Prologue Part 7: Final

"It's so great to see all these familiar faces!" the monochrome bear smiled at the students. "I must say I missed you all so much! The killing games just weren't the same without you."

"You son of a bitch!" Mondo shouted as he attempted to charge at the bear. However, Taka, Nekomaru, and Sakura grabbed Mondo and restrained him. "You fucking asshole!"

"My, my, someone seems eager to greet me," Monokuma giggled a bit. "It's great to see you too, Mondo."

"Shut up!" Mondo shouted.

"Why?!" Tenko shouted. "Why did you have to be here?!"

"We're sick of your games, bear," Gundham said in his booming voice.

"Ouch!" Monokuma hung his head down, trying his best to frown despite his permanent smile. "How could you all be so cruel to your beloved headmaster?"

"Because you got us all killed!" Mahiru shouted.

"You kept turning us against each other!" Taka shouted as well.

"You're a dick!" Miu added on.

Monokuma waved his hands dismissively at the students' comments. "Oh, don't be like that. I mean, you can't act like you guys didn't have complete control over your own decisions."

"Mikan got infected to act the opposite of how she normally would," Chiaki said, unamused by the bear's attitude.

"I-I don't even remember what happened anymore," Mikan cried out.

"Ok, fine, fine," Monokuma growled a bit. "I maaaaay have pushed you all in the right direction, but come on, you guys killed each other. Not me."

"What about those you executed?" Kokichi asked.

"Executed?" Sayaka asked the purple haired boy.

"Oh? You didn't know about that?" Kokichi cocked his head to the side. "Those that are found guilty are executed for their crimes…If they're caught that is."

'Wait, so my clue got Leon executed?' Sayaka thought to herself. 'I mean I already knew he got killed, but…executed…"

"Oh, can you all stop bringing up all my faults and focus on all the good I've done for you?" Monokuma asked as he held up his cheeky grin. "After all, I'm the reason you're all alive again."

Everyone raised their brows at that statement. Byakuya uncrossed his arms and faced Monokuma, "So, we truly did die."

"Yep, yep, yep!"

"Wait, how did you even do that?" Kaede asked. "If we really died, how could you bring us back?"

"You can't expect me to just give you all the answers off that bat," Monokuma answered with a non-answer. Monokuma held out his hands several MonoPads landed neatly into his paws. "You all know the drill. Take your MonoPad and read the rules!"

Monokuma held the electronic pads for the students to take, but none of them were willing to be the first person to take one. They all knew that doing so was the equivalent of signing their death warrants, to play his game. Only one person was willing to sign up.

"What's everyone getting cold feet for?" Junko asked with a bright smile on her face. "It's not like we can say no to this." She took her MonoPad and turned it on.

Everyone looked at Junko and decided to follow her lead. Everyone was lucky enough to get their MonoPads without any swapping and they all turned on with their owner's respective names flashing back at them.

"Just a reminder," Monokuma spoke again. "These MonoPads display maps, give you your time, unlock certain doors, and have all the rules on them at all times. Isn't technology just grand?"

"Please, these are hardly any better than the last ones," Miu said. "Seriously, if Apple can shit out a new iPhone everyone month, you can update this glassy asswiper."

"Cut me a break," Monokuma tried his best to frown again. "A bear can only do so much. Bringing people back to life takes a lot of effort and manpower. Now, go over the rules carefully. You don't want to miss out on anything important. They could come in handy for the class trials."

Sayaka looked up from her MonoPad to face Monokuma. "The class trials?"

"Hmmm? Oh, that's right! You didn't know about the class trials, did you Sayaka? Boy, that must make you feel really dumb after all that mess, huh?"

If she didn't already know what trying to attack Monokuma would result in, Sayaka would have reached over and strangled the stuffed bear. Unfortunately, all she could do was stand there awkwardly with everyone looking at her.

"Wait, you didn't even know about the class trials?" Kokichi laughed at the idol. "You were killed that early on?!"

"Ha!" Miu joined in on the mockery train. "What even happened to you? Did you drop some soap in the shower and tripped so bad you broke your neck?"

"Oh, how about we talk more about when she dropped the soap?" Teruteru said with a perverted grin across his face.

"Hey!" Tenko shouted. "Leave Sayaka alone! It wasn't her fault!"

"Tenko is right," Sakura said. "Monokuma withheld information of the class trial until she was slain."

"That's low," Mahiru said with a scowl across her face.

"Of course, the stupid bear would hide that," Hiyoko said. "He has to cheat to get his way!"

"Hey, I think you guess are overlooking the fact you are all in charge of your own decisions!" Monokuma snapped a bit. "And besides, the killing game is a fair way for one to return to their normal lives. A life for a life. That's fair, right?"

