Murder Game XIV: Monokuma's Awakening

[Crow]

"..."

Ignoring Junko's bitingly teasing words, feeling Wanda's power heal her of the mysterious fever from earlier, Kyoko had no time to feel "good" or anything, as stated before. She had more pressing matters on her mind, after all. As the others slowly but steadily began to discuss the case that Kyoko seemed awfully quiet about, the lavender haired lass only continued to focus her glare on Junko Enoshima. The bane of her universe's existence.

Tch. She really missed the other Junko Enoshima she'd met in Columbia.

"Unpredictable, perhaps. But so what? Your exasperating fixation on bringing out the worst in people is misguided."

"That's why hope will prevail, Junko Enoshima! No matter how long it takes, the best in people brought out by hope will triumph over the worst in people brought about by despair. It may look otherwise, but you've already been beaten!"

@Atomyk @FinalTrial​

"Speaking of beating Junko... will you vote, Kirigiri-san?

Anyways, for now... Morikubo would like to place a temporary vote on Detective Holder... I should've written my will during my time here..."

@Atomyk @Verite​

 

[Yun Lee]

"..."

Honda was starting to second guess. All these votes for Holder, who he had suspected himself! Hearing the fighting between Junko and Kyoko, though, he wondered: was he merely voting for Jamie due to a personal dislike? Holder had put a lot of ideas into his head. Whoever shot Jeffereson wanted him to suffer-that was one. Someone deleted those tapes to make him look suspicious-another. Jefferson met with someone named H. Could it be Horne? Horne didn't seem to care less...or at all. That look of concern,Chikage was right. Of everything they'd seen, the only time he cracked slightly was then. "I'm retracting my vote. I'm gonna vote for you, Holder."

@Atomyk @york @Crow @Verite @Kaykay @BarrenThin @LuckycoolHawk9 @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Gummi Bunnies @Hospes​

 

[Josh M]

Genji wasn't sure what to say. This was confusing. Frightening. At the same time, though, he felt a swell of hope. Wanda was alive. At first, he didn't even greet the woman, though. No, he didn't even look at her. "I am also voting for Holder." Eventually, though, he slowly looked at Wanda, though he did not meet her eyes, instead looking at her feet. It took him several seconds to even speak, and, when he did, his voice was quiet. Subdued. "I'm sorry, Wanda. I failed you."

@Josh M @Atomyk @final trial​

Wanda smiled kindley as the ninja finally made his way over to her. The Avenger felt horrible for leaving Genji the way she did.

"Failed me? No, no Genji. You did no such thing."

Lifting his head slowly with the gently lead of her hand, Wanda and Genji's eyes would meet as she comforted him. While the two were newer friends, Wanda couldn't deny she had a kinship with the man. She just felt natural around him.

"Genji, I know what you saw must hurt you. As you can guess, that wasn't planned I know we felted on weird note, so I must imagine you felt so much pain. However, we need to look towards the future. Soon this will be over."

"Every good witch knows tomorrow always comes."


@The Tactician @Yun Lee @ShiroKiyoshi @Gummi Bunnies @DapperDogman @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Crimson Spartan @Crow @BarrenThin @Atomyk @Takumi @Jeremi @Verite

 

[BarrenThin]

The cyborg looked Morikubo over. As it usually did when he spoke to the child, his voice had an underlying tone of almost fatherly affection, despite his sad tone. "I can't tell you that, Nono-chan. Think about it. You are strong. Smart. You just have to use these gifts. Don't be afraid."​

Wanda smiled kindley as the ninja finally made his way over to her. The Avenger felt horrible for leaving Genji the way she did.

"Failed me? No, no Genji. You did no such thing."

Lifting his head slowly with the gently lead of her hand, Wanda and Genji's eyes would meet as she comforted him. While the two were newer friends, Wanda couldn't deny she had a kinship with the man. She just felt natural around him.

"Genji, I know what you saw must hurt you. As you can guess, that wasn't planned I know we felted on weird note, so I must imagine you felt so much pain. However, we need to look towards the future. Soon this will be over."

"Every good witch knows tomorrow always comes."


@The Tactician @Yun Lee @ShiroKiyoshi @Gummi Bunnies @DapperDogman @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Crimson Spartan @Crow @BarrenThin @Atomyk @Takumi @Jeremi @Verite

Genji's mask was always a useful tool. He could hide the fact that, even then, he couldn't look her in the eye. "I should have helped you, Wanda. I should have known you would have acted. Maybe, if I'd helped, it wouldn't have gone down the way it did." His eyes remained downcast.

@Josh M @Crow​

 

[Atomyk]

Continued from here.

"Huh..." Junko scoffed at the votes, turning to watch as they lit up on the monitors. "Currently a tie, huh? You guys are as conflicted as usual, I see. Wouldn't it have been amazing had you started with a pro detective on your side? You know, one of those nosy types who puts their noses in everyone's business..."

Junko turned back to face Kyoko, a smile forming on her lips.

"Soooo... cuuuute!! Cuuute~! Darling Kyoko thinks she has a point to make! How have I been beaten when we're already in the endgame? It's practically the epilogue! Hope didn't bring us to this point, despair did! How can you start to argue otherwise now... when you've given into despair this whole time?"

Junko leaned forward, licking her lips. Her eyes widened as if she was staring into Kyoko's soul. "The Ultimate Detective has kept her talent a secret this whole game, all because she was so afraid of what might happen otherwise! She let me force this secret upon her, which was for the best! Otherwise, if she had full access to her talents, she might have solved all those murders easy-peasy! It would have been so hopeful... so boring! All those murders solved in a boring progression of predictable success!"

