Chapter 4: Clash, J-Stars! Part 7 (Deadly Life)
Remaining Citizens: 10
Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Idol
Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!): Ultimate Manipulator
Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Recluse
Trunks Brief (Dragon Ball): Ultimate Swordsman
Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
Espio The Chameleon (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Ninja
Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
"Miles, you see him from up there?!" Gold shouted so it could reach him.
"No good man, he probably went inside one of the buildings instead of staying on the streets!" Miles hopped off of a building marked as .
"It'll take forever if we search every single one, this city is just too big ahhhhh!" Bernadetta held her head, overwhelmed.
"No kidding, this place is looking to be slightly above the size of Tokyo from the amount of areas we've been through. It would probably take a normal person a day and a half to circle the whole thing on foot." Ishigami deduces.
"On foot huh…" Gold thinks to himself.
"I can swing around New York in about two hours, and even I get exhausted. If I try doing that here, it'll be a marathon for me, hoo. And there's not a lot of subways so that makes it harder." Miles sighed.
"Really, superheroes just take the train when they can't be bothered to use their powers? Don't you have special vehicles or air transport?"
"I don't, but I think I saw one in Pete's la—Wait it's him!" Upon realizing it was Aoba who said that, Miles stuck him to a lamp post instantly. "Impact webbing, it's what I used for the first challenge. Don't know how it got there, but it's effective."
Aoba struggled to get out of the large web "Urgh! I'm still in pain from my match, you know? And you call yourself a hero."
"You're about to be in more pain, buddy. Now where's the stupid card so we can tear it apart?" Gold held his pool cue towards Aoba's face.
"Oh, I don't have it." Aoba reveals.
"What?!" Bernadetta is taken aback.
"Liar!" Gold just punched him in the face.
Ishigami then spoke up again, "He's not bluffing. Why would he just keep it on him when it could be easily taken by someone else? You found a hiding spot, right?"
"Aren't you smarter than you look…" Aoba smirks, the bruise on his cheek quite visible.
"I've played a few games that have your type in them. The anime adaption was only okay though." Ishigami said in his usual deadpan tone.
"Interesting… um, moving on. Yes I would not be stupid enough to carry that thing around. I just simply found a good hiding place for the card and hung the title belt on my wall, though I'll probably ask Monokuma for custom side plates." Aoba explained.
"UGGGGHHH! And you're not gonna tell us where either! Now it's really going to take forever!" Gold yelled in anger.
"Ha. I'd say I deserve this after the crappy day I have been having up to now." Aoba snarked, before Miles stepped forward.
"Hey Aoba, ever heard of the shoulder touch?"
"The what?"
"Hey." Miles then gave Aoba a light shock with his electric Venom powers.
"AAHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed out in pain.
"Hey, hey! Don't go too far!" Bernadetta tells him to stop and he obliges.
"I know, I know. I'm not a killer, just wanted him to shut up." Miles tells her.
"Well, um, good. So what do we do now?" Bernie asks.
"Ugh, I don't even know anymore! All I know is I need a nap after all of that." Gold sulks.
Aoba scoffed, "Y'know Morales, it's funny that you could have killed me with that shock of yours. It parallels a certain person you all know so well."
Before they could ask what he was talking about however...
*Ding dong dong ding*
"Oh no…" Bernadetta utters as their e-Handbooks are turned on.
"Um… breaking news. A body has been discovered… and the killer too. All citizens, make your way towards the trial room for the execution. I guess?" A shocked Monokuma says.
"The what?!" Miles's eyes went wide.
"Someone's dead… and they already found who killed them?! But who…" Bernadetta feels a chill go through her back.
"Didn't you guys notice that we're missing people? Ai, Emma, Espio, Killua, and Trunks were never with us." Ishigami states.
"And the fact that they already found the killer means they witnessed the murder. That means no trial, very strange… and stupid on the killer's end." Aoba rolled his eyes.
"AGGHH I'M GETTING EVEN MORE MAD NOW! WHY?!" Gold yelled once more.
