This trial… was a sham. This trial was set up by the mastermind to trap Vector. Maybe… not even trap him, but trap all of us. Trap… me… too…

But… what was truth anymore? Is this all a trap set up by the mastermind? Or is Vector lying to get himself out of a situation he knows he couldn't get out of once he got exposed? I… I want to believe in Vector but… the idea of Vector getting his hands dirty didn't leave my mind, especially after what happened last night. And his testimony is a lie… All I could ask is…

Was it okay? Was it okay for me to expose the truth?

I thought back to what Vector told me about danger and risk.

Danger… risk…

I wasn't sure anymore.

Is Vector lying to me? Or is the mastermind lying to us all?

I stared at my hands as I felt the neon lights vibrate with my heartbeat. I didn't know what to say or do anymore. I just wanted someone to answer me…

Do I trust Vector? Or expose him?


And now, the continuation…


My heart of hearts told me to trust Vector.

But my mind told me that perhaps the idea that Vector was working against me, no, against US… it wasn't impossible to consider.

"Charmy…" I heard Wave say. I chose to ignore her, as the more I kept thinking about it, the more I kept sweating, the more panic filled my mind.

"No objections, Charmy?"

"I…" I bit my tongue and closed my eyes.

I...

I know he wouldn't kill. Vector always came to save me in the end. This time, I'll protect him. I had to believe in him!

"No. None at all," I replied.

But there had to be a secret somewhere. What was this trap specifically? Infinite appeared out of nowhere but… was there a reason Vector and I were the two primary suspects?

"So, you accept Vector's answer as fact," the swallow continued. I stayed silent. "I COULD buy that Vector didn't put the locker key in his room, but it still had to have been someone else."

I bit my tongue. I know that someone else DID put the key in his room, but the shitshow that would start once the others found out that Vector had the Chao key would be insane.

"But who could it have been?" Tikal asked.

"I mean we DO kinda know that Wave had Vector's key and Charmy did refute us saying he had no alibi so at this point, your guess is as good as mine," Silver shrugged.

"So… it's official?" Amy added. "Wave planted it there? N-Not that I'm saying you're the KILLER but…"

"I'd want to frame Vector, right? Yes, I may not LIKE the croc, but no, I wouldn't be so stupid to not only do something so risky, and for what? Besides, I have my solid alibi," Wave replied. "I was with you all through the night, and most of you went with me when we to the bathroom or when I went with Amy to get dinner with you all. There's only one more thing I can think of. Someone had the key on them, then at the scene, planted it there only to pretend that they "found" it."

My heart skipped a beat when I heard that. She… she was back to blaming me?! And…

I tried to look through all my clues. I… I was frantic. Surely, I had SOMETHING to prove that I didn't have it on me.

"It… it was Charmy?" Tikal gasped, hand over her mouth.

"Unfortunately, he's our only option at this point," Wave nodded. My blood drew cold as I dropped my PAD.

"N-No! Stop! Wave, you have it wrong! I never had the key!" I yelled. "Before going with such an accusation, l-let's think about it!"

"Think about what? What is there to think about?!"

"Haven't you realized this at ALL, Wave?! You make yourself out to be intelligent and yet, you haven't realized this trial is a sham!"

"A… sham?" Amy asked.

"Think about it! This trial is all about finding out who killed Infinite. But may I remind you that NONE of us knew about Infinite's existence until you all found the body, and when Vector told me! I didn't know what he looked like! All I knew he was a jackal and that he was Ultimate Despair! And yet he suddenly shows up dead just like that!"

I looked at Egg Robo who was silent but judging by how hard he was gripping his stand, it was almost like he wanted to… say something.

"B-Besides! Vector even said it's a trap himself! I've been thinking about it this entire time but… now I think I realize what the trap was! It was to kill either-"

"Okay, time's up!" Egg Robo said, hand in the air. My jaw dropped as soon as I heard that as I felt a sharp chill up my spine. Goosebumps overtook my skin due to the fear I had felt in that moment. "Everyone shut up now!"

"T-Time up?" I squeaked.

"W-Whaddya MEAN time up?" Vector yelled. "There ain't ever been a time up in a trial!"

"Because you're a dummy slow head, idiot Vector!" Egg Robo replied. "So, the start time had to be pushed back! So now it's time for voting time! Pick wisely, because you guys had a lot of disagreements this trial!"

"V-Voting time?" I was almost on the verge of tears. Everyone now thought I was the killer. And-and… and my… ex-execution… "P-Please, no! Everyone, STOP! LISTEN TO ME!"

"Who will be chosen as the next blackened? Now… what will it be? Will you make the right choice or wrong choice? What's it gonna be?!"

"Egg Robo is trying to confuse you ALL! He's set up everything to rig this!"

But I was ignored as the levers appeared.

"STOOOOOOOP!" I screamed, grabbing my antennaes and pulling on them. I… I refused to pick someone. None of us were the killer, but... when the levers all vanished, my heart sunk lower and lower.

Like the last five 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 a triple of… MY 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...

When it did, I only could keep my mouth open. No words, no voice came from my mouth. Everything I had tried to do to prevent the others from voting from me, to show the others that I didn't kill him had failed. Everyone had picked me…

I…

I didn't want to die.

Didn't want to die… didn't want to die… didn't want to die!

Gaia, please…

Why? Why did this happen to us? To me?

Why was I…

…chosen to die?

CLASS TRIAL #6

END


I….

I really WAS selected as the blackened. I couldn't even rebuke my sentence; I couldn't SAY anything. All I did was silently cry. Was this how the others felt when they saw they were the blackened? I collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily as I looked up.

"Why?..." I asked.

"I'm sorry bud, I just…" Silver said, head turned away from me. "I dunno!"

"Oh, Charmy! Please forgive me!" Tikal cried. "I panicked! And I… I didn't want to have to do this, I just!" she began to cry, likely feeling guilty at what she had done.

"I don't wanna die, Charmy!" Amy added. "I'm so confused by everything at this point, I had to follow along!"

Wave and Vector refused to say anything to me as I got up.

"Why is this happening to me?! You all have it wrong! I never-"

I was interrupted by Egg Robo. "Good job, everyone!"

"Good job?! What do you mean by good job?!" I retorted.

"Because they found the blackened. You!"

"I-I'm not the damn blackened! None of this makes sense!"

"On the contrary, this makes ABSOLUTE sense! You killed Infinite, soooooooooooo…"

"You of all people should know I didn't do it!"

"And you of all people should know that you can get on your knees and kiss my feet, but I won't do a damn thing! Time to end this like I usually do! The PUNISHMENT!"

"No… please, no! NO, NOO!"

I could only wonder what my execution was. What could an average guy like me even have for one?

I think even thinking about it made it worse than hearing the words 'punishment' come from Egg Robo's mouth. I felt frozen, like everything around me just vanished. The neon lights in the room just became blinding as I felt many butterflies in my stomach. I grabbed my stomach, taking deep breaths as I felt myself sweat.

I turned to face Vector, the crocodile looking angry.

"VECTOR! HELP MEEEEEE!" I cried, reaching my arm out to him. The crocodile turned to face away from me and growled.

"Fuck…" I heard him mutter from under his breath. "Charmy… I… I dun expect ya to forgive me. If yer angry with me from here on, I understand. This is mah fault."

