Hello to anyone who decided to read this. I had an idea to make a crossover story between Persona 5 and the Index series because of how much I love both series so here is my take on them. I hope that this is the start of a fun story and that you guys enjoy it. This will include Persona 5 Royal and Raildex spoilers, so continue at your own risk. I revised this chapter a bit after some criticism I was given. As of Chapter 9, I have revised it a bit more after seeing how mediocre the beginning was.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5 Royal or Toaru Majutsu no Index.
Drifting off into the unconscious seems like it would give people a break from their everyday activities and give them the energy they need for the next day. Not for the Trickster who saved humanity from themselves.
Awakening in a bright velvet room the boy with black unkempt hair stood up from the bed, in a place that looked like a jail cell. He remembered when he was locked in there looking at a false god who nearly guided him to the end of the road.
The memories of feeling helpless, angry, and scared were circling at the time when he surely thought his end was near. All of these feelings awakened something in him that was hidden deep within, allowing him to truly be free from the imprisonment in his heart.
He walked towards the area in the center of the room. It was a large circular area with an old man sitting at a desk, and a girl whose appearance looked similar to that of a doll. Surrounding the area was more of those jail cells.
"Welcome back, to the Velvet Room, Trickster." said the old man with an abnormally large nose.
The boy looked around in confusion.
"Igor?" the young boy said. "What am I doing here?"
The boy with sharp grey eyes and of average height was truly confused. He saved the world twice before, did he have to do it again? What was the threat this time?
"Listen here Trickster," the doll-like girl said. "I understand you may have some worries about your world, but do not fret. There is no danger coming to it."
The doll-like girl was incredibly short and wore a blue dress. She had bright yellow eyes and long ashen hair that had butterfly clips above both ears. She held a large book that looked like it was too heavy for her to carry, but nonetheless, she did and with relative ease as well.
Lavenza, the Velvet Room attendant that Ren had fused together when she was under the control of the false god. She was split together by Yaldabaoth which turned her into the twin's Caroline and Justine. Lavenza was supposed to be his true aid during his journey in saving the world from Ruin, and in the end, she was able to fulfill her role.
"So why am I here?" Ren asked calmly.
The boy crossed his arms signaling his attention to the attendant.
"My master's master wanted you to help him with a problem in another universe." the bright yellow-eyed girl asked.
"His master? I thought Igor was the reason all of this was possible?"
"Yes, my master does follow orders from another, but there is no need to question it, he only wants the best for mankind and you are the World's Greatest Man."
The thought of Igor having a master was strange. Was that person stronger than him? Was there anyone who really knew more than Igor? The questions wouldn't have any answers, so the black-haired boy put it to the back of his mind.
"So what do I need to do?" the boy said with a more confident tone.
At this point, Igor was preparing a Tarot reading and quickly put it away while Ren and Lavenza were speaking. Something about this made Ren want to question the man but decided to just hear what both had to say about the current predicament.
"Allow me to be blunt, we want you to travel to a different planet. One where multiple people have extraordinary powers. Magic and Science are at odds with each other and that is why you are needed," Igor stated, "They lack a Trickster who can guide them out of the Ruin that is to come. However, there is one who will be of great help in your journey."
"So you want me to abandon my life here and save another planet from Ruin?" Ren exclaimed with a sharp tone, "I can't leave everyone here after everything that's happened."
Ren remembered the time he and his team spent under Maruki's reality. Albeit brief, he saw his friends living their best lives and felt horrible taking it away from them. The feeling of being happy was something they all deserved, but when it came down to it, all of it was false. Maruki truly wanted everyone to be happy, Ren didn't doubt that, but the fact he had a Palace meant he was still distorted. Even Ren himself had doubts about returning to the true reality, mostly because of his rival. The relationship they shared was strange, and although Ren would never see him again he knew the decision he made was right. Due to his failure to save Akechi, Ren vowed to himself that he would always be there for his friends.
"We understand that which is why when you leave for the planet no time will have passed from now to the moment you return." Lavenza cut in trying to ease the Trickster back into the discussion.
"What about the rest of the Phantom Thieves?" said Ren with a questioning tone. "You've spoken as if they won't be joining me."
"Unfortunately my Trickster, only those who are guests of the Velvet Room are allowed to be sent elsewhere," Lavenza said with a frown. "Also, there is one other reason we have asked you specifically."
"What reason might that be?"
"In defeating the God of Control, his power went to the one you know as Takuto Maruki. After you defeated both of them, Mementos ceased to exist and in doing that, you inadvertently sent Ruin to another planet."
"What?" the Trickster responded. "How would that even be remotely possible?"
