Battle Royale

[Degree]

While writing a current story slowly, I realized I wanted to try something more fun on the side. Not much else is being put on here in terms of writing, since our lovely writer Unlucky/Takishi stopped doing so (perhaps just for the while?) so i'll go ahead and throw it out there! 

1 - Entrance

    Rabbit City is a grand metropolis among the greatest. Successful government, business practices, and shady leaders flourished the country. Massacres every decade solved the food shortage and mass population problems. Murders in the nation were just blamed on everyone, since the first rule upon having residence within the city is to establish yourself on the council. If one thing happened, then the fault was assumed on everyone until the egotistic jackasses get put into their place at the next massacre. The nice leaders are praised with the good work they do, wanting nothing in return; those modest are always safe till the night of their fifth daughter’s wedding. The city doesn't tolerate assassination times that make sense.


    It lies in the center of the North Atlantic Ocean as a hulking mass, bridging two neighboring continents. Everyone loved the ideas of mixing American and Eurasian cultures, so the city made it happen. Eventually, the council grew larger with new ideas and peoples who could voice their ideas and expand the nation that was continually growing. Thus, the High Council formed inside the public council, letting the strong people intimidate the weak legally. Bribes and threats were also a welcome part of society, although proof in the form of pictures presented enough evidence to kick them out for that. Apparently, citizens can’t register as two different people in the only country they’d think it’d be legal to.




    The sun peaked over the edge, collecting inside the droplets of dew gathering on the blades of green. The entire city reflected the shine from the industry to the white flash of the sea. In between the industrial and residential zones of Rabbit City was a humongous stadium that had to be split into four sectors in order to condense the excess space. Currently, the stadium was being suspiciously renovated by a private company. The reason is very likely to be because it’s an underworld kind of dealing. The company was referenced under the abbreviation ‘BV’ and was known to have some underground mafia ties with the neighboring countries. Neither the council nor the High Council found a reason to distrust the mafia, so it’s all fine and dandy.


    In the main office of the stadium sat a man with extremely short hair and a soft complexion. Papers and other small items lay on the desk while he relaxed. Leaning back in his chair, the man scratched his chin and pondered a thought. Glancing forward to the notices on the desk, he realized there was still work to be done. Rolling forward to the front of the desk in order to see a beige folder with large font labeled: “Battle Royale”, the man carefully opened the flap to repossess small notes with personal information and picture attached. “This was the ‘work’ that was being renovated into the stadium.” He thought, remembering as he examined each note with a piquing interest. They were IDs of citizens inside the city that have volunteered (without knowing they were volunteering at all) for a ‘fun experiment’. Organization leader of BV slapped down the folder, happening to leave the IDs messily left all over the desk. Each one was different and unique in it’s own respective way.


“Name: Trinity

Age: Enough to Harbor Virgins in Settlement

Gender: Female; the best kind.

About: Lord of all Virgins. Once born as a female space pirate, she then found technology as her safe haven. As of now, it became more of a haven in her personal and technological life as she has claimed four-hundred-seventy-one virgins as her own under her name. Legal documents can prove that they all belong to her in body, mind, and spirit.”


“Name: Lily

Age: Super Soldier young.

Gender: Hot-blooded Male

About: Young man in his mid-twenties that was built to fend off harmful existences with the power of justice. Sometimes he’s even told to eradicate them, as much as he would prefer not to. Enlisted in the Grecian military at a young age, he went on to defend the United Nations until discovering that he had a calling in the tormented Rabbit City. Strangely enough, he retired from his militaristic duties and seeks to become a baker or an evil overlord. There was definitely something hidden inside Lily, but it’s not easy to put our finger on.”


“Name: June

Age: Legally Brunette

Gender: Play the Game

About: Born in Hicktown, USA- this girl is known to be a true bred American. It seems her slim physique is only possible for only eating hamburgers as a baby. Raised a nice, all-American baby, she grew empathetic of all the people around here. Growing into a young adult, she found herself to be more alike with more regular ‘Mericans than once thought and she adapted to their culture. This led her to grow certain fetishes to uniforms and the abusing of feet.”


“Name: Santa

Age: 16

Gender: Undisclosed

About: DATA CORRUPTED.”


“Name: Natsu

Age: Newt and a half

Gender: Crackling Flame

About: The embodiment of fire and hot-bloodedness that exceeds even volcanoes! This young man uses his curly beard to catch water, steam it, and then sear the faces of his enemies. Or, so the legend says. Rather, a European man who has a lot to say and was once a candidate for the High Council until he lost spot for the seat of happiness in-turn for a whacked out party. Rumors say it was a great party that changed him forever.”


“Name: Echi

Age: Ambiguous

Gender: Everything

About: One does not just describe an Echi. He/She/It speaks for himself/herself/itself. You can’t tell him/her/it what to do unless you are their one and only.”


“Name: Kit

Age: The Fun Age

Gender: All Man

About: Born as an Eight-Bit child in Pu, he traveled across the lands to adventure! Ultimately, he got bored of saving women, returning them to their fathers, escorting children, returning them to old men, and escorting old men. Now he lives his life in an advanced hut he built himself to ward away people from his herd of doinkeys and vault of soins.”


