Fandom Persona 5: The Meta War CLOSED

[That Weird girl]

Ann felt really useless in this fight since she did not know what to do against these guys and how to aid her teammates. She would just shoot at the enemy and hoped it hit someone, unlike Shiro she was not really the fighter. The stream of bullets hit her knocking her to the ground and Ann thought this was over for her as she was now bleeding out in an unfamiliar world that she didn't even know if she would just die or if someone would save the thieves. This is your fault Ann thought to herself and how she likely disappointed Shiro and the other persona users. "Come on Carmen!" Ann pleaded, "Give others some strength and drain mine..."

Carmen would then put up a healing barrier around the group that were still there. Sadly she could not reach Shiro but Ann tried to help out as much as she could since it seemed like the thieves could be defeated. She was going to either die of blood loss or one of the goons would finish her off and Ann didn't want that to happen to her or anyone in this group even Morgana. Isao was pissed at her probably for brining this situation on but then again he would have never transformed.

Morgana fell to the ground from the attacks and shadows quickly rushed to keep him down. He was too weak to continue his rampage although he did not give up and struggled to get out of the shadows foot. He needed to escape with the team since the battle was not going too well. His thoughts of Masami went away for a second and was replaced with hatred for the meta jerks. They have bested him and bruised his ego in front of Masami and that was going to be a mistake they would regret soon.

"Thats all you got?" Morgana asked them, "because I-" A shadow bashed their shield at the cat to shut him up and another one grabbed him and held him up wondering what their bosses wanted them to do with the cat. Morgana had a trick up his sleeve though like he always did but he wasn't sure if he would be forced to play his Morgana bus card and run over these shadows. Also it would make a good escape too but he would have to be fast.

 

[Anthem]

Imato kept fighting against the armored shadows one by one until he was eventually knocked back by a bolt that had pierced through many shadows to reach him, before he could recover from such a blow bullets whizzed past him and almost instantly some met his body sending him down to his knees. This is when the exhaustion was finally starting to take effect on his physical and mental capabilities, the sheer danger that threatened his life, he had finally recognized it. 'What sort of damned fate is this? To unlock a grand power just to be taken down by some petty group of assassins?! This can't be where it ends...' Imato looked around for some sort of hope until a wave of relief washed over him, his aches being reduced from the screaming pain they were.

Looking back to see what had healed him and the people within a somewhat close vicinity, he spotted the blonde he followed to get here with her Persona which had attempted to heal all the allied Persona users. With a small smirk, Imato was back onto his feet with the his saber clutched tightly in hand. "Thanks for the help blondie! But you better get up real soon, we still got a lot of ass to kick before we can get out of here alive!" He called out, his smirk fading more into more of a determined grin as Loki would reappear behind the teen, looking back at Carmen before facing the shadows once more.

Imato ran out, specifically to the ones who were holding the egotistical cat since they were the closest at the moment. He would cut off the arm of the shadow holding the small thief as Loki would swing his blades at surrounding shadow who tried to get close. "Maybe don't brag when your the one getting beaten?" Imato snickered before facing the remaining force of shadows and sighing, finally realizing an all out assault maybe wasn't the best of all plans. He gazed to where one of the allied persona users had been caught by the enemy called 'Slayer' and shook his head, knowing that interfering wouldn't help. "Alright, Loki! Time for one hell of a defense!" He called out to his persona, getting ready to take on anymore shadows that dared to approach. Loki stood tall and strong, his gaze piercing into the squadron of shadows, ready for another brawl.

 

[Maeve Valor]

Masami noticed Haze use some sort of ability and immediately afterward, her as well as her allies all stopped glowing purple indicating that the barrier was no longer there. She assumed that this was his doing as she gritted her teeth wondering what to do from here. Most of what Scheherazade was capable of was buffing up her team mates. Without being able to do that, she would be limited to only using her offensive magic and her melee attacks of which both would inflict standard damage at best. Nothing that could possibly turn the tides of the battle.

As she was weighing her options, Thrud protected her, Shiro, and Isao from the barrage of bullets only to be charged at from Slayer. She looked to her other side seeing the others looking beaten down yet still had a fighting spirit. And here she was; Her and Isao were probably in the best shape currently out of the bunch so to Masami, she felt like she needed to do more. Since everyone else was giving it their all, she should too, no matter what the cost.

"Let's go Scheherazade! We can't let them hog all the fun now can we?!" Masami yelled charging forward at Slayer as her weapon screeched against the floor on purpose so that she could draw attention to herself. Following close behind, Scheherazade was there sweeping her hand in the direction of Masami's chakram imbuing it with cursing energy so that when she attacked with it, eiga would be activated upon impact. Right when it seemed like she was going to attack she did a fake-out and threw the chakram towards Haze and then ducked out letting Scheherazade get in between her and Slayer being able to take a blow if he acted quick enough.

In her mind, if she was somehow able to take Haze out then she could be more helpful to the rest since he was the one preventing her from doing any more buffs.

