Danganronpa: The Running Man

Disclaimer:
Danganronpa is owned by Spike Chunsoft and Lerche
The Running Man is owned by Orion Pictures

Many thanks to those who read and reviewed this fic. I am really happy and this inspired me to bring in the next chapter, and here you will get to see the events that would lead Naegi to get embroiled…and that the villain of this fic is finally revealed.

Moreover, the game finally starts, and Naegi is about to be thrust towards the sadistic ENTERTAINMENT against his will.

You'll soon see what this means and what will happen to Naegi.

Well, read on and enjoy!

Ch. 4: Gēmu ga hajimarimasu

The scene shifts inside the studio, where the guards then removed the chains and handcuffs, and Naegi asks the executive producer what is going on here, and the executive said that Naegi is LUCKY that he is the next YOUNG BLOOD to be drafted to participate in this show, where he would be part of the fresh reality-based, gladiator-inspired game show in Japan, which he calls it the RUNNING MAN.

"...that's right...The Running Man..."

"Wait..."

"Huh?"

"Did you...say I was...?"

"Well..."

"Wait!"

"What is it?"

"I don't get it! What are you saying that I got DRAFTED?"

Naegi was confused and asks the executive what is he saying, stating that he never heard about this so-called game show and how is it that he is a participant as he never went to a TV studio and that he is in prison, and asks him what does that have to do with being brought here.

The TV executive said that the game show started a few years after martial law was imposed, and to help the economy, the game show is put up, and within a few months the ratings went up, and even allowed studio audiences to participate and win a prize, and this helped in alleviating the emotional pain of the masses financially.

He then said that the participants in this game involves a RUNNER and a STALKER, where the runner must evade capture from a stalker, wherein if the runner is caught, he is killed, but if the runner managed to kill the stalker, and defeats the remaining stalkers, he wins and gets his freedom, though he said that as of this moment, not a single runner survive, and Naegi is the latest participant to be SIGNED IN, which Naegi was bewildered as he stated that he never made such an agreement.

But the TV executive said it does not matter as he is due to start the game in a minute from now.

"And that is that."

"No way!"

"That's life, kid."

"You can't...!"

"Face it. That's where life goes on."

"You set me up!"

"Hey, let go!"

"This is a set up!"

Naegi shook the executive by the shoulder as he maintained that he never made any agreement even as the executive showed the boy the supposed signature of Naegi, and there the prison guards approached and grabbed Naegi as they escorted him towards the stage as the young boy screamed that this is a set-up, and the executive just sighed as he he treats the incident as nothing.

Upon arriving at the stage, Naegi is surprised to see so many studio audiences there, and that cameras were rolling and the scene appeared to be on live TV, and the TV host is standing there, who appeared to be a beautiful and sexy teenage girl, roughly the same age as Naegi, and she has an hourglass figure, strawberry-blond colored hair tied in twin pigtails.

She is identified as Junko Enoshima, and she is revealed to be the game host for the show that is aptly-titled THE RUNNING MAN, and Enoshima smiled and greeted Naegi, congratulating him on becoming the latest participant in this game and Naegi is in no mood for this and demanded to know what is about and why is he being dragged here despite not having come here before and being drafted here against his will.

"That's how life is, boy!"

"What?"

"You committed a crime, you spend life in jail."

"I did not..."

"But you're in luck..."

"Huh?"

"You get to fight for your freedom...except that you'll have to fight...and KILL...your way out."

"No...NO!"

Enoshima grinned as she opened the microphone and spoke to the live audience about the CRIMES Naegi committed, and the footage is shown, and Naegi stared wide-eyed as the footage shows the incident where Naegi committed the mass murders, and the boy knew it was fake which he shouted to Enoshima that it was truly fake and he never committed such acts.

However, Enoshima said that the EVIDENCE speaks for itself and he cannot LIE his way out and he must accept it and tells Naegi that he must pay the price for it, yet gave him a bit of hope by telling him that he should kill the Stalkers in order to WIN his freedom and nothing more, which Naegi stated that he never killed anyone, though she taunted him by saying he KILLED dozens a week back, which he denied it.

"Yes you did!"

"I did not...I never..."

"How do you explain that?"

"..."

"Well here...you get to kill as well...if you want to live, that is..."

"No...no! I won't...!"

"Face it...you got no choice anyway!"

"I...I..."

The studio audience jeered at Naegi, as they are oblivious to the fact due to being unaware of the true circumstances and that they are captivated by Enoshima's beauty and charm, thus they took her word for it and booed Naegi, calling him a liar.

"Boo!"

"Liar!"

"Murderer!"

"You deserved to die!"

"I hope the Stalkers kill you!"

"You ought to rot!"

"Just kill him!"

"Start the game!"

Naegi is dismayed at how the studio audience reacted, and by then the guards held Naegi and stipped his clothes, where it revealed a skin-tight suit-like uniform which is yellow with white accents and they dragged him towards a sled-like vehicle where they strapped him there as Enoshima said that the game is going to commence.

The boy stared in surprise and pleaded his innocence but Enoshima said that THERE IS NO TURNING BACK and his fate was already decided and bid him good luck and wished him ALL THE BEST, which Naegi shouted at her that he did not commit anything, which she only taunted him in reply.

"Yes you did!"

"I did not...I never..."

"You can't talk your way out!"

"But I never..."

"What's done is done! You just got sentenced! And when the game starts...you get to kill anyway...if you want to live, that is..."

"No...no! I won't...!"

"Face it...you got no choice anyway!"

"You...!"

