Author's Note
Welcome everyone to Danganronpa: A Different Reality.
Where as the name suggests, this takes place in a different reality than normal Danganronpa. So characters will act differently, different stuff will happen, and well, some other things that you'll just have to read to find out.
One more thing, if something is in italics that's supposed to represent the blue dialogue from the game. And if something is bold that means yellow.
So without further ado, please enjoy.
-MisterStevenson
We open to show a dark room, then a lamp turns on revealing the silhouette of a man with long hair. It shows that he's facing a bloodied man who's tied to a chair, the male figure signals to someone offscreen and a clicking sound can be heard.
"Well That's a Shocker!"
A collar is suddenly strapped to the tied man, and he slowly starts to get electrocuted. More and more shocks can be seen coming off the man, then it cuts to the figure again, then it cuts to a shot of the room, revealing rows and rows of black and white teddy bears. Then finally, it cut back to the tied up man, who was now nothing more than a smoking pile of bones.
The long-haired man can be seen laughing as he looks over to his left. Another silhouette of a man is standing by a wall, he nods and gives a thumbs up, then he tosses a remote to the long-haired man. He smiles sadistically.
After that we cut to a monologue.
?- The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world.
We cut to a bird's eye view of a giant high school.
?- Hope's Peak Academy…It brings in top students from every field imaginable. A government funded school of privilege…They say that if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life. With hundreds of years of traditions, it sends the cream of the crop into the workforce every year.
?- It was built to raise hope in the nation's future. Which makes Hope's Peak a pretty fitting name. There are two things you need to attend this school…One, you have to already be attending high school. Two, you have to be the very best of the best at what you do. No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you're scouted by the school itself.
?- And standing there at the gate of the ultimate school filled with the ultimate students…was me.
It panned down to show a boy standing in front of the school's gate.
Makoto Naegi- "Before we go any farther, I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Makoto Naegi." As you can see, I'm nothing but a hopelessly average high school student. Average on the outside, average on the inside. I really don't have much going for me when it comes to grades, special abilities, even personality.
Makoto Naegi- I mean yeah, I have hobbies and stuff I like to do, but it's not like I'm psychic or a mutant. Like, if you asked me what my favorite song was, or my favorite movie or TV show…They'd all just be whatever's popular at that particular moment. Even among the average, I'm completely average. So I can't even say I'm your "everyday hero" type.
Makoto Naegi- That's just who I am. Anyway, I figure it's always good to introduce yourself right off the bat. But you know, If I have any kind of "strong point", so to speak…I'd say I'm a little more gung-ho than other people. I mean look at me. I'm completely ordinary, but still.
Makoto Naegi- Here I am, standing in front of the anything but ordinary Hope's Peak Academy. I still can't believe I'm standing here. I wonder if someone like me can survive in a place like this…It's got this overwhelming presence…like it's trying to swallow me whole. But it's no wonder I would feel that way. What you have to understand is…
Makoto Naegi- Well, let me just tell you about the "preparation" I did last night to get ready for today.
But at that moment, Makoto's head started to feel funny.
"Okay, maybe I should cut the introduction short and go inside." Makoto said almost robotically.
Makoto then starts walking into Hope's Peak.
He entered a room near the front of the school. "This is where we're supposed to meet right? I guess I'm the first one here." Makoto said, then he thought to himself. "There's a really elegant clock in the corner. It says it's 7:10 AM. The meeting doesn't start until 8 o' clock. So there's still a full 50 minutes left. It makes sense nobody would be here yet…
Makoto was cut off yet again as his vision started to fade and contort. Until at last, he was seeing nothing but some sort of vortex. "What the-!?" Makoto tried to say, before his vision completely faded to black.
Welcome to Despair– Prologue
Makoto woke up in some sort of empty classroom. "Wh-what? Where am I?" Makoto then felt another pain shoot through his head. "Good, you're awake. I was wondering if you'd already died." Makoto was hearing…himself? "You should hurry to the door…there's some people waiting to meet you." The voice in Makoto's head went quiet as Makoto stared off.
"Wait, what was I just doing? Oh right, I was gonna head back to the front of the school." Makoto said blankly. Makoto looked around to see some sort of pamphlet, a TV screen with a camera attached hanging from the ceiling, and huge metal plates blocking the windows. After investigating he walked out of the classroom and into the hallway.
Makoto started walking, passing more camera-screens along the way, until he stopped at a door. "Jeez, even the hallway is- wait, why am I in the hallway?" Makoto asked, confused. "I must be more out of it than I thought." He concluded. "Well for now I'll just head to the main hall…" Makoto continued walking.
Makoto was getting close to the main hall, where the door was already open. He could hear the sound of banging on metal. He went through to see…three people already there.
Three boys were trying to punch and kick through some kind of giant vault door.
"Dammit, I told you it wasn't gonna work!" One of the three, an orange-haired boy said to the guy in the middle, a boy with short black hair, and wearing a suit.
"Well we can't just give up! For all we know we're trapped here!" Said the guy in the middle.
"Yes, I agree! We must keep going until we can't go anymore!" Said another boy with black hair, standing to the far right and wearing a white military uniform.
Then the orange-haired kid turned back and saw Makoto awkwardly standing there.
"Whoa, hey! Another new kid?" The orange-haired boy said.
The two others turned around and looked at Makoto as well.
"Huh? So guys are…?" Makoto asked the three.
"Ultimates? You would be correct if you assumed so." The boy in the uniform said while standing at attention.
"Huh, I thought there were just the fifteen of us." The boy in the suit said.
