Virtue's Last Fattening

Zero Escape - Virtue's Last Reward WG drabble:

"The Chromatic Doors will be closing in ten seconds...Ten..."

"Dammit! We can't keep standing around arguing about it anymore; we need to make some choices, people!"

"Nine...Eight...Seven..."

"Okay, we'll go with Option A! Any final objections?"

"Six...Five...Four..."

"Forget objections; let's just get this over with! C'mon! Hurry!"

"Three...Two...One..."

The door with the red frame shut tight behind Phi's, Alice's and Clover's backs. Sigma, Dio, Tenmyouji, K, Luna and Quark had disappeared through the other doors, split into two teams of three. This was going to be the second round of this ridiculous 'Nonary Game' for all of them. The goal was to solve the puzzle in the adjacent room, obtain the key inside the safe, and return back to the original warehouse to begin the 'Ambidex Game'. There, they would have to vote, two people of the group who made a pair against the one additional person who was a solo, on whether to be 'betray' or 'ally'. In the end, it all depended on who was able to get 9 points from getting better votes from the opponent.

Hopefully, as time went on, they would be able to solve a way to escape this horrible place before they had to play for much longer. If things kept going like this, there was a good likelihood they would all end up dead.

Phi could overhear Alice and Clover whispering to each other behind her back. They thought that she couldn't make out their words.

"Alice, did we really have to be stuck with this girl? I don't trust her!"

"There's something about her that gets on my nerves too, but don't worry, it's just for a little while."

Phi rolled her eyes. It wasn't like she wanted to go with Alice and Clover either; she just didn't have enough time to formulate a better team plan for everyone. She didn't know either woman very well, hardly having talked to them when it wasn't necessary during the past few hours of the 'game'. The only person she could come close to honestly trusting at the moment was Sigma, and even then, she was still willing to push him to seeing her way of things. Alice and Clover, in spite of their slutty attire, weren't nearly as stupid as they appeared. Phi knew that they would vote 'betray' against her in the 'Ambidex Game', a move that could either strip Phi of several points or give her no points at all. She didn't want to waste this round for nothing; the safest outcome, in her opinion, was for a mutual 'ally' vote, which would net 2 points for all three members of the group. That would mean Phi would have to somehow convince Alice and Clover to vote in her favor. That would be difficult, since she didn't know what their current intentions are, and she couldn't bring it up in conversation lest she give away her plans. She would have to win them over subtly. She wanted everyone to get out of this game alive, but it wasn't helping at all if her own teammates tried to take her away points, so she had no other choice.

"Hey, what's that?" Alice said aloud.

The three girls arrived at the end of the corridor, bringing them to a lever-like contraption surrounded by three new doors. Phi looked over the machine in front of them with slight curiosity while Alice and Clover inspected the doors. It seemed likely to judge that the lever was the only way to opening these new passageways.

"They aren't colored like the Chromatic Doors; we should be able to go through these without worrying about our bracelets matching the same color." Alice remarked, placing her hand upon the cold steel and feeling its icy chill.

"Yeah, but they're all locked!" said Clover.

"No, I think this thing can open it," Phi said, placing her hand on the lever, "I just need...to pull it..."

"Hold on! What if it's a trap? It looks really suspicious!" Clover exclaimed.

"Considering how this thing looks like a lever, there are doors around us, and we have nowhere else to go, I highly doubt that this would be anything like a trap. Zero Jr. might be an asshole, but he still wants us to play this stupid game all the same. I don't think he'd set this up to kill us. The only way he expects us to die is by a loss of BP or by our own hands."

"Okay, then! You can pull it!"

"I will."

Phi tugged on the lever with all of her might; it was surprisingly heavy. The leftmost door suddenly opened before the girls, and they quietly slipped inside. Alice and Clover said nothing, and neither did Phi. It was odd that only one door opened, but as long as it meant they could continue, it was fine. Phi needed to make sure that things continued to run smoothly for her group.

