We're going back to hell! Here we go!

One final time.

"..."

"..."

"Ummm, Monokuma...aren't you going to repeat the rules again?" Hibiki asked.

"Yeah, you usually do that whenever we start a trial," Minami added on.

"Hmmm? O-oh sorry," Monokuma apologized which I already found that suspicious.

[*insert Monokuma explaining the rules but with less enthusiasm*]

After taking a long look at the new portraits, I turned my attention to the rest of the group. We all looked nervous.

Ed spoke up first.

"So...where do we start?" He asked.

"..."

"...do you want to start with something weird? Like our memories first?" Hibiki suggested.

"We're trying to figure out who the mastermind is. Not what happened to our memories!" Minami pointed out.

"Hmmm, that's what we're going to start off with. Then we'll piece together whoever the mastermind is," I stated.

"Fine, I guess," Minami sighed.

"Then let's discuss whatever could have happened to our memories," Isabelle said.

Non-Stop Debate: Start

Truth Bullet: Binder has been equipped

Ed: So, our memories. Seemed pretty simple huh

Hibiki: We all seemed to sign up for this school but...something seems off

Isabelle: You can say that again! We don't have the history of this school and we probably should have considering that we all signed up for it

Minami: The history huh? I suppose we could count that as shady if we don't know

Mukuro: Well regardless, Eclipse Academy is very suspicious even on its own

Hibiki: Yeah

>The history? Eclipse Academy has history? I think I remember us discussing something before when we were talking about what we found. I think it was...

[Truth Bullet: Binder. Use on don't have the history of this school.]

[Break!]

"Ed, you found a binder in that office right? The one that looked like a principal office?" I asked.

"Yep. Eclipse Academy got founded by a group called CHB and had some openings for an opening year at the school. Sort of like an experiment, I suppose," Ed explained.

"So...was our class an experiment?" Isabelle asked.

"I honestly doubt that this would have been our school year," Minami scoffed.

"And this was odd because...," I trailed off.

Truth bullet selected —> Tampered Memories

I got it!

"Our memories could have been tampered," I stated.

"Oh yeah. I was supposed to be in another place but I somehow have memories of applying here. All I could remember at the end was something blue but that couldn't be right," Hibiki explained.

"Why not?" Minami asked.

"It's...it's well...just a gut feeling," Hibiki explained.

"Still that's actually helpful in a sense. I just don't know how it's helpful," Isabelle noted.

"So we know that there's a huge possibility that our memories have been tampered. And with the history of Eclipse Academy being shady, that just makes this even more complicated and difficult," Mukuro admitted.

"You are right and not just tampered as well," I said.

"Not just tampered? What do you mean by that?" Hibiki asked.

Truth Bullet selected —> Fake Memories

I got it!

"We also have fake memories in our heads," I replied.

"And it thickens," Isabelle said.

"Preach. But anyway, while investigating, Nega told me something interesting. Something about Mami...or Yuu, not actually telling them that she enrolled into this school. In fact, when they arrived here, they were surprised when she told them," I explained and Nega, who was sitting on my podium, nodded.

"We didn't even know such a place existed," Posi, who was sitting on Isabelle's podium, added on.

"I can testify to this. When I was looking through the binder, I had this odd feeling that why did I enrolled in this school in the first place? Ever since becoming a state Alchemist, I haven't gone to school in...years. I had no reason to come back to school," Ed added on.

"So that would mean that our memories of enrollment were faked. It never happened in the first place," Mukuro stated.

"That's all well and good...ok not really but it's an impression, but what does this have to do with us finding the mastermind?" Minami asked.

Non-Stop Debate: Start!

Truth Bullet: Unknown Fate has been equipped.

Ed: She kind of is right. We need to actually talk about why we're here in the first place

Hibiki: It was a good talk about our lives basically being a LIE!

Mukuro: More reason to punch the mastermind in the face

Isabelle: Yeah but how can we tie in our memories to the mastermind

Minami: We start with something simple like something related to our real memories and build off from there

Ed: But how would we know which one is our real memory?

Hibiki: It has to be something small that we overlooked

>Something we overlooked? Like a motive? I think we're on the right path!