"Wait, fifteen?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah, well since it looks like we're not getting through this door anytime soon, we'll take you to meet the others." The boy in the suit said.
"Yes, single-file everyone!" The boy in the uniform started marching forward.
The three then guided Makoto some ways until they reached a cafeteria area. Where everyone else was waiting…
"Hey everyone! We found another person!" The boy with orange hair called out.
Makoto counted 12 other people sitting at a large table.
"So counting him, that makes sixteen. Seems like a good cut-off point, but I wonder if this is everyone…" Said a fat boy with glasses.
Standing before me were the "Ultimate Students" that had been hand-picked by the school. I looked around at everyone who'd gathered there, and even the three students who escorted me here, taking in their faces one at a time. Maybe I was just imagining it, but I swear I could feel a familiar aura coming from each of them…
"Um…how's it going? My name's Makoto Naegi. Sorry I'm late. A bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden I was just asleep…" Makoto introduced himself.
"Whoa, you too?" Said an older-looking boy with long, poofy hair.
"Things just keep getting more and more curious." A pale girl wearing gothic-looking clothing said. "Oh by the way, how did that "escape" work out?" She continued.
"Shut the hell up." The orange-haired boy said dejectedly.
"Hold on, what's everyone talking about? I honestly have no idea what's going on right now." Makoto asked, hoping someone would answer.
"Hey, we're just as confused as you. It's like one minute we were in Hope's Peak, then we woke up here." The boy in the suit explained.
"Hold on, I just remembered something important!" The boy in the uniform said as he pointed at Makoto. "Makoto! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you were aware the meeting was to start at 8 AM sharp! To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!" The boy scolded.
"Report to who? We still don't know what the hell's going on!" A tough-looking boy with a pompadour yelled.
"*sigh* It's not like he wanted to be late or anything. Can you just stop yelling already?" A blank faced girl with blond pigtails asked from one side of the large table.
"Everyone just calm down! Listen, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?" Asked a tan skinned girl.
"The hell!? Now's no time for friggin' introductions!" The tough-looking boy snapped back.
"Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we all are before digging into the bigger problems here. I mean, how are we even supposed to talk to each other if we don't know each other's names?" The pale-skinned girl said.
"That's a good point…" A small girl said.
"Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sound good?" A blue-haired girl asked.
I'm still totally lost, but I think it's best to just focus on getting to know each other for now. So I guess this is as good a chance as I'm gonna get. I already looked up on that Hope's Peak Academy thread online, but…I still don't really know what kind of people they actually are. Time to find out…
I'll start by talking to the three that brought me here.
Makoto went over to the orange-haired kid first.
"Yo! The name's Leon Kuwata. What's up?"
Leon Kuwata—Ultimate Baseball Star
I recognize that name…He played the national high school champs as their cleanup hitter. The Ultimate Baseball Star…And that superb athletic specimen is…
"You? Seriously!?" Makoto shouted.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Leon responded.
"N-Nothing, I'm just…surprised. I figured with you being the Ultimate Baseball Star and all…" Makoto started to trail off.
"What, were you expecting some kid with a shaved head or something?" Leon half joked.
"Shaved head? No, I was expecting more of a, you know, sporty-looking traditional baseball player type. I mean, when I found that article and picture of you online, that's how you looked then."
"What? Aw man, you found that picture of me playing baseball? Seriously? I hate that picture! Ugh, I'm like, mega embarrassed right now. I had to shave my head because it's part of the national championship regulations! And now I refuse to cut my hair that short again. And I'm not gonna dye it back to normal either!"
"Oh wow, all that because of a picture?" Makoto asked.
"Hey, can I be honest with you? I actually don't like baseball, I haven't been to a single practice in months." Leon confessed.
He hasn't practiced in months, and he was still his team's star player? He's some kind of prodigy…
"And as soon as I got accepted here, I quit baseball for good! I have my own dream for the future! My only path in life is getting into music! You can feel that star-quality aura I have, right? I'm gonna be a singer, so all I need is a songwriter and someone on guitar, and we're set! This new version of me is, like…super cool to the max!" Leon said with determination.
I can't believe what I'm hearing. I never imagined I'd hear something like that from a baseball all-star…
Makoto turned to the other two boys, and they were talking to each other. Maybe I should let them finish their conversation before introducing myself. Makoto thought to himself. He then walked towards another group of people, he approached a blue-haired girl.
"Hi, I'm Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you!
Sayaka Maizono—Ultimate Pop Sensation
The way she moves is positively mesmerizing. And that pleasant scent I can't quite place…Sayaka Maizono…When I saw her name in that thread online, frankly I was pretty surprised.
She's in a pop group famous all across the country. In fact, she's their lead singer…As the Ultimate Pop Sensation, she's in high demand to appear on TV and in magazines everywhere. But actually, that's not the only reason I was so surprised to find out she'd be going to this school. I'm sure she doesn't remember, but…
Well, never mind. No matter how you slice it, she's really beautiful. Almost like a doll or something…
"I'm not a doll you know, I'm alive!" She laughed.
"Huh? Did you hear me!?" Makoto asked, taken aback.
"I'm psychic,'' she said with a deadpan expression. "Huh!?" Makoto cried out. Sayaka started to laugh. "I'm only kidding! I just have really good intuition." She smiled. "Well she's a sharp one that's for sure…" Makoto thought.
"Huh? Hey by any chance…?" Sayaka started to trail off. "What now?" Makoto questioned. "Yeah, it must be. I'm sure of it." She started to perk up. "Hey Makoto. Did-" she was suddenly interrupted by the uniformed boy coming between the two.
