This is the start of a series of side stories featuring the Dimension Alliance that take place throughout the Heroes Unite story. In our first story, taking place after Pacopolis, Scarlett discovers a school in Japan, one that teaches Ultimate students. When some of our heroes are sent in to investigate, they are caught in a battle for survival. Will they be able to escape with their lives?
(Disclaimer: I own nothing here. Everything apart from my OC belongs to their respective owners.)
Dimension Alliance Side Tales: Danganronpa
Prologue: Welcome to Despair High School
In Vorton Prime, the Dimensional Alliance are going over some strategy for any upcoming battles against Vortech and his allies. Scarlett is scrolling the portal for worlds with potential threats until she saw a school in Japan.
"Hmm... that building..." Scarlett murmured.
"Something on your mind, Scarlett?" Mason asked approaching her.
"Sort of. I was searching for any threats in any world I could find, and I found this." Scarlett said.
"A school?" Mason asked.
"This is no ordinary school. According to the archives in my castle, this school is known as Hope's Peak Academy, one of Japan's most successful schools." Scarlett said.
"Hope's Peak Academy... I feel like I've heard of it from somewhere..." Sunset Shimmer spoke up. "I better look into it." She pulls out her phone and starts typing in the school's name.
"While Sunset looks up the academy, I have something to ask you." Mason turned to his leader.
"What is it?" Scarlett wondered.
"What does Vortech want with the Foundation Elements anyway?" Mason asked.
"That even I don't know, but whatever it is he wants, it must not fall into his wicked hands." Scarlett said with a serious look on her face.
"Guys!" They hear Sunset's voice. They gather around her. "I searched the name Hope's Peak Academy and here's what I found." She links her phone to X-PO. "Go ahead, X-PO."
X-PO then activates his projector setting and it starts playing a video. It starts off with darkness before an overhead light turns on, revealing a rather strange bear with its right half and belly white and its left half black with a sinister red eye and a sharp toothy grin. He stared at a man blindfolded, gagged with tape, and tied to a chair. The man struggled to break free as the bear tilted its head to the right slightly and pressed a big red button in front of it. A large rocket with the bear's head at the top appeared behind the man as the gag became undone. He screamed as he was dragged into the rocket with it closing. The red eye on the rocket then lit up as two rocket jets appeared from the sides.
Blast Off!
The rocket then ignited and flew into the ceiling. The rocket then spun and drilled straight through it as it flew higher and higher until it reached outer space. The rocket then started falling towards the same building and crashed into it and landed with a thud. An engine fell from the rocket as it opened, revealing the trapped man's skeleton. Everyone was horrified at what transpired, especially Rarity, who fainted. Cyli and Max managed to catch her. The bear simply laughed after watching as the video faded to black.
Sunset grabbed her phone back from X-PO. "How horrifying. Who on earth would do such an awful thing?" The robot asked.
"That's what we want to know." Twilight said. She was still shocked from what she saw on the video, but she was able to regain her composure a little quicker than the others.
"I say we send someone to investigate." Marinette suggested.
"Good idea, Marinette, but who's going to be going?" Luka asked.
"The last thing we need right now is mass panic from the students, so we'll simply send 8 boys and 8 girls." Mason spoke.
"Not a bad idea. And I know who to send." Scarlett said. "Marinette, Adrien, Chloe, Luka, Alya, Nino, Kagami, Max, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Applejack, and Sunset."
"Sounds good, but wouldn't it be easier if all of us went?" Sonic asked.
"Sending a small group causes less panic, and among your group, Tails, Twilight, and Max are the smartest. They should help with your surroundings." Mason said. "Plus, each of you chosen are the closest to the students' age."
"As much as I want in on the action, I agree with Mason." Kim said.
"Well, what have we got to lose?" Alya asked.
"Allow me to provide transportation." X-PO said as he opened the portal to Hope's Peak Academy. The chosen heroes nod as they enter through the portal and find themselves in one of the classrooms.
"This is Hope's Peak Academy?" Chloe asked with sass in her voice.
"Looks pretty creepy for a school." Luka said.
