Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

(April 9)

The train rattled as it clanked the tracks, jostling Riku awake. He did not know how he had been asleep, but based on the sights through the windows, he was nearing his destination. He had seen quite a number of places on his adventures, but none of them seemed as metropolitan as Tokyo. The closest he could recall would have probably been Twilight Town, but that vastly paled in comparison to the sprawling cityscape that he was fast approaching.

He sighed as he gathered what belongings he had as the train came to a halt. He was glad that Master Yen Sid had provided a train for him to ride to the city. After all, living on Destiny Islands meant that his typical mode of transportation was a boat to carry him from island to island. He stepped out of the station and into the bright sunlight. He shielded his eyes as best as he could while he pulled out his cellphone. A weird app, red and glowing, had appeared, and he briefly held his finger upon it, preparing to delete. Suddenly, the world around him froze, and he tensed up, looking around, only to see blue flames in the distance that burned nothing. Before he could approach the source and learn more, the world began to move again, so he thought nothing more of it, chalking it up to exhaustion, and deleted the app.

***

Yongen-Jaya was much quieter than Shibuya, and Riku was thankful for that. He looked down at the name and meetup place. Riku could not help but wonder who simply went by “the Doctor” for a name, but he did not bother questioning it too much. Considering where his adventures in both the light and darkness had taken him, he could not talk down any particular manner of weirdness that could be about. He found the location to meet up, a cafe called Leblanc. He entered the shop and was greeted by a smell of fresh coffee being brewed and curry in a pot, and saw three people. Two of them were elderly, and they were heading out after thanking the shop owner for the cups of coffee. The gentleman in charge nodded as they left.

“Well, another slow day,” the man muttered, “but such is life and time and- oh, hello! You must be…”

“Riku Amamiya,” Riku introduced himself. “I’m looking for someone called the Doctor?”

“Oh, yes, that would be me!”

Riku looked him up and down as nonchalantly as possible. This man did not seem like a doctor. He looked rather young, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a pinstripe suit underneath a brown coat. Riku glanced around and saw a set of keys, no doubt for the shop and the Doctor’s home, though the tiny blue police box was an intriguing decoration.

“So, arrested for assault, sentenced to a year of probation,” the Doctor spoke up. “Why did you do it? I want to hear your side, since I was not informed.”

“Well, sir,” Riku explained, “I was trying to help a woman who was being bothered by a man.”

“I see. Well, I believe you, but rules dictate that, while under my custody, I have to report on your wellbeing and your actions while you live here. Speaking of, come with me!”

The Doctor led Riku upstairs to an attic room that looked rather clean for something that could have been storage space.

“Pardon any dust streaks, I tried to tidy the place up when I started renting this space,” the Doctor continued. “Unfortunately, I don’t have another room in my house; if I did, you could’ve stayed there.”

“This is wonderful,” Riku stated.

“Well, glad you like it. I’ll let you get settled in! Tomorrow, we’re going to Shujin Academy, your new school, and getting you enrolled. Don’t stay up too late!”

“I’ll try not to.”

The Doctor nodded before heading back downstairs to tend to the cafe once more. Riku unpacked what few belongings he brought along, mostly clothing. He also pulled out a frame that had a picture of his two best friends. He smiled sadly as he looked at them. There was Riku on the left; on the right, his best guy friend, Sora Kurusu; in the middle, his best girl friend and Sora’s possibly-future sweetheart, Kairi Yoshizawa. He missed them dearly, but at least he could call and text them if they were available. However, they were starting school soon, too, so it could be a while before they could reach out to each other.

Riku crashed on the twin bed in the corner of the room, checking his phone one last time. The app from before was back, and Riku looked closer. It kind of looked like an eye. How creepy, Riku thought as he deleted it once more, slowly drifting to sleep.

***

Riku was startled awake by the change of smell around him. He found himself in a jail cell, and through the door he saw a pointy-nosed man at a desk. On either side of the door, two short girls dressed as wardens stood on guard, which amused Riku. He had the means to escape, if he truly wanted to. For now, though, he played along.

“What is this place?” he questioned.

“Welcome to my Velvet Room,” a deep voice came from the pointy-nosed man. “I am Igor, and these two are the wardens of this place, Caroline and Justine.”

“Stand at attention, inmate!” Caroline snapped.

“Heed our master’s words,” Justine added.

“You have found yourself in a precarious position, have you not?” Igor mused. “A boy so far from the life he knew, stuck in a city where no one knows of him or his previous actions, good or bad. However, in time this may change, for things are in motion that cannot be undone. Ruin is coming, but maybe, with rehabilitation, you can prevent it from occurring.”

“What are you talking about?” Riku questioned Igor.

“All will make sense in time,” Igor responded. “For now, return to your sleep.”

With no other course of action allotted to him, Riku did as he was asked.

***

(April 10)

Riku and the Doctor made it safely to Shujin Academy and made their way to the principal’s office. There, Riku met both the principal, a balding man with a self-described “dizzying intellect” by the name of Vizzini, and his new homeroom teacher, a woman named Sadayo Kawakami.

“Okay, you’re officially a Shujin student!” Vizzini announced. “Keep in mind that we expect the best behavior out of you! I mean it! One screw-up and you’re gone!”

“Understood,” Riku replied, slightly annoyed by the principal’s tone.

“Are there any questions you have?” Kawakami inquired.

“Nothing comes to mind,” Riku stated, “but if that changes, I promise to reach out to you.”

“Right! Well and good,” the Doctor stood up from the chair he was sitting in, away from everyone else, “but we do have to get back. Big day for him tomorrow, and I’m sure he’d like to be well-rested for it.”

“Yes, yes, go!” Vizzini shooed the Doctor and Riku out, leaving just himself and Kawakami.

“Was there really no one else who could take him?” Kawakami whined.

“Sorry, Ms. Kawakami, but your class had the only remaining opening,” Vizzini shrugged. “Besides, that boy causing you any trouble? Inconceivable!”

***

Riku sat on his bed, staring at the photo of his friends once again. He sighed as he recalled the situation that got him into this mess…

***

(mid-March)

Riku struggled to sleep at night anymore. Having spent so much time surrounded by Darkness and coming to terms with it, he found the nighttime to be the most comfortable time to go for a walk. That is how he found himself, taking a leisurely walk under starlight, when he smelled it. Darkness. It was not one he was familiar with, either, which made him more tense. It was not a Heartless or a Nobody. What was it?

He heard a woman’s cries in the distance. He began to sprint toward the cries and found a man trying to drag a woman into a car. She was fighting back as best as she could.

“No! Stop!” the woman shouted.

“Get in the damn car!” the man ordered. “Filth like you cannot be left running about!”

“Hey! What’s going on here?” Riku yelled.

“This doesn’t concern you!” the man snarled.

“I’m feeling pretty concerned right now,” Riku retorted. He wanted to summon his Keyblade, but he was trying to be mindful of the World Order. Instead, he simply grabbed the man and pulled him off of her, which caused the man to trip and fall, scratching his forehead and making him bleed.

“You screwed up big time, kid!” the man growled. “You! Woman! I’ll let you go if you tell the cops that he attacked me without warning!”

“What?!?” Riku gasped.

The cops arrived, the woman did as the man asked, and no one would listen to Riku as he was taken away.

***

(April 10)

“Don’t worry, Sora and Kairi,” Riku whispered to the picture. “I’ll come back to you someday.”

Chapter Text

(April 11)

Rain started to pour as Riku stepped off the train to the Aoyama-Itchome Station. Normally, it did not bother him a bit, but he noticed that people were freaking out about their uniforms getting wet and realized he would be sitting in these clothes for hours at a time. May as well keep them as dry as possible, so he waited out the rain next to a girl. He took a glance at her. She was beautiful, pale with blonde hair and an air of regality about her. As the rain began to subside, she noticed Riku looking at her and offered a slim smile before a car pulled forward.

The man inside smelled of Darkness, Riku noticed as the window rolled down. He was a pale man with long black hair and blue eyes. The man’s eyes flicked between Riku and the girl before speaking.

“The hour will be late if you wait too long, Eowyn,” the man spoke. “I can give you a ride to Shujin.”

“Oh, uh, thank you,” the girl, now identified as Eowyn, accepted and got into the man’s car.

“How about you, young man?” the man turned his attention to Riku, who waved him off. The stench of Darkness was too much for him.

As the car drove off, a new figure approached. He was shorter, his skin shades of red and white, and he had two horns curving back that were large stripes of black and white.

“Hey, motherfucker, get back here!” the creature shouted before noticing Riku. “What the fuck are you looking at, huh? Never seen an imp before?”

“Uh…no?” Riku replied.

“Hm. Never seen you before. Transfer student?”

“Yeah, just got into town a couple days ago. My name’s Riku.”

“I’m Blitzø, the O is silent!”

“...There’s an O?”

“Never mind that! If you’re new, you don’t know shit about that guy! That’s Grima Wormtongue, a slimy, fork-tongued asshole who thinks he runs Shujin Academy, like he’s the king or some shit!”

Unbeknownst to Riku, the app that he had deleted twice was back, and it had captured everything that Blitzø had just said.

“I’m assuming he was with Eowyn, yeah?” Blitzø continued. “He’s been trying to get in her pants for some time. Fucking pervert! Anyway, follow me! We need to get to school, and I know a shortcut!”

“That would be nice,” Riku replied, unsure of what to make of Blitzø.

As the two slowly made their way to Shujin Academy, Riku’s nose bothered him. He could smell Darkness ahead. It was almost exactly like Wormtongue’s Darkness, but it was much stronger. Too strong for such a seemingly-normal person. That was when he and Blitzø saw it. The castle. The castle that was sitting where the school should be.

“Um,” Riku was at a loss for words.

“Okay, what the fuck is this?!?” Blitzø yelled. “I know we went the right way! I’ve been using that path for a long time!”

“Maybe we should investigate.”

“Why?”

“Because I have a bad feeling about this, Blitzø, and I want to get to the bottom of it.”

“Eh, it’s either this or boring classes. Fuck it, I’m in!”

Riku and Blitzø entered through the front door of the castle. The insides shimmered briefly, revealing a momentary glance of the entryway to the school. Before either teenager could comment on it, they were surrounded by men in suits of armor, knocked out, and dragged away to the dungeon…

***

“Ugh, where could he be?” Kawakami sighed as she waited for Riku to arrive. “The Doctor said he left for school, so what gives?”

***

Riku awoke with some light pain in his head. He heard banging on metal, so he opened his eyes to see Blitzø slamming into the cell door of the room they were trapped within.

“Let us out!” Blitzø growled. “I’ll fucking make you pay, you armored pieces of shit!”

“Where are we?” Riku asked.

“Locked up in a dungeon from what I can tell. You good?”

“I think so, you?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I-”

Blitzø’s words were cut off as guards approached with a man dressed up in a king’s cloak. Aside from that, all he wore was a royal crown, slippers, and pink underwear. Given the pale complexion of Grima Wormtongue, Riku and Blitzø wished they could unsee this.

“A couple of thieving knaves have tried to storm my castle,” Wormtongue sneered. “Is that you, Blitzo?”

“It’s Blitzø, for fuck’s sake! The O is silent!” Blitzø snarked.

“Your mouth should be silent in my presence,” Wormtongue remarked. “I will not have you running amok in my home. End this miscreant’s life.”

The guards moved to attack, but Riku and Blitzø fought back. However, this was in vain, as they were outnumbered.

“A vain attempt,” Wormtongue grinned menacingly. “Today, you die, both of you! The imp first!”

Riku’s eyes were focused on Blitzø, wishing he could break free from the grip of these guards.

“ So! You’re ready to get back out there and fight? You did say that saving the woman was no mistake, ” a voice within Riku’s head said to him.

“It wasn’t a mistake, and helping Blitzø wouldn’t be a mistake, either,” Riku replied through gritted teeth.

“ Then let’s go forth together! I am Thou, Thou art I, thou who hast walked the worlds of Light and Darkness and the Twilight Between! Unleash thy fury, make your stand for justice, even if it binds you to Hell itself! ”

Riku shouted loudly, so loud that everyone froze in spot as a mask appeared on the silver-haired boy’s face. He felt a burning sensation to rip it off, so he did, awakening his Persona, Arsene, and watched as Grima Wormtongue cowered in a corner while Riku, now brandishing Way to the Dawn, and Arsene made quick work of the guards around them, watching as they dissipated into smoke and ash.

“Holy shit, man!” Blitzø was in awe. “That’s was fucking awesome!”

“Thanks, Blitzø!” Riku replied. “Grab the keys and lock this ‘king’ in his own dungeon!”

Blitzø did as he was asked, and the two of them ran off, looking for a way out of the dungeon. They found a drawbridge that was raised, but they had no idea how to lower it.

“Now what do we do?” Riku mused.

“I can help with that,” a voice behind them said.

Riku and Blitzø turned around to see a raccoon picking the lock to the cell it was in. As it managed to get itself, it turned to the two Shujin students.

“So, Wormtongue locked you down here too, eh?” the raccoon inquired.

“Yeah,” Riku nodded.

“You know the way out?” Blitzø asked.

“Of course, I do,” the raccoon continued. “There’s no prison, dungeon, or deathtrap that I can’t escape! The name’s Rocket!”

“I’m Riku,” Riku introduced.

“And I’m Blitzø, the O is silent,” Blitzø followed suit.

Rocket looked like he wanted to say something, but he let it go and pulled on the mouth of a statue next to the drawbridge.

“How the fuck were we supposed to know that?” Blitzø shouted.

“Shut your trap, Hornhead!” Rocket retorted. “The Shadows will be drawn to us if they know we’re here!”

“Shadows?” Riku inquired.

“Creatures of the Metaverse,” Rocket barely explained. “I’ll explain more on the way out. Come on!”

“Yeah, let’s get out, and don’t call me Hornhead, Trash Panda!” Blitzø snarked.

The three of them were almost out of the dungeon when a couple guards got in the way.

“I got this!” Rocket yelled. “Zorro! Hit them where it hurts!”

And that was the end of that fight.

“You got one of those things, too?!?” Blitzø gasped.

“Yeah, it’s called a Persona,” Rocket mentioned.

“How do you know about this stuff?” Riku inquired.

“I made a deal with someone,” Rocket stated. “‘Help the Wildcard, and I’ll give you the greatest treasure of your life.’ Their words. They gave me all the knowledge of the Metaverse, and I’m to find other Persona users, join them, and help them defeat whatever comes our way.”

“I see,” Riku nodded before summoning Arsene. “So, something like this?”

“Well, looks like I found another Persona user!” Rocket remarked. “But you’re a kid…that’s flarking great.”

“Hey, Riku saved my ass back there,” Blitzø retaliated, “so believe me when I say he’s better than any rotten-ass adult you’re waiting for!”

“You might have a point,” Rocket conceded. “Anyway, let’s get going. I’ll explain what I can.”

Rocket did so as they made their way to the exit of the castle, now known as a Palace, a place formed by the distortions of a Palace ruler’s heart. In this case, the Palace ruler would be Grima Wormtongue. The Shadows, as previously mentioned, are beings that guard Palaces and the Metaverse in general, and the Metaverse is, in essence, the flip-side of reality. It was a lot to take in, but Riku and Blitzø did their best to understand.

“Well, this is where I leave you,” Rocket stated. “Get out of here and get to school - you’re really late at this point, probably.”

“Shit,” Blitzø grumbled.

“Are we doomed?” Riku asked Blitzø.

“Maybe?” Blitzø offered with a shrug.

“And you, Riku…” Rocket added before parting ways with the boys. “If you return to this Palace, I’d like your help with taking it down.”

“Okay?” Riku tilted his head in confusion, but the raccoon was already gone, leaving the Shujin students with no choice but to leave.

Chapter Text

(April 11)

Returning to reality was at first a breath of relief for Riku and Blitzø, but once they did make it to the school, they found themselves in trouble with some of the staff, and among them was Grima Wormtongue. The stench of Darkness was nearly unbearable for Riku. It was like his Palace, as Rocket had described, just seeped out of him. Riku could not ignore this, but how could he deal with Wormtongue without being seen? His line of thinking was cut short once he was guided to the teacher’s lounge, where Ms. Kawakami was waiting for him.

“I would understand a few minutes, maybe even a full period, but you missed nearly the entire day!” Kawakami chastised. “How?”

“Sorry,” Riku apologized. “I kept getting turned around and finding dead ends.”

“I guess that’s fair, but please remember you have a cellphone. Call someone, or look up a GPS for the city.”

“I…I didn’t think of that…”

“Well, now you know. Come on. There’s enough time to introduce yourself to the class still.”

And so he did, and he was given the singular remaining seat, right behind Eowyn, who looked particularly angry with him. It probably had to do with the fact that Kawakami said he was running late due to not feeling well, and Eowyn knew better. Nothing to be done about it now, Riku thought as he listened in to the faint whisperings around him. Somehow, the student body knew of his record. But who could have told them? The school day ended not long after, and Riku and Blitzø met on the rooftop to discuss what exactly happened.

“We need to go back,” Blitzø stated. “I don’t know what the fuck we could do, but that shit isn't right!”

“I agree,” Riku nodded.

“So you’ll join me?”

“Well, someone has to keep you safe in that other world!”

“Please, Riku! I can keep myself safe! It is nice to have a friend though. Kind of lost all mine a year ago. That’s how I ended up here.”

“So you transferred too?”

“Uh…I guess you could say that.”

Riku figured Blitzø was not telling him something, but he got the feeling that it was personal. He did not push the matter. They chatted a while longer before parting ways, with Riku returning to Leblanc and seeing a disappointed Doctor behind the counter.

“Late to school, huh?” the Doctor inquired.

“I got turned around somewhere and got lost,” Riku repeated his lie.

“Well, if that happens again, call me! I’m all for a good adventure, but you have to do it at the right time!”

“I understand, sir.”

“Good. Now run along. Get some rest and be ready for a full day of school tomorrow!”

The Doctor and Riku grinned at each other before Riku obliged. The Doctor seemed a bit enigmatic to the teen, but at least he was easygoing. He settled in for the night and slept well.

***

(April 14)

Over the course of the next few days, Riku and Blitzø investigated the entire school, as well as the dungeon in the castle alongside Rocket. While in the Metaverse, Blitzø awakened to a Persona as well, and just in time to save Riku and Rocket from major trouble. Blitzø did not know why his Persona was the pirate Captain Kidd, but he loved him already and used his electric attacks without a second thought. Also while in the Metaverse, they learned that fake guns acted like real ones, so Blitzø and Rocket started an unexpected challenge among themselves to see who can shoot down the most Shadows in each battle.

In the school, though, investigations into the various students across the clubs that were bothered, harassed, and abused by Wormtongue chose silence over justice. One person, though, did speak up a little bit, to some degree.

“Look, I know you two want to help the school,” said the redheaded girl with square glasses and an orange sweater, “but everyone already knows. The teachers, the principal, even the parents and guardians. They just don’t care.”

“What?!?” Riku was taken aback. “Why?!?”

“Wormtongue’s grip on the school is tight,” the girl stated.

“Velma Dinkley!” came the slithery voice of Grima Wormtongue from behind them. “Do you not have a club to attend?”

“I-I do,” Velma responded in a shaky voice.

“Then I suggest you run along and leave these miscreants be,” Wormtongue hissed. “They’ll only bring you down.”

“Oh, fuck you, you fork-tongued asshole!” Blitzø shouted.

“Oh?” Wormtongue inched closer to Blitzø. “Are you challenging me, little demon? Need I remind you that if you had not attacked me, the marksman club would still exist. You’re more trouble than you’re worth, imp.”

And with that, Grima Wormtongue walked away, as did Velma.

“Don’t let your anger get the better of you right now, Blitzø,” Riku calmed his friend. “If you give in and get expelled, he wins.”

“I know,” Blitzø sighed, “but it’s not fucking fair. What can we do?”

“Let’s head into the castle tomorrow. Rocket did mention something about ‘stealing his Treasure’.”

“That does sound good. Let’s fucking do it!”