"Jeez, you guys! How long do you plan to waste our valuable time with this ridiculous back-and-forth!?" He said angrily. "U-um sorry, I guess I got a little carried away with myself…" Sayaka said, looking down. "Self-introductions are for introducing yourself, not bumbling through a bunch of idle chit-chat!" He finished by putting his hands to his sides, he walked back over to the boy in the suit.
Sayaka looked at Makoto with sad eyes. "Sorry Makoto, we can talk about this later." She walked away. "It sounded like Sayaka really had something she wanted to say. Oh well, like she said, we can talk later." Makoto then turned to the uniformed boy and the suited boy. He thought to himself, "If you can interrupt my conversation, then I'll interrupt yours." Makoto bitterly thought.
He walked up to the uniformed boy and made his presence known. "Hey, my name's Makoto Naegi. But you know that already, what's yours?" Makoto said a little louder than necessary.
The boy turned to face Makoto and said. "Hi, I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru. I believe in bold simplicity! Let's work together on our educational crusade!" He said very loudly.
Kiyotaka Ishimaru—Ultimate Moral Compass
"So this guy's Kiyotaka. According to what I saw about him on that thread…He went to a famous private school and won top honors every year. He's basically a flawless honor student…He's also known for the work he's done with his community's Public Morals Committee. They say he respects rules above all else, earning him the title of Ultimate Moral Compass."
"Hey you there? Daydreaming isn't welcome in a top-school environment!" Kiyotaka shouted Makoto out of his thoughts. "Oh no, I was just thinking about what to say next." Makoto lied. "Ahh, someone who always thinks before they speak. That's a smart thing to do, but taking that long to think before saying something…We can work on that though!" He started to go on about something unrelated, until the boy in the suit nudged him.
"Hey, introductions, remember?" He said with a hint of annoyance. "Oh right, anyway, you can call me Taka. You said your name was Makoto Naegi right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, yes my name is Makoto Naegi." Makoto answered nervously.
Upon hearing this, Taka's demeanor changed entirely. "That's a good name, a strong name! You should thank your parents for giving you such an excellent name." He said with a laugh. "And to keep that name from losing its value, you must devote yourself every single day! Life is worth putting every ounce of effort into it! Right? Right!" He pointed straight at Makoto's face.
"This guy is…kind of annoying." Makoto thought. "And also, I would like to apologize for interrupting you earlier, it was rude…and I am sorry." Taka gave a polite bow. "Well, at least he's polite." Makoto thought as he turned to face the boy in the suit.
"Well I might as well introduce myself too." The boy said, then he walked forward. "I'm Genkai Sato, nice to meet you." He extended his hand.
Genkai Sato—Ultimate Politician
Makoto shook Genkai's hand, then he remembered something. "Wait, I've seen this guy on the news a few times. He was originally the Ultimate Motivational Speaker, but his charisma and speaking skills were so good that one day he made a bold and controversial decision. He campaigned to be a member of the Diet, and he ended up winning. He became the youngest politician in history, at just 15 years old, later changing his title to that of the Ultimate Politician.
"You space out a lot, you know that?" Genkai said to a still entranced Makoto. Makoto snapped back to reality and acknowledged the person in front of him. "I just can't believe I'm meeting a real politician, especially The Ultimate Politician!" Makoto said excitedly. "Well I'm honored to see you're actually excited to meet me." He said humbly.
"Well come on, these are introductions, not awkward small talk. Tell me a little about yourself Makoto." Genkai said with a smile. "Oh, well there's not much to tell. I don't really have any unique likes or dislikes, the only thing that really stands out about me is that I won the school's raffle to come here." Makoto started to look down.
Hmm, well there's lots of people like you, I mean not the raffle part, so there's something." Genkai said, trying to get Makoto to look on the positive side. "Well, now I'll tell you a few things about me." He started listing things off.
"Well, due to my career I do a lot of traveling, I have two little sisters, my favorite food is peanut butter, and I can be a bit chatty when it comes to things I like." When he finished, Makoto was left standing with wide eyes. "Wow, that's a lot of stuff." Makoto finally said.
"Yeah well, there's lots of people out there that're more interesting than me. Well I'm sure you want to meet the others, so I'll just say one more time, nice to meet you Makoto." Genkai said as he walked away.
"Huh, he's a surprisingly nicer guy in person than I thought he'd be." Makoto thought to himself. Makoto decided to introduce himself to a shy-looking girl with glasses next. He walked up and introduced himself.
"N-not that you'll remember my name anyway, but…I'm T-Toko…Toko Fukawa." She stuttered.
Toko Fukawa—Ultimate Writing Prodigy
"Oh yeah, she wrote a novel when she was ten that got everyone talking and launched her literary career. Then two years ago she released "So lingers the Ocean", a love story said to be her masterpiece. The book was such a hit with women that fishermen quickly shot to the top of every "Hottest Men" poll. Despite her age, she's won countless literary prizes, and all her books are best-sellers. Which is why she's come to be known as the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. What else would you call such a young and talented author?" Makoto was staring off into space as he was monologuing.
"...Wh-what? It's not polite to stare, you know." Toko said as Makoto snapped out of his trance. "Geez, Taka and Genkai are right, I *do* space out a lot." Makoto quickly thought as he turned his attention back to Toko. "Stop staring at me like I'm some filthy creature!" She shouted. "F-filthy creature? Wait, I'm not staring on purp-" Makoto tried to say.
