Murder Game XIV: Monokuma's Awakening

[Kaykay]

Honda looked to Chikage, needing a moment to figure out how to respond. "..Tom, the diver! Monomi kept saying he would come for us. But...she also thought it would be all over before he did. I say we should prove her wrong!" He evenfelt himself starting togrow hopeful with his words. "We have a shot, we just..." Nono's sudden snapping caught him off guard a bit, but he shook it off. "We just gotta stay strong and push through. It's what Wanda would've wanted."
​

@Kaykay @Crow @Verite @BarrenThin @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Atomyk @Gummi Bunnies @Klutzy Ninja Kitty

Chikage shook her head.

"You do not enter the sumo ring without a plan, do you, Honda? This fight is the same. Just hoping isn't a chance. It's not a chance until we have a plan. You don't engage in sumo by just hoping you don't lose, do you?" She sighed as she continued in a quiet, solemn voice. "Either we make a plan, a real one, or we really don't have a chance."

@Yun Lee @BarrenThin @CrunchyCHEEZIT​

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

Zinnia walked out slowly, her head pointed downward. When Jack made his presence known to her, Zinnia's eyes dropped to the ground. She nervously fiddled with her hands and didn't make a move toward him, unsure how to act after everything that had happened since last she saw him. She had been worried about the way she treated him the other night, hoping that her actions hadn't repulsed him. And, on top of that, she had been through a lot after seeing Jason. Her chest still hurt from the stress that monster had given her! And, lastly, there had been the trial...

She felt so horrible she couldn't even fake a cheerful look.

So, when Jack raised his arms around her and hugged her, Zinnia flinched. She tightened her shoulders at first, struggling to let go of the tension even in the presence of someone she loved. It took a moment before she relaxed, melting into his hug and wrapping her arms around him as well. She burried her face in his chest, hugging him back as hard as she could. Unable to help herself, Zinnia cried into his chest, her tears staining his clothes. When her shaky voice came out, it sounded shot due to her screaming. She spoke in a hoarse whisper.

"J-Jack... ngh... th-there was Jason again... and then the trial... and..."

She dug her fingers into the back of his clothes, tightly clenching the fabric as she continued to stand there with her endlessly flowing tears. It was a struggle to let her words out and explain herself. She was overwhelmed by everything.

"Just... d-don't let go... don't let me go," she whimpered, hanging onto him as tightly as she could.

I can't make it through this alone. I'm barely hanging on as it is...


@The Tactician​

The ragged sound of her voice echoed in his ears like the scrapping of rusty of metal, yet he did not flinch as they stood there. Instead, he remained firmly planted, gently rubbing her back in order to soothe her. He didn't even mind the tears soaking his gi, content to put up with the chore of drying it later if it meant Zinnia had a shoulder to lean on.

"It is alright, Zinnia-chan, he is not here now and it is over..."

After a moment, he placed a gentle kiss on her head, hoping that the sensation would end her tears or at least comfort her.

"I will never let go if that is what you wish..."

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Verite]

"I don't understand... not at all... not one bit... is keeping mom truly what needs to be done to prevent stuff like... what just happened? What happened to Usami, Wanda, Max and the others? I know you said you couldn't tell us but...

.... Morikubo doesn't know anymore... Morikubo truly doesn't know anymore..."

Nono sobs for a bit,

"N- nevertheless, all the best for tomorrow's Casino investigation... by the way... Morikubo wanted to give this... to you..."

Nono hands Kyoko a photocopy of Max's final photograph, before walking away.

"Morikubo... needs some time..."

@Verite @Atomyk @Everyone​

"Morikubo-san..." Kyoko called out, though gave pause when she realized she didn't actually know what exactly to say. Still, taking the photograph silently, she would sigh. "Just... be careful."

When Nono would leave, Kyoko would take a look at the photograph to see what it was of.

@Crow​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

The ragged sound of her voice echoed in his ears like the scrapping of rusty of metal, yet he did not flinch as they stood there. Instead, he remained firmly planted, gently rubbing her back in order to soothe her. He didn't even mind the tears soaking his gi, content to put up with the chore of drying it later if it meant Zinnia had a shoulder to lean on.

"It is alright, Zinnia-chan, he is not here now and it is over..."

After a moment, he placed a gentle kiss on her head, hoping that the sensation would end her tears or at least comfort her.

"I will never let go if that is what you wish..."

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

Zinnia's muscles relaxed, easing up from Jack's gentle, comforting touch. Slowly, her crying stopped and she began to calm down. She kept her head against his chest, closing her eyes after her crying had entirely stopped. She stayed near him, not pulling back until she was certain she felt entirely calm again. But, even then, she didn't pull back much. She moved back just enough so that she could look up at him, also removing one of her hands from holding him so that she could wipe her eyes.

"I-I think I've said before that I don't know why you'd want to be, but... I-I'm still so glad you're here with me."

Gently, she took one of his hands and pushed his palm against her cheek. "I... don't really feel like going to sleep yet. I want to sit outside and look at the sky..."

As a girl, when times of grief and sorrow filled my heart, I would always look up at the sky. I would hold my head up so that my tears wouldn't fall when I felt the pain of my burdens or... the pain of feeling absolutely alone in the world...

@The Tactician​

 

[Atomyk]

Victoria avoided looking Stiles in the eye. She was beyond done, but knew it would continue no matter how she felt about the matter. "Do I look okay, Stiles? I'm not. I won't be until this is all over. However... However that goes, you know? At least I'm doing better than others... I hope the rabbit was right that I'm the real deal and not just some... memories or whatever."

@LuckycoolHawk9​

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

Victoria avoided looking Stiles in the eye. She was beyond done, but knew it would continue no matter how she felt about the matter. "Do I look okay, Stiles? I'm not. I won't be until this is all over. However... However that goes, you know? At least I'm doing better than others... I hope the rabbit was right that I'm the real deal and not just some... memories or whatever."

Stiles looked at her for a brief moment and noticed that she was avoiding eye contact with him. " Well, no, you look far from okay to be quite honest, though it might be polite to ask though. Funnily, this place is hell, but yet I have gone through worse.... much worse," he said, flashing back to Eichen House. " Did I ever mention that I spent a short amount of time in a mental hospital due to the fear of losing my mind? And somehow, this isn't worse. My life is so fucked up at this point that being trapped in a dark place is not my worst moment, it was that nut house that honors go through- the place where I lost- " he said, looking at her. He wished he knew what to say, but the ray of postivity was Scott's job, he was the pessismist, the one who sees reality.

@Atomyk

 

[ShiroKiyoshi]

Rant was quiet for a moment after he reveled in his kidnapper's death. He found a sense of accomplishment in the deed and it brought him a peace of mind. Despite all the chaos going on around him, dead bodies, a girl probably being crushed by thousand pound armor, and the mystery around the plushie killers, Rant felt calm. It was in this moment that he thought about the rabbit's words, her spiel about memories, and stared at her shredded body on screen. Rant slowly reached for his collar and touched the power button. He just touched it.

Instantly, he was reminded of the silence in the morgue. Seeing a body getting ready to be reanimated on the table and not even knowing that was its purpose. Just a dead body, but it reminded him of himself and just at the moment he couldn't tell why. Tears welled up in his eyes and he was on the brink of getting angry again, he was about to forget again, this accursed collar that he couldn't part with, was persuading him again. It whispered to him telling him all the things he hated to hear. It forcibly dragged the worst in him out. Listening was the easiest thing to do. Listening normally promised a great strength, but he had listened for too long.

Anger and Rage had become his consciousness and Rant could find nothing to battle them. He progressively got more angry and he could feel the two devils inside of him take over his mind. This battle would go unnoticed by everyone else as they just saw the mouse who was smiling at the destruction of the rabbit a moment ago now tearing up as he stared at her lifeless body. His emotions were scattered, his personality not his own, and all for the sake of a little more power. This collar wanted him to be angry and so Rant wanted to be angry. There was no way around it except for a moment like this. A moment where not even anger could overpower it. A moment where Rant truly felt sad.

Filled with his own anger, one not fueled by a machine, he pressed the button on his neck. Another reset. He had attempted before in secret within the forest, but came to the conclusion the collar did not have enough power and kidnapped a girl to meet its demands. Now he knew the only missing ingredient was to feel. The reset took place and with a clear mind he was able to go through the motions and successfully disable the Rage Mode's functions. After, the three minute reboot the mouse sat up and rubbed his head.

"I owe some apologies, but I'm too hungry to give 'em." Rant said the comment aloud, but it was directed more toward himself.

Rant thought about the things that Kyoko and Genji had told him. He didn't care. A smile started to form. He then thought about Nono and how he reacted to her defending Kyoko. He was disappointed in himself. His smile became more apparent. He did this with every scenario he came across until he realized he no longer was angry toward every situation. He contained his excitement as he realized what was going on. The mouse got to his feet and made his way over to Kyoko as he watched Moribuko walk away.

"Seems not everything can change at the drop of a hat. I mean I should know better than anyone that you can't turn back time, but in all honesty a lie would have served that girl better than your cold plate of truth. Then again we have to preserve our brooding personalities don't we?" Rant said before he leaned against Kyoko's podium and spoke quietly. "So, leader, you going to be a bystander all day or are you gonna organize this mess? 'Cause right now that's what it is."

After giving his two thoughts Rant waved to Kyoko as he made his way to find some food. "Be a leader for at least two seconds!" He shouted to her as he kicked the doors of the cafeteria wide open acting as a judge's gabble to grab everyone's attention.

"Idiots." He mumbled to himself as the doors closed behind him.

