Fool's Gambit
A Persona 3 Fanfiction
Chapter 13: The Truth is Not Enough
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[3/17 - Afternoon - Gekkoukan High School]
Minato sat at his desk, lazily twirling a pencil between his fingers.
He was being watched.
It wasn't just his usual admirers—girls who whispered about his looks or guys who respected his presence.
No, it was his teammates.
Across the room, Yukari stole yet another glance at him.
Junpei wasn't even hiding it—his head was turned full tilt, brows furrowed.
And near the window, Mitsuru was subtly observing him, analyzing him like a puzzle piece that didn't fit.
Minato sighed internally.
It was only a matter of time.
After what happened during the Full Moon mission, their suspicion was inevitable.
He had broken too many rules of what a Persona user was supposed to be.
They wanted answers.
But the truth?
The truth was beyond them.
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[3/17 - After School - Rooftop]
"Alright, spill it."
Yukari crossed her arms, standing in front of him with a determined glare.
Junpei and Akihiko stood beside her, while Mitsuru leaned against the railing, silent but clearly expecting an explanation.
Minato exhaled. "What exactly do you want to know?"
"Don't play dumb," Yukari snapped. "You summoned three Personas at once. That's not normal."
Junpei nodded. "Yeah, man. Like, I get that you're the leader and all, but you were fighting like some kind of final boss."
Akihiko, ever the fighter, cut straight to the point. "How are you doing it?"
Minato considered his words carefully.
Telling them the truth—that he had completely shattered the Persona system—wouldn't just shock them.
It would change everything.
So instead, he gave them a fraction of the truth.
"I've been training," he said simply.
Yukari frowned. "Training? That's it?"
Minato shrugged. "I push my limits. I figure things out."
"Bullshit," Junpei muttered. "No offense, dude, but that's not how this works."
Mitsuru finally spoke, her voice calm but piercing.
"You're hiding something."
Minato didn't flinch. "Does it matter?"
Mitsuru's eyes narrowed.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"No," Akihiko finally said, smirking. "Not if it makes us stronger."
Minato raised an eyebrow.
The boxer grinned. "Look, man. If you've got some secret training method, I don't really care. As long as it helps us win, I'm all for it."
Junpei scratched his head. "I mean… yeah, that's fair."
Yukari sighed. "Ugh, I hate this. But fine. Just… don't go keeping secrets that get us killed, okay?"
Mitsuru was the last to speak.
"Very well," she said smoothly. "For now, we will trust you."
She turned, glancing over her shoulder.
"But secrets have a way of surfacing, Minato. Keep that in mind."
Then she walked away.
Minato watched her go.
That was closer than I'd like.
But he had bought himself time.
And right now, time was the most valuable thing he had.
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[3/18 - Midnight - Tartarus, 85th Floor]
Minato stood alone in the towering halls of Tartarus, staring down a horde of Shadows.
They weren't strong.
But they were perfect test subjects.
Messiah manifested beside him, its ethereal chains rattling.
Then—
Minato pushed.
He reached deeper into his Fool Arcana than ever before.
And in that moment—
The world shifted.
His Persona split—not into multiple summons, but into fragments of raw power.
Messiah blurred, its form warping, shifting, changing.
Then—
New Personas emerged.
Thanatos. Orpheus. Izanagi. Arsène. Joker.
Minato's breath hitched.
This… this is something else.
He had summoned Personas from beyond his own world.
Izanagi, the trickster god of Inaba.
Arsène, the masked thief of Tokyo.
Joker, a Persona that shouldn't even exist outside the Velvet Room.
Minato grinned.
I'm breaking more than just the rules of this world.
He was rewriting the system itself.
The Shadows charged.
Minato raised a hand.
"Showtime."
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[3/18 - Early Morning - The Velvet Room]
Igor's chuckle was deeper than usual.
"My, my… You truly never cease to amaze."
Elizabeth's eyes shone with curiosity. "You have crossed boundaries once thought to be absolute. Even summoning Personas from other realms… truly fascinating."
Minato leaned back.
"Let's talk fusion."
Elizabeth smiled.
"Ah… I had a feeling you would ask."
She stepped forward, hands clasped together.
"Now that you have tapped into Personas beyond this realm, a question arises."
Minato waited.
Elizabeth's smile widened.
"What happens when you fuse the impossible?"
Minato grinned.
"Let's find out."
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[End of Chapter 13]
Author's Notes:
Minato is officially breaking past the Persona universe.
He has begun summoning Personas from Persona 4 and 5.
Fusion experiments incoming. What happens when you combine Wild Card Personas?!
Mitsuru is still watching. How long can Minato keep his secrets?
Next Chapter: Breaking the Fusion System! Get ready for something never seen before in Persona history.