2025-12-06: ... Flock Together (Ichika's Resolution)
- Log: ... Flock Together (Ichika's Resolution)
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Ren Amamiya, Ichika Kawase, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Makoto Niijima
- Where: Eiji's Palace
- OOC Date: 2025-12-06
- IC Date: Tues, Aug 21 2012
- Summary: Phoenix stages a solo, frontal assault on Eiji's Palace which draws the attention of one of his mighty Cognitions: Hajime Yasuda. But when the Phantom Thieves show up to support them, they find themselves in a boss battle of their own -- against Phoenix! Months ago, Akechi nudged them into a realisation, and now all his chickens are coming home to roost... and man, this chicken hits way too hard. When Ogre feels the anguish in their heart and arrives to stop them, though, Tsubasa unmasks themself as they accuse the Phantom Thieves of causing their Psychotic Breakdown -- and Cognitive Hajime reveals that one berserker couldn't possibly defeat him, as he leaps out of the shadows to feed them a flower and send them back down below where they belong, leaving the Phantom Thieves to stage a rescue against the very person who just accused them.
- Content warning: Abuse, human trafficking, torture, misgendering/deadnaming.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
The Phantom Thieves have already infiltrated the Palace, today. They are in the thick of it -- so in the thick of it, in fact, that Ogre has already had to tap out and collect herself in the saferoom.
But after they enter, it eventually becomes clear... it isn't just the Thieves who are assaulting the Palace.
Quite literally.
OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGuDpoJNImA Toby Fox - Vs. Susie
"HRRAAAAHHHHRGHHHH--!!!" Phoenix screams, as they bolt for the front doors. The guards manage to lock them just before they arrive, as the Cognitive Guests run away screaming. They plant their foot ahead of them and WRENCH their body around, their greatsword following their arc with a shower of sparks before it impacts the locked doors, heavily. The guards try to intervene; in a rage, they cut them down.
Alarm: 50%
"YOU RAT FUCKING BASTARD!" Phoenix screams, as they turn, maintaining their momentum, to slam their massive blade into the door again.
Alarm: 60%
Again. They're not sneaking in this time; they're gonna feed him his fucking entrails directly.
Alarm: 70%
Again --
Tsubasa bursts through the front doors, screaming KISAMAAAA the whole way through, and none of the cognitions who have come to appeal to Eiji can stand before them -- though a few of the Shadows do at least slow them down, as guards flood the halls to stop them.
Elsewhere in the Palace, sneaking has become a bitter challenge -- though Treasure Shadows are all coming out of the woodworks, too. It isn't hard to find the source of the alarm; Phoenix's screams are so loud, you'd have to be in a saferoom to not hear them. On an upper floor, the Phantom Thieves will find themselves moving further towards the entrance... and the showroom floor, where a dozen or more rich companies vie for the privilege of attending his perfect wedding. All the great names in business are here to try and simper and scrape a place... and it happens to be where the best man's prowling, right on an interception course with the unstoppable force called Phoenix.
It will take a few precious minutes for the Thieves to clamber down to the showroom -- but the best man's voice echoes, along with this new intruder, up to reach them.
"Waoah, what a racket!" Hajime crows, his greased hair combed back into an elegant wedding style. His popped collar is immaculate -- but his eyes are hungry. "So you're the intruder, huh? Let's call it..."
Alarm: 90%
Here, Phoenix stops, dead in their tracks, to wheel around and face the boy speaking to them. "You!" They gasp, clearly recognising him. "Why are you here?!"
"Why -- your best friend is your best man, of course!" Hajime declares, spreading his arms. "If your friends don't approve of your attitude, you might have trouble sleepin' at night, y'know? But me -- I've always had Eiji-kun's back. Sure, I say the shit he's keepin' under wraps... but that's what's so great about me, man! I keep it real! Thanks to me, he knows the people around him have his back... 'cuz everyone's thinking it."
"Get OUT!" Phoenix roars, brandishing their blade. "That fuckin' Eiji, he's bad enough... gettin' in my fuckin' head... but you?! Showin' up again?! FUCK! An' what's with this, anyway?! You were supposed to be better'n this! What, you sayin' somethin' else in his head?!"
"Hah... you don't look like one of his girls," Hajime flashes a shit-eating grin. "What, you one of those hard-luck guys he picks up now and then? You should be grateful for his career advice. Guys like you ought to feed landfill... if someone's nice enough to steal your visa and let you slave in his kitchens, you'd better be kissing his feet!"
"And what makes YOU so worthy, huh?!" Phoenix yells, one foot slamming forward. "You're the same kind of gutter trash I am, prick!"
"Oh, that's easy!" Hajime grins, a hand coming to rest at his hip as he gestures. "I make him laugh, man. You never wanted some joy in your life? You know, he runs cold, I'm all sunny... it's totally sweet! Besides, we're both in Basketball Club! Besides..." Hajime gestures to them, now. "I choose to act like I do. You never got a choice. That's why we're different!"
"Fuck," Phoenix spits, "'course ya best fuckin' friends, you both so fuckin' convinced you right."
"Whaaat, Eiji-kun? He's convinced 'cause he is, man. I learned so much from him... but me, I wanna have fun while I'm young! Let loose! We're in high school, so no need to worry too hard about domesticating some bitch yet. Just break 'em in, then toss 'em out, they don't matter. Mind you, some high school girls are real top of the line stuff, Eiji-kun's got a real perfect picture, so I guess it makes sense he'd wrap his youth up with one he's gotta keep... but some of the bitches," separate to Ichika, clearly, "they've been run through a wood chipper! Man, I'm embarrassed I ever bothered with that one, it's just like Eiji-kun said --"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Phoenix screams, as they charge forward, hefting their sword overhead to bring it heavily down. Their violence is overwhelming and absolute -- and likely difficult to track entirely, with the Thieves' focus split on traversal.
They may note the massive Persona, though.
The showroom is wrecked, by the time the Phantom Thieves get down -- though their landing pad is still obscured from Phoenix's view, behind a fluttering curtain. Booths have been flattened and shattered, a dozen demonstrative gadgets laid devastated at the sides of a hall which has hosted a vicious battle. What booths remain are the ones tucked away near the walls -- except for one, which someone was clearly thrown through, an impact site still visible on the wall behind it. At the centre of the destruction, Hajime is nowhere to be found. Rather, here stands Phoenix: a person in a hooded, feathered cloak, blazing orange over dark ninja robes with bandages binding their wrists, ankles, and belly. A dark grey witch's hat mask obscures their eyes, though their skin is a tanned orange shade underneath, too. A massive greatsword, longer than they are tall, is jammed into the ground as they grasp it with one hand, the other hanging down with a clenched fist beside them.
When they realise they're not alone, though, they grasp their blade in both hands, wrenching it from the ground with a weighty motion. "An' who the fuck're you?!" They yell, hostile and suspicious. "I HEAR you, shit for brains! COME OUT AND FACE ME!"
They're forcing the issue, as they lift a hand to their mask and tear it away in a shower of blood and blue. "IZBUSHKA NA KUR'IH NOZHKAH!" They bellow, as that hulking Persona manifests behind them, proving it's not only their sword that's oversized. It is a hut on chicken's legs, a ring of bones like a skirt around it; the skulls there glow, at their eyesockets, as the window-hatches to either side of it flap like a chicken's wings. Fire flares out from those skulls, an uncontrolled burn which is so unrestrained, it washes back over Phoenix, too.
"HrrrrAAAARGH!" They roar, as they swing their sword around.
... it looks like Phoenix isn't in much of a talking mood, today.
AS: Persona! Tsubasa Seki has used the Fire skill Uncontrolled Burn on Tsubasa Seki, Makoto Niijima, and Ren Amamiya!
AS: Mind Up! Tsubasa Seki's SP +8!
AS: Block Worst! Tsubasa Seki takes 58 Fire damage from Tsubasa Seki's Uncontrolled Burn. Weak!
AS: Persona! Tsubasa Seki has used the Fire skill Uncontrolled Burn on Tsubasa Seki, Ryuji Sakamoto, and Ann Takamaki!
AS: You still have 2 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Tsubasa Seki regains 5 HP from Regenerate!
AS: Tsubasa Seki's turn has ended.
AS: Mind Up! Tsubasa Seki's SP +8!
AS: Block Neutral! Tsubasa Seki takes 58 Fire damage from Tsubasa Seki's Uncontrolled Burn. Weak!
AS: Block Worst! Makoto Niijima takes 53 Fire damage from Tsubasa Seki's Uncontrolled Burn. Critical Hit! Resist!
AS: Rage added!
AS: Counter Worst! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 70 Fire damage from Tsubasa Seki's Uncontrolled Burn.
AS: COUNTER! Tsubasa Seki takes 53 Fire damage in return for their attack! Weak!
AS: Avoid Worst! Ann Takamaki takes 58 Fire damage from Tsubasa Seki's Uncontrolled Burn. Resist!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika--Ogre--has been doing her best in here, and indeed, she's a lot more help than she was the last time. Her healing goes a long way towards keeping everyone in fighting shape before it all goes to hell. But...
"...Sorry," Ichika says. "Can you swap me to the relief team?"
"...He... he wanted me to have a son. And that Cognition of me..."
She saw herself. And she hated it.
"I'll just be in the Safe Room--call me back if you need me. I'll be okay soon."
They have the Infiltration Route ready, now. So Ichika figured it was a good time for a rest; she doesn't need to be there for the rest of the Will Seeds.
However...
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
When Ogre requests to be swapped to the relief team, Joker nods. They've been keeping a close eye on her--they would be regardless, but they're especially focused on others right now--and they've of course noticed that ongoing strain. The team swaps so that it's Joker, Panther, Skull, and Queen on the front line, and Ogre, Fox, Mona, and Noir in the reserves, taking a moment to (keep Ogre company) rest in a Safe Room near the Treasure Room. They've secured the infiltration route; they've got Will Seeds left to uncover; and part of growing stronger is knowing when to rest. They all get a chance to rest in turns.
Except for Joker themself, of course. They're the leader. They can't not be on the front lines. And anyway, they really don't want to be caught up in their private thoughts right now.
