The Casino in Shibuya was in a riot. There were signs of the infamous thieves roaming about inside, doing whatever they pleased. Just what were they here to steal? Only they knew that. It was a packed night and things were only made more questionable as multiple MIB agents stormed through the doors, shoving the frightened and concerned citizens aside without care. They were on a mission to finally capture these thieves once and for all. A shadow moved from above, catching someone's eye.

"…Ah…!" A woman gasped and turned. She knew she saw something move. As soon as she started looking around, so did others in worry. The shadow continued to move and people were beginning to notice.

"There's someone here…!" A man said. The whole place was now looking around for the identity of this shadow, shuffling about in the process. Three MIB agents stepped into the room as the shadow continued to move, eventually coming to a on the ceiling where everyone could see him: Joker, the leader of the Phantom Theives holding a briefcase. "Up there…!"

"He's here! Move in immediately." An MIB agent said while looking up. They found the culprit and this was their case to hunt them down.

"…." Joker held a grin, remaining in place for just a few more seconds. With all eyes in the casino on him, his mission of drawing attention complete. It was now time to make his getaway and he proceeded to do just that after stealthily discarding the briefcase elsewhere for pickup.

"Good, now get running!" Mona shouted.

"This is our only chance!" Crow exclaimed.

"Stay calm! You can get away now!" Oracle reassured him.

"We'll retrieve the briefcase on our end." Queen said.

"…suspects….not confirmed…hold…positions…"

Oracle picked up this transmission. It seemed vague and unclear…what did it mean…? "Huh, what was that…?"

"Don't worry about us! Just concentrate on getting away!" Mona said.

"Their formation has a gap in it you can exploit. You remember what I taught you, yes?" A female voice questioned. "Escape should be easy for someone such as yourself."

"Right." Joker nodded and started his escape, running along the scaffolding above the floor.

"But I have to say; showing yourself above that crowd was an excellent move." Mona complimented. It was thanks to that that the others were able to escape so easily.

"I bet Skull couldn't pull that off so easily." Panther teased.

"Hey, I could totally do that too…!" Skull defended himself. "Why you gotta single me out!?"

"This happens because you have no sense for aesthetics…" Fox said judgingly.

"We can chat latter, move!" The other woman said again.

A few agents made their way to the second floor on level with Joker. They weren't too far away, but they'd have to make a few risky jumps if they wanted to catch up with him. "There he is!"

"Get out of there! Run!" Oracle rushed.

"Okay…looks like the enemy's focus is on him. We can slip out of here." Mona told the others.

"Everyone remember where we're meeting up?" Noir questioned.

"No worries. I can guide you all!" Oracle said proudly.

Joker kept going, only to be halted by two security guards from within the casino. A third one appeared behind him, causing him to smirk as they had the illusion that he was surrounded. "Heh..."

"Take 'em down, Joker!" Oracle said. Joker nodded and flipped forward, landing on the shoulders of the security guard while ripping off its mask in the process. The Shadow was a Sacrifical Pyrekeeper, the large horned beast glaring down at Joker. "Power level…no threat! Take 'em down, Joker! Everyone else, head to positions! Use Route B!"

"You're in the way." Joker told his foe while brandishing his knife. His mask briefly came off, a dark shadow covering his face as her Persona, Arsene was summoned. "Arsene!" Arsene flew forward, swiping at the Pyrekeeper with his claws. It was an effective hit and the Shadow staggered backwards.

"How dare you!?" The Pyrekeeper growled before shooting off a great pillar of flame from its hand. Agidyne shot towards Joker with the sole intention of burning him to ash.

Joker, of course, had other plans. The Phantom Thief took a stylish leap into the air, easily evading the Agidyne while snapping his fingers, prompting Arsene to release a gigantic blob of Curse Magic towards the Pyrekeeper. "Eigon!" It was a direct hit, causing the massive Shadow to tumble backwards in agony.

