"Conveyor belt sushi… what a shame…"
"Beggars can't be choosers, Akechi." Sae pointed out.
"I suppose so." Akechi sighed.
The two of them grabbed their sushi before sitting at a table.
Unfortunately, it seemed that a few people in the restaurant recognized Akechi.
"Woah, is that Akechi-kun?!"
"I want his autograph!"
"Who's that grey-haired lady with him? Is that his mom?"
As Akechi dealt with his fans, Sae found herself growing more and more annoyed.
"Sorry about that, Sae-san." Akechi said, trying not to chuckle. "Or perhaps I should call you mothe-"
"Don't even think about it!" Sae snapped, glaring.
"My apologies, I couldn't resist. How's everything been with you, Sae-san?" Akechi asked.
"I suppose… I've been a bit on edge." Sae sighed.
"Try to calm down, Sae-san." Akechi advised. "All this stress will turn your hair gre… err, I mean…"
"What was that, Akechi?" Sae muttered, eyes narrowed. "It sounded like you were about to say something about my hair. My silver colored hair."
"Oh, of course! Silver!" Akechi nodded. "Whatever you say, Sae-san."
"I was just working on a case at the moment." Sae mentioned. "The defense has been rather bothersome."
"How so?" Akechi asked.
"They keep insisting that I allow them to talk to their client." Sae responded.
"Are you going to let them?" Akechi wondered.
"I will… as soon as I get a confession." Sae bluntly stated.
"That's… how long have you had them in custody?" Akechi replied.
"A little over a week now." Sae answered. "They're not a hardened criminal. Simply a high schooler. I expect that they'll crack soon. If not, I'm able to hold them for a few more weeks."
"Doesn't that seem… a little intense for a high schooler?" Akechi frowned.
"They're guilty of transporting drugs for a criminal gang." Sae explained.
"Even so…" Akechi trailed off.
"Nothing I'm doing is illegal." Sae pointed out. "These are all things that I'm able to do as a prosecutor."
"Even so…" Akechi trailed off. "The powers given to you as a prosecutor are given with the understanding that you'll be acting in good faith."
"I'm working to take down members of a criminal gang. How is that not acting in good faith?" Sae scoffed.
"...What is this really about, Sae-san?" Akechi inquired, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you so fixated on this?"
"The gang that kid was working for… I think that they might be connected to what happened three years ago." Sae muttered. "I need information. Anything that I can get."
"Ah, I remember you mentioning something like that." Akechi recalled. "I know that you don't trust the official report, but…"
"I have to find out for myself what happened." Sae insisted.
Akechi frowned. "The police probably won't be very fond of you questioning their work. You should try to maintain a good relationship with them. Otherwise it could harm your career. "
"...I know." Sae sighed. "But I have to. This has been bothering me for so long… I need to know what really happened that day."
"Even so…"
"Akechi." Sae cut him off. "It sounds like you don't want me to do my job. To bring these criminals to justice. Even if I'm wrong, and that what happened to my father is exactly as the police said, we still need to take care of the criminal gang that's become far more aggressive as of late."
Akechi's face twitched in annoyance as he racked his brain trying to think of how to respond.
"...Of course, Sae-san." he smoothly said. "I was simply concerned about any harm this could have on your career, and how that would affect you… and your little sister."
Sae seemed taken aback for a moment, but swiftly regained her composure. "I see. Regardless, I have to see what I can do."
The two finished their meal in silence, Sae paying for the food before leaving.
After he left and satisfied that he was alone, Akechi let out a scowl.
"That woman's sharper than I thought." Akechi scoffed.
He would have to make a few calls later…
5/31 Tuesday
"So, we're changing the principal's heart?"
After school had finished for the day, she had gathered everyone up at Leblanc to discuss the plan.
"That's right." she nodded. "It was requested by Ann… and thinking about it, I agree that we have to do something about him."
"He's been trying to pin us against each other, and tried to blackmail you." Ren added. "I agree with going after him."