As they left the classroom and walked down the school halls, they couldn't help but notice the bolted plates of iron on the windows.
"Why would a school seal its windows?" Marinette asked. They then spotted a boy with spiky brown hair coming out of a classroom.
"Excuse us!" Max called out to the boy, gaining his attention. "This wouldn't happen to be Hope's Peak Academy, would it?"
"Yeah, at least I think so." The boy responded. "I woke up in this classroom and found everything like this. Anyway, I'm supposed to meet everyone else in the gym. Oh, I'm Naegi, by the way. Makoto Naegi."
Makoto Naegi
Ultimate Lucky Student
"So, Naegi, could you lead us to the gym? We sort of need to join in." Marinette said.
"Uh, sure thing. I take it all of you are new here at Hope's Peak?" Naegi asked.
"You... could say that." Sonic said, looking away.
Naegi then leads everyone to the gymnasium, where 14 other students were waiting. "Um... Hello."
"Ah, cool! With him and those other people, this'll make 31 of us." A man with bushy hair and a stubble beard spoke first.
Yasuhiro Hagakure
Ultimate Clairvoyant
"For what? Cannot predict now." Hagakure said.
"So, this everyone?" A large round boy asked.
Hifumi Yamada
Ultimate Fanfic Creator
"Maybe now, we'll get some answers." Hifumi said.
"Aha!" A boy in a white uniform with a red armband yelled as he stepped forward and pointed at the group. "Truants! Instructions said 8:00 sharp!"
Kiyotaka Ishimaru
Ultimate Moral Compass
"Whoa, sorry. I may be fast, but I'm not punctual." Sonic said.
"Even so, you all have no excuse for your tardiness!" Ishimaru yelled.
"Yeah, could you just not?" A girl in fashionable clothing asked.
Junko Enoshima
Ultimate Fashionista
"Who gives a flying flip about being on time? None of us even know why we're here." Junko said with some sass.
A shy-looking girl raised her hand. "Question." She spoke softly. "Did you happen to wake up in a classroom by yourself?"
"I did. No idea how I got there." Naegi responded.
"That's what I thought..." The shy girl confirmed her suspicions.
Chihiro Fujisaki
Ultimate Programmer
"That's exactly what happened to us." Chihiro said.
"Sudden unconsciousness, only to converge in the gym upon awakening." A gothic-looking girl spoke.
Celestia Ludenberg
Ultimate Gambler
"Fabulously peculiar." Celestia said.
"Yeah, that's the word." A boy with a pompadour in a long biker's coat spoke with a scowl.
Mondo Owada
Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
"Reminds me of the digs we had back in juvie." Mondo said.
"I pretty much expected that from the leader of Japan's most notorious biker gang." Shadow said.
"You're a lot smarter than you look." Mondo said. "Guess that's why they call you GUN's top agent."
"Yeah, except this time, we got kidnapped." A boy with fiery red hair and a goatee spoke.
Leon Kuwata
Ultimate Baseball Star
"Hey, maybe they'll auction off our organs." Leon laughed. Those words made Luka uncomfortable.
"Think positive! It's a motivational program!" A girl in a red tracksuit said with energy.
Aoi Asahina
Ultimate Swimming Pro
"This is supposed to be a special school, right?" Asahina asked as she turned to a large, muscular woman.
"It's difficult to say." She spoke.
Sakura Ogami
Ultimate Martial Artist
"I suggest that first we assess our situation." Sakura said.
"Uh, okay." Naegi said.
"I suppose these are all the students, right?" Twilight asked.
Naegi looks around. "Looks like it, yeah." As soon as Asahina walked over somewhere, he spotted a timid girl with long pigtails and glasses. She spots him and flinches.
"I knew it! He's undressing me with his eyes!" The girl yelped.
"What?" Naegi asked bewildered.
Toko Fukawa
Ultimate Writing Prodigy
"Bet he thinks I'm a troll..." Toko said nervously.
"They're certainly not "all that"." A boy in a black suit cut her off.