The four of them have just recovered the last of the Will Seeds when screaming REVERBERATES through the Palace. The alarm rapidly shoots up, making sneaking around a hell of a lot harder. There are Treasure Shadows pouring out, and--why not? This is an excellent opportunity to get some rare materials. They'll all need it for making weapons and armor later.
Joker thus leads the group to ambush some of those rare Shadows while some kind of violent rumble is clearly going on elsewhere in the venue. "It was going to happen sooner or later. Rumors about Eiji Kamiya's Palace have been spreading," they comment to their companions as the ashes of the shimmering creature fade away, leaving behind a lowercase-T treasure. They frown as they listen to more and more screams. "...We'd better check it out, though. Anyone need to tap out? We've got time to swap."
Once it's confirmed everyone's still good to go, they all move on.
By the time the Phantoms make it to where Phoenix is, the showroom is indeed wrecked. Not knowing who's here or why they're here, Joker and the others stick to the shadows at first, lurking and hiding as they approach. They see Phoenix--remember them from the Aoba Park arson. They rise out of hiding to hail them--and get screamed at for their troubles.
"We're not here to fight--" they start to say, raising their red-gloved hands. They may as well have given Phoenix the double bird for how they react--calling up their massive chicken hut of a Persona and sending forth a sea of flames so massive they catch themself up in it too. Joker's light on their feet, jumping and twisting and rolling this way and that to try to avoid direct contact with that fire, but the sheer waves of heat are like standing next to a broiler. If this keeps up, they're all in grave danger, emphasis on grave.
"We're not here to fight you!" Joker reiterates, raising their deep voice in an attempt to call over the roar of User and Persona. Their dagger, called instinctually into their hand, may do little to convince Phoenix, though--and even less when they call up their own Persona. "Arsène!! Shroud us!" they call. The dapper black-winged entity rises up in blue flame, arms spread wide, summons darkness around Joker and their friends--not to do harm, but to protect and hide them even while they're out in the open. Minus Panther, who is frankly not that bothered by fire.
That still might not help much when there's this much fire...
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Skull has been keeping near Ichika during this entire outings. He knows this is not easy for her. He isn't thrilled to be back in here either, almost feeling like the sleaze would attach itself to him.
So when she announces she would like to hang back, Skull is both relieved she will be safe and concerned at her state. He almost wants to follow her but he knows he is going to need to be out here.
"Go rest, Ichika." He smiles before she goes, feeling his face pull serious when he looks back to the carnage.
Skull was somewhat ok with all of this. On a cathartic level, this is what he would do if he didn't have another way. It felt visceral, like someone who was fighting while bleeding out.
So Skull isn't surprised by the clearly enraged Ninja. He does whistle in appreciation. "We're the Phantom Thieves!" Ryuji announces pretty confidently to Phoenix's question with a grin.
This doesn't last long as Phoenix calls out their Persona and sends a wave of fire toward Skull. He clenches his teeth and tries to cleave the wall of fire. The heat burns the leather around Ryuji's body, making him groan in pain once the heat starts to alleviate. "Damnit...Anyone tell you it is rude to blast someone when just meeting 'em?!"
Wasting no time, Skull calls out Captain Kidd, the skeleton appearing on it's flying Galleon behind the blonde punk. Ryuji pointed his weapon at Phoenix, attempting to look them in the eye. The Persona rushes forward sending Rampage of melee attacks with it's powerful BONES.
AS: Avoid Best! Ren Amamiya takes 22 Fire damage from Tsubasa Seki's Uncontrolled Burn.
AS: Persona! Ren Amamiya has used the Recovery skill Wide Shroud on Ren Amamiya, Ryuji Sakamoto, and Makoto Niijima!
AS: Ren Amamiya's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 0 Recovery healing from Ren Amamiya's Wide Shroud.
AS: Eclipse added!
AS: Persona! Ryuji Sakamoto has used the Strike skill Rampage on Tsubasa Seki! 3 Hits!
AS: Ryuji Sakamoto's turn has ended.
AS: Counter Neutral! Tsubasa Seki takes 30 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Rampage. Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 29 Slash damage in return for his attack!
AS: Counter Worst! Tsubasa Seki takes 45 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Rampage. Critical Hit! Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 30 Slash damage in return for his attack!
AS: Counter Neutral! Tsubasa Seki takes 30 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Rampage. Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 29 Slash damage in return for his attack!
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
Like the wise spinning Renface adage of old says:
Take Your Time
Palaces aren't conquered in a day. Especially ones that are personally harrowing for you. Ann Takamaki ought to know. It's why she's swift to reassure Ichika, when their newest member decides she needs time to recover.
And it's why she pushes herself doubly hard after, to fight in Ogre's stead.
Panther is totally in the zone. She doesn't even yelp when she hears all that ANGRY SCREAMING, she just snaps her head in that direction with wide, blue eyes (and maybe also starts a bit; look, no one likes to be ambushed by ANGRY SCREAMING). "Wh-what the heck was that?? Why's the Palace going so crazy?!"
The answer, of course, is obvious: someone else is here. It's a fact that Ann puts together soon enough, as they work their way through Treasure Demons and all their frustratingly lucrative ways, brows furrowing faintly behind her mask the deeper they get. "This is seriously starting to make things really messy..." she remarks, to no one in particular. The Persona-User community was far larger than any of them thought; it might have been a minor miracle that Madarame and Kamoshida's Palaces were so untouched.
How much more complicated are things going to be in the future if other people start to learn just how they're changing people's hearts...?
The meeting at the Cardboard Dragon lingers in Ann's memories, but not for long; any doubts she might have are replaced by a slowly simmering rage as she hears more of that yelling -- and the other, infuriating voice it's reacting to. Pink lips pull towards an ever-tighter line. Blue eyes narrow to a stare so sharp it can cut.
"No," she says to Ren's offer to tap out. "I wanna deal with this one."
And so they arrive -- just in time to see a Phoenix on fire.
Proverbially, and literally.
"Uhhm," Ann begins, scratching a cheek as she looks at the wreckage. "Anyone know who this is? Maybe we can talk to them--"
And then suddenly EVERYTHING IS FIRE, which is FRANKLY HER JOB.
"WAH WHY DOES EVERYONE WE MEET IN PALACES ATTACK US LATELY?!"
Frankly, she's starting to miss the days when people just blackmailed them.
(not really, though; why can't they just have neither??)
Ann's complaining falls on deaf ears; it also doesn't change the way she SPRINGS to try to deftly backflip away from those wing-window-buffets of flame. It's not especially successful, as flame backs at red leather; fortunately, Carmen's spiritual reinforcement protects Panther from fire to some degree, but still:
"Owowowwww, whyyyyy," whines one Ann Takamaki as she comes to a final stop with only a mild, smoking stumble, patting arcane fires out on her shoulder with a grimace. "Hey! You! Colonel Sanders! You and your weird KFC chicken hut need to seriously--"
Panther grips her mask. With a gout of blue flames, Carmen manifests, smugly smoking her blazing cigarette.
"--CHILL OUT!"
And, raising one foot, Carmen -snaps- it down, stepping roughly on one of her servitors; the heart-headed figure squishes against the ground like a squeaktoy, a dizzying, pink-hued pulse of a heart erupting from the strike-point in a way that will ideally weaken Phoenix without hurting them -- and HOPEFULLY, calm them DOWN a bit.
She's just too optimistic sometimes.
AS: Persona! Ann Takamaki has used the Almighty skill Tarunda on Tsubasa Seki!
AS: Pressure: Ann Takamaki gains 1 Limit!
AS: Ann Takamaki's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Tsubasa Seki takes 0 Almighty damage from Ann Takamaki's Tarunda.
AS: Atk_Dn added!
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
There was no way this was going to be an easy exploration, especially for Ogre. Having a large reserve team was a boon right now for making sure people coped, given how brutal Eiji's palace had been. (Indeed, Queen has been suggesting people tag in and out at the safe rooms a lot here.)
What she didn't expect was the alarm to suddenly skyrocket as soon as they grab the last Will Seed. This didn't happen in Kaneshiro's palace... "Don't tell me he has security on the Will Seed?"
As beneficial as the bounty of treasure demons are, the increasing alter is worrying, as the screaming echoes. Joker's right that it was inevitable- but this is the first time the thieves have been here while someone's charged in recklessly. "I'm coming with. We don't know what we're up against in terms of another Persona User- especially if it's those Strega guys again..."
She wasn't expecting Phoenix. "You're the guy from-" But there's no opportunity to get her words out, as Phoenix immolates themselves to strike at the Phantom Thieves, and those flames wash over Queen and she lets out a scream of pain. Even with Johanna's resistance to fire, those burns hurt and cause her to stumble back, breathing heavily.
And Queen sees red.
Gone is any tactical consideration, any of the logic and planning she's known for, her brown-red eyes seemingly flashing a fiery red now as she glares up at Phoenix. "You're so irritating!" Queen yells, charging straight for the screaming Phoenix. "Get the hell out of my way!"
She launches straight for Phoenix, her Tekko going for the Phoenix's head, then their stomach, with no care for the threat of that giant sword, or the dangers posed by their Giant Persona. There's none of the grace or practice of the aikido Makoto trains in in real life- it's just pure reckless brutality with no thought. It's like all Makoto cares about right now is beating Phoenix's face in.
Maybe there's a lot more to that rage than the depths than her fellow Phantoms have seen already...
AS: Take! Makoto Niijima takes 14 Recovery healing from Ren Amamiya's Wide Shroud.
AS: Eclipse added!
AS: Weapon! Makoto Niijima has used the Strike skill Tsuki on Tsubasa Seki! 2 Hits!
AS: Makoto Niijima's turn has ended.
AS: Counter Worst! Tsubasa Seki takes 25 Strike damage from Makoto Niijima's Tsuki. Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Makoto Niijima takes 17 Slash damage in return for her attack!
AS: Counter Worst! Tsubasa Seki takes 25 Strike damage from Makoto Niijima's Tsuki. Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Makoto Niijima takes 17 Slash damage in return for her attack!
