Chapter 1-1

Aquatic Behemoth Carnivores

Day 01, 11:11 PM

Near the Western Border Entrance of Penjar

The whine of a train whistle could be heard echoing around the empty parking lot. Though this wasn't exactly a train whistle, it was Hikari pursing her lips and letting out a frustrated sigh. The Ultimate Steampunk Model had a rather sharp whistle.

"That sure sounded like steam escaping there," Ishiku remarked, glancing over at the lovely model. "Guess you're a steampunk model through and through."

"So I've been told, dear. Sadly, I don't think now's the time for small talk," Hikari remarked as she walked around the parking lot, trying to spot something, anything, that showcased her car had been there. There wasn't even tire marks where she had left it, no shattered safety glass like she had thought someone would need to get into her vehicle.

"It really is true then, they took all of our cars out of here, without having to break in even," she continued, glancing up towards Ishiku and Ignatia, the two who had followed her to check on the cars in this parking lot.

Ishiku nodded regretfully, and glanced over at Ignatia. The mime gnashed her teeth, kicked at a small stone, and stormed off. When she was gone, Ishiku leaned in towards Hikari and whispered, "She's all bite and no bark, ain't she?"

"Calling her a bitch, are you?" Hikari said with a sly smirk, covering her mouth to hide a titter. "Though I must admit, I respect her courage. I never would have in a million years tried to punt something that looked like Monokuma."

"I hit one of them too," Ishiku said in a teasing sulk, then shrugged off the mood as quickly as he could physically shrug. He twirled around his bone staff, and set it down on the parking lot floor. "So then! What do we do now?"

"We'll go back and tell everyone that our vehicles are gone, and try to pick things up from there. Though honestly, I think it's a waiting game now," Hikari admitted. She sighed as she scratched her head under her fancy hat, and added, "To be honest, I'm kind of tempted to just leave now. This may be a bit much for me."

"Really? Why'd you come?"

The two started to walk out of the parking lot, venturing back into the misty streets of Penjar. There was a bit of a ruckus, as they could hear Ignatia kick over a trash can somewhere up the road.

"To be truthful, I didn't really come for a deep reason," Hikari said, resting her umbrella on her shoulder. She opened it up and spun it around, twirling mist gently around the lacy edge. "I just wanted to find out some answers, figure out a little more about what happened.

"I'm no investigator, and I didn't really have anyone who was seriously affected by Despair or the Tragedy. Still, I always had that feeling, throughout all of my life, of doing something that I think no one else will. That's why I took to steampunk modeling, it was like a sign of my passion combined with something relatively untouched."

She twirled around on her feet, walking backwards and tilting her head to the side as she spoke to Ishiku, looking ever the model. "I simply felt that Penjar would hold some answers, and even though it's not my field, I thought no one else would go. My how wrong I was to see about thirty people here!"

With a mirthful laugh as she spun back around and walked normally next to him, she said, "What about you, hon?"

"I… I kind of have one of those sob stories," Ishiku said, glancing to the side. His own mirth seemed to die out when he became lost in thought. "I'd rather not go into too many details, I hate being a drag when we're trying to stay positive."

"I don't mind hearing about your motivations, my dear. But if you'd rather not… let's change the subject. What's on-"

Another clanging sound could be heard, Ignatia going to town on another garbage can. Hikari pouted, lips pursed as she tried to dismiss the sounds of violence. "What," she said, yet another clanging kick interrupting her, "what are you going to do? Stay, or leave?"

"I'm staying, no powers are forcing me out of here! Unless the room service stinks, I insist on my bed being made every day, and a mint there on the pillow, every day! Plus, no gentleman should leave a suspicious scene and let others do the work for him!"

Ishiku spun his staff around and then tucked it under his arm. "Plus, you know what? I got my life for free, I ain't afraid to risk losing it just because it's a mite dangerous! What fantastic magician doesn't go against the grain sometimes?"

Hikari chuckled again, and then said, "Anyone you got your eye on?"

"… What?"

"Honey, there's a large amount of ladies here, and/or men if you're into that, all highly accomplished and cool and talented. Don't tell me you aren't seeing this like a bit of a dangerous dating site."

Ishiku tapped his chin, murmuring, "Must like D&D, chocolate coins, a good prank every now and then, and stick to dangerous scenarios involving bears and ghost towns. Interesting start."

"There you go, my dear! You already have something else on your mind."

"Oh, I would think that would be you, because," he grinned most mischievously, "you already kind of do have a not-so-secret admirer."

"Who, Aka? Oh I dunno, maybe she was just a little enamored with me. I mean, I don't blame her, I kind of made myself up for coming here…"

"Hikari, she was staring at you so intensively, I'm pretty sure I saw drool."

The Ultimate Steampunk Model fanned herself a little, giggling. "Oh my, really? My gay-dar must have been a bit off, I thought it was just normal attraction. I guess I do have a reason to stay… I do like tomboys."

"And the first thing I'm going to do," the magician said, "is make popcorn and watch like a very unusual but entertaining soap opera."

Ishiku reached over towards Hikari's ear, and then the model noticed the magician was holding a popcorn packet in his hands. He grinned, then asked, "I wonder where I can find a microwave in this town."

Day 01, 11:23 PM

Housing Area

Outside of Crystal Wilson's Room

Crystal reached down to the doorknob of the house that was labeled as hers. When she tentatively opened it, she peered inside. It almost resembled a hotel room to her.

The bed was almost in the center of the room, with a TV hanging from the wall for a resting soul to watch. There was a secondary, presumably with a shower and toilet though she couldn't see in the closed washroom. Most astonishingly, everything inside of the room appeared clean and well maintained, even pristine!

