Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus

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Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Category: Gen, F/M
Fandom: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Zombieland Saga (Anime), Fire
Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Spider-Man:
Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon
Adventures, 約束のネバーランド | Yakusoku no Neverland | The
Promised Neverland (Manga), Dragon Ball, Back to the Future
(Movies), Shantae (Video Games), Hunter X Hunter, Persona 5, Yu-Gi-
Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), かぐや様は告らせたい | Kaguya-
sama wa Kokurasetai | Kaguya Wants to be Confessed To (Manga), 食
戟のソーマ | Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Durarara!!, Little Witch
Academia, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Nichijou | My Ordinary
Life (Anime & Manga)
Relationship: Minor Hinata Hajime / Koizumi Mahiru, Minor or Background
Relationship(s)
Character: Monokuma (Dangan Ronpa), Mizuno Ai, Bernadetta von Varley, Miles
Morales, Future Trunks Briefs, Emma (The Promised Neverland), Gold
(Pokemon Adventures), Shantae (Shantae), Killua Zoldyck, Sakamoto
Ryuji, Kaiba Seto, Marty McFly, Ishigami Yuu, Nakiri Alice, Tachibana
Misato, Espio the Chameleon, Sucy Manbavaran, Kuronuma Aoba,
Monokuma | Monobear, Other Characters to Be Revealed Later -
Character
Additional Tags: Crossover, Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Fan Killing Game (Dangan
Ronpa), Multiple Crossovers, Murder Mystery, Science Fiction &
Fantasy, Ensemble Cast, Dimension Travel, Murder, Monokuma
(Dangan Ronpa) Being An Asshole, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama,
Fantasy, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Post-Dangan Ronpa 3: Hope
Arc, Multi-Anime, Canon-Typical Violence, POV First Person, Manga &
Anime, Post-New Dangan Ronpa V3, Humor, Multiverse, Blood and
Injury, Bromance, Kill Your Darlings, Multi-dimensional killing game,
Long
Language: English
Series: Part 1 of Danganronpa Fictional Quadrilogy
Collections: Time Travel and World Travel, Danganronpa Fanfictions
Stats: Published: 2020-04-26 Completed: 2023-04-30 Words: 129,981
Chapters: 48/48

Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus

by RenegadeBraveheart

Summary

Monokuma hosts yet another killing game, this time with 17 individuals from other worlds!
How original. Taking place in Monocity, The City That Never Sleeps... Without One Eye
Open. Other Danganronpa characters shall eventually enter the fray to stop the spread of
despair across the fictional multiverse. Ai Mizuno from Zombie Land Saga is our
protagonist.

Status: COMPLETED, READ DANGANRONPA: FICTIONAL GUARDIANS AND

FICTIONAL EPICENTER TO CONTINUE THE STORY (TWO BONUS CHAPTERS
ARE OUT NOW TOO!) HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY!
 Prologue: The City That Never Sleeps... Without One Eye Open
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Prologue: The City That Never Sleeps… Without One Eye Open

“What… is this?”

I woke up in… some kind of hotel room? The bed feels comfier than sleeping on the floor with
those futons Tatsumi gave us, but how exactly did I get here?

I observe my surroundings, it looks pretty normal for the most part, but I look in the closet and see
many copies of my uniform. As if things weren’t strange enough, there’s a whole cabinet filled
with the same makeup me and the rest of Franchouchou use to hide the fact we’re zombies.

Oh, but I should really get to introducing myself before I explain. My name is Ai Mizuno, or
Number 3 as I have been referred to on stage.

I’m a member of the idol group known as Franchouchou alongside my companions. The thing is,
we’re not an ordinary idol group, our manager Kotaro Tatsumi decided that in order to “save” the
Saga Prefecture in Japan, they’re gonna need idols. So he thought up a crazy idea to revive seven
girls from different time periods and make them into an idol group.

I was a former member of an idol group in my old life, yet this plan was so insane that I was
opposed to it. Eventually, with the help of those same companions, I was able to overcome that
feeling (although I still remain skeptical of our manager) and we became stars of Saga.

This however, is something I’m not used to. Was I kidnapped? Does anyone know I’m gone? But
the more important question was, where am I?

As I continued searching the room, I spy a small device with a screen on it, sitting on top of the
coffee table. It looks like a larger smartphone, a tablet I believe, the former piece of technology
was released a year before I died. I did some research on a lot of things on Tatsumi’s computer to
catch up on what I’ve missed in the past eight years, so this is my first time seeing smart tablets in
person.

The tablet turned on, revealing a picture of me and a profile, “Ai Mizuno, the Ultimate Idol.”,
that’s a bit farfetch’d. A message then popped up on the screen, telling me to head over to…
Enoshima Park?

I proceeded to look out my window, and a large city, similar to Tokyo or New York was outside! I
took the time to put on my non-zombie makeup and then walked out the door, which had my name
on it for some reason. I take the elevator to the ground floor, and notice someone shivering there in
the lobby.

“W-why am I even out here, it’s much safer in my room!” The girl with purple hair said to herself,
she’s terrified, maybe I could calm her down.

“Excuse me?”
“Ah! P-please don’t hurt me!” She cried out, clearly startled by me speaking to her out of the blue.

“It’s alright, I won’t harm you. Please calm yourself.”

“I am calm! (breathes heavily) Who are you?!”

I sighed before I introduced myself to her, “My name is Ai.”, I thought that since this situation is
pretty abnormal, I might as well not hide anything, except for being a zombie of course. “Believe
me when I say that I’m not dangerous, now what’s your name?”

“U-um… Bernadetta, but some people call me Bernie… or just me.” My tablet rumbled and I saw
her profile listed there, “Bernadetta von Varley, the Ultimate Recluse.”, it seems like she’s too
timid to leave her room. Surprises me that a recluse would be outside of all places.

“Y-you’ve got one of those too? It told me to head somewhere, but I’m not sure where that is…”

“Well, it looks like we’re in the same boat. Come on, let’s go look around to find a way there.”

“Oh um, (sighs) I guess…” She must be really hoping to head back to her room, but we need to
know where we are.

We walked out into the city and saw that the place we were staying at was called the Hope-Tel. Ha
ha. We spot a sign, uh, I mean a bunch of signs pointing to where we need to go. They look like
they were made by a child, with the messy writing. We walked for a while until we reached
“Enoshima Park” and someone landed right in front of us, startling Bernadetta.

“Whoa, oops! Sorry about that.” He was wearing a mask along with a black costume under his
clothes. “I was just following the signs and came across you two!” How did he even fall from such
a height and land so flawlessly? He took off his mask, revealing a dark-skinned boy with black
curly hair.

“Doesn’t look like I’m in my dimension, so I don’t think secret identities really matter. I’m Miles.”

He held out his hand and I shook it, “Ai, pleasure to meet you.”.

“B-Bernadetta.” Bernadetta told him as she reluctantly shook his hand as well.

Our tablets all began to vibrate as we saw each other profiles. “Miles Morales, the Ultimate
Successor.”

“You’re like me… well, in the same way in that we’ve all got sent here randomly.” Miles said
putting his arms behind his head.

“Yeah same here!” A voice said from afar as a guy wearing a red vest walked forward, “This is
pretty heavy… the name’s Marty by the way.” He looks like he just walked out of the 80’s.

“Marty McFly, the Ultimate Time-Traveler.” Well, uh, it looks like that statement was correct in a
way. I won’t talk about how ridiculous that sounds, since y’know I’m a zombie. Bernadetta got
more timid as more people showed up.

The area around us was similar to Central Park in New York City, but there’s a statue of a girl with
twintails and a crown standing triumphantly. That smile on her face looks sinister enough to cause
me to quit looking.

Eventually seventeen of us were gathered in the park. A lot of them looked to be teenagers, around
my age or higher. The tablet continued to rumble until all their names were recorded.

“Gold, the Ultimate Hatcher.” I had no idea what that title meant, but he was carrying a pool cue,
and wearing a backwards cap with goggles on it. Looks like he’s pretty cocky, hopefully he won’t
annoy me too much.

“Ryuji Sakamoto, the Ultimate Track Star.” With his outfit and dyed blonde hair, I would assume
he’d be a delinquent. His posture could use some work and he looks bored out of his mind.

“Killua Zoldyck, the Ultimate Assassin.” His title made me glance towards him, slightly worried
about what this kid was thinking. He looked young, but I can tell he’s dangerous.

“Emma, the Ultimate Moral Compass.” A white outfit and orange hair, along with a bouncy ahoge.
She’s got quite the smile on her face as she introduces herself to everyone around her.

“Trunks Brief, the Ultimate Swordsman.” No kidding, with that stern expression and that shining
sword on his back, his looks can kill. But it looks like he’s also pretty kind, seeing his interactions
with the others.

“Seto Kaiba, the Ultimate CEO.” He obviously thinks that we’re all beneath him, just by looking
into his eyes. He also called Bernadetta a fool just by looking at him. I can tell he’s gonna be a ray
of sunshine.

“Yu Ishigami, the Ultimate Pessimist.” Yup, this guy looks the type. But it doesn’t look like he’s
paying much attention, he’s got his headphones on while he works on his computer.

“Alice Nakiri, the Ultimate Gastronomist.” She looks quite intelligent, but I don’t know why a
scientific type is wearing a chef’s outfit. This girl acts pretty friendly, but I can tell she’s not too
nice of a person.

“Shantae, the Ultimate Half-Genie.” Okay things are starting to seem too ridiculous. Can she
actually use magic? And why is she dressed like a belly dancer?

“Misato Tachibana, the Ultimate Arsenal.” What does that mean? She seems pretty nice after
talking to her, but that name confuses me.

“Aoba Kuronuma, the Ultimate ???.” This guy was a mystery. He looks nice and normal enough,
but maybe he could be hiding something behind that smile of his...

“Sucy Manbavaran, the Ultimate Apothecary.” She’s dressed as a witch, along with me being a
zombie, and the half-genie, it’s almost like it’s Halloween. She also looks pretty bored with what’s
going on.

“Espio the Chameleon, the Ultimate Ninja.” At this point, I was not going to question that there
was an anthropomorphic, purple chameleon next to me. But he does have a serious expression on
his face, along with being a ninja, he looks quite intense.

We were all given these “Ultimate” titles and brought here to this strange city, just what is the
point of bringing us here? Is what I thought before a loud speaker sounded off.

“Good morning everyone! And welcome, new residents, to the wonderful Monocity!”

That voice is very high pitched, but it sounded condescending as well.

“I am your Bear-y astounding mayor!”

“Mayor?” Shantae asked, confused.

“That means you’re the one in charge, right? Finally, I would like for you to escort me out of this
dump you call a city. I have a business meeting tomorrow and I would prefer not to be late.” An
annoyed Kaiba tells the voice.

“Upupupupu~, escort you? But you just got here? Don’t you want to have a grand old time here on
the Big Honey Pot!”

“No.”

“Well, TOO BAD!”

We then see a short little bear, with one side white, and the other side black with an evil looking
red eye and an equally creepy half smile jump up from behind the statue of the girl.

“Ah! Wh-what? Is that a teddy bear?!” Bernadetta is spooked at the unsettling creature.

“I am no teddy bear miss, I am Monokuma! The mayor of this great city!”

THIS was the mayor? I mean with a voice like that it matches, but still, how did he bring us here?

“Hey, are you some kind of rare Teddiursa? I’ve never seen a shiny before so..” Gold holds his
pool cue on his shoulder as he rambles on.

“I AM NOT A POKÉMON! I am Monokuma! Now shut up and listen to what I have to say,
ahem… You are all new residents of Monocity and you all will be staying here, enjoying life in the
many different locations! Shops, restaurants, landmarks, the works, baby!”

“And what if we refuse?” Sucy bluntly asked him.

“Upupupu~, about that, you can’t refuse. Because you’re all PERMANENT citizens of our city!”

“Permanent?!” We all said at the same time, after hearing this, all of us began to quiver in fear.

“F-for real?! You can’t be serious...” Ryuji said as he put his hands to his head in disbelief.

“I am serious, blondie! But there is something that you can do if you do want to move away…”

Alice then spoke up, intrigued by what he said, “Really now? Please elaborate on that Mayor
Kuma.”

“Yes indeed! If our city were to ever have a ‘troublemaker’, one who disturbed the peace of our
fair city, they would be promptly exported out of here!” The bear giggled to himself.

I finally decided to ask him some questions. “Troublemaker? Disturb the peace? Do you mind
being more specific?”

“Specific? Well… what I really meant by ‘Troublemaker’ is MURDERER, and by ‘disturb the
peace’ I mean killing someone!”
That just rocked us to our cores.

In order to escape this place, we have to kill someone?

I… I have no words to describe what I feel.

“M-murder?” Ishigami was shaking, barely getting the words out.

Emma was still, it looked like she went through something similar before.

Aoba, Alice, and Kaiba were struggling to respond.

Ryuji & Gold gritted their teeth.

Miles, Trunks, Marty, & Killua seemed calm, but they were probably stressed on the inside.

Bernadetta was in tears, while Shantae tried to calm her down.

Sucy and Espio remained silent.

I then noticed Misato was missing and when I looked up, I saw her in front of Monokuma, holding
a ROCKET LAUNCHER.

“You better let us out of here or I’ll blast you to hell!” she yelled at the bear, now I know what
Ultimate Arsenal meant.

“Hold on! Violence against the mayor is illegal!”

She fails to listen and blasts him in the face, leaving him covered in, flour or ash. I then began to
hear loud beeping, it was starting to get real annoying. But Miles caught wind of something very
quickly.

“Get out of there!” He yelled out, but Misato was still confused on what was going to happen.

He then shot something out of his wrist and it stuck to her shirt. Miles pulled her out of the way
and Monokuma exploded.

We all watched in horror as the statue was on fire, but it was mainly undamaged. Breathing a sigh
of relief I was sure that all we needed to do now was to find an exit, but then another Monokuma
popped out with a fire hose and put out the flames.

“I could have actually…” Misato said as Miles comforts her.

“Upupupu~, you can’t get rid of me that easily! I have copies all over the city, so don’t even try to
destroy me again! It’s just a waste of time! Consider that explosion a warning, citizens. Now get to
the Monocity Killing Game, woo-hoo!”

As he disappeared from sights, remained silent until someone decided to speak up.

“He’s probably joking about letting one of us go if they murder someone, but the question is….
Which one of you actually believes him?” Aoba says.

We watched each other, not knowing what our true thoughts were, but if I had to speak for
everyone… there’s only one word I could use to describe what we were feeling.

Despair.

Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus (One-Shot…. For Now)

Characters:
Mayor Monokuma (Danganronpa)

Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): The Ultimate Idol

Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): The Ultimate Recluse
Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): The Ultimate Successor
Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): The Ultimate Hatcher
Emma (The Promised Neverland): The Ultimate Moral Compass
Trunks Brief (Dragon Ball): The Ultimate Swordsman
Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): The Ultimate Assassin
Marty McFly (Back to The Future): The Ultimate Time-Traveler
 Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): The Ultimate Track Star
Shantae (Shantae): The Ultimate Half-Genie
Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!): The Ultimate CEO
Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): The Ultimate Pessimist
Alice Nakiri (Food Wars): The Ultimate Gastronomist
Misato Tachibana (Nichijou): The Ultimate Arsenal
Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): The Ultimate
Sucy Manbavaran (Little Witch Academia): The Ultimate Apothecary
Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): The Ultimate ???

Chapter End Notes

By having both Three Houses Saga: White Clouds, as well as The Gauntlet as ongoing
series, I doubt that I’ll be able to write a full story like this, but I am willing to do it if
given the chance to. If people want to see what happens to these 17 participants, I’ll
try to deliver on it. My writing skills need to improve though, as The Gauntlet isn’t
very good, yet Three Houses Saga is. Maybe one day we’ll get to see the Monocity
Killing Game, we just have to have hope…. Go away Nagito.
 Urban Despair Part 1 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Ai and the others explore the city, finding a familiar looking room.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 1: Urban Despair Part 1 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 17

I checked the clock, it’s been two hours since then, and I still can’t believe it.

All of us sat around at an abandoned café, which was called Despairbucks and could be found on
almost every corner of this area. The drinks were nice, but they didn’t help with the fact that we’re
trapped here in a “killing game”.

“Yo, this seriously can’t be real, can it?” I heard Ryuji speak from the table next to me, “I’ve seen
a lot of unbelievable stuff, but…”

“Yeah, I’d assume most of us are used to situations similar to this, but regardless it still feels like a
nightmare.” Espio spoke up as he leaned against the wall.

“That bear… we can’t underestimate how strong a machine like him could be. Trust me, I know.”
Trunks said as he crossed his arms.

“Jeez, too bad Bazooka-Girl didn’t know that sooner, or else she wouldn’t have tried to destroy
Robo-Teddirusa. Coulda been turned to ash when he used Self-Destruct.” Gold bluntly stated as he
put his arms behind his head.

“How was I supposed to know he’d blow up like that?! He looked just like a teddy bear, I couldn’t
tell there was a bomb!” Misato yelled at him, but he just ignored her and yawned.

Okay she just brought out A CANNON, spooking all of us, so she looks to be a little annoyed at
the guy with the goggle cap.

“Oh yeah? Then I guess I’ll fire back with Ex—HUH?!” Gold frantically searched his belt for
some reason.

“Firing now, you stupid—”

“Hold on! There’s no need for excessive violence!” I reluctantly stood in between Misato, the
cannon and Gold.

Miles then stood up to try to help, “She’s right, we need to find a way out of here. Now you two,
say you’re sorry, and don’t blow each other up. Okay?”

The two just stared angrily at each other before walking back to their tables, where they continued
to glare from a distance.

“(sighs), Okay, now that that’s settled, we should now get to our search for an escape route.” I told
everyone.

“Hmph, while you idiots do that, I shall try to contact KaibaCorp so they may provide me with a
helicopter out of this dump.” Kaiba said as he approached the door.

“W-what’s a helicopter?” Bernadetta asked and Emma shrugged.

“Dang, what an asshole.” Ryuji muttered under his breath.

“Say what you will, you broke delinquent, your words don’t mean a thing to someone like me.
Farewell.” I swear he said something like “Just like Wheeler” as he left.

“It doesn’t look like he’d be any help even if he did search with us.” Killua snarked as we all
nodded our heads.

We took a look at our e-Handbooks, as I learned they were called, to take a look at some of the
rules.

Rule #1: Citizens may reside only within the city. Going outside city limits is prohibited and is not
encouraged.
Rule #2: "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are not active at night, so what’s the point
in going out?
Rule #3: Sleeping anywhere other than the Hope-tel is against the law and violators will be
punished accordingly.
Rule #4: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Monocity at your discretion.
Rule #5: Violence against mayor Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance
cameras and vandalizing landmarks.
Rule #6: Anyone who kills a fellow citizen and becomes "blackened" will be exiled from our city,
unless they are discovered.
Rule #7: Additional city laws may be added if necessary.

After overlooking all of it, we decided to split up into eight groups of two people and search until
10:00 pm. It was currently 1:00 pm, so we had nine hours to explore the city.

Bernadetta & I would search the park, Ryuji & Gold will look in the restaurant area, Killua &
Miles (both apparently being able to get on top of buildings easily) are searching from the rooftops,
Emma & Trunks would tour the shopping district, Ishigami & Shantae chose to observe the Hope-
tel, Alice & Aoba decided to visit the back alleys, Sucy & Espio left for the office buildings, and
Misato & Marty visited the city’s square.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Man this was a lot harder than I thought. We walked all over the park for more than two hours and
all we saw were statues of Monokuma, one of them was of him standing on top of a crying bunny
girl version of him, and that girl we saw from that first statue. Sitting at the fountain that had a
Cupid Monokuma on it, I pondered how everyone was brought to this city in the first place.
Clearly, every single one of us are not from the same place or time, so how could that bear manage
travel between different worlds? Also, the fact that other worlds existed is a lot to take in, Miles
mentioned other dimensions when we met but….

“Hey!”

“Ah!”

Emma walked up to us from behind, after scaring both of us.

“Oh, sorry about that.” She rubbed the back of her head as Trunks caught up with her.

“Finally, I was wondering where you went after we got done searching that area!” The blue-haired
swordsman scolded her.

“Ha ha, this place is just too interesting for me to just stick to one single section! Plus it’s better to
check out areas others are in, just in case they miss something. So Ai, Bernie, did you find
anything?”

“Not a single thing, I wish I could just go back to my room…” Bernadetta brings up her legs and
puts her head down.

“We can’t give up now! There’s still a lot of this city we haven’t seen yet.” Trunks encourages her.

“Yeah! We saw this big metal wall with a sign in front of it at the end of the shopping district. It
said ‘Area under construction, please excuse the inconvenience.’, which means that this city isn’t
complete!” Emma elaborated.

“So it looks like this place will expand as time goes on, though we’re not sure how long it would
take…” The thought lingered in my head until once again we were interrupted.

“Hold on! I know!”

Poor Bernadetta was frightened once again with the arrival of our mayor, Monokuma.

“What do you want?” I asked him, not willing to hear what crazy nonsense he was about to say.

“Hey! That’s no way to speak to your mayor Ms. Mizuno! Ahem, so what I came here to say that
the paths to new parts of the city will be opened…” He paused to build tension, I’d assume.

“When our first murder happens!”

What did I expect?

“Look, I can’t speak for everyone, but there’s not much you can do to force us into playing your
sick game.” I rolled my eyes at the black and white bear, who just chuckled.

“Upupupu~, there’s a lot of things I can do to motivate you, but I’ll just keep you in the dark for
now. Don’t lose your heads now! Though it might be harder to keep yours on Ms. Mizuno…” He
just waddled away as soon as he finished saying that.

Ugh, this thing was getting on my nerves, even more so than Tatsumi, which I didn’t think was
possible. After that discussion, I checked the time and saw that it had been three hours, six hours
left until night, so the four of us went back to our designated areas. Me and Bernadetta decided to
go to the last area of the park that has not been checked yet.
.
.
.
.
.
After half an hour of walking around looking at signs of a red-eyed, black-haired guy in white
saying “LITTERING IS NOT WELCOME IN A PARK ENVIRONMENT”, as well as
advertisements for Mondo Butter (Don’t think I want to know where that came from, with that guy
on the container), and we finally come across something out of place.

“Um, what exactly is that?” Bernie, she allowed me to call her that, asked.

“It’s called an elevator, a machine that transports people up or down a building with multiple
floors. But why is there one sitting outside?”

The two of us walk in front of it and the doors automatically open. It couldn’t hurt to see where this
leads, so we walked in and clicked the only button leading downwards. The doors open and we end
up in a large circular room, checkerboard flooring, red curtains, blue walls, one large throne, and
large wooden wheel-like structure in the center of it all.

Just what was this place?

“GOD DAMN IT!”

Monokuma popped up and landed on the throne, looking like he wasn’t very happy.

“I knew I shouldn’t have had the doors open during normal hours! Now the surprise is ruined
gah!”

“Excuse me, Mayor Monokuma?”

“Hm? Oh, what’s up Violet Hermit?”

“Um, where are we, exactly?” Bernie asked the bear.

“Where? Well, I was planning on showing guys later, but since you’re here I might as well call
everyone!” Suddenly he puts on a black and slightly grey wig, a small beard/mustache combo, a
blue wizard outfit, and a red cape.

He holds out one arm in front of him and moves the other in a circular motion, and he SOMEHOW
opens up multiple portals above the room. One by one everyone dropped in, Trunks, Miles, Killua,
& Espio landed on their feet, while everyone else fell flat on top of each other.

“Citizens Assemble!” Monokuma cried out.

“Hey you stupid bear! What have you got us into this time?” Shantae pointed straight at him.

“Now then, everyone is here, so now begins the explanation! You all remember Rule #6, right?”

Most of us nodded our heads, except for Gold & Ryuji, who both tried their hardest to remember.

“It says that anyone who murders a fellow citizen will be removed from our city, unless they are
caught. Now what could that possibly mean, hm?” He pretended to think to himself as he put a
hand to where a chin could be.

Killua answered for him, “That in order to escape, a killer must cover up their tracks and prevent
any of us from finding out they did it.”.

“Ding ding ding! You are correct, kid! And the purpose of this room is for the latter, we shall hold
a City Trial to find out whodunit!”

“Trial? You mean like with lawyers and evidence and all that?” Marty stepped up next.

“Correctamundo, McFly! All of you will meet up here and discuss what you’ve found, until you’ve
chosen the culprit! Then you’ll all vote for them and if you are correct, they get a very special
punishment that I prepare…”

“P-punishment? By that, do you mean…” Ishigami shivered as he let the words out.

“If you were thinking of execution, then YES I mean that!”

Oh my god, this is insanity.

“If you are wrong however… the ‘blackened’ goes free, and the rest of you shall be executed!
Upupupu~.” This bear’s laugh silenced everyone in the courtroom, and caused sweat to fall from a
few of our faces.
We all took the elevator back up to the city, not in any mood to continue searching, even with five
hours left until night time. We just decided to grab some food from some of the restaurants and
head to the Hope-tel for some rest. The lobby was full of us, except for Kaiba who was once again
trying to contact the outside, and Bernie who decided to go eat in her room. After a day like this,
I’m going to need some yakiniku.
Chapter End Notes

Alright guys. This is the last chapter of this fic, unless I see some feedback on whether
or not people are interested in this story. I don’t want to make the same mistake as I
did with The Gauntlet and keep writing, despite the lack of attention. It’s fun to write
both that and Three Houses Saga, but lately I’ve felt like nobody wants to say anything
about my fics. Hopefully you guys enjoy upcoming chapters of those stories, and I’ll
contemplate whether or not to continue this one. Thank you.
 Urban Despair Part 2 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Monokuma's an ass. And he looks at one too. I'm so sorry Ai.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 1: Urban Despair Part 2 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 17

“Tomorrow morning, let’s hold another meeting to discuss our current progress.”

I informed everyone else who was in the lobby as Trunks stood right next to me.

“7 a.m. is when ‘nighttime’ ends around here, so are we alright with 8 a.m. as the meeting time? It
gives us an hour to wait for all of us to gather here in the lobby, so try not to be too late.”

Emma then stood up, swallowing her food before speaking, “But what about Bernie and Kaiba?”.

“Yeah, Shy Violet Girl and the Rich Jerk aren’t here now, why would they meet here with us
tomorrow morning? Mmph, not as good as my mom’s Cinnabar Island-Style..” Gold asked as he
shoved some Salisbury steak into his mouth.

“And even if we were to convince the former, the latter would just blow us off again. He’s one of
those types of people.” Ishigami gloomily sat in the corner chair.

“I’ll go talk to Bernadetta, since she’s used to me by now. As for Kaiba, does anyone want to
volunteer to drag him here?” Ai looked over at my companions, none were willing to raise their
hands.

“I’ll do it!” Alice suddenly propped up hers.

“Really, Ms. Nakiri? You’re willing to put up with that asshole just for us? I applaud you.” Aoba
speaks up, which I think is the second time I’ve heard his voice.

“Of course! He seems to be in the same league as I am, although he needs a major attitude
adjustment, hee hee.” She giggles to herself as I see Sucy leaving for her room.

“Where are you going?” Ryuji asked her as he leaned back in his seat.

“I’m going to bed, this is becoming boring. And who’s to say none of you are looking to start
killing people?”

“Hold on, you can’t just assume that we’d be thinking like that.” Marty took offense to what she
said.

“Good point, I’ll go to bed too.” Ishigami followed Sucy to the stairs, blank expressions on their
faces.

The rest of us, exasperated at their display of aloofness, just gave up and headed back to our rooms.
I however was making a quick stop at the Ultimate Recluse’s room to give her some words of
encouragement. Not the first time I had to do this, but with the way this group is right now, this
certainly won’t be the last.

“Bernadetta? It’s Ai. Do you mind opening the door?”

“No thanks! If you need to talk to me, just talk through it, I’m used to doing this with… you know
what n-never mind!”

I didn’t ask who she was referring to, but I guess I’m going to stand out here and talk to a door.
Hopefully nobody else sees me, then they’d regret seeing me try to lead them with Miles &
Trunks.

“Well, tomorrow morning we’re going to meet in the lobby to discuss what we found during our
search. Other than the elevator to the trial room, we haven’t got much else, but still we need to
boost morale.”

“You do know I don’t do well around other people, right? You’ve seen me be afraid of everything
in this place, so why would you need me around?”

“We need to work together, Bernie. That’s the only way we’re going to find a way out of this place.
Other than listening to what that crazy bear says…”

“I don’t want to kill anyone, and I don’t want to die either… I think it’s better if I just stay in here.”

“(sighs) You don’t have to come tomorrow, but I would really like to see you there. We have to get
through this together, or else that will build suspicion among us. Please consider it Bernie.” I
finished as I walked back to my room.

I took a shower to wash off the makeup, another plus to being trapped here is not using a hose to
wash myself off. As I wiped my hair with a towel, I saw my reflection in the mirror. Grayish-blue
skin, glowing red eyes, all wrapped up in bandages. Kotaro warned us about not revealing
ourselves as zombies to the public, and in a situation like this, this would draw too much attention
to me. When Ishigami and Sucy left, they stared at Killua for a bit, since he was the Ultimate
Assassin. During a killing game, that was like putting a target on one’s back. If they found out I
was a zombie, things might get even more complicated. Sure, Miles could climb up walls, Sucy
looks a bit creepy, and Espio & Trunks have looks that could kill, but seeing firsthand at how
people react to zombies…

The policeman shooting at Sakura, Junko, & I, as we all screamed our heads off was reality. Not
many people would understand, that’s why we had each other. But here? Once again I’m placed in
a group that barely knows each other, and instead of just coming from different time periods, it’s
different worlds entirely! Already we’ve had people walking away to do their own thing and
arguing. How can we prevent a murder? It’s a lot to think about as I put on my blue striped pajamas
and hopped into bed.

Suddenly I heard something flicker on, it was the flat-screen tv on top of the desk. Monokuma was
in a reporter’s outfit, wearing a bad toupée.

“Ahem, this is a citywide news broadcast! It is now 10 p.m. Ladies and gentlemen, nighttime has
begun! All restaurant and shopping areas will be closed soon, so folks, don’t try to go against the
law! Now then, sweet dreams everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite…”

At this point, I was expecting a swarm to come out of my mattress to consume the dead flesh off
my body. The screen shut off and I finally got some quiet rest.

.
.

MONOKUMA THEATER

“Another Danganronpa crossover fanfiction featuring characters from different worlds. I wonder
why there’s only a handful of them?”

“Maybe they think the idea has been done to death and only few people can make it work? Or
they’re too scared to even try making more of them…”

“Upupupupu~, oh well! The more killing games, the more fun for me! And I look to be the only
character from the series here asides from a few cameos! How I love being the series mascot…”

“Now if only the author’s copy of Danganronpa trilogy can arrive so he’ll get a better idea of the
series, other than the anime based off Trigger Happy Havoc, blind let’s-plays off the internet, and
browsing the Danganronpa Wiki!”

“I need to be written better! Not just some annoying robot who pops up whenever he wants! Why
couldn’t he just make ME the main character instead of a girl from a zombie idol anime?”

“Hmph, hopefully the killings start soon, it could get boring with all the character development
chapters….

*Ding, dong, bing, bong!*

“Gooooooood morning Monocity! It is now 7 a.m., and the weather today is a wonderfully
cloudless blue sky! Remember to follow the law, but have fun!”

It was a better sleep than most of mine since becoming a zombie, yet being in a killing game
soured the experience for me. Especially with having to hear THAT voice, don’t tell me, it’s going
to be a daily thing with him isn’t it? I yawned as I went to put on my makeup, taking off my
pajamas and—

“Nice butt!”

I turned and saw Monokuma on screen again, this time staring directly at me.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“Ai, are you alright in there?!”

That was Shantae, outside my door, and I heard Trunks, Miles, and Killua talking.

“Upupupu~ oops, should have kept quiet!” That perverted bear turned off the screen as I still felt
violated.

“Was that Monokuma? What did he do now?” I heard Espio on the other end as well.

“Hold on! I’ll bust down the door! (bang) Ow!” That was Ryuji.

“Don’t come in! I’m underdressed!”

I heard a few boys out there giggling to themselves before I heard an explosion. I most likely knew
who did that. I took a few deep breaths before continuing to put on my makeup and changing into
my uniform. I walked out the door while putting on my second flower earring, and saw Shantae
and Misato scolding Gold, Ryuji, and Ishigami, who were covered in ash (most likely from Misato
blowing them up). Trunks and Espio shook their heads as Killua walked away along with Miles,
presumably towards the lobby. Before following them I went to go see if Bernadetta thought about
what I said last night.
“Good morning!” I called to her as I knocked on her door.

It creaked open as I saw a short tuft of purple hair behind it.

“G-good morning…”

“Sorry for the noise, it was just… the bear doing his thing.”

“Oh, I was wondering what that was.”

“Yeah… well, are you ready to head down for the meeting?

“Um…. alright. I guess I have no choice. But can I sit next to you please?”

“Of course.”

The two of us walked down the stairs and everyone was there, except for Alice and Kaiba.

“Hold on everybody!”

“Let go of me!”

Alice was dragging Kaiba by the large coat he was wearing and they sat down on the large couch.
Alice grinned at him as he looked away, very annoyed

“Now let’s begin!” I clapped my hands and stood up.

I first brought up the elevator leading to the courtroom, which Bernadetta and I found in the park.
We discussed how a trial might go if we ever had to experience one before shifting our attention to
the metal wall around the city.
Yes, Trunks and Emma found a side of it that said they would open up more sections of the city,
but it stretched even farther back. Killua and Miles said they saw how far it was and it looked like
it went on forever. They also saw no entrance to the city, which gave us more questions than
answered them.

Kaiba said he had no luck in contacting his company, meaning that no help would come from
anywhere else either.

Ryuji and Gold (after recovering) said that the meals in the restaurant district refill every time we
take them, and they’re all well cooked as well (They probably spent the whole day pigging out
before ending up in the trial room. I knew I saw crumbs on their faces yesterday).

Ishigami & Shantae talked about the Hope-tel having the same layout for all of us, beds, tvs,
closets, and a few special accommodations depending on the person staying in them. That explains
why Ishigami has his own laptop and I have my makeup.

Marty explained how the City Square was like the center of the entire area we’re in, Misato
described it as similar to Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, which gives me a small vision of it being
Monokumized.

Sucy and Espio said the office buildings were deserted. Nonetheless, they were normal office
buildings that business workers go to for every shift, nothing special.

Aoba and Alice were going to talk about the back alleys, until we heard something click on.

“Breaking news! A town meeting is being held in Enoshima Park! Citizens are encouraged to
make their way to the Twin-Tailed Goddess Statue or face punishment! Now move your hineys!”

Ugh, it looks like things are going to get worse from here on out. Hopefully I can at least learn
more about my fellow “citizens” as we go on.
Chapter End Notes

It looks like this isn’t just a one-shot anymore, but I want to see if people are interested
in this story. Maybe tell me who you would like to see for Free Time Events and what
you liked about this chapter. Give me EVERYTHING please. Hope you all enjoy the
killing game, let me truly welcome you all to Monocity!
 Urban Despair Part 3 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

First motive. Man Monokuma's an asshole.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 1: Urban Despair Part 3 (Daily Life)

Citizens Remaining: 17

While we were walking towards Enoshima Park I saw Espio looking around for something
worriedly.

"Something up?" I asked him as he turned to me.

"I'm missing my kunai, the damage one could do with a weapon like that…"

"Did you really leave that thing around in a place where anyone could take that and murder
someone? Why are you carrying around weapons like that in the first place? Unless YOU are
planning to gut someone." Kaiba scoffed at the unfazed chameleon.

"I understand the repercussions of carrying such weapons, yet as a ninja I know when the right
time is to use them. I would not use them to kill an innocent person, and I would rather use those
weapons for defending them." He responded to Kaiba.

"Hmph, well your ninja skills apparently aren't good enough if you left that thing lying around.
Idiot." He finished as we made it to the "Twin-Tailed Goddess" statue, I wish I had a baguette on
me to hit this rich snob with.

Monokuma jumped out once again from behind the statue, yet another thing I want to hit with one.

"Good moooorning everyone! Now how are you all doing this fine morning?"

Ishigami yawned, that guy must have gotten barely any sleep from the looks of things.

"That answers my question. Anyways… WHY AREN'T ANY OF YOU KILLING EACH OTHER
YET! It's not like you have much of a choice, you all have disappointing lives to get back to!"

"Hey, I live a pretty exciting life back in Scuttle Town! More importantly, you can't make us
murder one another, we have no reasons to!" Shantae pointed out as a few of us nodded in
agreement.

"Oh? No reasons? Upupupu~, it's time to show you one then! A very common one at that! Since
you brought this up Ms. Half Genie Hero..."

Monokuma clicked a remote with a button on it and a large hole in the ground opened up and what
came out of it was a tv screen. It clicked on and it showed a large old man, a girl with a bird on her
shoulder, a green haired girl (who looked like a zombie like I do), and a blue spiky haired young
man with a yellow bandana. They looked unconscious until they woke up having swirls in their
eyes and smiles on their faces.

"Uncle, Sky, Bolo, Rotty… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM?" Shantae yelled at the bear.

"Upupupu~, looks like Scuttle Town's gonna get even more exciting with new Remnants of
Despair around!" Monokuma kept chuckling to himself as the video changed.

"Ah… it can't…."

I was frightened as I saw Sakura, Junko, Saki, Yugiri, Lily, & Tae in the same condition. It then
panned towards Kotaro as he removed his sunglasses to reveal the crazed eyes as Romero, his
zombie dog, jumped at the camera.

"You monster… YOU MONSTER." The anger I felt in that moment was intense.

It unfortunately continued as the rest of us saw our friends, family, people we cared about being
put under Monokuma's control.

"With this many new remnants, we've gone past the amount needed for replacing the old ones!
Now we can spread despair across many other worlds!"

"Mokuba…" An angered Kaiba let out.

"Charmy, Vector..." Espio had dropped his calm demeanor.

"Mom, Dad, how could this happen?" Miles clenched his fists, trying to resist the rage.

"That's the first motive! And what a twist on the kidnapping loved ones idea! If one of you
manages to murder another citizen, they will leave Monocity AND save their loved ones. If you
don't, then the new Remnants of Despair will take over your world! Think that over, would ya
folks? See ya!"

"YOU BASTARD!" Trunks unsheathed his sword as Monokuma went away with the screen in
tow.

.
"He's making it up… he's gotta be lying…" Marty tried to lighten up the mood, but the majority of
us were not taking this well, myself included.

Sitting down at Na-EGG-i Diner, I'd sarcastically laugh at that strange name if I weren't feeling so
mad towards a robotic bear. Not everyone was here, understandable after what we went through an
hour ago.

"We saw it happen, how could he manage to fake all of that?" Aoba asked that question towards
him.

"I need… to get out of here… we're all going to die…" I heard Ishigami in the corner.

"Don't say such things! We're all just playing Monokuma's game if we just accept this!" Emma
stood up from her booth, milkshake straw in her mouth.

"We just need to find out who's controlling him! He's a robot, so if we take down his master, then
maybe they'll open the way out!" Alice explained.

"How are we even going to find them anyways? We've searched this area top to bottom, and the
other areas won't open up until a murder happens. Basically, we're just sitting ducks as our loved
ones wreak havoc!" Killua was by the jukebox munching on a chocolate bar.

"Wait… maybe if we don't play his game then he'll get bored and open up the other areas! The
more locations, the more opportunities for him to see a murder. Monokuma will continue to try and
get us to kill each other, so if we don't listen, we'll be able to keep searching the city until we find
the mastermind!" I slammed my fist into my palm as I brought up the idea.

"Well now flower girl, what if he just decides to get rid of us himself? Create a bigger explosion
than he did last time?" Aoba once again asks a question like this.

"That wouldn't be as entertaining for him, he wants to see betrayal, thought out plans, executions,
he'd want us to experience it all." Miles told him.

Aoba crossed his arms and leaned against his chair, I could never read that guy. Afterwards, I went
to check out the places others went to yesterday, in case they managed to miss something and I saw
Gold and Misato talking at Despairbucks.

"Just meet me in my room, I want to apologize for how I acted yesterday."

"Huh? Alright then, if you want to."

Misato walked away, presumably to the Hope-tel, leaving Gold confused.

"That seems suspicious." I said, walking up to him.

"Yeah, especially after what we just saw. Though, I kinda still want to go in case she really does
want to patch things up."

"Really? How come?"

"First off, because I don't wanna be blown up like this morning."

"Okay that's fair. (you deserved it though for giggling)"

"Secondly, I wanted to improve my attitude somewhat. I can make quite a bad impression on
people, to the point where they think I bring danger wherever I go."
"Yeah, I can tell…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Do you think she really feels the same way though?"

"Not a clue, but I think I saw in her eyes that she needed a friend, so might as well go be one."

Gold's actually pretty caring despite being rude and careless about what he says sometimes. I feel
like I might have learned more about him today.

"Plus she's kinda cute, maybe she's looking to ask out the Johto Hero from New Bark Town, heh
heh…"

I take it back.

I spent a lot of my day looking around the shopping district, not a lot of interesting stores, just a lot
of Monokuma themed merchandise and a costume shop. It felt oddly refreshing to take a walk after
seeing what happened to my fellow Franchouchou members. It still stung, knowing that Saga
would probably need saving from them when we were formed in order to save it, how ironic. I then
noticed someone took a wig off the rack, it was right next to the Mondo Butter guy's outfit, and
upon closer examination it was the outfit the guy from the "No littering" sign at Enoshima Park.

"Hm?" I noticed a single black hair was left there, which means I was correct in assuming the
costume was based off of him, but why did someone take one of these wigs?

That questioned that in my head as I walked into the Hope-tel, looking to rest. I heard Bernadetta
crying in her room and as I tried to approach it I ran into Miles who was next to it.

"Oh, 'sup Ai?"

"Nothing much. I just went to check on Bernie and it looks like you're already doing it."

"Yeah. I felt that it was my responsibility to help out a friend in trouble."

"Responsibility? That's pretty kind of you." I smiled at him as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It is? Ah, um, yeah. Just doing my job, ha." He said in a deeper voice, which made me keep that
smile, even gave me a quick laugh. Today of all days too.
"Ever since I put on this mask, I wanted to protect people." He took out the black mask he wore
when we first met.

"I'm my dimension's only Spider-Man, so I gotta be a hero. Figured doing pep talks to those who
needed it would help me grow as one too."

"Well, with that attitude, it's no wonder that you're leading the team alongside us."

"Could say the same for you, earlier in the diner, that idea sounds great. Glad you're taking charge
of this situation, despite all of us feeling down after earlier."

"Thanks, I'll try my best to help you all, I may not be a 'Spider-Man', but an idol has to make
people smile."

Miles and I enjoyed our time hanging out with each other. I felt like we grew a lot closer just now.

We both knocked on Bernadetta's door in order to help boost her confidence, but then we heard
something.

*Ding dong dong ding*

"What is it now, Monokuma?" I asked as he appeared on our e-Handbooks holding a wine glass.

"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the city trial
will begin!"

…. WHAT.

"GUYS COME QUICK!" It was Gold and he called us over.

Bernadetta opened her door and wiped the tears off her face as the four of us ran across the Hope-
tel guest floor. We saw a door wide open, and the name on the door was "Misato Tachibana".
Walking in we saw ash on the wall, looks like she fired one of her weapons. A few black hairs on
the floor, the mattress tipped over, also covered in ash. And in the corner... was Misato.

Blood pouring out her chest, covering the carpet and the wall around her. Upon further inspection,
the object sticking out of her chest was Espio's kunai. He looked on horrified at what we were
seeing, as were the rest of us.

Misato Tachibana, The Ultimate Arsenal, had been murdered by one of us.
Chapter End Notes

WELP. No comment folks. You all probably have things to say about how this chapter
went, so I’ll let you say EVERYTHING you have to say in your reviews/comments.
Who do you think did it? I… didn’t make things very obvious. This chapter was kinda
rushed.
 Urban Despair Part 4 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The first investigation begins! Multiple pieces of evidence are found before the trial
commences, just what could they use?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 1: Urban Despair Part 4 (Deadly Life)

Citizens Remaining: 16

The realization that one of us was murdered has slowly sunk in.

Who could do this to Misato?

Seeing her lifeless body in the corner, still bleeding at that, is enough to make a person vomit. It’s a
good thing Ishigami was near the trash can.

We were then sent a message through our e-Handbooks: The Monokuma File.

Victim: Misato Tachibana

"The time of death was around 5pm."

"The body was found in the Hope-tel 2nd Guest Floor in the victim’s bedroom."

"Cause of death is a wound to the chest made by a sharp object.”

It was a file similar to an autopsy report, listing down the time of death, location of the body, and
the cause of death. Today was a rollercoaster of emotions, but it seems like it won’t end until the
trial happens, so we need to start investigating. Not everyone was in the diner when I talked about
the plan to avoid the killing game and open up the new areas. Maybe it was one of the missing
people who gave into the motive Monokuma had set for us, but the question was which one of
them?
Gold, he and Misato didn’t get along too well, to the point where I saw them glaring at each other
each time they were in the same place. Having him be invited into her room could potentially have
caused this to happen, yet I doubt killing is in his nature. He was even the one to come get us, so
unless he’s hiding something...

Trunks, I saw him prepare to cut down Monokuma before he went away. This motive could have
pushed him into the point of snapping, but once again his behavior around us hasn’t suggested that
he would be willing to cut one of us down. You could never tell though.

Ryuji, I seriously don’t believe he’d manage to pull off a successful murder. I feel like if he did try
to kill her, he’d be in the same corner as she was, except blasted instead of bleeding.

Bernadetta, Shantae, & Espio had all reacted appropriately to what Monokuma did to their loved
ones. The latter two especially looked crushed at what they saw, so perhaps that was the trigger.
The murder weapon was also Espio’s lost kunai, could he have been lying about losing it?
Hopefully not, but I still have a bad feeling for suspecting them.

That just leaves…

(Insert Song: Box 15 (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc))

“Hm…”

Kaiba, he was looking over the room, inspecting everything that was out of place. He picked up
one of the black hairs off the ground and placed it in his jacket pocket.

Clue: Black Hair (Crime Scene)

I then promptly checked my own pockets and found the hair left from the costume store in the
shopping district. Glad I managed to keep that, since I see a bunch of it lying around the crime
scene.

Clue: Black Hair (Costume Shop)

Espio went over and investigated his kunai and hesitated when he went to pull it out of her body.
The blood dyed the sharp part of the small blade completely in red, and after seeing that he
dropped it on the ground.

“I was far too careless…”

“Indeed you were…” Kaiba said to him as he continued looking around.

The ash on the walls we saw before we walked in, it looks like she tried to defend herself from her
attacker. One of the weapons she always carries with her must be what she used.

Clue: Ash on Wall

Miles opened her closet door and saw something other than clothes that surprised him.

“Whoa, check this out.”

It was a whole stash of weapons. A bazooka that we’ve seen her with before, the cannon she almost
used on Gold yesterday, a turret, a pistol, machine gun, how did she carry all of this? I then saw a
bundle of grenades, yet there looked to be an empty spot where one should be.

Clue: Missing Grenade

There were only two more pieces of evidence we managed to find while searching her room, it was
a piece of cloth lying on the mattress which was covered in blood, and the way the mattress was
positioned as well.

Clue: Mattress Position

Clue: Bloody Piece of Cloth

After we collected all that we could, we left the crime scene, turning the light off to let our lost
companion rest. Out in the hallway everyone was gathered together, and as expected was shaken
up by her death.

“Damn it… if I had only been there for our meeting…” Gold was infuriated.

“Meeting you say? What meeting Gold?” Alice curiously asked him.

“Me and her were supposed to patch things up after arguing, so she invited me to her room.”

“Inviting you there, alone? You weren’t suspicious in the slightest?” Aoba said cautiously.

“A bit, yeah, but I wanted to make sure I could make Bazooka Girl a good pal of mine.”

“I don’t know dude, you two always looked like you were going to throw down. Who’s to say you
wouldn’t try to get rid of a girl who can take out a cannon out of nowhere?” Ryuji did not believe
him and a few others looked at him like they didn’t either.

“What?! I’m not a murderer, come on guys!” He pleaded as he looked at them all, even Bernie was
too scared to look at him.

“We’ll see sooner or later, let’s just prepare for the trial.” Killua put his arms behind his head as he
and the rest of them walked away.

Gold was still there along with me, Miles, and Emma.

“It’s alright, I believe you Gold.” The Ultimate Moral Compass told him.

“Thanks, but it looks like I’m against all odds, not the first time that’s happened, heh.”

“How can you smile knowing that almost everyone thinks you killed Misato?” I asked him, as he
had a small grin on his face.
“Well, if you guys believe in me, I can’t be all gloomy and cry about it. Plus, you’re gonna need
more evidence, right?”

“Uh… yeah? What kind of evidence do you have?” Miles put his fingers to his chin.

“What do you call it… uh… ali? Alibaba?”

“An alibi?” I bluntly corrected him.

“Yeah, an alibi! I was just messing with you guys.” He rubbed the spot under his nose confidently.

“ Liar. ” Is what we all most likely thought as we stared at him exasperated.

“Anyways, I think it was at 4:40, I was grabbing some grub from the restaurants and it took forever
for me to bring them all here. I was planning on sharing a meal with Bazooka Girl, maybe try to
charm her while also trying to be a good guy. Here, let me show you where I put them.”

We followed Gold to his room and when he opened the door, there was a HUGE pile of junk food
on top of his bed, how did he manage to get it all here?

“It really did look like it took forever to take all of these! You wouldn’t have been able to make it
in time for the time of the murder!” Emma was taken aback by the amount.

“Well, looks like in our book at least, you’re innocent, but now we need to figure out whodunit
with what we’ve gathered.”

Clue: Gold’s Alibi

Clue: Gold’s Pile of Snacks

We all dispersed after that and while they took the time to rest up, I decided to see if there was
anyone else who was in the Hope-tel during the time of the murder. I went for the most obvious
choice, someone who was in their room the entire time and could hear if something went down.
It’s a good thing the walls aren’t completely soundproof.

“Bernadetta? Are you there?”

She creaked open the door slightly and peeked from behind it, “Hey Ai. Sorry, I don’t feel like
coming out right now, I don’t even know if I can even make it to the trial.”

“Yeah that’s understandable, but I need your help.”

“R-really? You need help from Bernie of all people?

“Yes actually. I wanted to ask if you heard some things, like if you heard the killer.”

“Ah! Do you think they’re going to come after me next?! Nooo, I still need to write out who I’m
leaving my stuff with when I’m gone! My hedgehog pencil case with the Professor, my armored
bear stuffy with Dorothea…”

“Hold on, I don’t think they’re coming for you, at least I think they aren’t, but still I just need to see
if you heard something.”

“W-well I did hear something but I don’t think it’s too useful…”

“Anything helps, let me hear it.”

“Alright, so I didn’t hear much, but I did hear someone say that—”

* Ding dong bing bong! *

Monokuma once again popped up on our e-Handbook screens with his drink.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, our first city trial will now begin shortly! Please make your way to the
Monocity Courthouse, or should I say Courtroom so we can get this going! Investigation is now
over people!”

Ugh, maybe could have used at least a minute. What terrible timing, you stupid bear.

“Time’s up, we have to go, bring it up during the trial, okay Bernie?”

“I-I’ll try…”

The two of us walked down the stairs and out the Hope-tel alongside everyone else. Making our
way to the elevator in Enoshima Park, eyes stared down at Gold as he just ignored them and
continued on. We entered the elevator and Espio clicked the downward button. He still looked
saddened to see his weapon used for murder, rather than protection. As we entered the trial room,
we saw a picture of Misato, like one you would use for a funeral, except for a big X across her
face.

“Welcome everyone to the first city trial of the Monocity Killing Game! It’s time to find out who
killed Misato Tachibana, The Ultimate Arsenal! And remember, you have to vote correctly, or else
the blackened gets to skip town and you all get massacred!”

Monokuma crossed his stubby arms and sat upon that throne like a bratty kid who pretended he
was king. It was time to find out who murdered our companion, and bring them to justice… if only
it wasn’t a cruel and unusual punishment that awaits whoever it is.
Chapter End Notes

The first trial is now underway people! The evidence has been gathered, so it’s time
for the Truth Bullets to be shot, and the Truth Blades to be sharpened. As always, keep
leaving your thoughts on the chapter and tell me what you enjoyed! Have a good day,
night, morning, or evening, whenever you’re reading this.
 Urban Despair Part 5 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The first city trial begins! Who is the blackened? How will Ai use the evidence?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 1: Urban Despair Part 5 (Deadly Life)

Citizens Remaining: 16

“Let’s get started!”

Monokuma stood up on his throne as we all approached the stands. All of us stared each other
down, the judges, jury, and executioners are ready for the trial.

“First things first, let us once again go over the Monokuma File. Misato was killed in her room at
around 5pm with a sharp object, Espio’s kunai.” I said holding my e-Handbook.

“My apologies for not being cautious enough. Now then, the weapon was driven directly into her
chest, thus ending her young life.” The purple chameleon crossed his arms.

Non-Stop Debate

I nodded to him as I faced the others, “Correct. Based on how the door was left open as well,
without much damage, Misato must have let the killer into her room.”

“Why would she just let them in? Wasn’t she expecting Gold to show up?” Shantae asked
curiously.

“You’re saying that as if Gold couldn’t have been the one who murdered her. If he showed up for
their ‘meeting’, then she’d have no reason to be suspicious of him. Thus making him the most
likely suspect.” Alice smirked as she stared at the guy she mentioned.

“Hey, don’t go pointing fingers yet lady, we’ve still got plenty of time until the vote!”

“Gold’s right, we should take more time to look into what we saw in her room.” Miles attempted to
ease the tension, though it’s difficult in this kind of environment.

“Hmph, you shouldn’t be too trusting of him, kid. He still could be the blackened, just like the rest
of us. “ Aoba shrugged at me as I looked over the evidence.

“Anyways, the File doesn’t mention any other injuries given to her, aside from the chest wound.”
Trunks pondered.

“Huh, doesn’t look like she put up much of a fight then.” I heard from Ryuji.

“No, that’s wrong! ” I shouted out.

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Ash on Wall

“You didn’t investigate with us Ryuji, so you probably didn’t notice the ash left on the wall. You
must know by now that Misato always uses weapons that shoot ash… or flour. Can’t really tell.”

“Oh yeah, I think I remember being covered in that stuff this morning after she blasted me…
whoops.” He rubbed the back of his head as I shook mine.

“Hurry this up please, I need some rest. Let’s just say Gold did it and move on.” Sucy moaned.
“Yeah, I’m with her. Just vote for the goggles guy.” Ishigami responded in a deadpan voice.

“Quit rooting against me, Creepy Gal and Emo Boy!” Gold was getting annoyed, but I just dragged
him back to his stand.

“Ugh, can we just continue please?” I told them.

“So we know that Misato attempted to defend herself from her killer, leaving ash on the wall.”
Thanks Trunks.

“I also spotted ash on the mattress while investigating…” Kaiba spoke up for the first time in a
while.

“The weapons we saw in the closet were all hers, which one did she use to leave such a mess?”
Miles said.

Shantae then perked up, “She always carried that bazooka with her, maybe that’s what she
used!”

Once again I noticed a contradiction, “No, that’s wrong! ”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Missing Grenade

“I saw in the weapon closet that there was a bundle of grenades. In that bundle, there was an empty
spot where a fourth one would be.”

Espio promptly responded with, “Misato used a grenade on her murderer, what a collection of
weaponry…”
“She’s not The Ultimate Arsenal for nothing, now we can get to—”

“Have any facts to back that up?!”

ARGUE

Rebuttal Showdown

“Are you sure she couldn’t have used any other weapons? A grenade would have gotten the killer
completely covered in ash.” Alice stared me down.

“Why do you say that?” I asked her.

She continued her argument while I looked for something to counter her with.

“There are no tracks left by the killer, so we could assume the weapon just left marks on the wall
and bed through another weapon! The bazooka seems to be the better option! Misato missed twice,
once the wall and another shot on the bed causing it to move, case closed on that!”

“Cutting-into the contradictions! ” I said as I found the thing to denounce her claim.

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Blade Used: Mattress Position

“A grenade was definitely used here.”

Alice looked a bit shocked, but in a way where I couldn’t tell if she was serious, “Really? Please
elaborate.”

“Sure, a blast from the bazooka could have caused the mattress to tip over, yet ash would have
been on the left side of the mattress.”

“True, we did only see the ash on the bottom of the mattress. Also the bazooka being fired at that
angle could have also just pushed the mattress straight to the right side of the room, without tipping
it.” Killua continued.

“The positioning of the bed suggests that it was covering the grenade leaving the bottom of it
covered in ash and flipped over! Since it was Misato who threw it out, the killer must have tried to
prevent the explosion from being heard by tossing the mattress over it.” I finished.

“Hm… interesting deduction skills you have there. I accept defeat.” Alice put her hand to her chest
and sighed.

“Won’t you guys hurry up? You found less clues than the other guys, yet you’re taking just as
long!”

“Shut up Monokuma, we’re busy!” Emma told the bear, while I wondered what he meant by “other
guys”.

“We solved the mystery of how the crime scene ended up the way it was…” Killua started.

“Now we just gotta find out whodunit!” Ryuji finished as he raised his fist.

“Alright, let’s go catch a criminal!” Shantae cheered.

“You two are being too loud.” Sucy stated, annoyed.

I’m pretty sure that most of us are still suspicious of Gold, but I’ll try to help him out since he’s
proven to me that he isn’t a truly bad guy. Still I have no idea who the true killer could be. Hold
on…
“There’s a few more things left from the crime scene that we need to discuss li—”

“You mean the black hairs lying on the floor, correct?” Kaiba rudely interrupted me.

“That was one of them, but you should have let me finish. Hmph.” I scoffed at him, who then did it
back to me.

“Now now, so what do you think about those hairs Kaiba?” Aoba asked the rich jerk.

“Well I believe that they came from our goggles wearing friend over there. Other than Spider-Boy
over here, he’s the only other person with black hair in this group.”

“What?!” Gold was stunned.

“Considering how the other person’s hair is curly, we can see that it doesn’t match the hair we
found earlier. Thus turning our attention to our culprit. What a shame that you left some obvious
tracks to yourself, you must have been really stressed to have been losing hair at your age...” Kaiba
continued to mock him as Gold got more annoyed.

“That’s it, jerkface! I’m gonna shove my pool cue up your—”

“ORDER IN THE COURT!” Monokuma banged a gavel on his throne.

“Hmph, no one would act that way if they weren’t guilty. It’s time to end this game.” Kaiba closed
his eyes and ignored him.

Non-Stop Debate

“So Gold entered the room so he and Misato could conduct their ‘meeting’...” Aoba began to recap
as if Kaiba was correct.
“He took out Espio’s kunai, making her grab one of her grenades and throw it at him!” Alice
jumped on the bandwagon, “Gold tossed the mattress on top of the explosive so no one could hear
it, the bed getting flipped over in the process. He then proceeded to stab her and run away to get
help, leaving a couple of hairs behind!”

“No, that’s wrong! ”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Black Hair (Costume Shop)

“Not you again, why can’t you just be quiet?” Kaiba told me.

“Sorry, but the hair isn’t from Gold.” I said confidently.

“It’s not?!” Shanate was taken aback by this.

“No, I found this hair from the costume shop in the shopping district. Gold was searching the
restaurants along with Ryuji yesterday, so he had not visited that area yet!”

“There’s a costume shop? I mean, if it helps me prove I’m innocent…” Gold put his arms behind
his head.

“How could you be so sure it’s NOT from Gold?” Aoba responded.

“Simple, it came from a missing wig that was part of a costume set. I saw the person the costume
was based on while walking around Enoshima Park.” I showed them a picture I took of the signs in
the park.

“Okay, but where was Gold exactly during the time of the murder? Espio asked.
“Heh, Super Serious Flower Gal’s got ya covered, right?” Gold… referred to me, I guess?

“Uh, right. He has an alibi.”

Clue Selected: Gold’s Alibi

“Finally! Now it’s starting to look like the trials of old!”

“SHUT UP MONOKUMA!” We all said as he just went to sleep.

“Well then, Gold was out getting snacks at around 4:40pm, twenty minutes until the timeframe of
the murder.”

“That’s it? That’s such an easy thing to lie about.” Ishigami responded appropriately.

“Yeah, and even if it was true, he would have easily been able to put the snacks away, then go kill
her. Couldn’t have taken too long.” Sucy explained.

“That would be true, if Gold wasn’t carrying a ton of snacks.”

Clue Selected: Gold’s Pile of Snacks

I showed them a picture of Gold in his room, next to his snack pile atop his bed.

“A… ton?” Kaiba didn’t know what to think.

“Yup! I just had to try everything and I thought I could share it all with you guys, but from how
things have been going, most of you won’t get any.” Gold crossed his arms.

“Yo, I think I can see you’re not the killer dude.” Ryuji high-fived him and Shantae asked if she
could have some later.
“Yeah, sorry for doubting you man.” Marty gave him a thumbs up.

“Just great, we just lost our only suspect, way to go Ms. Mizuno.” Aoba shook his head and sighed.

“Heh heh heh heh.” Gold rubbed under his nose as he pat my back, ugh I’m both glad and annoyed
at this moment.

“Hold on, we still have something left that we could look at!”

“Wait, really?” Marty was surprised.

“Yeah, show us Ai!” Emma gripped her fists in anticipation.

“We’re all waiting.” Trunks looked at me and I nodded to him.

Clue Selected: Bloody Piece of Cloth

“I got it! There was a bloody piece of cloth left on the bed at the crime scene.”

“That little thing? I just thought it was trash.” Emma wondered.

I zoomed in on an image of the cloth, “Well it’s not, if you look closer, then you can see that it’s a
torn off piece of clothing!”

“I can see it, but still, how can we find out who this belonged to?” Miles looked at me with
concern.

“We can find out by looking to see who’s wearing new clothing.” I answered.
The room just went silent after I said that.

“For real?” Ryuji said.

“Yes, for real.” I told him, “You can tell if someone is wearing cleaner clothes by comparing them
to how they were earlier, can’t you?”

“Well I know I didn’t change.” Gold snarked as I saw crumbs on his shirt, probably from one of the
snacks in the pile.

I surveyed the courtroom, looking for any differences in what everyone has wore today, and then I
made my choice.

“It’s you, isn’t it?! ” I thought in my head.

“That’s a nice jacket you have there, Kaiba.”

“You can’t be serious, this is an assumption that could cost you your life!” He reacted the way I
expected.

“Gold did say not to point fingers like we did, why are you doing it now?” Alice teased me, but I
knew I was right.

“It’s because he’s the one who killed Misato. I’m sure of it.”

“You’re just a big idiot, aren’t you? And here I thought you could have been one of the intelligent
ones, yet you decide to claim that I did it. What a pity…”

“Scoff at me all you want, I have proof. Right Bernadetta?”

“H-HUH?!”

She has just been silently listening to the whole thing, afraid to say a single word.
“Now this is REALLY starting to get ridiculous, relying on a weakling like her for proof? Ha ha ha
ha!” Kaiba laughed, but I smiled at the recluse.

“I know you can do it. Now let him have it!” I encouraged her.

She took a deep breath and finally walked forward to speak.

“I heard a voice outside my room. It mentioned a name that I didn’t recognize, but I think it could
maybe be useful.”

“What?!” Kaiba was stunned.

“I couldn’t hear all of it, but what I could get out of it was, ‘Need…to…for...Mok.’, before walking
off. “

“Kaiba, didn’t you mention a name back during the Monokuma meeting earlier?” I pointed at him.

“I remember him saying a name that sounded like that. But what was it exactly?” Trunks thought to
himself as I looked back on earlier.

And I pieced it together.

MOKUBA

“It’s coming together… ” I said in my thoughts before saying the name.

“Mokuba.”

Kaiba cringed after hearing that name, before his head fell downward in defeat.
“That’s… my little brother’s name.” He let out weakly.

“It’s over. Let’s recall everything that’s happened.” I couldn’t believe I felt bad for him in that
moment.

It’s time for me to sum up everything.

“The killer found Espio’s lost kunai somewhere in the city and kept it for themselves, not knowing
whether they would use it or not. They then saw their loved one being turned into a ‘Remnant of
Despair’ by Monokuma this morning. Witnessing Gold and Misato talking about meeting up and
they decided that the opportunity to strike is there. So while Gold was off scouring for treats,
Misato headed back to the Hope-tel. The killer then visited the costume shop and saw a black wig
on the racks and took it. When Misato opened the door at around 5pm, expecting Gold, the killer
was standing there instead. After seeing the kunai being drawn, Misato took out a grenade and
tossed it at them, prompting the killer to prevent a loud explosion. The bed was tipped over and
with nothing in their way, the killer stabbed Misato in the chest. Noticing blood and perhaps ash
covering their clothing, they removed the bloody part of their outfit on the mattress, as well as
scattering hair from the wig. The killer went back to their room to change their clothes before
joining up with the rest of us. This duel is over, Seto Kaiba.

“Time’s up citizens! Cast your votes on who murdered Misato! Will you make the right choice? Or
the dreadfully wrong one…” Monokuma woke up finally as we all voted.

The votes were tallied up and on a large monitor I saw a slot machine with our faces on them. They
all lined up with Kaiba’s face and he was declared guilty.

“Correct! The blackened was Seto Kaiba! As always it was obvious, for me at least.”

Bernadetta walked up to him oddly enough, “Why? W-why did you kill her?”.

“..... It’s hard to believe, but my little brother Mokuba is what’s most important to me. Seeing him
turned into a slave, forced to take over my world…. It broke me. Besides that, that girl’s hot-
headedness would have caused our downfall eventually. You saw what happened yesterday.”

“I doubt any of us would forgive you, but just know that you weren’t alone in feeling this way.
Monokuma and whoever’s controlling him will pay for this.” I told him.

“Alright this is going on long enough. Now then, I’ve prepared a VERY special punishment for
Seto Kaiba, the Ultimate CEO!” Monokuma chuckled.

“I’m sorry, Mokuba, once again I have lost a game I thought I played well.”

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!”

Monokuma hit his gavel on a button, and the execution began.

GAME OVER

KAIBA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

A shackle shoots out behind a curtain and grabs Kaiba by the neck, dragging him to a strange
battlefield. There were two sides with Kaiba on one end, and an oddly dressed Monokuma with a
strange haircut. Both of them had some disk things on their arms along with stacks of cards. The
battlefield activated between them and projections started appearing.

Execution: The Forbidden One

Kaiba and Monokuma were battling using the cards in their decks and causing monsters and spells
to appear on the projection field. I then noticed there were numbers on the side of their platforms,
they started at 8000, before dropping to 4000, to 2000, 1000 etc.. Eventually Kaiba summoned a
large white dragon with blue eyes and told it to attack Monokuma, who’s number reached 500.
Monokuma then whipped out five cards and summoned a titan of a monster. Kaiba kneeled down,
almost like he knew what was coming and was crushed by the summoned monster, his number
reaching 0.

.
All of us witnessed this sight, in an instant, Seto Kaiba was killed before our eyes.

We did this.

Bernadetta was in tears and I hugged her as they began to form in my eyes as well. Monokuma
proceeded to laugh maniacally as he dismissed us back to the Hope-tel.

I didn't feel any sense of victory, only regret. Kaiba murdered Misato, but he was also a victim. I
walked all the way to my door, until I ran into them. Trunks, Miles, Emma, Bernadeta, Gold, Ryuji,
Marty, Killua, and Shantae.

"Hey, thanks for solving the case Ai." Trunks looked at me with a forced, but sincere smile.

Bernie was next, "Yeah, I didn't think I'd have the confidence to reveal say what I needed to
without your support."

"You saved my butt out there, could have been toasted like a Cianwood City sweet potato!" Gold
patted my back, but he looked like he was faking a smile too.

The others all complimented how I was out there, solving the case, and I managed to let out a small
smile despite the pain (didn't think a zombie like me could still feel that). We all hung out until the
10pm announcement, the snack pile Gold had ended up looking smaller than it was earlier. The
whole thing felt nice, we needed it after that excruciatingly long trial. It's going to take so much
time to get over the events of today, and there could be darker days ahead, yet we need to move on.

For their sake.

Fictional Nexus
Chapter End Notes

URBAN DESPAIR IS OVER. I feel so much better after writing this out. There’s a lot
of problems here, but I hope this wasn’t too bad. Thanks for following this story so far,
I can't believe there’s people even reading this thing! HOPE you all can continue
following it until the Final Trial ends! For now I need to take a break and learn how
many truth bullets should ACTUALLY be collected. Also remember that Free-Time
Event requests are still open.
 Johnny Beach Goode Part 1 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

The group still needs to learn how to cooperate, even after the first trial. Also, a certain
group is contacted about this killing game...

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 2: Johnny Beach Goode Part 1 (Daily Life)

Citizens Remaining: 15

“Another killing game? Are you sure?” A silhouette of a young man with spiky hair is seen talking
on a phone.

“Alright, maybe I’ll see if one of the Remnants would want to check it out for themselves.
Goodbye then, Headmaster Naegi.”

A young woman approached him, short hair and a camera hanging off her shoulder, “Did I hear
that correctly, Makoto said there was another killing game happening? How is that possible?”.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to have to find out somehow. He said a large artificial structure was
found in the middle of the ocean, and someone managed to snag a few pictures. They’re not as
good as yours so they weren’t able to get much, but you could kind of see a group of people and a
certain bear.” He showed the camera girl the blurry photos and she gasped.

“In any case, you mentioned having to send someone to check it out for themselves. I could
volunteer, although I wouldn’t be much help to them. Oh to be like another lucky student...” A
certain shaggy haired young man was also there.

“(sighs) We just need someone who can manage to get to that area and make contact with the
participants. I could try to bust in, but who knows what kind of security measures they have there.
We need someone with skills that the mastermind would have failed to account for....”
“Fuhahahahahaha! The time has come for you to FEAST, go my Twelve Zodiac Generals!”

Sweat rolls down the faces of the other three as they approach the guy who just yelled.

< Back with Ai’s perspective >

One hour and fifteen minutes.

That’s how long it’s been since I went to bed.

After our little hangout session after the trial, I just went straight to my room, took a shower to
wash off the makeup, then changed into my pajamas. There’s no leaving my room now, so I’m just
stuck here alone with my thoughts, unless I’m willing to get caught looking undead. I’m currently
stuck thinking about the two people we lost today.

Misato was pretty friendly unless you invoked her temper and got hit by her weapons. Gold truly
believed that she was willing to become friends with him and not having an ulterior motive, which
could go either way. But I wonder if at some point those weapons could have been filled with
actual ammunition, were she to become a murderer… ugh I shouldn’t think like that, then I would
be thinking like Kaiba.

He was far from cooperative with anyone in this group, more often than not he was off doing his
own thing. I should have seen the signs of him becoming the blackened through talking down to
Espio for losing his weapon like that. However, I never would have expected him to be so greatly
affected by Monokuma’s motive. He was willing to kill Misato, just to free his brother from mind
control. I wouldn’t call that honorable by any means, but at least it showed us he wasn’t truly
heartless.

Speaking of the mind control, how are we going to fix this? Monokuma has turned our friends and
loved ones into slaves, Remnants of Despair as he calls them. There has to be some way of turning
them back into their normal selves, a reverse brainwashing method that doesn’t involve hurting
them. Also, even if we do manage to snap them out of it, they could have already wrecked our
home worlds then, being seen as corrupt terrorists. Just so much to worry about, while we were
just sitting around, trapped in a city with an evil robotic teddy bear.

I sigh as I finally close my eyes to get some rest, thinking about this too much could drive me
crazy. Hoping that these next few days will be more relaxing, and at the very least normal.

MONOKUMA THEATER

“You’ve probably noticed that this whole city has many references to Danganronpa characters!”

“The Ultimates are like celebrities here! As they should be with how popular all of them are.”

“Except for Hiro. I haven’t seen a single person out there who has him as their favorite, and in a
series like this? With so many great characters, he’s one of the least interesting!”

“How did he even survive Trigger Happy Havoc? Oops, spoilers for readers who haven’t played
the games.”

“Then again, why are you reading if you’re not knowledgeable about the series? Go watch the
anime at least! It’s not perfect, but if you’re not going to buy the games, at least be educated!”

“Oops, got off topic. Maybe we should get recommendations for other city locations based on
characters from the entire series… Danganronpa 1, 2, 3, Ultra Despair Girls, and V3!”

.
.

* Ding dong, bing bong! *

“Gooooooood morning Mono—”

I just turned off the tv because I’m not in the mood to hear that bear’s voice. Unfortunately the
screen just turned on again to finish the morning announcement, just great.

“ Now then, a quick news dump since you all are probably still feeling gloomy! A new section of
the city has been opened up! And I think you’re all gonna like what it is! In other news, our
esteemed mayor is running for re-election, new specials are available in the restaurant district,
and the weather’s good enough to go swimming, hint hint. Have a good day citizens!”

I need to remind myself to vote for another candidate, if there is one anyways. More importantly
though, it looks like one of the metal walls is going down, so I should meet up with the others
soon. Well, after breakfast of course. After getting myself ready, I decided to wear the t-shirt,
sweats, and sneakers outfit I wear when practicing for concerts. The bear must have learned his
lesson after peeping in on me yesterday, thank god.

“Morning Ai!” Gold greeted me, grinning from ear to ear as he, Miles, and Emma were right
behind him.

“Good morning.” I couldn’t believe he wasn’t feeling as down as I was in this situation, though I
don’t really know how he’s feeling on the inside.

I knocked on Bernadetta’s door and she reluctantly came out. The five of us walked down to the
lobby to see Marty, Ryuji, Killua, and Shantae greeting us. Trunks just gave a little wave and a
smile, as I noticed Espio was just sitting there silently in the corner chair. He was probably still
feeling guilty for having his kunai being taken and used for murder. I walked over and patted him
on the back, yet I don’t think that helped much. Sitting down to have an egg sandwich, I see some
of the people who just went straight to their rooms last night.

“Ah! It’s the group who were having fun last night! I wish I could have joined you!” Alice put her
hand to her mouth as she laughed, walking alongside Aoba.
“You guys really are something, having fun after putting someone to death.” He said sitting down
on the sofa.

“Jeez, good morning to you too pal.” Ryuji sneered at Aoba before digging into some ramen (for
breakfast, really?), “So what now?”

“We just have to wait for—” Trunks was interrupted by the arrival of the two he was about to
mention, Sucy and Ishigami, “... you two.”

“Yo.” Ishigami said as the two of them took their seats.

“You guys were too loud last night, next time that happens, I’ll make you grow mushrooms in your
head.” Sucy gave a deadpan threat. (I think Junko actually grew mushrooms in her head once)

“Yeesh!” Marty was taken aback by what she said.

“Now that everyone’s here let us begin our next meeting. Before we explore this new area
Monokuma’s opened up, is there anything we should address?” Trunks put his hand down on the
round table in the middle of the lobby.

“I have one, it’s about how we’re all from different worlds.” I stood up in front of everyone as I
began, “The worlds where we’re from are all listed down in our e-Handbooks. Saga, Johto,
Brooklyn, Fódlan, etc., we’re all clearly not from the same place. So how was the mastermind able
to bring us together, hypnotize our loved ones, and set everything up despite all of that?”

“I fought a guy who made a machine to open portals into other dimensions, maybe they used
similar tech?” Miles told us.

“Makes sense, considering how Monokuma is also a complex machine. The person who built him
has got to be a genius right?” Killua asked.

“I’m used to traveling back in time, but whoever pulled this off must be way smarter than Doc.”
Marty said as Trunks nodded, “I’ve met gods who have the ability to travel to other universes, as
well as time. Maybe they have managed to gain powers to that of a god?”
Bernadetta shivered after the previous statement, “S-someone who can make scary stuff like that…
how can we even fight them?”.

“We just have to keep exploring until we find a way to beat them! Let’s get to checking out the
new area!” Emma was full of energy as always.

“Hold on! We still need to talk for at least a little longer!” I told her as she was getting ready to run
out of Hope-tel.

“Really? The more time we spend here in this hotel, the less time we have to search the new area.”
Sucy was walking out the door, Ishigami, Alice, and Aoba right behind her.

“Well, if everyone’s going… I better lead the way!” Gold hopped on his skateboard and rolled out
the door.

“You’ve got a board too, huh? Time for a race then.” Killua got his and followed him.

“Ooh, I want one of those! Wait up!” Emma finally ran out the door, with only Myself, Miles,
Trunks, Shantae, Espio, Ryuji, and Marty there.

“Ugh, we really need to be more united. How about we meet up again later once we’re done
searching?” I crossed my arms, annoyed at how impatient everyone is.

“Y-yeah, I’ll be sure to let everyone know about that.” Trunks actually flew outside, startling me.

“I… guess I’m Ret-2-Go, haha… meeting later, gotcha.” Shantae dashed away hoping to catch up
with everyone.

After seeing Miles shrug and then swing from his “webs”, I need to ask him about those later, we
told Espio to follow the rest of us. I finished my food and disposed of it properly before we joined
the crowd. As soon as we reached the wall, I counted everyone there to make sure nobody was
missing. The metal wall then lowered down and we saw a terrible sight.
“Aloha, citizens!”

Monokuma was in a shell bikini and was strumming a ukulele. We were left exasperated,
speechless at the display.

“W-wha? Don’t I look good in this? It’s an old favorite of mine!”

“No, you don’t.” Miles told him honestly.

“Aw… you’re all too cruel for your own good. Anywho, welcome to the new section of
Monocity!”

Behind him was the ocean and a beach, though towards the end you can see the wall still blocking
the rest of it. Dang it, there’s no swimming out of here then. A number of beach huts selling
surfboards, swimsuits, and food were placed throughout, but one thing that stood out from this
location was a store. It was on the opposite side of the beach and was the only other location there.
A large department store with a sign saying “Hifumi Yamada’s World of 2D…. And 3D.”, also a
statue of a round glasses-wearing boy, who I could assume was Hifumi Yamada. One more thing
that I haven’t seen ever since I got there, a stage for performances.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jabberwock Coast!”

Isn’t that the name of a monster? Whatever, I’m not willing to put my feet in the water right now.
It’s time to begin searching.
Fictional Nexus
Chapter End Notes

The second chapter has begun! If you’ve played Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair,
you probably guessed who the people at the beginning were. If you haven’t, just look
them up on the wiki. Hopefully their integration into this story goes smoothly! Keep
the comments/reviews coming people, they give me the motivation to continue writing
and learn from my mistakes. See ya!
 Johnny Beach Goode Part 2 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Alice has a very surprising idea for the rest of her companions, and The Ultimate
Breeder departs for Monocity.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 2: Johnny Beach Goode Part 2 (Daily Life)

Citizens Remaining: 15

“What the…”

I let out as I saw a cardboard cutout of myself in my uniform in full makeup, holding an onion.

“Well that’s freaky like Friday…” Gold says as he walks up to me, holding a manga with himself
on it.

The two of us, along with Ryuji & Shantae are browsing through this department store filled with
manga, anime, video games, movies, and their merchandise. Ryuji squinted as a tv screen showed
him in a weird pirate outfit with a skull mask, beating up monsters with a bat.

“H-how did they get this stuff?!” Shantae picks up two games based on her.

“I dunno, maybe the evil guy behind the bear just wants to mess with us.” Ryuji says as he picks
up a copy of “Persona 5 Royal”, “I mean, what? Are they trying to make us think we’re not real?”

“Well in this world we aren’t, so in a way that’s true.” I explained it as the three of them looked at
me confused.
“I guess, but man I’m getting tired thinking about this crap!” Ryuji put his hands to his head like he
was having a headache.

“Yeah same here dude. You guys wanna go get something to eat?” Gold said as he hit a plastic red
and white ball with his pool cue.

“Hell yeah! I’m starving!” Ryuji responded as the two of them waltzed out the door, knocking over
the statue on the way out.

“I actually think I might get a headache with those two around.” I said to Shantae as she nodded in
agreement.

The food in this city is actually pretty delicious, if we weren’t placed in a killing game, I would
have liked to visit this place…. once. Though we haven’t seen the rest of it yet, so I’ll see if I
change my mind later on.

“Man this is so gooood…..” Ryuji rubbed his stomach as Gold finished shoving a fish taco into his
mouth.

“If we get great food with every area that opens up…” Gold licks his fingers before I bonk him on
the head.

“Don’t finish that sentence.”

“What I was just going to jo— ow! Man, you’re just as serious as her…”

Whoever he was referring to, I’m surprised anyone could put up with him for very long back on his
world. I leaned back into my chair, looking over the ocean, well the ocean that’s still blocked by
the giant wall. The breeze kinda felt nice, and if I had some of that waterproof zombie (they were
for shoes actually) spray, I actually considered taking a dip in the water.

“How are you all liking it so far?”

It’s ruined now.

“It’s pretty nice, but why are you here? Come to give us another dumb murder motive?”

Shantae pointed at Monokuma, who just laughed it off.

“Ahhhhh-hahahahaha! To be honest, no! Having your loved ones under my control has REALLY
gotten under your skin, so I think that after the next trial, I’ll just show you an update!”

“An update? You mean actual footage of what happened, after you messed up their brains?” Ryuji
stood up from his seat, like he was about to hurt the bear, unfortunately he can’t do that.

“Yup! Plus a quick look at how amazingly bad your homes are!”

“Just shut up Robo-Teddiursa…. wait, speaking of Pokémon, where did you put my partners?!”

“Partners?” Me and the other two looked at Gold as he was getting angrier.

“Exbo, Aibo, Polibo, Sunbo, Sudobo, Togebo, etc., what did you do to them?!”

“Bwa-hahahahaha! You’d really think I’d let you have those things on you? They’re still here, but
I’M KEEPING THEM UNLESS YOU KILL AND GET AWAY WITH IT. Sure they could be
used to murder people, but I think that’d be too easy for you. You did threaten to shove that pool
cue somewhere on someone, so maybe…”

“Shut up you stupid… AGH!” He banged the table with his fist, so I just pulled him back before he
could do something even more stupid than what he usually does.

