Chapter 1: The Ice Queen
WARNING: This story contains major spoilers for Persona 5 Royal, and minor spoilers for early events in Persona 5 Strikers. If you have not finished Royal to the end, including the "third semester" scenario, and Strikers up to the in-game dates (August 8th to 13th) listed at the start of each chapter, please reconsider reading this story until you have done so.
Three months ago
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Shibuya
Sumire Yoshizawa had come a long way in her life.
Presently, in the locker room of her local gymnasium, Sumire was busy making some last-minute preparations for her latest gymnastics competition. Standing in front of one of the bathroom mirrors, she slipped a pair of corrective contact lenses underneath her eyelids and blinked them into place. Her crimson eyes seemed to sparkle and shine even more fiercely, whether by the reflection of her contacts or by her determination. As she rolled her long, ruby-red hair into a tidy bun, she had a good look at the beautiful reflection gazing back at her. The lavender dress leotard clinging to her svelte frame glittered as she shifted under the restroom's fluorescent lights. Her hair in place, she then applied some mascara and a layer of light pink lipstick, her only concessions in the way of makeup, and wrapped up by offering a silent prayer to her sister's spirit, beseeching it to watch over her and guide her to victory. With one final cleansing breath, she left to join her fellow gymnasts.
For almost all of her life, Sumire had trained in rhythmic gymnastics along with Kasumi, her older twin sister. They shared a dream to enter international competitions and, in their words, "take the world stage" together. But through it all, even though they cared very much for each other, Sumire always lagged just behind her elder sibling in terms of skill. Kasumi's mind and body seemed to be sharper than her own, allowing her to effortlessly pull off sequences that she struggled with herself. Her frustrations came to a head on one fateful day, around their 15th birthday, when an accident would claim the life of Kasumi and turn Sumire's own life upside-down. Under the guidance of her psychotherapist, Dr. Takuto Maruki, she had managed to stave off her survivor's guilt by pretending to live as her sister instead, and while this did fix her mental well-being for some time, it did little to take her out of her slump as a gymnast.
That was, until she had a chance encounter with a certain Trickster.
Ren Amamiya, a boy one year her senior, transferred to her high school in downtown Tokyo soon after she began her first year. He had his own set of issues, namely that he was on probation for a crime he didn't commit, and swiftly garnered a reputation as a delinquent. On top of this, he and his new friends formed the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, a vigilante group dedicated to changing the hearts of corrupt, wicked individuals by entering the Metaverse, a magical parallel world powered by the cognitions of other humans, and stealing the sources of their deepest desires. Despite her differing beliefs about the Phantom Thieves' role in society, even Sumire found herself dragged into their cause. Once the truth about her situation was revealed to Ren, she gave up the pretense of living as Kasumi, and awakened her Persona, the manifestation of her innermost self in the Metaverse. Through it all, her relationship with Ren himself was steadfast and symbiotic. She would teach him gymnastic techniques that he could use in the Metaverse, and in exchange, he helped her rebuild the self-confidence she needed to get her life back on track. Regretfully, he had to depart Tokyo that March, at the end of his probation period, but not before he confessed his feelings of love for her, which she naturally reciprocated.
Even without Ren around to provide direct support, Sumire managed to put her gymnastics career back on track. And now, she was on the cusp of participating in her first international competition, a Grand Prix event to take place in Saint Petersburg, Russia. However, there was one more challenge to overcome before she could officially step onto the world stage. Since each country was only allowed to send two gymnasts to participate in the individual events, a preliminary competition was being held first, in Tokyo. Only its two best performers would have the honor of representing Japan in Saint Petersburg. Gymnastics clubs from all over the country met in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, located not far from Sumire's own school, Shujin Academy. As she first stepped into the arena and lined up with the other competitors for the opening ceremony, she easily spotted her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Shinichi Yoshizawa, and acknowledged their applause with a silent nod. After standing side-by-side and bowing in unison, the gymnasts strode off to an empty seating area, each awaiting their cues to return to the mat once the competition began.
In rhythmic gymnastics, the gymnast performs each routine with one of several apparatuses. At present, the ones used in official competitions were the hoop, the ball, the clubs, and the ribbon. Each maneuver in each routine requires the gymnast to handle their props with dexterity, as they twirl, balance, throw, and catch them without fumble, while also incorporating body skills meant to show off their flexibility, balance, and agility. While these performances only last about one and a half minutes each, they demand grueling amounts of physical stamina and mental concentration. For their typically small statures, the best rhythmic gymnasts prove themselves to be among the best athletes of any discipline. At the end of their routine, the gymnast is scored by a combination of two values, their difficulty and execution scores. After all competitors perform once with each of the apparatuses, the total score from all four events determines the winners.
