Prisoner of Glory Chapter 18: You Know My Name, a persona series fanfic

Chapter 18: You Know My Name

Summary: Sumire helps Yuri deal with her Change of Heart, and competes in the Madicce Cup finals.

Saturday, August 12th 20XX, Daytime
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center, Toyohira Park

Yuri Hikawa was none the wiser to the fierce battle against her inner self as it waged on in the Metaverse. The only war she had her sights on was the finals of the Madicce Cup, for which she continued to train furiously. Over and over, she rehearsed her four routines under the watchful eye of her coach, Lyudmila Voronina. A dour-faced Russian woman in her 50s, she was a former gymnastics contender in her early years. Since then, Mrs. Voronina had turned to coaching the next generation of the sport's superstars, both from Russia and abroad, until she was scouted and hired by the Hikawas once Yuri began her junior-level career. Her training methods were so strict and ruthless, she made other coaches like Ms. Hiraguchi seem outright easygoing by comparison.

As Yuri ran through her various routines, Voronina gazed out from under the brim of the trilby hat she seemed to wear almost constantly, watching with hawk-like focus to detect even the slightest imperfections. Yuri finished her ribbon routine, successfully avoiding the missteps she had struggled with the night before, but her coach was still not satisfied. "You're shaking. Are you nervous?" Despite also being able to speak Japanese, Voronina preferred to use her native Russian.

Knowing her coach didn't take kindly to excuses, Yuri hadn't told her coach about the Calling Cards. She simply said "No," also responding in Russian, having been tutored in that language well before taking on her new coach.

"Then you need to keep yourself steady!" Voronina shouted suddenly. "The judges will not take kindly to that kind of weakness! I want to see all four of your routines done flawlessly before the morning is out. Now, the ribbon routine, again!"

"Y-yes, coach!" Yuri fixed up her ribbon and set up her starting pose, waiting for her coach to restart the music.

Then, it happened. In the middle of a jump sequence, Yuri's vision shimmered briefly, causing her to lose her sense of balance and fall on her face when she landed.

"Yuri! What are you doing? Get back up and start over."

As she pushed herself back up, a sudden sensation of pain washed over Yuri's brain. "Yes… Voronina-sensei…" she groaned, instinctively switching to Japanese.

"What was that? Speak Russian when you are with me."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Voronina, I just - aaagh!" The pain became too much to bear. Yuri stumbled onto her knees, dropping her ribbon, and clutched her temples.

Sumire was rehearsing her own routine nearby when she spotted Yuri in agony, and ran over to help. "Yuri-chan! Are you feeling alright?" Turning to her coach and staring her down, she pleaded, "She's in pain! She needs some time to rest! Please, let me help her!" Voronina said nothing, but dismissively waved them off and walked away.

"Thanks," Yuri said, not noticing Sumire's face until her arm was pulled up over the redhead's shoulder. "Su-Sumire!" she stammered in surprise. "Would you m-mind if we found a quiet p-place? I need to talk with you alone about… stuff."

"Okay," Sumire nodded. "I think they set up a nurse's office somewhere around here." Together they walked out of the gym, Sumire looking around for a while until she found the room she was looking for. She explained Yuri's situation to the staff, who led her to a bed where she could lie down. After a nurse left a cup of water and some aspirin tablets, which Yuri took, Sumire asked, "Yuri-chan, what did you want to talk with me about?"

Yuri swallowed her medicine and spoke softly, with eyes cast down with sorrow and regret. "Sumire-san… I'm sorry. Sorry for calling you a murderer, for saying that you'd never be a champion… Sorry for all the nasty **** I've said and done to you, and to everyone else in this tournament as well."

Sumire's emotions ran wild. Secretly, she knew this was Yuri's Change of Heart, and she knew she should be happy that her friends' mission was successful, but it was still too difficult for her to fully comprehend. "What?" she gasped. "Does this mean you don't think I actually killed Kasumi…?"

