
"The cameras are still down too, thanks to Futaba and Ichinose." Morgana added. "We have our opening, but we don't know the locations of the strongholds..." They wouldn't really be able to make any moves without that.
"Leave that to us!" A citizen exclaimed with determination. Compared to their usual outfits, this one was a bit different. The most noticeable things were the red straps on their shoulders.
"Hm? What are those red straps you're wearing?" Yusuke asked after taking notice.
"Looks like a fashion statement." Mika suggested.
And she would be right! The citizen's expression changed; their eyes closed and it was clear that they were smiling. "These are a symbol of our resolve! They're a sign that we're willing to stand up to Yoshiki and put up a fight!"
"Oooh, so it's a sight of the Rebel Corps like in Erina's world!" Futaba liked the connection.
"Hah, you guys are really lookin' the part now! We'll be countin' on you!" Ryuji said with a grin. It really did feel like the winds of revolution were blowing in their favor.
"Hm..." Erina was lost in thought for a moment.
"What's up, Erina? Thinking of another tactless operation name?" Toshiro sad with a hint of a playful smile.
"Oh, I've already got a name." Erina replied with a grin. "Seizing The Opportunity Futaba and Ichinose gave us!"
"That's way too long!" Zenkichi exclaimed.
"I dunno, I kinda like it." Ichinose rocked her head back and forth with a grin.
"You're only saying that because your name is in it." Ren pointed out. Ichinose's smile widened in response to that.
"Too long." Hifumi shook her head. "Operation, Crushing Open the Gates, seems better."
"That one makes no sense either." Akechi shook his head.
"Um. How about...Operation Seize the Moment?" Ann tapped her chin.
"I like it!" Sophia beamed. "Operation, Seize the moment!"
"I think we have a winner!" Sumire added while grinning.
"I guess we can't argue with that one, huh?" Haru said with a slight giggle. Ann was feeling accomplished for coming up with a name that was agreed upon.
"I suppose that's the best we're going to get." Makoto had a faint smile. "But the moment won't be truly seized unless we do something about it We should head out once we're ready."
.
.
With the help of the knowledgeable citizens, the Phantom Thieves were able to close in on the first Aizen Squad base. When they arrived, the Aizen Squad were still stuck dealing with their disable cameras. "Huh, it's still not fixed!? Hurry up and get it back online!" A flustered squad member exclaimed. "If we don't do anything, Lord Yoshiki's hammer of love will come down on us!"
The group was able to slip inside of the building with ease. They could see many Aizen Sqaud members running around, trying to find a solution to the camera problem. "So this is the first base. It seems pretty hectic here." Erina pointed out.
"They're probably still scrambling from the cameras being down." Violet surmised. "This means we have a good opening! I didn't think it would take them this long..."
"We really messed up those cameras." Oracle said with a snicker.
"And we should take advantage of this and seize the building in one fell swoop!" Toshiro exclaimed. They had the perfect opening, after all.
"Shall we initiate with a frontal assault? We've already walked right through the front door!" Dragon said with an excited grin. She was ready to fight.
"Sounds like the best idea." Joker said with a nod. Right on that cue, one of the nearby Squad members noticed them approaching.
"Hey, who are you? Intruders!?" The squad member grunted. "We'll have your heads!"
"We'd like to see you try!" Skull said with a smirk.
"I suggest you surrender. Otherwise you will find this siege to be entirely unpleasant!" Dragon said while twirling her staff around. "The Togo Kingdom lends its aid to the revolution, and you will not live to see the glory days ahead!"
"Whaaaaaaaat is she doing..." Toshiro could adjust to a few things. The absurdity of the Metaverse, the way the Phantom Thieves fought, and even Erina and Ichinose's attitudes. But the way Dragon flipped the switch into...this, would never not surprise him.
"I think the atmosphere of this Kingdom has finally gotten to her." Oracle said with a sweat drop.
"Finally?" Panther knew better than that. "No, she's been waiting for a chance to say that since we got here."
"Oh, are we setting the Dragon free? I love this part!" Noir said with a grin.
"She can definitely do some damage." Wolf wasn't going object.
"Let the siege begin!" Dragon exclaimed.
"Hell yeah! Let's go!" Skull ran ahead to get things started, but he was immediately stopped when a door closed in front of him. "W-What the hell!? Did they close the doors on us again!? Are we gonna have to wait for them to open?"
"That'll put a hamper on things if we have to wait..." Violet grumbled.
"Nope!" Oracle gestured to a red switch that was nearby. "I think those switches are connected to the doors. If you step on them, the doors should open! I'll give it a try!" Since she wouldn't be fighting anyway, she could support the team by helping them through the base. She moved to the switch and luckily, it did activate under her weight. As it did, the first door opened up. "Let 'em have it!"
