My mind felt as if it were trapped in a deep, inescapable marsh of muddiness. Even through my closed eyes, I felt like I hadn't slept in days, or maybe weeks? I always felt like this whenever I woke up without enough sleep. As my eyes fluttered wide open, I came to the immediate realization that I was resting against a hard, yet smooth wooden school desk. Did I fall asleep in class or what? I almost felt tempted to fall right back to sleep when I realized something just a bit worrying.

I haven't been in school for at least two years now.

My brain accelerated like a speeding car, my head shot up like a slingshot before I practically fell out of my seat and onto the hard floor below. Excellent first start, really.

Okay just… calm down, Tony. Calm down and just look around your surroundings.

I forced down the panic that had been steadily building in the pit of my stomach long enough to get a good look at my surroundings. Obviously this wasn't my room back home, but rather someone's twisted idea of how a classroom should look. The first thing that came to mind was the almost obnoxious coloring of the walls; deep yellows with patches of brown, reminding me of giraffes for some odd reason. The next item on the agenda was the Japanese kanji right next to the blackboard in the front of the room. That certainly gave me a clue as to where I was, but how in the world I got from Florida all the way to Japan was entirely beyond my understanding. This was no black-out drunk scenario, that was for sure.

A shift to my left revealed an almost comically large security camera, its lens focused entirely on me. I narrowed my eyes, stepping towards the right and watching as the camera moved with me. The deep sense of fear and panic had begun to creep up once again, my mind realizing that someone or something was watching my every movement. I turned away from the camera for now, focusing on the rest of the room. The only other thing of note was… well, a note. Specifically a piece of paper that laid on the desk I had been sleeping on. A crudely drawn symbol in crayon decorated the upper right corner of the paper, but something about that symbol stirred something in the recesses of my brain. It looked like a shield almost, along with some kind of scepter or rod. Shaking my head, I began to slowly read out of the actual letter, conveniently written in English.

Hey there, new kid! The next semester is just about to start, so you better be ready! A fair warning though; this school will become your entire world.

"...What the shit?"

My brain just froze for a good thirty seconds, unable to process what I'd just read. Now my memories were starting to flow again and the realization of my situation began to dawn on me.

I'm stuck in Danganronpa.

For a moment, I actually wondered if I was having a nightmare or not, but the pinch on my arm said that no; this was not a dream. Shame, really. This would've made for the best fever dream. I almost put the paper down before realizing there was an arrow, indicating that I should flip the paper over for more info. The moment I did, an intense headache rocked my senses, almost flooring me instantly. I had to sit back down in my seat just to avoid tripping over myself. As I looked at the back of the paper, however, my heart nearly ceased beating entirely in pure, abject fear.

Let's get the boring crap outta the way; I know your name, Anthony Davis. Your talent is that of the Ultimate Legal Eagle, you hail from the United States of America. Don't worry if you don't know jack about legal crap, just play along and you'll be fine. Probably. And don't worry about any language barriers, just go along with it. But let me give you a piece of advice; it's useless to try and play hero. No matter what you do or try to change things, despair is inevitable. It's as much of a fact of life as the sky being blue. But it'll be fun to watch you try anyway.

If I wasn't terrified enough already, I was now. The letter had no addressed sender, but it was more than obvious this letter was directed to me from none other than Junko fucking Enoshima, the mastermind behind this little game and the bane of just about everyone's existence in this universe. And apparently she already knew that I wasn't supposed to be a variable in her little killing game, and that she knew that I knew how things were supposed to go. Great, awesome, outstanding, amazing. Exactly what I needed, a target on my back right from the get go. I crumbled up the letter with an annoyed groan to try and disguise the fear in my throat.

I began taking in deep, rhythmatic breaths to calm my nerves and organize what I knew so far. somehow, and I still can't explain things myself, I'd been dragged into a murdery mystery visual novel with no way out other than to play along and pray to god I didn't end up as one of the victims. I just sat there for what felt like hours, but was only a minute at best. Questions upon questions had piled up like an anthill, and I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere if I just sat around. Besides, Monokuma would probably just show up and forcibly drag my sorry ass to the Entrance Hall if I took too long anyway.

With a deep breath, I slowly sat up, one last look at the room around me and the bolted up windows. Definitely no use prying those open, they were welded on, industrial style. I decided to take a look at myself as well. My eyes went wide as I realized I was wearing what looked to be a fairly well tailored suit, almost like the one ol' Phoenix Wright wore in Ace Attorney. The primary difference being mine looked to be a dark gray while Phoenix's was a dark blue. Ultimate Legal Eagle indeed. Aside from that, I had certainly been deaged a fair bit, along with some weight loss. As things stood, I looked like a normal nineteen year old American in a well-pressed suit. I brushed a hand through my short, chestnut colored hair. At least I didn't have to go through puberty again, I guess.

Alright then, now that I had all of that out of the way, I guess there was no use standing around doing nothing. I slowly stood up, taking one last look at the camera and almost instantly getting the impression of being stared at back. Then with a deep breath, I collected myself and walked out into the hallway.

You know, I had to wonder if Hope's Peak was always this strange looking or if Junko and Mukuro just had really shitty carpenters. The hallway just outside the classroom I had woken up in was a mixture of such obnoxious bright greens and purples, it made me want to throw up. There was also just the minor issue of finding my way around this drug-induced nightmare, but with every door I had tried so far remained locked shut, probably to funnel all the students toward the entrance hall. Despite the twisted colors, I couldn't help but feel cold both metaphorically and literally. The atmosphere of Hope's Peak as it stood now felt less like a place of learning and more like a graveyard. Yet despite everything, the school looked more or less identical to what the game had shown.

Jeez, last time I played the first game was on the old fan translation for the PSP, I mused to myself, passing by a room with police tape barring entrance. That combined with the fancy sign had to make this the… Mono-Shop, was it? Then opposite of that would have to be the entrance hall, where all the Super High School Levels were. Sorry, I meant Ultimates. Right, better make sure not to make that mistake. As I slowly stepped forward to the double doors, I couldn't help but feel just a bit of apprehension. Was it fear, or some other emotion I was feeling? My hand trembled as I gripped onto the door handle, but I shook it off.

