Chapter Text
It was another boring day in Inaba for Sho. There was no one around to talk to, other than the people on the street that’d stare at him. So he stood outside the bookstore, alone.
“... This sucks.” Not one of the books interested him, then again books weren’t really his thing anyway, despite being surrounded by them back at Ikutsuki’s safehouse.
Another man walked up beside him. He wore a trench coat with a scarf, so he at least stuck out compared to the other civvies around town. He appeared to be inspecting the store, rather than the books outside.
“This town is rather old… At least it’s quiet.” The man said to himself. He then looked at Sho, who quite obviously stood out amongst the town, with his red hair and camo jacket. “You there, is there anywhere to stay in this town? I have to meet someone here tomorrow.” He spoke rather coldly.
“Uh, there’s this place called the Amagi Inn like, down the street with the bus stop? Just go down there and you’ll find it eventually.” Answered Sho.
“Hmph, thanks.” The man replied, before walking off to where Sho had said the inn was. However, Sho couldn’t help but notice the strange feeling he felt around the man.
He felt this feeling around Narukami and his band of morons. Kirijo and her lackeys. Which could only mean one thing.
“A Persona-user…” Slowly, Sho began to walk the same way that the man had, towards the Amagi Inn.
Near the entrance, the man was seemingly stopped by a group that seemingly recognised him. Sho put his hood up as he walked close enough to listen in on the conversation.
“Ren? What the hell are you and your friends doing in Inaba?” The man said, questioning the man wearing at the front of the group.
“I’d ask why you’re here in Inaba as well, but seeing how you were hesitant to even tell me that you were alive, I doubt you’ll tell me much, Akechi.” Ren replied.
“The reason is rather mundane.” Akechi stated. “I was here to simply meet up and discuss something with a colleague, not to hang out or… whatever you and your friends do.” Akechi appeared to hold some kind of grudge against this group. Or maybe he has a general disdain for bonds? Sho was unsure, but all he knew is that the strange feeling he got from Akechi applied to this group too.
“Dude, you really effin’ need to learn how to have fun.” The one with bleached hair said. He seemed to be leaning on one leg, as if the other one was injured somehow. “It’s like you’ve got this loomin’ cloud of sadness above your head all the damn time, we should show you how to be happy or somethin’...”
“If there was anyone who could dissipate that said cloud, it would most definitely be Ren, correct?” Said the tall man with blue hair.
“Are you giving me a challenge Yusuke? I’m sure I could make Akechi happy.” Ren said with a rather smug expression.
“I would very much disagree. Half the things you say make me want to puke.” Akechi snapped back.
“Oh really now? How about you stay the night here with us, then we’ll see who’s in the right here.”
“I am not getting involved in something so childish.”
“So you’re just gonna accept that you’d lose to me?”
“I would never lose to you on a challenge as pathetic as that.”
“So prove it then.”
“Fine. I’ll spend my night here just to prove that you do not make me happy.” The way Ren and Akechi acted reminded Sho of what he and Narukami are like, with less physical fighting though.
“Even a year later, these two haven’t changed one bit…” Said the girl with short hair.
“Especially Akechi, I don’t think he ever looks happy now.” Followed up the girl with blonde hair.
“Ren! Can we hurry up and get inside already? It’s so cold and it looks like it’s about to rain!” Said the short girl with orange hair.
“Futaba-chan is right, we should hurry along inside where it’s warm…” Continued the girl with fluffy hair.
They all began to head into the Amagi Inn slowly. “I’m sure you’ll lose at this challenge, Akechi-senpai!” Giggled the girl with red hair, as they all disappeared into the inn.
Sho couldn’t decide if he should follow this group into the inn or not. From what he could gather, the strange feeling he got around them meant they were all Persona-users, or at least had some kinda power.
Just as he was walking away from the inn and back to the hideout he resided at, almost like it was fate deciding where he would go, it began to rain. Sho preferred to not walk in the rain whilst it was dark and cold, so he went inside the Amagi Inn.
He looked at the front desk. It seems the group from before had already headed further inside, probably to their rooms, but that wasn’t a problem for Sho, he could just try to catch them tomorrow when they least expect it. However, he has more issues to deal with at the minute as the familiar girl at the front desk stared at him. She surprisingly didn’t appear angry, which confused Sho quite a bit.
“Minazuki-san? What brings you here?” The girl in the red kimono asked.
“Uh… Work. Yeah. Just… business stuff, or whatever.” Sho answered. “Why do ya even care Amagi? It’s not like I’m here to start a fight.”
