So… This is an idea I've had for a "Persona 5 Arena" or some form of a sequel to P5 for a while now where they involve the other protagonists and all of that jazz. It's an idea I've had in mind for a while now. This is another thing that will not under any circumstances be a full story, but I just wanted to make this because it's an idea that just really interests me so…
Calling Upon Royal Aid
Yu Narukami and Naoto Shirogane dusted themselves off as they made their way into the room. It was a dimly lit room with a single bulb lazily swaying above a plain white table with two metal chairs on one side and a single one on the other.
Neither of them said anything, keeping on guard and ready to do anything at a moment's notice, should need be, but decided to take their seats.
To say that it was an interesting day for the two Inaba detectives was an understatement. A bunch of shady guys in black suits showing up at the Inaba Police Station, flashing badges for some sort of organization that they barely had time to register before they were told their assistance was needed and they were whisked away to Tokyo for who knew what purpose? All of it was ridiculously suspicious.
But the silence was finally broken when a young man with short brown hair, wearing a tan peacoat with a police crest on its breast pocket and black pants walked into the room and took the seat across from them.
He greeted them with a warm, almost Cheshire like grin.
"You." Narukami looked at him. Eyes widened in shock.
"Caught me red handed inspector." The young man chuckled. "I am sure you both know me well, much like everyone else?"
Naoto simply shook her head. "Of course. It would be hard not to recognize the young man that took my title."
The young man simply put his hands up in mock defense. "Guilty as charged. Although, it was a name given to me much like it was given to you. People seem to love the idea of a Detective Prince."
Naoto nodded. "I cannot deny that. But let us not beat around the bush, why is it that you have called us here, Akechi?"
Goro Akechi gave them a warm smile. "Is it wrong for one to want to meet their predecessor?"
"No." Naoto shook her head. "But you could have simply come to Inaba and said hello, or you could've had my people talk to your people and we could've set up some sort of event."
Yu rolled his eyes. "Now, now, Naoto. His people couldn't have done something like that, Akechi-kun here has been out of the public eye for quite some time. It is not every day that someone just returns from something like that."
Akechi deflated at that, slinking back into his chair a bit.
Naoto couldn't help but smirk. A hand to her chin in thought. "True, but his people seem to be very efficient when it comes to arranging things."
"You're right." Yu nodded. The older man then turned back to the current detective prince and looked him dead in the eyes, demanding the truth from him. "What do you want, Akechi?"
Akechi sighed. "I suppose I should skip the pleasantries, shouldn't I?"
"That would be ideal." Naoto replied.
"Very well." Akechi sighed. "I- I called you two here, because I need your help."
Yu raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"As you had mentioned, I have stepped away from the public for a year. That was unfortunately not my intent, but I needed to step away as I continue to pursue the Phantom Thieves case."
Naoto raised an eyebrow. "The Phantom Thieves? I thought that they had been cleared of all charges."
"Both times even, not just with the initial change of heart epidemic but also for the EMMA incident last summer." Yu added.
"I am aware that those petty thieves have convinced the masses of their innocence, but the truth of the matter is that they are far more cunning than one would have initially believed. They were able to fool everyone… myself included."
Akechi looked down at his hands at this, almost looking wistful.
Naoto still frowned.
Yu on the other hand looked a little more sympathetic at this. "What happened…?"
Akechi looked up at them still wistful, but they both noted the glint in his eyes that they had taken the bait. "To explain what happened, I need you both to tell me something."
Both raised eyebrows at that.
"What does the word Persona mean to you?'
Both Yu and Naoto's blood ran cold at this, each looking to one another for an answer.
Naoto was the one to answer first. "Ah yes, Persona. I believe the dictionary definition for the term is the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others."
Akechi chuckled. "That's very cute, Shirogane-san. But no, you and I both know that's not what I mean."
Naoto attempted to feign innocence, unknowing of what was going on but Yu could tell that they weren't getting anywhere.
