Chapter 3: When Hell Freezes Over Part 6 (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 (Cure Papaya), Kazuma.
Team 2: Sayori, Saki, Bede, Pietro.
Team 3: Kale, Tails, Dimitri.
Team 4: Reyn, Konata, Ray
Sayori's POV
"Huff… huff… good job team!"
I was acting as everyone's personal cheerleader, and we just managed to make it past some more giant Pokémon, or dynamaxed as Bede described them. That's an honestly cool name! Giant monster fights are cooler though when you're not the ones fighting them. I always hate when they get attacked by people for just existing in the movies…
Bede placed his hands in his pockets after returning his "Sylveon" and "Gardevoir".
"Hmph, despite them all being holograms they were all difficult opponents regardless. This Milotic and Whimsicott fought as if they had been studying other trainers and their battle styles… The former was more elegant, and the latter, while timid, still struck hard."
My eyes widened as I listened in, "Oooooh, what about that one over there!", I pointed at that sloth that was next to them.
"This Slakoth was more lazy, yet the way it used its special attack oriented moveset was kind of brilliant… as if it were some kind of sleepy mage."
"No more small talk, this is looking like the final corridor. Race you… just kidding!"
Pietro taunted us as he prepared to dash again, right as the doors opened though we saw all the dangerous hazards all wrecked! What happened here? It was like a tornado blew through here, a helpful tornado since we have an easier time, but what caused this?
"Sayori! Over here!"
At the end of the hall Dimitri called us over, and he was with the rest of Team 3 and Team 4!
"You made it! Thank goodness." Tails gave me a hug and I returned it tenfold.
Saki approached Reyn and we both flinched, "Christ, man! What happened to you?".
"Random fireballs… lightning bolts… rain clouds… iron fists to the gut…"
Reyn just kept listing off many things that hit him as we looked over his scratched up body.
Ray stopped forward and provided us with an easier answer.
"It was likely that all these random events were triggered by the item boxes that randomly show up in the maze. I doubt that any of you would have sent them over to hinder us, but even not using them caused them to be activated on a random team. Just so happened to be ours it seems… So how many of you guys touched an item box that was not able to be used on yourself?"
"N-Not us! Ehehehe…"
I softly giggled as I saw a few of us sweating out of nervousness. Sorry, Reyn… Bede looked over at Kale and I noticed her sleeves were torn. Must have gotten cut off by something, but there's no scars on her arms…
I was about to say something to her before Dimitri spoke up again.
"That noise… there's a battle ahead, it has to be Team 1! Let us assist them!"
We all nodded our heads before we walked through the door and… oh my god…
"Great… reinforcements… Minori, Kazuma, the others are here!"
Hachiken was shivering and was carrying Tsuyu who was knocked out! Kazuma was slashing at some ice creature and Minori was in some flashy and adorable outfit! If this was a better situation I'd talk more about that last thing, but right now….
"What happened to her?!" I ran over and took a look at Tsuyu, she's sleeping…
Hachiken sighed and shook his head, "Hibernation… figures it would have happened to someone with frog abilities, she can't handle the cold…"
Dimitri then walked on ahead, lance in hand.
"Then we'll cut a path for you all to get through and get her to safety! Let us slay this beast, charge!"
Insert Song: Battle! Gym Leader (Pokémon Sword and Shield)
I stayed with Hachiken and helped carry her as the others went in to attack the ice monster.
"An Avalugg of this size… I think I recall legends about a noble Pokémon like this in the ancient Sinnoh region, then named Hisui." Bede stated as he let out a pink, blue, and white Pokémon that looked like it had a fancy dress and a witch hat on.
It fired a bunch of beams of light, and Minori shot lasers out of giant glasses too! I didn't know she could do that… Dimitri then landed a heavy strike with his lance and so did Reyn with his… shield-lance thing! Saki punched it, Pietro rammed into it, and Tails curled up into a ball and bounced off it!
It didn't look like it was working though, how hard is that "Avalugg"?
"Hm… we need someone durable to aggro it, good luck Reyn!" Konata volunteered him.
"What?! Me?!" The big guy questioned aloud.
Kazuma shrugged with his hands and nodded, "Yeah, go for it, pal. We believe in you."
Reyn began moving his legs constantly to keep warm, "Oh come on! That's not fair! Brrrr, I could barely stand still in this place and you want me to go fight that chilly beast by myself?!"
