"Huh...?"

A young man yawned as he sat up in his seat. He must've fallen asleep during class, he figured, but it only took a moment more of thought for him to realize that couldn't be true. School hadn't even started yet. In fact, the last thing he remembered was walking up to school. He was supposed to be entering Sky's Peak Academy for the first time since being accepted as a student. So...why was he here? In fact, where even was he?

It was just now that he was starting to realize where he was. He was sitting at a desk in what seemed to be a classroom. In fact, he was fairly certain it was a classroom, as it looked like a pretty stereotypical one. Well, minus the camera and monitor on the wall. What was up with that? And, wait, was that a steel plate on the wall to his left?

He jumped up from his seat. He got closer to the steel plate, and hesitantly tapped it. Yep, it was definitely steel. And it wasn't just hanging on a wall, it seemed to actually be covering where a window would go. What the hell? Panic began to rise in his head. What was going on? Was he at Sky's Peak? Why did his memories feel like mush? Who was doing this?

All he knew, was that he had to get out of there. He stepped away and went over to the classroom door, and after finding it unlocked, he opened it and exited the room. He found himself in a hallway, what looked like a school hallway to be exact. He seemed to be completely alone.

"H-Hello?" He called out, "Is there anyone else here?"

"Mmm...Wh-Where...? Where am I...?"

A soft voice groaned as a young lady lifted her head off of the desk and looked at her surroundings. When she saw that she was in a classroom and thought about where she was last, she widened her eyes. How did she get into a classroom? The last thing she remembered was walking up to the front gates of Sky's Peak Academy before blacking out. She stood up to her feet and felt the back of her head, wondering if she had been knocked unconscious by a blow to her head. But there was no sign of any wounds that she could feel.

After checking her head she looked around again, and noticed the steel plate covering the wall, and the camera that was in the classroom. From the look of the steel plates, she figured that there was no way that she was going to be able to move them...not even by one centimeter. She walked over and looked to the camera and called "Hello?!" As she thought, she didn't get an answer. She shook her head and muttered "Well, it was worth a try at least..."

She walked over to the door and jiggled the doorknob, and she commented "It's unlocked. I can go look around then," She wondered if there was anyone else here, or if she was the only person here.

She opened the door, and looked both directions of the hallway, and she found someone to her right walking onwards, his back facing towards her. Well...there was no time like the present. She was sure her brother would want her to not be shy right now. Maybe this guy can help her, and if not...well, she'll be able to tell and run.

She then jogged over and called to the man walking away "Excuse me! Please, wait!" As soon as she caught up, she stopped and panted, with her bent over and her hands on her knees. She was most certainly not an athlete, that was for sure. As soon as she caught her breath, she looked to the boy and she sighed out in relief, "I'm so glad to find someone else here. I don't suppose you know what's happening?"

The teenaged boy suddenly heard someone call out to him, much to his surprise. He hadn't honestly thought anyone else was here. As he turned towards the voice, he saw that the person was a girl, who looked to be around his age. She seemed to be a bit winded, so he let her catch her breath before replying to her.

"Oh man, you have no idea how glad I am too," he said, as he let out a sigh of relief, "Well, maybe you do. I don't really know what's happening either." He looked around the hallway they were in, before continuing, "I guess...we might be in the school. Uh, I mean, Sky's Peak Academy. I was walking up to the front gates, last I remember, and then I woke up in one of the classrooms here. Did that...happen to you too?"

The odds of that happening, under normal circumstances, were very slim. But these were definitely not normal circumstances. If the same thing had happened to the woman in front of him, then that made it a pattern. And that meant someone really was behind this strange event. Someone might had knocked them both out and placed their unconscious bodies in a classroom, possibly at Sky's Peak. But why?

The girl gave him a friendly smile when he said that he too was glad to see that someone else was here. However, her smile disappeared when he mentioned what happened to him, how he too remembered going to the gates before he blacked out. She nodded in response to his question and she answered "Yes! That's the last thing I remember as well. I'm guessing you woke up in a classroom as well then,"

So this was Sky's Peak Academy? She had to admit, she had imagined the place to be brighter and full of students and faculty, when instead it seemed dark (with the exception of the overhead ceiling lights), and abandoned.

She looked to the boy and she came to realize something. She said to him out loud "Oh! That's right! I haven't introduced myself!" She then greeted "I-I'm Cecelia Greene. What's your name?" She also wondered if he had seen anyone else in the school so far, but she didn't ask the question, and instead waited for him to introduce himself. For now, it would be best if she knew who she was talking to.

The boy grimaced when she told him she had an identical experience. He nodded at her guess, but internally could feel panic start to rise once again. So it was a pattern then. They had been targeted and attacked in some way, and then put in an empty school that was possibly Sky's Peak. The whole situation sounded like something from out of one of his novels. That didn't bode well at all.

He broke out of his thought process when the girl began to introduce himself. That's right, they didn't even know each other's names. They were likely going to have to work together to find out what was going on, so getting to know each other was a good decision.

