Dangan Ronpa: Dungeon of Infinite Hope
By Lolitafreak88
-This story takes place in an AU based on the Talent Development Plan and Despair Dungeon minigames of New Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony. So for those who haven't played and unlocked those modes, there will be spoilers! So be careful.-
Prologue: Wake Me Up Inside
A young woman attending Hope's Peak Academy was currently within the folds of sleep. At some point in her head, she realized that it was high time for her eyelids to open and for the day to begin. She found herself seated upright as opposed to being placed upon a neatly made bed which suggested to herself that she had perhaps passed out while at a desk. Despite her many responsibilities, she was a student first and foremost and so she presumably had gotten careless and overcome with exhaustion in the middle of a lesson. Yet her last memory of what she had been doing before sleeping was undergoing a very busy work schedule. It was this concern that made any lingering doubts about going back to sleep instead cause her senses to sharpen and for her to sit up at once with eyes wide open and scanning. She realized instantly that she was indeed in a classroom but the lighting was dramatically darker, suggesting it was the middle of the evening or that the lights were off. Closer inspection suggested the latter and caused Kirumi Tojo to quietly murmur,
"What has happened here…?"
Kirumi Tojo, The Ultimate Maid. Goddess of Selfless Devotion.
Kirumi got out of her seat hastily, sensing a sense of fear and paranoia about this situation. Her instincts as the advisor to countless masters were near unparallelled and gave her a sense of initiative that made it hard for her to be so easily shaken. Having attended Hope's Peak Academy strictly to find new masters to serve and hone her talents further allowed her to meet many new and interesting personalities with great desires and ambitions. As strange as they could get, Kirumi found she was able to help all of them in her ways as a maid and with her creed of 'selfless devotion' meaning she was entitled to not turning her back on any request. At the very least she didn't turn back on any request that was within her boundaries as a maid and sometimes she herself would propose solutions and advice to things her masters were struggling with. Simultaneously, as a student of Hope's Peak Academy, she was fairly independent in how she would go about her duties and schedule. So for this unusual change of scenery and mysterious circumstances of waking in a darkened classroom to have happened meant she had to do something about it. She looked around the room and found an even more startling sight. Three of her other classmates were sleeping in different desks. The yellow coat, the witch's hat, and the beanie with the tennis rackets on it… there was no mistaking them. Angie Yonaga, Himiko Yumeno, and Ryoma Hoshi.
"Ryoma! Angie! Himiko! Please arise!" Kirumi rushed to Ryoma to stir him awake as he was closest to her.
Surprisingly it was Angie who stirred first despite Kirumi's grasp on Ryoma's shoulders, likely having heard her cry. The white-haired girl stirred awake and stretched her arms out, perhaps not realizing the situation's strangeness judging by her cheerful smile and idle groan. Kirumi always held some reservations about Angie's inability to ever appear sad or angry. At most, Angie would just seem at eternal ease and happiness. Was it optimism or perhaps skillful acting akin to some of the other students who liked to adopt facades and traits contrary to their true nature? Ultimately Angie was smart and a very upbeat person though when it came to her religion, her unshakeable belief in the monotheistic deity Atua, she was unexpectedly persistent. Kirumi hadn't really sealed herself to any particular belief at the moment so whenever Angie had asked her to believe in Atua, she found herself able to evade the topic well. Still, with how unusual the situation was, seeing Angie alright was enough of a cause to make Kirumi lay these reservations to rest and smile. Angie's blue eyes analyzed the room before she clasped her hands together and spoke a mantra,
"Bless Atua for another wonderful morning!"
Angie Yonaga, The Ultimate Artist, Oracle of Atua
"Angie. Are you feeling alright?" Kirumi asked the most clear question as she started to feel Ryoma stir.
"Hiya, hiya Kirumi! Are you here to ask what I want for breakfast?" Angie cheerfully greeted.
"Normally that would be so but there is something else to be concerned about at the moment."
"Oh? It does appear we've fallen asleep in class! Or did Atua leave me here after I was struck with His divine inspiration? What a mysterious mystery!" Angie placed her hands on her puffed cheeks as she analyzed the situation in her own way.
Kirumi had been told by Angie a few times that her talent of the Ultimate Artist was indebted to her god. He supposedly possessed her or filled her with 'divine inspiration' that allowed her to create splendid paintings, sculptures, sketches, and other such pieces of art in a trance. Her artwork was of such a caliber that a few classmates went to the Nurse's Office after seeing it or had their perspective of Angie completely changed. Kirumi hadn't yet been able to see Angie's artwork for herself since she usually dedicated any free time to continuing her work as the Ultimate Maid or her studies. Kirumi couldn't help but wonder sometimes why she didn't just open up about when these bouts of inspiration started happening for her and whether or not she could create art without needing to 'orgasm' as one of her more rowdy classmates Miu Iruma put it. Still as she was somewhat lost in her thoughts, she started to feel movement on her fingertips.
"Mmn…" Ryoma's deep voice could be heard as he started to slowly lift his head from the desk and prompted Kirumi to let go of him.
"So we are not alone in this! How divine!" Angie lifted herself out of the seat and appeared to be getting more excited than scared once she noticed Ryoma and Kirumi.
"Ryoma, it is me Kirumi. Angie and Himiko are here too. Are you coming to?" Kirumi spoke calmly.
Ryoma was finally able to wake up and rubbed his eyes clearly as his round eyes rose to face Kirumi's. He looked a little bothered by the circumstances which Kirumi believed to be fair at the moment.
"Not the first time I've been woken up forcefully. Thanks anyways Kirumi." Ryoma spoke with his usual dour tone.
Ryoma Hoshi, The Ultimate Tennis Pro, Former Killer Tennis
"My apologies for not waking you up as you would prefer." Kirumi apologized with her hands clasped.
"Indeed. Back on my island the morning sun would stir me awake from my dreams. That is one thing I have missed dearly. Well… that and the sickles." Angie lamented as she pulled out her paintbrush and pressed it under her mouth.
"Ironic for Hope's Peak to let a prisoner attend their academy but not allow sickles to be on the campus even if it was to be used for just gardening." Ryoma grumbled sarcastically.
Kirumi frowned. Ryoma had a long and tragic history for someone so young. While he hadn't disclosed all the ideas compared to Angie's vocalness about her island's traditions, she recalled distinctly he had been convicted for murdering a mafia gang and Hope's Peak took pity on the Ultimate Tennis Pro for the sake of his talent and brought him in as a student. It had made Kirumi slightly question the standards of Hope's Peak to make such a compromise but getting to know Ryoma made her reconsider thinking of the Academy as brash. He was a genuinely kind person, serious and not usually one to express excitement or joy but he rarely caused conflict, had been patient and understanding, and listened carefully to everyone around him. She respected him dearly for this despite the fact he had all but abandoned his talent due to the trauma it carried. It is my duty to help him be able to move on and accept his new life as a student of Hope's Peak, she thought.
"Now what's going on exactly?" He asked.
"We appear to be in a classroom but it's dark which would suggest it being nighttime or an unused classroom. Nobody else from our class save the four of us is within sight." Kirumi laid down the situation.
"Hmm… Tennis Pro, Maid, Artist, and Mage… one sport, one occupation, one creative, and one entertainment. We're all somewhat different too so I wonder if that's a connection." Ryoma considered as he pulled out a candy cigarette from his pocket.
