Chapter 3
12:29 PM Day 1
Grand Lobby
Rumiko moved slower than a snail towards the Front Desk. Each footstep was methodical. Mechanical. Mathematical. Every tap from her high heels hitting tile echoed throughout the giant chamber, bouncing around in the dome up above. They all lingered like they were the only surviving sounds in the world. The Bell Guy listened and watched. Or perhaps it didn't. It never blinked. Never tapped its foot. Never smiled. Rumiko tried to get a read on it, but she simply couldn't. Was it even looking at her? She saw no trace of any pupils. Only empty holes bigger than its mouth. The only company she really had was her own head.
'Why am I even doing this? The others left so casually, yet no traps went off. Maybe I'm wasting time being this careful. I need to investigate as much as I can each day, or-'
DING!
She flinched!
And misstepped!
She felt a tile shift a little bit below her right foot. But she didn't let it go completely down. She lifted it as fast as a clock's second hand and made a mad dash to the desk, practically slamming into it.
The poor Defense Solicitor had her heart dancing in her rib-cage. Her lungs blasted air up her throat and out her mouth in wide gasps. Her irises were pastel orange pinballs with black cores, bouncing around in the sclerae. She soon found the sound's source: the elevator had returned. In an analogue dial, only its fourth point, labelled "L", was lit. Yet, the door did not open. The Bell Guy was the same; unmoving, unflinching, unbreathing. She couldn't look at it any more, so she stared at the ceiling until her breathing subsided.
She said "H-H-How d-do I get a r-room?" and got no verbal response. Instead, the masked figure pushed a button behind the counter, causing a panel on the desk to flip. What she saw on the other side was a monitor with a touch screen. All it displayed were two squares with text in the center. One was "BOOK ROOM", while the other was "BUY AREA". After a bit of hesitation, she tapped the former. What appeared next was a long list of multi-digit numbers, which she assumed belonged to every guest room for all three floors. Upon touching the "315" button, she received a confirmation question, which she promptly responded with "Yes". Then the button turned dim. Seconds later, her E-Handbook vibrated again.
STATUS:
Time — 12:34 PM
Balance — $1,000
Challenge Event begins in 4 Days; 23 hours; 26 minutes; 18 seconds.
Room — 315
She reluctantly looked at the Bell Guy again, and asked, "B-Booking is f-free?" It gave a single nod. "Can I b-book m-more than one r-room?" It shook left and right. Then she checked the Hidden Rules page, noticing that nothing had changed. There was only one thing left to check: the BUY AREA menu. Pressing that button gave her a smaller list, one with every section of the resort, minus the Employee Areas. Every selection had a price tag beside it.
SELECT LIVING AREA
Deluxe Rooms — $100,000
Premium Rooms — $500,000
Suites (includes Theater & Dining Hall) — $1,000,000
Deluxe Suites (includes Spa, Fitness Center, & Tennis Courts) — $10,000,000
Regal Suites (includes Library, Museum, & Nightclub) — $50,000,000
Grand Suites (includes Ballroom) — $100,000,000
Condominiums (both Studio Apartments & Suite Apartments) — $500,000,000
Ultimate Suites (includes Waldorf Beach, Golf Course, Astoria Pool with Cabanas, & Cuisine Cove) — $1,000,000,000
Elite Suites — $10,000,000,000
Presidential Suites — $100,000,000,000
Penthouse Suites — $1,000,000,000,000
Statler Villa (includes Statler Beach, Garden, & Statuary) — $100,000,000,000,000
Royal Suite — $500,000,000,000,000
Master Suite — $900,000,000,000,000
"N-N-N-N-N-NINE HUNDRED T-TRILLION?! FOR A S-SINGLE S-SUITE?!" The Bell Guy nodded at her outburst. "H-How is anyone s-supposed to g-get that kind of m-money?"
"It's not that hard," stated S-53.
Rumiko jumped liked she had a third heart attack. She had to catch her breath once more, while the maid got on her knees to wipe down the desk. "P-please s-stop s-sneaking up on p-people. And w-what do you m-mean by th-that?"
"It will be time-consuming, definitely, but not hard. There are quite a number of easy methods to unlock every area."
"One of th-those involves m-m-murder..."
"Correct. That is all I am allowed to say." Before Rumiko even had the chance to ask another question, S-53 pulled her outfit's collar down. Ensnared around her pretty little neck was a hi-tech, spike-studded collar, no smaller than a choker. "The caretakers are always watching."
The freckle-faced Guest couldn't help but squeeze her fists like a typical frustrated hero. "N-No w-wonder none of y-you rebelled..."
"We may all have the same personality, but I can assure you we are not a hive mind. If you'll excuse me." The elevator finally opened; without any hesitation, the maid marched inside. The doors slowly slid shut...
"Wait!" The elevator stopped, then it opened again. S-53 stared at Rumiko, expecting another request from her. Instead, she gave a promise. "I'm g-gonna f-f-find the truth and s-save you." The maid continued staring. "I-I d-don't know about every clone, but... as a D-Defense Solicitor, I will do my b-best to help y-you and as many of the others as p-possible." After that speech was a minute of silence, but it felt more like five, as if both of them were waiting for the other to say more.
"...Your optimism is appreciated," S-53 said with a formal bow. "But you are not the Ultimate Hope. Even if you were, it would not make much of a difference." She noticed Rumiko opening her mouth, but chose to keep talking. "We all kept our memories, Ms. Homura, up to the second of our death. We've known his fate for quite a while." Nothing about her had changed. Not her demeanor, her facial expressions, or even her tone of voice. "There's no need for anybody to mourn anymore. The people you should be thinking about are the other Guests. Now, is there anything else you require of me?"
The redhead felt her soul deflating. "...N-No."
"Then I bid you good day." The elevator closed.
12:49 PM Day 1
Paradise Beach
When Kiet had first entered this beach, he hadn't realized how large it truly was. In fact, he had absolutely no way of knowing. Misham had to explain it to him. "Astounding! At eight miles in length, this stretch of sand spans nearly three-fifths of the island's entire right edge! At least, I'm assuming this is the right and not the left. As for the width: 80 feet. That's about half the width of a football field! Just think of how much sand is needed to cover such an area!"
"...How would you know this? We...we've only been here for...for a few minutes."
"Ahaha! I've stepped on many beaches before! You can say that, thanks to being the Ultimate Excavator, I became fine-tuned with ground-related subjects!"
"I see..." The darker-skinned boy looked around, standing completely still as he did so, and saw numerous objects that definitely weren't there before. Reclining lounge chairs and tropical-colored beach umbrellas were scattered throughout, like chocolate chips to a cookie. Canoes and jet-skis rested along the shoreline. An expansive wooden dock had a few motor boats tied to its posts; it connected to the exact mid-point of the beach, effectively dividing it into halves. Situated in the northern half was a professional concert stage, the kind one would find at any outstanding outdoor party, while the southern half contained a 50-foot high rock climbing wall and a beach volleyball court. Several circular platforms, each of them no bigger than a boxing ring, floated on both parts of the sea. "Do you know how...how to use a...motor boat?"
"Of course I do!" Misham's gestures almost looked like flicker jabs. "I bet even someone like yourself could pull it off! That said, I don't think the reptile would make our escape so easy."
"What is that...supposed to mean?"
"Well, the availability of these vehicles contradicts the need for a key to win the game. It's most likely that their use is tied to the mini-games he mentioned. Either that, or they're traps. They could all be set to explode once they're a certain distance away from the resor—"
"I meant...I meant your comment about me..."
Once again, the frail boy threw his weight in another direction. "Ah, that! Not to be presumptuous, but your question, and your overall demeanor, made me conclude that you've lived an isolated life in Vietnam, and so you know little about the outside world. You never even watched the past killing games."
The Voninam Practitioner gave ten ellipses worth of stoic silence, but the slight shift in his eyes gave him away.
Meanwhile, the lights on Misham's visors seemed to burn brighter. "I was right on the dot! Yes!" He punched the air like he had won the lottery. "My first clue was your foolish plan to fight the reptile. Anyone who's watched these games would have known better! Then there's your crafty response to that referee-looking fellow! You had said that you weren't 'those other guys', but there were girls who had also fought their captors. One of those girls being the Ultimate Martial Artist, Sakura Ogami. Had you watched any of the games, you would have identified her. Besides, I'm sure someone who struggles in English would not know about 'guys' being an informal use for 'people'. I'll give you credit on using your verbal tic of pausing mid-sentence to your advantage, but it was obvious you knew nothing!"
Kiet couldn't see the Excavator's face, but he could sense that it was grinning. The mere thought made him sharpen his scowl. "...You talk too much..."
"I do many things! And you... are certainly a strong individual, despite your disadvantages. I'll have to keep an eye on you, good sir!"
Like a wave, the silence returned, splashing over both their feet. The stare-down between them had so much tension, one would need a chainsaw to cut through it.
