January 3rd
With the battle against Salmael over, and everything finally back to normal, the Phantom Thieves could enjoy the rest of their winter break. The group gathered in Leblanc to hang out as usual while Ren was still visiting. The only ones who couldn't make it for obvious reasons were Zenkichi and Toshiro. They were still busy with the aftermath of Toshiro's conference. But today wasn't just a normal hangout; today, Hifumi called the entire group over because she had something she wanted to tell them. In fact, as soon as Leblanc was open, she was the first one there. "Good morning!" She told Ren, Futaba, and Morgana.
"Yo." Ren waved as Hifumi stepped inside.
"It's early…" Futaba yawned.
"Is it early, or did you spend all night playing video games?" Ren asked with a quirked brow. Futaba's quiet laugh answered that question.
"I gotta get my gaming freedom in while I can! Otherwise all that homework when school starts is gonna totally take all my time." Futaba said while looking at Morgana, who was curled up on a seat. "It must be nice to be a cat. You don't have to do anything."
"I must say, it is pretty nice to get fed and sleep all day." Morgana spoke with a snicker. As much as he did still have ideas of being human from time to time, nothing beat his leisurely life. He then turned to Hifumi, who was taking a seat at one of the booths. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I can't say it just yet. Everyone has to be here." Hifumi said while raising a finger. "I would've come with Ann, but we had something to take care of separately.
"Oooh, I wish they'd get here already!" Futaba said. "Sojiro's out shopping again, so Ren's in charge until he gets back!"
"I think he goes shopping a lot more when I'm here." Ren scratched his cheek. It just meant that Boss trusted him, obviously. They wouldn't have to wait much longer, because everyone soon started to file into the cafe. Ann was first, who clung to Hifumi and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.
"Hello!" Ann beamed towards Hifumi and then the others. "Sorry for the wait!"
Right after Ann, the others came in; Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Sumire, and Akechi came in and took their seats. "I see we are all here." Yusuke stated. The doors opened once again, and Mika came in.
"I got the text." Mika wasn't sure why she was invited to Leblanc. But Hifumi did ask her to come, and she'd never say no!
"You aren't even in the group text!" Ann pointed at Mika. But she realized it was probably Hifumi who did it.
"Oh, no, I added her. Because it'd be funny.." Futaba explained. Sumire just sat with a sweat drop.
"We asked first." Sumire clarified.
The last person to arrive was Ichinose. She had Sophia within her phone as always. "Hello, my friends! Sophia told me that there was an interesting meeting going on! So I just had to drop in."
"I honestly didn't think you'd be able to make it." Ren admitted. Ichinose was doing who knows what these days. But it's not like he minded.
"I wanted to hear what Hifumi has to say!" Sophia said, her hands pressed against the screen of Ichinose's phone.
"I do as well." Haru tilted her head with a smile.
"SInce we have everyone here, there was something important I wanted to tell everyone." Hifumi cleared her throat. "I remembered a certain event in November not too long ago."
"November?" Makoto tilted her head.
"No, not the November that passed. November from the year before last." Hifumi clarified. As she did, she could see numerous question marks appearing over everyone's head.
"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.
"It sounds like something we should know." Akechi commented.
"Mhm." Hifumi replied with a nod. "I've been meaning to share for a while now, but I've never had the opportunity until now. It's about a time we met another group of Persona users."
"Wait, huh?" Sumire blinked a few times. "I would've remembered something like that!"
"I feel the same way. Such a momentous occasion would be hard to forget." Yusuke furrowed his brows. He didn't doubt Hifumi, but something about this felt strange!
"I remember, too." Ren added. "Although it's still a little fuzzy, I remember most of it."
"So then what happened?!" Ryuji leaned forward, excited to hear about this story they'd all supposedly forgotten.
"Allow me to start." Hifumi cleared her throat. "This may seem bizarre. This was around the time we were waiting to infiltrate Sae-san's Palace…"
.
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The clock winds back.
November 10th
Are the Phantom Theives innocent? 4%
What an exhausting week it all was. Hifumi Togo aired out everything concerning her shogi matches. As such, people were taking to calling her the Phony Princess. It was a nickname that did sting, but she took the blows as they came. She was determined to ensure that name was nothing more than a passing, fleeting moment. The looks she got from others at Kosei were piercing, but she did her best to ignore them. "They're glaring at me even more intensely than before. I suppose being honest only made their ire stronger…."
"You mustn't let them get to you." Yusuke said while walking next to Hifumi. "You are walking a new path now."