"What, they figured out the switches!?" An Aizen Squad member gasped. But their shock didn't last long, because Dragon came barreling through, twirling her staff in front of her at high speeds. She crashed through a number of Aizen Squad members, throwing them all off to the side as result. "Gaaaah!"
"Showtime!" Joker followed in right after Dragon. Since the Aizen Squad members she knocked away were all down, he was going to follow up. "Raoul!" Raoul appeared behind him and he threw his hand down, causing an explosion of curse magic to erupt outward in the form of Eiga. This finished off the group with ease. "Nice opening."
"But of course!" Dragon said with a thumbs up. Unfortunately, in order to progress forward, they had to make their way through another closed door. "This door is also closed, but the path behind us is open. Could it be that they work for every door?"
"Let me see!" Erina wanted to feel smart and figure this out as well. She noticed a blue switch with a few boxes nearby. She quickly ran over to it.
"Erina, watch out! Enemy!" Oracle warned.
Erina had a feeling that might be the case. it was the perfect spot for an ambush! She saw a sword coming out from behind a box and she quickly jumped back, avoiding it with ease. Once her feet landed on the ground, she pulled her spear out and spun it around, knocking the sword out of the attacker's hand. Before the Squad member could even voice their shock, Erina thrust her spear through them with ease. "I don't think so!" She said with a wide grin, before moving towards the blue switch. "I'm about to press it, so get ready!"
Sophie and Skull stood in front of the door, ready for Erina to act. "Ready!" The two of them exclaimed in unison. Erina stepped on the switch, and the door opened. However, waiting behind the door was a large Slammer enemy. As soon as the door opened, its large fist rocketed forward to strike Skull and Sophie. "Oh what the-!?" SKull was not expecting this, so he turned his body to take the hit for Sophie, but the two of them still flew back from the impact. "Gah!"
"Did you think you could just run in here like you own the place!?" The large Aizen Squad member laughed at their attempt.
"Skull, are you okay?!" Sophie asked. She felt the impact of hitting the ground, but Skull took the hit harder than she did.
"Yeah, I'm good!" Skull was able to shake that impact off. It hurt like hell, but he'd taken worse! So he sprang up as his mask burned off. "William, blast 'em away!" William appeared in front of Skull, firing off a strong Zionga to strike the Slammer and keep it paralyzed. Sophie quickly followed up by swinging her yoyos to knock the large Slammer backwards, causing it to barrel down several smaller Squad members as a result.
"Take that!" Sophie said with a grin. While the Aizen Squad members were trying to scramble back to their feet, she summoned Pandora in front of her. Pandora released multiple beams of light that incinerated the Aizen Squad before they had a chance to react.
"You're cutting right through their ranks, keep it up!" Oracle reported. At this rate, they'd clear the base in no time! "Huh, wait...this reading is weird..."
Queen leapt to the side from a large Slammer's incoming fist. She then planted her feet on the ground, and with a battle cry, she thrust her fist forward for a fierce punch at the enemy's chest. The large squad member swung in turn, causing their fists to collide. Queen held her ground and smirked slightly, before ducking low. She performed a quick leg sweep to knock the Slammer down, before springing into the air while summoning Agnes. The bike crashed down on the enemy, crushing them instantly. "What's the matter, Oracle?" She finally asked, as the others went deeper into the base.
"There's something here. I think it's on the ceiling!" Oracle said.
On that cue, everyone did lift their gazes upward. They saw a ninja hanging from the ceiling. Wolf blinked under his mask at the sight of it. "What the hell is that thing?"
"A ninja!" Fox pointed to the ninja in question. "So this Kingdom has the warriors of the shadows, do they?"
"I don't care what it is." Crow said while pointing his gun at it. "It's going to die." He shot at it, but the ninja vanished in a puff of smoke before his bullet could hit it. Before he could even show confusion, the ninja appeared in front of him, swinging a sword. He was fast enough to counter it, sparks flying from the collision. "I should've expected as much..." Spoken with a bit of annoyance, he shifted to the side and aimed another slash, only for the ninja to vanish a second time.
"Ninjas are elusive opponents..." Dragon spoke from afar, keeping a switch pressed so the doors remained open. "Catching them will not be so easy!" As she said this, the ninja appeared in clear view, only to move its hands a few times in the form of a jutsu. This then prompted two more ninjas to appear beside it. "..And they can do that as well!?"
"Did it clone itself!?" Violet asked with a shocked expression. "Do we have to deal with three of them!"
