Part 5 of 9
Later
"...So just to be clear, the Steerin' Committee, didn't just abuse their power and cover up murder, but also played god?" Hank asked, after Chairman Tengan had finished explaining what had been going on at Hope's Peak that lead up to the Tragedy to the survivors.
"Not the thing to focus on sir." Kyoko said.
"No no, it is a very fair question." Replied Tengan.
"Maybe, but it is not the thing that concerns me. What concerns me is the fact that Munakata is willing to send us into the fire on a near suicide mission to take on our former upperclassmen without so much as a plan in place, not even mere hours after escaping from Hope's Peak." Kyoko curtly replied.
"That was not what I was implying, and you know that Kirigiri." Said Munakata.
"Then you should have been more clear in your explanation." Said Kyoko, as at that moment Juzo Sakakura slammed his fist on the table, and as he approached the survivors everyone immediately stood up to meet the challenge with Aoi keeping Chihiro behind her.
"WHY YOU! You have some nerve Kirigiri!" Juzo roared "You are in the presence of the chairman and the vice chairman of the Future Foundation, someone who wasted god knows how many resources trying to get to that hellhole, show some respect!" Only to be met with a collective stare down from Kyoko, Sakura and Hank as well as glares from the other survivors.
"Respect, now that's funny." Said Hank.
"Oh really, how is that funny Hill?" Asked Tengan.
"Last time I checked, respect is earned not demanded and right now all I'm seein' is a brute and some jackass with a sword throwin' their power around to ensure they aren't questioned." Replied Hank, referring to both Juzo and Munakata, as it almost seemed like a fight was about to break out.
"Ok, let's take it down a few notches." Said a voice belonging to Chisa Yukizome, immediately breaking the tension, as she continued with soft smile on her face. "I understand we have our differences, but right now we've got a common goal. So Juzo, if you could keep your temper in check that would be great."
"Fine." Juzo grumbled, as he sat back down.
"Better, now, I'd appreciate it if there weren't any more distractions. So can we keep this meeting going without any interactions, I'm sure everyone is incredibly tired after the day they've had." Said Yukizome, as everyone merely nodded as she then turned to Hank "Oh and Hill, if you would be so kind as to keep your comments to yourself for now that would be great. I know your feelings on how the government operates, I remember the drunken rants you, the headmaster and Kizakura went on together."
"Fair 'nough." Replied Hank.
"Good, now as for your roles..." Tengan started.
Later
"Will you be ok doing that many tasks around the foundation sensei? While also being a part of Kirigiri's division?" Asked Aoi, as the survivors had made their way to their assigned rooms within the Future Foundation.
"It shouldn't be too much of an issue, especially if it means still bein' able to keep an eye on all of you. 'Sides, them using the logic of me bein' a salesman and thus allowin' me to keep an eye on the books to ensure that there ain't no corruption makes it less of a hassle for me, 'specially since I can report back to Kirigiri." Replied Hank.
"Because you don't like working for the government or the government in general?" Asked Byakuya.
"People should be allowed to live their lives without red tape interferin' in gettin' things done, or usin' their forms to ensure people who aren't the way they want em' to be are pushed into their own section just so they won't need to be dealt with publicly. Not even mentionin' stealin' our hard earned money to pay a bunch of twigboy burreaucrats." Hank said.
"I agree, it is rather unfair that they would want to take away our hard earned money." Added Byakuya.
"Togami, don't act like our situations are the same. This is about a bunch of twig boy bureaucrats screwin' over individuals."
"I know, I was joking. Frankly, if a businessman needs to avoid taxes to stay afloat or needs to be bailed out by the government repeatedly, they can't call themselves a proper businessman, unlike myself of course who will bring the Togami name back into limelight once the world has been fixed." Byakuya proudly boasted.
"Can we please get back on topic, just to be clear we'll all be fine in the roles we've been given. Right?" Asked Makoto.
"I'll be fine, especially working under Gekkogahara, I might even be able to improve Alter Ego." Said Chihiro.
"As much as I don't like Sakakura, I believe I would be able to do a lot of good under his division." Replied Sakura.
"I might actually learn something in the 13th division." Said Aoi.
"We already let our feelings be known about it during the meeting." Said Kyoko, while both Makoto and Byakuya merely nodded.
"Honestly, second division would be pretty good for what I'm capable of." Hank replied.
"I do hope Gekkogahara will be able to find a way restore our memories." Said Chihiro, referring to what was revealed at the end of the meeting.
"How would she even go about doing that?" Asked Aoi.
"Yes, it would sound impossible. And yet, Enoshima was able to make us lose our memories, while the people in charge of the school were able to play god. So, I'm going to keep an open mind." Replied Byakuya.
"Speaking off, have you kids read these files on the Kamakura project?" Asked Hank referring to the file he had started to read while the rest were starting to discuss their new roles, as he put down the file onto the table in the shared common room for everyone to read.
"Honestly, poor guy, to be exploited like that and turned into something akin to a monster against his will." Said Chihiro.
"To think, seventy years worth of research into talent, only for what they created to not cooperate with them and instead help in bringing down the downfall of civilisation. It's almost poetic in a way." Said Kyoko.
"Any memories returning of crimes you've investigated that had a similar amount of hubris?" Asked Makoto.
