When he and his comrades entered a room that had a sign above the door called, "Kamoshida's Training Hall Of Love", he was, of course, deeply revolted, but also a bit wary as he didn't know what to expect from that title. However, nothing could prepare Ryuji for what he witnessed as soon as he entered the room.
There was a long trail at the end of a bridge which contained not only a few more cells, but also very wide areas blocked by iron bars.
And inside one of those areas was one that resembled a volleyball court which was filled with students who were part of the volleyball team.
However, the main spectacle was the fact that rather than playing a game, they were all being flogged by multiple guards using the end of their spears.
"What the fuck...?" Ren asked in a mixture of disgust and horror.
Ren and Morgana were both appaled by what they were seeing. However, nobody in the room was angrier than Ryuji himself.
"DAMMIT! THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Ryuji yelled in pure outrage.
"Ryuji! Keep your voice down!" Morgana quickly scolded.
"How the hell do you expect me to be calm about this?!" Ryuji angrily questioned, "This is beyond messed up!!"
"I get how you feel, but don't forget the shadows will find us if you make a commotion!" Morgana argued back.
This caused Ryuji to grit his teeth in frustration before he looked back at the scene.
"You know what? Screw it! How do I open this thing?!" He exclaimed as he grabbed at the bars.
"S-Stop it..."
The three turned to the source of the unfamiliar voice and saw a member of the volleyball team who was very clearly battered and bruised judging by the bandages all over his body.
"Leave us alone... It's useless..." The student begged, shocking Ren and Ryuji.
"What??" Ren uttered.
"If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys...!" Another injured member chimed in.
"You're tellin' me you wanna stay in a place like this?!" Ryuji asked in disbelief.
"Just back off... For our sakes and yours..." The member warned as he and the other one walked off.
"... You were planning on taking these guys out with you, weren't you?" Morgana suddenly asked.
"Of course I was! We can't just leave 'em here!" Ryuji defended his decision.
"*Sigh* Well, I might as well explain it to you now..." Morgana sighed, "These aren't people. They're only humans in Kamoshida's cognition."
"Cognition...?" Ryuji repeated in confusion.
"They aren't real humans that have entered this world from reality. They're different from you two." Morgana explained, "They're nothing like the real ones in the real world."
Both Ren and Ryuji took in his words, trying to make sense of them.
"So then that would mean saving them is completely pointless, right?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Exactly." Morgana affirmed.
"So that's why you stopped me from helpin' that one dude from yesterday...?" Ryuji asked pensively, "But if that's the case, then why do they look so much like real people then?"
"... I guess you could say that they're extremely similar-looking dolls?" Morgana suggested with a shrug.
"*Sigh* Now I feel like a total moron for gettin' all pissy the last time." Ryuji sheepishly rubbed his hair.
"It's fine, you didn't know." Morgana assured him, "The important thing is that now you do."
"So the school's a castle and the students're slaves... Tch. We really are in the inside of that asshole's head." Ryuji scoffed.
"You think something similar might be happening to the volleyball team in reality too?" Ren asked.
"Definitely. There's not a doubt in my mind." Ryuji confidently answered, "If we can get pictures of these guys as evidence then we could probably report him to the police."
"Well, worth a shot." Ren agreed as he reached for his phone, Ryuji doing the same.
Unfortunately, the idea seemed to good to be true as the blonde noticed his camera app was refusing to open.
"The hell? My camera's not openin'!" He exclaimed.
"Same here, unfortunately." Ren revealed.
"Seriously?! We can use the stupid navigation app but the camera's a no go?!" He asked in exasperation.
"Navigation app?" Morgana repeated in confusion.
"Oh, that's what brought us here in the first place." Ryuji revealed to the cat.
"I see." Morgana uttered, "Well, whatever you do is fine but if we stand around like this we're only gonna get ourselves caught! We need to head back!" He urged.
"Fine then... Give me a sec." Ryuji conceded, "If I can't use my phone, I'll just have to memorize each of their faces." He stated as he looked inside.
"I'll do the same." Ren offered his help as he joined Ryuji.
Eventually, after checking out all the other cells and the students there, both of them had finished ingraining the volleyball members' faces into their memories and were ready to move on.
It seemed like the security level was starting to rise, meaning that the three had probably overstayed their welcome, and they were about ready to exit this hellhole.
"The exit is this way! Hurry!" Morgana gestured them over toward the central hallway that the boys had entered the very first time they encountered the castle.
Unfortunately, before they could all taste sweet freedom, they were met with a certain roadblock.
"Halt, thieves!"
"Dammit!" Morgana cursed in frustration.
Standing in front of them was none other than the big bad himself, King Kamoshida, dressed in his odd attire from last time and aided by two guards, along with a golden knight.
"Just as disturbing as last time..." Ren commented on the king's outfit.
"Ugh.. You knaves again?" Kamoshida sneered, "To think you'd make the same mistake of coming back here. You're hopeless!"
"Shut up! The school ain't your castle, asshole!" Ryuji refuted, "We've memorized those volleyball dudes' faces real good. You're goin' down!"
However, Kamoshida simply chuckled and smirked at the threat.
"I guess it's true when they say barking dogs seldom bite." Kamoshida mocked, "How far the star runner of the track team has fallen... Then again, I expect nothing less of the infamous "Track Traitor""
"Track traitor?" Ren repeated in confusion while Ryuji seemed even more pissed off by that statement.
"Shut your goddamn mouth NOW, you son of a bitch!!" Ryuji viciously threatened.
However, Kamoshida had seemingly ignored his threat and was now focusing on the spectacled teen at his side before a look of realization came on his face.
