AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is arguably the craziest chapter in the entire series, but frankly, it's also one that I've been looking forward to since the beginning. This story is based on a wild but full-length dream I had where I was in the Hunger Games, and thus most elements, from the tributes to the arena to the weapons and supplies, are based on (an admittedly toned-down version of) the dream. I saw it all the way to the end before being woken up for work, and I remembered it long enough to write it down years later. Thus, what became the 89th Hunger Games was born.
Happy Reading!
The 89th Annual Hunger Games
After nearly 9 decades of games to look back on and learn from, the Capitol did still manage to sometimes throw a wrench into their own system and come up with something so outright wild that it got remembered for one reason or another. Sometimes it was things the tributes did, other times it was the arena or monsters in said arena, and sometimes it was a combination of both.
The 89th Annual Hunger Games was one of those that combined all of the above and then some. From the crazy tributes: including the powerful career pack that all scored 11s and 12s, to the somewhat feral tributes from the outer districts whose scores this year were nearly as high as the careers, it was clear that there were wily tributes all around that would need to use their smarts and strengths to best each other and avoid the hazards of the arena.
With names like Krash and Lisa, it was hardly a wonder that the pair from District 1 were powerful; and while their names were not quite as striking, Samson and Minami from District 2 affirmed that they would not be outdone. Meanwhile on the other side of the spectrum, District 11 had produced the high-scoring Savash Crossley and Kozue Sowa. All of them, however, were wary of Varsha Kerezaki, a tall, swift girl from District 5 who appeared to be trained in a similar style of martial arts that elite Peacekeepers were trained in. No one doubted her training, considering that she was a grandchild of Fukaya, the first victor from District 5 and the first person to ever win a Hunger Games at all.
The arena was interesting as well, since there was not much of a cornucopia clearing. They were surrounded by pine forests thick enough to coat the floor in needles, although even from their pedestals they could hear a river.
11 tributes died in the bloodbath that day, including the tributes from Districts 9, 10, and surprisingly, even District 3 and District 4. Also among the fatalities were the boys from Districts 5 and 8, and the girl from District 6. Varsha disappeared into the woods alone, while Samson, Minami, Krash, and Lisa all teamed up and camped at the cornucopia for a while, reveling in the weapons, food, and supplies that were amply available this year.
Savash had no idea where his partner had gone, or where the elusive District 12 pair that had survived the bloodbath had gone either, but he found himself a nice safe place in the forest and camped out there for a couple days, managing to avoid the careers' line of sight, as well as any other real contact with other tributes.
The girl from District 12 died on the 2nd day late in the afternoon, and the boy from District 7 followed later on the 5th morning. The 6th evening saw the death of the District 12 girl, leaving 10 tributes alive at this point. Savash was pretty optimistic. If he won, he wouldn't be the only victor that spent most of the games hiding before ascending to victory, and so perhaps he had a chance.
His chances suddenly turned bleak as the career pack closed in around him. Savash abandoned his camp and raced through the trees with the pack right on his tail. He was surprised as he suddenly came across a massive lake in front of him. Even more surprising was a collection of 5 or 6 water scooters lined up near the coast. He boarded one and took off into the lake, only for the careers to follow right behind him. he zigzagged through the water as the careers continued their high-speed chase, all five of them wondering where the other side of the lake was. However, suddenly things got really ugly as Savash's watercraft entered a minefield. His zigzagging grew more intense as he tried to avoid the bombs.
Krash was not so lucky though. His jetski hit a mine, sending a monumentous explosion of water upwards, forcing Savash one way, and the careers behind him another way. Savash flipped over multiple times, and blacked out.
When he woke up, he found himself on a tropical island underneath a large shady palm tree. Next to him were piles of pineapples, coconuts, and a serene beach scene with white sand, cerulean waters, and oddly enough, a girl dressed in black and dark grey much like he was, only barefooted. He realized he too had lost his shoes somewhere. The real shocker was that he recognized this girl, and she recognized him. It was Kozue.
