Talk no Jutsu do be strong

Outside of Shibuya Station.

"What did you bring us here for?" asked Ryuji.

"Just do what I told you." said Morgana.

"All right, I got the Phantom Enthusiast Website up. Now what?"

"Look for a post with a full name in it."

"I already said there's no info on any big shots. Don't you remember? But man, people actually go put someone's real name on here. That's some scary shit..." commented Ryuji.

"Ignore the meaningless ones. Aren't there any posts about more serious trouble?" asked the cat.

"'I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara.' It says he's a teller at City Hall." said Ann, reading out loud one of the messages on the site.

"A government worker stalking someone?" muttered Ryuji.

"Alright, that seems to be a suitable target. Now get the Meta-Nav ready." said the cat.

"We're just hopping into a Palace like that? Fine by me!" said the blond boy.

"What happened to all that talk about 'unanimous decision', huh?" asked Ann.

"Don't worry. This thing's different." said Shin.

"Yeah. Just enter... Mementos." said Morgana.

Ryuji looked at the cat perched over his shoulder with skepticism.

"What're you trying to pull?" he asked.

"Just listen to me."

Ryuji didn't lose his suspicion, but he didn't say anything else. He entered the word and was shocked when he got a hit.

"Huh?"

In an instant, everyone but their group disappeared.

"Is this Nakanohara's Palace?" asked Shiho.

"Well, yes, but actually no." said Morgana, who was still in his cat form, despite the fact that they were in the Metaverse.

He jumped down from where he was sitting.

"This is a type of Palace, but it's different from normal ones. The Shadows here lurk underground. Let's go."

By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were already into their Metaverse outfits.

"The hell is this place...? Oh, our clothes changed." said Ryuji.

"Does that mean the Shadows know we're here?" asked Ann, slightly alerted.

"Since we stepped in. But this floor is safe. I've come to investigate a number of times. Shadows never come up here. But below this, it's simply teeming with them."

"That aside, what is this 'Mementos'?" said Shiho.

"Mementos is everyone's Palace. Palaces as grand as the previous ones only exist when someone's wishes are extremely distorted. So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace." explained Morgana.

"Now that you mention it, this place does feel somewhat different from Kamoshida's Palace..." muttered Ann.

"So when you say shared... You mean they're just put together? Even though they're just strangers?" asked Ryuji.

"Think of it as the collective unconscious. No, never mind that. You wouldn't understand it."

"Basically, we can change the hearts of those without Palaces in here." said Shin.

"That's right. The steps are a little different, though."

"Let's get going, then." said the black-haired boy.

"Hold on. Are we going to get around just by walking?"

At that moment, Morgana stepped aside a little and crossed his arms, a serious expression adorning his face.

"It is time... witness my power!" he said.

He made several gestures with his hands, before jumping in the air and transforming into his car form.

"Come now, Panther. Ladies first." he said.

"Wha-?" she uttered.

"No way!"

"A car...?"

While they were shocked, Shin already went ahead and sat on the driver's seat.

"C'mon! What are you waiting for?" he said.

Ryuji was the first one to snap out of his shock, and he rushed to get the front seat.

"Hey, Skull! Ladies first!" shouted Ann.

"Stop pulling me! That's dangerous!"

"Hey, be gentle with the backseats!" said Morgana.

Shiho simply shook her head at their antics and entered the car.

"Hey, Shin. Do you know how to drive?" asked Ann, seeing him sit there.

"Of course. I have experience." he replied.

"It's time to fly!" shouted Morgana

Shin started the engine, which made the catbus start purring.

"What a creepy-ass engine." exclaimed Ryuji. His comment was ignored, however.

"Anyway, Nakanohara is somewhere in here, right?" asked Ann.

"Most likely in a place of his own creation. Don't worry, it won't be the size of a Palace. Our next step is to find the entrance to that segment."

"And what's that gonna look like?" asked Ryuji.

"I have no idea. Strong distortions should be a visible clue, though."

Shin didn't need to drive for long, as he stumbled across a very ominous red portal immediately after leaving the safe floor.

"Damn. It's all wavy and shit." said Ryuji.

"This is the place. I sense the target up ahead."

Shin drove into the nauseating entrance, and the group found themselves in a small pocket of space where the railways ended.

Ahead of them was a man dressed in a suit who was covered in a dark aura.

"That seems to be Nakanohara's Shadow." commented Morgana.

"The desk worker turned stalker, huh?" said Ryuji.

"We don't know how much evil he did, but we have to do something if he's bothering other people." said Ann.

The five approached the man, who was startled seeing them.

"Who are you!?" he shouted.

"Are you that stalker? Haven't you ever stopped to consider how your ex feels?"

"She's my property! I can do whatever I want with her! It's not like she didn't treat me like a plaything! What's wrong with me doing the same!?" he shouted.

"You can't treat someone like shit just cause they did it to you! What a load of crap..." said Ryuji.

"There's are millions of people far worse than me! What about Madarame...? He stole everything away from me, but you're letting him off the hook!?"

"The hell's this guy going on about?" asked the blond boy, confused.

Nakanohara started turning into his fight-ready form, but Shin firmly gripped his neck.

"Ack! What... are... you... doing...?" the man struggled to speak out.

"That name you said before. What was it?" Shin asked.

"Madarame..."

"What did he do?" said Shin, lessening his grip slightly, so that the man could speak clearer.

"He used me. And not just me. So many people have already fallen victim to his methods. That bastard would take in talented children, and make them give him all of their paintings. When they finally didn't have any more inspiration, he'd simply discard them."

"Ah, I heard about him. He has some kind of exposition now. It's been a big thing on the news. People are praising him as some kind of genius, but I guess that is not true..." said Shiho.

"Alright. We've got our second target." said Shin, releasing Nakanohara.

The man dropped on his knees, rubbing his neck as he said.

"Aren't you here to change my heart?"

"Oh, yeah. Just stop stalking that woman, okay? Or did you want to fight?" said Shin, without turning to look at him.

"I'm good. I'll put an end my love for her..." said Shadow Nakanohara, and disappeared in particles of light.

"Now that's done, let's go home." said Shin.

"Wait a bit. There's something I want to show you guys before we leave." said Morgana.

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This chapter's additional info is on... Mementos!

Mementos is the Palace for everyone's hearts, and the very core of the Metaverse. It takes the form of a twisted version of the Tokyo subway connected by a massive series of subway tunnels with wooden train tracks in place of rails, with various features of a prison such as chains or bars. The Shadows in upper Mementos resemble those of black humanoids with numerous masks. When a Shadow Self inhabits an area, the walls develop red cracks that resemble spider web or fractal patterns, and the veins that act as the "Will of the People" become prominent.

Mementos is divided into multiple "paths," each of which has its own unique architecture and floors, referred as "areas."

The overall design of Mementos is reminiscent of La Mappa Dell'Inferno painted by Botticelli and based off of Dante Alighieri's written work The Divine Comedy.

The paths of Mementos are named after the Qliphoth, specifically the versions given by William G. Gray in his book The Tree of Evil. The Qliphoth is the inverted version of the Sefirot, the Tree of Life and acts as its Shadow or Shell, preventing humanity from reaching the same enlightenment as God

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Confidants:

Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2

Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 3

Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 3

Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 4

Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 5

Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 3

Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 5