Now is not the time to be getting cold feet, Tony, I tried telling myself. You're in this situation whether you like it or not. Just go for it.

I steadied my breathing and with one, smooth movement opened the doors.

A crowd of familiar, yet foreign faces all turned to look at me as I stepped into the fairly sizable main hall. My eyes did a brief scan just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but here they all stood; the cast of Danganronpa in the flesh. Obviously they didn't look quite like their video game counterparts, being flesh and blood and not a stylized visual novel. Hifumi looked more chubby than obsese for example, but aside from that? They may as well have been the best damned cosplayers I'd ever seen. But they weren't playing dress up or cosplaying. Makoto mentioned something about the students all feeling like they were in a different league from other people and that's exactly the impression I got from each of them. Say what you would about Hope's Peak, and I could certainly say many things about this godforsaken school, but they knew where to find the next generation of bright, brimming talent.

For a brief second, we all just stared at each other before I managed to find my words. "Uh… hi there, I'm Anthony Davis. I'm guessing you guys are the other Ultimates?"

"Yes, you would be correct in assuming that," came the faux accent of who I could easily identify as Celestia Ludenberg, liar and gambler extraordinaire. Jeez, even in real life her eyes were creepy. She seemed less like a person and more like one of those creepy haunted dolls. Her gaze seemed to linger on me for a second more than the others.

I dared a step forward, getting a better look at the room. The thing that stood out most about the entrance hall was the comically large vault door that sealed the only way out of here, complete with yet more security cameras, armed with turrets no less!

"So," I said, gesturing to the vault door in question, "any idea why the heck that's there?"

"If we knew, we would tell you," scoffed a bespectacled young man with an attitude. In the few seconds I'd known Byakuya Togami, I could already tell that I was going to utterly despise living with him. It was one thing to deal with him from behind a screen, but it was an entirely different matter to have to deal with the man himself.

"We've only just regained consciousness ourselves," came the serious and taciturn voice of Sakura Ogami. The mountain of a woman turned her gaze back to the door, eyeing it curiously. "Yet it's obvious no amount of force will pry this door open. We've already tried everything with no success."

"H-huh?"

The rest of us turned again, only for us to meet easily one of the most recognizable faces here, bar Monokuma. Dressed in a plain hoodie, pants and sneakers, Makoto Naegi was not someone hoping to stand out in a crowd. Compared to everyone else, Makoto seemed sort of… small? And I didn't mean that literally. Compared to the other Ultimates, Makoto didn't have nearly that same level of presence. But I knew better at least, the things this kid and his ahoge could accomplish. If nothing else, his optimism was as contagious as the flu.

"Whoa, hey! Another new kid, huh?" That laid back and casual tone could only come from one of the game's older students, Yasuhiro Hagakure. I was ashamed to admit that I could only really remember him for his odd hairstyle. A hairstyle that seemed even more outlandish when brought to life.

Makoto's eyes scanned the room, his nervousness plain to see on his face. "T-then you guys must be…"

"Yeah," Chihiro Fujisaki nodded, somehow seeming even more meek than Makoto. "We're all new here. Today was supposed to be our first day of class."

"So, counting these two, that makes fifteen of us," Hifumi nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Seems like a good cutoff point, but I wonder if that's really all of us…"

Oh Hifumi, if only you knew…

An awkward silence fell over the lot of us, neither me, Makoto nor any of the other Ultimates knowing how to continue this conversation. I couldn't really blame them, how do you go about trying to make heads or tails or this situation? I was about to try and say something when Makoto spoke up first.

"Um… hi there. My name is Makoto Naegi. Sorry I'm late, a bunch of stuff happened as soon as I walked through the front doors and all of a sudden I just kinda… blacked out." Makoto looked so nervous and out of place that he couldn't even look anyone in the eye, not even me. Did he really think I was some kind of amazing, talented Ultimate? Jeez, I could only wish.

"Wait, time out for a sec," Yasuhiro interjected, looking surprised. "That's exactly the same thing that's happened to all of us!"

Celeste let out a small curious hum. "This day simply gets curiouser and curiouser by the minute."

Hifumi nodded. "All of us ending up in the exact same situation with no memory of how we got here? Way too suspicious to just call it a coincidence."

Makoto only seemed to look more confused, but before he could say anything…

"Just a moment!" a loud, boisterous voice echoed throughout the main hall. A neatly uniformed young man stepped forward, an intense glare threatening to drill holes into our eyes. This must have been Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass. "Makoto, Anthony! The both of you being so late is simply unacceptable! Surely you both must have been aware that our meeting was to be at 8:00 AM, sharp! To be late on your first day is simply unacceptable! I must report both of you to the faculty, and you two must accept your due punishments!"

Makoto seemed taken aback by Kiyotaka's forwardness, but I wasn't about to deal with this. I was still half asleep and already dealing with a mountain of bullshit right from the get go, I didn't need to deal with Kiyotaka's crap either. "Alright, calm down, Monobrow. Me and Makoto didn't really ask to be late. Did you forget the part about us blacking out and waking up in a completely different place or what?"

"M-monobrow-?!" The wind had metaphorically been taken out of Kiyotaka's sails and he seemed ready to give me a piece of his mind before two hands came between the both of us, ready to defuse any possible situation.

"Both of you, just calm down!" I could recognize that voice anywhere. An athletic young girl with dark skin came between me and Kiyotaka, her ponytail and sports jacket giving her away as Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro and another of the game's survivors. "Look, why don't we all just cool down and introduce ourselves?"

"Huh, introductions? You really think now's the time to friggin' introduce ourselves?" came the dismissive attitude of the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, Mondo Oowada. Out of everyone here, Mondo was definitely the easiest to spot with his long pompadour and his dark overcoat embedded with his gang's symbol.

