Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Danganronpa series. I only own Hikari Seishin and her family.

Note: I try to make the story as canon as I can with obvious creative liberties.

Chapter Three

Hope Vanishes When Monokuma Appears

When all the Ultimates arrived at Jabberwock Park as instructed, they only saw Usami running around, gripping her magic wand tightly. She was on alert, looking everywhere in the park. "W-Where are you!? Where are you hiding!?" she shouted out at what appeared to be nobody.

The students were a bit confused, Hajime voicing their puzzlement. "Hiding? Who are you talking to?"

"Pupupupupupupu!" Laughter rang out throughout the park, sending shivers down Hikari's spine. Without thinking, she took a step closer to Hajime.

Even Usami was shaking a little, but her voice was clear and strong. "Hey hey! Where are you? Show yourself!" The laughter grew more intense before a half-white, half-black stuffed bear popped up from behind the statue. It plopped its bottom on the pedestal of the park's only decoration, staring at the teens eerily.

What…is that…? It's like Usami, but…not…This bear…is very creepy…only psychopathic children would love this thing… Hikari blinked and glanced towards Hiyoko, sweatdropping. Somehow, I won't be surprised if she likes this disturbing stuffed animal...she seems like a psychotic child…based on my interactions with her…

^o^ ^o^

Hikari walked onto the ranch grounds, seeing the smallest of the teens squatting down and looking at the ground. Curious, Hikari walked over to her. "Saionji-san, what are you doing?"

Hiyoko turned to the Spirit Medium. "Deciding whether to squish these ants with my feet or hands…"

Hikari sweatdropped. "How about you don't? They didn't do anything to you."

Hiyoko blew a raspberry, looking smug. "Oh, you're one of those goody-goodies…" She stood up and looked at Hikari with an intimidating stare. "You're such a boring four-eyed ghost who fails at looking like a Goth."

Hikari bit the edge of her lip before rolling her eyes. "Whatever…you just want a rise out of me…" She turned and headed off to inspect the barn.

The taller girl heard Hiyoko retort. "That's right…! Walk away since you're a wimpy doormat who doesn't fight back! I hope you get squished like these ants!"

A small chime rang from Hikari's pocket and she felt a Hope Fragment materialize against her e-handbook. Hikari sighed softly and mumbled, "Really…? I got one for socializing with this childlike psychopath?"

^o^ ^o^

"Why, hello there! Thank you all for waiting!" the bear said gleefully. The white half of the bear seemed like a regular white stuffed teddy bear; the black half's side of the face was where the element of terrifying was obvious. Instead of a black beady eye, it had a red robotic lightning-esque shape cut out for its eye, and that half's mouth was in a constant toothy grin. "Long time, no see guys!"

What is that supposed to mean…? This is the first time I ever saw this thing… Hikari was pretty sure everyone else was thinking the same thing from looking at their perplexed expressions.

The bear continued talking. "I am Monokuma! The headmaster of this academy!" It stood up on its feet. "Ahem! Now that I made my dashing appearance, the first thing I need to say is…" It raised its arms up and looked upset, its visible teeth appearing sharp. "…lame! This is so friggin' lame! Lamer than the lamest lamesauce!" It then looked aroused. "Lamesauce? Is it tasty?"

No one knew what to do or say to this stuffed animal which seemed to be having a conversation with itself. Usami walked towards Monokuma. "Hey! It was just as I thought…it was you! But…how…?" She started freaking out. "Why is Monokuma here!?"

Monokuma spun towards Usami, upset again. "Shaaaadup! I'm livid, you know…I'm about to barf because of your lukewarm attitude!" It lifted its paw which showed sharp claws and Hikari swore she saw a vein ready to pop on the white half of its face. "Just what is with this 'heart-throbbing school trip' crap!? I'm bored! So hopelessly bored!" The bear stamped its feet, continuing its tantrum. "This ain't fun at all! So you better knock off this stupid farce already!" It calmed down slightly and began talking as if to someone who didn't know better. "You have to make this, you know…meet the demands of the world. Nobody wants to watch high school students living boring and peaceful lives. What everyone wants to see is…" It grinned menacingly. "Other people's misery…and despair…"

The group looked at the bear warily, the athletes of the group getting in defensive stances. Usami stepped in between them and Monokuma, her eyes never leaving the bear. "Be careful, everyone! Stay back and leave this to me!" She glanced back. "I don't know why Monokuma is here, but as long as I have this magic stick…"

Suddenly, Monokuma pounced onto Usami. "Yah! Opening!" The two stuffed animals rolled around and wrestled each other, dust clouds forming around them. From what Hikari heard, it sounded that Usami was losing due to her pleas for Monokuma to stop. Once the dust settled, Monokuma towered over Usami, its foot breaking her magic stick in two. "Dun-dun-dun-dun! Victory!" it declared, its arms crossed and looking very arrogant.

