An:I own nothing
Ruby Rose and the rest of her team were having a pretty average day. Well, as average as a group of school girls training to be monster hunters while secretly hunting a master thief and a terrorist organization in it's free time can be. Even still the day was average and only really consisted of the day to day monotony of class. And the average day continued uninterrupted, at least until team RWBY returned to their dorm room.
As soon as they returned and Ruby Rose's hand gripped the door handle she opened the door only to be met with a sight that most definitely wasn't their dorm room. The place on the other side of the door was bleached white walls. On the left and right walls were small wooden doors about Ruby's height and the doors were the same white as the walls. On the back wall was a large TV with an odd shaped box that Ruby had never seen before attached to it with a long wire. In the center of the room was a long comfy looking black leather couch and next to it was a large brown lounge chair.
And there in that chair was a young boy who looked about Ruby's age laying haphazardly facing the door that Team RWBY had just entered from. The boy had dull brown eyes and brown hair slicked back and shaped like some kinda faux pompadour. His attire consisted of a plain but baggy white t-shirt, a pair of worn jeans, and black leather combat boots. Leading up from under his collar to halfway up his neck was a tattoo, a black winged serpent coiling around a white tower. And finally he was smiling at the displaced team with crooked teeth and he had large bags under his eyes.
"Welcome welcome, I've got snacks if you want any." The boy spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
As soon as the boy said that the four girls got into fighting stances. Despite not having weapons and being in their school uniforms, due to just having come from class, the girls were just as dangerous and that all would mean something if not for the boy sitting in front of them being even more dangerous. Still team RWBY did not know this, so with as menacing a voice as the team's young leader could muster she demanded an answer from the boy "who are you?!"
"Ah yes, I had forgotten." The boy, with a smile signaling that he had in fact not forgotten, jumped from his seat before bringing his hand up in smooth action "I am desire given form, the miraculous anomaly known as Thaddeus Crane, the slayer of all Monsters is who stands before you." He then ended his boast with a long sweeping bow.
Not exiting their stances Weiss asked "what is it you want?"
"Huuuuuuuuh, I'm boooooored." Crane said with a long exaggerated sigh.
"You're…...bored?" Asked Blake while slowly lowering her hands.
"Yes yes, extremely!" The strange boy growled Irritably.
"You kidnapped us to entertain you." The Heiress scoffed.
"Kidnapped? You can leave whenever you want." Crane said simply and so Weiss tried to do just that as she turned around to leave "But I do have information on Roman Torchwick and his allies."
The four girls stiffened at that last statement and as Weiss turned back to the boy Blake asked a simple question "what do you mean by that?"
"A simple deal, I will answer one of your questions honestly to the best of my ability and you entertain me for an hour."
The previously silent Yang growled while pushing her sister behind her "we aren't loose girls."
"Oh please sweetheart, a cute face won't end my boredom." Crane nonchalantly droned.
Yang's face then gained a confused look, so still holding Ruby behind her she asked "what do you mean by entertain you?"
"Oh right." He then reached over the couch and grabbed a hand held remote, probably for the TV, before pressing a button on the remote and turning on the TV.
Ost-Dangan Ronpa!
At the top of the screen in large stylized black letters was 'Trigger Happy Havoc'. And right below it in white surrounded by black was 'DANGANRONPA'. On the center of the screen was a revolving revolver gun chamber with the words 'PRESS OPTIONS BUTTON' over it. To the left side of the screen was a plain looking boy wearing a hoodie with brown hair and brown eyes. And on the right side was a freckled girl with large blond pigtails and blue eyes with large eyelashes and heavy make-up. And in her hair was a bunny hair clip and a large red bow.
"Dangan..ronpa?" Ruby questioned in a confused voice.
"What, you don't have visual novels where you're from? Admittedly I didn't check last time I was here so maybe." Crane began talking a mile a minute.
Before he could get too far into his rant though Weiss interpreted him "so just to confirm, to answer our incredibly dangerous questions about a criminal organization you want us to play a video game?"
"Yes yes, one question" he then raised up left hand with only his pointer finger pointing up "for one hour" followed by his other hand as well "but first give me back my coin, it's in your hood cutie" he then held out his hand toward Ruby.
"What!?" Yang shouted as she pulled a thick metal coin with an X on one side and snapping turtle on the other out of Ruby's hood "how did this….?"
Crane then snached the coin out of Yang's hand before flipping the coin into the air and then catching it in his hand "how do you think I got you to come here? I couldn't just leave the path open the entire time, Someone else could have entered. So I just tracked the coin's location and opened the pathway when you approached your dorm."
Weiss then took a long look into the strange boy's eyes before saying "Allow us to prepare our question."
"Yeah yeah, no problem." He then jumped over and back into the lounge chair. Behind him team RWBY began discussing in hushed whispers unaware that Crane could still hear them.
After a few minutes of Crane listening to the game soundtrack and the girls' decisions Blake stepped forward "who is Roman Torchwick currently working with?"
Crane, looking very pleased, jumped out of his chair and clapped his hands together in front of him "oh, that is a fantastic question! I should have known it would be you Blake, you always were the smart one."
The four girls in front of him were all staring at him expectantly so Crane began to speak again "fine fine, take a seat and I'll explain it to you." Crane then walked around until he was in front of the couch, the girls following behind him. The center seat was then taken by the two shortest girls, Ruby and Weiss, and on the outside Blake sat next to Weiss and Yang next to her sister.
After the four were seated Crane flicked his wrist and a large manila folder appeared in his hand. He then took a single picture out of it and placed it in front of them "first is this girl."
The girl had heterochromic eyes, her right eye was pink and her left was brown, and long pink, brown, and whit hair. "This girl is named Neopolitan. Roman and her have worked together for a very long time, her semblance allows her to make solid illusions out of glass and fights with an umbrella. She will most likely always work with Roman no matter whose side he's on."
Crane then reached back into the folder and pulled out three more pictures. The first was a beautiful woman with amber eyes and long black hair. The second was a young man with silver slicked hair and grey eyes. The third was a young dark skinned woman with green hair and bright red eyes. Crane then pointed at the picture of the green haired girl. "This girl is Emerald, she works directly with this woman." He then moved his finger to the black haired woman. "She works with her because she believes she owes her and she also might have strong feelings for her, but whatever. Her semblance allows her to make a single target hallucinate, however she doesn't personally know what the hallucinations are and it only works on one person. Her weapons are chain sickles known as Kusarigama that transform into revolvers. Even if she is loyal, she will only work to a point until it breaks her."
