The Hollow Puppeteer

So, this is Mementos... That phantom said something about a "nest of desire."

Simply put, it's like a public Palace that anyone can visit.

I'm detecting Phantom's energy signature... The source is that way.

My sensors detect negative energy accumulating at that specific location at an exceedingly rapid rate.

Sounds like we don't have much time.

Then we'd better hurry up and find Phantom!

Hold up! It looks like we're getting close!

Confirmed! Phantom signal detected!

I commend your audacity, you who stands against the darkness.

Phantom!

Heheh... This place is perfect.

Look here. Just as I had predicted... No... There are more desires than I could have possibly anticipated. And once this vessel absorbs enough of those desires, then the world will...

We won't let you get away with that!

Muahaha! Scream and shout all you like. The more you protest, the more you resemble the dark desires that lurk and twist throughout this realm.

Come on, let's put an end to this guy!

Got it! We've got your back, Aldo!

You're up next, Phantom!

Hahaha! You're just as powerful as I thought.

Unfortunately, you're too late.

What do you mean by that?!

Muahaha... Why are you so surprised? You have encountered my kind and seen our power, have you not? Please allow me to remind you of our power to bend time and space...

It can't be!

Muahaha... That's right.

Extremely powerful temporal distortions detected! They're off the chart!

Hahaha! In just a few moments it will envelop you all. Then you'll all be scattered across the entire spectrum of time and space!

What's going on?!

Th-This is bad!

It's...pulling me...in!

It's gonna take more than guts to get past this!

Ugh! Listen here, Phantom! Wherever we end up, we're coming back to finish you off!

Muhaha... Do you think I'm ignoring your ability to travel through spacetime?

What does that mean?!

My underlings are working to disrupt spacetime and halt your dimension hopping antics as we speak. And yes, that includes not only the wormholes, but also that pesky Riftbreaker of yours...

My underlings are working to disrupt spacetime and halt your dimension hopping antics as we speak. All those little wormholes you have all over? You won't be using those ever again.

We won't...let you...get away with this!

Now, let me clip those pretty little wings of yours...

Nooooo! Guys!

Mona! You're...our last hope.

What?

Waaaaaargh!

......

Where am I?

G-Guys?!

Oh, wait... Of course... We were all scattered across time and space...

Mona! You're...our last hope.

I'm their last hope, eh...

Huh? Is that a shop? What on earth is a shop doing in a place like this?

Well, sitting here thinking about it isn't going to get me anywhere. I should go check it out.

Huh? You were expecting me?

A place for those lost in time?

Yeah, that's me all right. I'm one lost stray right now, that's for sure.

My friends and I all got scattered across time and space. One of them told me I was their last hope...

But what can a stray like me do?

Huh?

My friends...

That's right. I have to get back to them. Thank you, Sir. You've given me a little more hope!

Okay! Since I'm lost anyway, I might as well get as lost as one can be!

Hey, gramps, what are you doing in a place like this?

Hrm? That voice...

You may call me the watcher of fate, Master of the Gallery of Dreams.

The Gallery of Dreams?

The gallery exists independent of spacetime, and lies close to the Spacetime Rift. I spend my days there alone, forever watching over the fate of the world. Occasionally, visitors slip through the cracks in spacetime.

People slip through spacetime?

Well, invariably, all of my visitors are cats. Why this world seems to allow only cats to slip through is beyond me... It's as though the world has decided this.

Just cats?

Correct. Which means a cat like you should be able to...

I'm NOT a cat!

But yea, I'll just allow the, uh, world to guide me.

If I can travel between dimensions without using wormholes, then I could help the others!

Morganaaa's...

BACK!

Thank you, gramps! I'm gonna get going!

That's amazing, kitty!

I must say I find all this most shocking. Mona, how were you able to travel across times?!

I was shocked, too! I can't believe you were sent to some distant era all alone... We were worried.

But you did splendidly, Mona! Now we're all back together.

