pokebox | LOCKED TO ardent

LOCKED TO ardent

The first thing he noticed was the off-white ceiling and plain walls. It didn't occur to him that there was anything weird about that for a minute or so, instead he sat up, glancing around at the unfamiliar room. The bed he was lying in wasn't particularly hard or soft - not as comfy as the one at Hope's Peak, but it wasn't uncomfortable either - and there was a desk beside the bed with a set of clothes, a note, and two red-and-white balls. Mondo reached for one of the balls without thinking, only stopping himself when his memories of the previous days came flooding back like a tidal wave.

Fujisaki. How could he forget, even for a moment? Fujisaki had come to him, seeking help, expressing a desire to become stronger, and what had he done? He'd blacked out. No, that wasn't right - he'd blacked out and killed the kid. Mondo's fists clenched and he drew his hand back. That's right, then there had been a trial, just like the first time someone was found murdered in Hope's Peak Academy. Monobear had called them all down there and they had gone over the evidence. Well, if by "they" he meant Naegi, Kirigiri, and that jackass Togami. First they had outed Fukawa as Genocider Syo, then they'd blamed Togami for altering the crime scene, and then...

...And then the truth had come out. If he hadn't been so careless with what he was saying, Fujisaki's secret would have been safe and he wouldn't have hurt Ishimaru, his aniki. Of course he had noticed the way Ishimaru reacted - the screaming, the denial, the tears, the desperation - and Ishimaru had voted for someone else. Even when he had acknowledged his defeat, Ishimaru hadn't. Ishimaru had believed in him until the very end - but he shouldn't have. He had betrayed not only Fujisaki's trust, but Ishimaru's as well.

It was a good thing he hadn't gotten away with murder though. Mondo doubted he could have lived with himself if he had. Even the execution wasn't that bad - from what little he remembered of it. It could have been worse; he could have been chained to a signpost and bludgeoned to death by millions of baseballs. He still had nightmares about Leon's death. He didn't even know Leon all that well. No, Mondo's death had been relatively quick and he'd gotten to ride a motorcycle one last time. There was something freeing about that, something he doubted he could ever really put into words. His last action had been his favorite. Maybe that was suiting.

So why was he here? Why was he waking up? He was dead, he was sure of that. He was equally sure that this wasn't Hope's Peak. There weren't any windows in the room, which meant that he could be underground, but he doubted Monobear would have let him live after the murder. He hadn't gotten away with it; he hadn't "graduated." So where was he?

Mondo finally got up, snatching the note off the top of the clothes folded on the desk. There was a large, red "R" on the shirt front, but Mondo ignored that for the time being to scan the note. Apparently he was now working for an organization known as "Team Rocket." That title meant nothing to him and he set the note aside, picking up the clothes next. It was a very standard uniform that looked like it would be way too tight-fitting for his taste and Mondo set that aside as well. Finally, he picked up the red-and-white balls, turning them in his hands curiously. He wasn't a Super High-School Level Baseball Player, but he might be able to use them as weapons if he needed to. He tucked those in his pocket and turned to the door. He expected it to be locked. It wasn't.

The hallway was just as nondescript as the room, though the ceilings were a bit low for his liking. Mondo picked a direction at random and started down the hallway, absently wondering if he could find some way back outside. It felt like it had been a long time since he had seen the sun.

He was stopped on his way by a shorter, scrawny man wearing that uniform (yeah, it definitely looked like it would have been too tight on him). The man frowned at him and pointed one gloved finger down the opposite hallway. "You should be heading to your first day of training! Why aren't you in uniform?"

"Fuck off," Mondo replied, shoving the smaller man out of his way. The guy definitely looked older, so he could assume that this wasn't the school. No one else was in the school after all, right? Just the fifteen of them - well, eleven of them now (did he even count anymore?) - and the person controlling Monobear. Mondo brushed that thought aside; this wasn't the school. That was what he would focus on.

He didn't find his way out. His sense of direction had always been good, but that was on the roads, in the open air. He had always gotten turned around in Hope's Peak as well, but never like this. He couldn't believe he'd managed to wander in a circle, finding himself back in front of the room he'd woken up in. Maybe this was some kind of trick; he couldn't move on until he'd gone to his first day of "training" or whatever.

