Well then, I decided to end the poll a week early because we have a clear definitive winner out of it! That and I doubt anybody else will be voting on it before the deadline next Friday. This chapter will feature the free time event for our winner: Dimitri with three votes! Tsuyu, Ray, Minori, and Kale managed to get two each… and out of author bias, I will choose who out of these four will be the first free time of Chapter 4! Look forward to seeing who I'll choose, though of course you readers will decide the second person who we'll spend time with. Now then… onto an unexpectedly LONG chapter part.
Chapter 3: When Hell Freezes Over Part 4 (Daily Life)
Remaining Students: 14
Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
Pietro Maximoff "Quicksilver" (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet
Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ?
Team 1: Hachiken, Tsuyu, Minori, Kazuma.
Team 2: Sayori, Saki, Bede, Pietro.
Team 3: Kale, Tails, Dimitri.
Team 4: Reyn, Konata, Ray
Hachiken's POV
"Agh, damn it…"
This was a mistake, trying to walk around campus in my condition… I might have to turn around and go back to rest for a bit longer… or a lot longer. I plopped onto a bench and took a breather, and just think… this is how I'm feeling after day one of training, how will I survive the second day AND that maze event? Trick question, I likely won't.
I take a few more deep breaths before I decide to get up, and I feel like I need a quick pick-me-up. A sweet drink like a shake or lemonade, but the only area I could think of that could have them is the L Zone Food Truck Area… the diner only has a selection of sodas and water, but it feels like a better option. I can't put my legs through too much before I get back to training…
"How about you take a ride through our new Transport Tubes!"
"ACK! You stupid… quit doing that!" I shouted at Monokuma as he chuckled to himself.
"Mmmm, no, I don't think I will. But you're looking like you're running on empty, pal! Thankfully, we've got a fast travel system for you all, so you don't have to waste the energy you need for the maze. Totally tubular, huh?"
"Nobody uses the word tubular anymore… I have never heard anyone ever say that word in real life either." I rolled my eyes as Monokuma showed me to the nearest Transport Tube.
It was a large completely transparent glass cylinder aside from the interior, so it's very likely someone (probably Reyn or Sayori) could bump into these things.
"Well what else am I supposed to say to describe it?! Puns are a part of my programming. Anyways, just step right in and press the button on the place where you want to go! It's easy… though I advise you to wait to use them after eating, I don't want to start cleaning these right as they've been installed!"
You weren't planning on cleaning them at all were you? I wouldn't put it against him, even if the rest of the campus is pretty clean, admittedly…
"Okay… L Zone?"
I pressed the button as I felt a gust of wind blast right below me… the heck?
"Bye bye, puhuhuhuhuhu!" Monokuma waved to me.
"W-Wait…" I look below me as a hatch opens up.
KA-CHUNK!
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I get sucked down into the tube as I feel tears pouring out my eyelids, bumping up against the corners and the walls.
"Ack! Ow! Son of a—Ow! Agh! Crap! Ow!"
I was pushed and pulled around until I reached the exit and the tube spat me out, landing face first into the dirt.
I uttered out one last "Ow..", as I picked myself up off the ground and stretched my body out. I don't care how convenient it is, I am NOT doing that again.
Insert Song: Somewhere to Belong (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
I stopped by the nearest drink stand to get myself a lemonade, the place was called Kazuichi Sodas in case anyone was wondering, and finished it in about a few minutes as I saw someone in the distance. Hm… is that… yeah, it's Dimitri! He was carrying a bunch of training dummies on each shoulder and stacking them in threes and fours.
Upon noticing me, he waved to get me to come over. I did so hesitantly, since I was not looking for any more training today…
"Good day, Hachiken. I was about to ask for a bit of assistance, but I see you're quite worn out. My apologies if the training was too much, though you should understand why I had to make it that difficult." Dimitri said as he adjusted a dummy's positioning on the field.
"Yeah… I do… so this is what we'll be doing tomorrow? Why are they all stacked this way?" I asked as he finished placing them.
Dimitri answered as he got out a wooden training lance and approached one stack.
"As a good teacher once said, allow me to demonstrate!"
Whoa… in just a few seconds, he expertly knocked one dummy down and as the other three in that stack fell he hit them with perfect timing before they even touched the ground!