"No," Yuri confirmed, shaking her head. "When I found out she was gone, I just, kind of… assumed you took her from me. I guess I was just possessive or something, so it was easier to blame somebody rather than face the truth."

"That's not true, Yuri-chan. I'm sure you know that by now. Well, actually, I have my own confession to make." Sumire paused to take a deep breath. "On that day, I was actually trying to kill myself. I didn't think about Kasumi or anyone, until she threw herself to protect me."

"Holy ****," gasped Yuri. "Sumire-chan, I am so sorry! I had no idea!"

Sumire shook her head and went on, describing the state of her mindset leading up to the accident, as she had done for Ren. "Between that, and how inadequate I felt compared to Kasumi, I just never took the time to notice you, and… I'm sorry, Yuri-san. I should have reached out to you myself."

"Same for me. I guess… I never really respected anyone who couldn't give me a decent challenge - uh, no offense."

Again, Sumire shook her head. "None taken."

"Sumire, I've never told you this, but… Your sister was the one who kept me going, to be the gymnast that I am today… or at least, the one I should have been." Sumire already knew all this from exploring the Metaverse, but she kept silent. "I first met her three years ago, at the All-Japan Championship. Back then, I was receiving more and more attention for my…" She waved a hand in front of her face to indicate her albino appearance. "But Kasumi didn't care about all that. She admired me for who I was, and what I was capable of as a gymnast. Even though I placed behind her, I still felt really good about it. Kasumi was my best… No, my only friend up to that point. She was an inspiration to me, and I wished that we could go on competing together, and keep on improving each other."

Flashing her mind back to the photograph Queen had won from the Prison Keep, Sumire sympathized with the emotions Yuri was spilling out. "Kasumi and I had that same dream. I'm glad she wanted to share it with others. Now that she's gone, I made my own promise to honor her by becoming a world champion myself. If she was willing to share her dream with others, then… I was thinking that we could work together and help each other rise to the top."

Yuri stared at Sumire, her eyes open in disbelief and shimmering with a few budding tears. "R-really? You'd take me back, even after all the horrible **** I've said and done to you?"

"Let's just say I believe you've turned over a new leaf."

"And you d-don't think I'm a g-ghost girl freak?"

"What?" Sumire dismissed the self-effacement with a soft giggle. "No, silly! I think you're beautiful."

"B-b-beautiful? Th-that's what Kasumi told me…" That one word was all it took to break the dam within Yuri's psyche. In a sudden burst of emotion, she threw herself into Sumire's arms and began crying, inelegantly bawling and blubbering. Sumire, quietly shedding tears of her own, hugged her back and silently let her bleed out her regret.

Once Yuri's cries softened, Sumire assured her new friend, patting her on the back and whispering, "It's okay, Yuri-chan How about we make a brand new start together?"

Yuri chuckled half-heartedly. "You're a fool for trusting me, Sumire-chan. No more of a fool than I am, though," she added with a quivering smile. "Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome, Yuri-chan! Now let's get out there and aim for the top… as friends."

"I'm sorry, but that will have to wait." When Sumire's expression shifted into confusion and concern, Yuri explained, "I'm… dropping out of the Madicce Cup. I don't deserve to be there."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying I cheated!" she shouted in guilt and frustration. "Larisa, Yuliya, Ayelet, they all ****ed up because of me!" Lowering her voice, she continued, "I don't know how I was able to make them **** like that, but it must have had something to do with EMMA. It just kind of… controlled me, you know?"

"I… can't imagine," Sumire bluffed, not revealing any details she would have learned from the Phantom Thieves. "It's honestly hard to believe. I mean, EMMA helped me get my life back on track after I lost to you in the Saint Petersburg tryouts."

"So how come you didn't end up like me?"

"I don't know… I guess I'm stronger than y… stronger than I thought." she corrected. "My boyfriend told me that. Still, I was really looking forward to competing against you. I wanted to prove that I'm worthy of your respect."

