Prologue: Part One
Location Unknown
Time Unknown
Darkness.
It was the only thing he could sense.
Nothing but pitch-black darkness and... movement? The sounds of an engine?
Nikui's eyes snapped open and, with a start, realized that he did not know where he was. The teen, dressed in a blue polo with matching pants, stood up and scanned his brown eyes across his surroundings.
He appeared to be on a bus, of some sort- if buses had no windows, and were painted exclusively in black and white. And had no visible exits. He was also sitting on a couch seat made of a leather that was - surprise - black and white.
Needless to say, Nikui was very, very, confused.
What is going on here? Nikui thought, standing up and walking out of the seat, a frown forming on his face as he ran his hand through his short brown hair.
"Oh good. I'm not the only one awake," a voice sounded from behind Nikui, causing him to whip around to face the source.
There, a boy around his age was standing, looking right at him. The newcomer was about a full head shorter than him, and dressed in a navy blue shirt worn with a burgundy tie over what appeared to be a white dress shirt. His eyes, like Nikui's, were brown, and his hair was in the same clean-cut style, but the newcomer's hair was black, as opposed to Nikui's brown.
Nikui wasn't sure what to make of him. On one hand, he looked normal enough, but then again, he did just wake up in an unfamiliar place with no memory of how he got there. He decided to introduce himself. If he was an enemy, he was as good as dead anyway, but if he wasn't, well, it's always a good idea to know your allies.
"It's good to see I'm not the only one awake. Who are you?" came the stranger's voice again.
Nikui blinked in surprise. He was planning to ask the stranger the same question. "Nikui Joudan," he replied, "I'm known as the Premier Comedian." Nikui wasn't sure why he included his Premier title in his introduction, he didn't normally. Perhaps it was something about the boy in front of him.
"Ah, so I'm not the only Premier here. My name is Abraham Roosevelt, the Premier Politician. But you can just call me Abe." The boy, named Abe, introduced himself.
"So Abe," Nikui began to ask, " do you have any idea of where we are?"
Abe appeared to think for a moment, before responding. "None, I'm afraid." The politician offered a smile. "But at least there's someone besides me that is awake."
"You keep mentioning 'someone else awake,'" Nikui noted. "Are there others here?"
"Yes, but I'm afraid I've been unsuccessful in awakening them." Abe gave a disappointed sigh. "At least we can watch over them until they wake up."
Nikui was about to respond when he heard a sharp intake of air, and then another. It seemed to come from the other end of the dimly-lit bus.
Nikui turned and asked Abe, "Would that be them?"
"Probably. Well, I guess we should go take a look."
Abe gave him a nod before the pair set off towards the source of the sound. As they got closer to what Nikui assumed was the back of the bus, he was able to make out two figures, both appearing to be girls of about his age.
The girl to his left had a slender form, with long blond hair cascading down her back and sky blue eyes. She wore a black tank top as well as light blue shorts and a pair of sneakers.
The girl on his right was similar in appearance, although her hair was shorter and more yellowish, with her eyes being more cerulean in color. She wore a white shirt with horizontal black stripes under a bright yellow cardigan, with white capri pants rounding out the ensemble. A pair of sunglasses rested upon her head, with a golden watch situated on her left wrist with a similar bracelet on her right.
The weird thing about the pair, though, was the fact that they appeared to be staring daggers at each other.
Nikui was about to speak, hoping to introduce himself, but before he could do so the girl to his left began speaking in what can only be described as the textbook definition of an entitled French brat.
"Out of everyone that could be here, it just had to be this fucking bitch!" the first girl sneered at the other.
The second girl scoffed. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? I'm so many leagues above you that you should be groveling at my feet!"
If the first girl was the textbook definition of an entitled French brat, then the second girl was the one who inspired the term.
Nikui was certainly taken aback by the…...colorful language from the two girls were using and he wasn't sure if stepping in between the two would be more threatening to his safety then letting it continue.
Thankfully, Abe made the decision for him, as the politician stepped forward between the two females. "Excuse me, but might the two of you introduce yourselves?" he asked with a smile.