"Ugh…how could this…" The Pyrekeeper was on its last legs, groaning as it attempted one final stand. But it was too late for that. Joker already landed in front of it, brandishing his knife to deliver a few slashes, finishing this enemy off by rolling backwards into a crouched position, both hands on the handle of his gun, which he fired to end the battle.

Oracle had been keeping an eye on Joker's progress, so she was able to tell when the battle was over. Well, she couldn't even call that a battle, but the tense situation prevented her from cracking any jokes about it. They were on a strict timer and had to get moving. "Okay, pull out before their backup gets here!"

"Good, you defeated them with ease." Mona said.

"More of them!? Be careful…!" Oracle warned.

There was nothing at first, but then three more Shadows spawned around Joker, one even wielding a stun baton. It swung at Joker, but he evade the incoming swing with a nimble backflip, using this momentum to jump up onto some platforms above him, and then onto the next floor, which led to the back corridors of the Casino. "Too slow."

"Joker, behind you! Go through that door!" He was told by Oracle. Following her guidance, Joker did just that. Now he was within the maze of the back hallways of the building. "You should be able to get out that way, hurry!"

"Dude, can he even hear us?" Skull frantically questioned.

"Don't worry. I'm picking up everyone's voices! Go Joker!" Oracle's voice ushered him to go on. "Hm…? Wait a sec…what the…I'm getting a weird reading coming your way! Come on, run!"

"Tch…we got away from the guys in black, but there are still more of them…" Skull complained.

"We should be able to slip past these few numbers. Keep close and don't stray too far off!" The other female told Skull. They could complain after they escaped.

"She's right! Just keep moving!" Queen said.

Time to make up for lost time. Joker sprinted through the corridors, coming to a halt after opening a door. An agent was visible through the glass, but he was unable to find Joker. "Where'd they go!? Damn it! No confirmation on the suspects location." And he ran off, continuing to search for the elusive Phantom Thief.

Just as Joker rounded a corner, there was another man standing at the stairs, blocking off the only escape route. "Hide!" Oracle advised, and Joker stealthily hide behind a few crates, blending in with the shadows. "You'll never be able to escape if you just keep fighting…"

"I got it." Joker replied, moving from one crate to another. With no one able to confirm his location in this area, the agent had no choice but to move on.

"Hey, are you sure he came this way…? Understood! I will continue the search!" The agent then ran off, unaware that the one he was searching for was only a few feet away.

With the path clear, Joker then ran up the stairs, only to come to a halt once more. Another agent was blocking the only exit. "Ugh! How many of them are there!?" Oracle was getting annoyed by this. There were far more agents that she anticipated.

"What's the matter?" Crow asked. "The security level might rise if you take too long."

"I know! I'm just looking for an alternate route…!" Oracle explained.

Joker looked up and nodded. "Found one." He then swung his hand forward, making use of his grappling hook to swing up onto the platform above.

"Now go straight through that door! It's right head!" Oracle said. Joker was so close to escape. Joker went through what appeared to be a storage room, but Oracle dectected something that immediately made him stop. "Joker, stop! There's an enemy right near you!"

"…!" Joker flipped back, two Shadows appearing in front of him. As soon as he landed, there were four more, leaving him completely surrounded in a 1 on 6 scenario.

"Even you can't take on this many…" Oracle grit her teeth.

"There are far too many…! Will he be all right!?" The other woman questioned.

"I…what?" It looked like Oracle was picking up something that would make things potentially worse. "That weird reading is coming your way too…!" This could be going from bad to worse…

But that was when a mysterious masked girl walked down from the stairs, heels clicking along the floor. "I'll end this right now…"

"Joker, it's her! She's the weird reading I've been getting!" Oracle said.

The woman drew her rapier and threw it across the room, stabbing a Shadow from afar, causing it to slump over. With all attention on her, the Shadows began to attack, one swinging its stun baton at her. The girl showed fantastic athletic prowess with a side flip to easily evade the attack. At the same time, she bent back, drew her musket, and fired, killing a Shadow instantly. With a few steps forward and a front flip, she aimed her musket at another shadow, firing and taking it down, landing in a crouched position.

