2025-08-30: The Great Debunker

• Log: The Great Debunker
• Cast: Kasumi Yoshizawa, Haru Okumura, Ren Amamiya, Ann Takamaki
• Where: Kobayakawa's Palace
• OOC Date: August 30, 2025
• IC Date: Friday, July 06, 2012
• Summary: The Phantom Thieves attempt to figure out the distortion to Principal Kobayakawa's Palace in an attempt to perform some recon. Fortunately, they succeed. Unfortunately, an innocent bystander gets dragged in too and needs to be rescued. ICly takes place immediately before the scene Girl Und Panzer.

---

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

                   ~ Aoyama-Itchome District, Tokyo ~
                   ~ Shujin Academy ~
                   ~ Friday, July 6th ~

Now that the issues with Kaneshiro and his Palace have been dealt with, there's
 more time to look into other matters that were put on the back-burner. One of
 those is an attempt to figure out the distortion for Principal Kobayakawa's
 Palace, now that it's been confirmed at the recent karoke meeting that he has
 one.

This is what leads to some of the Phantom Thieves hanging around Shujin Academy
 after school on this normal afternoon. Most students have already left for the
 day, which makes the place rather quiet. A perfect environment for a brief
 look into the Principal's Palace. The idea isn't to go too far, at least not
 today. After all, Kobayakawa is not currently a major target. Though a change
 of heart might make for a better environment for the students at Shujin
 Academy.

Assuming his sins aren't so grave that he is completely ousted from his
 position. But even then, a change in leadership could be good too.

Either way, the decision to trigger a change in the Principal's heart is still
 a fair way into the future. For now, they just need to figure out how to
 access his Palace and perform some initial recon.

The last few remnants of students exit the school's gates, turning and heading
 away while they chatter about their plans for the weekend. It's here, just
 outside the school, that the Phantom Thieves planning to head into this
 mission have organised to meet up. It might bring back some familiar feelings
 to the OG Thieves and their excursion into Kamoshida's Palace. Though
 hopefully what they encounter isn't anywhere near as depraved as that.

Now that the other students are out of sight, it's a good time to make the
 attempt. They already have the keywords for the Principal's name and the
 location of the Palace. All that's left is to figure out the distortion.

<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.

Despite her resolute declaration that she wanted to change her father's heart,
 Haru ultimate decided she'd rather hold of on doing so for now, and informed
 the others of such as well. There was a multitude of reasons - for one, her
 marriage deadline wasn't until she graduated high school. But more than that,
 part of her is afraid to see the distortions in her father's heart. She
 couldn't admit that part, but she hopes that if she spends time with the
 Phantom Thieves, she will soon build the courage to.

For now, their focus is on infiltrating Principal Kobayakawa's palace, and
 scoping it out to get some information on what makes it tick. Haru decided to
 come along for this one, both as some extra muscle in case they end up getting
 caught up with some Shadows, and to get some experience with the initial
 infiltration of a Palace. But first, they need to actually get in there... and
 that means key words.

Obviously, Principal Kobayakawa's palace is located in Shujin Academy itself.
 Unlike many of the others, Haru wasn't involved in infiltrating Kamoshida's
 Palace, so there's less familiarity there. But what exactly could the
 distortion be? There's a number of possible answers. "Hmm... perhaps he sees
 the school like a 'prison' for us? Making the teachers security guards, and
 himself the warden?" Haru doesn't know she's onto something for a completely
 different Palace, but she second guesses herself. "Maybe not, though... that
 might be a little too on the nose. Maybe something less obvious?"

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        Morgana said that just because someone's got heavily distorted desires
 doesn't necessarily mean they're an evil in need of a change of heart. Of
 course, he said that to Haru to try to comfort her that maybe her dad's
 distortions aren't that bad and he can still be reasoned with. Kobayakawa is
 definitely a shitty principal. He deliberately overlooked Kamoshida's abuses
 of the student body and bullied Makoto into spying on students for him.
        
        Still, they shouldn't jump to conclusions either--and entering his
 Palace today isn't even about Kobayakawa himself, so much as confirming if
 Goro Akechi really is a Persona User and really did get information from
 Kobayakawa's Palace. It really is just recon for today.
        
        Ren watches carefully from the alleyway close to the school gates as
 the last students leave. Then they look at their friends, smartphone in hand.
 They can only speculate on why Haru decided to put off entering her father's
 Palace, but for all that they said they didn't want to commit to changing his
 heart until they saw that Palace for themself, they can understand a rocky
 relationship with one's parents.
        
        "A prison would be on the nose," they comment. The Meta-Nav disagrees
 with the possibility, though, as the tinny app voice says, "No hits found."
 Ren rubs a lock of their bangs in thought.
        
        "Hmmm... What kind of person is your principal?" Morgana asks at
 their feet. "I don't have a good impression of him, but I've never met him,
 either."
        
        "I've only met him once myself, not counting assemblies," Ren replies.
 "But he gave me the impression of being small-minded and petty. Adding what I've
 heard of him from Makoto-san, I'd say he's like..." They glance off to the side.
 Akechi had commented about how desperate he seemed to find out if any of his
 students were Phantom Thieves--how odd that was. Ren had pretended to know nothing
 and speculated that it might be due to the school board or the superintendent or
 something like that, but Akechi had had a point. (Yet if Akechi has been to
 Kobayakawa's Palace, would he really give a hint like that?)
        