Mentions

@Ringmaster as Ada Bartholdi "Ultimate Architect" [American Gods/Hidden World]
@C.T. as Arya Stark "Ultimate Killer" [Game of Thrones]
@Yang Lee as Bolin "Ultimate Earthbender" [The Legend Of Korra]
@Atomyk as Byakuya Togami "Ultimate Affluent Progeny" [Danganronpa]
@Kaykay as Chikage Kushinada "Ultimate Jujutsuka" [History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi]
@T.O.M. as Catbug "Ultimate Cutie" [Bravest Warriors]
@GlassTrinity as Citizen Snow "Ultimate Snowman" [Original Character]
@Minerva as Corrin "Ultimate Protector" [Fire Emblem]
@DapperDogman as Darv "Ultimate Saltborn" [Salt & Sanctuary]
@Yun Lee as Edmond Honda "Ultimate Sumo Wrestler" [Street Fighter]
@BarrenThin as Genji Shimada "Ultimate Forgiveness" [Overwatch]
@Krieg as Isaac "Felix" Gates "Ultimate Bounty Hunter" [Red VS Blue]
@The Tactician as Jack "Ultimate Samurai" [Samurai Jack]
@york as Jack Frost "Ultimate Funhouse" [Rise of the Guardians]
@Verite as Kyoko Kirigiri "Ultimate ???" [Danganronpa]
@Gummi Bunnies as "Lapis Lazuli" "Ultimate Crystal" [Original Character]
@LuckycoolHawk9 as M. "Stiles" Stilinski "Ultimate Sarcasm" [Teen Wolf]
@Crow as Morikubo Nono "Ultimate Wallflower" [THE iDOLM@STER]
@Jeremi as Poison "Ultimate Manager" [Street Fighter]
@Josh M as Scarlet Witch "Ultimate Witch" [Marvel Comics]
@Crimson Spartan as Seamus "Sledge" Cowden "Ultimate Breaching Charge" [Rainbow Six: Siege]
@Hospes as Tarlotte "Ultimate Tantrum" [Kyoshiro to Town no Sora]
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as Tekhartha Zenyatta "Ultimate Teacher" [Overwatch]
@DBZ7 as Tharja "Ultimate Hextress" [Fire Emblem]
@Nater Taters as Tomoko Kuroki "Ultimate Loser" [WataMote]
@A Tiny Fool as Victoria Maribeth Chase "Ultimate Bitch" [Life is Strange]
@Takumi as Yurick "Ultimate Arcanist" [The Last Story]
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty as Zinnia "Ultimate Lorekeeper" [Pokemon]

 

[York]

​

Replies

Jude stared back at Rant, not moving a muscle. His eyes twitched to look at Monomi beside him. "You can bait me all you want, but I'm not going to attack you. I'll stop you from attacking Monomi, that's all."

"Th-Thank you Jude, but..." Monomi rubbed at her face. "It's okay... I don't mind being beat up. After all the beatings Monokuma's given me... I can take it."

"No! That's not right! Why can't we all just... stop fighting!"

@york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

The little rabbit shook her head.

"No... that's not how it works! I can't do that... The dark place wanted to isolate you all, but the diver gave me the power to join you. When it was taking you all, the dark presence, it... Mm..." Monomi shivered, looking unwilling to continue. "... Monomi wasn't supposed to tell you all this! It was supposed to be a relaxing school trip... When you were taken, the hope was that the darkness, and Monokuma, would be forced out! But I failed..."

@york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

"Uu... Y-Yes! Tom is... the diver. Do you remember what you were told before? This dimensions uses creativity and memories, but the diver can too. He's spent so long in this place, working to destroy it from the inside... he... he made me from Kyoko's memories to act for him! Monomi was supposed to protect you until he could arrive and save you all, but it was too much. At this rate, it will all be over before he gets here..."

Monomi lowered her head and sobbed into her hands. Jude placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and shrugged at the others. "It's all over..."

@york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

"I am real... just not in the same way as the rest of you. I'm still squeezably soft! There are people here... everyone you meet... some were taken here and stripped of their memories, while others are made from their memories!"

Victoria seemed to reach a realization. "So... Blackwell... and Max? Were they..."

"I don't know," Monomi said, her voice lowered so that Victoria could just about hear her. "I don't know, but that's how it is in this place. But it doesn't make them... or me... not real! They still feel, have consciousness, gain memories, and forge bonds!"

"Ugh..." Diana's head was lowered as if she was feeling sick, her hair obscuring her face.

"Okay, wait." Jude knelt down next to Monomi so that she and him were on the same level. "This is important, so I need you to think. Are some of us here created from the memories of others...?"

"Umm..."

"I am." Diana raised her head, taking in a deep breath. "Or so I was told. This is so messed up, I know... In that other scenario, with Byakuya, we were told that we were created from the memories of our originals. Originals who still existed outside this dimension. Some of us had gained their memories, because, I think we were basically them? Or copies of them. Those who had regained their memories were given the choice of leaving, thanks to this diver... probably the same one. Ugh..."

Jude had straightened up and had turned to Diana. He leaned over his podium to get a closer look at her. "Diana... you met this diver?"

"Yes... He gave those of who didn't regain our original's memories, like myself, two choices. He said the darkness still had some kind of hold over us, so... all we could do was follow the diver or risk going out on our own in the dark place. I didn't follow, and I ended up here. I guess... those who did go with him ended up as these Saviors of his."

"Yes! That's right!"

"Are you fucking..." Diana grumbled, rubbing at her forehead in frustration. "If I had gone with them, I wouldn't be here? What was I thinking...?" Letting out a deep sigh, Diana met Jude's gaze. "I've been keeping this from you because you didn't seem to remember. I think I get why. You see, Jude... during that scenario, you died."

"What...? I don't..." Jude took a step back from Diana, staggering backward. "It's true that I... have lost my memories. But I didn't think... I'm dead?"

"Well, no, clearly you're alive. I guess. Dying in this place isn't forever."

@york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

Victoria looked like she was about to be sick at the idea of possibly being created by Max's memories, but Monomi intervened.

"No! Monomi promises... everyone here but Diana and Jude are their original selves! Just taken here by the dark presence... It's not that dying isn't forever, it's just..."

"Is it like..." Diana bit her lip in thought. "Is this like an afterlife?"

"In a way... yes! It's parallel to many realms you may consider an afterlife! But, not everyone who dies ends up here... and not everyone who ends up here has died. It is just... a place where people become trapped. The darkness will try to use them as hosts to leave, as otherwise they can not! If you do die here... it might as well be the end. Your very being will be vulnerable... and it's likely you'll be made a host of the dark presence. As far as Monomi can tell, Jude is just very lucky!"

@york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

"Blah, blah, blah... this is all very interesting... not! If the mousey one is so insistent on voting Monomi, I guess the rest of you better start voting! Get to steppin'!"

"Everyone... this can't be right! Monokuma's just... he...!"

@york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

"Th-Thank you!"

Jude clasped his hands together, wringing them. "Shane...? Maybe, but... I-I guess I'm not sure. Maybe that would explain the sloppy shooting... Are any of us capable of being possessed?"

Monokuma shrugged. "I wonder?"

"I mean... Ugh, Monokuma's already made us move wherever he wants!"

@york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

"N-No... if I die... I may disappear forever. I'm sorry I can't give you a better answer..."

Jude shook his head, giving Rant a sour look. "It's okay, Monomi, we're going to figure this out."

@york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

Diana shook her head, moving a lock of her hair behind her ear. "But-- Would the person being possessed be to blame, or the one who possessed them? Like, I don't know who we would vote for then?"

"I don't know... I don't even know what to think about any of that." Looking to Darv, Jude didn't seem too sure about the question. "Uh, I guess... Shane, Honda, and I can use one... but only Shane has experience with firearms."

"I could probably use a big shiny gun if I wanted!"

@DapperDogman @york @Crow @Jeremi @BarrenThin @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @LuckycoolHawk9 @Yun Lee @Verite @ShiroKiyoshi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @ClassTrial​

"Wet because of the morning dew," Jude said. "I assume."

@Yun Lee @ClassTrial​

"I think we can assume it fell off from Wanda and so didn't get burned up...?"

@Yun Lee @ClassTrial​

Continued from here.

Chapter Three DEAD END
"Heart-Throbbing Execution!"

"..."

Monokuma stood in silence, his face lowered toward the ground. As the final vote had come and made him the chosen killer of this trial, he had fallen into a strange sort of silence. "... Me?" he eventually asked, sounding depressed. "You really think... it's me? I can't believe it... to be caught like this. In all the days we've spent together, it didn't occur to me that my students would outgrow me. But now it seems that time has come. You've manage to best me, the top percentage of bear and plush kind. I am truly honored to have lost to you all."

A swerve at this point seemed inevitable, but Monokuma continued with his despondent behavior. He sighed loudly and raised one hand, signaling for the display behind him to change to the roulette wheels.

"It's time for this bear to face the music. In this latest bloody murder, did you guess right? I don't mean to spoil the surprise... but it seems my time as your headmaster is up."

The wheels began to spin, cycling through all of the suspects' faces.

The slot machine eventually stopped, landing on Monokuma's face three times in a row.

The text below flashed...

GUILTY

Jude let out an excited yell. "Guys, we did it! I knew it!"

Monokuma let out a contented sigh as the mechanical hand rose from the ground and approached him.

"I guess this truly is how it's supposed to be. Isn't it despairing? The inevitability of it all... I guess I should say before I go what occurred between the Witch and I..." Monokuma cleared his throat. "You see, after she took that gun, she found my and aimed it at my pretty bear head! She said she would beat me at my own game-- isn't that exciting? She said no matter what I or the darkness did, she would find a way to survive... and I suppose she did, in a way."

