SZ: Here we are folks...the final Trial from Danganronpa 1 is upon us.

Z0: Shits about to get real!

SZ: So let us cut this short and start. We own jack squat aside from original content...z0? Start us off...and no time manipulation. Don't want the TVA on our asses.

Z0: Okay *pulls out Monokuma and Junko strapped to a nuke with the self destruct button placed right between them*

Monokuma: This is cruel and unusual punishment!

Z0: Shhh...it's okay I magically altered this missile so all killed by it are for sure sent to the afterlife...but...that afterlife is heaven~

Junko: No...the ideal heaven is the world engulfed in glorious..!

SZ: Bye bye...see you never, psycho bitch.

Monokuma: AH SH-

Z0: PUSH THE BUTTON! *punches the button causing an oddly angelic explosion that takes the form of a cross* Oops...I ripped off Evangelion...lets run before someone complains!

SZ: Gh!*runs off with z0*

GT: *watches from a distance* We don't own Danganronpa nor Kamen Rider.

"Welcome back, kiddos!" Monokuma beamed as he stood before everyone in the main hall, "And I hope you're ready...because thanks to a certain half-boiled someone and his book nerd partner, we're gonna go straight into the investigation before the trail to see if you can find out who I really am! The fifth floor has been unlocked for you all and...hell just for this, I unlocked the forbidden area of the second floor!"

"Forbidden area?" Naegi repeated.

"Let's just say things got...explosive there," Monokuma chuckled darkly.

Mukuro said nothing to that as she glared at the monochrome bear.

"So then…!" Monokuma clapped his paws together as he sauntered around a bit, "Your main goal for the investigation before the Final Trial is the find clues on who the Mastermind truly is….but spoilers…" he paused as he looked back at the group, "You're not gonna find anything useful."

"...and what makes you say that?" Kyoko questioned.

"Oh not much...just the fact of seeing the city's Kamen Rider falling to Despair once he falls and each and every one of his friends is executed before him...with him going last."

=GAO!=

"Eep!" Monokuma yelped as he shielded himself from the Fang Memory's glare, "Don't kill me! You need me to overlook the Final Trial and this is my last body!"

Fang walked up into his face. His eyes glowing before he ripped off an ear and ran back to Philip's side.

"Ah ha my ear!" Monokuma cried as he fell onto his back, "D'oh...just get searching!" he snapped as he fell through an opened panel in the floor.

"So now we can fully explore the school…" Hina noted before tapping her cheek in thought, "I wonder what's on the fifth floor?"

"Time to check…" Shotaro sighed, "Kyoko, Naegi, and I will check that forbidden part of the second floor Monokuma mentioned, the rest of you check out the fifth floor. Contact us if you spot anything out of us place."

"Understood!" Ishimaru, "I will do my best to lead the group a-"

"Akiko, you're in charge," Kyoko spoke, making Ishimaru gawk as he froze in place.

"There there…" Philip patted his shoulder.

"Everyone line up!" Akiko declared, "Expendables, in the front! Lovable ones in the back! Let's move out!"

"She better not be referring to me for the former..." Byakuya muttered as Akiko and the rest of her group began to walk off towards the main stairs while Shotaro, Kyoko and Naegi began to walk over to the opposite stairs.

"..What do you think Monokuam meant by 'explosive' when he mentioned the second floor?" Naegi questioned.

"Given how it was locked up for so long...most likely something involving the school's past," Kyoko answered with a slight frown as the three began to walk up the stairs.

"Meaning something big happened here you don't recall." Shotaro added, "Something big...and very bad."

"But the way he worded it was specific...why w-" Naegi began as they reached the second floor...and it looked like a bomb had gone off in it with rubble littering the area, "?!"

"It was being literal, buddy." Shotaro sighed, "Keep up."

"Honestly, I am no longer shocked by the Mastermind pulling something like this off," Kyoko frowned.

"...hold. These look like the Dorm Rooms," Naegi spoke as he looked around, seeing a few of the rooms having shattered or fading images, along with dirtied or broken name plates, "...This is the second floor of the dorm."

"...hmm…" Kyoko pondered as she walked up to one door, wiping off the ash and dirt off a name plate as she began not read it, "Ryota Mitarai…odd...this one is intact and yet..." she paused as she looked back at the doors with destroyed portraits and name plates, "The rest here are destroyed…"

"...Could It be possible there was another class before us?" Naegi asked.

"Likely…" Shotaro spoke, "Who's to say how many times this game was played?"

"...let's keep looking," Kyoko advised as she walked to the side, "If a door looks undamaged, see if you can find anything inside a dorm room."

"Hai/Can do," Naegi and Shotaro nodded.

"Uwaa….this room looks so pretty," Hina awed as she and Akiko looked inside a Japanese style room..with actual sakura trees inside as the petals covered the floor of the room.

"I think this is a practice room," Akiko pondered as she looked around, "I swore I saw some targets beyond those sakura trees...and a wooden dummy for kendo practice."

"Oh! Sakura would l-" Hina began before she stopped herself...and began to look down sadly, "Sakura…" she whispered before she shook her head, "No...I need to be brave...for her sake...for everyone that was taken from us by the Mastermind."

"We will take them down," Philip spoke as he walked in, "Between my brains, everyone's skills, and my brains…"

"You said that twice…" the girls muttered.

"That's how amazing my brain is!" Philip declared, "But I am serious...between our combined skills, the Mastermind will face justice."

"Agreed! We owe it to everyone who passed on," Akiko added, "Plus...no way am I letting them get away with making my gal pal cry and using her best friend like they did!"

"Akiko...Philip," hina whispered as she giggled a bit, "Yeah...let's do this."

"Good, now let's find clues a-" Philip began before he overheard a grunt of disgust from Byakuya, "?"

"...Now what?" Akiko whispered as she, Hina and Philip left the room, moving to a door down the hall as Byakuya held a napkin over his mouth.

"Ugh...what on Earth…" Byakuya whispered, a look of disbelief on his face, "How...ghastly."

"What did you find?" Hian asked, earning his attention as the three walked over.

"Look inside…"

"Hmm? What…" Akiko began as she opened the door, "?! OH MY GOD!"

Inside was what appeared to be a student council room...only it looked more like a crime scene...no. Even that was generous because in truth...it looked like a massacre happened. Desk and chairs were strewn about and destroyed, cut marks littered the chalkboard, a nearby mirror was shattered with the words 'Eye for an Eye' written in blood on it….and the entire room covered and littered with blood, the rotting stench of death permeating the air inside the room.

"Wh...what...is this?" Hina whispered, holding her hands over her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.

Philip closed the door, "Like Shotaro and his group assumed...you aren't the first players of the game…"

"...No. This seems more...chaotic," Byakuya noted with a frown, "Even with the motives Monokuma gave us, there were some from of order and rules. That room...that was nothing but death and despair itself, most likely driven by the mastermind."

"Wrong…" the four looked over to see Mukuro stepping over to them, "The Mastermind wasn't the one who drove the student council to killing each other."

"...explain," Philip spoke as he stepped up to her.

"I can't say much, but…" Mukuro paused as she looked away, "I helped someone the mastermind and I knew...as a test to see if despair was stronger than hope….you see the end result."

"...but...how were you…?" Hina began.

"All I did was sing an aria...one that helped drive the student council further down into insanity," Mukuro answered, "...and following that night, the school tried to keep the incident a secret. Saying someone snuck into the school and killed the Student Council."

"Wait...the school tried to cover it up?" Byakuya raised a brow.

"Hmm...aria…" Philip muttered before grinning, "Key kita!"

"Key?" They repeated as Philip opened his book.

"So many books involving the school with Locks on them...and 'Aria' was the Keyword for student council!" Philip beamed, "All of you shut up, I'm reading," he smiled.

"But…"

"Fang, eviscerate if they speak while I read." he ordered as he walked off to a comfy spot to stand as he vanished into his infinite library.

"...Yes. This is how he normally acts," Byakuya sighed once he noticed Mukuro's confused face.

=GAO!=

"!?" Byakuya tensed when Fang snarled at him, "..." Slowly, he pulled out and presented a photo to Fang, who snatched it and ran off, "..." the others looked at him and he pointed to Philip, earning nods from all but Mukuro, 'Hagakure taking those photos while the rest of us couldn't comprehend Philip as a maid has come quite handy…'

"...odd. This doesn't look like a student's dorm room," Naegi whispered as he stood before a lone door at the end of the hall, "Shotaro, Kyoko! I think I found something!"

"What did you find?" Kyoko questioned as she and Shotaro walked out of a nearby room.

"I think I found a room different from the rest," Naegi explained.

"Meaning it might be locked," Shotaro noted before cracking his neck, "Alright...you two stand back and I-"

*CLICK*

"...It's...open?" Kyoko blinked with a raised brow once she turned the knob, opening the door slowly as they gazed inside to see what looked like a well furnished room, "...This is the Headmaster's private room."

"You know this room?" Shotaro raised a brow.

"I've been in here a few times before late at night," Kyoko explained as they stepped inside, "But...I feel like I'm missing something...no. Like I...regret something in here."

"Regret?" Naegi blinked.

"...I need to search this room one more time," Kyoko whispered, a nervous tone in her voice as she began to look around the room, "I have to…"

"...This was your father's room, wasn't it?" Shotaro spoke, making Kyoko stop in her steps.

"..."

"The way you were emotional back when we asked Alter Ego questions and they brought up the Headmaster got me thinking," Shotaro admitted as he looked at her, "The Headmaster….he was your father, wasn't he?"

"?!" Naegi's eyes widened at that.

"...yes," Kyoko replied with a whisper, "It's why my grandfather resented him so...because he chose to become the Headmaster instead of following his footsteps…and in a way...I resented him..."

"Kyoko...I…" Naegi began as he took a step, only to blink when he turned to a part of the room, "...weird."

"Hmm?" the two detectives looked over as he walked over to that part of the room.

"There's a strange gap in the wall," Naegi whispered as he examined it, "Was this a design mistake...or…" he paused as he put his ear against it, "...I faintly hear air going off in there…" he whispered before looking over at Shotaro and Kyoko, "I think this is a secret room."

"Well...uh, let's check that out," Shotaro spoke before putting a hand on Kyoko's shoulder, "You good?"

"...yeah. I should be good," Kyoko nodded a bit, looking around before stopping at a nearby computer, "...I think I saw a program on there...chances are it's connected to that hidden room," she noted as she approached it, tapping on the keyboard as she turned the program on, "We just need to find the right password...but question is what could it be? I looked through my father's paperwork beforehand, and don't think I saw anything resembling a password..."

"..." Naegi looked between her and the computer...and then the empty desk nearby, "...I think...I might know what it is."

"Hmm?" Shotaro raised a brow.

"But…" Naegi paused as he looked at Kyoko, "I dont' know…"

"It's fine, Naegi," Kyoko assured, "You're more than welcome to try...but I doubt what you think of is the password…"

"Well...it won't hurt to check," Naegi said as Kyoko moved aside, letting him move his hands to the keyboard as he looked at the screen. Taking a deep breath, he began to type down on the keyboard, his hands trembling as he finished putting in Kyoko's full name. Once he hit the enter key...a beeping sound could be heard, prompting the three to look over and see the gap opening up, "...I was right."

"?! I….was the password?" Kyoko questioned with slightly wide eyes, "...why…?"