"Ahh, now I remember you!" Kamoshida uttered, "You're that new criminal transfer student, Ren Amamiya."
"... Yeah. What's it to you?" Ren asked with narrowed eyes.
"Huh... In just two days of being here you've not only ditched half a day of school, but now you're also aiding this thief in his blasphemy..." Kamoshida commented before chuckling, "And here I thought that having your criminal record leaked would at least keep you in line."
The bombshell completely shocked both Ren and Ryuji.
"What?!"
"So you were the one who leaked it?!" Ren accused with an angry glare.
"I guess it can't be helped." Kamoshida shrugged before grinning sadistically, "Looks like I have to deal with you myself. Permanently."
"So this is the kind of person Kamoshida really is, hm?" Morgana quietly asked.
"You bastard!" Ryuji cursed at him, "This guy is gettin' labeled as a criminal because of your heartless ass!"
"Ha! Do you think I give a damn?" Kamoshida asked with zero remorse, "I'm the king around here, which means I get to do whatever I please! And if you hopeless peasants can't understand that, then you'll have to learn it the hard way..." He boasted as he snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, the two knights both transformed into strange purple horses that resembled a bicorn while the golden knight didn't move.
"Kill them all!" Kamoshida commanded as he stood back, "Don't sully my castle with garbage..."
"Death to the intruders!!" Both of the bicorns roared.
"Looks like we're doin' this!" Ryuji took out his pipe.
"Stand back, Ren!" Morgana instructed, taking out his sword.
"R-Right!" The aforementioned teen nodded as he moved to take cover.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you 'cuz King Kamoshida told us!" One of the Bicorns yelled, "I'll kill 'cuz that's what he wants!"
Both creatures roared as they lunged at Ryuji and Morgana, who were swiftly able to evade the bloodthirsty creatures.
"I've already had enough of you!" Ryuji exclaimed before summoning his trusty Persona, "Captain Kidd!"
The skeletal pirate shot a bolt of lightning at one of the enemies, which caused them to cry out and fall to the floor.
"Nice! You hit its weakness!" Morgana praised as he summoned Zorro, "Zorro! Show your might!"
The muscular swordsman created a gust of wind and sent toward the other bicorn, which didn't falter or even flinch in pain.
"Crap! It must be resistant wind skills!" Morgana cursed.
Suddenly, the same bicorn raised its hooves and sent its own gust of wind toward Ryuji instead of Morgana, which actually hurt him more than expected.
"ARGH! What the hell?!" Ryuji cried out as he fell to his knees, "That hurt like a bitch!"
Before the bicorn could follow up with one more attack, Morgana quickly slashed at it with his sword and cast a healing spell on Ryuji.
"I forgot to tell you! Personas also have weaknesses of their own!" Morgana revealed, "And since they're connected to you, you'll also be affected as well!"
"Ya couldn't have chosen a better time to let me know that?!" Ryui replied in exasperation before rolling to avoid another wind attack.
"Eat this!" He taunted as he commanded Captain Kidd to shoot another bolt of lightning. It missed the bicorn, but it hit the dazed one behind it, causing it to dissolve.
Before the remaining bicorn could avenge its fallen brother, Morgana rushed in and slashed at it again. It tried to retaliate but Ryuji swiftly swooped in and assaulted it with a few swings from his pipe.
It was clearly starting to weaken, and it in an act of desperation, it lunged at Morgana, getting a direct hit in. Unfortunately for the Bicorn though, it had just given Ryuji an opening to finally kill it for good with Zio.
"Hell yeah! We got 'em!" Ryuji cheered with a fist pump.
"Grrr... Bring in the reinforcements!" Kamoshida loudly ordered.
And on cue, three more bicorns galloped into the area, two from the front and one from the back, effectively surrounding the two Persona users.
"More of them?!" Ryuji exclaimed in surprise.
"Damn. This is bad!" Morgana grimaced. That lunge he received from the bicorn earlier had actually hurt him pretty badly, but he pushed on.
The bicorns up front rushed at Ryuji, who met their charge with his own before smacking both of them as hard as he could with his pipe. He took advantage of the momentum by firing another lightning spell at one of the bicorns, dissolving it.
Meanwhile, Mona himself was having a bit of trouble with the bicorn from behind that chose to attack him. Since it resisted wind and had a pretty strong physical move under its belt, all he could really do was avoid those and try to bring it down with his sword.
"Damn... This thing is quite tenacious!" He cursed in frustration.
During their scuffle, the Bicorn decided to fire a wind attack at Morgana, who was initially surprised but still followed up with his own, creating a slight wind explosion.
Unfortunately for Mona, this was part of the creature's plan, and as soon as the wind cleared, it quickly lunged as hard as it could at Mona, causing him to yell in pain and fall back.
Ryuji quickly turned around when he heard the sound his guide had made.
"Mona! You oka-?! AH!"
Due to his momentary distracted state, the bicorn he was fighting managed to fire a Garu spell straight toward his back, causing him to falter. As if things couldn't get any worse, the bicorn that Mona had been fighting also sent its own wind attack straight toward Ryuji, significantly weakening him and causing him to collapse.
"D-Damn it...!" Ryuji cursed in pain as he laid on the floor.
"Y-You guys...!" Ren called out in worry and panic as he witnessed the defeat of his companions.
Meanwhile, a madly grinning Kamoshida moved over to Morgana and stepped on his back with one foot, pinning him.
"Rgh... You piece of...!" He weakly insulted.
Ryuji himself tried to find the strength to get back up, only for the golden knight from earlier to pin him as well.
"G-Get... Off of me!" He weakly demand.