"Cecelia Greene..." he repeated back to her, before giving her a small smile, "It's nice to meet you, Cecelia. My name's Steven Rayburn." He paused for a moment. "Hey...since we're likely in Sky's Peak Academy right now, does that mean you're a student here too? I was accepted as the Ultimate Mystery Writer." He gave a thoughtful look, adding, "We both lost consciousness after reaching the gates to the school, and if we're both Ultimate students, then that would basically confirm where we're at."

Cecelia caught onto his grimace but didn't say anything. She just made a mental note of his reaction to her answer. She smiled back when he introduced himself, and she answered back after he gave her his name, "It's nice to meet you, Steven," She listened to him ask his question, and she nodded, confirming that she was a student as well. She commented in an understanding tone after he told her what he was accepted as, "That explains your reaction from earlier..." She then added blushing with slight embarrassment over the fact that he might not have understood what she meant by that comment, and she hoped that her answer would clear any misunderstanding "Ah, I was accepted as the Ultimate Psychologist,"

She thought over the conversation she had with Steven so far, and figured out that he hadn't seen anyone else before her, considering he had the same reaction she did. So, there was no use in asking him on whether he saw anyone else or not. She then came to realize something. Her brother was supposed to be attending Sky's Peak Academy as well! Was he stuck here as well?

Figuring that the boy in front of her seemed to have an inkling of what they should do at least (considering that he was clearly recognizing the situation at hand and was probably mentally comparing it to other cases similar to this as they stood there), she asked "Maybe we should go and look for anyone else who's here? There could be other students like us stuck here..."

'My reaction...?' He thought to himself, but when she explained what her Title was, he immediately understood. So she was a Psychologist, and an Ultimate one at that. No wonder she'd read him so easily. That made her quite a powerful ally for this kind of situation. This made him wonder though, were the two of them targeted specifically then? Obviously they were targeted as Sky's Peak students, but that seemed to be as far as the pattern went. There didn't really seem to be any connection between their talents, so if they really were targeted by someone, it must had been solely for the fact that they were Ultimate students, and not because of their specific Talents. That possibly meant that there were other students that were targeted as well...

Cecelia seemed to have the same idea.

"Good idea. There probably are other students here, somewhere," Steven nodded in agreement, "We should check the other classrooms first, since those're the rooms where we woke up."

As soon as he suggested that, however, a loud scratching noise began to play over the intercom system. Steven covered his ears, trying to block it out, but the noise ended just as quickly as it began, and was replaced by a voice.

"...Ahem! This is your Headmaster speaking. I didn't want to have to give any pre-orientation announcements, but it appears we have a couple of stragglers on our hands. All students are to go to the school Gymnasium, where a mandatory Orientation will soon be held. Upupupu! Don't be late!"

Once the intercom message ended, Steven turned to Cecelia.

"...I didn't just imagine that, right?" He asked. The voice they heard sounded child-like, but at the same time, sinister. It was creepy, to say the least. However, it confirmed that there indeed were other students there, likely waiting at the Gymnasium.

"That voice...it called itself our Headmaster," Steven said, "Whoever it is, they're trying to make it seem like this is some sort of normal school thing that's going on. I don't like this at all...but, it sounds like we have no choice but to go. And if there really are other students, then they'll be at the Gym."

He looked around once again, and saw a sign hanging from the ceiling of one hallway that said "GYMNASIUM". Well that made finding the place easier. The Gym would probably be at the end of the hall.

He looked back to Cecelia, and gave a look that said "I'll go if you will."

When the intercom seemed to blare on, Cecelia covered her ears as well until the noise was replaced by a strange, sinister child's voice. From what she could tell from the tone, the voice referred to both her and Steven as the 'stragglers'. When Steven asked his question, she answered "Unless we both were given some kind of hallucinatory drug...I'd say no,"

She listened to Steven speak his thoughts out loud. She looked to where he was looking and she saw the sign that read Gymnasium. She noticed the look he gave her, and she nodded and said "OK, let's get going," She honestly didn't want to find out what would happen if the both of them decided not to go to the gym. She had a bad feeling about the whole thing as she walked through the halls, her footsteps echoing through the empty hallways.

Soon she reached the large doors that led into the gym, and she pulled the both of them open and let herself and Steven inside. Once inside, she saw that there were fourteen other students in there, and they all turned to look at them. Cecelia couldn't help but swallow thickly and nervously from all of the students staring at her. She snapped out of her nervous stupor when a familiar voice called out to her "Cece!"

She soon found herself in a bear hug of sorts and she knew who was hugging her immediately. Her brother, Andrew Greene. She hugged back and said in order to get him to let her go, "Andrew, I'm ok!" She was relieved to see that he was alright. However, deep down, worry seemed to begin growing. If he was here, then he was probably in as much danger as she and Andrew were right now.

Andrew soon let her go and he glared at Steven and he gruffly asked Steven "Who are you?" Cecelia could tell that her brother didn't like the fact that Steven was with her, and she reassured him, "Andrew, it's ok. He's a friend," She saw him noticeably relax slightly, but he never took his glare off of Steven.

