And another one joins the team

Inside Kamoshida's Palace, Shin could see a large amount of Shadows all lined up in the main hall. Before them stood Kamoshida.

"Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining. However, I can't allow that trash to ransack my castle! Strengthen the security! Kill them on sight! I'll reward whoever brings me their heads." said the exhibitionist king.

"Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders!" chanted the masses of soldiers.

"Hey, Fay. Can't we just beat the crap out of him and call it a day?" asked Ryuji.

"Look at all those soldiers, idiot! It'd be suicide. And I'm sure you don't want a repeat of last time. Besides, don't you want him to confess his sins? There's no point in beating him up. We need to steal his materialized desires... The Treasure."

"Fiiiiine! So where is it?"

"It has to be somewhere in the depths of this castle. Let's infiltrate further in while he's out here!"

Going through a pair of doors, the group encountered another Shadow. Luckily, Shin struck before it could alert the others. Ripping its mask off, Shin stepped back to ready his gun. The Shadow had turned into a Pixie, which went down with one bullet.

"Seriously!? You guys are the intruders that King Kamoshida was talking about...? It can't get worse than this... What are you going to do with me!?" asked the Pixie.

"Give me some money." said Shin.

"Huh? So you'll let me live if I just give you something? But this happened so suddenly... I actually don't have anything on me... I-I usually do though, you know!?"

"Well, it can't be helped if that's the case. Time for you to go to hell." said Morgana.

"Wait! Can't we work something out? Don't kill me please! Won't you let me go?" asked the Pixie.

"You chose the wrong enemy, unfortunately." said Shin.

"Wow... You're really confident. But I'm the same way. In any other situation, we'd get along very well."

Suddenly, the Pixie gasped.

"Whoa, I feel different! Something's happening!"

"What the...!? What's going on!?" asked Morgana.

"...Oh yeah, I remember now! I don't belong just to King Kamoshida... I'm an existence that drifts about in the sea of humanity's souls... My real name is Pixie. From now on, I'll live on inside your heart!" she said.

With a flash of light, the Pixie turned into a mask which entered Shin's mask.

"What was that just now...? What happened...!?" asked Morgana.

"What the hell was that!? The enemy just got sucked into Joker's mask!" asked Ryuji.

"I-I have no idea! I wasn't expecting that either..."

Suddenly, a pair of Shadows barged in the room. Seeing the intruders, they both turned into black horned horses.

Since Shin knew they were weak to lightning, he swiftly changed his Persona to the Pixie he had gotten earlier. He obliterated one of the shadows as Morgana and Ryuji were dumbstruck.

"I-Is that the Shadow from earlier!? Don't tell me... Did you take in the Shadow's appearance and powers as a Persona!?" asked Morgana.

Meanwhile, Shin had already obliterated the other Shadow.

"Hey, Fay! What was that about!? What did Joker do?"

"He sealed the enemy's appearance and powers into his mask, and made it his new Persona... I've never seen anyone do that before... didn't even know it was possible! Only one heart exists per person, so normally a person can only have one Persona! But this... this is incredible! That ability will give us a huge advantage in battle!"

Morgana's eyes comically turned into stars.

"Hehe, I like you even more now! I really do have someone special on my hands!"

While the trio continued their exploration of the palace, Ann and Shiho had just reentered the Palace.

"This is that place from earlier...!" said the blonde.

"What's up with this app?" wondered Shiho.

"I just said the words Sakamoto said, and we ended up here..." muttered Ann.

The girls were startled by the sudden shout of a Shadow.

"Princess!"

"Huh?" was all that Ann could say before the Shadows took her and Shiho.

"It's princess Ann!"

"Mistress Shiho is there too!"

-INTERMISSION-

"Don't you think there's even more Shadows here than before? Just getting this far's been a pain in my ass!" said Ryuji.

"It's because you guys provoked Kamoshida, you know. Still... he seems to be awfully on guard..." said Morgana.

"Anyways, how are we supposed to steal that Treasure thingy?" the blond asked.

