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-drops from the ceiling-
I'M BACK! Let's goooooooooo!
DANGANRONPA: OFF THE RAILS
Chapter 2 – White is for Wishing
Part 1
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Wally slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a dark room. No lights to be seen as he could barely see his own hand in front of him. Nothing but darkness as he then turned around… to come face to face with Satoru… who's face was blacked out. "Damn…" Taking a step back, Wally watched as Satoru reached out for him. "…Damn you…"
Suddenly, the idol burst into flames as he screamed. "DAMN YOU TO HELL!" And with that, the now burning figure lunged forward for the sidekick as he felt himself falling-
-THUD-
…As Wally found himself waking up on the floor. Groaning as he stood up, he wiped his eyes and held his head. Flashes of the previous night occurred as he frowned. "…Really… a nightmare…" He sighed as he stood up and slowly got changed. Looking at his Kuma-Watch, he noticed that it was nearly five am again… This caused him to frown for a moment. "…Did we seriously sleep an entire day?" Pushing those thoughts away, Wally found himself exiting his room, he closed the door behind him and started to walk.
The halls seemed quiet as he slowly moved through them. Passing through the storage cart, the sidekick noticed the vent that was once open was closed again. Moving into the next cart, he slowly reached the pub to open the door and find… … nothing. Nothing but a clean pub. No more mess, no more bloodstains… and no more Shunso. "…Man… So was this what it was like for those in the killing games of the past?"
"…Possibly." Turning around, Wally saw himself face to face with a tired looking Emiko. "…Hello again. Apologies for bothering you Mr. Wilson."
Wally just looked at Emiko for a moment before smiling. "Hello again Emiko… and you don't need to use the suffix… Wally is fine. …I'm guessing you came to see if he was still here too?"
This caused the ballet dancer to flinch slightly before her expression softened as she looked at the stage. "…I… yes. Despite falling asleep… I…"
"Restless dreams?"
The ballet dancer turned to the sidekick who held a sad smile. "…Hero business isn't all glamour and adventure. A large chunk of it is actually terrifying. …It's partially why I split off from my mentor and became Direclaw." The sidekick shook his head. "…Shunso tried stop Satoru… all that ended up happening was two people losing their lives. This… could have been prevented… but I was too late…"
However, he soon felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned and looked up at the ballet dancer.
She looked nervous in a way, which made sense as she wasn't used to emotions. "I'm… not great with this. But you saved us." Before he could speak, she held up a hand. "Let me finish…" Her voice sounded tired in it's usual nasally and weird way. Most likely from using it more than normal. "…I… When everything was going crazy… when the investigation and trial were going on… you kept moving forward. You helped prove me innocent… and for that. Thank you."
Wally was silent as he looked at the ballet dancer for a moment, before smiling. "…Thank you as well." Wally felt a little more confident as he give a teethy grin and a thumbs up at Emiko. "If you ever need help, I'm there for you!"
Emiko blinked at the sidekicks words before giving a smile. "…Is that like showing me how emotions aren't flaws?"
Wally chuckled at that as he nodded. "Exactly like that. I'm still going to prove it to you."
Emiko giggled a bit and smiled. "…Well… we'll see then, shall we?"
The two smiled at one another before Wally scratched the back of his head. "Say… I was gonna go check out the observatory. Because… well… that's where the trial door was. Would you be alright checking it out with me?"
The ballet dancer gave a nod and a small smile as the two headed off. Exiting the pub, the two headed to the train connector and moved towards the research cart.
Entering the room, the sidekick and ballet dancer stopped in shock as the research cart was no more. Instead, they found themselves in a cart with a sandy floor, cactuses, a saloon, a jailhouse, a barn, and what appeared to be lizards? Actual lizards? The roof was a bright blue and seemed to have a heating factor to it as it felt like you entered an old western town. There was even a few tumbleweeds. …Needless to say, the two were very shocked as they turned to look at one another. Wally then decided to comment in the most elegant way possible.