As I applauded he turned to me and bowed, "Thanks, though tomorrow it won't be done solo. As a group, you must move from each stack to the next, attacking one at a time and making sure you land each blow with good timing before they fall. Chaining together your moves in effective ways will be most helpful in strengthening your teamwork."
"I see… but I doubt I'll be able to knock over one though." I tell him honestly.
Dimitri rested his chin on his thumb and index finger after listening to that confession.
"Hm… that sounds troubling, although I'm sure you will be able to pull it off well. Give it a try."
He picked one dummy off the ground and placed it in front of me. I stared at it before turning back to him and he nodded. Okay then… putting all my strength and effort into this one punch, here we go!
"Hah!"
*thump*
Ah.. ow…
I held my hand as it glowed red, while the dummy barely budged before it returned to its standing position.
"That isn't your best, I assume? Give it another shot, Hachiken." Dimitri placed his arms behind his back as I sighed.
Fine, fine… I was lying before, this is me giving it all I've got! Strike hard!
"Grah!"
*bump*
I clenched my first harder in my other hand as it leaned a bit more on that strike.
"Hm… again!" Dimitri spoke up once more.
Tch… whatever His Highness says…
"HYAH!"
*badump*
… Wow.
It actually managed to fall over. I would be more impressed… if my hand wasn't throbbing.
"Owowowowowowowowow!"
Dimitri chuckled to himself as he began to softly clap.
"Well done, Hachiken. Now then, try it a few more times on the rest of these and then I'll decide on what attack order I want you and your teammates to attempt tomorrow. Once more, Hachiken!"
I sighed as I hoped that my right hand would make it through the rest of the day as I hit each dummy with the same amount of force as the last one. All throughout, I heard Dimitri encourage me with each one I successfully knocked down. Despite my pain, I felt like this was a bit fun…
"Great work, Hachiken." Dimitri pats me on the back and hands me a bottle of water.
I chug it like there's no tomorrow as I popped my butt on a nearby metal bench, Dimitri taking the opposite side. That's when I recalled I might have something he may like: the training weight.
"Here, as thanks for the encouragement, Dimitri."
He takes it with a sincere smile, "Ah, I was hoping to find something like this lying around. This will surely help improve my next few training exercises, and it was my pleasure, Hachiken."
We sat in silence for a while, thankfully so I could catch my breath before I saw Dimitri lost in thought about something.
"You okay?"
I asked him and he sighed, shaking his head.
"I'm starting to think about the deaths we've had so far. How one was caused by a complete accident, while the other was for the sake of returning to a loved one. We had to condemn them to execution, especially the latter… but it haunts me that we had to take their lives so that we must live on."
My eyes widened as I looked down at my feet, "... I wish we weren't talking about this, but I agree too. All of them are victims in their own way, that includes the killers. Being in this killing game didn't give them any other options for survival, same with us for voting for them. They all have family back home… friends… and we had the gall to just put them on the chopping block."
"Mm, it never gets any easier. I've told you about how I've had to put down enemy soldiers in the past, correct? I had gotten used to it, but these same thoughts about taking away the lives of people who had others who loved them, whether it be in battles against armies or skirmishes with bandits. I've been told once that it was normal to feel like this, yet… in a situation such as this, where we are trapped here and forced into committing such acts in a twisted game… is it still right to have such thoughts?"
He turned to me as he asked me that question and I couldn't answer back at first. It was too heavy for me, so I took my time to formulate that answer.
"I… guess it is. For someone like me, killing is almost never truly justified aside from maybe self-defense. Still, I think I would be disgusted with myself if I didn't care at all about losing anyone. They're all still people that we talked to and had fun with, even if it hasn't been too long, and I'll carry them with me as I keep trying to survive this killing game…"
After listening to my answer Dimitri stood up from his side of the bench and stood in front of me.
"... I see. Well, Hachiken, what you had just said to me has given me all I needed to say this…"
He held out his hand and he pulled me up. He shakes it and a smile returns to his face.
"I could never trust someone who does not bat an eye at having to kill another person, so you've shown me that you are one worth trusting. I'm glad to call you a friend, Hachiken."
I softly gasped after hearing this as I shook his hand back and returned his smile.
