Zetsubokémon

A faint, fuzzy static hiss came from the intercom, a little different from what you were used to. After a brief delay, the substitute’s voice came again - nearly unrecognisable, with all semblance of sing-song whimsy gone.

“I... Regret to inform you your time is up. Please gather in front of the first floor elevator.”

You trickled in, all standing rather solemnly. You’d much rather forget what you’d seen. Six of you. Only six left. Soon to be five. What a bitter feeling it was.

The doors opened, and the passage downwards began again, with nary a sound this time. Not even the rumble of the shaft. A cold and lonely voyage downwards towards yet another trial, another goodbye.

Victim: Natsuki Akiyama

Time of Death: ???

Cause of Death: ???

Discovered By: Lucy, Aki, Tomomi

Days go by with no appearance from the substitute. Nearly a week, and he still hasn’t appeared to offer his usual incentives. Nothing seems to be happening, and so the world seems to have come to a halt. The cycles of daily life continue on and on, and as much as you hate to admit it, it’s all a little boring. Nothing happening day after day after day after-

Then, one afternoon, you hear a faint yell for help.

By now, the process is the same old rigmarole. The lift goes up, the doors click open on a new floor...

And, as you expected, there he is.

Chains reached out from the elevator, grabbing Ryou by the ankles and wrists, and pulling him inexorably backwards into the open elevator doors.

“Ryou Kaoru has been found guilty of murder! Let’s begin the punishment!”

The screens display an aerial view of a familiar-looking city, before rapidly zooming in on a car by a pile of rubble with a skeletal hand sticking out.

A jump cut to inside the car.

Ryou is buckled into the back seat, looking ahead frostily and cooly but with an air of unease. A robotic chauffeur sits in the seat with the wheel, and all of a sudden, it slams on the accelerator.

The car rockets forward, drifting through the streets, as if pursued by some unseen entity. 

Cut to outside.

A robotic sniper pops up on one of the buildings, lines up a shot on the approaching car, and fires.

Cut to inside.

A bullet whips past Ryou, imbedding itself in the seat, and in a frantic struggle to get out, Ryou attempts to unbuckle the seatbelt, to no avail.

A second bullet whips past.

A third.

A fourth grazes his cheek.

Five, six, seven.

Suddenly, a myriad bullets fly from all directions, leaving Ryou bleeding and sore.

The car screeches to a halt. It’s reached its destination.

Many laser sight marks dance up and down Ryou, all eventually coming still onto his forehead.

There’s scarce a moment to blink before a single bullet slams into his head, followed by a shot of Ryou’s body limp on the floor of the car.

“Okie dokie! Let’s see how you voted.”

The screens lowered, once again to display the now-familiar clip of the substitute spinning, before a card with Ryou’s face appeared in its hands.

“Ohoho! So this is who you’ve picked, is it?”

The intercom’s chime sounded again, letting you know that your time to investigate was once again up all too soon.

“Heya, guys! You know how this thing goes by now. Group up in front of the first floor elevator!”

Slowly, the group trudged to the area in front. All of you side by side, a group so far in number from the many who stood here only weeks ago.

The lift doors slide open, and once again the dark, long passage downwards began.

Rrrruumble...

Your thoughts were interrupted by the doors sliding open again. The trial room lay beyond, ready for yet another life-and-death debate.

Victim: Etsuko Hattori

Time of Death: ???

Cause of Death: Axphyxiation

Discovered By: Ryou, Aki, Lucy

The reality of it had settled in. People were in danger outside. The despair was crippling, but a sad, hollow facsimile of daily life continued - wake up, breakfast, go for a stroll, lunch, fake normal conversation as if everything’s OK, dinner, bed, wake up...

And it was shortly after breakfast that this cyclical, rhythmic everyday was interrupted, not with a bang, but being gathered in the dome.

The substitute had been quiet, and too polite for its own good. You reasoned that clearly, it meant nothing good. Silence from him usually meant some form of motive. Something dangerous.

This suspicion was proven to be dead on the money when you returned to your dorm room to find your computer flashing a mail icon.

Back into the lift it was. Up and up and up, rising and rising and rising, and...

Ding!

The doors slid open onto yet another unfamiliar floor. How many of them are there, do you wonder?

Off went Amari, hauled backwards into the elevator by sinister chains. The doors shut, and as always, the screens flicker on.

“Amari Mina has been found guilty of two murders! Let’s begin the punishment!”

On the screens, a dark, foreboding manor amidst a dark forest pops into view. Amari can be seen being dragged by the chains into the door, which slams shut. A torch falls to the floor beside her as she climbs to her feet, free of the shackles.

As soon as she picks up the torch, it flickers and flashes before sputtering out. Oh dear. She begins to stumble her way through the dark.

There’s a faint, distant giggle, and the noise of running footsteps. Sweat runs down Amari’s forehead.

The giggle again, and the footsteps - close this time. Behind her. She turns to see what it is, and finds nothing. Her eyes widen in fear, and then panic as she sees faint motion in the distance. She begins to run...

And run...

And run.

Until there’s nowhere left. She’s cornered.

She flinches as she feels something lightly touch her cheek, and tries to run.

Two ghostly arms grasp her tightly, allowing her no escape.

She moves to scream, and yet another hand clamps over her mouth.

More and more come from the shadows, grasping her wherever they can.

Amari begins to cry out of fear, and one gently wipes the tears from her eyes.

She struggles and twists, only for the hands to hold on relentlessly.

The screen goes black.

There is a single, dreadful scream, and then the giggle again.

The screens come on again to show Amari lying dead on the ground.

“Alrighty then! Let’s see how you voted.”

The screens lowered again, and as before, they displayed a the animation of the substitute spinning, before a card with Amari’s face appeared in its hands.

“Well, have you got it right? Or is this all a fluke?”

The intercom’s familiar chime played once again, and yet again it was time to head for the trial.

“Tick tock! Time’s up. You know the drill - assemble in front of the first floor elevator.”

You assembled. The lift opened. So familiar already, and yet still terrifying. And yet again, you all stepped in, and everything went dark.

Rrrrumble…

The passage of time was indeterminable. All you knew is that it still felt like an eternity.

The doors opened.

As you all scoured for clues, it very suddenly came to your attention that there were raised voices - some form of argument - coming from the art room.

One voice was distinctly the cartoonish, irritating tone of the substitute, the other harder to place, but still familiar.

“What do you mean, it’s allowed? You’re a teacher! You could have - should have - stopped it!”

As some of you start going to see what’s going on, the substitute raises its voice again.

“Insolent brat! If you don’t like the rules, then you know what’s coming.”

There was an almighty thud, as if the building itself were falling apart.

And there it was.

Newell had been launched directly into the wall.

This was surprising to everyone, since Newell was also standing with the rest of you at the door.

DTLooks like your handbook has updated with two new files.