ch. 13

June 19th, 20XX
Daytime - Shibuya

    MAKOTO: Do you have a plan for today?
    MAKOTO: I’m still pretty confused on how a lot of this works…
    TOYA: That’s worrisome, because there’s still something incredibly confusing that I haven’t gotten to yet. I’ll explain that later today.
    TOYA: As for a plan… I’m still not 100% sure. I haven’t gone through a Palace myself, I’ve only ever gone in once the Phantom Thieves have sent their calling card.
    TOYA: There’s something that’s much more concerning than actually getting through a Palace, but I’ll explain that once we’re there.
    TOYA: That being said, do you wanna try entering any time soon?
    MAKOTO: Yes. Can we meet?
    TOYA: Come by the Shibuya station. I’ll be waiting there.



June 19th, 20XX
Daytime - Kaneshiro’s Palace

    The pair of Toya and Makoto came back to the Metaverse, greeted by the distorted atmosphere and reality of Shibuya, as seen through the eyes of Kaneshiro.

    “There’s still just one thing I really don’t get… what’s with your clothes?”

    “That plays into what I wanted to explain to you. While I’m in the Metaverse, my clothes naturally change into this if there are Shadows that know I’m here.”

    “Shadows…?”

    “Monsters. They’re the main reason why I was reluctant to bring you along with me. I can handle myself, but trying to defend you at the same time will prove to be much more difficult…”

    “I see… don’t worry; I can defend myself. I’ve trained in aikido.” Toya’s eyes widened for a moment. This person, who seemed so familiar to him… knew Aikido?

    “That’s better than nothing, but you’ll realize that martial arts alone aren’t enough. Anything I did to Kaneshiro’s men yesterday would prove somewhat ineffective here, as Shadows are much stronger than regular humans such as them.”

    “If you can’t fight like that, then… how do you defeat them? Are you forced to just run away?”

    “We can’t run away forever. Most of the time, we’ll be forced to fight the Shadows, whether that be through a head-on assault or with the use of stealth. And for that, I have my Persona.”

    “Your… Persona? What does that mean?” Toya took a step back, and quickly took off his mask. As he did, Makoto looked in horror as blue flames appeared around Toya’s feet, as did a formless shadow with silver eyes behind him. “What… is that!?”

    “This is my Persona, Diabolos. I awakened to this power a few months ago as I was watching the Phantom Thieves. Had I not awakened to it, they would have died trying to change the heart of Kamoshida.”

    “Are you saying… you control that thing?”

    “Yes. Thanks to this, I’m capable of taking down Shadows. You, however… unless you awaken to a Persona of your own, you’re gonna struggle to really deal with these things. So no matter what happens, if we see Shadows, make sure you stay behind me, got it?” Makoto nodded in response, as Toya looked towards the bank in the sky. There still wasn’t a way for him to get there. “The only issue now is getting into his bank…”

    “This world… it’s based on Kaneshiro’s cognition, correct?”

    “Yeah, why?”

    “Kaneshiro said we owe him three million yen. If his cognition thinks that we owe him money, then…” Makoto slowly walked forward. Toya followed her, as suddenly, a bridge emerged. Coming from the floating bank and angled downwards, the bridge extended out until hitting the ground, just in front of them. “I knew it.”

    “Impressive. Come on, we need to get going. I can’t imagine that going through this entire Palace will be done in a short amount of time, so we might as well start chipping away at it now.” Makoto nodded in response as the two head up the bridge. Once they reached the top, they finally saw it: Kaneshiro’s bank. It was monstrous… infinitely bigger than either of them expected. But even still, Toya’s expression remained unchanged. There was definitely a part of him that was nervous, but he had to do this. He wanted to help his brother… and Makoto. For once, he wasn’t entering a Palace for his own interest- it was for others. He began walking towards the entrance with Makoto following by his side. She was more nervous than she let on, and was still a bit shaken by seeing Toya’s Persona. However, she was doing this for the students. She was the student council president, and this was all happening under her nose. Not to mention, she didn’t do anything to expose Kamoshida’s crimes, even though she knew they were happening. Whenever she thought of these moments, she just thought she was useless, and she hated that. She knew she wasn’t useless, she just had to prove that to everyone else… and that started like this. She could do this… she had to. The two of them entered the Palace, their resolve burning within them as two Shadows approached.

