DANGANRONPA: OFF THE RAILS

Prologue – All Aboard!

Part 2

Upon exiting the 'dining car' as Shunso has decided to label it, he found himself in a large open train car. The car had more metallic walls and ceiling while the walls were lined with a multitude of shelves. On said shelves were countless suitcases and other miscellaneous bags, each seeming to be filled with random items. However, it was what was in the center of the room that caught Shunso attention the most. It seemed to be a strange box like room sitting in the middle of the car with what appeared to be glass sliding doors.

Shunso planned to move towards the strange room in the middle of the cart when he heard a rustling nearby. He stopped and raised a brow as looked around. As he was going to move again, he heard a grunt and a voice, "Come on… there's has to be something here…" as a crouched figure moved into Shunso's line of sight.

Looking down, Shunso noticed a short girl around 5'2" with a complexion that seemed to be a mix of olive and light brown crouched down. She had a thinner, youthful frame, candy pink eyes, and medium length, slightly short, blonde hair that ended above her shoulders with some layered, parted bangs in front of her face, each swept to the sides, framing her face.

Her outfit consisted of a plain light grey button up long sleeve shirt, a light pink button cotton cardigan, a knee length white and pink diagonal line box pleated skirt, short grey and pinkish red fuzzy socks, and a pair of grey oxford shoes with white bow straps. She also seemed to have a black bow headband, a pair of square framed, maroon-coloured glasses, a black necktie ribbon bow with a pale pink rose emblem on the front of the bow around her neck, an orange scrunchie around her left wrist, and a brown leather satchel that seemed to be full of papers, notepads, pens, and other items.

Shunso noticed the girl had not realized him standing… well… sitting there. So, he gave a small but audible cough. This caused the girl to hop up with a light squeal of fear as she swung a fist… hitting the wheel his wheelchair. The girl then clutched her hand in pain as he looked up at Shunso with an angry expression and tiny tears in her eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Looking at the girl with a deadpan expression, Shunso sighed. "Well… I had entered the car and heard some rustling when you appeared. But you weren't saying anything. So I got your attention. Now… can I ask who you are?"

The girl glared at the intelligence officer before scoffing and looking at him with a high and mighty expression. "Hmm. Yokona Iwakiri, Ultimate Strategist. Now are you going to introduce yourself or are you just wasting my time?"

YOKONA IWAKIRI – ULTIMATE STRATEGIST

Hmmm… well this is interesting. Didn't expect this girl to be the elusive Ultimate Strategist. She's said to be a master strategist having helped politicians and the military alike. Though, that does seem to answer her behaviour. She's investigating the areas similarly to myself… and able to look around more then I could due to not being in a wheelchair. I may have to touch base with her afterwards… still…

"Hey! Are you going to answer me or just sit there creepily?"

This caused Shunso to snap out of his thoughts as he cursed internally. He really needed to work on that. "My apologies Iwakiri-san. I was just gathering my thoughts. I am Shunso Kamata. Ultimate Intelligence Officer."

Upon saying his talent, she stopped and looked at him with a more curious eye. "An intelligence officer… military or police?"

"Police. Though I have worked some rare military missions. I mainly specialize in information collecting and analysis."

This caused the strategist to nod with a more muted glare. "…And I can assume you are investigating our situation as well?"

Shunso nodded. While he was looking around and meeting everyone, he was creating a kind of mental map with what he was gathering. "Correct."

Yokona looked at him for a bit before she groaned and sighed. "Fine. I'll let it go this time. Now buzz off, I'm doing my own investigating." She looked at him with a look of superiority. "You don't need to worry about me. So long as we find a way out of here, you won't have to tolerate me for much longer. Until then… I may be interested in sharing information."

As the girl walked away, Shunso could only sit there and sigh in exasperation. Good grief… There's a person to watch out for.

