Welcome back to Total Drama Pokemon, the happiest show/island/reality TV in the world! Please enjoy this episode and remember to F&F if you like it.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own TDI or Pokemon in any fashion, if I did, Ash would've won the Sinnoh League! Fucking Tobias!
Episode 2: Mine Sweet Mine!
[\/\/]
Sentret, Minun, and Pancham were watching Cubone bang her bone on a few rocks in a small gully. They continued to stare on as she smashed one every so often, confused as to what the ground-type was doing.
"No, seriously, what're you doing?" asked Sentret.
Cubone looked up at them and smiled.
"Looking for treasure!" she said as if this were a normal activity.
"But…" Minun looked at all the smashed rocks around them, "all you've done is smash up rocks! That's not treasure hunting! We have to search for pirates for that silly~!"
"Well, once, I found a shiny stone in a rock I broke by accident! So now I check them for things!" explained Cubone.
Pancham scratched his head, giving Sentret a doubtful look before holding up a paper that read, "I think this only works in the Sinnoh Underground."
"Nah, I've heard stories of something to this degree. It's not totally unbelievable but it is…" he snuck a look at Cubone as she destroyed another rock, "a little silly to destroy every rock." replied Sentret.
Cubone destroyed a few more rocks before stopping to catch her breath. She sat down beside Sentret.
"Ever go cave exploring?" she asked the ferret.
"Uh, no. Not even to look for some inspiration to be honest." he admitted. "Why?"
"It's so much fun! You should come with me once I find a good cave to explore!" she turned to the other two, "You two as well!"
"Certainly!" chimed Minun.
Pancham simply nodded his head but snuck a worried glance to Sentret, who chuckled.
"Cave exploring, mmm?"
Sentret turned to see Aggron standing not too far away from them.
"Now how did he arrive without us noticing?" he whispered to himself. He shook his head and put the thought to the back of his mind.
"Hello Aggron. A summers day is one that everyone enjoys, no less or more, for-"
Aggron grunted, cutting him off. "A hello is enough."
Sentret sighed.
"Rude."
"Hi Aggy!" chirruped Minun, "What're you doing here!?"
"Walking." he simply answered.
Cubone walked over to the steel-type and tapped him lightly with her bone. He looked down at her.
"Do you go cave exploring?" she asked him.
Aggron stood quiet for a moment before smirking.
"Spelunking? Sure."
Cubone's smile widened. "Really!?" she latched onto him. "Tell me stories! What have you found!? Where have you been!?"
"Calm down." he calmly told her as he tried to push her off. "And get off."
"Cubone calming down is as impossible as getting Glaceon to stop being an annoyance." commented Sentret.
Pancham agreed as he eyed Minun running around Aggron with, 'Or getting Minun to sit still.'
"Tell us!" shouted Minun.
Aggron groaned before relenting.
"Alright. Fine…"
The two girls cheered. Aggron groaned louder than before.
[\/\/]
"I don't like talking. And with them… doubly so." admitted Aggron.
[\/\/]
"Aggron's done so much cool stuff! Spelunking, checking out paranormal stuffs, explored dungeons, looking for Pikablu… whatever that is." said Cubone.
[\/\/]
Sandshrew stared down Chespin from across a small strip of purposely placed rocks separating the two. Both mumbled to themselves about how much they hated the other in colorful language. Nearby, Buizel stood with a white towel tied to a pole to make a makeshift flag.
"Ready you two?" he asked them.
"Heck yea'" said Sandshrew.
"Of course." said Chespin.
"Then… Ready… Set... GO!" shouted Buizel.
The moment he shouted, the two immediately dug their claws into the ground and began to dig. Buizel stepped back as they did to avoid being buried by all the dirt they were flinging into the air. He eventually ended up beside Monferno.
"Dude, they're really into it, aren't they?" asked a stunned Monferno.
"Yup." he answered back. "Their rivalry is strong but thankfully, they're not big enough to kill us all in the eventual final fight."
"This all seems like a waste of time." sneered Sneasel.
"Yeah, so is a in your mouth but it'll come if don't keep it shut." threatened Sableye.
"Just giving my observation, sheesh..."
A second glare from Sableye shut her up. She hissed and looked away in a huff.
"So much dirt…" whined Flygon.
"You didn't have to come." said Mothim. "I told you what was happening so it's all on you."
"Oooo…"
Buizel tuned out the merry chatter behind him and focused on trying to see how the two were progressing but soon lost track of them as dirt flew up faster and faster, making it hard to see.
"Going a little fast, ain't they?" asked Sableye as he dodged some of the dirt flying out. "Yeesh..."
Buizel nodded. "I have a good eye but not that good. I think I'm going to have to call this a draw."
"Really? Are you that fucking bad at being a ref!?" asked Fraxure.
Sableye clicked his tongue. "Yeah, okay. Like a big gurl like ya' could do any betta'."
"Why I-"
"Finished!" Buizel quickly shouted before a fight could break out between Sableye and Fraxure.
Sandshrew and Chespin both hopped out of the holes they had dug. Buizel and the rest could see no difference in depth.
"Those are pretty even. I guess it comes down to speed." observed Sneasel.
"Yeah Buizel, who was fasta', me or the bastard longtooth right there?" asked Sandshrew as she gestured to Chespin, who huffed.
"I was faster, wasn't I Buizel?" he asserted.
"No, I was faster, ya' cunt!" the ground-type shot back.
"No way bitch! I'm the fastest digger here!"
The otter could only groan and put a hand to his face.
"It's a draw."
The two spun around on the poor otter.
"WHAT!?" they both yelled.
Sableye snickered as Buizel could only stand there and get yelled at by the two.
[\/\/]
"Sometimes, I wish I were a more imposing Pokémon so that people wouldn't just yell at me for helping them out. What's funny is that I'm the first person everyone thinks of when they need help and I always do..." confessed Buizel.
"Curse my good nature."
[\/\/]
Sableye had a smirk on his face. "Buizel's a nice guy, so when he gets flustered, it's kinda funny. I do feel bad for the guy tho'. He does his best to help everyone when they ask, so I do my best ta' help him out- but there are some things I just can't do."
He closed his eyes and frowned, laughing nervously.
"Those two may be unevolved but the anger is real. I ain't gettin' in the middle of that."
[\/\/]
Noibat sat on a branch watching Buizel getting berated by the duo. She giggled for a moment before switching attention to Mothim, who was speaking with Monferno, Flygon, and Mienfoo.
"You know, staring isn't exactly polite."
Noibat jumped in shock, landing on the ground with thud. The bat looked up to see Flaafy leaning against the tree. Noibat only could manage to stutter in confusion.
The sheep let out a giggle. "Don't get so worked up kid. It's just a joke."
Noibat let out a sigh of relief and perched back in the tree.
"Thank you, thank you..."
Flaafy tutted and continued, "Okay, but seriously, you've been staring at Mothim every time you see the guy for the past couple of days."
"I know… I know…" the bat answered back. "It's just… it's just…"
"You like him, don't you?" surmised Flaafy.
Noibat recoiled, almost letting go of the branch. Flaafy could see her cheeks were beet red and the bat was doing her best to hide them.
"Well… well… uhh…!"
"Don't worry, 'm not going to pester you too much about it. Just curious as to what you see in him."
Noibat looked away. "I like him because… becauseIlikehowhelooksandIthinkhe'sreallynice…"
Flaafy stood for a moment, processing what the bat just said before snickering. Noibat pouted at this and Flaafy stopped. She patted Noibat on the head.
"Don't worry, I don't think it's silly or anything, just sudden." Noibat nodded. "Listen, if that's why then I see no reason why you shouldn't try. But why don't you get to know him more first instead of diving right in?"
"Really, really?" she asked.
"Yeah, really. You'll regret if you just dive headlong and hope he's as nice as he is all the time." Flaafy held up a hand. "Let's go back a step, how many guys have you ever dated?"
Noibat frowned. "None, none."
"Well then, I think you'll need far more advice than just what I told you. Let me teach you all about dating and the like. I have experience." offered Flaafy.
"Okay, okay!"
[\/\/]
"She's pretty sheltered now that I'm talking to her more. I have a lot to teach her…" bemoaned Flaafy. She shook her head and chuckled.
"But hey, it's something to do."
[\/\/]
"I feel like someone is watching me… but whenever I look around, I don't see anyone staring." said Mothim.
[\/\/]
Phantump floated in place next to a doorway with a water balloon in hand. She waited until someone opened the door and threw it at them. The resounding splash told him she hit true.
"What the…!?" they shouted.
"Take that Glaceon!" she yelled as she triumphantly jumped out, only to gulp when she saw who she hit. "Uh oh."
"Phantump..." Ledian gave her a flat stare as she cracked her knuckles. "Do I look like Glaceon? Even one fucking bit?"
"Sorry… I should've looked first. I should remember that life isn't a cartoon…" she apologized. "Please don't hit me..."
Ledian sighed and put down her hands. "Eh, I forgive you- just don't do it again." she eyed the wasted balloon on the floor. "Can I ask why you were trying to prank Glaceon? Not that I mind..."
Phantump took one look at her bed. Ledian looked over and could see that there was still signs of frost on the sheets.
"He came over to our side of the cabin and froze me solid this morning…"
"Oh." she coughed. "Can I ask why?"
"I don't know!" Phantump made a small grunt and frowned. "He's an asshole, that's why!"
Ledian put one of her hands to her mouth, looked away, and hummed in thought.
"Right… well, how about this. You pay me back for drenching me in water by helping me screw with Glaceon." she offered the ghost.
"Deal!" he accepted with zeitgeist.
[\/\/]
"I feel as if something bad is coming…" Glaceon said. He looked to the mirror on the wall, giving it a wink.
"Ah, it's probably nothing."
[\/\/]
The two heard a loud ringing echo through the area before the intercom chirped to life.
"CAMPERS! It's time for a challenge! Meet me in the center of camp and don't be late! And I'm talking about you Galvantula, you tardy little spider!" Victini yelled through the intercom.
The two stepped outside to find most of both teams strolling into the center area of camp.
"Wonder what our second challenge will entail." Aipom said aloud.
"I don't care, as long as I don't get dirty." whined Flygon.
"Maybe we get to explore!" cheered Cubone.
Sableye chuckled. "Yeah, explore your crazy idea's."
"Are we talking about Cubone or you?" jested Sneasel.
The imp rounded on her and got right in her face.
"Keep your mouth shut icicle breath. I'm more than willing to teach ya' what my crazy is."
"Oh, so you can make jokes but I can't? What makes you so special? Is it because you have gem for eyes?" she challenged.
Sableye scoffed and walked away, refusing to answer her. "Hmph... whatever."
Nothing further was said between the two as everyone had finally gathered in the camp. Once Galvantula stepped onto the grass surrounding the speaker, a large portal opened above everyone, sucking them all in.
"AAAAHH!" screamed Glaceon just as he hit the ground. He opened his eyes to see nothing but darkness.
"Ugh, my ass…" the sound of scraping could be heard, "Tusks are okay though."
Duosion chuckled loudly. "Clearly your tusks are more important than broken bones Fraxure."
"Bones grow back blob-boy! These fuckers sure don't!" she shot back.
