G grabbed Flash's hand instantly as he sprinted down the corridor, almost dragging the boy as he had only a second to realise. This very moment would have been when the bear would have swiped at Flash's very position.
"...?!"
"You do NOT want to be hit by that!" G told him firmly, continuing down the corridor, past numerous doors.
Flash glared at him. "You're with...!"
G shook his head as they ran. "Priorities, Flash!"
"Hmph... But... I don't get it... Why is she attacking you if you're with her?!" Flash looked at him in defensive confusion.
"She got what she wanted. And she hardly cares, right now!" G spat, his tone bitter, though at the same time, it revealed a pitch of anxiety. "Just as I predicted..."
"You knew this would end badly for you?!" Flash looked at him in shock.
"I'll tell you later, Flash! Right now, talking is only going to tire us out!" G looked annoyed; he glanced around at the doors, gritting his teeth. "We need to hide..."
"Do-don't you have any weapons?" The trainer asked, then blinked in realisation. "I could...!"
"Don't even think about it. That's a suicide mission for your Pokemon..." G trailed off. "Didn't you hear her? Hurt that Monokuma one bit and you're dead, including Pokemon. No mercy... Come on, this way..."
He glanced back, then turned into a room. They entered a room with many lockers; a desk, chair, and terminal; a set of bars, with a bed behind them, and an area for handcuffs...
"...? This is..."
"Security."
Flash watched as G pressed a couple of buttons on a control panel beside the door. He glanced to the corner to see a camera, then scowled.
"Flash, do us a favour..."
"Got it." Flash nodded in determination, smiling slightly. He pulled out one of his Pokeballs, looking at it fondly before throwing it. There was a mass ray of red light, and until a figure formed, tall, bulky, and pig-shaped. Its bushy black eyebrows narrowed slightly at its surroundings, then it looked at Flash. "Zeke, mind ridding us of eavesdroppers?"
Zeke turned to look at where the boy now pointed, his gaze moving to the security camera.
"Arm thrust!"
The Emboar let out a roar, snarling as it shot forward, grinning as it sent a fist flying forward towards the camera. It collided with the device, pummeling a disorientated crack into it. The other fist that followed it did it in, but the Emboar continued a third time. The device fell to pieces, beyond useless... there was also a noticeable crack in the corner where the camera had sat.
G blinked and looked over.
"... That'll do, Flash. That'll do."
"Had to make sure it would..." Flash chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with a grin. "G'job, Zeke!"
"Embbooarrr!" Zeke grinned, his eyes glinting arrogantly.
"Return him, Flash... I need space." G walked over to the terminal quickly, sat down, and started typing something in. His typing speed was swift; he seemed to have done this before...
"What're you doing?" Flash looked over his shoulder. He was hacking something...
"Stopping Monaca from messing with our only exit."
"Oh..." Flash nodded, then turned to return his Pokemon friend.
There was a click, the sound of a door locking, and G finished.
"...that was quick." Flash looked annoyed. "He could've come out for a bit. I didn't even need to return Zeke-"
"Fire-types make rooms too hot," G deadpanned, turning in the chair and leaning on the back. "I'd rather we'd not dehydrate in the time we have..."
"Makes sense, I guess..." Flash blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "Now tell me what the Hell's going on."
Pant, pant, pant...
That's how her breaths went as she ran down the corridor, eyes brimmed with liquid of sadness and her grip secure and tight over the weapon. She almost tripped, but regained her balance just before the next set of stairs.
"S-stupid G! Wh-why'd he have to do that...?! Why'd he have to be... that?!" she cursed through tears, descending the stairs. She reached the bottom, and the door slammed behind her. "...! No!"
She turned her head, expression full of dread and regret. There was visible tension in her muscles as they stiffened, and then loosened.
She stared at the floor blankly.
"I-I'm... all alone..."
Her gaze drifted to the gun; she stared at it absently, then narrowed her eyes.
"N-no. I wouldn't ever contemplate that." She shook her head firmly, then wiped her tears with her sleeve. She frowned in remorse, cringing as she looked back at the door. "...geez, I had to run off like some sissy..." she muttered in self-hatred. "I left Flash alone too..." She looked away. "I hope he's okay..."
I'm not even sure about G yet...