[Truth Bullet: Unknown Fate. Use on related to our real memories.]

[Break!]

"I agree with Minami. I was investigating Link's dorm when I found his motive. The first one we ever got. It showed a kingdom and a girl being in danger but I didn't actually see what happened to them. There was a scream and then it cut off. Same thing happened to mine as well," I explained.

"The first motive! I haven't even thought of that before. Holy crap! We've really gotten a long way haven't we?" Hibiki asked and all of us nodded.

"So your first motive is most likely real. But then why bother with the fake and tampered memories?" Isabelle asked.

"It's probably to make us think that we're going to this school or something. Torturing us with despair most likely," Ed theorized.

"Wouldn't put it pass the mastermind, whoever they are. Especially with what Monokuma keeps on preaching about despair," Mukuro added on.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw Isabelle shooting glances at Minami but I brushed it off...for now.

"Let's discuss something else related to that," I suggested.

"Like what?" Minami asked.

Truth Bullet selected —> Flyer

I got it!

"I found a flyer for applying to Eclipse Academy. I think it was intentionally placed to make us think that we've applied to here but in reality, it's fake. But that's not the reason why I brought it up," I explained.

"Why did you bring it up?" Minami asked.

"It's because it claims that there was going to be 17 spots for a class. But if you look at where we started plus Isabelle and Papyrus, the total number of our "class" is 18," I explained.

"But why would the flyer claim that? Especially with the trial room itself having 18 spots?" Mukuro pointed out.

"This is getting fishier and fishier," Hibiki added on.

"Hold on. Quick question," Ed spoke up.

"What's up?" I asked and he turned to me.

"Tommy...you never said that you applied here. Whenever we would have that conversation, you said that you didn't remember. That's kind of suspicious. Now, I'm not claiming that you are the mastermind but it's fishy how you were the only one who couldn't remember applying," Ed explained.

"E-eh? I guess you're right," I said.

"Hey...remember that paper that held our names on it? Did we ever completed it?" Isabelle asked.

"F*ck, I forgot about it," Hibiki cursed.

"Think back. Whose name isn't on the paper?" Mukuro asked.

"Well, we found 7 people on it on the first one," Ed started.

"And around 5 people on the second one," Isabelle said.

"Two more on the third one," Mukuro added on.

"And one on the last one," I finished.

"That's only 15 people though!" Hibiki cried.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu spoke up to get our attention.

"Is he trying to tell us something?" Isabelle asked and he nodded.

He then gestured to Posi who dug something from his collar.

"You know, I was wondering what this piece of paper came from. There's a couple of names on here," he explained.

"Tell us," Minami stated.

He cleared his throat and read off the names.

-Kazuichi Soda

-Leafpool

"Quick, do we have the pieces of papers?" Mukuro asked.

Isabelle, Ed and Hibiki dug into their pockets and took them out.

"Some of them were in the others' rooms. That's why we have them," Isabelle explained.

Mukuro walked off her spot and took them.

She pieced them together and said, "Just one is missing."

I sighed and reached into my trouser's pocket. I took out the piece of paper and gave it to Mukuro.

"17 people and Tommy isn't on it," Mukuro stated and I gulped.

"But I'm not the mastermind," I said.

"Prove it then," Hibiki said.

Non-Stop Debate

Truth Bullet: Morse Code has been equipped

Hibiki: You have to prove that you're not the mastermind, Tommy

Isabelle: Don't stay quiet like you usually do when we're debating like this

Minami: He's...going to stay quiet, isn't he?

Ed: He might need to think about proving his innocence. Not that I can blame him

Mukuro: It's rather fishy how he's the only one that can't remember applying but I'm sure that there's a reason for it!

Hibiki: You have a lot of faith in him, don't you

Minami: Do you think that's what his memory was all about?

Hibiki: The one that Susie and Kazuichi tried killing him for?

Minami: Yes

Hibiki: Ah

>...my memory?

[Truth Bullet: Morse Code. Use on memory.]

[Break!]

"Hey Isabelle. You mentioned that you found a memory that had Morse code on it, right?" I asked and she nodded.

