So this is the next chapter that I managed to complete. Now with going into the final stage of my university undergraduate life and dealing with life in general (got a half marathon tomorrow, wohoo with Storm Jorge on the way), I might not be able to update this much but with the ideas swirling in my mind, I'm going to finish this AND my Owari no Haikyuu story. I swear I will and I hope you will continue to support me in this journey.

I don't own the characters.

After the events of the previous day, Iwaizumi didn't want to get out of bed, his head still throbbing from the amount of noise he was exposed to the last night. On the bright side, he managed to strip off his costume the moment he stepped off the chariot, much to Tendou's horror since he wore a dark undershirt and pants underneath. A few minutes ride up the lift to the apartment, and he was sound asleep crashed on top of his bed.

As he tried to get up, he felt Oikawa stirring next to him, the blanket draped over his hips. His hair was sleep mused, one side of his head having been squashed from his hand pressing into it the entire night. Iwaizumi could almost imagine Oikawa drooling onto the bedsheet; a habit of his whenever he was sleeping comfortably. Back in District 12, they were lucky to even get beds of their own, let alone pillows filled with actual feathers.

Not wanting to stir his best friend from his sleep, Iwaizumi gently got out of the bed, moving to cover the blanket over Oikawa's exposed shoulders as the boy murmured, "Iwa-chan" in his sleep. Groaning at how the nickname was going to be the death of him someday, Iwaizumi slipped his feet into fluffy white slippers and padded into the bathroom, turning on the tap in the sink to wash his face.

The bathroom was big enough to fill half of his house in it and maybe even enough to buy five houses in his street. The bathtub was made of black marble, about ten different types of soap and assorted bath bombs lining the edge. A shower sat next to it, his image reflecting in the glass. Overhead was yet another chandelier, this time made of teardrop crystals that cast various colours of the rainbow across the room.

While Iwaizumi didn't like the idea of wasting water on the bath, he couldn't resist turning on the taps, letting the room fill with steam before stripping himself down, stepping into it with a sigh of bliss. The water seemed to suck all the pain and ache in his shoulders, rendering him limp as he sighed. He dropped a bath bomb into the water and the surface was soon filled with every colour of the rainbow imaginable, Iwaizumi grinning to himself as he tried to pop the bubbles. He couldn't remember the last time he had ever seen bubbles these big; they could never afford to have luxuries like this.

On the wall was a clock that read six in the morning. Sometimes Iwaizumi would go for a run around the District, just to keep fit even though he already had a lot of workout going on hunts and occasionally working in the mines. He thought he might do so in the Capitol but considering how he might be seen as trying to escape and he didn't want to use the gym on the premises since he hated the idea of running in a stationary position, he thought he might as well wait until the training session that day.

He heard the door opening, his head turning to see Oikawa walking in in sleep mused clothing. The other boy didn't seem to notice him as he went to pee, Iwaizumi turning his head to give some privacy before washing his hands in the sink. As Oikawa turned to make his way back to bed, he turned to give his friend a smirk before saying, "For a gorilla, the ladies might actually love you."

Iwaizumi did everything in his power to not throw a bottle of shampoo at his friend since he didn't want to waste such precious materials before ducking into the water, cursing himself for dragging himself into Oikawa's business.

…

"Morning," Matsun yawned as they sat seated around the dining table. Yet again, it was laden with food, Iwaizumi's stomach growling as they dug into it. As he picked up a bowl of salmon roe donburi, he brushed hands with a man bending over to replace the food, his skin cold to the touch as Iwaizumi muttered an apology when he realized that he never noticed servants being present in the apartment.

Now that he looked around, he noticed a few of them standing around the premises, their hands folded on their stomachs as they stood silently. Their eyes were fixed to the ground, Iwaizumi gulping down his food a little too harshly as he realized what they were; Avoxes, people who had rebelled against the Capitol and as punishment, had their tongues removed and remained in servitude of the Capitol as the lowest class. He had heard rumours of people being shipped off to the Capitol never to be seen again but he didn't expect to see living proof of how cruel humans could be to other humans.

His food suddenly didn't seem to taste as good anymore as he set his bowl down. Oikawa seemed to have noticed as well, although he didn't seem affected by the reality of them being served by Avoxes. Osamu was still munching on his precious onigiri while flipping through a tablet while Matsun was sipping on green tea, which was a first while going through the Tributes they were going to face.

"Alright, you two. You know you will have a special training session for the next few days but first things first, this old man is going to impart some advice on you," he said, once breakfast was cleared. The group had moved into the living room, the Capitol sky a bright blue outside as Matsun closed the curtains to avoid them getting distracted. Iwaizumi never really thought about how Matsun looked but today, he seemed a bit fresher and even had his beard and moustache shaved. He even looked like he had his first shower in several weeks.

The training sessions were where Tributes would gather in a large training room located beneath the building, getting some advice and training from various instructors on the weapons that were available. They could learn anything from weaving to how to make poisons, along with testing out different kinds of weapons. While weapons would be the easiest and most efficient thing to keep them alive in the Arena, they were hard to come by considering Tributes would have to make a run for the Cornucopia and fight to get them; hence why so many die within minutes of the Games starting.