[\/\/]
"A mental note for later." noted Duosion.
[\/\/]
"Ten poke, that genie brought us here…" groaned Sableye. "Of course he dumped me on a rock… then again, I dropped a bucket of paint on him this morning… aah…" he groaned.
"Get away from me you pudgy bitch!" yelled Chespin. He got socked in the face by Sandshrew.
"You first ya' cunt."
"I'm scared…" whimpered Minun. She yelped when she felt someone touch her.
"It's just me Minun!" called Cubone. "Don't worry too much! This is just what cave exploring is like!"
Suddenly, light flooded the area, revealing to both teams that they were in a large cave. The ring that held the portal open closed and flew over to its owner.
"Oh, so it's was the genie that brought us here." Sableye said with irritation, "You need to work on asking us nicely when you bring us all on trips."
"Shaddup gremlin or I'll send you on a trip to the bottom of the lake." the genie yelled swinging the torch in hand haphazardly, striking Monferno in the head.
"Ow fuck... What the hell!?"
Sableye smirked. "You'd love a romantic date with me wouldn't you? You, me, the water, whatever fish are 'round…"
Hoopa opened his mouth only for a sock to randomly fly into his mouth. Sableye started to laugh, only for another sock to fly into his as well.
"How about you two put a sock in it and let's get on with the challenge?"
"Did our 'amazing'host bite the dust already?" asked Galvantula. "I'm hearing things."
"No… but there is a lot of dust in this place! Welcome to the Mine campers! Today's challenge is simple!"
"Does it involve physical labor in any way?" asked Helioptile. "I'm not a fan."
"Nor am I." drawled Galvantula.
Sneasel rolled her eyes, "Don't be so lazy you two. Maybe walking will give you a new walk on life."
"Don't be so stupid." shot back Galvantula.
"Then keep your mouth shut." the cat shot back.
Victini cut in before the two could keep going. "If you count walking as labor, then yes! There's going to be plenty of that this challenge! Better hope you like sore feet then!"
"Ugh..." moaned both Helioptile and Galvantula.
"What's the challenge here? Walking isn't a challenge unless you're Glaceon- then he trips over his feelings." demanded Aipom.
"Hehe, only for you." he suavely said. All the girls gagged.
"Oh, sassy! Well my purple primate, the challenge here today is to simply find me! Is that not the most clear-cut goal you'll ever have!?"
"So, wait… you're somewhere in these tunnels?" asked Mienfoo.
"Well… yes and no! This whole place is an actual disused mine that we modified with pitfalls, false walls, trapdoors and more! Such as long drops, tall staircases, unstable ground, boulders, loose ceilings... add this all up with the fact you can all fight it out and that makes this Mine a real gem for me and this challenge!"
"Oh no…" whined Phantump.
"Oh yes! Also, finding me will take more than just picking a direction and walking- there are multiple floors as well! And for funsies, because the Flareons won the last challenge, they get an advantage- they get to start on the floor I'm closest to!"
"Ah, no~ fair~!" sang Whimsicott.
"This sucks." noted Spoink.
"It's totally fair and it does suck!"
"So, you're saying it's gonna take forever to find you." surmised Flaafy.
"It wouldn't if everyone split up." said Duosion.
"Well, that's for you all to decide but word to wise, it would be bad if you got lost- you'd drag your team down by losing your way! Or you might die and become a ghost here!"
"AAH!" screamed Noibat in horror.
"Not that I mind because watching you cry in fear as you're lost in the dark is pretty amusing! Don't worry about the dying part- we'll make sure you live… mostly. Looking at you Monferno. Stop getting hurt girl- can't waste all our medical supplies on just one person."
"Oh yes, because I can so stop getting hurt by freak incidence." groaned Monferno. "I just know what's going to happen once we split up... at least I heal quick."
"Now... how do you know that?" whispered Nidorina.
Monferno scratched her head, rubbing it when she came to a particular spot. Nidorina could spot the slight discoloration and frowned at the sigh.
"Intuition."
"Oh…"
"One more thing!"
"Alright uncle." joked Sableye. Victini quietly growled as most of the campers chuckled at the reference.
"According to local legend, this place is really haunted! Some say a few of the former miners never left! So be careful when encountering them and try hard not to soil yourselves when you do- remember, you're on TV!"
"Haunted? Of course it is, what with the genie over there." Sableye said, pointing at Hoopa, who glared at him.
"Well, that's all from me! Hoopa!" Hoopa looked up from glaring at Sableye. "Stop staring lovingly at your crush and get them moving along!"
"Yeah, yeah… fucking asshole."
"Heard that!"
After that line, the intercom cut out, leaving them all in silence. Hoopa snorted before he opened a portal with one of his rings and laid it against the wall.
"Alright Flareon's, this is your ride! Jolteon's, you're staying here." he yelled.
Before the Flareon's could bother to protest, Hoopa pushed them through the portal and followed them in, leaving the Jolteon's alone in the large intersection.
"So… what do we do now?" asked Sentret.
[\/\/]
"It's second challenge... and we're thrown straight into... a very hard challenge... How are we supposed to find him... in a mine?" said Nidorina, an angry tinge in her eyes.
[\/\/]
"This is the perfect opportunity to observe everyone, including the other team, and see who's who in all of this." said Helioptile.
[\/\/]
Dusting herself off Minun sat up to see Duosion arguing with Aipom. She walked up to Raichu as he stood next to Duosion.
"What's happening?" she asked her fellow mouse.
"They're arguing on what we should all do." he chuckled, "Personally, I think Duosion's is better, even if it's a little weaker."
"Teams of four would be much better than teams of two! You heard him clearly when he said, attacks are allowed." argued Aipom.
Duosion gave a firm humph. "But what you're proposing is silly. There are fifteen of us, not only would give us a single three-man team but it would mean less spread to look for Victini. He said it himself, this place is tricky, dangerous, and filled with his traps."
Aipom shot him a glare, one with narrowed eyes.
"Well that last point would be easier to deal with, with more people."
Raichu held up a hand. "Okay then, what about three-man teams then? Three can still outdo any sort of trap laid around and can take down walls if needed while spreading us out a little more."
"And will help when battling the other team. I agree with that compromise." backed up Sneasel.
Aipom glared at Sneasel, who raised an eyebrow at the notion.
"What? It is a better compromise- right guys?"
Everyone gave her nods and voices of approval, sans Galvantula who dozed off.
"Better to split into smaller squads. More chance to find our objective and cap the VIP." said Raichu.
"Huh, VIP?" asked Phantump.
Raichu chuckled, embarrassed. "I mean finding Victini."
Cubone raised her hand. "I'm gonna go with that plan as well! I want to explore with Minun- and Aggy can come too!"
"Yeah, that sounds coolie-cool!" affirmed the smaller mouse.
Aggron groaned. "On second thought, Aipom's plan is better."
"Too late. Sorry." noted Duosion.
"Can I just stay here?" offered Galvantula.
"No." droned the rest of the team.
Duosion picked her up and dropped her next to Phantump.
"Stay with him." he ordered the spider. She did nothing but groan.
Aipom sighed at the sight of everyone splitting up.
"Fine, I concede. Sneasel, come with me."
The cat nodded and stood beside her. She watched Mothim pair up Chespin and Pancham and sighed.
"There goes that…" she eyed Flygon glancing around confused. "Flygon!"
"Huh? Me?"
"You can join me and Sneasel."
"Sure thing!"
Duosion left with Raichu and Glaceon in tow while Ledian and Phantump begrudgingly dragged Galvantula down another tunnel. The other two groups left as well leaving just Aipom, Sneasel, and Flygon standing in place.
Aipom pointed down a tunnel no one took. "Well, let's get going. Flygon, can you go on and scout ahead? I need to talk to Sneasel for a sec."
Flygon nodded and flew off. Once out of sight. Aipom roughly pulled the cat-weasel to her side and bore her eyes into her.
"Whoa, what's wrong Aipom?"
"What're you doing? Going behind me like that? You're supposed to agree with me! That's how alliances work!"
"But three-man teams are more sensible for this challenge. I wasn't just going to leave it at that." explained Sneasel.
"That's not what I mean!" roared Aipom.
"What could you possibly mean then?" she challenged.
Aipom pinned Sneasel to the wall, to her shock.
"You follow my lead. We may be equals but when I make a plan, I expect you to follow it. I'll let this slide but don't you dare do it again. Understand?"
Sneasel scoffed and looked away. Aipom squeezed her against the wall, making her cry in pain.
"Aa-aah! Aipom! Argh! Stop!" she yelled, struggling to free herself.
"Understand you idiot!? Or do I have to prove it by beating the shit out of you!?"
"I understand, I understand!"
Aipom let her go. Sneasel fell to the ground in shock. She looked up to see her standing there with a friendly smile, as if nothing happened.
"Aipom…"
The monkey grabbed her with her tail and helped her up.
"Come on, let's go. I bet Flygon is waiting for us."
Sneasel gave her a worried look as Aipom scurried into one of the joining tunnels. She sighed and followed behind.
[\/\/]
"No one challenges my authority. No one. Not even a friend. Duosion, Raichu- the whole team. If I gotta prove it to them, then I will." challenged Aipom.
She twirled a playing card in her hand as she thought about something.
"Heh… Sneasel… I said she was a runt beforehand… smallest sneasel I've ever seen. But I know her type: act tough and maybe people will think you are. She's not tough- not even close."
[\/\/]
"I heard a lot of yelling. I hope those two aren't already breaking up… their friendship seems pretty genuine." Flygon said worryingly.
[\/\/]
"So, what do you want to do to Glaceon?" Phantump asked Ledian as they went down one of the many tunnels. "I want to do something with water…"
"I was planning on using fire but murder is illegal and I'm already in enough trouble these days..." she answered.
Galvantula snorted. "What are you two trying to do to him?"
"Give the idiot his just deserts." remarked Ledian.
"Count me in then."
Ledian snorted. "Damn, you're actually doing something for once?"
Galvantula glared at Ledian.
"Don't make me tie you in a web."
"Oh, I know you won't. Too much work."
"Hey you t-two!" Phantump looked at the tunnel surrounding them. "H-How about using t-these rocks?"
The two didn't notice the anxiety in her voice as she tried to assuage them from fighting, knowing full well how it would end.
"What, dump them on him? There's a line between pranking someone and outright assault." Ledian scoffed, "Besides, do you expect me to carry all of these? I'm not that strong."
"And I refuse." noted Galvantula.
"No, I mean; why don't we pelt him pebbles… when he's stuck in a trap! Let him fall in, then we bury his him! Like when they buried MT3 in the finale of Big Monster 5!" explained Phantump.
Ledian stood silently before smiling.
"Movie reference aside, that could work. Fucking asshole won't know what got him."
[\/\/]
Glaceon shuddered as he walked behind Duosion and Raichu.
"Oh… it's that feeling again." he muttered.
"Hmm, what do you mean?" quizzed Duosion.
"I got this feeling like something bad is going to happen. But I don't know what."
Raichu chuckled. "You became a psychic now?"
"No! If I did, I'd lose my good looks…" he whispered to himself. "I just have this feeling is all." he said louder.