The military adviser noticed her luggage, everything that had been in her car (including an empty soda can that she had finished on the drive here), organized near a table. She sighed, rubbed her thumb around her silver ring, and then closed the door.

Glancing over at the picture that was next to the front door, she stared at the drawing of her that was framed behind glass over a nameplate that had her full name. The artwork style was that of an eight-bit video game, blocks formed to make a primitive but effective representation of her. The fact that it was modeled after the clothing she was wearing unnerved her a little, as it was the same for all the other houses; their digital-pixel pictures were representation of them in the clothing they had shown up in.

"Seems the Kubs were telling the truth," she said aloud, for the benefit for the person behind her. "Everything that was in my car is now in here. It's unnatural, but I feel like it is the least of our worries now.

"By the way, thank you for coming with me here, I would have imagined that you would have gone with everyone else to see if our vehicles were really missing."

Eisei shrugged as he rolled his current lollipop around in his mouth. "Cars are not really my concern, mostly because it's a hassle to rent one despite having a driver's license. I get told a lot I'm too short to drive, which isn't statistically true."

Crystal ran a hand through her blond hair, and said, "I'm sure we'll find out eventually if it is true from the others, but I'm going to assume it is since my stuff is here. What about you?"

"All of my essential belongings are in this suitcase," he said, giving a nod towards his overstuffed suitcase. "I care not for anything I left in the car, but if they put the spare from the trunk in my room, I will be mildly amused."

The Ultimate Military Adviser chuckled. "You seem rather calm about all this. It's rather amazing, I would have thought most non-military personal would be freaking out since we are in dangerous territory."

"Technically, if you ever read up on some of the treaties and alliances our countries have with neighboring and hostile governments and dictatorships, you would be shocked to learn of how safe we truly aren't. I once wrote an essay about the-"

Crystal held up a hand, interrupting by saying, "It's okay, I assure you, I'm more than familiar with how those affairs go."

Eisei nodded, his lavender locks bouncing from the movement. "If you could just come down here really quick, Miss Wilson, there's something I just need to do for my profession's sake."

The military adviser nodded and knelt down. She was shocked when a gloved hand moved into her lips, and pried open her mouth. Eisei hummed as she inspected the insides, clicking his tongue against his sucker. "You look fine, but I have a feeling that you don't brush all that often… would you be interested in dental picks, perchance?"

"Woo'd ooo ee eneresed en lehhin o?"

"If you insist."

Crystal shook her head as she corrected her jaw. "You aren't going to make a lot of friends doing that, you know?"

"I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to find out what exactly is the origin of Despair, if possible. Dental hygiene is second on my list, but that's something I can do right away. Speaking of which, the history of dental hygiene in the military has been-"

He was interrupted as a loud banging sound startled them both. Scanning the area, they saw that Ignatia had kicked the door to her place open, and was stomping in.

"I would advise," Crystal said, "that you hold off on trying to check the insides of that one's mouth."

"I'm actually quite fascinated to see what the inside of a mouth of one who doesn't talk looks like, but I think I really do appreciate my fingers being intact, same with my bones."

Day 01, 11:45 PM

Northern Area of Penjar

"Phooey! My metal steed is gone, and I have no idea how I'm going to explain that to the rental company," Ken declared, face-palming with his free hand as he held onto his broadsword's handle for a comfort grip. "How do you explain that your borrowed vehicle has been moved out of your reach by a town?"

"Yeah, this sucks ass," Kimiko grumbled, kicking at a loose stone on the sidewalk. "I rather liked that rental motorcycle, and you have no idea the paperwork I had to do to rent a bike!"

Ken shook his head, as the two walked down the sidewalk. They eventually found their way back to the plaza, knowing where it was mostly by the barren area where a house had been. The Guardian's resting place was a rather dirty, disheveled patch of stale-smelling dirt and concrete.

The two stared at it, reminding themselves that there had been what looked like a house there, and now it was the three-story mech with a machine gun arm standing in the middle of the plaza. Ken sighed as he rubbed his forehead, grumbling a little more about his stolen metal steed.

"Okay, let's not dwell on this for too long, or we're gonna depress ourselves," Kimiko said. "I've always wanted to talk to a Novoselician, and you're here, eh! I didn't have one in my class at Hope's Peak!"

"What, are we a prize token minority or something?" Ken said, chuckling lightly. "Though yes, it did seem like I was a bit of a celebrity being from Novoselic. What do you want to know?"

"I mean, I heard what happened to your home country. Have you been living in Japan this whole time?"

"Yes, I have. It's been very nice, but I miss my homeland every day. Novoselic is still a mess, hostile and overrun with Despair-ridden psychopaths. From what I have heard, there's still no way I could return home without being in a war zone."

"About that, you're a cavalryman, I'm curious… do you all still ride horses, and fight a'geenst the enemy with spears and swords, eh?"

"I was trained how to fight on horseback since I was very young, yes, including many forms of melee weapons. I know how to use firearms, but I highly prefer my swordplay. If I get a chance, I could show you, but I doubt swinging my weapon around would warm me up to everyone here."

He sighed and turned around, not wanting to stare at the house-less patch of land anymore. "Sorry, I don't really want to talk about it much more right now. With how things are, it's silly to reminisce about my past."

"Soo'ry, tough guy, just trying to make conversation."

"I don't mind that so much, just no more about me, please. Though I am curious about something, your accent is so thick, yet you appear to be Japanese."

Kimiko laughed as she crossed her hands behind her head. "Long story short, eh, I was born in Canada from parents who moved there, was invited to Hope's Peak Academy, then when I graduated I went back to Canada."