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Joker insists they're not here to fight them, and Phoenix looks to them -- to the dagger in their hand. "BullSHIT!" They yell, as Arsène makes their opponents a little darker to their eyes.
"I'M FUCKIN' PISSED THAT'S WHY!" Is what they holler to Panther, when she wails about why everyone's attacking them later. "GIMME ONE GOOD REASON WHY YOU DON'T EAT SHIT!"
Except there's no answer that would satisfy them, because --
Phoenix asked a question.
Skull gave them an answer.
"The Phantom Thieves?!" Phoenix demands, their voice growing even more hostile. "Tch... then you shoulda knocked me off when you had the chance, motherfuckers! Back then, I was too distracted to make the I.D.... but now, I'll make you fuckin' regret it!"
Phoenix charges forward, slashing at Captain Kidd's bones with a greatsword almost larger than they are -- and they're a solid five-foot-five, they're not small. Their blade crashes against the Persona, only for Captain Kidd's next blow to catch them against the side; they roll with it, one leg lowering as they crouch close to the ground and then wrench their blade up, before the way the Persona spins to meet them sends them crashing backwards.
They plant their blade in the ground to stop themself stumbling, and their leading foot crashes forward as they yank the weapon around and heft it overhead. "I am your RECKONING, you goddamn sons of bitches--!!" They cry, as they swing, powerfully, down into Skull's space.
"I'll be way more than fuckin' irritatin' to you shits! It's your fault!" They scream, as they charge forward, to SLAM their greatsword into Joker -- the flat the blade catching them like a battering ram. "Everythin' what happened -- it's all YOUR FAULT!"
They can't quite capitalise on the assault they've launched on Joker, though -- because here's Queen, coming in like a wrecking ball. Their head slams to the side, Queen's fist crushing their witch's hat mask into the side of their face for a moment; it leaves a line of an indent, like when you've been lying on your folder for too long napping at school and now your face has a bunch of coils on it. Rather than try to escape, though, they swing back, slamming the flat of their blade into Makoto's side once and once again as her fist comes to rest in their gut. The second hit might have made their brain start working again, though -- "guh," is what they have to say about it -- because they do spring back to clear some space, after that.
"You think you can jus' mess with people's heads an' get away with it?!" They yell, "You think you can make it look okay if it's fucks like Kamoshida?! WELL I'M STILL HERE, ASSHOLES! PERSONA!" As Phoenix invokes their walking house a second time, a barrier forms around them, fiercely imposing... and a red aura erupts, around them, erasing the debuff Panther just laid down. THEY'RE NOT CALMING DOWN! THEY'RE OPPOSITE CALM!!
"I know what you did! I know what you fuckin' did! I'll feed both you an' Eiji your own fuckin' asses! He ruined her life, an' I ain't even guessin' how many you ruined, it's perfect! You ain't here to fight me, huh?! Well this must be fate, 'cuz I'm here to fight YOU! C'MON, PERSONA--!"
Izbushka na Kur'ih Nozhkah manifests, again, as the little windows of the hut flap like chicken wings and the whole horrible house does a running charge which threatens to flatten Panther and Queen.
Phoenix is raging like a wildfire, but the source of their anger is distress -- the kind of deep distress even someone as unfortunate as them has never known. What they're not saying... maybe that pain could reach someone, if they had anyone at all.
AS: Tsubasa Seki spends Limit on Exploit! Tsubasa Seki can use another Weak skill this round!
AS: Weapon! Tsubasa Seki has used the Slash skill Greatest Sword on Ryuji Sakamoto!
AS: Aggression: Tsubasa Seki gains 1 Limit!
AS: You still have 3 regular actions and 1 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Weapon! Tsubasa Seki has used the Strike skill Greatsword Slam on Ren Amamiya!
AS: You still have 3 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Persona! Tsubasa Seki has used the Strike skill Swift Strike on Ann Takamaki and Makoto Niijima! 3 Hits!
AS: You still have 2 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Persona! Tsubasa Seki has used the Almighty skill Tarukaja on Tsubasa Seki!
AS: You still have 1 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: You can't attack while you have an attack in your queue.
AS: Take! Tsubasa Seki takes 0 Almighty damage from Tsubasa Seki's Tarukaja.
AS: Atk_Dn removed!
AS: Persona! Tsubasa Seki has used the Almighty skill Makarakarn on Tsubasa Seki!
AS: Tsubasa Seki regains 5 HP from Regenerate!
AS: Tsubasa Seki's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Tsubasa Seki takes 0 Almighty damage from Tsubasa Seki's Makarakarn.
AS: Reflect_Magi added!
AS: Block Neutral! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 106 Slash damage from Tsubasa Seki's Greatest Sword. Critical Hit!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Ann Takamaki takes 35 Strike damage from Tsubasa Seki's Swift Strike. Critical Hit!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Ann Takamaki takes 35 Strike damage from Tsubasa Seki's Swift Strike. Critical Hit!
AS: Avoid Best! Ann Takamaki takes 16 Strike damage from Tsubasa Seki's Swift Strike.
AS: Take! Ren Amamiya takes 0 Recovery healing from Ren Amamiya's Wide Shroud.
AS: Eclipse added!
AS: Avoid Best! Ren Amamiya takes 23 Strike damage from Tsubasa Seki's Greatsword Slam.
AS: Tsubasa Seki spends Limit on Shift! Ichika Kawase can use another Weak skill this round!
AS: Ann Takamaki spends Limit on Shift! Makoto Niijima can use another Weak skill this round! SP +8! Healed 20!
AS: Counter Best! Makoto Niijima takes 25 Strike damage from Tsubasa Seki's Swift Strike.
AS: COUNTER! Tsubasa Seki takes 33 Earth damage in return for their attack!
AS: Counter Best! Makoto Niijima takes 25 Strike damage from Tsubasa Seki's Swift Strike.
AS: COUNTER! Tsubasa Seki takes 33 Earth damage in return for their attack!
AS: Counter Neutral! Makoto Niijima takes 38 Strike damage from Tsubasa Seki's Swift Strike. Critical Hit!
AS: COUNTER! Tsubasa Seki takes 36 Earth damage in return for their attack!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Joker's claim that they're not here to fight is undercut further when Skull and Queen get right in there to fight, Skull in more-or-less defense, Queen in abject and truly worrying fury. Joker grimaces and shoots a look Panther's way. No wonder that she'd still be ready for the fight, but this isn't the fight either of them were expecting, was it? At least she's on their wavelength--even though she's not the one who was there when they met Phoenix. Skull speaks for the team when he announces who they are--and that's fine, or would be, except Phoenix apparently hates the Phantom Thieves for opaque reasons.
It almost reminds them of a recent encounter with a young man named Tatsuya Suou and how he'd asked if they had caused a psychotic breakdown in Tsubasa Seki. They'd wondered afterwards why he would ask that. They wonder too what Phoenix is on about--it feels at first like they object to changes of heart in general, but then it becomes apparent that it's not that, that they're referring to something more personal. They're accusing them of...
"We don't know what you're talking about!" they call, eschewing the lofty, dramatic tone they usually use for Joker when talking to outsiders. "What are you claiming we did?!"
The only hearts they've changed are those of 'fucks like Kamoshida.' If they were trying to claim they objected to that, it'd be one thing, but Joker's got a hunch it's not that. There's too much raw pain in their screaming--and they're too furious over what Eiji did to ruin 'her' life. If they're a friend of Ogre's, or rather Ichika Kawase's, then...
But then Phoenix swings their massive greatsword at them, and Joker brings up their dagger--a toothpick by comparison--to serve not as a block, but as a counterpoint to let them flow with the force of the attack and flip backwards through the air and onto their feet. Make no mistake, it hurts like a motherfucker. Defending against an attack like that damn near broke their arms, and they utter a sharp little gasp before they land.
There is deep pain and distress in the depths of Phoenix's screaming. Whatever they think they did, they're not going to back down. Joker grits their teeth as they look at them and make a split-second decision. The Phantom Thieves don't kill, but Phoenix might at this rate. If they can whittle them down, get them to lose their will to fight, maybe they can settle this without further violence. They're going to need a little more violence for now, though, so--
"Arsène!" they call again, reaching a hand to their mask. Shadow obscures their face as once again their Persona rises, this time to reach out a clawed hand and twirl it elegantly towards Phoenix. If the Sukunda spell lands, it ought to sap Phoenix of some of their speed and agility, and make it easier for the rest of them to box them in and slug it out until they're ready to calm down.
AS: Persona! Ren Amamiya has used the Almighty skill Sukunda on Tsubasa Seki!
AS: Ruin: Ren Amamiya gains 1 Limit!
AS: Ren Amamiya's turn has ended.
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Skull's eyes widen when the ninja continues to smack around his persona. They grew wider when the sword is hoisted over head, prompting him to hold up his hands. "Woah! Woahwoah!" The Ninja chicken is coming for Skull and the blonde is sort of intimidated.
Just as the Sword comes in, Ryuji raises his bent pipe to intercept the sword. The resulting clash, sending pain down his arms as the impact sends him backwards.
Skull clenches his teeth, feeling his legs starting to buckle from the weight he suddenly feels. "Damnit. This fuckin'....CHICKEN is kicking my ass!" Ryuji roars out behind a very raw throat. He feels miserable as he starts to move as well as he can.
Ryuji's limp is a little more wobbly as he steps forward, dragging the pipe behind him. "Ok, Kentucky Fried Ninja, you're pissing me off!" To be fair to Sakamoto, he doesn't know this is Tsubasa. He doesn't know this is their trauma. He is barely able to really preceive the yelling anymore, looking quite crispy and bloodied. He coughs and forces a devilish grin. "Kick their Ass, CAPTAIN KIDD!"
The Persona comes for Phoenix again. This time with an Assault Dive. The bones are moving with some pretty impressive Pirate Martial Arts.
AS: Persona! Ryuji Sakamoto has used the Strike skill Assault Dive on Tsubasa Seki! 2 Hits!
AS: Ryuji Sakamoto's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Tsubasa Seki takes 0 Almighty damage from Ren Amamiya's Sukunda.
AS: Spd_Dn added!
