(3rd Person POV)

The girls silently walked through Towa City. Still pissed at one another, no one spoke throughout the entire trip. They faced many obstacles backtracking, but only exchanged quick words. With one of them not even speaking at all, per Komaru's request. Eventually, they managed to make their way back to the sewers were the secret base lied.

The shutters opened up and the girls trudged in.

Komaru walked up to the first adult she saw. "Um... Where is Shirokuma?"

"..." But the adult would just walk off.

"Umm... Hello?"

"..." Both Toko and Akira stayed silent.

"Heeey! You three!" A voice called as Shirokuma approached them. "Yay! Yaaay! You made it back safe! I'm glad!" He beamed, completely oblivious to the tension between the three girls. "Now, I want to hear the whole story, but first..." He spread his arms open. "Welcome back! Come, leap into my arms!"

"Jeez, this guy developed a taste for hugs fast!" Toko commented.

"..." Komaru stayed silent, bowing her head down.

"C'mon, don't be modest! Do it! Do iiit!" Shirokuma urged.

"I-I guess I can... I haven't taken a bath for a while, so I might be a little sticky..." Toko mentioned.

"Oh." Shirokuma blinked. "How about you comb out your hair, take a bath, and change your clothes and undergarments first?"

"Geez, pushy! Why don't I just wrap myself in a bow for you, too?" Toko folded her arms.

"Well, I was trying to do a dirty joke, since usually I'm very clean. As a change of pace. Anyway... You three must be tired. Why don't you just rest for a while?" Shirokuma suggested.

"With the mood in here, I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to. Aside from you, everyone seems...unwelcoming." Toko pointed out, looking around.

"Th-That's not it! They're just...shy! I mean, not just one, but three girls in school uniforms? That's enough to make a man's heart burst! I've heard that you only appreciate being high school age after you've graduated high school..." Shirokuma turned to the crowd of adults. "Hey everyone! Aren't you glad these young girls came back to us!?"

Silence.

"See, totally welcoming!"

"What the hell are you talking about!? Are your ears busted or something?" Toko assumed.

"Hey, Shirokuma... Thanks for the offer, but I really don't feel like resting right now." Komaru spoke up.

"Komaru...what happened?" Shirokuma noticed her depressive-like mood. "Did the connection not work?"

Komaru shook her head. "No, the connection worked fine. But I'm just not sure Future Foundation is going to come through."

"..." Toko stayed silent.

"I see... So that's why you're so down... I'm sorry... Do you want me to pat your head?" Shirokuma offered.

"Pat her head? How many heads have you crushed with a hand like that?" Toko narrowed her eyes.

"L-Like I said, I don't do anything like that!"

"Yeah, I know. I trust you, Shirokuma. ...You're the only one I can trust anymore." Komaru mumbled.

"Hmph..." Toko scoffed while Akira simply looked in another direction, tuning out the entire conversation.

"Hey, Shirokuma..." Komaru looked down at him. "What should I do now?  I... I don't know what to do anymore."

"...To tell you the truth, Haiji and the others are in a conference discussing exactly that. Why don't you go on in and join them?" Shirokuma suggested.

"Huh? B-But..." Komaru looked reluctant to do so, especially on how their coversation ended last time.

"That's not a good idea. Have you already forgotten you ignored his warning and went to Towa Tower?" Toko pointed out.

"Oh, that's nothing! That was just a small misunderstanding, we still have the same goal! To stop these out of control kids, and free the mistreated adults... Isn't that right?" Shirokuma said.

"I...didn't really think it through that far." Komaru scratched her head.

"No, really. I know you can do it."

"Huh?"

"Rather... You have to do it. You have to be able to save the adults."

"Wh-What're you saying? She's the complete opposite kind of girl you want for this!" Toko argued.

"..." That obviously didn't help Komaru, her head tilted down and staring at the ground.

"This is Armageddon! And we gotta band together and destroy that Kid asteroid!" Shirokuma raised his paw. "C'mon, our future is in there!"

"Jeez, what's wrong with him?" Toko grumbled as they followed Shirokuma.

---

"Yo Koko, Rara and Fufu." Hiroko greeted. "Heard you went outside. Well, I figured you would. How should I put it...? There's something different about you three, compared to these people."

"What do you mean?" Komaru asked.

"How can I say it...?" Hiroko scratched the back of her neck, trying to find the words. "The air around you, it's different. You three are always facing forward. But in here, the air is getting heavier and heavier. Everyone's stressed. Stuck in a dark and moldy place like this, how could you not be...?"