The girls eventually arrived at a workout room, the location of their next puzzle. There were three treadmills lined side by side in front of a massive mirror, along with lockers, several cushioned seats, a collection of weights, a stretching machine, a locked cooler, a weight scale, and the box that contained the cards necessary to open the 'Ambidex Game' box again. The scale appeared to be connected to a small video screen implanted in the wall above it. Phi, Alice and Clover began to explore their surroundings. There was likely a small item like a key needed to begin the puzzle.

Clover kept near Alice. "Alice, do you have any idea what we need to do?"

"Well, I'm trying to look, alright? You should be looking too!"

"Okay!"

"Hey," Phi approached them, holding a blue key in her open palm, "I found this lying on one of the treadmills."

"A key, huh? A pretty simple start." Alice chuckled, pressing her wrist to her forehead. Clover nodded.

"Let's try it out."

Phi used it on the cooler first, but found that it didn't fit. It did, however, unlock the lockers sitting in the corner.

"Check this out! It's...some sort of code, I think."

There was a sheet of paper and a pencil lying on the floor of the locker. The paper had numerous black dots scattered all over it, with the dots broken up into three columns labeled 1, 2 and 3. Picking up the pencil, Phi immediately assumed that they were supposed to connect the dots as well, but there were so many, it didn't seem sensible to connect that many dots; it wouldn't come out as anything. Phi stared long and hard at the paper.

"You know, if you look at it for a while, it can appears like numbers, doesn't it?" Clover said, peering over Phi's shoulder.

Eventually, after some time, they discovered that the paper had the number '600'. By inputting that number into the control screens of the three treadmills, it produced a new key for the girls to use, this time for the sake of opening the cooler. Inside, they found a container of a mysterious green formula as well as a note. The note told them that to obtain the pass-code for the safe, they would need to fulfill the weight requirements of the scale: there needs to be three objects of varied weight on the scale, and together they must weigh over 850 pounds. That will activate the screen that will display the code.

"800 pounds? What the hell? Even together we don't add up to that much!" Alice shouted.

"Hmm..." Phi rubbed her chin, staring back and forth between the note and the formula container, "What about the weights over there? Maybe if we hold them while we're standing on the scale it'll count as extra weight?"

"Oh yeah!" Clover rushed over to the collection of weights, but when she picked one up, she was shocked by how easy it was to do so. "H-Hey! These things are so light!"

"Ah, I see. Fakes, then. Just another 'joke' from our friend Zero." Phi sighed.

Alice was growing increasingly agitated. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

"...I think I know."

"What?"

Phi held out the bottle to the two women. "We need to drink this. I think it'll increase our weight so we can activate the scale and get the pass-code."

Alice and Clover reacted with abject terror on their faces. "Are you saying that that drink will make us...fat?"

"I can only assume so."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Isn't it bad enough that we have to play with our lives on the line? Why do I have to give up my body image, too? I can't believe this..." Alice frowned, crossing her arms underneath her large breasts. Clover, as usual, immediately agreed with her friend. Phi sighed; they were really difficult people to work with. Little did she know just what sort of occupations these two women had before being placed into the Nonary Game.

"Look, if it'll make you two feel better, I'll try it first! I'll even drink most of it!" Phi offered.

"You'll do that? Really? But, if it's supposed to make you heavier, then you'll..." Clover trailed off.

"I'd rather be fat and alive then thin and dead. Hell, I have a big appetite already, so it's probably only fair that I fit the part, right?"

"W-Well, if you say so..."

"I can't drink all of it since I would end up too huge to even move, and we need three people not just one, so you two will both need to take a sip. Don't worry, though; I'll carry the brunt of the weight...literally. It's the least I can do at this point. It'll get you guys off the hook."