"Let's start with what you two can do. I assume you can use some form of weapon?" Matsun asked as they nodded.

"I use the bow mostly but I know how to make use of knives. Oikawa is better at throwing knives, especially small ones."

"Good, that means you two can fend for yourselves with weapons. Do you know anything about poisonous plants from home?"

"Nightlock is the most prominent one."

"Then you two should be alright. The trick for the training is to not stand out too much. While you need all the training you can get, if the other Tributes see how good you are, they will mark you as a target to take out early on in the Games, so its best to keep a low key. Test out a few things here and there, but don't try to act all tough and go all out with your specialities. Speaking of weapons, don't try and dash out into the Cornucopia and try to get your hands on some; unless you're very fast runners, you won't stand a chance in surviving against the other Tributes.

What I can try and do is to market you among the sponsors. Every year, Tributes will get sponsorships from Capitol citizens, depending on how popular they are and how likely they are to survive in the Arena. You two have good faces and Oikawa, with your charm, you should be able to get some good sponsors. Iwaizumi, try to at least do something about your resting bitch face," Matsun grunted as Oikawa snickered into the back of his hand before getting a whack from Iwaizumi.

"I will do some pulling from my end as well so make sure you put your backs into it," Osamu spoke from the coach he inhabited on the other side of the room, onigiri in hand as Matsun nodded.

"The two of us will be working to get you guys sponsors as the Games go on. But first things first, you must make sure you appeal to the crowd. The Capitol citizens love a good gossip, good looking Tributes. You two are from the poorest District and yet turn out quite handsome so that's a plus for you guys. When you go onto television with Miya Atsumu in a few nights, make sure you use that night to your advantage."

"Miya?" Iwaizumi wondered as Osamu sighed, "He's my younger twin brother and a dick. I wished he would just die. He's talk shows are the most embarrassing thing in existence."

"And there you have it. Atsumu will try his best to draw out the best qualities in the Tributes on that night and Tendou will be making sure you look picture perfect as well. Now, if you two can figure out a strategy of how to appeal to the audience without making yourself a target for other Tributes, now would be a good time."

All the while, Oikawa had been silent in the conversation, letting Iwaizumi do the talking as he sat, fingers crossed on his knees. While Oikawa could be bubbly when he needs to, he was often silent, listening in on the conversation and lapping up every information he could get. As stupid and airheaded as he was, Oikawa was a man who knew how to strategise a good plan.

Oikawa smirked as he looked at Matsun, his brain working as he told Matsun of his plan, which Iwaizumi was already feeling was going to be a bad idea.

…

About an hour later, Iwaizumi was picking at the skin-tight uniform he had been given, the number 12 branded on his right sleeve. The uniform itself would have been decent, if it didn't show off every curve in his body, including his ass. As he tried to pull at it to make the outfit less tight, Matsun merely waggled his eyes at the spectacle as Oikawa snickered.

"Iwa-chan, the ladies are going to love your booty. Maybe you should wear that more often."

"One more word and you're dead Shittykawa."

"Mean! I'm trying to help you, Iwa-chan!"

"Seriously, how do you two even stand each other?" Osamu groaned as he followed them from behind. While Matsun had taken charge of briefing the boys about what they needed to do, Osamu had been staring at his tablet the entire time, eating about ten onigiri every hour. Once he had gotten up to take a phone call and the others could hear him shouting from the other end of the hall, his voice bouncing off the walls.

"That's your freaking business, Atsumu! I don't give a shit whether you need gossip, it's your job to figure it out!"

There was a crack as something went smashing into the wall and when Osamu returned, his normally passive face was so boiled with fury that the others refrained from asking anything about his twin as they continued with their strategy.

While they were going to be training and gaining as many skills as they could before being sent to the Arena, Matsun and Osamu were tasked with mingling with their fellow Victors and escorts. Matsun didn't look particularly happy in having to deal with the other Victors since some of them had killed people he knew in the past and vice versa.

After a pretty silent ride down the lift, Iwaizumi finally resigned to his fate of having to wear the uniform, with the assurance of being able to take it off in an hour. As they stepped off the lift into the basement level where the training centre was located, Iwaizumi couldn't help but flinch at the sight of the Tributes in front of him.

While some of them had looked ethereal in their costumes the previous night, now they looked ready to get to work in finding their prey. The Tributes from District 2 towered over most of their competitors, Shirabu's eyes scanning their faces as they joined the crowd. They had been the last ones to arrive, which didn't help since everyone turned to stare at them.

The angelic duo from District 6 was standing together, the silver-haired one whispering to his companion as he nodded at him. Iwaizumi believed his name was Sugawara Koushi. The boy next to him had muscles that could very well rival his own as well as an ass that was very well defined (Iwaizumi mentally slapped himself for eyeing other people's butts).

The Tributes of District 3 looked over at them with catlike eyes, the taller one sending a smirk over that made his skin crawl. His companion seemed to have his eyes fixed on a gaming tablet of sorts, his fingers flying over the console as his friend turned to chide him to stop playing. Kageyama and Hinata were bickering over something, this time being ignored by their escort who seemed to have given up on the two. He was a small man with black-rimmed glasses, looking far more ordinary and timid than a Capitol citizen normally would as he whispered a mantra under his breath of them being good boys and that they were going to survive this.