The man in the Rocket uniform came walking down that hallway at just that moment. "Gotten yourself lost, huh?" He sneered. "Just follow this hallway and hook a left. The training facility's there. You'll meet the other new recruits and get started on your two weeks of training."

Two weeks? Like hell he was going to hang around for that long. Mondo rolled his eyes and followed the man's directions, ignoring the shout for him to get back and change his clothes.

The training facility was more decorated than the hallways or the room, and well-lit at that. There were several other young men (wearing that hideous uniform), all gathered in the center of the room, talking quietly. It looked like the instructor hadn't shown up yet. Mondo was tempted to leave, but this might be his best chance to get information on this place. He frowned for a moment, before walking up to join the others. He stood at least a head taller than them, which made him stick out even worse than the clothes he was wearing. Not that he cared.

"What's this "training" gonna consist of anyway?"

None of the other men seemed to know, and Mondo began to wonder just how badly things were going to go. It wasn't like it could be any worse than Enoshima being stabbed through by spears in the gym, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Good man!!!

Ishmaru's boots took a bit longer to deal with, what with the high laces and everything; he settled himself on the side of the bed while he undid them, glancing over his shoulder at Mondo as he did so. "How many times do I have to tell you that's what I'm here for?" He didn't sound displeased, however, his expression light. "Don't worry, aniki, I'm here for you, all right?"

"I'm here for you too, don't forget that!" Mondo grinned, shifting to prop himself up on his elbow. "I still really appreciate it, you know. I'm glad to have someone like you here to talk to."

"Likewise! And of course the same invitation you gave me is given to you as well - you can tell me anything!"

He paused for a moment, finally getting all of that lacing undone. "I want to do anything I can for you; that includes allowing you to have some say about what we do with that machine, once it's ours. Saving everyone from Hope's Peak isn't an option, it's a requirement, but..."

He paused for a moment, turning to face Mondo without lying down just yet. "As I've said, the machine can save the dead. Would you want me to see what can be done for Daiya as well?"

Mondo tilted his head at the statement, wondering just what Ishimaru was getting at. He wanted to bring all the other students back as well - so why would he need a say in what they were going to do with it? It wasn't as though there was anyone else from back home he really wanted to--

And then it all became crystal clear and Mondo just stared at Ishimaru blankly for a moment. "Daiya..." He repeated, almost as if he couldn't quite process what Ishimaru was saying. "You mean... we could...? He could come here? He'd be alive!?"

He sat up fully then, eyes wide. "Fuck, you could do that? I mean, he died years ago, is that really possible? Shit, I mean, that would be the best thing ever!"

Ishimaru straightened up a bit when Mondo bolted upwards, expression unsure; he knew it might be a bad idea to get Mondo's hopes up if it wasn't possible, but...

"I think it would be possible because of how this place handles time; our current superiors are from around the year 1915, so a matter of a few years shouldn't be a problem for us."

"1915? Shit, if that's possible then yeah, bringing Daiya here should be no problem!" Mondo punched a fist in the air, grinning. "That's the best idea! You'll actually get to meet him and you'll see just how fucking awesome he is! It'll be amazing!"

"A-Ah, do you really think that will be all right?" Despite the question, he sounded more excited than anything. "I'm looking forward to it, aniki!"

"Of course it will! He'll be glad to meet you, I'm sure!" Admittedly, Daiya might find it weird that Mondo was referring to someone else as "aniki," but that was something they could deal with later.

They could cross that bridge when they got there! "I'll do all I can to make sure he's brought here for you - if it would make you happy, it makes me happy as well!"

"You're... you're the best, aniki!" Mondo rubbed at his eyes, trying to pretend he wasn't nearly in tears. "What can I do for you then? Is there someone you want to bring?"

Judging from the way Ishimaru hesitated at that, it was a very good question. "I-It depends, aniki...what do you think the chances are that those first motives we got weren't faked?"

"Ah, that's..." Mondo frowned. "I'm not sure. If they have the power to control the school, it's entirely possible that they got to other people. What was in your video? Ah, I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"It looked like something happened at the school I attended before. The other members of the discipline committee seemed to have made the video as a way of sending me off, but it..."

He cut himself off then, unable to finish; he could feel the tears starting up, and he was quick to try to force himself to move forward. To rationalize it, to explain it away. "...surely we would have heard about it, if something like that had happened! Wouldn't we? That sort of thing isn't easily covered up...!"

