Not long after they had located the Will Seed, they found what appeared to be a pool deck.
"Hey hey! Come look over here, everyone!" Eiko called.
Eiko directed their attention to some windows, where they could see down below.
"Woah! A giant pool!" Futaba exclaimed. "It's hard to believe that something like this could be on a ship."
"Yeah, can't say I was expectin' something like this when we first got here." Ryuji mentioned.
"Well, it's not nearly as big as the giant pool that's off the ship!" Ren their side.
"It looks like we can get down there from the stairs over there" Makoto said, pointing to a room.
They navigated down to the pool, on the deck of the boat, glancing around for their next target.
"Ok, so where is this noble guy…" Ann trailed off.
"Maybe he'll have a crown or something." Eiko wondered.
"I… suppose that's not impossible, but I think that he'd most likely be wearing swimwear."
"Ugh, but everyone's in swimsuits!" Ryuji groaned.
"Oh! What about that guy?" Ann asked, pointing to an older man being attended to by several servants, unlike the other guests.
"That looks like our guy!" Ryuji grinned, running ahead.
"Skull, wait!" Morgana called.
Ryuji ran up to the man while he was relaxing in a chair by the pool.
"Yo, what's up, dude?" Ryuji greeted.
She resisted the urge to sigh.
It was very hard.
"Nice day, huh?" Ryuji grinned. "Uh, well, aside from the menacing red sky and all."
The man said nothing, continuing to lounge in his chair.
"Uhhh, guys, you got any ideas?" Ryuji asked.
"Please sir, we promise that we'd only take up a small amount of your time." Makoto insured the man.
"Uuuuuuuh… We've got a kitty!" Eiko offered, holding up Morgana.
"Do I look like a bargaining chip to you?!" Morgana yelled.
"Sorry, but please leave me be." the man requested. "I don't have time for you rowdy children."
Well, at least he was slightly more polite about it than the last one.
Ryuji scowled. "Why you little-"
"No, no, we apologize for our lack of manners." Makoto said, quickly cutting him off. "We simply wished to know if you would be so kind as to grant us a letter of introduction."
"To Shido-san, I presume? Sorry, but much like myself, Shido-san is a very busy man. Men like us simply cannot be bothered to meet with just anyone. I have made the personal decision to only introduce those with a prestigious lineage."
"Ah, I see…" Makoto trailed off.
"I am afraid that just by looking at the way you carry yourselves that your lineage is not one of status and wealth, am I correct."
It seemed like they weren't getting anywhere with the man like this.
"W-Well, sorry for bothering you." Makoto replied. "If you'll excuse us.
She directed everyone over to the corner of the room in order to regroup.
"The hell's up with that guy?!" Ryujin scoffed. "What's all this about a noble lineage? Did he really have to be actin' all and mighty like that?!"
"We're just going to need a better approach." Makoto pointed out. "Walking up to him and asking, 'What's up?' isn't going to work."
"True, but I don't think our approach will matter if he isn't willing to listen to us in the first place." Morgana stated. "So what are we supposed to do?"
"We'll just need something to catch his attention." Ren said. "We'll have to show him something that'll get him to pay attention."
"Oh, I see…" Eiko nodding, eyes darting over to Morgana.
"Stop it!" Morgana hissed.
"Let's try asking around, then." Ann suggested. "If he spends a lot of time around the pool, maybe some of the other regulars will know something about him."
"That sounds like our best course of action right now." Makoto nodded. "Let's get to it!"
The pool area was large, but open, so there wasn't much risk in splitting up.
But after a bit of snooping, the only thing that they were really able to find out is that they could also get swimsuits rented to them here.
"So, you guys weren't able to find out anything either, huh?" Makoto sighed.
"Well, the fitting rooms are through the door on the other side." Ren mentioned. "I suppose the swimsuits will help us fit in more, but…"
"Hmm…"
Ann glanced over to the former nobleman, watching as there was the smallest of breaks in his cool facade. As his eyes, beneath his mask, lingered for just a few seconds too long on a group of women passing by on their swimsuits.
"I've got it!" Ann exclaimed. "I know exactly how we're going to get his attention!"
"Oh? You really have a plan?" Eiko asked, the others also looking at her in surprise.
"H-Hey, don't look so shocked, you guys!" Ann snapped. "I can come up with plans too, ya know!"
"Well, let's hear it." Makoto requested. "I'm open to ideas at this point."
Ann told the others the idea that she had come up with.