"Right. Is it those same 'feelings' that forced me to bring you along or else the other girls would kill you for trying?" complained Duosion.
"I have the right to try, and it should be an honor to have someone as good-looking as me." bragged Glaceon.
"Yeah, and that's it. Really." moaned Raichu.
"I'll have you know; I actually have other skills!" Glaceon shot back.
"What? Showing off?" said Duosion.
"No… but that is one of them!"
Raichu sighed.
[\/\/]
"I don't like Glaceon. He's the opposite of everything I stand for and is just as lazy as Galvantula. At least she doesn't hide her laziness though. A soldier should always be upfront about how they are and he never is." ranted Raichu.
[\/\/]
"Honestly, would anyone miss Glaceon? Raichu looks like he wants to strangle him half the time and most of the time we ignore him but he's too stubborn." said Ledian.
[\/\/]
"Was splitting up really the best idea?"
Mienfoo looked over to Sentret as they walked down the rock filled corridor and shrugged.
"I don't know but Buizel did his best to do it so that no one would kill each other."
"Helioptile and Whimsicott?" asked Sentret.
Mienfoo giggled. "Look on the bright side, either Whimsicott drives Helioptile insane and actually makes her develop something besides sarcasm and apathy or Helioptile shocks the weirdness out of Whimsicott."
"Noibat and Fraxure?"
"She feared Tauros, not Fraxure. Funny enough, while Fraxure is hot-tempered and foul mouthed to us all, she's actually pretty nice to Noibat." Mienfoo put a finger to her mouth. "It might be the fact that both are Dragon types… though I think she hates Flygon so that may not be it…"
Sentret chuckled. "Ah. I always forget that about her, being part Dragon."
"What do you mean?"
"Some pokémon on this world don't look like certain types and it always messes me up. Noibat are one of those."
"Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. She also acts nothing like them. Fraxure does and there's no misjudging if she's one or not." added Mienfoo.
"Speaking of such a hot-headed topic, who else do you think is like that?" asked Sentret.
"Sandshrew and Chespin come to mind. Glaceon as well." Mienfoo scrunched her eyes in thought. "Though I wonder how an Ice-type could be tempermental."
"He probably has some Fire-type lineage in there somewhere. Maybe a Flareon." theorized Sentret.
"Slugma more like it." joked Mienfoo.
Sentret cleared his throat and began a poem, "Thou one dog made of worms and slugs, fire and ice, makes thou unlikable beast, one that deserves many, many, knocks to the tree."
Mienfoo clapped in joy and laughed. "That was really good. Described him pretty well."
"Thanks. I'm here all day."
[\/\/]
"If there's one person on this team everyone likes, it Sentret. Well-rounded and helpful. It'd be a shame if he ever did something wrong." said Helioptile.
[\/\/]
"If I were stuck in an abandoned mine with anyone, I honestly would not have picked Sentret at first glance. But… being with him for more than thirty minutes has shown that we're a good pair. I think we'll be good friends." said Mienfoo.
[\/\/]
"Anything kid?"
Noibat let off another echo, listening for a few seconds after, only to shake her head at the lack of anything notable.
"Drat." grumbled Fraxure. She began to trudge down the tunnel they were in, "Where the fuck could that forest-fire of a host by hiding!?"
"I don't know, I don't know!" called Noibat, as she raced to keep up with her fellow dragon.
"Well keep making those echoes of your while I keep watch, 'kay?" she responded, not even bothering to stop.
"Wait up, wait up! I can't do it while moving, not while moving!"
"Then grab onto me and do it while I walk! Is that so fucking hard!?"
Noibat flew up to Fraxure and clung to the tusked pokémon as said, holding with as much grip as she could muster. Once she felt secure, she let out a high-pitched shriek every so often, listening in for any abnormalities and reporting it to her guardian.
"There's a small group ahead! Four! Four!"
"Hold on kid!"
Fraxure charged ahead into the dimly lit tunnel, not knowing what she may encounter ahead.
[\/\/]
Aggron picked up a pebble and threw it over the edge of the gap, listening for the noise of it hitting the ground below. It took far longer than the Steel-type expected but eventually, the sound of the pebble hitting shallow water reverberated up to him. He turned back to Cubone and Minun, who were examining every inch of the opening they were.
"Drop is fatal." he factually stated to the two.
Cubone hopped up and down. "Awesome! I wonder what's down there!"
She ran to the edge and peered down into the inky abyss below. Aggron simply picked her up and set her back on stable ground.
"Don't be stupid."
"I won't! I just wanna look!"
"If you fall, it will be on me." he said.
"Come ooooonnnn… let us have some fun!" chimed Minun as she always did.
"We won't get in trouble!" said Cubone.
Aggron groaned but said nothing as the two went to try and climb down the cliff. He watched the other side intently, waving at the passing Ledian and Phantump as well as the passing Duosion, Raichu, and an angry Glaceon. It was after he watched Aipom walk past with Flygon beside her, Sneasel lagging oddly, that he realized how long quiet it's been.
"Hmm? Where are they?"
He looked over the cliff to see them halfway down on a ledge, with Minun providing light. Cubone noticed he was staring and waved to him.
"AGGY! COME ON DOWN!" she shouted.
Aggron huffed and resigned to follow them, not really in the mood. He carefully climbed down a few meters before sliding the rest of the way. He landed on the ledge with a thud.
"You two okay?" he asked them as he dusted himself off.
"Of course we are! I told you, we won't get in-"
Aggron raised his hand, catching a piece of the ceiling that fell, almost crushing Cubone.
"Really now? Did you not notice the unstable ceiling?"
"Uhh…"
Minun squeaked and ran behind Aggron as another piece of ceiling fell.
"Hold onto me. I'll get us back up top."
The two silently held on as he climbed his way up the cliff, to their annoyance.
[\/\/]
"Aggron is such a meanie! Just because he knows more doesn't mean he can say what he wants… even if he did save me…" said Cubone.
[\/\/]
"They have spirit but too much of it." admitted Aggron.
[\/\/]
Buizel and Sableye were looking for any sign of a way up after having spied Aggron climb up the cliff, knowing full well whatever floor the Flareon's were on was the right one. The two split up not long after that, hoping to find the stairs faster.
"Well, which way do we go now?" Buizel asked himself.
As Buizel tried to pick a new direction to go, with two tunnels lit and one unlit, two bright blue lights slowly came towards him from the unlit tunnel.
"Sell your soul to me… you spirit is tasty…" a ghostly voice said.
Buizel ignored the voice and put a hand to his chin.
"I can't wait to kill you…"
"Find any stairs yet Sabs?" Buizel nonchalantly asked as he stood in thought.
"Ah dude, at least act scared."
Sableye stepped out of the darkness, his two blue gems for eyes shining brightly, a firm smirk planted on his face. Buizel turned his head to him and smiled.
"I've heard that spiel from my friends too many times to count. Do all you Ghost types say that?"
Sableye chuckled, "It's the first line ya' learn in ghoul school; of course all ghosts say it!" he paused, "At least fake a scream!"
"Aaahh." Buizel half-heartedly chirped, turning into a laugh seconds later. Sableye joined in with him.
"Right okay…" Sableye said, trying to calm down. "There was a small stairwell over there. Just follow me."
As the two began to walk, a voice yelled to them, seemingly from everywhere.
"YoU dO that, I EaT YOU!"
Both jumped back in fright. A look down the tunnel Sableye came from and saw two bright red eyes.
"What the fuck!?" shouted Sableye, more in anger then in fright, "I can't do that with my voice!"
"AnGer… I LiKE tHaT… YoU'Ll be FiRSt gEm eATeR!"
"Real cute show Hoopa." he retorted in jest.
"I'M NoT hoOPa. I'M NoT anYtHIng..."
The red eyes grew brighter as they came closer. Buizel started to back up but Sableye stood in place, ready to fight whatever came. A loud scream that knocked him and Buizel off their feet made them finally run off in fear.
Far along the tunnel they ran down, the two were catching their breath. Buizel could only look at Sableye with a confused look that told the gem eater, 'what the fuck'.
Sableye only shrugged in response.
[\/\/]
"I have no words for what just happened." said Sableye, "But I have the distinct feeling Hoopa is involved."
[\/\/]
Nidorina, Flaafy, Spoink, Buneary, Fraxure, and Noibat were running, in Noibat's case, clinging for dear life, as fast as they could down the long tunnel they were in. Behind them was a large rolling boulder- larger than what Fraxure could normally deal with.
"This ain't my day is'it?" moaned Flaafy as she tried to get ahead.
"Buneary, we told you not to touch that button for a reason!" shouted Spoink, bouncing as fast as he could.
"I didn't know it did this!" cried Buneary.
"You fucking moron! I'm gonna bury you later if we live!" shouted Fraxure as a large stone boulder gained on them.
"RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!" screeched Noibat, holding onto Fraxure as tight as she could.
Ahead, Nidorina could see the path they took was ending, with no other ways out in sight. She let a deep sigh.
"…oh no."
Fraxure looked ahead to see what Nidorina saw and roared in anger.
"OH COME ON!"
As she continued to run, she realized there was no hope of avoiding fate. She plucked Noibat off her, to the bat's confusion.
"What, what!?"
"Go with them- I got the fucking boulder!"
She stopped as the rest kept going. They all stopped at the end of the long passage, out of breath and eyes wide in terror.
"I hope she doesn't get flattened…" said Spoink.
"Metoo…" said Buneary.
Fraxure waited for the rock to come close and when in range, used Dual Chop. She hoped it worked.
When she hit the boulder, a large cloud of dust was thrown in the air. When it parted, the others could see that it was now just a pile of rubble instead of one large threatening boulder.
"Yay, yay! Go Fraxure!" cheered Noibat.
Fraxure turned and smiled.
"Hell yeah! I'm damn good at this!"
Flaafy walked past everyone and turned to them with a determined look on her face.
"Okay, that's enough celebrating, we have to go! We're so far away from everyone now, we gotta hurry up!"
As the group began to leave, Fraxure punched Buneary in the head. He fell to the floor unconscious.
"That's for almost getting us killed you fucking idiot!"
[\/\/]
Far above, Aipom, Flygon, and Sneasel were resting on the lip of the chasm resting after walking for so long.
"You two good? I kinda want to keep walking." said Aipom as she paced back and forth.
"I'm good. How 'bout you Sneasel?" Flygon asked the cat.
Sneasel shrugged. "Mmhmm… I'm fine."
Flygon noticed how tired she looked and shook his head.
"You don't look fine. You sure you're…?"
"I said I'm fine." she snapped. She shook her head. "Sorry… just got a lot on my mind."
"I hope it's winning this challenge!" called Aipom.
Sneasel stood up and began to stretch in front of Flygon. He chuckled.
"It must suck to have claws like all the time- putting scratches in things you don't mean to." said Flygon as he eyed them, "Must be hell to use a phone."
Sneasel flexed them before putting her hands behind her head.
"Nah, I can put them away whenever- it's a cat thing. It just looks like I have them out all the time- my fingers are just pointy." Sneasel sat against the back wall and closed her eyes. "You'll know I have my claws out when my fingers suddenly get longer."
