Disclaimer: Before reading this, the events going to happen in this story will be completely different from the supposed sequel to Persona 5 that is supposedly Persona 5 Strikers. This is just a fiction of mine that takes place after the events of Persona 5. On a side note, this is also going the be one of my bigger works and I'm really going to work hard to give life to this story. So without further ado, please enjoy reading throughout this work. Thank you!
More than a year has passed ever since the Phantom Thieves have defeated the God of Control, Yaldabaoth. Japan was saved from having to suffer under a fascist government. Shido was finally arrested for his crimes and the adults are now working to improve and reform society. However, despite efforts of fully developing the nation, conflicts still arise throughout. Criminal activity did not come to an end and due to the lack of access to the Metaverse, the Phantom Thieves could not trigger a change of heart on anyone and must rely on the authority figures to sort each mess out.
In this story, citizens of Tokyo have mysteriously disappeared and their closest friends and relatives all reported about the incident to the national police. It was highly believed that the culprit behind this is a criminal organization that abducts people, specifically a kidnapping type of crime. Despite the news spreading throughout the entire Tokyo Metropolitan Area, the police are still unable to find the true culprit behind the mysterious disappearances. The Phantom Thieves, due to the Metaverse no longer being accessible via the MetaNav, also couldn't do their usual heists to track down the criminal mastermind behind this incident and trigger a change of heart in them.
Just last year, precisely after the Phantom Thieves drove their leader and beloved friend, Ren Amamiya, back to his hometown, the frizzy-haired boy told his parents the whole story of what happened during his probation. The teen told his parents all about the Metaverse, the palaces, Mementos, and he also told them about the friends he made on the way and the skills he learned when he was there. Ren's parents were trying to process the whole story that their frizzy-haired son was telling them. They weren't supportive of the idea of fighting shadows in the Metaverse, especially due to the fact that they were all placing their own lives in danger. Still, they were very much impressed with how much their son has changed throughout his probation. They eventually accepted the story that almost seemed unbelievable, as Ren truly sounded like he was speaking the whole truth.
Fast forward to the present day, the Phantom Thieves have been busy with their current lives. Despite neither of the two being academically smart, Ryuji and Ann managed to graduate on time and pass their college entrance tests after being given multiple tutorial sessions from Makoto and having Ren give them college entrance exam tips from afar, ranging from how they will answer the tests, to how they should prepare the night before the actual exam. Makoto and Haru are currently 2nd year college students while Ren, Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke are college freshmen. Futaba is currently a 2nd year high school student after enrolling to Shujin Academy the year before. She would've been a 3rd year student by now if she wasn't delayed for a year. Each of them are studying to achieve their dreams and help improve the society with their drive to change and reform it.
After convincing his parents to allow him to travel by himself, Ren has planned a reunion with his friends from Tokyo. They are currently on their summer vacation and they all wanted to catch up with each of their lives. Due to Ren and his fellow batchmates being busy last year studying for the college entrance tests, they couldn't have their reunion during the summer. However, their schedules were more lenient at the moment, and they have already discussed the destinations that piqued their interest. Everything has been planned with how they will spend the summer together. It almost seemed like they will have a joyful and meaning reunion that will highlight a big part of their lives. Didn't seem like something could go wrong, right? Well. let's find out for ourselves.
Day - July 24 (Monday)
Time - Evening
Location - Ren's Room
Ren took out some clothes from his cabinet. He was busy packing up for his trip back to Tokyo. After he has discussed about this with his parents, both of them allowed their son to reunite with his friends again. Ren prepared some t-shirts, shorts, underwear, and even some swimwear in case they will be going swimming. It was the night before he will travel via the bullet train leading to Tokyo that is scheduled to depart during the morning. His companion, Morgana, helped him pick up the bare necessities he will need for the travel, mainly personal hygiene stuff like rubbing alcohol and some shampoo and soap. Both of them were excited to visit the gang again after a year of separation.
"It sure has been a while," Morgana told Ren, "We better sleep early tonight so that we don't miss the train early morning tomorrow."
"Right," Ren agreed with, "But don't you think we should message them as well? I'm sure they're dying to hear from us again."
"Great idea! I want to hear from Lady Ann again!"
Morgana was blushing in his cheeks upon saying those words. Ren was fully aware of how much his companion was attracted to the naturally-blonde girl with pigtails. As such, he didn't want to break his friend's heart and decided not to date Ann. After Ren finished packing up, he laid down on his bed with his phone on his hand as he opened the chat box consisting of the rest of the Phantom Thieves members. Everyone already knows that Ren will go to Tokyo the next day, but he still wanted to make sure that his friends were doing fine before coming back.
Ren: Hi everyone! How's it going?
The text brought a spread of excitement with the other chat members. They were all eager to see their beloved leader and friend after being separated for more than a year.
Futaba: Yoooooo! Captain's speakin'! Captain's speakin'! I repeat, CAPTAIN'S SPEAKIN'!