 

[accursedjobber]

Bullets shredded through the shadows in a cone from Ai Capone devastating both sides as it cleared a cone from it's flurry. Isao only saved by the grace of his teammate who was now being held by Slayer and Thanoatos. The front of their assault though under going a second wind was under serious strain by the enemy with Ann bleeding out it became apparent to Isao that attention needed to be divided to whether that being the mist, shadows or the barrages. Not to mention Slayer's attack on the lance throw or how the bullets shredded through everyone

There was no pointing thinking this through, there was no optimal plan here Isao thought steeling himself as he left the lancer behind deciding that he couldn't help without risking their life or taking too much time, still left a bad feeling in his mouth. Following the other thief's charge forward Isao diverted his attention to Haze's summon hoping to take advantage of the attack on Haze. Casting Bufu at Arahabaki attempting to stall it's mist and assuming that whatever it stopped before was probably a boon for them before moving on to the next target, moving so that his back was to the shadows.

Remembering a quote from his dad 'criminal's always hate it when you undermine' which would probably not apply for this situation but he was out of ideas, pulling out his gun and firing a sad harmless spray of water at Al Capone "Ha, I have better aim than you can ever dream of, no wonder your so afraid to swing your bat if that's your best shot!" hoping to egg them into attacking away from his teammates bracing himself for this stupid plan hoping to dive for the closet bit of cover if they decided to open for fire.

 

[TreasureSniper]

Slayer barely flinched upon being struck by her hook. The same could be said for Thanatos who instinctively blocked the bladed wing with cape of coffins. "Hahaha... still got a little fight in you. I like that." Sticking his blade into the ground, slayer would begin strangling the girl with both his hands. "Do you feel that? Your life slowly slipping away. Mortality is such a fragile thing, HAHAHAHAHA" He was truly twisted, taking full pleasure in the suffering of the foe in front of him. Despite home being completely oblivious to Masami's oncoming attack, his allies didn't seem to be too bothered.

The remaining shadows charged toward the injured members of the Phantom thieves, while their numbers were cut down, they were likely more than enough to take them on in their weakened state. Haze, seeing the chakram fly towards him, did nothing, only briefly looking at it before turning his attention back to Slayer and Shiro. The chakram would hit haze head-on, however, both the physical strike and the cursed energy streaming to it would have no effect on him, revealing that he was immune to the curse element as well. Haze in response to seeing her attempt to interfere with the fight would immediately raise his staff to point towards the girl's persona, commanding his own to cast debilitate on it, severely debuffing the girl's persona.

With her significantly slower speed, Al Capone was able to intercept Scheherazade, grabbing hold of her with his free hand while unloading a few more shots into her back at point-blank range, trying to force her down to the ground. Fixer himself jumped into action, smacking the girl hard on the head, to knock her down a peg. "I dont like hitting girls. So it's best if you stay down." However, thanks to Isao brief antagonization, Al Capone immediately turns his guns onto the young man and lets out another stream of bullets toward him. "That goes for bozos like you as well! Just stay out of our way and let Slayer have his fun.." the robot-headed man warned the rest of the crew as he watch his teammate slowly squeeze the life out of the lady.

At this point, the rest of the phantoms would be pinned down by the anti-riot shadows. However, Haze would suddenly interupt Slayer's fun with a warning. "Slayer, Back off now!" He yelled to his friend before a large buster resembling the hand of a clock came flying between the Meta merc and Phantom thief, finally forcing them separate. The sword would impact the ground, with great force, planting it deep into the ground. Seconds later, the helicopters around the group for explode in unison, causing all of to come crashing down much to the shadows' panic.



A cloaked figure descends from the ceilling, firing away at the shadows with pin-point precision from his dual pistols in rapid succession. By the time he hit the ground, all the shadows that were pinning the thieves down were nothing more than a black puddle. Landing right in front of Shiro and Slayer, the Meta merc quickly to a step back towards each other, immediately recognizing who he was. Pulling his sword from the ground, he rests it against his shoulder with one arm while the other gestures to them to come at him. "Mind if I cut in?" The unseen helper has returned.

"You....I am not afraid of you! You're not a legend to me. Just another piece of shit in my way!" Slayer, seemingly unphased by the sudden appearance of this masked figure, charges forward, swinging widly at his enemy. Thanatos would release Thrud and soon join his master. Despite the two acting in sync with one another, the masked figure was simply too elusive in his movements. He would finally counter both the persona and its user by sticking a white talisman on each of their bodies with his free hand. A short moment later, the talisman's would explode in a bright flash, inflicting light damage onto both user and persona, prompting them to fall flat onto the ground squirming in pain. "You....you bastard.." Slayer muttered as he struggled to get up. "Now then... who's next?" He turned towards the remaining Meta mercs only to quickly be greeted by the arrival of four other Meta mercs. Frostbite, Hardshell, Rex and Roadkill. The latter quickly recognized an and gave her a friendly wave.

The tension in the air was palpable, and it looked like it could go either way. "Let us cease this needless bloodshed. Neither of our sides is able to engage in combat without sustaining heavy casualties. By the decree of the All-Father, let us cease our hostilities and finish this another day." The tiger-armored man spoke up as Hardshell came to retrieve the fallen Slayer. "Send him my regards." The masked man replied before taking out a smoke grenade from his cloak, releasing a white cloud of cover over the phantom thieves and gesturing them to leave. "I'll get you for this...Baron...." Slayer cursed out under his breath before fainting.