"You are right." Hifumi gave a slow nod. "I do not intend to shy away from this path either. People may look at me however they wish, but I intend to earn their goodwill back someday, however long it takes."
"That's the right attitude." Yusuke smiled. He hardly thought much of what others thought of him. He would continue to express himself through his art. That would never change. With school being over for the day, they were making their way out of Kosei. Their phones both buzzed before they made it out of the building.
"Oh, it's the group chat. The one with Akechi." Hifumi remarked. Ryuji texted everyone to see if they were willing to head over to the hideout - Ren's room - today. "Hm…we have a little over a week until our operation. I suppose it would be worth going."
"I agree." Yusuke was typing on his phone.
"I feel a little bad that Kasumi is being left out, but we need her presence to be hidden if my prediction is correct." Hifumi also responded to the group text, confirming she would be present as well.
"She has been doing her best to aid us even with his presence. I do not think you need to worry." Yusuke smiled. Even though Kasumi had to remain out of Akechi's sight in the Metaverse, she was doing everything she could to help them. Be it directly or indirectly. "Now, we should head to Leblanc. We don't want to keep the others waiting."
"Yes, you're right." Hifumi nodded. With that, the pair made their way towards the hideout.
.
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Once the group made their way to the hideout, they came to a decision about their moves for today. "That makes it unanimous! We're infiltrating Mementos today!" Morgana exclaimed. "Sound good, Futaba?"
"Yup!" Futaba nodded with a grin. "Navigator at the ready! Just leave everything to me, as always."
"I'll do my best." Haru spoke with a smile. Compared to the others, she wasn't as experienced. But she had been through three Palaces with them at this point, so she quickly grew accustomed to the ways of the Phantom Thief.
"I don't think we'll have anything to worry about." Ann spoke while giving a grin. She brought some snacks with her, chewing on them after she spoke.
"We should be alright. It wouldn't hurt to hone our skills a little bit more in Mementos. My sister will be a strong opponent." Makoto spoke with a bit of a frown. As much as she preferred to avoid the incoming fight with her sister, she knew it was inevitable.
"I never have any issues exploring Mementos. I always find some strong inspiration in there." Yusuke was content with this decision.
"I don't want to grow complacent either." Hifumi balled her hands into fists. "I have new power that I want to unleash!"
"Someone's a little excited after upgrading their Persona." Futaba snickered. Although Hifumi's second awakening was extremely cool to witness.
"Do you think anything's changed since we changed Hifumi's mother's heart?" Morgana asked. Getting to the depths of Mementos was their goal.
"Combined with the few requests we've accepted, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check if Mementos allow us deeper access.." Akechi stroked his chin with his gloved hand. While he would rather not actually be here, it would've been too suspicious if he declined. As such, he would follow them into Mementos and do these requests he found mundane and pointless. Especially since he planned for the Phantom Thieves to disband and suffer a terrible fate soon. "There is only one way to find out."
"You also don't have to come if you don't wanna." Ryuji quickly added. He made it no secret he was no fan of Akechi being on their team, since he was currently blackmailing them into compliance. "We'll happily ditch you."
"Ryuji." Ann rolled her eyes. She understood the sentiment, she really did. But there wasn't a time for pointless fights.
"I understand." Akechi was able to dismiss Ryuji's slight hostility. He completely understood that it was warranted. "For the time being, we are a team. So I would be happy to help you with your tasks until the 18th."
"Mhm…" Hifumi simply nodded. Akechi's words were mixing truth with lies. Although she didn't understand why she had the power to detect someone's lies, it did prove useful.
"Then we shouldn't waste much time." Ren told the team. "It's showtime!"
.
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Within a few of the earlier floors of Mementos, Violet just finished taking down a few Shadows of her own. With the tense situation surrounding the Phantom Thieves, she needed to do her best. She had to keep improving! Right now, she was at a rest station, taking a moment to sit down and catch her breath. "I don't want to slow them down. I don't know how I'm going to be able to help them going forward into the Palace, but I have to do something. Senpai and the others are working so hard…"
That's why she was down here training. She had to keep herself moving. Her gymnastics training was done, but she didn't have anything else to do. Prior to meeting Ren and the others, her days were fairly routine. But she found herself missing that sense of friendship she didn't have, since most of Shujin gave her dirty looks. "I didn't even tell anyone I'd be down here. I just needed something to do…" She sighed and stood up. It was probably about time for her to head home. As she stood up, she noticed…a spider skittering across the ground at her feet. Her eyes widened and she yelped in surprise, leaping back. "EEEEEK!?"