Yuri shook her head and smiled. "You've already earned my respect, just by accepting this no-good, loner, ghost-girl freak for who she is." Before Sumire could protest her self-effacement, Yuri continued, "I still want to show you the routines I had for the finals. I'll find a way, don't worry about it. Just do your best out there, okay, Sumire-chan?"

"I will, Yuri-chan." Shedding a few more tears, the new friends gave each other one last hug before Sumire turned to leave the nurse's office.

But just as Sumire passed the doorway, Yuri called out, "Hey, Sumire? Did you get 9th place in any of the qualifiers?"

"I think so… for clubs."

"Well then, you better practice with them! Without me in the finals, they're gonna have you fill in."

"Eh!?" Sumire gasped. "Oh my gosh, you're right! I'll have to tell Hiraguchi-sensei. Thanks for reminding me, Yuri-chan!" Then, with a quick bow, she finally left for the arena.

After her new friend was gone, Yuri lay back in her bed and sighed. "****, she's gonna tell Voronina-sensei too, isn't she… I'm ****ed. Well, it has to be done."

Saturday, August 12th 20XX, Afternoon

Later in the afternoon, the Madicce Cup's senior finals were about to begin. The Phantom Thieves had returned to the real world just in time to purchase tickets in person. Due to the higher ticket prices compared to the qualifiers, Ren paid for one front-section seat for himself, out of his own pocket, while the others bought cheaper seats in the gallery section above. Yusuke let Ren borrow his "Ganbare Sumire" sign once more, before splitting off with the others to take their seats. Nobody in the audience, besides them, had a single notion that anything was amiss until an announcement was given over the public-address speakers, recited in Japanese and English.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin the finals of the Madicce Cup, we have one announcement to make. Due to mental health concerns, Yuri Hikawa of Japan has retired from the remainder of the tournament." It was official. Yuri's Desires were returned to their rightful owners, her heart was changed, and the Phantom Thieves' mission was successful. As the crowd grew abuzz with concern, Ren was careful not to show any conspicuous emotion. While he was pleased, certain thoughts growing in his mind gave him worry. Is it right for us to have influenced the tournament like this? Even if it was for my best friend, it all feels too overt and petty. What if Sumire wins a medal that she wouldn't have without our help? He shook his head. No. Yuri's done much worse to many more people. This is just like when we changed Shido's heart during the election last year. Some people can't be reasoned with, and need to be put down.

The public announcement continued. "Miss Hikawa will make an official statement on the matter at a later time. In the meantime, she will be replaced in the finals by the gymnasts ranked ninth for each apparatus during the qualifying rounds. Taking Miss Hikawa's place in the hoop finals will be Celestine Fay of France. For the ball, Miho Kanagawa of Japan. For the clubs, Sumire Yoshizawa of Japan. And for the ribbon, Isabela Serafina of Spain." Ren's ears perked up when he heard Sumire's name. Sumire's taking part in another final? My God, I hadn't thought of that when we changed Yuri's heart… I hope Sumi-chan will be alright!

The finals began with the hoop event, followed by the ball and clubs. With the favored competitors from eastern Europe out of the running, gymnasts from all over the world had a chance to fill in and prove themselves. Despite the absence of the favored veterans that day due to Yuri's prior interference, the performances given by the finalists were, with a few minor exceptions, all world-class. Both Yuna and Hanako garnered multiple top-three finishes for themselves, and Sumire wound up in fifth for her unexpected encore of her clubs routine - not a podium finish, but still a marked improvement over how she performed in the preliminaries. Ren could tell that she was becoming more confident with herself and her abilities. As he watched each routine, he held his phone up to let Sophia watch along with him. Through her advanced AI-powered analysis, his so-called "phone daughter" was able to predict their scores within a fraction of a point.