"Yes." Kazuma and Konata answered.
"Yeah, no. We need something better than that but… he's right about one thing, it's freezing! Feels a lot colder than it was a few minutes ago…"
Hachiken rubbed his hands together to warm them up after saying that, as I turned to my right and saw some kind of display screen. I couldn't see what was on it for a second, due to the Avalugg's frosty wind breath (smells minty by the way), but I squinted and let out a gasp.
I pointed at the screen and yelled to everyone, "The temperature is getting lower! Look there!"
We were at 50 degrees fahrenheit about a few minutes ago, but now we're at 47… if we don't leave here soon… we'll be popsicles!
"Tch, I may be used to cold temperatures in Faerghus, yet this none of us will be able to survive at this rate… we need to defeat it quickly!"
Dimitri clenched his teeth as he pointed at the Avalugg with his lance. The rest of us did our best to warm ourselves up, and especially try to warm Tsuyu up. Poor girl might get frozen in her sleep if we don't leave soon…
"There has to be something…" Ray grimaced as he took a look at the temperature going down by one degree.
"... If all else fails, overwhelm it." Bede let out and the rest of us looked at him.
"You heard me, unleash some powerful attacks at the same time to finish it. We have no time to formulate something better, so this is all we have… I saved up energy in my Dynamax Band for a moment like this, we need at least two more."
Minori chimed in, "I could launch one more shot at it, now we only need one more."
That's when Dimitri and Tails's eyes went wide at the same time before turning to someone who's been out of the way the entire fight.
"Kale!" They both said her name.
All of us just went,"HUH?!".
"H-Huh?! Kale reacted similarly.
"Even if you still have trouble controlling your strength, you must harness it now. My apologies for making such a sudden request, yet time is running out for us all." Dimitri talks to her in a calm and reassuring voice.
Tails walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "It won't even have be used for too long, just fire away and we'll help you out in case you get out of control! Take a chance, okay? We believe in you, so would it hurt to believe in yourself?"
"..."
She remained silent as her teammates gave them looks of encouragement, and the rest of us gave some too, as unsure as we were about this. I trust Dimitri and Tails though, and I believe in Kale too!
"... Okay. Please, stand back…"
Insert Song: What I'm Made Of (Sonic Heroes)
As soon as Dimitri and Tails gave her the okay to move forward, we all watched as Kale took a breath in… and her hair glowed a bright light-green.
BA-BOOM!
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
She roared like a wild beast as her muscles started to bulge… her eyes turned completely white… and her hair became spiky as she glowed even brighter than the neon clothes we were wearing. She was… SUPER BUFF! Holy broccoli!
After transforming, she wailed on the Avalugg like it was a punching bag, continuing to grit her teeth and yell like crazy.
"So this is what she was hiding all this time… her Ultimate Talent that we haven't heard… If I were to describe this… she would be The Ultimate Berserker." Hachiken said as we both looked on in shock.
Dimitri smiled and turned to Bede and Minori and nodded, giving them the okay to attack as well.
"Hmph, would have likely finished this sooner if she had been honest about her power from the start. Now, Hatterene, Gigantamax! Ha!" Bede grunted, annoyed, as his wristband glowed and he tossed one of his Pokémon balls (now surrounded by a red forcefield like the Pokémon from earlier) into the air.
At the same time, Minori grabbed onto a small little rod, twisting it to make glowing yellow lipstick appear.
"Heart Rouge Rod!"
She blew into the lipstick, creating a yellow heart that turned her into a giant papaya! Whoa! She jumped up into the air, and the papaya then split in half to reveal some green bubble-looking seeds!
Bede's ball then landed and out came his Hatterene that was now as giant as the Avalugg was! He pointed forward and gave her a command.
"Hattrene, G-Max Smite!"
"Pretty Cure! Panpaka Papaya Shot!"
"HRAAAAAAAAGGHHHHHH!"
Hattrene fired several stars into the ground that created giant laser columns around the Aggalug, Minori shot out the green seeds like they were bullets, and Kale fired a big laser blast from her hands! All of those attacks manage to land perfectly onto the big ice monster as it finally manages to collapse.
"G…t…I…em! Choo…o…gets…t!"
Did I just hear something right there? It was too loud and I couldn't tell…
The three of them stood next to each other and turned away as Minori shouted out:"Victory!"
KAABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!