"That bastard also tried to cover up Kamoshida's crimes!" Ryuji yelled. "He's had this coming for a long time."
"He certainly sounds like a truly vile man." Yusuke noted. "Changing his heart will also mean no more spying or attempts to keep us apart."
"Sounds like everyone's in agreement." Morgana noted.
"Then let's spend today making preparations." she ordered. "Medicine, lockpicks, and anything else that we might need."
"Before that, while I assume he has one, we should probably check if he has a palace just in case." Ren brought up.
"Good idea." she nodded, entering the principal's name into the Metanav.
Match found.
"Just as I thought." she said. "The principal does have a palace."
"I'll start getting some supplies." Ren offered. "We can work out the codewords later."
After working out a few more details with the others, they ended their meeting for the day.
After meeting with the others, she went to go home, but she felt her phone buzzing along the way.
She pulled it out, seeing that she had gotten a text.
Eiko: Hey Prez, I'm free right now. You wanna get some sweets together?"
Eiko: There's so much that I need to tell you!
She smiled. She had already gone over the group's supplies, so it would be nice to relax for a little bit.
She texted a reply to Eiko, telling her to meet her at a nearby sweet shop, and set out.
"I'm glad that you're feeling better, Eiko." Makoto brought up.
The two girls sat at a small table, enjoying their sweets.
"I was feeling pretty down at first, but I started to feel better when I saw Dr. Maruki for therapy." Eiko told her. "He gave me some really helpful advice.
"Oh, that's good." she smiled. " is a really nice man, isn't he?"
Eiko nodded. "I was a little skeptical at first, but it sounds like he really wants to help people. Oh, but I'm not even finished yet!"
"Oh really?" Makoto asked. "Did something else happen?"
Eiko eagerly grinned. "Weeell… I met this guy named Tsukasa. He's… amazing, Makoto! The two of us just like, clicked with each other!"
"Oh, so you made a new friend. That's wonderful, Eiko." she smiled.
Eiko's face reddened, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Yeah… he's wonderful. A-And just the other day… he… he…"
"What did he do, Eiko?" Makoto wondered.
"He asked me out!" Eiko squealed, taking her by surprise.
"H-He did?!" Makoto stammered. "But you haven't known him for long, have you?"
"I know, I know, but like, we've really hit it off!" Eiko defended. "He's charming, funny, and he's pretty cute too! But also… he pays attention to me, and asks me how my day is going. That's… probably what I like the most about him."
"Eiko…" Makoto trailed off.
After seeing the… strained relationship Eiko had with her brother, she felt relieved that she had been talking to people who cared.
"I said yes, of course!" Eiko beamed. "We've been dating for a few days now."
"Congratulations." Makoto expressed. "Does he go to Shujin?"
"No, he's a few years older than me." Eiko explained. "He's a club host over in Shinjuku."
"A club host in Shinjuku…" she mused. "And a few years older than her…"
That immediately raised a few red flags. Her sister and father had always warned her about the predatory men who took advantage of young women there, and some of the cases they had dealt with in the area.
"You look a little skeptical." Eiko noted, reading her expression. "But really, he's a great guy!"
"Have you told anyone else about him?" Makoto inquired.
"Well, no… but I doubt my parents would care." Eiko shrugged.
She still couldn't help but feel a little concerned for her friend.
"Oh, I've just had the greatest idea, Makoto!" Eiko exclaimed. "We could have a double date!"
"A… double date?" she repeated.
"Yeah!" Eiko grinned. "It'll give you a good excuse to finally ask out your crush!"
"R-Ren is not my crush!" she insisted.
"I never mentioned a name." Eiko giggled.
"Oh come on!" Makoto protested. "You're always teasing me about him!"
Eiko continued to giggle. "You know, Prez, Tsukasa was pretty interested in meeting you when I told him about you."
She raised an eyebrow. That… also seemed very strange.
Still… maybe she could see for herself what he was like.
She just hoped that Ren wouldn't mind...
"Well… maybe I'll consider it." Makoto replied.
Eiko gave another squeal, taking Makoto's hands in her own.