AS: Counter Neutral! Tsubasa Seki takes 22 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Assault Dive. Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 21 Slash damage in return for his attack!
AS: Counter Neutral! Tsubasa Seki takes 22 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Assault Dive. Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 21 Slash damage in return for his attack!
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
GIMME ONE GOOD REASON WHY YOU DON'T EAT SHIT!
"BECAUSE WE LITERALLY JUST MET OH MY GOD WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU!"
Ann Takamaki's cries fall on deaf ears, sadly. After all -- it's fire time.
Whip manifesting into her hand in a burst of cognitive blue flame as she snaps it out rightward, Ann keeps her uncertain stare locked on Phoenix. Her stance spreads, feet shoulderwidth and body lowered in readiness. She's hoping that they can cut this off at the pass; she doesn't expect Skull's answer to help, necessarily, but between that and her quelling of that power behind Phoenix, she's hoping that at least it'll open up a dialogue.
Even if... Makoto is distressingly, frighteningly angry...
...
"This sucks," Ann mumbles under her breath, before she turns that similarly concerned, sky blue gaze to match Ren's own side-glance her way. Maybe Skull telling them their identities will help, maybe it'll get Phoenix talking, and then she can just wrangle Makoto and probably not die too badly in the process--
I am your RECKONING, you goddamn sons of bitches--!!
"Oh, come on--!"
And apparently it just does THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT SHE HOPES BECAUSE THAT'S JUST THE DAY THEY'RE HAVING TODAY.
SOMEthing about the Phantom Thieves is clearly pissing this person off, in a very personal way. It's immediately and painfully obvious to Ann, at least -- but she has no idea what it could be. Nor does she really have time to think about it as Phoenix immediately goes on another rampage, tearing through Ren and Ryuji ("Joker! Skull!!") before manifesting the dread form of the KFC hut once more, obliterating all her hard work in trying to temper that onslaught even a little bit.
"H-hey, that's cheating -- oh crap!!"
And here comes the chicken hut, charging through the decimated space like a runaway train. Caught in its warpath, Panther flings herself to the right even as the repeated shockwaves and even partial impact rock into her to send her wildly off-trajectory with a cry of "WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!" as she goes flying. Her landing is of the crashing variety, hitting ground with a skidding rebound that sees her tumbling a foot out. Blue eyes snap towards Ryuji, grimacing at the state of him -- but Makoto is closer, and angrier. She hesitates a moment.
And then Ann makes her move, springing back onto her feet with a forward roll that sees her stopping near wherever Makoto landed to try to help her back up onto her feet.
"H-hey, Queen, are you okay--?" she begins, her voice a little lower to try - in vain - to calm that mystic fury boiling in her. There's only so much she can spend focusing on Queen, however; others need her help. Specifically...
"... Don't you dare try to tell me we were wrong to steal Kamoshida's heart." Blue eyes narrow. Blue fire flares. Even if they're acknowledging what a scumbag Kamoshida is -- it still hits too close to home on topics many of the people questioning them have turned to. The problem is...
"What's your problem, anyway?! Are you some kinda weird fan of Madarame's?!"
Ann has no context for Tsubasa's rage. Madarame always presented as such an affable old man that even she was a fan at first. And besides, that weird chicken shack thing looks so avant-garde artsy that Yusuke would be totally into so maybe this person is some kind of jilted artist?!
(no, ann has no idea what a baba yaga is)
For now -- Ann doesn't press an assault. She doesn't want to bring fire into this yet, even if Tsubasa freely wielded it against them. Instead, she summons Carmen, the pink-hued Persona squeezing her thorny leash around the neck of one of her servants, their heart-eyes alighting with flashes of pink that focus their restorative energies on the person who needs it most right now -- Skull.
AS: Persona! Ann Takamaki has used the Recovery skill Dia on Ryuji Sakamoto!
AS: Ann Takamaki's turn has ended.
AS: Tsubasa Seki spends Limit on Shift! Ichika Kawase can use another Weak skill this round!
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
The first time the sword slams into Queen's side, it hurts like hell but she's able to keep standing. The second time she's not so lucky, and she's sent tumbling with a growl of pain and rolls to a stop at Panther's feet- but she's already scrambling back to her feet, as if intending to rush straight back into the fight. Because, to put it bluntly, she is.
"Who the hell even are you!?" Makoto yells back, her rage being boosted by Phoenix's accusation. "Who the hell do you think we are!? We don't go after innocent people! JOHANNA!"
The Personacycle comes to life, even as Izbushka na Kur'ih Nozhkah charges for Queen and Panther, and Queen revs Johanna's engine and guns it for the murderous Chicken Hut, planning to meet force with force, despite Izbushka na Kur'ih Nozhkah's size advantage. One might think she's trying to run interference for Panther, but unfortunately, that's not a thought remotely coming to mind. She just needs to fight back with everything she has, filled with an uncontrollable anger that feels both so good and so unsatisfying, with no one to hold her back.
As Izbushka na Kur'ih Nozhkah closes, Queen launches into a skid and her wheels smack into the Persona's leg, but Johanna is bounced back in the process, leaving line of nuclear flames. She accelerates again, and repeats the skid to try and slow the unstoppable Chicken Hut, or more likely, try and trip it up, and again she manages to recover from being knocked back. The third time, though-
.-~~~-.
.- ~ ~-( )_ _
~ -.
| B O O M ! \
\ .'
~- . _____________ . -~
Johanna shatters and Queen is sent flying back again with another yell of anger and pain, as she's launched toward one of the walls of the wedding themed murder arena. She manages to right herself just in time to make contact with the wall with her feet, and launches back off it. "Johanna!" She yells again, and her Persona manifests beneath her in mid air, and Makoto grabs onto the handlebars, and grips the accelerator. By the time Johanna hits the ground, her wheels are spinning and a massive burnout flares behind her. "VAJRA STRIKE!" She yells, and Johanna spins out toward Phoenix and their Persona, a wave of power coming off the Persona as it *slams* toward Izbushka na Kur'ih Nozhkah-
But Makoto is not atop her Persona. She's midair, sailing right for Phoenix, fists out again to try and bodily slam into Tsubasa and just keep punching, like something out of the Like A Dragon movies, after the leads have torn their shirts off and gone into a slugfest- and if Queen can bear Phoenix to the ground, she won't hold back at all, continuing to punch and punch and punch, her heavy metal knuckles being swung with intense force.
AS: Tandem! Makoto Niijima has used the Strike skill Vajra Strike on Tsubasa Seki!
AS: Weapon! Makoto Niijima has used the Strike skill Tsuki on Tsubasa Seki! 2 Hits!
AS: Makoto Niijima's turn has ended.
AS: Counter Worst! Tsubasa Seki takes 68 Strike damage from Makoto Niijima's Vajra Strike. Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Makoto Niijima takes 46 Slash damage in return for her attack!
AS: Counter Worst! Tsubasa Seki takes 39 Strike damage from Makoto Niijima's Tsuki. Critical Hit! Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Makoto Niijima takes 26 Slash damage in return for her attack!
AS: Counter Best! Tsubasa Seki takes 28 Strike damage from Makoto Niijima's Tsuki. Critical Hit! Resist!
AS: COUNTER! Makoto Niijima takes 37 Slash damage in return for her attack!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
EARLIER
Ogre knows full well she's being treated lightly compared to the others--she wonders about that, whether it's OK, whether it makes her unreliable. ...But they're so kind about it. She smiles weakly at Ryuji, nods more firmly to Ann, and and accepts Joker's permission to go Rest. ...They do seem to be the leader around here, after all; it's nice to be a part of that.
But that was then.
SLIGHTLY LESS EARLIER
Ichika puts back on her mask after she wipes her eyes. She has, of course, been crying in the corner, though surely the Phantom Thieves have been trying to comfort her. But that's when it happens. A sensation washes over her; a pulse, blood pounding in her ears, her heartbeat growing faster and faster. A sense of distress--a sense of something...
BGM INTERRUPT: Yuki Kaijura - Mezame https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTRgr9IWLnY
"Shit," Ogre says. "There's something wrong."
"Guys, I'm gonna join up with the others!"
NOW
"DAMN IIIIIIIIT! Phoenix!"
Ogre charges from the entrance to this room like a comet, slamming forward with her shield as her Persona, Momiji, bursts into being. The oni in the beautiful maple kimono spreads her claws and grins. Ryuji finds himself shining, green sparkling light dancing over him as Ogre charges forward--forward, until she reaches Phoenix. Her horns slice through the air; her futuristic shoes pound against the carpet. At the same time, Momiji waves her other claw, and calming pink light shimmers around Queen.
"They're my FRIENDS you fuck!"
Ogre leaps over a fallen table and, shining-gold shield-first, slams towards Phoenix's face, aiming to interpose herself bodily between Phoenix and the others, including shoving Queen to the side if it's necessary. She throws out her other hand to forestall the Phantoms attacking.
"Phoenix, they're good people! Everyone, Phoenix is my friend!"
Well, more than a friend. But that's not something to shout in the Palace.
Right now, Ogre's armor almost gleams in the chandeliers' light, thorns sharp. Her shield clashes with Phoenix!
AS: Persona! Ichika Kawase has used the Recovery skill Diarama on Ryuji Sakamoto!
AS: Support: Ichika Kawase gains 1 Limit!
AS: Persona! Ichika Kawase has used the Recovery skill Me Patra on Makoto Niijima!
AS: Weapon! Ichika Kawase has used the Strike skill Rush on Tsubasa Seki!
AS: Ichika Kawase's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Makoto Niijima takes 14 Recovery healing from Ichika Kawase's Me Patra.
AS: Rage removed!
AS: Take! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 119 Recovery healing from Ichika Kawase's Diarama.
AS: Take! Tsubasa Seki takes 84 Strike damage from Ichika Kawase's Rush. Resist!
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"TELL SOMEONE WHO GIVES A SHIT!" Phoenix yells, to Panther, who is trying her best to explain this and is talking to a brick wall but also the brick wall set itself on fire what the fuck.
