Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fog and distant voices drifted in and out of their head as they struggled to comprehend what was happening. They could feel their heart beating faster as they took in shaky breaths, running in some unknown destination. Blurred, colored figures ran alongside them, a familiar group of people, they thought.

They groggily came to a stop, hearing yells of what sounded like relief.

“…you all okay…?!”

”…not gonna…up here!”

“…where’s…?”

The ground shook tremendously as they tilted their head upwards to gaze upon a giant, glitched-out silhouette towering above them all. The very static from their voice forced them to cover their ears in annoyance.

“...t̘̟̼̉̈́͐͋͌̊h͚̖̜̍̃͐i̞̟̫̺ͭ̒ͭͣs̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚ f̳͉̼͉̙͔͈̂̉a̘̫͈̭͌͛͌̇̇̍r̼̯̤̈ͭ̃ͨ̆...k̲̱̠̞̖ͧ̔͊̇̽̿̑ͯͅe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑n͉̠̙͉̗̺̋̋̔ͧ̊e̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑d̥̝̮͙͈͂̐̇ͮ̏̔̀̚ͅ...m̘͈̺̪͓ͩ͂̾ͪ̀̋i̞̟̫̺ͭ̒ͭͣr̼̯̤̈ͭ̃ͨ̆a̘̫͈̭͌͛͌̇̇̍c͔ͣͦ́́͂ͅl͕͖͉̭̰ͬ̍ͤ͆̊ͨe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑...c͔ͣͦ́́͂ͅh͚̖̜̍̃͐o͎̜̓̇ͫ̉͊ͨ͊i̞̟̫̺ͭ̒ͭͣc͔ͣͦ́́͂ͅe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑..."

Bright beams of purple light shone from the silhouette, flashing an oddly-shaped eye along with a jagged cross for just a second.

