Frenzy (REBOOT) (Pokémon Danganronpa)

Chapter 25: Experiment

LEON'S POV

Our expedition—for lack of better words, seeing as how it was only Hydra who was injured—was a temporary success.

A machine of great size was discovered here, seemingly abandoned by Sam herself.

"So...what the hell are we gonna do with this thing?" Zantai uttered from the darkness.

We all agreed that splitting up and searching for each corner of the room would help us gauge the size. The basement itself wasn't too large; about the same size as the living room.

The only issue was figuring out the purpose of this mechanism...especially since it's stocked up with memory gems in its interior.

"Hey...Zantai." Rayne muttered and turned her light toward the Blaziken. "You have a string on your foot. Don't trip."

"Huh?" Zantai hummed in response and lifted his foot.

I don't know how she saw it, but a tight string was stuck on one of his talons.

"U-Uh...don't freak out, but take a step back." Loki cautioned, her eyes widening at the sight of something above the Blaziken.

Zantai didn't bother to question and immediately leaped backward, the string from his claws snapping.

We all flinched like something was about to happen...but nothing did.

Gazing up at where Loki had been staring, I noticed a row of sharp-looking spikes. It was quite the deadly-looking trap...but it had clearly been disabled, otherwise, Zantai would have triggered it.

"Hydra was correct, I suppose." I recalled with a small frown.

"They look bloodied, too." Rayne keenly noted, making sure to charge the energy in her mane so the light would gleam brighter.

This allowed me to see what she was referring to; a streak of fresh blood lining the sides of a few spikes.

"Was that the trap he got hit by?" Loki worriedly questioned and turned to the stairway. "Are we sure he's alive?"

"He's probably fine." Vanta—who never stopped analyzing the machine—reassured. "He's a doctor...and somehow related to me."

"Hm?" Zantai crossed his arms at the Umbreon. "What do you mean?"

"A while back whenever I went to the motive library, I remember my memory being that I'm incapable of feeling pain." Vanta turned to the Blaziken and pricked his forepaw with his own claw, drawing a minimal amount of blood and not flinching a muscle while doing so. "I'm not doing this to seem stoic...I'm genuinely missing a nerve ending."

"So are you saying Hydra is the same way?" Loki turned to the Umbreon with a small frown.

"I don't know, but if he comes from where I'm from...he's definitely not normal." Vanta huffed lightly.

So that was Vanta's memory. I am not surprised, though...someone like him must have had quite a rough upbringing to be this stern.

"Anyway, is that all that's here?" Zantai butted in before anyone could comment further.

"I believe so." Rayne cleared her throat and turned to start leading toward the basement stairs. "We're leaving."

It seemed as if it was a mutual agreement that going inside the machine was dangerous—at least with the knowledge we have now.

With nothing else in mind, everyone had gathered to discuss further action in the living room.

"To be completely honest, I'm not sure what to do with this information." Vanta leaped onto the couch, his eyes glancing towards the center of the room.