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Description
"Hey Smash, what's up?" From head to toe stood a blue furred echidna detailed with frizzy hair, white gloves made with light blue wristbands, and wearing brown boots on its feet. The porcupine named Rhys gazed up to see that it was in fact his friend Smash. His arms were crossed together not showing a sign of anger or disappoint, but just in a calm and stable manner. The look upon his friend's face showed seriousness and suddenly alters to a more joyous one. "Didn't you want to go to the mall today?" "What do you mean?" Rhys seemed puzzled on Smash's question and remained silent expecting an explanation. "Wait, didn't you tell me a few weeks ago that you wanted to go to the mall sometime?" "I'm not sure if I remember Smash. Did I tell you why I said it?" Pondering for a brief moment, the echidna blinked swiftly arching his right arm up slightly. "Oh yeah! I remember now! You uh, wanted to see if you could find a girl possibly?" Attempting to cover his cheeks, the hedgehog must have been hiding something. Eyes looking in confusion, the blue furred echidna continued the discussion. "You're not blushing are you?" "No, why would I be?" The porcupine remarked though reluctant before answering to his comrade. Smash glanced at Rhys still seeing him cover his face. Thoughts roamed within the echidna's mind. He stayed focused on his train of thought, looking up at his friend, rubbing his hand under his chin. "That's what you're blushing about huh?"

Giving in, Rhys nodded his head removing his hands placing them down to his sides. "I see. Well then get the hell up and we'll head out to the mall. You may never know what might happen." Smash gave a friendly wink signaling the porcupine to follow. Doing so, Rhys followed Smash off the deck of the tree, jogging deep through the forest. Rushing deeper and deeper, the two fellow comrades headed out to the mall unaware of what could possibly happen when they get there.

Meanwhile, feeling exhausted were two youthful men who sat down by an enormous trunk from a fallen tree, sweaty and battered from their dragging hike. The male leading appeared to be taller, proximately 6 feet tall, somewhat built in muscle, bearing a shaved face with blue eyes gazing from right to left, to make sure their position was secure. He remained still dressed in a plain white T-shirt, camouflage detailed shorts with a baseball cap and leather boots. His fellow hiker dressed in similar attire except he was to some extent shorter wearing a camouflage coat with a hood setting two bags down between them. Unzipping one, he searched with his hands grabbing two water bottles handing one to his friend. Both of them took a sip looking at another seeing smudges on each other's face along with sweat. They both looked to be in their early 20's panting due to their sore aching muscles trying to catch their breath and not get dehydrated. Taking another drink, the cool water sank down their throats easing the horrific thirst both men carried as they took some moments to rest and have a meal.

"So what do you think we'll do once our trip is over Josh?" The shorter male glanced up while chewing on a bit from his PB&J sandwich. "Have no freaking idea John. There are a lot of things on my mind I have to think over." Holding his ham and cheese sandwich, the taller male grinned from his friend's reply. "Oh yeah huh?" You're still not thinking about that girl are you?" Eyes boggling wide steadily lifting his chin up, Josh looked at John still having a smirk upon his face. "Who…Jenna?" "Yeah Jenna. You've had to of thought about her." "A bit." "A bit?" John questioned boldly knowing Josh might be holding back out on him. "Alright alright…I've thought about her a lot as of late. Happy?" Expressing a soft chuckle, the taller male answered back calmly, "Yes, just teasing ya man." A sudden brush from plant's quivering brought the conversation to a halt as both men glanced over seeing nothing in sight.

They both brushed it off focusing back on their meal when the shuddering continued. Curiosity enveloped as John got up walking toward the shrubs and bushes. The air stood humid and swampy as his eyes looked down at a small puddle of water seeing him self in its reflection. He appeared to be still panting, sweat all over his forehead and cheeks. His eyeballs giving off the impression that he was nervous or possibly afraid of what could be out in this forest with them. A hiss arouse silently in turn causing John's head to snap up at the shrub in front of him. Heart pounding as if he was running in a marathon, the young man stared at the small bush, trying to stay in place and not make any sudden movements.