She pulled down her jacket down off of one shoulder, and exposed a tattoo that appeared to be an odd mixture of the Japanese and Canadian flags, a red flag with a white maple leaf and a red dot inside of it.

"You wanna knoo' moo'r a'boot me, handsome? I'm a bit of an open book with how stereotypical Canadian-Japanese I am!"

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Alright, steel steed rider, I do have some questions for you. Do you like hockey?"

"Fucking love it!"

"You proud of your Canadian beer?"

"It's like water to me with how much I drink it!"

"Do you consume a lot of maple syrup?"

"Actually, that's the one thing I never really got into. Don't tell anyone, you'll ruin my image!"

The two shared a laugh, missing as Ignatia stomped down the other side of the road, trying to find more things to kick over. As she traveled down the road, heading back towards the housing area for the travelers, she passed by old stores that weren't just decrepit, aging, empty buildings…

Day 01, 11:51 PM

Ye Olde Antique Shop

"Kind of odd to find a place that deals in antiques," Futaba said, checking over a gramophone near the window and missing a very upset mime walking by the store, "when the whole city we are in feels like we stepped several decades into the past."

"Yeah, and quite the collection here," Samson agreed, holding up a large walkie-talkie that appeared to be something from World War II. "I am almost tempted to find out if I can take some of these, they could make a mint with some of the collectors I know!"

Futaba rolled her eyes and shot a glare at him. "Are you really going to contemplate theft, considering our circumstances? Is the Ultimate Trader more or less a glorified petty thief?"

"Hey, this shop isn't natural, considering the town, missy," Samson replied, setting the walkie-talkie down. "Everything here is organized and, despite the thin layer of dust, it doesn't have the same kind of aging as the city."

He gestured around the shop, which was a large collection of dirty glass displays and countertops covered with items. There was a blunderbuss in an overhead display, along with some framed pictures and a moose head nearby. Displays were full of old-looking knives, mugs, statues and trophies, outdated kitchen appliances, typewriters, and much more. The countertops had all kinds of items, such as outdated medical tools, soda bottles, old TVs and a camera, and much more as well.

"This place is so unnatural in its own odd way," Samson said, crossing his arms, "inside of a town that's odd in a completely other way. You can see that, right?"

Futaba nodded, but clicked her tongue as she added, "I'm still not in favor of provoking our so-called hosts' wrath by stealing stuff from the buildings. If you wanna risk it, fine, but I'm going to feign ignorance if you do that."

Samson scoffed and muttered, "An anthropologist who doesn't want to closely examine stuff from the past? Makes me think you're all about studying people instead…"

The silver-haired lady scowled angrily as she corrected her glasses and went back to looking at the gramophone. She had to bite back an angry sound when Samson followed up with, "Though looking at you, you definitely seem like someone who would be overly cautious."

"I'm here to observe," she growled through clenched teeth, "so if you want to get involved, go ahead, but I sure as hell am not."

The entrance chime, a classic little bell at the top corner, rang as a third person entered the building. Blake glanced back outside, and sighed heavily. "Man, that mime is PMSing big time out there, don't go out there just yet. There's a trash can that's taking a pounding big-time!"

The pyro glanced around the shop, slightly curious now about where he was. Walking down the side of one of the long counter-displays, he stopped when he noticed a box TV, the kind with big knobs, an antenna, and the speaker upon its side.

"The fuck is THAT?" he asked, pointing at it. "That's not a TV, is it? My God, how would you set that on the wall?"

He reached over and turned one of the knobs, the loud clicking sound echoing throughout the building. Blake laughed, and added, "Was there only like ten channels in the past?"

As he fiddled with the TV more, he entertained himself as he ignored the clanging sounds outside, that sounded closer to the next building.

Day 01, 11:51 PM

Ye Olde Taxidermy Shop

The store had the most unnerving collection of preserved animals from wall to wall.

A rather large raven was atop the main counter, next to the primitive cash register. The glass display under the counter had rodents from mice to raccoons, and insect displays. A hyena mid-lunge was positioned next to the counter, as if to attack a customer.

Birds and beasts were lining every wall, with mantle heads of bigger beasts like moose and tiger and even an elephant. Predators and prey were all there, as well as insect and arachnid collections in much bigger cases that would have been fine normally, but the glass and wood were aged horribly.

"This," Shinobu muttered as she stared at a taxidermy wolf that, despite the dust upon it, was so well-positioned that it made her shiver, "is the most unnerving building ever. I cannot imagine a business trying to look this creepy!"

Jin grabbed a taxidermy owl upon a mantle, its wings spread wide and its eyes sharp despite the dust upon it. The artist gal smiled as she stared right back into it, and blew a little upon those preserved pupils. Clearing it up, she happily held it up. "I think it's remarkable. The craftsmanship is amazing."

Her brother was nearby, scanning the shop with interest. Yejoon silently scanned as Jin continued to clean off the owl, with Shinobu watching them out of curiosity. The historian chewed on her lip, and then said, "So, do you two usually work together?"

"Something along those lines, although I daresay big brother relies on me more than he'll admit," Jin said with a sly smirk, glancing at her brother. She finished cleaning off the owl, and set it down on the counter she found it. "Before Hope's Peak, we had one art display between the two of us in Korea. After we graduated, we opened several art displays in both Korea and Japan."

"Most of them were burned down during the Tragedy," Yejoon commented, voice slightly muffled because he was wearing his mask again. "It's such a shame, I do miss a lot of the work we did, but I never let setbacks get me down."

Jin scoffed and glanced up at her tall brother, adding, "You trying to act cool in front of the lady? The mysterious masked stranger appeal has never worked, why are you trying it again?"