"No, there isn't a single crime I've investigated that comes anywhere close to their foolishness." Replied Kyoko.
"You know what I think, if they had just let him test out his abilities instead of givin' up when they thought they had failed, most of this wouldn't have happened." Said Hank.
"Like what, have him grill some steaks for the school?" Asked Aoi.
"If it works, probably. Why do you ask?"
"It says here that they didn't just give him your salesman talent, but also your talent for grilling steaks medium rare." Said Sakura.
"Well I'll be." Replied Hank, as he thought for a moment "Certainly goin' to keep that in mind."
"Sensei." Chihiro asked, snapping him out of his thoughts "You're not going to plan to invite him to grill steaks with you if you ever run into him. Right?"
"I might consider it."
"You're joking right, please tell me you're joking." Said Byakuya, as Hank looked at the clock.
"Would you look at the time, night kids try not to make it too late." Replied Hank, as he got ready to leave the common room.
"Sir." Makoto said.
"Night kids." Hank said as he walked off.
"SIR! Come on, you can't be serious about this!"
Months later
It would be a several months later before the group had managed to make any progress in getting their memories restored through the help Miaya Gekkogahara, but now after several sessions over the course of many months the group was sitting in their common room chatting about their returned memories, as Hank was in deep thought over his last memories of Jin before the killing game had started.
"Jin?"
"Hank, it'll be ok."
"Oh it's going to be very far from ok, it's only going to get worse from here."
"What?"
"Hank, listen to me..."
"Jin..."
"Watch over them for me, won't you? Be there for them where I failed to be."
"JIN!"
"Sensei?" Chihiro asked, snapping Hank out of his memories "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, just... dealin' with some returnin' memories." Replied Hank.
"About what?" Asked Makoto.
"My last moments with Jin, I remember it now. Ikusaba ambushed us, brought us over to Junko who through a coin toss made Jin decide which of us got to live and which of us would get their memories erased. I'm sorry Kirigiri." Replied Hank, with a regretful sigh in his voice.
"For what?"
"Not doin' more to save 'im."
"I'm sure that you did what you could in that moment, no reason for me to get upset at you. Besides, Junko was the one that killed him, and knowing him he probably chose to save you to ensure you'd still have a chance at returning to your family. So try not to think of it like you failing to save him, but rather him giving you a chance to keep going." Replied Kyoko, trying to hide her own sadness.
"Besides, not all the memories we got back were bad." Aoi interrupted, with the hope of lighting the mood a bit.
"Yeah, I miss those times, all of us together." Said Chihiro.
"Well, not exactly all of us knowing what we know now, right?" Asked Byakuya.
"I dunno, Mukuro... I don't think she was as evil as her sister." Said Makoto.
"He's right, I remember her comin' to me multiple times to speak about what was on her mind. 'Cause just like with the killing game, I kept my door open to everyone. And I believe that at least a part of her didn't want to go through with the plans of her sister. So I don't think she was irredeemable, just... mixed up in a lot." Replied Hank.
"Well, agree to disagree." Replied Byakuya.
"Even if you disagree, I'm going to choose honor the memories of those that died despite their actions in the killing game. By remembering what they were like with their memories intact, because that was what they were truly like." Replied Makoto, to which Byakuya merely shrugged.
"Though another memory that came back to me, I remember teachin' y'all about salesmanship, and Lord help me, y'all were the most rowdy bunch of kids I ever had the pleasure of wranglin'. Granted, not as crazy as class 77-B or even class 78-B, but still." Said Hank as he shuddered at the memories of having to teach Nagito, Teruteru and some of the rowdier students of class 78-B.
"I remember that, every example you used was about propane and propane accessories. Even if it had nothing to do with it, it always came back to those things." Said Aoi.
"It was somethin' I was good at, 'sides, you all took some valuable lessons from it that you wouldn't have learned otherwise. I coulda used other examples."
"And yet, you chose to tie it back to selling propane." Kyoko said with a smirk on her face.
"You really did have a habit of using your job at Strickland as an example for everything." Said Makoto, trying to hold back his laughter.
Byakuya sighed in exasperation, as he added. "It was a bit odd. But… I suppose it was better than most of the nonsense other instructors spewed."
"High praise, comin' from you, Togami." Replied Hank.
"Oh, I remember that one school festival we had before the summer break. We all had our own stalls to sell food, drinks or other items since the school wanted us to practice what we had learned in your classes. I had fun there." Said Chihiro.
"It was quite amusing." Said Sakura, before eyeing Byakuya "Though by the end of it, you had managed to take over 90% of the stalls to the point that the student council had to get involved."
"I still can't believe you tried to bribe them into letting you continue." Said Makoto.
"Well, I had to practice my talent somehow. Besides, what kind of businessman would I be if I couldn't let my money make money for me while I was asleep." Replied Byakuya.
"But that's not how it ended, was it?" Asked Kyoko, with a coy smile on her face.
"Only because Hill had to step in."
"Hey, all I did was remind the rest of you about proper communication when makin' a sale. It's how you compete with the bigger brands, forming an honest bond with the costumer while trying to convince them to buy your product." Replied Hank.
"I suppose all of you managed to pull one over on me in the end by actually managing to make more money than me, it was quite impressive." Replied Byakuya, conceding defeat.
