Chapter Text
Shuichi walked the deck of the freight ship, the sea breeze becoming a familiar scent after all of his travels. Shuichi looked to the island that was their destination and called out behind him.
“Kiibo! How long until we dock?!”
The sentient robot called out in reply from his station at the helm.
“ETA is approximately 20 minutes, Shuichi!”
Nodding in acknowledgement, Shuichi turned back around to begin preparations for docking and unloading the cargo.
Spotting familiar shades of purple and green, Shuichi called out to his other two companions on this mission.
“Kaito! Rantaro! ETA is in 20 minutes. We need to start preparing to dock.”
“Okay, bro. Give us a sec to finish tying this crate down, and I’ll be right over!” Kaito said, struggling alongside Rantaro to get a previously fallen crate back into place.
Though sturdy, the ship they were sailing on took stealth as precedence over functionality at times. Despite how much extra work this fact made for their little four man crew, Shuichi could understand why it was necessary.
Before she’d been summoned alongside Naegi and Asahina, Kirigiri had been expressly clear that the higher ups could not find out where they were headed right now.
The leaders of the Future Foundation would do anything to get their hands on those currently residing at Jabberwock Island.
Twenty minutes later, the four Branch 14 members found themselves docked at Jabberwock Island’s only port, standing face to face with two members of the infamous Remnants of Despair.
And despite still missing memories from the time before their capture, Shuichi feels a shiver run down his spine when silently watching the 2 remnants watch him. His inquisitive mind can’t help but wonder…
Do they remember us?
The standoff was broken by the young woman with long blond hair and an elegance to her walk as she stepped forward to address the four boys.
“Hello,” she greets, daintily, a small smile gracing her lips, “Branch 14, I presume?”
Sonia Nevermind , Shuichi’s mind provides, matching the Ultimate Princess’s face to the picture in the files the four boys were given.
Rantaro, ever the adventurer, tests the waters. “That’s right. We’re here to deliver the last shipment of supplies.”
The red head behind, someone Shuichi recognized as the Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi Soda, raised an eyebrow at the statement, despite looking distracted by the contraption in his hands.
“Last shipment? Somethin’ going on over there?”
Shuichi spared a glance at his friends before looking back to the expectant ex-despairs.
“The higher ups finally clued in on what Naegi and the others did for you all. Branch 14’s head, Kyoko Kirigiri, her direct subordinate, Makoto Naegi, and Branch 13 member Aoi Asahina, have responded to summons to plead their case.” Shuichi looks towards their freight ship, “With things as they are, Ms. Kirigiri concluded that sending any more shipments to Jabberwock island would endanger not only you Remnants, but her subordinates doing the delivery as well.”
His gaze hardened as he remembered Naegi’s resigned smile as the man was placed in handcuffs. “The Future Foundation, despite its noble goal, does not take kindly to any perceived actions of insubordination or betrayal. We’re pushing our luck as it is sending this last shipment, even with our stealthiest ship.” Shuichi said, with a small shrug.
Princess Nevermind (if she can even be considered a princess anymore, with no country to rule over) nodded her head, and raised her hand to signal Kazuichi. The mechanic saluted, his smile bright as he pulled out a controller and summoned ten tiny, oddly buff robots. The “Mini Mechamarus,” as Kazuichi called them, started the process of unloading the ship, each machine able to carry two of the boxes that Kaito and Rantaro struggled to lift together. Due to their sheer quality, Shuichi could easily tell the robots were made by the Ultimate Mechanic’s hand.
While Kazuichi commanded his robots, Princess Nevermind’s attention never strayed from the four Foundation members. “Unloading usually only takes him an hour, at most. Come, I’ll take you to the lounge. I hear that weeks on a ship living off rations is horrible. And Teruteru loves being able to show off his cooking.”
The princess takes them away from the small port and into the winding halls of the island’s central facility. Based on what Kirigiri had told him, Branch 14 had only used enough funds to create a small, functioning base here when they set out to save the Remnants. Looking at the size of the building now, it seems as if the Ultimates living here have added to it.