You have no idea how relieved I was to see that car, Mona.

It would appear I should look into adjusting my systems so that I can turn into a modular transportation system as well.

This might sound strange... But when the wormholes disappeared, it reminded me of something.

Meeting you guys was all thanks to the fact that I slipped through spacetime. For that, I am really grateful.

Haha, yeah. We've been on one heck of a journey...

I know it, Mona. You were our last hope...

Hey, are we all here?

Who woulda thought, right? However... Even though we're back together, Phantom has had enough time to gather his strength.

We don't have a moment to spare! Let's hurry up to Mementos!

Stop right there, Phantom!

Oh? You're back so soon. You don't look like my puppets... Most unexpected.

Don't waste your time sending us back through time again. No matter how many times you try, we'll just keep coming back. We'll put a stop to your wicked schemes!

Muahaha... I admire your tenacity.

But this time there's no need to send you anywhere. Any moment now... The vessel will be overflowing with desires!

Hahaha! The power of those desires courses through me! Soon I will emerge as the master of all mankind's desires! Then I can shroud the world in darkness!

Muhaha... Do you really believe you can contend with the power of desire? Even your desire to stop me just fuels my unbridled power. All your hopes, prayers, and wishes are just weapons in my arsenal!

Desire, was it? Indeed, we all wish to reach for something.

But without that, then none of us would have anything to live for.

But... What we're talking about is something completely different.

Joker and the others have important things to do back in their world... That's why I wish to send them home.

And it's my wish to remove the phantoms that came here from our world. That's what I've decided.

And there's nothing that can stop us!

It's now or never!

Let's do this!

Impossible! The desires...

Steel your blade, Sir Mona!

Consider my blade steeled, Cyrus!

Aldo! Now!

On it!

No! I need more!

I'm putting an end to this, now!

Checkmate!

Ugh...huff...

Hahaha... You've given me another clever idea! If I just reverse the flow of your spirit, I can plunge your world into darkness! Can you see this my friends? This power...

No other Phantom energy detected!

Effects outside of Mementos dissipating. I have concluded that we have won.

Thanks, Joker.

Thanks, everyone!

I don't know what we'd have done without you Phantom Thieves by our side!

I, too, would like to express my sincerest gratitude to you all. It has been an honor to fight alongside such stalwart heroes!

Looks like our job here is done!

We've come a lot further than I expected. But it looks like our Lucniva investigation is finally over.

And we can go back home knowing things are back to normal.

Which means that...

This is goodbye, I guess.

Yes... We have much to do back home, right, Queen?

Yeah, we have a deadline coming up.

This is kind of an anticlimax, saying goodbye straight after we won!

Come on, everyone. It's time to go home.

Yeah...

Get in, guys! I'll get us back home in no time!

Goodbye, you guys! Take care!

Yeah, until we meet again.

Looks like the entrance to Mementos is shut now, too...

Well, that's really it then, isn't it? We're not going to be seeing those Phantom Thieves again any time soon.

It is with a heavy heart, but as they say, "One life, one meeting."

Let us hope they achieve their goal.

Yeah...

Well, that's that then, I suppose. Guess I'd better go report back to Grandpa in Baruoki.

I imagine it will be a long and arduous journey home.

I'm sure the time'll pass quickly. We've got a lot to talk about after all this, haven't we?

We're here... We're back in good old Mementos.

Huh? What were we doing here again?

Weird... It feels like I've just woken up from a long dream...

Yeah, but...

I've got the strangest sense of satisfaction... Like we just finished an important mission, or something.

That's strange. I was just about to say the same thing.

Actually, I felt the same too... And I'm not just saying that because Inari did.

Huh? You guys felt that too?

How strange...

Well, I wasn't gonna mention it, but I feel the same...

Wow. It's so weird how we all felt the same thing.

Heh... Yeah.

Anyway! Let's get movin', shall we?

Hm?

This flower...

Until we meet again, Aldo...