"Maybe not, but it would behoove us to at least try to get a grasp on who we all are before trying to tackle the larger issues at hand," Celeste smiled. "After all, how can we hope to communicate with each other if we don't know each other's names?"

"I… I guess that's a good idea," Makoto nodded.

"Fine by me," I said, stuffing my hands into my pants pockets, trying to cool down.

"Okay," came the bubbly voice of Sayaka Maizono. "Then let's get our introductions out of the way before we figure out what to do next. Sound good?"

No objections were raised amongst the students and soon enough, the crowd dispersed to begin talking to one another, leaving me all by my lonesome. It may have been just me, but something didn't feel quite right about this situation. I mean, yeah, I was trapped in a murder mystery with fourteen other complete strangers, but there was something else nagging in the back of my head. What was it..?

"Um, hello?"

I nearly jumped out of my suit, calming down as I realized Makoto was calling for me, looking a bit confused. I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment, already looking like a complete ass in front of the main protagonist.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked with a hint of trepidation. "You looked really out of it for a second there."

"Who, me?" I asked, laughing it off. "Don't worry about it, really. Just still kinda sleepy, I guess."

The Ultimate Luckster didn't seem entirely convinced, but didn't look too eager to press the issue, giving me a friendly smile. "Well, anyway… I've already introduced myself, but I'm Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student. It's nice to meet you."

Yeesh, even in real life his optimism was contagious. I couldn't help but smile at myself. "Anthony Davis, but just call me Tony. I'm the Ultimate Legal Eagle. Good to meet you too."

"Wait, you're an American?" Makoto inquired, seeming genuinely curious. "I didn't know Hope's Peak accepted foreign exchange students."

Right, Hope's Peak Academy *was* based in Japan after all, but there were still some foreign students that attended the school, Sonia immediately coming to mind. It made sense that Hope's Peak wouldn't limit themselves to just seeking out talented folks just in Japan, they'd want a nice wide variety, all for the sake of researching talent for the sake of the future.

"Hey, I was surprised too," I said. "I heard about it, but I never actually expected Hope's Peak scouts to actually come knocking at my door."

Makoto nodded. "So, what does being the Ultimate Legal Eagle even mean? Are you a lawyer?"

Now that I thought about it, the title I'd been given was pretty vague. It'd be one thing if I was the Ultimate Lawyer or something, but I had to work with what I had and keep the illusion up. After all, Makoto knew almost everyone from an internet forum he read before coming to Hope's Peak and I, or rather whoever this body was before I hijacked it, wasn't listed there.

"Something like that," I explained. "Despite being in high school, I've participated in civil and criminal cases as both the defense and the prosecution back in America. And no matter how hard the case or position, I've never lost a single case."

Makoto's eyes went wide as dinner plates. "N-never lost? Ever?"

"Never ever," I smiled wryly. It wasn't a total lie, per say. If we count the Ace Attorney and Investigations games, then I have technically been both defense and prosecution. Of course, Ace Attorney logic probably wouldn't translate all that well into Danganronpa logic, so I better keep things as simple as they could be. "What about you? Ultimate Lucky Student?"

"A-ah, yeah…" Makoto sheepishly admitted. "See, I ended up winning a lottery and Hope's Peak used that as an excuse to scout me out for the school. Apparently luck is its own unique talent, I guess." He didn't sound too sure of it himself, but if Nagito in the second game was anything to go by, luck was definitely a form of talent, even if it wasn't readily apparent.

"Well, I better introduce myself to the others. I guess we'll talk later, Tony," Makoto said.

"Likewise, Makoto."

Note to self, make sure the ahoge kid made it out of this alive.

As Makoto moved onto another student, I guess it was time I introduced myself to the rest of the class. Jeez, my head was already swimming from the sheer amount of faces in front of me. I forgot just how large the casts were for Danganronpa. Well, it wasn't like I could just ignore these people. Right now we were all stuck together like peas in a pod. Like Celeste said, we at least know each other's names if we were stuck together. Even if I knew more or less everything about the cast.

I opted to properly introduce myself to Kiyotaka first, maybe even try and bury the hatchet after our first meeting went a little sideways. I walked towards him with a hand outstretched. "Hey, uh-"

I never even got the chance to finish my sentence. "My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru! I believe in bold simplicity! Let us work together on our educational crusade!"

My first impression of Kiyotaka was that either his father or mother had to have been a human foghorn, with zero concept of an inside voice. The stickler for rules, as far as I remembered, didn't so much as sneeze without a teacher's say-so and fully expected his peers to do the same. He wasn't a bad person, certainly a lot better to deal with than someone like Byakuya for sure. Hence why I decided to open with an apology.

"Anthony Davis. Look, Kiyotaka, about what happened earlier, I wanted to apolog-"

"No need!" He cut me off. "I was also at fault for harassing you and Makoto as I did! Truthfully, I should've shown more understanding for our predicament. For that, allow me to apologize!"

Kiyotaka broke into a standing bow, leaving me somewhat at a loss for words. I honestly didn't expect the guy to go quite that far, but here we were.

"And furthermore," he added, "feel free to just use 'Taka' for short!"

"Um, got it. Well, under normal circumstances I'd like to talk more, but…"

Taka nodded curtly. "Indeed! Please, introduce yourself to the others, posthaste! And keep it snappy!"

With that, Taka marched off with some pep in his stride, leaving me alone. Alright, two done, about thirteen to go now? My brain was still having trouble keeping up with the sheer influx of new information and new faces, but I couldn't just sit down in the corner. So picking up the pace, I scanned the room and found a lone, solitary Yasuhiro Hagakure, not terribly sure of what to do himself. His face seemed to lit up a bit as he saw me coming towards him, a friendly smile etched on his face.

"Yo! Name's Yasuhiro Hagakure, but just call me Hiro for short. Let's take it easy, yeah?"

