Next chapter, another update...

Not really much to say here...

Pikachi was lying on the rooftop of a building, staring at the sky.

A wide arrangement of dead bodies were spread out through the entire city, each with a single bullet shot in their heads.

Well, she was the only one left who needed some kind of "stage" set up for any fighting, so she had to make sure that the city was "vacant" for when those kids came by.

She remembered that she's lived as a renegade gunslinger for a long time now. At this point, the reason why had become such a blur. All she could remember was laughter, the cries of her targets, the ringing in her ears from the endless gunshots that sounded off, and the sound of bones breaking.

She told herself that it wasn't anything important. All that mattered to her was enjoying herself to the fullest. She would shoot whatever she wanted, revel in the sight of despair that froze on the faces of her victims, enjoy the thrill of hunting that any hunter felt when tracking down a helpless prey.

And yet, there was a feeling of emptiness deep down. She wasn't sure why, but it bothered her a lot and she couldn't understand. She's killed millions, she agreed to work with people who also agreed to work with Monokuma to bring about a world of despair, she enjoyed doing what she did.

So why…

"AHHHHHHH!"

She perked up after hearing the scream and turned to see three familiar figures several miles away.

Oh well, right now she had a job to do, so thinking can come later. Right now the important thing was grabbing their attention.

Alyson was clenching onto Ami's dress tightly, like a child holding their security blanket, as Luciano was checking the body.

This was crazy! How the hell could that stuck up guy stay so calm over a dead body? Any normal person should freak out after seeing that! A murder victim whose eyes are rolled over towards the back of his own skull! She felt sick just from the look of it!

Even worse, she saw that the cause of death was a bullet hole that was shot into where she was pretty sure the brain was. But only one person came to mind when she saw the hole…

"Hey hey hey! What do we have here?!"

They all turned to see Pikachi Shion, the SHSL gunslinger who was trying to kill them before!

Alyson whimpered as she tried to hide behind Ami. This whole thing was insane! That crazy woman wants to kill them all, and all they had to defend themselves were Luciano's bow and arrows, and who knows how many shots he could get in before he ran out of ammo!

"Wait a minute…" The gunslinger was looking around before giving a look of disappointment. "Where the hell are the other four? Don't tell me you all split up on your own…"

"We were separated from the explosion back there." Ami shouted out in reply. "That's why there's only a few of us here!"

"Explosion?" The gunslinger seemed to be confused for a moment. "Oh right! That was Miko's work. Not mine, so I completely forgot about that!" She sighed. "So not only do I get less people to play with, I have to get the weakest looking ones too. Just my luck…"

"You dare to call us weak?" Luciano was visibly angry. "I won't let that slide. Come down and fight us!"

"Uh, I don't think so…" Pikachi shrugged before pointing one of her pistols at Luciano. "I'm the freakin bad guy here, remember? I don't need to play by any stupid rules, except for the ones I make myself here!" She shot several times, making Ami cringe with her hands up. However when she looked back, the bullets only pierced the ground around them. Luciano and Ami didn't move, staring right at the gunslinger with a determined look in their eyes. The musician suddenly felt embarrassed for being the only one to react.

"Huh, so I guess I now know who the biggest sissy is around here…" She cocked her pistols before grinning. "Anyways, I guess Monokuma's gonna need to start explaining things here…"

Just as she said that, a large TV screen suddenly popped up from the ground and flashed open to show Monokuma's face on front of a large red background.

"Ahem… hello, hello, hello out there! This is your lovable mascot Monokuma here! How ya all doing?!"

Things were just getting weirder and weirder all the time. Ami was starting to wonder if this was big weird dream she was having.

"I can see that we've got ourselves a first time battle here! So I need to explain the rules to all of you tuning in to this channel right here! In the corner of despair, we've got the almighty gunslinger who's crazy in mind and soul, but her shots can reach your hearts, both figuratively and literally. The super shooter, Pikachi Shion!"

The screen momentarily changed to show a close up view of Pikachi, who just smirked at the camera.

"…and on the other corner of hope, we've got these losers…"

In response to the duller intro, the screen then changed to show a backside view of the trio. Ami turned to look, but the screen had already changed before she could find the camera.

"So anyways, I think we've got to lay down a few rules about how this battle is gonna go."

"Battle? What battle?"

"Oh little Ami, how naive and stupid you are! I suppose I'm gonna need to explain this obvious fact to you as well!"

The screen shifted to show another poorly drawn diagram of three figures facing one blackened figure with a giant VS in the space between them.