Although Sumire had trained with all four apparatuses in her decade-long gymnastics career, the lion's share of her experience by far was with the ribbon, leaving her less skilled with the others. As such, her score going into the final round put her just under the qualifying positions. Her best ribbon performance, she calculated, should be enough to push her past the threshold, but it would not be easy. Of the favored competitors, there was one whom Sumire outright feared - not only for her gymnastic prowess, but as a mental manipulator whose harsh words were known to break down any opponent whom she considered to be a threat. Her name was Yuri Hikawa, but everyone knew her as the "Ice Princess". This nickname, which few dared to mention aloud lest they incur her wrath, grew from both her cold-hearted demeanor and from her appearance. The only child of a wealthy family from Sapporo, Yuri was born with albinism, which gave her pale skin, stark-white hair, and red eyes; she masked the latter issue with contact lenses that not only recolored her eyes to an ordinary brown, but filtered out the brightest of lights that they were especially sensitive to. Although Yuri was bullied for her peculiar appearance ever since she was a young child, the glacial white leotard she currently wore, decorated with aqua-blue swirls and fringes, only made the connection to her nickname that much obvious.
At first, Yuri was able to handle the bullying the bullying she received in a constructive manner, using it to fuel her drive to succeed in rhythmic gymnastics. In contrast to Sumire, Yuri was far more well-rounded when it came to the different apparatuses. She considered herself a prodigy, and seemed to give 110% of her spirit into every performance and training session. It was a common sight to find her practicing a particular sequence late into the night, and although her temper was quick to boil over whenever she made a mistake, sooner or later she would always nail it down. Yet, despite all her dedication and pride, Yuri was nonetheless insecure about herself, and felt the need to bring down her opponents wherever she could. Over the past year, rival gymnasts were known to break down in tears in the middle of their routines, ruining their scores and allowing her to rise to the top of the leaderboard unopposed. This fear was a well-known secret that had permeated among her peers in the team, but was never mentioned aloud. Yuri's parents controlled the Hikawa Group conglomerate, and were a highly influential force in Japanese business, politics, and even sport, having sponsored their daughter's team with substantial financial gifts. There were even rumors of connections between the Hikawa family and the Yakuza, which flared up after one particular gymnast tried to report her unsportsmanlike tactics, only to suffer a broken leg in an unspecified "accident" afterwards. Whatever the case was, it paid off. Yuri consistently ranked high in her competitions, making her reputation spread far and wide across Japan's rhythmic gymnastics scene. Even now, she had swept the hoop, ball, and clubs events with first-place finishes, and the score she just earned for her final event, the ribbon, was sure to continue her winning streak. Beating her was out of the question for Sumire, but she didn't care. All she had to do was score high enough with the ribbon in order to snag the other qualifying spot.
Looking to get in some last-second stretches before she was called up, Sumire sat on the ground and reached forward, laying her body flat along the floor with her legs spread wide to either side. She closed her eyes and attempted a moment's meditation to calm her nerves, but was disturbed when she heard, and then saw, a pair of feet clad in white toe-socks step right in front of her. Even looking at her from below the knees, there was no mistaking the icy complexion of Yuri Hikawa. Something about her presence compelled Sumire to lift herself up and give her attention, which may have been a grave mistake on her part. Upon making eye contact, she saw the look of contempt in Yuri's eyes as she said, "You're up, Sumi-chan. Don't push yourself too hard. After all, you're never going to live up to your sister, so why bother?" Annoyed, but too polite to tell her off, Sumire said nothing and returned to her stretches. Yuri merely scoffed and walked away, but not before uttering one more word, loud enough for only her to hear.
"Murderer."
This single word rocked Sumire to her core. Instinctively, she fought back in her thoughts. No… I'm not a murderer! Kasumi's death was an accident! I never wished any harm on her!
As she mentally affirmed that statement, another voice sprung up from deep within her subconscious mind, and countered her affirmation. But you were jealous of her, were you not? Her talent, her beauty, her grace… And yet, you were always destined to stay under her shadow. Second place… for the second child. Admit it. That was no life for you, was it?
No, no! She begged back at her inner self. Even if I was jealous, I wasn't trying to get her killed! I was… What followed was a secret thought so devastating, one that would cause so much worry for her and everyone else she loved if it was discovered, that it scared her out of her inner debate just in time for the coaches to announce her name. Sumire swore to herself. There was no more time for her to restore her mental state. With faltering bravado, she willed herself to get up and into her starting position on the center of the mat. The muscle memory she had accrued over countless hours of practice propelled her body through the motions of her routine, but her mind was still stuck on the memories of that day, of the moment where it all went wrong...