"Perhaps we have been chosen for a reason." Angie remarked, pointing her paintbrush at Kirumi and Ryoma.
"I find that rather unusual seeing as Kaede and Kaito appear to be the main representatives of our class. I also find it hard to believe we would be chosen for a meeting if this is to be one." Kirumi clarified.
"Atua believes that this could be part of a school event! He is saying we should stay calm in the meantime and pray!" Angie offered her god's opinion.
Both Kirumi and Ryoma only offered her lukewarm glances. Ever serious, they knew it had to be something deeper than a school event based on the lack of anyone else being in this classroom. They could tell Angie was partly trying to ease the tension but it wasn't what was needed right now. Little did they realize that Himiko was finally starting to stir awake, usually taking the longest to get up of the entire class.
"Nyeh… what's going on…?" She mumbled as she adjusted her hat.
Himiko Yumeno, The Ultimate Magician, Actually a Mage.
"Hiyonara Himiko! Angie was about to pray to Atua for His guidance about what has happened. Would you like to join?" Angie, who had always been closest to Himiko, greeted her first.
"Eh? W-we're in a classroom? But I went to bed in my own room last night after using the bathroom. Did I accidentally use teleportation magic?" Himiko quickly grew alert at her surroundings.
Himiko on the other hand was a more interesting case of Ultimate talent as she was officially known as the Ultimate Magician but she had a strong desire to be recognized as a 'Mage'. Still, her ability to perform marvelous tricks, sleight of hands, and other such performance-styled magic was truly incredible considering her size and demeanor. While normally a very lazy person, she had grown a lot over the years to become much more expressive and even active as a person. Kirumi knew that she probably would never outgrow the desire to be seen as a 'Mage' and it was fortunate other students at the Academy responded warmly and played along with Himiko's desires. Angie in particular was one of Himiko's biggest supporters so having Angie around would do a lot to make Himiko feel comfortable with this situation.
"I don't think so Himiko…" Ryoma adjusted his hat and got out of his seat as he spoke.
"Then what gives?"
"It might be best for all of us to leave this classroom to investigate." Kirumi suggested.
"But Angie's doing her morning prayer session to the handsome god…" Himiko pointed out as Angie had her eyes closed, hands clasped, and was murmuring sweet hums.
"I guess it's ok to let her pray… especially since it seems to be a daily routine for her." Ryoma theorized dryly.
Angie's prayer session took about five minutes before she clapped her hands above her head and gave an enlightened smile.
"Nyahaha! Atua's words are ringing loud and clear. Kirumi, Ryoma, Himiko, we must go find our friends!" She exclaimed.
"My… how passionate." Himiko remarked.
"She's right though. Let's start searching." Ryoma went for the classroom door.
Kirumi's graceful silhouette, Himiko's insecure body language, and Angie's merry skip followed after him as he opened the door out to the hallway. The hallway mirrored Hope's Peak in many ways but there was something unusual about the dark lighting and the alignment of some of the seven rooms. There were three homeroom signs, Class 77, Class 78, and Class 53 and then four signs that said 'Armory, 'Cafeteria', 'Homeroom' and 'Student Council Room' respectively. They were spaced rather far apart, suggesting they were large rooms or led to other hallways but at the end of the hall was what looked like an open entrance, marked black in the shadows of the dark academy, with what looked like medieval steel bars blocking the entrance. An elevator was also stationed next to it but it was blocked off with a sign that said 'Out of Service'. Even more bizarre was there didn't appear to be any set of stairs despite Hope's Peak Academy having buildings with many floors on the campus. It was as if the entire building itself had been sealed and this was some sort of closed space.
"What is the meaning of this…?" Kirumi looked slightly unnerved.
"Are we in some kind of castle? Those bars look just like the ones a wizard's castle would have…" Himiko asked idly, not yet so nervous.
"I don't know, I don't know. We should be at Hope's Peak Academy after all." Angie reminded the others.
"..." Ryoma looked a bit pale.
In his heart he was fearing that somehow they were prisoners now, something only he had known before. This place was giving the atmosphere of a prison with the grim lighting, closed off spaces, and limited area to roam and there was no sunlight or hope to be seen from the looks of it. All the memories of his past sins and his past time being a prisoner were beginning to overwhelm him. Angie was the first to notice his distraught expression.
"Be at ease Ryoma. Atua is watching over us. He says we shouldn't assume the worst yet." Angie striked a series of poses as she comforted him.
I'm relieved she didn't try to hug me, Ryoma thought. Ryoma did think Angie had raised a fair point but he was intimidated by how perceptive she could be.
"I'm sorry. It'd be foolish of me to become unreliable when we appear to be the only ones here." He cleared up.
"Do not hesitate to rely on me if you are feeling overcome Ryoma. A maid's true desire is to be able to be relied on after all." Kirumi also gave her potential solution to his distress.
"I could probably cast a spell later when I get enough MP to cheer you up too… still what do you think are in those rooms? I mean an armory is usually for keeping weapons and equipment together in medieval times..." Himiko put a finger to her mouth in thought.
"It does seem unusual for this school to have an armory. There are such talents as Ultimate Blacksmith and Swordswoman who are or have attended this school but for a school to build something like that for only a select group of talents is questionable at best." Kirumi explained.
"Or that they'd even have weapons stored on campus." Ryoma added.
"Maybe this really is a school event after all. It's possible there is a medieval theme and the 'armory' is a decorated room for the event!" Angie offered.
"If that were the case then there'd be much more decorations in this hallway Angie. Also they wouldn't have kept the hallways so dark so that it'd be harder to get around." Ryoma defended his assessment.
"I see… if we had a candle it'd be much easier to navigate then!" Angie remarked in an inspired fashion, pulling out a mallet and chisel.
"Or the Luminous spell…" Himiko added.
"I think the former is more likely to be attained while we are here." Kirumi somewhat flatly replied.
"I think we better check out the classrooms first. Class 53 is ours after all and I know that it wasn't next to 77 or 78." Ryoma took charge of the conversation.
"Do… do you think the rest of our classmates are in there?" Himiko asked nervously.
"Atua is always on our side so I'm positive that he has spirited away not just us but also them to this mysterious place!" Angie remarked gleefully.
"That is reassuring should it be true. Let's verify at once." Kirumi said calmly.
The four students made their way into the classroom they were certain was the classroom they had all spent a great deal of memories in, joyous ones, sad ones, exciting ones. It was around the end of the third year after all, ever close to graduation time. So surely the class they had spent so many memories with were in this room, possibly sleeping in desks themselves. They were alarmed to find something that wasn't at all what any of them had in mind. They were shocked to find what seemed to be a series of pods, all aligned in a circle, with each of their classmates trapped inside. Kaede Akamatsu, Rantaro Amami, Korekiyo Shinguji, Tenko Chabashira, Gonta Gokuhara, Miu Iruma, Kaito Momota, Kokichi Oma, Tsumugi Shirogane, Kiibo, Maki Harukawa and Saihara Shuichi. There were helmets attached to their heads and it suggested that they were in a deep, forced sleep. There also appeared to be a card reader in the middle of the room, the kind used at a casino or to sign into a top-secret establishment. It was all very high-tech and futuristic but it was also alarming and out of place. The entire situation of course was out of place but this didn't help the matter much.