Moving towards the strange box in the middle of the room, the sliding door seemed to be made of thick glass while also appearing to be opaque. Non-see-through glass huh? On the wall to the side of the sliding door, there appeared to be a familiar scanner that Shunso remembered being in front of his door. Placing the strange watch… screw it, he was gonna call it the SW. Or Strange Wristwatch for short.

Anyways, placing the SW on the scanner, a beep could be heard as the door slide open. The first thing that Shunso felt was a hit of cold as he looked around. The room seemed to be kept at a constant temperature as it was filled to the brim with what seemed to be medicines. Different pill bottles, vials, and syringes filled the room as Shunso's eye caught a strange screen on the wall. The screen seemed to be a check in list as his name appeared on there followed by 14:29:33. …So it was around 2:30 pm then. Good to know. He then noticed that Yokona had entered the room and exited the room not long before he entered. Seems that it kept track of entering and leaving. However, he then noticed that a name before the strategist had yet to leave.

Looking around the room, his eyes landed on the person, who seemed to be a guy standing at 6'0". He seemed to have a more average build, but one could see muscles on his frame. He had deep blue eyes, short, steel-silver hair in an undercut style, and thin, hard angled eyebrows. He also seemed to have a calm yet distant and unfriendly expression on his face.

His appearance seemed to consist of a black button up shirt, a grey vest over top that was slightly darker than his hair colour, a gray tie, a pair of dark gray pants, and a set of black oxford shoes with a silver watch on his right wrist. His vest also seemed to have a small pocket on their left side that appeared to be empty at the moment.

The guy noticed Shunso staring at him as he continued to look at the different kinds of medication. This made Shunso curious as he moved closer and look at the bottle the guy had in his hand. "…Orladeyo?" While Shunso was skilled with information, he had never heard of such a medication.

The guy spoke with a gruff voice. "…Hereditary Angioedema. It's a disorder that is classified as recurring episodes of severe swelling. I may not be a doctor or pharmacist; but I still know my stuff."

This caused Shunso to raise a brow in curiosity. "But from what I can gather, this isn't an everyday medicine?"

"Correct. It's expensive as hell. One capsule is worth around a thousand and three hundred American dollars… or a bit over a hundred and forty-three thousand yen." This caused Shunso to look at the person in shock as the guy placed the medication back on the shelf.

Turning to Shunso, the guy sighed and looked at the intelligence officer with a tired expression. "Right… I should do introductions. Katashi Minami. Ultimate Therapist. Unless you can tell me where to find a pack of smokes, I'd rather not talk anymore."

KATASHI MINAMI – ULTIMATE THERAPIST

…Okay. I think I heard of him a bit. I heard he started from a young age as a way to assist others. But for some reason, recent reports state how he's cold and unfriendly despite still being a world class therapist. It makes one wonder what happened… however, what he said is raising some serious questions. But I should focus on that later.

The intelligence officer nodded as he gave a light respectful bow of his head. "A pleasure Minami-san. I am Shunso Kamata. Ultimate Intelligence Officer… and I sadly do not know where to find cigarettes."

This caused Katashi to scoff and slowly walk to the door before walking out without a word. Left alone in medication room, Shunso frowned. "…Well isn't he lovely…" Still, the therapist had said something that caught his attention. Medication like that was expensive. And considering how much was around… this seemed too much.

"…Just how much was put into this train? Something isn't adding up… but I'm worried that whatever this is… we aren't here for ransom."

After some time in his thoughts, Shunso left the medication room and soon left the now dubbed 'luggage car'. Upon leaving towards the next car, he was shocked to find it so… colourful. The main pathway seemed to be similar to an arcade floor while the lights above were neon in colour. However, the room seemed to be split into four different rooms. The first of these rooms, the first one on the right-hand side, was a spa area. With some mud baths, a hot tub, showers/changing rooms that seemed to have gender locked scanners, lockers for storage that also had scanners for locks, and a small pool to relax in. However, Shunso immediately hurried out of that room. Pools and Shunso do not mix.

