And now, here's where we meet Makoto's compatriots on his adventure. Yes it will just be them, sorry for those who were hoping to see Donald and Goofy.
(In the midst of the darkness, Makoto started hearing his own voice again)
Makoto: ...Nng?
(And found himself waking up on a desk in a classroom)
Makoto: Wh-What…?
Makoto: Where am I? And what was that dream?
Makoto: Wait, that… wasn't a dream.
Makoto: …
Makoto: (I woke up with my head resting on top of a hard wooden desk).
Makoto: (My body feels… heavy.)
Makoto: (It's pretty normal for me to zonk off in the middle of some boring class or whatever, but…)
Makoto: (What was I doing asleep here just now?)
Makoto: (And, why did I dream something so vivid… and so real?)
(Makoto quickly takes a look around, and realizes something)
Makoto: (Wait, this isn't a classroom I've ever been in before.)
Makoto: What the heck is going on?
(As Makoto's vision starts becoming clearer, he notices he's in a large, yellow walled classroom with several desks in front of the teacher's. He first notices the note on the desk he fell asleep on)
Makoto: (That's the desk I fell asleep on. I can still see a line of drool I must have left there.)
Makoto: I'll have to clean that up later…
Makoto: (Hey, what's that on the desk?)
Makoto: An orientation guide…?
Makoto: (It's some kind of cheap-looking pamphlet. And there's something handwritten on it…)
(Makoto reads the note to himself)
Makoto: ("The next semester is about to start.")
Makoto: ("Starting today, this school will be your entire world.")
Makoto: What the hell? Is this someone's idea of a joke?
Makoto: (If that last thing was too real to be a dream, I don't know what this is about)
(He continues to check around, noticing the time was 8 o'clock, an hour since he was at the main hall. But then finds something disturbing, the windows seem boarded up tight)
Makoto: What the heck…?
Makoto: (In any normal classroom, that's where a window should be.)
Makoto: (But it looks like some kind of metal plate has been bolted over it.)
Makoto: (And if I were to knock on it…)
(Makoto knocks on the plate, and sure enough…)
Makoto: Yup. Definitely metal. Thick, too. Very solid.
Makoto: (Wait, that's not what matters here. More importantly, why are there metal plates over the windows?)
Makoto: Okay, let's see. So what might have happened here is…
Makoto: (I got myself so wound up, I passed out in the main hall. And then someone carried me here…?)
Makoto: (If that's true, it must mean…)
Makoto: (This is a classroom inside Hope's Peak.)
Makoto: But then if *that's* true…
Makoto (That just raises more questions. This is all really strange.)
Makoto: I mean, those metal plates covering the windows… It's like it's a prison or something.)
Makoto: (And it still doesn't explain why I had that dream, or why it all felt so real…)
Makoto: (None of this makes any sense…)
Makoto: I should probably head back to the main hall.
Makoto: It's already past the meeting time. There might be other students there now.
(Suddenly…)
Makoto: Grgh!
(An image flashes through Makoto's mind, one of him with his fellow students, but he doesn't seem to recognize them)
Makoto: Wait… that image…
Makoto: (That was from my dream!)
Makoto: (So, it really wasn't a dream…)
Makoto: (It feels like I should remember this, but…)
Makoto: (...)
Makoto: I doubt anyone else is gonna believe this but…
Makoto: I should probably tell someone about this.
(Makoto exits the classroom and enters the hallway, which has a strange purple glow to it)
Makoto: Jeez… This hallway is kind of weird, too.
Makoto: (This is getting stranger by the second.)
Makoto: (I honestly have no idea what's going on…)
Makoto: Well, for now I'll just head to the main hall…
(Makoto walks through the hallways trying to find the main hall, his dream playing back through his head. Why could he remember something so strange so vividly, like it… actually happened? These questions go through his mind, he finds the main hall and enters it. And finds everyone else waiting there.)
?: Whoa, hey! Another new kid?
Makoto: Huh? Then you guys are all…?
?: Yeah… We're all new here. Today's supposed to be our first day of class.
