Chapter 1
7:00 AM Day 1
Paradise Beach
The ocean stood still. Not a single wave.
A few palm trees waved their leafy palms and fingers to a gentle tropical breeze.
The sky was brightening up, even though the sun hadn't poked his head out just yet.
And several yards away was a massive tower. A glamorous castle of a building that looked in tip-top condition, but was as dead as a ghost town.
A little reptile stood in the sand, admiring the island and the tranquility emanating from its soil.
Then he clapped twice.
And the building's lights jumped to life.
7:05 AM Day 1
Room 315
Rumiko's eyes snapped open. She sprang off a bed, gasping like a fish out of water. It took several minutes for her heart to slow down. Only then did she realize everything was blurry. Lo and behold, her glasses lay atop a bedside table of maple wood, right beside a lamp. She immediately put them on, like clockwork, and was relieved to see that it hadn't been damaged even more. The lens crack was right where it was supposed to be.
She then examined every corner of her surroundings: wavy-striped carpet floor, soft cream-colored walls, flat-screen TV, exquisite art pieces, high-grade furniture, ocean-view balcony behind glass doors with curtains, and, of course, the cloud-white king-sized bed she sat on.
She was inside a hotel room. A standard room, going by the small area, but a marvelous one nonetheless.
"A r-r-esort..."
Rumiko stepped inside the bathroom to splash her face. It was even smaller than the living area, though still beautiful. It even had a combined shower-bathtub. In the mirror, she could see that, minus a few hiccups, her appearance hadn't changed a bit. Her maroon hair was a little frazzled.
7:33 AM Day 1
Hall 3A
Sanani kept seeing the same things during his stroll through the corridor. Doors to his left, doors to his right. Lights on the left walls, lights on the right walls. Diamond patterning at his monk-strapped shoes, diamond patterning at those same shoes seconds later. He wondered if the hall was one large conveyor. One that conveniently stopped whenever he did. He briefly considered turning around. Maybe his room would be only a few feet away.
A woman crashing into him broke those thoughts. They both landed on the carpet.
The boy groaned and rubbed his head. "Hey, look both ways before you run next time."
"I-I-I'm s-sorry," Rumiko said. She sprang to her feet and extended a hand. "Y-Y-You're n-not hurt, are y-you?"
"Just peachy." Sanani carefully got himself up. "I see you have a stutter. Did I give you that?"
"N-No." Her voice seemed emotionless.
"Relax, I'm teasing you. The name's Sanani—just Sanani. Yours?"
The girl looked away. "Rumiko... b-but Ruru is f-fine."
"Then how about you call me Sly? Easier to say, right?" Sanani said with a smile.
"O-Okay... Sly. E-Excuse me." Ruru speed-walked further down the hall.
"Hold on, now." Sly followed her. "A lady like you shouldn't wander in an empty place like this, all by herself."
"I-I see why y-you call yourself 'S-Sly'."
"Not me. That's what others call me, though you're not too far off on the why."
"There m-must be other U-Ultimates here. W-W-We have to find them. Q-Quick."
Sly smirked. "You know, your voice doesn't match your words. Try inflecting."
7:41 AM Day 1
Room 264
This room was almost exactly the same as 115, and many others. The main differences were the artwork and the beds. Two queen-sized ones, instead of the single king-size.
Naraaki Tsukamoto woke up from one of those. More accurately, he fell off it from sleep-rolling. THUD!
"OW! WHAT THE HELL?! WHERE AM I?"
His shouting startled the girl on the other bed, Yuzuki. She peered down, brushing her light gray hair aside, to see an entangled mound of sheets and covers.
"Naraaki? Is that you?"
"MOTH-BABY!" The boy squirmed and scrambled on the floor. He eventually got his pink, spiky head out. "I'm glad you're here! Wait, no, I'm not glad you're in this place, but..."
"I know." From her bed, Yuzuki undid a few knots. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere without you, either, Octo-dork."
"Thanks," Naraaki said softly. After breaking free, he stood up and asked, "So what are we doing in a hotel?"
"I remember us getting an invitation. Our names were on it."
"Yeah, but I thought... ugh, never mind. We're probably stuck here with more people. That's fun."
"We're in one of those killing games, aren't we?"
