Chapter 3

A taste a power

A Glimpse of death

"Wipe that stupid look off your face prisoner! Master has things he wishes to discuss," The little girl on the right of Joker whacked his fingers with a stick, and he stepped back rubbing them,"

"Things seem to be getting more complex Prisoner, but ruin is still coming. Your rehabilitation is going well, but we must move things along more quickly. Girls, let us begin."

The girls snapped their feet together like they were guards in the military. They moved away from the bars, and walked out of Jokers sight. "Let release the shadow," Joker stepped back away from the cage with wide eyes. Suddenly, a creature appeared in front of him that looked like a halloween jack-o-lantern. It didn't have a body, just a floating cloak with a pumpkin head that grinned creepily at Joker.

"Hehehehe… A human all for me? It's been so long since I was able to watch one of you burn," Fire lit behind the creatures eyes and Joker backed up against the rear wall of the cell. It twisted its head, and a small flame shot forward striking Joker in the face. He screamed aloud, and grabbed the wall for support. The barbs on the wall pierced his hand and he let out a low moan. Blood poured from his hand as he attempted to shield his face from the blows. Suddenly, a voice filled his head as another piece of flame struck his arm.

"Such a cowardly fate for the Ultimate Justice isn't it? Don't you wish to stand up, and beat this creature back?" Joker let out a scream as he felt like the fire attack his skin, and the voice scream in his head. "Forge the pact, and gain the power to share your justice with the world" The pain multiplied as the voice rose in volume "The world is full of sin and despair! Take up arms and show the world the strength of your will!" Joker cried out and a blinding light filled the cell. When it cleared, Joker found himself on his feet with a mask on his face. It felt like it had been stitched against his skin. He tried to yank it off, blood pouring from his face as he did so. When it finally broke off, a creature appeared above him, almost double his height. The mask returned to his face, but more comfortable than before. The creature spoke in the same voice that had filled his head, "Now the pact is sealed, you may wield my power. Come, let's show this fool the power of Arsene!" Joker rose his hand, and a dark power began to build at his fingertips. He looked at the monster in front of him, and the darkness shot forward from his hands, knocking the monster into the bars of the cell behind him.

"Hehehe...more than human…" The creature disappeared into a small piece of smoke, and Joker stood still staring at his hand. It was now gloved, and when he looked at the rest of his body his clothes had changed. He was wearing a black coat, and what seemed like armor underneath. It looked like a dress shirt, but it feel like he had a layer of steel protecting his skin. He looked up and saw the creature that called itself Arsene floating above him. Before he could say anything, the being dove toward him, and seemed to vanish into the mask. Immediately after, his clothes changed and he was wearing the prisoner's outfit once again.

"I'm sorry for the surprise Prisoner, but believe me when I say that it's all for the sake of your rehabilitation. Ruin will not wait for us to prepare you see, so time isn't on our side." Joker moved toward the bars and the two wardens returned to their positions.

"What just happened?" As soon as Joker spoke, one of the girls struck the bars with her stick.

"Silence inmate! Our master will explain things when he wishes." Joker looked down at her, and then back up at Igor

"My apologies once again Prisoner, I don't think I introduced you to your wardens. This is Justice, and Caroline." Joker looked at the two girls. The one who carried the stick was Caroline, while the other more quiet one, was Justine. She began to speak with Joker while looking at her clipboard,

"We are here to help guide you in your rehabilitation process,"

"Yeah, but don't think that means you can get lazy!"

Joker stared at them briefly before returning his gaze to Igor. The last few minutes were making his head spin, but at the moment the girls didn't seem to be the most confusing or threatening. Igor continued to speak,

"As I said before Prisoner, time is not on our side so we must speak quickly. What you just witnessed was the emergence of your persona. While in any place similar to this Velvet room, you will be able to call upon it to defeat those who stand in your way. It is important that you find others who share this ability as you, for they will become confidents who will help you on your journey." Joker tried to digest what he had been saying, but it didn't seem to make any sense.

