|| 6/25 Saturday ||
|| After School ||

At the hideout, Mikono scrolled through the myriads of posts discussing the recent calling card. She couldn't help but smirk at reading some of the comments and reactions. There were even tons of pictures of the calling cards scattered across all of Shibuya. She put her phone away and smiled in Makoto's direction, "Amazing job, Makoto."

The student council president smiled back. "Thank you, Mikono. It was thanks to you I was able to think of the perfect place to post the calling card. Kaneshiro must surely have been contacted about it."

Morgana glanced between the two girls. "You both truly are the brains of this Phantom Thieves operation! Ryuji, you should follow their example!"

Ryuji glared at the feline. "Y'know, I'm the one who went postin' it everywhere, right?! I even had to get all dressed up so they wouldn't notice me!"

Mikono threw an arm around his neck and hugged him. "You may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but we still appreciate what you do for this team. We all have weaknesses and strengths."

"See?!" Ryuji smirked, wrapping his arm around Mikono. "I was helpful, you little furball!"

Makoto intervened before a fight could break out. "Come now, we don't have the time for idle chitchat. Let us get moving."

Ann pushes herself off the railing. "We're going up against a truly horrible criminal this time..."

"That dick ain't gonna stop us now that we got our awesome new member!" Ryuji declared, releasing the inky-haired girl. "Makoto! You remember how all this works?"

"Once we steal the treasure, the palace will crumble and the palace ruler's heart will change," she said.

"Wow, you got that quick!" Morgana expresses his surprise. "I think Ryuji's still struggling to comprehend it all..."

"Evil adults are nothing more than garbage, and I am no better... I will resolve this, I swear it!"

"Sounds like you're fired up!" The cat's tail swished back and forth as his eyes focused on Akira. "All right, Joker! Give us the signal!"

Knowing everyone's determination to bring an end to the terror caused by Kaneshiro, Akira didn't wish to waste another second. "All right, let's go. It's showtime."

Mikono took out her phone and activated the Meta Nav.

<--------------<<<<<

Inside the Metaverse, the Phantom Thieves made their way back to the underground vault and rode the elevator down to where the treasure is located. When the elevator reached the lowest level of the bank, they stepped off. Unlike their previous visit, the vault was sealed and multicolored spotlights illuminated the large room.

Queen noticed figures looming in the distance, seeming to be waiting for them. Among them, she spotted their target. "Is that Kaneshiro?!"

"He was waitin' for us!" Skull spat.

"Let's not keep him waiting, then," Sphinx said.

As the group approached Kaneshiro and his men, their attention was drawn to the large safe door that was wide open during their previous visit. Skull stared in shock, eyes wide as saucers. "What the hell?!"

"A safe?! This wasn't here the last time we came!" Mona shrieked. "He changed the entire room so quickly... Tch, I guess this palace isn't a bank for nothing."

Kaneshiro took a few steps forward towards the thieves. "Greetings. Welcome to my private city bank. I'm surprised you made it here alive. It seems you are quite lucky."

"Lucky? Don't be ridiculous," Queen scoffed.

"We're gonna change your heart and make you confess everything you've done," Skull declared. "That'll save all those people who're suffering 'cause of your shitty actions. Even the police're strugglin' to deal with you, so this'll make the public believe in us too!"

"Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of the world," Kaneshiro retorts. "Just accept your fate as a source of my wealth!"

Fox scowled at the man. "We'll never agree to that!"

"And hierarchy? You have to be out of your mind," Panther rebuttals.

"All of that was forced on me too, you know?!" Kaneshiro growled. "I went through shit until I crawled my way out of the dregs! Now it's my turn to profit on everyone else!"

"Just because you were treated like dirt doesn't give you the right to treat others the same way!" Sphinx hissed. "And the worst part is you've made your targets high schoolers! The only reason you chose them was because they're the only people you can manipulate! You're a man who can't even do anything himself without manipulating others."

"What a pitiful man," Queen sneered.

"It doesn't matter whether you're clean or dirty! Only the clever come out on top! The strong and the smart devour the weak. That is the natural order of things. You damn brats who think you know the world through the shit you read online will make perfect prey," Kaneshiro proclaimed.

"Hmph, he's utterly hopeless..."

Kaneshiro ignored the short-haired girl as he continued. "It's always the fools who get tricked! Fools who have to pay for their foolishness. And if those fools don't learn, well they have to suck it up and stay as plain, stupid fools!"