It was… bold, to say the least. But maybe it was also exactly what they needed.
"Are you sure about this?" Makoto asked. "I'm sure we could come up with something different if we thought about it some more."
"Don't worry! I've got this!" Ann chirped.
The plan was simple. Ann would walk over in her swimsuit and charm the man into getting them a letter of introduction, with the others hanging around nearby just in case things went south.
"Ok, but like, couldn't we just beat him up?" Eiko questioned.
"Shh!"
She swiftly shh'd Eiko as Ann approached.
She carried herself with a shocking confidence, immediately getting his attention.
"Oh? And who might you be?" the man asked.
"I'm quite charmed to meet you, Sir!" Ann chirped. "My name is Ann Windsor."
She stopped herself from letting out a gasp.
"The eff?! Is she tryin' to act?!" Ryuji questioned.
"Uuuuuuh, we do have a plan B, right?" Eiko asked.
"Yeah, don't worry, we do." Ren nodded. "Plan B is the one where we punch people."
"Oh, cool!"
"Please have a little faith, people." Makoto sighed.
"My father is the descendant of British royalty." Ann continued.
The man immediately sat up straighter, now paying very close attention to Ann.
"... I beg your pardon?" The man said.
"I've brought over several friends of mine. The children of my retainers, you see." Ann continued.
"Ahh, so are you half British then, Ann-chan?" the former noble excitedly asked.
"I am." Ann lied.
"Ah, yes, now that I have good luck at you, I can easily tell that your features are entirely different from Japanese girls." the man noticed.
Ann let out a regal sounding laugh.
"People tend to have such misconceptions, but that isn't me." Ann explained. "My hobbies include tea ceremonies. Then again, my father forced me to learn the art."
"I see… I sense a noble aura that is different from most girls." the man complemented. "Yes, much different from that strange group that tried to speak to me before."
"Oh, really?" Ann asked.
"Commoners, most likely." the man scoffed. "No matter how much effort a commoner exerts, they can never bridge the gap between themselves and those of noble birth."
"Yes, you're absolutely right!" Ann beamed. "I do feel a little sorry for that group."
"Yes, to think that they would be so bold as to ask me for a letter of introduction." the man laughed.
"A letter of introduction, hmm?" Ann asked. "How funny that you would mention that! I was about to request one myself, you see!"
"Were you now…" the man trailed off.
"If you would be so generous as to grant me one, I will consider introducing you to my father." Ann offered.
"Oh? Then consider it my way of sending my regards to him." the man agreed.
To everyone's surprise, the man immediately went to work writing the letter of recommendation, handing it over to Ann.
"Thank you kindly!" Ann beamed.
"You're very welcome, dear, and my… I must say, you look wonderful in that swimsuit!" the former noble complimented. "And such an incredible body as well. You look like you could be a model."
"Ahahaha! Y-Yes, so I've been told." Ann laughed.
Suddenly, the man grabbed her arm, slowly stroking it up and down.
"Tell me, my dear, did you make sure to put on sunscreen?" the noble asked, a suggestive tone to his voice.
"A-Ah, of course I have. Wouldn't want to hurt my skin." Ann answered. "Really, there's no need to put anymore on, so you can let go now…"
"Of course, of course." the man said, not really paying attention. "In fact, I'm very interested in deepening the… relationship between our two noble bloodlines!"
"E-Excuse me?!" Ann exclaimed.
She attempted to pull her arm away, but the former noble held firm.
"We should head somewhere a bit more private." the man suggested, his grin widening. "Perhaps you'd like to try on some swimsuits in my room?"
"I said… Stop touching me, you perv!" Ann snapped.
Ann forcibly pulled her hand back, having lost all patience with the man.
"W-W-What?!" the man gasped.
"All I wanted was the letter of recommendation! I didn't agree to anything else!" Ann shouted "Now go away, you creep! You molester!"
"Now hold on a second!" the man roared, attempting to grab her again. "I can't have you going around spreading any nasty rumors now, can I?"
"I think it's a lot more than a rumor at this point!" Ann snapped.
"If this turns into a shadow like that politician, then we'll have to help out!" Makoto ordered.
"Oh, Plan B then?" Eiko asked.
Well, technically, plan A had already worked, but…
"Yeah, Plan B!" Makoto called.
In an instant, they had surrounded him, the man's eyes darting each of them one by one.
"W-Wait a moment… Who are all you people?!" the man gasped.
"Just keep quiet and there won't be any trouble." Ann promised.
