Chapter 7:

Akechi woke up in the dorms of Kosei High. They had a room all to themselves, and it was just as empty as the place they usually live in. They quickly scrambled on their phone to find any clue. The first major one was the date, April 9th. They had gone back 7 months in time, but more confusing than that, they were in a different school, still living in the dorms alone. They weren't sure what to make of this. They had just defeated Maruki, so it couldn't have been him? To send them back 7 months also wasn't his M.O.

'There has to be a reason to this. I also couldn't have been the only person sent back, and how different is everything for everyone else?'

Akechi decided that his first task was to find someone from the Phantom Thieves and try to gauge whether or not they have been sent back as well. He went through the list of members, he knew where they all lived because he had planned taking them out as a contingency. It was just a matter of figuring out who was most likely do have been sent back. There were two names that popped up the most in his head:

'Amamiya and Yoshizawa. The two that helped him first face Maruki. Possibly the cat as well, but that would be the exact same spot as Amamiya. Uggh, I guess I'm going to that dumb cafe.'

Akechi decided to wait a little bit, and then started to make his way over to the cafe. On the way there, he scoured his phone for any conversations with Shido, but no luck. Seems he didn't have any contacts in the Police force either. He was just a student of Kosei high in this timeline, and that worried him. Did he still have his Persona? He would have to go into Mementos to figure that out.

Akechi walked into Leblanc and ordered some Coffee, which was actually pretty good. He did quite enjoy those cups, Sojiro had a good talent at making food. There were a couple more customers than usual, and Akechi found himself feeling glad that Sakura had a good customer base. He wanted to see the Cafe thrive, which was a bit new to him.

Akechi then ran into the teenager who was living in the attic of the restaurant, and instead of the scruffy haired rival he grew to 'hate', it was a young woman in a red ponytail, Yoshizawa. Akechi was taken aback. He spoke with her for a few minutes, but it all felt so different.

Kasumi was different than the one he knew, she had a positive side, but it was a bit more grounded than usual, as if she took bits from Kasumi and Ren and mashed them together. She definitely felt like she could be a leader of the Phantom Thieves, but what does that mean for the leader of the thieves that Akechi grew to see as a rival? Does he just move all that hate towards Kasumi? Deep down Akechi knew all this animosity was unhealthy, but given his confusing line of work, he didn't give it much thought.

Akechi stopped by a small diner on the way back to the dorms and ate dinner alone while watching some tv. He was debating going into Mementos to explore what has changed, but he wondered if someone else had the role of Ace Detective, or Black Masked Assassin. He figured it might be best to figure that out first. He scoured the internet for mentioning of an ace detective in the department, but he couldn't find anything. He decided that he needed to check all of the cases that he 'solved' in his timeline, but not being in the police department would make accessing those difficult. An idea then flashed in his mind for how to access them. He went to a chat website that he had investigated during the previous summer. He found a username named Alibaba and started a private conversation:

Crow2016: Hello are you the one they call Alibaba? Infamous Japanese Hacker?

Alibaba: ...

Alibaba: Yes I am, how do you know of me?

Crow2016: Let's just say I have skills of my own, how about we make a deal?

Alibaba: I'm listening...

Crow2016: I need some case files pulled from the Shibuya detective's office, and in exchange I can give you a tip to help your 'social justice'

Alibaba: That's a tall order there, you share first and I'll consider helping you.

Crow 2016: Fair enough, you recall the recent incidents involving mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns? Here's a name to look into regarding all of that: Masayoshi Shido.

Alibaba: That weird politician? Hmm, that might be worth looking into... Fine give me three case names and you'll have your files, want more? I'll need something else.

Akechi told Alibaba what he needed and received his case files.

Crow 2016: Appreciate it, I'll don't think I'll need more, but I'll keep this chat in mind.

Alibaba: What does a High Schooler need with some strange case files? Seems pretty suspicious, Goro Akechi?

Akechi chuckled, he expected nothing less of Futaba to find his name that fast.

Crow2016: I'm more than just a high schooler, Futaba Sakura. Goodnight.

Akechi decided to read the case files in the morning, he got ready for bed, imagining the shock on the young hackers face when she read her own name sent to her.

"Welcome inmates, to MY Velvet Room"

Akechi was taken aback when he woke up in chains, and his cell being guarded by a young girl. He looked across his cell to see a desk with an Old, long nosed man sitting down. Even further across the room was Ren Amamiya. The two locked eyes.

'How the HELL is Amamiya here? Why is Yoshizawa the one living in Leblanc, where is Amamiya?'

