I do not own 'Phineas and Ferb' or anything related.
The door from the left carriage opened, and Sammy came out.
"The train's about to take off. You two need to get inside before it does."
Phineas and Ferb entered the carriage. The train took off into the air. A portal opened and it went through. Phineas and Ferb looked at the purple outside. Inside the carriage, Sammy offered them all kinds of food.
"Now I don't know if you feel like stuffing yourselves because there is more here than you have ever eaten in your entire lives or that you're too concerned with your impending doom to eat but-"
Phineas and Ferb ate furiously.
"Oh. Stuffing yourselves it is!"
Francis Monogram and Heinz Doofensmirtz, mentors to all tributes, walked into the carriage.
"Ah, so here is the man of the hour!" Monogram announced, "Well Heinz, who would you prefer?"
"Well, I think I'll go for the triangle kid, I like the shape of his head!"
"And I'll go for the silent type. He's probably strong too."
"Wait, what's going on?" Phineas asked.
"See, every year Francis and I decide which tribute to mentor."
Phineas and Ferb looked at each other.
"Won't we be mentored together?" Phineas asked.
"Oh no! You two are competitors after all!" Said Doofensmirtz.
Competitors? Phineas knew that in the end, there could only be one victor, still...
"Can't we be allies?"
"Allies? You think anyone was MY ally when I won the Hungry Games?" Doofensmirtz asked.
Monogram looked sombre.
"I'm sorry, but it's for the best that you two remain separate."
"But Ferb and I always do everything together!"
"And now you've got to learn to act independently."
Independently? Phineas and Ferb always worked well together as a team. And Ferb was right. Their best chances of survival was to work with each other.
The television was put on. The host of the Hungry Games, Cornelius Felus, introduced the start of the games. A blue furred, silver striped cat man, Felus wore a blue suit along with glasses, and had a hook for a right hand. A replay of the reapings were played. Only a few stood out in Phineas' mind (mainly because there would be way too many characters to go through, but I'm sure the ones he remembers won't happen to be important to the plot at all!); there were other volunteers (Like a district 2 boy wearing all blue aside from some kind of white hat with ears that covered his entire head minus his face, who eagerly pushed other tributes out of the way to volunteer), but these came from the winning districts (2, 9 and 10), where winning was an honour and where most of the victors came from; Some like Candace screamed and tried to make a run for it, only to be dragged back literally kicking and screaming. One such tribute was a small girl from District four, who couldn't have been older than 12 (possibly 13), with long brown hair. She had braces and wore a sweater with a smiling sun. The boy who was chosen appeared to be her twin brother. He wore a blue and white cap with a pine tree on it. However he just seemed to grudgingly accept his fate rather than run. In District 6, a chubby boy with black curly hair wearing a red t-shirt with a star was in tears on the stage, while the girl tribute, who had dark brown skin a puffy hair, had her face in her palms. Later Felus was interviewing the president, an anthropomorphic yellow duck with fangs and claws wearing a white suit, including pants (Which seemed odd for an anthropomorphic duck to wear!).
"Mr President, Sir, I know it must feel like I ask this question every games, but how do you respond to complaints that the Hungry Games is a brutal, immoral sport that is just an expression of the oppression of the Capital?"
"Well Cornelius (Seriously, that's the name you're going with?), I'll have to say that in a way, you're right."
"I am?"
"Of course! It is true that when the Hungry games were first established, it was meant as a way to avoid further bloodshed, and to prevent further riots, and yes, I don't agree with some of the rules made with the Hungry Games."
"But he's the one who set up the rules!" Phineas pointed out.
"Yeah, 74 years ago? I highly doubt it," Said Sammy.
"But everyone knows he's been the president since the beginning!" Phineas protested.
Sammy laughed.
"Oh you kids and your wild imaginations!" He ruffled his hair with one of his antennae, leaving mucus in it.