Or a Geologist.
"Oh. My. GOD! Is that what I think it is?!" Ivy dashed right past them, toward a small gemstone sticking out of the sand. She even got on her knees to dig it out and brush it clean. "IT IS! A genuine black opal! It's shaped like a conch shell, too! This is the best day of my fucking life!" She jumped for joy, inadvertently causing her D-cup chest to bounce a bit.
Kiet was taken aback for like the tenth time today. "You were not this...this energetic before..."
Misham, on the other hand, rebounded towards the girl. "Beautiful! I've unearthed many treasures in my expeditions, but none of them were as visually appealing as this!"
"They're super fucking rare! I can't believe I found one, just like that!" Her blue eyes sparkled more than the opal, more than her lapis lazuilli necklace or the ruby on her ring. "You must have found other gemstones, right? What kind were they? Painite? Benitoite? Alexandrite?!"
"Sadly, no!" Misham said with a Shakespearean pose of defeat. "I've only found archaeological artifacts! Ancient jars and plates, animal bones, art sculptures, and the occasional gold doubloons. A travesty, for sure!"
"Damn, not even an emerald? That sucks! What spots did you check out?"
"Too many to count, for sure! If I had to mention one, it would be-"
"Cho tình yêu của...could we please...please explore the boats?"
"You can." Ivy tried shooing the stocky bug with one hand. "Misham and I are doing something right now."
"I've got it! Let's walk and talk, Miss McNally! Nothing gets interrupted through the magnificence of multitasking!"
And so, this trio of weirdos spent several minutes making their way to the docks. Ivy and Misham spent the whole trip blathering about their adventures and treasures, with Kiet doing his damnedest to block out the passionate noise. Once they finally reached a motorboat, the latter hopped up front to examine the controls. Misham followed suit, and Ivy deflated to her former self.
"We won't find anything here," she said. "We'd be better off searching the sand again, if the black opal's anything to by."
"There's more than enough time for that," said Misham. "This should be our first focus."
The Geologist muttered a miffed "Fine," then plopped onto the boat's rear. A bit of digging near the motor helped her find a red backpack tied to the boat with a red rope. Meanwhile, Kiet still couldn't get the whole thing to move.
"Ahaha! I knew something was fishy about these vehicles! Allow me to assist you, Kiet!" Misham reached for a lever, only for his hand to be slapped away.
"I...can...handle it!" Kiet slammed a button beside a blank screen, but doing instantly blinked it on to blue.
"Three Guests identified," said a voice not unlike HAL 9000's.
Ivy looked around like a lost seagull, hands clutching the backpack. "Was that the boat talking?"
"Would you like to play the Parasailing mini-game?"
"YES! This is exactly what we need!" Misham was too busy posing to notice the two stares aimed at him.
"Yes registered." Upon saying that, the boat sped off the docks. Ivy screamed for her life, Kiet was saying "Thở sâu" again, and Misham laughed in his usual Misham manner. "One of you must exit the boat, while the other must equip the parachute."
"Aha! Pull yourself together, Ivy!" Misham strapped the backpack onto her. "This will help everyone in the long term!"
"Do you ever think before you act?!"
"Of course! I'll check the sea, and you search the sky!" He pulled a string on the backpack, freeing the parachute. Ivy's fervent foul language faded the further up she flew. He then gave a stunned Kiet a salute and jumped off the boat.
"Two Guests registered. Beginning the mini-game."
TWO-PLAYER CO-OP MINI-GAME: PARASAILING
One controls the boat, while the other steers the parasail. The boat driver can speed up or slow down the boat with the lever. Doing so will increase or decrease the parasailer's height. Guide the parasailer through the hologram disks to earn points. Each point is $10.
You have 5 minutes. Have fun!
A series of buoys emerged from the ocean, forming a wide path. Some of them projected circular holograms at random spots inside said path.
"START!" said the boat in a higher-pitched voice, while zooming into the path. Poor Ivy was stammering while her skirt flapped faster than a hummingbird's wings. Thank God it went past the knees. She had no other option but to swallow her anxiety and play the game. Leaning her body left and right to hit the disks wasn't too hard, but she kept passing over the ones hovering below her.
"Hey, could you slow it down?" she shouted towards Kiet.
"No. I'm getting...getting this nonsense over with."
"We're missing out on points! And going faster won't decrease our time!"
"I don't care...about points."
"I swear to fu-" she soon saw a wooden crate floating in the path, and the boat was heading right towards it! "LOOK OUT!"
Despite Ivy's frantic pointing, Kiet was too late. They collided into the box, reducing it to scraps!
The boat slowed down, too, allowing Ivy's flight to descend a few feet. It was actually the perfect altitude for hitting the lower disks.
"You know what? Keep hitting those," the Gothic girl said. "Don't speed up unless the disks are too high."
"Quên đi!"
Kiet practically punched the lever, and the boat accelerated once more. There were more boxes in his path, and he made sure to steer clear of them this time, much to Ivy's dismay. She had to mediate, or else she would blow a gasket. "Calm down," she whispered to herself. "Everyone deserves a fair shot."
1:20 PM Day 1
Under The Sea - 50 Feet Deep
"Clever little turtle!" Misham found himself face-to-face with a forest of naval mines. Thousands upon thousands of metallic, spiky balloons closing off the rest of the ocean. Every space was accounted for. He held a piece of coral like Hamlet with a skull, and hurled it at one of the bombs, only for it to bounce off with a dull KLUNK! When he swam towards it, he heard a faint beeping. As expected, it stopped when he swam away.
"You never cease to amaze me, technology! If only we humans could advance as quickly as you!" He was about to turn back when he saw a glint in the corner of his visor. There was something sticking out of the sand...
A treasure chest! A stereotypical pirate's treasure chest, wooden brown and all! The Excavator's excitement was too heavy for him to float. He sank for it faster than an anvil, but a white squid got in his way. It was another machine, not unlike Monokame, but designed like a Blooper.
"This chest is part of a mini-game. You wanna play it?"
"That depends, you wriggly sea-critter! Does it need more players?"
"It can have up to four players, but it's not required. One player is the minimum."
"SPLENDID! Consider me in!"
Upon saying that, more chests burrowed out the ground. More Bloopers spawned as well, alongside a blue shark!
SOLO MINI-GAME: TREASURE DIVING
Bring as many treasure chests to the top as you can within 5 minutes, but watch out for the enemies.
Your reward is whatever's inside them. Have fun!
"START!"
Misham dove for the chest closest to him. "Lighter than expected," which didn't mean much for a string bean like him. He was already huffing and puffing at the midway point.
The Bloopers smacking into him didn't help much, either. The attacks somehow shocked his body more than a nightstick to the back. He couldn't help but drop the chest.
He tried his best to grab it again, but the shark charged for him like a football player, jaws wide open. Dodging its chomp chest-free was no problem. Fighting back was another story. The moment his fist touched it, the paralyzing shock mangled him again.
"FINISH!"
No matter what the boy did, he couldn't poke a single chest out of the water. The fast fiends kept flanking him at each turn, and five minutes flew by before he knew it.
"MISS!"
"...Aha. Good game, you animals. Good game, indeed. Perhaps this one is better with more players... Ahaha, yes! Stronger players! Definitely so!"
2:02 PM Day 1
Reception Shops
To call this place "shops" would be a severe understatement; it was more of a two-story mall, with fully-fledged stores filling every side and angle. The top floor housed all the typical stuff: Sports, Clothing, Jewelry, Electronics, Accessories, etc. Two pairs of stairs and escalators connected it to the bottom floor, where a Food Court consumed over half the area. The lovely trio of Makika, Shiri, and Ashe rode an escalator to reach the other half. They had spent over an hour, and a couple dollars, exploring the entirety of the top floor. Ashe kept a firm grip on her brand new laptop, while Shiri swung around a pink paper bag. She peeked inside to giddily gawk at its contents: a two-piece purple bikini.
"I'm gonna be so gorgeous in this, desuka! We need to throw a beach party, STAT!"
"I hate to break it to you," said Ashe, "I'm not sure that will fit you."
"Huuuuuuh? What do you mean, Langdon-san? I picked size medium!"
"Medium for teens or for adults?"
"Teens, obviously, cause I'm eigh-TEEN. I didn't buy this for you, if that's what you think. Wait, DO YOU HAVE THE HOTS FOR ME?!"
"Of course not! Did you forget I'm married?" The older woman had to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Never mind, Shiri. I was just trying to help."
Makika gave the most polite bow she could muster. "I apologize for imposing, but I think you both should have saved your money."
"No offense, dear, but I'll use my funds however I please. As the leading authority on Aerodynamics, having a computer is an absolute essential."
"Don't you need internet, meow?"
"Not really. I have all my files in a flash drive." She shook her left shoulder to emphasize her brown satchel. "It's somewhere in this thing, but it'll take me a while to find it. Either way, all I'd need is that and a few programs."
