Danganronpa: ReProgrammed

Ultimate Despair: Part 9 [Deadly Life]

"Gah! Monokuma! Or...wait...is that Alter Ego? If that's you Alter Ego, can you tell me if anything happened here?"

The Monokuma however, was unresponsive. Initially confused, Taka turned his attention back towards the cockpit. 

"Could it be that...?" he wondered.

He sat back down in the seat, and turned his attention to a monitor that had suddenly switched on. He observed the buttons in front of him, with two joysticks and a microphone. Not only that, but under the desk was some pedals. Already taking a guess as to what it was for, he moved the joysticks forward and yelled in the microphone.

"HEY! NO RUNNING IN THE HALLS!" he boomed. While it was fairly faint, the monitor showed some movement, and it was here that Taka realized that his view through the monitor was in line with where the Monokuma in the other room was facing. You didn't have to be a genius to figure out what this panel was used for.

"So...this is how the Mastermind has been controlling Monokuma..." Taka said to himself "now that I think about it, this room is completely separate from the room with the surveillance monitors...Kyoko DID say something about the Mastermind not being able to control Monokuma and survey us at the same time...I guess this means she was right...But wow if it isn't tedious and stupid architecture."

Taka eyes continued to move back and forth between the control panel and the exit to the room,  but eventually something clicked in his mind and he pulled out his E-Handbook. 

"But if the Mastermind has been controlling Monokuma from this room...then that means he or she's been in the school the entire time..." he continued "but Mukuro said that only the 16 students have been in the school since the killing game started...Who could that 16th student be...And are they really controlling Monokuma?"

🔫Monokuma Control Panel added to the Truth Bullets🔫

Taka was beginning to experience a headache he hadn't felt since he woke up after Taeko had given him that nasty head injury that sent in into comatose. Realizing that there were still other places to check out, he decided to leave the control panel and exit the room.

Taka made his way back into the room with the monitors and left the Data Processing Room, but as soon as he did, he suddenly heard a loud *KA-CHUNK!* noise. Realizing that it had only sounded out when he closed the door, Taka quickly turned around and attempted to open it again.

But to his horror...the door was now locked.

"What the hell!?" he snapped, tugging on the door with all his might, but as he was, Monokuma suddenly showed up.

"Be careful Taka!" the ursine smirked "break down the door and I may have to punish you!"

"Why is it locked!?" Taka asked "I literally just came out of there!"

"Well, of course it's locked!" Monokuma smiled "the Data Processing room has officially been locked off."

"That's not cool! I just-! W-Wait a second...!" Taka came to a realization after he was able to fully process the shock "I just left the room where the Mastermind controls you! How can you be here right now!?"

"That's exactly why I locked it DUMBASS!" Monokuma jeered "what's the point of leaving the door wide open if it means that I can't move around? I mean, just imagine how icky this place would get if it's adorable mascot wasn't here?"

"Ironic, coming from the BIGGEST PIECE OF FILTH I'VE EVER MET!" Taka spat "and you know that's not what I meant! If you're here, that means there's someone in that room controlling you, but how did they get in there without passing by me! I would have seem them!"

"Oh, you poor sweet idiot," Monokuma cackled "no one walked past you because they were in the room with you the entire time!"

"Wh-What!?" Taka almost fell over.

"PUHUHUHU! You were so caught up on making heads or tails of the machine, that you failed to notice any hidden doors or secret compartments!" the bear rolled over laughing "you missed a huge obvious panel on the floor that opens up into a secret compartment where the Mastermind was hiding! Then again, it only opens from one side, so you couldn't have got it open regardless of whether you noticed it or not..."

"I...I'm such a fool...!" Taka clutched his head and sobbed.

"You'd better believe it!" Monokuma metaphorically kicked him while he was down "but now it's your job to take responsibility for your idiocy. I'll leave that to you."

The bear then vanished, leaving Taka feeling incredibly guilty. However, given that there wasn't much time left, he tried to focus on what he COULD do right about now.

"I guess I'll go do a once over in the dorms..." he said, heading off, downtrodden.