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Fanfic / Prisoner of Glory

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This page contains unmarked spoilers for Persona 5 Royal and, to a lesser extent, Persona 5 Strikers. You Have Been Warned!

"Prisoner of Glory" is a Persona 5 Fan Fic and Troper Work written by SpyHunter29, with proofreading and support by Deathmanstratos and SupremeKnight3, authors of Lotus Violet And Cherry Blossoms. The first chapter was posted on March 25th, 2021, with the final chapter posted on August 25th of that same year.

Taking place during, and replacing, the Sapporo Jail arc of Persona 5 Strikers note , this fanfic stars Sumire Yoshizawa at the onset of her senior-level rhythmic gymnastics career. Several months after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Yuri Hikawa, a manipulative rival, Sumire re-emerges to compete in a new tournament in Sapporo. At the same time, the Phantom Thieves arrive in the city and learn that a new Metaverse Jail has been created with Yuri as its Monarch.

This story may be read on Archive of Our Own, deviantART, and FanFiction.net.

Prisoner of Glory contains examples of the following tropes:

  • A-Cup Angst: Chapter 5 opens with female Phantom Thieves' breast-comparison conversation. When Sumire arrives, she covers up her relatively petite figure so as not to get dragged into the matter.
  • Albinos Are Freaks: Yuri Hikawa's albinism made her a social outcast for much of her school life.
  • Alpha Bitch: Yuri Hikawa is rich, an ace at gymnastics, and acts devastatingly mean to anyone who gets in her way.
  • Always Someone Better: Yuri at the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix. Despite her being the top-ranked rhythmic gymnast from Japan at the time, she is thoroughly outclassed by other international champions, much to her shock and chagrin.
  • An Ice Person:
    • Yusuke/Fox, and his Persona Goemon, as per canon.
    • Shadow Yuri Hikawa uses ice attacks similar to those used by Mariko Hyodo, the boss from the actual Persona 5 Strikers whom she replaced.
  • Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: At the end of chapter 11, Yusuke says he wants to tell the Phantom Thieves something, and that it's not what they think it is. Given events during the chapter, they would have thought he was coming out as gay. But not Futaba...
    "Aww, I would've loved to see you become a contortionist, Inari!" Oracle complained. The other Phantom Thieves stared at her, confused about her unexpected remark. "...What? That's what I was thinking," she added in defense.
  • Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Yuri Hikawa is this for rhythmic gymnastics.
  • Author Appeal:
    • This fic goes into great detail about the flexible moves performed by characters during training, competitions, and battles, due to the author's vast love of contortion.
    • Sumire performs her ribbon final to "You Know My Name", Chris Cornell's theme song from Casino Royale (2006). The author is an avid James Bond fan, as he explains in the chapter's notes.
  • Bag of Spilling: In Strikers, any evolved Personas that Ren or the other Phantom Thieves may have obtained over the course of P5 / Royal are reverted back to their starter forms, and in this fanfic, Sumire's own Cendrillon is no exception. Her visit to the Velvet Room in chapter 3 establishes that this is due to the bonds they had all formed with each other weakening in the time between the two games. This goes double for Sumire herself with her emotional baggage. By the end of the story, however, her faith in her friends and herself has been restored enough to re-evolve Cendrillon back to Ella, its third-awakening form.
  • Ballet: In addition to Haru having dabbled in ballet when she was younger, one of the cognitive champions, Larisa Lebedeva, performs as a professional ballerina in-between gymnastics competitions.
  • Berserk Button: Yuri is prickly enough already, but bringing up her albinism is an excellent way for her to turn said prickles on you.
  • Bland-Name Product:
  • Big Damn Heroes: During the final battle, when Monarch Yuri ensnares Skull with her ribbon attack and nearly crushes his chest, he is rescued when Panther drops a chandelier on her head.
  • Blood Sport: The cognitive gymnastics duels in Yuri's Jail turn rhythmic gymnastics, a benign non-combat sport, into this.
  • But Not Too Foreign:
    • Yuna Seong was born in South Korea, to Korean and Japanese parents.
    • Sakiya Archambeau, who makes a cameo appearance in chapter 18's finals, is half-French and half-Japanese.
  • Call-Back: Prisoner of Glory includes multiple nods to the author's previous work, Futaba's Unveiling:
    • In chapter 8, Futaba says "ret-2-rock", a catchphrase she had previously used in Futaba's Unveiling, which was in-universe taken from a Persona-verse pastiche of Shantae.
    • When Panther rescues Skull from Monarch Yuri's ribbon attack, he brings up the time when he saved her during the Shadow Aramaki battle.