"Of course, thank you for accepting me Dimitri. I will do my best to prove that this friendship will not be wasted, you have my word!"
We soon departed as he went back to fixing the dummies I knocked over. My hand was still hurting, but I didn't mind that much, surprisingly. That Dimitri, definitely worth it to have him on my side. For some reason however, I get the feeling he's not telling me something about himself. Everyone has their secrets, so I shouldn't pry… still…
*ring ring*
Eh? A call from Tsuyu?
"Hello?"
"Ribbit, Hachiken, meet me in the diner's kitchen. Minori and Kazuma are coming too, so we'll all be together for this."
"O-Okay, see you there."
I hung up as I made my way towards Black & White Bear Diner. What is this about? Is this her idea to try and get us to get more acquainted with each other? If so, I'm not quite certain that it'll work, hopefully it does something for us though.
Insert Song: Ezono Arrangement 4 (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)
I walked right into the diner and saw the other three there all in aprons… I think I see where this is going.
"Ah, Hachiken, thank god… I have no idea what we're gonna have to make here…" Kazuma groaned as he tossed me an apron.
I catch it and tie it around my waist, "Make? I thought all of the meals in here were pre-made?"
Kazuma rolled his eyes and pointed at Tsuyu, "Kerm-ette over here decided to turn off the switch that controls everything in the kitchen. She says we have to work together to make something for us and the others!"
"Eh?" I squinted at Tsuyu who simply put her finger on her chin.
"We didn't really do so well in the training earlier, I thought the next best thing was to handle a laborious task like this one, ribbit. The only problem is…"
"Which is still a BIG problem…" An annoyed Kazuma chimed in.
"... Is that we have no idea what we could make for everyone here, ribbit." Tsuyu finished.
"It has to be something we can make with the ingredients we already have here. Leftover dough, gouda cheese, asparagus, bacon, and some tomatoes…" Minori listed off the ingredients and I immediately got a flashback to a memory back at my school.
"It's so tasty, it makes you laugh!"
I hit my fist on the top of my palm, "Pizza."
"Wait, are you serious?" Kazuma questioned as I walked forward and looked over the ingredients.
Yeah… there's plenty for all fourteen of us, maybe even enough for seconds! I pushed my glasses up and rolled up my sleeves.
"Minori, you'll work on the sauce."
She perked up and went to grab all the tomatoes, "A-Alright…"
I turned to Kazuma for his task, "Cut down the bacon, asparagus, and the cheese so that it can fit on one pie. Can you do it?"
He whipped out a knife and sighed, "Obviously, I'm good with a blade. Even got a sweet sword called…. Eh, whatever! You got it, boss!"
"Okaaaaaaaaay… Tsuyu, you and I are rolling out the dough for multiple pizzas. If this works, then we're going to need a lot of them."
"Roger, ribbit." Tsuyu got to work as she and I rolled multiple balls of dough out.
In the middle of me doing it, I checked on Minori and Kazuma's progress to see how they were doing. Everything's going quite well, though Kazuma did accidentally cut his finger and Minori had set the stove on too high. Other than those mistakes, we managed to get everything ready to bake!
"Hm… this brick oven isn't hot enough, should we get something to increase the heat?" Minori asks.
I turned to the one person who could assist, "Kazuma?"
"Yeah, that's my name." Kazuma stated nonchalantly.
"Care to do the honors?" I asked him.
"Ha, piece of cake… or pie in this case, pizza pie."
He shot a small fireball into the oven and the flames got even more intense! Tsuyu slowly inserted the first pie using her long tongue to lift a pizza peel, thankfully not touching the pizza with any saliva.
"And now we wait… how long?" Minori asked me.
"Approximately… five minutes." I replied back and we stood there anxiously.
I took the time to organize a few more toppings on the other pizzas before we heard the timer go off. The smell of that combination of cheese, crust, and the other toppings made our stomachs growl loudly and our mouths water. We immediately take it out of the oven and cut it into eight slices, two for each of us.
"Alright, not looking bad… Hachiken, it was your idea so you get first dibs." Kazuma tells me as I look at Minori and Tsuyu who nodded in agreement.