He gave her a tight hug. "Probably, but people lived through those. We can too." They forced themselves off the bed. "Let's find the others. Sooner we get this garbage over with, the better."
The door suddenly opened.
Naraaki immediately stepped in front of Yuzuki, who locked her fingers around his. "The hell're you doing? Get out of our room!"
"This isn't your room," said the woman who entered. Her voice was devoid of humanity. "Not yet, at least."
She was garbed in a stereotypical maid outfit, but with a big red 16 printed on the front. Her hair and eyes were a matching dark blue. She was a living, breathing teenager, but her neutral face spelled out nothing but lifelessness.
"Say that again, but make sense," Naraaki growled. "Or else."
"Go to the lobby," said the maid. "You'll meet the others there. We'll clean up here."
Yuzuki avoided eye contact with her. She scrunched her hair with her other hand. "Are you, um, a part of this game?"
"I'm just a maid."
"But, um, you—you look familiar. Like an Ultimate."
"Please head to the lobby. We will not ask again."
"Tch, whatever!" Naraaki pushed the maid aside and stormed out the room, taking Yuzuki with him. "Weirdos like you aren't worth the time!"
8:08 AM Day 1
Room 338
Shiki laid still on one of the queen-beds, staring straight at the pastel ceiling. She tried to find any bruises or blemishes, but quickly gave up. A big sigh wheezed its way out of her mouth.
"Can't believe it took this long for us to be in a game," she said to her doll, Kuroko, which used her bicep as a pillow. "Maybe now, Death will finally pay us a visit."
"There you go again," Shiki said with a higher pitch, while moving Kuroko's arms with her fingers. "Honestly, this nonsense about dying should stop. You won't get any friends by spouting it."
"Not like anyone would be my friend, anyways," Shiki said with her regular, deeper voice. "They won't give a damn about me, no matter what I say."
"Hmph! So dreadfully pathetic," said Kuroko. "If only someone could end your existence right this second."
"AHAHA!" shouted a skinny man covered head-to-toe in dripping wet diving gear, after slamming the bathroom door open.
Shiki sprang off the bed with a shriek, sending her and Kuroko flying. Or rather, falling with style. She nearly crashed into the room's table; the doll landed square onto her heavily-painted face.
"Looks like yet another doll-related Ultimate," said the man. He stepped closer to her. "And with a little companion, no less! You all seem to have that. Fascinating!"
Shiki's cheeks were almost redder than the fake blood decorating them. "What are you doing in the bathroom, you creep?!"
She then held Kuroko to the visor on his helmet. "And what do you mean, 'you all'? I'll have you know, it is very rude to lump someone in with others!"
The man responded by shifting his weight backwards. "Aha! I am no creep, I assure you that. I was testing the efficiency of my gear by submerging myself in the shower-tub. Huge success! As for you, I watched the past killing games, and there have been three other Ultimates with similar qualities. The Ventriloquist, the Plush Toy Maker, the Marionettist, and now you. Never have I seen a doll-making person who did NOT treat one of their creations like sentient beings."
He then leaned closer to Shiki. "Why do you suppose that is? It's an interesting mystery, wouldn't you agree?"
"I wouldn't know! I've never even heard of those until now." The girl leaped to her feet and stared dead-eyed at him. "But don't ever say I'm copying someone else. Understand?"
The two stood motionless for a few seconds. A staring contest between two statues...
...Then the man waved his arms in a bombastic manner. "I never said that. I simply made an observation, but it's clear that got us on the wrong foot, so let me introduce myself. You may call me Misham! Yes, Misham is my name! What is yours?"
Shiki stared at Kuroko before releasing another deep sigh. "I'm a living doll. See my stitches? Those who play with me get cursed," she said with an acidic hint of sardonicism.
Misham watched her stroll away. "What an odd person," he said to himself. "She didn't even introduce her friend!"
8:20 AM Day 1
Room 157
Shun opened his golden eyes to see a redheaded girl hugging him like he was a body pillow. The boa-constricting squeeze snapped him out of his sleep.
"Hey, let go'a me! Letgo'ame!"
Despite being so close to the girl's face, his yell didn't seem to reach her. She simply giggled, then nuzzled her head on him.
"Kawaii bunny," she cooed. "Wanna hold you forever, nya."
"WAKE UP!" Shun swung his head into hers. The collision of their skulls must've did the trick, for she released him and rolled a few inches away. They both backed up until they were teetering near the edges of the king-size bed.