“Name: Takishi

Age: Dix-huit

Gender: Masculin

About: Élevé dans un village porte-remplie sur l'arrière-pays de France, il était la principale raison pour laquelle le monde aurait croissants français. Son père et sa mère lui a formés pour apprendre les manières d'écrire et de diffuser sa langue à tous ceux qui savaient lire. Curieusement, leurs parents ont également voulu qu'il devienne un boulanger, mais a décidé d'aller répandre sa parole en lapin City. (TL;DR: He’s French.)”


“Name: Rina

Age: Same as favorite painting

Gender: Mona Lisa

About: Growing up in China and Manhattan, she had the best of both worlds. Rabbit City didn’t need to mold her into a mass produced clone yet! However, she transferred her abilities to artistic means that eventually created a master sculptor and painter. Digitally or physically; any request can be taken by her when she is available. Instead she stays busy on the street searching for a husband who can pay for her gigs or, on her bad days, for food.”


“Name: Cloud

Age: Tender Strawberry

Gender: Red Strawberry

About: Strawberry farmer who has a passion for her job. Using all of that built up energy that was put to good use in the “I-Can’t-Believe-You-Took-My-Sock” massacre; she has been put on Rabbit City’s “Most Wanting to Kill” list for her good behavior. Thanks to that publicity, her family’s business grew due to the overwhelming amount of sales. Every strawberry she sold always brought a tear to her eye.”


“Name: Okami

Age: Since Man was created

Gender: “God” has none

About: Has this mystical power to enlarge any O’s that are involved with him. It’s a strange gift and no one really knows when he was created. No records were found about his past residence or life previous to his coming to Rabbit City.”


Eleven IDs of the eleven participants were being folded back together and into the same beige folder that held them before. The tall, slender man in charge finally wanted to start playing with his victims. “Bwhahahahaha—“ 'Leader' stopped mid-evil laugh at the slight interrupting knock at his door. Leader man readjusted himself for his interns and attempted his professional moves in a deeper voice. “Please prepare the gladiators.” The man then handed the file to the intern, who had a raised eyebrow that inched up his blonde locks, and sent him away. As if done accomplishing something big, he sat back in his chair like a fat cat capitalist and repeated his try-hard maniacal laugh. “—hahaha!”

[Deleted]

... I and my chainsaw will be stalking this... from the window of a house surrounded by strawberries... *o*

[®IℕΔ]

Dis is so great omg I'm fangirling over Trin and Lily already :'D

And I'm happy to report that my food problems are nonexistent at the moment, I'm sure I'll survive somehow <3

[Kuro]

You're not in it?

[Degree]

Nah, because I wouldn't know what to do with myself!

[Alpha]

google traduction is thy friend it would seem

[Degree]

    2 - Roomies

        Tuesday morning started off with a pleasant breeze that entangled the city. It whistled softly through cracks in the wall to greet everyone who was getting ready for work. Similarly, it did the same thing for those who were already at work or fooling around on their free time. Not many people had an opportunity to do anything this early on weekdays. It was a rare occasion to sit down on your freshly cut grass and smell the beautiful flowers mother nature gifted your lawn with. Some places weren’t gifted so graciously; like the Stadium cells that were a depressing pale grey with uncomfortable beds.



        At this moment, the breeze had sneaked in through the high barred windows in those cells. It waved further into the room till it hit the faces of the residents, who were pleasantly surprised in their wake. Rina groaned loudly with an outstretched hand. This was way too early for her to be awake, but she knew things had to be done today. Something hard was touched by her outstretched hand. ‘What is it?’ she wondered in her morning daze. Suddenly, she snapped awake and tried to sit up as fast as she could before it could happen. This ‘it’ was a stack of books falling onto her legs and scattering a pile of homework. Rina hanged her head in defeat at the mess she had created, softly sobbing in her untidy bed.



        Yawning ever so softly at the small noises was another girl, practically the same size as the other. She woke in a similar fashion as her roomie and June turned to her to see what was happening. “Oh my, what’s wrong?!” she quickly picked herself up despite her bewilderment, throwing the thin sheet blanket off to the side. It doesn’t take a genius to see the style of the lead administrators were way off. For the first night, the pajamas all the contestants wore the required blue and pink onesies. There was simply no way you couldn't get fined by Rabbit City Fashion Police with this fashion sense.



        Relaying her story with half-choked sobs, Rina allowed herself to be comforted by her roomie. “Oh my gawd, I’m so sorr—y.” the recovering bookworm apologized, hoping that she didn’t just cause a huge problem. June smiled in such a way that was even better than classic reassuring. The soft feature made it feel as though she understood everything perfectly, and accepted her faults. “It’s okay. Now come on, it’s time we got ready. I’ll help you pick up all this stuff later, hmm?” Poor fools didn’t know what was coming to them. Still, they were a nice pair and both agreed in their own minds on that. Trust encircled the pair as they got prepared to get ready to leave, but how long would that last?

---

        “Brushing your hair is so nice, has it always been this white?” asked a tall pretty woman with a whole lot of words on her memo. Really, there were large English words on a sticky note and definitions on the opposite side. It looked like plain homework with some other small scribbles here and there. Judging by the cute pink inscriptions and amount of notes anyone could tell she enjoyed having work to do. However, this was a tiny match holding a flame to the annual City bonfire. The bonfire was called Santa, and his(?) short white hair was being brushed smoothly. The taller brunette was named Trinity, and got along greatly with her roomie (what was with all of these naturally likable hippies? The ratings are going to bomb if this keeps up.) Santa giggled and slyly evaded answering straight with her “Maaaaaaybe.”



