Pregame

**Pregame** is the prologue of The Captain's Contest, mainly serving to introduce the fourteen characters. It started on 8th of June 2020 and ended on July 22.

## Synopsis

This chapter revolves around the characters arriving at their meeting place on the Mainland, as they introduce each other in their Inner Thoughts. Once they have all arrived, the two ships arrive at the Mainland. A box flies out of the Starboard ship containing coloured tickets with everyone's name on them, assigning them their teams. Once everyone is on board, the ships depart at high speed.

## Pages

### Pregame 01

Blueberry and Macaron are being driven in a taxi to the meeting place. When Macaron asks what this vehicle is, Blueberry says it is called a car, to which Macaron responds with astonishment. On the way, Blueberry brings up that he won't be able to guide Macaron during this game, to Macaron's surprise.

In her confessional, Macaron introduces herself as someone who doesn't know a lot of things, but finds learning exciting. She adds that she thinks games are fun, and her brother knows a lot about games.

### Pregame 02

Continuing the conversation from the previous page, Blueberry explains that for his game plan, nobody is allowed to know that he and Macaron are siblings. He warns her that people will want the two eliminated if they are found out to be eliminated, and urges her not to interact with him in front of others. He reassures her that he has confidence in her and loves her. In the final panel, Pyramid makes a cameo walking behind the trees, and the roof of Ointment's car can be seen as well.

In his confessional, Blueberry introduces himself, stating that although most blueberries are actually indigo or purple, Blueberry is really blue (not on the inside though). He also states that he's been a big fan of social competitions for a long time, and likens it to betting on horses.

### Pregame 03

Entering from the forest, Yarny is the first to arrive at the meeting place. While he waits, he pulls a needle out of his body and leans on it.

In the distance, Charcoal is rowing a boat to the destination, complaining that he still hasn't arrived after an hour. He looks through his hands like binoculars and sees the Mainland, shortly stepping foot on the land. He is surprised to see that Yarny is already there, and is upset that he wasn't the first to arrive.

In his confessional, Charcoal makes an alliterative introduction, referring to himself as charming, a champion, and a powerhouse that shouldn't be reckoned with, initially letting the reader call him whatever they want along the lines of "bully" and "mean character", before changing his mind and asking to just be called Charcoal instead.

### Pregame 04

Continuing from the previous page, Charcoal threatens a confused Yarny, saying that nobody is faster than he is. Yarny calmly pacifies Charcoal by introducing himself and asking Charcoal's name. Charcoal threatens him further by poking Yarny's body, but then comments on how soft he is.

In his confessional, Yarny introduces himself as a chill, funny and average guy, showing hope that he will be the one to win if things go well. He says that he tries to be reliable, but hates getting into drama, although he is still good at resolving bad situations, calling himself a "master of cowardice."

### Pregame 05

A split-screen page showing all fourteen contestants' current locations with a single caption in the middle: "One by one, the contestants are arriving..."

* Sweetie appears to be sitting back in his limousine.
* Rosey is seen in the forest, only visible from the waist-up.
* Pyramid crawls on the ground, dizzy and salivating.
* Sunflower walks on the forest path whilst carrying Zircon.
* Shuriken climbs on a tree.
* Droidy happily floats in the sky.
* Dynamite walks on a path, her arms crossed.
* Yarny stands at the meeting point, his bottom half cut off by the panel border.
* Macaron and Blueberry sit in the taxi seats smiling, although the siblings are separated into two panels.
* Ointment drives her car, with Otya sitting in the passenger seat.
* Charcoal has his arms crossed and smirks.

There is no confessional for this page.

### Pregame 06

Ointment and Otya sit in the van in silence. Otya tries to initiate a conversation, before being silenced by Ointment.

While in the trees, Shuriken hears a whirring noise, and thinks the noise is coming from an aircraft. He climbs to the top of the trees, inviting said aircraft to a race, before disappearing back into the leaves. The aircraft turns out to be Droidy, who is confused as to whom the voice came from. He attempts to use echolocation to find them, but the function doesn't work, making Droidy sad.