"What are you saying?"

"Charmy… please…"

I could see a lone tear streak down his face.

"I'm sorry."

"You know what time it is! I've prepared such an EXTRODINARY punishment for Charmy Bee, the Ultimate Average Student! Or maybe, we should start calling him the Ultimate ANNOYANCE! Let's give it everything we've got! It's PUNISHMENT TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Egg Robo laughed, running up to his stand and slamming the button on his armrest. I felt time slow to a crawl as the lights in the courtroom dimmed, and I saw… MY sprite on the usual game over screen.

"GAME OVER

Charmy Bee has been found guilty for the murder of Infinite the Jackal.

COMMENCING EXECUTION!"

I hear the walls behind me open, and now, I found myself in the position that four others have found themselves in before: a metal collar clamping onto my neck and dragging me inside the dark hallway. The sudden shock of everything put me into collapsed state, and when I woke up…


Charmy sat in a lone chair atop a piece of honeycomb inside of a beehive, many worker bees circling him holding pots of honey. The walls of the beehive dripped with honey and pollen as the bee was forced to watch the onslaught of worker bees circling him like ritual. It was then that he heard the sudden sound of a machine turning on from behind him. Unbeknownst to Charmy, the machine that had turned on was a barrage of fire, all planning to burn Charmy as soon as the chair he got on reached the exit of the honey hive.

A picture of Egg Robo laughing appeared over the fire party, laughing at the idea of seeing Charmy burn to death once he got close.

Execution:

Disciplinary Worker Action

Charmy's entire body began to shake as he finally realized what had turned on. The bee tightly gripped onto the fabric of his pants, unable to move due to his arms and legs being bound. He looked up to see Egg Robo dressed as a bee, giving a lecture about the properties of being a worker bee as the other bees still circled him. Charmy's face turned pink as the other bees began to mock and laugh at him.

As the chair floated towards the machine, Charmy began to very much clearly hear fire shooting out from behind him. He could feel the intense heat from behind him, and at this point, Charmy had dug his nails into his pants so much that he had now scratched the skin of his legs, starting to pull small bits of blood. Inching closer and closer, he grits his teeth and tensed his body tighter than he ever had before in his life, his face turning blue as he held in his breath to prevent himself from screaming. The sweat on his forehead dripped down his face and onto the desk, the bee only wanting his execution to be over with as quickly as possible

But just as the chair was just a few inches from the blazing inferno, the picture of the laughing Egg Robo on the fire machine suddenly glitched up and was replaced with an image of Ditz's panel screen. The fire from the machine shut off as Charmy, who still felt the heat, looked up to see that all the fire had turned off. He looked around, wondering what had happened only for one more surprise to occur: as the bee finally reached the exit of the beehive, his desk and the honeycomb he was on fell off from the hive, falling down a narrow hole as Egg Robo and the other worker bees only watched as the bee fell into the dark abyss.


MEANWHILE

Egg Robo returned to the court room, angry and jumping up and down in one giant meltdown. "What is THIIIIIIIIIS?! What just happened?! I SHOULDDA WATCHED THAT LITTLE RUNT BURN!"

"T-That was-!" Tikal gasped, unable to finish what she said.

"D-Ditz?!..." Wave added. "But… how? I thought Egg Robo destroyed it!"

"Maybe Ditz is a ghost too? A… good one?" Silver asked.

"Ditz?! You mean that stupid computer Charmy and the rest of you all made friends with?! Don't tell me that THING uploaded a virus onto the network to prevent this from happening! Damn it! You let these kids get away with ONE thing and they somehow find a way to bite you back!" Egg Robo complained. Vector walked up to the robot, smirking.

"So, looks like ya made a miscalculation. Nah, not now did ya make one. Yeh did so from the beginning."

"What are YOU trying to imply?! Gonna make fun of me for Charmy's botched execution, huh? Gonna act like a smug piece of crap, I bet?!"

"Dun act like a baby. Yeh shouldda never underestimated us in the first place. We six are here fer a reason: to beat yeh!"

"So what?! You already act like you've won! Charmy might not have been executed, but he's gone now, and so is that stupid Ditz program! And with no more bee idiots here to ruin the mood, we have characters the fandom likes in this zone now! You're never gonna see him again, and frankly, I don't think you'd want to either! Stuck in a trash pit in the rest of his life like so many bees before him… if anything, THAT'S a better punishment than burning him to death!"

Vector looked at the robot as he began to manically laugh.

"But don't think this is the end, Vector! No siree!" Egg Robo said. "As long as you five are still here, despair still prevails! And just because Charmy is gone doesn't mean I'm gonna go light on you all! In fact, I'll make sure the despair you feel will be even greater than anything before! Just watch your back, Vector… who knows, you might be next! HO HO HO HO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Egg Robo disappeared, his laughter filling the walls of the courtroom as the five just stood there, not sure what to do or where to go. It was only when Wave walked up to the crocodile and grabbed his shoulder did commotion start.

"Croc, what the hell is going on?!" she asked. "Why did Ditz appear? Tell me!"

"I'll tell ya: the mastermind is cornered."

"Cornered?" asked Amy.

"…I can't explain it now but… I think yeh'll understand what I mean soon enough."

"Well, what should we do?" Tikal asked.

"Return to yer rooms fer the time bein'," replied Vector.

"I guess I should be asking, what are YOU going to be doing?"

"…nothin' of utmost importance."

"I'm a bit confused but… hell, I'll take anything to get outta here," Silver replied as he, Wave, Amy, and Tikal left the courtroom and headed towards the elevator.

Vector looked at the open wall where Charmy was dragged, and brought out the Chao key from his pocket.

"I gotcha, buddy. Hang in there."


Charmy found himself floating in a black, empty void. Devoid of sound, devoid of light, and devoid of humanity.

How long had he been here? Where is this place? It wasn't heaven, it wasn't hell, could it be purgatory?

No, that meant that he was dead. It didn't feel like he was dead, but more so… out of a plane of existence.

The pain he felt was extreme, something that he couldn't put into words. And yet, he still felt like he was alive.

How could that be? Who or… what was keeping him alive? Why didn't he get executed? And more importantly…

Why was there a light rushing towards him at a speed so extreme, he couldn't even react to it, even if just for a second?


Charmy took a deep breath as he suddenly opened his eyes. He looked around frantically, realizing that he was back in the courtroom once his eyes had adjusted to the neon lights. He could hear a clear ringing in his ears as someone was saying his name very faintly. It only was when he looked around that he heard Wave calling his name in anger, and his hearing returned to normal.

"Quit looking like you just got up from taking a nap!" she scolded. "You have no objections to what Vector said, no?"

It was when he heard those words that he stopped. He realized where he was: he was back in the trial, back at the point where Vector had testified that he couldn't put the key in his room because Wave had his key.

Except that he could.

Realizing what would happen to him if he let Vector by with his lie, Charmy took a deep breath and knew what to do: Expose his lie.

"I do! Because there's a lie in Vector's statement!" he yelled, pointing at the crocodile.

"A… lie?" Wave asked, the others looking shocked. Vector's eyes widened as he realized what the bee said but said nothing to refute it.

"Isn't that right, Vector?!"

"Yeh said it, not me. Prove that I'm lyin'. Let's hear it then."

