Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

His team:

Typhlosion (M) (Blaze + Flash Fire) (Shell Bell): Thunder Punch, Flame Charge, Smoke Screen, Inferno

Alakazam (F) (Synchronize) (King’s Rock): Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Future Sight

Snorlax (M) (Thick Fat) (Leftovers): Curse, Hyper Beam, Dynamic Punch, Rest

Gengar (M) (Levitate) (Razor Fang): Shadow Ball, Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Dynamic Punch

Absol (F) (Super Luck) (Scope Lens): Sucker Punch, Protect, Play Rough, Fire Blast

Makoto Naegi stood staring in awe at Hope’s Poké academy, still wondering how lucky he must have been to be able to attend. He had been traveling with his partner, Typhlosion, when he had been invited to attend the prestigious academy. At first he wasn’t sure if he wanted to attend, he was doing just fine on his own. After all he had beat the champion of Johto and beat all of Kanto’s elite 4 when he had received the letter. He couldn’t beat Gold the second time though, nor did he want to. But after his sister pressured him and told him how he was wasting a glorious opportunity, he decided to go. Now he was a little reluctant as he looked to his trusted starter for support. Said fire type was eager to enter and see all the new challengers. They had been together ever since Makoto started his journey a few years back. Ever since then they’d been closer than ever, but now was their ultimate test. These people were the best of the best, and they may not be able to hold a candle to any of them, but they still were willing to take that chance. After all, Makoto was now just like them, and he had earned the title of Lucky Trainer.

With new found confidence he took his first steps inside the new school. But as soon as he did, a wave of nausea overcame him, and before he knew it he blacked out. When he woke he was drooling on a desk in some unfamiliar classroom. He looked around, confused and disorientated. He then heard a yawn next to him before turning to see his partner just as confused as he was. Neither of them knew what was going on, so they started looking around. They soon found a welcome letter to Hope’s Poké Academy. They were both puzzled by this but a quick glance at the clock revealed they were late to the entrance ceremony. They both panicked, but Makoto hopped on his partner’s back and they ran down the halls. He wasn’t burned since he trusted his partner deeply and his partner trusted him back just as much. Therefore the flames wouldn’t burn him, and Typhlosion was safe to ride.

They made it there not two minutes later before Makoto hopped off and opened the door. To his surprise there were fourteen other trainers there.

Leon - Fire
Sayaka - Fairy
HIfumi - Electric
Chihiro - Steel
Toko/Jill - Dark/Poison
Celestia - Ghost
Kyoko - Psychic
Mondo - Rock
Junko - Contests (AKA a bunch of fashionable Pokemon)
Mukuro - Bug
Aoi - Water
Byakuya - Grass
Hiro - Ice
Taka - Flying
Sakura - Fighting

Some of them had their Pokemon out, while others were observing the other trainers. But when he opened the door, they all turned to him. He knew most of these people, he had done some research before coming here. He actually won most of his battles from knowing type advantages, move side effects, ability advantages and how to breed. Plus he always had his Pokedex on him just in case a Sinnoh, Hoenn, and or Kalos Pokemon was about to battle him since he hadn’t gone to those regions yet. The only regions he had been to were Johto, his home, Kanto, the neighboring region, and Unova. His mother made them move there for a “summer in the city”. It was actually a nice trip and there were lots of items he got from exploring there. The dowsing machine came in handy many times during his adventures.

Memories aside, their Pokemon seemed to look at them either like peasants or their next meal. Frankly it was very unsettling. Finally someone with a Noctowl on his shoulder ran up to him and started shouting at him for being late. Both him and Typhlosion could only sweatdrop as the trainer and his Noctowl both squawked at him angrily. This had to be the Flying type Elite Ishimaru Kiyotaka, his defining trait was that he was a stickler for rules. “.. HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY EXPLAIN THIS UNACCEPTABLE TARDINESS?!” Taka asked after stopping his rant to allow him to respond. “We were here early, but then we sort of blacked out and woke up in a random classroom. We honestly have no idea how that happened, but we’re really sorry for being late,” Makoto said honestly as he bowed his head apologetically. Even without knowing this person, he’d met enough people like him on his travels to know what to do. Even his Typhlosion gave out an apologetic cry before doing the same.

The Flying type trainer seemed to find this an acceptable response as he apologized for his outburst and explained how he might have overreacted just a little. “Actually, I woke up like that too,” a small voice said. All eyes turned to a girl with a Magnemite near her. She let out a small squeak at the sudden attention, her shyness confirming her identity as the Steel type Elite Chihiro Fujisaki. “Me too,” agreed Fairy type Elite Sayaka Maizono. “This is most interesting. It seems we’ve all experienced the same thing then,” concluded Grass type Elite Byakuya Togami.

Apparently everyone here had been knocked out, but the question was why. Why would someone knock them out and move them to different rooms? More importantly, what happened to the front door? What had been a normal double door entrance an hour before had become something like a vault cover. No one had any clue why it was there other than the fact that it was locked. “Do not worry, we may be able to open this door with our strength,” Sakura the Fighting Elite said as her Machoke grabbed the door with all four arms. It then tried to use Seismic Toss on the door, and was surprised when it didn’t budge. Chihiro tried to hack the keypad, and even used Magnemite to shock it when that didn’t work. Mondo Owada tried using his powerful Rock type Pokemon, but even they couldn’t dent it. People were starting to panic, but eventually they settled down a bit and tried to think of an explanation to all this.

“Well it’d be best if we introduce ourselves before we get all paranoid. I’m the Ice Elite Hagakure Yasahiro. You can just call me Hiro,” he explained nonchalantly. “I’m the Water Elite Aoi Asahina, but Hina is just fine,” Hina exclaimed as her Floatzel chimed in. Everyone introduced themselves until they turned to Makoto. Since they already heard most of the typings, they were curious who he was. “Um, I’m the Lucky Trainer. My name is Makoto Naegi,” Makoto said not bothering to mention his champion status. He didn’t like to brag about his achievements especially since anyone else could do the same if they trained hard enough. Hell, at one point he went up against a guy who kept spamming Full Restores and had to eventually do the same to not lose the battle. (*cough cough* Lance *cough cough*)

“That’s an odd title,” Byakuya commented before adding, “It seems strange of them to let some ordinary trainer into this academy.” Makoto tried not to look too insulted, but he could clearly tell he wasn’t going to like this guy. After the introductions they heard a high pitched voice on the loudspeaker. “Ahem, attention students, this is your headmaster speaking. Please gather in the Gymnasium for an important announcement,” the high pitched voice said as people started getting confused. “I get it, maybe this is just some kind of prank! Man they really got us for a second,” Hiro said looking relieved. No one else thought it was a prank, but it was better than the darker alternatives. A little more relaxed than before they walked to the Gymnasium with idle chat along the way.

Makoto had a bad feeling about this, and he didn’t even need his Absol to tell him that something was off. He spent a lot of time with his Pokemon during the years they traveled, and as a result not only formed unbreakable bonds, but was also able to understand them clearly. He could tell what they were trying to tell him despite not knowing how to speak their language, and they sometimes attacked without his input since they knew what he would want them to do. This kind of bond was probably the reason why he was given a Key Stone by a professor. He still didn’t know what to do with it or who he would even Mega Evolve, but he did know at the very least what it was for. At the moment the small rainbow colored marble was hanging from his neck while inside of a necklace. It reminded him that he still had to travel to Kalos and see what all the fuss about Mega Evolution was about and how they even discovered that it was possible.

But back in the present they arrived at what appeared to be a normal gymnasium. Sports equipment was scattered on the floor in disarray, but that wasn’t what caught their attention. They were focused on the Black and white bear that had popped up from behind the podium. “What is that thing?” Leon asked as the bear looked insulted. “I am no mere object! My name is Monokuma, and I am your new headmaster here at Hope’s Poké Academy!” Monokuma explained as the others looked at him with a mix of shock and disbelief. “Yeah right, like we’re gonna take orders from some teddy bear,” Mondo said skeptical of the furry animatronic’s authority. “This is definitely a prank. Can someone get this toy out of here so we can start the real orientation?” Hiro asked looking around to see if anyone nearby was controlling it. “Hey, I am not a toy! I said I was your headmaster and I meant it! Now if you would stop with all these doubts then we could get on with the ceremony,” Monokuma said as they decided to humor the tiny bear. Something didn’t sit right with Naegi. He’d been with his Absol long enough to know how to sense danger, and right now he knew Absol would be running around and pawing at him to try and warn him of a disaster.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kyoko was also silent. “Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!” Monokuma said before adding, “First, let’s talk a bit about what your school life here will be like.” hearing no objections the bear continued. “Now, make no mistake, you students and Pokemon alike represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope… you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school! Everyone will live in harmony with each other and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school.” His comments raised a few red flags, but people lived on campus at their schools all the time, right? So that wasn’t too strange. Even so, Makoto still got chills down his spine at that comment, he knew there was a catch.

“Ah, now then… regarding the end date for this communal life… There isn’t one! In other words, you’ll be here until the day you die.! Such is the school life you’ve been assigned,” Monokuma said as everyone became very uneasy. “Wh-What did he just say? Until the day we d-die?” Toko asked nervously in her melancholy tone. “Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won’t lack for all the common conveniences.” Junko and Sayaka voices their doubts, but Monokuma confirmed that this was 100% the truth. He also told them that there was no way they could contact the outside world, so they felt even more fear and anxiety than before.

Leon and Mondo still thought it was some sick joke, and they were telling him off for it. Celeste seemed upset, but nowhere near as much as her classmates. “I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There *is* a way for you to leave the school…” Everyone wanted to know how they could leave this stupid school, but none of them were expecting the answer they got. “For those of you who want to leave, I’ve crafted a special cause I like to call the Graduation clause! Now let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to keep this environment of order and harmony, we need to live a communal life together. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be able to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation clause!” “What do you mean by ‘disrupt the harmony’?” Byakuya asked. “Well, you know.. If one person were to murder another.” This response received a lot of backlash, some rejecting the idea, others still in denial. Makoto was personally stuck in between the two. “Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting or even using you Pokemon! It doesn’t matter how you do it, the only thing that does is that you have to kill somebody if you want to leave. The rest is up to you! Give it your best to achieve the worst outcome possible.”

Makoto looked down at his starter as it turned back to him in turn. His flames were sparking with rage, it wanted nothing more than to burn that little bear and the metal plates to get them out of here. But the look in its trainer’s eyes snapped it back to reality. It saw a kind of fear in his eyes that made it hesitate. His trainer was never scared of anything. They battled Gym Leaders, Elite Trainers, Team Rocket members, Team Plasma members and many others. Not once had he seen anything but confidence and determination in his eyes. They both were momentarily frozen as the others expressed their outrage. What snapped them out of it was Mondo’s sudden attack. He was so mad he didn’t even take out a Pokemon to destroy it and used his own bare hands.

But the sudden beeping made Makoto’s eyes widen. Without one word the fire type used Flame Charge to suddenly appear near Mondo with great speed. It swiftly tackled the bear, sending it flying into the air and scorching it a little. Mondo was about to snap at Makoto for interfering when the Monokuma exploded three seconds later. “The hell? That sure as shit wasn’t a joke, it blew the fuck up!” Mondo said realizing that he could have died. Typhlosion returned to his trainer’s side just as quickly as it had left. Makoto pet him affectionately and told him that he had done a good job.

“But that means the teddy bear’s gone right?” Chihiro asked hoping they were right. But just as they got their hopes up, a high pitch voice rang through the Gym. “I told you I’m not a teddy bear! I’m Monokuma!” he said as a brand new copy of him appeared from the exact same place the first had. After Mondo tried to curse Monokuma out, he explained that it would have been suitable punishment for violating school regulations. After his rant about the rules, he gave a chilling warning. “And I won’t be so light with my punishment next time, so don’t let it happen again.” He then gave a detailed explanation on how to use their new E-Handbooks, which could also serve to replace the pokedexes that had gone missing. Then he was gone.

The others spoke paranoidly among themselves while Makoto looked through the E-Handbook. Surprisingly it had a Universal Pokedex Emulator installed as well as a scanner that can make it function the same as a Pokedex. It also had a notepad, Report cards, settings, the rules Monokuma mentioned, and much more. What it didn’t have was a Pokegear, which was what Makoto had been searching desperately for. There really was no way to contact the outside world then, that was his only method of communication. But to his relief, he still had many of his other items. However, everyone looked at each other with suspicion clear in their eyes. They knew at least one person would take up Monokuma’s offer, but the question was, who would betray the others?

Fourteen other trainers, all of them strangers and he knew nothing about them personally. One of them really could be desperate enough to murder. How would he escape? Would he be the victim? And most importantly, who could he trust among these new faces?

Chapter Text

Nobody knew what to say or do, but one by one they began to leave the Gymnasium. Kirigiri being the first one out, followed by Byakuya and then Toko. Mondo gave a nod to Makoto before he left, almost as if he was silently thanking him for saving his life. Makoto thought he was the only one left, until he saw Sayaka Maizono standing there just as shocked as he was. She was the Fairy Elite and had stood up to Dragon and Dark types big and small, but she couldn’t get over the fact that she was going to die here. Whether it be from old age or being a victim in someone’s desperate attempt at freedom. She didn’t know what to do. She then noticed someone walking up to her, it was Makoto.

“Sayaka, are you alright?” Makoto asked genuinely concerned. She was snapped out of her fear by his gentle tone, it was as if he was talking to a fragile glass figurine and if his words were too harsh she would shatter. She nodded as he looked a little relieved. “Okay, let’s get out of here now. The others already left and it’d be weird if we stayed here too long,” Makoto said offering her a hand. She hesitated for half a second before taking it, appreciating the kind gesture. She wished she could be as strong as he was, being able to push past his distrust and open up to her. What she didn’t know was that he was scared as well, and he needed someone he could trust.

Both started talking about their travels and their goals, when something seemed strange. “Hey, Makoto?” Sayaka asked seeing the connection. “What’s up?” Makoto asked before he stopped, realizing it as well. “Makoto, were you in one of my Musicals in Unova a few Summers ago?” Sayaka asked as he stopped to think. He had done lots of things that same Summer, but he could faintly recall beating the Gym in that same city and then Komaru dragging him over to the theatre. “Oh yeah, I was there! My sister told me to sign up for the raffle that let two lucky Pokemon get to be on stage with you. I entered my shiny Minccino just in case we did win since it was the only one of my Pokemon she thought was cute enough to be on stage with your Fairy types,” Makoto said recalling the event. His Minccino had gone on stage with Sayaka’s Sylveon and someone’s Pachirisu. They dazzled everyone with their glamour and the audience was in awe of their improvised stunts. Even with no trainer input, the show went smoothly with no errors. Sylveon had led the others and lent a helping hand (puns) here and there when it was needed. The kept talking until they arrived at the dorm rooms.