I never thought that much of Hiro and frankly never understood how he managed to avoid getting himself killed at all throughout the first game, but I had to admit he was already giving off decent vibes. He was a weird one, but he had a decent heart at least.

"Anthony Davis," I replied. "So, you're the Ultimate Clairvoyant, yeah?"

"Yup, yup!" Hiro confirmed. "My predictions are usually pretty damn spot on too, so for a fee, I could probably read your future right now if you want."

Already trying to extort me, that's gotta be a world record somewhere.

I politely shook my head. "I'll pass for now. Anyway, whatcha think of the whole vault door and machine gun combo?"

"What, you actually think those are real?" Hiro laughed. "C'mon, no way those are real guns. It's just a really elaborate initiation prank, you'll see."

Right, the initiation prank where the faculty seal off all possible avenues of escape with steel so thick that it could survive a nuclear blast and a vault door so massive that it was a wonder how they even managed to install it without anyone noticing. I heard Harvard uses plasma rifles instead of machine guns. I know Hiro was just trying to be an optimist here, but how dense could one person be? Did the creepy, almost dead atmosphere of the school just not get through that thick head of hair of his? Regardless, that was about all I needed out of him. Dude didn't seem all that different from the games anyway.

"Well, I guess we will see. Take it easy, Hiro."

"Likewise, Davis!"

Next up on the list was… oh damn it. The instant I saw her, my mood began to plummet straight into the ground. Standing around awkwardly, not even trying to make eye contact with anyone if she could help it was Toko Fukawa. She seemed to catch me staring and shuffled around awkwardly.

"N-not that you'll remember my n-name anyway, but… I'm T-Toko. Toko Fukawa."

Even speaking seemed to be a challenge for the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. At first glance, you could definitely see why. Just being in the same room as her was more like being crushed under a massive heft of negativity and gloom. I had to wonder if she ever actually smiled outside of writing her various novels, but I knew there was much more than meets the eye when it came to Toko. Of course, here's hoping it never came to that.

"W-what're you staring at me for?" Toko demanded, backing away ever so slightly. "I-it's rude to just glare at me, you know."

"Huh, glare?" I asked. Was I glaring at her? "Sorry, I was just-"

"Sorry?" she parroted, hissing at me. "Don't even bother, I k-know exactly what you're thinking. I bet you were just laughing inside at how ugly one girl can possibly b-be! Don't try to deny it!"

I folded my arms, keeping the most neutral face I could. "I am going to deny it because that's not what I was thinking at all. Why would you even assume that when I don't even know who you are?"

Toko looked like she wanted to say something else, but felt it was better to just drop it and not make a scene. She moved back against the wall, shooting me a dirty glare. "W-whatever, it's fine. I'm used to it."

I sighed. Dealing with Toko wasn't to be easy in the slightest and that was removing her ever so delightful other side. I opted to just give up for now, trying to talk to Toko wasn't going to get me anywhere. Best to just move onto someone else and pray to whatever gods existed in the Danganronpa universe that she would be in a more talkative mood later.

"Right," I said. "Well, I better get going then I guess we'll talk later, Toko."

Toko didn't so much as give me a single world of goodbye, making some kind of "tch" noise. Alright, that was easily one of the most gloomy interactions I've ever had to deal with in my life. I figured it was about time to move onto someone a fair bit more cheerful and luckily enough, that person seemed to be coming straight to me.

With an infectious smile and energy to boot, Aoi Asahina was just about the exact opposite of Toko Fukawa. Rather than try to suffocate everyone around her in an aura of gloominess, she preferred to keep everyone's spirits up with an aura of positivity and bubbliness. She was the kinda girl who wanted to make every single day count, a quality that would become as valuable as solid gold in the days and weeks to come without a doubt.

"I'm Aoi Asahina, but my friends just call me Hina! It's nice to meetcha!"

I couldn't help but smile back, shaking her hand. "Anthony Davis, or Tony for short. Pleased to meet ya, Hina."

Hina shook my head before scrunching her face in confusion. "Uh.. Ant… Anthongy… Aw nuts with it, I'll just call you Tony!" I guess it shouldn't be too surprising; even the Ultimates of Hope's Peak couldn't all be bilingual, could they? And without trying to sound mean, Hina was definitely more of a sports student than a studious student, even if she only really practiced one athletic sport. Though it did call into question how the hell I was even able to talk to everyone to begin with. Everyone sounded like they were speaking in near perfect English, did they just hear Japanese coming out of my mouth?

"So, America, huh?" Hina asked a bit excitedly. I nodded. "Ah man, I've always wanted to go swimming in… oh, what was that place called? The Great Salty Lake or something?"

"Great Salt Lake, Hina," I corrected her. "And that'd be in Utah. I come from Florida, but we do plenty of swimming down there too, plenty of pools to beat the heat."

"Ooo, that sounds nice!" Hina smiled. "Definitely one of the reasons I started swimming to be honest, I just wanted a way to beat the heat, and now it's become a lifestyle!"

Infectious and bubbly, exactly how I remembered Hina. The crowd began to move again, so it was about time to move on.

"Right, catch you later, Hina."

"Sure, see ya Tony!"

Next up was definitely the oddest member of the cast; Hifumi Yamada. Hifumi was your standard, stereotypical nerd on the outside, but on the inside… no, I take that back; Hifumi was absolutely your stereotypical nerd. As I said, he wasn't nearly as fat as he was in the game, but the guy certainly was… something. He pushed up his thick, circular glasses as he turned my way, chuckling with a smug expression on his face.

"I… am Hifumi Yamada, but I also have a far more well known name; 'The Alpha and the Omega!' Do make sure to remember that!"

I blinked once, not quite sure what to say in response. "I… uh, I'm Anthony Davis. Good to meet you, I guess." I'm not sure what it was, but it was like Hifumi was doing his damndest to appear and sound as horribly cringy as possible. Jesus, not even I was this bad back in middle school and I was a serious nerd back then.

