League of Extraordinary Gamers

Synopsis: A group of close knit friends, skilled in different genres of video games has recieved their ultimate chance to make a name fo themselves at Gamer Con. The prize is huge, $100,000 for each team member to do with whatever they please.

~*~CAST~*~

Sorah 'Slayer' Riordan: (fighting game expert)

Cho 'Footloose' Chin: (DDR/ dance game expert)

Matthias 'Rubix' Grubberman: (strategy expert)

Gilbert 'Jeff Gordon' Cooley: (driver expert)

Karin 'Simone' Ottenai: (sim expert)

Olga 'Climbing Silver' Mishaski: (board game expert)

Sam 'Hot Dice' Struthers: (gambling/card expert)

Albert 'Shotgun' Ludwig: (shooter expert)

Regina 'Retro' Crosley: (old school pro)

Isabelle 'Trivia' Fenniwilde: (trivia pro)

Game Moderator:

Scene 1-The Invitation

Sorah: (narrating) For as long as I can possibly remember, me and my 9 friends have dominated the realm of games, whether played with pieces, cards or in an arcade. We had always hung out in our exclusive club, one Cho named 'The League of Extraordinary Gamers' for obvious reason. We were awesome, and our mad skills leave the competition breathless, stumbling for the adjectives to describe us. None of us ever thought we would have the opportunity to test our mettle as gamers until Gil recieved an epic invitation to Gamer Con...

Karin: (at the lunch table, after everyone has swapped items with each other, taking notice of the invitation Gil has in his hand) Hey, Jeff Gordon ! What cha got there ?

Gil: You mean this thing, Simone ?

Olga: (nodding) Yeah ! When did you recieve that ?

Gil: I saw it in my mailbox this morning, and upon opening it, I couldn't believe what I found.

Sam: Come on, Gordon, tell us what it said !

Regina: Sheesh, Dice. Calm down. You're going to give yourself a cornoary.

Gil: (taking invite out of envelope) This little jewel here reads, 'We here at Gamer Con have invited a troupe of gamers of all skills and ages, whether it be electronic or board games to come one, come all to Gamer Con ! As competitors, you will be taking on some of the finest players in the history of gaming itself. Are you prepared for the challenge ? The first place team will win a purse of $100,000 dollars !

Isabelle: That's a sizeable amount !

Matthias: Think of what we could do with that kind of dinero !

Cho: (beaming a huge, dreamy smile, sighing sublimely)

Sorah: Footloose, I don't mean to rain on your parade but I doubt we would be buying Glee related CDs with our gains.

Cho: (subdued, sticks his tongue out in a juvenile fashion)

Al: Isn't a little presumptous to be declairing victory at this juncture ?

Karin: Shotgun's right. We have to be cautious. Are there any rules in the contest ?

Gil: (reading the fine print) Teams cannot consist of more than 10 people. Also, each team member must have a specialty. So, in that case, I would be known for my aptitude in racing video games.

Sorah: When is this taking place, Jeff ?

Gil: Hold on, Slayer. Let me get to that. According to the letter, it's this weekend.

Regina: We don't have time to lose then.

Isabelle: I think we should train.

Cho: What about our homework ?

(Many in the team groan at Cho's comment.)

Olga: Footloose, seriously ? We're all A+ students ! We get our homework done before we kick back and play.

Sam: Silver's right. We all need to hone our skills before this weekend.

Sorah: With that rousing speech, we all began training in earnest, working our utmost to defeat our opponents, whomever they would be. It was true none of this would be easy, not in the least, but we would keep our nerves and wits about us. Somehow, we felt, or so, we intended, that the grand prize would be in our hands by the end of that evening Saturday and bragging rights would be ours for years and years to come.

(In this particular sequence, the friends are all working in their genre and being grilled. 'Eye of the Tiger' plays in the background as the 'training' is underway. Scene fade.)

Scene 2-Gamer Con

Sorah: (walking through the doors of the convention with his group while a more modern version of chorus of The Final Countdown plays in the background) I can't believe how many people are here !

Cho: (shaking slightly) I'm a bundle of nerves...what if we choke ?

Isabelle: Footloose, we won't do that. Even if we are in different areas of the Con, our spirits will connect to one another.