He didn't know what was threatening him or even what to do at that point. The only thing left to do in his mind was to find out what was behind the shrub. John carefully, slowly, reached his hand out to it, trembling while he stood frozen. Moments felt like hours, till when John's hand drew close to the bush and screamed in pain as something grabbed it dragging him. The hissing changed back and forth from the hissing to aggressive growls while John continued yelling louder and louder. Josh began growing scared and felt like there was nothing he could do. He quickly checked in their bags looking for some the machete but stopped dead when he heard another hiss.

Sweat drew down from the side of his forehead as the screams from John who was pleading for Josh's help vanished making the environment appear dead. Only the sounds of birds and a few insects made up for the absence of sound. Terror began to cultivate in Josh's eyes and mind, shaking wildly. He only thought of one to do, and that was to run, to run like an athlete in the Olympics or as a football player rushing in for a touchdown. Breathing heavily, Josh sprinted away trying to find a safe place to hide. He saw a tree but was being followed. The rustling of shrubs behind him following with some low growls showed whatever hissed at him before must be still right behind. A large tree came into the young runner's sight till he was tackled down stomach first onto the ground. The growls shifted into screeches as Josh felt claws on his back and head the screeching close to his ears. Covering his head, the young man knew it was the only thing that could help keep him alive from his attacker. He yelled in pain from a sharp claw slashing on his back, when he suddenly didn't feel the weight of the creature pressing down on him. The jungle's air became silent, leaving Josh all by himself as he panted lightly. His vision grew blurred, starting to lose consciousness, when 3 blurred figures rushed up to check on him till Josh's eyes shut and went black.

"Well we made it!" Smash shouted while having his broad tiny arms rose above his head. Rhys gazed up at the gigantic building that was built before them, seeing the glass shine from the sun's rays. The mall must have been built to be over 8 stories high as the hedgehog's eyes shifted to the sign showing the name of the mall. Ainos City Mall decorated in pure gold was what Rhys' eyes caught sight of and turned his head to Smash. "I'm not so sure about this." "What?" The blue echidna asked looking back to see his friend staring at the mall. "I just…I don't know." "Come on Rhys. Give it a shot." "Oh alright." With that, they crossed the street entering the mall, where its massive interior seemed endless with citizens both human and anthropomorphic animals roamed. There were adults, teenagers, children, and even small babies as the two friends began wandering around.

"Now you got to remember this. Stay calm, appear confident, and don't freeze up when you try talking to a girl." Whether or not the advice was going to assist him, Rhys seemed to be nervous as ever. His mouth did not open remaining buckled shut as he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. Nudging the disturbed hedgehog lightly on the arm, Smash's expression grew serious raising his large baseball mitt like hand near his own face. "You're not focusing! Keep your cool. You're already sweating." "R…right." Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Rhys took deep breaths walking among a huge crowd alongside his friend till they had no other option but to stop where they stood. "What the heck's going on?" "Not sure." Smash hopped up attempting to see what the crowds were doing but the mixture of anthropoid mammals and humans didn't help the echidna. Some humans were too tall for the mammal's eyes to set sight on the source.

Whispers and other silent words were all that was shown in the carbon filled atmosphere. Pondering on what to do, the two mammals stood tapping their feet till a voice echoed through the structure. "Ahem, attention! Attention to all!" The constant murmurs ended as they turned their heads to the left. "Rhys," Smash said poking his arm and then pointed off to a setup stage. On it the exterior design was established as a beach, covered with sand and a tiny pool of water. In the back portion stood fake palm trees that were carved with astonishing detail and appeared almost real by a far enough eye. Standing near them however were two women dressed up in swimsuits, but what caught Rhys' attention wasn't the women at all. It was the man standing between them dressed in a fancy suit. The man appeared of middle age, shaved face but yet the fuzz still seemed noticeable. Mouth gaped slightly, the black hedgehog began to shift through the crowd, having an urge to get closer and see what the whole setup was going to unfold. "I welcome you all to this lovely afternoon and proud to announce, that on this very evening, one lucky winner will getting a free trip on the C.G.C. cruise!!!!" More mumbling aroused putting indications of joy among the spectators. Groups of teenagers discussed seeming confident while children could only either smile or stare blankly at their parents not sure on what to do. At that point of time, Smash strolled through the crowd trying to keep his eyes focused on Rhys. He courteously excused himself throughout the crowd approaching closely to his comrade. "Now, we need some participants to take part in the "C.G.C's Getaway Challenge!" Any volunteers?"