"Kyoko?" Shotaro blinked, seeing the grim look on her face as she began to step into the room, gripping her shaking hand as she did, "...come on."

"Hai," Naegi nodded as the two followed her inside

The room itself looked rather small with various pipes covering the walls, a lone table with a wrapped box on top of it sitting in the center with a bed, desk and a dresser nearby with a framed picture on top of said dresser...showing a younger smiling Kyoko being held up by a man. Looking straight at the box itself was Kyoko, her hair shadowing over her eyes as she looked down.

"Kyoko…" Shotaro spoke, earning silence from her.

"...Kyoko, is everything...alright?" Naegi asked.

"...yes...just...promise me something," Kyoko whispered as she looked over at the two, "When you open the box...don't scream."

"?" the two blinked at that before they approached the box, Naegi grabbing the lid carefully as he gently lifted it up...only to drop it in shock at finding a human adult skeleton inside, "?!"

"Wh-why is there a dead body in here?!" Naegi exclaimed.

"It should be rather obvious who it is, Naegi," Kyoko spoke, a grim tone in her voice as she tried her best to remain calm, "Those bones...that body….are what's left of my father."

"?!"

"I thought the Mastermind would be the headmaster, but this proves that theory moot...but….I…" Kyoko paused, gripping her arm as she gave a small, shaky breath, "I said...I wanted to cut ties from him...not...like this…"

"Kyoko…" Shotaro spoke, "Oi…" he gently shook her to get her attention, "You have to say something...you have to let it out…"

"I...I…"

"Kyoko please..calm d-" Naegi began as he took a step, only to yelp as he ended up tripping into the desk, opening one of the drawers as a tape recorder fell out and onto his lap.

=Sokichi...if you're listening to this...it means I'm dead= a voice spoke from the recorder, earning the trio's attention as they listened =How could it all go so wrong...how could I let that monster into my school?...How could I let the Steering Committee allow them to attend?! I...I should've listened to you when I could…=

"Steering Committee?" Shotaro repeated quietly.

=As soon as this tape ends...I will have been killed by the Mastermind...the person behind the destruction of Kibougamine...the person that turned the 77th Class into the Remnants of Despair….= the voice continued, giving a shaky breath =I heard...you took on an apprentice...heh...funny, because I had one last request to you...should you ever see my daughter Kyoko...please. Take her in and take care of her in my place….Kyoko, if you ever find this recording...I…= they paused as Kyoko looked at the lone picture while the sounds of sobbing could be heard from the recorder =I am so sorry...I should've been there for you when your mother died...I should've been there for you. I….I hoped to see you one last time….I...I'm so sorry, Kyoko...I….I love you very much= they whispered before the recording ended.

"...that's why there's a picture of me and him in here…" Kyoko whispered, tears starting to leak from her eyes as she focused on the photo, "He...he hoped to see me once again...and all I ever did was hate him because of my grandfather…he…" she paused, her normal stoic face beginning to cave away as tears began to pour down her cheeks, "I...father…"

"Kyoko…It's okay," Shotaro spoke with a sigh, "The Boss always told me, crying is a luxury for people who don't have to be strong. It's okay to cry, you don't need to be strong for us, We're your friends. Hell...at this point...we're family. You can just cry until you don't need to aymore. You can leave it to me," he put a hand on her shoulder, "For right now...you can just be a girl who misses her Dad...no one is asking you to be so strong for them, you can just for a moment...rely on us."

"..." Kyoko said nothing as she gave a shaky breath, more and more tears beginning to leak from her eyes as she fell to her knees. All the sadness she had in her...all the pain she felt...all the emotions she's kept bottled up was finally breaking through, shattering her normally stoic expression as she began to cry out.

"Kyoko…." Naegi whispered, looking on in sadness as he watched his friend...someone who normally is so emotionally in control of her emotions outside the Dummy Dopant case...he never seen her so vulnerable before.

"Come on…" Shotaro sighed as he sat down next to her, "That's it…" he sighed, patting her shoulder gently, "Trust me, you'll feel better after…"

'...The Mastermind...they...they killed Kyoko's father….they killed the headmaster…' NAegi thought, his hands balling up into fist as he shook a bit, 'So many good people here died...all because of them…' "...Shotaro."

"Hmm?" Shotaro blinked as he looked over at him.

"I'm gonna go find the others and see if they found anything," Naegi explained as he began to step out, "Once Kyoko's ready...we'll meet up with you guys."

"...wait," Kyoko spoke, her voice hoarse from crying out as she reached into one of her pockets...pulling out a CD case with an unlabeled DVD in it, "Please...watch this when you pass the AV Room. It...might hold the key to this case."

"...hai...I will," Naegi nodded, walking over as he took it from her, "And Kyoko...please. Don't give up hope...we'll win this...then we can give a proper goodbye to everyone who died here…"

"...hai…" Kyoko responded as she continued to look down at the floor, her hair shadowing over her eyes as the tears never stopped.

"Okay...we searched high and low around this place," Mondo spoke as the rest of the group began to step towards Akiko and the others, "wh-"

"Shh…!" Byakuya quickly hissed.

"Eh? Wh-" Hifumi began before those that were silent pointed down at Fang, "?!"

'Don't….talk,' Akiko mouthed.

'Philip must have found a Keyword for a locked book,' Celestia thought as she glanced over at Philip still in the chair.

"Hmm….yes...I see…" Philip whispered, "...hmm….that's new." he opened his eyes as he looked at the group, "Seems a member of the student council started that bloodbath because they received a report on a train explosion...one her mother was on...and covered up by the Steering Committee."

"?!" the group's eyes widened at that.

"Yes...and then it slowly began to evolve into a bloodbath with those unhinged from reality killing their fellow council members...all until one was left until they in turn...was killed by the person who forced it upon them."

"...was….was it Monokuma?" Hagakure asked before Monokuma popped up before them, "GH?!"

"That is a boldface lie!" Monokuma snapped, "Besides...I was still a stuffed bear when it happened, so I have no recollection of it."

"Speaking of…" Celestia gestured to Monokuma...missing his other ear, "Might I ask why you now have no ears?

"Gh! Oh that lousy little…" Monokuma muttered to himself

"Hm?"

"Uh...n-no reason!" Monokuma exclaimed, 'I'm gonna kill that cat…!' "Listen..you got a few minutes left before the Final Trial begins, so make it count!" he snapped as he slipped back into the hole in the floor.

"Damn bear…" Mondo growled a bit.

"Okay...so we gotta figure this out fast…" Akiko spoke before she grabbed Mondo by his jacket and began shaking the much larger male around, "Don't panic!"

"Easy easy!"

"What did you even find on your end!?" Akiko shouted.

"We'll tell you, but please calm down!" Ishimaru exclaimed.

"Please? I-I'm already getting a headache from all this…!" Fukawa hissed, holding her head in pain a bit.

"...d'oh fine!" Akiko sighed as she let Mondo go, "Now...what did you guys find?"

"Admittedly...nothing outside of cold storage," Hifumi added.

"And a camera room," Hagakure added.

"And a...excuse me?" Hifumi blinked as the group turned towards him.

"I stumbled upon this huge monitor room...and it showed every room in the school," Hagakrue explained, "Heck...one even showed Shota's office."

"Huh….that explains that second lightbulb in the ceiling fan,' Philip noted.

"Not just that. I think I found recordings of the previous trials we took part in," Hagakure added.

"...Was….the Mastermind...hosting the trials on live tv?" Hina asked as her eyes widened.

"What the hell?" Mondo asked.

"So..what does this all mean?" Akiko asked, "Think...we learned we've been watched all this time, its been live streamed, and the game is all the Mastermind cares of...what are we missing for this puzzle?"

"...did you happen to stumble on anything else?" Byakuya asked the others.

"...well…w-"

=Ubupbup! No sharing physical evidence until the trial!= Monokuma shouted from the PA.

"Fuck off, bear!" Mondo snapped as he flipped off a nearby camera.

=No thanks...wait...what was that noise...Oh no...they both found me at once! AH!=

"...Fang-chan works fast," Hina whispered, teh group noticing the small, dino-like Memory missing.

Mukuro said nothing as she heard the panicked screamed of Monokuma going off, giving a small, mental cathaertic smile as she did.

"AV Room, AV Room, AV Room…" Naegi muttered as he looked around for the others-and trying to ignore Monokuma's screams on the PA until it turned off-b heefore coming to the AV Room, "AV Room!" he quickly looked around for a nearby monitor before he settled on one, "...This should be able to play DVDs," he whispered as he sat down, slipping the DVD in as he focused on the screen. A few moments had passed and yet for Naegi...it felt like an eternity for him until he saw an image popped up...of Sayaka talking to someone, "?! S-Sayaka?"

=Okay then...are you ready to begin?= the figure spoke in the headmaster's voice, indicating it was Kyoko's father as Sayaka nodded in agreement =Good...I do apologize, but I hope you don't mind if I record our conversation. I'm a little slow you know...I never really got the hang of taking notes while talking to someone= he chuckled dryly before clearing his throat =Now then...this video is meant to serve as a kind of contract substitute. It's not that I don't trust you kids, it's more along the lines of...insurance, so please don't worry=

=...Hai= Sayaka nodded, the serious expression never leaving her face.

=Good...then let us begin= the headmaster nodded =Now then...There may be a chance you'll spend the rest of your life in this school. Can you accept that?=

=?!" both Sayaka and Naegi's eyes widened at that.

=You….you want me to accept that?=

=I said 'may be a chance.' It's not a guarantee, but...with what happened out there…=

=...= Sayaka stayed silent for a moment at that before giving a nod =Hai...I accept=

"What?" Naegi blinked at that.

=Thank you...I promise you that nothing bad will come of you as long as I am alive= the headmaster assured =But if I cannot...Fuuto's Kamen Rider will protect you=

"?!" Naegi's eyes widened at that, pressing the button to get to the next segment...which involved himself. As he watched on and skipped to the next session, he saw each and everyone one of his friends on the screen, all accepting to stay in the school...even Kyoko accepted this. However, he was quick in his tapping and he ended up skipping to the last session...showing Sokichi Narumi on the screen.

=Sokichi….thank you for coming= the headmaster spoke as he gave a small sigh =I apologize for pulling you away from the office so suddenly=

=Not to be rude, but you promised me coffee= he replied, taking his hat off =A man never lies about coffee. Most days, it's the only partner you can rely on, Jin=

=Ahh...sorry. Just...I was busy with the students of Class 78= Jin apologized.

=This is why I'm not a teacher. I can barely handle one kid= he replied =Speaking of, he can only be distracted with busy work for so long. I'd like to get back before he gets Old Lady Yamato's cat down from Fuuto Tower…=

=Then I'll get to the point= Jin stated as he frowned a bit =There's a chance I may die soon...and the school having to go into lockdown=

=...Explain= Sokichi frowned.

=You recall what happened, right? What happened to Class 77...and the deaths of the Student Council?=

=I recall...I helped with that because I owed you one. Frankly, I think you should have let me punch your old man…= he sighed =You think the Mastermind of those events...shall make a big move soon...a big and dangerous move=

=Yes...and I fear my death is part of that move= Jin sighed =Just...listen. No matter what...do not let those kids find out about the Gaia Memories...do not let what happened to them happen to Yukizome's class=

"Yukizome?" Naegi repeated.

