Toy Against Toy
Chapter Two
"Welcome, toys!"
There was a flash of white light. Then the toys opened their eyes in a room with a large machine in the center, which made whirring and beeping noises.
What had addressed them was a plush sky-blue octopus.
"I am Sian," the plush octopus said. "I am here to tell you what will be expected of you in the Hunger Games."
Bonnie's toys were still disoriented. Mr. Potato Head had his hand on his head. Mrs. Potato Head looked sick. Jessie could barely open her eyes, and Woody felt as if had just been punched in the stomach by a robotic Donkey Kong. Slinky was all twisted around everyone. Totoro was flipped upside-down with no room to upright himself. The Peas-in-a-Pod were all shaken up. Buzz didn't know that a toy could feel this way, since toys didn't eat food (most of the time), but he felt like he could hurl at any moment.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot about time-sickness," the plush octopus said. "It always happens when one travels to a different time period from their own."
The octopus sprayed something in everyone's faces. "Hey, I feel better!" Dolly exclaimed.
"This is instant time-sickness removal powder," the octopus said. "Really useful for all those that time-travel. You toys won't be the only time-travelers at this year's Hunger Games."
"But what exactly is the Hunger Games?" Woody asked.
"It is a competition whereby children face off against each other to the death. There are twenty-four Tributes and only one winner. Well, up until two years ago that was the case. Then there was two winners, and last year there were five winners. Though last year was a quarter quell, so there were still over forty dead, even with the five winners. One was taking prisoner, I think."
"Wait, are you saying we have to kill each other?" Buzz asked.
"Oh no. You guys are not your own opponents. Per se, that is.."
"What do you mean by that?" Mr. Pricklepants asked.
"Well, you see—and this is why I'm here, to get you used to the idea—you guys will be having human partners in this tournament."
"Oh no. I don't know what it's like in your time period, pal, but in our time, we have a rule against toys revealing that they are alive to people," Hamm said.
"We know your fears," Sian said. "But that rule is still in place."
"Then why do you expect us to join with the humans? Do you think we'll remain lifeless while everyone attacks everybody?" Woody asked.
"You'll be living and breathing, and they'll know it," Sian said.
"That defies the laws of nature!" Trixie exclaimed.
"Look, I know what you're afraid of," Sian said. "You're afraid of the secret getting out. It's not going to happen."
"Why not?"
"Because they will believe you are being controlled by someone in artificial intelligence."
"Hey! That's no way to speak about us!" Mrs. Potato Head declared.
"I wasn't slighting you. It's just the only way that the secret will not get out."
"I guess it's better than nothing," Buttercup said.
"Just at that moment, another group of toys emerged.
"Greetings! I am Sian."
The new toys were recognizable as several from Sunnyside Daycare, including Twitch, Stretch, and Sparks. Ken and Barbie were absent, though.
The toys from sunnyside were disoriented. Sian sprayed the powder on them that it had sprayed on Bonnie's toys earlier.
"Where are we?" Chunk said.
"In the future, to participate in the Hunger Games!" Sian said, excitedly. "Well, it's the future for you. For me it's the present."
"I pressed a button on the computer that brought us here," Stretch said. "What were you doing?"
"I was busy napping," Chunk said.
"Could someone explain to us what the Hunger Games is?" Twitch said.
"The Hunger Games is a tournament where children fight to the death," Sian said. "Only one winner can emerge, after everyone else is dead."
"That's heinous," Stretch said. "I have seen so many kids go through the daycare…I'd hate to think of them killing each other once they get out."
"Oh, none of the participants are as young as day care age," Sian said. "They are all at least twelve."
"Twelve-year-olds don't play with toys," Sparks the robot said.
"Our kid stopped playing with us when he was twelve," Slinky said. "Sad times."
"Oh, this year there are a lot younger kids. The returning champions, of course, are still twelve. But the others are far younger."
"Wait, us toys have to kill each other too?" Sparks asked.
"That is not your main goal. Your main goal is to protect the human you are partnering with, and your secondary goal is to fight other toys that might try to cut through your defenses of your human partner."
"We're going to be paired up with humans?" Twitch asked. "So we'll be lifeless the whole time?"
"No, you'll be alive. They'll think you're being controlled."
"This whole thing sounds silly," Sparks said.
"Silly or not, it's the way things are."
"It's against the toy code," said Twitch.
"We know. This is not a primitive wasteland. Well, our time might seem more primitive to you in some ways. We don't have McDonald's here, for one thing. So your breed is virtually extinct," Sian said, nodding at Fluttershy.
"Oh dear," she said.
"But we have progressed technologically. However, the toy code is still in place. Only a few people know that I can talk and think for myself. They set me in here to introduce you to the Hunger Games idea, because they knew you'd be mute and still if you encountered them."
