My Key Item (Joker X Futaba) Persona 5 Royal

Chapter Seventeen - Psychotic

I'm sitting in the waiting room of Dr. Takemi's Clinic. It's been almost three hours and Futaba had called all the Phantom Thieves. Even Ryuji had made the trip from Hometown. When I had got the call, I closed up shop immediately, heading to the clinic, my patrons very understanding, leaving without complaint. Futaba was already there when I arrived, talking to Ann. She made a few more calls, and the Phantom Thieves arrived in a steady trickle, even Yusuke Kitagawa, who was supposed to be on a plane to America for an art show.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Sumire whispers to me, fidgeting with the ribbon she used to wear when she was Kasumi. I nod, my face still grim.

"Of course. He's a tough guy, and I'd put my trust in Tae Takemi over a hospital in a heartbeat. I'm... I'm sure he'll be okay." At that moment, a thin woman with delicate features bursts through the door.

"MY BABY! WHERE IS MY BABY BOY!?!" It was Mrs. Kurusu. I had met her when she came to Shibuya on business and decided to drop by on us. She seemed to like Futaba and thought it was sweet how shy she was. I had no idea her voice could get so loud. Ryuji and Ann are the first ones to get to her.

"SHHHH!!!" Ann covers her mouth, Ryuji whispering.

"You've got to be quiet Mrs. Kurusu! Dr. Takemi asked us to be quiet so we can't distract her in there." Mrs. Kurusu nods, and Ann removes her hand.

"I got lost on the way here. Will they be done soon?" Igor materializes on a chair in the corner, nodding his head. I had met Igor when Futaba and Akira were upstairs and were telling me not to come up, very suspiciously. Igor and Lavenza had appeared to explain that they were working on my birthday present. Good kids. When they finally came downstairs, I was able to talk to Morgana, which was very weird. The tall man spoke in his high pitched voice, which seemed to calm Mrs. Kurusu down some.

"Our dear Trickster is quite nearly done in surgery. The good Doctor needs perhaps five more minutes to seal the wounds and wake him from his rest. Come sit, Madam." The middle aged woman sits next to the grinning man, trying to calm her breathing.

I look over at Futaba and see that she's crying. "Futaba? What's wrong? I know this is scary, but he'll be-"

"I need to show you all something."

*******

"I need to show you all something." I look at Futaba, cocking my head. It had been a long time since I had heard that kind of fear in her voice. Not since Maruki's Palace. I take Ann's hand and we walk over to her, and she sets down her phone for everyone to see. I flinch as Futaba gets pistol whipped, and Ann whimpers as Akira begins obliterating the muggers, and I watch in horror as he simply tanks the bullets the final man empties into him.

When all is said and done, we all stagger back, horrified at what we just witnessed, everyone except Yusuke, who is examining the video, moving around the slider.

"He... He went absolutely Berserk." Makoto whispers, "And those bullets should have killed him. That recording wouldn't have continued if he was in the Metaverse, so it wasn't that. That was just pure power."

Yusuke gasps, his hands thrown back from the device, as if afraid to mess something up. "No one touch that phone. Look closely at his eyes. It's only for a few frames, but look at his eyes. Don't they remind you of something?" I look close and see that his eyes are entirely white. No pupils.

Haru is the next person to speak, her voice horrified. "That... That looks like what happened to my father... It's almost like..."

"Almost like he went Psychotic, right?." We all turn, and my switchblade is out instantly. Before us is none other than Goro Akechi.