=...Tch...and let me guess...The Steering Committee covered the incidents up?= Sokichi asked, growling a bit as he tried to stay calm.

=What do you think?= Jin frowned at that =I tried to talk to them...no. 'Talk' is a strong word...more like I wanted to snap at them for letting that monster into the school in the first place, but...as usual, they brushed me off like I was a common bum=

=In your place…=

=I know. You'd punch…=

=It's never failed me…=

"Yeah, okay. That's where Shotaro gets it from…" Naegi muttered.

=Look, I know what to do...but I have things of my own to attend to first, the creator of the Gaia Memories= Shokichi began =A boy trapped in a tower...heh...sounds like a fairy tale...Shroud wants me to save him=

=Your mystery partner?=

=I think I pieced together the true identity of this boy she wants me to save…= he sighed, taking this chance to be the ont to speak what was on his mind =Museum...all that is going on around this school of yours, Shroud, the Gaia Memories and the boy, all of them are linked together=

=You think so?=

=I know so. The answer to all of this...is the Mysterious Boy in the tower. He is the final key to all of it, the answer to all this horror and tragedy which befalls My city…= he sighed =I'll keep my word...and if I can't...there is someone who will...My Hope for Fuuto=

=Your apprentice?=

=Hai...and I believe he holds the key to d…= Sokichi began before the screen went black.

"?!" Naegi's eyes widened at that, shooting out of his seat as he looked at the blank screen, "Wh...What happened?"

"Oh no…" Monokuma spoke up as he stepped out...while kicking away a pair of hedge clippers, "It broke on its own~"

"Liar!" Naegi snapped, "You did that on purpose!"

"No I didn't," Monokuma denied.

"I just saw you kicking th-"

"No you didn't," Monokuma denied again as he slipped into the floor.

"Damn it….!" Naegi growled out before the door was kicked open, "?!"

"I heard the bear," Shotaro frowned as he walked in, "What happened Naegi?"

"Quite a bit on that DVD Kyoko found...and it involved us, our classmates...and your boss at the end," Naegi answered.

"Boss?" he blinked, "So what did you learn? Anything good?"

"We...agreed to stay here if there was a chance something bad happened," Naegi replied, "And something did from what your boss and the headmaster said. Something about the Steering Committee letting a demon into the school and the student council…"

"Them again…" Shotaro whispered with a frown, "Just who the hell is th-"

*BING BONG~ BING BONG~*

=For anything to have a start, all things must come to an end= Monokuma spoke from the PA system =And if it comes to an end, there's a chance a new beginning will be birthed. There is no night that doesn't have a dawn...although that dawn is totally pitch black! It's Final Trial Time, kiddies! Meet up at the elevator..and don't be late~=

=Gao/Rrrr…=

=Oh Sugar Honey Iced T…= Monokuma squeaked as he barely hung up in time.

"...Was that Fang and a cat just now on the PA?" Naegi asked.

"Sounded like," Shotaro agreed.

"I...hate...dinosaur and...felines…" Monokuma whined, sitting in a tiny Monokuma-sized wheelchair...with only a single arm and his earless head remaining on his body, "So glad...the Maid Philip...picture works…on both..." he whispered before he heard a ding go off, making him look ahead to see the two groups walking into the dark room, "Ah...you've made it!"

"...why a-" Akiko began.

"Not important," Monokuma interrupted, his red eye twitching and his wide half-smile twitching madly in trying to stay a half-smile, "Now then...welcome…" he began as the room lit up, showing the room the class trials normally take place in with the walls covered in metal and pipes, "To the final trial! Your goal...to find out who the mastermind really is! Oh, and listen up...there's a special rule!"

"Special rule?" Naegi whispered as everyone took their respective spots.

"Yup. If you don't figure out who the Mastermind is-IE the person controlling moi-...you'll all die with Hidari Shotaro and his book smart partner going last!"

"...and if we lose?" Byakua questioned.

"Simple...I'll execute myself!"

"!?"

"What? You don't think I'd stay out of my own rules, now did ya?" Monokuma asked, "Absolutely not! There's no loopholes, no bad phrasing to exploit, no wiggling out of it! The loser of this Trial will get a super special, heart pounding, Ultimate Punishment of Punishments!"

"And you're certain you'll do so?" Kyoko asked.

"Of course I will! Bears always keep their word!"

"...They're telling the truth," Mukuro spoke, "The Mastermind would go this far...especially since this is their last chance with Museum as well."

"Guh…" Monokuma sagged in his wheelchair, "Ya just had to blab that, didn't ya you flat-chested…"

"Kinda hard to take you seriously about being a bear with how bad ya look," Mondo snarked.

"Well excuse me! Turns out there was a secret competition on destroying my extras that I wasn't aware of and since I'm the very last one, I'm the tiebreaker!" Monokuma snapped.

"Never mind all that...I've got one big serious question before we start," Hagakure noted.

"Hm? ...Uh...We're all in agreement that Hagakure of all folks wanting to be serious is strange, right?" Monokuma asked.

"Yes...I am rather taken back by this," Celestia whispered.

"Ask it already," Akiko ordered.

"Is the Mastermind...really just one person? How do we know that it's not a lot of people using just one GaiaMemory like with the Bird Memory?" Hagakure asked.

"I stand corrected," Celestia sweatdropped.

"I mean it! You're all the Masterminds, aren't you?!" Hagakure demanded, "I'm right aren't I?!"

"...Mukuro, Hina-chan, strike him hard," Akiko ordered, giving a green wooden slipper with the kanji for 'ULTIMATE IDIOT' on it in solid gold paint to the Ultimate Soldier and Ultimate Swimmer each.

"Wait, wh-" Hagakure began before the three slippers hit him square in the head, making him go stuff...until he hit the floor with the handle of Mukuro's hitting his face as it landed.

"Target hit," Mukuro whispered.

"...I believe I know where he came to that conclusion," Ishimaru spoke up, bringing his E-Handibook out as it showed a group photo of everyone in school uniforms...with Junko's face being blocked out by Ishimaru's arm, "This group photo of us...and yet none of us recall ever taking it."

"Huh? Hey, I have a picture like that, too!" Hina spoke up as she pulled her own out and showed it, revealing it to be a picture of gym class with the students all in it minus Hina...and Junko's back to the camera and speaking to Chihiro...who was in the girl's gym uniform.

"...Yamada, no," Celestia immediately spoke before Hifumi could say anything.

"How did you and her get away without wearing the uniform?" Mondo asked, noticing only Celestia and Mukuro were not in gym uniform but their regular outfit and the school uniform respectively.

"Allowance due to my Talent," Mukuro replied, "Celestia...her skill with her silver tongue on an allergy to the bloomers."

"...I will ashamedly admit this was my normal tactic in school, yes," Celestia whispered with a slight blush, "...a-ahem. Continuing with the picture argument...I do believe I have found a photo myself," she spoke, pulling her own E-Handibook out as it showed everyone in winter gear and playing in the snow...with Junko getting hit in the face with a snowball as Mondo, Ishimaru, and Leon were having a snowball fight, "See?"

"...How odd…" Byakuya spoke as he brought his own out, showing the students at the school pool in their registered swimming attire...with Junko's face being splashed by Leon while Hina blew a whistle in the lifeguard's seat.

"Is...Is Sakura doing a Shoryuken on a giant golden fish?" Mondo asked.

"It seems that Junko has some issues with cameras catching her visage," Celestia noted in amusement.

"...oi, Hagakure," Shotaro spoke as he dragged Hagakure up, smacking him in the face a few times to wake him up.

"Ahh!"

"What did you see in your photo?"

"...Oh! Um…" Hagakure began, blinking a bit as he brought out his own E-Handibook out to show a photo of everyone gathered in class...with Junko's back to the camera as she talked to Celestia.

"...Ah! There's something connected in all of them!" Akiko realized, "Your photos keep missing someone!"

"If you're referring to Junko Enoshima...too bad! She's dead, so she doesn't count!" Monokuma laughed.

"Not her and her failure at getting good pictures," Akiko replied, making Monokuma nearly fall over, "Hagakure is missing in his picture. And Hina-chan's doesn't show her at all! That snow picture doesn't have Celestia and the pool one is missing Byakuya!"

"...These photos were taken during those two years you guys don't recall," Philip noted as he looked at each of the photos.

"He's right...I don't think any of us recall these events," Naegi spoke as he held his chin in thought, "But...I feel as if there's something else there...something we're not seeing."

"...well...what if the Headmaster took those memories from ya?" Monokuma questioned with a cruel chuckle, "He probably Men and Black'ed ya and erased those two years!"

"...No. He wouldn't do that," Naegi shook his head, earning the group's attention, "Kyoko gave me a DVD in this….room we found, and on it...it showed interviews of us with the Headmaster...with all of us agreeing to stay in the school should something bad happen."

"What?!" Hifumi gawked.

"It also showed an interview with Shotaro's boss and Akiko's dad, Soukichi," Naegi went on, making Akiko tense, "I didn't get to watch it fully because of a certain someone cutting the cord for the computer I was using."

"...Toko-chan, I will give you thirty minutes alone with Rich Boy if you turn into Sho!" Akiko snapped.

"Beg par-!?" Byakuya began.

=GIRAFFE!=

*CRACKLE~!*

"Come here, Teddy~!" Genocider Sho cackled as she aimed her scissors at Monokuma

=Gao…=

"..." Sho kept her gaze away from the angry Fang Memory glaring at her if she tried to destroy Monokuma...and she swore she was feeling the same glare from a vent nearby aimed at her.

"Sho!" Akiko barked, giving her a glare, "Did you know about everyone getting interviewed by the headmaster?"

"Of course I did! ...At least I think I did. I was half-asleep when my other self was being interviewed," Sho stated.

"...That's actually something I want to bring up," Kyoko spoke, glaring right at Monokuma, "In fact...I want to add something to this trial…"

"Oh?"

"The murder of Headmaster Jin Kirigiri...and you the Mastermind killed him."

"...Eh?!" the others exclaimed at that before looking at Monokuma.

"...upupupu…" Monokuma chuckled darkly at that, hsi red eye glowing as he looked up at her, "What makes you think you didn't kill him?"

"?"

"Think of it...The famous detective daughter who resented daddy dearest so because he wasn't there when mommy died," Monokuma continued, "Leaving her with her possibly abusive grandfather so she could learn how to be a detective….seems like a good motivator to me~"

"That's wrong," Kyoko frowned, "My f….Headmaster Kirigiri couldn't have been killed by me. There were no traces of him left outside of his…." she paused as she gripped her arm, "His skeleton…"

"His what?!" Hagakure freaked at that.

"You could've left your fingerprints on it!" Monokuma argued with her.

"Another impossibility…" Kyoko argued.

"...Explain then," Byakuya questioned with a slight frown, "How do we know it wasn't you who did the deed?"

"Togami, not now…!" Akiko growled quietly at that.

"Because…" Kyoko paused, looking down at her gloves for a moment as she took a deep breath, "Because I am incapable of leaving fingerprints…" she stated, making the group blink as she took one of her gloves off...and showed them just how badly scarred her hand was.

"Gh! By Goda's drawing skills!" Hifumi exclaimed, his face turning green.

"Oh my god…" Hina whispered as she held her hands over her mouth.