"Hold it… It couldn't be… Y-You all must be the Phantom Thieves!" The noble realized. "How dare you set me up like this! I'll never let you leave now!"
"Never thought I'd see the day someone fell for Panther's acting…" Ryuji groaned.
"Is now really the time for that?!" Ann snapped. "Let's just take this creep down!"
The man's body began to shift, bulging and growing in perturbing ways before bursting into red and black ooze, reshaping himself into a menacing manta ray.
"Everyone, let's take him down!" Makoto shouted. "Raja Naga!"
Makoto called forth her Persona, attempting to blast the noble with bolts of lightning.
The noble dodged out of the way, so she quickly pursued, firing off several bullets.
The shadow's eyes glowed an eerie color, and the bullets suddenly stopped in midair… right before turning around and heading straight towards her.
"What?!" Makoto gasped, dodging out of the way.
The manta moved to assault her with waves of psychic energy, but was stopped when another blast of lightning zapped him from above, stunning it.
"Nailed ya!" Ryuji grinned.
Before the manta could think to counter, it was ambushed by rays of light.
"Haha, gotcha!" Eiko cheered.
The shadow's eyes narrowed before beginning to glow an odd color once again.
"Wha- Hey, what are you doing?!"
Eiko suddenly found herself not able to control her own broom, the shadow sending her spiraling out and sending her crashing into a bunch of beach chairs.
"R-Rude!" Eiko huffed. "W-Wait, hold on- AH!
The shadow struck her with its psychic energy, blasting her into the water.
Ryuji tried to zap the shadow again with another Ziodyne, but the shadow was prepared, the lighting only grazing it as its eyes glowed again.
Ryuji suddenly started stumbling around, struggling to keep his footing as he frantically looked around the deck of the ship.
"H-Hey?! W-Where'd ya go, you bastard?!" Ryuji stammered.
Completely confused, Ryuji was powerless to resist as the shadow shot out more psychic waves, knocking him all the.
The shadow continued to dodge out of the way of all of their attacks, countering with blast after blast of psychic energy until…
"Hey you! Look over here!"
The former noble narrowly dodged a column of fire before turning to face Ann, its eyes widening as it gazed at her.
But it wasn't long before its eyes began to glow.
Psychic energy flew towards Ann, only this time… it was in the form of a heart.
"Panther!" Makoto shouted. "Be careful, it's trying to use Marin Karin on y-"
"THAT IS IT!" Ann snapped. "I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU!"
Shocked with her sudden outburst, the shadow was unable to dodge the torrent of flames she had unleashed upon it.
The shadow wailed in pain, caught in the flames.
"I'll roast you like the pig you are!" Ann shouted, pulling out her gun and unloading into the shadow.
When the storm of fire and bullets finally ended, the group found the former noble sprawled out on the ground, back in his human form.
"M-Mercy… Mercy, please!" the man begged.
"Alright, we did it!" Ann happily chirped. "That wasn't too bad!"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuugh." Eiko groaned, soaking wet as she climbed out of her landing spot in the pool.
"... You know, even if she is on our side, a part of me just can't help but be nervous at the prospect of getting boiled by these flames." Yusuke whispered.
"Honestly? Same." Eiko nodded.
"What was that?" Ann asked.
"Nothing!"
"You've got the second letter, Panther?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah, I got it right here!" Panther grinned, holding it in triumph. "And hey, my acting's really improved, hasn't it?"
"Heh… Guess so." Ryuji smirked.
"Good. Only three more to go now." Makoto nodded.
Panther turned to the noble, still sitting defeated on the ground.
"So were you asking Shido for mental shutdowns too?" Ann asked.
The man glanced around, really not wanting to answer her question.
Unfortunately for him, he was surrounded, and it took one glare from Makoto before he spoke.
"...Contrary to past methods, gaining wealth through lineage alone is quite difficult these days." the former noble began. "That's why I begged to be allowed on Shido's ship."
"Answer the question." Makoto stressed.
"In return for introducing wealthy nobles to him, I requested he enact mental shutdowns for me."
"I see… There were probably others like you, then. That would explain why so many powerful people are in Shido's corner." Yusuke noted.
"Lord Shido is extremely cautious of the passengers he chooses." the man continued. "And even once they arrive, once they fail him, or have outlived their usefulness…"
The man's eyes wandered again, this time to the vast ocean beyond the ship.
"I see." Makoto realized.
"Hah… Hah… Man, three more of these, huh?" Eiko gasped, panting for air.
