Kariya's Bizarre Adventure

First Bullet
Zouken Kariya was, technically, dead. Having
one's personality and memories transferred to an
AI isn't very pleasant.
The android referring to itself as Zouken Kariya
wasn't fully sure of its own identity.
Was he the real Kariya, or just an imitation? Does
one's soul lie in personality and memories, or
does it die with the body?
While he was content with just being alive,
Kariya was now in another bind.
He was alone with... a girl.
Not that he had anything against girls, no - it was
just that... this particular girl...
"What are you frowning at?" she asked.
Kariya groaned. He was driving a vehicle,
Noriko Seki in the passenger seat.
Kariya was unsure what kind of vehicle it was,
since he was in a future world he knew little
about, but it appeared
that his programming allowed him to drive the
hovering cylinder. All in all, it felt as if he was
riding a big cigar.
"Tell me why we're doing this again? Driving
through this... wasteland?"
"Driving? Don't you think it's more like we're...
flying?"
"Hovering."
"See? We're not driving!"
Kariya shook his head.
"No, it feels like I'm driving."
"Really? I wish I knew how to drive. Being an android must be pretty useful."
"Not really. You don't dream, and while you CAN eat, it's actually useless." Kariya had an idea.
He grinned, still concentrated on the wasteland before him.
"Of course, I can fully function as a se-"
"No, no, I don't wanna hear it! No!!!"
Kariya chuckled. That oughta do it.
"Anyways, we should be at that place Iza-chan told us about."
He could see a pouting Seki glancing at him from the corner of his eye.
"That warehouse place?"
Kariya nodded. "Yeah."
"Let's see... he said there'd be people inside, right?"
"That's kind of the point of this trip."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just bummed I didn't get to go with the others."
"Oh, something wrong with me?"
"Yes! In so many ways! For example, you're around the same age as me, and you look so much
older!"

"Hey! That's a touchy subject! But be quiet now, okay? See that over there?"
"Huh?"
Not far ahead was a grey building. As they got closer, the rust covering the building became fully
visible.
It was shaped like a cube, and reminded Kariya of some kind of secret base.
Kariya parked the... cigar behind a large rock, and the two carefully peaked over the edge. Seki was
the first to say something.
"Woah... it's pretty old..."
"Well, yeah, Iza-chan said it was built 200 years ago to withstand even nuclear bombs."
"Really?!?"
"Weren't you listeing?"
"He was saying so much, I didn't really pay attention... I don't get how you could, to be honest."
"Hey! I always listen when a cute guy tells me stuff!"
"So he's cute?"
"Yeah, can't you see that?"
Seki opened her mouth as if she was about to protest, when instead, she sighed.
"Let's just go inside."
Just like Iza had instructed them, the two made their way to the eastern end of the building where
they found a panel.
After carefully removing it, Kariya entered the 9-digit code Iza had given him. A portion of the wall
slid open with a creak.
"So... we're gonna go in there...?" Seki said worredly.
"Looks like it," Kariya answered, already peeking inside. "Looks a bit dark, but I think the path is
lit up further ahead."
"Hey, wait!" She was too late. Kariya had already walked inside, which gave her little choice but to
follow.
As soon as she stepped inside though, the door slid shut behind her.
"H-huh?!?" Seki quickly turned around, baning her fists on the door.
"H-hey! Open up!!"
"Who are you talking to?"
"S-shut up! Aren't you worried?!?"
Kariya shrugged nonchalantly.
"Not really."
"W-what?!?"
"Hey, we survived Zetsubou Town. We should be able to handle this, right?"
It took a few seconds, but Seki's expression soon changed to one that shouted "I'm pumped!"
"Yeah! Of course! Who do you think I am?"
Kariya noted to himself just how different Seki was to her past self. And itt wasn't just her.
Kariya had watched how Seki, Fuji-chan, Iza-chan, Niwa-chan, Yoshi-chan, and Donnie Ronnie had
grown as people.
They were now all prepared to face despair, while Kariya... well, he was prepared to as well, but
having served the role
as an observer for almost the entire game of mutual killing made him feel... left out. Not that he'd
ever want to participate in it, but still.
The two walked through the dimly lit corridors, choosing paths at random. Suddenly, Kariya
stopped.
"Wait."
"Huh?"
"Do you hear that?" Kariya was now whispering.
They listened.
Klank. Klank. Klank. The sound of footsteps against metal. Then it stopped. Kariya slowly turned
his head towards the path to his left.