When they headed to the Gym, Steven felt anxiety in the pit of his stomach. Even though this seemed to be the only way to progress and possibly learn more about their situation, it overall made him feel worried that something bad was bound to happen. The anxiety only intensified when they reached the Gym doors. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, as Cecelia pulled the doors open and let them inside.

Just like they'd suspected, there were other students inside. 14 students, to be exact. They all turned to look at the two newcomers, and though it made him feel nervous, he was glad to see that there actually were other students there, and that they were all safe.

Suddenly, a voice called out, and a boy rushed over and hugged Cecelia. He'd called her Cece...whoever he was, he seemed to be close with her. She seemed both relieved yet worried to see him, for which Steven didn't blame her. A familiar face was always nice, but in a situation like this, it was potentially dangerous for them.

"H-Huh? Uh..." Steven said nervously when the boy glared at him. Cecelia reassured him, he caught his name was Andrew, that Steven was ok, though the boy still still was glaring, albeit more softly. Was he a boyfriend? A brother? He did sort of look like her.

"Y-Yeah, I'm just a friend," Steven told him with a nervous smile, "I met Cecelia just a little while ago. We were both confused and ran into each other after waking up in one of the classrooms...Separately of course! We both just want to know what's going on."

"Join the club," sighed one of the other students, a girl with auburn-red hair, "We're all confused. We all woke up in a classroom after presumably passing out in front of the school, and just sort of, met up here after awhile."

"You guys too!?" Steve exclaimed. Every single one of them had the exact same experience? How was that even possible?

Andrew narrowed his gaze when Steven clarified that he and Cecelia woke up in different classrooms. After Steven finished trying to placate Andrew, he turned his attention to the other thirteen students as the red haired girl spoke. He only nodded in agreement when Steven made his exclamation. Cecelia stated gravely as she looked over everyone, trying to get a read on their moods and what they could be thinking "Well...This is quite a predicament so far..."

A girl with black hair, wearing a black and red sweatshirt and a beanie on her head, asked out loud "So...Who are you two?" Cecelia answered with a little more hesitation this time due to the large crowd in front of her, "I-I'm Cecelia Greene, the Ultimate Psychologist,"

After she introduced herself, a boy with blonde hair, with a fancy hat on his head, suddenly bounced up to her and squealed happily "AWWW! You look so adorable!" He then introduced himself happily, shaking her hand "You picked your outfit well, even if your clothes aren't from my line of work! I'm Elliot Heron, the Ultimate Fashion Designer! It's so nice to meet you!" Cecelia blinked at the boy as he wildly shook her hand happily. From what she could tell, he definitely meant no harm. She greeted him in reply "N-Nice to meet you as well..."

Andrew looked to Steven and he growled after Steven introduced himself begrudgingly, "I'm Andrew Greene. Ultimate Hacker,"

"I'm Steven Rayburn, the Ultimate Mystery Writer," Steven eventually introduced himself after one of the girls asked. He found himself still feeling a bit intimidated by Andrew's gaze, but the boy at least introduced himself to him as the Ultimate Hacker. Right before that, another student had introduced himself, Elliot Heron, the Ultimate Fashion Designer.

"A mystery author, huh?" Another boy with gelled-back black hair asked, stepping forward and offering a hand to Steven, and then to Cecelia next once Steven shook his hand, "We could definitely use your talents here. This is one big mystery, after all." Steven felt himself warm up instantly to the guy, who then introduced himself.

"It really is great to meet the both of you. My name's Bryan Todorovich, and I'm the Ultimate Motivational Speaker!" Bryan grinned as he talked, and combined with his demeanor and how nicely dressed he was, it was hard not to feel at ease with the guy. He then added, "Whatever problems we face, we'll definitely make it through with you two on our side!"

"Wow, aha, thank you!" Steven replied, a bit flustered from the guy's pep.

"So we're all introducing ourselves now? Alright then." Said the auburn-red haired girl, stepping forward as she spoke, "Well, uh, I'm Sasha Alvera, and I was accepted as the Ultimate Card Player. And yes, that's a real talent." Steven thought she definitely looked the part. Her outfit reminded him of the kinds of players who often showed up on broadcasted poker games.

"I wasn't going to say it wasn't," Steven replied, noting how defensive she had already gotten, "I think that's a pretty cool talent actually."

"O-Oh...really?" She asked in surprise, her cheeks flushing slightly, "Well...thanks..." She seemed to retreat into herself after that, though Steven couldn't really tell why.

"Oi! Come on, let's hurry this along, we don't have time for you to act moe," a shorter tan girl with a pixie cut and dark green sports jacket interjected.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Sasha mumbled, her face now instead red with embarrassment.

"K, so, I'm Sydney Saran, Ultimate Parkour Athlete," the tan girl introduced herself, "There's a lot of us here and we have a lot of introductions to get through, so I'll just keep mine short."

