I couldn't even feel my hands anymore, I couldn't see straight, and the whole room felt dizzy.

I swore that the room turned black, all around me were stands, portraits, and a singlet spotlight on me. I felt a sweat drop trickle down my face as I felt the eyes of all the portraits staring right into my soul. They were silently judging me, silently mocking me, knowing that we were to join our friends in death, the only things remaining of our existence is a photo with an X over our faces…

And yet, with every bit of strength I could muster, I spoke up.

"NO…. YOU'RE WRONG… It…"

Everyone stared at me. "IT WAS ME!"

Vector's eyes widened as he got visibly angry.

"W-What? What the hell are you DOIN'?!" he screamed at me.

"It was me! I DID IT! I set up the body to make it seem like he killed himself! I'm the one who set up the final blow!"

"W-What's going on anymore?!" Silver said, hands on his head.

"C-Charmy, this… this isn't a lie, is it?!" Tikal cried.

"Wow, who knew Chimcharm went off the deep end!" Rosie added.

"And yet, I had the feeling something like this could have happened. Why was it that you were so intent on getting to the final vote?" Wave said.

"DON'T ENCORAGE HIM, WAVE!" Vector screamed. "Listen here, what the FUCK are yeh even sayin'?! Do ya even hear yerself?!"

"I DO, VECTOR! And I'm saying I did it! I DID IT ALL!"

Vector grit his teeth as I could see he was seconds from wanting to kill me, but I didn't care.

"Explain everything to us, bee. Step by step," Wave said. I looked at her. I didn't think I'd get this far, but… I had to use the knowledge of what happened to my advantage.

"…I met Espio after his attack," I began. "It was right on his way to the dojo. I was really worried about him, but he told me that there was nothing he can do. He said he had one final request for me: To go to his room and get his tea cup and a bag to put it in. He even gave me his key, which explains why the door was open. It wasn't because he left it unlocked, but because I did!"

"Interesting…"

"Charmy, stand down NOW!" Vector yelled. "I dun give a shit how far ya wanna go with this lie, but yeh've gone down the deep end!"

Vector's pleas were ignored as I continued. "We returned to the dojo, where Espio informed me to put the teacup in a bag and smash it over his head. He said it was to numb the pain, so I did just that, and he fell to the ground. Next, he told me to place one shard from the bag into his pocket and to dump the rest in his room. After that, he told me to get a kunai from his pouch, and to stab it into his stomach and that he'd do the rest. I objected of course, but he assured me it would be okay. After he put his hands on his kunai, hands shaking, he told me just stab it into him. I did with my eyes closed and I heard him groan. I couldn't bear to watch, so he told me to leave now, and I did… setting up the sealed room on my way to my room and to pretend like I didn't see anything."

Everyone was stunned and didn't move a muscle, that was, until Wave smiled and clapped.

"Well done, Bee. You fooled us all, and out of guilt, you confessed your crimes. I never thought you had it in you."

"I… I can't believe it!" Tikal cried.

"What? What CAN'T you believe?!"

"The fact that Charmy and Espio were so close… and yet… and yet, Espio confined in him so much to the point where he kills one of his good friends!"

"That's WHY it turned out that way. Because they were so close, Espio knew that Charmy would take the fall, likely as one final way to get back at all of us. He essentially, used the bee as his bait, and the bee took it. Charmy used that trust to kill all of us! He used his trust to deceive him, and to deceive us. Coming from you, this is a little nasty, no?"

"No, stop! I ain't gonna let ANY of you go further!" Vector said as he turned around, before Egg Robo stopped him.

"Ah ah ah… you aren't getting out of your seat, Mr. Vector!" he said. "If you really need to go to the bathroom, then go on yourself!"

"That ain't why… oh, forget it!" he growled, returning to his seat. "Charmy, listen to me: I wanna go over to ya and slap the ever lovin' shit outta yeh. I dunno what's gotten on yer mind, but why… why are ya doin' this?! Ya KNOW yer lyin'!"

I refused to answer.

"Don't you see, Vector? He's not answering you because he's lying. He's not answering you because he doesn't want you to feel any kind of guilt, knowing that he's soon to join Espio," Wave smirked.

"Oh really? And what makes ya so certain?"

"You're REALLY not going to say he wouldn't kill a close friend? You don't get it. Frankly, you, that bee, AND that chameleon never got it. Friendship, love, trust… those words mean NOTHING in this world. This game is one of mistrust and survival, not one of believing in others. Not one person here would sacrifice themselves for another. It's an Me vs Them scenario, for ALL of us here. Just like how this bee killed Espio to save himself."

"I'm still not convinced."

"For being a detective, you must be a very dense one."

"Dun misunderstand me, I ain't doin' this cause Charmy is mah friend. I'm doin' this cause he knows he's lyin', and wants to pass off a lie as a truth. There's still one more mystery."

Silver gasped. "Oh! Oh oh oh! It's the locked room, isn't it?!"

Wave scoffed. "Well, let's ask him: Why? Why would he do it? We heard HOW he did it, but not why."

I felt everyone's eyes on me.

"Let's start with that. How did you make the locked room if we established that no one could get out?"

I felt my heart jump when she said that. I didn't… I didn't think that far! I started to stumble on my words.

"I-I… uh… erm…"

I could see everyone continuing to stare at me. Now I was more afraid than ever. Is now the perfect time to back down and admit everything?

…

No…

Espio's face flashed in my mind.

I had to do it…

I had to do it for him… even if it means I'm taken down…

"I… I created the sealed room by pulling the chair blocking it closer to the door as I shut it. Espio, who was still holding his stomach, was able to weakly push the chair in place, where he would fall in the same place where we found his body."

"How is that even possible? Is there even enough space between yeh and the door?" Vector asked.

"Of course there was. And thanks to Espio… we were able to seal the dojo up together!"

I could feel tears stinging my eyes as I looked at the angered Vector.

"I dun believe ya."

"Well MAYBE you should!"

"If ya think this is how things should be, if ya think this is what Espio wants-"

"THIS IS WHAT ESPIO WANTS! DON'T PUT WORDS IN HIS MOUTH!"

Everyone was silent as Tikal, Silver, Rosie, and Wave alternated between staring at me and then Vector.

"…I dun think I'm puttin' anythin' in his mouth. I think yeh are, fer some ungodly reason. "

"Choose not to believe me, I don't care. I thought I could trust you again."

"And I thought I could do the same. But no, yer back to lyin' again. Maybe that speaks a lot 'bout who yeh are?"

I stopped. I felt my throat tighten as I grasped onto my stand.

"Yo, he looks like he's gonna snap the stand in half!" Silver said. "Oh, wrong time?"

"…Charmy? If it's fine, can you please tell us more? I think… I think even if Vector doesn't believe you, we deserve to hear the full story…" Tikal added. I nodded as Vector turned to face the echidna.

"Dun feed into his lies!" he said.

"But V-Vector! Maybe there'll be a hidden clue in something he says! Not something that says 'he did it'!."