"Ha! I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this, isn't that right?" Kamoshida taunted, looking right at the defenseless Amamiya.
"T-That's not true!" Ren denied.
"What a hopeless piece of trash." Kamoshida mocked, "To think you followed these two in here just for them to lead you to your death!"
"Ngh... R-Ren, just leave us and get outta here! These guys'll tear you to shreds...!" Ryuji urged him to save himself.
"I-I can't just leave you guys like that!" Ren argued with worry.
"There's no way you can beat them you idiot...!" Morgana scolded, "You'll only get yourself killed...!"
Kamoshida let out a boisterous laugh at the scene unfolding before him.
"What? Is the good-for-nothing criminal trying to play hero now?" He mockingly questioned.
"Shut up!" Ren retorted, "Someone has to stop you!"
"And what could you possibly do??" Kamoshida asked, "You don't even have one of those weird things that came out of your little friends here!"
This caused Ren to gulp, although he clenched his fists and stood tall nonetheless.
"Hm. I could easily kill if I wanted to... But that would be no fun." Kamoshida grinned as he pressed on Morgana, making him groan, "After I'm done dealing with these two, I'll just frame you as their killer!"
"What?!" Ren exclaimed in shock, "But there's nothing that could possibly prove I did it!"
"Do you really think that matters? Who do you think people would be more inclined to believe? A king like me, or a useless punk with a criminal record like you?" Kamoshida asked, taking Ren aback.
"You... Y-You can't..." Ren felt his resolve slowly begin to crumble.
"Once I pin the blame on you, you'll immediately be expelled and then taken into custody, ruining both your reputation and your life!" Kamoshida gleefully exclaimed, "That'll finally teach you not to poke your nose in other people's business and try to play hero! But by then, it will already be too late, and your meaningless life will become even more meaningless!!" The king then finished his statement with a loud and maniacal laugh.
Before he knew it, Ren had fallen to his knees and bowed to the floor in defeat as a certain memory flashed in his mind.
'Damn brat! I'll sue!'
"Damn it... This is just like what happened with that woman..." He quietly uttered, "If I hadn't stepped in to save her from that drunken bastard, I wouldn't even have a tarnished record in the first place...!"
"Ren..." Morgana mentioned the teen's name with worry.
"Stay there and watch." Kamoshida smirked, "Maybe you can use the visions of your fate to drown out the sound of your friends' screams...! HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!"
Things seemed to be going downhill for Ren very drastically.
It's true. As for people knew, he was just a thug. Nobody would believe him or be on his side if he tried to prove his innocence.
Even his own parents had quickly shipped him off to Tokyo rather than defending him, so who could he turn to?
It was utterly hopeless...
However, in that moment of hopelessness, a certain voice finally chimed in.
"Get the hell up, Ren..."
The sound of Ryuji's strained voice brought Ren out of his despair as all ears were now on the blonde.
"What the hell're you mopin' around for...?" He asked, "You don't gotta listen to a damn thing this asshole says...!"
"Silence!" The golden knight tried to shut Ryuji up by pressing further on his back.
He grunted, but still continued nonetheless.
"I already know that everythin' Kamoshida says is nothing but a steaming pile of bullshit... Because the Ren Amamiya that I became friends with is nothing like those jackasses say about him!" He confidently exclaimed, causing Ren to blink in surprise, "So what if you got a criminal record now just because you helped some woman...? At the end of the day, you saved her, didn't you?!"
"If she was able to get away from that drunk bastard you were talkin' about, then wasn't it a good thing that you stepped in! Or are you gonna look me in the eyes right now and tell me that that was a mistake?!" Ryuji fiercely questioned.
By the end of Ryuji's speech, Ren was rendered utterly speechless.
"Ryuji..." Morgana whispered in surprise.
"Tch. You can mindlessly babble as much as you want." Kamoshida scoffed at the downed blonde as the golden knight pressrd harder on him, "No matter what you do, I'm still going to end your worthless li-"
"You're right..."
Kamoshida and the knight looked up to see that Ren was starting to get up, no longer wallowing in despair.
"It wasn't a mistake... I don't regret what I did at all..." The dark-haired teen stated, "Who cares if I was incriminated on false charges? I'd do everything all over again to help her if I had to...!"
At this point, Ren was now fully standing on his two feet, his previous weakness nowhere to be seen and his hair shadowing his eyes.
"I'm never going to look the other way, no matter what..." He uttered before he raised his head, revealing his eyes that had somehow turned yellow before pointing at Kamoshida.
"And I won't let a cynical bastard like you get away with all that you've done! Consequences be damned!" Ren fiercely declared with a strong conviction, slightly taking Kamoshida aback.
.
.
.
"Very well. I have heeded your resolve..."
A sharp pain suddenly spiked in Ren's head, and gasped as he held it before his knees fell to the floor.
"Vow to me... I am thou, thou art I..." A deep and mysterious voice spoke in his mind.
Both Ryuji and Morgana watched him with shock on their faces.
"Ren...?"
"No way... Could it be?" Morgan whispered.
Ren continued to scream in agony as his head throbbed in excruciating pain, to the point that he started crying.
"Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!" The voice spoke again, "Call upon my name, and release thy righteous rage!"
"Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained down by Hell itself!"
Then, Ren raised his head and screamed again, revealing a white bird-like domino mask that had formed on his face in a similar manner to Ryuji's.
"... M-Mona... You don't think...?!" Ryuji questioned in disbelief.
"There's not a doubt in my mind... This has to be...!" Morgana replied.
As if his instincts were screaming at him to get it off, Ren began to pull at the mask stuck to his face, clearly struggling to remove it.
