Chapter Text
After Monokuma and the Monokubs left, a notification sounded from the tablet in his pocket. Not just his, but all across the gym, telling him the others had received the same message. The bears had called the black and white device a monopad, and he supposed that made sense with the theme so far. The monopad directed him to the rules page, which all matched with what the bears had said. It ended with the ominous warning that the headmaster may add new regulations at any time, which meant they truly were at the will of this sadistic bear.
“The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles School Regulations… So these are the rules…” Ryoma sounded distant as he stared blankly at the screen. He chewed his candy cigarette as he thought about it all.
“I do not understand why someone would force us to do this?” Kirumi spoke up in her prim and proper way, resting an inquisitive finger on her chin.
“But the rules are pretty cut and dry. This game doesn't seem like it’ll be boring.” Kokichi was giving a self satisfied grin with his hands locked behind his head. Ryoma couldn't help but think he looked like a clown. Judging by the straightjacket with colorful buttons the boy wore casually, maybe he was the Ultimate Clown. Still, Ryoma was put off by his words and relaxed disposition.
“That's not the problem!” Tenko was up in arms, readying a defensive stance between Kokichi and Himiko. The mage in question looked like she couldn't be bothered by the show of protection. Ryoma wondered if the sleepy girl had even noticed the situation she was in.
“Q-quit screwing around… Killing game… School Regulations…” Kaito balled his hands into fists, shaking with built up tension. He slammed his fists together in front of him and took a determined stance. “To hell with all that shit! Who’d go along with something like that!?” Kaito raised the monopad as if to smash it on the ground.
“Whoa, hey now, don't do that,” Rantaro raised a finger to interject. “School rules say you can’t break it.” His matter-of-fact tone made Kaito bristle, but Maki continued the thought.
“If you violate the rules, then the Exisals will dispose of you…”
“I don’t care about the rules! No way I'm gonna play this messed up game!” Kaito snapped at her, raising his voice further.
“This isn't about “playing” the game. It’s too dangerous to disobey him now.” Rantaro had that rueful smile again, shaking his head like he knew something the others didn't.
“Forget about him! Just means one less dumbass for the world to deal with!” Miu spoke her mind, and to an extent she was right. However, Ryoma would admit that he agreed with Rantaro. It's better to be calm about this.
“Hey! Who you callin’ a dumbass!?”
“HEY!!! QUIT FIGHTING ALREADY!!!” Kaede single handedly cut all chatter, discussions, and arguments to a halt with her powerful voice. Even the students on the edges of the group in their own conversations stopped and turned their attention to her.
“Whoa! Wh-What the—!?” Kaito spluttered, the wind falling right out of his sails.
“We shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves. Right now, we need to work together. Honestly… I’d probably be more inspiring if I played a song than gave a speech… Chopin’s “Military Polonaise'' would definitely help unite us!” Kaede fumbled for what else to say, everyone’s eyes making her nervous. Ryoma wondered if she had the strength to go on, but she squared her shoulders and faced off the crowd with the confidence of a performer.
“Anyway…why don't we work together and search for an exit one more time? There must be an opening somewhere! We just have to find it! Whoever trapped us here wants us to fight each other… So let's show ‘em that we’re not gonna let that happen! We’re not gonna fight each other! We’re gonna work together! Okay!?”
A silence descended over the room. Everyone was staring at Kaede, some looking at each other, some at Rantaro and Kaito. Ryoma had to admit he was impressed. However, despite the boost to his morale, he couldn’t help the doubts eating away at his mind. Anyone can say powerful words, but does that mean there really is an exit? The thought of escape wasn't much for a prisoner on death row. Even if he got out into the world, where would he go? He was sure to be recognized. Was life even worth living anymore? Without any loved ones to return to?
“Why are you quiet…? Did I say something wrong?” Kaede shrank in on herself, the weight of thirty eyes heavy on her.
“On the contrary.” Kirumi stepped forward, her movements ever graceful. “You made your case with such succinct aplomb that we’ve been rendered speechless.”
“Heh… I was gonna say the same thing, but you beat me to it…” Kaito said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He pulled that same hand forward to give Kaede a thumbs up, a huge grin breaking across his face. “You’re exactly right! We can’t give up so easily!”