And with that, the pair parted ways, with Riku heading to the station and running into Eowyn yelling into her phone.

“I’ve told you before,” she screamed, “I am not yours to claim. Threaten me with suspension, expulsion, even death. I’ll never go to bed with you!”

She hung up her phone and noticed Riku staring in shock at her.

“How much did you hear?” Eowyn asked.

“Enough to figure out that Wormtongue’s wanting to do terrible things to you,” Riku admitted.

“Come with me. I’d rather not say this in public.”

Riku followed Eowyn into a small restaurant tucked away within the station. They each ordered a glass of water before Eowyn began speaking.

“I’m not from around here, as you can probably tell,” Eowyn started, “and Grima Wormtongue came from the same place I did. He was a creep to me then, too. He was also an advisor back then, as well. Not for a school. For a king.”

“A king?” Riku asked for elaboration.

“My uncle is king of the land I hail from. He’s had that forked tongue whispering lies to him for so long. I worry it may be too late to help him. Wormtongue has offered to heal my uncle in exchange for favors. Undignified favors…”

“That’s awful.”

“It is. He is. Even under risk of the failing of my uncle’s kingdom, though, I refuse to bend. Still, the whole situation is a cage, my worst nightmare. All I want is to be free, like the shieldmaidens of old.”

“Then I have an idea, though I’ll have to ask if we can include you in this.”

“Are you talking about whatever you and Blitzø have been doing?”

“I am.”

“Well, hopefully he’ll say yes. If it means causing Wormtongue trouble, I want in.”

Riku smiled and nodded at the righteous tenacity of the blonde girl in front of him. She would be an excellent partner for the challenges ahead, should Blitzø approve.

***

(April 15)

Riku and Blitzø could not believe their eyes. One of the girls in the school had attempted suicide. Neither boy knew the girl, but someone they did know began running off in a panic. They followed that person, discovering that it was Velma.

“What gives?” Blitzø demanded to know. “Why are you running?”

“Wormtongue asked me to send her to his office yesterday,” Velma admitted, her voice shaky. “I don’t know what happened to her, but if this is what happened because of it…it’s my fault!”

“No,” Riku sharply said. “It’s his fault.”

“Fuck this!” Blitzø shouted. “I’m confronting that motherfucker right now!”

Riku and Velma tried to stop him, but it was all they could do to stop Blitzø from ripping the school advisor limb from limb with his hands and sharp teeth.

“An attempted attack on the advisor?” Wormtongue grinned menacingly. “Well, isn't this a treat! I’ve been waiting for you to do something, anything, to warrant an expulsion. And look! You brought friends! At the next assembly, the three of you shall be expelled from Shujin Academy, and, if I were to have my way, you would be sent into exile from this city!”

The three teens could not believe their ears. With expulsion hanging over their heads, Velma walked off, Eowyn joined them, and the two boys informed the blonde of their plan. She did not understand at first, but she still wanted in. Without further ado, Riku pulled out his phone and activated the Meta-Nav, the app that allowed them to traverse between reality and the Metaverse.

Chapter Text

(April 15)

At first, Rocket was annoyed that Riku and Blitzø brought Eowyn along, but once she awakened to the rebellious will within, she called forth her Persona, Hera, and destroyed all the heartless around her using the sword she obtained and a shield that came with it. In short, her soul screamed that there was no greater rebellion than to follow the footsteps of the shieldmaidens of old; even her Persona agreed. Unfortunately, the awakening left her exhausted, so the four of them had to back out for the day, despite Eowyn’s snappy pleas to continue.

To ensure that everyone could meet up in the future, Rocket returned to reality with them, choosing to stick to Riku’s side given that they had elected him leader to the newly named Phantom Thieves. Riku just prayed that the Doctor would be okay with this.

“A raccoon?” the Doctor asked as he saw Riku and Rocket step into the cafe.

“Don’t me a flarking raccoon!” Rocket snapped. “The name’s Rocket.”

“My apologies, Rocket,” the Doctor replied. “I take it he needs a place to stay?”

“Yes, sir,” Riku nodded.

“As long as you two can share a room, it should be fine,” the Doctor pondered. “Plus, having a friend around might help you keep yourself in check!”

“Yeah, I get the feeling I’ll be keeping him in check,” Riku teased.

“Sheesh, trust a guy once and he teases you for your antics,” Rocket muttered. “Anyway, lead me to the new abode.”

Riku and Rocket ascended to the attic room. Rocket looked around and nodded approvingly.

“Far from grand, but not a dump either,” Rocket mused. “This is perfect for laying low. As a Phantom Thief, you’ll need to keep your head down often. Don’t draw attention.”

“Makes sense,” Riku responded, folding his arms. “So, how can we prepare for the Palace infiltration?”

“We’ll need meds for healing ourselves and a weapon shop to improve our gear over time.”

“I’ll ask the others about that in the group chat.”

Riku did as he said he would, to which Blitzø mentioned passing a clinic in Yongen-Jaya a while back, and he also knew of a model weapon shop in Shibuya. Riku thanked him for the info and proceeded to hit the hay.

***

(April 16)

Since Rocket preferred to tinker in the attic room, Riku found himself approaching the clinic that Blitzø had mentioned. He looked at the plaque that read “Dr. Addams Medical Clinic”. He had no idea who this Dr. Addams was, but he hoped they would be willing to help him obtain some medicine for the Metaverse. He stepped inside and saw a woman sitting at the check-in station.

“Oh. A visitor,” the woman flatly said. “What brings you in?”

“I’m looking to buy medicine if there’s any available,” Riku responded.

“What kind?”

“Something that will help with exhaustion.”

“Struggling with entrance exams, I see. Come to the exam room.”

Riku did as the woman asked, where he learned her true identity.

“So, I take it you’ve heard of ‘Dr. Wednesday Addams’s powerful medicine’?” the doctor inquired.

“Powerful medicine?” Riku questioned.

“I’ll take that as a no. Well, the stuff I can offer is either weak stuff that’s affordable, or…hm…”

“Or?”

“Would you consider yourself physically active?”

“I get my fair share of exercise, Dr. Addams. Why?”

“I could offer you my stronger medicines, but the price would be your assistance in experimental medicines. I need a guinea pig.”

“You don’t beat around the bush much, do you?”

“I value my time. So, what do you say?”

“Sure, why not? It probably won’t be the worst thing I’ve tried.”

It turned out that whatever concoction Dr. Addams created was, in fact, the worst thing Riku had ever tried. The smell was horrendous, as was the taste. He briefly fainted from it. When he came to, he saw Dr. Addams checking him over and taking notes of her findings.

“That was a test of your resolve,” she admitted. “I didn’t think you were serious. Once you recover from the knockout, you may return home, and don’t forget to take that bag with you.”

As it turned out, Dr. Addams did give Riku some powerful medicine after all. The first half of Palace prep was complete.

***

(April 17)

Riku met up with Blitzø on Central Street in the middle of Shibuya. It was a busy pathway, but he managed to keep up with the imp as they made their way to a shop called “Untouchable”. The pair of Phantom Thieves entered the shop and were greeted by multiple surprising sights.

The first thing they noticed was the wide range of model weaponry. Guns, blades, axes, hammers, and more. Some of these things were completely foreign to Riku, but one thing that especially shocked him among the collection was a fake Keyblade among the mix. Whoever owned this shop either thought it was an amusing toy, or he knew the secret of the World Order.

The second surprising sight was a little being behind the counter. It was tiny, green, and it had pointy ears. It was munching on something blue; Riku assumed it was a type of cookie. He and the little guy locked gazes, both curious over the other.

“He’s not for sale, if that’s what you’re wandering,” came a voice from the back office doorway.

Riku and Blitzø looked over to see a man clad in metallic armor, but it was nothing akin to a knight or a Shadow guard in Wormtongue’s Palace. In a weird way, Riku felt that this armor was futuristic.

“We’re not going to buy a damn kid,” Blitzø interjected. “We want some good shit! What do you recommend?”

“Depends on how much you have,” the man in the armored suit stated.

Blitzø rummaged through his pockets and produced 10,000 yen.

“That’s not much,” the armored man spoke again, “but depending on the type of model weapon you’re looking for, I can find something in your price range.”

“Something that, if it were real, would really fuck up someone’s day!” Blitzø beamed.

“You’re not planning on using this for a heist or a prank, are you?” the armored man’s voice grew slightly more agitated.

“Oh, no,” Riku chimed in, “Blitzø just thinks it would make him look tough.”

“Please,” Blitzø rolled his eyes, “I am tough! I can take on three guys at once! Four, if I stretched beforehand!”

“What?” Riku questioned, but both Blitzø and the man in the armor suit ignored him.

“Then take these two,” the suited man said, producing two pistols.

“Hell yeah!” Blitzø’s mood rose dramatically. “Thank you! Keep the change!”

Blitzø left the store, leaving Riku with the man in the armor and the little green guy.

“Yeah, pardon my friend,” Riku apologized for Blitzø. “He can be a handful.”

“It’s fine,” the man waved him off. “Is there anything you’re looking for?”

“Nothing in particular. I was mainly here for him.”

“Okay. Well, if you change your mind or think of something, just stop by again. If I’m not here, Grogu will let me know.”

The man in the armored suit handed Riku a business card, revealing the shop owner’s name as Din “Mando” Djarin.

“Mando?” Riku inquired.

“It’s a nickname some use for me, given that I’m a Mandalorian," Din Djarin explained. “If you have to ask what a Mandalorian is, I’ll explain another time. Right now, I’m working on some things and need to get back to them.”

“Right, got it. Thank you, sir. Take care, Grogu.”

Grogu, the little green guy, waved goodbye to Riku.

***

(April 18)

Monday arrived, and with it came Riku being pulled out of class by Kawakami, who wanted to speak with him about a matter in private. As they approached the teacher’s lounge, Grima Wormtongue walked out of the room with another student. She had black hair and slightly tanned skin. She seemed quite thin, but something within Riku alerted him to the prospect that she could have great power residing within her.

“Oh, good,” Wormtongue said to Kawakami. “I see you’re getting on top of things already. As for you, miss, remember the people I mentioned not to get involved with? He’s at the top of the list!”

The slightly tan girl looked Riku up and down, appraising him. An ever-so-slight smirk appeared on her face before she spoke.

“Him? He seems harmless enough,” she stated.

“Can we go now?” Kawakami impatiently inquired.

“Yes, of course,” Wormtongue gestured to the door, letting her and Riku pass.

“I’ll get straight to the point, Amamiya-kun,” Kawakami said matter-of-factly. “Did you and Grima Wormtongue get into a fight or anything?”

“No, ma’am,” Riku replied honestly. “I’ve been doing my best to avoid him, if I’m being honest here.”

“He seems to get the impression that you, Buckzo-kun, and Dinkley-san are not to be trusted. Buckzo-kun, I get. He can be brash. But you and Dinkley-san?”

“Maybe he just doesn’t like us. It doesn't matter to me. I’m just working on my school life and getting this probation done.”

“Good to hear. Well, just had to be sure. Return to class.”

And with that, Riku sent a message to the group chat.

[Palace today?] - Riku

[Fuck yeah, I’m in!] - Blitzø

[I’ll be ready.] - Eowyn

[Where are we meeting?] - Rocket

[Whoa, you have a phone?!?] - Blitzø

[Yeah, built it myself. Where are we meeting?] - Rocket

[The school rooftop.] - Riku

[Got it. I’ll be up there waiting.] - Rocket

[See you soon, Rocket. We’ll put Wormtongue to the sword.] - Eowyn

Plans were made. The Palace infiltration would begin today.

“It’s showtime,” Riku whispered to himself.

Chapter Text

(April 25)

The time finally came for the calling card to be written. Blitzø wanted to be the one to write it, but after asking him to tell them what he wanted to try, everyone vetoed his demand, stating that the language was “too much like him” for them to get away with this. In the end, it was left to Eowyn to write and Rocket to sneak into Shujin Academy and get the card set up on a bulletin board near the entrance. This prompted crowds clamoring around it, which in turn drew in Grima Wormtongue, the one who the card called out for being a lust-filled monster and abuser of the student body, with the added threat of stealing his distorted desires and making him confess everything with his own mouth. Wormtongue went into a rage aimed at the students around him, confirming that the effects of the calling card worked. All that was left was for the team to get together and steal his Treasure…

***

…If only Wormtongue’s Shadow would have made it so easy for them. They were now left to fight a multi-limbed forked-tongue asshole to obtain the Treasure.

“Rocket, if we buy you time, can you grab the crown?” Riku asked.

“Piece of cake,” Rocket smirked as he scurried off.

“Ha! Even the rodent has given up on you!” Wormtongue bellowed.

“Even if I stand alone,” Riku retorted as he readied Way to the Dawn, “I won’t let you or your stench win!”

And with that, he did something that none of the other Phantom Thieves expected. Instead of using a gun as a projectile weapon, Riku fired a Dark Firaga at Wormtongue, destroying the chalice he was using to heal himself.

“Holy shit, that was awesome!” Blitzø yelled. “But you know what? I can do better than that!”

Blitzø began firing round after round into Wormtongue, maniacally laughing as he did. Wormtongue tried to retaliate, but his gigantic knife was blocked by Eowyn’s shield.

“Not today, you foul worm!” Eowyn shouted.

“You’re right!” Rocket yelled from atop Wormtongue’s head. “Not today!”

And with that, Rocket knocked the crown off of Wormtongue’s head, leaving the ruler of the Palace without his Treasure. He returned to his normal form as Eowyn approached him and held him at swordpoint.

“P-Please, don’t kill me!” Wormtongue pleaded.

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you,” Eowyn glared. “You’re going back to reality. You’re going to confess everything. You’re going to turn yourself in to the police. And after that, you’ll wish for death, but death will not come from me or your own hand!”

Wormtongue nodded in understanding, his Shadow disappearing right before the Palace started to shake vigorously.

“We need to go!” Rocket called out to the others.

“No shit!” Blitzø yelled back.

The four Phantom Thieves booked it, making it back into the alleyway outside of Shujin Academy. They caught their breath before Blitzø panicked.

“Wait!” he shouted. “Where’s the crown?”

“Right…here?” Riku held up his hand, holding up an insignia pin that he did not recognize.

“A symbol of his station in Edoras,” Eowyn explained. “That’s where he and I hail from. So this made him start believing himself to be a king?”

“Looks like it,” Rocket replied, “but he’ll want nothing to do with it anymore. The weight of his crimes will be too much to bear thinking of what good he could have done instead.”

“So, what now?” Blitzø asked.

“Leblanc?” Riku suggested, and everyone agreed, prompting the group to head to Leblanc and enjoy a quiet evening in Riku’s bedroom above the cafe.

***

(May 2)

A week passed, and it was an odd time for Riku and the others. First, there was the fact that Grima Wormtongue put himself on suspension. After that was the agonizing wait to see if changing Wormtongue’s heart would change his mind about expelling Riku, Blitzø, and Velma. The waiting game was unnerving to them, as well as to Eowyn and Rocket, who wanted their team to stay together at Shujin. The fateful day arrived, and an assembly was called before Principal Vizzini let the school go for Golden Week.

“Good morning, students and faculty,” Vizzini announced through the microphone to the gathered people. “I just wanted to gather everyone here to-”

Vizzini was interrupted by the slamming of a door. Everyone turned and saw a weary-looking Grima Wormtongue.

“I have an announcement to make,” Wormtongue yelled before snatching the mic from Vizzini. “I must confess what has happened! I have been a counselor unbecoming of my status. I have abused students and sexually harassed some of the girls. I even tried to sentence some students to expulsion for the pure fact of disliking them. I rescind those expulsions, and I apologize for my wrongdoings, but apologies aren’t enough, not when I was the reason we had a student try to kill themselves! I must be brought into custody and tried to the fullest extent of the law! Someone, call the police!”

“What is going on?!?” Vizzini could be heard screaming. “This is inconceivable!”

“Inconceivable?” Riku questioned.

“Yeah, he says that a lot,” Blitzø explained. “I don’t think it means what he thinks it means.”

The commotion quieted down once Wormtongue was escorted out of the building by the cops, and the student body slowly exited the gymnasium. All the members of the Phantom Thieves, aside from Rocket for obvious reasons, met up and quietly acknowledged their victory.

“Looks like you two are in the clear,” Eowyn smiled.

“And we couldn’t have pulled it off without you,” Riku nodded.

“Damn right! Now what?” Blitzø asked.

“A question for another day,” Riku halted everyone’s thoughts. “We’re about to have company.”

Velma Dinkey approached the group, her head hanging low.

“I want to apologize, Amamiya,” Velma started.

“Just call me Riku,” Riku waved her off, “and hey, you’re not the reason we almost got expelled.”

“Not for that. I was the one who leaked your criminal record to the school. Wormtongue made me do it. He said he’d hurt me if I didn’t do it, and I got scared, and-”

“Hey, it’s okay. People talking behind my back over something they don’t know the story of is way less than the things I say about myself for what I’ve truly done. Let our classmates talk. It doesn’t bother me in the least. Besides, no reason for a friend to hang their head low over another friend, right?”

“R-Right!”

And with that, Riku and Velma decided that friendship was the right approach for them in life, though he decided not to bring her into the fold over the existence of the Metaverse, Palaces, Personas, and the like. It might frighten the poor girl, after all, even if she did seem to be a quick study.

***

Elsewhere, two colleagues were discussing an ongoing case of mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns when they heard the news about the corrupt school counselor. The two women looked at each other, curious over the matter.

“Isn't that where your adopted sister attends school, Walters?” the younger girl inquired.

“It is,” Walters confirmed, “and that bothers me. What is going on at Shujin Academy?”

Chapter Text

(May 4)

Riku found himself standing outside of Untouchable with the insignia pin in his hand. He sucked in a deep breath and entered the shop. Din Djarin was at his desk, shoving something into a paper bag while Grogu was playing around with a little metal ball.

“Din Djarin?” Riku spoke up, grabbing the Mandalorian’s attention.

“Oh, perfect timing!” Din Djarin replied, shoving the paper bag into Riku’s hands. “If anyone asks, you bought that.”

“Okay? Well, I was wanting to know if you’d buy something, actually…”

“And what is that?”

Riku produced the insignia pin, and Din Djarin took it. The Mandalorian inspected it thoroughly before producing 30,000 yen.

“This is my offer,” Din Djarin stated.

“And I accept,” Riku approved, taking the money and putting it in his pocket.

As Riku was about to head out, two detectives burst through the door to question the Mandalorian.

“How can I help you?” the Mandalorian asked the detectives matter-of-factly.

“We know you’ve been skirting the law in your shop,” the brash detective responded.

“Is that so?” Din Djarin questioned, leaning forward and clasping his gloved hands together. “Do you have any proof?”

“We do not,” the calm detective answered, “and my colleague here would be wise not to jump out and say things like that unnecessarily.”

“Well, look at him!” the brash one spurted. “He won’t even show his face to us! Seriously, remove that helmet!”

“No can do,” the Mandalorian firmly stated. “It stays on. It’s part of my religion.”

“And we’ll respect that,” the calm detective assured him. “May we look around and ensure that things are as they should be?”

“Go ahead,” Din Djarin gestured to the shop around them. “This is what I’ve got in stock.”

Riku smirked to himself. Whatever trouble Din Djarin was going to find himself in, it wouldn’t be in the shop. It would be in the bag in Riku’s hands, so the silver-haired boy discreetly exited the shop and went home, 30,000 yen richer than he was before going in. And, as it turned out, there was a nicely-made model blaster inside, which Rocket called dibs on. Riku did not challenge him; he trusted the raccoon to know what he was doing.

***

(May 5)

At Eowyn’s request, the four members of the Phantom Thieves found themselves at a fancy hotel with a buffet within it. The public only saw three of them enter; Rocket made sure to keep himself out of the public eye, since “pets” were not allowed. He would argue about his position in life, but even a talking raccoon would struggle to convince the world that he is not a pet. Plus, him doing so saved the team money, and he had no qualms with screwing over rich people who already had enough.

