Chapter Text
Ren blinked a few times as he felt his school bag swing around on his shoulder. The train’s jostling making it shift and slide against his back. He thought to himself, “It doesn’t feel right. Too light.”
He gave a quiet sigh as he lifted his head, staring up at the compartment’s ceiling. “Guess I’m too used to carrying Morgana around.” He smirked at that thought. “I miss being a beast of burden. Sounds silly.” His lips twitched down in the shadow of a frown. “He always insisted on coming with me nearly everywhere. Why the change now? He stuck around even after the team separated.”
Thankfully for the survival of his emotional calm, his train of thought was disrupted by the actual train. The speakers announced “Now arriving in Akihabara. Now arriving in Akihabara. Please mind the doors.”
Shifting his shoulder to move the bag into a more comfortable position, Ren stepped towards the doors of the train, preparing to disembark.
Mona yelped and dodged nimbly to the side as a shadow swung a large hunting knife down at where his head once was. He pulled out his own blade and hopped up to counterattack the assailant, the single blow to its neck thankfully enough to eliminate it.
He continued his rapid scamper into the labyrinth of shelves, closets and other such storage units, hopping over low obstacles and ducking under high ones. Other shadows attempted to pursue him as well, but struggled to navigate the obstructions as well as he could.
Finally putting some space between him and the immediate danger, Mona ducked into a wardrobe, hiding behind the doors and a few rows of hung-up body armour as he attempted to catch his breath. “OK. Need to remember he’s got what Ren thinks are my worst aspects. So that means…” His train of thought abruptly halted there, his mind struggling to accept the preposition he’d just brought forth. “My worst aspects… He really does think these things of me…”
Before his thoughts could get any more depressed, he was interrupted by a crash as a shadow stabbed through the door of the wardrobe, its knife just barely missing Mona. He responded by tackling the door, sending it flying open and whacking the shadow in front of it. While it struggled to get up off the floor with its arm still stuck in the door, Mona made another dash, only to see an entire group coming from directly ahead.
“Shoot…” He muttered, before taking a more solid stance. “Zorro!” Blue flames erupted behind him as the Noble Bandit manifested. He pointed forward, to which Zoro swung his sword in his signature ‘Z’ shape. The movement conjured up slivers of green-tinged wind magic. Those slivers dispersed, only to converge in much greater force and number on the horde of shadows, entrapping them and bursting up in multiple columns of scouring wind.
Despite the force of the spell, the shadows pressed on, very little visible damage taken from the attack. Mona cringed at the sight before he began running again. “Wind resistance!? Seriously!?” He cried, jumping up a stack of books, using them as a platform to jump again to the top of a fridge nearby, followed by an absurdly tall set of shelves.
While the shadows did swarm and tried to climb the shelves, they were not particularly well coordinated, pulling at each other and struggling to make much progress up the structure. This allowed Mona a more solid moment of reprieve. “No time to think about Ren. Need to prioritise getting out of here. The only question is how…”
Looking around, Mona spotted the pillow mountain from which this chase had begun. It was not hard to notice, given how it towered over the rest of the landscape. “We entered from above. The fall was long, but he must have some way of getting back up. Perhaps there?” He mused.
Yet again, his thoughts were interrupted by another shadow making a move towards him. This one somehow managed to climb the shelves while also holding the tool-belt Mona had retrieved earlier. It swung the belt at him like a makeshift flail, to which Mona neatly sidestepped, calling “Persona! Show your might!” His other self emerged yet again, this time pointing his sword forward and thrusting. Instead of stabbing the shadow, the motion conjured up a large gold-coloured boxing glove, which comically sprang forth and smacked the shadow straight in the face. Miraculously, the punch landed with enough force to launch the shadow away, the tool-belt flying from its grip. It shot away with such force that it caused a splash of other shadows, thrown up into the air by its impact.
Peering around, Mona spotted what appeared to be a large statue of the Magician, surrounding by a few glittering pink boulders. Groaning at the display of ego, he nonetheless made to jump for it, landing on the top of one ear before jumping atop the top hat.
Before he could make his way further, the tool-belt from earlier landed directly in front of him, the surprise bringing him to a halt. He could barely contain a yell as he glared down at the item, the constant interruptions building his frustration as his tail swished in annoyance. This motion accidentally knocked over a jar that happened to be up there, the lid rolling off both it and the ledge of the top hat.
Wincing as the lid made a clattering sound while it made its way to the ground, Mona made to begin his dash yet again, hoping to outrun the shadow horde before it spotted him again. Just as he took a step though, a familiar smell reached his nose, giving him pause. “Plant balm?” He muttered, looking back at the tipped-over jar. Taking a moment to truly analyse the items in front of him, he noticed something else. “These tools are ones I taught Ren to use for infiltration equipment.” He realised.