"D-Don't just stand there! Get him!" Kamoshida hastily instructed the golden knight.
However, it was already too late, and Ren let out the loudest scream of his life as he finally pulled the mask off his bloodied face before a large blue flame erupted from where he stood. The force was enough to blow Kamoshida and the knight off their captors, send the bicorns from earlier flying, and force Ryuji and Morgana to shield their eyes.
When the flame finally died down, it revealed a much different looking Ren Amamiya with his head low.
His school uniform had been replaced by an outfit consisting of a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, cinched black pants, brown-black winklepicker boots and a pair of red gloves.
But the main sight to behold was the large demon behind him that wore a ridiculously tall top hat and had a long-horned mask with a wicked grin for a face, a cropped red suit worn open with the collar popped, stitched heart designs on the shoulders, a white ruffle tie, a fancy black, tailed corset running down its torso, claws, red coverings on its legs resembling pants, boots with blade-like heels, and large, black, feathery wings.
The dark-haired teen then raised his head, revealing a never-before-seen large and confident grin plastered on his face.
"Woah! He has a Persona too!" Morgana exclaimed in awe and surprise.
"Ugh! This one as well...?!" Kamoshida shouted in exasperation.
"So this is my Persona..." Ren whispered as he stared at his hands before clenching his fists, "Ha! I could get used to this feeling!" He exclaimed.
He then felt a hand on his shoulder, which was revealed to be Ryuji's.
"So how does it feel to be part of the club now?" Ryuji questioned with a cheeky grin.
"Not bad at all." Ren answered with a smirk before looking back Kamoshida and his guard.
"Whaddya say we go for Round 2, king? This time, I'll make sure that golden knight is nothing but scrap metal when I'm done with him!" Ren taunted as Ryuji and Morgana stood beside him.
Kamoshida flinched in panic while the knight itself shook in anger.
"Don't mock me, you brat!" The guard roared as it transformed into an angel in golden armor armed with a sword, similar to an archangel, "I will make you pay for foolishness!"
In a show of its power, the archangel slammed its sword into floor, releasing a powerful burst of energy that the three persona users barely avoided.
"You ready for this, newbie?" Morgana asked Ren.
"I was born ready!" Ren answered confidently before pointing to the enemy, "Arsène! Eiha!"
His Persona, now known as Arsène, produced a large black red and white flame in his hand before shooting it toward the archangel, which it guarded against, but still looked visibly shaken.
"It looks pained! It must be weak to your curse attacks!" Morgana exclaimed.
"Then let's capitalize on that-!" Ren almost sent another curse attack before the opponent shot a blast of light out of its sword, which Ren quickly made sure to dodge.
"Careful! It seems to know your weakness to bless skills as well!" Morgana advised
"If we keep on fightin' carelessly we're just gonna get ourselves killed!" Ryuji exclaimed, "Let's rush that thing and try to catch it off guard before we hit any weaknesses!"
"Not a bad idea!" Morgana replied in agreement.
"Guess it's worth a shot!" Ren nodded as he sealed Arsène and pulled out a dagger before dashing toward the archangel with his comrades.
Not expecting the charge, the archangel had to swiftly block a pipe slam from Ryuji, who kicked it in the gut, allowing Ren to slash at it twice.
The archangel tried to take both of their heads off with one slice, but they quickly ducked and gave Morgana space to jump at it and slash with his own sword before sending a wind attack its way to deal some more damage.
Feeling the limits of its patience being reached, the enemy used incredible speed to slam its weapon on the floor, creating a large blast of light to act as a flashbang. The three thieves were caught off guard and they had no choice but to shield their eyes.
However, this was part of its plan as it then rushed on over to Ren and sent a blast of physical energy toward him, sending him skidding back.
"Ren!" Morgana called out.
"You okay, dude?!" Ryuji yelled in concern.
Despite his pain, Ren quickly shrugged it off and smirked.
"Heh. That was nothing." He boasted as he summoned Arsène again, "CLEAVE!"
Suddenly, Arsène rapidly flew toward the archangel and slashed at it with a claw, causing it a great amount of pain.
Before it could recover though, Morgana used Zorro to send a wind attack its way, and as if the damage wasn't great enough, it cried out in pain as Ryuji ordered Captain Kidd to ram his boat into the archangel, disorienting it.
"Ren, now!" Ryuji instructed.
Not needing to be told twice, Ren swiftly ordered Arsène to shoot another curse ball, which hit its mark and effectively downed the archangel.
"Alright, its defenseless!" Morgana exclaimed, "You know what that means!"
"Aw yeah! Let's do it!" Ryuji eagerly readied his pipe.
"It's showtime!" Ren grinned as he aimed his dagger at the enemy.
Not wasting a second, the three Persona users initiated an All-Out Attack, slaughtering their opponent without any mercy.
When the onslaught was over, Ren landed in front of the archangel and struck a pose by adjusting his glove with a grin as it dissolved behind him.
"Now that's comedy!"
With their enemy defeated, King Kamoshida, who was scowling at them, was now by himself.
It took Ren a while, but he managed to catch his breath, and he flamboyantly raised his arms.
"Are you not entertained?" He asked with a grin.
"To think that Ren had the potential too..." Morgana whispered, still in a bit of disbelief.
"Well, how 'bout that, Kamoshitta?" Ryuji smugly taunted, "You ready to give up now?"
However, despite the situation, Kamoshida still smirked.
"I told you that this is my castle. It seems you still don't understand..."
Before the three could voice their skepticism, the sound of footsteps filled the room, and they all turned to the direction of the sound, only for their eyes to collectively widen.