The chat box had a very lively atmosphere. In just less than a minute, they were all typing in their messages.
Ryuji: Yo duuude! It's been a long while! We've all been waiting for you, man.
Ann: You better make sure to come back here tomorrow or we'll force our way into your hometown and take you with us.
Ryuji: Hey! Stop making it sound like we're gonna kidnap him.
Ann: I'm just kidding hahahahaha! We wouldn't do such a thing.
Makoto: Everyone sure seems eager to see you again. We'll be sure to give you a warm welcome. So be ready for it!
Yusuke: A grand surprise is truly what you must await. Be prepared for what is about to come.
Haru: I sure am excited to hear from you again. We'll be awaiting your comeback so be prepared for it.
The wholesome enthusiasm of the crew brought a genuine smile to the frizzy-haired boy's face. It was clear that everyone was looking forward for his comeback.
Ren: Awww! Thanks everyone. We have so much to catch up with. Anything interesting happened while I was gone?
Futaba: Not much really. But seriously though. It would've been great if you were around to celebrate Ryuji's birthday with us in Leblanc.
Ryuji: Hey! No harsh feelings man! We were at least able to meet via video call. That's more than enough for me.
Ann: But for real! It was lot of fun celebrating it. You should've seen his crying face when all of us were giving our speeches.
Ryuji: The hell Ann! All of you were just bringing up the one time that I accidentally fell down a canal when both of us were in middle school.
Futaba: I mean... it wasn't our fault that you were being overly clumsy.
Ann: Yeah! It's your fault that you tried to balance yourself along the railings of the bridge.
Futaba: Haha! Once an idiot. Always an idiot.
Ryuji: Aww shuddup! I was just training my ass for the next marathon, that's all.
Makoto: Back on topic. We're all meeting up at around 8 am tomorrow. Ren, you better sleep early or else you'll be missing the early morning train.
Ren: Yes ma'am.
Ryuji: That's right, you wouldn't want to mess with the Fist of the Phantom Star. You know how she always is.
Makoto: Do you really wanna get smacked?!
Ryuji: Umm... NO! Sorry...
Yusuke: Such a classic. Our homeboy never changes.
Haru: Well, I'd love to add more to our conversation, but I must be going now. I have to deal with some important business for my father's company.
Ryuji: Same here. I still have to help my mom prepare dinner.
Ann: Looks like everyone's busy, then I guess I'll talk to Shiho and ask her how she's doing.
Ren: Let's continue our talk once we meet together. Goodnight guys!
Futaba: See you! And stay safe.
Ann: Bye Ren! And tell Morgana that we said "hey".
Ryuji: See ya man!
Yusuke: Be sure to affirm your presence.
Makoto: Goodbye!
After everyone said their farewell messages, Ren placed his phone down and kept it beside his pillow. Morgana was just lying down by the bottom left part of his bed from his point-of-view, blushing.
"Lady Ann~", he blushed, "Thank you for remembering me. Looks like I'm gonna have a good night's sleep."
"You never change, do you?" Ren smirked.
Morgana started being in-denial.
"Aww come on!", he expressed, "I just really miss her... and... everyone... of course."
"Does that include Ryuji?" Ren asked.
"Ha! As if I would miss hanging out with that vulgar ape."
"You say that a lot, but I know how much you really missed hanging out with him."
"Yeah, yeah. We do get along a lot. But he's still the idiot that he is."
"Come on, he's a great guy. And you even greeted him as well when both of us had our video call during his birthday."
"I... I only did it because you told me to."
"Really? I remember you being excited to go on my lap when you heard me speaking to Ryuji using my laptop."
"Was I?"
Morgana was confused, but did remember greeting Ryuji when he heard it was his birthday. He was too shy to admit being excited to here from him again, and dismissed the topic.
"Ah, forget that!" he said a little aggressively, "We should get some sleep like Makoto said."
"Some things never change, huh?" Ren asked with a bit of sass.
"Heh, I guess you're right. I do guess both of us had our disagreements, but I can't deny how lively things get when he's around. His presence makes things a little less... boring... I suppose."
"Told ya!"
Morgana realized that he's been hiding some emotions he didn't know he felt, but he also didn't want to think about it. Both he and Ryuji always had their disagreements and banter, but deep down, both of them cared deeply for each other as friends. The train will depart as early as 6:30 a.m. the next day and it was already getting late. Ren closed the lights in his room and immediately went to bed. Everyone was excited for their leader's comeback. However, what they don't know is that this trip will eventually take a turn, unbeknownst to them, for the worse. What will become of their leader during this trip? Let's find out soon.
Was supposed to publish this earlier, but my lazy ass lost motivation lol. I'm still planning out how I'm going to write the rest of the story, but I hope this will get enough people hooked up. College has been draining my mental energy a lot, so I don't really get to write that often. By the way, if you haven't played Strikers yet, I highly recommend it to you guys! It's not as good as a mainline Persona game, but the impact of its story and the character interactions really made me love the game. Signing out!