"How annoying!" Viper groaned, using her claws to paralyze an unfortunate Aizen Squad member nearby.
"There's still only one! But it's masking its presence." Oracle reported. "I don't think those clones are very study, but they can still hit you, so be careful!"
"Hide and seek, huh?" Wolf said while getting his pistols out. Right after he did, a shuriken flew past him, and he was barely able to dodge it by leaning to the side. Seeing such a weapon did surprise him. "What the hell was that!?"
"Shuriken, gramps! The weapon of the ninja!" Oracle explained, although this really didn't do anything to solve Wolf's confusion.
"Their weapons fly through the night, silently striking through the air!" Dragon said. This explanation didn't help either and just made Wolf sweat.
"I'd rather not deal with that at all, to be perfectly honestly." Wolf replied. A ninja appeared in front of him and he began to shoot at it. The bullets did land against the ninja, but it exploded into a puff of smoke after contact. "I'm guessing that wasn't the real one..." How annoying!
"I think I see it!" Violet flipped into the air, spinning around while slashing her rapier at the ninja. Her rapier stabbed into the ninja, but like the one with Wolf, it vanished into a puff of smoke. When she landed, the real one appeared and aimed a slash at her with a large shuriken. "Eep...!?" She brought her rapier up to defend, but she didn't need to, as Noir was the one to stop it with her axe.
"I dislike the ones that use so much trickery, but it feels great when you finally catch them!" With a wide grin, Noir spun around, using her axe to hurl the Ninja straight into the nearest wall! It crashed into the wall with a heavy impact, and Noir pointed her rocket launcher at it. "And now...!" And in the next instant, her position changed. She was the one against the wall, while the ninja was next to Violent again. "Huh!?"
"What!?" Violet gasped, taken by surprise by this sudden ninja tactic. "How did it..!?"
"Watch out, Violet!" Fox quickly moved in, swinging his sword as a trail of frost quickly travelled over the ground. The Ninja managed to evade this by leaping into the air, but right as it did, Panther's whip caught it by the waist. Joker's grappling hook also snagged it in the air as well.
"Too slow," Joker said with a sly grin.
"You're not going anywhere!" Panther yelled while swinging her whip down along with Joker, causing the ninja to crash straight into the floor. This left it stunned, and between Panther, Erina, and Violet. "Let's do it! Triple Threat!"
"All Out Attack!" Erina and Violet yelled at the same time, the three of them jumping the Ninja from all angles. They fired upon it and gave it no quarter! The Triple Threat tactic was more than enough to defeat the enemy Ninja.
"Nice work. That guy was getting annoying." Wolf wasn't exactly a fan of those kinds of movement tricks.
"That was the last one!" Oracle reported. "I guess he was like a mini-boss, huh?"
"Please speak normally, I will beg you at this point." Viper groaned, a palm pressing against her forehead. Oracle snickered in response. She was absolutely doing it on purpose to get a rise out of Viper.
"Now we just have to free the prisoners!" Mona declared with a wide grin.
"You got it. Let's get this done!" Panther said. It didn't take them long to find the locked up prisoners and free them. There was a look of confusion by the citizens as they were rescued.
"H-Huh? We're safe now?" A exhausted citizen asked as they were set free.
"That's right!" Sophie replied with a nod. "We are here to save you!"
"We're done over here." Ichinose turned to the others. "How is it going on your end?"
"That's everyone." Joker confirmed.
"I...I can't believe this. Who are you people!?" A surprised citizen looked to their saviors.
"Well...our names aren't important." Toshiro answered. "Let's just say we're taking a stand against Lord Yoshiki."
"I would argue our names are pretty important." Ichinose commented. Toshiro's brow twitched in mild annoyance, but he wasn't going to let her get to him...this time.
Meanwhile, the words that Toshiro spoke surprised the citizens. "A-Against Lord Yoshiki...!?"
"We were hoping you'd lend us a hand if you agree with our plan." Toshiro continued on. As soon as those words left his lips, he was met with the predictable expressions of shock and disbelief.
"D-Defy our lord? We couldn't possibly do such a thing..." Another citzen spoke, their voice quivering with uncertainty.
"Oh, don't worry. We won't force you into it." Toshiro said with a simple smile. "I trust you know of Yuki-san's teahouse? That's where we gather to prepare for battle. If you ever have a change of heart, you know where to find us."
With this information, the citizens could only nod slowly. "O-Okay. T-Thank you again for saving us." With this in mind, the citizens scurried off to return to their homes.
