A/N: hay.

So, all my slots got filled up quickly - thanks for that, you guys. So, I'm probably just going to do setup here, before I actually get going. Primarily because I just want to get this updated, lol.

As with all other stories, R/R at the bottom. Not like there'll be much here, but...

- DA BOSS

Act 0-1: Flipside/edispilF

Hope. Despair. One in short supply within the modern world, and one holding an iron grip over it. As change continues to cycle through the world, so too does the balance of power between unshakable hope and unrelenting despair.

Five years ago, the Worst, Most-Despair Inducing History in All of Mankind gripped the world and placed it into a seemingly indestructible and inescapable cage of purest despair, all masterminded by a group known as Super High-School Level Despair, led by the now dreaded - and now deceased - Junko Enoshima.

Four years ago, the remaining students of Hope's Peak Academy were forced to participate in a 'School Life of Mutual Killing' that took ten of their lives - including that of SHSL Despair's most notorious members: Enoshima, and her twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. It also robbed the world of eight other hope-filled teens, and the other six were thrown into an unforgiving world filled with despair.

Two and a half years ago, the remaining members of SHSL Despair were captured and placed into a program designed to re-cultivate their hope. However, due to the interference of Izuru Kamakura, Monobear, and Junko Enoshima, the project was largely a failure; only five of the fifteen members were considered to have been rehabilitated, with a sixth - Kamakura himself - seemed to be on the road to it.

It was at that time that the Future Foundation had chosen to rebuild the since-devastated and uninhabitable Hope's Peak Academy, using money left over from the estate of one Byakuya Togami, in the hopes of training new high school students to embody hope for the next generation. However, just because they had fixed some of the former SHSL Despair didn't mean that they fixed them entirely... And the trust they placed in the one that got away before had shattered yet again under the crushing weight of Junko Enoshima's despair...

The tale of the 80th Class of Hope's Peak Academy was sure to be an interesting one.

Standing before the imposing academy before her, the gruff young woman frowned. The school still was under construction in some parts, with noticeable structural failings all over the building. She had heard stories of the academy's grandeur in the past, before the world fell under the collective thrall of SHSL Despair, but the way that it appeared now, one could be forgiven if they were sceptical of the tales actually being anything more.

Sighing, the girl looked over her transcripts and orientation letter again, just to make sure she was in the right place. Of course, it meant that she had to see her title again, which was not a source of pride for the junior.

Super High School Level Street Fighter? What was the need for that amongst the hopeful youth of today?

Sawako Furutani: Super High School Level Street Fighter

Status: Alive

Shoving open the doors, she vowed to shake the title and carve out her own niche in the world... one that didn't involve violence. After all... one can easily be hurt too badly in a fight like that, and she didn't want to be the cause of someone else's death. Tossing her bag back over her shoulder - much as she was a famous fighter, all she had were these clothes and a slightly more formal set - she strolled into the school, and quickly dispelled all notions she'd had of the place based upon the inside.

The academy had been restored to much of it's former grandeur, though it was noticeably lacking in security measures from the previous class' experiences. There were still cameras installed throughout the hallways, but that was mostly so that the Future Foundation could keep SHSL Despair's remnants out.

As Sawako began to roam the halls, however, she noticed a rather... unusual smell permeating the air. Not thinking much of it, she continued on... though not for very long.

Suddenly, her legs grew weak, and the floor grew ever more enticing to her body, though the mind was unwilling to drop so easily. Sinking to one knee, Sawako tried to stand up, but couldn't, as she eventually fell to both knees, before the conciousness slowly drifted from her body...

Shortly after, another student - this time, a slimmer male - entered the school, also in awe of how the grandeur of the old Hope's Peak was restored anew by the Future Foundation. He needed to take a moment to remember, however, just how he had gotten to this point. To cultivate the hope of the new generation... I am among the hopeful, and I will lead the world through this time of despair.

Looking over his orientation letter once more, his eyes focused once again on his title - that which made him one of the new symbols of hope amongst a despair-ridden world.

Super High School Level Hunter. Truly, a skill that can be very useful in this world that he lived in.

Daisuke Kagegami: Super High School Level Hunter

Status: Alive

Daisuke took a deep breath as he went deeper inside the academy, for he knew that the simplest way to survive in the world was to know what you were getting into at all times. He'd noticed an odd scent in the air, so he blocked his nose with his shirt sleeve as he strode quickly and quietly through the academy's halls.

As he did so, he noted a few things. First, the locations of the security cameras that the Future Foundation had reinstalled for their safety, to make sure that he knew what areas would be safer than others. Second, the location of the medical room, in case he ever sustained a serious injury and needed supplies to patch it up. Finally, the school store and cafeteria, which he knew would be invaluable in maintaining his supplies.

However, the gases that intoxicated the air around him soon proved to be too much, even for a seasoned outdoorsman such as himself. His felt his weight plunging ever closer to the ground, legs feeling almost like gelatin as he tried desperately not to be overcome by this sudden sensation. However, that proved to be futile, and Daisuke, too, fell limp to the floor, slowly drifting into a realm of sleep...

"Upupu... it seems that your brilliant plan worked to bearfection!" a high-pitched voice deep within the school cried out, seeming almost giddy at the happenings that they were seeing on the monitors before them. Sixteen unconscious students, all scattered in various bedrooms throughout the first floor's dormitory. Among them were America's greatest athletic progeny; a noted Japanese actress; a world-renowed musician; and a pair of students both tied heavily to the world of gaming, albeit through different means.

Meanwhile, the person that the voice spoke to steepled their fingers, intently watching all of the cameras that they had at their disposal. As if they were... analysing the sixteen unconscious figures at their disposal. Then they began to ponder just what was about to occur... the mind-numbing reality of the situation that the students were about to face... the adjustments they would have to make to the Future Foundation's work to make the plan viable... but they knew the goal, at the absolute least.

Sooner or later, the students would crack under the pressure of the world they lived in; the world that needed them. Sooner or later, despair would conquer the final major pocket of hope remaining in the world. Sooner or later, they could drink in the resulting despair and use the energy that it managed to give them to accomplish their... ultimate goal.

Sooner or later... The School Life of Mutual Killing would begin anew. And they would be watching... and, though it disgusted them, hoping... hoping for the greatest despair the world had ever known... one that humanity could not overcome.

A/N: Well, there you have it. The beginning of the fic. I've actually dropped hints about five other OCs; care to guess if they're yours?

Those five will be formally introduced next chapter, as technically will the two protagonists (namely, the two OCs intro'd here). Sawako is the OC of hieikag, while Daisuke is the OC of Shiroikage. In case you wanted to network through this fic, or... something like that.

Until next time, R/R.

-DA BOSS