Danganronpa: Off The Rails Ch 2 - White is for Wishing - Part 7, a dangan ronpa kibou no gakuen to zetsubou no koukousei fanfic

Are you all ready? Because it's time to end this chapter once and for all! Not counting the epilogue of course.

So, buckle up, strap yourselves in, and all that nonsense! It's Trial Time folks! And of course, as per the usual, Authors note is at the end!

Enjoy!

DANGANRONPA: OFF THE RAILS

Chapter 2 – White is for Wishing

Part 7 – DEADLY LIFE – Trail Trial #2

Conductorkuma sat in their chair with Tenshizo and Akumahebi sitting on both sides of him. "Well, here we are again! Despair train station! Destination… Punishment!" He pointed to the picture of Ai with a wicked grin. "To give a reminder to you bastards so you don't forget… you're trying to find out who done it! The goal of the trial is to find and vote for the blackened rider! If you find and vote out the blackened, then I'll punish them and them alone! However, if you fail to vote the blackened, I'll punish everyone else!"

The bear's grin then grew even more wicked as a glint appeared in his yellow evil eye. "And the punishment is… EXECUTION!" …Silence rang through the trial room as everyone nodded… they did this once before… time to do it a second time. "So, let the second train trial… begin!"

TRAIN TRIAL #2 – START

Clearing his throat and taking the lead once more, Li-Wei started the conversation. "I believe like last time; we go over the simple facts once more." He'd start to organize his thoughts and begin. "The victim was Ai Fukushima, the Ultimate Astrologer. Found in the casino around 3:45pm but was dead around 2:30pm." He crossed his arms with a frown as he sighed. "Cause of death however… is unknown."

Katashi nodded as he breathed out some smoke from his cigarette. "So, we need to decide whether it's worth trying to figure out the cause of death now… or just move past it for now." Hastur scratched his chin curiously. "Hmmm… to find the hidden truth from the visible truth… an interesting proposition~" Chizure would nod in agreeance. "Seems like it would be the best bet." She then turn to look around at each other rider. "Then may I propose a topic to go over?"

No one spoke up to counter her, so she continued. "I feel like we should tackle the 'elephant' in the room." …Tenshizo blinked for a moment before backing away shocked. "T-Tackle me!? D-Did I do s-something wrong!?" …He seemed to be beginning to tear up when Akumahebi wacked him on the back of the head with her tail. "It's a figure of speech dumbass." "…O-Oh. I k-knew that." "Bullshit you stupid fu-"

Coughing to get the focus back on topic, Chizure started once more. "I think we need to discuss the blackout." "Hey! Don't cut me off you bit-" "The blackout seemed… too strange to begin with. "Oh, fuck you too." The other riders nodded as Wally clenched his fist.

Here we go again… the second trial. Show time.

NON-STOP DEBATE

Li-Wei: So, the blackout. We can all agree it hit the entire train, right?

Hastur: Indeed, it seems so. Purged in pure darkness… an interesting experience~

Kuniyoshi: One minute we were fine and the next? Bam! Lights out.

Chizure: Not only that, but we were also all separated.

Ember: But that brings up the question of why it happened.

Kanade: It was strange and scary… but… Maybe it was a planned power outage?

Koharu: Strange time for a planned power outage.

-Bullet Selected: Scorpio EMP-

Wally: No that's wrong!

BREAK

Turning to the sidekick, Wally shook his head. "The blackout was no accident. It was caused by an EMP." Kanade tilted her head confused a bit. "EMP?" Koharu spoke up this time, just like in the one cart. "An electromagnetic pulse. A device that's used to take out all electronic devices in a radius." Kanade gave a look of understanding now as she nodded. "Okay… so this EMP hit the whole train?"

Kana frowned a bit before shaking her head. "Not exactly… see… apparently, the pulse is visible in its range. And that range is the cart it's in plus the ones next to it." This caused Yokona to scoff and shake her head. "Well… obviously that can't be the case. The EMP had to affect the whole train, right? Or… perhaps there's a second one we haven't seen!" This caused Conductorkuma, who appeared to be laying on his side with closed eyes, open their eyes with a shocked look.

"A second one!? Are you kidding?" The bear sat up and stretched before crossing his arms. "All the 'unique items' we provide in this train are first come first serve! I swear… you dang brats seem to think 'more more more'. Appreciate what ya got damn it!" Wally blinked at that. "So… there's no repeat unique items?" The bear nodded. "That's right! Only one Scorpio EMP in existence!"

I should probably keep that in mind…

Bullet Added: Unique Item Exclusiveness

Yokona looked a little deflated after that before sighing. "Okay… so that theory is a no go… so then if there's only one EMP, how did it effect the entire train?" Wally, hearing the question, pondered with his chin in his hand.

How did the blackout occur?

A. There really was a second EMP

B. The EMP was connected directly

C. A different method was used

"That's it!"

"The EMP was connected directly." This caused the strategist to turn to the sidekick. "When we found the EMP, it was connected via wires. So, it seems there was a direct connection that affected the entire train?" Katashi crossed his arms. "Where was the EMP found again?" Wally blinked for a moment. "Oh… it was found in the prison cart."

Katashi nodded at that before breathing out some more smoke. "Makes sense. The prison cart had a huge security system. And if you took a closer look, the security system seems to watch over all the eight carts… so you knock that out, which is connected to all the carts via power…"

And you get…

-Bullet Selected: Blackout-

"That's it!"

"And you get the blackout. One that despite the EMP's short range… affected all the carts." Hastur hummed at that. "So, a chain reaction caused from a single lynch pin from a weaker power than a full effect from a large item." Chizure would raise a brow but nod. "So an EMP was placed down, caused the blackout, and during that time, Ai was attacked and killed."

However, as this was being discussed, Wally couldn't help but ponder on the situation a bit more.

Hmmm… something about this feels off I need to think this through.

[The scene suddenly shifted as Wally found himself on a motorbike that had an orange claw symbol on the front as he began to drive forward. This time he was in a multicoloured factory as two ramps in front of windows appeared before him.]

WISDOM DRIVE

Okay… to start off, what caused the blackout.

A. EMP

B. Breaker Box

[Taking the first ramp, Wally burst through the glass of the window to see a wall of spikes at the other window. As the bike started to fall from the sky, the sidekick would flick open a small glass case on handlebar and press a button. This caused the bike to extend out a pair of wings as Wally noticed two rings approaching.]

That's been verified already. The EMP was the only device available to cause the train wide blackout.

Now… how did it cause the blackout?

A. Directly connected to the security system.

B. Multiple EMPs were placed throughout the train.

[Shifting to the left, Wally went through the first ring as the second one became electrocuted with a smile, the sidekick would lean forward for the bike to do a nosedive. Fastly approaching the ground, Wally noticed two landing pads approaching.]

Again, this was confirmed from us already. Connected to the security system, the EMP caused the black out. So what does this mean?

A. It was placed in a hurry.

B. It had to be planted there ahead of time.

[Leaning to the right, Wally would tilt back and land the bike on the second landing pad. He would sit there for a moment… as the other landing pad exploded in a fiery blaze as the scene shattered around Wally, bringing him back to the trial room.]

"THAT'S IT!"

BREAK

"The EMP! It had to have been placed ahead of time!" This cause the others to turn to him confused as the sidekick continued. "With the direct connection to the security system, this means that this wasn't some half-baked attempt or a desperate struggle. It meant that the EMP was there in the before the murder ever took place!"

And thinking about it… the one who set it up must have had a reason for it to be in a spot so strange that it couldn't have been done haphazardly. And looking at it… I think the one who set it up was…

Select Individual:

Emiko
Katashi
Yokona
Hastur
Chizure
Satoru (X)
Ai (X)
Shunso (X)
Kana
Wally
Ember
Li-Wei
Koharu
Takeshi
Kanade
Kuniyoshi

"It has to be you!"

"And the one who planted the EMP in the first place… had to be Ai." This brought some stares of disbelief as Kuniyoshi raised a brow. "Ummm… wasn't she the one who got killed by the damn thing? Why the hell would she plant the damn thing!?" Chizure nodded. "Yeah… it seems… rather weird to plant an EMP when a killer is hunting you down…" Others nodded in confusion as Wally placed a hand on his chin in thought. Wally nodded. "I thought so too… but something seemed odd. A weirdness about all this…"

"THIS IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE!"

Turning his head, he would see Kana standing there with crossed arms as she gave a tired glare at Wally. "A weirdness? Seriously? If you want to explain your reasoning, then go ahead. However… I'm not going to stand here and listen about a 'weird feeling' okay?" Wally blinked… but nodded. "Very well. My words will have to cut through."

Kana wants me to verify my reasoning. To give facts to feeling. Well… guess I'll just have to prove that!

CROSS BLADE REBUTTAL

Kana: Feelings don't mean anything in a trial.

Kana: If you want to prove Ai planted the EMP, then present evidence.

Kana: Why her? Because of a feeling?

Wally: It's more than that.

Wally: There's no one else who fits!

Wally: Ai is the only one who could have planted it!

Kana: That's not true at all. There's also the killer.

Kana: It's more likely the killer activated the EMP.

Kana: There just doesn't seem to be anything point to Ai doing it.

Kana: So, until you can prove that…

Kana: Ai did not set off the EMP.

-Bullet Selected: Broken Device-

Wally: No that's wrong!

BREAK

"The broken device gripped in her hand." Kana tilted her head a bit. "Yeah… we did see that. But what does that have to do with this?" Wally smiled as he continued. "Simple. It was the detonator."

The scene shifted to show an overhead map of the carnival cart, the casino cart, and the prison cart. An icon with a star appeared in the casino cart. "Ai had to be in the casino cart from all the evidence so far. Which meant she and the killer would both be in that cart." An icon with a skull appeared as an arrow appeared to point at the middle of the prison cart. "There would be no way for her or the killer to activate the EMP manually… unless there was something that connected wireless."

The scene then shifted back to Wally as he grinned. "That would mean a detonator was in use. That detonator would have to be in the casino cart… and it was. Tightly gripped in the hands of Ai." Kana would stare at Wally for a moment before nodding. "Okay… that checks out." The sidekick sighed as Kanade spoke up. "So… why did she plant it then if she was attacked?"

I can explain this… the weirdness that's been following since the beginning. Why was she the one who planted it?

A. Because she was hunting down the killer.

B. As a surprise attack against their killer.

C. To set up an incredible prank for later.

"That's it!"

"It was because the killer wasn't hunting her down." This brought a bout of confusion until Kana spoke up. "…Ohhhh. That makes sense." Everyone turned to her as she continued. "That's what you meant by weirdness. Why was she specifically there? It never made sense but now? It's slowly starting to click." She turned to the others with a serious expression as Wally continued the train of thought.

"Ai was the one who called the killer out."

