This is a project, sponsored by Delta and Fuzz Productions. Please enjoy~
-000-
Amusement parks. They are place of well… amusement! But the same can't be said for this amusement park in the middle of nowhere, for some reason. The rides are all nearly broken down. The sign, located near the entrance, that used to say 'A-Mew-sement Part' was now dilapidated and was nearly falling off.
"HEY! Stoooop ignoring meeee!" groaned a voice.
A cheery looking light blue, pinniped Pokémon with three ruffle-like growths around its body is standing in front of an abandoned amusement park, waving at the camera over to him with a wide grin.
"HI HI! I. AM. MARK!" greeted the Brionne. He then tapped his chin with a pensive expression, "I know that that's such a basic name… BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU! I. AM. NOT. BASIC!
"They already know that…" grumbled a voice, off-screen. The camera panned over to where the voice came from, revealing a bipedal, humanoid Pokémon with a round, white body with a magenta spot in the middle. "Don't get too redundant… you're wasting precious screentime…"
Mark pouted at the Mr. Mime, "Awww… you're just a big bore, Leslie! Shouldn't this be a fun fun fun experience for everyoneeeee?! EVEN FOR US HOSTS!"
"... there's nothing fun about the both of us… we have contestants for that… so don't act like a big weirdo," pointed out Leslie, frowning at her co-host. "And… you've already waste five minutes… so chop chop, let's just bring in the contestants and get this over with… after all, I have a LIFE!"
"Okie!" pouted Mark, looking away, turning to where a bus was pulling up. "Anyyyyways… just in time, the contestants have arrived! Wouldn't it be fun to get to know them, get attached to them and get devestated when they leave?! I'm already prepared for the haters, people!"
Leslie gave him a look before turning back at the camera, "Yeah… what he said, but less creepy… we basically invited sixteen random Pokemon, to compete in this pet project that Mark had… which is by the way, really tacky. I'll explain more of the rules later, when we finish introducing all of the contest-"
"STAPH!" interrupted Mark, waving his flippers at the mime, "THAT IS NOT HOW YOU NARRATE THIS! That's just so bland and boring! Who's going to watch you… say things?! WHO?! We need drama! We need action! We need flair! That is why people watch television, you dum dum!"
"..." Leslie deadpanned, staring straight at the camera before turning to Mark, "That… didn't even make any sense… how do you even expect me to explain the basic overview of the show? I mean, I haven't even said the name of the show yet."
"TOTAL POKEMON AT THE AMUSEMENT PARK!" screamed Mark, raising both flippers, "SEE! I DID IT FLAIR!"
Leslie winced at Mark's sudden outburst, "Shouting… isn't… flair… it's… just plain annoying."
Mark wiggled a flipper at her smugly, "Oh?! You call it shouting… but I prefer to call it flair! It's just absolutely fabulous!"
Leslie rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah… anyways… let's just get to the contestants before I get a migraine, just listening to you shout." She then took out a long list, reading its contents one by one, aloud, "First up is… WENDY!"
A Steenee exits the bus with a squeal, as she is dragging along her pink stroller bag, "O. M. G! I AM FINALLY HERE!" She quickly let go of her luggage, jumping on top of Mark with a wide grin, "I AM FINALLY MEETING YOU GUYS, IN THE FLESH… AND I'M LIKE… REALLY HONORED TO DO SO!"
Mark winced a bit, smiling weakly, "Can you get off of me?! I know that my looks are out of this world… but I didn't expect you people to be all over me."
Leslie scoffed, "Conceited, stuck-up, rude bi-"
The Steenee then let go of Mark, quickly latching on to Leslie, who grunted in frustration, "HIYA! DON'T THINK THAT I FORGOT YOU! I LOVEEEE YOUR WORK SO MUCH! I HOPE THAT I WIN, OBVIOUSLY… BUT MEETING YOU BOTH IS ENOUGH!"
Mark chuckled nervously, "Suuure… you have the making of a star, don't you think so? But maybe… you should tone it down with that screaming?"
"Hypocrite…" mumbled Leslie to herself.
Wendy blinked before giggling cutely, "Sure~ Anything for you~ I've always been a fan~ Your television dramas kept me sane for the past few years so I am so GLAD that I get to meet you, in the flesh, for once!"
Mark smiled at her, "Well… I'm glad to have inspired someone~" He quickly turned to Leslie with a huff, "See! I inspire people!"
"... it's not even that good…" grumbled Leslie, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
Wendy pouted at the Mr. Mime, "Whyyyyy?! He's literally the best! Don't diss him… he tries his best, you know that right?! You don't know how he helped people and… HE HELPED ME A LOT SO YEP! I LOVE HIM!"
"... that's a little bit too much, don't you think?" queried Leslie, a bit frightened by the Steenee's obsession with the host.
"... WEEEEEELLLLLL, I DON'T THINK IT'S EXCESSIVE, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT'S MARK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT… HE'S JUST THE BEST~" mused Wendy, tapping her chin with a pensive grin. "So do not doubt him please~ I mean, you two are working together for this show. That has to count for something, right?"