"I remember Celeste's face when she lost that bet with Hill-sensei over who would end up making more money in the end." Said Makoto.
"Be honest, that was the only reason you even gave the advice." Said Aoi.
"I will neither confirm nor deny that." Replied Hank.
"Still, even with the focus on that, good job keeping Hanamura away from the barbecue." Said Sakura.
"What can I say, after hearin' about the stunt he and Saionji pulled the previous year I wasn't gonna risk ruinin' some good steaks."
"I suppose that would be the main reason for you." Kyoko replied dryly.
"So with our memories restored, you guys got any big plans?" Asked Chihiro.
"I will be following Togami and some soldiers to Towa City in a week, some rumours have it that it's where our loved ones are potentially being kept." Sakura replied.
"Well if you do end up findin' Bobby and Peggy, tell em' I've been worried sick about them." Replied Hank.
"What about your friend Dale?" Asked Aoi.
"Give im' a good kick in the rear from me, he'll know what he did." Replied Hank.
"A bit unorthodox, but I'm sure you'll have your reasoning for it." Said Sakura.
Later
Deep within the halls of the base of the Warriors of Hope, located within one of the buildings in Towa City, Dale Gribble was creeping through the halls "Now, if I was a bunch of little kids tryin' to kill all the adults in some sick remake of Children of the Corn, where would I hide all my secrets." He wondered, as he continued through the maze-like halls. Making sure to avoid as many Monokuma Kids roaming the halls as possible, until he nearly walked past a slightly ajar door until he heard a childlike voice speak up.
This caused him to look inside, as the sight in front of him nearly made him drop his cigarette out of his mouth, because in that room sat Bobby Hill, tied to a chair as he was forced to look up at Monaca Towa who was currently rolling around him in her wheelchair while dropping some photo's on the floor.
"Why do you even fight it, Bobby?" Monaca asked, her voice having a sickly sweet tone. "You know what they think of you. What they've always thought of you."
"I dunno what you're talking about." Bobby replied, to which Monaca let out an evil giggle.
"Oh, but you do. Your mother? She never took you seriously. Always shoving you into things you didn't want, always acting like she knew better. Your father? Well, we both know what he thinks of you. How many times has he told you to stop being weird? To act 'normal'? How many times has he looked at you with disappointment? I mean look at these photos of him frowning at your antics in disappointment, just admit it to Monaca, you know they don't love nor care about you."
"My dad may not always understand me, but he loves me," Bobby said firmly, while shaking his head. "And my mom? She may have her narcissism, sure, but she's there for me. They're both there for me."
"In that case, where is your father then? Oh that's right, he's off galavanting with the six children he adopted to replace you. As for your mother, she pretty much left you behind the moment you got to this city. So admit it, they just tolerated you until they found a way to ditch you." Replied Monaca, as right at that moment Dale kicked the door open.
"Alright, that's it, ya green haired gremlin. I was willing to let this be a stealth mission, figure out what's goin' on it this hellhole of a city and get out, but you just went and made it personal."
"Mr Gribble!" Bobby exclaimed, as his face lit up.
Monaca's face however darkened as she replied with an annoyed tone in her voice "Oh goodie, the conspiracy nut. Should I call security or do I first need to listen about how this whole apocalypse was secretly done by a shadowy secret world government?"
Dale smirked as he replied "Oh, you'd love for me to be some kind of raving lunatic, wouldn't ya? That way, you don't gotta deal with what I'm about to tell ya."
"Enlighten me then, oh wise one."
"See, you think you're some kinda mastermind, pulling the strings, whisperin' in people's ears, makin' 'em believe whatever suits your agenda. But lemme tell ya somethin', kid, I know exactly what you are. You're just some cult leader, only thing you're missing is the robes and the kool-aid."
"A... what?" Monaca asked, genuinely at a loss for words.
"You heard me! You operate just like 'em. You take people when they're vulnerable, you twist the truth until they don't know what's real anymore, and you make 'em think you're their savior when all you're really doin' is usin' 'em. That's how they control the people! And that's how you control these kids! I would compare you to the government, but you're a bit too well organised for that to be true."
"And? So what if I am? People are sheep. Kids are easier to lead than adults. Why shouldn't I be the one to shape the world? Why shouldn't I be the one in control?" Monaca exclaimed, as her innocent smile began to fall, to be replaced by a dark scowl.
"Because people like you don't change the world. You just make it worse. You think these kids are free? They're just your puppets instead of someone else's. And the minute one of 'em thinks for themselves... poof! You throw 'em away like trash."
"You... you think you're so smart, don'tcha!" Monaca exclaimed.
"Damn right, I do," Dale shot back. "And another thing, you messed up big time tryin' to get in Bobby's head. 'Cause let me tell you somethin' about that boy, he don't quit, and he don't fall for cheap tricks. Cause he's got somethin' you'll never have."
"And what would that be?" Asked Monaca.
"Self respect." Replied Dale reaching into his right pocket, as Monaca began to fume with rage.
"Oh yeah, well you know what! You're nothing but a bunch of idiots! You deserve to be manipulated! That's what people are! You're all just pieces on a board, and I..."
"Pocket sand!" Dale exclaimed, as he threw sand into Monaca's eyes, after which he rushed to Bobby's chair to free him from his bindings while Monaca was busy getting the sand out of her eyes. "Alright boy, let's get out of here." Dale said, as he grabbed Bobby by the collar and began to run out of the room with him towards the exit.