        "Like a coward pressured by outside forces," they continue, testing
 this thought, "and so he's bossing everyone else. This is supposed to be his
 'seat of power' where he's in charge, but it's all... about to crumble at any
 moment. That kind of vibe."
        
        Morgana looks up at Ann with bright eyes. "What do you think, Lady Ann?
 You've attended this school for some time now!"

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Principal Kobayakawa.

There's not a lot of people Ann Takamaki holds genuine hate in her heart for.
 That two of them belong - or belonged, as the case may be - to the faculty of
 the very school she attends...

Well, it says volumes about the principal overseeing them, doesn't it?

In some ways, Ann's grateful for Haru's willingness to defer on dealing with
 her father's Palace. For one, though she'd never say it -- Ann doesn't want
 one of Haru's first experiences dealing with Palaces seeing all the awful
 things her father believes, if even half the rumors she's heard are true. How
 does he see his workers? ... How does he see his -daughter-? Haru's seen
 firsthand the ugly truths inside Palaces. Maybe... maybe it's best she had
 time to come to terms with them, first.

But the other reason is very simple:

Recon or not -- for her sake, and Shiho's, Ann wants to know what the heart of
 a man like Kobayakawa looks like. Is he just evil, or...?

*psssh* goes the brief pop-fizzle-hiss of Ann Takamaki's can of Oh! Shiroku as
 she cracks it open. Seated at the top of a bench, like a person who's spent
 too much time in awkward and dramatic poses for their side-job to the point
 it's just sorta become second habit, she glances Haru's way as her senpai
 offers up some guesses.

"A prison?? You'd have to be -totally- messed up to see things like that," she
 remarks, wide-eyed and oblivious to certain cognitive iterations of Velvet
 Rooms other individuals here may or may not possess. Still -- for some reason,
 it just doesn't -feel- right. Morgana turns his attention Ann's way, and she
 blinks a vivid little blink.

"M-me?" she blurts, looking between the others. "I mean. I dunno... does he
 really strike you as like, an imposing warden type?" she voices that
 uncertainty, toying with a stray lock of platinum hair as Ren works through
 their assessment. A coward pressured by outside forces... this is supposed to
 be his seat of power, but...

"Mm. To me, he always seemed... nervous." Sky blue eyes narrow. "Yeah.
 Cowardly. Always happy to let other people do his dirty work for him,
 always... trying to weather whatever bullshit he invited to his doorstep
 without taking any of the blame."

Her lips thin. She grips that can of soda a bit tighter.

She brings it to her lips to sip just as she remarks, with bitter
 off-handedness,

"He's like one of those sad little generals you hear about in history class who
 can't even lead from the front, y'know? Just... sending people off to fight
 for them while they hole up in their bunkers."

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        'Bunkers.'

        The moment it's said, there's a ping. A successful guess from the Lady
 Ann! Soon enough, the world around the Phantom Thieves begins to distort in a
 familiar manner.

        At roughly the same time, a figure comes walking out of the academy's
 main building. A few of the Phantom Thieves would recognise her immediately,
 while the others might be aware of her in passing. A first year student, one
 of the school's honor students and a supposed rising star on the rhythmic
 gymnastics team.

        Kasumi Yoshizawa.

        Kasumi sighs quietly as she exits the main building, looking rather
 down about something. However, she pauses as the phone in her bag pings at
 her. She blinks in surprise and pulls it out. Peering at the cracked screen,
 her brow furrows a little as she wonders aloud, "What's this app?"

        Kasumi doesn't get any time to try and figure it out though as the
 world around her begins to warp. She instinctively takes a step back in shock,
 "Wh-what?" The disturbing sight of her shifting surroundings and the fear of
 not knowing what's happening causes her to squeeze her eyes shut...

        ... And when she dares to open them again, they go wide at the sight
 before her.

        While the buildings in the neighbourhood look similar, they are a lot
 more worn down and damaged. Large chunks of their structure appear to be
 missing, edged in scorch marks, with debris piled on the streets around them.
 The sounds of the neighbourhood are also different. Gone are sounds of leaving
 students chattering, or the thrums of engines and honking of horns from the
 distant roads. Now there are sounds of distant gunfire, accentuated by the
 occasional explosion.

        It sounds like a warzone.

        What's more shocking though is the school's normal main building is
 completely gone, replaced with a fairly nondescript structure constructed
 primarily out of plain concrete. There are no windows. No gardens. No signs or
 school emblem. Just concrete and a single entrance consisting of a large set
 of heavy metal doors, currently closed.

        Just beyond the main building, the school's fence remains. Though it's
 a little more ominous than one might remember. For one, it's a fair bit
 taller. For another, it's now topped with rings of barbed wire. And there is
 now a large pair of swinging gates in place of the usual sliding one, again a
 lot taller and topped with barbed wire to match the fence.

        The gate is also closed and looks locked.