"He can try all he wants, but he can't escape fate," Wave smirked

"The fact that he can only vaguely explain how he did it, and the fact that it doesn't make sense is why I question it," the crocodile replied.

"Oh, don't make me laugh. You're REALLY trying to tell me Charmy didn't do it? He even knows about the tea mug and WHY exactly it was broken. You have no such answer, do you?"

"First, just cause I don't doesn't mean that Charmy is the culprit. And second, what yeh said about Charmy not doin' it, what would yeh do if I told ya I do believe he didn't do it?"

"The fact that you actually want to defend him, the fact that you so BLATENTLY ignore facts should prove how incompetent you are for someone who always demands that you be the center of attention in these trials, like you know ALL the answers and that everyone should bow to your will. Well, let me make this clear to you, Vector the Crocodile. Nothing you say or do will convince me that Charmy is innocent."

"But are you sure, Wave?" Tikal asked. "I don't want to believe it but… it doesn't fit."

"What doesn't fit?!"

"Charmy… Tell us about the shard."

"Th-The what?" I said, confused at what she was asking.

"If you shattered the mug over Espio's head… why would you leave the shard on his body? It makes it seem like you WANTED to get caught, no?"

My heart jumped as my mouth turned dry. I wanted to speak up but… but my arguments were becoming weaker.

"I-I didn't notice! I must have dropped a piece! I mean, I was quick to pick up the shards so I don't think I got them all!"

"Ya didn't notice?" Vector asked.

"Y-Yeah!"

The crocodile glared me, and that was proof that he knew if I wasn't lying before, I was DEFINELTY lying now.

"…Charmy, do somethin' fer me; Go into more detail."

"M-More detail? How come?!" I argued back. "That doesn't matter!"

"Charmy, we have to know… please…" Tikal said. I looked at her and sighed.

"Fine… what do you want to know?"

"We need to know what ya did with two things: the tea cup and the kunai ya 'apparently' killed Espio with. I need ya to talk 'bout that a little more," Vector replied.

"Waste your time all you want, it's clear that Charmy is the culprit. There's NOBODY else who could have done it," Wave retorted back at the crocodile.

"I need ya to start with the moment that yeh arrived in the dojo with the tea mug and the bag."

"W-Well…" I began. "As I said, Espio got on his knees, and he told me to shatter the mug over his head while it was in the plastic bag. After doing that, I had dropped the bag on the floor and let some shards fall. I was able to pick most of them up, and as for the knife… well, it's as I said, I stabbed it into him and basically let him finish his own job…"

"…that story is weird though."

"Huh?!"

"Yeh've been sayin' this whole time that ya shattered the mug over his head WHILE it was in the bag. And, also, that ya stabbed the kunai into his stomach, and let him commit sepukku on his own, no?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"…there's a few factors where that doesn't make sense. Didn't ya notice how we found shards of the mug on the back of his head? And not to mention… there weren't any other shards around his body?"

"W-What?!"

"Jeez, what's wrong with you, Veckroc? You sure are being a pushy right now!" Rosie said.

"It'll be the same thing no matter HOW many times you hear it. How long will you be satisfied, croc?!" Wave questioned. She brought up a good question… How long? How long could it be until I'm forced to drop this?

MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT

"When I encountered Espio, he gave me his room key and told him to get a kunai from his room. When I returned, he was already in the dojo. That's when I gave it to him and he asked me to kill him," I began. "But first he told me to attack him with the cup to numb the pain, so I did so. And then after, I attacked him."

"But if ya did, why did you keep the kunai in his stomach? Ya know that if yeh take out a knife from a stab wound, it'll kill someone faster," Vector replied.

"Because... because Espio told me to!"

"You sound more and more nervous. Tell me, what exactly did Espio say?" Silver asked.

"I'll tell you."

"Huh?"

"Well, more like show you."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the blank sheet of paper. I still wasn't sure what EXACTLY this was for but… from the look on Vector's face, even he didn't know about this.

"W-What?"

"It's on this note! Espio said he wrote it in a special marker that makes it clear!"

"Special marker…"

I grinned, knowing I had him down. But one look at Vector showed me that... he wasn't going to be beaten.

"If so, where is the special marker?" he asked.

"Huh?!"

"The marker. Where is it?"

"I… I… I just… I don't…"

"W-Wouldn't that mean Espio wrote the message? He would know what it was!" Wave said, sounding… surprisingly frantic.

"Why would anyone assume the marker to write this supposed 'message' would be hidden? That would only make it more suspicious. Nah, I doubt anythin' was even WRITTEN on that letter to begin with!"

I froze, dropping the paper.

"Wait a minute… Charmy! What's the meaning of this?!" Wave exclaimed.

"I… I don't… I don't know!" I replied.

"That's ENOUGH lyin' comin' from yer mouth," Vector replied. "Ya tried to make us think that yeh were the culprit, and while you used evidence that we haven't used yet, ya also proved to us that ya made up all these allegations on the spot. The evidence ya provided has nothing to do with it."

"Y-You see… Uh… Um…"

At this point, I lost. Nothing I could do could convince them that I was telling the truth about 'me being the murderer', they ALL knew I was lying. Everyone, except one person…

Wave grasped her hands on her stand as she looked more panicked and distraught by the second. "What the?! WHAT THE HELL?! What's going on here?!"

"It ain't just the evidence."

"WHAT?..."

"Before I explain that, I wanna submit some new evidence."

"New evidence? Impossible! That can't be! There's NO new evidence! Charmy was… Charmy was!"

I wouldn't lie, while I was caught red handed, it felt GREAT seeing Wave get her bout of karma.

"Are ya sure? Yer the one who suggested it after all," Vector grinned slyly, likely also enjoying Wave squirm to him.

"I… did?"

"His keys. Ya asked 'bout the keys earlier in the trial and where they were. Who wouldda thought that one throwaway line wouldda been behind it all?"

"Just say it already! What ABOUT the keys?!"

"No doubt, Espio SHOULDDA had his keys on his body. After all, it makes sense fer them to be there. But instead, all there is in his pocket… was just a small, tea cup shard. But isn't that ironic? It's almost like… Espio planned everything in his room in advance, the mug, his bag, in the off chance that no one would see, and we would find out what happened to him quicker. After all, if he didn't have his keys on him, how could a murderer go to his room?"

Both Wave and I gawked.

"N-No! I still… I still-" I said, before Vector hushed me.

"I said, that's enough from yeh. I'm talkin' to Wave here, which, by the way… Thank yeh fer helpin' me solve this mystery. Who wouldda thought we'd work so well together?"

I could see Wave's face flush pink in both anger and embarrassment as she slammed her fist on her stand. "Damn… damn you! Look, I'll admit it doesn't work like that, but there's still no explanation of what happened to his keys!"

"Charmy, did ya see his keys anywhere while yeh were investigatin' his room?"

"D-Did I?" I asked.

"Answer the question. TRUTHFULLY."

"N-No."