"It happened when I was younger," Kyoko explained as she held her hand out, "I can't feel anything in my hands anymore...so I need to wear gloves to hide them and make sure I don't further damage them," she explained as she put her glove back on, "I can't even leave a handprint, much less a fingerprint..so how would I be able to kill the headmaster if I couldn't leave any prints?"

"Well...There are mysteries involving murderers with gloved hands too!" Monokuma argued, "In fact...maybe you and...Mukuro Ikusaba were in on it together!"

'...Grr…' Mukuro mentally growled at that, really wishing she had her Fenrir Memory on her at the moment.

"No...That is a lie," Philip spoke up, making Monokuma growl at him, "The former has never shown any ill tendencies towards any of us, so how would she team up with someone from Museum, the very people distributing the Gaia Memories within Fuuto?"

"Exactly," Kyoko nodded a bit, "So therefore, Monokuma...your theory is moot."

"D'oh….still, you don't know nor have any idea on who I am!"

"If I wanted, I could try and…" Philip began in his counter.

"No ya don't!" Monokuma snapped, "...In fact...new rule; the moment you use your book and get an answer wrong…" he paused as he looked at the Kibougamine students with a dark smile, "I'll make it so one of the hostages are killed."

"..."

"You wanna risk it? The moment you spew your mouth open for any tidbits from your special little book, I kill one of yours friends' family or loved ones~" Monokuma taunted, "The quest for knowledge is a very dangerous thing, bookworm...and in this case, it is very literal in that knowledge kills."

"Oh you little…!" Mondo began with a growl.

"Hit me and I activate the bomb in me, taking everyone in here out!" Monokuma threatened, "Either way it's win-win for me~"

"Do you even still have it?" Philip asked.

"...Damn it, no," Monokuma slumped, "But my threat still stands!"

"...fine…" Philip spoke as he put his book down, "I won't look...I'll go through the evidence like a normal person."

"Good...heh. I br-"

"Besides the Mastermind's book has so many locks on it anyway, so I couldn't look it up...that and it would ruin the surprise."

"...I hate you. I can't wait to execute you when I win."

"Only if you can outsmart us all," Philip replied, "Well...outsmart them."

"Oi, oi, oi," many of 'them' deadpanned.

"Then how are you gonna do it without your precious book?" Monokuma taunted.

"I'll manage," Philip spoke as he pulled out his phone, "Ego-chan, pull up all the photos everyone shared."

=O-of course=

"...shit! Forgot the computer program!" Monokuma cursed as a few beeps went off.

"...While Philip is busy, I have something to ask," Shotaro spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"The Steering Committee...who are they?"

"The who know?" Hagakure blinked at that.

"They were mentioned in the video between the headmaster and Sokichi Narumi," Naegi spoke up before holding his chin in thought, "But that's a good question...who were they?"

"...They were the people that look over everything going on in Kibougamine," Mukuro answered, earning everyone's attention, "They had the highest authority, even more than the headmaster himself, and would approve of students without going through the procedures."

"...The demon…" Naegi realized.

"Akuma?!" Hagakure repeated.

"In the video, the headmaster said that the committee let a demon into the school...in other words, they let in someone that the headmaster didn't want to attend the school by going over his head and letting them come in…" Naegi noted, "That student...is probably the Mastermind."

"...Meaning they had a hand in what happened to the Student Council," Byakuya surmised with a frown.

"...What do you mean?" Ishimaru questioned, "The student council would never…"

"They're dead," Mukuro interjected.

"And the 'scene of the crime' was never cleaned," Byakuya added with a frown.

"I still feel sick from seeing all that blood…" Hina whispered as Akiko hugged herself.

"The key point is...one student here is the odd one out. One student who doesn't fit in with the rest, the demon that brought chaos and destruction," Shotaro spoke up as he then sighed, "I think I have a working theory. Me and Philip spit-balled ideas, but it's not 'till we picked up our latest stray that I noticed something."

"You're like a pet to us just like the rest, deal with it," Philip turned to Mukuro, "I already have a detailed folder on how to deal with you...most of it just involves handcuffing you to your boyfriend for a length of time."

"Wait, what is it you noticed with her?" Akiko asked as Mukuro went bright red.

"...Okay, but don't hit me…" Shotaro muttered.

"The urge is rising…"

"So I...uh...noticed something, the Junko in this picture...and...the Junko I met…" he coughed.

"I said he had a bad habit of finding...promiscuous women…" Philip muttered.

"Uh yeah...the Junko we met wasn't Junko…" Shotaro muttered.

"Say what?" Hifumi blinked twice.

"Explain," Celestia ordered.

"The Junko in this picture is...at least...several cup sizes larger…" Shotaro muttered.

"It's where his eyes always go first," Philip blurted.

"..."

*BONK! BONK! BONKITY-BONK-BONK!*

"HENTAI!" Akiko, Hina, and-shockingly-Celestia all snapped as Shotaro sported several large smoking bumps...and buried under a pile of the wooden slippers with the kanji of 'PERVERT' on all of them.

"I...I have no words…" Byakuya muttered, pushing his glasses back up, "Wait...what does…"

"Cause the Junko I did meet...has the same figure as this one…" Shotaro pointed to Mukuro.

"For once, his habits of women came in handy…" Philip realized, "But...he's right...their body types are the same, same bust, waist, and hips…" he put his hands up like a camera, "Amazing find Shotaro. I never considered that angle...Fantastic!"

"...One problem with your theory, half boiled and the nerd," Monokuma spoke up with a chuckle, "Junko's dead...so how is she the Mastermind?"

"...Damn it…"

"Ha! I killed your theory!"

"No...That's not it, you just filled in the last blank for me is all." Shotaro sighed.

"Wuzzat?"

"Naegi? Care to explain?"

"Eh? M-me?" Naegi blinked.

"Give it a second…" Philip looked at his wrist before snapping his fingers at Naegi.

"...I gotta think…" Naegi whispered as he looked at the photos on his E-Handibook, 'Okay...Thanks to Shotaro and Philip, Kuro...Mukuro-san and Junko were the same person...and yet...how does it explain their theory? She was dead...we all saw…' he tensed up, stopping in his thoughts as it began to dawn on him, "...That's it...I know how….she used Mukuro as a scapegoat."

"Hmm?"

"...explain," Byakuya spoke, still reeling from Shotaro's bit there and how things were getting weirder and weirder.

"Back when the Killing Game began, none of us were aware that Junko was Mukuro, and after…" Naegi paused as he took a deep breath, "After Sayaka died, 'Junko' attacked Monokuma and got killed...or rather…" he paused as he looked over at Mukuro, "We thought she did…"

"...Wait...then th…" Mondo began before looking at Mukuro, "How'd you survive getting stabbed multiple times?! From all angles no..."

"It's in her title...Ultimate Soldier," Naegi explained, "She was trained to survive situations such as that, so while we thought 'Junko' had died...Mukuro had in truth survived."

"...Wait. Then that means she was used to throw us off the trail," Akiko realized.

"Exactly," Shotaro and Philip nodded.

"That's what Shotaro meant when he said the blank was filled in," Philip mused, "By pointing out Junko is dead, how can she be the Mastermind? An emphasis on removing her from the equation. It would make it an impossible question. There is no one to pick from, a no win scenario. But if you put all the eliminated answers back in...well...suddenly, it becomes more obvious."

"It was obvious all along...Junko is the last person we would have suspected," Naegi continued as he had a look of determination on his face, "The way she was hiding her face in the photos...she was trying to throw us off the trail so we wouldn't recognize her face...because the only time we saw her 'face' was when Mukuro-san was disguised as her!"

"As well...her supposed Death was the only odd one out. She was killed by Monokuma...when, despite that, Monokuma never delivered on those death threats even when me and Philip dragged you all out of this place." Shotaro added, "Meaning the game was what mattered more, proving the point of this all."

"It was an experiment, a thesis, to prove a point. So the Mastermind took out the one outlier factor that would ruin the experiment. But that's just it, removing that factor was the fatal flaw in all of it," Philip smiled.

"...So in the end…" Kyoko began as she looked at Mukuro, "She was the key all along...I should've realized it back during the Book Dopant case...when Sayaka mentioned that Junko had a sister."

"And the fact that Junko wasn't one of the 'books' in the Dopant like Sayaka, Leon, and Chihiro were," Naegi added.

"Gah! How the hell did we miss that?!" Mondo facepalmed.

"Because we were in shock on just those three we didn't notice something missing," Kyoko noted, "Or we suspected they only picked those who were killed by other students or the Punishment Time."

"So the person who's behind all this pain…" Hina began, a look of anger slowly growing on her face.

"The person who took our very friends from us...our memories…!" Ishimaru growled out.

"...Was the very person who killed the Headmaster...the mastermind behind this Killing Game!" Naegi declared, slamming his hands on his podium before pointing at Monokuma, "Reveal yourself now, Junko Enoshima!"

"..." Monokuma said nothing as he looked down...giving a rather odd...yet creepy silence.

"It's no use hiding!" Hina snapped, "We know who you really are now!"

"I don't hit girls, but I will fucking punch a bitch the moment I see you!" Mondo snarled out.

"Reveal yourself, demon," Celestia scowled.

"I advise you to do it...lest I have Sho join Fang in finding you," Byakuya added.

"Something is off…" Philip whispered to himself.

"..."

"...You better reveal yourself!" Hifumi and Hagakure shouted.

"..."

"Give it up, Junko. The game is over," Kyoko frowned.

"...upu...upupupu….It's over?" Monokuma spoke up in a rather...eerie calm, "Oh no...it's just beginning…" he whispered.

As everyone looked on at him, mist began to seep into the room as it began to cover Monokuma, his red eye glowing as he began to fade from sight. After a moment of silence, the mist parted to reveal Junko standing in his place, her eyes snapping open as she looked on at everyone.

"...hmph," Junko smirked before she adopted a rather haughty tone...even somehow sporting a crown atop her head, "We have been waiting! Waiting so long for peasants like you to appear! If you swear your fealty to me, we will reward you with half the entire world!"

"What the…?" Hagakure gawked.

"Even while we stayed with Museum, she preferred to stay locked up in her room," Mukuro noted.

"...She developed Dissociative Identity Disorder?" Philip guessed.

"No, she's had it for years. The self-made isolation just worsened it."

"Or rather it improved it, sister dear," Junko spoke, now doing a pose with her thumb, pointer, and middle finger covering half her face, "Spending all those days locked up gave me so many ideas on what to do after I win…"

"Oi! Don't ruin Jojo for me!" Mondo snapped.

"We'll ruin whatever the fuck we want, ya corncobbed weirdo!" Junko cackled, a crazed look in her eyes as she adopted a rocker's pose, "And while Mukuro is the lame, flat chested skank of a ironing board...and even if she was the tough and proud older sister...the younger, smarter, cuter, and much more sexier sister was me! Junko fucking Enoshima, bitches! And together...we made the Despair Sisters! AKA The Ultimate Despairs!"

"The Ultimate Despairs?" Akiko repeated, looking at Mukuro in surprise.

"Something she called us in our...or rather her ultimate goal," Mukuro sighed.

"...And that was?" Byakuya questioned.

"To prove that Despair was stronger than Hope itself."

"And it proved effective," Junko spoke in a calmer tone, a pair of glasses on her face as she had her hair done into a straight ponytail, "We showed the people of Fuuto...no...the world the Class Trials and they've all seen the resulting despair that took place in each one...the deaths that occured...and to compromise in no executions, we played theoretical ones for each and everyone of you for them to watch...had you not figured out the last trial, we would have thrown Aoi Asahina into a locked water box filled with sharks."