Alice and Clover looked at each other. They were concerned for just how powerful this strange formula could be, if it really did cause them to gain weight. It was highly likely that it did exactly as Phi theorized, because it was apart of the test, and like with the lever, Zero Jr. wasn't trying to kill them but simply toy with them. Still, it didn't seem right that they would need to become fat to solve one of these stupid puzzles. Alice nervously bit her thumb, while Clover watched in awe. Phi tipped the bottle near her lips. The green liquid poured into her mouth and down her throat. The potion was absolutely vile; Phi had never tasted anything so horrible. She nearly choked out, which would have caused the jar to drop from her hands and shatter, ruining their chance of ever solving the puzzle. Fortunately, she held on strong. As she drank, her body started changing.

The two onlookers watched with a hint of crimson on their cheeks.

Phi's face became rounder, fuller, with the expected chipmunk cheeks and a slight double-chin. It wasn't a big surprise for anyone, but her already-small bust failed to get much larger. Her arms were so plump that doughy globs of blubber hung from these upper limbs, jostling in time with her gulps. The growth continued downward, affecting every part of Phi's body at the exact same time. Her stomach was bulging past her waistline, growing thick, round and soft, as if she had stuffed several pillows under her shirt. Phi's legs were wide enough to cause her pants to split, an act that made itself known with its loud ripping echoing throughout the tiny room. Clover blushed. Phi's knees sank into the fat of her legs, and her butt became a spare shelf behind her. Everything about her was jiggling and sloshing by this point. This large, obese girl in front of Alice and Clover had been such a thin rail only moments ago. She wasn't finished drinking yet, either. She was growing fatter and fatter.

When Phi was finally done, announcing so with a mighty belch, she must have gained a total of 200 pounds at the least. Her shirt had rode up high, revealing her heavy, creamy-white paunch. The bottom roll of her stomach was actually hanging low enough to cover her crotch. Phi belched again as she ran her sausage digits over the distended abdomen she would likely possess for the rest of her life. Phi's face was covered in tiny beads of sweat; her weight gain had worn her out. Her short, white hair was shining with a sweaty slick. Stocky, fat thighs rubbed together, dimples on dimples and rolls on rolls, topped off with butt-cheeks that were wider than her waistline. She waddled over to Alice and Clover. The bottle of green formula, less than half of it left, was presented to them.

"Well," she said, her voice deeper due to the fat surrounding her neck, "Do you think you're willing to try it? Don't worry, neither of you will become as fat as me from drinking what's left. Unless...you really think I should fatten myself up to immobility with it. I'll do it for you guys; I can't make you take it otherwise."

Alice shook her head. She grabbed the formula bottle, just as Phi had expected. "No, that wouldn't be fair, and we all need to pitch in to meet the required weight, just like you said. I'll drink it."

"Alice!" Clover cried.

"Clover, you aren't going to stop me, and you're going to drink the rest once I'm done! That's an order from your superior!"

Clover nodded; surprisingly, she didn't try to put up a fight. "Oh, okay, but...we're all getting fitness gym memberships as soon as we get out of here!"

"Count me out. I'm not built for all that exercise crap anymore...not with this belly!" Phi shrugged, giving her fluffy stomach a rub and belching once more. Clover stared at Phi's stomach for a few moments before looking away with flushed cheeks.

Alice drank the mixture, and her face contorted with disgust; it was unpleasant, to say the least. The effects took place immediately. Alice's stomach swelled out, and her large breasts grew even larger. The golden necklace she wore, the only thing covering her otherwise bare cleavage, somehow stayed fixated over Alice's chest even though said chest had just gone up several cup sizes. Alice moaned softly under her breath. She grabbed at her stomach, feeling the squishy, soft fat filling her hand, and her moans increased in volumes. Clover was watching with an intense gaze, while Phi was simply waiting for it to be over already. Alice's butt burst through her pants, leaving a massive hole in the back, much to the dark-skinned woman's embarrassment. The gain ground to a sudden halt, leaving Alice standing there, out of breath and flustered.

Phi took the bottle from her and presented it to Clover. "Your turn."

"Ugh...fine! If Alice says so!"

