A voice.

"Um...hello? Are you awake yet?"

A sigh.

"I don't really want to be the one to tell everyone that you died even before we met you...I mean come on, how long can you even sleep for?"

As Leo stirred from his slumber, he began to hear the voice continue to talk to him. His senses slowly became sharper as he felt someone poke his cheek with a finger, eyes opening as he groaned upon seeing the bright light that flooded the room he was in.

The person who had been observing him suddenly seemed to brighten up, his previously bored face shifting into a grin. "Holy moly, you're finally awake, my princess!"

Leo threw his arm across his eyes in an attempt to shield them from the blinding glow of the light from his window. "It's so bright," he mumbled. "I'm not okay with this."

He heard the person next to him stand. "We're in the tropics, after all. I'd be more concerned if it was dark all the time."

Wait...tropics?!

Suddenly, Leo didn't feel tired anymore. A sinking, heavy feeling began to settle in his chest as he felt his heart rate speed up. He sat up quickly in a panic, the bones in his body cracking in protest as if they hadn't been in use for a long time.

"Woah...I heard that. You sounded like a glowstick."

He looked up frantically at the person for the first time. "What do you mean tropics? I was...I was attending a party in Alaska before this!"

The boy shrugged helplessly as he offered a hand over. "Calm down for now, no one else remembers what's going on either. We all seem to have the same story as you. You kinda...ah...missed out on introductions, but I'll take you around to see everyone first and then we'll meet up as a giant group and decide what to do from there!" He flashed a confident grin.

Leo smiled faintly as he slowly swung his legs off the bed and took the boy's hand, standing up slowly. The person wore a dark blue shirt, fitted with black pants that were secured by a gray belt. He had golden eyes and a mop of messy, black hair covered by what looked like a police's hat. Leo noted that his right hand and his left arm were covered in white bandages.

"Let's start off with me first! I'm Elson Serafino, the Ultimate Conductor!"

"Conductor...like a music conductor?"

Elson burst out laughing at the remark. "Oh, please! I don't have a drop of musical talent or hand-eye coordination!" He stepped back and saluted. "I'm the conductor on the mysterious thing called a train. I take your tickets and chat with old ladies for a living."

Leo blinked in awe. "Someone...can be an Ultimate Conductor?"

"It's kind of a niche occupation, you're right. I was that kid that everyone ogled over for saving the world's biggest train company by becoming their spokesperson. That's how I gained my title. So, how about you? What's your talent? What's your talent?" Elson leaned forward eagerly, eyes big with anticipation.

Leo smiled sheepishly, understanding how this energetic boy could have become an icon for a company. "Well, I'm Leo Stigmata. It might sound kind of weird, but I'm the Ultimate Sleeper."

There was a blank look that washed over Elson's face before he began to laugh again. "Ohhhh! No wonder you looked like you were in a coma! But, how did you come to gain that title? Did they record you for how long you slept?"

Leo shook his head. "I'm in high demand for sleeping research. Apparently, on top of my ability to sleep so much, I also displayed a lot of good control qualities for sleep research. I guess you could also consider me an ultimate test subject."

Elson's eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked up at him in awe. "That's so cool."

He couldn't help but think that Elson reminded him of a dog. "Enough about me, already. You said there are others on the island, right? Go ahead and give me a tour."

Elson nodded as he swung the door wide open. "Well, let's start around here. We found two islands that we can travel to. This is the first island, and there's a central island that doesn't have much except for a park. We're at the cottages right now. You were sleeping at mine."

Leo stepped out and looked around, taking in a deep breath. The cottages were all arranged in a circle, with a fountain in the middle that boasted a large statue of a cherry tree. He noticed three people standing near the fountain, chatting as they held drinks in their hands.

Elson smiled as he grabbed Leo's sleeve and led him over to the other three. "Yo, he's awake! It means we can all assemble at the hotel lobby we saw, right?"

One of the girls glanced over and smiled at him. Under the glare of the bright sun, she seemed to be glowing. Perhaps it was the fact that light seemed to reflect off of her entirely. Her hair, much like her long dress, was white and billowy. She had pale gray eyes that matched her long, white eyelashes. "Nice to meet you. I'm Alice Knightwalker."