Apparently Monokuma had their rooms labeled with name plated with little drawings on them. “Well, good night Makoto, it was nice talking to you,” Sayaka said feeling a bit more at ease than before they spoke. “I’ll see you tomorrow Sayaka!” Makoto said before opening the door to his room. The room was simple, it had a bed, a desk, some drawers and a door that was most likely a bathroom. On his bed was a lint roller and a key with his name on it, which he assumed was for his room. What he didn’t notice when he first entered was a door for a closet with a few extra blankets, some pillows, tin foil and other strange stuff. He hadn’t had the chance to do so because he was with Sayaka, so he took the time to search his room with his Dowsing Machine. He found several things called Monokuma Coins that seemed like they were arcade tokens or something. He was hoping to find a repel or maybe a TM, but this was a school and those things would seem out of place even if he did find them. He decided to check the bathroom when he found the knob wouldn’t turn. “Aw, what?” he said out loud in disappointment. He barely knew the layout of the school, and now if he wanted to use the bathroom he’d have to go use the public ones. That is, until Monokuma appeared. After a quick explanation as to why his door didn’t open and why he had a tool kit, Monokuma left as if he had to give that same lecture to someone else.

And with the advice the bear gave him, he turned the knob and lifted the door up quickly before pushing it outwards. It swung open and he was free to examine the bathroom. He decided to just leave it open instead of go through that hassle every time, and began to look for items. The shower was well stocked with shampoo and soap, and there were towels opposite to the sink. There was also a mirror, and he saw his hair was a tad longer than her remembered. He shrugged it off as desk hair because of having slept face down on it and kept looking. He found more coins and a water bottle under the sink. When he exited the bathroom he found Typhlosion curled up in the corner looking drowsy. For some reason all his Pokemon loved napping. Sure Alakazam and Snorlax were acceptable, Gengar has lots of power in the dream world, but the other two had no excuse. He assumed it was because they were passionate about battling and wanted to be well rested in case one came, but even then they wouldn’t have to do it as a pass time!

Plus the sight of the sleepy Fire type made him yawn, but a bell sound came from the monitor as he did so. Monokuma announced that it was now 10PM and officially night-time. Makoto wasn’t really worried about some areas being closed off and looked back at his partner. He seemed to be waiting for his approval to be able to drift off, so he went towards the closet and grabbed a few things. He grabbed both tin and aluminum foil along with the pillows before cutting a piece of duct tape. He started taping the pillows together first to make something the size of a large dog bed, and then going over it with six boxes of each kind of foil. He tested it with his arms and found it was still fairly soft and comfortable, but now it was fire resistant. He had learned a long time ago that his Typhlosion didn’t like being kept in the Pokeball for too long since it wanted to be with him at all times. This made it difficult when camping out or staying in inns, but they’d picked up a few tricks along the way from Fire Breathers as he traveled through Johto.

He placed the makeshift Pokemon bed right next to his so that Typhlosion could sleep and guard the door at the same time. He locked his door, not out of fear of being murdered, but more so as an extra precaution. He knew that his trusty partner would protect him if anything happened, but he still didn’t know just how strong these elites were yet, so he couldn’t take any chances. He knew full well what underestimating someone could lead to, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make friends. He just needed to get to know them better, that’s all. With that thought he watched as his large friend curled up into a ball of flames and light teal fur and drifted off to sleep. Around his neck was a necklace that had a Shell Bell on it. In battle it would ring quietly and heal him a bit after every attack, and sometimes it would do it outside of battle if he was injured, just not as often.

He laid down on his bed underneath the covers, thinking of what tomorrow may hold. This wasn’t a dream, his dreams wouldn’t be very detailed. The smell of Typhlosion’s occasional smoke puffs or the feel of foil as he made the bed, neither of them would have registered in his brain if this was a dream. Plus even his nightmares wouldn’t be like this. Instead of being this complex and thought out with a clear danger, his were more sinister looking from the start. They usually involved darkness and being alone in some forest with lots of noises and unseen dangers. This was no nightmare, and yet it seemed like one. Their entire situation seemed so surreal, so improbable, that he felt as if any moment he would wake up to the sound of Pidgey chirping in the morning or Hoothoot in the middle of the night. But he knew better, this was too real for his taste. All he could do was close his eyes and drift into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

…

Sayaka couldn’t sleep that night, how could she even think of doing so? Sure she had her Sylveon and other Pokemon to protect her, plus the lock on her door and bathroom, but even so she didn’t feel safe. She knew her Pokemon were mostly just for show, and that was what made her uneasy. What if it came to a test of strength? What if she was cornered and beat badly by one of the stronger trainers? She would be powerless against them if they had a type advantage or high Special Defense. She wasn’t going to last very long in here, she could tell.

And yet for some reason, a part of her was calm. It knew that she wouldn’t have to worry as long as she made allies who could protect her. And yet, she knew she already had. Makoto didn’t know this, but she had seen him battle before in the Unova League months after they first met. She had gone as a guest of honor, and she wasn’t even sure if he remembered as she watched him crush the competition with bold strategies and creative ways of using moves. She knew he was the Champion of Unova, the question was why he didn’t tell anyone. If he did then no one would try to mess with him, and yet at the same time, it could also get him targeted. If people knew he was strong, they would go after him first to take out the threat. Even still, she wanted to get close enough to earn his trust, to have him protect her and maybe even help her get out. She knew she was far from helpless, but here were fourteen other students who could be stronger than her by leaps and bounds. She knew her place well, and she also knew how to make sure she didn’t go any lower than that. She would befriend a few people and try to help them as much as she could so they would help her back. With this thought in mind, she got ready for bed.

…

Kyoko didn’t sleep at all that night. She didn’t know what was bothering her, only that something wasn’t right. She knew she should be getting rest and saving her strength, but with all these secrets and mysteries in the air, she couldn’t allow herself to rest until she got answers. She knew better than to pretend everything was going to be alright and that no one would stoop to murder to escape. It was only a matter of time before someone cracked under the pressure and killed someone, and then it would be her job to expose them. But that wasn’t what was bothering her, there were three main things on her mind. The first was who was behind all this, and that was a puzzle she didn’t have enough pieces to even guess what the picture looked like. She was able to put that one on hold until she got leads, but the next was a bit more urgent. Why would someone do this to them? Besides the fact that they were all the best of the best, why would someone want to trap them all here and create this killing game instead of doing the job themselves? The answer could be to break their spirits, but who would do this for that reason alone. Sure she had enemies, but why would they take strangers and force them into the same scenario.

The final question was simple, how did they pull this off? She knew for a fact that Hope’s Poké Academy was one of the most prestigious battle schools in the country. There was no way someone could pull this off without alerting the authority. Another thing that bugged her was that Monokuma said they were funded by the government. Why would the government fund such a project? Were they part of a social experiment of some sort? By this point she had more questions than answers, but that was to be expected. She would have to keep observing the others to see if that would reveal any clues about their current situation. Until then, she decided to look through the handbook for any clues until dawn.

…

Makoto woke to the sound of Monokuma’s morning announcement. He and Typhlosion were both still a little sleepy, but a knock at the door stopped them from going back to sleep. Typhlosion let out a cry of frustration since it couldn’t go back to sleep and Makoto rolled his eyes. Makoto slipped his shoes on and walked towards the door, Typhlosion lagging behind a bit because of laziness. He was a bit surprised that it was Sayaka at the door, but he gave a warm smile as he greeted her. “Good morning Sayaka, what’s up?” Makoto asked probably sounding a little too tired. Sayaka frowned a bit and asked, “Oh did I wake you up? I’m sorry.” Makoto shook his head and replied, “No, it’s just we haven’t had to wake up this early for a while now, so I guess my internal clock needs to readapt to getting up early.”

“It’s gonna have to from now on, Ishimaru wants to hold morning meetings now to discuss how we’re going to get out of here. He was knocking on everyone’s doors loudly, so I decided to wake you up instead of having him do it,” Sayaka explained as Typhlosion finally made his way to the door. Sayaka was a little surprised by its sudden appearance since she hadn’t seen it before, and the fact that it was 13 centimeters taller than its trainer when standing upright. Even so she kept her smile on her face as he closed the door behind himself and locked it. They then walked down to the Dining Hall together, talking about the school and how absurd the situation was. It did them some good to be able to talk about it jokingly like that, but they stopped talking as they were about to arrive at their destination.

When they got there, the Dining Hall was empty. The two males would have grabbed a few precious minutes of extra sleep if they knew they were early. Nonetheless, they talked about Unova and all its wonders as they sat down at the table. He listened to her stories about traveling regions after leaving her home in Kalos to pursue a career in Musicals in Unova. He talked about suburban life and was actually surprised how curious she was about the little stuff. It turns out she had been raised in the city, so she barely ever saw the countryside or little towns like New Bark Town. He shared stories about his youth while she spoke about the wonders of being on stage. He was describing a battle against a fisherman with a Gyrados when the others started arriving.

Taka was first and he was a little disappointed at not being the first one here, but happy they weren’t late at least. Everyone else showed up, except for Kyoko. Even so they set off to investigate all the rooms they could find. Makoto and Sayaka checked out the Kitchen while everyone else split off into pairs except Byakuya and Taka. They came back at around 7PM at night to report their findings. They discovered that the rooms were soundproof, the metal plates wouldn’t budge, the vault-like door wouldn’t open either, there was no way to contact anyone outside the school, the food gets restocked automatically each day, and there was this one room that was connected to the gym not shown on the map. This room was like a huge battle field, it had two large flat screen tvs, bleachers for spectators, computers for accessing Pokemon storage systems and item storage, healing machines for Pokemon to recover from battle wounds, and anything else one would need for a battle. Makoto had actually left Sayaka for a bit to check out the Monokuma store, and he even bought a bunch of random items. He got several healing items, but also random stuff like cup ramen and toy cars. Before they could discuss anymore, Kyoko appeared with a map of the school she had found. It proved they hadn’t been moved anywhere, and showed a few strange renovations had been made to the school.

The map only raised more questions. Is this what daily life was like here, some murder game? Where were all the other students? They then started talking about what to do, Hiro being the only calm one besides Byakuya and Celeste. Celeste then gave a speech about having to be able to adapt, then proposed a new rule about the curfews. They should not go out at night, because if they were allowed to, everyone would be paranoid of dying in their sleep and they would never be able to rest. After that she left to go shower. But before everyone else could dismiss, and before Celeste could fully leave the room, Monokuma appeared. “Hello students, it’s your beloved headmaster here to make a special announcement in person! I know you all are still planning out those juicy murders, but I’m afraid I must put that on hold for the moment. After all, this can’t be a battle school without battles now can it?” Monokuma asked as everyone became curious as to what the bear meant.

“So, I’m going to be holding tournaments whenever I feel like there isn’t enough action. There will be two types, the first being a bracket type tournament full of elimination rounds. Every round the winner gets a prize and gets to advance, and the loser gets a small consolation prize. The person who makes it to the end undefeated wins a special prize! In those you’ll only able to use one single Pokemon the entire time. The other kind of tournament is much more interesting. It’s an all-out battle royal between all surviving students! All students will have to fight it out with all your Party Pokemon and try to be the last one standing. The winner has to have at least one Pokemon left, no matter how much health they have! The losers get a few Monokuma coins each, but the winner of those battles will receive Monokuma Tickets! These vary in value: The bronze tickets allow for a certain amount of time out of view of the cameras, an hour each to be precise. The silver tickets will allow you to access certain rooms which are normally off limits, but there are some situations in which I will decline a ticket. The golden tickets will let you break one rule with no punishment! And finally, the monochrome tickets are worth six bronze tickets, four silver tickets, or three Gold tickets! Of course, the amount of each ticket you get depends on how well you battled. That being said, I do hope for a grand battle royal tomorrow!” Monokuma explained before laughing loudly as he disappeared.

The second he left everyone stared at one another, no one daring to speak. Even though they didn’t know how strong their opponents were, they all wanted those tickets badly. Some for more noble reasons than others. Makoto honestly just wanted to get a golden ticket in case he ever messed up or something, but most of the others looked at each other with killer glares. Forget about the Nighttime rule, they would constantly be on edge from not knowing when to expect these battles! Makoto wished they had grown a little closer before this battle stuff got brought up, maybe then they wouldn’t be as hostile. They all parted for the night, each with their own intentions. Some going to train in their rooms, other going to rest up. But Makoto had one thought on his mind as he got ready for bed that night. In these kinds of situations, is it even possible to find someone you can trust?

Chapter Text

Makoto woke up earlier than yesterday, a whole 30 minutes earlier to be exact. Usually they would sleep in and try to catch as many z’s as possible, but they were serious when it came to battes. That, and the fact that they forgot to eat yesterday. Typhlosion’s stomach roared, and most likely would have frightened the sleeping Sayaka next door if the rooms were soundproof. But it did serve as an early alarm for Makoto, who rubbed his eyes before getting out of bed. He knew the Dining Hall was off limits, and sort of wished for a ticket just to get something to eat. But instead he took a ten minute shower and started washing Typhlosion with a wet washcloth. Many may find it strange that Fire types like to bathe, since some can’t let their flames go out, but sometimes it is necessary. For example, Typhlosion may have fireproof fur that prevents it from taking damage from its own flames and other Fire type attacks, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dirty from all the soot that comes from the occasional smoke it emits. So one has to have a strong bond with one in order to be able to bathe it, otherwise their hands would burn up from an accidental flicker from the flames.

This took about fifteen minutes because he had to also brush his fur after letting the little droplets of water evaporate from the heat. Typhlosion was very happy after his grooming and because he got the Shell Bell back. It had grown quite fond of the little jingle jangle it made every once in awhile. The two then decided to head to the Dining Hall and wait for it to open so they could grab something to eat. They stood outside waiting for a bit before it opened, and they assumed the announcement was made prior to doing so. They walked inside and went straight to the kitchen. First the two ate some apples before they got to work. Makoto pulled a Poffin case out of his bag and got a pot on the stove. He then pulled out a few Pecha, Oran and Cheri berries. The way he made Poffins, they didn’t raise contest stats. He made them using an old recipe his family used to use to raise normal stats, almost like protein or calcium would. They don’t raise them by much, but they still count if eaten on a regular basis. And the best part was that they were also good for people, so he could have a couple after he finished.

He crushed up the berries and added them to regular dough used for cookies or buns that was already made in one of the cabinets. It needed to be nice and soft so it would be easier to stir, causing less burns. He then slid it into the pot and watched as to started to melt. He then grabbed a spoon and started stirring a little quickly at first so it would start to develop thickness, but he slowed down so the dough wouldn’t spill. He kept changing the direction he was stirring to make sure it wouldn’t stick to the sides of the pot, and soon he had perfect Poffins. He had done this ever since he was little to raise money for his journey since his parents didn’t earn a lot. So he worked as a baker’s apprentice with his sister until he was of age and had enough money to leave home. It was actually a valuable skill that helped him earn money on his travels and even helped his Pokemon grow stronger. There was actually a version of a Poffin that used Rare Candies that he sold when he was really broke after gambling too much in Goldenrod. He wanted a Porygon and he was going to get one, until he bet too much money and lost just before he could get one. Luckily his sister also worked at the Day Care center and was a great Breeder, so she lent him money from time to time when he needed it knowing he'd always pay her back someday.