“I think it’s normal for me to ask something like that, considering your lifestyle.” Yukiko looked him up and down, like she was analysing him. “Let me show you to your room then, Minazuki-san.”
“Uh, okay. Whatever.” Sho followed Yukiko as she began to lead him to wherever his room would be. “Doesn’t doin’ this kinda crap get boring eventually?”
Yukiko sighed. “It can sometimes, even when things are chaotic. However, it’s how I wish to live my life. Have you decided your future plans yet Minazuki-san?”
“My future?” Sho thought about it as they kept walking. “… No. I dunno what I wanna do, fighting’s all I got really.”
They both stopped outside a vacant room. “Well, I hope you’ll be able to decide one day. Please enjoy your stay, and call reception if you need any assistance.” Yukiko bowed before leaving Sho to tend to his room.
As he sat down in the room, he noticed he could hear the strange group from before through one of the walls, though it was noticeably only the guys. There appeared to be arguing about what to watch on the TV, before ultimately one of them just turned it off. He could also hear a strange amount of meowing? It was definitely a cat, yeah, but he’s never heard one meow anywhere near this much…
He checked one of the nearby clocks. It was a couple minutes until midnight, which reminded Sho of something that was now nothing more than an urban legend. The Midnight Channel.
In the other room
“I am not turning the TV back on. It’s almost midnight, so would you shut up already?” Akechi said. His head was in his right hand, with his other hand holding the TV remote that he had wrestled off of Ryuji.
“You’re no fun at all Akechi…” Ryuji replied, sulking over not being able to watch TV while going to sleep.
“What are you? A 12 year old? Grow up already and go to sleep.”
“I am inclined to agree with Akechi-san here. It is pretty late after all.” Yusuke interjected.
“I am glad you’re smarter than that ape over there, Kitagawa-san.”
“Why does everyone keep calling me an ape?! What part of me is ape-like?!” Ryuji pointed at himself.
“Because you’re about as smart as one, mreow.” Morgana said, barely awake.
“Don’t you start now!”
“Keep it down Ryuji… It’s about to turn midnight, let’s just go sleep already.” Ren muttered.
The rain outside the inn was heavy, and just as the room fell to silence, the TV suddenly sprang to life.
“The hell? What’s goin’ on with the TV?” Ryuji walked up to the TV. There was static. “Did it break or something?” Everyone slowly crowded in front of the TV, until…
TONIGHT MARKS THE GRAND RETURN OF THE MIDNIGHT FIGHTING PROGRAM AMONGST FRIENDS AND STRANGERS ALIKE! TONIGHT WILL BRING ABOUT THE MOST EXPLOSIVE ACTION YOU HAVE EVER SEEN! GET READY…
FOR THE P-2 GRAND PRIX!!!
“This’ll be a bear-mazing time!” Announced a voice.
ALL PREVIOUS CONTESTANTS FROM THE P-1 CLIMAX MAKE THEIR RETURN TO THE RING ONCE MORE!
The screen shows all the previous contestants, now all grown up.
BUT NOW THEY MUST CONTEND WITH THE NEW BLOOD! OUR NEW CONTESTANTS ARE THE ONE AND ONLY PHANTOM THIEVES OF HEARTS!!!
The screen quickly cut to Joker, presenting his full title.
A TRICKSTER FOREVER CHAINED TO FATE!
THE SARCASTIC HEART-STEALING DELINQUENT!
JOKER!!! “Power courses through me!”
A BOY WITH A TOUGH HEART! THICK-HEADED BUT WITHOUT THICK SKIN!
CAPTAIN NUMB-SKULL!
SKULL!!! “It’s time for me to let loose!”
THIS DIVA’S OBSESSED WITH POPULARITY!
THE BLOOD RED ROSE WITH DEADLY THORNS!
PANTHER!!! “A beautiful rose has thorns!”
THE CAT’S OUTTA THE BAG NOW!
THE SHIFTY AND GREEDY MONSTER-CAT!
MONA!!! “Don’t underestimate my a-meow-zing power!”
NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND HIS VISION!
THE DOOMED ARTIST OF ISOLATION!
FOX!!! “I’ll paint my own judgement.”
AN OVER-RELIANT QUEEN WITH A BAD TEMPER!
THE FIST OF THE PHANTOMS!
QUEEN!!! “You’ll face my fists of justice!”
5H3'5 41234DY H4CK3D Y0U2 PH0N3!
THE SHUT-IN PHARAOH OF THE INTERNET!
