[IC] Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

[BrokenPromise]

“What's your damage?”

Jezebel sighed, but still had a smile on her face. “Geina totally didn't give me any specifics. I approached Zachary to confirm there was a shooting contest and junk.” She tipped her head. “This is so off point though, like your entire thought process.” She giggled.

INFLUENCE DAMAGE X6(?)

“Look at the monokuma file girl. Marianne totally could have been killed up to an hour before you got to Shaun. According to Ice, you were so only together for at most twenty minutes. If he was out for even ten minutes, that still gives him thirty minutes to set up after the point he stabbed her.” Jezebel's smile was so big it was squeezing her eyes shut. “Like, being Shaun's boy-toy for twenty minutes is kind of a weak alibi, weak like your ability to think.”

INFLUENCE DAMAGE X7(?)

“How did mister murderer here know she had a buzzer?” Jezebel rolled her eyes. “Gee, maybe he like, saw me hand it to her? or he totally could have asked her about it? I doubt she hid it. No need to tear the room apart.” The clown was shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Our murderer is totally a fellow trickster. It could so be their own buzzer.” She giggled. “There are as many possibilities as there are...” Jezebel sighed, her face no longer smiling. “I'm running out of things to say about you.”

INFLUENCE DAMAGE X8(?)

“And about me being the.. Wait like what!?” Jezebel's smile was replaced with a look of shock as she looked over at her hand. “W-well, I mean, like, I guess that's possible. But I'm protected by the motive notes right? If Bliss's note describes me, than the trickster note totally can't!” She was starting to shake and sweat, but her smile was returning. “And like the trickster note describes the real fake trickster! That's why they so haven't come forward yet! So I can't possibly be the killer. I-i'm not who that note's describing!”

INFLUENCE DAMAGE X9(?????)

[Temporary]

~ Scarred ~

Seconds ticked by. Probably. It could have been minutes, for all Shaun could tell. But what he did know was that he had tuned himself out. He couldn't even begin to believe what he was hearing. Him? The... killer..? No... no, no, that was wrong... she was wrong...

That was all he could think. Tears pricked at his eyes, looking at Bliss and her pained expression. What was this girl trying to do? Turn everyone against him? Who was she trying to protect by doing that? It just didn't make sense. Everyone would die if she didn't start looking at the facts properly. Because if there was one thing he knew in this trial... if there was just one thing he knew.

It was that he didn't do it.

He took a nervous, shaky breath, returning to the conversation as best as he could in time to hear Krista defending him. To that, he smiled. She really was nice... someone he could rely on, someone who believed in him. With Jezebel's unbridled assault he almost expected everyone to gang up on him instead. To be pleasantly surprised within the Killing Game was truly special indeed.

"Y-you're... wrong, Jezebel." he stated, starting off quietly in anxiousness but growing louder to support his point; no way was he going to let someone slander his name into submission, "If I u-used a voice changer to tr-trick Alice Parker, w-we would have f-found it if I disposed of it I-in my room, or M-Marianne's. I-if you're right..." he started turning out his trouser pockets, one by one, "Th-then I should have one o-on me, right?"

With each pocket he emptied, nothing came out. Shaun made a slow, full 360 degree turn to show every pocket, inside out, with nothing present. Once again facing the Infinites, he took a shallow breath, clearly terrified of his next move. But he couldn't turn back now; he had to prove his innocence.

And so he gripped his scarf, and pulled in loose from around his neck, and let it rest on the podium in front of him, a small red puncture wound on the right of his neck becoming visible as he did so. Then he took the bottom of his jumper, and pulled it up over his head, revealing a dull blue shirt underneath. He screwed it up in a ball, and displayed it clearly for everyone to see that it was empty.

As he did, something else became evident.
"I-I don't have a voice ch-changer... or a wallet." his left arm was covered, from wrist to shoulder, in cut and burn scars of varying lengths, that he tried his best to cover up but failed to, "S-so... I'm not the killer..!" he exclaimed, as loudly as he could, before closing his eyes tightly to recover his nerves, visibly shaking from the stress.

[addamas]

---

Felix was watching the debate that jezebel started closely. It had already turned into a battle of rebuttals between her and Krista, but despite Jezebel’s less than praiseworthy statements that Krista cut through easily, her use of personal attacks probably had more of an unconscious effect on Krista then she let on to. Glancing between the two of them, Felix couldn’t help but feel the urge to support Krista, even more so because she tried to counter everything without even getting violent, despite Jezebel’s obviously provoking words.

But with each argument that Jezebel presented, Felix noticed something; Jezebel was presenting theories, arguments, and even evidence that were previously not even remotely on the table. More and more, it was looking like Jezebel knew more than she let on previously, but the thing that pushed Felix over the line, was the voice changer. That piece of evidence, which Jezebel even knew the precise name of, was not something that he could possibly overlook, even if Felix desperately wanted to believe otherwise.

“Hey Jez? I know you’re trying your hardest to paint Shaun as the blackened but…you haven’t given us any solid evidence yet. All I’m hearing is theories, claims, and insults. Shaun showed you that he has neither a wallet, nor a voice changer, but…you knew about the arrows, you knew about the buzzer, you could’ve heard that Shaun was meeting Marianne, and you have a voice changer. Even now, you’re shaking and sweating, having trouble to find the right words.

And have you even thought about the fact that we could be wrong about which notes refer to whom? And wasn’t it you who first agreed with Cyrus about whose notes refer to who, and then quickly swiping it under the rug? Besides, we don’t even know if the trickster is the blackened. Now I’m not one to accuse people, but you have to admit that this is all looking pretty suspicious.”

[Melo]

The sound of breaking glass sent a chill through the air. A soft laughter resounded through the court.

”Your logic is a joke,you bone-headed assclown!”

From across the courtroom, a seething Cyrus stared Jezebel. His glasses were in pieces on the courtroom floor, his hair upright as if he had received a shock. Obviously he had enough of this back-and-forth between her and Krista. ”Do you think this trial is a joke? Do you think this is fucking funny? If so, perhaps you should look for another occupation, you tool!” He spat. ”Have they ever told you that assumptions make an ass out of you and me? Well here they make you DEAD. DEAD TEN TIMES OVER, YOU DIMWITTED FOOL. Got that? Now stop protecting your cuckoid boy toy and listen, perhaps you’ll learn something of listening to your betters.” He grinned like the devil.

”So, now that I’ve gotten your meagre attention-span. Good job, you proved the possibility Shaun could’ve knocked himself out, congratulations.” He clapped mockingly. ”Of course, you have no proof this is actually the case. And anybody who knew Shaun and Marianne were meeting in his room could’ve devised to steal his handbook. Same logic as you used with the buzzer, feels bad, huh? Would be nice if everyone just knew EVERYTHING AROUND HERE. However, we actually know Shaun and Marianne discussed this in public UNLIKE YOUR STUPID BUZZER, oops. Very convenient that you left that out.” He snarled, not giving her any room to respond to his words yet.

”So, remember what I told you about assumptions? Just checking it’s still in that peabrain of yours. Because honestly, must I remind you this is the SECOND SECRET WE KNOW OF THAT THE CARNAGE SISTERS TOLD US IN LESS THAN A WEEK!?” He laughed out loud. ”First these rustbuckets tell us there’s a traitor amongst us, then they tell us about a fifth piece of trash. And you expect us to just ASSUME they didn’t tell anyone else? That’s not obvious, THAT’S SHIT!” At least Jezebel had gotten to tell them this was indeed the case, right? Yet, Cyrus wouldn’t let her flawed logic prevail.

”Now, this is my favorite part of your retort.” He parroted Jezebel. ”The part that shows your logic is as ugly as the face you’re hiding under all that facepaint. You try so hard to show us Shaun could’ve done everything. Yet your deluded mind doesn’t even register that Krista JUST TOLD YOU SHE WAS WITH HIM THOSE TWENTY MINUTES. Let me remind you of the part of the recording you oh so conveniently skipped over.”