One of the most fascinating gymnasts Ren witnessed that day was Sakiya Archambeau, competing for France. While he didn't know much about her, he assumed from her name that she was at least partly Japanese. Whatever the case, she made a striking first impression. Her pink-and-black leotard had a regal-looking jacket sewn on top, and she favored instrumental songs from a famous heavy metal band for her music. More than anything, however, her routines made her a figure to remember. The one word Ren would use to describe her performances was "bold", from their energetic choreography to her many apparatus-tossing risks, each of which she caught with complete control. Sakiya's gambles paid off well, giving her a first-place victory in the clubs finals, and a lofty score of 18.050 for her ribbon routine.

By far, the most successful competitor that day was Elena Plisetskaya, Russia's only gymnast still in the running. Now that Yuri's captive fans now had their free will returned to them, many among the audience were counting on Russia's "golden girl" to restore the honor they believed her country deserved. She did not disappoint, scoring top marks with the hoop and ball, and despite Sakiya breaking her winning streak for the clubs, she still held on to second place for that event. Despite all the faith Ren had in his own girlfriend, even he could not deny that Elena gave a sterling performance in her own right. She looked like a beautiful princess in her ornate blue-and-gold leotard, and as a gymnast, she carried herself with the poise to match. The routine she performed with the ribbon, her best apparatus, was the most spellbinding he had seen so far. Performing to a dance remix of Frédéric Chopin's "Revolutionary" Étude, she deftly twirled her golden ribbon in perfect coordination with her swift, supple motions, the glittering apparatus flying too fast for all but the keenest observers to follow. Nonetheless, everybody was left in awe by the gorgeous display. The roaring applause that followed rang out even louder once her results were revealed. Elena had earned a final score of 18.350, beating Sakiya to claim first place by a considerable margin.

Finally, Sumire's ribbon routine was at hand. Backstage, her name was called, and she rose from her seated meditation to take position just behind the doorway to the competition floor. As he waited, Ren had no idea of whether Sumire would manage to beat Elena, but he was less concerned with the outcome than with what the routine itself would be like. The way she teased it to him previously had piqued his curiosity. But when she stepped out into the arena, what he saw was unlike anything he could have imagined. Sumire sported a brand-new leotard, one which showed far more skin-toned mesh than her usual costumes. Wispy strands of red, yellow, and white snaked up her chest and forearms to form flame-like shapes. It took a moment for him to recognize it, but eventually he noticed that they formed a stylized phoenix upon her torso, soaring up from the flames depicted by her fringed miniskirt. Ren had to smile in admiration at this daring design. Apart from showing a sexier side of herself than he was used to, he thought about how this new leotard represented the many struggles she had risen from in her life. Perhaps this'll be a good omen for her performance, he told himself. He gave an encouraging thumbs-up gesture to her, which she reciprocated.

Taking her place on the mat, Sumire stood in the same starting pose she had held before, for her earlier duel at Yuri's Castle, with her baton on the floor and ribbon in hand. She steadied her body and mind with a few deep, calming breaths, taking advantage of the brief silence before the starting signal. And then, after a moment that seemed to stretch out for ages, the signal rang. The brassy, bombastic opening notes of her song followed as she kicked her back leg high behind her, sending the ribbon flying straight up. She spun on her feet three times before catching it, suffering nary a hiccup in her movements.

If you take a life,
Do you know what you give?
Odds are you won't like what it is

As the intro faded into the first verse, Sumire's motions became slower and more graceful, but no less intricate. Her dance steps were punctuated with the occasional body wave or leg-lift balance.

When the storm arrives,
Would you be seen with me
By the merciless eyes of deceit

Gradually, the song grew in intensity, and Sumire sped up her steps to match. With perfect rhythm, she chained together leaps and high kicks, remembering to keep her legs straight even as they swung beyond a straight split angle. She was thankful that her friends' experiences in the Metaverse reminded her to work on her flexibility.