Walking toward Kamoshida was a beautiful girl with long platinum blonde hair in pigtails wearing a shiny purple skimpy bikini and cat ears.
"Wha- T-Takamaki?!" Ryuji uttered the girl's name with wide eyes.
"What is she doing here??" Ren asked in confusion.
"Oh man... Look at her!" Morgana suddenly gained hearts in his eyes, "That's the most meowvelous and beautiful girl I've ever seen~!"
"Wha- Are you kiddin' me?!" Ryuji responded to Morgana's behavior in exasperation.
Suddenly, the barely-clothed girl latched herself onto Kamoshida, who caressed her chin with a grin, much to Ryuji's disgust.
"Hey! Let go of her ya 'effin perv!" He demanded in outrage.
"Calm down, Ryuji!" Morgana cut in, "Remember what I told you about cognitions? That's not the real one."
"So that's how Kamoshida thinks of her?" Ren deduced.
"Tch! I ain't even surprised at this point." Ryuji scoffed.
"... That sure is one foxy cognition." Ren couldn't help but blurt that out.
"For real... I-I mean now's not the time for that, dude!" Ryuji chastised Ren once he realized his mistake.
"Are you jealous?" Kamoshida mockingly questioned, "Well I'm not surprised. Women aren't drawn to problematic punks like you."
"And what would you know about getting women, Lord Farquaad?" Ren wittingly fired back.
"Ha! Good one!" Ryuji laughed as he understood the reference.
Something about the insult must've really pissed Kamoshida off, as he let out a deep growl.
"BRING ME THEIR DAMN HEADS!!"
At that, five more guards suddenly showed up.
"Crap! More of 'em!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"We're outnumbered... Let's scram before we get ambushed!" Morgana instructed.
"Looks like we ain't got no choice..." Ryuji grumbled in defeat before adopting a serious expression and pointing at Kamoshida.
"Still, we're gonna expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us!" He boldly declared.
"Hahaha! I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here!" Kamoshida boisterously stated, "Come at me whenever you want, if you don't care about your life! HAAAAHAHAHAHA!!"
"What a piece of scum..." Ren commented.
"Ignore him. Let's go!" Morgana exclaimed.
At that, the three Persona users swiftly left the castle before any of the guards could chase after them.
Outside of the castle, the trio were currently panting as they tried to recover from all the running they did.
"Do you think... We lost them?" Ren asked through heavy breathing, although it wasn't as heavy as before he got his Persona.
"I haven't seen or heard any of them, so it's probably safe to assume we're in the clear." Morgana responded.
"Phew! That was intense..." Ryuji uttered, "Takes me back to my days on the track..."
"Although, that was kinda fun." Ren stated with a smirk, "And now I have my own badass Persona! I don't think I've ever felt that exhilarated!" He excitedly exclaimed.
"Man, it's like you're a completely different person in that get-up." Ryuji awkwardly commented with a sweatdrop, "Still, I can't deny that it does make you look pretty badass." He complimented with a grin.
"Thanks." Ren thanked before smirking, "Although... It's definitely leagues above yours."
"And I immediately take it back, asshole!" Ryuji replied in irritation.
"Hey, you two can bicker later!" Morgana interrupted their comedy act, "Right now, you have to go back before those guards catch up to us!"
"O-Oh yeah, right!" Ryuji remembered, "Thanks for helpin' us out again, Mona."
"Heh heh, no problem at all." He replied with a chuckle, "Now hurry on up out of here."
Ryuji nodded, "C'mon, let's scram!"
At that, Ren followed Ryuji out if the palace, but not before addressing Morgana one more time.
"Later, Whiskers!" He cheekily bid farewell.
"Ughhh! I AM NOT A DAMN CAT, FRIZZY HAIR!!" The not-cat furiously shouted after him.
Eventually, Ryuji and Ren once again reached the alleyway in the real world that led them to the school.
"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."
"Looks like we made it back." Ren noticed as they looked around.
"Yeah." Ryuji affirmed, "How you holdin' up though? You were lookin' pretty worn out back in the castle."
"My heart rate's still a bit fast, but I think I'm good." Ren answered, "I think gaining my Persona might have helped with that somehow."
"Huh... Well that's good." Ryuji nodded before grinning, "But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin' like slaves! You do too, right?"
"Yup."
"Sweet! If we can make 'em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will totally be done for!" Ryuji cheered with a fist pump, "You're gonna help me look for those guys or any witnesses, won't ya?"
"Of course." Ren agreed with a smile, "Now that I know Kamoshida leaked my record, I want to bring him to justice as much as you do. Count me in."
"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Ryuji said with a cheerful grin, "I'll be countin' on ya from now on!"
"Acting as a phantom thief alone would've been more efficient alone. You could've gone about it that way." Sae told Ryuji, "However, you did not. There are merits to having associates... That's what you decided."
"Am I wrong?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as she got closer to him.
Ryuji didn't answer right away as only a single thought was in his head.
'Why do I feel like I should be annoyed by this?' He mentally asked with narrowed eyes.
A low rumbling sound interrupted the newfound partnership between the two.
"... Was that you?" Ryuji asked in surprise.
"Looks like not eating anything since breakfast has caught up to me." The spectacled teen uttered.
"Since breakfast?!" Ryuji repeated incredulously, "Dude, c'mon! That ain't good for your stomach at all!"
"I should be fine until I get ho-"
"Nope. Nuh uh. You're gonna get some food up in your belly right now!" Ryuji abruptly cut him off before walking out of the alley, "C'mon! Follow me!"
"... Do I at least have a choice?"
"NO!"
SLUUURP!
Ryuji let out a satisfied sigh as he put his bowl of ramen noodles down.