The spider was gone just as quickly as it appeared. But the fact it showed up in the first place startled her. Violet placed a hand on her chest, letting out a few heavy breaths. "I…think I need to go home now." She thought that, but then she heard a very familiar horn blaring not too far away. Were…were the others here!? With Akechi - or Crow - as they called him!? Uh oh. She didn't tell anyone about this! As such, before the Mona Bus could pull up, she found a place to hide. No doubt Oracle would pick up on the fact she was here…
They came to a halt at the rest station. They all broke off and Oracle was the one glancing around. Her gaze went to one of the pillars nearby, realizing that Violet was indeed right there. Yikes! She was going to have to find a way to avoid that. "We've been making good progress!"
"Yeah…" Mona nodded, eyes closed.
"Is something wrong, Mona-chan?" Noir asked. He looked so pensive.
"Oh! Sorry." Mona shook it off. "It's just that Mementos feels…different than usual somehow."
"Different?" Queen quirked a brow. "Different how?"
"Ain't this what it always feels like?" Skull didn't notice a thing. "Hey, Joker, what do you think?"
"Eh…." Joker shrugged. He wasn't really sure what Mona was feeling.
"EEEEEEEK!" Dragon was the one who squealed. She clung to Panther while pointing at the ground. "S-Spider!"
"SPIDER!?" Panther, Oracle, and Queen gasped. They did see something shifting past them on the ground.
"Where is it!?" Noir had her axe at the ready. She saw it too late. She swung her axe down, but the spider was already gone. "I just saw it…!"
"A spider in Mementos…?" Mona didn't think that sounded right.
Dragon proceeded to clear her throat. "I'm…very sorry for that unsightly display. I…just wasn't expecting to see that…"
"That was quite the shrill cry. Far from the usual roar of a dragon we are used to hearing from you." Fox said, completely without tact. Dragon blushed awkwardly.
"Classic Inari, always speaking without thinking!" Oracle rolled her eyes. Fox, however, didn't really see the issues what what he said.
"I think we should move on." Crow didn't want to idle for too long. "Although…was that really a spider?" This was bothering him a little bit. Shadows weren't supposed to be in these rest areas, and wandering into Mementos wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world either…
"Yeah, Crow's right. We've still got work to do." Joker said. So, with that, Mona turned into a bus and everyone climbed inside once again. It was still a bit of a crowded fit with a group as large as theirs, but they made due.
Since they were about to leave, Violet took the silent signal from Oracle to slip away behind them. However, when Queen went to drive, Mona ended up going backwards at first. "...!?" With a yelp, she had no choice but to jump and land on the roof of the Mona car with a soft thud.
"What was that…?" Crow wondered.
"I don't know! Mona, why did we go backwards?" Queen asked. She was the one driving, but she was certain she had him in Drive, not reverse!
Mona felt the extra weight atop him, although he couldn't see it. More importantly, he wasn't sure why he went backwards. "I don't know! Let's just…try going forward again!" And so, Queen drove forward this time. All seemed normal, and Violet was just going to hop off gently…until Mona started picking up speed.
"Uh…" Panther looked at the road. "You don't have to drive this fast, you know. It's not like we're fleeing the pyramid again!"
"I-I know that…" Queen had a bit of a sweat drop. She was actually pumping the brakes, but Mona was just moving a bit faster.
"Is this some kinda Wild Max driving?" Skull asked, referencing a movie he knew Makoto has absolutely seen.
"Is it just me…or is Mona-chan only getting faster?" Noir blinked slowly.
"I…I think I'm losing control…!?" Mona admitted. He was going too fast! Far too fast for Violet to even think about jumping off now! She just had to hold on and hope for the best!
As they were picking up speed, Joker couldn't help but hear something faintly. A bell? It was hard to tell. The current situation held his attention far more than the fleeting sound of a bell! "Uh...!?"
"Did he eat something off the ground?" Fox questioned.
"Why is that your first question!?" Dragon cried out as Mona only continued to speed up.
"Mona! The brakes aren't working! What's going on!?" Queen demanded to know.
"I wish I knew!" Mona wailed in surprise. "I can't stop speeding up!"
"WAAAAAH! WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIE!" Oracle panicked. "I'm gonna puuuuuuke!" And as Mona wildly drove forward, some kind of white void appeared.
"What the…!?" Joker's eyes widened at the void as it drew near….
.
