The sudden announcement of a class meeting was a bit of a curveball for Hakabe. Yes, if a meeting was being called then there must be some important notions to discuss, but surely if it was so important, then the teacher or headmaster would have gathered them immediately as soon as they were all able to be contacted. Nevertheless, the voice did state that the meeting was mandatory and that implied that the material being covered was of the utmost importance. Hakabe couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety at the prospect of meeting his teacher during the assembly as well as excitement because this marked the beginning of his and everyone else's path to success through Hope's Peak Academy!

Both Maemi and Hakabe finally arrived back at the now slightly cramped lounge car, and just seeing all the people he would be going on this educational adventure with made him a wee bit giddy! Scanning around the room, he now was able to put a name to all of the familiar faces he could now call classmates! Jin was still looking as stoic and lethal as ever sittin in the exact same chair as when Hakabe had met him, Hibiki was cheerfully talking with Himari and Yureibei, Kido was clearly going on another tangent, but at least Ayaka seemed to interested in whatever crackpot theory he was surely conjuring up, and Wakana was…

"Oh, Hakasho! There you are!" Wakana called out happily as she quickly made her way over to Hakabe with a bright smile on her face.

If Hakabe was being honest, seeing Wakana again was kind of relieving. Sure he had met some other very kind and warm people, but she was the first person he had met after stepping out of his room and it was that first meeting that had left a bit more of an impact on him. While Hakabe was enjoying the moment though, Maemi simply stared at them with a sly grin that she hid behind her hand slightly. After Hakabe stopped reminiscing over the very recent past, he spotted Maemi smirking, and after looking over to Wakana, he instantly knew what she was thinking.

"Are you serious, we just met! It's nothing like that!" Hakabe defended quetly, causing Maemi to stifle a giggle and Wakana to raise an eyebrow.

"Sure thing Hakabe. Still, I'll let you two have some private time. I've gotta go and greet some others while everyones crammed in here. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Maemi replied with a sly whisper before waving and rushing off to… Jin, of all people.

"Best of luck…" Hakabe prayed internally as Wakana stared at Maemi with a smile. Hakabe was glad that Wakana wasn't within earshot of what Maemi was saying because knowing Wakana she'd be…

Actually, what would Wakana have said about that? Asides from knowing that she doesn't take well to people dissing her appearance or her outfits, he knew real little about her. All he knew was the energetic, in-your-face giddy girl that was Wakana. Maybe this is why they found themselves in such close quarters with one another? Perhaps Hope's Peak was not just about developing one's Talent and turning them into the best they can be, but maybe it was also about deepening bonds with one another and to remember that even as Ultimates they should not forget that bonds are a major driving and shaping force in someone's life. Feeling he cracked the code, Hakabe couldn't help but smile to himself and laugh at the once pessimistic thoughts he once held about their predicament. With Wakana being just about beside him, he faced her with a relaxed smile.

"Hey Katsuko, did you have fun with Himari?" Hakabe asked politely, prompting Wakana to nod her head excitedly.

"Totally! She and I met a bunch of other cool people too! We met some guy who thought we were all being trafficked and sold off to… Whatever he said. Himi said that he was being coo-coo though. We also met this really cool girl who's actually a detective! She seemed really smart and nice too! There were a few others too but nothing too cool happened" Wakana replied happily, triggering mental flashbacks in Hakabe's mind of encountering Kido who was without a doubt the crackpot she was talking about. Nevertheless, he wouldn't let those memories spoil his newfound mood.

"Same here, I met a bunch of cool and interesting people too. I'm really looking forward to getting to know them all a whole lot better, you included." Hakabe stated, causing Wakana to once again nod her head happily.

"Same here! I know we're all gonna have a ton of fun together!" Wakana replied in a chipper tone.

"We get it, you're excited… You don't have to broadcast it to everyone within a 200 mile radius around you y'know." Ryoko called out from her chair in a rather unpleasant tone.

Of course this caused Wakana to glare daggers at her and without a doubt she wanted to show Ryoko her impression of an Undertaker by using her as an example, but she took a deep breath and unclenched her fists which she had balled up tightly.

"I'm allowed to be excited Ms. Doom and gloom! If you don't like it then why don't you just go somewhere else? There's a bunch of other places to be!" Wakana retorted angrily as Hakabe appreciated Wakana holding back the anger that he could see she wanted to let loose. Ryoko was about to open her mouth to voice her response, but she was abruptly cut off.