"What do you mean--"

"Pipe down! Let a bear have his final confession! You see, me and my beary bad bod wasn't going to just let her say whatever she wanted! A headmaster has to put his students in their place... The poor thing, though! She knew she couldn't keep the darkness at bay for much longer. She knew she would give in eventually, like any other addict! If you want to talk about shady pasts... Wanda's one of the shadiest! I bet if I gave her the chance, she'd go, 'No more bears.' That would be so bad of her! Think about the bears, people!"

"Can you get to the damn point?!" Shane yelled.

"I'm just about to, thank you very much! I guess the Witch didn't like what I had to say much, so she started becoming a little... unhinged. You know how it is. Magic going haywire, darkness threatening to control her... she had a plan, a last-ditch effort to contact the outside world. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't. All I know is that it involved the Witch using all her energy! I had to put a stop to that, obviously! A stuffed animal such as I picked up the gun she dropped and - BAM! BAM! - down she went!"

The mechanical hand loomed closer, its fingers hovering just over Monokuma.

"So now you know the story. But..."

"... is it the whole truth!"

The mechanical hand suddenly turned right around, flying toward the group to grab at little Monomi. The text under the roulette wheel changed to--

INNOCENT

The faces on the wheel then switched to that of Monomi.

And the text once again displayed...

GUILTY

"N-No!! Wait!"

"Monomi didn't! I-I'm not--"

Jude stared up at the hand holding Monomi in shock, his mouth wide open. "No... he's lying. He has to be! Monomi would never-- Monokuma is changing the rules!"

"Nothing quite so dramatic, I'm afraid! Everyone was simply wrong... Little Sis' Monomi was the true killer all along! She did very well in lying to all of you! Who else but she would clean up the body and make it look nice and presentable?"

"This is--" Monomi squirmed inside the hand. "This is what Wanda wanted! She begged Monomi... She said her power was becoming too much! She said I had to... I had to shoot her and try to make it so Monokuma was blamed! I didn't want to. I really didn't want to! But she begged and begged, and then when she was rising into the air, screaming as she burned... There was no choice! It's what she... What she... Noooo!! They voted for you! This isn't fair!"

"Oh, my lowly pathetic sister..." Monokuma shook his head, grinning ear to ear. "I never once stated what would happen if you guys voted wrong! It is up to my discretion! Someone has to be executed, and in this case, why not you? No one will mind... you're a murderer!"

Monomi shook and yelled, her crying loud enough to fill the room. "Monomi was just trying to do what was best! I wanted to protect everyone...! Wanda said she was a danger... And you... why won't you just go away!"

"No can do, Sis'! You lose."

"Nooooo--!!"

The little rabbit's screams died out as she was pulled into the deep, black hole. She appeared on the screen moments later in a dark, blank abyss. The little rabbit looked around, shaking. A light eventually shone from above, revealing the dead body of Wanda. Monomi flinched away from the sight, only to back into another body-- a light turned on, revealing it to be Jude. More and more lights turned on, revealing the dead bodies of all the students, their bodies in various states of decomposition. The little rabbit screamed and fell to the ground, burying her face into the floor. She shook violently, refusing to move or look up.

The bodies around her then stood. It almost seemed assured they would converge on Monomi like they had with Dan, but they only stood and stared. They all eventually pointed her away, beginning to chant something. This caused Monomi to look up, though her face expressed the notion that their words were causing her pain. This turned out to be literal as every word chanted by the group began to cut at the rabbit, her stuffing and mechanical part beginning to leak from her body.

Even without sound, it was easy to tell that the bodies were blaming her. Their eyes conveyed true hatred.

It wasn't long before Monomi was little more than a pile of broken parts, signaling the feed to cut out.

"W-What...?" Jude couldn't believe it. The boy staggered on his feet, eventually collapsing down on to his knees. "She... I didn't think she would ever..."

Victoria sighed deeply, rubbing at her eyes. Nearby, Diana was staring blankly at the ground. The sound of laughter eventually filled the room.

"Upupu... Upuhuhuhuh! Gyah-hehehe! You idiots! How could you be so dim? Why would I ever kill you, when you all do it so much better! The most satisfying kill of all is the one you get to watch! You thought Monomi was your hope...? Huhu... You have no hope! Even with an annoying little rabbit or not, your hope of escaping is zero! Zilch! Nothing! All you get is a big fat failure... to which you must face punishment for, right? Losing's gotta mean something!"

Monokuma tilted his head to the side. "Hmm..." He eventually raised a hand to point at Felix. "I choose you!" The armored man then flinched violently, his neck bending at an unnatural angle. He collapsed to the floor in a heap, dead before he even hit the ground. "Hmm, but we wouldn't want that armor to go to waste, right?" Monokuma shrugged, and the armor suddenly disappeared from Felix and instead appeared around Tharja, trapping her inside. "Might be a bit hard to move around in that!"

"You damn monster! Monomi wouldn't have-- she wouldn't have hurt anybody if not for this horrible situation! She was... She was just trying to..." Jude shivered. "What's the point anymore...?"

Monokuma then casually hopped off the stage and moved to leave the cafeteria. "You still have a few hours before the sun rises! I suggest you get some rest, because... as you may have guessed, without the Witch and Monomi, your last line of defense is gone! It's only a matter of time now..."

And then Monokuma was gone.


***

CAST LIST
@C.T. as Arya Stark "Ultimate Killer" [Game of Thrones]
@Kaykay as Chikage Kushinada "Ultimate Jujutsuka" [History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi]
@Chewy Rabbits as Catbug "Ultimate Cutie" [Bravest Warriors]
@Minerva as Corrin "Ultimate Protector" [Fire Emblem]
@DapperDogman as Darv "Ultimate Saltborn" [Salt & Sanctuary]
@Yun Lee as Edmond Honda "Ultimate Sumo Wrestler" [Street Fighter]
@BarrenThin as Genji Shimada "Ultimate Forgiveness" [Overwatch]
@The Tactician as Jack "Ultimate Samurai" [Samurai Jack]
@york as Jack Frost "Ultimate Funhouse" [Rise of the Guardians]
@Verite as Kyoko Kirigiri "Ultimate ???" [Danganronpa]
@Gummi Bunnies as "Lapis Lazuli" "Ultimate Crystal" [Original Character]
@LuckycoolHawk9 as M. "Stiles" Stilinski "Ultimate Sarcasm" [Teen Wolf]
@Crow as Morikubo Nono "Ultimate Wallflower" [THE iDOLM@STER]
@Jeremi as Poison "Ultimate Manager" [Street Fighter]
@ShiroKiyoshi as Rant T. Mouse "Ultimate Rat Mouse" [Original Character]
@Crimson Spartan as Seamus "Sledge" Cowden "Ultimate Breaching Charge" [Rainbow Six: Siege]
@Hospes as Tarlotte "Ultimate Tantrum" [Kyoshiro to Town no Sora]
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as Tekhartha Zenyatta "Ultimate Teacher" [Overwatch]
@Periodically Incorrect as Terezi Pyrope "Ultimate Justice" [Homestuck]
@DBZ7 as Tharja "Ultimate Hextress" [Fire Emblem]
@Nater Taters as Tomoko Kuroki "Ultimate Loser" [WataMote]
@Atomyk as Victoria Maribeth Chase "Ultimate Bitch" [Life is Strange]
@Takumi as Yurick "Ultimate Arcanist" [The Last Story]
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty as Zinnia "Ultimate Lorekeeper" [Pokemon]​

-Before the trial of Wanda's death-

Running through the halls of the hotel, Zinnia could feel her heart pounding within the walls of her chest. Locks of black hair blew into her red eyes as she ran, but she ignored them. Endlessly, with no end goal in mind, she moved her body to busy herself after learning about Wanda. It was hard news for the lorekeeper to swallow. Hadn't they seen enough dead already? Why did more people have to keep dying?

Huff huff huff

The more she ran, the harder her chest began to work. She was still tired from her previous few days and hadn't exactly gotten the proper rest she needed, so she didn't get to run as much as she had hoped. She slid to a stop and placed her hand against a wall, leaning on it to rest. Zinnia took in several deep breaths afterwards.

I feel so worked up again. But I can't let my mind slip like last time, I just can't...

As Zinnia grew more and more tense, footsteps could have been heard coming from down the hall. The sound of metal scratching against the wall hissed bringing sparks flying around. If Zinnia turned to see just who had done this, she would have seen an absolute nightmare of a man. His chest heaved up and down with every ragged breath he took. Stray maggots could have been seen falling down from his torn apart jacket and onto the floor.

"..."

Raising one boot forward, blood could have been seen gushing out from the maggots he crunched. But this didn't matter to Jason. All that mattered to him was hunting down the woman who had hurt him and ending her wretched life.

After Zinnia caught up on her breaths, the lorekeeper stood up straight and began to focus on her surroundings. She was in a different area of the hotel than she hadn't been in before, and could hear the faint muffling of voices from her comrades in another room.

Or, wait, was it voices that she heard?

Placing a hand to her ear, Zinnia tuned in on the noise and realized that it was music. For the moment, the sound was enough to block the sound of Jason's footsteps and metal scratching against the wall.

Easily agitated right in that moment, Zinnia felt an uncomfortable shiver run up her spine. The woman believed her discomfort to be coming from the music, with no idea someone was trailing her.

She tightened the muscles in her arms and began to look around, hunting for the source of the music. She wanted to turn the darn thing off so she could go back to focusing on her own thoughts and figuring out what to do next.

Where are you? It's probably just a stupid radio someone forgot to turn off. Yuck. I hate technology.