"As I've said before, my people of 'despair' are like 'boss characters' in video games that you idiots of hope must face in order to proceed. However, like all the great boss battles, you need to have a fight to the death with your party. Seeing as you three have been put together, you are automatically classified as a 'party', so you need to work together to fight against my super soldier here!"

The diagram changed so that the three figures were on top of the blackened with a present hovering above them.

"If you manage to win against my soldier, you get a nice little present for you troubles."

This time, the diagram changed with the roles reversed and a large "GAME OVER" printed on the middle.

"Buuuuut, should my soldier win, it's pretty much game, freakin, over for all you losers, and the next party will need to take up the challenge!"

The screen went back to Monokuma's face.

"So, is that clear enough for you?!"

"I still don't see why we need to do this…"

"Ah Ami. Stupid, stupid, stupid Ami. We'll get to that when it becomes something you need to know. So maybe around….NEVER! UPUPUPUPUPUPUPUPU!"

With the laugh, the screen suddenly went black and dug itself back deep into the ground, leaving a crate where it used to be.

"So that's the thing guys. It's either you win or lose. Simple, right?!"

Luciano brought out his bow and arrows. "One more question, what exactly do you get out of this?"

"Excuse me?"

"I can tell that you're a person who does whatever she wants, so I'd like to know what exactly makes you agree to Monokuma's terms instead of going against that dumb bear."

Pikachi pondered for a moment.

"I don't wanna answer!"

Luciano looked like he was about to press on further, but Pikachi disappeared out of view before he could speak. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly pulled Ami and Alyson into a nearby building and hid them all in the shadows.

"Alright. I don't like doing this, but we don't have any alternatives. We're going to need to work together in order to bring her down."

Alyson nodded her head. She saw how good Pikachi was, so they needed to take every advantage they had to get through this.

"We still don't know what both your objects produce, so we should try to see what they do. Summon them like I did last time."

The two of them gripped their objects tightly, and watched as they each started to change.

Alyson watched as her pin suddenly grew larger and bulkier, contradicting the original size as a pin. As the form changed, she noticed that it started take a familiar shape.

The form was overall thin and kinda pointed at one end, almost like a pencil. However, the other side had a more round base. In-between, several joints were built on the outside, but blue lines were still shining throughout the entire body. Alyson opened her mouth in shock as she saw that the object was a clarinet.

Holding it, she bitterly scoffed inside. This instrument held nothing but bitter memories of her past.

She looked over to see Ami, whose object didn't seem to have changed much. The armband only became bigger, but there was a screen and a few buttons that appeared on it, and Ami's other object, the pen, only started to glow at the tip.

"Huh, this seems pretty cool…" Ami started drawing in the air where light of her doodles hung suspended like they were underwater. "Course, I'm not sure how this could help…"

"I can find at least one use for that," Luciano declared before turning to Alyson. "That too. There's a chance we might be able to win this if we follow my plan."

"Are you sure about that?" Alyson doubted Luciano's words. No matter how cool these things were, she seriously doubt that they could beat the gunslinger with their toys.

"A skilled strategist uses whatever he's given, no matter how useless they may seem. Now here's the plan…"

Ami was hiding behind some rubble while tightly gripping her pen. She was getting nervous about Luci's plan, especially since she didn't know most of it.

"Ami, you're going to wait until Pikachi shows up nearby. You'll then need to draw her attention using your pen, leading her away towards a certain area."

"Alright, what else?"

"That's not something you need to know. It'll be more effective if you aren't aware of the next step."

"Wha?! But…"

"Enough, just do what I say…"

Being assigned the role of decoy against her will wasn't the most reassuring thought, but she trusted Luci enough to keep her alive…mostly.

She wasn't really one to turn down requests anyways. It sorta became a habit after a while. She wanted to make friends during her childhood, but if her classmates knew the real her she was afraid that they'd turn her down or pick on her. So she started acting differently than she did before. A more likeable person who the other girls in her class would find fun and entertaining, while the guys would be attracted to her and ask her out to parties.

But in the end, it was all a lie. She became so enveloped in the lie, that it felt impossible to tell the truth anymore. But now, in a world where things have gone topsy-turvy, maybe it was good time to be honest. To tell the others about the real her…

*Step*

*Step*

*Step*

She perked up a bit as she heard footsteps. Being very careful not to give away her position, she slowly moved to see the gunslinger walking slowly with a very empty look on her face. She seemed like she was expecting one of them to appear soon, making Ami nervous since an expectant animal would be difficult to draw in without getting hurt.

But she needed to stick to the plan, so she took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself.