"Time to unveil the truth to EVERYONE here!" the bee thought to himself.

MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!

"I didn't have to the key to mah room, because I gave it to Wave. I'm sure yeh all agree to that, right?" Vector began.

"You did definitely do that," Wave nodded.

"In that case, then there's no way I couldda gotten into mah room."

"So, when Charmy and Wave searched Vector's room, there's no way Vector had placed the key in there earlier?" Silver asked.

"The only explanation I got is that someone put it there. Ya gotta better idea?"

"The Chao key," Charmy said, lowering his eyes.

"The what?" Amy asked.

"Vector has a key on him that allows him to open EVERY door in this zone, which he had taken from Egg Robo! That means he can use it to get into ANY room he wants!"

"Charmy… what… what have ya done?" Vector said, grabbing his arm and growling.

"W-What?"

"Yeh… yeh gave the mastermind what they asked for. Ya fell for the trap. I… I was stupid enough to believe… ya wouldn't fall fer it."

"You admit to killing Infinite?!" gasped Tikal.

"I ain't done nothin' 'bout his death. Just… realizing that there's no way to win anymore. This trial was a trap, and Charmy fell fer it. I guess… ya all know what this means."

"Y-You… Vector, no! VECTOR, NO! YOU MEAN… I?!"

Vector turned his back from Charmy as the bee now began to shake, realizing what he had done.

"Okay, time's up!" Egg Robo said, hand in the air. Charmy's jaw dropped as soon as he heard that. Goosebumps overtook his skin due to the fear he had felt in that moment. "Everyone shut up now!"

"T-Time up?" he squeaked. "What do you mean MEAN time up? There's never been a time up in a trial!"

"Because Vector's a dummy slow head idiot, so the start time had to be pushed back! So now it's time for voting time! Pick wisely, because you guys had a lot of disagreements this trial! But I guess you already all know who the blackened is, don't you? HO HO HO HOOOO!"

The levers appeared and Charmy bit his lip. He didn't want to pick someone. None of his friends were the killer, but... he didn't even have to make a choice when the levers all vanished, his heart sunk lower and lower.

Like the last five 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 a triple of Vector's picture. 'GUILTY' was displayed in L.E.D. lights as rings shot from the machine. The slot machine rose up... and everyone knew that it was over...

But Charmy wanted nothing more than to take the fall for Vector, knowing this was all his fault.

CLASS TRIAL #6

END


Vector was silent, back turned towards everyone as Egg Robo laughed.

"In the time it took me to learn that video game movies with designs by hack job executives that don't give a damn can actually be good if you bring in people who care about the source material to fix it, it took you guys to find the next blackened!" he said.

"Vector really… did kill Infinite?" Charmy asked himself. "But… no! He wouldn't! I thought exposing his lie would… it would lead Vector finding a way to turn this around on Egg Robo, but-!"

"VECTOR!" he screamed out, reaching out towards him. The crocodile didn't respond to any of his calls, and then, that's when Charmy started to cry. He realized HE caused Vector's death, and now had to live with it.

"You know what time it is!" Egg Robo called out. "I've prepared such an EXTRODINARY punishment for Vector the Crocodile, the Ultimate Detective! Let's give it everything we've got! It's PUNISHMENT TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Egg Robo laughed, running up to his stand and slamming the button on his armrest. The lights in the courtroom dimmed, and the curtains opened to reveal Vector's sprite on the usual game over screen.

"GAME OVER

Vector the Crocodile has been found guilty for the murder of Infinite the Jackal.

COMMENCING EXECUTION!"

Charmy heard the walls open as a metal collar clamped onto Vector's neck, dragging him inside a dark abyss and to his execution site…


Vector sat in a lone chair atop a pile of small grassy land inside of a swamp, many feral crocodiles circling him, waiting for their chance to feed on him. The fog around him made it hard to see, and the crocodile could only sweat as he watched his fellow crocodiles look at him: their prey. It was then that he heard the sudden sound of a machine turning on from behind him. Unbeknownst to Vector, the machine that had turned on had brought down a tangle of live wires, all planning to electrocute him as soon as the chair he got on reached the exit of the swamp.

A picture of Egg Robo laughing appeared over the party of wires, laughing at the idea of seeing Vector get electrocuted to death once he got close.

Execution:

Disciplinary Detective Action

Vector's entire body began to shake as he finally realized what had turned on. The crocodile tightly gripped onto the fabric of his pants, unable to move due to his arms and legs being bound. He looked up to see Egg Robo dressed as a crocodile, giving a lecture about crocodile reproduction as the other crocodiles still circled him. Vector's face turned pink as the other crocodiles began to mock and laugh at him.

As the chair floated towards the machine, Vector began to very much clearly hear the live voltage from behind him. Vector couldn't feel the electric fields around him, but this made him even more worried because he wasn't sure how close he was. At this point, Vector had dug his nails into his pants so much that he had now scratched the skin of his legs, starting to pull small bits of blood. Inching closer and closer, he grit his teeth and tensed his body tighter than he ever had before in his life, his face turning blue as he held in his breath to prevent himself from screaming. The sweat on his forehead dripped down his face and onto the desk, the crocodile only wanting his execution to be over with as quickly as possible.

Before he could rip the fabric from his pants, the wires contacted Vector's body. The loud screams from the crocodile being drowned out by the massive number of electric sparks that jolted through his body. All the crocodile could do was shake in place; his skin being burned by the second as the live electric volts shocked through his body. When the chair finally left the swamp passing through all the wires, Vector lay limp on the desk, foaming at the mouth and his entire body fried and burned, no movement of any kind coming from his body.


That was how Infinite's trial ended.

Charmy still didn't know if Vector was truly innocent, but the truth was lost forever. Everyone stopped thinking about it, and eventually, so did Charmy.

Infinite's trial came and went, and sure enough, so much despair had been installed in the remaining five that a pact had been made: no more killing, no more wanting to get out. All five of them: Charmy, Wave, Amy, Tikal, and Silver swore to live forever among the walls of Green Hills. At first, Egg Robo was beyond fuming, giving them motive after motive, but once they told him they'd live here forever, he just… stopped. Eventually, the group found Egg Robo's destroyed body by a note which told them that he'd been destroyed forever, but that they'd be here forever.

And this would stay true, as the five grew older, celebrated birthdays, and even had kids amongst each other (despite Amy eventually dying at the age of 23 due to "unspecified causes").

