Identity V x Danganronpa

Chapter 89 -Trapped In Despair! Or is it?-

     Lucky Guy's P.O.V: "?"


     "So you're that desperate to know, huh?" Monokuma's voice trailed off slightly as he studied me curiously. 

     "I..." I hesitated, wondering if this was the right thing to do as I clutched the treasure box tightly in my hands, afraid that it'll disappear right before my eyes could even blink... 

     For whatever reason, I can't let Monokuma take away the only hope for us to escape... And it all comes down to the Hope gadget... 

     "Puhuhuhu, I'll trade in a deal with you," the headmaster promised to me. "If you give me that gadget in your hands, I'll promise to bring you, and only you~ You're memories back," he smiled cheerfully. "How about it?"

     . . . 

     I... I so desperately wanted to know 'who I am' that I almost reached out to shake his paws so I could end this deal... But... 


     Something stopped me...


     Taking my hands back away from him, I frowned. "It's not worth it."


     Staring at me curiously, the bear tried one last attempt. "Oh? Well~ In that case, how about you be the only one to escape with your memories back?" 

     "And leave everybody else alone just like that? Stop toying with me!" I eyed Monokuma cautiously. "You're not going to stop me, because in everybody's eyes, they'll see me as their true leader of hope!" Adding to my point, "And we'll stop you together, no matter if the traitor is still in our group, I'm sure we share the same feelings as one!"

     Monokuma sighed at my response. Having to wait for so long to tell me, he finally replied, "Is that all you have to say?" Then erupted into more laughter. "Ahahahahahaha!!!"

     What's so funny? Did I say something wrong? 

     Sensing my confusion, the door to my room opened, and I almost gasped when I saw a familiar-looking high school girl in front of me. It was her... 

     The mastermind behind this game...



  
     But what stumps me the most is that she has her eyes replaced with buttons...


  
     "Why are you here?" I demanded, watching her closing in on me. 

     "Oh, nothing too personally here," Junko smirked, crossing her arms at me. "So it appears you're not going anywhere, Lucky Guy." 

     "What?" I eyed her carefully, still clutching the box in my hands. "What do you mean?"

     Junko's appearance changed quickly into a 'cuter version', but perhaps deadly as well when she spoke, "If you're going to bring everyone back together, might as well show you your true despair, huh?"

     "What does that even mean?" I raised one of my eyebrows at her. 

     Shrugging as if that doesn't matter, she snaps her finger, and the tile floors below me disappears...


     Before I could even react to what was going on, I fell down the floors, screaming while letting go of the box as it fell down with me....

     All of a sudden, I heard her voice from afar when she softly muttered an echo when looking down at me, "This is what you get and now..." she smirks with an evil look, "It's time to open up your eyes, Lucky Guy."

 
     And the world went black. 

     I... I don't know what to say....


     How was I dead? 


     Was it really over for me? 

    
     Why... Why do I feel helpless all of a sudden? 


     Why!?


      . . . 


     Groaning in pain, I opened my eyes slowly to find myself alone in the darkness... 

     "W-where am I?" I asked myself, trying to retrace my steps... 


     And it hit me...


     Oh...


     Getting up slowly, my heart started to race when I realized I no longer have the gadget in my hands... 

     Frantically, I dug around in the darkness for it, until I heard something moving in the background... 


     "H-hello?" I softly said, wondering who was also down here with me... "Is anybody there?"

     That's when I heard someone whispering and crying, and it made me jump into thinking I was with a ghost or something like that... 

     Trying my best to stay calm, hoping that Junko didn't plan to have me dead that soon, I peeped around me slowly, and my eyes fell upon the only light shining above in the cracks of the ceiling...


     



     I gasped. "Emma?"






 
     Emma was sitting down in the corner, crying to herself, and didn't seem to hear me at all...


     "Emma!" I called over to her, and that's when she looked at me, stunned. 

     "L-Lucky Guy?" Her eyes widened as she quickly got up to walk over to me slowly. "W-what are you doing here? Did she get you too?!"

     Oh? Is she talking about Junko?

     "Yeah, she did," I replied sadly. "But anyways, how did you get down here?"

     She shrugged, shivering from the cold. "I... I don't know... One minute I was up there with my friends feeling sad... And then..." She paused before looking down at the ground. "The next minute, I was here..."

     "Oh, that sucks," I muttered to myself. Then turning away from her, I glanced around my surroundings, and tried to find a way to escape... It was hard, actually. There's nothing but piles of empty boxes and the floor seems a little wet and dirty if anybody asked me... Wonder why I didn't fall in the secret tunnel? Or has that not existed anymore?

     Good thing my body wasn't broken from the impact of the fall, but I still got a bad vibe that something was wrong... 



     Deadly wrong.



     "It's no use," Emma sighed as she cuddled herself in the corner, looking upset. "I've tried many ways to get out, but..." she rested her head on her knees. "It's hopeless," she mumbled. 

     I sighed and looked around. "There's no point in giving up just yet, Emma."

     She slowly met my eyes. "And why's that?"

     "Because," I began, but then something caught my eyes... "Oh, there it is! The Hope Gadget!"

     Looking a bit confused as to where I was looking at, her eyes followed me as I made my way over to pick up the fallen Hope Gadget from the ground. 

     "The Hope Gadget?" Emma raised her eyebrows at me with an echo. 

     I smiled softly at her. "Edgar hid this when nobody-- except Brooke, of course-- was watching."

     Emma stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. "Smart thinking of him!"
 
     I nodded. "Y-yeah," I agreed, suddenly remembering our short time together before he died. "He had helped us a lot..." 


    To save us. To spread hope for us when we know that we couldn't have hope on our side... He's really something to me... And I appreciate his help... His sacrifice... Means everything to me!


     Noticing my mind was thinking elsewhere, Emma quickly snatched the gadget in my hands for a better look. "Ooh~ Looks interesting! What can it do?"

     "Hey, be-careful with that!" I scolded her, trying to get it back, but she used her other hand to push me gently back. "Hey!"

     "What? You mean I can't take a closer look at this?" Emma frowned slightly, looking a bit sad. "I'm just as curious as you, you know."

     . . . 

     After watching her examine the gadget carefully, I was beginning to get even more worried when she fidgeted the lever... 

     "Emma," my voice almost cracked. "G-Give it back, it's not a toy." 

     She looked at me and I swear I was almost confused myself when she smirked from the darkness. 

     "Emma--"

     "Hm?" 

     "Give it back!" I reached forward to grab it back, but she dodged, and took a step back, forcing me to collide myself against the wall. 


     The gardener stared at me with an emotionless expression...