Leo felt his face heat up slightly as he recognized the name, remembering that he had once had a crush on this girl. "You're the Ultimate Pop Star, right? The girl as white and pure as snow...with a voice to match."

Alice nodded as she shook his hand. "I'm flattered that you know me."

The boy next to her seemed offended as he quickly barged in between them. "Ah, but you know me, right? I'm only the most handsome, most talented individual here!" He held a hand over his face dramatically. "It hurts being so talented, you know?"

"No, we don't," Elson responded flatly. "Who were you again, anyway?"

The boy gasped in shock as his green eyes welled up with dramatic tears. He pushed back his blond hair, sniffling indignantly. "Well, I'm not surprised a peasant like you would remember me anyway! I am what my name suggests, of course! I'm the Ultimate Fashionista! Yes, the only man capable of designing clothes fit for a king! The name is Legend Rowe, don't you forget it!"

Leo smiled uncomfortably as Legend began to examine him. "Hmm...sharp jawline, impeccable muscles, natural lip...you're perfect for modeling!" he exclaimed.

Elson's jaw dropped. "Wait, why not me?" he complained. "I've got all those things too: a jawline that could cut into steel, biceps that'll pop, and whatever a natural lip is!"

The fashionista sneered at him before turning back to Leo. "I just have to have you try on my clothes sometime soon. You'll meet me after our big meeting at my cottage. I'll have an outfit for you so we can get you out of those horrible khakis you're wearing right now!"

Leo opened his mouth to protest before the third person with them finally spoke. "You guys are like apes, honestly." The person stood up from the fountain, pushing his white glasses up as he held a hand out to Leo. "The name's Cassini Deleon. I'm the Ultimate Explorer. It took you ages to get up. So, who are you? You pea-brains were all so busy fawning over someone as plain as him that you never asked for his name."

"Excuse me," Leo muttered under his breath as he shook his hand quickly and pulled it away. "I'm Leo, the Ultimate Sleeper. I can't really help it."

Cassini snorted slightly. "Sleeping? What a useless talent."

Elson quickly came up next to him. "Just ignore Cassini. He's always like this. He thinks he's so great just because he actually has the budget to travel to exotic places," he grumbled. "Anyway, we have to meet others. Let's go."

Leo glanced back at the three, watching Legend and Cassini fight as Alice smiled and waved goodbye. "So...what's on this island?"

"Let's go to the bowling alley first. We'll make a round trip since we'll end up at the hotel anyway."

Leo stopped and stared in awe at the bowling alley, the neon sign flashing as the conductor opened the door and led them in.

A pair of bowling shoes flew across the room as someone screeched out in anger. "You asshole!"

Another boy laughed as he ran and hid behind an arcade machine. "What? It's true. You're just a total bi—"

There was a mighty crash as the girl threw an eight-ball at the machine.

Elson sighed as he watched the two people throw insults at each other back and forth. "Honestly, how bad do you have to piss someone off to have them after you for over an hour?"

The boy ran by them, cackling as he ducked under a pool table. "You're new, right?" he asked, clearly out of breath. "I'm Gin Amadio, the Ultimate Butler. I might lose my life at the moment so I'll talk to you later!"

Leo blinked as he noticed Gin's style of dress. "A kimono and sandals? As the Ultimate Butler?"

"He wears that because he's a weeaboo who will never find love!" a girl with dark blue hair bellowed as she tried to stab at Gin with a pool cue.

Elson slowly leaned over. "That's Nova Odom, the Ultimate Astronomer. She's known for her discovery of a new solar system, but she also has a temper. Just don't get on her bad side. Let's go to the supermarket before we get caught in the crossfire." The boy quickly turned around. "Ah, guys! This is Leo, by the way, the Ultimate Sleeper! Now that he's awake we have to meet up at the hotel!"

Neither of the opposing sides responded.

The two of them slowly sneaked out of the building as the crashes perpetuated within the building.

Leo took a deep breath as he glanced back at the bowling alley. "They haven't known each other for long, right? How are they already both so angry with each other?"