He then moved his finger to the silver haired boy "this is Mercury Black, he is the son of the assassin Marcus Black. Emerald and him technically work for the same person, however Mercury only does so out of convenience. His only goal is his own self interest, so betrayal and backstabbing whoever gets in his way is his modus operandi. His father stole his semblance so he doesn't have one, also his legs are prosthetics from the knees down and he fights with boots with guns on the heels. Finally, while his loyalty is extremely wishy-washy, he has murdered a book shop owner in Vale by the name of Tukson."
Despite Blake currently looking incredibly disturbed because she knew that specific bookshop Crane's finger moved to the third picture. "This is Cinder Fall, she is the current leader of the entire operation with Roman and the White Fang. Despite this she is working for someone else who is an enemy of Ozpin. Also in contrast to this her sole goal is to amass power to protect her own fragile self image. Her semblance allows her to superheat objects and manipulate their shape. Her weapon is a pair of short swords that come together to form a bow. Finally she attacked and critically wounded the fall maiden and stole half of her power before retreating."
"Wait! Fall maiden? Stole power?" Weiss tried to interrupt but Crane just smiled and took another picture and placed it in front of the girls.
"Adam!?" Blake shouted in shock. In between the five people, in the photograph was someone who was undoubtedly part of the White Fang because he was wearing a white Grimm mask. His hair was a dark red and he had two black horns curving above his head.
"Correct." Crane confirmed Blake's suspensions. "This is Adam Taurus. He is the current leader of the White Fang in Vale. He provides Cinder and Roman with all the troops they need for their operations, this is because he knows that their plan will result in a lot of Human death. He fights with a sword who's sheath is a shotgun and his semblance allows him to store power for strong killing strikes. Finally he hates humans, human sympathizers, and most of all he hates the Schnee family."
After Crane's long Spiel about the team's enemies he stayed completely silent waiting for their response. When Weiss looked like she was about to demand more answers Blake placed her hand on the Heiress' shoulder. When Weiss turned towards the Faunus girl all Blake did was shake her head and say "I'll explain later."
After calming the white haired girl Blake turned back towards the suspicious boy and said "we are prepared to honor our end of the deal."
Jumping up the boy exclaimed "ah yes, perfect." He then looked down towards the photographs on the table before saying "you can keep those."
Blake then scooped up the photos before saying "we appreciate this, thank you."
"Yeah yeah, no problem." He said flicking his wrist again making the folder disappear. He then took his other hand from behind his back showing a red controller that no one on the team had seen before. "How do you feel about being our player one miss Schnee?"
"What, Weiss!?" Ruby whines a bit.
"Yes yes, it's obvious if you look at her she really needs it." Crane preened dramatically.
"But does she even want it?" Ruby complained.
"Are you being selfish, Miss Rose?" He then leaned in and whispered behind his hand "you've got to be forceful if you want to break a Tsun-tsun out of its shell."
At that Ruby giggled a bit before turning to the white haired girl "come on Weiss, we're waiting."
"Well if you say so." The Heiress said unsure before finally taking the remote and as soon as she did Crane flung himself at the lounge chair so hard it tipped back on its rear legs before slamming back down with a loud bang."how does this work, like this?"
Replacing the 'PRESS OPTIONS BUTTON' with four new choices. 'NEW GAME', 'LOAD GAME', 'OPTION', and 'MAIN TITLE'.
"Select new game, Weiss." Ruby whispered to her partner.
Having selected 'NEW GAME' the screen changed to show a box with the word Language at the top followed by 'English' and 'Japanese', and 'OK' at the bottom.
Seeing the girl's confusion Crane spoke up "English is what we are currently speaking."
"Oh, ok." Responded Weiss quietly.
The screen then changed to a different choice box. This time it was 'Logic Difficulty' followed by 'Gentle', 'Kind', and 'Mean'. And right below it was 'Action Difficulty' followed by 'Gentle', 'Kind', and 'Mean' again. And at the very bottom was 'OK'.
"Is this a puzzle game?" Asked Blake who was the farthest away from Crane.
"Ehhh, kinda. Honestly it's hard to explain." Crane answers slowly before turning back towards the screen and saying "pick mean and mean. You shouldn't have any trouble even on the hardest difficulty."
Ost-Punishment Rocket
The screen then goes black before a shadow appears in the darkness. All of a sudden a single spotlight shows the figure to be a small bear split black and white down the middle with one red eye and a plastered grin on one side of its face and in front of it was a large red button.
"A... teddy bear?" Weiss said confused.
The screen then pans around to show a man with black hair and wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. The man was also blindfolded, gritting his teeth, and tied up in a chair.
"Oh gods!" Ruby exclaimed in horror.
Unconcerned by her teammates' revulsion Blake peered over the other three girls shoulders at their host only to see him paying close attention to all of them with amusement.
"Turning away from the ugly parts of the world miss team leader?" Crane grinned at the red hooded team leader to which Ruby tried to ignore but began focusing on the screen just a bit more.
The man's bonds strained as he tried to escape and the bear looked around the side at the rope binding the man's arms before slamming its paw down on the red button.
A display on the button showed the word start before a large cartoonist rocketship appeared behind the man.
"What's that?" Asked the blonde RWBY teammate.
"That's a rocketship, it's used to fly to space." Answered the strange boy.
"...I think I have heard of that. Atlas scientists were experimenting with ways to escape Remnant, but because dust stops working when it reaches the planet's atmosphere the project was shut down." Explained Weiss.
"Still going into space sounds cool, can you imagine!" Ruby said excitedly.
The man begins to scream as the rocket opens up and then closes around the man. The rocket booster then opens up and begins pushing the ship upwards.
Blast Off!
The rocket begins flying upwards until it reaches the ceiling and starts spinning.
"I guess that's what happens when you try to fly in a small room." Drones Blake.
"It is horribly designed." Adds Weiss.
The rocket pushes harder and harder until it breaks through the ceiling, only to meet another. Quickly breaking through that ceiling it meets another before breaking through that one too and flying into the stars. Above, in space, the rocket finally stops by the moon and Saturn who both had googly eyes.