            So the next six minutes were filled with laughs and stories that only true friends would genuinely want to share. But in these six minutes, they shared all even when the brush switched fingers. Trinity had mentioned at the end of these six minutes of brushing that her new friend had this mysterious air about him; something she couldn’t quite put a finger on, besides of how specially woven and intimidating his persona had felt. Santa bit his lip, as if holding back on the juicy deets. When his roomie noticed, she stopped brushing and asked ‘What’s wrong?’ Santa smiled and turned to face her on the bed. “Well, actually…” actually, this is getting boring. Let’s move onward…

---

        Meanwhile, in another room, the air was coming in like static. Filtered but surely still satisfying even as you get ready for the best thing that could ever happen. The contestants would debate that, but one in particular was glad he could participate. Bonus points and some extra breakfast carrots are in order! Buttoning his militia uniform, our pre-show fan favorite in the polls Lily has taken charge. Although parts of his resume don’t fit his cheerful personality, people will think he will spice things up! Sitting on the top bunk with black trousers attached to his still legs, he was very interested in his roomie on the lower bunk. The interest wasn’t for some unique trick or cool stories but more for his, uh…special qualities.



        Unlike the perfect model olive-colored sculpture, this other man was an above average guy in all aspects of his appearance and skills. However, not perfect, his largest skill would have to be his obsession. Named for his feline charms and general medical knowledge, Kit took the invitation to the game with difficult ease! It was easy to get him to sign the contract, but it was tough to get him out of his house. In accordance with this, Kit was clutching onto a photo frame that held a nice picture of him and his family. There was a small boy, little girl with wild hair, a short woman with curly red hair, and a dog alongside him with a bone plate on his collar that read ‘Vicodin’. Lily couldn’t quite hear what his roomie was whispering to himself—or rather, to that picture.



        Stopping now wouldn’t get them anywhere! So the Grecian soldier tried to relate somehow. “Nice pitbull.” Lily complimented with his rough accent, which was strangely received. “I love him, my oitbull. He’s the greatest dog ever, we like always play games together with my wife and he is the chilliest dude you will ever meet.” At this point, there were too many questions that had to be answered. Only one seemed relevant: “Oitbull?” and this didn’t receive an answer for the rest of the morning. Surprisingly, despite loving his family a ton or an unusual affection for picture frames, he managed to get dressed in a nice black button-down and beige shorts combo. Lily would rather not question too far into his new friend’s reasons. Some time away will surely bring his independent man senses back.

---

        Now let’s go back to a room of normalcy with—Oh god, really? This was the same thought as the crazy-haired pyro that was getting ready. Sadly, his ‘burn everything in my way’ attitude doesn’t always appear. Civilized and sighing with a mixture of great disappointment and sad disbelief Natsu remained getting dressed without facing his roomie. The worst part was that he had to see him in the mirror; someone who looked godly to the silliest extent of all powers and that itself was only amazing to him. Okami had estranged white hair floating about as if the air had came to answer his amazing aura. His hair extended outward like tendrils with a faint powerful atmosphere, and he wore only a sash that went across his bare, muscular chest and around his waist like a cloud clinging to his body. It was as if the sash clung to his skin like some type of silky Velcro.



        Natsu reluctantly looked back and tried to get through to the mean, I-am-above-all glower. “Kid, you really should wear something…” he quickly saw that nothing was getting through, so giving up was a great idea “…appropriate. Know what? Do whatever the hell you want.” Strapping on his belt, Natsu made way for the door to grab a bite to eat.

---

        The last set of contestants were the most rowdy, strange, and confusing characters of all. Instead of the duo rooms, there now was a room of thrice: Takishi, Cloud, and Echi. Each having their own quirks of their own, that everyone would need to see past. “Tais-toi! PUPPIES, shut up already!” Takishi yelled in a fit of anger. While his quirk was his excellence in foreign profanities, who could blame him for complaining about the company he kept that annoyed him so? As he kept yelling, his roomies had polarizing responses. The endless giggling from the girl in the room resounded echoes of painful screeching that no one should have to deal with. Ever since she woke up, all she talked about was life on the farm. Strawberries were a favored topic in great detail; so were weapon, for some bizarre reason. Takishi wrote this down in his journal and contemplated having to use this information for an autobiography.



        “Heeheeheehee! Oh, oh, and then this one time when Bessie ate a whole bucket of strawberries, she had the worst gas for like, the whole night! But when she woke up, she started to become kinda red like a strawberry and—no way, I JUST remembered something. Did you see that video where that groundhog had a STRAWBERRY in its MOUTH? Hahahaha, so funny!” Pound, smack, shake. After hearing Cloud’s continually random stories, he was repeatedly smacking himself into the cell room’s walls so he can lose consciousness. If he talked, so would she. If he didn’t, she would talk. There was no winning with this girl.



        “…” Takishi heard something in-between all of the oh-so-fascinating stories, but it surely wasn’t words. In the far side of the room, in the darkest corner, was a shadowy figure. It was only a foot tall, maybe a little fuzzy, and had yellow eyes blankly staring at the two humanoids. “…” It was grumbling something inaudible, but it wasn’t really human. Supposedly, that was the other roomie, Echi. Echi didn’t seem human at all. Then again, it was really hard to see in that specific corner, remained ominous. “Look, you’re scaring it.” Takishi announced, thinking that this would keep her quiet. In a way, she stopped talking and instead let out a loud ‘aww’ that stretched on for far too long. As she went to go pick up Echi, the entire corner lit up and whatever that was there disappeared. Both of them were confused, until a signature grumble caused them to turn to the top right corner. “…” There she was.



