Ultimate Rescue
Chapter 1.
Okay, first off, this is my first (and hopefully not my last) Dangan Ronpa fic ever and, while I admit I've never played the games (No Vita/PSP on hand), I watched full playthroughs of DR 1&2 on YouTube, and found the Anime online, and loved the hell out of them, but like many others, I was beyond pissed when my favorite characters got killed off (Especially Leon T_T) and as soon as I finished watching a playthrough of the second game, I was inspired. I wanted to write some fics using all of the characters, however, that's hard when the ones I wanna use the most are dead and I don't just wanna do a bunch of AUs, because the characters have to retain their memories of the first game in order for my fics to work. I've only seen the two games and I have only vague knowledge of the Manga and DR IF, so sorry if I leave out something that would make more sense to it, but, just bear with me, my goal is just to have an excuse to bring the characters back to life so I can make other fics with them and stuff. I suppose I could have gone based off the Anime...but, it seems to be unanimously agreed that the Anime doesn't do the game justice.
Anyway, as I say whenever I do a fic for something for the first time, I apologize if the characters seem OOC (though I don't usually care about that), it may take a little bit to get used to writing them. But, I'll do what I can, also, the characters will be going by their first names and nicknames, 'kay? Kay!
It was nighttime as Makoto walked into the control room, having woken up alone, and there found Kyoko at one of the computers, doing something with Alter Ego, who seemed to be emitting electronic whimpers. Her fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard, but all Alter Ego would respond with was, "Listen! Please, listen! We can go back! We have to go back!"
"Kyoko," Makoto asked, "what's going on?"
"I think Alter Ego's malfunctioning," the lavender-haired detective answered, "he's been rambling nonsensically all day."
"Listen! We can go back!" the A.I. said frantically, "Master said! Master told me! We have to go back! We have to save them!"
"Go back?" Makoto responded quizzically, "Save them?"
Kyoko quickly typed "CALM DOWN, YOU'RE EXPERIENCING AN ERROR."
"No!" Alter Ego cried desperately, "It's not an error! I'm not malfunctioning! Master told me this! You have to believe me! We can go back! We can go BACK!"
"I don't get it," Makoto voiced, over the A.I.'s please "he's never glitched out like this before."
Kyoko shook her head puzzledly and typed, "YOU HAD BETTER GO INTO SLEEP MODE FOR A WHILE WE WILL FIGURE THIS OUT."
"But...But..." Alter Ego replied tearfully, realizing his words were falling on deaf ears, "as you wish." He stated, emitting a final sob as he powered down.
"What was that about?" Makoto wondered, "All that talk about "Master" and "going back" and "saving them"? He spoke as if he had just recently talked to Chihiro."
Kyoko thought about it for a moment.
"Hmm...it could be a glitch in his Memory Software," she said, "I don't know, I'll keep looking into it, you can go to bed if you want."
"Eh, I don't mind staying up to help," the Luckster replied, "it would be hard to sleep knowing Alter Ego was malfunctioning anyway."
Kyoko spent another hour fiddling with Alter Ego's operating system and data, while Makoto stood by in case he was needed, but no matter what, they could not find any problems with the A.I.'s programming or any of the equipment connected to it.
"Any luck?" Makoto asked.
"Everything seems to be working in order," Kyoko said, "no signs of any errors or viruses, I...I don't know what's making him act like this."
Suddenly, the lights began to flicker on and off repeatedly, much to their confusion.
Moments later, Aoi, Byakuya, Hiro, and Toko showed up in the control room.
"Guys," Aoi asked, "what's going on with the power?"
"Yes," Byakuya added, "I too would like an explanation."
"W-Why won't the lights c-come on in my room!?" Toko uttered irritatedly.
Suddenly, the computer came on all by itself, a very upset Alter Ego appearing on the screen.
"What!?" Makoto responded, "did you turn him back on?"