"Man, that always hits the spot!"
Ren himself couldn't help but let out a noise of satisfaction after eating some of the noodles.
"You were right. The ramen here is very well made." He commented.
"I told ya, dude!" Ryuji replied with a grin, "This place ain't my favorite ramen joint for no reason!"
After declaring to satisfy his hunger, Ryuji decided to take Ren to his go-to beef bowl shop, Ore no Beko, and they were both sat at a table eating their own ordered bowls.
"I guess I've learned not to underestimate you." Ren jokingly uttered.
"Hell yeah!" Ryuji cheered.
"HEY! KEEP IT DOWN!"
"Oh, s-sorry!" The blonde sheepishly apologized, causing Ren to laugh.
At a certain point in time, Ryuji had already finished his bowl, and was now in a much more pensive state.
"Ya know..." He began, gaining Ren's attention, "I kinda got the gist of it back in the castle, but I still don't know exactly what happened that led to you gettin' arrested." Ryuji reminded.
"Oh, but, you don't have to tell me if you don't wanna!" He quickly added.
"It's fine." Ren assured him with a wave, "I know I can trust you, anyways." He stated, surprising Ryuji.
Letting out a sigh, Amamiya looked into his bowl as he began to reveal his backstory.
"It was dark..."
On a dark night in the city of Kyoto, Ren Amamiya was dressed in casual and was holding a brown handbag as he made his way back to his home.
'It's pretty late right now.' He checked the time on his phone, 'I should be able to get home as long as I don't run into any distra-'
"NO! STOP!"
'What the?! Was that a woman's voice...??' He asked in shock.
"JUST GET IN THE DAMN CAR!"
'That sounded pretty aggressive...' He noticed, 'I should be going home but... Something tells me I should see what's going on.'
He crossed a corner and ran a bit further up a road to meet the site of a woman trying to get out of the grip of a bald drunkard.
'What the hell?'
"N-No...!" The woman whimpered as she struggled.
"Don't give me that shit...!" The drunkard snarled as he continued to roughly grab at her.
"Ow... S-Stop, please!"
"You think you're worth causing me trouble, huh?" The drunkard angrily questioned, "Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!"
'That woman is clearly in danger right now!' Ren noted with wide eyes.
"Hey..." The drunkard noticed the teen, "Haven't you learned to mind your own business, kid? Hurry up and get lost!"
"Please, help me!" The woman cried out to him.
"SHUT UP!"
A bead of anxious sweat ran down Ren's face as he stood there.
'It's none of my business but... I'm the only one who can help her...!' He thought as he clenched his fist, 'I can't ignore this!'
The teen's mind was made up, and he steeled before running toward the drunken man and pulling him off the woman, which caused him to yelp and fall to the ground.
"Are you okay, ma'am?" He questioned the woman.
"I-I..."
Before she could answer, the sound of police sirens filled the area, and the drunkard got back up with a groan, holding back the blood that was leaking from where he hit his head.
"Damn brat! I'll sue!"
"L-Leave me alone! Otherwise I'll report to the police about the money!" The woman tried to threaten him in panic.
"Tch. Who do you think I am?" The man scoffed before gazing at the teen who hurt him, "Hey... Tell the cops that this kid suddenly attacked me, got it?"
The instruction shocked both Ren and the woman.
"H-Huh?!"
"You know what'll happen to you if you try to say anything else, right?" He lowly threatened.
"That's bullshit! You fell own your own!" Ren argued.
"Shut up." Shido retorted, "You're done for. You're gonna learn what happens when you cross me, kid."
Suddenly, two police officers showed up to the premises.
"Excuse me, folks." One of them spoke, "We received a complaint about an argument here. Is something the matter?"
"Oh, it's you, sir!" One of them recognized the drunkard.
"So, what happened? Explain it to the good officer." Shido gave the woman a side eye.
For a moment, it seemed like she was struggling on what to do, and for a brief moment it seemed like she was gonna tell the truth. Until...
"That young man suddenly attacked him..." She uttered with guilt, shocking Ren, "He suddenly shoved this gentleman to the ground, and he got injured."
"What?! That's not true at all!" He refuted.
"It's as she says..." The bald-headed man held his injury to drive the point, "Also, make sure you deal with this so my name isn't mentioned at all. You understand what that means, correct?" He added with a slightly threatening tone.
"Y-Yes, sir!" The two cops seemed shaken, "Hey, cuff him!"
Ren was left utterly dumbfounded as he was cuffed and forced into the policemen's vehicle, while the drunkard watched with a sadistic grin.
After that night, Ren Amamiya's life was completely flipped upside down.
Not only was he falsely charged for assault and sentenced to one year of probation, but he was almost immediately expelled from his school, and his reputation went down the drain, to the point that his parents, the people who are supposed to believe in him no matter what, pretty much shipped him off to Tokyo by himself to live with a man he didn't even know.
Despite him being the one who did the right thing, he was also the only one who got punished...
By the end of his friend's story, Ryuji was of course, rightfully outraged.
"That son of a bitch!" He furiously slammed the counter.
"Please calm down." Ren uttered, "I'm still eating."
"But just hearin' your story makes me so damn angry!" Ryuji argued, "I can't believe that asshole got away with framin' you! And that chick ain't no better for lyin' on you like that!"
"It didn't look like she had choice. With the way he was talking to her, it seemed like he had something on her, at least that's how I saw it." Ren stated.
"Still... It's total bullshit that you got slapped with a criminal record just because you tried to help someone out!" Ryuji added, "I'd totally be angry at everything if I were you."
