Total Pokemon: Fresh vs Forgotten

by Dark Arcanine 33

Two years after the events of Reboot III, the hosts are back with another season of insanity. 18 brand spanking new contestants, along with 18 forgotten veterans, compete for the prize. Who will win this time? Read, REVIEW, and find out! (Season 11)

YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!

000

Mew was sitting on his bed, watching his television. With Victini deciding to retire from the show, Mew felt like he finally had freedom again. Underdogs was a season that he never wanted to happen; some of the cast weren't even underdogs and were just there for Victini's amusement.

He had been getting bored of the show scene for a while now, and honestly wanted to stop at All-Stars due to how far things got. But, as soon as it ended, Victini had already had Parafrosyni greenlit thanks to Arceus and Giratina, so it seemed that the legendary was going to be in a never ending loop centered around the series.

At the moment, he was just happy to have more free time. No more torturing Pokemon, no more challenges, no more islands, and no more jackass Victini. Well, in an island scene for the last one.

Just as he reached for his Iced Tea on his nightstand, Terrakion burst into his room excitedly. "Mew!" he greeted cheerily.

The ox's sudden action startled the New Species Pokemon, causing him to spill his tea on himself and his bedsheets. Seeing the wet fluid splash on him, Terrakion sheepishly chuckled. "Um… s-sorry about that."

Mew sighed as he floated out of his bed, lifting his bedsheets via kinesis. The tea wasn't that big of a deal, and Terrakion was too lovable to stay mad at, in his opinion, so he just let it go. "It's fine," he said flatly as he wrung out his partially soiled bed sheets. "Was there a reason you came in like that?"

"Yeah, I have some awesome news!" the Cavern Pokemon chirped enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah?" Mew asked as he started making his bed up again. "What's the news?"

"You're getting another season and Heatran and I get to be your co-hosts!" Terrakion expressed joyously.

Mew froze. Here he was, enjoying his freedom from those shows and hoping to wipe the memories of all of the terrible things that had happened throughout the series from his mind. Now he was being told that he will be doing yet another season, with Terrakion… and Heatran. He was completely shocked. He didn't ask for another season, so how the hell could this have happened?

"Uh… Mew? Meeew? You okay, buddy?" Terrakion asked hesitantly, approaching the unmoving psychic-type.

Mew blinked, returning to reality. He turned to face Terrakion, who had a very nervous expression on his face. "Where did you procure this information?" Mew borderline interrogated.

"Well, Arceus and Giratina called Heatran and I down to their room," the rock- and fighting-type began explaining. "Victini was there-"

Mew twitched at the mere mention of his former co-host. Of course he had something to do with this.

"-with them holding a bunch of papers, and he started talking about you guys' particular brand and how well its done for the past years. He told them that even though he's not gonna co-host anyone, he'll act as an executive producer and the series can continue with different co-hosts."

"And what the hell made them think that I'd want to continue hosting?!" Mew exclaimed.

"Giratina was actually the one who brought that up," Terrakion continued. "He said that, compared to Victini, you were the one who deserves retirement."

"EXACTLY!"

"But then, Victini brought up the fact that you barely do anything around here. You're always in your room watching TV and eating snacks, and you mostly come out just to see what others are doing or to piss," Terrakion expounded. "Plus, he said that if he continued, there would likely be numerous lawsuits against him."

"What the- the freaking contracts said that they can't sue us for anything!" Mew exclaimed. "He's talking out of his ass!"

"He said that they'd probably still try no matter what," Terrakion replied. "Then he brought up the popularity again and said that if he continued to host, viewership will go down because he's practically hated at this point. So, Arceus and Giratina decided to just give him permission to be over the season with them clearing things that they may deem fit. And they chose me and Heatran because they cancelled our other series and want us to have some screentime!"

Mew groaned.

"So come on, I think they'll be wondering what's taking me so long," Terrakion chirped giddily as he started heading back out of the door. Mew groaned, facepalming himself.

"It… never… ends!"

000

Mew and Terrakion made it to the GodMode couple's room, where Victini and Heatran were still waiting. Mew locked eyes with Victini, giving him a hateful glower. The Victory Pokemon only smiled in response.

"It took you two long enough," Giratina commented, staring down at the two of them.

"Sorry about that…" Terrakion apologized. "Mew didn't take the news that well…"

"WHY MUST MY LIFE BE SO DIFFICULT?!" Mew bellowed.

Everyone remained silent, just staring at him after hearing the outburst.

"Mew, we realize that you may not enjoy hosting anymore, but Victini has made surprisingly valid points on why it should continue," Arceus explained, understanding the pink feline's demeanor.

"Yeah, Terrakion filled me in on that before we came here," he replied, folding his arms.

"I just don't understand why you're so pissy," Victini remarked. "The job is completely easy. We've done the shit for years now! You introduce the competitors, establish the do's and don'ts, make the teams, introduce the challenges, watch the free entertainment, make the losers vote someone out, and go to bed or do whatever you want to do at night. It's formulaic!"

"Exa-"

"And you do the same formula here, too," Victini continued, folding his arms. "Almost every day since season four, you wake up, get breakfast, go back to your room, stay in your room, occasionally come out for more food or just teleport it to yourself, go back to your room again, and stay there for the rest of the day. Rinse and repeat…"

"...so?"

"Exactly," Victini replied.

"You know his schedule that well?" Heatran asked. "That's pretty weird…"

"We all stay in the same place, it's not that weird at all," Victini replied with a shrug. "So… I have everything already planned out. The next season is gonna have old contestants for Mew…"

Mew rolled his eyes. "Joy..."

"And… half new guys for Terrakion and Heatran!" Victini revealed.

Mew's eyes widened upon hearing that. More new contestants? They already had over 100 in total, how many would this bring it to? And wait…

"Hold on… new guys AND old guys? As in, they're going to be competing at the same time?" Mew inquired. "Isn't that a bit… odd?"

"Hey, we did it for seasons two and three," Victini shrugged. "You'll be fine. Plus, you have two co-hosts this time! It should be easy peezy. There's thirty-six of them in total, so there will be twelve for each of you!"

"Um… what does that have to do with anything?" asked Terrakion.

"I don't know, but it was just a fun observation," Victini admitted. "Now, the show starts… Wednesday, so get ready."

Mew blinked, glaring at him. "TOMORROW IS WEDNESDAY!"

"Exactly," Victini replied cheerily. "Now, go get a good night's sleep. Here's a picture of the island, as well as what's on it, how big it is, and just additional fun facts about it."

The Victory Pokemon handed the three hosts pictures of the island. Heatran's paper immediately disintegrated due to the heat of his body, but Victini ignored it. Mew gazed at the picture of the island and groaned.

"Hmm. Doesn't look that bad," Terrakion commented, gazing at the picture. "Seems a bit smaller compared to you guys' other ones, though."

"It's only a bit smaller," Victini explained as he reached onto the Renegade and Alpha Pokemon's nightstand, grabbing a stack of stapled papers. "So, there's no worries. Also, here are copies of each newbies' contract and sign up forms."

Handing a stack to Mew and Terrakion, knowing Heatran would cause them to combust instantaneously. Mew groaned. "Great, more information to remember and forget."

"Ah, you'll get over it," Victini said, waving away his complaints. "Now, go get to know the new contestants and you three will set off tomorrow."

Mew grumbled to himself, holding the papers in his paws as he floated toward the door. Terrakion and Heatran followed him out, excited about their new jobs.

Once there were out, Victini sighed in satisfaction. "It's gonna be an awkward season. Especially when he figures out which old guys are coming back."

The couple eyed the Victory Pokemon blankly, as if asking, "Why are you still here?"

Seeing the expression he was getting from the GodMode couple, Victini sheepishly chortled. "Alright then, I'll… just see myself out."

The fire- and psychic-type floated toward the door.

000

A large island was seen; it was similar to the ones that they had competed on prior, albeit a bit smaller. There was a metal dock on the front of it for reinforcement purposes, as the original dock had rotted away quickly. Terrakion, Heatran, and Mew were seen on the dock.

"WELCOME, TOTAL POKEMON FANS! TO ANOTHER SEASON OF INSANITY!" Mew announced, faking his enthusiasm. "WE'RE ON ANOTHER ALL-NEW ISLAND, THIS TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!"

"Thirty-six competitors," Terrakion began. "Eighteen old and eighteen new, will compete here for the grand total of 5,000,000 Poke!"

"But, according to the producers, the new guys don't know that it's not going to be just them," Heatran added. "So, we're gonna have a bit of fun with this and start this season off with a shocker."

"I'm your host, Mew," Mew introduced. "And these are my new co-hosts, as I'm finally free from the evil that is Victini."

Terrakion chuckled upon hearing that. "I'm Terrakion."

"And I'm Heatran," Heatran followed.

"And welcome to season seven," Mew announced. "This is TOTAL… POKEMON… FRESH...VS FORGOTTEN!"

-000-

*Intro plays*

-000-

"Now, according to the sign up forms this time around," Mew started, taking out one of the sign up forms. "Victini told them that they'd be competing at a five star hotel with free food, luxurious scenery, scantily clad waiters and waitresses, and fun activities…" he read from the paper.

"Well, he sure knows how to lure in teens," Heatran said. "Or really anyone for that matter."

"Yeah, I'd totally be the first one to sign up for that," Terrakion admitted. "Especially for the scantil-" he stopped speaking upon seeing Heatran's perturbed expression and cleared his throat.

Heatran raised a brow. "Oh really?" he asked like a scorned wife.

"Now you've done it," Mew chuckled, watching the couple. Despite him being sick of the shows, he had to admit, without Victini he felt a bit better about it.

"Uh… look! The first Lapras is coming," Terrakion acknowledged, looking out at the water in an attempt to change the subject.

The other two gazed out in the distance and saw that the Cavern Pokemon was correct. The first was approaching.

"Alright, this should be interesting," Mew commented as the Transport Pokemon steadily made its way to the iron dock.