The second of the rooms in this car, being the smallest and the first on the left-hand side of the car, was a room that seemed to be similar to a 'bachelor pad'. It consisted of a TV that didn't get reception, video game systems, some movies, sport posters and bookshelves of comic books, sports, and other fun novels. But what caught the eye of Shunso was the energetic looking boy looking at the comics. He seemed to be looking at the covers with the slightest of frowns. "Come on man… this has to be a mistake. No way, right?"

The boy seemed to be standing at 5'5" with a rounder baby face and flushed cheeks that made the freckles littered across the bridge of his nose stand out more. He had green eyes, fair skin, and very long, unruly, curly, ginger hair. The hair itself seemed to be combed and styled as if done by himself. His outfit was more American-esque as it consisted of a blue hoodie with white stripes, a pair of black denim overall shorts, and a pair of orange & white sneakers.

Shunso raised a brow at the boy as he rolled over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. This caused the boy to turn around and looked a little freaked before he calmed themselves down. "Don't scare me like that, man…" The boy then looked curiously at the wheelchair bound red head. "Who are you dude?"

"Shunso Kamata. Ultimate Intelligence Officer. I'm guessing you are looking for something particular…" Shunso then motioned for them to say their name.

The boy blinked and grinned. "Oh! Right! My bad dude. I'm Wallace. Wallace Wilson. But you can just call me Wally, my good man!" Patting Shunso on the shoulder, Wally looked at him intrigued as he stood back a bit. "An Intelligence Officer huh? Since you must know everything, you can say my talent for me! Come on man, go ahead!"

Shunso deadpanned looked at the boy as he spoke in a monotone voice. "I don't even know you."

This seemed to be a shock as if a record scratched to a halt. Wally looked at Shunso with a shocked expression before animatedly waving his arms. "Come on man! Wallace Allen Wilson! You know… the greatest sidekick turned hero of all time DireClaw!? …The Little Boy in Blue!? …Come on man! Private Hatchling! I work for Falcon Commander! The Ultimate Sidekick!" The boy then stopped and frowned a bit with crossed arms. "But I'm sure that's a mistake. I'm more an Ultimate Hero."

WALLACE ALLEN WILSON – ULTIMATE SIDEKICK

DireClaw? Oh! I think I heard of that. I had to look over some reports about some spandex wearing 'hero' from a really small town in North Dakota. For some reason, that place is like comic books come to life with the main hero being a guy in a spandex bird costume with a grappling hook named the Falcon Commander. There was talk about a sidekick, Private Hatchling, but I think the kid changed and the old one became this DireClaw guy. People don't fully know him yet but for the most part people talk about this Falcon Commander and their enemy "Mayhem"… … good grief.

Shunso looked at the 'hero' with a look of skepticism as he raise a brow. Even though he read the reports, he still had doubts. "So… you run around in spandex or whatever? You seem really… energetic despite the scenario we're in."

Wally seemed to ignore the spandex comment as he just waved his hand and grinned. "Ah don't worry about it man. This situation is, like, extremely tame compared to other stuff Mayhem has pulled off. The Boss will be here to save us all in no time, man!" He the frowned and looked at his own SW. "He would get here faster however if my communicator wasn't replaced with this… weird watch."

The intelligence officer nodded and motioned to the countless comic books on the floor. "And what of those?"

These words seemed to restart a fire under Wally's feet. "Oh yeah! I was looking to see if there's any DireClaw comics! Cause… of course there are… but they must be misplaced or something."

Shunso stared at the sidekick with a deadpan expression as he sighed. "Very well… I will leave you to it then Wilson-san."

He then started to leave the room as Wally waved. "Catch ya later, Shunso!"

…Upon exiting the room, the intelligence officer sighed. Good guy, but way too much for Shunso to handle right now… But still… "No communicator… was all tech taken?"

