PROLOGUE

Chapter 1: A meeting of the Ultimates

Day 1

Unknown place

11:00

I had no idea how long I slept, or what caused me to sleep in the first place, but when I woke up things were not the same. Instead of the comfort of my own room, I was greeted with entirely alien surroundings.

The room I was in was about the size of a hotel bedroom, enough to fit a bed, a working desk, a wardrobe, a bookshelf, a sofa, and not much else. The bookshelf was empty, which was quite disappointing, as anything to read was better than none including even porn (but not the ones with tentacles). The walls were covered in wallpapers, and various paintings were hung on them, each depicting a plethora of colors mashed together without any rhyme or reason. There were no windows, only two doors, one apparently leading to the bathroom while the other unknown, both made of expensive wood and carved with elaborate decorations more commonly found in traditional Chinese homes than the United States.

The most distinct features were the camera and a black monitor screen on the ceiling. I felt like I was being watched by some unseen person, perhaps the one responsible for my inexplicable presence here. The thought sent chills down my spine.

"Where in the name of God is this place?" I muttered to myself. I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming or not.

Nope. Not dreaming at all. Only hurt. No matter how much I hoped that was the case.

I checked my phone, but there was no signal. There wasn't any landline I would expect to find in an actual hotel room either.

Where the hell am I? Why am I here? Have I been kidnapped for ransom? Was this some sort of reality TV show? Does my family know about this?

As I cudgeled my brain trying to comprehend what was going on, a piece of note appeared in front of me.

Welcome to Tartarus Keep.

We are delighted to welcome the students of Hope's Peak Academy to our facility. Due to unforeseeable unfortunate circumstances, the next semester of Hope's Peak Academy will take place within Tartarus Keep until further notice. In the top drawer of your desk, you will find your electronic tablet where your Student E-Handbook where all the information you need is available. We wish you all get along with one another and have a pleasant stay in our fortress.

Tartarus Keep, named after the place where the Titans were imprisoned for their rebellion against Olympus, was not something I recognize. Hope's Peak Academy, however, I did. From what I had heard, it was one of the greatest academies in the world and many of its graduates earned leading positions in the specific field they specialized in. What made it unique was its tailor-made course which suited individuals and their respective talents, allowing the students to fully put their quirks to good use for the sake of society. Though Harvard was originally my first pick, my friends and family managed to persuade me to enroll in Hope's Peak Academy after an invitation was sent to me, stating this was a chance of a lifetime. While I could always go back to Harvard for a postgraduate course, it was very much likely, according to what was being advertised, that my future was set the moment I walked out of Hope's Peak Academy, as if this place were the skeleton key to success.

I opened the desk drawer and found the electronic tablet with the insignia of Hope's Peak Academy emblazoned on. Not the latest model in the market, but obviously schools would not be able to afford that for their students. Turning it on revealed a menu but with only one option to choose from: student's information. I had no idea why the note earlier said all that I needed to know was in here when there was nothing in it at all. I clicked on the student information category; there was a single member currently there, myself.

Amelda Douglas Mason.

SHSL Accountant.

Seeing the word SHSL (which stood for Super High School Level) Accountant under my name gave me a sense of uneasiness. Sure enough, this was the subject I excelled at, but not the type of work I was pursuing. A more appropriate term might have been Auditor or Corporate Watchdog because that was what I did: finding out misdeeds of businesses through their financial accounts, be they giving misleading information or illegal trading. Many years ago when Enron went bankrupt, not only a large portion of my family fortune was lost, dignity, reputation, and a bit of sanity were among the casualties. From that point onward, I built myself a personal concept which regarded corporations as organizations made to satisfy an uncontrollable desire for wealth and strived ever-so-harder to become someone that could expose the rot within the soul of these human-made entities.