Leslie gave her a look, "No. I was forced to be his co-host… I was just a script writer, mind you… until Mark decided to pick me for some reason. Yeah, we worked together a lot in his tv dramas but we don't have any real connection."
"IT'S OUR DYNAMIC THAT I CHERISHED!" exclaimed Mark, frowning at the Mr. Mime.
"... suuuure. Good luck with that then," drawled the co-host nonchalantly.
The cheery Grass-type frowned a bit, "... awwwwww… I'll just go stand with you guys! We still have more contestants to introduce, right?! And judging from our bus ride here… I can say… that they'll be a delight!"
"We've only been here for ten minutes and I'm not seeing how this'll be delightful," scoffed Leslie, rolling her eyes.
Mark face-palmed, "Lesliiiiie, I love you but do show some enthusiasm. People will get turned off if even the co-host hates the show… thankfully, we have some editing magic on our side… but do minimize your crabbiness."
"I am not crabby… just stating facts here…" reasoned Leslie, crossing her arms.
"... suuuure… anyways, let's move on to the next contest-"
"EEEEEEEEEEEE!" squealed Wendy with wide eyes. "Hearing you be so serious is sooooo wonderful up close!"
Mark frowned at her, "Wendy… shut up... we have more contestants to introduce so don't interrupt us with your squealing."
Wendy smiled weakly, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, "Sooorrry about that… I was feeling a little bit giddy."
"Anyways… our next contestant would be sure to be a crowd pleaser… let's bring him out here~" announced Mark as a nervous Tyrogue exited the bus, carrying only a camo backpack. He waved nervously at the two hosts.
"H-hi… nice to b-be here… my name is Desmond. I hope to get along with you all."
"Well, welcome to the show! We're happy that you accepted~ Try to be act as natural as possible though. Orchestrated drama is a no no!" said Mark, smiling at the Fighting type.
"... ummm… s-sure… though, I'm feeling a bit nervous… I h-hope that no one h-hates me, at least," stammered Desmond, twiddling his digits. "I… am not exactly that p-popular back home… actually, I'm… unpopular. And I w-want everyone to change their perception of you me if t-they watch the show."
"Everyone does like a good underdog story," admitted Mark, nodding in agreement. He tapped his chin, "Though… do try not to overreact… this is just an internationally famous show, that will be watch by nearly every Pokemon in the world. No biggie."
Desmond bit his tongue with a gulp, "Are y-you trying to c-calm me down? Well… it's j-just making me even more nervous…"
"DON'T WORRY! BELIEVE IN MARK AND YOU WILL BE FINE!" assured Wendy with a clueless expression. "He helps EVERYONE!"
Leslie arched a brow at the Steenee, "Have you considered therapy?"
"NO!" answered Wendy, left eye twitching a bit.
"Umm… is s-she okay?" asked Desmond, bewildered by Wendy's sudden outburst. "I mean… t-that didn't seem… normal."
"..." Wendy winced a bit, "Mark really did help me though."
"Yeah, I did," smirked Mark. "Wendy is officially my most favorite contestant in the cast… though, everyone has a chance of getting that most coveted position… by sucking up! It's easy, y'know. Don't pull a Leslie. Be a Wendy. That can even be the tagline for the entire season."
"... pull a Leslie?!" scowled Leslie, glaring at her partner. "What do you mean by that?!"
Mark chuckled, shaking his head, "I already said this a million times… you're crabby, pessimistic, nonchalant and downright rude. I only chose you as a co-host because of our special dynamic so get over it, dummy…"
"... That didn't answer my question," Leslie deadpanned.
"Yeah yeah. Not everything has to be about you, y'know. Desmond is our latest contestant so we need to shower him with relevance!" pointed out Mark, waving a flipper at the Psychic/Fairy type. He then turned back to the Tyrogue with a wide grin, "Anyyyyways… we asked you questions and you answered them. We commented about you… so now! What do you think about the cast aka Wendy?!"
"No offense… b-but she's weird," croaked Desmond, shuddering in fear. Wendy cocked a brow at this, not saying anything. "Umm… I f-feel like I offended everyone here… I'm s-sorry!"
"Well… you don't just call someone weird, when you haven't even… talked," pointed out Mark. "So… if I was watching, I would be pretty offended."
"W-what?!" exclaimed Desmond, eyes widening, "T-that isn't true… r-right?! Please do tell me that y-you're joking with me… p-please!"
"Dude… if you were the one being called weird, wouldn't you be offended too?" pointed out Mark, deadpanning.
Desmond weakly nodded, slowly looking away, "Y-yes… but she r-really was weird… s-sorry…"
Leslie chuckled dryly, "That is definitely a good way to make friends, isn't it?"
Mark nodded in agreement, "Yep… but we're not here to criticize your terrible social skills… we're here to introduce the contestants… so let's give a warm welcome to… Kathryn!"
A serious Gabite, exited the bus, dragging along her heavy-looking purple luggage. She walked over to the hosts, extending a hand, "Glad to be here." The host accepted her hand, shaking it, with a casual expression.