Junko leaned her head back suddenly and barked out a laugh. Monokuma joined her, their laughter echoing throughout the room. "With no nosy detective sticking her business in things, the situations laid out before you caused you to panic. It got right up in there! No confidence, no hope... and Kyoko Kirigiri let it happen!"

After Junko's speech, the votes updates, revealing the vote was no longer a tie and that Stephen Holder was at the top of the list. The man only stared at the monitors.

"Look at that! You think it's time to call it?"

"... Wait."

Shaking his head, Holder closed his eyes. He raised a hand to his head, grumbling as he ran it through his hair. "Okay. Enough of all this. Yeah, I killed the guy. I killed Mark Jefferson."

"W-Wait... really? Holder, please don't joke--"

"I ain't lyin', lil' detective. Was investigating the girls and the clues led me to that scumbag. Found his bunker... found his files. I don't even know what I was thinking. Arranged a meeting with him at the casino. Took it outside, where I talked him into confessing. Fucker said he liked it... said that makin' those girls vulnerable gave him a sense of power that nothing else compared to. Lil' B's friend, Stan's kid... all five of those girls, tossed into the lake."

"No... no, you can't be saying what I think you're saying." Stan was shaking his head, on the verge of tears. "Rosie... Oh, god, Rosie...!" Sobs wracked Stan's body as he collapsed to his knees. He grabbed at the podium to pitifully pull himself up, but the man couldn't gather his strength. He wept openly in the trial room, caring little for all the prying eyes.

"Gee... a confession! A little boring, don't you think? I guess it makes the final vote all the more exciting!" Monokuma clapped his hands together and the votes on the monitor disappeared, only to be replaced with two words.

Execute

Save

"Gyah-heh! What do you think? Simple, right? All this talk of justice you chumps spew, it's time to put it to the test! This man has killed another human being, and you may think he was justified... but was he? Essentially, he executed someone without a fair trial! I at least offer you a class trial... If you think these class trials so wrong, these executions... you must decree that this man be executed without a moment's notice!"

"It probably helps knowing that sparing him means you will have failed this final trial."

Holder was almost at a loss for words. "Those girls... I killed him. I'm sorry. To keep my secret, I would have also had to keep Jefferson's secret as well. The bodies of those girls may have never been discovered."

Continued here.

@C.T. @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Chewy Rabbits @Minerva @DapperDogman @BarrenThin @The Tactician @york @Verite @Gummi Bunnies @LuckycoolHawk9 @Crow @Jeremi @ShiroKiyoshi @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @Hospes @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Periodically Incorrect @DBZ7 @Nater Taters @Takumi @Klutzy Ninja Kitty

@FinalVote​

 

[Josh M]

"Genji, please look at me."

Wanda voice soften as she gently removed his mask.


"It's not your fault. As someone who has the same bad habits that you do, I'm saying this isn't your fault. You carry enough wait as it is. You have to realize, you're only human."

@The Tactician @Yun Lee @ShiroKiyoshi @Gummi Bunnies @DapperDogman @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Crimson Spartan @Crow @BarrenThin @Atomyk @Takumi @Jeremi @Verite

 

[Crow]

Continued from here.

"Huh..." Junko scoffed at the votes, turning to watch as they lit up on the monitors. "Currently a tie, huh? You guys are as conflicted as usual, I see. Wouldn't it have been amazing had you started with a pro detective on your side? You know, one of those nosy types who puts their noses in everyone's business..."

Junko turned back to face Kyoko, a smile forming on her lips.

"Soooo... cuuuute!! Cuuute~! Darling Kyoko thinks she has a point to make! How have I been beaten when we're already in the endgame? It's practically the epilogue! Hope didn't bring us to this point, despair did! How can you start to argue otherwise now... when you've given into despair this whole time?"

Junko leaned forward, licking her lips. Her eyes widened as if she was staring into Kyoko's soul. "The Ultimate Detective has kept her talent a secret this whole game, all because she was so afraid of what might happen otherwise! She let me force this secret upon her, which was for the best! Otherwise, if she had full access to her talents, she might have solved all those murders easy-peasy! It would have been so hopeful... so boring! All those murders solved in a boring progression of predictable success!"

Junko leaned her head back suddenly and barked out a laugh. Monokuma joined her, their laughter echoing throughout the room. "With no nosy detective sticking her business in things, the situations laid out before you caused you to panic. It got right up in there! No confidence, no hope... and Kyoko Kirigiri let it happen!"

After Junko's speech, the votes updates, revealing the vote was no longer a tie and that Stephen Holder was at the top of the list. The man only stared at the monitors.

"Look at that! You think it's time to call it?"

"... Wait."

Shaking his head, Holder closed his eyes. He raised a hand to his head, grumbling as he ran it through his hair. "Okay. Enough of all this. Yeah, I killed the guy. I killed Mark Jefferson."

"W-Wait... really? Holder, please don't joke--"

"I ain't lyin', lil' detective. Was investigating the girls and the clues led me to that scumbag. Found his bunker... found his files. I don't even know what I was thinking. Arranged a meeting with him at the casino. Took it outside, where I talked him into confessing. Fucker said he liked it... said that makin' those girls vulnerable gave him a sense of power that nothing else compared to. Lil' B's friend, Stan's kid... all five of those girls, tossed into the lake."