When the Lapras finally arrived, it dropped off a purple bat, one that was fairly familiar with the two co-hosts. They seemed to be familiar with him as well.

"Izaya!? Hey man, how's it going?" Terrakion greeted.

The Crobat grunted. "I can't complain. Didn't expect to see you guys here. I still don't know why we couldn't just finish the other show."

"We don't really know either," Heatran admitted. "The producers just told us that it was cancelled and didn't give us a reason. How's Juvia, by the way?"

"Oh she's doing fine, and uh… why's a Mew here?" the Bat Pokemon inquired, seeing Mew floating in silence. "Isn't this you guys' show? And… where's the hotel?"

"Technically… no," Terrakion answered. "It's his and Victini's series, but we're co-hosts now…"

"As for the hotel, well…"

"It was a fallacy to get you here," Mew finally spoke up. "But, I'm glad to see that you guys know someone beforehand. It'll make things go a bit easier. And also, welcome, Izaya."

"Uh… thanks," Izaya replied, unsure of what to make of Mew, as he hadn't seen his show. He had been on numerous other shows like this before, so he had a feeling he was going to be up to the same nonsense as the other hosts he had to deal with.

He flew over to the end of the dock as another Lapras swam next to the dock, dropping off a dark blue frog. It had a light blue underside with yellow eyes. It had a white scarf comprised of bubbles. It had dark blue hands and toes, as well as white, circular fingers.

The Frogadier had a rather distant expression, almost as if she didn't want to be there.

"Welcome, Sherry!" Mew greeted.

The Frogadier waved effortlessly before just strolling past the three hosts. They didn't mind at all, as they already expected it from what her application said about her. Also, Mew had dealt with competitors who did this before, so even if he hadn't known about her, he wouldn't have bothered getting annoyed.

When the Frogadier saw Izaya, she kept her distance, folding her arms.

"Well howdy-do to you do," the Crobat greeted sarcastically.

Sherry rolled her eyes.

The next Lapras swam up, dropping off a small, brown and yellow bird , who hopped on the dock. "Huh, a dock made of metal. What was someone too fancy to afford normal wood?"

"No Luke, and welcome," Mew greeted.

"The old dock rotted and smelled, so they created this one," Heatran explained.

"But… metal rusts..." the Pidgey, now identified as Luke, stated.

"... And the sky is blue," Terrakion replied. "Now, feel free to move over to the others…"

"And speaking of moving… why didn't you just fly here?" Heatran questioned.

Luke gave him an annoyed look. "I have a medical condition, okay?! Leave me alone!"

The Pidgey ran over to the other two competitors, confusing the hosts. Eventually, he ran into Sherry's legs, causing him to rub his head from the blow. He looked up and saw that the frog was glowering down at him. He glared back. "Well excuse you…"

Sherry rolled her eyes, resisting to urge to kick the bird into the murky water. Izaya chuckled to himself upon seeing that brief interaction.

"Five bucks says he won't make it past the first challenge," Heatran whispered to Terrakion.

"I'll take you up on that…" Terrakion replied with a chuckle.

Mew shook his head playfully, his joy slowly starting to return. The next Lapras swam up, dropping off a shiny Pokemon. It was very muscular, having an hourglass body and smaller feet. Its body had reddish-orange vein-like bulges on its shoulders, hips, and chest. Its head had numerous bumps. She had a large orange nose and she had an irritated expression on her face.

She dropped the i-beam in her arms onto the ground before cracking her knuckles. "Alright, I know that we are not staying here."

"Well Kallen, you're gonna be disappointed," Mew replied. "You all will be staying here."

The shiny fighting-type groaned in aggravation as she picked up her beam and moved over to the others. Upon seeing the three that were there already, Kallen chortled to herself.

"This is my competition? You might as well just give me the money, now," Kallen commented, turning back to the hosts.

"Hey man, watch it. I'm a force to be reckoned with!" Luke gloated.

"Oh please. A scrawny weakling like you has no chance in this game," Kallen replied, folding her arms as she stood beside Izaya.

"I have an advantage over you, you ugly asshole!" Luke jeered. "Jeez, guys like you are so freaking annoying!"

Kallen glowered at the bird before swinging her beam at him, knocking him into the water.

"Nice shot," Izaya complimented.

"Thanks…" Kallen replied.

Luke rose from the water, coughing. "Hey! What the hell!?"

"You shouldn't have been talking shit," Kallen replied simply. "Simple as that."

The next Lapras swam next to the dock, dropping off a large spider with a bubble on its head and more bubbles on its long legs.

"Equs… how you doing, man?" Mew greeted the Araquanid.

"I'm doing just fine," the Water Bubble Pokemon replied, scanning the three hosts before gazing to the side and seeing the other four competitors. "I look forward to devouring my prey…"

"Well, that's- wait, devour?" Terrakion questioned.

"I'll take my place by the others, now," Equs said, walking over to the others.

The three hosts exchanged glances before shrugging it off rather quickly.

As Luke pulled himself back onto the dock, he saw that Equs had taken his spot. "Hey, you overgrown Surskit! Move outta my spot!" he whined.

Equs looked down at the Pidgey, whom he had seen when he first got there, and decided to ignore him.

"You're not gotta make it far if you piss off and pick on everyone who comes up," Izaya warned the Tiny Bird Pokemon.

"I'm not doing anything. I just want my spot back since Sir Steel Beam here whacked me off for calling him out!" Luke exclaimed.

"I… am not… a GUY!" Kallen exclaimed. "You stupid idiot!"

"Huh…" Luke said, overlooking her. "I honestly don't see it."

Sherry sighed, shaking her head, while Izaya had to keep himself from laughing. Kallen, a grimace hardening her features, picked up her beam and whacked the Pidgey over the head with it, knocking him out cold.

Izaya laughed at that, while Sherry showed no emotion regarding it. Equs took a mental note of their behavior.

The next Lapras swam up to the dock, dropping off a pair of twins. They resembled small rabbits. One was red with an addition sign for a tail and on her cheeks, while the other one was blue with a subtraction sign for a tail and on her cheeks.

"Hi!" the Plusle chirped, while the Minun simply rose a hand, signifying a wave. Seeing this, the Plusle nudged the Minun. "Come on sis, speak!"

The Minun, groaned. "Fine. Hello," she drawled, eyeing the hosts. "I'm Minerva…"

"And I'm Addendum! But, you can call me Addie!" the Plusle chirped once again.

"Hello girls," Terrakion replied with a smile.

"Where's the hotel?" Minerva questioned. "We were promised a hotel, waiters, free food, and fun activities…"

"Well, there's no hotel, no waiters, and the activities will be more tedious than fun, but of course that's subjective," Mew replied. "As for the free food, that is still being served."

Minerva sighed upon hearing that.

"Well, 1 out of 4 isn't that bad," Addie replied.

"Yes, yes it is," Minerva replied, eyeing her sister agitatedly.

"Oh come on, stop being such a Debbie Downer!" Addie replied. "Let's go meet the others!"

Addie jauntily skipped over to the others, while Minerva dragged behind her.

Luke panted heavily as he got back onto the dock. "I hate you… I hate you so much… and we haven't even started anything, yet," he confronted Kallen.

Kallen shrugged.

"Hi~!" Addie greeted everyone with a wave.

"Hey," a few of them replied, sounding dead inside; Equs and Sherry simply didn't respond.

"Oh…" Addie replied. "Why do you guys sound so dead inside?"

"Well, considering that there's no hotel, no hot waitresses, and a boring as shit setting, yeah… negativity it's going to be prominent," Kallen replied.

"Well we could at least make the best of it! It can't be that bad…"

"OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" everyone heard as they turned to the end of the dock where the hosts were. They saw an orange and white canine with rocks sticking out of its furry mane. He had a single earring in his right ear.

"Well hello to you, too Dillon," Terrakion greeted the Dusk Form Lycanroc.

The Lycanroc, now identified as Dillon, groaned in agitation, "I've seen this entire fucking series," he growled. "I'm not sure if this is going to go well for me. I expected a different, calm, fun competition, not one that causes mental and physical trauma!"

"Well, hey, you're actually lucky," Mew responded. "Victini isn't here to co-host and make challenges more awful. So, things may be more teen-friendly."

"Emphasis on the may, I'm presuming?" Dillon assumed as he walked past the hosts and toward the others. He shook his head with a sigh.

"Hey, what was with the yelling over there?" Izaya questioned.

"Uh… have you guys not seen any of these competitions on television?" Dillon inquired, noticing that the others weren't showing any sign of anxiety or fear.

"I've been on others already, so I just don't care," Izaya replied flatly. "I'm expecting the worse anyway…"

"Well, from what I've watched on the shows, things are either gonna be just neutral, really bad, or extremely bad," Dillon said, eyeing the three hosts warily.

The others felt that he was either exaggerating or that he was completely sincere in his worry.

The next Lapras swam up to the dock, dropping off a yellow and dark gray Pokemon that was wearing an eyepatch. There was a large jaw on the back of its head with sharp teeth. She had a very deranged glint in her eyes.

"Hi there…" the Mawile greeted with a sneer.

"Jiaying… how's life?" Mew greeted with a nervous grin.

"Just Juri's fine and it's excellent," the Mawile replied. "Now, where's my competition? I'd like to sink my teeth into them," she expressed darkly as her back jaw snapped.

Heatran and Terrakion exchanged looks of fear.

"They're right over there," Mew motioned to the other competitors, anxious to get the Mawile out of his presence. Her entire demeanor just threw him for a loop. First an Araquanid talking about prey, now a Mawile talking about sinking her teeth into other competitors. It made him wonder if Victini seriously chose cannibals for the show.

Juri had sauntered over to her fellow competitors with a malicious smile, licking her lips hungrily. "Hello, meat," she greeted, folding her arms.

"Hi!" Addie chirped, as Minerva rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to destroy all of you," she said with a sick smile.

"Uh… what?" Izaya questioned.

"What'd I do?!" Dillon yelped.