"What the hell…?" Ryoma looked angered by this.
"Ah! They must be in a divine sleep. Like a fairy tale!" Angie, as usual it seemed, didn't react with much alarm.
"Angie this is serious. They've been put in some kind of cryogenic sleep like in the movies."
"That sounds like something Hifumi would say… are you sure it's true?" Himiko thought aloud.
"I know I'm not an expert in that but it looks like the ones you see in science fiction. Usually to preserve people for years upon end." Ryoma explained.
"But who would do such a thing?" Angie took notice of Ryoma's stern tone to inquire about the situation.
"It's difficult to determine right now as we have no evidence or leads. We should try to wake them up at once." Kirumi ran towards the card reader and began to analyze it carefully.
Himiko did things her own way by going straight over to Tenko's pod and banging on it and trying to get it to open. It was natural for her to try to wake up Tenko first as Tenko had been the one to approach Himiko first when they came to Hope's Peak Academy and the two shared a very strong bond.
"Tenko! Tenko please wake up…!" She cried.
"Wait, breaking the pods might have some unintentional effects on them. Stay calm." Ryoma tried to settle Himiko down after seeing her actions.
"I'll pray for them to wake up soon but Atua has never had a good relationship with technology He doesn't understand." Angie admitted, already in a prayer pose.
"Then won't that mean He'll be unable to crack the code?" Himiko asked Angie concerned.
"It'll be ok though. I'm sure there's a solution that Kirumi is figuring out right? She's always so reliable." Angie shifted the topic off to Kirumi who was kneeling down to examine the card reader carefully.
Kirumi was trying her best with what she knew from previous jobs on how to handle this type of machine. In truth, most of her masters wouldn't use a card reader but rather a voice reader or a device controlled by a remote, buttons, or a lever. A few did have card readers but without any cards in sight to use, it'd be a fruitless endeavour. Regrettably she was unable to find anything as she shook her head.
"Unless we have the proper cards we won't be able to use this machine to wake up our friends…" She lamented, looking disappointed in herself.
"You think Miu or someone like Kazuichi built this?" Ryoma offered.
"Miu can be an idiot but I don't think she would put herself to sleep for something like this…" Himiko muttered.
"An Atua-damned idiot!" Angie claimed in jest.
"*Groan*..." Ryoma looked to be having a headache at all this mystery and ominous activity.
"I am beginning to have an epiphany thanks to Atua's guidance though! Could this be the work of Hope's Peak Academy as some sort of test? We were about to graduate after all!" Perhaps thinking she was upsetting Ryoma, Angie offered a more concrete idea.
Ryoma, Kirumi, and Himiko both looked to Angie with surprise. Her idea did make some sense, if anything unusual was to be happening to them as full-fledged Ultimates, it would ultimately come down to the Academy itself. As bizarre as this setup was, perhaps it really was some sort of test? Testing their fortitude and resourcefulness? Testing them being able to use their talents to get out of there? Was it a final step towards graduation on the Academy's part? Or at the very least, that this series of events had a direct connection to graduation.
"It's a shady method of testing us though… and why put Tenko and the others to sleep but leave us four awake?" Himiko argued as she glared under her hat.
"Himiko is right. Should it really be so simple as a test then everyone would be awake to take this test, not just us." Kirumi showed agreement.
"Back to the drawing board then I guess." Angie made an ironic statement for the Ultimate Artist.
"If there really are cards though, then that must mean there must be some way to attain them and that they exist. We have to find them if we want to free the others." Ryoma added.
"You think the other classrooms also have students in stasis?" Himiko asked surprised.
"If that is so then we may be in a more precarious situation… someone had to have been able to set this building up accordingly, kidnap and incacipate three classes of about 16 students each, and then place them in these pods while leaving us four in a classroom to conveniently wake up." Kirumi put a hand to her face and gave a dark gaze.
"Whoever did it must not believe in Atua and will deserve punishment for many years when you describe it like that." Angie gave a dark expression of her own.
"And they'll also have a taste of my magic!" Himiko pointed angrily.
"I don't think vengeance will solve anything but committing more sins... We should work on freeing ourselves." Ryoma warned the others.
"Nyahahaha! Ryoma is correct! We should free our friends and rescue the disciples of Atua!" Angie appeared to sway her arms like a fan at a game.
"I don't recall anyone becoming one of your disciples though…" Ryoma bluntly stated towards Angie, a bit put off by how quickly she changed her mood.
"Aww you really should believe in Atua Ryoma… He'd be kind and loving towards you like an endearing lover. You and I would also get a valuable points bonus!" Angie lamented before going into an advertisement.
"Angie please. We need to reassess our situation and investigate the other rooms." Kirumi reprimanded Angie as she took note of Ryoma's reaction.
Ryoma had flinched… no, had leapt towards Angie rather aggressively and so swiftly than only Kirumi caught the movement in time. He had moved a few spaces towards in the span of one of his famous Shukuchi Method manuevers. Ryoma was sweating at this point and looked angry yet ashamed of himself. He had instinctively lashed out over what Angie had said or perhaps what Angie had deduced. Kirumi in particular seemed to be connecting the dots over what had plagued Ryoma's past so badly beyond the Mafia murders but she was not in the position to ask him to share. She also knew he wouldn't likely share any personal details regarding it and while he had become a much more positive and hopeful person recently, it was clear this situation was putting him on edge. Angie's behavior too was overly lackadaisical for the atmosphere of the situation as well. To her credit, Angie appeared to apologize,
"Atua senses that in His clumsiness He may have upset you. I apologize in His name."
"... Just be more careful Angie. I… I have a lot on my mind right now and extra stress is not what I need." Ryoma confessed.
"Nyeh… I want to go back to sleep if this is a dream." Himiko complained, sounding nervous.
Himiko was originally a very lazy person after all, finding effort in things other than magic to be tiresome and painful. Her friends at Hope's Peak were making her change her thinking on being lazy in many ways. She was encouraged to be more expressive, to want to live life at an authentic level, to not give up so easily, and to be committed and determined as best she could be. Tenko in particular helped her a lot with this but people like Gundham Tanaka, Akane Owari, Hiyoko Saionji, and others gave her a lot of encouragement in their own unique ways. So right now, her wish to go to bed was not out of nervousness but out of fear. She was fearful of something bad going to happen if it wasn't already happening to them.
"Himiko…" Angie looked understanding.
"I believe that there may be a place to rest at the 'Homeroom' area if we go look. I believe that it's crucial right now to keep searching." Kirumi asserted herself.
The other three appeared to nod, Himiko more weakly than the others, and the four of them went back into the hallway to keep up the search. Wanting to ensure that their hunch was correct, they peered into the 77th classroom. The room had very much the same layout as their own classroom, pods laid out in a circle with a card reader machine in the center. Curiously, there appeared to be a few more sleeping figures this time around, likely due to the fact that the four of them were not given pods, and a few of these people looked unfamiliar to them. Akane Owari, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, Gundham Tanaka, Hiyoko Saionji, Ibuki Mioda, Kazuichi Soda, Mahiru Koizumi, Mikan Tsumuki, Nagito Komaeda, Nekomaru Nidai, Peko Pekoyama, Sonia Nevermind, Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Imposter (Who nobody knew their name but knew enough that he was disguising himself as Togami for much of the school year), class representative Chiaki Nanami, oddly enough Usami the mascot teacher of sorts and…
"Hajime…?" Ryoma looked shocked at what he saw.