"All very interesting stuff." said Aipom sarcastically. Neither of them picked up on it.
"Indeed. Kind of like when I fly at high speeds, my wings make this weird whistle. It's kinda neat." noted Flygon.
"Wanna demonstrate that for us?" she asked him.
Flygon nodded. "Sure, but I'll need a run up. Give me a sec…"
Flygon tore off into the darkness, leaving the two alone once more. Aipom stopped in front of Sneasel. The cat-weasel opened her eyes to see Aipom looking down at her with a friendly smile.
"Sneasel…"
Sneasel scoffed and looked away from her. "Yeah Aipom?"
"About earlier Sneasel… sorry. I got upset and…"
The cat-weasel sighed. "…it's fine. Don't worry about it."
"It's totally not fine dude- I hurt you! And… and… I didn't mean to…"
"Hmm? Is that so?" she asked skeptically.
Aipom sighed and leaned against the wall next to her.
"I hate admitting this but… I have anger issues… so I tend to snap time to time. Someone going behind my back is one of those things that just makes me…" Aipom looked down at the ground. "Go I guess? I've been burned way too many times in the past and…"
Sneasel nodded. "You get mad when someone double-crosses you?"
"Yeah."
The cat-weasel let out a snicker before hitting Aipom in the arm lightly.
"Why didn't you tell before-hand? My fucking back hurts like hell because of earlier and my sides are all sore."
"I'm really sorry. Can you forgive me?" Aipom asked with a pouting face.
A moment of silence came as the cat-weasel thought about the question. They heard a quiet whistle get louder and louder as seconds passed before Flygon flashed past in front of them. Sneasel quietly answered as he left them behind once more.
"I forgive you."
Aipom smiled.
[\/\/]
Buneary sat in the booth, rubbing his hands nervously. He had a bandage wrapped around his head.
"Thatwasabadidea."
[\/\/]
"I guess I have to stay on my toes and try not to get her mad like that again. I'd rather not get beaten like that again. Even if we're equally strong, I'm still pretty… err… fragile." admitted Sneasel.
[\/\/]
Whimsicott and Helioptile were walking up a wooden stairwell that the reptile found but to her bemusement, Whimsicott was singing the entire way up.
"And~ that~ is~!"
"Enough!" Helioptile yelled, snapping the book in her hands shut. Whimsicott stared at her silently, "Please."
"Oh come on Sunny, lighten up!" cheered Whimsicott.
Helioptile scowled at her and hissed as best a reptile like her could.
"I want peace. Silence. Not happy singing!"
They continued up the stairs and were at the top within no time. As Helioptile tried to decide on the next tunnel to take, Whimsicott danced around her, singing as she hopped, "Why?"
Helioptile only hissed again in anger, refusing to give an answer. Whimsicott did not relent.
"Whywhywhywhwyhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-"
Helioptile drew in a deep breath and yelled, "STOP IT."
"Then tell me why you want peace!" Whimsicott insisted once more. "Thinking about something?"
"No! I'm not thinking about anything. I can barely thi…" Helioptile paused as a thought struck her. Whimsicott giggled softly as she watched the reptile's mouth hang open in shock.
"You're doing this on purpose."
"Every~ thing~ is~ on~ pur~ pose~!" she replied in song but Helioptile saw right through it.
The lizard narrowed her eyes at the ram.
"How much do you know."
Whimsicott stopped dancing around and turned to Helioptile with an innocent smile on her face.
"Eh? Whatever do you mean?"
"How much. Do you. Know."
For the second time, Helioptile saw the ram's expression shift from the usual playful one to a far more serious one, unbefitting of what's she's seen of her so far.
"Enough. You don't hide what you do too well… but I get the feeling you aren't trying to hide anything from me." she smiled and gave a curt laugh, "Why else would you stick with me? You didn't even bother to say anything to Buizel when he split us all up. Everyone else would've complained but you went ahead with the crazy girl!"
"Hmph. I see."
Helioptile grumbled quietly for a moment, to which Whimsicott giggled.
"I take it you want to speak with me som'more?"
Helioptile stayed quiet for a moment, looking around to see if anyone was watching. When she felt comfortable, she answered.
"I do. What do you think of an alliance between us and someone else?"
Whimsicott giggled.
"Ooo… I like the sound of that."
[\/\/]
"What am I getting myself into… she's so…" Helioptile stopped and sighed.
"No, no… Helioptile, she's perfect for what you're planning."
[\/\/]
"She~ provided~ a gre~at~ oppur~tuni~TEE~!" sang Whimsicott. She snickered.
"She's also a smart one that lizard. I like her."
[\/\/]
"Man, Helioptile sounded like she wanted to rip Whimsicott apart. I wonder what she did to calm her down." said Buizel.
[\/\/]
"You know, this is all starting to be a fucking drag. I don't even know if we're on the right floor yet." said Monferno as she walked alongside Sandshrew.
"Sure as shit ain't gonna find out by standin' still." said Sandshrew, glaring at her companion, "So quit complaining and let's keep walkin'."
"Alright boss." Monferno commented in a snarky tone, earning a punch from the mouse. "Ow... Fuck you hit hard."
"'Course! Wouldn't be me if I didn't!"
Monferno rubbed her arm, checking for a bruise, "Just don't punch me when you evolve. I think you cut my arm off by accident."
"Don't worry, that won't happen."
Monferno blew a sigh of relief.
"First thing I might do on accident is stab your eyes out."
Monferno winced. "Oh jeez… my eyes hurt thinking about it."
"Hah! Don't worry- I'll make sure you don't become a zubat."
"I already feel like one…" the monkey mumbled in jest.
Monferno noticed they had come upon another set of stairs leading away from the floor they were on.
"Oh look, more stairs. Wanna stay on this floor?"
"Yeah, I'm good on the climbing thing."
Sandshrew snorted. "What kind of monkey are you?"
"One who likes to rest once in a while." replied Monferno.
The two passed the stairs and were about to leave the chamber it was in when they heard their names being called. Turning around, they saw Buizel and Sableye at the top of the stairs.
"Hey you two!" greeted Monferno as she and Sandshrew walked over.
"Nice to see that you guys are up here already!" exclaimed Buizel.
Sandshrew chuckled. "I've been in mines aplenty! They're all the same but this one is tricky- after all, the man in charge changed all of it to hide 'imself and that means anything could be trapped… or broken."
"I'll say. I saw Minun and Cubone fall past us while we climbed the stairs." said Sableye, laughing at the image in his mind, "Couldn't picture better faces as they fell. Aggron's looked angrier when he walked past us."
Buizel rolled his eyes. "Love their pain later. We have a small fire-turd to find."
"I don't think you'll be going very far."
They all turned to see Duosion, Raichu, and Glaceon staring them down. Sableye chuckled at the sight.
"And what're you two gunna do 'bout it?"
Glaceon smiled.
"Hear that Raichu, wha-"
"Wasn't countin' ya, dumbfuck." chimed Sableye.
"Objective failed." quoted Raichu as he shoved past the stunned Glaceon. "We're going to be doing this."
The electric mouse let out a bright, electric spark, hitting the ceiling with a loud crack. Unknown to the four, it was distraction.
Monferno nervously chuckled, "Uh… that's it? Anyt-GAH!"
She was cut off when a large rock fell on her head, knocking her out instantly. Buizel could only sigh at the sight before focusing on the three Flareon's.
"Did you intend for something else to happen? You only knocked out Monferno- which is normal, really." asked Buizel.
Duosion chuckled. "I might have but I guess it takes a bit to get here. Don't worry, running won't save you, so don't bother."
"Wait, what?" asked Sandshrew as she checked on Monferno.
The roof of the cave rumbled for a moment before a large boulder fell through the roof and landed in between the two groups. As it started to roll towards them, Buizel had an idea.
"Sandshrew, hit that thing at them!"
She paused to process what he said, jumping up as it started to roll towards them. A swift use of Rollout countered the boulder's momentum and sent it back at the trio.
"Oh shit…" whimpered Glaceon.
"Sir, I think it's time we run…" warned Raichu as he started to back up. "Permission to scream as we do?"
"Denied."
Duosion focused intently on the boulder. The giant rock was engulfed in a sheet of purple energy, slowing it to a stop. The Cell Pokémon let out a quiet snicker as he rolled it back to Buizel's group.
"Nice try Buizel, but you'll have to do better than that."
The trio of Flareon's watched the boulder race into the tunnel after the other three, with Sandshrew carrying the unconscious Monferno away.
"Think they'll be okay?" asked Raichu.
Glaceon scoffed, "They deserve it. They were willing to hurt elegance. Hahaahaha…"
Raichu leaned into Duosion with a frown.
"Permission to knock him out and leave him behind… sir?" he whispered.
"Granted."
Glaceon was still laughing when a loud thwack to the back of his head cut him off and sent him to the ground groaning in pain. A quick check by the two told them he was unconscious.
"Let's get as far away from him as we can. Come on." ordered Duosion.
"Right behind you sir!"
[\/\/]
"I say we go right." offered Sentret.
Mienfoo and Sentret stood at the mouth of a fork in their tunnel, trying to figure out which way to go.
"Hmm… but it's not lit." observed Mienfoo.
Sentret nodded. "Yeah but he could be hiding somewhere dark."
As they argued, they heard a low rumbling noise slowly get louder and louder. Soon, they could see Buizel, Sableye, and Sandshrew, carrying Monferno, running out from the darkness.
"Move you two!" warned Buizel as he hooked a sharp right into the other tunnel.
"Eh?"
Sentret watched closely to see a large boulder rolling towards them. Mienfoo quickly grabbed him and pulled him into the left tunnel.
"Oh jeez… that was close." Buizel dusted himself off. "You two okay?"
Sableye nodded. "Course."
"I'm doing well, dunno 'bout Monferno though." admitted Sandshrew as she put her down.
Mienfoo walked up to Monferno and checked her over. Noticing the bump on her head, she sighed.
"Nothing too bad but she'll feel one painful headache when she wakes up. What'd she get into this time?"
Buizel grumbled angrily. "It wasn't an accident actually. Raichu did that to her."
"Oh. Dang." remarked Sentret.
Mienfoo stood up and walked over to Buizel's side.
"So what do we do now? We certainly could beat Raichu and…"
"Duosion and Glaceon. Bastards forced us to run though so they probably ran themselves." said Sandshrew.
"How about we continue with the challenge instead of payback?" asked Sentret.
"I vote for that." Buizel said lamely.
"Didn't take you as a pacifist." noted Sandshrew.
"No, I just want to win. It'd suck to lose twice in a row."
Mienfoo giggled. "Well, I'm on board with just walking for now."
She brushed past Buizel playfully and walked a few meters down the dimly lit tunnel before turning around.
"You guys going to come?"
The group quickly fell behind her, with Sandshrew begrudgingly carrying Monferno. Buizel swore as they walked he could see her eyeing him.
"She can't be… can she?" he whispered to himself.
[\/\/]
"Ooo, my head… why me?" complained Monferno, holding an ice pack to her head.
[\/\/]
"I can't believe they knocked me out then abandoned me! Those mongrels!" yelled Glaceon.