Charmy looked around him, the son he had birthed with Tikal and the daughter he had birthed with Wave running around the old dining hall he had once used to eat meals with Vector and Espio. He knew peace, but only within the walls of the zone. Peace, but only for him, his friends, and his kids. Peace and hope… peace and hope, peace and hope…

This was peace and hope

Hope and peace was this

This was peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope peace and hope p̶e̶a̴c̸e̸ ̷a̶n̸d̶ ̶h̷o̷p̸e̸ p̶e̶a̴c̸e̸ ̷a̶n̸d̶ ̶h̷o̷p̸e̸ p̶e̶a̴c̸e̸ ̷a̶n̸d̶ ̶h̷o̷p̸e̸ p̶e̶a̴c̸e̸ ̷a̶n̸d̶ ̶h̷o̷p̸e̸ p̶e̶a̴c̸e̸ ̷a̶n̸d̶ ̶h̷o̷p̸e̸ p̶e̶a̴c̸e̸ ̷a̶n̸d̶ ̶h̷o̷p̸e̸ p̶e̶a̴c̸e̸ ̷a̶n̸d̶ ̶h̷o̷p̸e̸ p̶̤͊̾͘̚͝ȩ̵̟̈́͋̚͝a̵̢̳̮̩̎c̸͍̹̬̥̀̾ĕ̴̩̱̼̖̹̇̉̏̋ ̴͓̥̖̉͛a̶̡̺͒n̶̬͎̠̥̝̈́̒̃͠͝d̸͇̝̟̠̰͊͊̃ ̵̛̹̩̠̀̔h̷̢̡̠̜̏̉͐̔̕͜ŏ̸̟̤̽̍̕͘ṗ̷̮̙͚̥̻ę̵̺͙͓̄͐̓͠ͅ p̶̤͊̾͘̚͝ȩ̵̟̈́͋̚͝a̵̢̳̮̩̎c̸͍̹̬̥̀̾ĕ̴̩̱̼̖̹̇̉̏̋ ̴͓̥̖̉͛a̶̡̺͒n̶̬͎̠̥̝̈́̒̃͠͝d̸͇̝̟̠̰͊͊̃ ̵̛̹̩̠̀̔h̷̢̡̠̜̏̉͐̔̕͜ŏ̸̟̤̽̍̕͘ṗ̷̮̙͚̥̻ę̵̺͙͓̄͐̓͠ͅ p̶̤͊̾͘̚͝ȩ̵̟̈́͋̚͝a̵̢̳̮̩̎c̸͍̹̬̥̀̾ĕ̴̩̱̼̖̹̇̉̏̋ ̴͓̥̖̉͛a̶̡̺͒n̶̬͎̠̥̝̈́̒̃͠͝d̸͇̝̟̠̰͊͊̃ ̵̛̹̩̠̀̔h̷̢̡̠̜̏̉͐̔̕͜ŏ̸̟̤̽̍̕͘ṗ̷̮̙͚̥̻ę̵̺͙͓̄͐̓͠ͅ p̶̤͊̾͘̚͝ȩ̵̟̈́͋̚͝a̵̢̳̮̩̎c̸͍̹̬̥̀̾ĕ̴̩̱̼̖̹̇̉̏̋ ̴͓̥̖̉͛a̶̡̺͒n̶̬͎̠̥̝̈́̒̃͠͝d̸͇̝̟̠̰͊͊̃ ̵̛̹̩̠̀̔h̷̢̡̠̜̏̉͐̔̕͜ŏ̸̟̤̽̍̕͘ṗ̷̮̙͚̥̻ę̵̺͙͓̄͐̓͠ͅ p̶̤͊̾͘̚͝ȩ̵̟̈́͋̚͝a̵̢̳̮̩̎c̸͍̹̬̥̀̾ĕ̴̩̱̼̖̹̇̉̏̋ ̴͓̥̖̉͛a̶̡̺͒n̶̬͎̠̥̝̈́̒̃͠͝d̸͇̝̟̠̰͊͊̃ ̵̛̹̩̠̀̔h̷̢̡̠̜̏̉͐̔̕͜ŏ̸̟̤̽̍̕͘ṗ̷̮̙͚̥̻ę̵̺͙͓̄͐̓͠ͅ p̶̤͊̾͘̚͝ȩ̵̟̈́͋̚͝a̵̢̳̮̩̎c̸͍̹̬̥̀̾ĕ̴̩̱̼̖̹̇̉̏̋ ̴͓̥̖̉͛a̶̡̺͒n̶̬͎̠̥̝̈́̒̃͠͝d̸͇̝̟̠̰͊͊̃ ̵̛̹̩̠̀̔h̷̢̡̠̜̏̉͐̔̕͜ŏ̸̟̤̽̍̕͘ṗ̷̮̙͚̥̻ę̵̺͙͓̄͐̓͠ͅ p̶̤͊̾͘̚͝ȩ̵̟̈́͋̚͝a̵̢̳̮̩̎c̸͍̹̬̥̀̾ĕ̴̩̱̼̖̹̇̉̏̋ ̴͓̥̖̉͛a̶̡̺͒n̶̬͎̠̥̝̈́̒̃͠͝d̸͇̝̟̠̰͊͊̃ ̵̛̹̩̠̀̔h̷̢̡̠̜̏̉͐̔̕͜ŏ̸̟̤̽̍̕͘ṗ̷̮̙͚̥̻ę̵̺͙͓̄͐̓͠ͅ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̸̤̹̦͖̦̩͔̫̔̎̄̐̇͂̓e̸̢̗̜͔͎͚̖̳͕̯̖̠͈̮̬͘a̴̲̗̦͙̗͎͔̤̓̑̍̈̈̏̈̔͗̓͐͜ç̵͓͙͎̟̉̐͗͊͝ẻ̸̼̗͈̝̖̘̲̞̦̭̈̾̈́ ̷̢̧͓̪̭͈̜͍͉͓͍͇̅̆͗͛̆̃́͋̕͜͠ͅȧ̶̢̟͖͖͛͗͗̌̕͘ṉ̸̡̖̐̈̃͗̈͋̊d̶̢̧̢̛̮̯̭̭͔̥͗̈̒̂̃̿̀͝ ̵̧̆͜ẖ̴̢̡̨̛̞̦̭̥͖̩͚̫̲͈̮͋̓̂͌̓́͝o̶̧̢̼̞̥̻̬͖̭̜̙̖͚̟͒͜͠p̷̫̱̈͠e̶̡͖̗̔̇͒̓̆̇̿̽ p̷̶̲̟̝̝̤͇̗̖͕̃ͤ̆͛̉̐̀͒̑̈̾̄ͦ̓ͥ̈́̈̚͡ȩ̐̀̆ͬ̆̒̈́̿͑ͪ́҉̷̰̘̬̙͙͍̹̭̻̱̞̤̞̟͡a̶̫̩̭̺͎̻̦̞̰̬̮̟̘͕̯͚͖̱͐̀̂ͨͣ̏͌̽̊̃̎̂͊ͣ͊́c̡̡̮̪͕̥̰͇̣͇̩̮̰͍͇̥̩̮̣̪ͤ͛̓ͤ̐͑́̿̄ͅe̮̭͚̩̣̥͚̭̮͕̺͖̬͂̐̎̓̍ͮ̍́͛̋̃ͥͨ̽͛̿͝ ̰̬̦̜͔̿̽͂̀͂ͯ̉͊͊̿́͆͛ͯ̒̓̋͜͟ã̻͚̤̩͌ͩ̐͆̿͌̋͒͐ͨ̓ͪͯ̿͡n̴̴̡̠̩̜̠̻̜̰̼̭͍̠̤̫̞ͮ̏ͮͮ͂̔ͪ̅̃̃̂͂̊͘ͅd̢̈̇̉͂̀͏͏͏͈̠̜͕̱̙̥͉ ̱̦̯̫̜̣͈̻̏̅̆ͯͤͤ̑̀̀̚͘h͂ͦͣ҉̵̛̙̼̭̰̰͈͚̳̖̫̲̥͓̬͉̭ô̸̷̜͖̠̜͎͈̝̮̙̙͔͇ͤͫ̒̂͜͟p̵̧̨̭̥̱͎͇̞͉̽͗͌ͫͤͫ̄ͨ̎̊̀͞ͅe̵͎̫̜͚͙̜̜̩͇͐ͯͮ͐͌̈͋ͭ͘͜ p͕ȩ̐̀̆ͬ̆̒̈́̿͑ͪ́҉̷̰̘̬̙͙͍̹̭̻̱̞̤̞̟͡a̶̫̩̭̺͎̻̦̞̰̬̮̟̘͕̯͚͖̱͐̀̂ͨͣ̏͌̽̊̃̎̂͊ͣ͊́c̡̡̮̪͕̥̰͇̣͇̩̮̰͍͇̥̩̮̣̪ͤ͛̓ͤ̐͑́̿̄ͅe̮̭͚̩̣̥͚̭̮͕̺͖̬͂̐̎̓̍ͮ̍́͛̋̃ͥͨ̽͛̿͝ ̰̬̦̜͔̿̽͂̀͂ͯ̉͊͊̿́͆͛ͯ̒̓̋͜͟ã̻͚̤̩͌ͩ̐͆̿͌̋͒͐ͨ̓ͪͯ̿͡n̴̴̡̠̩̜̠̻̜̰̼̭͍̠̤̫̞ͮ̏ͮͮ͂̔ͪ̅̃̃̂͂̊͘ͅd̢̈̇̉͂̀͏͏͏͈̠̜͕̱̙̥͉ ̱̦̯̫̜̣͈̻̏̅̆ͯͤͤ̑̀̀̚͘h͂ͦͣ҉̵̛̙̼̭̰̰͈͚̳̖̫̲̥͓̬͉̭ô̸̷̜͖̠̜͎͈̝̮̙̙͔͇ͤͫ̒̂͜͟p̵̧̨̭̥̱͎͇̞͉̽͗͌ͫͤͫ̄ͨ̎̊̀͞ͅe̵͎̫̜͚͙̜̜̩͇͐ͯͮ͐͌̈͋ͭ͘͜ p̷̶̲̟̝̝̤͇̗̖͕̃ͤ̆͛̉̐̀͒̑̈̾̄ͦ̓ͥ̈́̈̚͡ȩ̐̀̆ͬ̆̒̈́̿͑ͪ́҉̷̰̘̬̙͙͍̹̭̻̱̞̤̞̟͡a̶̫̩̭̺͎̻̦̞̰̬̮̟̘͕̯͚͖̱͐̀̂ͨͣ̏͌̽̊̃̎̂͊ͣ͊́c̡̡̮̪͕̥̰͇̣͇̩̮̰͍͇̥̩̮̣̪ͤ͛̓ͤ̐͑́̿̄ͅe̮̭͚̩̣̥͚̭̮͕̺͖̬͂̐̎̓̍ͮ̍́͛̋̃ͥͨ̽͛̿͝ ̰̬̦̜͔̿̽͂̀͂ͯ̉͊͊̿́͆͛ͯ̒̓̋͜͟ã̻͚̤̩͌ͩ̐͆̿͌̋͒͐ͨ̓ͪͯ̿͡n̴̴̡̠̩̜̠̻̜̰̼̭͍̠̤̫̞ͮ̏ͮͮ͂̔ͪ̅̃̃̂͂̊͘ͅd̢̈̇̉͂̀͏͏͏͈̠̜͕̱̙̥͉ ̱̦̯̫̜̣͈̻̏̅̆ͯͤͤ̑̀̀̚͘h͂ͦͣ҉̵̛̙̼̭̰̰͈͚̳̖̫̲̥͓̬͉̭ô̸̷̜͖̠̜͎͈̝̮̙̙͔͇ͤͫ̒̂͜͟p̵̧̨̭̥̱͎͇̞͉̽͗͌ͫͤͫ̄ͨ̎̊̀͞ͅe̵͎̫̜͚͙̜̜̩͇͐ͯͮ͐͌̈͋ͭ͘͜ p̷̶̲̟̝̝̤͇̗̖͕̃ͤ̆͛̉̐̀͒̑̈̾̄ͦ̓ͥ̈́̈̚͡ȩ̐̀̆ͬ̆̒̈́̿͑ͪ́҉̷̰̘̬̙͙͍̹̭̻̱̞̤̞̟͡a̶̫̩̭̺͎̻̦̞̰̬̮̟̘͕̯͚͖̱͐̀̂ͨͣ̏͌̽̊̃̎̂͊ͣ͊́c̡̡̮̪͕̥̰͇̣͇̩̮̰͍͇̥̩̮̣̪ͤ͛̓ͤ̐͑́̿̄ͅe̮̭͚̩̣̥͚̭̮͕̺͖̬͂̐̎̓̍ͮ̍́͛̋̃ͥͨ̽͛̿͝ ̰̬̦̜͔̿̽͂̀͂ͯ̉͊͊̿́͆͛ͯ̒̓̋͜͟ã̻͚̤̩͌ͩ̐͆̿͌̋͒͐ͨ̓ͪͯ̿͡n̴̴̡̠̩̜̠̻̜̰̼̭͍̠̤̫̞ͮ̏ͮͮ͂̔ͪ̅̃̃̂͂̊͘ͅd̢̈̇̉͂̀͏͏͏͈̠̜͕̱̙̥͉ ̱̦̯̫̜̣͈̻̏̅̆ͯͤͤ̑̀̀̚͘h͂ͦͣ҉̵̛̙̼̭̰̰͈͚̳̖̫̲̥͓̬͉̭ô̸̷̜͖̠̜͎͈̝̮̙̙͔͇ͤͫ̒̂͜͟p̵̧̨̭̥̱͎͇̞͉̽͗͌ͫͤͫ̄ͨ̎̊̀͞ͅe̵͎̫̜͚͙̜̜̩͇͐ͯͮ͐͌̈͋ͭ͘͜ p̷̶̲̟̝̝̤͇̗̖͕̃ͤ̆͛̉̐̀͒̑̈̾̄ͦ̓ͥ̈́̈̚͡ȩ̐̀̆ͬ̆̒̈́̿͑ͪ́҉̷̰̘̬̙͙͍̹̭̻̱̞̤̞̟͡a̶̫̩̭̺͎̻̦̞̰̬̮̟̘͕̯͚͖̱͐̀̂ͨͣ̏͌̽̊̃̎̂͊ͣ͊́c̡̡̮̪͕̥̰͇̣͇̩̮̰͍͇̥̩̮̣̪ͤ͛̓ͤ̐͑́̿̄ͅe̮̭͚̩̣̥͚̭̮͕̺͖̬͂̐̎̓̍ͮ̍́͛̋̃ͥͨ̽͛̿͝ ̰̬̦̜͔̿̽͂̀͂ͯ̉͊͊̿́͆͛ͯ̒̓̋͜͟ã̻͚̤̩͌ͩ̐͆̿͌̋͒͐ͨ̓ͪͯ̿͡n̴̴̡̠̩̜̠̻̜̰̼̭͍̠̤̫̞ͮ̏ͮͮ͂̔ͪ̅̃̃̂͂̊͘ͅd̢̈̇̉͂̀͏͏͏͈̠̜͕̱̙̥͉ ̱̦̯̫̜̣͈̻̏̅̆ͯͤͤ̑̀̀̚͘h͂ͦͣ҉̵̛̙̼̭̰̰͈͚̳̖̫̲̥͓̬͉̭ô̸̷̜͖̠̜͎͈̝̮̙̙͔͇ͤͫ̒̂͜͟p̵̧̨̭̥̱͎͇̞͉̽͗͌ͫͤͫ̄ͨ̎̊̀͞ͅe̵͎̫̜͚͙̜̜̩͇͐ͯͮ͐͌̈͋ͭ͘͜ P̷̶̲̟̝̝̤͇̗̖͕̃ͤ̆͛̉̐̀͒̑̈̾̄ͦ̓ͥ̈́̈̚͡Ȩ̐̀̆ͬ̆̒̈́̿͑ͪ́҉̷̰̘̬̙͙͍̹̭̻̱̞̤̞̟͡A̶̫̩̭̺͎̻̦̞̰̬̮̟̘͕̯͚͖̱͐̀̂ͨͣ̏͌̽̊̃̎̂͊ͣ͊́C̡̡̮̪͕̥̰͇̣͇̩̮̰͍͇̥̩̮̣̪ͤ͛̓ͤ̐͑́̿̄ͅE̮̭͚̩̣̥͚̭̮͕̺͖̬͂̐̎̓̍ͮ̍́͛̋̃ͥͨ̽͛̿͝ ̰̬̦̜͔̿̽͂̀͂ͯ̉͊͊̿́͆͛ͯ̒̓̋͜͟Ã̻͚̤̩͌ͩ̐͆̿͌̋͒͐ͨ̓ͪͯ̿͡N̴̴̡̠̩̜̠̻̜̰̼̭͍̠̤̫̞ͮ̏ͮͮ͂̔ͪ̅̃̃̂͂̊͘ͅD̢̈̇̉͂̀͏͏͏͈̠̜͕̱̙̥͉ ̱̦̯̫̜̣͈̻̏̅̆ͯͤͤ̑̀̀̚͘H͂ͦͣ҉̵̛̙̼̭̰̰͈͚̳̖̫̲̥͓̬͉̭Ô̸̷̜͖̠̜͎͈̝̮̙̙͔͇ͤͫ̒̂͜͟P̵̧̨̭̥̱͎͇̞͉̽͗͌ͫͤͫ̄ͨ̎̊̀͞ͅE̵͎̫̜͚͙̜̜̩͇͐ͯͮ͐͌̈͋ͭ͘͜