Taking slow, careful steps, Zinnia scanned the halls with her ears to find any sign of the music. Her patient search paid off when she eventually spotted an open hotel room with a light flickering inside it. The sound appeared to have been coming from the room. Not bothering to check and see if anyone was in the room, Zinnia stepped right inside. As she had suspected, there was a small, black radio upon a little table. She wandered over to it and glanced at an electrical cord coming from it. She followed it with her red eyes and knelt down, preparing to unplug it from an electrical socket. However, she stopped herself...

The cord to the radio wasn't plugged in.

"U-Uh," Zinnia stuttered in surprise, picking up the radio in her hands. She put it next to her head. She wasn't crazy! There definitely was music coming from it. She frantically turned it over, seeking to open it up and see if there were batteries inside it, but found nothing. She shook the radio a few times, biting her lower lip before she grabbed a rusty antenna upon it and yanked on it as hard as she could. She pulled and pulled before the antenna finally came off. Yet, her efforts were in vain. She could still hear music coming from the blasted radio!

I'm not crazy, I can't be crazy.

Zinnia suddenly threw the radio down on the floor and wildly began stomping on it, grinding her teeth as she did. "How do you like that, huh? I'll teach you to make a fool outta me!"

She stomped and stomped until the radio turned into a pile of broken bits and pieces. She panted afterwards, calming when she realized the music had finally stopped. "Th-There--"

Before Zinnia could even react properly, the music suddenly seemed to start again. She groaned and pressed her hands against her ears, shuddering as the lyrics of the song repeated a phrase that got on her nerves. "Shut up! I'm not going to turn arou--"

Creak

At last, the draconid heard the presence of whoever had been trailing her. Her shoulder's tensed and she slowly began to turn, the familiar feeling of dread already telling her who it was behind her...

"Jas-- AHHH!"

She only managed to say part of the monster's name before a scream erupted from her lips, cutting off her words. Zinnia took a few shaky steps back, squeezing her hands into fists. "S-Stay away!" she hissed, backing herself into a corner in the room.

Was she planning to resist him?

Like she had back in the woods? She had dug her fingers into his one good eye and blinded him. Which made killing these sinners much more tedious than it had to be. But he had seen her again at that school. She had frozen up after seeing him and it was only through the intervention of Darv and Sledge that Zinnia had avoided being mangled. But now there was no one to stop him.

Reaching out to grab her by the neck, Jason lifted her up off her feet and brought her in close to him. She'd be able to smell the scent of death reeking off Jason's clothes and a stray maggot would have leaped onto her face as it squirmed onto her cheek. Jason raised the machete to strike as the trainer could only imagine what laid behind that hockey mask.

A mere cry from Zinnia was not enough to keep Jason at bay. In fact, he continued onward reaching outward to grab her around the neck. As his fingers dug into her skin, she could feel her windpipes being strained. She choked and squirmed, shakily grabbing his hands in order to pry at them. Panic began to set in when she realized her feet were no longer on the floor, her heart pounding so rapidly that she felt it would pop within her chest.

Nobody is here. I can't scream. I can't move. He'll kill me. I can't--

Forcing herself not to give in so easily, Zinnia lifted a knee and repeatedly began to knee Jason in the stomach, briefly pausing to flinch when a maggot from Jason's clothes leaped onto her face. She shook her head and tried to get rid of it, grunting when she felt it crawl up her face and start going up her nose. She snorted it out, returning her focus on Jason. She pulled as hard at his hands as she could, continuing to knee him in the gut.

I'm not going to die! I can't die!

She whimpered, truly afraid for her life despite the fight she was putting up. Her eyes teared up. She wanted to make it out of this! She needed to make it out of this!

She might as well have been kneeing a brick wall for all the good it'd do her. The zombie's rotting fingers simply seemed to clench tighter around her neck and the gestures only seemed to serve to irritate the serial killer. Rearing back he'd seek to smash Zinnia's head against the wall.

Enough to crack the wall for sure and put Zinnia's head clear through it if she didn't knock it off. She was going to die and that's all there was to it. She could have felt the breaths escaping through Jason's hockey mask as he continued to strangle away.

The girl who had burdened him for so long would soon be a thing of the past in just a few more moments.


A loud gasp escaped from Zinnia's lips when she felt Jason shove her head back head attempting to hit it against the wall. The gasp was more than enough to make her loose every last ounce of air she held in her lungs, also causing the airways in her throat to close in further. An indescribable fear shot through her, nearly blocking her every thought. With each passing second it grew harder and harder to move, harder and harder to cling to her life. But if she didn't do something, anything, he would surely kill her in seconds.

Doing the only thing she knew had worked the first time they met, Zinnia strained to get her fingers under Jason's mask and jabbed her fingers straight into his good eye. She twisted her nails around in his eye socket with one hand, deciding to grab at his mask with her other hand. She struggled with all of her might, doing her best to repeatedly pull it back and smash it back against his face. She also smashed her hand as well, but it was all she could do at the moment. If she could do no damage to this near invincible beast, Zinnia would at least try her best to burden him fiercely with her irritating antics to make him drop her.

"...!"

Jason let out the first vocalization that Zinnia would have heard from him. It coming in the form of a disgruntled sounding growl as he flung the girl to the floor and with her went his hockey mask. The straps coming loose and unbuckling as it crashed to the floor and skidded away from Zinnia.

As the pressure was relieved from her throat, she was likely to try and grab as much air as she could. But Jason wasn't going to let her have that luxury. Not after the annoyance she had put him through. Smashing the sole of his boot down onto her chest, he sought to force Zinnia against the ground as he raised his machete.

It seemed like this was it for Zinnia!

Or was it...?

Pain radiated through her back as Zinnia was slung down to the floor. She couldn't cry out in pain, however, due to the lack of air in her lungs, which she quickly tried to replenish with deep, forced breaths. She intended to move as soon as she had acquired enough air, but ended up unable to do so.

Jason's boot came crashing down against her chest, pinning her. Zinnia struggled and her eyes widened upon seeing Jason's machete headed for her. Within the reflection of his blade, she could see her own mouth opening to let out a scream.

She covered her eyes and face, wanting to block out his image while he inevitably killed her, but...

...his blade never came.

Zinnia trembled for several seconds with her hands over her face until she finally found the nerve to peek. She removed one hand and opened one eye just a crack to check.

Jason wasn't there.

H-He's gone?

...

W-Was he... ever even here?

N-No, of course he was! I-I wasn't imaging it. I couldn't have been. He held me off the ground. I could feel his hands around my throat. I could smell his stench! He was here! I know he was here!

Zinnia slowly stood up, feeling her chest briskly moving as she took breaths in. It moved so quickly, that it pained her as if she were having a panic attack. And she couldn't stop it.

Clutching her chest, Zinnia dashed out of the room, her mind still fixated on her vanished attacker.

"JAAAAAAAASSSSSON! IT'S JASSSSSSON! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!! HE'S HERE!" Zinnia screamed until her voice had absolutely been shot and ran while waving her arms.

By this point, however, the others would be heading for the trial and were likely to never have heard Zinnia's voice.

{Collab done by the wonderful @Chewy Rabbits and myself}


-During the trial-


Wide-eyed and swaying as she walked, Zinnia wobbled back and forth with uneven steps as she was forced to head to the usual trial area with the others after her 'encounter' with Jason. She chuckled anxiously, the muscles in her shoulders spasming as she did.

Eh heh heh heh, J-Jason... he's still following me... I know he's around. Any second now, he's going to be back. Eh heh heh heh.

Zinnia continued to glanced over her shoulder, paranoid, as if the killer would show up at any moment. By the time she made it to the trial, the others were busy discussing the situation. One of Zinnia's red eyes twitched as she watched them, opening her mouth to speak.

They need to know about Jason! They need to--

As she tried to speak, her voice was still shot from screaming. Since she couldn't speak up to warn everyone, she simply sat down and hid herself behind one of the podiums, covering her head with her hands.

I-I won't let Jason see me! We're all in danger!


-After the trial-

The others solved the murder of Wanda, learning that Monomi was the guilty party. Even through Zinnia's paranoia, she managed to watch the trial, absolutely appalled by the events that happened. Once it all had ended, Zinnia stood up, checking her surroundings anxiously. With shaking hands, the lorekeeper held onto her chest and began to make her way out of the cafeteria.

Maybe I should just let Jason kill me. I feel like we're all going to die anyhow...

...this nightmare just keeps getting worse and worse.


@Everyone​

Jack Frost
@Hospes @Atomyk @ShiroKiyoshi @Whoever wants to talk to an angsty Jack Frost I guess

Jack Frost had a feeling Rant would be correct this time too... Perhaps the strange creature had some sort of intuition? In either case, he had attempted to look into the case with Monomu, but unfortunately... In his thoughts, he had gone silent. Maybe something deep within him knew that Rant might have been onto something, even if it had just been a hunch... After all, despite all the confusion, he had been about to vote for Monomi, but by then, it was too late, the votes were cast... And the majority was... Monokuma. At first, he seemed like he would have been the culprit after all, and the group's suspicions were right, but... Shockingly enough, or maybe not, it was none other than Monomi.

As the true story unfolded in front of him... Something happened inside the seemingly ageless teen, a feeling that Jack Frost had thought had long been gone after he had been accepted as a guardian. The cold feeling of despair, the same despair he had felt each time a child who could not see, nor hear him passed right through him... The same feeling that ravaged his body when the other Guardians had rejected him for the moment, after his colossal mistake when he was lead away by Pitch, and of course... The same feeling that haunted him whe Pitch had thrown him into an icy chasm, after breaking his staff no less. With both Monomi and Wanda gone... Who was left to stop Monokuma? Him? The oh so great Jack Frost who could not even summon a snow flake?

