"That's the Treasure?"
The four entered Kamoshida's treasure room and besides the mountain of gold, jewels and other valuable objects was their target: A giant floating crown that befit a king, however even looking at it was enough to annoy the group. "Yeah, that's the one…I can tell." Joker mentioned as he remembered seeing the Crown vaguely from before.
"Seriously, Skull…Do you see any OTHER giant floating crowns in this…in thi….Meeeeeoooooooow!" Mona started by trying to reprimand Skull but quickly lulled themself into a trance before rushing towards the Crown and hopped onto it in a nuzzling fit.
"Uh…Does that…Normally happen?" Panther asked as she leaned in to whisper to Joker and Skull, both of whom shrugged though the blonde thug looked like she was having a ball by watching.
"Honestly…When it comes to cats in this world…I really should've seen it coming." Joker admitted as he crossed his arms; Memories of Mona going nuts in proximity to Treasures like they were catnip was always something that made him smile. "But at least now we know which one is the right one…"
"Dude…Just give me the word and I'll bring a spray bottle in with us if we have to do this again." Skull said with the widest grin on her face as she watched Mona going nuts; "Because I am all for knocking that smarmy little nugget down a peg."
"The only problem is that if this goes the way I think it does, it's gonna be "When" not "If" we do this again…" Joker thought to himself before the sound of the doors getting kicked open frightened all of them out of a funk.
"Let's go~!"
"You can do it~!"
"Let's go! Let's go! Ka-Mo-Shi-Da~!"
The chorus of girls' voices cheered out but no one could see where it was coming from until something came at them and knocked the oversized crown out of their hands with the force of a bullet, it all became clear once the four looked down to see a volleyball bouncing across the floor, the giggling of a familiar man immediately got their attention from the top of the stairs with his "Princess" clinging to him and what looked like a reconstructed Ryoko in a cavegirl outfit being dragged by a chain around her neck. "You again? Honestly, I can accept that those two ladies would want to return to my side but why must you and that little hairball constantly have to ruin my good time?" King Kamoshida groaned as he glowered at both Joker and Mona.
Mona growled as they remembered the struggle that they put up in the real Kamoshida's office and now they had more of a reason to claw his face. "We're here for a really good reason; To take your Treasure from you and to kick your ass!"
Skull smirked as she pounded a gloved fist into her hands; "Hell yeah! You might be king of this castle but we've got a long list of all the scummy bullshit that you pulled and now I'm gonna take all the fun I can!"
Panther however was in the opposite mood as she glared down Kamoshida with the intensity of a Supernova. "Trying to get your hands on me is one thing...But after the shit you tried to pull with Shiho and what you threatened Mona with, there is no way that any of us are leaving this place without you begging for forgiveness!" She growled and gripped her whip tighter.
"If anyone should be begging for forgiveness, sweetheart; It's gonna be you, that blonde monkey bitch and that little wallflower…Once I get this brat and the mangy animal out of the picture then I can assure you that we'll have plenty of time for me to ensure you know your place around here." King Kamoshida leered as he stared down all of what he saw was important from both Skull and Panther: Which unfortunately started at their neck and worked it's way down.
"God, you're disgusting…" Joker grimaced as he felt sick just by being around him; "But you're not gonna get away with what you want this time, we're the bill to the job that you couldn't finish, so now it's time to pay up."
"Such a bold claim from a impotent little weakling like you…I can assure you that once I execute you and the cat; I will have all the time in the world to re-educate Takamaki and that little ape…But now you put the idea in my head: I think I'll start taking in another princess, Mishima maybe? Nah, she's too much of a trainwreck to even have "help" me de-stress from under my desk…Shiho, I think will be perfect."
"You call yourself a king but all you do is pick on anyone weaker than you with anything you can…You're no king, you're just a demon!" Panther snapped as soon as she heard Shiho's name leave the Shadow's mouth but a small nugget of worry filled her head as the King Kamoshida started to chuckle and then bellow out a harsh laughter.
"You're right, I am both…A King AND A DEMON! And my rule around here is absolute!" Kamoshida's body started to crack and morph, a chain that remained gripped in his other hand tugged forwards as both "Princess Ann" and "Sakamoto" turned into shadows and merged with his slowly growing body.
The others could only watch in disgusted horror as the King transformed into a giant purple imp looking monster with one giant muscular right arm and a smaller arm that held a wine glass that had drink stirrers shaped like Ryoko, Ann and Shiho bobbing inside of them. "That's right, I'm the Demon King and I can do whatever the hell I want here! Now get those clothes off and get over here, Class is in session!"