"I didn't," Kyoko responded, "I swear."
"Now you listen to me!" the A.I. said furiously, his electronic voice sounding deep and distorted, "Master has gone through all the trouble to reach me with information for you guys from the other side and by my Master's hands you will listen to what he told me to say!"
The confused group stared at the screen for the longest time, until Kyoko finally typed, "VERY WELL, YOU MAY SPEAK."
"Thank you!" the A.I. responded, back to his sweet and friendly demeanor, "Now, the day night before, Master came to me from the other side and talked to me, he said that our friends are trapped and suffering in a Limbo of Despair."
"What the hell is it talking about?" Byakuya uttered.
Kyoko then typed, "WHAT IS THIS "LIMBO OF DESPAIR"?"
"I think it would be best if I let Master explain it to you in his own words." Alter Ego stated.
Alter Ego then faded from the screen, which stayed blank for a few seconds, then finally, a new image appeared, that of a very pale-skinned Chihiro, dressed in an outfit similar to his old one, only completely gray.
"Holy F-" Aoi responded, "what is that!?"
"A ghost!?" Hiro uttered.
Kyoko was once again quick with the typing, "WHAT ARE YOU?"
"Guys...it's me..." the image spoke softly, "Chihiro Fujisaki...can you hear me?"
"Th-That can't really b-be Chihiro..." Toko responded tensely, "can it?"
"WHAT IS THIS "LIMBO OF DESPAIR" ALTER EGO MENTIONED?" Kyoko typed.
"Oh it's awful," Chihiro lamented, "the negative aura within Hope's Peak academy was so immense that all those who died and were left behind there ended up being trapped in twisted reality where we are tormented by the guilt of our actions from when we were alive."
The stunned group was silent for several seconds.
"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO BE GUILTY ABOUT?" Kyoko typed in.
Chihiro then broke down in tears, "Mr. Owada," he sniveled, "it was...my fault he got executed...I...should have known better..."
This time Makoto was quick to type something in, "BUT, IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT!"
"Oh, but it was!" Chihiro sobbed, "It was, I made him so angry and it led everything downhill from there, it was me, all me!"
"Enough," Byakuya voiced, "what I wanna know is, if there is really a "Limbo of Despair" that had him and the others trapped, then how is he here, talking to us right now?"
Kyoko took back the keyboard, "HOW DO YOU GET HERE, CHIHIRO?"
"I found a computer that nobody seemed to know about," the spectral Chihiro told them, "and because I am now separated from my body I merged with the computer's operating system and managed to make contact with Alter Ego. I know it sounds impossible, honestly, I'm confused about it myself even as I explain it to you guys, but trust me."
"The others are...trapped?" Aoi responded curiously.
"WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE OTHERS?" Kyoko typed.
"After making contact with Alter Ego," Chihiro said, "I managed to grab a hold of the others and have Alter Ego pull us through to reach you guys."
Everyone went silent for a moment as the screen went blank again, this time a mess of lines appeared and the computer emitted a loud static, similar to an old desktop hooking up to the internet.
The silence was then broken by a voice from the computer, "H-Hello...Makoto?" a feminine voice called, the lines warbling as it spoke, "K-Kyoko?"
"Oh my God." Kyoko uttered.
"That's...Sayaka?" Makoto voiced in shock.
"No way!" Aoi gasped.
"Guys?" Sayaka called, "Are you...there!?"
"IS THIS SAYAKA?" Kyoko typed quickly.
"Yes!" Sayaka said graciously, "Yes it's me! Holy Christ, guys it worked!"
"No shit!?" another familiar voice, this one male, chimed in, "So, they can really hear us?"
"Holy shit," Makoto uttered, "that's Leon!"
"Hey if they can hear us," yet another familiar voice called, "tell them to get us the hell out of here!" They quickly recognized it as Mondo Owada.
"Wait," Aoi suddenly said, "if...everyone's there..."