“Alright, time for some grub!” Blitzø shouted, garnering unwanted attention from a pompous woman, which he noticed. “The fuck are you looking at?”

“I’m going to get some food for myself and Rocket,” Eowyn announced. “What would you like?”

“Hm,” Rocket pondered. “Some fish, some meat, some rice, and a few vegetables.”

“I’ve got you covered!” Eowyn assured him.

“And I’m going to find out what kind of fancy weird bougie shit I can munch on!” Blitzø announced, hopping out of his chair and joining Eowyn in the quest for food.

“I’ll wait for them to return,” Riku told Rocket. “I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“Why? Scared I’ll do something?” Rocket teased.

“Should I be scared of that?” Riku teased back.

“Maybe,” Rocket shrugged.

Blitzø and Eowyn returned, allowing Riku to gather his own food. He, along with Eowyn and Rocket, were eating foods on the healthier side, while Blitzø just grabbed whatever looked fancy. Everything was going well until Blitzø needed to rush to the bathroom. He asked Riku to accompany him so they could remember how to get back more easily. As such, they were on a different floor than the buffet and waiting for the elevator after Blitzø practically destroyed a toilet.

“I can’t believe you,” Riku mumbled.

“Hey! It’s not like I knew that eating that weird shit would cause me to puke!” Blitzø snapped.

Just then, a smell hit Riku’s nose. It seemed familiar, but from where, he could not quite place. A handful of men in suits pushed them aside and took the elevator.

“Hey, what the fuck?!?” Blitzø shouted.

“Stand aside, child,” a suited man said.

“We were here first,” Blitzø retaliated, “and I’ll be damned if you treat us like shit!”

“Don’t bother with them,” said a voice among them that Riku had heard before. “It’s clear that they don’t know any better. Such is the way of the children of the useless masses.”

“Ex-fucking-scuse me?!?” Blitzø growled, but the men were gone, as was the scent that clung to Riku’s nose.

“That guy,” Riku muttered.

“Yeah, total prick,” Blitzø stated. “Anyway, let’s get back down there! Eowyn’s waiting!”

Riku went along with Blitzø, though his mind still pondered that scent. He was then reminded of Grima Wormtongue, and how he had the foul scent of Darkness, too. Could it be that there were more Palaces to find? That led Riku to a conclusion.

“Let’s not end here,” he said to the others.

“What do you mean?” Eowyn inquired.

“This is going to sound weird, but I could tell Wormtongue had a Palace by smell,” Riku explained. “Where I come from, that smell comes from Darkness, and while we were waiting for the elevator, Blitzø and I encountered a guy that I could smell that Darkness on, too. I think there are more Palaces out there.”

“Oh, there are definitely more out there,” Rocket confirmed Riku’s point. “Not only is there a place called Mementos, the ‘Palace of the collective unconscious’, if you will, there are plenty of people with distorted desires that need a change of heart. It’s my mission to help to claim my reward, so I’m in!”

“I am in, as well,” Eowyn joined in. “I will not stand idly by while people suffer.”

“And you know I’m in,” Blitzø smiled. “I’m not gonna let a bunch of shitty adults do whatever they want without consequences! Let’s fucking do this!”

“And you’ll keep being our leader, right?” Eowyn asked Riku.

“I’ll do my best,” Riku nodded.

And with that, it was settled. The Phantom Thieves were bound to continue along the path to right the wrongs of the world.

***

(May 6)

Velma approached Riku after classes ended for the day. She had waited for the end of Golden Week to say what was on her mind.

“May I speak with you, Riku?” Velma asked.

“Yeah, of course, what’s up?” Riku inquired.

“So, I don’t want you denying it. I know it was you and your friends that stopped Wormtongue. You’ll always have my gratitude for that. That’s why I made this!”

She showed Riku her phone, which had the Phantom Aficionado Website on the screen.

“I figured if the public could help you guys find another big target, you can make the world a safer place,” Velma smiled.

“Thank you, Velma,” Riku nodded approvingly. “I appreciate it.”

“Just be careful out there, alright? I don’t know what you and your friends do to make a change of heart occur, but if it’s dangerous, just…please, don’t be reckless!”

“Been reckless before, won’t do it again!”

There was a twinge of guilt when Riku said that. Velma did not question him about it. That was his business, not hers. She simply nodded and walked away.

Chapter Text

(May 13)

Exams were tough as is, given that the Phantom Thieves were more interested in finding a new target, but to have an assembly in the middle of it seemed a bit ridiculous. Still, if it meant a slight delay in the exams, Riku, Blitzø, and Eowyn will accept the breather.

“Settle down, settle down,” Vizzini called out to the student body as he took the stage. “I know you’re anxious to get back to your exams and ace them, but I’ve got someone here that will be joining our faculty team briefly. That’s your cue, doctor!”

Riku and the rest of the student body watched as Principal Vizzini stepped back and a man with dark hair, glasses, and black attire came onto the stage. All around the Phantom Thieves, girls were going nuts over how attractive the man was.

“Sheesh, can these girls not be so damn thirsty?!?” Blitzø snarked. “Like yeah, he’s hot, but I’m not going to scream about it!”

Riku chuckled to himself. He had started to understand Blitzø’s particular way of speaking, though he refused to try out some of the words himself. It just felt wrong for some reason.

“Uh, good morning, good morning!” the man on the stage grabbed everyone’s attention. “It’s so great to see all of you this morning! I’ll keep this brief! My name is Dr. Ian Malcolm, and starting today and going through mid-November, I’ll be your new counselor! If you need any help, just stop by the nurse’s office! That’s, uh…that’s all!”

And with that, the student body was excused to head back to class for another day of exams. Once they were done, Riku, Blitzø, and Eowyn were stopped by Dr. Malcolm on their way out of the building.

“Ah, there you three are,” Dr. Malcolm said. “Pardon my intrusion, but the principal was especially adamant about me meeting with you three.”

“Why?” Eowyn questioned.

“According to multiple sources,” Dr. Malcolm explained, “the three of you had some trouble with the previous counselor. The principal wants all of you to attend at least one session. I promise not to be interrogative! I’m just here to listen.”

“I’ll think about it,” Blitzø huffed.

“I’ll consider it,” Eowyn sighed.

All eyes fell to Riku. He silently sniffed at the air. No Darkness detected on Dr. Malcolm, so that was a plus. Well, if it meant not getting scrutinizing eyes on him…

“I’ll swing by in a few minutes,” Riku offered.

“Great! That’s, uh, great,” Dr. Malcolm nodded. “I’ll see you then!”

As Dr. Malcolm walked off, Blitzø and Eowyn looked at Riku with incredulity.

“What?” Riku questioned them. “I gave him a quick check. He doesn’t have the Darkness around him.”

“Okay, but if things change, let us know,” Eowyn stated.

“I will,” Riku nodded. “You two go ahead. We’ll catch up later.”

And that was how Riku found himself knocking on the door to the nurse’s office and being confronted by a familiar face.

“Oh! You again,” the girl that he met alongside Wormtongue last month spoke up. “Here to see Dr. Malcolm?”

“Yeah, you?” Riku asked.

“Mhm! I’ve been seeing him for guidance for the last two months! He’s really good at helping people!”

“That’s good.”

“Well, take care!”

“You as well.”

The two students parted ways, and Riku realized that he should have asked for her name, if for no other reason but to put a name to the face. He shrugged the thought off as he entered the nurse’s office and saw Dr. Malcolm waiting there, sitting in a chair while offering Riku a couch. In front of the furniture was a little table, upon which sat two cups of tea.

“Ah, yes, come in, come in!” Dr. Malcolm waved him over. “So, based on the reports I got, you must be Riku Amamiya.”

“I am,” Riku nodded.

“No need to be tense, I promise.”

“Well, if you’ve seen my records…”

“Yes, yes, that record was included, but I’m not interested in that. I’m just wanting to focus on how you feel, how you’re doing, how integrating into city life after living on some islands is treating you.”

“Well, I’m able to breathe better without Wormtongue breathing down my neck and the necks of my friends. He was trying to expel me, simply because he didn’t like my face.”

“Sounds like a Napoleon complex on his part. Perhaps he saw himself as the king of a castle or something.”

Riku bit down on his tongue to stop himself from laughing.

“Yeah, well, he’s gone now, though some of the damage remains,” Riku continued. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors flying around.”

“I don’t deal in rumors,” Dr. Malcolm assured him. “I worry about facts, and how those facts affect the world. See, I study two wildly different fields. One is chaos theory, and the other is the study of cognition. The latter lets me learn about how emotions and perceptions can affect our reality, while the former alerts me to how dangerous that, among everything else, can be.”

“Fascinating.”

“You think so, too? Well, Amamiya, if you’re up to it, I’d like to make a deal with you. I’ll teach you how to focus your mental acuity, and in exchange, I’d like your assistance in bouncing ideas around to see if I can knock out a research paper on cognition and how it could potentially help the world, so long as the wrong hands don’t use it for their benefit.”

“Consider that a deal, sir!”

“Oh, you don’t have to call me ‘sir’. Ian, Malcolm, or even Doc will do!”

And so, Riku and Dr. Malcolm forged a deal to help the other better themselves over time.

***

(May 14)

“It’s over!” Eowyn happily announced as she and the others walked out of the school.

“Fuck, it’s over,” Blitzø said with an exhausted voice. “Now I can stop pretending to give a shit!”

“Well, sounds like you’re failing your exams,” Eowyn teased. “How about you, Riku?”

“As long as I passed my exams, I’m good,” Riku shrugged.

“Something tells me this fucker is going to be at the top of our class!” Blitzø groaned.

Eowyn giggled at the two boys teasing each other, but a nagging feeling made her spin around as they approached the station. Riku noticed this and questioned her about it.

“What’s wrong?” asked Riku.

“I get the feeling I’m being watched,” Eowyn whispered, “as if I’m but a rabbit, and a wolf is preparing to pounce upon its prey.”

“Stick close then,” Blitzø dropped all jokes. Eowyn was pleased to see him take this seriously.

“Yeah, Blitzø is right,” Riku seconded.

Eowyn and the boys took the train to Shibuya, and the feeling did not dissipate, and it was further amplified when she saw a flash of green dart out of the train to follow them.

“We are being followed,” Eowyn stated matter-of-factly.

“Ready yourselves,” Riku ordered.

The three of them spun around and were shocked by who was tailing them. It was a boy with pointy ears, a green tunic and cap, and a head of blonde hair. They looked the boy up and down, but he did not seem to be a threat.

“Who are you?” Eowyn questioned.

“Sorry for following you, but the way you look reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago,” the blonde boy announced. “My name is Link, a student of Kosei High School and a fledgling musician.”

“Musician?” Blitzø questioned.

“Yes,” Link nodded. “I’m under the tutelage of the greatest composer of our time, Ganondorf.”

It was at this moment that a car pulled up, and the window unrolled to reveal a man with an olive green complexion. He was far bulkier than Link, and his red hair stood out. If that was not enough to draw Riku’s attention, it was the heavy stench of Darkness clinging to the bulky man.

“Ah, so you were chasing a muse,” Ganondorf bellowed. “Well, exchange contact info quickly. We still have some business to take care of, remember?”

“Right,” Link nodded before handing them three tickets and his phone number. “I hope to see all of you tomorrow at the grand opening of the Ganondorf Musical Exhibition.”

Link left the three of them, rejoining his musical tutor and taking off. Eowyn looked at the others.

“Should we go?” she inquired.

“Yes,” Riku affirmed. “He stunk of Darkness.”

“Who, the elf with the dress?” Blitzø questioned.

“That was a tunic,” Eowyn corrected the imp.

“Funny name for a dress,” Blitzø remained firm in his wrong stance.

“No, not Link,” Riku shook his head. “Ganondorf.”

Chapter Text

(May 15)

The exhibition was surprisingly quiet, given the crowds and the fact that it was a musical exhibition. Songs from a wide range of genres and a wide range of instruments played overhead while there were the instruments used, sheet music, and plaques describing each one scattered about the place. Riku thought it was a bit too fancy for his taste, but the exhibition was not the goal here. It was learning more about the man that stunk of the Darkness that undoubtedly had a Palace.

“Ah, you came!” Link greeted Riku and his friends.

“Yeah, we also arrived at this ritzy-ass place!” Blitzø responded. “Well, maybe the only ritzy thing about it is the music!”

“It is beautifully played, especially the piece playing right now,” Eowyn pointed out.

Everyone silenced themselves to listen to the music, and Riku noticed Link being uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong, Link?” Riku inquired.

“Oh, nothing serious, don’t mind me,” Link clearly lied.

“Spill it,” Blitzø demanded.

“We’re all friends here,” Eowyn consoled Link. “You can talk to us.”

Link hesitated before gesturing for them to follow him. Riku wondered what could be so wrong that Link would drag them away from the crowds and the music.

“This is something I can’t take public, or else I’ll find myself homeless and helpless,” Link admitted, “but the music that everyone loves, that Ganondorf claims as his own…it isn't his music. He’s been stealing the work of his ‘pupils’ for years. That piece you claimed to love, Eowyn? That was my work. I was forced to relinquish it to him, or else I’d be on the streets and disgraced.”

“Oh, that fucking prick!” Blitzø growled.

“Don’t start anything, Blitzø,” Eowyn chastised quietly.

“I won’t,” Blitzø assured her. “Not here, at least.”

“Wait, you’re not going to hurt him, are you?” Link questioned.

“Not exactly,” Riku stated. “Tell us what you know about him.”

And with that, Riku, Blitzø, and Eowyn listened to Link go into detail about Ganondorf’s life, how the two of them live in a shack, and how Ganondorf seems to revere himself as a god among men in private.

“I see,” Riku mused. “Take us to this shack.”

“Why?” Link asked uneasily.

“We’re not doing anything to the shack,” Riku assured him. “I just have a hunch about something.”

“Oh! Are you thinking…” Blitzø started to reveal something that he should not, but he caught his tongue.

The four teenagers made their way to the shack that Link and Ganondorf live in. It looked like a strong-enough wind could topple the whole thing over. Riku was now more worried for Link’s safety than he was before this revelation. He pulled out his phone and pulled up the app, thusly dubbed the Meta-Nav.

“Ganondorf and shack,” Riku said into the phone.

“Candidates found,” the Meta-Nav chirped.

“I knew it,” Riku glared at his phone. “Blitzø, Eowyn! One of you call Rocket over. We’re about to go in.”

Blitzø was quicker with his phone, and, within a few minutes, Rocket arrived, panting as if he was out of breath.

“Do you know how much flarking trouble it is to avoid detection in Shibuya?!?” Rocket grumbled. “Someone damn near stepped on my tail!”

“Is that a tanuki?” Link inquired.

“The name’s Rocket, kid!” Rocket growled. “Where’d you dig this one up?”

“He’s the pupil of Ganondorf,” Riku explained, “and Ganondorf has a Palace.”

“We’ve got a name and a place,” Eowyn added. “We only need the distortion now.”

“Well, he thinks of himself like a god, right, Link?” Blitzø questioned, to which Link nodded. “Try temple!”

“Candidate found,” the Meta-Nav chirped once more.

“So, what’s this about a Palace?” Link asked as the navigation began. He looked around and saw the shack warp into a desert temple. “By the goddesses!”

“Stay close, kid,” Rocket instructed. “This could get messy.”

And things did get messy as they encountered Ganondorf’s Shadow. He bellowed and boasted about the reaping of his pupil’s musical talents, about how the world revered him and paid him great money to hear the melodies that were not his. Link could not bear to hear another word, and he awakened to his own Persona, Goemon, and he aided the Phantom Thieves in their efforts to fight back the Shadows sent their way. Unfortunately, though, they had to retreat back to reality, as Link was exhausted.

“So that’s how he sees everything, huh?” Link asked for clarification.

“Afraid so, Link,” Eowyn sighed.

“I want to join you in bringing him down,” Link stated firmly, “even at the cost of why I took up room and board with him.”

“And why is that?” Blitzø inquired.

“You remember how I said Eowyn reminded me of someone?” Link started, and everyone aside from Rocket nodded. “Well, there’s a princess that I met a long time ago. Her name is Zelda. She stirred within me the desire to create wondrous music. Sadly, she disappeared one day, and her kingdom has fallen into disrepair. Ganondorf found me as I tried to find her, and he dragged me out and promised to help me find her in exchange for my talents. I thought I had no choice, but now I do.”

“In that case, I have one thing to say to you, Link,” Riku smiled. “Welcome to the team!”

Riku and Link shook hands on that, with both of them thinking about how they could help the other.

***

(May 24)

Riku knows he has done quite a few questionable things in his life. He gave into the Darkness for a brief time. He fought his best friend over the sake of their girl best friend. He accepted a fairy-witch as a mother figure in a time of personal weakness. He even took the form of his mortal enemy for a few weeks, believing that he would be stuck like that forever, for the sake of making things right with his best friend.

Somehow, none of those things compared to the fact that Blitzø had convinced him and Link to meet up in an empty apartment to hire a maid for their services. Riku was certain that Blitzø had some unsavory thoughts in mind, while Link was looking particularly nervous about the whole situation. Riku was nervous as well, but he was more thinking about the fact that he was already on probation; he could not afford to get caught pulling a stunt like this.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Link mumbled, his face turning greener by the moment.

“Dude, it’s not that serious, I promise!” Blitzø tried to console Link to no avail. “Okay, yeah, I can’t let you suffer like this. Riku, it’s all on you!”

“WHAT?!?” Riku yelped as Blitzø and Link left by leaping off the balcony. Riku was about to do the same, but the door to the apartment and the maid entered.

“Welcome home, Master!” came a voice that was painfully obvious to Riku.

“Why her?” Riku stammered. “I am so screwed.”

“I’m going to fill your tired heart full of lovely energy! MEOW!” came the unmistakable voice once more.

Riku could not bring himself to speak. He simply gulped in quiet response. Shadows, Heartless, Nobodies, Palaces…these things he could handle. But this woman? Talking to him like that? It was too much!

“Anyway, Master, I- oh shit,” the person behind the voice turned to see the temporary tenant in the room with them. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“Hi, Ms. Kawakami,” Riku muttered as he turned around. “I can explain-”

“CAN YOU?!?” Kawakami blurted out. “Ugh, of all the people to catch me, why did it have to be you?!?”

“Be glad you came when you did. I was put up to this by Blitzø, and he just left with someone else.”

“...I guess that would be worse. So Ms. Chouno didn’t put you up to this?”

“No, ma’am. Does she know?”

“She’s been on my ass about being a better teacher than I am, ever since the Wormtongue incident.”

“Oh. I see. Well, you can count on me to say nothing. You’re a good person, Ms. Kawakami.”

“Yeah, right, good one.”

“I’m serious. You are.”

And without saying another word, Riku handed her 5,000 yen, the payment for a maid’s visit, and left. He did not see it, but Kawakami’s eyes lit up at his determined stance to let her know that she was a good person, that nothing could convince him otherwise.

Chapter Text

(May 29)

The day finally arrived for the calling card to be sent out, and Rocket was perfectly stealthy enough to sneak it into the exhibition without detection. With that out of the way, Link was able to get close enough to see Ganondorf’s reaction to receiving a calling card in such a public place. To put it mildly, he was seething, and Link reported as much back to the team.

“So I take it his Treasure has taken form?” Link inquired.

“That would be the case,” Rocket declared. “Let’s get this done quickly! We have no idea what to expect!”

“Yeah,” Riku nodded, “especially after the last Palace. Ganondorf may be planning to fight back!”

“No worries! I’ll shoot that fucker down!” Blitzø grinned widely.

“You know we can’t kill the Shadows of Palace rulers, right?” Eowyn chastised.

“Yeah,” Blitzø shrugged. “That’s why I said ‘shoot that fucker down’, not ‘kill the rat bastard’!”

“I guess that’s fair,” Eowyn sighed.

“Well, enough chatter,” Riku commanded, “it’s showtime!”