"Don't be so hasty. First, we need to secure an infiltration route."

"A what...?"

"A path to the Treasure's location. But honestly, I think we'll need a little more manpower in order to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice..." said Morgana.

"Hey, you say you don't have your memories and all, but somehow you still know about this kinda stuff? Do you think this thing's really got amnesia?" asked Ryuji.

"I believe in him." said Shin.

"At least you're a step above that moron." said Morgana, smiling.

"Don't call me a moron! You talk big, but what if it turns out you're just some stray cat in the end?"

"That can't be..."

However, Morgana didn't have any time to continue, as he was interrupted by the voices of some Shadows.

"Still, why was the princess in such an odd place...?" said one of the guards.

"Princess...?" muttered Ryuji.

"I could've sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder..." said the other guard.

"It doesn't matter now. We must take her and that mistress back to King Kamoshida!"

"Who's this princess they're talking about...?" wondered Ryuji.

"I should probably look into this." said Morgana as he sneaked after the guards.

"And there he goes... Stuff like the castle and that navigation app are mysterious... but Morgana's got them both beat."

"Code names, Skull." said Shin.

"Crap, sorry." said the blond, scratching his head.

Morgana came back panting and wheezing.

"This... This is bad!" he managed to say between gasps.

"That was fast!" exclaimed Ryuji.

"Your friend... Lady Ann! She's been taken by Shadows...!"

"Wait, what? We sent her and Suzui home earlier." said Ryuji.

"If Lady Ann does indeed have the app, it could be possible."

"Oh no... Don't tell me it got put on hers just like mine...!? Dammit! We let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself...!"

Thankfully, the trio didn't have to walk a lot to reach the room where Ann was. She was just past a dining room-looking place where 3 Shadows were patrolling. Shin just blitzed through the room, leaving dismembered Shadows on the floor.

"Look, I'll apologize for touching the armour without permission!" they could hear Ann's voice from the room.

"She totally doesn't get what's going on!"

"Let's hurry! We have to save her!"

Inside, Ann and Shiho were tied to 2 large metallic X. Two Shadows stood by their sides. A lot of candles were placed on the floor. There was also a big painting of Kamoshida, placed on the wall behind the girls.

"What's all this about!? Seriously, I'm going to call the cops!" said Ann, struggling against her restraints.

"So these are the intruders." said Kamoshida.

"Kamoshida!?" asked the girls, shocked and confused.

Scantily clad lookalikes of the girls appeared next to Kamoshida.

"Who're those...?" asked Shiho.

"What is this place!? Why did the school turn into something like this!?" questioned Ann.

"I can't believe you mistook my Ann for someone like her." said Kamoshida, shaking his head in disdain at his minions' incompetence.

"What's with that outfit...? Have you lost your mind?"

"I do as I please here. After all, this is my castle... The world of my desires."

"What the-!? Is this some kind of red-light district!?" asked Ann, struggling harder to escape.

"What a lively slave." idly commented Kamoshida.

"This isn't funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!"

The pervert king turned to face the doppelgangers.

"The girls decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?"

Ann's lookalike twirled one of her pigtails around her finger and said.

"Talking back is, like... totally unforgivable..."

"In that case, she should be executed." said the exhibitionist king with a scowl on his face.

A taller golden-armoured Shadow came forward.

"Now then, how should I play with you? Shall I tear you into little pieces?" said Kamoshida with a sinister grin.

"Are you kidding me...?" muttered Shiho.

"Takamaki!" shouted Ryuji.

"Just when I was about to start enjoying myself..."

"What's the deal with this guy...!?" shouted Ann.

"How many times are you going to come back here? I bet you're just like those thieves. You came here because you're pissed at me, huh? But, ah... I forgot that wimp's name, but it's your fault that he jumped, you know." he said, pointing at Ann.

"Huh?"

"If only I had some kind of outlet for my urges, I wouldn't have beaten him so badly."

"You bastard!" shouted the blonde.

The 2 Shadows standing near her raised their swords, crossing them just under Ann's chin.