"O-oh, you can make excuses all you want! But in reality, you're thinking "Oh my god, that is the ugliest woman I've ever seen! I'm gonna stare the fat bitch up until she cries, right!?" She kept shouting. "N-no, that wasn't what I was thinking at all!" Makoto tried to convince Toko.
"Don't bother trying to lie! You're in deep now buster!" Toko said, her eyes turning red. "Well shit, now you got me worked up! I need a minute to cool down." Toko said as she walked off, leaving a scared and confused Makoto. "That didn't go the way I expected it to go at all." He finally composed himself.
"Alright, now I should introduce myself to those five." Makoto said, looking at five other people. There was a depressed-looking blonde girl with pigtails, a tough-looking boy with a pompadour, a pale girl wearing gothic lolita clothing, a fat boy with glasses, and a girl with purple hair.
He went over to the pale girl and introduced himself. "Ah greetings, I am Celestia Ludenberg." She said politely.
Celestia Ludenberg—Ultimate Gambler
"Celestia…Luden…huh?" Makoto asked, confused. "Ludenberg, it is my name. But if you don't mind, I would prefer you call me Celeste." She said with a smile. "Um…you *are* Japanese right?" Makoto asked.
Celeste responded by saying. "Yes…and no." "What do you mean "Yes and no?'' Makoto asked. "I mean, I'm half Japanese, and half French. That explains my accent." Celeste explained, still smiling.
Makoto took a careful look at Celeste's face. "Yeah, I don't buy it at all. But I'm not gonna call her a liar on our first interaction." Makoto thought to himself. "That's very interesting Celestia, I look forward to getting to know you." Makoto tried his best to attempt a polite bow.
This got a small chuckle out of Celeste who responded with. "Well I look forward to getting to know you too Makoto. Also I said earlier I would much rather be called Celeste." She was a little forceful with that last part. Then she walked away.
"Well she's polite yet a little forceful, but I also think she's a bit of a liar regarding that part about her being half-French." Makoto thought to himself. "I guess the rumors in that thread were right about her. The self-styled "Celestia Ludenberg", she's the Ultimate Gambler who's never lost a bet. Other than her…wait, I need to go through this quicker, otherwise I'll just space out again!" Makoto thought.
"Okay, she dresses like a goth, she's wrapped in a veil of lies, she won an underground gambling tournament earning her the title "Queen of Liars." Makoto listed off quickly.
"Alright that wasn't so bad, now I should probably introduce myself to someone else." Makoto thought as he looked around. He decided on the boy with the pompadour, he went up and introduced himself.
"Name's Mondo Oowada. Nice to fuckin' meetcha." He said, looking away.
Mondo Oowada—Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
"Mondo Oowada, he's the leader of the largest biker gang in Japan. Despite his age, he's earned the respect and awe from every gang in the country. That's why he's the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader…" Makoto monologued to himself.
"Well uh, nice to meet you too." Makoto replied. Then there was an awkward silence. "Hell yeah it is." Mondo finally said. "From what I heard earlier, I'd expect him to be someone that I'd want to avoid at all costs. But he's a guy who struggles with a simple introduction?" Makoto thought. After this awkward introduction, Makoto decided to go towards the girl with purple hair.
"Greetings, I'm Kyoko Kirigiri. I hope we can get along nicely." She said with a smile.
Kyoko Kirigiri—Ultimate ?
"Why am I feeling on-edge just talking to this girl?" Makoto shivered. "Let me guess, you're unnerved by me talking to you?" Kirigiri asked with a hand on her hip. "Umm, well…" Makoto stuttered. "*sigh* Don't worry, I've been dealing with it for years. But if it's happening here, then maybe someone as scary and hopeless as me doesn't deserve friends." She said while longingly looking at one of her gloves. "Okay, I need to leave, like, right now!" Makoto screamed in his head. "Well um, it was nice meeting you and all that. But there's plenty of other people I need to meet." Makoto briefly said. "*chuckle* Well don't let me stop you Makoto, go on ahead." Kirigiri said with a smile and an arm behind her head.
As Makoto was walking away he thought. "Her appearance does not match her personality at all! And she didn't even tell me what her ultimate talent was." Makoto snapped himself out of his thoughts and looked towards the fat boy with glasses. "Well, let's get this over with." He thought.
Makoto went over and introduced himself. "I am Hifumi Yamada. But if you want to call me by my nickname, "The Alpha and the Omega!" I don't mind."
Hifumi Yamada—Ultimate Fanfic Creator
"By the way, how much do you know about the world of 2d art?" Hifumi asked, adjusting his glasses. "*sigh* Not that much I guess." Makoto said, getting tired of these introductions.
"Well here's a lesson. In that world, I am known and supremely regarded as the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. I once sold 10'000 copies of…" Hifumi trailed off. "Ugh, I don't care that you do this for a living, can you just say your name and be done with it!...Wow, where did that come from? Maybe this situation is starting to take a toll on me." Makoto thought.
"For my work is filled with the deepest of meanings…" Hifumi was still speaking. "Huh what's up? Oh I mean, what kinds of meanings?" Makoto broke out of his trance and continued listening. "It's about embracing our basest urges. And that Makoto…is your lesson in the world of 2d art." Hifumi concluded. "That was um…very enlightening." Makoto said as he backed away.
And finally there was the blonde girl with pigtails. Makoto went up and introduced himself. She looked up and said in a depressed tone. "My name is Junko Enoshima, I'm looking forward to knowing you or whatever."
