The last few chapters before we hit the final arc are underway. I wanted this first relative half of the story to match up with the number of episodes of Kamen Rider OOO (not counting movies and such) and I fortunately managed a pretty good job. The real trick was modeling each fight around the Medals used. I'll have much more freedom come the Tragedy arc, but I still have some leeway for now. In the meantime, let's end the Killing Game once and for all, shall we!? Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider, Danganronpa, the Persona series, or Super Sentai.

Chapter 45: Experiment, Pop Music, and the Final Gambit

Sato was just an ordinary student in the Reserve Course of Hope's Peak Academy. Given that said course was getting better treatment as of late, she thought she couldn't complain, especially now that no one was bothering her about being near her friend Mahiru, who was an Ultimate. And Mahiru seemed much more cheerful lately. However, there were still problems. Natsumi Kuzuryu, a girl in her class that was the sister of one of the Ultimates. Sato thought she would be much nicer and less condescending ever since her brother actually started visiting her.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Natsumi still had delusions that she was in the wrong course, believing herself to be an Ultimate that simply hadn't been recognized. But out of all the things she could have picked, Sato struggled to understand how being a little sister counted as a talent. It was getting to be too much. That was why she had accepted the invitation from that woman, to partake in an experiment that had been put on hold ever since her classmate Hajime had been promoted to Ultimate Kamen Rider. Sato had tried to follow in his footsteps, but she proved to be just too average. As she lay inside the machine, she thought to herself, 'With this... I can properly stand beside Mahiru...'


"They've restarted the Kamakura Project?," Kyosuke asked. Chisa had spotted someone that looked like Peko only older and followed her carefully, finding out this woman, a Foundation X member, was helping the steering committee with the Kamakura Project. "I was able to get some information thanks to Keebo's help," she explained, "He was able to infiltrate their mainframe and learned something. It seems they had originally wanted Hajime to be the subject of the experiment."

"And then he proved to have an Ultimate talent of his own," Kyosuke realized, "So they had to halt the project while they looked for a suitable replacement. But this coupled with the fact that Foundation X is no longer supporting Junko means one thing... She's no longer our only threat. And even then, her threat is quickly diminishing. How many more students could she possibly infect with those Black Medals?"


Outside the campus, Junko was bashing her head against the walls. "Damn it! Why is it nothing's going the way I expect it to!? By now we've seen just about everything these Kamen Riders can do and they still overpower us every! Single! Time!" Mukuro waited until Junko had vented herself out. She knew that, deep down, Junko was less upset than she was letting on. Yes, she hated that her plans were failing. But on the other hand, it meant she was getting plenty of the despair she loved so much.

Finally, Junko had started to get exhausted. "I can tell you're upset," Mukuro said, "But there's something important you should know. I think they may be restarting the Kamakura Project." Junko's eyes lit up instantly. "Mukuro, that's brilliant! I'd all but given up on that angle! But if they manage to bring back Izuru Kamakura, and the way I expect the program to go, then we can turn him to our side by promising him something interesting."

"It may be a 'her'," Mukuro admitted, "A student named Fumi Sato was selected for the project." Junko nodded. "I see. For this project they'd have to go with someone completely average, a blank slate but still with room to grow. And they'd need to be willing to partake in the project. She probably doesn't know what she's in for." Junko smiled. "This is perfect. We can finally start our final plan! With Izuru on our side, the so called Ultimate Hope will bring the world to its knees!" She held up Sayaka's picture. "But first a little distraction."


Hearing about a disturbance in a local park in the wake of Sayaka being targeted for a Despair monster, Hajime rode out with Ryota, Byakuya, and Makoto. Several people were in a zombie-like state, and the familiar voice of Sayaka, filtered through a sound-system due to the distorted voice the Despairs often had, could be heard. "We'd better transform before getting in close," Hajime noted. The group got out their drivers. "Henshin!" "Gashapon Active!" "Fist On!" "Mighty Form!" "Taka! Tora! Batta! Ta-To-Ba! Tatoba, Ta-To-Ba!"

The Riders ran around the crowd the long way, eventually spotting the Pop Sensation's Despair on the stage and confronting her. Seeing the Riders, it pointed its fingers at its mouth and vocalized, creating an energy echo that it fired off to attack. Ixa and Kuuga swapped modes to counterattack. "Garulu Saber!" "Titan Form!" Using their blades, the two Riders cut through the energy echoes. OOO took a different approach, trying out something new for the fight. "Taka! Kame! Tyranno!"

Normally the Purple and Orange Medals couldn't be used with the other sets, but under Hajime's power they could now sync with the rest, letting him use all new random combos. He spun around, alternating using his shield and tail to block or deflect the attacks before lashing out against the Despair. Birth grabbed one of the Cell Medals that was sheered off and used it to power one of his Birth CLAWS. "Vermillion Bucket!" Using the shovel arm, Birth grabbed the Despair and ran at OOO, who nodded and switched out his torso. "Taka! Gorilla! Tyranno!"

The Despair found itself between a rock and a hard place as Birth slammed it into OOO's outstretched fist while he was throwing a punch, causing significant damage. Seeing it stagger, OOO switched to a combo while Ixa and Kuuga charged up. "Lion! Tora! Cheetah! La-Tah La-Tah, La-Tora~~Tah!" "Scanning Charge!" The three Riders hit the Despair with a triple Rider Slash. "Gush Cross!" "Howling Slash!" "Calamity Titan!" The Despair was destroyed, freeing the crowd from its spell.

As the Riders canceled their transformations, Byakuya looked concerned. "Even accounting for the fact that this Despair came from Sayaka," he noted, "This seemed far too easy. Other than enthralling the crowd, it did little to wear down its Cell Medal cache." "That's true," Hajime admitted, "And the timing is too perfect. We get a new Despair right when we learn the Kamakura Project has been restarted? That's too big a coincidence to ignore."


Junko grinned as she infiltrated the room where Izuru was supposed to be kept. Little did she know what Izuru really was. The AI, now inhabiting the body of Sato, grinned internally as the young woman she had made her puppet appeared before her. Now doubt Junko still had her own plans, and perhaps they could still work. But it was not likely to happen, and Fumiko had provided a wonderful alternative. 'I'll let you spin your little webs, Junko Enoshima. But I think you'll find your prey much stronger than the average fly.'


The Killing Game. A terrible blood sport built on paranoia, deceit, mistrust, and despair. The only way to win, to survive, was to learn to rise above such cynicism. But it was never easy, and it always came with casualties. But now, it was no more. During the time of The Tragedy, Sayaka found herself comforted by Makoto, who promised he'd find a way to help her escape. She knew she could put her trust in him, and ultimately it proved well-placed. She was the first, and with her fate re-written, only one true death occurred as a result. But her change was soon to arrive.

To be continued...

Yes folks, even though we have effectively erased the Killing Game from existence, there are still some deaths to undo. What, you thought I'd leave Mukuro and Junko in the lurch? Villains or not, they do have some redeeming qualities. Mukuro more than Junko, but that's beside the point. Also, I hope you OOO fanatics won't come after me with torches and pitchforks over using the Purple and Orange Medals in random combos. I just thought it'd fit with Hajime now being a physical god. Read and review.