"What makes you think we'll even play your game again?" Kaede asked. "I mean, we tried to play and failed. We learned from our mistakes, so you can't expect us to kill someone again."

"Not even to return to the outside world?" Monokuma asked.

"No," Chiaki said. "Not even for that."

"Besides, the outside world is kind of destroyed anyway," Kokichi said.

Everyone stopped their discussions and turned to face Kokichi. He has said very outrageous things in the past, but that had to be the most ridiculous.

"Kokichi, now's not the time to start lying again," Kaede rolled her eyes.

"Um, actually, Kaede…he's telling the truth," Kaito said.

"What?!" Hifumi gasped.

"No way!" Nekomaru shouted.

"How could you of all people back up his lies, Kaito?" Kirumi asked.

"What?" Kaito shrugged. "After Gonta died, we all saw footage what the outside looked like and it was a burning mess."

"That's preposterous!" Taka said. "We all clearly explained we were kidnapped and awoke in these prisons, and we all clearly remembered that the world was just fine!"

"Tsumugi can back us up, right Tsumugi?" Kaito asked.

Tsumugi had been completely silent since they entered the auditorium and she had seemed like she was zoned out into space. Once her name was called, she snapped back to reality and faced Kaito. "Huh? What?"

"Tsumugi, you saw the outside too," Kaito said.

"Oh, yeah. I did. It was completely destroyed…Everything."

"Wow. Must've been a real bad thing to do something like that," Junko commented.

"This has to be a trick!" Taka said before turning to Celestia. "Miss Ludenberg, please confirm that this is a lie!"

Celeste frowned a bit and shook her head. "They are telling the truth."

"Then…we can never go back?!" Chihiro had tears form from her eyes.

Everyone went pale. The world was gone as far as they knew. Everything they ever knew, loved, and dreamed for was gone. It was hard to believe. Impossible to believe.

Sayaka refused to believe it. "No!" she shouted. "That doesn't make sense! Why wouldn't we know about it when we were heading to Hope's Peak? That would be national news! Where are everyone else? If they survived the killing games, then where could they have gone?! This doesn't make sense!"

"Explain yourself now, fiendish bear," Gundham commanded.

Monokuma smirked at the class. "I can't give away spoilers at the beginning. If you guys really want to find the truth, I guess you have to play my game. Win, and you get all the answers you're hungry for. Upupupupupupup!

Monokuma's childish laugh filled the room and stuck itself in the students' minds. Despite how childish it was, it carried an air of menace that reminded everyone that Monokuma was a real threat. He may look nonthreatening, but he clearly had the resources and the mind to pose a threat.

Thankfully, Monokuma put an end to his laughter to make another announcement. "Oh! By the way, I think it's important to say that this killing game won't take place in this building."

"Wait, what?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "Are you taking us to another island."

"No, no, no." Monokuma said. "I don't have the budget for that anymore. I do have the budget for a nicer building for you all to stay in. After all, even the dead deserve to be placed to rest in a place better than a dump like this."

"Then where is this place?" Kiyo asked.

"Why don't you all just head outside and see for yourselves?" Monokuma said with his usual cheeky grin. Before anyone could ask him any further questions, a tile of wood next to him lifted up and he leapt inside, the tile closing down behind him.

The students were left with so many questions, statements, and conflicting information that they didn't quite know what to do. All of them where left to her thoughts. Sayaka's thoughts were not particularly happy.

She didn't know where to begin. The outside world might be destroyed meaning all the hard work for her idol career, providing for her father, attempting to reunite with her bandmates…they're all gone. Maybe. Then there's the unfortunate implications that she attempted to kill someone, tried to frame a good friend, when everything outside was gone. Maybe. Then the darkest realization. If she had been successful in killing Leon, she would have to go to this "class trial" and face her consequences, face Makoto and everyone, and then send them all to their deaths. And all of that would for a world that no longer existed. Maybe.

Maybe. That word summed up everything about this situation. Nothing Monokuma said could ever truly be trusted, and while Kaito said he saw the world in flames, it could somehow be another trick. Sayaka might've fallen into a mental loop if someone didn't break everyone's train of thought.

"Isn't this exciting?" Junko asked with a bright smile on her face.

Everyone was obviously shocked and baffled by this statement.

"How could you say something like that, Miss Enoshima?" Hifumi asked.

"You must have a sick idea of entertainment, succubus," Gunhdum said as overly dramatic as he usually does.

"I must agree with Tanaka," Byakuya said as he crossed his arms. "What about this situation could you possibly find exciting?"