Yejoon chuckled, shaking his head as he turned towards Shinobu. "You'll have to forgive my sister, she tends to be a bit territorial wherever she goes. That's why she loves owls so much, she likes to have her surroundings in her control."

"And my brother here," Jin commented, pointing at her sibling though her fingers were displaying the same contempt as her voice so she had her wrist up in the air but her digits pointed at his feet, "is jealous that there's not a fox here!"

Shinobu drummed her fingers against each other, trying to think of what to say. She eventually just sighed, and commented, "I wish I could have seen your art galleries. I'm quite familiar with the history of Hope's Peak, and I heard you two had amazing work when you were there."

"Thank you kind-"

There was a creaking of an old door, as Yejoon opened the one at the back of the store to explore more of the area. He was cut off with a sharp cry as he leapt back, startled but able to compose himself immediately. Shinobu and Jin peered into the room he had opened…

A taxidermy tiger, jaws wide open and eyes blazing even in preserved death, had one of its claws raised towards whoever would be going through that door. With only the light from the main store shining in to illuminate its claws, fangs, and eyes, it was a rather startling sight.

Jin burst out laughing at her brother, who composed himself quickly and then swung his hand back at his cackling sister. The artists fought over this little incident, as Shinobu watched and wondered why the shopkeep would position a taxidermy tiger there…

And just how this small town had the funds and means to have a taxidermy tiger, among the other creatures that were in this building.

Day 02, 12:02 PM

Ye Olde Time Shop

The walls of this shop were lined with all kinds of clocks, especially cuckoo-clocks. The amount of styles, features, colors, makes and models, it was like a gigantic clockwork maker's life work on full display. There were even a few wide-face clocks, some of them with unique hands and numbers, font-styles and pictures and other features.

Not a single clock was running. A store full of clocks, mostly cuckoo-clocks, and there wasn't a sound to be heard from the timepiece machines.

"This is like the start of Pinocchio," Pyrrha commented, staring at a rather cute looking cuckoo-clock, "but it's all so sad and inactive."

"I swear, I'm hearing ticking noises in my head," Aka muttered, "because I'm, like, certain that there should be in this shop! But there aren't, and I'm worried I'm going to go insane!"

There was a deep scoff nearby, and the two ladies looked over at the third patron of this non-working clock shop. Emanuel was staring down a display case full of watches, trying to find a way into it. "Pretty sure you were already crazy, the way you act, purple-top," he cursed, words slurred a bit. "If you two could stop making so much noise? I'm trying to see what there is here."

Pyrrha scowled at him, and then turned towards Aka. "It really is weird that this place is here, when you think about it," she said to the other lady. "I mean, there's dust on all of these clocks, but everything seems a bit organized compared to most."

"Yeah, and I gotta admit, it makes me a little homesick, or whatever the feeling is for a home away from home," Aka admitted. "You see, in ski lodge cabins, there are usually cuckoo-clocks, like they love that old-timey feel! It's so cute, and now… I feel like I want one for my room here."

Aka surveyed the shop for one in particular she liked, while Pyrrha watched her in some surprise. "You really adjust fast to our situation, don't you?" she asked the skier.

"Hey, when you do the crazy shit I do, you gotta learn to adjust fast! Speaking of which," the purple-topped tomboy said, glancing back at Pyrrha, with a grin on her face, "I've already got my eye on someone here."

"The model lady, Hikari, was it?" Pyrrha said, biting her lower lip as a spark grew in her eyes. "Oh my, you do aim high."

"Hell yeah, she's gorgeous and hot and wow does she look like someone who you want to get to know more! And that steampunk stuff, that looks so good on her! She's more than enough reason to stay!

"Say, aren't you a romance writer?" Aka remarked, glancing at the writer. "You ever do something like that? Do you write lesbian romance, even?"

"Um, not yet, I haven't," she admitted. "I was told that lesbian stories are expected to have more sex than story, and I don't do that. I'm not into writing smut."

"Aww, but that's some of the best stuff! So tell me, think I got a chance-"

CRASH! Tinkle tinkle tinkle…

Both women jumped in shock, Aka almost dropping the cuckoo-clock she had taken off of the wall. Outside, Ignatia also jumped in surprise, glanced in, then noticed no one was hurt so she stomped off. The two women inside stared at the shattered display that Emanuel had broken, along with the clock he had used as a blunt instrument.

Pulling a few watches from the display, he muttered, "Might as well go along with the theme of wonton destruction this stupid town has encouraged. I just hope someone knows how to fix a watch in this weird group of people we collected."

Day 02, 12:12 PM

Outside of Penjar Public Pool

Odelios pressed up against the bars that surrounded the rather large pool. The clown eyed up the diving board, the pool chairs, and a beach ball floating in the water. There was even a hot tub next to the pool, full of flat water.

"Pool," the clown droned, putting his feet on the lower bar of the tall, metal pole fence. He glanced up at the metal spikes at the top, too intimidating to dare vault over the top. His painted face moved back down towards the waters, and repeated, "Poo-oooooooooooool~"

Souma watched the clown press right up against the bars, then threw his head back and howl, "POOOOOOOOL!" The public speaker raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the other two who were nearby.

"You think he's like that," he asked Takeo and Shuuya, "when he doesn't have an audience?"

"You're a public speaker, aren't you?" Takeo replied, smirking. "I'm sure it's the same thing, only he's more about humor than motivation."

"Touché, good sir," Souma said with a laugh, pointing at the mercenary. "Though this brings up many, many questions."

"Yeah, I know I'm baffled," Shuuya declared. "How the hell is there a pool full of clean water in this town?!"