Junko Enoshima—Ultimate Fashionista
"Geez, she doesn't look happy to be here." Makoto thought. "Hey, why're you so sad?" Makoto asked the dejected-looking Junko. "Honestly…I don't remember. I mean, I literally can't remember anything about myself. I mean other than my name and the fact I'm apparently the Ultimate Fashionista, my mind is a total blank." Junko said with a straight face.
"That's horrible, I can't imagine going through that." Makoto felt bad for the blonde girl who merely started walking away, but paused. "Hey question, on the way here…do you feel like you were being rushed by something?" Junko asked. "Maybe, I was still confused about waking up in a classroom." Makoto responded, and at that, Junko finally walked away.
Makoto felt sorry for Junko as he turned to look at the final few students he hadn't introduced himself to yet. He looked to see a boy with crazy, poofy hair, a tan girl wearing a sports jacket, a boy with blonde hair and glasses, a small girl with short hair, and a super buff looking girl(?) with long silver hair.
Makoto went over to the tan girl and introduced himself. "Heya, I'm Aoi Asahina! But my friends just call me Hina. 'Sup?" She said in a cheery tone.
Aoi Asahina—Ultimate Swimming Pro
"Aoi Asahina, she's been breaking swimming records since she's been in elementary school. She's even an upcoming Olympic cadet. She is without a doubt, the Ultimate Swimming Pro." Makoto quickly went through and got back to the real conversation.
"So uh…what was your name again? Sorry, I completely forgot." Hina said, embarrassed. "It's Makoto Naegi…" Makoto had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Okay seriously, did I hit my head on the way into Hope's Peak, and that's why I'm starting to act differently?" Makoto wondered.
"Makoto Naegi…Makoto…Naegi…" Hina kept repeating to herself. "Oh by the way, do you like donuts?" Hina asked a little too excitedly. "I mean, I like plain glazed donuts if that's what you're asking." Makoto answered, confused.
Hina looked a little angry at Makoto's response. "Well, I guess we can be friends at some point. Also Makoto Naegi…call me Aoi." Hin-I mean, Aoi started walking away muttering, "Plain donuts, really?"
Makoto started to shake his head and walk over to the small girl. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Chihiro Fujisaki…" She introduced.
Chihiro Fujisaki—Ultimate Programmer
"Sorry, I get kinda embarrassed when I introduce myself like this…Anyway, I hope we can get along…" Chihiro said softly. "Same here, nice to meet you." Makoto noticed Chihiro was fidgeting and looking at everyone. "Hey uh, are you okay?" Chihiro turned towards Makoto and gave a hasty, "Oh I'm fine, just a little nervous is all, and nothing more."
"Okay then, well it was nice to meet you Chihiro." Makoto said as he started backing away.
After that, Makoto then decided to walk up to the buff girl(?). "I am Sakura Ogami." She said.
Sakura Ogami—Ultimate Martial Artist
"Oh jeez, I almost asked if she was a guy… The day I make that mistake is the day I find out what a shattered spine feels like. But now that I hear the name, Sakura Ogami competed in a martial arts tournament in America and won, despite being a girl. She's the Ultimate Martial Artist for a reason, she's fought in over 400 matches and never lost." Makoto monologues to himself.
"Hey, you." Sakura said with crossed arms. "Huh? Y-Yes!?" Makoto quickly responded. "Then she started to poke and prod at my body…Um…what are you…?" Makoto started to get uncomfortable.
"Muscular quality and quantity is right around that of an extremely ordinary high school student…Hmph. What a shame. You're not at all fit to act as my training partner." Makoto was completely bummed by her comments. "Well actually, maybe it's not such a shame…for me that is." The two parted ways and Makoto went up to the second-to-last person, the boy with crazy, poofy hair.
As Makoto walked up to him he noticed that his eyes looked slightly bloodshot, and there was a strange smell coming from him. Makoto introduced himself.
"Yo dude, I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure–Hiro for short. Just relax and take it easy, okay? Cause I know I will." Then he started laughing for some reason.
Yasuhiro Hagakure—Ultimate Clairvoyant
"Yasuhiro Hagakure, also known as "Supernova" in the psychic community. The trend-setting Ultimate Clairvoyant…honestly I don't get all that fortune-telling stuff. It's pretty beyond me. Still, I can't help but wonder if there's any truth to it." Makoto was suddenly interrupted by the fortune-teller.
"Oh, it's real. In fact, I've reached a heightened sense of enlightenment because of it." Hiro started rambling while Makoto was left shocked. "Did he just read my mind!? Or maybe he just started talking and I wasn't paying attention?" Makoto tried to rationalize. "Well that's very interesting, and I guess I'll see you later!" Makoto tried to leave, but was stopped by Hiro.
"Hold on buddy, just one question…Can I borrow some money?" Hiro held out his hand. "What? NO!" Makoto shouted at the fortune-teller. "Damn, well I tried." Hiro immediately gave up and walked away. "Well that was certainly…an encounter." Makoto then turned to face the last person, the boy with blonde hair and glasses, then walked over to him.
"Name's Byakuya Togami."
Byakuya Togami—Ultimate Affluent Progeny
"Well it's…nice to meet you." Makoto awkwardly said. Byakuya just kept looking at everything, and everyone. "This is the most half-assed introduction I've ever seen. But there isn't really anything I can do about it. Even among Ultimate students, this one is special."
"Excuse me, I don't know if anyone has asked you this yet. But did you feel anything…strange, on the way here?" Byakuya suddenly asked. "Huh, what do you mean?" Makoto was taken a little off-guard.