"Tch, turn down your volume. And can someone get me out of this web so I can get to the trial room?" Aoba was then ripped out of it with Miles's strength, "There, was that so hard?"
Aoba then got web shot to his mouth so he couldn't talk anymore, and he sighed.
Ai's POV
The subway ride to the trial grounds felt longer than it should have.
The inside of the train was shoddily made. The seat cushions were uncomfortable, containers of food were scattered on the ground, the metal poles could have been less grimy, and the robotic voice telling us which stops we were on got on my nerves. It wasn't even a smooth ride either, the tracks felt bumpy, like we were riding up a mountain while going on a straight pathway.
Despite all of that however, I was only mildly inconvenienced. The main reason it felt longer was sitting right in front of me with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
Trunks is a strong, kind individual with an amazing will. We spent these past few weeks enjoying each other's company, talking about our personal stories, even demonstrating his powers to me, and assisting with the class trials when he was able to.
Yet when we entered the stadium, all there was was a destroyed ring, and a bloody sword next to him.
Killua was very intelligent and skilled despite his age. While he enjoyed messing with guys like Ryuji and Gold, he was helpful to us and willing to be as well. All this time we spent together, despite it not being very long, was enough for me to consider him a great friend.
His body was taken by Monokuma to who knows where, just like what happened to everyone else.
There was nothing for us to investigate, no footage on the destroyed cameras, no evidence to be found after the smoke was cleared, all that was there was those two alone. Both of them had scars all over their bodies from their duel, and Killua's stab wound in the chest was the only fatal blow.
Someone finally decided to break the silence during our ride, "Why? That's all I can ask you, why would you do this? And it's not only for you Trunks, why did you AND Killua decide to do this?"
Emma's question went unanswered, Trunks not saying a word since we left. Espio, the one who prevented us from interrupting their fight, was curled up in the corner with a crushed expression. Neither of them wanting to talk to us.
Emma was not taking this well, and I was barely managing myself. I was just waiting until we got to the trial ground until I could let out my feelings. It hurt to keep it in, but I can't do it now, I mustn't.
We stepped out of the subway and into Enoshima Park, everyone else waiting for us.
"So Killua was…" Miles solemnly stated as our group was looked over.
"Yes. He was the one killed, and I was the one who did it." Trunks tells them as he heads into the elevator.
Shocked expressions were all around, everyone was rendered speechless by his remark. A few people hesitated to even enter the elevator, but it was required of us, so no turning back. Especially since this happened.
We descended to the bottom, but this felt so different compared to the other times we have been here. Working together to solve a mystery and getting to live another day, with this however, we know who it is from the start so we're just here to vote. The elevator dinged and when we stepped out, Monokuma was in his chair… and Ryuji was out of the hospital.
"Dude, what are you doing here?!" Gold asked.
"I couldn't stand watching this go down any longer. After hearing about this from the bear, I needed to be here. Especially with what YOU did." Ryuji pointed at Trunks before walking up to him.
"What, the FUCK, were you thinking?! Did you even consider how we'd feel about it?!" The blonde just shouted in his face, but Trunks was unfazed.
"You killed the kid, FOR WHAT?! Give me your goddamn reason, you bastard! Did all the time we've spent together as a group mean nothing to you?! " Ryuji threw a punch at his face, but no pain was felt exce
"Stop it. Please stop it. Fighting like this isn't going to help at all! But Trunks… you can tell us. We're your friends… right?" Emma grabbed his arm tightly.
"... I had to."
"Bullshit." Ryuji called him out, and I decided to hold him back.
I finally decided to talk to him next, "How could you believe that? You should know that there's always another option to take, rather than going with something like this… you've been fighting alongside us all this time just for you to stab Killua and admit to your crime?" I clenched my fists as I continued to pour out my heart, "You understand what is going to happen now, right? You're going to be executed. We could have at least attempted to understand your intent if you murdered someone and hide it somehow, but… this is suicide."
"Ai…" I heard him say my name, and it pains me.