A new idea entered Mona’s mind at that moment. A rather tantalising idea that would greatly assist in solving his current dilemma, if he could pull if off. “I’d prefer to have a proper workbench, but I bet I can still make this work.” He smirked, grabbing both the tool-belt and jar.
A few minutes passed with clattering and tapping emitting from the top of the statue. Whatever shadows hadn’t come running at the sound of the lid falling, were definitely showing up now. However, they seemed to mill about, unsure of where the intruder was hiding, not realising the answer was right above their heads.
“I’d prefer if I had some cork bark too, but this should do for now.” He muttered to himself, lifting the modified jar and dabbing some of substance on himself. He smirked as he moved towards the edge of the statue’s tip, peering around and spotting another set of shelves he could jump to. Instead of viewing it as a pathway to travel along, Mona was instead studying the items filling its shelves, noting potentially useful materials within.
“Thick parchment and some more plant balm. That’ll make escaping these guys even easier. I could also snatch that liquid mercury for later. Mrow-ha-how!” He laughed. Plan of action now in mind, Mona slung the tool-belt onto his shoulder, after which he took a running leap to the shelf, landing smoothly atop it.
Despite the added weight and extra noise of the tools, the shadows below remained unaware. “I bet Ren wishes he could make Stealthanol as good as I do!” He smirked to himself proudly, quietly leaning down and reaching for items on the top shelf, snatching up a few to stuff away in his utility belt. “Smokescreen next. I’ll need it if they spot me again.” He muttered as he laid out the necessary items.
“Wonder how he’s doing?” Skull muttered to himself, lazily leaning against the water tank sitting freely in a quadrant of the stage, looking around aimlessly. Queen’s constant admonishments had killed his mood for exploring the tricks and contraptions the room had to offer, leaving him with little else to do at the moment.
“Hopefully he’s completing whatever challenge it set for him. He seemed really mad at the cognition.” Panther sighed, sitting on a nearby stool, laying her cheek on a table, absentmindedly rolling a screw along its surface.
Skull’s expression turned to a lopsided grin at the 2nd statement “Heh. No kidding. Those things really know the buttons to push.” His smile weakened as he voiced his next thought. “I really hated Chariot too, at first.”
Oracle rolled over on a mobile stool she’d found, giggling “Maybe they’re starting a Lady Ann Appreciation Club! Mona does wear his weirder sides on his sleeve.” Panther’s face scrunched up in mild disgust at the idea.
Mona grinned proudly as he dropped the Molotov cocktail he’d put together over the edge of the industrial vat he was toeing the edge of. The flame-tipped bottle smashed on the head of a passing shadow, which gave an other-worldly cry as the fire spread across its body, drawing attention to itself while Mona zoomed away.
“So far so good. Getting close to the tower. Before that though, I could use some… Ah-ha!” He interrupted his own musings when he spotted one last material he had been looking for, a container filled with red phosphorus, sitting in the middle of a washing basket. Odd location, but Mona wasn’t going to complain.
He slid down an available ladder and snatched the item up, though even this brief moment at ground level was enough time for another patrolling shadow to spot him. “Dangit” he muttered, pulling a pre-prepared item from his utility belt. The wrapped-up ball started shooting out smoke as soon as Mona threw it at the floor. The shadow rushed towards him, but the rapidly growing visual obstruction allowed him to easily slip around, using a half-extended scissor-lift to platform back up to higher ground.
After jumping away across a few structures, Mona settled on a flat surface, pulling the rest of the materials he’d gathered out. He smiled devilishly, eyes sparkling as he rubbed his paws together. “This’ll clear the way nicely! Once I get to the mountain, I’ll take on Magician and…” His plan stopped there, a significant issue suddenly springing up once he thought about it.
“What will I do? Will I get the card if I just beat him? Skull won Chariot’s card because he won the challenge.” He tilted his head, ears flicking lightly as he contemplated the situation. “Magician wasn’t challenging me, just making me do chores, so how would I have gotten his card to begin with?”
“Am I not great? Am I acting like I’m better than I am?” Mona huffed grumpily as Magician’s words played back in his head. “Why would Ren focus so much on me boasting!?” He growled out, ears flicking as his irritation rose.
“I’m still important! The whole team knows that!” Despite these words being Mona’s own, they also furthered his aggravation. “It’s not about being important! I was just trying to toot my own horn. Why would I even try to impress some fake!?” He muttered, his own anger turning on himself.