"I mean, did you see or hear anything when you first woke up here, but decided not to investigate for some reason? Because I saw quite a number of "interesting" things on my way to this cafeteria." He continued as if Makoto wasn't even there. "As soon as the excitement starts to die down, I'm going to investigate this place properly this time. But for now I can only wait for some kind of hint as to what's going on here." Byakuya finished.
"Well, I suppose all the introductions are done. Hmm…Even though they're all "ultimate", they each have their own individual…something.
"Okay, time to get down to business." Byakuya suddenly spoke up. "Now that introductions are out of the way, maybe we should finally start focusing on the bigger problem?" He addressed everyone. "Oh yeah, I think I heard something earlier about a bigger problem or something?" Makoto said curiously.
"Well, you see…Makoto, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you were "just asleep", right? Well the same is true for all of us." Sayaka said.
"What? Seriously!? Everyone?" Makoto couldn't believe it. "*nods* It's true, it doesn't matter what we were doing when we entered the academy, the second we entered the main hall we just…lost consciousness. Genkai responded.
"And when we came to, we were all somewhere here in the school! That's what happened to you, right?" Leon finished. "But that's just…weird, that every one of us would just get knocked out like that…" Makoto said, confused.
"Exactly! That's why we're all freakin' out!" Mondo shouted. "And that's not the only thing. You saw all the TV screens on the way here, right?" Taka asked everyone.
*Flashback*
But instead of just normal screens, they had these cameras mounted above them! What's that about!?
*Flashback End*
"And all of my stuff's missing, even my cellphone. *sigh* Or did I even bring a cellphone…?" Junko said quietly. "Yeah you're right, I haven't seen my PDA either." Chihiro said, twitching. "And then there's the main hall." Taka said, pointing to the entrance of the cafeteria. "The front door is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch. But there wasn't anything like that when I first got here…!" Taka exclaimed.
"And I had the brilliant plan of forcing the door open. But as Makoto can tell you…it didn't work out too well…" Genkai said, looking at the ground. "Maybe we got caught up in some sort of crime?" Junko theorized.
"What, like a kidnapping? You think someone grabbed us and we're not at school, but at a place that LOOKS like a school?" Leon added in. "Come on dude, don't think like that. Cheer up! I bet this is just a convoluted orientation…thing" Yasuhiro tried to sound serious.
"S-So you think they just wanted to surprise us?" Chihiro started to look paranoid. "Well if that's the case, then I definitely need a little shuteye after this whole ordeal. I mean, I thought I was about to have my first heart attack!" Leon started to calm down.
"I could feel the tension in the room start to evaporate…But then…it began." Makoto thought, grimly.
*Ding dong, bing bong*
All the TVs in the cafeteria turned on, revealing the silhouette of what appeared to be a man with long hair. "Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mic check, one two! This is a test of the school's broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay then!" The voice was so…excited, but a little laid-back…it was completely bone-chilling considering our situation. I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread overtake me, it was like listening to someone who was excited to be on death row.
"I would like all students to report to the gymnasium at…right now! For I will be beginning the entrance ceremony! So please don't dilly-dally, you don't wanna know what happens to people who miss the ceremony…" He said that last part with a very sinister tone. Then the TVs turned off, leaving everyone in a state of fear and confusion.
"What. The. Hell was that just now?" Junko broke the silence. "Well, he said to go to the gymnasium immediately right? So I suggest we follow along." Byakuya walked out of the cafeteria. "Don't worry everyone, this whole thing is just to get us all pumped up for the entrance ceremony!" Hiro was still calm despite all this.
One by one, people started filing out of the cafeteria. But I was frozen in place, unable to shake that feeling of dread from earlier. And it seemed I wasn't the only one. Sayaka, Kirigiri, Chihiro, and Sakura were still in the cafeteria.
"This…doesn't seem right." Sayaka looked at the ground. "See! This is exactly why I was hesitant to come here in the first place!" Chihiro was freaking out. "Perhaps your fears are justified. But we won't get anywhere by standing here. Also, I'm a bit curious as to what's really going on here." Kirigiri said as she left the cafeteria, Chihiro following closely behind.
"If we do not move forward, we learn nothing. The only choice is to push ahead." Sakura also left the cafeteria. "I didn't get elected by being a coward. We must face this threat head on if we are to eventually come out on top." Genkai was looking back at Makoto as he left the cafeteria.
"Well, since everyone else left…I guess I have no choice." Makoto gathered all his courage and made the quiet journey to the gymnasium. After a bit of walking, Makoto found himself standing in front of a door that said "Gym" at the top. He opened it and was met with several other students waiting outside.
"God, I had no idea this Hope's Peak Academy place was gonna be such a pain in my balls. It really ain't that different from the time I spent in juvie. Hell, this place is even worse!" Mondo was complaining, and rightfully so. "And why isn't there anyone here? Walking through the halls, I didn't see a single person…" Sayaka pointed out.
"Look, they're just trying to scare us! They'll explain everything after the ceremony, and I'm sure we can all laugh about this later…" Taka interjected. "All we can do is hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Sakura said.
Well hell, it ain't like I'm scared or nothin'. Let's just get this over with!" As Mondo finished he went into the gymnasium, everyone followed.
"It took all my courage to enter the gym, and when I did I saw…" Makoto thought. It showed 16 chairs organized into two rows. "Oh, it really does look like an entrance ceremony." Makoto was slightly relieved.
"There, see? I told ya! It's just totally normal entrance ceremony stuff." Hiro exclaimed to everyone. "Hiro was right…but he wasn't right for long." Suddenly, a voice rang out through the gym.
"Hey there people, how ya doin'! Doin' good? Alright! I guess you've waited long enough, so let's get this thing rolling!" A male voice rang out through the gym's intercom.