"Will you just shut it already?!" Skull barked.

"I guess there's not much point saying anything to you fools! This is where my gracious lecture ends. Now then, I hope you're ready to work as slaves here for the rest of your lives."

"That's outrageous!" Fox shouted.

The mauve-skinned man snickered. "I'm gonna swarm all over you and squeeze out every last penny!"

Suddenly, the sound of bones snapping could be heard as his body was hunched over. A strange black ooze dripped off his face, creating a small puddle on the floor. Kaneshiro's men screamed and ran away in fear when the man's body began transforming. Insect wings sprouted from his back as he rubbed his hands together quickly. When he lifted his head, he revealed his skin was a few shades of purple lighter and two compound eyes replaced his human ones. His appearance resembles that of a fly.

Seeing his men run away, Kaneshiro wasn't fazed. "I can take care of this myself." He continued to rub his palms together. "Wassup, yo?! Now come get some!"

Queen's persona appeared, revving the engine as she sat atop Johanna. "You filthy fly on dirt money... Get the hell out of my face!"

Kaneshiro broke out into a fit of laughter. "Aight, here we go, yeh pieces of shit!"

Sphinx couldn't help but smirk at his insult. "How fitting. Flies are attracted to excrements. Everything makes perfect sense now. A shame I don't have a fly swatter." She grabbed her khopeshes and pointed one of the tips of the blades at him. "Bring it, asshole!"

The Phantom Thieves surrounded Kaneshiro and readied for battle. They grabbed their weapons, standing their ground. Joker was the first to attack with his dagger followed by Queen using her tekko and Skull swinging his bat. Fox summoned Goemon and used bufu against their enemy. Panther followed suit by using one of Karmen's fire abilities. Mona used his sword to slash the man.

After the barrage of attacks from the Phantom Thieves, Kaneshiro attacked. Using eiga, he targeted Panther. The girl was taken aback at the sudden attack and fell over. Taking advantage of the situation, he used maeiga on the entire group. Everyone took minor damage, but Sphinx immediately summoned Horus and healed her friends.

Because of her attention being focused on her companions, she failed to notice she'd become Kaneshiro's next target. Using evil touch, he was able to inflict fear. Sphinx felt her blood run cold as Horus vanished. She lowered her khopeshes as she couldn't fight against the fright coursing through her veins. "Wh-What is this...?" She took a few steps back as Kaneshiro laughed.

"Sphinx, don't run away!" Mona cried out. "Someone, protect Sphinx before Kaneshiro attacks again!"

Queen rode over on Johanna and stopped in front of the cerulean-eyed girl. She attacked Kaneshiro, forcing him to back away. Fox, Mona, Skull, Panther, and Joker kept the man busy while Queen tended to Sphinx. She kneeled beside her placing a hand on the fear-stricken girl's shoulder. She wondered what she could do for her.

Queen's attention was drawn to Joker when he called out to her. He tossed her a relaxed gel and she gave it to Sphinx. She watched closely as the item ridded her teammate of the fear that was casted upon her. "How're you feeling?"

Sphinx could feel the fear subsiding as her body returned to normal. "Better. Thank you, Queen."

"It was nothing," she smiled. "You ready to rejoin the battle?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Let's stop Kaneshiro."

Sphinx switched from Horus to Anubis, using his shadow abilities to fight against the mafia boss. Using the skill Shadow Blade, she infused her khopeshes with darkness and leapt at Kaneshiro. Swinging both blades, she swiped at him and knocked him back. Fox performed a follow-up attack and stunned the man, allowing the others to regroup.

Kaneshiro recovered and flew into the air. He zipped around, dodging any attacks the Phantom Thieves sent his way. He laughed like a maniac as he zipped around the room, using his skills to assault the group from above. Everyone except for Skull and Mona were able to dodge. The two were knocked back and forced on the defensive.

Joker summoned Shiisaa and used frei against Kaneshiro. The man fell out of the air, landing on the floor with a groan. He pushed his body off the floor and onto his knees.

"Keep at it, Joker! Corner him!" Mona shouted.

The Phantom Thieves surrounded Kaneshiro, drawing their firearms and aiming them at the man. The man's compound eyes reflected their reflections in the myriads of ommatidia. "D-Dammit! Yeh goddamn punks!"

"Show him no mercy!" Mona cried out. "Let's finish him!"

The group performed an all-out attack. After the heavy assault, Kaneshiro stumbled backwards and pressed his hand against his abdomen. "Tch... The hell? Yeh punks're stronger than you look... Looks like I gotta bring out my big guns!"

