Chapter VI: The Iron Leash (Easter Special)
"Okay, let me get this straight," Buneary began, shoving a poffin into her mouth. "You know how to make poffins, and you know how to make them taste good."
Gastly couldn't help but grin as the bunny spoke. Crumbs came flying out of her mouth, and her voice was muffled by the food, yet he was entirely amused and comfortable by that. "Um, yeah," he replied hesitantly.
"They're delicious."
A proud, beaming smile appearing on his face, Gastly took a peek into the bag of poffins he had given Buneary. Suddenly, his jaw dropped.
"You already ate half the bag!?"
"Well, yeah." Buneary shot his a quizzical glance. "Was I supposed to save it or something?"
Gastly cast his eyes to the ground awkwardly. "I… um… wanted to share it around."
"You never told me that."
"Yeah, but I didn't realise that you would eat so much-" Gastly's reasoning was cut off instantly when he saw Buneary glaring at him. "Eep! Don't h-hurt me!"
Buneary sighed, smacking him gently. "Whatever. Bellossom should be serving breakfast soon, so I'm going to the kitchens to get the good berries first. As my friend, you should come with me."
"Friend?" Gastly repeated, seemingly shocked.
The bunny simply rolled her eyes. "Well, 'cowardly escort' is a better description. Or 'reluctant acquaintance', if you want."
"I think I like f-friend."
"Dude!" Buneary exclaimed exasperatedly. "What did I say about speaking softly? You have to be louder!"
"Yes, friend!"
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Gastly, his face covered in sweat, gasped for air. "Buneary could lead armies into battle. She wouldn't even need to, though. She would single-handedly beat everyone."
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"Morning everyone!" Shaymin greeted as she burst into the dining hall. "I have very exciting news!" She paused for suspense, before continuing, "From now and on, viewers are now allowed to send fan-mail! They can ask questions for you to answer in confessionals, or simple messages."
"That's pretty cool," Meowstic remarked. "But is it original?"
Shaymin scowled. "Shut up, Meowstic. Anyways, we have our first ever fan-mail for the season! And it goes to… Bacon Pants- erm, Lurantis!"
Even Lurantis seemed surprised as he stood up to retrieve the envelope. As he sat back on his seat and began to pry the slip of paper from its envelope, his eyes darted around the room with suspicion, ensuring that no one was being invasive of his privacy.
"Eyes are the window to your soul," the card read. "And the Wheel of Fortune sees all."
After he finished mentally reading the mail, Lurantis immediately shoved the paper into the bin, ignoring the skeptical looks that all the other contestants were giving him.
"Well?" Garchomp demanded. "What did it say?"
Realising that giving a cryptic, ambiguous answer would serve against him as it would arouse suspicion, Lurantis shrugged as his brain wracked itself to come up with a lie.
"Nudes," he answered curtly. "I got asked to send nudes."
The cast snickered, all apart from Stunfisk, who seemed somewhat offended. "Nudes?" she cried out ballistically. "Why would they ask you for nudes and not me?"
Froslass released a hopeless sigh. "Stunfisk, you don't even wear clothes in the first place. At least Lurantis wears pants. You wear nothing; there is no reason for anyone to ask for nudes because you're always nude."
"Nonsense! I demand to be asked for nudes!"
In unison, the cast all whipped their heads around to glare at Stunfisk, all speaking in chorus.
"You're always nude!"
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Stunfisk shook her head, her lip quivering with hurt. "I feel so violated right now!"
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"Anyways," Shaymin said, after clearing her throat. "Since it's Easter, I thought we'd have a bit of an Easter themed challenge! All you have to do is get into pairs and, in your pairs, you have to find the Easter Bunnies around the island and slay the beast! Then, you must steal the chocolate eggs and bring them back to me. Whichever team collects the most eggs wins!"
Primarina winced. "Slay the Easter Bunny? Isn't that a bit harsh?"
Rolling her eyes, the host scoffed, "No. Now hurry up and get into your pairs, because your time is about to start!"
Lurantis turned to face Garchomp, resting his scythe on her back gently.
"Partners?" he prodded. "Every Shelmet Holmes needs a Watson."
Garchomp shrugged, before smiling thoughtfully. "Sure."