It was a rainy March afternoon when the two Yoshizawa sisters were walking side-by-side along the streets of Kichijoji. They had just come back from a training session, throughout which Sumire was unable to perform her assigned exercises to her satisfaction. Kasumi tried to strike up a conversation with her crestfallen younger sister. "Today was brutal, huh?" Sensing an uneasy hesitation from Sumire, she asked, "Feeling okay?"
Sumire silently shook her head. "It's not that…" she mumbled. "Why am I doing so bad? I keep messing up my routine..."
Kasumi walked around to face Sumire head-on, and tried to console her. "Your growth spurt's just changed your eye level," she explained. "You'll get used to it." She reached out a hand to the top of Sumire's head. "Look! You're as tall as I am now."
Sumire wasn't convinced. "We practice the same amount… But you are the one who always gets first place. I can't catch up to you, Kasumi."
She lowered her gaze as Kasumi replied, "You know why? Because it's my right as the elder sister," she said proudly.
"We're in the same grade, though."
"Aw, don't be so down! We'll reach the top of the world together. That's our dream, right?"
But sorrow had already taken a hold of Sumire. "You don't get it. You'll never understand how I feel." And before Kasumi could protest, she ran off ahead, pushing past every person in her way. With tears and raindrops mingling on her face, and her mind preoccupied with her failures that day, she didn't look where she was running off to, nor could she hear or heed Kasumi's cries of caution.
"Hey, wait up!" Sumire broke through another crowd of pedestrians, waiting to cross the street. "Look where you're going! The light's red!" As Sumire blindly ran into the intersection, Kasumi sprinted up with all the might her legs could muster, desperate to stop her sister. "Sumire, stop! Listen to me!" A big car was barreling down the road and was about to run her over. The driver blared the horn and braked hard, but in the slick rain, it would not be enough to stop it in time. Reaching the streetcorner in the nick of time, Kasumi made a desperate leap forward to tackle her out of the way. "SUMIRE!" she yelled, just as the car closed in on her.
"KASUMI!" Sumire screamed back. Unfortunately, this was not just in her memory, but in reality. When the fatal vehicle was about to strike her sister in her mind, the real Sumire was in the midst of her finale. She was supposed to toss the ribbon high up behind her, backflip into a split on the floor, and catch the baton. But with her mind distraught by the inadvertent flashback, she utterly failed it. The baton flew past her hand and poked her right in the forehead; combined with her crying out Kasumi's name, it proved to be an embarrassing end to her performance. A few gymnasts sitting on the sidelines giggled at this sight, only to be silenced by disapproving glares from those who knew better. She remained in her splits, dumbstruck, until her senses returned and the realization that she had just lost her shot at the Grand Prix finally dawned upon her. After re-composing herself just long enough to walk away to the sidelines, her score was announced, and her fears were confirmed. Sumire's disastrous ribbon routine had incurred enough penalties to keep her out of the running for the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix.
When the final routine was finished and judged, the winners were announced. The two finalists who had earned the privilege of competing in Saint Petersburg were Hanako Natsuki and Yuri Hikawa. Everyone, from the crowd to the other gymnasts, applauded for the victors - except for Sumire. Losing was bad enough, but to have lost to the one who directly caused her downfall, and in such a personally devastating manner, was too much for her fragile emotional state. Trying her best not to cry just yet, she turned and ran out for the solitude of the locker rooms. As the gymnasts huddled together to congratulate the victors, Yuri shot one parting glance at the distressed wreck that was Sumire. Good riddance, Sumire, she thought. You don't deserve to share my spotlight. You're not special. Not like your sister… That last thought came with a hint of melancholy, but she never showed it, instead putting on a friendly face for her adoring peers.
Coach Hiraguchi, spotting Sumire's abrupt departure in the corner of her eye, sprinted away and caught up with her just in front of the arena entrance. "Sumire-chan, what happened out there?" she asked with caring concern. "That performance wasn't like you."
"Oh, I was just… distracted a little bit," she choked out.
"What was distracting you, Sumire?"
"It… It was about Kasumi. The day she…" On the verge of tears, Sumire cut herself off.
"It's okay, Sumire-chan, I know. But I thought you had gotten over that?"
"I thought so too, but…" Sumire paused again, racking her brains to recall what might have triggered her repressed memories.