"The Reserve Course student who frequented with Class 77. But that can't be..." Kirumi reacted with similar alarm.
What they saw in one of the pods was some mysterious-looking student who resembled Hajime in the outfit he was prone to wearing, overall size and skin tone but had a mane of very long, flowing black hair. It looked as though Hajime was wearing a wig but there was also something unusual about this, not only the fact he was here but that he would even have such a drastic shift in appearance.
"Ooh… I feel a great divinity coming from him!" Angie rubbed herself somewhat awkwardly for the others as she made an exclamation.
"He does kind of look like how you describe Atua sometimes Angie…" Himiko admitted.
"But that's… why would he do something like this to himself? Or at least… what happened to him?" Ryoma looked distraught.
Ryoma had had several interactions with Hajime throughout the school year, all of them very fond memories in his heart and he appreciated the boy's humbleness and kindness. He in particular understood Ryoma had no choice when he had committed the deed that earned him the title 'Killer Tennis' and Ryoma in return had advised the reserve course student to be careful with his choices in life. He had also urged Ryoma to go to Himiko's Christmas magic show and treasure his bonds with his class. Yet Ryoma felt crushed to see that if this person was truly Hajime, something was obviously different about him and he didn't know why. Did he acquire a talent? Ryoma theorized weakly and with an unsatisfied feeling in his heart. So far this was ironically the cruelest thing he had seen so far since waking up.
"And this is Usami correct…? She was programmed as a Teacher for Hope's Peak Academy and built by the Ultimates? I have to say she looks incredibly doll-like in this pod. That may be because she is a doll herself from what I've been told." Kirumi made an observation since she hadn't really gotten to see Usami much.
"Yeah… she wants to hog the title of Hope's Peak Magician so she's my rival." Himiko pouted.
"Aww Himiko, no matter what sort of magical entity comes your way, you will always be the true practitioner of magical talent! I guarantee it!" Angie assured Himiko of her abilities.
"I definitely will if I ever want to reunite with my master someday…" Himiko spoke softly.
Even though Himiko's comment was somber, it was also hopeful and was able to somewhat dispense the tense atmosphere and fears being built within the four Ultimates. They left the room to check on the 78th classroom when Angie raised another point,
"Um, um so does this mean the Reserve Course is also here? Hajime doesn't have an Ultimate talent so this could be a test for the entire student body."
"I can't imagine they would be able to store that many pods in a sealed building like this… Hajime spent a lot of time with the 77th class too. Whoever's responsible for this must've considered him one of their own." Ryoma answered.
"And it'd also be more fruitful for a potential mastermind to imprison Ultimates if they were attempting to blackmail the Academy. Yet putting them to sleep and the card reader makes me convinced there's an even more extravagant objective here." Kirumi commented.
"What a pain… you'd think that whoever captured us would come out and show themselves already." Himiko mumbled.
"Maybe, maybe we should look into the Student Council room? Atua thinks that there might be something very important in there!" Angie proposed.
"We should check to see that the 78th class is alright first Angie…" Ryoma intervened.
"Are you defying the word of Atua again Ryoma? He knows by now that the 78th class must be asleep like the other classes are and if we dilly-dally too much… the Mastermind could use the opportunity to punish us." Angie looked a bit threatened and threatening.
"Humph… you can go investigate the Student Council room if you want but there are friends in the 78th class that we need to make sure are safe. You may know how to prioritize Angie but when it comes to negotiation you've still got a ways to go."
In a slightly standoffish fashion, Ryoma went to the 78th classroom against Angie's wishes. If Angie was upset she didn't show it but she did look more disappointed if anything. Kirumi looked nervous at the increasing discord between the four of them. If the Mastermind was going to 'punish' them in anyway, it was possibly through getting them to turn on one another. Kirumi was determined to not let her friends succumb to such ill desires. It was at that moment that as soon as Kirumi was making her way after Ryoma, she heard the sound of a door being opened suddenly. Alarmed, Kirumi turned around, looking back towards the classroom that she had originally awoken up in. Her eyes were able to briefly see the door being closed shut in a rather creepy fashion. Himiko and Angie hadn't noticed as both girls appeared to have been looking to one another in insecurity over Ryoma's decision. They did hear the door slam closed which caused the Artist and Magician to gasp in surprise.
"W-who's there? S-show yourself before I turn you into a pumpkin!" Himiko looked to be shaking now as she tried miserably to sound brave.
"A bump in the night? Or something else?" Angie asked, sounding still upbeat but also perplexed.
Kirumi didn't bother waiting for either girl to perhaps command her to go investigate, she sensed something suspicious was going on and that the perpetrator had rushed into the classroom. While at first glance it would seem better for Ryoma to go after such a lead, Kirumi herself had trained in many combat styles and scenarios in the need that her masters would need a maid to be a capable combatant. Furthermore, hearing the distress in Himiko's voice was an unconscious request for Kirumi to ease her fears by uncovering what they just heard. Kirumi dashed towards the classroom door and opened it hastily, taking a risk in that she could be attacked or that she would trigger some sort of trap that the perpetrator had set up. What she found instead was the same empty classroom… and a mysterious key with a bear insignia of sorts on the desk that Angie in particular had woken up in. The key proved that someone was in here but the absence of anyone added an eerie sense of something invisible or with the power to disappear instantaneously having been in the room but escaped.
"This is far too much like the haunted house for my liking…" Kirumi huffed, annoyed but also slightly unnerved.
She grabbed onto the key and peered at it closer to see that the bear insignia was cast half in a darker sheen of metal and a lighter metal like the rest of the key. In fact it looked much like the strange Monokumas that Kirumi had been told about when they had interfered in the Sports Festival. While Kirumi hadn't seen it for herself, Himiko and much of her other classmates had indeed seen him and he had been very obnoxious and even a bit dangerous. It was reason to believe then that Monokuma was somehow related to this crime and that he likely had entered this room, left the key, and then teleported mysteriously. Kirumi was tempted to search the room one more time for any more clues but she was afraid that if she stayed alone in this room for too long that something dangerous would happen to her. Hastily leaving and shutting the door behind her, she saw Ryoma had returned and was talking to Angie and Himiko.
"Ryoma! Were the 78th class sleeping as well?" She called out to them to alert of her safety and presence before walking over to them.
"Yes. Makoto Naegi, Leon Kuwata, Sayaka Maizono, Mondo Oowada, Chihiro Fujisaki, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Hifumi Yamada, Celestia Ludenberg, Sakura Ogami, Aoi Asahina, Byakuya Togami, Hagakure Yasuhiro, Toko Fukuwa, Kyoko Kirigiri, and Junko Enoshima." Ryoma recounted their names carefully for greater accuracy.
"Nyahaha! So many potential followers of Atua!" Angie remarked.
"Angie I don't know if you'll get any followers here for Atua before graduation ends…" Himiko tried to tell Angie to calm down on her religious passions in her own way.
"But I'm running low on blood donations… ah well, I suppose I can wait till I return home to my island to get some more!" Angie seemed willing to wait.
"That'd be preferable. What did you find Kirumi?" Ryoma sighed and then asked Kirumi a question.