"I can hear you breathing you know. Just come on out."

Her heart stopped. She was already found and she might end up getting shot at the moment she revealed herself. However she couldn't turn back now.

She stood up and slowly turned to stare straight ahead at the gunslinger.

"Lemmie guess, you wanna know just how I could tell that you were there."

"Am I really that easy to read?" She needed to buy some time. Luci said he wanted her to drag things out as much as possible.

"Kinda, but that's sort of disappointing in a way…" Pikachi used her left hand to hold both pistols while using her right to point to her ears. "A good hunter can their senses to pick up on their targets. The big guy who looks like an expert hunter, should now this pretty well."

She must be referring to Agustin. It would be more assuring to have him around right now.

"Anyways, I could hear your heartbeats pretty well from here. Next time you're getting chased, think about keeping calm in any situation. It'll help you live longer."

Ami swallowed hard. Pikachi was probably joking, since she had no intention of leaving her alive. But the Linguist did her best to muster up a smile, despite the situation. There was a chance, if she was right in understanding her personality.

"So…is this supposed to be the part where I'm going to get shot at and die?"

Pikachi looked like she was thinking half-heartedly. "Well that's the plan…"

Ami gripped her hand, the feeling of sweat covering her palms.

"But, I think I'll have a little fun before I actually start tying the noose."

An evil twisted smile began to form on the gunslinger's face. But Ami was starting to relax a bit, as this was the opportunity she was looking for.

Pikachi was someone who wanted to prolong suffering as long as possible. A sadist, in other words. By making things seem more boring, there was a good chance that the gunslinger would try to find some way to entertain herself as much as possible. This way, Ami might be able to drag her over to their destination.

"Seeing as you're the decoy, I'm going to pretend like I have no idea what you're doing and follow you all the way to wherever you need to take me. My shots will be aimed at non-fatal areas, but I'm seriously going to try to kill you somewhat."

"How…thoughtful…"

"Of course, if nothing happens after that, or if you take too long, I'm just going to kill you quickly. I'm in a bit of a schedule after all…"

The Linguist tried to ignore these taunts, but it was harder to keep up a tough front. To be honest, she wanted to run right now, but she had to wait until she was "allowed" first.

"How about I start chasing after…oh say...at the count of 10?" She pointed her pistol at Ami, with a smile like a child at the carnival game.

"Ready…"

Ami braced herself for a long run.

"One…two…"

After "two", Ami pushed her feet away from her original spot, moving away from Pikachi's direction, and running as fast as she could.

"Three…our…ve…"

The voice was getting faint, but she couldn't stop to turn around and check. She knew that stopping would end up with pain, and that was something she was pretty sure very few people would enjoy.

She ran and ran, keeping up with her pace without stopping to rest. Her breathing was getting heavier with each passing second, and her heart beating faster as well. For a moment, she thought it was ok to slow down a bit. There was a pretty good distance in between the two of them

*Clack*

*Clack*

*Clack*

She quickly turned to see the gunslinger at a distance. Quickly catching up while making loud noises as her feet hit the gravel, kicking up a few pebbles here and there.

"Oh shi…"

She couldn't finish because she used any hidden strength she had to bring back the distance they first had. She ran like crazy, ignoring any throbbing that started to occur in her legs as they started to flush. She ran and ran until she finally noticed the spot that she needed to take her to.

She looked around for a moment to see if there were any signs of Luci or Allie being nearby. But so far, nothing.

She gasped for breath, falling to her knees to recover from the strain. But…

*Click*

She gasped as she felt Pikachi staring right behind her.

"Man, that's the best you could do? You really need to start working out more…"

This was it. If Luci had a plan for this, now would probably be the best time to carry it out.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if that stuck up pain-in-the-butt boy and your cowardly little friend were somewhere just watching us."

"Wh…what do you mean?"

"I mean that the plan is to let you get injured, maybe killed, just to make me run out of ammo or some crap like that." She nudged her pistol. "You're a scapegoat, moron…"

Ami shook her head. There wasn't anyway Luci and Allie would do that…right?

"Well let's see…where should I start?"

Ami could hear Pikachi pointing at different part of her body. She wanted to yell, but she wasn't sure if they could hear her, or if they'd react. Was this really part of the plan?

Pikachi lifted her leg and kicked, leaving a sharp pain into Ami's leg. She cringed, but she didn't move. What was taking them so long?

Next was the butt, then it was the stomach, then the face. The pain was starting to resound throughout her body, and she could taste some of the metallic flavor of blood from her mouth. Was she really left to die?

