My Key Item (Joker X Futaba) Persona 5 Royal

Chapter Nine: Mementos

"C'mere, you little bitch!" Not my business, not my business, not my business... The sounds of punches hitting someone in the hallway echo, with no one to hear them but me. A girl's voice starts crying.

"Please... Stop... I don't have any money, I swear..."

"Don't. Fuckin. LIE TO ME!" Her scream is cut off by another hit.

"Dammit..." I start to run toward the sounds. The girl with orange hair. Her bully pulled back his fist again. "That's enough." He turns to me, scowling.

"Oh yeah? And what's a little shrimp like you gonna do?" He throws a punch for me to catch. Pathetic. I twist his fist in my hand, making him turn until his wrist pops, making him scream. I kick the back of his leg, making him collapse, slamming his face into the floor.

"Stay down. I won't hesitate to pop more." I stand up as Mrs. Kimura comes running down the hallway.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" I turn to her, about to explain, when the girl speaks up.

"He was helping me, Mrs. Kimura... That boy was hitting me, and this man saved me. It was incredible." I nod to her, and am about to walk away, but first I have to ask.

"Does this happen a lot?" She nods.

"Not just to me, but to a lot of people. He knows all the blind spots on the cameras."

"Takeshi Okuda... And here I thought you were a good kid. Come with me. Principal's Office. Now!"

Takeshi Okuda... Igor did say that Mementos was coming back. That could be something to look into.

*******

I walk to the train station, and open my phone. No Nav... So how to get into Mementos?

"Having trouble?" I turn, shocked at the voice I'm hearing. There he is, the skeletal man in a dapper suit, his obscenely long nose spanning half the distance between us.

"Igor? Is that really you?"

"Of course it is, Trickster. But I sense you are hesitating. Do you truly wish to travel to Mementos?" The tall man's smile never wavers as he speaks, all but confirming it.

"Of course I do, but without your Navi, I don't know how." A young woman's voice speaks up from behind me.

"But why do you think we joined with you? To provide this very service." I turn to see Lady Lavenza behind me, walking to rejoin Igor.

"This is our new duty." Igor says, twiddling his fingers. "I shall be your new Navigation App. You can easily call upon me to enter into Mementos and search out Palaces for you."

"While I will act as the Navigator for you and- Where is Morgana?" I check my bag but he's not there.

"Um-"

"HEY!!! DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!!" Morgana comes rushing out from the crowd of people around the station. "Sorry, I smelled something REALLY good and I- WAIT, LADY LAVENZA!? MASTER IGOR!? What are you doing here?!"

"We are providing our service." Igor snaps his fingers, and the world shimmers and shakes, people vanishing into the red mists.

"Here we are. Mementos. I shall begin navigation to your target." Lavenza closes her eyes. "Hmmm... It appears the new Mementos is no longer attached to the train system, but simply to the world itself. Observe." People walk around us now, dark energy spewing from their feet, clouding their faces, their mutterings enough to drive one mad.

"HOLD IT!!" Morgana glares up at me. "Why didn't you tell me we could still get into Mementos!?"

"Because, my child, you cannot." Igor kneels, cocking his head. "Lavenza and I are the only ones currently able to access the Metaverse, and Mementos, and through us, so is the young Trickster. Now, then, to the matter at hand. Your target. Takeshi Okuda. A young man who bullies others and abuses the system to do it. Are we unanimous?" Lavenza and I nod.

"Well..." Morgana spins around in his animated form. "Since we're here, we might as well do some good. Let's do it, Joker!" Lavenza smiles.

"This way then." She transforms into a butterfly and flutters off. I turn to speak to Igor, but he's already gone.

"Let's go, I guess!" As I run, I feel my clothes transform. Joker is back, baby!