Erina watched the scene play out. Eventually, she could only let out a sigh. "Perhaps my heart isn't big enough to consider everyone's feelings." If that were her, she knew she'd try to plea with them passionately in hopes they agreed with her. Toshiro just left the choice up to them. "I just end up saying whatever comes to mind - I can't hold back and choose my words carefully like Toshiro."
"It comes with experience." Joker replied to Erina's worries with a faint smile. "Besides, your approach isn't inherently wrong either. Everyone's different. You're the fine the way that you are."
"Haha, I guess you're right." Erina was able to shake that off with a smile. "Sorry, did I worry you? I promise I won't be so reckless."
"Don't lie to us." Viper replied with a deadpanned expression. Erina quickly glanced to the side with her usual aloof expression. Viper called her out but she wasn't going to verbally acknowledge it.
"I think we should move onto the next base while we can." Wolf said while looking around. "Are the cameras still down?"
"That's right." Ichinose said with a grin. "They won't be up again for a while. We really gave them a lot to work with."
"Don't worry about the other citizens! We'll escort them to safety." One of the new rebels told the group.
"Then the conquest continues!" Dragon said with a firm nod. With this in mind, the Phantom Thieves hurried over to the next Aizen Squad base.
.
.
They entered the next base easily. It was a bit of a mess, presumably due to all the scurrying around, but that just made their infiltration easier. "It looks just as hectic in here as the last one." Wolf said while taking a quick look around.
"Let's take control of this place." Queen said to the others. "Should we use the same strategy as before?"
"Indeed!" Dragon said with a nod. "We can topple them before they know what hits them."
"Yes. Let's show them what those fists of yours are capable of." Toshiro said with a cool smile. He then had a thought. "By the way, I've been thinking about this for a while now, but your outfit reminds me of something, thought I can't quite put my finger on it."
"You don't wanna go down that road, dude." Skull warned.
But once Toshiro got started, it was too late to stop him. "I think it may have been a manga that stirred some controversy with the PTA...was it Fist of the-!?" He stopped. Queen's quizzical expression turned into an ice cold glare that sent a shiver down Toshiro's spine. "...!? U-Um. Queen? Why do I feel like my life is suddenly in danger?"
"Whoa, hey. Queen. The crime you're thinking of is very illegal and you know it." Wolf said, stepping between the two. He had to be the law enforcer here!
"I think he should finish that thought. I want to see what happens." Viper said with a faint snicker. Ichinose nodded in agreement.
"What is it with these women and bringing pain onto me!?" Toshiro thought to himself.
"Are we done messing around with manga references? We've got people to save!" Oracle had to get everyone back on track.
"Yeah! We'll crush 'em and-!" Before Skull could finish, Erina noticed something in the far end of the building.
"Hey, look over there!" Erina pointed over.
There were two weakened citizens kneeling before a large Aizen Squad member. They long hit their limit and were begging for some kind of mercy. "I...I can't move..."
"They're hurt! We have to help them!" Erina exclaimed.
"Okay, but how? That thing next to them looks like trouble." Mona pointed out. It was a valid observation.
"We need to approach this carefully. Acting rashly will just put them in danger." Joker said.
"I have a plan." Erina said.
"Oh no." Viper and Toshiro said in unison.
"I'll cut a path deep into enemy territory. Then, once I make sure they're safe, you guys take care of the rest." Erina said with a firm nod.
"There you go again, being more impulse than person!" Viper threw her hands up. Right after Erina just finished saying she wouldn't be reckless anymore.
"...I'm assuming you won't be taking no for an answer, will you?" Toshiro had a feeling about where this was going.
"That's our commander for you! You and Viper know me so well!" Erina said with a wide grin.
"I suppose we don't have much of a choice." Dragon said with a small shrug. "We can make it work, I assure you."
"We'll cover you, Erina!" Sophie exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, this was the only plan I could think of. I'm counting on you all!" Erina said before sprinting forward.
"...Seriously, that girl is a headache." Viper lifted her mask specifically to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Who did you know that was so annoying?" She looked at Toshiro, who waved his hands.
"Don't look at me! I don't remember!" Toshiro replied. Although, as he watched Erina run ahead, he could once again see her shift into someone else. He winced slightly at the thought.
"Whatever the case, we're going with this now. We're clearing the base anyway. We just need to ensure Erina doesn't get overwhelmed." Crow said while walking forward. This base worked the same as the last one. "More buttons. Great."
"She might need our help getting through." Fox said with a nod.
"Then let's give her a helping hand!" Noir had her axe at the ready. Unfortunately for the Aizen Squad, they had no idea what was coming to them.
