Hello everybody. Back at it again with more FusionFall/Danganronpa crossovers!
WARNING!
This story is an ALTERNATE ENDING to FusionFall: Academy of Hope and High School Students of Despair. Please be sure to read that story before this one or else you will be spoiled!
All characters used in the original story carry over here, and they belong to their respective owners. Special thanks to zerowing21 for beta reading.
The world is full of IFs. IF Adam never tied the knot with Eve, humanity as we know it wouldn't exist today. The world that we all live in is just one outcome out of countless IFs, and it'll continue to be a muddled world full overflowing with infinite IFs. Beyond this point lies a world full of IF-fy stepfathers who abandon their families. A bottle of Smirnoff with both the outside and inside filled with uncertainty. Don't break it, or else you'd owe me. But no matter how you look at it, IFs are just worlds that are just like ours. No matter how hypothetical the story may be, the future is the only thing that is foggy. The past is more solid than a frozen banana. You simply cannot change a conclusion that already happened! Even IF you saw "a world that may have existed," it wouldn't affect anyone living in reality. IF is only IF, after all. Even IF a parallel world exists where a particular IF happened, it will never be true for you. No matter how you put it, it will just be a What-IF situation.
... Do you really want to see that? You've got some sick interests! Don't you think that's insulting to Holden and the others after the tragedy they had to overcome? Though, as far as I'm concerned, I still insult them. Upupupu! IF you're gonna look at IF, you should take a look outside this Smirnoff bottle first. Perhaps it would be better IF you read the ending to a story called "FusionFall: Academy of Hope and High School Students of Despair." Then again, IF you've made it this far, you've probably already done that. Still, I'd read it again IF I were you. I'd read it twice and recommend it to my friends IF I was you!
"What am I supposed to do with this...?"
Holden Wren was at a loss.
His situation was simple, really, and could be divided into three parts. The first was that he was trapped inside Hope's Peak Private Academy, a school for gifted students who must be invited to attend the school. Holden had been picked to come to school as the Super High-School Level Good Luck, a student who is picked from all high school students to attend Hope's Peak regardless of whether they have an outstanding talent or not. He went to Hope's Peak that day for freshmen orientation, however, he passed out when he walked in, and awoke to find himself locked inside the school with all windows and exits locked up.
The second part involved the existence of a strange, black and white colored robotic bear named Monobear, and it involved the mastermind controlling this machine. "If you wanna leave this school, you have to kill someone." He had declared. The robot told Holden and his fellow Super High-School Level students that the only way to leave this school was through murder. Multiple Monobear robots were in existence, and each one of them contained a bomb to prevent them from being attacked. Not only that, Monobear had told the students that they would be punished if they harmed him.
The third and final part was that Holden was holding a red button. This button was labeled with the words; "Escape Switch." While the first two causes were definitely full of panic, this third situation had Holden painted as nothing but troubled.
During free time, Holden had noticed there was a small school store next to the A.V. Room by the entrance hall. Inside was a machine that would depose something random after inserting a Monobear Coin, which the students could find scattered throughout the school. A few of the students had tried out the machine, getting items like jewelry and energy bars, however, Holden never expected this item to plop out. His first thoughts were that this was all some cruel joke since the mastermind behind Monobear had an obscure sense of humor.
"But... What if...?"
A plain, ordinary boy like Holden was chosen to come to Hope's Peak Private Academy to be the Super High-School Level Good Luck. If he had gotten into the school based on luck, then maybe that Good Luck was real and had stuck with him. If this switch was real then... Holden took a deep breath before pressing his finger down on the button. Instantly, a jolt of intense pain shot through the boy's body, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to collapse onto the floor where he tossed uncontrollably. Through staggered breaths and attempting to hold himself still, Holden looked at the button he had dropped when he fell.
A needle was now present sticking out of the button he had pressed. This needle must have sent an electric current through Holden's body, causing him to convulse like this. The boy began to seize less and less, but he was still unable to move at his own will. As he laid on the floor of the store, he began to think. It was fake after all. Why did he expect anything different, really? These students have been nothing but the butt-end of a demonic punchline for the past two days. The small shadow of Monobear would cover Holden as the bear appeared in the deserted store.
"Upupupu..." it laughed at the boy. Even though Holden couldn't respond, the bear spoke as if it was in the middle of a conversation with someone they've known for awhile. "I put this switch in here because I thought it might be fun if the last couple of survivors got lucky at the Monomono Machine, but I never thought he'd draw that 0.00000001% possibility. A one-in-a-hundred-million chance? You must be really lucky, Wren. Super High-School Level Good Luck suits you."
"This normally never happens, right, Wren? A miracle, maybe, upupu! To think I'd actually let you bastards have a way out. What's the fun in that? The game has just started. We've got 15 chapters of bloodshed to run through, it would be selfish to keep you from experiencing that Despair. But, perhaps, maybe this wasn't good luck after all."