"No!" shouted Ryuji.

"One more step and I'll kill her on the spot."

"Dammit..." cursed Ryuji.

"Just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show."

"No! Don't!"

"Maybe I'll start with her clothes..." said the pervert with a lewd expression on his face.

"Hey, what are we gonna do!?" shouted Ryuji.

"Hold on a minute." said Shin, gesturing with his hand.

The teen placed his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Ann! Are you just going to let this bastard do what he wants?"

"Huh?"

She paused to think a bit.

"You're right! Letting this piece of shit toy with me... What was I thinking...!?"

"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-" started Kamoshida, but he was unable to continue.

"...Shut up! I've had enough of this... You pissed me off, you son of a bitch!" she shouted.

'My... It's taken far too long.'

Ann's body spasmed violently. The girl gasped from the sudden pain.

'Tell me... Who's going to avenge all of his victims if you don't? Forgiving him was never an option... Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within... I am thou, thou art I... We can finally forge a contract...'

Ann was breathing hard as she stopped moving.

"I hear you... Carmen. You're right. No more holding back...!" she said when a red panther mask appeared on her face.

With a few flashes of light, she was free from the large X.

'There you go... Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my power.'

The blonde ripped off her mask with all her strength, and a pillar of blue flames appeared behind her. From the flames emerged the figure of a woman. She had pink skin and black hair styled in two pigtails. On her face she had a black and pink mask with panther patterns. She was smoking a tobacco and wore a choker on her neck. She had a red, black and pink dress that covered most of her body.

Around her waist she had many red roses. The large multi-layered skirt fluttered constantly from the wind. She also wore high heels. Starting from the roses on her waist, two vines adorned with spines held two bodies. Both bodies were wearing dark blue suits with red bowties. Instead of normal heads, the two had heart-shaped boxes, complete with heart-shaped holes for eyes and round barred holes as mouths. One of the bodies was crouching on the floor, as the Persona had her foot on its back, and the other was floating in the air like a kite.

Ann, now in a skin-tight red latex catsuit with a cleavage cutout and zippers, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots, a clipped on tail on the back, took advantage of the Shadows' confusion and knocked the sword out of one's hands, with which she executed her doppelganger.

Kamoshida, scared at the latest development, intended to get some distance to Ann, but he stumbled and fell on his back. The taller Shadow took a defensive position in front of the pervert.

"I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with... you scumbag." said Ann.

"Bitch...!"

"You stole everything from those other students... You destroyed them... Now it's your turn! I will rob you of everything...!" she declared, pointing towards Kamoshida.

"How dare you! Enough of this insolence!" shouted the tall golden Shadow, before it turned into a large bearded demon sitting on a toilet.

"No, I've had enough of you. No one's stopping me now! Let's go, Carmen!"

Even though he spoke big, he got decimated in 2 attacks. So much for a mini-boss...

"Oh shit...!" Kamoshida, now defenceless, ran as fast as he could from the group.

"Wait...!" said Ann.

The girl was too tired to stand up, so she just sat down. Since they were safe for the time being, Ryuji thought it was a good time to ask some questions.

"Why'd you come here, man!? And more importantly, how!?"

"Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman!? Are you alright, Lady Ann!? said Morgana.

"Lady Ann...? Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive...? How can it talk? And... where in the world are we...!?" she asked.

"Just calm down. Everything's going to be OK." said Morgana.

Ann lifted herself with his head.

"How am I supposed to calm down!? Huh? Why am I dressed like this!? When did I-" she said, and quickly crouched to cover herself."

"You look good in it." commented Shin.

"Huh? What are you talking about!? What the hell are you thinking!?" she shouted.

"Well, I'm stumped... A search party will come for us soon. There's no time to explain. Let's retreat for now!"

"We were just getting fired up, and you had to go and get in the way..." muttered Ryuji.

He approached Ann and helped her stand up, while Shin went to free Shiho, who was still stuck to the X frame. Once free, Shiho aided her friend too.

-INTERMISSION-

Ryuji had just returned to the rest of the group, carrying several sodas in his hands.