"Hell yeah! You go, Makoto!" Eiko yelled. "I'm sure your 'Renren' will say yes! Especially if you wear that new outfit of yours!"
She tried to fan herself as she felt her face heating up.
What would Ren think of how she looked in her new outfit.
"W-Wait?! Why am I thinking about this?!" she thought.
"Anyway, speaking about your outfits, I was thinking of changing my look one of these days too." Eiko brought up.
"You were?" Makoto replied.
"Yeah… maybe something like what you normally wear." Eiko suggested. "How would you describe it."
"Describe it? Well, I suppose I would call them functional. Practical. It looks nice… but I don't know if I'd call myself beautiful in them…"
"Aww, come on, Prez, don't sell yourself short!" Eiko pleaded. "You look great!"
"T-Thanks, Eiko." Makoto mumbled.
As the two of them continued to talk about other topics, she could feel her bond with Eiko
Faith Confidant: Rank 3
"Thanks for the sweets, Makoto." Eiko expressed. "I'm… happy to have a friend like you.
"I'm happy to have you as a friend too." she smiled.
They said their goodbyes, and she went home for the day.
6/1 Friday
"Alright. Is everyone ready?"
The entire group had gathered close to Shujin, ready to storm Kobayakawa's palace.
"We still need two code words, right?" Ren asked. "Guess we should try and guess the location."
"Let's start simple. Shujin Academy." she guessed.
Match not found.
She frowned. "Where else could it be?"
"Does he have a house somewhere in the area?" Ren asked.
"I don't think so. There isn't much besides office buildings and stores in Aoyama-Itchome."
Her phone dinged, signalling that she had gotten a keyword.
"Wait! His palace is the entirety of Aoyama-Itchome?!" she cried.
"Most take up a really large area." Morgana commented.
"Well, alright! Only one keyword left!" Ryuji grinned.
"Now for the source of destorition." Ren said. "That one… will be tricky."
"Ummm… school?" Ryuji guessed.
Nothing.
"Park?" Morgana guessed.
Still nothing.
"Let's think about this." Makoto said. "The principal… most of his actions have to do with making the school, and himself, look good."
"He wants people to look up to him and the school… to worship them, even." Ren added.
"Worship… that's a good word for it." she nodded. "And you worship… at a church?"
Match not found.
"I think we're on the right track." Yusuke engorged. "Perhaps a shrine?"
Match not found.
"Then… maybe a temple?" Ren suggested.
Match found.
"Hell yeah!" Ryuji grinned. "Now all we gotta do is begin the na-"
"Hold it!"
They all quickly whipped around, seeing Ann staring at them.
"Niijima-san… were you going to…?" Ann trailed off.
"Just about to." Makoto replied.
Ann glanced around at the boys. "So, the three of you must be Phantom Thieves too. Is that right?"
"Takamaki-san, was there something you needed?" she asked, trying to change the subject
"If you guys are going to change the Principal's heart, then let me help!" Ann requested.
She immediately shook her head. "Absolutely not!"
"Why not?!" Ann exclaimed. "I want to help you!"
"This ain't a game, Ann!" Ryuji grumbled. "This is gonna be really dangerous!"
"Dangerous? What are you guys going to do?" Ann asked.
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Ren shrugged.
"So, what, it's a secret?" Ann replied.
"If everything goes well, the principal will end up confessing like Kamoshida and Madarame." Makoto informed her. "We have everything under control."
"But there has to be something that I can do to help!" Ann insisted.
"Why are you so adamant about assisting us?" Yusuke wondered.
She already had an idea why.
"Takamaki-san, Shiho doesn't blame you for-"
"I know that!" Ann cut her off. "But… I…"
Ann's fists were clenched, her entire demeanor showing barely repressed anger.
The principal had no doubt caused her a great deal of grief as well.
She took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn't regret what she was about to do.
"...Ok, you can come… but on a few conditions." Makoto relented.
"Makoto, are you sure?" Ren asked.
