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Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Joker: alright, phantom thief roll call
Joker: what’s the status?
Skull: checkin in from shibuya
Skull: just finished a trainin session at the gym
Panther: Checking in from Shibuya as well, I’m with Skull
Fox: Checking in from Harajuku. I’ll be departing for Yongen-Jaya shortly.
Queen: Checking in from the bookstore in Shibuya.
Queen: I’ll need to stop by the apartment to drop off my replacement textbook before heading to base.
Oracle: checking in from the subway, i’m on the way back from akihabara
Oracle: eta: around 10 min
Noir: Checking in from the Big Bang Burger in Shibuya!
Noir: I’m just finishing up overseeing the facility inspection.
Noir: I’ll be on the way as soon as I can, though!
Crow: Checking in from the train.
Crow: I should be arriving in Yongen-Jaya within the next fifteen minutes.
Joker: honey you are sitting right next to me
Crow: You asked for our status.
Violet: I’m actually already at base!
Oracle: whaaaaaat
Oracle: without me?
Violet: I got back from the shrine in Kichijoji earlier than anticipated, and you were already busy in Akihabara!
Violet: I’m helping Boss with some curry for us, that’s all.
Joker: remember when you were kasumi and forgot you could cook at all
Joker: is it still too soon to joke about that
Violet: I admit it was quite the strange side effect!
Violet: And it’s alright, senpai. It’s in the past!
Crow: Mona is currently demanding sushi.
Skull: is he ever not
Noir: I put some in Leblanc’s fridge for him this morning!
Joker: are you spoiling my cat again
Joker: my hand is now bleeding
Oracle: you dumbass
Crow: It’s a tiny bite, Joker, you’ll be fine.
Noir: Mona-chan, be nice!
Crow: Wouldn’t bet on it.
Crow: ...were it not for my gloves, I would also be bleeding now.
Crow: He says, and I quote, “I can put up with your flirting but I never agreed to dealing with insults!”
Queen: Just get to base in one piece.
Joker: yes ma’am
★ ☆ ★
“Welcome home!”
“It’s good to be back,” Akira chuckled, surveying the mass of Thieves and party poppers filling the café. “You guys....”
Goro smirked. “Did you really think you’d get back to Tokyo without some sort of surprise from everyone?”
Akira whirled towards him, eyes wide. “Were you in on this?”
“It was his idea,” Sumire said, openly laughing. (Her laugh is so much brighter now that she’s at peace with herself, Goro thought to himself.) “He knew you missed it here. And we missed the three of you.”
“And you didn’t surprise him too because...?”
“Have you ever known surprising Crow to work out well for anyone?” Makoto said. “No offense, Goro-san.”
“None taken,” Goro replied.
“So, summer plans!” Ryuji said, nudging Akira in the side (gently, of course). “What’re we doing, Leader?”
As the Thieves bounced around a few random ideas (mostly via unintelligible shouting), Goro took the opportunity to duck into the kitchen for a moment, where Sojiro was watching the group with a fond expression that he would have vehemently denied having months ago.
“Thank you for letting us take over the café like this again, Saku---Boss,” Goro said, correcting himself just in time---he still wasn’t quite used to referring to the man as anything other than Sakura-san.
“It’s alright, kid, you know I don’t really mind it,” Sojiro said. “Akira was so happy to find out you were back, you know?”
Taken aback by the subject change but willing to humor him, Goro said, “I gathered as much, yes.”
“I don’t think you got the full understanding. You know he called me after you guys reached his hometown?”
“Yes. I don’t know what you discussed though; he deserved privacy, and I received a call from Sae-san at around the same time, anyways.”
Sojiro chuckled. “Still wordy as ever, I see. He was almost in tears when he called. He thought he’d never see you again, after the incident in February. Seeing you again---he told me it felt like a huge weight had been taken off his chest.”
Goro sighed slightly. Sentimental idiot.
“Finding him...it was a weight off my chest, too,” he quietly admitted. “After I woke up in the hospital, he was my first solid thought. It took me some time to come to terms with the fact that I was alive, and that Akira---you know. That he would still care. That night we thought we said goodbye, he told me he cared too much to let me go. The same was true for me. But Tokyo held too many memories for me. I needed to get out of here. I’m just sorry I waited so long.”