Carrying Shiro over his shoulder, he would lead them to a more secluded area of the metaverse where the shadows seemed to avoid. It resembled a cafe of some sort, one called, Leblanc. It even had a shadow attendant that resembled an old man. The masked man would give the man a cheeky salute as he entered the cafe and place Shiro on one of the seats. He took a moment to admire the size of the team, noting that it was doubled its numbers but not so much its strength. "So just because you guys took down Kajiki and recruited a few new members you think can fight both Meta Mercs and cult folk at the same time?" He spoke like a father, dissatisfied with his children's behavior. Taking out a suitcase, the masked man takes out some healing supplies for the team, passing at least one item to each of them. "So...what are you guys planning on doing now? It's unlikely those Meta Mercs are gonna leave the palace unguarded after a stunt like that." Once again, he looking for an opportunity to create a mutually beneficial relationship. As it stands, they owe him two now.

That Weird girl Nellancholy Maeve Valor Anthem accursedjobber

 

[That Weird girl]

“Well in our defense we weren’t trying to fight them they just came to us,” Ann tried to argue as she began patching herself up with a first aid that was handed out. She looked at the man thinking of her father when he got upset at her and that made her feel stubborn and wanting to deflect.

“I only have some of the blame right guys?” Ann looked at them but avoided Isao because she knew that meant it was her fault for jumping the gun. “Maybe if you weren’t such an impulsive idiot Ann,” Morgana snapped angry that they failed, “god such a horrible teammate.”

Ann flared up and glared at Morgana, “Me a horrible teammate? Least I’m not some egotistical asshole who is a jerk to everyone.” Morgana pointed to Ann and looked at the man, “it’s all her fault! She rushed in with the crypid guy and that weird guy.” Morgana was a jerk to even Imato who saved him and he was playing the blame game.

“You went along with it,” Ann said and crossed her arms, “you should have told me to stop old wise cat.”

The two were busy arguing about who’s fault it was to even think about the next step. But things wouldn’t get physical because both of them were tired and drained of energy.

 

[Nellancholy]

"Unhand me, buffoon." Of course, Shiro didn't bother to say so until the opportune interloper had already dropped her onto a chair like a load of bricks. But frankly, between her wounds and the exertion of battle, Shiro barely had the breath to speak until right at that moment. It felt like she barely even had blood left in her veins. If the power of "cognition" could give her strength and endurance through Thrud, being beaten so soundly by a bunch of marauders could certainly take it from her as well.

Far worse than the police, or any garden variety criminal, those demons were marauding through the Metaverse, the human mind trampled beneath their monstrous feet. And for no good cause other than profit and the opportunity to get drunk on their own power. Contemptible, utterly so. And yet there was no means to surmount them as they were, their mastery so complete in this realm.

"You needn't condescend to us, errant." Shiro shot a glance at the masked man. "As it were, the cat has a plan, don't you?" She looked at Morgana in turn. "Unlike you, we have no intention of making this wretched place some manner of twisted plaything. All our mission is, is to make Suzuki's treasure material and take it. End this cult so my people can be safe again." Each word was labored, but someone had to keep on task. For Masami, this might perhaps be a chance to defeat someone as immoral as her parents. For the other two newcomers? Was it perhaps simple curiosity?

 

[Maeve Valor]

"Ann? As in Ann Takamaki?" Masami thought when the cat she now knew as Morgana said her her name during their argument. Upon further observation, she confirmed that the woman definitely sounded and looked similar to Ann. She already identified Isao from back towards the beginning of battle, but the other male Phantom Thief was still a mystery to her.

As Shiro spoke through labored words she pondered, "This treasure she is speaking about. Is that the huge glowing thing that I saw back there with the cultists? I wonder how stealing it is supposed to help. Regardless, I'm in too deep with this endeavor."

"I can't believe I'm asking this, but does the Phantom Thieves really operate by taking orders from a cat? No offense, but it's no wonder things went south as hard as it did with that whole sorry excuse of a plan. You know what?... No, I do mean offense," Masami stated as she started dabbing some medicine on her head with a wince.

"You guys aren't going to get anywhere by just infiltrating places like this head on. By the sounds of it, that's what you've done so far. If all we're wanting is the treasure I suggest a distraction, maybe separating us into two teams. One to lure the matriarch out along with possibly those - Meta Mercs was it? And the other to stealthily take the treasure. No doubt they will probably have people stationed there to guard as well. So that team will have their own obstacle to face as well. Maybe a scenario in the real world can kick things off with the distraction," Masami recommended letting her scholarly side show that rarely comes out.

 

[Anthem]

Upon leaving the battlefield Loki faded away and Imato's mask reappeared, he would put his jacket's hood up to keep his identity hidden from the thieves and Baron. He looked at the café-like building and once they entered, he would walk to a more secluded seat so he didn't have to interact with the others.

He remained silent as he observed the group, not even taking a moment to apply the healing item given to him by the one called Baron since he didn't trust that the item was 100% safe of use. He listened to the girl who had been applying medicine to her head, impressed by her planning skills and seeing how she was reading the thieves. His silence ended after the girl was done recommending her idea he spoke up, facing the cat who had been enraged by the failure.