Multiple corridors and sections protruded from what had to be the original building, it’s barebones stone walls dwarfed and outclassed by the 15 compound connected to it. The outside of every building was clean enough to sparkle, and the little that Shuichi could see through the windows solidified his theory that each remnant was given their own area to do as they pleased. There was a gym, a dojo, several stage sets, and many more that Shuichi didn’t get the chance to see in full as they made their way past.
Despite how large the compound looked, it didn’t take the 5 people very long to reach the cafeteria. Opening the door with a quaint smile, Sonia directed them to the buffet line, manned by one small, stout chef.
“Ah, Sonia! How is our radiant resident princess doing this fine afternoon?”
The young woman brought up a hand to cover her mouth as she giggled a reply. “I’m doing quite well, Teruteru. What will we be having for lunch today? Our guests are looking forward to dining on the ultimate chef’s cooking.”
The young man’s attention suddenly turned to Shuichi and his friends. “Guests you say…” His eyes quickly scanned the small team. “Aw. I thought it’d be the pretty pair of twins again. Instead, it’s just another batch of testosterone.”
Kaede and Tsumugi were a part of the same team when they were assigned this mission. Shuichi recalls that they had little to say about their visit, other than that a certain small chef had “better learn to look a lady in the eyes when talking to her. Or else.”
Feeling awkward in a way that’s typically reserved for conversations with Miu, Shuichi quickly intervened to change the subject. His eyes scanning the buffet, he quickly found a new topic. “Is that pheasant? And mutton?! I thought all the sheep in the world died during the initial outbreak of despair! How’d you even get a hold of some of these ingredients? There’s been a food shortage as of late because everything’s starting to wind down.”
The other man gave Shuichi an almost feral smile in reply, his face smug. “There’s a lot you can accomplish with so many Ultimates in one place, young detective.” He gave them a wink, “Especially when you have the Ultimate Breeder on your side. It’s quite nice, never wanting for meat to cook with.”
But Shuichi had quickly zoned out of the conversation.
“There’s a lot you can accomplish with so many Ultimates,” he said. Was he… Did Hanamura remember capturing us? Because that… that sentence sounded weird. Shuichi’s thoughts stopped, Wait. When did I ever tell them my Talent?
He was shaken from his contemplation by an ever smiling Kaito. “You doing alright over there, bro?” His gaze shifted slightly, a hint of worry in his eyes. “You’re looking a bit lost.”
Shuichi looked back to Hanamura, who was in an exuberant conversation with Princess Nevermind.
“Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine. Just, overthinking things, as usual.”
Kaito, giving Shuichi a side eye that said he didn’t believe that for a second, shrugged and made his way to the plates at the end of the line. “Whatever you say, Shuichi. Try not to get too caught up in that head of yours. Wouldn't want you thinking you’re somewhere else.”
Ah, yes. Shuichi understands that subtle warning perfectly.
Everyone of them bore scars from their time at the Ultimate Academy, and while the others in Shuichi’s group have slowly overcome every obstacle, the group had been quick to figure out why Shuichi, for all his nightmares and fears, was relatively okay despite it all. The reason why Shuichi could act as everyone’s rock whenever memories of the simulation became too much for them to handle was because all of his trauma had become intrinsically tied to his Talent.
Shuichi’s natural inclination towards questions, analyzing, and being a detective in general had become a double edged sword. It hadn’t manifested when everyone was stuck at Branch 14’s base recovering, but as soon as Shuichi had been allowed on his first mission, Kaede, Ryoma, and Himiko (his team for the mission) had noticed the gradual spiral he descended into as the mission went on.
It started off small. Just Shuichi, utilizing his talent to get the team a lead on their next destination for the mission. He’d taken in all the evidence present, and created a theory that led them to their next clue. But as they traversed the ruined city, Ryoma had noticed Shuichi’s eyes grow steadily distant. Kaede had to keep pulling him along as his feet tried to bring him to a different destination. Himiko had noticed the hyper focused look in his gaze that she only ever saw during a class trial.
The entire mission, it was as if Shuichi had gone somewhere else. A place where his talent was the only thing keeping himself and his friends from dying a gruesome death.
