AUTHOR'S NOTES: The victor of this year's game is a very prominent player as well as being the third member of the 2nd "trilogy trio" similar to how Aveline is such for Amy and Korra. A couple of tributes here are also shoutouts to one of my other fanfics, but otherwise, a name's just a name, so don't dwell on it too hard. Like the others in this decade, I plan to eventually do a full-length story of this one, but it's likely still far off.
Either way, Happy Reading!
The 96th Annual Hunger Games
Similar to the first "Golden Age" of the Hunger Games, the current decade continued to shape itself up into being something very similar. Even the victors themselves seemed to be much wilder and crazier than the usual tributes that crawled out of the arena alive, and so perhaps the Gamemakers were onto something with this project of theirs. Naturally, they aimed to make the 96th Annual Hunger Games live up to the same hype that the last ones did, and keep their reputation as Panem's finest Gamemakers in history standing strong.
The wildcard this year, as with nearly every other year, was the tributes that came into the games. They could always count on District 1 and District 2 to produce volunteers. District 3 was always interesting because while there were minimal vibes of loyalty to the Capitol from them, they still often produces volunteers. District 4 was similar, although volunteered slightly less often. This year they didn't have any volunteers, although District 3 joined the ranks of the career tributes that did. Roku Shenhua and Zenzi Montoya were curious cases. Both were curt and appeared rather shy, but were volunteers nonetheless.
Their audacity ended up attracting the interest of District 1's Reuben and Nikita, and in turn, Harrison and Beverly from District 2 also had their eyes on them.
In the training center, however, they stuck to themselves, proving to be proficient with traps and electronics like most children from their district were, but also showing themselves to be incredibly deft swordmasters. There was undoubtedly a mystery behind these two characters, and why they volunteered for the games, but they wouldn't speak of it to anyone.
Incidentally, a tribute managed to get it out of them. Serena Kavanagh from District 6 somehow convinced her partner Shishio Meraxa to go up and ask them. A very mellow boy by nature, as well as the spitting image of his grandfather, victor Dezna Meraxa from the 45th games, Shishio had very little shame or concern for what he did, and so he approached the District 3 pair without fear.
Surprisingly, they explained that it was more or less just a thrill trip. Shishio wasn't entirely sure if the story was true or not, but he didn't pry any further. Roku and Zenzi didn't exactly look like thrill-seekers, but maybe it was none of Shishio's business.
Serena and Shishio managed to score moderately in their private sessions, with the boy scoring an 8 and the girl taking a 7. They were outdone by Milan and Iona from District 11, who took a 9 and a 10 respectively. Even little Kinalune Kovach from District 12 managed to score a 9, but it was the career tributes that everyone wanted to watch out for. They all took 10s and 11s, which were formidable scores in their own right, but seeing Roku and Zenzi both score 12s made the other tributes uneasy, although some were also slightly relieved to know that they had not joined the career pack. Of course, none of this would matter until they reached the arena.
No one was really sure what to make of this year's layout. They were in a small clearing surrounding the golden cornucopia in a semicircle as they had been for the last 95 years, although they were surrounded by patchy mountains that looked to be fairly hollow. The hostile terrain around them didn't hint at anything useful being above the mountains, and so perhaps they were hollowed out. As the countdown began, the pair from District 6 scanned the area for knives. Weapons seemed abundant as they almost always were, although there didn't appear to be much else this time. They and a few of the others looked worried, however, because they knew that if the District 3 pair got their hands on any type of swords, that it would in fact be a bloodbath. Sure enough, after the gong rang, it only took about 14 seconds for Zenzi to grab a sword, toss it to Roku, and seize another one for herself. Roku took out the boy from District 4 in a single swing, and the carnage had begun.
By the time the dust had settled, nine tributes had lost their lives, mostly down district lines. District 12's boy didn't make it out of there, and neither did any of the tributes from Districts 4, 7, 9, or 10. The career pack retreated surprisingly early, and disappeared into one of the mountains. Roku and Zenzi were the last ones to leave the cornucopia, and no one wanted to stick around and find themselves at the end of their blades.
