A sky painted red with slightly darker clouds, almost thin air infecting the atmosphere and the smell of rot. This was the reality I was witnessing, which all combined to create a bad and oppressive atmosphere that assaulted my senses, making me have a bad taste in my mouth just by being in that place. Bad feelings threatened to dominate my mind with every new second, so I looked around me for something good to escape to.
I was sitting with my back to the wall, next to me was a large trash can, and on the other side were some boxes. I had been sitting like this for several minutes, a few times I would look up at the sky, blink a few times, let my eyes close for a while, until I opened them, only to be faced with the red sky once again.
I didn't want to accept whatever was happening. I pinched my skin to make sure I was really awake, always finding only the slight pain of the act. Then I curled into a shell and hugged myself, as if my arms were the walls of a castle, trying to protect the inside from everything outside.
But my arms were weak, they trembled and froze, so the castle walls were too weak. I was too weak.
Even though I had no other point of view or way of denying it, I didn't want to accept it, I didn't want to accept that I was in a totally unknown place like this, from one moment to the next.
But I knew, I couldn't stay like this forever, so I had to gather my thoughts to figure out what to do. I closed my eyes and went into my head.
'Where do I start? Okay, the party, after hearing my colleagues talking about it, I decided to go, I left the house with some money, I had a good time, I talked to a guy, I got angry and left... Okay, then what?
I took a bit of time to make sure of everything and continued.
'I was walking down the street and then I got a phone call... that's right, the phone!'
Having remembered that, I began to frantically search my pockets.
'Where is it? - Noticing his absence, my search became more and more desperate as I rummaged through my clothes.
After a series of inspections to make sure it wasn't anywhere on me, my gaze turned to the ground in search of it. As I looked into every corner of the alley, I found a small, closed device on the ground, it was right where I appeared here.
Perhaps when I went through that 'experience' earlier I might have dropped it without even realizing it, but that didn't matter now.
I knelt down and picked up the cell phone as my last lifeline. I didn't know what to expect but if I could contact someone I knew, no! Anyone will do, I just need something, someone.
As soon as I held it in both hands, I opened it in a frenzy. Faced with a bitterly dark screen, I gritted my teeth in frustration, desperately searching for some way to turn it on.
My eyes rested on the buttons, the sides of the phone, even its back. In the middle of my search, however, without warning, a blue flash was emitted from the screen in a flash.
"Grr"
I grunted and turned my head, as my eyelids instinctively drew together in response to the new light suddenly emitted. Taking a few seconds for my eyes to recover, I opened them again, now from a safe distance so as not to take any more risks, and stared at the screen again, finding a message displayed on it.
|| Welcome to the world of Danganronpa, dear guest ||
My eyes squinted as I read the new sentence displayed several times, I felt my arms start to shake again as if they were toys, but this time I managed to keep them contained so as not to drop the device.
'Danganronpa...' - My mind focused solely on that word, ever since my conversation with that guy at the party, this game kept being mentioned. Shit!
'There's no way I'm in Danganronpa, it's just a game! It's a fucking game! You want me to believe that I ended up there? Impossible! It's just impossible!
The more I thought, the harder I felt my teeth clenching, although I felt my own body shaking more and more, I tried to ignore it by grinding my teeth.
Fear continued to infect my body, if I really were in Danganronpa, what would I do? This terrifying thought entered my mind like a plague and I couldn't erase it, now even my ability to deny it was being broken.
Deciding to focus on the screen again, I soon realized that the phrase displayed had changed.
|| There are no limitations on the user's actions, your fate is up to you ||
With no time to pause, another message was displayed shortly afterwards.
|| For your survival and prosperity, a function has been delivered to you ||
|| The Miracle function ||
|| With it, the ability to make your wishes come true will be available, the user can ask for wishes with only a few restrictions ||
|| The user earns wish points or WP after fulfilling other people's wishes, the points are needed to use the function ||
|| The system says goodbye and wishes its user good luck ||
My eyes were stuck on the screen as I read the texts displayed again and again, and at the end, I put a hand to my head and gathered all the information I had.