And as they kept running they could hear the screams of Monaca echoing through the halls "RAAAAAAAAAAGH! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN GRIBBLE, YOU HEAR ME! DEAD!" The two of them kept running until they made it out of the building and into a nearby alleyway.
"Phew, made it. Sorry that I couldn't get to you sooner, kid, neither of us knew where you were."
"It's fine Mr Gribble, where is my mom?" Bobby wondered.
"She's with the adult resistance right now, hold on a sec'" Said Dale, as he pulled a city map out of his pocket and began to draw on it. "Right, now the number one of the map is where we are, the number two is where the resistance base is located. If you walk upstream by the river you should be able to make it, just be careful of all the killer robots roaming the streets."
"What will you do? Why can't you take me there?" Asked Bobby.
Dale readjusted his sunglasses as he replied "There a conspiracy afoot in this city that has to do with what's goin' on within the rest of the world. I'm gonna expose it."
"Ok." Bobby responded while awkwardly scratching the back of his head "Just, be careful out there."
"You too kid, until next time." Replied Dale, as he quickly took off, leaving Bobby with a only a map and his wits, as he slowly began to make his way through the city, making sure to avoid getting spotted by the robots or the Monokuma kids, as he found himself getting closer to the river where most of the bridges seemed to have been blown up when he spotted a boat trying to cross the river to the other side. Bobby stayed still to watched it go by, only for it to explode a few seconds later, scaring him into continuing to move across the river.
As he kept walking, he spotted three people, a boy, a girl and a rather tall muscular person who he recognised from one of the class photo's his dad had taken with him the last school year before everything turned crazy. Feeling like he could trust her, he quickly began to run towards them, only for him to increase his speed when he heard the boy who seemed to be only a little older than him speak up "Hey, no need to worry! I'll get to the other side any way I can."
"Wait!" Bobby exclaimed "Wait a minute!" he kept shouting as he had nearly reached the trio, catching their attention and preventing the boy from jumping in the water.
"What's wrong kid?" Asked Sakura.
"Hold on, just lemme catch my breath..." Replied Bobby, as he took a few seconds to calm down as he then said to Yuta Asahina "Don't do it, you'll explode!"
"Explode, what are you talking about?" Asked Komaru "You better not be with those kids!"
"What, no, I just escaped from them with my neighbour."
"Neighbour... wait are you Bobby?" Asked Sakura.
"That's right, Bobby Hill."
"Well, am I glad to see you. Your father has been worried sick about you." Replied Sakura.
"Wait, as in the son of that foreign guest speaker who shows up once a month. Cause I remember Makoto talking about your father a few times." Said Komaru.
"That's right."
"Hold on, you said I shouldn't swim to the other side. Why not?" Asked Yuta.
"You'll die! Didn't ya see that boat explode a little bit over there?" Replied Bobby.
"Boat, we didn't see a boat." Said Sakura, as she grabbed her binoculars and looked in the distance from where Bobby had come "Oh there is indeed a blown up ship over there, oh wait there's one survivor..." She said, as an explosion was heard from far away "Never mind."
"So now what am I supposed to do if I can't swim to get help?" Yuta wondered.
"Well I'm lookin' for my mom, she should be with the adult resistance, so maybe we can find them together." Said Bobby.
"In that case, we will be joining you." Said Sakura.
"You will?" Bobby asked.
"Yes, so far I've been helping Komaru deal with this murderous Demon Hunting game she has been thrust into. But I'm sure we can make a quick detour to help you find your mother. Do you know where we are supposed to go?" Asked Sakura.
"I do..." Bobby was about to say, only for the wind to blow the map out of his hands and into the river. "Never mind, I don't know anymore..."
"That's ok, I'm sure we'll be able to find it eventually." Said Komaru, as they began to move through the city.
And as they kept moving Bobby asked "So, were you three also captured by those despair obsessed weirdos?"
"They were, I wasn't. I got stuck inside of the school with your father, and the rest of my class. Long story short, all but six of us died, while your father also stayed alive. I was actually here with a classmate of mine to find the hostages that were taken as motivation, but we got separated when the kids began their sick game. A bit after that I ran into Komaru and have been helping her deal with the city."
"So I was used as motivation for my dad, why?"
"Well, you, your mother and your neighbour. As for the why, it was to get him and everyone else to kill. Fortunately, instead of doing that, he prevented a bunch of murders from happening and even saved me. So if I can bring both you and your mother back to him safely, I'll have repaid my debt."
"That definitely sounds like him, 'xcept the peventin' murder part, but still." Replied Bobby, as the group kept walking.
Later
"Grab my hand!" Bobby exclaimed, after the robot that Masaru had been controlling exploded, causing the floor beneath it to collapse, as the Monokuma Kids had fallen in while Masaru was holding onto the ledge for dear life, while he felt that the Monokuma Kids held onto his legs and he felt himself beginning to slip.
"Why should I trust you! You're just like all those other filthy demon adults!" Masaru shouted.
"I'm fifteen, I'm not even close to bein' an adult!" Bobby countered.
"Close enough!" Masaru yelled, as he got ready to let go off the ledge.
"Dude, don't do this, dyin' ain't worth it!" Bobby yelled.
