Chapter 1: Prologue.
Authors' Notes:
Hello. Welcome ladies, gentlemen and gentlethem. Tonight, we will be presenting The War of the Wildcards by NN010 and Slimeboyo2 in a collaboration Fic. Neither of us has attempted anything at this scale before (or in NN010's case, they didn't get this far). But, when inviernainvicta (who's also on AO3 and writes some great FeMC-centric stuff) brought up the idea for a Persona crossover fic wherein all 3 modern Persona teams are active simultaneously in the Phantom Dumbasses Discord server (great server for a great fic by the way, we highly recommend reading that fic and joining that server too), we both knew we just had to bring it to life.
As for how this is going to be structured, this story will be told from the perspectives of each of the three modern Persona-wielding teams (SEES/the Shadow Operatives, the Investigation Team & the Phantom Thieves of Hearts) as well as that of Goro Akechi, who will be operating behind the scenes between the conflict. Chapters will either focus on one team's perspective or switch between multiple as dictated by the plot. The Phantom Thieves and Akechi sections will be written by NN010 while Slimeboyo2 will write the sections focused on the Shadow Operatives/SEES and/or the Investigation Team.
Last bit of house cleaning, if you see a section in double brackets (NN010: (like this)), that's just writer's commentary from either Slimeboyo2 or NN010. In chapters written by both of us such as this Prologue, it will be made clear who's commenting when to avoid confusion.
Phantom Thieves (written by NN010):
May 5, 2016: Ren Amamiya couldn't believe it. If you told him a month ago that he'd be a badass, superpowered Phantom Thief and that he would be able to not only get a teacher to resign his position but also confess his crimes with his own mouth and make him repent… he would've asked what you were smoking. But here he was, having done just that to Suguru Kamoshida. Now, Ren had had a couple of bad teachers back home, but Kamoshida was at a level of vileness beyond anything he'd seen before. He couldn't imagine what Ryuji, Mishima & the rest of the Volleyball team had gone through under him after seeing what was in his Palace. Not to mention Ann…
But what's done is done. This was a time for celebration! Not wallowing in what was and what could have been. He'd managed to use the Yen he'd pilfered from Kamoshida's Palace to book himself, Ryuji, Ann & Morgana a night dining at the Wilton Buffet! They should enjoy every moment of this. But as he and his new pet/mentor Morgana took their pick of the buffet's selection (especially the fish, Morgana had insisted), he couldn't help but think of what to do next.
They had access to this whole other world of cognition and distorted desire, through which they could change people's hearts. Morgana had made it clear to them that there were more Palaces than just that of Kamoshida. So if they kept this Phantom Thief business going… imagine what kinds of people they could take down. Mobsters? Corrupt cops? Corrupt politicians? Rich and powerful assholes like the one who had Ren arrested and whom his parents were so afraid of they wouldn't even contact him during his probation just in case it ended up putting him in danger?
It was all too appealing a prospect for people who'd been through what Ren and his friends had. Not to mention that even just their taking down of Kamoshida had made waves, with it being all over the news and plenty of people at the diner talking about it (although it seemed like most of them were politicians & TV news executives). Ryuji had also found out there was a website for their fans to show appreciation called the "Phantom Aficionado Website". But Ren knew they'd have to be careful not to lose sight of their desire to do good and exact justice. Power like this could all too easily corrupt them, too. He'd have to bring this possibility up with the others too.
Speaking of, he and Morgana were back at the table. They'd picked out a mix of fish, meat, rice, crispy stuff & dessert that he was happy with. But when they got back, he'd realized that he may have bit off more than they could chew. Even with Ryuji & Morgana's help, he was still pretty full by the time they were done. But then, when Ryuji & Morgana had to go to the bathroom, they had one run-in with a shitty adult after another. Eventually culminating in a run-in with… him. Masayoshi Shido. The shitty adult to end all shitty adults in Ren's book. The one responsible for his current situation.
They had just figured out how to get back to the buffet floor when Shido and his cronies butt in line to take the elevator he'd called!