Coach Hiraguchi sighed. "Sumire…" She softly placed her hand on Sumire's shoulder. "You're a very talented gymnast. I've seen you improve yourself by leaps and bounds ever since the accident. When you say you can do better, I believe you. Honestly, I do. But rhythmic gymnastics is as much a mental exercise as physical, and competing at this high a level brings with it all kinds of stress. If you can't control your trauma on top of all that…" She sadly shut her eyes as she delivered the bad news. "...then I'm afraid you're just not ready to compete. I'm sorry, Sumire-chan."
Sumire had nothing to say, merely nodding as she began to whimper out a string of tears. Her coach held out her arms to offer a consoling embrace, which she accepted. They hugged each other for a long moment, until Sumire's crying finally subsided. "Take all the time you need to relax and recover, Sumire-chan," Hiraguchi gently told her distressed pupil. "When you're in better spirits, we can start preparing for our next tournament in a few months. I hear it's in Sapporo! Ever been there?" Sumire shook her head, her gaze still downcast. "Would you like to?" She responded with a nod. "Attagirl, Sumire-chan! You'll always have another chance to prove yourself later on."
Weakly, Sumire gave another nod and said, "Thank you, Hiraguchi-sensei. I'll look forward to it, but…"
The way Sumire had trailed off made Hiraguchi curious. "...? Is there something else on your mind?", she asked.
Sumire had just managed to recall the cause of her flashback. It was, of course, Yuri Hikawa taunting her just before her ribbon routine. She knew that Yuri said those things in order to take her down and steal her spot for the Grand Prix, but she held her tongue at the last second for numerous reasons. First, her sorrow somehow kept her from thinking straight. Second, she thought it bad sportsmanship to cause a fuss like that. But perhaps more than anything was Yuri herself. Not only was Yuri Hikawa the top gymnast currently on their team, but she came from a rich and powerful family, and was all too willing to use her poison wit and influence to strike back at anyone who would dare challenge her. The rumors of Yakuza ties, true or not, were still fresh in her mind. All Sumire could bring herself to do was shake her head and say, "No, Sensei. I'm sorry for what happened out there."
"Don't beat yourself up over it, Sumire-chan. I'm always here to help you out."
"I know…" She stepped back and gave a parting bow to her coach. "T-thank you", she whispered, "I need to be alone right now."
"Go ahead," nodded Hiraguchi. "I'll make sure no one bothers you. And remember, failure is just a practice run for success!" If Sumire had heard that last sentence before disappearing into the locker room, she didn't show it. She holed herself up in the locker room and did nothing, simply attempting to force her the clouds of despair in her mind to pass. This proved easier said than done, as she couldn't help but linger upon her disappointments. Even once she had calmed down enough to return and let her parents drive her home, they they felt it prudent not to ask her what was wrong. Worst of all, apart from Coach Hiraguchi, she had no friends around with which she could share and lighten her commiseration.
Of course, this would not always be the case.
AN: Welcome ladies, gentlemen, and others, to my latest fanfiction! This fic is meant to replace one of Persona 5 Strikers' story arcs, specifically the Sapporo Jail arc, with a new story involving Sumire Yoshizawa from Persona 5 Royal. Like many of you, I'm sure, I had a blast playing Strikers, but I was still disappointed that Atlus was unable to incorporate Sumire into the new game, especially since I'm a fan of rhythmic gymnastics and the like. And while I liked the real Sapporo arc well enough, it was the best place for me to work in this alternate story. (Besides, that Shadow Mariko design was just… gonkish. I would happily prefer never to have seen it for the rest of my life.)
Since my usual proofreader hasn't played Royal yet, and I didn't want to spoil anything for them, I reached out on Twitter and Reddit for someone else, anyone who was familiar with Royal, Strikers, and rhythmic gymnastics, to take over. Who wound up helping me? Why, none other than Deathmanstratos and SupremeKnight3, author and editor of the epic RenSumi fic "Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms", which I finished recently and is simply the greatest fanfiction I have read and will ever read for quite some time! With their permission, I even borrowed one of its original characters, Hanako Natsuki, for the name of one of the tryout's victors. I don't know how much I'll be using those characters, since I have other OCs who may make an appearance. You'll have to wait and see who might pop up, but for next time, we'll finally rejoin the Phantom Thieves!
Edit 2021/3/31: I changed certain details of the preliminary and Grand Prix tournaments to better reflect their real-life counterparts.
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Characters from Persona 5 Royal TM & (c)2016 2019 Atlus
Characters from "Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms" TM 2020 Deathmanstratos
Text (c)2021 SpyHunter29