If Hifumi saw my unease, he didn't pay it any mind. "Well then, how much do you know of the realm of 2D, Mr. Davis?"

"I mean, I watch some anime and play video games in my spare time if that's what you're wondering. But if I'm on a case, I kind of need to dedicate my focus entirely to that case."

"Mmm, I see," Hifumi nodded, sounding a bit disappointed. "Yes, I suppose you're something of a greenhorn when it comes to the depths of the second dimension then. You've yet to truly dip your toe into the vast open sea that lies before you."

And I don't think I want to, I thought. This was definitely one conversation I wanted to drop, but Hifumi just kept going.

"I can sense your apprehension, Mr. Davis, but I assure you all I wish for is to break down the stigma that surrounds innocent fan works. If only I had my bag with me, I'd be able to demonstrate…"

I blinked, catching something in the jumble of nonsense Hifumi was spouting. "Back up, Hifumi. You said you don't have your bag?"

Hifumi nodded. "Ah, yes. It seems that upon our arrival, we were relieved of most personal artifacts. Bags, wallets, even our cell phones seem to be missing. Certainly a troubling predicament if one were to be honest."

That made sense. Junko's goal for the killing game was to induce as much despair and confusion as she could, so why not start by removing things meant to act as a form of comfort and a connection to the outside world?

"You're telling me," I sighed. "Well, here's hoping we find our stuff then."

"Indeed! Fare thee well, 2D Greenbelt!"

I resisted the deep urge to strangle Hifumi to death and moved onto our next character: Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. Chihiro, true to the game, was an absolute tiny little cinnamon bun, barely coming up to my waist. She, or rather he, was definitely one of those characters who deserved a bit better than being killed by a dumbbell in canon, especially when out of everyone here, he did literally nothing wrong.

"H-hello, nice to meet you," Chihiro greeted me kindly, yet nervously. "My name is Chihiro Fujisaki. S-sorry, I get kinda embarrassed whenever I have to introduce myself…"

Chihiro deserved all the confidence and positive reinforcement in the world, I swear. "I'm Anthony Davis, but just call me Tony. And take your time, there's no rush, Chihiro."

He nodded, taking a deep breath before looking up at me again, this time a bit more confident. "Thank you," he said with a smile. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what's your talent?"

"The Ultimate Legal Eagle," I began to explain. "Basically I participate in civil and criminal cases, filling in for the prosecution and defense as needed."

"W-whoa..." Chihiro's eyes went wide for a second. "A defense attorney? That has to be really hard on you."

Now it was my turn to be confused again. "Hard, what do you mean?"

"Defense attorneys have it hard in Japan. I'm definitely more of a programmer than a legal expert, but most criminal cases in Japan end in a guilty verdict for the defendant. It's like the whole world is out to get you."

Oh yeah, that's right. Japan had a 90% conviction rate, or something to that effect. It's what partially inspired the Ace Attorney series. Unless I'm terribly mistaken, the prosecution also had a stupid amount of authority in the courtroom compared to America. It also just dawned on me that this was something I probably should've known if I really was the Ultimate Legal Eagle.

"Oh crap, that's right," I nodded, doing my best to sound like I just remembered that. "Sorry Chihiro, still kinda shaking off the whole passing out thing."

"O-oh, that's right," Chihiro said. "I still can't figure out why and how we all passed out the moment we got to school. Everyone says the exact same thing happened to them, and that's just scary…"

It was clear Chihiro was trying his best to stay brave, but there was no hiding the fear in his eyes. Everyone was nervous, whether they wanted to admit it or not. I did my best to put on a brave face and smile for Chihiro.

"It's gonna be alright, I promise. You just gotta keep your head high, yeah?"

Chihiro, who looked practically close to tears by this point, simply nodded. "I-I'll try…"

Seriously, poor kid. "I'm gonna introduce myself to the others now, we'll talk some more later, yeah?"

Chihiro muttered what I think was supposed to be a "Okay," before I turned to face the rest of the class. I felt like I was getting there, so who else was left? Before I had time to think about my next move, a new face had sauntered up to me with a pretty cocky smirk. His sharp features and piercings identified him pretty easily as the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata, our first killer back in the game. Of course, maybe things would be different this time, you never knew.

"Yo!" he said, presenting himself in a friendly, if insanely aggressive manner. "The name's Leon Kuwata, 'sup?!"

I blinked, slightly unprepared for such a forceful introduction after Chihiro. You definitely wouldn't be able to tell from the fancy white jacket, the spikey orange hair and strap of hair on his chin, but Leon was the top baseball star back at his old high school. And supposedly barely even went to practice to begin with. Of course the logical question here would be; "How the hell was he still on the team if he never showed up to practice?" but that was easily the most normal part about Danganronpa. Compared to how Junko ended the world, how freakishly strong some of the Ultimates were when fighting the Future Foundation to begin with and the batshit insane nature of some of the executions, this was one break from reality I was willing to accept.

"Right," I nodded. "So, Ultimate Baseball Star. Gotta say, that wasn't quite the vibe I got from you. I was thinking more 'Ultimate Rock Star', you know?"

Leon seemed actually pleased with this assessment. "Yeah, yeah! Exactly the kinda aesthetic I was going for! Trust me, baseball was a serious drag, even if I was good at it. Do you have any idea how boring it is to just stand around and wait to hit some balls with a metal bat?"

"Can't… say I do," I admitted.

"Exactly! That's why as soon as I got into Hope's Peak, I quit my team and styled myself to how I want people to see me! I decided to throw my weight behind my real passion in life: music!"

Right, the series usually didn't touch on how some people might not really like their chosen title. I hadn't played the first game in ages, but Leon definitely gave off the vibe of someone unhappy with their lot in life, rebelling with whatever pointy clothing and piercings they could get their hands on. But it might've been just me… but Leon seemed to be forcing himself into this role. I could've been horribly wrong, but the way Leon said "music" didn't seem quite right to me. Of course, I might've just been imagining things, so ultimately I didn't pursue the subject.