        The Phantom Thieves are just outside the locked gate and fence. And
 through its bars, they can see Kasumi standing there, shock clearly obvious on
 her face. She hasn't noticed them yet, still confused by the change in
 surroundings. However, she quickly spins around at the sound of creaking metal
 and churning gears from behind her.

        The large, heavy metals doors of the main entrance into this
 bunker-like building slide open and a group of individuals walk out in perfect
 formation. They're all wearing identical khaki uniforms with a very familiar
 design. Those with even a fleeting knowledge about Japan's history will
 recognise the uniforms of the former Imperial Japanese Army, circa mid 1940's.
 They're all carrying large bolt-action rifles and sidearms that also look to
 be from about the same period.

        The formation of what appears to be soldiers comes to a sudden halt as
 they immediate catch sight of Kasumi standing there. Her brain is reeling from
 what's going on, so she's frozen still at the sight of them. The soldier at
 the head of the formation--an officer judging by his rank insignia--looks at
 her for a moment, before his eyes seem to flash in recognition, "Wait...
 You're--" He then frowns, immediately sweeping his arm out, "Capture her!"

        The other soldiers rush out to surround Kasumi, who glances around in
 surprise, unsure of what's going on, "W-Wait! What's happening!? Who are you
 people!?"

        A couple of the soldiers grab Kasumi's arms and the officer barks out
 another order, "Take her to the Colonel! He'll deal with her."

        The soldiers start to drag her off forcefully as Kasumi squirms
 futilely in their grips, "What's going on? Where are you taking me!?"

        The officer grunts, "Quiet! Deserters don't have the right to speak."
 Kasumi is clearly confused at this turn of events, which is the last
 expression the Phantom Thieves see on her face as she disappears into the
 concrete structure, the rest of the soldiers and officer following behind.

        Well. This is a problem...

<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.

"Yes, perhaps I was thinking a little too much about the 'distortion' aspect of
 it. It is quite messed up, isn't it?" Haru nods, with an awkward smile as
 Ren and Ann agree it might be a little too on the nose. Or perhaps she's
 become the kind of person who can see the worst in people. Haru doesn't think
 she likes that explanation. So instead she listens to Ann's idea.

Haru can't say she knows that much about the Principal either, but perhaps
 that'd exactly what they need... Because he's just too cowardly to be there
 for his students. "A general in a bunker, hmm? Oh!" A ping! "Good work,
 Takamaki-san~" Haru smiles, as Ann figures it all out. She's pretty good at
 reading people, isn't she?" Morgana, beside her, smirks as much as a cat can.
 "Just as expected from Lady Ann! You're a genius~"

However, now that there's a ping, they have to be prepared for it - the world
 shifting to show them their own Principal's disorted world. "What sad, dreary
 scenery this is," Haru sighs, as they reach the pinnacle of austerity, with
 the cold markings of the Imperial Japanese Army. "But... isn't that one of our
 classmates?" Haru points at Kasumi, who immediately stands out from
 everything else. "She doesn't look any different, and she's just as confused
 and disoriented as anyone would be. It can't be a cognitive version..."
 Seemingly, the soldiers - presumably the guards of the Palace quickly catch on
 to this too and take her away.

Haru looks to the others, and the decision comes easily. "If she followed us in
 here, we have to rescue her!"

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        /A prison?? You'd have to be -totally- messed up to see things like
 that!/
        
        Ren averts their eyes and does not remark.
        
        Fortunately, they don't have to. Ann muses on the distortion with the
 full weight of her bitterness, and the result is a *ping* on the Meta-Nav.
 "Good instincts," they comment, catching Ann's eye. They catch Haru's awkward
 smile and add, "It was a good thought. Palaces are just usually weirder than
 that." Who would have thought that a gangster would see Shibuya as the bank
 they run, for example? But Ren smiles with Haru and Morgana at Ann, then nods
 to the group. "Let's go."
        
        The app activates--just in time for one last student straggler to cross
 the gates and come into view. Ren spots her a split-second too late, and their
 eyes widen behind their glasses as they choke back a strangled gasp. The world
 distorts, replaced by ruin and gunfire--and where the school used to be,
 there's now... a bunker fenced in the (now much taller) school fence, lined
 with barbed wire and held together by a swinging gate. Dreary isn't the half
 of it.
        
        Kasumi is on the other side--and from the bunker emerge soldiers in
 WWII-era Imperial Japan uniforms that immediately begin to carry her away.
 Haru points her out and wonders what's going on with her, but Ren--or rather,
 Joker, because of course they're automatically seen as a threat here--is
 already in motion. They sprint forward and grab the gate, but a rattle or two
 betrays that it's as locked as it looks. The barbed wire means it can't be
 easily jumped, either, even without the significant height boost.
        
        During this time, Kasumi's pulled into the concrete bunker and
 vanishes. Joker grits their teeth in angry, fearful frustration and SLAMS a
 fist on the gates.
        
        "Was that... Kasumi Yoshizawa?" Mona asks, enormous eyes narrowed as he
 pads up behind them. "This is bad... Noir's right. Forget reconnaissance;
 we've got to rescue her!"
        
