A/N: I know. I know. I already have a Persona story that I should put my time into writing, but with the announcement of P5X, I just couldn't help myself. So I began kicking around some ideas for my own P5 story and the end result was this. I developed some characters which I would absolutely love to see fleshed out in this story, so I'm going to write it as a side project and see where it goes.
And with how popular P6: DoD was when I started it as a SYOC, I've decided to make this one SYOC as well. But considering how long I've been dragging the other one out, I don't expect as many people to submit characters for this one. I'll be the first to admit it, I have a problem following through on stories. I get distracted and start writing new ones instead of sticking with the ones I already have, right now I'm actually contemplating starting fanfics for TWEWY, Great Ace Attorney, and the Toaru series. That's on top of the other fanfics I already have on my account.
But I'm going to try to get serious about updating. First priority is Digimon Forever because the people involved in that SYOC have been waiting long enough for an update. Probably around four to five chapters. Then I'm going to try and finally finish Arc 1 of P6: DoD, but I plan to post the remaining chapters altogether in one big update. That's going to be at least five chapters. Then I'm going to try and finish the Prologue of Danganronpa: Bloody Reverie. Though I might do that before P6: DoD as it's just two more chapters.
Anyway, onto this story. I'll give you a little background so you're not confused. This takes place a few years after the events of the other P5 games. It will include spoilers for P5 (Vanilla), P5R,and P5S.That's Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, and Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, to those of you who are P5 virgins. When P5X (Persona 5: The Phantom X) is released overseas and I can play it myself, I might decide to include that in the lore as well. I will let you know if I decide to do this. And I have no doubt it will be released overseas as Persona 5 is huge in the West.
There will be canon characters introduced and referenced in this story. There's already a major one in this first chapter. It will have familiar locations as well as new locations. New Confidants, new Palaces, new Personas, and a whole lot more Phantom Thief fun. But the Phantom Thieves in this story are completely original. I already have two created, but I plan for there to be at least ten. That's where you guys come in. The other eight slots are up for grabs to whoever wants them. If you're interested and want to be a part of this project then give it a shot and read what I have so far. The SYOC character information is below.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.
Based on the game franchise developed by ATLUS.
Based on writings by Kazuma Kaneko.
With music inspired by Shoji Meguro.
World Paradox proudly presents…
PERSONA 5 LEGACY (P5L)
Chapter I: The Greatest Heist of All Time
Saturday, 12/24 20XX, Nighttime
It was 23:55 on Christmas Eve. Just a few short days before the end of one of the most eventful years in history. Tokyo seemed even livelier than usual despite how late it was, but not just because of the romantic and festive atmosphere. There was something else in the air. Anticipation. Almost everybody was still out and about because they were waiting in bated breaths for midnight. There had been rumors floating around for about a week now of how something big was going to happen at midnight, the end of Christmas Eve and the beginning of Christmas Day. A special video announcement by an enigmatic group. The crowds were especially massive in Shibuya, due to the large number of jumbotrons in the equally large ward. Most of the crowds were stopped in the middle of the Scramble Crossing, holding up traffic, with their eyes glued at the screens. Though oddly enough, this wasn't causing any problems as the motorists were also stopped and looking up at the screens.
Around this time, a large police force made their way onto the scene. They actually looked like some kind of small heavy duty army as many of them were wearing full body riot gear and carrying heavy artillery. The police force was led by a large, stern, middle aged man with short, salt and pepper hair, and stony gray eyes, and a beautiful young woman with silky black hair tied back into a ponytail, and jade colored eyes. They were both wearing black suits. These two were police inspectors. When the officers were lined up, the older inspector began to speak. "Stay on your toes. If the information is correct, they're going to show up here in person. No matter what happens, our mission is to bring them in. We want them alive if at all possible, but if that becomes impossible, take them down. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!" the officers responded.
"You have to admit though, this is nothing short of incredible. All these people are out here just to hear what they have to say. I don't know if it's support, blind loyalty, or just morbid curiosity," the younger inspector replied.
"Either way it's outrageous. These brats are terrorists. Every time they show up, they bring the entire world into chaos," the older inspector replied.
"But weren't the original ones innocent of all the crimes they were accused of? They even helped bring down some really awful people during their operation. People that the police couldn't touch, or just wouldn't."
"Don't tell me you're a fan."
"I was in college. There wasn't a single person I knew who wasn't."
The older inspector sighed. "Your generation, I swear." Then he crossed his arms. "Well regardless of the past, this is different. Compared to the old ones, these new ones that have taken up the mantle are ten times worse. Or have you forgotten the evidence that we have against them?"
"I don't trust anything that I haven't seen with my own eyes. It took the police and government years to get back in the people's good graces after all of that. This could just be history repeating itself because we haven't learned anything. The only reason I'm here tonight is to find out the truth."
"Tch. Are you sure you're not still a fan?"
"..." The younger inspector went silent and checked her watch. "It's almost time."