[\/\/]
Running down one of the many tunnels, Cubone and Minun were having the time of their lives.
"We should go that way next!" Minun said, pointing to one of the adjoining tunnels.
Cubone stared down the tunnel, which lead into nothing but darkness only meters away. Cubone swore she could see something glowing red in the distance and wanted to see what it was.
Cubone smiled, "Definitely!"
Aggron was not.
"Slow down." he ordered.
His words were in vain as they sped down the tunnel and out of sight. The two were much faster the Iron Armor Pokémon and he was in no rush to keep up with them.
"Why'd I get stuck with them…?"
"Aggron?"
He turned to see Phantump, Galvantula, and… a red bug coming up to him. From the voice, it had been Phantump who asked the question.
"Mhm?" he hummed in response.
"Where are Cubone and Minun?"
He paused and looked down the unlit tunnel. He gasped.
"Did they get eaten by a ghost!?"
"No." the steel-type lamely replied.
"Only the ghost would think of something like that." Galvantula sarcastically added.
"Hey!"
"Where are you three heading?" asked Aggron.
"Just wandering around." stated Ledian.
She looked around for a moment before shaking her head.
"Oh, Aggron. have you seen Glaceon lately? We want to speak to the asshole… privately."
Aggron chuckled quietly. "No. But I've seen Duosion and Raichu without him."
"They abandoned him? Wow, real team players there." stated Galvantula.
"I wouldn't blame'em…" said Ledian before coughing. "Well, I guess we have to find those two then. Good luck with Cubone and Minun."
Aggron looked back down the tunnel. The red dots from earlier were eerily missing from view. He shook his head.
"I'll need plenty."
The three hadn't gone far when screams came out from the unlit tunnel. They all peered in to see Cubone and Minun rush out. The two had terrified looks on their faces.
Cubone let out a bout of relieved laughter.
"Ha… hahahaa… We made it! We're not ghost food!"
"Meanie ghost! We just wanna have fun!" Minun shouted down the tunnel.
"What did you two do?"
They turned to see Aggron giving them unamused looks.
"We met a ghost!" proclaimed Cubone.
"But I'm here, aren't I?" asked Phantump.
"No, no! All real, nasty, evil one!"
"eViL little GiRl? i Can sHOw YoU EviL!"
The group snapped their heads to the tunnel to see two red eyes in the dark. The stare it gave pierced right through them.
"Let's get the hell away from that!" shouted Ledian, pulling Phantump with her.
Aggron scooped up Cubone and Minun and ran after the two.
"Don't leave me behind." droned Galvantula as she kept behind them.
She didn't notice the large inky tendril catching up to her until it has almost too late. The sight of it made her run for the first time on the island.
[\/\/]
"The fuck kind of ghost was that!? That's a demon, not a ghost!" exclaimed Ledian.
[\/\/]
Aggron stared on with a blank stare.
"What. The. He-"
[\/\/]
Chespin whistled as he stared at the bridge ahead of him. Pancham walked right past him with no concern.
"That sure looks rickety."
"I'll say."
Mothim hung off the ceiling of one of the few open caverns in the mine while Pancham tested an old rope bridge, it's ropes rotted and a few planks fallen away already.
"You sure you don't want me to help? The offer stands Pancham." he reminded the panda.
"There's also the fact you didn't have to do this Pancham!" exclaimed Chespin as he watched from afar.
Pancham shook his head and continued to cross, careful not to fall through the gaps in the planks. He took one step and the plank in front of him fell away.
He almost fell but got a hold on the rope holding the old bridge up. Mothim flew down next to him in concern.
"I know you don't want help but I'm going to stay with you. I don't think this is a fall you want to experience."
"I'm with him on that!" reminded Chespin.
Pancham closed his eyes and shook his head. He shooed the moth away but Mothim stayed by his side despite his wishes.
He made it halfway over the bridge when it began to creak audibly, louder than before. Pancham waited for the creaking to stop. He ignored another of Mothim's calls to ride with him, and took another step.
A short groan was heard before one of the ropes holding up the bridge snapped in two. The bridge tilted to the side sending Pancham flying. Mothim acted quickly to grab him before he fell far, letting him down once over solid ground.
"That was close." Mothim looked at the now useless bridge, "No one's following us anytime soon." he joked.
Pancham sighed and walked away without a word, leaving Mothim and Chespin behind. The two were baffled by this change in attitude.
"Uh…" he turned to Chespin. "Uhh…"
"Don't look at me, I have no idea what goes in that fuzzy head of his."
Mothim turned back and continued to stare after Pancham. Chespin looked down into the abyss. He kicked a pebble down and listened. Seconds later, a splash reverbed throughout the cavern. Chespin kept his eyes on the darkness below for a moment longer.
"So… about getting across."
"Eh?"
Mothim turned and looked at the bridge dangling precariously in the air then back to Chespin a few times before getting the idea.
"Oh… oh! Yeah, I got it! Hold on!"
"And I thought he was super-smart…" remarked Chespin quietly.
[\/\/]
"I like Pancham, he's generous and helpful and all but a big flaw of his, is that he hates being helped. I think he doesn't like feeling vulnerable." said Mothim.
[\/\/]
"Up the stairs, on the double!"
Fraxure was herding the members of her team while carrying Buneary in her arms up the stairwell to the next level.
Once at the top, they were met by Duosion and Raichu. They were both looking intently at the group.
"Nice to see you all up here." remarked Duosion.
"Can it blob-boy and get out of our way!" shouted Fraxure, dropping Buneary to the ground and charging right at the green cell. Duosion blocked her with a Protect then threw her back with Psychic.
"Ooohh…" groaned Buneary.
"Can't we just walk away? They're barely enough to block us." said Flaafy. She tried to walk away but ran into an invisible barrier, "Why am I always proven wrong in some form?"
"Don't bother. I've made sure-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence when a Spark hit him directly, electrocuting him.
"I noticed." warned Flaafy. She rubbed her face. "And so did my face ya'lil asshole."
Duosion shook off the attack and glared at Flaafy. She smirked as he narrowed his eyes further.
"Don't play with me."
"I play ya'll like a fiddle if it means winning." she proclaimed.
Raichu laughed. "Okay then. Let me fight you and see if you deserve a rank."
Raichu dashed right at the sheep, who put Light Screen to mitigate any energy attacks before leaping up into the air. Raichu was able to connect with Flaafy using Brick Break and send her flying back, only to be pounded by Power Gem in return. The gems smacked him around as they flew past before dropping him to the ground once over with. She smirked confidently.
"Well, that was sure short, huh?"
"Flaafy, Flaafy!" yelled Noibat.
Flaafy was too late to block the Brick Break to her hide, sending her to the floor. Raichu stood over the sheep, seemingly triumphant. Flaafy struggled to stand.
"Okay… you damn… mouse…"
Noibat tried to make her way over but Duosion knocked her away despite being busy holding Fraxure back. Spoink tried to fight Duosion's psychic power but was blockaded by the Cell Pokémon's mental strength.
"Come on Spoink. Try a little harder than this." he said mockingly.
Noibat got back in the air and once more tried to intervene with Raichu and Flaafy. This time, Raichu hit her with a light Spark, knocking her out.
"That's two."
Spoink's second attempt to overpower Duosion's psychic powers worked worse than the first time. The cell countered the attack and deflected it all back to Spoink, knocking the pig out.
"Come'on guys, they aren't so fucking tough!" exclaimed Fraxure.
Duosion laughed. "You're so sure of yourself but it's only you left to fight. The other three are out cold and Buneary certainly isn't fighting when you knocked him out cold."
Fraxure looked around. Spoink was out cold on the ground, with Noibat nearby in the same state. Flaafy had given up trying to get back up and Buneary was still unconscious. She noticed that Nidorina had disappeared but so had Raichu.
"…where's Nidorina?" she said aloud.
Duosion shifted his attention to the group laying nearby. The lack of Nidorina and Raichu raised alarms in his mind but he shook them away. He knew Raichu was strong- Nidorina stood no chance.
"Sir!"
And true to Duosion's mind, the mouse walked out from one of the tunnel's- ragged but awake.
"I see you took down Nidorina as well. I assume you chased her down?"
"Uhhh… well… sort of…" Raichu started before coughing.
"Are you okay Raichu?" the Cell Pokémon asked, forgetting about Fraxure.
"I'm…. fine… sir…. g-grk…"
Raichu fell to the ground out cold with a groan. Duosion was stunned by Raichu's random fainting but upon closer inspection, he spied a pin stuck in the mouse's shoulder. The pin was deep purple and oozing a thick purple sludge.
"Poisoned… That's not good. Gotta get him out of here."
He didn't finish once Fraxure grab him ands brought him to her face.
"He's the least of your problems you little fucker! I'm going to squeeze you into paste and use it to clean my teeth!"
Duosion desperately tried to get out of her grip but a few light knocks over his head ended the attempt. He could only groan in defeat as she charged up a Dragon Breath.
"Oh no…"
[\/\/]
"Damn the two of them. They waited to ambush us and got us good as well. Wasn't fun finding out how strong Raichu really was either." said Flaafy.
[\/\/]
Raichu shuddered on the seat as rubbed the shoulder the Poison Pin was injected.
"Nidorina is now to be avoided. She's excellent at defending herself- painfully I may add."
[\/\/]
Aipom, Flygon, and Sneasel walked along carefully, with Sneasel examining every section of wall, floor, and ceiling for anything that looked like a trap, a door, or a secret passage.
"Nothing in this section either." observed Sneasel as she scanned the tunnel around her.
"This sucks... Dude's gonna take forever to find…" complained Aipom as she stood guard.
"Better than getting in a fight, eh you two?" noted Flygon.
Sneasel winced at the comment, holding onto the side of her chest while Aipom just laughed it off.
"Hahaha… yeah, I guess so. Rather not end up on the floor."
As Aipom continued walking forward into the intersection with an adjoining tunnel, she slammed right into Buizel.
"Owww! …what the fuck dude!?"
She looked up to see Buizel rubbing his forehead. Sableye came over and helped him to his feet. Sneasel did the same for Aipom.
"That's one way to find the other team…" remarked Buizel sarcastically.
"I'll say the same. My head hurts…"
"Hey look, the team that's gonna lose." joked Sneasel.
Sableye walked right up to Sneasel.
"Say that again. Dare you."
"I said you guys are gonna lose." she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It's the only logical ending for this challenge based on observation."
The Buizel's group all glared at her, with Sableye snorting angrily. He cracked his knuckles- an effect she didn't catch in time.
"Want me to spell it out point by point since you guys don't seem to understa- GAH!"
The cat-weasel managed to catch a swipe at her face but in doing so, left herself open to an easy uppercut. The punch sent her to the ground with a scream of pain.
Aipom and Flygon went over to her and checked her over. Flygon helped her up while Aipom took the opportunity to pick a fight.
"The fuck dude! She's just playing around!"
"Insulting my brains ain't 'playing around'. Those are fighting words."
Aipom hastily grabbed a rock with her tail and threw it at Sableye, knocking him to the ground in a surprise attack.
"Well if you fight her, you fight me!" she proclaimed. Aipom began to run at Sableye to deliver another blow.
"Oh no ya' don't!"