"Finally… a normal one…" mumbled Leslie to herself with a nonchalant expression.
Kathryn rolled her eyes, pointing at the mime, "Let me guess… she's the grumpy one in your dynamic… so predictable."
Mark blinked in confusion, tilting his head to the side, "What… are you talking about?"
Kathryn deadpanned, giving him a look, "Are you… joking with me? I watched a lot of movies, shows, read a lot of books and watched people in real life… and looking at the two of you… it's obvious that there's a certain dynamic, which is the norm at these types of shows, which I binge watched for the past few months. You… are standing up straight… figure exuding confident… while your partner here is slouching, showing no interest in being here. You being polar opposites, show that this arrangement and partnership was intentional."
"... what if we were both forced to be here?" queried Mark, cocking a brow.
The Gabite nonchantly pointed over at the Mr. Mime, "... well… she was forced… but you… you were the one that dragged her here… so I can chalk this up to intentional."
"WOW! I WISH I HAVE YOUR SKILLS SO THAT I CAN PREDICT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN TV SHOWS!" exclaimed Wendy with a wide grin.
"It's called common sense," drawled Kathryn, rolling her eyes. "Besides… television is just too predictable… so give me a challenge for once… I'll even try to predict the outcome of this in one day or so…"
"T-that will ruin t-the suspense," pointed out Desmond, hiding behind Leslie, afraid that he might offend the Gabite accidentally.
"So?! I don't care if I win or not… I just want to see you idiots, running around like headless roosters," scoffed Kathryn, rolling her eyes. "It's pretty obvious… only the competent deserve to play… and judging from what I see… my competition are a nervous wreck and a spastic weirdo… so I think the odds are tipped to my favor."
"OWO'! THAT IS RUDE!" huffed Wendy, pouting at the land shark.
"Y-yeah…" murmured Desmond.
"You literally called Wendy a weirdo too earlier," pointed out Mark, arching a brow. The Tyrogue whimpered, shaking his head.
"I d-didn't m-meant to hurt anyone's f-feelings! Meanwhile… K-Kathryn is just doing it on p-purpose!" Desmond whimpered, shaking in fear, "I am a g-good person… I appreciate everyone's opinions… h-honest!"
Kathryn gave him a look, "You're saying that… as if you don't appreciate everyone's opinions…" The Gabite chuckled for a bit before face-palming, "Am I the only one here who's actually fit to play the game?! I joined this game for competency… but it's clear that there's no one here that can match me in terms of skills… so predictable. Advertisements usually lie to you after all."
Mark gave her a smug look, "Let's just see if that's true… since our next contestant Harrison, is sure to deliver!"
As he said this, a Bisharp stepped out of the bus, eyes shifting side to side, once in a while, as he carried his luggage. Mark extended a hand to him and the Steel/Dark type stared at it for a while before muttering,
"Do you expect me to shake it… or are you planning on doing something…"
"Uh… excuse me?!" Mark looked offended at the Bisharp. "I was just extending a hand to you since I am polite! Unlike my co-host here, I shake every contestants' hand in gratitude for signing up for this show!"
"This is literally the first time you did that," pointed out Leslie dryly. "Kathryn was the one to initiate the handshake while you didn't even do that to Desmond or Wendy."
"Y-yeah! Leslie is r-right… f-for a creepy Mr. M-Mime, she's aware!" stammered Desmond, nodding in agreement.
Leslie sneered at the Tyrogue, making him eep in fear, "..."
Harrison shook his head before, crossing his arms, "Anyways… this game is shady enough… but I still signed up for it… so curse my poor life decisions... " He examined his competitors for a short while before continuing, "... a Steenee, a Gabite and Tyrogue… nothing too suspicious… but that's what they want to make you think…"
"Ahem… are you just going to stand there, mumbling or are you going to talk with us?!" questioned Kathryn, interrupting the Sword Blade Pokemon's train of thought, with a scowl, "Seriously… people these days, are just so ridiculous and weird…"
Harrison sneered at the land shark, sharpening his scythes slowly, "... please stay away from me… I have enough of people like you…"
Kathryn rolled her eyes, "Likewise… though, you seem more competent that these two weirdos… so you're fine…"
"..." Harrison didn't say a word as he walked over to stand next to the other contestants.
Wendy gaped at the approaching Bisharp in awe, "WOW! Bisharp… are just so edgy o! I remembered that one show where there was a Bisharp t-"
"We don't care," interrupted Kathryn, deadpanning at the Grass type.
Meanwhile, Mark chuckled to himself, "That was… one of the quietest entraces ever… hopefully, the next one wouldn't disappoint… let's give a warm welcome and some applause to… Mikayla!"
A Pachirisu jumped out of the bus, wearing a blue backpack. She waved at everyone with a wide grin, announcing, "HELLO POKEMON WORLD! MY NAME IS MIKAYLA DOWNES… AND I CAN ASSURE YOU! I. AM. NOT. BASIC!"
Mark blinked in surprise, "Uhh… didn't you just cope my intro?"