"It is going to be a huge challenge for us to get used to being active while people are looking," Mrs. Potato Head said.
"I know how difficult it might be. I still get shivers myself when talking to Tyler and June, the two people I communicate with. But you are here for the Hunger Games, and you've got to participate."
"But to turn on our friends…" Hamm said.
""As I've said before, you do not have to fight the other toys, per se. Your main goal is to protect your human partner. We will have a banquet in which you will meet them, and they will make their selections."
"Great, I can't wait to meet them," Buzz said.
"Me either," Slinky said.
"Nor me," said one of the Peas-in-a-Pod.
"I'm more excited than both of you," said another Pea-in-a-Pod.
"Oh yeah? I'm more excited than both of you put together!" said the last Pea-in-a-Pod.
"That's the spirit I like to see!" Sian said.
The plush octopus began counting them. "It seems that a couple of toys didn't make it, We'll have to send out a message and hope that some other toys will come to take their place."
Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head looked at each other, then nodded. "Sian, if you don't mind, me and my wife would like to be together with one kid."
"Well, I don't know. We called you all here to be separate units."
"But when towo people are married," Mrs. Potato Head said, holding her husband's hand tightly, "they are as one."
"That's true. We still believe that today. Okay, since I have to call for a few others to replace the ones that didn't come, I guess one more won't hurt. But only if Hoopla agrees."
"Who's Hoopla?" Woody asked.
"The current Head Gamemaster. You've got to have Head Gamemaster to have a Hunger Games."
"Of course," Woody said, though he didn't know what a Head Gamemaster did, or what they had to do with anything.
"I suggest you prep up for the banquet," Sian said, heading toward a machine in the center. "I'll go talk to Tyler and June, and get other toys that are needed. And I'll see if Hoopla will allow the Potato Heads to serve together."
A glass tube formed around the octopus and he disappeardd.
"You're blushing," Twitch said to Stretch.
"I am not," Stretch said.
"You have a crush on Sian," Stretch sang out.
She smacked both of them with two of her tentacles. "Elastic toys do not get cruahses on plush ones."
"They get crushes on metallic ones!" Sparkx exclaimed. He got off the floor and scotted over toward her.
Stretch smacked him again.
"Anyone else want to make a comment?" Stretch asked. Everyone backed away from her.
On Bonnie's toys' side of the room, Woody and Buzz were trying to calm everyone down for meeting kids in their live state.
"We know ti's going to be tough," Woody said. "I remember all the times I had to remind myself to not tell Andy that we were alive and that we needed to be played with to attain fulfillment."
"Of course, Andy would not have tortured us, had he known we were alive. But in these 'Games,'" Buzz said, "the kids will not know that we're fully alive—they'll think we're being controlled."
"You think Sian can be trusted?" Hamm asked.
"We've got to believe him," Buzz said. "Otherwise, some of these kids might think it humorous to torture us."
"Oh come on, no one tortures anything maller than themselves," Rex said. "Right?"
"Lotso was bigger than a great many of the toys left in the caterpillar room," Chuckles the clown said.
"I don't believe kids are capable of torture," Totoro said.
"You never met Sid," Woody said.
"But Sid actually stopped torturing toys once he knew they were alive," Buzz said.
"That's because he went psycho," Woody said.
"You never told us about Sid before," Mr. Pricklepants adi.
"That's because he was long before we met you guys," Woody said. "Never had a reason to mention him before."
"The point is," Buzz said, "that we must meet these kids on terms other than we do with Bonnie. We must be ourselves. Our livelyk, active selves, that is."
"This is just so weird," Fluttershy said.
"Don' worry; I'll keep you company," Buttercup said.
"That's sweet," said Fluttershy.
"Except that the kids you two will be partnered with will be opponents in these 'Games,'" Buzz said.
"Speaking of which, I wonder how these 'Games' work," Slinky said. "Is it like a giant chessboard? Or will all kids have battleships, and we'll be fighting on the sea?"
"I'm not sure we would be here to protect the kids if we're on the sea," Dolly remarked.
"Wait, we're supposed to protect our human partners? But I can't defend anything!" Fluttershy wailed.
"What if one of us keeps out kid close to your kid, making them promise not to harm your kid and to protect him or her if they get attacked?" Buzz said.
"That would be nice," Fluttershy said.
"We could even take turns," Buzz suggested. "And none of the partners we have will attack Fluttershy's kid. All who agree say, 'Aye.'"
All of Bonnie's toys said "Aye!", except Bullseye, who nodded vigorously.
Just then, Sian returned via a tube. The tube quickly vanished. "I have great news. The other toys will arrive shortly."