Byakuya Togami
Ultimate Affluent Progeny
"Why not take a picture?" Togami glared at their direction.
Naegi flinched and looked away. "Sorry, uh..." He and the others then noticed a girl with white hair wearing gloves in deep thought.
Kyoko Kirigiri
Ultimate ?
"Yes, can I help you?" Kyoko asked.
"Uh, no! I'm good!" Naegi laughed nervously as he and the others walked away.
"Pretty crazy, huh?" Sonic asked Naegi.
"Yeah..." Naegi said before hearing a voice.
"Excuse me, the name's Naegi, isn't it? Makoto Naegi?" The voice belonged to a young girl in a school's uniform. "We went to the same middle school?"
"Maizono?" Naegi asked, remembering her.
Sayaka Maizono
Ultimate Pop Sensation
"What a relief. There's someone here I know." Sayaka said.
Naegi then started blushing. "Wait, you, uh... I mean, you... remember me?"
Sayaka giggled. "Well, of course I do, silly. After all, we did go to the same middle school for three years."
"Oh, believe me, I know." Naegi said. "It's just, you were so popular, and I was more or less the exact opposite of that."
Sayaka gasped. "I knew it! I came off as a total snob!" She covered her face with her hands. "Can you ever forgive me?"
"No, hold up! That's came out wrong! I, uh..." Naegi became flustered and apologized before Sayaka uncovered her face, revealing a playful smile.
"Just teasing!" Sayaka giggled.
Naegi saw through her crocodile tears. "Fine. I take it back." Sayaka and Naegi smiled with a blush.
"Those two remind me of us, don't they?" Adrien asked.
"Yeah, they really do." Marinette agreed as the couple looked at each other.
"If you lovebirds are done flirting, we can move on to weightier matters." Togami spoke. "Such as our current quandary. Someone has collected us here for a reason."
"You may be on to something... Togami, right?" Shadow said. "The pieces are coming together."
"How so?" Togami asked.
"Everyone here is an Ultimate at something and that alone makes us elite. Someone had to go out of the way to gather all of us together and close us off from the outside." Shadow explained.
"We're all essentially prisoners!" Toko whimpered.
"You think the least they could do is give me back my cell phone. It's, like, totally barbaric." Junko said. Hearing that made everyone check their pockets, only to find that their phones are missing as well.
"Now that you mention it, our communicators mysteriously vanished as well." Tails said checking his wrist to see that his communicator isn't there.
Marinette checked her ears and felt the earrings that make up the Ladybug Miraculous. "At least we still have our Miraculous. But for some reason, I can't seem to reach Tikki." She spoke.
"That's a relief, but how am I supposed to take any selfies in here without my phone?" Chloe started complaining.
"Hey, simmer down, will you? I'm sure they'll give our stuff back after orientation's done, I can be certain of that." Hagakure said as he pulled out a crystal ball. "In fact, it's already been foretold!"
"Dude, seriously? A crystal ball?" Leon asked.
"I'm dead on 30% of the time." Hagakure said.
"Hmph. Isn't that impressive." Toko said sarcastically as the room became filled with screeching feedback, causing almost everyone to cover their ears.
"Testing. Mic check, mic check, 1, 2. Everybody hear me okay on this thing?" A childish sounding voice boomed. "Ahem. Hiya, kiddos! Time to roll out the welcome wagon! Not literally, of course, not even sure what that means, literally, but you get it."
"See? We're not prisoners. This is just how they do things here at Hope's Peak." Hagakure said.
"Well... you're half right." Kyoko said in a serious tone. Naegi simply glanced, pondering her words.
The groups in the gym simply stared at the podium as the same bear from earlier appeared out of nowhere. The heroes simply glared at it, but the students stood in confusion. "What the heck?" Naegi asked.
"I know what you're all probably thinking, and no, I am not a cutting-edge Build-a-Bear imitation." The bear spoke. "I am the principal of this illustrious institution: Monokuma! Pleased to meet you."
Hifumi yelped. "I had a nightmare just like this once!"
"Young man, some respect, if you please." Monokuma said. "Monokuma, your principal."