        Joker retreats a few steps, red-gloved hands clenched. "First we have
 to find a way in," they say, voice low as they turn to the others. "Let's
 search the perimeter, quick." They jerk their chin to the right. "Panther,
 Noir, the three of us will head that way. Mona, you take the others and search
 the other way. Whoever finds an entrance leaves a signal and goes in first.
 We'll reconvene inside."
        
        "Got it!" Mona replies, then races off.
        
        Joker gives Noir and Panther a sharp nod, then does as they said. It'll
 turn out that their group finds a way in first, and they'll leave behind a
 signal for the others before sneaking in and beginning to infiltrate that
 dreary bunker...

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Ann isn't expecting anything; honestly, it's just on her way towards trying to
 brainstorm what the actual keyword might be. And yet--

*ping*

"S-seriously?! No way--!"

--let it not be said that Ann, if nothing else, doesn't have a firm grip on
 what makes people tick. Even ones she holds nothing but contempt for.

She's surprised. But, well. Surprise only lasts so long in the face of a
 UNIFIED FRONT OF PRAISE. Her bafflement at her own success is burned of fair
 features with the brightest of eye-squinting beams as she sits up a little
 straighter on her unorthodox perch.

She's a genius!

"Hee hee, I guess I am, huh?" she says, with not one ounce of humility in her
 pleased giggle. Humility is for -suckers-. "I'd like to see that Goro Akechi
 manage that!"

--

aren't they going into this palace literally because they suspect he already did

BUT THERE'S NO TIME TO CORRECT ANN BECAUSE OFF THEY POP, leaving her pristine
 and ever-growing detective-ego intact! Reality distorts around mementos-red
 ripples, leaving them--

-- at a school, torn apart by war.

Barbed wire. A bunker. Spent shells and belching smoke and bombed out
 buildings, and at the center of it all -- that bunker, weathering the war.

And if anyone was concerned that Ann might in fact be a genius--

"W-wait, why are we in the 1800s now?!"

-- her assessment of their current situation helpfully annihilates all
 possibility of this.

Look. She's an -emotionally intelligent- genius, okay?! This history stuff is
 like -- how is she supposed to know what years wars were in?! The 1900s were
 like FOREVER ago!

Clad immediately in battle-ready red leather, Ann sets her jaw as she looks
 around in the wake of her startled yelp. "Tch. Yeah. This is -exactly- what I
 was picturing." Well. Almost. For one thing--

"Wait. Y-yoshizawa-san?!"

-- she wasn't expecting -another student- to be here.

Ann's eyes widen like a deer in headlights as she catches sight of Kasumi in
 the distance, being grabbed and escorted by khaki-clad Imperialists. She
 recognizes Kasumi immediately; even if they've only met the one time, the
 First Year's reputation makes her a figure in the school few people could
 forget. And besides -- she's been helping Ren, too, hasn't she? So why--

"Wh-why is she here?? This is seriously not good!"

Panther braces in preparation; and when Ren offers up their orders, she's quick
 to serve up a firm and determined nod. "Right! C'mon, Noir!"

And off she sprints, neon puddles splish-splash-rippling in her wake as she
 chases after Joker to find their way in -- and a way to get to Kasumi, as
 swift as possible.

Oh no oh no, they seriously messed up--!

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        With the front gate seemingly locked for the moment, the Phantom
 Thieves split up to scout out the bunker's surroundings. As one might expect
 of a military facility, the imposing fence stretches around the entire thing.
 As the Phantoms run, it's starting to look they might have some trouble
 getting in.

        It's at that point that they might not an ominous whistling sound
 quickly growing in volume. That can only mean one thing!

        An artillery shell rapidly descends towards the group, before impacting
 the street nearby and lighting up a large explosion! The force of the blast
 ripples out, catching one of the nearby buildings in its radius. The
 structure's foundations crumble under the force and the tall building quickly
 tumbles to the side, a shadow rapidly looming over the Phantoms.

        Finally the building crashes down, the top smashing into a section of
 the fence, causing it to crumble under the heavy debris.

        Once the dust settles, the pile of debris that was once a building
 stretches out across the street and the section of fence it had crushed. A
 lucky break! The Phantom Thieves should be able to climb over it.

        Unfortunately, the lucky break doesn't last long though as several
 beeps are coming from a smaller side entrance into the bunker. It sounds like
 someone entering a code into an electronic keypad on the other side. Someone
 is no doubt coming to check on the disturbance! If the Phantoms aren't quick,
 they could be discovered!

        But this also could be an opportunity!

<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.

"I don't think they had guns like this back in the 1800s..." Haru considers.
 "But more importantly, did we somehow bring Yoshizawa-san in with us using the
 app? We didn't see her before we entered the Palace..." Haru frowns, about
 Kasumi's presence. But entering a cognitive space without a Persona can become
 quickly traumatizing, indeed. They have to save her!

Haru follows Joker and Panther's lead before they split up, they have more
 experience with this by far... but she's also keeping a look out for any in
 they can find. But suddenly... "Everyone, get down!!" The artillery blast
 explodes and Haru finds herself immediately taking over on the ground in the
 wake of the explosion, but for some reason she isn't as scared as she feels
 she must be. Perhaps that's because of who her Persona is.