"Other planets don't have eyes like that, do they?" Asks Ruby.
"Of course not you dolt!" Weiss scolded.
Rocket begins falling back to earth, faster and faster, until it crashes right back in the room it was in before and sitting there still was the same bear.
The rocket began to slowly creak open only to reveal a skeleton with a cracked skull.
"What happened to his skin?" Asked Yang. "Was he really up there that long?"
"That took the same amount of time we saw it take." States Crane.
"You're talking rather nonchalantly, that guy just died!" Blake accused.
"Jin was always rather unlucky." Crane said with a far off look.
"Wait...what? Was that guy real?!" Asked a panicking Ruby.
"Most fiction is real, it sort of bleeds over." Was the bizarre boy's only response.
The bear tilts its head before beginning to laugh and laugh and laugh. And then the screen fades to black.
"It's Strange, even though I couldn't actually hear the laughing, I felt like I heard it. That bizarre malicious intent." Blake said in a melancholy way.
"Yeah." Said Ruby looking down.
"Most people have the same feeling." Crane adds.
Ruby then gazes at the boy and asks "...have you met the bear as well?"
"Yes yes, it is rather unsettling." Crane says simply.
Ost-Beautiful Days
???:The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area.
"What are you doing?" Weiss asks Crane, who had been reading out loud in a different voice.
"This is to entertain me, remember? Just humor me." Crane answers while grinning.
???:It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world.
"It seemed that way when I first saw Beacon too." Comments Ruby.
The screen then changed to an absolutely massive facility surrounded by trees.
???:Hope's Peak Academy…
"I think that school is bigger than Beacon, sis." Yang teases Ruby while ruffling her hair.
???:It brings in top students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege…
???:They say that if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life.
???:With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the workforce every year.
???:It was built to raise hope in the nation's future. Which makes Hope's Peak a pretty fitting name.
"I don't know why, but something seems off about that." Comments Yang.
"The game said it itself, it's a school of privilege. Only the rich and talented get in." Blake responds cynically.
???:There are two things you need to attend this school…
???:One, you have to already be attending high school. Two, you have to be the very best at what you do.
???:No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you're scouted by the school itself.
???:And standing there at the gate of the ultimate school filled with ultimate students…
The screen then pans down to show a short boy with light brown hair, red shoes, and a Green hoodie.
???:...was me.
"He looks average." Weiss comments.
"He's the protagonist!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly. "you know the Everyman whose shoes you can just sorta step into."
"Do games do this often." Weiss asks unsure.
"Yeah sure, tons." Yang interjects. "I mean more often than not they don't really talk either. You know the silent protag type."
Weiss did not understand so she just stayed silent.
Makoto Naegi:Before we go any further, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Makoto Naegi.
"Makoto Naegi? Weird name." States Yang.
"Maybe to you, but name's like those get more and more common every year where I'm from." Crane interjects.
"Where are you from?" Blake asks slowly.
"Virgin soils." Crane states confidently.
Ruby, misunderstanding begins to blush and stutter. "Wha..wha...what…"
"Calm down Ruby, I think he means undiscovered land." Says the increasingly suspicious Blake.
Makoto Naegi:As you can see, I'm nothing but a hopelessly average high school student.
Makoto Naegi:Average on the outside, average on the inside.
Makoto Naegi:I really don't have much going for me when it comes to grades, special abilities, even personality.
Makoto Naegi:I mean yeah, I have hobbies and stuff I like to do, but it's not like I'm a psychic or mutant or whatever.
Makoto Naegi:Like, if you asked me what my favorite song was, or my favorite movie or TV show…
Makoto Naegi:They'd all just be whatever's most popular at that particular moment.
"He does not have a good self image does he?" Asked Weiss.
"Honestly, it's rather impressive how much he thinks he's normal." Commented Blake.
"Just so you know." Crane spoke up "Makoto is a unisex name that roughly translates to serenity or truth and Neagi means sapling. So his name is either a true sapling or a serene sapling."
"From what country?" Asked Blake genuinely curious.
"Makoto and the rest of the characters from this game are from a country called Japan and in that country they speak Japanese." Crane then flicked his wrist and a pen and a piece of paper appeared in his hand. He then began writing on the paper before handing the paper to the girls "The language is written like this."
On the paper was...
世界のすべてが私のものです。誰も私からそれを奪う力を持っていません。私を見て、私の欲があなたを食い尽くすので絶望します。
"It's Strange, how does anyone read this?" Ruby whispered before turning to Crane. "Hey, what does this say?"
"It's an inside joke, just ignore it." He said while grinning.
Makoto Naegi:Even among the average, I'm completely average. So I can't even say I'm you "everyday hero" type.
Makoto Naegi:That's just who I am.
Makoto Naegi:Anyway, I figure it's always good to introduce yourself right off the bat.
Makoto Naegi:But you know, if I have any kind of "strong point," so to speak…
Makoto Naegi:I'd say I'm a little more gung-ho than other people.
"There you go!" Exclaimed Ruby happily. "he's the underdog!"
Makoto Neagi:I mean look at me. I'm completely ordinary, but still…
Makoto Naegi:Here I am, standing in front of the anything but ordinary Hope's Peak Academy.
Makoto Naegi:I still can't believe I'm standing here. I wonder if someone like me can survive in a place like this…
"He says out loud." The girl's host jokes in monotone.
In response Yang began full on laughing.
Makoto Naegi:It's got this overwhelming presence...like it's trying to swallow me whole.
Makoto Naegi:But it's no wonder I would feel that way. What you have to understand is...
Makoto Naegi:Well, let me just tell you about the "preparation" I did last night to get ready for today.
"I bet he made some 'preparations', if you know what I mean." Yang said while wiggling her eyebrows.
The four other occupants of the room groaned in response and Crane even griped "why's it always puns?"
"Eww, Yang!" said Ruby.
The screen then changed to an online message board.
Makoto Naegi:Hope's Peak only invites those students who are the truly elite in their field.
Makoto Naegi:It's such a popular topic, there are threads online dedicated to talking about the school's attendees.
Makoto Naegi:So to prepare, I looked up some of those threads.
Makoto Naegi:And all I saw was talk about "ultimate" students, who were way beyond your average high schooler.