"We were here first," Ren said with an icy tone. One of Shido's cronies simply told him that they were in a hurry. "Oh, I'm sorry. So you can butt in front of other people if you're in a hurry?" Ryuji replied before Ren could say something worse. "It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a daycare?" Shido said in a condescending tone of voice. "What?" Ren & Ryuji said at the same time, the former in a tone of fury, the latter a tone of disbelief.
But that was the end of that conversation. One of the cronies simply punched Ren in the gut before Shido stopped him from going any further, and they all got into the elevator.
"The hell is with that bossy guy," Ryuji asked, clearly still a little angry about the whole ordeal. Not as angry as Ren was though.
But Morgana cut him off before he could say anything. Reminding them that they still needed to get back down to the main floor. Ryuji was clearly still angry about it as he pushed the down arrow, though.
"That dick really pissed me off. He wasn't even hidin' the fact that he looks down on everyone.", Ryuji exclaimed.
"That's just how that bastard is. Thinking everyone is beneath him. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he sees the fucking Prime Minister as beneath him." Ren responded without thinking.
"Don't lose your tempers over this, you two," Morgana reminded again before Ryuji could ask how Ren knew him.
"I'll explain another time then. All I'll say now is that it's related to why I'm here in Tokyo," Ren said instead.
Ryuji simply exclaimed that he couldn't forgive shitty adults like that. And that was the end of it as they went back down to the buffet and to their table.
When they finally got back to their table, Ann asked what took them so long, and the group promptly exchanged experiences with adults looking down on them.
And then Ryuji said what's been running through Ren's mind this whole evening: Why shouldn't we continue as Phantom Thieves? He was a little more focused on fame than him, but he still raised the same points. And with Morgana and Ann agreeing, it was decided. The Phantom Thieves would continue their work.
"All right! It's settled!" Ryuji exclaimed.
There were some details to hash out, like their leadership structure (Ren would be the leader, but all decisions about targets had to be unanimous) & the name. Ann suggested "The Diamonds", but Ryuji shot it down for being more of a name for a little league baseball team than a name for a team of badass thieves. Morgana wanted to name it after some of the food he ate that night for commemorative reasons, but that didn't go anywhere either. Ultimately, the naming decision would fall to Ren.
While he had some ideas ("The Ghosts" and "The Heartthrobs" being a couple of them)… He also couldn't help but think that Ryuji had nailed it the first time and didn't have it in him to change it to anything else.
"Why don't we just stick to Phantom Thieves of Hearts?" Ren asked. "It's a badass, eye-catching name that describes what we do perfectly! You really did nail it the first time, Ryuji! Not to mention that if we do want to get famous, changing our name now may end up hindering that goal and confusing people." Ren continued.
While Ann was a bit slower to agree to it than everyone else, they all did see Ren's point and agreed to stick with the current name.
"So? Who's our next target?" Ryuji asked as they left. But that could be decided tomorrow. Right now, Ren & Ann just wanted to sleep. He eventually relented.
Shadow Operatives (written by slimeboyo2):
The year is 2016, it had been 7 years since their first encounter with the unknown. S.E.E.S. was just a small team of Extracurricular students back then, and many of its members were just students. After their encounter, they were left hopeful, for more and better days, and though it had taken away 2 beloved and indispensable members, they gained so much more. Most of their members had gone and fulfilled themselves in life, but had never resigned. Another incident occurred in the small town of Inaba, but since their influence in Japanese politics was slim, they couldn't contain the incident fully. Their aid was met in the second incident of the small town of Inaba, in which most of their funding came to fruition. Defending Japan was their motto, and if Shadow incidents were to keep appearing, they'd be at the helm, aiding any hurt.
Their members had grown, Junpei had become a sensational baseball rookie and grew to be in the big leagues. Yukari, following her acting career, had become the face of Pink Argus in Featherman Rangers. Akihiko cleaned his portfolio up, becoming a cop near the Shibuya precinct, being a harbinger for any shadow trouble. Aigis, Fuuka, and Mitsuru had formed the S.O. Headquarters, with Fuuka joining and commanding its engineering squad. Aigis had become a junior secretary of S.O. and handled any and all reservations. Mitsuru had become a quite prominent face in both political and company standards, with her icy tone being strong, she had become a few of the many in the 1%, but she was different. She donated and cared much for any person below her. Finally, the youngest, Ken had started going to college, deciding to go into medicine, he joined up with the shadow operatives, enjoying his time outside of them.