?: So counting him, that makes fifteen. Seems like a good cut-off point, but I wonder if this is everyone…
?: (Standing before me were the "Ultimate Students" that had been hand-picked by the school.)
?: (I looked around at everyone who'd gathered there, taking in their faces one at a time…)
?: (...Some of whom were actually in that strange sequence I had before waking up here.)
?: (Maybe I was just imagining it, but I swear I could feel a kind of aura coming from each of them…)
Makoto: Um...how's it going? My name's Ma-
(Before he could finish, another image flashes through his head, but this time it gave him a painful headache he couldn't hide)
Makoto: Agh!
?: Whoa, are you okay?
Makoto: Yeah just… well…
?: Did you have a bad dream or something?
Makoto: (No, it couldn't have been a dream. But…)
Makoto: (Would they believe me?)
Makoto: It's alright, my name's Makoto Naegi.
Makoto: Sorry I'm late. A bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden I was just…. Asleep.
?: Whoa, you too?
?: Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser…
?: So strange… I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed!
Makoto: Um… what are you talking about? I honestly have no idea what's going on right now.
?: Just a moment! There's something else we must address!
?: Makoto! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you were aware the meeting was to start at 8 a.m. sharp!
?: To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!
?: What's your problem? It's not like he *wanted* to be late. He didn't have any control over it.
Makoto: (There's a lot more to it than just that…)
?: Everyone just calm down! Listen, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?
?: The hell!? Now's no time for friggin' introductions!
?: Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we all are before digging into the bigger problems here.
?: I mean, how are we even supposed to talk to each other if we do not know each other's names?
?: That's a good point…
?: Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sound good?
Makoto: (I'm still totally lost, but I think it's best to just focus on getting to know each other for now.)
Makoto: (So I guess this is a good a chance as I'm gonna get.)
Makoto: (I already looked everyone up on that Hope's Peak Academy thread online, but…)
Makoto: (I still don't really know what kind of people they actually are. Time to find out…)
(His dream still fresh in his mind, Makoto introduced himself and met the other Ultimates)
(Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Taka for short, the Ultimate Moral Compass)
(Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy)
(Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation, and one of the people from Makoto's dream)
(Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star)
(Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator)
(Aoi Asahina, Hina for short, the Ultimate Swimming Pro)
(Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer)
(Kyoko Kirigiri, who never told her talent, and another person from Makoto's dream)
(Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista)
(Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader)
(Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist)
(Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, and the third person from Makoto's dream)
(Yasuhiro Hagakure, Hiro for short, the Ultimate Clairvoyant)
(And Celestia Ludenberg, Celeste for short, the Ultimate Gambler)
(Once he was introduced to everyone, Byakuya spoke…)
Byakuya: Okay, time to get down to business.
Byakuya: This is no time to stand around making friends like a bunch of dull-eyed baboons.
Makoto: Oh, that's true.
Makoto: I think someone said something about a bigger problem or something? What was that about?
Sayaka: Well, you see…
Sayaka: Makoto, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you were "just asleep", right?
Sayaka: Well...the same is true for all of us.
Makoto: What? Seriously!?
Makoto: (They… had that dream too?)
Leon: Just after each of us got to the main hall, we lost consciousness.
Leon: And when we came to, we were somewhere here in the school! That's what happened to you, right?
Makoto (...)
Makoto: (I guess, everyone else got knocked out but…)
Makoto: (I was the only one… with that strange sequence?)
Makoto: Yeah… but…
Leon: Huh?
Hifumi: Wait, why do I get the feeling there's some backstory behind that "but"?
Toko: D-Don't be ridiculous! As if h-he has…
Makoto: It… wasn't just all that for me.
Chihiro: Not just that? What do you mean?
Makoto: I mean after I passed out in the hall and woke up in the classroom…
Makoto: There was… something in between all of it. And it…
Makoto: It didn't feel like a dream.
Junko: Huh? What the heck does that mean?
Kyoko: I think Makoto has something he wants to tell us.
Junko: Wait, what?
Mondo: Well if it gives us an idea on what the hell is going on…
Mondo: I wouldn't mind hearing the little guy out.