"Ultimate huntress!" Shouted Ruby.
"Ultimate Heiress." Weiss quietly added.
"Ultimate pun master and Blake would be the ultimate ninja." Yang says.
"Ultimate fighter, ultimate Barista, ultimate queen, and…ummm…ultimate monk." Crane listed.
"Who?" Ruby questioned.
"Those nice people that live across the hall from you."
"It is creepy how much you know about us." Weiss droned.
The screen then changed to a group of five girls on stage. The one in the center had blue hair and was the most prominent of the group.
Makoto Naegi:For example, one incoming student is the "Ultimate Pop Sensation."
"Pop what?" Asked a confused Ruby.
"Oh right, you don't have those." Stated Crane "so they're pretty much a music group with upbeat music."
Makoto Naegi:I guess she's a high school girl who's also the lead singer for a pop group famous all over the country.
The screen then changes to a red intense red haired boy in a baseball uniform with a shaved head. The boy was holding a bat which he was slamming into a baseball.
Makoto Naegi:There's also the "Ultimate Baseball Star."
"I bet he's really good with his balls." Yang jokes only to be met with groans.
"Anyway, I haven't played baseball since I was a kid." Comments Ruby while ignoring her sister.
"Where would you play on Patch?" Asks their host.
It was Yang who answered "one of the farmers let the kids on the island use his field in the winter and we ended up playing all sorts of games."
Makoto Naegi:He was the cleanup hitter for the national high school champs. Pro teams already have their eyes on him.
The screen then changes again to show a whole bunch of magazines, the same blonde haired blue eyed girl with pigtails on every cover.
Makoto Naegi:Then there's the "Ultimate Fashionista."
"Oh, she's cute!" Ruby gushed.
"You could even say she's cuter than a hundred chihuahuas combined." Crane piped up from his chair.
"That's...oddly specific." Blake responded slowly.
"I guess you could say it is." He then grinned a toothy grin.
Makoto Naegi:She's been on the cover of tons of fashion magazines. She's what every high school girl wants to be.
The screen then showed an intense guy with corncob pompadour hair and a leather jacket on a motorcycle. Surrounding him were many more bikers, some holding flags that said 'Crazy Diamond'.
Makoto Naegi:Oh, and they mentioned the "Ultimate Biker Gang Leader" too.
"I've never ridden in a group before, I wonder what that's like?" Yang pondered.
"Now that you mention it, I think I've only ever rode solo." Crane adds.
"I've never thought about it before, but this guy makes it seem cool." Ruby adds.
"Oh please, he is just a ruffian!" Weiss scoffed.
Makoto Naegi:The scary thing is, he's the de facto leader of every biker gang in Japan. Gangs everywhere love the guy...
The screen then switched back to the online forum.
Makoto Naegi:On top of that, there's the Ultimate Martial Artist, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, the Ultimate Gambler…
"What's a fanfic?" Asked the innocent team leader.
Crane then snorted loudly before turning to Blake and asking "yeah Blake, what's a fanfic?"
"...I respectfully refuse to answer." She said with as much dignity as she could muster.
Makoto Naegi:The Ultimate Swimming pro, the Ultimate Programmer, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, and then some…
"Fortune telling isn't real!" Scoffed the Heiress.
"I actually agree with you there." Crane commented quietly.
Makoto Naegi:Reading that made me realize how totally powerless I was. It was the country's finest, top to bottom.
Makoto Naegi:I felt like a tame little house cat who'd wandered into a pride of lions.
Makoto Naegi:But still, there was something I couldn't stop thinking about.
Makoto Naegi:You see, there were a few students who I couldn't find any info on, no matter how much I looked.
Makoto Naegi:With all those "ultimate" students, I'm the only one without any kind of worthwhile talent.
Makoto Naegi:But then, what about those other new students who didn't seem to pop up anywhere?
"Government secrets if I had to guess." Weiss answered almost immediately.
"What? How can you know that?" Ruby asked.
"It is a School of privilege." Answers Blake.
Makoto Naegi:Could they be just average students like me, without any talent or anything?
"He says out loud." Crane joked again.
In response Yang began laughing again and the other three girls just groaned.
Makoto Naegi:That thought was kind of encouraging. I mean, I know I don't have much in the way of personality.
Makoto Naegi:But beyond that, there's an even bigger issue…
Makoto Naegi:How did such an unbelievably average student like me get picked to come to this "ultimate" high school?
"Now that he mentions it…?" Yang questions slowly
"You just noticed now?" Weiss asks incredulously.
Makoto Naegi:I mean, I guess there *is* a reason…
Makoto Naegi:You just have to take one glance at the acceptance letter they sent me to see why.
The screen then changed to show this acceptance letter along with an orientation guide.
Makoto Naegi:"We recently held a lottery to select one ordinary student to attend our school."
"He got in through luck?" Scoffed Weiss.
Ruby then got huffy all of a sudden, obviously because of her uncle "hey! Lucks real!"
"If it makes you feel better, think of it as probability." Crane says nonchalantly.
"The school was rather insulting as well, 'one ordinary student'." Blake said, intending to calm Ruby.
Makoto Naegi:"As a result, you have been selected, and we invite you to join us as the Ultimate Lucky Student."
Makoto Naegi:They spelled it out plain as day--I got invited by pure luck.
Makoto Naegi:Honestly, I probably would have been better off just declining their offer.
Makoto Naegi:But after hearing how graduating was a "guarantee for success" later in life, I just couldn't say no.
"I can't say he's wrong to think like that." Blake agrees with Makoto.
Back in front of the school.
Makoto Naegi:But then, actually standing there in front of the school…
Makoto Naegi:I started to feel lost, like I didn't belong there. I could feel myself losing my nerve.
Makoto Naegi:But still...I can't just stand here in front of the gate forever…
"He says out loud." Crane jokes for a third time.
Yang's hysterical laughter finally got the better of Weiss who commanded "ok, that is enough."
"What, no it's funny." Complained a still out of breath Yang.
"No no, the interdimensional council of Ricks declared comedy comes in threes."
"The who?" Asked Ruby.
"Trust me, you don't want to meet them. Those guys are dick's." Crane said seriously.
Makoto Naegi:Frozen in place, murmuring to myself, I looked down at the acceptance letter clutched in my hand.
