Prologue- プロローグ
1 March 2026- 2026年3月1日日曜日
8:34 P.M.
An intense orchestra that could be heard providing the soundtrack to a riveting wartime film overlays various shots of the provinces of the Pacific, from the beautiful, yet recently erupted Mount Rainier in the east to the shores of Okinawa the west.
"I know, I know. It's so cliche to start a story with narration. But hear me out! You will understand this all a little better if I explain it to you. It all began when-" the voice stops when another arises.
"Lazy exposition, the typical start to a lousy story!" A woman shouts from the background, offscreen. The zoom-in shot of a desolate, castle-like building suddenly freezes.
"Maddox, I will ship you straight to the Caymans if you don't-" The man's voice halts his empty-sounding threat mid-sentence, and takes a deep breath.
"Sorry about that. Anyway, it all began when the government suddenly had a problem with the youth, a generation that us elders should normally trust with all our hearts, given the fact that they are the future. One word could be summed up to define the generation you are a part of- defiant. Rebellious. Callous. Oh, I guess that was three words. See what I mean? You teenagers are so terrible that I can't sum up your... terrible-ness in just one word! You should be ashamed!"
The camera fades to a black-and-white scene of young-looking people dashing through the streets carrying various weapons and torches, looking like a riot. A few of them are holding banners with romaji written on them, messages of revolution.
"We thought it would pass. After all, this is what teenagers do, right? They go through ridiculous phases before eventually growing up. But you children..."
The sound of a brick smashing through the window of a Justice Building suddenly pierces the silence after the man's pause, the camera focusing on the note taped to the brick.
長老たちをねじ止め！
(Screw the elders!)
"You never grew up."
The man who was narrating appears onscreen, who is ebony-skinned and sporting a somewhat off-putting wide smile.
"But don't be upset! Like all mistakes, we learn from them. But your way of learning will be quite different. A bit of a hands-on approach, if you will." Behind the man the white screen illuminates, revealing a bright red banner with some katakana printed on it.
バトル・ロワイアル・デラックス
(Battle Royale Deluxe)
"Your teacher will be Battle Royale Deluxe!" The man shouts in excitement, waving his fists like an overexcited child.
"Now, this may sound similar to the fabled Battle Royale, but believe me, boys and girls, Battle Royale Deluxe is a whole new way to play!"
The man is handed a sheet of paper, and clears his throat before looking back at the camera, his eyes glittering.
"I believe I haven't introduced myself! I am Alistair Akira, Master of Ceremonies of Battle Royale Deluxe. It is my absolute honour to be able to introduce you all to this wonderful little game of ours!" Akira lifts the sheet of paper, scanning the words.
"But before we move on to the fun aspects of the game, like everything in life, we have to go over the rules first."
Akira and the room he's in fades from the screen, and a hilly-looking island appears, along with the word 'History'.
"We'll start with the fundamentals and deeper history of the game. Battle Royale Deluxe is a mandatory disciplinary program organized and funded entirely by the Province Electors and Electresses of the Pacific, your respected peacekeepers of our home." The camera shows the seven elders of the Pacific, a majority of them elderly, save for one younger-looking woman, judging by her still-black hair compared to her grey peers.
"Electress Mascarenhas Azusa dug deep into the history of Nihon, our neighbors, and good friends across the Pacific, and found that their respective government found an ingenious way to control their rebellious youth population with the least amount of life lost as possible. And that, boys and girls," Akira is back on screen, looking giddy again, "is what you're all participating in today!" The island is back onscreen, this time with 'Basic Rules' sitting at the bottom of the screen in a blocky font.
"Here are the basics of the game, class." The cameras turn upward to give a birds-eye view of the island, and a dark blue circle surrounds the outside.
"There are thirty of you all. Fifteen ladies and fifteen gentlemen. In a few minutes, you'll all be dismissed one-by-one in two-minute intervals onto the island. Now, since it is an island, we've made it so you can't simply walk away; attempting to swim from the island will lead to instant death, so please, don't even try!" Akira says this in a strangely cheery voice, keeping his impossibly-wide grin intact.
"Now, don't worry about having to hunt your dinner or drink from streams. We will provide all of you with a backpack containing basic survival items." A backpack is handed to Akira by some offscreen pair of hands, and they give a thumbs up before vanishing.