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"I suppose she'll be sick of me teaming up with her for all these challenges," Lurantis acknowledged.
Grinning lazily, he stretched his limbs.
"But, now that Charizard is gone, I've got to make sure that the leash doesn't stretch too far."
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"Shaymin must be using Internet Explorer," Meowstic noted gruffly. "Or some sort of slow browser. Easter was literally three weeks ago!"
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As the campers began to disperse from the dining hall, Golisopod skimmed through the crowd until his eyes landed on Dragonite. Threading his way to the large, orange dragon, Golisopod reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Dragonite," he called, before lowering his voice to a whisper. "Who are you paired up with?"
The dragon blinked innocently for a moment, before uncomfortably glancing down towards the floor. "Lor- no, just Magikarp."
"Okay," Golisopod murmured, nodding his head slowly. "Do you remember what I told you on our walk this morning about getting answers from Magikarp?"
"You told me no more childishness, Poddie. Be strong and forwards!"
The arthropod sighed. "Yes, but what did I say about nicknames? A warrior does not come up with childish and embarrassing nicknames. "
"Oh," Dragonite responded, pouting a little. "Okay, Golisopod."
"Good," Golisopod remarked. "Now, do you remember anything else I taught you?"
"Um… yes?"
Folding his arms dubiously, Golisopod smirked. "Okay. So you remember my lesson on swearing?"
"Um…" Dragonite drawled, his face flushing.
"Say fuck."
"Frick frack dilly dack-"
Golisopod cut him off before he could continue. "Okay, never mind." With a supportive grin, he added, "Good luck confronting Magikarp."
"Thanks, Poddie!"
"..."
"I mean, um, Golisopod."
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"Dragonite and I had a good chat this morning," Golisopod admitted. "We want to get rid of Magikarp and his worshippers before they become a threat, and if Dragonite is right about Magikarp being a phony and not a Lord, then our task will be much easier. So we devised a plan for Dragonite."
The arthropod winced, already thinking about how awful the consequences would be.
"I'm just not sure if Dragonite is the right person for this plan."
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Trekking their way through the maze of trees, Vespiquen and Salazzle walked in silence, both thinking about the challenge that lay ahead of them. Their task was to find the Easter Bunny, and according to Shaymin, there were several bunnies scattered around the island.
While Salazzle was devising thoughtful plans to steal the Bunny's eggs without any drama, Vespiquen was busy wracking her head, constantly wondering why Garchomp had decided to slap her just a few days ago. Completely by instinct, she raised a delicate finger to her face, gently prodding the area where the crusty scab wound had formed.
"What happened to your face?" Salazzle asked abruptly, watching as Vespiquen nimbly moved her finger away from the cut.
The Queen Bee shrugged, almost sheepish. "Garchomp slapped me." As she spoke, her voice didn't expose any of the hurt, bafflement or agony that was coursing through her body. Keeping her tone steady and factual, she added, "In the last challenge, she slapped me."
"Slapped you?" Salazzle spluttered, arching her brow. "Not a Dragon Claw, or a Flamethrower?"
Vespiquen's eyes widened marginally as she imagined being burnt to ashes by Garchomp's flame. She shuddered before forcing the image out of her head. "Does Garchomp even know Flamethrower?"
"I sure hope not," Salazzle smirked. "Otherwise she'll be a fire-breathing-bitch-queen."
"Froslass?"
"..."
Stunfisk released a heavy sigh. "Froslass!"
"What?" Froslass snapped, pointing a cold glare towards the self-proclaimed model.
"Why aren't you talking to me?" Stunfisk asked whiningly, her voice high-pitched as she winged. "You've been ignoring me this entire challenge!"
"It's only been a few minutes."
Stunfisk nodded intently. "Exactly! Five minutes, and you haven't complimented me! Why don't you want to just talk to me?"
"Because I don't trust you," Froslass curtly responded, drifting forwards at a quicker speed. She had not wanted to be Stunfisk's partner for this challenge, but really, no one wanted to; so she had no choice but to pair up with the ground-type.
"I don't want to talk to you," Froslass explained. "Because I don't trust you."
"Why?"