Like most of the other surviving tributes, Serena and Shishio wanted to explore the arena and find out what was in these mountains or caves. The exterior of these hollowed-out mountains just seemed to be bland, colorless rock that emulated the harsh surface terrain, and so that meant it was time to step into one of the many holes in the mountain and see what they held in the depths.
There was not much to see for a while; just trekking through the mazelike tunnels, some of which led them in circles. There were gaping holes in the mountain and sometimes large chambers, and so patches of the sky above them were visible. Glowing veins of some unnatural substance lined the walls and lit the place up to a degree, and so tributes were not just groping in the dark here.
Both of them were rather surprised, however, when they came across a massive hollow chamber, where a shimmering old temple rose from the ground. Here they found a great deal of resources, as well as plenty of mechanical supplies, some of which were still in working condition. They kind of decided to make this their base of operations for a while, figuring that they would be away from the danger and violence of the other tributes, and most importantly, away from Roku and Zenzi.
This proved to be a fairly viable strategy. While the "temple" wasn't exactly clear of mutts or monsters, these were mostly small creatures that were easily dispatched by the knife-wielding mechanics from District 6, who spent the rest of the evening scavenging for materials. Two more cannons rang out on day 2, but Shishio and Serena remained hidden as they uncovered old machinery that they could attempt to salvage into something working. If they could get a mechanical weapon going, that would be quite the memorable feat.
The other tributes found a few old buildings, and some even had machines in them, but none were as grand as the temple that the District 6 pair had encountered. Similarly, they were not as lucky. The pair from District 5 got their camp raided by the careers on day 4, and the two tributes split up. The boy ended up escaping the careers, but died before his partner at the hands of Kinalune, who disappeared as swiftly as she had shown up, not even checking the body for any supplies. The girl lasted a few moments longer, but eventually Reuben caught up to her and with a swing of his axe he took her down.
Day 7 rolled on in and the remaining tributes were wary. None of them knew where Roku and Zenzi were or what they had been doing this whole time. While their behavior and inclination towards combat was enough to throw some tributes off, others remembered that being from District 3, they also still likely possessed proficient mechanical and electrical skills, and so any time a tribute forged new frontiers, they did so with caution, not sure where the menacing District 3 pair were.
It turned out that they were on the prowl—and their targets today were the careers. Roku took the offensive while Zenzi jumped in and came after them in hot pursuit. Nikita was her first victim, the lacerations caused by Zenzi's blades being too much for her to recover from. The other three, who were caught off guard didn't have a chance to grab their main weapons, and with Roku and Zenzi on the offensive, they didn't really have time to go and recover them. The pair from District 2 fled, while Reuben pulled out his axe in an attempt to stop Zenzi in her tracks. This endeavor failed, and he was her next victim. By the time she got back to the careers' old camp, Roku had helped pick it clean, and the two tributes high-fived and moved on.
The weakened state of the career pack ended up costing Beverly her life the following day. She retreated to a different part of the tunnel complex, finding a watery area with blue veins of light, and with water pure enough to drink straight from the source. She decided to bathe to distress, removing her shoes but otherwise hopping in fully dressed. Iona caught her off guard and killed her; and Harrison, who had been separated from her after the attack by District 3, didn't even learn of it until that evening. Iona met back up with Milan, and they went to go find the pair from District 6.
Along the way they ran into Kinalune, and the three decided that they should form an alliance, which would in turn make them a stronger force than even the District 3 alliance. The career pack was in shambles, and none of them assumed Harrison would be much of a threat on his own.
It took a while of searching, but the watery caves were not far from the temple that Shishio and Serena had found, but when the trio from District 11 and District 12 found them, they were in for a surprise, which also explained what the two had been doing for the last week or so.