"That's great to hear, ma'am." The Priestess carefully considered her next words. "However, one question comes to mind. How will you download those programs onto that new laptop?"
It's a good thing they had stepped off the escalator by this point, for Ashe's mind had blue-screened for a few seconds. She snapped back with a single-word response: "Damn."
"GOT ITEMS!" The Beach Volleyball Player pointed like a puppy at the four stores on this floor: an Item Shop, a Lottery Shop right next to it, a Curiosity Shop, and finally, a Weapons Store.
The girls got that one out of the way first. Nothing but destructive devices as far as their eyes could see. Pistols, revolvers, Uzis, rifles, bombs, grenades, swords, knives, hammers, chainsaws, flamethrowers, rocket launchers... but no ray-guns. The prices for each of them ranged from five dollars to five cents.
"Of course these would be the cheapest." Makika fidgeted with one of her orange wavy bangs. "It should go without saying, but we mustn't let anyone buy from here."
"What if they're fakes, tho?" Shiri tried to examine a gun, but the cashier (a Hammer Bro with a Bellboy's cap) whacked her hand with a small hammer. "OW! Didn't need to do that, you meanie-weenie!"
"Shiri may be onto something," said Ashe. "If Monokame says we could all survive, then these weapons could count as 'Death Traps'. Traps intended for would-be killers."
"Now that you mention it, we had not encountered any traps in here so far."
"We must be the Super Lucky Sisters! Together, we're more powerful than the Hopemeister, Naegi!"
"The late 'Hopemeister' Naegi..." Makika said softly.
None of the swords on the shelves could cut the awkward silence that followed.
So the Aerodynamics Expert had to plow through it. "We've spent enough time here. Let's get these other shops and the Food Court over with."
The Item Shop was their next stop. It was mainly a single glass counter with an assortment of colored tickets inside, like a gas station desk, and a shelf-littered wall of various bizarre artifacts. Among them was a purplish bell, a gold oil lamp, a bag with a question-mark pattering, and a green flashlight. The desk clerk, a Bell Snifit, pulled out a sign the moment they set foot inside.
"Welcome to the Item Shop, the only place to buy aces for your sleeves! Please take a look at our stock."
ITEMS:
S. Key: ...; Supply - 100; Price - $10,000
B. Bell: ...; Supply - 50; Price - $50,000
M. Suit: ...; Supply - 10; Price - $200,000
M. Bomb: ...; Supply - 10; Price - $200,000
G. Light: ...; Supply - 25; Price - $250,000
D. Glove: ...; Supply - 4; Price - $450,000
W. Watch: ...; Supply - 2; Price - $500,000
T. Goggles: ...; Supply - 2; Price - $600,000
Item Bag: Gives you three random items (never a 2nd Item Bag); Supply - 3; Price - $750,000
K. Kard: ...; Supply - 2; Price - $10,000,000
M. Lamp: ...; Supply - 1; Price - $50,000,000
TICKETS:
L. Ticket: ...; Supply - 500; Price - $100
P. Ticket: ...; Supply - 50; Price - $20,000
S. Ticket: ...; Supply - 26; Price - $70,000
C.T. Ticket: ...; Supply - 15; Price - $40,000
P.T. Ticket: ...; Supply - 9; Price - $1,500,000
B. Ticket: ...; Supply - 8; Price - $2,000,000
T.E. Ticket: ...; Supply - 6; Price - $3,000,000
E Ticket: ...; Supply - 3; Price - $20,000,000
M. Ticket: ...; Supply - 2; Price - $25,000,000
Trial Request Ticket: Let's you hold a trial without a murder; Supply - 1; Price - $5,000,000,000
"This list sucks, buster!" Shiri nearly pressed her finger against the Bell Snifit. "It says nothing about most of this stuff, and these prices are knick-knack triple-wack!"
"Of course it wouldn't." Ashe pulled out her Handbook to show her the mostly-blank Hidden Rules pages. "Monokame said these rules involved the items. He wants us to buy the information."
Makika stared at the tickets, before checking her own Handbook. She hadn't spent a cent so far. "Allow me to test something. I would like to purchase one L. Ticket, please." She inserted the device into the desk's docking station. After a loud KA-CHING, the Bell Snifit handed her a pale orange ticket.
"Thank you for purchasing a Lottery Ticket. You can use it at the Lottery Shop to participate in the Grand Lottery."
The girls rechecked the sign. Nothing changed. Then the Hidden Rules pages. Same as they were before.
The Aerodynamics Expert read Hidden Rule 1 out loud, then said, "So when he said 'every Guest', he really meant everybody."
"There is still the other stipulation," said the Priestess.
They immediately walked to the Lottery Shop, which was smaller than the Item Shop. Sitting atop a polished wooden desk were a few machines. One of them had a crank handle attached to it. The creature in charge was a large, bulky Bob-omb. "Greetings. Are you here for a Scratch-Off Lottery, a Ball Lottery, or the Grand Lottery?"
"HAP-PY LUC-KY LO-TE-RY!" Shiri snatched Makika's ticket and shoved it on the desk. "Get ready to pay up, poka poka, cause the Super Lucky Sisters are here!"
Poor Ashe had her hands to her ears. "Please get this over with."
"Give me six single-digit numbers," said the Bob-omb.
Makika spoke each number slowly. "7. 1. 0. 1. 2. 5."
Despite the glaring lack of hands, the clerk fed the ticket into a machine, which regurgitated it with those exact numbers branded in the center.
After that, all three Guests felt their Handbooks vibrate.
HIDDEN RULES (Page 2):
11. The winning numbers for the Grand Lottery are announced every night at 8 PM. To enter, bring a Lottery Ticket to the Lottery Shop and give the combination you think will win. The reward for winning will always be $50,000,000,000.
12. ?
13. ?
14. ?
15. ?
16. ?
17. ?
18. ?
19. ?
20. ?
"MAMA MIA! 50 BILLION!?"
"If only scientists like myself had budgets that big. Best of luck to you, Makika."
"Thank you, but it is highly unlikely I will win. It would take a real miracle. Either way, we've proven the other method for revealing hidden rules. For now, let's finish exploring."
"Wai-wai-wai-wait! I wanna play the Ball Lottery!"
"Not now," Ashe said while grabbing Shiri's wrist. "You can do that on your own time and money."
"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"
The girls couldn't enter the Curiosity Shop. Attached to the locked doors was a sign that read: "OPEN FROM 10 PM TO 7 AM".
Their final stop was the Food Court, where they found the same joints one would expect to see at a mall. The spots to go for meals slightly better than fast food. Only one establishment was closed: Monobuta's Monoturnips. Its sign read: "Open Every Sunday From 8 AM To 12 PM."
2:40 PM Day 1
Hospital - Ward 8
Mary and Shun awoke in a sterile hotel room. Not a single, boring white wall in sight. The least it had was a TV screen on the wall and a potted plant in the corner. Their beds were more top notch than those at the Mayo Clinic, and as comfy as a pile of pillows. A wide window gave them a clear view of a smaller, quieter beach. From afar, they could see a rock stranded in the ocean, with a tower attached to it.
Before they could get a closer look, Mya barged inside. "There you are! Are you guys okay? Can you stand? How can I help?"
Mary hoisted herself out of bed, holding her pale head with one hand for mere milliseconds. "I've been through worse without getting a scratch. Nothing to worry about."
Shun stumbled off his. "Man, that kick was a real block. Maybe a roof. Monokame got me good... wait a minute!" He dropped to a pushup and peered under the bed, followed by Mary's. Then he leaped up and scanned every nook of the room. "Where's my ball? Where'smyball?"
"I haven't seen it anywhere." The freckled Fortune Teller tried to nudge him back to bed. "I'll go look for it, while you rest up."
"We're fine, Mya." Mary stretched her arms to prove it. "Really."
That's when the door opened, and a nurse entered. It was obviously a nurse from her getup: conservative, concealing, pale-blue scrubs. Her dark purple hair was neatly trimmed to shoulder-length, her bandage-free arms held a clipboard of medical papers, her gray eyes were as soulless as every maid in this place. Truly, the epitome of professionalism.
"Shun Pureya, Amarantha Martel, you are both cleared to go. I shall guide you to-"
POW! The Linguist socked her in the face! She threw her gloved right hand towards the nurse's jaw, the impact sending her to the floor! Mary then knelt over her, said "YOU WITCH!", and sent a few more blows her way.
"Mary! Stop this!" Shun dashed for them as if the deciding point depended on it. He grabbed her shoulders, doing his absolute best to pry her away, but she shook him off.
"There aren't any rules against hurting the STAFF!" Mary threw another punch with that last word. "Only the caretaker is safe, and they sure have some nerve bringing this disease back!"