But either way, it gives them a path forward. The building crumbles and from
 here, they can easily climb the debris. The sound of beeping comes in soon
 after however... they have to act fast. "Joker, Panther, what's our plan? Do
 we try to rush past them and get to Yoshizawa-san?"

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        The 1800's... Uh. Ren is no history buff themself, but they're pretty
 sure that's wrong. Fortunately, it honestly doesn't matter to them at the
 moment. The more important thing is that, after turning the corner, it's
 fairly clear that there's no obvious side entrances. Maybe there's some chinks
 in the fence that they'll only see when they're close up, though, so Joker
 keeps leading the way.
        
        "I saw her a split-second after I hit the app," Joker tells Noir. "She
 was just leaving. She must've been caught up in something after class."
 Thinking back, she didn't look happy--which doesn't make sense. Didn't she
 take home a medal yesterday at the competition? Third place, but that's still
 on the podium. And why did those soldier cognitions call her a 'traitor'?
        
        Joker doesn't have time to ponder this before a whistling sound cuts
 through the air. They've seen enough war movies to understand what that means.
 Noir warns the group, and Joker ducks and rolls for cover just before--BOOM.
 The artillery hits, a building collapses, and a segment of the wall is crushed.
        
        They rise to their feet to stare at it. They look over at Noir and
 Panther. "Convenient," they say, deadpan.
        
        There's beeping nearby. Joker shoots a look over at a secondary
 entrance within the walls. "Quick. Into the shadows on either side of the
 entrance," they command, gesturing that way. "When they come out, we'll jump
 'em."
        
        They've only got seconds. They race towards the smaller outpost until
 they're close enough to hide in the shadows next to the door--not that this is
 an espcially shadowy place, all considered, but it'l still be in a blind spot.
 And when the Shadow inside emerges--that's when Joker will leap atop them and
 Panther and Noir will help come in for the kill. (Well. The takedown. They
 still need to interrogate the Shadow afterwards.)
        
        "Show me your true form," they command, just before RIPPING off that
 mask.

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

"Wait. Then how'd they fight the war--?"

It is, perhaps, a good thing that emergent crises are demanding all their
 attention far before they can get into the depressing quagmire that is Ann
 Takamaki's Working Knowledge of History.

It's like Drunk History, but without the obvious excuse!

But -right now-? Right now, the whole of Panther's attention and concern is on
 getting to Kasumi. Haru asks that question, and Ann's response is immediate:

... did we somehow bring Yoshizawa-san in with us using the app?

"It's -totally- possible. Believe me."

After all -- that unfortunate quirk of fate is the whole reason why Ann even
 fell into this world, and this life, to begin with.

So it hits close to home, seeing Kasumi being escorted out by some corrupt
 Palace Ruler's footsoldiers. The fact that it's Kobayakawa just makes it ten
 times worse for her, and spurs the would-be femme fatale of the Phantom
 Thieves onward into a fiery fervor of a dash behind Joker. So intent is she
 that she doesn't even notice the low whistle of an incoming artillery shell
 slicing through the air--

Everyone, get down!!

"H-huh?! --Oh crap!"

Until that well-timed warning catches her attention. Panther lunges; she finds
 cover beside Joker and Noir -just- in time before the rippling shockwave of
 explosion and heat -rushes- over them, walls quaking and debris dribbling from
 their cover. Ann winces, holding fast in a knee-hugging crouch and a squeak of
 "ohmigod what is WITH our SCHOOL FACULTY?!" -- until finally, the shockwaves
 subside,

and the explosion provides them their way in.

Convenient, says Ren, and Ann just stares, incredulous.

"Seriously."

Well at least it wasn't -inconvenient-. Then they'd all be pulverized into
 little Phantom Thief Bits.

So, with a brief "Thanks for the head's up, Noir!" Panther is off again,
 infiltrating that very convenient entryway. When Joker gives their orders --
 Panther is swift to lunge rightwards in a smear of red and platinum, planting
 her back against the shadowy overhang. She waits. Waits. Waits--

Show me your true form.

"Let's go, Noir!!"

And then -springs- for the kill a second later, lunging from the shadows, SMG
 brandished with the impulsive squeeze of the trigger that just sort of --
 chaotically sprays bullets -everywhere-.

Look.

If make every available space full of bullets, you will, eventually, hit your
 mark.

That's just physics, baby.

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        Beep. Beep. Beep. Bzzzt. Ka-chunk.

        The side door unlocks and slides open. A couple of generic-faced
 soldiers begin to walk out of the bunker.

        "That last one sounded close... Do you really think this position is
 going to hold much longer?"
        "It doesn't matter. We simply need to follow orders, giving our lives
 for the General if need be."

        A fate which may come sooner than expected as the Phantom Thieves jump
 them!

        The hidden mask is pulled from the soldier's face. Their forms burst
 into an inky blackness before reforming into a pair of somewhat buff looking
 demons seemingly made from golden metal with ominous looking red eyes and
 sharp teeth.

        Kin-Ki.

        One of them growls, its voice tinged with a metallic echo, "More enemy
 saboteurs! We need to warn the General!" Yeah no, you're not going to get the
 chance.

        After Joker's reveal, Panther and Noir move in quickly. A hail of
 bullets from the former's SMG, while some quick whacks from the latter's axe,
 brings the two demons to their knees.