Juri giggled. "If I didn't have a chance to be eliminated or imprisoned, I'd skin you alive and wear you like a coat…"

Dillon paled upon hearing that and immediately moved behind Izaya and Kallen for protection.

"Cute," Juri laughed cruelly. "But, you're not gonna be protected for long little pup… and neither will any of you."

Sherry rose a brow at the Mawile's attitude, while Kallen rolled her eyes. Addie was a bit unhinged, but she kept her composure, while Minerva didn't care in the slightest. Izaya was intrigued, Dillon was still shaken, Equs remained quiet, and Luke was still knocked out.

The next Lapras arrived while those interactions occurred. It didn't drop off one, but two more Pokemon. One was a yellowish-brown shell, while the other was a pink blob.

"What?" Mew asked in confusion. "How'd you two get to be on the same Lapras?"

"Be on the same Lapras?" the Shedinja replied in the same tone.

"Uh… what?"

"Uh… what?" the Shedinja replied.

"Okay why is he doing that?" Terrakion inquired.

The Ditto glared at the Shedinja. He had to deal with him for the entire ride here; when he tried greeting, the Shed Pokemon just copied what he said, leading to silence between them for the remainder of the ride there.

"How should I know?" the Ditto replied. "He was picked up first and when I started talking to him, he just repeated everything I said. I don't even know his name."

"His name is Sir," the Shedinja replied, revealing the Ditto's name.

Sir gave the Shedinja a look. "Yes… it is," the Ditto replied.

"Well, his name is Echo," Heatran reminded. "So, it makes sense to me…"

"Makes sense to me…" Echo repeated mockingly.

Sir rolled his eyes and headed toward the others at the end of the dock. Echo followed him shortly after, leaving the hosts alone for a while.

The Ditto made his way over and stood next to Equs without saying a word. Echo did the same, though he floated next to the twins.

"Huh, silence for once," Kallen replied, noticing that the two hadn't said anything upon adding themselves to the group.

"Silence for once," Echo replied.

Kallen rose a brow. "Uh… why are you copying me?"

"Why are you copying me?" Echo replied in a mocking tone.

Kallen knew best not to continue speaking if that was going to be a common thing, so she just remained quiet.

"Well, this is suddenly awkward," Izaya commented.

"This is suddenly awkward," Echo replied, causing a collective groan to be emitted from almost everyone, excluding Addie, who found it amusing.

There was no Lapras to deliver the next three contestants, as they were each aquatic in some way. The first one was a female; she was an ovular, blue rabbit. She had white spots on her and a black, zigzagging tail with a blue ball at the end.

"April!" Terrakion greeted. "How's it going?"

"It's going fine," she chirped happily before looking around. "Um… where's the hotel?"

"There is no hotel," Mew replied. "You were lied to, so, sorry about that."

"Oh, well, that's okay I guess…" April replied with a shrug. "Maybe I'll make some good friends here…"

"That's always a possibility," Heatran concurred. "Hopefully all goes well for you."

"Thanks," April replied with blush. The Azumarill started heading toward the others. Just as she did, a blue and yellow eel emerged. His red eyes glimmering in excitement.

"Archenstein! Welcome to the show!" Heatran introduced the Eelektross. "How do you feel?"

The Eelektross glanced over to his fellow competitors and rose a brow. "Huh, so that is my competition over there?" he asked, his voice gruff.

"Yep…"

"And instead of some crappy, frou-frou hotel, we're actually in an outdoor environment where we'll get down and dirty?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Mew replied.

"Excellent," the Eelektross grinned. "These guys won't know what hit 'em…"

"Well, feel free to head on over and assert that…" Terrakion spoke. "Competitiveness is always welcome."

Archenstein nodded as he slithered over to the others, which got their attention.

"So uh...what does everyone like to do here?" April asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"Uh, well, I like to-"

"Are you all ready? Because I'm always ready for a challenge! I don't think you all know who you're gonna be dealing with," Archenstein gloated.

Hearing this, Juri raised a brow, as she sat next to Luke's still unconscious form. She rose to her feet. "Oh-ho, I don't think you know who you're going to be dealing with buddy boy," she stated, folding her arms with a malicious grin.

The Eelektross glared down playfully at the Mawile. "Am I supposed to be scared of you, little missy?"

Her jaw turned and snapped at the Eelektross, who didn't even flinch. "You should be…"

"Cute," he said rather darkly, much to Juri's amusement. Perhaps she'd found a worthy adversary already.

A white and blue sea lion with light blue hair, pearls separating it into different parts, and pink spikes around its waist, pulled itself up onto the cold, steel dock with a cheery smile. "Hello all," it greeted upon seeing the others at the end of the dock already, its voice signifying that it was a female.

"Oleander," Mew greeted. "How do you feel right now?"

"Hmm… I feel a bit excited I suppose," the Soloist Pokemon replied unsurely. "I'm… also a bit confused. Is there no-?"

"Nope. Everyone here has been tricked," Terrakion explained. "Our apologies. At least you'll still get free food."

The Primarina let out a sigh. "That is pleasing to hear; not everything was a fallacy."

"Precisely," Heatran said. "Now move your thick ass over to the side, girl…"

Oleander blushed, giggling as she pulled herself over to the others. She noticed that almost everyone there had a scowl or a look of annoyance plastered on their face. The only ones will even a smidgen of a smile were April and Addie. She didn't know what to make of it, so she just remained quiet.

As the next Lapras appeared in the distance, Terrakion glanced toward the new competitors with concern. He recalled the other times Mew and Victini brought new competitors into the series; they always had some kind of life and exuberance in them. A majority of these competitors were rather… dull and unenergetic.

"Uh… should we be concerned that most of these guys aren't doing as much as your other 'new' casts did?" Terrakion inquired, glancing at Mew.

Mew shrugged. "Eh, I have no idea. Victini's the one who chose them. Maybe there's just nothing for them to talk about. From what I remember from some of their applications, a good amount of them are either laid-back, nice, annoying, or borderline insane, as per usual."

"Well, they certainly aren't acting like it…" Heatran replied, seeing them all sit in silence. "It's a bit unsettling."

Mew shrugged as the next Lapras arrived, dropping off a large, bipedal red tiger. It had a gray chest area. It had a mask-like marking on its head. It looked buff and there were black stripes on its arms and legs. It also had a tail. Upon seeing the three hosts, the tiger gained a small smile.

"Sup dudes," he said, fist pumping Mew, feeling the miniscule pink knuckle connect to his own, larger one. "So uh...where are sexy waiters and the hotel?" he asked, looking at the dense foliage and few buildings.

Upon seeing the setting, and seeing the expressions on his fellow competitors' faces, his eyes dropped in realization. "None of what was on that application was true, was it?"

"No," Mew admitted. "Our apologies, Damon. We've gotten numerous complaints and questions about it already."

"I was gonna say, I bet," Damon said, folding his arms before shrugging with a sigh. "Well, it can't be that bad, I suppose…"

"Glad you aren't being an asshole about it," Terrakion admired. "And I'm glad someone actually showed a bit more personality. No offense to the others."

Damon gave him a small smile before heading to the rest of the gloomy cast. He took a seat next to Oleander, dangling his legs off of the dock.

"Uh… hey," the Primarina greeted rather awkwardly, unsure if everyone coming was going to be the same. So far, the only ones Oleander seemed to have found a bit of solace with were Addie and April, as they were some of the only consistently vocal Pokemon there.

"Hey there," Damon replied before looking around and lowering his voice. "So, uh… do you know what's wrong with these others?"

"No," Oleander whispered back. "And it's a bit unsettling…"

She looked around before making eye contact with Juri, who gave her a devious glare. Oleander swiftly turned her head back in fear.

The next Lapras dropped off a green primate. It had a bush-like crest on its head. Its ears were wide with light green insides. It had ovular eyes and a black nose. It had furry white eyebrows and shoulder tufts, and a cream-colored face, crest, hands, and feet. It also had a long tail with leaves at the end.

"Salvatore! How you doing?"

"Eh, can't complain," the Simisage shrugged, an Italian accent poking through. "I just hope that I'm able ta-"

He stopped mid sentence upon seeing the different girls at the end of the dock. He rose a brow and a small smile appeared on his face. "Well, this is a wonderful sight; so many beautiful girls."

"Well, uh… just a warning," Mew said. "They may be cute, but uh… some of them, personality-wise, may be too much or too little for you."

"Oh please. All girls are beautiful and are worthy of respect," he explained.

"Ooh, a male contestants with actual manners," Terrakion acknowledged. "Barely ever see those…"

Salvatore chuckled. "Yeah, but I don't know. Maybe the other guys will surprise us all."

Mew turned over to the group of campers. Luke was slowly regaining consciousness, Echo was just floating in place, Sir yawned, Dillon was avoiding Juri by hiding behind Izaya, who looked at the others in interest, Equs was standing in silence, Archenstein was looking around excitedly, and Damon was still chatting with Oleander.

"Yeah, I don't think so…" Mew commented. "Maybe one or two others, but I don't think manners will be a prominent theme among the guys…"

"Well, what can ya do," Salvatore replied with a shrug as he headed to the others.

When he left to join the other new competitors, Mew looked at a checklist. "Okay, let's see… uh, just two more and then we can really get the ball rolling…"

"And… here they are, I believe…" Heatran said, glancing upwards and seeing two shadows coming down toward them.

"Nice…" Terrakion remarked.

The first of the two avians came down, with the other following suit shortly after. The first resembled a large owl. She was cream with light brown wings. A green hood covered her head and shoulders and she had reddish-orange eyes.

"Jacklyn. How do you do?" Terrakion greeted.

"I'm doing okay, I suppose," the Decidueye replied. "Not sure about her, though."

"Her?" Heatran inquired.

Heatran's question was soon answered as a sky blue bird with fluffy, white wings, resembling clouds, flew down. Her wariness was evident from how she was looking at the others.

"Uh… hi there, Pixie-"

"What's that supposed to mean?" th Altaria inquired. "Are you challenging me?"

