After a short walk, the small group of TK, Sakura, Junko, Sayaka, Kirigiri, Mondo, Taka, and Hifumi found a door labeled Gym. When they walked through that door they noticed they entered a trophy room. There were shelves and cases full of the school's previous achievements and a door that most likely led to the actual gymnasium.
"God, I had no idea this Hope's Peak Academy place was gonna be such a pain in my balls," Mondo groaned. "It really ain't that much different from the time I spent in juvie. Hell, this place is even worse!"
"And why isn't there anyone here? Walking through the halls, I didn't see a single person…" Sayaka mentioned. After thinking about it, TK didn't remember seeing a single person near the school when he first arrived.
"Isn't that like, seriously not good?" Junko asked, blue in the face.
"Th-They're just trying to spook us! They'll take those metal plates down later, I'm sure of it…" TK didn't know if Taka was trying to reason their situation to the group or to himself. All he knew was that Taka was looking pale and was sweating a little.
"All we can do now is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Sakura said stoically.
"Well hell, it ain't like I'm scared or nothin'. Let's just get this over with!" Mondo marched right through the Gym doors. "Hey! Where's whoever called us here!?"
"Mondo, stop! No running!" Taka chased after the biker gang leader.
"I too shall go," Sakura said calmly as she walked into the gym.
"H-Hey, wait! Don't leave me here all alone!" Hifumi shrieked as he ran after the muscular woman.
TK was left alone in the room with three girls. Kirigiri was silent and seemed to be the only one to remain calm in their situation, while Junk mumbled about having a bad vibe about what's happening, and Sayaka was confused as to where the other students are.
Seeing that he didn't have any other options, TK took a deep breath and walked into the gym.
He saw everyone standing before a stage with the Hope's Peak Academy logo hanging over it. Chairs were set up in front of the stage, though it appeared that no one wanted to sit down. It looked like a normal entrance ceremony that any normal school would have.
"See? Told ya! It's totally normal entrance ceremony stuff," Yasuhiro said when he noticed everyone arrived.
'Hiro's right. This looks like the setup of my old high school's entrance ceremony before I was accepted into Hope's Peak,' TK thought to himself.
"Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!" Everyone jumped. It was the same voice as the one from the speakers. Everyone quickly turned their attention towards the stage, where the voice came from.
A few seconds passed by as the tension in the room started to build up, as they waited for something to happen.
Then, all of a sudden, a small black and white bear popped up behind the podium and landed on it. Its entire right side was white, while its left side was black. It also had a white belly and a black beady eye on its right, while on its left side had a red slash for an eye and a devilish grin.
"Huh? A… teddy bear?" Chihiro was the first one to find their words from what they were seeing.
"I'm not a teddy bear!" it said, taking offense to the programmer's comment. "I… am… Monokuma! And I am this school's headmaster!"
The students were quiet, not really believing what Monokuma told them.
'It's sad that this isn't the strangest thing I've ever seen. Maybe not even in the top 10,' TK thought to himself as he remembered his adventures as a kid and his best friend's mom's cooking. 'I don't even know how she comes up with half the stuff she makes?'
"Nice to meet you all!" Monokuma greeted them. Monokuma's bright voice and carefree attitude scared some of the students.
"Wh-? Waaaaaah! That teddy bear can talk!" Hifumi exclaimed the obvious.
"Calm down! I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it," Taka said, not fully believing that a teddy bear could talk without a speaker.
"I told you already, I'm not a teddy bear…" Monokuma was getting more and more irritated that everyone was calling him a teddy bear. "I'm Monokuma! And I'm your headmaster!"
"Waaaaah! It moved!" Hifumi screamed from the slight movement Monokuma made.
"Seriously man, calm down! It's prolly just a remote control toy or somethin'," Mondo said, getting slightly annoyed by the overweight fanfic creator's constant shrieking.
"How dare you compare me to a child's plaything! You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench…" Monokuma placed his hands over where his heart should be as he appeared hurt by Mondo's comment. Then Monokuma appeared fine as if he didn't care for what the biker said.
"My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or comprehend it!" the bear bragged. "Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR that."
Some groaned at the pun.
"'Bear' that? Really? You are… unfortunate," Celeste said.
"Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started…" Monokuma brushed off Celeste's comment and moved on to a different topic.
"Giving up already? No other stupid bear puns?" Junko asked.
"Quiet down now, quiet down. Ah, okay, so…!" Monokuma hushed the students, even though no one was talking, and tried to move on to a different topic.
"He has abandoned the gag…" Sakura said though it appeared that Monkuma didn't hear her, or he chose to ignore her.
"Everyone, stand at attention and bow! And… good morning!" Only Taka listened to the bear's request as he was the only one to bow.
"Good morning!"
"Y-You don't have to s-say it back…" Toko mumbled to herself.
"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!" Monokuma stood proudly on the podium. "First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like."
A few students perked up, while a few still thought they were being pranked by the faculty. TK didn't believe a teddy bear will be their headmaster but if this is how Hope's Peak Academy handles their entrance ceremonies, then he'll be willing to listen to the bear.