This caused a chain reaction of shouts and denials as Wally struggled to speak up over the crowd. Finally… "ENOUGH!" Everyone stopped and turned to the therapist who raised his voice as he sighed and lit another cigarette. "So, Hero Boy… you obviously have some evidence that explains why and how right? Start with the why." The sidekick blinked for a moment before giving a nod.

Ai called the killer out. But there were no letters or anything found. However… there was SOMETHING that could call the killer out.

-Bullet Selected: Cipher Role-

"That's it!"

"The cipher." Emiko, hearing this, tilted her head. "The motive? I can understand the appeal but… how would they use the motive to call the person out." Wally turned his head a bit as he spoke his thoughts aloud. "The motive was a strange one that could be changed from person to person… but we don't know HOW to change it. But… we do know that it can be changed."

Now I just need to explain how Ai used the cipher role to her advantage…

NON-STOP DEBATE

Li-Wei: The motive itself? That's how she called out the killer?

Katashi: Well, the role can be rather tempting to the correct individual.

Hastur: Perhaps she shouted aloud she was the cipher?

Ember: …Knowing her, it does seem like something she would do.

Kanade: Yeah! Like… The stars have lead me to the role of the cosmos!

Chizure: She was a lively one, but I don't know if that's it.

Kuniyoshi: Well fuck… maybe she lured them out with a message?

Takeshi: I-It's possible t-they did?

Yokona: But the message app is still locked!

-Bullet Selected: Kuma-Watch Message-

Wally: I agree with that!

CONSENT

"Oh? I was right?" Kuniyoshi looked a little shocked as Wally nodded. "Yeah. There was a message left on Ai's Kuma-Watch. While we can't still send messages ourselves, the motive messages seem to come through differently." Kana pondered a bit before realization hit. "That's right! The message stated, "Someone has changed your cipher". Right?" The sidekick nodded as he continued. "Exactly. That message appears whenever someone loses the role."

Hastur seemed to be in thought as he nodded. "Indeed. It was during our poker practice sessions that I disclosed my loss of the role." He pulled out his own Kuma-Watch but looked confused. "Strange. I seem to be missing the message." Tenshizo would stand up and smile. "O-Oh! That's b-because only the l-last person who changed the c-cipher would get the message!" The elephant would then be smacked on the back of the head by Akumahebi. "Fucking moron! You just blabbed out shit they needed to figure out!" "…O-Oh. …Oops?"

Rolling his eyes at their antics, Conductorkuma spoke up. "Well… since it was revealed, I'll clarify. When the cipher is changed, the person who changed it before will get a message stating that it's been changed." Li-Wei would cross his arms and continue. "Which means that the cipher was changed and the person who changed it before… was Ai."

Hastur then hit his fist in his palm in an 'aha' motion. "Now that I think of it, I remember having a conversation with the departed astrologer before! I remember showing her the message!" Li-Wei would turn and give a tired glare. "And you kept this until now because?" The cosmicism writer would just shrug. "It did not seem like an important fact."

Facepalming, park ranger sighed. "Moving on… it seems we can infer that it truly was Ai who called the killer out. But that raises more questions." Kanade would nod and raise her hand. Li-Wei was a little unsure but motioned for her to speak. "Well… why would she call them out? Wouldn't it be risky? And couldn't they just get caught by anyone heading that way?" Wally understood where she was coming from… but there was an answer to that.

What prevented people from interfering? Well, it would have to be…

-Bullet Selected: Locked Carnival Doors-

"That's it!"

"Because they locked the doors." Kanade was confused for a moment before it clicked. "O-Oh… r-right… the carnival doors were locked. Sorry…" Chizure shook her head and smiled at Kanade. "It's fine Kanade. It is something we should discuss. After all, why was it that the door was locked in the first place?" "Was it the power outage?" Kanade questioned aloud as Emiko followed up with a slight shiver. "…Was it a similar situation as… the first murder?"

Looks like I'll have to clear the image a bit more…

NON-STOP DEBATE

Takeshi: T-The door was l-locked up rather t-tightly.

Kanade: Perhaps… there was blockage?

Hastur: Uncertain as we do learn from history to not repeat mistakes.

Koharu: Maybe it's an electric lock that triggered from the power outage?

Kuniyoshi: But wouldn't that affect every door then?

Emiko: So then how was the door locked?

Kana: Because the door is designed completely different from the others.

-Bullet Selected: Libra Carnival Scales -

Wally: I agree with that!

CONSENT

Wally smiled as Kana nodded back. "The doors weren't blocked off nor affected by the blackout. We unlocked the door to let everyone in because the carnival cart doors don't run off electricity." The screen shifted to show the libra statue… connected to a pully system going inside the walls of the carnival cart. "The door in the carnival cart is far different then the others. The door is locked by a pully system where the door will not open if either side of the scales are unbalanced… but also some weight is needed."

Katashi nodded as he exhaled another stream of smoke. "Yep. The pile of daggers. They work as a balancing act." Wally gave a deadpan stare. "Of course, you would know. You locked the door on me before…" The therapist just shrugged and ignored the sidekick who sighed in frustration.

Wally just continued. "So, with the door mechanism, the carnival cart doors would stay locked until someone solved it or fixed it back." Kuniyoshi would blink and hold his hands up. "Whoa whoa whoa. Didn't the killer lock the carnival cart door? How the hell did they leave then?" The poker player didn't look convinced. "Could they even get away while keeping the doors locked?"

There was a way to leave the door locked and escape. And that was…

-Bullet Selected: Hidden Passageway-

"That's it!"

"The killer was able to get away with the doors locked. They were able to do it because of the prison cart." Kanade would blink for a moment before she gasped and turned to Chizure who nodded. "You're talking about the hidden passageway, right?" The sidekick would nod. "In the prison cart, there was a hidden passageway from one of the cells to the cell in the sheriff's office. From what I can remember… it was the cell that Akumahebi and Tenshizo entered from." "Duh. We're robot mascots for a killing game. Not fucking magicians. How else would we get there?" "W-Well… W-We could h-have done my i-idea…" "I already told you fatso. I refused to wait there for in a cell with you for hours just for a fucking introduction."

Brushing past the snake and elephant antics, Koharu would give a raised brow as she looked at the pianist. "Convenient. Not only were you rather quick to get to the carnival doors when they were locked but you also knew of a hidden passageway?" The pianist shrunk back a bit as Wally shook his head. "She has a reason for all that. They were investigating around the prison cart during the investigation."

Who can help prove that?

-Bullet Selected: Chizure's Account-

"That's it!"

"She and Chizure have an alibi. Chizure can confirm where they were during the entire blackout." Chizure gave a nod and a smile. "Yeah… we were in the pub." This caused some people to blink as Katashi spoke up. "The… pub? Are you alright Kanade? Going back to that location after…" There was worry as the pianist nodded. "It wasn't easy… I wanted to move forward." She gave a weak chuckle after that. "…Guess it was really poor timing huh?"

Koharu would scratch the back of her head as she looked a little sheepish. "Shit… sorry." The pianist shook her head with a smile. "It's fine. It's a trial… so I should expect to be put on the chopping block." Li-Wei would nod. "It's still a good thing. We can confidently say that you two are innocent." Hastur tilted his head. "Can we? Perhaps it was a collaborative effort?"

Kuniyoshi would deadpan at him. "Dude… there is literally no reason. Not only would only one be the blackened, but that would mean the other would have to sacrifice themselves to make it work." Katashi would nod. "Logically, the rules are not like the previous killing games. We are limited to a single kill. Meaning each life, one takes matters. So, killing in front of another is a death sentence for yourself unless they are willing to die for you."

Takeshi would look at the two. "P-Perhaps w-we should get b-back on track?" The sidekick nodded to that. "Takeshi is right. And not only that, but we can also confirm a few more who are innocent."

What can prove that claim?

-Bullet Selected: Power Outage Accounts-

"That's it!"

"We have the accounts of people during the blackout. …Most of them anyways." The scene would shift to show four circles, three small ones and one big one. "Out of us still alive, we have three groups that we can confirm." The first circle shifted to reveal an eight-bit face of Wally, Kana, and Li-Wei. "First, we have the three of us who found the body. That's Kana, Li-Wei, and myself. We were first in the entertainment cart's lounge room. We later left to the saloon and later went through the hidden passageway. …Meaning there is a high chance we missed the killer."

The sidekick would pause for a second but shake his head and continue. "The second group we can confirm is Kanade and Chizure." Their eight-bit faces appeared in the second circle. "They were in the pub the entire blackout together. As for the final group…"

What can I use to prove more people innocent?

-Bullet Selected: Ember's Account-

"That's it!"

"The third group is Ember and Emiko, the most important group of the three." Their eight-bit faces then appeared in the final small circle. "They were in the kitchen in the dining cart during the black out." The lip-speaker nodded as she crossed her arms. "Yeah. The lights went out during that time, so we stuck together in the kitchen." The sidekick nodded in return but motioned for her to go on. "Huh? …Oh! Right. There was also a strange red light. It came from the hallway and headed towards the dorms. We stayed far away from the doorway as it passed by… so we didn't get the best view."

Wally nodded with a smile as the final circle shifted to show the eight-bit figures of everyone else. "So, that's seven proven innocent, leaving a suspect group of six. Yokona, Koharu, Takeshi, Kuniyoshi, Hastur, and Katashi." He then tapped his chin a bit. "Though, out of the accounts given Hastur did say he was waiting in the pool."

Li-Wei nodded with a frown. "Why was he at the pool?" Wally deadpanned. "It was 'an unexpected meeting place for poker practice' that Yokona set up." Kuniyoshi laughed out loud at that as Li-Wei facepalmed. "…Regret asking that but either way. With no one to back it up, we can't take it for fact." The sidekick agreed. "Exactly. So those are the suspects we have left. However, what's important is the red light."

That red light could only mean one thing! And I think I know where that red light came from! The evidence that points to that is…

-Bullet Selected: Observ-

"HOLD IT!"

Wally stopped his train of thought as he turned to see Yokona slamming her hand down on her podium with a grin. "… …that hurt but was completely worth it." Shaking her hand, due to slamming it down on a wooden podium, the strategist coughed for a moment and took center stage of the conversation. "Anyways, I think I got this in the bag!" This caused many to blink as Li-Wei spoke up. "Well… go ahead then."

The strategist nodded. "Thank you! Now, let's start with the murder weapon! Obviously there was mystery around it but… the answer is none other than the crossbow!" She grinned. "One could tell from the biggest injury on Ai!" Wally stopped and pondered for a bit.

What could she possible mean? What gives a better idea?

-Bullet Selected: Takeshi Autopsy-

"That's it!"