I went to the bathroom to check. A sink, a toilet, and a shower. Nothing special. I caught a glance at myself in the mirror and was taken back. Still, there were tidy brown hair and green eyes, round face, and slightly long ears, but something was off, something different, and, no matter how hard to try, I could not put my finger on it. I felt like a blind man comparing a painting made by an elementary school and a Picasso masterpiece. I looked older and more muscular than I thought I was. My previous employment was in Wayne Enterprise and I could think of two ways to explain this. Either the gym facility there was extremely good (they even had a course that trained people to jump off building roofs, but I declined it) or the food served contained special experimental drugs that turned normal humans into John Cena (as per conspiracy theorists). I really really really hoped it was the former.

I went on checking the wardrobe. It was devoid of any lion or witch, just many identical sets of clothes, all of which the same as the ones I was wearing right now. Each set consisted of a white shirt, brown jacket with the logo of my favorite basketball team on, grey trousers and white sneakers.

Seeing there was nothing else, I put on one set and walked out of the door which I did not know where it led to. Ahead of me was a corridor of some kind. While the name was Tartarus Keep, I did not expect to be in a real castle.

The hallway had a mix of old-fashion and modern feelings in its design. It was lit up by dim lights hung on chandeliers. The air was very dry, and a fragrant smell of rose was palpable. The two sides were flanked by doors, each of similar design to one another, sixteen of them in total. There were potted plants placed between them, and a few more paintings were hung on the wall depicting people and animals in medieval settings, which fit the feeling overall of the place. One end of the hallway seemed to lead to yet another room or chamber while the other ended in a door four times as large as the others.

I tried the large door to no avail. It was locked. I was locked in.

Supposing there were others trapped in here as I was in these many rooms along the corridor, I then tried knocking on one of them. Even if I was far from extrovert, the idea of being trapped in this place with no one else was unbearable. I went for the one with the name Inori Hayashi written on. After two rounds, no response came out.

"Is there anybody in there?" I asked. Still nothing. My mind scrambled at the silence.

I was beginning to grow desperate when a voice called me from the back. "If you are looking for Hayashi, I think she is in the common room."

I turned around and saw a strange-looking fellow looking up at me. He looked pretty thin, though I could see some upper-body muscle in his arms, and had blond hair with side-swept bangs to the right. His choice of clothing could only have been come across as odd, comprising of a sleeveless turtleneck and a knee-length skirt (yes, a lady's skirt, not a Scottish kilt) that had way more white ruffles that it really should have which gave me the impression of a fluffy rooster. A blanket was placed on top of his lap and a top hat-esque thing rested on the side of his head, probably strapped. The overall coloring theme seemed to be blue, which I considered childish for someone supposedly close to my age.

The most noticeable thing about this fellow, however, was his wheelchair. It was typical-looking but for the plastic basket embedded near the back end of the right armrest, and two white, large wings sprouting out from the rear like an angel taking flight. What made me feel most uneasy was the fact these wings looked sturdy as though they were part of the original wheelchair's design instead of something added for decoration.

"No," I replied, feeling a sense of relief now that I had met another human being, albeit an odd one, in this strange place. "I was just seeing if I was alone here. I can't tell you how glad I am to find someone else." I gave him a warm smile and offered a hand to shake. "I am Amelda Mason by the way. Nice to meet you."

"A pleasure to have you too," he said excitedly, one hand shaking mine and the other waving his wand like a fairy godmother. The wand was pink with a golden heart and white wings on top. "Oh goodness! Yes, I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? Golly, how could I have forgotten something so basic? My name is Yume, Magical Boy Extraordinaire!"

All the relief I felt earlier suddenly evaporated and I tried best not to panic. As a fan of the Magical Girl genre myself, I had always imagined how ridiculous and over-the-top these pre-teens were and how they could not possibly exist in the real world. However, living in the US with all the abnormal things occurring on a daily basis had dispelled all doubts I had in the unbelievable. If Yume was telling the truth, then I had better watch out for him. Ever since the flying thing definitely neither bird nor plane out of the question, this boy here could be the next to possess the power to wipe out the human race. If there was a one-percent chance he was mentally unstable, I must take it as the absolute certainty. Which meant, I must not piss him off for the sake of my life (and the human race).