"What? No!" Mew replied. "I'm literally just saying-"

Pixie swung at the pink feline, which he quickly ducked. "You're not gonna take me down!" she squawked.

"Okay…" Mew said, recoiling from the sudden attack attempt. "Jacklyn, could you please escort Miss Pixie to the others. We'll be over shortly."

"Uh, I'm not sure if I'm the right one for that job, but-"

"YOU'LL NEVER GET ME ALIVE!" Pixie bellowed, getting the attention of the other contestants alive as she flew over to the island and sat on the base of the dock.

The four of them blinked in response. Mew sighed. "There are always crazy ones… just deal with it…"

"Alright! All of you!" Mew called, getting each of the new guys' attention. Some of them held bored expressions, while a few others actually looked anxious and excited to start. "Move over to where your fellow camper, Pixie, is sitting and we'll explain the rules…"

Doing as they were told, the seventeen of them, which included Jacklyn, moved along the steel dock and headed to the island's beach. Once they were all heading there, Terrakion and Heatran exchanged smiles as Mew headed back over to them.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," the pink feline, taking out a walkie-talkie. "Zahku, are you ready?" he asked, pressing the red button the side of the communication device.

After a moment of silence and hearing a bit of static, the Hariyama was heard over the sound of what seemed like arguing and shouts of protest in the background. "Yes, Zahku is ready. Let him know when you want to appear…"

"Gotcha," Mew responded before turning to his co-hosts. "Alright, let's get this started…"

The two nodded in agreement as they started heading toward the others.

000

"So, what do you guys think we'll be doing around here?" Addie inquired breezily.

"Hmm, I'm just hoping that it's something entertaining," Juri replied, her arms folded. "If it gets boring, I may have to make my own entertainment, and I don't know if any of you would like that…"

"Try me…" Archenstein challenged, tightening his glower at the Mawile, who glowered back.

"I just hope that I'm not on Big Bubba's team," Luke stated, gesturing to Kallen, who growled. "I'd rather drop dead…"

"I don't think that antagonizing her is going to help you guys' relationship," Sherry said flatly, sensing the anger surrounding Kallen.

"Oh, so you do talk," Izaya remarked. "Good to know…"

Sherry rolled her eyes.

The hosts approached the eighteen newbies with smiles on their faces. "Hello and welcome to the island," Mew greeted. "We apologize that you were all deceived, but hey, we got you here anyway…"

"And we can leave at any time," Minerva chimed in. "Right?"

"Of course not," Terrakion chuckled. "This is a competition after all. Unless you want to just quit, which means that you lose a chance at the prize money."

Hearing that, the Minun groaned. This was going to be a long season...

"Now, I'm sure that you all are anxious to get right into the challenges and figure out whose team you're going to be on, correct?" Heatran questioned.

"Damn right!" Archenstein bellowed, all agog. "Bring it on!"

"Love the enthusiasm, Archenstein," Mew commented. "However, you all won't be the only ones competing here."

Being told that fact caused looks of confusion to appear on everyone's faces. They hadn't been notified of this beforehand, as the forms they filled out mentioned that they were only accepting eighteen applicants.

"Wait. The forms we signed said that you were only choosing eighteen of us," Kallen reminded.

"Yes, but the forms also said that they're be scantily clad waiters and waitresses and a five star hotel," Terrakion retorted. "And you don't see any of that here, do you?"

"Hey, who cares about more competitors? These stupid shows take a while to actually finish anyway," Sir spoke.

"Finish anyway…" Echo replied mockily, causing Sir to glance at him, bored.

"Well, Sir, these aren't just any competitors…" Mew started. "They are veterans who have actually competed in the series before! Or, as the executive producer calls them, the Forgotten Bunch."

"That's the lamest title I've ever heard," Luke commented, giving him a look that said 'really?'.

"Hey, blame the producer, not me," Mew passed the blame. "Now-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Izaya interrupted. "So, you're telling me that we're going to be competing with people who've already been in your show before, while we're completely brand new to it?!"

"Yep," Mew replied. "Because this season, it's fresh faces versus forgotten ones. Granted, I still remember all of these guys, but I didn't come up with the name of the show…"

Equs hummed to himself silently. "Interesting… more prey…"

"Well, as long as I have a lot of them on my team, I'm perfectly fine with this…" Luke commented.

"...Moron, we're gonna be going against them!" Juri emphasized before sighing in annoyance. "Meaning… we're all on one team."

Immediately, everyone exchanges looks with each other and started emitting shouts of protest.

Mew took out his walkie-talkie again, as he expected this reaction from them. He'd honestly be pissed, too, if he was on a team of people with no experience in the game whatsoever. "ZAHKU, BRING THEM IN…" he shouted over the newer contestants, causing them to simmer down a bit.

"Ugh… this is so unfair…" Luke drawled.

"Why is everyone so upset, again?" Addie asked. "This just means that we get to know each other better!"

"Addie!" Minerva exclaimed. "They're bringing back people who have already competed before. This means that they'll know what to expect, they'll have strategies that'll get them further ahead, and they'll automatically be more popular than any of us, because viewers hate change!"

Addie blinked. "Maybe they're nice!"

Minerva twitched before groaning in annoyance.

Suddenly, a tiltrotor started hovering from around the corner of the island, heading in their direction. As the aerial vehicle approached, the propellers caused sand to blow into some of their faces as it stopped above them.

"Well Addie, you're about to find out right now!" Mew shouted over the sound of the propeller blades.

"Uh...shouldn't you land the damned thing first?!" Dillon bellowed, closing one of his eyes to keep more sand from getting into it.

"Nah, it's standard protocol…" Mew waved off. "They should be used to this by now. SO, let's give a warm welcome back to our first competitor-"

The side door of the tiltrotor slide open and a large Hariyama was immediately seen, causing the new contestants to gape in surprise.

"Sven!"

A Winter Sawsbuck was shoved out, landing on the sand below with a thud.

"OW! WHY!?"

"Sadao!"

A Seviper was wrapped around Zahku's waist, clinging on. However, Zahku was over to peel him off and toss him down.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Sadao screamed as he fell.

Sven shakily got onto his feet before finding himself automatically eating sand again as the large snake landed on him above.

The new contestants exchanged awkward, unsure looks, given the treatment of the veterans. Was that gonna happen to them, too?

"Liksur!"

The now-evolved Lickilicky was fighting Zahku's grip before being dropped from the tiltrotor.

"LOOK OOOOOUUUUUTTTTTT!" he called as Sadao and Sven looked up and paled.

A thud was heard, causing the new guys to all wince, with the exception of Juri, who only laughed.

"Mac!"

The Dunsparce was seamlessly tossed from the vehicle.

"Not cool!" he shouted, flapping his wings like mad before finally dropping to the ground.

"Donnel!"

The now-evolved Cacturne was kicked out of the vehicle. As he landed in the sand, Liksur rolled himself off of Sadao and Sven, who had both fainted from his weight. "Oops…"

"Ivory!"

The Delcatty was carried to the door by her tail. "Put me down, you overgrown sack of AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Being a cat, she was able to land on her feet. Checking over herself, she sighed in relief.

"Let's get the high fliers out of the way," Mew commented. "Chelsea, Violetta, Ophelia, Ross, and Harrison!"

The Emolga, Vivillon, Masquerain, Talonflame, and Swellow flew out accordingly, avoiding Zahku's introduction method.

They all landed beside the hosts or on the dock behind them.

"That's a lot of flying-types…" Damon commented, his arms folded. "If there are a lot of sky-based challenges, we're hosed…"

"Still think this is okay?" Minerva questioned Addie.

"They look nice…" Addie replied with a shrug.

Minerva facepalmed.

"Clash!"

The Scizor hopped out of the tiltrotor without Zahku's assistance, landing a mere centimeters away from Sadao's head.

"Cyro!"

The Clawitzer was thrown from the aerial vehicle, only to float in the air and head down without a scratch.

"Wave!"

Zahku tossed the Vaporeon out of the tiltrotor without hesitation.

As Cyro floated down, he looked up and rose his larger claw, allowing Wave to land on it.

"Thanks Cyro," she thanked, panting.

"No prob," Cyro replied cheerily.

"Leon!"

"BOO!"

Terrakion and Heatran both jumped at the sudden exclamation, as a Kecleon started cackling from behind them. "Hahaha… that never gets old!"

"Actually Leon, yes it does," Mew replied. "You did the exact same thing when you were introduced first season…"

"I still got a reaction, now didn't I?" Leon asked rhetorically. "So… ha!"

Mew sighed, rolling his eyes. He decided to just go back to introducing the veterans.

"Crash!"

A mobile aquarium drove forward holding a Sharpedo. He was moving a joystick inside of the aquarium, allowing him to move.

"Uh...I need a little help here!" the Sharpedo called.

Mew nodded as a pink aura surrounded the Sharpedo and his aquarium. He was floated down to the ground so that his aquarium wouldn't shatter.

Once he was on the ground, he started driving himself toward them, with the new guys' eyes widening in surprise.

"And finally… Jennifer and Rika!"

Zahku leapt from the tiltrotor carrying the Florges and the now-evolved Meowstic on each shoulder. They hopped off of his shoulders once he was next to the hosts.

The other veterans didn't look as perplexed as the new guys, almost as if they knew that this was going to happen.

"So, this is our competition this time around?" Leon inquired, looking among the new guys. "Hmm. To be honest, I would've expected you to choose better people than this…"

A few of the new guys took a offense to that, while others didn't really care.

"Uh, what's that supposed to mean, lizard lick?" Kallen questioned, glowering at him.

Hearing the voice come from her, Leon snickered to himself. "Wow, a man-woman, I've never seen one of those before. Oh, well I have, but you're not in the circus..."

Kallen clenched her fist with a growl.

"Okay!" Mew interrupted, not wanting the situation to escalate. "You guys can maim each other in the challenges or in the intervals where you don't have challenges…"

"How are you guys doing, by the way?" Terrakion greeted, having not met any of these competitors before. "How does it feel to be back?"

