Arriving to the school late, I'd looked up at the sky, noting how dark the clouds were and feeling the wind along my skin, anyone could figure out it was going to rain soon. Moving one foot at a time, there was a rather loud commotion at the gates.
"The Parade" - as they'd been nicknamed - were a rather large group of kids from the Reserve Course. They were protesting their unfair treatment, and claimed that they were being robbed of their money. Why they felt that way, I wasn't too sure… I heard a rumor that they had become this way because of a video tape showing kids from our school killing each other. Such a thing was ridiculous, though, and in all honesty, I had no time for it.
After all, if I was late by even a minute, my efforts would all go to waste. As Santa Shikiba - the Ultimate Botanist - if any of my flowers wilted - or worse, died - it'd make me look totally uncool!
Making my way to the new school building, I walked through the mostly empty halls and the many staircases the building offered. I knew that students weren't required to go to school, but with every step I took forward once inside it, I couldn't help but feel this uneasy heaviness. Despite those gut feelings, I began to power walk until I finally saw the class I was looking for! 78-B was sticking out in front of the door, and sliding it open, I looked around and saw there were none of my classmates, but near the window, my pride and joy was growing steadily.
Walking over to the desk I'd put in front of the window, on it, there was a small, red plant growing in a special pot I'd had specially made just for it. Running my hands along the small thing, I carefully inspected its petals, its vines, and its soil. This plant was what all my research and testing had led to.
"The Hope Flower". I'd titled it as such because it was my Hope that I'd be able to make the "perfect flower" – something that was perfect for everything. For hellos, goodbyes, to make people feel better, to mourn a loss, to smell, to touch, to eat - anything you can think of. I wanted to make this flower and have it planted around the world to spread Hope in my own way.
It wasn't cheap getting the things I needed, but thanks to cooperating with Hope's Peak itself, I helped make a variety of items they could sell in order to fund me. Things such as: Rose In Vitros, Rose Whips, Unending Dandelions, Tumbleweeds and - my favorite - the Cherry Blossom Bouquet. For the last year I'd made hundreds? Thousands? I'd lost count, but the fact of the matter was I'd made plenty, and had made sure that all of them were what people expected from the Ultimate Botanist.
Sighing as I finished up, I was relieved to find that my Hope Flower was continuing to progress nicely. With consistent upkeep and maintenance, my dream would come true right before I graduated! I'd be the coolest guy at Hope's Peak!
Looking out the window as I envisioned how great my future looked, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. Peering down, I was able to clearly see that the Parade had somehow gotten passed the school gates and were now pouring in. How did it happen though? I thought that security was the best we had in years!?
Taking my pride and joy, I walked out of the classroom quickly, realizing I needed to get it somewhere safe. However, once I got into the hallway, it was like a scene from a horror film. There was blood all around me, along with screaming and students trying to kill Ultimates left and right. Not realizing how fast they'd all be able to travel, there wasn't much I could do.
Gripping the pot tightly, I hugged it close to my body, knowing that, above all else, I had to protect it and myself. I couldn't let this…horrifying situation ruin everything. Just then, the door to the next classroom burst open, and out came my fellow students, Class 78-A.
I wasn't too familiar with them, but they were led by Sakura Ogami and Mondo Owada; the two of them protected the rest of the students as they walked out from behind them. A multitude of faces walked past me, making up Class 78-A, before one of them reached a hand out to my back and pushed me along with them.
"Pardon the rudeness, but we must keep moving forward! It's my job to make sure I can save as much of the student body as possible, so please!" The boy shouted at me and as I turned around to see who it had been. All I saw were insane, red eyes staring at me with the most intense gaze I'd ever seen in my life. Still, while the male was certainly fired up, I could tell what he was saying was sincere, and that he was right. With numbers, I'd be safer - especially with the two giants of the class in the rear, protecting us.
With a nod, I ran along with the rest of them, unsure of where they'd be going. I simply knew that, if I wanted to live, this was my best shot. However, in my rush, I bumped into one of them. All I could make out from behind him in the chaos was that he had spiked, brown hair. Landing chest first on the ground, I heard a loud CRACK under me, as well as a loud SPLASH!
I could feel my whole body shake from fear as my mind registered what had just occurred. Looking down, I saw that my pot had broken apart, and my precious Hope Flower had been stained with the blood on the floor. Lifting it up from the chunk of soil that still clung together, tears welled up in my eyes.
It took a while, but it finally hit me that this was the most Despairing situation I'd ever been in my life. Despair was staining not just my flower, but my very soul. I forced myself to stand, but as I looked outside one of the hallway windows, it felt like even the world had changed. The sky looked blood-red, and the rain seemed to pour down harder than ever before. The school, itself, was filled with fire, screams, and dead bodies.