Froslass felt her eye begin to twitch with agitation. "You'd spin everything I say into a lie, so you could gossip all day and make up some false rumour about me."
The model's mouth dropped open with horror, scoffing as if she were offended. "Why would I ever do that? Surely you can trust me!"
Tilting her head to the side condescendingly, Froslass scowled.
"I really don't think you want to get into a conversation about trust right now."
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Froslass groaned, locking her twitching eye with the camera. "I will only talk to Stunfisk when she decides to take her head out of her ass."
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"Okay," Incineroar began, resting a finger on his temple as he thought carefully. "Where would an Easter Bunny be?" He shot a hesitant glare towards Lycanroc. "And don't you dare say on a meat train-"
"Underground?" Lycanroc suggested abruptly. "Bunnies like to dig."
Blinking back his surprise, Incineroar stared at Lycanroc, flabbergasted. "I… Yeah. That's a good idea. There are caves nearby, so maybe there? I saw lots of holes there."
They began to amble down towards the caves, when Lycanroc suddenly began barking.
"I smell the meat train!"
Incineroar sighed heavily, stopping to dig his heels in the ground as he spat at Lycanroc. "Seriously? A minute of pleasant conversation, and then the territorial meat bicycle comes raging out."
"I waited an extra thirty seconds before mentioning it!"
"I thought you'd last ten."
"I still can't believe you slapped her," Lurantis remarked to Garchomp, though it was a rather blatant lie. As soon as he had seen the envy and rage brim along with the hot tears in Garchomp's eyes, he knew that someone was going to have to face her wrath.
Almost fondly, Garchomp snickered. "I'm sure it taught her a lesson."
"Yeah?" Lurantis urged. "Was slapping her really the right thing to do?"
Garchomp rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Sometimes, there won't be a right choice; there will only be the best of several bad options."
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"Best of several bad options," Lurantis drawled, relishing each hard consonant. "At least that is something I can agree with her on."
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"Okay, so first, I'm going to distract the Easter Bunny by slaying her," Buneary instructed to Gastly. "Then, while I do that, you're going to grab the Easter egg and run back to the home base."
Gastly nodded, his eyes fixed with determination. "Yes, ma'am!"
"And then I'll slam this Easter Bunny with a big thump, and show her who the real alpha bunny is."
"Okay!"
Her head shaking with sudden thought, she glanced up at the sky as she murmured, "Judging by the weather, I think we can get at least six hours of training done tonight!"
"W-what?" Gastly spluttered, his features contorting with dismay. "But we trained for so long this morning-"
"How sad, too bad," Buneary shrugged. "Training is important. Now let's go and find this Easter Bunny so we can do more training."
Gastly sagged a little as he trailed behind the sprightly bunny. "Sure thing, Buneary."
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"Mummy would ground me for staying up so late and sneaking out so early in the morning!" Gastly exclaimed, his voice quivering with worry. "Even worse, I'm sneaking out with a girl!"
He glanced down at a piece of paper that was lying on the ground, before muttering, "I actually got some mail from my mummy. It says… Dear my baby boy… I hope you're okay... I sent you a small package..." the ghost-type's words drifted off as he read the letter, and his face began creasing with embarrassment and concern. He turned to face the camera, his cheeks swelling red.
"Mummy sent me a condom!" he shrieked, before spinning around in circles as he rampaged around the room. "I am too young for this responsibility! Where do I even wear it!?"
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"What's wrong, Lucario?" Pancham asked softly, looking up to watch the Pokémon beside him. "You look upset. Is it about slaying the Easter Bunny?"
Lucario revealed a bashful smile before confessing, "Yeah. What if she is a girl? I couldn't possibly hurt a female, for the sake of the challenge or not. No exceptions!"
"Not even one?"
"Not even one," Lucario confirmed, crossing his arms stubbornly.
Pancham grinned mischievously. "What about… Victreebel?"
Wincing at the thought, Lucario batted away the question with his hand. "We both know Victreebel is an exception to everything," he commented, before his gaze fell back down to the ground, his mouth twisting into a frown.
"Come on, Lucario," Pancham persisted earnestly. "There's more to your solemnity than just the Easter Bunny."