Akechi also noticed that directly across from the older man was Yoshizawa, it seemed that she was the focus of the room, and he and Ren were bonuses, being guarded by children.

After an introduction to the room, all three 'tricksters' were sent back to reality.

Akechi woke up, and realized he had the whole day free, since the new semester starts in one more day. He read through the case files and was shocked by what he found. It seems that the same people were given Psychotic Breakdowns, but they were all solved by Tokyo's detectives, and with the help of Anonymous tips. They all still benefited Shido, but no one online seemed to be making the connection between those events and Shido's rise through the political world.

'Does that mean that my work as the Ace Detective was for nothing? That Shido never needed me?!'

Akechi decided to take a trip to Mementos to see what has changed.

The first major change was that he didn't have his persona powers yet, he was just walking around the mazes of Shadows in normal teenager clothes, letting his rage simmer more and more.

'What's the point, this power that gave me everything, I became beloved by the entirety of Japan! I was a hero! Now I'm just some average highschooler, all alone... No! I will climb my way to the top, I'll eradicate Shido and if needed, the Phantom Thieves. That old geezer thinks I'm headed to ruin?! And he dares have a child guard me while facing down Yoshizawa?! I will show them all!'

Akechi lets out a rage filled scream that shakes the tunnels of Mementos. He feels a mask appear on his face and he rips it off with ease.

"Come out! LOKI!"

Some of the shadows wandering Mementos heard this commotion, as they went to investigate they were promptly obliterated by Loki. Akechi let out a mad glee as he used his powers with ease. Something felt off though, he didn't have a purpose. He couldn't just go after any real people because that could quickly put him on many radars, especially Shido's. He decided to call it a day and get ready for the start of school.

Kosei High was not too different from the high school Akechi was used to. In the first hour of class Akechi decided that he liked this place better than Shujin at least. Eventually it becomes time for lunch, and he notices Yusuke Kitagawa eating lunch alone. Akechi decided to sit down next to him, not to talk, just for ambient company, for a while, Akechi wasn't even sure that Yusuke noticed him, until he caught Yusuke eying some of his food. Eventually, a young woman with Black hair sat down next to the two teenagers, also enjoying the ambient company. Akechi pondered for a moment, and remembered a conversation he had with Ren once who showed him a couple of pictures of friends outside the phantom thieves, this woman was Hifumi Togo, a Shogi specialist. This group would become a standard occurrence during lunch at Kosei High, eventually Akechi would start trying to make conversation, which would lead to one of Akechi's first actual friendships. But for the first day, Akechi just enjoyed the silence and was the first to leave the table, but not before placing some of his leftover bread in front of the hungry young artist, much to his glee.

The next day, Akechi woke up and groaned. He quickly got bored at just being a high school student. He could still ace all of his classes with so much more on his plate. He spent the whole day at school wondering what he could do in the metaverse, there had to be something he could do. An idea then came to him: Go after Shido's palace early. This would throw a massive wrench into the flow of time, but Akechi didn't care. He once again left Yusuke with a piece of bread when he left lunch, and he quickly checked the Nav to make sure Shido still had a palace, he did.

As soon as school ended, Akechi made their way over to the front of the diet building and instantly jumped into Shido's palace. He found himself on the front deck just like normal, but already in his Black Mask outfit. He also found himself quickly surrounded by shadows before he even made a move towards the inside of the ship.

The shadows were relentless, not just the fact that they were incredibly powerful, there seemed to be a bottomless amount of them.

"Lord Shido will not be disturbed!"

Akechi screamed and continued fighting despite taking a good amount of damage, he relentlessly struck down Shadows until he realized that if he kept this up he would meet his end on the ship. He threw down a smoke bomb and exited the ship, his pride having taken a severe blow.

Akechi was severely drained after the battle, but he couldn't bring himself just to go home, he had to get stronger, he had to decimate Shido. Akechi made their way over to Mementos, where they started annihilating shadows, slowly building up his strength and practicing new tactics in order to handle multiple enemies at once. He kept this up for a while, until he reached one of the tunnels in Mementos, and heard a fight going on. He walked over to see a Phantom Thief that he didn't recognize slicing down shadows with a sword. It had to be the new leader of the group, his new rival.

'Yoshizawa-San?'

Kasumi was confused that Akechi stood before her, she wondered if he was here doing the same thing she was, blowing off steam.

"Akechi-Kun? What are you doing down here?"

"I could ask you the same thing..." Akechi pulled out his gun and aimed it at her.

"Really, you want to fight? Now of all times?"

"Why not, its not like I have anything better to do! I might as well prove to that old geezer in the jail that he was wrong to focus on you, or Ren! I have to be superior, and I'll prove it!"