"You're all buzz and no bite!" The feline hissed.

He chuckled. "We'll see about that... Time to roll out! Here he is... My guardian robot!" The vault door retracted, revealing an immense mechanical pig. Kaneshiro flew up into the air and inside the machine's snout. Safely inside, he cackled maniacally as his voice resonated from the machine. "Yeh ready to die?!"

"A pig?!" Mona shrieked.

"It ain't a pig, yo! This is my palace's swine-model defensive mechanoid, Piggytron! Goin' against me's a real bad crime, yeh know? It's time for yeh all to go to hell!"

"So, it's not a pig even though it looks like one and is named Piggytron. That makes sense..." Sphinx sarcastically mumbled to herself.

"Dammit! I didn't expect he'd have something like this up his sleeve!" The cat turned his attention to their leader. "Joker! Have us regroup if you think we're at a disadvantage! We need to take down that giant robot, but we'll be in trouble if it attacks us when we're weakened!"

"We'll keep up the pressure," Joker replied. "Sphinx, think you can focus on healing?"

"Understood," Sphinx answered, switching back to Horus. She immediately placed barriers around herself and her friends when the large mechanical pig leapt into the air and performed metabolic wave. Its heavy body slammed into the floor, sending out a powerful shockwave. Luckily, the barriers were able to absorb the brunt of the attack before shattering.

Skull and Panther used their melee weapons against the mechanical swine and made a few dents. Queen, Fox, and Mona used their personas and were able to do more damage than the two blondes. Joker switched personas and used rakunda to lower the machine's defense.

Then, Piggytron's eyes narrowed as the barrels of guns aimed at them. Using ocular vulcan, it targeted Joker. He was able to dodge some of the bullets but not all. He grunted in pain from the ones that pierced his body. However, it didn't last long as his wounds were healed by Sphinx.

Seeing Joker was healed, Piggytron set its sight on Sphinx. Kaneshiro cackled as he pressed a few buttons and missiles rocketed towards the inky-haired girl. One of the missiles exploded near her and caused her to stagger on her feet. The second one was just enough to knock her down. Before the third missile could hit its mark, Fox summoned Goemon and destroyed it. Sphinx hopped to her feet and thanked him.

Panther and Queen called upon Karmen and Johanna, dealing some heavy damage to the mechanical pig. The thieves could see small puffs of smoke coming from its snout as they continued to bombard the machine with attacks.

Suddenly, Kaneshiro's voice came from Piggytron. "Yeh punks're really pissin' me off! Yeh called my Piggytron a pig earlier, right? Were you talkin' about me too when you said that? If you were, Imma tear yeh all to shreds! Go, Piggytron! Super VIP fooorm!" The machine flew up into the air and turned into a ball. It landed back on the ground and Kaneshiro emerged from its snout. He flew up, landing on top of the machine with a smug grin.

Mona's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the revelation. "It transformed?! Don't tell me it's going to roll into us!"

"Don't let up," Joker commanded. "Keep up with the attacks."

"Dude, that thing's gonna flatten us like pancakes!" Skull shouted.

"I'll remain on support. I'll do my best to protect everyone from the machine, but make sure to be careful what you plan to do next," Sphinx warned.

The Phantom Thieves continued to attack the mechanical pig until it started to pick up speed. Afraid of what'll happen, they stood their ground and prepared for the oncoming attack. Sphinx acted quickly and protected everyone just as Piggytron shot forward and rolled over them. The barrier's shattered instantly, causing minor damage to the group.

Sphinx apologized for the weakness of the barriers, knowing she still didn't have a full grasp of Horus' abilities. She healed everyone and could feel exhaustion nipping at her heels. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to fight.

Piggytron returned to where it once stood, Kaneshiro safely back inside its core. "How's this?! Can't even speak 'cause of how scary my Piggytron is, huh?" He cackled menacingly as he watched the thieves regroup from his previous attack.

Sphinx glanced at her teammates and saw they were experiencing the same exhaustion as her. She wondered if there was a way to end this battle quicker and looked around. Examining Piggytron, she noticed how its ears were the ventilation system. Her eyes widen as an idea struck her. "I think I've got it!"

"What?" Joker asked.

"The ears are the ventilation shafts. If we can somehow lodge something in them and block the flow, that'll cause the pressure to build inside. With enough pressure, the machine will explode."