"It's better than the alternative!" Yelled Masaru, as he let go of the ledge and allowed the Monokuma Kids to pull him into the darkness of the hole the explosion of his mech had created, leaving the group in a now silent arena.
Bobby could only look into the darkness of the hole as he said nothing while feeling a comforting hand on his shoulder, he looked over to see Komaru standing next to him. "You ok?" She asked.
"I'm fine... just wonderin' what he meant with the alternative?"
"It could mean a lot of things, but for now, we should keep moving." Said Sakura, as she looked at Komaru, Yuta and Bobby while asking "Are none of you injured?"
"I don't feel injured, those paintball guns they gave us made for pretty good defence." Replied Yuta.
"Still weird that those kids just gave em' to us." Added Bobby.
"Maybe they really do see it all as one big game." Said Komaru.
"A big messed up one, but a game nonetheless." Said Sakura, as the group left the arena to keep making their way through the city.
Later
"What the heck!" Bobby exclaimed, while Komaru dropped to her knees in horror while Sakura and Yuta could only look on in abject horror upon being shown the sights of Jataro having turned the corpses of several adults into his own puppet show.
"Dude that is messed up!" Yuta yelled.
"Told ya you'd hate me... until next time." Jataro said, as the screen the Monokuma Kids were holding turned off.
"Naegi?" Sakura asked, but when that didn't work she tried again "Komaru, are you ok?"
"I can't keep doing this..." Komaru whimpered.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm just a normal high school girl who can't do anything special... not the way you can, not the way my brother can! I'm just me, and I can't do this anymore! They might as well come and get me, and end this whole thing already!" Komaru yelled, as tears were streaming down her face, prompting Sakura to kneel down next to her.
"Listen Komaru, I won't deny that this is a difficult situation. But you know what this reminds me of?" Sakura asked, to which Komaru shook her head "Your brother when we first met at the start of the school year. Hina and I had sized everyone up to see who would be a good sparring partner for me, when I got to your brother I made a comment about him being too scrawny and left it at that. I didn't think much of him, but at the time I didn't know he had such an inferiority complex in regards to that and the fact he had no actual talent other than being lucky. Granted, our upperclassman didn't really help in that matter, but still."
"It wasn't until he began to make an effort to get to know everyone that I realised that despite not being the strongest physically, he had a mindset that made him the best out of all of us. Someone willing to be there when you needed him, someone willing to listen when you had a bad day, someone willing to fight for what he believed in. It was in those moments that we saw where his true strength lied, his compassionate nature for others. Something I also saw during our final trial when he was unwilling to give up despite everything being stacked against him. Now, you may not have his outlook on life, but you are made from the same cloth."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you have that same drive to keep going, look how far you have managed to make it despite being hunted down. So you can't give up like that, not when you've already managed to make a hefty amount of progress. Listen, you don't have to rally people into acting or trying to change someone's mind, but you do have a choice to keep going. Never forget that." Said Sakura, as Komaru dried her tears before getting back up "Better?"
"Yeah, let's keep going."
"Good, just remember, we're all here and we plan on making it through this together. None of us are going to leave the other behind." Replied Sakura, as she turned to Bobby and Yuta asking "You two okay?"
"I'm fine, really."
"Me too, 'xcept they jus' ruined it's a small world for me."
"That is to be expected."
Later
"I don't give a damn about which side they claim to be on, they are not staying here." Haji raved, before focusing on Komaru "And neither are you, especially with that attitude of yours."
"Sir, if you would just reconsider for a moment, we're all on the same side here." Sakura tried to reason.
"Not my problem, now get out!" Haji yelled, only for a voice to call out.
"Now what in tarnation is goin' on out here! It is rowdier in here than the Fourth of July, and..." The voice belonging to Peggy trailed off when she saw Bobby as she gasped "B-Bobby!"
"Hey mom..." Bobby said, with a bit of awkwardness in his voice.
"Oh Bobby thank goodness!" Peggy exclaimed, as she rushed over and pulled him into a hug "I'm so sorry we got separated, but by the time Dale got me out you were gone. I've been so worried about you. Where have you been?"
"Those kids captured kept me with em', that green haired one kept tryin' to get me to join their side by makin' up a bunch of baloney about the way you and dad always looked down on me."
"Bobby... you know that ain't true, right? You just needed to find your place in the world, that's all." Replied Peggy to which Bobby nodded, as she then turned to Haji and asked "NOW, what's this I hear about you throwin' my son back out on the street?"
"Uh... forget I said anything." Haji bitterly replied, as he walked off. While any other members of the adult resistance were quick to continue on with their daily routine.
"Good, that's better. By the way, where's Dale?" Asked Peggy.
"He said somethin' alon' the lines of there bein' some big conspiracy in this city he was goin' to expose." Replied Bobby.
"Sounds like him." Said Peggy, as she turned to Sakura "I recognise you, you must be Miss Ogami."
"You know who I am?" Asked Sakura.
"Only from the class photo he took home with him, as well as the stories he shared when he came home, said he respected your strength."
"Thanks, that definitely sounds like him."
"So where is he, did he come to this city as well?"
"No, we were picked up by the Future Foundation, he was given the task of doing repairs and other odd jobs around the place. Sometimes he would join Kigiri and Naegi on missions."