It was true, the pool seemed rather clean and well-maintained, the tiles around the area more or less clean as if someone had scrubbed them. Even the beach ball in the water appeared new, which stood out so damn much in a town of rot and peeling paint and dirt.

"Even the mist isn't creeping in there," Shuuya commented, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow. "I really, really don't understand that, but I'm not going in those waters."

"I don't think we could even if we wanted," Takeo said, pointing to the main door of the building connected to the pool. "I tried the front door, it's locked."

Souma chuckled and said, "Oh, but we have two combative fellows here, surely a locked door isn't that big of a problem?"

"I'm not kicking down the door for a public pool," Shuuya declared.

"I WOULD!"

"We know, Odelios," Takeo commented, rolling his eyes.

"I'LL KICK THE SPLINT OUT OF THAT DOOR!"

"We know, Odelios."

Souma scanned the surrounding area, gathering his whereabouts. He remembered that they headed south from the plaza to get here, but this town had a rather confusing, almost dizzying affect when trying to navigate it.

"Maybe we could ask our hosts about this building?" he asked his fellow Ultimates. "I mean, as much far as it is to discuss bashing down a door, I'd like to know why this place is the only place locked, besides the town hall…"

"RISE AND SHINE, URSINE~!"

The five Kubs popped up, almost out of nowhere because of how shrouding the mists were. None of the humans flinched upon the sudden arrival, but they were rather confused.

"We actually wanted to answer that," Monotaro said, crossing his arms and looking as tough as possible. "It's important everyone knows what goes on in our town!"

"And kicking down doors is a no-no," Monophanie commented. "I mean, it's not against our rules, but it's violent and mean and a little too rough."

"BUT IT IS HARDCORE," Monokid bellowed, breaking his guitar over his own head. "So, answers! Answers to questions, we got them!"

"Ahem," Monosuke said, adjusting his glasses. "We wanted to make sure the pool was in tip-top condition for humans, as we understand that pool parties and gatherings in skimpy clothing is highly important to youse all, according to Hope's Peak Academy records."

"There was an awful lot of pool parties at Hope's Peak," Takeo commented, getting an odd stare from Shuuya. "Learing how to swim was just as important as being fluent in English and Japanese."

"So why is this locked then?" Souma asked, casting his eyes across the Kubs.

"It's not ready yet," Monotaro admitted, visibly deflating with how defeated he looked upon revealing this. "We… procrastinated. And some of us forgot whose turn it was to do the pool cleaning."

"Still gotta get the heater working, especially so we can get the jacuzzi up and running," Monosuke said. "You see, there's big money in what is known as the 'Fan Service' shot, and we're gonna profit big-time from this!"

"'Profit'? For who?" Shuuya asked. "This isn't a TV show! No one can even see us here in this hidden town."

Monosuke chuckled haughtily. "Sex sells, no matter what, good sir! That's why Monophanie wears a bikini at all times, and I look as smart as possible!"

"Wait, what?" Monophanie shouted, her little paws on her cheeks in shock. "No one told me about this-"

"HOWEVER!" Monokid hollered, waving his broken guitar around. "We will have the damn pool open tomorrow, including the shower room, the changing room, and the supply closet inside of the main building! Shower before and after swimming, bitches!"

Souma pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Noting that there was no signal whatsoever, he still could tell the time. "It's tomorrow now, technically. It's 12:18 AM now."

There was silence from the Kubs for a few seconds, and then Monotaro said, "Wait, what."

"Yes, it's the next day, all things considered."

"Oh," Monosuke growled, "you're one of those guys, are you?"

"You really want to get into a pool, don't you Souma?" Takeo cracked. "I'm not a Navy SEAL, I'm not really a pool person."

Shuuya sighed, trying to push how ridiculous this scenario was out of his mind and think of something, anything else. The idea that a famous public speaker was appealing to five mechanical bear cubs to open up a public pool in the middle of a ghost town, while a wildly dressed clown was bowing gratefully at the man trying to plead the case.

"This is ridiculous," the bounty hunter commented.

"I agree, why do we have to wait?" Odelios declared, jumping up from his bowing. "We have strong, strapping men right here! Takeo!"

The mercenary stared blankly at the clown. "What?"

"Kick down," Odelios shouted, pointing at the main door, "this doo-ooooaaaaaawr!"

"Maybe have a little patience?" Souma advised, drumming his fingers on his knuckles. "I mean, it might be open later today-"

WHAM!

Souma, Shuuya, and the Kubs jumped, startled, as a rather strong kick to the door echoed around the area. They all turned to see Takeo's boot print on the door, and the mercenary's leg raising up again.

"Oh no," Monophanie said, hands on her face in shock, "please STOP!"

Takeo froze, leg up in the air, and then lowered his limb. He turned and shrugged. "So is it going to be open later today or tomorrow?"

Everyone stared at him, and Odelios spoke up first. "Dude, are you joking around, and may I add stealing my shtick if you are?"

"No, I," Takeo said, nervously running a hand through his blue hair, "I just kind of have a tendency to follow orders when I'm given them. Life as a mercenary."

To say a grin spread across Odelios' face would be like saying it became brighter when the sun rises in the morning.

"No," Souma scolded the clown, "don't misuse this knowledge."

"So the pool," Monokid shouted over the chaos, "is gonna be open later today, since Mr. It's Tomorrow Now had to make us clarify! Just come by during the afternoon, mandatory pool party at 1:10 PM!"

"We'll provide swimsuits if someone didn't bring one," Monophanie said. "But we know our Hope's Peak students, you love your pool parties!"

"And your fan service!" Monosuke declared.