The door opened and Erina ran through it. She encountered a few Aizen Squad members that were surprised to see another person. "What the!? An intruder!?" The pulled their swords out to try and stop her, but she already had her spear at the ready, cutting them down before anyone had a chance to interrupt her.
"Sorry, but I'm the least of your worries!" Erina exclaimed as she turned a corner, right past a few Aizen Squad members. They tried to fire at her with their guns, and she was quick to duck behind some boxes as cover. Considering she was the first one they saw, she had a lot of their attention.
"Don't let her in!"
"Capture her, in the name of Lord Yoshi-AGH!?"
Before they could finish, Fox slipped by them with his sword, cutting them down in an instant. "The name of Lord Yoshiki will be rendered meaningless soon enough."
"Thanks, Fox!" Erina waved as another door opened. She quickly stepped through it, making her way deeper into the base. A large Aizen Squad member stood in her path, rearing its fist back. Swung at her the moment she turned the corner, and she brought her spear up to defend it. "Whoa...!?" She was thrown off her feet and hit a wall, grimacing from the impact. "Ow..."
The Slammer quickly approached to try and finish the job. It punched at Erina, but she was able to move in time so it struck the wall instead. Right after that, Erina thrust her spear forward to knock it off balance, and then she kept going. The job was finished by Crow, who came behind her to destroy it Hereward. "This is irritating." Crow hated playing cleanup. This plan was awful in his mind, fueled by Erina's desire to help people.
The others did their best to cover Erina as well. As she made her way deeper into the base, the Phantom Thieves took on the other areas that were not yet aware of the conflict. It helped that they were all scattered about because of the issues with the cameras. These advantages compounded into an easy conquest of this base.
"They're so disorganized, they can barely muster a counter." Ichinose remarked from the side with Toshiro.
"Just what we want." Toshiro said while adjusting his tie. "Dragon said that disarray at the bottom will slowly make its way back up to the top. I see what she meant by it now."
With the help of the Phantom Thieves, Erina quickly made her way to the weakened citizens. Of course, she was stopped by the one Squad member that was pressuring them to begin with. "Who are you!?"
"I'm here to save them!" Erina said while throwing her hand into the air. A large spear manifested above her and slammed into the Squad Member. While it was stunned from the blow, she pulled out her gun and began to open fire. "Outta the way!" This assault was enough to take the enemy down, and she let out a small exhale afterward.
Considering what they just saw, it was only natural for the citizens to be confused. "W-Who are you...?" One of them asked Erina.
"You'll rescue us...?" The other one asked.
"That's right." Erina said with a soft smile. "My friends are taking care of the rest as we speak. C'mon, I'll get you guys outta here."
.
.
With the second Aizen base cleared, everyone regrouped as well. "That's one more base taken care of!" Noir beamed. "I'm glad it went well."
"We've freed the citizens inside." Violet reported. "It sounds like everyone is accounted for as well."
"You're free now. It's alright - come, take my hand." Erina said gently, extending her hand to a citizen.
The citizen accepted Erina's hand. "Thank you. But there are still some people trapped over there..."
"Don't worry, we'll take care of them as well." Dragon replied with a smile.
"Geez! There are so many people here..." Viper said while rubbing the back of her neck.
"She's right. Do we even have enough hands on deck for this?" Skull asked.
"Shut it! It's a miracle we can get anything done with those monkey paws of yours!" Mona shouted.
"Knock it off, both of you!" Dragon suddenly exclaimed. The sudden rise in her voice caused Skull and Mona to stiffen, as they were reminded how scary she could be when she was serious. "We don't have the luxury of time."
"She's right, keep it moving." Wolf said. He and Ichinose were already getting to work in freeing the citizens. It took a while, but they were able to free everyone in the second base.
"Is that all of them?" Panther asked while looking around.
"Looks like it." Joker reported. "That's two bases down. Think we can squeeze in a third?"
"Mmmmm...I...don't think that's likely." Ichinose tapped her foot and looked to Oracle. "It's about that time, isn't it?"
"Yeah!" Oracle said with a few frantic nods. "We gotta get outta here, and fast! The cameras are about to come back online!"
"Already?" Violet gasped.
"I suppose we've had a bit too much free reign. It was bound to happen." Crow figured this would happen sooner or later.
"Damn, I guess that's the extent of what we can manage." Toshiro grunted. Admittedly, he was hoping they could rescue a few more people. But what they did manage was still sufficient enough. "We should return to the hideout for now. We can plan our next steps from there."
"Alright, guys. Let's move out." Joker ordered. Everyone nodded and they made a swift retreat to return to Leblanc.
The first step of the revolution was nearing completion. Soon, it would be time to take the fight to Yoshiki himself...