What the hell am I doing?

V3 Spoilers below.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danganronpa nor anything associated with it.


"Fictional?"

Shuichi Saihara had never fully believed in his title as the Ultimate Detective. Sure he had always managed to solve the infidelity cases dropped upon him by his Uncle and, even if had just been chance, he had managed to solve a murder case before the police, but he didn't take pride in these facts. Everytime he exposed the truth someone ended up worse off because of it. A man no longer able to see his children due to a mistake brought on by alcohol, a woman exiled from her family after a moment of weakness with someone she believed a friend.

Even now Shuichi could remember those eyes. Full of malice and judgement as he was pulled away for a crime he had committed in the name of his lost family. Eyes that looked right through him, filled with so much hatred, as they questioned him, demanded him to explain why he took the side of the monster that had forced him into this situation. How could he do this to him, you stupid, pathetic detective who just wanted toexposethetruthandhel-

Shuichi had learned that day that his so called 'talent' would always cause heartbreak. No matter how hard he worked to expose the truth it was already too late. A detective was there to solve the crime, to clean up the mess criminals left behind. That was the day he retreated from the truth, becoming the person he was today. At least until much more recently.

That was who he had been, who he was. His memories, his life. He had lived it!

"Even if your body is real, your identities, personalities, talents and past are all fiction."

And then things had gotten better. Not the killing game, obviously! He didn't think he would ever be able to forget the smell of blood and musty books or just how quickly blood could spread, soon infecting all that water nor that final shot of her body hanging, crushing the shell of that person whohadbeensoalivejustmomentsbefo-

But in between all those things, the quiet moments where he could just talk with Rantaro, Ryoma, Kirumi and Kiyo and the chaotic ones where he was just trying to keep up with Angie, Miu, Tsumugi and Kokichi yet enjoying their presence just the same. Accepting himself as he was and helping Gonta and Keebo achieve the same while trying to make baby steps with Tenko.

More of these memories filled his head. Training with Kaito where he helped him after losing Kaede, and Maki when she started letting him in. Him helping in turn with Himiko and assisting helping her truly learn to express herself. Kaede, aiding him right at the beginning letting everything before happen. He had even lost the damn hat (to the detriment of his hair but that was neither here nor there).

Every moment, helping make who he was now, ready and determined to take down this killing game that so many people had lost their life for. To show the truth of the academy and finally avenge all who had been lost and get everyone else out alive! Well almost everyone…


So why is it that now he had nothing to say? He'd done it! Despite everything Monokuma had thrown at him he had unmasked Tsumugi. He hadn't faltered when she had revealed her 'true form' as Junko Enoshima and picked apart the lies told about the Flashback Lights and Hope's Peak Academy.

But then the mastermind, not Tsumugi, not anymore, had come out with something so absurd.

"It's all fiction, it's all a lie!"

What had happened next had been a blur, a multitude of characters of every description, trailers and an audience and-

"I will come up with the best, most gruesome murders I promise! Everyone will love it!"

But that couldn't be the truth. It must be a lie! He'd countered lies before, whether from Blackends or Kokichi and he'd always been able disprove their allegations, so he could easily do the same here!

"And an Ultimate Detective hasn't been the blackened yet, so I'm sure I can do that!"

But he couldn't find it. There was no weak spot in the testimony, no piece of evidence he could pull up. There was nothing to refute.

"The weakest Ultimate Detective ever… Wouldn't it be great to see him grow?"

And besides, even if there was how did he fight this? There had been 52 other killing games. How could he possibly stop this? The mastermind had all the cards here. It took everything he had just to continue the debate.

"We really... said that?"

From his brief glance it seemed that both Maki and Himiko were in a similar state of shock as himself so it wasn't much of a surprise that it was Keebo who chimed in next.

"That's a lie! I have no memory of that!"

With a flash the mastermind was back to a tanned brunette, speaking in an enthusiastic tone that only increased the discomfort he felt, "You just forgot is all. Cuz of the Flashback Light we used you."

Next was a short boy with dangerous smirk, "The people you used to be are gone. You're fictional characters now."

Hold on.

What did Tsu… What did The Mastermind just say?

Something was nagging at him. It was a feeling he was used to during class trials and he had learned to trust it, ever since that moment that felt so long ago now when he noticed the camera flash on the hidden door photo. Something didn't add up. But what was it? Something with the evidence? No, a testimony.

"Do you finally understand?" He recognised this person, how could he not when she had been such an inspiration for him so long ago, when he was first starting out as the Ultimate Detective? But all this took the backseat of the taxi that was his thoughts, as he continued thinking, his mind on overdrive.

The testimony that bothers him, he'd thought little of it at the time. It hadn't made a whole lot of sense but it had been backed up by another so he let it go. And yet he found himself back there now, standing at a podium just like this one.

"You're the Ultimate Cosplayer though," He looked across into the half closed eyes of Ryoma, who's subconscious fiddling with the toothpick in hand detracted nothing from the determined tone he spoke in. "You could have just disguised yourself as someone else while you were out."

"D-Disguised!?" the cosplayer responded with such an affronted look you'd think someone had just taken a lighter to all her outfits. "No, no! I don't do disguises!"

It was Kaede who came to her defence, "I don't think that's possible. And I know the reason why." The briefest of pauses occurred before she continued. "Tsumugi can only cosplay as fictional characters."

But if that was the case...

"That's what cosplay is supposed to be in the first place!"

Then there was clearly a contradiction here…

"Lately, some people prefer to cosplay as non-fictional characters, which is unforgivable…

But that would mean…

"It's so unforgivable that I break out in cospox if I even attempt it..."

That the truth was actually…

"You are all flesh-and-blood fictional characters."

"No, that's wrong!"

He had an opening.


Y'ello everyone. My name is Pokémon Trainer Tom and I'm doing something that I never thought that I would, upload a fanfic.

I've spent many years on this site (in all honesty probably far too long) reading and since I've had this idea knocking around for a while I thought 'Screw it' and this is what happened.

This likely won't be too long a fic, I mean we are already at the climax of the main game (Which to be fair I really enjoyed) and likely won't extend beyond the conclusion of this trial, but we have quite a bit before we reach that.

Updates are going to be… inconsistent. I have a few valid reasons such as University and a few less valid reasons but I hope to not leave this fic without updates for too long.

Please drop a review if you have the time, I'd really like to hear any feedback anyone may have, positive or negative. This is my first proper piece of writing since the days of creative writing, quite a few years ago now. Tell me how to improve! Whether that may be the content or the formatting.

Until the next time!