"Now, ah, make no mistake- you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such hope, you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school," Monokuma said.
'I remember reading that on the form they sent out. They asked us to send them some of our belongings that we wanted to have during our time here, so they could store them in our rooms and have them ready for when we arrive,' TK scratched his head as he mulled over what Monokuma said.
"Ah, now then… regarding the end date for this communal life… There isn't one! In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned," Monokuma revealed. Some of the students believed him, while others thought this was part of the prank.
"Wh-What did he just say? Until the day we d-die…?" Toko was shaking a lot and TK thought she was going to pass out from all the stress she's under.
"Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences," Monokuma said, acting like that was the cause of their concern.
"That's the least of our worries right now!" Sayaka exclaimed, and some of the students agreed with her.
"Yeah, what the hell? You're saying I have to live here forever? You're screwing with us, right?" Junko asked. She didn't fully believe what the bear told her, but a part of her started to believe that this wasn't a prank.
"I am not screwing with you! I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure," Monokuma started to get defensive, acting like they were targeting his character. "Ah, and just for your information… you're completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"
"Cut off…? So all the metal plates all over the school are there to keep us trapped in here?" TK started to believe that this wasn't a prank. With his phone, Digivice, and D-Terminal being missing, the windows and doors sealed up, and this bear telling him that they have no connection to the outside world made him worry that they're actually trapped inside the school. He still had hope that this whole thing was a prank, but it was dwindling fast.
"That's exactly what they're there for. No matter how much you may yell and scream for help… help will not come. So with all of that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!" Monokuma said, as more and more students started to believe that they're actually trapped in the school. Though some still believe that this whole thing is a joke, either by lying to themselves or just plain ignorance.
"Come on, what the hell is this? I don't care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke," Leon said.
"Yeah! Cut this shit out! It isn't funny anymore!" Mondo was getting frustrated and appeared to be ready to harm anyone or anything.
"You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you," Monokuma started to chuckle. "But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're all taught to doubt your neighbor. Well, you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not I say is true. And when that time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth."
"Having to live here would be… quite the problem," Celeste said as if it was a minor inconvenience.
"Come, now. What's the matter with all of you?" Monokuma asked, acting like he didn't tell the 15 students that they'll be trapped in a school for the rest of their lives. "You decided on your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you've already decided you want to leave?"
Monokuma brought his paws up to cover his devilish smile.
"I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There is one way for you to leave the school…"
"R-Really…?" Toko managed to speak up.
"As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave! I call it… the Graduation Clause!" The students started to feel hope that they wouldn't be trapped in a prison, disguised as a school for the rest of their lives. "Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!"
'Seems simple enough. What do I need to do, annoy everyone, get into a few fights?' TK thought about potential ways for him to "disrupt the harmony of the school."
"What do you mean by 'disrupt the harmony,?" Byakuya asked.
Even though TK did think of a few ways to "disrupt the harmony," he didn't know what the bear actually meant by it.
"Puhuhu… Well, you know…" Monokuma gleefully laughed, causing some of the students to feel dread. "If one person were to murder another."
"Murder!" TK almost shouted. No one believed what the bear told them. They couldn't, or wouldn't believe that the way out is murder. The few people that still believed that the whole thing was a prank, started to believe that they're actually trapped or were hoping for the faculty to jump out and surprise them.
"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible," Monokuma said with sickening glee.
A chill shot down TK's spine. 'If I want to leave I must kill someone.' TK felt his blood go cold as he thought those words.
"Puhuhu. I bet that got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh? Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know…" Monokuma stared out into the sea of students, soaking in the dread they're feeling. "Taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair. And I just find that so… darn… exciting!"
"What the hell are you talking about!? To kill each other is… It's…!" Leon was at a loss for words as he tried to comprehend what the bear is telling them.
"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it," Monokuma mocked them.
"We know what it means, that's not the problem! Why do we have to kill each other!?" Hina argued.
"Yeah! Stop blabbering on with all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!" Hifumi shouted.
"... Blabbering?" Monokuma repeated. The air started to chill as the students felt a dark aura coming from Monokuma. "Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean blabbering!? Stop blabbering on about blabbering on!"
"You guys just don't get it, do you? 'Let us go! Let us go!' You keep saying the same thing over and over and over and over…!" He mocked them for their hope of freedom. "Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it? And you can kill as much as you wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!"
"Alright, come on… How long are you gonna keep this up?" Hiro asked, still believing this whole thing is a prank.
"Eh?"
"You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So you can go ahead and reveal the trick now," Hiro said.
"Reveal the trick…?" Monokuma didn't fully grasp the idiocy spewing from the clairvoyant's mouth.
"Yeah, cuz I mean… Y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like…" the cogs started to slowly turn in Hiro's head as he started to realize that this might not be a trick.
"Dude, shut the hell up and get outta my way," Mondo said as he pushed past Hiro and placed himself in front of Monokuma.
"Listen up, asshole! This shit's gone way too far! What the hell kinda joke IS this!?" Mondo's voice thundered throughout the gymnasium.