        “…UGH.”  Our French homme moaned and grabbed the baby doorknob to their room and swung it forward. With a hop and a skip, Strawberry followed behind and left the room with him. Only one remained alone in that room, for no explainable reason.

[Deleted]

pfft.... just yes xD AHAHA!

[Alpha]

Oh mon dieu.... a giggling girl for a roommate....

[Degree]

3 – GREETINGS!

        As time passed closed to noon, everyone was starting to gather inside the Sector One Mess Hall for some delicious breakfast. Some more relieved than others at the sight of other people besides their respective roommates. The one with the lizard-like name was on his knees praising the heavens for amending their mistake. Of course, no one knew why he was acting so dramatically so they continued with their breakfast. Large and grease-stained, it was an appropriate place for the lower class. Eventually, everyone arrived on schedule and took their seats.


        There were under a dozen tables, enough for everyone to sit at their own, but the only chairs in the room were fixated at a lengthier one that all could squeeze into. Everyone did a quick greeting with each other before sitting down. “Hey.” “Hello there!” “I hope we will get along well.” “GREETINGS!” That last one got people laughing and giggling. It came from a lovable, amusing man they all learned was Kit. “Don’t worry everybody; the mighty Kit will be your tank. You can sit…wherever…you…want…!” In between those few words were strained groans as he tried to lift a chair out of the place. Obviously, it was a lot harder than it usually was. “Mighty foe, have at thee!” Continuing his battle for superiority with inanimate keister-placing tools, Santa soon figured out why so no one would try hurting themselves further. “It’s been super glued and duct taped. Definitely not going anywhere, bro.” To that, everyone laughed. Even Kit who was finished fighting a chair, but swore he would come back for his revenge!


        Lily smirked, happy that his roommate had come to his senses. If the morning repeated itself, he would probably have to hide the picture or bludgeon him into an amnesiac. They teach you crazy stuff in the military. “My name is Lily; it’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Lily firmly said, almost authoritatively and enforced it with a firm handshake to follow. It was Trinity who shook it, but someone else introduced themselves before she could. “Your name is as sweet as a strawberry! Speaking of which, are you gonna have those?” Cloud asked, licking her lips with the strong desire for what was on his plate. Letting go of his handshake, he hesitantly handed them over.


        Takishi grew somber reliving the past hours in just a single minute. “That is…Cloud.” He told with reluctance, “Takishi. And Echi is…wait, where is?” As if on cue, there came in a slim figure with a casual dress. It looked very feminine, but Takishi and Cloud were aware that this meant nothing. They didn’t understand what they were seeing, let alone believing it! Echi was an actual person, who looked very girly, with a face like...strangely enough, a face like a paper bad. The only thing you could tell about her face was that there was long black hair coming from her head and two very small peepholes where her eyes would supposedly be. (Anything about Echi is mere speculation)


        The conversation continued without a confirmation by the late arrival. “So that’s all eleven of us? Geez, what a freak show.” Santa was only nice to Trinity, keeping up a hardened know-it-all personality. Discrimination against bag faces ran in the family since ’02 during the great grocery debacle. However, as his eyes glossed over a French man, a paper-bag face, a charismatic gamer, and a soldier, they eventually reached one particular lady. “W…who are you?” Santa stammered, now uncharacteristically. The girl picked up her head from breakfast, the bow in her hair flapping and almost giving way. The girl reached up to fix it, her long sleeves starting to pull back until she put her arms down again. Flashing a bright smile and fluttering her eyelashes cutely, she replied “June.”


        Santa started to tear up, without any warning. “You look so much like my sister.” June awkwardly looked around, a little worried that she did something bad. Santa dismissed her worries as being just a tad too nostalgic for his own good. “I think in another timeline, we would have—“ cut off, like all good reunions that forgot their place. Good thing that this sad, heartwarming topic was finally going to stop. How else would you stop something like this, with anything but a loud “Huh???”


        That was Rina, who questioned everything Santa was saying. It was on everyone’s mind, but they felt like a better time could have been chosen to be especially obnoxious. Trinity was planning it after all she had to wait through to get a word out. Now she had to resent Rina for stealing her limelight. To no avail as well, because Santa avoided every question with cleverness only a few have and Rina introduced herself. Because she was at a loss of words, Santa introduced for Trinity and started to comfort her—while still focused on June. Lily, who was watching all the introductions, took it upon himself to speak up again. “Chair wrestler over here is Kit, and I believe you said your name was Nutsa?”


        “Natsu.” He corrected, and then Lily pointed at the last person but their name escaped them. With an exasperated sigh, Natsu answered. You could tell he really did not want to. “That’s…Okami. Don’t ask.”

[Kuro]

Don't they know they need to kill each other?

[Trin]

Jan 7, 2014 17:38:09 GMT -5 Kuro said:

Don't they know they need to kill each other?

Technicalities.

[Degree]

Jan 7, 2014 17:38:09 GMT -5 Kuro said:

Don't they know they need to kill each other?

It can't be an episodic comedy/drama/action/parody/reality/scifi/adventure series if they hack at each other first thing like uncivilized murderers.