"Ohohohoho?! I don't know what you're talking about! I am original and I am the best host in the world! You must've mistaken my words for yourself… or you copied off from me since I'm just too popular! I was in a lot of TV shows, didn't you know?!" teased Mikayla, flailing her stubby arms wildly. "You're just bitter~"
"... that's a surprisingly accurate rendition of how Mark acts…" commented Leslie with an impressed expression.
"... you're not so bad yourself…" nodded Mikayla, suddenly slouching a bit, surprising the Mr. Mime, who now looked more uncomfortable rather than impressed. "... anyways… why am I even here? This show isn't worth my time… I just write the scripts… not exactly co-host material."
Kathryn tilted her head in confusion, as she watched the ensuing event, "... what… what is happening here exactly?"
"Such strange behavior, isn't it?" chimed in Mikayla, suddenly appearing next to the Gabite, who stared back at her in disbelief. "Though… for a Mr. Mime, that may be normal, isn't it?
"How… what… what are you even doing?!" Kathryn questioned, eyes widened into saucers. "I… honestly haven't seen these type of behavior before…"
"Maybe… she has p-problems in the mind…" suggested Desmond silently. "T-that possible, isn't it?!"
"Y-yeah… K-Kathryn is the t-type of person to have p-problems…" murmured Mikayla, suddenly stuttering all of a sudden. She nodded, "So… y-you have a point… s-sorry if I offended anyone…"
"H-hey…" mumbled Desmond, feeling uncomfortable.
"It's okay… I'm s-scared too…" mumbled Mikayla, shaking in fear. "Kathryn… is r-really scary after all…"
Kathryn deadpanned, "Please cut this out. I don't know if you're really mentally deranged or just plain weird."
"Yeah yeah… you can get to know more of her during the game… for now, let's welcome our next contestant… Felix!"
A sluggish Magmar exited the bus with an unsure expression, dragging along his luggage as he approached Mark. He quickly pulled out a note out, reading its contents aloud, "Umm… I'm not sure how I got here since I'm pretty sure I forgot to sign the needed papers… oh wait… my mom did all of that… anyways, I've written a speech. It's nice to be here… thank you for accepting me. I hope I get far… oh wait, I didn't make a speech since I was going to write a speech but I got too distracted…"
"... suuuuure," mused Mark with an amused expression, "Please do go to your fellow competitors and mingle~"
"Uh… sure…" mumbled Felix, crumpling the piece of paper, trudging over to the others. "Hey… I'm Felix. Nice to meet'cha!"
"... I'm going to say that you look competent… but looks can be quite deceiving…" commented Kathryn with a firm nod. "... so what's the deal with you? You get distracted easily… but that's not too crazy… so you're fine, I guess."
"Mmhmmm…" The Magmar wasn't listening, eyes looking elsewhere with a distant expression.
"OMG! That's so rebellious of you, not listening to Kath-Kath!" exclaimed Wendy, gasping in disbelief.
"Huh? Did you say something?" mumbled Felix, a bit uneasily. "Sorry… it's just… I get distracted way too easily… so easily that it almost feels unnatural, don't you think?" He scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle, "I hope that it doesn't become much of a hindrance to you all."
Kathryn just nodded with a small smile, "It's fine… you owned up to it, instead of denying it…" She deadpanned, "I'm looking at you, Mikayla!"
The Pachirisu stared back at her with a glare, "Why are you looking at me, you weirdo?!"
Mark gave them a look, "Uh… don't start fights before the season even begins, sweeties. For now… let's meet our next contestant… Alice!"
A Buneary then hopped off the bus with a cheery grin, carrying a hot pink backpack. She hopped over to the host, shaking his flipper, "Hey! Nice to see a fellow weakling here!"
Mark blinked as the bunny shook his flipper, "Uh… weakling?"
"Well… you see, the world can divided into two: the strong and the weak… I just want to meet my fellow weaklings so that we can have a happy family reunion," explained Alice calmly, walking off towards the other contestants.
Leslie deadpanned, "Mark… did you even read the applications?"
"Nope," Mark chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. Leslie face-palmed in exasperation.
As Alice reached the other contestants, she looked at each and one of them for a second before tapping her chin with a frown, "Hmmm…" She quickly pointed at Desmond, "You and…" She then pointed Mikayla, "You… we're all weaklings. So we need to stick together."
Mikayla blinked, gobsmacked for once, "..."
"W-what?!" stammered Desmond, stuttering a fear.
"Weaklings have to stick together to survive the world… the moment we're separated, we die," explained Alice nonchalantly. "So if you're smart enough… we need to stick together as weaklings."
"... that's… not a good mindset…" grumbled Harrison, crossing his arms.
"Oh?! You're strong! Why are you complaining?" queried Alice, tilting her head to the side. She tonelessly giggled, "It's just fair if we even out the playing field."
"... you're off…" Kathryn commented with a concerned expression. "More off than Mikayla… what's up with you anyway?"