"Yeah, it isn't! There's no way they could have attacked an entire school without us hearing about it!" Mondo nodded. "My video was the same sort of thing - 'cept it was my gang instead of schoolmates. They didn't really show what happened, just that it looked like everything had gone to shit. But that's not possible. The gang can take care of itself, even without me there.

"But I know what you mean. If that did happen, we can bring them here!"

It took him a moment to calm himself down, to get the tears to at least slow down a bit, if not stop entirely; he nodded at that, though judging from the way his eyes slid closed as he did so, he was trying to reassure himself more than he was agreeing with anything Mondo had just said.

"Y-Yes, of course. And I...I'm sure your gang is just fine, aniki! Everything is...fine, back home; we just need to worry about our classmates for now."

"Yeah. They're in the most danger." Mondo agreed. "We save them first, then we can focus on bringing everyone else here. I guess we might overrun this world, but fuck, we'll all be safe that way!"

"At least one of the people in charge wants to bring someone here as well; he's said he'll let me use the machine for that reason, and he didn't have any problem with bringing everyone from Hope's Peak. Not that I know of, anyway."

He finally let himself flop back down onto the bed at that, curling up on his side and trying to make himself relax. "I'm glad you're here now, though, aniki; it's...good to have someone from home here, it's been a long time."

Mondo reached out once Ishimaru had returned to the bed, and absently ruffled his friend's hair. "Yeah, I imagine it would be good to see a familiar face, especially if it's mine!" He laughed at that, clearly amused. "I'm glad to be here with you, aniki."

Ishimaru laughed at that, leaning into Mondo's touch a bit; it was surprising, how quickly he was getting used to that, but he couldn't deny that it felt good for some reason. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, or anyone for that matter. Not until we found the machine - but I'm glad this place brought you here first!"

...he wasn't about to say it, because that would be incredibly uncalled for, but dear god, imagine if it had brought Togami.

"Yeah, just imagine if it brought that bastard, Togami!"

What was that about it being uncalled for?

"I'm glad you weren't here for too long on your own, aniki. I'm sure you got along fine here, but it's good to have friends around! Ah, well, I'm sure you made a few here, but... you know what I mean." He laughed and continued with that hair-playing - it was relaxing and familiar, something Daiya had done when he was upset. It was nice to be able to do that to someone.

He didn't seem inclined to tell Mondo to stop playing with his hair; if anything, it seemed to be settling him down. "I get on with some of the people here, yes! But it isn't the same; it's much different with you." However, it definitely didn't sound like that was a bad thing; just the way things were. "And leave Togami-kun alone; we're going to save him too, of course."

"Yeah, yeah, I know we'll save him too. Still, he would have been a shitty partner here!" He laughed again, gently tugging on Ishimaru's hair. "But yeah, I'm glad I could be here for you first. You're my best friend, after all!"

But they could always discuss this in the morning. "Get some sleep, aniki. I'll see you in the morning." Not that he was going to stop with that hair-playing any time soon.

"You too, aniki." Not like it was going to take much for him to fall asleep; he was starting to sound like he was already halfway there by the time he responded, and it was slightly delayed as it was. It was a combination of exhaustion from the day (unsurprising, given how emotionally-charged it had been) and the feeling of Mondo continuing to play with his hair; the latter was proving to be more soothing than he would have thought it'd be, and even if he still thought the idea of sharing the bed itself was a bit odd, he found Mondo's presence to be more comforting than distracting.

...it was a bit of a weird night. But again, not in a bad way; as it stood, he was quick to fall asleep.

That summed it up pretty well, yes. It was a weird night. Not that Mondo minded either; it was nice to share with someone he considered so close.

Surprisingly, Mondo managed to get to sleep without any more nightmares. He woke up much earlier than he usually did, but the uneasy feeling faded quickly enough. Had he been in his own room, he would have gone about his usual morning routine, but the lack of clothes and personal items made that out of the question.

Mondo contented himself with playing with Ishimaru's hair instead, staring up at the ceiling contentedly. It wasn't often he had time to himself like this.

Ishimaru stirred a bit at the feeling of that hair-playing starting up again, though it took him a while to wake up. However, once it registered properly that there was someone in his room, touching his hair, he was quick to startle quite a bit; it took him a second to remember what was going on, that Mondo was here now, and that there wasn't any reason for him to be so jumpy, especially not this early.

"Aniki...?"

LOCKED TO ardent

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