Phantom Show
Author's Note: This chapter diverts from the theme of the normal story (I.E., bullshit from the stories of mine that already exist as they interact with each other), and instead follows some short chapters surrounding a What-If scenario, featuring the cast of the Persona series, mainly Persona 5 Royal. The following will contain spoilers for the many hours of gameplay it takes to actually beat the game, and will divert from the original story in many ways.
This is an AU, that I will keep as a short story, rather than posting it in the Persona Series as a new fanfic.
Hope everyone enjoys.
"Yongen-Jaya, this is Yongen-Jaya," an automatic voice over the intercom said, alerting the passengers of a subway train of the current stop so people may rush off the train.
One young man walked out of the train station, but was confused about why he was here. He woke up suddenly… he had no idea what had happened… He shouldn't be here…
"You've come to your senses," a voice said to the Persona user. The teen merely hummed. "Odd that this is what you've woken up to, despite the fact this is over."
The user of a Persona walked out from the subway station. He very well knew who he was… what he did… and where he was. He spent so much time here… but…
That over a year ago… and he's back.
Walking to the destination he had… he-
"Wait a minute, Amamiya?" A familiar voice said as he turned to see a blue haired doctor wearing a choker. He remembered this woman. She supplied the medicine his team sometimes used when they traversed into the Metaverse… at least, when they operated only in Tokyo.
"Tamaki…" Amamiya said. They both stared at each other, silently.
"I'm assuming you've noticed?" The back-alley doctor asked the Persona user.
"Kind of," he said while messing with a piece of his hair.
"It's April… from over a year ago," she said. "Back when you and your group made an impact across the world." Amamiya's eyes widened in shock. "...let's head to LeBlanc," she said.
Leblanc… The young Persona-user missed the cafe he had once called home when he stayed in Tokyo. It was a back alley cafe, with its specialties being coffee, and curry.
And it was the best fucking curry in Japan, and no one could convince Ren Amamiya otherwise.
They entered the shop, and Ren looked at Sojiro Sakura, who was… behind the counter… he would've been sitting on the stool with a newspaper normally but… things were different all of a sudden.
But it wasn't just that, but in a booth, there was a certain geek on her laptop, the orange haired teen typing away frantically.
"Futaba, Sojiro…" Ren said to break the silence, and the two looked at him.
"Ren!" Futuba said as she looked up and saw him, and immediately got out of the booth and hugged him closely. He hugged back, and welcomed the hug. Sojiro smiled at the two teens. The two kids he felt like he raised, even remotely. "...what's going on?" Futaba inevitably asked.
"I'm not sure," Ren said.
Takami sat down at a stool and looked at Sojiro. "I'm going to need a coffee if we're going to talk about what's going on," the doctor said.
"You were affected too?" Sojiro asked as he went to make some coffee for the doctor.
"Mhm," Takami said.
Ren was confused by what was happening, before suddenly, he heard a lot of dings on his phone. He quickly opened it, only to be met with a bunch of new texts. He was… shocked. Seeing all of the texts, he recognized a few of the IDs. He saw texts from his friends, mentors, and closest allies…
Including…
"Ren, Ren!" Futaba said. "Do you know what's going on?" She asked.
"No," Ren answered. "But… It's showtime." Futaba couldn't help but snicker at that.
"Sit down," Sojiro said to the two Persona-users. "We need to talk." Ren nodded as he sat down on the bar stool next to Takami, with Futaba sitting next to Ren. Sojiro went and flipped the sign for the shop from Open to Closed, and reentered. As he stood behind the counter, he looked at Ren. "Each time something happens, I just need to assume you're involved… So what's happening?"
"I'm not too sure," Ren answered as he thought about it. The last major event he could remember was having to leave his friends as their travels were over since they had traveled around Japan for the summer. Granted, that would happen next year since for some reason they time traveled, and that was the biggest question…
Why were they back when Ren was sent to attend Shujin Academy? It made zero sense… This was out of the blue. Ren didn't get why this was happening. They took down Yaldabaoth, they defeated Demiurge… What new force was at play?
"I have no answers…" Ren said. But he had an idea to get the answers he needed… "But I got an idea."
"Oh?" Sojiro questioned. He wondered what Ren was thinking… it would probably be best if he let him do whatever it was though. Sojiro never got involved in Ren's business. He just… simply didn't. And besides, Ren was fine regardless, so there wasn't a need to.