'So I went to Danganronpa... and I'm with a system, like those fanfictions I used to read...?'
"Hahaha...ha" - Letting out a fear-filled laugh, I closed my eyes and began to redo the breathing technique from before, avoiding the growing wave of terror that my body was witnessing, now was not the time to panic, I needed to understand what this cell phone was and find a way to get home.
"Fuuh..." - I closed my eyes and sighed, and in a few seconds, I reopened them with new vigor.
Looking at the screen again, there was something that resembled a search bar, this must have been the place where I would make a wish according to the text, underneath this bar was written 'DP = 0' in a dark color, signaling such 'points' at the bottom of the screen there was a small symbol of an open book, next to it was written 'Manual'.
The same symbol was also on one of the buttons of the cell phone, and after seeing the similarity between them, I decided to press the button, the screen opened a large file, full of words and information about the flip phone and hopefully, answers about my condition. Putting my back to the wall, I mentally prepared myself and began to read everything carefully.
'This is going to last a long time'
...
"Fuuhh..."
I had no idea exactly how long I'd been reading, because the cell phone didn't show a time or date, but I knew that at least 30 minutes had passed. At the very least, I could now claim to have a better understanding of my situation.
In a basic summary, the manual mentioned that I was in the world of Danganronpa and the functionalities of the 'Miracle' function, where its limits were and for how long it would work, yes, this function had a time limit, in 3 years the cell phone would stop working completely and everything would be over.
So, as I was in the middle of the tragedy, with the world being in a very bad state for a long time, it meant that I couldn't hide somewhere until the world rebuilt itself and make wishes come true after the problems passed, otherwise I would only have a few months at best.
I tried to put together my knowledge of the franchise, which ranged from some parts of the anime to the 3 main games, to create a basis.
I didn't know if the events of Danganronpa 1 had already happened, and if they hadn't, I didn't know how long it would take for them to happen either, so I needed to find a way of figuring out how long ago the tragedy had begun.
Leaving that aside for a moment, I recalled the system's functionalities. First of all, the system was only present on this flip phone, so I needed to take it with me if I wanted to use it. I could only ask for miracles by writing. The risk of it being destroyed or lost was also present, but according to the manual, it would return if it were destroyed, and I could feel where it was if I were separated from it by a few meters.
Secondly, my wishes had some limits, for example, I couldn't wish for a supernatural event, such as summoning black holes out of thin air, controlling some element, or completely overcoming ordinary human strength, but as long as it was possible in the world of Danganronpa, the system could fulfill it.
Thirdly, the way to earn WP. To receive points, I had to fulfill the wishes of others, with or without the help of the system. The amount of points was related to how much the individual wanted the thing, anything could apply to this, from an object, an experience, something that perhaps the person didn't even know they wanted, among many other things. As long as a part of them wants it, if I fulfill it, I'll get points.
The process of finding someone's wish depends solely on me, so the system doesn't intervene and tell me what the person wants, unless I ask for a wish to find out, which thanks to the kind of world Danganronpa is, still falls within the realm of the possible.
Having reviewed everything, these were basically the main points I had found, the manual didn't mention why it was here. But I had my suspicions about the man from earlier in the party, all the points he made were coming true one after the other. If I could really understand Japanese as he had mentioned, it would be the end of the doubt.
Well, now I had two things to worry about. How much time had passed since the tragedy began and someone I could get DP from, hopefully, just find someone could help me with both.
I put the flip phone in my pocket, and after making sure it wouldn't fall out easily, I took a deep breath and started walking out of the alley. This area seemed to be relatively more peaceful, after all, even after being there for so long, no problems had arisen.
On one of the large buildings in the distance, there was a giant screen showing Monokuma's face. My mouth went dry at the sight of it and I felt my body slow down, but I reaffirmed that there was no other way and left the alley.
On the street, there were stores of all kinds present, going from one end to the other. Even though each one sold different things, they all shared the same aspect: they were all destroyed. The degree of destruction ranged from broken doors, smashed windows, graffiti, demolished walls and even the interiors of the stores were not spared.