Thinking about it more, the ingredients here are not as fresh as they were back when I first did this back at school. We also came up with the idea half an hour ago, compared to the lengthy time we had preparing those ingredients. It can't possibly measure up to those pizzas, it just can't…
"Thanks for the food…"
I took one bite, stretching out all the melting cheese before shoving the entire slice into my mouth. I carefully chewed it, since it was still quite hot. And as soon as I swallow…
"…"
"…"
"Pfff, ha ha ha…"
Minori tilted her head as she stepped forward and looked at the pizza.
"Um… is he okay?"
She takes a slice, along with Kazuma as they continue to be confused at my behavior.
"Ha ha ha ha…"
At my second time chuckling, that's when Tsuyu got her own slice. The three of them each take a bite of the pizza. Taking their time with it like I had before they swallow. Their eyes went wide and they gasped.
"Heh… heh heh heh…"
"Ha ha…"
"Hee hee hee…"
"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
All four of us bursted out laughing as we continued eating through our pie, finishing it in no time.
Insert Song: Silver Spoon Main Theme (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)
"Oh my Eris… that was freaking amazing!" Kazuma states as he sat down to take a breather.
Minori was still giggling a bit, never seen her like this before… she even had her glasses off to wipe her tears.
"Ah ha ha… that was the hardest I've ever laughed at anything before… and I've never had a pizza like this before either."
Tsuyu grinned before looking right ahead, "It seems like we were loud enough to attract some customers. Put more in the oven! Ribbit!"
"Aye, aye! Ribbit!" The three of us replied as in walked the rest of our companions.
"Agh, man I'm starving…" Reyn rubbed his stomach as he sat down in a booth seat.
"We heard you guys laughing from outside, what was so funny?" Tails asked as he hovered up to us.
Sayori walked through the door and then began sniffing the air, "This smell… it has to be…"
Before she could even answer, Pietro rushed in and took a slice as soon as it came out of the oven and was cut.
"Hey!' Kazuma shouted at him as he inserted it into his mouth.
"Mmmph, ha ha ha ha…. Not bad…" Pietro commented as he downed it in seconds.
"Ah ha ha ha, I've never had a meal quite like it…" Dimitri softly chuckled, his mouth covered in cheese.
"Gahahaha! This is some damn good pizza, lemme guess, our dorm's four-eyes at it again?" Saki smiled smugly at me.
"Ha, it was all a team effort, really!" I lifted my hands up in defense.
Tsuyu then nodded as her response, "Yep, ribbit, Hachiken was the one who came up with the idea when we were all stumped."
Minori softly smiled, "That's right, he also instructed us on what to do for each of the components."
Kazuma then put his arm around my shoulder with a big grin, "This guy really helped us out. Wasn't sure about him at first, but he's actually kinda cool."
"Ehehehe~, he is cool! He's managed to save us in the class trials too with his big brain, and he's such a kind guy!' Sayori giggled, which was louder due to the pizza's effect.
Ray smirked after taking a bite out of his piece, "Heh heh, got that right. He may not look like much, but he really does come through for us. Why don't we give him an ovation?"
Tails raised both his fists into the air in reply, "Yeah! Great job, Hachiken!"
"HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN!"
My face began to heat up from how embarrassed I was, they were cheering for me… me! This was… aw man, I think I'm crying. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I walked right in front of everyone… though that was a big mistake.
"HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN!"
"WHOA! WHOA! PLEASE STOP! HELP! PUT ME DOWN!"
They began to toss me up in the air as they kept cheering me on. I was terrified, but I couldn't help but smile at the way everyone was behaving. We were all happy, laughing loudly, eating good food, having fun… makes me forget that we were all forced to be here. Just makes me believe that if this was a much better scenario… we'd be enjoying ourselves like this every night.
"Tch, so noisy… what's so good about this pizza anywa—mmph!"
Bede held his mouth closed, and both Saki and Sayori approached him from behind.
Saki gave him a wide smirk"Hmm? Our pompous little jerkass is trying to keep himself from laughing his ass off, ha!"
"Aww, come on Bede! Let it out, it feels great, ehehehehe!" Sayori pumped her fists to try and tried to give him a little push.
"S-S-Shut up! Ah ha… agh! I can't stop eating this… why can't I stop?!" Bede continued to hold himself back as we all continued to howl with laughter in the diner.