Still, Typhlosion looked eagerly over his shoulder at the Poffins he made and was practically drooling. “Okay okay, you can have one! Glutton,” He said muttering that last part under his breath as his partner shoved his favorite Pecha Berry Poffins into his mouth. “Hey don’t eat all of them!” Makoto said as the Fire type grabbed the tray of Poffins and tried to escape. But sadly it was slower on two legs and Makoto was able to somehow beat it to the door. He blocked its path and it sadly handed the tray back. He scolded his partner as he stole another Oran Berry Poffin from the tray. He then quickly started putting them in the Poffin case before the greedy Pokemon could have any more. He snagged an Oran Berry one for himself and decided to save the Cheri Berry ones for later. The case already had 20 Poffins in it from the last time he baked some, now it should have 36.

He went into the Dining Hall to see Mondo enter with his Gigalith trailing behind. That thing was a wall of moving stone, the perfect tank. If anyone was gonna have to fight that thing, it would be wise to use speed to one’s advantage and use heavy hitting moves. Mondo seemed a little surprised to see Makoto carrying around a Poffin case, since he would think that everyone would be doing more important things to prep for battles. Then again, there was a lot he didn’t know about using items since he relied on pure strength, so maybe those would be the deciding factor in the battle royal the teddy bear was forcing them into. Soon enough people started showing up one by one and making their own breakfast. Some went for normal breakfasts like eggs and toast while Hina and Sakura had Protein Shakes with their Pokemon. No one talked to each other the entire time, not only because they didn’t know what to say but also because of the tension in the air. It was so thick that it was almost suffocating.

They were almost relieved that Monokuma showed up when he did despite being the cause of it. “Okay students, is everybody ready for a thrilling massac- I mean competition? Good, then please make your way down to the battlefield located at the back of the Gymnasium ASAP!” Monokuma said before disappearing beneath the floorboards once more. Even Monokuma noticed the huge amount of tension. It wasn’t exactly anger, or awkwardness, it was more their competitiveness. Every trainer, no matter how humble, has a drive to battle and win. This feeling was only intensified when fighting someone on your level, or possibly even greater than you. It was the challenge that made battling so appealing to any kind of trainer, no matter how weak or what their goals are. Even inside this death game, the anticipation of the thrill they would feel from battling and the possibility of victory was enough to take their mind off escaping. The mastermind knew this well, and they also knew that the crushing despair of a humiliating defeat might motivate someone enough for them to do something absolutely horrifying.

They walked to the Gym as a group, all of them eager to battle. Well, all except one. Kyoko knew the reason why the mastermind would do this on the second day, it was to halt any further progress towards investigation. Kirigiri also knew that most of them would just waste the tickets, which is why she was going to win them for herself to prevent that. She had no interest in battling for prizes, though she did have a few battles prior to entering the academy that she enjoyed, but this was different. She would be able to fully investigate this school with even less restrictions if she had those tickets. For the sake of everyone else here, she was going to be the one to win them.

They were greeted inside the room by the sight of Monokuma sitting on a throne that hadn’t been there yesterday. There were also numbers on the floor scattered around the battlefield seemingly at random. “Everybody here? Good, then it’s time to explain how our grand tournament will work! Everyone will stand on the number they are assigned through a random draw. After that, I’ll open the floor so you’ll have a bit more space to move around. We wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally get hit with a Hyper Beam now would we? And as a fun little bonus, I will change certain aspects of the field such as the weather and make obstacles appear at random as I please. That way everything is much more exciting! Now then everyone pick a number from this box so we can get started,” Monokuma said gesturing to a red box with his face on it and a small opening at the top. Togami reached his hand in before walking over to the number 4 spot. Taka grabbed one before walking to the number ten spot. Makoto decided to do the same and ended up with the number 7 spot.

Everyone drew a number until only the number sixteen spot was left. Everyone looked at Monokuma surprised as Junko asked why there was an extra space. “Oh, no reason in particular. It’s just that our little arena here can technically hold up to 16 trainers! Now, let the battle begin!” Monokuma said pulling out a small wooden hammer out of nowhere and hitting a cartoonish red button on the left arm of his chair. The floor then began to twist and curve, some almost losing their balance as the sides began to steepen. Soon they were twelve feet below the original field, and the arena looked a bit like a bowl. Cameras were positioned along the edge so the Mastermind could watch them from all angles. The walls of the bowl were made of some sort of stone, but that wasn’t what mattered. People soon began releasing multiple Pokemon at once. Only four trainers didn’t, but they were already calling out attacks at this point.

Mondo started out using a powerful Earthquake that made Hifumi’s Raichu almost faint because it was standing so close to him. He retaliated by using Thunder Wave to paralyze the Gigalith. Chihiro started off strong by having their Steelix intimidate everyone with their size before using Fire Fang against Hiro’s Glaceon. The Ice type then used Blizzard to get revenge before its trainer could even command it. This tended to happen a lot with his Pokemon, but here it served him well. The Blizzard managed to partially frees Floazel’s tails, stopping it mid Aqua Jet just as it was about to reach Leon’s Emboar. Being an opportunist, he quickly told it to use Brick Break to get the upper hand on the now partially handicapped Water type. Junko used her Beautifly’s Quiver Dance to up it’s stats since no one was really attacking her right now.

On the other side of the bowl, Sakura’s Blaziken was facing off against Taka’s Noctowl. While Taka had the type advantage, Sakura’s Pokemon was too quick for him to land a hit and hit too hard for him to instantly retaliate He was losing ground quickly, and he needed a miracle to save him now. Thankfully, Hifumi’s Raichu got thrown into Sakura’s Blaziken as it was mid-attack, allowing him to take them both out with a powerful Gust attack. It normally wouldn’t have done a thing, but the electric mouse panicked and used Thunderbolt just before it fainted, causing even greater damage at such a close range. Thought she didn’t expect to be one of the first ones out, she quickly recovered from the loss and took out a Toxicroak to continue the battle.

Nearby was a three-way battle involving Kirigiri, Toko and Byakuya. He had somehow managed to convince her to team up with him, giving them an advantage against her Espeon. Toko’s Honchkrow attacked from above with Night Slash while Byakuya had his serperior use Leech Seed. Kirigiri countered their attacks with Psychic, trying to keep them at bay long enough for her own battle partner to interfere. Her prayers were answered as a Sylveon jumped high into the air and used Draining Kiss on the Dark-Flying type. Kirigiri was a bit surprised that Sayaka had wanted to team with her, but she needed all the help she could get She noticed how determined Sayaka was to be one of the last ones standing, but she never said she had any intention of winning. Still, the two made for a powerful duo seeing as they compensated for each other’s weaknesses.

Meanwhile on the walls, Makoto’s Typhlosion was trying to avoid Celeste’s Jellicent’s attempts to take him out. Typhlosion kept using Flame Charge to build up speed in order to be able to outrun the Hydro Pumps being shot at it, as well as Smokescreens to be able to evade them better. This didn’t look good for them, but the tables were about to turn. “Things are getting really heated now! I hope you don’t mind if I turn up the heat!” Monokuma said to both Leon’s and Makoto’s relief. Both Fire types stopped and basked in the Sunlight, their flames growing stronger and making it really warm inside the bowl. Makoto grinned as his partner used Inferno, intercepting an attack from Celeste while also causing the Water-Ghost type to actually cry out in pain. “How did you do that?” Celeste asked allowing herself to look confused instead of keeping her usual poker face.

Instead of answering, Makoto just watched as Typhlosion’s flames got bigger and hotter. Jellicent began to sweat, and looked a little frightened of the growing flames. She finally understood why her attacks were futile. Typhlosion were know to superheat the air around them when they get excited, or just in a general battle setting. She had noticed it was a little too warm for her taste in the bowl, but she assumed it to be because of the constant Flame Charges it was doing. Only now that it was amplified by the sunny weather did she notice its effects.

Typhlosion confidently used its newly found speed to race up to the Jellicent, the poor thing flinching from fear. Typhlosion then used a move she didn’t expect. It used Thunder Punch. Its fist was covered in electricity that made the Jellicent scream as it was punched right into the wall. The stone cracked and made a crater behind the fainted Jellicent. Celeste quickly retrieved it and left to find a weaker opponent.

Back with the double battlers, both sides had one fainted each. Kirigiri’s Meowstic was currently fighting Byakuya’s Leavanny. Meanwhile Sayaka’s Togekiss was fighting Toko’s Liepard and winning. She kept using Metronome and eventually got Earthquake. Everyone on the battlefield stumbled a bit as the ground beneath them shook. Every single Pokemon that didn’t have levitate felt pain as they stopped their attacks. Those who did have it took advantage of the situation and beat their opponents with ease. Unfortunately for Makoto, this meant that his Typhlosion fainted from the tremors after having just won the battle. “You did good buddy. Rest up, you earned it,” he said returning his Pokemon before releasing his Snorlax.

Hifumi was using multiple Pokemon at once to try and beat Mondo. He had a Minun, Plusle and an Ampharos out all at once trying to boost their electric type attacks by bouncing them off one another. It surprisingly worked with the two smaller Pokemon as they shocked their foe into submission. Chihiro was losing badly, they were down to only one Pokemon. They only had one badly beat Klefki left, but they managed to fully defeat Hiro. Hiro got 10 Monokuma coins as a consolation prize and was told to leave the stadium and watch from the bleachers. Chihiro was immediately out as well because Celeste picked them off with her Gothitelle.

Toko was down next and followed by Leon, who finally got beat by Hina’s Swampert. Mondo crushed Hifumi and sent the crying Otaku back to the peanut gallery. Celeste then picked off a weakened Sakura and a sniveling Taka. Makoto easily beat up Junko after using Curse a couple times on his Snorlax and using Hyper Beam. Byakuya finally fell to the duo’s combined efforts only for Sayaka to get attacked from behind by Gothitelle. Only four remained, Mondo and Makoto across from each other and Kirigiri and Celestia both grabbing another Pokeball from their Party. Makoto and Mondo decided to fight it out with their remaining Pokemon since they weren’t so damaged. Krookodile glared at Snorlax, trying to intimidate the Normal type who could care less. He had learned that while Mondo was the Rock type Elite, he had also inherited the title of Ground type Elite from his late brother.

On the flip side, it was now Gothitelle and Gardevoir, both their trainer’s last hope to win the battle. At that moment Monokuma chose to say, “Uh oh, things are winding down a little bit. I’d hate to MISS any of the action!” The weather suddenly turned foggy, meaning attacks were more likely to miss. Unlike the girls, Makoto and Mondo had more Pokemon to fall back on, so this match would most likely end later than theirs. Mondo started off strong with an Earthquake (because really who ever passes up a chance to put Earthquake and get Same Type Attack Bonus?) and makes everyone stumble a bit except Snorlax. It did feel it but it stayed strong like the tank it was supposed to be. Snorlax then Used Curse to boost its attack and defense, readying itself for the next move. Krookodile then used Thunder Fang, running up to the behemoth and biting its stomach. Snorlax flinched by retaliated by using Dynamic Punch. Even though there was fog and it lowered the chances of getting a hit with this move even further, it paid off as the Dark-Ground type flinched in pain before becoming confused.

Right next to them Gardevoir nailed Gothitelle with a Shadow Ball, hitting it right in the face. Celeste had clearly underestimated her because of her type disadvantage, that was her second mistake today. She didn’t know why she was so off her game today, nor why all her attacks kept missing even if it was foggy. Maybe she had met her match... Nope there was definitely something wrong here. This was now a battle between two Pokemon who both share the moves Psychic and Shadow Ball. They were entirely focused on their battle, but what happened next no one expected. Snorlax kept missing a confused Krookodile, and it was getting annoying. “Are you kidding me?! That’s the fifth Hyper Beam you dodged!” Makoto cried out finally unable to contain his frustration. Both trainer and Pokemon were upset at how their perfect opportunity could go to waste. Meanwhile Mondo was thanking any legendary that was watching for giving him this chance. His Pokemon had punched itself five times now, so one hit and he was done for.

But what no one expected was that the Hyper Beams that missed had an effect on the other battle. The Hyper Beams all ended up hitting Gothitelle. While they didn’t have any effect, they were a perfect distraction for one last hit. Gothitelle let out a loud cry as it fainted, Celeste furious at makoto for ruining her chances at victory. Kyoko was waiting for her to call out her next Pokemon, but Celeste knew full well that she had lost, so she began walking to the bleachers. Kirigiri decided not to interfere with the battle right next to her only because Makoto had finally managed to hit the Krookodile and fainted it. Makoto recalled his Snorlax and took out an Alakazam. Mondo then released his last Pokemon, a Garchomp. Both Pokemon glared at each other, feeling the tension from their trainers. Mondo called out for it to use Earthquake, the ground rumbling beneath them and even shaking the beachers. Alakazam’s eyes sparkled for a second, but no one noticed besides Byakuya, Celestia and Kirigiri. Alakazam then ran up to Garchomp, which surprised everyone since no one really teaches it physical moves. But to their surprise, its fist became covered in ice just before it connected, making the partial Dragon type screech in agony. “You taught your Alakazam Ice Punch?” Kirigiri asked a little shocked he would teach it to it because of its horrible attack stat. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I teach it the elemental punches with its high Special Attack?” Makoto asked as they paused the battle for a second. “First of all those are illegal, second of all I know for a fact those are physical!” Mondo said being an expert on such things. “No, I’m from Johto. News spreads really slow there, so the TM factories still produced these as special attacks and not physical because they didn’t get the memo. I bought as many as I could when I heard they were about to be banned,” Makoto explained a little sheepishly.

TMs are made by big companies such as Silph CO, and are made in factories where people and Pokemon work together to test them out and make sure they are fit for use. When a move is found to be different in the wild from the TM, people tend to change them or stop making them altogether in favor of new ones. This is similar to how moves change typings with the discovery of wild Clefairy that are Fairy types and not Normal types. Breeders try and see if they can create new typings after being sought after by Professors who want answers. So in order to make a few quick bucks, they make a whole bunch of Fairy types for people who want the with info the Professors give them. This also explains how in the Aloha region, there are Ice types that used to be Fire types and so on and so forth. So really you could have a move that was so good it was banned on your Pokemon and you’d be fine as long as you put it on or bought it before the ban. So Makoto, who knows a few Day Care Centers and gambling buddies in Goldenrod, became quite the opportunist in buying all those TMs when he did.

Back in the present, Garchomp suddenly fell on its knees and grunted in pain. “Garchomp what’s wrong?” Mondo asked as Future Sight finally come into effect. Alakazam’s eyes sparkled again while he was distracted. Garchomp got up and was ready to fight his opponent despite now being at quite the disadvantage. Alakazam used its speed to dodge the Stone Edge attack Garchomp used to try and take it out. It then went into close and used Ice Punch and Fire Punch simultaneously. One was very effective and the other left a burn. But before Alakazam could get away Garchomp used Fire Fang at close range. It flinched because of its low defense and backed away. One again Garchomp winced in pain, and Mondo finally caught on as Alakazam used Future Sight a third time. He knew it was risky, but he had to take this chance. “Garchomp use Outrage!” he shouted as the Dragon type screeched. It went up to Alakazam and kept attacking it, not using any specific moves. Since it was physical, it did more damage than it should have because of Alakazam’s weak Defense stat. Nevertheless, it was a fighter. It landed as many Ice and Fire Punches as it could before they both passed out at the same time.