"…What the fu-"
Li-Wei stared at the two for a moment before rubbing his eyes. He was sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria as the rest of the riders were divided. Kanade was nowhere to be seen, which meant Chizure was watching over her. Kuniyoshi, Yokona, and Katashi were nowhere to be seen as well while Hastur said he wanted to be left to his devices for the time being. That left Li-Wei, Ai, Takeshi, Koharu, Ember and Kana who was somehow convinced to come out.
While Ember seemed to take the role as cook, making breakfast for those there, the park ranger looked at the duo confused. "So let me get this straight… from what you said…" The park ranger rubbed his eyes once more trying to understand it. "You two woke up before everyone else because of nightmares… ignoring the fact we've all slept for a day it seems… and then went to check if Shunso's body was still there in the pub."
"Upon seeing him not there, you two chose to investigate the trial room door location, the observatory… only to find not only that but the research cart missing?"
He then looked at the two as Wally nodded. "Yeah… the research cart was gone and replaced with this 'western cart'. Saloon, jailhouse, barns, and stables… the works."
Emiko nodded as she tilted her head for a moment. "Not only that, but there are also lizards there for some reason."
It was at that moment when Ember entered the room. "So there's actual animals here? That's interesting." Moving over to everyone, she started to place down plates in front of everyone sitting down. "I made everyone breakfast. We got omelettes, pancakes, and some coffee for those who want it." She then smiled at Kana. "And we got vegan pancakes with a vegan omelette. Let me know if it's alright." The survivor looked at her for a moment but huffed as she nodded.
Sitting down and eating breakfast, Ai tilted her head. "So… were all the carts replaced or just the one?"
Wally and Emiko turned to one another before looking back. Wally just shrugged. "Honestly? No clue. The door to the next cart was locked."
Li-Wei blinked at that as he looked at the two. "Wait… really? The doors were locked?"
Getting nods in return, they heard a scoff as they looked to doorway to see Katashi standing with a coffee. "The answer's obvious. Every time a door has been locked is because of nighttime. Meaning that in this case, the next cart is locked during nighttime." Taking a sip of his coffee, the therapist turned away from the group as he stopped. "…Think about the facts first. People die from not knowing them…" And with that, he was off.
Emiko flinched at the therapist's words as Wally grit his teeth. Ember frowned as she sighed and sat down with her own plate. "I swear… I can't tell what is going on in that guy's head. First, he's helpful, then he's cold, then he's helpful again… and now back to cold?" She scratched the back of her head with a sigh. "Seriously… he even helped with breakfast… and then he does that?"
Li-Wei remained silent as he sighed himself. "Despite his cruel wording… he is not incorrect."
Turning to the park ranger, he looked at them all with a serious expression. "It is due to lack of knowledge that we were blindsided by Satoru's actions. So despite the harsh wording, I cannot find it in myself to correct them… for they are the harsh truth." The table grew silent as the words sank in.
However, Takeshi placed a hand down on the table and stood up slightly as the others turned to the combat medic. "Then let's prove him wrong. W-We should explore the rooms and try to find all we can. How does that sound comrades?"
Koharu looked at the combat medic and nodded. "Makes sense. So… we should inform the others then?"
Li-Wei scratched his chin and hummed. "It would be for the best. If they refuse to join us, we will inform them later. For now we shouldn't force anyone to participate."
With a new goal in mind, the riders decided to finish their breakfast before heading off to find the others.
However… that proved to be a fruitless task. Yokona stated she would investigate on her own time, Kuniyoshi said to fuck off and let him sleep, Hastur didn't want to go along, Katashi was nowhere to be seen, and then… they tried with Chizure and Kanade. However, the forger shook her head. "Sorry guys… but Kanade isn't really…"
She stopped and frowned as Wally gave a smile. "No worries. We understand. Just… let her know we're here for her if she wants us around."
This brought a smile to the forger's face. "I will. And thank you for letting us know about the changed carts." And with that, she said goodbye to the others before re-entering the pianist's room.
And thus, they were off to investigate the new carts. Reaching the 'western' cart, those beside Wally and Emiko were thrown off a bit but knew what to expect. Still… "The change is rather jarring." The words of park ranger was hit with silent agreement.