Holden Wren now laid in his bed within his dorm room. It was the day after the boy had been electrocuted by a false escape button, and the following morning, Monobear decided to introduce a motive to his students. Holden held a DVD in his hand with his name crudely scribbled across the side in marker. The video on the DVD showed the family Holden lived with, the Utonium's, congratulating the boy on his acceptance to Hope's Peak. The Professor spoke of high praise while Bubbles, Holden's girlfriend, sent her love to the boy. Her sisters, Blossom and Buttercup, sent positive vibes as well. The video would then cut to a shot of the same scene, however, the area was destroyed and withered, and the lifeless bodies of Holden's forever family sat where the Professor and the girls once sat.
The other students received similar videos of their family and friends in the same situation. These videos made the kids start thinking about escaping the school, even at the cost of a life. It was obvious that Monobear was setting a trap. He told the students they would find out what these videos mean if they kill someone and win the class trial. Holden worried about Silvania Romanov, the Super High-School Level Flame Aspect better know as the fire-magic user nicknamed Fire. She seemed to be hit the hardest by the motive Monobear gave them. The boy stood up and quickly walked to Fire's dorm.
It was Night Time, so all students were expected to be in their dorm rooms. Holden stuck his head out of his door, surveying the hallway before sliding out and to Fire's room. He rapped on the door to no answer. He turned to return to his dorm when he heard a noise from down the hall. The laundry room. He rushed down to check out the scene. Inside, Roxie Leeblossom, the Super High-School Level Alien, was doing a load of laundry. Her normal teenage girl look was tainted by the four spider legs emerging from her back. Behind her was Fire.
"Laundry at this hour?" the boy asked the girls, causing Fire to jump.
"Gah!" Fire yelled. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
"I could say the same for all of us." Roxie scoffed as she slammed a washer door. Holden held his head in pain as the sound of the door slamming shut rang throughout the room.
"You ok?" Fire asked, now turned around and on edge.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Holden answered. "It's... Just a head-"
Holden was unable to finish his sentence, as he would collapse onto the floor before he was able to.
"Good morning, Holden." a familiar voice rang into Holden's head as he awoke. He was in the infirmary on the first floor, with the Super High-School Level Writer, Valerie, sitting next to the bed he was in. "How many fingers am I holding up?" The girl would lift her glove-covered hands and hold up three fingers.
"Va-Valerie?" the boy asked, sounding as if he was unsure of her name. "Why are you here?"
"We were taking shifts watching you, and I'm currently on duty." the girl would explain. "Technically. It's actually Elyon's shift, but she failed to show."
"Where are we?"
"The infirmary that was locked to us yesterday." Valerie continued. "Monobear told us that he didn't want any of his students to die of sickness, and then opened this place up so we could care for you here. However, Amp and Sophie are convinced all the medicine in here is poison."
"Oh..." the boy muttered, turning his gaze to the medicine cabinets. He sat for a hot minute thinking while staring at the cabinet, however the gaze was shattered as Valerie caught Holden's attention.
"Is something troubling you?" she asked. Holden sighed deeply before speaking.
"This is probably going to be a strange question," He paused and exchanged a look with the cabinet again before turning back to the writer, "We've never met before, have we?"
"I don't believe so," she answered, raising an eyebrow as she did so, "Perhaps you need more rest, Holden."
"BING BONG!" Monobear's voice interrupted through the speakers connected to every T.V. screen in every room. "This is a school announcement. Now that Holden is awake, all students are required to gather in the gymnasium."
"We better go see what the bear wants," Valerie nodded to Holden after Monobear's message ended, "Let me help you up."
Valerie lead Holden to the gym, where the other students had already gathered. Holden raging headache from the previous two days persisted, his head ringing in rhythm with his steps. Immediately, Fire and Roxie rushed over to the boy.
"Holden!" Roxie cried out as she embraced the boy in a hug, acting as if she was a close friend. "I'm so glad you're ok, you scared me last night!"
"Yeah, you really caught me by surprise." Fire muttered. Holden returned Roxie's hug.
"I'm glad you guys are ok too., he told them, pulling back from Roxie's hug, "But, Fire? Why were in the laundry room last night? You didn't have any clothes?"
"Oh, it's nothing," she blurted out, "I was checking on Roxie because I heard noise."
"You should have let me known instead of creeping up on me like that." Roxie spat towards Fire, folding her arms across her chest as she gawked at the Super High-School Level Fire-Aspect.
"GOOD MORNING, YOU BASTARDS!" called the voice of the infamous teddy bear principle Monobear, who had suddenly appeared on a podium in the gym. "Today, I'm going to teach you about our glorious school system!"
"We're having... Class?" Jade questioned quietly.