They both returned their Pokemon and Mondo walked to the bleachers. Now it was just Makoto and Kirigiri. What he didn’t know was that she used a Full Restore on her Gardevoir while he was battling, but then again he didn’t get to see her battle because he was too busy with his own. She released her newly healed Gardevoir and he released a Gengar. It had a mischievous grin on its face as it looked Gardevoir up and down. “No Gengar! This is serious,” Makoto said confusing everyone slightly with that strange remark. With a pout it floated off the ground and prepared to battle. Gardevoir started off strong with Shadow Ball, gengar couldn’t dodge and got hit right in the face. It was mad, and the weather cleared as it disappeared into the shadows. Gardevoir kept its guard up, not wanting to be surprised by its foe since it didn’t know its attacks. But what it didn’t expect was two glowing red eyes in its shadow. By then it was too late, the eyes started glowing even more, and it felt sleepy. It then collapsed and Gengar got to work. It started using Dream Eater immediately to regain health before bombarding the sleeping Pokemon with Shadow Balls. It only managed to hit it with four before Gardevoir woke up and used Psychic to throw it to the other side of the bowl in order to buy itself time.It then used an unexpected move, Thunderbolt. Most would teach it Grass Knot or Energy Ball, but Thunderbolt was still a good choice nonetheless.

Gengar winced in pain at both the super effective Psychic type move and the follow up Thunderbolt. Even so, it still managed to float again and melt into the shadows once more. But this time Gardevoir knew better, it used Thunderbolt to create enough light to eliminate all shadows for a few precious seconds. It then grabbed the poor Ghost-Poison type with Psychic and threw it around several times. Makoto knew this was bad, it wouldn’t be able to last much longer. When Gardevoir pulled it in close enough while flinging it around, Gengar used Dynamic Punch to escape it hold and hit it square in the eyes. It held its face as it became confused, Gengar taking this opportunity to hit it with more Shadow Balls. It somehow used Shadow Ball itself despite its confusion and managed to knock out the Gengar after it fired its final attack. Gardevoir fainted not too long after. Both of them had Pokemon with very low health left that they could use, but there was no need.

The second Makoto brought out his Snorlax, a Sandstorm started. Kirigiri hadn’t called out her Pokemon yet, so Snorlax had even less health than it would have had. Makoto had two choices; have his Snorlax take its chances against whatever Pokemon Kirigiri brought out while using Rest, or he could forfeit now and save himself some dignity. He sighed before saying, “I forf-” By this point Kirigiri had released her injured Delphox, but to their surprise, Snorlax had hit it with a Hyper Beam before he could quit. “Snorlax,” Makoto said a little shocked that it would want to continue. It glanced back at him before laying down and Resting. Delphox used Fire Charge to get in close to the sleeping behemoth, it then used Fire Blast. Kirigiri expected a burn but since she saw no scorch marks it most likely had Thick Fat as its ability. It then used Psychic to pick it up before dropping it after taking damage from the Sandstorm. At this point Snorlax yawned as it woke, standing up now with full health. Makoto grinned, they had a chance! It used Fire Blast and used Psychic to pull it towards the attack. After taking the Hit it quickly retaliated with Hyper Beam, causing great amounts of damage to the already weakened Delphox. Kyoko knew she wouldn’t last much longer. It was like fighting Whitney, he would keep using Rest like she taught him when she used Milk Drink over and over again. (I swear to Mew, I COULD HAVE BEAT HER THE FIRST THREE TIMES IF SHE DIDN’T F*CKING USE MILK DRINK SO MUCH!!!! JUST UGGGGHGHHHHH….. I had to over level so hard to kick her butt, but it was oh so satisfying when I did. Also she was a sore loser….)

But still, she had to try. This was for the greater good. She understood why he was still fighting though. For most of the others, winning was everything. And the feeling only got more intense the closer they were to victory, meaning right now Makoto would do everything in his power to win unless….

She quickly nodded to Delphox, who kept using Fire Blast on Snorlax and got the cameras to focus on them by using Flame Charge to change directions and capture their attention. Thankfully their view was slightly obscured anyways by the Sandstorm. Meanwhile Kirigiri quickly snuck over to where Makoto was, who almost let out a startled yelp that would give her away. She pressed a hand over his mouth and whispered to him, “Just hear me out for a second. I know you don’t really need those tickets, but I do. I know what to do with them and how to use them, so I’m gonna need you to lose a battle just this once so I can get them. I know you won’t understand, but I want to form an alliance. We’ll never get out of here if people waste those tickets just because they don’t know what to look for. So will you please help me?” It took a bit of Kirigiri’s pride to have to rely on someone, but she wasn’t completely against it if it meant she would get answers. She released him and he looked at her for a second before running over to the two battling Pokemon. Snorlax start using Dynamic Punch!” Snorlax knew that was a bad move, if it got in close and hit the Delphox while it was using Flame Charge it would basically be suicide.

But he trusted his trainer, and went in for a punch. It missed and the a a result got hit by the attack on its side. Still, it was loyal to Makoto and understood what he was trying to do. It looked like it was putting up a fight, but really it was slowly taking damage as its HP decreased slowly but surely thanks to both the endless attacks and the Sandstorm. Finally it got low enough where Makoto called out for it to use Rest again. But Delphox was quicker now, and it managed to use Psychic to slam it into another Fire Blast before it fainted. “We were so close,” Makoto said recalling his Snorlax. Monokuma sincerely hoped Makoto would win so he wouldn’t have to award Kirigiri the Tickets, but rules were rules.

He ended up giving her 5 bronze tickets, 2 Silver tickets, and only 1 Golden ticket because he wasn’t comfortable giving her any more despite the fact that she battled well. But he did find Makoto’s change in strategy suspicious. Ah well, the damage was done. He then dismissed everyone and disappeared. “You were amazing!” “How did you move that fast?” “Where do you buy your Protein?” “I should have won!” “You are such a cheater!” “How is that cheating!” “Ignore her, she’s just a sore loser.” “I wish I had lasted longer.” Everyone talked with one another on their way from the Gym, they had grown surprisingly close form the battle. Sayaka was happy she wasn’t the first one out and Hiro was sad he was the first one out.

All in all it wasn’t that bad of an experience. They all grew stronger from it and got to know each other a little better. Because everyone knows you learn a lot about someone by how they battle and how they treat their Pokemon. After disbanding and going on their own for a bit seeing as they still had lots of time before it got late, Makoto decided to spend some time with Sayaka. He’d seen her battle and thought she was a good trainer. They grew even closer that day before they parted ways, knowing more about each other and trusting one another a little more.

But little did he know, there would be many more things that may tear everyone apart. Whether it be murder, betrayal, or another battle royal.

Chapter Text

Makoto woke up to Typhlosion’s smiling face, apparently it was hungry and got up earlier. He chuckled to himself and got out of bed as the Fire type nudged him impatiently. He gave it an apple from his bag and he briefly wondered why it hadn’t just grabbed it itself. Shrugging it off he took a shower and faintly heard the morning announcement playing as he did so. He got out, got dressed, and went to the Dining Hall with his partner still whining about being hungry. It had been a few days since the competition and they’d gotten to know a few more people. He spoke with Leon about his dream to be the lead singer in a band, grew closer to the shy Chihiro and even managed to get to know Byakuya a bit. He got along well with Celeste since they actually had a lot in common, and she admired him for his actions in the battle royal. It wasn’t really hard to make friends since he was a people person, but it was still nice to know he had allies in this hell-hole.

When he entered he saw everyone else already there. It seems Taka had gathered them all, because he appeared behind him after he entered. “Ah Makoto, I was looking all over for you! I’ve decided we should hold a special morning meeting,” Taka said as they both walked over to the table. Typhlosion ignored him and went straight to the kitchen. “So, what was the point of gathering us all here?” Byakuya asked getting impatient with the bird brain. “I know the mastermind has been trying to get us all to turn on each other, so I thought we should make these meeting more mandatory in order to form bonds with one another over breakfast,” Taka explained thinking it was a solid plan. If they were all friends, then no one would kill anyone! Toko was fond of the idea since she had never tried anything like this, and Sayaka voiced her enthusiasm as well. “Well anyways, does anyone find any clues or something to get us out of here?” Junko asked getting straight to business. But when everyone was silent, she seemed frustrated. “Seriously? Nothing? It can be literally anything! No new rooms, any ways to get out, any guesses about who is doing all this?” Junko asked getting fed up with how useless everyone else was. “You are going to die,” Celeste said as her Gothitelle nodded. Junko was shocked into silence, she didn’t know how to respond to her confident statement. “If you cannot stop yourself from showing weakness in front of others… You will die,” Celeste said almost knowingly. Junko lashed out at her verbally for joking about such things, but Celeste only smiled.

“I am not joking, as an expert of Ghost types, I would know when someone is raising their own death flag. Also, did I not say once before that adaptability is survivability? If one cannot adapt to their surroundings with ease, they will not survive for very long,” Celeste said calmly as Junko got even more riled up. “How are we supposed to adapt to a life like this? Do you have any idea what you’re saying?!” Junko asked. “Yeah, the chick sounds like she wants to live here. Hell, more power to her. But shit, no way in hell am I gonna live here! I need to get out dammit!” Mondo said in his usual loud voice. Leon then changed the suspect, asking if anyone had any clues. “Whoever is behind all this is probably really messed up! Why else would we be trapped in here in the first place?” Hina asked not providing information but still voicing her opinion. Makoto thought he should contribute to the conversation, but his input wasn’t all that helpful either. “Hina’s right, Monokuma keeps talking about despair and hope a lot. Is that important?” he asked as Typhlosion returned having stuffed itself with food. Chihiro then proposed a theory that maybe it was Genocide Jack, since they seemed pretty messed up from what the news says. Makoto picked up during the conversation that Toko looked uncomfortable, but then again who would be relaxed when talking about someone who managed to kill thousands of people while still not being caught?

This theory was sounding more and more plausible, so Chihiro went out and said it was just an assumption, and that there was really no base evidence for it. Hina suggested the idea of the police coming to find them, since it would have been long enough for their families to file missing person reports. But just then, they heard Monokuma’s signature laugh as he popped into view. “The police? You’re putting your faith in the POLICE?! You guys know that 80% of the time they never catch the culprit right? They’re just ignorant dolts that the antagonist can destroy to show off how badass they are! Are you sure you wanna get your hopes up and rely on such an unreliable group of losers? I mean if you really wanna escape, all you gotta do is kill!” Monokuma said as Hiro laughed, still in denial about the whole situation. After Mondo tried to ask him about his identity, Monokuma started to think. He put his paw to his chin as he thought. “It’s already been a few days and no one has killed anyone yet! I thought you all would be lazy and selfish, but you’re all working together! It’s so boring to watch! Wait… That’s it! How could I have been so blind? The most important part was missing from the start!” Monokuma said as everyone grew slightly uneasy by his glee.

“What are you talking about?” Makoto asked fearing the answer he would get. “Why the motive of course! It was so stupidly simple, I can’t force a murder if there isn’t a good enough reason for it! And I have just the thing, a video showing you all exactly what is going on in the outside world! Please make your way to the AV room for your thrilling first motive!” Monokuma said before disappearing. Makoto got that feeling again, that feeling he got when something was about to go horribly wrong. But even so, the others started heading towards the AV room out of curiosity, and he had no choice but to follow. We entered and found that the room had been set up for us. There was a labeled DVD with someone’s name on it at a specific seat, so they all sat down at their assigned viewing stations. Makoto’s had a bucket next to his, which made him briefly wonder if it would be bad enough so he would need it. He did sometimes have a weak stomach.

They all sat down, but he couldn’t peek at Sayaka’s screen because they were set up like little cubicles, but maybe that was for the best. He slipped the headphones on and slipped the DVD in the player a bit before everyone else did. He was shocked to see a familiar sight on screen. It was his sister, she was facing the camera and she appeared to be at the Daycare Center. “Hi Makoto! I hope you do well in your new school, we’ll be supporting you fully from back home, kay?” she said with a bright smile as she paused for a second. “Oh and that’s not all, Flareon laid an egg! I’m sure Typhlosion will be happy to know that the egg has been doing well so far, and I think it’ll hatch soon. Anyways, remember; I love you big brother!” Komaru said as he had a warm feeling in his chest. His sister was so sweet, and Typhlosion looked happy to see the egg she was holding in her lap. He actually smiled a bit, this video gave him hope that they would have a future once they escape. But then he remembered this was supposed to be a motive for a murder, so he knew it wouldn’t stay bright and happy.

And oh was he right. The image of his sister sitting in the playroom where a few eggs were stored was replaced by something far more graphic. His sister was gone along with the egg, and the lights were off. But he could still see the shattered remains of the eggs that belonged to happy Pokemon couples. They were everywhere, and what’s worse was that he could see a few dead underdeveloped Pokemon still inside some of the shells. There was also blood splattered along the walls, and a few paw prints as if something had tried to defend itself. It was horrible, but it only got worse as he heard *his* voice. “Makoto Naegi, accepted into Hope’s Poké Academy! Coming from the quiet town of New Bark town, he would seem incredibly lucky. Uh oh, what happened to this Pokemon Daycare Centers so near and dear to his fondest childhood memories? What happened to his sister? What became of the bundle of joy that has yet to have hatched?” Monokuma asked before the following words appeared on the screen:

*Look for the answer after graduation!*

Makoto couldn’t control himself anymore, he grabbed the bucket and started heaving out the contents of his stomach. He had tears rolling down his face as his Typhlosion let out a pained cry. After wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he looked over at all the others. Some were breaking down into tears while others were cursing out the cameras. Kirigiri, Byakuya and celeste kept up their guard, not showing too much emotion for their own reasons. But Makoto just couldn’t hold in his tears. His sister was missing, all those poor innocent Pokemon her had helped raise before coming here were dead, and worst of all, his partner had just been left heartbroken. He then threw up again as Sayaka fell backwards out of her chair, face filled with despair. He wished he could look strong in front of her, but he was only human, and he needed to grieve. But then, he felt something besides disgust and despair. He started trembling visibly. Both Typhlosion and his trainer could feel their fear and rage bubbling up inside of them like hot magma. “MEW FUCKING DAMMIT!!!!!” Makoto screamed as he punched the wall repeatedly. He actually ended up leaving quite the dent in it, while his partner’s flames glowed blue with heat and rage. He was going to be a father, he was going to have a child! That little bear stole his mate’s symbol of their love, and it was going to pay! Makoto was venting his own anger on the wall, despite hurting his left fist and getting bloody knuckles. Sakura and Mondo were doing the same thing, but they did much more damage than he had.