"So, is Hope's Peak really okay with you wanting to switch out your talent?" I asked, genuinely curious. "I imagine that's going to be a pain to do."

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that," Leon admitted. "Yeah, Hope's Peak normally doesn't let you switch your talent unless it's for a good reason. But I do have a sure-fire plan on how I'm gonna make it happen, just wait and see!"

A plan? Now this was new. Leon just seemed to be doing whatever he wanted in the game, but he had an actual plan to switch his talent? Now this I had to hear.

"But!" Leon suddenly said. "I can't exactly just tell any ol' Joe the details. It's confidential stuff, y'know?"

Figured. No way Leon wasn't going to just drop all the info in the first ten minutes of the game. He probably didn't even know who he could trust just yet, let alone tell anyone his big plans. So there went that little avenue. I guess that was all I was going to get from the former Ultimate Baseball Star.

"Alright, I'll catch you later, Leon."

Leon seemed to actually smile genuinely as he waved. "Yeah, you too bro!"

Next up was easily the second most fiercest looking person in the room, Mondo Oowada. His whole outfit screamed "classic Japanese gangster", from the pompadour all the way down to the long dark coat he wore. He didn't so much as react as I approached. Granted, he wasn't exactly in the mood for introductions to begin with, so he was probably already grumpy as is.

"Name's Mondo Oowada," he said without a hint of politeness. "Nice to fuckin' meetcha."

"Anthony Davis, Ultimate Legal Eagle. And likewise."

The moment my title reached his ears, Mondo's face curled into glare. "Tch. Just great, another fucking suit. What, you here to sue me into the ground. 'Mr. Ace Attorney'? Maybe even try and draft up some fuckin' formal complaint or the like?"

I stumbled back, not even remotely expecting this kind of introduction from Mondo. "W-what? No I just-"

"Just what, huh?" Mondo snarled, cracking his fingers menacingly. "I've seen more than my fair share of you lawyer types. All sniveling guttershit, not man enough to tell things how they are. Why don't ya just fuckin' move on already?"

That was… considerably more hostile than he was in the game. Seriously, Mondo wasn't nearly this much of an asshole in the game, even to Makoto, and he punched Makoto's lights out! Even if he was the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, I couldn't see him getting into so much trouble that lawyers had to be involved. How would he have gotten into Hope's Peak otherwise.

"Alright, alright," I threw my hands up in defeat, backing away slowly. "Backing off, see?"

Mondo just glared daggers at me. "Yeah, exactly what I fuckin' thought."

Alright, well that was just horribly unpleasant now wasn't it? As I turned away from Mondo, I found myself face to face with the Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka Maizono. Long purple hair that came down to her waist complete with a winning smile with just the perfect small amount of makeup, it was no wonder she was famous as a Japanese idol. Even if she wasn't decked out as an idol right now, she looked less like a person and more like a carefully curated product designed to appeal as many people as possible-

"I'm more than just what my agency says I am, you know."

"H-huh?!" I nearly jumped out of my skin as Sayaka seemingly knew exactly what I was thinking about. "Hold on, did you just read my mind? How did-"

Sayaka's face was stoney, not a hint of emotion in her eyes. "I'm an esper." A pregnant pause hung in the air before she burst into giggles. "Just kidding! I just have really good intuition! Anyway, my name is Sayaka Maizono, nice to meet you, Tony!"

Right, almost completely forgot about that bit. I know she was just kidding, probably, but there was something about how seriously she said it that was really off-putting. Then again, considering her plans in the actual game, Sayaka in general was off-putting when pushed to her absolute limits mentally.

"So, could I ask you a question?" Sayaka tilted her head curiously. "What's being an attorney like?"

Now there was a question I hadn't expected. What was being an attorney like…? Well, I could only really draw upon my own experiences with Ace Attorney and hopefully spin it into something more believable, which shouldn't be that hard.

"Well, I won't lie," I sighed. "It's not exactly easy work, especially for someone as young as me. It's not something you can just wake up and decide to do on a whim. You need to dedicate yourself to it like nothing else, study until you pass out and make sure you give everything when facing off in court. If you can't keep up with the changing laws, the clients, the deadlines, it's more or less game over."

Now it was Sayaka's turn to look surprised. "W-whoa… That sounds just like my career as an idol."

I shrugged. "I wouldn't really compare the two. Sure, both are extremely cutthroat professions, but you're supported by your friends, yeah? I don't really have that as a lawyer. Just me and my intuition. That's what's got me a perfect record as a lawyer, I guess."

"Maybe," Sayaka frowned. "But I can still tell a hard worker when I see one, and you look like you've been working since the day you were born, Tony. If I didn't know any better, I'd say those are bags under your eyes."

Did I honestly look that tired? I brushed my fingers against the bottoms of my eyelids, not quite feeling anything definite. "Well, regardless, let's both keep working hard and find out just what's going on, yeah?"

"Mhm!" Sayaka's face brightened. "Let's do our best, Tony!"

It's a shame Sayaka wasn't long for this world. Outside of the whole idol thing, I'd say she was probably one of the more normal members of the cast by far. In fact, if it weren't for Monokuma, I'm not even sure if she would've been the one to kick off the whole "Killing Game" fiasco. But then again, maybe the Joker had a point after all. All it took was one bad day for Sayaka to completely snap and try to kill someone, all while framing Makoto for it.

As I mused to myself, I found myself nearly bumping into the mountain known as Sakura Ogami. Sakura was a woman made for fighting, that much was clear. Every muscle on her body looked as if it had been honed at least one-hundred times daily, her face looking at me curiously yet still carrying a sense of fierceness all the same. In a way, she was far more intimidating than Mondo, but for a different reason. Mondo was more aggressive, in your face. Sakura seemed more like the eye of a storm. Calm for the moment, but ready to unleash a torrent of fury at any moment. But thankfully, Sakura was ultimately one of the cooler headed members of the cast along with Kyoko, someone who I thought was grossly underappreciated at the end of the day.

