Total Drama Everything 2

by TheMasterKat

Twelve competitors from the previous season and ten new faces join together for a trip around the world and a chance at one million dollars! Who will win, and who will take the fall? Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama or any of the characters involved in this story. Over 30k views, guys!

35. A Scary Case of Whodunnit!

Just to warn you, since this is based off of a pretty bloody video game series, there may be a few things the most sensitive of readers may find haunting.

You've been warned.

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Chris' recap: "Last time on Total Drama Everything 2, holy crap! More happened in one day than in the entire original seasons. First, Yusei and Lammy have to confront each other in a game of Duel Monsters. Despite Lammy's efforts, Yusei ends up winning. No surprises there, but then the necklace Lammy had been wearing all season causes her to go nuts. As it turned out, that necklace was the Eye of Namora! Wow, that's going to be something to explain to the authorities in Egypt. Yes, I entered a forbidden area. So what? With Namora now possessing Lammy, everyone from TDE and TDE2 arrived to throw their punches and defeat that witch. This led to Deadpool and Yusei confronting Namora themselves, and Yusei and Lammy reaffirming the love they still had with each other. End result? Lammy destroyed the Eye of Namora, robbing Namora of her powers forever and forcing her into imprisonment inside a tiny bottle now carried by Storygirl000. Do I feel bad? Not in the least. Unfortunately, due to all the trouble she caused under Namora's influence, Lammy ended up disqualified from the competition, shrinking the pool down to five. Who will be the next person to fall? And will getting eliminated be the least of their problems? The only way to find out is to keep watching Total. Drama. Everything 2!"

*theme song*

Chris walked down the hallway of the plane, followed by Chef and the Warners. "This should lead them into a false sense of security," Chris said, approaching the door of first-class as the early morning light shone through the window.

"I thought you were already doing that by letting them stay in there," Chef wondered.

"Yeah, but this should put them a bit more at ease. This way, they won't know what's in store for them all."

Yakko gave a quiet chuckle. "This is going to be fun."

Smiling, Chris opened the door. All five competitors were still asleep in the reclined seats.

"Sheesh, they're still asleep?" Wakko whispered.

"Didn't they go to bed early last night?" Dot asked.

"Guess the whole Namora thing tired them all out," Chef whispered. "Makes no sense, since Goku gave a couple of these guys those beans."

Yakko shrugged. "They did go through a lot. Heck, especially Yusei. I imagine he slept like a log."

"True," Chris said. "Hope they enjoyed it, because it's about to end."

He began clapping his hands. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauties. Come on, up, up, up!"

Leo raised his head. "Oh, come on," he grumbled tiredly, looking at the nearby clock (which adjusted itself depending on the current time zone). "It's only 6:30."

"This better be good," Gaz said, running her fingers through her messy hair. The other three looked just as tired.

"You guys clearly don't understand the definition of 'beauty sleep'," Ivy grumbled.

"Sorry about the wake up call," Chris told the group. "If it makes you guys feel any better, we brought breakfast."

Yakko held up a large basket he had been holding the entire time. The basket was filled with muffins and other pastries.

At the smell of all of those breakfast goodies wafting at them, Ruby was wide awake, and she zoomed to the basket. "Food!" she squealed. She grabbed a blueberry muffin and scarfed it down. "Yum."

"So what's the catch?" Yusei asked, putting on his jacket.

"I already let you guys crash in first-class last night," Chris explained. "By this point, you should all know there is no catch to be found."

"Do you have anything for those of us who don't really need to eat?" Ivy asked.

Chris rolled his eyes. "You're wanting my tanning bed, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

Rolling his eyes, he said, "Fine, you can use it later. But first, we also have some good-luck messages to give out, and the first one is for all five of you."

He threw them the device, which Leo caught. He turned it on, and everyone went to look at the screen.

(Everyone's message, submitted by NeverSafeFromWaluigi)

(We open up to a young man, sitting at a desk on a swivel chair, writing something on the computer, the tapping of the keys being the only thing heard.)

?: Alright, let's see hear... Who's the best to keep Miu on track? Well, Waluigi's already been scarred, so it might be best for him to not... But then again, his reactions to pretty much anything is great... Why must being an author be so taxing?!

(The young man turns the swivel chair around to grab something, only to see the camera.)

?: OHDEARLORDIT'SAHAUNTEDCAMERASOMEONEHE-Oh wait. It's just Unchained Melody. Sorry about that buddy. Oh, right! This is that good luck message. Hey! My name's NeverSafeFromWaluigi- I know, stupid name, shut up- But you can just call me NeverSafe!

(NeverSafe closes his eyes, happy with his little nickname.)

NeverSafe: Anyway, the person holding the camera is Unchained Melody, my stand. Which you can sadly not see, due to you guys not being Stand Users. But anyway! Enough stalling! I have come to basically applaud you all for making it this far. Yes, even you Ivy, you little plant demon.

NeverSafe: You final 5 have survived so many things, be it relationship troubles, alliances, or the evil witch that is now trapped in a bottle. Ruby Rose, the Ultimate Huntress (in training). Leo... er… whatever your last name is, the Ultimate Prince. Gaz Membrane, the Ultimate Gamer. Poison Ivy, the Ultimate Villainess. And Lastly, Yusei Fudo, the Ultimate Duelist. I appla- wait, that? What do mean I'm taking too many things from Danganronpa?! It's a good series!

(NeverSafe sighs, and takes a drink of a grape soda on his desk.)

NeverSafe: Sorry about that, Unchained Melody was being sassy. Now, how to end this message? Oh right.

(NeverSafe spun away on his swivel chair, yelling)

NeverSafe: MAKESURETOREADTOTALDRAMAPANDEMONIUMMADEBYMEEEE-

CRASH!

NeverSafe: OW, F-

*end*

All five competitors started to laugh (except for Gaz, though she did look amused).

"I think this guy should meet Story," Leo said. "Those two would really hit it off."

"I can see it already," Ruby stated, imagining NeverSafe trying to introduce whoever "Unchained Melody" was to Story, her Pokémon, and the now-imprisoned Namora. A meeting for the ages.

"Was that it?" Leo asked.

Chris shook his head. "We got two more," he explained. "One for Yusei, and one for Ivy. And Yusei, be warned: yours is from Story."

Chef threw two devices, one for Yusei and one for Ivy. The two caught them, and Yusei sat at the table to watch it. Ruby, Leo, and Gaz sat at the table too, since hearing Story's name immediately set off their curiosity.

(Yusei's message, submitted by Storygirl000)

(We open with Story sitting on a couch, frantically mashing buttons on a Nintendo Switch controller. She looks towards the camera and smiles.)

Story: Hey there, Yusei! Just wanna check in with you after that battle. Everything's going fine on my end...well, besides the occasional death threat.

Namora: (offscreen) RELEASE ME, MORTAL, OR THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!

(Story reaches offscreen and grabs Namora's prison bottle, where the sorceress is ranting and raving. The bottle is given a little shake, which only increases the noise.)

Story: Ain't she cute?

(Story throws the bottle offscreen. A crash sounds, followed by another round of yelling.)

Story: Anyways, congrats on making it to the final five! On a related note, this is going to be my last good luck message to anyone until we get to the finale. I've already started preparing for next season, which involves setting up shop with Dewey in his recording studio and recommending people for the next batch of newbies. I can't guarantee that any of them will make it in, but I will drop a few hints: two of them are master thieves, one of them's smart yet scatterbrained, and another is endlessly optimistic. Should be a fun season! Oh, and congratulations on finally getting back with Lammy! I think I finally found a good song for you two. Give it a listen!

(She snaps her fingers, and "Issues" by Julia Michaels starts playing.)

Story: I can't wait to see what happens next! Until then, I'll be trying to complete World of Light. (goes back to button mashing) WHY WON'T YOU DIE, GANONTANK?!

(Video goes to black, but "Issues" plays on for a bit.)

*end*

Yusei turned the device off, trying hard not to laugh.

"Does anyone else feel bad for Namora?" Ruby asked.

"No," Gaz told her. "If anything, she got off easy."

Leo added, "At least she doesn't have to face whatever my father could up with."

"Kinda hope Story beats Ganon," Yusei said. "Might make Zelda happy."

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"I hadn't actually realized just how much my mess with Lammy affected me until it was all fixed," Yusei explained. "It's like a breath of fresh air, or a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders. Let me just say, last night was the best sleep I've had since the season began.

"Whatever happens Lammy, I'm fighting until the end for both of us."

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Ivy rolled her eyes at the sight of the other four joking around and laughing. Lame. Those people wouldn't be able to focus on winning if they just kept goofing off. Clearly, she would have no more trouble from them the rest of the season.

Deciding to ignore them, she turned her attention to her own message device, turning it on.

(Ivy's message, submitted by MasterSaixus)

(We see Harley Quinn and some goons in the middle of a bank as they are in the progress of robbing it blind.)

Goon behind camera: Uh, Harley? Are you sure you wanna make a good-luck message now? In the middle of a heist?

Harley Quinn: Of course! This is like, the best time to send out a message, now keep that camera rolling! (ahem) Hey Red! Just your best (and properly only) buddy in the whole wide world calling you to wish you good luck with the rest of your show! Hope you get back soon because once you bring that million bucks of yours, we're going on a shopping spree! And don't worry about me borrowing your hard-earned cash. I'm in the middle of collecting some bucks myself! Hey, Steve! How much have we earned so far?

Goon named Steve: 50 million and counting boss!

Harley: ...that sounds like a lot more than just one million...

Goon named Steve: Uh we have like, 50 times more then that.

Harley: (Deep in thought while rubbing her head) Okay so, how come Red has to go through so much trouble just to get a million? I mean, not only did this take less time but we also earned WAY more then what that dumb show is gonna give her when she wins.

Goon named Steve: Well, uh ... one reason is that since she's TECHNICALLY not stealing that money, they can't take it back from her. And the second reason is that she won't have to worry abou-

(lights suddenly turn off)

Harley: HEY! Who put out the lights?