"Will freezing them suffice?" Fox inquired.

She shook her head. "No. The hot steam would melt it. We need something else."

"What about items?" Panther suggested. "Don't we have some stuff we need to get rid of, anyway?"

"That'll work. All we need is someone to aim for the ears." Sphinx turned to the feline standing a few feet away from her. "Mona, think you could use your slingshot to fire the items into the ears?"

He smiled. "Leave it to me!" Taking the items from Joker, he aimed one at the machine's left ear. "Ready!"

"Everyone else, let's distract it," Joker said.

Mona fires item after item, each one lodging into the machine's ventilation shafts. When steam could no longe be seen emanating from the ears, he knew he was successful. "Now we wait..."

"Great job, Mona!" Sphinx complimented.

The Phantom Thieves continued to attack Piggytron until they saw bolts ricocheting out from its sides. They new the pressure was becoming too much and the machine wouldn't be able to last much longer. Kaneshiro, who couldn't figure out the issue, screamed, "What the hell is goin' on?!" He tried to attack, but the pressure caused Piggytron's offensive measures to short-circuit. He banged on the controls as he broadcasted his growing anger. "My Piggytron's gonna lose? No, that's impossible!"

"It's already been decided," Queen spoke up. "You are going down."

Piggytron lifted into the air as explosions rocked its interior. Its snout broke off its hinges as its metal sides split. Kaneshiro screamed as he was ejected by one of the explosions. The machine toppled over on its side, large gold bars spilling from its snout. The metal corpse lied beside its creator, smoke rising from the holes in its exterior created by the explosions. Kaneshiro managed to get to his feet for a few seconds before stumbling onto the pile of gold bars. He groaned in pain as his body rested on his treasure.

"Kaneshiro!" Queen bellowed.

"I'm not gonna let anyone have it..." Kaneshiro muttered. "This is my money."

"You stole it all from innocent people!"

"Fine. I'll call off the debt."

"Fine?" Skull scoffed. "You're still soundin' pretty condescendin'."

"You're right..." Kaneshiro whimpered. "I'm a poor, ugly idiot... How am I supposed to live a normal life like this? It's all because of our society! Weak people can't lead a happy life, no matter what they do! I'm a victim too, you know?! Yeah, none of this is my fault!"

"The more you talk, the more pathetic you sound," Fox sneered.

"I just wanted a place where I could belong! You get that, don't you?!"

"Bullshit!" Panther hollered. "All you did was surround yourself with people you could use, solely for some easy money!"

"And you think you're the only one who's gotta deal with bein' labeled?" Skull stepped forward. "Me and all these other guys... We're all fightin' against that!"

"But don't worry. You'll finally have a place you belong," Queen stated. "Somewhere you can make amends for the rest of your life."

"We're gonna do something about that distorted heart of yours. Free of charge."

With a defeated expression, Kaneshiro turned around and leaned his back against the gold bars. He stared at the ground as his body slowly began to fade.

Seeing this, Fox said, "I'm glad you understand. Now hurry up and return to the real Kaneshiro."

"Seriously? You guys don't have any tact. Especially with that incredible power..." The man sighed. "The palaces could net you loads of cash! You could do whatever you wanted to people's hearts!"

"We're not like you!" Skull growled.

"Where do you find meaning in that naive sense of justice?" He groaned. "You know, there's already someone out there taking advantage of what palaces have to offer."

Queen gasped in shock, eyes widening. "What?"

A twisted grin found its way onto Kaneshiro's face. "I'll let you in on a little something... There's a criminal using other people's palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please. They don't care about consequences. Psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns... Anything goes."

"Is that the same person Madarame's Shadow spoke of?" Fox questioned.

"There's no way it can be a coincidence," Sphinx answered.

Skull stomped his foot, glaring at the mauve-skinned man. "Spill it! Who're you talkin' about?!"

Kaneshiro snickered, responding with, "Don't even bother. You are nothing compared to them. Better be careful. A chance encounter with them could prove fatal..." With those final words, he vanished.

Out of the blue, a tremor shook the ground. With Kaneshiro's Shadow now gone, the Palace was beginning to crumble down on the Phantom Thieves. Rubble rained down on the group as they realized their current predicament.

"We can think about that later! Grab the treasure; there's no time!" Fox shouted.

"In that case, we should take that large one," Queen said, pointing to one of the large gold bars. Her eyes widen in surprise when she saw Mona rubbing his paws across the treasure. "Wait, what?!"

