[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/283698275263971328/389395499368710144/Davis.gif[/img][/center] [i]Quite a while ago...[/i] A young Davis prepared to leave Hope’s Peak High School. He had graduated a few years ago, but had been acting as an assistant teacher for a time. It was likely he would be back, but for now, he had other places he needed to be. He had everything loaded up in his truck and was ready to drive off when a female student approached him. It was Celestia Ludenberg, the ultimate gambler. He was a temp teacher for one of her classes. [color=chocolate]”You didn’t plan on leaving before we’ve had our final duel, did you?”[/color] Something that Davis had always tried to instill in the students was that their talents needed to be nurtured in order to reach their apex. That being an ultimate student should not be their ultimate goal. He did this by doing what he did best: beating them with his own talent. He would issue them a challenge that they were doomed to fail before they even accepted. Most of the students ignored him, with a few being amused or annoyed with his antics. But then there were those like Celestia who refused to accept defeat at the hands of the ultimate mastermind. To date, none had beaten him. [color=Tomato]"Hah! If you insist."[/color] Davis shut the door on his truck and folded his arms. [color=Tomato]"I’m kind of in a rush though, so if you’re not ready, we’re going to have to call it off."[/color] [color=chocolate]”You won’t escape that easily mister Gallo.”[/color] Celestia stepped off to the side, and some boys brought out a folding table and a suitcase. [color=chocolate]”I’ve brought everything right here, so you don’t even have to go back inside.”[/color] They set up the table, and as soon as stood behind it, another boy slid a chair behind her just as she was getting ready to sit down. A seat was presented for Davis, and the suitcase was pushed in front of Celestia. [color=chocolate]”You may take a seat as soon as you are ready to begin.”[/color] Davis chuckled. [color=Tomato]"Seems you thought of everything."[/color] He took a seat and folded his arms. [color=Tomato]"But you need to remember the rules for our game. I will only play with fresh cards. A new deck of bicycle originals, nothing else."[/color] [color=chocolate]”I’m aware.”[/color] Celestia presented a key for the briefcase. [color=chocolate]”Those are among the most popular playing cards in the world, yet they’ve been sold out wherever I look. Even the smaller shops are out of stock.”[/color] She unlocked it. [color=chocolate]”Fortunately, I have a few spare decks in here. Fresh, never opened bicycle originals.”[/color] She sighed. [color=chocolate]”I had hoped to open them during a worthy match, but it seems my hand has been forced.”[/color] [color=Tomato]"Then why do you want to beat me? It’s not like there’s a reward for it. You might end up losing anyway."[/color] Celestia grinned. [color=chocolate]”My reputation is at stake. I can’t just let someone walk all over me. Even if they are the ultimate mastermind.”[/color] She used her thumbs to undo the latches. [color=chocolate]”Beyond that, card games are all luck when you remove one’s ability to cheat. In that type of scenario, winning is possible for either side. I believe that’s why you’ve set things up so that I can’t start a game with you. Even a chance at failure is too big a risk for you.”[/color] She pushed the lid open. [color=chocolate]”That’s what makes it anti climatic. Because as soon as we start our game, you’ll have already lost.”[/color] Davis closed his eyes and grinned. [color=Tomato]"Then lets start the game already."[/color] [color=chocolate]”As soon as I locate the cards, we will begin.”[/color] Celestia reached into the briefcase and shifted things around. The briefcase held more than just the cards she was looking for, it was all of her competition gear. Mats, dice, rollers, mahjong tiles, accessories for special games, but it would soon become evident that cards she was looking for were missing. Just as planned. Hope’s Peak had to keep tabs on all the students. They were allotted almost no privacy. They were the worlds very best, and they needed to be observed closely so that the ultimate talent could be harnessed. Every scrap of food was weighed, every second of leisure time was counted, and every item they had in their possession was recorded. Well before Davis issued his challenge to Celestia, he had her room searched for all of her cards. The suitcase was locked, but that wasn’t hard for a lock picker to bypass. He made sure all the cards were bought out of all the stores, and checked to make sure anyone who had recently purchased a deck of cards had opened them so that they couldn’t be used for their match. Celestia would not have her game this day. [color=Tomato]"It’s getting late."[/color] With a huff, she shut her suitcase. [color=chocolate]”I didn’t think tampering with personal property was a low our teachers would stoop to.”[/color] Davis shrugged. [color=Tomato]"Are you sure it was me? I mean I’ll admit you’d have been my type in high school, but I’m over my goth phase. Maybe Hifumi took them?"[/color] She folded her hands in her lap. [color=chocolate]”Well, you can’t say you’ve beaten me. So I technically never lost.”[/color] [color=Tomato]"I was careful how I worded my challenge. I said you had to beat me in a card game that used brand new deck of bicycle card originals. And when you asked for a time limit I said before I left for New York. "[/color] [color=chocolate]”It sounds like you thought of everything. I am forced to concede.”