At this point, a PING sound came from the tablet I was given as well as the one Yume apparently also had. As we both brought it out I saw an update notice on the menu. Clicking on student information revealed another name added to the list.

Yume?

SHSL Baker

I guessed the three question marks indicated the name written here was not his real one. I heard Hope's Peak Academy was very liberal when it came to treating their students, so I was not surprised that they allowed students to be registered using whatever name they preferred. Which begged the question: If the academy was really behind this, why on earth would they transfer their students to Tartarus Keep without consent? The more I thought about what Hope's Peak Academy was supposed to be like, the more I was in disbelief.

As for this fellow, it seemed he was just a baker all along. I sighed as I let go of my irrational fear. It was quite comforting to see another student in Hope's Peak Academy, even if that only meant we were trapped here together. I wondered what the remaining students were like.

"Ah," said Yume. "I see you are an accountant." He looked at me with suspicious eyes. "You don't look much like one."

"And you are a far cry from any baker I have seen in my life," I countered.

"Fair enough," he laughed. "I think some people take bakery too seriously. Too much effort is put into formula and ingredients, and not enough spirit and heart. I mean, what is the fun of baking when you cannot enjoy every moment of it yourself? Baking requires that bit of magic, and that is why I am wearing these, to embrace the magic from both the inside and out, and bring joy to this world."

I could not help but feel a sense of awe after hearing that. As much as I found it somewhat ludicrous, he did have a good point to make. It was difficult enough for someone to overcome their disability, but to thrive and success like him through sheer passion alone was remarkable. For some reason, I was getting into the fellow, despite his unusual appearance.

"I guess that is why they call you the Ultimate Baker," I said.

"Of course," he replied. "And what about you? I thought for sure someone called the Ultimate Accountant would present themselves in a suit."

"I am the Ultimate Accountant, not the Ultimate Salesman," I told him. "I have the privilege of not having to present myself too smartly in front of others, except when I am really working my ass off. And that only happens in the courtroom. Anyway, being appropriately dressed is such a bother. I prefer wearing what I like best, not what looks the best on me."

"Then I guess we are like two drops of water when it comes to fashion," Yume remarked.

"You woke up before me," I changed the subject. "Have you met others? There are sixteen doors, so I guess that should correspond to sixteen of us."

"I sure have," Yuma said, a mischievous grin on his face. "In fact, one of them is right behind you as we speak."

"You!" The sound of someone shouting raised the hair on the back of my neck. I nearly jumped. A girl in a modified police uniform was pointing at me, her dark turquoise eyes glowing as hot as Chef Gordon Ramsey's kitchen. She looked every bit the stereotype police officer I saw in those old movies, complete with combat boots, a badge on her heart, a whistle around her neck, and white gloves.

"Me?" I stuttered.

"You!"

"Me?"

"You!"

"Him?"

"No, not me!" Yume panicked at my shifting the responsibility towards him.

"You are late," she asserted. "Approximately twenty-five minutes. Do you know how hard it is to keep up order in a situation like this, how hard it is to make sure everyone gets their shit together? I put my effort into it, and you just think you can ignore that? Or are you doing so on purpose? Tell me what have you been planning."

"I just woke up," I countered. "Look, you got the wrong person. I am in the dark about all of this as much as you are."

"Are you sure?" she pressed. I felt like she was a tiger ready to pounce at me the moment she had a good reason to. "Swear it."

Knowing my fear would be a dead giveaway, I collected my nerves and responded as calm as I could. "No need to be so authoritative. From the bottom of my heart that, I swear I am not up to anything bad."

"How can I trust the bottom of your heart?" she asked as she conducted a thorough body search on me. I felt violated as her hands ran across me, checking every pocket and squeezing for anything that might be sharp. For the very least, she steered clear away from the forbidden zone, much to my relief. But then again, should a terrorist hide a bomb in there, they might have been able to slip past her. Satisfied that I was not a threat, she finally let me go.