        One of them grunts from exhaustion, "Go ahead, finish us off! We'll
 gladly die for the General!" While being included in that 'we', the other
 Kin-Ki looks to be sweating a little bit more.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        Panther would be the authority here on getting pulled into a Palace
 by accidental proximity to someone using the Meta-Nav... She'll have to regale
 Noir with the details later, though.
        
        Joker flashes her a smile when she chimes in on their take on the
 convenience of it all. With a brief but firm nod of thanks to Noir to chime in
 after Panther, the three of them head in--hide--and strike.
        
        They never saw it comiiiiing~ o/`
        
        After bullets and axes have resolved the fight--a good ambush does
 wonders!--Joker holds the two of them at gunpoint, perhaps supported by Noir
 and/or Panther doing the same. Their masked eyes flick from the defiant first
 one to the sweating second one. Just before they were jumped, they were
 worrying about if this place would hold... and the second one sure doesn't
 look as eager as the first.
        
        "Don't be so quick to choose death," they reply smoothly. "Your people
 just captured a girl in a ponytail. Where was she taken?"

<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.

"Fortunately for us, an axe is always period-appropriate," Is Haru's final quip
 about the history matter. For now, they have an ambush to press - with Joker
 forcing out the Shadows' true forms. "Right behind you, Panther!" Haru nods,
 brandishing her axe and going to town against what have been revealed to be
 Kin-Ki's. Thanks to Panther's cover fire, they handle it with relative ease...
 and now their targets are in position for surrender at Joker's gunpoint.

"I'm sure you would~" Haru agrees, when the 'soldier' defiantly faces down
 death. "But that won't be today. "Please, answer their questions." Haru
 beckons to Joker. "It would certainly make things easier for all of us." She
 is still holding the axe. She figures that having it in view will make the
 interrogation go a lot more smoother than anything she could say - even if
 they don't fear death.

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Is it necessary, the way Panther finishes off her wild salvo by pirouetting on
 one red heel and coming full circle just in time to strike a cheeky pose
 lifting up her SMG to blow on its smoking barrel, complete with a cheeky wink?

Of course not.

But it's -stylish-. And she's -pretty sure- all her heroes would do the exact
 same thing.

"Pow~!" <3

Nevermind all her heroes are villainesses that's besides the point.

In the aftermath, Panther is still, of course, brandishing that automatic
 engine of death as she stands besides Noir. Joker brings the smoothness in
 their ultimatum, catching the weak link in the two Kin-Ki chain. Haru backs
 him up, axe gleaming. And Panther--

"Hey, hey, it's okay! We don't want you to die for your General! Just listen to
 our leader -- the second you tell us what we need to know, we stop being your
 problem! Otherwise--"

Ann lowers that SMG from its uplifted position into a two-handed carry, barrel
 at the red, a gleam of ULTRAVIOLENCE in her eyes.

A second passes.

She subtly nudges Noir with her elbow.

("Hey! Nice menacing!")

she stage-whispers

which somehow does not at all diminish her violent intent.

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        The two Kin-Ki kneel before the Phantoms. Although they exchange
 briefly confused looks at Panther's antics. However, as the guns are brought
 to bear against them, they remain still.

        The more defiant Kin-Ki smirks at Joker's question, "You mean that
 deserter who was found out of uniform trying to sneak away? Obviously she's
 being taken to be courtmartialed and executed."

        But the one that's sweating glances between the three, "You'll let us
 go if we answer?"

        "Quiet you!" The defiant Kin-Ki shoots a glare at the other.

        But the sweating Kin-ki is clearly more afraid of the GUNS so quickly
 says, "The parade grounds! That's where the courtmartial will be!"

        Clearly upset by the betrayal, the defiant Kin-ki rises aggressively,
 "For the General!" There's no choice as gunfire rips into it, leaving it to
 break apart and vanish into nothing as it is killed.

        The sweating Kin-ki grows even more worried, but the Phantom Thieves
 hold up their end of the bargain and so the demon makes a run for it, leaving
 the side entrance wide open for the Phantoms to continue.

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        The interior of the bunker has a slightly familiar layout to it. Main
 hallways lead through most of the structure, while doors lining the walls at
 regular intervals provide access to numerous rooms along the way. It's almost
 like the main halls of the school. Though the interior design is far more drab
 with darker colours and more depressing materials making up the building's
 structure.

        Thankfully there is more signage inside the bunker. Following the one
 that points the way to the parade grounds, the Phantoms begin to explore.

        Given the lack of windows in general, the lighting inside is provided
 entirely by lamps that hang from the ceiling and adorn walls. But many of them
 don't appear to be functioning, either flickering on and off at random
 intervals, or being completely dark. The halls are littered with shipping
 crates of various sizes in varying states of damaged. Here and there, the
 floors are scattered with spent bullet casings. Now and then an explosion
 rocks the structure, causing it to shudder. But thankfully it's not quite yet
 coming down.