Clover's gain was the shortest and thus she experienced the least change, although it was still an obvious weight gain to anyone who wasn't blind. Her flat belly pooched into a pot belly with a thick muffin-top that formed over the edge of her short-shorts. Her breasts were slightly fuller and her hips were wearing her shorts thinner than usual. Otherwise, she still had the appearance of a thin woman from her face and upper limbs alone. Clover tapped her stomach, watched it jiggle, and released a heavy sigh.

"Okay, let's just get this stupid puzzle over with!"

------------

Sigma kept his gaze focused firmly on the Chromatic Doors leading back into the main warehouse, where he and the other members of the Nonary Game nawaited the girls' arrival. These two groups had already completed their puzzles successfully and returned to play the next Ambidex Game. Dio wanted to open the doors and begin voting already, but he needed to be kept on a tight leash. If none of the three girls were there for the Ambidex Game, then all three would be penalized, meaning death. No one wanted that to happen.

"Dammit, where are they?" Sigma shouted.

"They're probably going to be here in a few seconds," Dio shrugged, "Besides, we get forty minutes before the Ambidex Doors close, so what's the issue? That's more than enough time."

"There could be a chance that the puzzle they have been presented with is an extremely difficult, time-consuming one. They might not have even obtained the cards needed to open the Ambidex Doors yet." K remarked through the mask of his full-body metal suit.

"We can't check on them ourselves either," Luna said with obvious concern in her voice.

"Ugh...Clover...hurry up..." mumbled Tenmyouji to himself, his eyes closed, his feelings hidden deep behind his elderly complexion.

Suddenly, the door raised up, and everyone stopped what they were doing to watch with held breath. Three pudgy women waddled into the warehouse, with the one in front being bigger than the other two combined; they were all panting for breath. Phi bent over and put her hands on her knees, struggling to catch a simple gasp of air, all because of how fat she was. Sigma was the first to approach them, although he was a little hesitant at first.

"Y-You guys...what happened to all of you?" he cried.

"It was one of those puzzles. We had to gain weight to solve it." Alice replied as her breathing slowed to its normal pace again.

"What the hell? That's insane! You guys went through the red door, right?"

Phi nodded.

Sigma was honestly glad that he hadn't been chosen to go through the red door with them. "That's...unfortunate." he said quietly.

"Yeah, well, like I told them, I'd rather be fat and alive than thin and dead." Phi was taking her weight gain shockingly well for a young woman, but then again, she had always been a little strange from the moment Sigma met her.

Sigma looked Phi up and down, taking in his former partner's massive, bloated form. "Still, I'm a bit surprised..."

"What?"

"Even with all this weight, your breasts haven't gotten any bigger."

Phi stormed past the tall man, not bothering to control the volume of her voice as she shouted about how much of a jackass he was. Phi waddled toward the Ambidex Doors with the others. It was time for the vote. Sigma followed in suit, but he had been paired with Dio, so they needed to go into the Ambidex Room together. That was how it was; Phi voted on her own against the pair of Alice and Clover.

She hadn't done as much as she wanted, but she still hoped that her actions had swayed her teammates' choice somewhat. She had willingly become the fattest of the trio to spare the other two from permanently destroying their figures, and even forced guilt onto them by offering to drink the rest of the growth formula. Although they proved a struggle to deal with, they weren't stupid by any measure, and they would likely still consider choosing 'betray' against her. Phi was smart too; she had arrived at the decision to go with 'betray'. She wanted to get more points, but 'betray' was

Phi slid her card through the machine, and the Ambidex Door slid open to allow her entrance. She looked around; everyone else was either inside already or was opening door now. Inside these room-sized boxes were the rooms they had woken up in at the start of the Nonary Game, and it was here where they decided each other's fates. It was a sick and twisted game. Phi hoped she could find a way out soon. They weren't mindless test subjects for that damn rabbit on the television screen; they were people who deserved to keep their lives. She could only be thankful that Alice and Clover still had enough points to handle a 'betray' vote if they chose 'ally' in this round.

Phi went in, and the door closed noiselessly behind her fleshy backside.