After experiencing a conversation with a high energy sidekick, Shunso continued on with investigating the car. In the second room on the left side of the car, he found what appeared to be a fitness room. Mats, rock climb walls, gymnastics, bench presses, treadmills, you name it? It was there… there also seemed to be a large mirror for one to look in and lockers like in the spa area. No changing rooms though. One could either change in the spa area or just come to the fitness room after changing in their room. Shunso would give a glare and the middle finger to a treadmill… he's allowed to be a little petty…

Entering the last room in the car, Shunso found himself in a performance room. The vibe of the room was that of a smaller pub like stage with seating, a variety of instruments, a small bar like area off to the side, and then an actually classy looking stage. Spotlights were pointed to the stage if one wanted to perform under the lights. But surprisingly, there was someone already on the stage.

On the stage was a girl with pale skin, an hourglass shape, brown eyes, and long black hair with curtain bangs. She had a light pink blush and light pink lip-gloss on that made seem more doll like. Her appearance consisted of a grey capelet coat with six black buttons on the skirt-like part, a ballerina dress underneath the capelet which had a grey tutu adorned with white shiny rhinestones and a top that was mostly white & partly grey, especially around the middle. She also had a pair of grey ballet shoes, a grey beret with a rose-coloured ribbon, and what appeared to be a white hearing aid in her left ear.

The girl seemed to be dancing even as no music appeared to be playing. Shunso was impressed with her coordination as she soon slowed down and stopped with a bow. Respectfully, Shunso clapped at the performance as the girl looked up and looked at him. She stared at Shunso for a bit before she spoke in a weird tone. "… I cannot hear what you are saying. I am deaf."

Shunso looked at the girl before smiling and nodded. He was patient as he waited for the girl to turn on her hearing aid as she stepped down from the stage. "I did not say anything. I was just clapping. Your performance was impressive."

The girl gained a tiny smile and she curtsied. "Thank you. I try my best to have grace and perfection in my performances."

The intelligence officer nodded as he looked at her with a curious expression. "Well… for what it is… it was wonderful. I can assume you have a talent for dance?"

The girl stood gracefully as she nodded. "Indeed. I am Emiko Seta. Ultimate Ballet Dancer."

EMIKO SETA – ULTIMATE BALLET DANCER

Ok, I've heard of her. Not going to lie… I tend to be more… negative with people who specialize in sports and such. But when I heard of Seta-san, I can't help but feel some respect. A professional ballet dancer of a famous ballet group, she stands above even though she has lost her hearing. …I must give respect where respect is due.

The intelligence officer blinked and realized he was in his thoughts again as Emiko looked at him with slight confusion. Clearing is throat, he smiled. "My apologies. Lost in thought. It is a pleasure to meet you Seta-san. I am Shunso Kamata, Ultimate Intelligence Officer. I hope we can get along."

The ballet dancer nodded as she waved goodbye and silently left the room. This lead Shunso to be a little confused. "…I guess she's more… reserved?" He shrugged his shoulders and looked around the room. His eyes stopped on the stage as he frowned.

"Despite it being a train… it is rather large. These rooms are actual rooms and not just super small pockets of the cart. Like… there's space for sixteen people in them and some more. …Something is seriously wrong with this train."

In Shunso's mind, it was too decked out. Expensive medicine, fancy kitchen, areas for lounging and taking care of oneself… it seemed too good to be true. Why were they kidnapped onto this train? No one seems to have phones or ways of communication on them. However, Emiko seemed to still have her hearing aid, similarly to his wheelchair. Is it just connections to the outside?

"…I don't like this… but there's still a few more cars to explore." He really hoped his gut feeling was wrong. But he learned early in his line of work that it probably wasn't… and that made him even more nervous.

-TO BE CONTINUED-

Hello everyone! PurpleSweetness here!

And man… I was hit with the writing bug! I hope you enjoy this part as it was fun to write all these. Now, it will probably take some time before the next part comes out but yeah! It's fun to write these characters and I have a ton of ideas! Hope you're all excited for what's to come!

Also, a big thank you to Ziggymia123 for helping me out with this. They've helped me fix spelling mistakes I've made as well as just be incredibly supportive. Thank you!

That's all for now! See you all next time!

PurpleSweetness signing out!