68 69 bois!
With a flash of blue flames, Yusuke was now wearing a black jumpsuit with a high collar, white motorcycle boots and bright blue gloves.
"Thought they are repulsive, these are all but perverted versions of my seniors' work. Let it be known, Madarame, that I only loathe all that you did to their creations." said the blue-haired boy, looking around the room. He spoke with a coldness comparable to that of Goemon, Yusuke's Persona.
"Holy shit!" shouted Ryuji, and this action caused a small cloud of vapor right in front of his face. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Goemon was actively using his powers to chill the room at an incredible rate.
"T-This is bad! Skull, we need to get further away from him." shouted Morgana, who was shivering from head to toe, but in the current blizzard, he wasn't sure if his voice was heard.
At that point, Shin chose to come and help the two. He stood between them, letting Suzaku's heat radiate around them. The large bird was sitting perched on one of Shin's shoulders, occasionally flapping its wings to spread the heat.
"Such incredible coldness. I haven't felt anything like this since Genbu stepped on Byakko's tail. That stupid turtle was immune to ice, but I was about to die there." said Suzaku, with obvious displeasure.
"Don't worry. He's one of my friends." said Shin, brushing Suzaku's feathers.
The bird Persona said nothing, but it lowered its body slightly so he was closer to Shin's hand.
With his hands in his pocket, he went up to Yusuke and spoke to him.
"I've seen enough. I'm satisfied."
"Huh?" asked the boy, confused.
"You're joining the Phantom Thieves." said Shin, clasping his hand on the other boy's shoulder.
"...Right."
Meanwhile, Madarame was freaking out. Not only had his student, who he believed had no use besides making art, shown potential to have a Persona, but also, that Persona was currently freezing all of his guards.
And certainly, the cold didn't do his old and tired body any good. He could already feel his knees hurt.
Thankfully for him, Shin had interrupted right at the moment when he wanted to shout after more guards. The temperature in the room didn't go back to how it was before, but it wasn't getting colder either.
"Alrighty, now that Yusuke got his Persona, let's get out of here." said Shin.
As casual as ever, he strolled out of the museum with the other thieves in tow, including Ann and Shiho, who had finally returned after leading the Shadows chasing them in circles.
"Wait, what about Shadow Madarame?" asked Yusuke.
"Didn't I tell you before? The real one won't remember anything that happens in here." replied Shin.
"Yeah. You got nothing to worry about. Except-" Ryuji was cut off when Morgana slammed the blunt end of his sword into his thigh.
Immediately, Ryuji grunted in pain, but he took the hint and promptly shut up.
"By the way" started Shiho "if Yusuke joins, we'll need a code name for him, right?"
"Mmhm."
"You said that a few minutes ago. About me joining something." said Yusuke.
"Yes. We are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, those who steal the desires of rotten adults and give courage and hope to the oppressed." explained Shin, gesturing dramatically with his hands.
"And is Tea-Madarame also one of those 'rotten adults'?" asked the blue-haired boy.
"That's right." replied Morgana
"He'll pay for all of the shit he put you through." said Ryuji.
"What do you intend to do after that?" asked Yusuke, looking very serious for once.
"Reforming society, step by step. I know it seems ridiculous now, but believe me when I say I have big plans. And even bigger targets."
The rest of the thieves stood there, looking at Shin in shock. They knew that they all wanted to help others, but they certainly didn't foresee that Shin would have such grandiose ambitions.
Meanwhile, Yusuke didn't relax. Instead, he kept questioning Shin.
"What are your motives behind all this?"
"Helping other people. We've all been wronged by someone in some way, and we don't want others to have to go through the same thing because some unreasonable adult said so."
At that, Yusuke paused to think. He had to make a decision now, and he had to be sure. A few moments had passed, and as Yusuke showed no signs of making a decision anytime soon, Ryuji started to feel skirmish.
He was hoping his blunder from before would be forgotten.
Finally, after almost a minute had passed, Yusuke looked at Shin. He steeled his gaze, sucked in a deep breath, and then he said.
"I accept."
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This chapter's additional info is on... Goemon!
Ishikawa Goemon was a Japanese outlaw, and his birthname was Gorokichi. The historical Gorokichi is only mentioned in two sources, both of which were created after his death. The first one, the "Toyotomi Hideyoshi fu", details his attempted assassination of the shogun Hideyoshi Toyotomi, his capture, and his execution alongside his young son in 1594. Goemon's death by being boiled alive was also described in a second historical source by Pedro de Morejon who transcribed his name as "Ixicava Goyemon." As time passed, Goemon's story was expanded to make him a hero similiar to Robin Hood, robbing the rich and giving his spoils to the poor. Stories from the 19th and the 20th century also make him out be a skilled ninja. Goemon and his infamous death eventually became the subject of various bunraku and kabuki plays.
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Confidants:
0. Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2
I. Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 3
1. Takuto Maruki (The Councillor) - Rank 1
II. Makoto Niijima (The Priestess) - Rank 2
IV. Yusuke Kitagawa (The Emperor) - Rank 2
V. Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 3
VI. Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 7
VII. Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 6
IX. Futaba Sakura (The Hermit) - Rank 3
XIII. Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 4
XVIII. Saki Yoshiko (The Moon) - Rank 2
XIX. Sho Minazuki (The Sun) - Rank 1
XX. Sae Niijima (The Judgement) - Rank 1
Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 8