Junko just shrugged. "I don't know. Just the idea of being stuck in a place with people you can't trust just puts me on edge. It's like being stuck in a real-life horror movie. You agree, right Ikusaba?"

Mukuro jolted a bit when Junko called her out. God, Mukuro wanted to kill her. Unfortunately, she had to use self-control. "No," she said. "Not at all."

"Pfff, well I'm sure some of you weirdos agree with me a bit," Junko said. "At the very least, we can agree we can't just stand around doing nothing."

"Yeah," Miu spoke up. "I ain't going just sit around with a thumb up my ass."

"Very well," Byakuya spoke once again. "We should all make our way out to these new building Monokuma has prepared for us."

"Understood!" Taka saluted before marching ahead. "Follow me, friends."

Everyone began to file out of the room and followed Taka, Kaito, and Byakuya. Sayaka, however, stood back in the auditorium. She couldn't bring herself to leave. Leaving towards this new killing game was what Monokuma wanted. And considering how quickly she snapped last time, she knew she couldn't handle it again.

'Maybe I should have stayed dead,' Sayaka thought to herself.

"Sayaka?"

Sayaka snapped her head back to face Tenko, Kaede, and Chiaki.

"Huh? You guys haven't gone yet?" Sayaka asked.

"We could as you the same thing," Kaede said. "We wouldn't have noticed you if we weren't trying to wake up Chiaki."

"Sorry. I get sleepy often," Chiaki said.

Tenko frowned at Sayaka. "You looked really sad. Is everything ok?"

Sayaka frowned as well. "I…I don't know if I can handle this. I couldn't get through the killing the first time. To be forced to go through it again, it's…it's too much."

"Sayaka…" Tenko said softly.

Chiaki placed her hand on the idol's shoulder, gaining her attention.

"I know that things have been hard for you," Chiaki began to speak. "All of this is scary. But you're not the only one going through this. We're all facing this threat…If you feel like you can't face it alone, then face it with us. Together. We can't just lay down and let Monokuma keep us from our homes. After all, that's how the others…must have gotten out of the killing games. I think."

Sayaka couldn't help but feel some comfort from Chiaki's words. It's strange. The girl seemed like she was the quiet girl that had a hard time fitting in with others, yet there she was giving a hope filled speech to the pop idol.

"Yeah!" Kaede joined in the conversation as she pumped her hands. "Sure, things didn't work out last time, but we know what we did wrong and we got a chance to avoid them now!"

Sayaka nodded lightly. "Y-yeah. Yeah, this is our second chance."

Tenko grabbed a hold of Sayaka's hand. "Then let's take it! We can beat that stupid Monokuma this time!"

Before Sayaka had a chance to respond, Tenko dragged Sayaka out of the room with Kaede and Chiaki in tow. Sayaka wasn't too sure if she could truly believe that everything would be fine like Chiaki said. After all, there were over thirty students there that had died from previous games. Yet, they were right about one thing; she had to leave this place. She had too many things in the outside world to protect. Her father, her bandmates, her idol career, Makoto…She had to make things right for them. For everything. How she would get out was something Sayaka had to think about though. She can't take action if she didn't have a plan.

Prologue: Finished

Cast: Reunited

Students Remaining: 34

So, there it is. The final part of the prologue. I knew I had to get this done before the end of the year, and I'm glad I did it. I know that you all have plenty of questions, some about a certain robot, but like all things Danganronpa, I can't just spoil things at the beginning.

I know a lot of this part is just a dialogue, which I love, but do to how back and forth it goes, it certainly went by fast and doesn't have a large word count. I hope you don't mind it. Man, I had to brush up on my Monokuma. He's actually a lot harder to write than you'd think. Need to be get that right balance of goofy, creepy, annoying, charming, and threatening all at once. I know I got plenty of chances to get used to writing him more, so that will be fun.

Trying to balance the cast in terms of presence is hard. I tried to give everyone something to say this part, some natural, some I think unnatural. Not too sure on that. It was especially hard since Sayaka is supposed to be the main character of this story and she's actually taken a back seat in the last few parts. In a way it makes sense since she isn't a leader like Taka, Kaito, or Twogami, isn't as headstrong as Kaede, Kaito again, or Mondo, and she's got a lot of issues she has to deal with. She will obviously have time to develop just like everyone else.

Once again, I have to thank you all for reading and reviewing my story. You guys certainly helped these last few months better. So please keep reading, keep reviewing, maybe spread the word. Just know I'm thankful for all of you.

Now, I will be taking a break from this until January. I got to see Spider-Man, play some video games, watch Breaking Bad, live life. I hope you guys had an ok 2021 and have a better 2021