The Trickster of CHS

Change

On what used to be a school battlefield with fifteen phantom thieves against one berserker, now looks like a field with about 98% of all the Phantom Thieves of Hearts battered and bruised with Joker and Phoenix being the remaining 2% as Phoenix entrusted Sunshine Shimmer Lupin to Principal Celestia.

Phoenix is currently facing Tempest Shadow, while with much preservation, Joker reached the top of the school building and he collapses in exhaustion. He spots Shadow standing up ahead, facing away from him. He quickly picks himself up and approaches Shadow.

Joker: "Shadow, come on. We can talk this out." He says weakly.

Shadow: "I don't wanna play anymore..." He says.

Joker sighs.

Joker: "Shadow... This isn't A GAME!!"

Joker suddenly receives a punch in the face by Shadow.

Joker: "... Huh?!" He says dazed. Shadow delivers a second stronger, wound-up punch into Joker's face, sending him flying towards the edge of the building and giving him a nosebleed and a cracked mask. Shadow then grab Joker's arm and dangle him over the edge. He looks at Joker, an expression of pure hatred on his face.

Shadow: "You know, I came here to take my anger out on your so called 'friends' and your daughter, but now that I have you alone, I wanna kill you even MORE." He begins letting go of Joker one finger at a time. The latter panics, looking down at the ground and at Shadow, before crying out in anguish.

Joker: "I DON'T GET IT!" He cries out.

Shadow: "Huh?" He says confused.

Joker: "Why aren't my powers back? Aren't I reliving every horrible thing that's ever happened to me? A friend I've known for a long time is trying to kill me. I'm continuing stuff my Grandfather didn't that had nothing to do with me. I'm struggling with my powers. The school's about to end! What piece could I be missing?! This is the story of my life!!" He shouts angrily and frustrated.

In reaction, Shadow lets out an almost mocking cackle.

Shadow: "Wow! I knew that I was gonna set you back, but this is how you started? The legend, Jackson Arsene Lupin?" He laughs. "You gotta be kidding me. How did a powerless loser like you become the greatest thief of the WORLD?!"

Phoenix: "Joker!!" She exclaimed as Tempest caught Phoenix off-guard.

Joker's eyes widen.

Joker: "I changed. That's the final piece. All those struggles, I learned from them, and I grew. Oh my god. It's not just my powers I've forgotten. All of this stuff has made me forget the first power of my Lupin Magic that I ever had... The power to change!"

Joker begins to glow a fiery golden as his powers slowly return. Unimpressed, Shadow drops Joker to fall to his demise. However, Joker's powers finally reactivate and he stops hovering in midair with his wings of rebellion. A triumphant Joker, now with his regained powers, begins calling Arsene and Balan along with a new Persona, Raoul.

In contrast to Arsène, who resembles a Victorian gentleman, Raoul has a more modern and steampunk-inspired design. Its most apparent distinctions are the black-and-gold mechanical wings made of leather and metal, with a shape akin to the wings of bats. It is dressed in a vivid red jacket with golden trims, a white shirt paired with black-tie underneath and topped with a red fedora. It wears a black belt with a gold buckle, dark pants and thigh-high boots that are decorated with gold studs on the sides of its thighs. It wears white, fingerless gloves with gold-tipped claws at the end of its fingers. It is also equipped with long, gold, bladed stiletto heels much like Arsène. Similarly, it has a demonic face with narrow red eyes and holds a cigarette in its jagged mouth resembling sharp teeth or fangs.