The Exisal Hangar. Get to the Exisal Hangar.
Only one thought was in Rantaro's mind as he dashed past the courtyard benches and down the stairs, watching the four others in front of him do the same.
The large building at the end of the courtyard held five monstrous machines that had initially trapped the students in this academy - the Exisals. They were designed to be used by the five Monokubs, but apparently they could be piloted by humans as well. And they were the students' last hope to put Keebo to justice.
Rantaro immediately veered right after bounding down the steps to the lower level, eyeing the lengthy building directly in front of him. In this area, there were a few other smaller buildings, and as much as he had wished to explore them, it would have to wait. The only thing that mattered was getting to that Hangar.
Suddenly, Rantaro heard a blast, and he instinctively picked up his pace. The energy ball detonated just a foot away from him, the shockwave almost causing him to lose his footing. Nevertheless, he continued sprinting. He wouldn't necessarily call himself lucky - Keebo's aim wouldn't be on point as long as Shuichi and the others were keeping him busy with their projectiles. Rantaro wanted to check, to see how they were doing, but his survival instincts told him to stay on course.
A few moments later, another blast hit the ground, yet this one was in front of him. Unfortunately, Miu's foot got caught in the blast, and the girl tripped and fell onto the singed grass, cursing loudly. The others turned to see what happened, but Rantaro waved them forward.
"I've got her, keep going!"
Rantaro was only a few paces behind her, and as he approached her, he reached out his hand to grab her arm. He pulled Miu up, and continued to guide her along as she hobbled onwards towards the door.
It wasn't long before the three others reached the hangar, and Korekiyo pressed the button to open the thick metal door. The door unlocked with a clang, and they ran inside. Rantaro waved Miu through, but took one last look at the situation before entering himself.
Keebo was weaving through the students' projectiles, having decided to shift his focus. After having charged his gun, he shot at the students' feet, causing some of the floor to crumble. The room shook rubble fell to the first floor, throwing off the students' balance. It'd take them some time to recover, Rantaro thought.
And it wouldn't be long before Keebo destroyed the entire room, rendering the students helpless. They didn't have much time. Rantaro hurriedly entered the hangar. He was out of breath and gasping for air, but that didn't stop him.
His feet clanged on the metal flooring as he dashed through the winding hallway, lined with grey pipes and neon-blue lights. He could hear the other students' footsteps ahead of him, and assumed he wasn't far behind. Every so often, there would be a brief pause before the footsteps resumed again. Rantaro noticed there were quite a few dead-ends here - and as the others found their way, he would use his hearing as a guide. After a few more twists and turns, the others were in his sight, bolting around one final bend before stopping.
Rantaro met up with the group, and stared down a huge shutter, taking a second to rest his hands on his knees and catch his breath. Tsumugi said the Exisals would be just beyond that door.
Angie pointed to the control panel in the corner of the room, and Kaito ran over to it. A second passed before a loud alarm blared, and the shutter raised.
A greenish light filled the room beyond the door. True to its name of the Hangar, the room was lined with thin pipes on the walls and caution tape on the floor, giving way to a control room in the back. And, parked along the side of the room, were the machines that Tsumugi promised would be there.
The Exisals.
Each Exisal took up a good ten foot square, and extended to twice Rantaro's height. Gears and tubes connected the lengthy tail to the beast's midsection, where thin legs held the entire weight of these monkey-like machinations. The Exisal's left arm resembled that of a human, yet the right was a blaster - similar to what Keebo had. And between the two arms, a large metal panel covered the cockpit - each one with a different color.
Tsumugi could probably speak for hours about the wonders of these machines, but the situation cut her short. They'd just have to figure out how they worked as they went.
The other students approached the Exisals, gazing in wonder just as Rantaro was. It seems they naturally gravitated towards specific colored machines, as well...
"Pick whichever one you like," Rantaro stated.
Angie laughed, happily climbing and entering the Yellow Exisal as Korekiyo took the green one. Miu entered the pink, giggling with glee as she ran her fingers over the controls.
"This is so fuckin' awesome..."
Rantaro smiled as well, and turned towards Kaito, waving him over. Once the boy approached, Rantaro whispered something in his ear, to which Kaito nodded in agreement. Afterwards, the two of them entered the two remaining Exisals - the blue one, and the red one.
Rantaro sat in the seat of his Exisal and powered on the mecha. The screen appeared in front of him, and he took a moment to process the many flashing lights, buttons and switches on the front panel. As Rantaro gripped the joysticks and took one step forward in the Exisal, he felt a surge of power, and of confidence. They could defeat him. They would defeat him.