Usami cried out, visibly shaking and her wings missing. "Noooooo! My magic stick!"

"Now then, what to do after my flawless victory…" Monokuma leaned forward to Usami. "First of all, you're way too plain. White rabbits are faaaar too plain. Sooooo…" it grinned evilly. "I'm going to make you in my image! Pupupupupupu!" With that said, Monokuma grabbed the defeated rabbit by the ears and began to wrestle with her again, another set of dust clouds covering the two. "This is what happens when you defy me…I'll crunch ya! I'll bite ya! I'll rip you apart!"

"Kyaaaaaaah! Stooooooooop it!" Usami screamed painfully.

After a few minutes, the dust cleared. The next thing the teens saw was a proud looking Monokuma standing near Usami who was in the image of Monokuma. Her white fur wasn't completely gone, but was only covering half of the rabbit, the other half being a light pink. The eye on the pink half of Usami was now red and her outfit changed from a skirt to a diaper, belly button sticking out. Hikari knew that Usami was traumatized by this unexpected transformation.

"Ta-da! All done!" Monokuma stated pompously.

"Wha-!? What is this!?" cried Usami. She panicked, flailing her arms. "I'm not supposed to look weird like this! Change me back to normal!"

Monokuma tilted its head, looking confused. "My, my…what this? Defying your big brother's fashion sense? Is Monomi a little troublemaker?"

So Monokuma is male…and who is Monomi? Isn't it Usami? And they're…related? Hikari looked at the two stuffed animals, very dumbfounded by all of this. If her situation before was strange, then what was happening now was even more bizarre.

Usami looked shocked at this revelation as well. "Big brother…? Monomi?"

Monokuma smiled, his paws on his stomach. "Your current position is too wishy-washy, so I'm setting you to be my little sister, Monomi!" He giggled. "…Though it's only an external setting, after all. Pupupupu!"

Usami looked upset, glaring at the two-toned bear. "Hey! Why do I have to be your little sister!?"

"Huh?" Monokuma tilted his head again in confusion. "…Big sister, then? You wanna be the older sister who got separated at birth?" He looked to be deep in thought, but that didn't last more than a second. "Nah! That doesn't feel right…Yup, you're definitely more like a little sister." He glared at her ominously, his sharp claws showing from his paws. "Soooo, that's how it's gonna be…Monomi! From now on, if you disobey me, I'll never forgive you!"

Monomi did not back down, still confronting her "big brother." "H-hey! I won't let you make up your own settings!"

Monokuma took a step towards her and punched her directly in the face. Monomi yelped in pain. "Stupid fool! Do you think you can win against me?" the bear taunted.

"Oww! It hurts a lot when you punch me!"

Monokuma began to laugh hysterically to see Monomi on the ground, beaten. "How about that!? Now you've learned your lesson!"

Monomi cowered on the ground, crying. "If only I had my magic stick, I could have totally beaten that awful Monokuma…" Hikari wondered how Usami intended to beat Monokuma if she was passionately against violence in the first place.

Maybe in a parallel universe…

Monokuma was starting to calm his laughter down slightly. "Pupupu! It's your fault for leaving yourself open! Even a one second opening is life threatening on the battlefield." The bear cleared his throat. "Regardless, everyone has gathered. Now then, as the headmaster, I shall make a formal declaration!" Monokuma raised a paw in the air excitedly. "From this moment onward, the killing school trip will now commence!" He started to laugh once again. "A school trip where everyone gets along has no stimulation at all! And it's so damn boooring! Nobody wants to play a game like that! You guy agree with me, right? Sooooo, let's begin our killing school trip!" Monokuma smiled innocently. "Naturally, you guys are the contestants!"

Hikari felt her insides become a bundle of nerves. I would rather do Usami's school trip over yours any day, pal!

Monomi got up from the ground, being persistent about her "no violence" policy. "What are you saying!? I will absolutely, positively not allow such bloody events!" Nevertheless, her persistence came with a price; Monokuma swiftly kicked her in the face. "Ow! It hurts a lot when you kick me, too!" Monomi ended up on the ground again but a bit more battered than a few minutes ago.

Monokuma stood over her, paws on his hips. "Jeez… Your brain is tiny, Monomi. How many times do I have to tell you? Pay attention this time. Except in manga, the little sister is never smarter than her older brother." Monomi trembled and sobbed as Monokuma taunted her. Once he saw that Monomi wouldn't interrupt again, Monokuma continued his explanation about the killing school trip. Everyone was still uneasy about the premise of Monokuma's school trip, being very uncomfortable about killing each other. The bear looked at them innocently. "Well, don't you think it's kinda lame and boring that you can't leave the island unless you all get along? So I'm changing the rules!" He started getting excited again which made the Ultimates all the more nervous. "If you want off this island, you have to kill one of your friends! And then, make it through the class trial without getting caught!" He began laughing uproariously.