Sandshrew landed a strong punch to Aipom's right arm, sending her into the wall. The monkey pried herself off the wall and shook off the pain as best she could.
"Damn you hit hard… but not enough!"
She swung her tail wide, sending out a flurry of bright yellow stars hat pelted the whole group. It did little else but scratch them up. Sandshrew beamed confidently.
"That all ya' doing or-"
An Ice Beam struck her, instantly freezing the Ground-type. Sableye turned to glare at Sneasel only to see no one where the beam came from. He got blindsided by a Metal Claw, sending him into the wall opposite Aipom.
"That's for being unable to take a joke you piece of shit!"
"I got her!" exclaimed Monferno.
The fire monkey tried to intervene in Sableye's fight but Flygon accidentally hit her with his tail as he tried to fly past, knocking her into the frozen Sandshrew head first and knocking her out.
"..." Buizel stared on silently as the entire scene played before him, no clue what to do.
"I guess it's me, you, and Sentret now..." stated Mienfoo.
Buizel gulped. He didn't want to fight the three of them, especially when two of them are angry.
"At least Flygon isn't mad like those two..." he pointed out.
"AAAAAHHHHH! THERE'S DUST ON MY CHEST!"
Mienfoo and Sentret stared at him angrily.
"...never mind."
[\/\/]
"What bad timing for what I said... and right in front of Mienfoo. Smooth going me..." said Buizel.
[\/\/]
Mienfoo chose to go after Aipom, while Buizel went after Sneasel. Sentret chose to placate Flygon.
"It'll come off Flygon, don't worry..."
"Worry!? This dust could have so much bacteria and disease on it! I don't know how sick I'll become!" his eyes shrunk at the thought. "I'd get quarantined and never see anyone again."
"Whoa Flygon, I-I don't think t-that'll happen... err... uhh... um-hey! Why not some poetry!"
Flygon glared at Sentret. "That won't clean me!" Flygon got closer to Sentret with fury in his eyes. "Find me a towel, a cloth, anything!"
"R-right away!"
Sentret ran off, pushing past everyone else in a mad dash to escape. Flygon followed right behind.
An Ice Beam managed to pass the two by mere centimeter. The person they came from was trying to hit Buizel, who kept dodging her hits as best he could.
"M-man, you don't really try any other a-attack do you!" yelled Buizel.
Sneasel didn't answer and simply let off another Ice Beam. The attack missed but managed to hit the already unconscious Monferno, fizzling upon contact with her. Buizel kept running, trying to find a way out, either through words or running.
Thankfully for him, Sableye had come to and jumped in the way. He jabbed as hard as he could. His fist ended up hitting Sneasel in the nose with a sickening crunch. She flew to the ground, writhing in pain.
"AAHAHAAAHHH! MAI NOSCHE! AAAHHaaahh!" she screamed.
"Little bitch... Leave'er to me." he told Buizel. "Go help Mienfoo. She'll need it."
Buizel rushed down the tunnel to where Aipom and Mienfoo were fighting, leaving Sableye to stare down Sneasel, who climbed to her feet, wobbling in place with blood pouring out of her nose. He charged at the cat-weasel and the effect of the first attack launched dust everywhere, blocking Buizel's sight.
"GAH!"
He managed to stumble his way to Mienfoo's side just as Aipom tried to land a punch with her tail and ended up taking it for her.
"Shit, that wasn't for him." said Aipom. She shook her head. "Fuck... I'll apologize to him later. Hope he understands…"
Mienfoo noticed how Aipom was looking at Buizel. She recognized the emotion in the monkey's eyes and her anger stirred at the sight.
"Oh, I see. You like him." Mienfoo stated cooly. She jabbed at Aipom, who guarded with her tail.
"So, what if I do? Got a problem with that dude?"
Aipom skipped her tail over the ground, launching up dust. Mienfoo cautiously guarded with the lack of sight. She managed to break the rock that came flying through with Force Palm only for Aipom to jump through and use Brick Break on her.
Mienfoo slide back a few feet, unharmed thanks to Protect. The green barrier faded and the two were left glaring at each other.
"I do actually. Not only is he not on your team, he's not your type. So it's best you just drop the idea." said Mienfoo.
"Ooohhh, is that right? Not my type? Not on my team? Ha... hahahahhaha!"
Aipom's laughter was deepened by the echoes of the cave, making it louder than usual.
"Sounds like you're jealous… Got a problem with someone is trying to make a move on him?"
"More that you're not getting him at all." replied Mienfoo.
Mienfoo unleashed a sudden, but precise flurry of kicks and punches. The barrage was enough to badly bruise Aipom. The monkey slowly pulled herself off the floor and stared at Mienfoo with a smile.
"You can try to stop me from doing that but I'd like to see that without you making him hate you."
"I'll make sure- don't worry about that. It won't be hard either." replied Mienfoo.
Aipom threw a rock with her tail, forcing Mienfoo to move. The weasel dodged to the right only for Aipom to hit her in the face with her tail. Mienfoo stumbled back, stunned. Aipom finished her off with another strong hit with her tail, smacking her into the wall.
Mienfoo stumbled off the wall, taking a few wobbly steps towards her. She swung a weak fist at Aipom. The monkey just stood there as it failed to meet its mark, sending Mienfoo to the ground with a thud. Aipom checked and found that she was unconscious.
"Heh. Yeah, you're gonna be really good at keeping me in check." she paused in thought. "I feel like her liking him… somethings wrong with that picture but what…? Maybe Sneasel will remember- there is a reason I allied with her…" Aipom snickered. "Besides being a fun..."
Aipom's voice trailed off as the sound of fighting drew her attention, pulling her away from her thoughts. She ran off towards where the remaining fighting was happening, leaving Mienfoo on the floor. The weasel sat up, an angry look on her face and a growing smile at what she now knows.
"So… that's how it is…"
[\/\/]
"I won't let her get him. He's mine no matter what she says." said Mienfoo.
She smiled.
"And it seems there's more to Aipom than I thought."
[\/\/]
"I feel as if I missed something. N-now, Mienfoo is being so… approaching. It's s-so weird." said Buizel.
[\/\/]
Aggron fought the grip as best he could but it just wasn't enough. He wished he didn't have to be so delicate or else he'd pry them off with ease.
"Don't leave us!" pleaded Minun.
"Yeah, y-you scare the bad ghost really well!" said Cubone.
Aggron groaned. "I didn't scare any ghost away. We just ran away ourselves."
He looked at the tunnel before him and the one they just ran from. Both were dimly lit but it was more than enough to deter anything supernatural. The only thing he hated about this situation is that he somehow lost the red bug's group and she was far better to deal with than the two he was stuck with.
"B-but you really, really strong! I b-bet you can b-beat any ghostie you take on!"
"I can certainly take the hits." he casually thumped his chest. He pointed a finger to Cubone. "But you clinging to me is not a good way to avoid getting hurt."
Cubone whined but begrudgingly climbed off him, as did Minun when coaxed in a similar manner. They all stayed where they were to rest after the bout of running they had undergone. Pretty soon, the three were snoring away when Glaceon came upon them.
"Oh, hello there. What's this?"
Cubone opened her eyes and looked up to see Glaceon staring down at her with a large smile on his face.
"Blargh! It's you!"
Her exclamation woke up Aggron and Minun. Their eyes snapped open to see the eeveelution sitting there with a smug smirk on his face.
"What do you want?" demanded Aggron.
"Nothing. Just want to know what you were doing." he replied.
Aggron stared on silently. The eeveelution did the same. A minute passed and the two still hadn't said anything while the two girls whispered to each other, doing their best to stick close to Aggron.
"Resting." Aggron finally answered.
"Oh, were you now?" Glaceon chuckled, putting a paw to his mouth to stop himself. "Because no normal guy lets two girls sleep on him like that. You're quite the-"
Aggron stood up, towering over the eeveelution. Glaceon whimpered slightly.
"Think before you speak."
"W-what I was t-trying to say is… uhh… err… t-that you're very… err… considerate?" Aggron narrowed his eyes. Glaceon stammered for a moment before quickly continuing "W-what with the ghosts around and everything!"
"Smooth…" whispered Cubone. Minun giggled.
He shot a look at the two. Aggron snorted, bringing him back to his face.
"You have ten seconds to leave." he paused and smiled. He pointed down the tunnel where they had come from. "That way to be exact."
Glaceon nodded and ran down the corridor without much thought. A minute later, they heard a scream and watched him race past as if death were on his heels.
"That was satisfying." said Aggron.
"I agree! Best part of this whole thing yet!" chimed Cubone.
[\/\/]
"I do feel bad… just a little… but he has it coming sometimes. Maybe if he were a bit nicer and less arrogant, I'd like him." said Cubone.
[\/\/]
Mothim, Pancham, and Chespin were still aimlessly walking around, hoping they'd luck out. So far, they've had no such luck.
"Why don't we split up?" asked Mothim.
'Why?' asked Pancham.
Mothim sighed. "I mean… we haven't found much together. Maybe we'll find him faster this way."
"I'm up for it. Better than just walking around randomly." agreed Chespin.
"Let me check this way!" said Mothim.
Pancham walked behind the moth for moment before splitting away. Left alone, the hedgehog was left only one path to take.
"Well, it looks like I'm going this way." said Chespin.
Chespin walked around the corner to see a mess of campers on the floor. He opened his mouth to say something to his teammates when he spotted Sandshrew lying on the floor. Thanks to Monferno being next to her, the shrew had thawed, leaving her sprawled on the floor.
"Well, well, well…" he walked up to her and smiled. "Nice to see she's gotten the shit beaten out of her. Too bad it wasn't me that did it."
He looked around. Monferno laid nearby, with Buizel further down the way. Opposite from his side, Sableye and Sneasel had beaten each other to a stalemate though from what he can see, it's clear one of the two is actually bleeding. He almost missed Aipom and Mienfoo farther away, the area around them a mess.
"Damn… I missed all the good stuff." he commented. He snorted. "Eh, more time to find VictiNEEEEE!"
He turned to leave only for something to grab his leg. He fell to the ground in shock.
"Motherfucker!" he yelled in pain. He flipped around to see Sandshrew sitting up. "YOU!"
"ME YA' BASTARD!"
The two stood up and immediately lunged at each other. Flygon and Sentret looked on from a separate tunnel and silently agreed to just leave them be; as did Mothim and Pancham when they heard all the noise and came running.
[\/\/]
"Okay I admit… I stared for a couple minutes…" Mothim paused and chuckled. He shook his head and glared at the camera. "What? It was entertaining!"
[\/\/]
Glaceon rounded the corner of the tunnel he was running down. Focused more on running than actually looking forward, he missed the cracks on the ground in front of him. He made it only three steps on the unstable ground before it collapsed under him, leaving him in a large pit.
"Oooo…" he stopped groaning and tried to move. He could barely move his legs thanks to the weight of the crushed stone. "For fucks sake… first a ghost… now this?"
"I heard a crash? Anyone there?"
He looked up to see Ledian standing at the edge of the pit, scanning intently. She spotted Glaceon, despite his attempt to hide himself from her.
"Oh, if it isn't you."