(Cue lightning strike as a dark figure suddenly appears behind Harley.)

Goon behind camera: OH SH*T IT'S BA-

(Skipping the awesome fight-scene)

(We now see Harley stuck in a cell in Arkham Asylum with a black-eye.)

Harley: He he, hey Red...Sooooooo think you can loan me some money for an attorney?...HAHAHAHA! That was a good one wasn't it? Ha, attorney. We both know your just gonna bust me out of here like usual, ha! After all, what are friends for right...right?...Please don't leave me here alone...I still have your camera. (Harley makes a sad puppy dog face.)

*end*

Ivy shook her head and laughed. Maybe she hated it whenever Batman busted her, but when it came to even her friends, it was always funny.

And to be honest, Ivy knew it would be easier to just force Chris to give her the money right then and there. A few threats, some blackmail, and ouila! Instant millionaire. But if she won the game the old-fashioned and honest way (or as honest as Poison Ivy could muster), no one could take away her win. Not even Batman himself.

At any rate, she just had to defeat four more people, all of whom were threats in their own rights: Leo's incredibly intelligent, and his tome gave him a respectable advantage against Ivy, since he could use it to control nature; Yusei had a strong desire to never give up, no matter the circumstances, something she learned during the Namora incident, and that drive could prove dangerous; Ruby was a trained fighter, who had that amazing scythe to basically trim Ivy down to size; and the most dangerous in Ivy's opinion, Gaz, was cunning and had a strong ability to focus (not to mention Gaz was the most intent on bringing Ivy down).

Ivy had her hands full, for sure. That thought she had earlier about having no trouble, she realized that was probably off. Even still, she was positive she could beat any of them.

She wasn't one of Batman's greatest adversaries for nothing, after all.

(Meanwhile…)

"So the plan is simple," Gaz said. "We do whatever we can to make sure Ivy doesn't win the next challenge. Then we all send that little flower girl back to Arkham."

"I can get behind that," Yusei said.

Leo nodded. "Count me in."

"Yep," Ruby told the group. "It's time to take her down."

All of a sudden, everyone felt a jolt as the plane's tires screeched on the tarmac of an airport.

"He could've warned us first," Yusei said, holding onto the seat.

"Sorry for the rough landing," Chris said through the intercom. "Anyway, to continue our relaxation, we have decided to enjoy a relaxing sabbatical at one of the coolest places in the world: Hope's Peak Academy!"

"Okay, now he's just lost the plot completely," said Gaz.

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"Something fishy's going on," Gaz stated. "Chris is never this nice."

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Once everyone was off the plane, through an interdimensional portal, and in a bus, Ruby raised her hand. "So what is this place anyway?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, just this school that contains some of the awesomest people ever," Chris explained. "Some anonymous person recommended it for me."

(Author's Note: Thank you, NeverSafeFromWaluigi!)

Gaz leaned over to talk to the others. "This has to be a trick," she told them. "Last time Chris took us on a so-called 'field trip', we were all chased through London by a demon hunter dressed as a Victorian serial killer."

"Well, four of us were," Ivy pointed out. "One of us just just sat in a bus and moped."

"Hey!" Yusei exclaimed.

"No matter what, everyone should watch out for whatever he has in store," Gaz advised.

Ruby was about to speak when the bus stopped abruptly as Chef slammed the brakes, throwing everyone forward.

"What is it with you guys and rough stops?" Leo asked.

"They're fun," Chris explained, his definition of fun clearly lost on the rest of the group. "Anyway, we're here."

Everyone looked out the windows and saw a massive building that gave off the air of a very prestigious school. Everyone stared at it, their mouths gaping as if they were seeing a unicorn.

"Why are all the schools we visit so cool looking?" Ruby muttered.

"Because the people you know are the people who go to these schools," Chris told her. "Now, let's head inside."

(Later…)

Chris led them through the halls of the school, and everyone looked around. "This place looks awesome," Gaz said. "Normally, I don't care about school, but this isn't bad."

Yusei raised his hand. "So I guess we just explore and enjoy the place?"

"Yeah, a school is kind of a weird place for a sabbatical," Leo added. "Why not a hotel or something?"

The host shrugged. "Trust me, guys. Hope's Peak is the perfect place to unwind after the crazy day you had yesterday. Would I ever steer you guys wrong?"

"Yes," Ruby replied.

"All the time," Yusei told Chris.

"Kinda hard to dispute," Leo mentioned.

These remarks left Chris annoyed. "Sheesh, can't you guys believe anything these days?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Whatever. Anyway, the Warners are going to show you guys to the classroom where you will be meeting the headmaster. Warners, you know what to do."

The Warners gave a mock salute, nodding in the process. Alright, let's follow the leaders," Yakko said.

Soon, they had left Chris behind as they started walking down hallway after hallway. "Any reason why we're meeting the headmaster?" Ruby asked at one point.

"Hey, that headmaster is the guy granting the hospitality," Wakko reminded her. "We all might as well say hello. So continue to follow us, because you have to."

So they kept going. "Still a weird place to spend a vacation," Gaz whispered. "At this point, I'm going to just trust that this is not a trick."

"And if we're wrong?" Yusei asked.

"Then I'll kill Chris."

"Alright, we're here," Yakko said. Everyone stood in front of another door. One look through the tiny window told the group they were looking at a classroom. Dot opened the door (stanning on her toes) and everyone walked inside.

"You guys just sit tight, and the headmaster will be here soon," Wakko said as the Warners shut the door, leaving the competitors in there.

Right away, the group went to sit at the desks, and the conversation began.

"Pretty sure this headmaster guy is an idiot," Gaz said. "I mean, they're allowing Ivy to stay here."

"Yeah, sure, poke fun at the villainess."

"He's likely a really nice guy," Yusei said. "He is letting us stay here."

"I have no complaints so far," Leo added.

"Well, until he comes, I'm going to pass the time," Gaz said, pulling out her Game Slave and beginning her onslaught of numerous zombies.

Ruby looked at the screen. "Can I play?"

"I'm not sure if you have the temperament necessary to play this game."

"Does it help that I lead a team at Beacon Academy?"

"Yet another school that rules. And mine just sucks."

"Oh well. But seriously, let me play a level."

Gaz was about to respond when a they heard a loud crash. Yusei had to dive out of the way as the projectile landed on the floor and rolled a little.

"What the heck was that all about?" Yusei asked as he and the others crept to the object and observed it. The object appeared to be a metal canister.

Suddenly, clouds of smoke began billowing out of the canister. While the smoke wasn't think, it was powerful, as Leo, Ruby, Gaz, and Yusei began coughing (Ivy was safe due to her immunity to toxins). In between coughs, Leo made for the door, but it was locked.

"What's the big idea?" he tried to call. "Let us ou…"

He wasn't able to finish the statement, as his knees buckled and he was soon passed out on the floor.

"Leo, are you okay?" Ruby asked, but as she tried to walk over to him, she too, collapsed.

Just three seconds later, Yusei and Gaz also collapsed from the knockout gas. Not worrying about the competitors, Ivy ran to the broken window.

"Ha! You missed one, freaks! Next time, make sure someone's not immune to knockout gas."

She wasn't immune, however, to a wooden club whacking her in the head from behind.

(Later…)

Gaz sat up, rubbing her head a little. "What the heck happened?" she muttered to herself before taking a look around the area.

She appeared to still be in the classroom, but the main key difference was that the window appeared to be magically fixed. Not a scratch. In fact, the windows were completely blocked by a metal plate. What's more, the others were nowhere to be seen. Standing up, she looked around and began to search the room.

"Guys?" she asked out loud. "Okay, very funny. I would expect this much from Ivy, but the rest of you working with her on this? Kinda low. Now show yourselves."

No answer. "What is going on?" Gaz asked out loud. Then she checked her pockets and...her Game Slave was gone! Shocked at the disappearance of her pride and joy, she began frantically searching for it.

While she looked around, she noticed what looked like a pamphlet on the teacher's desk. She picked it up, and the first thing she noticed was a piece of paper falling out. She grabbed it and read what had been written.

Go to the gymnasium at 8.

Gaz looked at the clock. 7:45. Might as well head there now. She looked back at the pamphlet, which appeared to be about Hope's Peak and included a map of the school. She opened the door, surprised it was now unlocked, and hurried off, using the map to guide her. She would search for her Game Slave another time.

She paid so much attention to the map and where to go that she ended up bumping into somebody. Both ended up on the floor. Gaz looked up and saw a shocking face.

"Leo?!"

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Leo said, standing up and brushing himself off.

Gaz stood up, then looked around. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know. One second, that smoke grenade goes off. Next, I find myself in a different classroom with a note telling me to go to the gym."

"We'll have to keep going. Odds are, the others are heading there too if we are."

Leo nodded, and they set off down the hall. It wasn't long before the reached the gym. Interestingly, they arrived at the same time as the other three competitors. Some sort of assembly setup was there, stage and everything.

"First off, is everyone okay?" Leo asked.

"My head's still sore from getting clubbed, thanks for asking," Ivy replied begrudgingly.

Ignoring that remark, Leo asked, "Does anyone know what's going on?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Yusei said.

"I got nothing," Ruby added.

"It's probably just a dramatic start to another challenge," Gaz said. "I knew we shouldn't have believed Chris."

Leo shrugged. "It very well could be."

"Then I hope Chris returns my Game Slave," Gaz grumbled.

Everyone gasped. "He took something from you too?" Ruby asked.

"Now that you guys mention it, my tome's gone," Leo said.

Gaz and Leo then noticed something about Ruby: her scythe, which was usually in its compact form and attached to her back, was missing.

"They took Crescent Rose too?" Leo asked.

"She's not the only one," Yusei said. "My duel disk, all my cards, gone."

Then, everyone jumped as something popped up on the stage. That something appeared to be a teddy bear. Its right side of it was white, and that half of the face looked like any normal bear face. The left side was black, and that side of the face was all sinister looking, with the jagged eye and creepy smile. His belly was the only thing that wasn't divided, as it was all white.