"Principal?" Kagami said. "Kinda weird."
"Yes, yes, like nothing you've ever seen before, uncanny, unsettling even. Yada, yada, moving right along." Monokuma said. "Now all of you stand at attention. Give your principal your snappiest "good morning!"
"Good morning, principal sir!" Ishimaru said with a bow.
"Don't listen to that thing!" Alya snapped.
"Eh, better than nothing, I guess." Monokuma said. "Anyway, welcome, bright young students and unexpected guests to your new living quarters. Now, before you get uppity, rest assured it's for your own good. Mustn't let the outside world dull that dazzling little spark. We got to keep that freshness sealed in."
"Hold on. We-" Naegi said before Junko cut him off.
"I don't think so!" She spat.
"So now, you're wondering how long you'll be guests of our program." Monokuma said. "Approximately... the rest of your lives." This made everyone gasp in shock. "Oh yeah, by new living quarters, I mean permanent living quarters."
"This has to be a joke." Tails said.
"We'll be here... forever?" Chihiro asked.
"Aw, don't fret. We have an astronomical budget. Your needs will be satisfied in perpetuity." Monokuma assured them.
"That's not the issue here! What if we have families?" Sayaka spoke up.
"No! Just no!" Junko said.
"Now hold on! So, those iron plates on the windows, they're to shut us in?" Adrien asked.
"Bingo! You're here for keepsies!" Monokuma confirmed. "Kick and scream all you want, no one outside can hear you."
"Apologies for suggesting this to be less than ideal, but to spend our natural lives confined in a place like this?" Celestia asked.
"Natural lives? Oh, that's rich. Actually, for those who wish to leave, there is a loophole." Monokuma said.
"Enlighten us." Shadow glared.
"Good old-fashioned murder! Yes, the first student to kill a classmate, and get away with it, will have the honor of walking out of here scot-free!" Monokuma said leaping off the podium and landing perfectly after a few somersaults. "Pummel! Shiv! Bludgeon! Mutilate! Immolate! Extirpate! Asphyxiate! Know magic? Conjurate!" The bear then chuckled like the Three Stooges' Curly. He then reappeared with a flailing fish. "Know what you kids and this salmon have in common? Neither of you have the faintest notion of how jingly the thought of watching you all slaughter each other makes me. The best of the best, the cream of the crop, forced into a gore-soaked free-for-all. Is there anything hotter?" He started sweating as if he were in heat.
"You're insane!" Luka shouted.
"But why? What could possibly be the point in making us kill?" Sayaka asked.
"Yeah, what they said!" Hifumi agreed. "If you think we're on board with this bull-crap, you're out of your mind!"
"Bull-crap?" Monokuma asked, making Hifumi flinch. "Where do you get off talking like that to your principal? Love it or hate it, sweetie pies, from here on out, this school is your entire world. Dem's the breaks!" He then started casually walking away. "Look on the bright side! I'm letting you get away with murder... for reals! So, stop whining and start plotting!" His path is suddenly blocked by Mondo, who looked angry at the bear.
"You want murder, Teddy Two-Tone?" Mondo asked. "Take this shit any further and you'll be victim number one!"
"Is that a threat?" Monokuma toyed with Mondo. "You gonna impale me on that pompadour?" That remark made Mondo furious.
"Bitch! No. What I'm gonna do is tear you apart until all that is left is whatever's making you jabber." Mondo threatened.
"Aah! School rules expressly state "no harm must come to the principal under any circumstances!" Monokuma panicked before his red eye started flashing and a siren started blaring.
"Uh, guys. What's that noise?" Mondo asked clueless.
Kyoko noticed the flashing getting louder and panicked. "Oh no! Toss him!"
"Huh?!" Mondo looked puzzled.
"Trust me, just do it!" Kyoko shouted. Mondo threw Monokuma as the noise grew louder and faster. Once in the air, Monokuma exploded. This stunned everyone.
"Now I know this is real!" Sunset said in complete shock.
"It could've blown my face off!" Mondo said still in shock.