***

They were right to brace themselves for a potential fight. When the Treasure formed and was contained in a box, they thought they were in the clear briefly by simply snagging the box. However, the box was a fake - there was nothing inside!

“What the flark?!?” Rocket grumbled.

“Looking for this?” asked Shadow Ganondorf from behind them. “You didn’t think I’d leave my greatest prize within the reach of feckless children, did you?”

“Hey, now! We may be fuckless right now, but that can change!” Blitzø cried out.

“He said feckless,” Riku corrected the imp.

“That, too!” Blitzø stated.

“Well, no matter!” Ganondorf glared. “I can show you the prize, knowing you will never claim it!”

He opened a box containing the real Treasure, which was a golden key with an unusual symbol on it. Link squinted at the symbol, as if trying to recall where he had seen it.

“This is the sole remaining key to unlock the place where Princess Zelda is captured!” Ganondorf boasted. “I’ve destroyed the copy in reality!”

“Wait…you don’t mean…” Link stammered.

“Yes, Link! I am the one who kidnapped her and has hidden her away for so long!” Ganondorf sneered. “After all, I couldn’t risk having her thwart my plans! That is why I also took you in! You were fated to save the day, if she was unavailable, so I kept you under my thumb! No matter now! I’ll destroy you and your pitiful band of heroes here and now!”

“If you think you can, try it, but we won’t go down so easily!” Eowyn challenged.

“Such tenacity, just like Zelda!” Ganondorf snarled. “I might enjoy killing you most!”

“Brace for impact!” Riku yelled as Ganondorf’s form changed from a man to a massive beast.

The battle was grueling, to say the least. Beast Ganon was a hulking monster with a tough hide, but that did not stop the Phantom Thieves from throwing everything they had at it. Link especially came with a wide selection of weaponry to use; a sword, a bow, a boomerang, and a hammer were all used in this battle. Riku swooped in occasionally to slash at Beast Ganon, backing away when Blitzø and Rocket reigned fire from their guns after a quick reload. If someone was charged at, Eowyn jumped forward, shield in hand, taking the blow and blocking the damage nicely. Eventually, it was more than enough, and Beast Ganon returned to the form of Ganondorf. Link reached forward and snatched the key from him.

“Once I figure out what this symbol means,” Link said with an intense stare, “I will rescue the princess!”

“I’m sure you will,” Ganondorf sputtered, “but who will save you and your friends from the other one?”

“The other one?” Eowyn questioned.

“You don’t think you feckless brats are the only ones who visit Palaces, do you?” Ganondorf sneered. “By taking me down, you’ll certainly have their attention now!”

And with that, Ganondorf’s Shadow returned to himself in reality, and the Phantom Thieves made a daring escape from the crumbling Palace.

***

(May 30)

Vizzini must have thought himself clever to come up with the idea of sending the Shujin student body to Inokashira Park to clean it up as a way to regain credibility for the school after the fiasco of Wormtongue’s confessions. All it really did was rub the students the wrong way, and the grumblings were even heard in the small group of Riku’s Shujin friends.

“This is fucking bullshit!” Blitzø shouted. “If that no-good principal thinks cleaning a damn park will make things better, why doesn’t he drag his bald ass out here and do it himself?!?”

Riku and Eowyn could not help but laugh at Blitzø’s outburst, knowing that, expletives aside, he was right. Principal Vizzini was noticeably absent from the event that he arranged.

“You are extremely loud, Blitzø,” Velma yelled out as she approached the trio. “I figured you and your friends would be quieter. You know, not drawing attention to yourselves?”

“If I went quiet, that would be even more suspicious, don’t you think?” Blitzø retorted.

“Touché,” Velma conceded.

From a distance away, a girl with long curly brown hair called out on the microphone for everyone to separate into their assigned groups and begin their work.

“Who’s that?” Riku asked. “Why is she in charge?”

“I guess you wouldn’t have run into her,” Eowyn explained. “That’s Hermione Granger, the student council president. She’s not from around here, like us, but to my knowledge, she has not spoken of her past to anyone.”

“How smart is she?” Riku inquired.

“Top of her class,” Velma answered.

“In that case, we’ll need to be especially careful around her,” Riku stated, and everyone nodded in agreement as they separated into their cleanup crews.

Thankfully, the cleanup went by quickly, and it helped that Dr. Ian Malcolm had come along and made lunch for everyone. Once the cleanup was complete, miso soup with pork was provided for everyone with the promise of being allowed to leave afterward. Riku’s crew, wanting nothing to do with the “dangerous transfer student”, bailed on him, so he sat alone briefly before a familiar young woman came up to him.

“Well, we keep running into each other, don’t we?” said the girl he met outside of the nurse’s office most recently. “May I join you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Riku nodded.

“I’ve never asked for your name.”

“It’s Riku Amamiya. Just call me Riku.”

“Okay. Yeah, I come from a place where last names aren’t a thing. Call me Caulifla!”

“Nice to meet you, Caulifla.”

“You too, Riku!”

The two of them ate in silence and were about to get rid of their bowls when Riku noticed Caulifla’s knuckles.

“What happened?!?” Riku inquired, gesturing to her knuckles.

“Oh, that?” Caulifla waved it off. “I’m a martial artist, and sometimes I get a little rough. It’s no biggie!”

“That sounds cool. Could you teach me?”

“Yeah, why not? Might help me out, since everyone says I’m not giving it my all. They think I can perform much better in tournaments. Not my fault I feel off for some unknown reason.”

“Well, if I can help with that, I will!”

“Then it’s a deal, Riku!”

And with that, Riku and Caulifla made a pact to train their bodies for martial arts proficiency whenever the chance arose.

***

(June 5)

The news revealed that renowned musician Ganondorf had come forward and confessed to stealing the works of his pupils and claiming them as their own, as well as even going so far as beating some of them to a pulp if they tried to defy him for his theft. The police had him in custody while two women considered what had happened.

“This is the second time this has happened,” the younger of the two mused. “Just what exactly are these Phantom Thieves, I wonder.”

“You worry too much, Tate,” Walters declared.

“Or maybe you’re not worried enough.”

“I can’t afford to worry about fairy tale heroes. I have an adopted sister to watch over and cases to win.”

“Ah, yes. The work of the great prosecutor, Jennifer Walters, never ends!”

“Can it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Chapter Text

(June 9)

The second-years of Shujin Academy found themselves going on a field trip of their choosing, and Riku, Blitzø, and Eowyn all picked the TV station. As such, the three of them, among a multitude of other students, were watched over by a handful of teachers, including Ms. Kawakami, as a guide explained in painfully obvious detail how things worked in the TV station. Once the tour was over, everyone was allowed a break, to which Riku, Blitzø, and Eowyn found themselves in a hallway away from everyone else.

“Ugh, that was so fucking boring!” Blitzø complained loudly.

“You can say that again,” grumbled Riku, who had been bored to tears.

“And I swear if another creepy adult man tries to hit on me, I will show them the wrath of a shieldmaiden of Rohan!” Eowyn said, seething over the fact that a TV crew member did just that before the break.

At that moment, a well-dressed young woman rounded the corner, almost running into them until she noticed them. She looked them up and down before speaking.

“You must be from Shujin Academy,” the woman mused.

“Good job, Sherlock!” Blitzø mumbled. “Are you a detective or something?”

“Actually, yes, I am,” the woman pointed out, shutting Blitzø down. “Where are my manners? My name is Miranda Tate. It looks like we’ll be on TV together tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah?” Eowyn inquired.

“Yes,” Miranda confirmed once more. “I shall see you then. For now, please excuse me.”

Miranda walked away, leaving the others to ponder why they would be seeing a detective on TV tomorrow. Meanwhile, Riku stayed silent. Her scent was not like those who had Palaces, but there was a certain Darkness to it. If she really was a detective, this would be worrisome for the Phantom Thieves…

***

(June 10)

The three of them returned to the TV station and found themselves as part of the audience this time. Someone behind the cameras started counting down right after Miranda Tate, true to her word, appeared as the guest of the day. Boys and girls among the student body were cheering Miranda on as she waved to them. The interview got underway after the countdown, and Miranda presented herself as courteous and charismatic while the interviewers described her as the “detective princess”. Even Riku could not deny that there was some charm to her.

“And now, we have to ask the question on everyone’s minds,” said one of the interviewers. “The Phantom Thieves. What do you make of them?”

“I find them to be an intriguing group, to say the least,” Miranda stated.

“So you’re not denying their existence?”

“Of course not. I may be young, but I have seen some things in the world that would be deemed outlandish. A group going about changing hearts doesn’t seem too farfetched to me.”

“I see.”

“Also, while the people whom they have targeted in the past were indeed criminals of their own right and needed to be dealt justice, the methods of the Phantom Thieves are not something I can approve. Therefore, I fully believe they should be tried in a court of law.”

Riku, Blitzø, and Eowyn were a bit shaken by this response. True, they did their best not to let anyone know of their dealings in the Metaverse, but were they truly viewed as criminals on this side of reality?

“Let’s get the opinion of an audience member!” the other interviewer said as they stood up and randomly selected Riku. “How about you, young man? What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?”

“Well,” Riku pondered his words carefully, “I think the Phantom Thieves are a true form of justice.”

“That’s a distinctly opposite to Miranda Tate’s stance,” the interviewer pointed out.

“It is,” Miranda mused, “but could you truly say that if someone like, say, your friend beside you had a change of heart?”

“If someone changed Blitzø’s heart,” Riku teased, “maybe he would be more careful with his language.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Blitzø blurted out, which led to an uproar of laughter from the audience and even a bit of laughter from Miranda.

“Besides, I don’t think my friend is a criminal, so the Phantom Thieves would leave him alone,” Riku answered seriously this time.

“Okay, duly noted,” Miranda smiled.

The interview wrapped and the two interviewers gushed over how this content would be outstanding to show the public. Meanwhile, Blitzø and Eowyn went off to speak with a teacher as Miranda approached Riku.

“That was quite the firm stance you had back there,” Miranda started.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Riku smirked.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like hearing opposing viewpoints. It keeps my mind open to new ideas and better alternatives, should the occasion arise.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“I have a good feeling about you. Would you like to speak again sometime?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Well, let’s trade contact IDs.”

They did so, and Miranda read the name carefully.

“Riku Amamiya,” she mused. “Which do you prefer to be called?”

“Riku’s fine,” Riku said nonchalantly.

“Call me Miranda. I’ll let you know when I’m free. Until then, may the spirits be kind.”

Riku and Miranda shook hands before parting ways, and it was that moment when Blitzø and Eowyn returned.

“Damn, hitting on the detective that wants us in cuffs!” Blitzø jokingly smirked. “Someone must have a kink or two!”

“What?” Riku questioned, confused by what Blitzø meant.

“Never mind, you’re too innocent!” Blitzø replied, exacerbated.

“Still, I hope you know what you’re doing, Riku,” Eowyn urged him to consider his actions.

“Yeah, me too,” Riku sighed as he looked at the new contact in his phone.

***

(June 11)

Hermione had been called to the principal’s office, no doubt to ask if she had made any progress in the task that Vizzini had forced upon her. She was already dealing with students complaining about being pressured for money by a new criminal group roaming around the streets of Shibuya, one that the police would not even bother going after. Apparently, they deemed the name of the group too childish to be a true mafia. That, along with keeping up her grades, dealing with the loneliness of being home when her adoptive sister was constantly gone, and the weight of her past were more than enough. She did not need this, too.

“So,” Vizzini greeted Hermione as she stepped into the principal’s office, “how’s the investigation going? Find the Phantom Thieves yet?”

“I have not, sir,” Hermione sighed.

“Really? Someone of your talents hasn’t found them yet? Inconceivable!”

“Sir, there’s another matter at hand right now-”

“Look, whatever it is, it’ll be fine! Just catch those Thieves, okay? Everything else is secondary! And hey, I’ll throw a letter of recommendation to any college you want if you pull this off!”

“That’s nice and all, but-”

“No buts! You’re dismissed.”

Hermione sighed, frustrated with being dismissed without a care for the student body’s cries for help. As she left the office, she pondered what her friends back in England would have done in her shoes…

***

“Wow, Riku!” Link gasped. “I didn’t know you could cook!”

“Well, the Doctor’s been teaching me a few skills here and there,” Riku stated. “Besides, this isn't much different from what my family used to make back at home.”

“I got to say,” Rocket spoke as his lips smacked, “this hot pot stuff really hits the spot!”

“You said it!” Blitzø seconded, patting his stomach.

“It was indeed enjoyable,” Eowyn nodded. “I am disappointed that my contribution was, well…”

“Absolute ass?” Blitzø offered.

“I was going for subpar, but that will work,” Eowyn sighed. “I guess cooking is not one of my natural skills like using a sword and horse riding.”

“You’ve ridden horses before?!?” Blitzø’s eyes widened with glee. “Tell me everything!”

As Eowyn told Blitzø about her time back in Edoras, Link pulled out a wooden instrument.

“What’s that?” Riku inquired.

“Looks like a funny-looking flute,” Blitzø flatly said.

“It’s not a flute,” Link corrected the imp. “It’s an ocarina, and it was given to me by a friend a long time ago. She gifted this to me before I went to meet Princess Zelda for the first time and taught me a song, saying that I should play it whenever I was inspired to do so. I never played it when I lived with Ganondorf; he could steal my works, but I’d never let him have hers.”

“Can we hear it?” Eowyn asked.

“I’m curious, too,” Rocket admitted.

Everyone quieted themselves as Link started playing his ocarina, playing an upbeat tune on the instrument. Even the Doctor came up to listen to it, enamored with the short but sweet melody.

“That, my friends, is ‘Saria’s Song’,” Link announced as he concluded his playing. “It reminds me of home.”

“Do you miss it?” the Doctor asked, interjecting into the teens’ hot pot celebration as nicely as he could.

“Of course,” Link nodded, “but I cannot return until I save the princess.”

“Well, I wish you luck,” the Doctor said as he was about to head downstairs.

“Actually, there is something I’d like you to look into,” Link said, holding out the key. “I’m assuming your doctorate is in some kind of educational study, so maybe you can identify this mark?”

“Oh, that is unique!” the Doctor mused, looking over the key. “It may take me some time, but I’ll look into it!”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Link politely bowed his head as the Doctor left.

“Good choice in trusting him with it,” Riku smiled. “He’s a good man.”

Link nodded as he picked up the ocarina and played another tune for the group.

Chapter Text

(June 14)

Riku had been summoned by the student council president, Hermione Granger. Why was she wanting to speak with him? And why did she send Ms. Kawakami instead of telling him herself? He sighed as he entered the student council room.

“Oh, earlier than I expected,” Hermione admitted.

“I like to keep people on their toes,” Riku responded. “Leave them guessing what my next move is.”

“Funny enough, so do I. Have a seat.”

Riku did as he was asked, and Hermione took the seat opposite him.

“I’m just going to cut to the chase,” Hermione started once more. “You’re a Phantom Thief, aren’t you?”

“That’s a bold claim,” Riku retorted. “Have any evidence to support it?”

“Only this.”

She produced her phone and hit play on a recording. It was of Blitzø’s voice.

“If this goddamn world wasn’t so shitty, we wouldn’t need to be Phantom Thieves, would we?”

Riku sighed. Of course it was Blitzø.

“The police would be interested to hear this,” Hermione taunted, “but I have a better use for it.”

“Jumping to blackmail, huh?” Riku challenged. “That seems unbecoming of the leader of the student body.”

“While technically blackmail, it’s more to convince you and your friends to help me. There’s a problem that I cannot fix on my own. I need help from someone not afraid to get their hands dirty.”

“And that’s where we come in?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I may be the leader, but we have a ‘unanimous decision’ rule in place. If you’re serious about asking us for help, you’ll want to speak with everyone.”

“Then take me to them.”

Riku obliged, leading the way to the others at their current hideout, the accessway in Shibuya. Eowyn and Link were shocked by the newcomer, while Rocket and Blitzø were pissed.

“Why the flark did you bring her?!?” Rocket yelled.

“Yeah, what the fuck, man?!?” Blitzø seconded.

“Don’t even start, Blitzø,” Riku retaliated. “It’s your fault that she knows about us.”

To prove a point, Hermione played the recording for everyone to hear. All eyes turned on Blitzø with a glare.

“You and your loud mouth,” Eowyn sighed.

“Silence is golden, you know?” Link added.

“Yeah, well, this is me we’re talking about,” Blitzø huffed. “What’s the deal?”

“She wants our help,” Riku explained. “It’s to do with something that she can’t do alone.”

“And what’s the problem?” Eowyn inquired.

“Have you heard of the mafia that’s come to town?” Hermione asked.

All of them shook their heads, having not heard a thing.

“Right, I guess you lot have been busy,” Hermione digressed. “They’ve been scamming the students of Shujin Academy and possibly other schools. I want to stop them by cutting off the head of the snake. I wish for you to change the heart of the mafia boss.”

“Holy shit,” Rocket gasped. “You weren’t kidding about not doing this alone!”

“That’s a fucking big target,” Blitzø grinned. “We got to do it!”

“We’ll need a name to continue,” Riku stated.

“Oh…” Hermione slunk back.

“You don’t know their name?” Link asked.

“Sorry, I do not,” Hermione apologized.

“Then we’ll find the name,” Riku said flatly. “Is this target worth a unanimous decision?”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and so began the investigation for the name of the mafia boss plaguing the Shujin student body.

***

(June 17)

Three days of investigating later, and the Phantom Thieves and Hermione turned up nothing. They had discovered some things that had been helpful to their investigation. The students were being lured in with the promise of low-effort, high-paying delivery jobs that had them trafficking drugs. Furthermore, the name of this mafia was discovered: Team Rocket. Apparently, the childish name was enough to convince the police that such a group could not possibly be harmful, and so they have dismissed the pleas of the students that were being blackmailed by the mafia. Aside from that, though, the Phantom Thieves were stumped until someone found a business card at the karaoke joint they were at for happy hour.

“H. Pataki?” Link inquired.

“She’s a journalist, it says,” Riku pondered. “If anyone knows anything about what’s going on in the city, it would be someone always looking for scoops, right?”

“Fuck if I know!” Blitzø shrugged.

“Send her a message!” Eowyn urged Riku, which he did. The response was immediate.

“She says she’s willing to meet tomorrow night in Shinjuku,” Riku read aloud. “Where’s that?”

“I got you covered there, Riku!” Blitzø gave his friend a thumbs up.

“I’m scared to learn why you know how to get to Shinjuku,” Link sighed.

“What’s Shinjuku?” Rocket asked.

“It’s a night-life hotspot in the city,” Link explained, “full of questionable activities.”

“In that case, I’ll pass!” Eowyn stated.

“Don’t worry, Eowyn,” Riku assured her. “Blitzø and I will handle it.”

***

(June 18)

Shinjuku was a lot brighter than Riku had anticipated, given that the sun had already set. He and Blitzø began making their way forward, looking for a bar called Crossroads. Along the way, they stumbled upon a fortune teller with black horns that ushered them over.

“You two look like a couple of handsome young men who might be positively horny to learn their future!” the fortune teller started.

“WHAT?!?” Riku was taken aback.

“Oh, where are my manners?” the fortune teller playfully giggled. “I am Shinigami! I can ascertain the futures of people! Sometimes it’s good, sometimes not! And hey, if you hate what you hear, just stare at my boobs for eight seconds, and you’ll forget what I even said!”

Riku was left dumbfounded, and he turned to Blitzø, who was absolutely ogling Shinigami’s boobs.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Blitzø mindlessly said.

“Blitzø!” Riku chastised the imp.

“What?!? She offered!” Blitzø grumbled. “Anyway, what’s my fortune?”

“Hm, let’s find out,” Shinigami mused as she began divining Blitzø’s future via tarot cards. “It seems you’re in for an exciting night!”

“Oh yeah!” Blitzø practically moaned. “I’m pumped for tonight! Get your fortune told, Riku!”

“Maybe another time,” Riku shook his head. “We’re here to see the journalist, remember?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Blitzø sighed. “Well, thanks for the fortune, Shini!”