"Trunks, give us a full and honest answer." Emma told him.
"Trunks, it's like you're saying that you give up on escaping Monocity. That you give up on saving your loved ones." I…. begin to get choked up, "That… you give up on us. Is that what you're saying?"
"No, you're wrong!" He suddenly shouted at me.
"... I had to do it, not because I had given up on any of you. It's because I believe in you all that I needed to." That statement was eye widening for all of us, "Right from the start, it seemed hopeless. Our families are captured and have been turned to the darkness of despair, our homes are ravaged by those same loved ones, and we witnessed individuals falling victim to the very killing game we are forced to play." He pointed at Monokuma, who is still confused about the whole no trial situation.
"This cold, heartless machine captures seventeen people in this citadel of skyscrapers for entertainment and power over others. The mastermind controlling him believes in nothing but suffering for every person, no matter where they come from. People like that…. I know them far too well. They've taken everything from me so many times, and this is no exception."
We were all respectfully silent throughout all of this, any words we could say would have been cut down as quickly as a swordsman could.
"The despair that the mastermind wanted me to feel, it was slowly crawling into my mind. But it was then that him, Killua, made me think back to how far you all have gone. What we all endured through this killing game, everyone still kept going regardless. None of you truly losing hope, and the prime example is you."
He… pointed at me.
"Ai, you took control of the situation immediately when the game began. We went exploring after each area opened up because of you, you investigated the crime scenes more thoroughly than everyone, you use the evidence you gathered to lead the trials to their conclusion. You even spend time with us alone, listening to our problems, being interested in us as people and where we came from. With someone like you at the helm… I know that everyone here will make it. That attitude you have brought to our group as well as using it on stage with your performances, it's truly something to be proud of."
Hearing him compliment me like this, right when he knows going to die….
"Ai, everyone, don't cry for me. If I go face my death while tears fall from your faces, I would feel terrible. Let me tell you this, you won't lose. Not to someone who believes only in their ideals. Whoever it is controlling that bear is will receive what's coming to them, and that will be your revenge."
The echoed words from that last conversation I had with him, it was at that moment where I couldn't listen to him when he said not to cry there. I fell to my knees and tears fell to my legs.
Insert Song: Trunks's Theme, Hikari no WILL POWER (Dragon Ball Z)
"I killed him knowing that I would die, but we wanted you to use our deaths to propel you all towards the end of this twisted game. The fight ahead is more difficult than you could imagine, so you all needed an advantage. This is our final request, use the hope you've had throughout this experience, as a blade of light to cut into the clouds of despair looming over us. Fight on, until you've won, succumbing to this game would make our deaths meaningless."
The buttons were pressed and the votes were casted, even if Monokuma looked unsure himself.
"Let that fire within you all burn bright, let your willpower shine on!"
It was then that Trunks turned super pushing all of us back… but it was different from what I last saw. Each time he stepped forward, and a tremor was felt throughout the room, his eyes were clear white, and burning blue energy and sparks flowed around him along with the golden shine.
"MONOKUMA!"
His shout sent shockwaves all around as he started to float off the ground.
"L-Let's give it everything we've got! It's... PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!" Monokuma hit the button with his gavel and Trunks soared straight into the execution room.
…..
GAME OVER
TRUNKS HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY, TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!
Trunks stands alone in the darkness, his energy being the only light. A crowd then circles around him with glowing eyes and intent to kill, and Trunks unsheathes his sword. Robotic copies of his foes are revealed.
Execution: Blade of Willpower
His first opponent is Frieza. Trunks dodges his Death Beams and performs his Burning Slash technique to slice the tyrant to pieces before incinerating him.
Next was the team of Androids 17 & 18. The numbers game is initially useful, quick strikes are used on Trunks's existing injuries from him and Killua's fight. Trunks finally comes back and blasts the two of them to hell.
Imperfect Cell was no challenge as he tosses him into the air and erases him for good. Dabura and Babadi stood no chance either with Trunks choosing to use his father's move the Galick Gun to wipe them out.