Hands rose uncontrollably with teens to young adults jumping continuously making it more complicated for Smash to reach Rhys. Pushing, shoving, and confusion erupted as the blue furred mammal was being rammed in all directions. Having trouble to keep his balance, the echidna felt an abrupt amount of force pushing him a good 4 steps forward. He was now free from that cramped area having a bit more space to stand normally. Glancing back over at the energized spectators, Smash tried to speak over them. "Was that really necessary?" The announcer already had begun selecting contestants causing the crowd to grown somewhat into an uproar, almost begging to be chosen. Looking in place, the blue echidna caught eye of Rhys standing right down in front of the announcer. From what he was able to see from his view, Smash saw his friend standing normally not reacting as much uncultivated as the rest of the civilians taking notice to the event. The porcupine was at the front still with his mouth slightly open as he only gazed up and listened.

"Rhys!" Smash said in an attempt to draw his attention. Nothing changed so the echidna decided to go for a different approach. Cuffing his mitten like hands together, he glanced back up still able to see Rhys in the same position. "Rhys!" The porcupine's small triangular ears elevated upward, shifting his head side to side. Not able to distinguish anyone in particular, Rhys brushed it off looking back up waiting for the last contestant to be called. Gazing around for a final participant, the youthful host appeared to be in doubt of whom else to select. While he was doing so, Smash groaned a bit of frustration and went to do it the old fashion way. The echidna pressed himself through the crowd again almost in reach of his friend. Right when Smash could have been able to touch the porcupine and say his name, once again he was interrupted by the announcer. "You!" The person last chosen was none other than Rhys.

The black furred mammal appeared to be a bit hesitant but walked up the stairs in front of him. He glanced down at them and was able to notice a shine each star expressed. His reflection stared back at him with the same almost blank expression except for his mouth still open to a small extent. Smash on the other hand stood in place, showing an annoyed expression on his face, but instead gave off a light smirk. "Good luck kiddo." Displaying a swift grin, the announcer exposed the sparkling teeth contained within his mouth, and looked down holding the microphone close to the hedgehog's lips. "And what might be your name good sir?" He inquired still having that odd smile fixed on Rhys. Leaning his head closer, the black furred mammal spoke out loud articulating in a normal tone of voice. "Rhys." "Reese? Like Reese's Cups right?"

A diminutive sound of amusement aroused from the spectators except Smash who remained in place watching carefully. All that could be seen for Rhys' reaction was a slight frown till it altered to a small smirk. "No sir but I've had heard my fair share of that nickname before." Another miniature chuckle echoed when the announcer continued to speak. "Spell it out for us son. No pressure." "R-H-Y-S." "Hm, unique yet strange. Sorry for the inconvenience. Why don't you stand right over there at the end Mr. Rhys?" Shifting to where the young host was pointing, Rhys saw an open space by one of the palm trees and moved to the designated location without further question. Shortly after arriving at the spot, the announcer then resumed discussing on what the competition would specifically be based upon. Ears listening yet not appearing to be, Rhys' eyes were focused on the fake yet somewhat resembling tropic tree next to him. The porcupine gazed from the sand upward till he could see the replica leaves hanging above over his head. His 3-foot slender body dwarfed in comparison to the palm tree replica that stood perhaps at 17 meters. The anthropomorphic mammal was only slightly taller than a meter but yet the fake palm tree drew in Rhys' awareness.

Blinking swiftly, he shook his head drawing focus back on the task at hand. His eyes caught view of a larger crowd observing on what he might have originally thought. Rhys noticed a good amount of people on the other side but the crowd mainly stood gathered right in front. Focus almost drifting off once more for a moment, Rhys regained his composure as he listened along with the other contestants. "Now that we have all the contestants we need, now its time to announce the contest! The lucky winner will get an all expensed paid trip to the Caribbean Islands! The magnificent vessel taking our contestant will be none other than the C.G.C! Aboard it you can enjoy the stunning scenery of the ocean, have massages, and be entertained by music provided on the ship. Also you will have the opportunity to roam on the many islands within the Caribbean and have fun with various amounts of activities offered by the C.G.C.!"