I screamed. I screamed with all I had. I didn't know what else to do! What else could a Botanist do at this point? My whole world was spinning, and I just wanted to just die right then and there…but it just wasn't my time yet. With a swift scoop of the wrist, I'd been suddenly lifted up by something firm.
Despite my panic, my body instinctively held onto the flower and kept it close as I got thrown over someone's shoulder. Whoever this was carried me like a powered up steam roller across the hall. I'd forgotten the two that stayed behind. They were now retreating, kind enough to save me as they made their exit.
Lifting my head up, I saw what was behind them, and I watched the whole scene unfold. With a loud explosion out of nowhere, everything fell apart, and the school began to crumble from top to bottom. Now the reserve course students were jumping to their deaths, or just killing themselves with whatever they could find. Burying my head into the shoulder of my rescuer, I blacked out.
A few hours - maybe even days later - I woke up in an infirmary. Gazing around, there was no one here. After getting up, I walked out into the hall. There, I saw the rest of class 78-A - all working feverishly as they carried things here and there and sealed off all the windows. Along with them, I saw the Headmaster of the school - Jin Kirigiri. Walking over to him, it felt like I was dreaming. There was no way this crazy situation was actually happening…right?
"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on? Why's everything being closed off…why are we in this old building? A-and where's my plant!?" I asked, nearly running out of breath before he calmed me down. Headmaster Kirigiri then explained the situation to me in full. It was just as I feared; the entire world had suddenly come to hate Hope's Peak Academy. All of this had started because of a terrorist group known as 'Ultimate Despair'. They were currently wreaking havoc around the world, spreading Despair. The entire school had been wiped out… my classmates, my teacher… all of them had died. Only Class 78-A, the Headmaster, and I had survived the attack on the new building.
I wanted to just die. This was the lowest point I'd reached… I felt guilty. I felt bad about everything. Why did I live? Why did everyone else have to die? Sensing my will to live leaving me, the class all approached me one by one until they formed a group.
Looking to them, the boy I'd bumped into stepped forward and spoke to me. "Shikiba-san, while it does seem hard… you're not alone. We're all in this together. We're all friends and as long as we all work hard and keep each other company, we'll figure something out to help the world outside. For now, let's keep ourselves safe in here - that's our best shot at this." He said with a smile, and for some reason, while it did seem kind of like a generic pep talk… it didn't feel fake. Looking over the group, I could feel their actions were sincere and that they did just want me to be safe from everything. While I didn't know them all that well, I felt like I could trust them.
"A…alright. I can't really do much, but I'll bring a smile to all your faces in my own way!" I shouted confidently as I reached inside my jacket for a few sakura branches. I then posed triumphantly with them over my head, "I'll plant you guys some Sakura trees! And I'll even make a garden on the roof!" With a firm nod, it was all coming together for me, I could see it in my head and I knew I could make it happen! One thing was missing though. "Where's my Hope Flower…?" I asked the group, the majority not having any idea what I was talking about.
A blonde haired girl spoke up from them. "Oh, like, that thing? I totally thought it was the coolest thing I'd seen, so I took it to my room!" She explained, sounding like a valley girl through and through. "I'll like, bring it to the rooftop for you though, so just like, wait for me up there, okay?"
Smiling from ear to ear, I accept those words as compliments. I knew my efforts weren't fruitless! I knew that flower would bring hope where ever I brought it! Tears welled up in my eyes - from joy this time - and I was quick to wipe them with my sleeve. "Alright then, I'll get started right away!"
Gathering some supplies, I climbed the stairs to the upper floors, and after finding the perfect room for it, I set to planting my Sakura trees. Since the conditions for them were not ideal, I had to use some special concoctions I'd made myself. Potting the branches one by one, I poured two drops of my formula on each, and within minutes, they grew out, forming fully-grown trees. Some of them even already had sakura petals falling from them. Lifting my hands as I saw them fall around me, my mind had already 180'd from before. I could do this. I was going to make it through this. My dream was still possible, even in this situation.
Not letting it all get to me, I finished up with the trees and made my way up to the roof where the hard work would really begin. Thankfully, there was a garden shed full of tools and fertilizers that I had full access to, along with my special concoctions. This would take me all night - at most. Finally having reached my destination, I found that the room was empty save for two things: the shed and my Hope Flower, which had been placed in the middle of the room!
Running up to it, I wanted to just lift it up in my arms and hug it, but I immediately noticed something strange about it. For starters, it was in a different pot than I remembered…but it was specially made for it. Things became fuzzy; I couldn't remember if I'd changed it out, or if the pot had broken… "So much had happened, I kinda lost track of it! Aw heck, this was my handiwork, I'm sure there was a reason it was in that pot." Inspecting it just to make sure though, I didn't see anything wrong about it either… the soil was the same, the petals and vines were clean, only the pot had been changed.