He sighed. "What do Personas have to do with this? Have the Phantom Thieves had access to another world?"
"Yes." Akechi nodded. "The Phantom Thieves are a group of Persona users that have been accessing the Metaverse in order to change the hearts of the masses and murder those that they deem to be corrupt. Those they believe too far gone, they perform a mental shutdown on."
"Was that not proven to be the work of one Masayoshi Shido?" Naoto asked.
Akechi nodded. "Yes, we have reason to believe that they were working for Shido. Their initial goal was to put on a charade in public for him to fight against and further push his campaign, while they were acting as his lapdogs in the background. Shortly before they had changed Shido's heart, they had come to understand their abilities and usurped him. Once he was out of the picture, they had proceeded to figure out how they could change the hearts of the masses and that is what lead to EMMA and the framing of one Akira Konoe after he realized what they had done to his mobile application. Unfortunately, he had bitten off more than he could chew and that is what ultimately lead to his framing and incarceration."
Yu and Naoto didn't know how to respond to that, looking at Akechi as he laid it all out for them.
It took a moment, but Naoto pressed. "How did you personally get involved with them?"
Akechi gave a sad smile at that. "I was looking into the change of heart epidemic on my own after it began to become more and more of a prominent problem. You know how it is as a detective prince, if the police do not commission you themselves, then your own interest is what might lead you to something new."
Naoto couldn't help but let out a light chuckle at this. "True…"
"It was my investigation of this case that lead me to discover the Metaverse and inside, I awakened to my Persona and discovered that I was what one called a wildcard user, with the ability to wield more than one Persona. It was thanks to the likes of a being named Igor that I was able to have my own adventures and assemble a team of trusted friends in order to one day face the Phantom Thieves of Heart. Shirogane-san, I am sure you share very similar experiences?"
Naoto shook her head and it was Yu that spoke up. "I would actually be the wildcard user between the two of us. When we were just a little younger than you we had gone on our own adventures in order to seek the truth."
Akechi couldn't help but smile at that. "Then you know exactly what I had gone through!"
Yu pursed his lips but couldn't help but curl them into a slight smile. "Perhaps."
Naoto frowned though. "I do not understand, if you have a team then where are they now?"
Akechi frowned again, this time making sure to avert his gaze from them. "We were unable to defeat the Phantom Thieves. Those- those horrible murderers were able to not only best us in combat but they- they-"
He was trembling now, trying not to remember the painful memories of the past.
Yu was quick to cross over and place a hand on the young man's shoulder.
Akechi was quick to shake it off, startling Yu for a moment before he quickly said. "It's okay. The- the Phantom Thieves had… they had killed the rest of my team and then went off to change Shido's heart. I was left bloody and beaten but slowly recovered and have since attempted to apprehend them and bring them to justice."
"That's horrible, Akechi-kun. I'm so sorry." Naoto gave him a look of sympathy.
Akechi sighed. "My feelings towards the situation do not matter. Not when we believe the Phantom Thieves are likely to be at large again soon."
The two detectives perked up at this.
"We have reason to believe that with the failure of EMMA, The Phantom Thieves are going to make another attempt at controlling the masses, only this time on a global scale rather than within the confines of our very own Japan. My own investigations have lead me to find their next potential targets, but I have been lead to a dead end and I do not believe I can truly solve this on my own anymore, that is why I called upon the aid of you two today."
Akechi once again let out a heavy sigh and looked to the two of them, Yu still at his side and Akechi across from him.
"It is because of all of this that I have requested the help of two users far greater than I. Please… Help me track down and bring the Phantom Thieves to justice so that we can put all this suffering to an end!"
Yu and Naoto looked at each other before they looked back at Akechi.
"Could you please give us a moment to deliberate?" Naoto politely asked him.
"Of course!" Akechi replied as he got up from his chair and politely bowed to the two of them. "I'll be outside. Please, take the time you need."
