Running Man Animation: Rewritten

Don't Walk, Run!

As the grasshopper leaps and weaves through seas of people, he could see that he was getting closer to the main island, which is definitely good. If he keeps this up, he'll be over there in no time, just as long as there isn't any other weird thing going on.

Finally, Liu reaches the edge of the island where a large stone stood, red wood hammered into its side to act as steps. It's an easy climb, with him jumping from each step up until he reaches the top. A shrine gate greets him, far older than him or anyone he knows, standing proudly on the stone's grassy surface. A tiny trace of gold could be seen on the gate's slot, flickering between soft and harsh light.

"So this is the Tree City gates..." he murmurs.

Mr. Suitcase chitters in his arms and he can't help but laugh, letting the robot hop down.

"Welcome to the first challenge of the Running Man Championship," says a robotic voice. "Only the representatives of the selected Tribes may enter. This competition is not open to the public. Please now insert your participant card."

Liu looks towards his companion and grins. "Card, please."

Mr. Suitcase nods, jumping up and essentially coughing out the requested item. Liu catches it with a flourish, a laugh rumbling in his throat.

"Thanks, buddy."

Petting the robot's head, Liu approaches the gate, inserting his card and turning it like a key. The slot's lines turn blue and spread throughout the gate's outline like wildfire. The Bug can't help the little gasp of awe that leaves him.

"Finally..."

The gate opens as he speaks, kicking up dust and dirt, and the robot voice pipes up again. "The last finalist of the one hundredth Running Man Championship will now enter."

Liu steps forward, taking in the sight before him. Arcs in the shape of the shrines stand before him, along with the stadium itself, colossal in size and grand in its structure. He could see the Soul Tree clearly from where he stands.

"I can't believe I'm really here!" he exclaims, Mr. Suitcase right beside him. As he looks around some more. He still can't believe that the islands are actually floating, but then again, perhaps stranger things have happened.

"You are late," the voice says. "Please step on the R-Port. Please move. Now."

Liu flinches at the voice's tone at the very end — how does such a deadpan voice sound so aggressive? — but he does as told, stepping onto the platform. The ring around it rises, as if looking over him.

"Scanning in progress."

The ring goes above Liu's head, and several blue monitors appear right after. They surround him from all sides, showing various bits of information about himself. His full name, age, and even the little side projects he's had over the last few months.

"Identity verified," the voice announces, the smallest hint of satisfaction in its tone. "Liu of the Bug Tribe."

The sound of metal clicking and unscrewing brings said Bug's attention to his feet. A new ring popped up. Neat.

"Now moving to the starting point."

"Wait what—"

And just like that, the R-Port zooms off, and in that moment Liu realizes that Mr. Suitcase isn't with him. He almost panics because of it, but the little machine manages to jump onto the platform to be with him, making a cooing noise.

"Nice to see you, buddy," Liu laughs. Mr. Suitcase chirps, then lets out a squeak as both of them are suddenly tossed around by the velocity of the R-Port. For a moment, Liu could see his life flashing before his eyes as they grew closer to the stadium, pupils dilating in fear.

"Please don't make us crash, please don't make us crash, please—"

The R-Port slows down, maybe a bit too quickly (ironic), causing Liu to reel back. Mr. Suitcase almost falls off, but Liu catches him, hyperventilating.

"T-That was a close one." He tries to laugh off his totally-not-near-death experience, letting Mr. Suitcase climb onto his shoulder. "You okay there?"

Mr. Suitcase lets out a trill as a reply.

"I'll take that as a yes."

They soon reach the other platforms, spotting the other contestants, and the robotic voice finally speaks again.

"The opening game for the Running Man Championship will now commence."

Liu reacts like any sane person. "What?! We're starting already?!"

"Each player will wear a randomly chosen item and select their own path," says the voice. "The player who plants their tribe flag in the R-Port is the winner."

The voice finished as Liu's R-Port finally docks at some contraption that vaguely looks like a shrine gate.

"Docking completed. Liu of the Bug Tribe."

There's a moment of silence. The Bug could see another contestant next to him— A Bars, breathing in and out as if to calm himself.

Weird.

"Please choose one of the seven boxes."

Liu's brought out of his thoughts by the robot voice, antenna twitching as he turns his head. Holographic cubes float in front of him, spinning and flickering.

"You are not allowed to discard the random item until you pass the Path of Choice," it continues. "However, trading the item with another player is allowed."

As the voice finishes, Liu reaches out to one of the boxes, the hologram turning into mere pixels as he grasped it. Some sort of energy emerges from it, slithering from his hand down to his boots.

Fascinating...

Liu looks at the path before him with a smile, the voice speaking once more.

"It's Running Time!"