"Did it happen to be my memory?" I asked.

"Sort of...I think the message was saying something weird," Isabelle replied.

"Weird in what way?" Minami asked.

"I think it said..., "the vessel was not supposed to be here." Something like that," Isabelle explained.

"Vessel? What's Tommy a vessel for?" Hibiki asked.

"Maybe, he's a steppingstone for the mastermind to use? And that's why he wasn't meant to be here," Ed suggested.

"Damn, cruel," I sweatdropped.

"So that'll prove that Tommy isn't the mastermind. He's...something else," Isabelle said.

"Geez, I'm really feeling the love here," I said sarcastically.

"There's probably some extra attention on you especially with that thing," Minami stated.

"What thing?" I asked.

"You know. Remember the play?" Minami asked.

Truth Bullet selected —> Tommy is Innit???

I got it!

"That? Come on, Minami. That play was based on a role play that friends and I did. It's not real," I told her.

"Are you sure because there was something weird that Monokuma called you before you got...almost killed. H-he called you, 'Innit,' as in the name of one of the characters in the play," Minami explained.

"Well, that's just Tommy,innit? I can see why he would call me that as it rolls off the tongue easily," I said.

"Didn't Tommy came up with the idea of the play? If so, then his memory contradicts the events in the play," Isabelle spoke up.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

She dug into her pockets and held out a tablet. She walked off her podium and went over to me to hand me it. She walked back to her spot.

I turned on the tablet and watched it for a couple of seconds.

My hands felt clammy and I suddenly felt cold as I watched.

"No...no this isn't right. I didn't....he....what?" I asked.

"It's your memory so what's not right about it?" Minami asked.

"This is when Doomsday was happening. But I...wasn't involved in blowing it up. That...that wasn't in the script. No...way...," I said, shaking.

Was my life a lie? I thought.

"Ooookay....so that's a weird revelation. But we're still no closer to finding who the mastermind is. We know that they had a special interest in Tommy which is why he remembers things differently but do the clues that we have found add up to someone that we can point to?" Minami asked.

"Are we going to gloss over my potential existential crisis?!" I cried.

"We'll get back to that later once we find out who the mastermind is. Once we do, then we can circle back to why your memory is different," Ed explained.

"Fiiiiine! But I will be on top it once we expose who the mastermind is," I sighed.

"...I think I know who it is," Isabelle spoke up.

"Who?" Mukuro asked.

Isabelle gave a hesitant nod at Posi who nodded back. They both pointed to...

Minami???

"M-me?" She asked.

"Yes and we have evidence that can prove it," Isabelle replied.

"Don't be ridiculous. How could I be the mastermind?" Minami asked.

"Posi and I found something in the chemistry lab. Something...disturbing," Isabelle explained.

Disturbing? Does she mean...

Truth Bullet selected —> Minami's death????

I got it?

"You were about to say someone's name when you mentioned that you found a list of people who died for poison in the chemistry lab. Was that name Minami's?" I asked and she nodded.

"It's very fishy how her name was on the list and yet she's here, alive and well," Isabelle pointed out.

"Yeah but that doesn't make me the mastermind," Minami said.

"Backtrack to what you said before, Isabelle. How can she be alive if she somehow died from being poisoned?" Hibiki asked.

"It's fishy and I don't like it," Isabelle said.

"How do we know that the list is real? For all we know, it could have been planted there to make us point fingers to Minami. It's like with Tommy, maybe she could have been a steppingstone for the masterminds?" Ed suggested.

"But a steppingstone, how?" I asked.

"But I'm so sure that Minami is the mastermind! She could have also easily faked her death as well to place it on the list," Isabelle told us.

"But why fake her death? Wouldn't it be easier to fake her death in here rather than in the past?" I asked.

"...I still think that she's behind all of this," Isabelle said.

"Then I have to prove how flawed your argument is," I stated

Rebuttal Showdown: Start!

Truth Blade: Cloning has been equipped

Isabelle: Minami being on a list of people who died by this certain poison is suspicious. She could have faked her death on the past in order to become the mastermind here. Clearly that means that someone is on the run and that someone must be the mastermind meaning that it's Minami. We have no other leads than this one.