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"...ak…..up…." A hazy voice filled Ren's ears. He was drifting in and out of consciousness
"Ren, wake up…!" It was Morgana nudging him a bit. Ren's eyes opened slowly, only to see Morgana in his Metaverse form. Not only that, but when he looked at the ground, he was in the Velvet Room! Strangely enough, not in his prisoner wear, but not in his Phantom Thief attire either. He was just in his regular clothes for a change.
"Huh…?" Ren looked around, only to notice the others just waking up as well. Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Hifumi, Futaba, Haru, Kasumi, and Akechi were all sitting up. "Is everyone alright!?"
"We're alive…?" Ryuji had a hard time believing that with what he was seeing. "What the hell is this place?! Are we in jail!?" Since this was his first time in the Velvet Room, a place he'd normally never be allowed access into, his surprise was reasonable.
"You've really gone and done it now, Inmate!" That voice came from a very unhappy Caroline. When Ren's head whipped around to the desk where Igor normally sat in, he did not find the long nosed man. Instead, just the two wardens who were equally confused at what was going on.
"Huh!? I recognize you…" Hifumi stared at Caroline and Justine.
"What's going on here!?" Ann demanded to know.
"Yoshizawa-san?" Akechi laid eyes on Kasumi. When he called her out, this was the first time the others actually realized she was here as well. "What are you doing here…?"
"That's what I want to know…!" Kasumi admitted. This was the last place she expected to be. "What's going on here? What is this place!?"
"This is the Velvet Room." Justine responded calmly, catching everyone's attention. "This is where our Inmate comes to strengthen and fuse Personas. The secret to his strength."
"The Velvet Room…?" Haru didn't quite get it.
"Huh….have I…been here before…?" Morgana looked around. His eyes went to Caroline and Justine. The three locked eyes for a moment, a strong sense of familiarity between them. But ultimately, nothing came to mind. "I just don't know."
"Unfortunately, our Master is away right now. But this is strange." Justine was flipping through her clipboard. "It shouldn't be possible for anyone other than the Inmate to be in this space…yet all of you are here."
"To be fair, I don't want to be in this prison." Hifumi lifted a finger. She still had so many questions…especially as a loud alarm started to blare, causing everyone to cover their ears. "Ahh, what is that!?"
"Just the red alarm!" Caroline responded with a shrug. The others didn't take too kindly to this noise, but they sure did. "But the Inmate hasn't been doing enough today for this to be happening. So what's the big deal!?"
"Wow, this girl is tough and militaristic? Why do I like this?" Futaba questioned to herself.
"I apologize, but I must ask all of you to vacate the premises for the time being." Justine said. Igor wasn't here, and they had no idea what was happening with the Velvet Room.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Futaba was quick to bolt out of the Velvet Room. The others followed her immediately. They were hoping and expecting that they'd find themselves back in Mementos, but instead…they found themselves in the hallway of an unfamiliar school, currently undergoing some kind of culture festival.
"Uh…" Ann scratched her cheek.
"What is this place…? This ain't Shujin." Ryuji could tell immediately, mostly because this school already looked so much brighter than Shujin ever could! Even their school festival paled in comparison to the many things he saw around here.
"Did we wind back up in reality somehow?" Haru asked while looking around. But one look at Morgana and the answer was clear. He was still in his Metaverse form, and as such, they couldn't possibly be in reality anymore.
"Hey, look…" Kasumi pointed towards the window. There was the sound of a large bell in the distance, and the source of it was the clocktower outside.
"A clocktower…." Makoto took note of this. How strange.
"This place is so bright!" Caroline stepped outside and she had to squit with her eye a bit. "Is this what they call a school festival or something?"
"Oh, geez!" Ryuji jumped back a bit. Caroline was like, right behind him and he didn't even notice.
"Indeed!" Yusuke spread his arms apart, noticing all the students walking back. "There is a plethora of creativity oozing from every corner in these hallways! I feel much more inspired than when I stepped forth into Shujin's halls!"
"Tough, but fair." Ren couldn't really argue against that.
"I thought you two were staying in that…Velvet Room?" Kasumi titled her head at Caroline and Justine who soon joined her.
"We felt a disturbance and elected to check it out." Justine responded. As she thought, everything happening around here was strange. Yet, something within her felt like this was…destined to happen?
"Did you bring us here?" Akechi asked the twins.
"Of course we didn't!" Caroline snapped at Akechi. "You weren't even supposed to be IN the Velvet Room! The fact you all showed up at all is strange!"