"Well...Gin and Nova both have strong personalities. He threw a remark at her when we introduced ourselves and they've been fighting since."

They continued their ambling to the supermarket, taking note of the looming palm trees that lined the edges of the road. Leo began to notice the monitors that were placed all around the island, wondering what their use could be.

The two were met with a gust of cool wind as they entered the building. A remote-control dune buggy raced by Leo's feet before crashing pitifully into a shelf stocked with piles of cheap t-shirts.

"Ah, shoot. I guess the drift is still a little off, huh?" a girl said as she leaned back against the counter and began to take apart the remote in her hands. Her blue hair fell in front of her red eyes, which were narrowed in concentration as she began to move parts around. She seemed to be the only one dressed for the tropical weather, the straps of her yellow tank top slipping down her arms.

Suddenly, the girl looked up at the man laying across the counter above her, head resting against the cash register. "Hey, hey. Go get a button-cell battery for me. LR44, please."

The boy frowned slightly as he peered down at her. "I'm not your slave, you know. Go get it yourself." He laid back down, his black hair moving to show his blue eyes. He groaned as he took his maroon jacket off, revealing that he was wearing nothing underneath it. "Dammit, why's it so hot here?"

Elson quickly cleared his throat. "The last person finally woke up, guys."

The girl looked up, hands still tinkering with the remote. "Well, hiya! You're a new face! My name's Phoenix Bright, and I'm the Ultimate Mechanic!"

The boy laying across the counter smiled lazily like a cat as he sat up. "And I'm Raymond Nason, the Ultimate Codebuster."

"That basically means his talent is useless," Phoenix teased as she leaned back against the counter once more.

"Well you're just an oasis of encouragement," Raymond retorted sarcastically as he got off of the counter.

They were all silenced by a rustling behind them.

"Is...someone there...?" a small voice asked as Leo looked over to the shelves.

A girl was peeking out, her silver hair falling across her shoulders. She was wearing a black sweater, dark blue shorts, and long, black socks.

Phoenix grinned cheekily. "Oh ho ho, you finally changed. Good, I was practically dying for you in those stuffy pants you were wearing before."

The girl's ears reddened as she looked down at her shoes. "I don't know...these seem really revealing," she said quietly as she hid herself more behind the shelf.

Elson shook his head as he squatted down so that he was at her level. "They're not. You look cute with them, so please come out and introduce yourself."

She nodded timidly before taking a deep breath, stepping out, and quickly bowing to Leo. "N-nice to meet you! I'm the Ultimate Medium, Eve Hunter!" In a panic, Eve quickly dashed back behind the shelf as soon as she finished her rushed introduction.

Raymond sighed as he shook his head. "She's just like that, so don't be offended by it. We forced her to come over to the supermarket since she was sweating in her old clothing. Seriously, I thought the girl was going to die from heat stroke. That was a journey in of itself."

"Well, have fun bringing her back to the hotel, I guess," Elson remarked. "We have to meet up soon since everyone is awake now." With that, they left the three of them, continuing their trek around the island.

"Let's see...we just have the restaurant and the hotel lobby to tackle now. All of the goody-two-shoes are already waiting at the lobby probably, so we'll just finish up with the restaurant," the conductor said as they arrived.

Leo looked out to the beach that was in between the hotel in the distance and the restaurant in front of them. "Nice view."

Elson grinned as he pointed to a small girl, sitting in the front of the restaurant. "It is, isn't it?"

They walked up the steps to the restaurant where the girl was sitting. "What are you doing?" Elson asked as he leaned over to see with her.

The girl smiled brightly as she held up a small container of crabs. "I'm making them a home."

Elson smiled fondly as he carefully put some sand in to help her. "You're a very kind person for doing that."

No wonder he's the Ultimate Conductor. This guy oozes charisma, Leo thought to himself as the girl turned around and waved at him with both hands. "I'm the Ultimate Guard, or Angel Stafford!"

Leo stood in disbelief as he watched her turn back to ogle at the crabs in the container. He couldn't picture her, with her small frame and pink dress, to be someone like a guard.

His thoughts were cut off when the door to the restaurant flew open and out stepped out another girl.