"Wh-What?" Hina whispered in absolute horror at that.

"Mondo Owada would have been executed by going so fast on his motorcycle in an electrified cage, his body would have broken down into liquid to be used to make butter, Kiyotaka Ishimaru would have been shot in the head in the style of John F. Kennedy, Hifumi Yamada would have died via writing out a story...using his blood and organs as the ink for his pen, Celestia Ludenburg by burning at the cross only for a firetruck to crush her at the end, Byakuya Togami...frozen in an ice box. Sakura Ogami would have had to face an Army of Monokuma until she bled out or crushed under the pressure of so many replacing the ones she destroyed…" Junko listed on the tablet she had with her, "We even had one for Akiko Narumi...crushed by a giant 1000 degree metal version of her slipper...dropped from space."

"So you are clearly obsessed and needy…" Shotaro muttered.

"I think she's just plain crazy…" Philip muttered, "Hey...she is like the kind of girl you bring home late at night."

"I'll get you...and I can make it look like a bloody accident," Shotaro complained.

"Ha! You're not smart enough!" Philip laughed.

"...There's one thing I don't get though," Naegi spoke up, earning the group's attention, "The 77th class...I think they became the Remnants of Despair...but question is...why?"

"Oh...wow, to be honest…" Junko began, adopting a 'childish' voice as she adopted a cute face, "They were our main goal..take a class so hopeful and mentally bweak them to help spwead Despair acwoss the globe...but that meany Skull kept getting in theiw way after the school shut down due to the explosions and death that happened hewe~! Was weally hoping to see those kids that one giwl wanted to give hew cash winnings to all suffew, but that meany Skull whisked them under pwotective custody!"

"Even Museum doesn't like touching CPS," Mukuro noted, "Or, especially, the IRS."

"I feel there is a joke in there somewhere…" Philip muttered.

"...To be honest…" Junko spoke in a depressing tone, the group swearing they were seeing mushrooms growing out of her head, "We were originally planning on driving Class 77 to Despair by killing their class rep...but Museum stepped in and gave us something better…"

"...The Despair Memory," Naegi realized.

"Yup...It proved more efficient...even gave the Remnants of Despair their own Memories as well to further spread Despair," Junko added as she reached for something, "We were hoping to do a repeat with the remaiing students of this Killing Game…"

"I guess we kinda messed that up for you," Shotaro spoke.

"Sorry crazy lady," Philip smiled, not sounding sorry whatsoever.

"I know….It's why I'm resorting to Plan B…" Junko whispered as she pulled out a familiar belt.

"?!" Mukuro's eyes widened, "...Don't let her activate it!"

"Fang!" Philip ordered.

=GAO!= Fang roared as it leapt right at Junko..just as she pulled her personal Gaia Memory out and clicked it.

=̷̳̳̊̈́̏D̶͔͖͙̎͘E̷͔̬͘̕S̷̥̫͓̈̉P̵̦̈A̸͖̙͒̊͝Ḯ̴͚̲̞̘R̸̜̻͗̄=

=?!= Fang tensed up as it stopped just before Junko, giving a small whimper as it began to step away from her.

"Fang-chan?" Hina blinked just as Junko put the Memory into the connector port...and that's when everyone felt it...a heavy, overwhelming sense building up in their bodies as Junko's body began to change.

First both sides of her body changed color, one side a complete white while the other was a pitch black, almost like that of Monokuma as her eye on the blackside became a scarlet red. Soon the blackside began to overtake the white as Junko's other eye began to change to the scarlet red, both eyes changing to the monochrom bear's signature red eye as an unsettling smile began to creep out on her face. The right side of her body began to contort until a large set of claws burst from her fingers, covered within a clawed obsidian black and dark purple gauntlet that led up to some medieval shoulder armor, showing an image of Monokuma's right face. Her left side seemed to slump until it suddenly burst to life, a light forming on it into a faded, pure silver-white armored glove that led to a clothed shoulderguard with a stitched image of Monokuma's left half on it. A distorted laugh came from her as a set of armor and an armored skirt appeared on her body and torso, colored in a swirling obsidian black and silver-white. Her legs were then engulfed in dark purple slim boots that ended up to her knees, teh tips being razor sharp at the end, acting as claws for her. Finally her normal hair appeared as the crown from her 'royal' personality appeared right on top of her head. whispered as he struggled to stand.

"I….I can't breathe…" Akiko whispered, panting heavily as she held her hands over her heart.

"My chest...it...it feels heavy…!" Ishimaru grunted out as he tried his best to remain calm.

"I...I know this feeling…" Hina whispered, falling to her knees as her eyes were wide with dread, "This...this is how I felt...when Sakura died...This...This is…"

"Despair~" the Despair Dopant whispered in a malicious, cruel...yet sadistic tone as she giggled darkly.

"What's going on?" Philip asked, totally unaffected, while everyone else seemed to be struggling, "I don't feel anything…"

"Well of course you wouldn't...you're a special case," Despair explained, "Since you're the Child of Fate, you're unaffected by my Memory's power...and trust me...Skull really grinded my gears on how he was gonna rescue you from that tower, so….I did something naughty~"

"...What did you do?" Philip asked.

"Simple...who do you think let you out of your 'little cage'?"

"What are you talking about?" Philip blinked before his eyes widened, "You...you were there that night…"

"Bingo~!" Despair cackled, "There was no way they were gonna let you walk out on your own...they put special seals on your 'cage' so you wouldn't wander off...but I took those seals off, letting you think you could walk freely on your own...and I had to wait for the cards to fall into place~"

"...?!" Shotaro's eyes widened, "When I found him…"

"Yup...Thanks to my Ultimate Analytical powers, I foresaw Skull's stupid apprentice wanting to 'do the right thing' and find the book nerd," Despair explained, "After that...well...I just watched form the shadows as Taboo and her men killed Sokichi Narumi...That's right. I used you and Museum to take care of Skull for me!"

"That...conniving...little…!" Saeko snarled as the Sonozaki family were watching the events going down, "SHE USED US!"

"I should've killed her. I should've killed her when I had the chance after she put a bomb on me!" Wakana snapped in equal rage.

"Hahahaha!" Ryubee laughed, "What a fantastic ploy! If it weren't for the fact it killed the only man to ever best me...I'd be outraged!"

"Father, how could you be laughing?!" Saeko shouted, "She used us! Used me like I was some cheap...puppet!"

"I can't be mad at the end results," he explained, "Besides if I wasn't sure of her...imminent demise...I wouldn't be so excited as I am now."

"...Imminent...demise?" Wakana repeated in confusion.

"I meant it when I said this was her last chance...so sit back down and watch," Ryubee grinned as he relaxed in his chair, looking on at the Despair Dopant, "Either she beats the Rider and I end this, or the Rider wins and I get to mess around with Jr. a little while longer."

"You…" Shotaro grunted as he fell to the floor, "You...did...that…"

"You planned all of this out?" Philip spoke in confusion, "But how...you can't possibly have that much forethought, to calculate this all out…"

"Uh, hello~? Ultimate Analytic hiding as Ultimate Fashionista here!" Despair replied, "Not all that difficult, really."

"What's...that supposed to mean?" Naegi grunted as he forced himself up.

"She means she hid her true Ultimate Talent of analyzing things around her with being a Fashionista," Mukuro explained, "She can analyze anyone she wants to figure out every single thing about them to exploit."

"Yes...but it also meant I could think of how every end result play out...and it made life so boring for me," Despair admitted, "But then one day I had a thought...Hope..is predictable while Despair is unpredictable. A situation where the hero never obtains a new power, their comrades never arriving...or a sweet baby animal cornered by a pack of hungry animals with no chance to escape. And you can never expect it to happen, so…~" she began as she spread her arms out, "The only way the world will move forward is despair...the truth of the world is despair! Where Hope maybe harmony, a just heart moving towards the light while despair is its polar opposite! It's messy, confusing, and it swallows up love, hatred, and everything else! So to save the future, we must embrace despair's unpredictability!"

"Hmm...Nah." Philip replied simply.

"You think you have a choice? You can't even transform without your partner, and he can't fight off the power of Despair! Your friends are succumbing to it as we speak!"

"Your logic is flawed," Philip declared with a stern face, "You claim your answer is Despair, that Despair is unpredictable...that Hope is Predictable. But as I've seen it, Despair is indeed chaotic...but anyone can see despair; Hope is predictable because it's there...plain to see. What makes it greater...is it takes strength to claim."

"Yes...but it seems your friends think otherwise~"

"Gh…." Philip looked over to see Hina holding her head, panting heavily as she shook, "S...Sakura...she...she died...for nothing…"

"Hina?" Philip blinked in surprise.

"I...I killed Fujisaki...for a game…" Mondo whispered in pure fear.

"I...I can't help anyone….drugs...are still rampant…" Ishimaru whispered.

"I've...ruined so many lives..." Celestia odded, biting her lower lip as she hugged herself.

"Eh heh...heh….ah….don't...feel like killing…" Sho whispered.

"Tch...my family's company...gone…." Byakuya grunted, nearly losing his glasses in his stumbling.

"My father died...and I never got to see him…" Akiko shivered, hugging herself as she crouched down.

"My life...is a lie…" Hagakure added as he held his head.

"Gh…" Shotaro grunted as his hat fell off, "Oyasan…" he growled.

"Shotaro!" Philip called out in concern before turning to the Despair Dopant as she got close to him.

"It's actually annoying. Because of your body...you're immune to my powers...I want so badly to make you despair...but it might just be easier to kill you!" she giggled, raising her clawed hand as she moved to strike Philip...only to blink as Shotaro's arm raised up and caught hers, "Huh?" she blinked looking down at him.

"Gh...Ah…" he growled as he stood up, his eyes for a moment that of despair...before adjusting back to normal, a glare of pure anger coming through, "Ghh...you...you took him away...you took him from Akiko...because of you...he...he can never fulfill his one promise too Akiko…" he pushed Despair back, "You took him from her...from me...from Fuuto...you hurt my friends...and you tried to strike my partner…"

"Uh...yeah. I did, buddy...now stand back...After I strike the nerd, we can begin voting...with me as the victor and you all the Blackened losers!"

"I...refuse…" Shotaro growled as he reached down and picked up his fedora, "This ends...now…"

"Sh...Shotaro?" Naegi spoke as Shotaro began to reach for something.

"Hard to breathe...isn't it?" Despair giggled as she looked down at Shotaro's face, "That blackening...engulfing...suffocating pit of despair you're in? That's what your friends are feeling...and he's something you'll enjoy~" she whispered as she leaned into his ear, "I took their memories...and gave them back with my powers to add into the despair~"

"?!"

"They recall everything...and it dawns on them that they've been friends for a long time...and the fact they tried to kill each other? The fact they went at each other's throats so viciously? That...that is the despair of guilt...of realization...and they can't get past it~ Much like you for Sokichi Narumi~"

At that, Shotaro punched Despair, making her stumble back.

"Urusei…" Shotaro growled, "You just keep talking and talking, with that annoying voice…"

"...Hoh~? So you're going to approach moi~?" Despair noted as she held her arms out, "Well go ahead, detective boy...henshin and fight me~"

"I suppose you don't care what the outcome is." Philip spoke, standing next to Shotaro, "But I guess it's pointless to argue with a crazy person. You have come to your incorrect conclusion already."