"Futaba, let's go," Ren said to the ginger, who merely smiled cheekily.
"Alright! Let's begin the operation!" She replied as she stood up.
The two traveled to Shibuya after Ren changed into some normal clothes (he had been wearing the attire for Shujin Academy's students), and traveled to the busy Shibuya. It might've seemed like a normal city, run by normal citizens, corrupted government officials, and the yakuza which were indeed plaguing the streets, but deep down to the core, there was more going on…
As Ren and Futaba traveled to a back alley in the Central Crossing, Ren couldn't help but pass by one of his many mentors and confidants. A man named Toranosuke Yoshida, who sought to change Japan for the better via politics.
The two shared a glance, which made Yoshida smile at seeing the Persona-user, who he recalled helped him through his self-esteem issues, due to the bad decisions he made when he was a member of the Diet. He had missed a legislative meeting to take a personal vacation, was accused of embezzling party funds, which turned out to be false, as it was revealed by one of his friends in who was still a member of the Diet Board that his mentor had shifted the blame to Yoshida himself, and finally called a voter an idiot in an open forum.
Ren waved at Yoshida, as he walked past. Yoshida was fond of the young lad, who sparked his resolve more as he continued to give his speech.
As they arrived in the back alley, the two spotted a glowing blue gate that no normal person could see. It was ominous, and yet it drew Ren in, because he knew what was behind it. He had been inside of it countless times.
"Are you sure they'll have the answers?" Futaba asked Ren.
"If they don't, we're on our own," Ren answered as the gate opened on its own, and he entered the gate…
To the Velvet Room…
Inside of the Velvet room, he sat up, aware of the prisoner attire he now wore instantly. Not only that, but also the chains he wore yet again around his ankles and wrists. He looked out the cell, to look at his version of the Velvet Room, a prison.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," a light voice said to the Prisoner of Fate, Ren, as Ren looked out of the Velvet Room to see Igor, the owner and manager of the Velvet Room.
"Even after your adventure… you still have more problems," a woman on the rather short side, Lavenza, said as she looked at Ren with a sorrowful look.
"What's going on?" Ren asked.
"For once, I am not entirely sure," Igor said. "My only guess is that these events are similar to that of what happened a long, long time ago, with another past visitor of mine." Igor hummed. "It will appear that we shall find out as we move along…"
Ren was confused. "What?"
"Pay me no mind," Igor said. "We shall resume duties as normal."
"Do I have access to all of the Personas I've acquired?" Ren asked warily, giving Lavenza a side look. Lavenza merely nervously chuckled, remembering what happened when she told him about how he'd need to get all of his Persona's back during the mess that happened with EMMA and Konoe.
"Yes yes, don't worry," Igor said. "The entire compendium."
"I want Izanagi-no-Okami Picaro, Messiah Picaro, and Lucifer," Ren said instantly, wanting the most powerful Persona in his arsenal.
"Lavenza," Igor said as he looked at his assistant, who merely nodded as she opened the Persona Compendium, which was just a giant dictionary on Personas that Ren had collected.
"The World Arcana… it may be early for you to use it, but with the unknowns in this situation, your caution may be warranted," Lavenza said as she pulled out multiple cards that turned into masks that went to Ren and landed on his face, before dispersing into harmless blue flames that died down as easily as they appeared.
Ren smiled devilishly. He was a bit excited for what was to come. He couldn't wait to wreak havoc upon the poor god or god-like wannabe who wants to mess with him and his thieves. Igor smiled as well. "I put my trust into you, Trickster," the master of the Velvet Room said.
"Your trust is well placed," Ren said, before leaving the Velvet Room.
He just hoped he could solve this instantly.
That'll be all for the chapter.
The theme of this part of a larger story I may or may not write is that the Phantom Thieves of Heart and their confidants (everyone important they've befriended before the end of Persona 5 Strikers) have basically time traveled back to the very first day of Persona 5. Essentially, it's a New Game Plus, except for all the events of Persona 5, including Royal and Strikers.
For this, we're going off of the games, though I doubt that Persona 5 Strikers is even remotely in the Persona 5 Manga. If it is, then cool, but I don't have all of the manga, so I can't say. Other information will be that Joker has the completed compendium of Personas.
As for Yaldabaoth… well… we may see them, we may not. The idea is still fresh, so I haven't planned everything out. What I have planned out is simple so far. But we'll get to it in a moment or two.
In the end, remember:
PERSONAAAAAAA!