"YOU'RE! WARPIN'! PEOPLE'S! BRAINS!" Phoenix screams, each word interposed with another whirl of their blade as they spin once -- twice -- three times -- four; Joker's (feigned, to Phoenix's ears) ignorance enrages them so thoroughly that they're swinging the full force of their blade into them, now. "Psychotic Breakdowns, that ring a bell, you PIECE A SHIT?!"
If they were thinking straight, they might have realised that Joker redirected the force of their last blow with their dagger; they might have realised that approaching them with even MORE force is just going to let them do the same trick twice. But Phoenix is ignorant to how easily they are diverted to another path...
... after all, if they could see how easily they're redirected, this wouldn't be happening.
Panther says they don't know what they're talking about, too, and, well -- sorry, Panther. For all her attempts to reason with Phoenix, Phoenix just isn't seeing any kind of reason right now. No: the only reason they're seeing is a reason for them to start charging towards her, bodily, to bring their massive greatsword overhead in a Panther-chopping swing. (Would they kill them...?) "I'm fuckin' darin'!" They roar, to her anger. "You think it's fine jus' 'cuz you doin' rapists dirty now?! GUESS WHAT! I DON'T FORGIVE YOU!"
They at least leap out of Panther's space before adding: "AIN'T NO BETTER WHEN YOU BRAINWASHIN' FRAUDS!" And that's their answer to Madarame, which at least suggests they're not a fan.
(At least Yusuke is safely in the safe room...)
"FUCK YOU!" They roar, in turn, when Queen insists they don't go after innocent people. "Th' fuck did I do to you fucks?! Jus' exposed ya dirty money, that's all I did! 'Cuz a that, ya ruined my life! Jus' 'cuz a that--!!" The pain cracks through their voice, for a moment -- another pulse of distress, sent out into the aether -- before anger consumes it again. "But you right, I ain't no innocent, not no more! I'LL DRAG YOU DOWN TO HELL WITH THESE HANDS--!"
The magnificent clash of Personacycle and Chicken Hut leaves a great explosion -- but Johanna isn't the only Person who can be overloaded with force. This is (satisfyingly?) proven when Johanna burns out and tears towards Izbushka na Kur'ih Nozhkah, leaving that massive Persona shattered like glass. She'll find Phoenix is still standing, though they stagger back, one hand reaching up to grasp at their chest as they choke out a grunt. It's all the opening she needs to open her very best can of whoop-ass -- her fists sending Phoenix crashing back into one of the few remaining stands where those businessmen came to try and charm their way into Eiji's good graces. Down they go, and Phoenix grabs at anything they can reach as she's punching them, before their hand curls around a barbell being shown off by a line of gyms and swings it heavily into her side -- hey, it's just like in the movies! Grabbing another of the weights, they throw it at her to get enough distance to get their feet underneath them again. Phoenix comes charging out a moment later, their sword swinging horizontally in a massive blow which keeps them spinning for several steps after they pass her.
"DON'T DISS MY CHICKEN HUT YOU LITTLE SHITS," Phoenix roars, to Skull (and really, belatedly, Panther too), and if they were thinking more clearly they would probably find 'Kentucky Fried Ninja' hilarious. Unfortunately, all their thoughts have gone red. It's not hard to be intimidated by them, right now. They are intimidating.
And they're not explaining a whole lot, right now. It's entirely fair not to see the trauma behind the rage when there's so much rage... and the really tragic thing is that Phoenix is too pissed to realise that Joker actually does see they're hurting.
Captain Kidd dives with intent to assault, and Phoenix rams their sword RIGHT into his boat as it crashes into them. Persona beats human flesh, though: Phoenix is splayed against the hull of Kidd's boat as they're slammed into the ground, and the second impact is as breathtaking as the first.
The horrifying thing is the way they get up, slashing their sword at the Persona, before they scream, "PERSONA!", and Izbushka na Kur'ih Nozhkah appears to set Captain Kidd alight with the gaze of their gazing skull-skirt (betrayal?!) as Phoenix slashes at the manifestation of Skull's power, too.
They might have pressed the attack further, except --
"Hh-- Ogre?!" Phoenix yelps, and it's a miracle that they remember to use her codename, when she bursts onto the field. Momiji's healing -- that skulled Phantom Thief, they realise, just in time for Ogre to slam her shield into their face. They grab the edge of the shield with one hand, grappling with it as they try to leverage space between the shield and them with the hilt of their blade. "What the fuck, man?! They got you onside?! Fuck! THEY'RE LYIN', OGRE!"
Despite all their rage, though, they seem unwilling to actually strike Ogre, and they can't quite manage (bring themself) to push her away.
"'They're good people'... bullshit! If you really think that -- if you really think that -- what the fuck am I supposed to do, man?! I ain't forgivin', an' I can't forget! Fuck, man... FUCK!"
They've tricked her, Phoenix thinks. They've tricked her, and -- and they don't have a choice.
"Look at me!" Phoenix screams, their voice raw. They lift their free hand from the shield to grasp their mask and yank it away -- not in a shower of blood, this time -- to reveal the scars it was obscuring. "LOOK AT ME!! The name's Tsubasa, shitheads! Tsubasa Seki! You BETTER fuckin' remember me -- you're the monsters who gave me a Psychotic Breakdown to cover up that shit in City Hall before you decided to clean up your image! Well guess what, buttercup, I AIN'T DEAD! And you'll have to kill me before I let you trick Ogre into thinkin' you anything but PIECES A SHIT!"
"Oh, that was the woodchipper bitch?" A voice comes from one of those surviving booths -- right behind Tsubasa -- as Hajime darts out, grabbing them from behind. After so many gruelling battles, it's much easier to apply a little pressure and cause that greatsword to clatter to the ground, as he wrenches their arms behind them. "Heyyyy, Tsubakiii-chaaan!" He lilts, leaning his face beside theirs. "Haven't I dealt with that temper already? C'mon!"
"It's Tsubasa! TsubaSA! Don't go addin' no strokes I fuckin' dropped!" And if Tsubasa were to write their deadname beside theirs, the anger would be obvious; the hiragana for 'Tsubasa' has one horizontal stroke less on the last character than 'Tsubaki'.
"A new name might be a good way to escape your past, but c'mon -- you know that's not really possible," Hajime grins, behind them. "He told you that..."
"Hajime--!" Tsubasa chokes out, their shoulders wrenching as they try -- and fail -- to throw him off.
"You didn't seriously think one girl was gonna defeat me, did you...? As soon as I realised these other guys were coming, I just knew you'd take care of them for me! Of course, I didn't realise you were really just a girl back then, so I was lucky you could wreck 'em," Hajime grins, savagely, as he looks out over the crowd. "Man, you're easily distracted," he taunts them. "It made you so easy... hey, have you told them you're a fucking liar, yet?"
He grabs their feathered hood, and yanks it back down around their neck -- exposing the heavy scarring across their skull, so grievous that their buzz-cut hair can't even grow across half their head. Tsubasa draws a sharp breath... and hangs their head. "Hajime..." They start, again, but their tone's grown more cowed.
"That's more like it," Hajime encourages them, still with that shit-eating grin. "Now c'mon, what are you doing up here, anyway? You're supposed to be down there. We found you a buyer, we gotta get you broken in so you don't embarrass us!"
He grabs something from his pocket, and reaches around them. "Remember," he advises them, cheerfully, "if I lose a finger, I'm slitting your throat."
With that, he crams a flower into their mouth, stem-first. Tsubasa screams around it as the flower blooms over their face, tendrils of green with flecks of leaves curling around their jaw, their cheeks, their brow...
How long does it take, under these conditions, for the face beneath the flower to disappear?
AS: Tsubasa Seki spends Limit on Break!
AS: Weapon! Tsubasa Seki has used the Slash skill Greatest Sword on Ren Amamiya!
AS: Aggression: Tsubasa Seki gains 1 Limit!
AS: You still have 3 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Weapon! Tsubasa Seki has used the Slash skill Greatest Sword on Ann Takamaki!
AS: You still have 2 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Weapon! Tsubasa Seki has used the Slash skill Greatest Sword on Makoto Niijima!
AS: You still have 1 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Tandem! Tsubasa Seki has used the Fire skill Blazing Wrath on Ryuji Sakamoto! 2 Hits!
AS: Tsubasa Seki: Break removed!
AS: Tsubasa Seki regains 5 HP from Regenerate!
AS: Tsubasa Seki's turn has ended. It's time for an All-Out Attack!
AS: Avoid Worst! Ren Amamiya takes 134 Slash damage from Tsubasa Seki's Greatest Sword.
AS: Break! Ren Amamiya can take another Weak action this round!
AS: Makoto Niijima spends Limit on Brace!
AS: Block Worst! Makoto Niijima takes 116 Slash damage from Tsubasa Seki's Greatest Sword.
AS: Break! Makoto Niijima can take another Weak action this round!
AS: Avoid Best! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 49 Fire damage from Tsubasa Seki's Blazing Wrath.
AS: Break! Ryuji Sakamoto can take another Weak action this round!
AS: Avoid Best! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 59 Fire damage from Tsubasa Seki's Blazing Wrath. Critical Hit!
AS: Break! Ryuji Sakamoto can take another Weak action this round!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Ann Takamaki takes 153 Slash damage from Tsubasa Seki's Greatest Sword.
AS: Break! Ann Takamaki can take another Weak action this round!
AS: Tsubasa Seki spends Limit on Shift! Ichika Kawase can use another Weak skill this round!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
This chicken is going to kick all their asses at this rate. Kentucky Fried Ninja is an Oof of a quip, but that's another consequence of masking up... You don't know who you're hurting--either on Phoenix's side, or The Phantoms'.
"I'm fine," Joker calls back to Panther. They don't think Phoenix's intended point is that they shouldn't have changed the hearts of Kamoshida or Madarame, but they can't fault Panther for coming to that conclusion; they thought as much too at first. Up until Phoenix screamed 'I'M STILL HERE.' As Panther heals Skull and tries to run interference on Queen, Joker... also moves to run interference on Queen, because she's being THAT ultraviolent.
Not that she's the only one. Phoenix continues to scream out their grievances. Joker's eyes widen behind their mask, hidden by the dark inner lining. Psychotic breakdown...? Just like Tatsuya Suou had asked about, except--they think they did one to them? Something to hide the money they exposed...