"Is he telling the truth?" she turned towards Yume, asking. "That he has only awakened moments earlier."

"I think so," he said. "Just look at him carefully and you can see how incapable of evil he is. I think he fits the description of an ally of good more." This was an overstatement, but since he was defending me, I would take that.

"Very well," the policewoman conceded. "I will let you off this time. But try to pay attention to the rules I have so carefully come up with for your safety and others'. Tartarus Keep is my jurisdiction now, and I will do my best to keep it harm-free until we know more about our situation."

A PING rang and I quickly took out the tablet to see who she was.

Rin Yamamoto

SHSL Police Officer

Now, this was someone I did recognize, though the familiarity brought me more uneasiness than solace. Nicknamed the Blue Devil, she was in the headlines of Daily Planet from time to time and noted for being a firebrand and a zealot. Her style of crime-fighting gathered as much admiration as criticism for its unforgiving nature, often resorting to the extreme, illegal, and inhumane means. She was brutally effective, having bagged over a hundred criminals throughout her short career. For her effort, she was rewarded with medals and publicity in many countries in the world, even receiving direct praise in a speech by the President of the United States as a national hero of Japan. Human rights groups, however, had other things to say.

If I were to choose one side of the debate, I would go with the latter. The prospect of being in the same classroom as the Blue Devil was a terrifying one, perhaps more so than being stuck in this place.

"Wait, I think I know you," said Rin, suddenly remembering something. "That's right. I saw you on the news a few times. You are the whistleblower in some of the recent corporate frauds, aren't you?"

"That is correct," I confirmed. After my family was devastated by the Enron scandal, I took it upon myself to make sure such a thing would never happen again. As I delved deeper into the world where greed was good, I made discoveries that shook the entire system and put prominent figures behind bars. The most memorable cases, however, related to organized criminals and where they got their money from; these were the cases in which I had to deal with some truly terrifying people - people who were barely humans anymore.

"Great job you did there," she said heartily. Her sudden change in attitude was a little jarring considering she just harshly interrogated me just a moment ago, but I welcomed it. "My name is Yamamoto Rin. It is nice to finally meet you in person. I suppose you are aware of our current situation. If there is anything, feel free to give me a ring." She shook my hand like a gorilla. Despite her neat hourglass figure, her arms packed quite a decent amount of muscle.

"There is no signal in here," Yume pointed out.

"Oh, then just come talk to me, then," said Rin.

"Of course," I replied. "Wouldn't miss that."

"Blue-collared scums, I can deal with them all day," said the policewoman abruptly. "Hardly a challenge anymore. But white-collared criminals are a different breed, one that I have a lot of trouble touching. You, on the other hand, succeed where I have failed. For that, I say you earn my respect."

"You are giving me too much credit," I said. My work was mostly thankless up until I was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy, but I prefer living like an average person than having the media all over me.

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" exclaimed Yume. "Two persons in front of me, both allies of justice, defenders of the innocents and prosecutors of evil. Goodness, this is beyond what I have dreamed of. Please, if you are going to form a crime-fighting group then you must let me be part of it."

"That's the spirit," Rin cheered. "With my strength, your intellect, and his magic, we will be an unstoppable trio. The sinner that has the audacity to imprison us here, he will learn to fear our combined might. What do you say?"

I was going to say she was nuts and I did not want anything to do with her lack of consideration but held my breath. It was hard enough to accept my situation; I could not afford to make any more enemy, especially not the Blue Devil. As for Yume, I liked the fellow. Might as well play along with him for a while on this.

"I will be honored," I replied reluctantly.

"Goodness, we need to come up with a name for our team," said Yume enthusiastically. "How about the Justice League?"

"That one is already taken."

"Fantastic Four?"

"But there are only three of us."

"The accountant, the police officer and the magical boy?"

"That's not a name. That's basically who we are."

"Golly, this is tough."

"Name does not matter," Rin cut in. "What's important is that we are a team now, a team that can overcome any obstacle and defeat any villain."