"Witch, are you going to be alright?" Makoto asked. "You aren't looking too good."
"Y-Yeah, I'm all good." Eiko nodded. "I just need a moment to rest, that's all."
She did look completely exhausted, but Makoto decided to trust her,
Their business with the noble done for now, the group continued onward.
They continued to navigate the maze of hallways, vents, and doors that was Shido's Palace.
Eventually, they found themselves at the back deck.
"There are guards crawling all over the place here." Ren frowned.
"They look tougher than the other guards we've been fightin'." Ryuji observed. "You think they're tightenin' security?"
"It wouldn't be surprising. We've taken down two of our targets, after all." Morgana pointed out. "We'll just have to be careful."
Attempting to prioritize getting to their targets, Makoto carefully led the others across the back deck, avoiding the tightened security on their way to their next destination.
"Alright, everyone, let's go through here and-
"And just where do you think you're going?"
The Thieves whipped around, seeing an older man with glasses and a suit approach them with a smug grin on his face.
"Who the eff are you?" Ryuji asked.
The man's grin faltered. "Wha- How dare you! Are the children of today so ignorant and uneducated that they can't even recognize me? Shido's rule can't come soon enough…
"No big deal, he's probably just one of the cognitive guards." Eiko shrugged. "He probably doesn't even have a name."
"Upstart little-" the man scowled, before clearing his throat. "I am… The esteemed director of the SIU!"
"Right… You're Sis' boss." Makoto noted. "And another one of our targets."
"A target? Is that so?" the man grinned. "And what do you mean by that?"
"We would formally request that you grant us a letter of introduction to Shido-san." Yusuke spoke, giving a bow.
"Is that right…" the SIU director trailed off.
He paused for a moment, making it seem as if he was seriously considering the offer.
But the grin on his face told them otherwise…
The SIU director snapped his fingers, and in an instant, was flanked by two security guards.
"No."
The guards morphed into winged creatures with goat heads.
They looked way too familiar…
"Uuuuuugh, not this thing again!" Eiko groaned.
"It is my job to ensure that Shido-san's is kept free from rabble like you. I won't allow lawless Thieves to infiltrate this vessel any longer!"
The two shadows attacked, instantly flinging two fearsome fire spells at them.
"Move, everyone!" Makoto shouted.
The group scrambled to get out of the way of the oncoming spells, attempting to counter back spells of their own.
"Get in close!" Makoto advised. "They'll have a harder time casting their spells we if interrupt them!"
"Way ahead of ya!" Ryuji grinned.
Ryuji ran in close, slamming his club onto the back of the shadow's head, while Yusuke quickly followed with a slice of his sword, finishing it off.
"Yeah, take tha-AHH!" Ryuji yelled.
Yusuke grabbed Ryuji and pulled him away right before another blast of fire could strike them.
The other shadow, learning from its comrade's demise, pressed its back to the door, preventing a sneak attack.
"Ugh, he's totally camping!" Futaba groaned.
The remaining shadow held back, firing spells at whoever got too close.
Ann fired off a spell of her own, her flames and the shadow's spell colliding, causing smoke to go everywhere.
With the smoke obscuring their vision, the Thieves rushed in, attempting to take it down.
Eiko moved in from above, shooting off a small burst of light.
… Right before she was struck with a bolt of lightning.
It had, thankfully, not been a direct hit, but the shadow had been able to partially discern her location with the shine of her attack.
"That's it! You're done!" Makoto shouted.
Her fist collided with the enemy's face, hitting it so hard that it went crashing through the door, landing in the hallway before dissolving into nothingness..
"Is everyone ok?" Makoto asked.
"Y-Yeah…" Eiko mumbled, Ann and Haru healing her up. "Just a little drained."
"It looks like the SIU director ran off during the fight." Ren noticed. "What now, leader?"
"Leave him for now. I'm sure we'll run into him again soon enough." Makoto ordered. "Let's keep going through here. There will hopefully be a safe room soon."
"Y-Yeah… that's… great, Queen…" Eiko muttered, trailing off.
Despite being fully healed, she still looked exhausted.
Eiko's eyes started to flutter, and then suddenly began to fall.
"Witch?" Makoto questioned. "WITCH!"
Makoto quickly caught her before she collapsed.
"Witch, what's wrong?!" Makoto cried.
"Queen, we gotta get to a safe room, now!" Morgana cried.
Makoto nodded, rushing to get her out of there.