“Let’s split up and try to find the exit.” Angie suggested, her positive attitude just as bright as her cardigan.
“Oh, wait!” Gonta’s booming voice drew everyone’s attention. When he next spoke, his voice was much more subdued. “Um… Maybe it does not matter much, but… Gonta found a manhole earlier. In the grass behind the school building. Gonta peeked and saw a big underground passage. He thinks it may be an exit.” He scratched his chin sheepishly. “...Sorry. It is probably not so simple.”
“Y-You gotta mention important stuff like that much faster!” Tenko berated him, pointing an accusatory finger.
“The boiler room is behind the school building. We must corroborate Gonta’s claim at once.” Kirumi ordered, sounding surprisingly formidable. Ryoma supposed The Ultimate Maid would have to be assertive and prescise. Everyone immediately took her words as an order. She continued in a much softer tone “Gonta, please lead the way.”
“Okay! Everyone, please follow Gonta!” He beamed, happy to be helpful. Ryoma longed for the time an hour ago when he was laying in that gray room and no one expected anything of him. He briefly wondered if anyone would notice him slipping off to the dorms, but shook that thought from his head. If there was an escape, if there was any chance, Ryoma wanted to see it.
And that sort of hope was terrifying.
“Over there, in the grass,” Gonta pointed to a spot to the right of the door, and indeed there was a manhole cover in the overgrown boiler room. Ryoma was almost surprised by how much more plant life had taken over this room. The grass was almost as tall as he was in some places, with vines climbing and spilling from the ceiling. It was beautiful in the way only abandoned structures could be.
Looking at the manhole cover, Ryoma was overcome with the feeling that this was too easy. Either this was a trap or Monokuma didn’t know about this place, and he was doubting the latter. There were cameras everywhere, and Monokuma didn't seem willing to let any of them go. He looked around at the group, all focused on Gonta and the heavy metal plate, and wondered if anyone had considered what would happen if they were found.
“Now’s not the time to be shouting and celebrating…” Ryoma held his candy cigarette in his hand while looking around suspiciously. “Even if this really is the exit, it’s all over if Monokuma catches us.
“I agree, we need to be quick about this.” Rantaro seemed to take the killing game and Monokuma seriously, and that made Ryoma feel all the more uneasy about this whole situation.
“Awwww, this manhole cover looks heavy, can we even lift it?” Angie noted.
“I can try.” Keebo placed his hand on the manhole cover and readied himself. The exact moment that Ryoma started to think he's a robot, he’s got this no problem was the same moment Keebo started to lift and…
Nothing.
Keebo was engaging all of his strength, even grunting at the effort it took, but still the metal cover did not move. “How embarrassing. It won't even budge.” Keebo sounded bashful.
“Oh, then allow Gonta.” Gonta stepped forward, beaming proudly as he did so. “Gonta lifted the cover before to peek inside, so he should be able to pick it up too.” He reached for the manhole cover and—to the shock and awe of the students—lifted the cover with nothing but his thumb and forefinger. Ryoma’s eyes widened as he watched, speechless. He knew Gonta was huge, but this was just unreasonable. “Upsy-daisy,” he said, as if it was nothing, and tossed the manhole cover to the side. The manhole cover easily traveled five yards before it hit the ground. Praise from the other students blended together and overlapped each other, causing Gonta to blush and rub his neck.
While everyone praised Gonta’s strength, Ryoma peeked into the manhole. It was too dark to see clearly, but he could feel cold, damp air drifting up from it. It took all of Ryoma’s composure not to jump when Tsumugi started speaking directly next to him.
“Th-this place is kinda creepy… We’re really going in here?” she trembled looking into the pitch black hole.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Kaito said, appraising the hole himself. By now the rest of the group gathered around to look into the depths of the boiler room. “At the very least, we definitely won't die down there.”
“Awfully quiet…” Rantaro noted. “Where are Monokuma and the Monokubs?”
“I was certain they would show up at some point and crush us like rotten gnats…” Korekiyo supplied, confirming some of the things Ryoma had wondered about earlier.
“Nyahahaha! They probably haven't noticed yet!” Angie cheered, clasping her hands together.