"Believe me, I may look calm now, but I didn't take everything so well right on the spot." Ren revealed, "In reality, I was both confused and angry... Confused at how quickly that drunk bastard ruined my life, and angry at society for letting him get away with it..."
"Nobody believed in me... Not even my own parents, who literally raised me and should know how my true character... And they were even willing to ship me off to Yongen-Jaya on my own, not even batting an eye." He continued with a pained expression, "It was all too much... And to tell you the truth, I actually cried a little when I was on the train..."
The more Ren went on, the more Ryuji felt bad for him. The thought of a stoic guy like him crying was unsettling, and even heartbreaking.
"But then I realized that crying over my situation wouldn't change a thing that happened." Ren stated, "So, I picked myself back up and moved on. As long as I get through the entire year without violating my probation, I can go back to living a normal life, that's all that matters."
"Huh. That's actually a pretty mature way of lookin' at it." Ryuji complimented thoughtfully.
"Thanks." Ren smiled as he went back to slurping his noodles.
"... Honestly, we might be even more alike than I originally thought." Ryuji commented.
"Hm? How so?" Ren asked with curiosity.
This caused Ryuji to sigh as he knew there was only one way to fully explain himself.
"Well, guess I might as well let you in on my own backstory now..." He uttered.
"Oh." Ren remembered their conversation in the safe room, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's only fair." The blonde assured. If Ren told him about his troubled past, it'd only be fair for him to tell his own.
He took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself before he began.
"Back before Kamoshida came to Shujin, there used to be a real big track team." He started, "There were other sports clubs too, but none of 'em were as popular as the track."
Ren nodded, signaling for him to continue.
"When I was young, my mom said I used to really like runnin' around a lot, and I was pretty fast too. So I thought I'd try out for the team in my first year, and they let me in." Ryuji revealed before smirking a little, "And whenever we did practice, I usually left my teammates in the dust, to the point that I was crowned as the fastest runner on the team, and as a result, I kinda became the group leader."
"I see..." Ren uttered in surprise.
"But then I realized that I didn't enjoy track just because I got to be a top dog, but because I loved runnin' in general. Whenever I was runnin' laps on the field, I always felt so alive and full of energy, like I could travel around to anywhere I wanted!" He stated with a genuine smile, "Since we kinda had money problems back at home, I decided that I should keep runnin', and that I could get a scholarship to make things easier for my mom, and when I told her, she sounded so happy and supportive that it motivated me to keep on goin'!"
"It sounds like you had a pretty clear goal for the future, then." Ren commented with a smile.
"You bet! It felt like I had I finally found my purpose, and I knew that from that point on, there was nothin' that could stop me achievin' my dream!"
The grin on Ryuji's then noticeably transformed into a deep scowl.
"And then Kamoshida joined Shujin..."
"When we first met 'em, he acted all friendly and shit toward every sports team as if he wanted to get to know 'em, but I could tell he was up to somethin'..." Ryuji commented, "Turns out, he started his own volleyball team in the school and was clearly tryna snuff out all the other teams, includin' track."
"Whenever he supervised us durin' practice, he'd always overwork us to hell and even insult us to rile us up until our coach stepped in." He revealed, "But out of everyone, I always got targeted the most."
"Sometimes he'd make fun of me or force me to keep runnin' laps whenever I was tired, and whenever someone confronted him about his abuse, he'd just chalk it up to tough love, which was just a steaming pile of bullshit." He scoffed, "I always lashed out him whenever he pulled that shit but my friends always convinced me to calm down before I did somethin' I regret, and for a while, I decided to just endure it for the sake of the team..."
"But then one day, I got pushed way too far..."
Ren stayed quiet as he waited for him to continue.
"One day, out of the blue, that rat bastard started talkin' shit about my personal business in front of everybody." Ryuji revealed with narrowed eyes, "Mostly about what happened between my mom and my dad."
"... What exactly happened between them?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
"*Sigh* Back when I was a kid, my folks didn't exactly have the happiest relationship. Hell, they never even got married." Ryuji revealed somberly, "My mom had a job workin' at the pharmacy, which she still does, and my dad was a businessman. It was never money that was the issue, but them as a couple in general."
"My dad almost never made time to care or hang out with us, and it really pissed my ma off. They'd always start yellin' or fightin' with each other whenever they could. Sometimes I'd have to hide inside my room and watch cartoons to drown the noise out." He explained, "It was like that almost every night, I wasn't sure if it could get any worse."
"But then one day, my dad came home drunk off his ass, and it caused him and my mom to start fightin' again. I thought it'd just be like one of their normal fights they always have." He stated before his eyes noticeably darkened, "Until I saw my dad smack my mom right in front of me..."
The revelation caused Ren to audibly gasp in horror.
"I was shocked to my core, yet I felt so angry seein' him hit her that I tried to get him off her, but then he hit me too and stormed outside." He added, "After that, he started to regularly beat both me and my ma, and every night would just be him stumblin' in the place and yellin' or hittin' us, talkin' about how he ain't appreciated or that we're nothin' but a nuisance to 'em."
"... That's horrible." Ren stated with a deeply concerned expression.
"It kept goin' on like that for a while until one day, he just stormed out, leavin' us on our own." He revealed, "I thought I'd never have to think back to that part of my childhood, but Kamoshida just had to bring it up."
"I only told one of my friends on the team about that, so there's no doubt he got it from them. But before I could think about it, he started talkin' smack about my ma. He kept callin' her nasty ass names, and made fun of her for bein' a single mom." Ryuji said with a deep frown, "The bastard was obviously tryin' to rile me up, and my friends were tryin' as much as they could to calm me down, but I was too pissed off to listen, I only saw red at that point."