"Is that...a teddy bear?" Yusei asked.

"I would like to point out that I am no teddy bear," the "teddy bear" responded, sounding annoyed. "I…...am…...Monokuma! And I am this school's headmaster!"

The competitors screamed. "Did that teddy bear just talk to us?!" Ivy exclaimed.

"Probably just a recorded speech or something," Leo said, but he was nervous.

"Hey idiots, I told you already," the "thing" known as Monokuma said, "I'm not a teddy bear." He raised his arms. "I'm Monokuma, headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy!"

"And now it's moving too?" Ruby asked. "What's going on?"

(Author's Note: By this point, anyone who's a fan of Danganronpa may notice by now, I am borrowing a few of Monokuma's lines from the first game.)

"Suddenly, I'm hallucinating that a teddy bear can talk and move like no problem," Gaz added out loud, though it was mostly to herself.

Her comment incensed Monokuma further. "How dare you compare me to a child's plaything?! You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench... My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it! Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR that!"

"It's got puns too?" Yusei asked in disbelief. "It's official, I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming."

"Now then, moving on!" Monokuma exclaimed. "We really must hurry and get started…"

Leo said, "As long as he doesn't use any other bear puns."

"Quiet down now, quiet down. Ah, okay, so…!"

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Ruby was inside a janitor's closet.

"It was the most bizarre thing I had ever seen," Ruby said. "And I had seen a lot of bizarre things. Also, can we not that apparently, this place got its own confessional area? Still smells as bad as the plane's bathroom though."

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"Everyone, stand at attention and bow!" the bear stated. "And...good morning!"

This was where everyone reached their limits. Instantly, they all tried to run for the exit, but it was locked.

"Tut, tut, tut. At the very least, let a guy explain some stuff before you all do something you'll regret, okay?" Monokuma pleaded.

Sighing in defeat, they all returned to the area to listen.

"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable explanation for your next reality show challenge," Monokuma said with delight.

"You're doing this?" Gaz asked. "Where's Chris?"

"He's not here right now. I'm in charge, so sit tight. First, let us talk about your life in the confines of this school will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake—you few contestants, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. You're all competing to gain what you need to improve your lives and become famous, something the whole world wishes to do. And to protect such splendid hope... you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school."

Ruby looked surprised. "And how long will this 'challenge' last?"

"So you wanna know?" Monokuma asked. "Well, regarding the end date for this communal life… There isn't one! In other words, you will stay here until the day you die. Such is the life you've been assigned."

"You're kidding, right?" Yusei asked.

"On the bright side, you five all already know who your eternal friends are. Friends are forever, am I right?"

Gaz scoffed and said, "Okay, you must be screwing with us, right?"

"I am not screwing with you! I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure of. Oh, and just for your information... You're completely cut off from the outside world. No matter how much you may yell and scream for help...help will not come. Not to mention I went and took a few things that were near and dear to your hearts, and I don't intend on giving them back. Scythes, hologram projectors, books, games, all gone. So with all of that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!"

Shrugging, Leo said, "That explains the windows."

"This officially has to be Chris' idea of a sick joke," Gaz stated. Then she turned her head to the walls. "Okay, Chris. We get the joke, ha ha. Now quit messing with us and come out before I make you."

"You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke," Monokuma said to the group. "A bunch of skeptics, all of you. But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor... Well, you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when that time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth."

Ivy looked at the bear in disbelief. "We all have lives, you know. What the heck did you do to Chris?"

"Come now, what's the matter with all of you?" the bear asked. "You decided of your own free will to compete in Chris' reality show, didn't you? Not to mention you're here for a relaxing break from said competition? And now, before I've fully finished explaining my new challenge, you've already decided you want to leave?"

Everyone was still in disbelief. A teddy bear, of all things, had them trapped?

"Oh, but you know, I guess I did forget something. There is a way for you to leave the school."

Ruby gasped. "Wait, there is? Tell us!"

"As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who want to leave! I call it...the Challenge Clause! Now, allow me to tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be able to win the challenge leave this school. That, my friends, is the Challenge Clause!"

Yusei raised his hand. "And what do you mean by 'disrupt the harmony'?"

The bear laughed. "Phuhuhuhu…well, you know...if one person were to murder another."

Everyone's mouths gaped. "Wait, what?" Leo asked. "You can't be serious."

"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible. Phuhu. I bet that got your creative juices flowing! Beats the hell out of a human catching a salmon, huh?"

The air of the room suddenly turned cold. It was as though Monokuma had turned down the head inside everyone's bodies, and chills went up all of their spines. They had to kill one of their own?

Gaz stepped forward. "Why do any of this? What did we ever do to you?"

"Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know... Taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair. And I just find it so...darn...exciting!"

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked. "To kill each other...it's…"

"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it."

"It doesn't matter what it means," Yusei demanded. "We're not going to take part in your demented game."

Everyone nodded in assent. "Yeah, stop blabbering and let us out of here!" Leo exclaimed.

Monokuma looked surprised. "...Blabbering? Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean blabbering?! Stop blabbering on about blabbering on! You guys just don't get it, do you? 'Let us go, let us go!' You keep saying the same thing over and over and over... Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it? And if you wanna get out, all you have to do is kill! You can kill as much as you wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!"

"This isn't funny anymore," Ivy snapped. "It never was. Drop the crazy trick and let us go."

"You still think this is a trick?" Monokuma said, sighing. "What will it take to get it through your heads that you're here forever unless you spill the blood of one of your friends?"

Suddenly, Gaz approached the stage. "Alright, that's it. Get out of my way," she said, having to push Leo to the side to stand in front of Monokuma. "This has gone way too far, so drop the joke or else!"

"Joke? What, you mean like your outfit?"

"THAT'S IT!"

As fast as she could, Gaz ran up onto the stage and grabbed Monokuma, who started flailing everywhere. "Whatever trick you're playing, Winnie the Pooh reject, is over. Because I'm about to tear out all your stuffing and rip you in half!"

"Waah!" Monokuma cried. "Violence against the headmaster is a violation of school regulations!"

"I don't care about your stupid regulations! Drop the act and let me out of this dump or I'll tear you to pieces!"

Right away, Monokuma stopped flailing and was now completely still. Then, everyone heard a strange beeping.

"Hey, nothing to say to that?" Gaz asked. "Hey! Stop beeping and speak, you psycho!"

However, Leo realized what was going on. "Gaz, throw it!"

"Wait, what?"

"Do what he says and throw it!" Yusei exclaimed.

"Hurry!" Ruby yelled.

Without a second thought, Gaz threw the bear into the air. While Monokuma was still flying, it suddenly…

BOOM!

Everyone braced themselves, covering their ears. Even so, they could all feel the power from that explosion. They all smelled gunpowder. The group looked at the smoke cloud that was once Monokuma and stood there, frozen in shock. Gaz in particular was pretty rattled -after all, if she hadn't thrown the toy, she would've been a goner.

"I d-don't think that was a t-trick," Gaz said in a shaky voice. "Do you guys?"

Everyone shook their heads in silence.

"But it exploded," Ruby said. "That means it's gone, right? The teddy bear's gone?"

"I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!"

Everyone flinched and screamed as the bear suddenly popped up, good as new.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ivy said.

"Are you insane?" Gaz asked Monokuma. "You nearly got me killed!"

"Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the regulations, after all. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful next time. Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won't get off with just a little swat on the butt."

Leo stood there, his breaths shallow. "Are there...more of you?" he asked.

The bear grinned. "Monokumas have been places all throughout the school, yes. Plus, don't forget about the surveillance cameras placed everywhere as well. And if you get caught breaking any rules, well... You all just saw what happened, right? Phuhuhu… And I won't be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So don't let it happen again!"

Yusei shook his head. "That's not a punishment. It's just messed up and wrong."

"Now then, lastly… To commemorate this joyous start of your challenge, I have a little something for you…" Monokuma gave each competitor a sort of card. "This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it...the e-Handbook!"

Everyone took a glance at their new e-Handbook, then back at Monokuma.

"Ahem. Yes, well, moving on… This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that! Also, it's completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly. You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws. The same thing applies here! Which is why it's crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators."

"Some punishment that was earlier," Gaz grumbled.

Monokuma ignored that comment. "Okay, well...that brings the explanation for this challenge to a close! Please enjoy you abundantly dreary new life. And...see ya!"

Just like that, he was gone, leaving the five competitors standing in the gym, all in a state of shock.

"So….does anyone know what that was all about?" Yusei asked.

"I don't know either," Gaz said. "It doesn't make sense."

"Either we live here forever, or we kill," Ruby said quietly. "That's what it was."

Leo shook his head. "We all need to relax. First, we need to make sure we know what we heard. According to Monokuma, we can either stay here forever…"

"Or one of us must kill another," Ivy finished. "Just a question of whether or not someone will take that temptation, and who."

That one sentence forced the grim reality into everyone's minds. If someone wanted to escape, they would have to kill one of their friends.

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"All of us were thinking the same thing," Yusei explained. "'Which of these guys would betray me first?' For just that one moment, I don't think any of us trusted each other.

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"I honestly thought we were all going to go at each other right there," Gaz said. "Not exactly an easy prospect."

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"You could just feel the hostility in the air," Leo stated. "Even those of us who were closest with each other, the tension was there."

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"So what?" Gaz asked. "Are we just going to stand here and accuse each other, or are we going to do something about this?"

This remark brought everyone back to reality. Yusei nodded. "Guys, she's right. We all need to calm down, think rationally, and work together if we want to get out of here."

"That includes you, Ivy," Leo told the plant girl. "To be honest, you're probably the one we're all thinking will try and kill someone first."

"You're not wrong," Ivy said.

"But ALL of us need to escape, so we all need to work together," Ruby added.

Gaz nodded. "First things first, we need to look at those regulations so Monokuma won't go kamikaze again."