"What is he talking about? How could I have a power like that inside of me waiting to come be released?" A loud ring began to fill the cell, and Joker backed away from the cell wall.

"Time escapes us prisoner. For now, I instill two gifts upon you, the third eye and the navigator. If you focus your mind, you may be able to see things that may have escaped you before. The navigator can be explained at another time, and you will find it on the tablet you received previously. We have put a great deal of faith in your prisoner, I'm sure you won't disappoint." The ringing continued ti grow louder, and Joker felt his body weaken. He sat down on the bench he awoke on, and shut his eyes.

When Joker reawoke he was on his bed in the room he had been given. There was a loud knocking at his door.

"That dream...was it real? Do I have some sort of power?" The knocking continued and Joker got up to investigate. He opened it to find Aoi standing there smiling

"Morning! Cmon, you can't sleep the day away, we have plenty to do." Joker stared at her confused, rubbing the sleep from his eyes

"We do?" Aoi nodded her head quickly, and leaned in to whisper to him.

"Sakura can't leave her room, she doesn't want to leave the motive unguarded. We'll meet up with her after breakfast," She stepped back and nodded. "I'll be waiting for you there!" She jogged off toward the room, and Joker sighed rubbing the back of his head. With all the weirdness of the dream, he had nearly forgotten the situation they were in. Trapped in a school, with a teddy bear bent on seeing them kill each other. It couldn't possibly be real.

"Then again, if that dream was real…" Joker reached into his pocket and removed the handbook. Once he opened it, his eyes widened as there was something on there he hand;t seen before. There was a red app, that seemed to have an entirely black eye in the center. He tapped on it, but nothing occured. "Could this be the navigator that he was talking about? What can it possibly do?" Joker placed the device back into his pocket, and walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him. "I can figure that out later. Right now Aoi needs me." He made his way into the cafeteria, where he saw Aoi alone at a table, with a large donut sitting in front of he. She was looking up, seemingly unaware of everything around her. Joker moved to sit with her, and she broke from her trance.

"Jeez, I was waiting for you forever. Aren't you going to get something to eat?" Joker shook his head and she shrugged, picking up her her donut. She wolfed it down, eating it while Joker's eyes widened. She smiled widely as she chewed the last bits down, and saw he Joker as he stared at her with surprise in his eyes. "Eh, sorry about that. I just really loved donuts…"

Aoi looked away and blushed a bit. Joker laughed it off, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about it." The smile returned to her face, and she leaned in closer across the table.

"So me and Sakura came up with a plan last night that I think is gonna work. We're going to switch which room the box stays in each day randomly, so that way the three of us will have the opportunity to come out of there rooms." Joker nodded, and she continued.

"So when we leave here, try to get to Sakura quickly and grab the box. The less people that see you, the better." She leaned back and sighed gently "We're so busy being scared of each other, we haven't time to think about escaping this place.

"What if I got the box now, and you go with Sakura to look for a way out?" Aoi's face brightened up at the proposal.

"That's a good idea! I'll come by later, and tell you who should hold onto it tomorrow." Joker nodded and rose out of his seat. He waved to Aoi, and began to make his way out of the cafeteria.

"I'll use the time alone to figure out all this persona stuff. I need to focus on one thing at at time." He made his way down the hallway, checking the doors as he passed. He finally reached the room that Sakura was in. He knocked, and the door opened. "I guess when your that big, you don't need to worry about someone trying to get past you"

"Good morning Joker. It looks like Asahina told you about our plan" Joker nodded, and Sakura disappeared inside for a moment, coming back with the box in her hand. "Just go right to your room, understood? And remember, don't open it. We have no idea what Monokuma wants, but it can't be good." Joker took the box from her hands.

"I will, Aoi is waiting for you in the cafeteria." Sakura shut the door behind her, and nodded as he walked past Joker the way he had just come.