"It was not us that brought you here." Justine said calmly in comparison. "It was likely the Velvet Room itself that brought you here. And…there is nothing that happens in the Velvet Room without meaning." Why did she know those words? They felt so natural…
"Are you saying that we were meant to come here?" Haru found that pretty hard to believe.
"Yeah! So just take it or leave it." Caroline huffed at Haru.
"You should be a little nicer with how you talk to people." Haru gave Caroline a sweet smile. For a moment, Caroline sensed the danger behind it, and decided to back off for now.
"Something smells good…" Ann's nose picked up a whiff of something sweet.
"Ann…" Hifumi knew that Ann was about to get distracted!
"I suppose…we should be begin by gathering information." Akechi took a look around. "Unfortunately, we are going to stand out, but it cannot be helped. If we are lucky, we won't draw much attention. But we can't do much about our situation without first figuring out where we are."
"You're suggesting we split up and search for clues, then?" Makoto turned to Akechi, who nodded. "That's as good a plan as any with what we have."
"Fumi! Let's grab some food! I'm sooooo hungry after all that!" Ann grabbed Hifumi by the wrist and started to pull her off.
"W-Wait! Ann…!?" Hifumi didn't really have a choice and off they went.
"I shouldn't drag my feet." Akechi did have questions about Kasumi's presence. As far as he knew, she wasn't anywhere near them or in Mementos. But those questions could wait. Off he went to figure out where they were.
"Ah…." Kasumi nervously glanced around. "I'm sorry…I was in Mementos to train. And before I knew it, you guys showed up. I tried to leave, but Morgana-senpai almost ran me over, and then…" She told the others.
"Don't worry about it." Ren told Kasumi while shaking his head. There was nothing they could do about it. There was no way to ever know this kind of situation could happen. "We'll deal with it."
"Okay…" Kasumi felt pretty bad about it. But she tried to keep a smile.
"Yo, Kasumi! Come with Yusuke 'n I! We're gonna check around." Ryuji wanted to get Kasumi's mind off things. She nodded and agreed to join the three of them. Futaba went with Haru and Makoto.
"You, cat!" Caroline pointed at Morgana. "You should go with those other people and investigate, too!"
"But I was going to stay with Ren and..." Morgana looked at Caroline and Justine. They all stared at each other, and ultimately Morgana just felt the need to comply. "U-Understood! I'll look around, too!" And with that, he went after Hifumi and Ann.
Ren was surprised at how quickly Morgana caved to that request. "Guess it's just me then." Ren turned around, only to see the twins standing in front of him. "Oh, and you two. So…"
"Come with us back to the Velvet Room, if you please." Justine phrased it nicely, but it was more a demand than anything else. Ren knew that tone.
"Right." Ren turned to the Velvet Room, only to feel Caroline's boot press against his back. She kicked him inside as usual, and he staggered back into the Velvet Room. Things were very different when he stumbled inside. There were multiple gears turning and scattered about the prison. "What the…"
"This has never happened before." Justine was trying to search for any record of this in her clipboard, but nothing came up. "Something strange has happened to the Velvet Room. Furthermore…" She gestured to the four doors chained together. The tops of the doors all had four different colors; red, blue, yellow, and…pink.
"These doors showed up after you all left. There are a few chains on them as well. Eight…?" Caroline furrowed her brows. All of this was confusing and annoying. "Whatever it means, it's up to you to fix it, Inmate. I don't think we can get back home until you do."
"I guess I don't really have much of a choice." Ren had no idea what was going on. However, it was going to be up to him and his friends to fix it. He kinda wished Igor was here for answers, but at the same time, Igor not being here made the Velvet Room feel less stuffy and oppressive. Something he didn't really notice until Igor was actually gone.
"So figure out what's going on! Justine and I will take the time to observe this…culture festival." Caroline was pretty curious about it.
"...I don't like the idea of you two wandering around unsupervised." Ren spoke with a sweat drop. He was a little concerned about what the other students might think. "The others might be finished looking around…"
.
.
Ren stepped out of the Velvet Room and found everyone gathered together. Ann grabbed some Takoyaki and was happily eating some. "Hey. How'd it go?" He asked the group. They all had various expressions.
"Something weird is goin' on here." Ryuji said flat out. That simple statement came with several nods of agreement for the others.
"From what I've gathered, this is Yasogami High. I know this as the place where the first Detective Prince went to school." Akechi decided to get that out the way first and foremost. "But that was the only thing I could get out of them."
"You too, Akechi-san?" Kasumi brought her hands together. "I asked a few of them where we were, and they answered Yasogami High. But when I asked where it was, they only said 'this culture festival is so much fun!'"