“But then a few minutes ago, a man came in here. He seemed on edge, but wanted to know if I had seen anything. I just told him about the wallet before handing it to him. He thanked me and walked off.” Parker paused again.

@Majoras End

Cyrus cackled like a madman.Yes, he could’ve murdered her before that, whatever. How was he supposed to get the wallet when Krista was by her side constantly? This happened SHORTLY before the investigation begun. So it couldn’t have been Shaun. Yet, if he was the murderer, the person who really found the wallet could’ve just spoken up, BECAUSE THEY ARE INNOCENT! DID YOU GET ALL THAT, YOU JOKE OF A JESTER?”

When Cyrus was done laughing, he decided to add a little insult to injury. ”I know you’re desperate for Zach’s arrow in your bullseye, but your pathetic attempt at protecting him will just kill us all. So for your own sake, I suggest you stop, because your head contains more air than the balloon animals you make.” With a last smug look on his face, the anger seemed to recede.

”…right.“ Cyrus said, obviously rather embarrassed as he grabbed a new pair of glasses that he conveniently had in his pocket. ”Luckily for us, this conversation actually did provide us with something useful.“ He looked at Jez again. ”We had no idea a voice-changing device like that existed within Axis Mundi. Now, recall what we were told. The carnage sisters told nobody but Alice Masson about Alice parker. And we know she first appeared to Shaun. As such, the only two people who knew about Alice Parker were Shaun and Alice. “ He said, though this was fairly obvious. ”Shaun was with krista, so he couldn’t have gotten the wallet. And because of this voice changer, we know voice is unreliable as a method of evidence. As such, it could’ve only been YOU…“

He pointed his finger incriminatingly with a confident smile.

Alice Masson, the infinite recon.

[Aewin]

---

Elias watched the ping pong battle of logic between the violinist and trickster- er, new trickster?- devolve into a silly insult match on Jezabel’s part. Weren’t the two girls trying to achieve the same thing? They both wanted to protect their friend, so why not look at other options. If Elias had a watch, he would’ve tch’d impatiently.

As the court began talking about the wallet, Braden hung Erica’s limp body against the podium carefully before sticking Elias out and trying to grab everybody’s attention. Braden showed everybody the inside of his trouser pockets, turning out till all that would come out was lint. “Before you start pointing at him~” Elias explained to anybody that was paying attention. “Now you may contin-”

The sound of laughter stopped Elias from continuing. It came from the absolute hottie of a politician. Elias barely had time to let out a strange moan before all hell broke loose. Gone was the calm, rational leader that was Cyrus and out came the beast. If Elias could drool, the puppet would. On the other hand, the outburst had caused… mild surprise from Braden. Mild? More like complete shock. Was this how a politician really was? Braden felt himself respect the politician less, despite agreeing with mostly everything the beast was saying.

What? It made sense. The girls were just going back and forth - Jezabel refusing to acknowledge proof and throwing out baseless theories to counter Krista’s increasingly weakening points - they wouldn’t get anywhere without a… “guiding” hand from Cyrus, no matter how unnecessary some of his jabs against the trickster and the archer’s relationship were.

“As such, it could’ve only been YOU, Alice Masson, the infinite recon.”

Alice? Well, this was just getting interesting. Braden slipped Erica back onto his empty hand before looking at the recon, who had been standing silently up until now. Cyrus’s points were reasonable, but the ventriloquist still wanted to clarify something before the hottie leads everybody away from the blackened.

“Waaaait, Mad-Eye Moody?” Elias gasped in surprise, then turned back to Cyrus, who’d thankfully returned to normal. “Oh sweetie, you’re hot but you’re also wrong. Shaun couldn’t get the wallet, yeah; but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it was her either. You say that only two people knew about Parker, but how do you know for sure? Anybody coulda followed Mad-Eye or Shaun before they met Parker~

“Sooo, it’s possible that any one of ya followed her or Shaun, found out Parker exists, then done your evil misdeeds~ Unless… somebody can prove that Alice was at the study before the body discovery~?”

[Majoraa]

---

---

"Wh-what?"

Alice didnt think the blame would be casted down to her. Sure she could be a bit rude once a while, but to kill someone that showed kindess to her? The recon would've stooped so low to shed blood of an innocent. Elias tried to defend her, but it only made Alice more suspicous.

"I was in the study before the body discovery...but I didn't kill Marianne! I swear!" Alice said, trying to reasure the other infinites. "From what Parker had said, I would've been there after the supposed trickster had gotten their wallet back also. But then again, maybe Eilas is right, I could have been followed to the vault." she explained.

"And I'm not the old trickster either! I didn't have a voice changer with me when I arrived, and I still don't, see?" Alice emptied out her pockets, a pocketwatch and her handbook being placed on her podium as she turned her jacket pockets inside out. "I wouldn't concider stealing one from Jez either, she's too nice..."

'Still, something isnt right.' Alice thought, before taking a quick breath to calm herself down.

"But what if what she said wasn't true? Maybe the original trickster isn't the killer?" Alice asked the court.

[BrokenPromise]

Jezebel wiggled her nose and folded her arms. Clearly miffed about the recent turn of events. “I mean like, a few minutes could totally be any length of time. But sure, whatever!” She turned her head away from Cyrus. “Not being mislabeled as the blackened is tre cool too.”

“Oh, I'm not so sure Alice Masson is the blackened here.” Came the unusually calm voice of Ice. While typically anyone getting angry put the blood donor on edge. But even as Cyrus's rage came and went, he didn't budge an inch. “I could simply bring up that Alice could have kept her pie hole shut and remained safe. She actively chose to interrogate Parker in order to give us this clue. If Masson simply kept it to herself, there would be nothing tying her to this crime, and she'd get away scott free.” Ice started to pull the bandages off from around his head. "But you're about facts, so I'll indulge you. Alice Masson was with Mercy nearly the entire time after Shaun's body was found. They seem to be quite fond of each other, don't they? Alice even let Mercy hold her note. I can attest to them being together, because I was with them for the most part. I'm sure you could just ask Mercy too.

“Hah!” Jezebel pointed at Cyrus “Like, I guess only politicians can make ASSumptions! You're totally for the democratic party!” Jezebel winked at Krista.

INFLUENCE DAMAGE X10(Please get a new joke Sassabel, this one is getting old. Also, the real number is closer to 7-8)

But I'm more speaking up for when the three of us weren't all together. This includes when I entered the study alone to search for Shaun's handbook. Imagine my surprise when there was a carnage sister hiding on the other side of the door.” Ice reached into his coat. He pulled out a small leather wallet and turned it over in his hand. Ice looked like a child admiring an unusually big piece of candy. “I suppose I can't fault you for thinking that the one who found the wallet and the one who ditched the wallet were the same person. It would have been a lot nicer for me if I didn't have to explain what this wallet was. But it contains some nasty secrets about the trickster, which tie into me as well. Things like our time working for opposing mafia, like all of his fake IDs. They must have known the fire would have never burned this up.” Ice dropped the wallet on his podium and looked outward, not really making eye contact with anyone. “But I am prepared to spill my secrets if it means we all live. With this, and the work everyone put in, there is only one person who could possibly be the blackened.” He folded his arms. “So let's quickly review our most important discoveries. The original trickster described in the motive note is guilty, as they did not step forward to reveal themselves. That is because they feel their identity is more precious than everyone's life. The only ones not covered in the motive notes are Shaun, Zachary, and Jezabel. Bliss's note could describe either Jezebel or Shaun, but that's not important. ” the blood donor moved his arms to his sides. “Because only Shaun and Alice knew about Parker prior to the murderer. The wallet did present a nice alibi for him, but as we can see now, I was just hoping to get through the trial without needing to reveal I had it. ” He tapped the wallet “With any alibis for the search being rendered completely pointless, only one person could have both thrown the wallet and be the trickster on those silly motive notes.” Ice turned to look at Shaun. “Isn't that right, Shaun? Or should I say, Erin Steele?”