Unfortunately though, a certain party pooper of a bear decided to send us a little announcement text.
"Good evening students! I would just like to announce that The A-Maze-ing Athlon of Agony will be moved to tomorrow night! We got a lot more spectators than expected, so we had to give them a little treat for giving us the cash to be there! See you soon, rest well, puhuhuhuhuhu!"
Dimitri scowled as he clenched his e-Handbook, "That dastard… everyone, get some rest tonight! Training will begin early tomorrow morning, afterwards we continue to rest until night. Let us do our best, even if we were not expecting this outcome. Let us give thanks once again, to Team 1 for organizing this dinner for us."
"THANKS FOR THE FOOD!" The others tell us as they all left to place their dishes on the dish washing area.
We bowed towards them as we placed all the utensils and other cooking implements we used there too and exited the diner.
"Good work everyone, ribbit. We managed to learn how to work together as a team after all." Tsuyu tells us as we take in the "night air".
Kazuma put his arms behind his head as he leaned back, "Yeah well, probably won't be able to do the same thing tomorrow. If we just had one more day then maybe it could have helped but… I still feel like we're screwed."
"Mhm, we might have to come up with ways to conserve our energy too with how weak we'll probably be after training." I ponder aloud.
Minori adjusted her glasses as she nodded, "Indeed, although… forgive me if you don't feel the same way, but I believe that we are capable of making it through this."
Kazuma raised an eyebrow at her claim, "And why is that? Got any facts to back that up? Or was your source that you made it the hell up?"
Tsuyu gave him a slap on the cheek using her tongue as Minori spoke up again.
"Well… I guess I just have some faith in us. We just need to look out for one another, plan things out, and try to make things work even if there are mistakes. Just like when we were cooking… um, well, I guess I'll see you all tomorrow. Have a good night…"
"Wait, ribbit!" Tsuyu stopped her before she could leave.
"What is it, Tsu?" I asked her. As she then held her fist out in front of us.
"There's a saying where I come from, ribbit, and I wanted to tell you all that before we got started. Just so we'll be able to push ourselves even farther than we originally planned."
"A saying?" I tilted my head and she looked at us and smiled with her eyes closed.
"Go beyond… PLUS ULTRA!"
We looked at her with wide eyes, we didn't know what it truly meant but… it felt inspiring all the same. The four of us bumped our fists together and went back to our dorms to rest for the night.
The pizza party was over… and it seems we'll be in hell soon enough.
MONOKUMA THEATER CANCELED, NEED REPLACEMENT HOST MONOKUMA
Insert Song: A Promise (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
An entire day of training went by shockingly quickly, I guess I owe Dimitri for that "tutoring session" we had, although for the most part… still wasn't anywhere close to being easy. The performance we had on the first five exercises were passable, not anywhere close to being perfect, although in Dimitri's words we were "showing improvement". We were on the final exercise of the day… the training dummy towers.
"Ha!"
Minori toppled the first one with a mighty kick, did not expect her to be able to move like that.
"Tah!"
Kazuma swung a training sword into the next dummy as it was coming down.
"Hmph!"
Tsuyu delivered a drop kick right to the next one's cranium.
"Hyah!"
I landed a solid uppercut on the final dummy, holding fist close to me and being glad I put some tape over it.
"Excellent! Now onto the next!" Dimitri blew his whistle as he ordered us to attack the next stack.
We kept on using the attack order he gave to us, Minori Kazuma Tsuyu Hachiken. It didn't work too well, but we had a good rhythm going and managed to perfectly take care of half of the dummies.
The four of us sat on the bench as we drank some water bottles, courtesy of Tsuyu's long tongue.
Kazuma retched after taking his. "Blech, at least there's no slime. Happy that I haven't managed to get covered in that stuff while I'm here, that's a plus at least…"
I'm… not gonna ask about the stuff he goes through if that's something he experiences in his world.
The other groups managed to finish their rounds as Dimitri stood before us, lance in hand, as he gave us one last speech.
"Once again, I thank you all for giving it your all with the training these past two days. Even those of you who have never seen combat had managed to find your own ways of keeping up, and for that I am grateful to you all."
Dimitri specifically looked at me for that last statement as I rubbed the back of my head, embarrassed.