"No... no, you can't be saying what I think you're saying." Stan was shaking his head, on the verge of tears. "Rosie... Oh, god, Rosie...!" Sobs wracked Stan's body as he collapsed to his knees. He grabbed at the podium to pitifully pull himself up, but the man couldn't gather his strength. He wept openly in the trial room, caring little for all the prying eyes.

"Gee... a confession! A little boring, don't you think? I guess it makes the final vote all the more exciting!" Monokuma clapped his hands together and the votes on the monitor disappeared, only to be replaced with two words.

Execute

Save

"Gyah-heh! What do you think? Simple, right? All this talk of justice you chumps spew, it's time to put it to the test! This man has killed another human being, and you may think he was justified... but was he? Essentially, he executed someone without a fair trial! I at least offer you a class trial... If you think these class trials so wrong, these executions... you must decree that this man be executed without a moment's notice!"

"It probably helps knowing that sparing him means you will have failed this final trial."

Holder was almost at a loss for words. "Those girls... I killed him. I'm sorry. To keep my secret, I would have also had to keep Jefferson's secret as well. The bodies of those girls may have never been discovered."

@C.T. @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Chewy Rabbits @Minerva @DapperDogman @BarrenThin @The Tactician @york @Verite @Gummi Bunnies @LuckycoolHawk9 @Crow @Jeremi @ShiroKiyoshi @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @Hospes @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Periodically Incorrect @DBZ7 @Nater Taters @Takumi @Klutzy Ninja Kitty

@FinalVote​

"Morikubo... can't do this... Morikubo... must stay strong..." Nono began to panic, "but first thing's first - Detective Stephen Holder, before I select my options, are you... prepared to pay for your actions? Was Murder... truly a neccesary path to halt Murder? Morikubo cannot trust a detective who hides the truth when the answer is right before him... right before him even before the case was initiated...

... to kill this man or to endanger the lives of everyone else... Morikubo doesn't know..."

@Atomyk @Verite​

 

[Yun Lee]

Continued from here.

"Huh..." Junko scoffed at the votes, turning to watch as they lit up on the monitors. "Currently a tie, huh? You guys are as conflicted as usual, I see. Wouldn't it have been amazing had you started with a pro detective on your side? You know, one of those nosy types who puts their noses in everyone's business..."

Junko turned back to face Kyoko, a smile forming on her lips.

"Soooo... cuuuute!! Cuuute~! Darling Kyoko thinks she has a point to make! How have I been beaten when we're already in the endgame? It's practically the epilogue! Hope didn't bring us to this point, despair did! How can you start to argue otherwise now... when you've given into despair this whole time?"

Junko leaned forward, licking her lips. Her eyes widened as if she was staring into Kyoko's soul. "The Ultimate Detective has kept her talent a secret this whole game, all because she was so afraid of what might happen otherwise! She let me force this secret upon her, which was for the best! Otherwise, if she had full access to her talents, she might have solved all those murders easy-peasy! It would have been so hopeful... so boring! All those murders solved in a boring progression of predictable success!"

Junko leaned her head back suddenly and barked out a laugh. Monokuma joined her, their laughter echoing throughout the room. "With no nosy detective sticking her business in things, the situations laid out before you caused you to panic. It got right up in there! No confidence, no hope... and Kyoko Kirigiri let it happen!"

After Junko's speech, the votes updates, revealing the vote was no longer a tie and that Stephen Holder was at the top of the list. The man only stared at the monitors.

"Look at that! You think it's time to call it?"

"... Wait."

Shaking his head, Holder closed his eyes. He raised a hand to his head, grumbling as he ran it through his hair. "Okay. Enough of all this. Yeah, I killed the guy. I killed Mark Jefferson."

"W-Wait... really? Holder, please don't joke--"

"I ain't lyin', lil' detective. Was investigating the girls and the clues led me to that scumbag. Found his bunker... found his files. I don't even know what I was thinking. Arranged a meeting with him at the casino. Took it outside, where I talked him into confessing. Fucker said he liked it... said that makin' those girls vulnerable gave him a sense of power that nothing else compared to. Lil' B's friend, Stan's kid... all five of those girls, tossed into the lake."

"No... no, you can't be saying what I think you're saying." Stan was shaking his head, on the verge of tears. "Rosie... Oh, god, Rosie...!" Sobs wracked Stan's body as he collapsed to his knees. He grabbed at the podium to pitifully pull himself up, but the man couldn't gather his strength. He wept openly in the trial room, caring little for all the prying eyes.

"Gee... a confession! A little boring, don't you think? I guess it makes the final vote all the more exciting!" Monokuma clapped his hands together and the votes on the monitor disappeared, only to be replaced with two words.

Execute

Save

"Gyah-heh! What do you think? Simple, right? All this talk of justice you chumps spew, it's time to put it to the test! This man has killed another human being, and you may think he was justified... but was he? Essentially, he executed someone without a fair trial! I at least offer you a class trial... If you think these class trials so wrong, these executions... you must decree that this man be executed without a moment's notice!"

"It probably helps knowing that sparing him means you will have failed this final trial."

Holder was almost at a loss for words. "Those girls... I killed him. I'm sorry. To keep my secret, I would have also had to keep Jefferson's secret as well. The bodies of those girls may have never been discovered."