No... Never with the state he was in... The Ultimate Funhouse, what a laugh... He really was... Only human now, and his status as a Guardian, might as well have been revoked... Silently, he slipped out of the podium, having had enough of today's events, and instead, shamefully slunk back to a chair at the hotel's entrance, where he had waited patiently for Tarlotte. Maybe... His attempts to calm her down was just a way to fend off his own doubts? The feelings he had harboured at his inability to make the situation right, like he thought he could, even without his powers... And most of all, his inability to act on time, to perhaps... Somehow save the day? But... Then again, even if he had voted for Monomi... It wouldn't have mattered... He knew Monokuma had been planning on executing her as well; looks like this time, the darkness would win. No group of courageous children, filled with courage, no nightmares to turn to dreamsand, no fellow guardians to turn to... And the worst of all, no powers... He had nothing... Nothing left, not even his once impenetrable will to fight for what is right... After all, how was he ever going to fight against a force like this? He couldn't do it... Not without his powers, and least of all, without those who did still have the powers to stop this...

He quietly sulked, pulling his hood over his head and tucking his knees underneath his sweater, it seemed like for the time being... The "Ultimate Funhouse", was only a shell of his former self... And, if one looked closely, it would be painfully obvious that he was starting to cry.


​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

~~~

The Crystal Lake Killer's Watching you!

"..."

Not all perturbed by his last encounter with the survivors, Jason had reformed from his mist form and quietly stalked off into the distance. He figured none of them would have been foolish enough to try to follow him. They might have been able to put up able resistance when together as a group but he doubted any of them would have been able to live past a solitary encounter with him. But none of them were that foolish. They had seen his strength, his durability, everything that made him a credible threat and less a man to take down and more a monster to be feared. Perhaps Jason Voorhees had been a man at one point though that's arguable in of itself but after being returned to the land of the living by Tommy Jarvis?

There was no longer a man within that hulking rotting frame. Simply a spirit of vengeance that wouldn't stop until everyone he had set his sights on was dead by his hand or blade. Didn't matter which one really. This group had done quite a bit to earn his ire. From attacking him in the forest to those who had annoyed him more than others. Like the child who Jason couldn't bring himself to harm even as she flipped him over her shoulder and smashed him into the ground. For as far gone as Jason was, mentally-speaking even he had a code of contact that he followed.

Reaching over to grip onto a nearby tree branch, Jason snapped it in twain. As his thoughts moved onto other members of the group, he noted that one woman who had clutched onto his back and struck him over and over with a rock. The blows had done little more than disorient Jason rather than actually harm him. But Zinnia became more than an inconvenience when she dug her fingers into the eyeholes on Jason's hockey mask. Leaving him blind and unable to react as the other survivors began to pound away at him. Eventually managing to wrench her from his back, Jason had made a note to make her end especially painful.

He had noted in his last encounter with the survivors that the moment she laid eyes upon him? She froze up like a deer caught in the headlights. That was the reaction Jason was used to and the one he was most familiar with. Jason wasn't in for the sadism, that had never been a part of why he did what he had done over the years. In his child-like mind, it was simply a child doing what he could to please his mother even after her untimely death. So reactions like that made doing said pleasing much easier on his part. He wondered if it'd still be that way when he met up with her group again? Though, whether she cowered in fear or attacked him like the others? It didn't matter because he'd still reach the same conclusion: Her corpse dangling in his hands. No matter how long it took him to reach it.

But then there was one more pest who had proved to be an incessant thorn in Jason's side.

Lapis Lazuli!

She had been the one person who had stood in his way the most. Be it charging him head on only for him to smash her and toss aside, she'd get up and resume fighting. How was it that she was this strong-willed to survive? She didn't even bleed blood like him or any of his other sinners. Every time he punched her or slashed her, these strange crystals came out instead coating Jason's person. After every fight, Jason tore them off him and crushed him under his heel. The next time they met?

It'd be the last time. Jason wouldn't stop until he punched a hole straight through her and no longer would she bother him. But just as Jason was about to vanish further within the surrounding area, he heard a twig snap behind him. With how loud it'd been, he doubted it was any kind of animal. Drawing his machete, Jason turned and came face to face with the person he had absolutely hated the most. The person who had taken him from his mother and put him to sleep for all those years!

It was none other than Tommy Jarvis. Still battered and bruised from his last encounter, Tommy wasn't in any condition to be facing down a brute like Jason. But after seeing the end Dan had gone through just for taking down an imposter of Jason, he wasn't going to stand idly by and just keep letting Jason pick the time and place for their battles. Drawing a shotgun from his back, Tommy aimed it at Jason and fired.

"...!"

The slugs tore through Jason's t-shirt and left a fist sized hole that poured out black blood onto the ground. Walking forward, Tommy quickly reloaded as he fired another shot into Jason's chest. The slugs cracked Jason's sternum and caused him to snap his head upward as he coughed.

"You've gotten away with too much, Jason! You've taken too many lives! But this is it! This is the last time!" Tommy roared as he kept firing into Jason's chest until he could reload no more. By the time he was finished, a small wisp of smoke could have been seen ebbing away from Jason's torso as it was just a mess of holes and splotches of black blood oozing out here and there. But Tommy wasn't so foolish as to believe that this would have been all that he needed to take down Jason. Noticing that Jason had dropped his machete, Tommy quickly reached down to pick it up.

Holding it above his head, Tommy gazed down at Jason's incapacitated form with the look of a wildman. Which given Tommy's current look was very fitting indeed. His clothes were covered in Jason's blood, his shirt was torn due to how he'd been stumbling around trying to find Jason. His hair was a mess and his face was still littered with bruises from his last encounter with Jason.

"..."

Why was he trembling?! This was what he needed to do! He had to hack up Jason and burn the pieces! He had to make sure he'd never come back! So why was this happening now?! Stepping back and clutching at his chest, Tommy's eyes widened in horror as it dawned on him what was happening. He was having a panic attack. This was all to similar to what had happened to him all those years ago! Jason was bloodied and on the ground and Tommy was going to hack him apart. He-He had to take his medicine. Dropping the machete to the ground, Tommy turned his back to Jason and reached inside his shirt pocket.

"C'mon, where are they?!"

But as he pulled his hand out of the pocket, it became clear to Tommy that there was no medicine. Not after he had dropped it in his freak-out back at Blackwell. He had been running around unabated and the one thing keeping him together was long gone. But why of all times did this have to act up now!? He was going to be the hero! He was going to finally give himself some peace of mind and finish Jason off once and for all! As Tommy was caught up in his panicking however, Jason slowly sat up. Well, he supposed he had played that role out to it's capacity. The shotgun slugs had been little more than flea bites to the undead killer but playing possum to fool his soon to be victims helped catch them off guard.

Reaching over to grab his machete from where Tommy had dropped it, Jason lumbered to his feet and stepping forward, he'd grip onto Tommy's shoulder. Roughly spinning Tommy to face him, Tommy's face went as pale as a ghost.

"Jason...!"

Jason reared back for a punch and Tommy barely had enough time to prepare himself as the blow came in. Covering his chest with his arms, he let out a yelp as he could feel a bone rupture through the skin as Jason's fist smashed into his left arm and sent him flying back. Crashing against the thick trunk of a tree, Tommy slid down onto his rear and clutched at his arm as blood squirted out onto the grass. Stepping forward, Jason raised his machete and prepared to cut Tommy down! This was it! He would finally get his revenge on Tommy Jarvis-

*bang!*

Jason stumbled back as blood began to ooze down the front of his hockey mask. What had just-another shot rang out and Jason stumbled back. Glancing down he noticed that Tommy was wielding a pistol in his good hand. Managing a sneer at the serial killer, Tommy spat out

"Came prepared for you, Jason."

Before letting loose the rest of the bullets he had left. The bullets came in and went out through Jason's back. But they did little to impede Jason's stride forward as he wrenched the gun from Tommy's hand and smashed it into pieces against a nearby tree. Speaking of which, Jason backhanded Tommy and sent the teen crashing to the ground. As he clutched at his head, Tommy couldn't help but laugh. Enraged as Tommy seemed to be mocking him, Jason gripped him by the back of his head and raced through the foliage before smashing his head into the ground. But still Tommy's laughter continued even as Jason dug the sole of his boot into the back of Tommy's head.

"Every second you waste on me..."

Jason paused as Tommy began to speak. Kneeling down, he grabbed a handful of Tommy's hair and held his machete to his neck.

But Tommy wasn't afraid. Even if it meant he'd be meeting his end, this is how he'd go out. Drawing Jason's attention away from the others as best as he could. Continuing to chuckle, the laughter continued even as the machete's blade drew ever closer to slicing his throat.

"Is time for the others to think on how to beat you...Just like I beat you."

Jason's one eye lit up in anger as he grabbed Tommy by the throat and picked him up off his feet. Giving the teen a good shake, Jason brought him to eye level. Just close enough for Tommy to spit right onto the hockey mask with a mix of blood and spittle. The splotch of saliva landed on the corner of Jason's mask and the killer had enough. Smashing Tommy's head against a tree, he let the poor kid crumple to the ground as he struggled to stay awake. He knew soon that Jason would be defeated! It was all just a matter of time!

"I hope I'm just there to see it.."