It was then that one final memory came to mind. Something he’d said long before entering this theatre. “That’s the real reason I’m here.” With that last recollection, his emotions settled and he picked a tool off the tool-belt, getting to work.
Magician stared absently out at the clearing around his cushion-mountain, watching as his staff returned to the open space. While it is expected some of them would still be searching, he was surprised to note a large part of his staff was absent. He blinked slowly as he wondered what could have happened. “Did he…?”
Before he could come up with an answer for that question, his contemplation was interrupted by the sound of hissing. “What…?” Magician mumbled as he saw a white, bubbling mist sprout up in multiple places amongst his forces.
A good few shadows reacted instinctively, swinging at the sources of these mists. Others turned their heads in curiosity, approaching the sources with caution rather than aggression. Regardless, all that lingered in the mist suddenly shuddered, heads drooping, some even falling to the floor unconscious.
Magician’s tail shot up in the air, ears flicking as he realised what was happening. “A sleep spell!? But I- He doesn’t-”
“Don’t need to know a sleep spell.” A voice announced behind him. Magician whipped around, shock crossing his face as Mona emerged from underneath a shallow layer of pillows. It was confounding how close Mona had gotten to him without detection.
“Just mix plant balm and iron sand together and wrap it up in some silk yarn. A few modifications here and there, and you get an easy recipe for Hypno Mist!” Mona purred as he admired his handiwork. It took a few batches, but he’d managed to successfully cover the floor with enough mist to knock out all the present shadows.
Magician blinked for a moment and then, as if with the flick of an invisible switch, huffed and puffed out his chest. “Impressive, perhaps you have the skill necessary for a showman after all.” He admitted, albeit nonchalantly.
Mona ignored the comment, turning to look at Magician, though this time without aggression or an equally puffed out chest. “I have an answer, by the way.”
Magician looked at him confusedly. Mona continued. “What you’re supposed to be. You wanted to know who you are, right? Why you need to show how great you are?”
Magician stared at him, curiosity grabbed by the paraphrasing of his own questions, but still wary given his currently precarious position.
“The answer is, you don’t!” Mona announced proudly, eyes shining as he crossed his arms and nodded at Magician. Said cognition just stared back confusedly, the answer baffling the narrow-minded performer.
“They’re the only place I can belong. I wanna stay with them forever.” Mona paraphrased, much more calmly than he did when he belted out the original words, though with no less conviction. Still not getting it, Magician could only stare at his counterpart, more questions exiting his mouth. “I don’t? Then why do we…?”
Mona sighed in response, bravado lost as he sheepishly looked to the side. “I’ll admit, old habits die hard. I sometimes forget that I don’t need to prove myself all the time.”
Magician stepped forward towards Mona, a level of unexpected earnestness now showing from him. “So why do we still try so hard!? Even if it’s not to prove ourselves, we still push ourselves to such an extent. Try to show the best we can be! Why!?”
Mona’s embarrassment was overtaken by wistfulness as he stared up into the darkness of the surrounding void. “I’m working hard to pay my dues. They… Ren took me in, even though I was just some weird creature he found in a palace.” He chuckled a little, remembering those early times. “I may not have as much to offer them as I did at the start, but I’ll still fight for them as long as they want me around.”
Magician’s eyes fell to look at the ground, still laden with confusion. “But, all my performances. My tricks and talents. Are they all unnecessary? Should I instead be playing second fiddle to my assistant?”
Mona shook his head, annoyed at the interpretation. “For the love of Lady Ann! It’s not about who’s in charge, or who’s better. Not anymore!” His look softened as he took a step forward to Magician. “I don’t need to show how great I am. I need to do the best I can for him and our friends.” He finished, nodding as he reaffirmed his conviction to both Magician and himself.
Finally starting to get it, Magician looked up into the darkness like Mona did moments before. Without any force making itself known, his top hat fell off the top of his head, sliding and tumbling down the hill. “My place is with him. Not as his superior or subordinate, but as his ally?” He looked back to Mona, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “I could help him? Help him find a new mask?”
Caught off guard by the odd choice of words, Mona still nodded along, mentally filing away the information for later. “Yup. I’m a proud member of the Phantom Thieves! I’m here to push me and my tea- My friends as far as we can go.”
Magician raised a paw into the sky, which while distracting, didn’t stop Mona from noticing how the cognition snuck his other paw into his inner coat pockets. A small object dropped from his grip, whatever it was quickly burst in sparks and smoke that blinded Mona.
Blinking and coughing a few times. Mona waved a paw as the smoke cleared, only to stare in surprise at what was now a creature of drastically different appearance. A blue-eyed tuxedo cat with a yellow collar. The feline had the Magician card tucked under a paw, which it used to slide the card forward towards Mona.