I've seen angels fall from blinding heights
But you yourself are nothing so divine
You're just next in line

Leading up to the chorus, the song crescendoed, only to pause for a few beats. Sumire stopped to wrap the ribbon behind her foot, and launched it up with an illusion turn. It flew up while she did another illusion… and another. From the sidelines, coach Hiraguchi gazed in shock. A triple illusion? She had expected a double walkover at this point, but this more intense stunt left her less time to track and catch the ribbon on the way down. What are you doing, Sumire!?, she thought in a panic. You'll never catch it in time!

But she did. The training Yuna had given her, which literally had saved her life when she fought the cognitive Kasumi, paid off once more. The muscle memory she had built up allowed Sumire to speed through her illusions, her joints moving like a well-oiled machine, and at the exact moment when the chorus kicked in, she caught the baton with a quick leap. The audience couldn't help but break out a cheer after this tense moment. Ren pumped his fist and whispered "Yes!" to himself, while Hiraguchi breathed a sigh of relief. Completing such a risky sequence successfully would give a big boost to her difficulty score.

Arm yourself because no one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you

Swinging the ribbon behind her to keep it in motion, Sumire pushed off with her left foot to launch into a penché split pivot. Her form was excellent, with her left leg raised straight up, her body level with the floor, and her ribbon forming tight, controlled waves as if it was bouncing off the floor. She managed five rotations which, as Hiraguchi calculated, would bump up her difficulty score by almost another point.

You can't deny the prize, it will never fulfill you
It longs to kill you, are you willing to die
The coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name
You know my name

After tossing the ribbon one last time, Sumire finished with a double back walkover to splits, the same sequence she had ended her routine with at the Saint Petersburg prelims. This time, however, her mind was free of all other concerns apart from the routine itself. She caught her baton, sweeping it around and striking a final pose with her other hand pointed up, staring defiantly towards the heavens. It was as if she was declaring to the world, "My name is Yoshizawa. Sumire Yoshizawa."

A tense silence hung in the air as Sumire held this final pose, only to be broken suddenly when the crowd erupted into raucous applause. Her eyes practically lit up in delight as she stood, rolled up her ribbon, and gave a demure bow to the judges. On her way backstage, as she waved to her adoring audience, she spotted Ren in the stands and blew him a kiss. Ren, who was cheering for her at the top of his lungs, settled down when he noticed this gesture, and gazed upon her with lovestruck affection as she walked down to reunite with Coach Hiraguchi at the "kiss and cry" corner. The coach spent a lingering moment embracing her pupil, then said, "You did fantastic out there, Sumire, but you had me worried. What were you thinking, taking all those extra risks?"

"S-sorry, Hiraguchi-sensei," Sumire apologized. "A lot's happened to me over the past few days and… Well, I guess I just feel more confident in myself."

"I see," answered Hiraguchi, subtly softening her tone. "I was just worried since we haven't rehearsed those changes together. How did you learn those illusion spins, anyway?"

"A friend. I made a new -" Sumire suddenly cut herself off when she heard the announcer start to talk. Her breath bated, she anxiously listened to the reveal of her scores.

"Difficulty: 8.8. Execution: 9.200. Total score: 18.000."

Sumire's mouth hung open in disbelief. That score put her in third place - a podium finish! This was not the first time in her life that she had made the top three, but the last time she had done so was when she was actualized as Kasumi, and by those standards, she and everyone else saw the result as a step down. This time, however, she had garnered this result by her own merits, and considering the fact that one of the two people she placed behind was an Olympic gold-medalist, this was rather impressive. On top of that, this was the highest score she had ever earned for any routine, ribbon or otherwise. She may have missed out on second place by the slimmest of point margins, but the result was still greater than anything she could possibly have anticipated. Overcome with emotion, she squealed excitedly and gripped her coach in a tight bearhug, simultaneously performing both of the "kiss and cry" corner's namesake actions.

Saturday, August 12th 20XX, Evening

When Sumire returned to the backstage area, she was quickly charged upon by Yuna, and spread her arms open just in time to receive her friend's tackling embrace. "Congratulations, Sumi-chan! You were absolutely amazing out there!"