"My friends, we face a labyrinth full of challenges unknown to all of us. This training likely hasn't prepared you enough for that, so allow me to say a few more words to trulymotivate you all to survive the right way…"
I assume the wrong way is to kill one another, which is something I do hope we can manage to avoid. Even if winning the Free Kill card will allow you to do so, it also puts a big target on your back. If in some awful, terrible, twisted other reality I was a killer… then I would not want to attempt the risk of getting it and find some other way. Dimitri cleared his throat as we all leaned in to listen.
"Do not let fear control you, even when all hope seems lost you must face the challenges head on. March onward together, if one of you falls lend a hand and help them reach the end. Fight as one, even if you are unsure of your own abilities you have to ensure the protection of both yourself and your allies. My apologies if this wasn't as reassuring as I would have hoped it would be, I truly wish you all the best. Let us all live to see tomorrow, and make it to the end of this labyrinth unscathed!"
"YEAH!"
We all raised our fists to the sky as we all managed to break apart and rest ourselves. I feel a bit sore all over, so I am in desperate need of a nap….
Bede found himself sitting outside the doors of Kuma Kolosseum, looking down at the five Great Balls in his hands. He sighs while holding them close, clutching them since this may possibly be the last time he'll get to use his team in battle.
"Um, Bede?"
Bede quickly hid his Pokémon away in his jacket as he turned to face… Sayori.
"What do you want?" He asked calmly.
"I, uh, wanted to say that… well…"
Sayori stuttered in what she planned to say to him as Bede rolled his eyes and got up closer to her, looking her right in the eyes.
"Spit it out, we don't have all day."
At his response, Sayori gulped as she stared back with a serious expression.
"Let's do our best today."
Sayori held out her hand and waited for Bede to shake it. It took about two whole minutes, and Sayori's arm started to get tired from being held up for so long for him to finally shake it.
"Just don't get in my way."
The words that came out of his mouth were as cold as usual, but the delivery of them combined with him not looking at her with disdain made her tilt her head. Bede walked off after letting go of her hand, his hands in his pockets leaving Sayori to ponder on what had happened to him. Eventually though, she didn't come to a conclusion on what it could be. She just smiled and thought to herself:
"He's still a meanie… but he's getting better. Maybe we can be friends after all…"
"LADIES, GENTLEMEN, NON-BINARY FOLKS, AND FELLOW ROBOT BEARS EVERYWHERE… KUMAVERSITY PROUDLY PRESENTS TONIGHT'S MAIN EVENT! THE A-MAZE-ING ATHLON OF AGONY!!"
Insert Song: Tournament Lobby (Pokémon Sword and Shield)
I finally finished putting on this neon outfit, it feels tight around… certain areas, but I can move my arms and legs just fine. Still, I feel like this thing doesn't suit me. It was an equestrian outfit, sure, something I have worn in the past… but from the helmet to the jacket all being lit up by orange… just felt like I was wearing a big neon sign that says: "Please hit me!".
I stepped onto the field to be greeted by my teammates. Tsuyu was in a green bodysuit with goggles, tan gloves and frog-like flippers on her feet. Kazuma was in a brighter colored version of his normal outfit, with a white shirt, green mantle, and leather boots. Minori… was in her normal outfit, what the hell?
"Here, Hachiken, ribbit." Tsuyu helped readjust my collar to my embarrassment.
"T-T-Thank you… ugh…"
Man it felt a little hot in here, even when there were fans blowing cold air in this stadium. I watched as other teams began to show up dressed in their own battle outfits. Don't think I can describe all of them in great detail, but the few that stood out to me were Saki, Dimitri, Pietro, and Bede.
"Oh wow, Saki, you put on makeup?! You look beautiful!" Sayori complimented her.
Saki smirked, "Hah, I know I'm freaking sexy. The Franchouchou fans go wild when they see me on stage…"
She had a black biker jacket on with boots to match, an orange scarf tied to her head, spiked iron knuckles on her fists, and her face wasn't zombie-like at all… very curious on how she pulled that off.
"Let us cut through, together…"
Dimitri was in full dark blue knight armor, with a furry color and what appeared to be the face of a lion as an emblem on his chest.