This story sounds incredibly familiar...
Because of that, even though Joker was able to redirect the force of their greatsword before, Phoenix catches them off-guard and SMASHES them into a nearby wall before they can reach Queen. It craters beneath their back, because that's what happens in the animes, and they scream in pain as they sink to the floor. They're not out for the count yet--they catch themself on one knee and clutch their injured side--but that sure is a lot of blood streaming from the slash on their coat...
Thankfully, then Ogre bursts onto the scene, jumping in between Phoenix and The Phantoms with her shield, giving a quick explanation of what's what. "Ogre! Just in time," they say, at first relieved--but then Phoenix refuses to believe it.
"...We're not lying. We didn't give you a psychotic breakdown," Joker says quietly. Jury's out on if they heard them, or if so, if they care--because then Phoenix unmasks, and reveals to all what's been tickling at the back of their mind for a while, held back by the masking power of the Will of Rebellion: Phoenix is Tsubasa Seki.
Joker staggers up to their feet, still clutching their injury. They're only more calm now. "We're not lying," they repeat, voice stronger, deeper, better-projected. "We didn't give you a psychotic breakdown.
"But--"
Cognitive Hajime happens. There's no need to reiterate on what a monster he is. The end result is that Joker's calm is smashed through by roiling fury. "No!" they shout, and when he stabs Tsubasa with that flower, "NO!" Their Makaronov is in their hand in an instant--but that by itself isn't enough for this scumbag, cognition or no. Joker's mask flares blue as Arsène ERUPTS from it, charging down the arrogant cognition with an orb of darkness in their clawed hand. They thrust it towards him, hopefully shoving him away from Tsubasa so the others can go to their aid and do something about that damnable flower--though if they go after Cognitive Hajime directly, Joker's certainly not complaining.
"Begone, filth," they declare, taking on the dramatic cadence of 'Joker' with a glacial tone to spare, after the others have piled on but just before they themself fire their handgun. The bullet pierces Arsène's orb of darkness, and both of them EXPLODE over the cognition.
Once he's rent to shadow-stuff and gone, Joker will stagger-run over to Tsubasa's side, fear hammering their heart on the inside of their wounded chest. Did the others help them already? Are they--?
AS: Tandem! Ren Amamiya has used the Dark skill Twilight Pillager on Cognitive Hajime! 3 Hits!
AS: Ruin: Ren Amamiya gains 1 Limit!
AS: Ren Amamiya's turn has ended.
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Skull feels a wave of relief from Ann's Dia. The healing energy cools his magic burns somewhat. Still, the Phantom Thief looks like he has a bad tan no and several spots black soot over his face.
"Thanks!" Ryuji waves over to Ann quickly because he wants his attention on Phoenix. This fight wasn't going well. It might get worse if he doesn't do something drastic.
"Yo! You with the burning discharge!" Skull waits until he gets eye contact and grins again. "Get ready, cuz I'm comin' for ya!"
Ryuji is about to charge when he hears Ogre and pauses with widening eyes. "Wha?" The next moment that cooling energy hits him again, stronger this time. He feels himself getting a stronger stance as his body reacts to the positive energy radiating through it. He takes in a sharp breath, feeling how his throat feels now.
"For Real? Then why are we fighting?" Ryuji shuts his eyes and sighs, still feeling the urge to punch Phoenix in their face. He keeps his bludgeoning weapon handy, leaning it against his shoulder as he -finally- looks to Ren for guidance.
Then the bomb is dropped. Phoenix reveals themselves as Seki.....Seki, the best Wing Man. Seki, the punk. Seki, who knows...Ryuji's jaw drops as he looks to Ogre. He isn't sure what to do here...Last time he let Ichika know but this time...what was the way to handle this and not be an asshole.
Then Hajime shows up and grabs them, revealing his friend's secret. Ryuji barely sees it, just blood red. The Blonde's eyes narrow, jaw tightening as he begins to walk forward. He lifts the pipe and swings it brutally hard to at least clip Hajime's stupid nose. The pipe makes a sharp whipping noise as it swing toward Hajime's facenose. No quip. No Smile. Just fury.
AS: Persona! Ryuji Sakamoto has used the Strike skill Riot Culture on Cognitive Hajime! 3 Hits!
AS: Aggression: Ryuji Sakamoto gains 1 Limit!
AS: Persona! Ryuji Sakamoto has used the Strike skill Bash on Cognitive Hajime!
AS: Ryuji Sakamoto: Eclipse removed!
AS: Ryuji Sakamoto's turn has ended.
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
This is not going particularly great.
With her question for Queen seeming to fall on deaf ears in the wake of all that rage, Ann's attention pivots back to Phoenix as their rage-fueled, vendetta-driven assailant rebuffs her guess. She is, for a brief moment, confused: if not Madarame, then who else? Kaneshiro? For one thing, if it is him Phoenix is mad about, then there's really no excusing them at this point, and Ann doesn't get the impression, based on what they're saying, that they'd go to bat for a blatant gangster. And more to the point, whatever this is, it feels like it's a long-standing anger, and Kaneshiro is still fresh... so then who?
Who could they possibly take issue with?
A long-standing issue...
"...! Wait--"
Ann's revelation never quite reaches her lips before she is introduced to a faceful of cognitive steel. Tsubasa's greatsword greets Panther with violence, the flash of its sharpened edge swinging violently into her with every ounce of that unleashed rage. The Phantom Thief's cry is a pitched and pained thing, cutting straight through the sounds of violence as she is driven straight DOWN into the ground by the blow. The crack-BOOM of the impant is dramatic and deafening. Her Presona-fortified defenses only do so much to save her life before Carmen shatters into a thousand sapphire shards, leaving Panther prone in the cracked and powdered masonry of the ruined ground left in Phoenix's wake.
No sounds come from her after. For a while, everything is black.
"gUHk"
The sharp, wet gasp is the first sign of life from Ann Takamaki as color and cognition returns to her field of vision. Her ears are ringing, the shout of angry and confused voices a numbed, muffled thing. For some reason, in her disoriented thoughts, it reminds her of the distant sound of the adults from those old-timey American cartoons she used to watch as a kid.
Blue eyes squeeze out one blink. Two. By the third, the fuzzy smears of the world come towards a sharper focus in her slowly un-swimming vision.
She sees...
"... O...ogre... why are you..."
Ogre. Ichika. Arguing with their assailant, currently unmasked. She doesn't recognize the face. Those scars. That anger. So deeply personal. So hurt. But the things they're blaming them for...
Psychotic breaks? Ann would like to yell at Tsubasa for even suggesting it. She knows that hurt. That desperate need to feel like you can give shape to what's hurting you and hurt it back just to feel like you're not so powerless anymore. She could try reaching out to them. There are any number of things she could say.
But, her thoughts a tumbled, confused mess, all she can think to say is the idea that failed to leave her lips before:
"... wh... when?"
The curiosity that started to unravel things for her.
"When did it... happen?"
She doesn't know Tsubasa, unfortunately. She doesn't know what happened to them in City Hall, specifically, or when it occurred. Some part of her thinks she can clear all this up if she knows that answer.
...
But it's a moot point.
Someone arrives, springing a surprise attack on Tsubasa. As Ann gropes at the ground, her eyes widen in shocked terror, and she chokes out a, "Wait--!" but it's too late. A cognition? And that voice -- the same voice that was talking to Phoenix earlier, spouting those disgusting, monstrous things...
... now coming up with an entirely new slew of disgusting, horrible things to say.
The way that Hajime hammers home how Tsubasa is a woman despite their protests. The way he misnames them. It recalls her conversation with Ren. And what he does to Tsubasa...
Eyes widened in empathetic, queasy horror narrow in fury. Gloved fingers dig into rubble. Ann finds a fiery spark of strength in her.
And as Joker and Arsene shove Hajime away? As Skull brings that pipe down to crush his nose in with sheer, righteous fury?
"Hey."
There's a voice, directly behind him. It's the last thing the cognitive Hajime will hear before a flaming whip suddenly SNAPS around his neck to ensnare him and -yank- him around in its burning grasp--
to bring him face to face with Panther's cold, furious stare.
"That's not a woman. You want to know what a woman can do?"
The burning whip releases, violently, before CRACKING two fiery lashes across his body, supplemented by one firm SHOVE of Panther's boot against his stomach to knock him to the ground.
She looks down on him. Glares.
And so too does Carmen above her, nursing a brilliant ball of stellar fury in her palm, staring at him like he was little more than a worm waiting to be evaporated in the dread heat of the sun's uncaring fury.
She hurls that ball of flame.
"Here. Now BURN IN IT AND GET LOST!"
And the second it strikes? It BURSTS into a towering inferno set to incinerating heat.
AS: Ann Takamaki spends Limit on Psych!
AS: Tandem! Ann Takamaki has used the Fire skill Feel the Heat on Cognitive Hajime! 2 Hits!
AS: Persona! Ann Takamaki has used the Fire skill Agi on Cognitive Hajime!
AS: Ann Takamaki: Psych removed!
AS: Ann Takamaki's turn has ended.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
It's almost as like Queen can't hear anyone but the target of her rage. The magically induced anger is so vicious, so furious, and not allowing in anything that doesn't seem to feed it. Panther's concern is ignored, another sign that Queen is far from her right mind.
"We've never even met you!" Queen yells back- the only lives she's ruined as a Phantom Thief has been Kaneshiro's and he earned it. There's no way her allies would have done something like that. "We aren't responsible for the psychotic breakdowns you idiot! We're trying to stop them, and I'll beat that into your thick head if I have to!"
She doesn't notice Joker trying to pull her back, but she notices that scream of pain. "JOKER!" Queen glares at Phoenix. "How dare you!?" She and Phoenix continue to hit each other as hard as they can, the assorted objects that Phoenix grabs slamming hard into her side and Makoto letting loose in return until Phoenix manages to kick Queen free and gets caught in the head by that barbell. She staggers back, blood dripping from under that sharp metal mask of hers, the edges of hit having cut her face badly. And yet she's already charging in, and if Ogre hadn't just bodychecked her, she would be back on top of them. "What the hell are you doing?" She yells at her newest ally. Had she turned on them?