"I could say the same." he greeted. He managed to weakly wiggle a foot. "Mind helping me out? I'll owe you…"
"What, a date?" she said in jest.
Glaceon chuckled. "Well yes, that would be ideal but we both know the end result in that, don't we?"
"Baseball to the face? Murder? Murder by baseball bat to the face?" she said in jest again.
"Why, haven't you gotten quite the funny bone?" he said sardonically.
Ledian scoffed, and if she could've rolled her eyes, would've. She chose to instead to cross her arms.
"I'm real funny ya' fucking asshole. I just don't talk a whole lot. Or get noticed."
"That's because you're boring." interrupted Galvantula.
"Shut up." the two said in unison.
"Wow, you two have something in common as well. Next up is a date." the spider joked.
"Keep that up and I'll drag his ass out just to let him freeze you into an ice cube."
"Then you fuck him, right?" Galvantula said sarcastically.
"You must be really fun to hang out with in school." quipped Ledian.
"I go to a strict private school."
"Oh, aren't you flaunting that status well then."
Glaceon noticed Phantump float over him, a handful of pebbles in his arms.
"You gonna say anything?" asked Glaceon.
"They've been going at it for the past hour and a half. They beat Chespin and Sandshrew by a mile at least in creativity." Phantump shook her head. "Doesn't beat Glig-"
"If you keep going and it involves comic books in some way, I'm going to dig myself out and bury you instead," threatened Glaceon.
Phantump frowned. "That's nice." she looked up to the edge to see the two bugs still going at it. "Hey you two! You forget something!?"
Ledian and Galvantula looked down at him and remembered what they were doing in the first place.
"Oh yeah." Ledian turned to Galvantula. The two stared for a moment. Ledian suddenly drew in close to the spider. "We'll talk. Later."
"Agreed." the spider said sardonically.
Ledian flew over to Glaceon. She hovered in just the right spot for him to see her but not be able to attack her with Ice Beam if he tried.
"So hey, remember that time you froze Phantump in bed?"
"Her snoring was too much." replied Glaceon. "I heard all the way from our side of the cabin."
"Hey! I don't snore that loud do I!?" she looked to the other two. "Do I?"
"Figure out yourself." droned Galvantula.
Ledian continued. "And remember the time you froze the shower-head when I was taking a shower?"
"Of course, it was hilarious to watch curl up like a bug always does." Glaceon stupidly admitted.
Ledian growled. She stayed her anger enough to keep talking.
"And all those times you hit on the other girls, barring me?"
Glaceon scoffed at the thought, "I've been rejected every time but I'm not giving up. They'll swing around for someone as good-looking as me- I'm as beautiful as the freshest snow."
Ledian's mouth twitched. Phantump gagged.
"More like yellow snow." quipped Galvantula.
"Yes…" she gave Phantump a nod. The ghost nodded back. "This is for all of that."
"Em?" Glaceon hummed curiously, only to receive a jab to the face. "Oh, real funny hitting the guy who c-"
Ledian continued punching him over and over in the face. After a full thirty second of punching him, Glaceon looked slightly worse than usual but not as much as an actual Fighting-type could do.
"That's it? A bunch of weak punches? Really, I should've expected as much from a weak, little Ledian."
Ledian folded her arms and smirked. Glaceon failed to notice both Phantump and Galvantula doing their part.
"I'm not done." she looked up. "Do it."
Glaceon looked up to see Phantump dump a shower of pebbles onto him, coating him in dust as it fell around him. His angry shout turned to shock when the pit around him began to fill up. He looked up again to realize Galvantula had torn open a web holding a large amount of gravel back.
"You fuckfaces! Just wait till I get out of here!" he threatened as he struggled out of the crushed rock. The level was getting to his upper body and starting to slow down.
"Yeah, okay." said Ledian.
"The team will vote one of the three off for this if you don't let me out!" he angrily shouted as the gravel reached his neck.
"Nope." they said in unison.
Only seconds later, his tone changed to one of pleading.
"Okay please, let me out!" he begged.
Phantump snorted, "Yeah, maybe next century." she smiled, "Now for the final piece of this puzzle. It'll be elementary, my dear…" she turned to see Ledian glaring at him, or just staring at her, she couldn't tell. Either way, it creeped her out. "…err… Watson."
"Just go find that trap we found and activate it so we can get the fuck out of here." she ordered. Phantump rushed away and activated another trap in the distance.
"And hurry. I'm hungry." Galvantula said, eyeing Ledian. "But I do spy a snack."
"Eat a rock, the minerals might help you grow a personality." chimed Ledian.
As the two began arguing again, Glaceon could hear rumbling and wondered what it was until he realized what was coming when he heard it getting louder.
Ledian turned to him as the boulder came into view. "Now, this pit isn't big enough for it to bury you entirely but it'll trap you there until the challenge ends." she gestured to the large rock as it passed her. "So… have fun being stuck."
Glaceon could only scream as a large boulder fell in on top of him, stopping inches from his face.
"Oh, mother of all…" he squeaked. He breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't budge after a minute, "Oh good, I'm not gonna die. At least it can't get worse."
His words were heeded when the pit gave way and dumped him down into the cave below.
"Ow…" he got up and looked around to see a large cave filled with machinery. He spied a small compact van with its lights on next to a large digger.
"Hmm…
The Ice-type walked up to the van and knocked on the sliding door. It opened to reveal Victini watching TV, to Glaceon's amazement.
"Well hello there! It took you all long enough! It's been two hours!" complained Victini. He yawned as he got out of his seat, "You guys need to learn what urgency is!"
"Make a better challenge then!" yelled Glaceon.
"Hmmm… nah." Victini clasped his hands together and smiled. "Let's wrap this all up, shall we? You did find me after all."
"Yeah, no thanks to my incredible teammates." Glaceon muttered in anger. He then smiled. "Then again, it was all me."
Victini ignored him and pulled out an old flip-phone, shocking Glaceon with the relic.
"Holy shit, what year is it?"
Jirachi popped out from the front seat, "It's 2010, I believe."
They heard a laugh and saw Hoopa float on scene with a smartphone in hand.
"Victor's just a cheap-ass!"
Victini shot a glare at them, "It was on sale! I'm not gonna just modify my phone! Plus, I had spare time to fiddle with it. It can do just as much as a smartphone could."
"Oh yeah, I'm sure it can…" said Hoopa, unconvinced.
Victini ignored him as he scrolled through the menus to found the relevant item and once he did, he hit send, activating the intercom system.
"Good news! Amazing news! INCREDIBLE news! Someone's actually found me! And guess who it was!" he gleefully proclaimed. He shoved the phone into Glaceon's face.
"Get that ugly thing out of my face." he demanded.
"The happiest Ice-type around, and I don't mean Sneasel!"
They could hear someone yell in the distance, cussing Victini out.
"I agree with her: fuck you fire-turd." quipped Glaceon.
"It's Glaceon! You know what that means! The Flareon's win!" he paused, "Again!"
A cacophony of groans and cheers rose at the announcement.
"They sound happy." noted Jirachi. Hoopa chuckled while Glaceon just sat there, annoyed they were taking so long to finish.
"Very." Victini continued, "Well Jolteon's, with another loss is another trip to the campfire ceremony and another person to walk the Dock of Lame! I'll meet the Jolteon's there later!" he chuckled, knowing what comes next, "Now then, Hoopa, get everyone out of here!"
Hoopa groaned, "Whatever, sir."
He opened a portal, shoving Glaceon through and went in behind the Ice-type. Victini looked over to Jirachi and smiled.
"You wanna have some fun?" he asked seductively.
Jirachi giggled, "Sure."
She held up a Wii remote.
"I call Yoshi."
"Ah come on, you know I always play him!"
"Too slow~! You know it's first come, first serve!" she joked, as he floated back inside the van and shut the door behind him.
[\/\/]
"How in the world did they win!? They prank that flamboyant piece of shit Glaceon, and he ends up winning for his team!? What a fucking fluke!" yelled Fraxure.
[\/\/]
"Who knew pranking the guy would end up giving us the win?" said Phantump. "It's totally worth it now."
[\/\/]
"I'm glad it ended when it did, Chespin and Sandshrew were going to break down the tunnel if they kept going." admitted Monferno. She held her back in pain.
"It didn't stop them from stepping on me though… ow…"
[\/\/]
"This elimination is going to be tough. There is no clear person to single out this time." observed Spoink. He hummed in thought and in a few bounces, stopped.
"Well… there is one… but is it worth it?"
[\/\/]
"That asshole dumped me in the lake when he brought us back!" complained Sableye.
[\/\/]
Buizel, Sableye, a bandaged Monferno, and Sandshrew were all sitting underneath the trees, on a hill above the campground. Buizel was playing softly on his trumpet to pass the time, filling the air with a calming, smooth tone while the other three drank cans of soda.
"So… what are we going to do?" Sableye asked Monferno and Sandshrew.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Sandshrew.
"Who do we vote off?" he clarified.
Buizel stopped playing, "I honestly don't know who to pick. Everyone tried their hardest, and no one really crops up in my mind that brought us down."
"Well…" Monferno took a swig of soda, "From when I was in the infirmary, I saw Buneary getting patched up because of Fraxure. Then Flaafy walked in and started lecturing him but I left right as she started."
Sableye raised an eyebrow curiously, "Really? They weren't put together."
"Yeah, it was Nidorina and Flaafy, and Spoink and Buneary." recalled Buizel. He put the trumpet back to his mouth but before he started again, he said, "Sounds like we need to ask either Spoink or Flaafy what happened."
"No need, I'm right here."
They all turned to see Flaafy walking out from the trees. She sat down next to Monferno.
"Doing 'kay girl?"
"Yup! What's up?" asked Monferno.
"Yeah, what bring's ya' here?" inquired Sandshrew.
Flaafy sighed. She looked up at the clouds for a moment before looking directly at Buizel.
"Look, I have something to ask you guys." she shook her heads. "Can you four vote off Buneary?"
"Why? What happened?" asked Buizel.
"He set off a trap and almost got me, Spoink, Noibat, Nidorina, and Fraxure knocked out from the challenge in one go. And we told him not to touch anything."
"So, he just didn't listen? During a challenge of all times?" Flaafy nodded. "Wow, that's ain't good for us at all." said Sableye.
"Yeah, there's childish, then there's being a right asshole. He ticks number two with that one." said Sandshrew.
"So, will you four…?"
The four of them looked at each other. A series of silent nods happened before Buizel gave the answer.
"Yeah, we'll vote for him."
"Thanks, you guys are a great group." said Flaafy as she walked away.
The other three went back to talking as Buizel began playing his trumpet again. He mindlessly played as he mind wandered on the last words Flaafy had said.
[\/\/]
"A… great group? The four of us? Hmm… it might be silly to make one but an alliance between the four of us could work." said Buizel.
[\/\/]
"If that's what happened, then I guess he's gotta go. Sorry little guy." said Sableye.
[\/\/]
Helioptile walked into a clearing within the forest, Whimsicott right behind her. She rounded on the ram, and asked a clear question.
"For the last time, can you stop singing?"
Whimsicott hummed, giggling. She nodded with a smile.