[Aewin]

---

Krista’s second rebuttal against Jezabel did nothing to stop the trickster from trying to argue Krista’s points with assumptions and theories, with even more personal attacks against her. Despite knowing that there were faults, Krista couldn’t put it to words. Her mouth grew dry and no sound seemed to want to escape her lips. ‘Why are you doing this?’ They both wanted to protect their friends, but why was Jezabel so forceful that it was Shaun?

Shaun finally spoke up for himself, and Krista shot him a big smile for support. The poor boy was shaking as he emptied his pockets and revealed his shirt beneath the large jumper and scarf he hides under, the scars along his left arm visible to everybody around him. Both Felix and Cyrus supported Krista by calling out the flaws in Jezabel’s argument but the emergence of Cyrus (mentally dubbed as Ragerus) absolutely terrified the violinist, fearing that after wrong thing she’d suggest during the trial, or otherwise, would trigger the assault of words against her. Ragerus made Jezabel taste her own medicine, and Krista felt slight guilt seeing Jezabel look miffed and actually stop derailing the topic… only because Cyrus accused someone Krista would have never guessed: Alice Masson.

Alice deftly avoided the subject, but showed she carried nothing but a pocket watch and a handbook - Krista held back her question as to why she’d give away her note like that when she clearly had a pocket in her jacket, but her attention was stolen by Ice calmly interjecting his own take on the case.

...By revealing himself to be the wallet retriever.

“Wait!” Krista called out desperately, gripping the podium tightly whilst staring at Ice. She had to ignore Jezabel’s taunt… this was just too important... “Show us the contents of the wallet first! We… we can’t just take your word for it! You mentioned fake IDs, right? How would you be able to pin these IDs to Shaun? You’re asking us to trust what you’ve found without giving us any proof!” She looked at Shaun then Ice, her body shaking from adrenaline.

There were too many things to take in, Krista could feel her head starting to hurt. She was supposed to be helping Shaun damn it… why was this getting worse and worse? Was she making a mistake trying to help him? Did she wrongly assume Shaun was innocent? Going by what Ice was saying… it felt so easy to just turn back on Shaun and accuse him of being the trickster; everything seemed too perfect.

“You say that it’s Shaun because he could be the only one to throw that wallet and be the person refered to in the trickster notes, right? But what if we’re going about this the wrong way? What if Cyrus made a mistake with the notes?” She then scratched her chin, thinking hard for more suggestions. “O-or, as Alice said! She could’ve been followed into the vault too! Or Shaun! You found the vault without Shaun or Alice’s help right? Wouldn’t anyone else be able to do such a thing too? They could know about the vault and throw their wallet there, thinking it would be safe because they thought nobody else had found the vault yet!”

[addamas]

---

Max was impressed by everyone yet again; they were effortlessly countering Jezebel’s pathetic words. Although when Shaun emptied his pockets, Max noticed burn scars on his left arm. The poor boy looked like a total mess, but even he was valiantly fighting for justice. But soon after Felix spoke his mind, Cyrus turned into a malicious creature intent on completely decimating Jezebel. It was a profane and out of line display of the otherwise respectful politician. Now Max had to admit that he had been getting quite hostile towards jezebel himself, but Cyrus was simply out of control; Max was going to have to talk to him after the trial.

But then, when Ice pulled the wallet out of his pocket and announced some very distressing news, neither Max nor Felix could hide their surprise. This piece of evidence had been sorely missing, and the fact that Ice had waited this long to present it annoyed Max. No matter how much you want to hide your secrets, it is never worth keeping more than your life. What would’ve happened if they had voted for the wrong person and got everyone killed simply because ice thought that the wallet held less importance to the trial then to him; it was unacceptable.

Even now, Ice still hasn’t shown us the wallet. He’s doing the same thing that Jezebel got roasted for just a second ago (which she apparently doesn’t even mind). All Ice was doing, was presenting claims and statements like the fact that he used to be part of some mob, and that Shaun is apparently not Shaun at all, But rather Erin Steele the trickster, part of a mafia gang that opposed Ice.

“Hey hold on second, I think Krista may be right.” Felix pointed towards Shaun’s left arm before continuing. “When Shaun exposed his left arm, didn’t you all see the burn marks on his skin? They looked pretty dark to me. And remember which note I got? ‘Their flesh is a bit dark’. At first we all thought that it belonged to Marianne because of her tanned skin. But now that I think about it, using the word flesh seems oddly specific compared to tan or skin. Wouldn’t it be possible that my note actually refers to Shaun?”

As soon as Felix spoke those words, they resonated with Max as well, so he decided to add onto them.

“Indeed, that sounds very plausible. And if the trickster note doesn’t refer to him, then he most likely isn’t the trickster.” Max placed his hands in his pockets before facing ice. “And you know what else is weird about this? The person who threw the wallet already had it in his possession. But who would have a wallet containing your secret and info regarding the trickster, other than the trickster...or you?”

[AimeChambers]

Ice casually turned towards Max, and his entire aura seemed to change. Everyone could feel a murderous energy waif off of him and fill the court. They were no longer in the presence of the blood donor. “Put a yam in your snout, you bloated pig.” Ice was just as calm as before, but his words bit with the might of some nocturnal creature. “You just got done chewing someone out for making a claim based on theories instead of facts. Maybe it does, but why not just suggest that the burnt note detailed Shaun? We don't know. The possibility of him not being the trickster does not remove the possibility of him actually being one." Jezebel was about to add something smart, but a single glance from Ice made her reconsider. With the hecklers taken care of, Ice turned to face Krista. She was small in stature by nature, but she felt totally dwarfed by the mobster leaning over her. She felt like a skyscraper was about to tumble on top of her. Discovering Parker isn't that simple. Even I'm surprised I found her. She only revealed herself to me because I tried knocking on the door of the vault. I suspect Shaun and Alice Masson did the same thing.”

“She also tends to become active after a body discovery announcement. Otherwise, yes. She's as shy as a bear-naked nun.” Monokuma nodded to himself.

”She then asked me to stand in front of the opening, which I didn't. That is most likely why she didn't see me, otherwise I'm sure she would have described me to Masson. Ice placed his hands on the side of Krista's podium, looking her directly in the eyes. "I could give a lengthy description of why your suggestions aren't possible, but there's too much speculation from everyone already. I think it would be a lot easier if I just opened the wallet." Ice took a deep breath and exhaled. Krista couldn't help but feel like she was laying prone before a dragon. "Now I'm going to take you somewhere..." He open up the wallet and pulled out a few crumpled bills and change. He dropped them on krista's podium. A few of the coins rolled off onto the court floor. “You're living in a world where friendship makes you right. Where the harder you argue, the greater the chance is that your words become truth...” Ice pulled a drivers license that belonged to a "Paris Wooden" and placed it on the platform in front of her. “You're living in a world where the best intentions are justly rewarded...” Next to come out was a credit card for "Riley Suthers." The people looked somewhat smiler to one another. In fact, they looked a bit like someone who was standing in the court with them right now. “...Allow me to introduce you to reality.” The last card to be pulled out of the wallet was a student ID for...

Shaun Ellen.

“I suppose you're going to suspect I have a card machine now? Or that I stole Noel's camera and booted up photoshop to make this? Maybe after knocking him out, I tossed his wallet into a time machine so that the wallet could arrive in Parker's hands before the attack? What will it take to make you realize it's him?” Ice growled, his teeth grinding together with every more outlandish idea. “Erin Steele is not the same type of trickster Jezebel is. He manipulates your emotions. You may think he's some cute little innocent sap that needs protecting, but that's a ruse created by a viper. He's an expert forger who can become anyone he wants. Your best friend, your worst enemy, anyone.”His knuckles turned white as he clenched Krista's podium. A dive light activated over Ice. While initially startled, he vaulted over the side of his podium, leaving the wallet and its contents in front of Krista, not even bothering to glance back at her. “I suppose I'm a heinous monster too. Look around you, between him and me, who looks more like sharp-toothed snake out for blood? Marianne certainly knows how sharp those teeth are." No one might have noticed, but a look with a mixture of sadness and horrified disgust slipped over his face for not but a moment before he met the eyes of everyone again.