"..." She looked around. "I must be on the Reactor Level now... Can't mess around down here..."
She scowled, then walked down the corridor.
I don't know what my goal is... I guess... it's to get out... And save Flash and Fox...
...
Who am I kidding...?
I can't just ignore G like that...
He may have done that... but... He's still my friend... right?
And he was trying to tell me why he did it...
And I didn't listen to him...
...
Geez...
I'm an idiot...
But...
...
Despair won't win. It won't. I have optimism. I've just got to believe in it more!
I'm alive. I have a weapon to protect myself. I have friends, if I can rescue them. I'm not injured. I know vaults. I can still do something! I may be useless, but I'm not completely useless!
She smiled in determination.
"HEY, MONACA? SEE THIS SMILE?! It's gonna' beat you!" she yelled chirpily, pointing at a camera. "TOXIKKU CHOOSES TO ACT! GIMME' YOUR BEST SHOT!"
"IF YOU SAY SO! Upupupupu!"
"...WHAT THE FUD-?!"
Toxic's head shot back down to the ground, looking across the corridor. A lone figure was at the end of it, red eye gleaming at her maliciously.
"G-G's... Monokuma? W-wh...?!"
"UpupupupuPUPUPUPUPUPUPUPUPUPU!"
The signature laughter continued getting louder and louder as the bear charged forward towards her, its sharp claws brandished and ready to slice and dice.
"...hngh...!"
Toxic dodged to the side quickly, landing into a crouch as the Monokuma swiped at the door behind her.
I-is... G... really... that...?
A noticeable, deep, ragged claw mark was embedded into the metal.
How... th-this... ca-can't be real...
Toxic didn't so much as glance before scrambling to her feet. Panicking, adrenaline kicked in as she bolted down the corridor, not daring to look back. Her intakes of breath grew slightly shallow from the running, but she ignored it. She had to...
She was already tired from running away from confrontation like an idiot... now she had THIS to deal with!
But she didn't want to give up now...
I... I have... to save everybody...
No matter what!
Th-this... this won't stop me!
She ran as fast as she could, then freaked when she heard the reoccurring footsteps behind her. She shoved at a canister behind her, hoping it to fall and at least deter her persuer a little bit. The bear jumped over the rolling canister.
"Agh, damned youngsters...! RESPECT YOUR ELDERS, BAKA!"
She turned off, down a balcony, running past numerous generators... The rooms were dark, and it had obviously been a while since they'd been inhabited, tended to... She wasn't scared of the dark; she stayed up all the time. The only thing that annoyed her was it obscuring her vision... But if she could stay alive, her eyes would adjust... slowly... eventually...
She had to stay alive, no matter what.
After a couple of minutes of running, she heard silence. At that, she grew both relieved, and unnerved. It hadn't caught up... It should have... Was it just lying in wait for her...? Waiting for the right moment to strike...?
I don't like this...
She looked around.
"...! A vent!"
She ran towards it, then pouted.
If I could open this, I could probably use it to get to the upper floors... it'd be cramped, sure, but...
It's better than this.
There'll be tools around here... People tend to the Reactor Level all the time.
She blinked, then spotted a tool box at the other side of the room. She grinned, then ran over to it, rooting for a screwdriver.
Finally, I has a screwdriver...
She dashed over to the vent and started undoing the screws. She hadn't even finished when she heard foosteps that startled her... She whirled around and scanned the room quickly.
Her gaze lifted and turned when she noted something on the wall, directly in front of a camera at the opposite side.
LET US OUT LET US OUT LET US OUT LET US OUT LET US OUT
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
It was smeared in red...
"...?!" Toxic's hair stood on end as she glanced around, suddenly alert.
Even if he's not after me... something else might be in a minute! I need to hide!
She dropped the screwdriver immediately.
She glanced around quickly, perspirating; she spotted an area, dark and hidden, below the balcony, hard to see from any point. She narrowed her eyes, then dashed for it quickly, crawling underneath it, curling into a small, helpless ball. She hugged her legs tightly as she watched the room, afraid but not willing to cower, only to observe...
She didn't know when... but her eyes closed... reality truly blended with blackness...
Soon enough, she awoke...
After a minute, she uncurled, watching carefully from under the balcony...