"System is such a weird word, ain't it?" Monobear continued, "It's almost as dangerous as a bear. I hope you bastards grow up to be real hard-boiled villains who can trample over the corpses of your friends. I don't mind naughty students, as long as they're malicious!"
Monobear continue to ramble, going on about the rules of Graduation within Hope's Peak. After a murder occurs, a short period of investigation happens before the students participate in a School Trial. There, if the students figure out who the killer is, the killer is executed. However, if the students fail to figure out who the killer is, the killer is free to leave the school while the remaining students are executed. But the students didn't seem to interested in Monobear's rant. No murders had occurred, so most of them had nothing to worry about.
"Wait a minute!" Roxie yelled out, stepping forward to place herself between the other students and the bear, "Everything you said is just... It's just so messed up!"
Holden watched from his position nearby Roxie. His headache roared as Roxie's words flew into his brain. As the alien hybrid yelled at their kidnapper, he began to think that he had heard Roxie yell like this before. But how? He just met her a few days ago, yet he felt as if he's known her for a long time.
"You know if you're not willing to participate, I'll have to punish you." Monobear roared at the girl, his tone digressing to an uninterested voice.
"Punish!?"
"Maybe I'll lock you up in a dark room forever and ever." the bear giggled, but Holden knew better than that. That bear wouldn't just stop at locking someone in a room.
With a blink of his eyes, many disturbing images began to flood Holden's brain. Buildings on fire, bodies scattered throughout the streets. Pure Despair. These images weren't confined to any one area, but rather circled the globe. Destruction and death all over the world? He had seen it all before. Other than the fact of the indescribable violence taking place in the images, there was one thing connecting them all. The live people in these images were all wearing monochromatic masks, almost identical to Monobear's face. They took away everything; money, valuables, lives, families, dignity, pasts, futures, or-hope.
"Shut up!" Roxie screamed, "I don't give shit about what you say! I refuse to take part in your demonic game!"
"Hmm?" Elyon would perk up at the sound of the word "demon."
"It is your body," Monobear laughed, "Do what you want with it."
"You're the sick fuck doing whatever he wants!" Roxie barked, "I am not going to be apart of this!"
"You know, you're kind of exhausting, Miss Leeblossom." Monobear growled, clearly annoyed at this point. "So I've decided that we're going to put an end to your bitchy-ness." The bear hopped away from his podium, inching towards Roxie. "If you want to get out of this game, then you'll have to go through me first!"
In an instant, Monobear lunged at Roxie, claws aimed for her face. The girl quickly stepped back before swinging her leg forward and kicking the bear, knocking him onto his ass a few feet back. Roxie ran forward and stomped on the toy, looking down at it with her arms crossed.
"Satisfied?" she spat, before actually spitting on the bear.
"I should be asking you that." the bear giggled.
"Huh?"
"Violence against the headmaster is STRICTLY prohibited!" the bear screamed.
A chill shot down Holden's spine. Roxie was going to be murdered. Monobear's words carried a tone of terrible danger. It was not a suspicion or a guess. It was as though Holden knew the danger represented by the symbol of Monobear from the beginning. His mind had not yet fully understood the circumstances. But as he raced towards his memories of the truth, he found himself racing forward physically as well. His feet landed on the floor in beat with the dull aching of his head. He felt dizzy.
"Summon magic! Save me, Gungnir Spears!" Monobear screamed at the same time Holden began to call out.
"BLOSSOM, WATCH OUT!" he yelled, rushing over to Roxie.
What happened next seemed to be one big blur. Holden had shoved Roxie off of Monobear and out of the way. At the same time, contraptions installed in the floor and walls of the gyms shot out an array of large spears, all of which shot directly into the spot Roxie was standing in. Each student shared a wide-eyed, shocked expression.
"ARGH!"
The pain Holden was feeling now was overbearing. Why did he call Roxie that name? Blossom? The Powerpuff Girl? As he grasped for answers, he felt a sharp impact in his side, followed by deathly pain running down his spine that carried throughout his entire body. The single spear lodged in his side tore apart his muscles and shot out his back, covered in blood and lipids. At that very moment, the dark fog in his mind was dragged into death itself, as his struggling consciousness remembered everything.
Holden Wren had found an escape. Thanks to the special electrical current and chemical formula the escape button provided him, he found an escape to this game that him and his classmates were forced to play after being stripped of their powers and memories. Of course, this situation seemed like life-or-death, so perhaps Holden has just escaped into a deeper pit of Despair.
At the same time, his actions had led yet others into despair, specifically a girl who just wanted to feel strong. The Super High School Levels Hero, Beauty, and Brute, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup respectfully. Otherwise known as the Powerpuff Girls and the Super High-School Level Despair. Their past, her future, or perhaps, hope itself.
For the moment, Holden Wren's story comes to an end here. Following it is the story of a certain girl; a girl more wrapped up in disappointment than anyone in this sealed-off school.