Byakuya: You sure it'd be that simple?
Byakuya: For all we know, it could've been just some fever dream he had when he passed out.
Celeste: Perhaps, but I assume none of us dreamt of anything before we awoke.
Celeste: It is probably best we hear him out.
Sayaka: Yeah, it wouldn't be too much trouble. Go ahead Makoto!
Makoto: R-Right, thanks.
(Makoto begins explaining from the top the sequence of events he went through after waking up, most listened intently, while some like Byakuya only gave it a half-listen)
Hiro: Whoa, maybe that guardian angel thing I joked about earlier wasn't so far-fetched.
Hifumi: Amazing, it's like an awakening. Where the hero discovers he is the one to bring peace to the-
Leon: Hey quiet! This is getting good.
(As Makoto told them his dream, Kyoko seemed to listen closely, more than anyone. Like she was taking mental notes of this. As Makoto got to the third platform and explained the door…)
Sakura: So, what was behind this door?
Makoto: I opened it, and a large flash of light appeared from it. I walked closer like… like I was put under a spell and then…
Makoto: I… found myself back at the main hall.
(That last statement caught everyone's attention)
Taka: The main hall? Was there anyone there?
Makoto: Yes, three people actually…
(A bit hesitant to say who, Makoto gulped and then told who he saw)
Makoto: There was… Sayaka.
Sayaka: Me?
Makoto: Kyoko…
(Kyoko simply raised an eyebrow)
Makoto: ...And Byakuya.
(That caught the progeny's attention)
Byakuya: Me? Why would I be there?
Makoto: I don't know, you just were.
Kyoko: Did we say anything?
(Makoto explained what happened as the questions they asked flashed through his mind)
"What are you so afraid of?"
"What do you want out of life?"
"What's most important to you?"
Makoto: Whatever that voice was, I think it just wanted me to… think about some things.
Byakuya: That still doesn't explain why any of us were there to begin with.
Kyoko: I'd say they were based on your memory, but you don't know any of us, right?
Makoto: I… don't know…
Kyoko: Hmm?
(Question aside, Makoto continued telling the story, now having gotten everyone's attention. Everyone seemed worried when Makoto brought up the large shadow and smaller beasts destroying the school and everyone but him laying there dead)
Toko: W-What? We d-d-died?
Hiro: Whoa, this all sounds so real!
Hina: So what happened, did you fight the monster?
Makoto: I did, but just as I was doing well, the key… disappeared from my hands.
Hifumi: What? You were at the creature's mercy!?
Makoto: I guess you could say that. But as I backed up, a dark pool formed around me, like it was… grabbing at me.
Mondo: You got away right?
Makoto: No, I didn't. I tried but I couldn't break free…
Sayaka: Makoto…
Makoto: Then, more images flashed through my mind. They seemed like memories of… us.
Junko: Huh?
(Everyone looked surprised, Junko especially)
Makoto: They were of us, here. And nothing was boarded up, no cameras, no strange lighting.
Celeste: Did those images mean anything to you?
Celeste: Because as far as we know, this is our very first meeting.
Makoto: I don't know, it's like I was… trying to remember them.
Junko: …..
Leon: Hey, you alright?
Junko: Huh? Y-Yeah I'm fine, keep going Makoto.
Makoto: I tried to run, but the voice kept calling out to me and-
(Suddenly…)
Makoto: Gh!
Sayaka: Huh? What's wrong?
Makoto: It feels like… GAGH!
Mondo: What the hell's going on?
(Makoto felt like his head was writhing in pain, he held his hands up to his head. Which made everyone, even the more stone-faced and inquisitive students, worry.)
Makoto: AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!
(Makoto fell to the ground, his head in pain like it was… trying hard to recall something)
Taka: We need to get a nurse here, STAT!
Hiro: I don't think this place has anyone like that here.
Taka: Nonsense, schools always have nurses!
Mondo: Get the crap out of your eyes and look around, if there were any fuckin' nurses, someone would've seen them by now!
Sayaka: Makoto! It's alright, we'll find some-
(He then stopped, as if the pain escaped his body and muttered out)
Makoto: The door…
Chihiro: Door?