"Then that settles it. Espio had the keys neither on his body nor out on the open in his room. IF he had them like that, that would mean a killer would go there, ASSUMIN' that his room was open. Considerin' how airtight we are 'bout security, is that what you REALLY want to do?"

"Oh COME ON! Listen to yourself!" Wave exploded. "How?! How can you know what I don't know! It had to have been there when Charmy went! It had to have been in there the whole time!"

It wasn't an argument, but…

"No, that's wrong!"

"Y-You!"

"How would you explain it then? Is it like Vector said? Where you'd assume that his door was open this whole time? Is that how killers work? They might be smart, but not THAT smart."

"Don't belittle me you bastard!"

"What if I told you that I think… it is like what Vector said. He left the door open, and especially, left stuff such as the broken tea mug out. Why? I bet it had to do with the fact that only him could have access to it! As we said, with no key, no one ELSE could come in!"

"W-What?!"

"And… and this proves it…"

"No it doesn't! No it…"

Wave sighed.

"…so that's your explanation…"

"As long as the dojo was sealed, and that no one assumed that Espio's door was open, there was no sign of tamperin', no sign of anyone bein' there," Vector said as I stayed silent.

"Then if THAT'S the case, why don't we talk about… WHY he did it? You said he killed sepukku, but for WHAT reason?"

"…if I had to guess, it's because of everythin' that's happened. Not just what happened to Espio, but… how we've all been."

"You're saying he committed sepukku because of us? Such a ridiculous fairy tail… and…. And for you to say…!"

"That it's likely what happened?"

Wave was shocked but shut her mouth. She grabbed her arm, turning away from us.

"Then tell me… ugh, no… Tell us. Please… why?"

I could feel tears starting to fall down my face as I looked at her. "M-Me. I'll do it. I'll explain what happened. There was never a murder. I never did it. Neither Silver, nor Rosie, nor Wave did it. Espio's killer… was h-himself."

"M-Man, I know we established this but… damn, I still can't believe its suicide!" Silver exclaimed.

"I've been lost this whole time, trust me! You got one life after all, why waste it?" Rosie added.

Tikal could only cry in response, not even saying any words or anything. I felt her pain as she sobbed, trying my best to look tough. But…

"I… I…" I began to cry. "I didn't w-want to believe i-it either. But everything matches up. He barricaded himself in the dojo and committed sepukku. And he created the locked room himself."

"He did it so no one could stop him," Vector said solemnly. "And Charmy, ya tried to claim that yeh did it so that we'd stall behind on who did it, right? I'm sure even yeh don't wanna admit that Espio could even do such a thing."

I didn't even want to look at Vector. "I know… I did it. And… and… and I did it so… s-so we'd all be punished for letting Espio down…! He… he d-did so much and yet…!"

"Charmy. I know yer sad. I know it's fine to shed as many tears as yeh can. But… ya must end this. Now."

I wiped my nose, rubbed my eyes, and sniffed. "Y-You're right. I'll… I'll try… This… This is what happened…"

CLOSING ARGUMENT

"Alright… calm down, Charmy…" I said, taking a few deep breaths. "This case began earlier t-today when Espio asked Silver, Amy, and Wave to meet him at the Rec Room... Of the three people that Espio asked to meet with, Amy was the first one to arrive, going before anyone else. As a result, she hides in the locker in the Rec Room's locker. Inside the locker, she watched both Espio and Silver come into the Rec Room. It's there that Espio offers the candy to Silver, who accepts it. After this exchange, Espio makes his comment about it 'coming to an end', and Silver assumed that the comment was about him. He then proceeded to pick up the bottle with the knight chess piece in it and smashed it over Espio's head."

"After realizing what he's done, Silver concluded that he must have killed Espio. So, to cover what he did, he tried his best to what he did, not by cleaning up the pieces of the bottle, but instead, forging Amy's name on a magazine to make it seem like she did it, and that it was a dying message from Espio. After Silver ran away, Amy came out of the locker, both in shock and in anger over what Silver did. So, she put the magazine back so no one could find it, only… she put it upside down. Just as Amy was about to leave, Espio finally wakes up from his attack. This in turns, frightens Amy, who collapses."

"When she woke up, it wasn't Amy who awoke, but it was Rosie who did. Upon Rosie seeing Espio, she also panicked, attacking Espio for the se-second time with another bottle from the shelf. This explains the wounds on Espio's head, and the remaining glass flakes on his head. Unlike Silver though, Rosie assumed that Espio WAS dead this time, and she tried to clean up what she did. Disposing the evidence, she gathered the bottle shards and the queen chess piece and threw both out. This ALSO explains how Espio was attacked. After his attacks though, Espio was still alive. So, how did Espio die?"

"After crawling to the Dojo, Espio created a locked room by covering the handle of the dojo with a chair, Espio got on his knees, and using one of his kunai knives, and… and co-committed… committed sepukku… With his door left open, and the mug in his room shattered, the only thing left of Espio was the body in the middle of the dojo, leading to Tikal, Vector, and myself to uncover the body."

As I was wrapping up my closing argument, I hadn't even began to notice the tears that had fallen onto the stand. My hands shook as I looked at the others. "A-And that's the truth… Silver… never ki-killed him… Rosie never killed h-him… I ne-never killed him… H-He took his own life! That's the truth!"

It was too much for me, and I covered my face with my hands, sobbing.

"H-How could this be? Why…?!" Tikal sobbed. "W-Why would he do this?!..."

"How were you able to… How were you able to fool us… To fool ME?!" Wave questioned.

"Doncha get it?" Vector asked. "Humanity doesn't act accordin' to the strict rules of one's own self. That's what makes us all different. Yeh saw Charmy, and fer that matter, this case, under yer own two lenses. That's why ya couldn't solve this case, and if yeh refuse to accept that, yer NEVER gonna solve a case on yer own."

"Gh-!"

"See? Didn't I tell yeh before? Dismiss other people's feelin's, and karma will come back to bite yeh. What was it that yeh said? That yeh'd avoid every opportunity fer it to reach ya? Well, how's that workin' out fer ya? Did it go over smooth?"

Wave growled, staring at Vector with daggers in her eyes.

Suddenly, Egg Robo chimed in. "Okay okay okay, for Gaia's sake, I've had enough melodrama! I've watched about an hour of soap operas while you all were debating, and it was still more entertaining than anything you provided! You all made your point, yada yada… Hey, did you all forget you STILL haven't voted yet?!"

"Oh yeah, that's right," Vector replied.

"Y-You actually forgot?! Man… I feel depressed that you'd do such a thing… Ugh, whatever, you all don't have a choice anyway, so even if you don't want to, I'm going to forward your complaint to the next mouse trap for you to put your finger on and get ready to cast your vote! Now… what will it be? Will you make the right choice or wrong choice? What's it gonna be?! Oooh, I can't wait to see!"

And so, as usual, for the fifth time, our stands turned into seventeen levers with our pictures on it. I grabbed the lever with Espio's face on it and pulled it. Like the last four times, once everyone was done, the 'Egg Robo VOTE' slot machine displayed the same thing as with last time, only this time, when the reels of the machine began to slow down, it stopped on a triple of Espio's picture. 'GUILTY' was displayed in L.E.D. lights as rings shot from the machine. The slot machine rose up... and we knew that it was over...