In her confessional, Ointment introduces herself as a doctor and masseuse. She states that she's been working as a doctor for a decade. However, she also adds that she doesn't intend to bring her duty of care into the game, stating that she will play "cold and undeterred."

### Pregame 07

Sunflower walks through the forest path with Zircon in her arms. She shows enthusiasm for the upcoming game, while Zircon appears to be unsure. Sunflower reassures her that although Zircon cannot walk or talk, Sunflower will serve as her surrogate. She continues to show enthusiasm, before Zircon bumps her in the elbow, reminding her that she's her only friend.

In her confessional, Zircon begins by stating that she's writing her confessionals down by hand to express her thoughts. She explains that she's been trapped in her necklace for as long as she can remember, but she's also been friends with Sunflower for the same amount of time, adding that the two are inseparable and are playing together.

### Pregame 08

Back at the mainland, Charcoal and Yarny wait together, when Ointment's car and the siblings' taxi arrive. Otya, Ointment, Macaron, and Blueberry exit their vehicles, and meet up with the other two. Charcoal gets mad at Yarny for being faster than two cars, followed by Shuriken landing at the meeting point from above, right in front of a startled Otya, making Charcoal even madder.

In her confessional, Otya worries that she doesn't want people to hate her. She introduces herself, listing her hobbies such as drawing, eating, and rapping. She also states that her tea can change temperature depending on her emotions, warning the reader not to drink it. She apologizes for her introduction not being good, as she finds English hard.

### Pregame 09

Dynamite impatiently walks along the path, complaining about how long the walk is taking. She states that she'll be complaining to management if she has to walk another k (referring to kilometres). She is interrupted when Sweetie's limousine speeds by her, covering her in dust particles. She yells at the limousine, muttering about them not caring to let her hitch a ride. Inside the limousine, Sweetie is nonchalantly drinking a can of Razz soft drink through a straw.

In her confessional, Dynamite introduces herself and complains about the quality of the confessional room. She calls herself the "grandma" of the group, and asks the reader not to make fun of her age.

### Pregame 10

The group at the mainland are sitting together as Shuriken goes on about the heroism (or lack thereof) of true ninja in Japanese history, which Otya comments on. He adds that despite the fact that ninja weren't really heroes, Shuriken doesn't mind calling himself one.

The conversation is interrupted when Sunflower and Zircon enter the scene. Blueberry approaches them, asking if they're both contestants. Sunflower replies with a very nervous introduction, as she starts blushing and hiding behind Zircon, who is waving. Ointment and Yarny count how many people are here and how many still need to arrive, to which Macaron reacts to maths negatively.

In her confessional, Sunflower introduces herself and says she'd like to call herself a very friendly person, but is unsure due to Zircon being her only friend. She states that playing in this game has been a big leap for her and Zircon, and that she is very nervous. Besides that, she is an optimist who likes to make others happy.

### Pregame 11

Dynamite continues walking, now exhausted. She is suddenly provoked when she sees Rosey sitting down, apparently in her way. She sprints towards her and tries to get her to move out of the way, to which Rosey responds that she needs to get to The Captain's Contest, much to Dynamite's surprise.

In her confessional, Rosey introduces herself by saying that she's always sad, followed by a long, brooding spiel about life before she gives up.

### Pregame 12

Sweetie's limo arrives and stops right in front of Otya, who screams before being interrupted by Ointment. Sweetie steps out of the car and poses, wowing Otya, Sunflower, Zircon and Macaron. Charcoal scowls in jealousy.

In his confessional, Sweetie introduces himself as a singer, dancer and actor, calling himself a "glamorous gent". He warns that just because he's well-known doesn't give the excuse to call him an "air-headed celebrity", as he adds that he is analytical, deceitful, and has strong legs.