"This is something that not even we anticipated, so that is why your power is needed once more."
"How will I know that it won't just happen again?"
"Don't worry, my master's master, although an observer, has ensured that that will not happen."
The boy was at a loss for words. In saving his world, he had doomed another.
Could Igor's master really prevent it again? Why didn't he prevent it in the first place? Because he was an observer for this moment?
No matter, the boy's silent resilient will had already been ignited.
The boy with the unkempt black hair who was standing slouched began to stand straight and took his hand out of his pockets. Reaching out to his will, the rebellious spirit within him was something he had not felt in quite some time. He focused for no longer than a second and there was suddenly a flash of blue light that enveloped him. As if he was giving them an answer by showing them his true self, the average looking boy who now donned a black ankle-length tailcoat, a dark grey high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black pants, brown-black winklepickers, and a pair of red gloves. The most important feature of his new appearance however was his domino mask.
The mask seemed like something a crazed criminal would wear if he were to try to hide his identity, but to Ren, it was the source of his power. The feelings he repressed from society to fit in were finally released.
"How magnificent," Igor said with a smile. "You are certainly a wonderful guest."
"Sorry for all the questions, but how am I going to live on a new planet if I technically don't exist there?" Ren asked with a playful tone.
The boy had reverted to his cocky demeanor and decided to go through with this mission.
"Don't worry about that," Lavenza said. "Everything you need that is required to live an honest student life will already be prepared by us."
The Leader of the Phantom Thieves honestly did want his group with him. They had always had each other's backs when it got rough and Ren had no idea what the new world had in store for him. Ren was confident though. Shadows were literally humanoid beings who did everything in their power to try to kill Persona-users. He had slaughtered hundreds if not thousands during his time invading Palaces and Mementos. Persona's technically used magic to fight against shadows, but what exactly made science a threat?
"If you're ready to go just let us know," Lavenza said.
Although he wasn't given a lot of information, Ren knew he'd be able to adapt well. Given how he familiarized himself with Tokyo so quickly, he had a feeling that the place where he was going wouldn't prove too much of a problem.
"Is there a certain area that I am going to be staying in?" Ren questioned.
"It's a place in that world's version of Japan called Academy City," Lavenza stated. "Science there is years beyond anything you've seen which is why it's such a threat to magic."
"So does that mean the Magic side of things is my ally?"
"Oh no, forgive me," Lavenza said while shaking her head. "You are not part of any side, I am only giving you a rundown of the conflict. Your job is to save the world from Ruin, but even my master and I don't know exactly what you're up against."
Ren grew a bit curious. He had defeated a false god and a man who substituted god. Ren was determined though. He wouldn't allow another planet to suffer a fate that his almost did. If he had the power to stop it, he intended to do so with all of it.
"Ok, I'll figure out the rest when I'm there," Ren said firmly. "I'll see you guys soon."
"Very well my Trickster," the doll-like attendant said with a smile. "We have left other things for you there as well, you'll know when you see it. May our bond keep you safe."
Slowly, the Velvet Room appeared to get smaller and smaller until there was only darkness. Ren had felt this before and would wait until his physical body would wake up.
Waking up in an unfamiliar place would be sure to scare anyone half to death, but Ren experienced this every time he went into the Velvet Room which made him accustomed to it. The place he woke up in looked like a small apartment. There was a main area with a bed, a kitchen, and a restroom. The apartment looked like it was only meant for one person. In the center was a table filled with his gear and tools from his room in Leblanc. Off to the side of the table was a folded note. Ren opened the note and immediately noticed the Velvet Room logo and then saw extremely small and neat handwriting.
We decided to leave all of your more, important, possessions with you. Starting tomorrow you will be attending a high school in District 7. You are currently enrolled in a student dorm in the same district which means you will need to familiarize yourself with the city. In Academy City, there are people known as Espers. They are the students in the city that have gone through the Power Curriculum Program and have developed certain abilities. The most powerful Espers are referred to as Level 5's, then it goes down to the weakest which are Level 0's who have yet to manifest a power. You are classified as a Level 0 to avoid suspicion so I hope you don't cause any trouble. You should be able to fill in the rest of the information as you go day-to-day. Good luck my Trickster.
'First order of business should be to learn as much as I can and case my surroundings then.' Ren thought.
Walking out of the dormitory and heading down the steps Ren sought out to do what he was thinking when he swore he heard someone yelling about the pain of being bitten. Ren ignored this as he really didn't want to deal with what hopefully was not a masochistic neighbor.
The first thing Ren noticed was the number of windmills in the city. There were also buildings everywhere he looked and it felt like a giant metropolitan area. It didn't seem as packed as Shibuya, but it definitely felt populated.