"I'm beginning to suspect Monokuma may be an accomplice or the perpetrator of this bizarre barricade. This key has a design mirroring him and no one was in the room, suggesting he teleported away." Kirumi clarified.
"Good thing he didn't hit you with a lot of baseballs. But I can't believe that the bear would be able to capture us or use these strange coffins." Himiko said.
"That's a good point… it has to be someone operating Monokuma or perhaps several people and Monokuma working together to pull this off." Ryoma said.
"Or maybe it's the Student Council? Angie has met them before at her art exhibit. They could probably pull this off with the principal's permission." Angie wondered aloud but it sounded a bit more like she was reminding the group of her earlier idea.
"The Student Council wouldn't trust Monokuma though… and this is far too extreme for an organized group of students with affairs and control over the Academy's workings to do. It'd be an abuse of power, considering we were brought here without consenting to this." Kirumi shot down that idea.
"Atua's wisdom is guiding us towards looking in the Student Council room anyways for more information. It's mysterious and concerning that they would be imprisoned here with us despite them being oracles of Hope's Peak Academy." Angie closed her eyes and held her pointer finger and thumb together in a meditative pose.
"I think we should go look there next anyway. Maybe Monokuma is in there waiting to gloat about the situation or something." Himiko showed her support for the idea.
"I don't know… is there a lock on the door?" Kirumi was examining the key with a furrowed brow.
Ryoma sprinted over to the door with the efficiency and grace of a jackal before he called out to the girls in an alarming tone,
"Yes! Also there's something else!"
"Ehhhhh? Something else?" Angie looked genuinely surprised before she bounced after him.
Himiko and Kirumi simply chose to walk over though it was clear that by the looks on their faces, both girls were now very uneasy about the door. Nearing closer and they could see the 'something else' in frightening detail. There was an ominous red stain that appeared to have leaked out from within the room and had gathered under the door in a small pool. The lock on the door was some unusual padlock that had been set on the door with a jagged design similar to Monokuma's right eye. Ultimately there was nothing comforting about this 'Student Council' room door and only Angie seemed relatively unphased as she actually crouched down and planted her finger on the blood. Considering Angie had often sought some blood offerings for her island it made sense at least to her classmates why she would be calm about the sight of blood. Still it did make Ryoma, Himiko, and Kirumi wonder how she didn't show any shock or concern about what created that blood.
"This blood appears rather dry. Can't be used for an offering to Atua unfortunately but it does appear that this blood might've been made recently." Angie said rather nonchalantly, twiddling her fingers.
"Recently…? B-but by who…?" Himiko looked very uneasy.
"Let's pray it's not anything serious…" Ryoma gave a severe look towards the door.
"Should we wait till we investigate the other rooms before looking into this one…?" Kirumi offered out of both sympathy and dread.
"Isn't it more pressing though to check on the status of the Student Council when there's blood right outside their door?" Angie suggested, pulling out her sculpting tools again.
"You make it sound like you know what went down in there…" Ryoma raised an eyebrow at Angie.
"Atua is telling me to brace myself for the worst. So that is why, that is why, we should open the door!" Angie's insistence was emphasized by the poses she made in quick succession.
"If that is you and your god's request Angie then I shall open the door." Kirumi agreed, albeit half-heartedly as she stuck the key into the lock.
"I don't know if I wanna look now…" Himiko muttered nervously.
"You don't have to look Himiko if you don't want to… it might be better for someone of your innocence to not involve yourself with whatever's behind that door." Ryoma spoke from experience.
Himiko nodded and turned her back on the door as Kirumi removed the padlock and finally opened the door. They were greeted with an overwhelming smell of blood at first, the nature of it being dried not helping to tone down the intensity of the aroma. Even more startling and traumatizing than the aroma was the sight that laid in wait for them inside. In regards to the Student Council, there were a total of 14 members from what the students of Hope's Peak Academy understood. The lack of a 14th body being present in this room was perhaps a miracle of sorts because what lied in wait within the room were 13 corpses scattered about the room. Some were strewn over desks, probably moved from wherever they first had been killed, others were lying on the floor, and some were so horribly marred that it was difficult to make out their original identity. Shot, stabbed, eviscerated, impaled, and severed with the weapons being used clearly stolen away but for someone like Ryoma or Kirumi to have a natural understanding of weapons thanks to their histories and training, they could recognize grimly and with horror what was used on these members.
"Eeek!" Kirumi put a gloved hand to her mouth as she couldn't hold back a small scream of complete startlement.
"... What in the name of-" Ryoma's expression was soulless and stunned.
"I-is it bad…?!" Himiko to her credit, had her back still turned but sounded noticeably distraught after hearing Kirumi's reaction.
"I think it would be best you didn't see this Himiko... I'm going to need to pray for all their souls to have reached Atua." Angie's reaction was the most bizarre as she held her hands above her head in prayer.
Yet even in the Artist's voice was a twinge of confusion and horror behind the usual perky tone she carried. That was honestly what worried Himiko the most as one of her dearest friends who seemed unshakeable in her persona, was clearly unnerved by something. Then came the scent of blood reaching her nose which began to nauseate the Ultimate Mage.
"*Gulp* T-that's… y-you mean… t-they are all…?" Himiko started to feel an urge to throw up.
*SLAM*
"N-NO ONE…! No one else must see this…!" Kirumi slammed the door quickly as she finally came to her senses.
"..." Ryoma was still silently judging whether or not he was losing his mind.
"H-how did this happen…?!" Himiko shook her arms furiously as she turned to face her friends.
"It must've been while we were sleep and our friends were put into those pods. I doubt they were made into sacrifices by Hope's Peak Academy so perhaps it was Monokuma who did it?" Angie offered her reasoning though judging by the dark smile she was still trying to keep it together.
"Ever optimistic monotheistic moonhead. But nope! This bear had nothing to do with these deaths!" As if the atmosphere wasn't already feeling oppressive, the sound of a jarring yet animated figure sounded dreadfully close.
"So you finally show yourself… rodent." Ryoma gave a dark smirk, as though he was looking forward to exact something on the bear.
"As if things couldn't get bad enough…" Himiko whimpered.
Monokuma appeared with a haughty tap of his feet and a strange sound effect to the left of the four Ultimates. The Maid, Artist, Magician, and Tennis Pro started at this tiny menace with varying levels of shock, composure, worry, and anger respectively. He folded his arms and started at Ryoma in particular with an expression of annoyance.
"I'm not a rodent I'm a bear! But yes siree, I had nothing to do with the Student Council's deaths. Rather, you could say they were the prototypes for what'll happen here soon enough. Upupupu..." Monokuma said coldly.
"Prototypes… a-are you intending for us to be killed?!" Kirumi asked furiously, grasping her skirt.
"CONTEXT! Wait for the context! Ahem! These Student Council Members were invited to come here to play the first-ever, bonafide Killing Game! They were given motives to instigate a slaughter of one another and they bought into it and killed themselves. It took a lot to clean up the blood in the hallways but we figured this room could stay as a thrilling reminder of the despair that it summoned." The bear reminisced.
"Despair…" Angie spoke with a neutral smile, not betraying whatever she was feeling at the moment.