ORACLE!!! “I’ll hack your brain too!”
THE SCREAMS OF SHADOWS ARE HER LULLABY!
THE AXE-WIELDING DIRECTIONLESS TERROR!
NOIR!!! “Prepare for a painful punishment.”
HIS LUST FOR REVENGE KNOWS NO LIMITS!
THE UNDESIRABLE HEART DESTROYER!
CROW!!! “Now it’s time for a massacre!”
HER SKILLS WILL SEND YOU CRASHING DOWN!
THE HEARTBROKEN LIFE-STEALER!
VIOLET!!! “It’s time for the grand finale!”
The screen showed all the Phantom Thieves in their Metaverse attire, clearly prepared for battle.
AH! BUT WE MUSTN'T FORGET OUR VERY SPECIAL GUEST! WE HEREBY PRESENT-
The screen suddenly cut to the silhouette of a man on some kind of large door. His body slowly began to glow, and whatever covered him shattered as he fell to the ground. As he stood up, a title appeared.
THE FEARLESS MAN WITH NO LIFE!
THE MESSIAH WITH NO WINGS!
MAKOTO YUKI!!! “I’ll finish this for good.”
The screen now showed a bear in a cloak, holding some weird kind of staff. He stood in front of each contestants’ silhouette with one big TV above them.
“Keep your eyes peeled! Because this show is about to get bear-y exciting! Stay tuned, to the Midnight Channel!”
The screen cut to black. Silence befell Inaba for a moment, before multiple voices screamed out, bewildered of course.
“What the ‘effin hell was that?! I resent that name!” Ryuji and the others were feeling many different things about what was just on the TV.
“I thought I would never have to hear monster-cat again…” Morgana whimpered.
Akechi simply scolded as he directly stood in front of the TV. “This is ridiculous.”
“I do not understand how we appeared on the TV when we are all here, and that man at the end…” Yusuke appeared to be fixated on many of the strange aspects.
“My title wasn’t that bad.” Ren noted.
“I did not understand the doomed aspect of mine.”
“Eh, they seemed pretty inaccurate to me.”
“None of this makes sense! The hell’s that program about anyway?” Ryuji looked back at the TV.
“We have nothing to go off of here. I suggest we all meet up with this colleague of mine tomorrow so we can find something out.” Akechi didn’t seem all too pleased about this.
Suddenly, the TV had a small hand with a blue sleeve reach out through the screen, and grab Akechi’s hand. “What the hell?!” It showed unbelievable strength as it tried to pull Akechi into the TV.
“Akechi!” Everyone grabbed onto Akechi- even Morgana- and tried to pull him away from the TV, however whoever was pulling them had an overwhelming level of strength.
“T-The blue sleeve! Could it be-” Before Morgana could finish speaking, they all fell inside the TV, and the room fell silent.
Back in the other room
Sho heard all the screams fall silent. They must’ve gone into the TV World, either on purpose or on accident. He would’ve done the same, but he didn’t have his swords, and he also had a call to make.
He fumbled the phone in his hand as he scrolled through his contacts, eventually stopping at L.
Ring ring… ring-
“Sho-kun? Why’re ya callin’ me at this time for?” She asked.
“Something happened in Inaba and uh, something tells me it’s the kinda thing your sister and Kiri-dull would give a shit about.” He replied, a smirk forming on his face.
“Somethin’ in Inaba? What was it?”
“The Midnight Channel’s back on the air.”
“What?! Whaddya mean it’s back?!”
“It just randomly turned on, something about a new tournament, y’know those Phantom Thieves? They were on there, along with some other guy and all of us.” Silence came through the other side of the phone. “Scrap? You there?”
“What did this other guy look like exactly? My sister’s asking.”
“She’s there with you? Whatever… He had blue hair, some kinda emo style. Looked strong for sure.”
“Didya catch his name?”
“It was… I think his name was Yuki? Makoto Yuki? Does that ring any bells?” Silence came through again. “Hellloooooo?”
“Aigis is callin’ up Mitsuru-san and the others. Come meet us, we gotta go into this tournament-”
“Don’t hang up! Uh… You’ve got my swords right? I kinda need ‘em.”
“Yeah! I was holdin’ onto ‘em for ya!” He didn’t understand why, but his face reddened at Labrys telling him that. “Somethin’ wrong Sho-kun?”
“S-Shuddup! I’ll see ya soon.” He hung up before she could say anything.
Sho put his head back down on the pillow beneath him. He was excited that he had new people to fight, after all, fighting was all he had.
It’s something that understood him.