"..." Komaru's face went blank, her eyes dulling.

---

In the conference room...

"It doesn't matter if they're just kids, we have to kill them before they kill us!"

"But the kids have those Monokumas on their side. We have to do something about them, first."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's like I said. We have to take them out somehow!"

"I'm at my wit's end here... If I stay underground another minute I'm gonna lose it!"

"I'm telling you, without a plan, a fight right now is far too risky!"

"Haiji... As leader, what do you think?"

Haiji sighed. "I have everyone's lives in my hands. There's no way I'd put you all in danger. I'm completely against a suicide attack, even for those who are prepared to die."

"So you want us to just stay here? You're telling us to spend our lives in this shitty place, constantly afraid of those kids?"

"My principle is to not waste lives. As a leader, I cannot accept a plan that defies that."

"B-But..."

"I'm not telling you to stay here forever. I'm just saying now is not the right time."

"..."

Haiji rubbed his temples. "...Does anyone else have any ideas?"

"Haiji?" A voice called as Shirokuma walked in with the girls. "Is it alright if these girls join the conference after you guys take a break?"

"H-Hello..." Komaru meekly greeted.

"You three... Why are you three here? I already told you, I don't wanna talk to you anymore." Haiji said.

"Now now! It's not the time to argue." Shirokuma tutted. "You guys have to get along, especially at a time like this!"

Haiji shook his head. "Regardless... This conference is over."

"No, not yet! It's not like you've considered all the options yet, right? Remember the idea I brought up before? Did you consider that?" Shirokuma asked.

"I already told you, it's impossible." Haiji refused.

"I understand how you feel, but..." A woman in the conference room trailed off.

"Hey... What exactly are you guys talking about?" Toko inquired.

"It's...about persuading the children." Shirokuma told them.

"Persuade!?" Komaru parroted in shock.

"That's your idea? It's obviously a little late for that, don't you think!?" Toko pointed out.

"But you guys are all humans! You can come to an agreement with words instead of violence..." Shirokuma tried to convince them.

"You really think a group of monsters like those kids can be reasoned with?" A man narrowed his eyes.

"I bet they'd kill us the moment we showed up to treat with them." A woman added.

"Plus, this group here... There can't be peace with those kids. You know what they've done." Haiji said.

"B-But still, why don't you at least try!? It's like Shirokuma said, we're all humans..." Komaru spoke up.

"Did you already forget who we're dealing with? Remember what that P.E. punk showed us?" Toko reminded her, referring to when Masaru showed them to mountain of human bodies he racked up.

---

"Just because they gave birth to us and raised us, they thought they can control us all! As Hero, I hunted them down and let everyone go free!"

---

"Ah!" Komaru grimaced.

"Those brats don't even care about family. Things like persuasion..." Toko shook her head. "It will never work."

"That's right! They're not human, they're demons!" A man agreed.

"And not just that, even if we tried to use family to persuade them, it's not possible. The survivors here don't have any children anyway." Haiji noted.

"..Huh? W-Wait, you mean everyone here doesn't have any kids? But there's so many adults here!" Toko said.

"It's probably not a coincidence. Those kids are focusing on parents first." Haiji said.

"Wh-Why?" Komaru looked horrified.

"Who knows...? They have a deep-seeded hatred of the ones who raised them. It's messed up." Haiji closed his eyes. "...It's impossible to persuade a group like that. I'm completely against the idea."

"But, if fighting is impossible, and persuasion is impossible... What are you going to do?" Shirokuma asked.

"Didn't I already say it? The best plan is to just wait for a while for a good opportunity."

"And exactly how long is this "for a while"?" Toko furrowed her eyebrows, while also using air quotes.

"I-I don't know. But now's the time to toughen up and endure it."

"You say "wait" and "endure"... You're just repeating the fact you're not gonna do anything."

"...You're an outsider. How could you possibly understand? I am...the leader of this Resistance. I have to think about the lives of everyone here."

"What "resistance"? A useless l-leader like you... You're even more of a burden than this chick!" Toko pointed her thumb to Komaru.

Haiji's eye twitched as he stood up from his chair. "What did you say?" 

"H-Hey! You two!" Shirokuma tried to get in between them.

"You don't think about others and just say whatever you want... You're no different than those kids." Haiji growled.

"You're the one who's a child. Complaining, not even doing anything..." Toko shot back.

"If you don't like the way I lead, then you can leave. No one is going to stop you." Haiji offered, though it sounded much more like a demand.