Then the atmosphere changed, as Goku Black entered the scene. Trunks was beginning to run low on energy at that point, yet he kept on fighting. Black's energy blade and Trunks's sword clashed multiple times, until the dark mirror version of Goku knocked him back against a wall.
Zamasu then descended upon the battlefield and the two villains adjusted their potara earrings. Fused Zamasu emerges, as Trunks manages to stand back up. He takes multiple swings at Zamasu, yet the self-proclaimed "Supreme God" eats up each blow.
Fused Zamasu knocks the half-saiyan back and as he prepares to unleash Light of Divine Justice…. Trunks begins to hear voices.
It was everyone on the outside cheering him on, telling him to get back up and finish it.
Trunks staggers up, energy flowing into his blade as everyone lifts their hands to the air. The Sword of Hope is forged from the spirit energy and Trunks goes to town on Fused Zamasu. Slash after slash the fused being is weakening, up until he is stabbed through the chest. Trunks uses his remaining strength to cut Zamasu in half, ending the fight.
At least… until Monokuma in Frieza's pod and armor floats down from above. He laughs at the now exhausted Trunks as he prepares to fire a single blast from a ray gun. Yet… Trunks smiles. He turns to look at Ai and the rest of the crowd…
Before giving Monokuma the finger and stabbing himself in the chest.
"TRUNKS!" I ran over to him as fast as I could.
I kneeled down beside him as a river of tears fell from my face.
"AGGGGHHH! YOU SON OF AN APE AND BLUE-HAIRED BIMBO! YOU JUST HAD TO TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME TOO?!" Monokuma was furious, no proper trial, and no proper execution.
"You idiot… stupid stupid idiot…."
I kept telling him that repeatedly, but he didn't say anything back. Just smiled as his blood spread and my black knee socks were stained. I was unable to keep steady, my composure has broken and I couldn't stop crying.
"We could have escaped together… you and Killua… you didn't have to do this."
But before I could say another word, he weakly handed me his sword and sheath. Both were covered in his blood as I took them in my hands. Trunks mouthed the words "See you later." before giving me a two fingered salute….
And just like that he was gone. His body is nothing but an empty husk on a crimson puddle.
….
...
I walked back into the trial room dejected, with the sword strapped to my back. Everyone else was struggling to hold back tears, although Bernadetta had failed minutes earlier during the execution.
I feel numb.
As I walked to the elevator, I heard something behind me.
"(gulps down almost half of a bottle of water) Ah, that was exhausting. Still, the reasoning behind that murder was so vague, and he could have at least tried to hide his crime. Two pointless deaths, what a waste of time."
My emotions got the better of me, as I slapped Aoba in the face.
Insulting my friend right after he killed himself… he's literally inhuman. Not a shred of empathy in his entire body. All there is within is malice. And he has the one thing that could allow him to get away with his plans.
"Agh… what is up with today and giving me copious amounts of physical harm? (sighs) I guess it can't be helped. Monokuma, can I ask you a quick favor?" Aoba rubs his cheek as he turns to the grumbling robot bear.
"CAN'T YOU SEE I'M PISSED OFF?! I DON'T EVEN HAVE PROPER CAPITALIZATION ON MY SENTENCES BECAUSE OF THAT HALF-SAIYAN TRASH!"
"You'll get over it, this should make the killing game interesting again if you have a dvd player here." Aoba then held up a disc and… it has the title Zombie Land Saga printed on it.
Was that… no, how did he?!
"Ugh fine! I might as well. I haven't watched this show past episode 5 anyhow (I have, and it's great go watch it. - Renegade) ." Monokuma put in the disc and handed Aoba a remote.
"Skip ahead, skip ahead… there!" Aoba stopped the fast forward.
SPOILERS FOR ZOMBIE LAND SAGA SEASON 1 EPISODE 6
On the screen an idol was performing with her group with a concert in the rain. Blue hair with yellow flowers, a large smile on her face.