Every time Shuichi used his Talent, it was as if he was back in the Neo World Program.
By the time the four man team returned to Branch 14 after a successful mission, Shuichi collapsed from the mental exhaustion of being in two dangerous places at the same time, and the other three were feeling the emotional toll of keeping their dear friend from suffering a breakdown in the middle of a dangerous city filled with humanity at its worst.
So, yeah, Shuichi knew why Kaito was worried. All of his friends had been told what happened during that first mission, and every time someone caught him thinking for too long, they pulled him out of it. Just to be safe.
What a lucky guy he is, to have friends like these.
It makes analyzing situations to the capacity that he’s content with difficult, though.
Guess this little mystery he’s uncovered is going on the back burner for now.
The hour for undocking went by faster than Shuichi had expected. Despite his initial worries when being given this mission, the detective found that he actually enjoyed his time with the Ex-Remnants of despair. Whatever deep-seated memories had caused Shuichi to feel such anxiety and fear when he first saw Princess Nevermind and Soda were quickly scrubbed away as he was introduced to some of the other characters that made up Class 77.
Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, took one look into the cafeteria and, noting the new audience present, decided to “serenade” the guests.
(If Shuichi didn’t nearly have a heart attack from shock after the first chord was played, he might have found another positive from the situation other than the fact that his eardrums most likely burst before the guitarist really started playing.)
(He wonders what music would be made if Mioda and Kaede played a duet.)
(Probably something horrifically beautiful.)
Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast, came in sometime during the concert and, somehow, completely ignored the noise, heading straight to the buffet. She proceeded to pile meat and only meat onto her double sized plate. Hanamura took this in stride, even helping the woman make room for a little more sausage.
(While Shuichi’s ears were broken due to Mioda’s music, he is completely convinced that his eyes broke after watching the gymnast eat.)
(He’s not completely sure if he’d started hallucinating before or after Owari’s jaw unhinged to eat an entire chicken in just two bites.)
Suffice to say, Shuichi didn’t really recall much after that. The hour went by, and all Shuichi had to show for it was a significantly emptier ship, three equally confused friends, and a “healthy living” pamphlet courtesy of one Nekomaru Nidai. All-in-all, this trip went better than he’d expected.
Once the unloading was finished, Soda came to pick them up from the cafeteria. The red-head took one look at the cafeteria, seeing Mioda’s stage, Owari’s three empty plates (and counting), and Tanaka’s gorilla (when had that happened), and gave the four Future Foundation members a sympathetic look.
Despite the… interesting welcome, Shuichi would be glad to finally return to Branch 14.
(All of their other friends had made this trip at least once since their awakening. Shuichi now knows why they all refused to say much about the people they met.)
(Their batch of delinquents may have a few screws loose here and there, but this kind of chaos can only be achieved by a group of Ultimates who actually attended Hope’s Peak and were brought back from the depths of despair.)
Kaito appeared especially happy to be leaving. While he described the whole past hour as “A blast!” he apparently had a date with Maki planned when they got back to Branch 14.
Shuichi just wanted to sleep in his bed for once in the past month.
“This was an enlightening trip…. ” He thought. “ Welp! Let’s prepare to hoist anchor and-”
“W-Wait! Please, hold on!”
He spoke too soon.
Out of the compound came a girl with choppy black hair, wearing a pink nurse outfit, and fidgeting even as she ran her way down the dock. Based on her choice of clothing, Shuichi had no trouble figuring out who this girl was. Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse.
“You- You can’t disembark yet!” She shrieks, panting from exertion after her apparent frantic run. In her hysteria, the nurse must have abandoned any sense of balance because, just as she came to a stop in front of the five young men, Tsumiki tripped over her own feet and landed in a… compromising position on the ground.
“Ahh! I’m so sorry!” She cried.
Kazuichi, looking both aroused and bored with the turns of events, helped Tsumiki stand once more with the practiced movements of someone who’d done this way more than once.
Dusting the dirt off her uniform, Tsumiki thanked Kazuichi profusely.
The mechanic waved off the thanks. “We’re well used to it by now, Mikan. What did you say about them not leaving yet?”