Then,

everything went white.

~~~~~

“Wuh…” [Name] flinched harshly from the road bump, hitting their forehead on the glass window they sat next to. “Agh—ow…”

They squinted at the abrupt change in brightness, their mind slowly starting to come into focus to hear the whirring of the fans and feel the rumble of the wheels. Putting a hand to their head, they rubbed the aching spot in annoyance, heavily sighing.

”A dream…”

A tap on their right shoulder made them turn their head back at the person sitting next to them. His bangs moved just enough for [Name] to see the slight concern in his eye.

”Are…are you okay?” Pochi asked, his game left paused in his lap. “You were mumbling something in your sleep.”

They paused, then shook their head. ”…Just a bad dream, I think.”

The boy nodded, then continued to play on the handheld console he seemed to have 24/7. [Name] looked around the worn-out bus once more, still perturbed from the dream.

Reycho was sitting quietly next to Pochi, his hands behind his head like he had no worries. Kansai was snoring away in front of them, taking up both of the green, tattered seats. Tattsun and Mowchan were both shaking from the uninteresting movie playing on the television screen at the front of the bus. The rest were either bored out of their minds or simply observing the sights outside the moving vehicle.

“Right…we were going to Kamakura. It still feels like a weird time to have a sudden field trip in the middle of school. I wonder what’ll happen if it’s just us, though—“

A bright light flashed out of the corner of their eye, making them take a glance outside the opposite side of the bus. Eyebrows furrowed, they slightly shook Pochi’s shoulder and pointed out towards the window.

”What…is that?”

The bus trembled, jerking a few of the group out of their seats. Kansai’s snot bubble popped, along with the chatter immediately dying down, the effect of everyone being startled by the sudden movement. Still staring at the bright light falling towards the city in the distance, [Name]’s eyes widened as they watched it get closer and closer to its destination.

“A meteor—?!”

Everything felt like it was shaking, until [Name] was suddenly wrenched out from their seat. Time seemed to slow down as the bright light exploded, getting closer and closer to them.

”What—?!”

Their mind went blank as a rush of déjà vu filled their mind once more, until they were finally rendered unconscious with the rest of the group.

Chapter Text

The feeling of freezing air sprayed on their face was what made them finally open their eyes after being stuck in the dark void of their mind. Eyes blinked open as [Name] stepped out from what they assumed to be some kind of pod, feeling as if waking up from a long, long nap. Unfortunately, the pounding in their head didn’t stop, and they grumbled in pain.

“Some sort of cryogenic-freeze chamber or something…? Agh, I can’t think right now, my head hurts too much…”

The first thing they noticed was the brightly colored, yellow-and-green cap blinding their eyes. Reycho stood not too far from them, staring at the space in front of himself. [Name] blinked before visibly recoiling at finally seeing the dark, hazy shape of a familiar person.

To their horror, she was already staring straight at them. They froze, watching her frown deeply at them. Despite their rapidly beating heart and the beads of sweat rolling down their face, [Name] composed themselves, glaring harshly at the figure.

”…..”

The movement of clothes shifted their gaze from her back to Reycho, who was beginning to grow uncomfortable from their attitude. He left hesitantly after they finally drew their sights upon him, watching the boy for a bit longer as he shuffled away to the rest of the group.

[Name] sighed again, scratching the back of their neck. They looked back at where the figure was, but it already disappeared.

“Even after so many times…I’m still not used to seeing the hallucinations yet, huh.”

Deciding to try and keep their mind off of what just transpired, they looked around their new surroundings.

”Now, how the hell did we get here…” They pondered out loud, watching the two very real whale sharks swim around the outside of the enclosure they were placed inside. “Obviously we’re underwater, but where…?”

Hearing crinkling under the bottom of their footwear, they lifted their leg to see a worn-out flyer. Picking it up, [Name] quickly skimmed through the text in case there was any useful information.

”An underwater sea park…World’s End Land?”

Their hand automatically reached for their phone to call the number of the place, but the added weight on their wrist made them lift their arm in confusion. A new green-and-black wristband was worn on their left arm, the uncommon feeling making them want to take it off immediately.

”Eh…that’s annoying.”

Noticing the group start to gather together, they started to head over, but still stayed a fair distance from the rest of them.

“Listen, everyone, we can’t just sit around here!” Jennu was the first to speak, determination set on her features. “We need to get above ground…!”

At her suggestion, an oddly childish voice suddenly spoke up near [Name], making them whirl around quickly.

”Forget that. You can’t get above ground. You’re all trapped in this underwater theme park!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to face the mascot they watched from not too long ago floating down from out of nowhere. Gasps of surprise were heard throughout the group.

”Y-You! You’re that…!”

”We saw you in that movie. On the bus.”

The monochrome-like creature giggled, suddenly grabbing her head and starting to toss it from one hand to the other. “Pielolooooon! That’s right! So glad you remembered me!” It took a deep bow, smirking at everyone in turn. “The name’s Pielope! Hang on tight, cause you’re all going to play a little “Game of Fate” for me!”

”A Game of Fate? What is this, a killing game—?”

”A game for your very lives! The rules are simple!” Pielope announced, spinning around in circles. [Name] quietly groaned, pinching the bridge of their nose in response.

”Ugh, called it. The lame rip-off suddenly wants to go further beyond what the original had to make themselves more popular. Not saying that the original was that good, either, though...”

Snapping out of their thoughts, [Name] watched as Pielope magicked a thin flipbook out of nowhere and threw it at the group. Reycho was the one who caught it, and everyone scooted closer to the boy to read the new rules.

The devices on your arms…they’re called “Wristbands.” On the wristbands are “Tasks” or missions that you have to do. But those aren’t your own tasks. They’re other people’s tasks…and the person wearing a wristband with your task is called your “Taskmate.” The first person to complete their Task is the sole winner. The winner will be rewarded with a “Magic Key.” The time limit is one hour. If there’s no winner when time is up, everyone loses.

“Task game?”

“That’s just like the movie too.”

“Some of you airheads can’t remember anything, so I made the rules nice and clear for you. Well? Pretty easy, right?”

The group stayed silent, no one daring to speak a word. Aniki snatched the book from Reycho’s hand suddenly, startling him and a few others. He pointed at a specific part on the book, eyeing the floating creature.

“What’s a Magic Key? It says here that that’s what the winner gets.”

Pielope grinned. ”It’s a key that can open anything with a keyhole. Like a Master Key! Of course, it could even open the door to the surface.”

Floating over to the television hanging above them, it then pointed to the screen, which flashed to a locked door of the area.

“Like I said, you’re all trapped in this underwater theme park. Without that key, none of you can get out. One thing though, that key can only be used once. So better make sure you don’t waste it on the door to the bathroom or something!”

Pielope then placed her hands on her hips, a smile growing on her face. ”The first thing you all need to figure out is what your task is. Unless you know that, you’ve got no way of winning this game. So somehow, you’ve got to find a way to see the wristbands that show your task.”

Everyone proceeded to check their wristbands, some hastily hiding it from the others. Eyes darted between members of the group, worried about who would be taken out next.

[Name] took this time to look at their own wristband, closely watching the LED display.

[[Name]’s task: Don’t push the button to the drawbridge until 5 minutes before the time limit]

“…Huh?” They let out a mumble of confusion, rubbing their eyes to make sure they saw it right. “But…didn’t it say—?”

They cut themselves off immediately, eyes widening as the display started to glitch, the words showing nothing but garbled nonsense. After a few seconds, it finally settled down, showing a different task.

[Pochi’s task: Ride the dolphin bicycle together with Pai]

“So I have his task…” [Name] pursed their lips, deciding to commit both tasks to memory. They tuned back into the conversation, noticing that the television screen had changed to a timer, already down to 57 minutes.

”See? You already used up three minutes! Better get a move on!”

“Hey! Hang on, you!” Chuko yelled out, pointing at Pielope. “What makes you think we’ll play?!”

Jennu nodded. ”Yeah! We’re not playing some game of fate!”

The robot merely smirked at their shouts of defiance, unfazed. [Name]’s eyebrows furrowed at its expression, along with the sound of something below the water getting closer.

”Oh, you’ll play. You’ll definitely play. Because if you lose…”

The noise of bubbles popping grew louder, suddenly breaking apart as a much larger robot emerged from the water. Everyone froze as its arms harshly cranked the head of its body around, then stretched outwards to grab the oddly colored doll in front of itself. It dropped it inside the top and crawled closer, the gurgling noise in its stomach grossing out some members. Like a microwave, it made a dinging sound and abruptly dropped out a mess of green sludge, the body of the doll no longer found. The head laid there in the midst of it all, [Name] almost pitying the frown on its face.

“W-Whoah! What the hell is this…?!” Kansai stepped back, eyeing the goop warily.

”A robot designed to punish the losers…my little Sludgebot!”

”N-No way…”

”Now you see? There’s only two paths for you to follow. You either win the game, or you get processed by the Sludgebot.”

Silence filled the area as everyone seemed to process exactly what was going on. [Name] watched as a few shivered, most likely dreading the thought of being the loser, they guessed.

“No…no way…I don’t want that to happen to me…!” Mowchan stammered, clutching the straps of his backpack tighter. “AAAAAAH!!!”

He ran away screaming, pushing a few people as he headed for the other side of the hall to leave the area.

”She’s not bluffing, is she…?” Nyoro muttered, eyes trained on the monochrome robot, who was still smirking at them.

”Nope, it’s every man for himself…” Aniki affirmed, clicking his tongue.

Kansai adjusted his hat, his lips pulling into a thin line on his face. ”Self-defense is all about who strikes first…”

[Name] blinked as the rest of the group seemed to mumble out statements of agreement. All except Reycho, who had an exasperated look on his face,  surveying everyone.

Tattsun pushed up his glasses, turning to him. “Reycho, I think we better do what that Pielope says.”

“Yeah, not much choice.”

”W-Well, if you all feel that way, same for me!”

”Weren’t they just arguing against this whole game a minute ago…?”

The hat-wearing preteen shook his head frustratingly, making Pielope spin around gleefully.

“Yippee! This is awesome! Everybody’s onboard! I’m so excited! Cool then, let’s make this a nice, juicy, splatterific, fate game no one will ever forget! Pielolooooon!” She disappeared in a purple cloud of smoke, along with the Sludgebot sinking back into the water with a static-like laugh.

“Hey, so who’s my Taskmate…?” Chuko spoke up, slumping.

”Does anyone know what Chuko’s task is?” Pai asked, making Jennu scoff.

”What’s the point of even asking? No one here is stupid enough to tell the truth.”

Pai frowned at her response, fiddling with her hands awkwardly.

”Yeah, and what about Mowchan? What should we do about him?” Tattsun seemed to realize something as he adjusted his glasses. “If Mowchan got a look at his Taskmate’s wristband, then…”

Kansai’s eyes widened, growling in the direction the mentioned boy left in. “That weasel…!”

He immediately ran towards the entrance to the doorway, as everyone slowly filed out and followed after the other hat-wearing boy. [Name] followed begrudgingly, but spared a glance back at the two who hadn’t moved yet.

Reycho and Aniki watched the others go, one having a more calculated look to his face. The taller of the two scowled at [Name] with visible hostility, making them blankly stare back before turning around in compliance.

”…Not going to even bother dealing with his BS right now.”

Chapter Text

Sounds of footsteps growing closer made [Name] turn their head towards the tunnel. Reycho ran out and looked around, making them raise an eyebrow.

“Where’s Aniki?” They asked, making the boy flinch. He looked at them warily, then shook his head, glancing towards where he came from.

“…I see. He did seem pretty suspicious there, so I guess it makes sense you didn’t trust him.” He opened his mouth to say something, but Kansai cut him off.

”Yo, Mowchan…! So you got no idea what your task is, huh?”

“N-No, I don’t! How would I know that?!”

”In that case, lemme see that wristband of yours!”

Mowchan turned to Chuko and covered his wristband almost immediately, his nose wrinkling at her. “What do you mean, in that case! I don’t see the connection!”

“Everyone, listen to me! I have a proposal.” Nyoro raised her voice, gaining everyone’s attention.

”Proposal?”

She sighed. ”Let’s just not do it, okay? This Game of Fate…”

”What do you mean?”

Nyoro turned to face the others, crossing her arms. “You know I’m the daughter of a scientist, right? So I looked at it logically and realized…competing against each other isn’t to our advantage. We’re suspicious of each other because we don’t know each other’s Tasks…so in that case, we should all just be open and show our wristbands.”

Kansai’s eyebrows raised. “Show our wristbands?”

She then turned to Tattsun, who stumbled back at the attention on him. “Tattsun, you know me, right?”

”Huh…? Me…?”

”We’re friends, right? And friends should trust each other.”

”Y-Yeah, but…”

She smiled unnervingly, as [Name] immediately pieced together what she was about to do. ”Then let’s start by showing each other our wristbands.”

”B-But…”

“Don’t worry, we’ll show at the same time. That would be fair, right?”

The smaller boy bit the inside of his cheek, thinking on it for a bit. After a few seconds, he nodded hesitantly.

”Okay…”

”All right then. One, two…”

The two stuck out their wristbands at the same time, as promised. Upon reading her wristband, Tattsun’s eyes widened.

”Hey, on your wristband! That’s my task! It says…don’t show your wristband until six minutes before the time limit…” He paused. “But that means—”

A whirring from above made all eyes turn to a large, robotic arm closing the space almost instantly, hovering above the glasses-wearing boy. It shook, then abruptly reached down and snatched Tattsun off the ground, his screams growing farther away by the second.

[Name] blinked as they heard a click from where Tattsun previously was and saw a small, glowing item fall to the ground. It landed to their right, where they watched as Pochi picked up the wristband silently.

“…..” He read what was on the wristband before glancing at Kansai for a short moment, then stuffed the item in his pocket.

Nyoro dusted her hands off, still smiling. ”Well, that’s one down.”

”Yikes! Nyoro is super sneaky!” The robotic voice was heard again, as Pielope hovered in the air nearby. “And skinny little four-eyes, Tattsun, is officially out of the game.”

[Name] watched with glazed eyes as the others explained why he was thrown out, pondering over the turn of events.

“I have to choose carefully on who to trust…not like I haven’t done that before.”

“Nyoro, what’s the deal with you?” Pochi spoke up next to them in a soft voice, gaining [Name]’s attention.

Her expression hardened, slightly looking over her shoulder at the boy. “You’ve got some kind of complaint?”

”The normal Nyoro would never have done that!” He insisted, his bangs shadowing his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you expect? This isn’t exactly a normal situation.”

”Nyoro…”

He clutched the console in his hands tighter, [Name] watching as his shoulders slumped. They couldn’t see his expression, but could easily tell the boy was stumped.

”…He doesn’t seem to have changed much.”

More footsteps echoed from the tunnel Reycho previously ran out of, finally revealing the multicolored-haired preteen. With his hands in his pockets, he faced the group with cold eyes.

”Listen up, everybody! I got Reycho’s Task on my wristband.” Aniki announced, surprising the group. “Reycho’s Task is…to touch someone on the back!”

”Huh, Aniki?” Pai looked visibly confused. “Why would you…”

”I need everybody’s help. That’s why I’m sharing what I know.”

”Touch someone on the back?”

”What kinda lame Task is that!”

“That’s too easy! He could win this whole thing in a flash!”

”Yeah, true.” He smirked, looking at the boy. “How about we all work together so we can take out Reycho?”

The boy looked utterly betrayed as he slowly started taking steps backwards, listening as the others all seemed to collectively agree.

”Give it up, Reycho!” Kansai roared, hot on his tail once the boy started running. The rest quickly followed, swayed by fear and anticipation.

[Name] was still standing there, noticing that only the four of them didn’t chase after Reycho.

”…Heh, that went well.” Aniki chuckled darkly. “I’ll just let ‘em take each other out for me.”

He turned around, the amusement disappearing from his face instantly at the sight of them.

”…[Name].”

”…Aniki.”

”Oh, so you can talk, huh?” He snarled, fists clenching at his sides. “Didn’t think you’d bother showing your face at all.”

”…..” They didn’t respond, only narrowing their eyes as he closed the distance with aggravated hostility.

”What, going to shut up again? Just like you did before? But you were always like that, weren’t you?” He raised a fist, eyes wild with fury and hatred. [Name] merely stood in place as they braced themselves for the impact. “I should just make sure you stay that way—“

”Aniki!” Pai suddenly stepped in front of [Name], arms spread out to shield them. He stopped instantly, his fist inches from their face. His mouth parted in surprise, startled at the sudden act of courage from the gentle girl.

”P-Pai?! Why did you—?!”

[Name], still blankly staring, took this time to quietly slip away from the two, their voices continuing to echo in the surrounding area.

Chapter Text

Tracing their hand across the railing, [Name] kept walking through the theme park alone, their footsteps echoing in their ears. The ocean cast a soft, blue filter over everything, making them feel like they were inside a large snow globe.

“…favor to ask, Reycho.” A voice down the hallway made them turn their head towards the sound.

Curious, they quieted their steps and crept closer, finding Pochi and Reycho up ahead. The gamer turned his back to the other, making their eyes widen slightly.

“He’s testing out the Task.”

“Okay, go ahead.” At his confirmation, Reycho walked up to him and placed his hand on his back firmly. 

With bated breath, they all waited…but nothing seemed to have happened.

“Just as I expected,” They heard him say with confidence, turning back to Reycho, before the conversation was hushed once more.

”Yep, that confirms it…Pochi’s still the same as ever.” They thought, shaking their head. Deciding to observe for a while longer, they stayed silent, watching as he seemed to have shown his wristband to the other, but Reycho refused to.

”Only one thing to do now,” He hummed. “Keep everyone from doing their Tasks!”

”…And how do you suppose you’ll do that?” [Name] finally spoke up, startling him.

”[N-Name]?!” He watched them lift themselves off from the map display, starting to walk towards the two. “Were you eavesdropping on us…?”

”No, I was just standing here, watching the whale sharks swim by.” [Name] replied, deadpanning. “What else do you think I would be doing, Pochi.”

”Right…”

”Seeing you two prove his Task wrong gave me some hope, at least.” They shook their head. “Working together, suggested by Aniki? I wouldn’t even believe it for a second. Especially since he tried to punch me literal minutes ago.”

The two looked bewildered, making them sigh. “That’s why I didn’t bother running. I’m assuming you two are the few sane ones here, so I hope you don’t mind me tagging along.”

Reycho looked at Pochi for his input, and the blue-haired preteen studied [Name]’s expression for a moment. He tilted his head, before nodding.

”Alright, we don’t mind.”

The three continued walking until they stumbled across a blue door with red and yellow stripes. An electronic panel was nearby, possibly the key to opening the door.

Reycho tried pressing some of the buttons, but it was no use. Pochi sighed, before glancing at [Name].

“[Name]? What’s—?”

”Hold on. I hear voices up ahead.”

Putting a finger to their lips, the three crept closer to the sound of two people talking, surprisingly being Chuko and Nyoro.

“You’d be in trouble if I got eliminated, right? So you’d better help me for your own good.” Chuko stated, eyeing the taller girl. “Or do you want to end up like Tattsun?”

Nyoro exhaled loudly, her hands on her waist. “…Fine. I’ll help.”

”I knew you’re a smart one, Nyoro.” She complimented, before catching someone moving out of the corner of her eye. She gasped, making the three halt in their steps. [Name] stared at Reycho, who ended up dropping his hat while he was sneaking towards the two. He shrugged in response, setting his cap back on his head.

”Oh, Reycho’s here! Pochi and [Name] too! Three on two, this isn’t good…”

“And if Reycho touches either of us on the back, we’re done! We’d better get out of here!”

The two girls ran off farther to the other side, the distance between them growing.

”So those two teamed up, huh…we better be careful.” Pochi mumbled, getting nods from the other two.

Reycho ran over to the large spot in the middle of the area, signaling Pochi and [Name] to come closer.

”Something odd about this door…”

”It’s…really out of place, even for somewhere like this.” [Name] added.

The boy walked closer to the bars blocking the entrance, but turned around and shrugged, shaking his head.

“It won’t open…”

”There’s another electronic panel, over there—“

[Name] pointed towards where they saw the input panel, and froze. The figure was there again, standing with her hands behind her back.

”God, not again…”

Even though they didn’t want to look at her anymore, their gaze fixed upon her, as if fearing what would happen if they looked away. She walked closer to them, making them take a step back.

”…[Name]?”

Their eyes snapped back to Pochi, the two blinking at each other for a few moments. He waved a hand in front of their face, albeit hesitantly at the heavy stare they still had on a few seconds ago.

“Um…you spaced out again.”

”Oh…sorry.” [Name] monotonously replied, looking at the boy. “Just thought I saw something.”

“I see.” Pochi hummed, before continuing to walk towards where they all were before. “Let’s move on, then.”

“…Right.”