### Pregame 13

Dynamite continues along the road, dragging Rosey by the leaf. Sweetie's limo speeds past the opposite direction, clouding the two in dust. Dynamite coughed on the dust and Rosey blinded by clouding in dust. When the dust clears, Dynamite and Rosey find themselves in front of the meeting point, where Yarny greets them. Dynamite is then about to introduce herself, when she is frightened by and points to Droidy in the sky, who then greets everybody.

In his confessional, Droidy introduces himself as a Surveillance Sphere model robot, and although he has over one hundred functions, none of them actually work. He states that if he wins the prize money, then he can afford the repairs needed to work again.

### Pregame 14

Droidy approaches the group, with Charcoal freaking out and Sweetie appearing surprised. Shuriken interjects, recognizing the whirring sound of Droidy's levitation, and asks if he was the aircraft from earlier. Droidy replies by saying he doesn't remember, and Shuriken struggles to visualize him.

Ointment approaches Blueberry, who appears to be incredibly shocked. She knocks him back to his senses with a smack to the back of the head, to which Blueberry tells her off for hitting him, as he is easily-bruised.

In his confessional, Shuriken introduces himself as a ninja that is still in training. He refers to himself as faithful and reliable, and has sworn to a moral code. He adds that he is blind, although he has great hearing, making a joke about it that he says his Master would hate.

### Pregame 15

Sweetie comments on the diversity of this cast, but asks if there isn't supposed to be fourteen people. Yarny replies by saying they need one more, and on cue, an exhausted Pyramid arrives, moaning about him needing water. Ointment walks up to him and tells him he can take a break, to which Pyramid jumps for joy and face-plants into the ground.

In his confessional, Pyramid appears to be asleep before waking up and introducing himself. He tells the reader that he doesn't want to give a full introduction as he finds the topic boring, teasing the reader.

### Pregame 16

The two boats arrive at the Mainland, making everyone stop what they're doing. A box flies out of the Starboard boat and lands in front of Otya. Inside, she finds a bunch of tickets with everyone's names on them. She finds her ticket and sees that she's assigned to Team Starboard. Charcoal declares that it's time for everyone to get their tickets.

Ointment makes a confessional where she states she was worried that the object flying out of the Starboard ship was something heavy, because she didn't want to be bothered putting Otya back together should that object land on her.

### Pregame 17

Charcoal pushes Otya aside and takes out a ticket that is written in Braille. Shuriken takes this ticket and reads it. The other contestants start passing out the tickets to other people as this happens. Macaron has trouble reading her ticket, which Sweetie reads for her. The page ends in a split-screen view of both of the teams separated.

In a confessional, Blueberry says that although he and Macaron are on different teams, this may be a good thing as the two run less risk of blowing their cover. He adds that he can handle himself, but worries that Macaron may not be able to do so.

### Pregame 18

Droidy flies into the Port ship, only to find that there no controls. While taking her first-aid kit from her car, Ointment says she hopes the boats aren't automated. Dynamite sees Rosey sitting next to a sleeping Pyramid, and asks if she's going to move, to which Rosey replies she can't as she relates to the dead-like Pyramid too much. Pyramid wakes up suddenly with a loud scream, then immediately reverts back to a cheerful state, stunning Rosey.

Sweetie expresses doubt in a confessional towards Ointment's notion that the boats may be automated, as such automation shouldn't be possible. But then he remembers about Droidy who is a robot, and comments that his realm of possibility being constantly shattered would just be something he'd have to deal with from this point on.

### Pregame 19

As all the contestants board the two ships, the engine on Team Starboard's ship begins to make noise. Blueberry worries that Ointment's notion that the boats are automated may be true, as he begins to appear nervous. Suddenly, Team Port's boat thrusts forward at high speed, destroying Charcoal's boat (which is only a rental, so it's fine). Blueberry appears to be bracing himself, as Ointment hopes this entire game isn't automated, before the Team Starboard ship begins to go high speed as well.

### Pregame 20 - The Rules

This page serves as a visualization on the rules of the game, featuring chalkboard-style doodles.