"I understand what she's going through." Makoto answered, before turning back to Ann. "But even so, we need to lay down a few ground rules."
Ann raised an eyebrow. "Ground rules?"
"First of all, anything that happens during this operation is not to be discussed outside of this group." Makoto started.
Ann nodded her understanding.
"Secondly, if I give you an order, you follow it." Makoto instructed..
"O-Oh, ok." Ann stammered, surprised by Makoto's sudden serious seriousness.
"Makoto here's our leader, the Queen." Ren grinned. "Queen's orders are absolute."
"And finally, if I think things are getting dangerous, you're leaving." Makoto finished.
Ann frowned, but didn't argue, knowing she wouldn't be allowed to help otherwise.
"If everyone's ready, then let's go." Makoto said.
Beginning Navigation…
They found themselves in a part of a town, much like before.
Only this town was far less advanced, appearing to be from Ancient History.
"The hell? Did we land in the Middle Ages or what?" Skull asked.
"...About a thousand years before then, I think." she guessed.
She tried to get a better grasp of her surroundings… but it was rather hard with Ann's screaming.
"Oh my God! Where are we?! How did we get here?! Who are you people?!"
"Lady Ann, please calm down!" Mona exclaimed.
"AHHH! Why is there a mutant cat talking to me?!" Ann sheiked.
"Takamaki-san, calm down!" Queen cried. "It's just us!"
Ann's eyes widened, taking a better look at them.
"N-Niijima-sempai?" Ann gasped. "Why are you dressed like that?"
"It's complicated…" she sighed. "But I suppose that we should explain."
They did their best to explain everything about the Metaverse, codenames, and the process of stealing hearts.
Some of it went over Ann's head, but she seemed to grasp most of it.
"So… we just need to find the treasure, then send the calling card to steal it." Ann summarized.
"That's the gist of it." Joker confirmed.
Ann nodded, before turning her head towards Morgana. "So, what about the cat?"
"Well… First of all, Mona's not really a cat. He claims to be human." Queen explained.
"B-But you can call me a cat if you want, Lady Ann!" Mona stammered.
"Maybe she should call him desperate instead…" Skull muttered.
"Mona, do you have an idea on where the treasure could be?" Queen asked.
Mona glanced around before pointing his paw up north.
On top of a large hill stood a large citadel overlooking the town. Large walls of white stone prevented them from getting a good look inside.
"Hmm… if this palace encompases all of Aoyama-Itchome, then that looks like about where Shujin is located." Makoto noted.
"Makes sense." Ren said. "Let's get moving, then."
The group made their way through the town, keeping an eye out for enemy shadows along the way.
The more she looked at the town, the more she realized how much the town was in disarray.
Trash and muck lined the streets, and the walls on the houses were cracked and falling apart.
She saw several people starving or passed out in the streets. At least, she hoped they were just passed out…
"This is awful…" Skull muttered, voicing what they all were thinking.
Queen nodded, continuing to monitor her surroundings.
Another thing that she noticed was many men and women, dressed in dirty, ragged tunics, were carrying different objects, from gold and silver, livestock, food and wine, and many other items.
"Hey, aren't some of these people students from Shujin?" Ann asked.
On closer examination, she realized that she was right.
She quickly got in front of one of the students.
"Excuse me?" she asked. "Where are you all going?"
"You don't know?" the student asked. "Every day, we travel up to the citadel to give offerings to our Lord Kobayakawa at the temple."
She couldn't help but clench her fists as the student walked off.
"Tch… that bastard thinks that highly of himself?" Skull grumbled.
"Can't say I'm surprised." Ann frowned.
"Looks like this temple will be our best bet." Makoto informed them, trying to keep her anger in check.
The Thieves followed the group of people along a path out of the village and to the entrance of the citadel.
At the entrance was a gate manned by two fearsome looking guards that looked like gladiators from an arena.
Seeing that the entrance was heavily guarded, she quickly ordered everyone to hide.
"There's no way they'll let us into that citadel." Morgana grumbled.