    “Halt. What business do you have here?”

    “Come at us!” Toya’s eyes widened in shock as Makoto suddenly tried provoking the Shadows. She was out of her mind if she thought she could handle these two with Aikido alone… but she seemed confident enough. Toya’s only concern was how much of that was false confidence. Either way, he had to step in.

    “Either you’re gonna take us to Kaneshiro…” Toya stepped in front of Makoto, holding one hand his mask, ready to rip it off if he needed to. “...Or you’re going to die. Take your pick.”

    “Tch, damn kids… Learn your place in this world!” The shadows roared, as they began to transform. What previously looked like security guards suddenly morphed into large creatures with red skin and horns, both holding a massive blade in one hand.

    “What are those…!?” Makoto reeled back in shock, now realizing what Toya meant when he said that Aikido wouldn’t be enough. She was confident in her abilities, but… against those creatures? She didn’t think she’d stand a chance.

    “Stay back!” Toya quickly took his mask off, his Persona quickly coming out behind him. “Take them down, Diabolos!” Diabolos’s arms quickly came together, forming dark magic and firing at the two demons. They were both in pain, but it wasn’t enough to finish them off just yet. The demons then charged in, trying to crush Toya with their massive blades. However, they were slow. Toya was able to easily dodge out of the way of them. He jumped into the air, cutting through one of the demons, finishing it off and causing it to vanish. He took a deep breath, this was the first time he fought Shadows in a while, so he wasn’t as used to it anymore. Though, the feeling he got from defeating a Shadow, from watching it disappear… it was still just as satisfying as it was to him the very first time.

    “Get the hell away from me!” Toya’s satisfaction quickly diminished as he heard a scream. He turned around to see the second demon closing in on Makoto, his blade already raised in the air. On instinct, he raised his gunblade in front of him, aiming at the demon’s head and firing. It was a direct hit, but it didn’t do much besides stop his attack for a brief moment. The demon slowly turned around, only to see Toya already in his face, stabbing the demon and bringing it to the ground. Makoto looked at Toya with some fright, but more confusion than anything else.

    “Wait- is that sword… a gun? How does that even work!?” Toya scanned the room. There were more Shadows in the room, and he heard footsteps of even more that were on their way.

    “My oh my… why is it that we always have to meet after you assault my guards?” Toya and Makoto recognized that voice too well, even though it sounded… demented. “Unauthorized entry, property damage, and other disturbances. That comes to three million yen in total. You’re here regarding that, correct, Miss Beautiful President?” From out of the shadows surrounded by even more guards came the one they were looking for: Kaneshiro himself- only different. With purple skin and moustache, he looked even… uglier than he did before, in a creepy way. “It must be quite tough gathering so much money. I’d be willing to give you a loan, you know. However, the interest rate is ten percent a day.”

    “Three hundred thousand yen a day… you greedy prick.” Toya began walking forward, anger visible in his eyes, focused solely on Kaneshiro.

    “There’s no need to be alarmed. I have a more manageable option for people like you.”

    “That was your plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?”

    “Quite the impressive insight… Niijima. Or should I say, the younger sister of the beautiful prosecutor Sae Niijima?” Toya took a few steps back after hearing that name. Sae Niijima… that sounded familiar too. Where did he know this from? Try as he might, he simply couldn’t remember.

    “How do you know that…!?”