"Don't dish out all the blame to others you damned fool, it's obvious that the enemy were much more advanced and skilled than us. It seems all of us combined don't even have the experience that one of them had so failure was certainly inevitable. Especially since at least two of us just awakened our Persona." Imato explained with a calm demeanor glaring at the cat, not liking his attitude and quickness to blame others for the team's failure. At this point he was considering not coming back to the Metaverse, one close to death experience seemed enough for him to deal with in his lifetime. After speaking out he looked away, no longer caring what was said as long as he was left out of it.

 

[That Weird girl]

“I’m not a damn cat,” Morgana said really annoyed that the beautiful girl would call him that. He looked at Imato and didn’t really look like the words got through to him but he did stop blaming people for the time being. “I’m going to be a human,” he said to the group quietly, “I have to be…I just don’t know what happened to myself before ending up in Kajiki’s palace.”

Morgana thought about Masami’s plan and scoffed as the girl really didn’t know how the meta jerks worked and how many there are out there. “Sorry lady but your plan has problems to it…first of all the meta jerks are not going to fall for that again- remember you and lady Shiro were the ones trying to get the treasure? I think we should get stronger because there’s no way weird guy and crypid guy can fight off a meta merc.”

Morgana was just trying to be realistic as possible with the current situation. He did not know any of these people and didn’t want to pick up their slack. “You all are rookies except Ann and Shiro who have been through a palace before and stole the treasure.” Morgana was simply kind of using the others to get treasure because he didn’t really cared about them except he did care about Shiro and Ann a little.

“As long as you get the treasure it’s fine I guess,” Morgana shrugged at the girl not really caring about Suzuki and what she did since he wasn’t affected by it. He couldn’t believe his crush was dissing him like that after all he has done for the Phantom Thieves. It literally broke his heart and he turned away from the group.

I think I need to contact that strange masked man,” Morgana thought to himself, he could probably make a deal with us about the meta jerks


Ann was nodding to her idea and sighed putting her head on her fist and leaning on the table. Anxiety coursed through her and she didn’t say anything else about the situation.

 

[TreasureSniper]

"Guess chivalry is dead." He joked, noting that the entire group didn't even thank him for pulling their asses out of the frying pan. At least the green-haired girl seemed to be on the right track. All the bickering was annoying Baron, he stayed silent merely tapping his fingers on the table while resting his chin on his other hand, wondering if saving them was the right choice. On one hand, they weren't bad people, but at the same time, perhaps all of this was too much for them. He had assumed to all of them were willing participants, it seemed like most of them were haphazardly pulled into this world.

He had dealt with situations like this in the past, it wasn't hard and usually quick to resolve as long as they can give him a proper answer. He sighed before interlocking his hands together at around his chest level. "It seems to me that not all of you want to be here. Fortunately for all of you, I have a solution. For some, the existence of the metaverse is a godsend, a ticket out of mundane lives, and an opportunity to make choices that truly matter. But not everyone is ready or able to shoulder this "burden". " He paused for a moment, letting his guests understand the weight of his words. "As you have just experienced, Personas arent invincible. They can be hurt, they can be injured, and most importantly, they can be killed. And once they are killed, the user will be forcefully ejected from the Metaverse, from there, all their memories of it will be erased. It will be as if they never knew it existed." Baron paused once more, allowing the group some time to absorb what he just said.

"For those of you, who do not have the strength or conviction to continue onto this path. People who do not want to be burdened by this other world. People who prefer to live in blissful ignorance. I offer you a way out." He didnt need to be specific about his methods, the individuals in front of him should be smart enough to put together what he was offering.

"But for those of you who choose to stay...well, I have an offer for you as well. However, I would like everyone to make their choice before I continue. No sense for a salesman to try to sell his wares to people who have no money to begin with." He finished his sentence with an odd but appropriate analogy. He already had a plan on how both parties could get what they wanted. The only question he wanted to be answered was who were still players in this game.

 

[accursedjobber]

The choice to Isao was a no-brainer to him and though he couldn't speak for everyone the very idea of losing all memories of this 'metaverse' was simply repulsive to Isao. The suspicion building itself within him as he pondered how this rescuer knew what happened when was killed, not to mention the briefcase of 'medicine' from a complete strange. Saving these questions for later, before standing up from his chair besides the counter to introduced himself formally in response to their rescuer's question of will and to ease possible confusion.

"My name is Isao Yagi, I'm going to see this through to the end no matter what so I am all in on whatever this is, Despite my reservations on how things are done around here" Isao said as he sent a accusatory glance at Ann.

Than sank back down into his past activity of constantly staring at the Bakeneko that pretended it was human. His gaze filled with Fascination as he noted the first actual sentient cryptid life being the first actual discovery of cryptozoology standing in front of him let alone the implications of this metaverse's presence, even if it's words implied a inflated ego inside of itself noting that down for late sturdy.

"Can I have anything that has caffeine in it?" Isao turning to the attendant behind the counter, hoping for the sweet energy of caffeine to sooth over the day, his mask discarded upon entering the café out of politeness as well as being counter productive for using a cafe.

 

[Anthem]

'Personas aren't invincible. They can be hurt, they can be injured, and most importantly, they can be killed. And once they are killed, the user will be forcefully ejected from the Metaverse, from there, all their memories of it will be erased. It will be as if they never knew it existed.'