“That’s enough, we’ll look for them as we try to find an escape route.” I told him as he was taking
some deep breaths.

“Well now, I better get going! Maybe you should cool off in the water later on!” The bear
disappeared again, I still wonder how he does it.
“We should get back to the others, they should be done searching the area by now. Stay calm,
Gold.” I sat up and threw away my trash into the proper container as the goggle-wearing skater
grumbled to himself.

Luckily, the rest of them were at the last place we had to check, the stage area. Alice waved at us
as everyone was gathered.

“Nothing out of the ordinary here, just a regular stage for a concert.” Miles said as he jumped down
from the metal rafters above it.

“Dude, you gotta teach me how to do that superhero landing.” Ryuji praised.

“So what did you guys find in that department store?” Killua asked from down stage.

“Some really crazy things, posters, games, movies, manga, our faces all over them!” Gold
explained.

“That’s… very strange. I should go check this out myself later on.’ Trunks rubs the back of his
head.

“You had a bunch of figures with your hair all gold and stuff! Can you actually do that, or is that
just a haircut change?” Shantae grips her fists as she looks at him with sparkles in her eyes.

Sweat rolls down his head as he attempts to say something, “W-well, it’s kinda hard to explain
but…”, I simply just chose to bring up another thing that happened, “Be sure to tell us later on.
Monokuma came by to tell us something, there’s no other motive right now, but after the next trial
he’ll show us an update on our home worlds.”

“Interesting…” Aoba pondered.

“I-I’m worried about what happened to our loved ones, but I don’t want to have another trial
again…” Bernadetta looked downwards fearfully.
“I really hate thinking about how everyone is doing back home, but we can’t just forget them. We
need to make it out of here so we can save them!” Emma raised her fist in the air, her ahoge
bouncing with her.

It’s true, it hurts thinking about how badly we need to help the people we care about, yet we need
to stay focused on escaping so we can be able to help them at all. We also need to find ways to be
more cooperative with each other, so that we can actually try that plan I came up with. Not
committing murder so that Monokuma opens up the entire city to give us more options of escape.
How can we manage to come closer together?

I thought about this for a bit while the other talked before the Ultimate Gastronomist spoke up,
“Hey! Why don’t we have a big beach party with a concert! That sounds fun, right?”

“What?!” Everyone said in shock.

“Yeah! We can all go get swimsuits from the stores around town, go swimming, then I can cook up
some my perfect meals! To end the day off, we can have our Ultimate Idol perform for us with
fireworks too!” She giggled while the rest of us struggled to make a response.

“I mean, it does sound like a good bonding experience for everyone but…” I started and then Miles
finished, “Yeah, how can you be so sure about pulling something like this off?”

“I’m down for a party, but in a place like this?” Gold spun his pool cue before planting it on the
ground.

“I think we should go for it! We could have possibly prevented the first murder by getting to know
each other more, so this is the perfect time to do it!” Emma cheered.

“I can do some great dances too if you want to see me!” Shantae twirled around before winking to
us.

“I’m actually a member of a band, so I could play guitar and sing with you gals too. I think I know
the perfect one to play.” Marty raised his hand awkwardly as I sighed, “Alright, whoever wants to
have a beach get-together, raise your hand.”
Bernadetta, Aoba, Ishigami, Sucy, and Espio didn’t raise their hands, although for the latter he
didn’t really feel like raising his. Majority rule wins out.

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been on stage, but I hope this will help motivate us into finding
our escape route. How about in three days?”

Everyone who raised their hands nodded as we all split up for the day, the meeting over. I still feel
like I could get some things done today, so I think I’ll hang around for a bit longer.

Free Time Start

“I see… a reconnaissance mission for a new killing game… very well. I shall accept this offer, in
hopes of those participants to be grateful enough to serve the Tanaka Empire.”

The hammy young man dressed in a black outfit and a purple scarf smiled as he was informed of
his task.

“Oh! I’ll be sure to take good care of some of the hamsters you leave behind. Thank you for taking
on such a dangerous request!” A stunning young woman in a dress said, prompting him to blush a
little.

“T-thank you. Be sure to provide them with the nutrients they’ll need to continue bringing
destruction…” He responded, pulling up his scarf while a guy in a yellow jumpsuit grits his shark-
like teeth at the scene.

Hopping atop a dolphin that he managed to summon (don’t question his powers), the “Dark Lord”
heads away from the boat he and his companions were traveling on. The spiky haired young man
looking on with the others, seeing him off.

“Hey Hajime, are you sure we can count on him alone? Yeah sure, he’ll probably be the last
person the mastermind could have predicted…”

“But you don’t think he’ll be smart enough to find a way to free them, right Mahiru?”

“Yeah! His whole schtick about knowing ‘dark magic’ or whatever doesn’t seem to be the best
option. Sure he can command legions of animals, but we have no idea what the mastermind has
planned!”

“If he needs any help, he’ll contact us. He may be eccentric, but he really does care for ‘mortals’
like us. Also I did consider everyone else, but I felt his talent could be the most strategic one for
this mission. I guess you can say I feel pretty hopeful about his chances of success.”

“Ugh, you better be right about this. If you aren’t, I can’t wait to see the look on your face. I would
need to take a photo of it to remember it.”

“H-hey, don’t be like that… hold on, speaking of photos, remember when you said you’d give me
your old camera once we got off the island?”

“I do remember, yes.”

“Well, you were about to say something else afterward, what exactly was it?”

Her face almost became as red as her hair, “U-um, it was… ah! I better make sure Hiyoko’s not
bothering Mikan, bye!”

Hajime was just left there questioning what just happened.

Fictional Nexus
Chapter End Notes

Okay before any of you go theorizing, they are all the real versions of those characters
from their own worlds. Though it is odd how the mastermind has managed to gather
all that merchandise… oh well! Hope you enjoyed this! Freetime begins next time!
Also considering making a list of who's survived thus far, instead of relying on an
image that doesn't really work on desktop, unless you guys can see it too.
 Johnny Beach Goode Part 3 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

A relaxing chapter with Free Time Events taking it up!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 2: Johnny Beach Goode Part 3 (Daily Life)

Citizens Remaining: 15

I knocked on the door two rooms away from my own and Miles answered it.

“What’s up, Ai?”

“Do you want to hang out for a bit?”

“Sure, I have nothing to do right now. You want to listen to some music? I know you’re a singer so
I thought you might enjoy some of these songs.”

I nodded my head and I made my way into his room. His mask and suit was hanging in the closet
and the containers for his webs were on his desk. I sat down on the bed and he gave me his pair of
headphones. I listened to some R&B and dream pop, the music sounded wonderful and the lyrics
flowed well with the songs.

It looks like Miles and I grew a little closer.

“So I was meaning to ask you, that ‘web’ you shoot out of your wrist, how does that work?” I asked
him as he got up and grabbed the containers.

“Oh, these are my web shooters. I was given them by the previous Spider-Man’s aunt. I just click
the button like this, then it fires the web!” He demonstrated by shooting a spot on the wall making
a spider web pattern.

“Impressive, do you actually know what it’s made of?”

“Not exactly, but I knew my predecessor came up with the formula on his own. Also that it
dissolves after an hour.”

“ This other Spider-Man must have been quite intelligent to make such an impressive fluid .” I
thought to myself, “Hm, you’re the Ultimate Successor, correct?”

“Yeah, I am. Weird title to give me though.”

“Not the strangest one out of all of us.”, I smiled before getting back to my question, “Anyways,
did the previous Spider-Man retire and give you this role?”

He looked surprised for a bit before looking down at his untied shoes, “Well he uh… got killed in
battle.”

I suddenly felt guilt for even asking that question, “Oh, I’m very sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up
any past memories.”

“No no, it’s okay. It’s been a while since then, you don’t have to worry.” He gave a reassuring
smile.

“Alright, I’ll try not to ask such personal questions without consent.”

It was quiet for a bit until he suddenly jolted up.

“Shoot! I forgot! I’ll see you later Ai, Alice asked me to carry supplies for the party!”

He grabbed his web shooters and ran out the door. After organizing everything the way it was, I
promptly left. I should try bringing up other things the next time we talk, when I brought up his
predecessor he looked a bit down for a moment.

After resting in my room for a bit I saw that there was a lot more time until nighttime, I can’t
accomplish anything by staying still.

Walking over to Jabberwock Coast I spotted Shantae practicing her belly dancing on the stage. It’s
been a while since I’ve done any idol work, so I should try to loosen my joints…and hopefully my
limbs won’t fall off. I joined up with her and we practiced, until she was out of breath.

It looks like Shantae and I grew a little closer.

“I really hope this party raises everyone’s spirits! We need to work together to make it out of here!”
She panted.

“Agreed. Although it is difficult, considering what we went through literally yesterday...”

“Oh yeah… that was yesterday… we really need to pull this off then. A lot of us have been on edge
as of late, like Gold earlier.” She switched from sad, to determined, quickly.

“Yes, we need a performance that can inspire the others to cooperate. I wish that those fake smiles
we’ve been wearing would be replaced with real ones.”

“Hey Ai, can I tell you something?”

“What is it?” I asked as I turned to her.

“Despite being part genie, I haven’t really granted anyone’s wish, except once.”

“I see, what does that have to do with—” She suddenly got in closer before I could finish.

“I think I’ll try to grant that one during the party! We’ll dazzle everyone with our performance so
that they’ll be genuinely smiling. With smiles all around, we can start opening up to each other!”
I looked at her silently for a while before responding, “Well, let’s keep going then, and make that
wish can come true.” We both nodded to each other as we kept dancing.

The two of us walked back to the Hope-tel and bid each other farewell for the day. Before going to
bed I looked at my e-Handbook and saw that the rules were updated:

Rule #7: Once a murder takes place, a city trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is
mandatory for all surviving citizens, unless excused.

Rule #8: If the guilty party is exposed during the city trial, they alone will be executed.

Rule #9: If the guilty party is not exposed, they alone will move away, and all remaining
citizens will be executed.

Rule #10: Lending your e-Handbook to another citizen is strictly prohibited.

Rule #11: The guilty party may only kill a maximum of two people during any single "Killing
Game."

Rule #12: Attempting to break into locked rooms is strictly prohibited.

Ugh, while I was just starting to forget about murder and trials. While we can’t just turn a blind eye
to the deaths of Misato & Kaiba, we need to find a way to move forward. Work together, prevent
more killings from happening, find a way out of this city.

Thinking about this stuff too much can make it hard to concentrate on those things. We can’t give
in to the killing game. We can’t give in to…

MONOKUMA THEATER

“Despair! Hope! A lot of people have been tired of the war between them as this series has gone
on!”

“As for me, I say let the war rage on!”

“Hope will eventually give in… eventually…”

“I mean our protagonist this time around doesn’t even have the ahoge! That certainly means that
she’ll fail unlike the others!”

“... What? I just like to be confident, nothing wrong with supporting my side!”

* Ding dong, bing bong! *

I woke up realizing that I just drifted to sleep.

Also I woke up realizing Monokuma was in my room.

“What do you want?!”

“Ah! Zombie! Please help! Oh wait…” He giggled to himself as I hesitated to punt him into the
wall.

“What. Do. You. Want?” I repeated, not willing to take any chances with this bear.

“Bwa-hahahahahaha! I just felt like waking up every citizen personally today. Looking good by
the way.”

“Shut up and go away.”

“Man, you’re too mean. Can’t let the mayor have his fun after working long hours in his office,
handing paperwork to my secretary....”

“Oh wow, you look like you need a break… maybe you should call this whole thing off and go on
vacation…” I sarcastically said to him as I got out of bed, my bandaged feet on the carpet.

“Ha ha ha! Like that will ever happen! With your attitude towards me, you’re lucky I haven’t
revealed you’re a zombie to the others!”

“Why haven’t you? You could have just brought me here and not give me any makeup to put on.”

“I just want to let them find out on their own, let you build up trust and then… BOOM, exploded
zombie chunks when they do! That’s some good despair, finding out you’ve been with a zombie
this whole time, someone they’ve learned to trust.”

“Ugh…” I turned away from him as he disappeared.

When I went to go change I opened a drawer and a can of that water-proof (shoe) zombie spray was
in there with a note.

“Even if I had to look at your ugly face, that doesn’t mean the others should have to… yet.” I read
aloud before tearing it up.

I finished getting ready, putting on my regular school uniform and walked out the door to find our
familiar group.

“Good morning Ai!” Emma greeted with a big smile.

“Hey.” Miles said with an upwards nod.

“Yo…” Gold said while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
After getting Bernadetta, we saw that the usual suspects were there, and the same missing people
were gone too. We didn’t agree to meet here every morning, but still, they should know that a
meeting like this lets us know our statuses.

Aoba then came down from the elevator and sat down next to me.

“Ah, good morning Ms. Mizuno. Wasn’t expecting me, were you?” He smirks.

Ugh, I can't understand this guy at all.

“Well, yes to be frank.”

“Ah, my apologies for making you think like that. I should learn to be on time like everyone else.”
He bowed at me a little, which honestly surprised me.

“N-no need for that.” I quickly readjusted myself as Alice, Ishigami, and Sucy showed up.

We all ate breakfast together, and with the restaurants having so many options, it’s hard to get tired
of the meals. Though I do get tired of the lack of manners.

“Can you two eat more quietly?” I asked politely.

“Hey, we can’t help it if the food’s this good! It’s one of the only things this place has going for it,
and we’re gonna chow down!” Gold shouted.

“Hell yeah! We don’t know what could happen in this stupid killing game, but we’re going to live
every moment like it’s our last! Besides, this place has got to have a gym somewhere, so I could
work off all this fat!” Ryuji cheered next to him.

I sighed in exasperation before I spot Killua sneaking by.

He turned to me and let out a, “Shhhh.”, just what was he planning?

He then grabbed Gold’s pool cue and knocked over both of their plates onto them.

“You damn brat!”

“Get back here!”

The two of them chased after the silver-haired kid, who clearly thought it was hysterical. I then
heard a small giggle to my left and I saw Bernadetta enjoying it a little. That made me smile as I
laughed at the scene unfolding before me, along with some of the others. I saw Espio smile for the
first time, along with Trunks.

It actually felt nice to have a morning where we didn’t argue or have an announcement from
Monokuma (Though his wakeup call was unpleasant). Maybe there is a bit of hope with this group
after all.
Fictional Nexus (image works on mobile)
Chapter End Notes

Kind of a relaxing chapter, the next one will KINDA be one as well. Free Time Events
will continue as long as you request them, if not I’ll choose who we have next. Thanks
again to anyone who reads this! And remember feedback is encouraged!
 Johnny Beach Goode Part 4 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Ai decides to build a memorial for the departed, and also hangs out with two Shōnen
Jump stars in Alice and Trunks!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 2: Johnny Beach Goode Part 4 (Daily Life)

Citizens Remaining: 15

Now then, after that session of laughs, what shall I do today? It’s only two more days until the
party, so let’s go explore.

Free Time Sta—

“Puhuhuhu~.” Monokuma guffawed as he popped up in front of me.

“You again? I was just starting to think that today was going to be normal.”

“What? I forgot to give you something this morning! Unless of course you don’t want it…” He
pretended to kick up dirt depressingly.

“Just give it to me, but if it’s not important don’t bother.”

“Man, you’re really cold to guys like me, definitely the tsundere in your idol group. Ahem, here
you go!”

Obtained Monocoins!
“This is… interesting currency, but for what?”

“Seventy-eight Monocoins after your performance in the City Trial! Everyone was given a certain
amount depending on how helpful they were in solving the murder case. These can be used to buy
items from the vending machines at the Shopping District. As well as the MonoMono Machine,
where you can test your luck to get rare items!”

“And what can these items be used for, exactly?

“You want to build up friendships with your companions, right? So what better way than to bribe
them with gifts?!”

“I see…”

“Oop! One more thing…” He then took out something I clearly remembered two days ago, the
device Kaiba wore on his arm.

“Make a memorial or something with that Duel Disk! I even left Misato’s room open so you can
get one of her things too! Just a reminder that all of you can’t run away from what happened to
them, even if you do become closer. Ahhhhh-hahahahahahahaha!!”

“Tch…” I took a deep breath to try and calm myself. Try all he wants, he can’t break me.

I went back to my room and placed the Duel Disk on my desk before walking down the hall to the
room where it happened. I hesitantly pushed the door open and it was completely clean, like Misato
was never there. I looked in the closet and saw a single bazooka there, covered in a bit of dust.

Taking it, I slowly closed the door and someone was there to greet me.

“Oh. Mizuno-san.” Yu Ishigami, the Ultimate Pessimist greeted me unenthusiastically.

“Ishigami. How long have you been there?”

“I just got here to see the door to Misato’s room open and you walking out. Not planning anything
with that thing, are you?”

I lifted the bazooka, it was actually lighter than I thought, “This? Not really. Monokuma just told
me it was open.”

“Hm. Alright. Kinda suspicious, but what do I know?” He just walked away, not giving a second
glance at me.

“ Rude .” I thought before going back to my room and placing the two items together.

A memorial… that didn’t seem like too bad of an idea.

I took down the names of our departed companions from their doors, luckily they also had video
game sprites of their faces as well. Along with their specific items, I went down to the beach to try
and find somewhere to place them.

Free Time Start (for real this time)!

“Oh hello, Ai!”

Alice approached me, eyes closed, big smile on her face.

“What are you doing with those?” She asked, tilting her head.

I explained to her about the memorial and she gladly volunteered to help set it up. I appreciated less
work as she went and found an extra table. The two of us set up the memorial with the designated
items and names arranged correctly, along with two candles.

It looks like Alice and I grew a little closer.

“Ah! In exchange for helping you out with setting this up, you get to be my taste tester!”
“Taste tester? Oh right. You’re a chef, right?”

“Indeed, though I would like to say I’m much more than that. I am called the Ultimate
Gastronomist after all ahahaha!” She puts her hand over her mouth as she laughs.

I then remembered the definition of a gastronomy, the study of the relationship between food and
culture. I wonder what kinds of dishes she could make with her skillset.

“Come on! Come on!” She dragged me over to one of the huts and I saw quite the stunning
arrangement of food.

Dishes displayed in a way that make it look like artwork.

“I know you like meat dishes, sooooo I think you’d like these!”

There were three types of beef, all cut, seasoned, and cooked in diverse fashions. I chose the one in
the center because it looked to be my preferred type, grilled. I inserted the perfectly shaped bite
into my mouth and…

THE FLAVOR FLOWED THROUGH ME LIKE A RIVER OF STEAK. I couldn’t tell what kind
of ingredients she used in it, but it all just worked together in harmony. I felt like I was going to
melt right through the floor and I stumbled a bit, causing Alice to giggle at me.

Luckily I regained my footing and swallowed before complimenting the chef, “Mph, it’s
amazing!”.

“Really? I couldn’t tell by your reaction…” She grinned from ear to ear after hearing that, which
annoyed me a bit, but I got over it.

I tried the rest of the meat palette and sat down, trying to take it all in, “Ah… I can’t wait to try the
rest next time…”

“Hee hee, I’ll be sure to make as much as I can. Especially for big eaters like you and—”
“Yo! What’s up ladies?” Ryuji greeted us, as I stood up to do the same.

“Is this what we’re eating in two days? Weird…” Gold picked up another one of the dishes,
unimpressed.

“Them.” Alice finished as she just shoved food into their mouths and they began to melt the same
way I had.

“Ahhhh….” I heard from the both of them as I went on to continue exploring the island.

I bid farewell to the three of them and passed by the memorial we set up. Thankfully it was left
untouched and I breathed a sigh of relief. I continued to stare at it silently, for their souls to be at
ease, before moving on.

There’s still a lot of time left.

Free Time

I decided to take a closer look at the department store with merchandise of us everywhere.

I walked over to that area and saw a capsule machine labeled, MonoMono Machine. So this is what
he was talking about. Just to test things out, I inserted three Monocoins into the slots and turned the
key. What I received was a Whetstone and a box set of 23 movies labelled The Infinity Saga.

Not looking to carry more stuff by hand, I saw a nearby shopping bag and placed the two items
into it. I looked around for a bit in the store and spotted Trunks observing a small figure.

“Good afternoon, Trunks.”

“Oh, hello there, Ai.”

We both politely waved to each other as I came closer to see what he was holding. The figure was
the same one Shantae saw from before, Trunks with gold and spiky hair.
“I did say that you could tell me about it later on. Well are you willing to talk about it now? If
you’re comfortable of course.”

“Well, if you’re curious, I’ll try to explain it in the best way I can.”

He went on to explain that he’s half-Saiyan, a group of human-like aliens with great strength and
potential. The story didn’t really drag, Trunks tried his best not to be too confusing with the
information.

It looks like Trunks and I grew a little closer. I then remembered I had the Whetstone and handed it
to a swordsman who could have needed it.

“Wow! This is quite a gift, I’ll be sure to take good care of this.” It looks like he really liked it.

“So the form you take right here, it’s called Super Saiyan?”

“Yes, would you like me to demonstrate it?”

“Sure, but maybe in a safer location.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t be so careless. How about the city square? That’s pretty open.”

I asked if he could give me a lift there and he was pretty gentle. He floated carefully over to the
square and set me down without any problem.

“Being able to fly must be nice, isn’t it?”

“It is more convenient compared to other forms of travel, so I have to agree. Plus it’s quicker.
Alright, stand back a bit.” He said as air circulated around him and I dashed over behind a nearby
bench.
“HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!” An eruption of golden light exploded and it almost pushed me back a
few feet.

I walked over to Trunks, slowly so I couldn’t get thrown away by the immense power. His hair was
up in a way that I thought I could cut myself if I touched it, and it was pale yellow, almost like he
bleached it.

“Incredible…”

“You should see the transformations some of my friends could do. You’d be more impressed with
them.”

“It’s strange, with all this power you could maybe destroy all the Monokumas and free us. Why
haven’t you tried yet?”

“Well, the fact that I could accidentally hurt some of you is a thought. But another thing is… just
watch.” He fired a ball of light into the sky, bouncing it off and it dissipated.

“Either the Mastermind has managed to weaken my powers, or this city is somehow impervious to
serious damage.”

“I see, so using those powers could either place the rest of us in danger, or using them would be a
wasted effort since this city can just take the damage.”

He nodded his head as he powered down, his hair returning to regular blue.

“Yes. But I assure you, if any of you are in grave danger, I’ll do my best to protect all of you.” I
smiled after he said that, which made him blush a bit.

“Thank you, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

Along with Miles, we’ve got two kind boys who have superpowers. We can count on them in case
an accident occurs in this place, hopefully things won’t go that way.
The two of us went back to the Hope-tel for some much needed rest. I then spotted Bernadetta,
outside her room, giggling to herself about something.

“Um… Bernie?”

“Ah!” I was taken aback by her reaction.

“It’s just me, what’s got you so happy?”

“Well… seeing everyone getting along so much has me thinking I can get over my fear of talking
to people. I’m a bit excited for the party coming up soon, and I’ve never gotten close to one of
those, despite being a noble.”

“You’re a noble? I mean, that’s great. You’re improving and I think you’ll become real friends
with everyone soon!”

“You really think so? Bernie’s gonna do her best then!” She gripped her fists in determination.

“I look forward to it.” I gave her a sincere smile as I walked back to my room.

I washed off the makeup like usual and changed into my striped pajamas. It felt like routine at this
point and I heard the bear’s announcement.

“Ahem, this is a citywide news broadcast! It is now 10 p.m. Ladies and gentlemen, nighttime has
begun! All restaurant and shopping areas will be closed soon, so folks, don’t try to go against the
law! Now then, sweet dreams everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite…”

As I turned off the screen so I could have some quiet time, I saw my reflection once more. I’ve
gotten used to seeing the zombified face staring back at me, yet I still think to myself every night
since I got here. Would it be right to reveal this to everyone? It lingered in my head even as I fell
asleep. Such a difficult question shouldn’t be answered so soon.

.
.

MONOKUMA THEATER

“I assume some of you have been wondering who the Mastermind is?”

“Maybe we’ll have someone completely new? Or we could just reuse the same one over and over
again?”

“Well, I’m going to do something I never thought I’d have the privilege of doing on one of these.”

“I’m going to reveal who it is right now! Ahem, drum roll please….. The Mastermind of
Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus is—”

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES PLEASE STAND BY

Fictional Nexus (image visible on mobile)
Chapter End Notes

Yeah, I’m definitely not doing that. See you all next chapter! One more day until party
time! It’s good to have our team relax from all the murder.
 Q&A Session
Chapter Summary

Questions, opinions, predictions, anyone?

Hello everyone! It’s me, RenegadeBraveheart, joining me today is our protagonist, Zombie Land
Saga’s Ai Mizuno, Persona 5’s Ryuji Sakamoto, and Fire Emblem Three Houses’s Bernadetta von
Varley!

Ai: Hello readers.

Ryuji: Yo!

Bernie: H-hi there.

Gundham: Ahem…

Ah! I’m so sorry, and the Supreme Overlord of Ice, Gundham Tanaka from Super Danganronpa 2:
Goodbye Despair!

Gundham: Do not fail to recall my name again, you fiend.

S-sorry. Ahem, we’re here to answer ALL questions you may have about Fictional Nexus (except
for big spoilers, of course). Whether it be story plans, characters, etc.!

Ai: Indeed, and we’ll also accept your opinions on how things have been progressing thus far. As
well as your predictions on things to come.

Bernie: Y-yeah, and your favorite moments too!

Gundham: While I am doubtful any of you will manage to correctly predict the future without the
All-Seeing Eye, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY.

Ryuji: Jeez man. What the hell are you talking about?

Just go with it. We’ll be waiting here for everything that you want to say about this story on
fanfiction.net, archiveofourown.org, and wattpad.com.

Ai: One more thing, thank you to everyone who reads Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus. We couldn’t
have turned this one-shot into a full story without people wanting more.

Ryuji: Yeah! Couldn’t have done it without you guys!

Agreed. 10 chapters when there was only supposed to be one or two. Hope you all look forward to
the answering session, as well as Johnny Beach Goode Part 5! Thank you all and good night!
 Johnny Beach Goode Part 5 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

The party is underway!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 2: Johnny Beach Goode Part 5 (Daily Life)

Citizens Remaining: 15

Most of today has been spent finishing up the party area. I was busy reading the lyrics to the song
me & Marty are singing tomorrow. It's a little old fashioned, but I know not to judge it.

“He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack…” I sang softly, trying not to interrupt the others while
they were working.

“Hey! Where do you want these coolers?!” I heard Trunks call to me, him and Miles both carrying
the aforementioned coolers.

“By the food tables, right over there!” I responded as they walked over to that location.

Well I can’t just let them do all the heavy lifting, even though they are way stronger than me.
Putting down the lyrics paper, I went over to pick up some empty boxes that we don’t need. I
spotted a large recycling bin next to the department store and threw the cardboard boxes in.

“Gah!” I accidentally stepped on something round and fell forwards toward the ground.

“Ugh… huh? Ah!” My arms fell off! I immediately scramble to reattach them correctly, I’m so
glad no one’s around to see this.
“Ai?”

I spoke too soon as the person who startled me started walking in from behind. It’s Aoba.

“I heard a shout while out exploring. Are you alright?”

I snapped my left arm back into its position and stood back up.

“Yeah, just took a quick fall, nothing too bad.”

“I see… well you appear to be alright so I guess it’s nothing. What’s that over there?”

I looked over to my left to see what he was referring to, and I saw the small round object I tripped
over. I picked it up slowly to see that it was one of those red and white balls from the department
store.

“What’s this doing out here? Huh?” It started moving a little bit.

“Why not try pressing that button, it’s just a toy, right?” Aoba recommended, and I cautiously
followed through.

A light suddenly popped out of the ball as it opened up and the two of us shielded our eyes.
“Pichu!”

Wh-what?

“Pi? Pi?” It looked around confused and lost.

What is that thing?

It’s a small yellow creature with pink cheeks, beady little eyes, and familiar spiky hair, it’s so….

“CUUUUUTE!!” I hugged the little guy tight as Aoba slowly walked away.

“Pi….” I heard it let out as I walked back to the others carrying it in my arms. I do like creepy-cute
things a lot more, but I can’t deny how adorable it is.

As I arrived everyone managed to finish up their work and I called for everyone.
“Aww, who’s this wittle guy?” Shantae clasped her hands together with joy.

“I found him in a ball while throwing away some boxes!”

“Wow, I’ve never seen something like that before.” Bernadetta timidly approached .

“Me neither! I wonder which world it came from…” Emma observed it closely.

Alice then began petting its hair and then I heard Gold gasp across me, “PIBU!”

“Pi!” The creature just hopped out of my arms and landed on top of Gold’s head.

“Ha ha ha! I missed you buddy! It’s good to see you!”

I thought for a moment and then I realized what it was, “This is one of your… Pokémon? Did I get
that right?”

“Yeah this is Pibu, my Pichu who I hatched from an egg myself!” He rubbed his finger under his
nose and Pibu mirrored his actions.

A few of us, including myself, gave a little laugh at the sight. So this is what being an Ultimate
Hatcher means, he hatches eggs containing these Pokémon! Quite the odd skill, but it’s interesting.
I handed Gold the ball that Pibu came out of and he placed it on his belt.

“I just need to find the others, maybe seven is what’s left?” I heard him mumbling to himself as
everyone else gathered around.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s see our progress!”

“The stage is all set for you three to perform tomorrow, the food’s all set in the refrigerators, the
memorial for our fallen companions is still up, and we have plenty of swimsuits and beach items to
use. We’re ready!” Trunks said as he checked his list.

“I just need to fix the refreshments and that’s it! The punch will be much different than what some
of you are used to. I need some help on it later…”

“I’ll volunteer.” Aoba said with a smirk as he walked up next to her.

“Me too!” Shantae raised her hand quickly.

“This event should boost the morale of everyone if this is successful enough.” Espio spoke up.

“I believe it will. Alright then, let’s get some rest for tom—” I was interrupted by a message
appearing on our e-Handbooks.

“Time for an update citizens! Come to Enoshima Park to see your homes in a new light!”

Why do I even bother?

As we walked over to the park, Gold put Pibu back into the red & white ball. With what
Monokuma told him before, he wouldn’t want him to know that he got one of his Pokémon back.
Another thing I noticed though, was that Aoba, Shantae, and Alice weren’t with us. I’ll be sure to
tell them about everything that happens.

Our “amazing” mayor is already there, with the tv screen from before as well.

“Bwahahaha! Just in time! Before we start I have two questions, one why are there some of you
missing?”

“They’re just finishing up with making drinks for our party, no big deal.” A relaxed Miles
answered him.

“Wa-wah? A party? And you didn’t invite me? I can’t believe it, not again… boo hoo…” The bear
shed some crocodile tears (how is that possible?) that we all rolled our eyes at before standing
straight back up.
“Ahem, second question, have you guys seen a Pokéball, by any chance? I’ve misplaced one of
Gold’s team members while building Jabberwock Coast…”

Gold hid Pibu’s ball behind him as the rest of us shook our heads deceptively.

“Oh well, it’s time for the show! Grab some popcorn and witness Motive 2: The New Worlds!”

It was just as bad as I pictured it.

Clips of cities were shown in flames, monuments and residents of those cities wore Monokuma on
their faces. Bodies were lying on the ground, as we finally got a glimpse of someone I recognized.
Tae Yamada, the unawakened zombie of my idol group Franchouchou savagely attacked the fallen
bodies as I saw that her and the rest of my friends wore dark outfits similar to Sentai uniforms.
Once again, anger boiled up inside me, just waiting to explode into a fit of rage. Yet I do my best
to calm myself, using deep breaths and such to ignore the pain.

The others tried their best as well, but based on what they saw they were not happy.

A group of masked individuals beating down civilians for cash or jewelry had us holding down an
enraged Ryuji.

A red headed young man and a pigtailed young woman wrecking buildings and homes with mind-
controlled creatures made Gold speechless.

A teal haired man tore through knights with an extraordinary whip-like sword, as Bernadetta held
on to me.

It just went on and on.

It didn’t seem to end, even when the screen was turned off.

It was just a reminder that the longer we stay here, the faster our homes die.
“Have a fun day tomorrow! Ahahahahahahahahah!”

NO MONOKUMA THEATER, CLOSED FOR RENOVATION

Two days after the Monocity Killing Game began….

“And that’s what one of our members found. I’ve decided to ask Asahina to venture out there to
investigate. I can’t trust someone like Hagakure with a mission like this… scratch that, I can’t trust
him with any mission.” A suited figure with glasses says to the person on the phone.

“Wait, you’re seriously going to try asking the 77th class to check it out? Yes they have assisted
us, but what makes you think they’ll want to do it again?” After the person gives their answer, the
young man in a suit sighs.

“Whoever they send better be skilled enough. I can’t be bothered to travel all that way while I’m
busy rebuilding my family’s—”

“Mr. Togami! Something just appeared on the roof, it’s some kind of vortex!”

“I’ll call you back Naegi.” He hangs up the phone and he makes his way towards the roof.

Other men in suits are already there, awaiting their orders.

“Just what in the world is going on here?”

“We don’t know sir, it just showed up! Should we call for backup from HQ?”

Togami just walked over to the vortex and peered into it, then the unexpected happened. Three
people emerge from it, all unconscious.

“What the hell…”

Two young ladies, one with long black twintails and a red school outfit, another with red hair and a
witch hat. And a young man with short dark blue hair, featuring a small ahoge.

“Get them some medical attention. And try not to touch that vortex while I’m gone.” Togami
walks off, but not before taking a quick glance at the three individuals who just arrived.

“Uggghhh.”
I needed that sleep. We all did.

Checking the time, I saw that it was already noon! So I quickly got ready with my makeup and my
dark blue swimsuit & sandals. I grabbed that dumb waterproof shoe spray (I can’t believe that
actually works on zombies) and placed it into a purse.

On the way there my mind was still on the destruction our loved ones caused while being
controlled. So many lives lost, all because of the actions of one person, the mastermind behind
Monokuma. Who was this person, so twisted and full of malice, that they decided to travel to
different worlds to make others miserable? I kept thinking so hard about this, even though today
was supposed to be about forgetting all about it.

“Ow! Hey, watch it! Oh, Ai.” I bumped into Killua while I was distracted, so careless of me.

“Sorry about that. I was just on my way to the beach.” Moving quickly past him, he then spoke up
abruptly.

“Still thinking about last night, huh?”

“Is it really obvious? (sighs) It’s all I’ve been thinking about, even when I went to sleep.”

“Same here. That bear’s really got us in the palm of his paw. It’s so hard not to just destroy it, but
well…” He scratched the back of his head.

We then decided to walk over there together, while we talked.

“Yep… I’ll try not to bring down the mood too much. While I’m most likely not alone in feeling
this way, everyone definitely needs the rest.” I finished as the two of us continued on our way and
saw the others in their swimsuits… most of them are not in a good mood.

“That’s… really what you saw?” Shantae asked Marty who slowly nodded his head.

“God damn it!” Ryuji yelled as he banged his fist on a table, “I can’t freaking take it anymore! We
need to get the asshole who’s controlling that bear!”
“Hold on man, we need to escape, but that’s suicide!” Miles attempted to calm him down.

“We have no advantage in a fight against him, he did mention he has a lot of copies all over the
city.” Espio frowned at this.

“Like the odds have ever stopped me, I’ve fought legendaries and evil dudes controlling them!
We’ll find a way to take him down!”

“Pi, Pichu!” Gold raised his fist up and Pibu copied him once more.

“Regardless, we need more information, maybe some outside help would benefit us as well.
Nothing we have right now can stop this killing game.” Trunks pointed out.

Complete silence after that.

Only one thing managed to break it.

*splash*

“Ack! What hit me?!” Ryuji’s head was soaking wet.

“Ow, it got me too!” Gold ended up spilling his drink onto his trunks.

“Eeek!” Shantae was next and her hair fell downwards.

“Nice aim.”

“You too!”

I looked and saw on top of one of the beach huts, it was Killua and Emma with water balloons.
“You damn brats! I’ll get you for this!”

“Count me in dude! Grab your weapon and charge!”

Ryuji and Gold ran over, picked up water guns from the nearby surf shop, and blasted away at the
youngest ones here.

“Hold on! I can handle this, TRANSFORM!” Shantae began to belly dance and glow brightly.

“Whoa!” Emma exclaimed as Shantae became an elephant.

Hopping into the sea, she sucked up sea water into her trunk and shot it back at all four of them.

“Come on! That’s not fair!” Killua cried out, angry.

Somehow this managed to bring laughs back into our group. I, however, needed to spray myself
down so my makeup doesn’t come off. I walked to the back of a hut and used that stupid shoe
spray, trying to avoid it getting in my face and—

“Hello again Ai.”

“Ah!”

Aoba, again? Is this going to be a thing with him.

“My apologies, putting on some… sunscreen I presume?”

“Oh, yes indeed I am.” I lied as I placed it back into my purse, “I’ll just go start the festivities.”

“Alright then, good luck.” I heard him softly say as I went over to Alice to open up the buffet area.
“Everything set?”

“Yeah! One more thing though, write your name down on these cups please?” Alice took out two
plastic cups and a black permanent marker.

“Hm? What for?” I asked her.

“They’re for making sure you don’t mistake one person’s drink for another. Two cups are enough
if you’d want to try the different drinks without them mixing too much, yes?

“I guess so.” Writing my name down on the cups I set the two of them down before gathering
everyone.

I walked up to the front of the stage and tapped the microphone, “Alright, I know what we saw
yesterday was difficult.”

“Our entire experience in this place is way more than just that.” Ishigami bluntly stated as Sucy
nodded, didn’t think they’d show up today.

“Despite that, we organized this party so we can get more motivated into finding a better escape
route. Monokuma may try to force us into killing each other, as we’ve seen…”

I take a quick look at our memorial to Kaiba and Misato before continuing on, “Ahem, so eat all
the food you can, go swimming in the ocean, and later on listen to our performance. Try your best
to have fun guys, don’t fall to Monokuma’s despair!”

A handful of them clapped and cheered, though as expected, the two loners just walked off. Their
loss.

Throughout the day I enjoyed some of the meat dishes Alice crafted, which were all incredible,
went for a quick dip in the ocean (it’s a good thing the makeup stayed on), and continued to
memorize the lyrics before we went on stage.
I saw Emma and Shantae help Bernadetta while swimming, Gold, Killua, & Ryuji continuing the
water fight from earlier, Miles, Trunks, & Espio were talking while enjoying the food Alice made,
and Ishigami & Sucy are sitting in the shade. Marty was having a conversation with Alice as well.
It looks like for the most part, this party is going well.

Hours pass by and at 7:30 pm, Shantae is on stage belly dancing in front of the crowd. She’s really
having fun out there, and it makes me anxious to go up on stage again. I’m in a red, black, & white
dress with a red bow in the middle. It’s going to be the first time I’m on stage since my death,
without the rest of Franchouchou beside me. Before I began to think about the world update again,
Marty showed up, in a dress shirt and jacket combo with a red tie.

“Are you ready?” He asked me as he tuned his black guitar.

“I can’t get cold feet now, so yes I am. Let’s put on a show, shall we?”

“Break a leg, guys!” Shantae cheered us on as she exited the stage.

The two of us nodded at each other and went out to a bunch of cheers from our small audience.

“All right, this is, uh, this is an oldie, but uh… well, it’s an oldie from my world.” Marty
awkwardly told them through the microphone.

“Hit it!” I shouted out and Marty started to play, and man can he play and sing too.

Way down in Louisiana down in New Orleans

Way back up in the woods among the evergreens

There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood

Where lived a country boy name of Johnny B. Goode.

He never ever learned to read or write so well

He could play the guitar just like he's ringing a bell.

Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go Go

Johnny B. Goode

The crowd was into the song, despite being such a classic. I then began my verses:

He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack

And sit beneath the trees by the railroad track.

The engineers used to see him sitting in the shade,

Strummin to the rhythm that the driver made.

People passing by, you know they stop and say

Oh my that little country boy sure can play

Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go Go

Johnny B. Goode

Marty wiped the sweat off his forehead as we kept up the melody flawlessly.

Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go
Go Johnny Go Go

Johnny B. Goode

Well his mama told him one day you will be a man,

And you would be the leader of a big old band.

And people gonna come from miles around

To listen to you play till sun go down

One day maybe your name gonna be in lights

Saying Johnny B. Goode tonight.

Go Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go Go

Johnny B. Goode

Go Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go Go

Go Johnny Go Go

Marty continued to shred even after we finished the lyrics, to the enjoyment of a few audience
members. We both bowed, ending our performance with many cheers.

“You did great out there!” Marty said as we sat down to rest.

“No, we both gave it our all out there. But did you really have to continue rocking out at the end
there?” I laughed a little as he embarrassingly chuckled to himself.

“Amazing job you two!” I heard Shantae approach us, holding two cups full of punch.
“Thank you so much.” I said as she handed us our cups and we both took big gulps.

“I helped add in the correct amount of sugar for everyone’s preferences!” She stood proud as Aoba
and Alice came up from behind.

“Don’t give yourself too much credit, hee hee! I was the one who formulated how much each of us
would get based on our eating habits.” Alice giggled.

“And I helped add the correct amount, as well as showing you which one was the sugar, instead of
something else.” Aoba raised a finger to correct her as well.

Shantae pouted as I heard Marty beginning to cough.

“Are you alright?” I asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just gotta get to the restroom real quick. I’ll be back, call me if anyone wants an
encore.”

I nodded as he made his way toward the restrooms. Huh… I better go follow him.

“Help! Someone please!”

That was Bernadetta, I knew that screaming well.

I ran over and saw her struggling in the water, she looked like she was about to drown.

“How did Purple Shy Gal get stuck over there?!” Gold asked, panicked.

“She tripped over the dock area and a current pulled her away. I saw it happen.” Sucy explained.
Trunks, Shantae, and Miles all jumped into the water to rescue her and they succeeded before she
could sink. Bernie was gasping for air as I went over to check if she was alright.

“Thank goodness you’re safe, it’s good to have such caring individuals around, isn’t it? Better than
just staying in your room?”

“I definitely won’t be swimming for a while, but I guess so… if I wasn’t outside, then no one
would be able to help me. Thank you all so much.” She bowed her head to her saviors who just
smiled in return.

“Pi?” Pibu then started to hop off Gold’s shoulder.

“Hey, what’s up? Come back here!” He called out to him as he gave chase.

Hold on… that’s the same direction as the restrooms…

I suddenly found myself following the two of them until we reached our destination. Pibu sniffed
around and we both followed the Pokémon until we reached the men’s side. He pointed towards
the door and we opened it…

Finding Marty McFly, the Ultimate Time-Traveler, on the restroom floor. We ran over to him and
turned his body over and saw blood pouring out of his mouth.

I checked for a pulse… and felt nothing.

DRFN (viewable on mobile)
Chapter End Notes

HOLY CRAP THAT WAS LONG. This is the longest chapter I have ever written for
any story. I hope that to whoever is still reading this, that you have plenty of time to
finish this chapter. We’re back in Deadly Life peeps, also hope you guys like the
stories happening outside of Monocity. (Q&A’s still going on btw, so leave any
questions you may have in the comments)
 Johnny Beach Goode Part 6 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

Investigation time. Just who murdered the Ultimate Time-Traveller?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Welcome back to the DRFN Q&A! I will never call this story that ever again. We’ve got just one
question from all of the websites for now.

Gundham: Prepare yourselves mortals, for this answer may or may not be what you seek…

Ryuji: Dude, just talk normally.

Okay first question from AnonymousIGuess on archiveofourown.org…

Ai: Ah, it’s about the motivations for the killing game. Interesting first question.

Gundham: Renegade, have you managed to create the other motives? Most of them better
not be reused from previous killing games.

(Deep voice activate) Do not fret, my companions, I have managed to gather suitable motives.
After Monokuma’s update on the home worlds, you shall witness motives worthy of the
Danganronpa series!

Ai: Please don’t be doing that too.

Gundham: Not bad, but I have heard better. I have said better.

Ha ha… sorry. Ahem, there’s only one motive that I’m reusing from the series, and it’s from
Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Asides from that I browsed the internet to get a good
idea.

Ryuji: You really couldn’t come up with much original stuff, huh?

Bernie: T-to be fair, turning our loved ones into members of that Ultimate Despair group is
pretty cruel…

Yeah, but even that was just a different take on the first motive in Trigger Happy Havoc.
Anyways, I have the other motives ready, hope you look forward to seeing what they are! We’re
still waiting for more questions, so keep them coming!

Chapter 2: Johnny Beach Goode Part 6 (Deadly Life)

Citizens Remaining: 14

“P-Pichu…” Pibu tapped on Marty’s body, but he remained lifeless on the floor of the men’s
restroom.

Why… just why did this happen?

A while ago, Marty and I were on stage, having a performance that made nearly everyone forget
about the killing game. It felt like things were looking up for us, yet it all just came crashing down.

“Tch…” I kneeled down next to our poor friend as Gold clenched his fists.

“RAAAAAAAGH!!!” He let out as I felt as if I could scream as well.

* Ding dong dong ding*

“ A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the city trial
will begin!” Monokuma says in a dreadfully cheerful manner on our e-Handbooks, which makes
things even worse.

There’s a notification in the rules section of the handbook, but that is not important at this moment.
The others walked in and were immediately greeted by the corpse.

“So this is why there was screaming…” Emma said, putting a hand over her mouth.

Aoba frowned as he looked at Marty, “How unfortunate, but you had to expect the peaceful times
to end at some point.”

“B-but… how did this happen?!” Shantae asked, with tears in her eyes.

“I hate to say it, but we have to find out. I don’t want to have another trial, but if we fail to
cooperate, we’ll be executed.” I stood up and faced the others, despite my growing sorrow.

“Whoever did this to McFly… they’re gonna pay.” Ryuji scowled as he walked out of the
restroom.

“I’ll help investigate with you Ai, we need to find the culprit fast!” Emma exclaimed as I nodded in
agreement.

“Miles and I will look to see if there’s anything linked to the murder outside of the restrooms.” Said
a determined Trunks.

“I… I’ll help out around here too. Can’t just sit on the sidelines and just let you handle all of it, eh
Super Serious Flower Gal?” Gold stood up straight and held his pool cue behind his back.

“HOOOOOOOOLD IT!” Oh god, it’s Monokuma, “You can’t start the investigation without the
Monokuma File #2!”

He hands it to us as Pibu is once again hidden in his ball and we look over the information.

Investigation
Victim: Marty McFly

“The time of death was around 7:45.”

“The body was found in the Men’s Restroom at Jabberwock Coast.”

Wait, the cause of death isn’t here…

“Why does this file have less information than the last one?” Miles questioned the bear.

“Puhuhu! It’s just to make things even more interesting, and fun too!”

“You’re the worst.” Emma told him.

“I know. Buh-bye!” He responded before disappearing again.

At least there’s SOME information we could use on here.

“Monokuma File #2” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

Time to see what’s been left around in here.

“Hey, there’s a plastic cup on the floor here!” Emma called Gold and I over and we picked up the
item.

Judging by the bright red liquid below it, it looks like he spilled his drink.

“It has Marty’s name written on it, must be from the punch earlier… Wait a minute…” I noticed a
different tint of red inside of the cup, that did not look like punch.
“Is that… his blood?” Gold asked as I compared the liquid from Marty’s mouth to the one in the
cup, and they matched.

“Marty’s Cup” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

I turned my attention to one of the stalls, which has it’s door wide open. Marty must have used it
when he went in here. I looked in to see vomit, over the toilet seat and on the floor, gross.

“Yeesh!” Gold let out when he saw it, Emma gagging, “Was it something he ate?”.

“Maybe… or it could be something he drank.” I said, looking back at the cup.

“Vomit in Toilet Stall” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

I inspected the rest of the restroom, but only found blood on the sink in front of the body. So it’s
time to inspect it… sorry Marty.

“Y-you can do it, right? I don’t think I can touch a dead guy…” Gold scratched the back of his
head.

“Yeah yeah, I’m on it.”

I once again saw the blood dripping out of his mouth, but I see that it ended up on his dress shirt
and right hand as well. I am then realizing that Marty had a coughing fit after the concert, it looks
like it had gotten worse. WAY worse.

“Marty’s Coughing Fit” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

We managed to gather only a few pieces of evidence in the crime scene, we need to start looking
around this area for even more. After the three of us walked out of the restroom I then decided to
check out the new rule notification on my e-Handbook.
Rule #13: The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people
discover a body for the first time.

“Wait, but it was just me and you who found the body, and Pibu isn’t a participant…” Gold’s eyes
widened after reading it.

My eyes widened, “So… someone must have found the body before we had. It can’t be the killer,
so who could it be?”

“Body Discovery Announcement” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your
handbook.

“Ugh, nothing so far, how much have you guys got?” Miles asked us and I raised my hand up, only
five so far.

“There has to be some evidence around here somewhere. Hold on, how about asking the people
who weren’t there for the World Update?” Trunks brought up a good idea.

“Of course, there was Shantae, Aoba, and Alice. They’ve got to know more than us while we left.”
Emma hit the palm of her hand with her fist.

“Then let’s go ask them!” Gold dashed off and Emma & I followed, while Trunks and Miles kept
their search up.

The buffet table was less than halfway finished and we saw Ryuji and Espio trying to comfort a
beyond scared Bernadetta, as Killua angrily took a sip from his plastic cup.

“Have you guys seen Alice, Aoba, or Shantae?” Emma asked them.

“Alice is back in the kitchen, Aoba’s by the department store, and Shantae’s in the restroom.
Why?” Espio informed us.
“We need information about this case. Emma, do you mind running back to the restroom to see if
Shantae has anything?” I asked her and she nodded, running back to where we were a minute ago.

“That Aoba guy, I’ll handle him!” Gold gave me a thumbs-up as he raced away on his skateboard.

Which leaves Alice to me. I walked in and saw her inspecting the kitchen, “Have you found
anything?” I asked her.

“Sadly no, but if there’s anything here, feel free to look around! I’m no good at playing detective,
even with my knowledge.” She pouted.

I take a look around and see the punch bowl, but strangely enough, it looks slightly lighter than
what was on the floor of the restroom. It looked more pink than red.

“Punch Bowl” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

I then decided to continue with this topic, “Hey Alice? Could I see the recipe you were using to
make the punch?”

“Here you go! It’s all written here, and despite how little resources this kitchen has compared to
what I’m used to, I managed to make it taste phenomenal.” Alice giggles as she hands me a
clipboard with the recipe.

It was a pretty refreshing drink, I must admit. Now’s not the time for that however. I looked over
the ingredients and saw nothing too out of the ordinary (aside from the fact that there was no
sugar). Still, something must have been added to Marty’s drink, and I should keep this just in case.

“Punch Recipe” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

The kitchen was filled with different fruits, vegetables, meats, and seasonings, but I then spotted
something very dangerous. Why was this here, there’s no rodents roaming around, so what is this
powdered rat poison doing here?

“Poison Powder” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
This could be what killed Marty, but how did it change the tint of the punch? I continued looking
and found a pack of food coloring, yet one bottle was missing, where could it be?”

I decide to take the investigation elsewhere and spot Miles and Trunks by the dock. I jog over there
and see that the wooden boards are removed.

“Were they like this when you found it?” I asked the two of them and they nodded their heads.

“Now the question is, how did they get removed in the first pla—”

“I know.” Miles was interrupted by Sucy’s sudden appearance, “I did say that I saw what happened
when Bernadetta was drowning, right Ishigami?” She looked to her right and Ishigami Yu, was
shuddering in the corner because of the murder.

“Okay, so you said you saw Bernadetta trip and fall into the water, but now you’re saying you
ALSO know who messed with the dock?” Trunks questioned her, yet she just sighed.

“It was Aoba. While he was out strolling, I saw him remove some planks and drop them into the
water. Not very keen on good waste disposal.” Sucy explained to us.

“Moved Dock Planks” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

“Sucy’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

Emma came running up to us next, “Shantae says she was with Aoba and Alice for two hours,
preparing the buffet. And she was informed that she mostly helped with the refreshments. Also,
she was in the restroom for some breathing time, seeing Marty’s body really got to her.”

“Shantae’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

Now all that’s left is to see if Gold got something out of Aoba. Myself, Miles, Trunks, and Emma
made our way towards the department store and saw Gold standing outside by the garbage
containers.
“Did you get anything, Gold?” I asked as we came to a complete stop.

“I wasn’t able to find him around here, even inside the store too....”

“Looks like this is all the evidence we’ve g—”

“... But I did find these!” Gold pulls out a map of Jabberwock Coast, written in pen, as well as the
missing food coloring bottle.

Annoyed, I bonked him upside his head, “Why didn’t you just say that earlier?!”.

“I thought you guys were only looking for him first, so I thought that was more important, ouch…”
He rubbed the spot where I hit him.

“Thirteen pieces of evidence, is this really enough?” Trunks wondered out loud.

“Used Red Food Coloring” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

“Handwritten Map” has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.

*Ding dong bing bong*

“ That’s all the time we’ve got, ladies and gents, the city trial begins shortly! And change outta
your swimsuits, fun time for YOU is over, and fun time for ME is now! Bwahahahahaha!!”

“It looks like it is. Just need to know when to use them.” I said as we all headed back to the Hope-
tel to change.

Making our way to Enoshima Park’s elevator, we see that Aoba is the last one to arrive.
“My apologies for making you all wait, now then let’s stay alive, shall we?” Was what he said,
looking in my direction before heading to the elevator.

I didn’t want to be here again, yet one of us managed to kill Marty McFly. I never truly got to
know how he was a time-traveller, but he was a positive guy. He offered to put on a performance to
give us the confidence to find another way out.

For his sake, we need to press on. Myself, Gold, Trunks, Aoba, Alice, Emma, Miles, Sucy,
Ishigami, Espio, Killua, Ryuji, Bernadetta, & Shantae, either one of us lives, or one of us is
executed. We take our seats, and look around at each other.

Our second city trial has begun.

DRFN (viewable on mobile)
Chapter End Notes

Let me know who you think is the blackened. That is all.

 Johnny Beach Goode Part 7 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The second class trial begins, expect some surprises.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 2: Johnny Beach Goode Part 7 (Deadly Life)

Citizens Remaining: 14

I lowered my eyebrows and took a look at the evidence we had gathered, before glancing up at the
others.

Emma gulped and looked toward the rest of us determined.

Gold spun his pool cue before placing it on his shoulders.

Ryuji gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, eager to find the culprit.

Miles suspiciously looked around at the others.

Shantae fidgeted, before slapping herself on both cheeks to psych herself up.

Killua & Espio remained calm, the latter taking deep breaths.

Bernadetta was not calm at all, trying to do the same, but was breathing quicker.

Trunks stared directly at Aoba, who simply placed his fingers to his chin.
Alice was lost in thought, perhaps trying to piece things together.

Sucy already looked bored.

And Ishigami looked even more dead inside than he already was.

Monokuma’s red eye glowed as he sat upon his chair, “Let's begin with a quick reintroduction of
the city trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out "whodunnit" then only
they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... Then I'll punish everyone *besides*
the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will be able to leave Monocity!”

“Like hell we’ll let them leave, they killed our friend!” Ryuji yelled.

“Calm yourself, please. I’m angry too, but we’ll find them soon enough.” I assured him.

“Let’s start by discussing the cause of death. The Monokuma File doesn’t mention it, unlike last
time, so we need to find out how Marty was killed.” Trunks says as he brings out the file on his e-
handbook.

“That’s just problematic for no good reason, now it’ll take longer.” Sucy sighed when she heard
that.

“It is what it is, that stupid bear just wants that despair or whatever.” Killua put his arms behind his
back and leaned back.

“Hey! I’m still here y’know! Stop being so disrespectful towards your mayor, Zoldyck—!”
Monokuma raged at him.

“Let’s just get this over with…” Ishigami replies as we ignore Monokuma.

The bear growls at us as I once again bring up my evidence as the discussion begins.
Non-Stop Debate

“McFly was killed in the men’s restroom at 7:45 pm, there’s not much one could use to murder
someone there…” Ishigami began.

“Perhaps the killer used something on him from the outside, there’s plenty of things for murder at
the beach.” Aoba mentioned.

“T-that’s true… we didn’t get rid of any dangerous items for the party…” Bernadetta mumbled.

Alice was the next to speak, “Hm... perhaps the killer didn’t use a physical weapon at all?”

“ I agree! ” I said aloud.

CONSENT

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Vomit in Toilet Stall

“While investigating the men’s restroom we found vomit all over one of the toilets.” I said, causing
a few gags within the courtroom, I think I even heard one from Monokuma.

“That’s really gross, but what does that have to do with the murder?” Shantae held in some vomit
herself as she turned to me.

“Well, that vomit most likely came out of our victim. It looked like it hasn’t been there for very
long as well, so the ‘weapon’ the killer used must have been placed in something he consumed.”

Alice’s eyes widened after hearing this, “The murderer put something into my dishes? Which one
of them has been tainted?”.
“From what we’ve gathered at the crime scene, it’s safe to say that…”

Truth Bullet Selected: Punch Bowl

“ Got it! ”

“... The punch was the item at the buffet that killed Marty.”

“Ret-2-Go!”

ARGUE

“No, I can’t believe that! There’s some things wrong behind your statement. If you don’t mind Ai,
I’ll explain it.” Shantae told me and I allowed her to speak.

Rebuttal Showdown

“If the punch was the thing that was tainted, then how are the rest of us not affected by what was
put into it? We all drank from the punchbowl, so how are we—!”

“Not everyone drank punch, they could have gone for something like soda or juice instead.” I
responded.

“I actually drank water.” Ishigami suddenly chimed in.

“Same here.” Trunks continued and Espio nodded his head.

“Oh! Sorry, anyways, what about the ones who did drink it? How are they okay? There has to be
something else he ate to make him vomit!
“ Cutting-into the contradictions! ”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Blade Used: Marty’s Cup

“No, the proof is in Marty’s own cup.” I reinforced my claim as Gold and Emma grinned at me.

“What?! His cup?” Shantae gasped.

“That’s right, when we found it in the restroom, the punch had a different tint to it. Compared to
what was in the punch bowl, it had a darker shade of red.” Emma explained.

Gold smirked, “The punch we drank was a lot more pink. Plus there was blood on his cup as well.”

“Ah, I really did get it wrong there…” Shantae looked down in defeat.

“Hold on, how did Marty’s punch turn darker then? Elaborate on that if you don’t mind.” Aoba
turned to us in suspicion.

“That’s easy! Thanks to this baby.” Gold claimed.

Truth Bullet Selected: Used Red Food Coloring

“ Here it is! ”
“It was this food coloring that changed the punch’s color.” I took it out to show it to everyone.

“Couldn’t that have just been used as one of the ingredients?” Killua asked.

Alice then perked up, “Ah ha ha, of course not! Just look here!”.

Truth Bullet Selected: Punch Recipe

“I would never use something of that quality in one of my dishes. If I wanted color, then I could
have found something much more suitable!” Alice continued.

“So the killer added this, along with whatever killed him into his marked cup. We wrote down our
names on the cups so we could find them more easily.” I said, as the others observed.

“So McFly was their prime target…” Espio grimaced after hearing that.

“Okay, so we know how he was killed, but what was added along with the food coloring?” Miles
pondered.

Non-Stop Debate

“U-um, was it sand or something?” Bernadetta said.

“Pretty sure he would have just spat it out. Maybe they stole one of the potions I was working
on…” Sucy wondered.

“Wh-what kind of potions have you been making?” A slightly worried Emma comments.

“She looks like a witch, so she must make magical potions that could maybe kill people?” Killua
points out.
Aoba then decides to speak, “Why waste time thinking about what had poisoned him? The killer is
more important.”

I’ve got him.

“ I agree! ” I responded.

CONSENT

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Poison Powder

“You just said ‘poisoned’, right Aoba?” I asked.

“Indeed, did you figure something out?” He responded.

“I managed to find some rodent killing poison powder in the kitchen.”

I heard someone gasp, but I’m not sure who it was.

“Really now? I knew I left that somewh—… oops! Slip of the tongue.” Aoba smiled, then looked
directly at me.

Killua’s tone changed, “What did you just say?!”

“I knew it. I noticed you were missing before we found Marty and when the investigation
began…” Trunks gripped his fists in anger.

“It’s totally him, why would he show up at the last minute before the trial? You killed him!” Gold
pointed his pool cue directly at him.
“G-guys there needs to be more proof before we accuse him!” Shantae put her arms up to defend
Aoba.

“There does need to be proof, but I’m sure you managed to gather enough to prove my guilt.” Aoba
snarked.

He’s not wrong… but what’s his deal?

Non-Stop Debate

“Just admit that you’re guilty already! Why drag this thing out?” Ryuji raged.

“You already admitted to knowing about the poison, there has to be more that you’re hiding.”
Miles started to sound annoyed.

“Please don’t be too hasty! Our lives are on the line, so we can’t just choose him based on one
thing!” Shantae continued to defend him for whatever reason.

“Just let them continue their accusations. After all, I was there the entire time after Marty & Ai
got off stage.

I found a surprisingly easy contradiction, “ No, that’s wrong! ”.

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Sucy’s Account

“It was true that you showed up after our performance, but Sucy saw you moving something into
the water before then.”
“I don’t know how this will connect with where my presence was, but do pray tell, explain what I
dropped?” Is he enjoying this?

Truth Bullet Selected: Moved Dock Planks

“ Got it! ”

“You dropped the wooden planks from the dock, into the water. Am I correct?” I asked Sucy who
nodded.

“Someone fell into the water and almost drowned because you got rid of them. Do you know who
that was?” Sucy waited for his answer.

He thought for a moment before making his statement, “Hm… I don’t, do you mind sharing who it
was?” His attitude is very patronizing, starting to get annoyed at him myself.

“It was… me.” Bernadetta said, solemnly.

“Ah, that makes sense. My apologies.” Aoba hadn’t wiped that smile off his face ever since he got
accused.

Something doesn’t seem right. He’s acting like he’s not the real killer, but evidence has pointed to
him, and he already revealed he knew about the poison. I need to figure out more before making a
final judgement, even though I’m getting frustrated at Aoba.

I glanced at Trunks, Gold, and Ryuji, the three of them were convinced that he was the killer. It
will be a difficult pill for them to swallow if it turns out he isn’t. Emma and Miles nodded at me,
and I looked at Marty’s portrait, hoping that it would give me some motivation to get it right.

“You’ve all got me in a corner, so does anyone want to explain my entire process in murdering
Marty McFly?” He proclaimed.
“Easy, you put the food coloring and the poison powder into Marty’s cup and you forced him to
drink it in the restroom after the concert!” Gold rubbed under his nose, confident in his deduction.

“Quite the assumption there, Gold, but tell me this one thing… did you know if the crime even
happened IN the restroom?

“What are you saying?” Gold scowled at Aoba’s question.

“What I’m saying is, do you know why he was in the men’s restroom to begin with?”

“I… uh… hey Ai, help me out here…” He whispered to me and I sighed, looking at what I could
use to answer that question. And right when I found it...

Truth Bullet Sel—

“He was there to control his coughing fit, is what you were about to say, weren’t you Ai?” He
found out without doing the investigation with us? How did he know this?

“Surprised, huh? Well, I guess it’s time to pull the rug from under you all. I’m not the one who
killed Marty.”

I knew it was too good to be true, but the way he said it still had a shocking impact.

“I was just lying about my whereabouts to see if any of you would fall for it, and it looks like it
worked on a few idiots.” His expression changed to a more serious one, “By the way, that
handwritten map you planned on using as evidence? I’m just going to tell you right now that I used
it to remember the path to take for my plan.”

Ryuji was fully pissed off now, “You expect us to believe you didn’t kill McFly?! After all that
you’ve said, you bastard?!”

“Where were you then, when Bernadetta was drowning? If you want us to believe you, then spit it
out!” Emma demanded and Aoba chuckled.
“Heh, your ‘leader’ should know about it. I’ll even let her use the last of the evidence she gathered
to find out the real culprit.” What an ass he is.

I thought for a moment, before realizing what to use to (reluctantly) prove his “innocence” in the
case.

Truth Bullet Selected: Body Discovery Announcement

“ Here it is! ”

“You… were there to see Marty’s body before us.” I let out.

“You’re kidding… he was the third person to find it?!” Gold held his hands up against his head in
shock.

“I was. Truly a sad sight to see the time-traveler, laying on the ground, dead. Though in all
honesty, I could care less about him.”

“YOU—” I finally had enough and had to hold myself back from socking him in his smug face.

“Then… if it’s not you… then who…” Alice was surprisingly struggling to come up with a
response.

“Before I can tell you that, it’s time for a quick question. When was Marty given the poisoned
punch?”

I took some time to breathe, in order to piece together my answer.

AFTER CONCERT
“ It’s coming together… ” I said in my thoughts.

“It was given to him after the concert by…” Before I could finish, I suddenly remember who gave
the punch to Marty, and it felt like a punch to the gut.

“You’ve figured it out, haven’t you? Heh, I believe it’s time for a reintroduction. My name is
Aoba Kuronuma, The Ultimate Manipulator.”

“He definitely fits that type.” Ishigami bluntly put it.

“Ultimate Manipulator?” I looked into his eyes as everything fell into place.

“I am. Using that talent, I managed to convince a gullible someone to add the poison and food
coloring into Marty’s cup. And give it to him after you two sang your stupid song...” Aoba then
looked to his left…

And Shantae was in tears.

“No… that’s not…” Trunks couldn’t come up with anything.

Emma and I were speechless.

“Lies… lies… EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID WAS A LIE!!” Ryuji yelled and yelled, but
Aoba ignored it.

“This time I’m not lying. I’m sure one more piece of evidence can solidify that claim… if you are
not willing to use it, then I will.”

“Shantae couldn’t have done it! You’re making it all up! Just admit it already!” Gold’s eyes were
beginning to water.
“Fine then, time to use it.”

Panic Talk Action: Ryuji Sakamoto & Gold

“Ultimate Manipulator, my ass! You’ve been lying to us so many times during this trial!”

“You killed Marty! Shantae is completely innocent!”

The two of them continued to call out Aoba, but he just remained calm.

“There’s no need for you to get executed by Monokuma, I can just kick your ass myself asshole!!”

“Allow me to use Super Rising Thunder, pal, it’s time to make him pay!”

Aoba was starting to get annoyed with them, but he still didn’t falter.

“SHANTAE WASN”T THE ONE WHO ADDED THE POISON, YOU DID!!”

“ You’re finished. ” He stated.

Truth Bullet Used: Shantae’s Account

BREAK!!

I couldn’t say a word back at him, because he was right. It hurt so much to see this happen, but
there’s nothing we can do.

“Shantae and I were in the kitchen for two hours, helping Alice with the buffet. She worked on the
refreshments, instead of the full meals, which includes the punch.” His distrustful smile crawled
back to his face.
“Here’s the kicker, Shantae was confused about the lack of sugar in the punch itself, so I told her
she could use some to give the performers a sweet surprise after singing their throats out. I showed
her the poison powder mixed with the food coloring, while hiding where they came from. She fell
for it, and Marty did as well! Though I told her not to put any of it in Ai’s cup in case Marty didn’t
like it, which he wouldn’t have anyways.”

“Everyone… I’m so sorry I ruined the party…” The half-genie sniffed as she looked heartbroken.

Aoba looked over at Monokuma, “Allow me to sum it all up.”

Closing Argument

(Insert Song SUPER DANGANRONPA 2 Re: Climax Return)

“Before the party started, Shantae and I helped set up the buffet. When Marty wrote down his
name on his punch cup, I told her about setting up the ‘sweet surprise’ in his cup and she put the
red poison powder into it. While the party was going on I removed some boards in the dock so
someone would end up falling through and causing a distraction later on. After the concert, Marty
was given the punch and had a coughing fit and headed to the restroom. When Bernadetta managed
to fall into the water, I went over to check on McFly, surely enough the poison worked. I snuck
back into the crowd and acted surprised when the body was found. Right before going to the
department store garbage area to throw away both the food coloring, and the map I used to follow
the path I set for myself. Despite my actions, the killer is you, Shantae.”

COMPLETE!!

“And that’s that. Voting time people, wake up, bear!” Aoba shouted at Monokuma who fell asleep
during the trial.

“Agh, can’t believe I missed the good stuff! Ahem, now, who will be chosen as the blackened?
Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?” Monukuma joyfully stood up from
his chair.

I couldn’t hesitate more when voting.

Shantae wasn’t a bad person by any means.

Aoba was the one who set up the murder, and she was the one to unknowingly execute it.

I almost didn’t vote until…

“Guys… please don’t throw your lives away, just so I can live. It’s… quite ironic for a genie to ask
for a wish, but I am half human after all. Even though the party ended abruptly, for that brief
moment during our performances, I saw hope in everyone. Ai, you and Marty gave it your all to
sing in front of us, just to make the memories of the killing game disappear. You need to continue
with that attitude. The same goes for the rest of you. I wish for you all to get out of here, by not
succumbing to the killing game and Monokuma. Thank you…” Shantae finished and pressed her
button, voting for herself.

The results were in. Only two votes weren’t for her, but the majority still voted correctly.

“Most of you are correct! The blackened was Shantae! Hey you two brainlets! Pull this wrong
answer stuff again, and you’ll be punished too!” Monokuma chimed in.

“...” Gold & Ryuji remained silent, knowing what was to come.

Shantae went around shaking everyone’s hands, as well as giving hugs to the aforementioned
“brainlets”, Emma, and even Ishigami, who slowly decides to hug her back.

She offers a hand to me, as I remember the wish she wanted us to grant, and the waterworks
started.

“Alright Monokuma… I’m Ret-2-Go.” Her last words come out of her mouth as she smiles.

“Now then, I’ve prepared a VERY special punishment for Shantae, The Ultimate Half-Genie!”
Monokuma guffawed, “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!” He hit
the button with his gavel, and pain began.

GAME OVER
SHANTAE HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

Another shackle grabbed her neck and dragged her to the execution room where a stage with red
curtains and a giant genie lamp was waiting. We watched on the courtroom’s large screen with
dread at what was to happen to our dear friend.

Execution: Itty-Bitty Living Space

Shantae began to dance to the rhythm of the music being played on the speakers behind the
curtains. Colored gems began to be thrown at her by a crowd of Monokumas, and she felt every
single one hit her body.

One gem hit her square in the head, and she began to bleed as the crowd booed at her. She began to
get back up, but then the giant genie lamp started to suck her in. She held onto one of the curtains
until it ripped and she ended up inside of it. The lamp then fell through a trap door on the stage on
top of a junkyard crushing machine.

The lamp was crushed in as many ways as possible until it was nothing but a small metal cube that
leaked Shantae’s blood.

I fell to my knees in disbelief.

No one said a single word to each other before our real culprit decided to leave.

“Where… do you think you’re going?” Trunks asked Aoba, his sword unsheathed and at his throat.

“The Hope-tel. It’s late, and I don’t feel like being executed after watching someone else go
through it. Now if you’ll excuse me.” The Ultimate Manipulator headed towards the elevator, but
stopped next to me.

“I know what you are, you freak. You’re lucky I just decided to reveal the truth you were afraid to
say. You may not be human, but I hate you as much as I do the rest of humanity. That includes this
group, even that chameleon. Don’t expect me to save your lives again, I’m getting out of this city
one way, or another.”

“…”

Remaining Citizens: 13

To Be Continued...
DRFN VIEWABLE ON MOBILE
Chapter End Notes

Johnny Beach Goode… comes to an end. After this, a bonus chapter with the Infinity
Saga DVD set Ai got from the MonoMono Machine, which takes place sometime
before Deadly Life. If anyone has anything they want to say about this chapter, let me
have it. It can’t hurt as much as the pain I gave to these characters. Hope you enjoyed
this chapter, and look forward to Chapter 3.
 Bonus Chapter, DRFN watches the MCU
Chapter Summary

Just what kind of movies did Ai get in that dvd boxset?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The following bonus event occurs any time if The Infinity Saga box set is given to Miles
Morales during Free Time. Unlike other event items in the series, it’s always the first item
found in the Monocity MonoMono Machine. In addition, it is something that is given to a
certain character in the main story, regardless if it has been used or not. With that useless
information out of the way, time for a viewing party!

“What’s up Ai? Where’d you get that?” Miles asked me as I held up the dvd set I got from that
capsule machine.

“This? I got it from that machine near the department store. Apparently it has twenty-three films on
it.” I handed the box to him and his eyes immediately widened.

“Hold on, twenty three? And they just gave you that for like a coin or two? Man, all I could get
was a bottle of cola.” Miles held up a bottle labeled Kazuichi Soda.

“Being stuck in an unrefrigerated machine like that probably made it warm and flat.” I crossed my
arms.

“Surprisingly it wasn’t and the taste isn’t bad at all, though nothing compared to Koca-Soda.
Anyways, with that many movies, we should have a small binge party!” He suggested, throwing
me off.

“Hold on, watching this many films at once could leave us fatigued! Why would you even think of
something like this? ” I asked.

“I’m sure it’s fine, if there’s this many movies, then a lot of them are probably super short! I’ll go
see if anyone’s interested, then we’ll meet at the Hope-tel Lobby.” Miles said before swinging off.
What’s gotten into him?

I stared at the front and back cover of the large box, what kind of movie series has this many films?
I then looked to see the titles of every film and saw that of the two films has Spider-Man in it’s
title… ok that explains his excitement.

I don’t want to disappoint him, though at the same time this could distract us from finding our way
out of Monocity…. But we do need a break from searching and a change of pace. Oh what the hell,
couldn’t hurt. It’s not like I could die from exhaustion and lack of sleep.

When I got to the lobby, there were so many (carbs-filled, ugh) snacks there along with packs of
soft drinks and a large pack of mini water bottles.

The ones who made it were Emma, Killua, Gold, Miles, Ryuji, and surprisingly Bernadetta and
Ishigami. The former must be trying to grow out of her reclusive nature (or someone must have
dragged her out and forced her), while Ishigami I didn’t expect to hang out with us.

“Oh, Mizuno-san’s made it.” The Ultimate Pessimist informed the others.

“Glad to see ya Prissy Flower Gal!” Gold pat my back hard, and I stumbled a bit.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, we can start the first movie in the pack. ‘ Iron Man ’.” Miles
held up the first dvd.

“H-hold on, what is… a movie?” Bernadetta asks us and suddenly Trunks walks in from behind,
“Sorry I’m late, I’ve got the popcorn like you asked. And to answer your question, movies are
stories or events recorded by devices known as cameras. Basically stage performances or plays that
could be viewed from the comfort of one’s home.”

“Oh wow… other worlds are amazing if they have this stuff, if they had these things at home, then
I would only leave my room for food…” The recluse was impressed at the concept.

“I think I read about these in books I found in my old home, I never thought that cameras could
make moving pictures too!” Emma said with glee.
“Your old worlds must really be primitive, if you two hadn’t seen this stuff befo— gah!” I
squeezed Killua’s head so that he wouldn’t be rude.

“ Anyways … let’s start while we still have daylight, c’mon!” Ryuji grinned as he drank a fizzy
soda.

We inserted the disc into the dvd player and turned on the tv….

“Uh… it’s not playing, guys…” I heard Emma whisper from my left.

“Oh, we just need to switch it to the right section using the remote. Hold on…” Trunks flipped
through using the tv input button and then a fighting game popped up on screen, it looked like that
Super Smash Bros. game for the Wii, but with much more characters.

“Whoops! Forgot to turn off the console.” Killua said as he went towards the tv and the game
system off.

“You still owe me a rematch, pal…” Gold grumbled.

“Hey, don’t blame me for how much you didn’t know how to play as your yellow mouse thing.”
Killua snarked back at him as Gold slowly petted Pibu in anger.

“There it is.” I confirmed as the movie started rolling.

____________________________________________________________

One hour and seventeen minutes in, and I’m unexpectedly intrigued. I’m not much of a big
superhero person, yet the story and characters are pulling me towards watching more of these.

“Oh man, this suit is so much cooler than his first!” Gold was pumped seeing the Mark III in
action.

Tony Stark was blasting away at the terrorists who kidnapped him and is threatening innocent
people, it was satisfying after seeing the torture he was put through earlier on in the film. He was
annoyingly arrogant (and still is), yet he is choosing to use his knowledge to help the world.

“Imagine if we had those types of gadgets, we could have been out of here ages ago.” Ishigami
watches on with no visible interest.

“Yeah, some kind of Ultimate Inventor or Mechanic , you guys don’t have something like that do
ya?” Ryuji asks and all of us shake our heads, making him sigh.

____________________________________________________________

The film had an end credits scene, I haven't seen these much in the movies I’ve watched.

“ Nick Fury… the Avengers Initiative ?” I thought to myself as I remember seeing the word
“Avengers” on four of the dvds...

“Alright, that was fun, right Bernie?” Emma pats her on the back and she nods a little.

“Y-yeah. It surprisingly was. Though the action did scare me a bit.”

“Hold on, these movies are divided up into ‘phases’ and there’s three of them. You guys want to
watch each phase with breaks in between?” Killua looks at the rest of the box set.

“Wait a minute, if we finish phase 1, we’ll end up watching these movies for twelve hours!”
Trunks brought up a good point.

“I agree. Let’s just watch a few more tonight and we’ll go to bed. Okay?” I finished as everyone
prepares for the next movie.

____________________________________________________________

It’s a good thing I’m a zombie, since I can’t die from exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
We’ve been here for two days, watching these movies. To the point where Monokuma popped up
during Doctor Strange and asked us when we’d continue the killing game. He ended up joining us
too.

“COME ON SPIDER-MAN!!” He and Miles shouted as we saw Peter Parker lifting up rubble he
was trapped under in Homecoming.

However none of the people who stayed away from our first movie night decided to join. They just
took one look at us, like we were the undead (which I am, not gonna blame them), and walked to
their rooms.

I had quite the bedhead for sleeping in the Hope-tel lobby for what felt like ages, GOD GOLD
SNORES SO LOUD. I was lucky to even get some sleep.

“ At least the food didn’t get old .” I thought as I chewed on some jerky.

The movies were expertly made as well, aside from a few missteps like The Hulk’s movie and
Thor’s first sequel, we all enjoyed watching a universe so expansive and full of excitement.
Probably makes us long for what we could be doing in our own worlds. Mine was more grounded,
aside from having sentient zombies, but I had fun with the rest of Franchouchou. Performing in
front of many people and making them smile….. I miss home so much.

____________________________________________________________

“Aaaaaaaaaand that’s what I came here to see! All that buildup and all those heroes, wiped out with
a snap! The despair is everywhere in this room!” Monokuma said before he finally went away.

Avengers: Infinity War was heartbreaking. Seeing the many heroes we’ve grown to love, all
turned to dust by the actions of the Mad Titan Thanos did not go well with the others.

“OH EFF THIS!” Ryuji threw a bowl of popcorn at the screen and it broke.

“RYUJI!!” All of us, tiredly yell at him.

“You break it, you bought it pal. Here’s the bill.” Monokuma hands it to him before replacing the
widescreen tv.

His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, “A THOUSAND MONOCOINS??!!”.

“So tired…. And sad...” Bernadetta was swaying back and forth.

I looked at Miles and he was downtrodden. He was the one most excited to watch these movies,
and then he had to witness another Spider-Man dying. I put my hand on his back in an attempt to
comfort him.

“So… what now?” Ishigami asked, sounding uninterested, but he had tears streaming down his
face.

“Let’s just… see if there’s more.” I answered.

____________________________________________________________

“ AVENGERS….. Assemble. ”

Hearing Captain America say those two words after seeing him stand alone against Thanos’s forces
had me on the edge of my seat. I never expected these movies to pull me in like this, but I’m glad
they had.

Emma’s fists were gripped intensely, Gold was stupidly grinning, a hyped Ryuji cheered,
Bernadetta felt relief at the other heroes showing up, Trunks & Ishigami had slight smiles on their
faces, and Miles was overjoyed at seeing that universe’s Spider-Man alive and well.

The music, action, and character moments made this scene special. It’s nothing I’ve never seen
before in a movie. I feel like if this was shown in front of a crowded theater, it would erupt in
cheers. It’s like being in the crowd of one of our performances, the happiness and excitement
flowed.

And then it happened.

Ending his journey the way he started it.

Tony Stark taking the Infinity Stones and telling Thanos, “I…. am… Iron Man.”.

I’m not afraid to admit that this gave us tears. We wept so much that we had forgotten that we’ve
been stuck in here for days. Eating so much junk food and only having light sleep. To quote
Rhodey aka War Machine, but referring to us instead “You guys, really look like crap.”.

I don’t think we’ll watch the second Spider-Man movie until we feel refreshed and clean. I actually
look like a zombie with the makeup on right now.

After the credits rolled and we got no end credits scene, we all passed out
DRFN
Chapter End Notes

Okay that was pretty dumb overall, but hey it’s more content while I think of ways
Chapter 3 could go. And what to call Chapter 3 as well. Hope that y’all look forward
to it! (Remember that comments are always appreciated)
 A Manipulator's Malice Part 1 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Gundham makes it to the area outside of Monocity, while the folks inside have to learn
how to move on from the second trial.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Gundham Tanaka arrives at the “large metal structure” mentioned before and steps onto a flat rock
formation surrounding it. He thanks the dolphin he rode on for its services, for he would not be
able to cross the sea without it. He walks around the iron walls and spots a few people standing
guard, black suits, The Future Foundation.

He turned away so he could find a spot where he would not be seen but…

“Freeze Remnant!” A female Future Foundation member holds up a pistol in front of the unfazed
Tanaka.

“Fool, do you really think that weapon could work on me?” Gundham says as the Four Dark Devas
of Destruction emerged from his scarf.

“Wh-what the hell?!” The woman jumped, not expecting that.

He glared daggers into her, “I am simply looking for a way into this fortress, just as you are. Do
not invoke my—”

“Hold on! Don’t fight!”

A ponytailed young woman with tanned skin, a green tie on her Future Foundation Uniform, and
shorts breaks them up.

“Ms. Asahina! I found this Remnant of Despair spying from above.” The suited woman tells her.
“I know, Byakuya told me about it earlier, though I didn’t expect to have him be the one they sent!
N-no offense, um…” Hina holds her hand out, but Gundham doesn’t take it.