"No~ that~ can't~ haaaa-"
Helioptile rammed a few leaves into Whimsicott's mouth. The ram chewed and swallowed the leaves before burping.
"Mmm, oak... tasty..." she murmured before hiccupping. "Oh... hiccups!"
Helioptile ignored the ram and sat down nearby against a tree. She pulled a book out from within the tree and flipped it to the relevant page. She looked back up to Whimsicott, who was prancing about the path with no care, then back down to her book.
"So, what's the plan?"
Helioptile smiled and looked back up to see a serious Whimsicott. "Nothing too complicated. Just a basic tearing of friendships and the like. But us two can't do it alone."
"Hmm..." Whimsicott closed her eyes and thought hard. "Well, the best candidates would be Nidorina, Sentret, and Flygon.
"Sentret is too close to Mienfoo and Flygon is too clean in all sorts of ways." Helioptile shook her. "No, there's only one choice. Quiet, unassuming, tough, and reliable."
"Nidorina." they both said.
"How do we get her on our side though?" asked Whimsicott. "I was thinking about singing to her."
Helioptile rolled her eyes. "Considering it drives people crazy, you're not too far off but I'd like her to stay sane thank you."
"Damn." Whimsicott spun around a few times in the air. "That's I all I had really."
Helioptile scribbled in her book for a few minutes, letting Whimsicott be herself for some time, having learned to tune her out during the challenge. She stood up when she had an idea.
"How about this- how about I ask her if she's willing to be in an alliance and let her join on her terms?"
Whimsicott descended from the treetop and landed in front of the reptile in an extravagant pose. She held it as she looked at Helioptile.
"Sounds goods!" she noticed the unamused look of Helioptile's face. "Oh come on, I practiced for the last five minutes! At least smi~le~!"
Helioptile's frown slowly uptick, to Whimsicott's shock. Just as a hint of a smile started to form, she frowned once more.
"No."
[\/\/]
"No harm but you're not helping Buneary." said Spoink.
[\/\/]
Sentret shuffled in his seat. "I'm not trying to mean but… Buneary… there's a limit to being childish and…"
[\/\/]
Victini looked over the campfire grounds, every Jolteon seated and waiting for him to start. No one looked too concerned but on the other side, no one looked pleased considering they were once again, voting someone off.
"I see you all like to lose considering you guys are here once more." cheered Victini.
"Fuck you." growled Fraxure.
"Nice to see you're all ready to say goodbye as well!"
Before anyone could further voice their complaints, Victini pulled over a puff from the trays held by Hoopa and Jirachi.
"Okay, you all know the drill, so… first up is Noibat!" she caught the puff and gladly nibbled at it.
"Nidorina… Spoink… Fraxure… Sentret…" Nidorina quietly ate hers, while Sentret recited a short poem, to which Spoink gave a toast, and surprisingly, Fraxure as well.
"What!? I can like poetry too! Don't fucking question it!" she yelled, fighting back the stares she got. They all looked away.
"Mienfoo… Helioptile… Sandshrew… Flaafy…" Helioptile once more let the puff hit the ground, while the other ate theirs.
"Buizel… Whimsicott… Monferno…" Buizel caught Monferno's before it could hit her in the face while Whimsicott tried to sing a tune, only to be stopped by Helioptile throwing her ruined puff at her.
"And we're down to…" Victini looked at the paper and sighed, "Really? One vote again?" he tossed the puff to Sableye without a word but glared at Hoopa.
Buneary sat, confused.
"Whataboutme?" he asked.
Victini clapped his hands together and smiled.
"You're going hip-hop-hippity-hop on down to the Dock of Lame for a fun-filled ride on the Mantine of Disappointment!"
Buneary's eyes widened in shock. He turned to the rest of his team, hoping for an explanation of some kind.
Flaafy spoke up first, "Well, you weren't helping all too much. Not only that but…" she looked at Nidorina, still with a bandage on her head, "You kinda almost got us hurt pretty bad and well..."
"Well you're not taking anything seriously, and well, you're just not use for the team." admitted Helioptile in a matter of fact tone. The others glared at her but none said anything otherwise; she had said what they all wanted to say.
"Ifthat'showitishastobe… that's fine I guess." he said, getting up. "I hope I can get another chance next time!"
He hopped out of the campfire grounds with a smile on his face, leaving some of them confused.
"Well he took that well! I'll be seeing you all next challenge- so get some sleep! You never know when I'll wake you all up."
"Little bastard…" muttered Fraxure as Victini, Hoopa, and Jirachi teleported away.
Helioptile walked away from the campfire, slipping Whimsicott a note. She read it and laughed, following the reptile with a dance.
"Why do I get the feeling Whimsicott is following Helioptile on purpose?" asked Sentret.
Buizel shrugged, "That's Helioptile's problem, not mine. Maybe they're warming up?"
"Yeah, and me an' Hoopa are best buddies an' all." joked Sableye, earning a weak punch to his shoulder from Buizel.
"Wiseass." he said with a smile.
[\/\/]
"Iguesseveyroneisright,I'mnottakinganythingseriously…" Buneary took a deep breath.
"Maybe next time, I'll be a better player! Also, I want Spoink, Flaafy, or Nidorina to win. I think they're cool!"
[\/\/]
"Buneary, I want to win a challenge sometime soon, so you have to go." said Fraxure.
[\/\/]
"Look, I like the kid. He's pretty sweet when he isn't speaking the speed of a rocket but… we just can't have him around if he doesn't want to stop playing around. Sorry Buneary." said Flaafy.
[\/\/]
Duosion sat in the mess hall across from Raichu. The mouse looked uncomfortable as the cell stared him down quietly.
"You want to form an alliance with me…"
"And Minun and Glaceon."
"Uhh… why?" asked Raichu.
"Because, I can see the writing on the wall. Aipom, the person in control of the team, has two lackeys at this point who follow her every whim. We need to combat that and secure our path post-merge." clarified Duosion.
"Hmm… I guess that's true."
"So, what do you think?"
"Uhh... well..." Raichu coughed. "I'm not adverse to the idea sir. I think you're an excellent leader and alliance is fine but..."
"Than what's wrong?" Duosion gauged Raichu's look. It contorted to one of slight disgust. "Oh, I see. It's who I'm thinking of bring in."
Raichu nodded. "Can't we suffice on a three-man squad? Why do we need him?"
"Because numbers mean everything on shows like this. As long as we have a majority, the others will have a hard time going against us."
"No, I agree but... why him?" he reiterated.
Duosion followed the mouse's eyes out the window. In the distance, they could see Glaceon trying to talk to Flaafy only to get zapped.
"Oh, that's what you mean." Duosion smiled darkly. "I have my purpose for him laid out."
"And he needs to be in this alliance for that... why?" Raichu asked tentatively.
"Because, he wouldn't listen otherwise- he doesn't like being bossed around. If he were in the alliance, he would be more perceptive to orders."
"Why not just trick him? He's not the brightest and nowhere the most perceptive. He'd be easy to fool."
Duosion sighed. He never realized how indignant Raichu really was and how much he disliked Glaceon. He wanted the eeveelution on, if only for the extra vote but Raichu being onboard far outstripped that. He sighed again, louder than before.
"Okay, fine. It'll just be me, you and..."
The two looked through the kitchen window to see Cubone and Minun playing with pots and pans. The loud noise they made drowned their conversation enough for them to not worry about the two eavesdropping.
"Minun."
As if by magic, the negative mouse raced out of the kitchen and looked around.
"Who said my name~!?" she called out. She spied Raichu sitting nearby and raced to him. "Raichu, was it you!?"
"W-wai-"
The negative mouse slammed into him, knocking him to the ground with a thud. She rubbed her cheek with his, creating sparks of electricity everywhere and embrassing Raichu. Raichu looked up to see Duosion staring down, a smile on his face.
"Should I plan the wedding now or...?"
"Sir... don't go there." warned Raichu.
"Hehe..." Duosion snickered and pointed at Minun. "I think she did already."
"Ugghh..." groaned Raichu.
Duosion tapped the smaller mouse on her shoulder. She didn't turn to him but did hum in acknowledgement.
"Minun, would you like to stay with Raichu?"
The mouse stopped rubbing Raichu and turned to him with a large smile on her face.
"Yes, that would so awesome!" she pat Raichu on the shoulder. The soldier grunted nervously. "What do I have to do!?"
"Join our alliance. That's all." Duosion looked out the window and laughed. "That way, you stay in the game. The longer with Raichu, the better, no?"
"Definitely! I'll join! I'll do whatever you ask!" she replied.
Raichu groaned in embarrassment as she hugged him tightly while Duosion chuckled. His smile grew at the thought of things to come.
[\/\/]
"Compromise… I feel this is something Raichu likes to do. Then again, he is right. Glaceon would be nothing but a drag on us. I can always just fool him if I need something done." said Duosion.
[\/\/]
"Raichu is the coolest! And the bestest! And the cutest!" cheered Minun.
[\/\/]
Ledian walked out onto the dock, long after Buneary left the island. By this point, almost everyone was asleep, she at least assumed they all were, and was up and about soaking in the moonlight and enjoying the quiet summer night, a rare thing for her back home.
"Stars…" she said as she looked up at the sky, "Gods, how I wish I didn't live in the city. I'd love to see this every day." she sighed, "But I'm stuck in Goldenrod in some crappy third-rate community college... what I would do to leave Goldenrod permanently…"
As she stood on the dock, enjoying the sight of the stars, a quick buzzing noise went off not too far away, surprising her.
"What the…?" she whispered.
Curious and confused, she walked over to where she though the noise was coming from.
"Hmm? Who's there?"
She came upon a stack of boxes and realized whoever it was, was behind them. She quickly rounded the corner only to see no one there.
"Eh? Was I hearing things?" she looked around and saw nothing around that could produce such a sound, "I guess I was."
As she turned around to walk away, she saw figures on the shoreline moving about.
"Eh?" she flew over to the railing for a better look and could make out Helioptile with ease. "Helioptile? Up this late. That's real damn odd… too odd."
She wanted to move over to them but made the conscious decision to stay put instead and observe from afar. After a minute of watching, she made out the other two figures as Whimsicott and Nidorina. She shook her head as they all walked away.
"An alliance? It has to be…" she smiled. "Heh. Seems that buzz was a sign. Maybe I should listen for it more."
Ledian quickly climbed into the air and disappeared into the dark of the forest. She failed to notice Whimsicott eyeing her before she disappeared. The ram only giggled in excitement.
Buneary gets the boot! It's sad because I do like him- carefree without being too annoying and knows when to act serious. Sadly, he's not that observant so…
I should note that some of the campers, like Buneary, Cubone, and Minun, act like children but are all sixteen. In the actual show, the age bracket was from 15-18 if I remember well. Here, it's 16-19 because legal stuffs, as Victini might put it.
Next episode, everyone goes for a run and alliances start to target each other.
Well, next time, see you all next episode on TOTAL… DRAMA… POKÉMON!
Näeme hiljem!
Buneary: Pleaseleaveareviewformeandalwayshavelotsoffun!
[EDIT - Damn it Buneary!] - Please leave a review for me and always have lots of fun!
[UPDATED 7/27/17]