Out of everything Baron said, this is what intrigued Imato the most. 'So that means there is a more permanent solution to dispelling a enemy persona user other than killing them. Most interesting indeed.' He'd think to him self as he lightly placed his hand on the mask he had gained when his Persona was awakened earlier. Imato nodded as he mindfully made his decision, not wanting to run away from a fight that could dispel so much cruelty from the world around. Taking a breath of new found confidence he would stand, still keeping his head down enough to where his voice could be heard but most of his face was obscured.

"Well, if the case of the matter is deciding our front in this battle... I'll stay and fight I suppose. As for an introduction, you all may call me..." Imato paused, trying to think of a faux name to give the thieves for now as he decides if they are right to trust. "Tragedy. But if you prefer something more normal, call me M..." He'd finish with a small bow before returning to his secluded seat as he waited to see the choices of the others. 'Excellent choice...' Was all he heard from the voice within his mind before it returned to it's dead silence, and all Imato could respond with was a simple nod.

 

[Maeve Valor]

As the guy with the horned mask spoke the first time, she nodded in agreement to his words that held obvious frustration for good reason. She also took note from this point on that the total of new people in this group was him, Isao, and Masami.

Masami wasn't offended when her idea was shot down by Morgana, but she was offended when he assumed that her and Shiro couldn't get the treasure when they went into the "palace", as they have been calling it. "We could have gotten it! It just... was in a form with no substance to it is all," at this thought she stopped to wonder how in the world they were supposed to grab something that wasn't solid.

It was then that Baron spoke, giving her and the other two novice's the decision to opt out of the situation. Masami didn't even take a second to consider. She had her own motive for being able to have access to the metaverse. If this place gave people to truly change the hearts of others, she hoped to one day change the hearts of her parents. She could not just stop now when this was a high possibility of accomplishing at some point. Aside from that, she felt that she had sins to atone for, and if it meant putting her life on the line then so be it. She wanted to give back to humanity in exchange for the part she took out of it from her immoral transgressions thus far.

"I'm sure it's already clear where I stand, but I'm in as well. If we must pick an alias for ourselves, I think..." She thought for a moment about how her Persona was Scheherazade, the weaver of an endless tale. "Swan will suffice for me," she decided since it was another word for a storyteller and it fit in with the aesthetic of her bird skull mask.

 

[Nellancholy]

As much as Shiro hated to think about it, it certainly seemed like she bore something close to seniority in this group as well. Well, the only "person" who dwelled in the Metaverse and had their Persona for longer was the damn fleabag, anyway. Him and Ann. As far as she had been set back, as badly as she had been beaten today...she wasn't about to back down. She'd started this, and gotten Masami involved. A "tactical retreat" was one thing, but to try and withdraw from a fight they started? Unthinkable. At the very least, they had to stop this cult. The safety of her gang was at stake, and so many other people in this city too. Would they actually take over the whole city?

And when (not just "if") they beat the Matriarch...would there be another battle to come? Shiro didn't want to be troubled by those damn mercs if she could help it...but for a moment she thought their troubles would be over when they beat Kajiki as well. Only for this to arise...who's to say there wouldn't be more to come after this? The thought discomforted her, but she wasn't stopping here at least.

"As if I would let you 'kill' even the slightest part of me. I will continue fighting this battle, you needn't worry about that." She shook her head at Baron. "And our wise and heroic guide shouldn't have any problem with that, right?" She glared at Morgana.

 

[That Weird girl]

Somehow the glare from Shiro was enough to get Morgana back to reality and to stop being a jerk. He knew that she would not back down from this even if the mets showed up again and messed with them. "I- I don't have a problem with that," Morgana stammered his sentence and gulped to gain a backbone in this situation, "mark my words we will get that treasure whatever it takes!" Morgana looked at Baron with a determined face.

Morgana knew that the new people needed training on how things were done and maybe he could be a little nicer to Imato, just maybe. He looked at Isao and thought maybe he could be useful to recommend the team some advice on how to approach things now. "Well you did transform," Ann said and shrugged smiling a little despite knowing she was in trouble so she sank down in her seat. The Bakeneko turned to Masami, "The reason why the treasure did not show up was because the calling card was not delivered to Matriarch Suzuki and without her seeing our signature and that we are going to steal her treasure then it will not appear."

Now getting the card to her was going to be a problem because it was a guarded building and Morgana thought about Masami's idea about splitting up to do things. "Tragedy, how about you and Isao come with me to send the calling card and make a distraction so the girls can get in there?" He suggested but would go with whatever anyone else suggested about the pairings.

 

[Anthem]

Imato would tap his finger against the table as he thought of his answer to Morgana's purposed idea. 'Isao, Morgana, and I as the delivery and distraction squad. So our primary elements would be Ice, Wind, and Curse. Though I'll most likely stick to physical attacks... Not a bad idea.' He would think back to what he saw from the two in the previous battle, although he hadn't seen much there was enough info for a basic analyzation. Enough info for him to make his decision with a confident answer.

"I'll come along, as long as me, Isao and anyone else who needs it gets taught the combat essentials of this world." Imato started, speaking all that was on his mind with a clear voice. He was going to make sure that everyone was ready before this plan could be pulled off. "Because once we deliver the calling card and start a distraction, it'll most likely be all about survival until the treasure is captured." He added as a warning, presuming that the palace would most likely have hightened defenses due to the thieves' actions today. Not to mention the threat of Meta Mercs at that point.