"Go and have fun mingling with them. Remember what I told you about making friends," Matsun said as he clapped them on the shoulders before moving down the hall. Osamu merely nodded at them as he walked after him, leaving Oikawa and Iwaizumi to stand with the others.

None of the Tributes paid much head to them, although some of them snuck frantic glances at their direction. Iwaizumi was starting to feel more uncomfortable from the terrified looks of some of the tributes, especially those from the further Districts that normally didn't win the Games. The blonde-haired girl from the night before was shaking so hard her partner had to hold her up, a spoon in his hand in case she had a seizure. The others merely stared at the ground, some rocking on their feet or staring at the wall.

Finally, the doors to the training centre slid open and Kageyama and Hinata rushed into it, calling dibs on weapons as the others trailed behind them. Iwaizumi whistled low as he checked out the place; it had state in the art simulators, weapons of every sort including stations that taught basic poison making and camouflage. While most of the Tributes had gone off to separate stations, Iwaizumi couldn't help but glance at the array of bows and arrows set against the wall, the metal shining in the harsh light as Oikawa put a hand to his shoulder.

"Remember. Don't stand out," he whispered as Iwaizumi nodded. As much as he wanted to try and impress the others and show what he was capable off, they didn't want to take any chances of painting targets on themselves.

Instead, they wandered over to the poisonous section, where an instructor beamed as she began to talk through them what plants were edible or poisonous. Even though Iwaizumi had gone hunting and foraging many times, he still had a lot to learn about the flora and fauna of the Arena, if it was one based in the forest. The Arena locations changed every year; you could have a forest one year or a desolated war zone the next. At least they haven't tried anything like having an underwater world since Iwaizumi didn't exactly like to swim.

Oikawa was doing most of the chatting with the instructor, a smile on his face that made Iwaizumi's skin want to crawl. While he knew that Oikawa was doing it to get the most out of the instructor, he knew that deep down, Oikawa was loathing the very idea of them being there at the moment.

"Thanks so much! I think I might have a better chance of survival right now," Oikawa beamed as the instructor blushed. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as she eyed them two before letting them move away. Iwaizumi had a funny feeling that she was staring at his ass way too much when he squeaked.

"Come on now. I didn't know you make such a sound, Iwa-chan," Oikawa grinned as Iwaizumi turned red in the face. Some of the Tributes had looked up from their work to see a little commotion, a few of the guys with smirks on their faces. The ones with ridiculous hair seemed to be ogling him now; District 7's Bokuto Koutarou, in particular, looked as though he had happened across a delicious snack. His partner didn't look too happy though, shooting them a glare before bringing Bokuto back to focus on the instructor showing them how to throw a spear.

"Seriously, you're going to be the death of me, Shittykawa," Iwaizumi growled as they walked across the room, surveying what was going on around them. District 1 and 2 had made a home for themselves with the weapons, Kageyama and Hinata putting up a show of attacking one another with broadswords while Goshiki was begging a disgruntled Shirabu to spar with him. Daichi and Suga from District 6 were speaking to an instructor on how to use some knives while the black beauty from District 8 was going through how to make poisons as her partner ogled her body from her skin-tight uniform.

Hanging right above them in a glass room were sponsors, escorts as well as past Victors from the Hunger Games. Matsun was chatting with a man with wild pink and purple hair, a champagne flute in his hand as he laughed at something he said. Osamu was in a headlock with a man who looked identical to him save for the blonde hair and blonde ears peeking out from his head. As Atsumu turned, Iwaizumi saw a fox tail curling around his legs, the tail even seeming to move depending on its owner's mood as Atsumu growled at his brother, the fur standing up as Osamu glared at him.

In the centre of the room was a long buffet table, a roasted pig sitting in the centre of it all with an apple in its mouth. A man was picking at it, his large hands stabbing into the meat to bring it to his plate. As Iwaizumi continued to stare at him, recognition began to flood his mind as the man looked down at them, his expression stoic as ever as black eyes stared into his soul.

Next to him, Oikawa had moved to grip him on his shoulder, moving to steer him away as Ushijima Wakatoshi, the winner of the Hunger Games five years ago looked down at them. There was one clear expression in his eyes that made Iwaizumi's blood boil, his fingers itching to wrap themselves around the man's neck as Oikawa hissed at him to calm down.

"We won't get anywhere if we hurt him in the open. You want to die before having a chance to go into the Arena and fight?" Oikawa hissed as he led Iwaizumi as far as he could from the glass cage. Iwaizumi's mind was foggy, blood rushing through his ears to block out all sound around him until Oikawa pulled him out of his trance with a snap, "Hajime. Calm down."

Slowly, Iwaizumi felt himself calm down. He didn't realize he was holding his breath as he finally let it all out, breathing as Oikawa rubbed circles on his back to help him return to normal. No one seemed to have noticed what had happened though, and Iwaizumi wanted it to stay that way.

He was not about to make himself look weak.