But what did this mean? Espio killed himself, so…

How could he be a blackened?

CLASS TRIAL #5

END

As we all got off of our stands and Egg Robo appear, Vector started walking up to me.

"V-Vector… I-"

I couldn't get another word out before Vector slapped me as hard as he could, throwing me to the ground. I fell with an 'oomph' onto the hard ground, getting up to face the angry crocodile.

"What… in Gaia's name…" he bellowed. "Made yeh think the way ya acted in this trial was okay?!"

"I-It's because… it's because of Espio!" I argued back.

"Don't give me that shit! What, yeh WANT us all to die?!"

"You don't get that privilege…" Egg Robo sighed. "Yeah, it's true. Espio killed himself. Alright Mr. Vector, Imma head out…"

"I ain't gonna let yeh go until CHARMY gives us an answer! Why?!"

"Yeah, we almost died there!" Silver argued back. I looked at him as the silver hedgehog clearly backed away, afraid by the face I was making.

"Shut up! THIS IS PARTIALLY YOUR FAULT!"

"Answer the damn question, ya brat!" Vector said, pointing at me.

"Alright, you want the truth?! It's because it's w-what I wanted!" I could feel tears stinging my eyes for the umpteenth time again. "T-The reason Espio died… is because we all pushed him into a corner! That's why… I couldn't let him be the only one to die! I wasn't going to let you all get away with hurting him or b-bad mouthing him!"

"And that suddenly makes it okay?"

"And that TOTALLY means you wanted to take us down with you?!" Rosie question. "Oh wow, how bold of you, Chimcharm!"

"We have to atone for everything we've done…" I continued. "The fact that we did all of this to Espio, the fact that he thinks taking his life is easier… We all killed him… E-Even…. Even me…"

"FOR REAL?!" Silver exclaimed.

"B-But Charmy! What… what have we exactly done?!" Tikal cried. I pulled out the note I got from Espio's room, where Egg Robo noticed it.

"Oh, you found THAT?" he asked. "What if I told you that little note has a little message? A little message like… this?"

Egg Robo used his arm to shine a UV light onto the paper, revealing writing on the paper that I couldn't see before.

"The brutality of what I've witnessed over these past few days has made me desperate. I'd rather take my own life than wait to be killed. It's the most honorific task a ninja can do."

"Don't you get it? Don't you get how desperate we made Espio over these days? This… This was really Espio's suicide note. And he left us thinking that we had become so ridden with hate that it was useless trying to reason anymore."

"T-That reminds me of something…" Tikal said, crying. "After I was attacked by Rosie and I followed him. I… I tried to calm him down, but he refused to do so. He said I was suffering now, and so was Charmy… and that he couldn't forgive himself for letting the ones he cared about getting hurt. He said it was all his responsibility and assumed we'd all kill each other."

"That… he thought he was responsible! He thought this was all his fault! Don't you get it? Espio wanted to forgive them, right?"

Tikal nodded. "He wanted to talk… to them. I-I tried to dissuade him but… he said they weren't his enemy, but his friends just like me, Charmy, and Vector."

"Then see?! You three; if you only talked to him, you would have understood! B-But no! You didn't! You all sh-shunned him, and he was only trying to talk to you! You attacked him, you verbally abused him, and… a-and you caused him to end his own life, thinking any kind of rationality between h-his friends was as good as dead!"

"N-No!" Silver objected, shaking his hands. "It was… it was a misunderstanding!"

"What misunderstanding?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW, YOU IDIOT?! YOU FUCKING ATTACKED HIM, YOU BASTARD… Do you not care about how desperate he was, or do you only regret it now because he's actually dead?!"

I could see Silver shrink more and more by the second.

"Espio had weaknesses too. He's a person like us all… but that's normal! Even if he had his weakness, he tried his best to work around it! We ALL have that! And yet… and yet because he wasn't perfect, you all blamed him, thinking he'd be the next blackened and that he'd betray us! I tried to protect him, we just only became more divided, and yet-"

"Charmy," Vector said, trying to stop me.

"LET ME FINISH!"

Vector slapped me in response. "Is this what ya want?! Yer foolishness getting' us killed?!"

"We… we… w-we all killed him!... All of us!... We pushed h-him into a corner and murdered h-him! People like u-us… we shouldn't exist!..."

By then, I could no longer form sentences, as my crying turned to sobbing. I collapsed onto the ground, not caring if I had my hands over my face and bawling like a baby.

"That's… why you tried to lead us astray…" Wave said in between my sobs. "You tried your best to make us come to a false conclusion, first by claiming that we had done it, and then it was revealed that neither myself, Silver, or Rosie was responsible, you went for the next best thing: yourself."

I nodded. Tikal walked up to me and I hugged the echidna girl, burying my face in her shoulder. She said nothing, only rubbed my back like my mom used to do when I got hurt as a kid. Suddenly, as if to interrupt the moment…

"I'm sorry to interrupt this scene of pure tearjerker-ness, but…" Egg Robo said. "But it's taking so long! I mean, it's so irritating just listening to you cry! Maybe THIS is why you're one of the most irritating characters in the canon! You cry fountains and just annoy people! I mean, do you REALLY think you know what Espio was thinking as he died?"

I lifted my face and stared at the robot, my face still wet but now hurting and aching. "W-What did you say?"

"Everything you said is just interpretation, right? It's what you THINK the suicide note says, right?"

"Are you saying I'm a liar?! Read this! Read this and tell me I'm wrong!"

"I have no need to tell you. The foundation is already shaky as is!"

"Huh?..."

Egg Robo pulled out another piece of paper from his coat, holding it out to me. "What if it was like this?"

"W-What's that?..."

"Isn't it obvious? It's a suicide note. It's ESPIO's suicide note."

"B-But I have his!"

"Oh ho ho ho! You think that was REAL?! Oh, I'm going to die laughing! No, I wrote that all on my own! No, this is addressed to Charmy and Vector, but it does involve the rest of you too!"

"Y-You… you LIED to me!"

"Oh, don't say lie! It sounds so dirty! I thought it was going to make things more interesting! I WAS right, no? Besides, you took it at face value! It didn't even have Espio's neato signature on it too!"

"You filthy!-"

"Ah ah ah! Don't use that word on me! I didn't do anything! Did I falsify evidence? Did I affect the outcome of the class trial? NO! I did neither of those! The case happened and you all solved it! So, what's the problem?"

"Well tell us, what did he write?" Vector asked, getting closer to the robot.

"Jeez, no need to walk towards me like I'm pray! This isn't the world of carnivores meet herbivores! But since you asked nice…I'll read it out in my best, non-smoking voice! Before I do that, I kinda wanna ask… what's with the whole thing about suicide notes? Wouldn't you want to die being forgotten by everyone and with your secrets with you? Besides, suicides are boring! You can't hear their stories, their truth is lost in darkness, and all this crap that make me bored!"