“We’ll take every treasure the world has to offer!” The cognitive cat yowled excitedly. “With every ounce of our creativity and will, we’ll take the world itself by storm!”
Mona smiled, jumping for joy as it dawned on him. “Heck yeah! Nothing can stop us!”
“Hmm...” Fox hummed as he studied the water tank, standing on his toes to get a better look at the open top.
“A hatch with a lock that can be accessed from both the inside and outside.” He grinned as he lowered back down to have his feet fully on the ground. “An enclosed environment not built for typical human movement! The death-defying rush to escape while time itself and your own lungs take turns biting at your heels!” He whirled around to the rest of the group, some of which were watching with mild interest, the rest just carrying on as they were, regardless of Fox’s rambling. “While it is not my area of expertise, one cannot deny such a performance is itself a work of art!”
Noir clapped lightly, eagerly following with Fox’s musings. “Certainly! I’ve always wanted to know what it was like, being a part of such dangerous tricks!”
Oracle, meanwhile, had a much less enthusiastic perspective. “I dunno, some of these just look uncomfortable.” She muttered, wandering over to the sword-skewered box, opening it up to show the swords in question criss-crossing the internals of the container. “Enclosed space, plus the chance of getting shish kebabed? No thanks.”
Queen gave her a confused look. “Didn’t we have to coax you out of your closet at one point?”
Before Oracle could retort, they all heard the sudden slam of a door. All present looked towards the back of the stage, in the direction of the theatre’s entrance.
Before anyone could make a move, Fox and Oracle both felt something cold wrap around their ankles. They simultaneously looked down to which they each saw a metal cuff entrapping one of their legs. Their gazes followed the chain connected to their respective cuffs.
Oracle’s chain snaked into the sword box, the swords having retracted without her noticing.
Fox’s rose up into the air before descending straight into the water tank.
Both looked at each other, Oracle the first to speak. “Seriously!?”
Before anyone else could react, the chains retracted to their origins, Oracle dragged into the box while Fox was thrown up into the air and fell straight into the water tank. He barely had enough time to take a breath before he was forced into the water, some of it splashing up and wetting the floor below. The doors swung closed on Oracle before she could take a step out, and Fox didn’t even have time to orient himself in the water before the hatch snapped shut on him.
“Wha!? RAAH!” Skull yelled, already throwing himself at the sword box, though the force of his charge didn’t even make the contraption tilt. Instead, as if in retaliation to his attack, one of the swords near the top of the box swiftly slid in, Oracle yelping from within.
“Sh- Fu- Oracle!” Skull yelped, immediately regretting his actions.
Queen ran up to the doors of the box, yanking their handles to no avail. “Oracle, are you okay!?”
“Missing a few hairs!” The navigator shouted, voice muffled inside the box. She was hunched over uncomfortably with the sword stuck a few millimetres above her head. “Suddenly really glad I’m a little short.”
Meanwhile, Noir and Panther had rushed to the water tank, the latter jumping up the top and trying to pull the hatch open, to as much success as Queen had with the box’s doors. Noir banged her fist against the glass, waving to Fox to get his attention as he recovered from the shock of the sudden dunking.
With these two issues going on at the same time, no noticed a quiet set of footsteps travelling across the stage, stopping next to Magician’s briefcase. It was only with the click of the case’s latches that some turned to look in that direction, others still focused on their trapped comrades.
A shadow Ren, eyes golden and furious, in stark contrast to his casual sleepwear consisting of a black long-sleeved shirt and olive pants. He spared them no further attention, jumping up and diving feet-first directly into the briefcase, disappearing to wherever Magician and Mona had gone. The case slammed shut behind him, latches snapping in place.
Skull was enraged at this turn of events, taking steps towards the case before Panther called him back. “Wait! Skull! Help here!” She cried, now tugging at the lock on the hatch, for as little good as it did. Another sword, near the bottom of the box, had plunged in, Oracle crying out as it nearly struck her foot.
“But Mona’s alone down there!” He snapped back, reaching down to grab at the case’s latches. Unfortunately, the decision seemed to be made for him, as the latches refused to budge. “Damnit!” He yelled, kicking at the travel accessory, though not even that caused it to move. Instead it just left him with a sore foot.
It was Queen’s turn now to order Skull back, this time much more forcefully. “SKULL! Help me break the tank! We need to get Fox out before he-” She couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence, instead turning to start punching at the glass of the tank, the pane shuddering from her blow, but not cracking.
Skull growled angrily, but turned away, pipe already in hand and ready to knock on glass.