~~~~~

A rowdy voice interrupted the silence between the three, coming from up ahead.

”W-Wait! I’m not gonna let you do it!”

“That sounds like Kansai, let’s go!” Pochi declared, getting nods from the other two.

They headed up the stairs and paused upon seeing the two dolphin bicycles.

”We have to ride this again to get to the other side?” Pochi muttered, his shoulders starting to slump. “Ugh, I’m tired. I hate exercise.”

Reycho got on the front bicycle immediately, waiting for the other two. [Name] tapped Pochi’s shoulder, making him turn his head to them slowly.

”I can take the front of the bike if you’re too tired to. You just need to hold on tight.”

”…..” His posture straightened, staring at them. “Y…You sure?”

”Mhm. It would take too long if we waited for one of us to go and then come back.”

He took another look at the dolphin bicycle, then back at them. Pochi finally nodded after a few minutes, averting his gaze from them.

Once the two adjusted as comfortably enough as they could, Reycho and [Name] started pedaling, staring straight ahead. Pochi held on to [Name], his eyes squeezed tightly.

”…You okay back there?” [Name] mumbled, feeling his grip around their waist tighten. They heard him hum softly, making them exhale.

The three finally got on the platform once they reached the end, with Pochi holding out a hand to [Name]. They took it, dusting off the dirt from their clothes, before they all headed towards the large Ferris wheel looming above them.

Chapter Text

"There's Kansai and Mowchan!" Pochi exclaimed, as him and Reycho headed towards the two, who were grappling with each other. [Name], however, paused after stepping off the dolphin bicycle.

"Is this...?"

They walked closer to the small platform to the side, finding a blue button sitting harmlessly on top of it. Turning their gaze to the walkway leading to the four boys, they noticed a faint, horizontal gap in the floor connecting both ends.

"This has to be the drawbridge, I'm sure. I shouldn't take any chances pressing this, just in case..."

"[Name]!" A voice snapped them out of their thoughts, seeing Pochi waving his arms to get their attention. "We need to break the Ferris wheel's power system!"

They nodded, following the two down the ladder after they climbed down. Below the Ferris wheel, water spewed out from the side, splashing the three. [Name] grumbled quietly, wringing out the water from their clothes as Pochi and Reycho observed the power system.

"I guess we should destroy the power system. But how do we do that?"

Luckily, Reycho was already a step ahead and grabbed a lone barrel on the other side of the machine, looking inside for anything useful.

"How'd you two...?" [Name]'s eyebrows furrowed as they nonchalantly walked over the electrified water with no worries.

"...Something wrong, [Name]?" Pochi tilted his head as Reycho walked over to the waterfall and filled the bucket up to the brim.

"...It's nothing." They shook their head, then pointed at the power system. "Just...keep your distance when you pour that."

Reycho nodded, placing the barrel down next to the open wire. [Name] urged Pochi to step farther back from the puddle, and the two watched as the boy pushed the water-filled barrel onto the wire. The electricity surrounding the machine crackled, and in an instant, the machine exploded, leaving clouds of smoke in its wake.

Above, [Name] could hear the rumbling of the Ferris wheel begin to slow down, until it finally stopped. Shortly after, a scream erupted, before it faded away just as fast.

"What's that sound?" Pochi wondered.

"The Ferris wheel must've stopped, so Mowchan probably got taken away." [Name] replied, already heading up the ladder. "Come on, let's go."

The three climbed the ladder and headed to Kansai, who was now alone. [Name] strode over to pick up the wristband laying on the ground, making Kansai raise an eyebrow.

[Chuko's task: Protect the park’s facilities until 8 minutes before the time limit]

"So Mowchan had Chuko's task? Then that means—"

"Good, we made it in time!" Pochi breathed out, noticing the unlit Ferris wheel.

"Oh, Mowchan has been eliminated." Kansai grinned, before jumping at a sudden beep echoing throughout the area. "Wh-What is it this time?!"

The two television screens above them flickered on, only to show crossed-out pictures of Tattsun, Mowchan, Chuko, and Nyoro. Giggling from above made them all turn their heads to face Pielope, who was floating towards them, waving.

"Heya! Enjoying the game?" She asked, twirling around.

"You!"

She huffed, crossing her arms. "I was going to go ahead and give you some useful info...but if you're going to be rude, forget about it."

"Before that, I want to check something." [Name] spoke up, startling the group. "I'm guessing that the monitor up there is showing the people who got eliminated as of now, correct?"

"Ooh, a smart cookie, huh?" Pielope floated closer to them and booped them on the nose, giggling as their nose scrunched up. "Correct-a-mundo! You took the words right out of my mouth, so I don't need to say anything more! Now, I'm expecting a nice, lively battle! Don't let me down! Pielololooon!"

The robot floated away once more, making everyone turn to face each other.

"Now that Mowchan is out, the truce ends here, huh." Kansai eyed the three warily. "But three versus one is bad news...time for a quick retreat!"

"How did you figure it out?" Pochi asked [Name] after watching Kansai run away.

They held up the wristband they picked up and handed it to him. "Since the power system was shut down, it would force Chuko to be eliminated because of her Task. And since Nyoro most likely needed Chuko's help for her Task from what we heard earlier..."

"They both ended up getting eliminated," Pochi finished, tapping his fist on his palm. "That has to be why they teamed up."

Reycho waved at the two and jutted a thumb to the other entryway, making them nod.

"Right, no time to talk about this now. Let's go, you two!"

~~~~~

"Huh, no way...now those two have teamed up together?" Pochi mumbled, watching Pai and Aniki talk.

"I'm not surprised..." [Name] thought, making sure to hide behind Reycho and Pochi just in case.

"Nyoro and Chuko teamed up? I didn't see that coming..."

"This is the wristband that Chuko dropped." Aniki pulled out another wristband from his pocket. "Let's see what it says."

"Hmm...[Nyoro's task: Go down the slide with Chuko]?"

"Chuko must have shown this to Nyoro and then threatened her. Something like, "If I get taken out, you're a goner too.""

"That's oddly specific...but now that confirms how their Tasks were related." They thought, listening to Aniki explain why the two got eliminated.

"O-Ohhh, I see. Amazing, Aniki! You saw through everything!" Pai complimented. "Do you have a sixth sense like I do?"

"No...and even if I did, nobody can see through everything."

"Well, true, but..."

"I was the one that gave Chuko the idea, that's how I know." He admitted, smirking. "I guess, for Nyoro, Chuko was also in the way so she died early."

"Damn you, Aniki..." [Name] spared a glance at Pochi, watching as he clenched his console tighter.

"Well, that's that...time for Plan B."

"Right, let's go!"

"What does he mean by Plan B?" Pochi mumbled as they ran off. "Let's follow him and see!"

[Name] sighed, following after the two reluctantly. Pochi turned to them as they kept walking, gaining their attention.

"Hey, so...what do you think happened to everyone who got caught?"

"Why are you asking me?"

He shrugged. "No reason, just wanted your opinion. Both of you, I mean."

Reycho closed his eyes, a frown on his face. [Name] kept walking, eyes straight ahead.

"...They probably got dropped into the Sludgebot."

Pochi sighed. "I hope the worst didn't happen to them..."

"....."

"...We can only hope so."

Chapter Text

[Name] realized they were back where they previously were mere minutes ago once they passed the exit door, but something was different once they entered the area where they saw Nyoro and Chuko.

Instead of finding Pai and Aniki, Jennu was laid on the floor, curled up in a fetal position. The door that was previously locked was now open, as well.

"Jennu, are you alright?!" Pochi asked, worry clear on his face. Reycho crouched down as well, reaching out a hand. However, before he could help her up, she got up by herself (a little too smoothly, [Name] noticed), dusting off her clothes.

"Uh, yeah...I think so..." She responded slowly with her eyes closed. "I wasn't paying attention...Pai and Aniki suddenly attacked me."

"So when he said Plan B..." Pochi trailed off, making Jennu tilt her head slightly.

"Plan B...?"

[Name] sent a look his way, which made him stiffen, his eyes widening a bit at the realization.

"Oh, forget it." He hastily added on, coughing. "Anyways, will you really be okay...?"

"It's not that big of a deal but...Pai found out my Task..." She admitted, shocking them.

"Where is Pai now?!"

She turned to face the open door that [Name] saw earlier. "Just past here."

"But I thought this door wouldn't open."

"I had the passcode to open the door. They came and attacked me right when I unlocked it...there should be something related to Pai's Task in there." Jennu snapped her fingers, lighting up. "I know. Why don't we call a truce for now and work together? We can't let Pai do her Task!"

Before they could say anything, she ran past them into the open door, leaving the three alone. [Name]'s eyebrows furrowed watching her, thinking to themselves for a moment.

"Alright, let's follow her and see!" Pochi decided, about to head inside with Reycho.

"...Wait." [Name]'s voice cut through, making the two turn around in confusion. "Doesn't this seem too suspicious?"

He blinked. "...How so?"

"I mean..." They looked back at the door, squinting. "She claims to have the password all of a sudden, and clearly wants us to go through this door. It's different than earlier with Kansai...and we didn't really get a say in this."

Reycho tapped his wrist, and shrugged.

"Yes, I know we're on a time crunch, but..." [Name] sighed, reluctant to say anything more. "...Never mind. Let's just be careful in case she decides to betray us."

"Sure thing." Pochi and Reycho nodded, before all three of them followed after Jennu.

~~~~~

What laid before them was many, many transparent glass walls and floors that led to different playing sites. Slides and pillars were strewn about, almost making the place feel vastly bigger than it was. The possibilities and their curiosity almost got the best of [Name], before they slapped their cheeks, snapping out of the brief sense of childishness they felt looking around.

"...No time for this now."

"An adventure playground? Is this where Pai was headed?"

"Pai's Task was to find the goal in the adventure playground." Jennu replied, a stern look on her face. "Well, let's go! We haven't got time to lose!"

Her and Reycho were the first to bravely jump off the platform, landing safely on their feet. Pochi and [Name] still stood above them, watching for any signs of danger. A voice called out straight ahead of the two, drawing their gaze to Pai, who was standing on the platform on the other side.

"Was she waiting there the whole time...?"

"Don't come any closer! I don't want to die yet!"

"Wait Pai, let's talk...!"

She shook her head from side to side. "There's nothing to talk about! I'm going to finish my Task and survive!"

