Maverick Hunter (Megaman Zero x Danganronpa: Another Episode.)

Chapter 9: Attack

Zero, Komaru, and Toko return to the Resistance base, greeted by Shirokuma. "You're back!" He cries.

"Exactly." Zero says. "What's next? Whatever you've got planned, I want to hear it."

"To tell you the truth, Haiji and the others in a conference discussing exactly that. Why don't you go on in and join them? I have a feeling that you'll convince them to do something." Shirokuma suggests.

"Sounds good." Zero nods. "Komaru, Toko, it's best if you come with us."

"You're right." Komaru agrees. "Let's go."

The group walks into the conference room in the middle of a heated debate.

"It doesn't matter if they're just kids! We have to kill them, before they kill us!" Tamura Kuwata says angrily.

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

"What do you mean by that?" Another man asks.

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

"I'm at my wit's end here..." A man smoking a cigarette grumbles. "If I stay underground another minute, I'm gonna lose it!"

"I'm telling you, a fight right now is too risky!" The woman counters.

"Haiji," the second man says, "as leader, what do you think?"

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

"So you want us to just *stay* here?" Tamura counters. "You want us to stay in this shitty place, constantly afraid of those kids?!"

"My principle is to not waste lives. As a leader, there's no way I can accept a plan that defies that."

"B- But-" The second man stutters.

"I'm not telling you to stay here forever. I'm just saying now is not the right time." Haiji explains, a long pause of silence falls over the room. "...Does anyone else have any ideas?"

"...Haiji?" Shirokuma asks. "Is it okay if these three join the conference after you guys take a break?" He says, pointing at the trio.

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

"Now now..." Shirokuma intervenes. "Now's not the time to argue. After all, have you considered all of your options?"

"Now what are you talking about..." Zero mutters.

"I was thinking we could persuade the children..." Shirokuma stutters shyly.

Zero inhales. "You know, I'm starting to wonder why I didn't shoot you in the subway earlier."

Before anything can progress, a new man runs into the room, looking panicked.

"E- Emergency! Monokumas are attacking us!" He yells, and Zero immediately dashes past him and to the entrance point of the incoming Monokumas.

The steel plate covering the door bursts open, and a swarm of Monokumas break in, but Zero wastes no time and guns four down with his Buster.

The Monokumas all seem to realize that Zero is the biggest threat in the room and swarm him, but the first ten to reach him all get their heads sliced off by the Z-Saber as Zero unleashes a spin attack.

He uses the Triple Chain to grab a bundle of Monokumas and bash them into others, and as more come in, Zero gets more and more aggressive and calculated.

Eventually, Zero stabs the final Monokuma in the gut with the Z-Saber, he then drags it upwards and splits open its head and upper body.

"There, that's all of them." He says, putting the Z-Saber away, he glances at the injured people around him, and scowls internally. No time to mourn for the dead. His time with the Maverick Hunters taught him that.

"How...?" Komaru asks, horrified. "How can you look at such a sight and not feel anything?"

"I've fought in countless wars, I've been betrayed by friends, I've lost allies. Nothing fazes me anymore." Zero responds calmly. "I pay my silent respects, and vow to destroy those who do things like this."

"This is your fault." Haiji states furiously, appearing behind the group. "This whole time I've been so careful to keep this place a secret!"

"This has to do with us... How?" Toko questions.

"I convinced people to stay underground, stay hidden so they wouldn't be followed... But after all that... this happens." Haiji fumes.

"Are you going to answer Toko's question or not?" Zero coldly says.

"The only explanation is that they followed you! You brought them here!"

"Okay, you're insane."

"When you contacted Future Foundation, the kids must've honed in on you." Haiji explains, pointing accusingly at the group. "They tailed you, and you brought them right back here!"

"Good, I was starting to hate this place anyway." Toko mutters, and Zero gives her a thumbs-up.

"W- Wait!" Shirokuma cries, running up to the group. "These three protected us, didn't they?"

"If they never came back after their stupid mission, then we wouldn't have been ambushed!"

"Now you're making assumptions." Zero points out.

"Well, if I'm making assumptions, then I guess I'll say that you guys are spies for the kids!"

Zero looks back at Toko and Komaru, with a look of 'Can I shoot this guy now?'

"I ask you, with the last of my patience," Zero says, getting a bit ticked, "have you ever once seen Komaru's wristband? If she were a spy, she wouldn't have it!"

"That's it." Haiji snaps, literally. "Take 'em away."

Before Zero can ponder what Haiji meant, he's picked up by a group of survivors, and, despite his Reploid strength, is dragged away to a private ro-

Ah, I almost slipped up, I meant prison cell. Yeah, I didn't include that joke for nothing.

Zero wakes up in his cell without his weapons or abilities.

"Damn jerks, I save their lives and they repay me by taking my weapons and locking me up... Now I can see why Sigma went Maverick all that time ago." He mutters to himself, laying back down.

He begins to recall the attack, step by step. The Monokumas break in, kill a bunch of survivors, Zero fights them off, and gets arrested.

"Man... If this happens again, I'll just let them die until they beg for my help."

"Hey now, that doesn't sound like the Zero I know!" A familiar voice says from outside his door.

Zero's eyes widen as he looks over.

A slice is heard, followed by a lock clanking on the ground.

Zero hears the familiar sound of a Buster charging up, it fires, and as the door is blasted off its hinges. Zero smiles.

Standing, Z-Saber in one hand, Buster over the other, is X.