She decides to run out towards the crowd to finish the song and points a finger to the sky. That was a mistake that changed everything.
A bolt of lighting came down from the cloudy sky, right on top of the girl. Leaving her with a charred body, dead while standing up.
That was me, Ai Mizuno on August 4th, 2008. My death.
The entire sequence played out on the screen in front of us, and my companions were in utter disbelief.
"You see, Trunks was all like, 'You can believe in Ai! She's so reliable blah blah blah'. Though let me say this, how can we entrust our lives to a girl who kept THIS from us?!" Aoba then tossed water in my face.
Before I could shout at him for that, Bernadetta let out an ear-piercing scream as water dripped down my face. I turned to her to ask what was wrong and she looked away from me quickly, quivering in fear.
I turned to the others, and Ryuji & Ishigami backed away. It was then that I realized what Aoba had done. I take out my e-Handbook and stare at my reflection.
Glowing red eyes, pale blue skin, and bandages covering my face. My makeup washed off…. I've now been outed as a zombie.
"All those stories about your idol work, your singing and dancing crap, but you forgot the most important factor. You're a reanimated corpse that was fried onstage. Well Ai, do you hunger for brains? Prone to bite people? Infect us all?!" Aoba just kept pressing questions at me.
I just… couldn't answer. Couldn't deny his claims.
My brain started to hurt too much, the deaths of both Killua and Trunks have made me too emotionally vulnerable. I was clutching my head in my hands as I struggled not to break down completely.
I can't take it. Not after the tears. Not after the loss.
"Ai… are you alright?"
Emma placed her hand on my shoulder but… I brushed her off and ran off to the elevator shutting it quickly.
I soon made it back to my Hope-tel and barred the door. Back there… I saw the fear in their eyes. I knew that all along that something like this would have happened, but I just kept denying it.
These past few hours have been nothing but suffering. And right now, there's almost nothing left for me to feel.
Nothing, but pure despair.
"Well that was a shocker puhuhuhu~! Thank YOU for finally making things interesting again. That fiasco with the failed ladder match, along with the murderer choosing to both admit his guilt outright and execute himself was…. AGH I STILL FEEL ANGRY. Now I have to change things up so something like this won't happen again!" Monokuma conversed with Aoba in the empty trial room.
"Hmph, well now that it's all stirred up, expect something great for the next murder. All in a day's work… ack, I need to sleep off the pain." Aoba began to stagger towards the elevator but then he noticed something by one of the seats.
Aoba picked up the small box with it addressed to his name and opened it curiously, "Huh, a watch. Not a bad looking one either. Thank you, whoever the hell left this lying here, got some good taste."
He attaches it to his left wrist and looks up at Monokuma, "Ah, still here? Can I ask you a quick question before I go?"
"Eh? What do you wanna know? As long as you don't wanna know my measurements, fire away!"
"Who would ever want to know that? Tch, whatever. I was wondering… Is that you behind the controls… Izaya Orihara?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... NOPE! I expected you to ask about him eventually, but sadly he is not the one behind this one." Monokuma crossed his arms and laughed as Aoba sighed and walked into the elevator.
"I see. Worth a guess. Also… this one?" But as he turned around, Monokuma was gone, "Well, at least I had two victories today."
Remaining Citizens: 9
To Be Continued…
This entire chapter turned out to be quite different compared to other ones in Danganronpa. Killing and admitting to a murder, The Gauntlet (which was actually based on a dumb fanfiction I had on here before deleting it)… all sorts of stuff. Looking back at previous chapters in comparison to these last two, they don't even compare in quality. So what now? Ai just went through a rollercoaster of emotions and Aoba's got all the cards (I'd say literally, but he only has one card), how will our heroine get out of this? Chapter 5 is coming soon, I need to figure out how to set everything up so it works so please be patient. Feel free to speculate on what comes next. Also yes, I am very evil, fuhahahahahaha! (PS: I can't believe I actually posted Killua's death on Gon's birthday unintentionally lol, I'm sorry!)