“None taken. You are quite courageous for not trembling due to my presence. Very well, I shall
reveal to you my name. May you never forget it as long as you live! You may call me… Gundham
Tanaka! Remember it well, for it is the name that will one day rule this world!” He proclaimed, his
scarf and hair flowing behind him intensely.

A bead of sweat rolls down her face, “Ah, okay! Gundham Tanaka… Gundham Tanaka…” She
then made circular motions with her finger on the palm of her hand.

“Just what are you doing, some kind of curse or enchantment through the use of my name?” The
Ultimate Breeder raised an eyebrow at her.

“Huh? You don't know? If you wanna remember someone's name, you gotta write it on your hand
three times!” She tells him.

“Fascinating…” Gundham said as he pondered to himself.

“Ah! I almost forgot, I’m Aoi Asahina, but my friends just call me Hina. Want to see what we have
so far?”

“Hm…” He utters as he nods slowly.

“Great!” She says as she grabs him and drags him over to where she’s made base, annoying him
through contact.

They made it to a large metal hatch in front of the structure, with two machine guns mounted on it.
The other members of Future Foundation did not feel comfortable working with a Remnant of
Despair, but they didn’t want to cause any conflict that could threaten the operation.

“Do not touch me again, or you shall feel the wrath of the Supreme Overlord of Ice!” Gundham
threatens her, but she doesn’t notice.
“Look there! I’m getting some deja vu looking at that door there…” She says as she looks around.

“If a killing game is indeed taking place within its walls, we must find an opening immediately.”
The “Overlord” informs her.

“Yeah I agree! If we could find an opening, we could contact the people inside and help them
escape! So… where could it be?” Hina tries to think of a way for them to enter but then one of the
Devas hops out of Gundham’s scarf.

“Maga-Z?” He asks the tan hamster as it sees a small air vent and starts to jump into it.

“Ah! He found one! Cute little guy…” Hina smiles brightly.

“When it comes to finding hidden entrances, Maga-Z has no equal. Let us make you our messenger
for the Killing Game participants! Are you willing to spare a writing instrument?”

Chapter 3: A Manipulator’s Malice Part 1 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 13

< Back with Ai’s perspective >

The trial last night took a toll on me.

Marty, Shantae…. Their fate was too hard to bear. What made it even worse was the voice of the
person responsible stuck in my head. The last thing he said to me before leaving…

“Don’t expect me to save your lives again, I’m getting out of this city one way, or another.”

Aoba Kuronuma, The Ultimate Manipulator… Just why did he do such a terrible thing to them?
Setting up a plan so that Marty would die and Shantae would take the fall… it’s so horrible. He
said that he hated humanity, is that really a reason to kill? That’s not the only thing that made me
paranoid about him.

“I know what you are, you freak.”

“You may not be human, but I hate you as much as I do the rest of humanity.”

He knows that I’m a zombie or not human at least. Must have found out through encountering me
with my arms off or with the water-proof spray. Is he going to reveal it immediately? No… with
his type of planning, he must be keeping it as a last resort in case I get too dangerous for him.

I need to stop thinking like this, Shantae did wish for us to get out of here and not succumb to the
killing game. We can’t let her down. Time to get out of bed…

I’ve been here sleeping for so long, it’s now 11:00 am, four hours gone to waste.

The Hope-tel is completely silent, like everyone else has left already. I went towards the elevator
and pressed the down button. I waited for a bit, but then I spotted Aoba walking towards it and I
clicked the button repeatedly.

“Why hello there Ai. Good morning.” He greeted me condescendingly with that fake smile.

“Hi…” I responded.

We were forced to be in the same elevator together, and it infuriated me to no end. By the time I
reached the lobby, I quickly walked out the door to avoid any more contact with him. Aoba must
have just wanted to mess with me, knowing how I and the others feel about him and just choosing
to do his own thing.

Anyways, everyone must have woken up by now and are already exploring the new area. I should
have been more diligent as one of the leaders in the group. I should get there to explore as quickly
as I can, since I need to make up those hours I wasted somehow.

I went through Jabberwock Coast on the way to the area, and after what just happened, it looks like
we won’t be having any more beach parties. Though I did spot someone on their way to the new
area, Ishigami, he must have woken up late too.

“Hey!” I called out to him, and it took him a few seconds for him to notice me.

“Ah, hey Mizuno-san…” He looks a bit more gloomy than usual, can’t blame him honestly.

“Ishigami, are you feeling alright?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Compared to the last trial, I feel like it was undeserved. Kaiba killed on
purpose, while Shantae killed on complete accident. Guess manslaughter isn’t a thing here…” He
responds.

“It really isn’t!” Monokuma pops up, making Ishigami jump, while I stood there, unamused.

“We were just about to explore, if you don’t have anything useful, then beat it.” I told him.

“Sheesh, who burnt your yakiniku, huh? You’re lucky there’s no rule for sassing me, or else
everyone would be dead by now! Just take your fixed amount of Monocoins, since Aoba finished
the trial for you, and another item from a dead friend!”

Obtained Monocoins!

Fifty coins…. And Shantae’s gold ponytail stem stalk.

“Enjoy! Puhuhu~” He left before I could give him a piece of my mind.

“You get money for completing cases? Maybe I should actually say some stuff next time, maybe I
can get better headphones…” I heard Ishigami mumble

“Next time? You really think it’s gonna happen again?” I pressed him for an answer.
“Tensions are high right now. Sooner or later, I expect to see another body discovered.” Ishigami
walked on ahead, but I followed.

“Really living up to that Ultimate title, huh?” I replied, annoyed at his attitude.

I stopped by the memorial table and left Shantae’s stem stalk on top of it. I then noticed Marty’s
guitar left on top of the stage, so I walked over and grabbed it. I played a few strings before I put it
on the table too. Bowing my head in remembrance for the dead, and then walking towards the now
open wall next to Ishigami.

I looked up to see many large buildings with advertisements posted everywhere. A fortune telling
service, stage shows, a workout gym, and a few restaurants were displayed on the large screens and
electronic billboards. Monocity’s version of Times Square in New York it seems, though it seems
even more in your face with the advertising stuff…

I unfortunately had to drag Ishigami around the area, since he doesn’t want to bother with searching
on his own. I saw Miles swinging above the rooftops, Espio and Killua leaping right behind him.
Trunks was hovering over by a video game store. And Emma and Gold were spotted by the
“Monokuma Theatre House”, so we walked on over to them.

“Good morning…” I greeted them, but they both weren’t in the best of moods.

I cleared my throat before I asked them some questions, “Have you managed to find anything
here?”.

“Nothing aside from this being both a movie theatre and a theatre to watch plays and musicals. I’d
find it more cool if…. Ugh never mind.” Gold answered me solemnly, Pibu rubbing his head
against his leg in an attempt to cheer him up.

“Interesting, but impractical.” Ishigami stated.

“ Where is everyone else right now? Namely Ryuji, Alice, Sucy, and Bernadetta.” I asked for my
next question.

“The first two are by the gym, Ryuji thought working out might help ease his mind, while Alice
just wanted to explore. Sucy’s inside the theatre, but didn’t want to work with us. And Bernie
hadn't left her room, even for food. I know that’s common for her, but no eating? I’m worried
about her. Maybe go and check on her later on?” Emma suggested and I agreed.

“I will, she has to be one of the most vulnerable one here, so I have to keep an eye on her.” As I
wondered if Bernadetta was really alright.

____________________________________________________________

“ *sniff*, I’m never gonna make it out of here…. I should just lay down and die here instead of
letting someone else do it….” Bernadetta cried, laying down atop her Hope-tel bed.

“The longer we stay, the more people we lose… I can’t take it… *sniff*” She rubs the tears from
her aching eyes.

She gets up to look in the mirror, wondering what’s left for her if she stays alive during this killing
game. She didn’t want to go out and face the others, since she believed she wouldn’t be of use to
them.

“Bernie’s just no good…” She tells herself.

Ten minutes pass and she’s back on the bed, but instead of crying she’s taking a nap. Too bad she
couldn’t stay asleep longer, she might have needed it. Squeaking is coming from somewhere,
making Bernie jump back awake, and go towards the window.

After listening for a while, the sound is gone, “Darn it Bernie, you’re going crazy here.”

And then something small and furry dropped in from above.

“EEEEEYAAAAAHHH!!”
DRFN
Chapter End Notes

Ladies and gents, it’s time for chapter 3. Finally got to see Gundham meet Hina, quite
the unexpected meeting. Hope Maga-Z will be a good boy to poor Bernie though.
Aoba will never be a good boy though, he’s a meanie. In other news, I’m currently
celebrating my first anniversary of my first fanfiction Three Houses Saga, my Fire
Emblem Three Houses & Zombie Land Saga crossover. Without writing that ongoing
story, which is now at 26 chapters, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable writing this one
alongside it! Thanks for reading this chapter and go check out Three Houses Saga if
you’re interested. As always comments are always appreciated!
 A Manipulator's Malice Part 2 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

The surviving citizens find a new hope from... a Supreme Overlord of Ice?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 3: The Manipulator’s Malice Part 2 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 13

“W-what is that?! Was it sent by Monokuma to kill me?!” Bernadetta asks fearfully as Maga-Z
comes closer to her.

The tan-furred hamster squeaks and causes the poor girl to jump back.

“Eek!”

A single slip of paper is dropped down by the hamster and it awaits Bernie’s next move.

“Uh-um…” She utters as she slowly approaches and then quickly picks up the paper and scoots
backwards.

The purple-haired recluse opened up the paper and read it aloud.

To the mortals within this impenetrable structure,

I, Gundham Tanaka, Supreme Overlord of Ice, had entrusted Crimson Steel Elephant Maga-Z of
the Four Dark Devas of Destruction to deliver this message to you all. Myself, as well as the
organization referred to as the Future Foundation are outside its borders. Your assistance is
necessary in order to pursue your escape from this “Killing Game”, listen well, for this is the only
time the instructions shall be spoken through my written words. Inform your comrades of this
system and we shall communicate back and forth, relaying information about the internal and
external workings of this structure. My power is unfortunately not enough to break through and set
you all free, so collaboration is a must. Do not let me down.

Gundham Tanaka

“T-there’s people outside?!” Bernie thought as she finished reading. She thought the letter was a
bit odd, but that did not detract that she actually felt like running outside today.

Maga-Z bows to her, which causes her to slowly do the same as the hamster looks up at the vent
where he dropped down from. She hesitates for a moment until Maga-Z snuggles her hand when
she gets close, surprising the recluse and making her smile.

“Stay here uh… Maga-Z, I’ll go get the others!” She tells the hamster who gives her a small
salute.

She washes her face, puts her boots on, grabs her e-Handbook, and takes a deep breath before
moving out of her Hope-tel room. Clutching the note in her hand, she heads to the stairs. As she
walks down, she has a nervous, yet hopeful smile on her face after this new discovery it seems as
though her confidence has been boosted.

“Ah, Bernie, finally deciding to go out for food I assume?”

“GAH!” Bernadetta looks behind to see Aoba as she was about to leave through the door.

“I didn’t expect you to be so chipper after last night… what’s the occasion?” He grins.

“O-o-oh! I um…I’m…I…” Bernie studders.

“Hm? My my, what is that you have there?” Aoba notices the message from Gundham in her hand.

“T-this? T-this is just… MY NEW MANUSCRIPT! I lost my old one a while ago to an avid
reader, so I just started on my first page! I’m off to get more paper and ink ha ha, bye!” She lies
before dashing away like a thief unit with a speed ring equipped.

Aoba is left standing there confused, remaining suspicious of the message.

<Back to Ai’s POV>

“30 percent accuracy…”

I read on the sign when I see the fortune telling outlet. The guy on the poster looks like he should
really comb his hair and take a bath. Also having that high of a chance at getting predictions right
is… not very impressive from my perspective.

“Who would pay this much to get a lousy reading? I’m also pretty sure that that crystal ball is just
made of glass.” Ishigami stated, as I remembered he was here with me.

He tapped the ball and I sighed before walking out of there. Searching is getting repetitive, yet we
have to keep looking for a way out. It’s not like we’ll find some help on the outsi—

“AI! ISHIGAMI!”

Bernadetta, didn’t think she was feeling any better. She arrives out of breath, and is holding a piece
of paper for some reason.

“Bernie, are you feeling alright? I was told you haven’t left your room, even for food.” I asked,
concerned.

“Huff huff.. I was just trying to get over the trial… I still am. BUT THAT’S NOT WHY I’M
HERE!!” She held out the paper in our faces and I looked over it… despite it being crumpled a
little.

My eyes widened as I read each word on it, there’s… people outside to help us?!

Ishigami blinked twice, “W-what?!”.

“We need to call everyone to talk about this… except for Aoba of course…” Bernadetta gripped
her fists.

“Oh yeah, we really need to keep stuff like this away from a guy like that. Who knows what he
could do when we’re communicating with this Gundham guy.” Ishigami said and we nodded.

“I’ll go round everyone up…” I began and I heard a stomach rumble, Bernie turned away in
embarrassment, “... And we’ll get some food as well.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

“Is this for real?!” Ryuji responded in the way I expected.

Bernadetta was chewing her pasta salad quickly, she was that hungry in there. We were at the diner
again.

“I don’t know, we don’t even know this person, in addition we have no idea what he looks like.
And his writing is just odd. How do we know we can even trust him?” Espio asked.

“Well we don’t know for sure until we ask him!” Emma said.

“That seems risky, do we even know if this ‘Gundham’ won’t betray us or if he is even capable of
helping?” Trunks crossed his arms.

“I’m not sensing any danger right now, so if I get a bad feeling about the guy, I’ll tell you guys
what’s up.” Miles must have some sixth sense that alerts him to danger, I believe I saw it before.
I’ll be sure to ask him about it later.

“Thanks, I believe the best course of action right now is to respond to his letter. That is the best
way we can determine if he will be able to assist in our escape.” I told everyone.

“...”
“Hey Creepy Witch Gal, you haven’t been saying a thing to us the whole day? Somethin’ up?”
Gold asked Sucy who just looked away.

“She probably thinks that this won’t work! Maybe she’s planning on poisoning us all with witch
magic ooooo~.” Alice teased her while waving her arms around.

“That’s enough. We have to find a way to stay united and escape together, we can’t make fun of
people in childish mannerisms.” I scolded her.

“Oh really? Trying to take on Shantae’s dying wish I assume? You already tried to bring us
together with that party, and it ended up getting her and Marty killed. Just stop.” Sucy then finally
said something.

“What?” Is how I responded.

“Stop trying to lead a incompetent group like this, especially since you and Bernadetta took the
longest to leave the Hope-tel. You also have not accounted for the person who caused the two
deaths last night, Aoba. He has been off on his own for hours, he could be planning the next
murder.” She continued and I was taken aback by this.

Her words were true and they stung. After the trial, I was trying to sleep away the pain of seeing
our comrades die. I should have tried to be a more sensible and stronger leader to everyone, yet...

“That is true, she always tries to lead us, but maybe we’re going down the wrong direction.” Alice
agrees.

“....” Ishigami is silent now, looking like he is conflicted on if he wants to answer or not.

“Look Ai is trying her hardest, you can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now.” Bless you, Emma.

Killua then sat up from his booth, “Getting on her case won’t help at all, making it worse from
how you’re trying to put her down.”

“Y-yeah, she’s actually trying to make an effort to help us escape! And now we could have a
chance with this!” Bernadetta told them while holding out Gundham’s letter.

“Super Serious Flower Gal’s got us covered, I have faith in her, especially since she’s helped us
through the trials so far.” Gold rubbed his finger under his nose.

“You go follow her to your death, I’m not going to be a part of this.” Sucy left.

“That is something to think about, maybe I should be leading you all, hee hee.” Alice giggled
before moving on herself.

I then saw Ishigami get up from his chair slowly, but Emma stopped him.

“Hey, it feels like you need company. Please stay, for a bit at least.”

He did not speak back to her and just promptly sat back down.

“Okay, so we need to handwrite a good response back to this Gundham Tanaka guy. Huh, weird
name.” Killua stated.

“Right? So uh… who’s writing it and what do we say?” Ryuji asked us.

“W-well, I already know how to get the message to Gundham, and I do need practice to write my
stories… (takes a deep breath in) I’ll do it.” Bernadetta surprisingly volunteers.

“Wait, I know you got this letter from him, but how are we sending our letter?” Miles asked.

“It’s um… kinda strange.” Bernadetta answered.

“I bet twenty Monocoins that it’s not as strange as the stuff we’ve seen collectively.” Killua snarks.

_____________________________________________________________________________
Killua just hands Bernie the coins which she places on her counter before picking up… a
messenger hamster.

“Everyone, this is Maga-Z. One of Gundham’s… Four Dark Devas of Destruction.”

Um… excuse me?

DRFN CH 3
Chapter End Notes

Anyone miss me? No? Okay. Glad I managed to get one of these out. Manipulator’s
Malice is gonna be a long one folks, so I hope you all do not mind how long it will
take to get them out. Thanks for your patience anyone who still reads these, hope to
see your comments/reviews if you leave any!
 A Manipulator’s Malice Part 3 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

A super lengthy one, a lot to take in folks. Hope y'all enjoy.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

After getting a couple more questions via evil_bean on AO3 and King_Chronos on Wattpad,
I’ll answer them right now. To answer the former’s comment, this chapter will be focusing on
almost everyone learning the backstories of their companions in the city. And to answer
King_Chronos, well since Trunks was shown to be able to turn super and fire ki blasts, Miles
still has his web shooters, Spidey Sense, and wall crawling, and Killua himself can run up
walls, you can guess that Killua still use Godspeed. Although you have to wait and see if it
comes into play, or if it is as strong as it is in HunterXHunter. Anyways on with the show!

Chapter 3: The Manipulator’s Malice Part 3 (Daily Life)

“Ah! Gundham! Your hamster is back!”

Aoi called the Ultimate Breeder over to vent they found before and Maga-Z hopped out of it,
approaching them.

“He is called Maga-Z, I entrust you not to forget that name. Use that hand ritual again to recall it if
you must.” Gundham told her as she did just that.

“Gotcha! So what did they say?” Asahina asked him as he unfolded the letter.

To Mr. Tanaka, Supreme Overlord of Ice, (Gundham smirked as he read that part, clearly glad
someone recognized his title)

We really would appreciate all the help you could give us, so that we are able to escape from this
city. There were originally 17 of us, but now 13 of us are left. Two people were murdered, while
the other two were executed. Seeing them all die has made this an excruciating experience, almost
hopeless. However, your letter has managed to give us some hope in escaping from here, well, if
we can trust you at least. We have not seen your face or any signs of who you might be as a person,
aside from your letter. Please be truthful to us if you really want to help the rest of us escape. If you
do, we will be sure to give you something nice in return. Thank you, hope Maga-Z and the letter
can get to you safely.

Bernadetta von Varley

“Four of them are dead already… we have to help them immediately! Before any more of them are
lost!” Aoi says as Gundham finishes reading.

“We need to formulate a plan that guarantees success, there is none if we simply charge in without
one. Two class trials must have taken place already, which means that soon a new motive will be
introduced. The mastermind’s pattern is predictable, yet there could be things we may not
foresee…”

“True… maybe we should send them another message tomorrow morning. Just let them know
we’re on their side, and that they should keep us updated on what happens.” Aoi suggests as
Gundham nods.

“That looks to be the only choice for now, let us be patient then. I’ll be sure to contact the other
Remnants, a few of their powers may prove useful in the future…” Gundham turns away and
begins to walk off.

“Yeah, especially, uh… Kamakura? Was that his name? Oh yeah, it was!” Asahina slaps her fist
down to her palm as she figures it out.

Gundham then begins to think aloud to himself, “Hm… ‘something nice in return’, eh? I am sure
those mortals managed to find something truly useful, perhaps it is something I could use to gain
more power…”

_____________________________________________________________________________

< Ai’s POV >

“YOU TOLD HIM WE WOULD GIVE HIM SOMETHING?!!”

Gold yelled as Bernadetta covered her ears.

“Keep your voice down, please.” I told him, irritated at his noise.

“We can’t afford having Monokuma… or Aoba hear what we’re doing.” Trunks scolded him.

“Do we even have anything to give him? We also need to know we can trust this dude too.” Ryuji
pointed out.

“Still, we gotta give the guy something if he’s helping us out. Especially if it’s something as weird
as this.” Miles said as I looked through what gifts I had on me.

“Hm… all I have is this 23 movie box set…” I picked up the large Infinity Saga dvd set I got from
the MonoMono Machine.

“I guess? I was gonna suggest sending him some snacks or something, but whatever. It’s not like
we had time to watch all those movies anyways.” Gold responded as he scratched his cheek.

“Hopefully he likes those kinds of movies, his way of writing was… weird to say the least so
maybe he’ll like that kind of stuff.” Killua said.

“So let’s wait until his next response, maybe explore what we have left of the new area before
meeting up at the Hope-tel lobby?” I suggested and everyone was in favor of that idea.

As each of us exited Bernadetta’s room, I thought to myself about those three individuals. Aoba,
Alice, and Sucy. The latter two really were not comfortable with me taking the lead during that last
conversation, it makes me worry over if I am truly capable. This group could implode from the
inside if we’re not too careful, so it’s a good thing I have others like Trunks and Emma to lead as
well.

However, Aoba is unpredictable since he knows my secret. I have no idea how any of my
companions will react if that is revealed, and the fact that he managed to get Shantae to poison
Marty incidentally already makes him a large threat. I looked around to see if he was around, not a
trace of him. Just what was going on inside that head of his….
_____________________________________________________________________________

Later that evening...

“So nobody could get into that building?” Espio asked, and the rest of us shook our heads, “(Sighs)
Why keep that one specific section of the area locked?”

“More than likely holds something we shouldn’t know, that damn bear is clever not to give us
everything.” Killua scoffs.

We all spotted one building that stood out among the rest in the Times Square portion of the city.
Large brown tower with an iron gate in front of it. I attempted to climb above the gates, being
careful not to have my arms pop off, but it was too high so I gave up. It seemed that despite a few
people making it over the gate, the building was still locked from the inside.

“When I tried to break through the windows, they all had solid metal behind them. It doesn’t sound
like much to someone as strong as me, but I couldn’t get past them.” Miles informed us.

“Does anyone have any sort of firepower that can melt through ‘em? I’d do it myself, if I had
Exbo…” Gold raised a question as he patted Pibu on the head.

“I used to blast through, but nothing could affect them. Damn it, am I getting weaker, or is the
architecture immune to everything we throw at it? If so, how is that possible?” Trunks slammed his
fist on the table, I remembered our conversation about this a while ago. All that power to even push
me away from the sheer force, and he couldn’t break us out of here.

“Y’know… with all this talk about powers has gotten me curious…”

We turned and saw Alice walking towards us, waving.

“So you’ve decided to join us, huh?” Ishigami spoke up after hours had passed.

“Well it was starting to get dull on my own, so I might as well join in on the camaraderie. As I was
saying, I’m curious on what kind of worlds could produce you all. How about we take the time to
learn more about each other? We haven’t discussed this topic that often…”

That is true, learning more about what kind of worlds we live in and how we became who we are
would be a great way to bond. Since the party failed, a much more calm atmosphere could be
better for us.

Group Free Time Start

I decided to start first, although I have to remove all the zombie related elements from my story. I
told them about how me and the rest of Franchouchou formed, our manager Kotaro Tatsumi, his
“normal” dog, Romero, and that we performed in the Saga Prefecture in Japan.

“Wait, you were formed to ‘save’ Saga, right? From what?” Ryuji asked and I just sighed and
shrugged.

“Tatsumi hasn’t told us that yet, and at this point, I doubt he ever will.”

“Pretty normal all things considered, lame.” Oh Gold, if only you knew, “Anyways, I’ll go next!
I’m the hero from New Bark Town who saved the Johto region!” Gold rubbed his finger under his
nose with pride.

He explained that he came from a world filled with creatures called Pokémon. They live alongside
humans and they assist each other in their daily lives, and in his case battling. Gold alongside other
“Pokédex holders” helped save their world on multiple occasions. His most notable achievement
was defeating a villain named the Mask of Ice, who almost took over the Johto region with the
help of a Pokémon called Celebi. Sounds quite exciting, especially after meeting Gold’s adorable
Pichu.

Next was Ryuji, he talked about how he and his group of friends sought out to change the hearts of
corrupt individuals. They were called The Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and they stole “treasures”
from these evil people in order to make them change their ways. He also talked about summoning
his inner self, a “Persona” that he would use to fight creatures found within dark twisted minds. I
wonder if they could help make Tatsumi less irritating.

Alice was a student at Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, and apparently she is one of their best. Taking
the 6th seat on the “Elite Ten Council”, she specializes in molecular gastronomy, unsurprisingly.
Despite seeming relatively normal, the school she goes to holds competitions called Shokugekis,
where two students duel through cooking well made dishes. With how delicious her food is, she
must be quite skilled in those duels.

“I’m just the student council treasurer at Shuchi'in Academy.” Ishigami bluntly states. Well given
how often I see him on his laptop, he must have some good experience for his duties.

“Okay, let’s do this one last time…” Miles then stood up.

“Um, do what?” Bernadetta tilted her head.

“My name is Miles Morales, I was bitten by a radioactive spider. And for the past… hm… two
months, I’ve been my universe’s one and only Spider-Man. I go to Visions Academy in Brooklyn,
New York. I’ve got electric powers that I call venom, which I can use to shock bad guys. And I can
turn invisible, both on command.” He says as he disappears right in front of us.

“Oooooo…” Emma lets out.

Miles then reappears, “Pretty cool, huh? So I actually had another experience kinda similar to this
one, where I had to stop this big guy called the Kingpin. He wanted to open gateways to other
dimensions, which could destroy Brooklyn, and I ended up meeting alternate universe Spider-
People. With their help, I took him down and realized my potential, avenging the death of the
previous Spider-Man, Peter Parker.” He finished as he sat back down.

A handful of us gave applause, myself included at how he told his story. Now just five of us left.

Espio revealed that he works for the Chaotix Detective Agency alongside his partners, Vector and
Charmy. On his world there are anthropomorphic animals trying to live out their lives. They try to
solve cases, although they barely get any work. They do sometimes show up to help save their
world from an evil scientist named Dr. Eggman (not the strangest name I’ve heard), though I
imagine that doesn’t pay very much. Their recent adventure had them fighting a liquid metal
zombie virus, which gives me a reason not to reveal my secret unless I want a shuriken in my
forehead.

Trunks reveals his heritage of being half human and half of an elite warrior race known as saiyans.
He had to live in a future where many of his world’s protectors had fallen to two androids.
Eventually he managed to go back in time to prevent this event from happening in another timeline,
fighting alongside those same people who died. After taking care of that threat, he faced more
threats like a wizard trying to summon a genie, to a twisted god bent on exterminating mortals. A
lot to take in, but I understood it the more he talked about it.

“Hey Bernie, do you want to go next, or should I?” Emma asked her.

“Well, um… alright I’ll go.” Was her response.

Her story was quite a saddening one at the start. She was the daughter of Count Varley in Fódlan,
and she was groomed to be the perfect wife to a wealthy nobleman. She told us that her father tied
her to a chair to try and be quiet and obedient, yet she despised doing this to the point of kicking
and screaming. She was then sent to the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery against her
will and was forced to enroll into the Black Eagles House.

“That bastard… who does that to their kid?! Oh wait, I know his type well…” Ryuji gritted his
teeth, and the rest of us tried to hold in our anger towards Bernadetta’s father.

She tried to calm us down before talking about someone she encountered during one semester.
They were a new professor who just came to the monastery, they knocked on her door and talked
to her daily. They even helped her out with getting used to going outside her room, cooked meals
with her, and ate in the dining hall. She said that them being so quiet, yet understanding is what
drew her to them. That professor must be a truly intriguing individual, I wish I could meet them
(cough cough Three Houses Saga cough)

“Yo, uh, Silver-Haired Kid? You want a shot at this?” Gold asked Killua.

“Nah, I’m good for now, I’m just feeling too tired. Yawn…” He denied the request to go. He must
have some other reason not to talk about things on his world.

“Alright, I guess I’m the last one. I’ll make this quick.” Emma breathed in before revealing
everything.

“I was raised in a house called Grace Field, where our ‘mother’ Isabella had taken care of me and
my fellow children. We all had good meals and had fun playing outside, we were taken care of
well…” She paused for a moment, before shaking her head and began again, “That all changed
when me and my friend Norman discovered we lived on a farm. Raised up to be served as meals
for demons.”
…… What. The. Hell.

Everyone’s faces after hearing that were just shocked.

“Ha ha, I knew that would be the reaction I’d get. Anyways, we formulated a plan to escape, which
we had, although without Norman or any of the younger children. Me and my other close friend,
Ray, look after the family we have brought with us, until we find a way to get to the human world.
Getting to live in peace is hard for us, especially with all the demons, but we try our best to
survive.”

“Damn, that’s just about as bad as the situation we’re in right now!” Ryuji’s eyes were wide.

“That’s horrible… I’m so sorry…” Bernadetta shivered.

“It’s alright, after so much has happened, I have hope that we’ll be alright. Well, if we manage to
get out of here and save them…” Emma bowed her head and that’s when I remembered.

Our loved ones are most likely still under Ultimate Despair, tearing down the worlds we all wish to
return to. I have not fully forgotten that, it just has not been my focus lately after the murders and
trials. We can’t give up yet on getting back to our homes, we just need more time.

“Oh, good evening folks, I’m just headed back to my room for the night. Farewell.”

There’s also the case of Aoba, as he walked past us…

“Tch… we need to keep an eye on him, actually we need a lot of eyes on him.” Gold sneered.

“Oh, he’s probably not planning much. He most likely won’t until the next motive is shown to us.”
Alice said, although she said it in an oddly calm manner and smiled.

“Whatever the case, do not let your guards down around him, everyone.” Espio told us.

“Well, I’m off to bed as well! Good night!” Alice walked towards the elevator and pressed the up
button.

“Guess I’ll turn in too, let me know if that Gun Ham guy answers, ok?” Gold yawned as he joined
her.

Killua then told us good night, before leaving with Ryuji. The rest of us waited for an hour until it
was 9:40 pm, and that’s when those of us remaining went up to Bernadetta’s room. The hamster
was already waiting there for us with a new letter.

I quickly read over it, basically he stated that he was willing to work with us, although a plan
needed to be formed first. We need to give him as much information as we can about the city, then
he and his “forces” can find a way through. He also said, and I quote, “That tribute you mentioned,
will it be of any use to me? It better not be a waste of my time…”, he’s… quite a character.

Without much of anything else to give him, I attached the box set to our response and saw “Maga-
Z” carry it away. Hope the poor thing isn’t exhausted after carrying messages back and forth, and a
large box set as well? After that we all decided to turn in for the night, and that we needed to
gather all the information we can for our next message.

Will his help be what we need to escape? It can’t hurt to try it out.

.
.

MONOKUMA THEATER

“It’s been a long chapter hasn’t it, and it isn’t even a trial chapter!”

“This is what you get when an author has too many ideas in their head. It probably feels like it’s
dragging on, huh?”

“Well too bad! There’s still plenty of chapter left to go! Consider this an early Christmas gift!”

“Hajime? You’ve really done a lot for us and we owe you so much, especially after you managed
to use Kamakura’s power to bring us all back. You’re like a hero to us, and… to me especially. So
I… was wondering if… we can…”

The redness on Mahiru's face was intense, as she approached Hajime slowly and nervously.

“W-we can what?!” Hajime was turning a similar color.

The photographer came closer, to the point where the two of them were inches away. Mahiru
leaned her head forward, Hajime slowly doing the same.

“Hey guys, we need youuuuuu.”

Nagito Komaeda entered the room just as their lips touched.

“Oh wow Mahiru, I didn’t expect an Ultimate like you to be interested in reserve course trash.” He
stated.

“Shut up Nagito.” Hajime responded.

“Ha ha ha, my apologies, I was only kidding. Anyways, Gundham has managed to contact us, we
should go respond now.” The luckster rubbed the back of his head.

“We’ll uh, talk more later, alright?” Hajime said to Mahiru who nodded as the three of them exited
the room.

_____________________________________________________________________________

“So what did you tell the others?” Hina asked Gundham.

“Simply that I have arrived at the location, met up with your organization, and that I may need
assistance from a few of them when able. Nothing more, nothing less.” He says, as his scarf blows
in the wind.
“Oh brother, this one is the one the Remnants sent? The ‘lord of darkness’ breeder? We could have
even been better off with that annoying gymnast…”

Hina turns around and sees Byakuya Togami arriving, alongside three people she does not know.

“Silence, lowly cur.” Gundham stated as he stared down the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

“Hmph, I’d have two nickels for how many times I’ve been called that. No matter, you might as
well assist in this operation alongside these three.” Byakuya gestured towards the people he
brought.

“R-right. Okay first off, you should have told me you were coming, and secondly who are they?”
Aoi asked him and the dark blue haired boy raised his hand slowly.

“It’s a lot to explain, so you might want to sit down first. Rest assured we’ll try our best to help in
whatever way we can. My name is Shuichi Saihara, and… I guess for now you can call me another
Ultimate Detective.”

“I’m Maki Harukawa, Ultimate… Assassin.” The girl in red with pigtails spoke up.

“I am Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Mage! Or… Magician.” The small redhead with the witch hat
said.

“Mage you say… another master of the mystic arts, hm? Fascinating… may you show me what
power you hold in that small form of yours?” Gundham was intrigued.

“Uh… sure! Prepare to be amazed by my maaaaaagiiiiic.” The girl prepared to use some kind of
trick, but then was interrupted by Byakuya.

“Can you two cut it out. Have you all made contact with the members of that killing game yet?”
And on cue, Maga-Z came out of the vent, holding the letter and the Infinity Saga box set.

“Indeed we have, now let us see what the Crimson Steel Elephant has bro—hm?” Gundham picks
up the box set and stares at it intensely, “.... I must formulate my response while observing this…
collection of films. Come now young mage, show me more spells while we wait.”

“Nyeh?” Was Himiko’s reaction.

Everyone else was exasperated as they went to go pick up the letter.

____________________________________________________________

< Ai’s POV, finally >

* Ding, dong, bing, bong!*

“ Gooooooood morning Monocity! It is now 7 a.m., and the weather today is a wonderfully
cloudless blue sky! Remember to follow the law, but have fun! Also meet up by the large brown
building immediately for a special surprise! ”

That does not sound pleasant.

We were not able to hold that info gathering meeting, we’ll probably be able to hold it later on.

One by one, all of us showed up to the gates of the building that we failed to get into yesterday. A
couple of glares were shot in Aoba’s direction, and I saw Sucy blankly staring at me. Eventually
we heard that boing sound as Monokuma popped up from the ground.

“Good morning everyone, you’re all probably curious about what’s inside this place, aren’t ‘cha?”

“You’re keeping something important in there, huh? Just tell us already!” Emma demanded.

“Alright alright, orange antenna, I won’t tell you, but allow me to open it up for you all!” The bear
stated as the gates lowered and the doors to the building opened.
Something did not feel right, so I took my time when walking over to the building. As I entered, it
was… a school of some sorts? Like a modern-looking private school, that only allows certain
individuals. I went to go up the stairs to check out more of the place but then…

“GUYS WE NEED TO GET OUT NOW!”

That was Miles, he must have sensed something. I quickly ran outside to join him, Trunks,
Bernadetta, Gold, & Espio… seven of us are missing.

“Aw dang it, guess I’ll have to make due with half of them.” Monokuma said as the doors were
closed again, along with solid metal barricading them.

“Wh-what?!” I let out.

“This motive is an oldie, but it’ll have to do. If nobody is murdered while the seven of them are
trapped in there, then they’ll starve to death!”

Emma, Ryuji, Ishigami, Alice, Sucy, Killua, and Aoba… They’re all in there, and we have no way
of getting in after trying it out yesterday. This is the next motive… a kill or be killed scenario inside
of this school…
DRFN
Chapter End Notes

Next time on Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus… Emma takes the lead. Sorry for the
length of this one, the other ones will be much easier to take in. Also happy late
birthdays to Bernadetta and Gundham!
 The Manipulator’s Malice Part 4 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Some citizens are stuck inside the school, while the others are watching Monokuma
Hamilton. Guess which one we focus on for this chapter.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 3: The Manipulator’s Malice Part 4 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 13

Outside the school building: Ai, Bernadetta, Gold, Miles, Trunks, Espio

Inside the school building: Emma, Killua, Ryuji, Ishigami, Alice, Sucy, Aoba

< Ai’s POV >

“ Raise a glass to freeeeedom. Something they can never take away. No matter what they tell
youuuuuuuuu.”

“BOOO!” Gold threw his popcorn at the American Revolution Era Monokuma, and his three
copies on stage.

“Hey! I’m not cleaning that up. And wow, you don’t have a clue on how stunning my performance
has been so far! I rapped through all of “ My Shot” without breaking a sweat you ungrateful bunch!
I knew I should have charged as much as it was on Broadway…”

Agh, I’m glad the singing stopped for at least a minute. How can a robotic bear be tone deaf? We
have been sitting down in this theater for half an hour. Monokuma suggested that we watch a
musical while we wait for the others to escape that school. As a singer and stage performer myself,
this was certainly a painful experience.
“Tch, we’re all just sitting ducks until they get out of there. Is there really no other way out until a
murder happens?” Espio grimaced.

“Well there is one way, but there’s no chance they’ll ever find it! There’s only a success rate of
0.00000001% when it comes to obtaining it as well! Bwahahahaha!!” The bear cackled as we
shook our heads.

Trunks then stood up from his theater recliner and turned to us, “Well, no matter how low that may
be, we just have to believe they will. However, their lack of resources may get to them
eventually… they have to hurry.”

“Indeed, we can’t afford to lose more of our group, just need to believe in that small possibility.
There has to be someone among that group that can lead them in the right direction… preferably
not Aoba.” I responded, and everyone else agreed.

____________________________________________________________

“...”

“... Hey. I’m talking to you, hello?”

“...”

“EMMA!”

“GYAH!” I yelped.

“Jeez, snap out of it, will ya? We’ve got a big situation.” Ryuji informed me.

“Ha ha ha… sorry. I’m… still trying to take it all in.”

< Emma’s POV >

“Man, that antenna on your head doesn’t give you any reception in your brain, huh?” Aoba jokes.

Man he’s such a jerk, I still can’t forgive him after that last trial! I stuck my tongue out at him, but
he just turns and ignores me. We seriously need to do something about that guy...

“We’re really stuck in here until a murder happens, huh? No food or water either…” I heard
Ishigami being gloomy.

“Seems like it, and no other visible option is available to us at the moment.” Alice frowns.

“Eh... the person controlling that bear is a real sicko.” Sucy stated.

“Given how large this school building is, I doubt that there isn’t one other way out of it. Something
to unlock that large metal vault door? An underground pathway?” Killua thinks.

“I agree with Killua, this place is HUGE. There must be something we can use, instead of just
giving in and killing each other!” I said to everyone.

Sucy then piped up, “Searching this place in its entirety could take up the whole day and even
nighttime as well. With no food and water, that will tire us out quickly.”

“There’s also the fact that we can’t sleep in here, since this is not the Hope-Tel. Adding lack of
sleep on top of that would guarantee a murder in due time. Without all of those factors to keep a
person healthy, they may not be themselves after a while...” Aoba builds upon her statement.

“That’s very true… but it can’t hurt to try at least!” I stuck by the words I said, but a few of them
were unmoved.

“You go run around and tire yourself out. If I didn’t want to be told what to do by Ai, then I
wouldn’t want to hear anything from you, kid.” Sucy left the main hall.
“C’mon! Let’s just take a good look at everything.” I told the remaining five.

“What a pain, searching a whole new area of the city, and now this whole building. I’m probably
going to die soon.” Ishigami says.

“Damn dude, you really need to stop moping.” Ryuji grabs him by the collar and starts dragging
him along as we begin our search.

I’ve never seen a school building before, but even so it looked like it wasn’t openly accepting of
everyone. Like only specific people were allowed to attend, maybe it’s similar to the IQ tests we
took back at Grace Field, those who score the highest are considered special. A bunch of posters
and lists on the wall talked about “Ultimate Students”, the same label that our e-Handbooks have to
us. Although in this case, we’re “Ultimate Citizens”.

“Hm?” Killua stops.

“What is it?” Aoba asks as he moves towards the front of us, “A classroom, with two gun turrets
above it. Must be important if it has protection like that. Something to remember for later.”

I marked down that classroom in my head before pressing on, but then I noticed Killua staring
directly at it. I turned to look at the sign near the door and read it aloud.

“77-B?”

“... Let’s go.” Killua went on ahead and I quickly caught back up to him.

I wonder why he was observing that room for so long. I can’t seem to tell what’s going on in that
mind of his, although in a lot of ways he reminds me of Ray. Ray… thinking about him just
reminded me of what’s happened to everyone back in my universe. Their eyes all swirly, sick
smiles on their faces… it gave me shivers. We definitely need to get back home to save them.

“Emma, you daydreaming again? You have to catch up!” Ryuji snapped me back to reality again.

“Sorry, again!” I jogged back to the group as we continued through the school.
An area to swim (that was on the second floor of the building for some reason), a recreation room,
an arts and crafts room, a garden… if we weren’t in a situation like this, I would have loved
coming to this school with all the other children!

“Ahem, all those stuck inside the oddly familiar school, come to the gym immediately!” I heard
Monokuma’s voice from somewhere.

“What is it now?” Sucy groaned.

“Hurry along now, we shouldn’t keep the mayor waiting for too long.” Alice went down the stairs.

“Hah, he definitely hasn’t earned my vote for re-election.” Aoba followed her, along with the rest
of us.

Ten minutes later we were all gathered in the gym, balls were all scattered around, like no one
cared to pick them up. Monokuma then popped out from the stage just like he does at the statue in
the park.

“Hello there! Thank you all for waiting!” He bellowed out as we sighed.

“Tell us why we’re here already.” Sucy demanded bluntly.

“Man, you guys get cranky without any food or water, ya bunch of babies! Anyways, I just wanted
to tell you about the other escape route!”

“F-F-For real?!” Ryuji was just as shocked as I was.

“Really? Wait… it’s probably impossible to go through.” I was suspicious of why he would tell us
if he wanted the motive to work.

“Right you are! I’ll just leave it to you all, you haven’t explored this school as thoroughly as others
have. Tear the place apart if you feel like it, just don’t destroy the cameras! Although I would
prefer for blood to be spilled instead, it could be fun to watch you all run around until you die of
starvation! Not as fun as it could be, but it’s different!
“Tch, you’re lucky you have so many copies, or I’d rip those metal parts out of your chest.” Killua
threatened.

“Ah-hahahahaha!! Careful what you say out loud Mr. Zoldyck, the walls have spears, er, I mean
ears! It would be weird for the walls to have spears, huh? Although ears are just as weird too!
Puhuhuhu~” The bear said before disappearing.

“Is that all he had to say? Such a disappointment. I might as well go searching for the escape route,
even though it’s a pointless option.” Aoba began to leave but was interrupted immediately.

“Ohhh no you don’t! The longer you’re on your own, the more likely you’ll be planning something
big!” Ryuji grabbed him by his shirt.

“I’d say we should just lock him in a room until we find the other escape route ourselves.”
Ishigami suggested nonchalantly.

I thought that was a bit extreme, “Can’t we just have someone around him to keep an eye out, in
case he does something? There’s a chance that you could forget you tied him up in here and he’ll
be dead!” I told them.

“Well, he wouldn’t be causing us any more problems if that’s the case.” Ryuji tells me.

“Then you’d have to be put on trial for being the one who caused my death. You all would know
who did it, heh.” Aoba smirked before he broke away from Ryuji.

“Ugh… I guess, sorry.” I patted him on the back to comfort him.

“Hm…” I heard from Alice after it’s been a surprisingly long time since she’s spoken.

____________________________________________________________

We decided to rest for a bit after that quick announcement. We found some dorm rooms earlier, so
might as well use them for a bit. I am really itching to find what Monokuma was talking about
though, so I leapt out of the bed and ran out the door.
Right into Aoba.

“Ow!”

“Ack, watch where you’re going!” He got back up and dusted himself off.

I noticed him picking up a book as well, “Whatcha reading there?”

“ So Lingers the Ocean, it’s apparently a best seller in this universe. Farewell now.” He says as he
walks away, I am not fooled though so I sneak behind him for a bit.

I try to take light steps, not make too much noise, it’s like being chased by a demon. Or a game of
tag, just have to avoid being caught. Aoba just kept walking, not sure if he saw me or not, or he
would have said something by now. He did stop to glance at something, so I just hid and went
inside… a school store?

I never thought you would need to buy anything at a school, but with how big this one is, I guess
that makes sense. I looked to my left and right before bumping into someone else, what is up with
me today?

“Hey, what are you— Oh, Emma. What are you doing here?” Killua asked me.

“I was just following Aoba in case he did something, but why are you here… and why do you have
all that stuff?” I pointed over to a pile behind him.

“I was just using this MonoMono Machine in here, see if anything useful popped out. Though as
you can see, it's just junk.”

“Really? How about I try?” I inserted a Monocoin into the slot as Killua crossed his arms,
anticipating another dud.

Out popped the capsule and I turned it open, it was… a remote control with a large button?
“What is this?” I handed it to Killua so he could observe it.

“Well, if it explodes then I’ll take the blunt of it instead of you.” Killua said as he pressed it.

Then an electric shock went through him suddenly! He dropped to his knees as I went over to him.

“Gah… I’m not hurt, I can take these kinds of shocks, but…” He slowly let out.

“It seems like you are though! Hold on, I’ll go get some help!” I then heard some machinery.

I run quickly to see what it was, and the vault door was opening! I immediately ran back to tell
Killua.

“That must have been an escape button! What Monokuma was telling us about!” I was in shock,
though I should use a better word for that right now, sorry Killua ha…

“Then go gather the others, I’ll catch up…” Killua slowly started getting up.

I nodded at him before I went to get everyone, but then I heard a scream coming from the gym,
Alice. I ran as fast as I could to see what happened, and as I entered… I saw everyone else already
there from the small window on the door.

* Ding dong dong din g*

“ A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the city trial
will begin! ”

Excuse me? I saw the body discovery announcement on my e-Handbook… but I couldn’t believe
it. I can’t believe it. I shouldn’t…

When I entered the gym though… I was forced to.

I saw an unconscious Ishigami starting to wake up, rubbing the back of his head, before turning to
look at what he was right next to. And his expression matched mine.

A bloody corpse.

The bloody corpse of Sucy.

DRFN
Chapter End Notes

Happy New Year, to my dear readers. Express your feelings on this chapter and who
you think did it if you feel like it. Thanks for waiting each month for these.
 The Manipulator’s Malice Part 5 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

Third murder, third investigation. Emma and Killua seek the truth.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 3: The Manipulator’s Malice Part 5 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 12

< Emma’s POV >

“..... Huh?” Is all I could say to what I saw before me, Sucy’s blood still spreading across the gym
floor.

I staggered back, still in shock. Even though I saw four of our original group of seventeen killed
before us, I couldn’t stomach this. Death in general is something I struggle to handle after all this
time.

Someone had to break the silence though, “Hmph… Ishigami, how did you end up here?” Aoba
asked him to break the guy out of blankly staring at the body.

“Wh-what? I… don’t remember… I just got knocked out and—agh, my head…” Ishigami rubbed
the back of his head as Aoba turned away, “A likely story, come now, let’s gather the outsiders
and hope they’re useful to the investigation…”

He probably thinks Ishigami killed Sucy, but… him? He’s mainly been terrified or antisocial the
entire time I’ve known him, sure we can’t rule him out yet… he’s not the only one.

The only ones who could have killed her were the six of us inside the school building. I can rule
myself out of the possibility, and even Killua, though I have no idea what he was up to before he
was in the school store. Same with the four besides him, Aoba especially. I knew I should have
kept an eye on him! Even if I found that weird button in the MonoMono Machine…

I then heard the doors to the gym slam open, as Killua led those on the outside to us.

“Everyone! You made it! Uh… what’s with Ai?” I asked them as I saw Miles carrying her over his
shoulder.

“Oh, uh, Super-Serious Flower Gal couldn’t handle the show for very long, singing was so bad it
must have broken her… she passed out when the second act was at the halfway point.” Gold
explained.

“Um… show?” Ryuji glanced at Ai’s blank expression.

“An awful musical performance by Monokuma… the lyrics and choreography was well done, but
his voice…” Espio held his head while remembering it, it must have been really bad.

“Hey! Your scathing reviews mean nothing to true genius! My performance blows Lin-Manuel
Miranda’s outta the water! It took months to rehearse it all!” Monokuma then popped up from
behind, startling me.

“You should have gotten a voice modifier when you got built, so we wouldn’t have to listen to
your voice for 3 HOURS.” Miles complained to him, okay it must have been really, REALLY bad.

“Jeez. I’m just gonna give you all the Monokuma File and go brainstorm what my next musical
will be. With all this tension in the air, you all need to Be More Chill !” The bear just went away as
multiple Monokuma Files were handed to us, Ai’s just falling on the ground. We really need to
snap her out of it soon.

“Oh right! Someone died! What the heck happened?!” Gold exclaimed as we explained
everything.

“.....”

“Trunks? What’s wrong?” I saw his expression darken.

“I had believed that you all would have found another way out, instead of resorting to killing again.
“What’s wrong?”, you ask? Apparently, I was.” He responded, disappointed, I can tell from his
tone of voice.

“You should have less faith in people, especially with a group like this one. They’ll just end up
failing repeatedly.” Aoba snarked, which caused Trunks to grab him by the collar and lift him up.

“H-hey! Calm down!” Bernadetta tried to put him at ease, but Trunks was ticked off.

“I don’t want to hear anything from scum who manipulated someone into killing another.” Trunks
dropped him onto the gym floor and began walking out of the door.

“.... My apologies, I won’t be much help during the investigation like this. Please excuse me.” I
heard the door shut as I looked at the others, no one expected to see him like this.

“Trunks…” I said to myself before slapping my cheeks to get back into focus. Sucy was killed by
one of us inside the building, now let’s find out.

Investigation

I began by looking over the Monokuma File.

Victim: Sucy Manbavaran

“The time of death was around 6:40 pm.”

“Multiple large stab wounds in the chest and one in the leg.”

“The body was found in the gym inside of the school building.”
“Monokuma File #3” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Stab wounds? I don’t remember seeing anything sharp around here, much less anything that could
make wounds this big…” Killua walked up to me.

“Looks like we need to look around here to find out what it is… The murder also happened an hour
and thirty minutes ago, so we need to find out some important alibis around that time frame.” We
both nodded at each other as the room slowly began to empty, leaving the two of us and a dizzy
looking Ishigami.

I made talking to him our first priority, “Are you alright?”

“Ughhhh, do I look like I’m alright?” He gave us a deadpan response.

“No not really, given that you woke up right next to the body. I don’t suppose you can tell us how
that happened?” Killua lowered his suspecting eyes at him.

“Well… I was given this note in the room I was staying in. I think it was about two hours ago,
telling me that there was a hidden exit through a trapdoor in the gym.” He handed me the note and
I observed it.

“You really believed something like this?” Killua asked and Ishigami shook his head.

“Nah, I’ve seen this type of trick too many times in the murder mystery visual novels I play.
Instead of following the note, I stayed in the room typing away on my computer, before leaving
towards the gym. Last thing I remember is that when I entered the room, I saw the body, then
immediately got knocked out for a while.” He continued.

I then presented him another two questions, “So if we check your computer, we’ll see if you were
right about typing on it? Also, why did you still decide to go, even though it could have ended with
you dying?”

“Yeah, it’s in the room I was staying in. The one with the pixelated image of a guy with sea urchin
hair. And I figured that I was probably going to be the one framed for this, in the first game the
true killer framed the least helpful and stupid person. I don’t fit into either of those categories but it
was gonna be either me or Ryuji, speaking of you should go talk to him next. I have to lie down for
a bit to get rid of this headache…” Ishigami went over to the gym seating area and flopped down
asleep.

“Ishigami’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Man, whatever knocked him out must have been big, or hit him hard enough to cause a bump like
that on his head. That is also something to look more into.

“Ishigami’s Head Bump” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Well… if what he’s saying is true, then that’s a lot of evidence to prove his innocence. He’s quite
genre savvy.” A drop of sweat rolls down Killua’s face as he says that, as I then turn to see
something else on the floor covered in blood.

I picked it up and saw it was another note, reading it aloud made me realize it’s the same thing as
the note Ishigami gave us. Although this had different handwriting on it, curious…

“Two Handwritten Notes” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Before we turned our attention to the body I looked around the crime scene for a bit and saw Killua
going on the stage.

“The microphone for the podium is gone...”

“Microphone?” I asked Killua and he just raised his eyebrow at me, “Are you serious?”

I nodded at him and he just pinched the bridge of his nose “Oh right, world of demons, not very
advanced in terms of inventions or technology, I assume?”

“Yeah, sorry, ha ha…” I laughed a little before he explained to me what a microphone was.

A device used to allow your voice to be heard among crowds, sounds so cool! Very useful!
“Anyways, it’s been removed from the podium for some reason. Most likely by the killer, for what
reason, who knows? All I know is that it’s important.” Killua hopped off the stage and he walked
over to Sucy’s body.

“Missing Microphone” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Sucy, she really tore into Ai, even though the murders were not her fault. She mostly avoided us,
and was a little creepy, but I feel like we could have been closer. I can’t help but feel sorry for her.

That was what was on my mind as the two of us looked over her corpse.

“Those stab wounds really are big, like her body was pierced by a demon’s claws... “ I said as I
observed the bloody holes in her back.

“What kind of weapon could pierce through her like this so many times?” I couldn’t answer
Killua's question, but then I noticed something else.

“There’s… a bump on her head. Not a particularly large one, but it’s visible!” I pointed it out and
pondered what could have made it.

“Not only that, there’s also something under her right hand.” Killua slowly removed it from Sucy’s
limp hand.

It was a book, I feel like I’ve seen this one before, but I can’t make it out, since the cover has blood
over it.

“That’s another two pieces of evidence. Though nothing that really points to a specific person
yet…”

“Bloody Book” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Sucy’s Head Bump” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.
“That bump on Sucy’s head, Ishigami has one as well. Could they be related somehow?” I
suggested and Killua shrugged.

“Alright, is that the last piece of evidence over here?”

“Hm….” Killua looked at the body once more.

“Bloody fingers on her left hand, and a message hidden under her forehead. Can’t believe you
missed these.”

“Ah, sorry.” I apologized casually.

Killua sighed, “You really remind me of a friend of mine, y’know?”

“I could say the same to you ha, anyways the message. It doesn’t seem very clear to me, it’s
messed up.” I pointed out.

“Most likely due to her forehead, I assume she began writing it as she was dying, but couldn’t finish
and her head fell on top of it.” Killua’s theory seems plausible.

I read over the message and I could make out “TQKQ”, is this some kind of code?

“Bloody Fingers” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Bloody Message” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

It looks like we’re finished with investigating the gym, but I’m sure we’re not done yet. With what
we’ve gathered so far, that’s not enough to find out the killer! I don’t like suspecting the others,
but… the needs of the few do not outweigh the needs of the many. This is going to be some story
to tell that Gundham person…
____________________________________________________________

“ I’ve come to bargain…”

“Fascinating…”

“Ohhhhh…”

Gundham and Himiko observed the television screen, showing a movie from the box set. Behind
them Shuichi finishes his explanation to Hina.

“W-we’re not real?!” The swimmer girl held her head in shock as she tried to process the
information.

“Well in this world you aren’t, but where we came from… um…” The detective tries to reassure
her.

Maki and Byakuya sigh as they turn to Gundham, “What is with him? Shouldn’t we be formulating
our plan with those killing game hostages? Sitting around watching some red-caped wizard guy
isn’t going to—” Maki got interrupted by Gundham turning back to her, holding a finger close to
his face to tell her to keep quiet.

“Do you want to die?” The assassin coldly asks the breeder as Byakuya ushers her away.

“Just what is the point of this exactly?” Byakuya simply asks him, but he remains silent, “Tch…
perhaps we could have been better off with the one with the dangerous luck…” The affluent
progeny shakes his head, dismissing Gundham’s actions.

“Hm… an infinite number of universes… worlds without end…” The breeder and magician just
watched, entranced by the film.
DRFN
Chapter End Notes

First off, a big thanks to a good friend of mine for helping me get Emma’s character
down right. You’re amazing! Also there’s not much evidence to land down who could
possibly do it. Unless there’s someone out there to piece it together before all the
evidence is collected next chapter. Anyways, hope y’all enjoy!
 The Manipulator’s Malice Part 6 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The investigation wraps up, with Emma and Killua encountering the murder weapon.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 3: The Manipulator’s Malice Part 6 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 12

< Emma’s POV >

“If I get blamed for a murder, use this as evidence.” - Yu Ishigami

“That… that’s it?” Killua was exasperated at the message Ishigami left for us on his laptop.

“Last edit was at 6:40 pm. This was around the time the murder happened! We can rule him out
completely then.” I tried to improve the mood.

“I mean… it was smart of him to do this, thus ruining the plan of the person who tried to frame
him. Still, it is pretty half-assed.” He said as he walked out of the door.

“Ishigami’s Computer Message” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your
handbook.

“It is helpful though, hm?” I looked to my left and looked at the nameplates. It’s like Ishigami said,
there’s a pixelated image of a guy with weird spiky hair.

“I’ve seen this guy before, some homeless man on the poster for fortune telling services.”
“Fortune… telling?” I asked him.

“Predicting the future, but from how that guy looked, it would probably be a waste of money. The
rest of these faces on the other doors though, they’ve also appeared around the city, almost as if
they were celebrities… eh, whatever, let’s get going, Emma.”

“Alright.” Before I moved on however, I quickly looked over the names on the dorm rooms,
maybe these can be useful!

“Room Nameplates” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

We then decided to check out the other rooms, however when we took a couple steps forward, I
saw Ryuji talking with Alice. The latter was giggling a bit as she patted the back of the former
before noticing us and waving.

“Yeesh, oh hey guys, what’s up?” Ryuji asks us as Alice walks off towards the restroom.

“We’re just busy investigating. What was that all about?” I asked him a question this time.

“Oh that? I was just asking Alice if her throat was feeling sore, you hear that scream of hers? I
could hear it all the way from the dining hall, and I rushed all the way over there. Weird, huh?”

Killua then pondered for a bit, “That does sound weird, since the dining hall is so far from the
gym, how would her scream even reach you?”

“Beats me. Although, since a couple of people here have super powers or whatever, maybe she can
make her voice sound louder!” Ryuji suggested and we shook our heads in response.

“Eh, worth a guess. Let me know if you need anything else, I’m no detective, but I don’t want to be
useless.”

“Ryuji’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.
After our conversation we searched the other rooms, one of them looked very fancy and had a
stand with glasses on it, another one had a bunch of computers, exercise equipment in yet another.
In the last room however…

“Ack, it smells in here!” I held my nose to prevent more of the stench from entering, Killua did the
same.

“Jeez! It reeks, like if someone hasn’t taken a bath in ages!” Killua was wobbling.

“Let’s… go look quickly so we can leave before passing out…” I told him.

As we walked into the smelly room, stacks upon stacks of books were spread throughout the place.
There were pieces of paper hanging on the metal plates where windows should be.

“Probably a writer from the way the words are written on these pages…” Killua says.

A writer… must be that girl with the glasses on the nameplate. I browse through the many books
before I notice a page sticking out of a trash can. It’s crumpled up, but I can tell that it was ripped
out of one of the books.

I turned to Killua and ushered him over to me as we thankfully exited the room. After we both
breathed fresh air, I read the page aloud.

“Nyohohohoho!! To the lucky person who finds this, congratulations! You have found a quick and
easy way to become blackened.”

“Huh? The hell is this? Instructions for a murder?” Killua was just as confused as I was.

It’s telling us to head back to the gym, if this were any other circumstance we would just throw it
back into the trash. However, we need to find out what it was that killed Sucy, perhaps this will
lead us to the weapon.
“Well it can’t hurt to look…” I told Killua as we walked all the way back to the gym, but on the
way there…

“Hm, you two have been busy, have you?” Aoba walked out of the school store.

“Yes. We have, now get out of our way, you slimy bastard.” Killua looked him dead in the eyes, if
looks could kill, Aoba would be dead by now. Although Killua is the Ultimate Assassin after all…

“Huh, ‘slimy bastard’. Heh, if you’re going to be rude then I won’t share one detail that could help
in the trial.”

I sighed before reluctantly asking, “Fine, what is it? And it better not be a lie!”

Aoba smirked, “The Body Discovery Announcement. Try to focus on who was there by the body
when it went off. I won’t waste any more of your time, farewell.”

Man… I don’t know what he’s up to. If he did kill her, why would he tell us this information? Or
maybe he’s lying to us by giving us false evidence so that either he or the real killer will move on.
Or maybe—

“Emma!”

“Gyah!”

Killua shook his head, “Let’s just keep that evidence just in case it is true.”

“Body Discovery Announcement” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your
handbook.

We enter the gym, Ishigami waking up as we enter and he walks up to us slowly. I then looked to
see that Ai was sleeping next to him, why did they just dump her there?

“You found it, right?” He asked about his computer message.

“Indeed, I commend you for thinking ahead, but it is a pretty blunt message.” I said, but he just
went “Mhm.”

“We’re really here to find the murder weapon.” Killua explained.

“Eh? But you checked everything out over here, right?”

“Well, allow me to read the paper we found.” I cleared my throat before beginning.

“Make sure your target is standing near the stage, and then say the words ‘I invoke the mighty
summon spell! Help! To me, godly spear Gungnir!’”

But as soon as I said that…

“MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!” Ai cried out.

Killua then grabbed me and Ishigami, dashing over to the far left as metal spears shot out of the
floor nearly skewering us.

“Are you all alright?” Ai, awake runs over to the three of us.

“Y-yeah… how about you Ishigami?” I asked him, but he was quivering.

“Just take me to my room, so I can die.” He said with a dark expression on his face.

“Not gonna happen, anyways thanks Killua! Whoa!” I turned to him, but his hair was standing up
with electricity around him.

“I’ll uh, tell you guys about this later, it would take too long to explain. Anyways, it’s not all me,
Ai was the one who warned us. How did you know what was coming, anyways?” Killua asked her
as his electricity went away.
“My eyes and hearing are actually quite better than most people, although it’s nowhere near
superhuman. I’m just glad you’re all safe.” She said with a sigh of relief.

I hugged the three of them tight as I had a big smile on my face. I'm so glad that I had met such
talented and caring people like them.

“H-hey! Let’s try to focus now.” Killua blushed a little as I giggled and Ai gave a smile of her own.
Ishigami… was still shaken up.

“Ha ha ha, sorry! So we can conclude that those large spears are the murder weapon.” I pointed at
them as they retracted back into the floor.

“Indeed, and don’t worry about trying to catch me up, I overheard who died when everyone took
me into the gym. Plus the evidence is added to the handbooks for everyone, so I’ll be sure to read
over it all before the trial begins.” Ai explains as we listen.

“Spears of Gungnir Instructions” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your
handbook.

“Still though, there’s still the matter of the two handwritten notes.” Killua brought up.

“That’s right. We need to find out who wrote them, since they’re both left without a signature and
they’re written differently.” I hit the palm of my right hand with the bottom of my left fist.

“C-c-couldn’t the killer just write both of them? P-p-plus who’s to say they didn’t change their
handwr-r-riting?” Ishigami was struggling to get out words.

“Hm…” I heard from Ai as she looked at the messages closely, “Excuse me for a moment, I’ll be
back before the trial begins.”

She walked out the gym door, as I wondered what she was planning. Then I heard a growling
noise.
 “Ugh, we’ve been here for hours, we definitely need to eat before the trial begins.” Killua groaned
and I nodded.

The two of us dragged Ishigami out of the school building and breathed in the “outside” air.

____________________________________________________________

An hour later, after a lot of food and water with everyone who was trapped inside the school, I
heard my e-Handbook switch on.

“Nom nom nom, you guys all stuffed now? Good! Then let’s get things rolling! How about we use
the trial room inside the school this time, make your way to the red door on the first floor!”
Monokuma devoured a fish on the message he sent us.

I looked to Killua and we both nodded at each other, this is it.

Sucy Manbavaran, we didn’t know each other much, she was pretty antisocial the entire time she
was around us. Despite that, I wanted to know more about her, maybe even become friends with
her. She was lured into that spear trap by the blackened, so now we have to find out who that is.

Everyone made their way into the building and owned the red door, I looked around for a bit
before I saw who I was looking for entering late.

“My apologies for the wait, and for my absence during this investigation. I have two more pieces
of evidence here with me, so now let’s begin.” Ai gave me a parcel and gave me a knowing look.

“Ai’s Parcel” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Everyone entered the elevator and made our way down towards the trial room. It’s finally time,
reveal the truth behind Sucy’s death.

Chapter End Notes

Chapter End Notes

Are y’all ready? Next time it all comes together… maybe. Depending on how long the
trial may take. Two chapters at most probably. See y’all next time! Reminder that
chapters are uploaded at least once a month.
 The Manipulator’s Malice Part 7 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

Part one of the class trial begins, quite a lot happens so it's being split up into two
chapters!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 3: The Manipulator’s Malice Part 7 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 12

< Emma’s POV >

“You all know the drill by now! Now find tonight’s blackened or eleven out of twelve citizens are
eliminated from life! Let’s get things rolling!” Monokuma shouted from his chair.

I looked around me, but then I stopped to glance at Trunks.

“.... My apologies, I won’t be much help during the investigation like this. Please excuse me.”

Something is definitely wrong, after he saw Sucy’s body, he looked so down... I really need to get
a chance to talk to him.

“Let’s just cut to the chase, you were right next to the body Ishigami, do you know the specific
reason as to why?” Alice turned to him.

“I do actually, but I feel like you have more to say about it.” He scratched his cheek, showing no
interest.

“Yo, you seriously think a guy like him would be interested in coming up with a plan to kill
someone? He doesn’t even look like he wants to come to the trials.” Ryuji pointed out.

“Regardless, you cannot count out any possibilities for now. Although one thing can be made
certain as of this moment.” Aoba raised a finger as he wanted for someone to answer.

“And that is… what exactly?” Gold asked as Aoba shook his head.

Ai then spoke up instead, “It’s that only someone within the walls of the school was capable of
committing the crime. Am I correct?”

“Indeed. Also I see that you are up and raring to go, Ai, a shame that you weren’t able to help
investigate…” Aoba smiles in her direction, but she scoffs at him.

“Oh don’t worry, I still can help out when possible, plus I have something up my sleeve for later.
For now, I’ll just rely on you two, Emma, Killua.” The two of us nodded at her.

“To get back on topic, it does not seem possible that Ishigami was the killer here. And few factors
can contribute to this claim.” Killua told everyone.

“Really now? Then do you mind sharing with the rest of us?” Alice giggles as we prepare our
evidence.

Non-Stop Debate

“I didn’t do it, plain as day.” Ishigami stated.

“Show me your proof then. Or are you too busy being Mr. Emo?” Alice teases.

“I thought I came up with the nicknames around here, Sciency Gal.” Gold put his arms up behind
his head and leaned back.

“Are you all just bluffing when you say you have evidence? Just admit that you haven’t found
anything .” Aoba said.

I looked at my evidence and found what I needed.

“ That’s wrong! ” I exclaimed.

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Ishigami’s Account

“You see, Ishigami told us that he was led into the gym after receiving a note from an unknown
individual. It was an hour before After arriving he saw the body there and was knocked out by that
same person.” I explained.

“In addition to that piece of evidence there’s another one that shows his story is indeed true, and it
is right over here.” Killua grabbed Ishigami’s head and showed off the large bump on the back of
it.

Truth Bullet Selected: Ishigami’s Head Bump

I pointed to the bump as I continued, “As you saw by his reaction while he was sitting next to the
body, he was starting to wake up. A blow to the head that causes a bump like this can certainly
manage to knock a guy like him out cold.”

“That seems to be quite clear.” I heard from Espio.

“Y-yeah, nothing wrong with what they said.” Bernie agreed.

“What do you mean ‘a guy like him’?” Didn’t think Ishigami would be offended by that.

“Uh, sorry?” Anyways—”

“ Don’t get too excited. ”

ARGUE

“Tch, you shouldn’t be going so fast when not everyone has managed to agree with your viewpoint.
How do you know if Ishigami is telling you the truth about where he was?” Aoba glared at me.

“What do you think then?” I asked him in response.

“It’s simple, don’t automatically trust someone even if they tell you their ‘alibi’.”

Rebuttal Showdown

“First off, he’s acting surprisingly calm in his situation, possibly indicating that he has something
to hide. How can you be so sure that he doesn’t have anything to do with the murder itself, we
can’t completely rule out everyone inside the school!”

“But Ishigami shouldn’t be the primary suspect in this case.” I lowered my eyebrows at Aoba
before he continued.

“Really now? Then answer this, where exactly was he at the time of the murder?”

There’s the contradiction! I’m starting to get the hang of the trials now!
“ I’ll cut down your claims! ”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Blade Used: Ishigami’s Computer Message

“Your supposed suspect is not as guilty as you perceive him, Aoba.” Killua told him.

“Yeah, look at the message Ishigami left on his computer.” I pointed to my e-Handbook as a
reference, “It was last edited at 6:40 pm, and when was the time of Sucy’s murder?”

“Around 6:40 pm… wait a minute, didn’t it originally say around 6 pm?” Aoba confronted
Monokuma.

“Saw whaaat? It always said around 6:40 pm, you must have looked at it wrong puhuhu.”
Monokuma giggled and shrugged. (I accidentally left the timeframe of death wrong, so I fixed it,
whoops)

“Anyways, if Ishigami was typing away on his computer at the time of the murder, then he
couldn’t have been the one to do it! It aligns with his account smoothly.” Ai summed it up well.

“Hold on, if it’s a laptop, he could have just brought it with him into the gym before heading back
to his room and placing it there. Also, ‘If I get blamed for a murder, use this as evidence.’, it’s like
he knew he would be suspicious!” Miles brought up.
“Well for one thing, it’s common for someone like me to be the scapegoat of murder mysteries.
And another thing, do you think I would bother leaving a message like that if I was the killer? I
knew what I was getting into as soon as I got that note, so why would I type something that makes
it VERY obvious that I’m the killer.” Ishigami told us in his usually depressing tone.

“Additionally, you think a guy like him would intentionally knock himself out? You think he’d be
that dedicated to a murder?” Ai asked Aoba.

“I’m not a big fan of pain.” Ishigami bluntly stated.

Aoba just sighed, like he gave up, “Hmph, was worth a shot, ha. Despite this however, unless it
was suicide which in this case I seriously doubt, there were five of us who could have done it
instead. Myself, Ryuji, Alice, Killua, and that includes you, Emma.”

“Well I’m sure I can find only one killer, we’ve got a lot more evidence with us, right Killua?” I
turned to my investigation partner who simply gave me a thumbs up in response.

“Sheesh, I feel like I’m on one of those police lineups of suspects…” I heard Ryuji say.

“How did you think I felt as the primary suspect pal?” Gold shook his head when he said that.

“Same here.” Ishigami raised his hand slowly.

“Oh well, this was bound to happen eventually.” Alice sighed.

Ai then began to shift our attention to another important aspect, “Perhaps we should find out how
Sucy was killed before we focus on who.”

She, Ishigami, Killua, and I know exactly what the weapon is, yet the circumstances leading up to
it however, that is what we need to figure out.

Non-Stop Debate
“M-multiple large stab wounds?!” Poor Bernadetta looked like she was about to fall over after
seeing the Monokuma File.

“Dang! What coulda made holes that big? Like she was rammed by something, maybe a
Houndoom? Or uh… Donphan?” Gold just took out some red gadget and started flipping through
images on it.

“I… don’t think it was any of those… things you mentioned.” Miles responded to Gold’s rambling.

“Some kind of trap or whatever?” Ryuji asked.

“Like a pit of spikes?” Espio suggested.

Aoba shot down that suggestion, “If that was the case, then why would the killer remove the body
from the pit? They could have easily fallen in themselves.”

Well it wasn’t a pit, but it’s definitely what Ryuji said!

“ I agree with you! ”

CONSENT

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Spears of Gungnir Instructions

“While me and Killua were out investigating each dorm room, we found a crumpled up piece of
paper inside a trash bin.” I started.

“The document gave instructions on a voice-activated trap in the gym that would instantly take
care of someone within range, this trap was called the Spears of Gungnir.” And Killua finished.

Monokuma then sat up from his seat,“Oops! I knew I shouldn't have let out the hint of that lying
around, although I was right about there being no spears in the walls! Since they extend out of the
floor.”

“Which room were these instructions found anyways?” Ai asked us.

“Well, it was in a room with a lot of books stacked up high and a bunch of manuscripts on the
walls…” Killua stopped before he remembered the smell of the room as well.

“All of the dorm rooms all had small nameplates next to them right here to signify who they
belonged to.” I brought up the next thing we found..

Truth Bullet Selected: Room Nameplates

But when I took a look at the nameplate pictures we had, I realized something, one of the names
matched another piece of evidence we had yet to use.

Truth Bullet Selected: Bloody Message

“Eh? You found something, Antenna Girl?” Antenna Girl, was that supposed to be me, Gold?

“Well at the scene of the murder we saw a message written in blood, most likely by Sucy. At first I
thought it said “TQKQ” because of the way the blood was moved, but after rereading the names on
the nameplates, it’s says TOKO.” I pointed at the glasses girl with braids on the nameplate.

“How can you be so sure that she was the one who wrote it down?” Alice remarks.
“Simple, the blood on her fingers.” Ishigami unexpectedly chimed in.

Truth Bullet Selected: Bloody Fingers

“Okay… so where does that lead us? Sucy wrote down the name of the girl on the nameplate,
why?” Ryuji was struggling to piece it together.

“Perhaps she knew about the trap instructions beforehand, since they were in the room of this
‘Toko’ person. Planning on testing the trap for a murder of her own, but unfortunately getting
caught in it herself.” Trunks suddenly spoke up, startling Gold.

“Jeez, dude! I forgot you were here with how quiet you were being, even the Ninja Lizard spoke
once!”

“Ninja… Lizard?” Espio was not amused by that.

Aoba was getting annoyed, “Let’s move on, please. I don’t believe that’s the case, Sucy was
known as the Ultimate Apothecary, meaning that she could have brewed some kind of poison to
kill someone instead. Why waste time on a weapon that could mistakenly kill her as well?”

Ai then brought forth an idea, “Was there something else with Toko’s name on it that Sucy could
have seen before she was killed?”

Was there… I might need to think about this….

ROMANCE NOVEL

“ This is the answer! ”

“I remember now! There was a romance novel with her name on it!” I exclaimed.

Killua’s eyes lit up, “Oh right, that girl looked to be a writer from what we saw in her room. So
 where did you see that book?”

“I saw it twice actually, once when Aoba was holding it, and then…”

Truth Bullet Selected: Bloody Book

“Right in the gym next to Sucy!”

“Then… could it be?” Miles looked in the direction of a certain Ultimate Manipulator, who just
simply sighed.

“You know you’re all just asking for trouble for accusing me again, aren’t you?”

“There’s a possibility you could be the murderer, sure.” Killua looked at him as well.

“Though there is certainly no doubt that you are somehow connected to all of this.” Ai said her
piece.

“Yep, and whatever connection you have to the case, we’re gonna find out what it is!” I pointed a
finger towards him, as he simply smiled.

“Fine then, bring it.”

CITY TRIAL SUSPENDED

Chapter End Notes

Yeah this trial needs a second part, especially since there's a few things that happen
afterwards as well, so I can't fit it all in one chapter like usual. Oh well, the finale is
next time! And it surprisingly could come sooner than usual, as long as things go well.
See you all then! Also happy 20th part of the main story!
 The Manipulator’s Malice Part 8 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The trial comes to a close and the killer is revealed, afterwards a new discovery is
made.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 3: The Manipulator’s Malice Part 8 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 12

< Emma’s POV >

“I kinda wanted to say something cool like that too, y’know?” Gold said as he scratched his cheek.

“I’ve heard better.” Gee, thanks Ishigami, even after we helped prove your innocence too…

“Now then, Emma, before you try to see if I had any involvement, maybe you should look into
other factors of this case. Like, how Sucy ended up in the gym in the first place, perhaps?” Aoba
rolled his eyes at me.

“That’s an easy one! It’s thanks to this.”

Truth Bullet Selected: Two Handwritten Notes

“Oh yeah, there’s the note I received, and Sucy got the same one too. W-Wait, was I supposed to
be the victim then?” Ishigami shuddered with fear.

“That’s a possibility, I’m curious though, Ishigami knew what he was getting into due to his genre
savviness. However, Sucy fell for it, and I don’t think she’s dumb enough to believe it.” Killua
pondered.

True, why did she follow the note anyways? She did seem like the type who would have thought
this through, what caused her to go straight into the trap? We should think about this…

Non-Stop Debate

“Man, I don’t think she’d WILLINGLY go straight to the gym. I mean… that’s like suicide.”
Miles spoke first.

“Yeah… who wouldn’t be suspicious if they received a notice like that?” Bernadetta’s eyes were
just looking down.

“I can think of a few people…” Alice smirked.

“Uh… why is she staring at us?” Gold asked.

“Beats me, dude.” Ryuji answered, and I tried to hold in my giggle.

“Maybe she was just desperate for a way out that she threw out logic just for that moment?” Espio
suggested.

“That could be it. Sucy just fell for it, I guess.” Ishigami nodded his head a little.

Wait, Miles just said something VERY important. I didn’t think it would be a possibility, but now
that I’m thinking about it… it could make sense!

“ That’s wrong! ” I shouted towards Ishigami.

COUNTER
BREAK!!

Memorized Truth Bullet Used: Suicide

“Ouch, you didn’t have to yell, I’m literally on your left.” He blocked his ears.

“S-sorry about that ha ha… it’s just fun to say that for some reason.” I apologized.

“Somehow I agree.” Ai smiled at that.

“Dang it, I need to try that one of these days!” Gold gritted his teeth.

“Only if you’re smart enough to look over the evidence and listen to everyone’s statements to find
a contradiction in them. I don’t think I’ll live to see that day, hee hee.” Alice teased Gold which
annoyed him.

“Can we please get a move on?!” Trunks raised his voice and we all went silent, “Uh, sorry.”

“No no, it’s no big deal. You said something back there, Miles, and I didn’t even think it was a
possibility until now.” I turned to him.

“And what was that?” Miles looked a bit confused.

“It’s suicide, isn’t it?” Killua asked and I solemnly nodded.

“WHAT?!” Almost everyone else shouted at once.

“I thought that it could happen one day, in this kind of situation. With the amount of death
occurring often, that could push someone into killing themselves… Sucy knew what was going to
happen, but she went to the gym anyways. She gave up on escaping.” Ai’s voice got softer until she
finished her statement.
“God damn it…” Ryuji banged his fist on his seating area.

“Hey! You break it, you fix it!” Monokuma shouted at him.

“Be quiet, bear, this is… a lot to take in.” Espio lowered his head in grief.

“(sighs) Now’s not the time to grieve, you have plenty of time after the trial, since someone is
going to get executed as well. Save your tears until then.” Aoba turned away from us as Gold and
Ryuji tried to stop themselves from hitting him.

“You shut up too. Sadly, he’s right, we need to solve everything to do with the case first before we
start to lose motivation. However, a few things have been bothering me since you’ve brought it up,
the romance novel you saw Aoba with. How did it get there in the first place, and why was it so
close to Sucy’s body?” Trunks posed some new questions for us, and man it feels weird that we
have to listen to Aoba.

“I suspect that it caused this.” Killua brought up his e-Handbook to show us.

Truth Bullet Selected: Sucy’s Head Bump

“That’s all I could think of. Once she got hit in the head by the book, she’d easily be stunned
before she could try to dodge the spears. If she could try to dodge them anyways.”

“I don’t think Little Miss Witch was much of a speedy type.” Gold said before he yawned.

“Man, she got off lucky being hit by a romance novel. I think I got hit by something made of
metal.” Ishigami rubbed his own bump.

Wait a second… he remembers that?

I better say something about it, “Excuse me? You got knocked out by what exactly?”

“Huh? Oh, I don’t know what it was exactly, but it wasn’t too big. It just felt metallic, and it really
hurt when it hit me… I need a bag of ice later.” He answered.
What could be in the gym that might have knocked him out?

Hm…. I took the time to form the word in my head, even if I only heard about it once…

MICROPHONE

“ I’ve figured it out! ”

“The culprit used the microphone in the gym to knock out Ishigami!” I exclaimed.

“Ouch man, if that caused a bump that big, it must have been some critical hit. I would be out like a
light too if I got decked by it!” Ryuji rubbed his own head, like he felt it.

“Ah, I see, but I’m not sure why it’s gone though…” Killua pondered.

“The microphone’s gone missing? What other reason could the culprit have taken it if they already
used it? They could have just returned it to the podium.” Miles raised an eyebrow.

Maybe…. no… could it be?

“Emma… are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I heard Ai ask me from her side.

“I think I’ve got the same idea too, so let’s corner our culprit.” Killua encouraged me as well.

I gulped and took a deep breath before I scrolled through the evidence once more.

Non-Stop Debate

“A missing microphone…” Espio began to think to himself out loud.

“Couldn’t be that more important, it’s just something to make someone sound louder!” Gold
shouted.

“As if you would need something like that with how often you raise that voice of yours…” Aoba
pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

“I agree with him though, a simple microphone shouldn’t be focused on just because it hit the Emo
Boy’s head.” Alice raised a finger before making her point.

“Y’know at this point in a game there would be two victims, but it looks like I’m just a victim of
circumstance.” Ishigami snarked.

Gold is right, but not on the microphone not being important.

“ You’ve got that right! ”

CONSENT

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Ryuji’s Account

“You’re right on one thing Gold, a microphone is used to make a person sound louder. Maybe so
loud that you could hear it all the way from the dining hall! Right, Ryuji?”