The girl tenderly rubbed her noggin. "Ow, what the... etetetetet."
"Oh no, did I serve that too hard? Sorry about that. Sorryaboutthat! I got pretty desperate."
The girl immediately bounded towards the boy, as if her inner sun got switched on. They naturally fell off the bed. "Hey hey, aren't you the Ultimate Volleyball Player?!"
"Why, yes, I am. Shun Pureya's the name. Nice to meet you." Shun tried, and failed, to break free from her crushing weight. "Could you get off me, please?"
"Sugoi, sugoi, sugoi!" The girl hopped around like a feral rabbit, before hoisting him up by his shoulders. "Shiri's full name is Shiri Pureya, and she is the Ultimate Beach Volleyball Player! We must be brother and sister, Shun-kun!"
"Wait, WHAT!?" Shun felt obligated to back away once more. "Time out, time out! That's a lot of hits you sent my way. First of all, I know we're Japanese, but there's no need to use those suffixes with me. Second, we are not siblings! Wearenotsiblings!"
"Why not?"
"What do you mean, 'why not'? I know my family, and I never heard of anyone named 'Shiri'. My mom never mentioned one, either."
"Well, we could be long-lost siblings! Mommy might've kept me a secret from you for vaaaaaaarious reasons."
"Or, our names and talents could coincidentally be the same."
Shiri made a puffy pouty face. "Shame on you, nyan! Volleyball and Beach Volleyball are completely different sports." She stomped her foot. "Don't hurt your big sis' feelings!"
"You're not my... wait a minute. Waitaminute!" The boy suddenly remembered he was missing something, so he scanned the room. "Where's my ball?"
"Over there."
Shun's precious volleyball, a beautiful blend of red, green, and white, sat exactly in the spot Shiri pointed at: in front of the closet door, which was right beside the room's exit.
"I'll get it!" Shiri ditzilly skipped to the ball and bent over to pick it up.
That's when Shun finally noticed it, then immediately looked away.
Shiri's pink skirt was incredibly short. Too short. Two mounds of fat flesh were peeking out from below. That was all he saw. Nothing else.
'That explains how heavy she was,' he thought to himself.
8:34 AM Day 1
Hall 2B
Lumoi's hand was glued to Tamaki's wrist while she guided him. She kept her eyes forward; he kept looking at every door they passed. Every number printed on its face.
"Shouldn't we check at least one of them, Lu-chan? There might be others here." The boy's voice was as soft and gentle as a buttercup.
"That is exactly who we want to avoid, Tama." The girl spoke in a quiet tone. Almost a whisper. "Anybody could be our enemy."
"But they could be friends... Some of them, at least."
"...It is not worth the risk."
With that, the conversation ended. They did not speak again until they reached an elevator, where another pair stood.
A purple-eyed boy in a dark blue trench coat was messing with the buttons. No matter what he did, the door wouldn't budge. He gave a dejected sigh.
"Sorry, Ivy. Guess we'll have to take the stairs, if we can find them."
Ivy, a violet-haired girl in a Gothic dress, kept her shoulders slumped. "It's fine. Let's get going, then."
They were about to do just that, but Tamaki called out to them. He broke free from Lumoi's grip and ran to them, with the Sienna-haired girl reluctantly following behind. Ivy instinctively looked away.
"I'm so glad to have found you!" said Tamaki. "We haven't seen anyone since we got here."
Lumoi merely nodded in agreement.
"Same here," said the other boy. "So I take it you guys were captured, too? Do you remember how?"
Lumoi performed a multitude of hand signals to Tamaki.
"I don't recall much, sadly," said Tamaki. "We received a letter, an invitation to a resort, and then we woke up in one of these rooms."
"Yeah, we also got those letters. I think I passed out after opening mine, but I'm not sure... Ah, where are my manners? My name is Edwin Crawford, the Ultimate Private Investigator. It's a pleasure to meet you." The boy gave a bright, warm smile and offered a handshake.
Tamaki accepted it and gave a smile so similar to Edwin's, it was practically a mirror reflecting its light. "It is a pleasure as well, Edwin-san. My name is Tamaki Takahashi, although... you might know me better as Tam-Tam, the Ultimate Enka Singer. Whether you may be a fan of my performances, or if your tastes in music are vastly different, I am sure we will get along great together."