"Wait, Parkour?" Steven asked, "Like, you know how to do flips off of buildings and stuff?"

"More or less," Sydney shrugged, "And I'm damn good at it. But seriously, that's enough, let's hurry this along." She looked towards a group of students who had kept quiet so far, indicating it was their turn to introduce themselves.

Cecelia looked as Elliot backed away and another man, with black hair came up to them and introduced himself. The Ultimate Motivational Speaker...Well, he certainly seemed cheerful, but Cecelia couldn't shake off the feeling that they should be careful of him. She could tell that his cheer was a mask, but she wasn't going to say anything about it right in front of everyone. She shook his hand when he offered his hand to her and she answered him giving a small hesitant smile, trying to not let her thoughts show, "It's nice to meet you as well, thank you,"

Next to introduce herself was the girl with the auburn hair. Cecelia listened carefully to her introduction and studied how she acted and spoke. She noted her defensive attitude before Steven told her he thought her talent was cool. Then was Sydney, who seemed very impatient in general to Cecelia. After Sydney introduced herself, a man with white hair, wearing a cape and top hat sauntered up to the both of them, and he suavely requested to Cecelia specifically, "Allow me to introduce myself, s'il vous plait, Mademoiselle,"

He seemed to whip out a white rose out of thin air, even though Cecelia knew better, and he handed it to her greeting her with a wink and a kiss on her hand "I am the Ultimate Magician, Claude Syke. It is a pleasure to meet a beautiful and intelligent mademoiselle as you," Trying to ignore the blush that was rapidly appearing on her face, she cleared her throat and said "I-It's a pleasure," Claude smiled at her and said "Oh, so cute," apparently ignoring Steven. Cecelia looked away from Claude, clearly not believing his compliments.

Claude suddenly yelped as he was pulled back by the ear, and he pleaded "Ow ow ow! My ear! Let go of my ear, Mademoiselle! S'il vous plait!" Cecelia looked to see that the person pulling Claude by his ear was none other then the girl from earlier with the beanie. Kadian stated bluntly "Then leave her be and let the others introduce themselves to her," Claude agreed and left with a huff when the girl let go of his ear. The girl looked at her and Steven and she said "Sorry you had to deal with that weirdo," She then introduced herself crossing her arms "My name's Kadian Erickson. I'm the Ultimate Dungeon Master,"

Cecelia blinked and she asked blanching "'Dungeon Master'? As in...?" Kadian caught on to her question and hurriedly answered "NO! NO! NO! Not that kind of dungeon! I mean Dungeons and Dragons!!!" Cecelia blinked in realization and said "OH! Ok!" Cecelia laughed in relief and to get rid of the shock she felt earlier. She had her hand over her heart as she calmed herself down. Kadian on the other hand sauntered off grumbling in irritation at the near misunderstanding.

Next to introduce themself was Claude Syke, the Ultimate Magician. He straight up just ignored Steven and doted over Cecelia, which caused the Mystery Writer to just stand there awkwardly while Claude attempted to flirt with Cecelia. The guy seemed to be quite a piece of work, that was for sure. The Casanova probably wouldn't be cooperative with the group unless a girl asked him to do something. Hell, he wondered if the guy was even actually French.

Steven was thankful that one of the other students eventually got him to heel. Said student introduced herself as Kadian Erickson, Ultimate...Dungeon Master!? Steven felt even more awkward and uncomfortable, but Kadian quickly corrected what Cecelia and him were thinking. Ok, she was talking about Dungeons and Dragons. That was much less creepy. He couldn't help but let out a laugh of relief as well along with Cecelia.

"Alright, I guess I'm next," a dark-skinned woman with a bob-cut said, breaking the awkward silence with her cheerful tone, "Hey there Steven, Cecelia, it's nice to meet you two. My name's Jamie Janson, and I'm-"

"You're Jamie Jay the TV Star!" Bryan suddenly exclaimed. Jamie looked a little miffed at being interrupted like that, but didn't retort back at him.

"Yep, that's me," she continued with a grin, "I got accepted as the Ultimate TV Actress."

"Wait, you mean you're the Jamie Jay Janson?" Sasha said with a gasp.

"Wow, an actual celebrity," Bryan said, sounding somewhat impressed, "Sky's Peak really went all out trying to collect the most talented kids out there."

"Good luck to anyone wanting to introduce themselves after that," Sydney commented.

"I didn't really say much though," Jamie told them, frowning slightly, "I'm not really any different than you guys. We've all got some amazing talent, so we're pretty much on an even playing field here."

"Yeah, but you're a celebrity!" Bryan insisted, "Everyone knows who you are! You're in a league all of your own."

Despite it supposing to be a compliment, Jamie didn't really look happy to hear it at all. Sensing this, Steven spoke up to try to move things along.

"Either way, it's really nice to meet you in person, Jamie," Steven told her, "I hope I can get to know you more during...whatever this situation is." Her smile returned, and with an appreciate nod, the introductions finally continued.