"Are you sure?" I asked incredulously. "We just met. And you, Rin, I know you are a cop, but we are all students around here and I am not a criminal. Personal space is important, and I would appreciate if you respect that more."

"That's awfully direct," Yume commented.

The policewoman simply shrugged. "Still doubting me, aren't you? I understand. Take your time. Something tells me we are going to be here for a while. Sorry for taking my job a little excessive earlier. I had to make sure you were not carrying anything that might be a threat."

"We are all captives here," I said. "What do you think any of us might do to undermine each other's interest?"

"You can never know," she explained, leaning closer to me like a tiger about to pounce on its prey. Her fiery eyes stared at mine, and I dared not avert from her gaze. "Criminals, they come in all shapes and sizes. They can be your neighbor, your best friend, or someone you met at a party and forgot the next day. The heart of humans can be as bright as crystal, or dark as ink, and you can never tell which one from the outside. That is why my methods come into play. It is my responsibility to make sure they pay the price for their action, and I will do it at all costs."

That sounded rather corrupted, as though everyone would be deemed a criminal until they could be proven innocent, but I would rather not voice any criticism against her philosophy right now. Besides, it was not fundamentally different from the way I saw business people as a greedy bunch who would gladly sell their mothers if the markup was good enough. Rin Yamamoto might not be the most pleasant person to be with, but I would like to see my prejudice proven wrong.

At this point, one of the doors to the side opened and as soon as the person walked out, Rin took an aggressive stance towards them, causing them to back down.

"You!" the policewoman hollered.

The girl who just appeared was dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, a deep navy blue yukata with images of fish and lotus flowers printed on and a red and gold sash around her stomach. She had luscious, long raven hair but in a home style that went down to her knees. There were a variety of ornaments on her head which included some flowery hair clips and a fan-shaped metallic pin. Given her the high sandals on her feet, I could tell she was either a model or an entertainer, for it took efforts for a woman in this day and age to wear those so casually.

Her eyes were almond-shaped and the color of russet. Under the lack of light, I could tell she was wearing a thick white makeup on her face, further convincing me of her occupation/talent.

"Are you addressing me?" asked the girl, her eyes rolling in disgust.

"Yes, you!" Rin grunted. "Come here."

"Cut it out, Rin," I intervened. The girl clearly had a lower tolerance for getting shouted at than I did. "Let's not do this crap again."

The policewoman didn't relent. "Hold it right there."

"I am not going anywhere," said the girl calmly. Her quiet and cold demeanor was rather unnerving, to say the least.

"Don't worry," Yume assured. "She just gets a bit excited about meeting new friends, that's all. Now, where are my manners? Magical Baker Boy Yume at your service." He gave a bow as he introduced himself.

"My name is Rin Yamamoto," Rin continued regardless. "I am the Ultimate Police Officer and I would like to perform a full-body check on you."

"I would rather you do not," said the girl firmly. "It is very rude to touch another person without their permission. Even for police officers like you must understand that." That was exactly what I wished I had the courage to say in front of Rin, but instead, I chickened out.

"Safety first," Rin persisted. "Courtesy second. Or are you really hiding something you don't want me to see?"

"I assure you I am not hiding anything," the girl in traditional clothes hissed.

"For God's sake, Rin," I cried. "You are acting like a hormonal ape. Give her a break, will you?"

"Alright, alright," the policewoman finally conceded, waving her hands. "Have it your way. But if she turns out to be a member of the international terrorist group IXIX in disguise, then don't whine when I say I told you so."

"Sorry for our intrusion," I apologized to the girl in kimono. "I am Amelda Mason, the Ultimate Accountant. Nice to meet you. I guess you too are a student of Hope's Peak Academy."

"That is correct," she said, bowing gratefully. "Greetings, everyone. My name is Hijiri Kaneshiro and I am the SHSL Geisha. I provide service at an okiya. I hope we may spend some quality time together."

Hijiri Kaneshiro

SHSL Geisha

"That sounds great," said Yume.