“Then let’s hurry before they show up to mess with us.” Kokichi advised.
One by one they descended down into the manhole. Ryoma worried once or twice about slipping, but with the slow pace set by Kaede, everyone made it to the basement of the boiler room safely. Once they all gathered around the base of the ladder, they looked around and saw an open area. The cold basement was musty and damp, the only light being that of the light that poured in from the manhole. The Ultimates were surrounded by machines most of them had never seen, with chains and hooks hanging from the rafters. Ryoma shivered, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He hated to admit it, but this place gave him the creeps.
“It’s more suspicious than I thought it’d be…” Ryoma's low voice caught and briefly echoed in the dark room.
“Yodelay-hee-hoooooo!” Kokichi called, eyes sparkling as his voice echoed and rippled around the sixteen students. Ryoma suppressed an irritated grunt.
If they don't know we’re here yet, they do now.
“What is this place…?” Maki asked, clearly on edge in this place.
“An old industrial passageway, I suspect… Perhaps factories once existed here?” Kirumi guessed, inspecting some of the equipment.
“And this is all that's left of ‘em.” Kaito walked over to a control panel that was long dead and pressed some buttons randomly. He looked disappointed when nothing happened.
“Hey, take a look at this.” Rantaro called, his voice echoing and bringing everyone to a corner of the basement that seemed to continue into a hallway. Beside the doorway into the dark hallway was a suspicious wooden sign in the shape of an arrow that read Exit. “What a considerate sign… Apparently the end of the tunnel is the exit.”
Rantaro sounded amused, but one look at his strained smile was enough for anyone to know he held strong doubts about this tunnel, and Ryoma hated to admit he agreed. Despite how creepy Rantaro had come off during their first meeting, Ryoma found that in the given situation he was shockingly rational. Ryoma found himself wondering if Rantaro had something to do with the killing game, the way he seemed to know so much about it.
“Well then, go on ahead. No point in standing around here.” Rantaro addressed the whole group, seeming to wait for someone to volunteer.
“Ah, yeah…” Shuichi hesitantly started to say something, looking faint, when Kaede put her hand on his shoulder and smiled encouragingly. She turned that same warm smile on the group.
“No need to worry! It looks a bit dangerous, but we’re all Ultimates here! As long as we work together, everything will work out just fine!” Kaede clenched her fists, determined, and she fixed each and every Ultimate with her own confident smile. Ryoma had to admit she would make a great coach. Even timid Shuichi seemed affected by her words.
“Y-yeah…you’re right.”
“That’s exactly what I was gonna say!” Kaito chimed in, “We’re really on the same wavelength, Kaede!”
“Even if this is a trap… all we need to do is fight and struggle our way out of it.” Ryoma thought out loud, not talking to anyone in particular. “It’ll be dangerous, of course… But it’s better than rotting away here.”
Ryoma looked at the hallway again, his gaze locking onto the wooden sign beside it. It says exit and everything... What a cruel joke…
He watched as Kaede stepped up to the entrance, staring it down with that fathomless determination of hers. She seemed to steel herself for a moment, squaring her shoulders, before marching forward into the tunnel. With nothing else to do, everyone else filed in.
As he opened his eyes, it dawned on him that he had somehow lost consciousness. Ryoma was laying on the cold, hard floor staring up at the dark facility rafters. Around him, he could hear some groans from pain, some indistinct voices, and footsteps near his head. When he looked up towards the figure, he found a black and white dress belonging to none other than Kirumi.
Figures she would be checking on everyone.
“You’re awake. Are you alright?” She kneeled next to him, checking him over briefly. Ryoma worked himself into a sitting position and rubbed his head,
“Yeah… fine, sure…” His voice growled a little more than usual, telling him he needed water. He’d have to wait until he got to his room it seemed.
Ah, well…
Ryoma remembered the Death Road to Despair, the trap Monokuma had set for them and deflated. He could feel the threads of hope in him withering. Monokuma was more than some robot bear, he was an avatar for some horrifying plot. The person behind the bear had to be incredibly powerful to be able to keep sixteen Ultimates captive. This whole situation was too well thought out for there to be any holes. Ryoma looked around and saw the others sitting on the ground. Everyone sat in silence, a sobering sadness filled the air. It seemed everyone was on the same page. Kirumi was about to say something more when a laugh echoed through the room.