“Oh!” The girl startled, and quickly turned her attention to Shuichi and his friends, “You can’t leave yet. Hajime sent me to warn you before he went back into the program to wake up Nagito. He told me that the Future Foundation had found us, and that your ship would be sunk if you tried to leave. They have the island surrounded, and will be here sometime tomorrow afternoon!”
Shuichi quickly turned his attention to the sea. The sun was steadily setting, but even in the limited light, the detective was able to see something on the horizon. Or, more like, a bunch of somethings. They were too far away to see the insignia, but based on the amount of ships present, Shuichi had no doubt in his mind that the speck-like ships surrounding Jabberwock island were a part of the Future Foundation.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Soda said, looking out at the slowly approaching ships on the horizon, scratching his head, “Looks like you guys will be staying here a bit longer than you thought, huh?’
Shuichi just sighed. He should have expected such a setback to their little expedition.
“Were we followed somehow?” Kiibo questioned, his eyes taking on a slight glow as he activated his enhanced vision, “Miu made sure to check our ship for any bugs or trackers before we set off.” He passed the pictures he’d taken with his enhanced vision to Shuichi.
Looking at the pictures of the ships over Shuichi’s shoulders, Rantaro pointed to the apparent flag ship and main vessel. “I don’t think they followed us, no. That’s the symbol for the Foundation’s 2nd division. They, along with the 6th division, have been adamant about the capture of the Remnants. I wouldn’t be all that surprised if they’d been zeroing in on this location for sometime now, and we just so happened to arrive when they were finally able to spot it.”
Shuichi put a hand to his head as he felt a headache coming on. “And now would be the perfect time to strike, with Kirigiri and the others at the trial. No one else in the Foundation is willing to defend the Remnants of Despair, so striking while their most adamant defenders in the Foundation are occupied is ideal.”
Looking out at the ever approaching ships, Kaito sighed, putting his hand on his hip in exasperation. “Looks like it’s going to be a while before I can take Maki Roll on that date, huh?”
Shuichi sat alone on the pier, watching the sunrise over the horizon, heralding the steady approach of the Future Foundation battleships. In any other circumstance, Shuichi would be fretting about that. But as things were, he was content to leave the planning to the former class 77.
[“Fret not, mortals.” Tanaka had told them when they were returned to the cafeteria after they were told the news. “We remnants are the targets of their maniacal machinations. Let us be the ones to counteract them. It will be easy for we who carry the favor of the Lady Mother of the Netherworld!”]
When he last saw them, his three friends were doing as he was: keeping themselves out of the way of the bustling Ultimates. Soda had shown Kiibo his workshop, and the robot was simultaneously perusing the machines, and helping the mechanic package them. Rantaro had walked the entire island twice, scoping the layout and staving off his wanderlust long enough to settle. Then, he’d found an office with a sufficient amount of books to read, and hasn’t left since. And Kaito had climbed up to the highest point on the island sometime last night to stargaze. Shuichi had thrown a blanket on his sleeping form when he went up ten minutes ago.
So, yeah. Not much to do now but wait for those ships on the horizon to get close enough to attack.
“Enjoying the view?”
Shuichi startled, his head turning around to catch sight of short blonde hair and an eyepatch before the other sat themself next to him on the pier.
Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza, leaned back as his gaze drifted over the incoming ships. “If it wasn’t for those dumbass ships, I’d agree with the choice of venue.” The gangster turned his gaze to Shuichi, a slight smirk on his lips, “So what’s it on that horizon that's got the Ultimate Detective so captivated?”
Ignoring the questions hopping around in his head, Shuichi shrugs. “Nothing really. There’s just not much for us to do while you guys do your thing, so I decided to stay out of the way. This just seemed like the best spot.”
Kuzuryu nodded, and turned back to sea, his gaze looking more analytical than before, like he was calculating the number of opponents on those ships and coming up with strategies of attack at the same time.
The comfortable silence, while welcome, did little to quiet the voice in the back of his mind that demanded answers. After minutes of contemplating whether or not he should bother the other Ultimate, Shuichi gathered his courage and asked the biggest question he’d had since landing on Jabberwock Island.