"It fucking sucks," Clash commented, her arms folded. "But, apparently, because we were lucky enough to not be brought back almost every season, now we have to fucking pay…"

"And uh, excuse me if I'm being rude…" Cyro started. "But… who are you guys and where's Victini?"

"Didn't you see the last season, idiot?" Ivory scolded. "Dick-tini retired, so he won't be co-hosting anymore…"

"Which is a complete blessing if you ask me!" Ross squawked. "I never want to deal with him again. Especially after everything that happened in the season after ours!"

Everyone murmured in agreement, making all of the new guys glance at each other in confusion. Minus Dillon, who knew what they were talking about, but faintly remembered most of these guys.

"Let's not dwell on the past," Mew commented. "Terrakion and Heatran are the new co-hosts, so just get to know them and enjoy their company."

"Why didn't ya decide ta bring back Virizion an' Xerneas?" Donnel inquired. "Wouldn't that have made more sense?"

"These guys needed more exposure," Mew replied simply. "Now, let's get to the main area and I'll explain this season's rules. Then, we'll have a quick tour around the island, and we'll allow you all to converse with each other. Then, we'll start the first challenge."

Almost everyone gaped.

"Wait, first challenge already!?" Sven exclaimed, still aching a bit from Liksur and Sadao landing on him. "We just got dropped from a damn… whatever that thing is called!"

"Sven, you guys immediately went into a challenge when you arrived in season four. You shouldn't be surprised…" Mew replied.

Sven groaned.

"Now, follow us to the cafeteria and we'll explain how everything goes," Mew explained as he began floating off, with Heatran and Terrakion following him.

The contestants, new and old, exchanged looks. Some were of greeting, others confidence, others anger, and others fright. After a while, they finally decided to follow their hosts of the season, trailing after them on their way to the cafeteria.

000

Mew, Terrakion, and Heatran led them to a large, wooden building that was a rather reasonable distance from the metal dock. The wood had decorative carvings along the door frame, as well as the window frames. The double doors were very sleak, having the appearance of marble despite being constructed out of wood. Two ovular windows were situated in each door, allowing for one to peer inside if needed. The overall building resembled a log cabin.

The three hosts waited for all thirty-six competitors to make their way up the small, craggy hill that led up to the feasting facility. With Liksur coming up last, Heatran and Terrakion held the doors open; the contenders all piled inside.

The inside of the cafeteria was rather typical, but still held a rather distinguished appearance. The six tables looked similar to the doors, having a smooth, marble-like appearance. The floor was carpeted, strangely enough, but it was very comfortable nonetheless.

There was also an open window near the rear that exposed the kitchen, which looked very spick-and-span from where the tables were situated. There was also a single, swinging door with the same appearance as the ones at the entrance. A chandelier hung overhead, illuminating the entire room.

Almost all of the contestants, upon entering, gaped in awe at the beauty of the place. Juri and Minerva were rather unimpressed, but decided to just stay silent.

Once they were all inside, the players took their seats, well, most of them anyway.

"Uh… Pixie, do you want to-"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ME!" she bellowed, facing a corner of the building.

"Alright then," Mew responded before clearing his throat. "Hello you all, and welcome to Total Pokemon: Fresh vs. Forgotten. As most of you may know, I'm your host, Mew. And instead of Virizion, Xerneas, or Victini, my co-hosts are instead these guys who I'm going to let introduce themselves."

He floated back as Heatran and Terrakion took a few steps forward.

"What's up guys, I'm Terrakion," the Cavern Pokemon greeted. "I'm a pretty chill guy and I don't really like to bother with a lot of negativity, as it just gets me a bit depressed, so take that as you will. Uh, I'm also a good listener, so if you ever have any personal issues, feel free to talk to me. And uh, yeah I think that's it…"

Heatran giggled. "I'm Heatran, and similar to Terrakion, I'm pretty chill as well. Uh, I'm pretty flamboyant, as I'm sure a fair amount of you could possibly already tell, but don't think that I'll take any of your crap. I'm not one to mess with, believe me. I'm looking forward to spending this time together…"

"Alright, and of course, you oldies all remember our old pal Zahku," Mew introduced as Zahku suddenly appeared at the kitchen window wearing a chef's hat. "Now, unlike the other few seasons, where we barely fed you guys-"

The new contestants' eyes widened upon hearing that. Even Heatran and Terrakion were shocked to hear that.

"-apologies for that, by the way," Mew continued. "Zahku will be acting as the chef. He will be serving breakfast, the occasional lunch, and dinner once challenges are over."

"Zahku takes great pride in cooking, so you will take food and like it," Zahku stated, raising a sharpened spatula.

Chelsea smacked her lips. "I don't remember him being that violent…"

"Or being a chef!" Harrison squawked in bemusement.

"Yeah, apparently our executive producer told him to take cooking classes in advance so that he'd be ready, willing, and able to serve you guys this season…" Mew explained.

"Wow, Mew, without Victini you're actually more organized. I have to say, I'm impressed," Ivory commented.

"Uh… Victini's the one who organized this season," Mew admitted. "So, although it's strange, you should be thanking him for this…"

"Yeah, I think we're all in agreement that we're never thanking him for anything," Crash said as the others nodded or murmured in agreement.

"Understandable," Mew nodded before decided to get back on track. "Now, as I've already stated, this is essentially a newbie versus oldie season, so who you first arrived with is who you're going to be on a team with for the remainder of the season."

The veterans exchanged looks of uninterest for the most part, but decided to just deal with it. Complaining about it didn't do anything, after all…

Some of the newcomers, on the other hand, were still peeved about that fact.

"I don't see how that will fare well for us," Oleander said. "I mean, if they have more experience, doesn't that mean they'll automatically have more of an advantage over us?"

"Well, given that most of them have only competed in one or two seasons, and they were voted off rather early or didn't do anything really memorable, I believe that you guys have a rather fair chance," Mew opined. "No offense to you veterans, though."

The veterans didn't really care, as what he said was true. They had no shame in admitting it.

"Oh right, you guys are forgotten," Luke recalled. "In order words, you guys suck. Good to know."

"If you keep talking like that, then you're gonna suck, too," Mac commented.

"Doubt it…" Luke commented, rolling his eyes.

"Okay," Terrakion started, getting everyone back on topic. "It's time for the tour now, right?"

"Precisely," Mew encouraged with a nod. He began floated back toward the doors, with Terrakion and Heatran following him. As they started to exit, the contestants rose up from their seats and started heading out of the cafeteria.

-000-

The three hosts started heading northeast of the cafeteria, a few of the contestants beginning to engage in some casual conversation to lighten the mood and get to know each other a bit more before hand.

Following a seemingly simple path, the hosts led the contestants to two large cabins. The cabins looked semi-disheveled on the outside, having one knife embedded in each of them. The logs that made up the cabins looked almost rotted, with each roof looking very leaky, as there were wooden planks nailed to the top. There were two doors spread out in the front of each cabin; the doors were glossy and red.

The windows were in the same place. There was a 'New' label nailed on the front of one cabin, and 'Old' nailed on the second one.

"These are the cabins," Mew introduced as the contestants approached. "As you can see, they are fairly large, allowing for optimal movement and space while inside.

Jacklyn, noticing the shape, look, and color of the doors on the cabin, grew a bit skeptical, but was also rather impressed. "Uh, why do they look like the cabins from Friday the 13th?"

Upon hearing that, the other contestants started looking closer and noticed the similarities to the buildings in the horror franchise. This caused a bit of unease among the new guys, excluding Juri, Archenstein, and Addie.

Mew, Terrakion, and Heatran noticed what the Decidueye was talking about and exchanged looks of surprise. "Well, uh… I have no idea what to make of that…" Mew admitted. "I can only assure you that there is no Jason Voorhees on this island."

"I wouldn't be surprised if there really was though…" Clash thought to herself.

"Now, veterans, you guys are fully grown, so… I don't really care about what you guys do," Mew explained. "However, if one of you girls get pregnant, you know the rules… automatic elimination."

"Uh… I'm pretty sure almost all of us are taken anyway except for maybe…" Chelsea started before looking at all of the girls. "I… honestly don't know."

"Well, I guess that's okay, then," Mew said before turning to the newcomers. "Now, since most of you newcomers are still pretty young, your cabins are going to be co-ed."

April eyed Juri, who had a sickening smile growing on her face upon hearing that. She grew a bit distressed, knowing from her attitude and body language that she wasn't going to be a pleasant roommate. "Uh… isn't that a bit one-sided? I think a fair amount of us are old enough to pass fair judgement," the Azumarill spoke.

"Just take it as a precautionary measure," Heatran spoke up. "Also, it's not like you guys are gonna follow the rule anyway. Plenty of contestants from their last seasons still made hanky-panky. And luckily for them, pregnancy only happened… once, I think."

Mew nodded. "Precisely. Now, let's move on."

-000-

Heading south, a few of the newcomers were expressing their annoyance at their lack of freedom. However, looking each other over, some of them actually recanting their complaints.

As Oleander dragged herself along the ground, Salvatore noticed that her underside was getting dirty and pretty scratched up; this was something the Primarina was used to when she was on land, which was more often than one would think.

"Um," he started, clearing his throat as he moved in front of her, causing her to stop. The others continued following the hosts, glancing back ever so often. "If you'd like some assistance getting from place to place, allow me to carry you…"

He crouched down, confusing the Soloist Pokemon. "Uh, no thanks... Salvatore was it? I don't think you'll be able to pick me up that well, no offense. I'm just… bigger than you is all."

"No offense taken," Salvatore replied. "But I insist. A beautiful lady such as yourself shouldn't have to inflict harm on yourself in order to-"

"Excuse me…" the sound of whirring wheels interrupted the Thorn Monkey Pokemon. Crash rolled past the two of them in his aquarium. Seeing the two being idle, he decided to give them some advice.

"If I were you, I'd pick up the pace," the Sharpedo advised. "Knowing how these shows go, we're gonna need to know everything about this place if we want to function properly."