"You don't know that!" said Mya, who was trying not to hyperventilate. "She could be 'hotel property', and there's still the hidden rules!"
Hearing that brought Mary back to her senses. She backed away from the battered nurse like a cornered deer.
Cough cough! "That doesn't matter." Gag! "If Miss Martel continues to behave this way," Wheeze! "her death is guaranteed."
The petite girl glanced at her normally neon-blue glove. It had damp splotches of purple. "So I won't be punished?"
"...You will not."
Mya bounced from one foot to the other, as if that somehow shook off her adrenaline "What possessed you to do that?"
"You don't recognize her? Youdon'trecognizeher? She was in the Hope's Peak game."
"Oh... I actually didn't watch it, or any of the killing games." The stocky Fortune Teller looked away, as if she committed a crime. "I chose not to."
"WHAT?!" Mary glared like a judge with a verdict. "You willingly made yourself ignorant to world events?"
"No, that's not it! I heard the whole point of the killing games was to have everyone outside watch them and fall to despair. I figured that if I watched them, I'd be giving that vile group exactly what they wanted from me, and I didn't want that."
"I guess that makes sense?" Shun did a random jump, with his knees bending mid-flight. "At the same time, these guys are more than bullies. They wouldn't lose if you scored a point against them. They have other teams to target. Otherteamstotarget."
"Yeah, and people like Shun and myself watched them, yet we didn't lose our minds." Mary released some steam with a sigh. "I'm sorry for snapping. I didn't mean to, honest, but this nurse is a member of the Despairs. She killed five people for the sake of her leader!"
The tan drained away from Mya's face. "She did?"
"Correct." The nurse clung to a nearby wall; it was an ironic crutch for someone like her. "And the bloodied girl before you is a clone of her. You can call me M. You won't be seeing hundreds of me, like you do with Saya. All my spares are in storage, ready and waiting for me to pass on."
The golden-eyed boy scratched his head. "I take it M stands for-"
"Correct," said the nurse. "M stands for Medic."
3:00 PM Day 1
Hall 1B
The miserably scrawny Naraaki used every once of strength in his arms to open Room 157's door, but it wasn't enough. "THAT TURTLE'S A LIAR!" He kicked the door, like that would do something. "I thought he said these floors were open to us!"
"You heard right." Yuzuki curled several strands of her long, gray hair around her whole hand. "It's so strange. A good handful of these doors open, but there're plenty that just—don't. Why wouldn't Monokame say anything about this?"
"To have us figure everything out on our own, or make us suffer, or some other BS. It's not worth thinking about, Yuzu."
The creature-crazy friends held hands so they could tiptoe together to Room 158. When they finally got there, the door opened; Jaleh stepped out of it, and she wasn't wearing her armor anymore. In its place was an atomic green shirt with jeans and a pair of brown flat shoes. Radiation goggles hung around her neck. "You two are still here?"
Like a security gate, Naraaki's arm waved between the girls. "I could ask you the same thing, astronut!"
"Excuse me? Astronut? Did you not pay attention to any of our introductions? My hazmat suit is a military-grade atomic power armor, entrusted only to nuclear scientists!"
Yuzuki shrunk behind the boy. "Um, Naraaki's nickname aside, why—why aren't you wearing it? What have you, uh, been doing in that—that room?"
Jaleh hissed "Nickname" under her breath, then said, "If it isn't obvious enough, I've chosen this room as my own, and I was searching it for my ray-gun. I still turned up with nothing, but at least those blue-headed maids now have something to do. The only spot unturned is the safe, which should open once I officially book the room."
"Okay, and you didn't explore any other room, because?"
"The nerve of you, assuming I hadn't done that. Why were you and your 'moth-baby' spending hours in this one hallway? You're not even halfway through it. I bet you haven't set foot in any of the rooms."
"HEY! No one calls her that but me! If you hadn't heard, there could be death traps around here, so we're watching our steps. What's your excuse?"
"Obviously, the same thing. I had to check this room for traps, and I promise you that it's harmless. If it wasn't, I wouldn't want to live in it. I'll even admit to wasting time trying to brute force the safe, if it makes you happy."
"So much time, over a laser?"
"Not JUST a laser! This gun is one of many innovations discovered by yours truly! The Goddess of the Atom will not lose her belongings to some petty extremists!"
"You hear that, Yuzu? The 'Goddess of the Atom', she says! I knew you were a nutcase the moment we met in the Lobby!"
Yuzuki watched without a word. Her black eyes were pendulums swinging between the Teuthologist and Scientist. Their argument magnetized them, until they were both in each other's faces. Her fierce green eyes clashed with his bright blue, like lightsabers in a duel.
With one finger, Jaleh pushed him away. "Here's an idea. Let's check the next room together. I'll grant you the privilege of watching my every move!"
"Whatever, Miss Goddess. Just keep your distance between us."
The chocolate brown woman casually strolled to Room 159. She looked over her shoulder to see Naraaki and Yuzuki still near Room 158, carefully creeping to her. "Seriously? I understand the concern, but you're letting the reptile get to your heads. I've been to several rooms, and out of all of them, I only encountered one trap." She turned the knob with ease; the door was unlocked. "I'll show you how this place is mostly safe!"
But the universe works in mysterious ways...
Upon opening the door, Jaleh was staring straight at an automatic turret parked inside, next to the bed.
The machine stared back, as evidenced by the red beam touching her torso.
"GET BACK!"
Jaleh leaped away, tackling the others to the floor, and just in the nick of time! A barrage of bullets flew across the hall, embedding themselves into the door of Room 160!
Naraaki waited until the shooting ceased to shove her off and say "Oh yeah! Mostly safe, for sure!"
"They're not all like this, you stubborn fool!" Jaleh army-crawled to the wall, then slid her back up it until she was on her feet. Door 158 was still open; the turret's eye beam danced on the damaged Door 160. "Moth girl, hand me one of your shoes."
"Use your own! And don't call her-"
"It's fine, Naraaki. I—I don't mind." Yuzuki slipped off her left black loafer and tossed it to Jaleh, who placed it on the floor and slid it in front of the doorway.
The eye beam jolted to the shoe. In seconds, the turret reduced it to scraps of leather.
"That settles it," said the Nuclear Scientist. "We'll need another way to reach the rest of this hallway. Unless someone finds a way to close the door, of course."
3:17 PM Day 1
Atlas Pool
The most exquisite public pool money could buy. A lake-shaped crater containing crystal-clear waters, nearly seven-fifty thousand gallons of it. A mosaic tile depiction of a compass decorated the center of its floor, cementing its non-circular area into sections. At the far edge of the north and northeast were waterfalls flowing from faux rock formations. The south and southwest had a series of floating pads, big and small, chained to their spots. A diving board on the east drew an equator to the beverage bar on the west; a simple slide poured into the northwest, blending in with the waterfalls. Nothing like the kind one would find in a water park, but still a fun ride. Finally, a pool volleyball net marked the southeast corner. Lounge chairs, mini tables, umbrellas, and palm trees surrounded the entire attraction. The speaker system on the trees continued to play its island ambience.
Resting on one of those chairs was the bony Ultimate Stockbroker. He had removed his hoodie and shirt, so his shoulder's crocodile tattoo could bask alongside him, and placed his lime-green shutter shades over his eyes. A half-finished Afterglow mocktail was sweating on the table to his right. "Now THIS is what livin' in paradise should be! Nothin' but pure pleasantries, as they say. Wouldn't ya agree, Dollface?"
Shiki sat legs-crossed on a chair next to him, petting Kuroko's curly black hair. The girl's eyes and ears focused only on the waterfalls, entranced by their senseless splashing.
Hinata grinned at that, showing off his famous fang. "You're relaxed, which means I'm right on the money." He sipped some more of his drink. "If the rest of the resort is like this, I don't see why anybody'd want to leave so badly."
"Chalk it up to human psychology." Silas hobbled to another chair, using his shovel like a cane, and sat on its edge. "When you tell someone they can't leave, they will get the urge to leave. No one likes being told what they can or can't do, so they rebel and do the opposite, even when it's objectively better to follow the instructions. The same applies to living and dying."
"What's that 'sposed to mean, Dampe?"
"Who is this 'Dampe'? Is it a person, or more of your slang?"
"It's a nickname, homey. Based off the Zelda character." After an awkward silence, Hinata removed his shades. "What, you tellin' me ya never played any Zelda games?"
"I'm guessing those are videogames, which my village did not have."
"You lived in a village? Damn, must've been one of those medieval places ya can't find on any GPS. Sorry you had to live like that, man. That must've sucked!"
"I liked it, actually." Silas gave a nostalgic smile while scratching his hunched back with the shovel...