The silence was deafening and uncomfortable, not even the slightest sound could be heard for several meters. This kind of environment, far from any ordinary familiarity, increased my fear, I felt as if my body was in cement, while only silence reached my ears.
After a few moments of standing still, I took a deep breath and began to look around the nearby stores for anything that might be useful. Behind the counter of one of them was a wooden baseball bat in a bad state, not the best, but I picked it up so I could defend myself.
It had some cracks at the end and was well worn, probably from being used for a long time, whoever it belonged to, it didn't seem to have had the opportunity to use it, considering where it was.
Holding it with both hands and making a few swings, I began to remember what it was like when I played with my father, it had been a few years, but with some practice I could improve. After securing a weapon and making sure I wasn't missing anything, I walked back down the street, keeping hold of the club, and looked around carefully.
The silence still lingered, but a noise interrupted it.
Tum! Tum!
I looked around until I saw that the source of the new sound was coming from inside a store further along the street, it was relatively well maintained compared to the other stores, with only the door showing signs of damage.
Tum! Tum!
The noise continued, with only a few intervals between each hit. Instigated by the sound, I raised my bat to a position where it was easier to swing, and slowly approached.
My heart beat in anticipation more and more as I approached. As soon as I got close to the door, I looked for an angle from which I could see inside without having to go in; if I were attacked while standing in the doorway, I wouldn't be able to swing my bat effectively, so I had to take other measures.
Stretching my neck, I looked where I thought the sound was coming from without actually entering. Finding nothing, I took another step, now being just a few centimeters from the door, if anything came from inside the door, my attack would be limited.
I swallowed a good amount of saliva as soon as I realized my mouth was dry, and stretched my neck a little more, so I could see what was causing the sound.
A small black circular device was on the floor, producing 'Tum' every few seconds. With a confused mind, I instinctively lowered my bat, thinking there was no danger.
"Puhuhu"
A laugh sounded behind me. My heart squeezed as I felt my body shiver, and before my brain understood, my body instinctively turned around and swung the bat with all its might at whatever was behind me.
Boom! Crack!
As soon as my club found its target, it made the sound of a huge impact, before shattering completely in a single hit and sending splinters of wood flying in several directions.
Pam! - The sound of something falling to the ground spread.
"Ha...ha..." - my breathing became ragged as I looked at what I had hit.
At my feet was a kind of bear, he was waving his arms around trying to get up, he was half black and half white with one red and black eye staring straight at me. Its claws, present on its two arms, reflected a menacing light and a metallic cold that threatened to cut into my flesh.
It was a Monokuma. A real one! I slowly began to sweat as I stared at the bear.
"Puhuhu..." - The same laughter from a few moments ago returned, but not from the Monokuma I had knocked down, the laughter was coming from several directions!
There were Monokumas coming out of alleys, from the store I was about to enter, even from other stores, it was a trap!
When I realized the growing number of Monokumas, my heart raced, looking at the piece of the bat in my hand, I threw it at the bear closest to me, and started running to a side where there were no Monokumas.
"Puhu""Puhuhu""Pu..."
Several similar laughs sounded behind me and seemed to go straight into my mind, making my run even more desperate. The robots were 3'3 tall and ran with their arms pointed at me, each arm possessing claws that could easily injure me.
The only good thing I could see in this situation was that I was faster than them, but even this advantage was threatening to slip away, I would soon tire, but they wouldn't. As soon as they caught me, I wouldn't have a chance.
Taken by instinct, I ran and ran like a madman following a confusing path, with no time to take good directions, I would run along the nearest path, praying that the Monokumas weren't following me. Unfortunately, my run only drew the attention of even more Monokumas.
About eleven bears were following me, and seeing the danger only growing, I tried another tactic. Looking back and seeing everyone still behind me, even after a seven-minute run, I knew I didn't have much time. My body was already covered in sweat and I was approaching my limit.
Turning a corner, I used the rest of my breath to enter a store before the Monokumas saw me. As soon as I entered the nearest store, I moved slowly towards the back, the bears' intelligence was unknown to me, but I bet it would take them a while to realize where I was.