The time turned to 23:59 and the entire ward fell into complete silence. Not a sound could be heard, besides the advertisements already playing on the jumbotrons. Then the clock struck midnight and the images on the jumbotrons fizzled out. Then a familiar logo appeared on the screens. The logo depicted a red, flaming heart-shaped mask and a top hat. Below the logo were the words: TAKE YOuR hEaRT. The letters almost looked like they were clipped from newspaper and magazine articles. Then the logo slowly began to change to a variation. A pair of white angel wings appeared on the sides of the logo, and a halo appeared over the tophat. Loud music began to play all throughout the ward and then a group of modulated voices began to speak.
"Hello Tokyo, hello Japan, and hello planet Earth! That's right! In case you didn't know, we have hijacked global communications to bring you this announcement worldwide!"
"Yeah! And to all of you assholes out there who are trying to stop us, go ahead and try! You've all been saying whatever you want about us for the past few months and you know what?! We're sick of it! So now it's time that we get to tell our side of the story!"
True to their word, the group was broadcasting on every screen in the entire world.
"People of Earth, you have been lied to constantly for years now and it's time for you to learn the truth!"
"Since the time of our predecessors, no even before that. A syndicate has been working behind the scenes trying to control the world for their own selfish interests. Masayoshi Shido, Akira Konoe, and many, many others. They were just the tip of the iceberg."
"The corruption and evil goes much deeper than you think. And it's these powers that be, who have blacklisted us and labeled us and our predecessors as terrorists of the highest order. The crimes that we've been accused of. The ones that supposedly have tons of evidence tying us to them. All lies. History has truly repeated itself because we still haven't learned a thing."
"We know the truth though, and I'm willing to bet that all you true believers out there do as well. Our predecessors were not terrorists, they were heroes fighting for change in this rotten world. Standing up for the little guy and teaching all of us to stand up for ourselves. Injustice is all around us, and over this past year we've all learned to confront it."
"If we're even half as heroic as they were, then our goal is clear. We will overturn this unjust world just like they did years ago and introduce a lasting change. We are thieves, and so we will do what thieves do best."
"Tonight, we shall steal the Earth itself. We will take back our world from those who wish to plunge it into darkness. And before the year is over, the guilty parties shall confess their sins."
"It's time to commence the operation. Prepare yourselves everyone, because the change you've all been waiting for is almost here."
A silhouetted group appeared on screen. There were both men and women mixed in, along with an odd-looking creature. But they were all wearing masks so their faces could not be made out. Then one of the silhouettes in the center of the group stepped forward and walked into the light. They revealed themself as a young woman with a lean physique, long brown hair, pasty skin with freckles, hazel colored eyes, and pierced ears. She wore a snow white ankle-length tailcoat, a silver waistcoat with black accents, white thigh-length semi-transparent hose, silver high-heeled boots, and a pair of black gloves. She also wore a white and gold mask that was shaped like a pair of angel wings, a pair of diamond earrings, and a beautiful gold halo that appeared to be floating above her head. "Hear our name and remember it forever more. We are the successors of the heroes that came before us. We carry on their legacy by fighting for a new and better world. We are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and tonight we shall pull off our greatest heist yet. Your desires are ours." The young woman slapped a Calling Card on the camera filming her and showed it off to the whole world. It read:
To the sinners who call themselves, "The Chosen Ones". The purveyors of darkness and evil. Your misdeeds number in the billions all across the globe. From your positions of power, you abuse your authority to line your own pockets and to carry out your own selfish ideals. Many people have suffered because of your actions, and some have even died as a result. For these heinous acts and more, we shall take vengeance upon you. We have decided to make you all confess all of your crimes with your own mouths. We will take your distorted desires without fail.
From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
P.S. We're coming for you too, M. Get ready.
Cheers exploded all around Shibuya. In fact, cheers could be heard from all around the world. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts were back with a passion.
"What did I tell you? Everything they do causes chaos," said the older inspector.
"They do know how to stir up a crowd. Honestly, they might even be better at it than the original Phantom Thieves," the younger inspector replied. "Do you think what they're saying is true? The events that the original Phantom Thieves were involved in, as well as the events that have taken place in the last year. Do you think they're all happening because of one party?"
"Not our concern. Our orders are to capture the Phantom Thieves," the older inspector replied.
The younger inspector sighed. "You're so by the book that it isn't even funny. Why did I have to be assigned to you of all people?"
"You don't like how I operate? Well no one's keeping you from going over there and joining up with the rest of those…what the hell do they call themselves again? Phanatics?"
"No thanks, I'm fine here. I'm just saying that I'm going to keep an open mind."
"Excuse me? May I have a moment of your time?" a third party asked. The two police higher-ups turned to see that a woman had approached them. She was a tall, beautiful woman with long gray hair and brown eyes that had an odd mix of mauve in them. She wore a dark gray suit, black high heels, and teardrop earrings.
"We're about to commence an operation, ma'am. Please don't disturb us," the younger inspector replied.