More murmuring was being dispersed throughout the crowd of civilians despite the fact that the competitors remained unspoken. Rhys glanced to his right out at the other contestants yet there seemed to be little reaction from their part. It was a mixture of anthropomorphic mammals and humans who were chosen for the competition. Only 10 were selected, most of them being females with only 4 males. Rhys, a goose, a young adult, and a teenager were among the 4 males competing against one another and the females. Appearing to be in his early 20s, the young adult stood in the center dressed in a grey grid zip hood and navy blue jeans tightened with a leather belt. The hood was unzipped exposing a collarless undershirt designed entirely of black. Lower were Van brand of sneakers containing the young male's feet securely with every lace intact.

The sides of the sneakers curved downward by means of the key color displayed as blue followed by a bright black on the front below the shoelaces and on the heel. Rhys' eyeballs rose up examining the soon to be full adult's average exterior structure upward till he could see the human's face. The youthful human appeared to be of Asian descent, having short spiked up black hair, well-trimmed eyebrows, and hazel eyes that stared at the audience. He seemed concentrated, his facial expression appearing intense however somewhat aggressive filled with resentment in some way. Brows elevating, the hedgehog's eyelids blinked while examining the opposition in which he had to now overcome.

Next was the teenager whom stood beside Rhys so it wasn't hard to distinguish the teen's physical appearance. His hair was dark blonde, almost straight and uncurled covering the left portion of the teenager's face near his eye. All the still inexperienced male wore was a crimson T-shirt with the Aeropostale logo slightly above the chest region. Light gray slacks covered over his waist down to the young man's ankles. Rhys couldn't make a distinction what brand of shoe the individual had only able to see that they shined in almost the perfect and clear white. A good quality of dedication ought to have been rested on the shoes. The rays from the sun reflected off them shining at the hedgehog's eyeballs. His first reaction was by cringing, shutting his eyes halfway then faced forward easing the light away from Rhys' vision. Glancing back, the brown eyes caught view of a male anthropomorphic badger, who seemed to be in similar scale of size with the hedgehog, but slightly thicker in build. What Rhys noticed after was the glasses the badger was wearing. The shape of the glasses appeared to be ones used for reading or for blurred eyesight. Dressed in a white sweater with green stripes and black dress pants, the unfamiliar badger remained still in proper posture.

The mammal seemed uninterested, not even looking at the host for the contest. Rhys shook his head by means of expressing a diminutive frown in discontent placing one arm over another near his chest. While the black furred porcupine examined some of competition, the announcer was speaking further detail on the event. "Now then, we shall see what unfolds when we determine our winner, by the means of a talent contest!" More whispers strayed through the spectators even more while most of the contestants appeared stunned. Rhys rolled his eyes and put his palm over his forehead about the idea. In the crowd, Smash lingered turning his attention to his friend seeing him give a look back at the echidna. The hedgehog appeared as if he didn't want to take part in the contest with an irritated glance. In return, Smash gave a light grin perhaps to encourage Rhys.

"Now, I would like to ask the other 9 contestants to get off the stage so we can begin and have our judges decide by applause." The man requested certain participants to leave the stage, Rhys being included and only the badger was left behind. Wandering about, he caught up with Smash still not pleased with the chosen challenge. "Such a lame idea for a competition. I have to compete with 9 other people for a cruise but this just seems like a talent show than anything else." Smash nodded to the frustrated hedgehog glancing up at the badger.

"Well yeah Rhys. But I don't see much of a point in it either. It might just be me but why not just pull a random raffle ticket with the contestant's name on it and choose the winner that way." The blue echidna moved his eyes back forward to see Rhys shrug his arms up not giving any further response. Smash walked slightly to the right near an empty plain table not decorated in any manner and glanced back at the stage. Hearing Rhys starting to speak, suddenly Smash hears the hedgehog yell in a small amount of pain shifting his head to see Rhys no longer next him. "Rhys?" The echidna looks to his left seeing that the table was knocked on its side and went over to investigate.

