AUTHOR NOTE: I don't own the Persona series, obviously. The only thing I own is my OC, Akira.

PERSONA 4: ADVENTURES IN INABA

Chapter 1: A Bizarre Adventure


Ah, Summer. Who doesn't enjoy it? The warm weather, the water parks, lounging about doing almost nothing, the wonderful, hot, sandy beaches...it's like paradise for teenagers everywhere. There are so many fun things that can happen.

Our story begins on one such Summer, halfway through the month of July. This story will focus on two individuals, individuals with many alternate selves in many alternate universes, and many alternate adventures. We will now join one of these selves as he ventures toward his unforeseen destiny...

Trevor stepped out of his car, closing the door shut. He had no exact idea why he was doing this at 3:00 A.M in the morning. All he did know was that his friend Phil had called him up an hour and a half ago, telling him to come over quickly and saying that he had something important to show him. After a long internal argument, Trevor decided to agree to his friend's request. Silently praying to the many fictional video game deities that existed that he wouldn't get arrested doing this, he had gotten in his car and drove.

Apparently, luck's been on my side this morning. Trevor thought, walking up to Phil's door. Which is pretty surprising, knowing my track record.

He knocked on the door, which opened a few seconds later to reveal his friend's face poking out. "Hey, Phil." he said wearily, managing a smile that would have been less silly looking if he wasn't still a bit drowsy.

"Hey, man! Thanks for stopping by!" Phil greeted him, opening the door fully. "Sorry to wake you up so early, but you just...you gotta see this!" With that, he began leading Trevor to his bedroom, the latter closing the front door behind him.

Once they were inside, Trevor looked around. "Ok..." he began, not taking off his jacket just yet. "So what am I looking at here?"

"This." Phil simply said, pointing to his TV screen.

Trevor turned to look at the screen and saw a familiar game menu on it. "You asked me to come over so you could show me Persona 4? Phil, you know I already have that game." he said in confusion.

Phil shook his head. "No, I mean this." he emphasized, pointing at something on the screen in particular.

There was a new menu option on the screen right above the Load Game option. "Adventures In Inaba." Trevor read, peering at it. "Fight alongside the Investigation Team as they uncover the mystery behind the murders. That...sounds hilariously like a self insert fanfic. Is this a legit mode?"

"Yep. I've checked every cheat code site there is, and it's perfectly legit. This is the original version, not Golden. There are NO unlockable modes in the original version."

Trevor was silent for a few seconds. Finally, he understood what Phil wanted to do. "Phil." he said slowly. "Did you call me over so that we could play this mode?"

His friend nodded, and Trevor sighed. "Eh, why not." he gave in, taking off his jacket. "I really don't have anything better to do today." He watched as Phil picked up his PS3 controller and sat down on the bed before turning his attention to the screen.

"Alright, this is it. Are you ready?" Phil asked Trevor, looking rather excited at the thought of trying out this new mode. His finger hovered over the X button, ready to press it.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Trevor confirmed, although he was beginning to have second thoughts about what they were about to do. What if this activated some freaky teleporting stuff that actually sent them to Inaba? They'd probably never be able to get back home or see their families ever again. They would both be trapped for all eternity!

He opened his mouth to warn Phil about this possible danger a split second before his friend's thumb came down on the X button...

...and nothing happened.

"What?" Phil muttered to himself, blinking in surprise. "This can't be right...nothing's happening. It's just staying on the title-"

Without warning, the scene on the TV transformed into the familiar swirling lights that signified someone traveling through the TV world. The two were utterly transfixed by it, hardly believing their eyes. A strange buzzing noise met their ears, getting louder with each passing second.

Phil was first to approach it, Trevor staying where he was in case something bad happened. The former reached out and touched the screen in front of him. To his shock, the screen gave way under his hand, kind of like water. His hand disappeared inside with barely a sound.

"Oh my god..." Phil realized, looking back at Trevor. "Trevor, this portal isn't part of the game! It's real!"

Trevor took a moment to process both the information and what he was seeing. "So this is what it meant in the description..." he deduced, standing up and approaching the screen as well. "I know it said 'fight alongside the Investigation Team', but I didn't think it meant it literally."

Phil suddenly grinned happily. "Dude, do you know what this means?!" he asked Trevor. "We can finally meet Narukami and Yosuke and Chie and-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Let's calm down for a second here." Trevor slowed him down, raising his hands and lowering them in a 'simmer down' gesture. "First off, we have no idea as to the full extent of this mode. We could be utterly wrecking canon by doing this. Second, what if we can't find a way back and get stuck in Inaba forever? We can't take that risk!"

"C'mon, it'll be fun! Besides, we might be able to get back once we finish the story."

The two stared at each other for a solid minute before Trevor grumbled in defeat. "Fine, let's do this. But if something goes wrong, I'm blaming you." he warned Phil sternly.

"Woohoooo!" Phil cheered, climbing into the TV as fast as he could. He was gone before Trevor could stop him, the TV swallowing him completely.

Trevor stood alone in Phil's room for a few seconds, taking a few last looks around just in case. Well, then. he thought, preparing himself for what he was about to do. Time to see how far down this rabbit hole goes.

With that, he entered the TV after his friend. The second after he went through, the swirling lights ceased. All that was left was a blank screen and an empty room in it's reflection.

For better or worse, the adventure had begun.