Drawing his machete, Jason glared at Tommy as he stabbed the teenager right in the gut with the machete. Letting the blood running down from Tommy's mouth onto his jacket, Jason yanked the machete free and let Tommy fall down once more. Perhaps it was fatal, perhaps it wasn't who knew? All Jason wanted was Tommy out of his way.

This group had bested Jason Voorhees twice.

There wouldn't be a third time.

@Atomyk @Verite @Josh M @GM-ey foreshadowy stuff woo!​

"... tch."

Lapis was disgusted by all of this, but knew that she didn't have much place or footing when it came to the discussions. She was much on the sidelines when it came to a battle of words, and the end result? She had the greatest feeling of dread settle in her gut, as if something was terribly wrong with this all. Sitting on the ground and hugging her legs close to her, Lapis silently sat there, not giving any glances to the other.

"..."

For as much of a standoffish jerk as Bugcat had played himself off to be, there was still some semblance of Catbug's good nature within him. It was very brief but the remorseful look he gave after seeing the deaths of two people he had once considered friends was definitely Catbug. Though it was soon replaced with an annoyed scowl as he stared down Monokuma. Damn bear thought it just could do whatever it wanted huh? No consequences whatsoever. Just content to murder whoever he damn well pleased if the oppertunity presented itself. Bugcat likely would have respected someone like that but the Catbug lingering with hin him despied it! People should have been friends with everybody!

Glancing over among the crowd however, another frown came to Bugcat's face as it seemed like Chikage had given up hope. Understandable given all the death she'd been put through. It'd drive even the sturdiest person to the point of wanting to just break down! Though through her sadness, Chikage kept up her strong will and even Bugcat could admire something like that. She had guts and it definitely showed through.

Though he doubted the same could have been said for Lapis as he approached.

"What's up with you?"

@Kaykay @Yun Lee @Gummi Bunnies @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @BarrenThin​

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

Zinnia's muscles relaxed, easing up from Jack's gentle, comforting touch. Slowly, her crying stopped and she began to calm down. She kept her head against his chest, closing her eyes after her crying had entirely stopped. She stayed near him, not pulling back until she was certain she felt entirely calm again. But, even then, she didn't pull back much. She moved back just enough so that she could look up at him, also removing one of her hands from holding him so that she could wipe her eyes.

"I-I think I've said before that I don't know why you'd want to be, but... I-I'm still so glad you're here with me."

Gently, she took one of his hands and pushed his palm against her cheek. "I... don't really feel like going to sleep yet. I want to sit outside and look at the sky..."

As a girl, when times of grief and sorrow filled my heart, I would always look up at the sky. I would hold my head up so that my tears wouldn't fall when I felt the pain of my burdens or... the pain of feeling absolutely alone in the world...

@The Tactician​

With a nod and a smile, the samurai began to lead her out to a place where they could sit on the grass near the motel. Thankfully, the night sky seemed clear and the stars shined bright, offering a spectacular view of the galaxy to the couple. As they sat together with their eyes toward the sky, he pulled her close to his side as reassurance that all was well.

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

With a nod and a smile, the samurai began to lead her out to a place where they could sit on the grass near the motel. Thankfully, the night sky seemed clear and the stars shined bright, offering a spectacular view of the galaxy to the couple. As they sat together with their eyes toward the sky, he pulled her close to his side as reassurance that all was well.

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

Although reluctant to pull herself from Jack's comfort, Zinnia gently removed Jack's hand from her cheek, kissing the top of his knuckles before dropping it. "B-But if you're tired and need to rest, I don't mind sitting outside by myself," she told him, her graveled voice struggling to emerge even as a whisper. Even if her words told him it was okay to go, Zinnia's eyes clearly begged him to stay. She absolutely did not want to be alone anymore. When she was by herself, it seemed that she saw Jason even more frequently.

Much to Zinnia's relief, Jack didn't even hesitate to stay with her. He walked her outside so they could sit together under the bright, shining stars, keeping her close the entire time. For as long as she could, Zinnia held her head up to gaze at them. At some point, when her neck grew tired, she rested and leaned her head against Jack's arm. She took Jack's hand and used his pointer finger to draw circles around certain stars in the sky.

"Stars are important to me; they've been there through all of my good and bad times. They always calm me," she whispered to him, keeping her voice low to avoid further strain on it. "My grandmother used to take me to see them, and I used to watch them with Aster too." She paused before adding, "I realized my two deepest fears under the stars. I--" Zinnia cringed. "I hate dead things. I spent the night in a graveyard once, and ever since then..." She sighed. This fear was a good part of the reason why Jason horrified her.

"And I hate when people I care for leave me... just as Aster's father left me on a starry night..." Her eyes narrowed sadly. She rarely spoke of that man, and had never actually said a word about him to Jack. Her memories involving him didn't exactly make her feel very cheery. But she wanted to show Jack that she trusted him enough to share these things with him. If he ever wanted to know more about Aster's father, she would tell him.

"I-I just... wanted to tell you because... I trust you... enough to tell you things I would never say to anyone else. You're more precious than the stars"

I need you.

@The Tactician​

 

[Takumi]

Jack Frost
@Hospes @Atomyk @ShiroKiyoshi @Whoever wants to talk to an angsty Jack Frost I guess

Jack Frost had a feeling Rant would be correct this time too... Perhaps the strange creature had some sort of intuition? In either case, he had attempted to look into the case with Monomu, but unfortunately... In his thoughts, he had gone silent. Maybe something deep within him knew that Rant might have been onto something, even if it had just been a hunch... After all, despite all the confusion, he had been about to vote for Monomi, but by then, it was too late, the votes were cast... And the majority was... Monokuma. At first, he seemed like he would have been the culprit after all, and the group's suspicions were right, but... Shockingly enough, or maybe not, it was none other than Monomi.

As the true story unfolded in front of him... Something happened inside the seemingly ageless teen, a feeling that Jack Frost had thought had long been gone after he had been accepted as a guardian. The cold feeling of despair, the same despair he had felt each time a child who could not see, nor hear him passed right through him... The same feeling that ravaged his body when the other Guardians had rejected him for the moment, after his colossal mistake when he was lead away by Pitch, and of course... The same feeling that haunted him whe Pitch had thrown him into an icy chasm, after breaking his staff no less. With both Monomi and Wanda gone... Who was left to stop Monokuma? Him? The oh so great Jack Frost who could not even summon a snow flake?

No... Never with the state he was in... The Ultimate Funhouse, what a laugh... He really was... Only human now, and his status as a Guardian, might as well have been revoked... Silently, he slipped out of the podium, having had enough of today's events, and instead, shamefully slunk back to a chair at the hotel's entrance, where he had waited patiently for Tarlotte. Maybe... His attempts to calm her down was just a way to fend off his own doubts? The feelings he had harboured at his inability to make the situation right, like he thought he could, even without his powers... And most of all, his inability to act on time, to perhaps... Somehow save the day? But... Then again, even if he had voted for Monomi... It wouldn't have mattered... He knew Monokuma had been planning on executing her as well; looks like this time, the darkness would win. No group of courageous children, filled with courage, no nightmares to turn to dreamsand, no fellow guardians to turn to... And the worst of all, no powers... He had nothing... Nothing left, not even his once impenetrable will to fight for what is right... After all, how was he ever going to fight against a force like this? He couldn't do it... Not without his powers, and least of all, without those who did still have the powers to stop this...

He quietly sulked, pulling his hood over his head and tucking his knees underneath his sweater, it seemed like for the time being... The "Ultimate Funhouse", was only a shell of his former self... And, if one looked closely, it would be painfully obvious that he was starting to cry.


​

Yurick had noticed Jack's seemingly hopeless mood and went to talk to him. Too many of their number had died, and too many were seemingly falling into despair. He was tired of the death himself, but he wanted to get out of this place badly. He became a mercenary to survive, and at one time in his life, when he had been badly poisoned Zael had helped him. Last thing he'd ever do was just give up and leave that idiot and the rest of their group behind. Plus, he really hated Monokuma and he wasn't going to give that little shit what he wanted or he'd die trying.

"Trapped in a dark place with no way out. The story of my life." he said under his breath before sighing.

Once close enough to Jack Frost, Yurick would clear his throat slightly.

"Hey, chin up. You...." he stopped and grunted. This was a bit harder than he thought. Maybe he needed to try a bit of a different approach?

"Look, we don't know each other too well or anything but if it'll help, if you need someone to talk to then you can come to me." he finished with a bit of a grumble, not used to being the one to give a pep talk to cheer a stranger up.

@york

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

Although reluctant to pull herself from Jack's comfort, Zinnia gently removed Jack's hand from her cheek, kissing the top of his knuckles before dropping it. "B-But if you're tired and need to rest, I don't mind sitting outside by myself," she told him, her graveled voice struggling to emerge even as a whisper. Even if her words told him it was okay to go, Zinnia's eyes clearly begged him to stay. She absolutely did not want to be alone anymore. When she was by herself, it seemed that she saw Jason even more frequently.

Much to Zinnia's relief, Jack didn't even hesitate to stay with her. He walked her outside so they could sit together under the bright, shining stars, keeping her close the entire time. For as long as she could, Zinnia held her head up to gaze at them. At some point, when her neck grew tired, she rested and leaned her head against Jack's arm. She took Jack's hand and used his pointer finger to draw circles around certain stars in the sky.