Description
"Hey Smash, what's up?" From head to toe stood a blue furred echidna detailed with frizzy hair, white gloves made with light blue wristbands, and wearing brown boots on its feet. The porcupine named Rhys gazed up to see that it was in fact his friend Smash. His arms were crossed together not showing a sign of anger or disappoint, but just in a calm and stable manner. The look upon his friend's face showed seriousness and suddenly alters to a more joyous one. "Didn't you want to go to the mall today?" "What do you mean?" Rhys seemed puzzled on Smash's question and remained silent expecting an explanation. "Wait, didn't you tell me a few weeks ago that you wanted to go to the mall sometime?" "I'm not sure if I remember Smash. Did I tell you why I said it?" Pondering for a brief moment, the echidna blinked swiftly arching his right arm up slightly. "Oh yeah! I remember now! You uh, wanted to see if you could find a girl possibly?" Attempting to cover his cheeks, the hedgehog must have been hiding something. Eyes looking in confusion, the blue furred echidna continued the discussion. "You're not blushing are you?" "No, why would I be?" The porcupine remarked though reluctant before answering to his comrade. Smash glanced at Rhys still seeing him cover his face. Thoughts roamed within the echidna's mind. He stayed focused on his train of thought, looking up at his friend, rubbing his hand under his chin. "That's what you're blushing about huh?"

Giving in, Rhys nodded his head removing his hands placing them down to his sides. "I see. Well then get the hell up and we'll head out to the mall. You may never know what might happen." Smash gave a friendly wink signaling the porcupine to follow. Doing so, Rhys followed Smash off the deck of the tree, jogging deep through the forest. Rushing deeper and deeper, the two fellow comrades headed out to the mall unaware of what could possibly happen when they get there.

Meanwhile, feeling exhausted were two youthful men who sat down by an enormous trunk from a fallen tree, sweaty and battered from their dragging hike. The male leading appeared to be taller, proximately 6 feet tall, somewhat built in muscle, bearing a shaved face with blue eyes gazing from right to left, to make sure their position was secure. He remained still dressed in a plain white T-shirt, camouflage detailed shorts with a baseball cap and leather boots. His fellow hiker dressed in similar attire except he was to some extent shorter wearing a camouflage coat with a hood setting two bags down between them. Unzipping one, he searched with his hands grabbing two water bottles handing one to his friend. Both of them took a sip looking at another seeing smudges on each other's face along with sweat. They both looked to be in their early 20's panting due to their sore aching muscles trying to catch their breath and not get dehydrated. Taking another drink, the cool water sank down their throats easing the horrific thirst both men carried as they took some moments to rest and have a meal.

"So what do you think we'll do once our trip is over Josh?" The shorter male glanced up while chewing on a bit from his PB&J sandwich. "Have no freaking idea John. There are a lot of things on my mind I have to think over." Holding his ham and cheese sandwich, the taller male grinned from his friend's reply. "Oh yeah huh?" You're still not thinking about that girl are you?" Eyes boggling wide steadily lifting his chin up, Josh looked at John still having a smirk upon his face. "Who…Jenna?" "Yeah Jenna. You've had to of thought about her." "A bit." "A bit?" John questioned boldly knowing Josh might be holding back out on him. "Alright alright…I've thought about her a lot as of late. Happy?" Expressing a soft chuckle, the taller male answered back calmly, "Yes, just teasing ya man." A sudden brush from plant's quivering brought the conversation to a halt as both men glanced over seeing nothing in sight.

They both brushed it off focusing back on their meal when the shuddering continued. Curiosity enveloped as John got up walking toward the shrubs and bushes. The air stood humid and swampy as his eyes looked down at a small puddle of water seeing him self in its reflection. He appeared to be still panting, sweat all over his forehead and cheeks. His eyeballs giving off the impression that he was nervous or possibly afraid of what could be out in this forest with them. A hiss arouse silently in turn causing John's head to snap up at the shrub in front of him. Heart pounding as if he was running in a marathon, the young man stared at the small bush, trying to stay in place and not make any sudden movements.