"But I wasn't always one. For the longest time, I was content to sell my blood to pay off the debt my parents owed the mafia. My parents never gave an ass rocket about me or my younger brothers and sisters. My older sister couldn't take the responsibility and bailed. It wasn't too long after that my parents hauled ass too. That worked until I drained myself out a little too thin and passed out.” He stopped walking once he got to the center of the court. His hands dwelled over his pockets, but he wouldn't stick his hands inside. “While I was unconscious, they sold off my siblings, I don't know what hell they were sent to and I still haven't found them. When I couldn't find the younguns, I went looking for Jeremy, my younger brother who would look after the others when I couldn't, the one that I felt the most guilty about. Well..." His hands ripped at his tie, loosening it even more, it seemed to be a bad habit, like he needed more air when there was nothing in the way of his air pipe. He was shaking ever so slightly. "I found him, or what was left. You see, the mafia need supplies for the black market and butchering Jeremy for his organs seemed like their best insurance for a measly fucking poker game."

He took a moment, with all eyes on him, before he stopped shaking. A hand came up to brush back his hair and tighten his tie ever so slightly and his face went slack. "This angered me.” After he seemed satisfied with his half-assed tie job, he folded his arms. “So I joined the rival mob, if you can't bash their abhorrid blood skulls in on your own, then join up with the opposing team, right? They taught me how to fight, had me do some work for them. I don't think I did anything too unsavory, well... Nothing mortally wounding. I just participated in some of their mob wars. In particular, the one against the mob Erin Steele was a part of. The one who had let my family rot in blood, violence, and gore. He was the only one who got away.” Ice pointed at Shaun. “But today you're going to face justice, Erin Steele. You are going to pay for every soul you ever hurt. Every child's cry, and for the my brother's torn out heart.”

[FamishedPants]

Zachary Ackerson

"Nobody calls me cuck!"

---

So... things happened. Lots of things happened, actually. At this point, Zachary was relatively sure this kind of situation was simply impossible for a person to just understand and be able to follow properly. He'd gone from a painful guilt, to determination, to simply incapable of comprehending the situation, to finally being irritated that this damned case wouldn't let him just stay emotionally stable like he was used to. On top of this, he was being personally attacked and even Jez had kinda cut him off. He wasn't made of patience. He had ground his teeth until they might as well have been dust, and finally, he snapped.

His mostly-pleasant public face had worn off, which would become quite apparent the moment he began speaking.

"Wait, can we fucking pause for half a second so I can catch up here?" the enraged archer begged. "I know I haven't exactly made this case flow smoothly myself, but where in the fuck did this whole scene come from? Mafia? We've got some kind of rival gang fight going on in this death 'game' we're already part of? What the actual fuck? I'm half-expecting Ashton Kutcher to fly out of the shadows and tell me I've been pranked or something."

Zachary exhaled rather audibly, taking a deep breath in after he did so. He then continued. "Let me go ahead and explain my earlier actions since I am not confident in this whole mafia deal being the last "twist" of this case." not allowing anybody to deny him this, he began his rant/explanation. "This clown fiesta actually makes me feel like a complete idiot for taking this case so seriously. I had been stressed out because I had realized rather early on that I had absolutely no real alibi, and that my earlier mistake had caused Marianne to die. I admit it. I panicked and then I lied about the arrows being in my room and nowhere else." Zachary rubbed his temple as if he'd a pounding headache from all of this. Another exhale and inhale later, he once again continued. "Since that whole ordeal made me realize that the sisters are pretty fucking scary when they have a gun trained on you, ready to kill, I figured I would get used to the arrows Calvin made just in case anything like that happened again. Who knows, maybe I could actually do something. I'm sorry I've never been trapped in a place like this with killer robots before. Anyways, I went ahead practiced in the dojo and had accidentally forgotten them a day ago, probably due to the fact I haven't been able to sleep soundly since I got here, but I won't use that as an excuse since it had given the killer a weapon to murder with. And, of course, it seems like they used it. I'm not going to bother elaborating on my own past because we've had enough of that for one trial and it's irrelevant, but let me tell you this: I REALLY loathe the idea of taking another life. I'd honestly probably rather die than to take an innocent life."

He hadn't stopped there, only pausing to let loose a rather sorrowful sigh, but he perked right back up again and resumed with just as much vigor as before.

"The important part of that part is that you guys understand that I had been rather emotionally compromised at the start of all of this, and I made some stupid fucking decisions. I'm sorry. Or I was. But yeah, now I really am not sure if I even should be. This all just seems like some big joke. After all, we're not acting like somebody just died and that we could be next. We're almost resorting to ad hominem, Jezebel and Cyrus are both so busy dropping verbal nukes on each other to the point where I'm worried that World War 3 is beginning, the atmosphere is crippled, and if it weren't for the fact I'd seen her body from so close, I probably wouldn't be surprised if Marianne showed up alongside Kutcher."

With a tightly-clenched fist and closed eyes, Zachary exhaled for the final time as he finally seemed to have calmed down. "I am just... done. I understand my rant just now did nothing productive to the case, but at least now hopefully you guys will take me seriously when I say that the next person who throws a wild revelation out here on the court is going to get my vote out of mere spite. I am quite literally done with this entire situation. I don't want to be here anymore what with cops questioning my manhood and politicians calling me a cuck, which is an irony I can't exactly appreciate. Let's just get things over with."

An angry, tired look on his face, Zachary glared at Shaun. "Well? Out with it. Defend yourself or have a breakdown, let's move things along."

[Temporary]

Oh, hello. Can I tell you a story? It's the story of a boy. He wasn't very old, at least not when his parents died. A car accident, apparently. When he was young it didn't make sense, but as he grew up it almost seemed cliche - the kind of thing you'd see in a movie. When the Calamity struck and the world burnt, he got as far away as possible, and in a stroke of luck he never found himself exposed to the despair of it all.

However, it wasn't hard to imagine. People were an oddity, that much he could determine. The Calamity, from what he could tell, did nought but strengthen the natural malice that lived inside people. Even though hope had seemingly been restored, he couldn't feel it - not for humanity. Though people were supposed to be kinder, more friendly, and generally better after crawling out of the cesspit of despair they found themselves in, they never seemed to fit to that trend. It didn't make sense.

He reasoned, in his sadness and loneliness, that no hope could remove that burning desire for destruction and despair within people. It festered inside them - a vile culmination of negativity he so longed to see the last of. If life was so innately abhorrent, for what reason did he serve it? - for what reason did any of them serve it. It wasn't the first time he thought about doing something about it. But in a final fit, and the subsequent loss of reason, he chose it would be the last.

To take your own life, it was a concept he never thought he could grasp, but with one seconds judgement he steeled a resolve self destructive and dishonourable, only to wake up in hospital mere days later. Only barely saved he questioned his decision. Was he wrong, was he stupid? No doubt his parents looked on him from above with refined disdain. But it made him wonder. In a world so quintessentially wrong, did good make a difference? In his heart he wanted to say yes, but in his head he told himself no. Naivety got nobody anywhere.

The Infinity Initiative, however, changed his mind. An organisation cultivating talent as they found it, with the belief anyone could achieve anything. That was something he wanted to be apart of, and in his dissatisfaction with life, and a failure in death, to strive further was all he had left. So he searched for his aptitude in the hopes of garnering the attention of the Initiative, leading him down the path of Web Development. In his time evaluating how people acted, and judging their failings, he found himself adept at tailoring his service to the exact tastes of clients, even without specific instructions.

It didn't take long to be recognised as an Infinite. He spent his time building up notoriety, creating websites for high profile clients, such as the Infinite Streamer Mary Hanson, or large companies around the world. With the money he acquired he donated to charities intent on helping the impoverished, even claimed to have found a girlfriend during his time in New York. Though his shyness never truly left him, he felt a confidence during those times so distinct and profound, he felt as though he could do anything - fly high, achieve greatness, and become somebody void of the malice he so hated.