"...I-I might as well go next," a solemn voice stuttered, as a short boy with long dirty blond hair, who was also wearing elbow and knee pads, stepped forward. "N-No matter what, I was going to come off as lackluster, so it's b-best that I go after our b-brightest star."

"Uh..." Steven muttered, unsure of what to say.

"I-It's ok! I-I know I'm just making things awkward," the boy sighed, "I-I'll just finish this quick. M-My name is Ray Ottoman, and I am the Ultimate Skateboarder. S-Somehow."

"Are you ok?" Sasha asked, sounding legitimately concerned.

"Y-Yeah..." Ray mumbled, looking down.

"Hey! He just needs a little motivation to get him going!" Bryan suggested.

"H-Haha..." Ray laughed...at least, Steven thought it was a laugh.

"...Wow kid, you've got some issues," A stocky looking blond girl dressed in all black spoke up, "Well anyway. I'm Andrea Barker. I'm the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator."

Andrea seemed to be a bit...blunt, to put it nicely. Well, maybe saying that she was straightforward and to the point, would have been nicer put.

"Say, Steven. You write mysteries. Do you believe in the paranormal?" She suddenly asked. Feeling a bit put on the spot by the question, he wasn't sure what to say at first.

"Well, uh, a couple of my novels had supernatural themes..." Steven answered carefully, "But it's just fiction. So I guess I...don't really believe?" It seemed more like a question than an answer.

"Hey, I won't bite just because you give an answer you think I won't like," Andrea replied, crossing her arms, "If it makes you feel any better, I don't really believe in it either."

"Wh-What!?" Ray exclaimed in surprise, "Y-You don't believe in your talent either?"

"What? No, I mean, yeah, I believe in it," Andrea tried to explain herself, "What I mean to say is, I don't believe in the paranormal, but I do believe in my investigative abilities." She looked at Cecelia next, and asked, "What about you Cecelia? What's your opinion on the paranormal?" She seemed to be genuinely intrigued on what Cecelia's thoughts on the matter were.

Cecelia looked to the girl who spoke up next and she too immediately recognized her name. She was that famous TV star, Jamie Jay Janson! Apparently, she wasn't the only one who was surprised to see the famous TV star here. As the others complimented Jamie, Cecelia could tell from how she grimaced that she didn't exactly like being known as just a TV star. That thought was immediately backed up by how she smiled at Steven's genuine greeting to her.

Next to introduce himself was the Ultimate Skateboarder, Ray Ottoman. Cecelia couldn't help but feel bad for him when he was speaking down on himself. He really did have an impressive talent in her opinion. She smiled at Ray, and she said to him kindly "It's nice to meet you, Ray," Her attention was soon drawn to the girl wearing all black, and she heard her introduce herself as Andrea Barker. From what Cecelia could tell, she seemed quite honest and blunt. She was somewhat surprised to hear that Andrea didn't believe in the paranormal.

When Andrea asked her opinion, Cecelia was a bit surprised that she would ask her for her opinion on the matter, and she answered with her finger on her chin in thought "Oh! Uh...Well, I don't really believe the paranormal exists either, especially considering how complex the perceptual processes are, and the fact that our senses don't pick up on everything, and/or can fool us,"

Another girl piped up with an impressed tone, "Wow, you sound really smart!" Cecelia turned to look and see a girl with long blonde hair, wearing an arm guard on one arm and finger guards on her other hand. She was carrying a longbow in her hand, and she said to her and Steven, "Hi! I'm Angela Pleides! I'm the Ultimate Archer!"

Before Cecelia could reply, Angela turned around and she walked towards another blonde haired girl, who looked daintier than Angela, and the archer gently nudged her forwards "Go on! Say hi! She's nice, like I said!" The other girl nodded and she stepped forwards and she introduced herself with a curtsey "Good day, my name is Rose Anderson. My title here is the Ultimate Entomologist. Insects are my area of expertise,"

From what Cecelia could tell from how Rose looked down at the floor, the Entomologist was probably expecting some kind of negative reinforcement for her talent. Cecelia instead answered "Oh! That sounds like a cool talent! What's your favorite insect?" Rose immediately beamed happily and made eye contact with Cecelia and answered "My favorite is the monarch butterfly! Thank you, Ms. Greene!"

Angela then turned around to face another figure who was far from the group and was leaning against the wall, and she called "Oi! Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud! Get your butt over here and introduce yourself!" Cecelia looked to see a man in a business suit messing with his phone, his face clearly showing his frustration with the device. She guessed that wifi or cell phone service wasn't working in the school. The man growled in response "Why should I? It's a waste of my time and money. You riffraff can do whatever you wish, but do not drag me into it,"

Cecelia blinked in surprise at the man's awful demeanor. Angela sighed and she said "Well, since he's not going to be friendly any time soon, I might as well introduce you to him. That jerk is Percy Winston, the Ultimate Banker," Cecelia recognized the name. He was the son of a wealthy family who owned one of the most renowned banks.