"... I'm just an avenger," giggled Alice with a nonchalant expression. "So… nothing's off with me. Something is off with you for assuming such things. Haven't you ever seen people like me before?"
"No," deadpanned Kathryn.
"It seems that tensions are high already!" exclaimed Mark, interrupting their conversation, "But… let's try to keep it down a bit with our next contestant! Let's see if he's any normal or better or sane… let's get a warm welcome to… Rowan!"
A PIdgeot flew out of the bus, carrying a backpack on its back. He landed next to Mark with a smirk, "Hello there… my name is Rowan and judging from my competition, I think I got this in the bad… so you might as well give me the money already."
"You still have to compete against fifteen other contestants, who also want to money too, you know?" pointed out Mark with a joking tone.
Rowan rolled his eyes with a chuckle, "I'm very much aware… but I think I'm capable enough to win this. Hopefully, the game is clean and fair… since I'll be fine with losing, as long as I lose in a fair fight."
"You'll be fine," assured Mark. "Just go over to the others and mingle."
The Pidgeot nodded, walking over to the others. As he reached them, he waved a wing, "Hello everyone. My name is Rowan Vance. It's nice to meet you all… and may we have a clean and fair game here."
Kathryn grunted with a nod, "Yeah… I guess… at least, you're normal and easy to read, unlike Tweedledum and Tweedledee." She gestured over to Mikayla and Alice. "Anyways… likewise, it's nice to meet YOU here… everyone else is a grey patch… except Harrison and Felix, I guess. They're fine."
"THAT'S SO RUDE!" huffed Wendy, sniffling a bit.
"Y-yeah… you can't just say that…" murmured Desmond.
Rowan chuckled at this, "She's just joking… she doesn't actually hate you all."
"Yeah… I just hate Alice and Mikayla…" nodded Kathryn with a deadpan expression.
"Are you trying to stoke the flames of my rage?" queried Alice, tilting her head with vacuous eyes. "Because, I can assure you that my rage isn't exactly… gentle. I may be a weakling but not all aspects of me is weak… so I'm warning you, don't just say things such as that aloud."
Kathryn gave her a look, "Suurre… you may seem off… but you don't threa-" She gulped as the Buneary glared at her. "Fine… I know when to back off…"
"OWO! Kath-Kath is scared of a cute wittle bunny?" queried Mikayla, imitating Wendy's squeaky voice. "That's is sooooooo cute of you, Kath-Kath! Are you scared of cute wittle me too?! Rawr! See, I'm scary! Really scary, RIGHT?! Fight me, Kath-Kath! RAWWWWWWR!"
"... you're right. Mikayla IS weird…" commented Rowan, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Does she do this often?"
"Since the very beginning," confirmed Kathryn with a nod. Wendy and Desmond both nodded in agreement.
"Wow… that's… something," muttered Rowan, smiling weakly. "But I'm sure that everyone else is fine… except for Alice, like you said… so I'm glad to meet you all for the first time. May we all get along."
"YAY! Same here!" exclaimed Wendy, clapping her hands with a giggle.
"Y-yeah… I guess…" mumbled Desmond, a bit umcomfortable about the positive remarks directed at him. "Uhh… I h-hope to get along w-with you all as well…"
Mark then interrupted the conversation YET AGAIN, shouting, "Stop everything you're doing… since our next contestant is sure to amaze… it's Morgan!"
A Lurantis stepped off the bus with a calm expression as she carried her luggage. She walked over to the host, bowing politely before saying, "Hello… Mark, was it? I am glad that you accepted my application to the show…" She then turned to Leslie, "And you are… Leslie, right? Thank you for accepting me, along with Mark."
"Well… it's nice to see you too," mused Mark with a small smile, "Now… please do head over to the others. We're trying to speed things up, since I bet EVERYONE is just dying to get this started!"
"No, we aren't," retorted Leslie, arms crossed with a deadpan expression.
"Ignore her… she's just frosty," scoffed Mark, rolling his eyes. "Just go to the others and don't mind her~ We still have seven more contestants to meet and greet after all."
The Lurantis just nodded, trudging over to the others. As she reached everyone else, she waved, "Hello… you're my competition, right? I promise to go easy on you all… but not too easy. We can't afford to be lax in this game after all… so please do show me your individual skills and try to one-up me… if you can."
Rowan gave her a look, "Confident much?"
"Well… of course, I have won countless number of numerous contests, ranging from spellings bees to cooking contests to races," explained Morgan, smirking faintly. "I'll win this… and that'll make… three hundred fifty nine wins… impressive, isn't it? I'm sure that you would just die to know more about all of them."
"Umm… no. This game wouldn't be the same as your pointless others wins, genius," scoffed Kathryn, rolling her eyes. "Besidesss… your previous opponents must be chumps to lose to you."
Morgan calmly waved a leaf at her, "Don't get all delusional on me."
Before Kathryn can retort, Desmond quickly shrieks, interrupting the conversation. The Gabite and Lurantis both turned to him with confused expressions. He smiled weakly, "Um… please d-don't fight… we h-haven't even started y-yet…"
"Fine… she's not even worth it…" grumbled Kathryn, crossing her arms. "Mikayla is FAR more unpredictable than her anyway…"
Morgan rolled her eyes with an unfazed expression, "Likewise."