"Get on with it!"

"Okay okay, fine! I'll read it! Kids, are you reading along? Ahem…"

And with that, he began.

"To my caring friends, Charmy and Vector,

I'm sorry.

I write this message to tell you something I've been dreading to tell you two since the day we first met. It's been a truth I've been scared about you all finding out.

As you know surely by now, I have been providing information to the one who has imprisoned us here. After our first night here, the mastermind of this game came to see me. You must understand that the mastermind took control of my clan's, the Shinobi, dojo and demanded that for it to be returned to its rightful owners, that I must become the tool of the mastermind. For the rest of you, I imagine that a dojo is just a dojo, nothing to get worked up over. But, to myself and the rest of the Shinobi Clan members, the dojo is our home, and the only remaining relic of our 300-year-old history. I could never let my dojo be destroyed, so even if it meant my own life, even if I meant I had to commit unspeakable acts, I had to protect it.

At least, that's how I first saw it.

Because that was my greatest weakness; giving into the mastermind. And by doing so, I let the mastermind order me to commit nothing but murder. They were worried that unless the first murder happened, then nothing WOULD happen. The mastermind believed we'd all work together to find a way out. However, neither of us expected the first incident to involve Cream. The plan changed from there. He went from telling me to commit the first murder… to hold off until we found another stalemate.

But as I lived here with you all… As I lived here with people like Tikal, and ESPECIALLY you two, Vector and Charmy… my resolve began to weaken. When I watched everyone fight with such despair, when I learned that Charmy had punched Wave, or that Rosie attacked Tikal with her hammer… I saw the weakness of my own heart. I realized my mistake in putting faith into the mastermind, and more than anything…

I would never betray the ones I call my friend. The life of a ninja means to protect our allies, no matter how broken or damaged we are. That's how I came to feel…"

"That's why… that's why Espio betrayed you…" I said to Egg Robo.

"Well duh! And because of that, I got my revenge by spilling his secret! And that made everyone hate him! He wanted to stay true to himself, and guess what that got him? Hatred against his peers! It's like he filmed some kinda cringy viral video and everyone mocked him for it! That kind of hatred! Ho ho ho! Ironic isn't it? Now, let me continue…"

"Of course, I completely understand why you'd all either suspect me or hate me. For that, I cannot blame you. I would suspect you if I was in your shoes. If you attack me, I will take it with grace. I will not fight back. This is my atonement for betraying you, and nothing I can say or do will likely get you all to change your mind. I've come to accept that now. But that isn't enough. Nothing can be done by accepting your hatred. My own situation was meant to be for me and for me only, not for you all to be dragged into this. It's exactly what the mastermind wanted when they revealed by betrayal. It brought suspicion, disharmony, and soon, the mastermind knew that someone would end up killing regarding our situation. I… I could never bear that happening. Your lives were not on my shoulders, and yet… I'm still responsible for that."

"I have an obligation to fulfill, and so I'll do what the mastermind wants me to do. I'll kill, but it won't be any of my friends. It'll be myself. If the mastermind wants me to kill someone, then fine. That someone shall be me. My dojo will be safe, my clan will be safe, and you all will be safe. When I die by honor, my blood will soak into the flowers and enrich the earth below, causing new life to form from where I bled. Cherry blossoms will fly, signaling my descent to the heavens above us. Most important, the source of conflict dies with me. If it means you all stop fighting, if it means that you all gain the hope to defeat the mastermind once and for all, then I will accept my death. If it can save you, then I will gladly die with honor, knowing I fulfilled my life for such a great purpose. Whatever you think of me, Vector, Charmy, Wave, Silver, Tikal, and Amy… and the ones who died before us, you all were the most treasured friends I've had, and you've taught me that a life of solitude means nothing when I have you all to be with."

"E-Espio… did all of that… he didn't hate us…" I said, already feeling emotional yet again. "He only did this to… stop us from fighting… to protect us.."

Vector looked at me then at Egg Robo. "He did this not cause he was weak… it's cause his own strength told him that sacrificin' himself would lead to a better outcome than lettin' things play out naturally. To sacrifice so much… only a ninja could be capable of doin' that. It was his strength that made it possible," he said.

I was back to crying again, but then Egg Robo continued, and what he said…

Tore me up even more.

"Finally, before I end this, I want to personally apologize to you, Charmy.

Of everyone here that I feel like would be most affected by my demise, I feel like you would be the likely one. Hearing how you attacked Wave over her insulting me, hearing how you were upset after Rosie attacked Tikal over me, I knew you would likely be someone who would take your anger out on someone, and I needed to prevent that as quick as possible. Even me dying would be something I know you'd do your best to prevent, and once you're reading this, I guarantee you'll do everything for me to be 'avenged'. But please don't make it out like that. This is all of my choice, not of anyone else's. And while this is my choice, please understand it. I didn't want it to be taken this far, and… and I feel guilty for having done so. But what is done must be done. If I've caused you pain, I'm sorry. If I've hurt you, I'm sorry. There's only so many times I can apologize, but if you feel like you cannot forgive me… then I understand.

If you can find this note, please use it to end the class trial as quickly as possible. I don't want any one of you to suffer a grueling execution. I'm so sorry for leaving the task of stopping the mastermind to you all, but I've done the best I can do. Please, leave my regards and words to Wave, Silver, and Amy on my behalf. I can't tell anyone this, which is why I've opted to write this down. I'll do my best to help you all stop the mastermind, but once my purpose is done, even after death, it's you six who will rise to the top.

And Vector… my dear, beloved friend…

Please, I know if Charmy does something drastic, please don't take your anger out on him. You must understand that Charmy does come from a place of vulnerability and emotion. I don't wish to defend what he does, but please, remember to always treat him with love and respect. He's your friend too like I was with you.

I never saw all of you my enemies. You were only ever my friends who I wanted to help as much as possible.

Vector… Charmy… no matter what, please survive with everyone else. It makes me upset that I can't join you in the end, but if you have each other, then I know I'll be happy, even in death.

"I… I thought… I didn't understand how he felt…" I quietly sobbed. "I thought we were close but… but…!"

"But in the end…" Egg Robo said. "It was all pointless! Just a bunch of meddling that led NOWHERE! He died so you wouldn't kill each other and be torn apart, but look what happened? You guys did that anyway! Aren't you glad that Espio died for such a stupid cause? One half of you hates each other, the other half isn't grateful at all! Thanks to you all, his death meant NOTHING! In fact, it's BECAUSE of his stupid meddling that you all died! Go on! Be mad! Everyone blame him, starting right NOW!"

We were all silent.

"Well? Go on! Blame him! Otherwise… we can go on deciding the next victim!"

I wiped my eyes as I looked at Egg Robo. The anger I felt towards Wave, Silver, and Amy washed away. Now, my anger was directed at…

Him.

"What do you mean, next victim?" I said. "I'm… I'm done blaming…"

"Done blaming? Weren't you blaming three people for killing Espio?"