The girl ran off deeper into the playground, her footsteps echoing as it faded away. After looking down once more, [Name] sucked in a breath and jumped, feeling the brief rush of wind blowing past their face. They landed on the floor with footwear firmly planted, flinching from the slight thrum of pain throughout the bottom of their feet.

"Farther jump than I expected..." They mumbled, watching as Pochi leaped down next to them.

The four of them walked over to the elevator on the ground, which they assumed to be the one Pai used to get to the other side.

"I don't think it's turned on..." Pochi mumbled, looking at the bright red button.

Jennu clicked her tongue. "Let's look for the power switch."

[Name] searched the floor, spotting a dimly lit, dotted cord. Their eyes followed it to the space under the platform they jumped off of, connecting to a bright red switch.

"Over there," They pointed, getting the trio's attention. Reycho moved first, pushing the box that was previously in the way to the wall. From there, he climbed on top of the box and flipped the switch, which made the cord and button change to a blue color.

Pushing the button, they all slowly rose up until they reached the top, where Pai previously stood.

Speaking of Pai, the girl herself was up ahead, on a higher floor. Her eyebrows furrowed as she shook her head at the group.

"Are you still chasing me? I said stop!"

"If we don't hurry, Pai will finish her Task." Jennu claimed, watching as Pai ran off again. Pochi and Reycho nodded, hurrying to find the switch to turn the next elevator on.

"Then why was she just standing there again?" [Name] asked, mostly to themselves, yet Jennu turned her head to face them.

"Huh?"

"....." [Name] stared at the girl blankly, before turning their gaze somewhere else.

"Whoops...said that out loud."

The two waited in awkward silence, until the button on the elevator changed to blue once more. Pochi and Reycho came back shortly after, and the four of them continued to pursue Pai, until they reached the end of the hallway.

"It's a dead end...there's no goal here." Pochi stated. "Sorry, but can you give up now?"

"Give up...?" Pai repeated, her eyebrows furrowing.

Her eyes glanced behind them, and [Name] nonchalantly did the same, making sure the others wouldn't notice. Their own eyes slightly widened, watching as Jennu stepped to the side, picking up a stray metal pipe on the floor.

"I knew it," They thought, biting their lip. "Is there anything I can do...?"

"Yeah, we have you cornered, Pai..."

"Cornered..." She hummed, then smiled broadly, shocking the two. "Right back at you."

"...Huh?"

"Pochi, Reycho, duck!" [Name] shouted, the boys immediately complying the second those words were said. Jennu scoffed, mere inches from swinging to the backs of their heads.

"Tch..."

[Name], Pochi, and Reycho moved closer together, before they ended up huddled in the middle between Jennu and Pai, backs facing each other.

"You were right after all, [Name]..." Pochi mumbled as they nodded silently.

"So we didn't trick all of you, then..." Pai seemed shocked, her mouth slightly agape. "Did you figure it out from the beginning?"

"I had a hunch." [Name] stated, still eyeing the weapon in Jennu's hands warily. "I'm guessing that one of you had the other's Task on their wristband, like Nyoro and Chuko, right?"

"Yep, I wasn't lying about that." Jennu affirmed, showing her wristband. "I still have Pai's task."

"Don't let Jennu be eliminated until nine minutes before time runs out..." Pochi read, blinking.

"It's the same situation as before." [Name] concluded, connecting the dots. "If one of them was eliminated, the other would end up the same, as well."

"And so, Jennu and I decided to go with the plan that Aniki told us earlier."

"So that whole Plan B thing was talking about this plan, huh." Pochi realized, then tilted his head. "But why would you two listen to Aniki?"

"Well, because my Task is on Aniki's wristband. That's what he used to negotiate with us." Jennu confessed. "He said he'd show his wristband to me if all three of us agreed to show ours."

"Then...what's your Task?" Pochi asked.

Jennu hummed, briefly looking at Reycho for a moment. "Well—"

"Heh, now the three of you are caught? Serves you right!" A voice spoke out, bringing everyone's attention behind them all.

"Kansai, what are you doing here?" Pai's eyebrows raised as the boy walked forwards, stopping in front of Jennu.

"Well...the door was open. So I kinda walked in."

"Hurry up and run!" She suddenly begged, [Name] observing her panic-stricken expression.

A tick mark formed on Kansai's head. "Huh? What's the deal?"

"If you're here, then Jennu will complete her Task!"

"Hah, now this is what you call a lifesaver!" The mentioned girl's eyes flashed with amusement, a grin forming on her face. "Who woulda thought you'd walk in yourself..."

"Wh-Whaddya mean?" Kansai asked, looking between the two.

Pai gulped. "Jennu's Task is...it's to...take Reycho and Kansai's hats!"

Chapter Text

The other cap-wearing boy turned around to face Jennu, frowning while covering the top of his head. "Ah!"

"I see...Pai was planning to betray me later..." Pochi muttered. "If Jennu gets Reycho and Kansai's hats, her Task is done."

Kansai held his hands up in a mock-like defense pose, beads of sweat on his face. "Y-You wanna piece of this...? No girl's gonna beat me!" He paused, glaring at what she was holding. "But then again, you do have that weapon in your hand."

"Nobody said anything about weapons being against the rules!" Her eye twitched at his remark, raising the pipe in response. "Now hand over that hat..."

He growled, stepping back more into the trio's group.

"Kansai...!"

"Run away!"

[Name] felt Pochi grab their arm for a second, instinctively wanting to pull it away from his grip. Confused, they let him pull their body out of the way, where Reycho immediately took action and jumped at Kansai, pushing him out of the way of Jennu's swing. The two rolled to the floor, and the girl scowled as she missed her targets for the second time in a row.

"Tch...!"

Kansai hissed, holding his elbow. Pochi gasped, spotting the red smears before he covered it.

"Kansai...you're bleeding!"

"Ha! It's no big deal, it's just a scratch..."

"No, that's not what I meant!"

Before Pochi could explain, a familiar whirring came closer above them, gaining their attention. The robot hand meant to take them away if their Task wasn't completed came into view, grabbing Kansai off the floor.

"Huh? Why? Whyyy?!" He screamed, about to run off, before he was snatched up by the hand.

Jennu and Pai seemed to both realize what was next, before they too were taken by their respective hands, yelling all the way.

For a second, [Name] thought it was over, before yet another one was heard creeping up on the remaining three. They remembered Pochi's Task, eyes widening.

"Shit..."

The boy was clearly confused, looking up at the hand hovering above him. "Huh, me too?! But why?!"

There was no response as it grabbed him as well, dragging him off to where the others ended up. Reycho had his hands over his mouth, and [Name] closed their eyes, heavily sighing.

A click was heard not too far away, and the two turned their gazes to spot Pai's wristband fallen on the floor. Reycho walked over to pick it up, [Name] reading it silently over his shoulder.

[Reycho's task: Hug one of the boys by 10 minutes before the time limit]

"Well, now at least you know your Task." [Name] mumbled, getting a nod from Reycho in response. "You're probably wondering why Pochi was taken, right?"

He tilted his head, blinking. Noticing his confusion, they showed off their own wristband to the boy, surprising him.

"...I had Pochi's. Since Pai got taken, he wasn't able to complete his own Task...but that's why I followed you two, to see if he would or not."

Reycho nodded in understanding, then looked around the room. Finding an electronic panel next to a closed door, he clicked it, booting up a keypad.

A screen showed up, showing arrows and numbers, along with spaces to fill in the six-digit password. The first space was filled in already, showing the number 5.

[Name] squinted in confusion, not remembering if they saw any numbers around the area. Reycho seemed stumped as well, before he started clicking on the screen. They watched him pick specific numbers, before they realized what he was doing.

"Oh...the keypad is the code."

Reycho smiled in confirmation, before entering the code. A green "CORRECT" popped up on the screen, making a cheerful-like tune ring out. The double doors that were previously closed swung open, and the two stepped through, continuing on.

~~~~~

Entering the tunnel, they walked in silence, before stopping at the abrupt tremor below their feet. It shook the area, then slowed to a stop.

"Earthquake...? No, couldn't be..."

The two collected themselves shortly after it stopped and reached the end of the tunnel, ending up back at the space under the Ferris wheel. Another beep echoed through the area, and the television above the entryway they walked out of flickered on, showing the eliminated participants once more.

"Hee hee hee, I understand how you feel, Reycho and [Name]." Pielope swept in from nowhere, giggling. "I bet you're wondering, 'Why was Pochi eliminated?'"

"I already explained it to him." [Name] interrupted, as Reycho nodded along with them.

"Oh...I see." The robot pouted, before springing back into a gleeful expression. "Well, this game has finally come to its climax! Who will be the one to get their hands on the Magic Key? In the next episode: Reycho is dead?! Stay tuned!"

She left with another "Pieloloooon", making the two deadpan. With that, [Name] and Reycho continued running, before they reached the bridge to the exit door again.

Yet another tremor shook the place, almost causing [Name] to drop to the floor. The sound of glass cracking next to them moved their line of sight to the windows, showing large, newly-made fractures.

"We're done for once that breaks..." [Name] muttered, stepping back slightly.

Footsteps were heard from the left, revealing Aniki. He looked at the two, clicking his tongue.

"All the loudmouths are gone now, so it's nice and quiet..." Aniki trailed off, scoffing. "...that's what I would've said, if they weren't here. I thought you'd be the only one left, Reycho, but unfortunately, things don't always go to plan."

He smirked, a sinister look forming on his face. "But I'll be the one to have the last laugh. I already know my Task...get everyone eliminated besides yourself. Which means I'm already close to getting it done!"

Aniki cracked his knuckles, eyeing the two with disdain. "All I have left to do is get rid of your boring asses. So give it up, Reycho, [Name]. You can't win!"

Reycho responded by taking out the wristband he picked up, watching as the boy leaned forward with narrowed eyes.

"Is that...Pai's wristband?!" He clicked his tongue. "Tch...so now you know what your real Task is."

Reycho placed the wristband back in his pocket after a few seconds, staring back at Aniki quietly.

"Damn, you're not gonna win this time!" He stepped back, edging closer to the entryway. "I'm faster than you! You can't catch me! The only winner here is gonna be me!"

With that, Aniki ran off at breakneck speed, getting farther away by the second. [Name] turned to Reycho, wondering why he was just standing still, then sucked in a breath.

She was standing there yet again, her arms behind her back. A smile far too wide for the human face crossed her features, making them take a step backwards.

"[Name]....." The hallucination drew out their name eerily, bringing goosebumps to their arms. "Don't freeze up now, okay? Run, run, run, like I did for you..."

They let out a shaky breath, then ran after Aniki, not bothering to look back to check if Reycho was following them. Feeling tears threatening to fall, [Name] roughly wiped them away, gritting their teeth.

"Don't remind me, god damn it..."

Chapter Text

"You're not fast enough to catch me!" Aniki yelled out from the middle of the staircase, gaining [Name]'s attention and distracting them from the previous events. They clicked their tongue, watching him head up the stairs. Turning back, they looked at Reycho, who finally caught up to them.

“What took you so long…?” He merely responded by averting his gaze, choosing not to answer.

[Name] blankly stared at him. “…Fine, let’s just go. We don’t have much time left, so—"

"Okay, I'm taking bets! Who's gonna win? Will it be Aniki, or Reycho and [Name]?" Pielope interrupted, the announcement echoing across the theme park. "Reycho will win if he catches Aniki and hugs him with at least 10 minutes left! But if Aniki can keep his distance, then he wins! Or will [Name] end up switching sides and outsmart the both of them?!"

The robot's words suddenly gave [Name] an idea, as if a lightbulb switched on in their brain.

"The winner is going to get the Magic Key! A mysterious key that can open anything with a keyhole! That means you can open the exit from this theme park! So, who will be victorious and get back to the surface?!"

The microphone clicked off, signaling the start of the race against time. The two continued to chase after Aniki, until they reached the dolphin bicycles. [Name] suddenly stopped in their tracks, making Reycho glance back at them in confusion.

"You go on ahead," They spoke, staring at him with a determined look in their eyes.

The rare moment of clear-cut emotion they showed made the boy take their words seriously, giving them a thumbs-up before running off once more.

[Name] took in a deep breath, then exhaled, clearing their mind.

"Phew...okay. Now..." They turned to face the blue button, glowing brightly, signaling that it was powered on. "...This is what I'm supposed to do, then. Once the two of them circle around the theme park..."

[Name] glanced at the timer, showing 15 minutes left on the clock.

"That much time has passed already...? Hopefully they’ll get here in time."

“Do I really want to do this?” They mumbled, still staring at the button. Its glow was almost enticing, drawing them in. “They don’t know my Task. I could just wait until time runs out…then they would both be disqualified.”

“But…I don’t want to be the one that wins, either."

“Geez, not how I wanted to go out, but well…” They let out a heavy sigh, scratching the back of their head. "...sucks that I have to be eliminated to do it."