Everyone looked towards the stage to see a giant TV being lowered down. And when it turned on, it revealed the same silhouette from earlier.
"Yo yo yo everyone! What's up?" The silhouette spoke with a weird tone of voice. "Who the hell's this guy?" Mondo asked from the crowd. "Well I'm glad you asked Mr. Corncob! You may call me The Operator, and I'm your new Headmaster!" He made some sort of gang sign as he finished.
"It was the strangest thing I've ever seen. He was acting like an adult trying to be cool, but why could I tell something was really…off about him." Makoto thought.
"Now every Headmaster needs a little help, so I'd like you to put your hands together for…" A drum beat started playing over the intercom. "And then, if this couldn't get any stranger. A black-and-white teddy bear jumped out from behind the podium." "Monokuma, my wonderful assistant!" The voice finished. "Nice to meet you all!" A cheery voice came from the bear.
I can't comprehend what I'm seeing right now. Such happy and cheery voices, it's turning all my previous anxiety into outright fear." Makoto's eyes went wide.
"Wh-? Whaaaaaaah! That teddy bear can talk!" Hifumi panicked. "Calm down, I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it." Taka tried to rationalize.
"I'm not a teddy bear…I'm Monokuma!" Monokuma started making angry eyes at everyone. "Waaaaah! It moved!" Hifumi screamed.
"Seriously dude, calm down! It's probably just a remote controlled toy or something." Leon tried to calm down Hifumi. "Oh that cut me deep just now! Waaay deeper than the Mariana Trench. I'm not some child's plaything! My inner workings are so complex, that even the folks over at NASA wouldn't be able to recreate or even comprehend it!" Monokuma said with a lot of smugness in his voice.
"Heh heh, well I'd say we should really get started." The Operator could be seen looking at a wristwatch. "Monokuma, would you do the honors?" His hand seemed to motion to the bear. "Oh but of course Mr. Operator." Monokuma said with both hands behind his back.
Monokuma turned to face everyone in the gym. "Alright, good morning little cubs, now it's finally time for the entrance ceremony!" He lifted his paws up like he was giving some grandiose speech.
"Good morning!" Taka suddenly shouted. "Y-you don't have to s-say it back…" Toko said to Taka.
"Now then, let us commence with the most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony there'll ever be! First, let's talk a little about what your school life will be like, shall we? Now ah, make no mistake dear children–-you few students, so full of vigor and potential, represent the future hope of the world." Monokuma went on with his speech, but it didn't quell the tension in the room.
"And to protect all that hope…you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. In other words, you're all living here…for the rest of your lives." Monokuma finished. And at that…the tension in the room erupted.
"What!" Makoto screamed in his mind. "W-wait, did he just say?" Aoi was struggling to find the words. "Oh this is bullshit!" Toko yelled, fists clenched, and her eyes back to red. "Are you serious!?" Genkai shouted.
"But worry not, for due to our abundant budget, we have everything you need for common conveniences." Monokuma said with a carefree tone. "That's the least of our worries right now!" Sayaka shouted at Monokuma. "Yeah what the hell!? You're saying I have to live here forever? You've got to be screwing with us right!?" Junko also shouted at Monokuma.
"No, Monokuma is not screwing with you. He has been nothing but 100% honest so far!" The Operator suddenly chimed in. "And so I don't feel left out, hows about I tell them the next part?" The Operator seemed to shift his gaze to Monokuma. "Go on sir, be my guest." Monokuma did a little bow.
"Alright well, you're all completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about any of the struggles of life outside these walls ever again!" The Operator explained.
"Cut off…?" Makoto said to himself. "So I'm guessing that's what those metal plates all over the school are for? To keep us trapped here?" Kirigiri spoke up. "That's exactly what they're there for. So no matter how much you yell and scream for help…it will never come. So with that in mind, feel free to live out your hopeless lives here in reckless abandonment!" The Operator started laughing when he finished.
"Oh please." Celeste brushed off The Operator's words. "I know a poker face when I see one. You're hiding something from us." she said with her arms crossed.
"Oh if you only knew…" The Operator had stopped laughing. "But as Miss-Goth-Girl over there was kinda saying, there's something I haven't gotten to tell the lot of you yet! And I'm not going to, *ahem* Monokuma?" The Operator pointed at the bear.
"What we haven't gotten to tell you yet, is that there *is* a way for you to leave this place." As Monokuma said this, everyone really started paying attention. "As the assistant to the headmaster, I've helped craft the special clause for those of you who want to leave." Monokuma started scratching the back of his head as a flowery aura started radiating off of him.
"We like to call it…the Graduation Clause!" A short trumpet fanfare played as Monokuma finished. "Now let me tell you all about this fun little rule. Now as I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, then they would be allowed to leave the school. And that, dear students, is the Graduation Clause!" Monokuma finished explaining.
"And what do you mean by "disrupt the harmony ``?'' Byakuya asked. "Puhuhu" Monokuma laughed, but it sounded a little forced. "Oh well, you know…If one person were to murder another." Monokuma calmly said.
Upon hearing that, the gym was flooded with noise. "What, murder!?" Makoto said in disbelief. "Yep, stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, cracking, hacking, drowning, igniting, it doesn't matter! You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that." Monokuma then pointed to the TV screen where The Operator had been watching everything unfold.
"Thanks for the explanation Monokuma, now if anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask." The Operator said in an odd way.