"Where are we?" he asked her.
"89th Hunger Games arena," Kozue shrugged, "want a piña colada?"
Sure enough, Kozue had coconuts full of yellowish juice which tasted delicious to Savash's parched lips. "So how long have I been here?"
"About two days or so; you washed ashore and so I dragged you in. Did you kill that District 1 guy?"
"I think he hit one of the mines. Still… do you think we should get back to the games?"
"I'd say so; they'll come looking for us if we're not careful."
"One more night here sounds good to me." And so, Savash and Kozue spent another night on the tropical island in the Hunger Games arena. The next morning, Kozue showed him a way back to the arena by wading through shallow waters. They decided to stock up on weapons at the cornucopia, and were surprised to find it unoccupied. Kozue picked up a bow as well as a pistol of all things. Naturally, both tributes were skeptical, until Kozue learned that it only had one shot. She'd have to remember that for later. It was extremely rare for guns to appear in the Hunger Games, and usually they were never loaded added much ammunition, such as in this case.
Savash discovered a powerful crossbow reminiscent of the working weapon that a victor named Sagittaria Svenja had built during the 44th games, and a harpoon. Satisfied with their pickings, the two tributes set out to find the careers. Instead, they ran into four different tributes: the boy from '6, the girl from '7, the girl from '8, and Lisa from District 1. While Kozue managed to pick off the former two, Savash made a bold move. Instead of loading a standard bolt into the crossbow, he lodged his harpoon into it before firing at the two remaining girls. It skewered Lisa, going through her abdomen and mortally wounding the District 8 girl behind her, and killing them both. Now, only 5 tributes remained: Them, Samson, Minami, and Varsha. Savash figured the games would end soon.
The next evening, a storm kicked in, and the District 11 pair wandered through the woods until they came across a clearing where they saw the most extraordinary sight. Armed with light blasters of some sort were Minami and Samson, and they were shooting at Varsha, who was dodging their attacks with speed and finesse. Moreover, one of the weapons she was armed with appeared to be shooting fireballs at her assailants.
"These weapons keep getting weirder and weirder, don't they?" Kozue whispered as the pair hid in the bushes and watched the fight go down.
"I'll say," Savash agreed, before they remained quiet and watched the show. It was a dazzling display of flames and lights, and neither one seemed able to hit the other because of how fast the three tributes were. It took several minutes before this changed. Varsha triggered the other weapon she was carrying, and this one launched an array of electricity at Minami, catching her off guard and killing her. a cannon fired, and Samson froze. Varsha glanced right towards the bushes where the District 11 pair were, and Kozue seized her chance. Drawing her bow, she shot an arrow right between Varsha's eyes, killing the powerful girl in one fell strike. However, right as she shot him, Samson had fired the blaster at Savash, knocking him back, gravely injuring him.
Kozue wasted no time in backing up her friend. Whipping out that pistol that she assumed had only one shot, she pointed it at Samson and fired, immediately killing him. She knew the games were over at this point, but held Savash till the very end.
"Did we do it?" he wheezed.
"We did…" Kozue whispered in response.
"We won…" Savash smiled, proud that a District 11 tribute could claim the victor's crown again. Slowly, Savash's eyes closed for the last time, and the games were over. Kozue was the 8th victor from District 11, and the 89th victor of the games overall.
The games had been so wild and whimsical that Kozue was not even sure what was real. With piña coladas, water scooters, minefields, harpoons and crossbows, firebolts, blasters, and electricity, she was not sure how many of these crazy props and weapons were actually real and which ones were a figment of her imagination. However, people treated her as a victor, and so she lived as a victor—always wild and unafraid to try new crazy things whenever they came her way. Sometimes, crazy was the only real therapy for a game as wild and crazy as Kozue's year, after all…
VICTORS BY YEAR:
1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)