~~~~~

With about 11 minutes left on the clock, [Name] waited in the middle of the pathway until they heard the echoing of footsteps from where they previously were. Aniki was still far ahead of Reycho, being the first to get to the bottom of the staircase. They met eye contact once he came closer, nearing the Ferris wheel.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"[Name]..." His lips curled up into a snarl, revealing his canines. "So, you think you can stop me?"

The clock continued to count down.

"Nope," They boredly responded, lifting their arms in surrender. "You can go right past me. I’ll try my best to stop Reycho for you, but don’t expect too much of me."

Aniki's eyebrows furrowed, still unmoving from his spot. “Why?”

Tick. Tock.

[Name] took a moment to yawn, before shrugging nonchalantly.

“You would just stay far ahead of us if we both bothered to chase you. Time would run out. So, I gave up.”

Tick. Tock.

"Giving up, huh?” Aniki’s eyes narrowed, taking a step forward. “You’d betray Reycho, just like that?”

Tick.

“Yeah.” They agreed, moving to the side as if to let him pass. “Besides, it’s not like I, of all people, can stop you.”

Tock.

"…Psyche.” [Name] uttered, before slamming a hand down on the button. Amusement danced in their eyes as they watched Aniki’s expression shift to realization, watching the drawbridge lift up.

“Serves you right, you jerk.”

"Ohoho~ what’s this?!” Pielope announced once more, her laugh echoing through the theme park. “What a turn of events! Poor, poor Aniki was thoroughly deceived by [Name]’s false claim of betrayal! Well, unlucky them, since they doomed themselves! Ooh, so close!”

Resigning themselves to their fate, [Name] silently stood in place, waiting to hear the familiar whirring sound. Taking a step backwards, they looked upwards, spotting the robotic hand hovering above them.

It grabbed them off the ground just as abruptly as the rest of the group, causing them to inhale sharply as it clasped around their body.

”Hrrk—!”

[Name] did their best to hold in the yell of pain that would have erupted from their throat, unlike most of the others. They flew through the air, being taken away in a blur as colors started to flash by. Their wristband unlocked as well, falling on the ground as they were whisked away. If they focused, they would’ve seen Reycho advancing slowly towards Aniki, his back against the drawbridge they lifted.

Soon enough, they came into view of the dreaded Sludgebot.

Eyes started to droop as the top opened slowly, puffs of green clouds emerging from the entryway of it. All they could hear was the mess of bubbling from the stomach area, and the mechanical clacking of the contraption.

“This is what everyone else saw…?” They muttered, coughing at the smoke. “I…didn’t even get to apologize…”

A faint exhale of laughter sounded from their throat, feeling their body become weightless.

"This seems to be the end of the line for me, so…”

They closed their eyes, letting their limbs fall freely. 

“…Please…don’t let my sacrifice be in vain, Reycho.”

And with that last thought, [Name] fell into the machine.

Chapter Text

The second they fell into the Sludgebot, [Name] felt their mind grow clearer. The massive headache they had since the beginning of the game lessened just a bit, although its effects still lingered.

However, they didn’t focus on that. What they did notice was the familiar group of people inside the very machine they fell into, all looking at them with various expressions. However, no one chose to say anything.

”…..” [Name] took another look around the small group, deadpanning internally.

"…Well, that was anticlimactic.” They muttered, rubbing their sore back from the fall.

The first one to move was Pochi, who scooted over from his spot to make space for them. Once they decided to move next to him, he pat them on their shoulder.

“You did good, [Name].”

They nodded in response, leaning slightly into the touch. They stayed like that for a brief second until he let go and went back to his game console.

"How come you got eliminated, [Name]?” Pai spoke up, tilting her head.

[Name] took a few moments to respond, still slightly dazed. “…I eliminated myself.”

"Huh?” Kansai sounded bewildered. “You chose to get taken out?”

"…Yeah.”

No one knew how to respond to their blunt response, until another yell came from the top of the machine. Everyone glanced upwards, before the tallest of the group fell down into the middle of their circle just as [Name] had.

”Agh…” Aniki rubbed his head, then looked around, blinking. “Wait—what?”

"Aniki!” Pai rushed over and gave him a quick hug, then helped pull him to his feet.

Tattsun brought a hand to his chin. "If Aniki’s here, then that means…”

"…Reycho won the game.” Jennu finished, tapping a fist on her palm.

"Does that mean…he’ll leave us here?” Mowchan whimpered, slumping against the wall of the machine. “He doesn’t know we’re actually alive…”

"No, I’m sure he’ll come back.” Pochi insisted, looking up from his console. “Reycho will get us out of here.”

"Of course,” Nyoro agreed, nodding. “He wouldn’t give up on us like that.”

"We can only hope so…” Chuko sighed, bringing her knees to her chest.

They all waited, the sounds of mechanical clicking and gears turning filling the silence. It seemed unlikely that there was any hope, until muffled talking was heard from outside.

"Does anyone else hear that?” Jennu asked.

Aniki pushed his way past the people blocking the sounds and turned his face to the side, trying to listen. “…It sounds like Pielope. I think she’s panicking.”

A few members of the group stood up and tried to listen with Aniki, putting an ear to the wall as he did. 

Kansai’s eyes widened. “You’re right, she is!”

"Has Reycho found a loophole somehow?!” Chuko gasped, standing up.

"Maybe there is hope after all!” Pai smiled.

“There was a keyhole on this machine, after all.” [Name] stated, slightly shocking the others who didn’t notice. “He could be using the Magic Key for us instead of the exit.”

"No way…!”

”Reycho really is…!”

Soon enough, a click was heard near the front of the machine, and everyone backed up just in case. The metallic door swung open, freeing them from their enclosure. Cheers erupted, as everyone rushed to get out as quick as possible.

”Reycho! Reycho!”

“Thanks, Reycho!”

“You saved us!”

“Reycho, you’re our hero!”

"Oh, how can I thank you?!”

"Man, I gotta say, you rock, dude!”

“I’ll buy you 100 beef bowls!”

Reycho scratched the back of his head, still smiling all the while from the praise and thanks.

Aniki cleared his throat awkwardly, looking to the side. “Reycho, I owe you an apology…this is gonna sound lame as hell, but, I wasn’t myself…”

Reycho’s eyebrows raised, waving his hands around as if to tell him that he didn’t have to apologize. Pochi shook his head at the taller boy.

"You weren’t the only one acting weird, Aniki. Everyone was brainwashed. Otherwise, no one would have played the Game of Fate, right?”

“Then how come Pochi and Reycho seemed the same?” [Name] thought to themselves, glancing at the boys.

“But now we’re all back to normal!” Chuko exclaimed.

Pai put a hand to her cheek, closing her eyes. "I wonder why…?”

"Hey, Pielope!” Kansai called out to the robot, who was hovering silently over the group. “I bet you know why!”

She crossed her arms in an x-shape, shaking her head from side to side. “Nope, I don’t know, I don’t know. Not a clue! Even if I knew that brainwashing wears off when you sense your life’s in danger…I would never tell you that!”

Tattsun squinted, looking at the robot with disdain. “Uh, you just did…”

Nyoro snapped her fingers. "Oh, now that makes sense.” 

“That explains the headaches,” [Name] muttered, a slight frown on their lips.

"Argh…darn it, darn it! I can’t believe I let that slip out!” Pielope growled, pausing for extra effect before her face abruptly morphed to one of mockery. “Seriously, though, you really think I’d mess up like that?”

“…What?”

"It’s all according to plan! I saw this coming, you know!”

“What are you talking about?”

Pielope disappeared in a puff of purple smoke before shortly reappearing next to Reycho. He stepped back in shock, eliciting a giggle from the robot.

”Reycho…after you got the Magic Key, you could have escaped on your own. But instead, you chose to stay here with everyone. So I guess you wanna keep playing it, huh? The Game of Fate.”

It grinned eerily, floating closer to the boy. “Fine, you’ll get exactly what you asked for. This is gonna be the nastiest, sickest fate game in history! Let Round 2 begin!”

"What?!” Kansai yelled, snarling at the robot.

Aniki clicked his tongue. “You better be joking, you little…!”

“Oh, I never joke! Let me explain the rules for Round 2—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Pai ran from her spot up to the robot, and to everyone’s surprise, kicked Pielope with precise aim, sending it flying. She crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.

"Wh—?” At this point, everyone was dumbfounded, including [Name].

"What’re you doing, Pai?” Chuko shakily asked.

The mentioned girl had a simple smile on her face, like she didn’t just break the robot forcing them into the game in the first place.

"Don’t worry about it!”

“Whaddya mean don’t worry?!” Kansai shouted, stomping a foot on the ground.

"Well, the thing is…” She cleared her throat, a closed-eyed smile on her face. “Sorry to scare you all, but…the game is cancelled!”

Chapter Text

It was like [Name] could hear the bewilderment running through everyone's heads as they glanced around the room, silently standing with arms crossed over their chest.

"...And that's that." Pai hummed, as if that was the end of the conversation.

Nyoro decided to speak up, awkwardly coughing. "Wh-What do you mean...?"

"The mastermind who set up this whole game asked me to tell everyone that," She replied, gaining even more looks of confusion.