As Phoenix's sword comes from her, something else washes over her. Healing. Calm. The bloodlust, the rage secedes, and Makoto can think clearly just long enough to bring her arms up to guard against the sword blow. It's still a lot, and Queen is sent skidding back, the ground cracking and tearing up as she's sent backwards, and it's easy to tell that Queen is on her last legs right now, breathing heavily. If it weren't for Johanna, both her arms would definitely be broken, instead of merely hurting like hell. Her head is ringing- could she be concussed from that barbell, or does Johanna protect her from that too? Why was she...
She was ready to kill Phoenix, just a moment ago. Ready to beat them until the light left their eyes. For hurting Joker? For risking her losing someone else? Makoto knew her anger boiled under the surface, but this violently...?
And the mask comes off, and Queen's heart leaps into her throat and a pit forms in her stomach. "Tsubasa-kun...?" Queen's voice sounds weak, shaken. She'd theorized that Tsubasa was a victim of a psychotic breakdown. The Tsubaki-chan she had known back then would never have committed arson. And Tsubasa Seki wouldn't either. For different reasons, maybe. And Tsubasa wasn't exactly the friend she remembered, but Tsubasa is who they really are- Tsubaki was the mask. And that psychotic breakdown was what destroyed the mask.
"We... we didn't..." Makoto's starting to shake. Her hand reaches for her mask. She shouldn't. It's risky. They're supposed to use their code names. But... that anger Tsubasa is carrying, even Ogre can't make it abate.
"Tsubasa-kun, I promise you, we didn't make you set that fire! We're trying to catch the person who did, please, believe me!"
But there's no time. No time at all as Hajime stands up again. "You- don't call them that! Don't you dare!" But Hajime taunts them, hurts them, and grabs Tsubasa. She sees that fear, that cowed nature. Tsubasa's vulnerability, that that bastard draws out of them.
And he shoves that flower down their throat. Tsubasa screams and Makoto runs, full speed. Joker and Skull, they're going to Hajime. Queen, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care about the rest of the fight right now.
She launches into a tackle towards Tsubasa, but her tekko are discarded, thrown to the side. She tries to roll with them, so that she takes the brunt of it- but still aims up to end with Tsubasa underneath her. "Fight it!" She yells, desperately, fearfully, as she grabs the plant and starts to pull. "Please! I'm not losing you again, damn it! I'm not losing anyone else! So don't give up! You survived the Psychotic Breakdown, you survived the Joker Killer, you survived everything else, don't you dare give up now! Don't let those bastards win!"
AS: Makoto Niijima: Eclipse removed!
AS: Makoto Niijima's turn has ended.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I don't know!" Ogre shouts back to Skull about why they're fighting. "Something's wrong!" She calls at Queen who shouts back, "Wake up!"
Ogre's here. And Phoenix... is sure they're lying. Ogre grits her teeth. "They helped me!" she insists. She remembers--Phoenix was dubious of the Phantom Thieves. Is what they're shouting about now why? ...There's no way the Phantoms who have helper her would--"They didn't do it! Whoever told you that was wrong!"
But Hajime returns. "You--"
Ogre grits her teeth. "Don't fucking TALK to them like that!" she snarls.
'A girl'. That makes Ogre quail a little. The flower is worse. "NO!" she cries, and stares in horror as Tsubasa seems to become one of those, at that scream, at the flower curling up to choke them--
Joker has been firm on it. They're not lying. But that argument goes out the window for Ogre for right now.
"You can't--"
As Ann, too, stays down, the panic wells up within her, and she tries her best to shove it back down. And what helps? ...Joker calling the Cognition filth, and firing a strong attack. Skull going for his nose. Panther, talking about what a woman can do. That gets Ogre's attention. And then, Queen pulling off that awful flower--showing that it can be done.
P5 OST - Will Power https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BNXe3QSLfM
Panic is supplanted by rage, as something in Ichika's heart changes, too. Where before, she could do nothing against the 'real' Hajime, frozen as she was by meeting Eiji again... Now, she sees; he's just a (cognitive) guy. He's not untouchable. "Fuck," Ogre says. "I've been so... weak. I thought I couldn't handle it. That I was just a girl, that I there was nothing I could really do. I wasn't only leaning on everyone... Despite what I said, I guess I still thought I had to be rescued."
"But I was wrong." Ogre narrows her eyes. "So you should've stayed under the rock you crawled out from."
"First," she says, "You need to know that these are my friends. ...No matter how much they get beaten down... I'll help them get back up!"
"And then you need to know--"
"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH TSUBASA! PERSONA!" Ripping off her mask in a spray of blue flames, Ogre calls forth Momiji, who spins back into existence with the sound of glass shattering. Her beautiful kimono's train flutters in the wind; her great horns gleam in the chandelier light. Then, she smiles.
Healing light sparkles over the party as Ogre charges Cognitive Hajime. Even as Momiji holds out her claws, lifting them to the sky to conjure a rain of stone, Ogre slams her shield straight into Cognitive Hajime's center mass, hoping to pick him up bodily and charge him straight into the wall. "I'M NEVER GOING BACK!"
...Later, she'll wonder what Queen means. Right now--
Her blood sings with the need to destroy this awful man.
AS: Ichika Kawase spends Limit on Psych!
AS: Persona! Ichika Kawase has used the Recovery skill Media on Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Makoto Niijima, and Ren Amamiya!
AS: Support: Ichika Kawase gains 1 Limit!
AS: Tandem! Ichika Kawase has used the Earth skill Chthonic Wrath on Cognitive Hajime! 2 Hits!
AS: Ichika Kawase: Psych removed!
AS: Ichika Kawase's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Ryuji Sakamoto takes 82 Recovery healing from Ichika Kawase's Media.
AS: Block Worst! Cognitive Hajime takes 61 Dark damage from Ren Amamiya's Twilight Pillager.
AS: Block Neutral! Cognitive Hajime takes 83 Dark damage from Ren Amamiya's Twilight Pillager. Critical Hit!
AS: Block Worst! Cognitive Hajime takes 61 Dark damage from Ren Amamiya's Twilight Pillager.
AS: Block Worst! Cognitive Hajime takes 55 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Riot Culture. Critical Hit! Resist!
AS: Block Worst! Cognitive Hajime takes 46 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Riot Culture. Resist!
AS: Block Best! Cognitive Hajime takes 32 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Riot Culture. Resist!
AS: Block Neutral! Cognitive Hajime takes 67 Strike damage from Ryuji Sakamoto's Bash. Critical Hit! Resist!
AS: Block Neutral! Cognitive Hajime takes 76 Fire damage from Ann Takamaki's Feel the Heat. Weak!
AS: Block Best! Cognitive Hajime takes 120 Fire damage from Ann Takamaki's Feel the Heat. Critical Hit! Weak!
AS: Cognitive Hajime is unable to continue fighting!
AS: Mind Up! Cognitive Hajime's SP +8!
AS: Block Neutral! Cognitive Hajime takes 71 Fire damage from Ann Takamaki's Agi. Weak!
AS: Haze added!
AS: Cognitive Hajime is unable to continue fighting!
AS: Block Best! Cognitive Hajime takes 84 Earth damage from Ichika Kawase's Chthonic Wrath. Critical Hit!
AS: Cognitive Hajime is unable to continue fighting!
AS: Block Best! Cognitive Hajime takes 84 Earth damage from Ichika Kawase's Chthonic Wrath. Critical Hit!
AS: Cognitive Hajime is unable to continue fighting!
AS: Take! Makoto Niijima takes 67 Recovery healing from Ichika Kawase's Media.
AS: Take! Ren Amamiya takes 82 Recovery healing from Ichika Kawase's Media.
AS: Take! Ann Takamaki takes 82 Recovery healing from Ichika Kawase's Media.
<Pose Tracker> Cognitive Hajime has posed.
"Two years ago, asshole!" Tsubasa snaps, to Panther, before they zero in on Joker -- responding to Queen's denials, in the process. "Fuck off with that! He said it was yo--" That's what Tsubasa was trying to say, to Joker's insistence that they didn't cause that Psychotic Breakdown, before Cognitive Hajime happens, before they can insist to Ichika that 'he' wasn't wrong because he was helping them.
No, after that, Tsubasa's just screaming.
Arsène erupts, forcing Hajime back, away from Tsubasa, who falls to their hands and knees -- though their face is turned towards the groom's suites. Cognitive Hajime, meanwhile, finds himself contending with Skull's pipe: a keen representation of all his rage against a system that destroys the downtrodden and forgotten. Even if Shadow Hajime didn't know what Eiji was doing, Cognitive Hajime is an avatar of his sins -- and so that pipe SLAMS into his face, with the satisfying crack of metaphorical bone, sending him crashing down to the ground.
Skull may note, in his brutal motions, just how easy it seems to be. How easy it could be.
Meanwhile, Queen tackles Tsubasa, and she finds them quite -- docile. It's not hard at all to get them beneath her. No: the only thing they do, save the screaming, is to keep their face bent to face the groom's suites. The flower's roots are trying to dig into their mouth -- into their skull -- and Queen will have to yank quite hard; but she's acting with all the desperate strength of a girl who lost them once before, and even Eiji's horrors need longer to work before they can stand up to that. Tsubasa gasps, ragged, as that flower's torn from their face, their cheeks scratched by the stems' attempts to take root. "Fu--fuck--" they choke out, slumping against the ground, tears welling in their eyes. "Enough, already... I'll..." Whatever the metaphor was, it's cut short by a rasping sob.
"You bitch!" Cognitive Hajime yells. "Why do you give a fuck about her, anyway?! She's just gutter trash! Eiji-kun's really doing me a solid getting rid of her so she can't come back and hurt my rep, y'know! Let alone how he's taking care of his wife! Can you imagine how embarrassed she'd be if people found she was friends with someone like her?"
