Disclaimer: I don't own Mirai Nikki or Dangan Ronpa.
Chapter 25: Juno
"Thanks to my various connections," Balks said, "I've been able to find places for each of us within Kibougamine City." He and the other Diary Owners were about to board the special plane designed to be able to reach Kibougamine with no problem. The city itself was meant to fly higher than commercial aircraft to avoid interfering with their flight path, and as such a special mode of transportation was needed for those moving to or visiting the city. As they were preparing to board, Yomotsu heard his diary go off. "Someone's hijacking the plane we're getting on? Keigo, you got anything like this?"
Keigo checked his diary and nodded. "A terrorist group called Dii Consentes." Suddenly an idea went off in his head. "Wait here a second." "Don't be too long," Minene said, "Our flight leaves in three hours." Keigo introduced himself to the airport security. After giving a believable excuse as to how he could know about the airplane hijacking, the security team quickly had all thirteen members rounded up and arrested. "They were planning on working for a terrorist inside Kibougamine named Izuru Kamukura," Keigo said, "I believe he may be our ticket to kickstarting this contest."
The Heart of Hope was an island in the very center of the artificial ocean that ran through and around Kibougamine City. Yuki and Yuno were here, ready for the final confrontation. The idea was to call out Makoto directly. "What makes you think he won't show up in person?," Yuki said to Izuru over the phone, "Do you think he's a coward?" 'If he was a coward my earlier plans back in high school would have gone off without a hitch,' Izuru replied, 'He'd have been too scared to tell anyone what he saw for fear of the repercussions. No... Makoto is no coward, he's just a pacifist. All you have to do is keep him busy talking. The booth there at the base of the statue on the island can be used to contact him.'
The statue in question featured all of the 32 Hopes standing together. It was the only part of the city not built by the 32 Hopes themselves, but rather donated by the American government as thanks for providing a haven of peace that floated above a world filled with war. At the base of the statue was one of the many Hope Booths, telephone booths that linked directly to Makoto's office. Izuru was already heading there to take out Makoto personally, where he would listen to their worries and offer words of encouragement that never failed to give people the strength to face their problems.
Yuki and Yuno entered the booth and picked up the phone inside. 'You guys made it,' Makoto said, 'It's just you two left, isn't it. So, Izuru's on his way then. Too bad he doesn't know about the deception.' Yuki closed his eyes. "So, you know everything." 'We were confused for a while,' Makoto said, 'You and your friends seem aligned with hope, yet you sided with someone aligned with despair. When Balks told us about the ruse, it all fit into place. We've been talking it over, and we think we know how to finish this. And don't worry about Izuru. By the time he reaches my quarters, I'll already be gone.'
Izuru found his way into Makoto's chamber, but there was no of him, nor even of Kyoko. 'Is he a coward after all?,' Izuru thought, 'No wait... There's no way he'd have known I was coming. Unless...' His eyes widened. "Damn that Naegi! I should have known!" He pulled a drawstring from under his coat, causing it to unfold into a pair of bat wings. This was an invention of his he created for emergency escapes, and now he putting it to a different. Roaring in anger, Izuru took to flight straight for the Heart of Hope.
Makoto explained to Yuki and Yuno what the council had discussed the day before... "The real Dii Consentes is awaiting trial for terrorism and attempted hijacking," Byakuya said, "What we have faced thus far are impostors, and Izuru has no idea." "If they're not assassins or terrorists," Mikan said, "Then who are they?" "Average citizens," Byakuya said, "Given divine power. Yasuhiro said it himself, a great deal of spiritual pressure would be needed to infuse mechanical devices with psychic power. Well, what has more spiritual pressure than a god?"
"But it turns out the god who gave them these diaries is dying," Makoto said, "And the twelve diary owners have been playing a game to see who succeeds him so the universe can be maintained. And they've left it up to us to decide the winner... Using the Final Dead Zone." "Why did they not tell us of this from the start?," Nekomaru asked, "What could bring greater hope to the world than choosing its next god?" "If we had known from the beginning," Byakuya said, "We likely would have been biased, and the debates would probably take too much time. The only reason Balks told us this now is because only two candidates remain, Yukiteru and Yuno."
"So that's why they followed Izuru's plans," Kyoko said, "They needed to goad us into subjecting them to the Final Dead Zone, escaping when it looked like they wouldn't survive long enough." "Now is the best time to choose," Byakuya said, "We have two candidates to be the next god. I suggest we blind vote, here and now, and leave it up to fate. After all, it was because of fate that the other candidates got disqualified in the order they did." Each of them covered their eyes as the voting panels popped up, and one by one they selected their choice at random.
"So who was selected?," Yuno asked. 'No time,' Makoto said, 'Izuru just showed up.' Yuki hung up the phone and exited the booth, followed by Yuno. They saw Izuru flying in. "Those wings of yours are truly ridiculous," came Makoto's voice. Yuki turned around and gasped when he saw Makoto for the first time. He had heard Makoto was supposed to be the most powerful of all the 32 Hopes. But he wasn't expecting him to look like an average guy like himself. Then, before Yuki's eyes, Makoto revealed a pair of brilliant angel wings. "Those wings...," Izuru grumbled, "Those disgusting white wings... It makes him look like he's trying to play god." "I don't pretend to be god," Makoto said, "That seems to be your goal. But now I think it's time for a real god to appear. And he, or she, will... Soon enough."
Diary Owners Revealed: 12
Diary Owners Remaining: 2
To be continued...
The final chapter is next. Who will become god, Yuki or Yuno? Read and review.