“Do you… remember us?”
Kuzuryu’s one good eye gazed at him heavily for a solid minute before he looked up at the sky.
“Yeah. I do. We all do, actually.”
Shuichi marched on. “So, you know what happened to us then. Where we ended up when you put us into that program.”
The yakuza sighed. “Our memories of that time came back fragmented, but we were able to piece it together after the first of your group visited.”
“Memory issues seemed to be a running theme for those who went head to head with despair.” Shuichi said with a chuckle, before the silence returned. The detective fidgeted, working out how to ask his next question in the clearest way possible. “It's just… will anything ever be the same?”
Shuichi thought of a peaceful home, his uncle and aunt beside him watching old detective movies.
He thought of a classroom with kids, no special talent or skill, but ready to face the world no matter what it threw at them.
He thought, and through the ever present haze around his memories, saw a familiar group smiling around a campfire, despite the chaos they lived in.
"No," was the other’s reply, quite but true, "I don't think things will ever be the same, even if we beat despair."
Shuichi looked down, having expected that answer but wishing for something different all the same.
"But, I don't think that should stop us."
The detective’s eyes shot up, widening at Kuzuryu’s words.
"I’m sure Naegi and the others already told you but, in order to save us, my friends and I were placed in a completed version of the Neo World Program.” Shuichi nodded at the other, and Kuzuryu continued, “To summarize, some corrupted code was placed in the program without their knowledge and, like you, we were forced into a killing game. That way, no matter what happened, when we woke up, we’d still be in despair. It was a lose-lose situation all around.”
Shuichi bowed his head, empathizing with the despairing situation they’d suffered through.
“But the five of us that were still alive during the final trial, after learning about everything we did outside the game, about the battle between hope and despair, decided to focus on something we deemed more important.” He turned his head to look at Shuichi’s face. “We decided that no matter what comes, be it hope or despair or something in between, that we’d keep our eyes set on the Future. Nothing would hold us back. Not even our past selves."
Fuyuhiko brought a canteen filled with some kind of alcohol to his lips, and sighed. “Time is such a finicky thing. Even Hajime, with all his Talent, can’t do much to alter the flow of time. The “future” and “change” come hand in hand. So by the time something happens, the future is already upon you and there’s no going back. So, the next best thing anyone can do when that change comes is change your perspective.”
He places a grounding hand on Shuichi’s shoulder, and gives a tight smile. “‘ Before’ might have been bliss, but instead of lamenting on losing it, why not focus on making ‘ now’ just as great as ‘before,’ if not better? That , at least, is still very well within your power. Change was going to come no matter what, so why not make the most of it?”
Shuichi pondered on the other’s words.
He thought of all the trials and tribulations he encountered, both before the apocalypse and after. The memories of the Neo World program are oh-so-fresh in Shuichi’s mind, he doesn’t even need prompting to remember every moment he spent there. And the days in Branch 14 after they got out left Shuichi feeling both melancholy and content.
Would Shuichi truly wish to give up all those experiences to go back to a quiet apartment above a small law firm where the only people he felt joyous to see were the two persons who’d raised him? To the days where his classmates were more acquaintances than actual friends?
To the days where he’d never thought himself worthy of the talent he’d been given?
Looking back on the life he’d lived, the parts remembered and the rest inferred, Shuichi comes to a conclusion.
No. He wouldn’t give that up for the world.
Fuyuhiko smiled, seeing the detective’s answer loud and clear in the you man’ eyes. He gave Shuichi’s shoulder one last pat before rising from his seated position. After stretching from sitting on the ground, the blond held out a hand.
“Since you’re not busy right now, would you mind helping me prepare our getaway ship? Everyone’s gonna need their own room, and I want first dibs on the best one.”
Smiling at the levity of the topic, Shuichi took the other’s hand.
Change was going to come no matter what, huh? , Shuichi thought, following Fuyuhiko to the chosen ship. No time like the present to make the most of it I guess.
Head held high, Shuichi felt a little lighter as he made his way toward the future he’d carve out with his own hands.
The dream might have ended, but his story has only just begun.