The girls were as silent as corpses.
"Looks like we both got shy ones with us," said Edwin.
"It seems so, aha. The lovely young lady beside me is Lumoi Nishimura. She is the Ultimate Interpreter, if you hadn't already figured. I honestly don't know where I would be without her." He waited for Lumoi to chirp in. Nothing. "Hey, Lu-chan, it's okay..."
"...Yes. It is...just as Tama said. I am the interpreter for his performances and for him. We work closely together ...We are a strong team...erm...it is nice to...to meet you."
Edwin gestured towards Ivy. "This is Ivy McNally, the Ultimate Geologist. I'm certain she'll warm up to us soon."
"Anything else you need to know?" asked Ivy.
"We're good for now. Thank you." Edwin gave a friendly pat on Ivy and Tamaki's shoulders. "Now let's find some stairs. I can tell by the numbers that we're on the second floor."
"The stairs are this way," said a blue-haired maid standing beside them. She had a red 35 on her uniform.
Ivy jumped at the sight of her. "Where the fuck did you come from!?"
"Follow me."
With no other options, the four followed the maid.
"You know, she looks familiar," said Edwin. "I might've seen her on TV somewhere."
Tamaki instantly recognized her, but he refrained from speaking.
8:50 AM Day 1
Room 118
Riku Ito put the receiver of a desk phone to his ear. Silence. Not even a beep.
"A book for room service and other numbers, but no phone connection? That's kinda odd..."
Ashe Langdon pulled open a drawer below the flat-screen TV. Inside was the remote, along with a Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo 64, some controllers, and a few games. Pushing the power button on the remote awakened the TV, though it still displayed nothing but pitch-black darkness.
"You can say that again," she said while pressing the channel buttons repeatedly. The screen never changed. "Why give us TV power, but no channels or phone? It seems the only thing we could in here is play video games."
"Video games?!" Riku dashed for the drawer like a pirate and rummaged through its treasure. "Aw, man! It's nothing but Mario Party!"
"Mario Party?" The older woman picked up one of the games. The case read: 'Mario Party 6'. "I know a bit about Mario, but not all the games, especially these 'Party' ones."
"They're multiplayer games that kinda function like board games. You roll dice, collect coins, buy stars, and compete in mini-games."
"Oh, that sounds like something my precious Christophe would play! I'm sure he and his friends would have lots of fun playing this." Reminiscing of her son made her feel as cozy as heaven. "He's such a sweet kid. He'd get along with anybody. Especially a gaming expert like yourself."
"That's really nice, but... um... the Mario Party series tends to ruin friendships..."
"Really? You sure?"
"That's the reputation it's earned, Mrs. Langdon." Riku shoved the drawer closed. "With RNG bullshit and star-stealing moves, players can screw each other time and time again. Your opponents can snatch your win from you in a single turn."
"Well, sounds to me like that's only a problem for sore losers. Life can't always revolve around victory, you know. My Christophe isn't like that; he isn't the kind to whine or complain about little things, so he should be fine." Ashe's grin radiated with parental pride.
"...Anyway, these aren't my type of games. Maybe the other rooms have different ones."
"I hope one of them has a computer," Ashe said while opening the door. "I can't finish my research without one, and I want a balance between work and play."
9:10 AM Day 1
Room 202
Kazooie opened the closet. There was nothing but a small safe with a keypad inside. He tried to pull the door open; when it didn't budge, he gave up.
Behind him, a tornado had sent the room in shambles. Sheets, pillows, towels, controllers, and chairs everywhere.
That tornado wore skin-tight atomic power armor. Her name: Jaleh Mazdaki. She lifted one of the mattress up, then dropped it upon seeing nothing. "Is it in there?"
"Nope," said Kaz. "Just a safe."
"Then open it."
"Can't. Don't know the combo."
Jaleh growled. "Never have I seen anyone more useless than you. Move over." She stormed into the closet, shoving Kaz in the process, and pressed a bunch of buttons on the keypad.
No dice.
She tried again. Nothing happened. Pulling as hard as she could didn't work, either. Or punching it. Or kicking it.
"This idiotic box will NOT get the better of me!"
"Hey, cheer up. At least you know it's SAFE in there! Get it?"