Mona meowed obnoxiously, eyes gleaming and a smirk on his face as he rubbed his cheek against one of the gold bars. "T-Treasure..."

"What's gotten into him?!"

"You know how cats are attracted to shiny things? Mona is no exception," Sphinx responded.

"This is sooo coool! Wowee, being a human is greattt!" He continued to fawn over the gold. "It's... It's... It's...shiny shiny gold!" The cat hopped into the air and launched himself towards Panther, latching on to her face.

The pigtailed girl grabbed the feline and tried to unlatch his paws from her face. "Hrgh!? L-Leff ho of me!" She grasped his head and pried him off, tossing him in the air.

Mona quickly transformed into a car and landed on the ground. "You shouldn't throw animals, dammit!"

"Enough, already! Let's get it in, everyone! Hurry!"

The thieves gathered all the gold bars and placed them in the back of the car. Once the treasure was loaded, everyone hopped into the vehicle.

"Okay, all set!" Skull announced.

"Grrr... Fine!" Mona hissed. He took off and found the quickest way out of the bank just in time before it buried them under a pile of debris. The car sped towards the edge of the platform and directly off the ledge, but he realized his mistake. "Wait, there's no road!"

Everyone screamed as they plummeted to the ground. The world around them warped, signaling their exit from the Metaverse.

<--------------<<<<<

The group groaned in pain and pushed themselves off the ground. Ann rubbed her bottom with a wince. "Owww..."

"I think I cracked my ass..." Ryuji whimpered.

Yusuke glanced between the two blue-eyed girls. "Ann, Mikono, are you both all right?! Are yours cracked as well?"

Ann blushed at the question. "Of course not!"

"Mine's fine," Mikono answered calmly.

"Isn't it supposed to be though?" Makoto asked.

"Urgh, that's not what we meant!" Ann's cheeks turned an even brighter red. "More importantly, it's dangerous for us to just charge out like that!"

Mikono glanced around and realized they were standing on the sidewalk. All eyes were on them, people's attentions being drawn to the yelling. She grimaced at how many people were watching them. "I didn't realize we had an audience..."

Hearing her comment, Ann looked around and saw strangers watching them in confusion. "Ack! Everyone's staring at us!"

Makoto ignored the many eyes and looked around at her companions. "Thank goodness nobody was hurt."

"Uhhh..." Ryuji noticed Morgana's absence and searched for him. When he located him, he frowned. "I wouldn't say nobody..."

Mikono followed his line of sight and gasped. "Oh, Morgana!"

"That briefcase..." The fake blonde stared wide-eyed at what was laying atop the feline in the middle of the street.

"It appears to have been the cause of Morgana's demise..." Yusuke sorrowfully frowned.

"That's not what I meant! Isn't that Kaneshiro's...?"

The artist's eyes widen when realizing what he was getting at. "You mean his treasure?!"

Makoto glanced at the traffic light. "Hey, the light's red!"

Mikono didn't hesitate to swoop in and rescue Morgana. She scooped him up with one of her hands while grabbing the briefcase with the other. She promptly returned to the sidewalk just in time for the light to turn green. She noticed people were still eyeing them closely as she handed the briefcase to Ryuji. "Let's walk a little ways down the street. People are still staring..."

Akira slipped his hands into his pockets. "Let's go."

The group wandered down the street a little ways and came to a stop only when prying eyes were no longer an issue.

Mikono cradled Morgana in her arms as if he were a baby. She noticed the minor injuries he obtained from their unpredicted exit from the Metaverse and grimaced. "Poor Morgana..." She murmured to herself.

Makoto eyes the briefcase in Ryuji's hand. "Where should we open it?"

"How about at karaoke?" Ann suggested.

"We'd have security cameras to worry about there."

A grin manifested on Ryuji's face as an idea came to mind. "Oh, I got the perfect place."

"Where's that?" Akira asked. When seeing everyone was looking at him, that's when he assembled the puzzle pieces. "Oh..."

"That's right!" Ann said.

Yusuke smiles faintly. "I was just in the mood for some coffee too."

"And we need to fix Morgana up," she added, glancing at the cat in Mikono's arms.

Morgana managed to open his eyes, stretching his two front paws out towards Mikono's face. "So...warm..."

She poked his slightly damp nose with a smile. "You just rest for a little bit. We'll get you patched up in no time."

*****
Confidant: Mikono Tsutsui
Arcana: The Puppeteer
Rank: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*****