"...Can I facepalm yet? This is starting to get a little too similar to a certain game I mentioned before..."

"You know who it is?!" Kansai yelled.

"Darn straight!" Pai affirmed, holding up a peace sign. "Get ready to have your socks knocked off...the mastermind..." The girl held her sentence for a dramatic effect, hearing some people hold their breath in anticipation. "...is one of us!"

The group stilled, as [Name] glanced around quickly to see if anyone was acting slightly suspicious from her words. Noting their silence, she continued.

“Ahem. Okay, you all ready? The mastermind is…” Pai briefly paused to spin around and pose, as [Name]’s eyes widened, starting to feel the ground shake below their feet once more.  “Drumroll please—!”

She was interrupted as the whole enclosure started to tremble, a few almost falling by the shock. “Ah—what the…?!”

Looking above the girl, they sucked in a breath as the helmet from the scuba diver's suit hanging above them threatened to fall, right on top of Pai.

“Aniki, above her!” They yelled out, startling the preteen for a moment before he quickly took action, inches away from the helmet hitting her. However, the two fell to the ground rather hard in his haste to get her out of a possible concussion.

“Are you okay?!” He panicked, hovering above her body with worried eyes. “Hey! Pai!”

To their amusement, the girl murmured in response, “No, no. Ugh, I’m serious…I can’t eat another bite…”

“Ugh…” He sighed, silently picking up the girl bridal-style while shaking his head.

“Falling to the floor and making contact with the ground like that must have knocked her out.” Jennu concluded. “That, or just from the shock of almost getting hit by that metal suit…”

“Is it normal to talk when you’re unconscious?” Chuko tilted her head.

“She’ll be fine.” [Name] spoke up, gaining a wary look from the others. “He made sure to support her head and neck enough, so she didn’t get a concussion, at least.”

“Oh thank god…” Pochi let out a sigh of relief.

Nyoro raised an eyebrow at them, before turning to face the rest of the group. “So, who’s the mastermind…?”

No one spoke in reply to her question, so Kansai took the opportunity to break the silence first.

“Well, all we can do is wait for Pai to wake up.” He waved off her unimpressed look with a roll of his eyes. “Forget that for now…”

And yet again, the room started to shake, earning groans from the group.

“At this point, it can’t be a coincidence…!” [Name] thought, tightly holding on to the railing of the bridge.

“Guys, look!” Tattsun brought their attention to one side of the glass wall, flinching as the cracks from before grew wider at an even faster rate than before.

Panic echoed throughout the group, as everyone suddenly started shouting and crying out at the fear of drowning. Out of all of them, Reycho was the one who turned around and pat his chest with no worry on his face. He ran towards the outside of the group to a swaying submarine hanging in the air, eyeing the fallen helmet at his feet.

“Don’t tell me…”

To [Name]’s utter astonishment, the boy picked up the helmet, grunting and aimed at the submarine. The sheer determination in his eyes made them take a small step back, watching as he slowly lifted it above his head and threw it with all of his might at the watercraft.

The wires supporting it snapped, clashing to the ground with a loud bang, as the hatch opened up to reveal many seats inside. At the same time, the glass finally broke, water immediately spewing out of the newly-made gaps.

Some of them made confused remarks or ignored what Reycho did, making [Name] snap out of their surprise to roll their eyes. They wasted no time in getting the submarine, hearing gasps from behind them.

“What are you all doing?” They asked, taking one of the seats in the corner. “You’re not all gonna just stand there and drown, are you?”

Flinching at the indifference in their tone, [Name] saw Kansai gulp and recompose himself. “Everyone! Run for it!”

At his words, they made for the submarine, everyone scrambling to find a place to sit or stand. Jennu came to sit next to [Name], holding onto an unconscious Pai with stern eyes.

Closing the hatch, they closed their eyes as they felt the water rush in around the submarine and bring them higher up, making them slightly dizzy.

“Hrrk!”

“Ugh, this feels like one of those teapot rides…!”

“Don’t throw up, don’t throw up…”

Soon enough, they came to a stop, and they all waited for a few moments before deeming it safe enough to open the hatch. The loud creak echoed in their ears before they had to shield their eyes from the bright light coming in through the opening.

“...Huh?”

What greeted them outside was the smell of salt water hitting their nose as they stepped outside of the submarine onto the sand below them. Everyone else came out of the watercraft and began to look around or stretch, but [Name] saw a few look up at the sky in shock. Specifically, Pochi, Reycho, and a now-awake Pai. 

Confused, they turned their gaze to where they were looking. The mountains in the distance were a familiar sight, but there was nothing else of note to see. Just blue skies and clouds.

Pushing their weird behaviors aside, they spotted a newspaper half-buried in the ground and picked it up, dusting off the sand. [Name] blinked and took a double-take at the bold heading.

“Tokyo…destroyed?"

Chapter Text

[Name] blinked once, twice, yet the bolded words printed on the heading didn't change. Their confusion only grew as they skimmed through the newspaper quickly, grunting in annoyance.

"What does this even mean...? Tokyo destroyed? What caused it then? No, this can only be cause of the meteor, right...?" Shaking their head, they folded up the paper and tucked it into their pockets, putting aside the information for now. "It's the only answer that seems right as of now, but why...? Nothing makes any sense..."

"[Name], over here." Pochi called out to them, as they finally noticed that the group was walking to a couple of run-down buildings not too far away. "We're heading over to see if there's anyone else around."

Nodding, they jogged to catch up with the rest of them, staying at a distance near the back of the group.

"Somehow, I doubt it..." They muttered quietly.

Their assumptions were deemed correct when they all arrived at the abandoned buildings with no one in sight. The state of the deserted plaza was in terrible condition, with dilapidated shops and closed shutter entrances cutting off entry on the majority of them. There were even worn-down signs that must have fallen from rusted wiring, and a few overturned vehicles in the middle of the walkways.

What threw [Name] off the most was the vast amount of tropical, Jurassic-like vegetation growing in all over the place. It covered the floors and buildings in vines with suspiciously colored flowers, making them take a few steps back in case it was going to suddenly eat them or something.

"Hey, can I ask you one thing?" Kansai brought up after they stopped in an emptier area within the plants. "Why...is there no one in this town?"

"So, no one's gonna point out the overgrown plants, huh?" [Name] wanted to groan out loud but settled for a deadpanned expression and said nothing.

Nyoro nodded to Kansai's question. "You're right. I don't see anyone around."

"Where are we, anyway?" Aniki seemed to be looking around for some sort of sign, or any tell to where they could've landed up in.

Tattsun pushed up his glasses, thinking. "I think we're near Kamakura. Our bus got caught up in an accident on our way to Kamakura, so..."

Everyone started spouting out ideas as to what happened to everyone and where they were, so [Name] decided to stray a bit farther from the group and started to poke around the empty area.

"Nothing will happen if I stick around and wait..." Their mind flashed to the one person who might have kept them company, before they sighed out softly, shaking their head. "…I guess I'll come back later whenever they all meet up again.”

"Maybe there's a grocery store around here...or weapons? Will we need those, though...?"  [Name] muttered, slinking around between the dilapidated buildings and attempting to peek into the dusty windows. "Don't think they'd just be lying around like in those side-scrollers..."

The majority of the stores had closed shutters, and they didn't budge an inch even when they tried to lift them up with all the strength they had, which wasn't saying much.

"Maybe if Aniki was here—?" They shook their head rapidly, erasing the thought. "No, it's not like I can rely on him anymore."

"Heh. Reycho with that crazy strength he got earlier might work in this case." Recalling the scene earlier, the corners of their mouth quirked upwards, still in some sort of shock at the display of power. "Straight out of a video game or something."

They continued to travel through the area and found a few stray items hidden between alleys and dusty shelves outside of closed shops. All of the food like chips or canned soups were practically ancient and past the point of expired, and they didn't want to risk opening the packages to find mold. The vending machines were busted, as much as they tried to hit them, but that could already be proven from the lights not working inside the machines. Telephone booths didn't seem to work either.

"Wait a minute, is that...?"

Hiding under bits of gravel and small pieces of debris lay an oddly shaped rectangle, one that [Name] hadn't recognized. They looked around warily, before approaching the item and hesitantly picking it up.

"I mean, I thought it was a Walkman at first, but this looks a lot less bulky." Turning it over in their hands, they found that the sleek object had a couple of buttons in the shape of a circle with familiar-looking symbols, as well as a small screen. A string split into two was connected to the device, which they discovered they could take on and off.

"Maybe it's a console like Pochi's? Compact enough to fit in my pockets easily...well, I guess I'll be taking this...whatever it is. It'll have to do as a replacement for my phone."

Shoving the item in their pockets, they trekked on, until they came across a fruit tree.

"Mangoes?" [Name] spoke out softly, looking upwards at the large mango tree. It looked like any other normal mango tree they've seen, but it was odd to see one in a plaza. "I'm hoping this isn't some kind of man-eating plant disguised as a mango tree—"

A loud sound like something bursting out of the ground was heard not too far away, immediately halting [Name] in their tracks and setting them on guard. Hiding behind the trunk of the tree, they looked further down the walkway of the plaza and saw the tops of massive vines and leaves moving on their own, peeking behind a stack of debris. A shiver crawled up their spine once spotting the lone flower that was growing on it, revealing a green eyeball with yellow sclera observing its surroundings.

"Okay, now that is a man-eating plant." [Name] fought the urge to run away, unwilling to let it spot their temporary hiding place. "Agh, I jinxed myself from earlier, didn't I?"

Familiar voices echoed in the direction of the plant, and when it turned around to face the noise, [Name] saw it sink into the ground once a rock pelted it right in the eye. They shifted themselves further behind the tree and into the bushels of grass, listening into the conversation.

"Oh, it's Pochi, Reycho, and Mowchan."

"It's crazy how there isn't anybody around..." Pochi mumbled out, Reycho nodding in silent agreement next to him.

"Hey, look everyone!" Mowchan inched closer to the tree, and [Name] held their breath until they realized he was just looking at the fruits. "Mangoes!"

"...Huh?"

"Miyazaki and Okinawa are famous for mangoes, but Kagoshima grows lots too! Mangoes are in the Mangifera genus, and they're related to cashews! That's why people with Mangifera allergies get itchy mouths when they eat them. I heard some people even pass out!" He rambled excitedly, not noticing the looks of disinterest on the two boys.

"Oh, really..." Pochi halfheartedly replied. "Anyway, let's find out what that rustling is. It must be close by."

The two continued walking off, but Mowchan was too invested in the tree to notice them leaving. He shook the tree to get a mango (reminding [Name] of a certain game), but yelped upon seeing their body crouched within the bushes.

"W-W-Wah?!" Mowchan scrambled backwards, holding the mango in his hands like a weapon. "I-I won't let you take my mangoes!"

"...I'm not gonna steal your food, you got it yourself." [Name] mumbled out, slowly standing up from their spot and brushing off the dirt from their clothes.

"O-Oh...right." He blinked a few times once recognizing them and put the mangoes in his oversized backpack. "...Um, what are you doing here, [Name]?"

