11th part where the search for proof begins but it will be easier said then done
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this.
Persona 5 Royal Fanmake Gaston Arc Chapter 11
Evidence Search
The next day Aqua was already on her way to school with several other students, including Alexis and Hina who were behind her. In front of her she sees two male students have a conversation that she can hear.
"How annoying we've barely started high school, and already they're making us play at a volleyball rally?" A Dissatisfied First Year said "And why are they pitting us against the teacher team? Gaston's gonna crush us."
"We get to see his technique live and in person, though. We should totally get spiked on!" A Bandwagoning First Year said excited.
"Yeah, okay. You're gonna get your face smashed in." The Dissatisfied First Year said to him. "Just look at how banged up the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on during their practices?"
Aqua nods understanding she knows the answer but proving it is her and Uzi's main goal today, she just hopes the volleyball members weren't to scared to talk.
We come to the classroom a while later, where the students were sitting at their desks, Yor was standing in front of them.
"Okay, listen up everyone." Yor said to her class. "As you all know, today is the volleyball rally. Head to the gymnasium once you've changed. Got it?"
We then come to the Gymnasium where the rally was underway and the match between the teacher team and the student team was underway and obviously Gaston was showing off his skills. All the sudents were wearing the blue and white gym clothes of Citadel Academy
The PE teacher spikes a ball and it hits the bruised girl knocking her down onto her behind but scores the point as the ref whistles.
"Nice toss!" One of teachers said
Anther teacher high fives Gaston and said "Man, you still got it coach!"
"Thanks, let's go for one more!" Gaston said smiling proud.
The next round begins and while the student team plays, the bruised girl looks down and steps back to the end of the coart. Meanwhile sitting on a chair not really paying attention to the match was Alexis.
Over on the other side sitting on the floor was Aqua and Uzi. Uzi looks at Alexis and said, "Still sticks out…Hasn't changed a bit."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Aqua asked Uzi looking at her.
Uzi changes topic as she yawns streatches and said "Pretty boring. Right?"
"I guess so." Aqua said smiling, she then looks over at Alexis and then back at Uzi, did these two have some history she doesn't know about yet?
However before any questions could pass, their attention is brought to the game as Gaston delivers a powerful spike on the ball sending it flying right into the bruised girls face which knocks her down and presumably out causing concern and worry.
"Sorry!" Gaston said as he goes to the student side of the court and goes to check if the girl was okay "Hey, you okay?" He then addresses everyone else "Someone! Take her to the nurse's office!"
Gaston helps the girl up and another student comes to help the girl to the nurse's office.
"He'll pay soon enough…" Uzi said glaring as she picks up the volleyball and chucks it back to the court, she knew that was all an act.
Gaston once he figured the commotion was dealt with smiles and said, "All right, let's resume the match!" He goes on to keep playing.
A while later Aqua and Uzi were able to exit the gym and gathered by the vending machines of the Courtyard and began to talk about what happened.
"That jerk's acting like a king over here too…" Uzi said annoyed "Get to know each other better, my boot. It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego."
"Yeah, it does seem like he was the star of the show." Aqua said nodding.
"And how he acted like he was worried about Penny? What an abusive jerk!" Uzi said while revealing the name of the bruised girl. She sighs calming down. "…Well, anyways. Now's our chance to go look for the people we saw were slaves yesterday."
"Agreed." Aqua said nodding.
"Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle." Uzi explains "All the members of the team should be here today. I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Gaston's physical abuse. Just you wait, jerkward."
"Where will you be searching?" Aqua asked her.
Uzi thinks "…The first one that popped up was a robot girl from Class D, so let's start from there. That's your class. Hopefully you can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoiding me lately, so…"
"Err…Uzi…not sure I'll be any better." Aqua said.
"Oh, right, you're kind of in the same boat." Uzi said awkwardly as she remembered "Well, we just have to hope for the best."
The two of them head up to the second floor and go to Class 2-D room. Along the way the see Carly on the second floor and approaches her.
"You're on the newspaper, right?" Uzi asked Carly "Give me the deets on the volleyball team."
