Part 12: ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker



Second verse, same as the first.

Miu:

You're too weak, Keebo! Lemme remodel you and I'll make you the strongest robot ever!

First, I'll soup up your crotch plate by installin' a nice, thick one, just how I like it! Hah-hahaha!

Tsumugi:

We're going to escape from the underground passage... We should be careful of dangerous creatures. Does everyone have their Protect Gear?

...Just kidding. It was just a joke.

Besides...something worse might show up...

Gonta:

So it was exit! Gonta glad he tell everyone! Come, everyone! Gonta protect you!

Angie:

You're so amazingly strong, Gonta! I want a piggy-back ride!

Shuichi:

Ah, if we all...work together...it'll be okay. I'm sure of it.

Kokichi:

Yodelay—hee-hoooooo! ...

Ooohh! It echoes well! Must be pretty big then.

A giant underground passage is so exciting! I wanna play hide-and-seek in here!

Hide-and-seek?

Nee-heehee... I am *the* master of hide-and-seek.

As the supreme leader of an evil organization, I'm always on the run from the law... And over time, I just became a total pro at hiding.

...Just kidding! That was a lie!

Yeah, I thought so...

Rantaro:

Welp, we gotta keep trying. Nothing's gonna change if we don't try.

Kaito:

What's up? You wanna give me that hug after all?

No, not really...

Hey, you don't gotta hold back! We're two of a kind, y'know!?

Hey, you two, quit flirting. Can't you read the air?

W-We're not flirting!

...You guys are annoying.

Tenko:

Don't worry! If something happens...

...then I'll protect the girls by using all the degenerate males as human shields!

Maki:

...If we're going, let's hurry up already. It'll be a pain if Monokuma and his cubs appear.

Himiko:

It's dark here... It we're gonna keep going, we need a light...

Then shouldn't you use magic to light it up? You know...like "Lumos!" or something?

... ...We should be fine without a light. Magic power is precious... I need to save it for when we really need it.

U-Um, okay...

This girl's got excuses for days.

Kiyo:

When Kokichi yodelled earlier... His echoes reminded me of tales told in mountain villages. They believe that voices echoing off the mountains are replies from Yamabiko, the spirit—

...Ah, this may take too long. I shall save the rest for after we have safely escaped.

Keebo:

...It's quite dusty in here. Prolonged exposure to this polluted air may be detrimental to one's health.

Whaaat? Polluted air bothers you? But you don't even breathe air, right?

W—Well, that is... While it's true that I do not breathe, I also do not like polluted air any more than you do.

I see, you have a function for sensing poisonous gases! Well then, lead the way!

N—No! I don't have that function! Do I look like a canary to you?

Whaaat, you don't? Then you're even more useless than a canary!

Grgh...

Ryoma:

Even if this is a trap...all we need to do is fight and struggle our way out of it. It'll be dangerous, of course... But it's better than rotting away here.

Kirumi:

An underground passage that has not been in use for some time...must be quite dangerous.

But if everyone wishes to proceed...then I will do my best to support that decision.







There'll be an exit at the end of this... And once we reach it, this'll all be over...

I just know it!

I clung fiercely to that belief as we stepped into the tunnel.

Footstep sounds play.



We're what now?



Press the LEFT STICK and directional buttons to move, and press the CIRCLE button to jump.
You'll encounter plenty of traps set up to prevent you from escaping.
If you hit a trap or fall off a ledge...
That person will be eliminated, and control will switch to one of the remaining students.
If everyone is eliminated... Game over, man.



For now, stay vigilant and do your best to reach the exit.
...Not that it matters.

NEW MUSIC: Death Road of Despair





Okay, wow, we're doing this. I mean, the last time a Danganronpa game changed genres it worked out amazingly, so this shouldn't be any different.



We start off with this obstacle here. Kaede isn't making much headway on her own...



But with her team behind her, this isn't much of a barrier. Waiting for them to catch up might be a problem later, and this is an intuitive way of teaching us that.



Okay, lesson learned here. This is me getting a bit too eager. Obviously those are all trapdoors, and we know what those look like now.



Oops, didn't judge that jump right. Fortunately, we should be clear to make two jumps in a...



Oh. Oh god.



A-Anyway, those things don't look like monocoins, so better not take chances with them.





Way to take one for the team, buddy.







Takes a bit of getting used to, doesn't it?

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker



Uh... What...?



Oh!



I-I'm fine, but what about everyone else?

I looked around and saw the others sitting on the ground.

...

...

Everyone sat in stunned silence... A sobering sadness filled the air—

MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson V3





M-Monokuma!?





Sheesh, this place is filthy. It's murder on my cashmere skin.

I bet Monodam is feelin' lucky right now! His body's already a cheap piece of junk!

...

Why don'tcha respond to him, Monodam? It'll liven things up a little, y'know?

Tch... So you guys crawled outta your holes. I guess you finally noticed what we were up to.

...Noticed?



What?

Y-Yeah, I also...kinda...pretty much knew, too...

...That's a lie.

If you knew all along, then this was just a trap.

Then there *was* no exit! You tricked us!

...No, there's an exit.

I think you guys'll manage to reach it if you all work together!



Puhuhu. And if at first you don't succeed...

...try, try again.







MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker

Nyeeeh, so we can escape if we work hard enough...?

No way, you little moron! They'd be freakin' out if we could actually reach it!

That's probably why they let us try.



Instead of blocking off every exit completely, they leave that little bit of hope... They want us to be desperate to go home. Corner us mentally.

That's just rotten...

NO MUSIC

Yeah, but we can't just give up...