"…You're talking about the punctures in Ai, right?" Yokona smirked. "Exactly my trusty sidekick!" Wally would give a deadpan stare at that. Really? Either way, the strategist ignored the stare and continued. "There were no other visible weapons around. The only one we found was the Sagittarius Crossbow that was tossed behind the sheriff's office! Where the hidden passageway is!"

Wally, Kana and Hastur nodded as the survivor spoke up. "Yeah. We all saw that remember?" Yokona smirked. "Well yeah. But it also found with the strange arrows. And while part of me thought that perhaps Ai took the crossbow and arrows, I don't believe so. After all… Ai would have fired first! And even a graze would have made her the victor." This raised some brows, but Wally got an understanding of it. "…Because of the arrows, right?" Yokona nodded. "Exactly. Because the killer would have been unable to do a single thing!"

Why would the killer be unable to do anything after getting hit?

A. She was afraid of the dark and couldn't move.

B. The arrows have a paralyzing effect.

C. The slot machine coins weighed her down.

"That's it!"

"You're talking about the paralyzing effect, right?" The strategist nodded as Hastur scratched his chin curiously. "That's right… when we found the arrows in the western cart, a stray lizard decided to try and lick a morsel from the arrow. But they touched the arrow tip before becoming immobile due to the intended effect."

"Exactly! The arrows paralyzed everything it hits, and Ai appeared to be hit by a good few! Which leads to this question I have… was it truly Ai who had the crossbow and arrows?" She then looked around at everyone with a grin. "So… does anyone know where the items truly came from?" Kuniyoshi rolled his eyes. "The carnival games. Duh shortie." This caused Yokona to glare at him before continuing.

"Ignoring the idiot-" "HEY!" "-Yes, they came from the carnival games… but more specifically… how?" Wally pondered a bit before remembering. "They're prizes from completing them, right?" Yokona nodded before gaining a serious look. "But has anyone looked at them? Like really looked at the games. The constellations impact what kind of games they were… right Conductorkuma?" They turned to the mascots as Conductorkuma was enjoying a cup of tea while Akumahebi deadpanned at them. "Oh. You remembered we exist here as well. But yeah… based around the signs."

Yokona then grinned. "Good. Because it if was Sagittarius… where else would one get the items but the shooting range?" Wally pondered a bit. "Well… now that I think about it, I saw the arrows at the shooting range before. Koharu was there and she beat the game, getting the arrows… but-"

The strategist let out a loud exclaim. "AH HA! You, trusty sidekick, have just given the final clue needed!" Wally blinked for a moment. "…What?" Yokona would grin as she continued. "Our killer got their crossbow and arrows from the shooting range! They surprised our victim who used their planted EMP in defense! But they still got the kill!" She crossed her arms with a smirk. "They've been suspicious this entire motive! And finally… you helped me prove it was her Wally!" Yokona then turned and pointed at their suspect. "Our killer is none other than… Koharu Takeda!"

The sniper was silent as Yokona continued. "She has the aim for the kill! She's a sniper skilled in hiding in the darkness! And now she's been caught red handed with proof against her!" Wally was confused and tried to speak up. "Umm… but she never took the-" But he was cut off as Yokona continued, pointing at the silent sniper.

The camera then shifted over to Koharu. "She took the crossbow and arrows!" The camera zoomed in closer to Koharu as she grit her teeth. "She chased down Ai for the cipher role!" Another zoom in as her hands could be seen shaking. "And she… is our killer!" The strategist then pointed to Wally. "Now, since you did it before, you can help get the glory of finding the killer! Solve the case for us Wally!" Wally was confused and tried to speak up when-

"I GOT YOU IN MY SIGHTS!"

Wally stopped as he turned to a furious sniper. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Koharu was banging on her podium as she glared at the sidekick. This wasn't like any time before… Koharu was enraged at the accusations. However, rage is a funny thing. In her anger, she didn't realize how it was solely Yokona proving her guilty.

Instead, she saw it as a two-man effort. The second hand belonging to her 'friend' the Ultimate Sidekick. And now? Wally was in her crosshair. "So, it seems all that 'friendship' shit was a lie. Well… FUCK! YOU! I'm innocent!" Wally was a little taken back but stood firm. "You are my friend! And I'm trying to tell you that I think you're-" "Guilty? Yeah… Absolute fantastic friend you asshole! Well don't expect me to go down easy!"

Wally knew he had to break through to Koharu. Yes, there was evidence pointing to her. Much more than already stated. However… there was still more missing from this trial.

[The scene shifts as the trial room became a large battlefield as Wally stood there in his Direclaw outfit once more. Bunkers as far as the eye can see… barricades… trenches… and all the while a constant wind blew through the warzone. However, despite his gear, everything was quiet… too quiet… as a red light rests on Wally's chest.

A bang rang out through the battlefield as Wally rolled out of the way… as a bullet landed and burst into flames where he was standing. Turning his head, he would see at the furthest bunker was Koharu. She was wearing a large cloak that seemed to be made of army green fire, a military combat outfit, a demonic looking sniper rifle in her hands, her hair back in a ponytail with the ponytail being made of pink fire, and a visor resting over her eyes. A scowl visible on her face.

Koharu would reach down to her pant leg and reach in a cargo pocket as she pulled out a glowing red bullet. Loading the bullet, her sniper rifle would glow brightly as she aimed at Wally once more… ready to take the shot.]

RESOLUTION RIVALRY

ULTIMATE SIDEKICK VS ULTIMATE SNIPER

DIRECLAW VS PHANTOM FIRE

BEGIN!

Wally: Koharu…

Koharu: NO! Shut the hell up!

Koharu: You spout all this bullshit about 'friends' and all that!

Koharu: And yet, I'm still stuck fighting my way all on my own!

Koharu: Why do you people think I did it!?

-Bullet Selected: Strange Arrows-

[Wally would shoot his grappling hook out as he grabbed a plank like part of a barricade that was on the ground. He would shoot off, surfing on the plank, as he dodged another burning shot from Koharu while plank surfing closer and closer to the sniper's bunker. Koharu would get a fierce glare as she snapped her fingers… causing fire soldier constructs to appear from the trenches to fire bullets at Wally.]

Wally: The strange arrows!

Wally: They came from the carnival… the same game that you won!

Wally: You were seen with them!

Wally: But still-

Koharu: So! What!?

Koharu: I left those there! I never took them!

Koharu: Same with the damn crossbow!

Koharu: Anyone could have grabbed them!

Koharu: But because it's arrows, you go for me!?

Koharu: What else points to me!?

- Bullet Added: Unique Item Exclusiveness-

[Wally would be dodging and weaving the soldier bullets as he would take them out with his bolas and dart gun. Suddenly, two fire soldier constructs seemed to appear from one of the trenches as they fired at the sidekick with burning rocket launchers. They would hit the ground beneath him as he found himself being launched into the air. Wally would toss two direrangs, nailing the fire soldiers in the forehead as they burst into infernos.]

Wally: Because it had to be the same arrows!

Wally: Special items from the carnival are unique!

Wally: So those are literally the only arrows like that!

Wally: However-

Koharu: I left those arrows there!

Koharu: I never took them yet I'm the one that's suspicious!?

Koharu: Anyone could have fucking grabbed them!

Koharu: So why am I suspicious when others aren't!?

-Bullet Selected: Power Outage Accounts-

[A red dot would appear on the midair sidekick's forehead from Koharu's sniper. The end of her sniper rifle would seem to be charging up a large blast of fire as Wally pulled out his grappling hook. Firing to the ground of the bunker, it would latch as he found himself shooting off towards Koharu like a bullet… all the while barely dodging the massive beam of fire. Landing on the bunker in a roll, Wally would stand up and stare at Koharu as he pulled out the glowing dart… preparing for the final showdown.]

Wally: Because of the accounts during the power outage!

Wally: The others in the blackout had their own accounts!

Wally: You were all by yourself!

Wally: But-

Koharu: I wasn't the only one on my own!

Koharu: There's five other people who also have no alibi!

Koharu: One of them was the one who fucking accused me!

Koharu: I'm telling you! IT! WASN'T! ME!

Koharu… you think I'm your enemy here… that you're fighting for your innocence … And that I'm fighting to prove you guilty … however…

Wally: I KNOW IT WASN'T YOU!

-Bullet Selected: Observer File-

"THE HERO SAVES THE DAY!"

[Wally would dodge back and forth from Koharu's sniper bullets as he prepped his glowing dart. The rage in Koharu was burning at an all time high as she slammed her fist down on the ground, sending a pillar wave of fire at Wally. The sidekick would roll out of the way, gathering his bearings, as a small cracking sound could be heard. And without warning, the ground beneath Koharu would break as she started to fall. All the while, Wally was standing there with his glowing dart in the dart gun.

It was the end… until Wally would toss the dart gun away and rush forward as fast as he could. Sliding to the crack in the ground, he would reach out for Koharu. The sniper would be in shock… but reach out to the extended hand. The camera shifted to the black beneath before it would move upwards to show a dangling Koharu. She would be looking up at Wally and he started to lift her up as the sniper rifle Koharu was using would fall to the abyss below. Once the two were out of danger, Wally would look at the shellshocked sniper… before giving her a hug… as the scene would shatter and return to the trial room where Wally would be looking at Koharu with a gentle smile.]

BREAK

"…What?" Everyone was silent as Wally spoke up. Koharu was staring at him with tear-stained eyes as Li-Wei would look at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Wally would look at Koharu with a serious look. "…Koharu is innocent until proven guilty." Yokona would groan and look at Wally. "What the hell are you talking about? Everything points to her!"

Wally shook his head. "No. There's a piece of evidence I've been trying to bring up. Something that changes everything about this case. One that reveals who really committed the murder." This caused people to blink as Kana spoke up. "Seriously? So, you know who the killer is? Well, if it's not Koharu… then who is it?" Wally would turn to Emiko who would nod as he sighed. "…The Observer."

This just raised more questions as Hastur leaned forward curious. "The Observer? What exactly is that?" Emiko would then speak up instead. "It was something we found and was unsure of. Someone in the game who acts like a second pair of eyes for the conductor without even knowing." Yokona would look at them with a raised brow and groaned. "So, what… some sleeper agent or something?

"No. A robot." This caused a wave of silence as Wally spoke out. "The Observer is a robot. Who unknowingly is a walking camera for the Conductor." No one really knew how to respond to this crazy theory… until… "Well… huh. That's a twist. Didn't expect any of you bastards to find out about the Observer so early." This caused people to turn to the bear as he just confirmed it. Kuniyoshi would shout out. "So, wait! One of us is a walking talking drone!?" "Hey! How rude! Calling them a drone. That's robophobic!"