"If that's the case, do you have any room in there for another?" Oleander inquired, scooting toward him. Seeing this caused Salvatore to gape in surprise, before he clenched his fists in slight anger.

The Primarina was able to slide into the large aquarium with ease. Crash pressed his joystick forward, driving behind the others. "It's mista steal yo girl…" Crash joked, as Oleander giggled slightly.

Salvatore sighed as they drove off. He trailed behind them, his arms folded.

After about five or so minutes, Salvatore caught up with the others, as a ripe odor wafted through the air, making himself, as well as a few others, cover their noses.

There was a large, white brick-based structure with two openings that functioned as the doors. Over each door was a wooden sign. The one over the left opening said 'Toilets', while the one over the right opening said 'Showers'. There was a single water fountain between the two.

"These are the communal washrooms," Mew explained, gesturing to the buildings.

"We can tell by the smell…" Harrison said flatly, covering his beak with one of his wings.

"You guys should know how showers, urinals, and toilets work, so I'm not going to go in further detail. Just know that this is where they are," Mew explained.

-000-

As the hosts led them to another location, they passed by the cafeteria, where a tasty smell wafted through the air.

Liksur sniffed the air and moaned in delight. "Smells like Zahku's making Roast Beef and Potatoes for dinner. Hopefully there's enough butter, salt, and pepper for them, and that he mashes and pounds them well. Lumps are a no-no."

"Wow, that… actually sounded semi-intelligible," Clash commented, her arms folded as she walked alongside him. "I just expected you to drool and run…"

"Nah, that phase is over," Liksur waved off. "I'm actually a decently recognized chef, now, so I'm able to control myself around food and food-like items now."

"That's… kind of impressive," Kallen spoke as they continued past the cafeteria and the odor of food dissipated. "From looks, I would have just expected you to be the typical fat moron who eats everything…"

"Oh-ho, he used to be," Leon laughed. "It was… pretty pathetic, I'll admit."

"Not as pathetic as your pranks…" Ivory commented, overhearing the Kecleon's remark. "Seriously, could you have gotten more immature?"

"I'm sorry, but what did you do again?" Leon retorted. "At all?"

"Hey! That's the reason I'm here. And that goes for you, too, since you didn't do shit either," Ivory counted. "You won a little prank war and that was it…"

"Hey, at least I still did something!"

Ivory rolled her eyes.

They all stopped in front of an enormous building. It was more than eight times larger than the cafeteria. The large building was an eggshell-esque color, with numerous windows around the area. The doors were glassy and metallic, with handles that allowed people to pull them open. There were slanted roof panels on the top of the building.

"This is the recreational building," Terrakion introduced. "This will be the site of a few challenges, so just be prepared. In the meantime, you will be able to swim, exercise, play basketball, battle, or whatever else is available in there."

"Nice," Wave chirped.

"And, next to this place, we have this season's version of a confessional," Heatran said, walking over to a metal box situated a few feet away from the building.

Mew opened the ten-by-ten box, showing that there was a steel bench situated in front of a camera that was situated directly across from it on the opposite wall.

"Glad that you guys upgraded from a shitty outhouse," Violetta commented.

"It was bound to happen, eventually," Mew retorted with a shrug. "Now, there are only two more specific places that you guys need to know about."

He began floating toward a forest path, with the others following suit.

-000-

As they went down the forest path, Ophelia looked around before gasping upon seeing high mountains in the distance on her left. "Oh my Arceus, there are mountains! The Mountain Man will be able to capture us and eat our flesh!" she screeched.

"Uh… no?" Rika responded, rather bemused at what the Masquerain was talking about. "I don't think that there's a 'Mountain Man' here."

"Hey, there were zombies on our island," Violetta replied, waving away Rika's confusion. "I wouldn't put it behind them."

"Also, considerin' that Victini was th' one who picked this island, too, I say that there's a high chance that somethin's gonna go wrong around here…" Donnel assumed.

Hearing this, a few of the new guys grew more nervous about the situation that they had gotten themselves into.

Entering a clearing, a silver trailer with cinder blocks underneath it was seen. The trailer was very clean and shiny, the sunlight bouncing off of it and shining in the contestants' faces.

"Arceus above, how much wax you put on that thing?!" Izaya complained, blocking the shine with a wing.

"It was already like that when it was ordered," Mew explained before he moved over to its door. "Now, in a sense, this season, the three of us will not only be hosts, but also counselors."

After hearing that, almost all of the veterans erupted in laughter, as the newbies just exchanged looks of bemusement. Wasn't that a good thing?

"Ha ha ha," Mew deadpanned. "Look, I don't expect you guys to come to me for anything. Hopefully you are able to handle your own petty drama without getting me involved. Just know that it's an option and this is where my trailer is…"

"Now, as for our trailer…" Terrakion started.

-000-

The competitors continued heading through the forest. After a long trek, eventually, they made it to another trailer on the opposite side of the forest, it seemed.

A trailer that was similar to Mew's was seen. However, it was not as shiny or clean as Mew's and instead held a rustic look. The trailer was also near the beach, and also rather close to the contestants' cabins.

"Terrakion and I are going to be the counselors for the new guys, since we're new at this as well," Heatran explained. "So, it'll be a learning experience for all of us…"

"How are you supposed to help us if you're new and you don't know us personally?" Sherry deadpanned, her arms folded.

"You don't really need experience in order to understand someone's feelings," Terrakion countered. "And, you don't have to come to us if you don't want to. Even though you're on opposing teams, I'm sure the veterans will be able to give you guys advice since you're likely gonna face the same struggles that they did in this series."

"Gee, that makes signing up for this show sound like such a spectacular idea…" Minerva drawled.

"I know, right!" Addie chirped, causing Minerva to growl to herself.

"Alright, I believe that's everything, so, why don't you guys go get settled into your cabins with your teammates and explore the island on your own if you'd like," Mew instructed as he pointed to another pathway. "The path back to you guys' cabins is right over there, so have at it. I'm gonna go hang out in my trailer and while and think about my poor life choices..."

As the pink feline teleported away, the co-host couple headed into their trailer, leaving the newbies and oldies together for a while. There was an awkward silence in the scene for a few seconds before Sherry, Equs, and Izaya started flying down the path to head to the cabins.

A few moments later, everyone else began heading back to the cabins as well.

000

The newbies all entered their cabin and were surprised at how large it was on the inside. The boys' side had nine beds scattered about the place. There was a fireplace on their side, and two medium sized leather sofas sitting next to it. There was also a wooden coffee table sitting between the two with a few books sitting on it.

"Wow, this is awesome!" Damon commented, looking around. "It's not as good as a hotel room would be, but still, nice."

"Nice," Echo said as he floated in place, making Damon roll his eyes.

Exploring their side of the cabin, Dillon noticed a few board games were sitting in closets. He wasn't really into board games himself, but it was good to know they had some form of entertainment.

Sir flopped on a bed near a window with a sigh. "Wow, these beds are actually pretty soft," he said with a yawn. "I think I'm just gonna take a nap…"

"Sleep is for the weak," Archenstein commented, folding his arms. "I don't see how you expect to get anything done if you sleep and then wake up groggy as all shit."

Sir had already fallen asleep before the Eelektross could even finish. Archenstein growled, grumbling to himself.

Izaya flew over towards the couches after establishing which bed he'd be sleeping in. He eyed the thirteen books sitting on the table and grew a bit curious. Sifting through them, he was surprised to see that he knew nothing about any of these books or even knew they existed.

"Who the hell decided to write an entire novel dedicated to 'The Adventures of Bang Bang the Talking Shotgun'?" he questioned, picking up the thick book.

Upon hearing that, Archenstein gasped and floated over, yanking the book from the bat's feet. "This was my childhood book! My father read a chapter of this to me every night before I went to bed. Then, he went off to kill someone on the streets. Ahhh… good times…"

Almost everyone in the cabin stared at the eel for a while, making a mental note not to mess with him. Luke sighed as he lied in his own bed nearest to the door. "Man, this is so good."

"So, what do you guys think our first challenge is gonna be?" Damon queried as he took a seat next to Izaya.

"Well, given my brief knowledge of this series and its 'tradition' with first challenges," Dillon began. " I think that we can expect something either dangerous, something constructive, or something dealing with our personal lives…"

"Well, I don't know shit about this show or these hosts, so I say bring it on," Archenstein commented, pounding his fists together.

"And I don't know if you'll regret saying that or not," Dillon replied. "Considering Victini's not here, things could either be decent, boring, or just as bad."

"Well that doesn't sound good," Luke commented.

"Meh, I've been through worse bullshit and literal shit on other shows," Izaya waved off. "My only concern is about those veterans. So, uh… Dillon, was it? What do you know about them?"

"Well, I only started watching this show starting at their All-Stars season, so I've only seen three," Dillon explained. "Therefore, I only know about… four of them. The rest of them I've heard about, but I never bothered watching the older seasons."

"Okay, so which ones do you know?" Damon inquired. "We could use this to our advantage…"

"I remember… Donnel, Violetta, Ophelia, and Rika…" Dillon replied. "But they didn't really last long…"

"Okay, that's still good information to have," Izaya remarked. "Wait, I think we all need to hear this. Where's Salvatore and Equs?"

-000-

In the girls' side, Salvatore was attempting to make casual conversation and get to know the girls beforehand. However, none of the girls seemed to really care for his company, as they were exploring their side of the cabin and seeing what all it had to offer.

Pixie, upon seeing the living arrangements, immediately flew back out of the cabin shouting, "NO ONE'S GONNA GET ME IN MY SLEEP!"

"And… there goes the nutjob…" Kallen commented as she went into the cabin, following the girls.

In light of Pixie's exclamation, a few of the girls found comfort and a bit of solace in the cabin.

"Huh, the beds are surprisingly comfortable," Jacklyn commented as she lied on a bed and pulled out a Nintendo 3DS.

"Whoa, they let you bring that?" Addie asked with a jaunty skip onto the Decidueye's bed.