"Well can't we just bust in?" Ryuji grumbled.
"That would alert every single guard in the citadel." Makoto pointed out.
"Hang on, won't they let me in?" Ann asked. "I'm not dressed in a mask or anything."
"That's a good point." Ren acknowledged. "If some other students are here, then the principal likely has a cognition of you too."
Ann grinned, happy to have found a way to be useful.
"Alright, first we'll need to find a change of clothes for Ann." Makoto started. "Then, we'll need to find a way for her to sneak us in."
They made their way back to the town, hoping to accomplish their goals.
The first task was simple enough. Many of the people in the village hung their clothes outside of their houses to dry, so it was easy to find a tunic that fit Ann.
But finding a way to sneak them inside took a bit more planning.
The large walls of the citadel prevented them from entering anywhere but the guarded entrance, and the last thing she wanted was to alert all of the guards while Ann was with them.
As they tried brainstorming, she spied a couple of people carrying barrels, no doubt filled with food or other tribute.
"I have an idea." Queen told them. "Let's see if there are any other barrels around."
"You think we can hide in them?" Ren wondered.
She nodded. "Ann, do you think you could convince some of the people here to help you carry some barrels?"
"Oh, sure, I can do that!" Ann promised.
"I remember seeing some empty barrels near the gate." Fox recalled. "We should start there.
Sure enough, the group quickly found some barrels, all of the Thieves picking one to hide in, listening in on Ann nervously gesturing to the guards.
"What is it, peasant?" the guard grunted.
"Heeey, guys." Ann greeted, putting on her 'acting' voice. "Could you, like, give me a hand with these barrels? I totally wanted to offer these to, um, the prin- er, Kobayakawa."
She resisted the urge to groan.
"That's Lord Kobayakawa to you!" the guard yelled.
"O-Oh, right, right!" Ann quickly nodded. "P-Praise Kobayakawa!"
"What exactly is in those barrels?" the guard asked.
"O-Oh, you know, just… regular food and stuff." Ann lied, her arms nervously swinging from side to side.
"What kinds of food?" the guard asked.
"Oh, well, you know… fruits like apples, and oranges, and grapes… I-I grew them all myself, actually, just for Lord Kobayakawa!" Ann claimed. "I-I'm a bit of a farmer, actually!"
"Ugh, who the hell is gonna believe her acting?" Ryuji whispered.
"I thought it was rather convincing..." Yusuke replied
"Quiet!" she hissed.
The guards stared at her for a few tense moments before one of them shrugged. "Fine. Where are the barrels?"
"Oh, thank you so much!" Ann chirped.
Ann directed the guards to the barrels, who picked them all up and carried them into the citadel.
Ann tried to get a good look of her surroundings in the citadel.
Everything inside of the citadel seemed a lot cleaner and tidier than the village outside.
She held back a scowl when she saw the giant statue of Kobayakawa near the entrance.
She also spied what appeared to be a colosseum towards the back, and various small shrines and temples built around the citadel.
Unlike the homes from the town, the temples were in pristine condition, supported by ornate marble pillars.
The guards brought her to the largest temple, located in the center, dwarfing every other building in size.
The interior was just as impressive as the exterior, as more pillars held the marble walls. The top of the temple was dome shaped, a hole in the ceiling allowing her to look at the sky above.
As the guards led her down a small corridor, she noticed that the floors were absolutely spotless, although she thought the yellowish-beige tiles to be a little too gaudy.
The fact that they reminded her of the principal's ugly suit didn't help.
Finally, the guards led to a chamber filled with gold, food, and many other treasures.
At the other end of the room sat their target... Kobayakawa himself.
He looked mostly the same as he did in the real world, but his clothing was different. He wore a red toga over a white undershirt, and a golden laurel wreath atop his head.
As he reclined on his throne, several servants attended to him. Some of them were fanning him while another servant peeled and fed grapes to him.
The entire sight disgusted her.
"Oh? What's in these?" Kobayawaya grinned.
"More fruit, my Lord." the knight answered.