Ember would groan and shake her head at the bears actions. "So… we actually have a robot individual?" "Oh yep. I may be a twisted bear who loves despair, but I'm an honest bear! The one of you is actually a robot! We should totally take a selfie with them, the mascots and us! #KillingGameRobobuddies!" Tenshizo nodded happily as Akumahebi groaned. "I t-think it w-would be fun!" "I'd rather be skinned into a pair of boots."

Brushing past the antics, Koharu was looked unsure as she rubbed her arm. "…So, this… observer… they killed Ai?" A nod from Wally is what she got in response as she looked away. She was still hesitant… but not angry at him anymore. However, Yokona wasn't so sure as she turned to the sidekick with crossed arms and a raised brow. "That doesn't explain how it's not Koharu. In the first place, how are you so sure this Observer is the one who committed the murder?"

Okay… I have their attention. What caused the Observer to do it?

-Bullet Selected: Scorpio EMP-

"That's it!"

"When the observer is disconnected from their power connection, they switch to their 'factory settings'. Those factor settings are stated to be a 'cold-hearted machine who will stop at nothing to complete the mission'." Chizure tapped her chin in wonder before it clicked. "The EMP." Wally nodded as he crossed his arms. "The EMP knocked out all electronics within a radius. From what we talked about… that would directly impact the prison cart and the casino cart."

Kuniyoshi crossed his arms and groaned. "And we already came to the conclusion that it was space girl who called the killer out… so that means if they were brought there… a robot rider would get his full blast by the EMP and would go all terminator." Yokona scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Okay. So, we have an idea of why they would go murder bot… but not how you're so sure." She gave a glare and crossed her arms. "I still think it's Koharu! Nothing points to her not being the killer!" Wally stared back. "But there's evidence that proves it could only be the Observer!"

Looks like I have to prove my theory correct or else Yokona won't let it slide.

NON-STOP DEBATE

Yokona: A robot! Seriously!? How can anyone prepare for that?

Katashi: You don't?

Chizure: Maybe they were able to pry the door open?

Kanade: Like Superman?

Yokona: The evidence points to her! Koharu is the killer, not this random robot!

Kana: Calm down with the hate boner for crying out loud...

Ember: … Moving on.

Takeshi: W-Well... P-Perhaps it can be seen on her injuries.

Kuniyoshi: How? Ai was fucked up pretty badly.

Li-Wei: Maybe that is what he means?

-Bullet Selected: Takeshi Autopsy -

Wally: I agree with that!

CONSENT

"Takeshi is correct. The evidence is on the victim's body. Can you list off her injuries once more?" The combat medic nodded and continued. "W-Well, in a-addition to the puncture w-wounds, the main injuries Ai e-experienced were blunt f-force trauma and a crushed w-wrist." The sidekick nodded as he tilted his head in thought. "First off, this might be estimate, but I believe the observer while in their 'factory reset' mode would have some sort of good aim. So, let's not take that into account now. It would explain the arrows and the puncture wounds.

"So instead, we should focus on the other injuries. The blunt force trauma and the crushed wrist. Now to start… the question is… what caused the blunt force trauma?" He started to ponder… it had to have been something they saw.

Was there anything that could have caused it?

-Bullet Selected: Slot Machine-

"That's it!"

"Of course! The slot machines!" Kana smirked and raised a brow. "The ones Kuniyoshi struggled to understand, only for there to be a sign on them?" "OI! Shut the hell up!" Wally chuckled a little bit but nodded. "Exactly. They have something known as the "Jackpot Safety Lock" which prevents tokens from spilling out all at once. However, it states that if disconnected from power, the lock would be deactivated and would release the tokens from a solid hit."

Yokona's eyes widened a bit. "And with the EMP, the lock would be disabled." Wally nodded as he continued. "The blunt force trauma must have been the solid hit needed to cause the tokens to spill… It's most likely that Ai was tossed at the slot machines, causing the deactivated lock to trigger!" The strategist took a step back and glared a little. "Yeah? So what! Anyone could do that! What proves it was this Observer?"

"Well… can anyone crush bone?" This caused some to flinch, but the sidekick continued. "Don't forget. Ai had a crushed wrist. Not a bruised wrist but a crushed one. There were no signs of anything possible to use… meaning that the killer had to have been able to crush her wrist on their own." Kanade looked pale at that and tilted her head. "W-Why would they crush her wrist anyways?"

Fair question… what were they trying to get from in the first place?

-Bullet Selected: Sagittarius Crossbow-

"That's it!"

"The killer crushed Ai's wrist to take the crossbow away from her. They attacked her to use the very same crossbow on Ai herself, as it would be effective but would also cause the paralyzing effect." This caused Yokona to frown more as Wally deadpanned at her. "I was trying to tell you… Koharu never took the arrows. She left them there and walked off." Crossing his arms, he continued. "This means that the arrows were in the open… and I doubt Ai would call the killer out without some kind of weapon."

Ember frowned and looked confused. "Would the paralyzing effect even work on this Observer?" This caused other to stop and ponder as Hastur spoke up. "I… do not believe so? The paralysis must be from some action that effects our own nervous system?" Katashi nodded. "But a robot wouldn't have a nervous system like us… meaning they were just plain old arrows."

The sidekick would nod in agreeance. "Exactly. Ai would have known this, meaning she was able to prove that who she shot was the Observer." Yokona's eyes widened. "What!? You think she did shoot first!" "S-So she was Han?" "Shut up idiot." Wally rolled his eyes at the mascots but nodded at Yokona. "Exactly. And there is proof." However, in the corner of his eye, Wally would notice a smile that caused his mind to freeze for a moment.

Was that- no. Don't think about that. You were imagining it. Focus. The evidence that proved that the observer was injured first is…

-Bullet Selected: Pool of Red and Black-

"That's it!"

Ignoring the smiling figure, Wally continued. "Underneath Ai was a pool of blood. We all saw that. But mixed in the pool was a black liquid. And while it doesn't make sense at first, it does when you go with the thought that Ai shot the Observer first." Kana pondered before she snapped her fingers. "Oil." "Exactly. They would have struck enough to pierce and cause oil to spill."

Yokona would stare for a moment before she groaned and sighed. "Fine! It was this Observer person! That just means that Koharu is a robot." The sniper glared at the strategist as Li-Wei sighed. "This is going nowhere. Can you tell us some any clues to determine who they are?" Emiko would sigh and shake her head. "Unfortunately, we can't tell while they're normal. They wouldn't even remember anything while in 'factory settings' mode."

Kana sighed and looked at them. "Well… can we tell if they were in this 'factory settings' mode?" Wally nodded. "Yeah. There would be signs of when they were in that state. There's a good number of visual cues that were listed. This including robotic movements, robotic vocal cords… and glowing red eyes." He then smiled. "And we can prove the glowing red eyes easily." Once again, he noticed it in the corner of his eye… another smile.

O-Okay. That smile couldn't be a coincidence, right? No. It has to be right? …W-Whatever. When it comes to the red eyes, the piece that help prove this is none other than…

-Bullet Selected: Yokona's Account-

"T-That's it!"

"The glowing red eyes were seen before. The red light that Ember and Emiko saw. However, another person saw that red light… isn't that right Yokona?" The strategist looked at him for a bit before nodding. "Yeah. Was getting cards for our practice session in my room when the lights went out. And through the crack under my door, I saw a red light appear before moving away."

Wally nodded. "First off… still didn't know a practice session was happening again." Once more Kuniyoshi laughed out loud, causing the strategist to glare at the poker player. "Secondly… that red light? That was the Observer's glowing red eyes. Meaning that they passed the kitchen, seen by Ember and Emiko, and moved to their dorm as seen by you."

From this discussion, a thought entered the sidekick's mind. It… would explain things. And it made sense. However, seeing a certain individual smiling at him… made him even more uneasy. Because it wasn't a happy smile. It was a sad smile.

WHY ARE THEY STILL SMILING!? A-Anyways… It can't be Koharu or Yokona. If her account is true then… then…

A. The killer is most likely female.

B. Ai was the observer. Ai was an AI.

C. The killer is most likely male.

"…That's- …That's it."

"If what Yokona stated was true, then the light moved away from her door… towards the other side of the room." He crossed his arms. "From that, we can cross Yokona and Koharu off as suspects… because the red light moved towards the male dorms. Meaning our killer…" The camera cut to the cosmicism writer. "…is Hastur…" It then cut to the combat medic. "…T-Takeshi…" It then cut once more. "…Kuniyoshi…" And it cut one final time. "…or Katashi." All the while, Wally was in his own mind confused.

Was it right? No, that didn't make sense. Except it did. But it doesn't. Except it does! How-

However, his train of thought was cut off by Emiko coughing to get his attention. "Umm… Wally? Is everything okay with you? You're acting all… weird." The others turned to the sidekick as Kuniyoshi decided to speak up. "Yeah. You're acting shifty and nervous suddenly just now. We were just bringing up evidence to narrow it down. Why would you be nervous when you're proved innocent. …Unless…" Yokona finished the poker player's thought with a glare at Wally. "Unless you figured out who the killer is."

There was a moment of silence as Wally looked away before sighing. "I… have an idea… but I'm not too sure yet." Yokona glare grew as she crossed her arms. "If you have a guess, then bring it up! We can discuss it! That's the point of the damn trial!" Wally flinched a bit at her words as he continued. "W-Well the problem is… well… … ummm…" His mind was running a mile a minute.

For the love of God STOP SMILING PLEASE! What can I use to help explain this worry of mine and try to figure this all out?

However, he never got the chance to think of something as he heard a groan from a certain therapist. "Holy fuck… here we go…" Katashi just shook his head. "I can see it… you're bargaining… denying. But we don't have time… so I'll help."

The therapist would turn and look at Wally. "Hey. Hero boy. You still believe the world is villains and heroes? When are you going to understand that's not the case?" Wally was silent as Katashi lit another cigarette and exhaled. "…I did my own autopsy. While not a medic myself, I know a good bit. And all the info we had was correct… …except on the strange wound on her foot. It was minuet so no one would notice at first glance. However, that wound? It had signs of venom on it." The therapist had a serious look as he said this. Some individuals turned to Akumahebi who just glared. "Oh sure. Blame the snake. Fucking assholes"

Bullet Added: Katashi's Autopsy

Takeshi's eyes widened as he groaned. "I s-see… my apologies… I m-must have m-missed that one comrades." This caused people to blink as Kanade tilted her head. "S-So… Ai was poisoned?" Katashi shook his head. "No. It's venom. Not poison. There's a difference." Li-Wei would give an unbelieving stare. "Venom? Seriously. Venom is unrealistic. The closest we have is the lizards in the western cart, however I can tell none of them have venom. Park experience." The ranger crossed his arms and glared. "So where could one even get venom?"

There… is a spot where one could get venom. Something that… was missed. That could be use.

-Bullet Selected: Pile of Daggers-

"T-That's it."