"Why, thank you!" Akira slams the bag on the table with glee. "Inside these backpacks, you will find the following: Food and water." Akira pulls out some energy bars and packs of beef strips, as well as several bottles of water.
"A map, a compass, and a pencil along with a list of the competitors." The listed items are emptied onto the table, and the map is revealed to be a tablet-like contraption, with a digitally-displayed map of the island.
"And, my personal favourite, the randomly assigned weapon!" Akira lifts a small Swiss Army knife from the backpack, gasping.
"Not bad! This is a melee weapon, however. Some of you," he lifts another backpack from off the ground, zipping it open and carefully pulling out a hunting rifle, "will be much luckier." Akira plays around with the rifle for a few moments before setting it down.
"You may also bring one personal bag, like your school backpack, or a purse for the girls." Akira holds a bright yellow handbag, extracting its contents, simple items like lipstick, a mirror, a hairbrush, a cell phone.
"You can put all your personal items inside, just no weapons! We will be checking them, so make sure all your items are approved!" He lifts up the cell phone, showing it to the camera.
"I know you are all wondering this, and yes, you are allowed to bring your phone with you. However, you will only be able to text each other, and will have no contact with the outside world whatsoever!" Akira mindlessly throws the phone behind him, which hits the ground with a cracking noise. A giggle escapes Akira's lips before he readjusts his smile and moves on.
"Now, Battle Royale Deluxe is different from the regular Battle Royale in a few aspects. First off, there is no time limit! This change has been very well-received by the general public. You all will get as much time as you need to go kill each other! The best part about this rule change is that there will be a guaranteed winner!" Akira's smile drops into a scowl, making his face look wrinkly. "Can you believe that the old Battle Royale allowed for there to be no victor if everyone wasn't dead in three days? Preposterous!"
Akira folds his hands, trying to look professional.
"Lucky for you all, we are patient. Please, take your time. Make your time on the island worthwhile."
A shot of a silvery sky appears, with the flag of the Pacific Provinces fluttering in the sharp wind.
"We will display who has died that day in the sky every day, at approximately 20:00. We encourage you to keep up with who is dead and who is alive at all times, boys and girls."
Corresponding text in Japanese appears on the screen for each time Akira speaks, for those whose English is less than perfect.
"Now, take a look at the map I'm holding." Akira holds the tablet so that the screen faces the camera, which zooms in to reveal the birds-eye view of the map.
"That dark circle-shaped border surrounding the outside is bad news! If you happen to get caught inside... Whoosh!" Akira throws his hands upward and the screen behind him displays a nasty-looking storm with a fearsome tornado in the distance.
"You will be swept away by the storm! Now, even though there is no time limit, we use the storm to prevent the game from dragging on too long. The area of land inside the eye of the storm will decrease by the day until it is practically next to nothing! This will ensure a thrilling finale to our game, which is what we want more than anything! The lovely map I just showed you will keep you informed on where the storm is closing in at all times, so don't worry about that."
The tablet is pushed to the side and Akira retrieves a small metal box from offscreen. He quickly opens it and chuckles to himself as he lifts a thin metal strap from inside.
"This little guy may not look like much, but this piece of metal is what will help maintain order in Battle Royale Deluxe!" Akira attaches the strip of metal around his neck, forming a collar. A red light in the center turns on and starts to blink.
"The red light is blinking because I'm too far away from the control center of this year's Battle Royale Deluxe, so it is deactivated. But your collars will be turned on from the moment they are placed onto your necks as you exit the hovercraft." Akira seems to wave his finger every time he emphasizes a word.
"They will remain on until the end of the game. Now, be careful, class! These collars may not look like much, but they contain enough explosions to level a concrete building! You won't cause a real explosion, because the explosives are directed at your neck area. But you will be instantly headless should the collar be activated! Ka-BOOM!" Akira makes an explosion motion with his hands, chuckling.
"The collars' explosives can be activated in one of three ways: firstly, if you try to remove the collar yourself! You can fidget at it if your neck is itching, for example, but prolonged tampering with the collar will start the countdown to your death, and you're finished. Secondly, and this was mentioned before, the collar will go off if you attempt to swim away from the island. However," Akira emphasizes, "you will not have your head blown off. Instead, you'll be instantly electrocuted. I'm not sure if any of those two ways of dying are particularly pleasant, but I'm guessing they aren't. So, please, refrain from doing either of these."