~

From behind the podium, beset on all sides with Infinites of varying talents, sanities, moralities and beliefs, the Infinite Web Developer stood dumbfounded. Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched Ice's veritable avalanche of information, and in the face of it Shaun felt overwhelmed. His body slumped, and his head dropped, feeling the eyes of the other Infinites burrowing into his skull, scorching his very soul with their accusations and insults.

What happened..? Just when things were going so well. He was happy, so close to becoming the person he so wanted to be, free of the sludge and miasma of negativity so alive within the walls of mankind. Why..? How was this even possible? How could things have gone so wrong in such a short span of time. in his peripheral vision, he scanned his so called friends; the pain on Krista and Bliss and Mary's faces, the contempt of Ice, the sneer of Jez, the distaste of Zach. So much pain, so much frustration, built up in one place...

But there was just no way... He wasn't... He wasn't the Blackened... He could never... K-kill someone...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...

---

---

_BGM

"Ha..."

A light chuckle echoed through the trial grounds. With all eyes focused on one place, intently staring in unison, it was clear from where the sound originated. In accordance with it, the body of its maker gyrated, up and down, vibrating, almost, in rhythm with the disturbing laugh. It didn't contain joy, nor sadness, nor sorrow.

Shaun's hair fell over his face as he continued to look downwards, fixed on the ground below his podium, trance-like. Slowly, the sound of his laughter faded, and as it did he placed a hand over his face. It drew itself up his countenance, gradually attaining speed as it did so, until it pushed his hair back onto the top of his head, and similarly dragged his head upwards along with it.

The expression that looked back at Ice was impossibly different. In the second it took him to lock eyes with the Infinite, it became clear just what filled his laughter. Insanity. His gaze betrayed a swirl of torment, malice, and evil, a tempest of cruelty that multiplied like a cancer within his retinas. The deep blue they once swam seemed dulled, almost, and mixed with grey as they flicked across the court room, slowly taking in the faces of the "friends" he had surrounded himself with.

This wasn't Shaun Ellen, the Infinite Web Designer, the timid and shy student, innocent as the day he was born, and a manifestation of the purity in both youth and naivety.

"Isaiah Matthews..." this was Erin Steele, the Infinite Trickster, "Now there's a face I never thought I'd see again. Almost didn't recognise you under all those bandages." in response to his own comments, the side of his mouth turned up into a smirk. His back straightened, and his head lowered into a glare. With every word his lips dripped confidence and venom, not of hate but of cruelty incarnate.

The smirk curved until it stained his cheeks in a grin, that stretched to both sides of his mouth, and his hand bent ninety degrees over his stomach.
"Erin Steele, the Infinite Trickster," he leant forward in a bow, his left arm outstretching behind him as he went, before he rose back up and slipped both hands into his pockets, "Such a pleasure that you could all come to tonight's performance."

At the stunned silence of his audience, Erin grin twitched slightly.
"What a noble cause. Right? Joining a group of killers to save your family. But awwww, diddums, did we hurt your little brother~? And you haven't even found your other siblings! - well that's just too bad, do you want a gold star for your efforts~?" he quipped, sneering over the court, "Ooooh, I can just taste the way you wanna rip me apart, you animal - better buy me dinner first, we'll need the energy~" he giggled to himself, and brushed his hair back with one hand, "Well there you go, you got me, Onii-chan, your little rabbit who fled when his gang was killed~! I'm the one who disposed of the wallet, although I do have to say, Alice Parker is such a two timing bitch." he glanced over to Monokuma, "I'm surprised you got to the point of engagement with her, Davis~" he turned back to the group, giving them no chance to speak, "But how, little gang member, do you plan on proving my guilt~? Why, I've got the puncture wound, my alibi with you, Zachy-wacky here cant even prove that the arrows ever left his room, and I have all of these self harm scars to prove just how sensitive I am~!" and then...

"I-I... I'd n-never... k-kill..." almost as though the switch was momentary, and the personality transient, Shaun seemed to return, his eyes filling with colour again, "Wh-why... w-would I want to e-escape..?" a tear rolled down his cheek, followed by another, until they streamed forth from his eyelids, "M-my parents are d-dead, I-I... hate... m-my life outside of m-making websites... e-even fabricated m-my own g-girlfriend just to st-stop people bullying m-me... th-this is the only pl-place I-I've ever had tr-true friends..."

His face flicked to Krista, his expression filled with desperation.
"Pl-please..! T-tell them I didn't d-do it! I-I didn't k-k-kill anyone..!"

[Mateotis]

---

Alice Parker: Killgood's fifth daughter, unloved, name changed to A, wants to be free
Every executed blackened brings her closer to release; we should be at three
Three, the third—is it Shaun? Jezebel thinks so
She presents fast arguments until Krista stops her
She retorts with upright zeal, defending the boy
And so a battle of wits erupts! Quite a stir
Puns and insults, impulse with few results!
As it goes back and forth with force
And then When a voice of reason strikes like yellow lightning!
—red rage consumes it, yelling and fighting
Back! As the accusing eyes fall upon the sharp eyes
Of the recon who vehemently denies
Isaiah! He holds out the key to our salvation!
Ah! But what is this murderous intention?
That I spy in his gaze, this predation?
No consideration, only acceleration
Revelation of secrets, provocation!
Who is he really? Who is Shaun?
What is this flow of accusation?
Such a hopeless situation...
_{(After this I might need cardiopulmonary resuscitation!)}

“...Zachary, I share your desperation!”

Erin Steele...it is true!
The mask falls, the façade is through...
Madness! Madness!
No one is who they seem!
Who can one trust when the dust—
—is cleared?

“Who...?”

[ThatCharacter]

It was almost if Zach had asked for it. Erin Steele introduced himself to the room. Calvin had his time to process. He had had his time to tread water and try to keep his head afloat. He realized quickly that that time had passed. The boy who had just moments ago reminded Calvin so much of his sister seemed to transform completely. Calvin listened attentively, feeling his heartbeat ring against his temples. But it wasn’t until he saw the trickster, assuming the guise of Shaun once more turn to Krista that he finally spoke.

"Pl-please..! T-tell them I didn't d-do it! I-I didn't k-k-kill anyone..!"

“Stay the fuck away from her!” Calvin's voice rang like a hammer like an anvil. Before he could utter another word-

Ice's outstretched finger faltered at the sound of Shaun's laughter. It was faint, but the sound sent shivers down his spine as the laugh triggered memories from the not-so-distant past. The metallic smell of blood filled his nose and he could hear his blood pound along with his heartbeat. The eyes that came to lock with Ice's own were not the same as the fearful teenager's, but of pure insanity that almost seemed as though it couldn't be contained in one look. Ice initially took a step back, because while he had believed Shaun to be his former rival, he didn't expect quite a transformation. After a moment, Ice met his opponent's gaze with his own vengeful glare, this was not the time to appear weak, to appear betrayed... Not only did he hate the boy standing in front of him, he also hated himself for having not seen the signs before this.

As Shaun's eyes finally glanced away from Ice, the blood donor let out the most silent of sighs, not wanting to attract any attention to his inner turmoil. And there it was, that bloody, godforsaken smirk that covered every single one of those mobsters' faces as they retold the news of Jeremy's death. Over and over and over and over and-

Bile rose in Ice's throat as he heard of his family from that devil incarnate's mouth. Ice's hands flew to wrap around his arms, visibly shaking, his fingers digging into the skin through his white shirt and blood trickling down his bandaged covered arms. The metallic smell grew stronger and stronger, Ice didn't even notice he had a nosebleed until he tasted the crimson fluid on his upper lip.

The last Infinite Trickster's words fell on deaf ears as all he heard was the blood boiling in his hands, his arms, his chest, and his brain. Some kind of transformation had occurred with the boy, but it blew over the blood donor's head.

He would be ripped apart, piece by piece, bite by bite. Torn in two, bashed in with a bat covered with nails, shish-kabobbed on a searing hot skewer, hung up on a noose of chains.