As one final explosion goes off, we all shut our eyes to protect us from going blind. We all began to breathe heavily, we were all so tired… I felt like I could flop over and take a long nap, but before I could do that I heard the doors behind us open.
The finish line was open…
"Hurry, everyone! Before it gets even colder, move your arses!" Reyn yelled as he picked up a fainted Konata under his arm.
We all were incredibly exhausted, but we had to leave before we froze to death. My legs were cramped, my hair was a mess, I was sweating…. But I have to move… I'd cause more trouble if I died…
Come on, Sayori…
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!
I heard a gust of wind blow behind me, but I just kept running and running until…
… I heard trumpets blaring, confetti falling all around, and I looked above to see spotlights on all of us. I hunched over on my hands and knees and began panting, feeling like I needed a bottle of water or two… or three… of an entire case full. Referee Monokuma hopped down from above to greet us.
"Da, da, da, da, daaaaaaaaaa! Congratulations on managing to cross the finish line and complete The A-Maze-ing Athlon of Agony! Time to announce our winner and the one who managed to cross it first!"
That's when I remembered the Free Kill card, and all the scary outcomes that could happen from having it as I looked up to see Monokuma handing it… to Bede.
"What…?" He utters out as he takes it and Monokuma raises his arm to the air.
"Here is your winner, and the NEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW, STRAIGHT A-CHAMP…. BEDE!"
The crowd of Monokumas erupted in applause and the rest of us were looking right at him before his eyes suddenly went wide. He breaks Monokuma's grip before running back towards the doors, only to find that they had closed.
"Grgh, we have to get back in there! Now!"
After we gathered up, confused as to why he'd want to go back in, we then did a quick headcount of who was actually here with us.
"H-Hachiken… Tsuyu… The two of them are…"
I stuttered and couldn;t finish that sentence before clutching my heart with intense worry and a strong amount of fear. My mind starting to overflow with constant hopelessness, so much doubt lingering in there and I wanted it to stop. Get out of my head… get out of my head… get out of my head… get out of my head….
Get out of my head…
Hachiken's POV
Insert Song: Mikage (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)
"... Ha…chiken…"
My eyes slowly opened as I picked myself off the turf. That was Tsuyu's voice… Where is she?! Come on… come on… there! I gasped as I walked over to her, bringing her back into my arms and looking over her. Still breathing, good, but…
"Damn it…"
I uttered that out when I saw the temperature on the display screen, thirty degrees. In only a few more minutes we'll both be… Before I could start to think of what could happen, I heard the feedback of a microphone.
"Is this thing on?! Hey! Hachiken! Get off your ass and run, damn it!"
Saki?
"There's cameras in there with you so we can see everything… Just hold on! Keep moving towards the door!'
That's Tails…
"Hachiken, you better not die on us now, buddy… who else can be there to tell us to be serious? To get annoyed when we mess around? But even after all that, still laugh along with us?"
Reyn…
"If you don't move now, your body will shut down… please hurry!"
That's the loudest I've heard Minori's voice, even after what I heard today…
"You probably don't want me to make any kind of reference right now, but I felt like saying it because that's how I feel. Let's see you grit those teeth! Believe in the Hachiken that I believe in!"
I softly chuckled at Konata's line, even if I didn't know where it came from.
"Hachiken, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I appreciate how normal you are compared to all these other weirdos… Don't leave us just yet, take the frog girl and book it!"
Ha… Thanks, Kazuma, I guess… That did actually make me smile though, kudos.
"Is this how you want to end it? All that effort in both your life back home and the time you spent trying to survive here… it'll all go to waste if you don't make an effort to survive… at least one more time…."
Ray…
"My friend, keep pushing yourself forward… don't listen to the rest of your body, listen to both your heart and soul. Let them guide you to finding the path forward, so we all can reunite once more and celebrate…"
Such a great way with words as always, Your Highness…
"Hachiken, you moron… don't you dare quit, after all… I consider you a rival to me!"
B-Bede?! I didn't mishear that… that was him… ha, a rival, is that his way of telling me I'm someone special to him? Like a friend? I'll take it…
"You have helped me so much, even when I wanted to throw myself away… I was at my lowest point and you helped me… you're more than just a friend to me, Hachiken, you're like a brother! Do your best! HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN!"