Everyone pulled out their handbooks and turned them on. Sure enough, they all displayed the names of the person who owned the notebook.

"Pretty nifty," Ruby said as she turned on the regulations like everyone else. Once they were pulled up, everyone took turns reading one out loud.

"Rule 1: Contestants may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time," Ruby said.

"Rule 2: "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution," Ivy read.

"Rule 3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly," Yusei stated

"Rule 4: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion," Leo recited.

"Rule 5: Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras," Gaz added.

"Rule 6: Anyone who kills a fellow contestant and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered," Leo said, a little perplexed by that one.

"Rule 7: Additional school regulations may be added if necessary," they all read simultaneously.

Ivy shrugged. "Normally, you would think a school to have a lot more rules than this," she said.

"Rule 6 is a little confusing," Ruby said. "Unless they are discovered."

"I guess in addition to actually killing somebody, the killer has to get away with it too," Yusei said.

Leo sighed in relief. "Guess that keeps us all safe from Ivy."

"Hey!"

"Ivy, think of this," Leo reminded her. "If you kill one of us, we're all going to know it was you. Your track record in and out of this game speaks for itself."

Gaz looked at everyone. "So that means, in order for us all to escape, we're going to have to put all differences aside for now and focus on working together. Hey, if surviving this means working with Ivy, I'm not gonna complain. So who's in on getting out of here? Because I am."

"Count me in," Leo said.

"Me too," Yusei added.

"Same," Ruby said.

They all looked at Ivy, who sighed after some hesitation and nodded. "Alright."

"Now that we're all on the same page, we need to start exploring the school and try to find a way out," Leo said. "I also suggest we go in groups for safety."

"I'll go with Gaz," Yusei said.

"I'm with Leo," Ruby chimed in.

Gaz looked at Ivy. "Pick a group, any group."

Rolling her eyes, Ivy walked to Leo and Ruby. "Might as well go with you two," she said.

With the groups picked, everyone left the gym to explore the school and search for a way out.

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"Never thought I would have to work with these yahoos," Ivy said.

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(Author's Note: Unlike the original first Danganronpa game, every area of the school can be accessed right away by the competitors, instead of unlocking floors as they went along.)

Before splitting into the picked groups, everyone went to check the entirety of the first floor. What they found first were everyone's dorm rooms, each with their own nameplate. The rooms were all identical except for the bedspreads (the girls had pink and the boys had blue). That, and only the girls had locks on their bathroom doors, though Leo had troubles.

"Why the heck is my bathroom door stuck?" he called out loud enough for the others to hear (even though their rooms are completely soundproof, their doors were open for the time being).

Also, Yusei and Leo found they each had their own toolkits, while the girls had their own sewing kits - and a map of the average human's internal organs.

"Guess they're serious about the murder part," Gaz said.

After that, they went into their groups to explore the other four floors. Yusei and Gaz checked out the second floor, and the first thing Yusei found was the pool, and the two locker rooms that connected to it. For no reason at all, he approached them cautiously, and…

"Boo!"

Yusei flinched as Monokuma popped up behind him.

"Now would be a good time to mention the two locker rooms are divided by gender, as they are practically everywhere. Also, so you don't get any ideas, you need a boy's handbook to get into the boys' locker room, and a girls' locker room to get into the girls'."

"And if we try to break in to the other locker room?" Yusei asked, just out of curiosity."

Monokuma laughed and said, "Oh, just another form of punishment. Look up and you'll understand."

Sure enough, on the ceiling, there was a mounted gatling gun, ready to take out whoever tried to break into the wrong room. Seeing this, Yusei's eyes widened.

"You're nuts, you know that?"

"Am not. We have this beautiful system so nobody tries anything dirty. This is a school after all. If you want a quick fix, go check out one of the swimsuit magazines or something."

Right after wondering if the bear knew he already had Lammy, Yusei decided to just walk away as Monokuma disappeared.

At the same time, after exploring the third floor, the other group went up to the fifth, where Ivy practically squealed in joy.

"EEEEEH! A GREENHOUSE! A PLACE TO FEEL AT EASE HERE!"

(Later…)

Soon, everyone had fully explored the school, and while they found a lot of areas, they could not find a single way out based on their initial assumptions. Even the exit leading out of the entrance room was seal, blocked by a large vault door.

So they all convened in the dining area later that night to discuss everything.

"I saw a wide abundance of plants in there," Ivy said, excitedly. "Flowers, venus fly traps, but mostly more exotic and dangerous plants. I feel like I'm in heaven. This one flower was huge, and I learned it will swallow you up if you even touch it. Plus, I was allowed to add in my own plants, using my powers."

"Our lives are probably on the line, and all you can think about is what's in the greenhouse?" Leo asked.

"Don't judge me."

"So none of us found a way out?" Yusei asked.

Ruby shook her head. "Nada."

"Just perfect," Gaz said. "We're stuck here in this insane school, we're being held captive by a psychotic teddy bear, we're all told we must commit murder if we want to escape, and Ivy just keeps annoying me with her talk about everything in the greenhouse!"

"You're just jealous you can't appreciate the beauty of a venus fly trap."

"Hey! Knock it off you too!"

Everyone looked at Leo. "Focus on the task at hand. We have already established that there is no obvious way to escape, right?"

"Yeah," Ruby said.

"But odds are, there may be some secrets about this place that we can't see yet. Secrets that may lead to our escape. I mean, wouldn't it make sense?"

"Maybe we aren't looking hard enough," Yusei said. "I suggest that tomorrow, we all give the school a more careful investigation. Look in every nook and cranny if you have to, but if we continue searching, we just might find what we're looking for."

"No way I'm letting that bear get to me," Ivy said.

"Good, but until we DO find a way out, I think we need to be careful," Ruby said.

Everyone looked at her. "Why?" Leo asked.

"Listen, I know none of us would go so far as to actually...you know," Ruby explained. "But what about whoever's pulling the strings? What if they decide to try and kill us because we won't? We don't have our weapons, we can't defend ourselves. And I do not want to break out the sewing kit, let alone try and see if we could actually defend ourselves with it."

"She has a point," Leo told the rest. "We should all watch our backs from now on. First, as a suggestion, no one should leave their rooms at night."

"Obvious," Ruby said.

"And we should also all meet for breakfast every morning as long as we're all here," Yusei added.

At this, Ivy quickly protested. "Hey, hey, hey! I said I would help us escape this dump. I never said I would act all buddy buddy and eat breakfast with you guys. Besides, I don't eat."

"For once, I agree with her," Gaz said. "I don't think the 'mastermind' or whoever you wanna call them would want to kill us when they want us to kill each other. And if we're promising not to kill each other now, what's the worry? Ruby, you need to chill."

"Guys, we don't what what could happen," Yusei told Gaz and Ivy. "And I am certainly not about to sit around and find out."

Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of a bell ringing. Then everyone looked at the monitor to see that familiar, creepy face.

"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement," Monokuma said. "It is now 10 P.M. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and antry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite…"

The monitor turned off, and everyone looked at it. "Guess there's nothing we can do," Gaz said. "We all might as well get some sleep."

"If that's in any way possible," Ruby sighed.

With that, all five headed to their rooms and went to bed, all falling into an uneasy sleep…

(Monokuma Theatre!)

"You want to know what I think? What is it with all these weird reality shows these days? I mean, what is the point in gathering up a random group of nobodies and forcing them to do whatever the heck you want? Okay, maybe I have no room to talk, but come on. Besides, most shows like that are fake these days. My way of working is reality. Grizzly, gorey, reality!"

(Okay Monokuma, you had your fun. Back to the show…)

"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 A.M., and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!"

Everyone groaned as they rolled out of bed. "Just how is this a beee-yutiful day?" Gaz mumbled. "Because I don't see the reason."

Once the group was ready, they all left their rooms and went out into the dining hall.

"So who hardly got any sleep last night?" Ivy asked.

She, and everyone else, raised their hands.

"How could anyone sleep when they're being threatened by a stuffed animal?" Yusei asked. "And to think, I had slept more soundly than I had all season the night after the Namora incident."

"Sleep or not, we still have to find our way out of here," Leo said. "Perhaps there are some things we can't yet see. Every area has a secret."

"This almost feels like one of those escape games," Ruby stated. "You have to escape or you die."

Rolling her eyes, Gaz said, "Except none of us are willing to go that far."

"True."

"Though if I could spend the rest of my life in that greenhouse, that would be just fine with me," Ivy said cheerily.

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"She's just going to go on about that greenhouse, isn't she?" Gaz asked.

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"Kinda makes me wonder," Ruby said. "Say it takes longer than we think to find our way out of here. What are we going to eat when the food runs out?"

"Monokuma told me earlier that both the warehouse and kitchen magically restock themselves," Yusei explained. "I was in the kitchen during the exploration yesterday and he told me."

"Yay, because I was curious."

(Later…)

Once again, the exploration of the school began. This time, they made sure to check every square inch of area. However, the closest thing they could find to a clue was a secret room in the boys bathroom on the second floor.

"Nothing in here anyway," Leo said as he looked at the empty bookshelf.

So by the time evening rolled around, everyone was once again stumped, and they all talked about it in the library.

"Why would a secret room have nothing in it?" Gaz asked. "If you're gonna have a secret room, that room has to have something."

"Maybe a design flaw," Yusei suggested. "They had some leftover space in designing the rooms for the school, so they made a spare room just in case."

"Or they were making a teacher's lounge," Ruby pointed out. "Except it got scrapped when they realized they connected it to the boys bathroom."

"Wait, there was a secret room in a bathroom?" Ivy asked.

Gaz just looked at her. "Well, duh. Sheesh, where were you during that anyway?"

Ivy, and the other besides Gaz, all said simultaneously, "Greenhouse."

Hearing this, Gaz shook her head. "Suddenly, I wish someone here would kill you."

"At least she didn't have to deal with the bear," Ruby told the group. "I was in the trash room, and he suddenly told me that only the person with trash duty this week could open the gate leading to the incinerator. He even kept repeating it, like 'No no no! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!' Over and over, he said it."