"I can't…" Carly said sighing "Every time I try to look into them, the higher-ups of our school pressure me out of it."
"The heck?! So, Gaston's pulling strings behind the scenes?" Uzi asked annoyed.
"…Can we stop this?" Carly asked. "I'd rather not get into trouble for talking to you girls…"
"Fine…" Uzi said sighing.
The two go and enter the classroom and approach the injured Volleyball player who was a female robot girl. Hearing them approach she turns revealing her head was bandaged and bruised.
"What?" She asked. "Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally? I guess I expect it from you, transfer."
"Hey, that's the guy who was over at that castle." Uzi said to Aqua.
"You too, Doorman?!" The Injured robot girl asked surprised "What do you two want?"
"We were wondering how you got injured?" Aqua asked her.
"It's from practice!" The injured robot girl said firmly "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Gaston did it to you, right?" Uzi asked her firmly. "Look, I am not going to tell anyone you squealed. Just tell us about how Gaston's abusing you."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" The injured robot girl said a bit nervous.
"Are you afraid?" Aqua asked her.
"I'm not! You girls are talking complete nonsense!" The injured robot girl snapped.
"Don't try and hide it! We already know!" Uzi said to her.
"You…You know? You have proof?" The injured robot girl asked them.
"Well, uh…I…" Uzi said not sure how to answer that.
"This is ridiculous." The injured robot girl said shaking her head. "Please leave me along. You're really bothering me!"
Uzi sighs "…All right, that's enough." She looks to Aqua "Come on, let's go."
"Right." Aqua said and leaves the classroom with her.
"That injury isn't normal!" Uzi said once they were outside. "And she still won't fess up…" Her head beeps and she sees the time "Dammit. If we keep going at this pace, the ball game's going to end…"
"Then why don't we split up to cover more ground" Aqua suggests.
"Guess that'd be faster." Uzi said with a smile. "I'll check the Practise Building for people before club start. You handle the Classroom Building. There's a third-year human on the volleyball team that I remember. I think he's in 3-C?"
Uzi sighs "He was getting beat pretty badly at the castle. He might have some injuries here too…" She smiles "Anyways, I'll hit you up if I find anything. Seeya!"
"Good luck" Aqua said smiling as they separate. As Aqua heads for the stairs she goes to talk with Carly again to see if she can learn new info. "Excuse me, Carly?"
"Do you need something?" Carly asked Aqua. "I really wish you wouldn't talke to me in such a public place…"
"What can you tell me about volleyball?" Aqua asked her.
"Not much, why not ask Penny about that? She's the girl with the Eevee backpack in Class D with you, isn't she?" Carly explained. "To be honest, I've heard some rumors about her and Mr. LeGume…Don't ask me any more though. I don't want the teachers to see me associating with you…"
"I guess so." Aqua said with a sigh and heads down to the first floor.
As she goes down she sees Alexis talking with Hina and overhears the conversation.
"Everyone's saying a lot of bad stuff about that transfer student in your class, Alexis…" Hina said to her friend
"I know." Alexis said annoyed "I hate rumors already, but they're only getting more and more complex as time goes on."
"I wonder if she's all right…I hope she's not letting it get to her too much." Hina said thinking.
"That's just like you, Hina. Always worrying about other people before yourself." Alexis said sighing then smiles "Kind of like when you were there for me…"
Aqua smiles and finds the person she was looking for, two humans one was covered in bandages. She goes to them.
"Man, cleaning up after the volleyball rally is gonna be such a goddamn pain…" The Assertive Volleyball player said, he then sees Aqua and said "Eh? What do you want? You got something to say?"
"How did you get hurt?" Aqua asked him.
The volleyball player got nervous and said "…It's from practise."
"Hey, I know who this girl is." The Glaring third-year girl said to the Volleyball player "She's that transfer student who's been hanging out with Uzi…"
"Ok I get it." The Volleyball Player said "You're trying to snoop on Mr. LeGume, right? Look our volleyball team performs at a national level. Of course, our practices are gonna be tough. Mr. LeGume's just dedicated to training us. Don't believe everything Uzi says." He finishes up saying.
"Are you sure it's not abuse?" Aqua asked him firmly.