“Oh yeah! I heard a certain someone scream from that far away! As soon as I heard it, I bolted
towards the gym. Wait a minute…” Ryuji’s starting to see it too.

“Hold on, is there something I’m not getting here? Ai? Emma? Why do you guys have that look on
your face?” Poor Gold’s getting left out of the loop ha ha.
“You know who it is, right? Then let’s finish it.” Ai said confidently.

“Yeah!” I responded before making my choice.

“ There you are. ” I thought in my head as I found my target.

“Whose scream did you hear from the dining hall, Ryuji?” I’ll let him call them out.

“Unless Aoba’s got one hell of a girly scream, you’re the one who used the microphone… Alice!”
He pointed straight at her face.

“My my, now I am the prime suspect, correct?” She’s being so calm about this…

“It looks like it, heh.” Aoba smirks.

“Don’t think you’re out of the woods yet either buddy, you were the one who had the book that
knocked her out. Also, we have the evidence you gave us earlier.” Killua confronted Aoba.

He’s right, we have that.

Truth Bullet Selected: Body Discovery Announcement

“When I was about to enter the gym, the Body Discovery Announcement went off. I walked in and
saw four people in the gym, Ishigami, Aoba, Alice, and Ryuji. We’ve already proven Ishigami is
innocent, and for Ryuji, were you the last one to see the body before the announcement?” I asked
the blonde.

“As a matter of fact, I was, and I saw those two in there before me! Oh, and Ishigami too I guess.” I
haven’t seen Ryuji smile like this before, that is one toothy grin.

“Thanks, jerk.” Ishigami called him out before we continued.

“Tch, you think you have me backed into a corner, but you don’t have any more evidence you
could use. How could you all vote for me when there’s one big flaw that will make your claims fall
apart, unless you can disprove it.” Alice was starting to lose composure.

“And what might that be?” Ai put forth the question on all of our minds.

“Yes, you could maybe see it as a case of me & Aoba collaborating, yet how can you tell which
one of us activated the Spears of Gungnir? Only one of us could be blackened after all, correct,
Mayor Monokuma?” Alice regained the smug smile we know her for.

“Yup! Yup! You could work together all you want, but only one of you gets the chance to leave!”
Monokuma reminded us of the rule.

“What a pity that you all forgot about it, and now it looks like it’ll be your downfall.” Aoba gave a
little laugh.

Rule #9: If the guilty party is not exposed, they alone will move away, and all remaining citizens
will be executed.

Dang it! She’s right, we’ve got a 50-50 shot of getting it right or wrong here, if we chose poorly...

Non-Stop Debate

“H-how about majority rules! Whichever one of them gets the most votes is chosen!” Gold
suggests and all of us reject it.

“That is not a good idea!” Bernie pouts at him.

“Freaking idiot, we can’t leave our lives to chance like that!” Killua yelled at him as well.

Gold blocked his ears, “Yeah yeah, I get it! I’m a dummy.”
“We’re doomed.” Ishigami began to sulk.

I heard Aoba chuckle and Alice giggle as I struggled to find out what to say.

And then… it came to me.

“Well then, I suppose this is checkmate…”

“ You’ve got that wrong!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Ai’s Parcel

“Should I take it out now, Ai?” I turned to her to see if this was the right time and she nodded,
“Right.”

“What is that? That evidence wasn’t listed in our handbooks, is this allowed?” Alice turned to
Monokuma who just shrugged.

I opened it up and then there I saw something that I remembered from last trial…

“M-My ingredient list for the party?” Alice was shocked.

“There’s no rule about using previous evidence, so I took the time to look over the two notes sent
to Ishigami and Sucy. The handwriting for one of the notes was hard to pin down, but as for the
other one, it matches up with Alice’s perfectly.” Ai explained as sweat fell from Alice’s face.

“Care to elaborate on this evidence, Alice? Or like you said… is this checkmate?” I pointed my
finger towards her.
“I… ugh, there’s no point in arguing. I’ll allow you to sum it all up, Emma. Well done.” She just
accepted it, victory is within reach.

Closing Argument

(Insert Song SUPER DANGANRONPA 2 Re: Climax Return)

“Alright. The killer had managed to find the instructions for the Spears of Gungnir trap in Toko’s
room, they along with Aoba formulated a plan to catch either Ishigami or Sucy. The latter, having
felt that she could not stomach the killing game for much longer, chose to enter the gym while
knowing it was a trap. Ishigami, knowing what was about to go down, stayed in his room and
typed his computer message. Sucy was then struck from behind the head with the romance novel,
before being stabbed repeatedly by the spears. She left a small message using her blood after
seeing the name of the author. As Ishigami entered the gym, he saw the body before being struck
by the microphone and knocked out and placed near Sucy. After using the microphone to have
their screams be heard from across the school, as a signal to all of us to come running. Alice
Nakiri, you’re the blackened!” I was out of breath after that, Killua had to pat my back as I started
taking deep breaths.

COMPLETE!!

“I give you props for being able to say all that in one breath. I shouldn’t have been so careless with
this case. I could have come up with better tactics... ON MY OWN.” As Alice said those last three
words, she poked Aoba in the chest three times.

“Tch, you were the one who accepted my offer, you should have calculated your chances of
success beforehand.” He just scoffed at her.

“What a trial! Even though you got sidetracked a couple of times and that got boring, I was
invested through the entire thing! Puhuhu~, it’s time to cast your votes! Will you make the right
choice? Or the dreadfully wrong one…” Monokuma cheered as we all pressed our buttons for
Alice.

The pictures lined up and we were correct, Alice did do it.

TRIAL END

ALL RISE!

“Let’s just get right to the punishment. I have accepted my defeat.” Alice calmly says to
Monokuma.

“Hold on…” Ai stopped her by grabbing her arm, “What was your reasoning behind everything?
Why did you plan a murder, much less ask Aoba for help?”

“Well number one, being trapped inside that school would have driven me crazy if I stayed longer.
Number two, those instructions were tempting and I felt like I could pull it off if I did everything
right. Finally number three, Aoba is sadistic and intelligent enough to help in his own way. Seeing
how the other two murders played out made me want to try harder to make mine work, and it
almost did… until you decided to think outside the box, Ai. Heh, reminds me of someone else I
lost against.”

I then walked up to her next, “I thought I could maybe consider you a friend, and… I somehow still
think so. You were scared, weren’t you? Being trapped in a situation that may lead to a painful
demise? Like… you were cattle being prepped for a slaughter. I unfortunately am not okay with
you deciding to take the easy way out, instead of learning to survive with the rest of us. However, I
am sorry that you succumbed to this killing game, and I promise you, we’ll prove that there was
another way out of this city.”

She blinked for a few seconds before she walked closer to me and shook my hand, smiling. Alice
then just walked up to Monokuma, “No need to pull out that chain of yours, I’ll just walk over to
the execution myself.”

“Hey, suit yourself, toots! Now then, I’ve prepared a VERY special punishment for Alice Nakiri,
the Ultimate Gastronomist!” Monokuma began, as I shuddered in anticipation.

“Farewell everyone, you showed me plenty of good times and made this experience much more
bearable than it could have been. Thank you, I was happy to have been able to serve you all my
meals, tee-hee. You all better live up to that promise, although you need to remember Shantae’s as
well. Don’t lose hope like I did.” Alice waves, as Ai, Ryuji, Ishigami, & I reciprocate it.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!” Monokuma cried out as he hit
his button.

And so we say a painful goodbye, to both Sucy and Alice.

GAME OVER

ALICE HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

Alice walks up and into a room, and sees a one large kitchen with two cooking and prep areas.
Monokuma (with an apron and chef’s hat) stands on one side as Alice, still having a confident
smile on her face, moves to hers. Three Monokuma judges are in the back. The other citizens sat in
the bottom row of the crowd.

Execution: Shokugeki Sacrifice/Food War Fatality

Monokuma and Alice get to work on crafting their dishes, the theme they were given was centered
around a bento box. Without much hesitation, Alice chose to do a spin on her own Temari Bento.

The two styles between the two chefs were quite different, with Alice being calm and collected
while slicing her seafood for the sushi. Meanwhile Monokuma went nuts with his knives, cutting
his ingredients messily. The judges were getting impatient and were about to hit the button to end
the timer instantly. As soon as Alice finished pouring the liquid nitrogen to allow the sushi to stay
cold, time was up.

Alice presented her bento and the judges were ecstatic when they took a bite. Their clothes even
suddenly bursted off, as the flavor took hold of them and almost didn’t let go.

Alice laughs as Monokuma’s bento reveals a selection of foods that look so terrible that they had to
be censored. However, after just a single lick of the food, they gave the win over to Monokuma
without hesitation!

Alice, highly confused over what just transpired, walked over to Monokuma, who just simply
handed her a sample on a fork. Alice slowly stared at it before she took a little nibble of
Monokuma’s dish… and suddenly her face slowly started to turn purple.

She clenched her stomach, hoping the pain would go away, but it just increased by the second.
Monokuma had inserted a special ingredient into his creation, fugu, a fish that if prepared
incorrectly, can be highly toxic to one who consumes it.

The bear laughs as Alice began to crumble to her knees, angering the Gastronomist. She then
whipped out the knife she used to craft her bento and threw it with all her might at Monokuma.

The bear dodges, and the knife is soaring right into the crowd. Bernadetta is frozen with fear,
unable to move…

The poor girl closes her eyes, expecting the worse…

And when she opens them, blood is on her shirt, but it’s not hers…

It was Ryuji’s.

After exhausting all her energy with that throw, Alice gives her last breath as she falls.

Death by asphyxiation.

____________________________________________________________

“Ryuji!!” I yelled as I saw him struggling to stay standing.

“You, idiot… why did you…” Gold berates his friend, while he just smiled in response.

“Yo… Bernie… you, alright?” He asked Bernadetta who was shaken up.

“D-don’t worry about me right now! You’re really really hurt! Someone please help!” She pleads.

“You, bear!” Trunk shouts at Monokuma, “There’s a hospital in this city, right? If it isn’t open yet,
open it up and let me take him there!”
“Fiiiiiine, I’ll open it up and take care of him there. Dr. Killgood needs to get paid anyways.”
Monokuma opened up the roof of the trial room.

Trunks picked up Ryuji, as his blood dripped on the floor, and soared off with blinding speed.

“I guess that’s what he gets for trying to protect such a weak individual. (sighs) Humans are such
stupid creatures…” Aoba then began to head to the elevator but then something thwiped onto his
back.

“No no no no, you ain’t going nowhere after pulling this again.” Miles said as he covered up Aoba
in his web thing.

“LET. ME. OUT.” He demanded before a web covered his mouth, muffling his words.

“Good idea, let’s just leave him tied up in his room so he won’t pull anything for a while.” Gold
smiled sinisterly.

“Hold on, I agree he’s too dangerous to be left alone, but this is…” Ai tried to talk them out of it.

I should do the same, “It’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Oh this webbing dissolves after an hour, so he’ll be out in no time, someone has to keep an eye out
on him though.” Miles explained.

“Then… I’ll do it. I didn’t get the chance to investigate much, so I better do something important,
as one of the more responsible people here.” Ai sighed as she dragged Aoba up the elevator.

Oh man… I need to sleep after this. This whole day has taken a lot out of me, I’m ready to take it
easy for now.

Sucy and Alice… we won’t let you down.

____________________________________________________________
“…. I needed to talk to someone about what I saw. I’m in the process of trying to formulate a plan
for how to end this stupid game, but I need help with it.” Killua lowered his eyebrows.

“I assume letting the others in on this would put the whole thing in jeopardy, and we’re already
treading that line by sending messages to that Gundham Tanaka. Tell me then, what did you find in
that classroom?” Trunks asked.

“I was lucky to even get into it without detection. Destroying security cameras may be against the
rules, but temporarily disabling them? Needed to be extra careful not to be seen by them before
shutting them down. So from what was inside, it was much less a classroom, and more like a
creepy laboratory. And it was much larger than expected too, took more than twenty minutes to
look at everything. It was worth it though, as what I found in there was….”

Killua discussed the entirety of what he found within that room, as Trunks’s eyes widened and his
fists were clenched. By the time Killua was finished, Trunks’s hair began to glow gold.

“Whoa, calm down, no need to go super, pal. We just need to come up with something or else we
and our worlds are doomed. I have something in mind, but you need to pay close attention…”
Killua began to try calling him down.

Unbeknownst to the two of them however, an onlooker had heard the entire thing, and was making
his way towards the school building.

“Pibu… are you ready?” Gold asked his electric mouse, who gave a resounding “Chu!” back at
him, “I’m coming… partners.”

____________________________________________________________

< Back to Ai’s POV >

“Tell me something, why do you hate humans so much?” I asked Aoba.

We were sitting down in his room, it was almost time for me to leave and turn in for the night.
Aoba was still tied up in Miles’s web.

“To put it simply, my brother was far from a nice person to me. Abusive, due to the way my
 parents favored me over him. It was to the point where I thought to get back at him, one instance
had his room up in flames.” He said which irked me so much.

“That’s not much of a good reason, and after what you have done, I’m not willing to give you any
pity.” I told him.

“I never asked for you to give me any. Regardless, his actions pushed me into what you see here
today. Chessmaster of easily manipulated individuals, and the former leader of a gang called the
Blue Squares. Heh heh... “ I’ve had about enough of this guy.

“Hm, on your way out, how about turning on the tv? I want to catch a movie I’ve been wanting to
see.” I sighed before I turned the screen on.

“I am the one who decides my fate.” I heard a man on it say… wait.

That voice is… somehow familiar.

“Curious, aren’t you? It feels like it’s been forever since we have seen him, although… doesn’t he
seem off to you?” Aoba smirked at me as I faced what was in front of me.

Seto Kaiba… but seeing him here, he seems more confident, much smarter than he looked. I saw
him summon a large titan of a monster, as I just stared silently.

I can’t believe what I was seeing, this wasn’t the same man who killed Misato. So… who was that?

Remaining Citizens: 11

To Be Continued…

Chapter End Notes

I can’t believe I finished this chapter so soon after the previous one. Hope you all
enjoyed what you’ve gotten so far. May you enjoy what I have planned in
development. Ideas are buzzing in my head. Leave comments/reviews if you feel like
it! I would love to see if you share predictions, theories, or things that you enjoyed
about the chapter! Thank you so much, for sticking around.
 Clash, J-Stars! Part 1 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Ai explores a previous area after a new discovery is made, and finds something
unexpected. She then decides to pay a visit to the Ultimate Recluse.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“We are wasting time, Tanaka, another trial might have already happened by now. Meaning that
less survivors are left to save.” Byakuya scoffed at the breeder.

“Ha, you say that I am ‘wasting time’, yet I have managed to finalize our assault upon the armored
fortress. All thanks to the tribute those same survivors left me, now what have you accomplished
since joining us?” Gundham returned a scoff to the affluent progeny.

“Tch, I decided to take a page out of your companion Mahiru’s book. I included a camera, along
with a message of my own to go along with it, so now I require you to send in one of your hamsters
in. Those pictures the survivors will send us could be useful in determining who we are up against,
I, along with Saihara will analyze them.” Byakuya took out a digital camera along with a slip of
paper.

“I see, where is Saihara and the rest of his companions at the moment?” Gundham asks him.

“He’s still attempting to help Hina understand the concept of being fictional in one world, yet
being real in this one. I would give up myself, personally.” The rich blonde sighed.

“As would I…” Gundham began walking off towards the shore.

“Hey, where are you going? We still have a job to do here.” Byakuya asked as a dolphin popped up
from the water.

“Ha ha ha ha… do not fret you arrogant Prince of Wealth, I am simply setting my plan into motion.
In order for that however, I require the skills of my allies in battle. We are in the endgame now,
after all… and make sure Maga-Z returns.” Gundham rides away as the aforementioned member of
the Four Dark Devas hops off his scarf.

Byakuya sighs, as he ushers Maga-Z to follow him, “Just who is… the mastermind?”

Chapter 4: Clash, J-Stars! Part 1 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 11
Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Idol
Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin
Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
Trunks Brief (Dragon Ball): Ultimate Swordsman
Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse

Danganronpa Cast:
Gundham Tanaka: Ultimate Breeder
Byakuya Togami: Ultimate Affluent Progeny
Aoi Asahina: Ultimate Swimming Pro
Shuichi Saihara: Ultimate Detective
Maki Harukawa: Ultimate Assassin
Himiko Yumeno: Ultimate Magician
Hajime Hinata: Ultimate Hope
Mahiru Koizumi: Ultimate Photographer
Nagito Komaeda: Ultimate Lucky Student

< Ai’s POV >

“Hm…” I observe the footage of Kaiba over and over again in the large otaku department store,
and it still has me confused.

His strategies while playing this single card game are so calculated, even if some of them fail at the
hands of his rival. I can’t even fathom how a man this intelligent could set up a murder that could
be solved in about almost an hour. This can’t be the same person, so who was that who was with us
at the beginning of the killing game? Almost like… an abridged version of this Kaiba.

“Yo!”

“YAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” I was suddenly startled out of nowhere.

“GAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” The voice that spooked me screamed along with me.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

“AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!” As did three other voices behind me.

As the five of us tried to catch our breath, I looked up to see who they were.

“Don’t scare me like that, Gold!” I scolded him.

“Hey, I could say the same for you!” He sneered.

“You…” A small smile creaked onto my face before I began to ball up my hand into a fist.

“Whoa whoa whoa, sorry for bothering you, Ai. No need to get mad.” Miles put down my hand.

“We were just trying to see where you were, we saw Aoba walking around freely when you were
supposed to be watching him. Miles webbed him up again, by the way.” Emma stepped forward
next.

“Ack, sorry about that. I just needed to check something real quick, it might be important for later,
huh?” I looked behind them and Ishigami was there as well, so he was the fifth one screaming,
“Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Eh, I needed some air. I don’t want to end up like Bernadetta. Oh yeah, after what happened to
Ryuji, she’s feeling guilty about it.”

Oh, right. I’m really being careless right now with my forgetfulness. Ryuji was flown off to the
hospital by Trunks last night, and I haven’t seen the two of them since. If he didn’t do what he
did… Bernadetta would be the one in his shoes, so it’s no wonder that she would be saddened by
this. I’m thankful she’s alright, but I just hope that she’ll be alright mentally after having a near-
death experience, and that Ryuji will be alright physically from his wound. I need to have faith that
the two of them will turn out fine, I can’t help but worry though.

We just all looked down, depressingly, until Gold started to break the silence.

“That dummy… he better come back to us.”

“Yeah…” Emma let out.

“Well, no use moping around, we just need to move on for now. Am I right?” Miles asked and we
slowly nodded.

“Indeed. How about I show you what I discovered.” I suggested and I began my explanation.

All that I’ve seen of the Kaiba we met, did not match up with the Kaiba being shown to us through
the screen.

“Uh… maybe he was just feeling the pressure of the killing game? That’s why he couldn’t focus
on strategizing a good murder…” Ishigami said.

“No, no, maybe this is just a Fake Kaiba, the one in this show!” Emma pointed at the screen.

“Wait… maybe the one we were with is the phoney! And the real one is still around!” Gold
guessed.

“Huh, that’s what I’m thinking more or less.” I responded.

“There was some kinda imposter among us?” Miles asked.

“That’s… possible. But that’s so strange… though we have seen stranger things.” Emma pondered.

“Eh?” Ishigami walks over to the stairs and looks up, “Was there always a third floor?”

“Huh?” All of us went before making our way up to the top.

“Gee, it’s kinda dark.” Emma tries to observe the room.

“You bring a light?” Gold asked us.

“No.” Ishigami answered.

Miles went towards the wall and feeled around until he found the light switch and flicked it on.

“Future Participants, what does that mean?” Gold read the sign at the top of the room.

We browsed the shelves and saw a couple of manga, anime, games, and movies. Some of them we
recognized downstairs, while others have people we never saw before.

I looked to my right and saw a cutout of a familiar face, “Saki?”

My fellow Franchouchou member, Zombie No. 2 was right in front of me. Why is she here?

“Whoa, is that girl part-Politoed?” Gold asked as he was watching the tv screen that just switched
on.

“Huh, I saw this girl with Ryuji downstairs, crushing a soda can. Some kind of… post-apocalyptic
raider.” Ishigami saw on another screen.

“Huh, maybe these guys know Espio? They seem cute.” Emma picked up a plush of a silver
anthropomorphic hedgehog and a yellow fox.

I looked at some anime dvds of “Silver Spoon”, “Laid-Back Camp”, “Good Luck Girl!” and
“Lucky Star”, just why were these in their own section? Then I looked closer at the dvds and saw a
small sticker on them, some had “Epice”, while others had “Culmin”. This is all too confusing.

“Ow! That bump was starting to heal too…” Ishigami complained as he hit his head against the
foot of a girl wearing an orange bandana, hanging from the ceiling in a kick pose.

After browsing this new section, we just exited the store, deciding that all of this stuff probably
won’t affect us anytime soon. Although seeing Saki there left me wondering how she's doing, since
last I saw her she was tearing up the streets of Saga on a motorcycle. It just made me more
determined to make it out and save them.

“I gotta run guys, have some big plans for later so uh… see ya!” Gold suddenly dashed away on his
skateboard.

Miles thought for a moment before shrugging, “Whatevs, I’m going to survey the city from above.
Later, guys!” He said before swinging off.

“I’m going to see where Killua went, I haven’t seen him since last night. Bye, Ai!” Emma waved
before leaving herself.

I just waved to everyone else as I walked back to the Hope-tel for a quick break.

That was pretty informative looking through the new room, and discussing the Kaiba stuff. Yet it
made me dread exploring the new area when it opens up, I wonder when that’s going to happen.

Especially since Monokuma opened it for Trunks and Ryuji, but left it closed for everyone else. It
probably was still being built, oh dear, I hope they left Ryuji in an actual hospital then.

An hour passes as I wake up from my nap. Well, no time to be lazing around. Have some time to
kill and nothing new to discover yet.

Free Time Start

I went to that MonoMono Machine earlier in the day, and I received an Armored Bear Stuffy,
Choco Bears, and a large sunflower. I could think of three people that would enjoy these gifts.

I should go see Bernadetta first though, to check if she’s doing fine. Especially after last night. I
knocked on the poor girl’s door like I’ve always done and it slightly creaks open to let me in.

“Hi…” Bernie solemnly let out.

“Hey Bernie, do you want to talk for a bit? To get your mind off things?” I asked her, and she
hesitantly agreed.
We spent the next thirty minutes talking about what might happen to Ryuji and what to say in the
next message. Bernadetta and I grew a little closer.

I then handed her the bear stuffy, “Here, I thought you might like this.”

She gasps before hugging it tight, “Do I really deserve this? Wow, thank you so much!”

I smiled as she placed it on her bed neatly.

I then heard something drop from the ceiling, Maga-Z is back, and he’s got a lot with him. Poor
thing had to carry all of that? Aw…

“What’s this?” Bernadetta picks up what the hamster brought with him.

“It’s a camera, but why would that be needed?” I wondered as I opened up the letter to see that it
wasn’t from Gundham Tanaka at all.

Good day to the survivors within this compound,

I am not the same individual who has been writing these letters for you thus far. I am his
temporary ally in assisting with your escape. I only ask you to take some photos of the location you
are staying in, in order for us to analyze them and discover who may be behind the killing game.
Cooperate with us, and your freedom may be sooner than you think. - Byakuya Togami

I don’t know why, but reading this letter makes me want to hit the guy who wrote it. It sounds
blunt, like it’s ordering us around.

“We have to… what?” Bernadetta asked me.

“Take pictures of the various locales in the city. Photographs are realistic images of people, places,
etc., captured within a certain moment. We can take pictures using this device called a camera.”
Explaining how photography works is giving me some flashbacks to when we did our first fan
photo shoot…

“Um… I don’t know if I’m ready to be out there yet… What if everyone blames me for getting
Ryuji hurt?” She worried.

“The only person capable of being that cruel would be Aoba, and you shouldn’t let a person like
him get to you. Your confidence has really improved since we’ve initially met, and I believe you
will overcome all that you’ve gone through.” I explained.

“Still… What if I fail?” Bernie asks as I stand back up off her bed.

“Well, I don’t believe you will. Even if that’s the case, I don’t think mistakes or failures are a bad
thing…” Her eyes widened as I began, “... Because they always end up helping with whatever
happens next. I believe I’ll only be the best version of me once I overcome it all. The same thing
applies to you as well.”

“.... Thank you, Ai.” She didn’t have anything to say after that.

I feel like our bond has managed to get even stronger.

I think I’ll leave her to think about what I said for a while, I need to take some pictures of the city
for this “Byakuya”. Looking at the gifts I had gotten from the MonoMono Machine, I knew just the
two people to get help from.
____________________________________________________________
 “Hey, how’s Ryuji been?” Killua asked.

“His condition is stabilizing, yet he needs more time. He has been getting fed and hydrated so at
least there’s that, in addition to him breathing fine…” Trunks mentioned.

“I see. Glad to hear that. Y’know I checked back by the school building and saw the door was left
slightly open, you know anything about that?” Killua puts his hands in his pockets.

“No, perhaps the mastermind was careless?” Trunks suggested.

“Or someone else knew what was in there…” Killua shot that guess down.

“Then they must have overheard our conversation. Couldn’t be Aoba thankfully, but…” Trunks
pondered.

“I did hear some footsteps, but I think they only heard about what was in the room, instead of our
plan. Even then, I saw everyone still alive earlier, so they must have shut down the gun mounted
cameras temporarily like I did. Hm? Something up?” Killua noticed Trunks looking down.

“I just… can’t seem to trust any of them anymore. Even now I’m struggling to trust you, and even
someone like Ai.” Trunks crossed his arms and turned away.

“.... I want to say something about that, but I’ll hold off on it until the moment we set the plan into
motion. All I have to say for now, trust me, and trust them. Ai especially, somehow I got a good
feeling about her. Now if you’ll excuse me, I promised to hang out with Emma by the ice cream
shop. Later.” Killua walks off, leaving Trunks to his thoughts.

Chapter End Notes

Man I did not expect to get this one completed so soon after the trial. After this chapter
and the next one, the finale is coming up. It feels so close, yet so far at the same time.
May you follow along with the mystery until the very end! Welcome to Chapter 4,
enjoy the ride. And don’t expect the next chapters to be done as quickly as the past
few. Also posting this chapter on my birthday for some reason lol, so I’ll leave you all
with a single question. How do you feel about our protagonist, Ai Mizuno?
 Clash, J-Stars! Part 2 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Ai has an important chat with Killua and Emma, and then decides to visit the hospital.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 4: Clash, J-Stars! Part 2 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 11

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Idol

2. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
3. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
8. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
9. Trunks Brief (Dragon Ball): Ultimate Swordsman
10. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
11. Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse

< Ai’s POV >

“‘ Hina’s Pool Treats, where making sweets goes swimmingly! ’, that’s quite a tagline.” I read the
sign before entering the store to see rows of donuts and ice cream flavors.

For the latter, it was split between soft-served and large tubs of standard ice cream. This ‘Hina’ had
hair that’s similar to soft serve ice cream too. Though I guess the donuts are the main draw to this
shop, though as someone who highly dislikes carbs, not too appealing to me.

“Mpmh! Ai!” Speaking of donuts, Emma had a standard glazed one in her mouth.

“Chew first, how old are you again?” Killua told her as he licked an ice cream cone with three
scoops, all of which had chocolate in it in some form.
“You’re one to talk, the both of you are the youngest ones here.” I said as I wiped the ice cream off
his mouth with a napkin.

“Hey, knock it off!” He complained.

“Don’t make fun of Emma if you’re not 100% mature either.” I scolded him.

“Ha ha ha, wow, it’s like Ai’s our… mom or something.” Emma laughed before she suddenly
looked down.

“Yeah… a mom.” Killua did the same as well, what’s wrong with these two?

“Is… something the matter?” I asked them.

“It’s fine, we shouldn’t bother you with our problems.” Killua stated.

Hm… I suddenly began thinking…

With all we’ve been through, I should take a moment to strengthen our bonds further. That way we
can collaborate more towards our escape. In order for that though, we need to open up more.
Emma did explain what happened in her world, but I have a feeling she hasn’t told me everything
she went through. Killua on the other hand has told me nothing about his past.

We’ve come so far since we first met, yet… I feel like out of everyone, these two are the ones I
trust the most. Which means…

“No, it’s totally fine. We’re friends after all, though I understand if you two have gone through a
lot that you don’t feel like sharing. Though, if you don’t mind, I’d like to share something about
me that the both of you have a right to know.”

“Huh?” Emma tilted her head.

“What are you saying?” Killua asked.

“I just feel like I can trust you guys quite a lot. And I know you all trust me as well, but I want to
start being more honest. You don’t have to tell me more about your pasts if you do not feel the
need to, but I assure you that I am someone who wouldn’t take your words lightly.”

“.... Fine, but you go first then. It can’t be too crazy.” Killua agreed and Emma nodded.

“Alright.” I took a deep breath in.

And then I popped off my head like one would do to a doll. Needless to say I expected what I heard
next.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!!” Killua and Emma screamed in unison.

“So… I’m a zombie. The undead, a revived corpse, anyway you can describe it, that’s what I am.”
I told them.

Their eyes were wide, and they didn’t stand up or move in response. Like their butts have taken
root in their seats.

“Well that’s, uh… something I’ve never heard of before.” Emma responded awkwardly.

“I’ve seen a lot of amazing things, but this is… a new one for sure. A sentient zombie…” I saw
Killua trying to think it over.

“To answer any questions right away, I am not infectious or have any cravings for brains, no I do
not know how I was revived, and I behave 100% like a human.” I informed them.
“Dang! I never thought I’d see something like this before.” Emma was surprisingly impressed.

“Huh?” I responded.

“If you’re willing to admit this to us outright, I can believe that you’re not gonna use us as chew
toys. Though why us specifically and not the others?” Killua asked.

“Well… you’re the only two who I know can trust and keep a secret, especially after seeing you
two lead us in the last trial. This secret would have scared Bernadetta, Ryuji is out of commission
(plus he and Gold probably wouldn’t keep their mouths shut about it), Trunks has been distant
lately, and Ishigami couldn’t care less. Miles and Espio were another two I could have told, yet I
would rather keep the number of people who know this low. Especially since somehow Aoba
found out…” I explained and they sat up after I mentioned that last part.

“So that’s why he whispered in your ear at the end of the second trial!” Emma shouted before
covering her mouth quickly.

“That bastard, he’s going to use that to his advantage. Since he knows how helpful you have been
with investigating and the trials, he’ll bring it out as a wild card…” Killua grimaced.

“I know. I just can’t stand it, knowing that he’s a few steps ahead of us. He is without a doubt
dangerous, and he won’t stop until he wins this game. Sacrificing four people so that there’s less
competition…” I screwed my head back on before I started looking down.

“We just need to gain an advantage over him, so when he does finally decide to kill someone
himself, it’ll backfire.” Emma stated and we agreed.

“Well for now, keeping an eye on him is top priority. At least until something can be done. We
can’t let this killing game go on, and it won’t end with him on top. Anyways, thanks for telling us
about yourself Ai.” Killua turned to me.

“Yeah, this zombie thing is weird, but I’ve seen worse!” Emma grinned at me.

I widened my eyes before giving them a smile of my own, I knew I could trust them.
“Thank you, Emma, Killua. Now before I explain the other reason why I’m here, you did say you
would go after me.” I raised a finger as I waited for them to answer.

Emma breathed in and breathed out, “Okay, so… I did mention that I was raised on a human farm
before. Though about my “mother” Isabella… I don’t 100% despise her for what she did. I still
somehow think of her as my mother, and that she really did care for the children she raised. Sure
she tried to discourage us from escaping, even breaking my leg in the process…” I did a double
take when she finished that sentence.

“But even so, I hope to one day see her again before I go to the human world. Seeing you act
motherly like that just brought back the good memories of her, ha…” She looked like she was
trying to fake a smile there, so me and Killua just pat her on the back.

“I see… maybe you’ll get that chance once we get to escape?” I said, hoping to cheer her up a bit.

“Yeah… maybe. It’s your turn now Killua. You didn’t share last time, but since there’s just us
here…” Emma told him and he stood up to say his piece.

“Here goes nothing…” Killua took an extra deep breath so he could focus on how to explain.

“I was the middle child of the Zoldyck family of assassins. I was put through hellish training in
order to learn many techniques used by them. Literal torture was included as a part of it.” Already
this was a lot to take in.

“I managed to kill so many people at a young age with all that knowledge, yet I was tired of it all. I
ran away from home, not before attacking my mother and my brother before leaving to become a
Hunter, individuals considered to be elites among society. On the subject of my mom, I hate her so
damn much. She desperately wants me to continue being an assassin for the family, and she’s too
attached to me. I wouldn’t want to see her ever again, not just for my sake, but for my sister’s. I’d
explain more about what they did to her, but we’d be here all day. In short, my family sucks, and
I’d much rather journey far away from them as possible. Preferably with some… good friends of
mine.” He finally stopped to take a drink of water.

“I… I’m sorry for what you had to endure.” That was all I could say in that moment, my jaw
almost dropped as I listened. If he had continued, it would be on the floor by the time he finished.

“So yeah, I was reminded of how awful my own mother was… although you would be a much
MUCH better one compared to her, Ai.” He complimented.

“Yeah! You’ve been trying so hard to keep us together and stay confident enough to escape this
place. Caring for our well being and everything too, you pretty much are our mom!” Emma said
and after those two statements, I blushed a little.

“W-what are you saying? I’m just looking out for you all…” I let out and they laughed at me.

“Ugh…” I sighed before I noticed Killua heading for the door.

“Well this was interesting, I should really get going now though, I have a lot to think about.”

“Hold on, we have a job to do before we break for today.” I interrupted him.

“Sorry, explaining my backstory was a bit exhausting for me.” He yawned.

“Fine, I guess I’ll eat all of these on my own…” I whipped out the Choco Bears before he quickly
marched towards me.

“(sighs) You know just how to bribe me. So what now?” Killua popped a few chocolates into his
mouth before I took out the letter.

“Take pictures of the city? How will that help with finding out who the mastermind is?” Emma
questioned.

“Beats me, but if it helps, it can’t hurt to try. I’ll go up high to get shots from the top of the city.”
Killua volunteered as we exited the sweets shop.

“Hold on, here Emma, for you.” I handed her a gift for listening to my story and for sharing hers.

“Aw, thanks Ai! I know just where to put it in my room!” She gleefully smiled as I saw Killua
wolfing down more chocolates.
I’ve really bonded with the two of them quite a lot. It’s truly great to have made friends when put in
such a dire situation.

____________________________________________________________

After bidding farewell to Emma and Killua, I handed the photos off to Maga-Z while Bernadetta
began to write another letter to that Byakuya Togami character. I ate my dinner before deciding to
go see our injured friend.

I made my way through the previous area, taking my time since it was only 7:30 pm, quite a lot of
time until nighttime. The city’s lights were all shining bright, if this weren’t a prison, I’d consider
it to look stunning. Unlike regular city sights however, there was barely any noise around. A city
like this was most likely never lived in, yet it seemed abandoned.

The quiet atmosphere was calming, yet it was eerie as well. Like at any moment someone could
come up from behind to knock you out, luckily with my better senses I would know if there was
anyone there.

I eventually came upon a metal wall hiding the new area from outsiders, but then I heard
something coming from the other side.

“YAHOOOOOOO!” I fell down after hearing that yell.

“That was great, time for some grub! Eh?” I saw Gold walking out of the area as the large door
automatically locked behind him.

“What are you doing?” I confronted him.

“Jeez Ai, I was just visiting Ryuji to check on him. No biggie.” He said as I lowered my eyes at
him.

“What’s got you so excited then, hm?” I asked.

“Huh? I’m just ready for dinner. I’m in the mood for some curry, ever since I heard it was a
delicacy from a foreign region. See ya tomorrow! Unless you plan on joining me for a bite.” He
took out his skateboard and lowered his goggles over his eyes.
“I already ate, thank you. Be sure not to make a mess of things in the restaurant district.” I waved
as he shrugged me off and zoomed away.

He’s been off doing things on his own as well, so reckless. We can’t afford to act like that with
how things have been lately.

I knock on the wall to get Monokuma’s attention.

“Hey Missy, I’m on the last word on my crossword puzzle, whaddya want?” The bear showed up
in a security uniform with a moustache.

“I just want to visit Ryuji. Nothing more, nothing less.” I put it bluntly.

“The second time tonight, grrr. Fine! But no looking at the buildings under construction!” He
grumbled before pressing a button and opening the door for me.

“Much obliged. Also the last word is G A M B I T.” I told him as he gets frustrated and throws the
puzzle at me, but misses.

I walk in and see that there’s a large lot for construction, none of the buildings looking anywhere
near complete. I then look to my left to see a large hospital building, marked as Bye Bye Ouchies .
There it is.

I make my way to the hospital and see a few things that were finished being built. One was a sports
arena, a boardwalk with carnival games, and a dock with a large body of water leading to a small
island surrounded by more metal walls. That must be the area after this one.

I finally make it to the hospital but then I smell something odd. I looked to my left to see a grassy
field… and it was ravaged.

I observed the field and saw that the stench I encountered was from burned grass. There was also a
large puddle in the center of the field, and a shattered boulder.

What could have caused this? Or who?

 …… I should really get to the hospital before I use up all the time I have.

Chapter End Notes

This chapter as a whole will probably be a lot different than something usually found
in Danganronpa. It could even end up shorter if it feels like it should be. Let’s just say
though that there’s gonna be some more free time coming up. I already have a certain
Pokémon trainer in mind, but more recommendations could be cool! The motive I
have for this chapter is already set though. So I hope to see you all next time! How
about after the next part, you all share who you think will survive the killing game?
Or do it now, up to you. For now, here’s a song playlist based on characters from the
story. https://youtube.com/playlist?
list=PL9OUYJnvv1XWsECAK5l4KSxafqVgzCKEc
 Clash, J-Stars! Part 3 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Ai visits Ryuji and learns more about him. Monokuma also reveals the motive for this
chapter... but it's a bit odd.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 4: Clash, J-Stars! Part 3 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 11

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Idol

2. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
3. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
8. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
9. Trunks Brief (Dragon Ball): Ultimate Swordsman
10. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
11. Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse

< Ai’s POV >

After observing the… wrecked field (seriously what was that about?), I’m now at the hospital. The
waiting room is empty, a bit unsettling, chairs were all disorganized and magazines were scattered
as well. There was a computer sitting there at the desk near me, which I accessed to find out where
our delinquent friend was.

2nd floor, room N037. Knife wound to the stomach, along with a bruise on his elbow when he
collapsed hard on the ground where we were seated.

“ Tch… damn it .” I thought to myself as I shut off the monitor.

I really hope he’s alright, since I really doubt that a robotic bear went to any good medical school. I
commend his bravery for saving Bernadetta in exchange for his life, but…

Ugh, no, I just need to go see him. Gold didn’t mention how he was doing when he left, and Trunks
hasn’t talked to me even though he’s checked on Ryuji quite often. I need to confirm it myself.

I found room N037 and knocked on the door, “Ryuji, it’s Ai. May I come in?”.

“Sure, it’s open.” I heard from the other side, he can speak at least, though he did sound a little
weak.

“Yo, didn’t expect two visitors today. How have you guys been?”

“We’ve been… getting by. Trunks hasn’t been cooperative as of late, and Aoba is, well, Aoba.
Other than that we got a new message to take pictures of the city.”

“For real? That sounds boring, the picture taking thing. Can’t imagine how that could help at all.
Can’t get a read on Trunks either, the last time he visited, he just had a scary look in his eyes. Also
don’t mention that bastard Aoba, I’m just about sick of that asshole, ack...” His voice got a little
louder at the end before he felt pain and lied back down.

“Don’t strain yourself, just relax until you’re fully healed.” I told him as he sighed, “So how’s
Bernie doin’?”

“She’s feeling horrible after what happened, thinking that it was her fault that you ended up here. I
did try to help her out earlier though.”

“Ugh, she shouldn’t blame herself for something I did. I chose to throw myself in front of that
knife, I couldn’t just stand there and let her get stabbed.” He said as he shook his head.

“That’s what I told her, yet I feel like it will take a while until she’ll understand it. Maybe if she
comes to visit you she’ll be alright.” I said while looking over the hospital room.

“Keyword is ‘if’, that girl would rather stay in her room all day if she could. She’s the Ultimate
Recluse alright...” He was starting to look a little sad so I thought of something else to ask him.
“Didn’t Gold come by earlier? What did you two talk about?”

“Uh, well… he came up with a new way to… get fit in the city until we find a gym! Yeah that’s it,
he told me to come try it out when I get outta here, ha ha…”

Okay he’s being suspicious too, what is wrong with these guys?

“Please be honest with me, Ryuji.”

“I am! I have been trying to keep in shape since we got here, and even before I ended up here.” He
rubbed the back of his head nervously, I can tell he’s lying.

But for now I just decide to humor him, “Well, it does make sense that you need to stay active
since you’re a track star.”

“Was a track star, but I am working to get back into doing it.” Ryuji took a deep breath and
exhaled.

“Really? What made you quit? Or… did something else happen?” I asked him.

“.... You know how I told you I was a phantom thief? Stealing the hearts of horrible people and
making them confess the terrible shit they did?”

“You have.” The concept was absurd, but it intrigued me. I wanted to know more.

“Well… it was all because of our first target, an asshat named Kamoshida. Me and my teammates
were well on our way to becoming star athletes of Shujin Academy, until he came into the picture.
A volleyball teacher who beat the crap out of the students on his team, sexually harassing some of
them, and was getting away with it until we stepped in.” Ryuji’s story had grabbed my attention as
I felt disgust at the man he described.

“What did he do to you?” I asked.

“Well, he wanted his volleyball team to be the main sports team of Shujin, so he pissed me off. To
the point where I tried to beat the shit outta him, but he ended up breaking my leg. After that the
track team disbanded, and they called me the ‘track traitor’ for what I did…” Oh my goodness, as
if I did not have any more reason not to feel bad for Ryuji.

“I see now… no wonder you made him your target. He did end up confessing his crimes, right?”

“He did… after his abuse led to someone trying to commit suicide and threatening to get me and a
few friends of mine expelled.”

“That’s… terrible. I’m so sorry that you had someone like that cause you so much pain.”

“It’s all good now, he’s in prison for a long time and me and my pals are free to do whatever we
want. And I choose to get back to training, well… once I get outta this bed and this crappy city.”

There was a lot more to Ryuji than I initially thought, with his dyed hair and poor posture I
assumed he was a troublemaking delinquent. This is a case where I was glad to be proven wrong,
in doing so I have managed to become closer to him.

“Hey, while you’re here, Gold brought me some takeout beef bowls. They’re both how I like it,
but I know how much you love eating meat!” Ryuji laughed.

“I um… well this conversation did give me somewhat of an appetite…” I hesitated.

“C’mon! Just a nibble isn’t gonna make you fat. Though not too much that it would go right to
your already large thig—ow! Hey hey, I’m already injured!” I slapped him before he could finish
that sentence.

I was right about one thing about him, he’s a pervert.

After having a little bit of that beef bowl I bid Ryuji farewell and a “get well soon” before hedging
back to the Hope-tel. Took a shower and headed to bed immediately after that. I drifted off to sleep
right before the nighttime announcement went off.
_______________

MONOKUMA THEATER

“ Do you ever work on something that won’t be ready in a long time, instead of focusing on what
you have now? ”

“ Like finishing a school project that’s months away from being due, or eating a fruit that’s days
away from being ripe?”

“Or maybe writing a prologue chapter for the third entry in a fanfiction when you still need to
finish the first entry! Hmmmmmmmm?”

“Orrrr writing down ideas for a spinoff as well! Hmmmmmm?”

“Anyways, it’s good to plan ahead, but not to that extent! But what do I know? Monokuma Theaters
are usually where your brain shuts off!”

_______________

*Ding dong, bing bong*

“Gooooooood morning Monocity! It is now 7 a.m., and the weather today is a cloudy sky, no rain
though! Remember to follow the law, but have fun! Oh, breaking news citizens! We have a meeting
at Enoshima Park at 7:30, don’t be late! It’s very important to attend, because we have a new
motive!”

I knew that there would be something sooner or later, I might as well go.

Walking outside my door after putting on my makeup I met up with Emma, Miles, and… Ishigami,
I guess he’s become another member of our little group. Although one common member seems to
be missing.

“Hey! Sorry, I must have overslept, ha ha. So what are we doing?” Gold arrives late.
“We’re going to the park, didn’t you hear the morning announcement?” Miles asked him.

“Nope, couldn’t hear a thing.” He scratched his nose.

“You must have been snoring over it. One of the reasons I wish the walls were soundproof and that
I wasn’t your neighbor.” Ishigami yawned.

“Hey, you’re exaggerating, pal!” Gold defended himself.

“He’s not, earlier I saw Killua with bags under his eyes. He told me that a loud snorting sound kept
him up all night, he thought a ‘Great Stamp’ found its way into the Hope-tel.” Emma giggled.

“A what?!” Gold asked.

“Large pigs with horn-like snouts, or at least that’s what he told me.” Emma explains.

“Did he just call me a— I’m gonna get that brat!” Gold then started angrily rambling as we
laughed at him.

It took a while but we all made it to the park on time, even Bernadetta so maybe she’s feeling a lot
better today. Of course Ryuji is still in the hospital, but he looked to be improving during my visit,
so hopefully he’ll rejoin us sooner or later. Monokuma was already there when all of us arrived.

“Okay everyone, before we begin I wanted to know if you guys know where I left my battery? I
was supposed to use it to power this one execution I have prepared.” The bear asked us.

“A battery? With how elaborate these executions have been, it must be quite the power source.
How could you leave something like that lying around?” Espio calls out his carelessness.

“No one asked you, Ninja Boy. But to answer your question, it’s size is quite small actually, so it is
easy to lose. It was kept in a ball that could fit inside your pocket, and when released it’s got some
spark to it!” Monokuma raised his arms up to emphasize.
I then realized what he was talking about, Gold’s Pichu Pibu. I look to him and a drop of sweat
falls from his face and onto the stone sidewalk.

“Hm… oh well! I’ll go looking for it later. Now then it’s time for the next motive!” He exclaimed.

“This again?” Miles rolled his eyes.

“Yes, this again, why haven’t you gotten used to this by now?! Ahem, now presenting a reward
that you get after completing a challenge I’m setting up. Ta-dah!” Monokuma took out a pale gold
card with his face on it.

“What… is that?” I asked him.

Monokuma’s sinister smile gets larger, “Why, it’s the Get Out of Trial Free card! If you win this
baby, then you’ll be able to murder and get away with it. Although once you use it, you have to kill
someone by midnight, or else your chance will have gone up and left like Cinderelly at the ball!”

“Uh… it’s intriguing, but how is this a motive to go murder someone? Killing someone to get a
card for murdering another person? That doesn’t work since the blackened would either be
executed or leave the city, making the card meaningless.” Aoba critiqued.

“Well here’s the thing… it’s not a motive for murder. It’s more motivation to survive in my
personal challenge!” Monokuma guffawed.

“You keep bringing up this challenge, just what is it?” I asked him.

“A series of tasks in the next area that won’t start until it is complete! Finish each task within the
given time frame and you move on to the next one, if you don’t… then game over!”

“And by game over you mean instant execution.” Trunks guesses.

“Correct! You really are the son of a scientist, puhuhu…” Monokuma teases and Trunks just turns
away from him.
 “Anywho, the first PERSON to finish all of their tasks will receive the card! This competition will
also be streamed live on Despair+ after the next episode of The Bear and The Ultimate Soldier.”

“I’m more of a SoniaVision guy.” Ishigami states.

“Really now? The action scenes of the former impressed me more than the classic sitcom format
of the latter.” Espio shook his head.

“Wait, I didn’t know y’all have been getting a free streaming service here!” Miles says in surprise.

“It’s actually pretty decent.” Ishigami tells him.

“SHUT UP.” Aoba yells and web covers his mouth in response.

“In conclusion, this challenge will be filled with thrills, chills, and maybe kills if you all really
want to succeed! Later folks!” Monokuma waved the card in the air for all of us to see before
disappearing.

A gauntlet of tasks… they will most likely be far from simple knowing that bear. We need to be
ready when it’s time to take them on. And that card too… all I know is that if I get it, I’m burning
it. I hope almost everyone else is thinking the same thing or something similar.

… Maybe I should go talk to some people.

Next Time: Free Time Start

Chapter End Notes

The motive has been set and more free time is on the way, I’m thinking of Gold or
Espio, but I would like to see if there’s anyone else you want to see. Be sure to leave
your thoughts and I’ll see you all in the next part! Thanks.
 Clash, J-Stars! Part 4 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

More free times with a ninja chameleon and a Pokémon trainer, also Ryuji starts a new
show on Despair+

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 4: Clash, J-Stars! Part 4 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 11

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Idol

2. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
3. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
8. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
9. Trunks Brief (Dragon Ball): Ultimate Swordsman
10. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
11. Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse

< Ai’s POV >

I took a walk downtown and I saw someone emerging from an alleyway, how very strange. Hiding
behind a lamppost I see Espio nodding his head, almost like he was listening to someone there.

“.... Understood. I shall fulfill that task if it does benefit us all.” I can barely hear him say as he
walks away.

I then moved quickly towards the alley, yet when I looked there was no sign of anyone being
there. I better confront the chameleon about this. It took a bit of time, but I found him meditating on
a bench next to two cups of tea.
“Espio, what were you up to over by that alleyway, earlier?” I asked him.

“....”

“I know you can hear me. You were talking to someone there, who was it? And what was it
about?”

“.... Am I not allowed privacy? With how often you speak with Bernadetta you should know that
some individuals would rather be by themselves for a while.” He let out.

Is everyone seriously being secretive right now? I know I’m one to talk about hiding my zombie
identity, but still...

“I most definitely know, yet I can’t ignore it when people are off on their own acting suspicious as
well. You need to be cooperative with us or else you’ll…”

“End up dead, correct?.... My apologies for my rude demeanor. I…. am unfortunately unable to
answer those questions you’ve presented to me.” Espio opened his eyes and bowed towards me.

“It’s alright, but can you at least tell me why you can’t tell me? Is it because you don’t trust me?”

“It is difficult to trust everyone at the moment, yes, but the task I have been assigned is important.
Do not misunderstand, my intentions are genuine, I just wish to be of use to you all. I am a member
of a detective agency, yet I have not been able to assist with investigating the murders and have
only been making small comments in trials. Please let me do this one single thing, take care Ai…”
Espio drank his tea and left me standing there.

He was being stubborn there, but I understand that he feels somewhat useless when it comes to the
investigations and trials. His voice seemed unsure of himself there, compared to his normally calm
tone, I feel sorry for him. Whatever he was assigned to do, I pray that it will help him get through
this. I felt great empathy with Espio right then.

After deciding to drink the other cup of tea there, (it was almost like he expected me to talk to
him), I moved on to another part of the city.

_______________
The Times Square-like area was almost too quiet until I heard a soft squeaking sound break it.

“Pichu! Pichu!”

I felt a cute little yellow guy atop my right shoulder, “Oh hello, Pibu! How are you today?”

I pet his spiky hair that made him look like his owner before said owner arrived in a huff.

“Oh man, I knew I shouldn’t have left my board back in my room. Don’t just run away like that
Pibu, oh hi Ai.” Gold raised a hand to greet me.

“Hello, you’ve been quite busy as of late. Ryuji mentioned a ‘workout routine’ when I visited him,
mind explaining what that is, or were you two lying?”

He struggled to come up with an answer, “Well I uh… here I’ll show you!”.

I then spent the next twenty minutes watching Gold running back and forth on the street with Pibu
by his side. That was not very convincing, but I did come up with something to ask him at that
time.

Gold stopped to catch his breath, “H-How’s that?! I'll, huff, be super quick, huff by doing that
every day, hoooo…”

“ Liar .” I thought before handing him a bottle of water.

He gulped it down in seconds before I spoke up, “So these Pokémon creatures, you hatch from
eggs, you mentioned battling them. What kind of abilities do they possess that can allow them to
do that?”

“Huh? Oh right, show her Pibu! Super Rising Thunder!” Gold commanded as he threw the water
bottle in the air.
“Wait wha—”

A large bolt of lightning is fired out of Pibu’s tiny paw as it hits the bottle, blackening it, but not
destroying it. That… gave me some flashbacks that I did not need.

“Ha ha! Great job buddy. Oh hey, Ai, you alright? Why are you shaking?” Gold asked me.

“Ah, um… it’s nothing to be concerned about.” I picked myself off the ground and dusted myself
off, “That’s really powerful though, and they just give these to young ten year-olds?”

“Well yeah, but it takes a lot of skill to be a great trainer! Like my hero and other Dex Holders like
myself.” He rubs his finger under his nose confidently.

“I can imagine so… one more question, what are Dex Holders?”

“Folks who carry these around!” Gold pulled out a red device and started pressing buttons on it.

When he showed me, it had a profile for a Pichu on it, an encyclopedia for these Pokémon, huh?
That’s quite impressive. Gold may be reckless and not very honest, but with all he’s told me, he
could be reliable…

“Anyways, I’m starving after that workout. So…. you wanna join me for dinner? I could tell you
alllll about my adventures if you have any more questions.” He just put his hand on my shoulder,
which annoyed me quite a bit.

“Yes to dinner, no to your story, and you’re using your own Monocoins to get me a good meal.”

“Huh?! Why can’t you get the free food at the restaurant district?! Why should I have to pay?!”
Gold shouted at me.

“Because you almost fried me with that bolt of lightning. If you’re gonna flirt with girls, you better
treat them right.” I scolded him.
“Tch, fine! But I’m choosing the place we’re going.”

We walked to the restaurant district and continued to bicker on the way there. Though me and Gold
got a little bit closer right then.

“Hm…. Ai’s spooked by lightning, eh? Interesting…”

________________

After all that free time, I decided to take one more stroll because with all that’s going on, I can’t sit
still. I chose to observe the footage with Kaiba in it once more before bringing Ryuji some dinner.
And so I departed towards the otaku department store and scoured the shelves once more for what
was needed.

“There it is.” I found a dvd for the third season of Yu-Gi-Oh! towards the end of the alphabetically
organized shelf.

As I went to put the disc into the dvd player, I wondered why I had so little merchandise in this
store. Aside from a few cardboard cutouts and some plushies of me in my idol clothes, there was
nothing like video games or anime with my world. Those same items also lacked a title on them,
unlike my companions who had Persona 5, or The Promised Neverland.

It’s all so strange…

The footage played on the screen when I selected a random episode from the ones listed. He
seemed to be battling some blonde-haired young man with an accent that makes me think he came
from New York. Kaiba calls the man Wheeler, which made me feel like he mentioned him once
before.

Kaiba summoned that same dragon I saw in his execution, and that’s when I realized one more
thing that differentiated him from the one that we knew…

“Wait… his eyes, they’re bl—”

I then felt a sudden blow to the back of my head.

And then… I blacked out.

_________________

MONOKUMA THEATER

“ You know how some fan stories become outdated or die out when something happens in the
official canon?”

“ Like in a fan story a character is supposed to go through a five year time skip, but then the
character is revealed to officially have two years to live? ”

“ That sounds like something that could ruin the story the fan was creating! How sad…”

“ All that hard work amounting to nothing, because of one teeny detail causing it to all crumble
down… ”

“ Y’know I don’t want this to happen to this story, but at the same time, could you imagine the
despair it could cause the author?! Puhuhu~.”

_______________

“Sheesh, I already finished episode 4 and I’m already bored! Is there anything else on this stupid
service I can watch?” Ryuji flips through Despair+, annoyed.

He updates the page and something new pops up for him.

“The Gauntlet… a live show? What could this be…” He clicks on it and it begins to play.

His eyes widen as he starts to realize what he’s about to watch, “Oh no… for real?”

_______________
“Ugh…”

My head is throbbing hard.

When I come to, I feel numb and uncomfortable, like I took a nap on pavement. Which it looks like
I did.

I tried to stand up, but then I felt a tug and chain jingle, looking to my right I saw Aoba attached to
my wrist via handcuffs. I then hear more groans as I see the others wake up, realizing they’ve been
chained to each other as well.

“What the hell?! What’s going on here?!” Aoba sat up and I was pulled over when he tugged on
his side of the chain.

“Hey!” I said in response.

“Ow! Where the heck am I?!” Gold told Espio.

“Oh brother, why him?” Espio sighed.

“I can’t break it, what is this thing made of?” Miles repeatedly pulled his chain, to the dismay of
Ishigami, “Please stop…”.

“Is this… the next area?” Emma asked as Bernadetta struggled to get free of the cuff.

Then I heard our e-Handbooks switch on all at once.

“ All right, you know that Salamence we just caught, send it to West City! Wait, we’re live? Shoot!
” Monokuma in a suit and afro threw his phone and we heard something break in the background.

“ Welcome one and all to our main event! The challenge for ten citizens to win the “Get Out of
 Trial Free” card or survival until next time, this is… THE GAUNTLET! Ten tasks must be
completed in order for our participants, and the first PERSON to cross the finish line wins the
whole damn thing!” A map then appears behind Monokuma.

“ The aforementioned finish line is at Maru Stadium, and trust me, you’ll want to get there fast!
Each task has a thirty minute time limit, you can still complete the task afterwards, but you’ll be at
the mercy of these babies until you do!”

Large mech suits then appear on screen, each with a Monokuma inside.

“ These are the Exisals! Each armed with a large variety of weapons, and enough strength to knock
someone out instantly, they are a deadly force to be reckoned with. You could try to destroy them
of course, but that would put both you and your partner in danger. Oops! Forgot one more thing,
you have to work with the person chained with you for the entire challenge, you’ll probably end up
as corpses if collaboration is not used puhuhu~. Teamwork makes the dream work as they say!”

I looked to Aoba and lowered my eyebrows, while he just simply ignored me and looked away.
Gold ranted at his handbook as Espio covered his ears, Emma tried to calm down a panicked
Bernadetta, Miles and Ishigami just stared at their screens and gulped, and Trunks & Killua looked
to their chain with intense stares.

This… is going to be an awful experience.

Chapter End Notes

Are you all at home watching (reading) like Ryuji is? Good, let’s get ready for
something very different when it comes to Danganronpa, but not too out there. The
tasks are set, and the pairs of participants are preparing, it’s time to run The Gauntlet.
(Note: Neither Ai or Gold said the comment about Ai & lightning earlier. And it’s a
different voice than the one Espio was talking to. Hm...)
 Clash, J-Stars! Part 5 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

The Gauntlet commences as we celebrate one year of Fictional Nexus!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 4: Clash, J-Stars! Part 5 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 11

Audience Member: Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star

Gauntlet Runners:

1. Team Dark Blue: Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Idol & Aoba Kuronuma
(Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
2. Team Erica Mendez: Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass &
Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse
3. Team J-Stars: Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin & Trunks Brief (Dragon
Ball): Ultimate Swordsman
4. Team Silent, But Deadly and Loud & Proud: Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special):
Ultimate Hatcher & Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
5. Team WEB: Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor & Yu
Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Ai’s POV >

The rules of The Gauntlet were as follows:

When one person reaches the goal at Maru Stadium, the whole challenge ends. The
winner receives the “Get Out of Trial Free” card for when they decide to kill.

Competitors have 30 minutes to complete their tasks, which they can still do after time is up,
 but they must avoid being brutally murdered by the Exisals.

You and your partner must complete them before moving on.

You must work together with the partner handcuffed to you, unless you want to saw your
hand off, in which case do that if you want to go solo!

If the chains end up broken however, then the two separated competitors must be punished
by the Exisals.

There are ten tasks in total needed for completion, which can be done in any particular order.

The challenge also ends when a competitor murders another person, although it still counts a
victory if someone reaches the goal beforehand.

Have fun!

Have fun, huh? That’ll be difficult since we’re forced into some deadly game show and I’m
attached to the most despicable person I have ever met.

“I know what you’re thinking about, and no I have no current plans at the moment. Regardless,
don’t get in my way.” Aoba informed me and I just sighed.

Once again, I have to be the one to keep an eye on him. Just hope he’s telling the truth and that he
won’t pull a fast one on me.

“Ugh, this is gonna suuuuck…” Gold whined. You know, even if he’d be better than Aoba, he
would not be a good partner to have. He’s as reckless as Saki.

“Just deal with it, we’ve got no choice but to complete this thing.” Killua rolled his eyes at him.

“He’s right! Get through this and survive those Exisal things!” Emma raised her fist up in the air.

“Yeah… survive…” I heard Trunks mutter under his breath.

“Okay, what has been your problem lately?” I confronted the half-saiyan.
“It’s nothing to worry about, let’s just get going.” Trunks brushed me off and walked towards the
start line with Killua.

We really need a group session sometime after this, there have been so many people being
secretive here that it’s getting on my nerves.

The ten of us made our way to the starting line, as if this was like a weird marathon. It was then I
realized that Monokuma left Ryuji out of this, probably because of his injury, but most likely due
to how there is no one left to partner with him. He could have chosen to have three people stuck
together to make things more interesting, yet I’m thankful that it did not happen to any of us.
Although I am still wishing that I had a better partner.

“Achoo! Man, I didn’t know there was pollen in this secluded city.” Aoba sneezed into his arm.

“Hmph!” I heard Bernadetta turn away from him with disgust.

“What, no ‘bless you’? You’re all too cruel…”

“Go to hell.” Ishigami bluntly said to Aoba.

The countdown then began as we all started to stretch. 10…9…8…

Gold pulled his goggles down, determined.

7...6...5…

Bernadetta fidgeted and Emma pat her on the back, giving her a knowing smile.

4...3...2…

I looked at my chain and to Aoba, scowling at him so hard that the flower accessories in my hair
could have popped off my head like popcorn. He just faced forward with a small smirk on his face.
1...0! And so we all dashed quickly, although some of us almost tripped over each other.

The first task was right ahead of us, and it was a simple target practice booth that you would see at
a boardwalk, festival, or carnival. Monokuma dolls were on the shelves with red targets attached to
their belly buttons. A plaque was right next to the booth and I began to read it aloud.

“Hit the targets—”

And Gold just knocked over all of them with his pool cue nonchalantly, “Done and done, what’s
next?”.

We all blankly stared at him, “ I wasn’t finished.”, I told him as new dolls plopped onto the
shelves.

“Hit the targets… while standing on the specified area away from them.” I finished as I spotted a
marked checkpoint… about 50 meters away.

“Oh. Welp, my bad!” Gold put his hands behind his head as we all fell over.

The floor then started to rumble as the Exisals appeared from underground platforms, along with
something else.

“Weapons? Well for some of us they won’t be very useful. Ha.” Espio softly smiled as he looked at
the selection Monokuma had for us.

Pistols, bows and arrows, throwing stars… and baseballs? What a strange thing to have among
these dangerous projectiles. Although, this is based on a carnival game.

“Well, why don’t we decide which pair goes first. Rock-Paper-Scissors, anyone?” Killua suggests
playfully.

“A bit childish, but it’s the quickest option.” Aoba said.

“Ah. Alright, if you fools are ready to lose, then sure!” Miles chuckled.

“You’re on!” Gold cracks his knuckles.

Hm, it’s not too surprising to see them so competitive, but still, we need to take this more seriously.

“Uh… what is Rock-Paper-Scissors?” Bernadetta asked, and I sighed.

“A quick hand game used to decide certain actions. Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and
scissors beat paper. Rock is symbolized by a fist, scissors by holding out your middle and index
finger, and paper is a flat hand.” I explained as she tried to mimic the hand motions I demonstrated.

“Okay, here we go! Rock-Paper-Scissors!” We all shouted, throwing out our choices.

3 rocks, 3 scissors, 3 papers, and one uh… half scissor from Bernadetta. Let’s try this again.

4 rocks and 6 scissors, Gold, Bernadetta, Miles, and Aoba are eliminated.

“Tch.” I heard my “partner” say as I gave a smug smile in his direction.

We kept going and eventually our team ended up going second, Espio managed to win, so he and
Gold are first up.

Espio went for the ninja stars, unsurprisingly, and made quick work of the three targets.

“Very impressive.” I told him and the chameleon blushed, aww...

“Now then, it’s time for the hero of New Bark Town to shine!” Gold gloated.
“Shut up and show us what you’re planning with that.” Aoba gestured towards the baseball he had
in his hand.

“Heh… you’ll see.” Gold spun his pool cue like a helicopter blade before laying the ball on the
ground.

He studied the targets and adjusted his aim. Sweat rolled down his face as the clock ticked down.

“HA!” The pool cue launches the baseball and it bounces around like crazy, I had to duck as it
soared past my head. It could have knocked it off my neck at the speed it was going at!

“Hey!” I shouted at the spiky-haired idiot.

Killua short hopped over the ball as it went his way.

“Ahhhh!” Bernadetta barely manages to dodge it.

“Ow! Why me?!” Ishigami winced as it bounced off the back of his head.

“Sheesh man! Work on your aim!” Miles yelled at him.

The ball then knocked over all the dolls in a row.

“I just did.” Gold gave a thumbs up as the rest of us facepalmed. Very, very, reckless.

“It looks like we have the lead. Let us away.” Espio told his partner.

Gold then rolled away on his skateboard to keep up with Espio’s speed, as I went to the weapons
table, picking up a bow and five arrows. Aoba grabbed a pistol.

“Never took you for the archer type.” Miles told me as I made my way towards the marked area.
“Well there’s a lot you all don’t know about me.” I responded with a grin.

Killua placed his arms behind his head,“Yeah, definitely… you better be as good an archer as…
that one guy I met. Forgot his name, but he was okay.”

“Well then, go for it HawkAi.” Aoba looked directly at the target, obviously doubting me.

“I don’t know why, but that name sounds kinda familiar.” Miles pondered as the 30 minute timer
started for my run.

I pulled back the string and aimed closely… and one target hit so far. I heard a whistle and I’m
pretty sure it was Aoba.

I looked at the next arrow, but then noticed that this one looked kinda different. Paper wings were
attached to it.

I fire that one next…. And it glides over to the left. Everyone stayed silent after that one, and I felt
myself blush. They could at least cheer.

Next arrow had a spring instead of an arrowhead, and it caused it to bounce off the target and not
knock it down. I only had two arrows left… if I miss now…

I took a deep breath before taking out the arrow with a round ball like shape at the front of it. It was
covered in a red cloth and had a target symbol on it.

I pull back…. And release.

BOOM

A…. bomb arrow. It destroyed the remaining targets… as well as the front half of the booth. Um…
at least I pass.
“Good thing you didn’t drop that thing, jeez…” Aoba said as he took aim at newly placed targets
via ventilation tubes.

“Careful with that thing.” I told him.

“Hmph, pretty hypocritical Ms. Bomb Arrow.” He snarked as he fired two bullets at the first target,
then a third to knock it down.

He finished the rest of them off with 25 minutes to spare. I make sure he returns the gun before we
leave and Killua & Trunks have their turn.

_________________

The next three challenges weren’t too difficult, since both me and Aoba were smart enough to
answer questions and solve some puzzles. Mining blocks to find a specific object, a rhythm
minigame, and grabbing specific letters to form a word. This actually helped us get a bit of a lead,
since Espio has the only brain cell in his team and even then he overthinks some things.

“The letters… they won’t stop touching and exploding before I can form it... “ I hear the poor
chameleon huddled in the corner.

The fifth challenge was titled Rebuttal Showdown.

The two of us were given a handful of knives and we had to slice through words made out of
balloons, and we had to use a specific knife to cut through a certain statement.

I looked over the labeled knives and chose the one that had Truth written on it, while Aoba had
Ideals. It looked like we made the right choices as the game was over quickly. We slashed through
the bright orange word balloons and the timer stopped. 30 minutes seems kind of pointless if
certain challenges can be completed so quickly.

We stopped to take a break at the center of the area. The grassy field I saw before, although
renovated without the burn marks and puddles (seriously what was up with that?). This place has
quite a number of apartment complexes and even a black & white subway that could take us to
previous areas in the city. Asides from the carnival area and the stadium, this is much more calm
compared to the large electric billboards and such from the last section.
“It’s only going to get much more difficult from here…” I told Aoba as I gulped down water.

“That was pretty obvious going in. A gauntlet usually has the greater challenges toward the end
while the competitors are fatigued. Though I imagine you don’t get tired, being undead and all.”
He sips a soda slowly.

“Not that often, but it's not easy being an idol you know. The practice done for singing, dance
choreography, advertising, meet-and-greets…” I slow down towards the end as I’m busy
remembering why I’m working so hard here.

So I could go back and save my friends that I care for dearly, as well as returning to the idol life
that I was revived for. Franchouchou can’t end here, our saga has to continue… it needs to…

“You’re thinking about home, aren’t you?”

I look to my left to see Trunks standing there, Killua busy getting a candy bar at the vending
machine next to us.

“Yes. I refuse to just succumb to this hell that we’re trapped in, I owe it to the people I care about
not to give up. We’ve come too far to just crash and burn. We are going to get out of here together.
And if… no when we escape… I’m going to use the experiences we have endured to better myself
and the members of my group. That will be our revenge against the mastermind.” I told him before
eating out of the specially made bentos for us.

“I see… I think I have a better understanding now of how you go about things. I was mistaken for a
while, but Ai, you truly are reliable enough ha.” Trunks genuinely smiled for the first time in
forever.

I reciprocated that smile, “You flatter me, but thank you. Also… enough? Enough for what?” I
asked him.

“Well, uh, y’see… oof!” Killua elbowed him in the back, “Stop flirting and let’s go big guy.”

“Flirting?! I have a girlfriend back home, that is not what I was doing there!” Trunks got defensive.
“Also, how old are you man? She's a freaking teenager you old perv.” Killua just kept on with the
verbal punishment.

“Why you—”

“Can you shut it you two? I don’t want to continue this thing while having a migraine.” Aoba’s
face was in his hands.

“Then let’s just get back to work, shall we?” I suggested.

“Agh, whatever, just keep it down. I’m going to take a quick nap.” Aoba scoffed as he laid down
on a bench.

Time passed by and soon everyone was taking a break. After that last task, it’s all free roaming
from here on out. We won’t be able to see much of each other until this is over, so we thought to
use this time well. There’s no time limit unless we’re doing tasks, so might as well take advantage
of it.

“A concert during a big snowstorm? Your manager really does sound insane.” Killua was on his
fourth box of chocolate as he talked with his mouth full.

“Tell me about it. His antics almost push me to the edge on a daily basis, ha…” I laughed it off.

“So you all really kept on performing, even though the stage was getting wrecked?” Miles asked
and I nodded yes, “Dang, I’d pay to go to Japan and see that. How’d you survive that anyways?”

“Uh… just some good luck I guess. I was even the first one standing back up after it collapsed.” I
lied about the first part.

“Alright people, the camaraderie is over, time to finish this damn thing.” Aoba decides to kill the
mood.
“Aw… it was getting good too!” Emma complained.

“Yeah! Your friends sound pretty cool Ai, especially the blonde biker chick. Think you can
introduce me to her when we get out?”

“No way in hell, Gold.” I told him as we all separated to go do the remaining half of the tasks.

__________________

“Aoba, that is your fourth time failing, I can just sing again so we could move on!”

8th task, must get two perfect scores on a karaoke machine. I already got mine easily, but…

“I will keep trying, damn it! I’m not letting a rotting corpse do better than me! And it’s the short
tv-version of the song anyways!” Aoba shouted at me.

“Ugh, just shut up and let me finish it.” I take the microphone away from him as I go through the
song he tried to sing for the fifth time.

The day you laugh rough lie lie lie

Give up nante yosou rongai

Atama no naka, mechakucha ni nattemo

Madamada tarinai

Jamasae nai

Yukai janai?

Hikari suspect sugata ni naritai dake sa

Bokura, ima wo ikiteiru

Sono hi ga kuru to shinji, ikiteiru

And right as I heard the machine guns on the Exisals click, I see the score on the screen.

PERFECT!!! 999 PTS!

I laughed a little bit when I heard Aoba grumble to himself, it’s fun when he doesn’t get his way.

“Okay, just two more remaining, and they’re both right at Maru Stadium. Let’s finish this!”

We both made our way to there, unaware of what we were going to face, but ready regardless.

_________________

“Wooo! Just got through!” Emma cheered.

“I wanna go home…” Bernadetta sobbed.

Both of their outfits had little tears from the Exisal bullets.

“Don’t quit now, Bernie!” We just have three more left after this! Can’t win if we just stand still,
right?” Emma tries to encourage the recluse.

"I guess, but… AHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Bernadetta screams as she sees Miles
dragging Ishigami's body on the ground.

"He fainted after the Exisals activated. Lucky I had some extra webbing to hold them back, but we
didn't get away unscathed." Miles pointed to the matching scars on both his and Ishigami's faces,
"Spidey-Sense really helped there, ha."

“Hoooooo, I’m not gonna make it…” Bernadetta wobbled to the ground.

“Don’t give up yet Bernie!” Emma shakes the poor girl to try to get her back to her senses.

_________________
“You finally saw what I’m getting at with trusting her, right?” Killua asked Trunks as they walked
to the second to last task.

“I do get it now, Ai’s a natural-born leader. Her dedication to leading her idol group, it seems as
though she’s been using those same tactics with us.”

“Told you so dude.” Killua smiled.

“And the fact that she could pull off shows at Saga Rock and Arpino even with disasters occuring,
it’s admirable. Lightning striking the stage at the former, a snow storm collapsing everything at the
latter… how could a girl like her survive that?” Trunks pondered.

“.... Eh, might as well tell you. ‘Cause she’s a zombie.” Killua bluntly reveals.

“WHAT?!” Trunks bursted out.

“Be quiet. No normal idol could get through those kinds of events without already being dead. It
makes sense. No questions please, since I don’t know everything about that.”

“It does add up… I’m just surprised by it all, although it’s not the strangest thing I’ve seen.”
Trunks rubs the back of his head.

“Right? Still, I don't know how the others will react, so she’s still gotta be cautious. Anyways,
aside from that, I think she can pull through for us, do you?” Killua gives him a question instead.

“Hm… that girl’s already doing a lot, having to keep her secret and manage this group… there’s
also Aoba and the mastermind to contend with.” Trunk brings up.

“I told you, this plan will make the mastermind’s killing game fall apart. And Aoba, I got
something special for him right here.” Killua takes out a small box and Trunks opens it.

“How is this going to help against someone like him?”

 “I said no questions, Trunks.” Killua shakes his head.

“Right…”

“Alright, we’re here. You didn’t answer my question though. Do you think Ai will succeed for our
sake?” Killua asked him again as they stopped walking.

“..... I will put my faith in her. I can’t believe I forgot all this time… the power of believing in
others, the power of believing in something bigger than ourselves.”

“Heh, aren’t you a softy? It’s time to put the plan into motion. I’m counting on you, partner.”
Killua smiles as the two of them look to the stadium.

“I’m fully prepared now. Let’s fight on.” Trunks states confidently.

Chapter End Notes

One year ago, April 26, 2020. Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus debuted, and I am so
happy so many people have loved it. Thank you all so much for everything. From
kudos, to comments, to reading through every chapter, it means a lot to someone like
me. I look forward to the end of this story, as well as the other ones I can tell in the
Fictional Saga. The trilogy and spinoff. Also yeah, gonna be an Ultra Despair Girls-
like spinoff, although with much less Byakuya thirsting and more of a group of ten
characters from different universes fighting Ball Monokumas. Gonna be fun, see you
all next time! Like always, feel free to give your thoughts on the story so far, share
favorite moments, even predictions for the future.
 Clash, J-Stars! Part 6 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

The 9th and 10th challenges of The Gauntlet take place... who shall claim the Get Out
of Trial Free card?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 4: Clash, J-Stars! Part 6 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 11

Audience Member: Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star

Gauntlet Runners:

1. Team Dark Blue: Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Idol & Aoba Kuronuma
(Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
2. Team Erica Mendez: Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass &
Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse
3. Team J-Stars: Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin & Trunks Brief (Dragon
Ball): Ultimate Swordsman
4. Team Silent, But Deadly and Loud & Proud: Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special):
Ultimate Hatcher & Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
5. Team WEB: Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor & Yu
Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

“Damn it! I should be out there helping them out instead of sitting here watching! I can’t stand
being in this shitty hospital room for any longer!” Ryuji raged at the screen and almost threw the
remote at it.

“Puhuhu~, enjoying the show Sakamoto?”

“Leave me alone man, don’t you have other things to do?” Ryuji brushed him off.
“Aw, come on bro! Don’t you know? I’m here to give you something fun to do that’ll keep your
spirits from being low!”

“What’s with the rhyming?” Ryuji raised an eyebrow.

“Wanna gamble with Monocoins?” Monokuma asked.

“And now you just dropped the rhyming gag right then, what the hell man? Also gambling?”

“Sure! Bet coins on who’s gonna win The Gauntlet… or maybe bet on who’s gonna bite it?”

“Hell no man, er, bear!”

“You’re no fun. I’m just gonna play with myself, and by that I mean with other Monokumas.” The
bear disappears as Ryuji turns his attention back to the screen.

“Freakin’ disgusting.”

_______________

“Tch, so much for our lead.” Espio shook his head.

“Hey pal, you’re the one who said you could handle those word games! I could have gotten farther
just by guessing!” Gold leaned against a lamp pole lazily.

This frustrated Espio, “Those games were not functioning correctly, and the words chosen were
completely aimless, having no connection at all! That damn “Improved Hangman’s Gambit”
especially… and you would not have fared any better!”

“Oh yeah?! Then let’s go back and see for ourselves!” Gold raised his voice in response.

“Are you out of your mind? We have to head to the stadium and complete the last two tasks, or are
you so willing to prove me wrong that you’d give up our lives?” Espio argues back.
“STOP FIGHTING!!!”

The two of them see Emma, Bernadetta, Ishigami (still unconscious), and Miles catching up to
them.

“You’ll both end up losing your lives anyways if you keep standing around and arguing!” Emma
scolded the trainer and the ninja.

“But he’s being—”

“Gold is acting—”

They are about to start blaming each other again, but then Bernadetta steps forward, “Please, I
don’t want to see anyone else die. The more you disagree, then the more likely both of you are
going to get hurt.”

“.... Fine Shy Violet Gal. Sorry, let’s go, pal.”

“My apologies to you all as well.” Espio nodded as they moved towards the stadium.

“Hoo, so what’s next? Karaoke, I wonder….” Miles flips through the song selection on the screen,
“Yes! They have it! But I guess I’m doing this song twice, though that’s no problem.”

Miles looks back at Ishigami, his eyes swirling as drool drips down the side of his mouth. He
clears his throat and begins.

Needless to say, I keep her in check

She was a bad-bad, nevertheless

________________

< Ai’s POV >

Maru Stadium… right away when Aoba and I entered it, we could tell that it was the largest
structure we’ve yet seen in MonoCity.

Stone statues were lined up before us of a young woman in excellent physical shape kicking, one
with glasses and holding a bamboo sword, a short man with a tennis racket, one large intimidating
looking woman with a hulking body and long hair. These people must be athletes with this being a
sports stadium.

“Can I be the first to say how strange it is for all these people to be displayed all over this city, like
they’re significant figures in some way? Who even are they?” Aoba questioned as he stared at the
statue of a swimmer girl. The same swimmer girl from the sweets shop earlier, huh.

“Whoever they are, there has to be a reason why they’re seen as icons or celebrities. Well, aside
from how out of the ordinary they look…” I observe the rest of the entrance way.

“True, true. Although ordinary compared to how our worlds depict it as. From what I heard about
yours, I assume you’re the most boring one out of your group, despite being a zombie.” Aoba
stated.

Jeez, can this guy be any more condescending?

Crowd noise then echoed through the entryway as I saw Trunks & Killua enter.

“We’re right on time for the main event.” Killua said as he pointed towards the entry to the field.

“Seems like it. Here we go.” I opened the doors and familiar music started blaring.

Insert Song: Adabana Necromancy (Zombie Land Saga OP)

Dead ahead, I saw a squared wrestling ring, with Monokuma in a referee’s outfit.

“The following contests, all scheduled for one fall, are no disqualification, tornado 2 on 1
handicap, falls-count-anywhere matches!”
A… what?

“Representing Franchouchou, residing in the Saga Prefecture in Japan, weighing in at 42 kg, No.
3… Ai Mizuno!”

Pre-recorded crowd noise roared as pyro burst from the ramp we stood on. Did he have to mention
my weight?

“And her partner, representing the Blue Squares, from the Ikebukuro district in Tokyo, Japan….
Aoba Kuronuma!”

Boos played as he waved to the cardboard cutout crowd, I’d wish it was an actual crowd so that
they could throw stuff at him, but 1. I’m standing next him, and 2. I wouldn’t want more people
stuck here in this city.

Aoba and I walked to the ring as Killua and Trunks stood on the entrance ramp next and had their
introductions done.

Insert Song: Departure! (Hunter X Hunter OP)

“From Kukuroo Mountain, the middle child of the Zoldyck Family…. Killua!”

“And his partner, from Age 796, weighing in at 132 lbs… Future Trunks Brief!” Monokuma
bellowed.

“Okay enough with the theatrics, so what’s the next task?” Aoba confronted Monokuma.

“Puhuhu, well let me tell you something brother…” Monokuma started.

“Please don’t.” I bluntly told him to stop using that impression.

“.... The 9th task involves two on one matches against a big robot! One for each pair of
competitors, and you have to manage to pin them on the ground for exactly three seconds. I will not
do fast counts no matter how much you pay me.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. You also mentioned no disqualification, which means…” Killua says as
he stands next to me.

“Weapons, or you could try a low blow if you want to break a limb on the robots’ steel junk!
Also… here ya go!” Suddenly, our handcuffs broke off our wrists.

“Oh, thank god. I was afraid I’d start smelling like the undead.” Aoba snarked before I punched
him in the arm.

I took a quick sniff of myself before turning to Monokuma, “Glad that I’m free from this idiot. Two
more questions, what about the 10th task? And where are these robots?”