Makoto Naegi:It said there'd be a meeting for all incoming students in the main hall at 8 a.m.
Makoto Naegi:The meeting still isn't for a little while, but...
Makoto Naegi:I should probably just head in.
Makoto Naegi:Yeah... Yeah, let's do this!
Makoto Naegi:I gathered up all my determination and tried to act like I'd done this a million times before.
Makoto Naegi:And I took my first step towards the main hall…
Inside the main hall.
Makoto Naegi:This is where we're supposed to meet, right? I guess I'm the first one here.
Makoto Naegi:There's a really elegant clock over in the corner. It says it's 7:10 a.m.
"No there isn't." Crane says.
"What?" Asked Ruby.
"There isn't, a clock I mean." Crane clarified while pointing at the screen and sure enough nowhere in sight was a clock.
"Wow, there isn't." Yang said a bit surprised.
Makoto Naegi:The meeting doesn't start until 8 o'clock. So there's still a full 50 minutes left.
Makoto Naegi:It makes sense nobody else would be here yet...
Makoto Naegi:I was so wound up, I got here way too early.
"Coming to school early, I can't imagine." Comments Yang.
Makoto Naegi:I have plenty of time before the meeting. Just standing around waiting isn't exactly…
Makoto Naegi:I should take a look around the school. Maybe that'll help me calm down a little.
Makoto Naegi:I *am* a student here now, so there shouldn't be any problem with me having a look around, right?
Makoto Naegi:It'll help me kill some time, if nothing else.
Makoto Naegi:Trying to play it cool, I took my first step into Hope's Peak Academy.
Makoto Naegi:It was also my first step toward starting a new life at a new school.
Makoto Naegi:...At least, that's what I was hoping for.
"Ominous foreshadowing." Yang teased in a creepy voice.
"I thought the ominous foreshadowing came from the guy getting killed by a bear." Blake countered.
The entrance hall began to swirl as if it were going down the drain.
Makoto Naegi:what the--!?
"See, foreshadowing." Yang said while pointing at the screen.
"Is it really foreshadowing if it happens immediately?" Argued Blake.
"Hello, are we not going to address how the world is spinning!?" Weiss said while gesturing at the screen.
"Yeah, it doesn't really make sense." Crane agreed from his chair.
"Quiet you!" Weiss snapped before saying "I'm just going to continue."
Makoto Naegi:But the instant I took that first step forward…
Makoto Naegi:My view became warped, twisted.
Makoto Naegi:It was like some kind of delusion, melting away and mixing together into something else.
Makoto Naegi:Spinning, mixing, melting away, then spinning again…
Makoto Naegi:And the next moment…
Makoto Naegi:Everything went black.
"That doesn't seem good." Ruby said worriedly.
"Yep, it's all because of that foresh-ack." Yang tried to say only to be beamed in the head by one of the couch pillows thrown by Blake.
Makoto Naegi:That was how it all began…
Makoto Naegi:And how life as I knew it came to an end.
"Did he die!?" Ruby shouts in shock.
"What?" Crane says confused "No! Of course he didn't die."
Makoto Naegi:At that point, I should have realized…
Makoto Naegi:The reason I was brought to Hope's Peak Academy wasn't because I had ultimate good luck.
Makoto Naegi:It was so I could experience Ultimate despair…
Ost-prologue
The chapter title card was then shown. On the right side of the screen was Hope's Peak Academy stylized and in all black. On the left was a large sign stretching from the right side and on the sign was the words "welcome to despair highschool'. And then at the bottom of the screen was the chapter title 'welcome to despair, prologue'.
"Welcome to despair?" Weiss read out loud.
Do you want to save?
Yes No
Prologue
School Life: Checkpoint
Ost-Despair Syndrome
Makoto Naegi:...
Makoto Naegi:...
Makoto Naegi:...
Makoto Naegi:...Nng?
Makoto is then shown laying on a desk and then he slowly raises his head.
Makoto Naegi:Wh-What…?
Makoto Naegi:Where am I?
Makoto Naegi:I woke up with my head resting on top of a hard wooden desk.
Makoto Naegi:My body feels...heavy.
Makoto Naegi:It's pretty normal for me to zonk off in the middle of some boring class or whatever, but…
"Sounds familiar." Weiss murmured to herself.
Though she didn't mean to be heard, Crane still heard her "I know right."
"You heard that?" The Heiress asked surprised.
"Not just me, a certain kitty cat did as well." He responded. "Keep going."
Makoto Naegi:What was I doing asleep here just now?
Makoto Naegi:This isn't a classroom I've ever been in before.
Makoto Naegi:What the heck is going on…?
*Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy! Firstly, we'd like to explain the basic controls.*
"What is this?" Asked the Heiress.
"It's a tutorial, Weiss." Explained an exasperated Ruby. "It teaches you how to play the game."
"Oh right!" Crane yelled as if he was just remembering something. "don't press the circle button, it will fast forward through the text. It doesn't tell you that."
Looking down at the controller Weiss makes sure she doesn't press it as she continues.
*You can use the left stick to adjust your aim.*
*If you aim it at an object you can interact with, you can press the x button…*
*And presto! You'll investigate that object.*
*Use the directional buttons or the L1 and R1 buttons to adjust your viewpoint.*
After a few seconds of not progressing the other four occupants of the room turned to look at Weiss who was carefully examining the remote. Seeing her teammates trouble Ruby reached over to the Heiress and tilted the Remote so the L and R buttons were facing the sheltered rich girl.
*...*
*Why don't you try looking around the classroom?*
After the tutorial Weiss experimentally tested the L1 and R1 buttons before stopping at seeing the classroom windows which had huge metal plates on them. Quickly making a decision she moved the aim onto the window to examine it.
Makoto Naegi:What the heck…?
Makoto Naegi:In any normal classroom, that's where a window should be.
Makoto Naegi:But it looks like some kind of metal plate has been bolted over it.
"The...screw is on the inside." Blake stated in a way that sounded more like a question.
After examining the screen again Yang lets out a soft "huh." before asking "what does that mean?"
"Yes yes, what does that mean, miss the smart one? Crane said while staring at Blake intensely while waiting for an answer.
"...it means they were placed to keep something out." After thinking it out Blake answered confidently.