"Didn't you hear me the first two times? Attendance is M-A-N-D-A-T-O-R-Y! That means no leaving or making others leave because you hate the cut of their gib! Sheesh, I don't have as much cotton in my ears as you do... And I'm stuffed with it!" A rather high pitched voice called out from the speaker in the room.

This had caught everyone's attention. Normally PA systems like this were only for announcements and seldomly came with two way communication capabilities, but whoever put in the system here made sure that the teachers could hear what was going on in case. The other thing that personally caught Hakabe's attention was the voice itself. Sure he had heard people with high pitched voices before but this was a new record. Did their teacher really have a voice like that. It's not like Hakabe was judging or anything but… It was a bit odd. Also…

Did they just say they were stuffed with cotton..?

It was at this moment that what appeared to be a panel that was perfectly camouflaged with the flooring at the side of the room began to open up and from within emerged… A podium? Not only that but the podium bore the insignia of Hopes Peak Academy? Was this their version of a welcoming ceremony? Well, seeing as there was limited space in the rooms it would make sense that they would have to find some workarounds to keep school property and seeing as this was Hope's Peak, they could afford it.

As soon as the podium finished rising and locked into place, the door that led back towards the bedrooms slid open, but instead of finding an actual teacher behind the door, everyone was met face to face with… A monochrome teddy bear dressed up in what appeared to be a train conductor's uniform. Not only that, but it was also wearing a crudely drawn cardboard train held up by suspenders.

"Hey… Isn't that the bear from the drawings in the Arts and Crafts room?" Hakabe pondered to himself as he withheld his disbelief for the time being… Although he had to admit he could have never dreamt up something like this in his wildest dreams.

"Chugga chugga, chugga chugga." The bear began repeating as it began to swing its arms and bounce up and down while walking towards the podium through the crowd of students.

No one could bring themselves to speak as the walking plushie made its way through the crowd. The looks people gave it ranged from indifference, to confusion, to intrigue, and even some people were horrified at the site. The only thing that people could hear asides from the bear constantly repeat "chugga chugga" was the barking of Hibiki's dog, who Hibiki was desperately trying to get to quiet down.

"Sabby… What's got you so jumpy boy? It's just the teacher." Hibiki tried explaining to his dog, managing to get Wasabi down a low snarl.

"True… Although I can't say I've ever had a bear for a teacher…" Riku stated out loud for Hibiki to hear.

"What? A bear..? B-but bears can't speak!" Hibiki retorted nervously as he turned to face the direction where Riku's voice came from.

Just as everyone began to stir as a result of the revelation, the bear made its way behind the podium after a slight delay, now missing the cartoonish train accessory it was wearing the way there.

"Choo Choo! This bear can silly billy! Not only can I speak, but I can do just about everything you shmucks can do, but better! It's why we're at the top of the food chain y'know?" The bear called out as it placed its paws on its waist, seemingly responding to Hibiki's statement about bears not being able to talk.

Hibiki couldn't help but stare in disbelief, not knowing whether or not to believe what the voice was saying. As Wasabi continued to growl, Hibiki could only sputter, seemingly not being able to formulate a coherent response. The bear simply shrugged and shook its head as if it had dealt with this sort of thing before

"I get it, I get it… You can't see me so you can't believe me; object permanence is a real bitch, but you heard Bootleg Dog the Bounty Hunter over there, I'm a bonafide grizzly, who just so happens to be both your headmaster and your conductor!" The bear replied casually as it began rocking back and forth on top of the podium.

"Bootleg?! Who are you calling a bootleg! I'll have you know that-" Riku groweld, seemingly very offended by Monokuma taking a shot at his talent. Samuru, however, tugged on Riku's sleeve which appeared to be some sort of way of telling Riku to calm down. This thankfully seemed to work as Riku simply resorted to glaring daggers at the bear.

Now that Riku had reeled himself back in, the bear cleared his throat and straightened his posture which caused everyone to lock their gaze onto him. Seemingly taking in a deep breath, everyone else held theirs as they waited to hear what their supposed teacher had to say.

"With all that done and gone, it's high time I get formal with you all and get the good times rolling! The name is Monokuma!... Pleased to meet'cha." Monokuma stated, starting off professionally before leaning forward and adopting a cutesy tone.