"And here I thought that slime was the most disgusting thing…" Joker thought as he got on guard at the sight of this giant monster, the memories of his previous encounter trumping what he saw before in the basement. "If I remember how Kamoshida fights before then he shouldn't be trouble…The only issue is whether HE remains the same."
"Heh heh heh! What's wrong with you? Didn't your parents teach you it was rude to stare…Or do you see something that you like?" "Asmodeus" Kamoshida drawled as his lizard-like eyes roamed Skull and Panther's bodies like he could see through their clothes and licked his lips with a loud and slovenly tongue. "Because I do~"
"Joker, what's our plan?" Mona asked as they tried to figure out the best way to handle things without Panther getting grabbed.
"Spread out and keep attacking him from every angle, don't give him a moment to grab the girls." Joker ordered as he watched Skull move to the right while Panther started working the left side. "Keep shooting his head!"
"Roger!" Skull smirked as she unloaded a blast from her shotgun into Kamoshida's outstretched hand and saw him recoil, "This is for trying to grab my ass on the first day of school!" She yelled before swinging her bat into his wrist.
Panther decided to follow it up by peppering his back with her submachine gun and used her whip to smack at him in between sudden turns to keep randomly moving. "It's time you got what you deserved! AGI!"
"Asmodeus" Kamoshida let out a warbling roar as he was attacked; "Watch it, little monster! I've got a lot of patience for the little pieces like you but I can only handle so much before I get my killshot!" He snarled and then snapped the crop in his hands; "HEY! Mishima, get your useless ass over here now!"
What came scrambling over was another example of how messed up Kamoshida was: A beat up looking Sayu Mishima was currently wearing what looked like a dog version of an erotic bunny suit and etched on the back of it were the words: "King's Stress Toy" plus a rather heavy looking cannonball painted to look like a volleyball.
Joker and Skull were both thrown for a loop when they saw Mishima like this, though it simply added another layer of anger for Joker when he saw the bruises, Skull's furious yell however proved it certainly didn't take a genius to realise that Kamoshida hadn't intended this in his standard pervert fashion.
"H-Here you go, King Kamoshida…Just as you asked…Did I do well? Please tell me that I did well!" The Shadow Mishima begged as she fell to her knees to grab at "Asmodeus" Kamoshida's leg in an attempt to placate him.
"Gh, get off of me! A little parasite like you isn't worthy of touching me when you take this long to obey!" Kamoshida yelled as he heartlessly kicked Mishima away and the fake vanished into black soot.
"This guy really is the worst….Then again, what else is new?!" Skull yelled as she ran forward with a battle cry and blasted Kamoshida's head with Zio before hammering at the sports trophy that nestled between his legs.
King Kamoshida growled defensively when Skull took a swing at the trophy and wrapped one arm around his treasure sat between his legs. "HEY! I treated you girls good so be careful with the merchandise!"
Joker finally figured it out as he looked to the pillar that lead to a higher level. "Mona, get up to that floor and take aim for his eyes!" He yelled as he used his knife to swipe at the giant demon reaching for him. "Skull, Panther…You two better be ready to hit him with everything."
"You three might be the most annoying pests in this place but once I put you down, I'll be-Wait, where did the other one go?" Kamoshida sneered as he then glanced around and started to fumble around to try feeling for the Cat burglar hiding somewhere.
Joker smirked as he took his aim for the now exposed trophy; "Alright then…KELPIE! Hit 'em hard!" He yelled as he rushed forward alongside the swampy horse demon as he stabbed his knife into the trophy, rolling to the side when Kelpie headbutt their target with the force of a raging bull and the entire thing shattered like glass.
"N-NO! HOW DARE YOU?!" Kamoshida wailed as he slammed a fist down but missed as Joker hopped back while he gathered up the pieces of his trophy. "You vile…reprehensible little shit! Now you've done it….You've given me a reason to use my kill shot…as in…I MAKE THE KILL!" He smirked maniacally as he grabbed the heavy looking ball beside him and clambered to his feet.
"MONA, NOW!" Joker yelled as he summoned up Arsene and watched the gigantic Shadow leap into the air after knocking the ball upward. "AGI!"
Mona grinned as they summoned up Zorro and figured out what he was planning as the sparks started to form on Kamoshida's face. "Okay, Zorro…Hit him where it hurts with Garu!" Mona called out as they rushed for the edge with their saber in hand, jumped off of the edge and ready to swing down.
"THIS IS THE SHOT HEARD AROUND THE-Huh?!" Kamoshida was about to swing the ball down but strained his eyes as everything got bright. The fire spell that Joker threw at him ignited as he reached the top of his jump at the same time that the green gust of wind hit him too; Causing the entirety of his face to explode and the force knocking him backward to the ground.