"So, the teddy bear's kaput?" Chihiro asked.
"Not a teddy bear! Monokuma!" They hear Monokuma's voice as he appears at the podium. "Ta-da!"
Everyone was surprised that Monokuma pulled off a reappearing trick. "You-You son of a...!" Mondo scowled.
"Consider those fireworks a verbal warning, young man." Monokuma threatened. "Get smart with me again, any of you, and let's just say around here, we forego written warnings in favor of instant corporal punishment." Everyone is completely frozen in shock. "This now concludes the introductory portion of your orientation, boys and girls. Here's to you all enjoying a fun-fulfilling, if not exactly long, life of scholastic enrichment here at Hope's Peak Academy!" Monokuma then vanished from the podium.
"If I understood that correctly, the only way to escape from here is to kill." Twilight pondered.
"So true, my intellectual friend." Celestia agreed.
"This is absolutely bogus." Ishimaru growled.
"I sure wish this is some sick joke." Shadow scowled.
"For once, I am in complete agreement, of course, that doesn't alleviate my concern as to whether one of you takes it at face value." Togami said.
After everyone who attended the school received their own digital notebook, everyone searched for a way out.
"Go on, you two. Give it a try." Asahina said. Sakura and Knuckles then drew back a punch and struck with all their power. The impact was powerful, but it didn't even leave so much as a scratch.
"Not even a dent." Knuckles said.
"Even when combined, our strength is insufficient." Sakura said.
The students then checked out their digital notebooks.
"Kay, not gonna lie, I'm kind of digging the digital notebook." Hagakure said as Asahina, Sakura, and Knuckles came down from the rafters.
"Any luck?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Nothing." Asahina answered.
"Same here!" Mondo said as he, Leon, and Applejack checked the podium for what made Monokuma vanish. "Got jack."
"Bah! Don't lose heart, friends!" Ishimaru said. "If we persevere, the way out is bound to present itself!"
"Never thought I'd say this, but Captain Pep Talk is right!" Rainbow agreed.
"Yeah, better to stay positive than spin our wheels." Asahina continued.
"I agree." Sakura added.
"Yeah, fine." Leon said. "Leave no stone unshucked, right?"
"So true." Applejack agreed. "Like Granny Smith always tells me, teamwork makes the dream work."
"I prefer to search alone." Togami's words shocked everyone.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Chloe asked.
"I am, yes, considering one or more of you may be planning my untimely demise." Togami said.
"Are you serious?" Marinette asked.
"Only a fool would deny it." Togami confirmed. Mondo then blocked him.
"Whoa there, pal!" Mondo said. "You can't just do whatever you want!"
"Out of my way, narwhal." Togami glared. That remark made Mondo mad.
"Oh, your paranoia's about to be right on." Mondo said cracking his knuckles.
"Hold on a minute!" Naegi stepped in, trying to keep things from going too far. "The last thing we want to do is fight!"
"Say what?!" Mondo spoke. "The hell you think you are, punk?! You want to lecture me? Give me a lesson on teamwork?!"
"N-No, I-" Naegi spoke in defense.
"SHUT UP!" Mondo yelled as he dealt a fast punch to Naegi, knocking him out.
Naegi wakes up lying on a bed in a dorm room. "Where am I...?" Naegi said groggily. He turned his head and saw Sayaka and the heroes.
"Your dorm room, by the looks of it." Tails told him. "That Owada guy knocked you clean out, so we had Ogami and Luka carry you in here. All the students here get one, I'm guessing. At least Monokuma was kind enough to let us sleep in one of the classrooms."
"We've been turning this school upside-down for a couple hours, searching for a way out. So far, no luck." Sayaka explained. She then blushed. "I stayed because... well, I was worried about you."
"That's sweet of you. Wow, thank you, I guess." Naegi thanked his classmate.
"So, Maizono, was it?" Luka spoke getting her attention. "I heard that you're a pop idol, right?"
"Yeah, one of the best, actually. That's how I was able to enroll here." Sayaka explained.
"Well, my friends and I happen to dabble in music as well." Luka said. "In fact, where we're from, my friends and I formed a band."