"A-As if!" The volleyball player said a bit nervous.
"Hey, we should stop talking to her." The Glaring Third year said to her friend. "What if she loses it and starts attacking us? I heard she even carried a knife around. Who knows what she's capable of."
"Okay I am going." Aqua said and hears her chat DM ding. She goes to a secluded area and sees it's from Uzi.
"How's it going?" Uzi said in a message
"He refused." Aqua sent to her.
"Him too…? Bite me, everyone's too freaked out about Gaston." Uzi sent a message out. "But I still got a lead. A first year male Mobion new member. He just joined, so he might not be all wrapped up in Gaston's web of BS yet. Go ask around with the first-years! See if you can find him!"
"Got it." Aqua sent and heads for the third floor. She looks around and sees a mobion male with a bandged arm and head and approaches him "Excuse me are you on the volleyball team."
The mobion volleyball player turns to her "Huh? Y-Yeah…I'm on the volleyball team. What do you want?"
"What's with those injuries?" Aqua asked him concerned.
"O-Oh, these…?" The Mobion said getting nervous "I-It, uh…It happened during practise. I mean, everyone on the team's got injuries like this. Penny has is especially bad though…She gets to deal with Mr. LeGume's special coaching…" He eyes widen realizing he said too much "O-Oh, uh…Never mind! Forget I said anything!"
"Special coaching?" Aqua said surprised "What do you mean?"
"P-Please…just stop talking to me…" The mobion male said nervous "Ask someone else if you wanna know anything more…"
Suddenly the School PA dings and broadcasts. "Attention, attention. All matches have concluded. Please get ready to go home for today…"
"I guess that's that." Aqua said as she gets chat DM's and goes to a secluded area.
"Dammit, we're out of time. How'd it go?" Uzi asked in the message.
"Swing and a miss, it's not good." Aqua sends
"So you didn't have any luck either…" Uzi said in the message. "Okay, let's regroup for now. See you in the courtyard?"
"See you there." Aqua messages and heads for the courtyard.
Aqua was the first to arrive at the Courtyard vending machine area and waits for Uzi.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" A voice said and Aqua looks to see it was Alexis.
"Sure, what is it?" Aqua asked her/
"Don't worry, it'll be quick." Alexis said nodding, she looks her up and down and folds her arms. "Anyway, what's with you? Like, how you were late on your first day was a lie and all….There's also that weird rumor about you too."
"What do you want with her?" Uzi said as she arrives in the area and looks at Alexis with a glare.
"Right back at you." Alexis said with a similar glare "You're not even in our class."
Uzi looks away and said "…We just happened to get to know each other."
"What are you planning on doing to Mr. LeGume?" Alexis asked her eyeing the Drone girl suspicious.
"Huh?!" Uzi said surprised and then turns into a glare "…I see. I get you. You're all buddy-buddy with Gaston after all."
"This has nothing to do with you, Uzi!" Alexis told her firmly.
"If you found out what he's been doing behind your back, you'd dump him right away." Uzi said back to her.
"Behind my back…?" Alexis said in shock. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Uzi looks at Aqua who shakes her head. The Drone girl sighs and said "You wouldn't get it."
"Anyway, people are already talking about you two." Alexis told them both. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's going to help you." She sighs "I'm warning you just in case. That's all." With that she then leaves
"Why's she got to be so aggressive all the time?" Uzi grumbles after Alexis was gone.
Aqua avoided pointing out the obvious and asked what had been on her mind for a while "You seem to know her? More so then what other students know of her"
"We just went to the same middle school." Uzi said and shakes her head "Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about. I had no luck on my end. What about you? Did anything like someone's name turn up?"
"Actually yeah, the last one I talked to said that Penny often receives 'special couching' from Gaston." Aqua said nodding to her.
"Huh?" Uzi said surprised "…Special 'coaching', huh? True, I always see the girl covered in bruises. Let's go talk to her before she leaves then."
"Right let's move." Aqua said nodding and the two head for the Classroom Building.
The two girls see Penny heading for the entrance to leave the school and catch up to her.
"Hey, got a second?" Uzi said to Penny.