“Anytime!” Shinigami waved goodbye to the teens.

Riku and Blitzø finally made it to Crossroads, and in they went. Inside, they saw only two people. Well, a person and a cat-like demon. Considering who was where, it was easy to tell who Ms. Pataki was. Riku approached the blonde woman at the bar as she sipped on a soda.

“Hm? What do you want?” she questioned.

“I’m Riku, ma’am,” Riku introduced himself. “My friend here is Blitzø. We asked to meet you here.”

“Oh. Right, that’s tonight,” she murmured.

“I hope you kids ain’t looking for a drink!” the bartender growled. “Go get drunk elsewhere, but not at my bar! I worked hard to get this joint up and running!”

“Calm down, Husk,” the journalist shushed the cat. “They’re here to speak with me.”

“Very well, Helga,” Husk grumbled as he began to down a bottle of liquor like it was water.

“Come with me,” Helga guided Riku and Blitzø to a booth in the back. “So, why do a couple teens want to know the name of the leader of Team Rocket?”

“We’re going to find a way to tell the Phantom Thieves,” Riku answered. “Team Rocket’s causing problems for the students of Shujin Academy, the school we attend.”

“It’s an absolutely fucked-up situation,” Blitzø added.

“The Phantom Thieves, huh?” Helga pondered. “They started in Shujin, yeah?”

“They did,” Riku nodded.

“Know anyone who can give me an exclusive on their first outing?” Helga inquired.

“How about Velma Dinkley?” Blitzø suggested. “She’s an avid supporter of them!”

“Good idea, Blitzø!” Riku smirked. “Yes, and we’ll give you her contact info and let her know you want to interview her!”

“Alright!” Helga grinned. “And now, your prize! The name of the leader of Team Rocket. Giovanni.”

“Thank you,” Riku said as he and Blitzø stood up and bid her farewell.

Before they left the Shinjuku district, however, two men approached them.

“My, my! Aren’t they a handsome pair!” the first guy said.

“I think you’re right,” the second guy concurred. “Quite tasty-looking!”

“Uh…” Riku was at a loss for words.

“Wait, are you two looking for a good time with a young strapping man?” Blitzø inquired.

“Yes!” the first guy admitted.

“We are!” the second guy confirmed.

“Riku, my fortune might be true after all!” Blitzø smiled widely. “You head on home! I might be busy for a while!”

“Okay…?” Riku, confused by the whole situation, just let Blitzø be. After all, the imp knew what he was doing, it seemed.

Chapter Text

(June 19)

Blitzø came walking up to the group that gathered for the mafia investigation, his stride happy and his grin somewhat infectious. Riku was not sure what exactly happened last night between his imp friend and the two men, but clearly Blitzø approved.

“So, Giovanni!” Blitzø began. “Where are we at with his keywords?”

“Just the name,” Link admitted. “We’ve been waiting for your arrival.”

“Why are you so happy?” Rocket questioned.

“I’ll tell you later, when we’re not around innocent ears!” Blitzø gestured to the group as he replied to Rocket.

“I appreciate that, because I really don’t want to know now,” Eowyn shook her head.

“Anyway, back on topic,” Riku drew them in, “I’m thinking the distortion is a bank. He is taking money from the students, after all.”

“Candidate found,” the Meta-Nav chirped.

“Two down!” Blitzø smiled.

“But what’s the location?” Link pondered.

“It could be anywhere,” Rocket huffed.

“Fucking hell,” Blitzø’s mood dropped. “Do we really have to check all of Shibuya to get an idea?”

“Candidate found,” the Meta-Nav chirped once more.

“A hit!” Riku announced. “‘All of Shibuya’ was the answer!”

“Are we ready to head in?” Eowyn inquired.

“Let’s do this!” Riku nodded, and in they went.

The city looked mostly the same, though the walking ATMs were unusual. The Phantom Thieves tried speaking to them, but the ATMs panicked, fearing that the last of their money was going to be taken from them. Beyond that, everything looked the same. No bank in sight.

“Where the flark can someone hide a bank?” Rocket snapped.

“Up there, maybe?” Riku pointed, and everyone saw what he saw.

An island in the sky, the bottom of it bearing a massive red R, floated above the city, siphoning cash from the people below. The Phantom Thieves had no idea how to reach it at this time, so, without any other option for the day, they left.

***

Hermione and Jennifer ate dinner in relative silence. The latter seemed stressed from her job, as was expected from a prosecutor juggling too many cases. Hermione, in hopes of easing the tension in her adoptive sister, spoke up.

“Can I ask you a question?” Hermione started.

“Of course,” Jennifer nodded, poking at the meal in front of her.

“Do you think the Phantom Thieves could be true fighters of justice?”

“Why are you worried about that?”

“Just wanting to make conversation-”

“And it’s a pointless discussion to be having! God, Hermione, is this how you spend your time? Pondering trivial what ifs instead of focusing on what really matters? Can you not be useless for once?”

Hermione lurched back, tears stinging her eyes. Jennifer was quick to recant her statement, but the damage was already done. The prosecutor excused herself, cleaning her dishes and leaving for the night, leaving Hermione to her thoughts. Jennifer knew better. That word was something that already plagued Hermione. She had been useless to save her family after her best friend back in England after catching a man that could shapeshift into a rat, and the shapeshifter helped her friend defeat a powerful being once and for all at the ripe old age of thirteen. In retaliation, her family was killed by that powerful being’s supporters, and Hermione could not save them. She gave up her past life and ran, finding herself now in Japan, in the care of her adoptive sister, having fought hard to prove herself useful despite her past.

None of it mattered, though. She really was useless, she thought as the tears kept coming. She could not help the Phantom Thieves. She could not help the Shujin student body. She was powerless to prevent the perverted behavior of Wormtongue. Hermione, deeming herself useless, wept herself to sleep.

***

(June 20)

The Phantom Thieves gathered in the accessway like they had before, and Hermione joined them. Despite the night prior, she was holding herself up with a seemingly-unwavering confidence.

“Any luck?” she inquired.

“Well, yes and no,” Riku answered. “We found the guy, we’ve seen his heart, but we can’t reach him.”

“It’s certainly a new problem,” Eowyn mumbled.

“What if we had a comically large slingshot?” Blitzø suggested.

“That’s stupid,” Rocket butted in.

“Better than nothing,” Blitzø grumbled.

“How can I help?” Hermione offered.

“I don’t know if you can,” Riku shrugged.

“Please,” Hermione pushed. “Let me help. Somehow, anyhow.”

“Why are you so determined to help us, anyway?” Eowyn questioned. “Weren’t you holding that recording over our heads as blackmail?”

“Damn the blackmail! I’m not useless!” Hermione shouted.

“No one said you were,” Riku gently replied. “If you’re that desperate to help, we do have his name. Giovanni.”

“Got it,” Hermione said with a look of determination before turning around and taking off.

The Phantom Thieves, surprised by the student council president’s actions, did their best to chase after her, but her headstart was quite large. They made their way to Central Street when Riku got a call from Hermione.

“Stay on the phone,” she commanded, and he heard her talk to someone. “You’re with Team Rocket, right? Take me to Giovanni!”

“Huh? How do you-” the guy she spoke with stumbled for words.

“Take. Me. To. Giovanni!”

“Okay, damn! Follow me.”

The Phantom Thieves found Hermione and the Team Rocket grunt and pursued at a safe distance until they came to a hideout. The group rushed in to find Hermione pinned to the floor by a couple grunts while a man in a black suit bearing the Team Rocket “R” on it sat in a chair. To his side was a large off-white cat with a red gem in its head.

“You fools!” the man, soon identified as Giovanni, growled. “You were followed!”

“Sorry, Giovanni! It won’t happen again!” a grunt apologized.

“It better not!” Giovanni scowled. “So, you bunch must be friends with this sneaky little witch here. She thought that she could demand that I release the students from under my thumb and turn myself in. I have a better idea. Do any of my crew here remember that collar I was wanting to get Persian?”

“Yes, sir, the 3,000,000 yen one,” stated one grunt.

“Go get it for me,” Giovanni handed the grunt the money and ushered him away. “And now that I’m 3,000,000 yen short, I think it’s time to make a deal.”

Giovanni pulled out his phone and snapped photos of the group, ensuring that he got alcohol, cigarettes, and who knows what else in the shots.

“Damn, these shots came out nice!” Giovanni sneered. “I could’ve been a photographer in another life! Anyway, I’m giving all of you about three weeks to get me 3,000,000 yen to fill the hole in my briefcase, or I will send these photos to your school! Good luck, and get out of my sight!”

And with that, the teens found themselves shooed out of the hideout and slowly making their way back to Central Street.

“This is my fault,” Hermione struggled, tears forming in her eyes. “I really am useless.”

“No, you’re not,” Riku reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’re in this together. We’ll just have to find a way to change his heart.”

“You mean you’re still determined to fulfill my request?!?” Hermione questioned with shock in her voice.

“Of course!” Eowyn firmly responded. “I won’t stand idly by while that foul man wreaks havoc upon the public!”

“Yeah!” Blitzø seconded. “Him, his henchmen, and his fuck-ass cat are going down!”

“But how do we reach the bank in his heart?” Rocket inquired.

“A bank in his heart?” Hermione pondered.

“Let’s show her,” Riku said, and everyone agreed, heading back into the Metaverse with Hermione in tow.

As they stepped in, the floating bank above them provided a bridge for them to ascend, and they took it without question. The Phantom Thieves explained to Hermione all that they knew of the Metaverse, and she seemed to understand. She came to the conclusion that this bank was allowing them in because she was viewed as a customer.

Once inside the bank, they saw security guards and purple and blue creatures roaming about. (The Phantom Thieves and Hermione would not know this, but the creatures in question are Nidokings and Nidoqueens.) Giovanni approached the group and stated that, having peeked at Hermione’s student ID card, he knew who she was and who her sister was. He bragged about how he was going to soon have one of the toughest prosecutors in his pocket due to Hermione’s stupidity, and Hermione snapped. She experienced an awakening right then and there, with her outfit becoming a black witch’s robe with purple undertrimming, and she had a mask to match. She called upon her Persona, Circe, to devastate the encroaching Shadows, allowing her and the Phantom Thieves to escape. Having seen her capabilities, the Phantom Thieves agreed unanimously to have Hermione join the team.

Chapter Text

(July 2)

Having cleared the Palace, secured the infiltration route, and sent the calling card. The plan with the card was a thing of brilliance from Hermione; she and Blitzø ran up and down Central Street the night prior, posting calling cards displaying Giovanni’s name and his connection to Team Rocket everywhere. There was no way that he could escape the eye of the public for long, so the Phantom Thieves knew that he would receive word any minute now, so they waited within the Palace until the heat inside turned up dramatically.

“That’s our cue!” Riku called out. “It’s showtime!”

“Right!” the others agreed in unison.

The team ran forward, making their way to the Treasure Room, only to find the Treasure locked behind a vault and Giovanni standing in the way, a smug grin on his face.

“You really thought I would just let you steal from me?” Giovanni scoffed. “How pathetic!”

“The only pathetic one I see here is you!” Link yelled.

“Believe what you will,” Giovanni glared. “You won’t defeat me on my own turf!”

The vault opened, revealing a massive mechanical monstrosity behind the doors. The Phantom Thieves all took a half-step backward in shock as Giovanni was lifted into it by the machine itself.

“How do you like my NidoTron?” Giovanni asked with menace in his voice.

“It’s big,” Riku huffed, “but I’ve fought bigger!”

“There’s no way this thing can beat all six of us!” Rocket snarled.

“Let’s blow this bitch up!” Blitzø shouted as he began firing upon the NidoTron.

The NidoTron was a formidable foe, having the ability to cause minor earthquakes around the team. The Phantom Thieves managed to keep their footing regardless and lit up the metallic monster. They kept their distance, with Riku opting for Dark Firaga, Blitzø and Rocket firing their guns, Link switching between his bow and his boomerang, and Hermione casting spells from the wand she obtained in her awakening. Eowyn, having no ranged weaponry, acted defensively for the team, providing her shield when needed. In the end, the NidoTron fell apart and Giovanni was defenseless.

“I’ll give you all credit where it’s due,” Giovanni grinned, though this time it seemed genuine, “you know how to put up a fight! Reminds me of when I was younger, not yet corrupted.”

“Go back to yourself in reality,” Eowyn urged him. “Confess everything. You can make things right.”

“She’s right,” Riku seconded.

“A good plan,” Giovanni mused. “But a word of warning before I go. Beware the other one, the one with the black mask.”

“There’s that other one talk again,” Rocket pointed out.

“And they have a black mask?” Link pondered.

“Farewell,” Giovanni said, departing from his Palace, which began to crumble.

“Worry about what he said later!” Rocket yelled. “Grab that Treasure and run!”

And so they barely managed to escape Giovanni’s Palace, taking with them the Treasure, revealed to be a golden briefcase. Within it, once they managed to open it back at Leblanc, was a ball with a small white button on the front. Clicking it opened it, revealing nothing inside. The ball itself was white on the bottom half and purple with two pink accent marks. A white ‘M’ adorned the ball just above the button.

“Well, the ball thing looks useless,” Hermione stated, “but maybe the briefcase is worth something?”

“I know a guy who might buy it,” Riku chimed in.

“Oh yeah, Mando!” Blitzø exclaimed.

“Who?” Hermione questioned.

“He owns the model weapons shop on Central Street,” Rocket explained.

“Think he’ll actually buy this?” Link asked.

“If I’m offering to sell it, then maybe,” Riku shrugged. “He did buy the medal from before.”

“True,” Eowyn nodded.

“So, sell it first, victory celebration later?” Blitzø offered.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

***

(July 9)

News of Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket, turning himself in and outing his entire organization travelled quickly across the city of Tokyo. While he was in police custody, there was no denying that this was the handiwork of the Phantom Thieves. This irritated Jennifer Walters, who had been slowly building a case against Team Rocket to bring them down in a move to gain a promotion at her job. With no one able to take credit beyond the fabled heart-stealing thieves, there was no hope of that promotion now. At least the city is a little safer now for Hermione, she justified in her mind as she still let her thoughts dwell on the other case she had slowly started to build.

A case to connect the so-called justice-dealing Phantom Thieves to the psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns happening across the country.

***

(July 10)

Locked away in a dark room, where the only light source was a computer screen, a girl with long brown hair and emerald green eyes listened in on some teenagers chatting away in Leblanc. She had bugged the place to listen in on her caretaker, the Doctor, to ensure that business was good. As her fingers tapped away on the keyboard, she overheard one of them mention that they were the Phantom Thieves.

“Hm?” she hummed to herself.

***

(July 11)

Another school day had passed, and Riku sighed half in relief and half in worry. Final exams were in two days, and he was not really feeling up to doing them. At least the study session the night prior helped him somewhat with preparing for them. He told himself to remember to thank Hermione for the assistance later.

“Riku!” called the voice of Caulifla from behind.

“Oh hey, Caulifla,” Riku turned and said. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you had a free moment to talk. I have great news!”

Before Riku could respond, another girl approached them.

“Fancy seeing you again, Riku,” Miranda stated. “And you…I’ve seen you before!”

“Oh! A friend of mine’s dad runs a TV station,” Caulifla explained as she extended her hand, “so we must have met that way! I’m Caulifla!”

“Miranda Tate, but I’m guessing you already knew that,” Miranda replied, shaking Caulifla’s hand.

“Why don’t the three of us go somewhere?” Riku suggested. “Caulifla was mentioning that she had great news.”

And so the three of them went to a cafe, where Caulifla shared that she was chosen among a set of Shujin students to participate in an upcoming martial arts tournament. Riku and Miranda congratulated her and wished her the best. Miranda then followed up with explaining how she and Riku met, then posed a question for Caulifla.

“What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?” Miranda questioned the martial artist.

“Honestly? I don’t think of them,” Caulifla shrugged. “But if I had to ponder them…well, they do some good, but the public shouldn’t rely solely on them to solve problems.”

“A fair stance to take,” Miranda mused. “Riku’s an avid supporter.”

“You are?” Caulifla gasped.

“Guilty as charged,” Riku smirked. “Don’t worry, though. Everyone’s allowed to have an opinion on them as they please.”

“Well said,” Miranda smirked.

Not long after, Caulifla had to excuse herself, leaving just Riku and Miranda alone. Per a suggestion from the detective princess, the two of them headed off to Kichijoji, where Riku was introduced to an establishment called the Jazz Jin. There, they continued chatting with each other while the singer of the night, a woman in a red hat and red dress, sang something about superstars and one-up girls and boys. Overall, Riku found the whole situation relaxing, just what he needed after the school day.

Chapter Text

(July 17)

Blitzø had somehow convinced Riku, Rocket, and Link to join him for the meat fair being held on this sweltering hot day as a ‘boys day out’. Link was chugging water like it was going out of style, Rocket  did everything he could to remain in people’s shadows, and Riku wished he could just summon his Keyblade in front of everyone and cast blizzard on himself (even though he had never tried using blizzard once in his life). Blitzø, on the other hand, was completely unfazed by the heat.

“How has the heat not bothered you?” Link asked in exacerbation.

“It gets hotter where I come from,” Blitzø shrugged.

“Oh? What’s it like there?” Rocket inquired.

“Oh, you know, full of assholes and hellraisers,” Blitzø nonchalantly explained. “Seriously, I only had two friends back there. One doesn’t even want to talk to me anymore while the other…I haven’t spoken to him in years. He’s probably forgotten me, though. He’s royalty, and I’m…well, I’m me.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short!” Riku patted Blitzø’s shoulder. “I think you’re an amazing friend to have!”

“Agreed,” Link nodded.

“Couldn’t ask for better competition in the Metaverse,” Rocket smirked.

“Thanks, guys,” Blitzø smiled sincerely.

At that moment, a newscast came along, providing information on the meat fair and searching for someone to interview. They settled, to the others’ dismay, on Blitzø.

“So, you must really love meat if you’re withstanding these hot temps today!” the interviewer stated.

“Oh yeah! I’ll eat all kinds of meat!” Blitzø declared. “And the temperature doesn’t bother me! After all, not even this summer heat can beat this meat!”

Rocket went into a coughing fit, trying to stifle both his laughter and his shock, while Riku and Link stood motionless at the shamelessness of Blitzø’s declaration. Even the interviewers were bothered by the imp’s statement.

“Alright, thank you very much!” the interviewer concluded and walked off with the cameraman.

“That was truly cringeworthy,” sighed Link.

“Are you flarking insane, saying shit like that on live television?!?” Rocket snapped.

“Hey, I was being honest,” shrugged Blitzø. “If everyone wants to throw their goddamn minds in the gutter, that’s their problem!”

“You totally meant it to be dirty, didn’t you?” glared Rocket.

“I might have,” Blitzø grinned. “Anyway, line’s moving! Let’s go!”

They managed to get to the meat stands with some time to spare. Everyone grabbed some kebabs and broke away from the flowing crowds. The four of them enjoyed their meats on a stick and tossed the sticks away once finished, deciding to check out a nearby stadium under construction. As it were, they were quite early as spectators, as construction had hardly begun. Everyone started to part ways, and that was when Riku noticed Caulifla, who was also staring at the unfinished stadium and looking down in the dumps.

“Hey, you okay?” Riku inquired.

“Oh! Hey, Riku,” Caulifla replied, her voice failing to mask her sadness. “I’m just trying to cope with my tournament loss.”

“Oh. That bad?”

“Knocked out of the ring in the first round. This isn't my usual performance, which frustrates me the most. I used to easily get first place all the time. Where am I going wrong?!?”

“Hey, relax! You’ll come back from this! I believe in you!”

“Thanks, Riku. I’m sure if my sister were still here, she’d agree with you.”

“You have a sister?!?”

“I did. A twin sister. Her name was Kale. She was my rock when I felt like I would falter. And now…”

“I’m sorry.”

Caulifla lunged into Riku, hugging him tightly. Her grip was intense; Riku felt like he would pop under the pressure.