"My name is Sakura Ogami," she said, her calm demeanor clashing with her slightly rough voice.

"Anthony Davis," I responded in turn. For a second, I wasn't quite sure how to continue the conversation. I certainly wasn't Hina, who was able to bond with Sakura without so much as a worry, and I had no idea what kind of topic I could've brought up.

"Hmm…" Sakura looked at me curiously, scanning me from all angles. "You're no fighter, but you seem a bit more fit than how I pictured a lawyer being."

I was? Well, come to think of it, I had been trying to work out a bit before I woke up in this hellhole, so maybe some of that carried over? I was far from a bodybuilder like Sakura, but I was definitely more fit than when I was back home. Certainly it wasn't a bad thing by any stretch to be more in shape, that's for sure.

"Um, thank you," I nervously said.

"Indeed," Sakura nodded. "With a bit more training behind you, perhaps I'll have a decent sparring partner."

Haha, I'm in danger.

There wasn't a whole lot more to be said with Sakura, so we just silently took our respective leads. I knew I was just about done, I just had a few more people left to meet. And I certainly had a way of saving the more interesting characters for last, didn't I? Starting from the top, I slowly approached the light lavender-haired girl of mystery, Kyoko Kirigiri, who seemed to have been lost in thought before I came closer. She slowly turned to me, her eyes unblinking and her face entirely unreadable.

"Hi there," I introduced myself for what felt like the fiftieth time that day. "My name is Anthony Davis, good to meet you."

"..." If Kyoko heard me, she didn't bother answering me at first. No, it felt like she was trying to find the right words for everything. She scanned me from head to toe before turning away slightly. "My name is… Kyoko Kirigiri."

And that was that. No Ultimate anything, no fanfare, that was that. Then again, Kyoko was suffering from some grade A prime amnesia right now, so it was obvious she wasn't quite herself right now. That being said, it certainly made talking to her far more tedious than it should have been. She was just one of those people who made it difficult to really approach her unless your name was Makoto Naegi. But I tried my best to strike up a conversation regardless.

"Right. So, uh, you woke up the same as the others?"

Kyoko looked at me for a second. "I did. If I didn't, I would've already said something, wouldn't I?"

"I… guess you would've," I mumbled, feeling the atmosphere turn chilly. Now I was on the backfoot. "Well, got any ideas on what's going on?"

"..."

I let out a defeated sigh. Why was I even trying to talk to Kyoko right now when she was easily the most tight-lipped out of all of us? Screw it, there were only two more introductions to go through, I couldn't exactly waste my time trying to force Kyoko to speak up.

"Well," I said, "I guess I'll see you later, Kyoko."

"I suppose you will."

I awkwardly stepped away from the amnesiac detective only to come across a young man who didn't even need to try and piss me off. Byakuya Togami, heir to the prestigious Togami financial conglomerate and the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. He barely even registered my presence until he scoffed in my direction.

"Name's Byakuya Togami," he said quickly and rudely, clearly not wanting any part in this either.

"Anthony Davis." I wanted to comment on how half-assed his introduction seemed, but I already ruffled enough feathers with Mondo, no need to start any fights. Even if I wanted to punch the douche right in the face. "So you're the heir of the Togami conglomerate, huh? Yeah, you're about what I expected."

"Oh?" Byakuya seemed just as disinterested with me as he was with Makoto. "Well, unfortunately for you, I care little for what someone like you thinks of me. Go ahead and just move on, I'm already sick of looking at your face."

Likewise, pal. I didn't even give him a proper goodbye, wanting to put an entire ocean between me and him as soon as humanly possible. Like I said, Byakuya did grow as a person throughout the series but the man was just outright insufferable at this point and time. I lacked Makoto's patience to attempt and get through to him, which would be increasingly hard to deal with considering I was going to be stuck in an abandoned school with him for God only knows how long. But I calmed myself down before I worked myself into a frenzy. Nothing was forcing me to interact with Byakuya, Makoto would do his thing and maybe the heir to the Togami family would learn a thing or two along the way? Here's hoping.

That left me with only one more person to greet, the last but certainly not the least; Celestia Ludenberg. Or at least that was the name she preferred. In a cast of outlandish cartoon characters, Celeste stood out among the crowd. Pale skin, a dark, gothic dress, piercing red eyes and two abnormally long twintails fashioned into a drill like shape. The other thing about Celeste that I had only just now noticed was how her eyes were tracking me well before I had approached her. It was almost like she was following my movements for some reason, but why she was doing that was beyond me. True to her nature as a top grade gambler, Celeste was about as unreadable as Kyoko, the difference being how Celeste always seemed to have a smile on her face. Of course, given how the game went, that smile was just one of many poker faces she could swap out at any time.

"Greetings, I don't believe we've been properly introduced," she smiled, her "European" accent on full display. "My name is Celestia Ludenberg, but please do call me Celeste."

"And I'm Anthony Davis," I nodded. Compared to Byakuya earlier, dealing with Celeste felt a lot more straightforward. At least Celeste tried to be somewhat pleasant. "Never thought I'd meet another foreigner at Hope's Peak, that's for sure."

"Indeed," Celeste nodded. "It makes me wonder just what sort of talent you have that Hope's Peak would've scouted you out all the way in the Americas."

"I'm the Ultimate Legal Eagle, for what it's worth," I explained, sticking to the script. "Despite me being in high school, I've presided over civil and criminal cases, never losing a single one."

Celeste flashed another smile. "Impressive. Of course, I'd imagine Hope's Peak would never accept anything less than a winner. Though I'm surprised they would be willing to accept such professional liars."

"Huh?" My face turned into one of pure confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Please, there's no reason to give me the run around. The way you carry yourself, the way you talk, it's plainly obvious you're not telling everyone the whole truth, are you?"