Rowan sighed, shaking his head, "This isn't a peaceful start…"
"Just ignore them…" grumbled Harrison, rolling his eyes. "They're both unbearable, based off my first impressions of them… they're not worth it. When this game starts, I don't want to be any inch near the both of them."
"Uhh… I'll probably not take that advice…" remarked Rowan, smiling weakly at the Steel/Dark type, who grunted in annoyance. The Pidgeot chuckled nervously, "Don't take this the wrong way… but shouldn't we socialize with EVERYONE, even if… they do turn out to be overbearing?"
"... I don't want to be near anyone…" admitted Harrison with a deadpan expression.
"Okay… have it your way… I don't judge," muttered Rowan.
Meanwhile, Mark was about to announce the next contestant, "Guuuuys! Mark the Moment Killer is gonna introduce yet another potential friend slash enemy… so let's say hello to Luke, everyone!"
A Clawitzer exited the bus, carrying his luggage. He walked over to the host, yelling, "Hello Mark… if you don't mind, I would like to give something I would like to call… a LukeTalk! In games like these, you have to be hopeful and stuff… try not to be a loser! You can do it! I believe in you so you have to believe in you too! But don't believe in yourself too much since we want everyone to have a chance in winning so believe in yourself to a certain degree, not the temperature type of degree though or the measure of angles. We also want something in life… but if that's something is drugs then don't want it! That is all…"
"... that… was a weird speech," commented Leslie, narrowing her eyes into slits. "I didn't even… got the point of it and all… what exactly was the purpose of that… LukeTalk?"
"It was a motivational speech, to all of my opponents!" explained Luke with a grin. "I don't want to be too hard on them… besides, it practices my speaking ability! Wasn't it great?!"
"... it was… okay?" commented Mark with a nervous chuckle. "Just… try to improve? I mean… I wasn't exactly that great at talking but look at me now!"
"Still annoying as ever," scoffed Leslie, rolling her eyes.
"Hey! Don't be like that," pouted Mark.
"Uh… can I just go and meet my opponents? I wanna see if they liked my LukeTalk," said Luke with a nervous chuckle.
"Sure," shrugged Mark. "We still have more contestants to introduce… but we're nearing the home stretch so you can use this time to mingle… or just space out, saying nothing. Please don't do that. It would be REALLY boring."
Luke gave him a look, mumbling, "Umm… sure… I guess?" The Clawitzer then skittered away from the host, approaching his fellow contestants with a warm smile, "Did you like my speech?"
Felix, who was too busy not listening, noticed him, mumbling, "What… what speech? I wanted to make a speech too… but I got distracted."
"Oh…" Luke looked down in disappointment.
Wendy frowned at the Magmar before giving Luke a consoling look, "I'VE HEARD! IT WAS GOOD! I LEARNED A LIFE LESSON!" She then turned to everyone else, "Didn't we all learn a valuable lesson from that?!"
"No," answered Morgan with an unfazed expression.
Luke frowned at this, "Ouch…"
"It's o-okay… t-they're just all f-frosty," stammered Desmond. "T-though… your speech was h-horrible… go to s-someone for advice before m-making another one."
The Clawitzer deadpanned at him, "Thank you for that."
Mark sighed at him, "Don't be so salty like that! Besides… our next contestant will make things more fun… it's Evelyn!"
A cute Eevee exited the bus with an excited expression as she approached Mark, "Hello there… uhh… are you the host?"
Mark nodded in confirmation, "Yes… you're our eleventh contestant… so we're at the homestretch… so I'm not gonna let things drag on for too long. Go to the others and mingle."
The Normal Type nodded, running off to the others. She waved a paw in greeting, "Hello everyone. My name is Evelyn!"
"Hello there, Evelyn," greeted Rowan with a warm smile, "Aren't you just excited to be here?"
"Well yeah… but I signed up so I can ask for advice!" explained Evelyn, blushing in embarassment, "I… have problems… not love problems or self-esteem issues. Those are just weird. I have… problems making my own decisions."
"Co-dependency?" queried Kathryn, cocking a brow.
"Manchild mannerisms?" suggested Alice with a curious expression.
"Sheltered lifestyle?!" Wendy exclaimed, flailing her arms wildly.
Evelyn sweatdropped nervously, "Ummm… w-what?! I don't have any of t-those… why are you even suggesting those?! It's just… that I… tend to be really indecisive… but I don't think that there's any reason for it."
"Just keep it to yourself for now," scoffed Kathryn, rolling her eyes. "We haven't even met everyone yet and we're already trying to help each other 'develop' as a person when that can be done inside the game… so let's just go meet the others and start this game."
Mark nodded in agreement, "She's right… and luckily, the next pair of contestants are related! Let's all welcome Frank and Jessie!"
A Pansear exited the bus, carrying two pairs of luggage with a bored expression. He approached the host with a frown, "Hello. I'm Frank… but you already know that, right?"