"Personally, I think we send tributes in too young. Why not increase the ages? I also think that districts 2, 9 and 10 have an unfair advantage over the other districts, and it makes their victory rather predictable, so why not train everyone so that everyone has a fair chance at winning? And why must there only be one victor? Why not mix it up a little, like have 2 victors, or more, rather than making it as predictable as a horror film where you know that virtually all the main characters are going to die?
"Of course, what would be the consequence of that? If the ages are increased, then that would upset the older ages. Training all of the districts would upset the districts currently winning. And changing the outcome of the number of victors would let hope run wild and encourage anarchy.
"And we can't exactly abolish the games, because that would encourage anarchy again, not to mention it would upset everyone back at the capital if they lost their main source of entertainment.
"Also I think those who criticise the brutality of the Hungry Games are anthropomorphising the tributes a little, wouldn't you agree?"
"-Anthropomorphising?"
"Yes, applying our emotions and feelings to living organisms who aren't us. Just because they have five senses, a semblance of a brain and have families doesn't mean they're self-aware or have feelings! No! Everything they do is just governed by instinct and pheromones! These tributes are less like sentient beings and more like...organic automatons!
"And besides, I think those who criticise the games ignore the benefits it brings to the districts."
"...The benefits?"
"I like to think what started as a way to maintain peace, has become an event that brings all of the districts together, tributes from all walks of life, from different cultures."
"…to kill each other?"
"Hey, the philosophy that different cultures become friends via fighting each other worked in Naruto, so it's good enough for me!"
"And what do you say about your latest decision to open up volunteers to either gender regardless of who was chosen?"
"Oh, that. Well, a certain member of the inner circle (Who shall remain nameless) has been nagging I mean mentioning over concerns he had over the lack of female representation, as if just because there was only one female in my inner circle it meant I was being sexist or something."
"I believe there are now two female members in the inner Circle."
"...As I said, only ONE female member. So I said "Oh, you want equal representation? How's THIS for equal representation? What if for volunteers either gender can volunteer to avoid any claims of discrimination? There, would that make you happy? Would that make you happy Sam? Or should I be calling you Samantha now because you decided to suddenly re-identify yourself as female because of this one forced strong woman moment as if we needed to be reminded that these characters were awesome? YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE? YOU SEE WHAT YOU DID YOU MAN-HATING ULTRA FEMINISTS AND FEMALE PANDERERS YOU? YOU MADE THIS POOR, LITTLE EASILY INFLUENCED MOLLUSC FEEL ASHAMED OF BEING MALE! ASHAMED! ASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- Ahem," The president sat back down, "And that's how it happened."
"Mollusc?" Phineas was confused.
"YAAAY!" Sammy was jumping up and down, "I did that! I made a difference!"
"Wait a minute! Sammy The Slug? You're a member of the inner circle?"
"Well sure I am! All escorts are! I'm also a-"
Everyone could hear the sound of a portal opening. Meaning that the train was reaching its destination. Phineas and Ferb found themselves in a void, in which floated what was referred to as the Capital; a giant black fortress with horn like towers curving at the top and bottom. Trains and vehicles were arriving from other portals, transporting supplies from the other districts. The train passed through one of the ports. Phineas and Ferb were greeted by a crowd of people; duck troopers, monsters, officers completely covered in black. It seemed they were well known even here!
They later prepared for the parade. At the beginning of every Hungry Games, the tributes were presented in a parade, each district's float reflecting the nature of that district, i.e. what resource they provide. From District 1, it was amusements. The floats went from District 13 to District 1. Phineas asked if he and Ferb could have a go fixing the float this year.
Once again, Felus was introducing the the floats, with Wacko sitting next to him.
"And here they come. This games' tributes."
The floats drove in.