@C.T. @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Chewy Rabbits @Minerva @DapperDogman @BarrenThin @The Tactician @york @Verite @Gummi Bunnies @LuckycoolHawk9 @Crow @Jeremi @ShiroKiyoshi @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @Hospes @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Periodically Incorrect @DBZ7 @Nater Taters @Takumi @Klutzy Ninja Kitty

@FinalVote​

Honda lowered his head, gripping the podium as this all became revealed. Holder...a man he trusted, respected! And he had a chance to save his life, grant him mercy...but at the cost of killing everyone else. Leaving them to darkness. Wanda, Poison, Jack, Genji, Zenyatta, Chikage, Nono, Jude, Kyoko...they would all be vessels of darkness.

"Holder." Honda looked to the man he investigated with at every opportunity. "You are a good man. Noble, really. I understand why you did this, and don't respect you less. But. You still killed a man, rather than..."

Don't execute them, they should go to jail!

Bolin...even now he was clear in Honda's mind, a victim of their situation. Would he, like Wanda, return? Honda hoped so. But now... "You took justice into your own hands. Daniel Cain did the same. Neon Katt did the same. They all paid the price their actions bought them. And for the sake of everyone here..." He closed his eyes, needing a moment to form the words he needed to say. Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes.

"...I vote for execution."

@Atomyk​

 

[Atomyk]

"... No, I can't say I am prepared. If I was, I would have turned myself in immediately after I had done it. He taunted me and I acted out of anger. Not gonna lie, it ate away at me. It woulda gnawed until my bones were dust, you get me? I don't think what I did was good, or admirable... it was wrong. But here we are, yeah?"

Holder paused, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket. He took his time lighting it, taking even longer after that to take a drag on it.

"Don't really know what's going on with the bear, the girl, the talk of darkness and shit, yo. Maybe it's all related. Maybe that's why I'm here. I'm a spiritual guy, but I ain't got any answers here. Not gonna sit here and say I wanna die, but what I want doesn't seem to mean shit. So, whatever, you vote to kill me then you vote to kill me. No hard feelin's."

@Crow @Yun Lee @Verite

@FinalVote​

 

[York]

​

Replies

"Oh dear..."

Nono stutters.

"What do I do?" Nono turns to Wanda and Kyoko, then towards Jack Frost and Genji.

"Shimada-san, Jack Frost, why do you both vote for Detective Holder... Morikubo doesn't want to make a mistake, so she must know!"

@york @BarrenThin​

"Speaking of beating Junko... will you vote, Kirigiri-san?

Anyways, for now... Morikubo would like to place a temporary vote on Detective Holder... I should've written my will during my time here..."

@Atomyk @Verite​

"..."

Honda was starting to second guess. All these votes for Holder, who he had suspected himself! Hearing the fighting between Junko and Kyoko, though, he wondered: was he merely voting for Jamie due to a personal dislike? Holder had put a lot of ideas into his head. Whoever shot Jeffereson wanted him to suffer-that was one. Someone deleted those tapes to make him look suspicious-another. Jefferson met with someone named H. Could it be Horne? Horne didn't seem to care less...or at all. That look of concern,Chikage was right. Of everything they'd seen, the only time he cracked slightly was then. "I'm retracting my vote. I'm gonna vote for you, Holder."

@Atomyk @york @Crow @Verite @Kaykay @BarrenThin @LuckycoolHawk9 @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Gummi Bunnies @Hospes​

Continued from here.

"Huh..." Junko scoffed at the votes, turning to watch as they lit up on the monitors. "Currently a tie, huh? You guys are as conflicted as usual, I see. Wouldn't it have been amazing had you started with a pro detective on your side? You know, one of those nosy types who puts their noses in everyone's business..."

Junko turned back to face Kyoko, a smile forming on her lips.

"Soooo... cuuuute!! Cuuute~! Darling Kyoko thinks she has a point to make! How have I been beaten when we're already in the endgame? It's practically the epilogue! Hope didn't bring us to this point, despair did! How can you start to argue otherwise now... when you've given into despair this whole time?"

Junko leaned forward, licking her lips. Her eyes widened as if she was staring into Kyoko's soul. "The Ultimate Detective has kept her talent a secret this whole game, all because she was so afraid of what might happen otherwise! She let me force this secret upon her, which was for the best! Otherwise, if she had full access to her talents, she might have solved all those murders easy-peasy! It would have been so hopeful... so boring! All those murders solved in a boring progression of predictable success!"

Junko leaned her head back suddenly and barked out a laugh. Monokuma joined her, their laughter echoing throughout the room. "With no nosy detective sticking her business in things, the situations laid out before you caused you to panic. It got right up in there! No confidence, no hope... and Kyoko Kirigiri let it happen!"

After Junko's speech, the votes updates, revealing the vote was no longer a tie and that Stephen Holder was at the top of the list. The man only stared at the monitors.

"Look at that! You think it's time to call it?"

"... Wait."

Shaking his head, Holder closed his eyes. He raised a hand to his head, grumbling as he ran it through his hair. "Okay. Enough of all this. Yeah, I killed the guy. I killed Mark Jefferson."

"W-Wait... really? Holder, please don't joke--"

"I ain't lyin', lil' detective. Was investigating the girls and the clues led me to that scumbag. Found his bunker... found his files. I don't even know what I was thinking. Arranged a meeting with him at the casino. Took it outside, where I talked him into confessing. Fucker said he liked it... said that makin' those girls vulnerable gave him a sense of power that nothing else compared to. Lil' B's friend, Stan's kid... all five of those girls, tossed into the lake."

"No... no, you can't be saying what I think you're saying." Stan was shaking his head, on the verge of tears. "Rosie... Oh, god, Rosie...!" Sobs wracked Stan's body as he collapsed to his knees. He grabbed at the podium to pitifully pull himself up, but the man couldn't gather his strength. He wept openly in the trial room, caring little for all the prying eyes.