"Everyone, let's move!" Makoto commanded.
"It's just as I thought." Morgana frowned.
They had all gotten Eiko to safety, although they had to fight a few more enemies along the way.
The others looked concerned at her condition as Morgana and Makoto examined her.
"She ok?" Ren asked.
"She'll be fine." Queen assured them. "It's just…"
"She hadn't fully awakened to her persona." Morgana explained. "Because of that, fighting with it is a lot harder, and takes a lot more energy."
"Yes, of course!" Haru realized. "So it's the same as I was back then…"
"It looks like it." Makoto whispered. "But, if she can't fully bring out the power of her Persona…"
"Then it might be better for us to not bring her in the future." Morgana finished.
"... I understand." Makoto whispered.
"Queen…"
Her eyes widened, seeing the hurt look in Eiko's eyes as she had regained consciousness.
"How much did you hear?" Makoto asked.
"All of it…" Eiko admitted. "So are you really going to…?
"I'm sorry…" Makoto trailed off.
"Ok…"
Their operation cut short, they returned to the real world in order to get Eiko to safety.
12/2 Monday
Days Until Ballot Count: 16
They would need a few days to restock their supplies before heading back to the palace.
Shido's palace was, unsurprisingly, a gauntlet.
She sat in the attic of Leblanc, mulling over her next move.
"Hey, there's someone here to see you." Sojiro called.
"Oh, all right." Makoto called.
She heard someone climbing up the stairs, and…
"Oh." Makoto realized. "Uh, hello…"
"Hey, Prez…" Eiko muttered. "How's it going?"
"Eiko, I… um…" Makoto trailed off.
She tried to think of something to say.
Anything to say.
But the words just wouldn't come out of her mouth.
What could she even say at this point.
She didn't regret her decision of forbidding Eiko from joining them from now on…
But seeing the barely contained despair on her face right now, she wished that was another way.
Some other way that she could have done things.
She knew this was for the best… But why did even the best choice have to string…
"I…"
"It's ok. I understand." Eiko said, her tone flat. "In the end, I was just… a burden, right?"
"Eiko, no, that's not-"
"It's ok." Eiko repeated, a little more forcefully. "You don't need to sugarcoat it. If it wasn't the truth, then I wouldn't have passed out, right? I wouldn't have gotten everyone into danger, right?! I wouldn't have delayed you in try to change the heart of this man that's going to ruin this country and kill y-"
"Enough. Don't worry about that. We will beat him." Makoto promised.
"I know." Eiko admitted. "I know that, if anyone would be able to pull it off, it would be you. But I wanted to be there by your side, supporting you… Not making things even harder for you instead."
"Eiko, there are… Still plenty of other ways you can support us." Makoto insisted. "Just knowing that you're on our side helps so much."
"But that's… What if I want to be more than just some bystander!" Eiko shouted. "What if I want to actually be able to accomplish something!"
"Eiko, there's no need-"
"Y-You don't understand! It's true that I really do want to help you guys, and other people too, but…" Eiko trailed off. "I also want to be someone."
"Be someone?" Makoto questioned.
"Yeah! When I got a Persona, I thought, for just a second, that I could actually accomplish something, you know? That I wouldn't just be a burden or a failure to everyone."
She wasn't sure how to respond as Eiko poured her heart out to her.
"I guess… I just wanted to be someone… who my parents wouldn't just ignore or be ashamed of. Someone my brother wouldn't hate. Someone that people actually like." Eiko continued.
"Eiko, I-
"But… Also…"
"Also what?"
"More than anything else… I wanted to be someone just like you." Eiko said.
"Like… me?" Makoto questioned. "I… I don't-"
"It's ok. You don't have to say anything." Eiko muttered. "I can't be angry with you. It just… hurts to have even you see me as a burden. And it hurts even more to realize that you're right…"
With those words, Eiko walked off.
She wanted to believe her.
She wanted so desperately to believe her.
But deep in her heart, she knew that, despite Eiko's words…
It was as if their bond had been severed in two.
FAITH CONFIDANT: BROKEN
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 10 MAX
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 9
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 9
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 9
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 8 BROKEN
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 9
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 10 MAX
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 9
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 10 MAX
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 9
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 9
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 6
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 7
THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 7
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 10 MAX
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 8
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 10 MAX
THE HERMIT - Futaba Sakura: Rank 7
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 9
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 8
THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa?: Rank 6
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 8
THE JUDGMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 7
THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 9