Hakabe had way too many questions running through his mind right now. How was a bear capable of communicating with them? How was it able to change its expressions like that? This was only the tip of the iceberg and Hakabe could throw together a seminar worth of questions to ask.

After receiving no response from everyone, Monokuma crossed his arms in a huff almost as if he was super offended by their lack of a response. It was obvious that the bear knew who they were already, so why would he be offended by their lack of a response. Sure, it was common procedure to respond to your teacher, but nothing about this situation was remotely "common".

"Hmph. Fine, be like that and give me the cold shoulder. Just know you won't be getting any letters of recommendation from me then!" Monokuma fumed as steam began flowing out of his ears as he pumped his arms above his head furiously.

Out of nowhere, Yuzuka raised her hand politely as she clutched her book close to her chest. The sight of her hand somehow made Monokuma's anger immediately dissipate. Yuzuka then cleared her throat as quietly as possible before walking towards the podium.

"Excuse me, but when you introduced us to yourself, you also referred to yourself as the "Conductor". Was that a form of hyperbole? Or perhaps it was some sort of synonym?" Yuzuka questioned as a few people began scratching their heads. Monokuma on the other hand simply tilted his head to the side and held his paw up to his mouth.

"Huh? Of course I wasn't exaggerating. I truly am the conductor around here y'know? What, don't tell me you haven't figured out where you are right now?" Monokuma questioned Yuzuka, which then prompted everyone to begin pondering what the bear could possibly mean by knowing where they are. It's not like there are any windows for them to look out of.

Well, Hakabe had to make a correction, not exactly everyone was thinking about what Monokuma meant. Ayaka simply stood there with a smile on her face as she too began to approach the podium.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we're currently on a train based on the positioning of each room and the location of the doors." Ayaka stated confidently as everyone's gaze was now fixated on her and her confident demeanor.

Now that Hakabe thought about it, a train did make a lot of sense. The rooms did connect together lengthwise and the doors were always placed exactly on the opposite sides of the room. It also explained the size of the rooms and why despite their being furniture and other accessories laid around the room, there was always a straight path to the door, making it feel slightly like a long hallway.

"Ding ding ding, give the lady a gold star!" Monokuma declared proudly as he clapped his hands before jumping up and pointing at Ayaka dramatically. "You lot have found yourself on one of Hope's Peaks' most luxurious and comfort driven projects to date! You all have the pleasure of being on board the 'Golden Hope Express'!" Monokuma added on dramatically as a large tv screen now began to descend from a now open slot in the ceiling.

The television quickly buzzed to life and after a quick flash, the screen was filled with qhite before the text "Monokuma's Guide to the Golden Express". Monokuma hopped off the podium and proceeded to waddle his way underneath the tv as he produced a stick from behind his back.

"Alright youngsters listen up! You may have done your own exploring but my teaching contract legally forces me to give you all a rundown of the train, so just pretend to listen if you have to!" Monokuma directed before clearing his throat and pointing the stick up to the screen. The screen then switched to a top down map view of the layout of the train.

"Alright, so the room we're in right now is the "Lounge Room". If you wanna just hang out and do nothing in particular, this is the best place to do it while we're on the move. To the left of here we have the "Dorm Hall". This is where you are all gonna catch your zzz's during the night. To the right of here we have the "Kitchen Room". Pretty self explanatory, you cook and eat your slop here. Next up we have the "Library Room". We've got just about any kind of book to tickle your fancy! Cccccccccomin' up next is the "Music Room"! Jam out to your hearts out here without a care with our top notch soundproof walls! Next in line is the "Arts n' Crafts Room"! Let your artistic juices flow hear and feel free to add to my glorious drawings on the wall! Last but not least, we have the "Storage Room"... It's just a basic storage room with some pharmaceuticals and miscellaneous stuff in it." Monokuma explained as the screen continued to switch from slide to slide in order to match the pace of his presentation.

Before Monokuma could end, however; Wakana raised her hand with a question, but before Monokuma could call on her, she already started voicing her question.

"Excuse me, but what about the room to the left of the dorms? Hakabe and I tried to open the door earlier and it was locked." Wakana inquired as the screen now flicked to the overview of the unknown room. It was just about the same size as the other rooms, but it was seemingly divided into four quadrants, the two sections closest to the door being quite small while the other two were much larger.

"An astute observation! That door was locked because I was putting the finishing touches on the room. However, now that I've got it all sorted, this room is where you are all gonna do your laundry and keep yourselves clean! Yessiry that room is none other than the "Laundromat and Shower Room"! Monokuma responded excitedly as the screen flashed to the entrance of the room which was now open.