"Exploring." They answered curtly. "You guys were taking too long, so I was scouting out the area."

"I-I see..." He sweat-dropped as they started walking in another direction, slowly following behind them. "You shouldn't wander off on your own..."

"I'll be fine." [Name] shifted their gaze to the side. "...Besides, I don't think you noticed the other two left already."

"Huh?!" Mowchan's eyes widened once he looked behind him frantically and started panicking. "When did that happen? What do we do?!"

"...Let's go this way." [Name] pointed further down the way they came from. "We'll spot them easier from a high place than running around randomly...probably."

"Probably...?" Mowchan echoed, worry clear on his face. "Um, if you say so..."

The awkward silence persisted between the two as they climbed the steps of a small building, yet [Name] hadn't uttered a word the entire time. Mowchan seemed to be thinking of something to say before they finally spoke.

"...Something up?"

"U-Uh..." Mowchan gulped, looking for any annoyance on their face but finding none. "I just...was thinking I could smell something..."

"Smell something?"

"Yeah...can we go this way?" He hesitantly pointed to a direction further to the side of the rooftop, waiting for confirmation. "But it's okay if you don't want to—!"

"No, let's go." [Name] shook their head, gesturing for him to lead the way.

"O-Okay..."

It wasn't too far away to where he wanted to go, because once they arrived, they ended up at what they assumed was a makeshift garden on the rooftop.

"Somebody was growing plants here..." [Name] murmured, crouching down to inspect the roots in the garden's beds. "Seems like they're overgrown like the rest of them."

"Ah, there we go...!" Mowchan perked up once he spotted a tree peeking out of the greenhouse window from further inside the building. It seems like it grew so much it reached the top of the building, allowing him to get to the tree safely. "Thought I could smell you!"

"A...peach?" They looked at the fruit he plucked from the branches, watching him smile with satisfaction.

"Mhm! It's rare to find these around here, apparently. Must be a sign of good luck!"

"Good luck..." [Name] mumbled thoughtfully, looking around the flower beds. "Ah..."

"Hm?" Mowchan watched them curiously, seeing them pluck a small flower carefully from the soil and taking care not to damage the others growing around it. "What did you get?"

"A morning glory, if I remember right..." They responded softly, brushing the petals. "One of the meanings is closer to good luck, but it also brings peace and prosperity...the purple one reminded me of someone."

"Wow..." He looked at the flower, nodding at their explanation. "This has to mean we'll have good luck on our trip!"

"Yeah...maybe." [Name] tucked the flower safely in their pocket, being careful not to crush it. "...Let's keep moving."

The sounds of snarling caught their attention in the distance as the two headed back towards the ground, finding Pochi and Reycho in a predicament. A multicolored, growling creature cornered the two boys to the wall, snapping its giant maw wide open.

"Gh...! My head..." [Name] put a hand to their forehead, feeling the start of an oncoming headache. Looking away from the glitching thing, their eyes widened upon seeing Reycho stand in front of Pochi with his arms thrown wide open, bracing himself shakily for impact. "What do I do...?!"

"At this rate, we're all going to...!" Mowchan gulped. "Let's run for it!"

"Run...?"

"Are you insane?" [Name] turned to him, narrowing their eyes.

"W-We need to get help, though!" He insisted, about to run off before he watched them prepare to head towards the edge. "Wait! What are you doing?!"

"...There's no way I'm leaving them behind." They replied coldly, looking around for something, anything that could help. "I won't be able to live with myself if I just abandon them like this."

"...!" Mowchan sucked in a breath at their recklessness, thinking back on his actions. "I...I'm..."

"...Mowchan?" They turned around to see the boy struggling with something, wondering what he was about to do before he abruptly ran forwards down the hill. "Wh—?"

"Aaaaaaagh!" He screamed, tumbling down the hill and gaining Reycho and Pochi's attention instantaneously.

"M-Mowchan?!" The boys moved to the side as he kept rolling, landing with a stop right in front of the massive, hostile dog.

Tucking himself into a ball, [Name] watched with bated breath as his body seemed to suddenly shine and change to a silver color, similar to a metallic object. The creature barked at his interference and lunged, making the teen struggle to keep watching for the inevitable...

...but instead, a loud clang was heard once the dog bit down, like metal clashing against metal.

Mowchan stood up fearlessly and seemed to turn back to normal, making the dog whimper and run off, most likely in pain out of practically biting its teeth off.

"What was that...?" Pochi spoke out, eyes darting between Mowchan and the terrified creature escaping. "Are you hurt?"

"No, it looks like I'm okay." Mowchan replied, checking over his body for wounds or any signs of punctures.

"Didn't you get bit?" Reycho seemed to nod in agreement with Pochi's question, and Mowchan nodded. "...Not hurt?"

"Nope..." 

The cap-wearing boy shook himself out of his shocked stupor from what [Name] could see and shook Mowchan's hand gratefully, making the boy smile. 

"You don't have to thank me." He grinned sheepishly, returning Reycho's handshake.

"Mowchan's M stands for 'macho'!" Pochi chimed in, joining the two with a smile on his face as well.

[Name] sighed tiredly, watching the boys give each other thumbs-ups before heading down as well. "...Bold of you to take action after you were about to run away."

"Oh, [Name]...!" Everyone turned to look at them sliding down the hill carefully in order to not tumble like Mowchan did. "Where were you? You left before we could split off into our groups."

"...Just wanted to take some time to myself."

Pochi hummed in response, turning to look at Mowchan. "So, what were you doing here, Mowchan?"

His eyes lit up in realization and he pulled out the fruit he had. "I caught the scent of this and came to get it. [Name] went with me and we followed it to a rooftop garden...sorry that it seemed out of the way, [Name]."

"...No big deal." They curtly replied, scratching the back of their neck. "...I was able to get something too, so..."

"Hm? What did you get, [Name]?" Pochi asked them as they started leaving the area, Mowchan rambling about his knowledge of peaches in the background.

"Ah, well..." They avoided his inquisitive gaze, clutching the item in their pockets. "...I'll tell you later. Could you catch me up on what I missed?"

He seemed to not mind their way of dodging the question, so he complied and picked up his pace to walk next to them, thinking back on the group's conversation.

"Turns out we're in Kagoshima, and according to Tattsun, it's 1,200 kilometers away by car from Tokyo." Pochi summarized, making [Name] pause. "Also, Pai doesn't seem to remember who the mastermind is, so we're assuming she has some kind of amnesia now."

"How in the world did we get that far...?" [Name] muttered, putting a hand to their chin. "And I don't think Pai got a concussion, so she shouldn't have forgotten anything, but..."

Pochi waited for them to continue, tilting his head to the side, but they shook their head and sighed. "I guess she really did hit the floor that hard. What time did you say we were meeting up again?"

"Around sunset, which is pretty much just now. You should come with us, so we don't get lost splitting up again."

"I wouldn't get lost..." [Name] trailed off seeing the knowing look on his face, the beginning of a pout starting to form on their lips. "...Okay, but that doesn't happen often, just so you know."

"I would say otherwise." He chuckled at the huff they let out and watched [Name] start walking faster in front of him, following them back to the rest of the group.

Chapter Text

By the time it was sunset, everyone met up at the same area in the plaza they agreed to. The orange filter from the sky cast a shadow over the group's faces, emphasizing how tired they all felt. Mowchan and Pochi brought the rest of the group up to speed on what had happened, while Reycho and [Name] hung back in silence.

"Just what is going on?!"

"That monster plant and that creepy dog..."

"Everyone else saw them too?" Pochi's eyes widened once the other groups that separated nodded.

"Maybe they got sprinkled with harmful chemicals and mutated..."

Pai tilted her head at Nyoro's theory. "While we were sleeping?"

"Is it possible for mutations to happen in such a short period of time?" Tattsun wondered.

"We don't exactly know how much time passed..." [Name] muttered, getting Reycho's attention from beside them.

"Ah, he heard me."

He gestured for them to continue, and after glancing between the group (they were still talking amongst themselves, not noticing their conversation), they sighed quietly to him. "...I mean, look at the plants around. Normally you see this kind of stuff in movies, after years have passed and there's a bunch of overgrown vegetation."

They took out the newspaper they had in their pockets, showing him the headline. "See, here it says it's 1995. But we don't know how old this newspaper is, so..."

Reycho nodded at their explanation, taking in their words with a thoughtful expression. Surprised to see that he listened, they put their newspaper away and tuned back into the rest of the group with a satisfied hum.

"Here, [Name]." Pochi handed them a peach from Mowchan's haul earlier. "He was passing them out to all of us, but I wanted to wait until you were done talking with Reycho."

"Oh..." [Name] blinked, taking the fruit from his hand. "...Thanks."

"So, what're we supposed to do now?" Pai asked.

"I just wanna go home..." Chuko replied sadly.

Aniki let out an empty laugh. "I hope there's a home we can go home to."

"....."

Everyone turned to look at the boy with worried or panicked expressions, making him raise an eyebrow. "What makes you think Tokyo will be fine? It may be the same as here, not a person in sight."

"No way..."

"We may be the only ones left...everybody else might be..."

Aniki shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Who knows, but...I wouldn't be shocked if it were true. There's that whole meteor thing too..."

"Struck by the meteor...?" [Name] thought to themselves. "I guess, from where we were, the explosion would have to be super huge in Tokyo...but then how would we not be dead by now? There's no way we would come out unscathed after being unconscious, and the possibility that we got blown back from the explosion 1,200 kilometers away seems like a stretch. Were we brought here?"

They snapped out of their thoughts once Pochi spoke up. "What's it like in Tokyo, huh? I seriously wonder..."

Reycho moved next to them, eyes suddenly shining with determination. He pointed in a direction as the rest of the group observed his expression with realization.

"...Only one way to find out." [Name] sighed, crossing their arms.

"Oh, come on. That's impossible." Mowchan gaped. "From here to Tokyo is 1,200 kilometers, right?!"

"Yeah, but there's no other way..."

Kansai put his hands on his hips, nodding. "Better than staying here, that's for sure..."

"True, staying here is no guarantee of finding help." Nyoro agreed.

Everyone seemed to accept the decision after some convincing, checking in with each member of the group beforehand.

"So that leaves..." Nyoro trailed off, eyeing the two quietest members.

Aniki's back was turned, but he replied, "I take my own path...it just so happens it's the same way you're all going."

"And you, [Name]?" Pai turned to look at them next, a gentle smile on her face as they flinched in response at their name being brought up suddenly.

Feeling everyone's staring fall on themselves made [Name]'s skin prickle, responding only after a brief moment of silence. "...Yeah, nowhere else to go, anyway." They averted their gaze downwards after seeing Aniki's eyes narrow from the back.

"Still hostile, hm..."

"Well, it's set then!" Tattsun affirmed.

"Okay then, everybody! Tokyo or bust!" Kansai announced, having the more extroverted ones get ready for the familiar cheer. "Go-Getters Club...!"

"Hey, hey, ohhh!"