After searching around, they found a few things. Firstly, the barn was filled with farming tools galore while the saloon was decked out with all the drinks imaginable, a grand piano, and a few tables and costumes tucked away in the back. However, the jailhouse seemed to be locked and there was no way to open the door. Not only that, the windows were blocked out as well like in the dorm rooms… overall, this left the riders confused but they needed to move forward…
And so, they were off to the next cart.
"Extra-terrestrordinary!" That was the cry that came from Ai as she looked around the cart with excitement. The cart in question appeared to be a massive carnival with game & food booths, a big top tent, and statues lining the carnival on top of the booths. Stars and moons decorated the walls while balloons and streamers could be seen all around. It truly felt like a carnival had appeared.
Within the big top tent was the usual findings at a circus with tightropes, nets, hoola-hoops, and a bunch of cages with different plush animals. There was one for a lion, a tiger, a panther… however the one labeled for the elephant was opened and empty. Either way, there was also a dressing room that people could enter where different circus costumes rested.
The game booths seemed to have the usual games of the 'swing the hammer', the ball throw, the ring toss, and so on. However, from what the riders could see, the prizes were varied from bows to swords to poisons… and some normal prizes of course but the obvious dangerous prizes seem to be obvious. The other booths didn't have any statues on top of them but did have a variety of different fair foods for enjoyment.
Turning to the astrologer, Ember looked at her confused. "Why are you so energetic? It's just a carnival… as strange as it is."
However, Ai just shook her head and pointed to the statues and the stars on the wall behind the statues. "No! It's not the carnival! It's the constellations!" This brought some raised brows as she pointed to two fish statues on top of a toy fish scooping game booth. "That right there are statues representing Pisces! And if you look at the wall behind it…" She points to the star pattern on the wall that rest directly behind the statues. "…Is the constellation for Pisces!"
Wally rubbed his chin as he took in the information. "I see… so it's… a space themed carnival or a constellation themed carnival?"
Ai shrugged at that but had a grin. "I do not know yet… but this appears to be a challenge for I, the Seamstress of the Stars, Ai Fukushima, to figure out! Hahahahahaha!"
She posed there with a grin on her face as the others watched her. Some sighed while others sweatdropped… Wally just smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "That's great… however, we should continue exploring the other carts too. Then we'll have all the time to explore to our hearts content."
Ai turned to the sidekick as she grinned. "Ah, you're right! We must keep order like the scales of Libra! Onward!"
And with that, she marched forward towards the next cart as the others slowly followed. Where would they end up next? …Who knows?
Well apparently, they would end up in a casino next… because that's what the next cart was. With a lush red carpet, bright lights and music playing throughout the entire cart, the riders found themselves staring at an almost Las Vegas style casino in front of them. From slot machines to roulette wheels to blackjack & poker tables… the variety was massive.
Off to the side of the cart seemed to be a trade station where one could get tokens/chips for the casino. However, gates seemed to block those as if they were not ready for use yet. Next to the trade station seemed to be a place to trade in chips for prizes, though while a gate blocked it, the riders could guess there being something dangerous behind it.
As Wally found himself looking around, he noticed a large pachinko machine which caused him to flinch. On the pachinko machine was eight bit faces of all the riders corresponding to the different sections at the bottom. However, two sections were blocked off as the faces were greyed out… Shunso and Satoru's. Looking at the pachinko machine, Wally remembered it appearing during the first trial at the end… He didn't know why it was there, but he wasn't excited-
-DING DONG, DING DONG!-
Everyone stopped as they heard the familiar jingle. However, strangely enough, no voice could be heard. Nothing was said… but small monitors similar to busses and subways could be seen on the walls lighting up as yellow words appeared. "Please move to the last cart." Following this, a yellow arrow started to form to point towards the direction. Looking around at the other riders, Wally knew better than to test fate… so he started to move towards the final cart.
Entering the final cart, the riders were met with a bit of a left turn. From space carnival to high end casino… all the way to a full prison. Three levels of cells and cameras galore as the walls were lined with different prison cells, sixteen per level. Meanwhile, the third floor of the cart seemed to be closer to solidarity confinement with the rooms appearing to be pure white, no windows, and just a single bed.