"So which one do you want?" he asked.

"Whichever isn't carbonated." said Ann.

"Uh, all of them are, actually."

"Then..." she said, picking one randomly.

After Shiho chose one as well, Ryuji passed the last soda to Shin.

"What about me?" piped in Morgana, whose head was peeking out of Shin's bag.

"Huh? But you're a cat?"

Morgana somehow managed to open the zipper even more, so half of his body was leaning on Shin's shoulders.

"Have you calmed down, Lady Ann?"

"Um... Morgana, right? I really am talking to a cat... This feels so strange... Oh, sorry! You're not a cat, right?"

"It's only natural that you're confused. Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is asking too much."

'Morgana is such a paragon of understanding sometimes...'

"Honestly, I still can't believe what happened..."

"And those powers... Personas..." muttered Shiho.

"So if what you told me is true, we can make Kamoshida have a change of heart, right? Is it really possible...? Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?"

"The volleyball team's keeping quiet about this, while the teachers and parents turn a blind eye. If guys like us try to complain, they're just going to shoot us down. This plan is our only option." said Ryuji.

"Then, let me help too. He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after all he did... I'll never forgive him." said Ann.

Ryuji looked pretty conflicted.

"Hey, what should we do?" he asked Shin.

"She'll be great. You saw her fight."responded the teen with specs

"I agree as well. We are lacking in manpower, after all." said Morgana.

"Even if you said no, I'd still go in."

"Oh right, she can go in by herself... I guess it'd be more dangerous turning her down..."

"Then it's settled. I hope we get along!"

'That weird feeling again!'

At that moment, Shiho decided to join in.

"I can help too... I have the app." she said.

"No." said Shin.

"Huh? Why? Because I don't have a Persona?" she asked.

"I don't want to put you through more danger." he said.

The girl quickly turned her face away from him, trying to hide the blush on her face.

"What's with this pink atmosphere...?" deadpanned Ryuji.

Morgana did the closest thing to a cough he could produce.

"Well, you can still help us outside of Palaces. You can inform us of Kamoshida's actions at times."

"Al-Alright! Oh, wow, it's pretty late! Let's go Ann!" and before she could say anything, Ann was pulled away by Shiho.

Once the girls left and the mood returned to normal, Ryuji said.

"It'd be good if we had some place to gather up quickly from now on..."

"Indeed. Our best option would be to get a hideout where we can discuss these things. The school rooftop would work. It seems no one goes there. For the time being, it will be enough. Also, I can't contact you from inside a Palace, so I'll stay in this world. That being said, I need someone to take care of me. I'm personally nominating you. You should feel honored."

"Alright, I'll see what I can talk out with Sojiro."

"Well, see you at the hideout tomorrow!" said Ryuji as he left.

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This chapter's additional info is on... The Lovers Arcana!

In tarot readings, the Lovers Arcana initially represented two paths life could lead to, and thus a symbol of standing at a crossroad and needing to make a decision. Today, however, it is portrayed more of a symbol of love and romantic relationships, although it can also be a symbol of finding agreement with an ordinary friend or even two conflicting elements within.

This can explain that the designs of the card for most Persona entries are centered around a male and female character, though the original card shows a man who must choose between one mature and serious woman and a young and beautiful woman, with Cupid above his head preparing to shoot a single arrow. This drawing is more representative of the idea of hesitation and decision between the "right" way and the "easy" way.

Gameplay-wise, the Personas of the Lovers Arcana are commonly associated with Support-Healing attributes; these Personas are usually fairies or important figures in history or mythology that were known as the wife (or husband) of another figure. Though in some cases, they are beings associated with the union of two people, or in a more general term, deities/beings that are associated with love and/or union.

A commonality among individuals of the Lovers Arcana is their popularity, cheerfulness, and their emphasis on social interaction. Lovers characters are almost always the "popular" ones, if not, then they are the "spirited" ones.

Ann has the Lovers Arcana.

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Confidants:

Igor (The Fool) - Rank 1

Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 1

Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 1