Suddenly Akira's expression turns stony, and he stares deep into the camera with his icy blue orbs.
"We have had an unfortunate instance of a student attempting to take advantage of another. His collar was activated before anything could occur. But attempting to have your way with a student in any way, shape or form, whether it be consensual or not, will result in instant death. But worry not. If you find someone forcing themselves on you and you do not wish them to, you will be spared while their collar will activate instantly." The host's smile returns, and so does his cheery disposition.
"I know it's unpleasant to imagine some people stooping so low, but it must be addressed so our competitors stay safe!" Akira seems to have failed to see the irony in his last statement. He rises from his desk and saunters over to a window, which displays a stunning view of Mount Rainier.
"Well, boys and girls, I think that's everything! Your instructor will answer any last-minute questions you may have, and then we'll get this party started! You will be dismissed in girl-boy order, starting with Girl #1, and then Boy #1, and so on until Boy #30 has departed the hovercraft, and then you're all free to do what you want!" Akira gets ready to read off the names of the children that will be participating in Battle Royale Deluxe Edition Sixteen, but the cue-cards stop.
"Cut!" yells Marlena, the director. "That's a wrap."
I rush down onto the scene, scattering to the kitchenette nestled beside the set and pouring the tea into the paper cup with such urgency that some of it splashes onto my palms. I suck in a breath through my teeth, desperately trying not to yelp in pain. I look over to see Marlena and Akira chatting amongst the crew members scattering to strike the set as quickly as possible.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Akira complained, tugging at his shirt collar. "Wasn't I supposed to read off the names of the children?"
"We'll shoot that later. They still haven't been chosen yet," Marlena explains, accepting the piping hot cup of tea from my shaky hands. She takes a sip of the beverage, glancing in my direction. She calls me over, and my heart starts beating rapidly.
"Akira, this is my intern, Mariya. She's a little new, but she's never been on a project like this before. A glowing reference from Akira here will land you any production job you want." Marlena tells me. Akira giggles, playfully elbowing Marlena.
"You're making me seem like some kind of celebrity! I'm just the host of our quaint little Battle Royale," Akira says, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Marlena laughs, so I laugh along. "This is going to be unlike anything you've ever seen, Mariya. How old are you, again?" Akira asks me.
"Twenty," I reply, blushing.
"Well, twenty years is probably how long it'll take for this Battle Royale to be topped in terms of grandness!" Akira brags, once again smiling impossibly wide.
"You say that every year." Marlena points out.
"Well this time, it'll be true!"
I slip away amongst their chatter, clutching my tablet. A somewhat strange feeling rises in the pit of my stomach. It's the same feeling you get when thinking of an exciting trip to the water park. But at the same time, it's also what I felt when Mama told me Roxy would have to be put down. I can't point out the difference between the two, really. I suppose that it's a feeling of excitement and anticipation, but also fear and dread?
It would only make sense for me to feel this way about a death match between thirty children on an abandoned island. But why would I fear Battle Royale? It's not like I'm going to be in it. Maybe I'm just a buzzkill.
But I can only imagine how the chosen children will feel knowing that all but one of their lives will be cut short.
Hey, so it's been a while. I have wanted to get back on FanFiction for the past two years but my life has taken a bit of a spin in terms of how busy I am. I'm sorry I was AFK for so long with no update.
I hope you liked the prologue of my new story! As you can see, it's sort of a weird combination of the Hunger Games, Battle Royale, and in some ways, Fortnite. I know, it sounds terrible, and it probably is! But the main purpose of this story is for it to be fun. Not exactly lighthearted in tone, but fun. I will be accepting submitted students for this story! There is no deadline as I would like to fill up the spots as soon as possible. You may submit up to two, but I may increase the number of students allowed per submitter if submissions start to slow down.
There will be thirty students, fifteen boys, and fifteen girls.
The form to submit your student is on Google Forms! I may also be making a blog for this!
Please review the story as well! In the future, they will function as sponsor points, once I work out a system.
Thank you so much for reading! xX
-MRKenn
Form:
docs. goo gle forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPlfBINPjt3QgKVe1kG_eXpg50hQUPgy-9AJMJi0jmnFLclw/viewform
Delete the spaces and it should work. If not, please PM me and I will work it out!