"…From something snake related." The sidekick spoke up. "The daggers in the carnival cart. There was five. A lion, a crane, a bull, a crab… and a snake." Tenshizo nodded and clapped. "C-Correct! All the d-daggers have a d-different effect! T-The l-lion dagger caused a f-fear effect. The b-bull d-dagger caused a r-rage effect. T-That one c-could be seen w-with-" Akumahebi would whack the elephant on the back of the head. "Stop rambling about unimportant shit and let them talk."

Wally just nodded as he sighed. "So, there we have it… our weapon of choice." However, that didn't sit right as Li-Wei crossed his arms. "I still don't believe it. Takeshi would have noticed the venom. I think you're full of lies!" Katashi just scoffed in response. "Please. There's room for error. I know what I saw." Suddenly Yokona spoke up. "Why are you suddenly coming in with new information? How can we trust your sources when the facts have proven otherwise!?"

"You're wrong!" "Don't deny the facts!" "My theory is correct!"

Uh oh… they're all speaking at once! We're losing it! I gotta get us back on track!

MASS PANIC DEBATE

Li-Wei: I don't believe a word you're saying!

Katashi: I only speak when I'm needed.

Yokona: The murder weapon is the crossbow and arrows!

Li-Wei: To drop something so random like this!

Katashi: Because you all seem to think I'm full of shit.

Yokona: It fits the facts that we know!

Li-Wei: Ai was killed due to her injuries!

Katashi: This isn't some random information dropped out of nowhere.

Yokona: To bring in a new weapon entirely?

Li-Wei: Not some unknown venom!

Katashi: My discovery goes with and matches everything we already know.

Yokona: That is but a false endeavour!

-Bullet Selected: Conductorkuma File (Ai)-

Wally: I-I agree with that!

CONSENT

Everyone turned to the sidekick as he had a worried frown. "Sadly… he's right. Don't forget… We knew about the crossbow and arrows. We knew about the injuries. And yet, the cause of death was completely unknown in the Conductorkuma File." This caused some eyes to widen as Kuniyoshi nodded. "That's true… kind of easy to forget about the damn file compared to the other evidence." This, however, caused Conductorkuma to act as if he got shot in the heart. "GAH! All t-that effort… for no recognition from senpai… my kokoroooooo…"

Ignoring the bear, Takeshi continued the train of thought. "A-And if the cause of d-death was hidden… perhaps it was because the m-murder weapon w-wasn't any of the o-obvious? The weapon would h-have been h-hidden away from v-visible eye… almost as if it was s-something special." Kana would nod in understanding and crossed her arms. "…Something like a venomous dagger hidden in plain sight."

Katashi would nod as he sighed and rested his arms on his podium. Shaking his head, he spoke with a cutting tone. "And just like that… we have all the clues we need to point to the killer. The murder weapon… the plan… everything. And yet, it's obvious that there's the final piece of the puzzle. The piece that you're hesitating to reveal."

He then looked up and stared at the sidekick. "So… how long are you going to avoid it Hero Boy? You know who it is." He put out his cigarette and sent a small glare. "So, stop denying it… or all our lives on the line. You want to be a hero? Then fucking act like one." This caused people to turn to Wally as the sidekick was silent. "Tell them who it is."

Dammit… I… I don't like this. Katashi's words... I… I… I hate how he's right! He's right because they're the only one who fits the bill! It all points to them when you look at it… And… they know it.

That smile wasn't an accident, was it? …Dammit. The killer… The killer is…

Select Individual:

Emiko
Katashi
Yokona
Hastur
Chizure
Satoru (X)
Ai (X)
Shunso (X)
Kana
Wally
Ember
Li-Wei
Koharu
Takeshi
Kanade
Kuniyoshi

"…It's you…"

… "…It's Takeshi."

The room would go silent as Wally rubbed his head in frustration. "The killer is Takeshi. I… was hoping I was wrong but I'm not. Takeshi… what was your alibi?" Takeshi would smile at Wally. "I was sleeping. Not soundly… but sleeping." The sidekick nodded. "…Like you weren't even in control of your body."

Koharu would cough and glare at Wally. "Ummm… no. No fucking way it was Takeshi." The medic would turn to her. "Koharu-" "No. You don't have to argue." Kanade nodded. "Y-Yeah! We'll prove that it wasn't you Takeshi!" Hastur smiled as well. "Indeed, our healing companion!"

However, Yokona would scoff. "Please. Anyone could be a killer! If it's pointing to Takeshi…" Koharu glared at her. "Oh, like how it 'pointed at me'? Jumping the bandwagon quick, aren't you?" Kuniyoshi would cough and speak up. "Hey. She had a theory and went with it. If there's evidence we have to look at it." Chizure looked back and forth and nodded as Kanade looked shocked. "I-I don't want to believe it was him either! But we need to look at the facts!"

Wally could only watch as people started to rally together. Some to prove Takeshi is innocent. And some to prove he is guilty. Some want to listen but the discourse was just too much for Wally. He was denying it. He knows the facts. But his heart is stopping him. He could try but why? One voice wouldn't be enough. He wasn't sure he could do it.

How can I get them to listen? How can I tell them the truth?

And just as he felt hopeless…

"LET ME GIVE YOUR ARGUMENT SOME EMERGENCY FIRST AID!"

Wally would stare at Takeshi in shock as the medic would give a sad expression… and a smile. A look of understanding could be seen in his eyes. And it was at that moment, Wally understood. …Takeshi wasn't against him. He wasn't smiling because he was getting away with it. He was smiling… because he was being caught. It was going to take a bit to explain the details to the others… however…

…It wasn't a single sided effort anymore.

"…A hero finds a way..."

He can do this.

[The scene shifts from the trial room as Wally was back in the warzone from before… wearing his Direclaw costume once again. However, the warzone seemed different. Rather then the barricaded and ready for combat location of before… it was now desolate. The bunkers were old and covered in moss, the barricades are all broken, and the trenches are flooded with water.

Standing directly across from Wally was Takeshi, standing there in a costume. His army boots had red Caduceus symbols on them, camo combat pants, a bulletproof vest, two large silver gauntlets, his traditional scarf, a set of goggles, and in his hand was a large Rod of Asclepius.

The scene around them suddenly was surrounded by chains that completely covered/blocked them off. Beyond the chains, Wally and Takeshi could see the others. However, hidden with appeared to be multiple massive snakes… it was time for them to see the truth as the two nodded to one another.]

CONTRITION CONTENTION

ULTIMATE SIDEKICK AND ULTIMATE COMBAT MEDIC

DIRECLAW AND ALLOY SOLDIER

BEGIN!

[The two would start and move, Wally dashing to the left and Takeshi dashing to the right. The snakes hissed loudly as the sounds of doubt and distrust echoed from them. The snakes, hungry for chaos, would lunge forward to the two.]

Takeshi: Over half of the riders are innocent due to one piece of evidence.

-Bullet Selected: Yokona's Account-

Wally: Because Yokona saw the light moving away from her… towards the male dorms.

[Wally would launch direrangs into the eyes of a snake while Takeshi smashed one himself with Rod of Asclepius. The snakes would shatter into pieces as a few of the chains started to crack and crumble into dust. Two more snakes then coiled up from the trenches beneath as large eyes multiple sets of eyes watched calculatingly.]

Takeshi: But one had an account that fell apart once the truth came out.

-Bullet Selected: Power Outage Accounts -

Wally: Because you weren't waking up from rough sleep but waking up from factory settings.

[The snakes tried to circle around the two as Wally reached into his utility belt and tossed a smoke grenade on the ground. The smoke would rise over the two as the snakes lunged forward, hitting nothing but air. Wally would toss a bolo, tying the two snakes together as a rocket blasted the two which came from Takeshi, who's Rod of Asclepius turned into a rocket launcher.]

Takeshi: There was truth purposely left behind during the investigation.

-Bullet Selected: Takeshi's Autopsy-

Wally: Because you knew that eventually we would find that hidden information.

[Two more snakes would appear as Takeshi turned his rocket launcher back into the Rod of Asclepius before tossing it upwards. Wally would land right behind Takeshi and the two would stand back-to-back, ready for fisticuffs. Together, they bash away the striking snakes with a flurry of punches and kicks as they shattered into pieces. The chains around them disappeared more as gaps of light began to shine through. However, a darkness then grew as from the chains came a massive pitch-black Naga that roared down at them.]

Takeshi: Which in turned helped in pointing the trial in the right direction.

-Bullet Selected: Katashi's Autopsy-

Wally: Because that single detail would lead back to the true murder weapon.

[The two looked back at one another and nodded before turning back to the massive Naga. It roared out in anger as Wally grappling hooked his way forward, catching the snake's attention. The sidekick would be dodging and weaving the Naga tried to chomp down on him as he soon found himself in a corner. The Naga laughed down at the sidekick in victory… when Wally smirked and fired his grappling hook to the chains above. The sidekick would zoom upwards in a quick manner as something was caught in the corner of the Naga's eye. Suddenly a glow could be seen approaching as the Naga turned around and roared… only to be obliterated by a massive beam of light coming from Takeshi's Rod of Asclepius.]

Takeshi: And there's only one possible weapon… only one possible killer.

-Bullet Selected: Unique Item Exclusiveness-

Wally: …Because you were the only one who could have taken it in the first place…

[Landing down on the ground, the light peaking through the chains would shine down on Wally's belt as the sidekick pulled out a glowing dart. Loading his dart gun up, the sidekick and combat medic walked up to one another and stared each other down. Wally would aim his dart gun with the glowing dart as Takeshi aimed his glowing Rod of Asclepius… Time would halt for a moment as the two fired… at the final two snakes that appeared, trying to sneak attack the two. Wally's dart destroyed the snake lunging at Takeshi as a beam of light obliterated the one lunging at Wally. The sidekick and combat medic stood there for a moment as the scene around them began to slowly crack and break.

The final chains started to disappear and crumble into dust as the light shined down on the two of them. Another dart glowed and the rod shined once more. They two aimed at one another once more… one final stare down… until Takeshi lowered his rod and smiled at Wally. Placing the rod like a sword in the ground, the combat medic would look the sidekick in the eye. A nod from Takeshi was all that was needed as a tear rolled down Wally's face… and he fired, the dart nailing Takeshi in the forehead. As the dart struck, the scene around them glowed brightly and shattered… revealing the two staring at one another across the courtroom with sad expressions. A sad frown on the sidekick and a sad smile on the medic.]

-BREAK-

Everyone stared in silence. Some were in shock. Some were in anger. Some were calm. All the while, Wally felt a whirlwind of emotions as he sighed and frowned at the sadly smiling combat medic. "…When Conductorkuma stated 'there is only one of each unique item'… it raised questions. I gave it the benefit of the doubt but… I can confidently say that the murder weapon was hidden within the pile of daggers by the libra carnival scales."