"So did we." Sunset chimed in.
"You're in your own bands? That's cool!" Naegi said. "I'll be honest. Back when things are normal, Maizono used to be a big deal, big enough that you wouldn't think she'd bother remembering a nobody like myself."
"Oh, don't be like that." Sayaka chimed. This alerted Naegi.
"Was that out loud?" Naegi asked.
"No. I can read your thoughts." Sayaka joked. Naegi was surprised. She giggled with a playful smile. "Teasing again. Girl's intuition."
The girls chuckled at Sayaka's words. "Anyway, we're supposed to meet at the cafeteria for a meeting of some sort." Max said.
"Yeah, you're right, Max. Besides, I can't be the only one lying down while everyone else is busting their humps looking for an escape." Naegi said.
"If we're going to help out, then you need a partner." Marinette said. Naegi blushed at the thought.
"She's right. With the two of us, we'll be like detectives!" Sayaka agreed. Naegi understood what Marinette meant and confirmed the partnership with a nod.
Everyone arrived at the cafeteria where everyone waited for them. "Oh! Hey, there's the man of the hour! You okay?" Asahina asked.
"Sure am! Never better." Naegi said.
"So, let's chalk the whole thing up to stress." Mondo apologized.
"Uh, yeah, no worries, Owada." Naegi paid no mind. "I mean, we're all on edge. Tempers flare up sometimes."
"I doubt any of us would dare kill in front of witnesses." Celestia said. "That is to say, under present circumstances, "safety in numbers" would seem to hold true."
Ishimaru then stood up. "Right, listen up! I hereby call to order the first Hope's Peak Academy Reconnaissance Committee Briefing on Academy Affairs." They then pull out a map of the dormitory and school's first floor on their digital notebooks. "Let's review the state of our intel. And remember: all cards on the table!" They all explained that an iron door is blocking the only possible way out, a shutter is blocking the stairway to the second floor, the dorms are well suited to each of the students' needs, and the kitchen is packed with enough food to feed an entire country and, according to what Monokuma told Chihiro, gets restocked each day.
"Ahem." Ishimaru clears his throat. "Anything else to report?"
"Report." We're still in the dark about who's behind all this and we're still trapped. This investigation was a waste of time." Toko said.
"No, some useful information was gleaned from our joint effort." Celestia said. "We now know the boundaries of our confinement, and that we'll be here for a while."
"Aah! Stop!" Toko panicked. "I'm having a nervous breakdown!"
"Monokuma's made that perfectly clear." Togami said. "From where else should the incentive come for us to kill?"
"That's not something to joke about." Junko said.
"Aw man! What are we going to do?" Leon asked.
"Adapt, I suppose." Celestia chimed in.
"Hold up, sugar-cube. Adapt?" Applejack asked.
"These aren't such bad arrangements." Celestia said.
"So, we just suck it up, get used to being prisoners?" Junko asked.
"In the game of survival, neither the strongest nor smartest have the advantage, but rather those most willing and able to adapt, the most pliable." Celestia said. "With that chestnut in mind, I would like to offer everyone, if I may, a modest suggestion."
"What kind of suggestion?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"You will note in the rules a designated curfew. Observe." Celestia showed them her digital notebook, which displayed one of the rules.
Rule 2: "The hours from 10pm to 7am are designated "night hours." Please bear in mind that some areas are restricted during the night hours."
"Why not make an addendum to these so-called "night hours"?" Celestia asked.
"Like what, exactly?" Junko asked.
"At night, we all stay in our rooms. Simple as that." Celestia said.
"And what would be the point of that?" Twilight asked.
"Think about it for a moment. Given this predicament, the dark hours will be especially hard on our nerves as it is." Celestia explained. "The tiniest sound will persuade us of foulness afoot." Everyone became a bit uneasy. "Now, needless to say this restriction must be self-imposed. Its only means of enforcement will be peer pressure."
"I suppose it's worth a try." Sonic complied to Celestia's suggestion.