"Yes despair! The bottomless pit of eternal torment, angst, fear, and sadness that is the bear's honey! It's irresistible and much more entertaining than the hope you and your classmates have been spewing."
"B-but… w-what do you mean by a motive… a-and what do you mean that they were the prototypes?" Himiko was clearly frightened but tried to gather her bravery.
"It's very simple. This bear thinks that the upcoming Graduation for Hope's Peak Academy will be boring and lifeless! Everyone tossing their caps, grabbing their diplomas, sent off on some car. With no drama, no tension, and no one developing as a character; it's all trivial, tepid, and tiresome! So we're going to give Hope's Peak Academy, and the world, a motive for you guys to struggle and be killed. Although it turns out that the Killing Game was over much too quickly to be of any hype. Luckily we've had a day since the deaths of the Student Council to kidnap you guys and three school years to plan newer and much more exciting endeavour in case the Killing Game was a bust." Monokuma explained.
"Only a day has passed since they've died…?" Ryoma asked, surprised and not at all relieved.
"It would explain why their corpses haven't begun to rot but rigor mortis has set in. Their bodies look as good as new. I've seen it before on my island as everyone says their farewells whenever someone dies in Atua's name." Angie explained.
"We have no way of confirming that though without a medical professional or a detective like Mikan or Saihara here with us though. It's possible you are lying to us Monokuma." Kirumi spoke a bit more calmly than she had earlier.
"I can guarantee they died recently at least toots! But enough about these minor characters, it's time to get onto you somewhat more major characters. You are not going to be put into a Killing Game but rather… an RPG-style Game with real-life stakes. Of course you can opt to kill one another if you'd like to instead but then I'd have to figure out what to do with the sleeping students and how to explain all this..." Monokuma appeared to be speaking as though he had wanted to talk about this information for a long time.
"An RPG…? Are you being serious?" Himiko actually exclaimed in surprise.
"I don't think DeepSea delivers those. What are RPGS Himiko?" Angie asked, intrigued.
"A role-playing-game… really Chiaki could explain them better but they are famous for having magic and dragons and legendary quests. They often have fantastic spells, creative worlds, unique characters, and lots of things to collect. That sort of stuff… Wait a minute, why are you saying we'll be put into one Monokuma?!" Himiko had begun to enjoy explaining RPGs to Angie before it occurred to her who had brought it up in the first place.
"There are some very strict rules to this RPG, which I like to call: Despair Dungeon Monokumas Test! The Monokubs' nefarious plot has awakened an army of Monokumas! It appears they are marching out of the basement of Hope's Peak! To save the world, the academy's alumni mobilize to investigate…" Monokuma spoke as though he was pitching the game to a company.
"So the Monokubs are in on this too…" Himiko pouted.
The Monokubs were a group of Monokuma-looking bears that appeared to be there for the purpose of helping to 'mentor' the Ultimates but most of the Ultimates found them to be pests. Monophanie, Monokid, Monosuke, Monodam, and Monotaro were their names and it appeared they were connected to this series of increasingly dangerous events.
"Are you trying to make this situation less serious than it actually is? Because it's not working and you are pissing me off…" Ryoma gave Monokuma another dark glare.
"Yet is it true that the Monokubs and the Monokumas are marching out of Hope's Peak right now as we speak?" Kirumi asked with a little more willingness to accept the strangeness of the explanation.
"Not exactly… but they are definitely in this building, lying in wait in the depths of the Despair Dungeon. You should be merciful I haven't unleashed the full force of them onto you and your classmates yet. Not even the fighters among you would last against their combined forces. Consider yourselves lucky I want to test your hope against the full force of despair…" Monokuma's eye appeared to flash a dangerous hue of red and he spoke with great threat.
By now the four Ultimates were justifiably unnerved and lost. What could be gathered thus far was some sort of game Monokuma was about to put them through that was done in the style of an RPG and involved facing off against Monokuma models that were apparently in much greater numbers than suspected. Furthermore, the Student Council had been killed in some sort of 'Killing Game' prior to their kidnapping and a day had passed since then that their corpses and the three classes had been locked up inside this strange, modified building to do this. It also implied that this was some sort of plot that had been in the making since the very first year they had all arrived as students to Hope's Peak Academy. Still, it appeared Monokuma wasn't backing down from giving any information or at the very least that Angie believed she had the right of way to ask,
"So someone had to build all of ya correct? Who was it?"
"Request denied! Although… if you really want to start suspecting one another why should I stop you? In fact I'll let you in on the biggest scandal in Hope's Peak Academy! The mastermind behind this game and the Killing Game is amongst all of you and want to see you fail!" Monokuma laughed sinisterly.
"N-no…! That can't be! No one had done anything suspicious!" Himiko looked in denial.
"It is a foolish rumor incited to cause discord in our ranks. I won't let it affect the priorities of saving our classmates or getting out of here." Kirumi huffed in disbelief.
"But if it's true then they might strike at us when we try to get through this…" Ryoma offered.
"That would make for an unfair game though wouldn't it? Atua says that if Monokuma really wants to evoke despair among us, he wouldn't allow such a game-breaking clause as a mastermind within our ranks interfering with our progress. Right? Right?" Angie looked very threatening for a change as she pointed at Monokuma.
Monokuma admittedly looked a bit taken aback by Angie's presence. Divine or not, Angie had a way of being very convincing and also somewhat of a manipulator in getting what she wanted. For the better of Kirumi and Ryoma's consciences, Angie appeared to be using it to aid not just herself but for the rest of them as well to keep Monokuma from allowing for the chance of a backstab. Himiko on the other hand appeared nervous about Monokuma's words and was looking deep in thought over what he said and didn't seem to pay attention to Angie. Monokuma finally replied after clearing his throat,
"F-fine… for Atua's bald head I'll make certain that the mastermind won't interfere with your direct progress throughout Despair Dungeon… But isn't it so exciting to imagine that Ultimate Despair is sleeping within one of the classrooms as we speak and you have the chance to kill them and end the game right now?"
"Ultimate Despair? Is that a codename for the Mastermind…?" Ryoma inquired.
"Must be considering Atua knows we are all students of Hope and this situation is designed to create Despair!" Angie puffed her cheeks as she seemed sure of herself.
"Puhuhu… so maybe you should take them out before you start to wanna join them." Monokuma attempted to play mind games.
"I refuse to acknowledge that request Monokuma. Our classmates are our friends and to turn my back against them because of some idle rumor is unbefitting of the Ultimate Maid." Kirumi reasserted herself.
"Kirumi's right… these Ultimates I've spent three years with have a whole life ahead of them and haven't done the things I've done. They've even gone out of their way to tell me, someone who thought his life and talent were rendered meaningless, to say I can live on with new memories and new conviction. I won't turn my back on them because of some robotic teddy bear." Ryoma gave a thumbs up to Angie and Kirumi who smiled in return.
Ryoma's sincere and sweet words got Himiko to look much less doubtful and turn to him in admiration. She jumped up excitedly, her hat flying up into the air.
"Nyeh! He's right! RPG or not, I will do it with my friends because they are not meaningless!" The Ultimate Magician cheered.
"So divine! Our belief in our friends will save them! So do not think you'll sway our opinion Monokuma." Angie waved her arms in glee.