“Once all of you are done with the 9th, all of you must complete in the tenth, so you have to wait
for everyone to finish… or die trying. And they’re…. RIGHT HERE!”

Monokuma stepped atop the third turnbuckle as a trap door lowered and two large mechanical men
stepped out. A drill like beard, a large jacket, a chain with a whistle attached, as well as light up
eyes. This… would not be a cakewalk, for me and Aoba anyways.
“Falls-count-anywhere means you can pin them all over the stadium, you’re not limited to the ring!
Now then Mechamarus, let’s get this shit done! Not literally though, since you robots can’t shit,
but go kick their asses! Ring the bell!”

The bell rang and right away our Mechamaru activated and went for a punch on me. I duck under it
and leaned back in one of the corners in the ring. One hit, and I’d be falling to pieces and flying
towards the entrance ramp.

“I assume a tornado tag means that we both fight at once, no tagging in or out, so that gives us one
advantage…” I deduce while the Mechamaru goes after Aoba.

“Then why is it even called a ‘tag’ match if there’s not any tagging?” Aoba questions as he dodges
one swing.

“Who knows? I’m an idol, not a wrestler.” I bluntly stated as our opponent charged at us.

“Weird, with legs like those, I could mistake you for one.” Aoba smirked.

“Shut up!” I yelled at him as Mechamaru missed and went through the ropes, head first into the
ring barricade.

Ouch, though it could probably take those kinds of bumps. While I look on the outside, I see Killua
tripping his Mechamaru and it falls to the ground. Trunks then moves his arms rapidly before
placing his palms forward.

“Burning Attack!”

An energy sphere soars into their Mechamaru’s chest, blowing a large gaping hole in it, and it falls
like a tree in a forest. I then see Killua bouncing off the top rope, dropping his leg on it on impact
before going for the cover.

“1, 2, 3! Team J-Stars have advanced!” Monokuma counts and lifts their arms up.

As if there was any doubt about them. I then see Gold & Espio walk down the ramp as their
introduction is said. I then remembered that we still had the time limit, and that’s when I noticed
Exisals in the crowd, we needed to hurry.

“Aoba, go for the weapons!” I tell my “partner”.

“Where are they?! Oof!” He is then hit by a shoulder tackle, knocking him over the announcer
table.

“MAMA MIAAAAAA!” I hear a Monokuma with glasses and a suit cry out when Aoba lands on
top of him.

I would have giggled at this if we weren’t in the middle of a fight with a metal man with a drill
beard.

“Gahahahahaha!” Mechamaru guffaws loudly.

I then avoid a lariat from his large hulking arm and decide to go under the ring. I turn on the
flashlight on my e-Handbook and see folding chairs, wooden tables, steel ladders, kendo sticks,
baseball bats… so this where the weapons were.

“Aoba I found—” I pop my head out from the ring and see Aoba knocked out on top of the
announce table.

I sighed before looking up at the timer above the crowd, A HUNDRED SECONDS? It has not
been thirty minutes, did Monokuma change how long we have for this challenge?! Ugh!

“Haaaaaa, hyah! GAH! OW OW OW HO HO HO HOOOOOO!!” I hear Gold yell in pain after

kicking his Mechamaru in the shin.

“Is that all you got?!” The robot asked Gold.

“Heh, looks like Ryuji’s gonna have a roommate when this is over… I guess I’m finished...” Gold
responded as he lowered his head, “As if, loser!”
Gold stretched his face and stuck his tongue out as Espio delivered a heel kick to the back of the
Mechamaru's head. Gold tosses out his pool cue, and Mechamaru slips on it, falling backwards.
Both of them pile on top of the robot to keep its shoulders down.

“1, 2, 3! Team Silent, But Deadly and Loud & Proud have advanced!”

Watching that display cost me thirty seconds, but I could have gotten hit if I went out right then.

“C’MON! SHOW SOME FIGHTING SPIRIIIIIIIIIT!!!” I then heard our Mechamaru shout from
top of his… robot equivalent to lungs, as he stood on the top rope, eying the unconscious Aoba.

Oh no, he’s going to jump and put him through the announce table with that heavy metal body.
That might be enough to actually kill or paralyze him. Despite what he put us through… I just can’t
let him get hurt like that.

I grabbed the nearest weapon from under the ring and then started to hit the metal man’s legs.

“Ow! Ow! Is that a baguette?! Agh!” He asked.

A kendo stick shaped like a baguette… tch, I definitely am a Saga Jeune now. It was like the
weapon was made for me.

The next strike I land is right to its metal face, and I continue to repeat that attack until Mechamaru
falls off the top rope…. Right on top of Aoba.
“Uh… sorry?” I apologized.

“Apology. Not. Accepted.” I hear him, muffled under Mechamaru.

But then I see the steel giant trying to wriggle itself back up, a fall from that high up didn’t keep it
down for long? I guess Aoba must have been like a soft cushion to him. What do I do now?
Twenty seconds left on the clock…. Nineteen… Eighteen…. Seventeen… Wait…

I… don’t know what came over me but… I climbed to the top rope. Reminded of what Killua did
earlier. This isn’t something I’d attempt, Tae or Saki would most likely do this. In terms of this
group, someone more skilled like Miles, Espio, maybe even Emma would pull it off better and
yet…

I just decided, why not?

I jump off the top rope to the outside.

My elbow went straight into Mechamaru’s chest and through the announce table, crushing Aoba
even more accidentally.

“GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! HE’S BROKEN IN HALF!!” A Monokuma with a cowboy hat
yelled.

Its metal shoulders were down, and I put my arm over his body. I didn’t feel pain, because I was a
zombie, but that jump took a lot out of me so I couldn’t cover him fully.

“1, 2, 3! Team Dark Blue has advanced!” Monokuma counted.

Three seconds to spare…. I noticed that my right arm was nearly out of its socket and I popped it
back in as Monokuma raised it up along with Aoba’s.

“No hard feelings?” I apologized once more.

“Fuck you.” Aoba mumbled before collapsing on the remains of what was once a table.

Good talk.

I went over to the crowd seating and saw Bernadetta & Emma, as well as…. An already knocked
out Ishigami carried by Miles on the ramp. What happened there? You know what, I’m too tired to
try to find out.

Insert Song: Fódlan Winds (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Miles swung by the seats and dropped Ishigami’s body in the chair next to me, I poked him to see
if he was still breathing. Thankfully he was, but he’s the most normal person here so it was right to
still check at least.

“That was crazy, you know that?” Trunks said to me, though from the look on his and Kilua’s
faces, they were impressed.

“No kidding, what are they feeding idols in Saga that would push you into trying that?” Killua
asked.

“Dried squid among other things.” I laughed as I said that.

“Ech.” Killua gagged.

“It’s actually kind of good once you get used to it.” I responded.

“Heh, though most likely it’s not the squid that pushed you into jumping. If you’re going to lengths
like that to attain a victory, it’s commendable.” Espio spoke up from the row in front.

“Heck yeah, Flower Gal! Not as good as my plan, but it was cool!” Gold grinned as he turned
around to face me.
“Uh… thanks?” I rubbed the back of my head, it’s always sweet to hear the crowd compliment you.

“Speaking of flowers, those yellow flower earrings of yours are gone.” Killua brought up and I
checked my ears.

They are gone, hm, maybe they bounced off when I made impact with the Mechamaru? Well, I’m
sure they’re not the only ones I have, with the amount of outfits in our closets. There is bound to be
some in there, probably in a popcorn container because Monokuma likes messing with us. Still,
those earrings are lying down somewhere and I could find them later if I had time.

“Adios!” Miles swung the Mechamaru around with all his strength, which had us all in awe, and
flung him towards the ground. Webbing his legs and arms down for good measure as Miles went
for the cover.

“1, 2, 3! Team WEB has advanced! One more team remains and the clock is ticking!” Monokuma
said as he raised Miles’s arm up in victory.

“TH-TH-THREE MINUTES?!” Bernadetta let out in shock as she & Emma were the last ones,
“We’re going to need more time than that to beat this… thing!”

“Thing? Aw...” Mechamaru sulked.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I’ll just leave you alone and you could go about your day!” Bernie apologized.

“No, not yet Bernie! Everyone’s waiting for us to move on!” Emma told her as they looked
towards us from their spot in the ring.

I gave a reassuring look towards her and then I heard something down in front.

“Let’s go Bernie! (clap clap clap clap clap) Let’s go Bernie! (clap clap clap clap clap).” Gold starts
chanting loudly, and Miles ends up joining in, Killua too.

“Eh? Wha happun?” Ishigami woke up.

“Oh nothing much. Let’s go Bernie!” Gold kept going, and eventually, me, Trunks, and Espio had
to join.

“LET’S GO BERNIE! (clap clap clap clap clap) LET’S GO BERNIE! (clap clap clap clap clap).”
Our chant echoed as Emma started doing it… even Mechamaru.

_____________________

“Let’s go Bern—OW!” Ryuji clutches his stomach, looks like more time is needed until he’s fully
healed.

_____________________

“This is humiliating but… AHHHHHH!!!” The messy-haired recluse charged forward with Emma.

Mechamaru spreads his arms out for a double clothesline, but the two of them duck and kick his
metal shins. Emma leaves the ring and comes back in with a steel chair and tells Bernie to hit him.

“Don’t be mad!” Bernie says as she strikes the metal man’s back hard, though the vibration it
caused made her stumble.

“Good hit, now take this!” Emma kicked the chair into Mechamaru’s head as Bernie was about to
drop it.

Emma held Mechamaru in a headlock before piking his head into the ring floor. She then ushered
Bernadetta to stand on the second rope with her, the two of them clutched their hands before they
delivered a double splash into a pin.

“1, 2, 3! Team Erica Mendez has done it! The final match has been set!” Monokuma raised their
arms up as we all cheered.

“We won? We won! Agh…” Bernadetta then felt the pain after colliding with that metal body.

“Ow… great job Bernie!” Emma smiles as she tries to endure it too.
“T-Thanks Emma. So… do you know what our team name means? It feels familiar.”

“I don’t know, but I have that feeling too…” Emma ponders.

“Somehow I have it as well, maybe Gon knows or something…” I heard Killua mumble.

I have no idea what they’re talking about, although at least their name sounds better than just Team
Dark Blue. Oh well, so glad that they managed to get through it. Now there’s only one more task to
go… although we’re all exhausted.

“Ok, now every competitor stands by the ring!” Monokuma told us as he stood atop a large steel
ladder.

I then notice something up there behind him hanging above…. It’s a golden belt with a Monokuma
on it… and the card is taped to the back of it! The bell then rings as Monokuma taps his
microphone.

“The last task is as follows. Ahem, the following contest is a 10-person ladder match! And it is for,
The Gauntlet Championship!”

Well, more like 9-person at the moment.

“Come on man, we have to have another one of these? My foot’s still sore after that kick…” Gold
complained.

“I can still go.” Trunks stated.

“Same.” Killua agreed.

“Didn’t even break a sweat with mine!” Miles chuckled.

“Indeed.” Espio smirked.

“Shut up! You all have freaking super powers and junk!” Gold shot back at them.

“Wait, someone tell me what I missed.” Ishigami is still out of the loop.

I can’t believe I feel the same as Gold is, but I don’t think we’d stand a chance after going through
that gureling last task. Frankly, I’m not willing to jump off the top rope in a wrestling ring ever
again, unless Tatsumi forces some kind of weird wrestling theme on us for the next show.

“There are no pinfalls or submissions, or disqualifications. The only way to win is to climb a ladder
up and retrieve the title as well as the ‘Get Out of Trial Free’ card! Every citizen for themselves as
—”

“Huh, this thing wasn’t attached too well. Such a shoddily made wire.”

A familiar voice said as I quickly turned around and saw that the announce table was still
destroyed, a certain someone was gone, with the Monokuma commentators pointing towards the
top of the ladder… Aoba had the belt.

“WHAT???!!” We all exclaimed at once.

No, no no no no. This is… how?

He looked like he couldn’t even walk after being crushed twice earlier in our match! He must have
snuck by during Emma and Bernie’s match… damn it, this is the worst possible outcome.

Even Monokuma was at a loss for words, “Uh uh uh…. The bell hasn’t rung!”

“Well, I’m waiting.” Aoba looked the bear in the face.

“FFFFFF…. CHEATER!” Monokuma called for the bell.

Aoba just simply reattached it before removing it once more and running off.

“Uh… and the winner of this match, and the new Gauntlet Champion… Aoba Kuronuma?”
Monokuma scratched his head.

“If we can get rid of the card, then he won’t be able to get away with anything!” Emma deduced.

“Hey, get back here!” Gold angrily yelled as he hopped onto his skateboard.

“I’m going for him too!” Miles started to swing away.

“What is even happening anymore?” Ishigami followed, along with Bernie.

“That was anticlimactic. I wanted to see people going through ladders, bodies being broken,
punching each other on top of two ladders! Now it’s just a boring chase sequence! I’m outta here,
wake me when someone’s dead!” Monokuma just disappeared as usual, not like he’d be any help.

Emma and I ran after him as well, we can’t allow him to use it and have him bypass a trial, getting
all of us killed! All we have done up to now… it would have all been for naught! The ones killed
because of this killing game… this is not what they would have wanted...

Aoba managed to get a large head start as we were all still standing around, shocked. We have to
get that card before it’s too late!

We ended up at the entrance ramp, but… I turn around and see Espio, Trunks, and Killua standing
in the ring. The three fastest individuals who could stop him are just doing nothing….

“What are you guys doing?! We have to destroy that card!” I shouted to them, but… they just…
talked.

“He’s getting away, you three! Help us!” Emma called out, but they just stayed put.

_____________________
“Espio, you know what to do now, right?” Killua asked the chameleon.

“Are you two… truly sure? This is insane, letting him go and instead choosing to…” The indigo
ninja struggles with his choice.

“We knew that somehow, someway, he would have ended up with that card. Yes, some of us
would have been able to take and destroy that card easily, but that would just delay Aoba’s next
plan for us. If we pull this off, then less people will die and Monocity will be completed, making
the mastermind’s location available.” Trunks explained.

“But… the mastermind could just stop everything until an actual murder takes place. Even if no
one is killed, we could be trapped here until we perish from old age. Would you really risk both of
your lives for—”

Killua raised a finger, and pointed at Ai and Emma on the ramp, “Do you not believe in them?”

Insert Song: Killua’s Theme, Ginpatsu no Shounen (Hunter X Hunter)

“Everyone here has managed to get through every trial, every murder, without ever separating.
Those two right there, have managed to solve mysteries none of us could have figured out on our
own, at least not within the allotted time of a trial. Espio, a group like this will never give up on
finding the mastermind and ending this killing game. And we’re asking you, to help us, help them.
To open up the rest of this stupid place, and give them a better chance at success.”

Trunks then put his hand on his shoulder, “That card Aoba has will be useless when this is in play.
I assure you, this was all thought through for days. Have faith in this group, please.” Trunks
pointed to the small box in his hand.

“.... Then so be it. It was…. Truly an honor to know individuals like you two. Farewell, Killua,
Trunks.” Espio shakes their hands, a solemn look in his eyes while jumping out of the ring.

Trunks and Killua then stood on opposite corners, sparks flying as they began to charge their Nen
and Ki.

“May the best man win.” Trunks said to his opponent.

“Thanks, I’ll try, heh.” Killua smiled.

______________________

“What are they…” I looked on as electricity flowed through Killua’s body and golden energy
radiated off of Trunks.

“Are they gonna... HEY! KILLUA! TRUNKS!” Emma yelled out to them

Trunks responded with a two fingered salute, and Kilua with a wave. Trunks unsheathed his sword,
Killua forming a claw with his left hand… And the two of them clashed.

“STOP, YOU TWO! AI WE GOTTA—HEY!” Espio grabs the two of us and behind running past
the ramp and towards the entrance to the stadium.

“What are you doing?! We need to stop them!” I demanded him, but he just ignored me.

We ended up once again in the hall with the statues, and Espio threw ninja stars at the ropes
holding an iron gate up. It falls with a heavy slam and our path into the stadium is blocked off.

“Espio, they told you what they were up to, right? It was them that you were talking to in the alley
back then, correct? Then you should know why they’re fighting. Tell us.” I wanted answers fast.

Emma just kept banging on the gate, “KILLUA! TRUNKS! DON’T DO THIS!!”

“My apologies… I must not reveal the purpose of their duel. Despite the amount of shame I feel for
letting this happen…. I can’t.” Espio’s words begin to get shaky, almost like the reason baffled
him.

The fight between them was then shown on the screens of the stadium, although the cameras
recording it were damaged, they still showed us the action. This is not right… Aoba running away
with the gold card, Trunks and Killua barring entry and fighting each other… it was all too much at
once.
“Please no… please don’t….” Emma quivered as the two of us looked on.

One strike after another, a heavy blow avoided before another is used. A slash of the sword, the
shock of electricity. A blast of energy kicked away, a swipe with the claws blocked. A seemingly
endless back and forth of moves that was difficult to keep track of, even if my senses were better
than most people.

It was more than a simple fight, it was a no holds barred matchup…

This is something I thought I would only be able to see on television or in movies, but this was real.
Real damage, real blood, real people, that’s what made it hurt all the more.

The three of us were speechless at the intensity of these two going at it. Nothing we had seen so far
prepared us for something on this scale. We then heard familiar footsteps as Monokuma came
towards us, rubbing his eyes.

“What the heck is with all that noise! I can’t get a wink without hearing explosions and fighting
noises. Ohhhhhhh so they’re who’s causing this. Wait, huh? They know we can see this right?”

“Just open the gate! We need to stop those two from killing each other!” Emma pleaded.

“Why? Bwahahahahaha! This is looking way more fun than what could have happened with that
ladder match!” Monokuma guffawed.

“If you don’t stop it, then there won’t be a trial, which would be less fun for you.” I told him.

“Hm… you got a good point…” Monokuma thought for a moment.

“No, you must not interrupt them until it is over.” Espio spoke up.

“Sorry, we can’t let this happen, Espio. No matter what their reasons are. Do it!” I demanded.
 “Ugh. Bossy bossy…” Monokuma takes out a blowtorch and starts cutting a hole through the gate.

It was halfway through the process when the cameras suddenly shut off. There was only static on
the screens.

“Hurry now!” Emma told the bear.

“Don’t rush me! There!” He finishes and kicks down the metal onto the floor.

All of us began to run as fast as our legs could allow us, broken stadium seats and a shattered
titantron were what we saw as we entered. The ramp was also filed with cracks and holes, and
smoke was all over the stadium. We could barely see, and… it was silent.

We then saw a golden light begin to fade, and we move through the smoke to find the source. I
then saw someone kneeling on the ground in front of something. Moving closer, we saw who it
was.

“A… body has been discovered?!” Monokuma says next to us.

“It has…. And so has the killer.”

The figure stands up.

Trunks…. holding Killua in his arms.

Chapter End Notes

……. I have no words. Just… nothing.

 Clash, J-Stars! Part 7 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The killer comes forth and reveals his crime, what is going on?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Remaining Citizens: 10

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Idol

2. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
3. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
4. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
5. Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse
6. Trunks Brief (Dragon Ball): Ultimate Swordsman
7. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
8. Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
9. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
10. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

“Miles, you see him from up there?!” Gold shouted so it could reach him.

“No good man, he probably went inside one of the buildings instead of staying on the streets!”
Miles hopped off of a building marked as .

“It’ll take forever if we search every single one, this city is just too big ahhhhh!” Bernadetta held
her head, overwhelmed.

“No kidding, this place is looking to be slightly above the size of Tokyo from the amount of areas
we’ve been through. It would probably take a normal person a day and a half to circle the whole
thing on foot.” Ishigami deduces.

“On foot huh…” Gold thinks to himself.

“I can swing around New York in about two hours, and even I get exhausted. If I try doing that
here, it’ll be a marathon for me, hoo. And there’s not a lot of subways so that makes it harder.”
Miles sighed.

“Really, superheroes just take the train when they can’t be bothered to use their powers? Don’t you
have special vehicles or air transport?”

“I don’t, but I think I saw one in Pete’s la—Wait it’s him!” Upon realizing it was Aoba who said
that, Miles stuck him to a lamp post instantly. “Impact webbing, it’s what I used for the first
challenge. Don’t know how it got there, but it’s effective.”

Aoba struggled to get out of the large web “Urgh! I’m still in pain from my match, you know? And
you call yourself a hero.”

“You’re about to be in more pain, buddy. Now where’s the stupid card so we can tear it apart?”
Gold held his pool cue towards Aoba’s face.

“Oh, I don’t have it.” Aoba reveals.

“What?!” Bernadetta is taken aback.

“Liar!” Gold just punched him in the face.

Ishigami then spoke up again, “He’s not bluffing. Why would he just keep it on him when it could
be easily taken by someone else? You found a hiding spot, right?”

“Aren’t you smarter than you look…” Aoba smirks, the bruise on his cheek quite visible.

“I’ve played a few games that have your type in them. The anime adaption was only okay though.”
Ishigami said in his usual deadpan tone.

“Interesting… um, moving on. Yes I would not be stupid enough to carry that thing around. I just
simply found a good hiding place for the card and hung the title belt on my wall, though I’ll
probably ask Monokuma for custom side plates.” Aoba explained.
“UGGGGHHH! And you’re not gonna tell us where either! Now it’s really going to take forever!”
Gold yelled in anger.

“Ha. I’d say I deserve this after the crappy day I have been having up to now.” Aoba snarked,
before Miles stepped forward.

“Hey Aoba, ever heard of the shoulder touch?”

“The what?”

“Hey.” Miles then gave Aoba a light shock with his electric Venom powers.

“AAHHHHHHHHH!!!” He screamed out in pain.

“Hey, hey! Don’t go too far!” Bernadetta tells him to stop and he obliges.

“I know, I know. I’m not a killer, just wanted him to shut up.” Miles tells her.

“Well, um, good. So what do we do now?” Bernie asks.

“Ugh, I don’t even know anymore! All I know is I need a nap after all of that.” Gold sulks.

Aoba scoffed, “Y’know Morales, it’s funny that you could have killed me with that shock of yours.
It parallels a certain person you all know so well.”

Before they could ask what he was talking about however...

*Ding dong dong ding*

“Oh no…” Bernadetta utters as their e-Handbooks are turned on.

“Um… breaking news. A body has been discovered… and the killer too. All citizens, make your
way towards the trial room for the execution. I guess?” A shocked Monokuma says.

“The what?!” Miles’s eyes went wide.

“Someone’s dead… and they already found who killed them?! But who…” Bernadetta feels a chill
go through her back.

“Didn’t you guys notice that we’re missing people? Ai, Emma, Espio, Killua, and Trunks were
never with us.” Ishigami states.

“And the fact that they already found the killer means they witnessed the murder. That means no
trial, very strange… and stupid on the killer’s end.” Aoba rolled his eyes.

“AGGHH I’M GETTING EVEN MORE MAD NOW! WHY?!” Gold yelled once more.

“Tch, turn down your volume. And can someone get me out of this web so I can get to the trial
room?” Aoba was then ripped out of it with Miles’s strength, “There, was that so hard?”

Aoba then got web shot to his mouth so he couldn’t talk anymore, and he sighed.

_______________________

< Ai’s POV >

The subway ride to the trial grounds felt longer than it should have.

The inside of the train was shoddily made. The seat cushions were uncomfortable, containers of
food were scattered on the ground, the metal poles could have been less grimy, and the robotic
voice telling us which stops we were on got on my nerves. It wasn’t even a smooth ride either, the
tracks felt bumpy, like we were riding up a mountain while going on a straight pathway.

Despite all of that however, I was only mildly inconvenienced. The main reason it felt longer was
sitting right in front of me with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
Trunks is a strong, kind individual with an amazing will. We spent these past few weeks enjoying
each other's company, talking about our personal stories, even demonstrating his powers to me, and
assisting with the class trials when he was able to.

Yet when we entered the stadium, all there was was a destroyed ring, and a bloody sword next to
him.

Killua was very intelligent and skilled despite his age. While he enjoyed messing with guys like
Ryuji and Gold, he was helpful to us and willing to be as well. All this time we spent together,
despite it not being very long, was enough for me to consider him a great friend.

His body was taken by Monokuma to who knows where, just like what happened to everyone else.

There was nothing for us to investigate, no footage on the destroyed cameras, no evidence to be
found after the smoke was cleared, all that was there was those two alone. Both of them had scars
all over their bodies from their duel, and Killua’s stab wound in the chest was the only fatal blow.

Someone finally decided to break the silence during our ride, “Why? That’s all I can ask you, why
would you do this? And it’s not only for you Trunks, why did you AND Killua decide to do this?”

Emma’s question went unanswered, Trunks not saying a word since we left. Espio, the one who
prevented us from interrupting their fight, was curled up in the corner with a crushed expression.
Neither of them wanting to talk to us.

Emma was not taking this well, and I was barely managing myself. I was just waiting until we got
to the trial ground until I could let out my feelings. It hurt to keep it in, but I can’t do it now, I
mustn't.

We stepped out of the subway and into Enoshima Park, everyone else waiting for us.

“So Killua was…” Miles solemnly stated as our group was looked over.

“Yes. He was the one killed, and I was the one who did it.” Trunks tells them as he heads into the
elevator.
Shocked expressions were all around, everyone was rendered speechless by his remark. A few
people hesitated to even enter the elevator, but it was required of us, so no turning back. Especially
since this happened.

We descended to the bottom, but this felt so different compared to the other times we have been
here. Working together to solve a mystery and getting to live another day, with this however, we
know who it is from the start so we’re just here to vote. The elevator dinged and when we stepped
out, Monokuma was in his chair… and Ryuji was out of the hospital.

“Dude, what are you doing here?!” Gold asked.

“I couldn’t stand watching this go down any longer. After hearing about this from the bear, I
needed to be here. Especially with what YOU did.” Ryuji pointed at Trunks before walking up to
him.

“What, the FUCK, were you thinking?! Did you even consider how we’d feel about it?!” The
blonde just shouted in his face, but Trunks was unfazed.

“You killed the kid, FOR WHAT?! Give me your goddamn reason, you bastard! Did all the time
we’ve spent together as a group mean nothing to you?! ” Ryuji threw a punch at his face, but no
pain was felt exce

“Stop it. Please stop it. Fighting like this isn’t going to help at all! But Trunks… you can tell us.
We’re your friends… right?” Emma grabbed his arm tightly.

“........ I had to.”

“Bullshit.” Ryuji called him out, and I decided to hold him back.

I finally decided to talk to him next, “How could you believe that? You should know that there’s
always another option to take, rather than going with something like this… you’ve been fighting
alongside us all this time just for you to stab Killua and admit to your crime?” I clenched my fists
as I continued to pour out my heart, “You understand what is going to happen now, right? You’re
going to be executed. We could have at least attempted to understand your intent if you murdered
someone and hide it somehow, but… this is suicide.”
“Ai…” I heard him say my name, and it pains me.

“Trunks, give us a full and honest answer.” Emma told him.

“Trunks, it’s like you’re saying that you give up on escaping Monocity. That you give up on saving
your loved ones.” I…. begin to get choked up, “ That… you give up on us. Is that what you’re
saying ?”

“ No, you’re wrong! ” He suddenly shouted at me.

“..... I had to do it, not because I had given up on any of you. It’s because I believe in you all that I
needed to.” That statement was eye widening for all of us, “Right from the start, it seemed
hopeless. Our families are captured and have been turned to the darkness of despair, our homes are
ravaged by those same loved ones, and we witnessed individuals falling victim to the very killing
game we are forced to play.” He pointed at Monokuma, who is still confused about the whole no
trial situation.

“This cold, heartless machine captures seventeen people in this citadel of skyscrapers for
entertainment and power over others. The mastermind controlling him believes in nothing but
suffering for every person, no matter where they come from. People like that…. I know them far
too well. They’ve taken everything from me so many times, and this is no exception.”

We were all respectfully silent throughout all of this, any words we could say would have been cut
down as quickly as a swordsman could.

“The despair that the mastermind wanted me to feel, it was slowly crawling into my mind. But it
was then that him, Killua, made me think back to how far you all have gone. What we all endured
through this killing game, everyone still kept going regardless. None of you truly losing hope, and
the prime example is you.”

He… pointed at me.

“Ai, you took control of the situation immediately when the game began. We went exploring after
each area opened up because of you, you investigated the crime scenes more thoroughly than
everyone, you use the evidence you gathered to lead the trials to their conclusion. You even spend
time with us alone, listening to our problems, being interested in us as people and where we came
from. With someone like you at the helm… I know that everyone here will make it. That attitude
you have brought to our group as well as using it on stage with your performances, it’s truly
something to be proud of.”

Hearing him compliment me like this, right when he knows going to die….

“Ai, everyone, don’t cry for me. If I go face my death while tears fall from your faces, I would feel
terrible. Let me tell you this, you won’t lose. Not to someone who believes only in their ideals.
Whoever it is controlling that bear is will receive what’s coming to them, and that will be your
revenge.”

The echoed words from that last conversation I had with him, it was at that moment where I
couldn’t listen to him when he said not to cry there. I fell to my knees and tears fell to my legs.

Insert Song: Trunks’s Theme, Hikari no WILL POWER (Dragon Ball Z)

“I killed him knowing that I would die, but we wanted you to use our deaths to propel you all
towards the end of this twisted game. The fight ahead is more difficult than you could imagine, so
you all needed an advantage. This is our final request, use the hope you’ve had throughout this
experience, as a blade of light to cut into the clouds of despair looming over us. Fight on, until
you’ve won, succumbing to this game would make our deaths meaningless.”

The buttons were pressed and the votes were casted, even if Monokuma looked unsure himself.

“ Let that fire within you all burn bright, let your willpower shine on! ”

It was then that Trunks turned super pushing all of us back… but it was different from what I last
saw. Each time he stepped forward, and a tremor was felt throughout the room, his eyes were clear
white, and burning blue energy and sparks flowed around him along with the golden shine.

“ MONOKUMA!!! ”

His shout sent shockwaves all around as he started to float off the ground.
“L-Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s... PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!!” Monokuma hit the
button with his gavel and Trunks soared straight into the execution room.

…..

GAME OVER

TRUNKS HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY, TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

Trunks stands alone in the darkness, his energy being the only light. A crowd then circles around
him with glowing eyes and intent to kill, and Trunks unsheathes his sword. Robotic copies of his
foes are revealed.

Execution: Blade of Willpower

His first opponent is Frieza. Trunks dodges his Death Beams and performs his Burning Slash
technique to slice the tyrant to pieces before incinerating him.

Next was the team of Androids 17 & 18. The numbers game is initially useful, quick strikes are
used on Trunks’s existing injuries from him and Killua’s fight. Trunks finally comes back and
blasts the two of them to hell.

Imperfect Cell was no challenge as he tosses him into the air and erases him for good. Dabura and
Babadi stood no chance either with Trunks choosing to use his father’s move the Galick Gun to
wipe them out.

Then the atmosphere changed, as Goku Black entered the scene. Trunks was beginning to run low
on energy at that point, yet he kept on fighting. Black’s energy blade and Trunks’s sword clashed
multiple times, until the dark mirror version of Goku knocked him back against a wall.

Zamasu then descended upon the battlefield and the two villains adjusted their potara earrings.
Fused Zamasu emerges, as Trunks manages to stand back up. He takes multiple swings at Zamasu,
yet the self-proclaimed “Supreme God” eats up each blow.
Fused Zamasu knocks the half-saiyan back and as he prepares to unleash Light of Divine Justice….
Trunks begins to hear voices.

It was everyone on the outside cheering him on, telling him to get back up and finish it.

Trunks staggers up, energy flowing into his blade as everyone lifts their hands to the air. The
Sword of Hope is forged from the spirit energy and Trunks goes to town on Fused Zamasu. Slash
after slash the fused being is weakening, up until he is stabbed through the chest. Trunks uses his
remaining strength to cut Zamasu in half, ending the fight.

At least… until Monokuma in Frieza’s pod and armor floats down from above. He laughs at the
now exhausted Trunks as he prepares to fire a single blast from a ray gun. Yet… Trunks smiles. He
turns to look at Ai and the rest of the crowd…

Before giving Monokuma the finger and stabbing himself in the chest.

_________________________

“TRUNKS!!!” I ran over to him as fast as I could.

I kneeled down beside him as a river of tears fell from my face.

“AGGGGHHH! YOU SON OF AN APE AND BLUE-HAIRED BIMBO!! YOU JUST HAD TO
TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME TOO?!!” Monokuma was furious, no proper trial, and no proper
execution.

“You idiot… stupid stupid idiot….”

I kept telling him that repeatedly, but he didn’t say anything back. Just smiled as his blood spread
and my black knee socks were stained. I was unable to keep steady, my composure has broken and
I couldn’t stop crying.

“We could have escaped together… you and Killua… you didn’t have to do this.”
But before I could say another word, he weakly handed me his sword and sheath. Both were
covered in his blood as I took them in my hands. Trunks mouthed the words “See you later.” before
giving me a two fingered salute….

And just like that he was gone. His body is nothing but an empty husk on a crimson puddle.

…………….

................

I walked back into the trial room dejected, with the sword strapped to my back. Everyone else was
struggling to hold back tears, although Bernadetta had failed minutes earlier during the execution.

I feel numb.

As I walked to the elevator, I heard something behind me.

“(gulps down almost half of a bottle of water) Ah, that was exhausting. Still, the reasoning behind
that murder was so vague, and he could have at least tried to hide his crime. Two pointless deaths,
what a waste of time.”

My emotions got the better of me, as I slapped Aoba in the face.

Insulting my friend right after he killed himself… he’s literally inhuman. Not a shred of empathy in
his entire body. All there is within is malice. And he has the one thing that could allow him to get
away with his plans.

“Agh… what is up with today and giving me copious amounts of physical harm? (sighs) I guess it
can’t be helped. Monokuma, can I ask you a quick favor?” Aoba rubs his cheek as he turns to the
grumbling robot bear.

“CAN’T YOU SEE I’M PISSED OFF??!! I DON’T EVEN HAVE PROPER CAPITALIZATION
ON MY SENTENCES BECAUSE OF THAT HALF-SAIYAN TRASH!!”
“You’ll get over it, this should make the killing game interesting again if you have a dvd player
here.” Aoba then held up a disc and… it has the title Zombie Land Saga printed on it.

Was that… no, how did he?!

“Ugh fine! I might as well. I haven’t watched this show past episode 5 anyhow (I have, and it’s
great go watch it. - Renegade) .” Monokuma put in the disc and handed Aoba a remote.

“Skip ahead, skip ahead… there!” Aoba stopped the fast forward.

SPOILERS FOR ZOMBIE LAND SAGA SEASON 1 EPISODE 6

On the screen an idol was performing with her group with a concert in the rain. Blue hair with
yellow flowers, a large smile on her face.

She decides to run out towards the crowd to finish the song and points a finger to the sky. That was
a mistake that changed everything.
A bolt of lighting came down from the cloudy sky, right on top of the girl. Leaving her with a
charred body, dead while standing up.

That was me, Ai Mizuno on August 4th, 2008. My death.

The entire sequence played out on the screen in front of us, and my companions were in utter
disbelief.

“You see, Trunks was all like, ‘You can believe in Ai! She’s so reliable blah blah blah’. Though let
me say this, how can we entrust our lives to a girl who kept THIS from us?!” Aoba then tossed
water in my face.
Before I could shout at him for that, Bernadetta let out an ear-piercing scream as water dripped
down my face. I turned to her to ask what was wrong and she looked away from me quickly,
quivering in fear.

I turned to the others, and Ryuji & Ishigami backed away. It was then that I realized what Aoba
had done. I take out my e-Handbook and stare at my reflection.

Glowing red eyes, pale blue skin, and bandages covering my face. My makeup washed off…. I’ve
now been outed as a zombie.
“All those stories about your idol work, your singing and dancing crap, but you forgot the most
important factor. You’re a reanimated corpse that was fried onstage. Well Ai, do you hunger for
brains? Prone to bite people? Infect us all?!” Aoba just kept pressing questions at me.

I just… couldn’t answer. Couldn’t deny his claims.

My brain started to hurt too much, the deaths of both Killua and Trunks have made me too
emotionally vulnerable. I was clutching my head in my hands as I struggled not to break down
completely.

I can’t take it. Not after the tears. Not after the loss.

“Ai… are you alright?”

Emma placed her hand on my shoulder but… I brushed her off and ran off to the elevator shutting
it quickly.

I soon made it back to my Hope-tel and barred the door. Back there… I saw the fear in their eyes. I
knew that all along that something like this would have happened, but I just kept denying it.

These past few hours have been nothing but suffering. And right now, there’s almost nothing left
for me to feel.

Nothing, but pure despair.

________________________

“Well that was a shocker puhuhuhu~! Thank YOU for finally making things interesting again. That
fiasco with the failed ladder match, along with the murderer choosing to both admit his guilt
outright and execute himself was…. AGH I STILL FEEL ANGRY. Now I have to change things
up so something like this won’t happen again!” Monokuma conversed with Aoba in the empty trial
room.

“Hmph, well now that it’s all stirred up, expect something great for the next murder. All in a day’s
 work… ack, I need to sleep off the pain.” Aoba began to stagger towards the elevator but then he
noticed something by one of the seats.

Aoba picked up the small box with it addressed to his name and opened it curiously, “Huh, a
watch. Not a bad looking one either. Thank you, whoever the hell left this lying here, got some
good taste.”

He attaches it to his left wrist and looks up at Monokuma, “Ah, still here? Can I ask you a quick
question before I go?”

“Eh? What do you wanna know? As long as you don’t wanna know my measurements, fire away!”

“Who would ever want to know that? Tch, whatever. I was wondering… Is that you behind the
controls… Izaya Orihara?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“....... NOPE! I expected you to ask about him eventually, but sadly he is not the one behind this
one.” Monokuma crossed his arms and laughed as Aoba sighed and walked into the elevator.

“I see. Worth a guess. Also… this one ?” But as he turned around, Monokuma was gone, “Well, at
least I had two victories today.”

Remaining Citizens: 9

To Be Continued…

Chapter End Notes

This entire chapter turned out to be quite different compared to other ones in
Danganronpa. Killing and admitting to a murder, The Gauntlet (which was actually
based on a dumb fanfiction I had on here before deleting it)… all sorts of stuff.
Looking back at previous chapters in comparison to these last two, they don’t even
compare in quality. So what now? Ai just went through a rollercoaster of emotions and
Aoba’s got all the cards (I’d say literally, but he only has one card), how will our
heroine get out of this? Chapter 5 is coming soon, I need to figure out how to set
everything up so it works so please be patient. Feel free to speculate on what comes
next. Also yes, I am very evil, fuhahahahahaha! (PS: I can’t believe I actually posted
Killua’s death on Gon’s birthday unintentionally lol, I’m sorry!)
 Dawning of the Dead (Daily Life) Part 1
Chapter Summary

Want to know more about the spinoff? No? Well you're getting some info on the
characters anyways as we recover from what happened at the end of last chapter!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Okay before we get started, I just wanted to have a “quick” preview of the in development
spinoff in the Danganronpa Fictional Saga. Thinking of starting it once Fictional Epicenter
begins or sooner than that, it depends. It shall be a third-person POV fic, and just giving it
away right now, none of the 12 main characters will die. Also yes, I said twelve, introducing
the Danganronpa…. Fictional Guardians.

1. Ruby (Pokémon Adventures): The Charmer. Pokémon contest expert and hero of the
Hoenn region, this young man is on the search for his close companion Sapphire. With
a team that displays coolness, cuteness, cleverness, toughness, and beauty, it seems like
nothing could stand in his way…. Unless he or his Pokémon get dirty or something.

2. Ponzu (Hunter X Hunter): Queen Bee. Bee-ing mysteriously resurrected is one thing,
but tossed into an unknown world with Monokumas as well? She’ll have to work hard
to find the truth, as well as developing her abilities so that she could finally pass the
Hunter’s Exam. That would be as sweet as honey.

3. Junko Konno (Zombie Land Saga): The Legendary Showa Idol. The shy, gentle soul of
Saga’s zombie idol group Franchouchou has learned to stand confidently among her
friends, but how will she fare without them? Especially with dangerous robot bears
running amok? Well, at least she has a familiar face around:

4. Kotaro Tatsumi (Zombie Land Saga): The Necromanager. The eccentric idol manager
with no inside voice joins the floofy-haired Junko, if only to make sure he can
reassemble the idol group and return to Saga safely. His odd tendencies could either
prove motivational, or unhelpful with the other members though.

5. Komaru Naegi (Danganronpa): Ultra Despair Girl. Danganronpa alumni Komaru is

 given a mission to enter the dimensional gateway Byakuya discovers. This leads the
hacking gun-wielder right into a war alongside refugees from other worlds, her
experience should be useful to them.

6. Yamcha (Dragon Ball): Master of The Wolf Fang Fist. Despite retiring from martial
arts, the former desert dweller is dragged into another adventure. He decides to prove
himself a great warrior and earn himself some respect, and maybe even a girlfriend
along the way. Hope it won’t blow up in his face.

7. Linhardt von Hevring (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Sleepy Crest Scholar. Poor Lin
was just relaxing with one of his many naps, until he woke up in an unfamiliar place
with violence and death all around him. It won’t be easy for a guy who can’t stand the
sight of blood, or cares very little about things that do not interest him, but at least he
has some Faith magic to heal and Reason magic to fight. Well, if he wants to anyways.

8. Blaze The Cat (Sonic The Hedgehog): Protector of the Sol Emeralds. The pyrokinetic
princess provides great speed along with her powerful flames. Although this self-reliant
cat has learned to be more friendly and open, can she really work well in a group like
this?

9. Chiaki Ōgaki (Yuru/Laid-Back Camp): President of The Outdoor Activities Club. The
happy-go-lucky founder of the Outdoor Activities Club is not as skilled as she thinks
she is. A procrastinator who doesn’t often think things through, maybe she’ll learn a
thing or two when out fighting bears… I mean, she might encounter one while camping
someday?

10. Masaomi Kida (Durarara!!): Former Head of the Yellow Scarves. Although on the
surface he seems like the type who doesn’t take things seriously, when it gets down to it,
you could count on him for important matters. Truly a guy willing to stick his neck out
for a friend.

11. Minori Kushieda (Toradora!): The Energetic Athlete. Always full of energy and has the
physical capability to boot, this cheerful lass is one to look out for. She does have some
good perception however, despite seemingly being an airhead, perhaps she uses it to
hide something within herself?

12. Bucky Barnes (Marvel Cinematic Universe): The White Wolf. After choosing to accept
his past and learn from it, the former Winter Soldier is on a new path. He just didn’t
 expect to be stuck babysitting a few of his new companions…

Whenever this story comes out, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as you have this one. And now
for the thing you actually came here for. Chapter 5, one more until the finale. Let’s waste no
more time and dive right in. - Renegade Braveheart

Chapter 5: Dawning of the Dead (Daily Life) Part 1

Remaining Citizens: 9

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
3. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
4. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
5. Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse
6. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
7. Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
8. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
9. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Ai’s POV >

Lightning. It started with the damn lightning.

The single bolt had taken me out right when my old group, Iron Frill, had begun to take off. 10
years later when I reawakened, people remembered me more for that, than the years of hard work I
put towards becoming an idol. And the strike did more than give me burns that had me wrapped up
in these bandages, it affected my mind as well.

I gained a fear of thunder, and I was left helpless every time it occurred. Curled up into a ball,
unable to move unless someone came by to help. Even flash features on cameras had caused me to
flinch at times.

I thought I had managed to overcome this fear, and the worry that I wouldn’t be remembered for
my skills. At the concert at Saga Rock, when all of Franchouchou was struck by lightning, we were
all fine. In fact, the lightning just helped our performance even more. I was able to genuinely smile
after that show, and my phobia seemed to disappear. After what happened last night however….
“How can we entrust our lives to a girl who kept THIS from us?!”

It seems that the same bolt of lightning that ended my career early, has managed to ruin my life
once more.

Aoba showing that footage in front of everyone was the last straw yesterday. In addition to the
deaths of my friends Killua and Trunks, it pushed me into crying myself to sleep and waking up
well past morning. It was already difficult to sleep each day, with the memories of those already
dead still within my mind, but that entire day just pushed me to my limit. I was also reminded of
what I am, through the fear in their eyes. Seeing my true face, rotting flesh and all, was not an easy
pill to swallow after weeks of seeing me in human makeup.

I lifted up my messy bedhead and headed towards the bathroom to brush my teeth. One look in the
mirror, and I was dead on the inside to match my dead on the outside. Safe to say, I needed that
shower. Rubbing my head with a towel to dry out my hair, I stepped out of the bathroom after
putting on a fresh uniform. For some reason a single lock of hair on my head wouldn’t stay down,
no matter how much I brushed it. Looks like me and Emma would be matching, ha…
But what’s the first thing I see after exiting the shower?

Trunks’s sword in the corner.

Somehow, it was like the thing was staring back at me as I had my eyes on it. Judging me for
running away from everyone. I decided to wash off the blood from yesterday when Trunks handed
it to me, it just didn’t feel right to have both his blood and Killua’s on it. Ugh, their faces just
flashed into my mind again, I hate this so much.

I was thinking of going out to clear my head and get some air, but then…

* Knock knock knock*

“Ai? Are you still in there? It’s us…. Well, technically two of us.” I recognize Emma’s voice from
the other side of the door.

“Yeah, Gold said he needed to go ‘play some pool’ and Ishigami’s right here but….” That was
Miles.

Insert Song: Ishigami OST (Kaguya-sama: Love is War)

“I haven’t gotten the chance to write my will in case I get infected… and I don’t want my flesh to
be rotting, I like my flesh the way it is…” Definitely Ishigami on the other end with that depressing
tone.

It was then that I changed my mind about going out, I don’t want to freak him or the others out. I
had no motivation to put on any makeup right now, and even if I could it wouldn’t turn out as
good. I’d probably look like I haven’t eaten from how pale I could look.

I then heard Emma chastising Ishigami, “Hey! I know you’re scared, but that doesn’t mean you
should be mean!”

“Well we don’t know what kind of zombie she is! All we know is that she can act human and stuff.
And I’ve seen zombie movies before, so there!”

“I don’t think watching movies will help like that.” Miles told him.

“Still, we’re still in the dark so would it even be safe to be around her?” Ishigami asked.
“Of course! She’s been around all of us for days and she never acted unusual once!” Emma told
him, “I know you’re listening Ai, sorry about the stuff he’s saying.”

“....” I didn’t reply.

“If you’re wondering where everyone else is, Aoba’s a no-show, and Ryuji’s out looking for him.
Bernie’s in her room as usual (though we’re having more trouble getting her out), and uh… we
haven’t seen Espio around.” I heard Miles sigh.

“Well… other than that we brought you your favorite. Grilled yakiniku and a side of rice.” I heard
the food being placed by the door as Emma finished saying that.

“.... Thank you.” I whispered through the door.

“Hey, just remember that we’re hurting like you are after last night. We…. lost two of our great
friends and….” Emma was starting to get choked up, I could tell.

“We’ll uh… swing by later to check on you. Don’t you go anywhere, especially since Aoba’s
roaming around the city.” Wouldn’t plan on it, Miles.

He and Emma walked away, and from the sound of it, Emma was struggling to keep it together.
Wish I could have comforted her instead of sitting here feeling useless.

“When you come out, can you let me know what kind of zombie you are so I can sleep easy
tonight?” Ishigami asked.

“.....”

My silence must have spooked him since I heard him running, maybe he thought I was mad and
was gonna bite him or something. I was annoyed but I wouldn’t go that far, even if I was the type
to bite someone, like Tae. Grabbing the small bento of grilled meat and rice outside, I started
wolfing it down quickly because I haven’t eaten for hours.
I wrote a little thank you message on a sticky note and attached it to the empty bento. After that, I
just sat on my bed hugging my bandaged legs tight like Bernadetta does. I thought back to how I
scared her, it hurts to think about the look of fear on her face. I still remember the realization I had,
when I found out that I couldn’t rejoin the living. No one could have accepted the way we zombies
looked, no one besides us.

And now…

…….

The waterworks started flowing again through my eyes, so I grabbed tissues to wipe the tears and
blow my nose. I sighed, as I decided to sleep some more. Everyone here will be fine. I can’t be of
any use to them in the state I’m in. Even I know that Aoba wouldn’t try to pull anything
immediately after that trial, he’s not particularly in good shape either after yesterday.

“Succumbing to this game would make our deaths meaningless.”

Trunks’s words echoed through my head as I closed my eyes. Hoping that when I wake up,
yesterday was just a nightmare… even though I knew it was all real.

_________________

MONOKUMA THEATER

“ When building up a good reveal at the end, there has to be some subtle hints. Like if Mr. Red
White & Blue Boy Scout is able to slightly shift a hammer in one movie….”

“And then during a climatic battle he’s able to summon and use that thing like a champ! That one
subtle hint leading to that moment is enough to make conspiracy theorists (and a thunder god) go
‘I knew it!’.”

“However, you need to make sure the hints aren’t TOO subtle, or TOO obvious. And having no
hints at all will just make the twist seem like it comes out of nowhere!”

“I feel like this story hasn’t had too many hints so it’s time to be bold! A PART of the mastermind’s
name will be revealed in this chapter! I ain’t telling a… white lie here. Puhuhu…”
______________

“Saihara! Have you finished analyzing those images?”

Byakuya, impatient, approaches the young detective from behind as he flips through the photos of
Monocity.

“Well… I am… but… simply put it, I’m in shock right now.” Shuichi tells the affluent progeny.

“Really? And why might that be?” Byakuya asked.

“The thing is… we should wait until Gundham comes back so we can formulate a strategy for
breaking in. The information I’ve gathered from these pictures… it’s important for everyone to
hear it.”

“All we’ve done is wait, Shuichi. Wait for the messages to be delivered back and forth, wait for
you to analyze the images, wait for Tanaka to arrive with his ‘comrades’. Ugh, I should have just
contacted someone like Kyoko and not choose to listen to Naegi’s idea of bringing in—”

“Fuhahahahahaha!!”

Byakuya’s complaining is interrupted by familiar laughter as Gundham makes his return,

accompanied by three other dolphins with people on them.

“Tanaka…”

“Togami… Hmph, I have brought three allies who I believe are suitable to our mission.”

The three who Gundham brought with him were…. Hajime Hinata, Nagito Komaeda, and Mahiru
Koizumi.

“What the hell is this? Hinata is understandable, the power of Izuru Kamakura within him.
Komaeda is questionable, but his luck can be a wild card if things go well. But why bring this
normal photographer to what could be considered a battle? What can someone like her even do?”
Byakuya was exasperated, while Shuichi was just confused about the decision as well.

“Hey! I knew I can’t be much help in the physical department, so I had Kazuichi make this for
me!” Mahiru took out a camera with a bulkier design.

Hajime steps forward to explain, “This camera has a more blinding flash feature, and when used on
electronics, it can disrupt them for a short time. This will be useful if there’s a Monokuma around,
with an army of copies as well.”

“A weapon truly fitting of the Ultimate Photographer. Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Nagito
chuckles.

“I see…. That’s quite the gadget. Okay, so now that everyone’s here, we should call for the
meeting soon.” Shuichi said, “Oh, and I’m Shuichi Saihara, nice to meet you all.”

The young detective shakes their hands as Byakuya just shakes his head.

“This is going to be a disaster.”

__________________

Emma sighs as she puts her head down on the diner table, as Ishigami slurps a milkshake and
listens to music on his e-Handbook.

“Ugh, what are we gonna do?” The orange haired girl says in a frustrated tone.

“...”

“Ai’s not feeling like herself, everyone’s all separated, Aoba’s got that card… my head hurts just
thinking about all of it!” She clutches her head like she had a migraine.

“.......”
“We could at least try to go out and look around the city again, but this place has gotten so big that
it would take two days at least. Also we would probably find nothing!”

“.......................”

Emma finally notices that Ishigami has not been listening to her this entire time and it frustrated her
even more.

“HEYYYYYY! YU ISHIGAMI, CAN YOU LISTEN?!”

Ishigami just popped out his earbuds, “Eh?”

Emma just sighed, “Ahh… whatever.” she pouts before slurping her own shake quickly.

“Oh don’t do that too fast, you might get brain freeze.”

And right on cue she got one and held her head in pain, “OWW!”.

“Y’all alright in here?!” Miles showed up as soon as she yelled.

“Yeah, this kid just has an ice cream headache. Nothing too bad.” Ishigami stated.

“And this dummy has been ignoring me the whole time I’ve been talking!” Emma pointed at him.

“My bad. I’ve just been listening to music to keep ca— wait huh?” Miles swipes Ishigami’s e-
Handbook and sees the song he’s listening to.

Insert Song: Touch Off (The Promised Neverland Season 1 Opening)

“What the—”

“It’s… an anime op. I don’t judge you for your tastes in music, so don’t judge mine.” Ishigami
takes the handbook back and inserts his earbuds back in.

“Okaaaay?” Miles replies confused.

“So did you find anything out there, Miles?” Emma asked, rubbing her head trying to get the brain
freeze to go away.

“Nope! Man, the day after a trial really is a time to sit around and feel bored or depressed, huh?
Monokuma could at least open up the next area instead of having us wait. What good will this do?
It’s not like someone’s gonna burst in with something new to investigate.”

“GUYS WE GOT SOMETHING!” Ryuji and Gold burst the doors open together.

“Oh brother, they’re back together.” Ishigami shook his head, annoyed.

“Ha ha ha, you know it! Ha ha—ow.” Ryuji clutches his stomach.

“You still shouldn’t be out and about like this you know?! Getting stabbed in the stomach isn’t
easy to get over, so you should be lying down in your room at least.” Emma scolded him.

“Well I’m just happy that this guy’s still kicking. And he even found something while out looking
for that jerk Aoba!” Gold takes out what appears to be a white piece of debris from a boat?

“You found trash… good job?” Ishigami sarcastically thanks them.

“No no no, Monokuma’s out by the water near the docks in the fourth area. He’s building
something I tell you, I think it’s a boat? I don’t know what he’s doing with the red spray paint I
found in the trash though, which is also where I found this.” Ryuji explained while pointing to it.

“A boat huh? But why would he just remove a chunk of it like this?” Emma questioned.
 “Well, from how it looks, it’s the part of the boat where you’d put a name on it. Probably changed
his mind, but why not paint over it?” Miles asked.

“That bear’s batshit crazy, so he wouldn’t go for something that simple. Still though…”

The group looked closer at the debris and the messy painted kanji writing that was cut off.

“白”

Chapter End Notes

And that’s all I have so far of this chapter. I have a plan, but no way to set it up. So I
mostly just wasted time here advertising the future spinoff (which won’t even start
until Fictional Nexus ends because of the main villain of the story). This is just giving
you all time to breathe after the events of Chapter 4, speaking of, since we’re so close
to the finale, predictions on who will make it there or anything else? Just be on the
lookout for Aoba and send hugs to our poor zombie girl, she deserves it. See ya next
time for the next part of Chapter 5!
 Dawning of the Dead Part 2 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Q&A's back, Emma and Ishigami have a chat, and Ai is challenged by Espio. And
what is the meaning behind that piece of debris?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Hey peeps, it’s the Renegade Braveheart. It’s time for Q&A 2, Goodbye Despair. This time
we have Gold, Ishigami, and Emma here with us this time.

Emma: “Hey everyone!”

Gold: “Yo, what’s up?!”

Ishigami: “Mph…”

We’re here to see if you have any questions about this story, or any of the future stories in the
Fictional Saga. Well… if you have any. I just kinda want more comments and predictions…

Ishigami: “Wow, what a way to say that you’re desperate.”

Emma: “Don’t be mean, at least he’s being honest about it!”

Gold: “Whatever, just send us your questions, theories, or stuff. Make sure they’re good ones
and not anything spammy.”

Ishigami: “Like asking to bring Marty back or something.”

And as always, leave your thoughts on what happened so far with this chapter, or any of the
other chapters as well. Because the end is approaching soon, and I want to see if you’re all
ready for it!

Emma: “Hope to see you all real soon! And enjoy the chapter!”

Chapter 5: Dawning of the Dead Part 2 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 9

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
3. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
4. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
5. Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse
6. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
7. Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
8. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
9. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Third-Person POV >

“I… actually never studied Japanese before and I don’t think it’s an elective at Brooklyn Visions.
(Maybe I should ask Ganke when I get back home…).” Miles mentioned as he scratched the back
of his head.

“To be fair even if you could understand it, the writing is messy as hell.” Ryuji stared holes at the
painted chunk.

“It’s “shiro'' in kanji. It means white.” Ishigami stated before he just walked towards the jukebox
for some reason.

“Shiro, huh?” Emma pondered.

“Yup.” Ishigami nodded as he took out a Monocoin and inserted it into the jukebox.
“What could that even mean?” Gold went over to the grill and grabbed a plate of food, double
cheeseburger with steak fries.

“No idea. It does ring a bell though if you add “Kane” in front of it. You think this thing is
important?” Ryuji asks Emma.

“Why are you asking me?” She replies, surprised.

“Well, with Ai not being here and Trunks dead, you’re the only other person who’s leading us
right? I mean I’d go ask Ai myself but… I wouldn’t do shit that’s useful to her.” Ryuji defeatedly
sighed.

“Ah… well this really does look like it could be useful. But why would Monokuma just throw this
out? If it were something we could use, why was it just out in the open?” Emma thought for a
moment.

“Maybe it’s like bait for a trap?” Gold suggested.

“The next motive?” Miles guesses.

“Or was he just that careless? Ugh, I need to get a refill.” Emma picked up her empty shake glass
but then heard something.

Insert Song: Atsuku Nare (Zombie Land Saga)

“Eh? What’s up?” Ryuji asked Emma.

“.....” Ishigami remains silent as he listens to the tune from the jukebox.

Atsuku Nare! LIVE!

honki de butsukatte

itami o wake atte

sekai ni utagoe hibikase

“Dang! Whoever that girl is, she’s got some pipes!” Gold started bobbing his head to the music.

“....” Emma listened to the song, and one of the 6 voices sounded real familiar.

minna o egao ni dekiru hazu

We can do it!

tsuyoku mabushī ano hikari o

tsukamitorō!

Ishigami’s eyes went wide as he and the others realized who it was.

“It’s Ai, that’s her voice right there!” Emma pointed at the jukebox.

“Wait, the deeper voice or the slightly higher one?” Gold tilted his head.

“The slightly higher one, the one that started singing first.” Ishigami told him without turning his
head.

“Wow, that is one badass song. Those lyrics and that guitar!” Ryuji gushed.

“And I already mentioned the girl with that amazing voice, I need to find out which zombie girl
that is!” Gold smirked.

“Can you two take this seriously?!” Miles told them.

“Uh, what’s there to take seriously? It’s just Ai and her friends singing a song.” Ryuji raised an
eyebrow.

“It’s more than that. Do you hear the amount of passion behind her singing? And do you know
what the lyrics actually mean?” Emma asked the two of them.
“Uh…” Gold tried to think of a guess.

“I don’t know, man! We’re just trying to find our own fun in this hellhole, especially with all the
shit that happened last night.” Ryuji responded while slightly raising his voice.

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that!” Miles replied back at him.

“I’m sorry, I’m just trying to cope with the fact that WE’RE NEARLY SCREWED! Trunks
freaking skewered Killua, Ai’s avoiding us and apparently she’s a zombie, and AOBA IS OUT
THERE ON HIS OWN WITH THAT GODDAMN CARD!! Why should I not try to distract
myself from this shit?!”

“..... I’ll tell you guys about it some other time then, sorry.” Emma walked out of the diner with her
head down.

Ryuji’s expression was then filled with guilt, as the rest of the guys just looked on as Emma exited.

“Ugh, dammit… it’s all going to hell for us.” Ryuji sighed, regretting the tone he used.

____________________

Right as Emma took a few steps outside she saw a tired face.

“Bernie! You’re finally out, thank goodness you’re—”

“I heard what happened in there through the door, I’ll just get out of your way so I don’t make
things worse. Sorry…” Bernadetta scurried past her as Emma failed to reach her hand out to her.

The Ultimate Moral Compass sadly retreated to somewhere that can help ease her thoughts.

A library in the fourth area near the boardwalk.

Emma flips through a random book on photography until she hears a slight creak of someone
entering. The girl buries her face in the book so that she’s unseen.

“YAHHH!” Emma lets out a shout when Ishigami taps her on the back.

“Jeez, keep your voice down, this is a library.”

“Yeah, I know…” Emma puts her face back into the book.

“And you do realize I can see you with that bouncy hair thing on your head, right?” Ishigami points
out her ahoge and she pouts sadly.

“Ugh… why are you stopping by here anyways?”

“Two things. Number one, Ryuji feels bad about getting mad at you and he’s likely to try
apologizing later. It’s up to you to forgive him. I don’t really care too much, but it would be a bit
too much trouble if you two don’t make up.” Ishigami browses the shelves for books that would
interest him.

“That’s true but… I’ll think about it. What about your other reason?” Emma asked as he picked up
a book off a shelf.

“Feeding your Alter Ego” was the title.

Ishigami sat down with the book right next to her, “..... I wanted to see if you and I share the same
thoughts on Atsuku Nare’s meaning.”

Emma’s eyes widened before lowering down again,“It’s like a ballad of hope, not giving up when
facing rising odds. Believing in yourself enough to stand back up, even if you get knocked down.
Trying your hardest to succeed and make everyone happy… This song has basically been Ai’s
mindset since the killing game began.”

Ishigami softly nodded his head as he listened.

“Even now in the state she’s in, I bet that is still the case. That hope still sits deep inside her,
trapped in a sea of despair. I know she didn’t tell you guys about her zombie state, she only told me
and Killua. Still, that shouldn’t affect how you see her too much, since we should be trying to carry
on with that same mindset. It’s like Trunks told us last night, use hope to finally overcome this
stupid game. The willpower he talked about, and the passion that Ai has shown us, those should be
our weapons against the mastermind.” Emma takes a breath as she finishes.

“.... Yeah basically what you said.” Ishigami replied.

“Uh, good. So are you also thinking what I’m thinking? On what we should do next?” Emma put
her hands on her hips.

“Figuring out how to bring Ai back into the fold, I assume?”

“Yup! And also, telling the others about all of this so they can be motivated again.” Emma smiled
a bit.

“I guess so. And after thinking about it more… I jumped to conclusions a bit on her zombie thing.
If she were a normal one, she’d be slow as hell and could have bitten me by now. I think I'll
apologize to her when she’s ready to leave her room.” Ishigami rubbed the back of his head.

“Ha, it looks like we both have to make up with some friends soon!”

“Friends, huh? Didn’t think I’d find any outside the student council.” Ishigami scoffed.

Emma turned to him when he made that comment, “Of course! We’re all friends here, ‘cept for
Aoba. Even if we weren’t in this game, I would have still liked to be friends with you!”

That big smile on her face just led to Ishigami caving in and genuinely smiling back.

“Maybe. Though it is kinda weird for a high school student to be friends with a young girl like
you.” Ishigami snarked.
“Eh? How sooooooOOOOOO?!” Emma then fell backward and hit one of the shelves.

“Well for starters, there’s that.”

Emma giggled as Ishigami pulled her back up, “Hey, how about we listen to more of Ai’s music?!
That sounds fun, right?”

“Hm… sure. Their name is pretty weird though. Fran Choo Choo? Frank chou chou? France chu
chu?” Ishigami kept going with the wild guesses on the group name.

The two of them leave the library as they continue to chat away. However, they neglected to pick
up the single book that fell from the top of that shelf Emma bumped into. Stepping out from the
shadows, a figure takes the book and looks through it.

He pauses, before grabbing a notecard and beginning to write on it as he continues to read.

______________________

< Ai’s POV, finally >

*Ding, dong, bing, bong!*

“Ahem, this is a citywide news broadcast! It is now 10 p.m. Ladies and gentlemen, nighttime has
begun! All restaurants and shopping areas will be closed soon, so folks, don’t try to go against the
law! Now then, sweet dreams everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite…”

….. I slept for that long? That is a little impressive, but with how I’ve been feeling as of late, that is
not good. I… should actually try to go out for a bit. At least for half an hour before heading back to
bed. I’m craving a little fresh air.

I opened the door and looked back and forth to make sure nobody was around. I don’t want to give
anyone a scare in the middle of the night. No makeup, and I looked a bit raggedy after staying in
bed for so long. Still had that one hair sticking up on my head, but I just decided to ignore it. Right
when I stepped outside, I ended up stepping on something left in front of my door.
It was a book.

“Killing Games from 1-V3…”

A book on killing games? There were… other ones like this? Upon looking closer, there was a
little note card sticking out from the top. I decided to save whatever page it was on for last as I left
the Hope-tel to find a good spot to read. It was both unnervingly quiet and dark at night, even
though I knew everyone was back in their rooms…. Although I imagine Aoba or someone else
could just wander the city like I’m doing, as long as they don’t sleep anywhere else.

Speaking of Aoba, he’s probably going to wait until the next area opens up to make his move. As
long as the card is destroyed, or he’s prevented from killing anyone, it’ll be fine. Better said than
done however, since he would definitely plan ahead for what happens. He wouldn’t keep that card
on his person, so it’s hidden in this labyrinth of a city. He could even be sadistic enough to have a
trial anyways and when we find out it’s him, he cashes in the card much earlier and it’s too late.

It looks like he’s in control, but it’s all about the timing of things now.

There’s also… the factor of him having revealed my secret. It’s much more difficult for just
anyone to trust me after keeping this from everyone. And because of that potential suspicion of me,
it might even make it harder for me to trust some of them as well. It’s all going downhill it seems
like.

I… am pretty stumped.

After looking for about ten minutes, I found an empty bench in the middle of the city square. And
to make it sting a little more, I recognized this bench as the one I hid behind when I hung out with
Trunks the first time. Just another thing to make me feel worse, huh?

“Okay, killing game number one…” I opened the first chapter of this surprisingly short book.

Makoto Naegi: Ultimate Lucky Student/Hope. Isn’t that his last name a part of the diner we
frequent? Na-Egg-i Diner, who comes up with this stuff?
It was then I realized that these were all the people who were plastered all over the city advertising
stuff!

The fortune teller, Yasahiro Hagakure.

The robots we fought in the gauntlet, Nekomaru (or Mechamaru) Nidai.

There was even… Byakuya Togami (two of them in fact!) and Gundham Tanaka, the guys who
sent us those messages via hamster! So they’re former killing game participants… that’s an
interesting thing to learn. I guess that makes them a little more trustworthy, even though we
haven’t heard from them for a while. Just what are they doing with the pictures we’ve taken?
But… thinking about it more, it could be more difficult to send messages when the group is so
fractured.

Moving on… I flipped over to the next page and it was where the notecard was stashed. I read over
it... and my eyes went wide.

“ Out of all of these faces, one of them is behind everything. After observing behaviors from
Monokuma and Monocity’s overall design layout, reading this book reinforced my theory on who.
Once you have your own guess on their identity, come see me and I shall pay for the recent
mistakes I have made. See you then, Mizuno .” - Espio The Chameleon

Espio…

They mentioned him being a no-show, ever since the trial. I understand him feeling guilty over
Killua and Trunks dying, he was the one that let their battle take place. Regardless… I did not
blame him for what he did, even if I felt so much pain from seeing them dead. What does he mean
by paying for his mistakes?

And more importantly…. Does he know who the mastermind is? It seems like he does, and even
so, what has he been focusing on to draw his conclusion?

Ugh… so many questions. I guess that’s enough reading for now, time to head back to my room.

I laid awake for a while, since my sleep schedule had been greatly damaged today. One full hour
passed until I finally closed my eyes in peace.
My dreams that night were anxiety-inducing, thoughts on what Espio wants, Aoba’s plans, what
everyone else is thinking about me…

Ugh.

____________________

MONOKUMA THEATER IS CANCELLED FOR TONIGHT, GO BACK TO SLEEP.

____________________

* Ding, dong, bing, bong! *

“ Gooooooood morning Monocity! It is now 7 a.m., and the weather today is a wonderfully
cloudless blue sky! Remember to follow the law, but have fun! Also I am proud to announce that we
have something new to show you so come to the docks at the end of the fourth area! Attendance is
necessary citizens, don’t be late!”

Took them long enough to open up the next area. It looks like I have to appear in front of everyone
again, and if I show up late they will find me even more suspicious. I sighed before going to put on
makeup, the end result wasn’t the best because I was still feeling down. I guess I have to look pale
and sickly today.
I assume everyone else was getting ready, no one was outside. Good, I won’t have to worry about
running into anyone on the way there. It also meant that I could take my time getting there, since
I’m obviously not going to be late if I’m heading out this early.

I also wanted to take my time because I was going through four other areas on foot. Maybe I
should get a moped or something to make it easier for myself, I don’t want my legs to give out, or
even go limp and fall off.

Okay, first to arrive. One large curtain right on the edge of the harbor, okay…
“Ahoy the—YEESH! What a half-assed makeover! I feel like you’d look better without the
makeup, at least I’d know that you have a good reason to look terrible.” Monokuma with a
captain’s hat and outfit jumped up from behind the curtain.

My urge to turn him into scrap metal is rising drastically.

“Good morning, bear, how’s the—ACK!” Aoba jumped when he saw my face.

He has the guts to show up after what he did, but not the guts to look me in the face? Do I really
look that bad?

I then hear some people talking from behind me.

“Hooooo, it looks like I found a new band to follow! These songs are fire!” Miles exclaims.

“Remind me when we get outta this dump to get Numbers 2 & 4’s autographs!” Gold laughed.

I could faintly hear Ishigami chuckling, “Number 5’s voice is just soothing on the ears, her face is
lovely, and her chest is so—GAHHHHHH!!!”

“Gonna finish that sentence?” I asked him.

“H-H-Hey F-Flower Gal! Finally decided to join us, h-huh?” Gold stuttered.

I do look that bad apparently.

“We’re glad to see you’re doing… alright at least.” Emma gave a reassuring smile to me.

I did break the news to her early, so I am happy that I was right to have trusted her. Even if the
secret came out only a little while after, Emma’s still on my side and I’m thankful. That brief
feeling of happiness was cut short when I saw someone else arrive.
“Hey… Ai.” Bernadetta greeted me without making eye contact.

I just nodded to her as she joined up with the rest of us. All that time with helping her get over her
reclusive nature and become friends… and it seems as if it’s all for naught.

“Heh, what a pity for you.” A poor choice of words for someone within slapping range, Aoba.

Afterwards Ryuji and Espio showed up, the former looking down for a reason I won't press him
for, and the latter just looking in my direction before looking back at the curtain. Whether he
knows who the mastermind is or not, he has something planned for when I have my own theories.
Very troubling after seeing what went down with Killua and Trunks.

Monokuma tapped his microphone and cleared his robot equivalent of a throat.

“Good morning everyone! I have called you all today to take you all to the final section of this fine
city!”

Final section, that’s it? Nowhere else to go in this place?

“There is still plenty to explore and check out with this one, so I think it’ll be a satisfying
conclusion! It’s right over there with that handsome statue!” Monokuma pointed at the far away
island with the Monokuma parody of the Statue of Liberty on it.

“Okay, but how are we gonna get there? We can’t swim all that way! You better not make us do
that!” Ryuji whined.

“As tempting as that would be… unfortunately no. But I do have a question of my own to ask… Do
you like… boats?” Monokuma giggled.

“Oh, I think I know where this is going. And I hate it.” Aoba snarked.

“Take a look at this pristine baby… behold… THE S.S. KOIZUMI!”

Wha… what?
Chapter End Notes

This chapter is definitely gonna be a slow burn, but it makes sense considering it’s the
last one before the finale. Also yeah, mastermind junk. Have fun with that, everyone!
 Dawning of the Dead Part 3 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Sorry it took a while, a new area is open! And Ai... reconnects with her companions.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 5: Dawning of the Dead Part 3 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 9

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
3. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
4. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
5. Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse
6. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
7. Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
8. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
9. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Ai’s POV >

The “S.S. Koizumi” was a shoddily made yacht with a red roof, a pale body with small dots on it,
and windows that looked like camera lenses. Ah yes… real “pristine”.

“I was actually starting to get impressed with all the designs you had of the city up ‘till now. Don’t
tell me we have to actually go on that thing…” Aoba shook his head with disgust.

“Spidey-Sense ain’t goin’ off, but I can tell that there’s gonna be trouble if we take this out on the
water.” Miles walked over to the boat and knocked on it lightly.

That caused it to crack and Monokuma immediately ran over and put duct tape over it. Either Miles
is too strong, or this boat is just that badly made, or maybe it’s both.
“Don’t do that again! It’s okay baby… the bug kid won’t hurt you anymore…” The bear just
started to stroke the yacht like it was his lover… ew.

“I-I don’t want to go on that thing, we’ll be at the bottom of the ocean before we get to the next
area!” Bernadetta shook with fear.

“I feel like I should mention that I am not water-proof.” Ishigami raised his finger up while making
his point.

“Like it or not, you are all getting on this baby and sailing over to that island over there! Now let’s
get on that water, Monocitizens!”

Well at the very least, we don’t have to swim all the way there.

“Yikes!” Ryuji jumped back after his side of the handrail broke off after he grips it.

Although I would rather swim than sink in this floating deathtrap. We left the pier as the foghorn of
the yacht bellowed out loudly to the dismay of all of our ears. It wasn’t even a normal sounding
horn either, it was like someone was loudly shouting “JEEZ” in a deep voice.

I looked around at the current amount of people we had left, only nine. After eight losses… our
group looked so miniscule in comparison to how it was before. Misato, Kaiba(?), Marty, Shantae,
Sucy, Alice, Killua, Trunks…. Ugh, I never want to see another dead body in my life once this is
all over, and by that I mean one that is permanently dead and not reanimated like I am.

Thinking back to Kaiba, or whoever that person we were with was, I think they’re the key to the
mastermind. It was then when I realized that I could explain how I think Fake Kaiba ties into this
with Espio, since I’ve never told him about it. Espio deduced one of the former killing game
participants could possibly be them, but I still think there is more than that. This person built an
entire city based around all of them, honoring them as icons and celebrities, for what reason I have
no idea.

We just have to try.

“Hey.”

I halted my inner thoughts while staring out to sea when Ishigami approached me, along with
Emma.

“Hi…” I responded to him.

“So um… the way I acted yesterday with your whole zombie thing… it wasn’t… very nice.”

“Okay… and?”

Emma patted his back, a reassuring smile on her face. Did she talk him into this?

“I guess it was because I’m so used to seeing zombies portrayed in a certain way, so seeing you
like that triggered a fight or flight response. Like… now that I have thought about it more, you are
definitely not like that.”

“...”

“What I’m trying to say here is… I’m sorry, Ai.” Ishigami finished as he let out a sigh. Emma gave
him a thumbs up for his effort.

My eyes widened, I was honestly not expecting to hear this today.

“Well now um… apology accepted.” I held out my hand and he shook it slowly.

“Also, can I ask a quick favor?” He began again.

I sighed, “What is it?”.

He then took out something very familiar… Franchouchou’s The Best CD and a marker, “Can you
sign this, and also get me No. 5’s autograph when we get out of here?”
“Huh?”

Emma then giggled as she walked up to me next, “Can I get one too?! Your group’s music really is
spectacular, Ai!”

“Ehhhh?”

“Oh hey, if it isn’t No. 3! Can you set me up with No. 2 & 4, flower gal?” Gold then popped up
from behind.

“Yo, I dig Franchouchou’s music, gonna love sharing it with everyone in Brooklyn.” Miles showed
up next.

“Wha-WHAT?!” I was very much confused about what was happening right now.

Did these four just become Franchouchou fans overnight?! What even happened when I wasn’t
there?! They just handed me cd covers for me to sign, as well as a poster. This was very strange to
say the least but… it got me to laugh a little. I missed interacting with fans like this, and even
though it's kind of weird because they’re friends of mine. I should have been used to this with
Sakura around, but I wasn’t. Despite that they accepted me, even while knowing what I’m like
under the makeup. I guess I should play the role they assigned to me then...

“Thank you, everyone!” I told them in a joyful idol-like tone, like I’m on stage addressing a crowd.

The four of them all clapped, with Gold letting out a few “Woo”s in there. And then a certain
someone decided to come and ruin the fun.

“What the hell are you all doing? We’ve already arrived at our destination, and don’t you
remember what she is?” Aoba scowled.

I look and see that we’re already at the docks, the large Monokuma statue looming over our heads.
“Yeah, she’s Franchouchou’s Number 3.” Ishigami answered.

“That is not what I meant. You people really are that stupid, aren’t you? This is a killing game
where you’re not supposed to socialize or anything. It’s kill or be killed here, additionally she is
undead and is much harder to take care of! She could shrug off almost every assassination attempt
against her, and for all we know she could just turn us into one of her kind!” Aoba is getting more
annoyed.

“Dude, do you know who you’re talking to?” Gold posed an armor-piercing question to him.

Emma walked forward, “I’ve seen way worse things than a zombie idol in my life, she’s our friend.
Just because you showed us her true self doesn’t mean you’ve made us lose faith in her.”

Aw… I really needed to hear that after these past few days. I think I feel a tear or two in my eyes
right now.

“Tch… I can’t wait to finally leave this hellhole and get away from idiots like you lot. Damn you
all.” Aoba stepped onto the land and walked away from us.

I then was trapped within a large group hug, can’t believe the four of them somehow managed to
get me out of my slump. I mean it wasn’t everyone, Ryuji, Espio, and Bernadetta were still distant,
but it was a start. I should have known that with everyone being from different worlds and
experiencing many different things, that zombies wouldn’t be too much of a surprise factor.

“Dang it, I’m surrounded by a bunch of crazy optimists.” I laughed when I said that.

“Eh, it’s more like I’d rather side with a kinda cute idol girl than a jerk who got people killed. No
contest.” Ishigami, the pessimist, replied.

“Either way, we’re happy to have you as our friend. Good to have you back, Ai.” Miles pat me on
the back.

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to escape without you with us!” Emma grinned.

“I’m getting that hookup with 2 and 4, right?” Gold ruined the sentimentality of it, so I flicked him
on the forehead.
We all shared a little laugh after that before finally venturing off into the last area.

Huh, I feel like this place would look better at night. Unlit neon signs, a large shopping mall, and
casinos everywhere. It’s like Las Vegas in America, I’ve only seen pictures of it but the
resemblance is uncanny.

“Lucksters & Lolitas…” I read the neon sign, which has a guy with white wavy hair and a woman
in a gothic lolita outfit. I recognized them from the killing game book I had.

For some reason, the white haired young man irked me. Getting a little uncomfortable just looking
at him, so I should move on. The mall was large for sure, although it included a lot of the same
stores seen in the shopping district. The neighborhood wasn’t very noteworthy as well, it was like a
series of apartment complexes and long alleyways. The alleys themselves looked to be of the
mugger or shady salesman variety. Nothing too out of place, but the main attraction of this island
looked to be…

The Statue of Zetsubou, aka Despair. The giant pale green Monokuma statue, of him dressed like
the Statue of Liberty. I feel like the large weight of the thing would cause this island to sink, so
perhaps it's hollow on the inside…

“Heh, you think Monokuma’s compensating for something?” Gold joked.

Why would he be…? He’s a robot and… never mind.

Monokuma wasn’t lying about this last area having a lot to explore. It took the entire day, although
most of it was just spent either investigating every last shop in the mall, or trying to drag Gold and
Ryuji away from the slot machines. It was a long trip back to the Hope-tel, but at least the subway
made it easier for us.

____________________

I took a quick nap in my room, but then I decided to leave for two things.

1. Speak with Bernadetta, see if she’s been okay since she saw me as a zombie.
 2. Share what information I’ve gathered with Espio, and figure out something about the
mastermind.

I grabbed a notebook I’ve been using to keep track of my findings, the information on Kaiba and
what I saw of the “Ultimates” in the book I read. Brought the book as well, in case I missed
anything. I walked across the hall carefully, to not alert anyone in their rooms, and knocked on
Bernie’s door like I had been doing before.

“Bernadetta, it’s me, Ai. Can we talk?”

“....”

There’s no response.

“I know that I wasn’t being honest on what I truly was, but regardless I still want to help you.
Please answer.”

“....”

Nothing. The door was still locked as well, she’s either ignoring me or she’s asleep. Or maybe
she’s not in her room, as crazy as that may sound for a recluse like her. I’m just trying to think of
ways to avoid thinking that she’s dead.

After waiting for another minute, I just left a note there.

“ I apologize for being so secretive, it’s okay if you need space away from me. Let me know if you
ever want to talk again soon. ” - Ai

Maybe I should go get her a slice of cake as well, on the way back perhaps?

The city was still just as silent and unnerving as the night before, I should have decided to do this
in the evening. I stroll through the streets until I spot something moving atop a lamp post in
shadow.
“Camouflage, like a chameleon should have. I can imagine that, combined with your skills as a
ninja, make you nearly undetectable.”

Espio became visible as he sat down on the bench next to me, “Keyword ‘nearly’. Your senses
must be quite more significant than normal individuals to detect me, is that thanks to your
zombification or is it natural?”

“My vision has always been much sharper than others, even when I was alive. Anyways, how have
things been?” I answered his question before posing my own.

“.... I’m getting by. Let us not focus on that right now, I see you have brought some information we
could use.” He isn’t being open as expected, I should make some time to talk to him again to make
him talk.

I showed him the notes I have and the book, watching him look over every sentence I wrote down.
He’s also a detective, so his deduction skills should be competent at least.

I decided to speak up once more as he continued, “You said that one of the people from previous
killing games could be the mastermind, correct?”

“Yes, that was my assumption, you have one of your own?” Espio replied.

“Indeed, although yours is still possible, it can even work hand-in-hand with mine. You see the
notes I have written down there?”

“A list of Ultimates that have not been represented in the city itself yet, as well as information on
the blackned of our first trial…”

I nodded, “Allow me to give you my theory, feel free to disagree if you do not find it believable.