    “Please don’t underestimate our intelligence network. My, what wonderful goods have come falling into my lap! The younger sister of prosecutor Sae Niijima… and the younger brother of the detective Ken Kazero.” Toya felt the hair on his body stand up straight for a moment, as Kaneshiro let out those words in that condescending tone of his. He knew who he was already, after only a day…? “Young women are so useful. They lack physical strength are dumb. It’s as if they only exist to be devoured by the strong. Meanwhile on the other side of the spectrum, young men fail to realize their potential in this world. Instead, they spend their time chasing after useless things like love and getting angry the one they love is hurt. Those two rules have existed since the dawn of history, and is even evident in you two.”

    “I’ve heard enough out of you already. If you think I’m so weak, then you’d have tried fighting me on your own yesterday. Instead, you’re ordering those that are stronger than you to do your work for you, simply praying that they’ll never feel the urge to rebel against you as a unit.” Toya began walking forward, his piercing gaze ripping straight through Kaneshiro. “Don’t you dare try to lecture me on what makes someone weak or strong.”

    “Don’t make me laugh, petty thief. Your hot-blooded nature will prove meaningless against the greatest security that money can buy.” With a snap of his fingers, the Shadows began to walk forward, all staring directly at Toya. “Anyone will do anything for money. I’ll rob you of your lives as easily as I breathe air.” Kaneshiro began snickering as he stared at the two, Toya far in front of Makoto as trying to keep her protected, even though he was unsure of what he could do against this many guards. “Be sure to only kill the boy, though. There’s no need to put any harm on the goods.”

    “Toya…!”

    “Your sister is quite a beauty as well. Perhaps I should use you as ransom and make her my personal slave. Once I get bored, I’ll just sell her off. Oh, poor Sis… She could’ve been successful, if her younger sister wasn’t so dumb.”

    “My sister has nothing to do with this!”

    “Then you better start taking customers tomorrow. All you gotta do is endure it and do as you’re told.”

    “Endure it… Do as I’m told…” Makoto closed her eyes and faced down, her hands falling to the sides of her body.

    “You’ll earn three million yen in no time. Although, your life and everything along with it will be a complete wreck by then!” Kaneshiro began laughing maniacally, sounding just as cocky and conceited as he did when Toya first encountered him.

    “I’ve been listening to you go on and on…” Suddenly, Makoto clenched her fists. Toya turned to her, seeing the anger on her face directly. “Shut your damn mouth, you money-grubbing asshole!” Makoto’s voice suddenly had so much more anger and resolve behind it… as if something was awakening deep inside her.

    “Have you decided to tread the path of strife…?

    “Yes… Come to me!”

    “Very well. Let us proceed with our contract at once.” Makoto’s eyes flashed yellow for a second, as she held her head, grunting in what sounded like excruciating pain. This sounded so familiar… Toya recognized this pain. “I am thou, thou art I… You have finally found your own justice… Please… Never lose sight of it again.” With a scream, Makoto stomped her foot into the ground, cracking the floor beneath her. She still managed to stand on both feet, as she stomped her other foot, her entire body shaking in pain. “This memorable day marks your graduation from your false self…” Makoto looked up, only to see a grey, steel mask covering her face. She grit her teeth and grabbed the mask as hard as she could, before pulling it off with all of her might. She screamed as blood dripped down from around her eyes, as a blue flame erupted around her, with severe winds blowing everything away..

    “What the hell!?” Kaneshiro and his guards were pushed back by the sheer force of Makoto’s awakening, even Toya came close to losing his footing. Once the wind stopped and the flames began dying down, Toya opened his eyes, only to see what appeared to be a motorcycle. On top of it was Makoto, wearing a black and grey costume with spiked shoulder pads. She looked towards Kaneshiro and revved her motorcycle, a fierce look of determination visible in her eyes.

    “I can feel it… ‘Myself’... Me…!” Makoto’s angered gaze shifted from Kaneshiro to all of the Shadows that were surrounding him. “Gun it!” Revving up her motorcycle one more time, she drove towards the shadows and turned, skidding across the flood and making contact with the Shadows, sending them flying away and causing them to vanish instantly. Kaneshiro began sweating, before composing himself, looking towards the three remaining Shadows he had.