Sojiro set a hand on his shoulder and said, “He was never upset about that. Akira’s not like that. He understood why you waited. And for the record? I’m glad you’re back too. He’s so much happier with you now than he would’ve been if he had ended up alone in his hometown.”
Goro understood the real message. I’m glad you’re alive. You didn’t deserve to die.
“Thank you, Boss,” Goro said with a slight smile.
The man himself returned the expression. “Go hang out with your friends.”
Taking the hint, Goro rejoined the group of Thieves and said, “We should probably move upstairs. More space up there anyways.”
“Right,” Makoto said. “Let’s go.”
She led the majority of the Thieves upstairs; Akira hesitated for a moment by the staircase, then rushed behind the counter to give Sojiro a quick hug, mumbling something Goro couldn’t quite make out. A moment later, he pulled back, taking Goro’s hand.
“We’re home,” Akira said quietly, eyes shining.
“Home,” Goro agreed. He’d never thought it before, but it felt right. “Come on. Our friends are waiting.”
★ ☆ ★
shido masayoshi hate club
damn brat: so i’m not saying this out loud bc i don’t want to worry the group
damn brat: but i don’t trust this “emma” thing
hacker gremlin: i can check the source code if you want but it seems legit
damn brat: yeah better safe than sorry
bastard son: I dislike AI on principle, but I’m willing to humor the app---as long as Oracle confirms its security.
disobedient heiress: I agree with Oracle that EMMA seems okay, but I suppose that’s what we thought about the Meta-Nav before learning of Yaldabaoth’s existence.
disobedient heiress: And I’ve learned better than to trust as easily as I used to.
bastard son: Yes, that too.
hacker gremlin: honestly yeah it is a little sus
hacker gremlin: they got this thing out in like. a few months.
hacker gremlin: developing an ai from scratch should take years, even for a large company
damn brat: so you’ll check it out?
hacker gremlin: yep
hacker gremlin: i’ll run some tests this afternoon while you guys take care of the road trip supplies
disobedient heiress: Now that you’ve mentioned it, it is rather strange how this app appeared out of nowhere, huh?
bastard son: I’ve got a bad feeling about this whole situation.
bastard son: We’ve thought things were over before, in December. I’m only hoping some new entity hasn’t appeared to threaten us.
damn brat: hey
damn brat: we’ve saved the world twice now
damn brat: what’s one more time, really
disobedient heiress: They do say third time’s the charm!
hacker gremlin: maybe the phantom thieves will be back in business after all >:D
★ ☆ ★
“So that was Hiiragi-san?” Goro said, raising an eyebrow. “Can’t say I’m impressed.”
Ryuji rolled his eyes and said, “You’re gay.”
“Yeah, gay. Not blind. That outfit was a crime against fashion.”
“You sound like Yusuke, dude.”
“I admit I don’t understand all the fuss, either,” Akira said with a slight frown. “It’s unnatural. EMMA said Alice only became popular recently, right? And it was all at once, too. It seems strange to me.”
“Same,” Morgana said. “And after all the stuff we’ve seen....”
Ryuji’s expression turned more serious. “You’ve got a point there. It almost---well---in a way I guess it almost reminds me of Shido.”
“I thought the same thing,” Goro said, lowering his voice---even now he was cautious of mentioning his bastard father’s name in public, just in case a still-loyal subordinate might be nearby. “There are obvious differences, of course, but we know Shido won the election because he was manipulating the people into believing his charismatic façade. Who’s to say Hiiragi Alice isn’t doing the same thing?”
“I’m wondering about that card she gave Akira,” Morgana said. “She said it was instructions on how to add her as a friend on EMMA. She mentioned a keyword, right? Do you guys have keywords in your apps that you can use to friend each other?”
“It never came up at the meeting, because we already have each other’s chat info,” Goro said, “but yes, it appears we can set specific words that other people can use to friend us.”
“I think it did come up once. Futaba mentioned it at some point, but brushed it off immediately, since we have enough group chats already,” Akira said. “I set one up; did you?”
“Yes. What’s yours?”
He laughed slightly. “Showtime. You?”
“Checkmate,” Goro said. “Ryuji, did you pick one?”
“Crossbones,” Ryuji said by way of an answer. “So what does it say on the card?”
Akira flipped the card over and read, “Hiiragi Alice. Keyword: Wonderland.”