“Geez, this is quite the pity party you sadsacks are throwing for yourselves!” Monokuma, out of seemingly nowhere, stood in front of the Ultimates with his paws covering his smug grin. Cheers echoed behind Monokuma, and the five smaller bears appeared as well, filling the hall with their shrill giggles.
“Wow, you all look exhausted. Poor things. I feel sorry for you.” Monophanie patronized them.
“Tch… So you guys crawled outta your holes.” Kaito was on his feet in an instant, glaring them down. “I guess you finally noticed what we were up to.”
“Noticed?” Monokuma cocked his head, tapping his chin coyly. His grin widened. “I’ve known for a while that you guys would botch whatever escape plan you had.” His words sank into the pit of Ryoma’s stomach.
“If you knew all along, then this was just a trap.” Maki joined Kaito, looking for all the world like she was going to rip the bears to shreds.
“Then there was no exit! You tricked us!” Tenko bared her teeth.
“...No, there’s an exit.” Monophanie corrected.
“I think you guys’ll manage to reach it if you all work together!” Monokid mocked.
“Yeah! There’s nothing you sixteen Ultimates can’t accomplish if you work together!” Monophanie cooed.
“Puhuhu. And if at first you don't succeed…try, try again.” Monokuma added, before breaking out into crazed laughter. “Try as many times as you want until you accept reality! Ah-hahahaha!!” The Monocubs joined Monokuma, the laughter ringing in the boiler room basement and shaking the chains that hung from the ceiling. With the terror securely planted in the Ultimates’ hearts, all six bears disappeared.
“Nyeeeh, so we can escape if we work hard enough…?” Himiko thought out loud.
“No way, you little moron! They’d be freakin’ out if we could actually reach it!” Miu spat viciously. She had a point. The bears seemed too comfortable with showing off the exit.
“That's probably why they let us try.” Ryoma said darkly. “They wanted us to try the underground passage so we’d learn that escape is impossible.”
“Instead of blocking off every exit completely, they leave that little bit of hope…” Rantaro followed Ryoma’s train of thought, “They want us to be desperate to go home. Corner us mentally.”
“That's just rotten…” Tsumugi pouted.
Yeah, but we can't just give up…” Kaede started. By the sound of her voice, Ryoma could tell she was readying one of those pep talks she seemed so fond of. “Right, you guys? I mean, we only failed once, y’know,” she furrowed her brows, facing the crowd of Ultimate before her. “We can’t give up this early, right?”
“But…isn’t getting out of here impossible?” Himiko looked exhausted.
“No, it's not. It may take one more try or a lot more tries, but it's not impossible.” Kaede grew more confident with every word. “Forget about Monokuma. It doesn't matter what he says to us. I don't wanna lose to him! And I don't want any of you to lose, either! I refuse to lose to someone who would do these terrible things to us! So let’s all work hard to escape this place together! And once we get out of here and make it to the outside world… Why don't we all stay friends?”
“Kaede…” Shuichi looked star struck.
“...F-Friends?” Gonta gasped, sparing a glance at Ryoma hopefully. Ryoma pretended not to notice.
“Yeah… After going through an experience like this, I think we’d all be the best of friends.” Kaede was beaming. “I mean, it's not every day you get to meet other Ultimates… So what do you say?”
Ryoma wasn’t sure what to say. A few of the others looked hesitant as well. He wondered if they were thinking about their families, or of their lives before this mess. Their loved ones, people to go home to. Ryoma had no one. Though, he supposed that's exactly what Kaede was offering. She wanted to remain friends outside of this nightmare. She knew what he was, knew what he’d done, and yet there she stood, smiling with all the warmth of the sun at him. Not once had Kaede treated Ryoma any differently than she would a friend she just met. Gonta was looking at him too, clearly trying his best not to make it look obvious. He was still trying to be Ryoma’s friend. That warm little feeling started to come back, the one that bloomed when Kaede finished one of her pep talks. As hard as it was to be positive in this situation, he gave Kaede a tired smile and a thumbs up.