"Addie, leave her alone. I doubt she'd want you breathing down her neck while she's playing… whatever she's playing," Minerva said.

"Aww…." Addie moaned as she hopped off the Arrow Quill Pokemon's chosen bed.

"This is lame," Juri commented. "It's too fucking clean in here! Where's the grit? Where's the authority? It's frou-frou central in here!"

"Then feel free to sleep outside," Kallen replied as she placed her I-beam on the bed around the corner of the miniature hallway. "I don't think any of us will care…"

Juri scoffed, rolling her eyes. Her jaw snapped toward Kallen, who growled in response.

"Come on girls, let's not follow the stereotypical route," Oleander suggested. "No starting drama."

"You speaking will have no effect on anything that goes on around here," Minerva spoke, turning to the Primarina. "So, don't waste your breath."

Oleander sighed to herself; April giggled at her fellow water- and fairy-type's reaction. "It'll be okay. Just let what happens happen," she suggested, patting her back.

Sherry was sitting on the girls' couch alone; she wasn't making any conversation and instead just stared out of the window in boredom. Seeing her in that state, Salvatore decided to take a sit next to the Frogadier.

"So…" he began, attempting to start a conversation. "How do you-"

"Shouldn't you be on the guys' side?" Sherry countered before Salvatore could even finish.

"Yes, but I'd just like to sit with and speak with you girls," Salvatore replied. "Maybe we can learn more about each other and it'll help us win challenges against the veterans. Who knows what they may be strategizing at this very moment?"

000

"Reverse… reverse… skip you, skip you, Uno, UNO OUT!" Leon shouted as he threw down his final six cards.

There was a collective groan and 'Oohs' once the Kecleon slid back. A few of the guys had decided to engage in an Uno game after a while of getting settled in. The stakes? A bed that had a hole next to it, which allowed one to see into the girl's side of the cabin.

The only ones who were actually playing for that 'prize' were Leon, Liksur, and Mac. The other guys were either simply spectators, or ignoring the situation, feeling that it was disrespectful.

"Guys, why is that small hole such a big deal?" Ross questioned. "I mean, we're gonna see the girls every day anyway, so what's the point of playing for a bed?"

"No killing the vibe!" Leon replied.

Ross rolled his eyes.

"So, what do you guys think about the newbies?" Crash inquired as the guys got invested in their game again.

"Well, uh… I have to say, a few of them either creep me out or annoy me," Harrison commented. "Some of them are nice, but other than that, they're quite a mixed bag."

"I just hope that none of them are complete jackasses," Sven commented. "I already don't like that Pidgey that much because of his uppity attitude."

"Well they're younguns, we can't really judge," Donnel responded, folding his arms as he sat on the couch. "I reckon a good amount of us acted the same way when we were young…"

"Sure, but still…" Sven responded. "That doesn't give them the right to be disrespectful…"

"Jeez, did you and Amy finally have some kids or something?" Sadao inquired. "Because you're sounding like an actual father or a grandfather at this point…"

Sven blushed. "Uh, no, uh… she's more open at this point, but uh… she's still not ready for that," Sven replied.

"What the hell?!" Ross bellowed. "So you're saying-"

"YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR ABOUT TWENTY YEARS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T CONSUMMATED ANYTHING?!" Sadao blustered, in complete disbelief.

"Hey, lay off. I'm not gonna force her into anything she's not ready for just yet…" Sven replied, his brow furrowing. "She's still traumatized and has bad dreams about what happened when she was young."

Ross sighed to himself, knowing how Amethyst might have felt. Later on in his life, after the show scene, his father had tried to get back on his good side and apologize for everything. He had completely erased that memory from his head, but his father starting to call him started everything once again.

"Uh, I don't want to alarm anyone, but that new Araquanid guy is staring at us through the window," Cyro acknowledged, seeing the large aquatic spider staring at them through the window.

The other guys looked toward the window and saw that the Clawitzer was correct. It was rather unsettling to see Equs sitting there. It seemed that once they noticed him, the Araquanid walked away.

"See, this is what I'm talking about!" Harrison exclaimed. "I'm usually all for meeting new people and giving them a chance, but when they do shit like that… no. Just no."

"UNO OUT!" Liksur cheered as Mac frustratedly threw his cards down.

"This game is rigged!" the Dunsparce commented.

"Oh come on, Cam, you know that's not true," Leon said as he started picking up the cards for his and Liksur's face off. "If it it was rigged, you would have won…"

"My name's not Cam!"

Leon snickered. "I know. I just love getting a reaction from you…"

000

Equs: Interesting, I suppose. I have to say, for older veterans, they sure don't act their age. But, regardless of appearance and personality, they're still nothing but prey in my hunting grounds…

000

"I can't believe I'm back in this stupid game," Clash grumbled to herself. She and Kai had been living perfectly fine, but then she got a call saying that her contract required her to participate in yet another season. She hadn't participated in this shit show in twenty-five years, but she'd seen the seasons Kai participated in and was disgusted and perturbed at what had been going on.

"Yeah, well those stupid contracts have us screwed over for the rest of our lives," Ivory commented as she lied on their couch with one of the books on the table. "And the sad thing is that we can never die by any means, so we could likely deal with this for the rest of our lives…"

The Scizor anguished at the situation.

"Well, moping around about it won't change anything," Jennifer said, floating toward the couch. "Maybe we should just see this as a chance to earn more money."

"But, all we have to do is request that royalty shit that our contracts say that we get and we'll be just fine," Chelsea commented. "I'm surprised that you haven't said anything about that, Ivory. Aren't you a lawyer?"

Ivory sighed. "Yes, but I had a ton of things I was doing and I just signed what my parents told me to sign. So I didn't get to read what the contract said, okay?"

"Well, we're all lucky that Phill brought it up," Chelsea said. "I've been enjoying the money."

"So, what do you guys think this season will hold now that super villain Victini is no longer in the picture?" Wave queried, coming from the back.

"Victini's the reason this season is even happening," Violetta spoke as she placed duct tape on Ophelia's mouth. "So I think this season with still hold the same bullshit…"

"Plus, with Mew in charge, the challenges were a bit boring," Rika admitted. "No offense to him. And this is from someone who got eliminated early, before Virizion and Xerneas took Victini's place."

Ophelia's words were muffled by the duct tape Violetta had placed over her mouth.

"Uh...Violetta, why'd you duct tape her mouth shut?" Jennifer queried.

"Do you want her spouting out random bullcrap?" Violetta retorted before turning to the eccentric Masquerain. "She supposedly went to therapy, but she's still acting the same way."

"Speaking of therapy, how's Violent?" Wave asked curiously.

Violetta passed a warning glare to the Vaporeon. "How about you not worry about that and be glad that he's not here right now despite the fact that I'm back on this fucking show, huh?"

"Message received," Wave nervously tittered as she backed away.

Clash sighed, shaking her head.

Suddenly, an ear piercing screech was heard from the speaker pole, alerting all of the contestants.

"CONTESTANTS! YOUR FIRST CHALLENGE WILL BEGIN IN LESS THAN HALF AN HOUR, SO HEAD ON DOWN TO THE CAFETERIA FOR LUNCH!"

Ivory sighed before closing the book she was reading. "Let's get this over with…" she said as she slumped off of the couch.

000

On the way to the cafeteria, Izaya eyed Equs, who wasn't present in the cabin and instead went off on his own. This behavior intrigued the Crobat, as he wished to know where he went instead.

Flapping up beside the large spider, the bat began to question him.

"So, uh… Equs, was it?" Izaya began. 'Where'd you go? We were all discussing strategy about what we could do in the challenges."

Despite not caring about anyone here, the spider knew that he made a mistake by not staying with his team. He got too far ahead of himself.

"Oh, nothing, just analyzing the competition," he replied. "You'd be surprised to know that these guys aren't professional or threatening at all…"

"How do you know?"

"They were playing Uno to see who would get to sleep next to a peephole…" Equs drawled.

Izaya didn't know how to respond to that, initially. That sounded extremely dumb and he wasn't inclined to believe it, but upon seeing which veterans they were going against, he had to.

"Well just let us know next time…" the bat responded as he flew forward.

Equs chuckled to himself.

000

Izaya: Wow, this box is hot. But, anyways, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this show or my team. From the guys standpoint at least. I still don't know the girls that well, and Salvatore certainly didn't help.

He's apparently the 'gentleman' type, but I don't see that going well for him. Then, Equs is pretty damn weird, Luke was pretty annoying, but now he's kind of chill, Echo is just annoying overall, Sir just seems like he's lazy, and Archenstein is borderline insane.

Dillon and Damon seem like the only reliable guys on my team so far, but that could very well change. Knowing how these games go for me, I'm gonna need all the help I can get.

000

All thirty-six contestants made it to the cafeteria, where the smell of roast beef was replaced with the odor of two familiar, and stereotypical, camp foods.

"Hamburgers and hot dogs?" Chelsea said with a bit of befuddlement as she grabbed a tinfoil wrapped burger from a rather large pile of them; she sighed shortly after. "You know, I'm not gonna complain. At least we're being fed consistently."

As each contestant grabbed either the bull or pig based product, they headed to their own tables. Some were strictly veterans, some strictly newbies, and a few decided to intermingle with each other.

-000-

"So, what do you guys like to do in your spare time?" Liksur inquired, having eaten his hot dog in mere seconds. He was curious about some of the new guys.

He hadn't talked to Ded and the others in a long time, so he had been trying to form his own little group so that he wouldn't be alone all the time.

"Nothing much," Sir replied, making a shrugging motion. "I'm uh… I'm homeless, so this is the only real thing I've done since I got fired from my job…"

"Wow, that sucks," Cyro remarked, feeling poorly for the Transform Pokemon.

"Where did you work?" Luke inquired. 'If you don't mind me asking…"

"I uh… I worked at a breeding center," Sir replied, not really caring. "Pretty standard job for a Ditto."

"Wow, lucky…" Mac praised. "How many girls did you get to pork?"

