Pre-Game: Setting the Table

The same shtick, the same schedule every single day.

“All pointless”, he would think to himself. “All of it, pointless.”

School? Pointless.

Work? Pointless.

Hobbies? Pointless.

And the days go on and on, seemingly directionless, perfectly average, numbingly mundane.

C'est la vie, as the French say. Such is life.

But what happens when he's given an opportunity he cannot afford to pass up

●

The bell rang at 3:30; another school day has come and gone. As with every other day, Takeshi Ishida, a very average second-year high school student, headed off on his own path, away from the other students. In his hands was the results from his annual admissions test. Another perfectly average score, but nothing to write home about, and certainly nothing to impress colleges. He only has one more chance to excel at this test, the key to his future. However, that chance is a whole other year away.

But Takeshi Ishida has already given up. Deep down, he believes he does not have what it takes to achieve it. His whole life up to now has been perfectly unexceptional. Who wants a person like that working for them? Who wants to marry someone so… painfully average

After a while, he made it to the city park. Same time, same destination, every day. By this time, a light mist had filled the area. Takeshi didn't mind, however; he much preferred to keep to himself. Here, he would be alone with just his thoughts. He would try to tackle those thoughts, but generally to no avail.

This day, however, was a much different story. He took his test papers, tore them to shreds, and tossed them into the wind.

And he said to himself, “There must be something out there that I can be the best at…”

After some time to himself, Takeshi fell asleep in the rain. However much time passed after that, he didn't know, but he was startled by the voice of a man.

“You seem bored, Mr. Ishida."

Takeshi didn't know what to say after that. Here was this man looming, towering over him, dressed like a politician, with thick black sunglasses.

Eventually, he managed to muster a response. “How do you know my name?”

“That's not important, Mr. Ishida.” The man's expression was blank, neither a smile nor a frown, and that bothered Takeshi a little. “Would you like to play a game?”

“A game?” Takeshi was confused. He doesn't know this man, but this man sure seems to know him, and he's now asking to play a game with him. “What kind of game?”

“Well, not just any game, Mr. Ishida.” The man's voice was as flat and neutral as his face. “The Game.”

“The Game?” Takeshi asked again, “What kind of game is that?” Takeshi stood up to make eye contact with the man. “And why are you asking me to play? I don't know you. I don't even know your name!”

“My name is Mr. Set.” The man's neutral tone would not waver. He did, however, have the courtesy to offer a handshake. “Pleased to meet you.”

Takeshi accepted the handshake without hesitation, then asked, “What would happen if I were to win? Are you one of those YouTubers who go around offering money to strangers if they complete one of your challenges?”

“Money. Power. Fame. Whatever your heart desires, Mr. Ishida,” Mr. Set answered blankly. “All you have to do is win The Game.”

Mr. Set's words had begun to sway Takeshi, but he was not yet fully convinced.

“And what if I refuse to play your game? What if I don't want to play?”

“Then you just go back to your perfectly normal, perfectly average, perfectly boring life,” Mr. Set answered. “But what kind of life awaits Takeshi Ishida back home?”

Takeshi was struggling to find the words at this point. Could he really accept this bargain? Could he really play a game he doesn't know anything about? This man, Mr. Set, was staring right into and through his soul.

Mr. Set pushed further. “Have we got a deal, Mr. Ishida?”

Takeshi struggled to find his answer. The offer seemed too good to be true: Win a game, and have the opportunity to change his life forever. But he's never met this man before; he cannot see the man's eyes through his glasses. He cannot determine if he's being tricked or not. But the promise of fame and fortune was simply too alluring to just blankly ignore. If it means he can actually achieve something in his life, Takeshi already decided it was worth the risk.

“Alright, Mr. Set,” Takeshi finally answered. “I'll play your game.”

Upon receiving Takeshi's answer, Mr. Set's blank expression quickly turned into a slight grin. He snapped his fingers, and then...

…nothing.

●

The next time Takeshi opened his eyes, he found himself in what appeared to be an endless abyss. No… no, it couldn't be. His feet were perfectly planted on the floor. Or… at least he hoped it was the floor. He began walking, figuring maybe he could find some way to determine where he was and which way he was walking. Unfortunately, he had no sense of time, direction, or distance to help him. Wherever he was, if he was even anywhere, it was completely pitch black.

Eventually, his ears began to pick up a faint tick-tick-tick, which he immediately recognized as the ticking of a clock. He wondered whether he should go towards the sound or try to get as far away from it as possible.

But before he could answer his own question, a loud voice called out, “Good morning, Takeshi Ishida!”

Startled and thrown to the floor by the sudden presence of the voice, Takeshi asked, “What is this place?”

“You signed on to play The Game,” the voice called out. “This is the Hubworld; this is where The Game begins. Welcome, new player!”

“The Game?” Takeshi couldn't remember agreeing to play any game. “What's The Game?”

“I’m glad you asked!” the voice immediately answered. “The Game is a massively multiplayer role playing game where players battle it out for survival on a distant world, and the last player standing wins the opportunity to achieve their deepest desire. The Game is currently being played by one million, seven hundred and seventy-two thousand, five hundred and sixty-one players.”

Takeshi sheepishly glanced to his right. Right there on his wrist was a watch-like device. “That's never been there before…”

“That is your Life Counter. At any time during The Game, you can tap the screen to view your remaining Lives.”

Takeshi did so, revealing a single number generated by the display: Four. “So I have four Lives. What happens when I hit zero?”

“When your Life hits 0, you lose The Game, and you will be returned to your pitiful, miserable existence, as you like to call it.”

Slowly, Takeshi began to recall his earlier encounter with Mr. Set.

“So what's the rules to this Game of yours?” Takeshi then asked. “Do I have to pick a class and stuff like in those games I see people playing on the train?”

“No need to choose a class,” the voice answered.

Suddenly, the room filled with an intense light.

“Just choose a location to begin The Game.”

Once Takeshi opened his eyes, what was once a seemingly endless void turned out to be a giant sphere filled with a map of the game's entire world. Each new location he saw filled him with even more confusion than the one before.

“You still haven't mentioned any rules,” Takeshi protested. “How am I supposed to play without learning the rules?”

The voice took on a stern tone. “There is only one rule to The Game, and that is to win at any cost. Now, choose your location.”

There were simply too many locations on the map for Takeshi to study all at once. Something, however, nudged him in a particular direction. Towards the sea. Perhaps it was a distant memory calling out to him.

Finally, he stopped on a beach square. “I choose this location!”

“Curious,” the voice answered. “Normally, everyone chooses a square closer to civilization. Are you sure you want to choose that location? You can always choose another.”

Takeshi thought about his decision for a while. Why… why did he choose this place? And why so confidently? He had not shown this kind of resolve in years. Something seemed attractive about this place, but Takeshi was not sure what exactly that was. Regardless, he was sure of it.

“Yes,” was all he could answer. And in an instant, there was nothing again.