"You don't have to tell me twice, I'm leaving. But I know you're wrong." Toko scoffed, turning to Komaru and Akira. "Aki, Omaru... Let's go."

"..." Komaru turned her head. "You're the one who's wrong, Toko."

"...Huh? Wh-What are you saying!?"

"You...don't understand... You don't understand the feelings of the weak at all..." Komaru glared at her.

"I-I'm not blaming them for being weak, I'm blaming them for using it as an excuse!" Toko clarified.

"That's exactly my point! The reason they don't do anything is because they can't build confidence! I would know!" Komaru fiercely pointed at her. "You're someone strong, with talent, chosen for Hope's Peak Academy and Future Foundation... You don't know how people like me feel! You don't know what it's like!"

"...I don't understand what it's like to be weak? You think I'm "chosen"?" Toko mumbled before gaining her stance. "You must be kidding. What's so great about me, huh? I'm a w-walking inferiority complex! I don't have confidence! I never have! But what's going to change if I just keep saying that? Using that as an excuse every day!? I-I learned that...from the killing. I suffered for it, but I did something about it. So for you to say that l was just "chosen," like I had nothing to do with it... I won't allow it." 

The two would glare at each other with equal intensity. Akira just sighed. Even in the most dire of situation...she's still the most sane out of the trio.

"Please, wait guys! Ooh, fighting is a big no no!" Shirokuma grumbled to herself, seeing the tensions rise in both the adults and the girls.

But suddenly, an adult burst into the conference room. "E-Emergency! The Monokumas are attacking us!"

"Huh!?" Komaru whipped her head around.

---

The Monokumas are making their way through the sewers, up the ladders, and then...multiple of them are crashing through the door, prying it open with their claws!

Many adults are being slaughtered by them, the screaming being heard from inside the conference room.

---

All the adults stood up. "Wh-Why are there Monokumas here...?"

"How did the children find out about this place!?"

"That's not important right now! Just run!" Haiji ordered.

"M-Maybe we should run, too..." Toko suggested.

"...Wait!" Shirokuma ran up to the girls. "Please...protect everyone!"

"P-Protect?" Komaru repeated.

"If this keeps up, everyone will be killed! If you can at least buy us some time... I beg you, please! We need you!"

Toko sighed. "...Now's not the time to argue. If we don't fight, our lives are in danger too."

Komaru glanced at her, but nodded. "F-Fine..."

---

Eventually, the girls managed to fend off all the Monokumas. But not without a heavy price, as they looked at the bodies of adults surrounding them.

"Th-This is terrible..." Komaru said in a lowly, hopeless tone. "This is...so cruel..."

"...This is your fault." A voice said as the girls were approached by Haiji, who didn't look none too pleased.

"...Huh?"

Haiji glared at them. "This whole time I've been so careful keeping this place a secret. I convinced people to stay underground, stay hidden so they couldn't be followed... But after all that...this happens. The only explanation is that they followed you. You brought them here!" He fiercely pointed at them.

"W-We did?" Komaru widened her eyes.

"When you contacted Future Foundation, the kids must have honed in on you. They tailed you, and you brought them right back here!" Haiji snarled. "It's all your fault! You did this to all of us!"

Komaru frantically shook her head. "B-But that's not fair! I... I didn't want this to happen!"

"W-Wait!" Shirokuma approached them. "These three protected us, didn't they?!"

"If they never came back here after their stupid mission, this place wouldn't have been ambushed!" Haiji responded.

"Th-That's a baseless accusation! You're just making an assumption--" Toko cried.

"Well, as long as I'm assuming, I guess I'll go one further and say you guys are spies for the kids!" Haiji said.

"Th-That's not funny! What could we possibly gain from that!?"

"I remember an old folk tale, about a war between birds and beasts. By using the face of both bird and beast, the bat played both sides. But because he couldn't get too close to either, in the end, the bat ends up alone."

"Wh-What are you trying to say?"

"Bird or beast... I wonder which side you're on."

Suddenly, the screen on the large display in the middle of the base turned on, showing a strange place that kinda looked like a torture chamber and two Monokuma Kids.

"Damnit, this again!"

"Please, make it stop!"

"Why? Why now?"

Komaru turned to the adults. "What... is that?"

Haiji just sneered at her. "What, you're asking me? Don't act like you don't know." He snapped his fingers as a few adults grabbed the three girls. "Lock them up." Haiji ordered as he walked off, leaving the adults to carry them away.

Chapter 13: End

To be continued...?