But in all seriousness, these guys signed contracts binding them from killing on sight until they were told. Producers are scary, especially this one.

New parts coming very soon!

[Evil Queen Jurie]

OOOO INTERESTING!!

I loved your descriptions of everyone :'D

[Degree]

4 – Roulette Spin

        Poof! Pellets were dropped from the ceiling onto the table to create a cloud of smoke as tall as the average man. From that smoke erupted just that—a man! Not just any man, but one with tremendous powers that no one at the table had. Be honest, that smoke appearance was pretty wild, right? There’s only one person who would have the budget to do something like that— the company owner of BV Inc. Lifting his head, encased by a wolf mask, he bellowed out a laugh and the smoke quickly vanished. “Hello~.” Mister BV was a classy silver suit, black shoe, black pants, shiny belt wearing businessman. He shed the mask to reveal a charming face with near baldness, but still in great youth. Everyone would have swooned if it wasn’t for his smoke being inhaled or his feet standing in their breakfasts.


        “Sorry broski.” BV apologized, holding out a fist for Natsu to pound. A little twitch in his foot caused him to almost lose balance. Ironically, the slippery food prevented him from slipping. However, his foot slid the food off the table and into Natsu’s curly-haired head. Since BV didn’t see any amusement in his egg covered face, he threw a hanky over him. Mister BV was satisfied with this appeasement technique. Everyone could wipe off the food and cough out the negative inhalations before he started without being rushed. BV slapped down a few passports that resulted from reviews of the first episode. One for each, it was. No one understood why they weren’t dead already, but a good director has to keep a good handle on entertainment factors! What came next was the important part of this breakfast.


        From the ceiling came another interesting device. It was a large slot machine being lowered by a set of thick strings. It was gold plated and, as could be seen from below, was missing the middle wheel. There were two wheels on the left and right, separated by a shiny picket. As it got closer, Mister BV noticed some people were audibly gasping and had a strikingly confused look. On each wheel were their names in an individual color and font, but still looking just as regal as the real thing. After hearing the loud placement on the center of the breakfast table, BV grabbed hold of the silver lever with the red knob. “Are. You. Ready?!”


        Despite not knowing what to be ready for, they all made a resounding “WE ARE READY!” which resulted in the pull of the lever. A mechanical clink sounded off an internal chain reaction that caused the wheels to spin. Watch with eyes filled with expectation, the audience were tossing nail clipping shaved off by chatting teeth. Some even needed to hold on to another, because of the dreadful suspense. There may someday be artwork of a pairing of those two. “Um, what is this anyway?” Someone asked, but BV had chosen that exact moment to pull down the lever once more. The machine thundered and slowed down till it made a stop on one name: “Cloud”


        The second wheel continued to spin as everyone reacted to the first result. Cloud herself had the best reaction to it. She squealed with glee at the sight of her name, thinking it to be a good thing. “That’s so awesome.” Rina reassured next to her and everyone else piled in their opinions. Some were congratulations; others were cautious remarks because they didn’t know whether to view the name as good or bad to see. To hurry along the answer, but more for his own giddy feelings, BV pulled the lever down to stop the wheel once more. The next name beside Cloud was as follows: “Okami”


        BV smiled at everyone and clapped his hands together with a joyous force. “Meet in the Coliseum area in an hour, you two. The rest of you should tag along to watch. It’s just about starting!”


Chapter 5 - Suspended Reactions
Coming soon (in 3 days; because I have enough to release it like that)

[Degree]

Okay, so it wasn't exactly 3 days when it was released, but it was ready I assure you!

5 – Suspended Reactions

Twenty minutes have gone by since the match between Cloud and Okami was finalized. The CEO had vanished when all was said and done, but the equipment lingered in the air because of a slow moving pulley. A covert-ops camouflage team rushed in to attach the rope necessary to haul the slot machine out of there. By laws of the contract, the contestants weren’t allowed to have contact with the outside world for a while. As breakfast introductions were done with, they all decided to get to know each other a little better. Some were talking as they were focused on the floating contraption, thinking it was lifted with magic. Yes, they totally believed that to be true. Was this some kind of joke?!

“Oh man, this place is already so cool. Magic-floating-thingamajigs! Whoosh!” Cloud remarked childishly, giggling to herself as she had all the times before.

Rina walked up next to her to watch it get strung up by a crew, yet again, wearing inharmonious camouflage. Imagine a birch tree trying to blend into desert dunes without arousing suspicion from all the sand particles surrounding, and ultimately failing to conceal it’s true Bruce Wayne identity. “Um, but they’re right there.” Cloud gave her a puzzled look at this news. You’d think this was simply pointing out the obvious. “Yeah, I get those looks like all the time.” She continued casually and with a hidden sense of triumph, “My IQ is 300 or so, don’t be too hard on yourself for not realizing it sooner. It’s kind of like a gift.”

Next to this pair was another who saw this as their perfect opportunity to get rid of their roommates Day One. They both were aware that the chances of one surviving were as good as fifty/fifty, but it was a better chance than any. Girly man tears streamed down into their half-grins that gave no trial to hide the opportunistic bliss. Takishi and Natsu hugged each other in each other’s perceivable emotional moments. It was the first bromance of the season that would boom the second the shot was released to viewers at home; releasing a wave of ready fanfiction writers who will work off this material for ages. Who did they care? They found their roommates unpleasant and their roommates would never understand those feelings! Cloud was clueless to the unsubtle hints Takishi left when he was urging her to take her settle-down medication and Okami is eternally indifferent.