"Now, the room is divided into half. Boys go to the left, and girls go to the right. Now normally any inappropriate behaviour would be dealt with through paperwork and detention and yadda yadda yadda…" Monokuma began as his tone faltered out near the end. "But! With my new touch ups, Mr Machine Gun will dish out the prescribed punishment outlined by me!" Monokuma continued with renewed energy as two machine guns emerged from the walls over the separate entrances.

A great deal of the room recoiled in horror at Monokuma's so-called fix to the issue of peeping, and poor Shizuka looked like he was about to faint. Seriously, machine guns though?! Monokuma was essentially stating that anyone caught peeping on the other gender would be killed!

"I-Isn't that a bit extreme sir..? I mean, you're pretty much saying you'll kill us over that." Ryuko stuttered out nervously as he wiped sweat that started running down his forehead. A few heads in the room nodded in agreement.

Unfortunately, Monokuma seemed to ignore his inquiry and moved along with his schedule.

"Now, you all may be wondering, 'Why did we get thrown on board? Aren't we supposed to be in school'? Well, fret not, for we are going to satiate your hungry minds. This trip is designed to combine education and relaxation, it's the best of both worlds! Some stops may be more entertaining than educational, but I don't care because I didn't design the lesson plan and don't get paid enough to change it." Monokuma carried on as he began pacing back and forth underneath the television.

"He's ignoring us now…" Hakabe muttered to Wakana, only to have the stick smack Hakabe square on the head, causing him to wince and hold his head. He looked up to see Monokuma with a beet red face and his paws furiously pumping up and down above his head.

"Hey! No chit-chat while I'm presenting! This is important stuff and I'm not repeating myself!" Monokuma roared out as he now resumed pacing back and forth underneath the tv screen. Hakabe rubbed the sore spot on his head as Wakaba looked at him with a worried look, but knew she couldn't really do much lest she receive her own stick to the head.

"Now, as I was saying. We'll be visiting various stops. How many is a secret, and who doesn't like secrets! However, I will say that the length of time spent at each stop is determined by all of you." Monokuma explained as he pointed his paw to the group of students. "Be it two minutes or two years, we don't leave until you all meet the requirements to leave!" Monokuma explained further as everyone began looking at each other with worried and confused glances.

"Hold on, you can't keep us here that long! That's kidnapping and people will know we've gone missing!" Ayaka called out with a level of seriousness that Hakabe didn't really expect from her. However; he only knew her for a few minutes so it's no surprise there was more to her.

Monokuma, however, did not seem worried in the slightest. In fact, he began laughing and holding his belly.

"Kidnapping?! Man you guys are a riot! Didn't you all read every line of your acceptance letters? We can continue educating you until we believe that you are truly ready to introduce yourself to the world as a full fledged Ultimate! Nobody is gonna be looking for you! Upupupupupupu!" Monokuma responded as he tried to control his laughter.

"A-a-are we trapped here..? Is the bear really gonna k-keep us here?" Shizuka stuttered out while being on the verge of tears. Himari who was standing near him appeared to try to comfort him, but nothing she was doing seemed to be working.

"Hey, what did I say about getting distracted! I was just getting to how you crybabies were gonna keep the trip movin' along and getting home!" Monokuma raged as he whipped his arm forward, only now noticing he had forgotten to pick up his stick. Having defeated himself, he simply crossed his arms in a huff.

...A way out? This had gotten the attention of everyone. There was no doubt that everyone was not excited by the prospect of being trapped on a train for years. The room had gone dead silent with the exception of Shizuka's sniffling. Monokuma stood smack dab in the middle under the television and held his paws behind his back.

"Now, regarding leaving the trip destinations and getting home… It's a really simple process. The train will leave the destination after someone among you puts the kibosh on one of your fellow students." Monokuma stated with a much darker tone as everyone's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. No one could believe what Monokuma had just stated and no one was sure they wanted to understand.

"U-um… Sir? Did you just say that to keep moving on we have to…" Hakabe started as his whole body shook nervously. He clenched his fists tight to try and stiffe his nerves, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to.