Chiaki looked concerned. "…Class trial?"

"That's right! The class trial is the real charm of this Killing School Trip!

"Allow me to explain…if one of you gets murdered…the surviving members must participate in the class trial! At the class trial, there will be a showdown between the blackened killer and the other spotless students. During the class trial, you'll present your arguments about who you think the killer is. The outcome will be decided by popular vote and if you arrive at the correct answer…only the killer will be punished. The rest may continue on with the school trip. However…if you choose poorly…then the one who got away with murder will survive, and the rest of you will receive the punishment. As far as the class trial rules go…that's all there is to it!

"In other words, if you kill someone and make it through the class trial, you get to live and leave this island. However, if you are found guilty during the class trial, then you will be punished." Monokuma chuckled to himself, his paws covering his mouth. "Pupupupu, it's a familiar and simple rule, right?"

Not really… Hikari stared at the bear, feeling like her body would jump out of her skin at any moment. Plus, he keeps mentioning "live" and "survive"…Why? Is the punishment...?

Kazuichi scratched his head, looking at Monokuma anxiously. "You…keep repeating that word 'punish' over and over. What's with that?"

Monokuma replied emotionlessly. "Basically…it's an execution!" Everyone's skin color immediately paled.

"Execution!?" Sonia gasped.

Monokuma eeriely watched the teenagers' reactions as he clarified further. "The pleasing punishment that follows the class trial! This is one of the perks of the killing school trip. Pupupupu, what sort of spine-tingling punishments will we see? I can't help it, I'm already getting excited! There might even be some unique punishments, like impaling you through the head with a Thingamajig Claw!

"So, any method of killing is fine with me. There are popular ones like bludgeoning, stabbing, strangling, poisoning…to shooting, beating, running over, burning, bombing, slashing, drowning, electrocuting, crushing, cursing…" The bear grinned evilly. "Please, choose whichever killing method you prefer. There's no time limit, so you can kill as you please…It's an All You Can Murder Buffet…A theme park of murder…That's what this killing school trip is all about!"

Hikari could not stop her body from shaking. She felt so weak showing her fears in front of everyone, but she was not the only person afraid. Hajime appeared to be in pain, his hand clutching his chest, Fuyuhiko looked extremely pissed off, and Teruteru was deeply in denial.

Mahiru asked a question that floated in everyone's minds. "What if nobody ever gets murdered? Does that mean we'll never leave this island?"

Monokuma simply shrugged. "Who knows!? Anyway, I'd like for you all to go through with this killing school trip in a healthy and positive manner."

Mahiru looked upset. "W-wait a minute! Why do we have to do this!?"

Monokuma tilted his head in curiosity. "Isn't that obvious? There is a reason you all need to kill each other."

Nekomaru started to crack his knuckles, apparently done with what this stuffed bear had to say. "Hold on…You've been running your mouth for quite some time now…I don't want to get violent, but if I do, I have no idea what may happen!"

Akane started to feel pumped up by Nekomaru, looking extremely intimidating. "What, a fight? Do I need to beat the crap outta that black and white bear!?"

Peko took a fighting stance, a hand reaching for her bamboo sword. "Who would dare try to kill…? I'll put a stop to it, using force if necessary." Hikari looked at the three athletes, her chest feeling lighter, relieved that her classmates would not stoop to Monokuma's level and participate in this nonsense.

Monokuma looked at the ground, dejected. "Fine, fine…Well, I guess I expected this reaction…" He glared darkly at the students, showing his claws, his robotic eye glowing red. "If you guys wanna do things by force, then I'll have to fight back with a little force of my own…"

Monomi looked very nervous. "Force? What are you going to do…?"

Monokuma turned his back to everyone, facing the bronze statue. "Surge…O gods who dwell between light and darkness…In accordance with our contract, I summon thee now…" He dramatically turned to the Ultimates, his arms raised, bellowing, "Come forth, Monobeasts!"

Monobeasts…? More stuffed animals…? Hikari soon wished that were true, for the Monobeasts were way more menacing. Once Monokuma finished his incantation, the bronze statue started to crack. Moments later, Hikari was staring at five gigantic robots, all of them having glowing red eyes and threatening auras about them. Each of the Monobeasts, Hikari noted, was either the man or an animal that made up the destroyed statue, the pedestal now bare. It seemed this reality was still being processed in everyone's minds.

"Why…did the statue move?" Mahiru asked, still in shock.