 

[TreasureSniper]

"Hmmm splendid. Then we are all in agreement. " Baron nodded in approval of the group's newfound resolve, finally fully convinced that they are a worthwhile investment. "Also.....going forward, it would be in your best interest to use a code name. Revealing your name to the wrong people can lead to....undesirable circumstances." Baron gave them a stern warning on this matter, noting that a few of them have already revealed their names.

"Let's get you all properly equipped..." Baron spoke as he walked up towards a wall and pulled a lever causing a chain reaction of panels and containers to reveal themself, full of all sorts of equipment, including weapons, tools, and what looked to be explosives. "The matriarch's palace is stronger than most, but still very much breachable. If I had to guess, I'd put it around a threat level of 20 to 25 at most." Taking a device that resembled a pocket watch, he pointed it toward each one of the phantom thieves, as it was scanning each one of them. "Hmm, that would explain why you were having a hard time against the Meta Mercs. You three have threat levels of 20ish. While the greenhorns are in their 15's which is slightly above average for people who have just awakened their persona." He explained to the group their current strength level. They were definitely stronger than the average shadows, making them suitable for the upper levels of mementos.

"The average Metamerc is around level 30 to 40. But for the stronger ones...like Slayer, he alone has a threat level of approximately 50." Baron went through his arsenal, trying to find an appropriate weapon for each of the phantom thief members. Taking a military saber, a rapier, and a cane from the wall, he would pass these weapons to Imato, Isao and Masami respectively. "When you're fighting, try not to be over-reliant on your persona. In the metaverse, you're a lot stronger than you are in the real world." The strength of a meta user is usually tied to their threat level, this would explain why Baron was able to swing a large weapon with only one hand. "Using your persona repeatedly takes a lot out of you. And you wear yourself much faster that way. Infiltrating a palace is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to conserve your energy for the fights that truly matter." Greenhorns frequently go drunk with power, quickly overexerting their personas, leading to a very one-sided battle, especially against more experienced opponents.

"Doesn't matter how strong you are, if you're hit with an element you're weak to, you will get downed, at least for a bit. You might recall I used these against Slayer." Baron takes out a few talismans from his belt, showing them to be inscribed with Japanese characters that glow with power. "I'll give some to you to use against the MetaMercs." Baron was trying to teach these people not to use their newfound powers so carelessly. By now, the older members should have noticed that Baron has yet to reveal his persona, and has been fighting with his fist and guns.

"In anycase, here's the deal. I'll help you deal with this palace. And you'll help me with another one. I'll stock you up with all the equipment you need and teach you how to fight these MetaMercs. All I ask is for you to take care of another bastard. Don't you worry he deserves it. Afterall.....he's from your school, Heartbreak, Panther." With that statement, Baron reveals he's known all along that these two were from Shujin. "But that is something to discuss for another time. For now, I want to review your options. You said you have a calling card, but you havent sent it yet. Which means we still have some time. I'd advise you to go to mementos to slay some stronger shadows to raise your threat levels. That way, you'll stand a better chance of fighting these Meta Mercs. As it stands, your newest members are a bit underlevelled." He looked at the new recruits, sizing them up, noting that some of them already possesed more advanced spells in their personas despite just awakening them not too long ago.

"Alternatively.....we can do it much sooner with a plan to lure the MetaMercs out while a second team enters the palace and finishes their business. Admittedly this second plan is a lot riskier and puts greater pressure on the first team to draw attention to themselves. I don't mind becoming the distraction. But if more MetaMerc show up, I won't be in a position to bail you out again." He presetned the second plan to the team, laying out the potential hazards of the plan. Personally, he wasnt too fond of it either, since Slayer alone would require the Phantom Thieve's collective effort to take down at their current level. "Once again you guys have a choice to make."

 

[accursedjobber]

Isao took the rapier as he once again regretted not taking his father's offer of self defense classes. Giving it a few dramatic practice stabs into the air as he took in the stranger's words with ominous demands set in, having fun with the sword thing and giving it some dramatic flourishes relishing it in childish excitement that this was a actual real sword in the modern age ignoring his past politeness.

"I'm up for raising my threat level, rushing into another confrontation against them seems unwise considering this gap and it could serve as a good team building exercise." Isao said self conscious that apparently the merc's were double his 'level'. They could also go through 'Tragedy's' rather sensible suggestion of a less life or death situation to actually get started. If they were going to work together it would also be wise to actually be able to gauge each other's abilities, plus it gave him time to think of a codename.

Though the Masked man was a ominous figure, another third party apart from the phantom thieves, involved in this metaverse along with a certainly illegal amount of weapons that one figure surely couldn't need. Well it was a good sign that the rest of the crew here seemed to have their head screwed on straight, as Isao sat back down just now getting giddy that he was making up a codename for a secret band of thieves in a metaverse, distracting himself from actual brainstorming.

 

[Maeve Valor]

When Morgana spoke up once more he wasn't as bossy this time and instead took the team into consideration as a whole. Masami appreciated this and began thinking, "Maybe he isn't as annoying or as much of an imbecile as I thought initially."