By the end of 2015, they had now become a prevalent name in the political world, and a certain Masayoshi Shido was to need the aid of a few shadow hunters if he was to complete his plan. Contacting the company to get his hands on a few weapons for anti-shadow combat. What followed after the purchase was a slew of bad choices and fund shortages. The operatives, desperately in need, need to prove their worth so that another incident does not end in murder or death. Finding a certain new group of thieves with mysterious powers was like a river in the desert, and they were going to find a way to stop it.
Ken had been walking back from school, passing through the train station to arrive to his home faster. He opened up his phone, seeing his chat inundated by messages from the S.E.E.S. group.
DaMan: "Have y'all heard of these new Phantom thieves?"
PinkRanger: "It's the only thing my co-workers have been talking about"
TheEnemy!: "They seem a bit odd"
DaMan: "That thing about stealing hearts seems a bit out of place"
IceQueen: "But it can be quite dangerous, stay alert"
DaMan: "Yes Ma'am"
TheEnemy!: "Yes Ma'am"
PinkRanger: "Yes Ma'am"
After checking on the chat, the train arrived, he was about to enter when he was suddenly shoved into a world of reds, blacks and… railways. What Ken didn't know is that he was now a part of a much larger distortion.
Investigation Team (written by slimeboyo2):
Inaba was once a small town. Not many things to do in it. But after a few murders and the rise of the Investigation team. The place had become a hot spot for evil people and more evil entities. The small rag-tag group of high-school students had saved the world and the people of Inaba back in 2011. It had been just a few months later and yet another incident happened, learning of other Persona users meant that they weren't alone in the struggle. After banding together to destroy a common enemy, most learned of each other's exploits and dances with death.
After this, many of them grew, "the Wildcard effect" as was called by the S.O. crew had denominated it to, was a big part of this sudden growth. Many of its members grew out of their shell, some leaving Inaba and some staying in. Yu was the first to go, though their adventure was long and arduous, it was all worth it. Rise was next, her career would keep on, even if there were roadblocks, having a lot more crossovers with many franchises. Then it was Chie, if she wanted to be the best cop ever, she'd have to learn in a good place, getting paired up with another cleaned up man. Naoto had left at the same time as Chie, she loved the ambience, but her work called, and she needed to be prepared. Then, after a few years, it was… Teddie? It turned out that Teddie had become famous as a mascot for Junes. After signing a few contracts, Teddie was adopted as the new mascot and got to meet the executives in the heart of Tokyo. The rest stayed, they had grown in love with the nature of Inaba. Yukiko took care of the inn, Kanji had become a very loved figure by the children of Inaba, being caring and loving, gifting them plushies and toys and taking over the family business. Finally, Yosuke became manager of the Inaba department of Junes, doing little promos and charity events had become the fun part of his job. Marie, with her need to be close to the TV world, to be its guardian, decided to become a meteorologist and work for the news station of Inaba as their reporter.
Yu, being the leader of the group, had a different idea. He wanted to be a Journalist. It was a pretty taxing job, but you get to travel around Japan, learn about different cultures, get to see your friends a lot, and escape your bad parents. His escape into Inaba was a refreshing surprise, he got to escape those vain, hypocritical, and glutton "Parents" he had. It was pretty easy to convince them that he would study Journalism, leaving his home the second he got a stable income. He had also taken up an offer by the organization of S.O., while declining a main role, he got to have a small job in the company, being a main part of the harbinger quarters. Being a part of the investigation group to warn the company of an incoming shadow attack.