Cognitive Hajime coughs as he rises after Skull's brutal assault, trembling from the effort. "You pieces of shit... fuck, Kimpara Electronics wasn't even invited to the showroom, man! They wanted in, but Eiji-kun knew that woodchipper bitch was one've the Executive's daughters, so he wouldn't have it! Dirt breeds dirt... man, that Seki-senmu was gonna owe him so bad when he took care of her for him -- 'hey', what?!" He snaps, turning to glare at --
"urk,"
That's the sound of all Hajime's bullshit getting choked out of him by Panther's whip; he doesn't have any choice but to turn, now, to face a woman having none of his shit. "Gghk --" he responds to her question, eloquently, but the fear on his face might be far more satisfying a reply. Snap-CRACK, her lash and her boot knock him down, and he's left to stare up at her, quailing, for one terrible moment before Carmen sets him alight.
As it happens, all that grease in his hair...
... it makes him super flammable.
Tsubasa manages to turn their gaze to Queen, as they listen, distantly, to Panther's rage. Through that pain -- she was -- talking, wasn't she? She told them... "... why...?" They rasp, reaching up to touch her face with a trembling hand. Somehow, as that shadowy eclipse fades off of her, it's like... "You... got me out? But... you're a... Phantom..."
Hajime manages to pick himself up again -- though he's losing a lot of what passes for his blood, now -- and takes a shuddering step towards Ogre. "What are you sayin'?!" He demands, stopping to cough up a little more of that too-bright red. "You think you can beat me?!"
But Ogre doesn't just think she can. The last time a version of Hajime cut down Ogre's declarations, he scored the hit: this time, he hears her screaming, and all the blood drains from his face. "H--hey, wait-- you an' her--?! Oh, fuck!" The shield catches him like a freight train; she pins him to the wall by the thorns in her shield, and Momiji's stone rains down, interring him there, as if his corpse could sate the bloodlust of these Palace walls.
"O...gre," Tsubasa murmurs, lifting their head, still panting for breath, as they hear her rage. "... you came... like you promised? But... I... but, I'm... dirty..." Their brow knits, teeth grit as they grunt, struggling against the flower's horrors. "Nnn-- no, I-- he..." Queen will see their gaze flutter, as their eyes track back to her -- before, "uh," they fall closed.
They're alive, but... they've fainted.
At the end of all that violence, Arsène's black orb meets Joker's bullet -- in an explosion of darkness that rips Cognitive Hajime's tomb to shreds, at least for now. While Eiji's still enthroned in his Palace, he'll surely reform, but --
-- but Tsubasa's in trouble. There's no time to kick his ass a second time.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Two years... Right. Tsubasa's told Joker about what happened with their "arson" case, so if they also think it was a psychotic breakdown, that tracks. They claim 'he' told them The Phantoms are the culprits, and Joker doesn't immediately connect it--their thoughts go to Tatsuya Suou first. But why would he think that? If he does think that, why didn't they tell Tsubasa what they said?
But yes. After that, there's just screaming. There's no time to think about it and puzzle it out. Queen's at Tsubasa's side first and foremost, already yanking that flower out. Cognitive Hajime shares a last little bit of awful information about Kimpara Electronics after Skull beats his face in, but before Panther snaps her whip and knocks him down to step on him and then sets him aflame.
Then Ogre steps up. She's already awakened to her Persona, but she's been struggling so much not just with this Palace but with anything related to it--Shadow Hajime shook her too, even if she managed to keep calm for most of that encounter. It'd reached the point that Joker genuinely wondered if it was really best to let her join them in changing Eiji's heart. It needs doing, and they respect her reasons for wanting to be a part of it, but she was destroying herself in the process. That's not Justice.
Here, though... she has an epiphany. About herself. About what this place has been doing to her. And about how she's not fucking letting them hurt her or the people she loves anymore.
Then Cognitive Hajime is no more. He's just a cognition, so his destruction won't affect the real Hajime in any way, so there's nothing to feel here but a deep, deep satisfaction.
Joker, as the restorative magic of Momiji washes over them and knits the worst of their wounds together, flashes her a broad, razor-sharp grin. "Well said," they tell her. That smile fades into concern as they look at Tsubasa in Queen's care. That flower's gone, thank god. They breathe out a sigh of relief, then look up sharply at their friends.
"Let's get out of here, fast. Queen, Ogre, you two help them out," they say, nodding to each in turn and then Tsubasa. "Skull, you and me will escort them out. Panther, go tell the others what happened and meet us outside, just within the Palace."
The Palace alert is ridiculously high now--they're going to get swarmed any moment now. They've got to get out of here, now. Once they're somewhere safe... they can heal Phoenix up, and all of them can have a well-earned talk.
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji watches Ichika have her moment and feels both incredibly happy for her and his heart flutter a bit. She's so cool, he thinks to himself. Still, later. Worry about that later.
He still feels that heavy breath from exerting himself that hard with that swing. He lets the pipe fall with an audible clang.
The Cognitive Bastard is gone and Skull feels a little better. Just a little.
As things are wrapped up, Skull perks up at his name. "Sure thing. Lets hurry before something else decides to show up."
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
Two years ago.
The answer's right there. Unfortunately... The time for explanations and edifications is past. Phoenix - Tsubasa - is in danger, and Panther...
... Panther is just too mad to think about anything other than making this greasy, sorry excuse of a man in front of her hurt.
Ann Takamaki would like to think she's not a violent person by nature. And she's not; most of the time, she's good cheer and big, happy feelings. But big feelings can swing the other way, given the right impetus. Palaces and their denizens, cognitive or otherwise, so often have a gift for just that. So while it's true Ann might not be a violent person by nature...
F W O O O O M
... it'd also be a lie to say she didn't feel great satisfaction in seeing that cognitive monster cowering before her and Ogre, in the end.
Panther is fury incarnate, as broiling as the heart of the sun itself, as she watches the final fate of that cognitive monster. In the aftermath, when Hajime is brutally interred and then just as unceremoniously detonated? When they all have confirmation that Tsubasa is okay, if unconscious?
Ann Takamaki is the pinnacle of relieving panic as she suddenly sags, mouth hanging and masked features twisting towards the bemoaning.
"Ohmigosh that was so scary. I'm exhausteddddddd...!"
Eventually, Ann Takamaki, bag of bones, finds it within her power to straighten back up. She looks towards Tsubasa's fallen form, a mixture of relief and apprehension in her stare. There's no point in trying to explain now. With the Palace on high alert, it's only a matter of time before more guards show up. So...
"Um..." Ann begins, tentatively. "... This is a... friend of yours, Ogre? What do you wanna do about...?"
Thankfully -- Joker is there with a plan. Panther stands alert, back straightening instantly when they address her and tell her what she should do. "R-right! I got it, don't worry!"
She's exhausted. But she still knows what she's doing, at least. And so, with a confident gait, Panther starts to jog toward the exit -- only pausing briefly as she passes by Ogre.
Ducking low, looking up, she flashes her a wink and a smile and a v-sign with one gloved hand, and offers,
"Hey, y'know? You were really incredible there, Ogre!"
She felt it had to be said. And, satisfied? Off she dashes, a smear of scarlet as before she tucks into the shadows, intent on navigating towards the Safe Room, and the others.
And then...
... hopefully they can find a way to convince Tsubasa. Psychotic breakdowns. Two years ago.
... how long as all this been going on, really?
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
She was right. Someone made Tsubasa do it, made her suffer a Psychotic Breakdown. Because she was trying to do the right thing...? Who is 'he' anyway?
But a moment later, that doesn't matter. Even Hajime doesn't matter. The only person who matters is Tsubasa- Tsubasa, who for all the screaming is docile, easily led, and instinctually seeming to need to move toward the Groom's suite.
Would Makoto have been like this, if Kaneshiro had his way?
No. She has to focus. That's flower's growing so quickly, so rapidly. Trying to find any way into Tsubasa's head, into their brain, into their skull. It's grotesque, it's horrifying, and she has to stop it. "Johanna, please..."
Her Persona comes into existence beside her, and channeling her persona grants her the last bit of strength she needs to yank the horrid thing free, and she hurls it to the floor behind Johanna, and Makoto's persona responds to her intent, her exhaust flaring with nuclear flame to burn the hideous flower to ash, so that it can never hurt anyone again.
"I've got you..." Queen murmurs, quietly, tentatively placing a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder. If Hajime is screaming at Makoto, her answer is quiet, but firm just as much, to Tsubasa's question as it is to Hajime's insult.. "You're my friend, and even if they weren't, it's the right thing to do." She tries to look into Tsubasa's eyes- and Tsubasa loses consciousness shortly after.
Joker orders Queen and Ogre to get Tsubasa out, and Makoto doesn't need to be asked twice. She kneels down, and pulls Tsubasa's arms onto her shoulders. They're about the same height, so it's going to be awkward, but the strength the Metaverse grants her means Makoto can do it. "I've got them." She says, though it's clear that might be Queen's main focus. She took a pretty bad beating, she's not gonna be frontline in the escape.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It was a fair thing to wonder--Ichika was destroying herself in the process of this Change of Heart. But now, she can stand up with the others--can show her mask of Rebellion to Shadow Eiji himself, when it comes down to it.
And she will. But first... Well. Ichika's no stranger to a little blood and bruising, and the fact that he's not a real person means it's satisfying instead of kind of horrifying when he's crushed. Indeed, Ogre smiles grimly. "Take that. ...The 'real' you deserves what Skull can give him, at least."
But Tsubasa--"I promised!" Ogre assures them, but Queen is the one who can carry them. Because--
"Got it, Joker."
Ichika may be a Boss at Kasugayama... but she doesn't mind taking orders from Joker, who's proven themself as the leader of the Phantom Thieves. If she can be part of that... Then there's a lot more she can do, too.
Besides, Panther thinks she was incredible! Ogre actually smiles, despite her friend's status. "Thanks," she says. "I feel... good." A pause. "And yeah, they're my best friend."
She gives Queen a serious look. 'I've got them', she says. "Then I'm with you," Ogre answers. "I'll patch you up when we get out."
But after saying that, she'll follow Skull and Joker, after giving Skull in particular a V-sign when he looks at her.
Then she's for the shadows, too. She's been paying attention, after all!
...And the Palace on this much alert isn't a good thing to go out in the open in...