The treasure is found without an issue, but there are unexpected side-effects

Authored by Phantom Pen

The Shadow's instructions had been accurate. After more twists and turns than seemed reasonable, and crashing through a wall to Morgana's mild discomfort, the Phantom Thieves saw the gleaming treasure chest the Shadow had promised.

"Huh, the Shadow could have easily lied and sent us to a dead end and just run off as soon as we left. I didn't think it'd actually be true to its word." Queen said as Joker opened his door and hopped out. Panther followed suit, trotting up alongside Joker to see what her seduction had earned the team.

The chest was secured with a heavy lock, which the Shadow had failed to mention, but Joker always seemed to come prepared. Pulling one of his self-made lock picks that Panther still didn't know how he got away with making in the middle of the school day, the team leader went to work. A few moments of deft finger work later and the lock's tumblers clicked into place, the padlock falling open and sliding off with no trouble.

This was always one of the blonde's favorite parts of being a Phantom Thief. Sure, reforming society by stealing the hearts of rotten adults was a feeling of pride and accomplishment that couldn't be beat, but the thrill of opening a chest and finding something pretty and expensive was a close second. Joker was always the one to do the honors of actually opening the things, but Panther stood beside him, her eyes wide and expectant.

The chest opened to reveal a decent pile of yen, and a pair of beautifully sparkling earrings. The accessories the team found inside Mementos and the various Palaces their work had taken them to always proved to have beneficial effects, and something about the way the earrings sparkled almost captivated Panther. Eagerly reaching inside the chest and plucking them from the top of the money pile, she flashed Joker a wide smile.

"I'm gonna go ahead and put these on! It's not like you or the other guys would want to wear earrings anyway, and I already have pierced ears." she explained as she deftly removed the simple studs that normally decorated her ears and slid the new accessories into place. Panther felt the effects almost immediately; she felt stronger, more energetic, and in general just better than before. "Let's go test them out!" she said, taking Joker by the wrist and practically dragging the leader back to the team van (though not before he had managed to bag the rest of their prize.)

Sure enough, Panther's performance throughout the rest of the team's foray into Mementos was fantastic. She hit harder than before, dodged attacks with the feline grace of her namesake, and seemed to tire out slower. What none of the Phantom Thieves noticed, however, was the dark glimmer in her new earrings with every Shadow the team defeated.

The team eventually returned to the surface to call it a day. They'd progressed deeper into the mysterious dungeon and made off with a good haul, all things considered. Returning to the normal world and going their separate ways, Ann returned home with a happy bounce in her step. It wouldn't be until the next day that the true purpose of her new equipment manifested, and the energy built up from the defeated Shadows and diffused into her own body fulfilled its purpose.

The next day...