Everything changed in 2016, when Marie sensed a change in distortion, near Shibuya. After a few days, the famous Phantom thieves became the talk of the month in his job, taking his work very seriously as harbinger and leader of the Investigation Team, he warns the Team of this new band of thieves. Marie had noticed an entryway to this distortion in the way of an app, gaining it on her phone, but having no use for it. Getting the raw file, she sent it to Yu first. /
InabaGoddess: "Hey, Yu. This might be important to the new distortion."
Kingpin: "Perfect timing, I just got out of work. What's the new thing?"
InabaGoddess: "I found a way to enter the distortion. It's through an app"
InabaGoddess sent file name: MeTaVerSe. APK Kingpin: "I'll download it. Thanks a lot, Marie. These Phantom Thieves could be dangerous"
InabaGoddess: "Write mementos in all the boxes"
Yu first saw the app, getting into the subway system in Shibuya, he found it confusing. The uses of red and black were psychedelic at best. After inputting all the boxes as Mementos, his world began to distort. What happened next would change the course of his life, again.
(Slimeboyo2: (Marie just being like: hey, found this cool app you should try out, anyways bye))
Goro Akechi (written by NN010):
2013:
Goro Akechi hated his life. Living in a crowded orphanage, bounced from one family to another, always sent back in less than half a year each time. It breaded resentment. He wasn't just a nobody, he was less than that. And every night he went to sleep, he wondered why he'd been consigned to this fate. Why had his mother had to give him up, despite clearly loving him? Enough was enough. He had to know. Who was this father of his, and why hadn't he taken him in? He'd overheard from the staff that they kept their records in the boss's office. And with how little security this place had at night, it would be all too easy for Goro to get in there and find out his father's identity.
The clock had struck midnight. It was now or never. Goro quietly slipped out of bed and crept through the halls of the orphanage. As predicted, there wasn't much security, so he was able to reach his destination without much difficulty. The door was locked, though. So he'd have to pick the lock. Akechi wasn't surprised, he'd agreed to let another kid he'd forgotten the name of teach him how to pick locks for this reason. But he was still inexperienced. This would take a while. Eventually, he would succeed in picking that lock and getting into that office. Wanting to waste no time, Akechi looked around, scouring drawers for what he sought. Eventually, though, he found his file.
(NN010: (To be honest I don't know if Japanese orphanages store information like this, but this is what works best for the plot, so we'll all just have to deal with it if it's inaccurate))
And there it was. The name of the man who conceived him. The one who didn't even acknowledge him after his mother had to give him up. The one he resented more than anyone: Masayoshi Shido
At the time, he didn't recognize who Shido was. But then he went to bed and researched him on his phone. And it only made Goro hate Shido more. He was a politician. Shido didn't take Goro in because his entire existence was a scandal waiting to happen, and he clearly cared more about his reputation & political power than his own flesh and blood!
Thus did the gears of hatred turn in Akechi's mind…
Three Years Later:
Things were going great. About a year after learning of his parentage, Akechi had discovered his ability to access something called the "Metaverse". An alternate world of desire and cognition that existed in parallel to the physical world. Where he had access to a power called Persona. And the first thing he did upon realizing what he could do and learning about Palaces and Mementos was to check if Shido had a Palace. He did. Thus did the plan take shape. He would reveal himself to Shido. Not as Shido's son, but just as a concerned youth with special abilities that he was willing and able to lend to him for assistance. Naturally, Shido obliged, making Akechi his personal hitman. In exchange, Shido would provide Goro with the means to live on his own & become famous in his own right by "solving" the murders he committed (without incriminating himself, of course). And once Shido takes power and achieves his goal of becoming Prime Minister, Akechi will reveal the truth of who he is and kill him once and for all.
It was a simple plan on the surface. But one that required a delicate balancing act to execute properly. While he loved the fame and adoration he got from the public as a result of it and was relishing the day he'd finally kill his father… he knew this couldn't last. That sooner or later he'd have accomplished his goal, and that one day he would fall out of the public eye, never to return. As was the fate of all celebrities.
Akechi knew that 2016 would likely be the end of his life's work, with the election on the horizon and Shido ready to make his move. What he didn't know is that the events that he'd set into motion all those years ago could very well mark his downfall as well…