        Peering through the small windows built into the doors along the way,
 one would doubt to find classrooms within. And sure enough, the room contents
 are a lot more appropriate for the theme. Sometimes it's a storage room with
 military equipment piled up. Other times it's a bunkroom, filled sleeping
 soldiers. Another is a makeshift hospital, with injured soldiers lying on
 beds. Given their condition, it's looking like the battle isn't going well.
 What's unnerving though is that the faces of many of these soldiers are
 recognisable.

        They're fellow students of the academy!

        The halls themselves are patrolled, with a pair of soldiers
 occasionally making their way down them, disappearing around corners before
 another patrol appears from another a short time later. With the timing and
 the prevalence of shadows and objects in the halls, it should be possible to
 sneak by.

        As the Phantoms sneak through towards an intersection, they catch the
 sounds of a struggle around the corner in the direction they are going. And
 then Kasumi's voice can be heard echoing from around it, "L-Let me go! I don't
 understand..."

        The voice of the officer from before also echoes from the hall,
 "Silence! You're a disgrace to the uniform, Cadet! The General and Colonel had
 such high hopes for you and the contributions you'd make to this command. Who
 thought you'd be such a failure..."

        "W-What...?" Kasumi's voice is still sounding confused, but there's now
 a tinge of quiet despair mixed in with it. Rounding the corner into the hall,
 the Phantom Thieves can see Kasumi being escorted through a pair of doors at
 the end of it. Kasumi and her escorts disappear beyond them, leaving behind a
 couple of soldiers guarding the way.

        Making a ruckus here might cause a problem given how deep they are.
 They could end up surrounded.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        These Shadows just don't appreciate a sexy twirl and pose. Don't worry,
 Panther; Joker thinks it's stylish, whether or not her heroes would do
 precisely that kind of posturing.
        
        There isn't time for being cute, though. Joker's heart leaps in their
 throat when the first Kin-Ki calls Kasumi a deserter who is to be executed.
 Their stare sharpens and their stance tenses--but they don't shout or get
 angry. They stare the two down, dark eyes like knives of ice. Talk or die,
 it might seem to convey.
        
        The sweaty Kin-Ki breaks, as predicted. Noir and Panther have already
 backed up their implicit promise, Noir with her sweet smile and gleaming axe,
 Panther with her reassurances and brandishing of her SMG, but when explicitly
 asked if The Phantoms will spare them if they talk, Joker nods once. Violence
 unfortunately has to ensue when the first Kin-Ki resumes the fight in anger,
 but The Phantoms are true to their word to the second; they're allowed to run
 away peacefully.
        
        "The others will need to know where to go. The way in is obvious; let's
 leave a message saying to go to the parade grounds," Joker tells Noir and
 Panther. Which of them does that, they'll leave to the two to decide. Leaving
 the words behind in lipstick is an option, but sadly, they don't carry make-up
 on them. (No, it really is sad...)
        
        Once that's done, though, there's no time to waste. With a curt nod to
 Noir and Panther, the three of them head inside and underground. It's a good
 thing all of them are Shujin Academy students; the layout of the place is
 surprisingly intuitive, being a lot closer to the school grounds than
 Kamoshida's castle was. Joker's concern is with finding Kasumi as soon as
 possible, so they avoid fights, opting to lurk, sneak, and hide. The three of
 them do poke their heads into rooms as they follow the signs to the parade
 grounds, and... they can't really say it's a surprise that the injured
 soldiers have the faces of students at their school.
        
        That's the kind of person Kobayakawa is, after all. Ann really put it
 perfectly earlier when she guessed his distortion.
        
        Soon enough, the sound of Kasumi's voice echoes in the hallways. Joker
 freezes and gestures to the others to join them in hiding around the corner of
 the intersection. Peeking around, they'll be able to see Kasumi's struggle,
 the officer dressing her down and calling her a failure, and Kasumi...
        
        ...something really is wrong. Not just with this place or the officer,
 but with Kasumi's reaction. She placed in that competition, so why is this
 happening?
        
        Joker watches them go with narrowed eyes. They can't afford to risk
 Kasumi's safety by charging in after them through those now-guarded doors.
 "Noir, you create a distraction--draw the guards away from the door and out of
 our way. If you don't have any better ideas, see if you can't use your grenade
 launcher to fire a blank a good distance away to pull their attention. Once
 they've left, we'll slip past the doors; when we're through, Panther--keep
 your eyes peeled for a safe room. We'll need to fall back to it once we've got
 Kasumi-san rescued. Got it?"

<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.

("You as well~") Panther gets back, just as quiet. Haru can see it in her eyes.
 It at least put the sufficient amount of fear in one of them, who even gets
 to live for their trouble! With that, they head further in, in hopes of
 reaching Kasumi. "They're all students... but they consider Yoshizawa-san to
 be a deserter. I wonder why? Isn't she a model student?" She muses, and turns
 to Ann - who probably has better knowledge of all the rumours flying around in
 the school. If Kasumi is being ostracized somehow and this is a reflection of
 it, Haru can't help but feel bad for her.

Just as Joker does, Haru overhears the conversation with a sharp frown. Why
 Kasumi? They have to play this carefully though - or they'll risk the life of
 the very person they're trying to save. "Got it, Joker," Haru nods, seriously
 - the grenade launcher was actually what she had in mind anyways, so she
 ultimately goes with Joker's suggestion. She aims her launcher, towards a
 hallway she knows is particularly heavily monitored, pulls down, and...