And then---much to the group’s confusion, surprise, and growing horror---EMMA replied, “Keyword accepted. Beginning navigation.”
Ryuji’s and Morgana’s eyes widened. Akira’s face turned white. Goro struggled to breathe.
There was a nasty warping sensation that Goro had hoped they would never experience again, and after a long moment, Shibuya Square darkened, filling all four ex-Thieves with a swell of dread.
“Our outfits,” Goro eventually whispered.
Sure enough, Akira had once again become Joker, from the tailcoat to the domino mask and scarlet gloves. Beside him, Skull stared at his own black jacket and combat boots, silver skull mask not quite hiding his shock; Mona, now on the ground, had regained his bipedal form and was staring around the square with yellow eyes narrowed. And Goro himself---or Crow now, he supposed---he was in a darker-colored version of his princely outfit, and he could sense Hereward stirring deep within him just as he had that fateful day in February when he had finally admitted he loved Akira.
Hello again, paladin, Hereward said.
Oh no. Not again. I thought we were done with this.
Did you become complacent with peace? You are still a Phantom Thief. Act like it.
Right. Act like it.
“We have to investigate,” Crow said. “The Metaverse is clearly still present. Mona, can you sense a source of distortion?”
Mona frowned. “Kind of? It’s not quite a Treasure, I don’t think, but there’s definitely something. And it doesn’t feel like Mementos did; this seems to have a limited range. That’s the most my navigation abilities can tell me, though. Can you sense anything more specific?”
Crow glanced around and had to do a double take.
There were other people present.
Hereward’s voice came once again. Look closer.
Crow willed his navigation abilities to reactivate; mercifully, he didn’t have to focus too much, as they returned fairly easily. He directed them at the nearest group of people.
Not people. “Shadows. There are people’s Shadows here.”
“As in---as in personal Shadows?” Skull asked with a tinge of nervousness.
Crow nodded and said, “It feels like it. I was hoping they were cognitions, but....”
For the first time since entering the keyword, Joker spoke up. “Whatever this place is, we have to get out. We don’t know how dangerous it is here, and we’re not equipped to tackle this place with just the four of us. We should contact the others as soon as we can.”
Crow and Mona traded a glance, realizing something at the same time.
“You sense it too, don’t you?” Mona said quietly.
“Shadows. Hostile ones,” Crow said. “A lot of them. They’re headed this way.”
“Over there,” Skull suddenly said, pointing.
One of the personal Shadows was being approached by one of the hostile Shadows Crow had sensed (which looked like some kind of deformed policeman). The hostile Shadow then reached out and put a hand through the other Shadow’s chest before pulling out a diamond-shaped object that glinted brightly under the street lights.
The personal Shadow screamed and disappeared.
Joker’s gaze switched to Crow faster than lightning, and Crow knew what he was going to ask before he could open his mouth.
“It’s not a mental shutdown,” Crow said gently. “He didn’t die, exactly. It felt more like he was being teleported away from here. But it’s not---that’s not what a mental shutdown looks like in the Metaverse.”
“Thank you,” Joker said, visibly relieved. Then his brows furrowed as something else occurred to him. “That diamond-looking thing. What is it? Can you guys tell from your navigation?”
Crow shook his head. “Not my specialty. We discussed it back in January---Oracle, Mona, and I. Mona’s specialty is distortions and Desires, Oracle’s is locations and items, and mine is Shadows and related affinities. I can tell you it’s not a Shadow, but that’s about it.”
“It feels like a Desire,” Mona said. “Like the small ones we used to take in Mementos.”
It was Skull’s turn to frown. “Are you tellin’ us that Shadow just changed someone else’s heart?”
The very thought of it was enough to hush them all for a long, tense moment.
“Give me a moment,” Crow eventually said. “I want to look around. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something I need to find.”
“I’m going with you,” Joker immediately replied, reaching instinctually for his mask (old habits died hard after all, Crow supposed). “I’m not letting you go alone. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take. Not again.”
Crow wasn’t even surprised. “Skull, Mona---”
“We’ll keep an eye out around here,” Skull said. “I’m not leavin’ this Palace or whatever without any of you---and if I’m bein’ honest, I’m itchin’ to use William again.”
“So you guys can use your Personas again too,” Joker sighed, almost smiling. “Good. So we’re not completely defenseless.”
“Diego and I are far from it!” Mona said.