Makoto: As I was swallowed by the darkness, I heard that voice one more time… and it said…
"You are the one who will open the door."
(Makoto thought that was the voice going through his head again...)
Toko: Huh? D-Did you guys hear s-someone?
Sakura: A voice… But who was it?
Mondo: It didn't sound like anyone I knew…
Hiro: No, it couldn't be…
Hina: Don't tell me it was a…
Hiro: A gh-gh-gh-gh-GHOST!?
Byakuya: D-Don't be ridiculous, ghosts aren't real. That voice was probably…
Makoto: That was it…
Byakuya: What?
Makoto: That was the voice from my dream! And those were the last words it spoke!
Sayaka: The voice from your dream?
Hifumi: Impossible! Could it be Mr. Naegi's dream wasn't so fake after all…
Celeste: Perhaps, it is very unlikely we are all hallucinating. Am I wrong?
Makoto: After that happened, then I woke up here. It was all so clear in my head, like it…
Kyoko: Like it actually happened…
Toko: But why? Wh-why did we hear that voice just now?
Hiro: No, it can't be real. We're all still dreaming aren't we? Yeah that's it, just one crazy dream!
Makoto: Hmm….
(Like in his dream, Makoto pinched his arm, but the pain he felt was no fake…)
Makoto: No, it wasn't one back then… and it's not a dream now.
Hiro: Nope, not listening! Not listening!
Celeste: Ignoring the noise for a second, did anything happen on your way here?
Makoto: Yeah, one of those images flashed in my mind again… one of us, together.
Kyoko: Hmm…..
(Kyoko seemed lost in thought over Makoto's story, with everything he described and the voice everyone heard just now, they knew it wasn't just some fever dream)
Kyoko: We may need to keep a close eye on what happens here, if Makoto's dream is anything to go by…
Kyoko: Then perhaps that image of those monsters and the academy may not be out of the realm of possibility.
(Upon hearing Kyoko's theory, everyone started getting worried)
Taka: Wait, they're… gonna destroy the academy and…
Chihiro: No, those things can't be real. I-
Chihiro: I don't wanna die!
Hina: But, Makoto's already seen so much and…
Hina: I want to believe it's a lie, but-
Sakura: When that time comes, we should be ready.
Mondo: Yeah, if I'm going down-
Mondo: Then I'm going down in a blaze of glory!
Byakuya: Talk big all you want, but don't think those images mean anything.
Byakuya: You have no indication of whether or not those are true, right?
Makoto: Well, no but…
Hifumi: Then explain the voice we heard Mr. Togami!
Hifumi: Makoto clearly stated that was the voice he heard in his dream, so why did we all hear it?
Leon: Yeah! Who are you to tell us that was just our imagination?
Leon: You heard the thing too!
Byakuya: …..
(Byakuya had no answer for the fanfic writer or baseball player, leaving him just as confused as everyone else)
Mondo: So we were all knocked out and Makoto had that strange thing happen to him? Just what the hell is up with this place!?
Taka: Not only that, but where the windows were, there were just large metal plates bolted over them!
Junko: Plus, all my stuff's missing! Even my cellphone…
Chihiro: Yeah, you're right. I haven't seen my PDA anywhere either…
Taka: And then there's the main hall here… The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch.
Taka: But there wasn't anything like that when I first got here…!
Hina: Was it in that dream of yours, Makoto?
Makoto: No, the main hall was normal before and during that… strange sequence.
(He was reluctant to call it a dream just yet)
Taka: What the heck!? What's it doing here!?
Junko: Maybe we got caught up in some kinda, like, you know… crime or something?
Leon: What, like… a kidnapping? You think someone grabbed us and hauled us off and we're not actually at school?
(Having finally stopped panicking, Hiro spoke up)
Hiro: Come on, don't think like that. Cheer up! I bet this is all part of the school's orientation procedure.
Hiro: Yeah I'm sure of it! So I'm just gonna take it easy for a little bit.
Chihiro: Oh… So you think they wanted to do something to surprise us?
Leon: Huh. Well if that's all it is, it's nap time for me.