Leo laughed. "That was a terrible Monokuma impression. It's more like this. 'To kill each other is to kill each other.'"

"No way," Yusei said. "This is how you do it. 'Waah! Violence against the headmaster is a violation of school regulations!'"

Ivy said, "Okay, that one was good. My turn. 'Stop blabbering on about blabbering on!'"

"I think I can top that," Gaz said. "'How dare you compare me to a child's plaything?!'"

The other four began to laugh, while Gaz smirked. However…

"You guys talking about me?" Monokuma asked.

Everyone screamed.

"Oh, quit it," said the bear. "Sheesh, you guys get scared over everything these days. Anyway, I find myself flattered. You all enjoy me so much, you decided to mimic me. Oh, happy day! I'm popular! Every high school student's dream!"

"Yeah, sure, that's it," Gaz said sarcastically.

Monokuma just shrugged and said, "Anyway, commenting about your impressions wasn't why I came here. Usually, I would give my motives in the gym, but since you're all here laughing in the library, why waste time?"

"What do you mean, 'motive'?" Leo asked.

"Oh, just give it a few seconds and you will all understand fully."

With that, he disappeared. Everyone looked at each other, confused, until…

"IVY! IVY, HELP!"

The villainess sat up. "Harley?" she called. "Harley, is that you?" she called.

"IVY, PLEASE HELP ME!"

"Harley!"

Ivy stood up and headed for the door. As she did, she became aware of Yusei standing up in fear.

"Guys! Guys, where are you?!"

Both of them ran out the room, searching frantically. Ivy kept hearing screams from her closest friend, while Yusei heard six different people screaming for him, as though they were all in danger. Strangely enough, Yusei couldn't hear Ivy's screams. Ivy couldn't hear the screams of those six people.

"Harley, please, just hang on!"

"Jack! Crow! Akiza! Leo! Luna! Lammy! I'm coming!"

At the same time, the other three were also hearing screams from different people. Ruby heard at least six people, including the familiar voice of Sonic. Gaz heard mainly two people, and Leo heard seven. All three of them bolted out of the library, hoping to find their friends before it was too late.

So the five competitors were all running through the halls, trying to find where the screaming came from. And all of them were panicking.

This went on until they all reunited by the dorms, and they saw Monokuma's face on the closest monitor to them.

"Pupupu! Poor guys, searching desperately. All of you just heard the screams of all your closest friends and family! What's happening to them? Are they okay? Has the great Monokuma done something to them? Do you all want to save them? If you do, and I expect you do, simply win the challenge. After all, you guys would do anything for these people, right?"

The monitors shut off, leaving the competitors to digest what they had experienced.

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"That was….horrible…," Ivy muttered.

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Everyone sat in the dining hall, not saying a word to each other. They were all in shock from what they had just gone through. Apparently, all of their closest friends were in danger.

Finally, Ruby spoke. "Hey, Gaz, who was it that you heard?"

Gaz just glared at her in a 'none of your beeswax' kind of glare.

"Oh, sorry."

More silence, until Gaz spoke.

"My dad. And Sockhead. That's who I heard."

"Hey, what about your brother Dib?" Leo asked.

"What ABOUT Dib?"

Leo decided to ignore that. "I heard my siblings: Xander, Camille, and Elise; my retainers, Niles and Odin; and I heard Julie.

"What about your dad?" Gaz asked.

"What ABOUT my dad?"

Yusei looked at his feet. "I heard Lammy first. Then I heard the others. Jack, Akiza, Crow, Leo, Luna."

"Harley Quinn's my closest friend in the whole world," Ivy explained. "Even a supervillain could use a friend, and those are hard to come by for villains in general. Harley's different. Sometimes, we would both end up in the same Arkham cell together when Batman busts us."

Ruby seemed the most shaken. "Weiss, Blake, Yang, all my other friends at Beacon, my dad, my uncle Qrow...even Sonic. I heard them all."

"That's a lot of people to threaten," Yusei said, surprised.

"Even still, we're not going to do anything rash because of this, right?" Ruby asked the group.

Gaz shrugged. "If Monokuma's telling the truth, and our friends are on the line, that would be a very difficult thing to pass up. I mean, those are the people we're closest to. I'm kinda surprised I heard my dad, actually. I love him, but he's not exactly the best dad in the world."

"Join the club," Leo told her.

"We're stronger than that, though," Yusei added. "We've all gone through a lot, even before Chris. We can overcome this too."

"Besides, how would Monokuma even be able to kidnap everyone?" Ivy asked. "Some of those people we know wouldn't have surrendered without a fight."

Ruby looked at her. "So you don't think they could've taken Harley?"

"Harley's a smart girl, and she has Joker to back her up. Even if Joker protects her in the wrong way."

The others looked at each other. "Come to think of it, all those years under my father's control might come in handy for my family. They can protect each other and Julie. Besides, Julie also has Deadpool."

"I have a friend who can make her cards actually come to life," Yusei reminded them. "Plus, Lammy's not one to give up. All of my friends are probably safe."

"Everyone I know is a trained fighter," Ruby said with pride. "And Sonic will just zoom through whatever Monokuma can throw."

Still, Gaz looked nervous. "Double D's not a fighter. And I doubt my dad can hold them off. Besides, they still got those screams from somewhere."

"We can't think like that right now," Yusei told her. "All we can do now is find our way out of here before Monokuma decides to kill us himself."

Gaz sighed. "I guess so. Man, usually I never worry. How do you guys get by worrying about everyone?"

"Easier than you think," Leo said, smiling.

Ding dong, ding dong!

"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement," Monokuma said on the monitor. "It is now 10 P.M. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and antry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite…"

Leo sighed and said, "We'll have to continue tomorrow. There has to be a way out of here. I just know it."

"Yeah, let's remain upbeat," Ruby said.

Just like that, everyone went into their rooms and fell asleep. Well, almost everyone.

(Monokuma Theatre!)

"When I decided to be a bear, I got a lot of suggestions on what to look like. One suggested I look like a normal bear. You know, lead these guys into a false sense of security. Another wanted me to look extremely creepy. Helps strike fear into these people. In the end, I decided to get both. It adds both ease and fear, as well as confusion. I wanted the best of both worlds. Just like Hannah Montana!"

(Back to the show…)

"Good morning, everyone. It is now 7 A.M., and nighttime is officially over. Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!"

"Oh, shut up," Leo mumbled.

Once everyone was ready, they headed down to the dining hall for breakfast. Well, almost everyone.

"Where's Ivy?" Ruby asked.

"No idea," Gaz said.

"She WAS never onboard with the 'hanging out at breakfast' part," Yusei said.

"Probably late, though," Leo said.

Five more minutes passed by. No Ivy.

"Okay, very late."

Ruby just shrugged. "Probably went to the greenhouse. I'm gonna go check."

She then left the room and headed down the hall and up the stairs..

"At least I'm not the one having to deal with this," Gaz said, munching on her toast.

The other three sat in silence, until Ruby came back thirty minutes later. She looked breathless and her face was white with fear. Everyone stood up, alarmed.

"Ruby?" Yusei asked. "What is it?"

Ruby didn't say a word as she grabbed Yusei's wrist and dragged him out of the room. Concerned, the other two followed.

The others followed Ruby all the way to the fifth floor, and to the door leading into the greenhouse.

"Can you please just tell us what this is about?" Gaz asked once they stopped.

In response, Ruby opened the door, saying nothing. The other three looked inside.

What they found was…

A nightmare…

Ivy's head was hanging off the wooden wall of the toolshed, pinned by the long knife going right through the skull. The rest of her body lay in front of the large flower. Gaz, Yusei, and Leo looked at the scene in horror, their expressions the same as Ruby's.

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"Someone….actually killed her…," Leo said, still in shock.

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"I've seen a lot, but that takes the cake," Ruby stated.

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"That head, and the rest of her in a different spot," Yusei quietly quavered. "It's enough to strike fear."

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"And here I thought I was into the whole 'gore' thing," Gaz added.

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Ding dong, ding dong!

Everyone looked at the monitor and saw Monokuma's face.

"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"

"Class trial?" Leo asked. "What does he mean by that?"

"It means exactly what you think it means," Monokuma said, popping up out of nowhere. Everyone turned and looked at him.

"Is this for real?" Yusei asked. "Is Ivy really…?"

"This isn't some RPG. Cram as many bird feathers down their throat as you want- they ain't comin' back!"

"So who killed her?" Gaz asked. "That's what I wanna know."

Monokuma replied with, "Isn't it obvious? It's one of you guys."

Ruby, Yusei, Gaz, and Leo all looked at each other. Could one of them have really killed Ivy?

"Should be easy to understand," Monokuma told them. "One of you did it so you could win the challenge. If you don't get that yet, then you've really been hiding under a rock since coming here. Sheesh, you people are idiots."

"Wait, if someone killed Ivy, doesn't that mean they win?" Leo asked.

"Pupupu… Bwaaahahahaha! Did you people think it was that easy? You can just kill someone and waltz on outta here? In reality, this is where the real fun begins."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Yusei said.

Monokuma continued, "It's not enough just to cut off poor Ivy's head. You gotta get away with it too."

"Right, because of one of the regulations," Leo said.

"Which naturally means you need a system in place to assess whether or not it's been gotten away with. In a few hours will be the class trial. All four of you will gather together and have one crazy and entertaining debate where you present your arguments on who you think the "blackened" is. The "blackened" is whoever committed the murder. Once everything comes to an end, the outcome will be decided by popular vote. Get it right, and only the blackened will be punished. Get it wrong, however…"

Ruby looked scared. "Well?"

"...then the blackened will win the challenge, and the rest of you will receive punishment."

"And what is this 'punishment'?" Yusei asked.

"Oh! Well, to put it simply… It's execution!"

Everyone's jaws dropped. "What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"Execution is...execution! Ex-e-cution! Electric chair, bzzt bzzt! Poison gas, cough cough! Torn apart like a paper plane in a hurricane!"

