Fate can be an amusing ideal sometimes.
Mondo Owada is a teenage stand user gifted with Crazy Diamond, a powerful stand with a useful ability to restore things. He was set to be a potential individual to a bright future, capable of both moving on from his brothers' death and becoming a resourceful stand user thanks to Jotaro Kujo's tutorage. After the marine biologist finalized his teachings and found his way back home, Mondo finally felt like fortune was smiling upon him for the first time in a while.
Of course, that wasn't the case.
Trapped inside a killing game with other students his age, Mondo now had to fend himself with his reawakened Crazy Diamond, and find a way out with his forgotten friends.
Will he succeed, though?
"Now, let's see if someone dies today... Puhuhu", grinned the mastermind with a manic smile. "After all, this will be the last opportunity for the participants to save themselves."
Meanwhile...
"Mimi!", Cloakie resonated, getting his user's attention. The gambler was silently humming to herself while making a new dress.
"What is it, Cloakie?", asked the gambler indifferently.
A knock on the door was soon heard, getting both the gambler and her stand's attention. The gothic girl readied Cloakie into her second act before opening the door.
"Oh, Mondo, it's you", stated Celeste with feigned surprise.
"Junko's with me, as well", Mondo said, pointing to the model behind him. "Apparently, she wants to tell us something before tomorrow."
"I see", the gambler responded. She then faced the model and said, "Do tell, Ms. Enoshima. What do you want to tell us?"
"...Is it okay if I talk about it inside your room?", the model asked in seriousness.
Meanwhile...
"Are you okay, Chihiro?", asked Taka in worry, currently sitting beside the programmer in his bed. The small teen groaned lightly before responding, "...I'm okay, Ishimaru. I'm just hurt, that's all."
"I see", noted Taka. "I'm glad that you're still alive."
"Me too, but...", trailed off the programmer before stammering our a question, "Is anyone else hurt?"
"No, everybody else is fine", responded the prefect.
"Thank god...", said the programmer to himself before coughing loudly.
"Chihiro!"
"I'm fine, don't worry", stated the programmer, albeit with a voice crack. This calmed the moral compass, albeit he was curious about something:
"Your voice seems weird."
"Yeah, it's probably because of my stand", responded the programmer. "It's also probably the reason why I felt so much anxiety and despair when it first awakened."
"Oh, I see", mused Taka to himself. He still didn't understand much about stands, but he left trust in Chihiro's answer.
"In any case, I'm gonna take a small nap", trailed off Chihiro weakly. "Is it okay if you watch out for me for a little while?"
"Of course", assured Taka. "I'll take care of you, don't worry."
The programmer then smiled lightly at his answer, before stifling a yawn. "Well, thanks Taka. I'll see you later."
"Later."
He then watched the little programmer fall asleep quickly after, the moral compass having a small smile.
"I'll do my best to protect everyone."
Meanwhile, Kyoko was at the doorway, watching the interaction between both boys happen in silence. When Chihiro fell asleep, she left the room, heading towards her dorm.
Meanwhile...
The model sat across both Celeste and Mondo, explaining the truth behind her and her sister, who was the mastermind of this killing game.
"So you're posing as your sister while she runs the killing game?", asked the gambler. The soldier nodded silently in response.
"And your real name is Mukuro Ikusaba, and your talent is a soldier?", continued Mondo, also receiving the same answer from the mercenary herself.
"I didn't know when to tell everyone about this", Mukuro stated. "But ever since my sister abandoned me, I have decided to tell everyone else tomorrow, assuming we survive her punishment."
"So you don't know what she's planning?", asked Celeste.
"No, I don't", responded the soldier. "She stopped communicating with me a while ago. I've decided to rebel against her in response, and get everyone out of here."
"I see", mused Mondo to himself. He then faced the soldier and said, "I'll believe your words. You better not be lying, though. If you are, you'll see what happens when you get Crazy Diamond in a bad mood."
"I understand", responded Mukuro.
"In any case, do we call you Mukuro, or do you want us to refer to you as Junko?", asked the gambler.
"Junko for now", answered the mercenary. "You can call me Mukuro tomorrow, when I tell everybody else the truth."
"Very well then", responded Celeste politely.
"In any case, I've already said what I wanted to say", Mukuro stated, turning towards the exit. "Thanks for taking the time to listen to me."
"You're welcome", said Celeste, Mondo standing up as well. Both he and the mercenary were at the door, before Mondo spoke, "Both of you, be ready for tomorrow. We don't know what Junko is planning, and something tells me it's not nice". He then left the room, Mukuro following suit.
"Mimi?", asked Cloakie, back in his first act.
"Of course I believe her", responded Celeste. "She has no reason to lie about her identity, especially at a critical time like this."
"And what about you?"
The small voice again.