"Wonderful!" Kobayakawa grinned. "Put it with the rest."
The guards placed the barrels down, before trying to escort her back out of the citadel.
"Now or never." Ann muttered. "Everyone, now!"
The others burst from their barrels, pointing their guns at Kobayakawa.
"What is the meaning of this?!" The principal roared.
"Surrender and take us to your treasure!" Queen commanded. "Now!"
The shadow scowled. "So, you must be those Thieves I've heard about. Guards, capture them!"
The guards charged up to them, morphing into colorful red birds with silver wings.
"We don't have time for this!" Queen shouted. "Johanna! Mafrei!
Even now, she still managed to find use for Johanna. While she didn't quite excel in anything, being more of a jack of all trades, it grew stronger at a steady pace, meaning she wouldn't need to be replaced like other Persona.
Once again, Johanna proved to be reliable, blasting her foes with nuclear energy, stunning them long enough for Ryuji to finish them off with a blast of lightning.
"Those guards were far too easy…" Queen muttered. "Wait! Kobayakawa is gone!"
"And so is Ann!" Fox pointed out. "We have to find them!"
"H-Hey! Let go of me, you jerk!"
Hearing Ann's voice, they raced out of the temple, trying to find their companion and the fleeing shadow.
"Over there! Towards the coliseum!" Ren called.
"Hold on, Lady Ann!" Morgana called. "I'm coming!"
More guards quickly showed up, hoping to stop them from following.
"We don't have time for this!" Queen shouted.
"Then what are we waiting for!" Ryuji yelled, picking Mona up and holding him above his head.
"AH! What are you doing, Bonehead?!" Mona cried. "Put me dow-"
"YEET!" Skull yelled, throwing Morgana into the air.
Morgana let out a scream before transforming into his van form, crushing the guards beneath him.
"Everyone, get in!" Makoto ordered, quickly taking the wheel.
She started the car as fast as she could, leaving the guards behind. She drove into the coliseum, the entrance thankfully being big enough for Morgana to fit through.
As soon as they entered the colosseum, a gate shut behind them.
"We're trapped!" Fox shouted.
"Hahahaha!"
They glanced above the arena and into the stands, spying a laughing Kobayakawa and a tied-up Ann.
"Let her go!" Makoto commanded.
"Never!" the shadow roared. "Not only do you refuse to pay me tribute, but you conspire against me, and try to steal from me!"
"Tribute?!" Queen yelled. "So many people are suffering under your leadership! Your supposed to be protecting students, but the only thing you care about is yourself!"
"Is it so wrong to have ambition?" Kobayakawa scoffed. "I am slowly rising to the upper echelons of our country! Why don't you envy me?!"
"There's no way we could ever envy someone as rotten as you!" Ren shouted.
"You're nothing but a bunch of delinquents!" the shadow exclaimed. "Time for some discipline!"
A gate on the other side of the coliseum opened, several gladiators pouring into the arena.
"Kill them all!" the principal shouted. "I don't care how many of you it takes!"
The gladiators morphed into black haired women with the lower bodies of snakes.
"Flash Bomb!" Makoto cried.
She severed on Johanna in front of her foes, blasting them with energy and stunning one of them.
Mona and Joker riddled it with bullets until it fell, but had to quickly dodge when the others started throwing fireballs at them.
"Fox, blast them with Ice!" she commanded.
Fox nodded, knocking both of their opponents to the ground with chunks of ice, while the rest of them easily dispatched them.
"Heh… that all you got?!" Ryuji smirked.
"Hardly." the shadow scoffed. "Bring in the next wave!"
More gladiators poured into the arena, these ones transforming into blue haired women who, instead of a stomach, had a giant silver wheel for a midsection.
Immediately, they blasted the entire group with strong winds, blowing them all off of their feet.
"Ahh!" Queen cried as she slammed into the ground from several feet in the air.
She quickly pulled herself despite her body's protests, seeing that that attack had done a number on everyone. Even Mona, who resisted wind attacks, had taken some damage.