He pointed towards the doorway commandingly and spoke, "Let's do this."
Tsumugi watched the five students enter the Hangar, however at that point, her attention was split. Keebo was blasting away at the academy's second story, attempting to quell the rest of the students' attacks. With every explosion, her eyes grew wider, and her breaths got shorter.
The others were trying the best they could to avoid the blasts, but only so much could be done. Tennis balls, playing cards, and even long-range assassin weaponry couldn't do much more than dent the robot, even if pelted continuously.
Working together, Shuichi and Kaede managed to unhinge the stout metal door that separated the Tennis Lab from the Prisoner's Lab. The two of them held it up as a shield, to buy a few more seconds so the others could continue their attacks. It only lasted three blasts before a hole burned through, but every second was vital for their plan.
Come on, Rantaro... We need those Exisals...
A nervous sweat beaded down Tsumugi's face. If they didn't show up quickly, it was only a matter of time before...
Keebo let out an unusually large energy ball towards the tennis grounds, one that ended up bursting through the concrete, causing the entire floor to crumble and fall. The students lost their footing, screaming and tumbling backwards. Excess rubble bombarded them, and as the dust cleared, Tsumugi could only see stone.
Tsumugi knew they weren't dead. She could somehow feel it. But even then, the students weren't getting up anytime soon. Shuichi, Kaede, Himiko, Ryoma, and Maki had been defeated.
And with Gonta, Kirumi, and Tenko - as well as Kokichi - heavily injured, there was only one hope.
Tsumugi steeled herself as Keebo stood in the air, an evil grimace rising on his face. The robot hovered over to look down on Tsumugi, but not long afterwards, an explosion sounded from the side of the courtyard.
It was from the Exisal Hangar. A gaping hole was punched through the building, and through the clearing smoke, Tsumugi could see the Blue Exisal charging forward, flying directly at Keebo. A voice came from the machine - a battle cry louder than the fires of the jetpacks.
It was Rantaro's voice.
A sigh of relief escaped Tsumugi's lips as the Exisal darted towards Keebo, the machine's lone fist aiming directly for the robot. Tsumugi knew that it wouldn't be easy from here, either, but she needed to put her trust in them. Hopefully Rantaro put to use what she told him...
Keebo's eyes focused on the mecha, yet he didn't attempt to dodge the attack. He simply held up his hand, as if he was a crossing guard, and braced himself for the impact. And, just as the machine's fist collided with his hand, the robot's jetpacks flared, and he was propelled backwards.
Keebo and the Blue Exisal became locked in a clash of power - testing the limits of their thrusters. Due to its initial speed, the Blue Exisal seemingly had the advantage, pushing Keebo mere yards away from the academy walls.
Letting out a yell, Keebo's rockets blazed, with an intensity previously unseen by the students. Despite the Exisal's best attempts to fight back, the two stalled to a stop. Keebo then shoved the machine away, towards the courtyard benches. The mecha flew backwards, losing its balance. Yet, moments before crashing, it steadied itself, sliding along the ground, kicking up dust.
In those seconds, the other four caught up. The Red, Green, Yellow, and Pink Exisals landed down next to the Blue one and formed a line, staring down Keebo as if they were superheroes in a movie, fighting against a villain bent on world domination.
As much as she was nervous, Tsumugi was giddy with excitement, seeing the five of them stand up to Keebo like this. A hero theme played in her head, and she imagined what it must be like for the viewers at home. This must be their final boss, she thought. She could only hope that this would be one boss fight that Keebo wouldn't win...
As he looked up towards Keebo, Rantaro's hope was to intimidate the robot as much as he could, for neither of them knew which was stronger. He used his Exisal's arm to point at Keebo, yelling as loud as he could.
"We won't let you do this!"
Keebo scoffed at the remark, "And I won't let you destroy the one thing we've dedicated so much time to. The Killing Games can't end here."
Korekiyo joined in, "It's ironic, isn't it? The very devices used to facilitate this Killing Game are being used to fight against it. Poetic justice at its finest..."
Keebo turned to address the next Exisal that spoke, "And one of the students in this game is fighting to continue it - quit the banter. Do you understand just how many of us there are? Our power multiplies, and is far greater than that of five measly machines."
Rantaro stared at the angered robot through his screen. He spoke up again.
"No matter the number, these games need to end. And we'll be the ones to do it!"
"Tch"
As swift as a cheetah, Keebo aimed and let out a blast at his Exisal. However, it was one that was promptly put out, as Angie and Korekiyo shot rockets of their own towards it. They met the projectile midair, causing another deafening explosion.