"What about us?" Mr. Potatoe Head said, indicating himself and his wife.
"Hoopla will allow you two to serve as a unit."
"Hooray!" Mrs. Potato Head said, hugghing her husband.
"Here come the newcomers now," Sian said.
Two new toys appeared. They were also from Sunnyside Day Care, Emperor Zurg and Hiccup the elephant, who had sneezed feathers when those of Bonnie's toys that had belonged to Andy first arrive.
"Hmm, there should be two more," Sian said. "Oh, there they are."
Another flash of light brought tt a couple of other toys. One was a n orange crab that had a heart-shaped tag with the letters TY on it. The other was a weaird thing with a long neck and a head with little green knobs where its ears should be. It reminded Woody of a Coca Cola bottle. Except that it was humanoid in appearance, . The long neck made it seem more like a human giraffe, though. It had a green tuft of hair atop its head and a large oval nose, which was red but showed paint marks with some flecks of green beneath.
"Jibber," the creature with the long neck said.
"I've heard of these things," Buzz said. "It's called a Jibber-Jabber."
"Jibber," the thing repeated.
Woody scooted fart away from him.
"Now that we are all gathered here," Sian said, "I will make the full announcement. Everyone, welcome to the Hunge Games. I'm sure the one who were here for the first announcements will orientate the others. I want you all to give it everything you've got. This will be the most highly anticipated Hunger Games in history, we expect. Even higher than last years, which was a Third Quarter Quell, meaning there were forty-eight participants.
"Technically, there are forty-eight participants this year too. But twenty-four of them are toys. Oops, twenty-five, since the Potato Heads are going as one unti.
"Only one kid and toy is allowed to win. I want this to be very clear. If it comes down to the last two kids and toys, and you toys are best friends, you must take out your best friend. Give it all you've got."
"But you said we're not here to attack each other," Slinky said.
"You don't have to, but since you are defending a kid and the kid who you are defending him against also has a toy defending him, you will probably come in a fair deal. But here's the ticket—if you are one of the last two toys standing, you are obligated to fight. You have no choice in the matter."
"This sounds frightful," Trixie said. She didn't know what to do if she were obligated to fight Rex. It was one thing when they were opponents in a video game, but here it would be different.
"And if we refuse to fight our friends?" Jessie said.
"You will fight, if you want to win. But more importantly, you will fight if you want to stay alive."
"Are you threatening us, mister?" Jessie asked.
The octopus smiled broadly. "Me? Threaten? No, it's not I you have to worry about, but President Snow."
"Who is President Snow?" Woody asked.
"Someone you do not want to screw over," Sian said. "See you uys at the banquet." He waved at them and started up the machine he sat upon again.
"Wait, where are you going?" Dolly demanded to know.
"I am going to let you guys enjoy one final tete a tete before you becomes enemies who were once friends," Sian said. A tube appeared around him and a moment later, he was gone.
"I'm going to go knock the stuffing out of him," Stretch said. She climbed the machine and pressed a button. Nothing happened. She pressed another button. Still nothing. Then she put all her tentacles on different button and pressed them. A whistling tune rose in the air for a moment, then died away. Stretch punched buttons rapidly, angrily…but nothing more happened then another tune or two.
"Let me try," Slinky said. "He stepped back and leaped forward, hitting a button at the same time Stretch punched another button. The machine made a groaning noise then sent Stretch and Slinky spiraling into the air as it exploded.
"Guess that guy won't be coming back," Sparks said, examining the remains of the machine.
"Since we are not familiar with futrusitic technology," Buzz said, "let's assume that he will come back and prepare for the banquet."
"You don'/t want to give in to his demands, do you?" Woody asked.
"Of course not. But all we can do right now is made ourselves tidy presentable for the kids we will be working with. Just think of it as another adventure, and wew'll pull through."
"Right," Woody said, nodding.
The Emperor Zurg and the Jibber-Jabber went over to the toys from Sunnyside Day Care to find out what was going on. The orange crab and Hiccup the elephant approached Bonnie's toys.
"I'm Digger," the orange crab said. "I'm a Beanie Baby."
"Andy had a few of those for a little while," Jessie said."Till they got put in a yard sale."
"I've been passed through eBay a lot," Digger said. "It's not much fun to be mailed over and over."
I know the feeling," Jessie said.
"What's the setup for this contest?" the elephant asked. "I kknow tat octopus said something about killing each other, but did he say we'll be working with kids, too?"
"That's right," said Buttercup. "We will have kid partners."
"But isn't that against the Toy Code?"
"They will think we're being controlled."
"Oh. I'm not sure I like it, either way." The elephant then sneezed.
"We don't either," Mr. Pricklepants adi. "But we'll make the best of it."