Seeing that the enemy were preparing another attack, she made her move.
"Sudama!" she called. "Wind Wall!"
As Morgana healed their wounds with a Media spell, she cast a barrier that lessened the damage from the wind.
"Mona, keep us healed! Joker, lower their power! Skull, blast them!" she commanded.
In times like this, she needed to use her leadership skills to the best of her ability.
Her friend's lives depended on it.
"Fox, let's get in close!" she yelled.
Fox and her rushed one of the shadows, Ren using Tarunda on it so it couldn't fight back as well.
The other shadow ran to help, but was blasted by Ryuji's Zio spell.
As Ren ran to deal with the finishing blow, Yusuke and her finished off the first one.
Mona healed their wounds, but she could tell that the group was getting exhausted.
"Ha! Well you may not worship may, but at least you're entertaining." Kobayakawa grinned.
"That's… just all it comes down to, isn't it?" Makoto panted. "You don't care about anyone who isn't useful to you or worships the ground you walk on. And you try to silence anyone who points out any of the horrible things that happen under your leadership."
The principal scowled. "It's all of your fault. Because of you, Kamoshida is in jail! He was the one that brought so much fame to the school in the first place!"
"And what about all of his victims?!" Queen snapped. "What about Shiho?!"
"Hrmp… it would be much better if they learned their place and kept quiet!" the principal muttered. "And that girl… she ruined everything! Her attempted suiside drew tons of negative attention from the media, and things have only worsened since then!"
Ann glanced over, eyes narrowing.
"She didn't even have the decency to try and kill herself at her own home!" The principal spat.
Ann curled her bound hands into fists, glaring at the principal with all the hatred she could muster.
"You really are a monster." Ren glowered.
"Oh, I'll show you a monster!" The principal snapped.
One last gladiator rushed into the arena.
"Hah! You've only got one soldier left?" Skull taunted.
"Don't underestimate it." Queen warned.
The gladiator began to morph, their eyes widening when they say the shadow before them.
"Oh shit…" Skull muttered.
Before them stood an absurdly large and muscular creature, standing at least 12 feet tall.
The blue creature had three heads, each with three eyes, and countless arms that looked strong enough to crush stone.
"Everyone, fire now!" Queen shouted.
All five of them fired all the bullets they had, but when they had finished, they found that they had dealt hardly any damage to the creature.
Skull and Fox tried to fight it head on, matching power with power.
Skull only managed to get a few hits in before the creature grabbed him with multiple arms, slamming him into the ground and tossing him aside.
"Skull!" Queen cried as she and Mona rushed to heal him.
"Tarunda!" Joker shouted, lowering the creatures's strength.
With the creature weakened, Yusuke was able to sneak around it and strike multiple times, but the creature's other heads quickly noticed him, and attempted to charge itself up.
"Is it using Tarukaja?" she thought, before her eyes widened. "Fox, run!"
Before Fox heard her warning, the creature had regained its full strength, grabbed Fox, and threw him into a wall.
Next, the creature turned its eyes on Ren, recognizing him as the one who had weakened him.
"So, you're pretty tough, but let's see how you do against magic!" Joker smirked, sending an Eiha towards the creature.
Panic flashed across Ren's face when the spell was completely nullified by the creature.
The shadow slammed its fist into Ren's face, sending him sprawling across the arena.
"Get away from him!" Queen cried, running to face the shadow herself. "Psio!"
With Sudama still her active persona, she blasted the shadow with psychic energy.
The creature cried out in pain, but still wasn't finished. It gave a deafening roar before increasing its power even further, barraging her with its numerous fists.
Each fist felt like getting hit with a sledgehammer, but she still refused to give up.
"Not… yet…" she muttered.
Up in the stands, the principal turned towards a still enraged Ann, smirking.
"I have to thank you… you've been a great help." the principal said. "You brought the Thieves right to me, just like you said. Now I can silence them for good.
"Shut up…"
Immediately, the principal began to glare. "What did you say?"
"I said… you've pissed me off, you fat asshole!" Ann screamed.