“Hmph…that might not be that bad.”
“Yeah. That’s a great idea.” Tsumugi chimed in.
“Then we’ve all the more reason to escape this place, no matter what.” Kirumi smiled, giving Kaede an approving nod.
“Isn’t it premature to say what we’ll do after we escape? Assumptions are all but useless.” Keebo stated.
“Geez, you’re clueless… Why am I not surprised that a robot can’t read the air.” Kokichi mocked, pointing accusingly at Keebo.
“Robots can read the air! Thanks to innovations in—!”
“Anyway,” Kaito interrupted the two before they could get into it, “It doesn't matter if Monokuma says it's impossible! We’ll show him what we can do!”
“Yeah! You’re right!” Kaede pumped her fist.
Everyone seemed to be on board, some giving their own words of encouragement while they decided on a plan. This time, everyone kept repeating, this time. One more time was all they needed.
But…
It was no good.
The Death Road to Despair was a horrific test of physical strength, mobility, speed, and instincts. The floors fell, fire burned, and spikes dropped, leaving the Ultimates exhausted. With every attempt, they repeated those words again and again. In the end, they couldn’t do it. Even with Kaede’s words driving them, it made no difference in the end.
When Ryoma finally woke again, pain coursed throughout his entire body. It took him less time to get his bearings this time, allowing him to sit up before anyone came to check on him. He was in the same place as before, the machinery completely unchanged. The only thing that was different this time was the light, which was darker now than it had been before. It told Ryoma it was late afternoon now, which meant they had been at this for several hours. He sighed heavily as he took out another candy cigarette from his box. He didn't even bother to look around at the disheartened faces. Ryoma’s head ached.
“Failed…again.” Gonta’s voice quivered, sounding thick with unshed tears.
“Damn it!” Kaito’s voice echoed in the cold basement.
“I can’t…go on…” Tsumugi sobbed.
“Wait, we can’t give up. This time we’ll—”
“...Knock it off already.” Kokichi interrupted Kaede before she could even get started. Ryoma lifted his eyes to see Kokichi drawn in shadows, his face haunted as he stared at the floor. He lifted his head just enough to fix Kaede with a withered stare. “You’re free to keep trying on your own, but forcing us to join you is basically torture.”
“T-torture?” Kaede gasped.
“You know what really hurts?” Kokichi faced her full on now, his goofy facade crumbling into sobs. “Being denied the right to give up in an impossible situation. You won't let us give up and no matter what we say, you have the moral high ground. That…doesnt sound like torture to you? When you say we can’t give up, you’re not inspiring us—you’re strong-arming us!” Kokichi’s tears flowed freely now, his words ringing in the ever-darkening basement.
“I-I didn't mean it like that…”
“Hey, degenerate! Quit being so selfish!” Tenko lept to Kaede’s defense.
“I-I’m not being selfish… The others feel the same way, too…” Kokichi looked at the floor.
“E-everyone?”
Ryoma met Kaede’s gaze as it swept over the crowd of Ultimates. He closed his eyes and turned away. Kokichi was harsh with how he’d accused Kaede of torture, but he did agree that he was fully burnt out. His head ached, his mouth was dry, and his body was sore. He missed the dull gray room in the dorms.
“P-please, wait! We… cannot give up!” Gonta started, and Ryoma sighed as he prepared his heart to hear more pleas. He pulled his knees to his chest, dropping his head into his arms.
I wish this nightmare would end.
He squeezed his eyes shut as another argument broke out behind him. He wanted to tune them out, but it was getting too much for his patience.
“Geez… We fell apart pretty quick for a group that decided to be friends and work together.” The prisoner noted wryly.
“I’m sorry… this is my fault. I’m so sorry…” Kaede wilted, looking moments from tears. Ryoma almost felt bad. Almost.
“No, Kaede…” Shuichi started, but Kaito interrupted with his booming voice.
“Idiot! What’re you apologizing for!? It’s not your fault at all!”
“...Really? I think it's Kaede’s fault.” Maki said evenly.
“H-huh!? Why!?” Kaito rounded on her, but before he could lecture her…
Ding-Dong Bing-Bong.