"Gee... a confession! A little boring, don't you think? I guess it makes the final vote all the more exciting!" Monokuma clapped his hands together and the votes on the monitor disappeared, only to be replaced with two words.

Execute

Save

"Gyah-heh! What do you think? Simple, right? All this talk of justice you chumps spew, it's time to put it to the test! This man has killed another human being, and you may think he was justified... but was he? Essentially, he executed someone without a fair trial! I at least offer you a class trial... If you think these class trials so wrong, these executions... you must decree that this man be executed without a moment's notice!"

"It probably helps knowing that sparing him means you will have failed this final trial."

Holder was almost at a loss for words. "Those girls... I killed him. I'm sorry. To keep my secret, I would have also had to keep Jefferson's secret as well. The bodies of those girls may have never been discovered."

@C.T. @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Chewy Rabbits @Minerva @DapperDogman @BarrenThin @The Tactician @york @Verite @Gummi Bunnies @LuckycoolHawk9 @Crow @Jeremi @ShiroKiyoshi @Josh M @Crimson Spartan @Hospes @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Periodically Incorrect @DBZ7 @Nater Taters @Takumi @Klutzy Ninja Kitty

@FinalVote​

​

Jack Frost
@Crow @Others?

Hmm, Morikobu asked a difficult question... But all the same, Jack Frost was able to come up with his reasoning for his vote... Though it was a tough one to call, the biggest deciding factor was probably the high amount of suspicion Holder drew to himself from the evidence that Jack could gather.

"I... Found it hard to believe that Holder was unable to uncover anything that would tip him off about Jefferson... Until the bunker." Jack started.

But, as it turned out, he didn't need to say any more... The voting session was done, and fortunately... It seemed that they were right, but unfortunately, the trial wasn't going to be over that easily. They had one final choice; spare Holder, or execute him.

A look of conflict crossed Jack Frost's face for a moment as he stared at the screen... Sparing Holder would mean that they would lose this trial, and perhaps lose themselves to despair in the process... Their battle might not be able to be won if they chose to spare him... But... ... But what? Why was he even conflicted about this?!
...

Suddenly, it dawned on him.

He didn't care whether or not they won the trial anymore... Or if they were going to die a terrible death for this, instead, he raised his staff... His voice suddenly gaining a confidence it had lacked for so long in the previous trials.

"We can't let Holder die... In order to prove we are above killing for our own gain... Allowing despair to win us over... We have to spare Holder, not just for his sake... But for our own as well!" He shouted.

And so, his vote was cast... His vote to spare Holder's life. Jack Frost was a Guardian after all... Even if he lacked his powers, and the man in the moon's guidance, he knew that sparing Holder was the right thing to do... No matter how great the temptation was to execute him in order to win the Trial. After all, what good was winning a trial, if it just meant that someone had to die anyways? Holder wasn't inherrantly evil for killing Jefferson, even if his actions were out of line... And who knows... Maybe he too, was influenced by the darkness.

In fact, come to think of it, none of those who were executed were truly malicious in nature... In one way or another, they had either been victims of cirumstance, or their own violent impulses... Something that he suspected the darkness here only helped along. Though he wasn't sure what would happen to them if they failed the trial, he certainly wasn't about to risk killing Holder to further Junko, nor the darkness's cause... Not if he had anything to say about it...​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Although her own vote had been wrong, the majority had got it right (thank goodness) and discovered that it had indeed been Holder who killed Mark Jefferson. Zinnia chewed on her lower lip as she listened to the man's confession, just waiting for him to be murdered right in front of them as all of the other killers were. So she ended up a bit surprised when their bear host left the decision in their hands...

Zinnia lowered her head and quietly thought to herself for a moment before she would cast her own vote. She thought about all of the others who had been murdered and all of the individuals who had done the killing. Some of the killers had reasons for what they did, but did she believe in those reasons? Did she believe in Holder's reasons?

Perhaps he was justified in killing Jefferson. The man was no better than a low-life grimer. It wasn't as if that teacher's presence in the world would've been missed by anyone. In fact, Holder had probably done the world a favor by killing him. Yet, there was also the feeling Zinnia held in her heart that valued all life. She had dedicated years of her life to saving Hoenn from the meteorite that was to wipe it out. Zinnia had done her best to make sure the meteorite wouldn't harm her own world, or even a world others may have lived in. She believed in the importance of all life.

But then again, there was also the side of Zinnia that always did what she could to further her own goals. She had helped awaken an ancient pokémon that could've killed countless people in Hoenn, all for the sake of trying to summon Rayquaza. She had been part of a criminal organization, stole precious keystones from other trainers, and broke machinery others wanted to use to save that world just because she didn't believe in it.

So how did Zinnia feel about all of this?

If she had nothing to lose by sparing this man, then she certainly would do it. But if sparing him meant that they would lose the trial, Zinnia wasn't sure she could risk it. What would happen if they lost? Would they stay trapped in this dark place longer? Would she continue to be tormented by Jason? Would she never see Aster again? Was there a chance that Genji, Wanda, Jude, and most importantly Jack could either die or be lost forever in this place?

In comparison to the lives of her friends, Aster, and Jack this man wasn't even a fraction as valuable as a sack of potatoes.

In a deep, dark tone only a single word escaped Zinnia's lips.

"Execute..."