While Shaun cried out for help with his sappy shtick, Ice reached down to the bottom of his pant leg and unhooked something. He pushed it up to grab at the barely visible chain at his waistband to hold onto a length of chain. In his hand, he held a shiv that he had attached to the end of the chain weapon Calvin had designed for him. With the sound of Calvin's threat, he bolted forward towards Erin's podium.

“Oh. Shit.” The words seemed to fall out of Calvin’s mouth without much thought, and his legs went with them. Ice had gotten a headstart, but Calvin was closer to Erin, and as he ran he looked up to see a light shining down on him. No rules had been broken, but if the look in Ice’s eyes left any question, the elaborate chain weapon left no doubt. Still running, Calvin’s mind repeated the rules over and over.

20. Violence against a fellow patient is not tolerated in the court of carnage.

He said a silent prayer as he planted himself directly in the Thug’s path. “You can’t do this! Not here!” He yelled, his voice shaking slightly. He looked up once more, confirming there was still a light on him. Ice did not pause for a moment, and Calvin’s eyes were drawn to the blade in his hand. He almost felt the light pulling him back to his podium, where he could watch this all play out and be free from whatever was to come. He stood firm. “He’ll fucking kill-“ He was cut off by a rough shove. There was no malice in it, only efficiency, but it came with surprising strength that left him reeling.

Pure adrenaline ran through Calvin’s veins. Some deep part of him felt like laughing as he careened backwards, his arms flailing as he tried to catch his balance. His mind was telling him to straighten up and find his footing, but his body seemed to have other ideas. Throwing himself even further off-sway, he stuck a leg out as he fell. He was rewarded with a dull ache as his foot caught Ice’s leg, and a fire burned brightly within him.

The man who could finally fulfill his vengeful quest with his death was right in front of him. Even if in reality, Ice couldn't see him with Calvin's body in the way, only the image of Erin's smug smirk was in his mind. Death, gore, destruction played out in his mind. Some kind of body was in his way, that only the mute logical side of his brain processed as Calvin. Ice's blood still pounded in his ears loud enough to drown out the metalsmith and he expertly gave enough strength to shove the other man out of the way, only with one goal in mind.

The obstacle should have been dealt with, no, it had been. Yet something hit the only spot that Ice didn't have a strong grip on, his leg. The fear of falling slipped over the front of his brain like an alarm message and Ice started to fall over. Acting on instinct, he caught himself with his left hand and knee. While the knee was fine with the impact, there was an unpleasant sound as his chain covered hand met with the hard floor. Nerve pain sped up his arm and blood drained even more quickly from his hand, pooling as he was temporarily stagnant.

The fire was immediately snuffed out as he heard a loud thud as the back of his skull connected with the ground. His vision swam for a moment as he looked up, but as he turned his head to the side, he saw Ice on one knee. Not good enough. He thought as he saw Ice beginning to rise back up, his eyes never leaving the former Infinite Trickster.

On hands and knees, Calvin threw himself at the bleeding man, feeling the world sway dangerously as he did so. He felt a burning sensation in his side as Ice tried to push him away, the shiv lightly grazing against his skin, and nearly yelled in pain, but remembered his objective and sucked in a deep breath. Gritting his teeth, he hooked one arm Ice’s neck while the other fought for the shiv.

He had already lost the element of surprised, being slowed down so much. He had to be quick, he had to move forward! Ice started to get up, only for something to block him again. Warm restraints wrapped around his body, something he hadn't felt in a long time. Ice had been restrained by the mobsters before, but not to protect him, but to beat him even more bloody. These arms were strong, but were meant to protect, not hurt.

Despite Ice’s struggles, Calvin managed to clutch on, though he could feel himself slipping. His head ached the pain in his side from the slight cut was searing. He looked down to it, and though he couldn’t really see it given the blood that had gotten on him as a result of his struggle with the sanguine infinite. He felt despair rise up in his heart, but a fire within him consumed it before it could plant itself. “I’m not letting someone else die because of a shitty bear! We need you alive, Ice!”

A sound slipped into his head, the yelling of some brat he had gotten into a petty fight with the first time they had met. This was the one trying to stop him. But why? Why get in his way? Why stop him from avenging his younger brothers and sisters?! This was the man who had dragged Ice through hell, had ridden him through the fires of condemned souls and made him commit enough crimes to join them one day. Why would someone try to stop him?

20. Violence against a fellow patient is not tolerated in the court of carnage.

Logic was making his head bang with survival percentages. If he were to kill Erin now, he would die, and the rest of the Infinites here would probably die along with them. Could he come to terms with dragging them all into hell with him to accomplish his life's goal?

"Bro!"

Pain reiled in his head, and he hesitated for a moment.

"Brother really, you don't have to do that, I'll do it! You have to feel dizzy after going to 'work' right? Abby's already done the dishes so come sit down. I've thought up a new bedtime story for the twins too! Do you want to hear it first so I can revise it later? Your opinion is the most important!"

His eyes swam, something clearer than blood slipped down his face and if he could still use his taste buds, it would have tasted salty.

"I don't care if these hoodlums are your blood brothers. If you give me what I want, the pain stops, easy right? Now tell me what I want and don't patronize me like your friends did!"

Images swirled in his head, Jeremy setting the table for dinner, Abigail giving him a goodnight peck on the check, rain falling down as blood spilled into the alleyway, someone screaming as they saw Ice lying there in a pool of blood that wasn't his.

Ice had stopped struggling, his body shaking as the shiv clanked down on the ground. Ice's eyes bore into his stinging hand with the chain wrapped around his knuckles. Why did he have to care... if it hurt so much? He looked up to meet Calvin's eyes with his own, a mixture of sadness, helplessness, worthlessness, guilt, regret, and sorrow. After a moment, he couldn't bare to look into the other male's eyes anymore, "Is... your head okay?" He whispered.

All of the tension seemed to fade out of Ice's body, and Calvin felt a deep calm wash over him. He looked directly in the man's eyes, then down to pool of blood the two were kneeling in. He shook his head lightly. "It'll be fine." He muttered, though the dull ache said he would feel it for quite some time. He got up shakily, and offered a hand to Ice. After he helped him up, he looked to the group. "Somebody finish this."

[Aewin]

^{A lot of thought and barely any action. Would recommend skipping this if you want action instead.}

---

Despite the surge of pride she felt as Max and Felix agreed with one of her many desperate attempts at theorising and defending Shaun's innocence, the moment did not last very long as Ice placed his hands on Krista's podium, with an aura that did not feel very... welcoming. One by one Ice picked out the contents of the wallet, letting it spill across her podium with little care, leaving Krista no room to argue.

There was no denying that Shaun was the owner of the wallet. Or was it Erin now? Krista could not tell whether she could call the web designer Shaun anymore. “I…” What? Did she want to apologise for being so horribly wrong? To stop Ice from mocking her desperate need to protect? Krista shut her mouth , feeling it fail her in that moment. She couldn’t say anything, there was nothing to say. She was wrong, and everybody else knew it too. Her eyes remained lowered in shame, glued to the identity cards left on her podium as Ice began to retell his encounter with the mafia, the awful group responsible for murdering and butchering Ice's younger brother so heartlessly- the group Shaun was a part of...

Was she really defending such a cruel person...?

And why was it always her that was being used in such cruel a way...?

Krista was barely around to listen to the entirety of Zach's rant, unable to think past Ice’s story. All she could imagine was being in Ice's position: losing Herman in such a cruel way until she was left with nobody to turn to... Her hands wrapped around her body, clinging on as if she were trying to give herself little comfort from such dark thoughts. Would she even be able to live without him? Krista was only suffering through this death and despair to return to Herman... without him... Krista would have nobody... She could barely imagine the pain Ice went through, her heart was hurting too much to even begin to imagine it and yet...

"Ha..."

The chuckle was so dark, so full of despair and insanity... Krista shivered as the chuckle grew into something more sinister. Tearing her eyes from the cards on her podium, she finally looked at Shaun and felt her body grow cold at the sight. The innocent boy she was trying to protect was no more... instead, a monster was in his place. This was not the boy that reminded her so much of her precious brother... This was what Ice was trying to tell Krista.