"Trick me with a fake note, go ahead. I don't care. I can acknowledge that I blamed them. Sure, it's wrong of me to do it. But that note made me realize one thing about being wrong… That Espio's death wasn't a waste! That Espio was right about me not blaming… blaming my friends!"

"Your… friends?" Silver asked. "I thought you like… really hated us now?"

"Espio's note… it gave me a wake-up call. The wake-up call I needed to remind me that we aren't enemies that hate each other! Even if we disagree, even if we have different values from one another, we're friends who need to work together!"

"Yeah, he's right! And man, am I happy to not be blamed! Being mad at others and displaying hatred, how can someone live like that? I don't blame Espio! Heck, I don't blame Charmy too! If Espio was my close friend, I'd be mad too!"

"Bwuagh?!" Egg Robo questioned as I got in his face.

"Whether there was a spy or not…" I said. "It never mattered, because the one we're trying to destroy… the one Espio put EVERYTHING on the line to help us out with…

I pointed at him. "…is you! No one else!"

"What do you mean? This isn't how it's supposed to go!"

Tikal put her foot down. "Yes it is! It's just not how YOU want it! The power of love and friendship transcends all, and even if we have a hard time displaying that love… we're connected by one goal! And it's defeating you!"

"Yuck, friendship speeches at a time like this? Gaia, I REALLY wanna die now! Besides, are you two SURE of that? This killing game is a competition between all of you, is it not? Your enemy is each other!"

"Unfortunately, he's right about that," Wave replied, arms crossed.

"Ahh, lovely sweet Wave! You understand, don't you! You're so lovely that you even signed this mock waiver saying you'd participate that I just made up!" Egg Robo handed Wave a piece of paper. She looked at it, and then back at us.

"I've said this before, but this game is a life or death game. The only way to survive is to win. Those are the only rules we have… Which is why…"

Wave ripped the sheet of paper and threw the scraps back at Egg Robo.

"…I no longer want part in this game," she grinned.

"Wh-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Egg Robo screamed.

"Espio and Charmy were both willing to sacrifice their own lives to deny the reality of this game after being backed into a corner. Thanks to that, it seems that all of us have cast aside the fear we once had about this game. That means there's no point in participating in something that isn't a rush of excitement to win in. That's why I want no part in it. Heck, give me a wrench and I might just unscrew all the bolts on the windows myself."

"B-Bu-But! You're a Babylon Rogue! You care more about winning than ANYTHING!"

"On the contrary, Jet is the one who cared more about winning. I made him happy by winning. But what you don't understand is that winning is just more than reaching first place. You don't win just by dumb luck, there's factors you must put into it as well. If you don't do that, then you fail to win."

"You lost me now! Get to the point!"

"Multiple motives have been given to us, and yet we all stand here in the end. If it is us that's been selected to defeat you, so be it. We shall win not because of me, not because of Espio, not because of Vector, but by our hands, and… yes, dare I say, even the hands of the ones who've fallen here! Our new goal is this: to heap the harshest punishment possible on the one who thinks they can control me."

"And me!" Silver added.

"Don't forget me as well!" Tikal continued.

"Eh, my Darling Shiruba is the only one I care about, so if he tells me not to kill and to defeat you all, guess I'm going along with you guys too!" Rosie said.

"W-Wave!... Does this mean?..." I asked before she cut me off.

"Don't get me wrong. You might have inspired me to do one of your dumb speeches, but I haven't been moved by thoughtless sentimentalism. I'm just doing what's best, even if it means I have to drag you all along with me."

"E-Everyone!..."

Vector walked up to Egg Robo and smirked at him. "See, Egg Robo? Go ahead: say that Espio died fer nothin'. I dare yeh. If even Wave was moved… that should prove to yeh that nothin' yeh'll say will work anymore."

Egg Robo huffed. "Hmph, how boring! I don't want it to be happy go lucky fun time anymore! Nothing good should be coming out of this, so I should be the one having the happy go lucky fun time, not you chumps!"

"Fun time?..." Silver asked.

"You heard me! Time to get rid of all this good vibes I'm getting from you all and rip it down with cold hard despair and get back on track! Because it's PUNISHMENT time!"

"P-Punishment?!" Rosie questioned. "But uh… Espio killed himself. There's no punishment! What, ya just gonna punish the portrait? I call woodchipper execution!"

"Y-You're not gonna…" I said, fear chilling my blood as I realized that I was the one who had nearly messed everything up. "I-Is it me?!"

"Heavens, NO!" Egg Robo said. "Just because you've been a bad boy during the trial and the blackened killed themselves doesn't mean I can sub in any ol' student I feel like! I'm very particular to my rules after all! But… aw… I spent so much time coming up with my punishment, I don't want it to be in vain! So instead, none of you are gonna be executed. Instead… it's going to be a very special guest!"

"Special guest?"

"You heard it right! Now get ready and let's give it everything we've got cause it's PUNISHMENT TIME!"

We were all confused as Egg Robo vanished. We looked around to see one of the walls opening up and the floor under our feet moving quickly to take us to where this mystery execution sight was. But when we arrived and saw what it was…

The room around a large grassy hill was completely pitch black as a pile of stone tikis rose from the ground. On the tiki was a laptop which was just turned on, displaying Ditz's screen. The room around Ditz lit up as the grassy hill was bright and shiny, but grew pitch black when Egg Robo flew above Ditz with a wrecking ball underneath a floating machine. The wrecking ball hung above Ditz, almost as if it were a disaster zone waiting to happen. The machine lowered slightly as the tip of the ball touched the top part of the laptop, gently making contact.

Egg Robo raised up his machine, swinging the ball…

Execution:

The Green Hill Mobile-H Blast

…and it made contact with the laptop, sticking onto it like a piece of tape as the wrecking ball quickly moved like a pendulum, crashing the laptop into pieces as it hit the wall. Bits of plastic and motherboard fell from the laptop as it continued to swing, the crunch of materials being heard with each contact of the wall. After about a minute of turning the laptop into nothing more than a jumble of trash, the laptop was left on the stone tiki where it once lay as Egg Robo put a fake moustache that looked like his own on it, tumbling the stone tiki as it and Ditz fell to the ground in a pile of trash.

"Y-You!" I said once we finally left the execution sight, a smug look on Egg Robo's face.

"OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Silver exclaimed, hands on the side of his face. "You absolutely SUCK, man! You turned Ditz into a mangled hunk of junk!"

"Ditz? Is THAT its name? Bah! Now I'm GLAD I got rid of it with a dumb name like that! It took a lot out of me though, so maybe I should enjoy some protein once I go on and get! Ho ho ho!"

I only stared at Egg Robo with malice. I was reminded of what Ditz was telling us before we last saw them. They knew how dangerous it would be, and yet… and yet! They still wanted to do it!

Why… Why did it turn out like this?

Anger filled my body as I had to stop myself from lunging at Egg Robo. "You! How DARE you hurt my friend?!"