So Celeste was watching me. Granted, a gambler like her was probably always on the lookout for everyone's weaknesses. If you couldn't read your opponent, you weren't fit to be called the "Ultimate Gambler." And right now it felt like Celeste was looking past the fake me and right into who I really was. A brief tinge of fear went up my spine as I fought to compose myself. Don't back down, that's exactly what she wants, yet my own words aren't of much comfort to me.

"Well," I began, steadying myself. "What exactly did you picture a lawyer being, Celeste? We're not civil machines to help deal out justice like a fast food restaurant. We're human beings too."

Celeste looked like she was about to say something, but caught herself. "I suppose you are," she admitted, "but I guess it does not matter either way. Regardless of what your true intentions are, you are certainly a bit more interesting than I expected. Perhaps you would make for a decent poker player in your own right?"

It felt like she was subtly asking for a card game sometime, but I wouldn't even know the rules of Texas Hold Em', much less other games. Besides, the longer Celeste looked at me, the more nervous I felt. "Maybe, maybe not. For now, the focus should be on figuring out what's going on, yeah?"

"True," Celeste nodded, still smiling. "Well, let us talk later on, 'Tony', if the situation allows for it."

I smiled and nodded back, but my smile didn't quite reach my eyes. I was dealing with someone who had played with the literal yakuza and took their money with a laugh. Celeste was someone who was far more dangerous than she appeared, even among serial killers with split personalities or martial artists who remained undefeated. And given the third case, I had every right to be cautious of her.

And with that, all of the introductions were out of the way. I still had this feeling that something wasn't quite right, but that would have to wait until later. Everything had an order to it, after all. Slowly we all began to gather around and regroup, the massive heft of the vault door still looming over us.

"If we're finished," Byakuya began impatiently, "then let's get down to business. We have bigger problems than trying to make friends with each other like a bunch of dull-eyed baboons."

"Right…" Makoto nodded with some trepidation. "I think Hiro said something earlier about the same thing happening to all of us?"

"Yeah, it's the truth," Leon said. "Just after we got to the main hall, we all passed down and woke up somewhere else in the school! And that happened to you and Tony, yeah?"

"Mhm," Makoto nodded, now looking more worried. "B-but that's just weird! How could each and every one of us just pass out in the same way like that?"

"That's why we're worried, dumbass!" Mondo roared.

"And that's not the only thing," Taka interjected, stepping ahead of Mondo. "I'm sure you saw the state of the windows in the classrooms and hallway, correct?"

"You're talking about the massive sheets of metal blocking the windows, right?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "They were bolted on pretty tight, like they were sealed with industrial equipment. On top of that, it looks like we're all missing our personal belongings. Just to be sure, you all don't have your cell phones or wallets, yeah?"

Everyone did one more quick search of their persons, but there was nothing, just like I expected.

"Right, well whoever did this to us, they definitely want us dazed and confused, and what better way to do that than take away things that make us feel more secure?"

There didn't seem to be much in the way of objections until Hiro started laughing. "C'mon, you guys are taking this way too seriously! This is just part of the whole orientation procedure, I'm sure of it! Gotta lighten up a bit!"

Raised eyebrows could be seen all throughout the room. Byakuya didn't even grace Hiro's claim with a glance, while others like Mondo and Sakura looked wholly unconvinced. I was about to point out the absurd amount of logical fallacies with Hiro's theory but I never got the chance. The sound of a school bell rang throughout what seemed to be school speakers built into the walls while the lone TV monitor off to the left of the vault door crackled to life, a lone shadowy figure standing out amidst the heavy static. Before any of us could react, a voice I was all too familiar with echoed through the hallway.

"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mic check, mic check! Can anyone hear me?" There was a lengthy silence before the voice popped up again. "Ah, there we are! To all new students of Hope's Peak Academy, welcome! The entrance ceremony will begin momentarily! Please, at your nearest convenience, make your way to the gymnasium on the first floor, past the orange doors! That is all, I'll be waiting~!"

The monitor went silent, leaving us all slightly befuddled. Well, all except Hiro, who was currently laughing.

"See, I told ya guys so!" He said, smiling ear to ear.

Byakuya said nothing, merely walking away without a word in the direction of the gym, followed nervously by Leon and Chihiro.

"Well then, I suppose I shall see you all anon." With that, Celeste did a small little bow, gracefully weaving her way past the crowd and out of sight. Despite Celeste and Hiro's smiles, there still remained a thick amount of tension in the air.

"Something about this seems horribly off…" Sayaka mumbled, rubbing her arm subconsciously.

"I know what you mean," I nodded. "But we're not going to get anywhere by just standing around. If it means we get some clarity on what's going on, we should probably head to the gym." Not that I particularly wanted to play into Junko's plans to begin with mind you, but there was little doubt that we'd be forced to the gym if we dawdled.

"Anthony is right," Kyoko said. "Aren't you all curious as to what's going on?"

"If we do not move forward, we learn nothing," Sakura nodded. "Our only choice is to push ahead."

"Right…" Makoto sighed. "But something about this… just feels wrong." Yet he didn't seem keen to offer any other words. Eventually, Makoto, followed closely by Sayaka, shuffled his way out of the entrance hall, eventually followed by the rest of us while Mondo swore under his breath the whole way through. As we walked, my eyes lit up in realization. The bad feeling from earlier, now that I had everyone's introductions pocketed I realized that one of us was missing. Someone who should've been there. And when I realized that, my heart began to beat out of control in a veritable frenzy.

Where the fuck was Mukuro?

Alright, that was... considerably longer than I expected. Honestly, half the reason this came up to nearly 10K words was thanks to me going in depth with the introductions. Anyway, this is gonna be a new project from me that hopefully won't suck entirely. However, don't go in expecting exactly the same events to go down just from the perspective of someone other than Makoto. Expect new killers, new cases and new survivors! Heck, even the lore is a bit different all thanks to Tony's inclusion, but you'll just have to wait and see what I mean by that. Next up is meeting Monokuma and all the joy that will bring.