"And if you can donate to the barbecue that we will be having," Monotaro said, "we highly appreciate all supplies! Vegan meals are right out, we're bears, we don't support full plant eating!"

"…" concluded Monodam.

"SO LONG, BEAR WELL~!"

The five Kubs vanished off into the mist, so fast that not even the military veterans could track them. The four humans stood there, confused, bewildered, and most of all, pondering how the heck five little mechanical bears could prepare a pool.

Day 02, 12:19 PM

Ye Olde Café

"Here you all go," Drake said, placing three cups of decaf coffee down in front of those at the table. "It's actually quite amazing how much of the stuff back there is working! I, um, got some cream and sugar packets that still look good."

Angelique bat her eyes affectionately at the young man. "You're such a sweetheart. We're gonna have to find you a nice girl while we're here, my dear."

Drake was all blushes, then he noticed movement outside of the café. Ignatia had found Monokuma somehow, and was now chasing the panicking bear around; the mime had obviously remembered that he was the only bear she was allowed to abuse.

As the chase scene left his view, the cartoonist shook it off and glanced down at the people seated. Angelique had brought Yitro into the café with her, and Anzu had followed them in, wanting something to drink as well. Drake had already been there, making decaf coffee, when he had offered to make more for them.

The pale actress sipped from her mug, and muttered to herself, "I wonder if they stocked alcohol here too. I could do with a shot, it'd help me sleep well tonight."

"With how skinny you look," Yitro commented, raising an eyebrow, "I wonder what your limit really is."

Anzu grinned wickedly, running her finger around the rim of the mug. "You heard I did adult films, right? My limit is actually quite high, even if there's a lot of, ah, shots."

Her grin just grew even more wide with how flustered the two boys there looked. Chuckling, she sipped her drink again, and winked at Angelique. "But I am known for being able to take a nice, long drink from another source of shots."

The opera singer chuckled, and shook her finger at the actress. "Now now, my dear, a lady can be a little lewd, but should know the limit before it's crude."

Anzu nodded with a smile, then said, "I should probably leave then, I know you and Yitro wanted to talk alone and I kind of intruded."

"I'll go too, if you want," Drake offered.

"Not if you don't want to," Yitro said, "but it's just a bit of a sob sorry from a former Ultimate. Just the reason why I'm here and all."

Angelique's flirtatious smile instantly turned into a concerned frown. She stared at her friend, and said, "Please, tell me. You were so very proud of your skill when we were at Hope's Peak, and you look… so defeated now."

Flipping his platinum-white ponytail behind his shoulder, Yitro took a long swig of his decaf coffee as if it were the stiffest of stiff drinks. Exhaling, he groaned for a second before he spoke.

"After Hope's Peak, I traveled around the country for a while. Learned how to play a wooden flute, got pretty good at hiking, maybe read a romance novel or two when I got bored…

"I made some friends too. Jules, Malachai, Sylvia, great group of crazy personalities, you'd love them. We were a league of our own, especially when my brother joined up with us."

"Yone?" Angelique said, clasping her hands together. "Oh, I remember when he visited you sometimes! Almost as handsome as you are, my dear, it definitely runs in the family."

"I'm so gonna inquire more when you're done with your tale, my good sir," Anzu said, winking over her mug of decaf.

Yitro chuckled weakly, and then sighed. "It was great while it lasted, but unfortunately, the Tragedy was a dangerous time even for our wanderlust crew. It was hell, trying to defend ourselves from people with no fear of pain and all desire to hurt others. A sword is not the best way to non-lethally repress someone."

He placed his hand on his forehead, and stared down at the table. "We all had a lot to drink one night, and crashed at a trailer park. When I woke up, Yone was… dead. Pinned to the wall by my sword driven through his chest."

Angelique covered her mouth in shock. Drake and Anzu were both silent, unable to think of what to say.

"The trial went so swiftly, because the courts were desperate to put killers behind bars. I always thought it was also to make an example of me, to show they weren't afraid to punish Ultimates from Hope's Peak, but it was never made public. Probably why you didn't hear anything about it, my dear Angel."

The opera singer shuddered, and stared at him questioningly because she was having trouble finding the words. Yitro seemed to know what they were, however.

"I didn't know if I had killed my brother during some blacked-out drunk state, or something else. When I was in prison, I was convinced at one point, because when you're in jail with a bunch of violent, unstable people, even those not psychotic with Despair, it's hell. It's hell and I could barely survive some days, I was convinced I deserved this.

"But my friends never gave up. Those three, they kept trying to appeal my case, and eventually, they found a defense attorney who would take the case. Her name was Moji Salihan, a woman from the States who had made a name for herself defending those who had been falsely accused of murder.

"She was quite amazing. The moment my friends paid to fly her over, she was on my case, and found proof that I couldn't have killed my brother, proof that even I overlooked.

"But even with my freedom restored, and my amazing friends having my back, I still feel like it was my fault. My sword, in my brother, when I was too drunk to stop whoever had done it. I'll never unsheathe my sword again…"

He sighed, then managed a small smile. "Though it's still with my stuff, my friends made me promise to take it with me when I went on this little adventure. I want to know more about Despair, I want to know what causes it, and maybe, just maybe, I can find out who killed my brother down the line."

There was silence for a few seconds, then Drake sniffed as he repressed a sob. "That's… you're so cool, Mr. Stana," he said. "I hope we can help you out too, I'm sure all of us want to find out the answers to this place."

"Definitely," Anzu said, lacing her fingers together and tilting her head cutely to give him a sweet smile.

"I'm by your side," Angelique said, beaming at him and placing her hand on his shoulder. "We're going to find out the mystery of this place, mark my words!"