"An operation, hmm? That seems to be an awful lot of firepower to arrest a couple of kids playing dress up. Or are you actually planning to do something other than arrest them?" the woman asked.
"Wh-Who are…?!"
"Stand down, Nishitani. We're in the presence of royalty after all," the older inspector replied in a mocking tone. "The Former Prosecutor Princess, Sae Nijima."
The inspector, named Nishitani, was surprised."...! Wait! That Sae Nijima?! The one whose sister was…?!"
"My younger sister's involvement in the events you're thinking of was never technically proven. Nor were formal charges ever brought against her. Moving on, I hope you'll spare a few moments of your time," Nijima replied.
"You lost the right to have any say in this when you started working for the other side," the older inspector replied.
Nijima sighed. "If you're trying to brand me as some kind of traitor, go right ahead. I've slept more soundly in the past few years than I ever did working as a prosecutor. But I suppose anyone who doesn't have the stomach for framing, torturing, and drugging children would feel the same."
"Tch," the older inspector clicked his tongue. "All those allegations were never proven."
"And they most certainly never will be. Even now Public Security is basically being used as the government's own personal bloodhound. Emphasis on the blood. However, I'm not here to dredge up the past. I'm here to speak to you on behalf of my new clients."
"New clients?" Nishitani replied in confusion.
"Correct. We've never formally met, but a short while back I received one of these in the mail," Nijima replied, showing the police another Phantom Thief Calling Card.
The older inspector's eyes widened. "...! That's…!"
"I was quite surprised when I received it as well. The original Phantom Thieves actually sent me one as well years ago when I was working at the Prosecutor's Office. Though I very much deserved it with how I was behaving. But since then, I can't say I've been up to anything unscrupulous. I've worked hard to become a person that I can be proud of. Then I read the contents and discovered that it wasn't so much a Calling Card as it was a request for my services. Apparently, with everything that's been going on they thought they could use some legal representation. Knowing first hand how everything was handled during the previous Phantom Thief investigations, I couldn't agree more. So I officially became their attorney of record," Nijima replied.
"You're representing those terrorists?!" the older inspector replied.
"That's a baseless accusation. At the moment they are merely persons of interest in several crimes. Nothing more, nothing less. Now as for why I'm here speaking with you. First of all, I am to assure you that the video being broadcast globally will loop for another ten minutes and then normal broadcasting will resume. But I must assure you that there is no proof whatsoever that my clients are behind said hijacking. They made the video, that much is clear, but they deny culpability in anything else. Secondly, my clients requested that I tell you that they will not be making an appearance here tonight. That was merely a rumor that was spread for convenience sake." Nijima replied.
"So what you're basically saying is that we were purposely misled?" Nishitani replied.
"Yes, that is the case. Though I don't have any prior knowledge that suggests the misleading rumor came from my clients. Lastly, I was told to relay the following information to you after the video had played once." Nijima revealed that there was a hidden flap in the Calling Card and then opened it and showed the contents to the inspectors. Then she turned the card around again and read over the contents. "'Merry Christmas, Inspectors Kazutora Yagami and Naomi Nishitani. We hope you liked the beginning of our farewell tour because that's all that you're going to get from us for tonight. We understand that since our operations commenced back in April that we have caused you quite a lot of trouble. But fret not, we are almost done. This last heist shall accomplish our goal to change the world. We have come to realize that you two are faultless in all of this and therefore we would like to leave you out of this as much as possible, which is why we arranged for you to be here in Shibuya tonight while we make our move. We can't tell you where we are or what we plan to do, but trust us in saying that we are fighting for you two as well. We care about this city, and about this country, and about this world. Which is why we want to save it from the rotten people who wish to harm it. Consider this our Christmas present to the world. A lasting change that will bring about an end to corruption and darkness. Hopefully after this operation, the world will no longer need the Phantom Thieves and this can all come to an end. But for now, this is the only way. We understand you're still going to come after us regardless of this fact. We won't hold it against you. Catch us if you can. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. P.S. Please don't hold any of this against Nijima-san. She knows nothing more than what was written on this Calling Card. Hopefully, this will be the end of her involvement. Unless we get caught and need a good lawyer.'" Nijima looked up from the card. "There you have it, Inspectors." She handed the Calling Card to Yagami. "You're welcome to have this, but I guarantee there's no fingerprints or DNA on it besides my own."
The inspector named Yagami sighed and took the Calling Card. "So they know who we are, huh?"
"I mean we probably should have figured that they would be researching us just like we're researching them," Nishitani replied. "What do you want to do now?"
"What else? We're going to find the brats and make them pay for their crimes. That's our job, end of story. Everything else can be sorted out later," Yagami replied. He put away the Calling Card and then turned to face the armored police units. "They're not coming here. They clearly planned this in advance, knowing that we would show up. Let's regroup back at HQ."
"Yes, sir!" the officers replied.
"What should we do with her?" Nishitani asked, motioning to Nijima.