The swimmer quickly ran forward and pounced on the keyboard, quickly typing in, "PLEASE LET ME HEAR SAKURA!"
She waited as the voiced quieted down.
"Ah, Hina," the intense voice of Sakura spoke, "I was hoping you would be there."
"SAKURA!" Aoi cried, tears welling in her eyes, "I never thought I'd get to talk to you again, I've missed you so much!" she then remembered she had to type something in to get a response.
"I HAVE MISSED YOU SO MUCH, SAKURA!" she typed in tearfully.
"And you have no idea how much I have missed you, Hina," Sakura responded, "ever since I've been trapped in this twisted hell hole I've longed to hear your voice again."
Aoi then broke down completely, sobbing over the keyboard with mixed emotions.
"I'm sorry, Hina," Kyoko said, gently pulling the athletic girl away from the computer, "but, there's still some important questions we have to ask them."
"Okay." Hina responded, shuddering with every breath.
"SOMEBODY TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW?" Kyoko typed.
"We were all stuck in that..."Despair Limbo"," a new voice spoke, "but, now were here in the computer software, at least, for the time being."
"Wait, who's that?" Hiro wondered.
"WHO JUST SPOKE?" Kyoko typed.
"I'm Mukuro Ikusaba," the voice stated, "this is what I sound like when I'm not imitating my sister's voice."
"Oh right," Toko voiced, "h-honestly, I kinda f-forgot about her."
"We kinda all forgot about her." Hiro added.
"Is there a way to get them out?" Makoto wondered.
"PUT CHIHIRO BACK ON." Kyoko typed in.
"I'm here." Chihiro's voice chimed out.
Kyoko cracked her knuckled and proceeded to type in, "EARLIER ALTER EGO WAS GOING ON ABOUT SOMETHING YOU SAID ABOUT "GOING BACK" AND "SAVING EVERYONE" CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?"
"Why yes," Chihiro said, "I believe we have found a way, but you'll have to bear with us."
Just then all the other voiced began to speak out.
"Yes, please help us!" Sayaka called, "We can't stand it any longer!"
"Goddamn, I'd kill myself if I wasn't already dead!" Leon groaned.
"I want out already, this is complete and utter bullshit!" Mondo growled.
"I never knew such pain and discomfort could exist!" Kiyotaka suddenly uttered.
"It hurts, for the love of all things in both the 2D and 3D universe, it hurts so much!" Hifumi wailed.
"N-No more...I...I can't take it anymore...y-you have to help us...please!" Celestia said frantically.
"I spent all my life building my tolerance to pain, but this I can endure no longer!" Sakura growled.
The voices continued crying out for help all at once, making it harder and harder to understand them each time.
Finally, Kyoko typed, "EVERYONE CALM DOWN AND SPEAK ONE AT A TIME!"
"Sorry." they all said.
"Will you do it?" Chihiro asked, "will you help us?"
"We'd love to help, Chihiro..." Makoto voiced.
"But," Kyoko added, "we don't even know how to start."
"I'm gonna tell you that right now," Chihiro pressed, "just follow my instruction and we'll be good."
"WHAT DO WE DO?" Kyoko typed.
"Go to your beds, go to sleep," Chihiro explained, "and Alter Ego will do the rest."
The instructions confused the group of six.
"Just go to sleep," Chihiro insisted, "and listen to Alter Ego."
"What do you guys think?" Makoto voiced.
"We have to do it, right?" Hiro replied.
"Yes we have to," Aoi affirmed, "if it means we can undo it, if it means I can see Sakura again, we must do it!"
"I don't know," Byakuya said, "it seems a little too good to be true if you ask me."
"Well," Aoi spat, "nobody asked you."
"Can we really trust this?" the dignified one replied, "How do we know we're not being tricked?"
"Well," Makoto voiced, "there's only one way to find out."
"You're saying we're actually going to listen to the phantom voices on from the computer?" Byakuya questioned dubiously.