The strange boy who called himself Crane began to smile a different smile than his horrible toothy grin and instead smiled a closed mouth proud smile. "Interesting thought is it not?" Crane then flicked his wrist and in his hand was a sharpened pencil and a notebook. Then he presented it to Blake who took the items after hesitating briefly. "Better write that down, it seems important."
Makoto Naegi:and if I were to knock on it…
Bang bang*
Makoto Naegi:Yup. Definitely metal. Thick, too. Very solid.
Makoto Naegi:Wait, that's not what matters here. More importantly, why are there metal plates over the windows?
"To protect against Grimm most likely." Weiss proposes.
"Oh right!" Crane remembered "there aren't Grimm, they just don't exist."
"...wow, a world without Grimm sounds nice." Ruby says as she imagines it.
"So not for protection from Grimm." Blake murmurs as she writes in the notebook from Crane.
Weiss, while listening to Blake's murmurs, moved the aim to a surveillance camera hanging from the ceiling.
Makoto Naegi:Is that...a surveillance camera?
Makoto Naegi:It's a dangerous world we live in. I guess they have these to keep weirdos from wandering in.
"Do you think we have cameras in Beacon?" Asked the young team leader.
"Yep yep, you do." Crane answered quickly.
"Are you serious?" Asked Blake in shock.
"Not in your dorms, everywhere else though." Crane answered honestly. "Ozma is pretty paranoid, Not that he doesn't have any right to, but maybe he goes a bit too far."
After hearing Crane's answer Weiss aimed at the TV on the other side of the room.
Makoto Naegi:There's a TV…
Makoto Naegi:The school *is* funded by the national government, so I guess it's not that weird to have TVs here…
Makoto Naegi:Something feels...off. I wonder what it is…
After what Makoto said none of the girls had anything to say about it, Still they did agree. After a few seconds Weiss selected the clock in the room.
Makoto Naegi:Jeez, I can't believe it's already 8 o'clock.
Makoto Naegi:It was just after 7 when I first got here.
Makoto Naegi:Has it really been an hour since then…?
Blake seemed to find that detail important since the scratches from her swift writing could be heard over the soft ominous music from the game. Though being unable to read her writing over Blake's hunched over body Weiss decides to ignore it temporarily and move to the last item in the small classroom.
Makoto Naegi:That's the desk I fell asleep on. I can still see a line of drool I have left there.
"Eww, I didn't need to hear that." Yang says in disgust.
"Can't handle a little drool, sis." Ruby taunted.
"I have enough of that from you in class." Yang jokes to her sister.
Makoto Naegi:I'll have to clean that up later…
Makoto Naegi:Hey, what's that on the desk?
"It looks like it has been drawn by a kid." Weiss comments.
"You're not wrong." Crane murmured under his breath so low that only Blake with her enhanced Faunus ears could hear.
Makoto Naegi:An orientation guide…?
Makoto Naegi:It's some kind of cheap-looking pamphlet. And there's something handwritten on it…
Makoto Naegi:"The next semester is about to start."
Makoto Naegi:"Starting today, this school will be your entire world."
The continued scratch of Blake's pencil caused Yang to say, "she's really going to town isn't she?"
Having obviously heard her, Blake droned. "I like mysteries, sue me."
Makoto Naegi:What the hell? Is this someone's idea of a joke?
Makoto Naegi:Okay, let's see. So what might have happened is…
Makoto Naegi:I got myself so wound up, I passed out. The main hall. And then someone carried me here…?
"What!? That makes no sense, there are iron plates on the windows!!!" Weiss complains loudly.
"Now you may hear me say that Makoto is an idiot in the future, but that's...only partially untrue." Crane began "As he said he's a little more 'gung-ho' than most people, but it's better to say he's just an extreme optimist. Makoto will often not even acknowledge that bad things are a possibility until they actually happen.
"That's a dangerous way of thinking." Blake comments.
"Well Naegi's world is mostly peaceful, so it's easy to see how he ended up like that. However, even with that trait he does have another that balances him out. He has a remarkable ability to accept the horrible things rather quickly and accept them as a part of his life." Crane explained.
Makoto Naegi:If that's true, it must mean…
Makoto Naegi:This must be a classroom inside Hope's Peak.
"That being said, he is an idiot." The tattooed boy said.
Makoto Naegi:But then if *that's* true…
Makoto Naegi:That just raises more questions. This is all really strange.
Makoto Naegi:I mean, those metal plates covering the windows… It's like a prison or something.
"And so he has accepted that the metal plates are just something the school does?" Asked Weiss.
"Yep, at least that's how I interpreted it. I could just be wrong." Crane answered.
Makoto Naegi:None of those make any sense…
Makoto Naegi:I should probably head to the main hall.
Makoto Naegi:It's already past the meeting time. There might be other students there now.
You can leave the classroom by pressing the circle button.*
"Technically you can always leave by examining the door." Crane added.
However Weiss quickly pressed the circle button to leave.
Ost-Beautiful Dead
The exterior halfway had multiple pillars holding up the ceiling and the lights gave off a purple glow.
Makoto Naegi:Jeez… This halfway is kinda weird, too.
"This whole school is weird." Murmurs an indignant Weiss.
Makoto Naegi:This is getting stranger by the second.
Makoto Naegi:I honestly have no idea what's going on...
Makoto Naegi:Well, for now I'll just head to the main hall.
Use the left stick to move through the hallway.*
Hold down the circle button while moving to run.*
Also, you can press the Triangle button to bring up the map.*
Press the Triangle button again to close the map. How convenient!*
"That is the most upbeat tutorial ever!" Says an excited Ruby.
"Yep yep." Crane answered and then turned towards Weiss and said "explore however you want, I care about your enjoyment as well."
"We're only doing this because of the deal!" Weiss argued loudly.
"That is true sweetheart, however no matter what you do your payment still ends in an hour no matter what. so play however you wish."
"Don't call me sweetheart." She protested weakly and immediately walked forward to another classroom, this one with 1-B over top.
Makoto Naegi:Room 1-B. The door's locked tight…
Having gotten nothing from that classroom Weiss moved to examine the large door next to a sign that said 'Despair Hotel'.
Makoto Naegi:"Despair Hotel"...?
Makoto Naegi:I guess it's a place for people to stay overnight. But anyway, I need to get to the main hall…!