"..." Yagami thought it over and then shook his head. "Leave her. She doesn't know anything, and even if we tried anything despite that, she'd make our lives a living hell in the fallout." Then he turned to face Nijima. "I'd be more careful about who you choose to represent in the future. With everything they've done in the past year, they'll be lucky if they escape the death penalty. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes."
"That's if you catch them. But if you do, hopefully they'll manage to do what we as adults have failed to do and save this world before that," Nijima replied.
"..." Yagami didn't respond and simply walked off. Nishitani and the other officers followed after him.
Nijima turned around and stared up at the largest jumbotron in Shibuya. The Phantom Thief logo was still on the screen. "You kids have definitely honored their legacy. Good luck."
Sunday, 12/25 20XX, Nighttime
Meanwhile, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts were beginning their final operation. The group stood on top of a large building that had a viewpoint of their target. It was an enormous skyscraper that stretched far into the heavens. The skyscraper was gaudy and ornately decorated in various styles. It almost seemed like each floor was decorated differently to match a different person's taste. The area around the skyscraper was surrounded by security guards dressed in black. The security guards appeared to be patrolling the area, keeping an eye out for intruders.
"There's so many of them. I think maybe the Calling Card worked too well this time."
"It's our last job, so we have to go out with a bang."
"I agree. What's the point of a grand finale if you can't put some extra showmanship into it? Besides, the Calling Card had to be big enough to manifest the desires of every single one of those bastards."
"I still can't believe it. How did all of those Palaces turn into one gigantic monstrosity?"
"It still disgusts me no matter how many times I see it."
"If I had to hazard a guess, I think it has something to do with a shared cognition. All of our targets are working together to further their own goals. Hence the different layouts and styles of each floor. Each floor belongs to one of them. But ironically, this makes taking them all down even easier. All their desires are in one central location inside the skyscraper. The Calling Card should've manifested them all, so now all that's left is to steal the lot of it."
"It's never that easy. Especially with the amount of Treasure that's going to appear this time."
"Regardless, we have to do this. There's no turning back now."
"Whatever happens, it's been a privilege working with everyone."
"Enough with the death flags! You're just making me feel even more nervous!"
"Are you ready, Angel? You remember the plan, right? We need you to distract them while we sneak inside."
One of the thieves came into full view and revealed themself to be the same young woman in white that was on camera before. "I'm ready. Let's go change the world, team."
"Yeah!" the other thieves exclaimed in unison.
Then the thief in white, Angel, jumped off the building and swan dived down to the ground below. Then in midair, she reached for her mask and ripped it off her face. "Persona!" she shouted. Then it appeared, Angel's Persona. He was an angelic-looking man. He had from top to bottom: a series of gold halos of varying sizes above his head that formed the shape of a tophat, neck-length silvery hair, a light blue crystal angelic-looking mask for a face (as he appeared to not have an actual head), a neat, shiny all white suit that included a white tie and white shoes, a pair of silver gloves, and a pair of large white, crystal-like wings. The Persona grabbed hold of Angel and then used its wings to glide her over to the security guards. Angel then wasted no time in distracting the security guards. While still being flown by her Persona, she kicked several of the security guards in midair, before landing softly on the ground.
"Intruder!" one of the security guards shouted.
"It's the Phantom Thieves! Raise the alarm!" another one shouted.
A loud alarm started blaring and the entire area was enveloped by a red light. "Just as planned," Angel muttered.
"There's only one of them! Get her!" another security guard shouted. Then he and the other security guards encircled her. Then even more security guards joined them until finally the area was awash in a sea of black, with Angel and her Persona at the center of the circle.
Angel smirked. "Big mistake! Arragh!" A fiery blue aura enveloped her and her Persona, pushing back the encroaching security guards.
"I am thou, thou art I….You have traveled down a long and winding road to reach this point. Even though your goal is within your sight, stay true to your virtue and follow your guiding light. I, Simon, shall be with you every step of the way. Show those who dare cross your path the true power of a saintly thief!" the Persona, called Simon, exclaimed.
Then Angel went on the attack. She grabbed her halo and then threw it at the security guards, slicing them into pieces and making them dissolve into black ooze. The halo came back to her, and then Angel leapt at the remaining enemies and began to slash at them with her halo, while her Persona began firing off attacks of its own.
In no time at all, Angel and Simon had cleared away almost the entire group of security guards. Then the remaining ones decided to change up their tactics and revealed their true forms. The security guards were all Shadows. The Shadows began to group together and then they absorbed the leftover black ooze that the destroyed Shadows excreted. Soon an enormous Shadow appeared from the amalgamation. Then the Shadow changed form again to reveal itself as a giant fly monster that was covered in skulls and holding a large staff. This was the Shadow known as Beelzebub. "I will destroy you!" Beelzebub exclaimed.