...but it went out like a candleflame when he remembered Hinata's first question. "Anyway, people try to defy every rule they hear, including the laws of nature. You tell them that death is inevitable, that it happens to everyone eventually, and how do they respond? They do everything in their power to prolong, or even prevent, their deaths." His grip on his shovel tightened. "De-aging, cloning, revivals, and all that sci-fi garbage!" He stabbed its blade into the ground, sprouting a web of cracks. "It's pathetic! That girl should not be here! There should not be so many of her!"
Hinata was startled to his feet. "Woah woah woah, dude! Don't destroy the vibes with your little rant." He grabbed his flashy striped shirt off his chair's handrail to put it on. "It doesn't even make sense. Of course people don't want to die. Death literally means the end of your life."
"But that's what makes it so meaningful!" The ghostly-pale Undertaker hammered the shovel deeper with his fist. The cracks grew like vines. "I don't understand why your society conditioned you all to fear death so much. Death is the most important moment in a person's life, precisely because it's the last moment of their life. A reminder to treasure every second of life as each one ticks away. If everyone was immortal, I guarantee you they'd all treat their lives like pearls before swine!"
Shiki thrusted Kuroko's arm upwards. "I second that statement!" she said with her Kuroko voice. "The most successful people have always said to treat every day like it's your last. Such thoughts motivate them to achieve more and attain fulfillment. In that sense, Silas is certainly right. Death gives life its value, and those who don't make the most of it are taking it for granted. Isn't that right, dear Shiki?"
"Death can pulverize me anytime," the Doll Maker deadpanned. "It'd be nice if he could do it soon, and with a macabre flair."
Kuroko facepalmed (with the help of Shiki's fingers). The boys dropped their jaws, but Silas had his curved differently than Hinata's.
"Finally... A fellow intellect!" Silas finally yanked his shovel out of the ground. "Tell me, Shiki, would you be interested in a practice funeral? I gave my little sister one for her ninth birthday, and she liked it a ton."
"Sounds lovely."
"Jesus Christ, y'all are loonies!" Hinata snatched his thrifty green hoodie and hightailed it to somewhere. Anywhere other than there.
"Wait!" screamed Kuroko. "Please, take me with you!"
4:30 PM Day 1
Casino
This "room" was somehow larger than the Grand Lobby. Its crimson carpeting with gilded patterning spanned over 3000 square feet. The dim lighting ensured its perpetual midnight, no matter the time. A field of tables dominated half the space. Three of each kind: Roulette, Blackjack, Poker, Craps, & Baccarat. All of them operated by Shy Guys with bow ties (called Teller Guys). The other half housed aisles upon aisles of identical slot machines with stools. Instead of the typical bells and sevens, every slot displayed the faces of various people from Hope's Peak. Each machine had "ULTIMATE JACKPOT" in bright lettering atop its roof, alongside a smaller print below the slots that read: "Get a row of Lucksters to win $10,000,000,000!"
The Cashier's Counter connected to the entrance; the Bar was directly across from it. When Kirika approached the former, she was met with a Goomba wearing a pink top hat and cloak. "Tokens or Chips?"
"...Tokens, please. Ten dollars worth." She held her Handbook into the dock until it made a DING. Then the Goomba handed her a roll of five gilded coins, which she tucked into her apron's pocket. On her way to the slots, she saw Sanani seated at a Blackjack table. By the time she reached him, he lost a few white chips to the Teller Guy. "I hope you haven't spent all day gambling."
"Course not," the Cheater said with his signature smirk. "I tested everything but the floor for traps... I guess that involves a little gambling, huh?"
"Naturally." The Caregiver's dark green eyes scoured the place, eventually settling on the machines. "It makes sense for you to skip the floor. There's so much of it, you'd need to spend a whole day or more to cover it all. Do you remember all the spots you've stepped on?"
"Not really. All I know is the tables and slots are clean." He scooped up his stash of chips, into an inner pocket of his salmon pink pinstripe jacket.
"You checked every single slot machine?"
"Doesn't matter whether I say yes or no, does it?" He pointed at her apron.
Kirika just had to chuckle at that. It was too funny to hold back. "My oh my, for someone who always has his eyes closed, you sure are observant."
"I have ears, too." He stood up to stretch his back and fix his saffron hair. "I'm about finished here, so I'll keep you company. Unless, if that's a problem."
"You are no trouble to me, Sly." She took her sweet time making her way to the machines, with Sanani close behind. During this trip, she asked, "How do the chips work here?"
"Same as in real life. White ones are a dollar, reds are ten, and so on. The rules for all these table games aren't any different, either. From what I can tell, this place is as fair as any other casino. Take that what you will."
"Are you as fair as those who frequent casinos?"
"Maybe... maybe not."
Kirika picked one of the middle machines from one of the middle rows, planting herself on the stool in front of it. Sanani sat on the one to her right.
"Here goes." She inserted a token and pulled the handle.
CRRRRRRRRRANK-CRANK!
The slots spun as fast as a Formula One's tires. The Guests could only see three everchanging blurs of colors.
CLICK! The left slot stopped on the face of a lucky boy.
CLICK! The middle slot stopped on the exact same face.
The third one took an awfully longer time.
Kirika couldn't help but stare, mouth agape.
Half a minute went by, and it hadn't stopped.
She felt the urge to lean closer.
CLICK!
It landed on a different face. A male, sickly face with gray-green eyes and white wavy hair.
"...What a shame," she said with a dejected smile.
Sanani had been playing with his beads the whole time. "That's how the slots work, Miss. They lure you in with the promise of a reward, then rob you of your riches one coin at a time." He jokingly pet the machine in front of him. "Heh, maybe these are the death traps."
Kirika threw a playful smirk back at him. "Hehehe, since you're so well-versed in this business, I'd like to see you give it a shot."
"Fine by me, but you'll be disappointed if you think I'll get hooked." The lanky man put a token in his machine, then turned the handle.
CRRRRRRRRHAN-NAH!
To a trained eye, one would have noticed the pale white-skinned woman turn even paler.
"Sly... did you hear that?"
"Hear what? The machine's cranking?"
"Yes, that." Although she kept her composure, her left hand was twitching. "It sounded different."
"Wasn't really paying attention."
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
The slots landed on three different faces. A woman with bangs covering her left eye, a blond man with white-rimmed glasses, and a tanned woman with unkempt chestnut hair.
The Caregiver quickly pushed a token into her own machine. "Let's see if this one does it. Please listen carefully."
She yanked the handle hard.
CRRRRRRRRRBAR-AN!
For the first time today, Sanani dropped his smile and opened his eyes. They were a striking dodger blue.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
All three slots stopped on the face of a twin-tailed, Gothic-Lolita girl. The machine BLARED a happy fanfare as it vomited thousands of coins. Five thousand, total!
"...We should stay away from these," said the Cheater.
"...Agreed."
6:45 PM Day 1
Game Chamber
Take a big entertainment venue, like Boomers! or Xtreme Action Park, then amp it up to eleven. You get the Game Chamber, a gargantuan basement divided into seven sectors.
Sector 1 was titled Clubhouse Lounge. On its far left side were bookshelves of board games, card games, party games, and even video games. A library's worth of them, spanning across every decade. In the middle were tables & chairs, plus a couch, a cupboard of consoles & controllers, and a wide-screen TV. On the right side were two billiards tables, a foosball table, a jukebox, and a scarlet elevator that would not open.
Sector 2, a video arcade that would put Funspot to shame, contained every cabinet and pinball machine known to man. Sprinkled among them were hundreds of score-based redemption games, including Skee-Ball. A row of 5 air-hockey tables covered the sector's exact center, while a 13-lane bowling alley dominated the very back.
Sector 3 looked exactly like Kamurocho's underground coliseum: a caged arena encircled by audience seats.
Sector 4 consisted of nothing but obstacle courses, trampolines, and bounce houses. Shoes and loose objects were not allowed in this sector, so it had walls of lockers beside the entrance/exit doorways.
Sector 5 had an indoor go kart track, with numerous turns and overlapping roads. A colored assortment of gas-powered carts were perfectly placed by the starting line.
Sector 6 was a sprawling, complex labyrinth specially designed for both laser & paintball tag. Stacks of tag suits hung on wall hooks in the Starting Room; the guns were tied to the suits by elastic cords.
The smallest one of them all was Sector 7. Inside was just a computer terminal and a large green pipe protruding from the floor.
Tamaki jotted down all these details onto a clean page of his notepad, which he had pulled from his saddle-brown satchel. He and Lumoi were on the couch in Sector 1, watching Riku and Gai face off in a round of Smash Brothers. The pale, lanky Fandubber played as Joker; the Refereeject himself controlled Little Mac.
"You're mine!" Riku said in his best impression of Xander Mobus.
With a reflex button press, Joker hit Mac with a midair roundhouse kick (a forward-aerial). The latter fell off the stage, unable to recover.
"GAME!"
"Bravo, Riku-chan! That was a splendid bout." The redheaded Enka Singer clapped his dainty hands for emphasis. "I had no idea you were so skilled at this game."