"Ah... the Future Foundation, is see."
"Something wrong?"
"Well, between you and me, some people don't exactly hold the highest opinion of them. I myself am a bit split down the middle, but I'm sure Hank will be fine. He always had a good head on his shoulders."
"So mom, what have you been doin' here?" Asked Bobby.
"Oh I've been helpin' Hiroko Hagakure with rescuin' any potential hostages."
"There hasn't been a repeat of what happened down in Mexico, has there?" Asked Bobby, as Sakura, Komaru and Yuta all raised an eyebrow.
"Bobby..." Peggy said in a quiet tone "...We both agreed to never brin' that up again, but since you asked, Hiroko's been givin' me some lesson's to improve my Japanese. There hasn't been a single repeat of that incident since then. But what have you been doin'?"
"I found those three by the river, and Komaru's bein' hunted down by those kids, so I thought I'd help."
"Well that's very noble of you, is that where you got the paintball gun from?" Asked Peggy, to which Bobby nodded, as Peggy then turned to Komaru "Oh you poor girl, are you holdin' up well?"
"As well as anyone can in this situation ma'am, at least thanks to their support."
"Well that's good." Said Peggy, as she looked at the clock and noticed the time "Well would you look at the time, how's about you kids get some food and a good nights rest. I'm sure you all need it."
"Thanks Miss Hill." Said Yuta, as Peggy along with Hiroko began to lead the group to their assigned sleeping arrangements. As that was happening Bobby turned to his mother and asked "Since we're here and Dale is also here, who do you think's keepin' an eye on things back in Arlen?"
"He said he left instructions to Bill and Boomhauer... Oh no! We have no home to return to!" Peggy exclaimed.
"I mean, if it's Boomhauer then at least there's a bit of a chance things'll be ok." Replied Bobby.
Meanwhile back in Arlen
"Dang ol' Bill, 'nother one of them bears got past the dang ol' barrier, s'crazy man, I'll tell y'what." Boomhauer said, as he and Bill were chasing after another Monokuma that managed to make it past the barrier in Boomhauer's carr, while Bill was aiming a shotgun at it, before taking the shot and blowing it's head up.
"I got'em, that's another one for the scrapyard." Said Bill, as the car stopped and the two man got out to pick up it's remains "You think we'll ever hunt em' to extinction?"
"I dunno man, s'dang ol' crazy with that dang ol' red sky still 'ere."
Back in Towa City
"Yeah, we can only hope for the best." Said Peggy.
"So what's with the food situation?" Asked Bobby.
"Right now it's just rations, but we can manage."
"Alright then."
Later
"Is the elevator almost there!?" Asked Komaru, as the group were fighting off a horde of Junk Monokuma's while waiting for a the elevator to arrive at the ground floor.
"Almost got it." Taichi Fujisaki replied, as he noticed that the elevator was finally starting to move down. "Just a bit longer."
The group watched in anticipation as the elevator got closer to their floor, but right before it opened Peggy heard a growling noise coming from it, as she exclaimed "Mr Fujisaki, look out!" as she tackled Taichi to the ground and out of harms way of a Beast Monokuma, that was quickly disposed off by Bobby and Yuta shooting paintball into it's eyes, while Sakura suplexed it into the ground as Komaru used her hacking gun to hit it with a blast as it then exploded.
"Thanks, that could have been ugly." Replied Taichi.
"Don't mention it, I don't think we'd have been able to get the elevator working without you." Replied Peggy.
"So now what will you do?" Asked Bobby.
"I'm not sure."
"Why don't you go to the resistance, I'm sure they'd be able to use your talents." Said Peggy.
"You'd have no issue with that?" Asked Taichi.
"Just find one Hiroko Hagakure and tell her Peggy send ya. She'll understand." Replied Peggy.
"Ok, thanks, I'll be sure to remember this." Replied Taichi, as he left the building leaving the group to go into the elevator so they could reach the top floor.
Later
"Bobby, what did that weird masked kid mean by that he was hideous to look at and that our eyes would start burning?" Asked Peggy, as the group watched Jataro get dragged off by a horde of Monokuma Kids.
"I dunno, but it wasn't the only weird thin' I heard." Replied Bobby.
"You mean how the first one said it was better than the alternative?" Asked Komaru.
"Pretty much that." Said Bobby.
"I mean, he wasn't that ugly." Said Yuta.
"He looked good for any kid his age, I have no idea who fed him that sort of nonsense but someone should probably have a word with em'" Said Peggy, as the group reach the next elevator to go to the top floor.
Later
"Ma-makoto!" Komaru exclaimed as the group was finally able to reach a proper connection to the outside world.
"Komaru!" Makoto replied, as the two of them started to converse about what has been going on both of their ends. As the conversation ended he then noticed Sakura behind her and added "Sakura, we've been so worried since we lost connection with you and Byakuya, are things alright?"
"As good as they can be, I got separated from him but I've been able to help Komaru and some others as good as we can." Replied Sakura, as she gestured to Peggy, Bobby and Yuta.
"I'm glad to hear that..." Replied Makoto, as he registered the people in the room with him "Wait a sec'." As he then turned around and yelled down the hall "Aoi, Hank you gotta come see this!"