Monokuma glared at them with noticeable severity and even outright hatred. He approached the door that led to the Student Council's and with surprising speed, unsheathed his claws and cut through the door with immense strength, soon breaking it entirely open. This made Himiko hide behind Angie's body and Angie stepping forward with her arms spread wide in a defensive stance. Monokuma, apparently satisfied with such a deed, turned to the Ultimates in menacing fashion.
"You can say you have all the hope and care and love for your friends but it didn't save the Student Council members who were preaching the same thing! Do you four know why you all were chosen to begin with? Because out of your class, you four are the most minor of the minor! Your deaths wouldn't bring nearly as much despair as if someone like Kaede or Kaito or Saihara were to perish! Who'd mourn the goody-good perfect maid who just does requests? Who'd mourn the nut-job who manipulates 'disciples' and sucks out blood like a vampire? Who'd mourn the lazy loli who constantly rants about magic? Who'd mourn the former murderer and prisoner who distances himself from hope? NOBODY! All your friends lives are resting in you four minor character hands. Think about how scared they would be if there were wide awake!" Monokuma appeared to be scolding them with a harsh tone.
Only Ryoma and Himiko looked particularly shaken by Monokuma's words. Kirumi felt as though she knew her place as the Ultimate Maid in regards to her classmates and while she did do her best to open up and be a bit more sociable, she was bound by her Talent and obligations to her masters to be an individual capable of offering her own advice and perspectives to the issues her students were facing. She did much more than just requests for the class and people like Togami, Celeste, Peko, Hifumi, and others could vouch for her in this regard. Furthermore, Monokuma appeared to be a creature designed to confuse, harm, and be cruel to others and it was valuable for her to not let his propaganda get to her. Angie on the other hand just didn't appear to be phased at all.
"Atua thinks you should get on with explaining the rules already." She remarked as she pointed her paintbrush at him and winked dangerously at Monokuma.
"True, true. Mind games aren't as unbearable as this Despair Dungeon will be. So I welcome all of you to Despair Dungeon Monokuma's Test Version 2.53! There are 50 floors you'll have to go through until you face the Monokuma boss and between then and now are different enemies of varying levels of power and attributes. To face against them, you'll have to acquire skills and weapons and hone both of them to maximum efficiency to match the rising odds. Luckily, we've had a lot of testing to get to this version and so we've made some nifty changes to the system as a whole." Monokuma began.
"Changes…?" Ryoma seemed to regain his composure as he asked Monokuma about the thing he mentioned.
"First off! Individuality! Our testers complained there wasn't much distinction between the characters besides base stats and types of characters. So we made each character have a unique weapon and armor as well as a unique Awakening skill with various effects. Combat is performed in battle with a series of predetermined skills that you can obtain with enough Talent Fragments earned from the Talent Development Plan mini-game/fanservice! This mode can be found in the "Cafeteria" while all of your equipment is found in the 'Armory' room."
"Explains the medieval theme somewhat. Then what of these skills? What can we do exactly cause I can't imagine we would be able to do things like conjure fireballs or teleport." Kirumi showed some rare experience with video games.
"Well once you are down in the floors of Despair Dungeon, you'll find that you can use a variety of skills that you've obtained through Talent Development Plan. Logic be damned when you got technology that'd be the envy of live-action-role-players everywhere! From physical skills that can deal immense solo damage to supportive skills that heal, revive, or cure conditions, you'll find a lot of abilities and builds are possible. Plus, if you are in battle long enough, you can Awaken! Awakened skills, like I've mentioned, are revised to unleash the true might of each respective Ultimates' talent and possess a variety of effects, from a super strong offensive attack to some powerful buffs that can shift the momentum in your favor. Ultimately the goal in battles is to reduce the enemies health to 0 and you gain gold and loot from them. Loot can be used to bear-back-buff your equipment but with the nuances of each character having unique weapons and armor, only head, foot, and talisman pieces of equipment can be buffed and passed around. Luckily, to offset this, all equipment can be upgraded up to five times and an S and U Ticket can be used to buff it for free one or two levels respectively. Be selfish and use them on one party member to make them OP or make a more versatile team by spreading the love, it's all up to you. Everyone levels up with each floor completion too to help keep things balanced and focus more on customization." Monokuma explained in a rather long-winded fashion.
Noticeably, Angie appeared to have entered another meditative position, as if to take all this information in slowly and calmly. Kirumi was also taking notes in a notepad she often brought with her to fill out requests she was given while Ryoma and Himiko looked slightly bored. Monokuma smirked as he spoke a much more concerning line,
"Fortunately for you guys, gold can be used to wake up some of your sleeping beauties and uglies."
"Really?!" Himiko and Ryoma both inquired in shock at the same time.
"You bet. In the 'Homeroom' there's the Ultimate Death Card Machine which yields the cards of all your classmates. These cards are what can be inserted into the slots in each classroom to forcibly awaken that specific student from their pod and increase your party and variety. You can spin the wheel for 100 Gold a piece which will increase per every 10 floors, making it more difficult to get your friends. But face it, considering I've set everyone to an average power level instead of giving them different ranks of power levels, you won't need to worry about any Ultimate outshining the other. However… as a consequence, you can only roll up to four times per floor. Upupupu." Monokuma snickered.
"T-that's… how dare you! Why can't we bring more people back?!" Himiko looked infuriated and Kirumi had to hold Ryoma back from tearing into the bear.
"Because that'd be OBVIOUSLY broken! You'd all try to storm in at once and overpower the poor creatures. Granted there's already a party of four members per quest limit but there certain clauses where back-up members can come to pitch in. I don't feel like explaining those right now. Besides, it'll be so thrilling to see who you decide to bring back and you wind up getting as new friends…." Monokuma grinned.
"Anything more to share then Monokuma?" Angie seemed to accept this limitation more easily.
"In terms of determining your stats and power, each of you is a different type of character who specializes in certain attributes. Strength Type means you hit hard, run hard, play hard, and probably shit hard too. Intelligence Type means you can blast foes with a variety of skills for longer periods of time but it doesn't necessarily mean you have a high I.Q. Variety types are versatile, middle-of-the-road, non-specialists. Ryoma, as the Ultimate Mafia Murderer-"
"..." Ryoma's dark stare towards Monokuma was just as menacing as Angie's usual form of intimidation.
"*Cough* I-I mean Ultimate Tennis Pro means you are a Strength type, being athletic and fast and all that. Kirumi, you are wise beyond your years and kind of more talented than half of the other Ultimates. You are an Intelligence type. And ironically, Himiko and Angie are both the Variety types because you are two weird little girls." Monokuma taunted them as he classified them.
"I don't wanna hear that from you…" Himiko pouted.
"And what of these stats?" Kirumi asked, keeping her cool rather well against Monokuma's coy demeanor.
"Well there's Influence which is basically your HP. Don't let it fall to 0 or you might die. Focus is your MP and allows you to use your skills as long as you have sufficient enough Focus for the skill. Strength is so obvious it'd be unBEARable to explain it to you. Defense is equally obvious as it lowers damage taken. Intelligence improves your skill-set and skill power. Fortitude has two nuances in that it reduces skill damage and decreases success rates of status ailments that enemies might try to place upon you. Agility is simultaneously how quickly you can act before your rivals and how evasive you can be. Luck could probably be explained by Naegi and Nagito so wait and ask them when they wake up." Monokuma started to pace around them out of boredom.