She stopped and looked down at them with her purple eyes, brown hair falling around her shoulders. "What do you want, Serafino?" she asked coldly.

"Ouch, cold as ever," Elson said nervously as he stood, brushing the sand off his pants. "This is the last guy to wake up. His name is Leo and he's the Ultimate Sleeper."

Leo waved his hand in an attempt to be friendly, immediately stopped by the girl's glower as he slowly put his hand back down. "I see. Well, I guess I'll at least introduce myself. I'm the Ultimate Queen, known as Yumi Tokugawa."

"That...that makes sense," Leo stammered quickly as she passed by him.

"You slept in before, right? Don't make me wait again. I'll be at the hotel," she dismissed before walking down the road, Angel following behind her.

Elson let out a big breath, wiping his hands on his pants. "I thought she was gonna kill me for sure," he said, relieved. "Anyway, we heard her orders...let's head to the hotel. The rest of the group is there, probably."

They both began to run to the hotel, still fueled by the fear that the ultimate queen had given them. Elson quickly opened the door as Leo walked in, stopping as he gaped at the opulent lobby.

There were four people sitting at a table, all turning around when they heard the door. Nearby, there was a television with a static screen and a row of coffee makers. One of the coffee makers was still brewing, releasing an aromatic smell around the surrounding space.

"Oh, he's finally awake," one of the girls remarked as she leaned forward with a cup of mocha. She studied them with her green eyes, brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Nice to meet you," she said curtly. "My name is Raven Steele. My title is the Ultimate Knight; however, I don't use a sword."

Leo thought that she was dressed more like an assassin as the girl next to Raven waved cordially, her short, pale blonde hair bobbing as she moved. "I'm not as cold as Raven over here! Come over here; the table is big enough for you two to squeeze in!"

The two boys shuffled over as they joined the group.

The girl who had talked to them laughed. "Yo, Serafino!" she greeted as the two gave each other a fist bump. She then turned to Leo and offered a high five. "And yo to you, too! I'm the Ultimate Pilot, the fantastic human being known as Cornelia Herring!" She quickly gestured to the other two boys who were sitting with them. "These two also have the personality of a slab of wood, so don't be disappointed when you can't hear their introductions!"

The boy with red hair stuttered in offense. "I'm not that quiet, I just don't prefer to talk!" He took a deep breath before he offered Leo an awkward handshake. "I'm Brody Hughes. They also call me Hugh-dini because I'm the Ultimate Escape Artist."

Leo nodded as he looked over at the last person, who also offered a handshake. A shudder immediately passed through his body as he took shook the person's hand. "Your hands are ice cold."

"Ah, I'm really sorry," the boy murmured softly. Leo noted that his pale blue hair, along with his white eyelashes and pale skin, had a pure feeling very similar to Alice. He was wearing a winter-style black jacket that contrasted sharply with his royal blue eyes, a simple white shirt, and a pair of maroon red pants. "I'm not really good with warm things so I'm perpetually cold."

"He's like a lizard!" Cornelia snickered. "One of those lizards that'll lay there if they don't have enough sun, but like the complete opposite! You should see him out in the sun, he's like a snowman slowly melting."

Aspen laughed quietly. "Don't tease me like that. Anyway, I'm sorry for the tangent we went on. I'm Aspen Young, the Ultimate Ice Sculptor."

"You should, like, totally see his creations, Leo!" Elson interjected. "It's crazy, he's like the Michelangelo of cold things!"

As they continued to talk, the others began to slowly file into the lobby until they were all soon gathered in the same place.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin," Cassini said matter-of-factly as he pushed his glasses up. "Let's first discuss what we've found on the island, and then we will proceed with solving the mystery as to why and how we've woken up on this island."

Everyone murmured in agreement as Raymond raised his hand. "Well, we can start off at the supermarket. Over there, we found—"

He was cut short when the door suddenly burst open, a short boy running in frantically as he adjusted his shirt. "I'm sorry, I overslept! That's a horrible way to introduce myself to my guests!"

Leo blinked in surprise. "Guests?"

The boy quickly stood up and looked up at all of them. "Hello, everyone! My name is Erik. I'm the host who brought you to this island!"