Jaleh gave Kaz a feral glare, before turning back to the safe.
"Swing and a miss," said the boy.
"Go check the number of this room. Now."
With an annoyed grunt, he did as he was told. Coincidentally, the door to the room across the hall, 201, opened at the same time he opened his door. The girl who stepped out wore a maid's headband and a white apron decorated with animal prints over her dress.
"Hello, there," she said. "Did you recently wake up as well?"
"Not exactly." Kaz glanced at the number on his door. "202," he shouted inside the room.
Jaleh tried it, but the safe still didn't open. "DAMMIT!"
"Anything I can help you with?" asked the other girl.
Kaz held the door open. "If you want, be my guest."
She graciously stepped inside. "Pleased to meet you both. My name is Kirika Shinohara, the Ultimate Caregiver."
"Yeah, yeah. Name's Jaleh Mazdaki. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm in the middle of something. Don't interrupt me."
"She can't find her ray-gun," said Kaz. "Only place we haven't checked is the safe, but we can't open it."
Kirika glanced at the safe. "Ah, so this room also has one. I see."
After hearing that, Jaleh finally focused her eyes on the other girl, who continued with, "It's likely that every room has a safe, and so your ray-gun could be in any one of them. Not just this one."
Jaleh approached her; stared down at her. "You're a maid, aren't you? You should know how to open them, so do it."
Kirika never flinched. She was an immovable object. "As I explained a few minutes ago, I'm a caregiver. Not a maid." Her voice was stern.
Kaz leaned against a wall. He was prepared to watch a battle unfold. It might've happened, had the door not opened again.
Five, no, seven blue-haired maids marched inside. A harmonized parade. Besides the various numbers on their outfits, they all looked exactly the same. Six of these human machines went straight to cleaning the room: making the beds, fixing the furniture, wiping the floors, replacing the towels, and reorganizing all other objects. They even placed those little chocolates atop the beds.
"You!" Jaleh said to the seventh maid. "I need you to open this safe."
"We need all of you to enter the lobby," said the maid. "Your gun can wait."
Before anyone could do anything else, all of them left the room. Jaleh scoffed in response. "The nerve of that girl. Who does she think she is?"
Kirika gave the nuclear scientist a baffled stare. "Did it not bother you that we saw more than double of them?"
"I know those girls," Kaz casually dropped.
"You do!?"
"Yeah, they were in the Hope's Peak game."
9:41 AM Day 1
Room 376
"YES! I'M THE WINNER! WAHOO!"
Mario's cries of victory were alarms to Amarantha's slumber. They startled her so badly, she fell off the bed. After getting up, she glared straight at the source.
A boy in a striped shirt and black jeans sat by the TV, GameCube controller in hand. He was playing Mario Party 7, and he just won a star.
He looked over his shoulder to see her. "Morning, sunshine."
Her rage skyrocketed at this point. "Where the heck am I?! Why am I here!? Why are you here?!"
"Wish I could say. All I know is that we're in a resort, and I woke up in that other bed there."
"And instead of trying to find out more, you decided to play video games?"
The boy smugly shrugged. "I found them in here. Figured our captors wanted me to play 'em."
"UGH! I've only known you a minute, and I already hate your toxic sarcasm."
"Dang. That's one of my best charms." The boy paused the game. "But seriously, I did think I'd get something out of this."
She kept glaring at him.
"Come on, I bet you mess around every now and then." He stood up and tipped his straw boater hat to her. "I'm Gai Jakusha. You are?"
The silence lasted a bit longer.
"...Amarantha Martel, Ultimate Linguist. I'll accept nothing less!"
"Oooookay," said the boy.
A few seconds later, her scowl turned into a genuine, mirthful smile. "Kidding, kidding! If that mouthful doesn't do it for you, I'm more than happy with the name Mary."
Gai snickered. "I knew you weren't such a stickler."
"What I did was different... but... I did jump to conclusions about you when I shouldn't have. I'm really sorry for calling you toxic. I promise to make it up to you!"
"Nothing to stress about," Gai said. "I don't look upset, do I?"
"I know how faces work, wise guy." Mary chuckled a bit, before glancing at the paused game. "So, did you learn anything new?"
"Sadly, no. It's a regular disk of Mario Party."
"Then why the heck is it in here? What would we get out of it?"