"My… it's been far too long."
Ann's eyes suddenly widened, glowing a bright yellow.
"Tell me… Who is going to protect them… protect her… if you don't?"
Ann cried out in pain, trashing in her binds.
"Forgiving these men who would take advantage of you was never an option… Such is the scream of the other you…"
"W-What's going on?!" the principal stammered, shuffling away in fear.
"I am thou, thou art I…"
Ann gave one last blood curdling scream before drooping her head.
"We can finally forge a contract."
"I hear you… Carmen." Ann whispered.
As Ann raised her head, a red, cat-like mask appeared on face.
"You're right." Ann agreed. "No more holding back!"
"S-Stop this at once!" the principal pleaded, fear evident in his tone.
Blue flames flickered over Ann's body, burning her rope bounds to nothing.
"There we go… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself."
Ann's hands immediately grabbed at her mask, desperately trying to rip it off.
'Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength.
With one final cry, Ann tore off her mask, spattering blood over the stands as a blue pillar of light surrounded her.
Both her and the creature couldn't help but glance at the flames, feeling the explosion of energy all the way in the arena.
"N-No way…" she stammered, no other words coming to mind.
Suddenly, a large red fireball came bursting out of the pillar, slamming into the creature's back before it could dodge.
For the first time, the creature fell to the ground, and a lithe figure jumped from the stands onto the creature's back, slamming her heel into it.
Makoto gasped when she saw that it was none other than Ann Takamaki, now sporting a red latex catsuit, pink gloves, dark red thigh high boots, and a clipped-on tail.
Behind her stood her Persona... an elegantly dressed woman with black hair and a red dress and heels, smoking a cigar as two strange men connected to her by vines vied for her attention.
"I won't let myself be bound to someone else's will any longer!" Ann declared. "Not to Kamoshida…"
She turned her head, glaring at the principal.
"And not to you!" she shouted.
Ann brought out a whip, lashing the creatures back again and again, taking out all of her repressed anger.
The creature tried to grab her with its arms on it's back, but Ann quickly pounced off before glaring at the principal again.
"This school took everything from me!" Ann snapped. "And you just stood by and watched! When I'm done with this beast… you're next!"
The principal began to panic, trying to find a way to escape.
As the creature slowly rose to its feet, she could feel herself getting healed. Glancing upwards, she saw Ann extending a hand to help her up.
"Come on." Ann gently smiled. "We promised to protect Shiho and the others, didn't we?"
She smiled back, taking her hand before facing the creature.
Both girls dodged the creature's giant fists, going to opposite sides.
"Be careful, it's made itself much stronger." Queen warned.
"Don't worry, I've got this." Ann said confidently. "Dekaja!"
The creature's strength instantly decreased to more manageable levels.
The large shadow tried to chase after Ann, but Queen was having none of it.
"Frei!" Queen cried, blasting the creature with nuclear energy.
The creature changed course, running towards Queen, while the other heads kept an eye on Ann.
Ann stuck a pose, winking at the shadow. "All yourssss."
The other two heads had their jaws drop, completely entranced by Ann.
The three heads began to fight amongst each other, trying to go in different directions.
Ann fired an Agi spell, slamming into the creature, this time leaving them with several burns.
"Now's our change!" Queen shouted.
Ann shot another Agi spell, while Queen fired another Frei spell, causing a tremendous nuclear explosion that engulfed the entire creature, reducing it to nothing.
As soon as that happened, however, Ann collapsed to her knees.
"Takamaki-san!" Queen cried, rushing to her aid.
"Where… is the principal…" Ann muttered.
She glanced around the arena. "Looks like he managed to escape."
"Then we… need to chase after him…" Ann panted.
She shook her head. "Not now. That shadow did a number on us, and you're exhausted from awakening to your Persona. We'll retreat for now and come back later."
Ann frowned, but didn't argue.
She gathered the group, and retreated from the palace.
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 3
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 3
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 3
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 1
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 1
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 2
THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2
THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3
Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 15.9%