The pair had constructed (or perhaps refurbished) a small working tank. It didn't exactly provide much protection (it being only about the size of a small go-kart at most) but the cannon at the front worked, with Serena "demonstrating" it on Milan. He did not get up from the blast. She kept the focus on her as she aimed the cannon at the others, who tried to get out of her line of fire, but that's where Shishio came in. While Serena manned the tank, Shishio knifed Kinalune, and immediately Iona realized the scope of her mistake. She fled back into the darkness, while the District 6 pair high-fived each other for a performance well done.
The next couple of days were troublesome for them, since the attacks of small mutts grew more frequent, and they took it as a sign for them to vacate the temple and go on the prowl. Incidentally, they managed to move their small tank through the caves and parked it near the watering holes that Beverly had died in a few days earlier. They wondered who would come for them next.
Harrison was their next victim. This time Shishio was the distraction as Serena kicked the tank into motion. She fired a few rounds at the boy, and while Shishio took a strike to his arm, Harrison got a makeshift tank round to his face, which killed him. That only left Kinalune and District 3, which meant that the little District 6 pair had their work cut out for them.
Kinalune's cannon went off on Day 13, which meant Roku and Zenzi had found her. It also meant that now they'd be coming for Serena and Shishio, and so the two of them started fortifying their camp and placing their tank at a strategic vantage point with the hopes of catching the menaces off-guard.
It was late that same evening when Roku and Zenzi finally set upon the District 6 alliance. Shishio attempted his distraction technique while Serena fired shots at them, but while Shishio was surprisingly swifter than the lightning-fast swordmasters from District 3, they knew that the boy would have trouble landing hits on them, and so turned their attention to Serena, using a pincer attack to take her down followed by a finishing blow from Zenzi. Contrary to their belief, Shishio got a few good wounds on them that caused them to fall back. They were of little use without their sword arms, and Shishio was too protective of the mortally wounded Serena (as well as their tank) to pursue them just yet. The next morning, however, there would be vengeance. He laid his partner to rest, taking one last look at the face in the sky before going to sleep. He was going to be up bright and early the next morning.
His timing was either lucky or a fluke. Hardly a few minutes after he had armed and activated the tank, the District 3 pair returned, their arms bound up to curb the wounds Shishio had given them, but their blades at the ready. Shishio was not too maneuverable with the tank, but he fired off makeshift rounds at a rapid pace, no longer caring about how many he wasted, the way he and Serena had originally. He knew that this was the final showdown and wasn't about to let shots go unused. Eventually he landed hit on Zenzi, and shot her again just to make sure she died. The next shot that rang out was from the Gamemakers' cannons instead of his tank. Zenzi was dead. Roku, however, used this moment to attack the tank, nearly gouging Shishio's face out with his swings. He sprung up, abandoning the vehicle, and drew out his daggers. The tables turned on him in a surprise twist, as Roku manned the tank and figured out in a matter of seconds how to operate it. He looked genuinely impressed, but not to the point where he stopped to marvel at it. Shishio knew he could outspeed his own machine though, and so he zigzagged towards Roku with his knives drawn, and a split-second later one of them was lodged in his throat. The boy choked and spattered on his own blood for a moment before dying in the makeshift cockpit of the vehicle the pair from District 6 had built. The games had ended. Shishio became the 7th victor from District 6, and the 96th victor of the Hunger Games.
He followed in his grandfather's footsteps in regards to what he did afterwards. He became a proficient dealer in the District 6 drug trade, although also maintained the Meraxa legacy, being remembered for building (with some help from his partner of course) a fully-functional vehicle in a Hunger Games. His grandfather's fully-functional automatic crossbow during his games had been impressive, but Shishio's tank was even more so. The boy was a natural, and also turned out to be a talented pilot a few years later. He planned to use that skill someday—and someday, it would be put to very good use…
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)
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)
96HG: Shishio Meraxa (#7, District 6)