Lucario sighed, before running a hand through his appendages. "I can't help but feel guilty about Charizard's elimination. Did I somehow indirectly cause it?"
"Oh, Lucario," Pancham began, inhaling deeply, his face beaming. "I have something to tell you-"
"Is it about your tribe?"
"-about my tribe!"
The aura Pokémon shook his head bemusedly. "Called it."
Oblivious to the remark, the panda began to ramble away. "My tribe has taught me that, no matter what happens, we must keep getting back up; no matter how many times girls and their gossip shove us down!"
Lucario wisely remained silent, his eyebrow arching as the small Pokémon continued passionately.
"You mustn't feel sorry for yourself. Stay on course, but also plot another one. Adapt!"
"And here comes the part about integrity, right?" Lucario asked playfully, chuckling as Pancham's jaw dropped.
"H-hey!" Pancham yelped. "Are you making fun of me? Do you want to fight me? Because I will! I will-"
Lucario reached down and plucked the small panda from the ground, watching amusedly as Pancham shook his limbs in an attempt to free himself from Lucario's grasp.
"Let me go! Just because I'm small, doesn't mean I'm not strong!"
Grinning, Lucario threw Pancham onto his shoulders and continued walking down the path way. "Relax, little dude," he offered, soothingly. "No need to fight me. We have an Easter Bunny to slay."
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"Ugh," Pancham rasped. "I hate it when others take advantage over the fact that I'm short." His eyebrows furrowed, his nose scrutinising with disgust.
"Besides, I'm not short!" he protested, before adding matter-of-factly. "I just happen to be more down to earth than everyone else."
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"Hurry, you hulking ass!" Golisopod hissed towards his partner, who was hobbling behind him. "We have an Easter Bunny to slay!"
Shroomish, the designated partner of the arthropod, scowled. "Excuse me? You're bigger than me, and you actually have legs. It's not my fault I can't keep up!"
The arthropod only snickered. "Please. Even if I had no legs, I'd still already have trashed that Easter Bunny by now."
The small mushroom twitched his eye. While he had thought Golisopod would be a good companion, seeing his recent kindness towards Dragonite, he had forgotten about his tendencies to brag.
"Did I mention that I won a competition for the most attractive biceps? Also-"
After a heavy sigh, Shroomish politely interrupted the Pokémon. "If you have to brag about all the material things in your life, there probably isn't much else to you, is there?"
Golisopod's jaw dropped in sudden surprise. "But…."
"That's what I thought."
"Talk like an adult… Talk like an adult…"
After a moment of hearing Dragonite's relentless muttering, Magikarp turned to growl at the orange dragon, while saying, "Why are you saying that to yourself? You've been chanting it since we've begun seeking the Easter Bunny."
Dragonite eyed the fish carefully. "Because I'm going to start talking like an adult from now and on."
"Why?"
"So I can destroy you."
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"Talking like an adult is hard," Dragonite whined, flopping onto the beanbag. "You have to use all these fancy words to sound… Sophocles? Sophisticated? Photosynthesis?"
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Zoroark stopped her furious pacing, leaning against a tree bark to allow Primarina to catch up to her. Once the water-type had managed to slither a bit further, Zoroark offered a sympathetic smile.
"How about we rest for a while?" she offered, watching as Primarina's face brightened with relief.
"That's an excellent idea," Primarina agreed, inhaling deeply. "That way, we can also plan out where we are going to look, rather than aimlessly exploring the island."
Zoroark grunted in accord. "Yeah. Where do you think the Easter Bunny would be, anyways?"
"I'm not sure," Primarina confessed, biting her lip. "I didn't even know an Easter Bunny existed. I've heard of the Easter Bunnelby…"
"And the Easter Buneary," Zoroark added, before her eyes widened.
Primarina gasped suddenly. "Wait, are you suggesting…?"
The dark-type nodded in response.
"You bet I am."
"What are you looking at!? Do you want to fight me?"
"Tor, I really think you should be quiet-"
"No!"
Meowstic sighed heavily as he watched the Egg Brothers bicker away, his fur beginning to prickle and tangle itself as he felt increasingly frustrated. Every time Tor had passed by an innocent grass-type Pokémon, in particular the Bellsprout, he would shriek at them in fury, asking whether they wanted to battle him. Of course, the Bellsprout would disperse back into the forests; but that never stopped Exeggutor from trying to continuously pick fights with the inhabitants of the island.