After two days of searching, no one seems to have found a clue on how they will escape. They reconvene in the cafeteria. Leon became rather upset. "Damn it! I'm telling you no matter how many times I look, I come up with squat!" He said in frustration.
"Same here." Hagakure said.
"We're stuck." Chihiro spoke nervously. "We're never getting out of here. No one's coming for us." Tears of sadness began to form in her eyes.
"Don't feel so down now, Fujisaki." Asahina assured her. "Someone on the outside's bound to start missing us soon."
"Yes, of course." Toko said, feeling a little better thanks to Asahina's words.
"You think so?" Junko asked.
"Well, we've been gone long enough to raise the alarm." Asahina confirmed. "We're talking three straight days. The police are bound to be closing the net on this place."
"Don't bother." They hear Shadow speak up. They turn to him leaning against the wall.
"Whoa, Shadow, what's with the negativity?" Rainbow Dash asked the black hedgehog.
"Don't get me wrong, three days is enough to warrant a search, but there's no chance the cops will find this place. And even if by some miracle they do, with the school as it is now, finding a way inside is next to impossible." Shadow told them.
They hear Monokuma laughing, and they see him at the end of the table. "Well, well, well, seems someone knows their predicament enough to know even the law isn't on your side. You know, it's very simple. If you want out of here, all I got to see is a little initiative."
Everyone stared at the bear in disbelief. "Hyuck. Well, I got to hand it to you Generation Z-ers, you've got balls when it comes to dealing with authority. Frankly though, the attitude only goes so far. You're boring me to tears."
"If you truly believe you can trick us into killing someone, you're crazier than I thought!" Naegi said to Monokuma. That's when the bear realized something.
"Eureka! That's the problem!" Monokuma said. "Granted, my setup's perfect: the right atmosphere, a good balance of tension and intrigue, the perfect amount of pressure, but not the vital ingredient to bring it all together!"
"And just what exactly are you driving at?" Luka asked.
"Motivation, son! I'd like everyone to report to the Multimedia Room at once for a brief, informative presentation on just what I mean." Monokuma said.
"Multimedia Room?" Naegi said.
Everyone gathered in the multimedia room. The Hope's Peak students found a DVD with their names on them. Once Naegi put his in, he put on headphones so that he could hear the sound. The video showed his parents and sister wishing him luck. The video then cut to static for a moment, switching to a room that is completely destroyed. Everyone was shocked at what their respective videos showed them as it had to do with their personal lives.
"This is insane..." Naegi spoke. "I have to get out of here... I have to get out of here now!"
"Uh, Naegi..." Luka spoke, pointing towards Sayaka, who was completely distraught by her video.
"NO!" Sayaka screamed. "I can't do this. I have... I have to get out of here before it's too late!"
"What did you see?" Naegi asked. Sayaka fell to her knees.
"Why...? Why did this happen? I didn't deserve this." Sayaka's voice began breaking. "A kid shouldn't have to make this choice!" Naegi and the heroes are bewildered at this.
"Maizono..." Makoto murmured. They then hear Monokuma laughing. They see him on the large screen.
"Yeah, who are you, really?" Kyoko spoke as she stood up. "And what are you getting out of this? Is this all some kind of sick game to you?"
"Yes, what am I getting out of this? Very good question." Monokuma repeated. Then he glared at everyone so close to the screen. "My payoff... is your despair."
"NOOO!" Sayaka screamed as she sprinted out of the multimedia room. Naegi and Luka ran after her.
"Maizono, wait!" Naegi quickly grabbed her arm.
"Let go!" Sayaka screamed.
"We're in this together like detectives, remember?" Naegi told her.
"Stop it!" Sayaka screamed.
"We can do this! If we work together, we'll all get out!" Naegi said.
"No one's coming! We're all gonna die!" Sayaka yelled.
"We're not letting that happen! We swear!" Luka told her. "Whatever it takes, do you hear? This we promise you!"
Sayaka began to cry into Naegi's chest. As Sayaka cried with the others watching in disbelief, Monokuma feigned crying as it grew into raucous laughter.
To be continued...