"Now what could be so important that you'd call me while doin' repairs..." Hank said, as he saw Bobby and Peggy while he exclaimed "Peggy, Bobby you're alive!"
"Hey dad."
"Hank, oh thank goodness you're alive."
"Could say the same to you Peggy."
"Oh my gosh, Yuta, you're ok!" Aoi exclaimed.
"Hey sis."
"Are things ok over there?" Asked Hank.
"As good as can be, Bobby and I found each other yesterday while I have been with the resistance." Replied Peggy.
"Well that's good, there hasn't been a repeat of Mexico has there?" Asked Hank.
"There hasn't." Peggy said firmly.
"Good just checkin'" Hank replied, as the group continued talking to catch everyone up to speed about what happened at Hope's Peak. But unfortunately when Makoto began to talk about finding a way to get everyone out of the city safely the connection cut off, leaving the tower in the dark. The group quickly noticed that another horde of Monokuma's was approaching, so they quickly had to fight through the darkness as well as the incoming danger in the hopes of fighting their way out of the tower. With Peggy finding a steel rod to stab through the robots.
Later
"Dammit, I knew those kids couldn't be trusted!" Haji exclaimed, as the resistance base had been raided by some Monokuma's leaving a good portion of the resistance dead "Anyone who is still alive, grab these kids and bring them to the cells!"
Peggy and Sakura quickly got in front of Bobby, Yuta and Komaru, as some of the adults present started to get closer to the group, with Hiroko quickly coming to their defence as she yelled "Don't even think about it! Besides, they aren't with the..." Only for Haji to push her out of the way as he got close to Bobby.
Bobby panicking upon seeing this happen exclaimed "That's my purse, I don't know you!" before kicking him in the groin, causing him to fall over as everyone else stopped their advance.
"Well, let that be a lesson to the rest of you." Peggy firmly stated, as the resistance quickly took Haji with them, as she turned to Bobby as she said "Now Bobby..."
"I know, you told me to never to do that again."
"You know what, just this once it's ok. I actually wanted to say that your kicks have gotten better, and besides someone like him deserved it." Peggy replied, as she shuddered at what she had been told a while ago. She then turned to Hiroko and asked as she picked her off the ground "You doin' ok?"
"I'm fine, I actually came here for something else Pegs, you might want to see this." Said Hiroko, as she led the group to a nearby television where it was shown that the airwaves were hijacked to show another colosseum as the camera focused to show Kotoko standing next to an individual with a bag over it's head and a noose around it's neck that was standing on a chair.
"Hello my adorable little audience!" kotoko squealed "Everyone comfortable? Good, cause I'm here with a challenge to Komaru Naegi and Bobby Hill specifically. See, they killed two of my friends even if they weren't as adorbs as I was, but I still want revenge. So as the fighter I'm issuing a challenge, come to my arena and if you don't show up in time I'm killing this demon of an adult." She continued, as she took the bag off the head of her hostage to reveal Dale next to her.
"Huh... whas goin' on?" Dale wondered.
"Mr Gribble!" Bobby exclaimed.
"But how could that be possible, he'd never allow himself to walk into a trap." Peggy wondered.
"For those wondering, I found this filthy demon wandering around our area looking to steal more children the way he did with Bobby Hill. So since we have some beef with him, we thought why not execute him on live television. Isn't that fun?" Kotoko wondered, as she fired one of the dentures from her gun at the chair as it slowly began to eat away at the legs. "So remember, if Komaru Naegi and Bobby Hill don't show up in one hour, everyone gets to witness a live hanging, toodles!" Kotoko exclaimed, as the feed cut off.
"Soooooo... that's the guy who saved you right?" Asked Yuta.
"Yes it is, he's our neighbour." Replied Bobby.
"Dang it Dale." Peggy cursed underneath her breath, as she noticed the odd looks she got from everyone "What, Hank's not here, so someone has to do it."
"We have to go get him!" Bobby exclaimed.
"Wait, you still want to go with us?" Sakura asked.
"You joined us for those other two fights because you were looking for your mother and because we were hoping to communicate with the outside." Added Komaru.
"I know that, but she challenged me as well and I can't let Mr Gribble die, 'sides I kinda had fun hittin' those robots in the eyes with them paintballs." Replied Bobby.
"Ms Hill?" Sakura wondered.
"If it's what he wants, then fine, just keep an eye on each other ok?" Asked Peggy.
"Don't worry, Bobby and I will watch each other's backs." Replied Yuta, putting an arm around Bobby.
"Will you be ok?" Asked Komaru.
"I'll be fine, Hiroko and I still have some people to save. Can't believe a cat and a stinkbug were taken hostage." Peggy replied.
"Well, see you in a bit then mom." Said Bobby, giving Peggy a quick hug after which the group left the base to go and confront Kotoko.
Later
"Don't worry Mr Gribble, I'll cut ya down, just a few more sec's." Said Bobby, as he had climbed on Dale's neck to use his pocket knife to cut through the rope as Kotoko's robot exploded, sending her flying through the air.
"Yer a good kid Bobby, don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise." Said Dale, as right at the moment that Bobby had managed to free Dale, Kotoko landed on top of both of them, knocking them to the ground.
Kotoko looked around her, as she noticed she had fallen onto her knees as she exclaimed "Oh my gosh! I didn't fall into a weird position this time!"