"Friend? FRIEND?! OH HO HO HO HO HOOOOOOOOOOO! Are you really THAT pathetic that a computer is your friend! Man, what a total NEET! Next thing I know, you'll be telling me that you wanna marry this Ditz thing!"

"Shut the hell up! Ditz was more than laptop, it was our friend!"

"Look kid, a laptop doesn't have a soul. Sure, you might be sad about yours dying, but can't you just get a new one? Besides, it's why hardware companies exist! Their products break down, so you don't question it and buy new things and get excited for new things! Well, call it whatever you want, I don't care. It got in my way, so I wanted it out of my life! It was trying to find things out all sneaky sneaky…"

"Just as I thought…" Vector said. "Ya finally noticed him."

"FINALLY? Oh no no no, I knew about it from the very beginning! I knew it was Tails', but why the heck would I leave a laptop for it to gather dust? Nope, I left it out for you guys to… play solitaire or whatever! Besides, who else do you think left the laptop and the charger? Gaia?"

"So it was yeh who left it out…"

"Of course! I knew eventually you'd find Ditz so I let you have your little fun with it! But I wasn't expecting you all to connect to my private server! No no! No one goes in there to see what I have, not my private email server, not my secret pictures of me, no one! Besides, you'd all find out the truth anyway so… why not give you a head start? It's a reward from me!"

Ditz wanted to help us, no matter the cost. And just like Espio… Ditz took the fall for us.

"Ho ho ho… now I'm feeling a bit better! Sad I couldn't punish something living but hey, what can you do? Mope about it? Nope! It reminds me that every low can get lower!"

"No, it doesn't," I said. "Everyone who's died so far, they make us stronger! I SWEAR, we'll all get our revenge!"

"Wow, Charmy sure is getting scarier by the minute! And by scarier, I mean as scary as a Dark Chao! Which means to say… not scary at all! Anyway, it's time to bring everything to a close cause I'm sure getting tired now. But before that… I need read the postscript!"

Vector looked confused. "What postscript?"

"What, do you think I read everything on Espio's note? Nope! There's still quite a bit left! And if you excuse me, I wanna finish the rest of it! Do I have your attention! Because here comes the last part of Espio's note!"

"…Vector, Charmy, before I finish this, there's one more thing I must mention. Please tell this to the others when you can get the chance. Hopefully, it can be the start of you uncovering the last remaining truths of this zone. I've spoken with the mastermind on and off the whole time since my arrival, so I've learned one thing: The mastermind has done something to us. I think it's-"

"WHOAAAAAAA now, okay, I'm not gonna read that! That was way too close!" Egg Robo said. "Another word and I would have ruined the story for the readers! Too bad! Book report is finished for today! Now go on! Go!"

"You can't stop at the most important part!" Silver said. "The mastermind did what?!"

"It makes your brain tumble all rough doesn't it? Too bad those characters don't exist in this story! You're so mad you wanna yell and wanna beg me to know what it says, right? Well that's the point stupid! I'm not gonna let you know endgame spoilers this quick! This is for getting back at you for all the crap you put me through!"

"But at least Espio's note…" I said before getting cut off.

"Like I'd ever let the likes of someone like you get your grubby little mitts on it!"

"B-But!"

"Sucks to be you, LOSER!"

Egg Robo laughed as he read the note back to himself. Suddenly, he stopped as his eyes grew.

"W-What's this hogwash?!" he asked.

"What is it now?" Vector asked.

"There's one more line! And… and it's addressed to me!"

"Finally, let me say this to the mastermind: I'm not going to lay down and die. I will fight you, even in death, even if my body has rotten, you bastard. No matter what."

"What, Espio's just gonna come back like a zombie? But he's gonna be all shiny purple and does nothing but infect other people! He's not gonna be dangerous at all! I don't even fear him!" Egg Robo huffed. "What a stubborn loser!"

I grinned. The fact that Espio still wants to help us, no matter the circumstance… It really was like he was watching us from the sky…

"Well, whatever! Who cares about what a dead ninja has to say! I'm outtie! This chapter has gone on for way too long, and I'm just gonna bore the reader with all of these big words! Just remember! Try to get some rest and take some time to reconsider how you all view this zone life! Are you SURE you don't wanna graduate? Do you not care about getting out? Think about that tonight! Think about it long and hard!"

With that, Egg Robo finally vanished, leaving us to look at each other. But what was that about? What was Espio's last message? The mastermind did something to us?...

In fact, now that I think about it…

Didn't Vector say something similar after Blaze's trial?

But what was it? Was it physical? Was it mental? Am I missing a part of my body? I started feeling every part of my body, and it… felt like everything was there. So, what did the mastermind do? Is there like… a bomb in me? I once player a video game where that happened, and it was in this person's stomach. Do we all have one in there? I mean, my stomach doesn't LOOK stitched up so it can't be… But what happens if we leave the zone? If there was a bomb in there, would it explode the second we leave?!

Thought after thought plagued my mind as I scratched my head in confusion.

No, I must stop thinking like this! There's no way something like this would happen! And even if it did… it sounded too fake to be real!

Most importantly…

"Yo so… the trial is done with and Egg Robo's gone…" Silver said. "Now what?"

"What else can we do besides head back?" Wave asked. Before she could leave, I spoke up.

"Wait, Wave."

The swallow stopped.

"No, all of you."

"Oh, dial back your ego, bee. It doesn't suit you," she replied. "You could never pose a big mystery. I would have never lost that kind of challenge."

"What are you talking about? Vector was pretty much the one who tore him down," replied Silver.

"Shut up."

I continued, ignoring their banter. "Look I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been that way with you. Blaming you for what happened, trying to get us all killed…"

"You can apologize over and over, but what's done has been done. There's no erasing it. There's no need for constant apologies."

"I see what you mean… But look…"

"Ah ah ah. No. Espio died for us apparently, right? Stop pitying yourself. Not only are you muddying what he did, you're ignoring what he wanted."

I shut my mouth as I looked down at my feet. I could feel large footsteps walking my way as I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Vector, who just nodded.

And with one simple nod, we turned around and left.

Espio's class trial came to an end as we returned to Green Hills. I would like to say I got my good nights rest, as I returned to my room and got in bed after we got back.

But fate had other plans for me…

About an hour or two into my deep sleep, I swore I could hear…

A voice.

"…wa… ke… up… Wake up…"

"Huh?" I replied, rolling in my bed as the voice got me up. I wasn't sure who it belonged to: a boy? A girl? I wasn't even sure, but it only made me more confused as I tried my best to open my eyes. As I finally got them open, I was staring at green and beige through my blurry vision. Rubbing my eyes, I could see a familiar face.

"V-Vector?..." I asked in a daze.

"Yeah, it's me. Who else would it be?" he replied.

"H-Hunh?..."

"Uh, didn't ya listen?"

"So Vector is now Santa?.."

"I… wait a minute, huh?"

"ARRGHHHH, IT'S NOT A DREAM!?"

I quickly got up in bed, realizing I had taken off my jacket, I looked around it quickly as the crocodile stared at me like I was an enigma.