The trickster did not even seem the least bit ashamed of his past actions, taunting Ice and even Davis with a cruel sneer. Every reveal was no less horrifying than the last. It took Krista so long to realise what she had been trying to defend so passionately and yet the smallest part of Krista could not help but wish that this was all just a dream...

But alas, no matter how many times Krista pinched the skin below her elbow until it bruised and bled from the pressure under her nails, she would not wake up. She had been so blinded by her need to protect a friend, someone she so suddenly had come to think of as like a little brother, that she had ignored the evidence and vehemently argued as if Shaun could do no wrong.

"Pl-please..! T-tell them I didn't d-do it! I-I didn't k-k-kill anyone..!" The monster in Shaun’s clothes then directed his attention towards her, his eyes pleading her for help the way it had done back in the dining hall. Only this time Krista realised that it was not innocent, but all just a trick.

Krista immediately looked away, feeling her stomach twist in guilt and shame for falling for the act so easily the first time. Jezabel really was right, she really was stupid. “N-no… stop it… I won't do this again... please...” Krista’s grip on herself grew tighter, till all she could feel was pain to avoid looking into Shaun’s eyes and get fooled by his innocent act. Calvin tried to help: Krista acknowledged his outcry telling Erin to stay away from her with a surprised look, but everything was still not over…!

There was a clash beside Krista as she snapped to look towards Ice’s podium, only to realise the blood donor had disappeared sometime before, and when she finally spotted him she could see the hunger for revenge in Ice’s action, filling the air with tension and…!

“Calvin!” Krista cried out in surprise as the dark-haired metalsmith stood in Ice’s path, and she felt absolutely terrified for him. There seemed to be no stopping the blood donor and yet he stood in the way to protect E- no… to protect Ice. Calvin’s actions began to make sense as he tried talking Ice out of his plan to hurt the gleeful trickster, only to be shoved away. Krista wanted to leave, to help, but her legs didn’t seem to want to listen. Both infinites hit the ground, both looking in rough shape but there was no time to celebrate. Krista turned on her heels, the heels on her boots making a squeak against the flooring as she looked at Mercy, then at Dr. Killgood desperately.

“Help them! Ice is bleeding…! Calvin is hurt!” She urged the plague doctor to help, the only one with the skillset out of the rest of the group to do so. She looked at Monokuma, expecting the bear to shine the spotlight onto the infinite she asked for help from, to give the doctor permission to leave her podium.

[Melo]

Noel’s eyes sparkled as if a dream had come true. Even if their lives were at stake and people were getting emotional, there was something magical about this situation. Noel didn’t just see chaos; there was something more. Something magical. The revelation of secrets, the turmoil of emotions getting to the point of drama. This was true news worthy of journalism. Noel gleefully recorded the situation with her camera, ensuring she got everything she wanted eternally captured on photographs. This was a feast for the news-hungry masses… if she ever managed to get out of here.

Still, she wasn’t completely neglectful of everyone that got swallowed into the chaos. In fact, quite the opposite. After the initial revelations of both Ice and Erin, she quickly changed. She seemed more… vindictive. Her eyes honed in on the trickster viciously. ”Alright, time to stop being a bystander. I can’t have you bully my friends, Erin Steele.“ She sneered at him. ”I think you forget, you ass, that we don’t need to fully prove your crime at all. We just have to be convinced enough to vote for you. And you think anyone will believe anything you say after you’ve shown your true colours? Well, I got news for you, Erin Steele, the infinite trickster!“

”Newsflash, you’re wrong! “

She grinned viciously. ”Act tough while you can, trickster. Very cool, taunting everyone when we can’t touch you. We both know the only thing waiting for you after this trial is death. In other words…“ Noel flailed around gleefully. ”EXTRA EXTRA, BREAKING NEWS: The infinite trickster is totally, completely, utterly boned. Spread the word! Erin Steele’s bloody execution awaits! Broadcast live from the trial of carnage!“ Her former gleeful mood and her later vindictive mood seemed to have melded into one. It was a strange sight to say the least. Apparently Noel didn’t feel anything but joy towards the infinite trickster’s imminent execution. ”Oh, and if you by some goddarn miracle aren’t the kiler. I’ll totally help Ice kill you during the night of carnage, just so you know. ” She giggled like a child.

Cyrus didn’t feel bad about being wrong concerning the wallet. Ice had completely found Alice Parker by coincidence. However, the reason he had kept it secret interested him greatly. Cyrus quietly watched the scene unfold. He felt sorry for Ice as he told his story. He had heard of such mafias before, which were able to gain a much more solid stage after the calamity. He had developed policies to keep them at bay, but his work was never done in a day. He hoped to crush gangs like that in due time, so stories like these would never have to be told again. Yes, he’d have to get out. He wondered, would Ice find it troublesome is Cyrus tried to crush both mafias once he got out? That would make for an interesting debate.

The revelation of Shaun just saddened him. He had tried to defend him from circumstantial evidence, but the contents of the wallet were truly damning. Unlike Krista, his defense wasn’t built upon a foundation of emotion. He flipped the switch. He felt the anger boil up inside him, but Noel’s words rang true. The trickster may be taunting and angering all of them, but he was naught more than a lamb headed for the slaughter. A tiny dog, all bark and no bite. An ugly creature.

”A few arrows aren’t going to bail you out of this crime, Erin.” Cyrus said gravely. ”With this revelation, you have just invalidated your own testimony. We can not trust your account of when you were to meet Marianne. Furthermore, she had your motive note.“ He pointed out. ”The fact that you tried to hide your identity by discarding your wallet tells it all. Marianne had your note, and thus knew of your existence. She had to die.“ He stared coldly at the trickster. Cyrus had no mercy for bastards like him.

”And because your account is unreliable, Marianne could’ve easily been killed prior to your meeting with Ice, the monokuma file says as much. You have thus lost your alibi. You can’t hide behind Krista anymore. Your guilt is guaranteed.“ His stare was arrogant, haughty. He looked upon the trickster as a lesser being, barely worth his attention. ”The way you killed Marianne was cruel, gruesome. You truly have feel no sadness for what you have done, do you? In that case, I will feel no remorse as you are executed in such fashion.“

Cyrus shouted out loud. That Ice may calm down. ”Taunt us all you like, trickster. Show us what a sore loser you are!“

[Majoraa]

---

---

After Ice had defended Alice, thing seemed to reveal a little too fast for her and Mercy. The blood donor revealing his and Shaun's- no, Erin's past feud, Said trickster revealing himself like the "Web Designer" was just a different personality, and then the thug trying to kill Erin in court, with Calvin holding him back.

The chain of event had the recon petrified, her face frozen in shock. While Mercy on request, grabbed her medical bag, and once the stage light was set on her, quickly walked to the middle of the court to start patching Ice and Calvin up.

"You two need to take it easy, okay...?" Mercy recomended to the two, wraping cleaner bandages over the thug's wounds.

Alice's expression changed to a death glare, as she slowly turned to Erin. "Mr. Steele, I suggest you be truthful to your words, or by any god you worship, there will be no mercy." she told the old trickster, the tone in her voice strangely calm.

"No pun intended, heheh..." Mercy reasured the court.

[addamas]

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Isaiah Matthews, the Infinite Thug. It was a good fit for his personality, and yet it left Max and Felix in shock. At first it made them aware of Isaiah, but when he explained his past, caution turned to empathy. Isaiah has had it rough, but what came next sank Max and Felix’s jaws even lower.

Maybe it was because Shaun was a kid, or that he was such a social butterfly, but Max had been unconsciously trying to protect him for the entire trial. And it was because of that, that Ice’s reveal seemed so impossible. Shaun being not only a trickster, but an evil manipulative gangster? It all sounded like a joke. Even Zachary seemed to agree that this was all just too insane.

And then the boy known as Shaun shed his skin.

Erin’s laugh sent chills down Max’s spine. His appearance had completely changed, and it left no trace of the scarfed boy that Max felt the need to protect. He had been used…manipulated…betrayed. It raised a flame in his heart, one that he had trouble to contain.