"Come, LOKI"

"CENDRILLON!"

The two personas clashed as Kasumi tried to reason with the other persona user.

"You think you can take on the whole metaverse on your own?! You think that Ren or I could?! Of course we couldn't, that's why I'm in a team Akechi!"

"Why were you the one chosen to lead that group!" Akechi's persona took another shot at Kasumi but they ended up in a standstill again.

"I wasn't chosen to do anything, its just how things turned out! Kouagon!"

"Why were you the one who lives at Leblanc, and I bet you already have your merry group of friends, don't you!"

"That doesn't mean anything, I'm just trying to improve from my steps the first time! You should too or you're going to end up dead just like in Ren's timeline!"

Akechi's eyes went wide, he quickly recovered and let out a roar.

"MEGIDOLOAN!"

Kasumi felt as if all the air was knocked out of her, she had no idea how she was still standing, but she could tell that Akechi was spent from that blast as well, she used up the last bit of energy she had and ripped off her mask one last time.

"I hope this works...

IZANAGI! Cross-Slash!"

Kasumi hadn't tried summoning personas other than Cendrillon in this new timeline, so she tried summoning one she saw in the velvet room once, and out came the persona and hit Akechi with a devastating blow. He was flung back into the wall, a piece of his mask shattering. Akechi fell on the floor, tried to get back up, but couldn't due to sheer pain.

"Its… over Akechi, there's no reason to keep fighting."

"Why? Why is it that you all have so much more than me… I don't work for Shido in this timeline, I'm not an ace detective… I have nothing…"

Kasumi walked over and extended her hand to help him get up.

"That can always change though, join the Phantom Thieves, work with Ren and I to avoid whatever sent us back in time, so we can break the cycle and help society! We'll do it right together, why do you think we all are in the velvet room? So what if Igor is facing me? He included you and Ren too, which means that you two have just as much potential as me. I saw that when we exchanged blows there. You could have won that fight. Let's rematch one day, on better terms."

Akechi looked away, pondered, and then turned back and accepted her hand to get up.

"I guess your little band of misfits isn't the worst thing in the world. I mean I do eat lunch with the artist…"

"You go to Kosei?"

"Unfortunately, we haven't exchanged a word yet, but its nice having company."

"Talk to him!"

"…"

The two walked over towards the exit to Mementos when a thought occurred to Akechi.

"Say, why were you here in the first place, alone?"

"I uh, needed to blow off steam, its been a rough day."

"Have you started palace infiltration?"

"A little bit, but ran into some issues with Kamoshida we never had before."

Akechi noticed Kasumi's voice falter in a way he never heard before.

"My classes start late tomorrow, I will go into that palace and clear up the front a bit, give you and the team some room to breathe." Akechi figured this was probably the best way he could help for now, he wasn't ready to join the team outright, but he felt he should help.

"Thanks, I appreciate that."

"Tell me, is Ren in the group yet?"

"She is not, she lives with Makoto so she figured its best to wait until Makoto gets on to us to make a move."

"That's actually pretty clever for her, I'll shoot her a message, see if she can help as well, as payment, we will take the will seeds."

"Works for me, thank you Akechi-San, I mean it."

"We should head back, that slash gave me a headache."

The two exited Mementos and went up the stairs to the ground level of Station Square, they were met by a massive crowd of people heading home, they both tried their best to avoid bumping into anyone in the crowd, but it was to no avail, as Kasumi collided directly with a high schooler. She fell on one knee, slightly disoriented, as her sight started to clear, she found herself starting at brunette with a very cute bob cut and a hairband that she first thought was a braid.

Akechi quickly decided to excuse himself as he saw the look on Kasumi's face.

"I'll see you later Yoshizawa-San." Kasumi barely let out a nod in response as Akechi quickly disappeared into the crowd, not letting Makoto properly recognize him.

Notes:

So sorry for ending this chapter on a cliffhanger just like the last two! Since this chapter's focus was on Akechi and his experience in the new timeline, it just felt best thematically to end it where I did.

Izanagi is my favorite Persona, so I'll probably be sneaking cameos with them every once in a while!

I plan on having Ren, Akechi, and Sumire show up more regularly in chapters now, still getting the hang of balancing all of the phantom thieves in the story. Futaba might have one or two more appearances before the Alibaba stuff is supposed to start.

Next chapter will cover everything up to the route secured to the Treasure, so might be a bit till that releases. Also going to start planting the seeds for some of the romances in this story, I'll add the tags for those once they start getting properly set up, but there will be more than just Kasumi and Makoto.

Hope you enjoyed!