He had to steel himself before he could get to the next part.
"And it got so bad that I couldn't take it any more. Before I knew it, I swung right at Kamoshida's face." He revealed, "But he countered my punch by stomping on my leg, which ended up breakin' my knee real bad."
If Ren wasn't shocked back then, he definitely was now.
"What?!"
"Yeah. After that, everythin' went downhill." Ryuji stated, "Not only could I not run anymore, but Kamoshida managed to get away with what he did by claiming it was in self-defense."
"That's bullshit! He was obviously goading you to attack him so he could do that!" Ren angrily commented.
"That's the truth... But nobody would take my word over his since he's an Olympic medalist." Ryuji somberly added, "After that, the track team was officially disbanded 'cuz of my actions, and all my friends there turned on me becuz of it."
"So is that why Kamoshida called you the track traitor? How on earth is that fair??" Ren asked in disbelief, "They clearly saw what he did to you, didn't they?"
"It don't change the fact that I ruined things for everyone becuz I couldn't control my damn temper." Ryuji countered, "And yeah, it really stung, but what really got to me was the aftermath includin' my ma."
"When I first got accused of attackin' Kamoshida, they called my mom to the office and berated the shit out of her, tellin' her all kinds of shit like how she did a terrible job raisin' me and should be ashamed of herself for havin' me as her kid." Ryuji revealed, his anger at the incident coming back, "And they even made her pay a shit ton of money just to keep me from bein' expelled."
"Those bastards..." Ren angrily whispered. He was outright furious now.
"When we got back home, I fully expected her to go off on me for causin' her trouble like that..." He commented before his expression turned pained, "But to my surprise, she broke down and started apologizin' to me. Tellin' me that she's sorry for bein' such a crappy mom and birthin' me into a shitty life, even though I fully should've been the one apologizin' to her."
"After that, I went to physical rebel for a bit to get my knee fixed well enough so that I can walk, but there ain't any chance of me makin' a comeback to runnin' for track." He stated, "And now, everyone just sees me as the no-good-delinquent who assaulted a teacher and betrayed the track team."
The blonde finally let out a sigh that he didn't even know he was holding.
"Well, that's pretty much all of my baggage." He stated.
By the end of the story, Ren was not only pissed, but also feeling pity.
"... That's... A lot to take in..." Ren commented with a hardened expression.
"Yeah, I kinda dumped all of that on ya." Sakamoto agreed.
"I-It's not a bad thing." Ren waved off, "It's just... Even though I do think what happened to you was terrible, in a way, I'm kind of glad you told me."
"Eh?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Why...?"
"Because now I truly understand just how much we're alike." Ren smiled, "After all, we're both normal kids who got punished on false charges and were stigmatized by society as a result."
"... Yeah, you're right...!" Ryuji said with raised eyebrows before smirking, "It's actually kinda crazy how much we can relate to each other."
"Maybe it was fate that we met up yesterday." Ren suggested with a smirk of his own, causing Ryuji to chuckle.
"Y'know what? Maybe it was!" He agreed as Ren went back to slurping his noodles.
Eventually, Ren finished his bowl, and set it down before looking back at Ryuji.
"Hey, Ryuji..." He called out, gaining his attention, "I know I already agreed to help you out in investigating Kamoshida tomorrow, but after hearing your story, I'm even more motivated to take him down now." He seriously stated.
Ryuji's eyes slightly widened at his statement.
"I don't want anyone else to fall victim to his abuse, and I don't care if going after him could potentially damage my record even further..." He quietly uttered, "So let's make absolute sure that he's brought to justice!" He offered his hand.
Ryuji was slightly taken aback, although he'd be lying if he said he wasn't relieved by Ren's eagerness.
"Yeah. We're gonna take that bastard down together!" He exclaimed as he accepted the handshake.
Right at that moment, it seemed like time had suddenly stopped, everything turned black and white, and a familiar soft-sounding voice rang out in Ryuji's head.
I amthou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired anewvow.
It shallbecomethe wings of rebellion thatbreakeththy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Death Persona, I have obtained the winds ofblessingthat shall lead to freedom andnewpower...
DEATH CONFIDANT: RANK 1
"So the place you're livin' now is in... Yongen right?" Ryuji questioned, receiving a nod, "It's rush hour on the subways. I suggest you kill some time before headin' home."
"Huh... Well since I have nothing better to do, do you have any ideas?" Ren asked.
Ryuji thought over the question before a lightbulb flashed in his head.
"Y'know, there's a pretty neat arcade around here that I like." Ryuji revealed with a growing grin, "If ya want, we could play a few games over there!"
"That doesn't sound like a bad way to pass the time..." Ren thought it over before smiling, "Sure. Lead the way."
"Hell yeah! Let's head on over right now!" Ryuji cheered as he nearly rushed out the beef bowl shop.
Ren shook his head but smiled nonetheless as he followed Ryuji outside.
The two boys had only known each other for just a day, and yet they both felt like they had already found their new best friend.
Ryuji's Confidant List:
THE DEATH - Ren Amamiya: Rank 1
So much for releasing it tomorrow... But alas, I managed to release it before the weekend ends! Praise me!!!
Lol, but anyways, Ren has finally joined the club of Persona users! I tried to make his fight as cool and satisfactory as I could, let me know if you enjoyed it!
And it seems Ryuji has finally gained his first confidant! I felt like way too many Roleswap AU fics keep Ren's arcana as The Fool, so I thought I'd switch things up, plus in a way, the Death Arcana fits him pretty well.
Anyways, I'm tired as hell, so I'm gonna log off for the night. As usual, leave your thoughts and reviews in the comments!
RinOta, out!