“Sorry,” she apologized as she loosened her grip. “I’m not sure what came over me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Riku waved her off. “I have a friend back home who’s a real hugger. Granted, he never hugged with such a strong grip as you.”

“Well, I guess that means my strength is still with me, and if it is, I’m not down for the count!”

“That’s the way to think!”

Riku and Caulifla high-fived each other, with Caulifla holding back her strength in doing so, and parted ways, with Riku wishing her well.

***

(July 18)

Today was the day of the fireworks festival, which everyone agreed would be a fantastic celebration of their win against Giovanni. Blitzø was excited for the light show and explosions, as was Rocket. Neither of them came in yukatas, but Riku, Link, Eowyn, and Hermione did. Riku wore a black and blue yukata with a red diamond on his chest. It reminded him of darker days, but he had already convinced himself that that was not him anymore. Link’s yukata was forest green with yellow triangles decorating it. Eowyn chose a simple brown and green yukata, which reminded everyone of her Phantom Thief outfit’s color scheme. Hermione chose a red yukata with golden bolts adorning it. She said it reminded her of her old home, and no one pressed her further for details.

Unfortunately for them, a sudden downpour of rain halted the summer festivities and forced them to take shelter inside a convenience store. As they slipped inside, Riku’s eyes were drawn in the direction of an unusual scent. He looked to see someone close to his age in a dark red and black yukata getting into a limousine. He was not quite sure, but he could have sworn that the girl’s eyes glowed in the dark. He refocused his attention as the Phantom Thieves griped about being cold and wet until a news station reported something unexpected.

“We have received word that a hacktivist group by the name of Medjed has reportedly issued a statement to the Phantom Thieves,” the news anchor announced. “The statement is as follows: ‘We are challenging the Phantom Thieves and their false sense of justice. They have gone unanswered for long enough. It is time for them to come clean and announce their true identities. If they do not, we will be forced to respond. Furthermore, those who support them will be punished if the Phantom Thieves do not turn themselves in. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will enact our justice.’”

“Medjed? The fuck is that?” Blitzø growled.

“A hacktivist group, whatever that is,” Riku pointed out.

“They’re hackers, obviously,” Rocket stated, “and they think themselves high and mighty. What do you all think? Do we have a new target?”

“I’d like to say yes,” Eowyn answered, “but won’t we have trouble finding their names?”

Riku stood there and pondered. How do you obtain the information of those unseen or, in his case, unsmelled?

***

(July 20)

Two days later, and even employing the assistance of Velma Dinkley turned up nothing, and everyone doubted that they could weasel anymore information from Helga Pataki, provided they dared to risk further exposure with a journalist. They were at a standstill with Medjed, and it was, to put it frankly, infuriating.

What was more frustrating than that, though, was the several messages from an unknown contact that Riku received in class and did not check until lunchtime.

[Hello. I am Libitina.]

[I know who you are, Riku Amamiya.]

[You’re a Phantom Thief, right?]

[Can you do it? Can you really change a person’s heart?]

Riku tried to reply back, but he was met with an error message. Whoever this Libitina figure was was unreachable at this point. He waited until the school day ended and assembled the Phantom Thieves to discuss the matter.

“So, someone messaged you and asked about whether you were a Phantom Thief or not, but they cannot be replied to,” Hermione mused. “Sounds like a hacker to me.”

“Could this guy be related to Medjed?” Blitzø questioned.

“The timing is certainly coincidental, if not,” Link chimed in.

“What should I do about this?” Riku asked.

“Honestly? Wait and see if they message you again,” Rocket stated. “If they do, be ready to message back.”

“It’s all you can do now,” Eowyn sighed, “but please be careful, Riku. This could be a trap.”

“Yeah,” Riku quietly mumbled as he stared at the messages from Libitina, wondering who this person was and why they were curious about him being a Phantom Thief.

Chapter Text

(July 21)

Riku did not have to wait too long for Libitina to contact him once more. As the lunch bell rang, his phone buzzed, and he saw the person in question had sent a new message.

[Once again, this is Libitina, asking for Riku Amamiya.] - Libitina

[I’m here. You can just call me Riku.] - Riku

[So you can text back!] - Libitina

[I was focused on class yesterday.] - Riku

[Quite studious of you, given your record. Yes, I know about that. Anyway, to the matter at hand. Can you confirm that you’re a Phantom Thief?] - Libitina

[I am.] - Riku

[Okay, did not expect an outright confession like that.] - Libitina

[You seem to know a lot about me, so why lie?] - Riku

[Fair enough. Can you steal someone’s heart? Can you change their cognition?] - Libitina

[I can, but not without a name.] - Riku

[That’s absolutely necessary?] - Libitina

[Yes.] - Riku

[Give me a moment.] - Libitina

Riku waited a couple minutes before the hacker responded.

[Her name is Monika. Ask the Doctor about her. He’ll know more.] - Libitina

[Okay? And who are you exactly?] - Riku

His last message was met with an error message. Well, he figured, time to inform the others.

***

The Doctor was getting quite peeved with the woman in front of him. He knew that Jennifer Walters would occasionally stop by for coffee, but to threaten his guardianship over some documents that were not even in his possession was absurd.

“For the last time, ma’am,” he snapped, “I don’t have anything on cognitive psience! If I did, don’t you think I’d have handed them over already?”

“Perhaps,” the prosecutor snarked, “or maybe you’re hiding something.”

“And what exactly would I be hiding?!?”

Before the prosecutor could respond, the ringing of the bell alerted both of them to a newcomer. That newcomer was Riku, whose nose twitched as he entered the coffee shop, as if sniffing the air. Perhaps he liked the coffee smell, the Doctor thought.

“Am I interrupting something?” Riku questioned.

“No, I was just leaving,” Jennifer stated. “This isn't over.”

“Oh, yes, it is!” the Doctor clapped back as Ms. Walters left the building. “That woman’s infuriating!”

The Doctor sighed as he let himself calm down somewhat.

“Lover’s quarrel?” Riku playfully inquired.

“Maybe in her dreams,” the Doctor retorted.

“Anyway, I have a question to ask you.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you know of anyone named Monika?”

The Doctor could feel anger boiling in him, but he ignored it to try and be reasonable.

“How do you know that name?” the Doctor asked.

“Some person I don’t know was asking about her, and they said to ask you,” Riku explained.

“I see. Was it by chance the woman who left?”

“No.”

“Very well. Then I’m willing to tell you. Have a seat.”

Riku did as he was asked as the Doctor poured two cups of coffee, one for Riku and one for himself.

“Before I took ownership of this place, I used to travel around a lot, and I met…hell, I don’t know, millions of beings? Among them were a couple who had a child named Monika. They worked for the government here in Japan. Well, they asked me nearly two years ago to this day if they were to die if I could take care of her until she was ready to move on with her life. I accepted, figuring it would never come to that. Unfortunately, it did, and now Monika’s in my care. So that’s why I don’t have room for you in my house. Only two bedrooms, and she’s got the other room, though she never comes out.”

“Why not?”

“Well, after her parents’ death was ruled a suicide, she became a shut-in. She maintains her studies through online schooling, but aside from that and occasionally talking to me when she needs something, she’s locked herself away from the world. A shame, too, given her brilliant mind. I heard she used to be quite the debater and poet.”

“I see. Sorry to bother you about this.”

“It’s no problem at all, Riku. Just…whoever asked about her. Make sure they’re good people before you tell them anything, okay? I’d love to see her branch out once more, but not at the expense of her safety.”

“Understood.”

And with that, the two of them finished their coffee before cleaning up shop and heading to their respective beds.

***

(July 24)

It was celebration time (for real this time) for the Phantom Thieves’ victory over Giovanni and Team Rocket. This time, to prevent being able to get stormed out once again, it was at a sushi place in Ginza. They ate their fill of expensive sushi and even grabbed two to-go boxes, one for Rocket (since he stayed home to work on stuff for the Metaverse) and one for the Doctor.

Once they had made their way to Leblanc, they discovered that the Doctor was not there. They made sure to leave Rocket with his sushi, which he gobbled up rather quickly, before heading to the Doctor’s house down the road.

The door was ajar, which worried the Phantom Thieves as they stepped inside to investigate. No sign of foul play, which softened the worry in Riku’s heart. He sniffed the air. There was a dark presence inside, but not of a typical scent relating to evil folk with Palaces. This confirmed in Riku’s mind why Libitina asked Riku to change their heart now. Something was amiss with Monika.

Suddenly, the power went out, and a girly scream from upstairs startled the group of investigators. Thunder rolled outside, and Riku felt a hand grab his leg in fear. He looked down to see Hermione shivering with tears in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he inquired.

“Brontophobia,” she answered. “Fear of thunderstorms. They remind me of the night my parents died.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault. Can you help me up?”

Before Riku could move, he and Hermione heard a noise behind them. They slowly turned to see a figure with brown hair and green eyes looking at them. Lightning struck in the distance, providing just enough light to better outline the figure, the rolling thunder along with this person freaked out Hermione enough to start screaming. This, in turn, led to the girl screaming and fleeing upstairs, presumably where she initially came from. Outside, the Doctor was yelling.

“Monika?!? Are you okay?!?” the Doctor called out.

“Wait, that was Monika?!?” Riku responded.

“Riku?!? What are you doing in my house?”

“We had sushi for you, and your door was open. We were worried.”

“I guess I didn’t shut it all the way,” sighed the Doctor before realizing that Hermione was wrapped around Riku’s leg. “Is she going to be okay?”

“She’s scared of thunderstorms,” Riku explained further.

And with that, the Doctor helped Riku get Hermione back on her feet and ushered everyone back to Leblanc. Once back, he took the promised sushi and left.

“Well, that could’ve been worse,” Eowyn let out a sigh of relief.

“Indeed,” Link nodded.

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you,” Blitzø announced, “but I’m fucking pooped, it’s summer, I’m crashing here, cool?”

“Yeah, sure,” Riku shrugged.

“I’d better get going, actually,” Hermione responded. “I don’t want to freak Jennifer out.”

“I’ll be heading off as well,” Eowyn stated. “Sorry, I trust you, but I’d rather sleep in a bed right now.”

“I’m fine with wherever,” Link shrugged. “This place is cooler than the dorms at Kosei.”

With sleeping arrangements made, the girls left while the boys all crashed in the attic room above Leblanc.

Chapter Text

(July 25)

After playing around with the Meta-Nav, Riku and the others found themselves stumped. All that they could get to connect in the navigator is a name. Monika. Just Monika. Nothing else. No place, no distortion. They thought “the Doctor’s house” was a shoo-in for the place, but there was no candidate found. Without any other options, they once again found themselves barging back into the house, thanks to Rocket’s lockpicking mastery.

“Monika, are you in there?” Hermione asked after knocking on a door with caution tape plastered on it.

“She’s not answering,” Eowyn sighed.

“Think she’s asleep?” Link considered.

“I can always be loud and annoying to wake her up,” Blitzø suggested.

“You’re always loud and annoying,” Rocket teased.

“Can it, furball!” Blitzø retorted.

“Enough, both of you!” Hermione chastised.

As they were talking, a message popped up on Riku’s phone. It was Libitina, or more accurately Monika. Both?

[Why are you here?] - Libitina

[We’re trying to get into your heart, but we’re stumped. We’ve come to learn more about you and how you view the world around you.] - Riku

“I didn’t even think of suggesting that she should text us to talk,” Hermione mused. “Excellent work, Riku.”

[What do you want to know?] - Libitina

[How do you see the world around you?] - Riku

[It’s not real. It’s all fake. The world is a simulation. Life’s a simulation. It has to be, or else my parents died for nothing.] - Libitina

“World and simulation,” Riku spoke into the Meta-Nav, which accepted ‘simulation’ but not ‘world’.

“Damn! So close!” Blitzø grumbled.

“Life,” Hermione threw out there.

“Candidate found,” the Meta-Nav chirped.

[That worked. Thank you.] - Riku

[You’re welcome.] - Libitina

“Let’s head in!” Blitzø eagerly stated.

“Agreed,” Eowyn seconded. “The sooner the better.”

And with that, the team found themselves, of all places, in a school. It was mostly empty, aside from the cardboard cutout figures occasionally standing inside classrooms and hallways. The Phantom Thieves walked around until they saw a figure that was not a cardboard cutout. It looked like a girl in a school uniform, one that none of the team recognized. A brown blazer, a blue skirt, and black leggings adorned her. She spun around to see them, and they were greeted with piercing golden eyes.

“Why are you here?” Shadow Monika asked.

“The flark do you mean?” Rocket snarked.

“You asked for our help,” Eowyn said in a much softer tone than how Rocket said his piece, “and now we’re here.”

“Why bother?” the Shadow continued. “None of it’s real. Life isn't real, nor is death. I wonder how painful it would be to be deleted from this fake world…”

“Monika, please,” Hermione pleaded with the Shadow. “The world is real, and so are you. Whatever you’re thinking of doing, please don’t do it.”

“I will be deleted soon,” Monika concluded before fading away.

“Wh-What just happened?!?” Eowyn inquired.

“Don’t worry, she’s not dead,” Riku replied, sniffing the air. “She’s moved further into the Palace.”

“You and your keen nose,” Link pondered.

“I’m surprised Rocket’s not the one smelling Shadows,” Blitzø teased.

Rocket said nothing, instead shooting a glare at Blitzø that dared him to call Rocket an animal. Blitzø respectfully did not. They may tease each other relentlessly, but they were still good friends.

The team ventured through the Palace, which ventured deeper into the school. Along the way, they found cognitions of another girl, a girl with short coral pink hair with a red bow. She did not react to the Phantom Thieves approaching her or talking to her; she simply kept her face buried in her arms at a desk, muffled weeping being the only sound in the classroom. Without any further context, the Phantom Thieves moved on.

They finally came to the exit of the school, which is where they were halted for the day, as the moment they tried to leave, numerous Shadows tried to ambush them, leading to an all-out brawl in the school halls. After their defeat, Monika’s Shadow returned.

“You won’t get much further in that direction,” she said with a hint of melancholy in her voice. “They won’t let you leave that way.”

“Who, the Shadows?” Link asked, but it was no use. Monika was gone once more.

“I’m at a loss,” Riku admitted.

“Me too,” Hermione confessed. “We should leave and regroup another time.”

Everyone agreed to that and left.

***

(August 19)

The Phantom Thieves pushed forward in the Palace multiple times, finding multiple dead ends where attempted Shadow ambushes were found, but as time progressed, they found their way out of the school, through a neighborhood, and finally coming to a house on a hilltop. It was old, decrepit, and had caution tape stretched across the door.

“Why won’t this damn tape rip?!?” Blitzø snapped as he tried clawing at and biting the tape.

“I think it’s tied to her cognition,” Hermione stated. “Think about it. Where would she get the idea of caution tape across a door in her own Palace?”

“Her bedroom door!” Rocket answered, his head perking up. “I got it!”

“So what’s the plan?” Link inquired.

“We’re sending the calling card tomorrow,” Rocket explained, “and we’re giving her the card personally!”

“You think she’ll let us in?” Riku asked, skeptical of this approach.

“If it’s for the change of heart, she’ll do it,” Hermione stated, half in assurance and half in dire hope.

“One way to find out,” Eowyn concluded the conversation. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” was the resounding response.

***

(August 20)

Monika was nearing the end of her strength. She could feel it. All energy had seemingly been sapped away from her. It did not bother her. It was all fake, right? Life was but a simulation, and deleting herself would get her out of this. But would it hurt? She did not like the idea of her final moments hurting.

Suddenly, a knock on her door startled her, making her jump out of her computer chair.

“Monika, we’re back,” came the voice that she had long identified as belonging to Hermione Granger, student council president of Shujin Academy.

“And we have something you want,” Riku’s voice spoke this time, “but we can’t give it to you until you open the door.”

“I…” Monika chose to forego texting, “I can’t do that.”

“You’ll have to, if you want us to steal your heart,” came the voice of Blitzø, the rude imp that sometimes made her laugh whenever he visited Leblanc and she was listening in through her bug.

“Open the door for us, Monika,” came the commanding voice of Eowyn.

“I need more time,” Monika pleaded.

“Nope! Not waiting! Doing it now!” said the voice of Rocket as he started to pick the lock.

“Wait! Fine! I’ll get it!” Monika yelled, unlocking the door and opening it forcefully, her body trembling with fear of being around people. “T-Take it! Take my heart!”

There she stood, pink pajamas being her only clothing, her hair a disheveled mess, her arms extended and her body shaking.

“Here you go,” Riku said, putting a card in her hand. “We’re heading into your Palace. Read that, and we can finish what you asked us to do.”

Monika looked up and stared at Riku. She accepted the calling card without another word as looked around and saw everyone in her room. Her trembling simmered as she acclimated herself to the idea of the Phantom Thieves being allowed around her.

“Th-Thank you,” she muttered.

“Anytime,” Riku said softly and with a smile, and she watched as everyone left her room and said her name and a couple other words before disappearing.

After reading the card, she decided to check her phone and found a weird app with a red eye on it. As she pondered the app, she let loose the words that the Phantom Thieves had said.

“Monika, life, simulation,” she mused, and she watched as the world around her warped beyond reality.

***

Whatever the Phantom Thieves had expected to find in the house on the hilltop was certainly not what they actually found. As they approached what seemed to be the location of the Treasure, the roof and walls ripped away from them as two massive beings began attacking them. Their forms were made entirely of zeroes and ones, dark grey masses with green numbers, but it was clear to the Phantom Thieves who these figures were meant to be.

Monika’s parents have paid them a visit, and they have deemed the Phantom Thieves as unwanted guests.

***

“What is going on over there?” Monika mumbled to herself as she saw the Phantom Thieves being attacked in the distance.

“They’re going to die over there,” a voice familiar to Monika made her jump. She turned to see her Shadow.

“What do you mean?!?”

“Those cognitions are too powerful for them alone. They’ll die without help.”

“Who can help them, though?”

“You can. More accurately, we can.”

“How?!? I can’t do anything right! I did nothing to stop my parents from killing themselves over me, so how can I stop these cognitions from killing the Phantom Thieves?!?”

“Think about it. Did they really die because of you?”

“Yes, they- ugh!”

Monika’s head began to hurt. It was a pulsing feeling unlike any she had felt before.

“It was those men who read the ‘suicide note’. They forged it to make you believe them,” her Shadow continued. “Remember, Monika! Remember, and declare your intentions!”

“I…” Monika forced herself up before sprinting toward the Phantom Thieves. “I won’t let anyone else die!”

***

The battle seemed like a lost cause, with every member of the Phantom Thieves down on their knees. They looked at each other in worry. Is this the end?

“Enough!” shouted Monika from behind them. “I don’t care who you think you are, but you will not hurt my friends!”

Even after convincing us to die? The words echoed from no mouth in particular, the voice a combination of Monika’s parent’s voices.

“I did no such thing,” Monika declared. “The parents I knew and loved would never have done that! They were killed, and I will find your murderer, even if it means giving my all!”

And that was when the awakening happened. Monika found herself with a Persona that allowed her control of her own Palace, and all it took was her knowledge of coding to delete the cognitions from her own heart. The Phantom Thieves were saved by the one that they themselves were trying to save.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Monika concluded, “I have to go, but we’ll talk about Medjed later, okay?”

Monika left the Palace, and it began to crumble. Without questioning a thing, the Phantom Thieves began to make a run for it, narrowly escaping falling into a dark abyss as the world around them turned into more zeroes and ones and shattered around them.

Once back in reality, they found Monika, once again in her pink pajamas, passed out on the ground. Blitzø and Eowyn rushed to get Dr. Addams and the Doctor, respectively, while Riku lifted up Monika and got her back inside, laying her on her bed.

Once everyone had arrived, including the Doctor and Dr. Addams, they let the medical doctor do her work. She nodded as she checked everything she could.

“Aside from clear over-exhaustion,” Dr. Addams stated, “she’s completely fine. Let her rest.”