"...sigh. Stupid kid... really shoulda' just lemme' get you... you gotta' make it hard, huh? I was even gonna' be nice... I was gonna' help you... help you get revenge..."
The childish voice sounded in the darkness, but Toxic couldn't tell where it was coming from. It echoed everywhere, and it chilled her to the bone.
I don't hold grudges.
"...I mean... he betrayed you, right?"
He was going to explain himself...
"And now I've got this unit from super duper nice G-kun..."
You stole it...
A white foot and a black foot stepped onto the balcony steps.
"...you're in for Hell, little girl!"
Toxic tensed up, immediately wary of whether her position had been compromised or not... She was ready to run, but then she heard a footstep at the other side of the room.
"...heh, am I?" another voice asked, their tone cocky. They sounded... feminine... and Toxic felt... this voice... meant something to her... "...nah. Don't think you know me..."
"Oh, but I do! Ivory... right?"
Ivory?! Toxic's eyes widened. They're not talking about-
"Yup. I praise him, though! He got himself out!" The other female responded proudly. "Backstabbing his own friend... they grow up so much! It's so beautiful..."
"... why don't you care?"
"Oh, I care. I just know when people are just outright trying to lead others astray." The girl stepped forward into the light. She wore a grey hoodie, which she had her hands sat in. She wore jeans, rolled up above her sneakers. She had brown hair and brown, relaxed eyes. These eyes were amused, cocky, and seemingly eager for more entertainment. "Kid, I don't care what IVORY did. I care about what YOU did."
"What I did?" the Monokuma robot giggled. "Upupupupu... really...? What I did?! Your friend deserted you..."
The girl looked at the robot with an expression feigning fake understanding, then pulled out a phone and looked down at it.
"...huh. Too bad. I can't pound you into a cube ornament and hang you around my neck. Would make up for the USB, honestly..." She smirked widely. "Too bad you didn't get that side of me..."
She paused for thought.
"So, I guess that means I get to mutiliate the mastermind up front! Right?" She took a step forward. "Think of ALL the ways I could do it... So many potential murder weapons around here! What death do ya' want, kid? I'll find a knife to peel off your skin, like a potato! I'll burn you with acid from the science lab... I could electricute you... I'll even cut out your tongue, as a bonus! I'll call Reisuke for reccomendations, if you want!"
"..." The robot was silent. "...heehee. Really, I shouldn't have been wasting my breath on you... you're already lost, aren't you? Just like me..."
The girl narrowed an eyebrow.
"...riiiiiight. Look, I'm, like, way more sane than you."
"The insane have no right to judge~"
"Then why're you saying that?" the girl grinned widely. She opened her mouth to speak again, then glanced down at her phone.
12:36: - There don't seem to be any exits around. Sucks.
12:37: - The way I came in, the exit, is blocked by the chubbinator. Maybe the great thief could get around it?
12:38: - I tried to get to the exit. The Monokuma swiped at me, twice.
12:40: - I bled out.
DEAD END
"..." She sighed. "You really DON'T make life easier for me, maniac... so I've gotta' make it harder for you!"
Suddenly, the girl ran with so much energy you'd think she'd done this for a living. She sprinted towards a vent, which seemed to have been almost opened earlier...
The girl yanked off the remaining screw, then lifted it, scrambling into the vent.
"See ya', fatso!"
"It's not fat; it's chubby!" the bear yelled, flailing his arms.
Toxic had to stop herself from chuckling...
"Whatever! But you're not getting through here!" The girl grinned. "You won't fit..."
"Unnnngh, you're so IRRITATING! Why won't you listen to me?! Why won't you DIE?! DIE, DIE, DIEEEE! GET HERE AND DIE!"
"...how about no?"
"...he's going to die. I've decided."
The bear suddenly turned away and plodded out of the room.
"...huh?"
She frowned slightly, then glanced at her phone.
"..."
She waited a couple of minutes, then crawled out of the vent. She looked around the room, then her gaze moved to the balcony.
"...Alright, you, come out. I know you were watching the whole time."
"...?!" Toxic stiffened.
"Don't make me drag you out..."
"N-no!" Toxic scrambled out from under the balcony quickly, revealing... an expression of happiness. "E-Eliza! Boy, am I glad to-"
'Eliza' smirked at her sadistically. "Hello... Torture Toy."