    • In chapter 19, when asked about Ayame and Yuki, the two dancers whom Ryuji and Yusuke asked out at the end of Futaba's Unveiling, Yusuke answers that the girls broke up with them in order to be with each other.
  • The Cameo: Hanako Natsuki and Sakiya Archambeau from Lotus Violet And Cherry Blossoms have featured routines in the qualifiers and finals, respectively.
  • Camp Straight: Yusuke's mannerisms, and his participation in the duel with Yuliya, have him called by some homophobic insults by Shadow Yuri, but after the fight, he confesses his romantic infatuation for her.
  • Cast Full of Gay: This fic features or sets up four lesbian pairings: Makoto with Haru, Ann with Shiho, Original Character Yuliya Krylenko with her coach Valeria Petkova, and Ayame and Yuki from Futaba's Unveiling. Subverted with Yusuke, however; despite his duel in chapter 11 giving a few indications that he might be gay, he instead reveals that he has a hetero-romantic crush on Yuri Hikawa.
  • Cheaters Never Prosper: Yuri Hikawa relies on mentally crippling her opponents to gain an advantage for herself, especially after gaining the power to steal peoples' Desires with EMMA, but when her actions wind up drawing the attention of the Phantom Thieves, their Heel–Face Brainwashing causes her to forfeit the Madicce Cup out of grief.
  • Checkpoint Bluff: Sumire gets the Phantom Thieves into the Metaverse training gym for free by claiming to be her team's captain and presenting a membership card they stole from a defeated group of Jack Frosts.
  • Cluster F-Bomb: Yuri Hikawa unleashes (a censored) one, at her own mother, no less, when she flubs her ribbon routine during a practice session in chapter 16.
  • Continuity Nod:
    • Before Madicce bought the naming rights to the Madicce Cup, they were previously held by Junes.
    • In chapter 20, Ryuji calls back to a Social event from Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight when he reminds Futaba about the time she handed off the rights to an app she created for free, missing out on lots of royalties.
  • Contortionist: Given the nature of their sport, many of the rhythmic gymnasts in the Madicce Cup demonstrate above-average flexibility, as do the Phantom Thieves when training in the Metaverse. Yuliya Krylenko, one of the cognitive champions, goes the extra mile by performing as a circus contortionist in-between competitions.
  • Crippling the Competition: Discussed as something Yuri is rumored to have had done to another rival in the past.
  • Curse Cut Short: Skull and Panther have this exchange after the final battle, when they face down the defeated Shadow Yuri:
    "Now you know what it feels like to be cheated, ya c--"
    "Calm down, Skull!" Panther quickly interrupted.
  • Dance Battler: The "cognitive rhythmic gymnastics" battles featured in this fic translate the tools and moves of the real sport into weapons and Persona skills, applying this trope to all who take part. This goes double for Haru and Larisa, who have practiced ballet and incorporate it into their style (which is frequently true of actual rhythmic gymnastics, as well).
  • D-Cup Distress: When Sumire walks in on the female Phantom Thieves' breast-comparison conversation in chapter 5, she nervously covers up her modest chest so as not to get dragged into the matter.
  • Defeat as Backstory:
    • Sumire Yoshizawa, at Japan's tryouts for the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix, in the opening prologue chapter.
    • Yuri Hikawa, at the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix itself.
  • Defeat Equals Friendship:
    • Yuri Hikawa took second place behind Kasumi Yoshizawa at their first All-Japan Championship together, but they became friends nonetheless.
    • After going through her Change of Heart, Yuri apologizes to Sumire and drops out of the Madicce Cup, vowing to restart their relationship with a Friendly Rivalry.
  • Despair Event Horizon:
    • Kasumi Yoshizawa's death was this not only for her sister Sumire, as in canon, but also for Yuri Hikawa, since Kasumi was the only friend Yuri had made at the time.
    • Yuri gets a second one from the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix. After consistently winning for so long in her home country, being outclassed by more advanced gymnasts from other countries shocks her once again, and leads to her gaining control of Sapporo's Jail.
  • Devastating Remark: Yuri Hikawa weaponizes these, using them against rival gymnasts just before their routines in order to break their composure. For example, she calls Sumire Yoshizawa a "murderer" over what happened to Kasumi.
  • Driven to Suicide: This fanfic re-interprets Kasumi's Heroic Sacrifice as a suicide attempt by Sumire, once her inferiority complex reaches its breaking point. When Yuri calls her a murderer during the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix tryouts, this triggers Sumire to recall her intentions from that day, and subsequently fail her routine.
  • Elemental Motifs:
    • Yuri Hikawa's character is based around ice. Her name includes the kanji for "ice", her performance leotards and music incorporate ice or winter-related themes, her Jail is an Slippy-Slidey Ice World version of Sapporo (as in the real Strikers), and her Monarch / Shadow form uses ice-magic attacks.
    • To a lesser extent, Sumire's second leotard bears a theme of fire from its phoenix design motif.
  • Electric Torture: Anyone who commits a technical fouls during cognitive gymnastics duels, such as dropping one's apparatus, stepping out of bounds, or attacking with one's bare fists, suffers a penalty in the form of a brief electric shock delivered through their own leotard.
  • Even the Girls Want Her: Futaba admits she became interested in learning about rhythmic gymnastics after developing a "girl-crush" on Sumire. Chapter 5 also adapts the bathhouse cutscene where she admires Ann and Haru's figures.
  • Expy: The Madicce Cup is a fictional counterpart of the AEON Cup, a Real Life rhythmic gymnastics tournament held annually in Japan, with some elements of the FIG World Cup series mixed in.
  • Fire/Ice Duo: Sumire becomes this with the ice-themed Yuri when she debuts her phoenix leotard at the Madicce Cup finals.
  • Floral Theme Naming: In addition to Sumire, meaning "violet", the original character Yuri Hikawa was named after the Japanese word for "lily".
  • Friendly Rival: Yuri Hikawa and Kasumi Yoshizawa were this, until the latter's passing. By the end of the fic, Yuri and Sumire have become these with each other as well.
  • Genki Girl: Yuna Seong. According to chapter 6, "nothing [can] break her spirit".
  • Gosh Dang It to Heck!: As with Futaba's Unveiling, the author's last major Persona 5 Fan Fic, strong language is either censored or mentioned indirectly. Unlike the previous story, a few instances of mild language are left in this time around.
  • Half-Breed Angst: Yuna Seong. Being of a mixed South Korean and Japanese family, she has been the victim of bullying and discrimination when living in either country, due to long-standing historical enmity between the two. Downplayed, however, as she used her prowess in sport to make a better name for herself.
  • Ice Queen: Yuri Hikawa, in terms of both personality and Elemental Motifs. She becomes a Defrosting Ice Queen after her Change of Heart.
  • I Know Madden Kombat: In cognitive rhythmic gymnastics battles, the apparatuses from the real sport are turned into deadly weapons, and tricks and techniques are used to charge up physical and magic attacks.
  • I'm Not Here to Make Friends: Yuri Hikawa. Subverted Trope when she meets, and befriends, Kasumi at her first All-Japan Championship. Of course, this doesn’t last for long, given Kasumi's Heroic Sacrifice.
    • Subverted yet again during the Madicce Cup. Empowered by EMMA, she competes seeking only to win, but when her Change of Heart forces her to forfeit, she decides to make a new start by befriending Sumire.
  • Insecure Protagonist, Arrogant Antagonist: Sumire is the insecure protagonist, still grappling with the after-effects of Kasumi's death and her own status as a gymnast. Yuri is the arrogant antagonist.
  • In the Name of the Moon: Shadow Yuri says this when she transforms into her Monarch form.
    "I am Yuri Hikawa, the world's greatest rhythmic gymnast!" she announced, posing dramatically. "And in the name of the Hikawa family, I will crush you!"
  • I Shall Taunt You: One of the tactics Yuri uses to gain an advantage in her competitions is to insult the other gymnasts and ruin their concentration.
  • It's Personal:
    • Sumire insists on taking part in the Lock Keeper fight in order to learn more about Yuri's past trauma and understand her better.
    • Yuri, through a misunderstanding and her unwillingness to accept the truth, believes that Sumire directly killed Kasumi, who was her only friend, and will do anything to ensure that Sumire's gymnastic career ends in disaster.
  • Meaningful Release Date: As Futaba's Unveiling did for Futaba, the first chapter of Prisoner of Glory was released on March 25th, 2021, Sumire's 20th birthday.
  • Misplaced Retribution: This is why Yuri hates Sumire so much. Because Kasumi, Yuri's Only Friend, died saving Sumire, Yuri blames her for Kasumi's death and her very existence is a Berserk Button for her.
  • Mind Rape: During her duel, Noir finishes off the cognitive Larisa by employing a Psy-type attack while she is enraged, leaving her brain-dead.
  • Mugged for Disguise: The Phantom Thieves get into the Metaverse training gym for free by beating up a pack of Jack Frosts and stealing their membership card.
  • The Name Is Bond, James Bond: Sumire finishes her ribbon final routine "as if she was declaring to the world, 'My name is Yoshizawa. Sumire Yoshizawa.'" Fitting this James Bond reference, her performance music is from Casino Royale (2006). In this case, however, the emphasis is on the "Sumire" part, in order to highlight her stepping out of her sister Kasumi's shadow.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: Yuri's personal coach, Lyudmila Voronina, was directly inspired by the Real Life rhythmic gymnastics coach Irina Viner-Usmanova, as confirmed in the author's notes of chapter 18.