The normal cells consisted mostly of the normal accommodations from prison beds to toilets, sinks, mirrors, and overall the normal seeing. However, there appeared to be different large boxes attached to the walls in them. As for the center of the room, there was a large control room which was filled with monitors that showed the different camera feeds of the room. Police uniforms were hanging up top while glass cases holding police batons and tasers rested there as well.
Slowly but surely, the other riders came into the prison. No one was saying a word as they waited for Conductorkuma… … and waited… …
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And waited…
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And waited…
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"…Oh golly… Do you think we should step in?"
"Are you fucking kidding me? Of course we should step in you buffoon! Those shitheads have been waiting for fucking ever!"
Hearing two different voices, the riders all turned towards the sound… coming from one of the open jailcells. Stepping out of the cell was a pure white elephant with shining gold eyes and a prison warden hat on. Wrapped around the elephant was a pure black snake with sickly yellow Monokuma eyes and a stripped black & grey prisoner's cap.
The elephant looked at the riders and gave a happy wave. "Oh golly gee willikers! It's so great to meet you all finally! I wish it was on better terms… but hello!"
However, the elephant was soon walked on the head by the snake's tail. "Don't be nice with these fuckheads! They're murderers waiting to strike!" The snake continued to wack the elephant as the riders looked confused.
Stepping forward, Li-Wei cleared his throat and looked at the two. "Excuse me… but who are you? And where is Conductorkuma?"
The stopped and blinked for a moment before the elephant bounced up and down. "Oh! Oh! I can answer this for you!"
"Then hurry it up you happy sack of shit…"
The elephant gave a stern look to the snake before looking back at the riders. "Introduction time! So… to start, Conductorkuma is taking a break! A vacation if you will! So with him gone, your new conductors areeeeeeee… us!"
The elephant said this while posing and doing slight jazz hand motions. …After a moment of silence, they did it again. … …
"They're not going to clap you dumbass."
The elephant then pouted and sat on the floor dejected. "…no need to be mean Aku…"
Scoffing, the snake glared at riders. "Since this idiot can't seem to speed this up, I will. The name isn't Aku like dumbass here keeps calling me… it's Akumahebi. And this fatass I'm stuck with is Tenshizo. And why he's hopeful for you backstabbers is beyond my belief."
The newly named Tenshizo stood up and gave a look at Akumahebi before turning to the group. "Ignore Aku… she doesn't seem to trust others. But anyways… you can call me Shizo, Zo, or whatever works best for you! Anyways, we're here to watch over you and prove cooperation and happiness!"
Aku snorted on Shizo's shoulder as she shook her head. "And I keep telling you, they're going to backstab and betray one another again. Idol fuck already did so."
Shizo gave Aku an exasperated look before rubbing his chin with his trunk. He then opened his eyes and looked to the riders. "Don't worry! We'll prove her wrong! Just… give us a day and we'll set something up!"
Shizo would then give a wave as he rushed off, dragging Aku along. "Whoa! Hey! Slow the fuck down fatass! SLOW DOWNNNNNNNNNN!-"
Her voice grew quieter as the two left the prison cart and headed off to who knows where. The riders stood there silently as Koharu spoke up.
"…What in the actual fuck was that?"
-TO BE CONTINUED-
14/16 REMAINING
Hello everyone! Void here!
Sorry for the long wait… but here we are! The first part of Chapter 2! Now I hope I'm doing an alright job… but this chapter was mainly showing off the new carts for the riders.
As for where I've been? Life/Small break. Job hunt has been a priority in my everyday life along with having my wisdom teeth removed… which… ouch. But… for the most part, I was taking a small break after Chapter 1. Chapter 1 took a year to finish but even still… the last few parts took a lot out of me. So I needed a break to get my creativity back and my drive back at full blast. So slowly, we're getting back there.
As for this part… YEP! We're changing things up a bit. As for why Shizo and Aku are a thing… welllllllllllll… you'll learn at some point. Either way, we're slowly but surely trekking forward. And next part? It's going to be a good one… because it's going to be motive drop!
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN!
That's right! The motive is dropping next part! As for what it is? …You'll have to wait and see! I'm excited to hear possible guesses/thoughts on this part from you guys!
But… that's all for now! Until next time! See you all later!
VoidRebirth signing out!