Monokuma chuckled. "Wrong! That's no statue! They're Monobeasts!"

Kazuichi screamed in terror. "M-m-m-monster!"

"Hey! I just said they're Monobeasts!"

Hikari was surprised her legs still supported her; she thought she would've fell to her knees by now. All the SHSL Spirit Medium was able to do was stare and gape at what was before her. The others seemed to be doing that as well.

Mikan cowered. "This…isn't real…This is too weird…"

Fuyuhiko stepped back, genuinely looking stunned. "Am I…having a nightmare or something?"

The only one who didn't appear to be freaking out was the only one Hikari knew wouldn't freak out. Hiyoko giggled, looking at Fuyuhiko. "Kyahaha! A nightmare, he says! He just admitted his brain is a total flower patch!" If Hikari wasn't such in a state of shock and anxiety, she would have gladly bonked Hiyoko's head and to tell her to shut up.

Monokuma looked at the teenagers, annoyed that they weren't accepting their grim reality yet. "Unbelievable…You guys sure are a skeptical bunch…If something doesn't fit within your narrow notions of common sense, you deny it outright…How stupid. Ignorant cavemen are better than all of you! Classifying events according to their genre is a disease of the modern age."

Monomi stood between the students and the Monobeasts. "Everyone! Please stay back! I…I will protect everyone! Even…at the cost of my own life…I will protect everyone!" Hikari glanced at the rabbit, still unsure of Monomi's true intentions for the class, but was accepting that Monomi might not be bad guy after all. She certainly didn't want anyone to be killed or executed. The rabbit was going to protect them even if it killed her. Hikari could not deny that Monomi deserved some respect.

Hikari blinked. Wait…isn't that what defines Stockholm syndrome? She mentally face palmed at her realization.

Monokuma started to dry heave when he saw Monomi's heroics. "Your sickly sweet sense of justice makes me wanna puke!" He raised his paws. "All righty then, it's decided! You'll be my example to everyone!"

Hikari murmured apprehensively. "Example…?"

Monokuma's red eye gleamed before he jumped high into the air, landing on the bird-like Monobeast. The robotic bird flapped its wings threateningly in front of Monomi. The rabbit stood her ground despite shaking uncontrollably, tears falling down her face. The bird's tail transformed into a machine gun, aimed at the defenseless stuffed animal. Once Monokuma gave the signal, the machine gun went off, bullets spraying Monomi. Hikari wanted to turn away, but her body didn't respond to her mind's wishes. A couple of stray bullets flew past the teens, Hikari feeling a sharp cut in the air next to her. She let out a small sigh of relief.

If I stood closer to Hinata-san, I probably would've been shot in the head… The black-haired girl turned towards Hajime and gasped, her hands to her mouth. "Hinata-san! You're bleeding!" Hajime stood still as a statue, his skin a sickly pale again with the exception of a cut on his right cheek, a thin trail of blood slowly falling down his face.

Hajime glanced at Hikari briefly, obviously still in shock. "I-I'm…okay, Seishin-san…" Hikari looked around quickly for Mikan and frowned. Mikan wasn't mentally in a good position to help anyone. None of her classmates seemed able to even move, all eyes on what was left of Monomi, her hair bow and stuffing scatter on the ground in front of them. Suddenly, as if reality slapped them across their faces, people began to freak out. Hikari bit her lip, her heart pounding against her chest as she ripped her sleeves to her elbows. She slowly and gently placed the rags against Hajime's cheek to wipe the blood and stop its flow.

"H-here…it's not much…I hope it won't get infected," Hikari whispered, trying to sound calm.

Hajime nodded silently, still trying to keep himself together amid the chaos surrounding them.

Hikari shivered as Monokuma started laughing again. The bear looked very satisfied with himself. "Monobeasts are dreadful weapons of destruction!" He glanced around and sighed happily. "Pupupu…That's right, this is what I wanted. This feeling of despair! Giving an example was totally the right call!" No one moved or even seemed to breathe. Monokuma burst out laughing again.

When Monokuma finally calmed down, he looked at the terrified group of teens. "Now then, I believe I've made my point…" He leaned toward them unnervingly. "Just so we're clear, you guys can't defy me. If you don't want to end up as fish food, you better not disobey me! Just so you know, I don't feel mercy or sympathy. Cuz I'm a bear, after all! An excuse like, 'I got high off this tropical atmosphere,' won't work on me at all! I've updated the school rules in your e-handbooks. So, ignorance of the rules is no excuse, either. Well, that's true of any society, really. Now then…enjoy the remainder of this liberating and harsh school trip!" With that said, Monokuma and the Monobeasts vanished before their eyes, Monokuma's laugh still echoing throughout the park.