"Hmm..." Andrea began to say in response to Cecelia's opinion, "That is...a very logical answer. It's pretty similar to my views, as a matter of fact." She had a satisfactory grin on her face. It was very obvious that she liked Cecelia's answer.

After that, three more people were introduced. First was Angela Pleides, Ultimate Archer. Steven could see that she was pretty friendly, as she didn't focus too much on her own introduction and instead helped introduce the other two students.

Rose Anderson, the Ultimate Entomologist, was next. She seemed rather polite, but like a couple other of the students there, it seemed like she expected a negative reaction to her talent. Cecelia showing interest in her talent though cheered Rose right up, fortunately. Steven thought she had an interesting talent as well; he didn't particularly like bugs, but despite that, he did find them fascinating, and had done plenty of research on them for his novels in the past.

Finally, Percy Winston, Ultimate Banker, was introduced. Angela had to introduce him herself, since he apparently felt too high and mighty to even interact with any of them beyond insulting them. He even used the word "riffraff." Who even used that word anymore?

"Wow. What a dick." Andrea said plainly. "Well anyway. That's everyone now, right?"

"I think so..." Sasha agreed, but she didn't seem too sure, "Uh, actually, I've only counted 15 introductions, but there's 16 of us here."

"Huh? Who hasn't gone yet?" Bryan asked, "Come on now, we've all got to contribute here. Please step forward, whoever you are."

Somebody sighed, and then made their presence known by stepping forward a bit. It was a tall, muscular-looking guy, who was dressed like they just stepped off of a sports field. How had everyone not been able to notice such a large guy?

"...Marcus Roe. Ultimate Rugby Player." He said simply as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Everyone waited for him to continue, but that apparently was all he had to say.

"Ah. The strong, silent type," Jamie noted.

"You really don't have more to say?" Bryan asked Marcus in surprise, "Even a timid guy like Ray talked more. No offense, little guy."

"N-None taken..." Ray muttered softly.

"There's nothing wrong with being a man of few words," Andrea said, "Well anyway. That was definitely the last introduction this time, right?"

"Looks like it," Steven agreed, "We've all met each other now."

"Nice. Looks like we're done then," Sydney said as she stretched her arms over her head, "I'm tired of standing around. Hopefully Orientation will go by even faster."

"Orientation..." Steven repeated. That's right, that's why they had even come to the Gymnasium in the first place. "Do you guys think that we're really going to have a school Orientation?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Bryan asked, "This is definitely Sky's Peak Academy. I should know, I took a tour before accepting my invitation. Everything here looks exactly the same as when I took the tour."

"Really?" Sasha asked, a look of confusion on her face, "But then, wouldn't that mean the school staff were the ones that made us fall unconscious?"

"What? What're you talking about?" Bryan countered, somewhat shocked by Sasha's accusation, "What makes you think the school did this to us? That would be extremely unprofessional."

"That's a bit of an understatement, dontcha' think?" Andrea told him. He didn't react and just brushed her off.

"Well, yeah, it doesn't really make much sense..." Sasha said, shrinking back a bit, "But...what other explanation is there? If this really is Sky's Peak, then, it only makes sense that the school staff are the ones behind our situation."

"What even is our situation?" Sydney asked, "For all we know, this could all just be an elaborate prank. Or even a test to see how the First Class would react to...whatever this is."

"No way, they'd need our consent first," Jamie disagreed, "My lawyer went over all the forms the school made me sign before I could enroll, and there was nothing like this in any of the documents."

"The school itself is...what's the word...experimental, and fragile." Sasha added to Jamie's point, "This is the first time a Hope's Peak Academy copy cat school actually managed to get going and have a chance at success. There's no way they'd do something so controversial and risky."

"S-So...wh-what does that mean then?" Ray asked quietly.

"Well, even though it doesn't make much sense for anyone but for Sky's Peak's staff to be behind this," Sasha told them, "It most likely isn't them that did that to us."

"So...we've been kidnapped then." Steven spoke up, having kept quiet since asking the question that started the conversation, "And somehow, our kidnapper, or kidnappers, managed to take over Sky's Peak Academy. And if the steel plates blocking off the windows are anything to go by, we've likely been locked inside the school."

"Wait...kidnapped!?" Bryan exclaimed, "That...that's insane! What the hell?"

"So what was that crap about Orientation then?" Sydney asked, "Is it some sort of act that they're putting on? Whoever they are?"

"Probably." Marcus grunted. Steven had already nearly forgotten about him. That guy was so distant towards everyone that it was easy to not even realize he was there.

Cecelia looked around at the mention that only fifteen people had introduced themselves and after Bryan spoke up, she noticed a larger man step forwards and introduce himself as Marcus Roe. His outer appearance was a bit intimidating, and there was much she could judge in regards to his character, because he didn't talk very much. She could only pick up that he was guarded, and that he may be sensitive.

Soon enough everyone had started talking about the situation at hand, and Cecelia listened carefully as everyone interjected and made their own points heard.

Elliot piped in "Who would do this?!"

