Jalen Carter was used to being overlooked. At his South Side Chicago high school, he was the kid who blended into the lockers, headphones always on, sketchbook always open. He drew worlds where he was the hero—where he could make a difference. He never expected the universe to take him up on that fantasy.
One night, after falling asleep sketching digital monsters in a battered notebook, Jalen woke to darkness. Then—a blinding light, a falling sensation, the sense of something enormous watching him. When he blinked, he was standing in a pristine, unfamiliar classroom. Every surface gleamed; every window showed only static.
A screen flickered overhead. "WELCOME, NEW PARTICIPANT," it blared in a voice that sounded like a game show host and a chainsaw at the same time.
Jalen's heart pounded. "Where am I?" he muttered.
A soft, digital beep. He looked down. A sleek, black Digivice was strapped to his wrist. Before he could process, a small, fox-like Digimon with a red scarf—Terriermon—appeared, grinning up at him.
"Yo! Name's Terriermon. Looks like you're my partner now."
Jalen stared. "This is… this is like my drawings."
"You'll need me," Terriermon said, tilting his head. "This place is dangerous."
The door creaked open. Students filed in: eccentric, colorful, each with a strange edge to their eyes. Jalen recognized the types—an elite pianist, a tough boxer, a girl with eyes that saw too much. Then, at the head of the class, a bear—half-white, half-black—swaggered in.
"Upupu! Welcome to the Killing School Life: Digital Edition!" Monokuma roared, arms wide. "Form bonds, solve mysteries, and try not to die! Oh, and there's a twist: each of you has a Digimon partner. Work together, or exploit each other's weaknesses for your own survival! The more connections you make, the stronger your Digimon—and yourself—become! Of course, someone will betray you soon enough..."
Jalen's mind spun, but he caught the key: build real bonds, get stronger, survive. Like a game, but terrifyingly real.
He started slow—sketching during free time, inviting others to sit with him, using his art to break the ice. His Digivice buzzed whenever he made a connection: +10 Affection with Yui (the Ultimate Botanist), +15 with Daichi (the Ultimate Street Dancer). Terriermon picked up on his mood, digivolving into Gargomon after a heart-to-heart with Yui under the artificial stars.
But the game, true to Danganronpa, was twisted. A murder, a trial, accusations. Jalen learned to trust his instincts, to protect those who trusted him. His harem wasn't built on shallow charm, but on vulnerability—on late-night confessions, on shared secrets, on risking himself for others.
As he grew closer to Yui, Daichi, and the shy programmer, Maya, his Digimon's power surged. Gargomon became Rapidmon, shields gleaming, proving that strength came from unity, not isolation.
Monokuma upped the stakes, tempting betrayals with cruel motives. But Jalen refused to play dirty. Instead, he reached out, even to the loneliest, the most broken. His ability to listen, to empathize, made him a force. The "harem" wasn't just romance—it was loyalty, a web of people who had his back.
In the final trial, facing down the mastermind and a corrupted Digimon, Jalen stood at the center of his chosen family—his partners, his friends, his harem. Together, they fought back, breaking the cycle of despair with digital light.
When the world reset, Jalen woke in his bed, sketchbook open. But his Digivice remained on his wrist, and Terriermon's laughter echoed in his dreams.
He knew he'd never let himself fade into the background again.
Not in this world, or any other.