With that, he left the room. The two waited a couple moments after the door closed before they finally started talking.
"We don't actually believe this guy, right?" Yu asked.
Naoto shook her head. "Absolutely not. His story is compelling and it is possible that he's telling the truth, but…"
"The Phantom Thieves have proven time and time again that they're willing to help the world and be the champions this society needs. While I may not agree with their methods, they seem to have our best interests at heart."
Naoto nodded. "Yes. I think it's clear that we play along for now, but keep an eye out for things."
"Call Kanji when you get the chance." Yu noted. "Let him know you'll be okay."
"I'd say the same to you and your partner."
Yu nodded.
Naoto sighed. "This is certainly going to be interesting."
"Tell me about it. But at the very least you'll be able to chase down the Phantom Thieves like you always wanted."
Naoto smirked. "This is true. Whether or not my successor is telling the truth, it will be nice to show the little one how it's done."
Yu couldn't help but let out a light chuckle. "And here I thought you didn't care about there being a new detective prince?"
"What if the Leader of the Phantom Thieves started calling himself The Seeker of the Truth?"
"Izanagi would prove him wrong."
The two laughed at that, continuing to make small talk as they waited for Akechi to return.
Outside of the office, Akechi smiled at a few suited men. "I'd say that I pulled off a stellar performance, wouldn't you agree?"
"They do not trust you." One of the men plainly stated.
Akechi shrugged. "True, true but that does not matter. So long as they are willing to play our game, then who cares?"
"They likely are powerful Persona Users, if they were to join the thieves…"
"Then I would take them down just as swiftly!" Akechi snapped. "They can invite all their damn fucking friends and have twice or even three times the numbers, I'll prove it to all of them!"
The man frowned. "Very well…"
Akechi was panting heavily at this, that familiar crazed look in his eyes as he took a few moments to catch his breath and regain his composure.
"Good. Now, I think it is about time that I finalize things with them."
He turned towards the door and before he opened it, he looked back at them and smiled. "As my adversary would say, it's showtime!"
With that, he opened the door and came towards them, all smiles again.
"Have you two come to a decision?"
Naoto was the one to answer, standing up from her chair and walking towards him. He hadn't realized that she was half a foot shorter than him. But regardless, she carried herself with such an air of confidence that he couldn't help but admire. Had he not seen and done the things that he had in his life, he would've been intimidated by her, but it merely amused him.
Perhaps her Persona will be able to intimidate me? He mused, the thought of whatever type of Persona Naoto could have up her sleeves intriguing him.
Naoto reached out her hand, a small smile crossing her lips. "We have a deal."
"Oh, excellent!" Akechi smiled, putting on the mask again and taking her hand. "This shall be fun! Two Detective Princes working together to apprehend some of the worst criminals the world has ever seen, if only the world could see us now!"
Yu chuckled. "If you want, I can take a picture."
Akechi laughed. "There's no need. We can worry about the formalities of it all once we've apprehended the Phantom Thieves."
"Sounds like a plan." Yu nodded.
"Let the game begin!" Akechi announced.
Okay, so I am not writing the rest of this story, that's not what this is. Like I said, I've had this idea of P5A or whatever spinoff it could be in my head that would involve Naoto tracking down the Phantom Thieves. I have this very clear picture of a sort of trailer where you show off all the Phantom Thieves going and doing their thing only for that tense moment in the middle where it's night time, in the rain and everything and Joker gets handcuffed on the ground. We hear a very familiar voice saying "I've finally caught you, Phantom Thief!" only for it to be revealed to be Naoto on top of him. Joker releases Arsene and then the trailer would continue and reveal "Woah, it's a crossover with P3 and P4!" and all of that. Haha. Did I need to go into all of that? Lmfao. Probably not. But there you go!
Ideas flowing through my mind just kinda lead to all of this as I've been thinking more about Persona.
Hope you enjoyed this little oneshot.
R&R