Mark cocked a brow, "Where's your sister though?"
The Pansear face-palming, pointing up. Mark, Leslie and the other contestants all stared at the sky… but no one came. Leslie deadpanned at this, "What exactly are we looking at?"
Frank sighed, shaking his head, "Jess told me that she wanted to do something… she wasn't even on the bus, forcing me to carry her heavy luggage… so annoying."
"That's… a bit strange…" commented Morgan, clasping her hands together. "What exactly is she planning? Is she…" Her eyes narrowed, "... planning to one-up us all in best 'grand entrance'?! I wasn't aware of this… if you excuse me, I have rethink some things…"
"Oh please… she's just… a bit over the top," explained Frank with a nonchalant expression. "So, please be nice to her… no matter, how uncomfortable you feel with her… mannerisms."
"Wha-" Before anyone can react, a loud yell can be heard from above the bus.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIII!" A Simipour, wearing a strange get-up with a cape, jumped off the bus, landing gracefully next to Frank, who cheered half-heartedly. She smirked as she waved at everyone, "Simisuper, reporting for duty!"
"Ugh… why did you even do that… AGAIN?!" queried Frank, face-palming. "You're so embarrassing… I mean… Simisuper is a weird enough name already…"
"You're just bitter, my sidekick!" huffed Jessie, rolling her eyes.
"I'm not your sidekick! I am your brother!" groaned Frank, glaring at his sister. "So stop calling me your so-called sidekick… it's just so super embarrassing…"
"You are not my brother! You are my sidekick… Monkey Boy!" exclaimed Jessie, frowning at the Pansear, who just rolled his eyes. "Monkey Boy! Come! We must mingle with the people!"
"... I'm not Monkey Boy," drawled Frank, following his sister as they both walk over to the other contestants.
Jessie waved at the other contestants with a wide grin, "Hello, my people! I am Simisuper, your savior! So approach me if there's crime to be vanquished! You can count on me AND my trusty sidekick… Monkey Boy!"
"Ugh…" groaned Frank, holding his head in exasperation, "My name isn't Monkey Boy. It's Frank…"
"It's okay, Monkey Boy! I am here to save the day!" assured Mikayla with a goofy grin. "Monkey Boy, fight with me against the Spanish Inquisition!"
"... I'm surrounded by crazy people," grumbled Frank, deadpanning.
Mark chuckled, amused by the events unfolding, "Okay… only three contestants left~ And coincidentally… the next two is ALSO a pair… let's give a warm welcome to pen pals, William and Viola!"
"Uhh… we're not a pair even… we sent messages online… that's our only connection," pointed a Croconaw, exiting the bus while munching on a muffin. As he finished devouring the muffin, he stopped walking, cocking a brow, "Does anyone have any more food though? I am famished!"
"Uh… haven't you just finished, eating a muffin though?" pointed out Mark, arching a brow.
"I'm hungry again…" mumbled William with a weak chuckle.
"Tch… William, learn to control yourself," scoffed an Pom Pom Oricorio, flying out of the bus, carrying a satchel and a sketchbook. She landed next to the crocodile, waving at the host, "I'm Viola… but you already know that, of course… you are the host, who accepted my application after all."
"And I'm William! I don't know why you introduced us together… and how did you even know that we were pen pals?!" questioned William with a confused expression.
"I added it into my application, under relationships," explained Viola with a shrug. "I just wanted to include ALL of my relationships… even those that are long-distance."
"Oh…" commented William, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Anyways… only one intro to go… so go to the others… we want to get this done soon!" requested Mark. The duo exchanged a look before complying, trudging over to the other contestants.
"Okay… time for the last… the last contestant…" said Mark with a wide grin. "He's surely impress the masses… and it will round out this cast of sixteen! Isn't it exciting?! Leslie, don't say no… since it is DEFINITELY exciting! Let's welcome the last contestant… Michael!"
A Kadabra exited the bus, levitating his luggage… and finally, the bus sped off. He walked over to the host with a weak smile, "Hi. Nice to be here… I'm surprised that you actually accepted me on the show… it's just… a massive shock, don't you think?"
"Well… you're just lucky," chuckled Mark. "Just… head on to the other contestants so we can start giving you a runthrough of how the game works."
The Psychic type nodded, walking over to the others. The Brionne and Mr. Mime then turned towards the contestants as the host began to explain the format of the game.
"Okay… you must all be wondering… what's so special about this game, aside from the fact that it's being held in an amusement park? Well… it's simple. There won't be any teams in this game… it's a free-for-all for the entire game… isn't that just fun? So you have to compete in challenge… alone… but there are some challenges that will require team-ups so keep your eyes peeled for that. Anyways… there won't just be one winner… since half of the remaining members of the cast will end up winning… leaving the other half as the vulnerable. In case, we have an odd number of members of the cast, we'll still get half of the number… and round down. That number will be the amount of people immune… and the others will be vulnerable. Isn't that easy to remember? Also… in the end, we have a secret twist that you might just enjoy… but I'll keep it under wraps for now~"
Wendy clapped her hands with a smile, "That sounds easy enough!"