Claude answered "I'd think we would know who would do this,"

Rose asked, clasping her hands together and close to her chest in worry "If we were kidnapped...surely our families would know. Maybe the police are on their way?"

Kadian answered "Somehow, I don't think the police are on the case,"

Angela then asked "So what do we do?"

Cecelia looked to her brother who stepped up to stand next to her and he looked at her, as though to silently ask if she had any ideas. She asked her brother "Andrew...did you faint at the gates and wake up in a classroom?" Andrew nodded and answered "Yeah, it's the same case for everyone here. We all talked about it before you two came in,"

"Every single one of us has gone through the exact same thing..." Steven said, his voice trailing off.

"That pretty much confirms that this is some kind of kidnapping." Andrea frowned, "Unless this the result of some kind of supernatural phenomena, which I very much doubt."

"Maybe Rose is right," Sasha said hopefully, "Even if everything we just said is true, people have to know that something's gone wrong!"

"Eh, I think I'm on Kaiden's side here," Sydney shrugged, "I mean, did anybody see those steel plates on the windows when we first walked up to the school?"

"I didn't," Steven answered, "I don't know much about welding, but from research I've done before, I know it'd take a long while to weld them all over every single window in the school."

"Wait, so are you saying it's possibly been days since we passed out in front of the school!?" Bryan exclaimed, panic apparent in his voice, "If it's really been that long, people would know that we've disappeared! We've been all over the media, the whole country's been anticipating the opening of Sky's Peak Academy!"

"Well yeah, they have to know. Students disappearing and an important national building being modified would definitely be noticed. But maybe they can't get us out. Thus, Kaiden's point that the police likely aren't on the case." Andrea suggested.

"That's bullshit!" Bryan yelled.

"P-Please don't yell..." Ray mumbled, having flinched at Bryan's outburst.

"Hold on guys, let's all calm down a bit," Jamie told them, "Maybe we're all just getting ahead of ourselves here. I mean, we can discuss theories all we want, but we don't really actually know anything."

That was true. Steven knew that it was very possible that everything they were saying was all just based in panic and hysteria. They really didn't know anything. In fact, the only way they could gain any information, would be if the person or people behind this stepped forward.

As if on cue, the child-like voice that had spoken on the intercom earlier, suddenly began to speak. The voice seemed to be coming from inside the room itself.

"Upupupu! It's been so very fun watching you bastards fall apart as you all try to figure out what's happening. I even prolonged my entrance because of how entertaining all of you have been!"

"H-Huh?" Sasha gasped, "Who said that?"

"It's the voice from the intercom!" Bryan stated the obvious, "Show yourself, you coward! And tell me what's going on, now!"

"My, my, so demanding," the voice teased, "But if my fans really want to see me so badly, who am I to disappoint?"

Lights focused on the stage at the front of the gymnasium, and fanfare began to play. With a bang and quickly dispelling cloud of smoke, a black and white Teddy bear leapt up from behind a podium and onto the stage.

"Ta-Dah!" The bear announced, "It is I, your friendly neighborhood School Headmaster! You may call me Headmaster Monobear, or just Monobear for short, for you lazy disrespectful bastards out there.

This...was not was Steven was expecting at all. There was only one response that he could think of.

"What the hell?"

While everyone continued talking to one another, Cecelia noticed that the underlying tension, panic, and fear were welling up and were just getting stronger, overtaking everyone's minds. She knew that everyone needed to stay calm, but she couldn't find her voice. She couldn't interject while everyone was talking in a frenzy. She looked to Andrew with a pleading look, and he sighed, getting her silent message.

Before he could get everyone's attention, Jamie already seemed to have told everyone to calm down, and Andrew remained silent. After Jamie spoke, the same voice from the intercom spoke up. No sooner after Bryan demanded that the voice show themselves, a black and white bear appeared behind the podium on the stage. Cecelia stared in shock. Her mind instantly came to the conclusion that the bear was just a doll for the mastermind use for interaction, without giving away their identity.

Elliot piped up "A stuffed bear? The design is poorly done! It's not cute at all!"

Kadian looked to Elliot like he was crazy and she asked in deadpan "I think the design is the least of our worries right now..."

Cecelia heard someone walking and she turned to see Percy walk closer to the group, but his attention was on the bear, giving it a death glare. If looks could kill...!
Percy growled "Do we look like idiots to you? Show yourself in person and tell us what the hell you want!"

Cecelia piped up cautiously "Um...I'm not sure that's a good idea," Percy glared at her briefly, and she fell silent, with her brother now giving Percy a glare. Percy only ignored Andrew and turned his attention back on Monobear.

"Stuffed bear? How rude!" The monochrome bear pouted, "I am not a stuffed bear, I am Monobear! Get your facts straight!" He gave a dramatic pause, before suddenly asking, "Wait, did you just say I'm not cute? What a shot through my precious little heart! I'll have you know that I am totes cute and adorbs! My fluffing was made from 100% certifiably cute things, such as puppies and kittens! And not just the fur, oh no, nothing was put to waste!"