Katashi nodded with another exhale of smoke. "…Because there's only supposed to be four." The sidekick nodded as the survivor gained a look of recognition. "…But when investigating the scales to open the carnival doors… there were five daggers there." Wally gave a sad smile. "Yeah. The fifth dagger? The snake one? The murder weapon? Wasn't part of that scale… …It was the dagger I had in my room." Others looked at him in shock as Hastur snapped his fingers. "Wait! It was the dagger obtained from the Slitherlink puzzle?" Wally would nod. "The same dagger. I didn't want to leave it about, so I brought it to my room. I thought it was safe there. But now it's been used in a murder… And the only one who had enough time to access my room and take it was Takeshi."

Kanade looked pale. "B-But the power outage! They could take it t-then…" Wally shook his head in disagreement. "No. We already pointed out that the killer, the observer, was in the casino cart when the murder occurred. Meaning they had to have had the dagger BEFORE." He sighed. The sidekick could tell that they were close. People were seeing it… all that remained was… was…

What could I use to put the final nail in this case?

-Bullet Selected: Pool of Red and Black-

"That's it…"

"…The pool of red and black. And the arrows that had red and black as well." They turned to him as he looked at Takeshi. "…That means one thing. You were injured. You were shot by Ai before the kill. We confirmed this. But we never talked about what that meant." Takeshi would smile at Wally as the medic rolled up his sleeve.

…Revealing bandages wrapped around his arm while stained with red and black. "Which meant that there would be evidence left behind."

The silence that echoed through the trial room was suffocating to the sidekick. Here he was, proving his friend had committed murder. …Murder not completely in his control. The pain in his chest tightened more and more. However, he vowed to bring this game to the end. He promised to be the hero. But for the first time in a long time… he hated that title with a passion.

So, giving his own sad smile, Wally watched as the combat medic nodded. "…I'm… going to wrap things up." "…Go right ahead comrade."

CLOSING ARGUMENT

[Act 1 appears as scene shifts to show the everyone looking at their letters. Wally looked at his with worry. Koharu looked at hers with anger. Emiko looked at hers silently. Li-Wei looked at his with a serious look. And finally, a greyed-out figure looked at theirs with shock as the scene shifts to black.]

Act 1: The motive was a mixed bag. I should know as my own letter shook me up. And everyone else had their own reactions. That included the killer himself.

[The camera then faded to show the greyed-out figure grabbing the snake dagger, followed by entering the casino cart. It then shows them looking down at their Kuma-Watch as another image showed Ai standing seriously while hidden in the casino cart.]

Over the days, they would do a variety of actions that wouldn't connect until later. First was taking the snake dagger from my room. Then it was finding out how to change the cipher which was somewhere in the casino cart. However, he wasn't the only one to figure it out. Because Ai had also figured it out… and she was preparing for the killer to meet her there.

[Act 2 appears as the scene shifts in a way to show a flashback to Wally, Emiko and Ai finding the file about the robot rider. Wally and Emiko would then be shown talking to one another as Ai gained a serious expression before turning to the two with a smile.]

Act 2: This side of the story started from when Emiko, Ai and I found out the information about one of the riders being an observer robot. While Me and Emiko talked about whether we should hide this information, we had no idea Ai was coming up with her own plan.

[The scene then shifts to show Ai grabbing strange arrows, the crossbow, and the EMP from the carnival. She then moved to the prison cart and hooked up the EMP to the security system. It then zoomed into the EMP as an ominous aura came from it.]

Ai would gather her own tools. She'd gather the paralyzing arrows left behind by Koharu, the Sagittarius Crossbow, and the Scorpio EMP, all from the carnival. She needed to rig the train to blackout… so she hooked up the EMP directly to the prison cart's security system. However, we wouldn't know it… but that EMP would bring her demise.

[Act 3 appears as it shows Ai entering the casino. It then shows her walking closer as the word "cipher" appeared above her. It then showed a flashback of her talking to Hastur before showing her serious expression while thinking of a robot.]

Act 3: After setting up her tools, Ai would head to the casino where, through their own discovery, learned that in the casino is where one can change the cipher. From past discussions with Hastur, she learned that the cipher had changed since the beginning… leading her to guess that the one who changed the cipher… was the observer robot.

[It then shows Ai moving her hand as the greyed-out receives a message on their Kuma-Watch. It then showed the greyed-out figure grabbing the snake dagger and leaving their dorm. It then shifted to the figure entering the casino as Ai appeared in front of the Libra scales as she pushed the four daggers onto the floor, resulting in the carnival to appear as a lock sound clicks.]

So, her plan was simple. To lure out the observer, she changed the cipher, causing the notification message to appear for the killer. And she was right on the money as the killer was lured in… but not blindly mind you as stated… With a dagger in hand, they would enter casino, as a hidden Ai would mess with the Libra Scales to lock the carnival doors.

[Act 4 appears as the greyed-out figure was seen as Ai could be visible but hidden over their shoulder. Ai then stepped out with the crossbow in hand before firing. The arrow would hit the greyed-out figure's arm, going through, and revealing red and black liquid.]

Act 4: Entering the casino cart, the killer would move over and go to change the cipher once more. Once they were done however, Ai would step out and confront the killer. Crossbow at the ready, the two stared down… before Ai would fire, hitting the killer with an arrow. The arrow was the final tell for Ai, as the paralyzing effect would affect almost everyone… except the observer. As the combination of fake blood and oil was visible.

[The scene then shook before showing Ai pressing the button, causing a wave to shoot out as the other carts were shown being blacked out. It then showed the killer disappearing in the darkness for a moment… before a pair of red eyes shone through the darkness.]

A back and forth would have occurred from that… one that would have led to the detonator being pressed in Ai hands. This would cause the Scorpio EMP to go off, bringing a blackout to the entire train… but also hitting the killer with the shockwave… putting them into factory reset mode.

[The scene then showed the greyed-out figure with red eyes grabbing Ai's wrist and crushing it, causing the crossbow to fall to the ground. The astrologer would try and run but the scene then showed arrows entering her arms as the greyed-out figure was seen holding the crossbow.]

Turning into 'soldier mode', the killer would grab Ai's wrist and crush it. This caused her to drop the crossbow and attempt to flee. However, it would be in vain as the killer would use the crossbow on her, paralyzing her with the arrows.

[The scene then shifted to show the figure cutting the astrologer on her foot with the snake dagger before picking her up and throwing her at the slot machines. The slot machines would release their tokens, covering the now dead Ai.]

The killer would the create the killing cut on the astrologer's foot using the venom infused dagger. They would then toss Ai towards the slot machines, causing the tokens to release due to the jackpot safety lock being deactivated from the blackout… covering the newly killed astrologer.

[Act 5 appears while showing the killer patching themselves up, grabbing the crossbow and arrows from Ai, (including the arrows in her body), and exiting to the carnival cart. It would then show them throwing a cleaned-up dagger into the pile of daggers as the killer would approach the carnival cart doors, only to find them still locked.]

Act 5: Once the murder was done, the killer would patch themselves up with their own gear. Makes sense with their talent to be prepared. They then collected the crossbow and all the arrows, including the ones in Ai, before heading out to leave. They'd toss their snake dagger into the pile of the other daggers… not knowing that they wouldn't figure out how to unlock the carnival cart doors… nor that they left behind the biggest piece of evidence.

[The scene shifted to show the greyed-out figure looking around the prison cart before hopping into the hidden passageway. The figure then exited from the sheriff's office, tossed the crossbow and arrows behind it, and moved towards the exit. Meanwhile the scene then shifted to show Wally, Li-Wei, and Wally in the saloon.]

The killer would find the hidden passageway eventually and leave through there, ending up in the sheriff's office in the western cart. They would toss the crossbow and arrows away before heading out of the cart… which… thinking of the timeline… means we most likely missed them while in the saloon.

[The scene then shifted to show the greyed-out figure walking past the kitchen, with Ember and Emiko staring at the light in confusion and worry. It then moved to the figure heading towards their side of the dorms while another scene showed Yokona noticing the red light from the cracks in her doors. Then it moved back to the figure laying on their bed as their eyes closed.]

Now that they've removed all their unneeded items, the killer would head towards their dorms. However, their red eyes would be giving a glow that caught the attention of Emiko and Ember in the kitchen as the killer passed by. It also caught the eye of Yokona who saw it from underneath their door… with the light moving towards the male side of the dorms as our killer reached their room and slept.

[Act 6 appeared as the figure found themselves sitting up from their bed with confused green eyes. They would hold their head and look at the bandages and injury on their arm with confusion. However, the announcement would play, and their face would pale.]

Act 6: They wouldn't sleep long but our killer would find themselves back to normal. It would be a daze as they tried to remember where they were and how they got to their room as they would notice their injury. Suddenly, it would take a single announcement for it all to click for them… why they couldn't remember… and what they must have done.

[The scene would then shift to the greyed-out figure rolling their sleeve down and exiting their room. They would then appear in front of the locked carnival cart doors with the others as they are looking nervous. Finally, it would then shift to the figure looking down at Ai in shock as a, for a split second, a cold look and red eyes appeared on their face, before returning to their normal face.]

The killer would exit their room while covering their wounds before meeting with the others. As they moved closer and closer to the casino, the questions would be on their mind. And only once seeing the body would it click. They couldn't remember it… but they knew… they committed the crime.

[Scene shifts to show Wally looking away, covering half his grief filled face with his hand. The greyed-out figure looked back at Wally with a sorry expression while holding their arm.]

I'm sorry but you've done more harm than healing this time! That's the truth of this trial… Takeshi Sano, the Ultimate Combat Medic!?

[The greyed-out figure changed to show a remorseful Takeshi, holding their wounded arm as red and black liquid could be seen dripping from it.]

BREAK

As Wally finished his explanation, there was no sounds in the trial room except for Takeshi's slow clap and Conductorkuma's twisted cackling.

"Well! It seems you've come to a conclusion!" Conductorkuma grinned as he sat there. Suddenly, a large machine appeared behind him… a large pachinko machine. Eight bit faces of all the riders lined the bottom except for Shunso's, Satoru's and Ai's as they were blacked out. "You know the drill! Place your votes! Otherwise, we'll see where the ball lands and you'll be stuck with that fate!"

Wally was frustrated as he pressed the name with slight tears in his eyes. To vote for his friend… it hurt as the others followed suit. Not a word was said as they stood there in anticipation.

VOTE FOR THE BLACKENED-

Emiko
Katashi
Yokona
Hastur
Chizure
Satoru (X)
Ai (X)
Shunso (X)
Kana
Wally
Ember
Li-Wei
Koharu
Takeshi
Kanade
Kuniyoshi

The pachinko ball fell down the machine bouncing around and about. As it approached closer and closer to the bottom, the spots in the machine began to close. Soon enough all the slots were closed except for Takeshi's.