@Atomyk @Everyone​

 

[Crow]

"... No, I can't say I am prepared. If I was, I would have turned myself in immediately after I had done it. He taunted me and I acted out of anger. Not gonna lie, it ate away at me. It woulda gnawed until my bones were dust, you get me? I don't think what I did was good, or admirable... it was wrong. But here we are, yeah?"

Holder paused, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket. He took his time lighting it, taking even longer after that to take a drag on it.

"Don't really know what's going on with the bear, the girl, the talk of darkness and shit, yo. Maybe it's all related. Maybe that's why I'm here. I'm a spiritual guy, but I ain't got any answers here. Not gonna sit here and say I wanna die, but what I want doesn't seem to mean shit. So, whatever, you vote to kill me then you vote to kill me. No hard feelin's."

@Crow @Yun Lee @Verite

@FinalVote​

"If that's the case... then... Morikubo will vote for your execution..." Nono begins to sob. "There is no choice... it seems... n- no hard feelings? Y- you sure about that, Detective?"

@Verite @Atomyk @Yun Lee @york @Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Kaykay]

Chikage was a follower of the satsujinken, or the killing fist. Under Yomi, she trained in her martial arts, but unlike others, she trained to kill. The most sure way to crush your enemy was to kill them.

What, then, when the person wasn't your enemy, but your life depended on their death?

"Execute."

There was but a moment's hesitation in her vote, the girl declaring it with the utmost confidence. If she had to kill to stay alive, so be it. That was a truth and philosophy she'd chosen to follow long before any of this had happened. What "despair" could she feel from following her own philosophy?

None. To kill for their own survival was the way of the killing fist.

@Atomyk​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"So this is it, huh? A final vote..."

Lapis crossed her arms and thought about the two choices. What kind of choice was this? She didn't feel like choosing either or of them, seeing that one was the result of the past guilty... and that the other meant a failure to come with consequence most likely. It was like showing two very undesirable choices...

"... not to be that one person here, but it feels odd that we're given this whole choice now. We saw executions beforehand that were... dreadful... but to think after all of that, we can go and spare a life this time around?"

Being involved with all sorts of untasteful things in the past, Lapis sounded as if she were cold to this topic. She didn't really have that much relation to how she was in the past, but Lapis wasn't that gullible for any tricks.

"The lure is set this way, making us believe that we can do one thing good... If we take that lure, if we go with the good deed of sparing someone from an execution, we effectively fall prey to what is to come next. False hope has always been a nasty weapon. I know my psychological tricks at least... I've seen it before. Besides, if my vote contributes to the execution, fine... I can live with the blood on my hands. I say execute Holder. In the cruel world, better to take a single life than to risk everyone..."

@Atomyk @Crow @york @Yun Lee @FinalVote​

 

[Verite]

Continued from here.

"Huh..." Junko scoffed at the votes, turning to watch as they lit up on the monitors. "Currently a tie, huh? You guys are as conflicted as usual, I see. Wouldn't it have been amazing had you started with a pro detective on your side? You know, one of those nosy types who puts their noses in everyone's business..."

Junko turned back to face Kyoko, a smile forming on her lips.

"Soooo... cuuuute!! Cuuute~! Darling Kyoko thinks she has a point to make! How have I been beaten when we're already in the endgame? It's practically the epilogue! Hope didn't bring us to this point, despair did! How can you start to argue otherwise now... when you've given into despair this whole time?"

Junko leaned forward, licking her lips. Her eyes widened as if she was staring into Kyoko's soul. "The Ultimate Detective has kept her talent a secret this whole game, all because she was so afraid of what might happen otherwise! She let me force this secret upon her, which was for the best! Otherwise, if she had full access to her talents, she might have solved all those murders easy-peasy! It would have been so hopeful... so boring! All those murders solved in a boring progression of predictable success!"

Junko leaned her head back suddenly and barked out a laugh. Monokuma joined her, their laughter echoing throughout the room. "With no nosy detective sticking her business in things, the situations laid out before you caused you to panic. It got right up in there! No confidence, no hope... and Kyoko Kirigiri let it happen!"

After Junko's speech, the votes updates, revealing the vote was no longer a tie and that Stephen Holder was at the top of the list. The man only stared at the monitors.

"Look at that! You think it's time to call it?"

"... Wait."
​

"..."

Kyoko remained silent as Junko went on with her spiel, seeming to intend to shift the blame towards her. While Holder confessed and the debate went from who the killer was to what exactly to do with the killer, Kyoko should have known that Junko would attempt to twist this situation against her.

That was what someone who intended to spread despair all across the universe and more would intend to do.

How predictable.

Grabbing a hold of her nametag, the one that sported the title "Ultimate ???" on it, Kirigiri tossed it aside, the mystery now no longer needing to be upheld. It seemed that the end of the road had been reached, and her talent as the Ultimate Detective had been revealed. Of course, it did little to assuage the subtle anxiety that had plagued her ever since the beginning of this hellish death game.

After all, this was a matter right out of the frying pan and into the fire, for the whole reason the secret was forced upon her was because if she didn't, the others would be...

"You blackmail me, and then you blame me. Tch. I guess when you have nothing to lose, you have no moral standard to live up to or go beyond either, Junko Enoshima," she spoke, "You haven't won just yet!"

Still, she'd lose her train of thought when the overwhelming amount of votes would come in.

The ones that gave in.

...

Kyoko watched silently as the others made their choice. At this rate, Enoshima would... Despair would...