"A fun experience?"
"There you go, again!" Mary stomped her foot with a faux pout.
Gai held his hands up. "Couldn't resist," he said with a smile.
10:04 AM Day 1
Stairwell A
Silas took his time descending each and every step. His shovel clanged whenever it struck the marble. A dull, yet rhythmic melody. He couldn't find the ceiling from looking up. All he saw was a mesmerizing spiral. If there was a center to it, he couldn't make that out, either. The curves got smaller and smaller the closer they got to a bright, almost ethereal, light.
The stout, hunch-backed boy gave a relaxed sigh, then continued the trip down. He would have gone up, but a locked gate blocked the fourth floor and beyond.
When he reached the second floor, the door to its halls opened. A wavy-haired girl in a white tunic with a gold-and-fire patterned scarf stepped inside, though Silas didn't care about those details. No, what stood out to him were her eyes: a majestic magenta with white crosses sparkling directly over her pupils.
"Are you okay, sir?"
"Never felt better," Silas said.
"You look like something is on your mind."
"Just not sure what to make of this place, yet. Can't tell if I'll like it or not."
"That's understandable," said the girl. "From what I've seen so far, this is such a beautiful resort, but I fear it's going to be used for a killing game, with us as the players."
"Oh, right. I've heard about those. So there are others here."
"I believe so."
"Then, when they die, I'll be sure to give them a proper memorial."
The girl winced a bit. "Please don't say anything horrid like that."
"If we're in a killing game, then death is bound to happen."
"I know, but there's a chance everyone might survive, so don't condemn anybody right this minute. If you can't rid your cynicism, at least say 'if' instead of 'when'."
"Alright, then. If people start dying, I promise to treat their burials with utmost respect. That includes you."
With that, Silas descended the next flight.
But the plus-eyed girl refused to end things there. She followed him until they reached the bottom floor. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, just who are you?"
"I'm Silas Addams Prenderghast. I'm known as the Ultimate Undertaker. Or Ultimate Mortician, if you'd prefer. Ultimate Gravekeeper's pretty accurate, too. They've all got to do with handling dead bodies, really."
"Ah, that explains it. Well, it is nice meeting you, Silas. My name is Makika Kikyo, Ultimate Priestess. Differences in personality aside, I do hope we can get along."
"We might. Though if we do, there's no guarantee it will last."
10:39 AM Day 1
Paradise Beach
Massive waves kept splashing on the shore, and yet, the peace didn't die. Each one was a surfer's dream come true; each crash made a soothing sound. There was something tranquil about the ocean's chaos. It made most people want to watch and listen to its symphonies.
Mya Wilson was one of them. The ironies circled in her mind, but they didn't lessen her enjoyment of the view. In fact, she was so relaxed that she didn't notice the sun-tanned boy sitting in the sand with her.
He nudged her shoulder. "This island's pretty sick, huh, babe?"
Mya left her trance. "Oh, yes! I've never been to such a wonderful beach before, let alone a private island. This one is called 'Paradise Beach', right? I can't think of a better name to describe it. Paradise."
"I hear ya, brah. I'm lovin' it too," said the boy. "They got a fancy-ass spa, two pools, and a whole 'nother beach. But they're all locked, for some reason."
"Maybe they'll open at a set time?"
"Hope it's soon. There's, like, so much I want to do for this vacation."
"Me, too!" Mya bounded with energy. "I wanna try all the activities, and maybe taste the cuisines!"
The boy jumped up. "Hell yeah, babe! I hear there's jet ski riding somewhere, and-"
"A dance hall?"
"You read my mind!"
They both laughed as if they already had a fun day together.
"Say, you a spiritual girl or something?"
"Why, yes, I am! Name's Mya Wilson, Ultimate Fortune Teller!"
"That's fuckin' dope! I'm really into that bizz, so I might hit you up for a reading. I'm Hinata Nakajima. I'm, like, totally honored to meet you, M-Cat!"
Hinata offered a fist bump, which Mya responded to with full force! They both had to flap their sore hands for a few seconds.
Before either of them could do anything else, a horribly-scarred boy in fluorescent blue coveralls dashed past them. He stopped the moment his steel-toed boots hit wet sand.
"Thở sâu. Thở sâu." He kept whispering the same phrase, with one hand placed over his chest.