Olga: Triva's right. Friendship links all of us.

Karin: Silver, you're starting to sound like Twilight Sparkle.

Olga: (chuckling) You're saying that as if it is a bad thing. (beams a huge grin)

Pegasister and proud ! Brohoof ! (holds up a fist to Karin for her to bump it) Come on, don't leave me hanging !

Karin: (Slightly subdued, but participatory) (knuckles Olga's knuckles) Brohoof for my Pegasister. (satisfied grin) I think we're among our element now.

Sorah: (narrating) Simone, as usual, with her perceptive nature and uncanny deduction always knew the score. As leader of the 'Extraordinary League', I gave my first motivation speech ever. I wasn't much for speaking and I loathed doing so, but this was different. Each of us was on equal ground, and we were all working toward one common goal in mind. With a few deep breaths and positive thoughts, all of us were gathered to our respective booths and headed out, calm, collected, focused.

Game Moderator: (over PA) To each and every one of you who have come to prove yourselves, I wish you luck. May the odds ever be in your favor. For those who have come to watch and cheer, refrain from yelling obsenities or distracting our players. I will be walking around all panels in each genre to determine no foul play occurs. If you see me give you a red flag, it means you are disqualified. That is all.

Al: (straightening his posture) Just when you thought it wouldn't become more complicated...

Sam: They up the ante ! (relaxed, and laid back, inhales and exhales deeply) Stay cool, Al. We'll be great. I'm keepin' my poker face. No one else will know what I'm thinkin'.

Al: (musing) Easy for you to say. You're always so level headed. I don't like people staring at me, measuring my progress. Throws off my aim. Then again, what was it Sorah said ? Oh...yeah ! Breathe. Breathe deeply, richly and just let it flow. Think of nothing else, but remain in the game. Tune out the cheering, and stay on target. Easy enough ! (waits to start Buckhunter, and the Moderator begins, while others watch in wide-eyed awe, clearly impressed)

Scene 3-To The Victor

(The League continues advancing in rank, 'The Power' plays in the background, Footloose shows off incredible gymnastic skill as he dances, Olga beats a competitor in Go and he walks away, a bit irate, muttering to himself. At the end of the first 10 ranks, the Moderator steps in.)

Moderator: (rallying up the remaining players) Alright ! Wasn't that wicked cool ? I tell ya, I have never seen such awesome skills in all my life. You are all sublimity infinitely multiplied. It'll be brutal to see which of you will be left standing in our final rounds. Only one team will walk away with the prize money. So far, I have to say this has to be the finest Con I have been to. All of you have been superb sports and shown brilliant conduct. This is how it should be; goodwill for others, non-partiality, and humanity in every playing field. It gives me hope for the generation to come after you.

Gil: (dazzled) This guy's pretty deep, ain't he ?

Regina: Without doubt, Gordon. But he definitely has a point. I just wish it was like this more often at school.

Gil: We won't have to worry about that anyways. We're not returning. We've all graduated this year. Who knows where we'll be heading in the years to come.

Olga: I've applied for college already.

Isabelle: Ditto ! Prayerfully, we'll be accepted. There are many schools I've applied to, many of which have programs highlighting library science.

Matthias: It's the perfect place for you. I can say, confidently, I myself am a feather in the wind. Going wherever the breeze takes me. Whither it leads me, I don't know.

Al: Profound, dude ! I had no idea you were a philosopher.

Matthias: I tend to surprise everyone in that respect.

Moderator: (playing 'Harder, Faster, Stronger' over the PA) Ok, party people ! Are you ready to rock ?

(Everyone cheers, loudly)

Moderator: (cleaning out ears) I'll take that overwhelming response as a 'yes'. Now comes the moment we have all be waiting for. Our final round. I hope all of you are limbered up and rested, because now the true test of mettle begins.

('Move Your Feet' plays in the background as we watch our heroes beat everyone they are faced with and ultimately beat. By the end of the song, the Moderator declairs that he has found his winners.)

Moderator: (bowing) I am definitely not worthy. You 10 have shown strategy, exceptional motor skills, logic and reason, accuracy...the list is endless. May I have the honor of knowing your names ?