"She's right. I need to get to my room quickly," Joker began to walk toward his room quickly. He was about to turn a corner when suddenly someone called out his name. He turned to see who it was. Sayaka stood there, and waved him over to her. Without even realizing it, he was moving toward her.

"That's the box that Monokuma gave us all right?" She had a curious look on her face, but Joker could tell she already knew the answer. He could feel sweat dripping down his back as he answered her.

"Yeah it is…" He kept looking at her as he spoke, trying to remain calm but his mind was racing. "Why am I so nervous right now? If she asks to look inside, I just have to say no and move on"

"Oh...do you think we can open it?" She stood closer to Joker and began to whisper, "It'll be our little secret I promise," Joker took a deep breath and shook his head.

"I don't think that'll be a good idea," She pouted and looked up him with large eyes.

"I guess he was right then, its fine," She looked over Joker's shoulder, but he stared at her,

"Who are you…" Before he knew what was happening, his head hit the floor and pain flooded his body. His vision began to darken, and he tried to get up. The box was laying next to him, the contents still secured inside. When he tried to rise, and shoe hit his chest and he collapsed back onto the floor. He looked up to see Byakuya standing above him with a disapproving look on his face.

"You idiot. Trying to hide something from us all, why do you weaklings think that you have any power?" He removed his foot from on top of Joker and Mondo looked came into his sight.

"I told you this dumbass wouldn't let it go easy, even if we got the girl to ask.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Come, let's see exactly what they were trying to hide." Joker could see Byakuya pick up the box, and Mondo climbed on top over Joker.

"Do us a favor and stay down alright? Monokuma wouldn't like if you feel asleep out here, get it?" Joker could hear their footsteps as they walked away, but Sayka didn't move. She stood, standing over Joker looking at his face.

"We can't just leave him here, right? What if someone finds him like this and does something?" The footsteps stopped, and Mondo's voice could be heard again.

"Guess your right. I'll meet you guys there, I'll drop him somewhere safe." Sayaka took one more look at Joker, and went off with Byakuya. Mondo approached Joker and grabbed his arms. He began to drag him, and they finally reached a dark room with a metal grate separating the room in two. Mondo set Joker up against the grate. "Listen, don't try to follow me, or I'll show you how hare I hit when I'm pissed alright?" He quickly got up, and walked away while Joker sat there rubbing his head.

"What is this place?" He looked around but it was two dark to see anything. He felt his head, and winced as he found the place where Mondo hit him. He stood up leaning against the gate for support. On the other side of it, sat a huge metal contraption that appeared to be glowing with heat. "Is that an incinerator? Why the hell would that be in a school?" He held his head for a few moments, and tried to move back.

"Pathetic, and to think Master has such high hopes for you" Joker's eyes widened as he saw the twins from his dream standing there in front of him. One was looking at him with a disapproving look while the other stared at her clipboard. Behind them, was a blue cell door that seem to pulse lightly with power.

"You? How did you get here?" The girl with the stick sighed and the other one looked up to answer "Master said it would be best if you had an easier way to access the Velvet Room. We are here to ensure you make good use of it." The other one continued to speak

"This all stays quiet inmate. Master gave you the gift to see things like this even in reality, so don't go talking about this to everyone else!" She then opened up the cell door and went inside, while the other remained.

"One of us will always be here if you need any guidance. Be sure to come if you have any issues regarding your rehabilitation." Before Joker could respond, the door burst open and Aoi came rushing in.

"Joker what's the matter with you! Chihiro just came and told us…" Her eyes widened as she saw the pained expression on Joker's face and she ran over to him.