"Ha...Ha..." - Holding my breath as long as I could so as not to make a sound, I crept towards the back door. I could hear the sound of confused Monokumas outside as they searched for me, which made me move even more cautiously.
The back door was still standing, with no problems visible from the inside, so I put my hand on the handle and turned it as quietly as possible. With a soft 'Tuk' the door opened, and I carefully opened it enough for my body to pass through, as soon as I was through, I carefully closed the door again.
The door led into a narrow alley, but I could get out on another street without Monokumas. I took a few seconds to catch my breath and put my hand in my pocket. After checking that my cell phone was still there unharmed, I started to walk out of the alley.
...
After a few streets, my breath was starting to improve and my sweat was beginning to dry up, but I still hadn't come across a human, not even a living being. The fatigue from my run earlier was finally getting to me, and my body was begging for a rest.
Having lost my weapon and learned a lesson from the trap I had fallen into, I started moving through alleys and near places I could hide quickly.
I was about to enter another alley when I saw something. There was a Monokuma facing away from me, he was standing still, staring at the other side of the alley, and he didn't seem to have noticed me, I had already entered the alley slightly without realizing he was there, and after seeing him, I almost despaired and made some noise, but I quickly suppressed the impulse, and carefully began to walk backwards.
And even though I was careful, without warning he turned towards me, as if sensing me. My eyes widened as I looked at his black and red eyes directly at me, but before I started running I realized something about this Monokuma. He had no claws or any other kind of visible threat.
He only had a kind of cord on his chest... which, as I watched, he pulled. At first, nothing happened... but then it started.
Brr! Brr! Vroom!
A rumbling sound began, faint at first, but within a few seconds it sounded like an engine running. I took a step back apprehensively, not knowing what to expect, I prepared to run.
Soon the noise wasn't the only change, with a sudden increase in sound, saws came out of his arms and his head!
"Huh...?" - My jaw dropped and surprise came out of my mouth in the form of a sound.
"Chainsaw Monokumaaa!" - As soon as the robot said that, without sparing a moment it started running towards me, with the sound of its saws clashing all the time.
"Damn!"
I was about to turn around, when something grazed my head.
Wosh!
The sound of something cutting through the air hit my right tympanum, I could feel something scraping the hairs on the right side of my face at breakneck speed, my body shivered in shock. At that moment, everything seemed to slow down, Monokuma was still running towards me, but he seemed to be running in slow motion.
But even in this world, the object passing me wasn't really slowing down, even though everything was slowing down, it soon passed me and became visible.
'An... iron ball?' - A round object was heading towards the bear, it was rotating at a high speed even in the slow world.
How fast would it be if everything wasn't slow? The thought sent tremors through my body.
I saw the ball slowly make its way and connect with the head of the robot, which was unconscious of impending death. The bear's head seemed to swallow the ball at first, but soon it was clear that the ball had gone through its head. At that moment, the world resumed its normal flow.
Tuk! The robot's body fell to the ground as the noise of the engine died down. The head, or rather the rest of it, was on the other side of the alley, with even its saw showing damage.
The iron ball was harmlessly a little ahead of the head, even after taking Monokuma's head with just one hit.
Feeling my forehead sweat, I slowly turned in the direction it came from.
Standing there was a small man, about 3'5 tall, similar to the Monokumas. He wore a black hat with two spikes coming out of each side, similar to those of a cat, and in the middle of his hat there was a symbol of two crossed blue rackets. His hair, under the hat, was not very visible, but red strands were slightly exposed above his ears.
He had large dark eyes, with no pupils, and his cheeks had a pinkish tinge in the shape of a circle. He had something like a cigarette in his mouth, even though there was no smoke. His upper garments were a black leather jacket with a belt over it, and his lower garments were blue pants with black stripes running horizontally. He had a metal handcuff on his left leg with a small chain attached to it.
In his right hand was a tennis racket, he held it tightly while looking me in the eye.
I slowly met his eyes, having already recognized him, I didn't understand why he was here, but this man... was without a doubt, Ryoma Hoshi the Ultimate Tennis Pro.