Evan got up from the throne and made his way back to his former podium.  Unlike Alister, though, he simply set his portrait aside.

Dawn was still gaping and trying to make sense of anything that was going on.  Everything she'd known was a lie.  The school year?  A lie.  The state of the world?  A lie.  Her relationships?  A lie. She didn't even know if her family were all okay.  If they were even alive.  Were they alive?

"I..." Jax started.  His face flushed with what seemed to be shame and humiliation.  

"I'd apologize, but that's just show business, baby!" Evan clapped his hands, his dark blue eyes gleaming with a sinister energy. "I honestly thought it'd be more suspicious that the Ultimate Actor hadn't appeared to do much acting."

"Seriously, though, how much did we have to spell it out for you?" Alister added. "I put on a whole show during my trial, I made that freaking dress, which was a dead giveaway, and if you all had actually checked the Morgue thoroughly, you would've seen three missing bodies.  Two of which would've been me and Evan.  Damn, I'm starting to wish my comrades hadn't killed the only good detective."

"Trust me, that's the only thing I regret," Evan sighed dramatically. "But hey, at least we'll never know who was actually to blame."

"I think I deserve credit for spicing up the crime scene to make it as show-stopping as it was," Rowan objected. "And, y'know, the whole f*cking killing game."

"Sure, sure, whatever," Alister groaned. "Anyways, sorry I was almost late.  I had trouble deciding whether or not I should've worn my execution dress.  But then I wouldn't have gotten to wear this, and that would've just been a waste of my time if I never got to show it off."

"Oh my god, no one cares," Evan said, rolling his eyes.

"Anyways, back to the point.  This is why I can never get things done while you two are around." Rowan returned their focus to Dawn, Jax, and Tommie. "There's one final game for you lot.  One last team decision.  It's a vote between hope and despair, if you will.  If all three of you vote for hope, then you can leave this place and return to the outside world.  Easy as that.  You can go back home, if you've even got one still standing.  But if at least one of you chooses despair, then you all will remain here, where no harm can reach you and you'll never have to face the truth if something bad happened to your loved ones.  Got it?"

"I still don't get it." Jax looked towards Evan with a look of pure betrayal on his face.  

Evan, in return, smiled.  By god was it unnerving. "You don't know how despair feels until you're left all alone and lose the spotlight.  It drives a guy mad when there's no one to care about him.  And when an opportunity to be someone again comes along, you take it without a second thought!  Boom, you're a star again, and you get to fake your own death!"

Jax didn't respond, but to Dawn, it looked like he really wanted to.

"Alright, move over, honey, my turn to share my motive," Alister said. "As for me, I thrive on attention.  I need people to see me and my talent.  Hell, I don't give a sh*t if they know I'm a guy, 'cause I don't care that I'm a guy either.  That whole second-trial nonsense was just BS.  I'm here to make money, send it to my family to keep them safe, and be a f*cking legend."

"Can we please stay on topic?  If you wanted to do backstories, then we should've planned that out earlier.  Or you shouldn't have wasted so much time on choosing outfits.  Jeez." Rowan glared at their accomplices before shifting their gaze back to the trio. "So, what'll it be?  Returning to the safe embrace of despair, or risking everything to blindly give your hope to a world with nothing left?  I know what my decision would be, personally."

Tommie swallowed the lump in her throat.

"It's so much easier to just stay here," Jax said, and Dawn was ashamed to know that she agreed with him on that.  He paused before adding, "But giving up and letting these guys win?  That alone's a sh*t ton of despair."

"He's right," Dawn responded.  She agreed with that, too. "Whatever's out there, we can face it together.  Remember what the headmaster said in that video?  So long as we hold onto our hope, we can make it through whatever happens next."

Tommie smiled. "Yeah.  We still have each other.  Unless one of you guys wants to backstab us too, then do that before we can go any further."

"Oh trust me, I'm not that good at faking emotions." Jax shot an accusing glare at Evan, who just shrugged.

"So are we all choosing hope?" Dawn confirmed.

"It's all we have going for us, isn't it?" Tommie laughed sadly. "I'm choosing hope."

"F*ck it, I'm choosing hope," Jax agreed.

"Were... were they supposed to do that?" Evan asked, turning his head to look over at his partners in crime.

Rowan shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me.  I've already won, and by hell I'll live on forever and there's nothing that can be done to change that.  With that aside, are you two going to join me or will you stand by and watch?"

"Watch what?" Dawn tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh, you don't know?" Rowan paused signing for a moment, then seemed to find the right words and continued, "You all chose to stand up to despair in the name of hope.  To fight against all odds in a world that no longer has a chance.  It's despairing as hell to see such defiance, but... it's pretty admirable.  And... by god I need to feel something right now.  Luckily, I've got just the thing."

"You're avoiding the question, *sshole," Jax snapped.

"Right, right.  Well, you did find the mastermind.  Me.  And you did all vote against me.  Meaning... I'm guilty.  As for you two..." The mastermind shifted their attention to Alister and Evan. "What will it be?"

"I think I'm ready to give the world a show they won't forget," Evan decided.

"One last encore, if you will.  I'm ready," Alister said.

"Alright.  Let's give it everything we've got!" Rowan turned and walked over to Monokumace's throne, bending over and scooping up the gavel.  They twirled it in their hand for a moment, their expression unreadable.  Then, they lifted it up, took a deep breath, and the robotic translator announced:

"It's punishment time!"

***

(1171 words)

Sorry for the short chapter!  I was planning on making it longer but I wasn't really feeling it.

Yes, Danganronpa!Evan is clinically insane.  

So are the other two, but on different levels.  Rowan and Alister have semi-motives, but Evan's here for funsies and might've killed a man for sh*ts and giggles.

Now you gotta give me like 3-4 business days to do this final execution!  It's all planned out but given I'm not getting home until 7/8 every night this week, it's gonna be hard to fit into my schedule.  Fear not!  I'll be working on the final chapter as well as other things in the meantime/when I can.

So let's see how a triple execution plays out, shall we?