"Oh, uh... Thanks." Riku studied Tamaki's oval face for a brief second. Long enough to spot his doe-shaped goldenrod eyes, and his soft smile. "I'm not amazing at it, though. It's easy to edge guard Little Mac. That's the only reason I've been winning."
"Stop it with that." Gai gave him a light shove to his chest. "I've recovered with him just fine, and bested many Joker mains before. I lost cause you're the better player. Simple as that."
"Wait..." Riku stared deep into his pure magenta eyes. "You're saying you're a Mac main?"
"That's right."
"I thought you were just going easy on me."
Lumoi blurted out, "Is this game over?", then shrunk into the couch. "There is still, erm...lots of the resort left to check...and we only have, erm, a few days until...the Challenge Event. We don't know where that...elevator...leads, either." She pointed at the red doors.
"Lu-chan..." Tamaki placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. "We all did a lot today, searching every sector and all. I'd say a break is well-earned."
"So you want us to be more productive? Fine." The gray-haired boy walked to the cupboard, pulled out two Pro Controllers, then tossed them to the duo. "Let's have this next match mean something."
"I-I'm sorry?" Lumoi said with an obviously-confused frown. "I don't understand how...this game...could be, erm, worthwhile."
"Simple. Each of us pitch in $50. Winner gets the whole pot."
"We can do that?" Riku pulled out his Handbook and scrolled through the Rules page. "Is that a hidden rule?"
"It's the whole reason this chamber exists. Every sector revolves around competitive play." After going back to his seat, Gai picked his main. "So, are you in or not?"
"Eh, sure." Joker was selected, once again. "$50 isn't too much."
"Count me in." Tamaki scrolled around the roster, eventually settling on Pit. "I've never played this before, but it looks really fun."
"...If Tama is playing...then so will I..." The Interpreter chose Shiek.
FOUR-PLAYER MINI-GAME: SMASH BROS. STOCK BATTLE
Send your opponents off the stage or past the edges of the screen. The last player standing wins. Tying players will enter a Sudden Death Match.
Each player has two stocks.
You have 7 minutes. Have fun!
All fighters spawned on Final Destination.
"3... 2... 1..."
"GO!"
Joker made the first move! He threw an Eiha at Shiek, and it landed! Shiek's damage percent rose at a steady pace as streaks of purple & red danced on her body.
The Phantom Thief charged at Pit, ready to make a dash attack, but Little Mac stopped him with a Jolt Haymaker!
"Let 'em learn the moves first," said Gai. "Won't be fun, otherwise."
"...Right." Riku set his controller down. "Sorry."
"Thank you, Gai-san." Tamaki spent at least a minute trying out every button & button-stick combination, as did Lumoi. "Okay, I believe I'm ready. Lu-chan?"
The cornsilk-skinned girl gave a single nod... then Shiek struck Joker with a dash attack, followed by an aerial hatchet swing!
"Hey!" Riku scrambled to grab his controller.
With a grappling hook, Joker got himself back to the stage. A smooth recovery!
Gai quietly snickered. "Nobody's clean, I see."
Mac perfectly parried every blue arrow Pit shot at him. Pit tried an Upperdash Arm, swinging a large orange thing, but the boxer countered with... a counter! All the damage reflected right back at the angel, sending him towards Joker!
He saw the opportunity, jumping and hitting him with an up aerial. But it wasn't enough to take a stock.
Little Mac smacked Shiek with an overhand, before placing himself below Joker. He launched with a Rising Uppercut!
Riku timed his button press to the second. Joker successfully air-dodged the attack.
That left him vulnerable to Shiek, who hit a clean up-smash! Her knife swings shot him past the top of the screen. The first stock was taken!
Right after that, she got punched by a forward-smash from Mac, careening her past the stage's left edge.
She would have reached said edge just fine, but Pit hopped off it to spike her with a down-aerial! An Under-Arc Slash! She plummeted faster than a meteor, while Pit recovered with the Power of Flight.
"I did it, Lu-chan! I got my first point!"
The red-headed boy was so giddy over this feat, that he didn't see Little Mac walk to him to deliver a wide uppercut with an igniting spark. This up-smash knocked Pit's burning body to the stratosphere.
Joker had been standing on a respawn platform throughout this exchange. When he dropped off it, he had two seconds of invincibility. Just enough for him to grab Mac and throw him off the edge. For good measure, he gimped him with the same aerial he used last match.
Yet again, Tamaki complimented Gai's and Riku's skills. The former gave a thumbs up, while the latter flashed a warm blush.
One stock left for each fighter. Three minutes left on the clock. Seconds of those were lost waiting for everyone's invulnerability to wear off.
Little Mac sprinted toward Pit, only for Shiek to place herself between them! She followed by landing a Bouncing Fish kick (down-special) on the boxer!
Joker shoots at Pit with his gun. The attack does minimal damage, but that doesn't stop Shiek from shielding the angel and throwing a Burst Grenade at the thief.
"Leave...Tama...alone."
Riku said, through grit teeth, "This isn't a team battle."
"It can be." Gai winked in the Fandubber's direction.
Tamaki was going to say something, but he decided against it. Instead, he focused on hitting Little Mac. Lumoi did the same. With two fighters against him, Gai seemed to be nearing the end...
Until he flicked the right analogue stick at the best moment! Despite Pit's attack clearly touching the boxer, his punching animation didn't stop! The gloved fist kept going! And it sent the angel flying!
Then he intercepted Shiek with another Jolt Haymaker, before charging to Joker, who instinctively responded with Rebel's Guard. By holding up his phantom mask, he enveloped himself with blue flames.
That didn't stop Gai from mashing the A Button. Little Mac threw a flurry of fists at the thief, filling his Phantom Gauge to completion!
Arsène, the gentleman persona, materialized!
Joker responded to this with an Eigaon, which the boxer dodged with a spot-dodge! The projectile hit Shiek instead, and it dealt a ton more damage than the Eiha ever did.
Little Mac began charging a Straight Lunge punch aimed at Joker, who Pit was also targeting.
He attempted the Upperdash Arm once more, but he was a second too slow. Joker activated Tatrakarn, which threw the angel's attack back at him like Little Mac's counter!
It was enough to slingshot him off the stage! His last stock was lost! The virtual crowd went wild!
"Aw, I thought I had you." Tamaki gently placed his controller down. "Great job, Riku-chan."
"Thanks." Riku was ready to hit Down-B again. Ready for Little Mac's Straight Lunge, which was still powering up, and would automatically launch soon. Shiek had been steadily increasing the latter's damage by throwing needles at him.
What happened next surprised the both of them.
The boxer zoomed in the opposite direction! The red-flamed punch collided into Shiek like a bullet train; she rocketed off the stage! Another fighter gone!
"...Well done."
The Phantom Gauge ran dry afterwards; Arsène disappeared.
Little Mac was stuck in his ending animation. Joker capitalized on the opening with a dashing kick! Once again, the small fighter was off the stage. And, like the last two times, the phantom thief jumped off to halt his recovery with an aerial.
Sadly, for Riku, Gai read that move like an open book.
He hit Down-B, allowing Little Mac to counter in mid-air, and it connected! Joker was knocked back onto the stage. With that, Mac could freely recover.
The mind games didn't stop there.
Expecting another wave of punches, Joker used Rebel's Guard again. Instead, he was met with a grab, followed by four hits, a down throw, and a third Jolt Haymaker!
This combo completed Little Mac's Power Meter.
Joker threw another Eiha; the boxer dodge-rolled towards him.
As one final resort, Joker swung his knife! A powerful forward-smash!
But he took a tiny bit too long... Little Mac shielded before it could strike... From there, the thief's fate was set!
The camera cut to a close-up of the devastating KO Uppercut!
The next second, Joker was nowhere to be seen! He vanished without a trace!
"GAME!"
"LITTLE MAC WINS!"
"Hoo, boy!" Gai took off his boater hat. He waved it to his face, like a paper fan. "I think that was my first win against you, Riku. A real close call, too. Great game."
"Definitely!" Tamaki clapped his hands to emphasize his excitement. "Great game, all around! That was such fun!"
Riku's hands were trembling, gripping his controller as tight as a vice. He slowly turned his head to face Gai. "...GG."
Then all four Guests felt their Handbooks vibrate. Almost simultaneously, they pulled them out to check their screens.
Gai had $150 added to his balance, while the others had lost $50, but that wasn't the only update.
HIDDEN RULES (Page 1):
1. Hidden rules get revealed when a Guest applies them in the game, or after every Guest learns about it.
2. The Robber only needs a majority vote to lose a trial.
3. Active participation in the trial affects the amount of extra money you can earn in it.
4. Any form of competitive or cooperative pastime can count as a Mini-game, so long as the end result is money being gained or exchanged.
5. ?
6. ?
7. ?
8. ?
9. ?
10. ?