“I have to get out of here, I have to make sure they’re okay!” Makoto said once more tearing up after the flames of his anger died down. Many other Pokemon who were out of their Pokeballs at the time either grieved or expressed the same rage as his partner. Everyone was out of control, until she said something. “Everyone calm down, by freaking out you are all playing into the mastermind’s hands,” Kyoko said stoically as everyone turned to her. “We can’t just ignore what we saw!” Leon said still angry at whoever was behind this for what he saw. “I’m not asking you to, I’m simply suggesting we calm down and think about this rationally before someone does something they will regret,” Kyoko said as everyone finally calmed down. Celeste then compared their situation to something called a “prisoner’s dilemma”. Two countries are on the brink of war, but both want peace. As a sign of good faith, both agree to scale back their forces. But since there is a chance of one betraying the other, both are afraid to scale back. As a result, they both end up betraying one another and a war soon follows.

Junko then suggested they just share what was in their videos, so naturally Makoto decided to ask sayaka what she saw in her video. But when he approached her after her silence, she had an outburst and started running. He waited for a moment before he hopped on Typhlosion and ran after her, wanting to be sure his friend was okay. He’d lost her down a hallway, and tried to find her by using his Dowsing Machine. It was usually used to find items, but it could find people too, it just prioritizes items. As such he ended up searching a bunch of empty rooms and found spare Ultra Balls and more Monokuma Coins. None of those really mattered right now but he might as well grab them while he had the chance. He finally found her in the corner of an empty classroom. She was sitting at the desk farthest from the door, just sitting there, both motionless and emotionless. “Sayaka, are you okay?” he asked as he walked closer to her. “I’m fi- No, that’s a lie. How could I possibly be fine? Why are they doing this to us, what did i do to deserve this? I don’t belong here, I’m not strong enough to make it in a place like this! I want out! Let me out of here right now!” Sayaka said raising her voice and sounding more and more panicked with each word.

“Sayaka get a hold of yourself!” Makoto said grabbing her by the shoulders. She stopped, and he took this opportunity to talk some sense into her. “I understand how you’re feeling right now. I felt the exact same way as I puke my guts out in the AV room, remember? I wasn’t strong at all, seeing all those dead unborn baby Pokemon almost make me lose it, but we can’t afford to do that. Now more than ever we have to stay calm, strong or not. This is exactly what the Mastermind wants, they want us to stop thinking rationally and do crazy things. But we have to keep going. And maybe those videos are fake, there’s no way those things could go on without causing an uproar out there, right?” Makoto said trying to convince himself as much as he wanted to convince her. But he knew, there was nothing fake about his video at least. He’s seen plenty of miscarriages, of eggs that didn’t even get laid right, or baby Pokemon that died soon after hatching. He knew none of that was fake, but maybe hers was. “B-But what if there is no way out? What if we never get out of here?!” Sayaka asked as nuzzled her leg trying to cheer her up. “I-If that happens.. Then I’ll get you out of here myself! I’ll get you out no matter what it takes!” he said sounding braver than he felt and extremely determined. He paused, he had no idea what had come over him, but he knew that he wasn’t lying.

Suddenly, she collapsed onto him, hugging him as she cried. He stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. “Y-You’ll really h-help me get out?” she asked looking up at him with big teary eyes. “Absolutely,” Makoto said with no hesitation. “Oh Makoto, you’re the only one I can trust… Please promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll be there for me!” Sayaka said as he instantly agreed. Slowly she stopped crying and looked up at him with her warmest smile. “Thank you Makoto,” she said letting go of him and wiping away the last of her tears. But as if to ruin the moment, Monokuma made joke about Makoto having a boner before Typhlosion Used Inferno on Monokuma. Luckily, being a move with low accuracy, it missed and burned a nearby desk to ash within seconds. “Whoa, looks like daddy’s still a little mad about that video huh? Good thing you missed, or else you both would have been punished big time! And you gotta be faster than that to get me anyways Smokey!” Monokuma said laughing as he disappeared.

“If that school regulation wasn’t in place you would’ve gotten him for sure bud,” Makoto said trying to calm the pissed Fire type by petting his head. It helped him calm down instantly as Makoto got his sweet spot. Sayaka awed at how cute Typhlosion could be despite being all big and scary. They then headed back to the dorms after Monokuma’s interruption and went their separate ways. Typhlosion wanted to vent some more, so they went to the battlefield for an hour or so and trained. Typhlosion actually got strong enough to master a new move, but they were still working out how to strategize with it when they realized it was getting late. They went to their room and started to get ready for bed. The rest of the night was uneventful to say the least, and Makoto went to bed after Typhlosion’s failed attempt to stay up and keep guard. He did lock his door though, just so that his paranoid mind would be at ease.

…

He woke up and went through his morning routine like every morning before, though a little wary. After yesterday’s events he got a bad feeling about what today would be like, but everyone was in the Dining Hall and ready to start the morning meeting. Even Sayaka was there looking less worried than yesterday before they made their promise. But someone was missing besides Byakuya, who showed up late. Leon had yet to be seen by anyone. Everyone grew worried as more and more time passed. They decided to go to his room to check up on him. But they knew something was wrong when he didn’t answer the door, it was actually partially open. No one was ready for what they found inside.

Lying there near the wall next to his bed was the scorched corpse of Leon Kuwata. Most of his body was blackened from a probably blistering heat, and the wall around him was slightly melted while the floor was covered in scorch marks. Even his Pokeballs were blackened on the outside, but what really got to them was the body discovery announcement that played. “A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the class trial will begin!” Monokuma said on screen before appearing before them. “Finally! You all were taking forever to get this thing started! Just so you know, whoever the blackened is won’t get away with this right away. First, you must go through a class trial! There, you will use any and all evidence gathered during this time to prove who you think the blackened is. If you guess right, then they will be punished, but if you guess wrong, then everyone else will be punished and the blackened will run free. Let the investigations begin!” Monokuma explained before disappearing, not answering any of their burning questions. Makoto was frozen with shock, his body unable to move. Finally he gained some feeling back, but only to lose it again in his legs. He couldn’t take the despair of seeing a friend dead like that and fainted on the spot.

Could this really be happening? Could one of their friends really have done such an atrocity? These thoughts swam through his mind as he lost consciousness, the others flocking over to him to see if he was alright. But this was only the start of a lifetime of despair.

Chapter Text

When he awoke, Makoto found himself in the Gym lying in the bleachers near a fainted Chihiro. He looked around, confused about how he had gotten there before all his memories came rushing back and the despair hit him again full force. Leon, poor Leon! The last time he had seen his friend was when they had received their motives, and now he was a piece of human charcoal. He saw Hina and Sakura rush over upon seeing he was awake. “Makoto are you okay?” Hina asked as he nodded. Immediately after Chihiro began to stir and they finally woke up. They seemed confused until their eyes held a look of understanding, then they became wet with tears. Sakura sat next to them and comforted them, telling them that it was all going to be alright. But was it? They all said they weren’t going to kill anyone but loe and behold, Leon was found clearly murdered in cold blood. Makoto knew that some time had passed since they had found him, but he still felt as though he could contribute to the investigation in some way. He told the girls that he would go and help out with the crime scene before leaving the Gym.

He found that for some reason someone had put Typhlosion back into his Pokeball, so he released him and rode his back to Leon’s room. They then walked inside to see only Kyoko was in the room. Sure he saw some people on his way here but he thought more people would be looking. Maybe they were looking to see if there were any clues in other rooms. But for right now he had to focus on the task at hand. He looked around the crime scene after Kyoko informed him about the Monokuma file in the E-Handbook that was like an autopsy report. He took a few minutes to look it over.

The time of death was around 1:30 AM.
The body was found in Leon Kuwata’s private room in the dormitory area.
The victim was killed in the main bedroom.
Cause of death was a powerful fire-type attack that scorched the corpse almost beyond recognition.
Other than that, there seem to be no further injuries or signs of a struggle other than the melted Pokeballs that are now unable to release their contents.

Makoto looked around the corpse and found many strange things. The first thing he noticed was that there was evidence that there had once been a small puddle near the body, suggesting something had been soaked. All his Pokeballs were on his belt, so there really was never a struggle. There was also a bit of golden glitter surrounding the body that seemed very out of place. Other than they the body was too burnt to exam closely, any other clues the body itself could have given them was lost. He then looked around the room itself, finding nothing out of the ordinary besides a piece of paper in the trash can. The words were probably written in ink, but it was illegible because it had been soaked with water, possibly near the body.

Other than that there were no clues to go by, but then again Makoto didn’t know what to look for since this is the first time he’s had to investigate a crime scene so he could have missed lots of stuff. Kyoko the ended her search as well and the trio walked into the hallway. When they got there they saw Junko yelling at Monokuma looking enraged and the other students watching from a distance. “You can’t expect us to play your stupid little game! People’s lives are on the line here you little psycho, and I’m not gonna follow your stupid rules!” Junko said as Monokuma’s eye flashed dangerously. “What? Are you saying you’re not going to participate in the class trial? You’ll be severely punished for such blasphemy!” Monokuma said he added, “Maybe rotting in a dark dungeon with no food or water would set you straight!” “Shut the hell up! No matter what you say I’m not gonna be a part of this!” Junko said stomping on the robotic bear. Typhlosion wanted to help her out but Monokuma started chanting.

“Oh mighty Giratina, guardian of hell, take this unruly child and make her suffer!” Monokuma chanted before a trapdoor opened up and a mechanical arm grabbed her by the waist. She tried to latch on to the edge of the hole, but the arm ripped her from it and threw her down into the seemingly bottomless hole. The only sign she was still alive was her screams that could still be heard as she fell for several seconds. Then the door closed, Monokuma glaring at each of the students in turn. “Let this be a lesson for you students who think you can break my rules and get away with it. I am your headmaster, and I will not hesitate to hand out gorey punishment to people who disturb the peace by breaking rules,” Monokuma said before disappearing through his own trap door.

Everyone stood in horror at the events that had unfolded before them. “H-Hold on, she could still be alive right?” Taka asked as Chihiro shook their head. “That f-fall was too long and the impact would be too painful to s-survive,” Chihiro said tearing up a bit at the loss of a second friend in the span of 24 hours. Makoto could feel a sense of dread fill him, but not quite despair. He didn’t know her well enough to truly despair, but that same fact made him want to at the same time. The feeling made him numb, but not like the last time. He didn’t see the body, so he could at least stay in some form of denial and come up with the excuse that she could have somehow done the impossible and lived. Typhlosion was still staring at the floor where she had fallen, in the same state as his trainer for different reasons. That could have been them, they could have fallen down that hole if he had been reckless and attacked. He felt horrible for even thinking about doing something that could harm his partner! This was exactly what the mastermind wanted when they punished “Junko”, and now things would go on without someone trying to protest the class trial.

When the time came for it to start, Makoto had no idea who the culprit could be nor how they pulled this off. He saw Leon battle, so surely he would be able to defend himself, right? It just didn’t make sense, why *didn’t* he defend himself? There were no signs of a struggle according to the Monokuma File, so what happened? He walked down to the elevator with his partner in his Pokeball, the doors shutting behind him now that everyone was inside. Saying the ride was uncomfortable would be an understatement. The tension was so thick between the students that you could suffocate in it. It was made of distrust, disbelief, denial, suspicion, and a hint of despair. What the mastermind wouldn’t give to be there to soak it all in! Luckily there was a camera in there too, so they were able to study their expressions and gauge their despair. But they couldn’t help but think how sloppy the killer was with the murder. Sure it was the first one but they could have at least been a little subtle. It was obvious who they were if you looked closely enough and had a brain! But that didn’t matter right now, what did was the verdict after the trial.

They arrived and each took a spot at one of the podiums in the circle. “What do you think? Doesn’t it feel like a real courtroom? It’s like a Hollywood Movie set right?” Monokuma asked as Mondo grumbled an insult. Nonetheless they all looked at one another, waiting for this horror show to start for it to be over already. “Let’s begin with a basic explanation of the class trial. So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out “whodunnit” then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one… Then I’ll punish everyone *besides* the blackened, and the one who deceived everyone else will graduate!” Monokuma explained as Makoto broke the brief silence that followed. “And the killer really is one of us right?” he asked wanting to be sure that this was actually happening. “Of course!” Monokuma said as Taka looked around. “Okay, everyone close your eyes. However did it raise your hand!” Taka said shocking Makoto a bit by his blunt approach. “Don’t be a goddamn idiot. Why the hell would they raise their hand?” Mondo asked shining a bit of logic onto that statement. “Before we move on and start the trial, can I ask a question real quick?” Kyoko asked as Monokuma tilted his head and put a paw to his chin, thinking about her request. “What’s going on with.. Those pictures?” she asked gesturing to the two pictures of Junko and Leon. They both had ribbons on them and their faces were crossed out in red. “I’d feel awful if they got left out just because they died. Friendship penetrates even death’s barrier!” Monokuma said confirming that without a doubt, Junko Enoshima was dead.

“Okay, but what about that other empty seat? There were only fifteen of us to begin with, so why are there sixteen seats?” Celeste asked gesturing to the sixteenth podium left pictureless and abandoned. “Oh no reason. It’s just that our little court room here can technically fit up to sixteen people. Okay, that does it for the preamble. Get ready to get started! First up is the case summary. Now let the class trial begin!” Monokuma said as the mastermind leaned back in their chair and got ready to watch the debate. Makoto knew that he’d have to keep giving his input about what he found during the entire trial, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was a miss. “I assert that the one murdered was Mister Leon Kuwata!” Taka said as if that wasn’t already blatantly obvious. Hiro then saved them from this by saying, “Yeah we know that part already.” “The murder certainly took place within Leon’s dorm room, that was obvious from the start,” Byakuya said stating another clear fact. “By the looks of it there was a *huge fight*,” Chihiro said before Makoto suddenly blurted out an iconic phrase. “No that’s wrong!” he said as Chihiro seemed shocked. “Just a second Chihiro, think back to the crime scene,” Makoto said as they all pictured the corpse, “It was a little hard to see, but all of Leon’s pokeballs were still on his belt. They were charred on the outside and the release button broken, there’s no way he could have called his pokemon out of them!” “So you’re saying, Leon didn’t put up a fight?” Chihiro asked puzzled.

“I cannot imagine a reason why someone would ignore their basic instincts and not fight for their life. This seems strange does it not?” Celeste asked wondering just how stupid Leon was. “If we try and explain his reasoning behind such a foolish act without going other aspects of the murder then we’ll just end up going in circles,” Byakuya said not wanting to waste anymore time on something that they won’t know without taking a step back. “I agree, let’s talk about the method the killer used,” Sakura said. “Wow, this is starting to sound like a real trial!” Hifumi said not contributing to the conversation yet in the slightest. “The body was burnt to a crisp, so surely it had to be a move that can burn right?” Taka asked before being shot down by Makoto. “Not necessarily, for all we know it could have been any fire-type move since Leon was a human, not a Pokemon. A lot of attacks fit that description,” Makoto said before Sayaka sighed hopelessly. “But if there’s no way to tell the difference, we’ll never find out who killed Leon! It could be anything from an Ember to a Fire Blast!” “Hold on, there might be a way to identify the final blow,” Kyoko said before pulling up an image of the crime scene from the Monokuma File, “Take a look at how the attack affected the area around him, notice any distinguishing features that might give us a clue?”