Pietro was impatiently tapping his foot as he slicked his hair back. A silver and light blue bodysuit with marking shaped like lightning bolts and goggles atop his forehead. He crossed his arms and I swear I heard him snort after one look at my outfit, jerk…
Bede's outfit however was quite unexpected… a bright pink and cyan sports-themed getup with some round orbs around his belt.
"What are you looking at? Focus on yourself, moron…"
As colorful as his outfit is, he's still the same Bede.
All of us lined up on the field as Monokuma in a referee's outfit stood atop a large platform. The large tv screen behind him was showing off everyone in the crowd, mostly Monokumas as expected but… right in a row of her own was Sird. The camera did a quick close-up on her face as her eyes pierced right into my soul… if I wasn't scared a minute ago… I'm in fear right now. Thankfully the screen switched to the rules of the event so I don't have to look at her creepy face anymore, agh…
A-MAZE-ING ATHLON OF AGONY RULES:
You must all stay with your designated team until you have reached the final stage.
The event immediately ends either when one participant crosses the finish line before all others… or if a participant is killed during combat by another participant's actions.
Special item containers will be dropped into each stage at random that can change the conditions of your current location or the location of an opponent of your choosing. Note that if you are unable to choose your victim, they will be chosen at random.
Any participant killed by any of the hazards within the maze, and NOT by an opponent, will not have a class trial held for them.
Each of the paths taking within this labyrinth will be different for each team, alternate and intersecting pathways are also included.
Kumaversity is not held accountable for any potential (but highly likely) injuries, death, or heavy trauma for any student participating in this event.
Always remember to HAVE FUN!
Those last two rules just go hand in hand with each other, don't they?
Everyone crowded together one last time right before the entry doors for each team lit up.
"We'll see you on the other side, don't give up too easily okay?"
Tails waved a wrench at us as he pulled down his white inventor gloves and adjusted down his pilot's goggles. Joining him, Dimitri nodded at us as he ushered Kale (who was in her normal clothes too) over to their entrance. Reyn (in a blue vest and tank top combo) cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms before saying the phrase:
"Yeah! Now it's Reyn Time!"
"Ugh, see you guys later. Good luck. Come on you idiot…" Ray (wearing a green almost huntsman-like outfit) grabbed him by the ear as Konata (in red medieval armor with her hair tied back) giggled.
Sayori then walked up to me and grabbed both my hands to shake them. She had a black and pink hoodie with shorts to match, as if she were going to the gym to work out.
"I'm rooting for you, big bro! Keep your head up high, and show us what you got!"
I softly chuckled, "Ha ha, yeah you too… stay safe, alright?".
Her smile slowly faded as she softly nodded and joined her team at their starting gate.
Hope to see you soon, Sayori…
"Yo, Hachiken? Are you ready? Stop spacing out, man!" Kazuma called me over as the rest of the team were already in position.
"R-Right! Sorry!"
We huddled up together as the countdown began.
10… 9… 8…
"This is it, better not see you guys slacking!" Kazuma told us.
"Speak for yourself…" I fired back.
7… 6… 5…
Minori clutched something close to her chest, couldn't see what it was…
4… 3…
Tsuyu turned to us and said one last thing, "Remember what I told you, ribbit. Go beyond…"
"... To infinity?" Kazuma guessed wrong.
Me and Minori answered, "Plus Ultra!".
Kazuma scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, yeah, Plus Ultra…"
2…
1…
*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!*
Insert Song: Rail Canyon (Sonic Heroes)
A loud buzzer went off as the four of us went forth… and right away we were met by what I could describe as "random bullshit" being thrown at us. We were jumping through flaming hoops with spikes on the ends of them, swinging axes across a balance beam, freaking buzzsaws?!
"I WANNA GO HOME!"
I yelled out loudly before Tsuyu swooped in and grabbed me by the waist.
"Just breathe, Hachiken, ribbit. Breathe…"
I held on tight to her as I continued to panic as I saw the hellhole we were trapped in. How is this supposed to motivate us into killing each other when we all just want to get outta here?! The answer to that question would have to wait as Tsuyu gets hit from behind by debris as soon as we reach the next room.
"Gah! Ow…"
I rubbed my bottom after landing on it as Tsuyu managed to land on her feet next to me.