A monitor in the factory switched on. The display was the same as earlier when they were summoned to the gym, with the monokubs sitting on a gaudy couch sipping their drinks without a care in the world. Ryoma glared at the screen, as if the bears could sense his disdain through the monitor. Many of the other students also bristled at the sound coming through the speakers.
“This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.” Monosuke began.
“It is now 10 p.m. Nighttime officially starts now.” Monotaro continued.
“The dining hall and gym are locked during nighttime, so be careful.” Monophanie cautioned.
“Kyahahahaha! Sweet dreams!” The monokubs finished in unison.
The monitor went dark and the Ultimates were left in uncomfortable silence. The walls of the underground passage felt as though they were closing in, with only the faint moonlight to light their exit. Nervous shuffling served as the only sound in the dark.
“Nighttime, huh? Welp, no sense pushing our luck. We should probably just get a fresh start tomorrow.” Rantaro broke the silence first with some sensible advice.
“We’ve each been assigned a room in the dormitory. Perhaps we should rest there?” Kirumi offered.
“Heeeee! We’re gonna rest there!?” Miu squealed, proclaiming her disgust.
“The rooms aren’t that bad. Much better than my prison cell, that's for sure.” Ryoma commented. He was ready for the dorms.
“But…it makes me nervous to think we’ll be staying the night at this creepy school.” Tsumugi's voice quivered, echoing eerily in the dark.
“Well, nothing we can do but suck it up! So what’s our plan for tomorrow? Since the dining hall opens at 8am., how about we meet there at that time?” Kokichi waved away the tense atmosphere, bringing a cheery smile to the conversation.
“Sure, I think that’ll work. I’m okay with that.” Rantaro agreed. One by one the others seemed to agree as well, though some were more reluctant than others.
“Can we go to our rooms already?” Maki voiced what most of them were feeling.
“Yes, we should get as much rest as we can and regain our strength.” Kirumi advised.
“Hey, guys? Just…as a warning…” Rantaro started uneasily. “We shouldn’t let our guards down. We’ll be easy targets at night.” He looked at the group with a seriousness that set everyone on edge
“B-Because of the killing game, you mean?” Gonta stuttered.
“I see no need to worry about something as illogical as murder taking place here.” Keebo said forcefully.
“I know, I know. Just a warning.” Rantaro conceded.
One by one, the Ultimates left the underground boiler room. Ryoma was one of the first to go, after Maki, Himiko and Tenko. He didn't check behind him to see who stayed.
The group of exhausted students trickled into the dormitories, filing themselves into their assigned rooms. Ryoma opened the door to his room and flicked on the lights. The bed was exactly the same as he’d left it, still rumpled where he laid on it earlier. The memory of the afternoon flitted by, and he sighed. Life was simpler a few hours ago. He knew it couldn't have been that simple.
As he kicked off his shoes by the door, Ryoma's eye caught something out of place on the nightstand. A single key on a ring with a blue tag that read Ryoma Hoshi in neat script.
“Hm? Is it the key to my room?” Ryoma thought aloud and picked it up.
“YES.” A robotic voice responded directly behind him.
“Hah!” Ryoma startled, dropping the key in his panic. He turned around to see the green monokub. Ryoma sighed. “Geez, warn a guy, would ya? Waddaya want?”
“DO-NOT-LOSE-YOUR-KEY. YOU-WILL-ONLY-RECEIVE-ONE.” Monodam warned. “REMEMBER-TO-LOCK-YOUR-DOOR. OR-ELSE…” The robotic bear left without another word.
“Uh, yeah, okay.” Ryoma composed himself and pocketed the key, deciding that the inside of his jacket was the safest place for it.
Another wave of exhaustion hit Ryoma so hard he stumbled. He made it a point to get ready for bed as quickly as possible. He downed a cup of water to sooth his dry throat, then shrugged off his leather jacket and laid it on the foot of his bed with his knitted beanie placed carefully on top. He unzipped his jumper and shed it unceremoniously onto the floor, kicking it out of the way into the darkness so he wouldn't trip on it later. In just his underclothes, he climbed into bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, all of the exhaustion from the day rushing into him at once.