"Bring it, ugly!" Angel shouted. "Simon, Saint's Luck!" Suddenly a warm green aura enveloped Angel, and then she charged at Beelzebub. "Kougan!" In response to Angel's plea, Simon fired off an intense beam of light, severely damaging Beelzebub. But that didn't stop the fly Shadow. In response to the attack, Beelzebub fired off attacks of his own, consisting of darkness elemental blasts. But Angel and Simon dodged them with ease and delivered consecutive counterattacks. "Hand of God!" In response, Simon summoned a large fist from the heavens that crushed Beelzebub, but the fly was still not beat. Beelzebub used his wings to fly up into the air, and then he fired off more attacks at Angel and her Persona. Angel held out her arms and a few moments later Simon picked her up and placed her on his back, and then he flew her closer to Beelzebub. Then the battle continued as an aerial dogfight, with Simon and Beelzebub unleashing attack after attack, and Angel using her halo to swat back any attack that got too close to her. Eventually, Angel got in close enough to use her halo to slash at Beelzebub's wings. She cut them cleanly, causing Beelzebub to fall out of the sky. "Finish it, Simon. Just Desserts!" Simon produced a series of Calling Cards from his suit's jacket and then threw them at Beelzebub, where they exploded on contact. Beelzebub screamed in agony as he died before he hit the ground.
Angel and Simon landed gracefully on the ground. "That takes care of that," Angel said to herself. Then Simon disappeared, leaving Angel all alone. She spoke into an earpiece in her ear. "I've thinned out the numbers at the entrance. Are you guys inside yet?"
"Yep. We're in the backroom of the basement. Where we got into last time. There aren't that many Shadows patrolling. Looks like you did a good job at distracting most of them. Come on and…wait! Something's wrong! A ton of enemies just appeared all around you! Look out, Angel!"
Several bright spotlights suddenly turned on, momentarily blinding Angel. Then suddenly she was surrounded again. But this time it was by a heavily armed police force. There were dozens of police officers, outfitted with assault weapons and riot gear, as well as several police cars and armored trucks, and there was even a helicopter circling above head. "What the…?! Where did they all come from?!" Angel exclaimed.
"I don't know! They just appeared out of thin air! Run, Angel!"
"...! Simon!" Angel quickly summoned Simon again to make a hasty getaway.
"Conquer all, Moriarty!" someone shouted. Then Simon was hit by a strong shockwave that caused him to disappear.
"No!" Angel exclaimed.
"Don't move! You're surrounded! We want you alive, but try anything and we will open fire!" one of the police officers exclaimed.
"...!" Angel felt like a cornered animal, and after thinking it over she decided to fight back just like one. She rushed at one side of the encirclement and powered through, struggling against anyone who tried to stop her. But when she finally made it out of the encirclement, the police officers opened fire on her. Thankfully, due to the lingering effect of Saint's Luck, all of the bullets missed their mark and Angel was able to flee. She ran towards the entrance to the skyscraper and threw open the doors, only for her head to be greeted by the butt of a rifle when she did so. There were police inside the skyscraper too.
Angel fell backwards and landed hard on the ground. Blood trickled from her head and her consciousness slowly started to fade. The police surrounded her again and pointed their guns at her. Then one of them turned over on her stomach and put handcuffs on her. "Target is secure. I repeat, the target is secure."
Then someone else walked up to Angel and gave her a once over. "Did you really think I wouldn't be waiting? You should have just left well enough alone. I warned you what would happen if you continued to push this. Now it's over. Without you, your friends are nothing. They'll be caught as well soon enough."
"..." Angel's vision started to fade, but before it did she managed to see the face of the person who was talking to her. "...! You! You're…M?" Then everything went black.
Sunday, 12/25 20XX, Nighttime
Angel was unconscious for a few hours after that. She was taken to an undisclosed location to be interrogated. "Wake up! Wake up!" Angel felt something wet and cold splash over her, and she immediately woke up. She was shivering all over and was soaking wet. She took in her new surroundings as she breathed heavily. She was in a dimly-lit, windowless, concrete room. She was sitting on a hard metal chair in the corner of the room and a large, intimidating man in a black suit was standing in front of her. There was another man in black guarding the door. She looked down and saw that she was wearing her school uniform instead of her Phantom Thief outfit. A black and white hoodie with a fuzzy lining beneath her dark blue blazer, a dark blue and black skirt, a pair of knee length black socks and a pair of white sneakers. Her earrings had also turned into simple metal studs. 'I'm…outside of…the Metaverse?' she asked herself. Angel started shivering even more. She looked down at the floor and saw an empty bucket. It wasn't that hard to imagine what happened. She tried to move her arms to rub her body in an effort to warm it, but found that her arms were handcuffed behind her back. 'Oh…I see. I was caught.'
The large man snapped his fingers in front of Angel's face. "Hey! Hey! You're awake, right?" Angel looked her captor in the eye. "Good. Enough sleep. It's time to answer some questions. Hopefully, you'll cooperate and we won't have to resort to more extreme measures. First question. Your name is Seiko Amasaki, correct? Second-year student at Zenjin Academy?"
"..." Seiko didn't respond.