After watching Tor scare away another innocent little Bellsprout, Meowstic grabbed the leave atop the Egg Brothers' hand and gently tugged them towards him.
"Are you going to get into a pissing contest with every person we meet?" he asked, throwing a pointed look to all three of the brothers. "Because, if that's the case, then it'll take us a week to find the Easter Bunny, and I doubt all the grass-types here will be happy."
Ex grinned brightly. "See, Tor? Levitating Feline agrees with me!"
"Y-yeah," Egg agreed, whimpering as Tor glared at him.
"Whatever," Tor huffed, before grunting furiously and marching forwards silently.
Meowstic exhaled, rolling his eyes. "Finally- wait, Levitating Feline?"
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"I don't like Levitating Feline," Tor declared.
Egg and Ex only shook their heads, exasperated.
"You don't like anyone," Ex pointed out.
Tor only smiled wistfully, glancing longingly at the window. "I like Magikarp."
"What!?"
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"Banette?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think I'm fat?"
Banette blinked in surprise, whipping her head to face Pumpkaboo with bewilderment written all over her face. "Pardon?"
"Do you think I'm fat?" Pumpkaboo repeated, her eyes wide as she watched the ghost-type flounder for words.
"Er… no?"
Pumpkaboo grinned brightly. "Thank Lord Magikarp! That means that we can be friends."
"It does?" Banette asked, completely mystified by the pumpkin's outburst.
"Yeah!" Pumpkaboo exclaimed, before explaining, "It means that I can gobble down a box of chocolates without you telling me to watch my figure or anything. In fact, you can eat chocolate with me, since that's what friends do. You like chocolates, don't you?"
Banette nodded her head shyly. "I love chocolate. I erm… bought some with me, actually. I heard Gastly had made some poffins, so I thought poffins and chocolate would make a good combination."
"Wait," Pumpkaboo interjected, seemingly startled. "You brought… chocolate?"
"Um… yeah?"
Pumpkaboo squealed in delight. "That's it! You're officially my new favourite person!" She watched Banette chuckle for a moment, before adding, "Tonight, me, you and Gastly should stay up eating chocolate and poffins until we vomit."
"You're such a refined young lady, aren't you?" Banette quipped, giggling as the pumpkin danced around.
"Please," Pumpkaboo snickered. "As Shakespeare has told us, we are all wild beasts wearing human skin. Don't try to deny it."
Skitty stopped running so she could catch her break, kneeling over in exhaustion. "Espeon?" she called out to her partner. "Could you slow down, maybe?"
"No," the psychic-type curtly responded, continuing to saunter forwards.
Huffing away her fatigue, Skitty once again jumped onto her feet and trailed after her partner, asking, "Where are we even going?"
"I hear hell is particularly nice at this time of the year."
Skitty's eyes widened, and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Hell? Oh, hell no!"
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Groaning, Espeon tilted her head backwards. "Does no one understand the concept of sarcasm?"
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Bouncing along the edges of the cliff, Magikarp's eye twitched as he watched the Dragonite.
"Wait, so why are you talking like an adult?"
His face scrunching up with frustration, the orange dragon puckered his lips stubbornly. "Because Poddie - I mean, Golisopod - said that I sound stupid when I don't."
"And why do you need to stop sounding stupid?"
"So I can confront you."
Magikarp suddenly released a hard, brittle choke of laughter. "Confront me? Alone?"
"Well," Dragonite started, folding his arms as he arched an eyebrow. His mind was reeling with frantic thoughts, unsure of how to utilise the swear words Golisopod had taught him to use so effectively. After a deep breath in, he wiped all the emotion off his face as he scowled. "Lycanroc and Pumpkaboo are too busy kissing your ass that I have a hard time imagining them ever coming to terms with the truth."
His jaw dropping, Magikarp stopped flopping on the ground, his voice grave as he muttered, "And what is the truth?"
"You're not Lord Magikarp."
"And how would you know?" the fish asked, a hint of amusement trickling through his voice.
Dragonite puffed out his chest proudly. "Because you carry around an Everstone."