"Wait are you okay? What happened to you?" Joker began to explain what had happened, and Aoi's face began to grow more saddened. He finished, telling her that he had just managed to get up when she had burst into the room. She covered her mouth and tears began to well up in her eyes, "Joker I'm so sorry, this is my fault. I didn't mean for you to get hurt," Joker shook his head and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm alright really, don't worry about it. Do you know where they took the box?" She nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Um, yeah Sakura went to go get it. They probably already opened it and took whatever was inside though…" She took a step back breathing deeply, and Joker let go of her

"Let's go back to the cafeteria then. They're probably all already there." Asahina nodded, and moved toward the door. Joker took one more look at Justine, who was carefully examining her clipboard. He then followed Asahina out the door, and they ran back to the cafeteria. When they got there, it was insanity. Everyone was standing still watching Sakura back Byakuya, Sayaka, and Mondo into a corner. The box was nowhere to be seen, but Sakura looked like she was prepared to kill them on the spot.

"Give me whatever was in that box right now" Mondo was standing beside Byakuya and they were both yelling back at her.

"It has nothing to do with the rest of you."

"Yeah! We don't owe you anything so why don't you just back off bitch?" Meanwhile behind both of them, Sayaka stood trembling with her eyes wide. When Joker looked at her, he could see darkness in her eyes. Something had changed inside her head, she was a different person now, corrupted by something he could not even understand.

"Sakura. Stop!" Aoi's voice rang out from across the cafeteria and when it did, Sakura immediately stopped moving towards them The two boys relaxed a bit, while Joker and Aoi moved toward them. "Guys, you don't have to tell us what you took from that box, can you just tell us where it is?" Both stayed silently, looking away and refusing to meet her gaze. From behind them, Sayaka's soft voice rose up

"The AV room...the box is in the AV room." They both looked back at her and sighed, Mondo scratching the back of his head.

"She's not lying, it's in there. I think you should all go have a look," His eyes moved downward to the floor, and Joker noticed he seemed more vunderbale than he had before. "There's something for each of us but I can't say anymore. You just have to see for yourself…" Joker looked over at Asahina and nodded. She turned around and tapped Sakura on the shoulder.

"C'mon, let's go." They moved away from the three of them, and the rest of the students followed them. Joker walked beside Asahina, following her to the room they had mentioned. Once they were inside, they saw the box sitting on the table with the lid opened. Inside, lay a bunch of discs with the names of each of the students on there. They all grabbed which one was there's leaving the box empty. The AV room was filled with small with small computers with disc slots beside them. Each student took a spot, and Joker was one of the last ones to sit down. He looked around, watching everyone else put them in, and place headphones over the heads. He did the same, and when he did the screen flashed on. A video began to play of his parents, sitting on the couch at their house. His Dad began to speak, and Joker could feel a pang of sadness in his body.

"Hi son! We're so proud you could make it into such a great school. Try not to work yourself too hard." His Dad gave him a thumbs up as his Mom began to

speak

"We'll miss you honey, come home whenever you're feeling a little homesick okay? We love you so mu-" Suddenly the picture changed and his parents were gone

The room was torn up and destroyed, like it had been a war zone. Joker could see the light from a small fire in the corner of the screen. The voice of Monokuma began to play through the headphones.

"Puhuhuhu...Looks like your parents got into some trouble here Joker. I wonder if they're going to be alright? Remember, there is only one way to find out puhuhuhu…"

"No...no that can't be right," Joker ripped off the headphones and looked around the room. He could tell by their faces that they had seen something similar. He could hear people sobbing, and someone was yelling out loud at the one of the screens. Joker could feel it in the room, there was a feeling of pure insanity. Nothing made any sense, but the videos looked so real. "There has to be some mistake. How could he have done that, to all of us? Where were the police, or the government?" Joker flinched as one kid brushed past him. It was Leon, he was muttering aloud to himself,

"No fuck this place man, I gotta get out of here. I gotta go...she's waiting for me I can't stay here." He ran out of the room as Joker looked down at the screen. There was a feeling building up inside of him, something he had never know before so intensely. It was a feeling of pure and utter despair.