There, in the middle of the corridor, was a person. The bad lightning made it difficult to see who it
was, but... it was a tall person.
Just as sudden as they had stopped walking, they picked up the pace again. Now, they were almost
jogging towards Kariya and Seki.
Kariya braced for impact, and Seki raised the racket she had brought - but it wasn't necessary. The
person stopped in front of them, crying.
It was a tall young man, with headphones around his neck.
"Y-y-y-y-you're here t-to save us?!? Please, please, p-please, tell me you're here to s-save us...!"
Kariya and Seki looked at each other, before Seki spoke.
"Ehr... you're... one of the captives here, right...?"
The young man shone up.
"Y-yes! I-I'm Raiden Daigeki! Y-you're here to save us, then?!?"
He took Kariya's hands and shook them.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!"
"Well... you're welcome."
Seki coughed.
"I'm Noriko Seki, and this perverted old man here is Zouken Kariya."
"TECHNICALLY, I'm younger than you. I was built-"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, uncle."
The young man who introduced himself as Raiden Daigeki looked at us nervously.
"Y-you can just c-call me Raiden... everyone does that."
He then looked as if he had just remembered something important.
"B-but, but! You said you were here to save us?!? The others are gonna be really happy!"
"We knew there would be people here who needed rescue," Kariya began, "but it was unclear on
how many."
"T-there were 13 of us to begin with, b-but..."
Raiden looked as if his world had fallen apart. Kariya decided to voice what he was sure both him
and Seki were thinking.
"People have been dying, haven't they?"
Raiden looked like someone who had cried themselves dry of all their tears.
"y-yes," he answered quietly.
"...Monokuma, right?" Seki asked.
"Y-you know about him?!?"
Seki looked away, so Kariya thought he'd answer in her stead.
"We've... been put through hell by him - well, another version of him - so we know what he's
capable of."
Kariya paused to sigh.
"Take us to the others."
"Y-yeah, of course...!"
Kariya and Seki followed a nervous Raiden through the dimly lit corridors. It was like a maze, but
Kariya noted that Raiden navigated the passages as if he had memorized them.
"How long have you been here?" Seki asked, breaking the silence.
"T-two weeks, I think."
"..."
"W-we're here."
Raiden led the group out into an open area. It was a large empty room, with passages leading to
other corridors decorating the walls.
The ceiling was high, and to compensate for the distance the light had to travel, the walls were
dotted with smaller, equally dim lights.
As Kariya's eyes got used to the change of light, he noticed a group of people gathered in the
middle of the room.

In that group were several people he recognized - people who could impossibly be there.
"What the heck?!?"
Seki took the words right out of Kariya's mouth. What the heck indeed. Raiden ran over to the
group, Kariya and Seki following as if they had seen a ghost.
"E-everyone! T-these people are here to save us!"
"What?" A man in shackles glared suspiciously at Kariya and Seki.
"Sorry, I don't buy it. Why the hell would people show up now, of all times?"
"Adachi-kun!" A girl with long, red haired told the young man off. It stung in Kariya's artificial
heart upon both hearing that name and seeing that girl.
"...how..." Seki was staring. Kariya didn't blame her - she had known these people personally, while
Kariya had only seen them on screen.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The girl bowed politely. "Ehr... I'm Gina Ban! Are you really here to help
us?"
Kariya blinked. "Yeah," he answered as in a gaze. The girl's face turned into relief as a tear ran
down her cheek.
"Aaah, thank you, thank you! I... I can't believe we're finally getting out of here..."
"Aboyt time, innit?" The one who had spoken was a boy with... well, he could best be described as
an explosion of light blue and pink.
"De name's Gagoze Nuribotoke, but call me Gagoze. T'anks for comin' ter save us, by de way."
"Yeah, sure..."
"De scruffy wan 'ere's Jiro Adachi. 'e's loike de guard dag from 'ell, don't yer tink?"
Adachi glared at Gagoze, as if to say ''I'll strangle you right here and now silly man''.
"An' de lassy over 'ere is Moriko Furuya."
A girl with silver hair and her jacket pulled up over her chin nodded.
"Hello."
Kariya was in shock. Gina Ban and Jiro Adachi. He had seen them die. There was no doubt that
they had died, the way they went.
Yet, there they stood, fully alive. Since Seki was still in a state of shock from seeing two of her dead
comrades, Kariya coughed and spoke.
"We're Zouken Kariya and Noriko Seki. First, I think you should know that we, too, were forced
into the whole feeling despair business by Monokuma."
Ban's eyes went wide.
"R-really? And you're still alive?"
"The two of us, and a few others, managed to survive. Seven of us, in total. Right now, the other
five are on their way to save another group from Monokuma."
"And you two went here," Adachi said as he frowned. "About time."
"Oh, so you trust us now?"
"I got no other choice."
Kariya turned to Ban.
"I'm curious - I heard there were 13 of you. What were the names of those you've lost?"
Ban hesitated, but answered after a few seconds.
"First, Kazue Ogata, Chiharu Endo, Yuriko Mita, Toshiko Uehara, Manami Arakaki, Yuichi Honda,
and Takumi Maita."
"...there's one more of us," Furuya said slowly. "Faxhulhempex the third. He's... off in the corridors
somewhere."
"He took off on his on earlier," Ban added.
Kariya put a hand on Seki's shaking shoulder, and led her to the wall so she could sit down.
It was only natural - she had just been told that the friends she had lost in the mutual killing had
somehow survived, and all but three had been killed. Again.
"Is she alright...?" Ban said with worry in her voice.
"Yeah, she's just feeling a bit ill after the long trip here."
Adachi snorted. "Some saviors you are."

"Are you REALLY in a position to complain? If you are, I could suggest some other positions."
"I- wait, what?"
Kariya opened his mouth to speak, when"What's this? What's this, what's this?"
Kariya shuddered. That high-pitched voice... there was no doubt about it. The group all turned, as
one unit.
Yup, there he stood. The bear known as Monokuma.