Finally, the gunslinger let out a sigh which sounded like a mix of disappointment and satisfaction.

"Alright, I think I've got my target." She raised her pistol again. "Let's start with the arms. I'd like bit more running after all…"

There was a click. Ami gripped tightly as she waited for a sudden rush of pain.

*Twang*

There was a faint sound of a bowstring resounding somewhere. Ami looked up, and could see that Pikachi could hear the same thing. She turned to the source of the sound, and saw something rushing towards them from the sky. The object zoomed through and passed just above her arm, leaving a small cut on it.

The gunslinger girl pointed her pistol in the same direction as where the object originated, but Luciano was already running towards them with another arrow set. He released the arrow, sending it straight towards Pikachi in a straight line.

Ami saw Pikachi smile as she suddenly moved backwards, like she was about to do a handstand, making the arrow miss narrowly above her and continuing its path unhindered in anyway. She was about to straighten her posture, when Luciano suddenly shouted.

"Now! Do it, Musician!"

Suddenly, Allie popped up from under a pile of rubble, dusty and somewhat messy (she probably didn't like it) and with her clarinet at hand.

Allie suddenly blew hard into the clarinet, creating a large *PHOO* sounds the resounded in the area.

Ami covered her ears as she turned to look at Pikachi, who was shouting as she tried to cover her ears the best she could. That sense of hearing that the gunner seemed to be so proud of, ended up being a fatal weakness now. Allie's large burst of sound was paralyzing Pikachi, who must have heard things several times louder than they did, and it was the perfect opportunity for Luciano to attack.

Pikachi must have thought the same thing, because she sacrificed an arm to aim at her with an angry look. But Ami was ready this time. Using the little strength she gathered, she pushed away further from the gunner. It wasn't a long distance, but it was enough. Luciano had released a small volley of arrows at Pikachi, all as straight as the last one he shot.

The gunner tried to move, but the sound seemed too painful to her, so she ended up moving at a slower pace. Most of the arrows still missed, but a few managed to get her side and a leg. Pikachi suddenly looked more frustrated as she groaned in pain.

They now had the advantage.

Ami was surprised that they managed to get the gunner with just the three of them. But more than that, she was glad that they didn't abandon her. Yeah, she was glad that she was able to make good friends now, and she wanted to treasure them forever.

However, Pikachi's face changed, and not in the good way. She was smiling like crazy, but not like the usual crazy. She was smiling and chuckling to herself in a very twisted way, a way that was so twisted, the others felt nothing more than childish smiles. This was a true evil smile that made her blood turn cold.

"Ha ha…ha ha ha…ha ha ha ha ha ha…..HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

That bloodcurdling laugh felt terrible.

"SO ALL YOU FUCKIN LOSERS FINALLY DROVE ME THIS FAR! HOW IMPRESSIVE!" Only one thought went through Ami's mind

She finally lost it.

"HEY! MONOKUMA! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME DAMMIT!" the gunslinger was shouting at the top of her lungs at the open sky. "I'M GONNA USE IT! ALRIGHT?! I'M GONNA USE 'THAT' AND BRING ABOUT THE WORLD OF DESPAIR THAT YOU PROMISED!"

"That"? What exactly was "That"?

Pikachi made a familiar sentai-like pose, then raising her arm, she shouted once more.

"LET'S GO DAMMIT! MONOKUMITE COME FORTH AND GIVE ME THE POWER!"

In reaction to the shouting, something suddenly came falling from the sky. Ami looked up, and saw something large and black suddenly heading in this direction like a meteorite. She struggled to get away, but Pikachi just continued to laugh like crazy without moving an inch. The object was coming closer and closer, until it finally landed on Pikachi, whipping up a large dust storm upon contact.

Nobody could see anything for a while. Then, when it started to clear up, the linguist peeked to see the gunslinger, and was shocked by what she saw.

The gunslinger's arms were covered in what looked like a thick black armor, thick enough to deflect most attacks, but thin enough to easily move around in. Each arm piece had several blue lines running across it, giving the appearance resembling a hieroglyph or a pattern in an ancient ruin, and she was still chuckling insanely as she gave a very twisted look at the three of them.

"I already knew that you got new toys, so I thought that I'd show you some of my own!"

That "armor" that the girl was wearing. Ami stared for a while before looking back to her wristband and pen.

They were both made from the same material.

So, curious? Well it's not like you'll find out more until...well who knows?

As always, comments reviews, and all that which I'm pretty sure I don't need to remind you all about that you're getting annoyed by.