"…." Joker was stunned. The girl had improved in such a short time he couldn't help but be impressed.

"My weak self relied on you so much." The girl said while stepping towards the Shadow she had impaled from afar, lifting her heel to kick her sword up and out of it, killing the Shadow while grabbing her sword. The three remaining Shadows behind her shifted into their true forms; an Arrogant Bird along with two tigers wielding two swords. "That ends today! Let's do this, Senpai!"

"Right!" Joker smirked, the numbers now in their favor in a 2 to 3 scenario.

"The enemy readings have decreased…?" Oracle was confused.

Mona, however, had an idea of what was going on. "That's…"

The battle started off with the bird casting Garudyne, a violent vortex of wind moving to strike the girl who arrived. But with angelic grace, she was able to easily evade this attack, practically ignoring that she was targeted in the first place. "It's been a while since we've last fought side by side. Now it's my turn to help you!" What came next was hardly even a fight. The girl summoned her Persona, making use of the Vorpal Blade skill. Numerous slashes were delivered to all enemies, the severity of the strike knocking them down. Once they were knocked down, Joker and the girl held them at gunpoint for but a second, before initiating the All Out Attack! The brutal attack from all angles was enough to fell the three enemies within seconds.

"Thanks." Joker gave the girl a nod of gratitude. She really saved him from a bind.

"I think…that's the last of them…?" The girl wasn't so sure. Everything was on high alert so they were far from out of the woods.

"I genuinely have no idea what just happened, but I take it you're okay?" Oracle could see the silver lining there, but they were still in the oven. "Wait, enemy backup is coming your way! You need to get out of there!"

"Please go." The girl said. "I'm going to make it harder for them to track you down. You still need something to do as a Phantom Thief, right?" In response to her question, Joker nodded. "Then I won't stop you. Since I'm not a member of the Phantom Thieves I have no right to interfere." The girl then jumped up onto a vent to gain higher ground. "But please, don't forget the promise we made, okay?"

"Joker, you need to get out of there! Go go go!" Oracle would keep pestering him to move until he was safe. "Up those stairs, go!"

Joker wasn't going to argue either. He knew how urgent this situation was. He snuck through the corridors, overhearing someone in a room wanting all of the Theives to be hunted down and killed. He finally came out to the top floor, staring across the way out the window. "…"

"Something wrong? The exit should be up ahead…" Oracle said.

"Through there…?" Joker asked. The window was his only?

"Ngh…that's just how it is…" Oracle sighed.

"After that commotion, the bottom floor…" Queen began.

"Is completely closed off…hey, can you make it?" Panther asked.

"Over there!" Three agents finally caught up to Joker, holding their guns out. "There's nowhere to run!"

Joker didn't say anything, but the look on his face told them that he had other plans. He jumped onto the railing, much to the shock of the agents, and began to run along it towards the window. "See ya!" The Phantom Thief said cockily, leaping out the window with a stylish flip, the shards of glass gleaming in the night as Joker flipped through the air.

"…What a show off…" Oracle was rolling her eyes. Joker couldn't see it, but he felt it.

"Was there really a need to be so extra?" The other girl was groaning. It worked, but it seemed a bit much to her.

"You're so reckless, you know that?" Panther also had to join in on the eye rolling.

Joker struck the landing, crouching as the glass fell all around him. It looked like he finally escaped from the police onslaught! But…this was only just the beginning. Several lights lit up in his face, forcing him to shield his eyes from the light. Who was waiting for him? Only dozens upon dozens of cops, all armed with riot gear. "…!"

"What…these readings…" Oracle was shaken. "Enemies here!? These readings…it can't be…!"

"What happened?!" Skull demanded to know.

"An ambush!?" Queen gasped.

"But how!?" The girl asked. "T-There are so many..!"

"Joker can you handle this!?" Mona asked.

"Joker…!" Fox yelled.

"Oh no…!" Noir gasped.

"GET HIM!"

