The space suddenly warped. A wave of both physical and psychological disgust made Taichi stumble. The hand he'd intended to place on Ann's shoulder instead landed on her head.
"Huh? Ah? Wha—?! What's going on?! Where is this?! Naruto-san? Why are you here, too?" The bizarre, distorted landscape that appeared after the space twisted completely shattered Ann's worldview. She didn't even care that Taichi had messed up her hair by pressing on her head. When your entire reality shatters, who cares about your hairstyle?
"Yo, Takamaki," Taichi greeted her stiffly, steadying himself. "Suzui's parents got to the hospital, so I was heading back to school. I saw you hunched over in the alley and was about to say hi, and then we got dragged in here."
"Hey! Are you kidding me?! Takamaki? And that guy who saved Suzui earlier!" Not far away, two boys and a cat in strange outfits were staring in surprise at Taichi and Ann, the unexpected newcomers. The blond boy, who was wearing a skull mask, even called out Ann's last name.
"Huh? Oh, that voice... is that Sakamoto? And... is the person standing with you Amamiya-kun?" Ann Takamaki looked at the two boys and the cat in shock.
"W-Why are you two here?!"
"I'd like to know the answer to that myself!" Ann stomped her foot in frustration. "What is this place?! We were just at the school gate!"
"It's probably some kind of alternate dimension?" Taichi said, tilting his head as he looked at the unfriendly environment. He feigned ignorance. "A few days ago, a monster appeared in Chiba, right? This is probably some weird space created by a monster, too."
"That makes sense... Wait! If that's true, doesn't that mean we're in a lot of danger?!" Ann bought Taichi's lie and her face immediately went pale.
"No, it's not a monster's dimension... is it? Right? Ren?" Ryuji Sakamoto's voice became less and less confident until he turned to his companion.
"It's not a monster's dimension!" The bipedal black cat with a yellow scarf around its neck stamped its feet, annoyed by its friend's foolishness. "They're probably unrelated people who got dragged in by that navigation app!"
"Wait! Didn't only Ren use the app before? But we got in, too. So maybe there's a side effect where the app pulls in people who are nearby!"
"No way! The cat's standing up, and it's talking!" Ann Takamaki grabbed Taichi's arm and hid behind him. "A monster? It's a monster, right?!"
"A-A monster! I'm not a monster!" Morgana said, looking offended. "I was just turned into a cat!"
"Takamaki, calm down," Taichi said, pulling out his phone to try to soothe her. "If you panic in a situation like this, you won't be able to think clearly, and you'll miss any chance to escape."
"So, tell me your name, talking cat!" Taichi said, pointing at Morgana.
"It's Morgana! Not a cat, and especially not a monster!"
"Alright, that's enough," Ryuji Sakamoto said, sighing and putting a hand to his forehead. He turned to his two companions. "I guess we have no choice but to explain things to them."
"I refuse!" Before Ren Amamiya and Morgana could even respond, Taichi interjected. "If you can't give us a proper explanation, I'll have to treat the three of you as enemies."
"Enemies..." Ryuji Sakamoto scratched his head, looking helplessly at Morgana and Ren Amamiya. "What do you guys think?"
"Let's tell them," Ren Amamiya said, shrugging. "They got dragged into this, too. It would be cruel for them to not know what's going on."
"Cruel... Fine, I get it!" Ryuji grumbled, then turned to Taichi and Ann to explain the situation.
"So, this is that bastard Kamoshida's 'Palace'? And you plan to use a 'change of heart' to make him repent for his crimes?" Ann Takamaki looked like she was hearing a fairy tale.
"I see. That's a good plan," Taichi said, nodding.
"Wait! Naruto-san? How can you just accept something so... unbelievable?!" Ann looked at Taichi in shock.
"It's not that hard to accept," Taichi replied. "After all, there are things like Ultraman and monsters in this world. This is just a new addition of a 'Palace' that can 'change a person's heart.' Is that really harder to believe than the fact that Ultraman and monsters exist? The fact that aliens exist has already been established, you know."
"...I know you're making things up, but for some reason, I feel like 'just accepting this' is a viable option," Ann Takamaki said, holding her forehead.
"It's really dangerous! The things you call Shadows!" Ryuji Sakamoto continued to warn them. "Normal people can't fight them. If they catch you, they'll kill you. So you guys should hurry up and go back to reality."
"No!" Ann Takamaki refused without hesitation. "That bastard Kamoshida hurt Shiho so badly. How could I turn around and leave when there's such a good chance for revenge?!"
"No, I told you, you can't beat that Kamoshida in here!" Ryuji Sakamoto said blankly, looking at the fired-up Ann. "Although you couldn't beat him in reality either."
"If we can't beat him, then can you?" Ann Takamaki glared at Ryuji Sakamoto. "I remember someone getting beaten up pretty badly, all in the name of 'self-defense.'"
"Tch!" Ryuji Sakamoto's face immediately fell.
"It's a Persona," Morgana jumped in to explain. "Ryuji and Ren both awakened to the power of a Persona. It's the only way to fight the Shadows."
"So, if we awaken our Personas too, we can beat up Kamoshida with you?" Ann Takamaki asked excitedly. "Tell me how to do it right now!"
"Even if you ask us, I don't know," Ryuji Sakamoto said, shrugging. "It seems like you awaken some kind of will to rebel, and then you get a Persona. It's really mystical; you can't describe it with words."
[Thou art I, and I am Thou.]
It was like a sudden auditory hallucination; this phrase suddenly appeared in Taichi's mind.
"Taichi! Unknown data is invading your body! I can't stop it! Be careful!" X's warning followed immediately.