"Stars are important to me; they've been there through all of my good and bad times. They always calm me," she whispered to him, keeping her voice low to avoid further strain on it. "My grandmother used to take me to see them, and I used to watch them with Aster too." She paused before adding, "I realized my two deepest fears under the stars. I--" Zinnia cringed. "I hate dead things. I spent the night in a graveyard once, and ever since then..." She sighed. This fear was a good part of the reason why Jason horrified her.

"And I hate when people I care for leave me... just as Aster's father left me on a starry night..." Her eyes narrowed sadly. She rarely spoke of that man, and had never actually said a word about him to Jack. Her memories involving him didn't exactly make her feel very cheery. But she wanted to show Jack that she trusted him enough to share these things with him. If he ever wanted to know more about Aster's father, she would tell him.

"I-I just... wanted to tell you because... I trust you... enough to tell you things I would never say to anyone else. You're more precious than the stars"

I need you.

@The Tactician​

Jack listened to each word she spoke in contemplative silence, watching as she traced outlines around the stars. It was interesting to hear the almost sweet-and-sour relationship between the dragon master and the night sky, that it was one of her greatest comforts even though the betrayal by her previous love took place under it. A strange relationship indeed, but he would not begrudge her for it.

"I understand, Zinnia-chan..." He replied with a tired smile before placing a kiss on her head, "I won't abandon you... You are just as dear to me as I am to you."​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"..."

For as much of a standoffish jerk as Bugcat had played himself off to be, there was still some semblance of Catbug's good nature within him. It was very brief but the remorseful look he gave after seeing the deaths of two people he had once considered friends was definitely Catbug. Though it was soon replaced with an annoyed scowl as he stared down Monokuma. Damn bear thought it just could do whatever it wanted huh? No consequences whatsoever. Just content to murder whoever he damn well pleased if the oppertunity presented itself. Bugcat likely would have respected someone like that but the Catbug lingering with hin him despied it! People should have been friends with everybody!

Glancing over among the crowd however, another frown came to Bugcat's face as it seemed like Chikage had given up hope. Understandable given all the death she'd been put through. It'd drive even the sturdiest person to the point of wanting to just break down! Though through her sadness, Chikage kept up her strong will and even Bugcat could admire something like that. She had guts and it definitely showed through.

Though he doubted the same could have been said for Lapis as he approached.

"What's up with you?"

@Kaykay @Yun Lee @Gummi Bunnies @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @BarrenThin​

Surrounded by her own self dread, Lapis looked up to see that Bugcat had approached her. It was obvious that her sudden turn in her mood would catch attention of the others, and to be brutally honest, she didn't care at this point. She wanted this to be over. She wanted to return to her daily workings. She wanted to continue with her work to bring down Exe and her Blood Institute and return to a normal life with Abel and Gnar. With how these events were going, Lapis wasn't even sure if that was possible now, she wasn't sure that she could perform a miracle like that voice in her head said that one night...

"Nothing important..."

Lapis hung her head low and covered her face with her arms.

"... that's all."

@Kaykay @Yun Lee @Chewy Rabbits @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @BarrenThin​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jack listened to each word she spoke in contemplative silence, watching as she traced outlines around the stars. It was interesting to hear the almost sweet-and-sour relationship between the dragon master and the night sky, that it was one of her greatest comforts even though the betrayal by her previous love took place under it. A strange relationship indeed, but he would not begrudge her for it.

"I understand, Zinnia-chan..." He replied with a tired smile before placing a kiss on her head, "I won't abandon you... You are just as dear to me as I am to you."

Zinnia lifted her head back to the sky, quiet as she thought.

Jack says he understands, but I feel more as if he is just saying so to be polite. I could tell him just about anything and he'd listen without judgement. It feels strange knowing that. It's not something I'm used to.

"They've always been there to watch over me, even when I was abandoned, so that's why the stars bring me comfort," she tried to explain. "And as for that man I used to know... I won't expect you to understand. It's a hard thing to understand unless you've ever loved someone so hard that... your heart aches for them..."

It's a familiar feeling to me, a feeling that's starting to come back with each moment that passes while I'm at your side. Only this time, the feeling is a bit more gentle, more pure.

Zinnia blushed suddenly, realizing what Jack had called her, added the honorific onto the end of her name. Had he just started doing that? Or had he always done it? "Uh," she began, rubbing the back of her head. "Just Zinnia. I don't need a label at the end of my name. My name from your lips is enough to make it special."

Absent-mindedly, Zinnia placed a hand on his back and gently rubbed between his shoulders like he had done for her.

I hope I get a chance to do something for you. You're always taking care of me. You deserve someone who can do the same for you.

@The Tactician​

 

[Crimson Spartan]

Continued from here.

Chapter Three DEAD END
"Heart-Throbbing Execution!"

"..."

Monokuma stood in silence, his face lowered toward the ground. As the final vote had come and made him the chosen killer of this trial, he had fallen into a strange sort of silence. "... Me?" he eventually asked, sounding depressed. "You really think... it's me? I can't believe it... to be caught like this. In all the days we've spent together, it didn't occur to me that my students would outgrow me. But now it seems that time has come. You've manage to best me, the top percentage of bear and plush kind. I am truly honored to have lost to you all."

A swerve at this point seemed inevitable, but Monokuma continued with his despondent behavior. He sighed loudly and raised one hand, signaling for the display behind him to change to the roulette wheels.

"It's time for this bear to face the music. In this latest bloody murder, did you guess right? I don't mean to spoil the surprise... but it seems my time as your headmaster is up."

The wheels began to spin, cycling through all of the suspects' faces.

The slot machine eventually stopped, landing on Monokuma's face three times in a row.

The text below flashed...

GUILTY

Jude let out an excited yell. "Guys, we did it! I knew it!"

Monokuma let out a contented sigh as the mechanical hand rose from the ground and approached him.

"I guess this truly is how it's supposed to be. Isn't it despairing? The inevitability of it all... I guess I should say before I go what occurred between the Witch and I..." Monokuma cleared his throat. "You see, after she took that gun, she found my and aimed it at my pretty bear head! She said she would beat me at my own game-- isn't that exciting? She said no matter what I or the darkness did, she would find a way to survive... and I suppose she did, in a way."

"What do you mean--"

"Pipe down! Let a bear have his final confession! You see, me and my beary bad bod wasn't going to just let her say whatever she wanted! A headmaster has to put his students in their place... The poor thing, though! She knew she couldn't keep the darkness at bay for much longer. She knew she would give in eventually, like any other addict! If you want to talk about shady pasts... Wanda's one of the shadiest! I bet if I gave her the chance, she'd go, 'No more bears.' That would be so bad of her! Think about the bears, people!"

"Can you get to the damn point?!" Shane yelled.

"I'm just about to, thank you very much! I guess the Witch didn't like what I had to say much, so she started becoming a little... unhinged. You know how it is. Magic going haywire, darkness threatening to control her... she had a plan, a last-ditch effort to contact the outside world. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't. All I know is that it involved the Witch using all her energy! I had to put a stop to that, obviously! A stuffed animal such as I picked up the gun she dropped and - BAM! BAM! - down she went!"

The mechanical hand loomed closer, its fingers hovering just over Monokuma.

"So now you know the story. But..."

"... is it the whole truth!"

The mechanical hand suddenly turned right around, flying toward the group to grab at little Monomi. The text under the roulette wheel changed to--

INNOCENT

The faces on the wheel then switched to that of Monomi.

And the text once again displayed...

GUILTY

"N-No!! Wait!"

"Monomi didn't! I-I'm not--"

Jude stared up at the hand holding Monomi in shock, his mouth wide open. "No... he's lying. He has to be! Monomi would never-- Monokuma is changing the rules!"

"Nothing quite so dramatic, I'm afraid! Everyone was simply wrong... Little Sis' Monomi was the true killer all along! She did very well in lying to all of you! Who else but she would clean up the body and make it look nice and presentable?"

"This is--" Monomi squirmed inside the hand. "This is what Wanda wanted! She begged Monomi... She said her power was becoming too much! She said I had to... I had to shoot her and try to make it so Monokuma was blamed! I didn't want to. I really didn't want to! But she begged and begged, and then when she was rising into the air, screaming as she burned... There was no choice! It's what she... What she... Noooo!! They voted for you! This isn't fair!"

"Oh, my lowly pathetic sister..." Monokuma shook his head, grinning ear to ear. "I never once stated what would happen if you guys voted wrong! It is up to my discretion! Someone has to be executed, and in this case, why not you? No one will mind... you're a murderer!"

Monomi shook and yelled, her crying loud enough to fill the room. "Monomi was just trying to do what was best! I wanted to protect everyone...! Wanda said she was a danger... And you... why won't you just go away!"

"No can do, Sis'! You lose."

"Nooooo--!!"

The little rabbit's screams died out as she was pulled into the deep, black hole. She appeared on the screen moments later in a dark, blank abyss. The little rabbit looked around, shaking. A light eventually shone from above, revealing the dead body of Wanda. Monomi flinched away from the sight, only to back into another body-- a light turned on, revealing it to be Jude. More and more lights turned on, revealing the dead bodies of all the students, their bodies in various states of decomposition. The little rabbit screamed and fell to the ground, burying her face into the floor. She shook violently, refusing to move or look up.