Yitro smiled at them, and breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled at this odd but comforting group of people…

Then he saw out of the corner of his eye Ignatia punting Monokuma through the air, in front of the window of the café.

Day 02, 12:21 PM

Penjar's Public Cafeteria

Hara inspected the stovetop, and lifted one of the pot lids. It was pristine inside, no grease or dust or old food inside. A quick look at all of the pots and pans showcased a rather clean, working kitchen. She glanced up from it, through the glass-less window that served for staff to get food immediately from the kitchen and bring it out to the serving tables.

"It looks all pretty workable back here, honey," Hara called out, waving to Isaac. "Looks like we won't have to rely on the breakfast and protein bars we brought."

"Oh great, our murderous, psychotic bear hosts are warningly accommodating," Isaac responded, rubbing his beanie against his head. "Well, I suppose that it is at least some comfort to know that there were funds and effort put into this. It's not one of those copycat killing games that is just some wannabe murderer hoping to get a lucky kill."

"We handled way too many of those copycats," Saiko remarked, leaning back in her chair. She glanced out the window lazily, as if she couldn't be bothered to get energy for the Killing Game she was in.

Her eyes widened as she saw the white 'n black bear of despair bounce down the sidewalk, waving his arms frantically and yowling, as a very determined mime chased after him for another kick.

"These people we're with are weird," she commented, glancing back at her friends. "I would have been so much more happy if it had just been the three of us."

"Maybe they'll be able to help us out," Hara said, offering a smile as she walked back into the dining area. "I mean, this is a pretty big town, if all the walking we did is any implication."

"That's the weirdest thing," Isaac said, sitting down at the table Saiko was at, joined shortly by his fiancée. "I actually feel like things… changed when we were walking."

"What do you mean?" Saiko asked.

"You see, when we were walking into the town before we met Monokuma's crazy kids, I swear that some of the shops that people are going through now weren't there before. It's like… the shops materialized inside of the buildings after we were introduced to the town."

Saiko raised an eyebrow at the reporter, and said, "I think you're reading too much into how the Killing Games that were broadcast. I know they had what appeared to be an evolving course, but I am not going to chalk this up as the supernatural just yet."

The three of them were quiet for a moment, trying to consider their options. It was obvious Saiko had something else she wanted to say, but didn't know if she should; eventually, she didn't want to repress it anymore.

"If you two want to get the hell out of here," she remarked, looking at them, "I will hold down the fort."

"Absolutely not," Isaac said, clenching his fist. "Hara and I decided we were going to do this together, no matter what."

"This isn't the first dangerous encounter I've had, Saiko," Hara explained. "You want me to rattle off all the things that have tried to kill me in my travels?"

"No, because I revised my list of horrific ways to go since I last saw you two," the forensic investigator commented, drumming her fingers against her temple. "It's not a fair competition if I tell you what happened to that professional bowler."

Hara removed her glasses and cleaned them off with a fabric cloth. She smiled and said, "Saiko, it's kind of you, but I'm not afraid to stay here. And thus, neither is Isaac."

Saiko glanced over at Isaac, who scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I did consider it," he admitted, "but she has told me that neither of us should stop our work just because we're worried about the other."

"You both better have a very nice and long honeymoon after this," Saiko commented. "In a place where there are no bears! Go explore… Antartica, adopt a family of penguins. There's no way a Killing Game could happen there."

Isaac cleared his throat. "If it could happen on the moon, it could-"

"Don't correct me on the rare occasion I'm trying to be nice!"

Saiko pulled her phone out of her pocket, and sighed angrily as she realized there was no internet connection. Turning on one of her offline app games, she started to play away.

Isaac and Hara realized this meant there would be little chance to get in contact with her any time soon, so they decided to chat amongst themselves. Isaac put his arm around Hara, and said softly, "Look, I won't lie when I say I reconsidered when I saw how many people would be here. Are you sure you want to stay?"

"I'm not afraid," she replied, smiling at him. "Trust me when I say that I can handle this, especially since this is important. If we can do anything to dispel Despair, I want to do it."

"You're such a brave woman," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

"I know," she chirped after the sweet smooch.

Their tender moment was followed by a rather loud slamming sound, as the main door of the cafeteria flung open. Fiora stood there, panting and gasping, sweat running down her forehead as she clenched her fedora with one hand, and the door handle with the other.

"It's crazy 'oot there," Fiora shouted, staring wildly at the three seated in the cafeteria. "This town is like a misty labyrinth! I swear that the roads and buildings kept changing whenever I backtracked."

"Hello there, B-Movie Maker," Saiko said, without even looking up from her game. "Thought you were leaving town when you realized your parents doomed you with their name choice."

"Oh come on!" The black 'n white haired woman stormed over to a nearby seat and plopped down in it. "Does everyone here knoo' about that dumb nickname? How is it I cannot escape it no matter where I go?"

"I never heard of it," Hara said. She felt guilty when Fiora smiled brightly, so she admitted, "But that's mostly because I haven't seen many movies in the past few years, I'm mostly traveling or working with Isaac on something."

"Ooo, I like to travel too," Fiora declared, clapping her hands together. "Like, I have been to a lot of places, where have you bin?"

"Are you really going to try and compete," Saiko said, still not looking up from her game, "with the Ultimate Explorer when it comes to travel, B-Movie Maker?"

"Hey now, anything to get the subject off that! Why you gotta be so harsh, eh?"

"Anyone who makes a movie called The Octopi With Nine Legs doesn't deserve to forget it."