NEW MUSIC: Heartless Journey

Right, you guys? I mean, we've only failed once, y'know. We can't give up this early, right?

But...isn't getting out of here impossible?



Forget about Monokuma. It doesn't matter what he says to us.



I refuse to lose to someone who would do these terrible things to us!

Kaede...

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...

NO MUSIC



...F-Friends?

MUSIC: Cool Morning

Yeah... After going through an experience like this, I think we'd all be the best of friends.

I mean, it's not every day you get to meet other Ultimates... ...So what do you say?



Yeah. That's a great idea.

Then we've all the more reason to escape this place, no matter what.

My body is ready! You can tell by how outta control my pit sweat is!

E—Everyone!



Geez, you're clueless... Why am I not surprised that a robot can't read the air?

Robots can read the air! Thanks to innovations in pollutant-detecting technology, I—



Yeah! You're right!

It seems like a pain...but I guess I'll try.



I'm sure we'll be fine. A divine wind will blow through and lift us to victory.

Aaah, humanity is *truly* wonderful. The way you all confront adversity is beautiful.



MUSIC: Death Road of Despair



So as you might have gathered, Death Road to Despair was probably influenced by the likes of I Wanna Be the Guy and Kaizo Mario World.



On top of the traps having unclear visual indicators of how they work, the controls are stiff and slippery.



You'd think this was a fucking ice level for how easy it is to have this happen.



Even innocuous things like this gap in the ceiling have to be taken into account when making a jump.



And of course the characters you're not currently controlling are still vulnerable.



Shame they can't all have Mario's physique.



Bottom line, you're not making it to the end without a lot of practice.



Which is not something usually afforded by the structure of visual novels.



MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates



Uh...uuhhh...

When I finally woke up, searing pain coursed throughout my entire body.







O-Of course! This will be...a piece of cake!

Gonta gonna escape. Become friends with everyone. Gentlemen...never give up!

Th-This time...! This time...we'll reach the exit!



Those words carried me as I stepped into the tunnel once again.

NO MUSIC

But...

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker



Even so, we refused to surrender... We kept telling ourselves that "this time" we'll escape.









But it made no difference in the end.



Damn it...!

I can't...go on...

Wait, we can't give up. This time, we'll—

NO MUSIC



Huh?

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker

You're free to keep trying on your own, but forcing us to join you is basically torture.

T-Torture?



You won't let us give up and no matter what we say, you have the moral high ground... That...doesn't sound like torture to you?



I-I didn't mean it like that...

Hey, degenerate! Quit being so selfish!

I-I'm not being selfish... The others feel the same way, too...

NO MUSIC

What?

NEW MUSIC: Heaven of Almost Hell

AUDIO: You Want Despair Again!?



My spirit...is nearly broken... This hardship gnaws at me...

Given the circumstance...the most logical course of action would be to give up...

Yeah...l feel like Hisashi Mitsui in the second half of a basketball game.

I knew this was impossible from the start.

Kh... This bullshit is a waste of my precious time and energy.

I can't let you all rely on my magic... Besides, I don't have enough MP left.

I'm just relieved that no one was seriously injured. Praise be to Atua.



You guys! Are you really okay with not getting out of this place!?

We shouldn't have to push ourselves... Let's just find another way out, okay?

What!?



Oh, so you're gonna interpret it like that, huh?

Wh-What are you saying!? There's no way we can do the killing game!

Nee-heehee... Calm down. Want some bubble gum? You can blow pretty big bubbles with it.



S-Stop, guys, we shouldn't be fighting...

Geez... We fell apart pretty quick for a group that decided to be friends and work together.

...I'm sorry...this is my fault. I'm so sorry...

No, Kaede...



...Really? I think it is Kaede's fault.

H-Huh!? Why!?

NO MUSIC





MUSIC: Rise and Shine, Ursine!



It is now 10 pm. Nighttime officially starts now.

Whether you've been good or naughty, it's time to go tinkle and go to beddy—bye!

The dining hall and gym are locked during nighttime, so be careful.

...

Kyahahahaha! Sweet dreams!

MUSIC: Heaven of Almost Hell



We should probably just get a fresh start tomorrow.

Fresh start?

We've each been assigned a room in the dormitory. Perhaps we should rest there?



The rooms aren't that bad. Much better than my prison cell, that's for sure.

But...it makes me nervous to think we'll be staying the night at this creepy school.

Well, nothing we can do but suck it up! So what's our plan for tomorrow? Since the dining hall opens at 8 am, how about we meet there at that time?

Sure, I think that'll work. I'm okay with that.



Yes, we should get as much rest as we can and regain our strength.

Nyeeeh...I dunno if I can go pee by myself in the middle of the night.



Um, looking a little degenerate there, Tenko.

Hey, guys? Just...as a warning...



C-Cuz of killing game, you mean?

I see no need to worry about something as illogical as murder taking place here.

I know, I know. Just a warning.

...



Everyone left, so I should head back to my room, too.





Well...when we tried to escape, I felt like we were united behind a common goal. But after I put everyone's lives at risk, that unity is gone now.

Shut up! That's just the stupid end result! It's not like you wanted it to go that way! Listen up. Don't apologize for something that's not your fault! It'll just make you feel bad!

...

Everyone just decided to blame you and give up. I'm gonna give 'em a piece of my mind later.

Well, anyway, let's just go to sleep for now. See ya tomorrow.

...







I don't think you need to worry about what Kokichi said. You weren't pressuring us. At least, I don't think so.

Yeah... Thanks, Shuichi.

But I'm exhausted. Let's just go back to our rooms and rest.

...Right. Well...see you tomorrow.



Next time, we close out the first day at the Ultimate Academy.