"Did I stutter? If you wanna keep the trip going, or maybe even end the trip altogether, all you gotta do is wake up the killer inside you and murder a fellow student." Monokuma replied coldly as everyone was now gobsmacked by the realization that Monokuma was dead serious. He wanted everyone here to kill each other…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Shizuka screamed while crying as he bolted from his spot to the door that led to the dorms, only to find the door had been locked. With nowhere to go, Shizuka collapsed to the ground and began breaking down as Himari and Maemi rushed to his side.

Cry all you want, this is real, and I won't make exceptions for anyone. You wanna leave, all you gotta do is commit some impromptu homicide! It should be easy for you all and your creative Ultimate minds! The sky's the limit; Suffocation, Strangulation, Incineration. Murder is accepting of all methods!" Monokuma stated cheerfully as he began spinning like a ballerina.

It was then that Hakabe saw Jin react for what he felt for the first time and the last time. Jin had taken an offensive stance as he now held the sword he had seen before in his hand, and Hakabe was glad he didn't find himself on the end of that sword when they first met.

"Your joke has gone on far too long. I will cut you down without hesitation if you continue on with this farce." Jin threatened darkly as he gripped his katana with an iron grip. Once again though, Monokuma did not seem phased in the slightest.

"WAIT, DON'T DO IT JIN!" Ayaka shouted out as he held her personal device in her hand. Hakabe couldn't tell what she had found as the screen was facing away from him, but whatever it was, it must've been dire to provoke a response like that. "If you attack him, you'll be throwing away your life!" Ayaka continued as Jin looked back to her with a furious look.

Monokuma chuckled slyly as the screen above him now listed a long list of what was called the 'Code of Conduct'. While there were quite a few rules to go through, there was one line that was larger and bolded that caught everyone's attention: 'Any and all violations of the rules will result in the immediate execution of the offender'.

"Quite the quick mind you've got there… Indeed, attack me and you violate rule number 4: 'No student shall attempt to harm/direct violence at Monokuma'." Monokuma explained as Jin's dark expression did not falter, but he was smart enough to understand that Monokuma meant business, so he lowered his sword and stepped back.

The terror and anger that was on everyone's face was completely evident at this point. This was truly a nightmare scenario, only they weren't dreaming; this was reality and they were being forced to kill one another for the sake of holding onto the hope of returning home.

"So that's it? You have us kill each other over and over for your entertainment until we're finally allowed to get out of here?" Riku questioned angrily as Samuru, who was by his side, was partially hiding behind him.

Monokuma simply shook his head in response as he walked back to his podium and hopped back onto it.

"Not quite. While I'll have you go through the specifics of the rules on your own time, anytime someone commits a murder, there'll be a trial where you'll all have the chance to expose them and their crime. Catch the right person and they'll die while we resume the trip. Guess wrong, and I'll kill everyone except the true killer. Afterwards I will end the trip and take the remaining student home. You'll know more about this schtick when the time comes." Monokuma replied as he straightened his posture.

Was this someone's sick and twisted form of LARP'ing? Was someone hosting some deranged form of a murder mystery party? Why them of all people? What did they do to deserve this? Hakabe's breathing was shallow and quick as these questions raced through his head. It was clear that mostly everyone was on the verge of breaking down, and Monokuma noticed this.

"Well, that's all I've got for you twerps for now. Enjoy your trip, enjoy your company, and enjoy your despair…" Monokuma called out darkly as the podium began to sink back beneath the floor with Monokuma atop of it. The tv also began to return to its original spot within the ceiling. As soon as Monokuma vanished, a click rang through the room.

Shizuka, at the sound of the click, raced to the door leading to the dorms again and slid it open as quickly as possible before sprinting through the doorway so fast he didn't even close the door behind him. All anyone heard afterwards was the slamming of a door which everyone assumed to be his room.

The remainder of everyone else simply stood in shock and awe as they all looked at one another. Within this room was a potential killer, and at any moment, any of them could find themselves dead and gone. Hakabe didn't want to die, but he didn't want to kill anyone either. Was this the goal? To have them compromise their morals? To stress them to the point of breaking?

Who was he kidding…

There was no way Hakabe could know the answer to any of those questions. This was supposed to be the chance of a lifetime; to hone and perfect your talent so that you could revolutionize the world. Now though… Now they were the toys of a twisted and corrupt bear who wanted to divide them and drive them to become enemies. Hakabe wanted to believe no one would kill each other… He wanted to trust that everyone would band together to fight this, but the recent events and revelations had confirmed one thing to him…

He knew nothing about anything going on here and he knew next to nothing about anyone here…