7:08 PM Day 1
Conference Hall
Edwin and Kazooie were exploring what was the most simple and boring of the available areas. It had a window for one of its walls, granting those inside a view of the Grand Lobby. The other walls were cozy wooden, with a large screen mounted on the one across from the door. Inside was a long, elliptical table surrounded by twenty-four black office chairs. A blue ATM machine, one with a turtle shell emblem on both sides, covered the corner closest to the screen. If not for that and the luxury décor of the carpeting, this meeting room would look like one you'd find in any modern corporate building.
The slender Private Investigator tried to tinker with the ATM; it's DS-sized touchscreen kept responding with, "Please insert Handbook". With no other options, he did exactly that, and a new menu greeted him.
WELCOME TO THE KOOPA BANK
REGISTERED USER: Ultimate Private Investigator - Edwin Crawford
ACCOUNT BALANCE: $0.00
What would you like to do, Edwin?
DEPOSIT / WITHDRAW / EXCHANGE MONOTURNIPS
"Monoturnips? What does that have to do with a bank?" When Edwin pressed that part of the screen, the machine told him he had zero turnips. Touching DEPOSIT gave him a full keyboard, with two separate buttons on bottom-right corner: a green checkmark and a red X. He decided to enter 500, then hit the checkmark.
As he was doing so, the chubby-limbed Kazooist found a way to turn on the TV. It played a rerun of Law & Order, it's distinctive DUN-DUN sound startling the both of them. "Cool. This one works, too."
"Does it have the same channels, like the others?" Edwin watched his Account Balance go up to $500. After that, he removed his Handbook from the machine and checked his Status page. The balance on it had dropped to $500.
"Probably." Kaz found a remote underneath the table. He mashed the channel button, causing the TV to change pictures at an epileptic pace. All the networks he saw involved entertainment, education, or lifestyles: Food Network, National Geographic, TNT, Cartoon Network, etc. "Yep. The same. All scripted stuff. Nothing live, like news or sports."
"I see... If it's alright with you, could you please use this ATM? I want to test a theory."
"Uhhh sure. Just don't be surprised if it doesn't make any CENTS."
"I'm 99% certain it will, but it's better to play things safe." What followed was a sitcom-level beat of silence. It lasted until Edwin's expression shifted to one of embarrassment. "Did... did I say something wrong? I'm sorry..."
"Don't you get it? Cents? Sense? Ooh, rough crowd." Kaz inserted his Handbook without another word.
WELCOME TO THE KOOPA BANK
REGISTERED USER: Ultimate Kazooist - Kazooie
ACCOUNT BALANCE: $0.00
What would you like to do, Kazooie?
DEPOSIT / WITHDRAW / EXCHANGE MONOTURNIPS
"I was right, after all." Edwin paced back and forth, in true detective fashion. "This banking machine can hold all of our funds, but it does so in separate vaults, rather than a central account. As such, only one person can use it at a time. They can only access their own account, unless they somehow get their hands on another person's Handbook."
"So... an ordinary ATM."
"That's right. I had to find that out, because there's something called a 'Koopa Bank' in the early Mario Party games. Whenever a player passes its space, they are forced to pay it five coins. This persists until someone lands on the space, in which they receive every coin it collected. If people passed it a bunch of times before that point, then that one player would get rich in an instant. Now we know this device doesn't work that way."
"I guess so." Kaz leaned against the ATM on one leg. "Am I done with it, now? I don't wanna lose any of my balance."
"Yes, you can take your Handbook out. Though... I have a personal question I'd like to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Did your parents really name you 'Kazooie'?"
"Ah, that. Truth is I changed my name to that the same time I bleached my hair. I thought it'd be funny. It wasn't."
"The name or the hair?"
"Both."
"I see." Edwin scanned the Kazooist's neutral face. Not a blemish or bruise. Not a shift, twitch, or tell. "So, what was your original name?"
"Couldn't say, even if I wanted to. I don't remember any of it."
"Really? Not even a last name?"
"No clue which one mom and dad gave me."
"...Alright." Edwin sat himself on one of the office chairs. "I'm sorry if I pried too much. Being a detective and all, it's my nature to question everything."
"You're good. I would've told you if I hadn't forgotten it."
The door opened; in stepped the awkward, almond-skinned Defense Solicitor. "H-H-Hello, Edwin. K-Kaz."
"Hey, Rumiko! Glad you could join us," Edwin said with a warm, welcoming wave. "What have you been up to?"
"S-S-Searching as many of the r-rooms as I c-c-can. Y-you?"
"The same, actually. Kaz and I checked out a bunch of them before coming here. We might've found the same things you did. Shall we share our info?"
"G-Good idea." She took the chair across the table from him. "The f-first room I went to w-was the one I w-w-woke up in. I b-booked it in the G-Grand L-Lobby. Everything was the s-same, e-e-except for th-three things. The s-safe can open, the TV can t-turn on, and the d-desk phone can c-call room service. H-However, I c-couldn't open the safes in the o-other rooms."
"We discovered that, too. I guess the GM didn't want the cable and phone lines on until after the game started. How did you get your safe open? I thought they all had numbered keypads."
"They d-do. A-All I did was p-put in a r-r-random combination, and it opened. N-N-Nothing inside, though."
"Interesting." Edwin pulled a silver lighter out of a pocket in his beige trousers, but he didn't light it. He simply flipped it open and shut, repeatedly, while looking at the dragon engraved on its side. "Did you try a different set of numbers after you closed it?"
"I-I don't think so."
"I hope you remember what you used the first time, because that might be the only way to open it again. My theory is that a safe unlocks for whoever reserves its corresponding room, but the combination they first enter becomes its official passcode. If I'm right, then the only way to reset the lock would be to end the reservation."
Kazooie reached into his soda-stained hoodie to pull out a vape pen. In doing so, a few white, shiny, perfectly-round objects spilled onto the floor.
Rumiko couldn't believe what she saw. She had to push her glasses up to see if they were still on. "K-K-Kaz, a-are those p-p-pearls?"
"Uhhh, yeah."
Edwin stifled a laugh. "You're fun to be around, Kaz. I guess now's a good time to bring up our other discovery. Some of the rooms had treasure hidden in bizarre places. The pearls were under the bathroom sink in Room 241. I also found a wad of bills inside a pillowcase at 266. It blended in with the other pillows on the beds."
"I-I guess I've b-been unlucky. Either th-that, or I h-haven't searched hard enough."
"Their placement is certainly random, and I'd say that's the point. Monokame wants us to examine everything, at the risk of triggering a hidden death trap. These treasures must be an extra incentive. What I'm not yet sure about is how we use them, when our currency is digital."
"The others might know," Kaz said mid-vape. He pointed at the window wall, where he could see the 21 remaining Guests approaching the door.
Makika poked her head inside. "I thought it would be best for us to have group meetings, so I brought everybody here. Has this place been tested?"
"Yes, it's completely safe," said Edwin. "There's enough seats for all of us."
After everyone claimed a chair, they spent the next half-hour sharing all their findings. The meeting wasn't that organized; the Guests frequently talked over each other, while Kaz played a bunch of short notes on his kazoo. Rumiko and Edwin could thankfully block out the white noise and absorb the important points, with the latter recording them into his black notebook.
He flipped through the pages. "Alright, so of the areas currently accessible, we still have a lot of ground to cover. Mainly, the Curiosity Shop and about 20 floors worth of hotel rooms. Since the shop opens late at night, I think we should all go there together."
"Hol' up, Holmsie. We went and did our own thing all day. How's the moon make any difference?"
"I agree with...whatever his name is," said Jaleh. "What matters is that nobody goes there alone. We only need a minimum of two volunteers."
"I-I-I'll go."
"Count Yuzu and me out. We still need to reserve a room."
"A lot of us gotta do that." Sanani spun a token on the table. "And I bet we'll wanna pass out once we're all fed and adjusted."
Mya raised her hand. "Speaking of being fed, our only options are Room Service and the Food Court in the reception area, right?"
"That's correct," Kirika said while playing with her plaited ponytail. "We get to choose between luxury hotel food and luxury shopping mall food."
Mary moaned. "I'd love to have luxury restaurant food. Why couldn't we have Cuisine Cove available from the start?"
"I'm more surprised we have to pay for our food. That was always free in the past killing games... anyway, I'll check out the shop with Rumiko. You all get some well-deserved rest. Tomorrow, we should explore the rest of the rooms."
"Sorry to tell you this, Edwin, but that's not what'll happen." Gai leaned back in his chair, like he'd already won. "I was in the Game Chamber all day, so I only know about everywhere else though everyone else's words. And I don't like that too much. When it comes to games, especially ones with our lives on the line, I'm the kind of guy who wants first-hand info on the whole board."
"He's right," said Shiki with a yawn. "For all I know, some of you might've missed something. And some may be hiding stuff."