[/color] She slid a pack of cards out from behind her briefcase. [color=chocolate]”But perhaps you’ll let me entertain you a bit longer. Consider it a reward for your victory.”[/color] Davis lifted his hands up. [color=Tomato]"I stand by what I said earlier. Not interested in card games."[/color] [color=chocolate]”It’s just a tarot reading.”[/color] Celestia held a hand over her mouth, while her other hand offered the cards to Davis. They were much bigger than normal cards, and each one had a special illustration. The entire deck seemed to be vampire themed. [color=chocolate]”Shuffle these, and tell me what you’d like me to divine.”[/color] [color=Tomato]"What are you, the ultimate clairvoyant now?"[/color] Davis didn’t get a response, so he simply shuffled the cards. He didn’t believe in astrology, but was willing to do this if it satisfied Celestia. [color=Tomato]"Alright, lets do my trip."[/color] [color=chocolate]”An interesting choice.”[/color] Celestia took the deck of cards back and cut it in half. [color=chocolate]”I’m going to draw three cards, the past, present, and future of your trip will be revealed in each one.”[/color] She drew three cards and set them side by side. [color=chocolate]”We start with the past and move forward in time.”[/color] She turned the first card over. [color=chocolate]”The lovers!”[/color] She placed her hands over her mouth. [color=chocolate]”Davis, does this trip involve someone special?”[/color] [color=Tomato]"Uh."[/color] Davis wasn’t smiling. It might have been dumb luck but… [color=Tomato]"Yea. It’s a honeymoon."[/color] He chuckled. [color=Tomato]"How did you know?"[/color] [color=chocolate]”I didn’t know Davis. It’s the magic of the cards.”[/color] She lowered her hands enough so that he could see she was smiling. [color=Tomato]"Right right, now do the next one."[/color] Celestia did as he requested. [color=chocolate]”Death.”[/color] Davis held his chin. [color=Tomato]"Now death doesn’t mean death-death, right?"[/color] [color=chocolate]”Correct. Death is often misunderstood in tarot readings. It represents an end, but also a new beginning as well. Perhaps this is the end of your life as a bachelor, but the beginning of it as a husband?”[/color] He smiled and nodded. [color=Tomato]"Sure, that works."[/color] [color=chocolate]”I must say, it is unusual for a reading to contain so many cards from the major arcana. That usually indicates something big is going to happen.”[/color] [color=Tomato]"The last card, please."[/color] Celestia took her time reaching for the final card and turned it over. When Davis looked at it, he immediately groaned. The gambler waited for dramatic effect, then described the card. [color=chocolate]”The tower.”[/color] She declared it like she was casting a powerful spell. [color=chocolate]”This card indicates a sudden, unforeseen change. A catastrophe of untold proportions waits for you mister Gallo. It is the single worst card to see in a tarot reading, especially with so many other major arcana present.”[/color] Davis raised an eyebrow. He should have seen something like this coming. But in the end, her little trick didn’t mean anything. Davis offered to play this “game” with her because he knew it would be less time consuming than talking her down. [color=Tomato]"Cool."[/color] Davis slapped his hands together. [color=Tomato]"So we’re done then?"[/color] Celestia grinned before putting away the tarot cards. [color=chocolate]”I’ll take that tinge of disappointment as a pyrrhic victory.”[/color] She stood up, and the boys started to pack up her effects and walk back into the school. [color=chocolate]”You have an interesting talent, mister Gallo. I wouldn’t call it perfect, but it does put you at C-rank.”[/color] She started to play with her hair. [color=chocolate]”Should your honeymoon not pan out, do return here so I may knight you.”[/color] [color=Tomato]"Right."[/color] Davis stood up and grinned. [color=Tomato]"If the world goes to hell and Alice ends up dead, maybe I’ll consider it."[/color] [hr] Save for George and Noel, all of the infinites present managed to get to the fourth floor. They bandaged their wounds, checked their ammo, and kept their guard up. As soon as Daimyon came up the stairs, Davis’s voice came through the speakers. [color=Tomato]"All infinites are accounted for. All carnage sisters are to remain on the lower three floors during candidate selection."[/color] Like all the floors before it, this one was based on a country and it’s killing game. This was Japan’s school life killing game, hosted by the ultimate fashionista Junko Enoshima. It was a rather high profile killing game given that she was broadcasting it to the world. Everyone was forced to watch as the students conspired against each other before finally outwitting the mastermind and saving the day. The Resort tower held an information center, which was a giant pillar covered in monitors with a computer in front of it. This was likely where Noel had gained access to everyone’s profiles. Bliss Buckly was still up on the screen. The hospital side was also just one room, and it housed the operational version of the amnesia machine on the first floor. A giant throne covered in tubes and probes. There were leather straps to hold down unwilling patients. It was hard to tell if it was revolutionary medical tech or some cruel and unusual torture device. Perhaps it was both. The path upstairs was clear, but maybe there was something worth investigating here.