[Advance!]

Tommy: Yeah but one problem. We don't really know Minami in the past that well. All we know is that she directed short films. If someone that knew Minami were here, they would be able to tell us whether she's dead or not. And even if she is, that doesn't make her the mastermind.

Isabelle: I think you contradicted yourself there. You said that even if she's dead, that doesn't make her the mastermind but how can it not! There would be no explanation on how she came back to life if she died. I say that her being dead is the best lead of us finding the mastermind.

>Funny how she can say all of that when she and Posi found a specific clue that can bring the whole Minami is dead argument down. Or build it up but bring down that she's the mastermind theory? It's confusing but I know that she's wrong.

[Truth Blade: Cloning. Use on would be no explanation on how she came back to life.]

[Break!]

"I think and this is only a thought that could be backed up with evidence but I think the Minami here that we're talking to...isn't the real Minami," I started.

"See, so you do agree with me," Isabelle interrupted.

"I didn't say that. Lemme finish," I said before beginning again.

"I'm saying that she's a clone. A clone of the real Minami, whom I have never met. Didn't you and Posi found a book on cloning?" I asked.

"Eh? So that's what the book was for?" Posi asked.

"But what else can prove that she's a clone?" Mukuro asked.

"I'm...a clone?" Minami seemed shocked.

"I think Hibiki found something but what was it?" I asked.

Truth Bullet selected —> Corpse

I got it!

"Ah I remember now. Didn't you find a corpse?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, it was unrecognizable and cut up. I think that might have been the real Minami's corpse since in order to make a full fledged body here, they might have to have used a huge chunk of the dead one," Hibiki explained.

"But...but why? How come I have my...memories? You didn't even know me," Minami pointed out.

"Discuss?" Ed asked.

"Discuss," Mukuro replied.

Non-Stop Debate: Start!

Truth Bullet: Hope's Peak Academy has been equipped

Hibiki: So I think we're in agreement that Minami is a clone

Isabelle: Yeah and not the mastermind as I thought she would be

Minami: B-but I can't be a clone? Can I?

Ed: I think she's having an existential crisis and I don't blame her. Imagine thinking your life to be one way and then finding out it's another

Isabelle: Still, what about her memories? What can we piece together of Minami if she's a clone here?

Mukuro: Well, do any of us know each other before we came here?

Hibiki: I don't think so? What can we pinpoint to something that Minami knows that someone else also knows? Because that's hard to think about from the top of my head

Isabelle: Agreed

>Hmmm, what to do about it? How can we even discuss this? I think it's through this

Truth Bullet: Hope's Peak Academy. Use on something that Minami knows that someone else also knows?]

[Break!]

"Hey Ed. Remember that binder that you found? You mentioned that there was this group that founded Eclipse Academy right?" I asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" He asked.

"Wasn't there another name as well?" I asked.

"You're talking about Hope's Peak Academy, right? Now that I think about it, Minami did enter the office and saw what I was reading. She reacted negatively to it. Like bad memories of it," Ed replied.

Mukuro did a sharp inhale at this.

"Seriously. Don't even remind me of that school. It might have been a dream come true when I first applied but it turned out to be a nightmare. But the weird thing is, I have this weird predicament," Minami admitted.

"What predicament?" Mukuro asked.

"It's like I can remember and can't remember. I remember some students of the Reserved Course getting slaughtered and then I remember my own classmates getting...killed. In a manner like everyone else here," Minami went quiet all of a sudden.

"Minami. Were you in a killing game like this?" Mukuro asked.

"I don't know. Maybe? How come my memories are all messed up?" Minami asked.

"Listen, do you remember someone called Junko Enoshima?" Mukuro asked.

"Enoshima? I think I do but I can't recall her face, her mannerisms. All I remember was her talent which was the Ultimate Fashionista right?" Minami asked.

Monokuma shuffled uncomfortably at this.

"Mukuro, why are you asking these questions?" Hibiki asked.

"Because I also went to Hope's Peak Academy," Mukuro replied.

"WHAT?!" Hibiki cried.

I turned to look at Mukuro who gave me a nod.