As Baron was explaining their situation to them and presented the newcomers with stronger weapons, she warily reached for the saber. By this point she had become slightly attached to her chakram, but if it meant becoming more useful on the battlefield she was willing to forego the chakram. Once she took the weapon, she listened on taking in every bit of information; noting that the monsters they have been fighting were called 'Shadows'.

After hearing a breakdown of their potential options, Masami once again agreed with Imato about training. Thus far, aside from Baron he seemed like the most sensible one to her. She nodded and said, "Right, as tempting as it is to have another crack at kicking their asses, knowing the laws of this world and each other's strengths and weaknesses when fighting is also very important. I opt for fighting more Shadows."

 

[Nellancholy]

"You don't have to measure me." Shiro sighed, muttering her disapproval. To emphasize her point, she allowed Thrud to appear, standing at attention by the table and looking none the worse for wear given a few moment's recuperation. "My only wish is that we all prepare sufficiently for the next battle." She looked over her new comrades, if she could call them that. "No matter what, I shan't have it be my last battle."

The consensus seemed to be that they would do their best to make the operation a smash and grab, making sure not to lose sight of their true target. If those mercs got even the slightest smell of their next movements, they'd be all over them. But the Thieves and their Personae were not lacking in speed or means to evade their opponents as long as they stayed one step ahead.

The next time they approached the Order's headquarters in the real world, and the Palace of that damnable Matriarch, it would fall. Shiro held on to that conviction, having little else left. "I'll be sure to assist you all, my confreres." Her lips moved only slightly, only hinting at a smile through her visor. "We'll show the Matriarch how precarious her tower of lies is."

 

[Anthem]

Although Imato disliked being classified as a greenhorn, he had no right to disagree with the statement from Baron since he certainly had that drunk feeling from the power when Loki was awakened. His attention veered away from the experienced ally and landed on his teammates, a smirk formed on his face once the talk turned to taking down the ruler of the palace. "I agree, though I don't know much of this 'Matriarch'... All that matters is that her days of hellish rule are numbered." He would say with as his smirk turned wicked, ready to get preparations started for fighting against the Matriarch and potentially the Meta Mercs. By now he would have also gotten a good read on the people he would have to consider allies, at least for now and was willing to think that their differences may just build a strong team though that will come with time.

'The battle ahead will rely not only on the strengths we gain from training, but the weaknesses we are able to purge by growing a better bond as a team so that we come to each others' defense.' Imato thought to himself while thinking of the battle from before. This was all the info he had for now but hoped that it would soon expand as their training goes over the depths of what each Thief was capable of, on their own and with their Persona. With a sigh Imato was ready for whatever was next for the group at the moment, whether that be focusing on leaving the Metaverse to get some rest or running head first into training.

 

[That Weird girl]

Day of Infiltration

"You see Ann the problem is that you don't have style like me," Morgana chirped while sitting on the library table next to Ann watching her make the calling card. Ann rolled her eyes playfully at the cat and handed him the sharpie, "You do it then, oh wait Cats can't draw hahahaha." Ann chuckled at her friend and his face went blank and embarrassed and hoped the other members would not see his weakness. It was not really a bad weakness but Morgana wanted to be human more than anything but maybe he could with the help of his new friends and allies that he trained with. Carmen and Zorro both were frail when it came to combat so Ann and Morgana would be better as supports on the team and not just rush into battle blindly like last time and get butchered by Meta Mercs like last time too. Now Ann was more cautious about how she approached situations and knew when to attack and when to provide support for her team. Morgana learned to trust his team mates and not to be so arrogant towards everyone.

The cat could almost see the treasure and his mouth began to water a little getting excited. "Meowwwwwwwwwwwww," Morgana said excitedly and drooled all over the table. He was very materialistic and thats why he become a thief in the first place but he was working with the Phantom thieves to bring justice to everyone even if he only cared about the treasure mostly. He had infiltration tools with him and plus he could always transform into a bus to get away easily. Style was what Morgana was concerned about and he wanted the phantom thieves to be big! He wanted every news outlet in the human world to know who they were.

"You think I should get a gold chain?" Morgana asked letting his ego get out of control right now, "whats the hot look now in Japan?" Morgana didn't wait for Ann to answer and grabbed a magazine about Japanese fashion. "Oh can you get me a gold collar?" Morgana asked, "I wanna be the coolest cat in Tokyo while I wait to be human." Ann sighed hearing about the bakeneko praise himself for the millonisth time today and figured that the others would probably tune him out. Morgana was sure that the Japanese girls would be all over him when the phantom thieves were known more throughout Japan. "Me, Tragedy, and Isao walking down the street with gold chains and some nice fits while you, Shiro, and Masami are wearing expensive jewelry flexing on everyone," Morgana said while daydreaming.

"Stop it!" Ann flicked his nose, "we need to focus on stealing Suzuki's treasure before any of that happens." Morgana went silent and nodded continuing to look through the magazine to find some good outfits for the crew. The phantom thieves were kings and queens and they deserved to dress nice and make everyone around them faint. Morgana was going to make sure they were known throughout the city and Shiro was going to be a famous gang leader who flaunted wealth, well Morgana hoped since he did care about her and wanted her to show off. Masami can show off her beauty and maybe perhaps be a model that is also a thief. Imato would be the coolest kid in school and Isao would be uhhhh he would be a cool investigator or something.