“The Seto Kaiba we knew was a fake. Unlike the other blackened, we did not see any body, or
blood in Shantae’s case, after the execution. They could still be alive, and they could be this killing
game’s mastermind.”
Chapter End Notes

What an E3 week, peeps. How about that Danganronpa on Switch, eh? And uh…
sorry for the wait. It really took a while for me to come up with what to do with this
part. Actually lost a bit of motivation, which led me into writing the prologue of
Fictional Guardians ha ha… also yeah that’s out if anyone wants to read it. There’s no
spoilers in it for future chapters, but it’s just pure fighting and character interactions.
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this part and—

Ishigami: Ahem…

Emma: The Q&A is still going on, so send in any questions, thoughts, or opinions, or
predictions if you so please!

Gold: And uh… sorry if this chapter isn’t too good folks, Renegade’s getting a little
sloppy. (gets bonked on the head) Ow!

Thank you, Emma.

Emma: You’re welcome.

See you all next time! And don’t be surprised if this entire chapter ends up being
shorter than expected, gotta watch that new Zombie Land Saga Revenge episode!
 Dawning of the Dead Part 4 (Daily Life)
Chapter Summary

Ai and Espio continue their search for the mastermind, just who is behind this killing
game?

Chapter Notes

Before we begin, I have to address something. You know how I kinda made a chapter
of Fictional Epicenter when Chapter 2 of THIS story was going on? Yeah, I kinda
wanted to change up the 18-player lineup for that killing game, so… I’m wondering if
it’s okay to delete it now. I have seven new faces in mind for it to replace some of the
existing ones. I know it was already a dumb mistake to make a chapter for Epicenter
when Nexus is still going on, but I want to rectify it. Alright enough about that, time
for a new part after it’s forever since the last one, enjoy! (And don’t worry about
Fictional Guardians, the last entry of the trilogy, and the rest of Nexus, nothing has
changed and it will stay that way)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Chapter 5: Dawning of the Dead Part 4 (Daily Life)

Remaining Citizens: 9

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
3. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
4. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
5. Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse
6. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
7. Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
8. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
9. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Ai’s POV >

“So… are you saying the real Seto Kaiba is the one behind all of this then?” Espio took a second to
respond to my claim.
“I honestly doubt that, why would someone like him design a city based around people he wouldn’t
know? He’s from a different world from them after all.” I shoot down that question quickly.

“I see… you also mentioned that this theory could also work hand in hand with mine, correct? In
other words….”

I finished his sentence for him, “An Ultimate from the previous killing games could have disguised
as him, and kickstarted the killing game with the first murder.”

“Thus making them the mastermind, or at least in league with them. That is very much possible,
however one question remains… which one of them could it be?”

“Right, from what I estimated, there’s 16 people per game. Which means 1 out of 848 participants
in 53 killing games… dear god that sounds terrible. How did this keep going for so long?” I
contemplated.

“I am wondering the same thing, such a horrifying thought.” Espio shook his head as we peered
into the book once more.

“Hm… I think we can just narrow it down to just three killing games, since the city has only
focused on Ultimates from 1, 2, and V3. That makes it so much easier.” I sigh in relief.

“Indeed it does… so which one of them could have been the Fake Kaiba?” Espio asks, scanning
each face.

“Well, I think one is possible. This Ultimate Imposter character, an individual with the ability to
disguise as anyone easily, even down to their voice.” I turn to the page that their information is on.

“.... Are they really that accurate with their disguises?” The chameleon puts out another question,
while raising an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Look at the previous entry and then back to this one, notice something off?”

I look back at the first killing game’s page, and now I see what he means. There’s two Byakuya
Togamis in the first and second killing games, although one of them is much…. Larger than the
other. Either Togami got interested in competitive eating, or the larger one was our Ultimate
Imposter. Kaiba was certainly skinny on screen, the fake one we met as well.

“Looks like the Imposter was not our guy. So what now?”

I look at the book once more and I’m left without any ideas. Not a single person seemed to have
some kind of skill when it comes to disguises. Aside from one girl named Mukuro, nothing, but
that’s when I noticed something on V3’s page…

It was like a switch just flicked in my brain.

Ideas began to flow through as soon as I found what I was looking for.

The different costumes Monokuma was seen wearing.

The references he makes while talking to us.

The store that has media depicting us as… fictional characters.

Our person of interest was—

“Oh, good evening you two!”

God damn it.

Aoba stepped into the light with a smirk on his face, “I assume you have discovered something
really important. Do you mind—”

“No.” Me and Espio bluntly told him.

“As predicted. I assume that you’re investigating the whole Fake Kaiba thing as well as the
mastermind, right? I’m not too interested in the former, more on the latter actually.”

“Really now? You’re trying to find the one behind everything, huh? For what reason could you use
that information for?” Espio stood up and scowled.

“Probably to find another way to win this damn game and go home. Already have the gold card, so
I might as well make my victory a clean sweep by finding the mastermind and killing them too.”
Aoba scratches the back of his head as he leans against the light post.

“Hmph, and seeing the two of us here together at night might give you something to tell the others
and turn them against us?” I lowered my eyebrows in suspicion.

“Heh, like they’d even believe me. And even if they did, they already showed their blind faith in
you already. It would be a waste of time. Still though, I think sharing who you at least think it
could be can help ALL of us, so try not to keep the information to yourselves, eh? G’night!” Aoba
says before walking away yawning.

If he’s right about one thing, it’s that we shouldn’t keep this information secret.

“It’s getting late, we should head back now as well.” Espio tells me.

“Wait, but I—” He interrupts me before I tell him what I found.

“Save it for tomorrow, although I feel like telling me and everyone else who you think the
mastermind is… that may lead to dire consequences. Knowing their identity would make a person
anxious, wanting to call them out immediately through Monokuma. Perhaps it could even… use
force to get to them.” Espio explains and I then realize what he means.

I remember Misato attacking Monokuma when this whole game began, and it led to him
exploding. Monokuma, in his own words, enjoys the thrills, chills, and kills of this game, who
knows what could happen if we take that away by revealing the identity of his puppet master. Just
imagining it has me hesitating…

“But…”
“Be on your guard Mizuno-san. Choose how you are going to use the information you have found,
may it prove beneficial to you and the others.”

He disappeared in a puff of smoke, before I could tell him a thing.

Ugh… damn it all!

____________________

MONOKUMA THEATER

“ It’s good to take a hiatus once in a while, it gives you time to think about what to do when you
return!”

“Sure, some people might just stop paying attention to you or your content, but who the hell
cares?!”

“As long as you have loyal people around, you can just keep making the stuff you enjoy!”

“Thank you for reading Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus! Why the heck are you all still here?”

____________________

I definitely need to tell a few people soon, I don’t care what Espio said last night.

Keeping secrets this big away from the others can cause some major trust issues. I mean, who
would just not tell someone important details that could benefit them? I understand what he’s
getting at with it potentially putting a person in danger, but they all have a right to know.

“Ai? Something wrong?” Emma asked, her breakfast ending up on her cheek.
I blinked twice after being broken out of my thinking session, “I’ll tell you later, let’s just finish
eating.”

I chew on my egg sandwich as I try to figure out when I should tell the others about the
mastermind. Everyone else, sans Bernadetta, Espio and Aoba, was here in the lobby with me eating
away at the food we’ve grown accustomed to each day.

I hear Gold let out a loud burp and I’m reminded of one thing that everyone has not been
accustomed to: manners.

“So… what’s it like? Being both a zombie and an idol.” Ishigami asked.

I found it a bit strange that he would try to make conversation, but might as well, “There’s quite a
lot of difficulty when trying to hide my secret. We end up having to put on makeup when we go out
to do jobs in public, and having to practice moves and lyrics often to prepare for concerts.
Somehow though… we pull it off despite many, MANY, close calls.”

Ishigami continued to eat his breakfast as he looked at me with tired eyes, “For example?”

“Well…” I popped off my arm for a demonstration and it made Ryuji spit out his drink, “Our body
parts can come off easily, like a doll’s. So if we’re not careful, one of our heads could go soaring
into the crowd.”

“D-Damn that’s creepy… and kinda cool.” Ryuji softly chuckled, “But, you don’t, y’know, turn
other people into zombies right?”

“No, we can’t do that. One of our members, Number 0 as you may know her, ends up biting people
and it’s more of an inconvenience than anything dangerous…” I give an awkward smile at my
answer.

“Neat.” Ishigami stated.

“So… how have things been progressing while I was MIA?” I asked them.
“Oh, Gold and Ryuji ended up finding something interesting by the docks when the S.S. Koizumi
was being built.” Miles told me and my interest peaked.

“Really? Is it something worth looking into?” I looked at the two who found it with skepticism.

“Uh… yeah it might be, but first I gotta say something real quick. Something happened that day
and… I wanted to make it right.” Ryuji then approached Emma, who looked away from him.

Was there some disagreement between them?

“Sorry kid, I was being an asshole. I guess I wanted to forget everything that happened a few days
ago, and figured that trying to pretend everything’s cool would help. It didn’t, and I got angry at
you, so… I’m an idiot. Are we cool…?”

“....” Emma stayed silent until going in for a hug, “We are. I’m sorry too.”

The rest of us smile, happy that there’s no tension between them, and that whatever happened is
cleared up.

But now back to the topic at hand.

“The broken piece of the boat was the word “shiro” in kanji. What does that mean? Hell if I
know.” Ryuji explains.

“Shiro…” I say softly, but Espio’s words echo through my head once more.

“ Be on your guard. ”

I sigh, frustrated at how indecisive I’m being with when to tell everyone.

“And nothing has changed here in the main area, so maybe we should go back to the new island?”
Miles suggested.
“Seems to be our only remaining course of action now. Let’s set sail!”

We all rush into the subway and it takes us to the boat. Surprisingly it works just fine without
Monokuma steering it, must be on a set course and has an autopilot (auto helmsman?) feature.

I think the two most prominent places on this island are the Lucksters & Lolitas casino and the
Statue of Zetsubou. Might as well go for the former first.

Slot machines galore over here! A few blackjack and poker tables as well, and even a bar, which
made me think for a second on whether I’d be of drinking age. Physically and mentally I’m 16
forever, but chronologically I’m in my 20s... There’s also the factor of whether or not zombies can
get intoxica— okay I should stop now.

I then hear a tv turn on, and see it was Ryuji who had hit its switch.

“Oh, whoops. Didn’t know you were in here.” He said.

“I’m not one to make a scene. What are you doing here?”

“I actually found this lying on the floor before you came here, and I was just curious to see what
was on the disc. Just looks like some weird show…”

Ryuji hands me a dvd case of a show titled Durarara!!x2, it had a bunch of people on it, like a
woman in a black jumpsuit and a biker helmet obscuring her face. More notably however…

“Aoba…” I said as I looked at the case and back to the tv screen.

I see him trying to make a deal with a person named Mikado, and he appears to have his “Blue
Squares” with him. Why does one of them look like a cat? Whatever. He gives him the same
condescending smile that he’s shown to us countless times, but then his expression fades.

Right when the two are about to make their agreement official, Mikado stabs a ballpoint pen into
Aoba’s hand.

“HOLY SHIT!” Ryuji reacts appropriately, as we both watch in horror.

He refuses to remove it until Aoba complies with his demands, Aoba must have done something to
make this guy this angry at him…

“Um… Is it bad to say that he deserved it?” Ryuji asked me, and I shook my head.

“He certainly did, as cruel as that may sound. And it seems Aoba has made many enemies in his
world as well.”

“No kidding, shoulda known a creep like him was a gang leader. But why leave this here?” Ryuji
cringed after seeing the pen finally yanked out of Aoba’s hand.

“Don’t have a clue, this dvd must have come from the otaku department store though.”

There has to be a reason that he took it from there, and knowing his mind there could be more than
one.

*Ding dong dong ding*

No…

Not now…

Not again…

I clicked on my e-Handbook and my fears have been realized once more.

“ A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the city trial
will begin!”
 I could feel the same shivers going down my spine that they had before… but then it only
intensified.

“ A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the city trial
will begin!”

“I-It played twice?! What the hell is this?!” Ryuji yelled out in surprise.

“Then… that could mean…” I didn’t even want to say it, even if it turned out to be true.

Miles then bursted through the door, “Guys…. Just come with me.”

He grabbed onto us and swung his way over to the Statue of Zetsubou. When we got there, a small
crowd had already gathered. Monokuma was standing there as well, but he was just silently
looking up at the statue, which was now painted red in blood.

And right below the statue…

A broken, bloody Bernadetta.

And clutching her, Espio, who was now nothing but an empty husk. Wounded in both his chest and
right hand.

There was one more thing that all of us had noticed, as both despair and anger welled up inside
those of us remaining.

Aoba was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter End Notes

Thank you for reading. See you all next time.
 Dawning of the Dead Part 5 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

Two bodies have been found, but have our group given up?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 5: Dawning of the Dead Part 5 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 7

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
3. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
4. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
5. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
6. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
7. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Ai’s POV >

….. Silence.

Nothing but pure silence.

It’s been almost five minutes, and we’re still left horrified by what happened to two of our friends.

Espio, the quiet ninja who truly cared for us. Believing in whatever plan Trunks and Killua had set
up for themselves, and putting his trust in me to help find the mastermind… He wished he was able
to do more in helping us, but I am happy to have just known a man, or chameleon like him.

Bernadetta… the scared recluse that tried her best to hold onto hope. I feel a deep regret for not
being able to reconcile with her, since the reveal of my zombified form had pushed her away. I
always looked out for her from the start, helping her open up to the others and be willing to step
outside her room once in a while… Seeing her and Espio like this is…

“Agh!” I cry out in pain, clutching my heart as tears run down my eyes.

I crumple to the ground knees first as my emotions take hold of me and won’t let go.

“Aoba, you son of a bitch… WHY THEM?!!” Ryuji screamed as he punched the ground
repeatedly.

Both Emma and Ishigami were dejected, no tears on their end, but the look on their faces were
filled with dread and despair. Miles looked away, although I can tell that he was in just as much
pain as the rest of us. Gold… after kneeling by their bodies for a while, stood back up and began to
walk away.

“Where are you going?” I asked him calmly, even though there were still tears left in my eyes.

“.... Investigation.”

“Huh?” I responded as he took a breath in.

“What do you mean investigation? Is there even a point anymore when we know who did it, like
last time? Aoba’s got a guaranteed chance of getting out of here, and we don’t even know if there’s
gonna be a tri—”

“Wait… there has to be a trial!” Miles then spoke up suddenly, interrupting Ishigami.

“What?!” The student council treasurer was taken aback by this.

“Yep. Aoba’s expecting that win, but we can still take it away. The dude’s tired of this stupid game
like the rest of us, yet he wouldn’t want it to end TOO fast.” Gold began to explain.

Miles stood next to him to elaborate, “Basically, Aoba’s a bad enough dude to have there be a trial
anyways. He doesn’t want to leave until he SEES us lose. He thinks victory is in sight, but if we
can find something, even the smallest thing that can override the plan he made…”

My eyes widened as I ended up standing up as well, “Then all his hard work will become moot! He
could end up executed, regardless of the “Get Out of Trial Free” card!”

“..... How are you so sure that it’s gonna work?” Ryuji dejectedly asked, still staring at the body of
the girl he protected from a knife.

“Even if we can find a small chance at winning, who’s to say that Aoba didn’t plan for that? How
can we even know if we can take him down?” Ishigami looked at Gold and Miles, both of them not
phased by those questions.

They stayed silent for a moment before nodding at each other.

“We can’t know. It’s just… a leap of faith.”

Miles and Gold left. The rest of us sat down for a moment, to take in what the former said.

Can we really risk our lives, for a leap of faith?

I stand there by the statue with the others, contemplating on whether or not it would be worth it to
go all in. The blood of our two friends hasn’t fully dried yet, and looking at their cold dead faces
just hurt the longer we stared. Knowing them, as well as the ones who fell before, they would want
us to get to investigating quickly. They wouldn’t want their killer to get away with this, and yet...

I needed a bit of time before I could go investigate, just so I can mourn for a little while longer.

I told this to everyone else, and they understood. Ryuji decided to go follow Gold and Miles, but
Emma and Ishigami stayed with me. I’m glad that I wasn’t alone in feeling like this.

There’s already the bodies and a few other things we can look at over here by the statue, so once
we’re finished we can already get to a good start.
“ Fight on, until you’ve won, succumbing to this game would make our deaths meaningless .”
Trunks’s words replay in my head as his face, as well as the others who have died appear in my
mind.

I looked into Bernie’s empty eyes once more and spoke silently, “We’ll do our best, everyone.”

_______________________________________

< Miles’s POV >

Investigation

Insert Song: Ekoroshia (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

“Okay, where should we start?” Gold asks as I see Ryuji running up to us.

The guy can run, no wonder he’s the Ultimate Track Star.

“Yo!” He greets us as we just stroll throughout the area.

“‘Sup?” I responded, “Three people should make it easier, glad I can count on y’all to help out!”

Gold pumped his fists, “Yeah! We’re gonna bring Aoba down! Wait… hold on, we didn’t get a
Monokuma File!”

Oh shoot, I forgot we didn’t get one!

“Tch, I don’t think we’re getting one anyways. The bear’s busted.” Ryuji stated.

“Busted, you mean Robo Teddiursa’s broken?” Gold asked, his eyes wide.
“Yeah, I checked on him before catching up with you guys and he’s gone limp. Staring up at the
statue, and he looked shocked for some reason?”

“Hm… that’s weird, maybe we should keep that in mind.” I suggested.

“If you say so dude, darn this trial is gonna suuuuck without a file.” Gold complained.

“Catatonic Monokuma” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Well at least we got something for our first piece of evidence. Hm… I think I have an idea on
where to go next, but you guys need to grab on.” I told them as I got my web shooters ready.

“Eh?” Gold tilted his head.

“I-I’m good man, that swing over to the statue took a lot out of me. I need to stretch my legs more
too since I’ve been out of the hospit—AAAAAAALLL!!”

Nah, this will be quicker. I grabbed both of them, as we swung over to where we needed to go next.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” Ow, they sure can scream. I’m actually struggling to keep my grip
on them because of their noise. It’s like if I accidentally turned up the volume too high while I’m
listening to music, my ears end up blasted!

I mean, I love my music, but someone’s crazy if they want to listen to it with destroyed eardrums!
Thankfully we made it to the boat after just a few blocks.

“T-The yacht?” Ryuji asked, trying not to throw up into the sea.

“Yeah, since both the bodies were in this area, they had to have gotten here with it. So there could
be some stuff lying around here, or even in the water.” I explained.
“Makes sense, but whatever was thrown in the water’s probably sunk by now.” Gold began to
stand back up straight.

“Well, someone’s gotta go swimming for it. Any volunteers?” I turned to the two of them.

“1, 2, 3, not it!” Both of them speak at once.

Dang it, I’m the one diving. Why am I stuck with the goof-off troublemaking guys? I rolled my
eyes after seeing them fist bump, before jumping straight into the water. I didn’t argue about it
since I gotta do it for Espio and Bernie, can’t let Aoba get away with it so easily. Also I wouldn’t
want anything being left behind if one of them searches underwater.

Hooo man, the water’s FREEZING, I should have gotten my suit a heater. Just gotta endure it until
I—ACK!

There’s… Monokuma colored mines here, just one wrong move and I get blown out! Spidey-Sense
saved me there, almost kissed one! Hm? There’s something there shining behind all of it, it
definitely looks important…. Maybe I’ll try grabbing it with a web.

Thwip!

The web just slowly slowly floated upwards towards the surface, guess we’re doing this the hard
way. Time to be a water spider.

One after another I dodge the mines, really need to keep working on dodging perfectly. I also have
to think about not being able to hold my breath for too long. I barely managed to get to the shiny
thing unscathed, and I was right about it being important: it’s Espio’s kunai!

There’s something right beneath it, and I grab it too as I finally reamerge and breathe in fresh air at
last. I swim over to shore to join the others and it looks like they finished searching too.

“So what I’m thinking of trying next is an electric catapult move with Pibu and A—Oh! You
finished, Miles?” Gold waves as I wring out my clothes.
“Uh-huh, you too?”

“Yeah-ha! Found this, and these bad boys!” Ryuji takes out another, more dry, piece of paper and
Gold holds out ninja stars!

Great, we managed to gather a few pieces of evidence! Wait, what were they talking about? Eh,
knowing Gold, it could be nothing.

“Just to be sure…” I took out the piece of paper I got and held it next to Ryuji’s and… nope not a
match from any angle. Also the paper I got couldn’t even be read either, dang it.

Gold began reading off the page they had collected, “‘I’ve got…come alone to…’ Wait, did he
take something from one of them?”

“And probably lured one of them to this island to get murdered, or both of them. Don’t think Espio
would have fallen for this, or… could he?”

That’s right, we don’t know who he had killed or planned to kill first. There’s also the possibility
that he only killed one of them too…

“Ripped Page #1” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Ripped Page #2” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Unless Aoba’s some secret ninja fanboy, these are obviously Espio’s weapons too, right?” Ryuji
pointed at the kunai and ninja stars.

“Definitely. Ow!” Gold pricked his finger on the edge of a star and put it in his mouth.

“The kunai was probably thrown in the water to get rid of the blood, make us think it wasn’t a
murder weapon. It could be something else, but we can’t count it out.” I looked over it carefully.
“No blood on this, but there are some scratches. Too bad we can’t scan for fingerprints, huh?”
Ryuji sighed.

“Yep… but Espio wears gloves so he couldn’t leave a print anyways.” I said in response.

“Have you guys ever seen him without those gloves?” Gold asked.

“Nah.” I replied.

“Nope, I don’t even know if he takes them off. If he keeps those on all the time, I’d hate to see
what his hands look like…” Ryuji shakes his head.

“Ugh… I don’t want to think about that, man.” I shudder a bit.

“Espio’s Kunai” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Espio’s Ninja Stars” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Okay, we’ve got a good amount of evidence, let’s go share what we have with the others.

________________________

< Ai’s POV >

“Alright, that’s enough for now. We can mourn more once the trial is finished.” I told Emma and
Ishigami as I stood back up.

I looked to Ishigami, whose face was still in fear and disbelief, “Hey, we’re gonna need your help
here. No slacking off alright? This is for Bernie.” I patted him on the back to get his attention.

“Yeah, for Bernie.” Emma clenched her fists.

She and I held our hands out to him, patiently waiting for him to grab them.
“..... If I have to. For Bernie.” He tries to respond in his usual manner, but his voice is still shaky.

Emma and I smile as we get him on his feet, let’s get started.

“Monokuma, the file!” I called out to the bear, but he didn't respond.

Hm? Is he ignoring us or…?

(Pretend he's just shocked and not balding)

I walk over to him and all he has is a shocked face, plus he’s not moving.

“Did it malfunction? If so, why isn’t there a clone popping up to replace him?” Ishigami waved his
hand in front of the robot bear’s face.
“Hm…” Emma goes over to him next, stopping right by his side.

She checks his face, but then looks up at the statue.

“I see, I see… There’s blood on the statue!” She points towards the spot, the statue’s left hand.

“Good eye, but what does that have to do with Monokuma going limp?” Ishigami asked as he lifted
the bear’s arm up and it just fell down.

“Hm… well, at least we have that piece of evidence. Since we can’t get a Monokuma file, it’s up
to us to find out when, where, and how our friends were killed. Those blood stains on the statue
give me a bit of an idea, but let’s check the bodies next to get more details.”

Ishigami loudly sighed at my explanation, “Well that’s just great, we have to do the work the bear
does for us. Whoop-de-freakin-do.”

“Stop complaining and look over the corpses with me.” I bluntly told him.

“Blood on Statue” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Ugh… this is something I definitely did not want to do in my life.” Ishigami was looking closely
at Bernadetta, while I had Espio.

Two stab wounds in the chameleon’s right hand and chest. It’s giving me flashbacks to when
Misato was killed, except it was the ninja that got slain by his own weapon. I could tell that the
chest wound was the deepest, so it was that wound that killed him. What about the second one on
his hand? Perhaps it was a way of weakening Espio…

“Espio’s Stab Wounds” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Eh?” I then heard Ishigami let out.

 “You got something?” Emma asked.

“It’s weird… Bernadetta’s covered in blood… but the only wound she has is on her forehead.”

“Huh?!” Emma let out in surprise.

I was shocked as well, “Wait, she doesn’t have anything else that has been bleeding?”

“Nope, it’s only Espio’s blood all over her.” He revealed.

“Oh my god… then it was blunt force trauma?!” Emma held her hand to her mouth.

“Maybe… or maybe we should go up there to see otherwise.” I suggested.

“Up? Up where?” Ishigami asked and I just pointed up at the statue, “Of course…”

There is one more thing I am curious about before we leave the bodies, why are they positioned
like that? Espio clutching Bernadetta, it’s almost like... he failed to save her.

“Bernadetta’s Head Wound” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Body Positioning” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook. (please
don’t take that Truth Bullet out of context)

Chapter End Notes

Okay, first things first, happy late birthday to Gold! Secondly, I’ve decided that I shall
rewrite the first chapter for Fictional Epicenter and adjust everything once Nexus has
concluded. Hope no one minds the new additions to the cast. If anyone’s curious as to
who the new characters are, just let me know. Also, this upcoming trial isn’t about
WHOdunnit, it’s HOW, I think it’s fitting for someone like Aoba personally. See you
all next time! Sorry for being so late with this by the way.
 Dawning of the Dead Part 6 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The team discover more evidence as the trial begins!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 5: Dawning of the Dead Part 6 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 7

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
3. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
4. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
5. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
6. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
7. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Ai’s POV >

“Hey Ai, before I forget!” Emma called me back over to Bernadetta’s body, “You see this hole
right here?”

Checking the small hood on her uniform reveals a rip in its fabric. It looks like there was some
kind of struggle that could have caused it to get damaged. It couldn’t have been ripped like this by
sheer pulling, so maybe the hole was made by some sharp object or weapon…

“Hole in Hood” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

I look around, trying to find some way up the Statue of Zetsubou until I spot an elevator right on its
left foot. How convenient.
Insert Song (before switching back to Ekoroshia): Dangan Ronpa! (Danganronpa: Trigger
Happy Havoc)

The elevator music was odd to be honest, Ishigami was bobbing his head to it though. Maybe he
heard it somewhere before. We reached the top of the statue, right on its crown where we can see
nearly all of the city from above. A good thing I’m not afraid of heights… although a drop from
this height sounds frightening.

“Whoooooooaaaaaa!!” Emma shouts out as she looks at the tremendous view. I forget that she’s
the youngest out of all of us.

“Careful now, or you might land on top of Bernie and Espio.” Ishigami says as he leans on a
guardrail… wait…

“Excuse me.” I gestured to him so he could move away from what I found.

Aha, this section of the railing has some blood on it. So Bernie and/or Espio must have been up
here around the time they were killed. For what reason though?

“Bloody Railing” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Hey! Over here, we got something.” Emma called me as Ishigami picked up something very
interesting.

“An e-Handbook?” I asked.

“Not just an e-Handbook. These things show us the name of the owner when you switch them on
so…” Ishigami clicks it on and lo and behold…

“‘ Aoba Kuronuma, Ultimate Manipulator. ’ as I expected. Something must have happened to make
him drop this.” I deduced.

“Yeah, and whatever happened made him not want to go back and pick it up. Couldn’t have gone
back to his room without it either, so where could he be?” Emma scratched the back of her head.
I’m stuck thinking about that as well, it’s got me paranoid.

“Aoba’s e-Handbook” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Two more pieces of evidence over here. Any idiot would just dismiss these as trash, but one
man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Or in this case, another man’s proof for a murder.” Ishigami
held up a piece of fabric and a torn bottom half of a note.

“All of this evidence was left in one place… either these murders were not well executed, or they
were left here on purpose. It can’t be this easy.” I say before observing them.

The white fabric looked familiar, and then that’s when I remembered the wound in Espio’s right
hand. This must be from his glove! Whatever caused that stab wound would obviously have to
have ripped through his glove.

“White Fabric” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

The torn page looks to be a result of Aoba trying to get rid of evidence, although he did not come
back to this location. If he had, then surely he would have picked up his e-Handbook. He must
have tried tearing it up as the murders took place.

Emma began to read through what was written on it.

“‘ the top of the Statue of Zetsubou at 11:45 pm. I’ve got the ****ter - Aoba ’ He must have lured
one of them to the top of the statue around that time, but just what did he have?”

“Don’t think we’ll find out anytime soon. That paper’s got a small hole through it, like when
you’re in a hurry to write something down on a test.”

“It must be something very important for one of them to have gone in the first place. Or maybe one
of them willingly went knowing that it was a trap…” Emma responded.
“Or it could be both, we can’t rule out any possibilities. There has to be other pieces of this letter
around somewhere, and perhaps the others have found them by now.” I stashed the paper away in
my blazer pocket.

“Ripped Page #3” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

*Ding dong, bing bong*

Time’s up, but Monokuma’s still not moving, isn’t he? So who—

“ Hello fellow citizens! It seems like the mayor isn’t in this afternoon, so it looks like I have to play
the part of his secretary.”

“Aoba!!” Emma shouted in anger.

I scowled as I saw him sitting down on Monokuma’s throne, running his hand through his dark
blue hair, ” I COULD have just left, but I tried turning in my card earlier and the bear didn’t take
it. The damn thing must be malfunctioning, why? The hell if I know, sooooo… it looks like I have to
endure another trial anyways.”

That makes sense, considering the state of Monokuma right now. Although it got me thinking
about his “Get Out of Trial Free” Card once more… maybe we could get a closer look at the card
during the trial to see why it wasn’t taken. It was also then that I noticed something on his wrist,
I’ve never seen him with that watch before...

“Get Out of Trial Free Card” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Aoba’s Watch” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“I’m fine with that though, I just want to see if I really will win after all that effort. You’ve seen the
bodies, gathered the clues, and now you have your weapons against me. Miles, Gold, Ryuji,
Emma, Ishigami…. And you especially, Ai. I can’t wait to see what kind of execution Monokuma
has lined up for you, this time making sure you stay dead. Ha ha…”
“....” I didn’t say a word when he switched off the message in my handbook.

“Ai?” Emma stepped forward towards me.

“Let’s finish this.” I told the two of them as I walked towards the elevator.

“Right! Yu—I mean Ishigami, are you coming?” Emma asked him as he let out a heavy sigh.

“If we have to. And uh… don’t call me by my first name please.” He joins us in the elevator.

“Ehehehe~, sorry!” She smiles awkwardly.

I grin at their little back and forth, it seems like he’s opened up to her at least a bit. We made it
back to the ground and right away we spotted the others. Gold and Ryuji struggle not to throw up
when Miles puts them down.

“Yo! We’ve got our evidence!” Miles waves at us.

“So do we!” Emma greets him.

“I assume you two managed to get some work done?” I walked forward towards Gold.

“Of course! Who do you take us for, idiots?” Gold tried whipping out his e-Handbook to show his
evidence, but it slipped out of his hands and onto the ground.

“I do, but I appreciate that you helped. Thank you.” I laughed a bit before giving him a genuine
smile.

“U-um, no problem Flower Gal! Now let’s head to the courtroom!”

Gold awkwardly laughed as I went over to Ryuji, “How’s the wound been treating you?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s been good, just need to not get anymore injuries like that or I could be done for!”
Ryuji reassures me.

“Don’t jinx it, don’t want to lose another person.” I told him seriously.

“Yeah, yeah…” He replied.

Miles then showed us the evidence all three of them gathered: The weapons, the other torn pages,
and Monokuma’s catatonic state. I thanked them for their work before all of us went to the subway
towards Enoshima Park, well, after taking the boat first. It takes forever to traverse this city now.

We finally made it to the elevator, before we felt uneasy due to not knowing who it could possibly
be. The last time we were here however, it was just sadness and confusion. All of us did not want
what happened to be reality, yet we had to accept it. Today we know who it is once more, but we
refuse to go down without a fight.

Bernadetta von Varley, Espio The Chameleon…. For their sake, we descended to the trial grounds.

The doors open, and there he sits like a traitor who just seized a throne for himself. He’s clearly
annoyed at not being able to just leave without being sure. He steps forward to take his place with
the rest of us.

Aoba Kuronuma, you will lose!

TRIAL

ALL RISE!

“Okay, you lot, shoot your shots and try not to miss.” Aoba scoffed at us.

“Don’t worry about us pal, we’ve got plenty of bullets in our… whatever you keep bullets in!”
Ryuji tried to talk back, but failed.
“Yeah you tell him, Sakamoto…” Ishigami snarked.

“To make this fair, I’ll answer any questions you may have with complete honesty.” Aoba raises a
finger while making his point.

“How do we know THAT’S not a lie?” Miles stares with distrusting eyes.

Aoba turned to him, “I don’t really have anything to hide, I just want to see if you can just piece it
all together before I get bored and call the bear to take me home. Although I’ll only give you all
only one single hint, and it’s all you from here: I only killed one of them.”

I could hear a couple of gasps as our first debate began.

Non-Stop Debate

Insert Song: Discussion -HEAT UP- [3rd Mix] (Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony)

“For real?! Only one of them?” Ryuji let out that phrase he keeps using.

Emma pondered, “He did say he wasn’t going to lie, but...”

“He’s probably lying about not lying, we know his schtick by now guys.” Gold held his pool cue
over his shoulders, barely missing Ishigami.

“Watch where you point that thing, will you?”

Ryuji stared holes at Aoba, “Yeah, I don’t buy it… for all we know he could have been targeting
both of them! ”

Incorrect.
“ No, that’s wrong! ”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Ripped Page #2

“We’ve collected three pieces of this note addressed to one of our victims. Written in this section of
the ripped page, it says to ‘come alone’, if he was after both of them he wouldn’t have written that
down.” I explained.

“Yeah, it’s like the saying goes, three’s a crowd.” Miles nodded.

“Only one target… so it had to have been Bernadetta, right?” Ishigami guesses.

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking…” I agreed.

“ I ain’t buying it! ”

ARGUE

“Nah, I’m not convinced he didn’t lure both of ‘em there. If Aoba was just going for one, then how
did the other victim get there too?” Gold questioned.

I think I’ve already got what I need to shut his mouth.

Rebuttal Showdown

“Both Espio and Bernadetta were together back there, right? Aoba probably made another note
somewhere and we just didn’t find it yet! Two notes to lure them over there, done and done!” He
cockily rubbed the spot under his nose and above his mouth.

“How can you be so sure that BOTH of them would have been fooled by it?” I rolled my eyes at
him.

“How can YOU be so sure that they WOULDN’T?! You never know, like what if they just
believed it? Heh heh, I’ve already got it all worked out in my head! And if it was only one note,
then this one could have easily been reused for both of them !

“ Cutting-into the contradictions!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Blade Used: Ripped Page #1

You really need to work on your arguments, Gold…

“Well Gold, in case you forgot, there’s two other pages here besides the one I already showed
you.”

“Yeah? What about them?” He replied, not knowing what I was getting at.

I sighed, “You saw Miles receive one of them from diving by the boat, sorry about that by the
way.”

“Eh, it was for the trial, no biggie.” Miles shrugged it off.

“So on that part of the page, it may be hard to decipher due to the water but… from what I can tell,
you could barely make out a single name near the top of it.”
“Huh?! That’s it? That could be anyone, or it could be nothing at al—”

Emma spoke up next, “Even taking that page out of account, there’s still one more that could help
determine it once and for all. The third page!”

Truth Bullet Selected: Ripped Page #3

“Right, that one has Aoba claiming that he has taken something from his target. Whatever it is
could lead us to who he had in mind.” I looked at Aoba as I finished.

I see Gold attempting to say something again, but then Aoba raises a finger, “Before you embarrass
yourself again, I’ll just say that yes, there is only that one note. It’s a lot harder if you try to go for
two murders in one go, even if you have a card like mine. I would not do the same thing with Alice
either, since you’d already figure out it was me. There. Aren’t. Two. Notes.”

He looked really annoyed at Gold for even speaking his mind, I was too somewhat but still… Aoba
looks to be losing his patience with us.

The feeling couldn’t be any more mutual.

I begin to recollect what either of them had access to in order to figure out the one he lured to the
top of the Statue of Zetsubou.

Hangman’s Gambit

____TER

If we’re right about this, then it had to have been Bernadetta. I can also assume that Aoba must
have chosen an item that not only affects her, but also affects us as well. A simple lost item is
troublesome, but if it causes discourse among the rest of us…

The one thing that Bernadetta had access to… that could have been beneficial to us. One thing
 came to mind, and that’s when I gasped.

HAMSTER

“It was Maga Z… the hamster that was delivering messages to Gundham!” I accused Aoba.

“WHAT?!” I hear multiple people exclaim.

“...” Aoba didn’t answer.

“Dude, that could have been another chance of getting the hell outta here! But you just had to take
the coward’s way out, huh? Finding another way to keep us trapped here so you could take
advantage of that freaking card!” Ryuji was livid.

“Alright pal, where is it? I’m gonna get Pibu to shock ya ‘til you’re extra crispy, if you don’t tell
us!” Gold pointed his pool cue right at him but he was unphased by his threat.

I can feel the tension getting higher and higher, at this rate those two will start attacking him before
we can get the entire truth out. I’m actually the most angry at him out of all of us, but this needs to
be done the right way.

Just keep pressing forward until we find the truth.

Chapter End Notes

So close to the end of this chapter… are you guys ready? I sure as hell am. I wonder
what’s up with Monokuma though? We’ll probably find out soon.
 Dawning of the Dead Part 7 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The trial continues, can our team find out Aoba's plan?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 5: Dawning of the Dead Part 7 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 7

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!): Ultimate Manipulator
3. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
4. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
5. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
6. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
7. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Ai’s POV >

CITY TRIAL RESUME

“....”

Aoba remained silent, despite how rowdy Gold and Ryuji were getting. It’s just like what happened
during Shantae’s trial. My fists were clenched, I couldn’t believe what we just found out. But that’s
just it… I don’t believe it.

“C’mon, cough it up. Tell us where that damn hamster is!” Ryuji shouts at him once more.

“Well here’s the thing...” Aoba began.

“He lied to Bernie.” And I finished.

“WHAT?!” Gold let out.

“True… he was just looking to lure her out. If he had to actually capture the hamster then he would
have to go into Bernadetta’s room.”

“That’s right, and with the way she’s been acting lately, she wouldn’t even let anyone in! Much
less Aoba.” Emma hit the nail on the head.

“Bingo.” Aoba nodded once at our claims.

“C’mon man… How can we even be so sure?” Gold asked, frustrated.

“It’s because he has nothing to hide, we’re just putting it all together. He wants us to figure it all
out, all for it to be pointless since he’s leaving anyway.” Miles stated.

“I guess… although he could just tell us what happened, even if he isn’t lying.” Ryuji sighed.

“The reason we’re still doing this is to see what can be used to prevent him from winning.
Loopholes and stuff, you know? Anyways, we wasted a lot of time, we need to talk about how they
died.” Ishigami has really managed to step up, impressive.

“Right… From what I could tell, there was definitely some kind of struggle on top of the Statue of
Zetsubou. It was the place Aoba told Bernie to meet her.” I introduced our next topic.

“Hold on, we still haven’t figured out how Espio got there. Or if he was there in the first place,
instead of just at the bottom of the statue.” Miles interrupted.

I thought for a moment before choosing what my answer was, “Hm… I think the most likely
scenario was that he saw Bernie heading to the statue in the middle of the night. He followed her
out of fear for her life. As for the proof of him being there…”
I whipped out my e-Handbook and showed it to everyone.

Truth Bullet Selected: White Fabric

“This piece of cloth can be directly matched with Espio’s white gloves.” I pointed at the screen.

“Okay… but why would Espio be out at night in the first place?” Gold asked.

It hit me then that Espio was out there to discuss the mastermind’s identity with me. I quickly dash
the thought of our meeting being the reason for his death, it was his own decision. I will stay silent
on the matter for now.

“Ugh, guess an answer for that won’t show up anytime soon. Now let’s talk about what happened
on the statue.” Gold shrugged it off.

Non-Stop Debate

“Okay, so Aoba must have waited there at the top for her…” Emma began to think of the scenario
aloud.

“Him and Bernadetta most likely took the same elevator we used during the investigation. The
latter arrives, and Aoba makes his move.” Ishigami looks over the evidence.

Ryuji is next, “And then, Espio shows up to make the save! Wait… how was he not able to save
her, isn’t he fast or something?”

Emma then suggested something, “Maybe Aoba restrained him?”

That’s it!
“I agree with that!”

CONSENT

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Espio’s Stab Wounds

“I do agree that Espio is quite quick, but something must have been done to make sure he can’t
interfere. Something like… his hand being stabbed!” I told the group.

“Oh right! He has two stab wounds, one in the chest, and one on his right hand!” Emma recalls.

“And that’s exactly what caused his glove to rip and leave a piece of fabric. We’re really figuring
it all out!” Miles grinned.

“You make me sick...”

ARGUE

Aoba glares at us as we turn to him after his response.

“I assume you have a rebuttal?” I asked.

“Not really, I just want to see if you’re on the right path. I’m tired of standing here listening to you
all, and I thought it would have been fun to watch you squirm. I might as well contribute to make
this trial end faster, so tell me, how can a single stab wound hinder Espio?”

Rebuttal Showdown

Time to cut down his words.

“He’s the Ultimate Ninja, correct? Then someone like him could just shake off injuries and carry
on with their work.” He smirks.

“There’s a difference between injuries and open wounds, y’know?” I bite back.

“Despite that, you know what wasn’t hurting? His legs, which could allow him to run over and
take care of me in time. Espio was still capable without his right hand.”

There’s the opening.

“Cutting-into the contradictions!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Blade Used: Bloody Railing

“You want that proof? Here it is, his hand was stabbed into the guard railing, leaving him stuck
until he can pull out whatever he was stabbed with.”

“Hmph.” Aoba scoffed.

“Ouch man, that really sounds like it hurts!” Gold cringed.

“Of course it does, getting stabbed isn’t exactly fun, y’know?!” Ryuji yelled.

“Really painful image aside, I know just what was used to stab that hand. It also is the most likely
weapon to deal the killing blow in his chest too!” Miles whips out his e-Handbook and points.
Truth Bullet Selected: Kunai

“The second time this weapon has been used in a murder…” I shook my head at how we came full
circle since the first trial.

“Okay… we’ve figured out quite a bit of what happened on the top of the statue. But… the
question is, how did both of the bodies end up at the bottom in the first place?” Emma ponders.

Non-Stop Debate

“They had to have gotten there somehow...” Emma continues thinking.

Ishigami gets interrupted by Ryuji then, “I got it! Bernadetta ended up falling off and Espio
dived after her!”

“Come on, that can’t be right. Aoba probably dragged their bodies down the elevator, and
cleaned up the blood trail!” Gold confidently smirks.

One of them is right, and I know just who that is.

“ I agree! ”

CONSENT

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Placement of the Bodies

“Ryuji, you had a good look at how the bodies were placed, right?" I asked.

“Yeah! Espio’s holding Bernie, and they’re both covered in blood. Wait… did I get it right?!”
I nodded politely at him.

“Hell yeah!” He exclaimed.

“Don’t get cocky now, Sakamoto. There’s still a lot we need to discuss.” Ishigami stated.

“Can’t you just let me have this? Freaking killjoy…” Ryuji slouches.

I shook my head, “Anyways, Espio is seen here clutching Bernie closely, and he has a solemn
expression on his face. Something that leaves him feeling such sorrow, would be failing to save a
friend. Even after breaking free of being stabbed with his own kunai in his hand, he was just too
late...”

“Yes yes, very sad. Now then, you’re so close to having it all wrapped up. But first, there’s
somethings left on the table, how did Bernadetta die? And which one of them did I kill?” Aoba
puts forward some new questions.

“I’m REALLY doubting that you killed only one of them from the way things are lining up, pal!”
Gold grit his teeth at him.

“Keep denying all you want, it’s the truth. Nothing can change that.” He switched his tone from
uncaringly sadistic, to not taking any shit.

How did Bernadetta die? Ishigami and Emma discovered some information that can help us here.

Non-Stop Debate

“A fall from that height only means one thing, you go splat.” Ryuji grimaced.

“Don’t say it like that!” Emma scolded him.

“S-Sorry! But it’s true, no one could fall that high and not end up as a pile of—”

“Please stop, you’re going to make me vomit… and I already had to investigate the bodies...”
Ishigami covers his mouth as he looks nauseous.

“So… it’s decided then? Bernadetta died from the fall? I mean she was covered in all of that
blood...” Miles asked.

“Yeah, now let’s stop talking about gross stuff, please?” Gold shuddered.

Don’t worry guys, I’ll change the subject.

“No, that’s wrong!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Bernadetta’s Head Wound

“Bernadetta wasn’t killed by the fall itself, I believe Espio actually caught her before she hit the
ground.” I share what I believe is the case.

“Huh?! What do you mean? She fell off the statue, didn’t she?” Ryuji was confused by my
statement.

“She was also drenched in blood when we found her, you mean it’s not hers?” Miles asked.

“Exactly, she only had one head wound and nothing else on her body.” I nodded.

“Yup, you have me to thank for that. That blood’s all from Espio’s chest.” Ishigami raised his hand
nonchalantly.
“Then… does that mean it was blunt force trauma to the head? Then what was it that killed her?”
Gold questioned.

Emma then gasped, “Hold on, I remembered something!”

“What is it?” I turned to her as she whipped out her handbook, I knew exactly what she was going
for.

“It’s this!”

Truth Bullet Selected: Blood on Statue

“Bernie did fall and hit something… but it wasn’t the ground. It was the statue!” Emma exclaimed.

I visualized the scene in my head, I got instant chills. She was dead before she even hit the ground,
as if I couldn’t feel more sorry for her….

“And another reason it couldn’t be the fall is what you said earlier Ryuji, Espio dived after her. He
could have landed on his feet and caught her easily, you can see why he’s the Ultimate Ninja in
that regard. Yet, it wouldn’t have mattered, since she already died.” I sighed in frustration.

I then started to think about Espio, how he had been behaving as of late. He believed that he had
kept failing us, due to not investigating, as well as preventing many of the murders. The one event
that broke him was being informed of Trunks and Killua’s duel, and removing Emma and I from
the stadium to prevent us from interfering. So… maybe after Aoba tossed Bernadetta off the statue
and he couldn’t save her…

“Ha ha ha ha, what’s the gloomy look there, Ai? Don’t tell me, you’ve come up with something
else about what happened, huh? Why don’t you look at your evidence first before sharing with the
rest of us, eh?” Aoba chuckled.

“Tch… okay Aoba… tell me if I’m right or wrong here. Was the one you killed Bernadetta, and
did Espio off himself?”
“A-Another suicide?!” Emma shouted.

“I mean… I wouldn’t put it past him, Bernie was so innocent. That’s why I tried to give my life up
for her.” Ryuji looked down, remembering his earlier sacrifice.

“The guy was looking even more depressed than the rest of us, I saw it when we were paired up for
The Gauntlet. I just didn’t think much of it.” Gold looked uncertain there.

“After Sucy, I’m not surprised that the killing game got to him. What I am surprised about is that
those of us here haven’t lost hope.” Ishigami states.

“Hold on… Aoba hasn't answered yet. Really fishy…” Miles senses something’s up.

“Spit it out, a simple yes or no.” I changed my tone, but he still just stared at me with disdain.

It looks like it’s pointless to even ask him, he’s really leaving it all for us to solve on our own.
What haven’t we touched on yet?

...Hold on, there’s one possibility. Hearing the others talk about Espio has gotten some gears in my
head to begin turning. I… don’t want to even think of this happening, but how else can we continue
with the trial? I’m sorry everyone.

Failing to save someone is one thing…

Causing their death however… that can put him over the edge.

Non-Stop Debate

“Just say something, Aoba! We don’t have all day!” Gold shouted at him.

“...”
“Did Espio kill himself or not?!” Emma pointed as she continued to press him for the truth.

“You sick son of a bitch… if you don’t answer now, I’ll kick your ass!” Ryuji threatened him.

“...”

“Time’s up! Pibu, start charging up!” Pibu hopped onto Gold’s shoulder and began charging
electricity.

“He did… didn’t he?” Emma gripped her fists.

“No, that’s wrong.”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Ninja Stars

“What? Ai, what do you mean by ‘that’s wrong’?” Emma shakily asked.

“.........” I didn’t want to say it, it just felt painful.

“It makes sense, doesn’t it? Bernie was his target, and Espio felt bad that he couldn’t save her.
That’s it… right? Right?! RIGHT?!” Gold repeated himself as I tried to form my words.

“Wait… I can tell something’s wrong. You’re crying.” Miles noticed the tears coming out of both
my eyes, which I wiped away quickly.
Ishigami looked at Aoba for a second, and his eyes widened, “You’re smiling. That definitely
means she discovered something you wanted her to find. Antagonist vibes radiating off of him.”

Aoba then turned to me, “He’s right. Now say it.”

“...... Even if Espio’s right hand was hurt, he still had his left. His kunai aren’t the only weapons he
has, you found some more by the boat, right Gold, Ryuji?”

“R-Right.” Gold said again.

“If Espio’s kunai went missing, he still had another weapon he could rely on, ninja stars. There’s
also something else that’s been bothering me about Bernadetta’s corpse.”

Truth Bullet Selected: Hole in Hood

“A hole in the hood of her uniform. A scratch on one of the ninja stars.”

Emma’s eyes got more intense, “Please, it can’t—”

“Lo and behold…” Aoba began.

“Espio tossed his stars at Aoba… but Bernadetta’s hood got caught instead.” I finished.

“He breaks free of the kunai, jumps after her after the ninja star drags her off the statue, and
catches her. He discovers she’s already gone, and the story ends, with me taking his life with his
own weapon. The same one that Kaiba ended Misato with in fact.” Aoba explained.

I could hear the others in disbelief. Heads shaking, denial in their mumbling, emotional pain
visible on their faces. Gold was crying, Ryuji was pounding his part of the wooden stand with his
fist, Ishigami simply looked down, Miles was trying to think of an alternative scenario, and Emma
was speechless. And while all that was going on…

“Ha ha ha ha… AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!” Aoba guffawed loudly at our expense.

His laugh was grating to hear, and it was starting to get to everyone else as well. We managed to
figure out the entire event that transpired, and for what?

Was there really nothing we could do?

……………..

……………..

……………..

No, there’s a few more rounds left to fire. I can’t let them down.

Trunks’s face appears in my mind, allowing me to remember his last words….. The first shot is
right here!

Truth Bullet Selected: Get Out of Trial Free Card

“Anyways.... Before we continue, I have two questions for you, Aoba.” I said to him, feeling
nothing but disgust towards him.

Everyone else then snapped out of their state of hopelessness as soon as they heard me. Here goes
nothing.

“Hm? Fire away, lightning rod.”

I gripped my fists very hard at that remark, but then I took a deep breath.

“Number 1, where did you get that watch?” I asked him politely, despite my seething on the inside.
“Oh this? Someone left it here in a box addressed to me. No idea who it could be honestly.” He
answered calmly.

“Really now? May I take a quick look at it?” I asked and he complied.

“Try not to mess it up, I find it quite nice on me.” He warned me and I ignored him.

“Uh… Ai, what does that have to do with—”

“Shhh!” Emma puts her hand over Gold’s mouth as I studied the silver watch.

“ 2:05 pm. I see... ” I thought to myself as I handed him the watch back.

“I assume you weren’t observing it because of its looks. Better hope what you found was useful.
Now your second question?” He cleaned the watch before reattaching it to his left wrist.

“Right, can I look over your ‘Get Out of Trial Free Card’?”

“Hmph, what’s next, patting me down to check for weapons?” Aoba rolled his eyes at me as he
passed the card.

“Considering all that you’ve done, that’s not completely out of the question.” Ishigami said bluntly.

I silently agreed with him as I read through the instructions on the card. They were ridiculously
small, probably to make it difficult for anyone to even notice, but I managed to make out most of it.

One thing caught my eye though… and it ties in with what I suspected with Aoba’s watch as well.
The others noticed how sure of myself I looked and they nodded towards me, almost like they’re
telling me to “Go for it!”.

I better not keep them waiting then, let’s take that leap of faith.
Truth Bullet Selected: Catatonic Monokuma

“So you were saying earlier that for some reason Monokuma didn’t accept your card. When we
encountered him earlier today, he wasn’t moving, only a shocked expression on his face.” I
recalled for everyone to hear.

“T-That’s right! Robo-Teddiursa’s offline! But uh… why is that important exactly?” Gold
scratched his head.

“Normally if another Monokuma is down, then a clone would pop up right? We’ve only seen one
Monokuma lately, something’s up.” Miles raised one finger to emphasize his point.

“I think I get what Ai is saying… the mastermind must have prevented Aoba from turning in the
card purposely. Did you do anything else?” Emma asked him.

“No, after stabbing Espio, I went to Monokuma. He popped up, I tried handing it to him, but he
didn’t take it. Just stood there and looked dumbfounded. Tried it again in the morning before you
all found the bodies, but he was still there.” Aoba rolled his eyes, annoyed.

“I see… now I’m sure I got it. Something went wrong.” A smile returned to Emma’s face.

“Excuse me, what are you saying? Of course something went wrong, I can’t even turn in my damn
card! I should be out of here by now, and the rest of you are executed.” Aoba furrows his
eyebrows.

“Well Aoba old pal… from what I can tell, you’re screwed.” Ryuji gives a sharp, shark-like, smirk
to Aoba.

“Aw man… Guess Flower Gal’s the one calling the shots, oh well. I’m behind her all the way,
right Pibu?”

“Pichu! Pichu!” Gold pats his Pokémon with a smile.

“Tch, you all recovered fast from learning what really happened. You’ve collected all the evidence
needed to end the trial already, why are you all so eccentric all of a sudden?” Aoba was taken
aback by our behavior.

“Because we know it was YOUR fault that both died in the first place. Plus, your actions
contributed to many of our friends' deaths, not just the victims here. Of course we’re putting all our
odds on what we have left, just so you can go down!” Miles quipped.

“Even if we’re going down, might as well.” Ishigami said bluntly.

“Now that we’re all in agreement, let me read aloud what I found on your card.” I cleared my
throat before beginning, “Whoever redeems this opportunity will be able to exit Monocity after
killing one of their fellow citizens. However, they must commit their crime by midnight of the day
they choose to redeem it, or else they would have to try again.

“That is… oddly specific.” Ishigami tilted his head in confusion.

“Okay? But I managed to complete that task before that occurred. I timed it correctly.” Aoba just
looked more flustered.

“Really now? What exactly did you use to do that?” I ask with a smug expression.

“This of course! The watch I showed you earlier, why are you asking me questions that have such
obvious answers!” He’s really getting mad now.

“That watch, huh? You do realize that sometimes they’re not always set up exactly when you first
get them, right? You might need to adjust for time zones, daylight savings, etc…” Miles snarked.

“Okay Spiderboy—”

Miles interrupted him, “It’s Spider-Man, and also I could tell you didn’t even say Spider-Boy with
a hyphen in there.”

“WHATEVER. The watch was an easier way to check, regardless of complete accuracy.
Especially since I—”
“Since you lost this?” Ishigami whipped out Aoba’s e-Handbook nonchalantly.

Truth Bullet Selected: Aoba’s e-Handbook

“T-That’s my—”

“You must have dropped it when Espio threw those stars at you, before they caught Bernie. Pretty
stupid if you ask me, ha!” Ryuji laughed.

“Ughhhh, what does it matter! I still had my watch on me, so I could still use it to time my murder
correctly! I WIN.” Aoba slams his wooden stand in rage.

“We’ve got him, can you allow me to do the honors?” Emma asked me.

I nodded yes.

Panic Talk Action

“IDIOTS, ALL OF YOU!! YOU DON’T KNOW A DAMN THING!! A BUNCH OF

SICKENING INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN’T JUST TAKE A LOSS!”

He’s shouting really loud, nothing close to Tatsumi level, but still…. Maybe I could take my
zombie ears off so he would be on mute.

“I’VE COME THIS FAR BECAUSE I COULD NOT STAND TO LIVE IN THIS HELLHOLE
FOR ANOTHER DAY! STUCK WITH FREAKS WHO ARE THE EXACT REASON WHY I
HATE HUMANITY!! A LOUDMOUTH SKATER BOY AND HIS STUPID RAT…

“Hey…” Gold holds Pibu back from charging at him.

“A DELINQUENT WITH DYED HAIR WHO SPITS VULGARITY WITH EVERY

SENTENCE…”

“You know what, FUCK YOU TOO MAN!” Ryuji felt offended by that.

“A BRAT WITH ANTENNA HAIR AND ANNOYING JOYFUL ATTITUDE…”

Emma played with her ahoge after hearing him.

“HUMAN GARBAGE PERSONIFIED…”

“Ouch…” Ishigami steps back quite a bit, and I don’t blame him.

“A FREAKISH TEENAGER THAT STICKS TO WALLS AND SHOOTS… WHATEVER THE

HELL THAT IS OUT OF HIS BODY…”

“It’s actually done with web shooters here on my wri—”

“I DON’T GIVE A SHIT!! And you…” His words softened as he got to me next, “A charred,
rotting pile of bandages that should have been left buried in the ground. Or in Japan, cremated to
finish the job the lightning couldn’t…”

His words meant nothing to me anymore, it was all just the rambling of a guy who made the killing
game what it was. Other than the mastermind of course.

“If you got something to say, SPIT IT THE HELL OUT!!! I timed everything correctly, my
murder was completed before midnight!

“This should prove you wrong!” Emma exclaimed as the final piece of evidence reared its head.

Truth Bullet Used: Aoba’s Watch

BREAK!!
“If you really did kill Espio on time, prove it. What’s the time right now?” Emma pointed at his
watch.

“Are… are you serious?” He uttered, out of breath after his tantrum.

“We are, now tell us. Don’t… take your time now.” I giggled a bit.

“Huff… huff…. Fine!” Aoba looks at his watch and responds immediately, “4:00 pm.”

“... Ha ha…. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!” Emma let out a big laugh after realizing what he just said
there.

“What’s… so… funny, kid?” Aoba continued to breathe heavily.

“Aoba, you should really learn not to drop your things, they would have helped you double check.”

Emma gets handed Aoba’s handbook from Ishigami, and she turns it around.

The time… 4:05 pm. 5 minutes ahead of his watch.

Aoba crumbled to the ground, exhausted.

“..... Just end it already. Summarize, then vote.”

“You think you’ve gotten everything from the case, everyone?” I asked my friends, they nodded in
agreement, “Good, let’s do this one as a team then!”

“Right!” Everyone said at once.

“Here’s everything that happened in this case!”

Closing Argument

(Insert Song: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Re: Climax Return)

Miles stepped forward, “I’ll take the first shot! The killer first wrote a note to Bernadetta, lying
that they managed to capture Maga-Z to lure her out. She went alone, but Espio wound up
following her.”

Gold was next, “Shy Violet Girl made it to the top of the statue, and Ninja Lizard joined them and
attacked our murderer! Buuuut he ends up stuck to a railing with his own weapon, irony…”

Ryuji joined in, “However, the dude’s got his left hand free. His tosses ninja stars at our culprit, but
they end up dragging poor Bernie off the statue instead. While dodging the stars, the culprit
dropped his e-Handbook at the scene of the crime too. Very careless...”

Ishigami reviewed what was left before saying his piece, “Her forehead collided with the statue
itself, killing her before she could hit the ground. Espio manages to break free and dive after her,
but by the time he landed it was too late.”

Emma concludes the events that transpired, “While Espio mourned over his failure, our blackened
took the ninja’s weapon and drove it into his chest. But unbeknownst to him, he himself was too
late, killing our friends five minutes after his time ran out.”

“The Ultimate Manipulator has finally fallen! Aoba Kuronuma, you are our guilty party!”

COMPLETE!

The votes were cast, and even he voted for himself.

Aoba has accepted defeat, we have won.

But… somehow, I don’t feel satisfied.

TRIAL END

ALL RISE!

Aoba sighs heavily, “Now where’s that goddamn bear? He should have been here by now.”

“Hold on just a moment. We may have managed to reveal everything with the murder, but you
haven’t told us what happened before Espio showed up.” I walk up to him, all business.

“If you really want to know… Bernadetta didn’t believe me for a second. She just followed my
instructions just to call me out. ‘Why did you do such terrible things?’ is pretty much what she had
been saying the entire time. But… she did tell me that she already sent Maga-Z back to Tanaka
with her final message.”

Final message… She knew she was going to die.

“She knew I wanted to kill her, but she thought that she’d be better off dead. Especially with the
way she reacted to you, Ai, she felt really bad about not talking to you after I revealed you were a
zombie. I just reacted the way I always did to everything she told me, except for two things.”

Great, I went from feeling empty from victory to mourning over my friend once more.

“The first thing… she asked if I did bad things to make myself feel good. If I enjoyed hurting
others…. I didn’t.”

His words shocked us all, and to be honest… I believed him.

“Sure, I am a masochist, but I just did all of this because I had to. Humans tend to do cruel things to
others because they are weak, believing that inspiring fear in others would make them seem
powerful. It doesn’t, but they do it anyway, my brother was like that. That’s just a big reason why I
hate humanity…. As well as myself…. I actually told her this crap too, since she was going to die
anyway.”
Aoba… had tears in his eyes. Different from when he told me why he hated humanity.

I couldn’t ever forgive him, but Aoba Kuronuma… he was just desperate. Nothing changes what he
had done to all of us, to our dead friends, but regardless he’s not COMPLETELY at fault.

It’s all the fault of Monokuma… and the mastermind. And speak of the devil…

“Konkuma, konkuma, konkuma! Danganronpa, 54th generation, Monokuma, kuma!”

“It looks like you won’t hear what else me and the recluse discussed. But I assume you’ll find out
soon enough. What took you so long?” Aoba walked forward to Monokuma.

“Copies of me aren’t cheap, y’know! It’s not like I can just reproduce them like a legion of drones
in a church! Anywho, are you here for your punishment rulebreaker?” Monokuma guffaws like
he usually does.

“I am… wait, rulebreaker?” Aoba asked.

“Yeah, it was your actions that led to MY PRECIOUS STATUE getting blood all over it!
Remember what was stated in Rule #5?”

I clicked on my e-Handbook and looked at the rule once more.

“Rule #5: Violence against mayor Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance
cameras and vandalizing landmarks.”

“WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT…. So, you’re gonna punish him just because of your goddamn statue
getting tainted?!” Ryuji’s voice echoed.

“Of course! Why else would I execute him, did I miss anything?” The bear tilted his head.

“We just went… through all of that… FOR NOTHING?!” Aoba yelled.
“Uh… yes?”

I…. I just can’t stomach this.

“Just kill me now.” Aoba falls flat on his back.

“You got it! Now then, I’ve prepared a VERY special punishment for Aoba Kuronuma, the
Ultimate Manipulator! Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!”
Monokuma said his usual schtick, as the rest of us were just filling up with rage.

“Hey Ai, Bernadetta also wanted to return these. Just couldn’t get the chance to. Farewell, and…
send the mastermind to her special place in hell.”

Aoba tossed out my missing yellow flower earrings, the ones I lost during the battles with
Mechamaru in The Gauntlet.

Monokuma hits the button with his gavel, and Aoba is dragged to the execution room.

Complete silence as we witness his demise.

GAME OVER

AOBA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

Aoba awakens in his home from when he was a child, and he looks over to see the door to his room
open. A man with long slicked back hair, a burn scar on the right of his face, and sunglasses as
well.

It was an image of his brother Ran Izumi, who clutched a sledgehammer in his hands and wore an
evil grin on his face.
Execution: Brotherly Love

The whole process was simple, but the… execution was carried out slowly and painfully. Aoba is
paralyzed by fear, which his big bro takes advantage of.

First was a shot to the stomach with the sledgehammer’s handle. That brings Aoba to his knees. A
strike with the bottom of the handle to the skull managed to get the blood running down his face.
To prevent his brother from getting up, Ran went for Aoba’s legs next. He screams as his bones
shatter, leaving him unable to stand on his own two feet. Ran turned to leave, but not before
stomping away on Aoba’s spine and left arm. He laughs maniacally as he waves his baby bro
goodbye.

Aoba begins to use his one working arm to crawl his way out of the room… but by the time he
made it to the door, it was set aflame. The fire spread throughout the room as Aoba’s crimson red
face could only watch.

“Ran” then took off the outfit revealing himself to be Monokuma, as the fire continued to burn.
The walls of the room then collapse, to reveal…

Aoba’s charred remains.

____________________

“...”

“WAHOO!! EXTREME!! I really needed that. And what a way to go, huh? Huh? Huh?”
Monokuma waddled into the center of us all.

“...”

“Eh? Hey Mizuno, zombie dog got your tongue? Figuratively, literally, or both?” Monokuma
approached me, I was just kneeling on the cold floor.

“C’mon, talk to me! That’s a…. wrap for the trial! Don’t ya feel great, you just took down your
worst enemy! And the rest of you aren’t going to kill each other, so the game is over! You win!”
Did I now? Ha ha…

“You all get to stay here and live out the rest of your lives, friends ‘til the end! Puhuhuhu~.”

“...”

“Uh… cornflakes, can you hear me? Mummy girl? Popcorn hair? Extra crispy idol?”

He repeatedly bonked my head with that gavel of his as he continued to insult me.

…..

Fuck it.

WHAM!!!

I took the gavel, and swung it into Monokuma’s head. It soars all the way over to the center of our
trial stands.

“WHAT?!” Gold almost lost his footing.

“A-A-A-AI?!” Emma stuttered.

“What… what did you just do?” Ishigami looked over at the Monokuma head, as the left red eye
went dark.

I don’t care about this game anymore, this city. I am getting everyone out.

I stomp my foot into the ground as I prepared my lungs, “I know who you are behind the cameras,
I read through the book of past killing game participants. I saw that piece of the boat, and I know
that the killer from the first trial wasn’t who he said he was.”
“C-Calm down for a second!” Miles put his hand on my shoulder.

“Come out, you need to punish me for attacking the mayor, correct? Reveal yourself…
SHIROGANE!!”

It was then that I heard machinery whirring, Monokuma’s head fell through a trap door as a small
platform rose at the center of the trial room.

“What a stupid move to make, Mizuno. Screwing the rules is MY job.”

“K-KAIBA?!” Ryuji reacted in surprise.

“No, it’s not him. The footage I’ve looked at has him acting more intelligent than he was back
during the first trial. He wouldn’t have chosen to kill so early without a well constructed plan….
This is cosplay.” I revealed.

“Cos… play?” Emma tilted her head at that word.

“Ugh, you’re no fun!” “Kaiba” said before revealing his true identity.

Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer.

“W-Who’s this chick?!” Gold actually fell this time.

“That would take a lot of backstory, and to be frank, this chapter has gone on long enough. So I’ll
just take this idol and be on my way!” Her high pitch voice rings out as a chain shoots out and
grabs my neck.

A few more chain my other body parts down, so I couldn’t just have them pop off like the zombie I
am.

“Ack!” I cry out.

“Ai! GAH!” Ryuji ended up running into the wooden stand.

“Oh ho ho, careful! You shouldn’t put more pressure on your stomach, or else your stitches will be
undone!” Tsumugi teases him.

“Oh no you don’t!” Miles attempts to web her up, but then Tsumugi transforms into a girl with
braids, glasses, and a freakish tongue.

She cuts down the webs with scissors quickly.

“W-What the…” Miles said in response.

“I’ve got this, VOLT TACKLE!” Gold commanded Pibu to charge at her.

“Say cheese!” Tsumugi says before transforming into a red-haired girl with a camera.

The flash blinds Pibu and the mastermind clutches him in her hands.
 “Oh wow, how did you escape little guy? JEEZ, I’ve been looking for you, now we can amp up
Ai’s execution!” She laughs while Pibu squirms.

“W-WAIT, EXECUTION?!” Emma looks on with worry.

“Not today of course, I’m very exhausted. I’ll see you all tomorrow morning, don’t break any more
rules until then, bye bye!”

She turned back into her original look, with long blue hair and glasses.

We descend below the trial room, and into the dark.

I still hear the shouts of my companions echo before the hole is sealed up.

I’m alone.

Remaining Citizens: 6

To Be Continued…

Chapter End Notes

GODDAMN THIS WAS LITERALLY THE LONGEST THING I HAVE EVER

WRITTEN. But man it was worth it, even though I totally could have split this chapter
in two. Chapter 5 is over… the finale of Fictional Nexus is coming soon. What a
doozy, but I hope you all enjoyed what you read here. See you all next time, and I’ll
be awaiting your thoughts and opinions. Also can I talk about how hard it was to
remove all those tags? I even had to delete Fictional Epicenter because I didn't want to
remove all of them, plus I'm remaking it anyways. Ugh, that sucked.
 Awaken, City of Hope! Part 1 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The mastermind has been revealed, and how will our group fare without their leader
around?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“Testing testing… hello? This is Mugi, come in, Team Zetsubou.”

Tsumugi Shirogane speaks into the microphone on her computer, as the video chat flipped on. Four
silhouetted figures are shown, each of them in a different location.

“What do you want, Shirogane? I’m in the middle of trying to figure out who shut down the West
City Monokuma factory.” A sinister, while also kind of robotic voice speaks first.

Tsumugi sighed, “It’s no big deal, it’s just that I got outed as the mastermind of my game. On the
bright side, I already have my ‘protagonist’ ready for her execution.”

“Ha, that’s cute. My game has managed to take a surprising turn hours ago, and it seems that it was
right for me to change my lineup.” A chilling womanly voice seeped out.

“Really? You gotta tell me about it later! How about you? Have you started your game yet, Info
Broker?” Tsumugi turned to the top right person next.

“…..” He just smirked and turned away from her, just showing the back of his chair.

“I’ll take that as a no. Anyways with Ms. Mizuno gone, my group will lose hope and audiences
across the multiverse will too! Making our takeover easier! Ha!”

“Ugh…”
“Oh, she’s starting to wake up! I’ll get back to you all later! Byeeeeee!” Tsumugi turned off the
screen before turning to Ai, “Good morning! It’s time for an execution that will shock them all.”

Chapter 6: Awaken, City of Hope! Part 1 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 6

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

“Yo… Emma? How long has it been?”

Ryuji asked, waking up from a short power nap.

“I... don’t know, honestly.” She answered, bags under her eyes.

“T-minus 17 hours since Shirogane took Ai.” Ishigami looked up from his computer.

“Tch… we have no leads on where either of them are. I hate doing nothing!” Emma shouted in
frustration.

Gold’s head was down, losing both Ai and Pibu had silenced him.

Ryuji grabs Emma’s shoulders to try and calm her down, “Kid, listen to me. We’ll find something,
we just gotta—”

“No! Ai’s execution could happen at any minute now, we have to go out looking immediately!”
The orange haired girl couldn’t be held down.

“I know that! But this city is HUGE! We can’t just go wandering around without any specific
location!” Ryuji told her.

“Hey, I found something!”

Miles had his mask on and he came down from the ceiling above them.

“Ack! That is a bit unnerving…” Ishigami utters.

“Sorry, but Bernadetta’s room was open and she left something for us.”

Emma’s right ear perked up when she heard that, “S-She did?! What was it?”

“It’s a letter, talks about how she sent the message to Gundham about the ‘Shiro’ chunk and that
she would likely be the next victim.” Miles looks over the paper again.

Ishigami sighs, “Wish she wasn’t proven right. What else is on there?”

Ryuji is handed the paper next, “Says that she went out at night one time and that she found
something for us.”

“Well that’s neither safe nor in her nature…” Ishigami’s eyes widened.

Emma swiped the paper and read the last line aloud, “I’m sorry that I wasn’t very useful to you all
in the end, but I hope this last thing will be your key to unlocking your freedom. Thank you,
everyone, for taking care of Bernie Bear.”

Emma sounded a bit choked up at the end, but she just took a big gulp in before looking at the page
again, “ 77-B ?”

“Um… what is that supposed to be?” Ryuji asked her.

“I think it’s supposed to be a classroom number, but why…?” Ishigami puts a finger to his chin as
he thinks.

“Classroom… WAIT HOLD ON!” Gold popped back to life after hearing that.

“IS IT…” Emma realizes it as well.

“IT HAS TO BE!” Gold and Emma jumped for joy and hugged to the others’ confusion.

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“Wha?”

Ryuji, Ishigami, and Miles tilted their heads in confusion.

“It’s the blocked classroom in that school building half of us were trapped in! Remember,
Ishigami, Ryuji?” Emma’s smile returns to her face.

It took a bit for Ryuji to recall, “Oh yeah! That really sucked…”

“Says you, I almost got framed for murder and got knocked out next a corpse.” Ishigami stated.

“Ha ha… Anyways, we just have to get to that classroom and look to see if there’s anything.
Wait… Gold, how did you know about that classroom?” Emma looked at him.

“Huh? Oh I uh… saw it when the doors were open during the investigation! But never mind that,
we’ve got no time to lose!”

Gold then smacks down a surveillance camera with his pool cue.
“GAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Ishigami yells in shock.

“I’ve got a plan, and this plan doesn’t involve any of glasses lady’s stupid rules!” Gold brushes off
a piece of the camera off his cue.

“But won’t that cause you to get punished?” Miles questioned him.

“Not if she’s focused on Ai first, trust me. The rules don’t apply to us anymore, killing game’s
done.” Gold took out his skateboard and began to walk towards the door.

Emma joined him, “He’s right. We quit this game, so let’s go to school.”

“I’ve done some crazy shit, this may be one of the craziest. Okay, I’m all in.” Ryuji sat up.

“I’ve got some venom flowing through that I need to let out, preferably through a shoulder touch
on Shirogane.” Miles prepped his web shooters.

They then looked to Ishigami, who then submitted to peer pressure, “Ugh, fine. I’ll believe in you
all, but if I die here then I’ll haunt you.”

Emma took his hand and she dragged him along. Miles held on to Ryuji as he swung through the
city. Gold was in the lead on his board.

All of them are ready to take on the mastermind, for the sake of their friend.

____________________

< Ai’s POV >

“Ugh…”

I begin to open my eyes, yet all I see is darkness.

 No idea how long it’s been since the end of the trial. I just feel my head ringing and I try to keep it
stable.

A light then flickers on at the other end of the room. It’s… some kind of generator… with Pibu
hooked up to it.

I gasp before shouting the mouse’s name, “Pibu!”.

“Chu… CHUUUUUUU!!!” He yelps out in pain as I see electricity flowing off of him.

“Ack!” I look on at the horrible sight.

Pibu falls over, exhausted as I hear some giggling coming from behind me.

The lights came on and it was then that I saw that I was in my Franchouchou idol outfit.

“Hee hee hee, aww. The wittle guy’s all worn out! Gosh, if only I had chosen Red and/or Yellow
for this game. Then I could have had two Pikachus powering up the execution much faster!”
“Tsumugi… I see you’re taking your time preparing. Why haven’t you killed me yet, huh?” I asked
her as I attempted to move my chained limbs.

“Simple, this execution takes a lot of power. If I just keep draining Pibu, then I won’t have to rely
on the city’s power supply. Plus seeing such a cute creature be tortured like this is bound to boost
despair to our audience!” She explained with a smile.

I raised an eyebrow at that last statement, what does she mean by audience?

She caught on to my confusion, “By audience I mean the billions of people I’m broadcasting this
killing game to throughout the multiverse. That includes Saga, and the other worlds your friends
are from. Basically I’m going to push them all into despair in order to take over and cause chaos.”

I look at her with a face that is both disgusted and unsurprised, “I didn’t expect someone like a
cosplayer to want something like this. I doubt you have a well thought-out reason for doing so
either.”

“Well, I just recently received a second chance in life thanks to the efforts of one of my
companions. I was the mastermind of another killing game before this, and it did not end well…
putting it plainly.”

“I can tell by the look on your face that it didn’t. Why drag us into it then?”

“The world we’re currently in right now is the world of Danganronpa, where the killing game
originated. The world outside of mine, the ‘real world’, rejected Danganronpa, rejected the killing
game, so I’m just bitter. Multiple worlds was something that I’d only imagine from both anime and
video games, so discovering that they were REAL instead of FICTION…. That gave me an idea.
Forming a group… of remarkable people.” She smirked at the reference she just made.

“Villains from other worlds that could help you gather people for more killing games. Thus
spreading despair by showing it to audiences in many worlds, am I correct?” I continued to
struggle with my chains.

“Hit the nail on the head there, Mizuno. Although we’re doing more than just killing games. If the
real world won’t be entertained by the killing game, then it will be a guilty pleasure for me and my
colleagues. Oh! By the way, I forgot to tell you something. You know our first two motives, where
all your loved ones were turned to despair?”

My eyes opened wide when she said that, after all we went through with the killing game, I nearly
forgot about it.

“Yeah…they were lies. Aside from the destruction of some of your home worlds, I just cosplayed
as your friends! Where I come from, you’re all fictional characters, so I can dress up as you
anytime I want!” She laughs loudly.

My anger towards her just continues to grow, “Tch… I should have known that it could have been
a trick. I did find it strange at first that you would choose to murder Misato that early. But using a
motive like that to make us believe you were the real Kaiba, plus making you able to start the
killings…”

“Smart, huh? Nothing a third-rate duelist could even comprehend! Although since you never met
the real Kaiba, my cosplay could have fooled you even if I didn’t go all out with acting like him!”
She briefly transformed into Kaiba before turning back.

“Yeah yeah, I get it.” I bluntly tell her.

Tsumugi looks annoyed that I’m not taking any of her crap, “Man, I should’ve gotten someone like
Sakura instead of you. From what I’ve seen she would have been MUCH EASIER to crush her
spirits...”

“Don’t you dare say that about her! She’s much stronger than you realize, and so are my friends
here.” I raise my voice, but she just brushes me off.

“If you say so, I dropped your anime after episode 5 anyways. But that little clip that Aoba showed
us from episode 6 gave me the inspiration for your execution. Now then I should get back to
prepping fo— Huh?”

An alarm goes off and Tsumugi dashes over to her computer. And when I saw what was
happening, a smile grew on my face.

“Wh-Wh-What are they doing?!” Tsumugi looks on in shock.

Everyone’s wreaking havoc all across Monocity.

Ryuji smashes the head of a Monokuma statue at Enoshima Park with a metal baseball bat. Miles
doing graffiti on a “Re-Elect Monokuma” billboard. Gold knocking down security cameras left and
right.

Pure destruction, as they all give up on the rules of the killing game.

I couldn’t be more proud.

“You think this is funny, don’t you Ai? Fine, you can continue watching the execution machine
gain more power from Pibu. I’m sending in the authorities to gather your friends for your
performance!” Tsumugi clicks a button in annoyance.

“The authorities?” I ask before I see what she meant, “Oh no.”

___________________

“Okay, we’re almost at the school. Just gotta hurry.” Emma tells the rest.

“If we’re in such a rush, then why did we go around being public nuisances?” Ishigami questioned.

“It’s our way of showing that bitch, Shirogane, that we’re not putting up with her shit anymore.
That we’re coming for her, kinda like a calling card.” Ryuji replies.

“It’s a little fun too, I can only imagine the look on her face when she sees what we’re doing!”
Miles chuckled.

Emma giggles as Ishigami sighs, “Come on… she’s the mastermind right? She could just kill us all
for doing this. At least breaking the security cameras can help us be unseen, but did we really have
to do all that other stuff?”

“Come on, what’s the worst that could happen?” Gold held his pool cue over his shoulder lazily.
“What could happen?” Ishigami pinches the bridge of his nose, annoyed.

It was then that Miles’s Spider-Sense went off, as footsteps from afar began to grow louder and
louder. Eventually the source of that noise was found all around the five of them.

A crowd of Guard Monokumas.

“THIS COULD HAPPEN!” Ishigami pointed at the army surrounding them as he looked at Gold
with anger.

“I can see the school building right over there! We just need to get out of here quickly.” Emma
looked to see their target location.

“Easier said than done, I feel like fighting this crowd would be easier if we all had the right gear
and weapons!” Ryuji swings his bat at one of the Monokumas, but two more take its place.

“I feel like swinging over them would be more difficult with all of us. I’m strong, but I don’t think I
can balance FOUR people and shoot webs at the same time!” Miles punches the head off another
Monokuma.

“Well, you got any more bright ideas, goggles?” Ishigami asked Gold.

“Just one… surrender.”

“HUH?!” Everyone reacts to him, including the Monokumas.

“..... Nahhhhh sike! I’ve been itching to do this ever since I’ve got here. And now that I got ‘em all
back, let’s let loose partners !”

(Insert Song: Hall of Fame, Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver)

Six red and white balls are laid out in front of him like a game of pool, and Gold hits a seventh one
as the cue ball, knocking them all around. All seven balls hit Monokumas straight in the robotic
skull as they burst open with a bright light.

“TYPHLO!”

Exbo

“POM!”
“POLI!”

“FLORA!”
“SUDO!”

“KISS!”

“MANTINE!”

Seven creatures emerge from their Pokéballs all crying out, ready to fight. Exbo, the Typhlosion.
Polibo, the Politoed. Aibo, the Ambipom. Tibo, the Mantine. Sunbo, the Sunflora. Sudobo, the
Sudowoodo. And Togebo, the Togekiss.
 Gold’s full Pokémon lineup, aside from Pibu of course.

“WHOAAAAAA!” Emma’s eyes sparkle as she observes each one.

Gold spins his pool cue and smirks, “Y’know, I’m usually only allowed to carry around six at
once, but in a situation like this... to heck with that. It’s party time!! ”

Chapter End Notes

Here we are peeps, the final chapter of Fictional Nexus (there will be an epilogue of
course). That ending is what I REALLY wanted to do since taking Gold’s Pokémon
away. I am so happy, yet sad that this will all come to an end soon. But regardless, I
hope you enjoy what I have left for you all. Catch you all next time, when it is party
time.
 Awaken, City of Hope! Part 2 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The group continue to make their way towards the school, what awaits them there?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 6: Awaken, City of Hope! Part 2 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 6

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist

< Third-Person POV >

“Party… time?” Ishigami stared blankly.

“Pretty cool, huh? Now the odds are kinda even.” Gold smirks.

Miles then spoke up to Gold, “Hold on a second, you had these guys with you the whole time?”

“Huh? No, of course not!”