Makoto noticed immediately, but hesitated because of how bad it would make him look. “It kinda looks like a bunch of lava was shot at him!” Hifumi said finally saying something useful, but to Makoto’s dismay. “Hey, I’ve seen that used before! Some idiot thought he could take out my team by using Eruption! The dumbass only resulted in getting lava everywhere, but he didn’t take us out,” Mondo said recalling how the kid cried after losing. “But can’t only seven Pokemon learn that move?” Sayaka asked before Byakuya turned to Makoto. “Yes, that is correct. In fact, Eruption is the signature move of the Typhlosion line. Isn’t that right Makoto?” Byakuya asked as Makoto gulped at all the eyes that judged him. Their stares demanded answers, and he had no choice but to provide them. “Yeah, Cyndaquil, Quilava, and Typhlosion can all learn Eruption,” Makoto admitted before adding, “But what about the other Pokemon who can learn it?” “Three of them are the Cyndaquil evolution line, Three are legendary, and the last one is Torkoal, who I seem to recall only Leon owning. That makes you look a little suspicious doesn’t it?” Byakuya asked as Makoto felt cornered. He didn’t do it! He would never kill Leon or anyone else for that matter.

There had to be some mistake, or something they haven’t considered yet. He knew damn well he didn’t kill anyone, but the question was who else could it be? He knew he looked suspicious but there had to be someone else. “Wait! It couldn’t be Makoto, his Typhlosion didn’t have Eruption when we fought in the arena, right?” Hina said coming to his rescue. “That is true, he never once used Eruption against me when we battled, and I counted all four of his moves. Flame Charge, Inferno, Smokescreen and Thunder Punch. No Eruption whatsoever,” Celeste stated after recalling her defeat and frowning. “Yeah, so Makoto isn’t the killer!” Sayaka said as Makoto smiled a bit at her support. “There is one flaw in your theory. Makoto, what Leve is you Typhlosion?” Byakuya said as Makoto’s eyes widened. “L-Level 76,” he said as gasps were heard. “D-Doesn’t Typhlosion l-learn Eruption at L-Level 74?” Toko asked using her book smarts to make Byakuya smile a bit in triumph. “As a matter of fact it does, meaning that if Makoto is like the average trainer, he should have swapped out one of his inferior moves for Eruption. There’s only one way to find out,” Byakuya said. “Take out your Typhlosion at once and show us all it’s moves!” Taka demanded as Makoto flinched. He was now in between a rock and a hard place. If he didn’t do what they asked they’d surely vote him up as the killer and they’d all die, but if he did then they’d know and still probably vote him us as the killer and wouldn’t listen to him.

He decided to just take the easy route and called out his partner, who immediately looked concerned and knew something was wrong. It nudged his hand and let out a few sounds as if asking what was wrong. “Hey bud, we’re gonna have to show them your move set. Let’s just get this over with,” he said as Typhlosion nodded. “For this demonstration I will provide these Monokuma dummies! They are like me but bigger and are stuffed, so you can attack them all you want and they won’t blow up! They are perfect for training because some have endoskeletons that allow them to fight back,” Monokuma said as a few floor panels opened up revealing four Monokuma dolls sitting on the ground limp. “Start off with Smokescreen!” he said as his partner got on all fours and smoke burst from its flames. Everyone coughed and waved away smoke as one Monokuma was tipped over. “Follow up with Thunder Punch!” Makoto said as Typhlosion mercilessly punched one in the gut with an electrified fist. “Next use Flame Charge!” Typhlosion complied and covered his body in bright flames as he tackled a doll with incredible speed, sending the poor thing flying across the room. Makoto was silent for a few seconds, not knowing whether he should go through with it or try his luck by using Smokescreen to cloak their escape. The second one was tempting but with everyone behind him staring and anticipating such an action with Pokeballs in hand he wouldn’t make it out of here without a fight. His partner stood and waited for the final command, before understanding why his trainer hesitated. He could feel the fear and nervousness, but let out a reassuring cry that everything would be alright.

He sighed and said three words that convinced several people he was the killer, “Typhlosion use Eruption.” Typhlosion waited for a second to see if there were any other orders before getting on all fours again. He aimed for the Monokuma that was against the wall on the far side of the room and turned his back on it. It then made its flames die down before replacing them with a stream of hot magma. Typhlosion then let out a loud cry as it shot out the magma like the force of nature its line resembled. The magma hit the doll but also left a trail leading up to it because the eruption had come from a strange angle. It also sprayed on its own back but Typhlosion just shook it off and let the droplets hit the floor. It then walked back over to its trainer’s side, who was waiting for his peers to say anything. He would even take an accusation, anything but this tense silence. “I believe this is proof enough Makoto isn’t the killer,” Kyoko said breaking the silence and confusing everyone. “Huh? I thought this was proof that he was!” Hiro said getting a small headache from how confusing this had to be. “That Eruption and the one that killed Leon are clearly very different. Let’s look at the facts. Here was can see that the magma comes from its back and gushes out after a short period of time that it took to get into position. This shows that this move has not yet been perfected, much less used more than once. Furthermore, by looking at the path the magma took and how messy it was, we can see that this isn’t the same attack that killed Leon,” Kyoko explained as Makoto relaxed a bit, knowing at least one person believed he didn’t kill someone.

“But if Makoto didn’t kill him, who did?” Mondo asked also a little relieved it wasn’t Makoto. He saved his life, he now had a bit of respect for the guy. Makoto then thought more about how Kyoko explained the differences in the attacks, and he noticed something everyone else glossed over. “I think I know what killed Leon!” Makoto said putting together all the pieces as quickly as he could. “I-I thought we agreed h-he was killed by Eruption,” Toko said not wanting to backtrack and waste time. “You’re right, Leon was killed by Eruption, but that wasn’t the move the killer used,” Makoto said only confusing people even further. “How can you use Eruption without actually using Eruption? That doesn’t make sense!” Sayaka said suddenly on the defensive. “Actually, it makes perfect sense. Back in Leon’s room, did any of you see some golden glittery substance on the floor?” Makoto asked as they thought back to the scene of the crime. “Oh yeah, I just thought it rubbed off of someone’s clothes!” Taka said. “It didn’t, and we have all seen that glitter before. It’s a byproduct of using the move Metronome!” Makoto said as Hifumi gasped. “But the only person here who’s been seen using that move is..” Hifumi said before everyone turned to Sayaka. “What? But I didn’t kill Leon! And how do you know I even have that move?” Sayaka asked looking panicked and scared. “Back in the arena you used a Togekiss that knew Metronome,” Byakuya said as she teared up. “I didn’t try to kill Leon, I was in my room the whole night because I was scared!” Sayaka said close to crying. “I beg to differ,” Kyoko said before taking out the wet piece of paper Makoto had seen in the room earlier.

“I found this note in Leon’s trash can. While it seems to be illegible because of the water it was soaked in, a few words can still be made out. The words “meet”, “tonight”, and “1:20 AM” can be made out with much difficulty. It seems that whoever the attacker was arranged a meeting with him late last night,” Kyoko said before adding, “And then they tried to destroy the evidence by making it hard to read.” “But why would they wet the paper instead of burning it too?” Chihiro asked as Hiro replied, “Maybe it really was Metronome and they got something like Bubble when they tried to destroy it.” “Is anyone listening to me? I didn’t kill Leon!” Sayaka shouted, turning to Makoto and looking for assistance. “Makoto, please tell me you don’t think I did it!” Sayaka said giving him pleading eyes. He wanted to say he believed her, but he was snapped out of it by a nudge to his rib cage. His partner shook his head and stood up tall, as if saying not to fall for her tricks. “I’m sorry Sayaka, I wanna believe you but...” Makoto said knowing full well it wasn’t good to let emotions cloud your mind in battle. A grudge or a crush could influence your choices, making you fail because of your own weak self control. “Have you all gone crazy?! I didn’t kill Leon!” Sayaka said before Byakuya got into a heated argument with her. Everyone else sort of backed off until they calmed down a bit. It was almost like a bullet time battle, but you couldn’t hear the gunshots. “Makoto, could you please sum up how the murder played out so there can be no doubt who the killer is?” Kyoko asked as Makoto nodded.

“Here’s exactly what happened! Let’s take one more look back at the case from the beginning. Someone wrote a note to Leon saying they wanted to meet in his room late at night, and for whatever reason Leon accepted. From what we can tell, the person sent to invitation with the intention of killing Leon. They arrived at his room at the time they discussed, Leon not feeling threatened at all. He still didn’t feel the need to call out a Pokemon when the killer did so, so we can assume that it didn’t look intimidating. What happened next we all know. The killer caught Leon by surprise and told its Pokemon to use Metronome, the powerful attack that followed killing him. The killer then told the Pokemon to use it again to dispose of the evidence, some kind of water-type attack was used to dispose of the note. The killer then left the room, leaving the soggy paper in the trash can. But the killer left behind a crucial piece of evidence, the dust from their attacks! And as far as we know, there’s only one person who could have pulled this off. Isn’t that right Sayaka?” Makoto explained as Sayaka started crying. Everyone knew she did it now, and it was time to vote. “Looks like you’ve reached your verdict. Then are we ready to cast our votes? You all have a lever in front of you. Use it to make your selection. Oh, just to remind you all… make triple sure you vote for someone. You wouldn’t wanna be punished for something so minor would you? Okay! Then let’s get excited! Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What’s it gonna be? What’s it gonna beee?”

They all cast their votes, and a large over the top slot machine appeared and showed the results. They had chosen correctly, Sayaka was the killer. “Uh oh, looks like you’ve chosen correctly! The one who killed Leon.. was none other than Sayaka Maizono! But to be honesty that murder was sloppy and easy to solve. Maybe next time there’ll be a better case,” Monokuma said shaking his head in disappointment, it seemed the Mastermind felt nothing but that these days. “What? I can’t believe it,” Hina said apparently trying to cope with the fact that this was actually happening. “Yeah, it was me. But I had no idea we’d have to go through a class trial, or that they’d blame you Makoto! I swear I didn’t know that your Typhlosion learned Eruption! I just wanted to get out of here, I’m sorry,” Sayaka said bursting into tears. Typhlosion knew she was telling the truth, so he let Makoto go over and hug her. “It’s okay, I forgive you,” Makoto said as she stopped sniffling in shock. “You do?” she asked obviously not expecting forgiveness after what she did to him, to all of them. “I mean what you did wasn’t okay, but you had a reason for it. And I forgive you for having to let them pin it on me. You couldn’t predict what move would kill Leon, and I get that,” he said as she smiled wiping away tears. He let her go just as Monokuma fake barfed. “That was so romantic and mushy, now let’s get to the punishment!” Monokuma said as pure fear made its way onto her face.

Everyone had a brief look of panic on their face as they realized Sayaka would have to be punished. But Makoto and Typhlosion didn’t move. They stood in front of her as the others back away. “What’s this? A little display of loyalty before your beloved dies? Well so be it, but rules are rules. The only one to be punished will be the blackened!” Monokuma said as mechanical claws came and snatched her away before Typhlosion could grab on. Monokuma then pulled out a hammer and slammed a big, red, cartoonish button. After a little 8-bit animation played, the others gathered to where she would be executed.

She was strapped to a pole on a pretty pink stage, many Monokuma were dressed like people as they booed her from the audience. They threw things at her, telling her how horrible she was. Meanwhile she watched as one of them stole her Pokeballs and put them in a meat grinder, killing all her Pokemon right before her eyes. Blood sprayed from it as feathers and pieces of fur were ejected from it. She looked sick, that is until they all grabbed rusty and sharp pieces of metal and took aim. She closed her eyes as she waited for the killing blow. They all threw them and the curtains started closing. The last thing they saw behind them was a splash of blood and a blood curtling scream.

Everyone stood with mixed emotions, most of them negative. The worst one had to be Makoto, who knew he better than anyone else here. But he wasn’t showing fear for his life, signs of nausea or any of the other expressions his peers wore. He was staring at the ground, his partner nudging his side trying to get a reaction. Then he felt it, the pure unbridled rage from his partner. It was coming from makoto’s very core, causing him to tremble like a volcano that was about to explode. The feeling spread to his partner as they both had one goal in mind, to beat the shit out of that stupid bear! Kyoko knew what was coming and looked through her pockets, searching quickly for something to stop this slaughter that was about to happen. Makoto grabbed another Pokeball as Typhlosion’s flames turned blue with rage, the heat making everyone sweat. “Absol, take him out!” Makoto screamed throwing the Pokeball, everyone surprised to learn of his new team member. The female Absol let out a loud cry, its veins pumped with adrenaline from her Trainer’s thirst for justice. “Fire Blast!” Makoto shouted as the dark-type wasted no time. It shot out a powerful fire-type attack that almost hit Monokuma. The Mastermind didn’t want to have to lose their favorite toy yet, so they made the robot bear dodge to the left. “Watch it! If you had so much as burned a single hair on this bear then we’d have three punishments in one day!” Monokuma warned hoping he’d snap out of his anger and fall into the despair that comes after. They knew all too well that those flames couldn’t last forever, and when they snuffed out he’d be left with nothing but despair.

He hesitated before Typhlosion ran forth covered in flames. Monokuma made to dodge but instead watched as Typhlosion became enveloped in a psychic energy that stopped his attack mere inches from the trembling bear. Makoto turned to see Kyoko and her Espeon had stopped the attack. He understood why she did but he still wasn’t happy about it. Absol then walked back to her trainer, nudging him with her horns as if pleading for him to stop. Makoto wanted to tear the bear apart, wanted to obliterate every single one. But what good would that do? It wasn’t like he was harming the Mastermind themself was he? No, he’d only get killed and put even more despair on his classmates. With that he finally calmed down, Espeon sensing the change and releasing his partner. “You shouldn’t let your emotions get the better of you, every trainer knows that,” Kyoko said simply as he sighed. “I know, but it was a heat of the moment thing. I knew shouldn’t but it felt like it was the right thing to do at the time,” he said as his Typhlosion nodded. He recalled his Absol before Monokuma dismissed them, Makoto glaring at the thing and actually sending a shiver down the Mastermind’s spine.

Later that night he cried in the bathroom where the Mastermind couldn’t see him, but they knew they were correct. He knew what he did was wrong and that he’d have to be more careful. But during the fight, he felt something. The flames of his rage, he could feel the same flames in his partner in a different way than before. He also felt them in Absol, and one other thing. One thing he’d forgotten he had. He felt them in his necklace, the one with the Key Stone on it. He hadn’t thought much about it, hadn’t decided who he’d try to Mega Evolve. He still didn’t fully understand it, he just stared at the necklace as his fingers traced the edges. He knew who he wanted to, but how could he? It was impossible, but maybe not. He’d thought it would be impossible for anyone to kill someone, and yet here he was. After all he’d been through, he knew better than to think it couldn’t happen.

He’d been through a deadly judgement… a deadly deception.. a deadly riddle.. a deadly defense.. a deadly faith… a deadly class trail!