One of the fellow players kicked back in the cafeteria chair like it was a lounge and read the passport with some classy librarian glasses. “These passports are actually an interesting read,” he, being the jolly-named one, said without a clear direction as to who he was speaking to. As if forgetting a line in the script—(this is improvisational work only, we swear under the Directing Code of 1988 that the contestants are not forced to read from a script most of the at any time.)— Santa cast an furious look and berated everyone in ear-shot, “not like I care if you losers read it. You guys wouldn’t know common sense even if you met Paine in person.” The few who did hear this didn’t quite understand, but you could hear Trinity say ‘Haha, I get it.’ And cherished the golden no-explain rule of jokes.

Forty-five minutes since the announcement and as predicted, the group hasn’t done anything new since forty-five minutes ago. You would think they would do something interesting or impulsive by now, given the goal of the show. No one’s dead and they’re all stuck in some kind of retro-comedy-sitcom skit. Oh right, did anyone mention that they had to kill each other? It’ll be explained with everything else because it’ll have more impact that way.

Lily came up behind the two opponents and put his flexed arms around each of them. Cloud on his left and Okami on his right; neither looked particularly concerned with the situation. “It’s just about that time.” His deep voice notified matter-of-factly. With a hard push on their backs, Lily took point and everyone set off towards the Coliseum. What no one saw at the heel of their feet was someone’s shadow smiling diabolically,




Next time-- The Action Begins! Finally someone dies...!
Chapter 6 -- The Airhead God

[Kuro]

... I just saw these new chapters.

By the way Degree are you fine with people posting in this thread?

[Bloody]

I have been waiting patiently Deggy.... but I am starting to grow restless. I demand a new chapter be uploaded soon...

[Degree]

I think I am going to split this into two separate posts. I don't want them to be as long as the other story.

6 - The Airhead God I

Coliseums have always been a lively pastime since the olden times. As soon as you step into the arena, a roar of the cheers echoes eternally. People watch a match with sweet anticipation and undying eagerness, waiting for one person to get ripped apart by lions, tigers, or bears—oh my! However, in this particular stadium, the factors aren’t quite the same as they usually would have been. The spectators sitting on the stone seats were poster board props meant to give off the same feel as real spectators. Cheering couldn’t be made from fake people, so speakers were installed to be later attached to the upper walls. Given the quantity and volume, it felt like a real gladiator arena from the movies.


If you’re blind or looking away from the screen right now, have someone in the room describe what it looks like to you. Overall, this large structure consists of two circular rings; the inner ring and the outer ring. Both were simple in their clichéd practices: the inner ring was a large circle in the center that competitors would maneuver inside of during their fight and the outer ring was for people to place their tired rumps and observe the spectacle. The ground in the center was hard and flat, but had a peculiar orange color that messed with your senses. Landing on it wouldn’t give out any comfort but to be a source of entertainment to have viewed. The seats were an aged yellow, cold, but still full of imaginary life.


Not even a minute after walking through the gate, a familiar loud voice joined alongside a hush of cheers. “Welcome to the Ring of Death, everybunny! Oh-ho-ho, I am hilarious and cool. Now, getting into what we are all here for, may the two that were chosen before take their rightful places on the X’s marked ahead of them and that the others rest on the reserved seats up the stairs to the left?” Cloud and Okami skipped and glided right on over and the others shuffled up the steps, which were right next to the gate dual purpose gate.



Nine bystanders took the seats as they were told, looking just as eager as all the others (remember they are lifeless posterboards but they still look well-enthused). “Wow, this is just like the Roman Colosseum.” Trinity had a joyful shine in her eye as she remarked her observation. This kind of stuff was listed on her “favorite things” section in the application. We weren’t bothered to ask further because that would have meant we cared about the contestants picked, our budget wouldn’t allow that sort of producer attitude. It was all a part of procedure. We only appreciate our cast when we get large sums of money that could bury all of our families alive. That would be THE creative tombstone.




“Isn’t it just coliseum?” Natsu asked, oblivious to the foreign ways of English words. Trinity was about to give a grammatical lecture about what the difference was, and had already gone halfway into it, when a man interrupted the few conversations that were happening, hers included. He was a short, stocky man wearing a black-and-white striped referee shirt and plaid pants. Unlike the contestants you see before you, this guy was older and lost most of his hair and purpose in life till he met us so we gave him work. Work as what you may ask? The old man had trays of food, drinks, and other marketable items and souvenirs. All the while he wore a pair of bunny ears and a cute little pink nose with whiskers. So if you couldn’t tell that he was a walking vendor, you should clean your lookers. Contractual obligations are the best, aren’t they?


“Hippity hop, hippity hop. I’m Rob the Salesman, please come to my shop.”

“Sweet rhymes, bro.” “Nice.” “That’s a great look for you.”


While being humiliated in front of young ones (or maybe he actually liked it?), he presented his wares and everyone ‘bought’ a fair share of things. Currency was originally deemed worthless during the experiment, but it was approved in the budget. Every other person in the row had popcorn to snack on, some non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy, and a few others got some other cool things. Santa bought an Okami T-shirt, Kit had a drink holder hat and foam finger, June got some brand new action figures (5.98 R.C. Dollars each in our local stores – Available Soon), and Lily bought wacky fireworks. Natsu flipped open the passport because earlier, on the way here, they found out that it held some information they wanted.


