Had the circumstances surrounding his family been different at that particular time, Zhan Ze Ken would never have endeavoured to participate in such a ridiculous scheme. The propaganda that enshrouded the nature of S.C.E.N.A.R.I.O was enough alone to render him as a reluctant auditionee for the cause, despite the aspect of his grandmother's dwindling health looming over his shoulder like a ominous thundercloud. This method of obtaining a reasonable sum of money was a lot swifter than entering a tournament, and as the eldest son, Zhan understood that it was his responsibility to help his family acquire the fee to pay for the remedy that was necessary for the elderly woman's recovery. Therefore, as he stood at the starting line of the track, bedecked in a white vest and black gym shorts (garb that he had not been forced to parade since his pre-trainer days at elementary school), he realised that success was paramount. Though some would find it slightly disconcerting in this place, where the bleachers were barren of activity and the entire vicinity devoid of the typical echoes of birdsong, traffic, and other athletes prepping themselves for their own competitions, the male's expression bore no indications of nervousness, mental fragility or anxiety. No butterflies fluttered and jangled within his abdomen, no beads of apprehensive perspiration collected at his brow. Zhan faced the path before him with stoicism, recalling the instructions he had been given.
Two laps, just complete two laps, and then you're quarter of the way there to getting out of this place. He reminded himself, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet, and shaking his arms and legs in order to prep his body for the upcoming sprint. The boy spent some time waiting for a whistle to be blown, but after five minutes had passed, realisation dawned upon him that he was currently the only one present, and he could start whenever he wished. Grinning to himself, he began to run, beginning with a gentle jog and then accelerating around the first bend. Well, this is easy... He thought, injecting further speed into his pace after securing his first lap. No wonder everyone wants to join this thing, if you can get paid for doing a bit of running and what not. It was inevitable that after that thought was conceived, Zhan was bitten by the bug of irony. As if some otherworldly force had perceived that notion and wished to prove the male wrong, the virtual, white clouds suspended within the virtual, blue sky suddenly swelled into a magnitude of grey, smothering the azure heavens with their mass and proceeding to drench the boy and the track in a deluge of a perculiar purple substance. It quickly consumed the entire surface, and reeked of something even more putrid than a swarm of Muk. Zhan slowed to a halt, the phenomenon's stickiness already giving him problems as far as the grip of his shoes was concerned, and momentarily glanced around him to discover that the whole track was now beneath a viscous blanket of slime. This was a mistake, for no sooner than he had looked behind him, then the male found himself travelling backwards- without moving a muscle. It was as if the track had transformed into a conveyor belt- as Zhan tried to lift his legs free from the goo, he was returned to the starting line, which was now phosphorescent. Once deposited onto the radiant purple stripe, the world surrounding him became still, the sky returning to its previous pleasant state as if nothing had occurred. However, the ooze still remained upon the track, gleaming in the sun and almost daring the boy to start running again.
Yeah, Zhan wiped some slime from his cheeks and onto his vest, narrowing his brown eyes and lowering his stance in preparation to run again. I guess it was too good to be true. Taking a deep breath (and regretting it, as the unpleasant aroma emanating from the ground snaked itself about his senses of smell and taste and caused his stomach to heave), he attempted to speed off at the pace prior to the downpour. Yet, the adhesion of the slime caused his movement to be restricted, the treadmill effect whirring into action the moment both feet were away from the luminous starting line.
"Darn," he vocalised his frustration this time, though his tone held no revelations of anger or exasperation as he was carried back to the beginning of his second lap. Of course, there was no way that he was going to permit himself to be beaten by this simple malodourous mass. The track hadn't started moving until after it had appeared, therefore Zhan decided that the purple torrent was the culprit. Instinctively, he reached for his waist, at which usually sat his Poke-ball laden belt, but alas, his typical clothing had been replaced for the horrendous sports attire, the six capsules in the care of his younger brother back home. Had he possessed his usual inventory and team, the male would have summoned a Water Pokemon to clean the track with a move pertaining to that type, relieving him of both the slime and the stench. The latter was disagreeing with his stomach, Zhan becoming aware of the possibility of being reacquainted with the bowl of rice he had consumed earlier that day. Once again, he made and effort to cover some distance, only to be delivered back to his starting point after fifteen metres. Not allowing himself to be defeated, he retaliated instantly, managing only ten metres of running before he was outsped by the track. By this time, his muscles were beginning to fill with lactic acid and aching somewhat, his intake of oxygen constricted by his repulsion to the air, which was now completely saturated with the essence of the sticky slime. Zhan was back at the line, slightly hunched as he tried to replenish the wasted energy. With every step that he took, his feet were glued to the purple substance, and expended valuable time as he attempted to lift them out. Perhaps if he tried a different method?
Grimacing, he got down on all fours, stomach churning with disgust as his arms and legs were swallowed up by the ooze. He had been reminded of a story that had been read to him during his time in elementary school, where characters searched for an Ursaring and were met by several obstacles along the way. If they couldn't get over them, or under them, or around them, they went through them- this was what Zhan believed would work, crawling through the disgusting substance. He had been able to wipe it from his cheek relatively effortlessly, therefore he deduced that skin had more resistance to this stuff than whatever material his shoes were fabricated from. Sluggishly, he began to crawl away from the starting line, the track already performing its favourite trick.
Just pretend that it's honey, Ze Ken... Really... Revolting... Honey... He retched as he moved, yet was seperating himself from the beginning of the lap with more efficiency than prior attempts. Though he was faring well using this tactic, his body was becoming fatigued; despite moving faster, it still took a lot of effort for the male to resist the conveyor belt's activity and complete his lap. That was all he'd needed to do- beat the course twice and then he'd be onto the second task- how simple it had seemed at the start. Yet he would not allow to be bested by the first task, nor would he disappoint his family. Exchanging his internal cries of pain for thoughts of their faces, he continued to wade along the treadmill on his hands and knees, ensuring that he did not lose contact with the sludge, and continued to slowly cut through it, like an old, blunt knife. It seeped up his shorts, into his socks, and down his vest- there better be a shower after this test, when he completed it. Then, there was the nausea bubbling within his stomach and stinging his oesophagus with every ragged breath he took. No, think of your family, he strived to ignore the many negative factors surrounding him, but as he (obliviously) reached the final bend, they all bombarded him at once.
He tried to suppress the retching which was succeeded by the return of that morning's rice, but his efforts were to no avail. Vomitting hindered his progress, the boy being transported several metres backwards in the time it took to recover. Shakily, he continued onwards, in the only direction that would lead to his salvation from this dire situation. The money better be worth it...
((I shall continue soon, I'm all Zhan'd out right now. Dx))