“Hereward’s ready to go,” Crow added. “Ah---your Wild Card power?”
Joker shook his head. “I can’t quite tell yet. The only Personas that ever spoke to me were Arsène, Satanael, and Raoul. Of those, I only sense Raoul---but I’m not that surprised; I was only ever able to summon Satanael once or twice, and I think he fused with Arsène to form Raoul.”
“That’s what happened with Loki and Robin Hood for me. They fused to become Hereward,” Crow said.
“Alright, so that’s normal. Got it.”
Then Joker drew his dagger and smirked, and the familiar expression was enough to relax Crow.
Just another Metaverse mission. We’ve done plenty before---we can do one again.
“Skull and Mona, stick together,” Joker said. “See if you can find a way out of here. Avoid personal Shadows; kill hostiles if necessary. Crow and I will find whatever it is Crow feels like he’s supposed to find. We’ll meet up back here as soon as possible. Everyone ready?”
Crow, Skull, and Mona shared a glance and a determined nod.
Joker’s smirk widened. “Then it’s showtime!”
★ ☆ ★
Between his instincts and his navigation abilities, Crow found his way to what appeared to be an underground prison.
“Seriously?” Joker said, raising an eyebrow. “Not for nothing, honey, but what the fuck?”
“Whatever I’m supposed to find---it’s in here. I’m sure of it,” Crow insisted.
“...okay, I’ll trust you.” Joker shrugged. “Lead the way, my prince.”
Crow rolled his eyes, fully aware that his mask did not completely conceal his blush, and walked straight into the prison, drawing his saber as he did so.
It didn’t take long to run into opposition.
“Not a personal Shadow” was all Crow said before summoning Hereward and unleashing an Almighty attack on it, obliterating it instantly.
Joker whistled. “Hot.”
Crow flipped him off.
Several minutes and a few more Shadow battles (Shadow deaths, really) later, they found themselves in the depths of the prison...along with a large, intricately patterned box hovering a few feet above the ground.
“What is it?” Joker asked quietly.
Crow, too mesmerized to respond, just took a half step forward and rested a black-gloved hand on the side closest to him.
The many lines criss-crossing on the box’s surface suddenly started glowing white before flashing bright enough for Crow to close his eyes immediately, Joker most likely doing the same if his shout was anything to go by.
“Hello?”
Crow drew his hand back and blinked open his eyes.
A petite human-looking girl who appeared somewhere around Futaba’s age stood before them, undoubtedly the source of the voice, with a white one-piece dresslike outfit and black boots. Much to Crow’s surprise, her irises were a vivid cyan ringed in black; her hair was short and bright red with two strands of what appeared to be unconnected floating heart-shaped items in place of what might have been braids or pigtails, one over each shoulder.
She was also staring at Crow, expression curious (and slightly hopeful?).
“...hello,” Crow said after a long moment. “Who are you?”
The girl blinked, then said, “I am Sophia, humanity’s companion! But...that is all I am able to remember. It appears my other memories are completely empty. I am sorry.”
Crow and Joker traded a Look.
“Sophia-san,” Crow said, “I need to have a private word with my friend here. Can you please wait just a moment? It’s dangerous around here, and I don’t want to leave you unprotected.”
“Okay!” Sophia said. “I will wait right here.”
Crow nodded, then quickly pulled Joker aside and lowered his voice.
“Maybe you should handle this,” he murmured.
Joker briefly glanced over at Sophia before responding, “You’re the one who found her. She is what you came down here for, right?”
“I’m certain of it. When she was in that box---it was like the box was calling me. Or maybe that was Sophia-san herself,” Crow said. “Whatever the case, she needs help. And I’m not sure I’m the best person for the job.”
“Come on, Crow, you’re doing great,” Joker said. “Ever since we entered this place you’ve been doing great. Better than I probably would’ve handled things. I was so caught off guard by the apparent return of the Metaverse that I forgot I was supposed to lead, but you stayed rational and took control of the situation almost immediately.”
“Only out of necessity and only because Hereward was with me.”
“Okay, and? I don’t see how that negates my point.” Joker reached forward and took one of Crow’s hands into both of his own. “You realized I wasn’t fulfilling my role and knew you had to step up and take it, even if only temporarily. My point is that you’re more than capable of handling this. We all trust you, Crow. She will, too, if she doesn’t already.”