The boy walked around nonchalantly wearing a grey long sleeve shirt, black pants, and white shoes. He also wore his signature fake glasses which, from his time at Shujin Academy, didn't really help him be discrete but from what his friends told him, made his sharp glare less menacing.
Ren followed a map to get to the new school he would be attending. Although he was eighteen years old, his identification marked him as younger. Ren ultimately deduced that the Velvet Room attendants did this in order for him to not be overly consumed in school work to focus on his true goal.
Keeping a keen eye, Ren noticed robots that looked like trash cans move around. He also noticed people his age and slightly younger in school uniforms wearing a green armband. They would be helping people with directions, clean up parts of the street, and even saw some of them stop petty thieves. Ren assumed they were a part of a volunteer group or maybe an organization that helped their respective district.
As much as the itch to get into fighting again bothered him, Ren knew that now wasn't the time to go around in an exotic thief outfit. He knew his identity would need to be kept secret for now because if word got out that the 'Level 0' could summon manifestations of his soul, there would probably be multiple people hounding him.
After the somewhat short walk to the school, he went inside and went to go find a staff member to let them know that he would be attending class from tomorrow to the foreseeable future. It was long until he saw a girl with pink hair and extremely short stature.
"Um, excuse me little girl?" the boy with glasses said with a light tone. "Do you know if there are any teachers around?"
"LIttle girl?!" the small pinkette exclaimed. "I'll have you know I'm a teacher here and am significantly older than you!"
'Holy shit,' Ren thought. 'I knew they said technology was advanced, but to think they could stop aging.'
"Sorry ma'am," Ren said, bowing. "I'm the new transfer student and I just wanted to know what class I would be in."
"Oh! You must be Ren Amamiya. I'm Komoe Tsukuyomi, the homeroom teacher for Class 7, which just so happens to be your class."
"Well, it's a good thing I found you when I did then. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to officially be accounted for with how long I was wandering the halls."
"Now that we know that you'll be attending school, everything should be in order for tomorrow. Just show up with your uniform and the materials you need and you should be all set."
"Thank you very much, Ms. Tsukuyomi," Ren said with a bow.
The short exchange between the teacher made Ren feel normal. Not only had he saved the world twice, but did it without letting anyone who wasn't personally involved with him know he was a high school student. The people who did know wouldn't dare to say it.
As Ren began to head out he walked by the class that he would be attending. It seemed a bit warm, but it was something that we would get used to. The school seemed rather large, but nothing really made it stand out. An average school for an honest average student.
Making his way back to his dorm, Ren was observant of all of his surroundings. Since Ren was in an unknown area he had taken precautions in case anything happened. The Fool had already gone through one journey, he would use his experience to make sure the second one went smoothly. Ren concealed his gun and knife in his thief outfit so he had access to them every time he summoned his rebellious will. They would materialize instantly along with his phantom thief attire. He also had his persona Alilat as his default persona. Ren had built Alilat to be immune to any form of physical or elemental damage at the cost of not having any attacking moves.
On the surface, Academy City seemed like a place where students could be the most important people in society in their future. However, if Ruin was something that could occur to this world then he knew the area he was placed in had something secretive about it.
The day had grown late and after a bit of exploring Ren decided it was time to return to his dorm. Walking up the stairs to his apartment, the boy with unkempt hair caught a glimpse of a girl wearing a maid uniform riding one of those trash can robots into the dorm two doors down from his.
Seeing the girl, reminded him of his old homeroom teacher, Sadayo Kawakami. She resented him for being the 'delinquent transfer student' but later both came to a deep understanding of each other when they found out about their true struggles. He found out that she was being extorted for essentially being a good teacher and changed the heart of the family that was ruling over her life with an iron fist. She had come to understand the misunderstood boy, and their bond was something that helped him in his journey to save the world.
When Ren entered his dorm room, he began to wonder what this new world had in store for him. Now on his table was a map of Academy City showing every district and major building. The boy was considered a genius tactician among the Phantom Thieves and all of the Japanese law force as he had eluded capture for nearly a year. He had faked his death and fooled the world. Planning was something that was second nature to Ren now, after pulling off major heists, the world has regarded him to be the World's Greatest Thief.
After hours of research, the thoughts he was forming started to diminish and the Trickster who saved humanity closed his eyes and drifted into the unconscious.
Feel free to leave a review, comments, suggestions, or any ideas you guys have.
The reason this chapter is so short is only to get Ren in Academy City. Before you decided to drop it, I recommend reading more as I think it gets much better. Thank you once again if you see this and keep reading.