Kuroko bowed her little porcelain head. "What she means to say is that, since most of us are strangers, we need to build trust among each other. I promise she is not calling any of you liars."
"Ahahaha! This dilemma contains an easy solution! The only unproductive action is doing absolutely nothing. As long as we avoid that, I suggest we each do whatever we want! After all, the mini-games scattered throughout can be quite generous with their rewards. Ask Ivy and Kiet; they won four grand just by parasailing!"
Ivy, with her slumped shoulders, mumbled, "We would've gotten more, if Kiet had cooperated."
"I am not...not doing that...again."
"Not not? Not not not not not not? That means you ARE doing it again! Ha! Shiri caught you red-handed! Explain yourself to Shiri, kuma!"
Riku chimed in with, "It's a verbal tic. He sometimes says a word twice."
"Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhh! So it's like what little bro has!"
"What do you mean? I don't have a tic, and stop calling me bro. Stopcallingmebro!"
Just then, the TV turned on by itself. Monokame took center-frame. "We interrupt this meeting to bring you tonight's winning lottery numbers! They are, from left to right: 7, 1, 0, 1, 8, and 3!"
"My word, Makika, I thought you might've won that," said Ashe. "But I guess that's something the despairs would do. Build your hopes up, then snatch it away at the last minute."
"Wait a minute, Cloud-Chaser, are you suggesting the lottery is rigged? I'll have you know, the results are out of my hands! All randomly-generated! I swear, the world's gotten too cynical to appreciate anything."
"Y-Y-You are to blame f-for that..."
"Sue me when you got a ticket. By the way, here's a hint about the treasures. If you find any, you can use them in this room. On that note, I bid you adieu!"
The screen shut itself off.
Makika stood up, forcing all eyes upon her. "There's one more thing I'd like to address, before we close the meeting. If you have not watched any of the killing games prior to this one, could you please raise your hand?"
Tamaki read Lumoi's hands, then lifted his right one high. Silas, Mya, Hinata, and Kiet followed suit, in that order.
After the Priestess counted each arm, she waved for them to lower. "Okay, that makes five. At some point, we will need to educate each of you on them, so that we're all on the same page."
"I have one m-more thing to s-s-say. If you b-book the room you w-woke up in, p-p-please do n-not assume it is s-safe. Check it for any t-t-traps, since all of them w-were inactive before n-noon."
"Thanks for the tip, Ruru." Gai tipped his hat to her. "It never hurts to say the obvious out loud."
10:13 PM Day 1
Reception Shops - Bottom Floor (Curiosity Shop)
Inside this shady booth, the Private Investigator and Defense Solicitor met a Bandit behind a desk. Yes, there's a Mario creature called a Bandit, and this one looked no different. Blue robes and a constantly-grinning mask, with a mouth that moves whenever it speaks.
"Ello, strang-jahs! Welcome ta the Curiosity Shop, where the cats come out ta play! Our stock is short, but priceless! Have a look!"
CURIOSITY GOODS:
A-N Mask: ...; Price - $2,000,000
Volleyball: The prized possession of Shun Pureya; Price - $7,000,000
Ray-Gun: A powerful weapon invented by Jaleh Mazdaki; Price - $14,000,000
Edwin had his eyes watering. "You're too cruel. How could you treat personal belongings this way?"
"You should be thankin' me for evenin' out the playin' field. Wouldn't be fair if she's the only one with a gun on hand, would it? Imagine the panic she'd cause by wavin' it around."
The boy couldn't do anything but grip his own arms.
"Yeah, you know I'm right. As for the short lad, he shouldn'tave gone for my boss like that. This's wot he gets for taking his hands off the ball!" The Bandit followed those words with the most cockney laugh on the planet.
Rumiko pointed at a black, wiry mask with wide eyed eyes. "D-Does this b-belong to one of us?"
"Nope, that's an official resort product. If you wanna know wot it does, you'llave ta buy it!"
"U-Understood. Let's go, E-Edwin."
"Great idea. I'll tell Shun and Jaleh about this tomorrow."
10:21 PM Day 1
Hall 1A - Elevator
After escorting Edwin to his room, Rumiko entered the elevator nearest to her. Its inside was that of a platinum box large enough to hold six people. The walls bounced the ceiling light, but blurred the girl's reflection. A cute little camera was tucked against a ceiling corner.
Beside the sliding doors were three columns of light-up buttons. The bottom row had "B3", "B2", and "B1"; the top row had "97", "98", and "R". The rest of them went from 1-96, but the only buttons with their lights on were 1-20 (as well as B3).
'One hundred and two floors,' she thought to herself. 'No matter. Whatever it takes, I'll solve the mastermind's mysteries. I'll expose them before they have their way.'
She pressed the "3" button, and for some reason, the doors did not close.
She pushed it again. Nothing happened. She tried it two more times. Same result.
...ba-bom... ...ba-bom... ...ba-bom...
Those sounded like footsteps.
...Ba-Bom... ...Ba-Bom... ...Ba-Bom...
And they were getting louder.
It then occurred to her the doors had been open the whole time. She tapped her heels against the stone flooring, waiting for them to emerge from the side like a subway car, but they didn't.
They showed no signs of ever showing up. Arrival canceled.
...Ba-Bom...Ba-Bom...Ba-Bom...Ba-Bom
Rumiko poked her ponytailed head into the hallway. Was it always this dark before?
No! The lights are dimming! They're going out one by one!
Within seconds, she couldn't make anything out.
Not even a figure marching to her position.
The elevator soon became the sole source of radiance.
A bubble stuck in an abyss.
Ba-Bom..Ba-Bom..Ba-Bom..Ba-Bom..Ba-Bom
She flapped her arms in front of the camera.
Then through the doorway.
Then she hopped through it!
Before hopping back in!
Nothing was working!
Dear God, why was nothing working?!
Ba-Bom Ba-Bom Ba-Bom Ba-Bom Ba-Bom Ba-Bom
Like a woodpecker's beak, her finger rammed the "3" button again and again and again!
She slammed her hands across other buttons! Even those that weren't lit!
Nothing!
Nothing!
NOTHING!
BA-BOM BA-BOM BA-BOM BA-BOM BA-BOM BA-BOM BA-BOM
Rumiko fell to a fetal position, eyes shut tight.
Her poor mind raced so bad, her body couldn't hold still. 'Dad! Help me! PLEASE, HELP ME!'
...THUD.
She slowly opened her eyes. They focused on the elevator doors, which had finally closed.
Then their attention moved to the hat-less Shy Guy standing before her, watching her. One that was unlike any creature she had seen before.
Its robes were a deathly black; its boots a dark, shadowy purple. Its bone-white mask had dried streaks of an inky substance trailing out of its eyeholes. If a regular Shy Guy's eyes were like an endless void, then these eyes were like a void staring back. No, more like one that melted everything around it.
Rumiko was too scared to scream, or even sweat. The most she could let out was whispery breaths. She kept her back against a wall, facing the thing. She didn't dare look away.
A minute-long eternity later, the Shy Guy pressed the "2" button, and the elevator started to move. When it got to the 2nd floor, it made its usual DING, before opening its doors.
She watched the Shy Guy walk out, each step making a distinctive BA-BOM. The doors closed again.
Challenge Event begins in 4 Days; 13 Hours; 30 Minutes.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: Hey, everybody! Kept you waiting, huh?
Sorry you've had to wait so long for this one chapter. Thing is, my laptop's hard drive had to be replaced several months ago, and I had lost nearly all my files pertaining to this story (even the documents for my own characters).
This, PLUS all the awful things 2020 has given us, tanked my motivation. I haven't been feeling like my usual self, so I needed a big vacation from writing to help fix my mental state.
I'm feeling a lot better now, but I cannot promise future updates to be frequent. With all sorts of life-stuff (like job-hunting), I've realized that this story is something I can only tackle at my own pace. The next chapter will be ready whenever it's ready. I can only hope you all are still invested in it when that time comes.
If there are any FTEs you'd really like to see, please don't hesitate to send them my way. They would help a ton, since I lost a bunch of them with my files.
Until then, I'll catch you all next time! Love you lots! =D
Author's Replies:
logal
It makes me so happy to see you enjoy everything so far. I'm exicted to get that list of FTEs! I know each one you send will be amazing!
Trust Me the Spider
I can't wait to read what your eyes catch this time around! It's so fun seeing others spot the little details, and I packed this chapter full of them!
TheRoseShadow21
Thanks, Rose! I was worried that a one-scene chapter wouldn't work that well, but I'm really glad to know I pulled it off. I hope you liked this chapter as much as the last one.
Latte-chan
Thank you for the wonderful review (and headpats), Latte! There's more Monokame to come! More of every character, really. Even the maids. XD
bellatrixshine
Thank you, Bella, from the bottom of my heart. I really hope this chapter (and each one after that) meets up to that hype, if not surpass it!