"Aww! Thanks, Yuko-chan!" Sumire replied, blushing. "I couldn't have done it without you. Those illusions you taught me helped out more than you know!"

"Oh gosh, really? That means a lot to me! Glad I could help! Maybe next time we get together, you could give me some extra training with the ribbon?"

"With pleasure! We can challenge each other, and have lots of fun doing it!" Releasing the hug, Sumire kept her eyes on Yuna and continued. "By the way, I spoke with Hikawa-san before the finals."

Yuna gasped when she recalled that name. "Yuri… What's going on with her? Did she mention why she forfeited?"

Sumire stumbled over her words a bit, trying not to implicate herself or the Phantom Thieves. "Yes, but… I'd appreciate it if you kept this quiet, Yuna-san."

"You have my word, Sumire," Yuna promised, pantomiming herself zipping her lips shut.

"Thank you." Dropping her voice, Sumire explained, "Yuri says she cheated, that she's the one who made all those other competitors take a dive."

Yuna's mouth hung agape. "Unbelievable… How did she do that? Does it have to do with EMMA, like you warned me about?"

"If it is, I can't imagine how. In fact, I wouldn't mention anything about it all until her press conference later, if I were you." She raised her voice and continued, "For now, Yuri said she is sorry for what she did, both to all those other gymnasts, and to me."

"And you believe her?" Yuna asked, with a hint of suspicion.

Nodding, Sumire answered, "Yuri-chan had her own problems to deal with. She was friends with my sister, but when she passed, she took the loss so hard that she blamed me for it. She must have looked back to think about it sometime in the past few days, and realized that I would never want to hurt someone who I loved so much."

"Never want to hurt…? Sumire, what are you talking about?"

Realizing that she had never told Yuna about her failed suicide attempt, she tried to brush it aside so as not to bring down the joy of the moment. "I'm sorry, I'll tell you about it later. For now, I believe Yuri has changed for the better, and I'm looking forward to being her new friend."

"Aww, Sumire…" Now it was Yuna's turn to blush, touched by her friend's generous heart, as she gave Sumire yet another hug. "You are just the sweetest person I've ever met!"

"And you're a sweet little ball of sunshine yourself, Yuko-chan!" Sumire gave her friend a brief squeeze before letting go. The staff was preparing for the medal ceremony, for which Yuna would be one of the first recipients. "Congratulations," she said as she stepped away, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Same to you, Sumi-chan!" They flashed each other thumbs-up gestures as she and the other two medalists were called out to receive their awards. Yuna won bronze medals in each of her three finals - hoop, ball, and clubs - while Sumire's teammate Hanako won silver medals for the hoop and ball. Sakiya's victory over Elena in the clubs event gave her a gold, making France's "La Marseillaise" the only non-Russian national anthem played that evening.

And then, it was time for the ribbon medals to be awarded. Still delirious from the sensation of victory, Sumire marched out with the other two medalists, Sakiya and Elena, and stood behind the three-tiered podium, a smile of pride affixed on her face. The announcer declared, "And now… the medalists of the ribbon finals! The bronze medalist… from Japan… Sumire Yoshizawa!" At the mention of her name, Sumire snapped herself back to reality and stepped up onto her side of the podium. She bowed to let the official drape a bronze medal around her neck, and was then handed a certificate and a red rose. Even Sakiya and Elena smiled and applauded at her in recognition of her achievements. Part of Sumire still thought she didn't deserve their respect, but she forced those feelings of impostor syndrome out of her mind and returned their beaming smiles.

As the applause faded, the announcer spoke, "The silver medalist… from France… Sakiya Archambeau!" The officials moved to the podium's other end and bestowed a silver medal onto the French-Japanese girl. Sumire smiled and clapped lightly, still holding her other prizes. Again the applause died down, but once the announcer said, "The gold medalist, and ribbon champion… from the Russian Federation… Elena Plisetskaya!" it picked up even stronger and louder than before. Elena waved back at them graciously, acknowledging their adoration. The jubilation took its time to wind down, but when it did, the announcer finally declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, the anthem of the Russian Federation!" The three medalists stood silently at attention, and Elena put a hand over her heart as she mouthed the lyrics to "State Hymn of the Russian Federation", an anthem which was fast becoming familiar to all present.