Leon: I was up way too late last night, so I could use a little shuteye.
Makoto: (I could feel everyone's tension evaporating…)
Celeste: Well even if that is true, we still have the matter of Makoto's dream.
Kyoko: We need some way to figure out if it was just a dream…
Kyoko: Or something else.
Chihiro: Oh, right?
Hifumi: Hmm, well if Mr. Naegi had that key before then…
Hifumi: Maybe we just need to find a way for him to get it back?
Hifumi: I've read enough to know a macguffin when I see it, but this one seems actually important if fought off those shadows!
Leon: Well just summon it and we can deal with them…
Makoto: I… don't know how.
Hifumi: Give it time Mr. Naegi, it will come to you soon enough.
Byakuya: Are you finished? We still have this to deal with, none of that non-
*Ding dong, bing bong*
Makoto: Huh? What was that?
Chihiro: Sounds like it came from the monitor.
(Everyone looked up to the monitor, and a shadowy figure appeared and began speaking)
?: Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then…!
Makoto: (! Wait, is that…)
?: Ahh, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at… right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. ...That's all. I'll be waiting!
(The screen turned off, and regardless of how their faces appeared, they all had a feeling of dread within them)
Sayaka: Didn't that thing seem… shadowy?
Toko: L-Like the things from Makoto's d-dream?
Hifumi: Without the glowing eyes it seems…
(Suddenly, a few of the students started panicking, thinking they were already there)
Hiro: NO! I won't believe it! It's the Triangle's fault!
Toko: WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! S-Someone help!
Chihiro: I can't take it! Please, have mercy!
Sayaka: Save me!
(Sayaka jumps into Makoto's arms)
Makoto: Huh?
Sayaka: Get that key out and stop that thing! Please!
(The other panicking students jumped towards Makoto too, but all that accomplished was making him fall down)
Hifumi: Get the key out already!
Makoto: But I don't know how!
Leon: Just do it already man, I'm freaking out!
Byakuya: Well, if you guys are finished…
(Byakuya starts walking out of the main hall)
Hiro: W-Wait, where are you going?
Kyoko: I think he's going to the gymnasium to see that announcement.
Mondo: But what if that thing really is one of the shadows from Makoto's dream?
Taka: Well whatever the case… we can't afford to sit idly by.
Taka: We must be on our way! Our school life awaits!
(Taka follows shortly thereafter, several others start walking out as well)
Celeste: Hopefully whatever that thing is won't be one of those… shadows.
Makoto: Right, well-
(His arm is pulled behind him, and he suddenly sees the pop star hugging it out of fear)
Sayaka: Please don't let go…
(Worried, Makoto decided to acquiesce)
Makoto: Just stay near me, maybe that key will come back soon…
Hiro: I-I don't know about you guys but I'm sticking with Makoto! He knows what's going on!
Toko: N-Not that you c-care anyway but… I guess I'll t-tag along… for now.
Leon: Lead the way key master!
Hifumi: Everyone behind Mr. Naegi!
Kyoko: …
(Chihiro, Toko, Hiro, Hina and Hifumi soon went behind Makoto as if to follow him, Sayaka still hugging his arm. Though reluctant, Makoto decided to ease their fears)
Makoto: Alright everyone, let's go!
(Said with confidence, Makoto led the worried students to the gymnasium. The only one left in the main hall was the mysterious Kyoko, still pondering on Makoto's dream)
Kyoko: Everything Makoto said, it all sounds so fantastical yet…
Kyoko: It all feels… like he actually experienced it.
Kyoko: …
(Knowing she couldn't ponder on it for much longer, Kyoko soon exited the main hall to follow the others, not knowing what awaits them. Soon after she left, one of the corners grew dark, and yellow eyes started popping out from it, along with a mysterious brown robed figure)
?: ….
?: Your time will soon come.
(And as quickly as the figure appeared, it vanished and the eyes soon after, as if it was watching them…)
Feel that feeling of despair yet? Well some already do! Next time, we meet everyone's favorite monochromatic headmaster, and they discover why they're trapped. And maybe... something else.