The two of us looked up to see a large muscular creature with a mostly black body, on top of its head its brain was exposed.
"A Nomu?" Tsuyu seemed to recognize this thing…
It then stopped out of the shadow to reveal its face… and it had fish-like gills on its face along with an uninterested expression.
Minori gasped, "No… it's a—"
"YARANEEDA!"
The monster bellowed out loudly, its roar managing to push my body back and making me regret not filling up more for dinner. I wanted to watch my calorie intake, okay?
"Agh… AGH!"
That monster decided to run up and grab ME first! I knew this neon outfit was too flashy!
"Hachiken!"
Tsuyu tried to grab me with her tongue, but the steroid-infused creature batted it away.
"G-Gah…" I let out as I struggled in its grasp…
Upon reopening my eyes, I turned my head all around to see that Kazuma's disappeared! That dick… he chose to book it when he saw this thing! I can't believe he would…
"HRAGH!"
I looked over my shoulder to find Kazuma reappearing and his short sword being stabbed into the monster's exposed brain! The monster then collapsed after that brutal penetration, Kazuma giving a smug smile as he let his mantle or cape blow in the breeze. I mean I'm thankful that I was wrong… but try not to make a show out of it!
"Heh, you're welcome… eh?"
Kazuma's smirk fades and I find myself unable to remove myself from the beast's grip… please don't tell me…
"YAAAAARAAAAANEEEEEEDAAAAAA!"
"EYAH! IT'S NOT DEAD!" Kazuma blurted out.
The behemoth grabbed onto Kazuma as well, and increased his grip on us both.
"AGH!"
"GAH!"
Tsuyu and Minori were observing this from below, and I could barely hear their conversation from here.
"Tsuyu, I have an idea. Just keep it distracted and I'll take care of it once it's on the ground."
Minori gripped her fists and looked at the frog girl while looking determined. Tsuyu immediately hopped into action, delivering a bunch of kicks to the bog brute's body… and it just kept taking those hits without moving an inch! What is this thing?!
Kazuma then began to shout his complaints, "Whatever you're doing, it's not working! Try something else, damn it, or else our bones are gonna break!"
"Ribbit!" Tsuyu tied her tongue around its jumbo legs and toppled it to the ground, "Minori, your move, ribbit!"
"Her move?! Are you freaking, joking? What the hell is she going to—MMPH!"
Thankfully the monster had the conscience to readjust its grip on Kazuma so it could cover his mouth.
Insert Song: Pretty Cure! Tropical Change! (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure)
Minori took out that ring and compact mirror she had all that time ago… was this what Monokuma called her and Bede over for yesterday?
"Pretty Cure, Tropical Change!"
Inserting the ring right into an opening on the compact mirror an unexpected scene unfolded as colorful light surrounded her. She removed her glasses and that's when I noticed… she seemed more energetic!
"Let's makeup! Bling!"
HUH?!
"Cheeks! Lips!"
Minori applied blush and lipstick to her cheeks as Tsuyu continued to hold down the monstrosity's legs.
"Hair! Eyes!"
Her light brown hair turned orange, gained a layered bun hairstyle, and got a super long ponytail. Cyan eyeliner came next as she batted her eyelashes to my increasing confusion.
"Dress!"
With one final shout, she received flat orange boots, yellow fingerless gloves, kiwi-shaped earrings and a frilly yellow/orange dress that came with so many accessories…
She lands on her skirt before rolling onto her feet, posing all cutely.
"Flashing Fruits, Cure Papaya!"
So many questions went through my mind as Minori, er, Cure Papaya stepped right in front of the monster.
How is this possible? Is it magic? Why didn't the monster try to break free and attack her while she was transforming? Why does the air smell all fruity?
Although the last question I asked myself likely had an obvious answer…
Was I the weak link on this team?
Oh my god, I did not expect to make this thing so long… but I just had so many ideas that I didn't want to separate into other chapters! It's going to be a while until the next one, so I might as well give you all a lengthy treat as a gift for all that waiting. Well, that and a new chapter of Ai Means Love next week too. This event is big, and I want to make it feel big. Next time, we'll both see how Team 1 finishes off the Nomu-Yaraneeda and we check up on Team 2! See you guys next time, farewell! - Renegade Braveheart