Chapter Text

Makoto woke up the next morning still feeling horrible after yesterday. They lost Leon, Sayaka and Junko to the mastermind behind all this and it aggravated him to no end how helpless they were. They were at the complete mercy of the person who started all this and they knew the person was toying with them. This wasn’t a hostage situation, and if it was then there haven’t been any negotiations or rescue attempts yet. It’s been a little over a week since they arrived at Hope’s Poké Academy, but no word from the outside world whatsoever. Makoto heard the morning announcement and went through his morning routine, the bit of normality helped him cope with the situation. His partner woke up as he left the bathroom, giving him a look that was sympathetic. Makoto patted his head and shot him a small smile, but it was as empty as he felt. He had grown attached to Sayaka, and he made a promise to her that he’d get her out. He was set on honoring that promise even after she was revealed as a murderer. She was the first to open up to him, the only familiar face in a prison of enigmas. He shook those thoughts away as he walked to the door, his partner trailing behind like he always did. Sayaka was his friend because she was Makoto’s friend. Sure Typhlosion felt sad after she died but most of the emotions he felt during the trial were second-hand emotions from his trainer. Neither of them really understood how that worked, it just sort of happened. Makoto had a deep connection with all his pokemon, so of course this type of bond affected them too.

Makoto walked down the hall, the air filled with awkwardness as no one knew how they should act after three friends died the day before. Should they be pissed off at the person behind it, grieving the deaths of such young comrades, or act like the whole thing never happened and just move on? Makoto obviously chose the third option, but the others were pretty divided. Makoto, Byakuya, Kyoko, Toko and Celeste all chose to move on as best they could for different reasons. Taka, Hifumi, Chihiro, and Hiro chose to grieve. Sakura, Hina and Mondo were all mad at the person who was causing all this. Their reactions to the situations said a lot about their character, but they all felt a hint of despair underneath the masks they wore, tears they shed and swears they shouted. They all knew that something had changed, whether it was a gut feeling or the bear straight up told them. They decided to check the school once again and found the second floor had opened up. They all split up to search it, Makoto using his dowsing Machine to find several Monokuma coins and other goodies along the way. There was 2 classrooms, bathrooms, changing rooms with exercise equipment, a pool, a library and an archive with several different important documents and case files. There was still no way out but the new staircase they found gave them hope that one may exist.

As they shared their finding over breakfast Makoto bonded with Chihiro a bit more. Chihiro loved programming and even had a Porygon that their father gave them. Typhlosion knew something was off about them but it wasn’t something sinister, it was more like something that felt out of place or missing. Either way Chihiro was a sweet person, but their conversation was cut short by the bear’s appearance. Makoto kept a blank expression while grabbing the side of his chair so tight that his knuckles turned white in seconds. No one noticed, if they did they didn’t say anything about it either from pity or understanding. Typhlosion could feel the hatred and discomfort, but tried his best to hide his own as the robot spoke. “Good morning everyone! I thought that now would be the perfect time for some battles! Please follow me to the Gym so we can get started,” Monokuma said using his paw t point to the door. Everyone made their way out, but the bear lagged behind to where Makoto was in the back. The duo tried their best to ignore its presence until it spoke. “Giving me the cold shoulder huh? Quite the change from yesterday,” Monokuma teased as Makoto balled his fist inside his pocket. He didn’t want to talk to it, if he did he would probably end up losing it and incinerating that thing. “So you are still upset! And here I was going out of my way to correct my mistake,” Monokuma said as Makoto finally looked at it. It was holding a ticket that was white on the right and black on the left with a Monokuma face in the center.

“It turns out I forgot to give you your prize during the battle royal! It seemed unfair of me to do that when you were so close to winning, so I decided to give you a choice in what you want. Just to remind you the monochrome tickets are worth six bronze tickets, four silver tickets, or three gold tickets. I’ll let you cash this in whenever you want, or you could just dispose of it since you hate me so much. It’s your choice,” Monokuma said jumping up and shoving it in his hoodie pocket before walking to the front to guide them like he said he would. Makoto took it out and looked at it, feeling the laminated paper that held so much value. He could have six hours without being watched, or he could use one at a time when he needed them. Then again, Monokuma never clarified how long you’d be able to stay in the room with the silver tickets, or if you wouldn’t be able to return. And finally the golden tickets, which might be wasted very quickly if there will ever be a repeat of yesterday. Or he could just throw it away, a small part of him actually wanting to do so since he has no use for them. There was another option, he could *give* it away to someone who needed it. If he wasn’t going to use it properly then why not save it for when someone else needed it. With that in mind he shoved it into his pocket and smiled, knowing he now had an ace in the hole since no one else had paid them any mind in the back, all of them too busy thinking about the promise of a battle in front of them.

When they arrived on the battlefield they saw a slot machine with only two slots. The marking on the field were also made smaller and formed two fields side by side. “Today we’ll try double battles! I’ve set up a slot machine that will pick two trainers that will fight each using two pokemon. There will be two battles held today, but I’ve set up two fields in case things get a little messy with the first match. Any questions?” Monokuma explained before looking around. Everyone was silent, thinking of the Pokemon they would use if picked. “Okay then, let’s get this party started!” Monokuma said pulling the big red lever on the side. It went quickly at first but eventually slowed until it stopped, the result being Hiro versus Makoto. Hiro paled a little as Typhlosion let out a low growl. “Oooo, it seems like it’s not your lucky day! Before we start let’s get the next pair!” Monokuma said before getting Hina versus Chihiro. Both matchups went to their fields, the former only standing there because they knew this was already over before it began. Hiro had to play his cards right or else he’d be wiped out quickly. Makoto waited for him to pick his pokemon so he could form a quick strategy. Hiro called out his Glaceon and a female Beartic.

Makoto was slightly surprised, but recovered quickly and pulled out his E-Handbook. He scrolled through the moves Beartic could learn before his eyes laid on something he expected to see. He put it away and nodded at his partner, who stepped onto the field as expected. He then mentally debated whether he should use his Snorlax that has Thick fat or Absol before deciding on Absol. “Absol get ready for battle!” he said as the female Absol let out a battle cry. She was always ready for battle, and one look at the competition told her everything she needed to know about the battle already. Hiro was a little worried since he only knew one of Absol’s moves, but he’d have to deal with it and come up with a strategy. He had a few good moves to work with. Thrash, Superpower, Blizzard and Aqua Jet was a decent moveset that could take out both of them if he was careful, but that Absol was glaring at him and it made him question how easy it would be to defeat it. Glaceon had Blizzard, Quick Attack, Bite, and Last Resort, meaning it could probably hold its own for a bit, but he’d been meaning to improve its moveset before coming to Hope’s Poké. Monokuma then blew a whistle and Typhlosion started off getting ready for an Eruption. Glaceon used Blizzard before it could, but got hit with Absol’s Fire Blast shortly after. Hiro knew his pokemon knew what to do already, they’d prepared for situations like this. Glaceon picked itself up off the ground and used Quick Attack, lunging at the dark type with great speed. After being tackled to the ground by the attack Absol proceeded to use Play Rough while it was still on top of it. Absol bit, scratched and growled as Glaceon failed to escape its grasp.

Meanwhile Typhlosion dodged an Aqua Jet by hiding in a Smokescreen, barely dodging the attack. Beartic got rid of the smoke by using Blizzard which exposed the Fire type and partially froze its back. He got rid of the ice by using Flame Charge, hitting Beartic head on as it used Aqua Jet once more. As much as it hurt Makoto told it not to stop, and they saw why as the water started to evaporate. Typhlosion’s flames grew brighter and hotter, turning blue as Blaze kicked in from the barrage of Water and Ice type attacks. It then used Thunder Punch on the moist white fur and watched it cry out in agony. It was writhing on the floor paralyzed, giving Typhlosion enough time to use Eruption to finish it off. Back with the quadrupeds Glaceon prepared to use Last Resort, fully expecting it to finally finish off the wild card. It took a Sucker Punch to the face after it finally escaped the mass of limbs on the ground so it was pretty close to fainting. It aimed at Absol as Typhlosion stood behind it, knowing full well they would both be hit. Glaceon took this chance and shot out the white light. It was exhausted as the light exploded and made dirt and smoke go everywhere. When it cleared Hiro and Glaceon’s jaws dropped at the sight. Absol had covered them both in a bluish-green bubble they all knew as Protect. Typhlosion then used its speed to hit it with a Thunder Punch, sending it flying into Absol’s Fire Blast. The poor Eeveelution was lying on the ground limp after the two powerful attacks became too much for it.

“No, we were so close!” Hiro said as he ran over to it, picking ip up and returning it to its pokeballs. Makoto tackled hugged his starter and loyal dark type, both of them content with the feelings of congratulations and pride their trainer sent to them over their bond. It was almost enough to overshadow the sense of impending doom Absol felt deep within its horn, almost. Monokuma then awarded them with ten Monokuma coins, a silver ticket and four bronze tickets. He put them in the same pocket the monochrome ticket was in before they walked away from the field Hiro got one Monokuma coin as a consolation prize. Now it was time for Chihiro and Hina to shine. Hina let out her Floatzel and Lapras, both were eager to fight. Chihiro was smart to pick Ferrothorn and Magnezone, two of their strongest pokemon.

Floatzel knows: Ice Beam, Surf, Dig and Crunch.

Lapras knows: Blizzard, Rain Dance, Surf and Thunder

Ferrothorn knows: Explosion, Flash Cannon, Power Whip and Rollout

Magnezone knows: Zap Cannon, Flash Cannon, Supersonic and Giga Impact

Hina’s in a tight spot here since both of her opponent’s pokemon have an advantage over her and only one can take them out. Thankfully she chose one that can stall, s she starts out with Lapras using Rain Dance to set up for the rest of the battle, her Damp Rock helping her out like it always does. Magnezone then goes in and tried to end it quick with Zap Cannon, harming Floatzel greatly. It struggles to stand with its paralysis, but it can still fight. It then burrows underground to Chihiro’s dismay. Lapras uses Blizzard to buy some time, knowing it won’t do much damage but its purpose its to stall for time. Ferrothorn ends the Blizzard by smacking Lapras around with Power Whip, cries of pain ringing in the air. Lapras then retaliates with Surf followed by Thunder, hitting everyone on the field except Floatzel. Magnezone is then hit by Dig, the move doing great amounts of damage because it is 4x effective. Both Steel types attack with double Flash Cannon, hitting both weakened Water types. They then use a double Surf, which isn’t very effective but still did decent damage to them both. Floatzel goes under again while Lapras keeps using Thunder. The battlefield erupted into pure chaos after Magnezone used Supersonic on Lapras, who keeps using Thunder and Blizzard on everyone including itself. Lapras faints after taking Ferrothorn down with it, admittedly just barely knocking it out. Floatzel knew better than to pop out of the ground until lapras fainted to regained its senses, so it really all came down to the final Dig versus Zap Cannon. Floatzel waited a few more seconds before popping out of the ground, tackling Magnezone as it used Zap Cannon. There was an explosion as both pokemon were thrown back by the force of it. Both were knocked unconscious, but an instant replay on the screen showed that Magnezone fainted a split second before Floatzel, so Hina was the winner. Hina got the same prize as Makoto did and they cleared out after Hiro and Chihiro healed their Pokemon.

They had the rest of the day to spend however they wanted, but Makoto wanted to get to know Kyoko more. First he went to the school store since he didn’t have any other use for the coins he had. He got a variety of items, though some of them were very questionable. He then went to look for Kyoko and found her in the Library looking around the shelves. A quick moment of hesitation followed until Typhlosion sneezed, making her turn and signaling the point of no return. “Hey Kyoko, I wanted to spend some time with you,” Makoto said almost automatically as she looked slightly confused. “You.. want to spend time with me? Okay, bt I don’t know what to talk about,” Kyoko said as if she didn’t have much experience with these things. “That’s okay, we can just sit in silence if you want,” Makoto said not wanting her to feelbad. With a nod she sat down at one of the tables in the library with him sitting across from her. Typhlosion had a bored look on his face after five minutes of silence and started blowing out little puffs of smoke from his back to pass the time. The two humans watched him before Makoto started looking through his satchel for the items he had bought a little while ago. He eyed Kyoko before pulling out a glass vial. He knew nothing about her but had the right feeling about it as he handed her the vial. She inspected it and saw the pink rose trapped inside by the cork at the top. “How did you know I was interested in this? You’re an enigma, Makoto Naegi,” she asked as Makoto let out a breath he’d been holding. “I’m glad you like it!” Makoto replied smiling as he felt a small warmth in his chest and in his pocket.

“Hey Kyoko, can I ask you something?” he asked as she pocketed his gift. “That depends on the question,” she replied simply. “I just wanted to know why you have an Espeon. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good pokemon and companion! It’s just that there are stronger Psychic-types out there that you could’ve picked, so why that one?” Makoto asked as she suddenly became thoughtful. “I’m afraid it’s a little too personal for me to share like this,” she said before glancing at the camera. “Oh I’m sorry!” Makoto said before pulling out a bronze ticket. A Monokuma appeared and snatched the ticket from him without a word. The camera turned away from them and then being removed by the little bear. He then walked right out of the room whistling a marching song. “There, now we can talk,” Makoto said as she stared at him. He just wasted a ticket so that they could talk about something as trivial as her choice in partnerships. She admired the gesture and decided to tell him the story. “I can’t remember a time when I got along with my father. It’s hard to recall why we had our disagreement but I know we were always distant. For my eleventh birthday my father gave me a pokemon egg as a present. I couldn’t reject the gift since the egg would be orphaned, so I accepted it. A few days later it hatched into a spiky-haired Eevee, it was extremely rare. I raised it and grew attached to it, it was like the family I never had. A few months later it evolved into an Espeon, and I decided to keep it even as I built my team. It also seemed rather fitting since most trainers look like their pokemon in vise versa. I guess I really kept it not because of its strength or looks, but because it was the last thing I ever got from my father before we really drifted apart….” she said before looking up to see Makoto expression. A light blush tinted her cheeks as she realized what happened. She’d gotten so wrapped up in her memories that she spilled everything to him. It wasn’t smart, it wasn’t something she’d normally do and she was about to apologize when he smiled.

“That actually reminds me of how I got Typhlosion,” he said petting his partner and listening to him coo in response. “It was summertime and I was out of school. I was busy helping my sister at the Daycare Center when my aunt walked in. She was a pokemon groomer and wanted to leave her Quilava there with us while she took care of some business. Another trainer had left their own Typhlosion since they wanted to go gamble at Goldenrod. My aunt’s Quilava was swift and graceful when she trained and the trainer’s Typhlosion was powerful and tough. I left the room for a bit with them training and came back to find them sleeping on top of each other. I honestly didn’t know what happened at the time but I found an egg in between them. I got a huge lecture on why what I did was a stupid mistake and was really sad when neither of the trainers wanted the egg. I felt really bad since he or she was going to be all alone when they hatched, so my aunt suggested I adopt him. We were best friends from the moment he hatched. I raised him, trained him, and when I was old enough we left home to try and get stronger. And now here we are,” Makoto explained as Typhlosion sat in the chair next to him like a dog would.