"I forgive you, Holder. You've taken a life, one of the worst sins imaginable, but... I forgive you," she spoke, making her choice be known for once, no longer bound by the ultimatum Junko had forced upon her now that her title had been revealed. She wanted to say more than just that, but she didn't know what to say.

If only for prior experience, if not the dramatic purpose that Junko was likely setting this stage up for, Kyoko had a strong leaning towards the choice she wanted to make.

"I choose... to save him."

"Because I'm giving it all up to hope, right here and now. Hope that a miracle will happen. Hope that you're as unpredictable as you say you'd like to be, Junko Enoshima, and something truly unexpected happens. Hope that sacrifice is made in the name of altruism. Hope against the impossible."

"And to everyone."

"Hope that what you choose is truly what you believe is right."

@Atomyk @Josh M @Yun Lee @Crow @Gummi Bunnies @Kaykay @york @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Everyone​

 

[Yun Lee]

"..."

Kyoko remained silent as Junko went on with her spiel, seeming to intend to shift the blame towards her. While Holder confessed and the debate went from who the killer was to what exactly to do with the killer, Kyoko should have known that Junko would attempt to twist this situation against her.

That was what someone who intended to spread despair all across the universe and more would intend to do.

How predictable.

Grabbing a hold of her nametag, the one that sported the title "Ultimate ???" on it, Kirigiri tossed it aside, the mystery now no longer needing to be upheld. It seemed that the end of the road had been reached, and her talent as the Ultimate Detective had been revealed. Of course, it did little to assuage the subtle anxiety that had plagued her ever since the beginning of this hellish death game.

After all, this was a matter right out of the frying pan and into the fire, for the whole reason the secret was forced upon her was because if she didn't, the others would be...

"You blackmail me, and then you blame me. Tch. I guess when you have nothing to lose, you have no moral standard to live up to or go beyond either, Junko Enoshima," she spoke, "You haven't won just yet!"

Still, she'd lose her train of thought when the overwhelming amount of votes would come in.

The ones that gave in.

...

Kyoko watched silently as the others made their choice. At this rate, Enoshima would... Despair would...

"I forgive you, Holder. You've taken a life, one of the worst sins imaginable, but... I forgive you," she spoke, making her choice be known for once, no longer bound by the ultimatum Junko had forced upon her now that her title had been revealed. She wanted to say more than just that, but she didn't know what to say.

If only for prior experience, if not the dramatic purpose that Junko was likely setting this stage up for, Kyoko had a strong leaning towards the choice she wanted to make.

"I choose... to save him."

"Because I'm giving it all up to hope, right here and now. Hope that a miracle will happen. Hope that you're as unpredictable as you say you'd like to be, Junko Enoshima, and something truly unexpected happens. Hope that sacrifice is made in the name of altruism. Hope against the impossible."

"And to everyone."

"Hope that what you choose is truly what you believe is right."

@Atomyk @Josh M @Yun Lee @Crow @Gummi Bunnies @Kaykay @york @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Everyone​

If anything could make Honda doubt his decision, it was this. Their own leader, voting to fail?! "B-But Kyoko! If we vote to save him...we fail! Everything we worked so hard to do to escape...it'll all be for nothing! Everyone will be lost to darkness!!"
​

@Verite

 

[Verite]

"I can't force you to do anything. After all, even if I could, I wouldn't have that right," she said plainly, crossing her arms, "But even so... While I can't make you choose your own decisions, I'll show you what I believe in. I believe in hope that there's another way. Hope in seeing what I want to see again soon. Hoping against hope that everything isn't what they seem to be, exactly what I expect them to be."

"But I'm not so naive that I'd believe that everything that anyone says. Especially not our captor who would benefit from killing all of us without giving us a choice," Kyoko spoke, glancing at Junko, "So one has to wonder... Why doesn't she? If not because she can't, then because it is not the time to. Perhaps she simply wants to see us despair more. Because when you vote to kill Holder, it is my belief that you aren't acting with the hope of returning home and seeing those you care for again, but rather, the despair of losing faith in oneself, enough that you'd be willing to take a life because you've become so desperate to be set free."

"But, if you go against expectations, if you defy the darkness, even if it seems like you'd be playing into their hands either way, you're making a statement. By sparing him, by hoping that he would live out his life making up for his sin if he were to escape in our place, or by hoping against hope for the impossible, hoping that there's another way, hoping that we'll live another day, another chance to come home, that's enough to make me believe that we can't be so hasty as to kill someone for our own self-interests. After all, the truth is what will set us free. And I believe that the truth is... This is a test."

"But don't take my word for it. It's simply what I believe. What you must consider is what you personally believe, Edmond Honda. What do you want to do with this man?"

@Yun Lee @Atomyk @Everyone​

 

[York]

If anything could make Honda doubt his decision, it was this. Their own leader, voting to fail?! "B-But Kyoko! If we vote to save him...we fail! Everything we worked so hard to do to escape...it'll all be for nothing! Everyone will be lost to darkness!!"
​

@Verite

Jack Frost
@Verite @Yun Lee @Atomyk @Others?

Jack Frost spoke up, siding with Kyoko this time...

"By voting to execute Holder... Aren't we just proving Monokuma right?... Junko too... Even after passing so many trials... Both of them seemed content... As long as someone got to die." He said grimly.

"Maybe if we can change that... Even once... We can... Fight back... Even without our powers..." Jack Frost had gotten quiet again, though this time it was less out of a lack of confidence... More, in an effort to convince Honda to reconsider his decision.