“I figured that was the case,” the Doctor admitted. “Just let her rest, everyone, but also thank you for warning me about this.”

“Of course,” Hermione nodded.

“Anytime, sir,” Riku smirked.

“Well, the cafe won’t run itself,” the Doctor concluded. “Off I go!”

And he and Dr. Addams returned to their job sites, leaving the Phantom Thieves to ponder if Monika will be okay enough to deal with Medjed tomorrow…

Chapter Text

(August 21)

It was another hot summer morning, and Riku descended down the stairs from his bedroom above Leblanc. Rocket, who had spent the night awake working on something beyond Riku’s knowledge, was still sleeping, so the only inhabitants in the building that were not snoozing were the Doctor and Riku, the former of which had made three cups of coffee.

“I don’t think Rocket likes coffee,” Riku joked.

“It’s not for him,” the Doctor admitted. “This marks two years since Monika’s parents passed away. I did something like this last year, too. I knew them only briefly, but I could tell they were good people. So please, Riku, join me.”

Riku nodded, and the two of them sat quietly, enjoying their own cups in solemn silence before the bell to the cafe rang and in walked Monika, surprisingly the Doctor and Riku.

“Monika?!?” the Doctor gasped. “I didn’t expect to see you out of your room!”

“Is that bad?” Monika questioned.

“Not at all! How do you feel?”

“A little tired, so coffee sounds good,” she replied as she sat down and sipped the third cup. “It’s cold! You can’t sell this, Doctor!”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll get you a fresh cup!”

After that, the three of them enjoyed coffee in peace before the Doctor ushered them away to focus on the coffee shop.

“What’s today, by the way?” Monika asked Riku.

“It’s the twenty-first of August,” Riku answered, “the day that Medjed said they’d cleanse Japan.”

“Is that so? Follow me! A deal’s a deal!”

Riku followed Monika back to her room in the Doctor’s house, where she sat down in front of an impressive PC setup that outdid the setup that DiZ had when Riku worked with him. While Monika worked on her retaliation against Medjed, she gave Riku permission to read through some of her books. He found a few novels, a few manga, and a book on poetry. One of the books had a picture inside of a younger Monika with another girl, one that reminded Riku of the crying girl in Monika’s Palace. As Monika proclaimed her work to be finished, he asked about the photo.

“Oh wow,” Monika gasped. “I forgot I had that photo!”

“A cognition of her was in your Palace,” Riku confessed. “She was crying at a desk.”

“That makes sense. She suffers greatly from depression. Her name’s Sayori. She is - or maybe was, I don’t know at this point - my best friend. I…I loved her dearly.”

“Well, I’ve helped you once before. I can help you again.”

“How so?”

“Well, you’re a hacker, right? I’m sure you can find her. Meanwhile, I can help you be ready to see her again, if you’d like.”

“I’d love that. I’d also love to be your friend, too, so let me introduce myself properly: Hi! I’m Monika!”

“Nice to meet you, Monika! I’m Riku!”

The two of them smiled as they shook hands over the beginning of their newfound friendship.

***

(August 22)

Riku summoned the rest of the Phantom Thieves to introduce themselves to Monika, since she had a desire to be a true part of the group. Blitzø was over-excited to meet her, while Eowyn, Link, Hermione, and Rocket were much calmer about it. Monika seemed quite happy to be surrounded by people who cared about her.

“So, does this mean she’s part of the team?” Blitzø asked.

“Like I’d let you all leave me out,” Monika teased.

“We could certainly use her help,” Rocket stated. “Her Persona seems like one that will do well with navigation.”

“A navigator would certainly be nice,” Hermione nodded. “We found so many dead ends in that last Palace.”

“Indeed,” Link agreed.

“I’m sorry I caused you all trouble,” Monika apologized.

“It was no trouble at all,” Riku assured her. “We’re glad to have helped!”

“By the way, about her Palace,” Blitzø started, “we never found her Treasure, but the Palace is gone.”

“When she accepted her Shadow as her true self, she gained the ability to use a Persona,” Rocket explained. “It’s a roundabout way of doing things, but the result’s the same. That said, when she did that, she became the Treasure.”

“Aw, I’m a treasure!” Monika giggled.

“You were a treasure,” Rocket snarked. “Now you’re just one of us!”

This, too, prompted a giggle from Monika.

“Anyway, summer vacation’s almost over,” Blitzø complained. “What should we do?!?”

“We could always go to the beach?” Link suggested.

“That could be fun!” Hermione nodded.

“I agree,” Riku seconded, the back of his mind thinking it’ll be like a slice of home.

“Oh gosh, there’ll be crowds, won’t there?” Monika asked with a worried tone.

“Not a fan of crowds?” Eowyn inquired, to which Monika nodded. “We can help with that, right?”

“Of course!” Hermione agreed. “We’ll get you used to being around people again, okay?”

“Okay!” Monika smiled, and thus began Monika’s training sessions with being among people once more.

***

(August 29)

The training sessions across the week were not as hard as anyone expected them to be. As it turned out, Monika was quite the social butterfly before becoming a shut-in; all she had to do was remember that part of herself. The day finally came for everyone to enjoy time at the beach together, and that they did, staying there until the sun began to set.

“This was definitely needed,” Blitzø sighed happily as he stretched himself out across the sand.

“I agree,” Rocket seconded, though he sat further back, trying not to get his fur wet.

“Is Riku okay?” Monika asked them as she was staring at their leader.

Everyone turned to look at him as he was staring out to sea in a specific direction. He had a slightly clenched hand over his chest where his heart was beating, and, though he had no way to prove it, he could feel the connection of his heart to Sora and Kairi, who were undoubtedly enjoying their own summer vacation far away from the mainland of Japan.

“Everything okay?” Hermione pulled him out of his thoughts, and he realized that everyone was standing around him.

“Yeah,” he assured them. “Just remembering my friends back home.”

“You miss them dearly,” Eowyn stated.

Riku nodded.

“Well, how long until your probation’s up?” Link inquired.

“Seven months, I think,” Riku guessed. In all honesty, he had not been keeping track of that, choosing instead to focus on his work as a Phantom Thief.

“You’re almost halfway there,” Rocket pointed out. “You’ll see them again.”

“True,” Riku agreed, “but then I’ll find myself standing by the ocean over there, looking back to here, missing all of you.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, that was cheesy!” Blitzø grinned at his friend.

“It’s not about the amount of time spent together,” Monika added poetically. “Rather, it is the quality of time that makes it all worthwhile.”

“Well put, Monika!” Hermione smiled.

“Besides, Riku,” Rocket teased, “you couldn’t get rid of us if you tried!”

The group shared a laugh over that as they began to gather their things and head home, knowing that soon, their summer vacation would be over.

Chapter Text

(September 1)

Riku expected the summer festivities to end, so imagine his surprise when he returned to Shujin Academy and learned that the second years would be headed to Hawaii in a handful of days. At first, he questioned what Hawaii was, but a quick search on his phone informed him that it was another set of islands far away from the Destiny Islands and Japan at large.

“Oh, fuck yeah,” Blitzø shouted as he joined Riku and Eowyn on the way out of the school. “This Hawaii place is going to be kickass!”

“It could be a lot of fun,” Eowyn agreed. “What do you think, Riku?”

“Exploring the world, even if it looks like home?” Riku pondered. “Sounds like a good time to me.”

The three of them headed toward the accessway in Shibuya, back to their old hideout, to inform the others of this. Link mentioned that his school would be going on a trip as well, though he knew little of what “Los Angeles” was. Hermione informed them that some of the teachers were staying behind due to a police investigation pertaining to the Wormtongue incident and how Principal Vizzini tried to cover it up, so she was asked to come along as a chaperone. Rocket nodded along, clearly not giving a shit about the conversation. Finally, Monika got to chime in.

“So, I’ve discovered that the SIU has been heavily investigating the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns,” she started, “and the investigation is being led by one Jennifer Walters.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Hermione nodded along.

“You know her?”

“She’s my sister. Well, she adopted me as such.”

“I see. Anyway, all notes that she would have are unavailable on any server I can hack into, so this is great news that you know her! I need your help!”

“What can I do?”

“Take this drive and plug it into her work laptop if she brings it home. Don’t worry, it bypasses passwords and everything!”

“Is there no other way?”

“None that I know of.”

“Very well. Forgive me, sis.”

Hermione accepted the drive and the meeting was adjourned.

***

(September 2)

Hermione waited as patiently as possible while Jennifer came through the door and set everything down. The older sister informed the younger one of her exhaustion, and she was going to relax in the bath for a while. Hermione nodded in understanding as Jennifer left the room and hopped into the tub, leaving Hermione to fulfill her secret mission. Whatever stresses Jennifer had been dealing with, they were more than enough to stay in the bathroom long enough for Hermione’s goal to be achieved.

***

(September 7)

It had been four days since Hermione passed off the drive back to Monika and Monika’s PC began to sift through the loads of data. Monika had told them that it would take a few days and to enjoy the Hawaii and Los Angeles trips.

As such, Riku, Eowyn, Hermione, and Velma were waiting in the airport and quietly chatting among themselves when Blitzø came barreling through the crowds of people without so much as an “excuse me” as he desperately made a mad dash to his friends.

“Fuck me, I thought I was going to be late!” Blitzø gasped for air.

“Even on a day like this, you’re struggling to be here on time,” Eowyn shook her head.

“At least I showed up,” retorted the imp.

“I’m going to check and see how long we have to wait still,” Velma said as she left, figuring everyone might want to talk about Phantom Thief stuff and she figured plausible deniability was the best deniability.

“Anyway, before we leave,” Eowyn gathered everyone together, “we should take a picture to commemorate the trip, yeah?”

“I’d like that,” Hermione agreed.

“I’ll take the photo,” Riku stated as the others gathered by him, posing for the camera as it flashed. Not long after, Riku received a text.

[Blitzø, you have gunk in your eyes.] - Monika

“What the-” Blitzø mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. “Holy shit! She’s right!”

“What kind of witchcraft…” Eowyn muttered.

[Not witchcraft. I hacked into Riku’s phone. I can see what the camera sees, so behave yourselves!] - Monika

“Well, you heard her!” Riku joked. “We better behave ourselves!”

“It’s time to go,” Velma yelled to the group, ushering them to come forward and get loaded onto the plane.

***

(September 8-10)

The Phantom Thieves and others enjoyed their time spent on the warm sands of Hawaii. By sheer luck or misfortune, Link and the rest of Kosei High School had to turn away from Los Angeles due to a storm, and thus Link joined the others for more fun in the sun. All the while, Riku noticed a girl with dark hair constantly keeping to the shade. He felt like he knew her from somewhere, but it was not until it was dark out enough and he saw her glowing eyes that it registered with him. This was the same girl from the fireworks festival. He could not help but wonder why she seemed so sad…

***

(September 11)

The final day of the Hawaii trip had come, and everyone clamored into a souvenir shop to buy last-minute souvenirs for Rocket, Monika, and the Doctor. As he was checking out what was on the shelves, something alerted him to an approaching presence.

“Hello…” came the voice of Caulifla, “RIKU!”

“Hey, Caulifla,” Riku smirked.

“I didn’t even make you jump. Oh well. I’m glad I got to see you before I had to go.”

“Oh?”

“I’m here for another martial arts tournament.”

“Ah! Well, then I’m glad to be here to wish you good luck!”

“Thank you.”

Caulifla waved goodbye to him after purchasing a good luck charm for herself. Riku could not help but smile at her enthusiastic nature. He wondered if he could ever truly feel like that again…

***

Principal Vizzini did not like the summer heat, but what he hated more was being ousted from the plan set up by Henri Ducard in his bid for rising to the top. Vizzini wiped his brows before beginning to cross the road. That was when he felt it. His chest began to hurt, and he knew what was happening. Mr. Ducard was not going to let him get away with his failures alive.

“In…con…ceivable…”

No one heard his final word, but a police officer witnessed the man get hit by a truck while clutching his chest.

Chapter Text

(September 13)

Once the jet lag had worn off and everyone had rested from their ventures across the Pacific Ocean, the Phantom Thieves gathered once more in the attic room, where Monika was ready to tell everyone the results of sifting through Jennifer Walters’s files.

“Well, she’s definitely been looking into a connection between the Phantom Thieves and the mental shutdowns,” Monika began, “but she’s also been searching for a benefactor, and it seems one person in particular is seeing a surge in success from all the shutdowns.”

“And who’s that?” Eowyn inquired.

“He’s known as Lord Harkon,” Monika continued. “He’s a businessman, deals in a lot of things. He’s seen a massive increase in wealth in the last couple years.”

“Hey, Blitzø!” Hermione called out to the imp. “Check for any rumors on Lord Harkon!”

“You got it,” Blitzø pulled out his phone and did a quick search. “Fuck me, he’s got a lot of public dirt!”

“Let me guess,” Riku interrupted, “abusing people that work for him?”

“That’s putting it mildly!” Blitzø stated. “Overworked, underpaid, no paid overtime, and some people are collapsing from the stress. Nothing on what happens to them afterward…”

“That’s flarking messed up!” Rocket chimed in. “We need to deal with him!”

“Agreed, but we’ll need to learn more about him,” Link pointed out.

“Well, has anyone ever considered that Rocket is kind of built for reconnaissance?” Riku asked.

“I see what you’re saying,” Hermione agreed. “Would you be willing to do that for us, Rocket?”

“Consider it done,” Rocket nodded. “I’ll be back as quick as I can!”

“You better be!” Blitzø yelled to the raccoon. “I refuse to be a winner in our little competitions just because you’re not around!”

Rocket smirked at the imp before leaping out of Riku’s bedroom window and scurrying off into the night.

“I really hope he knows what he’s doing,” Monika mumbled.

“This is Rocket we’re talking about,” Link assured her.

“Yeah,” Riku seconded. “If any one of us can be truly stealthy in reality, it’s him!”

***

Rocket found himself outside of Harkon Headquarters, having just tested the Meta-Nav to ensure that this was the location. He kept that in mind as he crept around, looking for something that would tip him off as to what the distortion would be. All the while, he could not shake the feeling of being watched-

And that feeling was right, as something grabbed his tail and held him upside down, forcing him to stare into a pair of glowing yellow eyes…

***

(September 15)

A couple days had passed, and none of the Phantom Thieves had heard a word from Rocket. Riku and Monika were especially worried, so they called for everyone to assemble outside of Harkon Headquarters. As it turned out, Monika had managed to secure the full set of keywords for Lord Harkon’s Palace.

“Lord Harkon, Harkon Headquarters, crypt,” she spoke into the phone in her hand.

“Candidates found,” the Meta-Nav chirped.

“Wait, a crypt?!?” Hermione panicked.

“It’ll be fine if we stick together,” Riku assured her. “Let’s go.”

And so the Phantom Thieves found themselves in a graveyard outside of a massive mausoleum. The words adorning the entrance to the mausoleum called it “The Crypt of the Vampire Lord”.

“The Crypt of the Vampire Lord?” Blitzø questioned.

“Vampires?!?” Link pondered.

“Looks like it,” Riku shrugged. “Stay focused and alert.”

“I wouldn’t enter that place if I were you,” a girl’s voice called out from behind them.

The Phantom Thieves turned to see a teen girl about their age in an outfit that would best be described as akin to a musketeer. Her eyes were glowing yellow, and that tipped Riku off to who this was, despite not knowing her name. Before he could ask, a familiar face appeared next to her.

“Relax, Serana,” Rocket said. “They’re with me!”

“Rocket! Where have you been?!?” Hermione demanded to know.

“Sorry to worry you all,” Rocket apologized, “but Serana caught and questioned me. Turns out, she wants to help.”

“And what does she know about Lord Harkon?” Blitzø muttered.

“Well, I am his daughter,” Serana offered, “and he has a terrible plan for Tokyo.”

“What’s that?” Eowyn inquired.

“He wants to turn the entire city into the largest vampire nest in the world,” Serana stated.

“Are you saying your dad’s a vampire?!?” Link asked.

“Yes, as am I,” Serana continued.

Now it made sense to Riku why her scent was somewhat off-putting but did not seem to have anything to do with Darkness. She was a creature of the night, as legends would say, but it was clear to him now that some things from said legends were not quite accurate.

“So, you’re a vampire who wants to stop another vampire from creating even more vampires?” Riku laid it out, making sure he understood everything.

“That’s right,” Serana nodded. “I was born into this, so I never had a say in the matter, but I assure you, life as a vampire is not fun. Granted, magical prowess is nice, but a feeling of weakness in sunlight and a terrible desire to feast on blood is absolute misery.”

“And before anyone panics,” Rocket jumped in, “no, she didn’t drink my blood. In fact, she hasn’t drank any blood since I’ve come across her.”

“How? Aren’t you hungry?” Blitzø questioned.

“I’ve found a way to sustain myself without hunting,” Serana assured them. “Now, I have a question for all of you: Will you let me join you and help you take down my father?”

The Phantom Thieves glanced at each other before nodding.

“Welcome to the team,” Riku extended his hand in friendship.

Serana shook it in response, and as they all entered the Crypt of the Vampire Lord, Rocket told them of Serana’s awakening, including how her Persona, Milady, was quite powerful, possibly due to Serana’s vampiric nature.

***

(October 3)

Caulifla could not believe her ears. On the other side of the guidance counselor’s office was Dr. Ian Malcolm arguing with the vice principal, now acting principal due to the passing of Principal Vizzini, about the honors status that has been granted to Caulifla. Dr. Malcolm argued that she did well to achieve third place in the most recent martial arts tournament, while the acting principal was demanding that first place would be the only accepting position. Caulifla fled from Shujin Academy, sending a message as an S.O.S. to Riku.

***

[Can we talk, Riku? I’ll be where we met in Odaiba.] - Caulifla

“Want to join me?” Riku asked Rocket, who decided to spend the day hanging around the school grounds to get fresh air while keeping tabs on everyone.

“Yeah, why not?” Rocket went along with the Phantom Thieves’ leader.

***

Caulifla stared at the stadium being slowly built, sighing in disappointment. Disappointment in herself, disappointment in her results, disappointment in her life.

“At least Dr. Malcolm and Riku are willing to fight for me,” Caulifla muttered to herself.

She overheard a couple passersby mention that the stadium was not originally going to be a stadium, but rather a research lab.

“The stadium was going to be a research lab?” Caulifla questioned to herself as she saw Riku approaching her with a raccoon. However, the world shifted around her, and she found herself in a research facility, completely clueless as to how she arrived.

***

“What in the world?!?” Riku gasped as the world around him and Rocket changed.

“A Palace?!? Here?!?” Rocket was flabbergasted.

“Wait! Where’s Caulifla?!?”

“I saw her go further in! Let’s go!”

The teen boy and the raccoon raced forward as quickly and quietly as possible until they came upon Caulifla freaking out in front of a Shadow that was approaching her slowly. Riku stepped in the way.

“Get back from her!” he yelled, raising Way to the Dawn and preparing for a fight.

“She denies our gift,” the Shadow hissed.

“Huh?” Riku was confused.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, monster,” Caulifla gathered herself and prepared to fight, “but I am the martial artist Caulifla, and I will not be pushed around anymore!”

Then, right before Riku’s and Rocket’s eyes, Caulifla underwent an awakening, summoning Oozaru to her aid, and the Persona blasted the Shadow away in a single blow.

“Whoa! She’s flarking powerful!” Rocket stated.

“That was amazing, Caulifla,” Riku added.

“Thanks, but how do you know me?” Caulifla asked.

“Right, the mask,” Riku said as he took off the mask. “It’s me. Riku.”

“Riku?!?” Caulifla gasped. “You- You’re…”

“A Phantom Thief, yes,” Riku confirmed.

The three of them discussed the whole Metaverse situation as they left the Palace. All of them checked the Meta-Nav to see if a name was mentioned for the owner, but all that was there was “???” alongside “stadium” and “research lab”. They shrugged it off for the time being.

“Well, since you have that power, too,” Rocket offered, “want to join us?”

“I’m sorry, but I’d rather forge my own path, if it’s all the same to you,” Caulifla declared.