Back at the white field of nothingness, Celeste found herself facing her younger version, back at her apparent consciousness.
"When are you going to tell everyone about yourself?", the small Celeste asked.
"...In due time", responded the gambler. "Despite dreading the moment when that happens, I'll tell everyone when we get out of here."
"I see...", said the small girl. "That's all I wanted to ask."
Back in her dorm, Celeste turned to face Cloakie, who had a curious expression. Standing up to close the door, the gambler then sat on her bed again, continuing to work on her dress.
"Goodness gracious."
Meanwhile, in another universe...
"Tch, It's you again!"
Jaden Yuki, a brown-haired YuGiOh duelist in a red jacket, saw black fog while on his way to find a temporary job. Following said fog into an empty alleyway, he reencountered a familiar face waiting for him there.
"Judai", an apparition resounded, emerging from a wall's shadow. The apparition had five wings on his back, and had a skeletal ram as a face. In fact, his entire body was that of a skeleton's, enshrouded in a dark cloak. He represented the very term of death itself.
Back a year ago, both Jaden and Darkness dueled against each other to determine humanity's fate. Jaden ended up winning, saving humanity from darkness and sending the skeletal apparition back to nothingness, set to revive millions of years into the future.
Of course, fate dictated otherwise.
"Darkness, you weren't supposed to come back alive!", Jaden said, his eyes glowing violent heterochromatic colors of blue and yellow.
"Indeed. But fate had different plans for me", the apparition said, turning to face the red-jacket duelist. "I already stated that I can't perish, and that instead I lose 'influence' on this world. 'Influence' is the energy derived from despair and anguish, the driving forces of humanity."
He then continued, "When I lost my duel against you back then, I nearly lost all my 'influence', going back to a dormant state, supposedly to be revived in future millennia."
Jaden didn't say anything, so the apparition continued, "But while in deep slumber, somebody gave me enough 'influence' to reanimate in this world, just not enough to change it", Darkness explained. "But in exchange, I was given something even greater. A power that I didn't have before."
"And what power is that?", Jaden asked forcefully.
"Have you noticed the appearance of blue portals lately?", asked Darkness, Jaden's eyes widening at the mention of those words. "I'll take your face as a 'yes'."
The skeletal apparition then continued, "I was given the power to spawn interdimensional portals randomly within different corners of space and time. Meaning that I have affected not just the past and future, but also several different dimensions. My influence as an omnipotent being has now spread to every single bit of space-time. I am the one behind the portals."
"So you're roping in other people in this!? People who aren't even from our dimension!?", asked Jaden, seething in rage. "This was only meant to be between me and you, Darkness!"
"There is no need to fret, Judai", responded the apparition calmly, raising a hand at the teen. "I'm not mindlessly killing innocent people, after all. I'm only granting them a state of peace."
"Torturing people in their minds to force them to give up hope and despair...", Jaden trailed off. "You call that peace!?"
"Judai...", Darkness responded, then gave a small sigh. "It seems our views still conflict with each other. But it doesn't matter."
Looking at the heterochromatic-eyed teen, the apparition continued, "With the ability to absorb 'influence' from the neighboring dimensions that the portals have appeared in, I am slowly but surely increasing in power. Eventually, not even an 'outsider' like you would hold your own against me!". He then stated, "I will return not just this world, but every other world to eternal darkness, just like it was meant to be!"
"Oh yeah?", Jaden asked, raising his duel disk. "Well, I won't let that happen! Not while I'm here!"
"That's why I'm here, Judai", Darkness responded. "I've come to offer an agreement."
"An agreement?", Jaden asked dubiously. "...What do you want?"
"Judai, your connection with that Duel Monsters spirit of yours means that I can't bring you to peace like the others", the skeletal apparition explained. "But I can still grant you 'happiness'. If you give me your soul, I can guarantee eternal silence for your consciousness, free from that 'torture' that you speak of."
"You...", Jaden seethed.
"I'll even return that girl, Aoi Zaizen, that accompanies you back to her dimension", Darkness added. "Don't you want her to be back home, safe and sound? That is indeed what you promised her, no?"
"...I did", Jaden's tone calmed down. "I promised Aoi that I would return her back home..."
Darkness only continued staring at Jaden.
"But I'll do it my way!", Jaden finished. "I'm gonna return her back home and prevent you from causing further chaos!"
"I see...", the apparition mused to himself. "Then we have no matters to discuss further". The apparition then turned to the wall from which he came from, "We'll meet again, Judai."
"No, none of this 'meeting again' bullshit!", Jaden shouted, activating his duel disk. "We'll settle this right here, right now!"
"Judai...", Darkness spoke calmly. "Be patient. Good things come to those who wait..."
"DAAAARKNESSSSSSSSSSSSS!"