"I told Tommy and Ed this but I also went to Hope's Peak. I was also in a killing game. I didn't make it to the first trial and yet, I'm here and alive," Mukuro said.

"This it! This is so...oh my god. So both Minami and Mukuro have died before but they're alive now?" Isabelle asked.

"But there's only one corpse so only one of them is a clone," Hibiki noted.

"Mukuro has more clearer memories than Minami does. From what she had told us and from what files on her has said," I said.

"Files?" Isabelle asked.

Oh sh*t. I forgot I didn't exactly tell them about the USB drive that I found. But I could ask Ed this, I thought.

Truth Bullet selected —> Files

This should prove it!

"Ed, didn't you also found some files right?" I asked and he nodded.

"I didn't quite make it to Mukuro's file but some of them seemed rather...suspicious," Ed admitted and looked at me.

Why am I suddenly suspicious?

"So Minami is a clone, Mukuro has clearer memories of her past, Tommy has a whole situation behind him and we're no where near close to finding who the mastermind is," Hibiki sighed.

"Actually, that's wrong," Isabelle spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Hibiki asked.

Isabelle was about reply to him when Ed interrupted her.

"I think I know what she meant. Remember when I was talking about the binder and the history of Eclipse Academy? They were founded by a group named CHB. Those letters seem...familiar correct?" Ed asked.

"Familiar in what way?" I asked.

Non-Stop Debate: Start!

Truth Bullet: Photograph has been equipped

Isabelle: It felt like so long ago since we last saw those words

Hibiki: It has?

Mukuro: We saw those words on someone who was here with us but to remember who?

Hibiki: But with what? And who? Has there ever been a clue like that before?

Ed: We're getting so close, I can feel it

Isabelle: It's...oddly strange

Minami: If we figure this out then, we'll be free

>Yeah, hopefully

Truth Bullet: Photograph. Use on been a clue like that before?]

[Break!]

"Mukuro, didn't you say that you saw a photograph with familiar orange shirts?" I asked.

"Yeah...oh! They had the words CHB on them!" Mukuro exclaimed.

"And that's the name of the group. But what we've been discussing is that we knew someone with that shirt?" Ed asked.

Truth Bullet selected —> Pictures

This should prove it!

"There was this room that was once empty but now filled with pictures of the people who died. Nega, Pikachu and I saw them. But one thing struck me as odd," I explained.

"Yeah, you said that you were going to point this out at the trial," Nega said.

"Yeah. All the pictures but one had their eyes glued staring at us. Like they were posing for a yearbook picture but one had a different expression on their face. The one with the shirt that had the words CHB on them," I explained.

"Then who is it?" Minami asked.

Select a student

Tommy []

Ash []

Ed []

Annabeth [X]

Minami []

Nishinoya []

Sky []

Mami []

Daisy []

Kazuichi []

Hibiki []

Leafpool []

Mukuro []

Lloyd []

Susie []

Link []

Papyrus []

Isabelle []

Is Annabeth your answer?

[Yes]                               No

It's you!

"Annabeth had that shirt," I stated.

"A-Annabeth?! But she died, didn't she?" Hibiki asked.

"Well so did Minami and I and look where we are," Mukuro shrugged.

"What I mean is that we saw her die. There's no way that she's the mastermind," Hibiki stated.

"Maybe not the mastermind but something...else," I said.

"A traitor, perhaps?" Ed suggested and Monokuma made a noise at this.

"Are we correct?" Isabelle asked.

".............Wise Girl, I think they figured what your role is," Monokuma said.

"Yeah but they haven't figured yours yet," a new and very familiar voice spoke up.

Smoke appeared and some of us coughed as it surrounded the trial room.

When it disappeared, in a podium that held a memorial stand, was a person whom we thought was long dead.

"Did you miss me?" Annabeth asked.

A/N: WE IS DONE! (For now)

Did you see that coming? Probably but now that we know who the traitor is, who do you think is the mastermind?

I'll try to update the next part of the trial a lot faster than I usually do. Also enjoy this long part 1 trial.

Cya in the next one -Flare

PS: I'll try to cover up some loose ends in the second part.