He didn't know what was threatening him or even what to do at that point. The only thing left to do in his mind was to find out what was behind the shrub. John carefully, slowly, reached his hand out to it, trembling while he stood frozen. Moments felt like hours, till when John's hand drew close to the bush and screamed in pain as something grabbed it dragging him. The hissing changed back and forth from the hissing to aggressive growls while John continued yelling louder and louder. Josh began growing scared and felt like there was nothing he could do. He quickly checked in their bags looking for some the machete but stopped dead when he heard another hiss.

Sweat drew down from the side of his forehead as the screams from John who was pleading for Josh's help vanished making the environment appear dead. Only the sounds of birds and a few insects made up for the absence of sound. Terror began to cultivate in Josh's eyes and mind, shaking wildly. He only thought of one to do, and that was to run, to run like an athlete in the Olympics or as a football player rushing in for a touchdown. Breathing heavily, Josh sprinted away trying to find a safe place to hide. He saw a tree but was being followed. The rustling of shrubs behind him following with some low growls showed whatever hissed at him before must be still right behind. A large tree came into the young runner's sight till he was tackled down stomach first onto the ground. The growls shifted into screeches as Josh felt claws on his back and head the screeching close to his ears. Covering his head, the young man knew it was the only thing that could help keep him alive from his attacker. He yelled in pain from a sharp claw slashing on his back, when he suddenly didn't feel the weight of the creature pressing down on him. The jungle's air became silent, leaving Josh all by himself as he panted lightly. His vision grew blurred, starting to lose consciousness, when 3 blurred figures rushed up to check on him till Josh's eyes shut and went black.

"Well we made it!" Smash shouted while having his broad tiny arms rose above his head. Rhys gazed up at the gigantic building that was built before them, seeing the glass shine from the sun's rays. The mall must have been built to be over 8 stories high as the hedgehog's eyes shifted to the sign showing the name of the mall. Ainos City Mall decorated in pure gold was what Rhys' eyes caught sight of and turned his head to Smash. "I'm not so sure about this." "What?" The blue echidna asked looking back to see his friend staring at the mall. "I just…I don't know." "Come on Rhys. Give it a shot." "Oh alright." With that, they crossed the street entering the mall, where its massive interior seemed endless with citizens both human and anthropomorphic animals roamed. There were adults, teenagers, children, and even small babies as the two friends began wandering around.

"Now you got to remember this. Stay calm, appear confident, and don't freeze up when you try talking to a girl." Whether or not the advice was going to assist him, Rhys seemed to be nervous as ever. His mouth did not open remaining buckled shut as he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. Nudging the disturbed hedgehog lightly on the arm, Smash's expression grew serious raising his large baseball mitt like hand near his own face. "You're not focusing! Keep your cool. You're already sweating." "R…right." Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Rhys took deep breaths walking among a huge crowd alongside his friend till they had no other option but to stop where they stood. "What the heck's going on?" "Not sure." Smash hopped up attempting to see what the crowds were doing but the mixture of anthropoid mammals and humans didn't help the echidna. Some humans were too tall for the mammal's eyes to set sight on the source.

Whispers and other silent words were all that was shown in the carbon filled atmosphere. Pondering on what to do, the two mammals stood tapping their feet till a voice echoed through the structure. "Ahem, attention! Attention to all!" The constant murmurs ended as they turned their heads to the left. "Rhys," Smash said poking his arm and then pointed off to a setup stage. On it the exterior design was established as a beach, covered with sand and a tiny pool of water. In the back portion stood fake palm trees that were carved with astonishing detail and appeared almost real by a far enough eye. Standing near them however were two women dressed up in swimsuits, but what caught Rhys' attention wasn't the women at all. It was the man standing between them dressed in a fancy suit. The man appeared of middle age, shaved face but yet the fuzz still seemed noticeable. Mouth gaped slightly, the black hedgehog began to shift through the crowd, having an urge to get closer and see what the whole setup was going to unfold. "I welcome you all to this lovely afternoon and proud to announce, that on this very evening, one lucky winner will getting a free trip on the C.G.C. cruise!!!!" More mumbling aroused putting indications of joy among the spectators. Groups of teenagers discussed seeming confident while children could only either smile or stare blankly at their parents not sure on what to do. At that point of time, Smash strolled through the crowd trying to keep his eyes focused on Rhys. He courteously excused himself throughout the crowd approaching closely to his comrade. "Now, we need some participants to take part in the "C.G.C's Getaway Challenge!" Any volunteers?"