"That happened to me too!" Ann pointed at Kasumi with a nod. "It's like they weren't acknowledging anything else at all."
"So how'd you get that Takoyaki?" Ryuji asked.
"She swiped it as a joke to get their attention. But they didn't react." Hifumi explained. "I couldn't believe my eyes. They weren't even reacting to Morgana!"
"You'd think they'd notice a cat wandering the culture festival like this." Futaba tapped her chin.
"I'm not a cat!" Morgana had to remind everyone of this. "But you're right. As I stand right now, I'm the furthest thing from a human. They didn't even bat an eye at me."
Everyone was starting to look and feel uneasy. "Has anyone checked outside?" Ren asked.
"I did." Haru lifted a hand up. "I opened the door and got to the school gate. But when I went past it…..I ended up back inside."
"You…what?" Akechi found this to be absurd.
"Mhm," Haru responded to Akechi's shock with a nod. "I thought I could make my way past it, but the moment I did, I was inside again. I don't think we can leave. I…um…also tried the fence. It didn't work."
"Could we try returning the way we came?" Makoto suggested. But the more she thought about it, she didn't really know how they ended up in the Velvet Room or Yasogami high to begin with.
"Unfortunately, that won't work." Justine announced. "The only thing of note within the Velvet Room were the four doors with locks on them."
"Which means…we're not going anywhere." Caroline added.
"What about our phones?" Yusuke asked everyone. Something they hadn't thought of! Everyone pulled out their phone, but were met with the exact same result: nothing. "The Meta-Nav isn't working…"
"No signal either." Ann grunted. So nothing was working! "Don't tell me we're actually stuck here!"
"Only until we find a way to unlock those doors." Hifumi pursed her lips. This situation was unprecedented. What exactly were they supposed to do here… "If you two assist Ren, would you be willing to lend us a hand?"
"Nope." Caroline shook her head. "That's not our job."
"Our job is to only assist the Inmate and nothing more. We are tasked with his rehabilitation." Justine answered.
"Dude, are you good?" Ryuji wasn't sure what Ren was going through with the twins. The words they were using sounded extremely heavy.
"Yeah, I'm good." Ren replied with an awkward smile. He figured the twins would only be there to aid them. That was the most he could expect.
"There is something strange, though." Futaba spoke up, and all eyes turned to her. "I wasn't sure at first, but now I am. I've been picking up faint Shadow activity somewhere within this building. N-Not strong enough to where we're in danger!" She quickly added that last part, since she knew the others might freak out as they were currently not in fighting form.
"Sakura-san, do you know where?" Akechi asked, politely.
"Um…this way." The fact she could feel her Personas power without actually being in uniform felt strange in and of itself. But it allowed her to guide them towards a clue, and she wasn't mad about that! She led them down the hallway, towards the attraction that read 'You in Wonderland'. "It's around here. I think it's coming from inside."
"You in Wonderland…?" Kasumi read the name, and the flier. "Now you can walk in Alice's shoes? I wonder how that works."
"I'm more interested in the idea of Shadows being within this display to begin with." Akechi had no interest in walking in Alice's shoes.
"Aww….I kinda do." Ann said while slumping over.
"It's probably dangerous in there." Ren said. "We should get ready to fight."
"In that case, Yoshizawa-san should probably stay back." Akechi said.
"Um…." Kasumi felt like she was in a rock and a hard place. Would she really be able to hide the fact she could fight from Akechi? If Hifumi's hypothesis was right, then…
"It's alright." Hifumi looked to Kasumi with a firm nod. Hifumi always had a plan, or something to mitigate blowback. As such, Kasumi felt like she could trust those words. Plus, Kasumi did want to help.
"I can fight." Kasumi said to Akechi. "I do have a Persona. I haven't had it for very long, but I know how to fight. You do not need to worry about me, Akechi-san."
"I see…" Akechi replied. "So…is it only Persona users that were dragged into this place…?" He wondered to himself.
"Okay!" Futaba balled her hands into fists. "I'll back you guys up from here!"
"Wait…it's dangerous in there." A sudden voice caused everyone to go on high alert and turn around at the same time. The one who spoke was a young man wearing a Yasogami High uniform, equipped with a tattered cape and a spiked collar around his neck. He had dark skin, black hair, and blue eyes. .
Behind him was a girl with blonde hair with white flowers scattered within it, teal eyes, and a yellow Yasogami High uniform. She was a little shorter than her male companion. "Don't go inside." The girl said with a soft, terrified voice. The male beside her took a cautious glance with how scared she was. "There are monsters in there."