Outside of Green Hills, an echoing silence pierced the ruins where all the trash from the zone was sent. Rocks, pillars, steel beams, even food were amongst the many things that piled all over the ruins of garbage all over the place. No noise was made anywhere, and except for the lone red door leading back to the zone, the trash pit was devoid of color.

Suddenly, from underneath one pile of rubble, some of it began to shake as a hand shot out from the rubble. As it felt around to see if it was safe to get out, it quickly jolted its hand back into the rubble due to cutting itself on a steel beam. Before long though, the hand shot out again and pushed itself out of the rubble, revealing Charmy gasping for air.


"Man…" I breathed heavily, trying to get the taste of gravel out from my mouth. "What a dream… Me having kids and all that? Goodness, I'm not ready for THAT life yet. I-"

I stopped myself there. I was about to touch my forehead due to the headache I was having, only to feel a large crack in my helmet.

"It… saved me from my fall. But aw… at the expense of my helmet?" I complained as I frowned, remembering how mom had gotten it for me for my birthday. "Couldn't it have been my bee pin at least?"

I hissed as I felt my body aching. "Okay, I need to get outta here now. My… everything hurts."

I put my hand on a piece of rubble, moving my legs as I slowly got myself up from the rubble I was trapped under. I continued to hiss as I felt myself getting scratched and scraped from all the rocks my legs were under. Finally pushing myself out, I was about to jump off the rumble, only to tumble onto the ground due to the debilitating pain I felt.

I lay on the ground, looking at everything around me.

"…I…I'm stuck here."

It didn't hit me until now the reality I was now in. I thought this was all just some kinda dream but now that I lay on the cold hard ground, the smell of garbage and death around me, I realized I was in some kind of dump, something that told me this wasn't a dream. Barely any light shined in the dark abyss, turning this dark cave into something out of a nightmare.

"Is this where…" I said, getting myself off the ground. "…Egg Robo throws away everything?"

Finally, getting on my feet, I realized I had to do something. I looked up at the chute where I came from, and knew I had to get back. But as I started to flap my wings, I hissed as they throbbed with pain.

"Okay, okay, new plan. I'll just wait here until my wings get better, then I'll try again. But how long will that be? Will I even have food and water here? Would my wings even be okay in the first place? What if I can never fly again?"

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the thought of never being able to leave this place.

"No no, think about hope! You always believe in hope when times are troubling!" I told myself. But no matter how much I tried to, the reality of the situation I was in sunk in harder.

And then I suddenly remembered… IT.

Ditz saving me from my execution. I think I knew why Ditz wanted to connect itself to the network. Not so that it could dig up more in our situation, but to prevent me or Vector from dying. Of course, why Ditz didn't come to Vector's rescue in that dream of mine, I wasn't sure. But… I only felt more determined to get out. Ditz, like Espio, gave its life for myself and my friends. Was I going to waste my life here like that?

No, it wanted to save us from a world of despair.

But first, I had to find a way to get out without using my wings…

I looked around the various piles of rubble, trying to see what I could salvage. I found pieces of an airplane engine, discarded food, black trash bags, multiple desks, and plenty of wood planks amongst many others. However, I found nothing that would have helped me get out of here. Grunting, I put my finger on my chin, looking around.

"How about the door?" I asked, running up to the large red door and pounding on it. I expected it to be locked, and wouldn't you know, it was locked. I sighed, sitting on the steps.

"Am I really gonna have to look through garbage here for food?" I snorted. "Like gee wow, this isn't a video game. I'm not gonna find a burger in the garbage, am I?"

Even looking for water didn't help much either. There was one water bottle I found, but the water in it looked so dirty that I'm pretty sure all the bacteria in it would kill me before I could even get refreshment from it.

I sat down by a rubble pile, I looked around, wondering if I should give up.

"No, no! I'm still alive!" I told myself. "Ditz saved me, and Vector… Vector will come and save me! I just know it!"

…at least, I hope he will.

With not much to do, I lay my back on the rubble pile, shivering as I tried to go to sleep.

"It's been an exhausting day…" I mumbled to myself. "Maybe I can actually dream… normal… dreams… this time…"


I collapsed soon afterwards, not caring that the place I had chosen to sleep was dark, rough, and smelled horrendous. I had to make do with what I had.

In fact, I spent the entire day asleep, hoping that SOMETHING would happen, hoping that some miracle would fall from the sky and save me like a superhero swooping in to save his love interest from falling down a huge skyscraper. What happened next… well, I guess you could say that's what happened to me.

Suddenly, I heard a very large thud and a yell. The sudden sound bolted me up from my sleep as I looked around, interrupting my dream where I was forced to work with a cop solving a crime in a Spagonian restaurant and I looked fuzzier and more realistic than I already do. I hid behind the rubble pile as I watched a large figure rise from a pile of trash, crouching as it stood still. It reminded me of the monster movies I used to watch with my dad when I was younger, hiding in his arms when the monster got too scary for me.