"Don't want to talk, huh? Well that's fine. I don't need you to answer that question anyway. Your prints are on file from a prior offense anyway. It makes sense that a girl like you would end up running with the Phantom Thieves." The man showed Seiko a file that had her name on it, inside of it was a fingerprint sheet, mugshot photos, and a stack of papers. "Yep, that's definitely you. More bruises on you, but still." He read over the contents of the file. "Several complaints about you were filed by various schools you attended. Disruptive behavior, insubordination, fighting. And then two years ago you attacked one of your classmates. Put them in the hospital."
"..." Seiko looked away.
"Of course now there's a lot more to add to your rap sheet besides assault and battery. Criminal mischief, inciting riots, possession of illegal weapons, obstruction of justice, resisting arrest, kidnapping, and murder. There's probably some other charges that I'm forgetting, but let's just leave it at that for now. Do you realize how much hot water you're in? You and your friends are the most-wanted criminals in Japan. No, actually after that little broadcast stunt you pulled a while ago, you're probably the most-wanted criminals in the entire world now," said the man. "Moving on. Question two. Where are your accomplices?"
"..." Seiko remained silent.
"This one you really should answer. It's only a matter of time before we find them. This is your one and only chance to help yourself. Where are they?"
"..."
The man leaned down and looked directly at Seiko. "Do you still not understand the gravity of your situation? It's over. You've lost. There's nothing noble about staying silent. Either you tell us where they are now and pray for leniency, or you all get put to death together. Because I assure you that is the only fate that awaits you and your little terrorist buddies." Seiko spit in the man's face. "Ugh!" The man grunted in annoyance, and wiped his face. "You little bitch!" Then he viciously struck Seiko with such force that he knocked her and her chair to the floor. Seiko yelped and squirmed in pain at the blow. The man growled in anger and then proceeded to kick Seiko's bound and imobile body. Seiko twinged at every kick. "You think you're tough?! Huh?! You have no idea who you're messing with!" He kept kicking her and kicking her, until finally the other man in the room was forced to step in and stop the rampage.
"Stop it! You'll kill her!" he shouted. He put some distance between him and Seiko. "We still need her, remember? If you fly off the handle and do anything more, the higher-ups will be very upset. You know what they're capable of when push comes to shove."
"..." The angry man grunted but didn't offer up a response. He simply backed away, while the other man picked Seiko and her chair back up off the floor. Seiko was now also bruised and bloody in addition to being soaking wet. "This is a waste of time. She's not going to talk under normal means. It's time to get creative."
"The inspectors told us very clearly that if we did anything like that it would be the end of our careers. This is already crossing the line," the other man replied.
"Tch. Like they have any real say in how all of this ends? Do you remember how many people's lives were ruined in the fallout of the other Phantom Thieves cases? This little bitch and her friends are threatening to do much more than that. They basically want to destroy the world."
"And they have a lot of support. Things are different now than they were a few years ago. The public's trust in us and the government at large is at an all time low. We can't do these kinds of things anymore without billions of eyes on us at all times. The rumors that we helped carry out an attempted assassination of the previous Phantom Thieves' leader are still buzzing around. They think we're monsters! This is just playing into that!"
"If you don't have the balls to do what needs to be done then step outside. I'll get her to talk if it's the last thing I do."
Suddenly the door to the room opened up and two people in black suits appeared. Seiko recognized these two as the inspectors that had been chasing her and her team for the past year, Kazutora Yagami and Naomi Nishitani. "That won't be necessary," Yagami replied. "Go home. You're off this case. Expect a recommendation for a formal suspension to your superior."
"What?!" the angry man replied.
"I stated very clearly that the suspect was not to be harmed in any way until we arrived. Plausible deniability is out of the question now. You will be punished for your actions. Go home now, or I'll have you escorted out of the building in handcuffs." Yagami motioned to the door.
"Tch." The angry man clicked his tongue, and then he left the room.
Nishitani walked up to Seiko, and then she knelt down beside her. "You're the one who was on the video, right? I suspected that you were somehow involved, but I didn't think that you were the leader. Looks like I underestimated you."
"..." Seiko looked down at the floor.
Nishitani saw the state of the young girl and was repulsed. "Bastard." She looked up at the other man in the room. "Bring a towel, a fresh change of clothes, and a first aid kit now or else you'll be joining your friend."
"Y-Yes, ma'am," the other man replied. Then he quickly left the room to get the requested items.
"I hope you realize that just because we're treating you nicer than you deserve doesn't mean that you're off the hook. You will answer for your crimes, but it will be in a public forum and a court of law. There will be no execution disguised as a suicide. Things are different now. On that you have my word," said Yagami. "Now here's what's going to happen. When we fix you up and get you dry, you're going to sit down with us and make a full confession. This isn't going to be a forced confession, but a real one. We will stay here in this room for as long as it takes until we learn the whole truth of what transpired this past year," said Yagami.
"This is the only move you have left to play," said Nishitani. "Please, don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."
"..." Seiko was silent at first, but then she sighed and nodded.
"Very good," Yagami replied.