“Every match a vendor will appear to grant gifts for the unfortunate ones to enjoy the view. Yeah, seems about right…oh, there is one other thing.” The salamander man leaned forward and read the next line for “Match Spectators” which hosted three bullet points. “One; while watching, there will not be any harm to other contestants. Two; you can leave the viewing platform at any time, but by then you’d be labeled as lame guy/girl who couldn’t hold your excretory fluids in. You deserve it, lame-o. Three; before the match begins you can vote on who you think will win by selecting the name of one over the other.” Just as he finished, Rob dropped a few devices in their laps.


Rina recognized what these devices were the instant the glare bounced into her eyes “Oh my gosh, these are the new Smartphone Universes! They have like—you won’t believe this—14Gs! I was waiting for the limited editions to come out next month, but it is sooooo early. No. Way.” And then, unintentionally, she pressed Cloud’s name. It wasn’t a bother for her because she informed us that Cloud was her pick anyways in the confessionals, as if the viewing audience didn’t figure that out already. Teenage girls sure love their phones; as no one seemed to care that Rina treated her phone like a magic lamp. They were prioritized with the current battle and who they were going to root for. ‘Neither’ and ‘Both’ were removed from the initial stages of production because allies and foes alike wouldn’t be made with those options.




‘It’s an obvious vote’ is what some said while fingering their opinions into the system. Everyone finished (some more easily than others) and looked up to the scoreboard located on the opposite exit gate.

Cloud: 7 VS. Okami: 2

Natsu ended that section of the explanation with one last, important tidbit. “Whoever is the fan favorite among the other players gains an advantage in the match. Alongside their weapon of choice, they receive another necessity that would best fit the chosen.” The reading of this statement brought forth another question some of the others took notice of. Not all of them read the rulebook yet so they weren’t in the know. “Weapon of choice?” June asked, her sweet voice clashing with the underlying brutality of that rule. In the book, it gave away the answer very flatly. ‘Whoever fights in an official match would have a choice of any weapon from the arsenal’. An arsenal of weapons was hidden in a secret location and each contestant would either ask or receive the weapons they wanted through a third-party attendant or through obtaining it oneself. No one would be allowed to know where the location of the armory was, so a blindfold is needed to prevent that information to leaking to public knowledge. Not everything inside there was exactly…’legal’.



When the spectators picked up their fallen gazes, the two competitors vanished completely. Chances were they were being taken to the armory for their selection. The audience watching wasn’t sure what they’d see when they came back. If the choices ranged from tweezers and mini-nukes, the possibilities were endless. Combine that with the unpredictable people using them and creativity will be boundless.




Next time: The Real Fight For Real!!
Chapter 7 -- The Airhead God...PART 2!

[Degree]

7 - Bloody Tango in the Heavens!

From up high came raining down a series of small pellets. The hazy grey color was on par with a rolling fog trapped inside a neat little nut that could be cracked open with the slightest of tosses. Upon connecting with the mound of grains, a puff of smoke erupted from their bland carcasses. It enveloped the area in a billowing surge from the inside out. The cameras on set had their sensitivity turned up for this very moment! Through the smoke on the right was a moderately-small sized, loose figure that exerted a crazy essence. On the left side a confident stance, where you could see arms were crossed and a waving like a cape. In their respective orders, Cloud and Okami stood amid the coiling puffs combined with a silhouette of their chosen devices. Unfastened between the girl’s lean fingers was but a simple stainless-steel kitchen knife. Stretching between the guy’s omnipotent two thumbs was an even simpler…rubber band.



“What were they possibly thinking?!” Everyone had the same thought at that same exact moment. Normal people would have brought a gun or sword; something very cooler or more lethal, unlike the unspectacular weapons they picked! The director and producers knew this very well; an ingenious plan to garner more star struck viewers to try and level with these unlevel-headed ideas.



With a passionate fire burning in their eyes, you could tell they meant business. The games where the real warriors duke it out in order to come out on top of all the rest! Cloud tensed, sliding her foot back for a quick start. Her folks mentioned that she was as fast as a cheetah whenever she had a—wait, the special weapon is being tossed to her! It is a juicy, red strawberry! Just the thing she needs to take this round over. But wait! Okami was standing still, arms crossed, emotion drained from every fiber of his being. Nothing fazed the guy, which turned out to be a godlier feature of his. Maybe he was a real deity placed on earth after all.

THE FIGHT

At the sound of the gun was more than just a generic fight. It lived up to the weird expectations set before the start. Neither of the players moved, and Cloud released her tensed muscles from their tight constriction. Question marks were filling the heads of the audience until Okami made the first move. Raising his left arm with an outward palm, a sudden gesture without much meaning, he gathered a fierce stare. In a quick snap during the extension, he formed a gun with his hand and brought down his thumb. Every direction experienced a whiplash of wind scattering gravel and messing with hair. A straight line of vibrations coiled strongly in a set path and blew past in an almost imperceptible blur. Cloud didn’t see this attacking coming and staggered against the hard blow against her chest, literally knocking the wind into her. FYI – It’s not supposed to do that.