By this point, no one was breathing hard, nor were they looking each other in the eye.

This made Monokuma laugh. "Pupupupu! So if I were you, I would work hard on finding the killer, because all your lives are on the line! To help you guys find the blackened, I have something prepared for all of you."

Everyone was given a small notebook. "This is filled with all the info gathered about the death in question. I like to call it...the Monokuma File!"

"So you already know who did it then?" Gaz asked.

"Yep. I need to be a fair judge, after all. Now then, please put your full effort behind your investigation! After all, you don't have any choice but to give it your best shot! Seriously, you don't have a choice! See you all at the trial!"

With that, he disappeared, leaving everyone in shock once again. All their lives were on the line What's more, if it were anyone but Ivy, the killer would've been obvious. But since Ivy turned out to be the dead one...

Leo was the first to speak. "Alright, whoever it was that did kill Ivy, speak up now."

"Why would the culprit want to do that?" Gaz asked him.

"Because of they confess early on, it will make things easier and...less painful."

"Less painful?" Ruby queried.

"You know the popular vote thing? We're going to have to send one of us to their death. Maybe, if we knew who it was right off the bat, it would make that vote easier to bare."

Then Yusei said, "Just because you're wanting someone to admit it doesn't mean you're in the clear. Hope you know that."

Leo just nodded. "So, anyone going to own up to their crime?"

Silence.

"Then good luck to whoever it was," Ruby said. "So now what?"

"We have to find out who did it," Gaz told her. "We should look at the Monokuma file first. That may be an easy place to start."

Everyone looked inside their MF's to see what info they could gather.

"The victim was Poison Ivy. The time of death is estimated to be around 2:00 A.M. The body was discovered in the greenhouse on the 5th floor. The victim's head was decapitated from the body, and there was also a stab wound to the abdomen. She also appeared to be holding a red rose, and rose petals were scattered on the ground."

Once they were done reading, Leo said, "Huh. It's as though they don't want to tell us what killed her: the stab wound or the beheading?"

Yusei looked on the ground next to Ivy's body. "Hey, I think I found something." Picking up a sheet of paper on the ground, Leo looked at it and read what was written.

Really stinks how things turned out

Understand I am through, without a doubt

Best that I try and enlighten you guys

Your crime will not get you any prize.

Rest assured I know who my killer is

Obviously the purple hair, she is a whiz

So here's who completed this ghastly task

Enough to see my killer is Gaz!

Reading this, everyone looked at Gaz, who was in disbelief. "Wait, what? Did this poem just say it was me?"

"To be honest, it's not the least likely situation," Leo told her. "You two were huge enemies, I recall."

"And you said you hoped she would die first the other day," Ruby pointed out.

"I was kidding! Besides, since when did she write poetry?"

Ruby shrugged. "Anyone could be writing poetry in secret. Believe me, I would know. I once sneaked a look at Blake's poetry book. She loves reading that stuff. Since then, I have done a teeny amount of practice myself."

"But that doesn't mean we should jump to conclusions," Leo reminded Gaz. "For all we know, one of us might have tried to frame you."

Yusei nodded. "He's right. We'll figure this out. So who wants to do what? We need someone to stay here and guard the crime scene, so I'll do it."

"Someone else should do it with you," Leo said. "No matter who we are, we can't trust anyone fully."

Gaz raised her hand. "I'll guard too. If I'm going to be accused like this, I need to prove I'm not the killer."

"Then Ruby and I will investigate the rest of the school," Leo said. "Should be easy."

As Leo and Ruby were about to leave, Monokuma popped up again. "Oh, sorry. Just forgot to mention something."

"And what would that be?" Gaz asked.

"I'm going to borrow a little something from your usual host. And it starts right now."

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Oh no," the competitors complained.

"Yep, I'm still going to have you guys sing. If you don't, you're going to face more that a simple reality show elimination."

Ruby raised her hand. "What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is, sing or die!"

That was enough to motivate the group.

(Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter is freaking you out so far. Danganronpa is like that. Anyway, here's a little song with a weird psychedelic tone and takes place during an investigation montage, called "Don't Wanna Die".)

Leo: I got a lot to do

Because I saw Ivy through and through

I don't have another way to choose

I don't wanna die

(Leo searches Ivy's room and finds a small note.)

Gaz: Of course, I'm the prime suspect

I should be treated with more respect

Still a lot of stuff that I regret

But I don't wanna die

(Gaz examines the rose petals on the ground.)

All: I don't wanna die

Don't wanna die

Gonna make sure this crime is solved

'Cause I don't wanna die

Ruby: No way I'll be the one to blame

So I must make sure that stays the same

Getting killed would be really lame

I don't wanna die

(She stands in the dining hall, pondering where to search.)

Yusei: Not about to be killed just yet

Gotta prove to all I'm no culprit

My investigation is all set

I don't wanna die

(He studied the head on the toolshed wall.)

All: I don't wanna die

Don't wanna die

Gonna make sure this crime is solved

'Cause I don't wanna die

Once the song ended, the monitor came on once again, and everyone saw Monokuma on it.

"Erm, so ah...I'm getting tired of waiting. What say we just get started, hm? It's time for the long-awaited...class trial! Now then, allow me to appoint a proper location for the proceedings. Please go through the red door on the 1st floor of the school! Puhuhu. See you soon!"

In their respective locations, everyone gulped. This was it.

On by one, each of them went through the red door on the bottom floor, to find an elevator.

"I guess we get on?" Ruby asked the others. "Here we go."

Without another word, everyone stepped onto the elevator, and once everyone was on, the doors shut and the car slowly descended.

The steel box descended with heavy clunking sounds toward the school's basement (and yes, this passage paragraph is from the first game). Oblivious to the shared anxiety of the group, the elevator lowered them further and further into the bowels of the school.

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator stopped and everyone stepped into a fancy room with blue walls and several velvet curtains. It was hard to believe this was a courtroom, the the sixteen-seat circular podium structure gave away the true nature of the room.

"Nyohoho! You've finally arrived!" Monokuma exclaimed. "Feels like an actual courtroom, huh? I hope it does, because I worked on this all day. Now, everyone find your assigned seats and sit down. Hurry up, will ya?"

Everyone did as he said and found their seats. With the circle they were in, they could all see each other, and the tension would flow easier.

And so, the judgment on the case of Ivy's death opened…

...a deadly judgment…

...a deadly deception…

...a deadly betrayal…

...a deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith…

...a deadly...class trial…

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"This is it, I guess," Leo said. "Yikes. I haven't been this nervous in my whole life."

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"Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial," Monokuma explained. "So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out 'whodunnit', then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!"

Yusei raised his hand. "I wanna know, why the Ivy picture?" he was referring to the picture of Ivy occupying a space in the circle. The picture is grayed out and X'd in red.

"Just because Ivy died doesn't mean she has to miss out on the fun. Friendship penetrates even death's barrier!"

"I wouldn't say I was a friend of Ivy," Leo told the bear.

"Whatever. Anyway, let's all get this started!"

(Author's Note: In preparing for this chapter, I watched an entire playthrough of the first Danganronpa game. Some of the class trial elements, like Nonstop Debates and Bullet Time Battles, I unfortunately cannot replicate in a fanfiction. Because of that, this might be a short trial. Sorry to all fans of the game and that annoying bear.)

Gaz was the first to speak. "So, all we know to begin with is that one of us killed Ivy. I think what we should examine first is the murder weapon."

"Whatever it was, it had to have been able to not only impale Ivy in her stomach, but also cut off her head," Leo explained.

"Is there a weapon in this school even big enough to do that?" Ruby asked.

"Well, the knife used to pin Ivy's head to the wall was pretty big," Yusei told them. "Where did that knife come from, anyway?"

Leo pondered that question. "I think it came from the kitchen. I looked in there earlier, and the largest knife they had was missing. I couldn't find it anywhere. So I'm guessing the knife in the greenhouse was it."

"That was easy," Gaz said. "So whoever did it got the knife from the kitchen in the middle of the night and used it to kill her. Ivy loved the greenhouse, so it would've easily been the killer's first place to look."

"Okay, but how did she die?" Ruby asked. "The Monokuma file said she was stabbed and beheaded. Either of those could've happened first."

Leo raised his finger. "I think I know the answer," he explained. "Remember the note we found at the crime scene?"

Yusei nodded. "Ivy's dying message."

"If she had time to write this before she died, she had to have been stabbed first. You can't exactly do anything without a head."

"So that means whoever killed her stabbed her first, waited until she died, then cut off her head," Ruby said.

Gaz thought about it. "But why cut off her head? That seems like a strange thing to do with this kind of murder."

"Set an example?" Ruby guessed. "A warning that they could easily kill again."

At this, Monokuma responded, "Except everyone is allowed to kill only two people max per killing game. Otherwise, where's the communal life aspect? Let everyone else have the chance to kill."

Shrugging her shoulders, Ruby muttered, "Shoot." However, Yusei heard it.

"What was that?"

"Just a sneeze. And anyway, I already know who it was."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"It was Gaz!"

Gaz gasped. "What?"

"Who else would pin Ivy's head onto the wall?" Ruby asked everyone. "Think about it. Gaz and Ivy have been at odds with each other for a long time. Gaz even said she hoped Ivy would die first."

"I was kidding!"

"Gaz probably didn't know about the two-kill limit, but she is the right type of person to pin that head to the wall as a sign of fear. On top of all that, you all saw Ivy's message. It was pointed right at Gaz! She's the killer!

The goth glared at Ruby. "Don't you think it's just a little bit possible I was framed?"

"Gaz, just admit it. You killed Ivy."

"Actually, I'm not sure she did," Leo said out of nowhere.

Everyone else looked at him. "What do you mean?" Ruby asked, suddenly nervous.

"And the answer is right on the message from Ivy."

"I have my own reason for believing Gaz is innocent," Yusei said.