    “You better earn your keep, or else I’ll kill you!” The Shadows nodded, and began running straight for Makoto. Toya ran up and stood next to Makoto, holding his blade up to the Shadows that were approaching.

    “I will not lose heart again, ever. I’ll go full speed, non-stop! Right, Johanna!?” The Shadows transformed in front of Toya and Makoto, summoning forth two more red demons, and a new one. This one still looked demonic, but it’s sword was much longer, and it’s skin was red with white stripes all over it. “Don’t get all cocky just because I normally behave myself! I am DONE playing nice! Let’s go, Johanna! Full throttle!” Makoto immediately drove straight into them, trying to replicate what she did to the Shadows from earlier, but this was different. Those earlier Shadows were caught off guard and weren’t even transformed yet, but these were prepared. They all began raising their swords in an attempt to counterattack, but Toya saw through it. Ripping his mask off, he was able to summon Diabolos in time to fire off a blast of dark magic to all three of them. The blast itself was weak, but it was enough to break their focus, giving Makoto the chance to collide with all three of them. The impact was strong, sending them all staggering back, but it wasn’t enough to finish them. These Shadows were too big for Makoto to be able to collide with all three of them with enough brute force to take them down.

    “It seems like you won’t be able to take down three on your own… but that’s fine.” Toya stepped forward, eyeing the three demons as they regained their footing. “I’ll handle those red ones. You deal with that striped one in the middle, got it?” Toya and Makoto looked at each other and nodded, before Toya went rushing into them. Using his hookshot, he was able to propel himself above the Shadows, and landed down onto one of the red demons. Holding his blade out, he was able to pierce right through one’s head, instantly finishing it off as he looked to his left, only to see the other one looming over him, sword already in the air. Toya rolled out of the way of the demon’s sword, as it came crashing down onto where he was. He quickly fired a bullet at the demon’s horn, causing it to scream out in agony as Toya ran forward, jumping through the air and spinning around, slicing through it’s head and finishing it instantly.

    Meanwhile, Makoto’s first real fight was beginning. While she didn’t gave the greatest grasp on how to use her Persona yet, there were some things that came to her rather naturally. She had no idea why it felt like this, but it was… relieving, in a way. She felt so much stronger than she ever did before, it was liberating. She drove forward and jumped off of her motorcycle, as Johanna caused a blue explosion to engulf the striped demon. The demon lost his balance and fell to his knees, as Makoto came crashing down onto his head with her fists, smashing the demon directly into the floor and causing it to disappear instantly. They looked around to see that Kaneshiro was long gone, but the Shadows were still fast approaching.

    “Any ideas?”

    “Yeah. Get on!” Makoto drove towards Toya, stopping in front of him. He quickly got on and sat behind her, as Makoto drove towards the wall.

    “Smash it!”

    “Diabolos!” Toya yelled out to his Persona as he ripped his mask off once more, charging the biggest blast he could and breaking a large, gaping hole in the wall. Makoto sped up, speeding straight through the wall and out of the bank entirely. As soon as they were outside, Toya pulled out his phone, and they left the Metaverse together.



June 19th, 20XX
Evening - Shibuya Station

    The two returned to the real world, just barely escaping the Shadows. It was a hard fought battle, but they had won, at least for  now. Toua began stretching, before realizing Makoto was practically asleep with how exhausted she is.

    “You still awake down there?”

    “Barely…” Toya looked around. Night was beginning to fall already, meaning they spent basically the entire day in the Metaverse. It was no wonder Makoto was so exhausted. Toya slowly brought Makoto up and walked with her down into the subway station. As soon as they boarded a train, though, she immediately fell asleep. Toya originally planned on waking her up, but she looked so peaceful… she even had a smile on her face. He instead opted just to carry her the rest of the way home, allowing her to continue sleeping after her hard work.