And it seemed that he was not the only one, Ice wasn’t looking too hot either. As Felix was following Ice’s movements, worried that he might do something stupid, Ice suddenly started moving towards Erin.

“Hey…Hey! HEY!? IDIOT, YOU DON’T WANT TO DO THIS! STOP, YOU’RE GETTING YOURSELF KILLED!” Screamed Felix at Ice, but it seemed to have no effect. Ice was completely unaware of his surroundings. Felix wanted to run after him, to stop him, he already had his toes on the edge of his podium, but no spotlight came down on him. All he could do was anxiously watch as the scene before them turned from bad to worse.

Max too, was extremely irritated by the lack of a spotlight on him; he could easily contain Ice if he only got the chance. But the one to receive a spotlight was Calvin. That idiot just ran in front of him, hoping that a simple obstacle like that would stop Ice on his bloodthirsty path of revenge. In the end, he did manage to stop Ice, but at the cost of his own safety. Max only hoped that the wound on Calvin’s head wouldn’t count as being hurt by Ice. Fortunately, Mercy was able to help them soon after, so Max could focus his attention on Erin.

“I think you’ve said enough Steele, if that is even your true name.” Max’s face was filled with sadness and regret as he looked Erin straight in his eyes. “You know, I actually cared for you, protected you. Yet I don’t think you’ve cared for any of us; that isn’t very fair is it?” Max’s expression then slowly turned from sorrow, to anger and conviction. “I hope you understand that this ends here and now, because…I…will…NOT let you get away with this.”

[Ariamis]

Mary was intrigued by the discussion surrounding Alice Parker, and the mystery of the vault. As such, she had little to offer besides a couple of nods. But then, Jezebel made an accusation, and Mary's mouth opened as she tried to process the words. "Uhh...What...Shaun did it?" She wanted to say that it wasn't true, that a sweet, beta guy like him couldn't ever possibly be the blackened. "I know Shaun! He wouldn't do that! Even if he lied about his girlfriend, it's okay!" She shut herself up, and clenched her fists. She still believed in him. She now had a chance to tell him.

Then, when the arguments picked up, Mary slouched over the podium, trying to block out the pain in her head. Did it finally happen? For all this time she had held on by sheer willpower, kept putting on her show. She had a feeling she could hold out without them...Until Shaun showed his true colors, and revealed his true identity. Her face was pale, her hands shaky. "No...Shaun...Why? I...Trusted you. I...I know I teased you...But,
it was because...Deep down...I made a mistake. The reason I went after Cookie was...Because I couldn't chase you. Because of your lie about your girlfriend." She sighed. Tears rand down her face, ruining her makeup.

She lifted her head, and gave a look of grief.
"...But it was all meaningless. In the end, you lied about everything else too. So no, I didn't know you. In fact, the only person I knew...Is already dead. Now...there's nobody." She turned to Killgood. "So...Can we start the voting?"
She gripped the podium so hard her fingers bled. She wanted to keep her memories of Shaun alive. And for that, she would execute Erin Steele; the man who murdered both Marianne...And him.

[BrokenPromise]

“N-no! How could you be ready to vote already!?“ Bliss's eyes were wet. She was hugging herself, quivering like she was out in the cold. “I-I don't know if I can vote for him. Not without 100% certainty. Shaun could never have done this...”

“I know how you must feel.” Jezebel said in a somber tone. “But I've been in too many of these killing games. It's... Hard to find people you can trust.” Jezebel shot Zachary and Braden a quick glance before looking into the middle of the court. She was thinking. Anyone who looked at the clown could tell the gears were turning. “We might not be able to prove what happened, but we can totally prove we know what happened!” Jezebel flashed everyone with a glowing smile, and started to reconstruct the case. “During the past four days, the killer so discovered what the Betty known as Marianne had in her motive letter. So like, she shared her letter with a murderer, unaware of the grody consequences to come.” The clown started to juggle some arrows, a buzzer, Shaun's wallet, a syringe, a knife, some rope, and a knotted patient's gown. “Penis breath totally knew how to prepare. He so identified items that he could use and smuggled them into his room. This included Baldwin #1's arrows, the kitchen knife, rope, and all that other junk. His shady ass jacket made it tre easy to smuggle everything in there. The buzzer so came from Marianne herself. I gave her one fer shur!” Jezebel stopped juggling everything and took hold of the wallet. The sound of everything hitting the floor wouldn't stop her from going on. “But like, he so had to ditch the wallet. Without access to the crematorium, he so needed to ditch it in a place no one would ever look. So like, he left it with Parker, believing it would never be discovered.” The clown folded her arms and looked away from everyone. “With everything set, he was totally ready to kill. The Noid lured the Betty into his room, likely prepared to talk about her note. He knocked her out, tied her up, stabbed her to death, and hoisted her up into the air. He was so trying to make this look like a hate crime. Who would have thought Shaun could do something so grody? And the body was raised to keep it from burning, totally avoiding the defacing rule.” She pointed down at the floor where the hospital gown was. “Like, the hospital gown was used to keep the blood splatter from the stabbing off of him and junk. But barf-bag still wanted to destroy as much evidence as possible. Like he totally trashed his room, and set it ablaze. He so made sure the trickster note stayed in tact so that he could blame the crime on Zachary. Like, I'd so wager his note describes Zachary. Something like 'they're the #1 Baldwin' and junk. The fire suppression system would later create the smoke we saw.” Jezebel sighed. The clown leaned on her podium and kept her head propped up with both hands. She was still smiling. “But a trashed room is totally useless if you don't look like you've been attacked. So he had a quick conversation with Ice to give himself a bogus alibi before preparing to knock himself out. Like he ditched his E-handbook in the trash room and injected himself by the stairs. When he woke up, he followed Krista round like a puppy. This strengthened his alibi.” Jezebel's grin widened as she continued. “But like, our killer so didn't count on Ice investigating so thoroughly. He totally found that vault, and eventually the metal Betty known as Alice Parker. She so passed him the wallet, and Ice was able to identify Erin from the Ids. During the trial, he would hide this from us, trying to guide us to the killer without revealing his secret. But when that became impossible, he totally exposed himself to reveal the killer.” Yet another dive light activated, this time on Jezebel. She swiftly circled around to Shaun's position, running full tilt. As she passed him, she pulled off his scarf, revealing his twisted smile and scars. “That sound about right; Erin Steele: Infinite Trickster?”

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C A S E C L O S E D

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“It really is him... Alright.“ Bliss dried her eyes before looking over towards Mary. “Y-you're right. We'll just vote for the person who murdered Shaun and Marianne.”

"Who will you all vote for? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?" Monokuma turned his head towards the carnage sisters. "Girls! The machine!"

After everyone had voted (Nariko collected the votes from those on the court floor) an air lotto machine emerged from the center of the floor. There were balls with every infinites face on them, floating around inside the strange machine. But one at a time, each tube opened up to capture one ball. All of which showed Erin's head. The machine beamed with ligh, shot off confetti, and did everything in it's power to simulate a small scale celebration.

Then the room fell quiet, if only for a few seconds.

“Hah, I knew it!” While most of the infinites were pretty glum, both tricksters looked pleased with themselves. Jezebel had returned to her podium and the dive light on her had vanished. “Your shy kid ruse totally didn't fool me.” She gave Erin a sideways glance. “As soon as I heard that I might not be the original trickster though, that piqued my interest. I thought I had so become an impostor. ” she giggled cutely. “But it totally doesn't matter if you're the original or not. You're so an imposter, just a fake. Your persona, your talent, it's all fake, so totally fake. I'm not sure anything that happens to you can even be considered an execution, because you so never existed to begin with.” She continued to grin at him.

Nariko and Alexandria approached mercy while on horseback. “Calvie-poo! You got hurt, you could have gotten booped by that huge chain!” Alexandria was looking directly at him. “If you get booped, we'll never be able to have a future together!”

Geina and Willow were also on horseback, but they rode their horses up behind Erin instead. Bliss seemed to have regained her composure, if just barely. “Did you even have a worthwhile reason to do all of this?”