"And I can prove I didn't do it just like that," Gaz added confidently.

Ruby crossed her arms. "Do tell."

"During the investigation, I held the message with me, and I noticed something strange about the handwriting. It actually changed at certain points."

"And what were those points?" Yusei asked, wondering.

"Specifically, at the beginning of each line."

He took the paper out. "Also, the first letter in each line is colored red, presumably with blood. The rest of it is not. Would Ivy carry a pen into a greenhouse?"

"I wouldn't," Gaz said.

"Exactly. To confirm my suspicions, I went into Ivy's room and found a small note."

He held that out too. It read, Vote Gaz out as soon as possible!

Well, someone's not hiding it," Gaz grumbed.

"Thing is, this note is in Ivy's handwriting, but her dying message wasn't. Except in the first letter of each sentence."

Ruby said, "Well maybe she wasn't completely in charge of her mental faculties. She was stabbed, after all. Maybe her handwriting changed."

"We just said she couldn't have had a pen with her in a greenhouse," Yusei pointed out. "Besides, I found none on the body. That's one thing that led me to the same realization Leo probably has at the moment. And anyway, would Ivy have even had the time and ability to write the full poem?"

"Yep. Someone tampered with the message."

Gaz scoffed. "I knew it. What do you have to say to that, Ruby?"

"Well, what else does it say?" Ruby asked.

Leo shrugged. "I actually have no idea."

Gaz thought about the poem. "May I see Ivy's message?" she asked Leo, who nodded and tossed it to her. She grabbed it and read through it again.

Really stinks how things turned out

Understand I am through, without a doubt

Best that I try and enlighten you guys

Your crime will not get you any prize.

Rest assured I know who my killer is

Obviously the purple hair, she is a whiz

So here's who completed this ghastly task

Enough to see my killer is Gaz!

"I got it!" Gaz exclaimed.

Yusei smiled. "This should be interesting."

"The killer went and changed the message, right? But what they inadvertently did was create another message, hidden within. Whoever did that kinda messed up."

"How so?" Leo asked.

"Monokuma, do you have a couple pens and sheets of paper?"

"Hold it!" the bear exclaimed. "You can't just ask me to provide new materials for this case!"

Gaz told him, "But it would make things interesting, wouldn't you say?"

"True." He threw two pieces of paper and two pens, which Yusei and Leo caught.

"I want you both to look at the poem one more time," Gaz said. "Pay close attention to those beginning letters. When you think you know what they mean, write it down."

The message appeared on the monitors, and the guys took some time studying it. However, it didn't take either long to figure it out, as their eyes widened in shock. Quickly, they wrote their answers down. When they were finished, they held them up for everyone to say. Both answers were identical.

RUBY ROSE

Both the guys looked up at Ruby in shock, while Ruby kept her face clean of emotions.

"And this is supposed to convince everyone I didn't do it?" she asked.

"Each line from that poem starts with the letter that corresponds with that letter placement in the arrangement. Look at the letters vertically, and the answer is revealed."

"Not to mention you took a long time to actually come back after you went to 'check on Ivy'," Yusei said. "I think you used that time, once you noticed the message, to make the poem. You did say one of your friends got you into poetry."

Ruby bit her lip. "Okay, and?"

"So if you noticed the letter only just this morning, I think you didn't do the actual beheading until this morning," Leo explained.

"Besides, I noticed the rose in Ivy's hand and the petals on the ground," Gaz mentioned. "Thing is, that rose showed no sign of any petals having been picked off."

"Not to mention Ruby leaves a trail of rose petals whenever she uses her Semblance," Yusei said. "Hey Monokuma, did you ever shut off the powers Ivy and Ruby had?"

The bear laughed and said, "Even if I could've, we didn't think the two women would've found any use for them in this situation. Ivy would only be able to use them at the greenhouse. That, and what good is super speed anyway?"

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed. "Super speed is awesome!"

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"Well, it is," Ruby argued.

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Gaz smirked. "Then I think the rest of the case settles itself nicely. Ivy, who loved staying in the greenhouse, snuck in there sometime before 2:00 A.M. This was something Ruby was counting on."

"Shortly after Ivy went to the greenhouse, Ruby snuck in there with the large kitchen knife," Yusei added.

"As a new point, she probably came from the library," Leo said. "How else would Ivy have come across a sheet of paper?"

"Using her Semblance so she could do it quickly, Ruby dashed to Ivy and stabbed her in the stomach," Yusei continued.

Gaz said, "However, Ivy probably noticed the rose petals right before she died, so she wrote Ruby's name vertically on a sheet of paper using her last bit of strength."

"This morning, when we wondered where Ivy was, Ruby went to check on her," Leo explained. "Noticing the dying message, she panicked and grabbed a pen, probably also from the library, and tampered with the message by writing the poem, pinning it on Gaz."

"As a failsafe, she used the large knife to sever Ivy's head from her neck," Gaz said. "Then she pinned it onto the wall. That was something no one would ever think Ruby would do."

Ruby just sighed as everyone looked at her. "Well, are you going to say anything about that?" Monokuma asked Ruby. "Your so-called friends are accusing you of murder."

Hearing all this, Ruby sighed. "I'm not going to hide it. I did it."

The others were surprised. They didn't think Ruby would give up like that.

"Looks like we've reached a verdict," Monokuma cheerfully said. "Then it's time to cast your votes! There is a lever right in front of you, so use those to make your decision. Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"

Everyone pulled their levers, and a slot machine popped up. Everyone's faces spun by several times until all three wheels stopped on Ruby's face. The verdict?

GUILTY!

The group's faces were stony as the verdict was read. "You guys got it with no strings attached. Poison Ivy was killed by Ruby Rose! Oh, the humanity!"

Leo looked at Ruby. Even after the trial, he was shocked. "Ruby….why?... Why did you do it?"

That's when the others noticed something shocking: Ruby was crying.

"He was going to hurt them…"

Everyone else (except Monokuma) was stunned. The entire time they knew Ruby, she had never cried. Not even when Sonic was eliminated, she never shed a single tear. But right now, she was definitely crying.

It all made sense now. What they all heard just yesterday…

"He was going to hurt them all. Maybe even kill them. My friends, my family, Sonic, all of them. I couldn't let that happen. I didn't want to have to kill anyone, but I had too. I chose Ivy because she was an easy target. And I couldn't stand doing it to any of you guys."

Now that they were hearing this, the group felt bad, like they had failed to consider something.

They failed to consider that while they were all friends, they each had their own loved ones to fight for.

"But why frame me?" Gaz asked.

"I didn't mean any malice. Truly, I didn't. You and the others are incredible. But you hated Ivy for so long. It felt logical, you know."

Ruby kept sobbing. "I didn't want anything to happen to all of them. They raised me, fought with me, protected me, they all did. I knew I would do anything to protect them. I just didn't think I would go this far."

She sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, guys…I completely understand it if you hate me. I already do. I deserve whatever hate you guys throw at me."

Hearing all this, Leo cautiously approached her and knelt down beside her. Ruby was too distracted with her regret to notice.

Then, Leo wrapped his arms around Ruby in a hug, something she didn't expect.

"It wasn't your fault," he said. "You did what you thought you had to do. Everything was to protect your family. You had no choice. None of us can really hate you for that."

"He's right," Yusei said, sitting down beside them. "I guarantee any of us would've done the same thing sooner or later to protect our own friends. With them on our minds, how could we not?"

Gaz walked up to them and nodded. "Besides, I can at least compliment the effort you put in framing me. Not bad. You have Sonic, and I have Double D. We would both do anything for those people."

"You don't have anything to be ashamed of," Yusei told Ruby. "If it's anyone's fault, it's that bear for throwing us into this mess."

Monokuma just scoffed and said, "Don't throw the blame on me. Your friend here made the conscious decision to kill."

"Only because you trapped us here," Leo pointed out.

"And threatened all our friends and family," Gaz added.

"The only one at fault here is you," Yusei snapped at the bear.

"Moi? You guys throwing the blame on me makes me want to [REMOVED TO CONFORM WITH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL CENSORSHIP LAWS] on all of you!"

Everyone else looked at him in shock. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Gaz asked in disgust.

"I don't do kissing. I'm a bear. Anyway, we still have to get to the main event."

"Wait, do you mean…?" Yusei asked while looking at Ruby, who had suddenly gone white as chalk.

"Yes, I do. Since Ruby wasn't able to get away with the crime, I'm afraid she must now face the punishment."

The others protested. "You were the one who forced her into it," Leo argued.

"All she wanted to do was protect her friends," Gaz protested. "And you used that to twist her into murder."

"Too bad. She committed the crime, she must now pay the price."

Ruby shook her head. "I really have nothing to say to that," she said.

Monokuma laughed again. "Now then, I have prepared a very special punishment for Ruby Rose, the Ultimate Huntress (in training)!"

"This just can't be fair," Yusei said."

"Let's give it everything we've got. It's...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

"Sorry guys," Ruby said. "I'm afraid it's too late for me."

Monokuma ignored her and hit a red button with a mallet.

(GAME OVER. RUBY HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!)

Suddenly, a long chain grabbed Ruby and coiled around her. Then it dragged her down a long hallway until it pulled her onto a green pole and bound her to it. On top of this pole was a giant rose, with several similar roses surrounding Ruby, as were several animal pens. Within each pen was either a Beowolf or Ursa.

(The Grimm Reaper's Judgment!)

A dark figure walked next to the area, his cloak and scythe making him look like the Grim Reaper. However, upon closer inspection, this figure turned out to be Monokuma, grinning his sinister grin at Ruby. In an enclosed space, the other three could only watch.

Monokuma lifted his scythe, and the gates to each pen opened up. Each Grimm looked hungrily at their prey. Ruby closed her eyes, waiting for the terror to come.

"Monokuma, stop this," Gaz called out. "She doesn't deserve any of this!"

The bear ignored her as he pointed his scythe right at Ruby.

Then, the monster lunged.