"What's wrong," Aoi retorted, "scared you won't make it out this time?"
"H-Hey!" Toko uttered angrily, "Don't you t-talk to him like that y-you Aquatic bimbo!"
"Enough!" Kyoko spoke up, "We're not going to figure anything out if you all stand here arguing, let's go back to our rooms and go to sleep, if nothing happens, then at least we'll get the rest we need."
With that, the other four left the room, leaving only Kyoko and Makoto in the control room.
"What do you think, Kyoko?" Makoto asked his lavender-haired companion.
"I don't know what to think right now," she said, "I guess we'll just have to see for ourselves."
They left the control room to return to their bedroom, were Makoto collapsed onto the bed with Kyoko following suit, as soon as she was down, Kyoko slung an arm tightly across Makoto's chest. Once again, he found himself at the mercy of Kyoko's protective embrace, same as every night; she held him with such force one would think that she was afraid someone would take him away from her in the middle of the night. While he never understood why she did it, nor could he find the nerve to question her, he simply let it be and got used to it.
Moments later, Makoto fell asleep, and then...it happened.
He found himself in a dark space the was lined wall to wall with binary numbers, the numbers in front of him suddenly forming the shape of a familiar face in front of him.
"What...Alter Ego," the Luckster voiced, "is that you?"
"Yes," the A.I. said, "I'm certain Master told you I was coming."
"He did,' Makoto replied curiously, "but, what is this? What's happening?"
"Master has blessed me with some...dare I say...supernatural upgrades," Alter Ego explained, "I can now travel through electronic devices at will and project myself into your minds when I have new information for you. The best part is that here, you don't have to type anything, we can just communicate like ordinary people."
The situation brought many questions to mind, but for now, there was only one matter of business to discuss.
"This is what everyone was talking about earlier, right?" Makoto wondered warily, "We're gonna be sent back for the others?"
The A.I. nodded in response.
"Could you define "Sent back"." Makoto requested.
"We're sending you back to the very start of the incident," Alter Ego said, "back before the game started."
"Wait," the lucky one responded quizzically, "you mean, we're going back in time? Not just back to Hope's Peak?"
"Yeah," the A.I. said, "the goal is to undo everything by stopping the kills before they happen."
"Is that even possible?" Makoto replied dubiously.
"I wouldn't know this if it wasn't possible," Alter Ego returned, "Master made it possible...I want Master to live again, to be free of that horrible void, he's suffered enough...as have the others. None of them should have had to die and you know it!"
The A.I.'s statement rang true with Makoto, however, the idea seemed like it would be easier said than done.
"I agree that none of them should have died," he said, "but..."
"And to do that," Alter Ego said, "you'll have to stop Junko and Monokuma in their tracks, think about it, only six of you were able to escape her before, imagine what you'll be able to do to her with fifteen of you."
"Well," Makoto sighed, "I sense that I don't have a choice, plus, it may be the only chance we have to save our friends from an undeserved Hell."
"So," Alter Ego responded, "you're game?"
"Yes, Alter Ego," Makoto said gamely, "yes I am."
The A.I. smiled joyfully, emitting a myriad of high-pitched beeps.
"Okay then," Alter Ego said excitedly, "hold on tight and I'll send you through with the other five. Let the download begin!"
Makoto then found himself being "downloaded", as he was pulled into the ground and sent horizontally through a bright, white void.
"Yay, my friends are going to return Master to me!" Alter Ego said to himself, "They have to, because...I won't allow them back without him."
Okay, ending it here, as I do not want to get ahead of myself to closely. I know it is a bit rushed, but, I just wanted to get to the point as quickly as possible.
I know the premise might seem confusing, I mean, I got a bit confused myself while writing it, but, hey, it is fan fiction after all, and the games themselves had pretty crazy scenarios, so why not going through time?
I can only hope this ends up being at least adequate.