VOTES TALLIED!

Takeshi Sano: 13

Didn't Vote: 0

…

As the ball finally finished bouncing throughout the machine and landed into Takeshi's slot, the machine whirled to life as an eight-bit Conductorkuma cheered with a picture of Takeshi's eight bit face appeared on the big screen face flashing with a single word appearing underneath.

GUILTY!

"Congrats you bastards! You've done it again! And a clean sweep at that!" Conductorkuma laughed cheerfully as he pointed at the smiling Takeshi. "The killer of Ai Fukushima, the Ultimate Astrologer… was none other than our robotic observer… Takeshi Sano, the Ultimate Combat Medic!"

-TRIAL END-

The room was silent as Takeshi smiled at Wally. "…You did it again comrade. Congratulations." Wally just walked over to his podium and grabbed him. "I… why!? Why did you go for the cipher role!?" Wally shook the medic as everyone moved closer. Light tears could be seen forming in the eyes of the sidekick. "We would have accepted you! You didn't need to do it!" Takeshi just shook his head and sighed. He seemed so… calm. "But I did… because while I picked the cipher… I wasn't the cipher."

This caused everyone to pause as Kuniyoshi spoke up. "Wait what? The cipher wasn't you? Then who the hell was it?" Takeshi smiled and looked at them with a sigh. "I'll give you a hint and a final question. The hint is… you never found HOW the cipher was decided." This caused people to stop. It… was true. The cipher was used to lure him out… but how did he know how to change it? "Another clue… look at the new rule. It says no telling people…" This clue wasn't as clear… "So, here's the question… what was the one topic we never talked about?"

The clue we never talked about? What was that?

-Bullet Selected: Roulette Wheel-

Wally was silent… before it clicked. "The roulette wheel." Everyone was silent as Takeshi nodded. "That's right. The roulette wheel. It had sixteen different sections… each representing one of us. You can tell which one belonged to who… because it was our initials." Wally thought about the ones he saw and started to put it together.

"S.K was Shunso Kamata… S.G was Satoru Ginka… and the one with the ball that I remember was… K.T… …" Wally's eyes widened. "Koharu Takeda." Koharu's eyes widened as she turned to Takeshi. "WHAT!?" Yokona gasped. "So, she was the cipher!?" Yokona felt some justification as Koharu was staring at Takeshi in shock and confusion. "But… why!? How!?" Takeshi just smiled. "Koharu… I'm- My base was a combat medic. I have slews of medical knowledge. And… like I said…"

"The rule said "No telling people" only…"

Wally was silent as he thought about the medic's words… before grinning widely and returning the fist pump. "Yeah… we're in this together!" The two friends smiled before Takeshi then looked at Wally with a serious expression. "Actually… I do need your help. …We have a friend we need to help."

At that, Wally grinned and nodded. "Alright then… let's do this."

It was then when Wally left the room. Takeshi would stop for a moment when he noticed the snake dagger resting in one of Wally's drawers. The medic was confused at first but brushed it off as a 'weapon for protection'. He didn't give too much thought as he followed shortly after as they approached Koharu's room. The interaction went on and Koharu left with Wally running after her. This left Takeshi to close Koharu's dorm door… but…

A single piece of paper caught his eye. He picked it up and unknowingly confirmed a horrifying truth that he was unsure of. Because… no one knew the trick to the motive.

You can't tell people your motive… but they can read it.

And so, Takeshi red the note, it began to click in his head. His medical experience connecting the dots laid out for him. And before he knew it, he realized… he had to fix this somehow. So, his goal in mind was simple… He would close the door for the dorm, placing the motive note back. From there, he would return to Wally's room and take the snake dagger as a last resort…

Because… he wanted to save his friend.

…

Takeshi would find himself entering the casino cart looking around carefully. He needed to get in and change the cipher back without anyone noticing. Dagger hidden away; he would move towards the roulette table. The ball was in a different spot, as the message told him, as he picked it up and placed it down onto Koharu's spot.

However, an arrow would then fly past him as he would turn around to see Ai… glaring with a serious expression. "C-Comrade Ai!? W-What on earth-" "Quiet robotic fiend." This would cause Takeshi to pause as he stared at her with shock. "W-What?" The Astrologer would continue to glare as she loaded up another arrow into the cross bow.

"You heard what I said." She stepped forward as Takeshi stepped backwards. "I know about your part in this twisted realm we find ourselves trapped in. The robotic camera for the evil mastermind…" The arrow would then fly into the arm of Takeshi as it pierced straight through. Red and black began to drip out.

"AH HA! See? You are a robotic traitor!" Ai was glaring hard. "If it was just the robotic part, it would be fine. I'd have questions galore… for the knowledge within our space holds no limit… However, you work for the mastermind. Even if unwillingly." She stared hard. "So… a test if you will…"

Takeshi could only watch as she held up the detonator. "Will you prove all facts wrong or prove me, the seamstress of the stars, correct? The path falls to you."

-CLICK-

And just like that, Takeshi felt a wave wash over him as everything grew dark…

"By then, I had awoken in my room. And when I had gotten my bearings properly… that was when the body discovery announcement played." Takeshi then laughed weakly. "It… did feel rather off from her. However, in the end… she proved herself right. Even though it brought her death. In the end… I was nothing but a danger."

…

Silence. That was all that could be heard as Takeshi finished speaking. All the while, Koharu was gripping her arm. "You… you fucking idiot… why would you believe the motive?" She'd look up at him with teary eyes. "Why would you believe in that stupid false hope!?" Takeshi smiled. "Because… I'd rather hope then give up."

Wally was uncertain of what the motive was… but… "W-Well! There's n-no need to worry T-Takeshi! As t-the cipher, Koharu will be getting t-their wish!" Takeshi smiled and nodded as Kanade looked at the elephant nervously. "A-And what was that wish?" To be fair, there was some tension still in the air as the snake scoffed. "Why getting to live of course. Duh."

Conductorkuma would laugh and smile as he looked at them all. "Since we're past the motive… and it's important to the story… I'll tell you the wish of Koharu!" Koharu just glared at the bear as he continued. "You see… There's a bit of a connection between the two ironically enough! While Takeshi Sano here is the robot of a dead medic clone created by the military power known as Ragnarok… Koharu Takeda is a lab grown test tube baby known as Subject Number 42!"

Shock filled the riders as Conductorkuma continued. "That's right! Koharu Takeda was genetically engineered to be the perfect soldier by an illegal experiment of a security firm! A raid did occur and Koharu was able to leave that place. Right to the Public Security Intelligence Agency of the Japanese Government! …Sadly though, genetics and robotics aren't quite the same. So, while she's a perfect soldier, she struggled with a weak heart and slowly decaying cells." The bear sighed and placed his head in his hand. "Yes. She only has, well… HAD… a few years left. Common side effects included insomnia…"

He hadn't seen Koharu since the motive drop. So, gathering his courage, Wally knocked on the door as the two boys heard the door open slightly and a tired and annoyed voice through the small crack. "The fuck do you want?"

"Nosebleeds…"

"Of course. I may not look like it, but I gained my talent through blood, sweat and tears." Wally nodded as he looked over at her… before blinking and looking worried. "…I'll say! You're bleeding right now!" Looking down, Koharu would see she had a nosebleed as she cursed and pulled out a tissue. "Shit… sorry."

"And fainting spells!"

However, the sniper would then start to wobble as she fell forward. Wally reacted quickly and caught her. "Whoa! Koharu! Are you okay!?" The sniper groaned and pushed herself out of the sidekick's arms before standing up. "I told you before. I'm! Fine! Now fuck off!"

It all started to click as Wally's face, and the face of everyone else, paled. Koharu… was dealing with this for years. And this motive? Offered her a chance to fix it… which she didn't take because she didn't believe in it. Because the false hope wasn't worth it.

Takeshi just smiled as he laughed a bit. "I… I don't remember everything that happened with Ai. One moment I was going to change the cipher back, the next she was confronting me." He looked down at his hand, now stained with red and black, with a sad smile. "And the next… I was in my room. Time had passed and I could tell something was wrong. …She just wanted to help protect all of you. She wanted to confront the 'danger' to the group… she was worried… And… I was worried too."

This caused people to look at him as he continued. "…I… learned that I was a robot when I got my letter. It… God… it was a shock. To know I wasn't really… Takeshi Sano? But just some robot clone made by Ragnarok? Was I even real at that point? Or was I just programmed to be like this? Apparently, I was so be a killing machine normally! The 'factory reset' that was talked about was just the base of my entire existence and it went against all I wished for! …It took me a bit before I was able to go about. I… knew that nothing would be the same. And yet…" He looked up with a smile. "If I could save a life, then it was worth it right?" But he then sighed sadly. "…I will forever regret the lives loss. I will regret that Ai's actions to stop what both she and I considered a danger caused a death. And I hope you can stay strong despite all this… for both of us. And I hope this motive wasn't a lie."

"Yep! Truthfully, the motive was there as a test… and while we didn't expect this outcome… we don't lie! A promise is a promise! I don't take back my word!" They grinned wickedly. "Like how I keep my promise about punishment!" This caused people to freeze as they remembered what was going to happen. Takeshi… was going to be executed. However, the combat medic… looked at peace.

"Okay. Just one last wrap up." Takeshi would turn to Wally with a fist out. "…Take care comrade." Wally would wipe his eyes as he looked at Takeshi… before giving a sad smile… and returning the fist bump. "You too comrade."

After that, Takeshi would turn to Koharu… who gave him a hug. "…I… fuck… you don't deserve this." Takeshi just laughed lightly. "We're soldiers. We always put our lives on the line… and… this is where mine ends." Koharu was silent for a moment as Conductorkuma. "Well then, it's time for a trip to the moment you've all been waiting for!"

"…Hey Takeshi?" The medic would let go of the sniper as they faced one another. "Yeah Koharu?"

"I've prepared a very special punishment for Takeshi Sano, the Ultimate Combat Medic!"

"You're not some soulless machine, okay? You… you were more human than anyone else. …And like a brother to me." "…Thank you. And you are not some 'super soldier'. You're a person with your own life ahead of you. So… keep your head up alright?" Koharu would wipe away her tears as she gave a small sad smile and a nod. "…See you on the other side."

"Let's give it everything we got! It's punishment timeeeeeeeeee!" And with that, Conductorkuma pulled out a mallet and slammed it onto a large red button.

Takeshi would give one last smile. "…Hopefully not for a long, long time comrade."

…

And as soon as the button was hit, a TV screen popped showing an eight-bit Conductorkuma walking over to an eight-bit Takeshi before dragging him off screen.

TAKESHI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY!