After that they both felt closer to one another, and before they knew it Monokuma walked back in with the camera and started to reattach it. “Well I’d better go, it was nice talking to you Kyoko!” Makoto said getting up from his chair. “Likewise, I would like to do this again sometime,” Kyoko said going back to the bookshelf she was at when he entered. Makoto left for the dining hall and made himself a sandwich. He then made one for his partner and they ate in silence. He thought about what they had talked about. They spoke about their lives before being imprisoned, though Kyoko had a few problems recalling things, they also spoke about what they thought of the others and theories about who or what could have caused this. When he was done he washed the dishes and went to his room to go to bed early. The next day wasn’t really eventful and he spent the day with Hifumi, who was overjoyed at the figurine he gave him. The day after he spent with Byakuya, which was bittersweet really considering his personality, but overall he was a good guy and accepted his gift.

These interactions helped lighten the weight in his chest that had formed after that horrible day. He found himself waking up several times in the nights that followed the event with gruesome nightmares. He wouldn’t be surprised if he needed therapy when he got out. Got out. Would that ever really happen? Sometimes his mind would take a dark turn and start thinking about having to live here for the rest of his life. He’d never see his family again, never see his sister again. His sister. Oh dear Mew that was a crate of feeling and emotion that he didn’t want to peer too far into just yet. He was still so fragile, so damaged even when he hid it behind a grin or laugh. Kyoko had seen right through it while they spoke, he could tell by the way she looked at him. Some were fooled, some knew, and others didn’t care. All that mattered to them was finding a way out, but none of them have thought too deeply about what they’d do if there was no way out. Then again, he didn’t like thinking about it either. Makoto was snapped from his thoughts by his partner’s whine. He sat up on his bed and saw his partner looking at him with a worried expression. He’d forgotten that he was there, so he just put on another false smile and patted his head like he always did.

He would never be the same, after all he’d seen here and all that he would see, it would be highly unlikely for anyone to leave unscathed and unchanged. Makoto was no exception, in fact he’d probably be one of the worst ones if they ever made it out since he was always so emotional. He was the normal one with no talent to rely on and to find solace in while trapped in here. Then again, Makoto did have one small talent besides battling, debating and breeding. He knew how to pretend.

Chapter Text

Three days passed by with no sign of the bear, it was a grace period of sorts. Makoto used this time to grow closer to Hiro and Taka, who were pretty nice if you spent enough time with them to ignore their flaws. Hiro actually gave him a discount on a prediction that scared him. There was a 30% chance he’d have the same woman have his children and Hiro’s children. He hoped to Jirachi or any legend who listened that it was false. After that he got closer to Hina, they ate poffins together and she made donuts for them with ingredients from the Warehouse. They went to the Pool and he watched Hina swim. She invited him to join her but he told her he couldn’t swim very well and she understood. It was a sweet afternoon, but in the evening a new rule was set. *No student can kill more than two people.* They all met in the Dining Hall where the bear elaborated. “I was thinking, wouldn’t it just suck if someone went bat-shit crazy and killed *everyone*? That would totally ruin the fun since there would be no class trial! Therefore I’ve decided to set a limit to people you can kill, but I kept the number high enough so there could be a classic serial killer case! Have fun!” Monokuma said before popping into the floorboards.

Everyone was either pale or wore a poker face when he left. Another murder? Sure it was possible but who would try to kill everyone themselves just to get out? No one could be that desperate right? Everyone left the Dining Hall in silence and went their separate ways, a new wedge driven between them. Makoto went to his room, trying not to think about it anymore and instead groom Typhlosion. He brushed the Fire-type’s fur and hummed quietly as he tried not to think about the new rule. Typhlosion cooed in delight but he could also fele his trainer’s inner turmoil. The best he could do right now was not comment on it and help his trainer cope however he can. He wished he could do more but for now all that’s left is to try and heal from all this emotional stress. After being brushed Typhlosion yawned and walked over to his bed, even though it wasn’t quite Nighttime yet. Makoto got the message and they both got ready for bed earlier than usual. Both tried to ignore the bad feelings in their stomach that were also felt in Absol’s pokeball. Something bad was coming and they all knew it.

Like always Absol was right as they headed over to the Gym as Monokuma instructed. It started out innocent enough with a few stretches and exercises that really only Taka did, but they all new what was coming next. “Now onto the main event! Things have been getting a little too dull for my liking, so I’ve prepared another juicy motivation!” Monokuma said as everyone glared at him. He shrugged them off and continued as he pulled out labeled envelopes, “So this time it’s…. Embarrassing memories and secrets! As long as you’re alive, it’s a given that there’s things you don’t want people to know. So I did a little investigation of my own and dug up some dirt on all of you! All those memories and secrets and right here. Take a quick peek to see if I’m lying.” Typhlosion moved swiftly and snatched Makoto’s from the bear’s hand before passing it to his trainer, both of them fearing the envelope’s contents. He pulled out the paper and his body suddenly went rigid.

Makoto lost his title as champion of Unova to Iris 2 hours before arriving at Hope’s Poké Academy. All of his pokemon were beaten by only two of hers.

The worst part was that there was also a DVD with the words “Makoto vs Iris” written on it, it probably contained their battle. He gulped as he remembered the humiliating defeat. He made rookie mistakes and lost one of the reasons why Hope’s Poké Academy accepted him in the first place. Iris was kind enough to not tell anyone until he was already a student so they wouldn’t try to take her in instead, it wouldn’t be hard since she was his first battle in months. What if Iris had told them and she was standing here instead? Would they have a better chance of escaping if someone better was here instead of him? How did the mastermind even find out about this? These thoughts raced through his mind as his partner brushed up against his leg as if to show some support. “What?! How the hell did you find this?!” Makoto exclaimed with shock, confusion and paranoia all present in his voice. He looked around to see a few others equally devastated, but the usual few kept their guard up. Monokuma laughed insanely and said, “You have 24 hours! If someone doesn’t become blackened by then… all your deepest, darkest, most embarrassingest secrets will be exposed to the world! Maybe I’ll roll by in a crowded intersection in a van with loudspeakers to spill the beans. Wouldn’t that be so embarrassing?”

“So this is what you meant by ‘motivation’,” Makoto said still staring in disbelief at the pieces of paper. Did Iris tell? No, she wouldn’t do so until she told her it was okay. Even so… “It’s definitely something I wouldn’t want anyone to know right now... But I wouldn’t kill over it!” Makoto said crumpling up the piece of paper and envelope and shoving them in his pocket. Taka and Hina agreed, making Monokuma depressed and disappear. Taka proposed that they share their secrets willingly so no one will kill over them, but Toko, celeste and Byakuya shot him down saying that other people could have horrible secrets they would kill over. Taka understood and they left as it became Nighttime. Makoto went back to his room, Typhlosion giving some comforting growls. “Yeah I know we should hope for the best, but after seeing some of their faces...” Makoto said trailing off as his partner nodded. Some were surprised, others nervous and a select few were horrified. They both were ready to go to bed, but Makoto stayed up. He couldn’t help but have a horrible feeling in his stomach that kept him awake until 6 AM. He didn’t even bother to lay on his bed, he was sitting in the chair in his room waiting for sleep to come. He then decided to just take a walk, he was too tired to think of any consequences so he returned Typhlosion to his pokeball and had him at the ready in case something happened. He usually kept his pokeballs literally up his sleeve, he had strung his belt through the sleeve since it gave him better access. Sure it took a bit to change his line up but for the most part it worked.

He shrunk it so it wouldn’t be as noticeable and started walking. He wandered for about ten minutes before realizing he was in front of the pool. He was about to enter the Boys Locker Room when he heard a commotion from inside. He opened the door just a little to peek inside but covered his mouth to stifle the gasp that came out. On the floor Taka was lying dead, bleeding all over the floor with multiple wounds. But that wasn’t what shocked him, he could see the killer’s shadow on the wall. He was so shocked that he started backing up. He hid around the corner as the killer left the locker room, they didn’t seem to notice him. “Holy shit,” Makoto whispered after the killer had gone down the stairs. He ran back to the crime scene and opened the door, staring at the crime scene. There was a bloody dumbbell on the floor and Taka was bruised and bleeding all over the floor. And the kicker was that Makoto knew who did it. It would be so simple. He had to tell someone! But at that moment he heard the flutter of wings and his body froze against his will. A quick glance downward told him that his body was covered in a pollen-like substance. Stun Spore. That seriously confused him because the killer’s pokemon couldn’t know that move, so who was the person kicking his now limp body onto the ground? He couldn’t move, couldn’t scream and couldn’t fight back as he got kicked in the ribs again and again. All he could see was a combat boot before it kicked his temple, hard. He wanted to scream, but it died in his throat as he accidentally inhaled a few spores. That’s not good.

The attacker picked him up and he got a good look at them. Their gender was undeterminable, but they wore combat boots, a strange mask and white robes. They carried him bridal style past taka’s body. He then panicked as they headed towards the edge of the pool. Even with a small concussion he knew what was going to happen. The attacked dropped him onto the ground next to the pool and hesitated for several seconds before kicking him into the pool. He was slowly sinking into the water as he struggled to hold his breath. His body ached all over, bruises forming even as his precious oxygen was being used up. Some of the spores were washed off with the water, so he could turn his head but he couldn’t do much else. The killer surely knew that eventually he’d be able to move right? Maybe they assumed he’d drown before that happened, but maybe not. Then again, the only person he told that he couldn’t swim was Asahina, and that person did not look like Hina. Why was he thinking about this? He was going to die! It was around 6:25 AM when he got to the pool in the first place because he’d walked for quite a bit, but no one should be up yet because of their promise. Except maybe Byakuya, but the odds of him coming to his rescue even if he saw him drowning was slim at best. Sure Byakuya was a good guy, but what he said in the library about wanting things to be more interesting and harder to solve would be the death of him.

Even worse was that the water was cold, so when he gained control of one of his limbs he immediately lost it again to slight hypothermia. His lungs were ready to burst from Carbon Dioxide build-up, he needed to exhale. He finally accepted his fate and let out all the air in his lungs, making huge bubbles go up to the surface. He was starting to lose consciousness, but he had one last hope. He slowly shifted his left arm so that it hit his body, causing his pokeballs to enlarge. They then floated upwards one by one until five out of six were floating on top of the water. If they were going to find him, that would help them get there faster. With that his vision started to fade, and he hit the bottom of the pool.

The person watching from behind the cameras grinned widely. Witnesses always made things so boring, but this should be much more interesting. Not only would they have to figure out who killed the loud-mouthed goodie-two-shoes, it would also be entertaining to watch them try to figure out who killed Makoto Naegi.

------

He was floating in a black abyss, no sky or ground to be seen. He opened his eyes, by thought he was blind because he could see nothing at all. Then there was a flash of light behind him. He found he could move his body, but he couldn’t speak, or breath. He didn’t need to of course but he found it strange. He did his best to turn around and saw a smiling face he never thought he’d see again. Her blue eyes still sparkled like before, even though they were empty inside. She was holding her stomach, the place where she was hit, but still smiled at him as if she felt no pain. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t feel the burning of his lungs anymore either. She floated closer to him, curious about him and why he was here. He wanted to talk to her, tell her about how sorry he was that he broke their promise. She just shook her head as if she understood his message and what he struggled to say, but she didn’t speak either. She did however, open her mouth as if she was speaking. He couldn’t quite make out what she was trying to say, but she waved to him. He didn’t understand why until he felt the pressure on his chest. It was like someone was pressing against his chest, and every few seconds they would stop, and he would feel a light touch on his lips. He didn’t understand what it was, but she still waved as if he was leaving. She mouthed one final word he did catch, “Live.”

“...”

“M… o”

“Mak...”

“MAKOTO!!!”

He lucky trainer shot up from the wet floor and started coughing uncontrollably. Each wave of coughs that wracked his body shot water from his mouth and gave him life. He could feel immense pain all over his body and a gentle hand on his back trying to coax the water out of his lungs. His eyes were still adjusting to the light, but once they did he saw Hina’s relieved expression. “H… Hi-” Makoto struggled to say because of his throat. It was raw from all the coughing and water. He looked around and saw everyone here. Some were shocked about his revival and that he somehow survived that, others overjoyed that he was alive again. Once the coughs subsided Hina hugged him tightly while sobbing out how she had been giving him CPR for thirty minutes with no response. She was about to give up when he started coughing. This surprised him and he asked for the time.

Apparently it was Kyoko who’d been patting him on the back, and she quickly explained that they found Taka at 7:09 AM when he didn’t show up to the meeting. Then Chihiro checked the pool and saw his pokeballs bobbing in the water. They looked inside the pool and called for Hina to save him. It was currently 7:42 AM, meaning he’s been dead for over an hour. Kyoko quickly check him for any other injuries and saw all the bruises. “How did you get these?” Kyoko asked as he struggled to remember. “I-I can’t re-” Makoto said before coughing some more, the others assuring him it could wait until he recovered. Sakura rushed him to the Nurse’s office and they patched him up as best they could.

The bruises would heal in time but whatever they did to his head did a number on him. He was highly disorientated when he first woke up, which was to be expected, but after that there were some alarming symptoms of a concussion. He was always slightly dizzy, had a headache, couldn’t remember a lot of things from yesterday in general and said he was really tired. They weren’t about to let him sleep in case that made it worse. The one thing he did remember from yesterday besides his secret, which he was still coherent enough to not share, was that he saw who killed Taka. He said he saw the body and the killer’s silhouette, but everything else was a blur. Any other small details he knew were already in the Monokuma File. Speaking of which…

Kyoko walked up to his bed holding something behind her back, looking him up and down as if weighing two options. “What’s wrong Kyoko?” he asked now that his throat felt better. She quit being indecisive and passed him a Monokuma File, “I thought you might want to see this.” He was confused at first, he already saw Taka’s Monokuma File. But when he opened t he understood her hesitation. He saw himself floating in the pool limp, and all the details of his death were there like any other victim. It took him everything he had left to not panic, he’d already gotten enough pity from them today.

He was left by himself in his room for a bit after Monokuma came and banned reviving the dead with a new rule. He thought about everything and tried to piece the scattered facts inside his brain together to get a clear picture, but his headache always stopped him from getting anything done. He’d been assaulted by someone right after witnessing a crime in the making. If he ever did remember what happened he’d probably be even more messed up than before. Even after another class trial, another execution and a repeat of those events, he wouldn’t be able to get used to doing this. One thing was for sure though, he’d never be the same.

Chapter Text

As you can probably tell, this is my first and only Danganronpa fic. As such I don't have a lot of experience writing it and kind of just wung it up until now. The first class trial was decent but this other one has me writing myself into walls. I know who did it, I know how they did it, and I know what punishment I'm going with. That's it. I don't know how to present the evidence, how I should retell the events, or how to get from point A to point B in general. Part of the problem is my system has me killing off people I can't write, which means I also can't write the killer. Probably should've handled this differently.

So yeah, until I figure that out, this book is on hiatus. Sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner but I was trying during that time period of silence.

Thank you for being patient, you guys are awesome!