After that she pulled the lever and the sled-like device began to move and descended towards a tunnel, where Naegi stared wide-eyed seeing that the tunnel is like a roller coaster track, and he feared for his life as his wrists and ankles were clamped and the ride appeared unstable which mignt result in being derailed and end up crashing.

The process took nearly five minutes before entering what appeared to be an alley-like arena, where there is an open sky and soon the cuffs were removed which Naegi got off, and realized that it is already nightfall, and he wondered where he is and what he should do next, as he recalled about the rules of the RUNNING MAN game.

Naegi walked around for some minutes until he came across two familiar faces, who turn out to be Byakuya Togami and Chihiro Fujisaki, and the trio are reunited, and there they realized that they are among the PARTICIPANTS in this game, and Togami told Naegi that this is a life-or-death situation where either he kills or be killed, much to Naegi's horror.

"You heard me."

"..."

"Either you kill or be killed."

"I...I can't...!"

"If you want to live...then you have to stoop to their level in order to survive."

"But...I can't just...take a..."

"Face it. This is reality...you got no other choice..."

"..."

"That's life today...and the masses are now like that..."

Togami then told Naegi that Chihiro managed to sneak in the blueprint where there is a secret exit within the arena so they can escape and find shelter but stated that they need to look out for each other for the Stalkers will be sent here within minutes.

Seeing that he has no other choice, Naegi reluctantly nodded as he began to follow Togami and Fujisaki and the trio began to find their way out.

-x-

Back at the studio, Sayaka Maizono, the idol whom Naegi encountered days back, sneaked inside, as she had a feeling that Naegi might be telling the truth, and right now she managed to sneak inside the technical room and found a cabinet, where she found the tag that marked NAEGI FILE, and she took it and played the footage.

As she watched it, she stared wide-eyed at what she saw, seeing that Naegi is indeed innocent of the supposed crimes, but before she could do anything, a pair of guards seized her and tells her she is trespassing and she tries to talk her way out, but to no avail.

"Wait...!"

"You are trespassing."

"I came here by accident..."

"No can do."

"But..."

"You are coming with us."

"Let me go!"

"This way."

"I said let go!"

Maizono is then taken away while one of the guards contacted someone and after a few minutes he was given instructions on what to do, which the guard asks if this is okay.

"Is that so...?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

"What now?"

"You know what to do."

"Is that all...?"

"Yes."

"Very well."

-x-

Back at the studio, Enoshima just gave a prize to one of the studio audiences, and he was overjoyed, showing how shallow he is, and then Enoshima called another studio contestant and asks her which Stalker she would like to see going in action, and the screen shows that portrait of several stalkers along with their weapons, and the studio constestant wondered who to choose until she finally picked one, much to Enoshima's delight.

"So...made up your mind...?"

"Yup!"

"Sure?"

"Uh-huh...that one over there!"

"Wow! Is that your decision?"

"Yes, it is!"

"Then you got it! Here is your giveaway!"

"Yahoo!"

After that the contestant was given a take-home prize and went to her seat, and there she told everyone that the game will become more interesting than before, and the audience roared in approval as they are looking forward for some action, oblivious to the fact that Naegi is framed for a crime he did not commit, and that the audience do not seem to care for anything else.

By then Enoshima announces that there will be an additional RUNNER that is coming up next, and the audience apllauded as they want to see more.

"Wahoo!"

"Another runner!"

"Can't wait!"

"Want to see more!"

"More violence!"

"More deaths!"

"This is the best!"

"Yippee!"

-x-

Back at the ARENA, the trio of Naegi, Togami and Fujisaki are walking around, looking for a way out as they knew that time is of the essence as they are sure that the Stalker would appear anytime now, and Naegi asks them what would they do once they find an exit.

Togami then revealed that his former butler, Aloysius Pennyworth, mentioned to him that he accidetally met a group of resistance fighters who opposed the regime and are working on a way to expose Japan's corrupt regime to the United Nation, and there they would work a way to free other victims who are also being prepared as the next Runner.

Togami then glanced at Naegi, and asks him how he ended up here, and once told, Togami told him to stay alive, and kill if he has to since this is a self-defense thing and said to Naegi that he has to in order to live and expose the one who framed him or the crime he did not commit.

"So that is that."

"But..."

"You cannot hesitate this time. You know why."

"Do I really have to...?"

"Either you do...or risk getting killed. Do you wish to clear your name and expose the culprits and the corruption of this country?"

"..."

"It is your choice...but don't try to drag us down."

"..."

By then a stray person appeared and he seemed to be lost, and Fujisaki attempted to help him, which the stray person nodded and is about to approached Fujisaki, but then a tennis ball struck the person before it exploded, and his body parts, internal organs and blood scattered on the floor, causing Fujisaki to tremble in fear.

Togami clenched his fists as he realized that the Stalker has arrived, and then the spotlight lit up where the Stalker is revealed. He identified as the Terror Tennis (Ryoma Hoshi), and hr is armed with a metallic tennis racket and carrying a pouch filled with explosive tennis balls, and he aimed his racket at the trio, proclaiming that he will win and the Runners will die.

To Be Continued...

Hope you liked this chapter, and the game has started, as Naegi joins Togami and Fujisaki in this sadistic game, and now they became the Runners where they are about to face their first challenge, as a Stalker appeared…

And the Stalker turns out to be Ryoma Hoshi (from Danganronpa V3), who is the first Stalker to take on the targets...

Preview:

The game show…dubbed the RUNNING MAN…has begun…and Naegi finds himself in danger…as Ryoma is about to turn him, and his fellow Runners, into tennis ball targets. See next chapter if Naegi's LUCK would play a factor in surviving the first challenge...

See you in 4-6 weeks...