INITIATING PUNISHMENT

The camera would zoom out to show the trial room as the floor underneath Takeshi would give way. Koharu and Wally would reach out to him… but would miss as he fell into the darkness below with a smile. Falling for a good while, Takeshi would brace for impact as the ground approached fast and fast. Soon enough, Takeshi found himself landing hard onto the ground as he slowly sat up.

However, he would feel something latch onto him as he stared down at chains attached to his wrists and ankles. Staring up ahead, gunfire would start to litter the sky, lighting up the area to reveal a large trench with a conveyor belt at the bottom. His chains were attached to the conveyor belt as a large trash compactor could be seen at the end of the trench.

The camera would then shift to a different angle as a large piece of broken barricade fell in front of the camera. And on it, there were words etched out on it.

Takeshi Sano, the Ultimate Combat Medic's Execution-

D.I.A (Decommissioned in Action)

Panning back to Takeshi, a loud rumble could be heard as the conveyor belt started to move towards the trash compactor. The compactor started to slowly move up and down… before it was slamming loudly and shaking the conveyor belt from its force. The rumbles and smashes to the ground echoed down the trench as Takeshi sat there, chained with no escape.

Suddenly, the trapdoor like openings on the walls of the trench start to open. Popping out of the trapdoors, were a multitude of mechanical arms and razor-sharp sawblades. Closer and closer the conveyor moved Takeshi as he found his left arm getting grabbed by one of the mechanical arms as a loud buzzing noise could be heard. Takeshi grit his teeth as splashes of red and black painted the walls. And once the buzzing finished, the mechanical arm would raise up into the air… holding Takeshi's left arm. For the first time, wires and metallic parts could be seen as oil and blood dripped to the ground.

Takeshi would stagger to his feet as he would try and reach up to grab his arm. However, a loud noise could heard approaching from the distance. In an instant, Takeshi felt himself getting hit in the back with an explosion blast as a bomb landed behind him. Landing face first onto the conveyor belt, Takeshi would groan before feeling his legs getting grabbed by the mechanical arms… followed by the return of the loud buzzing noise…

He tried to hold it in… but it became too much as Takeshi screamed out in pain. The screams died out lightly as the mechanical arms lifted two sawed off robot legs. Takeshi could only lay there moving closer and closer to the trash compactor as he tried to move his last remaining limb. However, with all the blood and oil dripping out from his cut off limb sections… he could feel himself locking up. All he could do is give one last smile before closing his eyes… as he finally reached the trash compacter… The sounds of smashing and crushing could loudly be heard as the compactor slammed faster and faster.

The camera then panned to the opposite side of the trash compactor to show a massive grinder as nuts, bolts, and scrap metal could be seen falling into the grinder. Not long after, the mechanical arms holding Takeshi's limbs would approach and toss them all into the grinder. A rumble noise could be heard as the camera panned down to a large bullet box under a little metal dispenser ramp coming from the grinder. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets trickled and rolled down the dispenser ramp into the open box. Once the last bullet lands in the box, the lid closes shut, showing a picture of Takeshi and the words "Ragnarok Rounds" on the side. Lastly, a mechanical arm appeared and slapped a small sticker at the bottom corner of the bullet box. On that sticker was just two words.

Execution Completed

…

…Laughter. Laughter coming from the twisted bear was all that could be heard as Wally's stomach twisted. Because there was nothing left. Takeshi was just… removed. Deleted. …Gone… … "UPUPUPU! Well looks like we're gonna be stocked up for a while! Maybe we should have a shooting range given next! Upupupupu!"

However, what followed was a scream. A scream of anger. "YOU FUCKING SADISTIC BASTARD!" A scream that came from an angry, crying sniper. A sniper who was currently being held back by Li-Wei and Kuniyoshi. "LET ME GO! I NEED TO KILL THIS PIECE OF SHIT!" She continued to thrash and thrash in their arms as she glared at the bear. "I… I…" But it all stopped when she suddenly fell forward.

The riders rushed over to her and laid her on her back as they could see blood dripping from her nose and her complexion seeming to pale more and more. Behind them, Tenshizo swapped his prison guard hat for a nurse hat that had an ambulance light on top. The light turned on as a siren could be heard from it as the elephant rushed forward to the sniper. "O-Oh dear oh b-bother… We're g-going to have to t-take her away f-for her t-treatment."

Suddenly a second Tenshizo appeared while dragging a medical stretcher. The two elephants quickly moved Koharu onto said stretcher and in a blink of an eye, lifted it up and dashed away as surprisingly fast speeds for those stubby little legs. It all happened so fast that Wally could barely process it. No one could really process it.

However, they were cut off as a certain snake coughed. "Oi. Trials done. Leave ya shitheads." Akumahebi gave a glare as she and Conductorkuma disappeared. …No mascots were left. All that remained was the elevator to leave…

…

Exiting the trial room, the others would filter out and leave without saying a word, heading towards their dorm rooms. Meanwhile Wally stood there… staring at the big top tent. His worries were slightly overwhelming as the memories of the past few hours rang in his head.

Ai who wanted to help protect everyone and confronted the biggest risk she knew. Takeshi who wanted to help everyone he could and faced the end with a smile. And now Koharu who was taken away to get treatment to live. And as these thoughts entered his head, he found himself standing in the casino… completely cleaned and Ai's body no longer there.

To Wally, he struggled with the motive. From Katashi's words to the motive itself… it felt like everything was questioning his view. Before it was simple… there were the heroes and there were the villains. He thought that branching away from Falcon Commander was smart. That he understood what it meant to be a hero! That there were heroes and there were villains. Simple as that…

…Then what the hell was this trial? This murder?

Both the victim and killer had good intentions. It was simply a series of unfortunate actions that lead to this trial in the first place. It all could have been avoided and even then…

…There was no hero. There was no villain. It wasn't like the first trial. "…Just… why?" "So… have you finally figured it out hero boy?" This caused Wally to stop and turn to Katashi who had a lit cigarette in his mouth. Wally clenched his fist as he turned to look away from him. "What? Going to rub it in my face? How I failed?"

Katashi just stared for a moment before sighing. "You know… you're really fucking stubborn kid." Wally turned to him as Katashi stared at the empty space where Ai once was. "When I talked about another murder happening, you saw me as a criminal justifying murder. When I stated that Satoru killed for his own damn reasons, you thought I was supporting that… well I wasn't." He took an inhale and exhaled smoke as he continued. "I was stating facts. People are selfish at times and whether it's to protect or to harm… it depends."

"For example, you did something similar what Satoru did for his murder." This caused the sidekick to look at the therapist in shock. "I'm serious kid. You had important information hidden away but kept it a secret. Who suggested it and why did they say it?" Wally hesitated but spoke. "Emiko did. She said, "The less who know, the less we have to worry about it being used against us." …"

Katashi nodded at that. "And was it inherently evil?" Wally shook his head. "No! It wasn't! She was worried about it being used to murder." Katashi nodded again and exhaled more smoke before turning to him. "But… that's what Satoru did." Wally stopped at that as the therapist continued.

"Both Emiko and Satoru decided to withhold information. Emiko used it to protect and keep herself save while Satoru used it to sneak around and harm for his own goals." Putting out the cigarette, Katashi looked at the sidekick with a serious expression.

"What you struggle with hero boy is your mindset… because the world isn't black and white. It's a series of grays. You need to look more at the intent rather than what is happening. Satoru's intent was to harm. While Emiko's intent was to protect herself. Same methods of action, different intent." He would then place another cigarette in his mouth as he sighed. "At the end of the day, you need to look at all sides of the story. Satoru was a darker gray… more malicious actions… but he wasn't always like that. Takeshi was a lighter gray but not pure white. He had regrets and wished to help… but it didn't go that way."

The therapist would pat the sidekick on the shoulder and start to head out. "You have a good heart kid… but you need to learn to step back and listen to your brain for once." And with that, he left… leaving a silent Wally.

"…Look more at the intent…" The sidekick stared down at his fist before sighing. "Looks like I still got a lot to learn…"

With that, the sidekick would turn and leave… but would stop when he noticed a strange piece of paper sticking out of the bottom of the motive roulette wheel. "…Huh?" Moving closer, he would bend down and reach underneath, grabbing the paper. Opening it up, it was another strange note written in dark yellow ink.

"Wishes, dreams and all that we seek… the clue is how many in the motive would be 'unique'."

…Wally didn't fully understand the note, similarly to the last one. But it raised more questions… why were these notes here? What did they mean? …Wally wasn't sure, but knew he needed to stay strong. So, he would turn and leave, returning towards his dorm.

All he could do was ponder what's to come… and stay strong.

For Ai and for Takeshi.

And maybe along the way… learn what it means to truly be a hero in this world of greys.

Because like Katashi said, nothing is black and white…

…

TAKESHI SANO-

TALENT: COMBAT MEDIC

…

STATUS UPDATE…

EXECUTED

…

OBTAINED: SHATTERED STAR GLASSES

OBTAINED: TORN UP COMBAT SATCHEL

…

CHAPTER 2 – WHITE IS FOR WISHING - COMPLETE

-TO BE CONTINUED-

12/16 REMAINING

Hello everyone! Void here!

And HOLY SHIT! This was an absolute juggernaut to tackle! I started writing the trial as soon as I posted the last part and spent a lot of time… as much as I could… to writing this trial. And holy fuck it was a big one. Roughly eightteen thousand words and over forty-one pages! This was a struggle at times but man am I proud of this! That's the most I've ever writing!

But enough about word counts... we're here for the killer! That's right! The one who killed Ai Fukushima was none other than Takeshi Sano the Ultimate Combat Medic! Guess "Ragnarok" truly rained down on them all (I think I'm punny). A big thank you to Abitat Eco for submitting this wonderful character and I hope I did your boy justice! There was so much about him that while I never got to but tis the sad life of Danganronpa. I hope I still gave him the time to shined wonderfully! And the trial! What as a bit of a twist! We salute you Takeshi! May you rest in peace Observer… or in this case… pieces. (I am sorry)

Now we're down to twelve! And not only that, but some things also seem to be changing up for our riders! Koharu was taken away for treatment! Wonder how she'll be reacting to that? Wally is growing more as a hero, but the trial and tribulation aren't done yet! And the mystery notes appear once more! This game is far from over and the twists aren't stopping! We're only reaching the midway point!

Anyways… all that's left is the epilogue, the bonus execution of Ai, and then we'll be on our way to Chapter 3! What wacky adventures await? You'll have to find out!

Also, fun little bonus thing because why not? So, remember when Wally and Emiko were searching for the hidden lab? Do you remember the password for the Observer File? 1911415?

If you separate it, you get 19, 1, 14, and 15… or in letters… S, A, N, O. Sano! Cheeky huh?

But… that's all for now! Until next time! See you all later!

VoidRebirth signing out!