"Uzi?" Penny said surprised and looks to Aqua "And you, too…?!"
"Relax, we just want to chat." Uzi said to Penny. "Gaston's been 'coaching' you, huh? You sure it's not just physical abuse?"
"Certainly not!" Penny said surprised and backed up a bit.
"What're you talking all polite for?" Uzi asked confused "Anyways…We saw him spike you today. Right in the face."
"That was just because I'm not good at the sport…" Penny said looking at the floor.
Uzi looks concerned and said "…Still that doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got."
"They're from practise…!" Penny said determined.
"Is he forcing you to keep quiet?" Uzi asked her.
"That's…" Penny said nervous looking away.
"What's going on here?" Gaston said as he shows up to them.
'Damn…' Aqua thinks at that, so close.
Gaston looks to Penny "Penny, isn't it time for practise?"
"I-I'm not feeling well today…" Penny said nervous still.
"What? Maybe your better off quitting then." Gaston said to her. Penny's eyes widen in shock. "You're never going to improve that lousy form unless you show up to practise."
"Didn't you hear? She's not feeling well!" Uzi said to Gaston glaring and stepping up to him.
Gaston looks at Penny smiling and said "Well Penny? Are you coming to practise or not?"
Penny looks down sadly and said "…I'll go."
Gaston nods and steps up to Uzi and said, "As for you, any more trouble and you'll be gone from this school for sure."
"Bite me…" Uzi said to him.
"Same goes foe you." Gaston said glaring at Aqua. "Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line?"
"He did, you have an amazing spike by the way." Aqua said to him.
"Hmph. Just don't get in the way of my practise." Gaston said appeased by the compliment. "All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all."
"That's your own goddamn fault." Uzi told him.
"This won't get us anywhere." Gaston said scoffing and looks to Penny "Let's go, Penny." He turns around and said "Citadel Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here." He looks back at him "Get with the program!"
"Yes sir." Penny said looking down. Satisfied Gaston leaves for the Practise Building.
"That jerk…" Uzi said in anger. "He's going to pay for this!"
Penny shakes her head "…There's no point."
"Huh?" Uzi said looking at the girl.
"Proving that he's physically abusing us…is meaningless." Penny explained sadly. "Everybody knows…The principal, out parents…They all know, and they all keep quiet about it."
"Wait…really?" Aqua said in shock.
Uzi looks shocked as well and said "This has got to be a joke…"
Penny sighs "…Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going though." She then looks at Uzi "Shouldn't you of all people know that nothing's going to help?!" Uzi winces as she does know what Penny means. With that Penny runs to the Practise Building.
"Dammit…" Uzi said annoyed at another dead end.
"So what now?" Aqua asked.
Uzi sights "…I'll try one more time to persuade the others. That's…all I can do. You can head home."
"Alright, see you tomorrow." Aqua said as she goes to get her things.
It was late at she gets home and was in her bedroom, she was won out from all the stuff that happened today, she should best go to best and changes into her Pyjarmas
After she changed she got a message from Uzi saying "Hey, this don't make any damn sense. The principal and even the parents know about the abuse. Why isn't anybody speaking up?!
"I think it's simply because of volleyball." Aqua said after thinking on it.
"Yeah…" Uzi messages "It's basically because Gaston made the volleyball team famous, yeah? Even so, that doesn't give him the right to do whatever he wants!"
"He's beating kids up, and all they're allowed to do is endure." Uzi continued "And that follow of his doesn't give one single care…"
"What follower are you talking about?" Aqua asked confused.
"Alexis Rhodes. You met her in the courtyard, remember?" Uzi messages "You should know her. I mean she's in your class, pal. Ugh! What a load of robot hell!"
"I can't let it end like this." Uzi messages "I'm gonna try and find someone who knows about what's going on with Gaston during break tomorrow. Just you watch, I ain't giving up!"
"I'm here if you need me" Aqua said before ending the message.
Aqua sighs and yawns. She was beat running around all day and she goes to bed to sleep until tomorrow.
Well things seem harder, what will Aqua and Uzi do next to try and get proof.
Please Read, Review and Suggest