Only, instead of a horror movie monster, the figure turned around, only to reveal that it was…

Vector.

…with a banana peel on his head.

He stood still, sniffing the air around him. "Gaia, it reeks in here," he said, grabbing the banana peel off him. "Charmy, where are ya?"

The crocodile looked around, trying to find me. I quickly bolted from my hiding position, rushing as fast as a bullet and hugging him.

"VECTOR, YOU'RE OKAY!" I said, hugging him tighter by the second.

"Heh heh," he chuckled, hand on my hand. "I should be sayin' that to ya-"

Then, I slapped him, the peel falling from his head.

"Ow, what the?!"

"That's revenge for letting me go through something scary like that!" I argued back.

"Jeez, I didn't realize yeh were still mad."

"Well I do KINDA want an explanation."

"Oh, dun worry, yeh'll get one. But first, I brought ya this. Figured ya might be hungry."

Vector took out some Tupperware from his coat, revealing a piece of bread, honey spread, some pieces of beef jerky, and a bottle of water. Stars grew in my eyes as I was handed the food.

"OH MY GOSH, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" I said happily, ripping the Tupperware from Vector's hands.

"Hey, ya ain't a rabbid Chao!"

"I thought I was gonna be stuck here with no food!"

"At least act a lil' civil!"

I coughed. "Thank you, Vector." I proceeded to sit down, taking the honey spread and spreading it over my bread. I bit in, enjoying the savory taste.

"Mmm… so good…"

"Mind talkin' with yer mouth closed?"

"Sorry!" I proceeded to open my water bottle, taking a swing from it. "Hey, by the way, how did you get down here?"

"What else?"

Vector pulled out the Chao key from his coat pocket.

"Oh right…" I continued. "But… why?"

"…to make amends."

"This is about the trial, right?"

"That's right. Ya knew I wasn't tellin' the truth, and ya kept yer mouth shut to protect me. But I couldn't do anythin' to help ya. When I saw ya call and reach out fer me, I felt so useless in that moment. In fact, I really felt like I was the reason yeh were gonna die. I was more than thankful that Ditz intervened but… I'm the reason ya got stuck here. I… abandoned yeh when ya most needed me."

"Don't say that! I'm alive, aren't I?"

"But I did it to save mah own skin! Ya protected me, but I couldn't do the same to ya…"

I frowned. "I… feel like that way when it comes to Espio. I felt like I could have protected him, and yet…"

"Look, I ain't gonna make excuses. Yeh slappin' me earlier, I COMPLETELY deserve that, and frankly, I agree that I'd call it even between us now. I got a slap on yeh, and ya got on one me."

"Guess we're two dorks in a pod?"

Vector chuckled. "Guess so. But, look, there was a reason I was tryin' to cover mahself."

"It has something to do about what you said during the trial, right? The truth of this zone?"

Vector nodded. "And why I came to this zone in the first place."

"Huh?"

"Originally, I had no interest in coming to Green Hills. But there was somethin' that changed my mind."

"What was it?"

"I forgot what it was, but only recently that I remembered. Tell me, Charmy. D'ya remember the first thing that happened to ya when ya went through the warp ring to this zone?"

"Well, I remember the environment turning red and fainted, then waking up here."

"So was I. Only, I felt like I wasn't… mahself, in a way. At that point, mah memory was gone. I remembered my title as Ultimate Detective, I remember mah past, but… WHY I came to Green Hills just slipped from mah mind."

"How could you forget that one small thing?"

"I'm not sure, but ain't it strange? It's almost like we all forgot certain details."

"What are you saying?"

"That all this memory alteration… it was the work of the mastermind."

I sat up, looking at the crocodile intensely. "W-What do you mean?!"

"I think the mastermind stole our memories, MAH memories. The mastermind knew that somehow, I would be a distraction to their plans. So, the mastermind stole mah memories, likely not expectin' me to get 'em back."

"…but then you learned of Infinite?"

"Likely, I had to guess we only learned of Infinite recently because as the mastermind realized that I had been slowly gaining back mah memory, they realized they needed a way to off me."

"T-To off you?! Then, that means-?!"

"Infinite was deliberately hidden from all of us so the mastermind would personally kill me if they felt that I had been crossin' a line."

"No kidding…"

"But, as ya know, Infinite didn't come after me. He came after yeh."

"In my room at night, right?"

"I think the mastermind was always scared of me, but I think over time, the mastermind has been growing more fearful of yeh. Likely, the target changed from me to yeh."

"And when he failed?

"…the mastermind killed Infinite, naturally. He failed his task."

"That explains the bullet, right?"

"Sure does. Now ya might be askin', 'what 'bout the trial?' That can be explained quickly: that entire trial was designed to kill either me or yeh. Preferably, I imagine the mastermind wanted me dead instead, knowin' that yeh'd feel so much despair from losin' both Espio and me, ya likely would break. But… ya didn't take their trap, and everyone believed ya killed Infinite."

"So, the mastermind went ahead with it, knowing I wasn't the MAIN target?"

"Hey, ya might not have been it, but the mastermind wants ya good as dead. So, it's still a win win fer them."

"But why couldn't we have all worked together to prove that it was the mastermind?"

"If we did, the mastermind wouldda noticed that yeh all were helpin' me. Besides… I've been doin' a bit of thinkin'… and I've been comin' to a theory: what if the mastermind was one of us?"

"W-What?!"

"Don't take what I say as the truth. It's just a theory. But, ya can't deny it's a theory we can't throw out, right?"

"I mean, with so few of us… how?"

It made sense though… if Vector really believe the mastermind was one of us, who COULD he trust? Could… could he truly trust… me?

No wonder he didn't try to pin this on the mastermind, knowing they were the true culprit. That wouldn't have been what they wanted. Was this to bait them out instead? Give the mastermind a false sense of victory only to sweep it from under their feet? Too many theories ran through my mind, none of which were making sense the more I thought about it.

"Of course, dun think I couldn't trust nobody. I think of all people I could trust, it'd be yeh."

"Me? How so?"

"Everythin' 'bout yeah screams 'not the mastermind'."

"I'm gonna take that as a bit of an insult…"

"It ain't, I promise ya."

But I thought back to the dream I had when I was sick. The words, "I have to stay here" stuck in my mind. Vector looked at me with a concerned look.

"What's wrong?"

I wanted to open my mouth and tell him but… I didn't feel like it amounted to anything. It WAS just a dream after all.

"…it's nothing."

"Are ya sure? This ain't the first time ya hid somethin' from me."

"I promise you."

I felt a little guilty keeping it from Vector but, it probably amounted to nothing.

"I just wanna let ya know that despite everythin', I still trust ya. I'm just… I guess yeh could say I'm not used to relyin' on others."

"I know you trust me. You falling into a bunch of garbage and bringing me food proves it."

Vector smiled, almost as if he wanted to laugh out loud.

"Hey, by the way," I continued. "What was your reason for your investigation? Like, why did you come to Green Hills?"

The crocodile looked at me before looking at the ground. "Mah sole purpose? To find someone here."

"To… find someone?"

"The headmaster of Green Hills."