“Then how did—LOOK OUT!” Miles thwipped a Monokuma and swung it across the area.

“Well uh… a while ago I heard Trunks and Killua talking about that classroom. Sunbo, Sunny
Day!” Gold says as he commands his sunflower Pokémon.

“Wait, what?! You heard them talking, then you knew about their plan?” Emma stands behind
Polibo as the water Pokémon shields her.

“Use Whirlpool! Anyways, I just heard the part about the classroom, so I had know idea they’d
fight or something! Didn’t even get to look inside all of it either, I just snuck in, grabbed my team
and bailed!” Gold slides down his goggles over his eyes.

“You couldn’t just tell us about the classroom beforehand? Probably just wanted to hide it from us
so that the dramatic reveal that you had your pocket monsters would go well, huh?” Ishigami
snarks as he ducks under Aibo as he uses Double Hit.

“Come on man! You gotta admit that it was cool, eh? I even trained them a bit when I visited Ryuji
in the hospital, just so they could stretch their legs!” Gold then walks towards his Mantine, Tibo.

“You knew about this too, Ryuji?!” Emma looked to the track-runner.

“I uh… sorta. I thought he was joking about training, didn’t think he actually got his team! ” He
replied before getting hit by a Guard Monokuma riot shield.

“I do admit this is awesome, Gold, but you kept this from us when it could have been really
important to know! You should have been more considera—wait, where are you going?” Emma
asked him.

“I figured to make up for hiding this from you guys, that I can be the bait for the bears.” He tipped
his cap to her.

“Huh? Wait! We can’t just leave you and your creatures here on your own! What if something
goes wrong and…” Her head lowers, not willing to let another of her friends go.

“Antenna Girl, Emma. Trust me, I’ve come back from situations like this before. I don’t go down
that easily. Plus… Pokémon vs a billion robot bears? Pretty obvious who the winner will be.
Alright, let’s fly! Oh, and Emma?”
Gold recalls Togebo and tosses his Pokéball towards her, “Take care of him, he’s just as reckless as
I am, heh.”

“Come on, we’re almost there to the school. Just a few swings away, make sure you hold on.”
Miles held his hand out for Emma and she took it.

Gold launches into the air with the twenty Remoraid attached to Tibo using Water Gun. Emma
watches him depart, “Good luck Gold.”

Emma holds the ball closs and nods as Miles struggles to swing while carrying her as well as Ryuji
and Ishigami.

“Now Exbo! BLAST BURN! ”

Gold commands his Typhlosion to light up the crowd of Monokumas, and with Sunny Day already
being used it does increased damage. A path has now been made to the school building.

Ryuji lifts his legs up so he doesn’t get burnt by the flames, “HOT HOT HOT!!”

“Y’know… even after we find what we’re looking for, we definitely need some backup.” Miles
tiredly stated.
Emma spoke up next, “If Bernie’s message managed to reach in time, I’m sure they’re on their
way.”

____________________

“That last message we received from the survivors has managed to confirm my theory… and my
fears…”

Shuichi grimaced as he read the final words written on Bernadetta’s letter.

“Fears? What were you so afraid of?” Maki asked him, hand on his shoulder.

“I have to explain something to the others before I say what it was. If you don’t mind listening, of
course.” Shuichi turned to his fellow Ultimates as they sat down in front of him.

“We don’t mind much, go ahead.” Hajime assures him and Mahiru nods her head in agreement.

Byakuya pushes up his glasses, “As long as it isn’t unimportant to the conflict at hand.”

“Right. Ahem, we have told you all about where us three come from, correct? Another world
where the killing games existed as a form of fictional entertainment, and we became fictional
characters in one ourselves.”

“Yeah, it must have been so hard for you all…” Mahiru looks at the detective sympathetically.

Shuichi looks down in remembrance of what occured, “Indeed… but continuing on, the
mastermind behind our killing game was someone that did not stand out among our group. The
Ultimate Cosplayer, Tsumugi Shirogane.”

“Uh… why are you bringing her up now then?” Himiko tilted her head in confusion.

“If you’re all survivors of your killing game, she must be dead or did you escape somehow?”
Nagito asks.
“Well… we actually chose to sacrifice ourselves to end the killing games once and for all. But…
we made it out of there alive, choosing to walk through a portal hoping to end up in the ‘real
world’. Turns out it was just a gateway to yours.” Shuichi rubs the back of his head
embarrassingly.

Aoi is amazed, “Wow, what are the chances that you’d end up where the killing games were
reality, huh?”

“It must be the will of causality… but what are you implying when you are bringing up your
killing game?” Gundham opens his eyes as he gives Shuichi another question.

“This may be a bit hard to believe…. But after seeing how the city has such a large love towards
Danganronpa, and the last message we received from the survivors…. I deduce that the
mastermind of that new killing game… is Tsumugi Shirogane .”

The others were appalled at the revelation, especially Maki and Himiko.

The latter was struggling to respond, “W-W-W-WHAT?!”.

Himiko trembled as Maki’s eyebrows furrowed, “That doesn’t make any sense, how can she still
be alive? Keebo destroyed the school, and almost took us down with it!”

“I must agree with Harukawa, at least with Enoshima it was an artificial intelligence inserted into
the Neo World Program.” Byakuya shook his head in disbelief.

“Yeah… still sorry about that whole thing.” Hajime says, remembering what happened during the
second killing game.

Mahiru pats his back to try and cheer him up, “It wasn’t your fault, we all were under her control
and committed horrible atrocities. Anyways, how did you three survive then?”

“We hid under some rubble while the academy was completely destroyed by K1-B0, aka Keebo,
the Ultimate Robot.” Maki explained.
“Hm… you say Shirogane was killed, but did you see a body?” Gundham speaks up.

“Well… no. We did see a giant piece of rubble with blood splattered underneath it. Plus, she did
say that she did not want to live without Danganronpa.” Shuichi answers.

“Then something or someone managed to bring her back into the living if that’s the case. We now
know who our opponent is, but how do we infiltrate this metropolis of malice…” Gundham
wondered aloud.

“Here’s the thing… we might have to wait a little while longer.” Shuichi laughs embarrassingly.

“Oh no, no no no no. We’ve been sitting here long enough. The killing game could still be going
on as we speak.” Byakuya has become far too impatient.

Shuichi then looked him in the eye, “I doubt it. Based on the way this ‘Bernadetta’ has been
writing, she must have been quite an irreplaceable person to their group. She mentions leaving
another message to her friends in the event of her death that will ensure their success. Losing her
would most likely drive the rest to fight back, and for better or worse, we need to rely on their
actions so we can get in.”

“What?” Byakuya stares at him in surprise.

“Ha, he really has rubbed off on him.” Maki smiles.

His words seemed to have convinced the others to wait a bit longer as well.

“Truly splendid. Even if you aren’t a true Ultimate.” Nagito applauds.

“Way to go kid! I’ll believe in our survivors too!” Aoi pumps her fists.

“Fuhahahaha! It looks like we’re all in agreement then. Very well, once the walls come down, we
shall send that Shirogane back to the fiery pits where she belongs!” Gundham guffawed.

“.... Fine, but this better not backfire, Saihara. As long as the individuals inside manage to do one
thing, they’ll be saved.”

Shuichi turned to Byakuya wondering what he meant, “Excuse me, one thing?”

“Shutting down the power could open the gates, allowing us to pass through. Like lowering a
drawbridge in a castle. So I hope that your belief in them isn’t blind, and that none of them are
complete idiots.”

_____________________

“He’s a complete idiot if he thinks he could last that long against all those Monokumas.” Ishigami
says as he runs with his three fellow citizens.

“I have hope that he’ll join us soon. You should learn to have more faith, Yu!” Emma told him.

“I thought I told you not to call me by my first name. We’re friends, but I haven’t given you that
right yet.” He rolled his eyes.

“Ehehe~, sorry! Here it is!” Emma looks at the sign and reads “ 77-B ”.

“This is the place, huh? Yeesh, definitely a room the mastermind would want nobody to enter.”
Ryuji steps back after seeing the mounted machine guns attached to the cameras.

Miles shot out some webbing to cover the cameras, so that they could pass through without being
shot at. Right when they walked in, it definitely didn’t look like a normal classroom. Oddly tiled
floor, steel barred windows, and surrounding them, sixteen stations for weapons.

“Huh, there’s pictures of us next to these things. Huh, different kinds of webbing and whoa! New
suits…”

Advanced Tech, 2099, The End, 2020, Uptown Pride, Programmable Matter… suits that can give
Miles an edge in battle. Remote mines, impact webbing, gravity wells, holo-drones, basically
gadgets for a Spider-Person.
“Just normal weapons for me. I wonder why these are all here…” Emma picks up a small pistol
with four muzzles.

There were also bows and arrows, knives, and other weaponry that can be carried around easily.

Ryuji looks over his section,“My Phantom Thief outfit? And a whole bunch of sick shotguns and
melee weapons too! We hit the jackpot, we can totally use this against that crazy cosplay chick.”

Ishigami glanced over at Ai’s station, “I’d ask what kind of idol would wear a sentai suit, but after
thinking about it more, a zombie idol is already crazy enough.”

Emma looks over to the station nearest to the door, “I see, so that’s where Gold’s Pokémon were.
No wonder he didn’t get a chance to check the rest of this room out.”

She observes the empty holes where the Pokéballs were placed, “There’s also stations for our
fallen friends too, but why are any of these things here?”

“Beats me. Huh, just a new laptop for me. Didn’t really expect too mu—wait a sec…”

Ishigami turned on the computer screen and his eyes widened in shock. He browsed through each
window, realizing what this was made for.
“What’s up?” Miles approached him and looked over his shoulder.

Ishigami began to stutter, “T-This is…”

“What is it, dude?” Ryuji asked.

Ishigami lifted the other laptop and showed it to them, “‘Hello Yu Ishigami, if you’re reading this
message, congratulations! You have successfully been converted into a member of Team Zetsubou!
This laptop will allow you to put those treasurer skills to good use by taking control of the funds
for companies or governments across the multiverse!’”

“Excuse me?!” Emma shouted.

Ryuji stumbled on his words, “Converted to a member of what?!”

“It must be the group that Shirogane is a part of. But… What does it mean by being converted?
And why would you need a laptop like this to begin with?” Miles kept questioning, but no answers
came.

“I seriously have no clue. But I don’t want any part in this weird despair cult thing.” Ishigami
shivered.

“UGHHH MY HEAD HURTS THINKING ABOUT THIS!! HAAAAH!!!”

Ryuji then slams one of the maces he has into the floor, breaking the tile up.

Emma takes it away from him, “Hey hey! Calm down, we need to… huh?”

Emma moves the broken tile pieces and reveals what was underneath, a staircase leading
underground.

“Damn… wonder what’s down there?” Ryuji looked down.

“Well, we don’t get very far if we don’t keep looking. We already have the tools to take on
Tsumugi, but my Spidey-Sense isn’t telling me there’s any danger… yet. Let’s keep going.”

Miles walked down, and the others followed.

“WHAT. THE. FUCK?!” Ryuji let out as the others reacted similarly, just not as loud.

The sound of bubbling gave them all chills.

The luminescent red glow of the hidden room lit up their horrified faces.

Looking around, they find out the answer to one of the questions that lingered in their minds;
Where were the bodies of their fallen comrades?

“I-I-It’s everyone…”

Right here.

Emma, Ryuji, Miles, and Ishigami saw the corpses of those who had been killed, whether by
murder or execution, hooked up inside scitentific pods. Breathing apparatuses attached to their
mouths, all of them wearing darker versions of their original clothing.

“Bernie, Espio, Aoba, Alice, Sucy, Misato, Marty, Shantae, Trunks…. And Killua. They’re all
here. What is this place?” Emma walked up to Killua’s pod with a fearful look on her face.

“Creepy as shit, that’s what it is!” Ryuji says in reply.

Miles taps on Espio’s glass, “Are they… alive?”.

Ishigami looks at a small screen to his right and reads it aloud, “‘Upload 60% complete…’, Eh?”
The screen then turned into static as they heard a high pitched voice they recognized and showed
anger towards.

“Hello hello, citizens! Puhuhuhuhu~!”

“Monokuma… why are the bodies of our dead friends, and Aoba, stuck down here!” Ryuji pointed
at the bear.

“I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!”

Monokuma then hit a button with his gavel.

“You deserve this, you’re all criminals, bye Mr. Criminal!” The bear giggled as he waved
goodbye, looking forward to punishing the rulebreakers.

That button caused four of the pods to open.

Marty McFly (Back to The Future): The Ultimate Time-Traveler.

Shantae (Shantae): The Ultimate Half-Genie.

Alice Nakiri (Food Wars): The Ultimate Gastronomist.

Misato Tachibana (Nichijou): The Ultimate Arsenal.

They stood up, while greeting their old friends with glowing red eyes and a couple of twisted
smiles.

“T-They are alive!” Ishigami began to slowly walk up to Misato.

Miles’s Spidey-Sense finally went off as he shot a web onto him just in time, as Misato began
firing a round of bullets from a machine gun pulled from hammerspace.

“Gwack! My shoulder…” Ishigami clutches his left shoulder as blood runs down.

“Those aren’t the flour blanks she’s used before, those are real bullets now!” Miles realized.

“You four, wake up! It’s us!” Emma tries pleading with them.

“Hee hee hee…” Alice simply laughs as she tosses a kitchen knife straight at her.

Emma dodges out of the way, “Ugh, they’re not listening… something’s got them under control!”

“It must be what that upload was for… that conversion message too…” Ishigami says as he tries to
take in some deep breaths, “Once they die, the machine brings them back under Shirogane’s
control… and the weapons we found were intended for them.”

“That’s freaking horrible! That bitch is probably planning on doing it to the rest of us if we die
here! Then setting us loose on our home worlds for us to go nuts with the badass armory!” Ryuji
scowls.

“We need to get out of here or we’ll be joining them soon…” Ishigami grunts.

“No! We can’t just leave them here, if we can free them, then maybe we could stand a better
chance!” Emma tries holding back Alice as her knife makes a small cut on the girl’s face.

“Whoa, Shantae! Whoa, girl!” Miles tries to hold down the half-genie, who had transformed into
her elephant form.

“Transform!” The despair-filled Shantae exclaimed as she switched into a crab to cut out of the
webbing.

“Ow!” Miles’s finger got clenched by Crab Shantae’s claw.

“You know what, Emma, you’re right. I ain’t gonna run from this, I’m no chicken !” Ryuji bats
Alice away from Emma.

“Chicken?” Marty, who had been silent the whole battle suddenly speaks up.

“Huh?” Ryuji looks at him confused.

“Nobody… calls me… chicken .” Marty punches Ryuji and he’s knocked back to join the other
three.

“But I wasn’t even talking to you…” Ryuji mutters as he holds his right cheek.

Marty then whips out a guitar and plays an almost deafening chord, echoing off the walls of the
lab. The four citizens blocked their ears to try and prevent their eardrums from bursting.

The four crazed individuals reunited before slowly walking towards the team. The latter felt
exhausted, plus they didn't want to hurt their former companions too badly, even if they were filled
with despair.

Emma closed her eyes, expecting the worse…

…But what came next happened so quickly, it was like… lightning.

Alice gets chopped on the back of her head, knocking her out.

“Huh?” Ishigami opens his eyes and finds the gastronomist on the floor.
Shantae gets slammed into the ground with a quick strike.

Miles was impressed, “That’s some speed…”

Misato gets a quick shock of electricity before falling over unconscious, before Marty is then
kicked and sent flying into a wall.

“No fucking way…” Ryuji looked at what he just saw.

A figure stands before them, sparks flying off their body as they turn around.

“What a wakeup call… Took you all long enough to find this place, but I knew you all would.
Wait, Emma, where’s Ai and that idiot, Gold?”

The familiar voice fills the orange-haired girl with immense joy and relief. Emma runs forward
and tackle hugs her returning friend.

“KILLUA!!!”
Chapter End Notes

So that’s what was in that room, huh? Pretty exciting stuff. The ideas in my head are
finally coming to light and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share them all with you. As
usual, share how you feel about the chapter, any sort of final predictions before the
end, questions, and what you may have liked! See you all next time as the finale of
Fictional Nexus continues…. Also there will be an epilogue and two post credits
scenes once the finale is over.
 Awaken, City of Hope! Part 3 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The group finds a new ally and their goal as the mastermind sets the final act into
motion.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 6: Awaken, City of Hope! Part 3 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 7?!

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin

< Ai’s POV >

Tsumugi continues to type away on her large computer, as I stare at the security camera footage. I
see Gold and his Pokémon are looking a bit winded as the waves of Monokuma units keep coming.
I desperately wish to get out of here and rejoin him and the others, but I don’t want to see
Shirogane laugh at me struggling.

“He’s not going to make it, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Tsumugi told me, her glasses lit up by
the screen.

“You’re so sure about that, aside from me you’ve seen our stories played out, right?
Overconfidence could be the key to your downfall when you’re literally surrounded by heroes.
None of my friends will go down easily.” I bite back.
Tsumugi just went “Hmph!” before turning back to her screen.

I take a look at poor Pibu, grimacing every time electricity is sucked away from him. She’s beyond
awful.

“What kind of execution requires this much power?” I asked her angrily.

“Curious? Well, here’s a small preview, cornflake head.” Is she referring to my flowers?

She pressed one button and on the platform I was stuck to lit up. A circular panel creates some kind
of blurry hologram, just how does she have this kind of technology? When the hologram image
becomes clearer however…

“J-Junko?!” I exclaimed in surprise.

An image of my friend and fellow idol Junko Konno was staring blankly into space as I observed
her from my position.

“Huh, it’s a strange coincidence that she has the same first name as MY idol, but do you like it? An
exact holographic replica, programmed with dance moves that complement your execution well!”
She boasts and pushes her glasses up.
“Tch, you’re really trying to make me upset, aren’t you? You’ve failed to make me feel any kind of
despair since the end of the last trial, now I’m just getting more motivated to take you down.” I
furrowed my eyebrows, staring daggers into her.

Tsumugi pokes the Junko hologram, “I guess I’m just trying to get a laugh out of seeing you
struggle. I’m just going to show you the rest of your crew, just so we don’t have any JunAi
moments. Hate that ship so mu—WHAT THE HELL?!”

Tsumugi looks to her computer and sees Gold making a face at one of the remaining cameras that
are still functioning. That idiot, he really shouldn’t be messing around at a time like this. Tsumugi
sighs before activating the other holograms around me, I was standing in the center. Fitting,
considering the position I was with my first idol group.

Tae Yamada, Yugiri, Lily Hoshikawa, Saki Nikaido, and Sakura Minamoto. I wish I could be glad
to see their faces again, but in this situation I just miss them even more. Poor Pibu has tears in his
eyes, the spiky hair he shares with Gold droops down.

“I promise I’ll get you out of here, Pibu. We just have to believe in the others, I’m sure they have a
plan right now to help us.” I give a reassuring smile to the electric mouse.

Please have a plan, everyone, I can’t stand seeing him punished like this.

I believe in you all.

__________________________________________

< Third-Person POV >

“KILLUA!!” Emma squeezed the boy tight as the others just stood around, just baffled.

“E-Emma, please let go.” He lets out as he struggles to get air.

“Oh! Sorry! But how and why are you alive? You were stabbed by Trunks and killed, weren’t
you?” Emma releases him and Killua is able to breathe again.
“Yeah man, glad to see you, but you don’t walk away from being stabbed like that dude. I was
lucky.” Ryuji told him as he pointed to where his knife wound was.

“Ack, long story short, he wasn’t the one who killed me.” Killua stated as he regained his
composure.

“HUH?!” They all reacted at once.

“C-Come again? Trunks didn’t kill you, then who did?” Miles asked, a little shook at the moment.

“Me.” Killua answers.

“EHHHH?!!!” His friends let out loudly.

“You gutted yourself?! What the hell?! How could you even do that?! Monokuma saw Trunks
holding your body, right?” Ryuji says, confused.

“True, but you all didn’t see what really happened.” Killua walks over to Trunks’s pod, looking at
him intensely.

Emma then gasped, “The cameras, and the smokescreen! When you two fought you created a
cloud of smoke, and your attacks also damaged the security cameras!”

“There was no way to see anything, so you and Trunks could do your thing… but really, dying?
Why did you decide to do that?” Ishigami spoke up as he figured it out as well.

“To have the mastermind break their own rules. Only the killer can be executed, and Trunks
‘revealed’ himself to be them, except he wasn’t. With the killing game now ruined, the mastermind
will be thrown into panic mode and we could easily take down this city along with them.” Killua
finishes explaining.

Ishigami still looked at him with an exasperated look, “So… how are you both alive and not crazy
despair brainwashed like them?”

Ishigami lightly kicks Misato who mumbles, “Sasahara… you beautiful idiot…”

“Don’t do that, you’ll wake her up. And I’ll answer your question in two parts, number one I got a
little shock in the brain when we were trapped in here.” Killua looks to him before turning back to
Trunks.

“Back when we were trapped inside this school? Wait, when you pressed that button from that
capsule machine...” Emma stands next to him.

“The shock I got from it gave me a glimpse of how I got to this city.” Killua reveals.

“Hold on a minute, so you remember everything now?!” Ryuji looks at him in shock.

“Not really, don’t know who or what knocked me out to drag me from my world. Though, I can
also say that this room was where we were kept before ending up in the Hope-tel. There’s exactly
16 pods in here for all of us, keeping us in stasis before the killing game begins.”

Miles then spoke up, “But how did you find this room anyways? In a city that’s bigger than the
size of Manhattan as well...”

Killua nods, “I had a sneaking suspicion since there was a camera and machine guns surrounding
this classroom, making it obvious that there was something in here. So yeah, I found all those
weapons as well as a hidden trap door to this room. You all found it too, right? The hidden switch
along the walls, pretty obvious where it was.”

“Yeah, of course we did…” Ryuji hides his new mace behind his back.

“When I got down here, I changed the settings on my pod to prevent me from catching the Despair.
Also made it seem like the transfer was already complete on my pod. By the way, you’re all too
lucky that the mastermind didn’t set Trunks loose, instant death on your part.”

“Most likely yes… ack…” Ishigami clutched his injured shoulder.

“Here you go, just try not to do much with that shoulder for a while.” Emma ripped off a bit of her
sleeve and tied it around his shoulder.

“Th-Thanks…”

“No problem! So Killua, after finding this room you told Trunks about it and formulated a plan?”
Emma smiles at Ishigami before looking at Killua.

Killua puts a hand on Trunks’s pod, “Yup. I also asked him about changing his pod settings as
well, but he thought the mastermind would have caught on. Really glad I didn’t have to fight him
twice though.”

“Same here… so what now?” Emma stares at Trunks in his unconscious state.

“Put these four back in their pods, we’re gonna cancel the transfer sequence later. Ryuji, smash up
everything but the pods and main computer with that mace you have. You too, Miles. It’ll interrupt
the brainwashing and the mastermind’s control link so they could wake them up again.” Killua
commands.

Ryuji sheepishly takes out his weapon,“How did you know abou— Whatever, let’s do this!”

Miles and Ryuji get to work as each piece of technology was destroyed, Killua and Emma helped
the injured Ishigami put Marty, Misato, Alice, and Shantae back in their pods.

“Why can’t we just fully cancel the sequence now? The brainwashing has to be interrupted with all
that machinery destroyed and we need all the help we can get.” Ishigami asked as he lifted up
Marty’s leg with one arm.

“Oh yeah, and there’s also Bernie, Espio, and… Aoba. They only died recently, so—”

“It’ll take a while before the despair goes away for the ones already corrupted, so they’re no good.
As for the three who just died, they still need to heal, whatever they went through in death still
affects them even if they aren’t in despair yet. Also, do you really want to bring back Aoba?”
Killua lowered his eyebrows as he looked at the Ultimate Manipulator’s pod, he’s still a little
burnt.

“He’s as much of a victim as the others, even if he’s done unforgivable things. If… no when he’s
completely fine, I’ll be sure to give him his just desserts.” Emma clutches her fists as she glances
at Bernadetta’s floating lifeless body.

“Hm, I’ll hold you to it then. Alright, you guys done?” Killua asks Miles and Ryuji.

“Terminado!” Miles exclaims in Spanish.

“What he said, now what?” Ryuji puts his mace over his shoulder.

“We head for the city’s power source. If we shut that down, the walls will come down. Since the
mastermind thinks I’m dead it’ll be easier, but… you all didn’t answer my question earlier.
Where’s Ai and Gold?”

“Oh, you see…” Ishigami took the time to explain what happened.

Killua was exasperated, “Let me get this straight, Ai is captured by the mastermind who happens to
be some cosplayer woman and is going to be executed…”

“Yup.” Ryuji states.

“Gold is out there distracting a crowd of Monokumas since you all decided to break the killing
game rules…”

“Uh-huh.” Miles nodded.

“And when we get out of here there will be even more Monokumas running around the city,
making it even more difficult to reach the power plant?” Killua finishes.

“Correct… okay I see the problem.” Ishigami realizes.

“Oh, do ya?! Ugh, they’re probably outside the school right now, waiting for us. Plus we don’t
even know where the power source could be…” Killua shakes his head.

An idea pops up in Miles’s head, “Hold on, the Times Square area could be where it is! The
electric billboards look like they use a lot of power so…”

“Oh yeah, plus you and Killua have electric powers! You can short circuit the power source
together, while the rest of us go save Ai!” Emma hits the palm of her hand with her fist.

“Interesting, although there’s one problem. The Monokuma horde, Gold can’t hold them off
forever, so he’ll need some backup. Miles and I can’t do it while we’re going for the power source,
so it’s gotta be something big… huh? Ryuji, what are you looking at?” Killua spots Ryuji in a dark
corner of the room.

“Oh nothing… just something I plan on using to clear the way.” He answers with a shark-tooth like
grin spreading across his face.

It was a large robot, clearly meant to be a part of the armory, yet its size would have taken up too
much room.

“Do you know how to control that thing?” Ishigami observed the machine up and down.

“Of course I do! All thanks to this.” Ryuji pulls out a black skull mask, which came with his outfit
and weapons in the room before.

“Hey, are you sure about this? There’s gonna be a lot of Monokumas outside, you think this will be
enough? Gold is out there too, and if you get hurt like before…” Emma looked to him with
concern.

“Trust me, Emma. This isn’t the first time I’ve done something crazy like this so my friends can
get by. I’m gonna do what I can to take down Shirogane.” Ryuji reassures her.

“If you’re that confident, everyone go suit up. We leave in a few minutes, so grab what we can and
we’ll meet back up here once both teams are done. Grab some earpieces so we can contact each
other. Ready?” Killua puts his hand in between the five of them.
“It’s time to ask what’s up, danger?” Miles exclaims as he puts his hand on top.

Emma puts her hand in next, “Come on, we’ve got some promises to keep.”, she turns to Ishigami
and gives a look of encouragement.

“No going back now I guess.” He gives a soft smile and a nod before putting his hand in.

“Heh, now or never, right? Ryuji finally puts his hand on top.

“Let’s go!” Everyone raises their fists in the air triumphantly before heading to the armory.

Emma stops for a moment to look at everyone else still in their pods, before regaining her
composure by slapping both of her cheeks.

“We’ll be back for them once this is all over.” Killua appears beside her.

“I know, but will we be able to reverse the effects?” Emma says, remembering the looks on the
faces of the four who attacked them.

“Not completely sure on that, but you gotta rely on one thing if you don’t know how things will
turn out.” Killua puts his hand on her shoulder.

“Hope.” Emma responds and Killua nods in agreement.

______________________________________

Monokumas gather by the door of the school, Guard Monokumas are in the front with their riot
shields.

BOOM!
An explosion knocks down the doors to the school, and they are hurled towards the robot bear
crowd. Multiple normal Monokuma units run into the school, but are immediately turned into
scrap.

THWIP! THWIP!

Out swings the second Spider-Man of Earth-1610, Miles Morales, donning the Advanced Tech Suit
from Earth-1048.

“Adios!” He shouts out.

“Later!”, Killua joins him using his Speed of Lightning Nen technique.

The Monokumas look up at him, confused as to why he’s alive. The two of them cross the many
skyscrapers with ease without touching the ground. Destroyer Monokumas, the only units with
jetpacks, immediately give chase.
On the ground however, the bears deal with lightning blasts being fired from inside the school.
Mechanical whirring could be heard as Emma and Ishigami step out into the light, alongside the
Phantom Thief Skull aka Ryuji.

Insert Song: Persona 5 Strikers - Last Surprise

“Blast ‘em away, Captain Kidd!” Ryuji shouts out a command.

The robot they found in the lab was a robotic replica of Ryuji’s Persona, Captain Kidd. A large
skeleton pirate atop a small ship. It lets loose Mazionga from its cannons, a large scale electric
move that shocks every enemy on the field.
“I’d thank Shirogane for knowing her stuff, though I’d prefer to thank her by sending her flying!
Yahoo!!” Ryuji swings a steel bat and hits a Monokuma for a home run.

Emma hands a small pistol to Ishigami and begins to pump some bear bots full of lead.

“Uh… I’ve never even touched a gun before.” He tells her.

Emma switches things up by using a bow instead, a silver bow straight from Bernie’s arsenal too!

Emma turns to him as she prepares to fire an arrow, “Well there’s a first time for everything.”

Ishigami cocks the pistol and accidentally pulls the trigger by accident, “Uwa!”

“Ack!” Emma lets out as a Beast Monokuma leaps into the air to claw into her from above.

The bullet from Ishigami’s gun bounces off of Captain Kidd and ricochets into its metal skull.

“Nice save, thanks!” Emma gives Ishigami a thumbs up, which he shakily reciprocates.

Emma then turns on her earpiece, “This is Emma, we’re getting through the crowd, but there’s no
sign of Gold and no clear idea on where to find Ai.”

Miles swings through the city with Killua right behind him, “It’s Miles, we’re almost to our
destination. Just gotta take down a couple bogeys, I think these gadgets I got and some Venom
strikes will do the job well.”

“On your mark…” Killua has his target set on the Destroyer Monokuma to his right.

“Get set…” Miles sees four of them flying below him.

“Go!” Both of them shout as they take on the flying machines.

Miles webs one of them to a side of a building, before shooting a gravity well down below to
ground two more of them. Killua kicks down the Monokuma, knocking it into the remaining one
near Miles before the two of them shock them with a Venom strike and lightning palm.

“Nice job, Morales.” Killua grins as he gives him a high five.

“You too! We’re almost there, just gotta—”

“ It’s nearly time, citizens of Monocity! ”

Miles and Killua turn to see Tsumugi on an electronic billboard, well on every electronic billboard.
The broadcasts reach a nearby tv store that Emma, Ryuji, and Ishigami are next to.

“Tsumugi…” Emma scowls.

“Shirogane…” Ryuji grits his teeth.

“Ultimate Cosplayer, do we have your name and title memorized by now?” Ishigami stares at the
screen with disdain.

“ Live at the Shikiba Diamond Garden, Franchouchou performs for the last time! As Number 3 of
the group shall sing her final song for us all! ”

“‘Shikiba Diamond’, is that like Madison Square Garden?” Ishigami tilted his head.

“A-Ai!” Emma sees her friend chained up in her idol getup on stage.

“ Entry is free for all citizens, but you better hurry or else you’ll have to catch the concert on pay-
per-view! Experiencing it firsthand in the crowd is a lot better, where you can shake your glowy
idol sticks to the rhythm!”

“Where the hell even is it?!” Ryuji knocks away a Monokuma as it tries to approach them.

“ In Midtown above Pekoyama station, you must take the subway to make it there. Try your best to
find a good train, puhuhu~.”

All that’s left on the screen is an advertisement for the concert. Emma takes a deep breath in before
shooting another Monokuma.

“Come on, let’s go save an idol.”

Chapter End Notes

Hello? Anyone there? Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And get ready for an
exciting live performance from idol group Franchouchou! Well… 1/7ths of
Franchouchou, but people love virtual idols so that’s why we have holograms. Hm…
holo….live...
 Awaken, City of Hope! Part 4 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

Ai's concert begins, will the mastermind succeed in the execution?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 6: Awaken, City of Hope! Part 4 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 7

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin

Danganronpa Cast:

1. Gundham Tanaka
2. Byakuya Togami
3. Aoi Asahina
4. Hajime Hinata
5. Mahiru Koizumi
6. Nagito Komaeda
7. Shuichi Saihara
8. Himiko Yumeno
9. Maki Harukawa

< Third-Person POV >

“Almost to the subway, Ishigami pick up the… pace.” Ryuji called out to him as Ishigami caught
up with him quickly, “Huh… didn’t expect that.”.
Emma looked a bit confused too, “You’re more athletic than I thought!”

Ishigami shrugged his shoulders, “Oh yeah, didn’t tell you guys that I’m the fastest on my track
team.”

Ryuji’s eyes were wide, “For real?! You run track?! I thought you were just a treasurer! Man, you
should have told me and we could have trained together!”

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t think of doing laps when I’m stuck in a death game. How silly of me.”
Ishigami sarcastically replies.

The two of them, along with Emma hop into an open subway car.

“Come on, man. It could have at least been a distraction from all the crap that was going on. We all
could have had a race!” Ryuji bats off a Monokuma coming through.

“How thrilling. Also, your robot thing.” Ishigami pointed at Captain Kidd, who was stuck in
between the automatic doors.

“Oh crap!” Ryuji presses a button on his mask and commands the mech to use Lunge.

The robot skeleton pirate charges into the subway car (a sentence I never thought I’d end up
writing), making a large hole in the doorway. The train starts moving and everyone falls down into
their seats, exhausted.

“Ha ha… and we’ve still got a big fight ahead of us.” Emma tiredly laughs.

“Man I wish there were savepoints around here, I’d even take some weird looking one.” Ishigami
wipes sweat from his forehead.

Suddenly a training potty shaped like a Monokuma duck gets thrown through the window.
“Ok not that weird.” Ishigami raised an eyebrow at the object.

Ryuji then spots another train right next to theirs, within them are Ball Monokumas throwing
garbage, “Never mind the kiddie toilet, let’s move to the front of the train car!”

“Right! Just avoid the trash and take them down when we have a clear shot.” Emma tells them.

“Okay, but how much longer until we reach our stop? They just keep coming and we can’t hold
them off for long.” Ishigami asks.

“ Next stop: Pekoyama Station. Directly below Shikiba Diamond Garden. ” A Monokuma train
announcement blares out.

“Looks like we’ll be there soon, Ishigami, contact Miles and Killua while we fight the
Monokumas.” Emma orders him.

Ishigami turns on his earpiece, “You’ll be a better shot than me, that’s for sure. Ok, it’s Yu, Yu
Ishigami I mean. Are you two there yet?”

_____________________________

“We’re here, but finding out where the city’s power source is will be harder than finding a needle
in a haystack.” Killua answers.

“Yeah, if the haystack had a bunch of killer robot bears scrambling around it.” Miles says as he
glances over at the crowd below them.
They’re beginning to stack themselves up so that they can reach the two of them. They both look
unamused as they shock the top of the pile and the electricity spreads to the rest of them.

“Shutting down the power will most likely cease the production of these things, so there’ll be no
copies left after destroying every one.” Killua explains as he looks over the many billboards.

Miles nods, “We should try splitting the work then. I go high, you go low, vamanos.”

The two of them bumped fists as they dove off the building they were on. Killua goes for a search
on the ground, while Miles chooses to stay above it to check out the billboards themselves. Killua
lands on his feet surrounded by a few Monokumas who had managed to escape the little spark the
two of them gave.

“You know, I’m glad you all don’t talk very much as the main one. It was hard to listen to that
voice every day, that I’m glad I was dead for a bit so I could escape it.”

Killua’s nails sharpen into claws and he goes to town, shredding the machines as if they were made
of paper. He delivers a pele kick to the one behind him, before delivering a drop kick to another
right into a trash can.

Miles uses his venom powers to shut down one of the billboards and uses his strength to try pulling
it down, “Hgggggnh!!”.

Killua sees what his partner’s up to and decides to corral all the Monokumas by making them
chase him. It’s a good thing that he’s so fast, by the time he was under the spot the billboard was
gonna fall…

“RAAGH!” Miles lets out as the metal screen is removed from the building and gets affected by
gravity.

Killua waves goodbye to the bears and takes a couple steps backwards.

SMAAAAAAAASH!!!
Computer chips and robot heads are left scattered underneath the rubble.

Killua turns to Miles, “Is it there?”.

Miles shakes his head to answer no.

“Ugh, I’m starting to lose some steam. I can’t just use my nen forever, so we have to find it soon or
else we’ll be like salmon to these bears.”

Miles gives him a thumbs up as he swings to the next billboard.

Killua sighs, “Man, I hope they manage to rescue Ai soon. I could really use some of that
motivation she has right about now.”

___________________

“Okay guys, you better duck or you’ll get hit with this one. Elec Boost, then Mazionga, bam!”
Ryuji commands the good Captain to unleash a strong electric move straight at the group of Ball
Monokumas.

Emma and Ishigami barely avoid getting touched by the lightning bolts aimed at the opposing side.

“All things considered, this has been an adventure to remember!” Emma smiles.

“I assume that includes the terrible and mentally scarring things we have witnessed. In which case,
yes it has been.” Ishigami bluntly responds.

“Even though you have changed in good ways, you still act all gloomy, huh?” Emma frowns.

“Hey, it’s in my Ultimate title. Better live up to it.” Ishigami snarks.

“ Now arriving at: Pekoyama Station. ”

The announcer voice rings out again as the train begins to slow down… and then it keeps moving.

“Uh… it ain’t stopping!” Ryuji pointed out.

“Yeah, we noticed. What now?” Ishigami looks ahead at their stop, which they’re about to pass.

“We jump.”

Ryuji and Ishigami looked at Emma with wide eyes, “What?!”.

“Trust me, we all jump out on three through the open door. Ryuji you get your pirate to blast open
the side of the train we’ll jump out at.” Emma orders him.

The train then begins to pick up some speed, if this keeps going then the train is gonna crash.

“O-Okay!” Ryuji commands Captain Kidd to Headbutt the train car until a big hole is created.

“T-This is crazy…” Ishigami shook with slight fear.

Emma clutched his hand tight and looked at him with a reassuring smile and determined eyes.
Ishigami gulped as he watched the robot skeleton pirate continue to smash its head into the wall.

“Break through, Captain!” Ryuji shouts.

The hole was created and the three of them grabbed hands and leapt out at once.

The three of them made it to the station.

While Captain Kidd was still inside, due to being too big to fit in through the hole they just made.
“C-Captain!” Ryuji cried out to the replica of his Persona.

“Time to go down with the ship. Continue to wave the flag of rebellion until your fate reaches its
conclusion. Farewell.” The pirate stated as he gave Ryuji a proud salute.

“.... Thank you, for letting me use your power again dude. Love you, man.” Ryuji reciprocated the
salute tearfully.

Ishigami looked bewildered until Emma softly elbowed him in the chest and the two of them
saluted too. Captain Kidd looked towards the end of the line ahead as Ryuji turned him off with his
Skull mask. Like closing the eyes of someone who has them wide open as they die.

KABOOM!!!

Emma approaches Ryuji and hugs him from the back while he sobs. Ishigami walks over to help
comfort him as well with a pat on the shoulder.

Ryuji wipes away the tears and takes out one of his strongest weapons, a gun called the Megido
Buster. (And yes his weapons are real like Misato’s were, instead of being model weapons)

“I’m not gonna lose another friend today, let’s go kick Shirogane’s ass and get Ai back.” Ryuji
sniffled.

His friends nodded as the three of them headed up the stairs to the outside stadium entrance...

__________________________

< Ai’s POV >

I stare ahead at the rows and rows of empty seats surrounding the main stage in the stadium. The
stage itself is reminiscent of where I died, the EFS stadium, with one large walkway into the crowd
for someone to run out to. For someone who hasn’t watched my story the whole way through,
Tsumugi managed to match the details right.
I’d be more impressed… if she hadn’t hooked me up to this execution machine while hearing a
poor creature shriek every minute.

“It’s good, right? Though it’s a bit empty, as you could see. We should get some butts into these
seats.” Shirogane said as she approached from behind me.

“I bet you have the best seat in the house, outside of it.” My eyebrows furrowed at her.

“Of course, I can’t risk getting electrocuted! My clothes will get damaged and I really worked hard
on making this outfit for V3. Though the stadium will be sold out soon enough.” She holds her
hand to her mouth and giggles.

“I’m not interested in performing in front of a crowd of machines.” I assumed she just gave every
seat to a Monokuma unit.

“Well here’s the thing, we actually have a few VIPS in the audience with us. So it’s not just the
Monokumas here…”

“Huh?” I wondered what she meant by that.

And then I turned around.

Emma, Ryuji, Ishigami.

All three of them are beaten up. They’re alive and conscious with no broken limbs, but they could
barely move with the Monokumas holding them up.

“Ai…” I hear Emma utter weakly.

“Ugh…” Ishigami’s face is covered by his hair, but I can see the pain from him gritting his teeth.

Ryuji manages to get out a smirk, “Heh, looks like we’re right on time. Now where is that bitch?”
“Bitch? How rude and vulgar, although I have definitely met worse.” Shirogane scoffs at his
remark.

Tsumugi walks closer to them and observes all three, “In all honesty, I didn’t expect you to make
it. Though you’ve been great with the deadpan snark and sarcasm, which was definitely a good
enjoyment factor for our outside audience.”, she says to Ishigami.

He remains dead silent.

She approaches Ryuji next, “I thought having both you and Gold in the same game would be
problematic, but you both have pleasantly surprised me hee hee. And I see that you’ve raided the
armory, which I’ll forgive since I really like your Phantom Thief attire. Made it myself!”

Ryuji grit his teeth.

Emma was last, “Y’know, after thinking about it more, it would have been great to have you as the
driving force of the trials instead. Your positivity and belief in hope would have been more
interesting than… her.”

She looks back at me and I just looked down at my boots, “When I saw that you were leading the
trials and got the ahoge too, I was like really? Why her? From what I saw in your own series,
you’re just a typical hard-working idol girl that just so happened to die young and become a
zombie. You even tried to leave and go back to Tokyo at the beginning of the show, I mean you’re
a zombie for crying out loud!”

I stand there taking her criticisms unphased; she's trying to break my spirit.

“You’ve basically had normal reactions to what has been going on, and not everyone wants an
audience surrogate. You’re pretty much if Hajime Hinata was a girl and a zombie. That last part
was the only interesting factor in bringing you into this killing game. Also, your character is the
reason I stopped watching Zombie Land Saga. Also the CGI, but I could forgive that.”

“...” I couldn’t fire back at the moment....

“Well, it’s been fun to point out character flaws and nitpick, but we better get this concert started.
Consider this a front row seat, since you all broke the rules !”

“ You’re wrong! ”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

… Since someone else beat me to the punch.

“We broke the rules, yeah, but you broke them first!” Emma lifted her head up and yelled at
Tsumugi.

“E-Eh?!”

“That’s right lady, you made a dumbass assumption that managed to ruin the whole thing, right
from under your nose!” Ryuji teased.

“W-What do you mean by that? Are you just bluffing?!” She was taken aback by their claims.

Meanwhile, I was too. I had no idea what they were all doing while I was stuck to these chains.
Aside from Gold, who we haven’t seen in a while. Miles as well, what is he up to? I’m just as
confused as Shirogane.

“She’s not bluffing, because you executed an innocent man in trial 4.” Ishigami says with a slight
smile on his face, a rare sight.

I then spoke up next, “E-Excuse me? That was… Killua and Trunks’s trial, executed an innocent…
wait, there was no way to see how Killua died so…”

I tried to piece it together in my head, but Emma decided to explain it instead.

“Killua stabbed himself, rather than having Trunks do it. I know that, because he told us himself.”
“HUH?!” Me and Tsumugi let out.

Tsumugi just began to stutter, “T-That should be impossible, even if you managed to find his body
he would just…”

“Grab my earpiece and hear for yourself. And trust me, there’s no way we could fake it.” Emma
smiles sinisterly.

“Unless one of us does good impressions. Also put it on speaker.” Ishigami tells her as she grabs an
earpiece out of Emma’s ear.

How did she even get… never mind I’ll probably get the answers later.

“Hello?” Tsumugi says into the earpiece.

“You must be the mastermind, your voice is a lot higher than I thought. Thought my ear drums
were gonna burst.”

No way… it can’t really be him, can it?

“I-I-Impossible. How did the upload sequence fail, it should have turned you by now!” She was
really getting worked up about this.
“Well, it’s because of a little switch that flicked on in my head, if you get what I’m saying…
Anyways, my plan has succeeded in more ways than one. You’ve ruined your own killing game,
congratulations!”

It’s him, no one else can make someone this angry on purpose.

A smile returns to my face.

But then…

“Tch… start the execution. I’ll be in my booth to watch the whole thing. AAAAGGGGGHHHH, I
need to see you all despair after what you all did. You’re gonna watch your friend be executed, and
you’re gonna suffer through it! Just how I want you to!” Yup, she’s gone a little crazy, although
she already was for setting all of this up.

She breaks the earpiece in two and is carried by a flying Monokuma up to her commentator’s
booth. I looked to see my friends all looking at me with immense worry and fear, but I kept
smiling. I simply turned away from them and turned on idol mode.

“Hope you enjoy the show, everyone! This is all for you, so enjoy this performance of our
signature song. Mezame Returner!”

“Ai!” I heard them all shout towards me, as the lights turned on along with the holograms of my
fellow members.

I gave one more glance at Emma, and then at Pibu, who I gave a smile towards. It’s enough for
him to smile through the pain he was enduring.

It’s showtime.

GAME OVER

AI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

My chains have been replaced by puppet strings, and above it a large Monokuma controlling them.
Pibu is inside its belly button, struggling to get out. I know the lyrics by heart, so let’s do this.

Execution: Shocking Stardom and an Amped-Up Crowd!

Insert Song: Mezame Returner by Franchouchou - (Zombie Land Saga)

Mezame RETURNER negae ba ii n da kiseki, kanjite mitai n da…

Me and the hologram Junko start out the song, and then the others join in.

Mezame RETURNER nozome ba ii n da shigeki, girigiri de hora chōdai daidai daidai daidai…

akogareta no wa itsu no koro no yume? mune no oku ni kakushita sutōrī, iro koku shita tegowai
riaru e to, kiechai sō de, I awake in the light!

Bashitto kimetai kono Succeed!

Tomatcha ikenai kono Proceed!

Isshinfuran de iku dōchū!

Yara kai mirai e maishin-chū!

I just continue to let the strings control me as more power is built up. The Monokuma was
beginning to lean forward.

Aa mō kore ijō arukenai… son'na koto naideshou hora ne! Furikaette mite guruguru guruguru…
guruguru guru!

Hai!

Aiu~isshu!

Ā issho!

Tomoni futtosutanpu!
 Anrimiteddona Dreaming!

Ah Ah Ah Ah

hitorijanai!

The giant Monokuma was now above my head and it began to open its mouth, revealing an electric
cannon within it.

Mezame RETURNER! Negaeba ī nda!

Kimochi hikari hajimeta nda

Mezame RETURNER! Omoeba ī nda!

Suteki wakuwakuna hodo chō dai dai, dai!

Mezase! Mezase! Saijō! Sairyō!

Kowaimono nado nai! Nai! Nai!

Todoke! Todoke! Atsui kimochi!

I close my eyes as I’m about to finish the first part of the song. I think about the life I lived before
dying, the time I’ve spent after death with Franchouchou, and the experience I went through in this
killing game... and it was then that I gave the biggest smile I could at that moment.

Kanaderu Sōru ni… Cut in!

My left arm was suddenly jerked up by the puppet string while I was doing the “cut-in motion”,
and my finger was pointed to the sky as it did before.

KRAKABOOOOOOOOM!!!

_______________________

...
< Third-Person POV >

“Why… FUCKING WHY?!” Ryuji cried out in anguish.

Ishigami had tears flowing as he put his head down to hide it.

Emma… had gone mute. Nothing but an empty expression left on her face.

Shirogane hopped on the intercom, “Well everyone, it looks like the rest of the show is cancelled
for today. We’ll clean up the charred stage and extra crispy idols as soon as you exit! And you all
should know that this killing game WILL restart with some new faces.”

“Hey Glasses-Lady! It ain’t over yet.”

“Gold?! How are you here?!” Ryuji looked up to see his friend sitting on top of the giant
Monokuma.

“How am I here?! You didn’t expect me to come back?! I don’t go down that easily!” He shouted
at him, annoyed that he assumed he was dead.

“Tch, you’re too late anyways, the execution has already happened. Your ‘leader’ has now been
twice fried!” Tsumugi says to him.

“I guess I am late. Maybe I spent too much time watching a little anime… binged the first season
and started the first episode of Revenge.” Gold scratched the back of his head.

“What… is he talking about?” Ishigami looked to Emma, who was still silent, but had a puzzled
expression on her face.

“Although, I feel like I should mention one thing.” Gold smirked as Pibu jumped atop his shoulder,
“You should have at least seen episode 7 of season 1.”
Tsumugi stared at him, annoyed until her expression turned to surprise as the smoke cleared on
stage.

BUZZZZZZZZZZAPPPPPP!!

Gold pointed down with the smuggest of faces he could muster.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE!!!

Sparks began to fly from a glowing light, as I heard the others audibly gasp at they’re witnessing.

And yes I said, “I heard.”

< Ai’s POV >

Because I’m still alive.

“Because I’m a zombie.” I let out in an auto tuned voice.

“Now it really is party time! Woo-hoo!” Gold hopped off the Monokuma and stood alongside me.

Time to finish the song.

Insert Song: Mezame Returner (Electric Returner Type “R”) by Franchouchou - (Zombie
Land Saga Revenge)

Aa demo sukoshi, kowai no…

Sonna koto nai kara

Hora ne daijoubu da yo
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! …Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Gold took out his team members and gave me a thumbs up.

“Get them!” Shirogane commanded the Monokumas to start a crowd riot.

Mezame DREAMER mune odorun da

Sukoshi mucha na kurai demo iin da

I fire a beam of electricity from my fingers, shocking the Monokumas holding Emma, Ishigami,
and Ryuji. They retrieve weapons they were holding and we all go to town on the Monokumas.

Mezame DREAMER tokimekitain da

Yaruki sowasowa na hodo choudai dai, dai!

As the background music keeps building up, I’m releasing more electricity from my glowing body.
It’s one thing to be immune to lightning, but electronic voices and lasers from my hands? Being
undead has some good perks as well. The strings were cut when the bolt struck me, so now I’m
just dancing around the stage, shooting up robots.

It’s just so satisfying after all this time.

Anrimiteddo na Dreaming!

Aa, aa, aa, aa!

Akiramenai!

The remaining crowd members in the stands are making their way to the stage, but I’m not alone.
Emma with a bow, Ishigami with a pistol, Ryuji with a shotgun and hammer, Gold with his entire
team of Pokémon.

You’re right, Gold, it is like a party.

Mezame RETURNER negaeba iin da

Kiseki kanjite mitain da

Mezame RETURNER nozomeba iin da

Suteki wakuwaku na hodo choudai dai, dai!

The waves upon waves of bears start to lessen and lessen by the second. The holograms are still
dancing as well, reminding me of who I need to fight for and why I need to escape.

Negae! negae! saijou! sairyou!

Kanawanai mono wa nai! nai! nai!

Todoke todoke atsui kimochi

Setsuna no souru ni….

I aim my last shot directly at Tsumugi’s booth and fire away.

Cut IN!

The song finishes and the Monokumas are all down.

We all strike a finishing group pose right as the music ends.

I then see Shirogane hop atop a flying Monokuma, “UGGHHHH… damn normies! Go backflip
onto a landmine and explode, electricity doesn’t work like that!”
 “Running away, huh? Afraid of a little shock?” I teased her a bit.

“Tch… You’ll be sorry after you see my last ace up my sleeve.”

She flies away, all of us too exhausted to give chase. I feel like I could pass out standing up, but
this isn’t over. We’ve got her cornered, now we need to find out where exactly she’s hiding now.

“That was amazing, Ai! She’s definitely wrong about you now.” Emma gave me a super tight hug.

“A little slip up in the middle, but a super strong finish that helped you recover.” Ishigami
compliments me.

“That was so awesome how you had lasers coming out of your fingers, makes me kinda want to be
a zombie now.” Ryuji pumps his fist.

“Trust me, it’s a lot more difficult than it seems. Anyways, Gold thanks for—”

“Hey, how are you two doin’?” Gold says as he tries to flirt with the Saki and Junko holograms.

I use the last of my energy to slap him in the face, as everyone else laughed loudly. How I missed
this camaraderie.

Chapter End Notes

THIS WAS A BLAST TO WRITE. Seriously I’ve been waiting all this time to use
these ideas, like Gold’s Pokémon, Killua’s return… it’s culminated into a trilogy of
hype. It’s close to me watching a Smash reveal and the final battle of Avengers
Endgame, it’s that high of a bar. I hope you all loved this chapter as much as I did, if
not that’s fine too. See you all next time as the finale is close to its conclusion!
 Awaken, City of Hope! Part 5 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

Killua and Miles discover the city's power source, but it's not what they were
expecting...

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 6: Awaken, City of Hope! Part 5 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 7

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin

Danganronpa Cast:

1. Gundham Tanaka
2. Byakuya Togami
3. Aoi Asahina
4. Hajime Hinata
5. Mahiru Koizumi
6. Nagito Komaeda
7. Shuichi Saihara
8. Himiko Yumeno
9. Maki Harukawa

< Third-Person POV >

“I could really go for a chocolate shake about now…” Killua says as he crushes a robotic
equivalent to a heart with his right hand.

Miles’s stomach rumbles like how his Spidey-Sense goes off, “Want a burger myself, honestly.
Let’s hit up Na-Egg-i Diner after this, man.”

Killua wipes off a bit of drool from his mouth, “Good idea, better let everyone else know, now that
Ai’s safe. Speaking of, she did pretty well with her idol stuff.”

“Right?! Wish I could have been there to see it, but I did not expect that ending! Autotune and
lasers? She could put on a whole show by herself with a fork and an outlet!”

“Without context, that sounds a lot more dark dude.” Killua says with a blank expression.

“Hoo, my bad.” Miles realizes the mistake in his last sentence.

Killua looks at the amount of electric billboards left running, only a handful have been shut down
and yet there’s no sign of the city’s power source. He heavily sighs.

“Dinner is going to have to wait if we don’t figure out where that damn power source is…” Killua
grumbles.

Miles lands next to him, “It’s gotta be around here somewhere, how about we see which area the
bots are most defensive around?”

“Good thinking, if there’s more of them around a specific point, it has to be important. You got an
idea?” Killua asks.

“You still have juice in the tank?” He responds with a question of his own.

“Just a bit, why?”

“I need a bit of a distraction while I sneak into the area they’re guarding, I’ll let you know if it's
right so you can come in too.”

“Eh, as long as you don’t take a while…” Killua activates his godspeed and heads toward the spot
with the most Monokumas.
“Come on Miles… Come on Spider-Man!” Miles hypes himself up before taking a deep breath and
turning invisible.

“Ha! Tch, ha!” Killua dashes around, leading the crowd of robot bears away and knocking back a
few that come too close.

However, one Monokuma is there. It sees something moving up the side of the electric billboard
and zooms in. If it was nighttime, the camouflage could have been flawless, yet it’s merely
evening. Miles opens up and crawls through a small hole he makes in the building.

When he lands he finds… something very interesting. A small computer area, tons of wires and
fuse boxes everywhere. At the center of the room however, was two large glass containers with
wires plugged into them. One was empty while the other contained...

“Uh, hey Killua, I think I found it but… I’m not sure.” Miles used his earpiece to contact his ally.

“What do you mean ‘not sure’?” Killua replies.

Miles senses something, so he shoots a gadget into a nearby fuse box, “Well… it’s a yellow
diamond. And there’s an empty pod next to it, meaning that there’s probably another diamond in
the city too. Can you come get a look at this?”

“Right away, but I just counted up the Monokumas following me and it looks like I’m missing one.
Can you take care of it?”

Miles activated the remote mine he attached to the fusebox, and it shorted out the approaching
Monokuma, “Already have.”
“Nice one.” Killua complimented.

____________________

“The walls, they’re coming down!” Shuichi points to the now revealed Monocity.

“Hina, send a report for reinforcements, I expect to see Monokuma units all around this place.”
Byakuya tells the swimmer girl.

“You got it!” She gives him a thumbs up.

“The survivors have succeeded in their tasks, now let us locate and recruit them into our forces. We
shall drag Shirogane straight into Pandemonium!” Gundham exclaims as he makes his way into the
city, his Dark Devas in tow.

“He just can’t drop the ‘dark lord’ act, can he?” Mahiru squeezes the bridge between her eyes.

“Nope. But I feel like it wouldn’t be Gundham if he didn’t do it.” Hajime scratched the back of his
head.

“Yes! We shall unleash a force of mystical power that will bring her to her knees!” Himiko chimed
in as she walked by Gundham’s side.

Maki rolled her eyes, “Dear god, it’s spreading… Hey Komaeda, why are you staring off into
space like that? We should get going.”

Nagito just chuckled to himself, “For our survivors to have pulled this off, they must have
extraordinary abilities themselves. How truly wonderful…”

_________________________

< Ai’s POV >

*Munch munch, chew chew, nom nom nom nom*

The sound of all of us eating was noisy, but we all were too hungry to care very much. I’m glad I
don’t gain much weight, another perk of being a zombie, but even then I didn’t like consuming
carbs. My meal was just a large burger and a shake, with tempura green beans.

“It’s so good to have the gang together again. And that we can chow down, even without the power
on! Thanks Pibu.” Gold says before stuffing fries into his mouth, handing a few to Pibu and his
other Pokémon (who were given food items specifically made for them, mostly sweets and
berries).

“I mean, excluding Shirogane Kaiba, there were 9 other people when we first ate here. Really
makes ya think about how far we’ve come, right?” Ryuji lowers his head a bit as he chews on a
hotdog.

“Right, and seeing them back there inside the school building… I really hope we can save them.
Then we can all eat together somewhere away from this city!” Emma stood up, milkshake straw in
her mouth.

“Sounds like a plan.” I hear someone say coming from the door, and Killua walks in along with
Miles.

“W-Whoa?! How are you…” Gold stumbled back as he spotted him, we were both kept out of the
loop.

I immediately stood up and hugged the boy, “I really have so many questions on my mind right
now, but I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Heh, good to see that I was right about you. Now let’s eat while I explain everything.” Killua tells
me as he reciprocates the hug.

Everyone told me (and Gold) all that we missed, the hidden weapons room and lab in the school
building, Shirogane’s plan to plunge everyone who died into despair and control them, and what
Miles put on the table.
“This thing is what she was using to power the city, and there’s gotta be a second one. That empty
container is proof of that.” Miles explained.

I inspected the shining jewel from every angle, “For a city this large, this diamond must have a lot
of energy stored inside. And the fact that Shirogane has another one…”

“It means that she is using that one for another purpose, for what that is, no idea.” Killua shrugs as
he slurps his shake.

“Gotta be some kind of machine, a weapon?” Gold tilts his head.

“My intuition is telling me it’s something much more dangerous than that. Emma, what do you
think?” Ishigami asks her.

Emma puts a finger to her chin as she holds up the yellow diamond.

“Hm… I’m thinking about something Shirogane said back there at the execution.” She says to us.

“Uh, which part? Her words pissed me off, so I didn’t want to listen.” Ryuji finishes his hot dog in
three bites.

“What she said about the killing game starting over…” Emma recalls.

“And you all should know that this killing game WILL restart with some new faces.”

“New faces… hold on, she had to have brought us to this city somehow…” A lightbulb turns on in
Ishigami’s head.

“Restarting with new faces means that she’d have to go to other worlds…” Killua realizes this too.

Miles’s eyes widen as he remembers Kingpin’s Super Collider, which he brought up after the end
of the first trial.
“She must be using the other diamond to power the machine that brought us here! Planning to
escape and make other killing games!” Emma hit her left palm with the bottom of her right fist.

She’s right, Tsumugi did mention that she wanted to start over after she broke her own rules. A
new game requires new players, meaning that she’d try to get out of here to gather more.

We have to stop her, but… we need to find her first.

“Holy shit… I don’t want anyone else to go through hell like us!” Ryuji banged his fist on the
table.

Killua nodded, “Same here, we need to find her quickly. That machine could also break down
reality or something if it malfunctions, and with only ONE of these gems in her possession…”

“Ugh, this sounds way too familiar for my taste. But how are we gonna find her anyways? The city
is huge and we don’t know how long we have until she activates it! We’re gonna need a lot more
hands on deck.” Miles leaned back in his booth.

“Unless you want to take a chance with the pod people, we have no other options.” Killua
shrugged.

I then heard some unfamiliar voices coming from outside the diner.

“Be wary of your surroundings, it may take one whole earth day in order to locate our survivors…”
A voice that sounded like it was trying too hard to be sinister.

“Or… they could be right here.” A young man in black with dark blue hair opened the door.

“Uh… yo.” Ishigami waved to the incoming group.

“S’up?” Gold greeted them.

They all walked in and the diner was just as full as it was as the beginning of the killing game. Are
these the people who were outside of the city walls? Then the guy with the dark clothing and scarf
must be…

“Gundham Tanaka, I presume?” I approached him as he fed his hamsters.

“You know my identity? No mere mortal could determine something like that so easily, you must
be a creature of the night in disguise…”

I mean… he’s not wrong, but I feel a bit insulted.

“I do know because we were the ones who sent the letters, nice to see you again Maga-Z.” I wave
to the little hamster on his shoulder with the chipped ear.

“Ah… then your name must be…” I shook my head before Gundham could say it.

“No, I’m not her. She’s not around… anymore, it’s… complicated.”

We explained the situation to the newcomers in a way that was simple, yet summarized quite a bit.

The camera girl that Tsumugi turned into, Mahiru, sighed in relief, “Well thank goodness your
friends are not 100% gone just yet.”

“Yeah, but even then it’s probably not likely that we’ll be able to help them anytime soon.”
Ishigami sulked in his corner.

“You say that, but the three of us actually went through the same thing and made it out alright.”
The spiky haired young man, named Hajime pointed to himself, Mahiru, Gundham and the wavy
haired Nagito.

The latter had some words for us, “That’s right, with just enough luck, and an extraordinary
amount of hope. Although the talents Hajime used to bring us back was a strong factor, it was hope
to see us all together that brought us back. Even if there’s a small possibility, you can still put faith
in it. Oh, my apologies for saying something so cheesy.”
“Future Foundation will also assist with preserving your companions until we find a way to reverse
the effects of the mind control. I’m glad we didn’t have to round any of them up this time, instead
having them all in one place.” Byakuya Togami, the man who asked us to take pictures of the city,
said to me.

“Thank you for the offer, I think it would be wise to evacuate them now before things get worse.” I
bowed my head to them.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to give you another offer.” Shuichi, the detective, stood up next.

“Uh, go ahead Emo Boy.” Gold allows him to speak.

“E-Emo… never mind. You said that you didn’t know where Tsumugi could be, perhaps we could
go search for her while you all rest up. You’ve all been through a lot so…”

Emma immediately stands up, “We couldn’t possibly let you do this, not without us!”

Miles chuckles, “She’s right, it’s our fight too. Can’t just let Shirogane go after what she did, we
have to make her pay. You have to let us make her pay!”

“I’m all for working together, but I’m not staying on the sidelines for a fight like this.” Killua
smirked.

Maki, the girl with a familiar voice and long pigtails, said “You all want to die? Didn’t you just
face waves of Monokumas and just barely scrape by?”

Ryuji grinned, “Nah, I ain’t tired yet. Plus there’s a bunch of weapons in the armory that I haven’t
tried out yet. There’s this hammer based on Thor’s and—”

“Eh, I could use a break myself after all that running, fighting, and being beat up by robot bears. I
mean, I’m lucky to have survived the entire game.” Ishigami stated.
“Oh no you don’t, it’s your fight too. Plus I saw some things in your weapon section that could be
useful, perfect for you being away from the battlefield as well.” Emma pulls on his hair.

“Whatever the case, are you truly sure?” Shuichi asks.

I turn to my companions, the six others who have survived this killing game with me. Throughout
all the pain, the sadness, we kept going. Why should we stop now when we’re so close to ending
it?

“We are. Now let’s prepare for the final confrontation, everyone.”

“Splendid! Lead your forces into the war alongside our own, and we shall topple Shirogane’s
empire! We shall make her shiver with fear…” Gundham’s hand trembled while saying that.

“R-Right, last chance to walk away, anyone?” I turn to my friends.

“Nope!” Emma looked determined.

“Hell no, let’s go!” Ryuji pumped his fist in the air.

Gold spun his pool cue around, almost hitting Mahiru and Maki, “Not backing down now!”

Miles pulled down his mask, “With great power, comes a great beatdown for Shirogane.”

“Maybe once my arm is properly treated…” Ishigami clutched his injured arm, maybe we
shouldn’t just drag him in…

Killua just simply nodded and smiled at me, “Looks like all hands are on deck.”

I pocketed the yellow diamond into my shirt pocket, I need to find a better place to hide it. I then
turned to Miles to ask him a quick question.

“Do you have any good music to listen to while we get ready?”
______________________

(Insert Song: What’s Up Danger by Black Caviar and Blackway - Spider-Man: Into the
Spider-Verse)

Two-thousand on thermometers

Two-thousand surroundin' us

Travel two-thousand kilometers

To hang out with us

What's up, danger? (Danger)

What's up, danger? (Danger)

“Look here, this, uh, laptop does more than just take funds. It can launch explosives and some gun
turrets as well.” Emma points out to Ishigami as he brings up his weapon screen.

“Hopefully I’ll know how to aim this stuff, but I have played a few games like this before.
Engineer seemed kinda cool.” Ishigami studied his arsenal.

Ayy, gettin' old, they doubted us

Makes it that more marvelous

Sign 'em up, 'cause I'm in this vibe and I get synonymous

What's up, danger?

Ayy, don't be a stranger

Ryuji grabbed the hammer he mentioned, as well as an impressive looking shotgun.

“This fucking rocks.” He says with a big grin on his face.

“Got that right, pal.” Gold tied bandanas to the heads of his Pokémon, while also packing healing
items for them in his bag.
'Cause I like high chances that I might lose (lose)

I like it all on the edge just like you, ayy

I like tall buildings so I can leap off of 'em

I go hard wit' it no matter how dark it is

“How about a game, Emma? First one to get hit by a Monokuma loses.” Killua turns to her.

“Like a game of tag? You definitely don’t want to challenge me in that heh.” She gave him a smug
smile in response as she gathered bullets and arrows for her weapons.

I'm insane but on my toes

I could keep the world balanced on my nose

I had a slumber party wit' all my foes

Now I wear 'em like a badge of honor all my clothes

If I'm crazy, I'm on my own

If I'm waitin', it's on my throne

If I sound lazy, just ignore my tone

'Cause I'm always gonna answer when you call my phone

Like, what's up, danger? (Danger)

Like, what's up, danger? (Danger)

D-don't be a stranger

What's up, danger?

“Whoa… nice looking suit, Miles!” Emma complimented.

“Some damn good shine to it too, (whistles).” Ryuji looks over it.

“That’s nothing, check it.” Miles turned around and large metallic spider-like legs came out of it.
“Jeez! Definitely superior to your other suits.” Ishigami stumbles back after seeing the legs.

“Not really, but it’s close to being the ultimate one. How about you, Ai?”

Two-hundred miles-per-hour wit' a blindfold on (on)

Mama always askin', "Where did I go wrong?" (wrong)

What's up, danger?

Ah, what's up, danger?

I look ahead at the contents in my section of the armory. Metal baguette shaped batons, spare
bandages, earpieces to contact the others, and a sentai suit. I believe I wore this suit for the cover
for a cd of our song Adabana Necromancy.

It’s like a blue tracksuit, with a skirt, white tennis shoes and a white helmet with a z on it. If I’m
heading into battle, I better wear it, despite how it looks kind of silly…
“Looking good, Ai.” Miles said.

“Really? Mine isn’t nearly as creative or powerful as yours I assume…” I replied.

Gold then chimed in, “It suits ya pretty well! Fits perfectly since you’re not very bust— OW!”

I bonked him lightly on the head with one of the baguettes, which even then would hurt, “You
mind saying that again?”.

“S-Sorry ma-am!” He clutches his head in fear.

We met back up with Gundham, Shuichi, and the others and handed them earpieces so that we
could contact them. Right before heading to the top of a building overlooking the entire city.

“Are you ready to fly?” Gold asked as he gripped two of his Pokéballs excitedly.

“No no no no, I am not ready to fly.” Ishigami was paralyzed with fear.
“We’ll be fine, right?” Emma reassured him as she looked at Killua who shrugged.

“You better not drop me, Morales, ya hear me?” Ryuji says to him.

Miles laughed a bit, “Of course. It’s your call now, leader.”

I took a deep breath in, the wind blowing through my hair as I overlooked the city. It’s nighttime
now, the lights are all shining brightly, like the stars above us.

“Let’s take that leap of faith now, shall we?” I told everyone as I put on my helmet.

Like, what's up, danger? (Danger)

Like, what's up, danger?

We all hopped off the building at once, falling faster and faster towards the concrete ground. Right
as we’re a couple feet above…

Like, what’s up, danger?

Miles swings with Ryuji on his arm, Gold releases both of his flying Pokémon, with me hanging
onto his pool cue on “Tibo”, Emma and Ishigami are riding on Togebo, and Killua is hopping off
the buildings with ease, breaking windows with each jump.

Can't stop me now

I said, "I got you now"

I'm right here at your door

I won't leave, I want more

What's up, danger?

Yeah, what's up, danger?

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Miles shouted as he swung upwards.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” Ishigami screamed as he and Emma went for a
nosedive.

Can't stop me now, yeah

I said, "I got you now"

Come on, what's up, danger?

Come on, I said, "What's up, danger?"

We crossed the many buildings with ease, as we crossed many of the city sights we have seen
before. Our final battle is about to begin, and we’re prepared for whatever happens next.

It’s your move, Shirogane. Try not to miss your shots.

Chapter End Notes

I can actually picture that last scene being animated. I wish this could be animated, but
alas, it is what it is. Although I am getting art commissions based on the story that I’ll
link to once they’re done. I think there’s… two parts left? Maybe? I’ll include the
epilogue and post credits scenes in the last chapter too. No idea when I’ll be done, but
hopefully by the end of this year! See you all next time!
 Awaken, City of Hope! Part 6 (Deadly Life)
Chapter Summary

The mastermind has one more trick up their sleeve as Ai and the other survivors close
in!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 6: Awaken, City of Hope! Part 6 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Citizens: 7

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin

Danganronpa Cast:

1. Gundham Tanaka
2. Byakuya Togami
3. Aoi Asahina
4. Hajime Hinata
5. Mahiru Koizumi
6. Nagito Komaeda
7. Shuichi Saihara
8. Himiko Yumeno
9. Maki Harukawa

< Third-Person POV >

“What do you mean you’re not sending anymore Monokumas?! What’s even happening on your
end?!” Tsumugi confronts her cohorts on a large computer screen.

“The forces we have been combatting need to be snuffed out immediately, plus the Zetsubou
Facilities are in danger of being shut down by them. Resources will be scarce if we send more
units for a killing game that should have concluded by now.” A sinister womanly voice states.

“Well excuuuuuse me for not doing research on a horror-comedy idol anime! My tastes in media
are quite specific. And as for the resources, why not capture and hypnotize more living creatures?
Your world has Pokémon, Arceus knows how many you can get there!” Tsumugi rolled her eyes.

A younger, girly voice giggles, “Wow, Big Sis Tsumugi really can’t handle her plans falling apart,
huh?”

A condescending male voice then chimes in, “If you need more strength, then why not just use
your last emer—”

A dark robotic voice interrupts him, “Ha, like a plain human could tap into their power that easily.
I’ve dealt with a gem of that caliber before and believe me in saying that I, a man made of metal,
managed to use its power before the ‘geniuses’ from my universe could finish studying it.”

“Yeah yeah, I saw your movie, you were great…” Tsumugi snarks, “And for your information, I
was going to it. I’ll get back the second emerald immediately when I use this one. As strong as my
participants may be, nothing matches a jewel containing the ultimate power…” she says with a
deeper voice.

“Wow sooooo edgy~. Oh, speaking of edge, how has our other ally been? Maybe his gem could
prove useful…” The condescending voice rings out again.

“He… hasn’t been answering my messages. But whatever, he has his own plans to carry out! You
all do too, so don’t start slacking!” Tsumugi turns off her computer screen in frustration, “Ugh…
hm?”

The Monokuma head that Ai hit across the trial room was staring right at her.

“What are you looking at? Tch… time for the last resort.” Tsumugi clutches a blue gem in her right
hand, as it gives off a light glow.
_____________________________

< Ai’s POV >

“Y’know, I just noticed something kinda weird.” Miles spoke up as we moved.

“Yeah? How weird?” Ryuji asked.

“It’s probably a coincidence, but your robot pirate thing shot out electric blasts, right?”

“He did… please don’t bring him up when it still stings.” Ryuji had a few tears in his eyes, I
wonder why.

Miles looked to Killua next, “You’ve got this electric aura thing that helps you move faster…”

“Pretty much.” Killua shrugged.

“I have my venom powers, and your little mouse has lightning in his cheeks.” Miles continued to
Gold.

“Okay…” The trainer responded, his goggles over his eyes.

Finally he turned to me, “And we just saw you can absorb electricity and use it to fire lasers and
stuff. You see what I’m getting at?”
“So what you’re saying here is that there’s a pattern with five of us having something to do with
electricity?” I came to a conclusion and he nodded.

“Like I said though, probably a big coincidence. Though you gotta admit… it’s shocking.” Miles
joked.

“Booooo.” Ishigami bluntly responded as he held onto Togebo for dear life.

“It was a good way to… spark conversation though.” Ryuji chuckled.

“Ha ha…” Emma lightly laughed, embarrassed to hear that, as am I.

“Right! I’m feelin’ amped up currently!” Gold joined in and now I’m starting to feel pain from
these puns.

“Okay guys, we should just stay focused now...”

Thank you, Killua, for saving m—

“... Although it’s easy to feel ec-static about what’s ahead.”

WHY?

I groaned heavily as those doofuses laughed, “Can we please stop now?”

“Ha ha, okay okay, sorry Ai. It’s in my nature to quip, I'm Spider-Man.” Miles apologized.

“Hmph.” I grunted as I crossed my arms and looked away from him.

“Y’know, Ai. On the way back after shutting down the power, I grabbed something from the
Hope-tel that I figured you needed.” Killua told me.

“And what is that?” I asked, expecting another joke.

He lowered his eyebrows so that I could tell he’s being serious, “Well I saw that you’ve been
taking good care of it since our trial and… oh wow.”

Killua pauses mid-sentence after seeing many different types of Monokuma units in the streets. We
all landed atop a small apartment building near the shopping district. I could even see the shops
and food courts from up here.

Emma was softly petting Togebo while Ishigami was leaning over on his back, “Thank you for the
lift, you cutie!”

Ryuji turned to Miles, “How many do you think are down there?”.

His suit’s eyes shrunk as he focused, “Man the tech in this suit is wild. Let’s see, about twenty…”

“That’s not too bad.” Gold began stretching his arms and legs.

“...For each of us.” Miles finished.

“Okay that’s bad...” Gold seemed to have retracted his statement, “... But not for me.
Yahoooooooo!”

Insert Song: Fódlan Winds (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Gold flies down headfirst into the crowd of Monokumas, unleashing his team and beginning the
brawl.

“Gold, wait!” Emma called out to him.

Oh brother.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go after him. You all pair up and take care of your Monokuma groups.” I
commanded before hopping off the building to help him out.

Soon everyone else joins up, except for Ishigami who’s still on the rooftop, and it’s just us fighting
waves of Monokuma units. The types that we’re fighting are quite distinct compared to the ones at
the concert. Ones in guard uniforms with riot shields, round garbage throwing bots that roll at you,
as well as very aggressive types with large claws that just leap at you.

“Tah! Hyah!”

I swing my baguette batons like I’m at a batting cage with hundreds of baseballs flying towards
me. My suit is actually quite easy to move around in, it’s really helping with my speed which is
good when there’s multiple targets. Never imagined fighting robot bears dressed like this, but I
never imagined being struck by lightning or becoming a zombie idol either.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Hey, could’ve grazed me there! Be careful!” Killua scolds Emma as he rips the head off of a
Monokuma.

“Sorry! Ishigami, how’s it going up there?!” Emma speaks into her earpiece.

We hear Ishigami’s tired voice reply a few seconds later, “The turrets are almost done, but you
better keep them from climbing up the building and gutting me first.”

Ryuji blows robot brains out with a shotgun, “For sure, dude. Bam!”.

He swings his hammer into the Ball Monokuma and Miles smashes it into pieces with an electric
punch. The two of them give each other a thumbs up, before Miles camouflages himself.

Emma ducks under a lunging Beast Monokuma before shooting it in the back with an arrow.
“Shouldn’t there be less of them now that the power’s out? She shouldn’t be able to produce more,
right?” Emma wonders.

Killua gave her a possible answer, “Shirogane must have had some reserves, I don’t think she has
any other way to get more units, unless she’s already gotten the dimension device up and running.”

“I guess, but are we just going to battle waves of these bots until there’s no more? Tsumugi will
probably escape by then!”

I then spoke up to reassure Emma, “Don’t forget we have more allies, and speaking of, I think
that’s them calling now.”

“ Mizuno, this is Shuichi. I think I managed to find Tsumugi’s hideout, yet this is only based on
intuition for now. ”

“Intuition or not, we’ll take whatever hints we can get pal. I don’t think anyone wants us to be
stuck here fighting bots for a while.” Ryuji is then saved by Miles with a robot spider leg
skewering the Monokuma on top of him.

“ Okay, Tsumugi is a cosplayer. It’s a little on the nose, but if a cosplayer needs supplies to make
outfits…”

“The costume shop? Gah!” Ishigami guesses as he spots Monokumas climbing up the building he’s
on.

He activated the turrets and they blasted many bullets into the bears.

“ I could be wrong, yet it does make sense. It’s full of outfits based on killing game participants,
which you may have seen before. At the very least there could be something in there that’s
important. We’ll handle whatever Monokumas are around it while you go search. Good luck.”

Shuichi ended the call and we have our destination, we just need to clear a path. But how? It was
then that I saw Gold’s two tailed monkey, Aibo, as well as Pibu on Gold’s shoulder.
“Hey Gold, do me a quick favor.” I said to him as we’re back to back.

“Ok, what?”

“Tell Pibu to shock me.”

“HUH?!” He reacted like I expected him to.

“Just do it, and have Aibo launch me into the air.”

Gold regained his composure and responded with: “Uh… you got it! Pibu, Thunder!”

“Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!” Pibu’s tiny body released a bunch of volts into me, which I’m glad did not
hurt.

I then hopped on to Aibo’s hand-shaped tails and I am then launched upwards. I clench my fist
before slamming it into the ground, lightning hitting all the surrounding Monokumas and powering
them down. I heard Gold whistle and Emma clap as I dusted myself off. I think the suit provided
most of the power right then.

“Sweet! Now we got a clear shot to the costume shop, let’s go!” Miles swung over to pick up
Ishigami.

“Not bad.” Killua complimented me as we ran side-by-side.

“Thanks.” I told him as we reached the costume shop.

In the distance I see the ultimates of this world fighting other Monokumas. Mahiru stuns a couple
with her camera before Hajime knocks them away. Gundham sends his hamsters to tear apart the
robots from the inside, wire by wire. Nagito ends up tripping as two Monokumas with their claws
out crash into each other.

I see Shuichi nod at me as he and Byakuya used some kind of megaphone guns.
“Think they need our help?” Gold looks over to them as he recalls his Pokémon.

Then a Monokuma with a knife lodged in its skull lands next to us, courtesy of Maki.

“Nope. Let’s go.” Miles replies.

The store is just as it was the last time I saw it, full of outfits based on other killing game
participants. The missing black wig from the first murder is back on its rack, next to a large
pompadour. Seeing all the needles, string, and sewing machines lying around really does make this
a cosplayer’s paradise. I have no idea how Shirogane manages to completely become a character
though, it’s like she’s a shapeshifter.

“Okay, I think it’s a bust. Other than cosplay stuff she could use, there’s nothing here!” Ryuji
groans.

Ishigami then looks outside, “Uh… we better find something soon. It’s beginning to look like bear
season.”

I peek outside the store windows to see an incoming group of Monokumas, though… very
unsettling ones. They’re disfigured, left eyes all bulging out and they’re crawling on three long
limbs. Just terrifying to look at, so I turn away quickly to rid myself of any potential nightmares.

“Yeesh, that’s just a whole lotta ugly out there!” Gold said with his teeth clenched.

Emma then perks up, “Wait! Isn’t this outfit the same one on the big statue in Enoshima Park?”

I check to see what she’s talking about, “She’s right, the… ‘Twin-Tailed Goddess’ statue!”

“Wait, so does this costume have, like a key or something inside it? I don’t get it…” Ryuji takes it
off the hook and then…

KA-THUNK!
It’s a hidden passageway!

It has to lead to where Shirogane is, but… it’s a little cramped. Not enough room for all of us to go
through.

Suddenly, those freakish Monokumas begin to break through the door and windows.

“We need to move, now.” Killua stated.

“But I don’t think we can all—” Emma is then interrupted when we hear Ishigami clicking away
on his laptop, readying explosives.

“Go to hell, dumbasses.”

Multiple bombs go off, blowing away Monokumas across a few blocks. Gold takes out his large
Pokémon, Exbo I believe, with fire coming from its neck. Ryuji puts his mask back on and readies
his hammer, Miles does the same with his mask and has his spider legs out.

“You’re all sure about this?” I ask the four of them.

Strangely enough, Ishigami is the one who answers, “I’m obviously going to slow you down. I
never even expected to survive this long, so I should contribute instead of being dead weight until
the end of the game. We’ll catch up, after you take care of that bitch.”

“Couldn’t have said it better dude. Let’s kick ass.” Ryuji charges outside.