"I think you're right about his personality, he ignored something suspicious again." Blake agreed with their host.
Weiss then turned Makoto around and walked down the school's hallway until he reached a red double door.
Makoto Naegi:I wonder where this red door leads. I'm starting to get sick standing here…
Continuing down the hall the lights change from purple to green as Makoto reaches a yellow door with a sign that says A/V room over it.
Makoto Naegi:The A/V room. It's locked…
"What's a A/V-?" Ruby began but was interrupted by Weiss "Audio Visual."
Weiss made Makoto walk further down the hall until he reached a room covered in caution tape.
Makoto Naegi:The school store. I guess it's not open…
Next Makoto reached a pink door also covered in caution tape.
Makoto Naegi:The nurse's office. Off-limits, it looks like.
The boy's bathroom was next.
Makoto Naegi:The boy's bathroom. Good thing I don't have to go…
"Too much information." Yang comments as Makoto reaches the girl's bathroom.
Makoto Naegi:The girl's bathroom. Not that it matters, but it's locked.
As the light changes to yellow Makoto reaches a large metal gate blocking a stairwell.
Makoto Naegi:I wonder why there's a gate here…
Next was the entrance to the gym.
Makoto Naegi:The gym. The handle didn't move at all…
Circling back around Makoto headed towards the entrance hall and entered.
Makoto Naegi:By the time I got back to the main hall…
Makoto Naegi:...everyone else was already there.
???(1) Hagakure:Whoa, hey! Another new kid
Inside the entrance hall were 14 other people standing in front of a huge metal hatch with mounted machine guns.
The first was the biker gang leader that Makoto researched earlier.
Next was the blonde haired girl from the title screen only now you could see she's wearing a school uniform with a loose whit tie.
Third was a girl with long blue hair and blue eyes wearing a white and blue sailor suit with a large pink bow.
Forth was a dark skinned girl with blue eyes, swirly brown hair, a red track coat, short shorts, knee length white socks, and a pair of pale sneakers.
Fifth was a girl that had black hair ending in large hair drills, red eyes, a black Lolita style dress, red heels, black stockings, white gloves, and a red tie. Sixth was a tall boy with blond hair, glasses, and a neat expensive looking black suit.
Seventh was a boy with red spiky hair and pale blue eyes wearing a tight white jacket with a white shirt with strange red design underneath, black pants with two belts around the waist, white shoes, and a silver necklace.
Eighth was a demure Looking girl with long long dark purple hair in two braids, she was also wearing large round glasses that showed off her black eyes and she was wearing a long purple seifuku dress with a red necktie.
Ninth has light brown skin with stubble on his chin and dark brown eyes. His dark brown hair is styled in dreadlocks that stick out as large points and seem to be bent backwards, he was also wearing three layers of shirts, the top one being a green Japanese male uniform jacket he wears on his shoulders, the second one being an open button down white shirt, and his third layer is a small yellow short-sleeve shirt. He wears a brown haramaki and uses a yellow rope as his belt to hold up his large black pants that are rolled up past his ankles. He also wears sandals.
The tenth was a girl that has a small, lithe stature and doll-like appearance with short, light brown, layered hair and greenish-brown eyes. She donned a school uniform set consisting of a dark green jacket with a white dress shirt underneath, a brown skirt, matching suspenders, black socks and white mary janes.
Eleventh was an overweight young man with black hair and a short pointed ahoge. He wears a pair of black thick-rimmed glasses. He is dressed in a white button-down shirt, an orange tie which has a patterned double-headed blue arrow upon it with the smaller arrowhead pointing upwards and the larger arrowhead pointing downwards to the tip of the tie, a pair of dark gray trousers, and white trainers. Over his shirt is a light grey, unbuttoned cardigan and on his back is an orange backpack.
Twelfth was a purple eyed girl with a pale complexion. She wears her long lavender hair down with a single braid on her left side, tied with a black ribbon. Her outfit consists of a dark purple collared blazer jacket with six brown buttons over a zipped up long-sleeved white blouse and brown tie with a bird-like symbol on it. She also wears a black short skirt, heeled knee-high purple boots with equally knee-high light purple socks. She notably wears custom-made black studded gloves
Thirteenth was an intense looking guy with short black hair, large eyebrows, and angry looking brown eyes and was wearing a white military looking uniform.
Finally the fourteenth was a massive girl with long white hair, reddened-dark skin; very pale blue eyes, and a scar on her face and right shoulder. Her school uniform consists of a traditional seifuku style Japanese school uniform consisting of a white shirt, a blue sailor collar, a short blue skirt, and a red tie. The sleeves on the uniform are torn off to make room for her muscular upper arms. She wears bandages wrapped around her calves and forearms. Her shoes are grey and resemble Uwabaki, with the kanji for her last name on the toe box.
"That's a lotta people all at once." Ruby comments a little overwhelmed.
"On an up note you have now seen every character in the game." Crane said cheerily.
"Holy shit, I think that buff one is a girl, they're wearing a skirt!" Yang says all of a sudden.
"Yeah yeah, that girl could kick your asses!" Crane said before laughing "hihhihhihhih."
Makoto Naegi:Huh? Then you guys are all…?
???(2) chihiro:Yeah… we're all new here. Today's supposed to be our first day of class.
???(3) Hifumi:So counting him, that makes fifteen. Seems like a good cut-off point, but I wonder if this is everyone…
At that line Blake quickly jots something down and Ruby looks at her over Weiss' shoulder but says nothing.
Ost-Beautiful Dead
Makoto Naegi:Standing before me were the "Ultimate Students" that had been hand-picked by the school.
Makoto Naegi:I looked around at everyone who'd gathered there, taking in their faces one at a time.
Makoto Naegi: Maybe I was just imagining it, but I swear I could feel a kind of aura coming from each of them…
"Can he sense Aura or something?" Asked Weiss.
"Nope nope. Having an Aura here is close to an impossibility and Makoto may be the ultimate lucky student, but not that lucky or that kind of luck." Crane answered.
Makoto Naegi:Um…how's it going? My name's Makoto Naegi.
Makoto Naegi:Sorry I'm late. A bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden I was just…asleep.
Huh?
???(1):Whoa, you too?
Hmmm?