Mya cautiously approached this boy. "Everything alright?" She reached out to touch his shoulder. "Anything I can do for you?"
"Đừng chạm vào tôi!" He smacked her hand away. "...Sorry. I am... I am fine."
"You don't sound fine, homey," Hinata said.
"This place... this place brought back... memories. That's all I will say."
"That's terrible," Mya said. "If you need any help dealing with them, I'm more than happy to give it. My readings are known to bring people in the right direction, every time."
"Thanks... but no thanks."
"It's completely free, if you're worried about pricing."
"My answer is still no. I need to leave this island." The boy was frequently checking his surroundings.
"Look, man, can you at least give us your name?" asked Hinata.
"I'm... Kiet Luu Vo, the... Vovinam... Ultimate Vovinam Practitioner. If... you don't know... It's... basically the most widespread Vietnamese martial art."
"Man, that's too long. I'm callin' you K-Dog. Anyway, we haven't seen a way off. Not even a boat. So, ya might as well kick back and chill with us. Ya dig?"
"There is no... no prison... I've never escaped from..."
A speaker bolted to a palm tree suddenly crackled. The voice that emanated from it was akin to a baby dragon's roar. "Attention, all Guests! This is the resort's caretaker speaking. Please gather in the lobby, if you aren't there already." After that, the speaker began to play a relaxing tropical score.
Without another word, Kiet walked towards the hotel.
Mya giddily nudged Hinata's shoulder. "I think they're gonna open everything after this."
"Yeah, this feels like one of those ceremonies. The higher ups will give a long, dull speech, then the real party will begin."
10:50 AM Day 1
Grand Lobby
All twenty-four of the guests were ants once they gathered in this luxuriously stunning space. Their reflections gleamed off the mosaic-tiled floors. The artwork on the walls eradicated their shadows. The monumental pillars surrounded them at every corner and turn, standing tall and proud. If it weren't for the furniture, the whole lobby could've passed as a living room for giants. For Gods.
They spent the next ten minutes introducing themselves, sharing their names and talents, then diving into small talk.
Once the clock struck 11, a glorious fanfare played, forcing everyone to shut up. At its finale, He appeared.
"Oh, goody! Everyone is here! Let's get this game started!"
A small turtle shell spun several laps orbiting the guests, before stopping in front of them. The shell was a deranged black, and it sported seven silver spikes. Each one had a crimson ring around the base. Four scaly limbs emerged from the side holes: the two on his left-same color as the shell; the two on his right-a manic white. Both arms wore two black, silver-spiked bands. Last came his head. The entire bottom half was nothing but a ferocious maw with armor-piercing teeth. The white top half had deep crimson hair and horns as dangerous as his shell spikes. His right eye was a black beady one with a white pupil and a crimson bushy brow. His left one, on the other hand, was the signature Monokuma eye, except it was black with a red pupil.
Upon completing the transformation, he let out the fiercest roar he could muster!
...He looked exactly like Koopa Kid, from the Mario Party games, but with a different color palette and a different left eye.
"Wow." Gai gave a few slow claps. "Didn't know the originality department was running so dry."
The turtle let out a devilish snicker. "I'll let that slide just this once, Refereeject. Consider yourself lucky."
"I-I-I knew it. We're in a k-killing game."
"….What?" asked Tamaki. "A... Killing Game?"
"R-R-Right you are, Ruru! We are going to play a game of life and death." The turtle erupted into full-blown laughter. "Everyone, I am Monokame! Welcome to Tranquil Tower Resort!"
The guests could only stare at him. No words had the strength to stay intact.
They would soon learn that the pillars encircling them were the bars of a gilded cage.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: And with that, the story officially begins! I want to thank you all for being so patient. I hope you liked the chapter. =D
I tried getting feedback from each OC creator to ensure I did a good job portraying them. The only ones I couldn't do that for are the few that I couldn't reach through Discord. For those select few, if there's any element of the character you want me to improve upon, don't hesitate to message me.
For the most part, everyone that I messaged loved my portrayals of the characters, which made me very happy. I'm going to try my very best to be consistently good at doing that. Again, if I make any mistakes, feel free to message me about them.
Lastly, each subsequent chapter will contain my responses to every review. I look forward to reading your thoughts, as well as any theories you come up with. ;D
With that, I'll see you all next time!