"Notice how each one reflects the nature of the tributes' district. District 13, rubies (with a giant heart shaped ruby on top of the float); District 12, technology; District 11, Gold, (Which had a mountain of gold); district 10, gear; District 9, corn; District 7, transportation (In fact the float was designed to look like a rocket ship); District 6, Junk Food (With the boy tribute dressed in a doughnut costume); District 5, merchandise; District 4, oddities (The boy tribute was dressed in a werewolf costume)."
"That costume the District 4 tribute looks a little demeaning if you ask me. Is what I would say if I even knew 'de meaning' of that word. AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Wacko looked at Felus.
"Oh right! Ahem. Hardy hardy ha."
"Too late, Felus."
"Ahem, Anyway here, comes our last few floats; District 3, beautification (Whose float looked like a park, fountain and everything); And everyone's favourite, District 2, Candy."
The District 2 boy tribute roared at the audience, who all cheered.
"And after him is nobody's favourite, District 1, amuse- wait, what's that?"
On the District 1 float, was a giant contraption that commemorated everything that Phineas and Ferb had built, with them riding on it. A large screen on the top showed them having fun.
"Is that a musical number I hear before me?" Wacko asked.
Felus listened.
"I believe it's "There's No One I'd Rather Go Nowhere With than You", Sir."
The whole demonstration lasted a couple of minutes. The crowd was silent. Then they burst into cheers and applause.
"I see this has made an impression."
Wacko looked at him.
"Ahem, an observation I am only making from a neutral point of view."
"Excuse me for a moment."
Wacko got up from his seat and left the room.
The tributes all gathered at the bottom of a podium. The president, now wearing a navy blue suit, arrived at the top.
"My fellow Ametians."
He raised his hands. Although he was wearing gloves, you could see the claws were threatening to burst from the tips.
"Welcome. Tributes, we welcome you. We salute your courage and your sacrifice. Happy Hungry Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour."
Phineas wasn't sure, but he was sure it looked like the president was then looking at him.
They were later brought to a room with the number '1' on the front. The doors automatically opened.
"And here is where you'll be staying," Explained Sammy.
Phineas and Ferb were amazed at what they saw. The floor was bigger than their entire house, and more furbished too!
"Well wash up, and get ready for dinner!" Sammy told them.
During dinner, everyone complimented on Phineas and Ferb's take on the float. This made the two hopeful.
"Right then," said Sammy after they were done, "Off to bed you two. After you wake up and have breakfast your training begins!"
"Cool!" Said Phineas, "What time do we get up?"
"Time?" Sammy appeared confused, "Oh that's right, you don't know, do you? Time doesn't pass here in the void! I mean sure we can all move, we have what you would call a daily routine and we do celebrate holidays, but aside from that it's like time stands still! And sometimes it feels like what you would call past, present, even future get mixed up."
As she spoke, her antennae tied around each other.
"Even with a chronology to keep things straight there are still times when it feels like you're experiencing different feelings from different points in your life!"
Sammy tried to untangle her antennae, but they were stuck. Phineas helped her get them untangled.
"Like that."
"So, how will we know when to get up?"
"Oh, just get up whenever you feel like it!"
"Right then," Doofebsmirtz sat up, "We'll meet up here again when they'll show your marks for training."
"Wait what?" Phineas was confused along with Ferb, "What are you talking about?"
"Well every year Francis and I and the tributes get together to watch-"
"I mean why won't we see each other until then?"
"Well for the next weeks, we'll remain in separate parts of the floor. Can't have the other mentor and tribute know your strategy, you know!"
"But, you said you liked the float me and Ferb put together!"
"So?" Doofensmirtz and Monogram asked together?
"So, we thought..."
"What?" Monogram asked.
It had been Phineas and Ferb's hope that if their mentors saw how well they work together, that they could be allowed to be together afterwards. However it seems that Doofensmirtz and Monogram were intent on keeping them apart.
"...Nothing."
As they were led to opposite areas of the floor, Phineas looked back and saw Ferb looking back too, his sad expression mirroring Phineas'.