"I was working with the same-sex couples…" Sir expounded, batting at his hot dog, causing the guys to look at him, surprised.

"Same-sex couples?" Echo repeated in a questioning manner.

"Yeah," Sir confirmed. "It wasn't that big of a deal; I helped them have kids and harbored no feelings for them at all."

"Well… that's cool that you're helping out those couples that can't have kids," Cyro commented. "But… didn't it… y'know… hurt?"

"I have no feeling down there whatsoever," Sir replied. "I just do my job and make their eggs. But that's enough talking about me. There's nothing else to even say."

"Yeah, what about you guys? I'm sure you guys' lives have been interesting since your times on this show," Luke assumed.

"Uh, our lives aren't that different or that huge, at least I don't think so," Mac commented. "I just live in an apartment. I'm a minimalist…"

"Well, live next to my friends since well, my friend bought a house for me," Cyro explained. "And all the bills are paid for the next ten years."

"Wow, who is this friend and where can I meet him?!" Luke bellowed in astonishment.

"He owns the biggest pie industry in the world right now…" Cyro replied.

"Wait… 'Kyle's Pie-ulls?'" Luke queried. "You're friends with the founder of Kyle's Pie-ulls?!"

"Yeah…" Cyro replied with a shrug.

"That's epic," Luke commented.

"Yeah…" Cyro replied.

"And as for me, I'm just a chef, like I said earlier. So, I still make good money. Both from the royalties and working with the food," Liksur replied.

"With the food," Echo repeated mockingly.

Everyone seemed to ignore the Shedinja as their conversation continued.

-000-

"So, how much would it take to shock you and get you girls… wet," Leon snickered.

He was sitting at a table with Addie, Oleander, April, Wave, and Crash. Crash sweatdropped at the Kecleon's bad joke, though it wasn't noticeable in his mobile aquarium. Wave sighed in exasperation, holding a smile on her face.

Addie was giggling, while April and Oleander exchanged bashful looks, blushes appearing on their faces.

"Aw come on, that was perfect for this table," Leon prodded before he took a bite of his burger. Tasting it, he was pleasantly surprised at the taste. "Wow, the food actually tastes good."

"How did you guys even survive if they hardly ever fed you?" asked April.

"Well, we sometimes resorted to gnawing on our kneecaps and toes..." Leon started, but upon seeing the disgusted looks on the girls faces, he chuckled. "I'm just kidding. We sometimes just found random berries and ate those…"

Oleander sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I'm certainly glad that we don't have to deal with that issue."

"Yeah… that would've been horrendous," Crash agreed with a nod. "A pretty girl like you needs her daily meal; you don't want to get scrawny…"

Oleander blushed, but was also a bit confused by the statement. "Um… thanks?"

Crash screamed in his head.

000

Crash: Yeah… I'm horrible with women. 'You don't want to get scrawny?' Who the hell even says that?!

000

"So uh, anything you girls want to know about how this show is going to go?" Crash questioned.

Addie tittered. "That rhymed. Nice one."

"Well," April started. "What are the challenges usually like?"

"Hmm, well, they mainly make you question your sanity, deal physical and emotional damage, or annoy you to the point that want to kill yourself or somebody else…" Crash explained.

"I concur," Leon responded. "They can be fun at times, but… it's mostly nothing but pain and agitation."

April sighed. "Well, that's… okay, I suppose..."

"I expected the competition to be a bit… safer," Oleander commented as she picked up her hot dog.

"Well, with Victini not here, the pain may be at a minimum," Wave replied.

"That's certainly reassuring," Oleander replied as she took a bite of her hot dog.

-000-

As they retrieved their food items, Damon and Dillon saw that Izaya was practically waving them over. Exchanging looks, the tiger and wolf moved over to the table that the bat was occupying on his own. Taking their seats, Damon started unwrapping his hot dog.

"Guys, I have a proposition for you," Izaya began, the volume from the other conversations happening slowly starting to rise.

"A proposition?" Damon replied. "I'm sorry, but I've heard that statement far too many times and it never ends well for me…"

"He means an alliance," Dillon expounded matter-of-factly as he started unwrapping his own hot dog. Damon rose a brow before taking a bite.

"Uh, well yeah," Izaya replied, not really surprised that Dillon understood so quickly . "What do you two say?"

The guys exchanged glances. Dillon gave the Crobat a look and leaned in closer. "It's probably not the best idea to discuss this is the presence of everyone. It'll raise suspicions instantly if people listen in."

"Alright," Izaya replied. "We can talk after the challenge…"

Dillon nodded as Damon finished his hot dog. Just as he did so, Archenstein floated over and took a seat beside the Lycanroc. "So, what are we talking about over here? Is it intriguing? And more importantly, is any weaponry involved?"

"Uh… no," the Incineroar responded elusively. "We're just talking about what the challenge will probably be…"

"Bah, those motherfuckers can bring it on!" Archenstein vociferated. "I'm ready for anything!"

As he said that, the friendly neighborhood Mawile on their team happened to be passing by the table. She scoffed at the Eelektross' excitement. "Please, you wouldn't be ready to go to bed."

"Uh… there's no specific time that everyone needs to go for, so… that's not really a-"

Juri glowered at the canine, her jaws snapping at him. Yipping, Dillon leaned back. "Nevermind…"

Upon receiving his burger, impaling it with one of his legs, the large spider looked around and saw that he could either sit with the members of his team… or waste his time with the idiotic veterans. He looked over and saw that Juri was taking a seat next to Izaya. There was one place left, and, with a groan, he moved over to them.

Seeing the Water Bubble Pokemon heading toward their table, Damon greeted him.

"Hey Equs," the Incineroar greeted.

"Hello…" Equs replied, faking his cheerful tone. He took a seat next to Juri, much to both her and his chagrin.

"Where were you earlier?" Dillon questioned.

"I was inspecting the competition," he replied. "They're not much to worry about from what I saw…"

"I still don't see why any of you losers are worried about those fucks," Juri commented, folding her arms. "Seriously. The season's called Fresh vs. Forgotten. No one gives a Rattata's ass about these guys; they got fucking eliminated early on and did jack shit according to what the stupid host said."

"It's been years since they competed and at this point they've probably rewatched the shows themselves and learned from mistakes," Dillon defended. "You don't know."

"And you don't know if you should sleep with one eye open…" Juri replied, glowering at him again.

Dillon sighed, already getting annoyed by her threats.

000

Dillon: Juri's both scares and annoys me at the same time...

000

Juri: All of these losers are pathetic. I swear, this challenge had better be a good one, or someone's getting their head bitten off.

000

Salvatore sat at a table with a few girls from his own team and a couple of veteran girls. Despite his failed attempts earlier, he was determined to prove his worth to the girls and let them know that he was reliable.

"So girls, out of curiosity, what are your criterion for a male companion?" the Simisage replied. "And no, I am not attempting to flirt or hit on you. This is simply my own inquisitiveness at work."

"Why would we tell you, then?" Minerva queried, having finished her hamburger. "It's inutile."

"I could very well help you guys receive that perfect guy by coaching my fellow gentlemen," Salvatore expounded.

"Yeah, I think you'd be wasting your time," Clash said, taking another bite of her hot dog. "I'm taken. Chelsea's taken, and no offense to them, but there are a lot more guys in this show that aren't competing in this season that would make better boyfriends. Hell, I don't even think forming a relationship at this point is worth it. You'd be better off just focusing on the game and just taking this experience slow."

"Amen," Chelsea replied, folding her arms. "This game will test everything you have…"

"Well, I think I'm ready, if I say so myself," Sherry commented. "I don't think any of these guys will distract me and I've trained for a long while."

"Well, that's good, but that also makes you a threat, so be careful," Clash warned.

Sherry didn't feel like she needed to take advice from those who didn't even make it far in their seasons, but what she had been told sounded a bit serious.

Jacklyn just remained silent, focused on her game in her wings. She took in what was being said, though, despite seemingly ignoring the conversation.

Salvatore sighed.

000

Salvatore: Jeez, the ladies here are so difficult...

000

Kallen, Violetta, Ophelia, Ivory, Rika, and Jennifer were sitting at one of the last two tables, the other table holding the remaining veteran males. Their table was directly next to the door; Pixie peered into the cafeteria from the windows on the doors, trying to analyze her move.

"Hmm… I don't know what to make of any of these 'competitors' of mine…" the paranoid Altaria said to herself. She gazed over at the kitchen window, where she saw a couple of tinfoil wrapped foods. Her eyes lowered in hesitance.

"They're trying to poison me…" she said. "There's no way that-"

"Pixie-?"

Instantly, the Humming Pokemon launched up, screeching in surprise.

Mew sighed as Heatran and Terrakion gazed upwards at the Altaria as she flew away.

-000-

Going inside, the hosts greeted the competitors again.

"Hello again," Mew greeted, earning him unamused expressions from almost everyone. "It is about time for you guys' first challenge."

"Oh joy…" Harrison drawled, rolling his eyes.

"Yep, so meet us down at the beach in the next five minutes," Terrakion said cheerfully.

As the three hosts exited, the contestants exchanged looks of unsurety and unamusement.

"And the shitstorm begins…" Ross commented.

000

Once they were all finished, the contestants began their venture down to the beach.

"So what do you think they'll make us do, first?" Kallen asked to Jacklyn, who had placed her game back in her feathers.

"Not sure," the Decidueye replied. "But, according to what the veterans at my table said, these challenges are gonna test us every step of the way…"

"Huh, that doesn't sound too bad," the shiny fighting-type replied.

All of the contestants, with the exception of Pixie, made it to the beach and were in shock at what was before them.

000

Yep, that's all you get for now. I tried to do a different approach this time and have the newbies not know anything about these shows with the exception of Dillon and Izaya. Hopefully I did okay, because this is the first time that I'm unsure about how I'm portraying characters. I don't know why. Any favorites/least favorites already? Let me know and I hope you enjoyed. I'll see you next time on Total… Pokemon… Fresh vs. Forgotten! See ya guys, BYE!