Hands rose uncontrollably with teens to young adults jumping continuously making it more complicated for Smash to reach Rhys. Pushing, shoving, and confusion erupted as the blue furred mammal was being rammed in all directions. Having trouble to keep his balance, the echidna felt an abrupt amount of force pushing him a good 4 steps forward. He was now free from that cramped area having a bit more space to stand normally. Glancing back over at the energized spectators, Smash tried to speak over them. "Was that really necessary?" The announcer already had begun selecting contestants causing the crowd to grown somewhat into an uproar, almost begging to be chosen. Looking in place, the blue echidna caught eye of Rhys standing right down in front of the announcer. From what he was able to see from his view, Smash saw his friend standing normally not reacting as much uncultivated as the rest of the civilians taking notice to the event. The porcupine was at the front still with his mouth slightly open as he only gazed up and listened.

"Rhys!" Smash said in an attempt to draw his attention. Nothing changed so the echidna decided to go for a different approach. Cuffing his mitten like hands together, he glanced back up still able to see Rhys in the same position. "Rhys!" The porcupine's small triangular ears elevated upward, shifting his head side to side. Not able to distinguish anyone in particular, Rhys brushed it off looking back up waiting for the last contestant to be called. Gazing around for a final participant, the youthful host appeared to be in doubt of whom else to select. While he was doing so, Smash groaned a bit of frustration and went to do it the old fashion way. The echidna pressed himself through the crowd again almost in reach of his friend. Right when Smash could have been able to touch the porcupine and say his name, once again he was interrupted by the announcer. "You!" The person last chosen was none other than Rhys.

The black furred mammal appeared to be a bit hesitant but walked up the stairs in front of him. He glanced down at them and was able to notice a shine each star expressed. His reflection stared back at him with the same almost blank expression except for his mouth still open to a small extent. Smash on the other hand stood in place, showing an annoyed expression on his face, but instead gave off a light smirk. "Good luck kiddo." Displaying a swift grin, the announcer exposed the sparkling teeth contained within his mouth, and looked down holding the microphone close to the hedgehog's lips. "And what might be your name good sir?" He inquired still having that odd smile fixed on Rhys. Leaning his head closer, the black furred mammal spoke out loud articulating in a normal tone of voice. "Rhys." "Reese? Like Reese's Cups right?"

A diminutive sound of amusement aroused from the spectators except Smash who remained in place watching carefully. All that could be seen for Rhys' reaction was a slight frown till it altered to a small smirk. "No sir but I've had heard my fair share of that nickname before." Another miniature chuckle echoed when the announcer continued to speak. "Spell it out for us son. No pressure." "R-H-Y-S." "Hm, unique yet strange. Sorry for the inconvenience. Why don't you stand right over there at the end Mr. Rhys?" Shifting to where the young host was pointing, Rhys saw an open space by one of the palm trees and moved to the designated location without further question. Shortly after arriving at the spot, the announcer then resumed discussing on what the competition would specifically be based upon. Ears listening yet not appearing to be, Rhys' eyes were focused on the fake yet somewhat resembling tropic tree next to him. The porcupine gazed from the sand upward till he could see the replica leaves hanging above over his head. His 3-foot slender body dwarfed in comparison to the palm tree replica that stood perhaps at 17 meters. The anthropomorphic mammal was only slightly taller than a meter but yet the fake palm tree drew in Rhys' awareness.

Blinking swiftly, he shook his head drawing focus back on the task at hand. His eyes caught view of a larger crowd observing on what he might have originally thought. Rhys noticed a good amount of people on the other side but the crowd mainly stood gathered right in front. Focus almost drifting off once more for a moment, Rhys regained his composure as he listened along with the other contestants. "Now that we have all the contestants we need, now its time to announce the contest! The lucky winner will get an all expensed paid trip to the Caribbean Islands! The magnificent vessel taking our contestant will be none other than the C.G.C! Aboard it you can enjoy the stunning scenery of the ocean, have massages, and be entertained by music provided on the ship. Also you will have the opportunity to roam on the many islands within the Caribbean and have fun with various amounts of activities offered by the C.G.C.!"