The pair rounded on him, anger flaring in their eyes, as if they were expecting an attacker. Instead, they were met with the rather normal looking Abe and Nikui.
"Who are you?" the first girl asked, her tone dripping with suspicion.
"My name is Abraham Roosevelt, the Premier Politician. And this is Nikui Joudan, the Premier Comedian." Nikui breathed a silent sigh of relief. For once, he was thankful a politician had said something.
The second girl frowned, and turned to look at Nikui.
"A comedian huh? Well, I could use a jester in my circle. My name is Chloe Raincomprix, the Premier Queen Bee. But you can refer to me as your goddess. I know, my appearance is simply too much for you to handle, but sometimes I like to grace the plebs with my presence." A smug smirk had formed on Chloe's lips.
"So, what do you say? Willing to become my jester?" Chloe leaned toward Nikui, flashing a brilliant smile.
"No thanks." the comedian deadpanned.
The girl whose name was still unknown burst into laughter.
"Haha! Get denied, bitch!" Chloe stepped back, her smile turning into a grimace.
Nikui decided to ignore the Queen Bee, instead turning towards the other girl. "What's your name, if I may ask?"
The girl smirked before replying with, "My name is Zoey Grace, and I'm the Premier Rhythm Game Player. So, unlike that bitch, I actually have talent."
On this, Chloe immediately began to yell at Zoey. Again.
Seeing this, Nikui pressed his hand to his forehead while Abe let out a bemused chuckle.
Nikui really wasn't sure if Zoey or Chloe was less tolerable, or if he could tolerate another of their arguments. Regardless, he decided against sharing that particular sentiment and instead asked the obvious question.
"So, any idea what we're doing here?" he asked, looking at the pair, who had thankfully stopped yelling, but were still glaring at each other.
Chloe let out a sigh. "I don't. Though I must say I find this to be utterly ridiculous. Whoever had the gall to kidnap ME will pay dearly."
Zoey shrugged. "Don't look at me. The last thing I remember is getting the acceptance letter from S.T.S. After that, there's nothing."
Zoey's words caused Nikui to stop, the phrase 'acceptance letter' ringing in his mind.
That's right, he thought. Acceptance letter. S.T.S.
S.T.S., or School for Talented Students. A school opened in London, molded after the illustrious Hope's Peak Academy in Japan. A place for talent to be cultivated, and for hope to shine upon the world.
He remembered receiving the letter of acceptance, the proud smiles of his grandparents when he showed it to them, his own pure joy at having his talent recognized.
And then… And then…
Nikui struggled to remember what happened next. Yet, no matter how he tried, he just couldn't piece anything together.
So why am I on this bus? Nikui didn't know the answer, and wasn't sure if he really wanted to find out.
Abe paused a moment before looking around the bus they were in. He folded his arms as a frown formed upon his face.
"I must say," the politician began, his face wrinkled in thought, "it would take considerable resources to kidnap four premier students, as well as great cunning to avoid being caught."
"No kidding." Chloe stepped forward. "Capturing four premiers is one thing, but capturing the scions of two of the most influential families in Paris is another entirely." The Queen Bee looked almost smug as she put her guess forward.
"There's also the matter of where we're being taken," Nikui noted. "I highly doubt they'll keep us in this bus forever."
As if on cue, the bus appeared to come to a halt. Doors creaked open and slowly filled the bus with light.
Zoey chuckled. "Well I guess we're getting the answer now."
Nikui gave a curt nod before the small group made their way over to the opening, and out of the bus.
Little did they know the despair that was waiting for them on the outside.
Population:16
A/n: Well this is it! The first official chapter of Central City of Despair! Now, while I have your attention, I would like to make a quick announcement regarding the Persona 5 SYOC. For now, that will be put on hold. Submissions are still welcome, though my planned start date of mid-March is likely not going to happen. Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter, and please, leave any and all criticism in the reviews. It helps both me and you. I'll see you next chapter!
-MudkipOfDespair