Crow sighed. Joker was right, and they both knew it.
“Fine. Okay,” Crow said. “I’ll help her.”
“And get us out of here, too, right?” Joker said. “Because I hate to break it to you, but I was not paying attention to directions on the way down here.”
“And get us out of here,” Crow agreed. “But I’m warning you now, if she causes trouble, I’m handing her off to you.”
Joker chuckled. “I’d expect nothing less, honey. After we’re out of here, I’ll take responsibility. Promise.”
They turned back to Sophia, who was waiting patiently in the exact spot they had left her, humming something to herself.
“Sophia-san?” Crow said hesitantly.
Sophia came over to them immediately. “Yes?”
“We’re going to help you get out of here,” Crow said, “so we need you to stick close to us, alright? The Shadows around here shouldn’t be too much of a problem for us, but I don’t want you to get hurt, okay?”
“Alright!” Sophia hummed her little tune again, then added, “What should I call you two?”
Crow hesitated only a moment before offering her a hand to shake. “I’m called Crow.”
“And I’m Joker, his partner,” Joker said cheerfully as Sophia shook each of their hands.
“Nice to meet you, Crow and Joker!” Sophia said. “Lead the way!”
★ ☆ ★
Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Joker: @everyone i’m calling an emergency meeting
Joker: get back to base asap
Joker: this is not a drill
Noir: What’s going on?
Queen: I’m not about to question it.
Queen: Joker, I’m on my way back right now.
Panther: Once I finish up at the last store I’ll be on my way
Joker: this is more important than the road trip
Joker: more details in person, we can’t risk anything digital right now
Skull: yo this rlly is serious hes not kidding guys
Crow: I urge you all to move swiftly. This cannot wait.
Oracle: omw
Fox: I too am on the way.
Violet: You’re worrying me, Joker-senpai and Crow-senpai.
Violet: I’m already back in Yongen-Jaya though, so I’ll be there shortly!
★ ☆ ★
“I think our course of action is obvious,” Akira said once he and Goro finished explaining everything, from EMMA to the new Palace-like place to Sophia (who was now somehow contained inside Akira’s phone).
A heavy silence fell over the room for several seconds.
“Akira, Ryuji, Morgana, and I have already made our decision on this matter,” Goro eventually said. “The Metaverse is back. That in and of itself should be enough to call us to action. Twice now we’ve fought to destroy this place, and it has endured. We have to try again. And besides---we’re the Phantom Thieves. We help innocents, and we change hearts to save people. If the Palace-like place we visited today is any indication, there are people out there who are changing hearts for their own benefit now. We have to stop them.”
Futaba nodded. “Crow-boy’s right. We need to help these people. That’s our job, right?”
“As much as I’d hoped we were done with Metaverse-related expeditions,” Makoto said, “I have to agree. I didn’t awaken to my Persona for no reason---none of us did. We have a mission. We’ve always had it, even after our Personas disappeared in February. If Agnes is back, I’m more than ready to use her in our fight for justice.”
“This will be extremely dangerous for all of us,” Akira said levelly. “We’ve been inactive for months. Iwai and Takemi are no longer options for us, so we’re relying solely on Sophia’s online abilities to get the gear or medicine we might need. We don’t even know much about this specific kind of Metaverse distortion. We’re going in essentially blind. Are all of you prepared for that?”
“Like Goro said, we are Phantom Thieves,” Haru said, eyes glinting with the same steely determination that graced her as Noir. “We defeated Shido. We defeated Yaldabaoth. We even defeated Maruki. There is nothing we cannot accomplish together. And we swore to help the helpless. I will not stand aside. Never again will I stand aside. Lucy and I are going to fight, and we are going to win.”
“I too refuse to watch as others suffer at the hands of those who would use the Metaverse for evil,” Yusuke said. “Danger or not, we must take this mission in stride.”
“Yeah, what kind of Phantom Thieves would we be if we let helpless people suffer?” Ann said.
“We have to handle this the way we’ve handled everything else,” Morgana added.
“You’re right! This is our mission,” Sumire said. “It’s always been our mission. So let’s take it on!”
“I’m not gonna let any of you go into this without me,” Ryuji said. “We’re in this together.”
Sophia hummed. “I’m also excited to help!”
Goro and Akira traded matching grins.
“Then it’s settled,” Akira said. “The Phantom Thieves are back in business!”