Mark nodded, pointing at the amusement park. Everyone turned towards the entrance as the Brionne said, "Yep… anyways… let's go… and start exploring the amusement park, shall we?!"
The group exchanged a look as the Water Type, followed by Leslie, started walking into the amusement park. No words exchanged, the sixteen contestants followed them in.
-000-
Mark sat inside what seems to be a makeup room. He leaned closer to the camera, winking, "I am inside a make-up room… for clowns! It will also serve as the confessional for the entire season… so expect some drama happening here! This is where people will share their inner thoughts, their strategies and just break down! Wouldn't that be great?!"
000
Alice stared at the camera with a deadpan expression, "This format is so biased against us weaklings… so we REALLY have to stick together NOW! And if they complain and don't budge… I'll just have to drag them to cooperate myself!"
000
Desmond shuddered as he sat on the chair, "Ummm… w-what kind of room is this… it f-feels creepy… umm… anyways… I t-think I'm doing okay-ish? I think Alice and Rowan l-likes me… which is a shock… so I think I h-have a big chance of making it far… hopefully… my lack of s-skills in challenges might help me though… s-so maybe I can use that and see where it g-gets me…"
000
"I uhhh… want to evolve soon… but I'm just so confused since everyone of my options are just wonderful!" explained Evelyn, blushing a bit. "I've heard that Umbreon are popular… but I'm not sure…"
000
Frank stared at the camera with a deadpan look, "Jessie may be my sister… but I don't like her. She pretends to not know my name and call me Monkey Boy… it made me the laughing stock back home, just for being related to her. I didn't even know that SHE was signing up either… this is going to be a long game…"
000
"..." Felix was just looking around the confessional for a short while before looking straight into the camera, "Where am I?"
000
"Hi… bye…" mumbled Harrison, crossing his arms as he glared at the camera.
000
Jessie grinned in the confessional, punching the air, "Simisuper is here to save the day AND win the competition! And with my sidekick by my side… I can do anything!"
000
Kathryn groaned, holding her head before giving the camera a glare, "This game is crazy… most of my opponents are either weird… or too unbearable to be with… I'm almost tempted to just quit… but I am not a quitter and I can definitely defeat these nutjobs… just you wait and see!"
000
Luke examined the room with an amazed expression, "WOW! I can use these things for my LukeTalks!"
000
"I… think everyone looks fine… but since, I was the last contestant… I don't know who everyone REALLY is… but hopefully, I can get onto their good graces and win… but that's the ideal scenario for me," chuckled Michael, cleaning his spoon.
000
Mikayla just sat inside the confessional, not uttering a single word. She smiled, waving at the camera, "..."
000
Morgan sighed deeply before putting both of her hands on her lap, "I'm confident about my chances… I mean, I'm bound to be good at challenges! I also want to win this so that I can rub it in that rude Gabite's face… but I'm not a braggart… so I won't… maybe."
000
"I hope that this game is played fairly… and no one tries to do sabotage, despite the fact that challenges have higher stakes with them," said Rowan, chuckling nervously. "I just want to play a clean game… that's all."
000
Viola yawned as she bit the tip of her pen mindlessly, "I… am struggling. I want to draw something… but my mind always draw a blank… that is why I started sending messages to a pen pal and joined this competition… the former didn't work… but hopefully, this one WOULD. I don't want to get desperate after all."
000
"WHERE'S THE CHALLENGE?!" questioned Wendy, tilting her head to the side.
000
William waved at the camera with a weak smile, "I'm… hungry again… to tell you the truth… but uhh… everyone seems cool and I know Vio so there's that since I have a head start already! I hope that this goes well and all but uhh…" He smiled weakly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Where's the food?"
-000
And that's the end of the first chapter! It was rushed near the end… and I promise to improve in future chapters. ;-; We get to know about the sixteen contestants… and if their personalities do not show, it will be more prominent in future chapters. For now, that is all!
-000-
Cast of Total Pokemon At the Amusement Park
Alice Morton the Buneary, The Social Darwinist
Desmond Gold the Tyrogue, The Nervous Bigot
Evelyn Prescott the Eevee, Ms. Indesicive
Frank Williams the Pansear, The Unwilling Sidekick
Felix Thompson the Magmar, The Low Attention Span
Harrison Drower the Bisharp, The Paranoid Loner
Jessie Williams the Simipour, The Hammy Superhero
Kathryn Rossi the Gabite, The Boastful Analyst
Luke Rivers the Clawitzer, The Useless Motivational Speaker
Michael Sterling the Kadabra, The Optimistic Daydreamer
Mikayla Downes the Pachirisu, The Confusing Impersonator
Morgan Morales the Lurantis, The Calm Overachiever
Rowan Vance the Pidgeot, The Honorable Strategist
Viola Wickerman the Oricorio, The Uninspired Artist
Wendy Cohen the Steenee, The Hyperactive Fan
William Dickens the Croconaw, The Big Eater