And then, what he said next made me drop my last piece of beef jerky that I had in my hand.

"…mah uncle."

"Your… uncle?!"

"I… If ya dun mind, I kinda wanna talk 'bout mah family history, fer a bit. Mah dad died when I was 'bout… three? I think? Anyway, after his death, I was given to mah uncle so he could raise me. He did his best to raise me and become the father figure I couldn't have thanks to mah dad's death. Course, when I was that young, I was pretty much oblivious to him bein' the headmaster of Green Hills."

"So that explains why you got mad when Ditz theorized that the headmaster was the mastermind…"

"It was like the moment that finally brought back mah memories piece by piece. No one ever brought up the headmaster like that until now, and when it happened, it's like I remembered his face. Look, Charmy, ya dun think the headmaster is the mastermind, right?"

"I mean-"

"Do ya?"

"Can I answer the question at least?"

"I'm askin' 'cause I ain't sayin' that to protect him, or 'cause he was mah family. I only said that based on everythin' I found in the headmaster's office."

"…Vector, please tell me what you saw in there."

The crocodile let out a deep sigh. "The entire room was a mess. Folders, papers, books, so on and so on, they all lay on the floor just destroyed and dumped without care. It was like someone who didn't know what the room had had been in there. And if I had to guess, that someone was an individual who didn't like what the room contained."

"The mastermind?"

"Right on the money. Dun take it from me though, all the proof lies in the Chao key. That's why I went to the second-floor dorms."

"What was there? And… why there?"

Vector pulled out a piece of paper from his coat, showing it to me. I grabbed it, seeing that it was some kind of floor plan.

"Is this a map?" I asked.

"Not just a map. A layout of the entire zone. I found this in the headmaster's room, alongside the Chao key and Infinite's profile. Accordin' to this, the second-floor dorms were intended fer the faculty and staff."

"Is that why Egg Robo locked it?"

"I ain't sure, but I figured that the headmaster would likely have another room since with a zone like this, yeh'd need staff workin' overnight. When I went to check, I remembered everythin' 'bout my purpose. And once I realized that, the next thing I realized was that the second-floor dorms dun have any cameras anywhere."

"No cameras? Is that why Egg Robo not only didn't know where you were, but also why you didn't know about Infinite's death?"

Vector nodded in response.

"How lonely must it have been? Was it… creepy?"

"I've seen a lotta things in mah life. Yeh'll be surprised the amount of things I've been desensitized to. But I can't deny that it did have a creepy vibe to it. It's almost like… I could feel people occupying the halls in one lifetime. Mah opinion changed when I saw… it. Charmy, I need you to listen to me: I ain't tryin' to scare ya, but I need ya to understand somethin' very important. We've learned 'bout stuff like The Great Calamity, and how there seems to be some kinda drivin' force towards keepin' outside information away from the participants of this killin' game. What I learned Charmy… I…"

He started to shake.

"Vector?!"

"I'm okay. It's just… Charmy, I need ya to understand. What's goin' on in this zone… it's more horrifyin' than anythin' we could imagine."

I tried my best to look tough, but deep down, I was terrified. What did Vector see in the dorms? Was it related to The Great Calamity?

"I can't tell ya much. It's somethin' I think ya need to see on yer own."

"Vector, I know you said not to get scared, but… I'm scared."

The emerald reptile sighed again. "I figured as such. It ain't the most pleasant thing in the world."

"Besides, I have another question. This has to do with you not knowing about Infinite's death and the trial."

"Dun tell me ya think I killed him."

"W-Well, no. I know you didn't."

"Just testin' ya to make sure. And I think ya didn't do so either. I mean, I don't own a gun, and I doubt yeh've ever fired one."

"Y-Yeah, but… if that means none of us did it, WHO must have been responsible?"

"Clearly the mastermind, no? He failed to get rid of you or me."

"Were you always the target?"

"Like I said earlier, I think Egg Robo set up the trial to kill me fer all the problems I caused him, no doubt the tippin' point bein' when I stole the Chao key and disappeared. That no doubt pissed him off so bad, he used the trial as a loophole to kill me. But sure enough, the mastermind started seein' that yeh started gettin' too nosy, and because of that, they changed their target to ya."

It did make me think though… it WOULD be like Egg Robo to just kill either me or Vector like it was nothing, and yet… he had to use the class trial. Almost like as if the mastermind were bound to the zone rules like we were.

"But dun forget, Charmy. Ya couldda been the victim," Vector continued.

"Infinite's failed assassination, right?"

"Years of doin' work that involves solvin' murders makes ya hear the sound of death knockin'. I got that feelin' that night, so I went to yer room to check on ya, and just as I got there, yer door was open and wouldn't ya know it, there was Infinite, hoverin' above yer bed with a knife in hand. Course, since he failed, the mastermind killed 'em."

"Then, what would have happened if I died?"

"Still wouldda killed me, no doubt. Once both of us were gone, they knew the rest would be powerless."

"That sounds like you're saying that the others would fall to the mastermind."

"I dun see anyone but Wave bein' strong enough to take 'em on. Silver has no use without his powers, Tikal doesn't like to fight, and Amy would rather die than let Rosie out."

"I guess that's true…"

"Regardless, the locker key was put in mah room to make it seem like I did it."

"So, the mastermind can just kill whoever they want?! But couldn't they just do that in the first place if that's allowed?!"

"I think the mastermind knows this, and once the scales were tipped in mah favor, they had to use yeh as a backup plan. 'Course, they didn't expect Ditz either so now at this point, the mastermind is cornered."

"By who?"

"Us."

I gasped when he said this. Vector took my hands and stared into my eyes.

"Charmy, I need yer help. Not just yer help, but the help of everyone here. Just gimme some more time, I can find the identity of the mastermind."

And what he said next made me fall to the ground.

"…the identity of the other Ultimate Despair."

"O-O-O-O-O-OTHER?!"

"I think Infinite was an Ultimate Despair, just not in the way we think he was. I think there is the TRUE Ultimate Despair, the original Ultimate Despair."

"W-Who could it be? Is it one person?"

Vector turned his back away from me. "Someone or somethin'…" he then looked behind at me. "…with enough power to start The Great Calamity?"

Was it true? Whoever this Ultimate Despair was… they started The Great Calamity? And most important… who could it be? Was Infinite working with someone? And… how many people collaborated to make it happen?

"The individual or group who instigated The Great Calamity, no doubt, they're the ones who trapped us all here."

Vector turned around, looking at me with a hardened face. "D'ya understand everythin' so far, Charmy?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Then ya understand that they're the true mastermind, and our enemy."


CHAPTER 6

A Painful Dash, A Painful Spiked Wall, A Painful Life Loss

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: And now, after much delay, and beginning just after I started my internship for my degree, trial 6 comes to an end only for Charmy to be named the murdered, but what's this? He's saved by Ditz, and we all know he never did it? Vector realized that the trial was made so that either he or Charmy would die, and now that the mastermind is cornered, the time to strike has finally revealed itself!

Next time on Despair Hill Zone, the truth of Green Hills, the truth of the killing game, and most important, Charmy, Vector, Silver, Tikal, Amy, and Wave's final battle against the mastermind, with the shocking revealation of their identity finally comes out! All of this and more in Chapter 7: Despair Hill Zone Act 3, coming soon!)