Lr stories part 1: Power royale

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End,

by logan repp, art by angel acosta
**Announcer 1:** "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and everyone in between! Welcome to the most anticipated, most electrifying, and most deadly event of the century—POWER ROYALE! We've got powers, we've got players, and we've got a billion-dollar prize that'll make your eyes pop out of your head!"

**Announcer 2:** "Indeed. But it's not just about the money, folks. It's about strategy, survival, and skill. Each of our contestants will wake up in a different part of this vast battleground, the size of Rhode Island, but trust me, it won't stay this big for long. As the area shrinks, so will their chances of survival. The only question is—who has what it takes to win?"

---

William Dangerfield awoke with a start, his body aching from lying on the cold, hard ground. He quickly took in his surroundings—a dense forest, with towering trees that blocked out much of the sunlight. His head spun as he tried to remember how he'd gotten here, but all he could recall was signing up for this insane competition. Then, nothing.

But none of that mattered now. What did matter was the billion dollars waiting at the end of this bloodbath.

He stretched his limbs, shaking off the grogginess, and noticed something odd. A small metallic glint caught his eye—a few feet away, a jagged piece of metal jutted out of the ground. On instinct, William reached out, and to his shock, the metal responded, lifting off the ground and hovering in the air before him.

"Well, well, looks like I hit the jackpot," William muttered to himself, a smirk forming on his lips. Metal manipulation. The possibilities were endless. He could already see himself lounging on a beach in Hawaii, sipping cocktails without a care in the world.

But first, he had to survive.

---

Angelo Vasquez woke up in a different part of the map, surrounded by rolling hills and sparse trees. The warm sun beat down on his back, but he hardly noticed. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what his power was. He had no memory of being told what it would be, just that it was random, like everyone else's.

His heart pounded as he glanced around, half-expecting someone to jump out and attack him. Then, without warning, his body began to shift and change, his skin rippling as fur sprouted along his arms, his bones realigning with a sickening crack. Within moments, he was no longer standing on two legs, but four—he had transformed into a sleek, powerful jaguar.

"Holy—" he thought, his feline senses flooding his mind with new information—the scent of prey, the rustling of leaves, the distant sound of water. He shifted back to human form, breathing heavily, his mind racing with the implications. This power could be his ticket to winning the money and saving his family's bakery.

But for now, he had to focus on surviving.

---

As William wandered through the forest, testing his powers by bending and shaping any metal he could find, he heard a rustle in the bushes. He quickly molded a nearby metal shard into a makeshift weapon, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he called out, his voice dripping with mockery.

From the bushes emerged a massive grizzly bear, its eyes locked on William with deadly intent. But as the bear charged, it began to shift and morph, shrinking in size until it was no longer a bear but a young man, barely out of his teens.

"Whoa there, metalhead," Angelo said, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I'm not looking for a fight."

William relaxed his stance slightly, but kept his weapon raised. "Could've fooled me with that entrance."

"Look, I know how this works," Angelo continued, his voice calm and steady. "We're all out for the money, but there's no reason we can't team up. At least for now."

William considered this for a moment. He didn't trust anyone in this game, but having someone to watch his back—especially someone who could turn into a bear—didn't seem like a bad idea.

"Alright, kid," William said, lowering his weapon but not completely letting his guard down. "We'll stick together. But the second you turn on me, I'll turn you into a metal pincushion."

Angelo grinned. "Deal. Let's survive first, then we'll see who comes out on top."

The unlikely pair set off together, each wary of the other but knowing that in a game like this, alliances could mean the difference between life and death.

**Announcer 1:** "Well, well, well! It looks like we've got our first alliance, folks! Will it last? Or will one of them betray the other before the end?"

**Announcer 2:** "It's a smart move, especially in the early stages. But as the map shrinks, and the stakes get higher, we'll see just how far their partnership will go."

As the sun began to set over the battleground, the two contestants walked side by side, each lost in their own thoughts. The game had only just begun, but the clock was ticking, and the world around them was about to get a whole lot smaller.