Ignoring Jaden's cry of rage, the apparition walked into the wall, seemingly disappearing from the alleyway. Only Jaden and his spirit Yubel were left from the exchange.
Yubel was Jaden's Duel Monsters spirit, one of Jaden's YuGiOh monsters back when he was little. In a duel against her, Jaden fused with Yubel, permanently merging both entities together as one.
"Jaden...", Yubel trailed off, emerging from Jaden's back. "Calm down. You're acting like a baby."
"...I know", Jaden said resignedly, standing still in the gray pavement. "I just don't want more people in trouble, not while I can do something about it."
"That's the thing, you can't do something about it", Yubel pointed out. "At least, not for now. Soon enough you'll get the chance to face him once more and defeat him."
"It's just..."
"Jaden", Yubel grabbed the duelist's shoulders, staring directly at his face. "I already know that you're not gonna rest until Darkness goes away. So when we succeed defeating him, everyone will be saved once more. Until then, calm down and send Zaizen back home."
"...Alright. I'll calm down", Jaden responded, his eyes finally reverting back to brown.
"...There, that's better", Yubel smiled. She then gave Jaden a soft hug, the duelist returning the embrace. She then have Jaden some space and said, "Well, let's go back to that park bench where we were. An hour has already passed since we've split up."
"Yeah, you're right", Jaden agreed, putting back his duel disk in his backpack. He then faced the alley's exit and said, "Let's see if Aoi was lucky in finding a job."
"...Yeah."
Meanwhile, back in Future Foundation...
The pink-haired Italian was walking calmly outside, wanting to catch the remains of the fresh air outside the red sky.
"Giorno...", the Italian mused to himself. "Back then in our battle, you kept repeating nonsense about resolve and hope". He then looked up at the sky, "I wonder what you would do in a world without it."
"Talking to yourself, are ya?"
Diavolo turned around to see Koichi Kizakura approach him, the talent scout tipping his hat at the Italian.
"...I'm just reliving past memories", the pink-haired man responded. The talent scout walked beside him and offered a cigarette.
"Want one?"
"...Sure."
The Italian then lit up the cigarette with Koichi's help, treating himself with a smoking session.
"Yeah, life here used to be decent", remarked Koichi, Diavolo listening to his musing. "At least before Junko ruined it all."
"I'm assuming this 'Junko' is that blonde girl with pigtails?", the Italian asked.
"The very one", Koichi answered. "You mentioned earlier that you recognized every student in the academy. Did that include Junko?"
"Yeah."
"I see..."
An army of robotic Monokumas then approached the two individuals, bearing their sharp teeth.
"Goodness me", said Koichi, raising his head to face the robots, "So the Warriors of Hope are still striking."
"Warriors of Hope?", asked Diavolo.
"I'll explain later, let's get out of here for now", responded Koichi, turning to face the Foundation's building. He then realized that both he and the Italian were completely surrounded.
"Tch. We're gonna have to defend ourselves while we wait for the foundation", Koichi said, lowering his hat in seriousness.
"There's no need for that", responded Diavolo.
"Huh?", asked the talent scout. "What do you-"
In the next instant, both he and Diavolo were outside the surrounded area, the Monokumas beside them exploding in pieces. The talent scout, realizing that his clothes were slightly burnt, could only look at the explosion in bewilderment.
"How did you...?"
"Five seconds", said the Italian. "Those robots were about to ambush us in five seconds. I caused an explosion in that time frame using my cigarette, sending you to fly away from the robots". He then faced the talent scout, King Crimson standing beside him, "I skipped five seconds into the future. That's what my stand, King Crimson, does."
The talent scout could only compose himself and chuckle, lowering his burnt hat. He then faced Diavolo and stated, "Well, that's quite an ability you have there. Definitely something new". He then began walking back to the foundation, saying, "In any case, I'll tell you about the Warriors of Hope when you're done reliving your memories."
"Sure", the tall man responded, facing the red sky once more, "I'll soon head inside anyways."
The Italian was then left to himself once more, contemplating in silence what else to do in his afternoon walk.
Author's Note: Chapter 30 done! With this, we have finally revealed the truth behind the blue portals! A mysterious skeletal apparition named Darkness controls them in hopes of regaining power from humanity's anguish, while also collaborating with a certain someone else! Just who is this mysterious person!?
In other news, we have learned the secret of the Killing Game participants' pasts and their relationship with the portals! Thanks to the portals, many of our students' lives (like Mondo's and Sakura's) have been rewritten, thus the result of 'outside disturbances' affecting not just this universe, but also many others!
Thanks to everyone waiting for this chapter's entry, I hope you are satisfied with the story so far! Just what will become of the Killing Game after this? What will happen tomorrow that the students dread? Thank you for your support and feedback so far, and until the next entry, I'll see everyone later!