???(4) Celeste:Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser…
"I don't know what it is, but wow. I usually am just ok with frilly stuff like that, but she really makes it work." Ruby gushed.
"Honestly, I agree." Blake added. "She does seem dangerous for some reason though."
In huh.
???(3):So strange… I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed!
Makoto Naegi:Um...what are you talking about? I honestly have no idea what's going on right now.
Got it!
???(5) Kiyotaka:Just a moment! There's something else we must address!
Listen to me!
???(5):Makoto! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you were aware the meeting was to start at 8 a.m. sharp!
"Ah, so he's the Weiss of the group." Drones Yang.
"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Weiss shouts back at the blonde.
???(5):To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!
What?
???(6) Junko:What's your problem? It's not like he *wanted* to be late. He didn't have any control over it.
That's right!
???(7) Aoi:Everyone just calm down! Listen, why don't we introduce ourselves?
Huh?
???(8) Mondo:The hell!? Now's no time for friggin' introductions!
"He's my favorite." Crane said simply.
"I can see why, he just looks cool!" Ruby agrees.
"He's just a ruffian." Weiss argued.
"What, you've never met this type of man, they've truly got a manly bond with those that stand with them miss Schnee." Crane defends.
Hihihihee.
???(4):Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we all are before digging into the bigger problem here.
???(4):I mean, how are we even supposed to talk to each other if we do not know each other's names?
Y-yeah.
???(2):That's a good point…
Uhmmm?
???(9) Sayaka:Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sound good?
Makoto Naegi:I'm still totally lost, but I think it's best to just focus on getting to know each other for now.
Makoto Naegi:So I guess this is as good a chance as I'm gonna get.
Makoto Naegi:I already looked everyone up on that Hope's Peak Academy thread online, but…
Makoto Naegi:I still don't really know what kind of people they actually are. Time to find out…
"That's actually really smart." Blake said in genuine shock.
"He's got his moments." Crane commented.
The fat boy, the red head boy, the blue haired girl, the girl in the long school uniform, and the loud boy in the white outfit appeared before Makoto.
Makoto Naegi:I'll start by talking to those five over there.
*Aim at a student and press the x button to talk to them.*
Each conversation is important to the overall story, so keep track of how they go.*
However instead of talking to anyone Weiss instead examined the large hatch behind them.
"Weiss!" Ruby whines in annoyance, but Weiss just ignores her.
Makoto Naegi:Holy cow, what's with this huge metal hatch?
Makoto Naegi:It looks like the kind of thing you'd see in a secret military base or something…
Makoto Naegi:This *is* the same main hall I was in before, right? This door definitely wasn't here then, though…
"Right, we have seen this hall before. I had forgotten." Weiss commented.
"Examine the guns next." Blake practically commanded.
Weiss did obey the cat Faunus, but let out a "hmph." In response.
Makoto Naegi:That surveillance camera has what looks like a gun attached to it.
Makoto Naegi:But there's no way that's a real gun...right?
"He doesn't believe it's a gun?" Asks Weiss In disbelief.
"To be fair he does have a reason, it's not a good reason but it's a reason. Guns are highly restricted in Japan, so it's entirely possible that he would never see one." Crane explains.
"So about those guns…" Blake interrupts "I believe it was placed after the metal plates and that big door."
Crane then got very interested in Blake all of a sudden and asked "is that so, what is your reasoning?"
"...admittedly, my reasoning is pretty shaky but…" Blake begins "the door has many buttons on this side, probably to enter a code to open the door. Combining it with the fact that the metal plates were applied from the inside supports this. This brings up the question, if these are meant to protect those inside why are the guns in the building. The only way I can think to answer this is if they were installed after by someone else."
"Hmmmmm, I see." Crane answers while smirking.
Ignoring all that Weiss examines a box in the entrance hall.
Makoto Naegi:A mailbox… there's nothing inside.
"So who first?" Asked Ruby.
"I have no opinion." Blake drones.
"If I had to choose," said Yang "probably the fat guy to get him out of the way."
"Ok, I vote for the cute blue haired girl." Ruby said.
"...That guy in the white uniform, I guess." Weiss answered unsure.
"So if you're not voting Blake, I agree with Miss Schnee." Crane added.
So with that decision made Weiss moved the cursor to the white uniformed boy and revealed his name as Kiyotaka Ishimaru.
Kiyotaka Ishimaru:I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru. I believe in bold simplicity! Let's work together on our educational crusade!
"His name just about means Rejoicing noble generation in a stone circle." Crane explained.
"What does that even mean?" Ruby asks in a whiny voice.
"No clue, I'm no expert on the language." The girl's host answered simply.
The screen then changes to show Kiyotaka Ishimaru with the words Ultimate moral compass on top of it.
Makoto Naegi:So that's Kiyotaka. According to what I saw about him on that thread…
Makoto Naegi:He went to a famous private school and won top honors every year. He's basically a flawless honor student…
Makoto Naegi:He's also known for the work he's done with his community's public morals committee.
Makoto Naegi:They say he respects rules above all else, earning him the title of Ultimate Moral Compass.
"So he's Weiss." States Yang.
"One more word you brute." Weiss threatened.
Kiyotaka Ishimaru:Anyway, you can call me Taka. You said your name was Makoto Naegi, right?
Hahahaha!
Kiyotaka Ishimaru:That's a good name, a strong name! You should thank your parents for giving you such an excellent name.
You hear me!
Kiyotaka Ishimaru:And to keep that name from losing its value, you must devote yourself every single day!
Got it!
Kiyotaka Ishimaru:Life is worth putting every ounce of effort into it! Right? Right!
Makoto Naegi:This guy is...kind of annoying.
"I think what he's saying is inspiring." Comments Weiss.
"He's a bit of a hard ass though." Adds Yang.
"Aaaand stop!" Crane all of a sudden yelled.
"What, why!?" Ruby questioned close to whining.
"It's been an hour, if we go any longer I'm breaking our deal." The strange boy explained calmly.
"It's only fair." Blake said to stop Ruby from complaining.
"So what now?" Weiss asks while putting the controller down.
The miraculous anomaly then begins grinning a large toothy grin and asks "would you like to ask a question?"
An:so if you want to request who the girls spend free time with go ahead and I'll try to listen. Oh, and anyone from my other stories, those are still being written. I just get distracted easily, for example this story.