Phantom Thieves of Hope - A Danganronpa X Persona 5 Story.

Chapter 51: Wish Upon a Star

This turned out to be very difficult with Kyoko in tow, who possessed no such abilities. Eventually, Sleuth ran to her and offered to carry her on his back until they got to safety. With no other option, Kyoko agreed.

"I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS GOD-DAMN PARKOUR COURSE!" Hajime screamed as they sprinted past the crumbling infrastructure of the central island. The once peaceful island was now a land of destruction, with buildings collapsing and lava and flames bursting out of the ground, licking at the Phantom Thieves heels!

"USAMI, TURN INTO A BUS ALREADY!" Highwayman shrieked.

"I know, I know, just give me a seeeeEEEEEHEHEHEHEEEH!"

"Sorry!"

This short exchange came about as no sooner had Highwayman commanded this, Chiaki, who was holding tightly to Usami's hand, grabbed her, spun her around, and flung her high in the sky! Usami catapulted through the air towards the first island bridge, and as she fell down from above, she transformed into her magic bus form and hit the ground with a *CRASH!*

It was difficult to see and breathe because of the smoke and dust in the air. Still, the Phantom Thieves ran across the quivering earth and over the fissures towards the Usamobile, driven on by sheer willpower and the desire to avoid the approaching catastrophe!

And on top of that, the island's surrounding waters churned with fury as the archipelago continued to crumble into the sea, and the sky crackled with a storm! The ground erupted behind them in a massive volcanic explosion that sent them flying forward, sending them all screaming in fear!

Fortunately, Monomi shapeshifted the rear end of her vehicular body, and all eight escapees safely landed inside, albeit in a crumpled heap.

Sleuth was quick to leap up and swiftly take the wheel, slamming his foot down on the pedal while the rest of the Thieves tried to untangle themselves. But as he had suspected, as soon as the wheels touched the bridge, the entire foundation started to collapse!

"Step on it, Shuichi! Faster!" Kaede panted!

"I'm going as fast as I can!" he yelled back.

The Thieves had no choice but to trust their getaway driver, who managed to remain composed despite the imminent danger and the adrenaline coursing through their veins. Pressing the gas pedal to the limit, he sent the Usamobile hurtling forward, scurrying to get to the other side before the bridge collapsed entirely!

The car accelerated, leaping over large gaps as the bridge collapsed beneath them, and the friends felt their hearts race! As they ducked out of each section of the bridge that fell, the sound of crashing concrete and twisting metal filled the air!

"Oh no...!" Chiaki trembled, "WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!"

Unfortunately, it seemed that she was right...! For the bridge started to crumble in front, and the Phantom Thieves screams were the only thing that could be heard above the gargantuan explosion that nuked the entire Palace!

X

And yet, in an unbelievable stroke of luck, when Leprechaun opened his eyes, he didn't find himself caught in an explosion. Instead, he felt cold stone on his cheek as he realized he was lying down on his side on some pavement.

He quickly scrambled up, sitting up and looking around to see his fellow Phantom Thieves, now back in their regular attire, in very similar positions (with Toko and Komaru basically on top of one another and blushing as they pried themselves away).

He looked up to see that they were just outside the gates of Hope's Peak Academy, confirming that in the nick of time, the Phantom Thieves had successfully made it back to the real world and narrowly avoided a dark fate.