How did Okami perform such an inhuman move? The answer was on the ground: the rubber band! Whether it be from strain or aggression Cloud narrowed her eyes to her aggressor. For the first time, Okami looked smug and confident. It may have showed by his presence, but now you could easily tell that’s how he felt. “Hahaha! Pathetic human, it’ll be for the best if you drop out now.” Putting his hands into his hipster toga, he pulled them back out to reveal not just another rubber band. Instead, both of his hands were covered in them to the point where his fingers will probably never been seen again!



Responding well to his declaration, and to the sponsors watching, she picked herself up and stood her ground. For the first time, she was quiet. These guys are actually pretty scary…and so unpredictable. In a second, another was fired at a downward ripping angle, fishing seamlessly into a powerful air grove. It would seem her actions was enough of an answer. Surprisingly, that attack didn’t work a second time. Cloud swung her knife down as soon as the wind approached and cut the rubber band while deflecting the blast of air with a flat smack back. This rushed back the way it came and past Okami. Everyone jumped up from where they were sitting. Babies started crying and their future babies were crying in the future after looking at that terrifying expression Okami had. A little bit of blood dripped from a cut on his cheek.



With a grunt, Okami shot another air bursting rubber band and another and another in one relentless wave. “No more mercy for you, weak human! Experience this—my favorite rubber band skill “Barrage of Dangerous Blood lusting Elasticity!” that expression of blood lust really did give the rubber bands more power. One successful hit after another started to bring her down, bruised and tired. No strategy to counter this was her downfall. Natsu saw a copy of “Rubber Bands Weekly” and “Medaka Box” on the dresser this morning, if only he told her these hints sooner! One more blast his and she crippled to her knees, but Okami wasn’t stopping. Dropping his guns to just snaps was a more efficient and deadly choice, as he could fire even quicker with either hand. Another hit, another, another, razor sharp winds cutting her smooth skin in the form of tiny cuts but it adds up to a much bigger pain. Lowering even further, she was on her last straws. Finally, he saw no point in continuing this brutal match. Holding out his fist with a rubber band wrapped around all the way to his elbow, it was his most famous skill: “Bazooka Bombshell Blister”!



You won’t believe what happened next. He released his hold on the flexible band, and it boomed like a rocket across the launch site. It cut through time and space and sound with a speed fast enough to reach its destination in two seconds! This is definitely it for this little bandito, as it crashed into the ground and cratered the ground and caused earthquakes! The audience had to hold onto their seats as dust and pebbles rained down from the ceiling and scattered from the arena. If you were watching at home, you could definitely feel the tectonic plates being forced to move. With an overly-theatrical turn, he began to walk away the victor. However…when the dust cleared…Cloud was standing unharmed!



“What..!” Okami turned back around, aghast by the sight everyone gasped to. This was impossible, he thought, how did she survive his Bazooka Bombshell Blister?! Well, we are going to replay that on the big screen for you all.



In those two seconds, Cloud ate her advantageous strawberry and a power erupted inside her that healed all wounds and gave her tremendous strength. In one second to eat it, and the next to withstand the power of the blast, she made it out unscathed. A creepy smile fluttered to her face, which could make goosebumps have goosebumps. “I didn’t want to use this, but now I have no choice but to put your pathetic face into it’s place!” Okami couldn’t be using that technique! Sure, he was unwoven from his cool and collective, but there was no need for him to get desperate. That’s exactly what he was doing: using his ultimate super desperation technique—

“Spiritual Rubber Bomb of Supreme Okami Greatness!”

Okami released a rubber band into the air…and it remained there. It circled in place like a flying saucer. In rapid succession, he blasted many more up there into the same place. His face boiled into rage and sweat, using all of his strength to end this as quickly as possible. One after another until a giant rubber band ball was in the sky. Cloud stood there, unimpressed. How dare she do that to her god, he thought! The anger in his soul glowed blue and since his soul was rubber bands, the rubber band ball glowed a bright blue. “MIGHTY SHENRON, GIVE ME STRENGTH TO DEFEAT THIS UNHOLY BEING. MAY SHE REST IN NO PEACE IN THE GROUND SHE STANDS. NO ONE WILL EVER REMEMBER HER NAME AFTER THIS ATTACK AND EVEN NEXT EPISODE NO ONE WILL. SHE WAS ADOPTED, HAHA. OH SHE’S A WIMP TOO. NO ONE WANTS A WIMP TO WIN, HAHAHA. GOOD ONE OKAMI. NOW PREPARE TO DIE MORTAL! SPIRTUAL RUBBER BOMB HHHHAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH—“



Stab. A stream of blood erupted from an impaled spot in Okami’s abdominals.



Cloud stood there with that same creepily cheerful smile, acting like there was no care in the world. Her slim hand was still coiled around the handle of the blade, and to Okami’s surprise, it really hurt. It really really hurt. For some reason, he could barely see ahead of him anymore. But no, he had to get off this last attack—



Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. In and out over and over again, and in different spots, Cloud plunged the knife and giggled to each swing to the God’s insides. “Hehehehe, strawberries! Bloody bloody strawberries~!” She chimed in more laughs and giggles as blood flew in every direction. Her opponent paled but wasn’t able to resist her as his spirit ball evaporated with all the rubber bands. It seems this ended way more anti-climatically than expected. In just a few short minutes, Cloud made a comeback and made Okami collapse his “holey” body (ba dum tish) onto the ground. She turned and lead her victory walk back to the others.

SPOILER: Click to show

Cloud is the winner of the first match!