"So what of the other rooms then? And the elevator?"
"I'm sure that you all know what a cafeteria is. It's where you get into food fights and is the janitor's worst nightmare. Point is, it has enough food and more to keep you all sustained throughout this fight between hope and despair. It also houses the Talent Development Plan minigame where you can play to your heart's content to power-up. Homeroom serves as your living quarters with enough shared rooms for 40 students. The elevator isn't available yet but it's purpose will become clear if you read the sign in front of it carefully. There's also more rooms beyond that so keep your eyes peeled!" Monokuma chuckled.
"40 students… Atua is thinking the math is off." Angie seemed a bit confused.
"But doesn't that mean we won't be able to wake everyone up…? If there's only 50 floors and that clause is in place… we'd be only able to wake up 20 other students. There's at least 47 of us in total too." Himiko grimaced.
"That must imply there's 50 more floors to this that Monokuma is attempting to hide." Kirumi pointed out.
"... Dammit! I got carried away! Fine, fine, so there are actually 100… but you'd be miraculous to even get past the base 50! Now I'm about ready to get this despair-inducing show on the road… any more questions to ask me kiddies?" Monokuma tried to play it cool, staring at the kids with a demented glee.
The four Ultimates of the 53rd class were feeling a rush of different emotions. The knowledge of 100 floors that needed to be conquered, the need to power themselves up and that they were more like video game characters than human beings, this strange situation and the loss of the Student Council, they had to channel a lot of willpower already to not succumb to panic or sadness. Each of them currently had different motives powering their drive to not crack under pressure. Kirumi's motive was her selfless devotion, Ryoma's was his loyalty to what his friends had done for him, Angie's motive was Atua's guidance and the importance of awakening her friends, and Himiko's shared similar motives with all three of them but she also was a bit curious about the RPG elements. Each of them felt they were in for something trying, difficult, and dangerous but that it would be something worthwhile if it meant they could save their friends and stop the Masterminds scheme. Himiko was the first to speak up,
"N-no… we're confident we got all the answers we need."
"Upupupu. Confidence is so stimulating… to see it broken down so quickly by the rush of despair and turn INTO despair is such a priceless experience! I can't wait to see it. You may find some other surprises in store for you if you keep on looking but fundamentally, you'll need to get stronger first. Then you can face me and the Despair Dungeon." Monokuma turned his back on the Ultimates before disappearing from sight.
A silence of unusual natures followed. It was a silence of confusion, of worry, of fear, but also of hope, resolution, and knowing what must be done. Kirumi, someone who was instinctive in these kinds of silences, made the first comment.
"It appears this Despair Dungeon and situation we've found ourselves in is deathly serious." She determined.
"Very spooky… but then, there really is a way to bring our friends back?" Himiko asked, slightly hopeful.
"Yes, it seems like it. Though it makes the mastermind's motives even more unpredictable. They want 'despair' but yet they are giving us opportunities to save ourselves. Granted there's nothing we can do for the Student Council." Ryoma looked over to the exposed room with regret.
"Well we can pray for their spirits to be lifted safely to Atua's haven. But, but, would this mean that the Despair Dungeon is truly dangerous if Monokuma is making us venture forth there?" Angie offered somewhat reasonably.
"I can't really imagine how it was feasible and done though… unless Hope's Peak Academy truly is responsible for part of this." Ryoma countered in a soft tone.
"I don't believe they are but perhaps the Mastermind and potential accomplices are within the higher division of the Academy. They've gone rogue and created this absurd situation to get Hope's Peak Academy to succumb to their demands. Furthermore if this plan was in the making for a very long time, this building could've been constructed secretly to fit this exact scenario and we've been taken there." Kirumi theorized tensely.
"Why an RPG? Wouldn't that just be childish?" Himiko asked.
"A demented sense of humor? A metaphor for our quest to save our friends? Frankly I can care less about why the Mastermind has chosen this method. Then all we have to do for now is identify the rest of the situation and go from there I believe." Ryoma muttered with determination.
"But we can only bring back four people at a time. Who do we bring back…?" Himiko asked.
"Nyahahaha! I have some ideas! We should bring back one of the Detectives first and foremost! Kyoko and Shuichi's intellect could help us uncover the truth much sooner! Then our dearest friends followed by everyone else. Isn't such a plan divine?" Angie raised her arm in excitement as she offered her idea.
"Bringing back our class representative would be favorable as well but I feel that my obligations to the student body means I shouldn't simply prioritize my class over the others." Kirumi spoke honestly.
Angie looked actually a bit dubious at this, considering her usual expressions. The look she gave to Kirumi was completely unlike what what Himiko or Ryoma had seen from her.
"You say that but, would that really be the best move? Don't you want to see your beloved friends all awake? Himiko would very much like Tenko to be awake after all." Angie swayed to and fro as she questioned Kirumi.
"Y-yeah but… there's a lot of people waiting to be asleep and if we were to wake up everyone WE knew. It'd make a bad impression on the others. Besides Tenko would probably ask for us to wake up all the girls first anyway." Himiko replied, flustered at Angie's support.
"And there's other people in the other classes who could come in handy in an RPG situation. Mikan with her nursing, Sakura with her fighting, Chiaki with her gaming experience, Nekomaru in training ourselves… it's important for us to not be so one-sided." Ryoma reminded the Artist.
"... Alright. Atua is a bit dejected but I suppose that you raise a good point. Ideally though we should probably finish up our investigation and then prepare for this RPG at once." Angie abandoned her argument to the other's relief.
"I'll go investigate the Armory." Kirumi curtsied gracefully before heading off to her first task of what'd likely be a series of many tasks.
"I think you two should cover the Homeroom area. I'll check the Elevator." Ryoma said as he sprinted over to the Elevator.
Part of him was looking for an excuse to separate himself from Angie and her somewhat annoying persistence at getting her way. She was one of his classmates yes but he and her barely interacted throughout the school year and talking to her now, she acted like she knew him thoroughly which was more unsettling than annoying. Still, her insight and her ability to get things done and organized would probably be of value as long as he, Kirumi, and Himiko were able to get her to rein in some of her divine ambitions. Himiko was surprisingly level-headed and even sweet, taking the situation much better than she would've at the beginning of the year. More importantly to Ryoma was her ability to keep Angie less overzealous than she needed to be, her energy, and her knowledge of RPGS. Still, he couldn't help but feel bad about her wanting Tenko to wake up as he was beginning to feel that way for Hajime. I have to know what happened to him, he thought. Kirumi was the only one that Ryoma didn't feel worried about as she was one of the most responsible, compassionate, capable people that he had ever met. Even if she was having insecurities or doubts about the situation, she was the kind of person who could persevere through it and not show fear. As for himself…
"I've still got a ways to go but now's a good place to start…" The Tennis Pro said as he read the sign that was indeed placed in front of the elevator.
'This Elevator is part of a network of elevators throughout the Dungeon. Get to that specific floor and activate the Elevator with a push of the button and you'll be able to use it whenever you'd like. You'll also be able to take this Elevator down to any floor with a corresponding Elevator. Good luck getting to those Elevators though… you'll need it adventurers. Upupupupu.'
"... Challenge accepted." Ryoma spoke with hope.
Dungeon of Infinite Hope Prologue: COMPLETE!
4 Ultimates are awake.