Sunday, 12/25 20XX, Nighttime
About half an hour later, Seiko was dry and wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants. Her bruises had been treated and her wounds had been bandaged. She still looked pretty bad, but she was definitely better than before. Seiko was now sitting at the table in the room across from Yagami and Nishitani. They had also uncuffed her from her chair, so she was a little more comfortable. Yagami put a bunch of files on top of the table. Then he tapped them with his finger. "You and your group have been quite busy over the past year. You can confirm that you are the leader, correct?"
Seiko nodded. "Yes, I'm their leader. Seiko Amasaki. Codename: Angel."
"Codename?" Yagami repeated in confusion.
"They're what we refer to each other as during our operations. There's a reason behind it, but it might be better to go into that later," Seiko explained.
"I see. Very well then. Before we go into the cases that you and your group are connected to, we want to make a few things clear. Are you connected in any way to the original Phantom Thieves? Furthermore, do you know any of their identities?"
"Shouldn't you already know who they are?" Seiko replied.
"Knowing something is different from proving it. While we were able to arrest one suspect in the past, we were not able to adequately establish the identities of his co-conspirators. Though there was sufficient reason to suspect the youths who were always with him. You're most likely in the same boat now. Even if you don't tell us the identities of your co-conspirators, we'll know who they are soon enough," Yagami explained.
"I understand." Seiko shook her head. "No, I don't know who any of the original Phantom Thieves are. None of them ever sought us out, nor did any of them ever seek out anyone to carry on their legacy. At least not to my knowledge. No one forced this life on us. We chose it ourselves. I chose to be a Phantom Thief and so did the others."
"And your connection to Sae Nijima-san? We met her earlier tonight, you know?" Nishitani asked.
"We heard that she was involved in some way with the original Phantom Thieves. We figured it would be a good idea to have a lawyer in our corner just in case things went wrong. It looks like they have now," Seiko replied.
"Well we can't attest to her having any knowledge that you were arrested just yet. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances surrounding your case, we can't allow you to talk to a lawyer until the initial round of questioning is over. After we're done, you're free to call her. Okay?" Yagami replied.
"..." Seiko silently nodded.
"Okay. So you're claiming that your group is in no way affiliated with the original Phantom Thieves?" Nishitani asked.
"Yeah, that's right. Our circumstances are different and the only things we share are the ideals for change, the name, and the logo. Well the logo we rebranded a little," Seiko explained.
"Alright then. That's actually a bit of relief on our part. Saying you do have a connection to them would mean reopening old wounds that a lot of people in this country wish remain closed. Let's move on then. Tell us how this all started," Yagami replied.
"It's a long story," Seiko replied. "And there's a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense. I've been living as a Phantom Thief for almost a year now, and I still don't really understand it all. It honestly feels like a dream."
"Anyone who's worked on one of these cases knows that there are some things which defy logic. The change of heart being the biggest example. To this day, we're still baffled about how it actually works. The Phantom Thieves go after some of the worst criminals imaginable and get them to confess their crimes every time. There's a lot of theories, but no one has ever been able to determine the real reason," Yagami replied. "Tell us how it's possible. How do you change a person's heart?"
Seiko sighed. "I can tell you, but I doubt you'll believe me."
"Even so, we want to know the truth. My senpai here is usually a stickler for the rules and has about as much imagination as a potato, but I convinced him that we need to hear everything for ourselves before we pass judgment," Nishitani replied. "So please, tell us everything. Start from the beginning and don't leave anything out."
"..." Seiko looked down at the table and thought about what to say. "I guess it all really started on the day I first moved to Tokyo." Then Seiko recalled the day in question, and her story began to unfold.
A/N: And that's the first chapter. The final mission and greatest heist in Phantom Thief history is over before it even begins. I hope you guys like Angel because you're going to be listening to her story for a very long time. I hope some of you aren't upset that I had her get caught just like Joker at the start of P5. I just think him telling the story of what happened to him while he's unknowingly stalling for time is a really good framing device. Is Angel doing the same thing? Who knows? But if you want to see how this crazy tale all began, stay tuned. And even if you don't submit a character please read, review, and follow.
1. Like every other SYOC, I will not accept any Mary Sues or Gary Sues. Perfect characters ruin any chance of them having character development, so try to give your characters flaws that they can improve on when you're creating them. Make them as human as possible.
2. I want these forms to be answered in detail and with a lot of thought put into them. I won't accept first come, first serve. Instead, I will be waiting until I feel like I've gained enough characters and have rounded out the cast well.
3. There is no limit to the amount of characters you can submit. Make as many as your heart desires and I'm sure at least one will get in. For example, it's okay for one person to submit five or more characters.
4. Even if one person gets one of their characters selected for the main roster, it does not mean that they are barred from making more characters, submitting them, and having them accepted as well. For example, one person can have two or more of their created characters in the story.
5. There are eight open character slots.
6. There is no set deadline on character submissions yet. I will announce the deadline in the future.
7. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I am generally warm and friendly, so don't be shy!