"TAAAAAAKE THIS!" Mona yelled out as they managed to land a big cut on Kamoshida's serving arm to knock it out of commission. "He's down! Let's take advantage and finish the job!" They cried out as the others crouched to pounce.
"I…I haven't sexually harassed anyone, they all came on to me! I did all of this for them and if some little pests get hurt because of that then that's their fault!" Shadow Kamoshida tried to reaffirm that he was innocent but that fell on deaf ears as the group began to attack him with zero hesitation or mercy.
By the time that they all climbed off and the Shadow King Kamoshida finally faded out into his original Shadow form, everyone was out to finish him. "The crown…Now." Joker demanded coldly as he saw the Shadow Kamoshida whimpering at their feet.
"H-Here, take it…Just take it!" The "King" begged as he inched further from them. "I don't know why you all have a problem with me, it's all because of those goddamn hyenas! They kept hounding me and clinging on to me just because they wanna ride on my success." He ranted up to the not so sympathetic group but hadn't noticed that quite yet. "I did all of this for them! What's wrong with me taking a reward for myself? I worked for it! I earned it! I deserved it! For putting Shujin on the map to high success, I should've at least been allow to have Suzui's mouth around my-GYAH!"
Panther sharply cut him off as she whipped him in the face and slowly stepped toward him, Carmen slowly rising out of the ground behind her; "You don't get to whine and beg about what you deserve… You beat helpless kids because they can't match you, getting girls to let you put your slimy hands all over them in exchange for favours…You are one of the worst people that could ever exist…You're no king, you're nothing but a scumbag and a monster…And monsters need to be put down!"
Shadow Kamoshida felt his back hit the wall and started hyperventilating more; "P-Please forgive me! I promise…No more touching or hitting! I'll give you anything you want! Just don't kill me!" He begged with a louder cry of shame as he felt Panther stand taller over him.
"How does it feel? To be weak? Vulnerable…To feel like your back's against the wall and no one's going to save you from what's coming…Because that's how a lot of people felt…It's how Shiho felt when you cornered her." Panther remarked with a cold look on her face and Carmen blazing more wildly than either Skull or Joker had seen before. "And seeing this has shown me that I was afraid of you...When this is how you really are; A weak willed, manipulative bully who uses what little that he can cling to for kicking others down and using them…Well, NO MORE!" She yelled as Carmen threw a fireball directly at Kamoshida and watched it explode.
However it appeared like she had aimed for the pillar next to him as the whole thing had blasted apart but left the King unscathed. "I…I give up…" Kamoshida finally conceded as the crown rolled over to Panther's feet as she reared up another fireball to aim at him.
"We could kill you right now…Break you like so many people that you broke." Skull added as she glared daggers into the weakened Kamoshida before looking to Panther. "But that'd be too easy for you...A coward like you doesn't deserve to take the easy way out."
Panther nodded as she knew that had Skull not said anything, she would've forgotten what Mona had said about Kamoshida if the one here was destroyed. "You will confess to everything you did…To the people you chased out, the ones you still hold on to…And to us who you tried to break and manipulate. It's going to be a very, VERY long road for you to walk…But it's what a man like you deserves…So think about that when you own up to your crimes." She said with a snarl as the Shadow started to fade away.
"I will…I promise that I'll change things and make amends." The Shadow Kamoshida said as he finally vanished into thin air, leaving them alone.
"So that's it? No more Bad Kamoshida?" Skull asked in confusion as she picked up the crown and slung it under her arm. "Mona, is that everything?"
Mona nodded as they looked around; "The Palace's Ruler has surrendered and we now have the Treasure…All we can do now is wait." They said as the entire place started to shake and crack apart. "But before all that, we have to go NOW!" They yelled as they started to run with Skull, Panther and Joker behind them.
"Wait! What's going on?!" Panther asked as they all rushed for the exit. "I thought you said this was everything?"
"It is!" Joker jumped in as he sprinted alongside them. "Now that the King has given up and we've taken the Treasure...The two pillars that hold the Palace together are now gone, if we don't hurry then we vanish along with the whole Castle!"
That was all the motivation that anyone needed as they navigated the narrow corridors and down the stairs to try getting out of the front doors, resulting in Mona needing to be picked up by Joker as they stumbled partway through but ended up going through a bright light…Into the alleyway outside of the school. "Oh…Oh thank God….We did it…" Ryoko groaned through heavy breaths as she tried to steady herself.
"That…That's it, right? No more Palace?" Ann asked as she was leaning against Lee while the two caught their breath and relax their sore muscles, Ryoko would've made a joke about Ann getting her hands all over Lee but she was too busy trying to get her own strength back.