It looked like the odds were stacked against saving Holder, but that wouldn't stop Jack Frost, he had to convince the others... Somehow... Though it seemed like a hopeless endeavor, he refused to just sit here and let things play out the way that the darkness seemed to want...



​

 

[Yun Lee]

"I can't force you to do anything. After all, even if I could, I wouldn't have that right," she said plainly, crossing her arms, "But even so... While I can't make you choose your own decisions, I'll show you what I believe in. I believe in hope that there's another way. Hope in seeing what I want to see again soon. Hoping against hope that everything isn't what they seem to be, exactly what I expect them to be."

"But I'm not so naive that I'd believe that everything that anyone says. Especially not our captor who would benefit from killing all of us without giving us a choice," Kyoko spoke, glancing at Junko, "So one has to wonder... Why doesn't she? If not because she can't, then because it is not the time to. Perhaps she simply wants to see us despair more. Because when you vote to kill Holder, it is my belief that you aren't acting with the hope of returning home and seeing those you care for again, but rather, the despair of losing faith in oneself, enough that you'd be willing to take a life because you've become so desperate to be set free."

"But, if you go against expectations, if you defy the darkness, even if it seems like you'd be playing into their hands either way, you're making a statement. By sparing him, by hoping that he would live out his life making up for his sin if he were to escape in our place, or by hoping against hope for the impossible, hoping that there's another way, hoping that we'll live another day, another chance to come home, that's enough to make me believe that we can't be so hasty as to kill someone for our own self-interests. After all, the truth is what will set us free. And I believe that the truth is... This is a test."

"But don't take my word for it. It's simply what I believe. What you must consider is what you personally believe, Edmond Honda. What do you want to do with this man?"

@Yun Lee @Atomyk @Everyone​

Jack Frost
@Verite @Yun Lee @Atomyk @Others?

Jack Frost spoke up, siding with Kyoko this time...

"By voting to execute Holder... Aren't we just proving Monokuma right?... Junko too... Even after passing so many trials... Both of them seemed content... As long as someone got to die." He said grimly.

"Maybe if we can change that... Even once... We can... Fight back... Even without our powers..." Jack Frost had gotten quiet again, though this time it was less out of a lack of confidence... More, in an effort to convince Honda to reconsider his decision.

It looked like the odds were stacked against saving Holder, but that wouldn't stop Jack Frost, he had to convince the others... Somehow... Though it seemed like a hopeless endeavor, he refused to just sit here and let things play out the way that the darkness seemed to want...



​

For the longest time, Honda was silent. Hope...he had thought that it would come by not failing the trial. But for the second time that night, Honda started to question his vote. Actually, Monokuma was the deciding factor. Something he said, something Honda overlooked... Soon, he smiled at the two.

"Kyoko, Jack Frost...thank you for opening my eyes." To that, Honda turned to the bear. "Hey, bear! You too! Because guess what?! I've found a contradiction from you!! Vote guilty if we think the trials are wrong?! HA! Why didn't I think of that contradiction sooner?!? If we think they're wrong, we vote AGAINST you!! You know what? I'm changing my vote again!! I'm gonna save Holder!!! Give him the mercy others couldn't have!! I'm done with you, and these games!!!"

@Atomyk @york @Verite @Crow @Kaykay @Gummi Bunnies @Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Crow]

If anything could make Honda doubt his decision, it was this. Their own leader, voting to fail?! "B-But Kyoko! If we vote to save him...we fail! Everything we worked so hard to do to escape...it'll all be for nothing! Everyone will be lost to darkness!!"
​

@Verite

"I can't force you to do anything. After all, even if I could, I wouldn't have that right," she said plainly, crossing her arms, "But even so... While I can't make you choose your own decisions, I'll show you what I believe in. I believe in hope that there's another way. Hope in seeing what I want to see again soon. Hoping against hope that everything isn't what they seem to be, exactly what I expect them to be."

"But I'm not so naive that I'd believe that everything that anyone says. Especially not our captor who would benefit from killing all of us without giving us a choice," Kyoko spoke, glancing at Junko, "So one has to wonder... Why doesn't she? If not because she can't, then because it is not the time to. Perhaps she simply wants to see us despair more. Because when you vote to kill Holder, it is my belief that you aren't acting with the hope of returning home and seeing those you care for again, but rather, the despair of losing faith in oneself, enough that you'd be willing to take a life because you've become so desperate to be set free."

"But, if you go against expectations, if you defy the darkness, even if it seems like you'd be playing into their hands either way, you're making a statement. By sparing him, by hoping that he would live out his life making up for his sin if he were to escape in our place, or by hoping against hope for the impossible, hoping that there's another way, hoping that we'll live another day, another chance to come home, that's enough to make me believe that we can't be so hasty as to kill someone for our own self-interests. After all, the truth is what will set us free. And I believe that the truth is... This is a test."

"But don't take my word for it. It's simply what I believe. What you must consider is what you personally believe, Edmond Honda. What do you want to do with this man?"

@Yun Lee @Atomyk @Everyone​

"Like she said, Honda-san, hope that what you choose is truly what you believe is right. Morikubo believes that her choice is the right thing to do. As long as Detective Holder will not object to Morikubo's choice, then Morikubo will proceed. Today is the day Morikubo won't give in to despair..."

Kyoko's shining radiance enhanced Nono's confidence.

"Detective Stephen Holder... do you have a reason to go on? A motivation in life? Children, family, friends, people you are attached to?"

@Atomyk @Verite @Yun Lee @EVERYONE​