After some discussion, Jennu was the one who brought up the idea to camp by the shore, and everyone split up into groups again to set up the camping gear from the stores that were open. As they were rolling out the sleeping bags for each tent, [Name] overheard that Kansai's group grabbed the tents and cookware, while Tattsun's group got the actual food and condiments while searching the area. Due to having eleven people total in the group, everyone pitched up six tents and decided the ones they would be sleeping in.

"Sh-Sharing tents...?!" Tattsun spluttered, his glasses starting to slide off his face. "That's..."

"There is no way I'm sharing a tent with one of the boys!" Chuko spoke up, eyeing Kansai with feigned disgust. "He probably kicks people while he's sleeping!"

"Why're you calling me out, huh?!" He yelled, glaring back at the girl. "You probably snore super loudly when you're sleeping!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Okay, okay, let's calm down." Jennu put a stop to the two's squabbling, standing between them with an exasperated expression. "Here, I'll make the tent orders. And just to be clear, girls are staying with the girls and boys are staying with the boys."

She cleared her throat first, then started pointing at everyone around the group. "I'll be with Nyoro, and Chuko will be with Pai. Reycho, go with Pochi. Tattsun will go with Mowchan since you're already standing next to each other, and Aniki will deal with Kansai. Sorry if he kicks you."

"...Fine." Aniki scoffed, and Kansai muttered angrily how he didn't kick when he sleeps.

"Everyone fine with that, then? Cool, but if anyone's got issues, just switch with another pair. I think that makes it easier for everyone."

"Seems simple enough to me." Nyoro hummed.

Chuko smiled at Jennu, nodding. "Nice thinking, Jennu!"

"Wait, but what about [Name]?" Pai asked, already looking at the teen with worry. "You're not paired with anyone?"

"...I'll take the last tent." They mumbled, scratching the back of their neck. "It's fine."

"But..."

"Hey, [Name] said it was fine, so let's just leave it at that, problem solved." Kansai shrugged. "Anyways, is the food ready yet, Mowchan? I'm starving over here!"

Everyone soon split up into various parts of the small area they made their camp, eating the food cooked by Mowchan. The moonlight was bright enough to substitute for the artificial lights they had grown used to, and [Name] felt a sense of peacefulness sitting outside on the beach with a bowl of soup in hand.

Looking around from their spot, they could see Mowchan stirring the pot over the campfire while Pai stood next to him, watching the fire crackle and the smell wafting through the air. Chuko and Kansai were sitting on the log, the former probably trying to inch closer to the oblivious boy. Tattsun, Pochi, and Reycho seemed to be talking to each other, while Jennu, Nyoro, and Aniki stood off to the sides, distanced from the group. [Name] was seated behind one of the tents, facing the ocean.

"Still doesn't taste like anything..." They mumbled, staring down at the empty dish with resignation.

After silently finishing their food, [Name] washed their bowl in the water and handed it back to Mowchan, noticing everyone else was done and looking at Tattsun.

"What have you got there, Tattsun?" Nyoro asked.

"Walkie-talkies. I found them in an electrical store in town." He replied, taking out all the ones he had and placing them in front of himself. "If we're going to Tokyo tomorrow, we'd better bring these with us."

[Name] briefly wondered how far the distance could communicate between the walkie-talkies before remembering the odd device in their pockets, discreetly checking it off to the side and comparing it to the transceivers.

"Doesn't look the same...w onder if this is some kind of futuristic communication device."

Reycho started passing out the transceivers to everyone once Tattsun asked him to, until Kansai spoke up rather angrily.

"Wait a minute! Why does Reycho get to hand them out?"

"Well, it's cause Reycho is sort of the leader of the Go-Getters Club..." Tattsun replied halfheartedly, causing a tick mark to form on the boy's expression.

"Leader...? Who decided that?" He growled at the silence to his question and stomped his foot, face filled with irritation. "I said, who decided that, dummy!"

[Name] watched as Kansai's temper flared up, the boy approaching Reycho with clear hostility. "Hey, Reycho...I always wondered something. You're just a transfer student, so how come you act all high and mighty?"

"He doesn't act like that." Pochi cut in, attention shifted off of his console.

"He sure does!" Kansai barked, uncaring of the teen flinching at his response. "I'm the leader of the Go-Getters Club! Not some stupid noobie."

"Being a transfer student or new here is irrelevant." Nyoro raised an eyebrow at his claim.

"It is relevant! Not knowing someone long enough means ya can't trust them." Kansai suddenly turned his glare towards [Name] as well, confusing them for a brief moment before he added, "And that goes for you too! Reycho or [Name] could even be the ones behind the whole Game of Fate!"

Everyone in the group gasped or visibly expressed their shock while both Reycho and [Name] recoiled at the sudden accusation.

"What...?"

Chapter Text

"Why was I brought into this..." [Name] thought, watching the fuming boy with a blank stare. "Me, being a mastermind?"

"Huh...how do you figure that?" Jennu broke the silence, a hand to her head in exasperation.

"Just think about it!" Kansai shouted, waving his arms around and pointing at the two. "Reycho was totally clear-headed when the Game of Fate started! Plus, [Name] ended up helping him win, and we definitely have a reason to hate them! The two newbies must have planned it all! It was all just a plot to oust me as group leader!"

Reycho sweat-dropped at him while [Name] silently stared back, the lack of a response further fueling the boy's anger.

"Don't play dumb! I'm just bein' real here!" He grunted, facing a distracted Pai. "Hey Pai, Reycho or [Name] are the ones behind the Game of Fate, right?!"

"Hmm...could be...on the other hand, maybe not though." Her uncertain reply had Kansai growling again, and Aniki was the one who spoke up on everyone else's behalf.

"Hey, Kansai, you need to chill out. Now's not the time to go looking for the culprit behind all this."

Pochi nodded in agreement. "You start down that road and suddenly everyone starts looking suspicious..."

"Everyone, huh..." [Name] started tuning out the conversation again, watching the group with glazed eyes. "I guess I still do that, don't I...?"

[ ”What, going to shut up again? Just like you did before? But you were always like that, weren’t you?” ]

[ "...and we definitely have a reason to hate them!" ]

"....." They could feel a headache starting up again as they thought back on the recent displays of hatred towards themselves, not wanting to think back on the past. A figure of the same wide smile flashed through their mind before they shook it away, fists clenched discreetly to force their intrusive thoughts to subside.

Looking around once more with a clearer mind, it seemed like the conversation died down and was resolved with Kansai complaining at Reycho's sudden interest in the sky. Pai and Pochi were following his gaze as well, whispering amongst themselves, and yet [Name] still couldn't figure out what they were so fixated on.

"Alright everyone, we should get some sleep now." Jennu spoke up, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Best to get as much rest as possible for the trip ahead."

"Wh-What if the plant monsters follow us here?" Mowchan stammered, looking towards the plaza area they were previously at. "Who knows what's out there at night..."

"What a baby..." Chuko sighed.

"Are you saying we need a lookout?" Nyoro shook her head. "Someone else do it, I need my sleep."

With no one wanting to take on the burden, [Name] silently raised their hand, gaining a surprised reaction from everyone.

"...I can keep watch." They spoke curtly, observing everyone's expressions.

"Are you doing this just to get the suspicion off yourself?!" Kansai accused, glare back on his face. "Don't think it'll be that easy!"

[Name] shook their head, unfazed by his hostility. "No one else wants to. Just go to sleep so we can get a move on."

"Hmph..." He squinted at them, doing the "I'm watching you" gesture with his hand before heading into his tent. Everyone else soon caught on and started going to their respective tents as well, exhausted from the day.

Taking a seat on the log previously occupied by Chuko and Kansai, they silently watched the continuous motion of the waves splashing over the distant shore, with the clouds floating under the dark blue sky. Starting to feel a bit fidgety with nothing to do, they pulled out the rectangular object again, flipping it over between their hands.

"This outer circle has four buttons, with one circle in the middle. The screen is off right now...how do I turn it on?" They mumbled. "And I still don't know what the string is for..."

Hearing the sudden sound of footsteps within the camp, they swiveled around on their seat, shoving the device back in their pockets. Squinting in the dark, they deemed the figure non-hostile once realizing who it was. 

"...I know you're still there, Pochi." [Name] quietly called out once the silence settled, facing the sounds of shuffling behind one of the tents.

"Ah, you caught me." Said boy popped out behind the closed tent and sheepishly smiled, taking a seat next to them. "You know you don't have to stay on lookout for those creatures, right? I think we all know they're not coming over here."

"Yeah...I can't sleep immediately, though." Their face lifted to see her in the distance near the water, and they quickly averted their gaze towards Pochi, who confusedly looked between the ocean and themselves.

"Um...do you see it too?"

"See...what?" They slowly responded, looking him in the eyes.

"The X in the sky. Pai and Reycho noticed that the three of us are somehow able to see this large, purple X floating up there." He pointed upwards, towards just a bunch of clouds to [Name].

They shook their head, feeling like a weight was lifted off their chest while guilt stung in the back of their mind. "Nope, I have no clue what you're talking about."

"I see..." He hummed, and [Name] finally noticed he had surprisingly kept his gaming console in his lap the entire time he was talking to them. "Well, if you can't sleep immediately...is it because you have a hard time trying to?"

"I guess so." They curtly replied, staring at the campfire.

"You did tend to sleep for an awfully long time whenever you knocked out during breaks back at school.”

[Name] shrugged at his observation. "Well, yeah…I never really get much sleep in the first place, so I guess that’s how it balances out.”

"Did you stay up often?”

"Insomnia can be a pain in the ass—" They cut themselves off, glancing at the stern look on his face. “…pain in the butt. Sorry.”

"I'm glad you're cutting down on the swearing, but try to get more rest, okay?" He shook his head playfully, standing up to leave.

"Wait, hold on."

"Hm? What's up?"

"You...wanted to know what I grabbed earlier." [Name] reminded Pochi, his eyes lighting up in recognition. They took the flower out of their pockets and handed it to him delicately, to his surprise. "It was growing back at the greenhouse, in one of the flowerbeds."

"A purple morning glory...?" He recognized, taking the flower from them slowly. "How come?"

"Mowchan was talking about how peaches resemble luck, so..." They looked to the side, avoiding his curious stare. "This also means good luck, but also brings peace and prosperity, like a charm. But...the purple ones are a sign of strength, as well. It..." [Name] hesitated to continue before finally meeting his eyes again. "...reminded me of you."

The silence seemed to stretch on as they shifted in place, worried about his reaction before he brought one of his hands up to cover the bottom half of his face.

"...You don't have to take it—“

"No!" Pochi yelled, startling the both of them. "Sorry, I mean...I really like it. Thank you."

"Really...?"

He nodded reassuringly, a smile forming on his face while he carefully placed the flower in his fanny pack. "It's a really nice gift, so yes, I'm keeping it. Besides, it kinda resembles my hair when you turn it upside down."

"Always ending with the humor, huh Pochi."

"I have to be the one to do it since you actually respond to my jokes." He retorted, finally heading back to his tent. "See you in the morning, and thank you again."

"...See you." They replied softly, waving off the boy with a light-hearted feeling in their chest.