"That's great kid, could you get off of us please." Mumbled Dale, as he got up while Kotoko quickly moved backwards.
"Yeah, you're kinda heavy." Added Bobby.
"Heavy! You don't even have a chin and he's balding!" Exclaimed Kotoko.
"Kid, none of us can help the way we're shaped." Replied Dale.
"Oh yeah, well I bet you enjoyed having me land on you!"
"The hells wrong with ya, why would I enjoy that?" Dale wondered.
"You would because you're a filthy demon of an adult." Replied Kotoko, as she pressed a button that opened a hole in the floor through which she quickly escaped, as at the same time Nagisa showed up.
"Alright, this has gone on long enough, let's talk." Said Nagisa.
Later
"Our decision is final, we're not leaving this city." Said Komaru, while everyone backed her up against the servant which came after a lengthy argument about whether or not Komaru would end up leaving the city or not.
"How disappointing." Replied the servant. "And here I was hoping for a conflict of interests, one from which a bright hope could shine."
"Ugh, do you ever just stop yappin'. It's always hope this, hope that, despair this, despair that with you people!" Bobby exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, but I'm merely fulfilling my purpose as a servant of hope."
"Then find a new purpose, get a hobby." Replied Bobby.
"Oh you sound just like your father in the broadcast, I suppose in the end familial ties do matter."
"Genuinely, what are you talking about?" Asked Yuta.
"It doesn't matter now, I don't have much more to give, just a location is all." Replied the servant as he gave them a map "Here's where you should go and where your hope will shine brightest. Now, good luck." After which the Servant took off.
"Weirdo." Bobby muttered, as he noticed the conflicted look in Sakura's eyes "Somethin' wrong?"
"That guy used to be my upperclassman, and while he always was a bit odd when we met during class events, he was never like this. What could have happened to make him like this." Said Sakura.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out, and Sakura thanks for respecting my decision no matter what it turned out to be." Said Komaru "I'm glad to have you as a friend, all three of you."
"Aw shucks, it was nothin', just doin' what anyone woulda done. Helpin' someone through a tough time." Replied Bobby.
"Yeah, we weren't just going to leave you all alone even if our paths diverted." Said Yuta.
"Speaking off, should we find Gribble and give him the location?" Komaru asked.
"No, leave him be, knowin' him he'll find a way to us the way he's chasin' his conspiracies." Replied Bobby.
"Seems logical." Said Sakura.
Later
"No... no... nononononononononon, I'm in control! Why isn't this working!" Nagisa exclaimed, as his robot was malfunctioning while he kept trying to regain control of his mech when the arm on his robot was about to fall over.
"Dude, get out of the way!" Bobby exclaimed, as Nagisa was about to be crushed, only for Dale to grab him out of the way at the last second.
"Gotcha, I knew there was somethin' down 'ere. Just didn't expect it to be a giant robot bear." Dale said, only for the ground to collapse underneath them, as Dale while holding onto Nagisa's hand, were dangling on the edge of the hole.
Sakura immediately rushed over as she exclaimed "Sir, grab my hand I'll pull you guys up."
"Sure, just one sec' I'll bring the kid up first." Relied Dale, only for Nagisa to speak up.
"No, you'll just capture me or worse... kill me..." Nagisa whispered.
"Kid, don't be stupid, that's a pretty big drop. You ain't survivin' that." Said Dale.
"Yeah dude, just come with us, everythin' will be ok." Added Bobby.
"Ok... things are pretty damn far from ok, so no... but if we do end up meeting again, don't expect me to be merciful." Replied Nagisa, as he let go off Dale's hand before dropping into the abyss. As at the same time Sakura pulled Dale up.
"Gribble, what were you doing here?" Asked Sakura.
"Like I said, chasin' the conspiracy of this city. Anyways, what did you guys do to that guy with the cast 'round his arm?" Asked Dale, as Sakura's face darkened.
"He said something I couldn't just let slide, so I punched him, is that an issue?"
"Oh no, just that you punched em' so hard that you... ehm... probably shattered his family jewels. But based on the tone in yer voice, I can't say I disagree with yer choices." Replied Dale.
"Good, glad we're in agreement." Said Sakura, as right at that moment the ground began to shake as the group look over to see that the Big Bang Monokuma was starting to rise out of the underground secret facility.
"What the, that shouldn't even be possible!" Exclaimed Komaru, only for a familiar voice to call out.
"Thanks for clearing the way for me like that, saved me a lot of time you stupid bitch!" Haji exclaimed "Now, the day of reckoning is at hand. The children will finally face justice! Now, if you would be so kind as to hand over the two that are with you, I might consider letting you live!"
"Not happening!" Exclaimed Komaru.
"If you think for even second I'm handing them over to you, you got another thin' comin'." Said Dale.
"And if you think for even a second that we'll let you get near them, then you got another punch to the face coming." Added Sakura.
"No matter, then you will all just have to die along with all the children in this city." Replied Haji, as the robot flew away.
"Thanks guys." Said Yuta.
"Don't mention it kid, if there's one thin' I learned it's to never give into crazy people."
"We need to find a way to stop him!" Exclaimed Komaru.
"There's probably something outside we could use, we should probably get back to the streets." Said Sakura, to which everyone nodded as they quickly left the underground facility.
Part 5 of 9, to be continued