Playground 51 - The Wildest Magic School on Earth

EXT. B.LUCKY WORLD THEME PARK – DAY

A few children run around what looks like a giant lagoon, but it's a man-made pool of water. One Child has a balloon shaped like the theme park's mascot, a white rabbit named "B.Lucky."

At the far end of the pool is a giant replica of an Aztec temple, with a water slide coming out of its open mouth.

We're looking at the children's legs as they run past an ominous figure whose legs are draped in all black and is slowly marching towards the pool. Those legs stop at the pool's edge, as if the figure is looking into the water.

INT. THE LAGOON – SAME

Soft music starts to play as we see the man dressed in all black, KAYE BELTRAN, from the inside of the lagoon.

His figure quivers as we're looking at him through the water. Then his shape is broken up by bubbles rising.

As the camera sinks, it passes four boys who are floating, looking unconscious in the water.

RICHARD BELTRAN, a boy of about 11 years old, opens his eyes and realizes he's drowning. He starts flailing in a panic, trying to swim up to air, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't make it.

DISSOLVE TO BLACK.

FADE IN.

Still in the water, Richard wakes up again. The music grows even slower and more warped.

From Richard's POV, we see the quivering, watery image of KAYE BELTRAN again. Now he's crouching at the edge of the pool, observing all the boys who are drowning.

Richard calls for Kaye, but only bubbles escape as he sinks deeper into the dark water.

In a last-ditch effort, Richard reaches out with all that's left in him as Kaye reaches toward him.

A bright light explodes from Kayes's hand, and the entire pool explodes in pure light. Everything else fades to white, including Richard.

INT. THE POOL – SAME

The bright white light fades as the warped-sounding music gains momentum, until it becomes a rap beat.

EXT. ABSOLUTION ACADEMY SCHOOL – DAY

Richard and the other three boys leap out of the water and onto dry land. Now, they were all teenagers wearing the school uniform for ABSOLUTION ACADEMY: School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

They stand side by side in unison, as if they were a heroic superteam ready for battle.

A mob of protestors approaches them, holding up anti-witchcraft signs and chanting angrily. The fight was on! A battle for their school and the soul of Menzai Island. A manmade island off the coast of New York. Was the Island going to be devoted to mysticism or science? The four child soldiers who guarded the school would help decide its fate.

PROTESTORS

Hell no! Witches, GO! Hell no! Witches, GO!

Suddenly, the ground trembles. The four boys almost lose their footing as a giant shadow stretches across the courtyard.

SETH BYNUM is the fearless leader of this super team. He's fearless because he's pretty much out of his mind.

There's an enchanted guitar on his back, and he swings it around and starts playing it.

SETH

Head up! A bad vibe this way comes!

The heavy stomping grows louder until a shiny, all-white, mecha robot stomps into view, towering over the protestors like divine judgment.

Inside the cockpit, teenage mech pilot, ADAM KIRAGE, grins like a televangelist with a missile launcher.

His voice booms through the loudspeaker in the cockpit of the metal beast.

ADAM

That's RIGHT! Tell these witches to hit the bricks! Menzai Island is my family's property, and we created it for real supernatural studies! Under a good, God-fearing, paranormal technologies firm called SOMNIX INCORPORATED!

ADAM

We put SCIENCE over SHRUNKEN HEADS! Join the winning team, LOSERS! All that witchcraft malarky died at the hands of science once, and it will die at the hands of science again!

Seth continues playing his guitar.

SETH

Bro loves to hear the sound of his own voice, don't he?

EDDIE BON MOON, known as "The Genius," has dreadlocks cascading from beneath aviator goggles.

Subtitles appear on the screen whenever Eddie speaks Japanese.

(The subtitles don't always match what Eddie is saying exactly; they match more "the spirit" of his words)

EDDIE

でも、彼が言ってることって本当に信じられるのかな？

科学と論理の手によって他に何が死んだんだろう？

(SUBTITLES: Though, is there any validity to what he's saying? What else died at the hands of science and logic?)

CHRISTOPHER ROBYN is the "Bad Boy/Heart Throb" of the team. He's a handsome blonde, dressed in all black with witchcraft tattoos all over his body. He likes big, far-out ideas and concepts, like soul mates and conspiracy theories.

He pulls the cigarette out of his mouth as he chuckles at the absurdity of Adam and his mecha getting the Christians riled up to protest them.

CHRIS

He's a typical rich boy putting profit over real human progress. I'm pretty sure this crackpot is of a lizard bloodline, too!

Eddie, Richard, and Seth give him confused looks.

Adam's voice crackled back through the mech's speaker.

ADAM

Hey Chris, maybe if you stopped worshiping the sun, your conspiracy theories would sound less delirious! You Idiot!

CHRIS

I do NOT worship the sun!

He blows out the rest of the smoke as he tosses the cigarette to the ground and stomps on it.

CHRIS

Anyway, that thing in the sky is not really the sun. It's a hologram made by the Chinese.

EDDIE

(blinks)

何これ？

(SUBTITLES: What the hell?)

SETH

(Chuckles)

Shut up, Chris.

Richard, now 14 and visibly older than he was in the last scene, is a former child actor. He's always confused.

RICHARD

Aww man!

Bangs his magic wand.

RICHARD

I think I broke it!

Richard leans forward to address someone next to Chris.

RICHARD

(Whines)

Professooor! Can I go get my other wand? This one's broken!

A striking figure steps forward. He has long, wavy red hair and glasses. In his hand, he holds a golden scepter.

PROFESSOR DIAZ flips the scepter into the air and points it at the protestors.

PROFESSOR DIAZ

That won't be necessary, Richard. We aren't going to get violent. No one needs to get hurt.

CHRIS

So then what was the point of us nearly drowning in that moat, trying to get the drop on them?

Professor Diaz pushes up his glasses, smiles, and then tosses his staff to Chris as he walks off.

PROFESSOR DIAZ

Drama...

Chris catches the scepter with a dumbfounded look on his face, watching Diaz abandon them to go chat with the news people.