"Who…are you two?" Makoto asked tentatively. This was the first time since they arrived that someone actually acknowledged their presence.
"I am Zen, and this is Rei. That's what we call each other." The collared boy named Zen said. "And who are you? Where did you come from?"
"What you call each other? That doesn't entirely answer the question…" Akechi caught that. When he glanced at Hifumi, it looked like she did as well.
"So they can see us!" Ryuji was happy about that. And a little shocked.
"Where did we come from?" Haru placed her finger on her cheek. "Are you familiar with Shibuya?"
"Shib…." The girl named Rei repeated, but only halfway.
"Do you know where this is?" Morgana decided to ask. Zen looked down, weirdly calm about the fact there was a talking cat at his feet.
"It is what it is." Zen replied.
"That's not an answer!" Morgana groaned.
"Yasogami High." Akechi repeated, staring at Zen and Rei with a healthy skepticism. "You two are students here, are you not? You are wearing the same uniforms as everyone else."
"Yes." Rei said with a slow nod. So slow, it almost seemed apprehensive. "We're…students."
"...?" Hifumi furrowed her brow. Why did she detect a hint of a lie? She knew not to always take her abilities at face value, but this girl had no reason to lie about something so obvious! So then, why…
"Do you know what year?" Akechi decided to press a little further.
"What…year…?" Zen looked lost, which didn't really help.
"This place is strange, don't you think?" Ren asked. "A place that's filled with Shadows? Have you two ever been attacked by any?"
"S-Shadows? What are those?" Rei asked, flinching at the idea. Clearly, she didn't know.
"Something about her is…strange." Morgana couldn't quite put his finger on it. But Rei had this feeling about her.
"Do you know where the exit is? We'd like to return home." Yusuke was trying a question now.
The idea of an exit looked like a new one to Rei's eyes. "Exit? You can…leave from here? I want to go back, too."
"Rei…?" Zen looked to Rei.
"I want to go back, too!" Rei repeated, but her timid voice had a lot more gusto in it this time.
"Go back where, though?" Zen asked.
A good question. Because Rei suddenly looked lost. "Hmmm. Where…?"
"I don't think we're going to get a lot out of either of 'em." Ryuji was quickly losing hope in gaining new information.
"You wish to leave, but you haven't any idea where you want to return to?" Akechi found it a little ridiculous internally. But he made sure to speak as nicely as he could muster. Thankfully he was good at that front..
"We were here when we gained consciousness. We don't remember anything before that." Zen explained.
"Our memories were taken." Rei said firmly.
"T-Taken!?" Makoto's eyes went wide at this shocking news.
"Someone stole your memories?" Morgana knew how that felt. If there was anyone who could understand the pain of missing memories, it was him. "Who?"
"We don't know." Rei replied.
"Even though you remember someone taking them?" Morgana asked.
"Even though we remember someone taking them." Rei parroted.
"Then how did you get here?" Wait, you prolly don't remember that either." Ryuji realized that was a dumb question…
"We prolly don't remember either." Rei parroted, again. Futaba opened her mouth to acknowledge this, but she saw the signal from Ren not to.
"It's possible they got stuck like we did, somehow." Ren surmised. There was no way to tell, but it was likely.
"I wonder…it's possible the 'someone' that spirited away the memories of these two is somewhere here." Hifumi thought aloud. "Maybe it's the same person who trapped them, and us here. I have no evidence for this whatsoever, but…"
"You're so smart, Fumi!" And Ann was just happy to support her best friend. Hifumi gave a sheepish smile in response.
Rei looked to Zen with pleading eyes. "Let's leave together,Zen."
And Zen relented to Rei's request without any semblance of a fight. "All right. If that is what you wish. Ever since I heard that bell, I felt it was important for us to enter this labyrinth."
"We heard that bell, too…" Haru mumbled.
Zen then turned to the Phantom Thieves. "I have a favor to ask. If you are going to enter this labyrinth, I ask that you take us with you. We won't be any trouble. I will protect Rei, and I can fight the monsters in the labyrinth."
"So you have a Persona, then?" Akechi looked to Zen.
"Persona?" Zen's quizzical expression answered that question. So Akechi's previous hypothesis was completely useless.
"What do you think, Ren?" Morgana asked this question, and all eyes turned to Ren.
"If he can fight, it should be alright. We could use the help." Ren ultimately agreed to allow the mysterious pair to join them.