"Yeah," said Rin sarcastically, casting a dirty look on Hijiri. "Good old quality time. Never was a fan of those brothels anyway."

Hijiri's expression stiffened for the first time and she addressed Rin with venom in her voice. "Is that what you think a geisha is, Yamamoto-san?"

"Prove me wrong then," Rin challenged. "I didn't know Hope's Peak Academy would accept prostitution as a talent."

"Your lack of manners is truly disturbing, Yamamoto-san," said the geisha condescendingly, though I could clearly feel her anger boiling from the way she stressed those words. "For the last time, NO. A geisha is NOT a prostitute. A geisha is someone that entertain their customer by performing a large variety of traditional Japanese arts, something you appear to have no taste in. Not all of us are interested in commercial sex, and we definitely operate within the boundary of the laws. So please, spare me with your ignorance and refrain from spouting such obscenity."

"I guess that is where our views differ," the policewoman said.

Hijiri stepped out from the shadow of her room's door and into the corridor, revealing a face that was porcelain pale, a face I thought earlier was white thanks to makeup. She stared at the policewoman with hateful eyes. Rin did not back down and returned the expression in kind. The two of them were shooting lightning from each other with their eyes when I had to step in once more.

"You two, stop this," I pleaded. "We are all in the same boat here. Hope's Peak Academy students locked up in a place we don't know by people we have no idea who they are. If we are to protect ourselves, we need to stick together."

"He's right," Yume concurred with a warm smile. "If we are going to be stuck here together, let us get along. Friendship is magical, as my sister likes to say."

There was a moment of silence between the two as both of them took in our words. "Very well," the policewoman finally conceded, waving her hands. "Have it your way. But if she turns out to be a member of the international terrorist group IXIX in disguise, then don't whine when I say I told you so."

"I have nothing to say to you, Yamamoto-san," Hijiri shrilled. Something told me this was not the last feud between the two of them or the last time Rin tried to harass someone using her self-proclaimed authority. With hope, I look forward to peace between them. With hopelessness, I prayed they would just stay away from each other for the time being. "Yume-san, Mason-san, I apologize for having you both tolerate my inappropriate behaviors. I beg for your forgiveness."

"No need for that," I said, putting up a smile. "We are friends now. That's what friends do, listening to each other. That includes unintelligent blabbering."

"Same here," Yume added.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Hijiri's face.

"Anyway," I continued, "I think I will go explore this place out and meet up with the rest. Anyone wants to join me?"

"Please go ahead," said Hijiri. "There are certain preparations I need to make." And she returned to her room, closing the door without further words.

"I will join you later," said Rin as she also went back to her room. "I have met the others and they are as confused as any of us. Right now, I need some peace and quiet time to devise my very own plan when the villain decides to show up. I know they will eventually. So if you would excuse me, I have some work to do."

"I need to find my twin sister's magical sticker," said Yume, rolling his wheelchair forward. "It was in my pocket the last time I saw it, but not anymore. I need to find out if it is still in the room."

"You have a twin sister?" I asked him. Of course, I would have to go alone. Those two would not have come back to their room if they had not any business there.

"Yes," replied Yume warmly. "She is the Ultimate Magical Girl."

That confirmed my fear. This boy here was the twin brother of someone with the power to wipe out the entire human race, regardless of whether he was aware or not. If there was even one-percent chance his sister might be easily upset, I must take it as an absolute certainty. And that meant being friendly to him.

Which was not that difficult. Though he had quite an odd personality, I thought he was charming, in a way. I could definitely make a good friend with him after this.

Author's note: Well, that is the first chapter and four characters have been introduced. How do you think about it? Despite the dark tone of the prologue, this story will start off pretty cheesy and fun. After that, it is a one-way trip to despair. I am aware this might be a little slow, but I would like to flesh out the characters first so that when they bite the dust (which most of them will), we will remember them more.

I hope you like the way I portray the characters. I am having a good time writing this.

Cheers to all.