Fifteen identical houses completely made out of packed sand stood in a circle on top of a small, deserted, ring-shaped island. Behind the structures lay a thin line of palm trees, hibiscuses, and other tropical plants, but beyond that lay the ocean, stretching as far as the eye could see. Wooden paths led from the houses and to the center of the ring, where a stage made of sand stood. Underneath the paths lay a pool of salt water as blue as the cloudless sky above. A large, purple umbrella kept both the stage and the human woman standing on it shielded from the harsh glare of the sun. The woman had deep violet hair pulled up in a ponytail, with black sunglasses resting on top of her head. Her skin was deathly pale, so much so that she looked rather like a walking corpse. She wore a plain black tankini top, black trunks, and purple sandals. She smiled broadly as she spread her hands in grandeur.


"Welcome one and all, to Pokemon in the Town of Salem! This time, the game is set to Rainbow Mode, where town members are few and enemies are plenty! I am your host, Scarlet Devel. Fifteen Pokemon have been chosen to compete for the ultimate prize: one million Poké. As in the last game, almost every choice our contestants will make has been decided by a randomizer. Who they are, what their roles are, the choices they make; all have been randomly selected. Except, however, the obvious plays, such as a Bodyguard protecting a revealed Mayor. Stuff like that. In any case, let's meet our wonderful players, shall we?"

At her cue, the fifteen sand-houses opened up, and their occupants strolled outside and around the stage. There was a Stantler, Vanillish, Sliggoo, Karrablast, Misdreavus, Golett, Smeargle, Xatu, Golduck, Cryogonal, Volcarona, Golbat, Ninjask, Tangrowth, and Horsea. All fifteen looked nervous, and sweat began to appear on their faces, though that could have been due to the sun, which was shining mercilessly from above.

"Hello everyone! My name is Scarlet, and I'll be your host. Quick question, who here has not played Town of Salem before?" Scarlet greeted. Her voice was rather hypnotic, and many of the players caught themselves almost becoming mesmerized.

Only Cryogonal and Xatu raised their hands. In Cryogonal's case, he simply inclined his head.

"Excellent. Well, since most of the players here already have some experience, I won't waste time by explaining all of the roles. In this game, most of them are self-explanatory anyway. If you're still confused, signal during the night by turning on the lights to your house. I'll come and answer any questions you have," Scarlet nodded as she knelt down and picked up a bottle of sunscreen. She began laboriously applying it to her skin.

"We have to wait until nighttime? We'll be here for days!" Misdreavus exclaimed, shocked.

"Not necessarily. Let me explain: as well as being the host, producer, and director, I am also in charge of special effects. That means I can make it seem like nighttime when in reality it's still day. Watch," Scarlet explained as she snapped her fingers. Instantly, the sun changed into the moon, the blue sky turned black, and millions of stars began twinkling above.

The contestants stared in wonder, and many of them dropped their jaws open in awe.

"Are you some kind of deity?!" Sliggoo demanded.

"No comment. Anyway, allow me to explain how each 'day' will go. The nights will last for five minutes each. I will always begin the day by narrating who died, their roles, and any wills or death notes left beside them. You will then have five minutes to discuss your findings during the night. After that, you'll have a minute to vote someone up to trial. If there aren't enough votes, then we'll progress directly into the night. But, if someone is voted up, they will have a minute to defend themselves. Then, red and green cards will appear in your hands, as we'll be in the judgment phase. Simply hold up a card—red for 'guilty' and green for 'innocent'—to vote. That will last for thirty seconds. If the accused is pardoned, then you will have fifteen seconds to vote someone else up. If the accused is found guilty, they'll have ten seconds to give their last words before they die," Scarlet went on.

"What was that last part?" Ninjask piped up warily.

"She's not serious; it's all just an illusion," Stantler reassured the frightened audience.

Scarlet nodded. "Exactly. Stantler here has done this before. He can assure you everything is not real. It'll look like it, but it's all just a fantastic illusion. When you 'die', your body will remain invisible to everyone but me and the other ghosts. No one else but me, the ghosts, and the Medium may hear you as well. If you wish to leave the game, simply say 'Scarlet, I quit', and I'll boot you off just like that, no questions asked. However, if you do choose to leave early, you won't receive the prize if your team wins. So think about it carefully. Now, I'd like to direct your attention to the board over there."

Scarlet pointed to a wooden post in between the two most northern sandhouses. At first glance it appeared to be a typical rules list for a beach, but upon closer look it actually held three columns labeled 'Dead', 'Roles', and 'Alive'.

"The Dead column will list the names and roles of those who've died. The Roles column lists the possible roles for this game, which are: Mafioso, Arsonist, Survivor, Jailor, Amnesiac, Serial Killer, Witch, Any, Witch, Serial Killer, Amnesiac, Veteran, Survivor, Arsonist, and Godfather. The Alive column lists all the players currently alive. Pretty self-explanatory, all of it. Now that that's out of the way, I will begin handing your your role cards," Scarlet explained as fifteen white cards appeared in her hands.

"Starting with Stantler, step up and get one," she instructed.

One by one, the contestants stepped up to the stage and received a card from Scarlet in the cool shade. She scowled when Stantler received his, however.

"Here's how the cards work: no one but you can see what's on your card. It'll appear blank to any peekers. It won't disappear, so you can look at it as many times as you want. On the front side is your role and its description, and on the back there'll be a list of the alive players' names. Well, in the case of the Any role, there might not be a back side, the Survivors and Veteran will only see their names, and the Amnesiacs won't see anything just yet. Anyway, choose your target by tapping his or her name. The sun icon means you have to choose your target during the day. During Night 1 you'll receive a piece of paper. That's your will. You may also receive a red piece of paper. That'll be your death note. That just about covers it; luckily we have almost all experienced players. Off to your houses, now. Remember, if you have any questions just turn on your light. We good? Alright! Good luck everyone!" Scarlet beamed as she snapped her fingers.

The day turned back into the nighttime illusion. The players shuffled off to their houses, some glancing up at the sky in wonder as they walked.

"The game has begun! Who will die on Night 1 like a scrub, and who will emerge victorious? Only time shall tell!" Scarlet laughed once she was alone.