Fiora pouted, crossing her arms underneath her breasts and turning her head to the side. "Hmmmph! At least it wasn't a shark movie. I was told I needed to make an aquatic animal attack movie when shark movies were becoming all the rage again, but do you knoo' how many stupid shark movies there are?!"

"No?" Hara admitted.

"Don't care," Saiko commented.

"Fiora, it's fine," Isaac tried to say, "we're not-"

"There was like thirty shark movies made in the last five years! Thirty shark movies, and I was expected to make one?! No, no, no I was going to make things about more creepy aquatic creatures!"

Isaac sighed as Fiora gave a rather animated rant about how octopi are so much scarier and original than sharks. During it, Saiko wordlessly got up, still playing her game. She waved good-bye to Hara and Isaac as she left the cafeteria. It took Fiora a few minutes to realize that she had lost a third of her audience.

"Um, was it something I said?" she asked Isaac and Hara.

"Saiko's a very focused woman, so to speak," Hara tried to explain. "If it's about work, she has the most amazing focus like you've ever seen; however, when she hasn't something to do professionally, that focus is all about how she can do anything else other than work."

Fiora glanced to the side, and then sighed. "Okay, maybe I went a little overboard with the sharks. … Hehe, overboard, sharks. I should remember that, that's clever."

She yawned rather loudly, and then checked her own phone. "Holy crap, it's past midnight. How's that possible, we only just got here, didn't we?"

"Time does go by remarkably fast when you're endangered, I have learned," Isaac commented. "Yes, it may be best to turn in for a while. We're definitely going to have to keep our wits about us."

Fiora nodded, then grinned a little sheepishly. "It's a shame, I kind of wanted to know a bit about you two. It's so cute, seeing a Hope's Peak couple like you two."

Hara hid her blush, and managed to giggle as she said, "We'll tell you more tomorrow, Fiora. For now, it's important we get some good sleep."

The three of them left the cafeteria, and headed towards the housing area. Only a few of the other Ultimates were still up, and those that were appeared ready to get a good night's sleep; it wasn't easy to accept, trying to sleep in a mysterious, dangerous ghost town.

Fiora watched as Isaac and Hara walked towards a building together, and noticed that the house was meant for both of them; even the pixel art of them portrayed them holding hands. A bit of envy welled up in the movie maker, but it was still so cute that she couldn't help but smile.

Inside of their room, Hara and Isaac did a quick search through their things. Finding everything there, they quickly dressed for bed, and pulled themselves into it while holding each other.

"Do you think," Hara whispered to him as she snuggled up close, "that it'll be okay to trust the others?"

"That I don't know yet, because that's the tricky thing about Despair. It hides within the best of us, and the worst of us may not have it. But I know that as long as I have my wits and you with me, we'll be good."

She smiled and kissed him, sighing in relief. The two became comfortable, and quickly fell to sleep, the exhaustion of such a roller coaster of a day hitting them hard.

Though they were only a couple in the few that did fall asleep right away. Some of the Ultimate graduates were unable to slumber, nerves and worries keeping them awake; it wasn't easy, falling asleep in a place that was passive-aggressive with its hostility, inhabited by a sadistic entity.

Some of these restless souls tried showering to help themselves calm down. Some of them tossed and turned for hours. A couple of them used their digital devices to get their minds off of the horrors (one of them had even brought a console, casually plugging it into the TV that was in their room).

And some of these people were preparing weapons.

Knives were sharpened. Guns were checked and double-checked, cleaned and prepared. Unorthodox weapons were also readied, from brass knuckles to hidden blades.

One of the most dangerous weapons of all, a cunning mind, was being used in several of these rooms. Plans were being made, strategies were being formed, lists were being made.

As the mists swirled down the road outside of the houses, formulas for either survival or devastation were stewing far more fervently inside of the buildings.

From across the road, Monokuma was staring the buildings. His evil red eye seemed to be forging animosity inside of that furnace-like glow. He stood there, motionless except for the wicked gleam of his left eye illuminating the mists curling around his body.

The Penjar Killing Game had officially begun, whether it had dawned everyone in the party of twenty-eight Hope's Peak graduates. Everyone was going to find out the limits to hope, despair, life, death, kindness, and sadism.

Welcome to the city of Penjar, indeed.

(Day 01 is over~)

(Monokuma Theater!)

*Monokuma is riding on a motorcycle that looks suspiciously like Kimiko's rental. He is wearing shades, a leather jacket, and is holding a particularly large rifle.*

Monokuma - "What is survival horror? Is it always in some dark and gloomy place? Is it enduring jump scares, or can it be just taking on the normal difficulties of everyday modern life?"

*He is driving towards what looks like a heavily armored-up, painted black tank, which has flames spewing from the main cannon for some reason.*

Monokuma - "If you think about it, the world is a very scary place if you compare it to an apocalyptic setting. Food, water, shelter, and ammo are you need there. The real world requires taxes, vaccines, mortgages, possible wars, traffic accidents, car insurance, thief insurance, someone saying you don't like somewhere on the internet…"

*Monokuma drives underneath the mega-weapon of a tank, and places a bomb underneath it. He does this as the motorcycle is run over.*

Monokuma - "Phone bills, internet bills, gas prices, grocery bills, pill bills, toll road payments, credit card bills, tips, hip replacements, the list goes on. So you see, real life should be considered survival horror as well. You're actually lucky to be part of something so simplistic."

*Monokuma walks away from the giant black tank, which is exploding and smoldering. He lowers his shades to grin all the more at the camera.*

Monokuma - "This has been the first installment of the Monokuma Theater, for your viewing entertainment and your mental stimulation. I hope to see you all more in the future!"

…

28 Graduates remain in Penjar.