“If any of you get knocked down, promise me that you’ll get back up. No matter how many times
it happens.” Miles requests.

Emma, Killua, and I nod our heads as he joins the fray.

“One more thing!” Gold raises his finger up as we’re beginning to enter the corridor.
“Yeah?” Killua looks at him, expecting something dumb to come out of his mouth.

Gold tosses me one of his Pokéballs. I press the button and out pops Pibu.

“Pi! Pi!” He lets out as he crawls onto my shoulder.

“I’ll take good care of him.” I tell Gold, who just gives me a two finger salute as he hops onto
Exbo and dashes away.

Those boys are the bravest I’ve met, I truly hope that we all make it out of this. I couldn’t stomach
learning that they all got killed while we were facing Tsumugi. I've seen too many dead bodies
during my stay here, and I do not want to see any more, unless my own un-dead body counts.

Pibu nuzzles my cheek and I pat his spiky hair, “Quickly now!”

I entered the tight corridor alongside Emma and Killua, brushing away any cobwebs in my path. I
saw a bright light at the end of it, and we walked into an elevator room. Like the ones you might
find in an office building.

A screen above the elevators flickers on and Tsumugi’s face appears, although she’s looking
frustrated at us. Pibu’s cheeks emit sparks as he stares angrily at his captor.

“Took you long enough to find this place! The audience wouldn’t want this to drag on for too
long!”

“It’s your fault for making such a big city. And what audience are you talking about?” Killua asks.

“This is being broadcasted to your worlds! Well… was being broadcasted until you guys smashed
all the cameras and killed the power! I had to switch to backup power just to send this message and
keep the elevators running! Ahem, anyways, it won’t matter anymore. It’s all gonna be reset
anyways.” She regained her composure and tried to make herself look presentable.
… Reset? Is this what she meant by starting the killing game over?

“You’re not making sense here, what do you mean by reset?” Emma looks up at the monitor with
disdain.

Tsumugi scoffed, “It’s something from a canon that’s irrelevant nowadays, but it’s always
fascinated me. Do you know what that gem you took was?”

“You mean that diamond we found that powered the city…” Killua recalls.

“Yeah, thanks for that, thieves. Though I still have one more with me, thank goodness I decided to
remove it from that location before you arrived.”

Killua raised his finger to interrupt her, “Said location having many Monokumas around it, making
it look suspicious.”

“Oh quiet, I haven’t thought of everything! If I had, then you’d all be in those tubes by now! Just
like the Jabberwock Island killing game participants during Danganronpa 2!” Tsumugi said as her
eyes twinkled.

“Dangan...ronpa?” I tilted my head.

She rolls her eyes, “It’s the title of the fictional series the killing games are from. The world you all
are in is the Danganronpa one, I was oh so thrilled to learn that it wasn’t just FICTION! The
worlds you’re all from are considered fiction as well, but you just exist in another reality, isn’t that
just exciting?!” Ech, she’s drooling.

“Okay, you’re getting off topic, what about that gem?” I pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance,
I’m just tired of her.

“Fine fine, it’s called a Chaos Emerald. They’re from Espio’s world, seven jewels with so much
power in them that it’s pretty much limitless when they’re gathered.” She explains.

“Limitless… you were using something that strong to power this city?!” Emma’s eyes widened.
“Yup, and just one of them allowed me to use a device (that some companions of mine built) to
travel to different worlds to begin this killing game!” Tsumugi adjusted her glasses and they
gleamed.

“I figured you weren’t working alone, I can faintly remember hearing voices coming from your
computer, but why tell us this?”

She laughs at my question, “Just to stall you with exposition. You all now have half an hour until I
use my emerald for another purpose!”

“WHAT?!” The three of us gasped, ugh, she managed to fool us.

“The countdown has begun, and when it hits zero, The Genesis Wave will wash over Monocity!
The killing game will begin again as I want it to be, without any rebelling and rule breaking on
either side! You three may have been a pain to deal with, but I can’t just get rid of you. I’m just
gonna make due with having you all forget everything and go about the killing game none the
wiser!”

Start over?! All that we went through, the loss, pain, everything… we’ll have to go through it
again?

No…

I refuse to let that happen!

I hit the elevator button and the doors open up. All three of us quickly entered and pressed the
button leading upwards to the top floor. Her message continued on a screen inside the elevator.

“By the time the timer hits zero, everyone will see each other as strangers once more. I thought
about taking the survivors and just making a new killing game with new faces… but rebooting is a
better option! Unlike what Hollywood is doing, this will be an improvement over the original!”

She continued to speak as we ascended higher and higher, above the city where we could barely
see our friends fighting it out on the ground.
“The friends in those pods will be back to normal too and you won’t remember anything you went
through, you could consider letting it happen...” She smugly suggests.

No, if we do… then it would all be for nothing.

We can’t forget this experience, how it’s changed us for better or for worse. How the mistakes we
have made have led us into becoming the best possible versions of ourselves. The death, trials,
executions, no one should go through it even once.

We have to end this now.

“After what we went through, absolutely not, lady.” Killua scowled.

Emma clenched her fists, “You won’t change our minds, we’ll end this game completely!”

After receiving our answer she turned off the screen. Almost there… at the top of the tallest
skyscraper in the city, is our opponent.

“Ai.” Killua speaks up.

“Yes?”

He hands me Trunks’s sword and looks into my eyes with a look of determination. Emma puts her
hand on my shoulder to reassure me, and Pibu nods in approval. I clench the sheathed blade in my
hands before strapping it to my back.

The elevator door opens and we walk out...

Chapter End Notes

Next time, the final battle, and the epilogue as well. See you all… tomorrow, and
thank you once again.
 Awaken, City of Hope! Part 7 (Deadly Life) and Epilogue
Chapter Summary

The conflict ends, but what awaits in the vast multiverse?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Chapter 6: Awaken, City of Hope! Part 7 (Deadly Life)

< Ai’s POV >

Remaining Citizens: 7

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin

Danganronpa Cast:

1. Gundham Tanaka
2. Byakuya Togami
3. Aoi Asahina
4. Hajime Hinata
5. Mahiru Koizumi
6. Nagito Komaeda
7. Shuichi Saihara
8. Himiko Yumeno
9. Maki Harukawa

“Puhuhuhu~, you finally made it.” Monokuma was laying down on Tsumugi’s lap, like a cat does.

The three of us stepped into the large circular room as a blue glow enveloped it entirely. I returned
Pibu into his ball for now, not looking to have him get hurt. On the right hand corner, there was a
large machine that one could find in a sci-fi movie. It has a hoop-shaped opening at its center,
which would most likely mean that portals to other worlds could open through there.

At the center however was a device unlike any I’ve seen in my life. The best way I could describe
it is a small force field containing a blue “Chaos Emerald” with large energy siphons above and
below it. A timer reads twenty-seven minutes and thirty-five seconds.

“It’s a good thing you gave your monologue on the way here, gives us more time to beat you into
the floor.” Killua says with subtle fury behind his words.

She responds with a smug smile, “I’m not too fond of fighting, by myself anyways. I’m just too
plain and frail to be ganged up on by you three.”

“As we saw with your army down there, we figured. We’ll be sure to cut down as many machines
as we can in order to get to you.” I held out a baguette baton at her and she just giggled.

“No, I don’t think I’ll need many…. Just five is enough.”

As she said that, five large machines came up from another floor, the Exisals from the Gauntlet
challenge.

“We can just dodge these things and get to you to shut them down! You’re the one controlling
them, so this will be simple.” Emma tells her.

Tsumugi just laughs it off, “Who says I’m the one controlling them?”

“Huh?” All three of used let out as we see the Exisals open up.

You’ve got to be kidding me. Five Monokuma-like robots each stood atop those large killing-
machines and they began posing.

“Monotaro!” The red one with the scarf called out.

“Monosuke!” The yellow/brown striped one yelled.

“Monphanie!” The pink female one shouted.

“MONODAM.” The green robotic one stated.

“Monokid!” The blue rockstar-looking one bellows.

“Rise and shine, ursine! With our powers combined, we are the Monokubs!”

“....What.” I stare blankly at the scene unfolding before me.

It’s times like these that make me wish I could die again.

Tsumugi rolls her eyes, “Believe me, a lot of people hated them too. I had no choice though, I
couldn't have the Exisals without good pilots. Relying on autopilot for them would have been a bit
unpredictable, at least with these brats I know what to expect.”

“Now make Daddy proud, kiddies, or it’s off to the salt mines with you!” Monokuma commands.

“Hell yeah! I’m gonna tear ‘em apart and make the blood rain in the sky! Making them as ugly as
Monodam, haw haw!” Monokid charges away at Killua.
“Ugh… this is gonna be annoying.” He says as he jumps over the Exisal which hits a wall.

“I don’t like gore very much, so I’ll just knock you out and have the others kill you later…”
Monophanie tells Emma.

Emma refuses, “Sorry, but I can’t let that happen.”, she then begins to run to avoid her.

Monotaro is my opponent, “Alright! Gonna make father proud! Also that blue-haired lady who
talks about weird stuff!”

“I don’t want to know what any of that ‘weird stuff’ is.” I told him as I swung my baton at him, to
try and find a weak spot, if there’s no opening, then I’ll make one.

I then spot the green Exisal with Monodam just standing there, spacing out I guess? Is he not going
to fight us, or is this just a tactic of his? His silence is very unnerving to me.

“Slow down you little bastard! Gonna need youse to be a corpse when the clock hits zero!”
Monosuke tells Killua as he continues shooting at him with a machine gun.

“Cool suit! Can I try it on?!” Monotaro begs as I keep dodging his attacks.

“If you give up and stop fighting, then sure.” I politely tell the bear.

“Okay!” He replies quickly.

He’s very naive for a robot…

“Dumbass! Don’t listen to her, kick that bitch’s ass!” Monokid tells him.

Okay, for that remark, I’m going for you next.

“Okay!” Monotaro agreed as he hit me in the stomach and knocked me back.

“Agh!” Zombies don’t feel too much pain, but I can’t say I wasn’t inconvenienced that I was
punched across a room.

“Ai! Ow!” Emma is then shot in the leg by Monophanie.

“Oh no! B-Blood! How gory! BLRGHBLRGHBLRGHBLRGHBLRGHBLRGHBLRGH!" Did…

that robot just throw up?

“Disgutin’... Monodam, you’re cleanin’ that shit up later, capiche?” Monosuke tells him.

“Emma, are you alright?” Killua rushes over to us as I hold her steady.

“I… I’ll be fine. We need a plan, or else the wave’s gonna happen!” Emma cringes in pain.

I take out some bandages and tie it around the spot where the bullet went through. She’s right, it’s
difficult having this many opponents, even in an open space like this. We need to come up with
something, we only have twenty minutes remaining.

“YEAHHHHH!!! Get ready to die chumps, be sure to check on the spot reserved for me in hell!”
Monokid screams, I think I dislike him the most.

“Please just surrender, it’s better to forget everything than to die such gory deaths for nothing…”
Monphanie tells us.

“Huh? Forget? I thought we were just supposed to kill them, right Monodam?” Monotaro looks at
his sibling with confusion.

“...” Monodam just continued his silence.

“He couldn’t tell ya anythin’. We just gotta make sure they won’t stop the Genesis whatever, either
by killing ‘em or knocking ‘em out. I’m all for the former!” Monosuke guffawed.

At the back of the room I see Shirogane giggling away at our struggle, very much confident that
she’s won. It’s making my blood boil... suddenly Emma thought of something.

“That green one… Killua, can you bring me to him?” She whispered to him.

His eyes widened with concern, “Excuse me?!”

“You’ve seen him too, haven’t you Ai? It doesn’t look like he wants to fight us. Maybe I can—”

Killua interrupts her, “That’s crazy! He might be luring us into a trap, we might as well leave him
if he’s not gonna fight like the others.”

“No.” I stated.

“What?” Killua turns to me.

“Let her try, you believed that we could get this far, right? So let her.” I confidently agreed with
Emma’s plan.

Killua looks into Emma’s eyes, and she’s dead set on doing it. He sighs before activating his
electric aura, “All or nothing then.”

Let’s turn Shirogane’s laughter into fear.

I press the button on Pibu’s ball and the electric mouse lands on my shoulder. I only know one of
his moves, so I think it’s best for him to use whatever he thinks is necessary. Pibu gestures to me to
close my eyes and I signal Emma and Killua to do the same before the latter starts running.

“PIIIIIIICHU!” Pibu yells as a bright Flash of light is emitted from his body.
I shut my eyes before I could be blinded as I heard the Monokubs’ agony.

“SHIT! FUCK! SON OF A SHIT!” Monokid cursed.

Monotaro put his paws over his face, “My eyes! my small round eye and my weird looking one that
glows red!”

They all continue to groan as Killua brings Emma to Monodam.

“Hey… your name is Monodam, right? Hello in there!” She greets him with a smile and knocks on
his exisal.

“...” He continues to stay silent.

“You’re not very well liked among your siblings, aren’t you?” Emma asks another question.

“Hell yeah, he’s fuckin’ unloveable!” Monokid answered.

“Chuuuuuuu!” I had Pibu shock him for that.

Emma limps forward towards Monodam’s Exisal, “I see… so what do you want?”

“..... I-WANT-US-ALL-TO-GET-ALONG.” Monodam finally answers in a very robotic tone.

“Well, if you help us out, I promise to help you all do that! What do you say?” Emma holds her
hand out to him.

“...” Monodam actually opens up his Exisal and walks towards her.

“I-HOPE-WE-CAN-ALL...GET-ALONG.” He states.
Emma hugs the robot tight, like the teddy bear he looks like, as steam comes out of his head.

“YOU MOTHERFUCKIN’ TRAITOR!!!” Monokid immediately begins to charge towards the two
of them.

But then Killua grabs the two of them and leaps away with his speed, leading to…

CRASH!!

“GAH!”

“AHH!”

Monokid knocked himself and his other siblings into the Genesis Wave machine. Energy begins to
spark as the machine looks to be getting unstable.

“NOOOO! You stupid kubs! What did you do?!” Tsumugi panics.

“Don’t blame me! Monokid did it!” Monotaro pointed a finger at his blue brother.

“Hell no man! If Monodam hadn’t decided on being a little bitch then—”

BOOOOOMMMM!!!

Tsumugi self-destructs on all the Monokubs, including Monodam whose explosion sent Emma and
Killua into a wall, knocking them out.

That just leaves me and her. We both look at each other, she’s exhausted and I’m starting to run a
bit low on steam.
“Move, Lightning Rod.” Tsumugi throws an insult.

“Why even do this? Causing chaos for the sake of it, intentionally putting people in situations like
these?” I ask her as the clock winds down to eight minutes.

“If every world was peaceful, it would get boring fast. I believed the constant struggle between
hope and despair was needed to make life more exciting. That’s why the killing game is necessary.
And it’s why my companions, Team Zetsubou, made even more multiversal killing games!”

They made more… of course they did.

“Like my idol Junko Enoshima said in the Despair arc of Danganronpa 3, ‘Only despair's
unpredictability can save you from a boring future.’ My original audience seemed to agree,
wanting to see more of the everlasting war between two ideals. They gave up on Danganronpa, but
I won’t...”

“...”

“Tch, oh what do you care?! You’re just an idol! Just a zombie! From some stupid anime that isn’t
worth watching past the first five episodes!” Tsumugi insults me with words that are pretty much
empty at this point.

Yeah, I’m an idol alright, that’s why I hate everything that you just said.

Insert Song: DANGANRONPA [2nd GIG] (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

I clenched my teeth with anger, “Does that even matter? You set this all up just to entertain people,
when you actually have been making them suffer. As someone whose job it is to make people
happy and enjoy themselves, you’re absolute scum. You think the audience wants to see something
that would make them feel awful? Hell no, not any crowd with minds of their own. I know this, as
an idol who grows alongside her audience. They would rather appreciate a performance that’s
sincere and comes from the heart!”

Stepping forward towards her, we’re both so close to the machine. And yet the energy begins to
push us back as we draw closer to it. Tsumugi changes her cosplay into a large man who looks to
be the one the Mechamarus are based on. Using that larger frame and weight, she manages to make
her way to the controls.

She aims for the button, but I toss a baguette baton at her hand. I take a breath in before I continued
on, Tsumugi looking at me with a pained expression as she returns to her original look.

“Yet... truth is, I’m happy to have come so far. Overcoming so much suffering to get to where I am
now. Surviving, alongside a group of individuals who never stopped believing in me.”

I took out Trunks’s sword and clutched it as tight as I could. Tsumugi turned into the braided girl
with the scissors again, but I managed to deflect them with the blade in my hands. Four minutes left
on the clock...
“This isn’t where my story ends, it’s time to write my own history. I’ll keep aiming higher with
hope on my side, becoming more than just an idol, more than just a zombie. For the sake of my
world and my friends, I will end your killing game!”

Pibu hops onto my shoulder as electricity sparks around us, “ This is our REVENGE! HOPE
CUTS-IN! ” and I infuse lightning into Trunks’s sword like a blade of truth.

I jumped upwards with all my strength and slashed downward at the controls.

“HYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” My auto-toned voice rang out.

And everything went white.

...

…
…

“...A...i….wa….up…. Ai, wake up!”

My eyes shoot open and I see Emma and Killua above me. I look around to see the building
reduced to rubble, and Shirogane knocked out in front of it. I honestly did not expect to survive
this, even if I’m a zombie since I could have been reduced to ashes. I truly am grateful though.

The two of them get me back on my feet, “Thank you, truly.”

“Don’t thank me.” Killua pointed me towards everyone else.

Miles, Gold, Ryuji, and Ishigami stood behind us, although they were very much bruised and
battered after their fights.

“No problem, but can someone please take me to a hospital, one that’s not run by a bear again?”
Ryuji asks as he clutches his face.

“And there better not be a fee since we saved this world or whatever. I only have Monocoins…
ugh.” Ishigami falls over.

“Ha… ha ha… ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

I burst out laughing which surprised everyone.

“Uh… wow, I didn’t expect that outta Super Serious Flower Gal.” Gold scratched his head.

“Y-Yeah... “ Miles agrees.

“Ack…”
We turn to see Tsumugi slowly getting up, so Miles decides to walk on over to her. She sees the
blue emerald in front of her, but Miles webs down her hand. I pick up the gem and pocket it.

“So… Do you mind getting webbed up with a note for the Future Foundation? I need a pen and
paper, how do you spell your name again?” He quips.

“Shut up, Webhead 2.0…”

“Y’know, I feel like having the wave activate after a timer ends just motivated us even more.
Couldn’t you have also shortened the amount of time needed so that it could activate quicker?”
Killua rolled his eyes at her plan.

“I did it so that you’d think you had a chance at winning, only to be crushed and be left in utter
despa—blublublublub!”

Gold’s Tibo just shot water into her face, “Yeah yeah yeah, dis pear or whatever. I’m not even sure
what that word means anymore… I don’t think I ever knew though.”

Tsumugi wipes her glasses, “(coughs) Damn you…”

This time we all shared a laugh but then…

(This sound plays https://youtu.be/-0nNALFR1hs )

Shirogane is enveloped in a bright violet energy and we all are knocked backwards.

“Wha-WHAT?” Emma exclaimed.

Tsumugi was gone. Not a trace of her left here. How did she…

“What just happened?” Gold asked the one question on our minds.
One thing is for sure… she’s escaped and is far from here.

_________________________

Epilogue: The Expanding Multiverse

< Ai’s POV >

“Huh? You aren’t going back home yet?” Aoi asks us.

Emma and I are seeing the Future Foundation off for now, although we will be working together
from here on out. Emma was holding Monodam’s head in her arms, hoping that we could be able
to restore him one day.

I nod my head, “Yes, someone has to keep an eye on the dimensional gateway in case someone or
something comes through. And we have to keep our friends safe as well.”

“Well, aren’t you all just soft-hearted?” Byakuya snarked as he pushed up his glasses.

“My name does mean love after all.” I shot back, making Aoi and Emma giggle.

“Tch, you better be grateful that we’re choosing to help you lot.” He replied.

“Ha ha, anyways, where did everyone else go?” Emma asked.

Aoi raised her finger up to explain, “Nagito, Hajime, and Mahiru went back to Jabberwock Island.
They’re still considered criminals by the public, so they’re hiding out there. It’s not so bad though,
the latter two seemed to have something going on between them, hee hee.”

She held her hand over her mouth as she giggled, I did see some chemistry with them so I can see
something happening too.
“Okay, and what about Gundham? As well as Shuichi and his friends?” I asked next.

Byakuya scoffed, “Tanaka decided to seek help from a person who ‘deals in similar magics as he’,
so he used the dimensional gateway. Saihara, Yumeno, and Harukawa felt obligated to end the
killing games permanently, so they followed him.”

“Huh?! What gave him that idea?” Emma was taken aback by this.

I sighed and shook my head, “I think I know what, but I’ll tell you later. When do you think you’ll
be back with a cure for our companions?”

The two of them looked a bit unsure, which is what I expected.

Aoi came forward, “I um… it might be a while. Last time this happened it took the power of Izuru
Kamakura to undo it, and with Hajime not available at the moment…”

“It could take even longer, if it’s even possible that is.” Byakuya finished for her.

“I see…” Emma utters as she lowers her head.

They’re right, right now the possibility of everyone being able to wake up as themselves is very
low. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was close to zero, but even then…

“If there’s even a small chance we can help them, I’ll take it. And if we manage to do that, hunting
down Shirogane and her allies will be no problem. We have enough faith in the idea of helping
everyone to do what we can to make it a reality.” I say aloud.

Emma lifts her head up, “She’s right. We’ll take what we can get, believe in what little chance we
have at succeeding and move forward. We’ll save our worlds, and many others, because we have
hope.”

Aoi and Byakuya’s eyes widened as they heard this, before the former gave us a big smile.
“Wow, hearing all of that just now really brought back some memories. What you said there really
reminds me of a certain guy, right Byakuya?”

“Ugh, they do certainly sound like him… and those ahoges really sell it as well.”

I pat down my hair so that I look normal and that one hair isn’t standing up anymore, while Emma
played with her ahoge. I do wonder who they were talking about though, he sounds like someone
with a very strong heart. We should show that same spirit as we move forward.

We thanked them for helping us out and waved goodbye as they departed on their own ship.
They’ll be back to give us updates and any necessities we may require for our stay here. Hope that
we’ll get into contact with Hajime and the others as well, their help would certainly be beneficial.

Emma then suddenly spoke up as we began our walk back, “You know, if our friends and loved
ones back home aren’t brainwashed as you said, do you think they’re alright?”

That was a difficult question for me to answer, but still I came up with one thing to say.

“I don’t know, but I choose to believe that they are or will be. It’s as you said, hope.” I smiled
sincerely at her and she smiled back.

“Right.” Emma stated.

“Yo! You two wanna play a party game?! We found a console with a bunch of controllers here!”
Ryuji called out to us, holding the game in his hand.

Gold was holding a bunch of snacks in his arms, Ishigami was struggling to carry a flat-screen tv
so Miles had to help him, Killua had one controller in each hand.

“Sure, we’ll be right there! Come on, Ai—oop.” Emma tried pulling me over to them, but my hand
pops off as she’s grabbing it.
We all shared a laugh as the seven of us walked back to the Hope-tel together. I’m so grateful to
have made it so far, yet this is far from the end. There’s a big threat on the horizon, so we have to
be ready for it. We will.

“Y’know, this city needs a new name since there’s barely any Monokuma-related thing left. What
do you think?” Killua asks me.

Hm… Monocity was a metropolis of madness built to ensure despair. Where individuals from other
worlds were trapped here and forced to kill. So in its place I’ll suggest…

“ Kibo Nexus . Where hope never sleeps in the multiverse.”

Insert Song: Setting Sail - Ogata Megumi (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

Bryn Apprill / Risa Taneda (singing) as Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga)

Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)

Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special) as Himself (No VA yet, THERE NEEDS TO BE

AN ANIME)

Erica Mendez as Emma (The Promised Neverland), Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three
Houses), Maki Harukawa (Danganronpa)

Eric Vale as Future Trunks Brief (Dragon Ball)

Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly (Back to The Future)

Max Mittelman as Ryuji Sakamoto, Captain Kidd (Persona 5)

Cristina Valenzuela/Cristina Vee as Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter), Shantae (Shantae)

Eric Stuart as “Seto Kaiba” (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Austin Tindle as Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War)

Christina Kelly as Alice Nakiri (Food Wars)

Madeleine Morris as Misato Tachibana (Nichijou)

Matthew Mercer as Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog)

Rachelle Heger as Sucy Manbavaran (Little Witch Academia)

Kyle McCarley as Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!!)

Jason Wishnov as Byakuya Togami, Monodam (Danganronpa)

Cassandra Lee Morris as Aoi Asahina (Danganronpa)

Grant George as Shuichi Saihara (Danganronpa)

Christine Marie Cabanos as Himiko Yumeno (Danganronpa)

Johnny Yong Bosch as Hajime Hinata (Danganronpa)

Carrie Keranen as Mahiru Koizumi (Danganronpa)

Bryce Papenbrook as Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa)

Pibu, Exbo, Togebo, Aibo, Tibo, Polibo, Sudobo, Sunbo (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special)
as Themselves

Sean Chiplock as Monotaro

Patrick Seitz as Mechamaru, Monokid

Natalie Hoover as Monphanie

Featuring Chris Tergliafera as Gundham Tanaka (Danganronpa)

With Brian Beacock as Mayor Monokuma, Monosuke (Danganronpa)

And Dorothy Fahn as Tsumugi Shirogane (Danganronpa)

RenegadeBraveheart Presents

Part 1 of an ongoing series

Featuring characters from Kazutaka Kodaka Spike Chunsoft, MAPPA, Avex Pictures, Cygames,
Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Nippon Animation, Madhouse, Yoh Yoshinari, Trigger, Nintendo,
INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, The Pokémon Company International, Creatures Inc, GAME FREAK
inc., Hidenori KUSAKA, Satoshi YAMAMOTO/SHOGAKUKAN, Atlus, SEGA, Kaiu Shirai,
Posuka Demizu/SHUEISHA Inc., Weekly Shōnen Jump, Toei Animation and FUNimation,
Aniplex of America Inc., Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures Animation,
Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, WayForward, A-1 Pictures.

Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus

...

In a hidden corner between dimensions…

Shirogane was meeting up with her colleagues in person this time around.

“The Genesis Wave? Really, Tsumugi? I mean, really, do you want to break reality?” The smug,
condescending male voice calls her out.

“You know it could have worked, if I had all seven emeralds with me…” Tsumugi is then cut-off
by the sinister female voice.
“Then you would have lost them as easily as you did the two emeralds you already had. Even then,
that machine is only supposed to be used when ALL of our plans have failed. Completely rewriting
reality using all seven Chaos Emeralds.”

“Ugh… just build another one! I’m just so… ehhhh...” Tsumugi groans loudly in frustration.

The young girl silhouette walks over and pats her on the head, “Aw… cheer up Big Sis Tsumugi!
At least we’re not gonna kill you, the more of us, the better!”

Tsumugi clutched the Monokuma head that came with her in anger, before it suddenly began
speaking up in a deeper robotic baritone.

“Hate to say it, but she’s right. Normally I wouldn’t keep a human who failed to this extent alive,
yet your cosplaying is useful even if your killing game plans aren’t.”

“Ugh… why are you here, Ultron ?” Tsumugi rolls her eyes at the Monokuma head.

“I’m multitasking, since I’m an AI. I can listen to your whining while also controlling the hoards of
Monokuma units we’re using to take down those rebels. I feel like I could have even pulled off a
killing game too while I’m at it.” Ultron mocked her.

“Quiet you omnicidal bucket of bolts! You better focus on one thing at a time before you lose track
of something and fail too!” She bites back.

“Fine fine…. Just know that you’re lucky he decided to use his crystal to help you out. Oh my
mistake, it’s a ruby.” The Monokuma head powers down, Ultron leaving it an empty husk.

Tsumugi looks over to the one who saved her, the gemstone in his chest glowing with a red aura as
his silver mask gleamed, “Come on, we still have work to do.”

Monokuma will return.... In Danganronpa: Fictional Epicenter and Danganronpa: Fictional

Guardians.
____________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, on another earth that many will be familiar with...

“So tell me, why come to this universe?” A baritone voice asks the four ultimates before him.

Shuichi clears his throat, “We came here because there’s a threat, one that affects not just ours but
many other worlds.”

“You’re supposed to know actual magic, so we’re here to see if that can help us.” Maki bluntly
tells him.

“Hm… I’ve had far too many problems protecting this reality as of late, so this would just add
another one to the pile…” The man says, while facing a large window above him.

Himiko walks up to him from the back, “Please, sir. Our magic isn’t enough to take care of it, I
would get exhausted before even using my full power.”

“...”

Gundham stood up from his chair and approached him last, “You’ve sacrificed so much for your
own world, if yours as well as others are in turmoil, you must answer our call. With enough forces
to fill up the entirety of Pandemonium’s fiery circles, our enemies will fall before their plans fully
succeed.”

“...” The man still remained silent.

Gundham smirked, “Hmph, or are you brushing off our request with your arrogance, like you have
to others in the past?”

That managed to get a rise out of him, as the man then turned around to face the Ultimate Breeder,
who showed no fear in what he said.
“How do you…”

“The All-Seeing Eye allows me to look into a window of the past, that includes yours. Now allow
me to state our request. Will you assist in our mission, Doctor ?”

Insert Song: Strange Days Ahead (3:04) - Michael Giacchino

Doctor Stephen Strange gave his answer.

“...Very well.”

...

Gundham Tanaka, Shuichi Saihara, Maki Harukawa, and Himiko Yumeno will return

James Spader as Ultron

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange

Thank you all so much. I actually never even thought that this would ever get any attention,
since my previous attempt at a crisis crossover, The Gauntlet, was so terrible. So terrible that
I deleted it, but in return I received a story that has a great cast and a story I look forward to
developing more and more as time goes on. Like I mentioned before, there will be two more
killing games and a spinoff, the latter actually having one prologue chapter out right now.
Fictional Guardians is probably going to be quite different in structure and story compared
to this one, and I think more light-hearted. Regardless, I hope you like it and the cast I chose.
For those on AO3, you’ll get an image, while for other websites you’ll just have the list.

Fictional Guardians:

Ruby (Pokémon Adventures): The Charmer

Ponzu (Hunter X Hunter): Team Mom

Junko Konno and Kotaro Tatsumi (Zombie Land Saga): The Shy One and the Team Dad

Komaru Naegi (Danganronpa): The Heart

Yamcha (Dragon Ball): The Has-Been

Linhardt von Hevring(Fire Emblem: Three Houses): The Brains/Healer

Chiaki Ōgaki (Yuru/Laid-Back Camp): The Know-It-All

Masaomi Kida (Durarara!!): The Snark

Blaze The Cat (Sonic The Hedgehog): The Fire

Minori Kushieda (Toradora!): The Energy

Bucky Barnes (Marvel Cinematic Universe): The Veteran

And also… I have now successfully rebooted the cast for Danganronpa: Fictional Epicenter! I
am now fully satisfied with all my choices, replacing multiple ones that I felt off to me. 18
participants in one killing game, let’s go! Kuma-versity’s newest students are now here!

Fictional Epicenter:

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor

2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Ichinose Minori (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover
Chapter End Notes

As always, I look forward to your reviews and comments. Leave your favorite
moments and overall complete thoughts on Fictional Nexus as a whole or chapter 6 in
general, as well as the casts of the upcoming stories! I’ll see you next time when I get
back to writing. Thank you again everyone! (Also whenever the artists I commissioned
finish the Fictional Nexus artwork I requested, I’ll share links to them in the next
story! Thanks to @ArionMiitoons and @futurexhope on Twitter, and once again good
luck on the art!) - RenegadeBraveheart
 No Way Home (For Now Anyways)
Chapter Summary

We check back in with the Nexus survivors and one of their companions wake up!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Bonus Chapter: No Way Home (For Now Anyways…) Part 1 (or only part if I don’t feel like
writing another one of these)

Remaining Citizens: 7

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin

< Ai’s POV >

“Why can’t you two just accept that the original one is better?”

“Hell no! His performance has not aged well at all man, you’re seriously just blinded by
nostalgia!”

“C’mon guys… can’t we just watch the movie already? We don’t even know if those rumors are
true.”

“They have to be! You can’t fake leaked photos like these!”

“CAN YOU THREE JUST BE QUIET?!” I shouted in annoyance.

That conversation was really starting to get out of hand from what I could tell. I could barely think
in this room when they began to discuss.

I stare unamused, “What are you even arguing about, huh?”

Ryuji speaks up first, “Spider-Man: No Way Home is available digitally, and THIS GUY just had
to bring up his love for oh-so-perfect Tobey Maguire!”

He was pointing at Ishigami who just raised his hand to make his point.

“Look, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland are cool and all, but I don’t see them as true Spider-
Men. Especially the latter, Iron Boy Jr..”

“Hey hey hey! That’s taking it too far dude!” Miles was a bit offended at that comment.

“Are you for real? Garfield’s Spidey swings circles around Maguire’s! And he even skateboards,
does your Spider-Man have a skateboard? I don’t think so.” Ryuji crosses his arms and scoffs.

“... You’re all fighting because of superhero movies?” I responded exasperatedly.

“I ain’t fighting, these two are! And all I said was that I can relate with Tom’s Peter because of him
being around my age and having to struggle with living up to big heroes. Well, except for his Sub
Haven comments, I like bread.” Miles defended himself.

“It’s not gonna matter anyways, all three are gonna be in this movie! Just you wait… oh hey
Emma, who’s your favorite, huh?”

Ryuji saw her walk into the lobby of the Hope-tel and she was immediately put on the spot. Oh
great, now she’s getting dragged into this.

“U-Uh… favorite what?” She asked while tilting her head as her ahoge bounced.
Ryuji was now in her face. “Spider-Man! The new movie’s out and we’re gonna watch it later! So
tell us which one out of the ones we wat—ouch!”

“You’re making her uncomfortable, Ryuji! Give her space!” I scolded him as I pulled him away by
his ear.

Emma laughed awkwardly, “Ha, thanks.”

I nod to her, “No problem.”

“Hm… I would say I like Miles! He’s the only Spider-Man I actually met in person after all!”
Emma answers with a smile.

“Aw, that’s really sweet!” Miles smiles back at her.

It really is, Emma’s a real ray of sunshine here in Kiibo Nexus.

It’s been about a few weeks since the killing game has ended, and life here on this floating city in
the middle of the ocean has been… interesting to say the least. It certainly hasn’t been boring, with
a group as rowdy as this it could never be. The former Monocity has been turned to a second home
for us, ironic after so much suffering and death happened here. Funny how we spent so much time
wanting to escape and now we end up living here for longer.

We still have one goal in mind though, track down Tsumugi and her colleagues and stop their
madness across the multiverse. Before that though, we have to wait until our “sleeping”
companions wake up. That’s when we’ll begin preparing for the search.

For now however…

“Yo, Killua! What do you think?” Miles asked the young assassin in the corner.

“Can I say Tom Hardy’s Venom?” He asks with a smirk.

“Get out.” Ishigami says bluntly.

“Jeez, I just find Venom and Eddie to be funny together.” Killua rolls his eyes as he walks out into
the city.

“Ugh, I should have been more specific and said which Peter Parker… hey Ai, how about you?”
Ryuji turns to me next.

“I’m not getting involved, see you all later.” I walk out to join Killua outside.

“Eh?” I heard the three Spider-Fans let out as I exited.

I really did not want to be in the middle of another long conversation about this. I would have said
MCU Peter anyways, his convictions and will to not give up is what draws me to him.

___________________________

“Right behind you.” I told Killua as I ran up to his side.

He turns to me with a question, “Glad you got outta there, didn’t you?”

“Very much so.” I answer quickly and honestly.

“Same. I love those movies, but man they’re way too sensitive about certain stuff.” Killua spoke
the truth.

“Yeah… so are we headed the same direction, or are we gonna split in a few seconds?” I say.

“Classroom 77-B?” He guesses.

“Indeed.” I nod at his answer.

Killua turns to face the road ahead, “Well, let’s go see if anyone’s gotten enough beauty sleep.”
Over time we’ve gotten used to walking around the city streets, so traveling to the school building
on foot was not a problem. I also learned quite a lot about the previous killing games when ours
was over, which allowed me to see that this school was a direct replica of Hope’s Peak Academy
(the location of the first killing game and an important place throughout all of them). Tsumugi
really loves this universe, it’s unsettling.

“HEY! HEY! HEY! I NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!”

That was Gold, who was skating down in our direction and calling out to us.

“What is it now? Is it about those Franchouchou idol holograms? I told you that they’re part of the
stage and can’t be removed, and I don’t even want to imagine what you’d pull if they were
removable…” I shivered at the thought, I wish I could forget that now.

“N-No! What kinda guy do you think I am?!” Gold let out, offended.

“Reliable, but reckless and also a pervert.” Killua tells him with a straight face.

“Harsh man… but this is seriously important! Look at my clothes, does anything look different?”

Killua and I looked over him for a second until it clicked for us. His clothes were covered in ash.

“Misato’s woken up, and it was uh… rude awakening I guess?”

Oh. We need to hurry.

“She’s still in the lab, let’s go now!” Gold got back on his skateboard and put on his goggles
before rushing over to the school.

“You want a lift?” Killua asked as he charged up his “Godspeed” ability.

“Sure, just don’t drop me.” I warned him as he picked me up and carried me in his arms.

Misato Tachibana, known to us as the Ultimate Arsenal. The unfortunate first victim in our killing
game experience, stabbed by “Ultimate CEO, Seto Kaiba” aka Tsumugi Shirogane using Espio’s
kunai. We did not get the chance to talk all that much, aside from seeing her anger issues and her
being able to take out weapons from out of nowhere.

Even still, I felt really bad for what happened to her, she was just used as a tool to help kickstart the
killing game. So when we saw her sitting on the floor of the hidden lab, quivering as she looked
around, I just had to hug her.

“Welcome back, Tachibana-chan.”

“U-Um…” She uttered, confused.

“Yeah, good to see ya Bazooka Girl. And thanks for messing up my digs with a machine gun by
the way, now I’ve got no clean clothes!” Gold said to her as he showed off his scuffed clothes.

“S-Sorry.” She apologized.

I shook my head, “You should know better than to not startle her when she’s just woken up!
Besides, you could just go to the laundromat to wash your unclean clothes.”

“Wait there’s one here? I’ve just been reusing the same few outfits for weeks now!” He reveals to
me.

As I grimaced in disgust, Killua walked up to Misato next.

“How does it feel, to be back in the land of the living?”

“I… I really died, didn’t I? I was waiting on Gold for us to meet up, but then Kaiba just bursted
into my room and stabbed me…” She responds.

Killua, Gold, and I looked at each other with similar expressions on our faces.
“Well… the thing is, that wasn’t the real Kaiba. The real one was never here to begin with either.”
Killua began to explain.

“HUH?!” Misato reacted how I expected her to.

“Jeez, this will definitely take a while.” Gold put his arms behind his head lazily.

It took about half an hour to explain everything that occurred between her death, up to the end of
our battle with Shirogane. I could tell that she wasn’t getting all of the information, which I did not
blame her for. I mean, for her it feels like it has only been a short time since her death. The story is
also ridiculous itself, but I think we’ve all gotten used to it at this point.

“...” Misato’s mouth was agape as we finished.

“Uh… you got the gist of it right?” Gold asked her.

“I think so… she really escaped, hasn’t she?” She questions us about the one that killed her.

“Yup, her allies were able to warp her away before we could get the chance to capture her. On the
bright side her original plan failed.” Killua shrugged with his shoulders and put his hands in his
pockets.

“She’ll definitely be continuing her schemes elsewhere however, so we’ll need to be prepared for
what else she has in the works… None of us can go home until this is over.” I sighed.

“Hm…” Misato grunted when she heard that last sentence.

“You know what, how about we go grab a bite? That’ll make ya feel better, I’m sure of it!” Gold
bursts out.

“I mean, she might actually need some food after spending so much time inside that pod…” I
subtly agreed with him.
“Good! It’s settled then! C’mon, Misato!” Gold grins as he lets out his “Typhlosion'' named Exbo
(we learned their names by now, they’re also quite friendly albeit just as reckless as Gold).

“What the—Hey! What are you–”

Gold pulls her atop of Exbo and the two of them rush out of the lab before saying another word.

“Good grief…” I uttered as I crossed my arms and shook my head.

“How long until she shoots him with another weapon? One minute? Two if he’s lucky?” Killua
jokingly asks.

I pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

“At most twenty seconds.”

__________________________

BANG!!

Fifteen seconds, new record.

Misato blew the smoke off of the handgun she shot Gold with as he rubbed the back of his head in
pain. Exbo shook off the excess flour off his head as he sat down to rest.

“Agh… where do you even get these things?!” He shouts at her.

“Where do you get the idea to just grab my hand without my permission!” She bites back.

“These hands were made for holding girls’ hands, it’s their purpose!” Gold says in reply.
“Grrrr…” Misato grits her teeth as she whips out a gatling gun.

Gold is understandably spooked about this, “Whoa whoa whoa! I’m kidding, I’m sorry!”

Misato looks at him for a minute before deciding to put away the heavy weapon, much to Gold’s
relief.

“Hooo boy… you gotta learn to chill, Gun Gal. It ain’t gonna make you any friends if you keep
blasting people, much less a boyfriend…” Gold mumbles.

“I-I do have friends! And did you say… B-B-Boyfriend?… N-Never mind!”

“Eh?”

Gold turned to her and noticed her face getting bright red. He smirks, this can’t be good.

“So you do have someone back home ya like? Who’s the lucky guy? Or lady, I should have
mentioned I don’t judge.”

“I-I don’t, Sasahara’s just my idiot classmate!” She shouts out before slapping her mouth shut with
her hands.

“Sasahara, huh?”

Misato turns away to hide the blush on her face, “He’s not important right now! Why do you keep
bugging me anyways?”

“I’m just trying to get to know you, y’know? Since… last time we didn’t get the chance to. Sorry
about making you so mad back then, I guess.”

His answer made her turn back to him, from the look on his face he was completely serious.
“No, I should be the one who’s sorry. I still can’t get rid of this temper of mine, so when you just
kept pestering me I couldn’t handle it.” She tells him.

“Ah, that’s alright. I really do seem to make a lot of people angry at me, it’s just in my nature.”
Gold kicks at the ground and looks at Exbo scratching his ear with his paw.

“... Can I tell you something?” Misato holds her hands behind her back and fidgets.

“Uh, sure?” Gold raises an eyebrow.

“So… remember when I called you over for that meeting before… I got killed?”

“Oh, right… so were you actually planning on killing me?” Gold assumes.

Misato shook her head, “Of course not! Well… it did pass through my mind once.”

“Happened to a few other people, no big deal. For one guy that idea never left…”

“Aoba, yeah. But I really wanted to make amends for the way I acted, we were still complete
strangers and yet I still chose to threaten you with violence. That’s… far from okay.”

Misato’s head was down as Gold listened intently.

“I don’t expect forgiveness but… what are you doing?”

Gold had his hand out in front of her.

“It would be hard for me to forgive you, especially after you actually shot at me multiple times
today. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t be pals.” Gold grinned, surprising her.

“A-Are you stupid?! How could you be so welcoming towards me, even though I’ve been arguing
with you from the start?!” She asks him exasperatedly.

“Ha ha ha! Some of my best friends are people that I argue with every time we meet! That’s just
another way we bond, I guess. The killing game’s over, so how about we let bygones be bygones
and reintroduce ourselves yeah?”

Misato continued to look at him with confusion, but eventually she smiles back and shakes his
hand.

“Misato Tachibana.”

“Gold, from New Bark Town. Alright, it’s party time! Wahoo!!”

Misato giggles a bit at his enthusiasm as the two of them hop back onto Exbo and head to grab
some food.

_______________________

< Back to Ai’s POV >

“WELCOME BACK MISATO!!!”

Party poppers went off as we all were at the Hope-tel to celebrate the first return of one of our
companions.

It’s really a joy to see everyone so lively, although we did throw a small party after our victory over
Shirogane, but everyone was too exhausted from the fight to enjoy it too much.

“It’s so good to see you, it feels like it’s been forever!” Emma greets her and hands her a slice of
cake.

“No no, Emma. I don’t think she needs that big a slice, she needs to look good for Sasahara!” Gold
chuckles.
Misato simply whipped out a shotgun and blasted him, knocking him out of his chair.

“Freaking gun-dere…” Gold uttered in pain.

Misato just smiled just then, it looks like their relationship is improving… albeit only slightly

“Nice, the movie’s now live! Let’s get to watching!” Ryuji whooped as he turned on the tv.

“I can’t wait!” Miles pumps his fists excitedly.

“Now no arguing again, okay you three?” I scolded the trio from before.

“Jeez Ai, what are you our mom?” Ishigami rolled his eyes as he turned to the screen.

“Really starting to feel like I am.” I shook my head as the rest of us began to watch the movie as
well.

Despite everything that’s happened, this group really is like a family now. I feel like once we’re all
together, then it’ll be even more chaotic. I really do miss Franchouchou though, but until the day
comes where I can find them, it seems we have… no way home.
Chapter End Notes

Long time no see! I really do feel happy to revisit the Nexus crew after a while. It is
getting difficult to write the casts of both Epicenter and Guardians (especially after
encountering problems with the latter), so coming back to the originals really makes
me smile. I hope seeing them again made you smile too. I really delved into Misato
more this time around, instead of ending it like how I did originally with her. Having
her and Gold make up was definitely something I wanted to see, and now it’s reality.
Thank you all for reading, I will see you next time for the next Guardians and
Epicenter chapters! (And let me know if you guys want to see the Nexus cast once
again for another round.)
 Bonus Chapter: Birthday Party Superstars! (or DRFN Plays Mario Party)
Chapter Summary

A celebration at Ai's Birthday Party is interrupted by a certain friendship-ruining

game...

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Bonus Chapter: Birthday Party Superstars! (or DRFN Plays Mario Party)

Remaining Citizens: 10?!

1. Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol

2. Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
3. Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
4. Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
5. Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
6. Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter): Ultimate Assassin
8. Misato Tachibana (Nichijou): The Ultimate Arsenal
9. Marty McFly (Back to The Future): The Ultimate Time-Traveler
10. Shantae (Shantae): The Ultimate Half-Genie

< Ai’s POV >

Kiibo City, Nighttime.

March 7th.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR AI… HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUU!!”

“T-Thank you, everyone.”

Jeez, this felt a bit embarrassing.

Sitting at the center of a long table (also includes a big chocolate ganache cake with vanilla frosting
and my face on it) with everyone singing really made me blush a little bit. Yet it did feel nice to be
celebrating with everyone, especially since two more people were brought back a few days ago.

“Yeah, happy birthday!” Marty shouted as he riffed on his guitar.

I was so glad to see him back up and moving again, ever since the beach party incident it was hard
to imagine we’d hear his rocking again. Yet here he is, strumming along to the (admittedly loud
and uncoordinated) singing along with…

“(blows into a party horn) Yay! Congratulations on getting old—I mean, staying the same age!”
Shantae cheered.

The last time I saw her was the awful execution that she was put through, and both Gold and Ryuji
hugged her immediately after seeing her again. She was EXTREMELY apologetic towards Marty
when they saw each other, but in the end it was the result of Aoba’s manipulative influence so he
understood completely. He forgave her wholeheartedly, although he’s a bit more hesitant when
being offered fruit punch, which is a shame since everyone else really tried hard to master Alice’s
recipe for this party.

“So… how old are you really?” Gold asked insensitively.

BOOM!

Misato blasts him with a rocket launcher in response, “You shouldn’t ask something like that to a
lady!”
Gold is absolutely covered in gray residue, “(coughs) Sheesh, I was just curious!”.

“Curious or not, it’s still rude to ask that question!” Misato huffed in annoyance.

“I mean, she’s not wrong but…” Miles was chewing on a slice of cake.

I sighed, “It’s fine, guess I should tell you. I was around sixteen when I died, so I’m stuck at that
same age now. Add on about 15 years from 2008 and…”

“Wait, YOU’RE THIRTY?!” Gold outbursts.

“Misato, shoot him again.” I told her.

“Will do.” She reloads.

“WHOA WHOA WHOA!” Gold begins running as the Ultimate Arsenal gives chase around the
room.

Thankfully the explosions didn’t distract me from enjoying the cake, quite delicious. Rich
chocolate, creamy frosting, and a nice tasting chocolate cake underneath! Normally I would be
against eating something like this, due how much I dislike carbs, but it’s a special occasion after
all. Plus it’s not like I’m going to gain any weight from this… I hope.
“Wow, so you really do stay the same age?” Emma asked, chocolate on her face.

Killua rubbed a napkin on her cheek roughly to clean it off, “This whole zombie thing really does
have a lot of advantages, huh?”

“Hey!” Emma glared at him and he just smirked.

“Surprisingly it does, strangely enough. Though not being able to go out in public without makeup
outweighs the positives a bit…” I admitted.

“Don’t worry about it, Ai, I’ve gotta go out and put on a mask every day when I fight crime. So… I
kinda know how that feels. You just gotta let your true self shine even when you’re hiding your
face, you know?” Miles assures me.

“I get it, thanks for that.” I nodded towards him.

“One thing you can’t really get rid of though is the zombie smell.” Ishigami chimed in from the
back.

I frantically began sniffing my shirt and my sleeves, yet I ended up smelling just fine.

“Just joking, by the way.” He said as my worries about not putting on enough deodorant went
away.

Ugh, I know it’s my birthday, but do I have to get teased this much?

“Alright! The console’s ready, now who wants to ruin some friendships?” Ryuji calls all of us over
as he’s holding two Joy-Cons in each hand.

“Ooh! This could be fun, I’m in!” Shantae grabbed the red one.
Ryuji pockets a yellow one for himself, “Okay, I’m joining this first round. Ishigami, wanna come
lose to me?”

The gloomy guy decided to stand up and walk over to the couch next to Shantae, “You’re too
overconfident, you really don’t want to try me in this of all games.”

“Try me.” Ryuji looked him in the eye as he handed him the dark blue controller, “Okay who’s up
next? How about… the birthday girl?”.

Me? I’ve mostly been watching them play this game, but it looked very luck-based. Not sure if
that’s to my liking…

“Come on, Ai, do it! Maybe winning on your birthday will guarantee some good luck in the
future!” Emma assumes.

“I don’t think that’s how things work…” I raised an eyebrow at her statement.

“Come on, go have some fun! It wouldn’t be cool to be a party-pooper at your own party, huh?”
Marty encouraged me.

I sighed before going, “Oh, why the hell not?”, and grabbed the cyan Joy-Con and sat down on my
own chair.

Ryuji went to sit on the chair opposite of me and we turned on the game. Time to select our
characters.

“DK’s mine!” Ryuji selects Donkey Kong.

“Hi, I’m Daisy!” Shantae proclaims.
“Waluigi thinks he should have stayed in bed.” Ishigami chooses the lanky purple rival.
Hm, I think I’m going to choose…

“Birdo.”
Everyone else looked at me with judging eyes.

“What? I think she looks cute.” I defended my choice.

Gold sat down at the dining table, still smoking from the rockets Misato shot at him, “Ai, you
really need to figure out what the definition of cute really means.”

“Pi Pi Pichu.” Pibu hopped onto his cap and agreed with him.

Well, it’s their problem that they don’t find her cute. I scoffed as we picked the settings for the
game.

20 Turns
Classic Bonus Stars

All Minigames (with help on)

No Handicap

And now, we’re off to Space Land. It looked quite sleek and there were a lot of spacecrafts around
the board. There was a large number 5 at the center of the board, which drew my attention as we
listened to the rules. Apparently it’s a timer, and there’s a Bowser-shaped satellite with a cannon
attached to it in the right hand corner, I think I can connect the dots there. There’s also two stations
for the “Snifit Patrol”, which I couldn’t figure out.
Then we rolled the dice to determine what our turn order was.

“Ha! Got an eight!” Ryuji grinned.

“Aw… a four.” Shantae sighed.

“Six, maybe it’ll be more helpful than going first?” I pondered to myself.

“And… Ten.” Ishigami timed it just right.

“HUH?” Ryuji let out.

“Already cheating, huh?” Shantae pouted.

“Dies aren’t loaded here, folks. Unless of course you get Custom Dice Blocks.” Ishigami
nonchalantly replied.

“It is what it is. Let’s get started now.” I told the three of them.

Insert Song: Space Land Remastered Version (Mario Party Superstars)

Turn 1/20

The goal of the game is to collect the most stars and coins by the end of the game. Playing
minigames to earn coins and rolling high enough dice rolls to make it to the star on the board.
There’s also the features of the board to take into account.

The first star was near the center of the board, so it could take a few turns or more to get it
depending on how we roll.

Ishigami rolls an eight and gets to land on an item space. He manages to get an item called the
Skeleton Key, although I question why it’s called that since it’s just a key with eyes and a bow. I
see him grip his fist, it seems like he got the item he was searching for. Looking back on the board,
there’s two locked gates that he could unlock to enter separate pathways. He really does know his
stuff.

“Big number, baby! Ha!”

Ryuji gets a two.

“For real…?” He uttered as DK moved onto a blue space near the start.

Okay, my turn. And I manage to land on Ishigami’s space as well. Not knowing what to pick from
any of the barrels, I went for the one in the top right. I got a colorful-looking block.

“A Warp Block, swap spaces with a random opponent. That’s risky…” I muttered as I read the
description.

“Okay, I’m Ret-2-go! C’mon…” Shantae focused.

“One.” Ryuji quickly stated as Shantae got the exact number soon after.

“Oh no, are you kidding me?!” She shouts as she lands on an event space.

We get chased back behind the starting area, farther behind the star.

“On the bright side, you’re currently in the running for the Event Bonus Star.” Ishigami brings up.

“Oh you… I’ll be sure to get all of them by the end, you’ll see!” Shantae shot back at him as he
rolled his eyes.

The first minigame was Messy Memory, where you had to place items in the correct spots as they
were before they were scattered.

“Wait, was that there? Or here? Or…”

“No no, this goes over here, I’m sure of it!”

Ryuji and Shantae were frantically trying to figure out what items belonged on which shelf, should
have paid better attention, you two.

“There we go.” I finished up and began to hum to myself confidently.

Ishigami finished up as soon as I did, which sent the other two into a panic.

“Time’s up? I wasn’t done!” Ryuji said as I saw he left one item on the ground.
Perfect score for me and Ishigami, while Shantae had a 6 and Ryuji had a five.

“Okay, how did you BOTH get it perfectly right?!” Ryuji complained.

“Strong memory, and I did mention that my eyes were better than most people, right?” I answered
as I pointed to my red eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Same for me.” Ishigami stated, but I swear I saw him sneaking a phone behind him.
He really is cheating, but I’m not gonna call him out for it since it’s just one minigame.

Not a bad start, despite having been pushed back after the Event Space.

Two Turns Later…

Turn 3/20

Ishigami is in the lead after obtaining the first star, while I was busy trying to find my lost thumb
after it went flying during a button mashing minigame. Yet another problem with being a zombie,
with enough force you can lose a body part as quickly as a cowboy doll. Or a spaceman,
considering our current location.

“Let me roll high, please game!” Ryuji begged before getting a one, “COME ON!”.

I cover my ears with my hands to block out the sound coming from his loud mouth.

“Take it easy man…” Ishigami told him.

“Asshole, you already have a star! But at the rate you’re going, you won’t have it long…”

I planted my thumb back into my hand and flexed it to test if it’ll be ready for the next minigame.
Now for my turn.
“Another Item Game. I guess I’ll go for the Double Dice then.”

Unfortunately I ended up with the Cursed Dice Block instead. Useful for holding up other players
(or myself if I want to roll low), but not as useful as getting farther on the board.

Shantae landed on a lucky space to get more coins, and that brings us to the end of that turn. The
next minigame was Parasol Plummet, for double the coins as it would usually offer.

“Ha ha, gimme that money!” Ryuji smiled as he collected multiple bags of coins.

“Tch…” I grunted as I got pelted by hammers from both directions.

The time soon ran out and I managed to get less than ideal results. 16 coins compared to everyone
else getting twenty and in Ryuji’s case thirty.

“Damn, 4th place…” I sighed as my lower amount of coins altered my placement on the board.

“Wooo! I’ve got thirty altogether!” Shantae cheered.

At least she’s having fun…

Seven Turns Later…

Turn 10/20

“Finally… my first star.” I paid twenty coins to Toadette and finally managed to be in the running
for first.

Ryuji was winning with two stars and I was tied with Ishigami for 2nd after winning Roll Call,
Trace Race, and Paint Misbehavin’ alongside him. Shantae was in last, but she wasn’t struggling
with coins, just with avoiding the event spaces. Ryuji paid off the Snifit Patrol so that it would
chase her (and sometimes us) even farther, so it really was rough.
Shantae’s eyebrows lowered in anticipation, “Let something good happen on this turn… ha! Yes I
got to Boo! And now…”

“Gonna steal from Ryuji?” Ishigami suggested.

“No, actually…” Shantae picked Ishigami instead, managing to steal 18 coins away from him and
putting him at the bottom at 4th.

“... You will regret this.” He said to her, with such an intense stare that I ended up giggling a bit.

Shantae stuck her tongue out at him and landed on a Versus Minigame space, meaning we have to
give up a select amount of coins (ended up being fifteen each from us) and battle for them. With
how intense things are getting between us already, I’m afraid that things are about to get worse,
and low and behold we’re stuck with a luck-based game.

Bowser’s Big Blast, where we have to select a lever and hope the large Bowser Bomb doesn’t blow
up in our faces… And I’m going first.

“Stay calm, Ai!” Emma shouted from the back.

Killua chimed in, “Yeah, don’t choke on the pressure. It’s not like there’s money on the line, oh
wait…”

Thanks, I guess? I looked at the different colored levers in front of Birdo that I could choose.

“Y-Yellow!” I let out as I was hesitating on my choice.

The few seconds of waiting was agonizing, but I made it through and survived.

Ryuji rubbed his hands before going for the red lever. He survives and breathes a sigh of relief,
“Man… I haven't even had exams that were this stressful…”.
“Oh I seriously doubt that.” I snarked and a few people in the back chuckled.

“Shut up…” He groaned.

Shantae bit her lip as she pulled down her lever and held her breath as we waited. Another one is
gone and no one has been eliminated yet, she exhales.

“Well, this is probably it.” Ishigami assumes.

He picks the purple one… and nothing but smoke comes out of the Bowser Bomb’s nose.

“Dear god…” He whispers aloud as he is proven wrong.

“Jesus… didn’t think games would end up this stressful…” Marty states as he’s tuning his guitar.

Another round passes afterward and nobody is blown up yet. I didn’t think it could go on this long,
our luck shouldn’t be like this.

“I’m getting bored, someone die please?” Killua yawns from the back.

I’m so glad that he said that in the time when we’re way past the killing game, but still rude. Soon
after he said that though…

“Pleeeeeeease…” Shantae begged for another pass.

That time, Bowser said no and the bomb began ticking down.

“My money…” Shantae had tears forming in her eyes.

Ishigami softly snickered, “That’s only the beginning of your karma.”

I’m so glad I haven’t chosen to use the Boo to steal from anyone just yet. It’s really starting to heat
up.

Ishigami passed through his turn, as did I, as for Ryuji…

“Damn, but thank god that’s over…” He accepts his defeat willingly as Donkey Kong is blasted
away.

“I wonder… why can't you just move out of the way in the three second interval?” I questioned.

“Panic, I guess?” Miles gave his own answer as he was hanging upside down in the back.

So it was down to me and Ishigami for 80 coins. Only three levers were left and one of them cause
the bomb to explode. ⅓ chance of losing, at least I get some of my money back in the end.

“Uh… eeny, meeny, miny, moe?” Ishigami chose the white lever.

And…. I win?

BOOM!

“Welp. That really shouldn’t have gone on that long. Yay I guess?” The pressure really hampered
my enthusiasm, but I am glad to have won this much money.

I can say that I am somewhat motivated to win now!

Six Turns Later…

Turn 16/20

Five turns left… and Ryuji just got a hidden block with a star in it. Putting him at 4, while Ishigami
has three, and myself and Shantae have two each. I have the most coins, due to not spending much
at the item shop, but stars are much more important even if I do get the Coin Star at the end.

“WOOHOO! HELL YEAH!!” He yelled triumphantly as we all couldn’t believe our eyes.

I saw Ishigami holding his hands together, like he was praying, “RNG-sus, strike him down within
the next few turns please.”

“SUCK IT LOSERS!” Ryuji continues gloating as I’m tempted to join in on the praying,
“Everything’s coming up Ryuji!”

One Turn Later…

“Ch-Ch-Ch-Chance Time?” Ryuji quivered as he saw what Ishigami landed on.

He’s just now using his Skeleton Key that he kept since the beginning of the game, what is his
plan here?

Ishigami just laughed, “Ha ha ha… as long as I make you lose, then that’s fine by me. Time for
chaos!”

“U-Um, you okay in your noggin there?” Shantae knocked on his head a bit, and he was unphased.

Three random blocks, on the left and right are our character’s faces, while in the middle is what we
have to give up.

“Let’s see what’s on the line here.. Ah, trade stars!” Ishigami sinisterly smiled at Ryuji.

“No no no no, have mercy.” The delinquent begged.

Donkey Kong’s face was on the left, whoever it is on the right is winning. We’ve got something
big here… I’m gripping the edges of my chair intensely as the game is reflected in my eyes.
Everyone was just starting to get tired in the back, but this hyped everyone up. All saying the
names of whoever they wanted to win.

Everyone started to count down until Ishigami hit it, well except for Ryuji who was covering his
eyes in fear.

“ 3…2…1…0 !!!”

Donkey Kong must trade stars with… Birdo.

I won, holy crap!

Ryuji then sat up from his chair and walked towards Ishigami, “ YOU .”

We all had to hold him back from attempting to strangle the poor guy, safe to say they won’t be
talking for a while after this. Ryuji did say that this was going to ruin friendships, so… careful what
you wish for?

Three Turns Later…

20 Turns Completed

We were awarded the Bonus Stars in the order of Rich, Minigame, and Event.

I was awarded the Rich Bonus, as I should for saving up so much.

Ishigami won the Minigame Bonus, his button speed was hard to keep up with. Especially against a
zombie with hands that can come off when trying to rotate a control stick quickly.

Shantae managed to get the Event Bonus, leaving our results with…
1st Ai: 4 Stars, 148 Coins

2nd Ishigami: 4 Stars, 50 Coins

3rd Shantae: 3 Stars, 68 Coins

4th Ryuji: 2 Stars, 0 Coins (He got hit by the Bowser Coin Laser by accident when Shantae
was just trying to move upwards)

Everyone was raising me up high in victory as they chanted my name, “AI! AI! AI! AI! AI!!”

“Good game.” Ishigami shook my hand.

“Yeah, thanks for Chance Time. That really saved me in the end, so sweet of you to give me the
win even if it wasn’t guaranteed.” I smiled at him.

“N-No problem.” He blushed a bit.

“Okay, I got next.” Killua stated as he took the controller from my hands.

Miles picked up the Joy-Con that Ryuji dropped earlier and Gold swiped Ishigami’s away.

“Oooh, me too! Can I?’ Emma politely asked Shantae for hers and she obliged, at least someone’s
practicing manners.

Shantae then walked over to Ryuji and patted him on the back, “It’s alright, I’m part of the Bottom
Two with ya. No need to be sour, right? Ha ha…”.

Ryuji, dejected, accidentally leaned back in his chair onto the remote and suddenly the TV input
switched to cable. It just so happened to have some kind of news station on it. I would have figured
that stuff was shut down when Tsumugi was defeated, so maybe they’re recording from
somewhere else.

“We are live here at Garreg Mach Monastery, where a huge skirmish with students of the Officers
Academy is taking place!” Monokuma’s voice says aloud.

“Garreg Mach… wait isn’t that Bernie’s school?” Emma realizes.

“The hell are those things?” Ryuji leaned forward to get a better look.

They looked to be some inky creatures with bits of Monokuma parts as some kind of armor.
Dozens of them are swarming the poor students as the camera keeps panning around, how are they
even transmitting this? However, those monsters aren’t the only things I see.

“Feefee, use Ice Beam!”

“Fuwafuwa, Razor Leaf!”

Gold walked over by my shoulder and his eyes widened, “Fancy Boy? Wait, that is him!”.

“You know him, Gold?” Shantae asked him.

He nods, “He’s my junior Pokédex Holder from Hoenn. So weird that he’s over there though…
makes me wonder about everyone else from my world.”

I turned back to the screen after his explanation and then I suddenly stood up as well. Right next to
a silver-haired boy with a bow was also someone I knew:

“Junko?”

To Be Continued… (again if/when I feel like it.)

Chapter End Notes

Happy Birthday to my favorite anime character, Franchouchou No. 3 Ai Mizuno!

Also, happy birthday to me too tomorrow, I guess. The fact that we share the same
birth month really makes me like her even more. Anyways, weird that this is a thing
instead of another Fictional Guardians chapter, huh? Well I just felt like celebrating
the best girl as a gift to her and myself in a fun way. I’m still working on the next
chapter, don’t worry, especially since the end of this chapter had a short preview of
what’s to come in the Trinity Trials! I hope you all look forward to that. One last thing
before I leave, what I would really want as a great b-day gift (which is definitely not
required) is that I would like to hear some long and honest thoughts about the
Danganronpa stories. Whether it be about all of them, one single story, I just want to
hear what you liked! Or something else, you could give me your theories on what’s to
come in Guardians, Epicenter, and maybe beyond? No pressure though, I just wanted
to give y’all a gift of my own with this chapter anyways. I’ll see you all later, and
thanks for reading as always. - Renegade Braveheart
 Stolen Story Situation
Chapter Summary

A recent online discovery has me wanting to make a quick statement.

Ok I know this isn’t another chapter, but I really wanted to talk about this briefly. I actually
found a person who copied me on Wattpad. No not someone who’s making a crossover killing
game, someone literally stole the description/some concepts for Fictional Nexus (although
they made it 30 killing game participants which is insane). They’re trending #37 in
zombielandsaga stories for some reason and it’s really bugging me. It might be a sign that
I’m worthy enough to get copied, but I really just want them to stop. Look for it if you want
to, but I don’t want to escalate things. At most, report and move on while not commenting on
it if you want. Also make your own stories instead of taking ideas from others. Inspiration
yes, but stealing? NO. Someone worked hard on bringing something to life from their own
imagination and efforts to make it reality. Do not take something, and change it slightly just
to say hur hur it’s totally different! Discrediting an original content creator is something I
and many others despise most. You’re not getting any fans for doing it. Also if the guy comes
after me and starts claiming that I stole this idea, I’m just gonna point out the date of which I
created Fictional Nexus. April 26th, 2020, which is also the date I’m planning on posting the
next Fictional Guardians chapter (hopefully it works out). I am the original creator,
(although I have read a few Danganronpa crossover killing games before), so ha ha.
Anyways, see you all next time for more Fictional Guardians and that you’ll continue
supporting me throughout the development of the Danganronpa: Fictional Quadrilogy.
Thank you so much to the people who always read my stuff, and I hope that you keep
enjoying it. This has been the Renegade, farewell until next time. -Renegade Braveheart
Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus 3rd Anniversary Development Story and Q&A
Chapter Summary

I open another Q&A while I also discuss various parts of Fictional Nexus I enjoyed
working on. Happy 3rd Anniversary to the story!

What’s up, peeps? This is the Renegade, author of the Danganronpa: Fictional Quadrilogy.
And today I’m joined here by…

Ai: “Hello! I’m Ai Mizuno, Franchouchou No. 3 from Zombie Land Saga and protagonist of
Fictional Nexus.”

Gold: “Yo, it’s Gold! The New Bark Town Hero from Pokémon Adventures, and Fictional
Nexus!”

Emma: “Hiya, it’s Emma from The Promised Neverland and Fictional Nexus”!

Ruby: “Pokémon Contest Extraordinaire, Ruby, from Pokémon Adventures and Fictional
Guardians!”

Junko: “Franchouchou No. 4, Junko Konno, from Zombie Land Saga and Fictional
Guardians. It’s wonderful to be here with you all.”

Linhardt: “Zzzzz….”

Uh, can someone please…?

Ai: (sighs as she bonks his head with a baguette).

Linhardt: Ack! Fine, Linhardt von Hevring, from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Three Hopes,
and Fictional Guardians. Are you happy now?”

Yes, I am. Moving on…

Hachiken: “Um… I’m Yūgo Hachiken from Silver Spoon and the protagonist of Fictional
Epicenter.”

Sayori: “Ehehehe~, hi everyone! I’m Sayori from Doki Doki Literature Club and Fictional
Epicenter!”

Saki: “And I’m Saki Nikaido, the badass Franchouchou No. 2 from Zombie Land Saga, as
well as Zombie Land Saga REVENGE, and Fictional Epicenter! Nice to have ya!”

Okay! Introductions are outta the way, and we’re here to celebrate a little something as a
small little gift for fans of these stories.

Ai: “Indeed, it is the 3rd anniversary of Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus. Which also makes it
the 3rd anniversary of this entire series!”

Aoba: “Well about a few days late since it was on April 26th, but I guess it’s the thought that
counts, right?”

Gold: “Go away, you’re still dead, y’know!”

Aoba: “At least until another few bonus chapters get made, whenever that could be when the
author isn’t sitting on his ass instead of writing.”

Ai: “I’ll take care of him, excuse me for a bit. (pulls Aoba away by his shirt collar)”

Aoba: “Hey, lay off! It was just a joke for self-deprecation purposes!”
Ruby: “Moving on… we’re here to give some insight into what made Fictional Nexus how it
is today, how the idea came to be and the story decisions made.”

Sayori: “We’re answering questions too, which will be answered at the beginning of the next
Fictional Guardians chapter! Doesn’t that sound fun?”

Linhardt: “Not really. This just seems like a cheap way to get more comments/reviews until
the next chapter gets made.”

Sayori: “Hmph! You’re such a meanie…”

Junko: “He’s actually much kinder than he seems, although I shouldn’t try to spoil anything.
My apologies.”

It’s alright, but before we get started allow me to begin with a quick acknowledgement of a
mistake I included in both Fictional Guardians and the end of Fictional Nexus. I originally
provided a link to a sound clip for when Tsumugi (and General Tao) were suddenly
teleported away, which doesn’t always work on certain websites. I’m here to state what the
sound clip was for those unable to listen to it: it was the Phantom Ruby sound effect from
Sonic Mania/Forces. Those familiar with it might realize who may be on Team Zetsubou’s
side in future story parts.

Gold: “Enough about that! Let’s start talking about our story, the most famous and the one
that started this whole shindig!”

Hachiken: “Jeez, no need to compete on which one is better.”

Emma: “Yeah! Here we go, it’s time to talk about Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus!”

Ai: “So the story began to take form in the wake of both Three Houses Saga and the now
defunct fanfiction known as The Gauntlet. Both of which were crossover stories that
Renegade made in order to satisfy his need for crossover stories featuring characters he
enjoyed the most.”
I discovered the Danganronpa series. Through my viewing of various playthroughs, looking
up information on the wiki, watching the anime, as well as playing the games themselves via
the trilogy on PS4 and later Decadence on Switch, I managed to find a lot of enjoyment in its
characters, setting, and themes. This led me into reading up on good fanfics on the series…

Ruby: “And one that caught his eye was Danganronpa: Teenage Wasteland by
CleverlyClearly on AO3! A wonderful read if none of you readers have heard of it.”

Gold: “A multi-fandom killing game with a diverse cast of characters like Kyon from Haruhi
Suzumiya, Osaka from Azumanga Daioh, Napoleon Dynamite, and Shaggy from Scooby
Doo? That is DEFINITELY a lineup that would catch someone’s attention.”

Saki: “Right?! So Renegade browsed through other stories like Hero Killing Semester by
Squiped_Mew & Primal Fear by 7th_The_Writer, though he wished for a story that can
really get him (and hopefully other people) pumped-up!”

Thus, I decided to make my own crossover killing game. Using FICTIONAL characters from
a variety of series’ I enjoyed, and bringing them into one singular central location that
connects them: a NEXUS if you will.

Emma: “And that’s how you got the idea, but how did you choose who was going to be in it?”

Well first off, I automatically decided on including Zombie Land Saga. Like I have mentioned
before, Ai is my favorite so—

Aoba: “Ah, shameless favoritism.”

Ai: “(Raises her baguette slowly as Aoba backs away) Ugh, still can’t stand him. Anyways, he
chose me as the protagonist since I’m someone who tends to be the most responsible in a
group of dysfunctional people.”

Saki: “Got that right, ha! ‘Ol Flowerhead here knew how to keep Franchouchou in line, even
though I’m supposed to be the leader. Definitely fits what he was looking for, even if he
wasn’t his favorite.”
Junko: “He also chose Ai-san to better reflect her kindness and resilience, something that
some critics say that she doesn’t show too much of in our own series.”

Gold: “Yep, after watching more episodes of the anime, you really are kinda bossy and cold.
No offense.”

Ai: “Yeah, I could have been less of an obstacle for everyone else in the group. I accept the
blame.”

It’s alright, now we turn our attention to the opposing side of the spectrum, Aoba Kuronuma.

Linhardt: “Oh boy, him.”

Looking at the original Trigger Happy Havoc, Goodbye Despair, and Killing Harmony
games, they had rivals who would seek to usurp the protagonists. I chose a mix of both
Byakuya and Kokichi, someone who would try to win the killing game through intellect and
only cared about himself.

Emma: “That sounds like Aoba alright…”

Yup, basically he’d be like if Byakuya never went through his character development or if
Kokichi was a lot more malicious than eccentric. Mix that in with the fact that NOBODY
truly trusts him and decide to just tie him up like Nagito. Durarara!!x2’s manipulative
bastard suits the role I crafted to a t.

Gold: “After picking the protag and the baddie, we just needed to round out the rest of the
gang! The goofballs (Emma, me, and Ryuji), the antisocial crew (Bernadetta, Ishigami,
Sucy), the goody two-shoes’ (Trunks, Miles, Espio, Shantae, Marty), and the unpredictable
wild cards (Killua, Alice, Misato, and Fake Kaiba)!”

Ai: “The 17 member killing game was originally thought up as a way to make it seem big, yet
it also made things feel off, as if someone didn’t belong in our cast. And sure enough that was
Kaiba aka Tsumugi from Danganronpa V3, our first mastermind.”
I had to include her since our ongoing title was FICTION after all, although the clues were
laid on a lot thicker than they should have been. Her love for Danganronpa was all over the
city after all, a setting dedicated to the franchise that she herself would drool over.
Inspirations taken from New York and Tokyo, but warped in a way that makes even a large
metropolis feel suffocating. Back to Tsumugi though, I did fail to really take advantage of
using her, and made her presence a lot less obvious.

Hachiken: “Is that why you decided to switch things up and have Sird reveal herself as the
mastermind right away in Epicenter?”

Yeah, I just felt like since she’s a lesser known villain in a famous franchise like Pokémon
that she should get more attention. Have people see her own form of cruelty, in comparison to
the other members of Team Zetsubou. Also sorry for putting you three on hiatus after you
just had your first class trial.

Saki: “Eh, no biggie.”

Sayori: “Yeah! Focus on one story before heading back to us, it’s not like we’re not going
anywhere.”

Hachiken: “Honestly, I’m glad we stopped. I just can’t stop thinking about what
happened…”

Well, you don’t have to think about it for at least a little while, because we’ll be quickly
diving into the chapters and story beats of Fictional Nexus!

Emma: “The trial of (Fake) Kaiba and Misato wasn’t nearly as strong as the trials of other
chapters, to be honest. It was only used mainly to get the killing game started, and serve as
Tsumugi’s escape before we could find out that she was cosplaying. Poor Misato had to be the
first sacrifice though…”

Gold: “Well that Gundere probably would have let that temper of hers get her into trouble if
she stayed, getting blasted by those weapons ain’t helping either.”
Sayori: “It’s not as heartbreaking as what happened to Marty and Shantae though! A party
setup used in Danganronpa 2, an exciting duet of Johnny B. Goode, all to end up with
accidental poisoning? I really shed a tear while reading that…”

Junko: “The leadup to it was quite sad as well, with Shantae realizing she had done it and
being unable to defend herself. Which leaves Gold and Ryuji to do it for her, meanwhile Aoba
spells out the case for them. Made me despise him very much.”

Ruby: “That first trial crawled, so this one could run as they say. The next trial’s setup
though really had me intrigued. Setting Ishigami up, yet having him be quite genre savvy,
along with separating the cast and giving Emma the role of protagonist for a while? It even
skips over the typical Trial 3 double murder!”

Yeah I’m saving that for another day.

Hachiken: “Wait, wha—”

ANYWAY, Emma really did feel like she fit the bill of replacement if Ai was unavailable. You
could even call her a deuteragonist in the story! I also wanted to give attention to the bond
between her and Killua, in relation to their bonds with Gon and Ray. They’re too great
together, aren’t they?

Ai: “Speaking of Killua, you decided to use his craftiness to its fullest in Chapter 4. That
whole suicide plan with Trunks had to be difficult in both setup and payoff.”

Indeed it was. I really had no words after I had posted it, the fact that I killed some great
characters who did the crime (somewhat) publically? It really did rock me to my core. It did
work out in the end, with Killua coming back, but I did need a big shocker of an ending. No
pun intended.

Ai: “Knowing you, it likely is intended. Onto the conclusion of Aoba’s story, Chapter 5.
Coming off the big reveal of my zombie state, it also needed to feel like a final confrontation
between myself and Aoba.”

Linhardt: “Although didn’t everyone get over the whole zombie thing very quickly?”
Emma: “It was mostly because we know Aoba’s a big jerk, so we couldn’t believe she was
any dangerous like he was.”

Gold: “Ishigami did though.”

Emma: “He got better.”

Saki: “Yo Ai, maybe you shoulda revealed you were a zombie at the start like I did! I mean
we got kidnapped into a killing game with other weirdos, so no need to keep hiding it here
right?”

Hachiken: “Her experience probably wouldn’t be the exact same as yours, Saki…”

Junko: “Indeed, you don’t know how these otherworldly people will react. That is why I still
need makeup, thanks Ruby.”

Ruby: “Anytime, but let’s focus on the chapter please?”

Thanks, so the death of both Bernie and Espio, a tragic event that spurs on the whole group
to take down Aoba once and for all. No Monokuma File, just them and Aoba with the
evidence they collected and the ticket he failed to use properly. Building to a tragic end, since
it was all for naught as Aoba would be executed for getting blood on the statue.

Ai: “It was quite the empty victory, was it? All that work to take down someone who had
been doing terrible things, and in the end it was pointless…”

Linhardt: “I could laugh at that twist if it weren't for the fact that it involved so much blood,
erk…”

Hachiken: “It didn’t really make anyone feel too bad for Aoba, but it wasn’t really your
intention.”
It wasn’t, just needed to have his plans all crumbling down in the worst way he could
imagine. Exactly what he deserved after killing Bernie and Espio.

Sayori: “Let’s talk about that finale now, holy broccoli that was intense!”

Gold: “Right? A buncha awesome moments wrapped up in one big package, and I was the
one who kicked it off!”

Hacchiken: “By being sneaky and taking back your Pokémon from that hidden classroom,
without telling anyone? Thus making things more risky for Killua and Trunks for their
plan?”

Gold: “.... But you gotta admit that me taking out all my team members and battling the
Monokumas was cool, huh?”

Linhardt: “I see that every day now in my fanfiction, nothing special in my eyes.”

Gold: “Quiet you. Didn’t expect Flower Gal to kick that much butt though.”

Ai: “I honestly didn’t either. After so much loss in front of me, I just knew I was finished with
following these rules. It felt… good.”

Same for me while writing it, just banger after banger with the things I had in the finale.
Killua’s return, Gold’s Pokémon reveal, Ai’s electric execution, the final confrontation… It
tied a nice little bow on this tale.

Sayori: “It was like a roller coaster of emotions, something I really love most when I read any
form of literature!”

I feel the same. Ending the story on a high note that brings a smile to my face every time.
Now for some mushiness: I truly love Fictional Nexus and I’m glad a lot of people do too.
This story is why I wanted to make an entire series of it, even if it takes me forever to finish.
Bringing together characters I’ve enjoyed separately and putting them in situations that help
make all of them shine. It’s just like how I feel about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all of
these elements twisting and turning into a saga that captured my heart. And I want to be able
to share that passion and excitement with others. Making this story is one of the highlights of
my life, even if that sounds sad and dumb. Write things that you want to read, create things
that you want to see, don’t be afraid to create a passion project when you can.

Emma: “Aww, that’s pretty sweet. Even though it is about a series where we’re forced to kill
each other.”

Saki: “Heh, keep crying ya softie. The ride ain’t over yet, and we’re just gettin’ started!”

Ruby: “We’re all very enthusiastic for you all to see what’s coming next in the Fictional
Quadrilogy.”

Ai: “Expect more of what you’ve seen so far: enjoyable character interactions, surprising
twists, and the battle between hope and despair that will keep on going.”

Hachiken: “When Fictional Epicenter starts up once more, we’ll be sure to provide
something to satisfy the killing game itch some of you have.”

Junko: “And we appreciate you all supporting the adventures of the Fictional Guardians!
Hope you look forward to the next part of the Trinity Trials coming soon!”

Linhardt: “Or… whenever Renegade feels like he doesn’t need sleep like I do.”

Sayori: “We’ll be waiting for any questions or opinions you have on this story or any of the
other ones! No pressure if you can’t say anything, but Renegade really does love it A TON
when you guys comment.”

H-Hey… ugh, she’s right. Once again, Happy 3rd Anniversary to Danganronpa: Fictional
Nexus. See you for Part 4 for The Trinity Trials in Fictional Guardians! And I am very sorry
if you don’t care for any of this and just want to see that next chapter. I will be sure to get to
working on it when I am able to. Thank you everyone! Looking forward to seeing any new
comments, this has been the Renegade, farewell!
Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!