Right away, it was a sudden cloud of monsters surrounding and obscuring the poor girl. The other could tell just from the sounds that it wasn't pretty. None of them wanted to see it.

However, just as it was nearing its end, Leo, Yusei, and Gaz suddenly saw everything freeze in place. The monsters attacking Ruby (with still no sign of Ruby herself), the laughing Monokuma, everything besides those three people had frozen, as though in time.

As they pondered this, a familiar voice rang out from out of nowhere. "I think that should do it," said the voice.

"Wait, was that Chris?" Leo asked.

Then came the sound of someone snapping their fingers, and the three collapsed and plunged into darkness…

(Later…)

Leo, Yusei, and Gaz sat up, all still convinced they were watching their friend die. However, they noticed something different about the room. It wasn't the courtroom from earlier.

They were all back in the classroom where they had originally waited for the headmaster.

"Are we…?" Yusei asked.

As they looked around in confusion, they heard Ruby and Ivy groaning from the other side of the room. They sat up and looked around.

"Wait, am I alive?" Ivy asked, perplexed. Then, she pinched herself.

"Ow! Yes! I'm alive!"

Ruby checked every spot on her body for injuries. "So am I!"

All five of them stood up and noticed the windows. They were all back to normal. In fact, the one that had been broken by the smoke grenade was STILL broken.

"Now I'm really confused," Gaz said. "What was that just now?"

As though waiting for someone to ask that question, Chris came into the room. And he looked like he had just had the time of his life. "Oh, you guys should've seen the looks on your faces. This whole thing was just priceless!"

"Okay, what's going on?" Leo asked. "Where were you the past few days while we were fighting for our lives?"

Chris replied, "Days? It's only been twenty minutes since we threw the smoke grenade."

"Twenty minutes?" Ruby asked. "What just happened to us?"

"Simple. You guys just took part in another challenge."

"Oh, I knew it!" Gaz said, suddenly angry. "I should've known this was a trick from the start!"

"Chill out, it wasn't that bad. Anyway, you guys just finished a challenge that took place completely in my dream simulation."

Yusei looked at him in disbelief. "Dream simulation?"

"Of course. While you were all unconscious, you were under a special simulated dream where you were all trapped in a scenario similar to the Danganronpa video game series."

Gaz facepalmed. "I played some of those games," she whined. "Why the heck didn't I see this coming?"

Ivy raised her hand. "This was a simulation? But you didn't plug us into technology or anything like that."

"I didn't have to," Chris said, holding up a small vial with some blue liquid in it. "All you guys had to do was ingest it."

It only took three seconds for everyone to realize. "That was in the pastries from earlier today, weren't they?" Leo asked.

"Correct."

Ruby looked shocked. "Those were the best blueberry muffins I had ever eaten too," she sulked.

"I had a few...special scientists create this non-toxic concoction," Chris explained. "Aside from your basic ingredients, the survivors from the first killing game allowed us to look into their memories of their experience. That helped us put a 100% accurate replica into this stuff here. And this stuff was also designed to be activated the first time the subject went to sleep after ingesting it."

"So when you knocked those guys out with the smoke grenade, they all ended up in the simulation because of the pastries," Ivy said. "But what about me? I'm immune to poisons and gases, and I don't eat."

Chris smiled and said, "We thought of that too. So we also engineered this stuff to react to ALL types of living things. Even plants. We also put some on the club we used to knock you out."

Ivy rubbed her head, where there was indeed the sore area from the club. "Oh, right."

"The simulation was also designed so that it would end when someone was executed by Monokuma, and then the subjects would wake up. Also, we made sure to get the camera feeds because the concoction also had a camera function. Lastly, you guys were all in the same dream simulation because you all had doses from the same sample."

Yusei raised his hand. "What about the screams we heard?"

"Oh, that was just sound manipulation. We took recordings of your friends all saying your name, plus some other stuff. A few tweaks, and you got an easy distressed cry for help."

"It's official, technology has gone off the deep end," said Leo, in awe.

"That's not what I think," Chris said. "Heck, I may use this again to host a challenge in the future."

The others gulped. This wasn't an experience they would like to repeat.

"The only thing we didn't control, of course, were the actions you all took," Chris further explained. "Anyone could have killed anyone, and anyone could've been executed."

"Speaking of which, what the heck?" Ruby asked. "I thought I had actually killed someone!"

"And I thought she had actually killed me," Ivy stated.

"Not to mention I got mauled by Grimm!"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Blah, blah, blah. You're both fine. Quit complaining."

"Yeah, what the heck was all that?" Yusei asked. "This was, by far, the sickest and most horrifying challenge ever."

"I'm starting to think you're as bad as Monokuma," Leo added.

"Chill out! My point is, this was all a challenge, and no one is actually dead."

Leo shook his head. "So what was the point of it all? Who won?"

"Finally, someone asked the obvious question. All you guys wanted to know was why I did this. Sheesh, isn't it enough that you're alive?"

"No," Gaz deadpanned.

"Whatever. As for the guidelines, remember Ruby was the one who committed the crime. If she had succeeded in hiding that truth from the rest of you, then her victim, or Ivy in this case, would have been automatically eliminated."

"DANG IT!" everyone but Ivy exclaimed, which offended the aforementioned plant girl.

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"Gee, I feel so loved," Ivy said sarcastically.

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"But I wasn't able to hide it," Ruby said. "So what does that mean?"

Chris smiled and said, "Isn't it obvious? YOU'RE the one automatically eliminated!"

"What?!" Leo, Yusei, Ruby, and Gaz asked in surprise

"But it wasn't her fault," Gaz said. "She was forced to do it by that stupid bear!"

The host just shrugged. "As I said, I couldn't control Ruby's actions. As the one who became the blackened but was unable to hide it, she's the one that's gotta go."

Ruby smiled sadly. "Guess I should've seen this coming." She looked at the others. "Once again, I'm really sorry for what I did in there."

"It's fine," Yusei said. "Like we all said, we don't blame you."

"Are you kidding?" Ivy asked incredulously. "She impaled me with a butcher knife!"

"And you're still alive despite it," Gaz snapped back. "Be grateful it was all fake."

Hearing this, Ivy sat down and grumbled. "Well be grateful she didn't attack one of you."

"I wasn't going to," Ruby said.

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"Does no one care about my feelings?' Ivy asked. "Just because I backstab people for my own benefit?"

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"Now I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life," Yusei complained. "Thanks a lot, Chris."

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"Chris if officially the most insane person I have ever met," Leo said.

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"I don't even know what to say about this whole mess," Gaz stated.

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"Guess this is what I get for going against my better judgment," Ruby said. "Still better than being mauled by Grimm though."

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After everyone went the portal, Ruby said her goodbyes and went back through the same portal, this time taking her back to Vale.

"So I guess it's us four," Leo said. "Now what?"

Before the other three could answer, Chris came out of the building. "Well, I got good news and bad news," he explained.

"What's the good news?" Yusei asked.

"You have all officially made it to the final four, and the million dollars is within everyone's grasp now."

"And the bad news?" Gaz asked.

"Oh, it's just that you're not getting any rest from your latest challenge."

"And what do you mean by that?" Leo asked.

In response, they all heard a loud KABOOM!

"What was that?" Ivy asked.

"Oh, nothing. We just blew up the plane on purpose this time."

"WHAT?!" they all exclaimed.

"Don't worry, all your stuff is okay, we got it all out. But what I'm trying to say is, you're about to start the first half of your semifinal challenge in just a few minutes."

Now it all made sense. They had just got out of one challenge, but were now only minutes away from starting a new one.

Hearing that, they all had one thing on their minds now: Game on!

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I've written pretty dark chapters before, from the fear challenge last season to the most recent Namora incident, but this here takes the cake as the darkest chapter I have ever written.

Because she made the choice to kill Ivy and failed to cover it up, Ruby escaped death (sort of) but was automatically eliminated from the competition. I had planned on her being out in the final five from the start, but I wouldn't be surprised if anyone's shocked that sweet, innocent Ruby could be the killer.

Still, she thought her friends back home were on the line. Can you blame her?

I hope the dream simulation made enough sense. Chris is a lot of things, but even he wouldn't cross the line by personally forcing the competitors into a killing game and threatening their loved ones. So I came up with the dream simulator, a perfect replica of Monokuma's twisted game. Everything, from the sabbatical to the breakfast, was set up so this would take place.

I based Ruby's "execution" on the main job of a Huntsman or Huntress, which involves killing Grimm. The monsters are attracted by negative emotion, and Ruby would have had a lot of negative emotion, having apparently failed to save her friends and keep her guilt in check. Speaking of the executions, if you have any idea what the other four's executions would be, let me know. Get creative.

Also, I give thanks to NeverSafeFromWaluigi for giving me the idea of a true Danganronpa challenge, unlike the knock-off I made last season, and giving me tons of advice. He told me about some of the quotes, there were ideas from him regarding the challenge that I used and didn't use. Normally, I forget to thank whoever gives me a challenge idea that I later end up using, but I am grateful for all challenge ideas whether I use them or not, and this is no exception.

I have gotten quite a bit of character suggestions for TDE3 and The Ridonculous Race, so thank you guys for that as well. Keep it up, and I think we'll get a whole lot of super awesome new competitors. On the poll for the returnees on TDE3, whoever hasn't voted yet might want to think more about the girls. I'm hoping at least five girls will make it back in, but at this rate, only four will. I can't influence your choices, but don't forget the girls.

Now it's time to talk about the next challenge!

It's the first part of the semifinal challenge! Gaz, Yusei, Leo, and Ivy go head to head in a no holds barred, no restrictions, race all the way to Hawaii in a redo of the final three challenge from World Tour! Everyone goes all-out, pulling every resource they can in the hope that they aren't the last to arrive. Who will be the final three? Who will reach the end of the line? We all shall soon find out!

Until then, remember to read and review, fave and follow, vote on the poll for returnees, and send in competitor suggestions.

Four will become three in the next chapter, and I will see you then. TheMasterKat out!