8. PM me all submissions, please! Don't just post it in the Review section.
9. Have fun.
General Character Form (This can also be found on my profile, under all of my P6: DoD stuff.)
Name: (First and last name, please.)
Codename: (What do you want their Phantom Thief codename to be? You can leave it to me, but I reserve the right to call them something insanely stupid.)
Age: (Doesn't have to be high school age if you don't want to. Adults and kids can wield Personas too. Hell, even an AI can.)
Gender: (Whatever floats your boat. I'm fine with anything.)
Sexual Orientation: (I won't judge.)
Arcana: (I remember this being a big issue with the first Persona SYOC I did, so let's make some ground rules. I will announce the arcana for characters I've already received as soon as I get them, just in case you want to choose an arcana that no one else has submitted a character for yet. If I like two characters that have the same arcana I may ask one person to change their arcana. If changing their arcana affects their theme or Persona in any way I will gladly help you rework them. I will do the same thing that I plan to do in my other Persona fanfic and have 33 arcana, but a few of them will be story related. Fool, Councillor, Magician, Judgment, World, Universe, and Hope. Any of the other ones are fine. That includes: Jester, Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Apostle, Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Adjustment, Hermit, Fortune, Strength, Hunger, Hanged Man, Art, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Aeon, Faith, and Charity.)
School They Attend: (The main school in this story is Zenjin Academy, but you can have your character go to a different school if you want. They may not be involved in events that occur at Zenjin though. If your character isn't in school, feel free to ignore this.)
Grade at: (Only if your character is in school.)
Appearance: (Standard stuff. What they look like. Skin tone. Physique. Hair color. Eye color. Any distinguishing details.)
Uniform/Normal outfit: (Your character's school uniform. Please include what it looks like in Spring, Summer, and Fall/Winter. Also include any alterations your character wears in addition to their school uniform. If they wear a certain shirt instead of the required one or if they wear accessories or jewelry, stuff like that. If you're interested in Zenjin's school uniform, it's as follows. Boy: Dark blue blazer, light blue dress shirt, black tie, dark blue pants, black socks. Girl: Dark blue blazer, light blue dress shirt, black tie, dark blue and black skirt, knee-length black socks. This is worn for Spring. In the Summer they don't wear the blazers. And in Fall/Winter they were thicker uniforms. If your character isn't in school, just write down the outfit that they usually wear.)
Weekend/Vacation Outfit: (What does your character wear during this time? Try to provide three outfits. One outfit for Spring, one for Summer, and one for Fall/Winter.)
Phantom Thief Outfit: (What does your character wear in the Metaverse?)
Phantom Thief Weapon: (What does your character use as their primary weapon? What does your character use as their gun?)
Personality: (Describe your character's overall personality. Try to be as descriptive as possible.)
Backstory: (Describe your character's life up to the point where they come in contact with Angel. If your character's backstory has to do with an antagonistic figure make note of it as I want the characters to try and have connections to the Palace owners just like in the canon P5.)
Possible Palace Antagonist: (Since the original Phantom Thieves were mainly brought together by going after different targets, and the members being victims of said targets. It makes sense for this story to follow the same formula. This is optional. You can just add this if you want to flesh out your character more by giving them an enemy to face alongside the other thieves. For example, Joker, Skull, and Panther were all blacklisted by Kamoshida, Fox was abused by Madarame, Queen was blackmailed by Kaneshiro, Oracle couldn't overcome her own grief, Noir was used as a pawn by her father, and Crow turned himself into a monster in a twisted effort to make Shido pay. If you're interested in doing this, describe the Palace owner, what they did to your character, a general layout of their Palace, and their Treasure. Again this is optional.)
Reason for Rebellion: (What causes your character to rebel and awaken to their Persona? If it's because they stand up to a Palace owner, describe the encounter in detail.)
Confidant Ideas: (Some ideas about what your character and Angel will do in their Confidant events.)
Persona: (Describe your character's Persona in detail. What it looks like and what skills it possesses. In addition, P5 has the theme of each character's Persona aligning to a trickster of some sort. For example, Joker's Persona is Arsène, based on Arsène Lupin the French gentleman thief and main character in various stories. Angel's Persona, Simon, is based on the character Simon Templar AKA the Saint, another famous literary thief who stands up for the little guy and loves conning and stealing from criminals and the corrupt. Though if you research some of P5's Personas, it uses the term trickster very loosely. Just try to create a Persona that at least aligns to the title of a trickster in some manner.)
Second Persona: (This is the Persona that your character will awaken to after Angel completes their Confidant. For some reason, P5 makes the characters Personas go from tricksters to literal gods. So I'm pretty open with whatever you want to do for this one.)
Third Persona: (This is the Persona that comes about from the fusion of your character's first two Personas. So they will look like a fusion of the two of them, but their name is connected to the trickster theme of their first Persona. For example, Joker's third Persona is Raoul, which is what some people believe to be Arsène Lupin's true name.)
Okay, I think that's all. If you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me. Goodbye for now.