More murmuring was being dispersed throughout the crowd of civilians despite the fact that the competitors remained unspoken. Rhys glanced to his right out at the other contestants yet there seemed to be little reaction from their part. It was a mixture of anthropomorphic mammals and humans who were chosen for the competition. Only 10 were selected, most of them being females with only 4 males. Rhys, a goose, a young adult, and a teenager were among the 4 males competing against one another and the females. Appearing to be in his early 20s, the young adult stood in the center dressed in a grey grid zip hood and navy blue jeans tightened with a leather belt. The hood was unzipped exposing a collarless undershirt designed entirely of black. Lower were Van brand of sneakers containing the young male's feet securely with every lace intact.

The sides of the sneakers curved downward by means of the key color displayed as blue followed by a bright black on the front below the shoelaces and on the heel. Rhys' eyeballs rose up examining the soon to be full adult's average exterior structure upward till he could see the human's face. The youthful human appeared to be of Asian descent, having short spiked up black hair, well-trimmed eyebrows, and hazel eyes that stared at the audience. He seemed concentrated, his facial expression appearing intense however somewhat aggressive filled with resentment in some way. Brows elevating, the hedgehog's eyelids blinked while examining the opposition in which he had to now overcome.

Next was the teenager whom stood beside Rhys so it wasn't hard to distinguish the teen's physical appearance. His hair was dark blonde, almost straight and uncurled covering the left portion of the teenager's face near his eye. All the still inexperienced male wore was a crimson T-shirt with the Aeropostale logo slightly above the chest region. Light gray slacks covered over his waist down to the young man's ankles. Rhys couldn't make a distinction what brand of shoe the individual had only able to see that they shined in almost the perfect and clear white. A good quality of dedication ought to have been rested on the shoes. The rays from the sun reflected off them shining at the hedgehog's eyeballs. His first reaction was by cringing, shutting his eyes halfway then faced forward easing the light away from Rhys' vision. Glancing back, the brown eyes caught view of a male anthropomorphic badger, who seemed to be in similar scale of size with the hedgehog, but slightly thicker in build. What Rhys noticed after was the glasses the badger was wearing. The shape of the glasses appeared to be ones used for reading or for blurred eyesight. Dressed in a white sweater with green stripes and black dress pants, the unfamiliar badger remained still in proper posture.

The mammal seemed uninterested, not even looking at the host for the contest. Rhys shook his head by means of expressing a diminutive frown in discontent placing one arm over another near his chest. While the black furred porcupine examined some of competition, the announcer was speaking further detail on the event. "Now then, we shall see what unfolds when we determine our winner, by the means of a talent contest!" More whispers strayed through the spectators even more while most of the contestants appeared stunned. Rhys rolled his eyes and put his palm over his forehead about the idea. In the crowd, Smash lingered turning his attention to his friend seeing him give a look back at the echidna. The hedgehog appeared as if he didn't want to take part in the contest with an irritated glance. In return, Smash gave a light grin perhaps to encourage Rhys.

"Now, I would like to ask the other 9 contestants to get off the stage so we can begin and have our judges decide by applause." The man requested certain participants to leave the stage, Rhys being included and only the badger was left behind. Wandering about, he caught up with Smash still not pleased with the chosen challenge. "Such a lame idea for a competition. I have to compete with 9 other people for a cruise but this just seems like a talent show than anything else." Smash nodded to the frustrated hedgehog glancing up at the badger.

"Well yeah Rhys. But I don't see much of a point in it either. It might just be me but why not just pull a random raffle ticket with the contestant's name on it and choose the winner that way." The blue echidna moved his eyes back forward to see Rhys shrug his arms up not giving any further response. Smash walked slightly to the right near an empty plain table not decorated in any manner and glanced back at the stage. Hearing Rhys starting to speak, suddenly Smash hears the hedgehog yell in a small amount of pain shifting his head to see Rhys no longer next him. "Rhys?" The echidna looks to his left seeing that the table was knocked on its side and went over to investigate.