"Again, what the hell?" Steven repeated himself. This was so surreal, it felt like this all was some sort of dream. This kind of stuff only happened in fiction, there was no way this was actually happening.

"Eh?" Monobear said in response to Percy's anger-filled words, "Wow, I love that death glare you're giving me! I feel both scared and slightly turned on!" He feigned swooning at Percy, before continuing, "Anyway, I did show up in person! This is who I really am, after all."

"Somehow, I don't really believe that," Andrea said doubtingly.

"Oh? Why not?" Monobear asked.

"Maybe because you're just a stuffed toy?" Bryan answered rhetorically, "You look like some kind of animatronic mascot!"

"I am not a toy!" Monobear bellowed, flashing his claws menacingly, "I am Monobear! Don't make me say it again!"

"Whatever! Just answer Percy's question already!" Bryan snapped at him, "What the hell do you want with us?"

"Ooh, such an excitable youth," Monobear began to say in earnest, "What a perfect way to represent our school's hope! That's what you all are anyway. All of you are symbols of hope, to do battle with despair. Speaking of despair, I think I should tell you...You're all here on an all-expense-paid trip for indefinite residence!"

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"...What?" Sydney was the first to speak up. "What does that even mean?"

"What's the matter? Is my sexy, velvety voice too much for you bastards to handle? Is it distracting you from paying attention to words I am saying?" Monobear asked.

"If that was supposed to be a joke, it sucked. Big time." Andrea deadpanned.

"Ouch." Monobear whimpered, "Oh well, I guess I'll be a little more specific. You're all trapped here. Forever. Capiche? Is that easier for your peanut-sized brains to understand?"

"T-Trapped!?" Ray cried out, hiding his face behind his hands.

"You can't be serious!" Sasha exclaimed, "You can't just keep us here!"

"Oh, but I can!" Monobear said with glee, "Those theories you brats were discussing weren't too far off the mark. This is indeed Sky's Peak Academy, the building is indeed sealed shut from the outside world, and there indeed is no one coming to save you!"

"You're lying!" Bryan yelled, "There's no way that's true! You can't just do that to us!"

"I can, and I have!" Monobear said with a laugh.

"...You still haven't told us what you want with us." Marcus suddenly spoke up.

"...Eh?" Monobear said, seemingly surprised, "A rational thought comes out from left-field! What a shocker!"

"Just get on with it," Sydney groaned.

"Uwu, you're no fun," Monobear said sadly, "If I really have to answer that question, then fine. It has to do with everyone's indefinite stay at Sky's Peak Academy. Well, I guess 'indefinite' isn't entirely truthful. There is one way to leave the school. All one has to do is Graduate."

"That's it?" Sasha asked, "So, what, just go to classes for a couple years, and that's it? That's not too bad."

"Oh no, not that kind of graduation," the bear corrected her, "It's a special kind of graduation. It's known as a Super High School Level Graduation!"

"Super High School Level?" Jamie asked, "Isn't that the term Japan uses for its students at Hope's Peak Academy?"

"Ooh, what a coincidence~," Monokuma said, its voice almost a purr, "I would have loved to use that term as your official talent titles, but alas, Woolseyism won out and we were stuck with Ultimate as the official talent title. Anyway, I bet you're all dying to know exactly what you have to do to Graduate."

"I don't suppose it's something we'd actually want to do, is it?" Steven asked, already knowing the answer to his question.

"I don't see why not," Monobear shrugged, "All you have to do to Graduate, is murder another student, after all."

Elliot noticeably blanched and his mouth was open in a slight gape at the mention that Monokuma was made out of everything that was cute, and every part of those innocent animals. One could see his face turn somewhat blue from the shock. He was clearly speechless from the answer that the stuffed bear had given him. Angela tried to silently reassure Elliot with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

When Steven asked his question out loud, Cecelia couldn't help but stutter out in reply, "I-I don't even know...!"

Cecelia looked to Percy after Monobear commented on his death glare, and she noticed that his glare seemed to harden, showing her that he was disgusted with the bear in front of him now.

Monobear soon answered the question of why they were here, and there was silence for a moment. Cecelia felt her stomach drop at the fact that their guesses were right. They were stuck here...they were kidnapped. Cecelia stood still as others protested against the bear in front of them.

The silence seemed to be even more deafening after the bear in front of them that they could get out of here by murdering another student.

Cecelia's eyes widened at the statement, and she asked out loud "Wh-What?!" Andrew growled as he stepped even closer to Cecelia feeling protective of her, "Oh, Like Hell we'll do that!"

Kadian was silent as she glared at the bear in front of her. Cecelia saw that Elliot fainted, and Rose was covering her mouth in shock. Claude gave a skeptical look to Monobear and he stated "You really don't expect us to really do as you say, do you? Seriously, it's absurd!"

Angela backed up Claude "Y-Yeah! This is school! Not some Gladiator Arena!" Percy growled "You know you're just asking to get yourself killed right? We can just kill you and we'd graduate,"