Sorah: (narrating) I hadn't even suspected we would make it to the final round, let alone win anything. Sure, I had spoken with confidence earlier but nothing prepared me for this. Despite my nerves and the fact that my heart was pounding in my throat, I spoke. I'm Sorah Riordan. Alias 'Slayer'.

Moderator: And rightly so. You ruled and reigned in our RPGs. I bow to your might, Sorah.

Sorah: (laughing) No need for that. I'm only an intermediate gamer.

Cho: I'm Cho Chin. Footloose is my appelation.

Moderator: I can see why. You had all the grace and form of a professional ballroom dancer !

Matthias: Matthias Grubberman. My friends call me Rubix.

Moderator: Nice !

Gil: Hey, I'm Gil Cooley. Everyone else calls me Jeff Gordon.

Moderator: Clever.

Karin: (a bit meekly) I'm Karin Ottenai. Also known as Simone.

Moderator: A wisely chosen name for an equally stunning femme fatale.

Karin: (blushing)

Olga: I'm Olga Mishaki. I know I don't look Japanese, but I do have Japanese blood in my background. I'm half Swiss, mostly, with mixes of Russian and maybe a little Polish. My parents dubbed me 'Climbing Silver' or 'Silver' due to my ruthlessness in Go and Shogi.

Moderator: Very apropros.

Sam: 'Sup. I'm Sam Struthers. They call me 'Hot Dice' and someday, I hope to go to Vegas to really test what I am made out of.

Moderator: Righteous. Hope you win big when you're there.

Al: I'm Al Ludwig. Nickname Shotgun.

Moderator: Sharpshooter reflexes in the lightning round proved that !

Regina: I'm Regina 'Retro' Crosley. Any old-school game out there, I've beaten it probably 20 times over, and I can still beat 'em. I've even made the Guiness Book a couple times.

Moderator: Wow...that truly is a feat, Regina.

Isabelle: Isabelle Fenniwilde. My buddies call me 'Trivia'.

Moderator: Alex Trebek would have his hands full with you. You had the whole audience rapt with your knowledge.

Isabelle: Who'd have thought that ? (laughs) Trivial knowledge can be useful.

Moderator: It has been a pleasure having you here at this year's Con. What will you do with the money ?

(They all look at each other, dumbfounded momentarily)

Sorah: We'll probably split it. As to what we'll do with it, Sir, we'll figure that out when the right time comes.

Moderator: An intelligent answer. I'm certain you'll know when that time is. Right now, I'd like you to gather 'round. I'm commemorating this momentous occasion with a photograph.

Sorah: (narrating, as David Bowie's 'Heroes' plays in the background) It was with that snapshot we knew for sure this wasn't some shared dream we had experienced. This was real ! The prize money was actual, and we each split it.

(scene shift to the future after scene fade)

Scene 4-Still Players in Their Own Right

Sorah: (narrating) It's been a couple of years since the convention, and we have all gone our seperate ways. We're still friends and still stop by the arcade to blow off steam. Sometimes, we pop by Olga's house to see if any of us can defeat her in the board game classics. She whips us every single time ! It's still hugely entertaining, especially when she becomes stoic and so serious ! We're all using the money in different aspects. Isabelle and Matthias, who are dating exclusively, have opened up loans for their college experience. Both of them are attending the same University. Sam's using his money in Vegas and from what I have heard, he's come out even richer than the rest of us. He promised me each of the earnings would be split. He made good on his promise, so all of us are living pretty large even though the economy might still be struggling. Karin and Al have a family of their own. Their son, Michael, is absolutely precious. Makes me think about having one of my own. Regina's often spoken of it, and I wonder what it would be like. We're still young, have excellent jobs, and even go back to Gamer Con every year, but not to play, just to participate and cheer. Cho's become a professional dancer and is an up and coming star in Broadway along with a beautiful girl he met named Gwen. Gil and Olga are together and our little group is becoming more grown up. We still gather at different places, even though the location changes. Friendship has remained a constant, even if other elements shift or transition. No matter what the future has in store, we'll still be the Extraordinary League. Our children's children will know of our fame someday !

(As these events come to pass in a slideshow format, along with some of the footage being hand-drawn as if it is from Michael's perspective. Credits roll and an instrumental version of 'I Won't Give Up' plays, followed by the end theme of Bleach: Fade to Black')