  • Original Character: Many of the gymnasts Sumire faces in the Madicce Cup are the author's original creations:
    • Yuri Hikawa, the main antagonist, comes from a wealthy Sapporo family and has albinism.
    • Yuna Seong, who becomes a friend and ally of Sumire, comes from a mixed Korean/Japanese family.
    • Larisa Lebedeva, the guardian of the first Prison Keep, is a part-time ballerina from Russia.
    • Yuliya Krylenko, the guardian of the second Prison Keep, is a part-time circus contortionist from Ukraine.
    • Ayelet Weiss, the guardian of the third Prison Keep, is an Olympic bronze medalist from Israel.
    • Elena Plisetskaya is an Olympic gold medalist from Russia.
  • The Phoenix: No direct examples of phoenixes appear in this fic, but the leotard Sumire wears for her ribbon final bears a phoenix motif, representing her metaphorical rebirth from all of her past trauma.
  • Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Ryuji, when facing down the Shadows trying to kick the Phantom Thieves out of the gym in chapter 8, says "Let's get gym-nasty!"
  • Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Two examples in the final battle:
    • Skull, before unleashing his Showtime attack on Shadow Yuri:
      "On your mark, get set... DIE!"
    • Afterwards, when Yuri is defeated, Joker says this when he points his gun at her:
      "You're disqualified, Yuri."
  • Privileged Rival: Yuri Hikawa, who comes from a rich zaibatsu-owning family. Her parents even founded her own gymnastics team themselves.
  • Real Life Writes the Plot: Chapter 18 was written during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, during which Linoy Ashram upset Russia's Dina and Arina Averina to win the rhythmic gymnastics individual finals, while Simone Biles withdrew from multiple artistic gymnastics events for mental health reasons. The author's notes for this chapter acknowledge the similarities between these Real Life events and various story beats involving Yuri Hikawa. Downplayed in that the author planned his story well in advance of the Olympics, but they nonetheless influenced a few minor details.
  • Real Men Wear Pink: Despite rhythmic gymnastics being a largely female-oriented sport, the male Phantom Thieves take to it well when they have to train and fight in Yuri's cognitive version of the sport.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Downplayed Trope. The villain, Yuri Hikawa, has red eyes due to her albinism, but frequently wears colored contact lenses to make them appear brown.
  • The Rival: Yuri Hikawa is this for Sumire. She remains this way after her Change of Heart, but on much friendlier terms.
  • Second Place Is for Losers: Part of the reason why Yuri is so dead-set on winning first place, whatever the cost, is her belief that first-place winners are the only athletes who get any respect. This view is deconstructed as she comes to understand that people, like Yusuke and Futaba, can enjoy certain gymnasts not because they win all the time, but because they bring something unique to their performances.
  • She-Fu: Both Yuri's champions and the female Phantom Thieves fight in such a manner during their cognitive rhythmic gymnastics battles.
  • Shout-Out:
  • Sir Swears-a-Lot: Yuri Hikawa, especially in later chapters, can cuss up a (censored) blue streak to rival Ryuji. Lampshaded by Yuna in chapter 19 when she calls Ryuji almost as vulgar as her.
  • Slippy-Slidey Ice World: Sapporo Jail, as in the real Strikers.
  • Sour Outside, Sad Inside: As with most Monarchs, Yuri Hikawa; ostracized for her albinism, her first friend was none other than the real Kasumi Yoshizawa...and then Kasumi died saving her sister from a car accident, which combined with some extremely thoughtless words, caused her to plummet past the Despair Event Horizon and make a deal with EMMA, turning her into the foul-mouthed Alpha Bitch she is now.
  • Stock Shōnen Rival: Yuri Hikawa serves as a Distaff Counterpart version of this to Sumire.
  • Training Montage: Chapter 3, for the Madicce Cup competitors, and chapter 8, for the Phantom Thieves.
  • Translation Convention: By default, everyone in this fic speaks Japanese in-universe, despite being written in English for the reader. When characters are meant to speak other languages, such as Russian, their dialogue is italicized.
  • Transformation Sequence: Shadow Yuri has one when she morphs into her Monarch form.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Yuri, as with most other Monarchs, was originally an alright person, before EMMA's influence brought out her worst traits.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: Yuri Hikawa, the villain, has white hair due to her albinism.
  • Whole-Plot Reference:
  • Winter Royal Lady: Yuri Hikawa exhibits strong ice motifs and, although not actually royalty, comes from a very wealthy and influential family.

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