KABOOM!

Nothing comes. Should the diversion be successful, it'll be chaos in the ranks
 of Kobayakawa's soldiers as they scramble to hunt down the Phantom Thieves
 that have infiltrated their bunker. "Seems we've stolen the show~. Let's go!"
 Haru says, following Joker as they slip by the doors in search of a Safe Room.
 "Do you see anything, Panther?"

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Leaving a message behind? Ann blinks, stirred from her smug satisfaction of her
 -totally successful aura farming those Shadows were just too plebeian to get-.

"Huh? --Oh! Yeah, I can handle it, Joker! Give me just a sec...!"

Lipstick is procured - don't ask from where - and soon enough, Ann's finding a
 clean and easy-to-find place where she can scribble out a quick marker, tongue
 affixed to her upper lip in concentration as she works.

The end result is some quickly scribbled kanji for 'PARADE GROUNDS' and what
 looks to be an attempt to scribble Panther flashing a v-sign.

It's. It's bad.

It's really bad.

Like, 'can't even blame the medium' bad. Like, 'it might cause Yusuke to
 question the meaning of life' bad. And it's just a doodle!!

Thankfully, it's out of their lives soon enough as they press further into the
 war-torn bunker and discover...

...

A Palace is always telling. It can't -not- be. By its nature, it's a confession
 of all the most awful and selfish aspects and deeds of a person, writ large on
 a canvas of meta-architecture.

The Palace wants you to know exactly what it thinks of you.

And what Principal Kobayakawa's Palace wants Ann to know, is...

She spends a long time in silence, staring at those hospital rooms through the
 nearby window. Their injuries, both physical and mental, ring loud and clear
 even to the unobservant.

The sound of leather creaking is all too audible as Ann clenches her hands into
 fists. She's not surprised. It's -exactly- as she described. But seeing it...

So this is how he saw Shiho. Just another soldier to march off to her death in
 an unwinnable war.

"... Let's go," she says, the tension of her voice sparked by fire.

They don't get far, before that voice cuts in. The way Kasumi sounds, the
 things they're saying -- Ann goes sock still before she flattens against the
 corner, squat down to provide room for her fellow Thieves. They're all
 students, Haru observes, and yet they consider Yoshizawa a deserter.

Why?

The question is, wordlessly, turned to Ann. Behind her mask, the Second Year's
 expression is set towards one of quiet irritation.

"... People around the school keep talking about the all-time gymnast the
 school pulled in," she says slowly, quietly. When you've born the brunt of an
 exclusionary school's whisper campaigns, well -- you get good at picking up on
 them. There's a lot she hears. ... Very little of it feels like something
 Kasumi should have to be dealing with. "... and you know how people in the
 school can be. I dunno for sure, but..."

She can only guess. But...

"... After what happened with Kamoshida, I bet our lame excuse for a Principal
 is just desperate for another new poster child so his school can get back all
 that precious credibility he loves -so- much."

But she can only guess, really, just why Kobayakawa's cognitions would be so
 disdainful of the person he's obviously bet so many proverbial chips on. Right
 now -- right now, they just need to clear a path to her. Joker offers a
 strategy; Panther's response is a silent thumbs up. And with that

        KABOOM!

Ann is off like a shot, silently darting past and through the halls, bright
 blue eyes swinging this way and that--

"I'm not sure I -- Wait! There!"

A gloved hand swings in a direction down the hall.

Roughly where the locker rooms would be in the school.

"I think the cognition looks weaker there, right??"

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        KABOOM!

        The blast immediately puts the guards on edge.

        "Saboteurs again! What are those fools on the perimeter doing?"
        "As if the last time wasn't bad enough. Let's go!"

        The diversion appears to work as the two guards run down the hall,
 rushing past the hiding place of the Phantom Thieves and continuing around the
 corner towards the source of the explosion. The diversion probably won't last
 for long, but Joker's plan appears to be working thus far!

        The Phantoms take the opportunity to continue forward. The slight delay
 has put them a little bit behind Kasumi, so they've lost sight of her again.
 But they are aware of her destination... As well as her fate.

        Panther fills Noir in on the brief story of Kasumi. And there's
 probably good reasoning behind her her suspicions. But the question still does
 remain... If Kasumi is supposed to be that new poster child, why are they
 treating her this way?

        Judging by the signage and rough layout of the bunker compared to the
 school, the group should be coming up onto the gymnasium soon enough. Is that
 the parade grounds?

        The familiar shimmering in the fabric of this reality catches Panther's
 attention. A quick peek through the slightly heavier doors reveals a small
 room filled with several large crates. A couple of them are partially open,
 revealing boxes of ammunition and even some large shells nestled within.
 However, while exploring the room it becomes a little blurry for a moment as
 the familiar looking rows of lockers and benches of one of the school's locker
 rooms briefly appear before fading away again.

        From the look and feel of it, this is a saferoom! And given they're
 close to their destination, it might be wise to take a brief break and plan
 out how to proceed from here. They should still have a little time to do so.
 After all, a courtmartial won't be over too quick, right?