Her awards in hand, Sumire followed the other victors backstage. But before the all-around victors assembled, one more unscheduled announcement came over the PA system. "Ladies and gentlemen, before we award the medals for the all-around competition, we have an update to give. Yuri Hikawa, who was set to receive the silver medal for her score of 73.000, has voluntarily relinquished her awards. As such, the silver and bronze medals will thus be awarded to the third and fourth-place contestants. Miss Hikawa will deliver a formal statement on the matter at a later time." A brief pause followed before the announcer proudly announced the three all-around medalists. Based on their scores from the four qualifying events, Sakiya Archambeau won a bronze medal, Hanako won another silver, and Elena won another gold. After a fourth and final rendition of the Russian national anthem, the gymnasts gathered out in front of the mat to give a farewell wave and bow to their audience, all reunited in the spirit of sportsmanship. All, that was, except for Yuri Hikawa, but few minded her absence. Even Sumire chose to keep her mind on how happy this moment was for her, both for the success she had accomplished in her gymnastic endeavors, and for the friendship she had rekindled with her former foe.

AN: Ladies, gentlemen, and others, we've finally made it to this story's second climax. Special thanks, as always, go to Deathmanstratos and SupremeKnight3 for editing and support. Sakiya Archambeau, one of the characters "introduced" in this chapter, was also created by Deathmanstratos for his P5 fic "Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms", while I created the other new character myself… kind of. Yuri's coach, Lyudmila Voronina, was directly inspired by Irina Viner-Usmanova, an equally ruthless yet successful rhythmic gymnastics coach. She was featured heavily in Over the Limit, a documentary about the Olympic RG champion Margarita Mamun, which I had the chance to watch recently.

Another thing that happened while I wrote this chapter was the Tokyo Olympics, as well as a bunch of gymnastics-related drama that came eerily close to the story beats I had planned out well beforehand. The Russian twins Dina and Arina Averina were the favorites to win the rhythmic individual competition, but when Linoy Ashram made a stunning upset and won gold, they, their coach, and even Russian media acted totally salty over the matter. Basically, they behaved like Yuri did after she lost the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix, minus the whole getting-a-Metaverse-Jail thing. Meanwhile, in artistic gymnastics, Simone Biles of the USA withdrew from multiple events due to mental health concerns, similar to how Yuri dropped out of the Madicce Cup finals. Again, minus the whole Change-of-Heart thing. I wish it to be known that I planned my story beats out months before the Olympics, so while I never saw it coming (heh), they did influence a few minor details here and there.

Speaking of real-world gymnastics, the routines I described in-text are all based on ones performed at the 2019 Rhythmic Worlds championship. Sakiya's routine came from Linoy Ashram, Elena's came from Dina Averina, and Sumire's was inspired by Sumire Kita. (And yes, they do share a first name… Coincidence, Atlus?) In fact, Sumire (Kita)'s routine is one of my personal favorites, if only because its music is the James Bond theme. Actually, about that…

The music I based Sumire (Yoshizawa)'s routine on is "You Know My Name", Chris Cornell's theme song for Casino Royale. Being a massive 007 fan, I knew I wanted to use a Bond theme song for Sumire's final, and originally I had chosen "Nobody Does It Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me. But, while I was writing the Sophia scene for chapter 9, I got the idea not only to change the song, but to incorporate it into the theme of her entire routine. Honestly, I'm shocked at how well that decision worked. Much in the way that Casino Royale marked the rebirth of the James Bond franchise in 2006, this routine marks the rebirth of Sumire herself. In fact, there's a surprising amount of Bond-related music that's been used in rhythmic gymnastics (such as in the aforementioned Sumire Kita routine), which you can read about on the blog "Melody RG".