"Good mornin', I ain't Santa, but the world ended and we're the only ones left. Have mah children."

"W-What are you going on about?!"

"Messing with a sleepy yeh. Are ya enjoyin' it?"

"No, I'm frankly horrified!"

"Good."

I quickly got my jacket on as I sat on my bed, heart still racing.

"What about my door though?" I asked.

"Unlocked. Fer Gaia's sake, I thought ya kept it locked. Ya need to do better with that.'"

"Okay, mom. Sorry, I forgot."

"No need to overreact."

"What time is it anyway?"

"3 in the mornin'."

"Three in the… why are you up so early?!"

"I have energy, unlike yeh."

"That's besides the point… it's so late… what happened?..."

"I have a favor I wanna ask."

"Favor?"

"Remember what Espio said at the end of his note? The line 'bout how he'll fight Egg Robo, even in death? I wanna understand what he meant by that."

"Well, you can't ask him. He's dead."

"I know, which is why…"

Vector got closer as he whispered into my ear. I looked at him with bewilderment.

"The data center on the 4th floor, remember that?" he said.

"Huh?..."

"Meet yeh there."

Vector walked off as I was left speechless. What about the data center? What was there? And why did we need to go so early?!

After buzzing my way to the data center, I hoped that Egg Robo wouldn't catch me out for being late. I mean, not that it wasn't against the rules or anything…

As I flew across the halls, I could hear the buzz of electricity coming from the lights. Every time I heard that buzz, I felt uncomfortable. It was like being in a dark alley, a streetlight shining below you and buzzing while you stare at a large silhouette of someone or… something…

Ignoring the goosebumps on my arms, I finally reached the data center. When I arrived however, Vector was nowhere to be found.

"Hm? He's not here? I wonder where he is…" I said to myself. I buzzed over to the data center and tried to open the door, only for the doorknob to rattle.

"Damn, locked. Where is he?"

I tried again, but to no avail.

"What was is that he said? Data center on the-"

My thoughts were interrupted as Egg Robo popped up in front of me, scaring the living daylights out of me. I won't lie: I screamed like a little girl.

"Oh HO! Up late AND screaming like you just saw that your favorite clothing store has a sale? What are YOU doing here, Mr. Charmy?" the robot asked.

"I… Uh… I can explain!"

"Oh, you can explain? Surely you weren't about to break into the data center, WERE you?! After all, you remember the rules about breaking down doors! It's a big no no!"

"Y-Yeah yeah, of course I remember! It's just-"

"Sure sure, you DIDN'T bust in, but… I know that! I'm not blind! I have a pair of eyes you know! It LOOKED like you were about to break in, so I decided to be nice and try to stop you before you tried doing it… So don't do it! Or, maybe you were sleepwalking? Or sleep buzzing in your case! Geez, don't you kids sleepwalk to get a piece of pie anymore?"

"N-No, nothing like that!"

"Then WHY were you up! I was in the middle of my oatmeal bath before heading to bed! I get tired too you know!"

"How can you take a bath if you're a robot… oh never mind."

"Stop being weird and go back to bed! I know it's not against the rules, but heaven knows what you'll do after hours!"

"Ah, there you are. What's wrong?"

Both Egg Robo and I turned our heads to face Vector, who was walking our way. "Why are yeh makin' such racket?"

"V-Vector?!" I questioned, wondering where he was.

"Argh, you two?!" Egg Robo exclaimed. "Whatever! Vector, get your bee son out my sight and go back to bed! I'm exhausted from the trial!"

Vector shrugged. "Sure, no prob. C'mon Charmy, let's go."

"Uh…"

"Didn't ya hear? We're leavin'."

Vector grabbed me by my hand as we took off, Egg Robo telling us to go on and get from behind us as we walked back to the main hall on the first floor. Just as we reached it, Vector started walking forward.

"Well, see ya."

I was getting livid now. "See ya? See ya?! Hold on! Explain to me: what was all of that? You woke me up late, made me go to the data center, get chewed out by Egg Robo, and for what? For nothing? Where were you even? What was the point?"

Vector sighed. "Dun worry about it."

"Vector, I'm gonna worry about it!"

"Good night, Charmy."

I was speechless. Why was he being vague? Was he hiding something?

I didn't even care. I wanted to get back to bed. So, I rushed to my room.

…only to get stopped by Vector.

"What the- what now?!" I said.

"Shh."

We were both silent as he looked around, and then… he whispered three words into my ear.

"Infinite the Jackal."

Huh?...

"In-"

"Dun be loud."

"Who-"

"Infinite the Jackal, the 18th student. I had mah suspicions that there was another one of us here, but now I know the truth. They're hidden in the zone walls."

"Who… who are they?..."

"…the one they call the Ultimate Despair. I have just one word of advice fer ya: Watch out fer him."

Vector walked off as I was left gob smacked. There was an 18th student? Hidden among us? Ultimate Despair? So many questions ran through my head, but I couldn't get an answer, not tonight.

I was restless now. The idea of an 18th student, hiding among the walls… Where were they?

Come to think of it, didn't I have an encounter with someone like that a week or so ago? A strange voice in the warehouse, someone I couldn't see… Was that Infinite the Jackal?

And how did Vector find out about him?

I wanted to go back to bed and forget this, but I couldn't. Since I was awake, I looked at the kitchen.

"Too bad it's closed."

I then looked at the warehouse, getting an idea.

I sat on my legs as a lone Go board sat by me, a cup of herbal tea next to me, and another cup of herbal tea sitting untouched on the other side of the board. Steam rose from both cups as I placed my mouth on my cup, drinking my tea. I sighed, seeing the cherry blossoms in the dojo fall into my cup, the Go board, and my teacup. I looked at the board and moved my black stone onto a forward tile.

"If only you were here to fufill your promise…" I said, bowing.

CHAPTER 5

He said: "Mankind's pain comes from lies and truths"

END

Living

Amy Rose/Rosie the Rascal

Vector the Crocodile

Charmy Bee

Silver the Hedgehog

Wave the Swallow

Tikal the Echidna

Deceased

Cream the Rabbit

Rouge the Bat

Miles 'Tails' Prower

Knuckles the Echidna

Shadow the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog

Storm the Albatross

Jet the Hawk

Big the Cat

Blaze the Cat

Espio the Chameleon

?

Infinite the Jackal

TO BE CONTINUED...

(AN 2: Trial 5 comes to an end, and last time, Espio was revealed to have killed himself, with Charmy taking the blame as revenge against everyone for 'letting Espio die', not knowing that Espio harbored no hatred for his friends. Despite the numerous blows, both physical and mental, Charmy expierences new hope when he rallies his new friends against Egg Robo, only to find their AI ally, Ditz, executed.

And now... the whispers of an 18th student? Who is Infinite the Jackal? Why was he hidden? And more importantly... where is he?

The mystery of Green Hills continues in Chapter 6: A Painful Dash, A Painful Spiked Wall, A Painful Life Loss: coming soon!)