"You just keep talking and talking about this Despair crap...I don't have time to deal with that…" he sighed, "I'm just so damn angry right now...but most of all...I can't fall...not here…"

"I knew you wouldn't…" Philip smiled.

"Your cute little act...is getting annoying now…"

"It's not an act," Philip smirked.

"I can feel your power trying to creep into my mind...you think making me relive that day again and again would take me down?" Shotaro asked, "You can try again and again...but that was the day...I lost the privilege to be weak…"

"You won't win, I beat you at the numbers…" Philip smiled, "There is one book that told me the odds of this outcome. They don't look good for you."

"Heh...we'll see, Double…"

"Everyone!" Philip shouted to the others, "It's true...you've all messed up...you've made mistakes, and you have pains, but that doesn't change anything. You are still worth saving."

"Even if you don't want us to...we're still going to try."

"Henshin!" the two shouted in unison.

=CYCLONE JOKER!=

Double formed as Philip's body fell over. The wind from his transformation pushed the darkness of the Despair Dopant away.

"Come on, Creepy Girl," Double challenged, "Now...count your sins!"

"Oh that's a long list you don't wanna see, honey," Despair giggled as she raised her clawed hand, swiping it down as she unleashed a set of slashing waves at Double.

"?!" Double tensed as he quickly brought his arms up to block the incoming slashes, preventing them from hitting any of the others behind him.

"What's wrong? Room too small for you?" Despair taunted as she stepped over to him, "Scared a stray attack will hit one of your precious friends?"

"Yes!" Double snapped, suddenly punching her. He then flipped forward and shifted his leg out to land a straight kick to her torso, knocking her back another step.

"...Heh. That tickled," Despair giggled as she dusted off her chest, "Come on, Mr. Half-Boiled! Whip out one of your fancy forms~!"

"...Shotaro, something's not right," Cyclone whispered.

"Ah…" Joker grunted as Double kicked at Despair as the two traded blows, "Even...even if I snapped out...my body is still being affected...her power...it has another effect…"

"Bingo~!" Despair laughed as she blocked a blow from Double, "See my power has a double effect...see, I want to feel that sweet, effervescent Despair I cause on others, so...thanks to my Memory, I get a bit of a boost from everyone I've affected with it! And guess how many people are in the room that have been infected with Despair?"

"...?! That's…!" Naegi began with wide eyes...realizing it was him, his classmates...and Akiko that were still under the effect of the darkness coming from the Despair Dopant.

"She's using our friends to power herself up," Cyclone realized.

"And here's your prize!" Despair laughed as she did a rising slash on Double's chest, causing sparks to fly as he was sent flying back and crashed into one of the empty podiums, "I'll admit...I've never seen someone get so mad they burned through Despair...You're a fascinating one, Half-Boiled...but...that just another factor I must account for from now on. I'll reward you for helping me~!"

"Ah…" Double groaned before he rolled out of the path of her next strike with her claws.

'They're...still fighting…' Naegi thought, his hands trembling as he watched the fight going on, 'They're...They're not giving up…'

"This indeed complicates the battle…" Cyclone spoke, "I don't think we can win like normal,"

"Philip, Switch!" Joker ordered, rolling out of the path of another swing, a flash going off as Shotaro rolled across the ground and pushed Joker back down into the Driver.

"Henshin!" Philip shouted as he slotted Fang, jumping up as his armor formed around him.

=FANG JOKER!=

"Ha!" Double roared, swinging his claws at Despair.

"Oh goody~! The one with the time limit that likes to whine like a little kiddie when it runs out is up for a fight!" Despair laughed as she dodged a slash from Double, "Well you brought your caged beast out…so here's mine~" she grinned as the pictures on her shoulder guards glowed.

Just as Double charged, a projection of a feral, actual bear-looking Monokuma appeared before him, roaring out as it swiped its claw at him and knocked him right into the metal wall. Double grunted before rolling along the wall to avoid another claw swipe. He pushed down on Fang before swinging around and slashing the Bear with his Arm Fang. As it stumbled back, he grabbed the Shoulder Fang and swung with all his arm could and slashed through its torso ripping it in half.

"Just face it…" Despair spoke as the two halves began to form into two separate Bears, both colored black and white respectively as they slashed at Double, "No matter what you do, Despair will always be the end result! It's a constant force that always comes back...as long as humanity is alive, despair will always come back!"

'She...She's right…' Naegi thought, the effects of the Dopant pressing down on him before he slapped his cheeks, 'NO! It...It comes back...but...but we can always fight back!' he looked around at the others, 'I...I have to show everyone...I have to make them remember! I have to convince them to not give up...' he clenched his fists, 'To live in Despair...THAT'S NOT REALLY LIVING AT ALL!'

*STAB!*

"?!" Naegi's eyes widened as he looked at Mukuro, seeing her stabbing her arm with one of her combat knives.

"Naegi-san...At first, I thought Despair was the only thing worth living," Mukuro whispered, ignoring the pain as blood dripped down her arm, "But...after meeting you...after our times together, I can see that was wrong...you...Kirihiko-san…" she reached up to Kirihiko's cravat she had tied on her shoulder just above the stab wound, "...You've both given me hope...a reason to keep living again."

"...That's it," Naegi whispered in realization, "...I know how I can reach them."

"Hm?"

"We won't give up…" Naegi spoke softly as his eyes grew sharper in determination, "As long as there's Hope, we'll never give up!"

"But….t-tou-san…" Akiko whispered.

"From all I've heard of the man and what I've seen on that recording, he was a man who had Hope with him all the time," Naegi interrupted as he looked directly at Akiko, "Even if the actual source wasn't with him, knowing you were out there, growing up, it more than likely kept him going even in the darkest times!"

"...He kept...fighting on….because of me," Akiko whispered, her eyes widening a bit as they slowly began to change back to normal, "...I...I can't...give up…" she grunted as she pulled herself up, "He never gave up to protect Fuuto...not just for my sake, but for the people of Fuuto. How can I call myself his daughter...if I give up so easily?!"

"Grr!" Double growled, getting back up as he blocked swings from both Bears, "Rah!" he roared, bringing them down and bashing their heads together. He spun around, summoning his Arm Fang as he slashed their heads off, making them fade away.

"Phh! Please..I can create another a-" Despair began before Double punched her in the face, making her stagger back as she held the spot he punched her, "?! Th...that actually hurt a bit?"

"..." Hagakure had a pensive look on his face, "All my fortune-telling senses are telling me not to do anything…to just wallow in this Despair of what's happened..."

"And your fortunes have an accuracy of thirty percent, right?" Naegi asked, "So who's to say that your senses are actually doing the other seventy percent right now? We can't change the past, but we can always hope for a future!"

"I wanna stay...but...but…" Hagakure let out a scream of frustration as he ran his hands through his hair before slamming them on the podium, "But to live means moving forward, right? I wanna keep living! I want to open the next door! There must be something new waiting for me! So that's why...That's why..." the Despair in his eyes faded away as he pointed ahead, "No matter what, we need to beat up that stupid Enoshima and her Despair!"

"What are you b-!" Despair began before a kick from Double caused her to reel over, "?! Th...That's hurting me?!"

"RAH!" Double roared, opening his hands and raking his claws across Despair, making sparks fly, "I thought you were gonna win through Despair, Creepy Girl? How's that working out for you?" Double asked as he flipped back and spun his body around like a breakdancer before kicking Despair across the face, "RAH!" he spun around and slammed another kick to her stomach, making her stumble back and back into the wall.

"..." Celestia looked down at her hands, "These hands...and my tongue...all they've caused is trouble…"

"There's no signs of a comeback...no tropes showing signs of a reversal…" Hifumi mumbled.

"...and yet...Shotaro and Philip put their faith in me, despite my horrible treatment of them...and Hifumi," Celestia continued, "They placed their faith in me during the Money Dopant Case...I took a high risk gamble...to save the others."

"And yet...in such dire situations like this, the hero finds a way...despite all the odds...despite no hope being shown…" Hifumi began as he raised his head up, "They keep moving forward...I have to keep moving forward."

"That's right!" Naegi nodded, "Hifumi...you still have that manga you made before you lost your memories...You have the talent to be a truly great mangaka, one who can show others that Hope can survive no matter what comes!" He looked to Celestia, "Celestia...you've taken such big gambles your entire life..even hiding your real name from others...and yet..you took a big gamble with Shotaro and Philip...with us. You've even trusted us enough that you told us your real name in the past…"

"...yes. My life...is shrouded in mystery...I've gambled on it for so long, I've...long forgotten what it means to be truly human," Celestia admitted, "And yet...and yet with all of you...it feels as if...it feels as if the 'lies' I've enshrouded my life in fade away and...and that I can be myself." she smiled as despair slowly began to fade from her eyes, "I will make one final gamble...I Celestia….no. I, Taeko Yasuhiro, will place all my chips on Hope itself!"

"I was always an outcast...even when I had my manga and my supplies, I always knew I was alone...but ever since this all began...I feel like I'm becoming more than who I was before," Hifumi trembled, "Expanding everything I once knew and learning so much more. I can actually cook and brew more than just snacks now! And the feedback from everyone when I write my own original works...I don't want to lose that feeling or the friends I've made!"

The Despair in the two's eyes faded as they shouted, "TO HELL WITH DESPAIR!"

"Ha!" Double shouted as he jumped and kicked the Despair Dopant across the face.

As he landed, he pushed down on the Fang Memory before he leaned forward while kicking one leg back, striking her in the stomach as she rushed him from behind. Double rolled forward across the ground. Upon coming to his feet, he pushed down on the Fang Memory again. He leaned back and flipped over several times before clearing the distance towards Despair as he swung his leg down and hit the tip of her head. As the Rider's legs touched the ground, he pushed them and flipped forward, swinging one leg up to kick her across the face like an uppercut. As he landed on his feet once more, he pushed down for the final time on his Fang Memory.

=FANG MAXIMUM DRIVE!=

"Fang Strizer!" Double roared, swinging around and landing a powerful roundhouse kick with the final Fang on his leg, the dinosaur head biting down as a small explosion knocked Despair back, her body sparking but not defeated.

She gasped in rage as she rushed and swung to strike Double's mask...only for the Rider to go limp and fall backwards, his armor vanishing as he did. She blinked as Philip smirked at her as he pushed Cyclone back into his slot on the Driver.

=CYCLONE TRIGGER!=

Several pressurized air bullets knocked her away as Double CycloneTrigger charged at her. He swung to seemingly pistol whip, only to fake out and use the momentum of his swing his body around and lift his leg for a straight kick to her torso knocking her back. He twirled the gun around before shooting her again making more sparks fly.

"Masaka…! M-Masaka!" Despair gasped, "How...How am I…?"

"...I've been...thinking about all this," Hina whispered, her head lowered down, "And I was thinking...at a time like this, what would Sakura do?"

"Heh...Funny enough….Was thinking the same, but with Chihiro at his end," Mondo admitted.

"Sakura would say 'you only get stronger by taking adversity by the horns! Confront that thorny path with enthusiasm!'" Hina declared, "...Least...something along those lines. That sounds like something she'd say."