Time to go. Joker started to dash, easily outrunning the cops that chased him. Finding a ladder nearby, he jumped onto it and started to climb, looking back at the cops who couldn't reach him. "Heh…" And as he climbed up, he looked up only to see a few more cops waiting for him. He was staring down several gun barrels and he cornered himself. A cop then raised his gun and slammed it into Joker, knocking him down to the ground. "Gaaaaah!"

And as soon as Joker hit the ground, it was over. The cops began to swarm all over him and pinned him to the ground, cuffing him. At long last, they captured the leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves. "Suspect secure!"

"…" Joker was silent as he was finally caught.

"Didn't expect to find some kid." A high ranking officer said while leaning down, gripping Joker by the back of his head. "You have your teammate to thank for this. You were sold out."

"…" Sold out. Joker couldn't believe it….

.

.

While Joker fell into the clutches of the police, the rest of the Phantom Thieves made a clean getaway at his expense. They gathered as far away from the Prosecutors Office as possible, using the access way in Shibuya to collect their thoughts. Ryuji Sakamato, Morgana, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Niijima, Futaba Sakura, Haru Okumura, Goro Akechi, and Hifumi Togo just narrowly escaped police custody. "This is bullshit! We gotta do somethin'!"

"Be quiet!" Ann spoke in a hushed tone. They were only able to slip away because of Joker and now the police force was on high alert, still looking for the remaining thieves.

"Lady Ann's right! If you try anything stupid Ryuji, they'll arrest you too." Morgana scolded.

"But…I can't believe that just happened!" Ryuji was clearly pissed off. "How did they find us!?"

"That's a good question…" Akechi seemed just as troubled as the others. "To bring such a heavy force after us…"

"Should we…really be discussing this now?" Hifumi glanced around. She was feeling extremely paranoid since the police activity in Shibuya was startlingly high. Higher than it ever had been before. "I am worried about him as well, but…"

"Hifumi's right. I don't think it's wise for us to stay as a group right now." Makoto suggested. The only reason they were still together was because they were waiting on individual trains.

"It might be wise for us to go our separate ways for the time being." Yusuke said.

"Yes…we do still have school tomorrow…" Makoto hated to bring that up.

"I can't think about school at a time like this!" Ryuji groaned.

"Me neither…" Haru frowned, looking down at the ground. They pulled off the heist, but lost their leader in the process. Considering everything else going on in her life, this only added to her complicated plate.

"Do not worry." Akechi spoke up. "I'll have to pull some strings, but I'll see to it that no harm befalls was not part of our deal after all."

"Akechi…" Makoto started.

"…" Futaba, however, didn't say a word.

"For now, we should do as Niijima-san suggests. We should part ways for the time being." Akechi said and everyone agreed with the sentiment. Everyone parted ways, and as soon as Akechi was out of eye and earsight…there was a malicious grin replacing that innocent smile of his. "Fools. They fell right into our trap. This is the end of the Phantom Thieves. Once their leader 'commits suicide', the rest of them will follow suit…" Akechi already knew where to go, returning to his pleasant boy persona while making way to the police station. He was going to have a busy day once Ren Amamiya was placed in the interrogation room.

.

.

Left with little choice but to part ways for the evening, Hifumi and Yusuke rode the same train back home. Hifumi was looking out the window, thinking about the events that occurred. "The police ambush…it was startling to have to deal with that."

"I know how you feel." Yusuke said in agreement. "To think they would bring such a large force to capture us. We have to thank Joker for allowing us escape."

It was then Hifumi looked towards Yusuke worriedly. "Do you think he'll be okay…?"

"He's gotten out of tough spots before. He is a man who has taught me much and I believe in his abilities." Yusuke said with a nod. "There is a lot of pressure on him now, I admit. But if anyone can pull this off, it will be him. It can only be him…"

"Mm…" Nodding, Hifumi looked back out the window once more. "I believe in him, too…" There was nothing they could do now but wait. This was a very pivotal moment for the Phantom Thieves as a whole. While riding the train back home, Hifumi could not help but think about the events in her life that led her to this moment. She could have never imagined fighting alongside the Phantom Thieves, or running from the police. It all started on that fateful day, several months ago….