 

[Maeve Valor]

Right after Ann poked fun at how Morgana didn't have the correct appendages for the task, Masami had just missed why Morgana seemed embarrassed as she approached the team setting down her volleyball equipment bag in the process. It had been an eventful past few days to say the least. Not long after joining the Phantom Thieves was when she had her encounter with Sougo and in turn, complied with the deal by joining the volleyball team. Trying out for it was extremely easy for her since she was pretty sure all she needed was for Kamoshida to take one look at her in short shorts and he would've let her join. Regardless, she gave a hard effort during the try-out surprising even herself that she wasn't too bad at the sport. Soon after that, he welcomed her to the team with open arms and a mischievous smile in tow. So far, nothing of interest had caught Masami's attention when it came to Kamoshida's actions. She had certainly caught his attention though and felt it was only a matter of time before she was able to get something notable to report to Sougo.

Masami hadn't bothered to let the team know of the predicament she had found herself in with Sougo. As far as they were concerned, Masami had taken up a new hobby out of nowhere. If any of them were to ask her about it, she would only say that she had recently found a new surge of confidence, which wasn't a lie in her defense. It wasn't that she was trying to be deceitful or anything. She just didn't think it was worth mentioning since she wanted everyone to focus on getting stronger and stealing the Matriarch's treasure. Even though she had gotten closer to the team, she thought her problems to be minuscule compared to other ones that were at hand. Aside from that, she wasn't quite at that level of trust to really talk about her issues to any of the team members. She had inwardly hoped though that one of them would make the effort to outside of the Phantom Thieves meetings.

During her time with the team she learned that Morgana wasn't nearly as arrogant as she previously believed. He was funny, resourceful, and seemed to be kinder if he knew that you had some take-out sushi in your possession. Ann was a kind soul, always willing to lend a helping hand if she thought you needed it even in the slightest bit. Shiro was an open book; what you see is what you get when it comes to trying to understand her nature. With Isao, she concluded that there was a method to the madness regarding him. Aside from researching cryptids, he was a logical person. She often stated how his belief in many cryptids was ridiculous even though she secretly believed in most of them to be real as well. She found Imato to be the most intriguing because she noticed that beneath his cold and distant surface, there was a person that was very vigilant of his teammates. He never showed it verbally, but when they were all working together against the Shadows, his actions spoke louder than words. All in all, she enjoyed the general sense of friendship as she sat down listening to the banter between Morgana and Ann that she had come to quickly be familiar with. "And sorry to burst your bubble Morgana, but jewelry has never really been my thing," she chuckled as she took her hair out of the ponytail that she usually had it in during Volleyball practice, such as the one she just attended before coming to the library.

 

[Anthem]

Stronger, Imato had felt the progress made by him and the other thieves while in the metaverse despite currently being in reality though that's not the biggest change he had noticed. Ever since awakening his persona, the teen noticed a change in his overall personality and demeanor as if Loki had taken his thoughts that were close to insanity, using that to fuel its awakening. This left Imato as a more cold and calculating character but maybe that was for the better, since his mind no longer wandered between calm and insane thoughts. Taking a moment to get away from that thought, he would look at the time to see if it was time for the usual Phantom Thief meeting which it was. With a sigh he would put on a jacket despite the weather not being that cold, and would put on the hood as he started walking to the library.

Despite his growing trust in the team, the teen still didn't bother with revealing his actual identity to the team quite yet. It wasn't to show distrust towards the group but more to confirm that his family wouldn't be endangered by anyone learning that he was a Phantom Thief. As he got closer to the library he would put on a mask from a Halloween outfit from a few years ago to completely hide his face unlike his thief mask that only hid half of his face. Not bothering to be super sneaky after putting on the mask he entered the library and found his way to table where Ann, Morgana and Masami were seated. "Good afternoon to you ladies, and to you as well Morgana." Imato said with a small bow of his head before taking a seat. He would start observing the group in front of him, his eyes not being seen due to the mask he was wearing. As he observed, the thoughts he had gathered of the team came to mind.

'Ann, she seems to be rather kind in general and willing to put her wellbeing on the line to help her allies. She was given a bad reputation from the people she used to associate with but in reality, she's quite a good person to know. Morgana, while he is quite overconfident he has a rather good sense of humor despite that humor being to make fun of others in the group. And Masami, she has shown rather great compassion for the thieves though doesn't go into personal matters too often. Must be due to the lack of communication outside of these meetings... sad.'
These were the thoughts of the group Imato had in front of him, but of course the thoughts he had formed of the others started to appear as well.
'And the others... Shiro seems to be quite straight forward with most things though she does show a lot of compassion for protecting those close to her, a chivalrous soul indeed. Isao, despite his rather obsessive love for investigating the topic of "cryptids" he has a logical mind that isn't easily challenged. Most impressive indeed.'

Imato held his allies to high standards, seeing that they were all determined in their own way to get things completed. He smiled under the mask without saying anything for the most part, the teen was happy to be nothing but a listener for most of these meetings unless important topics were being discussed and valid input needed to be made. Nonetheless he was rather happy with how things were going so far.