"Of course she would...you knew that because she was your best friend," Naegi nodded, "No way she would let you give up on yourself this easily...you've pulled yourself out of this Despair before thanks to Philip...you can do it again, Hina!" he looked to Mondo, "And Mondo, in the end...Chihiro showed he was brave enough to get past his despair of hiding as a girl and wanted to Hope for the future as a guy. He didn't go to anyone else but you because he trusted you. You admitted to your mistakes and counted your sins...so all you can do is take Chihiro's Hope and combine it with your own so that no one else has this happen to them while you can do something about it!"

"...yeah….yeah!" Mondo shouted as he slammed on his podium, "No way am I gonna give up now! I promised Chihiro...no. I promised myself that I'll live for him and bro...keep the Crazy Diamonds alive in my heart! Even when I'm practicing to become a carpenter...my time as a member of the Crazy Diamonds...and being part of Sho-bro's agency will never leave my heart!"

"Yeah! I've made up my mind! I'm gonna keep on moving ahead for Sakura and for Philip-kun!" Hina declared, pumping a fist in determination.

=HEAT METAL=

"HA!" Double roared, striking Despair with the burning Metal Shaft.

He twirled it around striking her again, and again for good measure. He spun around to strike a third time before landing a burning punch across her face. He stabbed the staff into the ground and used it as leverage to lift himself up and unleash a barrage of bicycle kicks to her torso, one final Heat empowered kick sending her stumbling back into the wall again. She grunted as the burning staff was thrust forward and pinned her in place. The Rider growled, rearing his right arm back as the heat and flames around his fist were glowing white hot. Before he punched and a small explosion went off on impact, sending her flying off to the side.

"Ishimaru…" Naegi began, looking over at a shaking Ishimaru, "Back during the Bird Dopant Case...you took a big gamble and used the Bird Memory on yourself...because you didn't want anyone to use such a vile Memory ever again. You wanted to prove you're not like your grandfather...to clean the system of any corruption, right?"

"...y….yes….yes…" Ishimaru began, a determined look appearing in his eyes, "My grandfather...he was once a great man, but dirty politics ruined him...no more. I...I will succeed where he has failed! I...I…!" he growled out before his eyes snapped open and his hair turning a bright white, "I WILL MAKE SURE FUUTO REMAINS A BEAUTIFUL CITY! FREE OF ANY CORRUPTION AND DRUGS! SO THAT NO MAN OR CHILD WILL HAVE TO SUFFER WITHIN IT EVER AGAIN!"

=LUNA JOKER!=

"Hey~" Double laughed, extending his arm and using it like a whip to strike Despair several times, "Talk about long arm of the law~" both voices jokes as his arm wrapped around Despair and dragged her in closer for a punch from Double's left arm. He unwrapped his arm quickly sending her spinning through the air before landing hard on the ground.

"..." Genocider Sho said nothing before she cackled loudly, startling most of everyone at the moment, "I don't care either way! I'm fine with whichever….ah...know what…" she muttered as she calmed down a bit, "I may not look it...but I hate school...In fact, no matter how I look, still hate it!"

"And surprisingly, we've come to accept both sides of you," Naegi pointed out.

"...Eh. I...guess that's true…" Sho muttered, "Plus...wherever Master goes, I go...so...I only serve Master...and...I guess to an extent you guys. Plus…" she began as she cackled once more, "Going from a psychopathic murderer to a psychopathic vigilantee sounds pretty badass! I can just keep on living...as long as I have my master's love~!"

"..." those that had managed to shake off Despair looked towards Byakuya as his back was turned to them all, "...What's the matter? You're not actually trying to encourage me, are you?" he smirked while crossing his arms over his chest, "Heh. Ridiculous. It never even crossed my mind to give into Despair...but do not misunderstand me. I could care less about what happens…"

"Don't try to fool yourself, Byakuya," Naegi spoke up, earning his attention, "You know deep down...you care for us. You wanted to see this Killing Game over with as much as the rest of us, because deep down...we're actually the first friends you've ever had...hai?"

"...D-Don't be ridiculous," Byakuya whispered as he turned from them, "...Though...there is a slight truth to it...I will rebuild my family's company...to help fix the damage caused by Enoshima and Museum. Besides…" he looked back at the group while adjusting his glasses, "I've grown accustomed to Fuuto's winds…"

=LUNA TRIGGER=

Double aimed his gun up as he pulled the trigger unleashing blast after blast of tracking shots. Despair cried as each shot curved around and struck her back bringing her forward towards the Rider. Double swung around and pistol whipped the Despair Dopant across the face, he then swung and aimed his gun behind him as he pulled the trigger, the energy bullets curving around him to strike Despair several times. Double swung around and pistol whipped her again, making her stumble back. Double aimed his gun out to his right as he fired, the shots curving up as the Rider kept shooting while spinning around in place. Double stopped his spin as he aimed up and fired again. Despair gasped and looked up as dozens upon dozens of shots rained on her, causing an explosion of sparks after sparks.

"...Kyoko…" Naegi began, looking over at the female detective as she visibly shook, "Think back to your father's recording...He wanted you to live for his sake. He was willing to have you learn from Sokichi Narumi...someone who your grandfather hated...In truth, during our times together...you've learned things not even your grandfather taught you. You're alive now because of your father."

"...I...didn't really know my father, so I can't pretend to know what he was thinking on letting us live here the rest of our lives," Kyoko began, gripping her arm as she looked away, "But even if we're just connected by blood, there's one thing I am sure of...He would never want us to abandon hope...to turn our backs on the city he and Sokichi Narumi loved so much…." she whispered with a small smile, "I cannot explain why, exactly...but I'm sure of anything. I'm sure of that...just because we don't actually know anything, does that mean we can't understand?...in fact...could it be that..." she began to whisper to herself before shaking her head," No...nevermind...Naegi."

"Hmm?"

"I don't think you wound up at this school because you had good luck or bad luck," Kyoko stated as she looked over at him, "That day when you managed to contact Shotaro and Philip...that was no mere chance of luck. You were brought to Kibougamine for one reason...to bring down the Ultimate Despair."

"Wait, what? ...What's that supposed to mean?!" Despair demanded, overhearing that.

"It should've been obvious…" Kyoko began as she looked over at her, "He never gave up when Despair was presented to him...He would inspire those around him, despite them not knowing him...even if he was scared, he'd never give up. In truth….I believe his true Ultimate Talent..is Hope itself."

"Hope?! HOPE?!" Despair exclaimed in disgust, "That...that's stupid! Your stupid faces...stupid things you've said...no way hope led you to those conclusions! It's just so..uncool! Unhip!"

"And yet we are not wrong, are we?!" Kyoko argued,

"Urusei urusei urusei urusei urusei urusei~!" Despair screamed.

=CYCLONE JOKER!=

"Hah!" Double shouted, flipping forward and extending out his left leg for a flying side kick which struck Despair, knocking her back, "Despair Dopant...Junko Enoshima...Saa, omae no tsumi o kazoero!" Double cheered pointing at the Dopant, "Take this...all of our hope...Fuuto's hope, humanity's hope…" he pulled the Joker Memory out of his belt, "Kore de kimari da!" the Rider declared before slotting it into his Maximum Slot.

=JOKER MAXIMUM DRIVE=

"Wh...what's going on?" Despair whispered as Double began to lift himself up into the air, "What's happening?! Why isn't my Despair Field working?!"

"Because we refuse despair!" Naegi declared as he pointed at her, "We have the desire to keep moving forward! So...sa…"

"Sa…" Kyoko began as she raised her own hand up to point at Despair.

"Sa…!" the others began as they followed suit, Despair swearing she saw faint images of Sayaka, Fujisaki, Leon and Sakura joining in with them.

"Omae no tsumi o kazoero!" they all declared as Double aimed down at Despair, the winds surrounding him picking up at high speed.

"Joker Extreme! Kibou Dangan Custom!" Double shouted as he extended both legs out and shot forward, his body sliding apart mid-flight, both legs covered in spiraling energy of Green and Purple.

The kicks connected as Double remerged into one whole Rider. The Rider shouted as the spiraling energy around his legs merged into a powerful tornado of green and purple before it blasted off, sending the Despair Dopant flying and crashing into and then through the wall. However, the attack didn't seem to end there as the tornado dragged Despair up the wall and through the ceiling, crashing through each individual one as everyone looked up.

*BOOM!*

"Ahh! Wh-what the…?!" Makura exclaimed in surprise, the entire police force standing outside Hope's Peak as something was seen crashing through the very top of the building itself.

"Ahh!" Junko screamed as she fell into a set of bushes, the Despair Memory hitting the floor as it bounced around a few times..until a lone crack appeared in the middle as it fell into an opened grate.

"Well...You don't see that every day…" Jinno mused as he looked at Junko, "Well well...given the boom...and what I think was a Gaia Memory...you must be another Dopant the Kamen Rider beat up and left for us. Welcome to the list of Fuuto's loser club." he then produced some handcuffs.

"I….I lost…?" Junko whispered with wide eyes.

"Correct," Kyoko spoke as she and the others walked out of the school, "Officer Jinno...may I present the person behind the horrors that took place here two years ago...the person who murdered my father and the Headmaster of Kibougamine...Junko Enoshima."

"?!" Makura's eyes widened at that, "Oh my god...she…" he scrambled about in his pockets before pulling out a wanted poster, "She's at the top of Fuuto's most wanted list...mostly because nobody in Japan could ever catch her, much less find her!"

"You're welcome." Shotaro smiled as he walked up behind Kyoko.

"Tantei!" Makura shouted in rage, Jinno elbowing his side to make him shut up.

"Wrap this up for us, Macky~" Shotaro smirked, gently slapping Makura's face.

"Th...this….this is…" Junko whispered as she was forced up by a pair of police officers, "...totally the best~"

"...eh?" the group and even the police blinked at that, seeing the look of...desire on Junko's face as she drooled.

"Oi...oi~! You lost, why are you happy, hello?" Shotaro flicked her head, "That's it, game over, you're going away. Why are you...oh god are you…?" he realized from getting a better look at her expression.

"She is…" Mukuro whispered.

"Two years of planning...even using Museum...even using my sister as a scapegoat...the Despair of failure...this...this is what it truly feels like~" Junko whispered, a slight moan escaping her lips as she hugged herself, "To come this far and to fail at the very end...it's so….pleasurable~"

"Did...did you just...get an O?" Shotaro cringed.

"Once more...she did," Mukuro whispered.

"...Oh god!" Akiko exclaimed in disgust as the group...and even the police stepped away from her.

"Well...this changed the mood…" Naegi muttered.

"Macky, give me your taser," Shotaro ordered as he began checking Makura's pockets and holsters.

"No no! The best...is yet to come~" Junko whispered as she pulled out a device with a big red button on it.

"...?!" Kyoko's eyes widened in realization, "She's going to execute herself...like she promised."

"You betcha!" she smiled before flinching as something pricked the back of her neck, making her fall over.

Everyone blinked in confusion, looking around for where that came from. No one noticed a woman in the distance, her face completely covered in bandages and her eyes hidden by sunglasses, holding a dart gun.

"Not today child," she spoke, putting the gun in her black coat, "I still have need of you for greater schemes. You serve me better alive. You display...something I can abuse to help that boy grow stronger," she turned to look at a confused Philip.

"...Well...that was admittedly disappointing," Saeko whispered, "I was looking forward to her killing herself."