"We got the Treasure and the Shadow Kamoshida is gone now…With any luck, he should be changed now…But I doubt it's going to be overnight, we're going to need to wait and see." Morgana explained as they poked their head out of Lee's bag.
"The optimistic part of me says that should have worked but I still say for now; All we have to do is hold off on anything and keep our eyes open for anything that might come about." Lee explained as he checked his phone: The Palace was indeed gone.
"Well…Good thing about Sundays is that we can relax and heal up from everything tomorrow." Ryoko cheered tiredly as she got to her feet and stretched.
"Ryoko…Tomorrow's Monday." Ann pointed out as she checked her calendar; Though judging from the grimace on her face, she shared the same sentiment as Ryoko wailed dramatically at the prospect of school right after dealing with a Shadow Demon Lord.
"Let's call it a day." Morgana suggested as they peeked up at Lee who nodded. "The upside to being in the school at this time is that we'll be able to see if Kamoshida's changed or not…So there's that."
"But that also means we're closer to Exam Day…I'm gonna have less time to relax if we have to sit through classes and studying!" Ryoko pouted as she crossed her arms.
"Then how about this as a compromise? We take some time outside of school for a study group…We can both help out each other with subjects AND relay what we've heard at the same time." Lee suggested as he felt a little bummed out when Ann stopped leaning on him.
"I guess that works…But what are we going to do about the Treasu-Wait…Where is it?!" Ryoko remembered that they had a crown in their possession and it was now no longer in her hands…Instead it was an athlete's medal. "Huh…A medal?"
"Must be from when he won the nationals for Volleyball." Ann surmised as she took it and looked it over. "Though what exactly can we do with it…Hold on, even if he couldn't look at this thing again without feeling shame, wouldn't this count as stealing if we have this?"
Morgana shook their head; "Not technically: This happens to be like the junk Lee takes back with him into the real world, it may be a fake but to anyone else who looks at it…This is a real Olympic Medal."
"Holy shit…Guys; If we sell this thing, we can get a buncha change from it!" Ryoko piped up as she pointed to her phone. "I looked it up and this thing's worth at least 30,000 yen! I can buy the gourmet noodle cups from now on!"
"Really?" Ann asked with a raised eyebrow; "We net a huge chunk of money out of this if we can find someone to sell it to and the first thing you think about is your stomach?" She asked with an exasperated look though that was more down to her body aching than Ryoko's logic. "But I could get some real good crepes with that kind of money."
"Let's do some looking in on this first before we start fantasising about luxury spending?" Lee suggested as he took the Medal and shoved it into the bag's pocket; "This kind of thing is gonna raise eyebrows if we just take it to any old pawn shop or sell it online." He pointed out as everyone started getting some life back.
"Lee does make a good point, we need to take this one step at a time and probably look at selling this after Kamoshida confesses...Doing it before is gonna raise some questions." Morgana agreed as they peeked out from the bag. "For now, we act as normal and try not to draw attention."
The other two agreed and started to split off to go for the trains, it was a long wait but both Lee and Morgana had to agree that it was better to lay low after everything. "We could probably ask Itomi if she could take this…It might lead to weird questions but if she took all the weird stuff from the palace, asking after my next shift there might be worth a shot."
Morgana nodded as the last pair headed off for the train station so they could get back before Sojiro could lecture him again about being late home. "Oh, you remembered where you lived?" Sojiro snarked as he heard the bell on the door along with seeing Lee walking through, thankfully there wasn't anyone around this late and he could afford to give Lee some while he had the chance. "Anyway, grab an apron…It's about time that I showed you how to make coffee."
"Already? But shouldn't I have to get to studying or something like that?" Lee asked as he nevertheless grabbed the apron to try getting a chance to become a little closer to Sojiro. "Not that I'm complaining."
"I think you can afford to take a night for yourself…Today at least, I don't want you to be slacking off once your studying for exams start." Sojiro explained as he started going into details about coffee and the best way to prepare it. "I'll let you make coffee here if you feel the mood strike you…But keep your hands off of the pricey stuff, my restaurant's not made of money and the good coffee's reserved for customers…Not brats practicing." Sojiro warned him as he put his foot down on what Lee was allowed to touch.
"You got it, no fancy stuff." Lee nodded as he carefully watched Sojiro at work and explaining the intricacies at making careful cups of coffee. "So this will really make me more popular?"
"You kidding? People love coffee and ladies really love a guy who knows how to make a good cup of it." Sojiro said with a coy smirk and then handed an empty cup over to Lee.
"Let's get started."