But the collision also caused a persisting smoke cloud, which made Rantaro wary. A voice let out from his Exisal.
"Everyone, split up!"
The five machines blasted off, spreading out to get away from the vision-impeding smoke cloud. As they settled down and scouted the area, it seemed Keebo was nowhere to be seen. Anticipating a sneak attack, the group continued to comb the courtyard for any sign of the robot.
However, Keebo's movement was too fast as he practically teleported behind the Red Exisal and bashed into it, sending the machine flying. The others let out rockets at the robot, but, like a figure skater, Keebo danced between them effortlessly, aiming a blast at the Red Exisal and taking the shot.
It was a direct hit. The Exisal fell from midair, skidding on the ground, digging up heaps of dirt. Rantaro cringed at the impact.
As the exisal righted itself, more and more rockets were let loose towards Keebo. Angie yelled from behind her Yellow Exisal.
"Nyahaha, Keebo, you cannot dodge forever!"
Keebo didn't dignify her provocation with a response, continuing to weave between the bullets. Rantaro would have thought it beautiful if they weren't fighting against him.
Their rockets weren't working. They would need another plan of attack - Keebo was much too nimble for this.
Well, if long-range attacks wouldn't hit, they would need to fight in close range. To corner Keebo and fight in hand-to-hand combat. It wasn't optimal, considering the robot had a gun as well, but it might be the best they were going to get. And since these machines were built to last - it didn't seem like a bad option, either. The Red Exisal just took a direct hit and everything still seemed to function appropriately.
Rantaro pointed up at Keebo again, using his Exisal's hand.
"This isn't working. Let's move in! Don't be afraid to take damage - we need to corner him!"
The other four pilots acknowledged the request, and flew in closer. Korekiyo's Green Exisal charged at the boy, despite facing down another energy ball. The Green Exisal veered slightly before the impact, the machine's rocket arm taking the brunt of the blast. However, the mecha continued to dart forward, and Keebo barely dodged the fist in time, his right shoulder taking damage.
Rantaro grinned at that, and moved to the dormitory area to defend the others, sending a rocket or two out to slow down Keebo, who was flying across the evening sky as fast as his thrusters could take him.
The Exisals pursued their target like shooting stars. After dashing for some time, they split up and attempted to approach from different angles. With some timely rockets from Rantaro, the four were able to stop Keebo's motion, covering all escape paths.
The machines slowly crept in towards the robot. He blasted at the Pink Exisal, ripping its left leg off, but Miu didn't lose focus.
"Is that all you got, pretty boy? I can't wait to disassemble you - after we win, of course!"
Keebo stared directly at her Exisal and muttered one word.
"Bitch."
Suddenly, Miu thrust the Pink Exisal into high gear, sending a punch at the robot.
"Well, fuck you, too!"
Keebo artfully swerved out of the way, grabbing the arm and used the force to send the girl's Exisal flying. Seeing as their opportunity might be lost, the Blue Exisal moved in to attack as well, throwing another fist.
The punch was the first true hit they landed on Keebo. He recoiled in pain, gripping his left shoulder. However, he nodded it off and retaliated with a roundhouse kick. The leg hit the Blue Exisal's hood, noticeably dented it and sending the mecha spiraling downwards.
The other two Exisals charged in as well, and Keebo merely had to dash at the last second to send the last two machines barreling into each other.
With his path now free, Keebo flew towards the dormitories, charging his gun and sending a blast at the students taking shelter. However, Rantaro met it with a rocket, causing another explosion.
The smoke began to clear, but as it did, Rantaro's head got even more cloudy. Keebo was too fast for projectiles, and too powerful for physical combat - especially from those who were inexperienced at it. It seemed as if all their options were failing miserably...
All their fair options, maybe... Tsumugi told Rantaro about a secret weapon - something that Keebo wouldn't know about. She said they could use it to their advantage. Rantaro had hoped they would defeat Keebo without it, but after telling Kaito about this last resort, they left the option open ever since they exited the hangar. And it seemed that now was the perfect time to use it.
Provided Keebo took the bait, that was.
Author's Note
Happy Tsumugi Shirogane's Birthday, everyone!
It's been a while. I'm sorry for taking so long, but I've got another update for you! This would've been a longer chapter, but I wanted to put something out for Tsumugi's birthday. The next chapter is already half written, so expect an update sooner than usual!
There will be two more chapters after this one - I couldn't just end a Danganronpa fanfic at 15 chapters, now, could I? :P
If you love this content, please feel free to comment, favorite, and/or follow me on Twitter! at team _ _ mike
And as always, THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading! I really do appreciate it :)