The bodies around her then stood. It almost seemed assured they would converge on Monomi like they had with Dan, but they only stood and stared. They all eventually pointed her away, beginning to chant something. This caused Monomi to look up, though her face expressed the notion that their words were causing her pain. This turned out to be literal as every word chanted by the group began to cut at the rabbit, her stuffing and mechanical part beginning to leak from her body.

Even without sound, it was easy to tell that the bodies were blaming her. Their eyes conveyed true hatred.

It wasn't long before Monomi was little more than a pile of broken parts, signaling the feed to cut out.

"W-What...?" Jude couldn't believe it. The boy staggered on his feet, eventually collapsing down on to his knees. "She... I didn't think she would ever..."

Victoria sighed deeply, rubbing at her eyes. Nearby, Diana was staring blankly at the ground. The sound of laughter eventually filled the room.

"Upupu... Upuhuhuhuh! Gyah-hehehe! You idiots! How could you be so dim? Why would I ever kill you, when you all do it so much better! The most satisfying kill of all is the one you get to watch! You thought Monomi was your hope...? Huhu... You have no hope! Even with an annoying little rabbit or not, your hope of escaping is zero! Zilch! Nothing! All you get is a big fat failure... to which you must face punishment for, right? Losing's gotta mean something!"

Monokuma tilted his head to the side. "Hmm..." He eventually raised a hand to point at Felix. "I choose you!" The armored man then flinched violently, his neck bending at an unnatural angle. He collapsed to the floor in a heap, dead before he even hit the ground. "Hmm, but we wouldn't want that armor to go to waste, right?" Monokuma shrugged, and the armor suddenly disappeared from Felix and instead appeared around Tharja, trapping her inside. "Might be a bit hard to move around in that!"

"You damn monster! Monomi wouldn't have-- she wouldn't have hurt anybody if not for this horrible situation! She was... She was just trying to..." Jude shivered. "What's the point anymore...?"

Monokuma then casually hopped off the stage and moved to leave the cafeteria. "You still have a few hours before the sun rises! I suggest you get some rest, because... as you may have guessed, without the Witch and Monomi, your last line of defense is gone! It's only a matter of time now..."

And then Monokuma was gone.


***

CAST LIST
@C.T. as Arya Stark "Ultimate Killer" [Game of Thrones]
@Kaykay as Chikage Kushinada "Ultimate Jujutsuka" [History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi]
@Chewy Rabbits as Catbug "Ultimate Cutie" [Bravest Warriors]
@Minerva as Corrin "Ultimate Protector" [Fire Emblem]
@DapperDogman as Darv "Ultimate Saltborn" [Salt & Sanctuary]
@Yun Lee as Edmond Honda "Ultimate Sumo Wrestler" [Street Fighter]
@BarrenThin as Genji Shimada "Ultimate Forgiveness" [Overwatch]
@The Tactician as Jack "Ultimate Samurai" [Samurai Jack]
@york as Jack Frost "Ultimate Funhouse" [Rise of the Guardians]
@Verite as Kyoko Kirigiri "Ultimate ???" [Danganronpa]
@Gummi Bunnies as "Lapis Lazuli" "Ultimate Crystal" [Original Character]
@LuckycoolHawk9 as M. "Stiles" Stilinski "Ultimate Sarcasm" [Teen Wolf]
@Crow as Morikubo Nono "Ultimate Wallflower" [THE iDOLM@STER]
@Jeremi as Poison "Ultimate Manager" [Street Fighter]
@ShiroKiyoshi as Rant T. Mouse "Ultimate Rat Mouse" [Original Character]
@Crimson Spartan as Seamus "Sledge" Cowden "Ultimate Breaching Charge" [Rainbow Six: Siege]
@Hospes as Tarlotte "Ultimate Tantrum" [Kyoshiro to Town no Sora]
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as Tekhartha Zenyatta "Ultimate Teacher" [Overwatch]
@Periodically Incorrect as Terezi Pyrope "Ultimate Justice" [Homestuck]
@DBZ7 as Tharja "Ultimate Hextress" [Fire Emblem]
@Nater Taters as Tomoko Kuroki "Ultimate Loser" [WataMote]
@Atomyk as Victoria Maribeth Chase "Ultimate Bitch" [Life is Strange]
@Takumi as Yurick "Ultimate Arcanist" [The Last Story]
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty as Zinnia "Ultimate Lorekeeper" [Pokemon]​

...

....

A soldier is trained everyday to deal with hardships... A soldier has to endure such things with maintaining a calm outlook so they don't show weakness.... Sledge knew this better then anyone else and retained his calm outlook as the events before him took place... However the execution this time around bothered him... like a chill sent down his spine and while he remained calm on the outside... On the inside Sledge was a mess... Once it was all over and Monokuma was gone Sledge took a moment and shook his head placing a hand on his gas mask.

"The sight of such a horrible death never gets any easier to bear.... I should know... Since i've killed hundreds... perhaps even thousands all in the name of 'protecting the world'... Killing the bad guy... That kind of deal... Now I wonder if that'll come back to haunt me..." Sledge merely spoke to himself as he walked away.

@WhoeverISuppose​

 

[Yun Lee]

Chikage shook her head.

"You do not enter the sumo ring without a plan, do you, Honda? This fight is the same. Just hoping isn't a chance. It's not a chance until we have a plan. You don't engage in sumo by just hoping you don't lose, do you?" She sighed as she continued in a quiet, solemn voice. "Either we make a plan, a real one, or we really don't have a chance."

@Yun Lee @BarrenThin @CrunchyCHEEZIT​

"Someone so young interested in sumo?" It was silly, but that actually made Honda a bit happier than before. "You know, Chikage, I've trained since I was younger than you are now. I know hope isn't always gonna get us there. But you know what else I've learned? Plans aren't always so great either! Sure, you can study an opponent until you know them better than they know themselves, but once you take them on in the ring you can never expect your plan to work! And this bear? He's one of the most unpredictable things I've ever seen! So sure, make a plan, but don't act like it's the only shot we got at getting out in one piece!"
​

@Kaykay

 

[Kaykay]

"Someone so young interested in sumo?" It was silly, but that actually made Honda a bit happier than before. "You know, Chikage, I've trained since I was younger than you are now. I know hope isn't always gonna get us there. But you know what else I've learned? Plans aren't always so great either! Sure, you can study an opponent until you know them better than they know themselves, but once you take them on in the ring you can never expect your plan to work! And this bear? He's one of the most unpredictable things I've ever seen! So sure, make a plan, but don't act like it's the only shot we got at getting out in one piece!"
​

@Kaykay

"I am a disciple of Jujutsu, but I face fighters of all disciplines, including Sumo. It would be foolish to not understand the basics." Strangely, a tangent on fighting made her feel more at ease. Likely the familiarity of the topic compared to the strange going-ons as of late. "...I see. That...is true. Then I, Chikage Kushinada, will push through with the rest of you." The girl put her arm across her chest as she said so.

That optimism reminded her of someone she knew. Someone who, despite a total lack of talent, fought back against incredible odds. If he were in her place, would he give up and kewl over because he didn't have a plan? He'd probably complain, complain, and complain, but he wouldn't give up. That was the one thing she felt he wouldn't do.

So then she wouldn't either.

@Yun Lee​

 

[Crow]

Chikage shook her head.

"You do not enter the sumo ring without a plan, do you, Honda? This fight is the same. Just hoping isn't a chance. It's not a chance until we have a plan. You don't engage in sumo by just hoping you don't lose, do you?" She sighed as she continued in a quiet, solemn voice. "Either we make a plan, a real one, or we really don't have a chance."

@Yun Lee @BarrenThin @CrunchyCHEEZIT​

"Someone so young interested in sumo?" It was silly, but that actually made Honda a bit happier than before. "You know, Chikage, I've trained since I was younger than you are now. I know hope isn't always gonna get us there. But you know what else I've learned? Plans aren't always so great either! Sure, you can study an opponent until you know them better than they know themselves, but once you take them on in the ring you can never expect your plan to work! And this bear? He's one of the most unpredictable things I've ever seen! So sure, make a plan, but don't act like it's the only shot we got at getting out in one piece!"
​

@Kaykay

"I am a disciple of Jujutsu, but I face fighters of all disciplines, including Sumo. It would be foolish to not understand the basics." Strangely, a tangent on fighting made her feel more at ease. Likely the familiarity of the topic compared to the strange going-ons as of late. "...I see. That...is true. Then I, Chikage Kushinada, will push through with the rest of you." The girl put her arm across her chest as she said so.

That optimism reminded her of someone she knew. Someone who, despite a total lack of talent, fought back against incredible odds. If he were in her place, would he give up and kewl over because he didn't have a plan? He'd probably complain, complain, and complain, but he wouldn't give up. That was the one thing she felt he wouldn't do.

So then she wouldn't either.

@Yun Lee​

"Planning for the coming Casino investigation?" Nono walks forward. "Morikubo knows the importance of preparing... unless it's Numetal. That being said...

... what do we have to prepare?"

@Yun Lee @Kaykay​

 

[York]

Replies

Yurick had noticed Jack's seemingly hopeless mood and went to talk to him. Too many of their number had died, and too many were seemingly falling into despair. He was tired of the death himself, but he wanted to get out of this place badly. He became a mercenary to survive, and at one time in his life, when he had been badly poisoned Zael had helped him. Last thing he'd ever do was just give up and leave that idiot and the rest of their group behind. Plus, he really hated Monokuma and he wasn't going to give that little shit what he wanted or he'd die trying.

"Trapped in a dark place with no way out. The story of my life." he said under his breath before sighing.

Once close enough to Jack Frost, Yurick would clear his throat slightly.

"Hey, chin up. You...." he stopped and grunted. This was a bit harder than he thought. Maybe he needed to try a bit of a different approach?

"Look, we don't know each other too well or anything but if it'll help, if you need someone to talk to then you can come to me." he finished with a bit of a grumble, not used to being the one to give a pep talk to cheer a stranger up.

@york

Jack Frost
@Takumi @Others?

It took him a few moments, even after hearing Yurick's words, but eventually, Jack Frost managed to lift his head for the moment.

"I just... Wish I could have done something..." He muttered.

It was quite out of the ordinary to hear bitterness in Jack's words, but well... The whole situation was most definitely not sitting well with him, like when they had lost Sandy, he once again felt powerless to stop a greater evil from taking more lives. However, this time, he doubted such an evil could be stopped by dreamsand miracles...It seemed like they practically had nothing left to fight their impending doom with... To him at least, but hey, he was talking again, maybe he would be okay after all?​