“Very well,” Riku nodded, “we’ll respect your decision.”

And the three of them parted ways as the sun set in the distance.

Chapter Text

(October 5)

The calling card had been sent, and the Phantom Thieves raced toward the final crypt room, where the Treasure was enclosed within a coffin. However, as soon as they tried to open it, the lid of the coffin blew right off, and Lord Harkon’s Shadow stepped out of it, holding the Treasure that had taken the shape of a scroll.

“It would seem the living believe they can rob the dead,” Lord Harkon mused. “I cannot tolerate such insolence.”

“Father, we don’t need to fight!” Serana begged the Shadow. “Just hand me the scroll and we can go back to having a loving family, you and me. Like it was when mother was here…”

“Serana! You’re among these miscreants?!?” Lord Harkon hissed. “Traitor, defiler of crypts! Arise, my minions, we are being sieged by a traitor and her thralls!”

“Thrall?” Riku inquired.

“He thinks we are under a vampiric spell and led by Serana,” Hermione explained.

“That’s fucking rich,” Blitzø huffed. “She wouldn’t need a spell to get our help! Hell, I’d kick your ass because it’s Wednesday and I feel like it!”

Lord Harkon’s form changed to that of a Vampire Lord, his skin pale, his face grotesque, and bat wings sprouting from his back. Around the Phantom Thieves, more coffins burst open, and they were soon under attack by a handful of vampires.

“Don’t let them bite you!” Serana shouted. “I don’t know if they’ll be able to infect you if they’re Shadows or cognitions or whatever, but it’s better not to risk contracting Sanguinare Vampiris!”

“Oh, they want to suck us?!?” Blitzø yelled. “Suck this!”

He and Rocket opened fire, pushing the vampire horde back while the others took to battling Lord Harkon. He was incredibly strong, able to knock anyone who got close to him straight into the air, but Riku found a weakness of his. Dark Firaga, being a fire-based spell, wounded the Vampire Lord greatly. It was not long before Lord Harkon was defeated and his minions were destroyed. Eowyn snagged the scroll from his claws.

“We’re done here, father,” Serana stated. “Go back to yourself and confess everything.”

The Palace began to crumble, and the Phantom Thieves were forced to leave without ensuring that Lord Harkon’s Shadow was heading back to his true self like he was asked. Instead of doing that, the Shadow found himself shot through the chest as a figure clad in black stepped forward and aimed a second shot through his head…

***

(October 11)

Serana kept everyone informed of Lord Harkon’s status and informed them that her father was holding a press conference that night. For celebration, Serana pointed out that the company her father owns, Volkihar Enterprises, had rented out a theme park but had to postpone their meeting there due to the calling card situation. It was non-refundable, so Serana got the okay from the theme park to use it as their little victory celebration. Upon arriving, Riku could not help but notice a familiar shape on the entryway.

“I didn’t know the King was in the theme park business,” he muttered quietly to himself.

It was an absolute blast for everyone. Blitzø and Rocket took on the shooting minigames while Monika, Link, and Hermione settled on smaller rides. Riku, Serana, and Eowyn, being the most daring of the group, went for the large rides. After their fun was had, they enjoyed a feast of fancy foods outside as the press conference went live. All was going well until Lord Harkon gripped his chest tightly and, on live television, burst into a red mist. Nothing remained of the body.

“What the fuck,” Blitzø mumbled.

“We’re flarked, we’re so flarked,” Rocket panicked.

“Why did that happen?!?” Eowyn could only muster that much to say.

“We did everything right,” Hermione assured them. “Did we?”

Riku looked around. Monika and Link were speechless. Blitzø and Rocket were in a frenzied panic. Eowyn and Hermione were barely holding it together. Serana, who was smiling for the first time since they met her, was somehow paler than before. He stepped forward to say something, but she raised her hand.

“I know it wasn’t your fault,” she assured the Phantom Thieves, “but regardless, I have to go. Things are going to be rocky with the company, and they may turn to me for help.”

“I understand,” Riku nodded. “If you need anything, reach out to us.”

Serana nodded before running off into the night. The others slowly dissipated from the park, their heads low, their shoulders heavy, and a single question on all of their minds: What happens now?

***

(October 25)

Two weeks flew by in what felt like a handful of moments. In that time, Riku overheard everyone who had once been praising the Phantom Thieves now speak of them like they deserved to die themselves. Velma’s Phan-Site was in flames. There were even accusations of the team murdering Principal Vizzini.

On the bright side, Riku spent those two weeks preparing for the autumnal midterms and checking in on Serana. Despite everything, Serana had somehow eased into the idea of a world where her father no longer existed. Riku could see that it still bothered her, but she assured him that she was fine, that being a vampire meant that this could have happened at any time, if a hunter ever found them.

Alas, the school festival came, and Serana asked for everyone to join her in exploring the various stalls set up around the school. Link, Monika, and Rocket were worried about being admitted at first, but Serana assured them that if they were with her, no one would question them. As such, they came to a takoyaki station that was offering “Russian takoyaki”. The team sat down and waited for the takoyaki to arrive, where it was clear that it meant that one of them was especially spicy.

“Gee, I wonder which one’s the spicy one,” Monika deadpanned as she stared at the glowing red takoyaki piece.

“Who would be daring enough to eat it?” Rocket questioned.

“I mean, I could,” Blitzø suggested, “though I’d rather have a regular piece. Tastes better.”

It was at that moment that an unexpected visitor approached them.

“It seems everyone’s here,” Miranda Tate announced.

“Huh?” Eowyn was confused, as were most everyone else.

“Oh, right,” Hermione drew everyone’s attention. “We’re supposed to have a guest speaker tomorrow, and the majority of the students voted for Miranda Tate.”

“So you’ll be speaking here tomorrow?” Link inquired.

“I will,” Miranda nodded. “And, as payment…”

She picked up the glowing red takoyaki, while Riku tried to intervene.

“Wait!” he halted her.

“What?” she asked.

“We ordered Russian takoyaki. Who knows how spicy that piece will be.”

Miranda shrugged and ate the red piece in one bite. Riku watched as she chewed and swallowed it and somehow remained unfazed.

“I’ve had spicier,” Miranda smirked as she walked away.

“Huh,” Riku quietly pondered to himself. What a woman, he thought.

Chapter Text

(October 26)

The students gathered in the auditorium as Hermione and Miranda took to the stage, where Hermione asked Miranda questions about her day-to-day life and her work as the detective princess.

“To be honest, I’m not all that special,” Miranda stated. “I just happen to notice things others do not.”

“And has that helped you in the case against the Phantom Thieves?” Hermione inquired.

“Yes, it has. In fact, I’m almost certain I know who they are.”

“And would you be willing to tell us?”

“If you wish to know, then I’ll tell you. They are-”

Miranda’s phone began ringing. She checked it and sighed before turning back to the microphone she was speaking into.

“Apologies, everyone,” Miranda spoke once more, “but this is urgent. Please forgive me, but I must go.”

As the Shujin students became rowdy from being teased with the knowledge of the Phantom Thieves’s identities, Miranda whispered into Hermione’s ear.

“Gather your friends,” she said. “We need to talk.”

Not too long after, everyone who was a member of the Phantom Thieves gathered into a secluded classroom with Miranda Tate.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” Miranda started. “You’re the Phantom Thieves. Don’t deny it. I have photo evidence.”

She produced said evidence, showing Eowyn and Link returning to reality from Lord Harkon’s Palace.

“So, what’s the terms of this blackmail?” Hermione asked with crossed arms.

“I want your help,” Miranda confessed. “I followed you all into that other world on the day you stole Harkon’s Treasure. I watched you defeat him, and I watched as someone killed him in that other world.”

“Father…” Serana whispered.

“So you know who murdered him?” Eowyn inquired.

“All I know is it wasn’t any of you,” Miranda continued, “and I want your help in proving it.”

“How so?” Monika asked.

“While in that other world, the killer saw me,” Miranda explained, “and I only escaped because I, too, gained a Persona and used it to fight my way out.”

“I see,” Link mused.

“So you want us to help you how, exactly?” Rocket chimed in. “Like yeah, sure, welcome to the team if you want that, but get to the flarking point!”

“That’s a bit rude, Mr. Raccoon,” Miranda chastised.

“Uh, he doesn’t like that,” Blitzø stated, grabbing hold of Rocket before he could charge at the detective.

“Anyway,” Miranda digressed, “I know of someone who needs a change of heart, but I can’t do this alone. I need your help.”

“How will this help us?” Hermione inquired.

“Because they are a part of the team trying to bring you in,” Miranda pointed out. “In exchange for your assistance, I ask for you all to retire from your work as Phantom Thieves and let me handle bringing down the true culprit.”

The Phantom Thieves looked at each other. They were unsure how to respond to this request.

“Give us some time to think,” Riku pleaded.

“Very well,” Miranda obliged. “Three days. Leblanc Cafe. I’ll await your decision. Until then, may the spirits be kind.”

And with that, Miranda left the classroom, leaving everyone to ponder the situation thrust upon them.

“So what do we do?” Monika questioned.

“That depends,” Riku started.

“On what, exactly?” Rocket huffed.

“If you can get a hold of her phone, can you bug it, Monika?” Riku asked.

“Easily!” Monika assured him.

“Then I say we accept her offer on the surface while planning something underneath it,” Riku suggested.

“What do you have in mind?” Hermione inquired.

Riku smirked as he explained what he could about her having a scent of Darkness that was not quite like those who had Palaces, meaning she probably had an ulterior motive, meaning she was likely plotting a trap. They were just going to put a trap within the trap. After that, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone went home before they could be dragged into the school festival party.

Upon reaching Leblanc, Riku, Rocket, and Monika were greeted by the sight of an annoyed Doctor. He looked at Monika and revealed the calling card she received months ago.

“Is this what I think this is?” the Doctor inquired, his tone simmering with anger.

“Uh- I…” Monika stuttered, scared at the tone of the Doctor’s voice.

“Sir, if there’s anyone you wish to be mad at about this, be mad at me,” Riku begged. “She came to the Phantom Thieves, asking for them to change her heart, and we obliged.”

“We?” the Doctor’s eyebrow raised. “Are you saying you’re one of the Phantom Thieves?”

“Yes sir, I am,” Riku nodded.

The Doctor’s demeanor softened as he dropped the calling card onto the counter.

“So they’re not dangerous folk,” the Doctor sighed. “Come, sit at the counter, and tell me everything.”

Riku, Monika, and Rocket explained their lives as Phantom Thieves to the Doctor as he made coffee for the teens and poured a glass of water for Rocket. He listened eagerly as they told him everything, and they realized how little they had to truly explain to him, as if he understood the machinations of the human heart.

“Simply amazing,” the Doctor grinned. “Well, I’m not going to stop you from doing the right thing. However, please do be careful, okay?”

“Understood,” the three Phantom Thieves said in unison.

“Okay, off you go!” the Doctor ushered them away, and away they went.

***

(October 29)

The Phantom Thieves did not have to wait long for Miranda to arrive, and the Doctor was made aware of the situation. He made himself scarce when the detective princess entered the coffee shop.

“I take it you’ve agreed to my proposition?” she inquired.

“Not like we have much choice,” mumbled Riku.

“So, whose heart are you wanting us to change?” Serana asked.

“The heart of my colleague, Jennifer Walters,” Miranda announced.

Everyone turned to Hermione, knowing that Jennifer is her adoptive sister.

“I’ve known for a while that her heart needed changing,” Hermione confessed, “but I wasn’t sure how to approach that situation. I guess now’s the time.”

“So is everyone on board with this?” Miranda questioned. “After all, she is investigating your team, and she’s starting to become desperate for results. Given enough time, she may choose a random citizen to arrest.”

“We can’t let someone take the fall for us,” Link took a stand on the matter.

“He’s right,” Eowyn seconded. “I could never live with myself if I hid away and let someone else suffer.”

Everyone else nodded along.

“That’s a unanimous decision,” Riku smirked. “So, where are we going?”

“Follow me,” Miranda ushered them out of the coffee shop and all the way to the courthouse.

“Makes sense that the ‘where’ would be the courthouse,” Hermione mused.

“So you have that app, too?” Miranda questioned.

“We all do,” Riku said, holding up his phone.

Miranda held up her phone as well, and Monika, acting surprised over the model, snatched it right out of the detective’s hand, just as planned.

“What are you doing?!?” Miranda shouted.

“Forgive her,” Rocket stood in the way. “She has a love for technology and probably got over-enthusiastic about that model of phone.”

“So cool,” muttered Monika, playing along with Rocket’s statement.

“I’ll make sure she gives it back,” Riku assured Miranda. “Now, what can you tell us about Jennifer?”

“Well, she’s determined to win at all costs,” Miranda nonchalantly said.

“In that case,” Hermione mused, “her Palace may be a casino.”

The Meta-Nav confirmed it, and Monika handed back Miranda’s phone. Everyone went into the Palace, where they saw everything around them look the same except for the courthouse, which had become a fancy, neon-lit casino. They pushed onward and ended up coming face to face with Jennifer Walters’s Shadow.

“You must be the infamous Phantom Thieves,” Jennifer smirked. “Thinking of taking me down? Good luck reaching me!”

And with that, she was gone, leaving the Phantom Thieves and Miranda, who was wearing a white uniform with a red mask, to return home and plan their next move.

Chapter Text

(November 6)

It took a couple entries into Jennifer Walters’s Palace, as well as the urging from Miranda Tate to keep everyone moving, but the Phantom Thieves made it to the end of the Palace and secured their infiltration route. Everyone was ready to send the calling card immediately to get this over with, but Miranda suggested a different idea. She proposed that the Phantom Thieves wait on sending the calling card until Jennifer was at her most desperate moment, ensuring that the calling card’s effect would succeed. With no way to rebuttal that, the team agreed to holding off on delivering the calling card for another twelve days.

***

(November 13)

Riku was not sure why Miranda had asked him to meet her alone in Mementos of all places. He obliged, meeting her alone in the flip-side of reality, where she pulled out a gun and aimed it at his face.

“What are you doing?!?” he demanded to know.

“I called you here to test you,” Miranda replied. “We’ve spent time seeing how we can better ourselves. Now it’s time to see how good you really are, Riku. Come at me with everything you’ve got.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“I am absolutely certain.”

“Very well. Prepare yourself, Miranda!”

Miranda summoned her Persona, Ishtar, to do battle against Riku and Arsene. They both put in a lot of effort, but, in the end, Riku came out on top, but he had to admit that it was because Miranda relied more on Ishtar to do any real fighting with him while he had experience as both a Persona user and a Keyblade warrior. Still, he considered, for her to have him push his limits as she did…

“I guess this means you’ve outdone me,” Miranda snarked.

“This time,” Riku assured her. “There’s no guarantees for next time.”

“I suppose not.”

They had returned to reality, and as Riku turned to speak with her, she flung one of her gloves into his face.

“What was that about?!?” Riku questioned her, truly not understanding this young woman whatsoever.

“There are cultures around the world where, if a glove is thrown at an opponent, it is a proposition for a future duel,” Miranda explained. “Tonight will not be the last time.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is. I want to be better, not just to defeat you, but…”

“But what?”

“I’m going to tell you something that I’ve not told anyone else, and I demand that this stays between us.”

“Of course.”

“My birth name isn't Miranda Tate. It’s Talia al Ghul. I don’t use that name because it draws too much attention from the wrong people.”

“And I’m not the wrong people?”

“You’re not.”

“Well, I’ll respect your wish, but I’m going to continue calling you Miranda.”

“I prefer that. Thank you, Riku.”

And with that, the two of them parted ways, with Riku fighting off the urge to look into why the name ‘Talia al Ghul’ would draw unwanted attention.

***

(November 18)

Riku was called away by Dr. Ian Malcolm, whom he had helped over the last few months with his research on cognitive psience. As it turns out, Dr. Malcolm was fully aware of Riku’s status as a Phantom Thief, having seen him, Blitzø, Eowyn, and Rocket exit the Metaverse sometime before Grima Wormtongue’s change of heart. He kept quiet because he knew that if anyone could help his research, it was Riku. They shook hands on their continued secrecy, the success of the research, and as a meaningful farewell, as it was Dr. Malcolm’s last day at Shujin Academy.

***

Jennifer Walters stepped through the doorway to her home and saw Hermione waiting there, looking ghostly pale and holding something in a shaky hand.

“Hey, Hermione, is everything okay?” Jennifer asked.

“N-Not really,” Hermione responded, her gaze not shifting from the floor. “I-I checked the mail, and…and…”

Jennifer stepped forward and took the thing that Hermione was holding from her hands. It was a calling card delivered by the Phantom Thieves. Jennifer read it thoroughly and felt the anger rising in her body. How dare they target her?!?

“Thanks for letting me know,” Jennifer commended Hermione.

“O-Of course,” Hermione nodded shakily as Jennifer left the room. “Sis…”

***

(November 19)

Whatever type of playing field the Phantom Thieves had been expected to play on, a roulette wheel was not on that list. There stood Jennifer Walters’s Shadow, egging them on with a game of roulette where she guaranteed that they would lose. Turns out, she was right, but something sparkly caught Riku’s eye in the process.

“Did you see something?” Monika asked.

“Yeah,” Riku confirmed. “A glass panel, I think. Blitzø, Rocket, deal with it when it shows up again!”

“I got it,” Rocket acknowledged.

“Bitch, I got this!” Blitzø snapped back, making it a race to see which sharpshooter won this little contest.

The roulette wheel spun once more, and the glass panel made a reappearance. Blitzø and Rocket fired on it simultaneously, absolutely obliterating it and giving the Phantom Thieves the win, infuriating Jennifer.

“No! No, no, no! This is my establishment! I must win every time!” Jennifer yelled as her body grew and her skin became greener.

“That’s not something she normally does, right?” Serana asked Hermione.

“Not that I know of,” Hermione trembled.

“Don’t lose your courage,” Eowyn commanded as she ran forward to join the fray, with Riku and Miranda not far behind her and the rest following after that.

It was a tough battle, to say the least. Jennifer’s hulked-out form was powerful and resilient. She did not give way all that much to their attacks. They did, however, manage to wear her down, and Jennifer could not keep fighting, and she found herself defeated by exhaustion in the end. Hermione knelt beside her as the green giant relinquished the human within.

“Sis, why did you have to fall to this point?” Hermione pleaded to know.

“I…I’m sorry, Hermione,” Jennifer’s Shadow said as it began to shed tears. “I just wanted to make a better life for us, but…”

“But we shouldn’t do so at the loss of ourselves.”

“You’re right. You’re right.”

Hermione and Jennifer clung to each other briefly as Monika began to panic.

“Okay, everyone, we better go!” Monika yelled. “We’ve got multiple enemies spawning in all around the Palace!”

“What?!?” Serana and Link both gasped.

“Are you flarking kidding me?!?” Rocket snarled. “We beat the Palace ruler, and they still want a piece of us?!?”

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to get through this many enemies unscathed,” Monika’s mood dropped by the word.

“Then let me distract them,” Riku announced.

“Are you fucking nuts?!? You’ll get killed out there!” Blitzø pleaded with their leader.

“I’ll be fine,” Riku assured him. “Have faith in me. Get the Treasure and get out!”

With that, Riku began running across the Palace alone, drawing in the attention of their enemies in the process. It was all going so well until he found himself surrounded by six Shadows. That, however, did not last long, as an unexpected visitor bailed him out of the situation and took out three of the Shadows in quick succession.

“Mind if I join you in this fight, Riku?” asked Caulifla.

“Not at all!” Riku smirked, and together, the three of them destroyed the remaining Shadows.

“Keep going! I’ll distract as many as I can!”

“Thanks, Caulifla!”

Riku continued making a run for it, and he did well enough for himself to get out of the building, albeit through a window high above the ground. However, this led to him leaping into a trap set up by the police. Without any further choices remaining, he surrendered to them and was captured, dragged away to an interrogation room far from the eyes of others. All according to plan, Riku thought to himself.