Tears began to well up in my eyes as Sayori led a chant with all of them. I looked ahead to see the lights marking the finish line… and I got going. My legs could barely move in this cold… and all the pain I felt while running through this maze and getting hurt a number of times was starting to catch up to me…
"HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN!" They continued.
It hurt so bad… but I have to keep moving… even if Tsuyu's the only one to survive between us… I looked down at her in my arms and I kept moving…
I think about the time I spent with everyone in my life… having fun with all of them… those who I'm happy to call my friends: Sayori, Saki, Reyn, Ray, Minori, Tsuyu, Kazuma, Konata, Dimitri, Tails… Even those who I haven't bonded well with like Bede, Pietro, and Kale, I still thought about them…
My mother, who'll be heartbroken when she finds out about me…. My brother, Shingo, obnoxious as he is… I still love him. My father… as much as I hated how you treated me… I hope you're still proud of me, and what I've done…
Even my dear companions back home, I miss you guys: Ichiro, Tamako, Aikawa, Tokiwa, Yoshino, Nishikawa, Beppu…
Mikage… I'm sorry I couldn't make it home. I wish I could have seen your face one more time… seen your beautiful smile… ride horses alongside you and watch the sunset together… and kiss your sweet lips again.
"HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN! HA-CHI-KEN!"
Her face showed up in my mind once more, and I managed to weakly smile as my tears began to freeze. I still hear everyone's chanting and shouting… even crying for me as my legs finally stopped in their place. Couldn't move another step… it was over.
I'm sorry Tsuyu…
I'm sorry Mikage…
I'm sorry everyone…
I'm sorry…
I'm sor…
I'm s….
I'm…
I…
…
…
…
Sayori's POV
"... The feed just cut out… Hachiken!"
I cried out his name as the screen turned black. I felt my eyes watering even more now, while Bede was clenching his teeth. A very angry Dimitri walked over to the closed maze doors…
CLANG! BANG! CLANG!
"Open the doors now, or I'll bring them down myself! HRAGH!"
Dimitri made several dents in them, as Saki and Reyn joined him.
"Our friends are in there, you bastard! LET US THE HELL IN!"
"HACHIKEN, TSUYU!"
Tails tried to pry it open with his wrench, while Minori fired her eye beams to try melting through.
"It… won't… budge!"
"We have to try… they might still be…"
That's when I looked up at Monokuma, completely desperate.
"Please… just open it…"
Monokuma stayed silent before using his gavel to press a button.
"She said the magic word…"
KA-CHUNK!
The doors slowly opened… all of us ran out back into the end of the maze. The temperature hadn't gone down at all, most of us were freezing, but the most chilling thing wasn't the icy room…
Insert Song: I Still Love You (Doki Doki Literature Club!)
…
…
…
I walked a few steps, well more like I stumbled forward, because I knew what was ahead of me. I didn't want to accept it, hoping it was some kind of nightmare and that we'd all wake up tomorrow alright…
…
But the sight of a completely frozen Hachiken, clutching Tsuyu in his arms, was real.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
I let out just the loudest cries I could, enough to make my throat hurt, but I didn't care.
This was much more painful.
I fell to my knees as I looked down and tried to pry my eyes away from the bodies of my friends. I heard the others sniffling a lot as my screams eventually died down, most of them were doing better at holding back their sadness than I was… but my heart was completely broken.
"... Monokuma."
Bede suddenly spoke up, his voice was frustrated and… full of guilt. That's when I heard the sound of paper tearing, and looked up to see the Free Kill card in tatters. Bede began to speak louder.
"Monokuma! It's time..."
The bear just waddled over and looked as confused as the rest of us.
"Uh… time for what?"
Bede's eyebrows lowers as he tosses the pieces of the card in the bear's face.
"Execution… my execution."
That is when we all gasped at once, all eyes were on him as we hoped he was joking. However, his face was completely serious as usual. I turned back at Hachiken and Tsuyu, before turning back to Bede.
No… no no no no no no, he's lying… he couldn't have…
He… he did this?
"The heavy winds that blew them back… it wasn't the Avalugg's doing. I accidentally broke an item box on my final attack and it happened to target them by random chance. I… accept my punishment."
I gasped as I recalled what I heard back when the attack finished up…
"G…t…I…em! Choo…o…gets…t!" or… "Got Item! Choose who gets it!", that was the same robot lady's voice when we broke the item boxes…
"Bede…" I softly uttered as the tears continued to fall from my face.
… Once again, I have no words.