"Alright that's it! I need some fuckin' answers right now!" Mondo screamed at the TV. "Oh? Well do go on, don't be shy my bizarrely-haired friend." The Operator seemed to lean in closer, but he still appeared as a black silhouette.
"First of all, where the hell are we? Secondly, who the hell are YOU, and what are you the operator of!? And finally, if you think we're just gonna listen to whatever you or this bear is sayin' then you've got another thing comin'!" Mondo was shouting at the top of his lungs.
"First of all, you're in Hope's Peak Academy. Secondly, I'm The Operator and that's Monokuma. And lastly, too fuckin' bad, because right now, I have all the power here! And you sixteen…have nothing!" The Operator broke into laughter when he finished answering Mondo's questions.
Mondo then quickly rushed onto the stage and grabbed Monokuma. "Hey, violence against Assistant Headmaster Monukuma is strictly forbidden!" He began shouting. But Mondo then threw the bear at the TV, Monokuma exploded, taking out the TV as well.
Everyone was in disbelief at what just happened. Mondo had leaped off the stage and was walking towards everyone else when…it happened.
What looked to be a spear suddenly shot out of the floor and impaled itself through Mondo's stomach. "W-What the hell just?" Mondo said as the spear retracted, causing him to fall to one knee and start coughing up blood. Most everyone reacted the way you'd expect.
Then if it couldn't get any worse, another Monokuma appeared from behind the podium. "As I told you, violence against Assistant Headmaster Monokuma is strictly forbidden." Monokuma addressed everyone, especially Mondo, who was still on the floor bleeding out.
"Oh shit, holy shit! HOLY SHIT!" Hiro finally realized the situation they were all in. "Th-This is…" Sayaka was struggling to find the words.
"Now anyways, with that little hiccup out of the way, let's get back to the ceremony!" Monokuma leaped off the stage and spoke to a terrified group of students.
"Now it's up to you how you murder someone, you pick the means, the place, and the everything else. Just make sure you do it in the *worst* way possible!" Monokuma passed Mondo, who was still conscious.
"A chill shot down my spine…"you must kill someone if you want to leave." As soon as I heard those words, my blood went cold." Makoto thought.
"Come on! Why all the long faces? I'm letting you get away with murder here! Lighten up a little!" Monokuma looked at Mondo. "Alright fine, I'll be a nice guy and help your friend." Monokuma said disappointedly. And then, an unconscious Mondo dropped through the floor.
"What the? Where'd he go!?" Leon shouted. "Don't lose your piercings, I've taken him to the Nurse's Office, he'll be fine in a day or two. Grr…those pieces of shit, why couldn't he have just died like I planned!? Get a better reaction out of them!" Whatever voice modifier being used on Monokuma was turned off on that last part. Revealing the voice of The Operator.
"Well anyways, one last thing before this ceremony comes to a close!" Monokuma's voice was back to normal. "To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I present to you…" Monokuma pulled out a bunch of i-pad things. "This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it…The e-Handbook!" Monokuma went around to everyone and handed them one.
"Now this handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! And as an added bonus, it's completely waterproof, and can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons! It also contains all of the school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly!" Monokuma went into detail about these handbooks.
"You might hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. As you saw not too long ago, you know what happens if you do break the rules." "Monokuma" said sinisterly.
"And with that, our entrance ceremony has come to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And…see ya!" The robot bear suddenly disappeared.
"And with that, he was gone, leaving us all in a state of shock." Makoto thought to himself.
"So guys…How would you define that…experience?" Taka looked as if he was still processing everything that happened. "We…we…we gotta get out of here man!" Hiro was freaking out. "Ungh, I knew it! I knew something bad was going to happen if I came here. Graaaagh!" Chihiro was also freaking out.
"We have to l-live here forever? Or k-kill?" Toko's hands were clutching her head. "What just happened!? Please tell me that didn't just happen!" Now Genkai was shouting. "Everyone, we just need to calm down. First, let's summarize everything we just heard." Byakuya said to everyone.
"Well, based on what Monokuma just said, we essentially have two choices." Byakuya continued. "Choice number one is that we all stay here, living a communal school life together until the day we all decide to not get out of bed anymore and slowly die." Kirigiri interjected, everyone looking at her weird as she said that last part.
"And choice number two…is murder." Leon said. "And that's the only way we can get out of here alive…killing someone else." Celeste continued.
"But killing someone, that's just…" Aoi started to look at the ground. "We were just abducted out of nowhere, and placed into some twisted version of Hope's Peak? And now we're just supposed to start killing each other!? Genkai was shouting.
"This has to be a lie! All these ridiculous things we've seen and heard…This all has to be fake!" Taka tried convincing himself. But Makoto looked at all the bloodstains left by Mondo, this wasn't fake.
"Well right now matters not if it's real or fake. What matters is…Is there anyone here seriously considering killing another human being?" Kirigiri asked with her arms crossed.
"To that, no one had a response…Keeping quiet myself, I looked around at the others." Makoto started to look. "They were all staring at each other, trying to gauge one another's thoughts. I could almost taste the hostility. And that's when it hit me…I realized the true terror hidden within the rules The Operator laid out." Makoto thought.
"You must kill someone if you want to leave." Those words had planted vicious thoughts deep within each of us. Each of us became suspicious of someone else. We were forced to wonder, "Is someone going to betray us?" Makoto kept thinking as the screen turned to black.
"And that was how my new school life began…This school, which had come out of nowhere to raise my hopes so high…It's *not* a school of hope. It's…a school of despair." Makoto finished.
Prologue—Welcome to Despair
THE END
Surviving Students: 16
TO BE CONTINUED…