"Joke? What, you mean like your hair?" Monokuma jokingly said, which enraged the biker gang leader and planned to punish the bear severely.
"FFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-!" Mondo roared out as he kicked off the floorboards and launched himself into the air. He flew at Monokuma, fast and straight as a bullet.
"Gotcha, you little piece of shit! I dunno if you're a toy or a stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I'm gonna rip you to fucking shreds!" Mondo shouted after he held Monokuma in the air with one hand.
"Waah! Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!" Monokuma cried as he kicked his feet in Mondo's grasp.
"Shut the fuck up! Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ…!" Mondo was interrupted when Monokuma started to beep.
"What, no smartass comment this time!?" Mondo mocked. Monokuma responded by beeping faster.
"Stop that goddamn beeping and SAY SOMETHING!" Mondo yelled.
"Watch out! Get rid of it!" Kirigiri yelled. The beeping noise from Monokuma was getting faster.
"Huh…?" Mondo said in confusion.
"Hurry up and throw it!" Kirigiri ordered and without a second thought, Mondo chucked Monokuma in the air. And as soon as he did, Monokuma blew up.
"The hell!? Th-That sure as shit wasn't a joke. It blew the hell up…" Mondo was shocked and terrified that he was so close to being blown up.
There was a painful ringing in some of the student's ears, as the scent of gunpowder filled the room. Explosions in entertainment are awesome to see, but when you see them up close, they're nothing short of terrifying.
"But you know… This means the teddy bear's been destroyed, right?" Chihiro pointed out. She was right, with Monokuma gone there's no one around to hold them captive.
"I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!" And just like that their hopes were dashed as another Monokuma stood where the previous one was standing.
"Uwah! There's another one…?" Leon said in horror.
"You son of a bitch! You seriously tried to kill me just now!" Mondo said angrily, though he didn't do anything after seeing what happened last time.
"Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the school regulations, after all," Monokuma's red-eye glowed as he showed off his claws. "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful from now on. Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won't get off with just a little swat on the butt."
"H-Hey… does this mean there's like, a bunch more of you around somewhere?" Junko asked after regaining some of her composure.
"Monokumas have been placed all throughout the school, yes," Monokuma answered. "Plus, don't forget the surveillance cameras installed everywhere."
"And if you're caught breaking any rules, well… You all just saw what happened, right?" Monokuma started to chuckle. "Puhuhu… And I won't be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So don't let it happen again!"
"Th-That's not even a punishment. That's just… wrong…" Hina said, looking extremely disturbed.
"Now then, lastly… To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…" Monokuma pulled out fifteen digital tablets, each of which had the school's logo on them. "This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh?"
"As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it…" Monokuma paused for an imaginary drumroll that he could only hear. "The e-Handbook!"
His reveal was met with silence as no one was amused by his theatrical antics. "Ahem. Yes, well, moving on…" he said awkwardly. "This handbook is vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it!"
Monokuma handed each of the students their own personal handbook. "When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that!"
When TK received his handbook he turned it on, and just as Monokuma said the screen displayed his name and physical appearance.
Name: Takeru Takaishi
Height: 6 ft. 2 in. (189 cm.)
Weight: 165 lb. (75 kg.)
Chest: 32 in. (81 cm.)
Special Ability: Ultimate Luck Student
"Also, it's completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant!" Monokuma said when he returned to the podium after handing out the handbooks.
"It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly!" Monokuma told them. "You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws. The same thing applies here! Which is why it's crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators."
"Okay, well… that brings our entrance ceremony to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And… see ya!" Monokuma said as he disappeared, leaving a room full of shocked and confused students.
It was quiet for a little bit, everyone was trying to process what they saw and listened to.
"So, guys… How would you define what we just experienced?" Taka asked.
"How…? Why…? I don't understand any of this…" Leon said slowly.
"We have to l-live here forever…? Or… k-kill?" Toko questioned as she grabbed her head. "Wh-What…? What just happened!?"
"Everyone, we need to just calm down," Kirigiri said, taking charge of the group. "First, let's just take a second to summarize everything we just heard. Based on what Monokuma said, we essentially have two choices. Choice number one is that we stay here, living a 'communal life' together until the day we die. And the other choice is…"
"If we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right?" Celeste answered.
"But… killing someone… That's…" Chihiro struggled to speak as she was trying not to cry.
"We were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed into this place meant to look like a school. And now we're supposed to kill each other? This is… This is… this is just…! What IS this!?" Hifumi screamed.
"A lie, is what it is. All these ridiculous things we've heard… This all has to be fake!" Taka stated in denial.
"Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake. What matters is… Is there anyone here who's seriously considering all this…?" Byakuya asked everyone.
No one answered. Keeping quiet to himself, TK looked at the others. They all stared at one another, trying to read each other's thoughts. The suspicion and hostility were clear. And that's when it hit him…
The true terror of the rules that Monokuma told him.
"You must kill someone if you want to leave," rang throughout their minds as they looked at each other. They each became suspicious of one another and were forced to wonder, would someone betray them?
And that's how TK's new school life began. This school, which was built to raise its student's hopes high, has become…
A school of despair.