Shrugging, I decided to just cast my doubts aside. I had planting a whole garden on my mind, so taking the lab coat off and tying it around my waist, I then took the pick axe and got to work. Stabbing the earth, plowing it, adding fertilizer, adding seeds… The order was different for every plant, and I had to make sure I didn't screw up even a little, or the plants would be destined to just die in this environment. Hours passed, and sweat streamed from every pore, my body ached from the hard labor. I was starting from the ground up. Occasionally, some of the other students would come up and offer to help, and while I would've loved it, I knew I had to do this myself… for their sake.
Sunset turned to night, and the night turned to sunrise, which, in turn, turned to sunset again. What I thought would only take a night actually ended up taking much longer. Really, it was to be expected of such a crazy endeavor. After a while, I even lost track of time… but eventually all I had left to do for all of them was to add my concoction to it. I carefully counted the drops as I poured it on each plant, and before my eyes, all around me they grew and came to life. It was like something out of a storybook.
"This is it… this is all that's left." I muttered, fatigue setting in as I finally reached my Hope Flower, only to find that I had run out of concoction in every single one the flasks that I had… It seemed impossible! I'd made so much of it, and while I wasn't able to carry all of it due to what happened, I thought for sure it'd be enough! Patting down my whole body in a panic, I shoved a hand into my pants pocket, and let out a sigh of relief. I had one flask left, just enough for my Hope Flower. I had to be careful, though… too much and it'd cause the worst to happen.
With the last of my energy, I poured a couple of drops at the base of the stalk and waited… As expected, in seconds the flower bloomed, and was the most dazzling, brilliant thing I'd ever seen. It left me breathless…and all I could do was cry. It was over. It was finally over. I'd be able to bring Hope to the world as soon as we were able to go back to it. All I needed to do was plant this everywhere… That's what I thought, anyways.
While it had already bloomed, the flower only continued to grow, mutating in front of me. "What?! What's happening!?" I shouted as the whole thing took on a new life, it's vines turning into tentacle-like things, whipping this way and that while the tips of it became similar to Venus flytraps. The mouths were big enough to eat a person! Turning to run, I saw the blonde haired girl from a few days ago, her expression changing from an innocent smile to a devilishly smug smirk. My eyes widened and it all hit me at once.
This was her fault! She'd done this! She'd found my plant, she'd found the concoctions in my pockets and tampered with them! She'd probably even made the pot the Hope Flower had been transplanted into! "You…!" I shouted, though my interjections were cut short, as a vine wrapped around my leg and tripped me. Crashing with a thud onto the ground, the rest of the vines speedily wrapped around my body, squeezing the air out of me. Unable to breathe and my life slowly fading away, I couldn't scream anymore. I couldn't run anymore. I was being killed by my own plant…it was almost poetic in a way, to be killed by that which I'd created.
Looking around though, I saw that the rest of the plants…they weren't nearly as devilish. They all looked normal and healthy. It may have been my consciousness fading, but it felt like all around me, the normal, everyday plants I'd grown all the time were shining brightly and smiling at me. I could almost hear them say 'Thank you… you really took care of me.' I felt conflicted, but I thought back on everything I'd done to make this flower to begin with…
It's true…what they say about death. Your life really does flash before you just before it happens. I remembered the first thing I planted…it was an apple. My parents thought it was crazy for me to be able to do such a thing, but at the time, we didn't have much to eat. I figured if we had an apple tree, things would be easier for us…so I really researched it. I looked up how to properly plant, grow, and take care of a tree. And in a few months…it actually grew…and in a few years, we had an apple tree we could pick fruit from.
From that point on, I'd always put my all into growing plants for other people. I could've easily sold out, opened a flower shop, and made a living just like that, but that's not what I wanted to do. I didn't want to make people pay for my flowers… Flowers were a part of nature. It was a gift to us from the Earth for taking care of it. So everything I grew…it was all to make others and the Earth happy. I felt foolish that I'd forgotten that, that I'd completely lost track of that with this Hope Flower. I realized too late that I didn't need to make this to spread Hope… I was spreading Hope all along. At the very end, I had even given my classmates Hope by giving them this precious garden to rest and hang out in. A smile crawled onto my face as I knew my efforts were not in vain…and in the end, I was going to seem cool…to them at least.
I hadn't realized that at this point, the blonde girl had become bored with the outcome and had walked away. With my last burst of energy, I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out a different concoction. To put it simply, it was a weed killer. Unfortunately, not every plant was good - just like people. Grunting as I pulled my arm free and swung it with all my might, the plant snapped at it with its flytrap-like mouth. It didn't die, but at least this would make it calm down. It was enough to make this place safe for my classmates…all they had to do was not provoke it.
Closing my eyes, the world around me then faded to black as I moved on to the next world with no regrets.