"Mick found out how she was gonna do it, too," Wakana spoke as she held up a set of papers, "...Ugh. Can't believe I read it, too…Apparently, she was gonna use every execution she was gonna use on those students."

"...all of them?" Saeko raised a brow.

"All of them," Wakana confirmed.

"Rrrow…" Mick whined.

"Aw, now what's wrong, Mick? Sad you and Fang Memory couldn't break that tie of yours?" Ryubee asked, picking the pouty kitty up, "Don't worry, you'll find some way to settle the score some day."

"Rrrow…" Mick sighed.

"What do you mean it won't be the same?"

"Rrrow…."

"Still, that's one loose end wrapped up," Saeko sighed as she relaxed in her seat, "Finally, I don't have to deal with Junko and her nonsensical plans anymore…"

"What about those Remnants that…" Wakana began.

"I don't have to deal with Junko and her nonsensical plans anymore…" Saeko sighed in relaxation.

"And I thought Mick was catty…" Wakana mumbled.

"'Today...The Kibougamine Case that began all those months ago...has finally come to a close,'" Shotaro whispered as he styled down on the typewriter for his report, "'After searching through the school and finding many revelations….we took part in the final Class Trial given to us by the Mastermind...and thanks to some photos provided by the others, we learned that the Mastermind in truth was Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fa...no...The Ultimate Despair. A title she more than earned thanks to her personal Gaia Memory, Despair...of which we've still yet to find to be honest. The Despair Memory….we...none of us aside from Philip could even breathe...All we felt was Despair thanks to Junko. But...'"

=Shotaro-san= Alter Ego spoke up as they appeared on a nearby monitor =I just got a message from Togami-san...he and Fukawa-san may have found a lead on where the hostages are=

"Thank you, Alter Ego," Shotaro smiled, "I'll check as soon as I finish this, I haven't had a chance to finish this report."

"Did Daddy Philip hear the word 'lead'?" Philip smiled from his little reading nook in the wall.

=Hai...Towa City=

"Beginning Search!" Philip shouted happily.

"Heh heh…" Shotaro chuckled a bit before getting back to his report, "'But...after I managed to force my way through Junko's Despair field and Naegi-who turns out is in truth the Ultimate Hope...heh. Who knew?-snapping everyone out of their Despair-driven funk...we managed to beat Junko and she's in maximum security lockdown for attempted genocide, attempted mass murder, the murder of Kyoko's father and headmaster of Kibougamine...the list goes on. Needless to say….that bitch is not getting out for a LONG time.'"

"...Almost feels rather empty, doesn't it?" Philip questioned, still focused on his book, "The office, I mean."

"...yeah," Shotaro muttered as he sat back in his seat, "Most of the others don't have that damn school holding them back anymore..so now they can do their own things...Mondo going to a proper school to learn to be a carpenter with Ishimaru helping him, Hagakure going on a global trip to improve his fortune telling, Hifumi practicing in making new original manga, Byakuya and Toko out searching for the hostages from Junko's stupid game…"

"I miss Taser Giraffe," Philip sighed.

"You trained it to zap her on a schedule so that Sho could, and I quote: Get exercise."

"And all the methods of it getting to her when she kept trying so hard to not get zapped was so fun," Philip noted.

"Kyoko's still mad at you for the toilet incident."

"So it didn't know how to differentiate between women's behinds at the time. I corrected it."

"Oi…"

"We're back!" Akiko called out as she and Hina walked in, carrying a few bags of groceries.

"Sorry we're late. The bakery had a long line," Hina added.

"You know you don't have to stick around," Shotaro stated as the girls put the bags down, "You go and do whatever you want now since you're not tied to that school anymore."

"And what I wanna do is stay here and help," Hina replied.

"That and she's saving up her paycheck here to buy one of the places on this street to make a donut shop," Akiko added.

"Philip gets a discount~" Philip called out.

"Wait, she gets a paycheck?" Shotaro asked, earning a green wooden slipper from Akiko, "Gah!"

=...Mukuro-san is staring again= Alter Ego spoke up, seeing Mukuro peeking out of the corner.

"Ah yes, we still haven't finished office training the new one," Philip sighed.

"Stop treating them as pets…" Akiko sighed.

"No. They are my damaged but precious little friends and I care for and nurture their weirdness!" Philip argued.

"I'm not weird…" Mukuro whispered.

"You're socially awkward," Shotaro bluntly stated.

"...I've only had one friend in Museum but that's it…"

"Embrace the weird…" Philip smiled while leaning in uncomfortably close, "It is wonderful~"

"..."

"Plus, you have a good talking partner to get over the social awkwardness," Shotaro added, looking around, "Where the hell is Naegi anyway?"

The door to the garage opened and Naegi stumbled in...dropping colored balls, "Philip turned the basement into a ball pit!" he looked at a clock, "I've been trying to get out for four hours?!"

"Why?" Shotaro asked slowly.

"It was all I was given during that stressful day!" Philip declared, "I shall not be denied my chromatic well of fun and leisure~!"

"Get rid of the balls!" Shotaro ordered.

"Oh...I will…" Philip replied as he slowly walked over to the door to the garage, "But...YOu'll have to catch me."

"Philip, don't you d…" Shotaro began before Philip jumped through the doorway, "Sonuva!"

"~Bazinga~" Philip's voice echoed.

"After him, Naegi!" Shotaro ordered, picking up Naegi as he ran after Philip.

"Ah! No, please! I just got out of there!" Naegi panicked.

"~Bazinga~!" Philip taunted, his head poking out before diving back down.

"Our boys are idiots…" Akiko muttered.

"But they're our idiots," Hina giggled.

"...What did I just walk in on?" Kyoko questioned as she walked in.

"Philip, get back here!" Shotaro snapped, managing to get over to where Philip had been before the bookworm poked out...on the other end of the garage, "What the…?!"

"Bazinga!" Philip declared as he shot back under.

"How is he doing that?!" Naegi asked as Philip's book could be seen poking out of the balls like a shark's fin to mark where he was going...and he was moving really fast somehow.

"He studied swimming last week," Hina explained.

"Bazinga~" Philip cheered as he jumped out and dove back down like a dolphin breaking the surface of the water.

"...Complaint retracted then," Kyoko whispered as she looked at Shotaro's report before adding to it, "'Even though our numbers have lowered to a near-skeleton crew, the Narumi Detective Agency will keep going strong to keep this city from crying.'"

"Philip, this is the last time...Don't make me go Captain Ishmael on you!" Shotaro snapped.

"The fact you know that reference makes me so proud of you!" Philip declared, popping out beside Naegi, "Oh also...Bazinga~"

"BWAH!" Naegi yelped.

"GRAB HIM, NAEGI!"

"Ack! I, uh, I g-WHOA!" Naegi yelped as he was pulled under, his cowlick the only thing poking out, "AH! HELP! HE'S GOT ME! HE'S GOT ME!"

"?! ...Rescue start," Mukuro whispered, her eyes narrowed as she dove straight into the ballpit.

"Oh just get a room already…" Shotaro sighed at that before seeing Philip poke his head out.

"Bazinga~" he smiled, slowly sinking back down.

"PHILIP!" Shotaro snapped, diving under after him as, all the while, the Memory Gadgets and Fang Memory were cheering them on from the rafters.

"Ah...I am in a good mood~" Makura chuckled as he passed by the cells, casually swinging a donut in his finger as he had a look of pure glee on his face, "I locked up one of the most wanted criminals in Japan~" he smiled before yelping as he was thwacked by a back scratcher.

"Get over yourself, youngblood. We just slapped the cuffs on that looney," Jinno sighed as he hooked his back scratcher around his neck.

"Yes, but I was the one who did it!" Makura argued, "...Still, can't wait to see her gone from Fuuto…" he whispered as the two walked over to an iron door with a single slot in it, "Oi, Enoshima! Food's here...but oh. It's a little...damaged."

"...wait. Something's not right," Jinno spoke, hearing an odd...silence coming from the room.

"What do you mean? She's probably still resting or thinking up s-" Jinno began as he opened the slot to put the donut half in...before he spotted a lone Monokuma doll inside the room, "...she's gone."

"What?" Jinno whispered with wide eyes, the two quickly opening the door as they looked around, "Impossible...we made sure she couldn't get out."

"Exactly! This room is impossible t-" Makura began before he felt a slight breeze...making him look over at a crude poster of Monokuma hanging from a tree branch, "..."

"...She didn't…" Jinno began to realize as the two walked over...and tore the poster off the wall to see a hole in it, "?!"

"She pulled a Shawshank!" Makura exclaimed, "How?! We just got her in here last night!"

"...You made sure to confiscate everything, right?" Jinno asked.

"Yes!"

"Including the hairclips?"

"Why a hairclip?"

Jinno said nothing as he took a deep breath a few times, "Makura...let me see your new Taser."

"Oh, sure. I had to get it after the Tantei took mine, and then refused to give it back. Why-Lblblblblb!" he babbled as he was shocked in the neck, "Ah...AH!" he cried as he was tased again.

"Ugh…" Jinno sighed as Makura plopped onto the floor twitching, "Honestly…" he muttered before he stepped out, "Code Red! We have a Code Red, people! Junko Enoshima got out! I repeat! Junko Enoshima has gotten out of Maximum Security!"

As the police began to scramble and the alarms went off, one lone figure seemed to be remaining calm at the moment. The man sighed as he was in the midst of unzipping his red leather jacket. He zipped it back up and proceeded to walk further into the building.

"It never ends with this stupid town…" he sighed, picking up a Motorcycle helmet and making his way outside again, "But that's why I'm here. Lunatics talking about crap they don't even understand, a useless police force...the only one worth a damn is that Kamen Rider...but soon...he won't be the only one." he mounted a red sports bike, "Junko Enoshima...you're right about one thing though. The only thing waiting for you at the end of the line...is despair." he clicked the Red Memory in his hand.

=ACCEL=

With that, he drove off, the red rear light leaving a glowing trail through the streets as he sped off deep into Fuuto. The speed of his bike kicking up the wind and moving the small windmills around town.

SZ: And with that ladies and gents...Danganronpa 1 has come to a close for this story...but it does not mean we're done with the series yet for it! Oh no...we have so much more planned for the next arc!

GT: Eeyup! Because we've been hinting to it the last few chapters, so onto the preview for the start of our next Arc!

Z0: Hahaha! My favorite Non main character Rider! YES! *swings giant sword at the screen*

Next Arc: Danganronpa W Trigger: Acceleration Bullet~!

Philip: Terui Ryuu. A superintendent for the Fuuto Police...and Former Ultimate Police Officer of the 74th Class.

Akiko: Dibs...

?: I want to find the culprit behind the recent serial freezing incidents.

? Dopant: Listen to the sound of yourself falling apart!

Shotaro: I guess we still gotta deal with Museum first. Dopants are still a problem in our city.

Kyoko: The W Memory?

Case 20: Leave All Behind

Mukuro: Another...Kamen Rider?

GT: Yep. It's finally time for him to debut!

Z0: YES! *headbuts the air causing a crack in reality*

SZ: 0-0….uh….hope you all enjoyed this folks! And tune in as we get to the next arc...The Acceleration Bullet Arc

Z0: *grabs both my co-writers* YES! *dives into the dimensional abyss into the unknown*

GT: Please Read and Review while we try to get out~!