"Well then, let's do this! It's nice to meet you all!" Rei smiled and gave a polite bow. "It's nice to meet you all! Now that that's out of the way, I'm hungry!" She then pulled a donut with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles out and proceeded to snack on it. "Donuts taste best around the hole, after all!"
"Oh my god, she gets it!" Ann's eyes sparkled at the donut. "Hey! Wait! Where did that come from!?"
Rei finished her donut record time, looking to Ann with a cute tilt to her head. "Huh? You mean where do donuts come from? They're born from love! Love meets dough, and…!"
"I know where donuts come from…!" That wasn't the problem that Ann had.
"Zen, was it?" Hifumi called out to the young man. "You said that place is a labyrinth?"
"Inside is a complex structure with many monsters. Most likely what you called Shadows." Zen replied.
"That sounds horrifying!" Haru gasped. "You two have been stuck here, alone, with no memories and Shadows on top of it!? How did you deal with it?"
"I was with Zen." Rei said simply.
"I…I don't think that's what she meant." Kasumi scratched her cheek.
Rei had her hands behind her back, and she started to sway happily. "I ate donuts, had takoyaki, and licked ice cream cones."
"I-...Is that all?" Futaba gulped.
Suddenly, Rei had corn dogs in her hands as she raised them up high. "Corn dogs are delicious, too!"
"...No, seriously, how is she doing that?" Ann loved junk food and snacks as much as the next girl, but Rei was literally pulling these foods out of thin air! She wanted to do that, too.
"I want to know, too..." Kasumi said quietly.
"Are we sure it's alright?" Ryuji looked to the others. "I mean, we are, y'know..." He was a little worried about telling Rei and Zen they were the Phantom Thieves.
"Allow me to try something." Akechi stepped forward to the mysterious pair. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is Goro Akechi. Perhaps you've heard of me? Or even the Phantom Thieves, perhaps?"
"Goro Akechi? Phantom Thieves...?" Rei looked to Akechi, looking him up and down. Ultimately she shook her head. "Sorry. Maybe I forgot if I had. Have you, Zen?"
Zen shook his head. "I don't think so."
"I thought as much." Akechi took that remark in stride. "They have no memories, so I doubt we have to worry about them knowing anything about the Phantom Thieves."
"Ain't using your own reputation a bit egotistical?" Ryuji had some problems with Akechi's methods.
"It provided results. If they don't know me then it is unlikely they've heard of the Phantom Thieves as well." Akechi replied with a shrug. Logically, it did make sense. Right now, one couldn't talk about Akechi or the Phantom Thieves without bringing the other into the subject. "Isn't it strange they haven't heard of them?"
"I see." Ren nodded. "My name is Ren Amamiya." Ren told Zen and Rei, while the others properly introduced themselves as well. Zen and Rei took note of everyone's names as well. The group had a bit more to explain when it came to codenames but that would come a little bit later.
"I'll back you guys up from here!" Futaba said confidently.
"We're going to take a small look inside." Ren said. "I'll take a few of you with me, on top of Zen and Rei. Hifumi, Haru, Akechi, and Kasumi You're all with me."
"Right." Those selected nodded. With that, they were going to step into the Labyrinth…
.
.
At the same time within the You in Wonderland Labrityth, there was a girl in a school uniform ducking around a corner to hide from some shadows. She was a little beat up, but she was fending off her attackers with her naginata and the special gun holstered at her hip. Her brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, and her red eyes quickly scanned around the area. No exit in sight. Great. Maybe she should just drop dead and save the Shadows the trouble of hunting her down.
"No…gotta find the others first. They could be in danger. Get your head in the game, Minako…" The girl told herself, snapping herself out of the dark thoughts that were eating away at her now that she was alone. Whatever she was going through could wait. Right now, she had to find her friends…
Welcome back, everyone! In the end, I did decide to go through with Persona Q! That said, I got some inspiration to take it deeper than I initially thought I could. So I hope you all enjoy the ride! These updates will be a bit slower since I have a lot to work with, but I couldn't sit still on this first chapter for very long. As a reminder, Persona Q is already canon to this fic universe, so Chapter 88 of the Star Shines is where this would all be taking place. Things are about to get wild!
The way I'm approaching this story is a little different than usual. Because I have already made numerous callbacks to events that happened in Q2, I didn't feel like it would be true to form to include certain characters that weren't there already. As much as I would've liked to include Sophia, Zenkichi, and Toshiro, they'll have to sit this one out. Besides, we've got plenty to deal with already. I hope you all enjoy the ride!