"So?"
"Legendaries - including a Lord Magikarp - don't evolve."
The bemusement that had been flickering on Magikarp's face had disappeared immediately, and was replaced with utter resentment. "Are you saying that I'm fake? How dare you accuse me of such profanities!"
"It's not an accusation," Dragonite retorted. "It's a statement."
Without another word, Magikarp threw himself onto Dragonite, forcing the dragon to stumble backwards. They both fell to the ground in a tangled heap, Dragonite clawing at the Magikarp that was bouncing on his chubby stomach mercilessly.
"Stop!" Dragonite shrieked. "We're on the edge of a cliff!"
Magikarp only hissed. "I don't care."
With a jerk, Magikarp flopped onto the Dragonite once again, shoving him off the edge. Just as Dragonite began to tumble off the cliff, he grabbed Magikarp by a long whisker and pulled him down with him.
As they plummeted through the air, Magikarp glanced down, his face paling as he saw the cluster of trees beneath them.
"Dragonite!" he growled. "You can fly! Grab me and fly, otherwise we'll fall into the forest!"
The dragon-type only shook his head, winking slyly at the fish as he echoed the words spoken not too long ago.
"I don't care."
With that, they both smashed into the thorny branches, the entire world slamming them down to the ground.
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Zoroark's eyes were wide as she sat stiffly on the beanbag. "Did I just see Magikarp and Dragonite, in the midst of a brawl, push each other off the cliff?"
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"Looks like we know who will be getting eliminated if their team loses," Espeon remarked, watching as the silhouettes of both Dragonite and Magikarp tumbled off the cliff.
Skitty, oblivious to this, blinked. "Huh? Who will get out?"
"Either Dragonite or Magikarp."
"Why?"
Rolling her eyes, Espeon shrugged. "It doesn't matter. What does matter is that we're here." She gestured a large cavern amongst the murky mountain range, tainted with small bones, Zubat droppings and dirt. Shadowed by the cave walls was a wickedly twisted pathway.
"The Easter Bunny is in there?" Skitty asked, peering in to see the ominous granite walls, fabricated completely by Spininark webs.
"Yep," Espeon replied, before glancing up to the sky as the gears of her mind spun in order to formulate a sort of plan. "Easter Bunnies are supposed to be nice, so if we can just get the Easter Bunny to willingly give us an egg out of its own sheer kindness, it'll save us some trouble."
Skitty jumped at the idea. "Yes! Maybe we can just ask politely?"
"No."
"Beg? Plead? Cry? Scream-"
"Hold up," Espeon interrupted, the corner of her lip twitching. "If you act like you're crying, maybe the Easter Bunny will feel sorry for you and give you an egg…"
Squinting her nose, Skitty pondered on it for a moment before adding, "And maybe you can pretend to be mean to me, so that we can get more sympathy from her so she will give us the egg quicker?"
"Yes," Espeon concurred coolly, before grinning slyly. "Though, it wouldn't really be pretending, would it?"
"Huh?"
Espeon rolled her eyes as she examined Skitty's innocent, dumbfounded expression. "It doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that this plan is excellent."
"You mean… egg-cellent?"
Closing her eyes, Espeon slammed her head against the nearest tree, huffing as she heard Skitty chuckle softly to her own pun.
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"I hope the person who created the first ever pun died a horrible, horrible death," Espeon scowled, her eye twitching.
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"Wild beasts wearing human skin?" Banette repeated, thinking carefully about the quotation Pumpkaboo had just told her moments ago. "But you're inside a pumpkin, not human skin. You're a spirit beneath pumpkin skin."
"Hey!" Pumpkaboo cried out, visibly offended. "Well… You're a spirit too, but you don't even have any skin."
Banette giggled. "Not just me, but Gastly too."
"Oh my Magikarp!" Pumpkaboo abruptly exclaimed with a gasp. "The three of us - me, you and Gastly - can be the Chocolate-Eating Spirit Squad!"
"We should do that," Banette agreed excitedly. "We should invite Mimikyu too!"
"And Froslass!"
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Pumpkaboo danced around the confessionals, a microphone in her hands as she sung, "Who runs the world? Ghosts! Who runs the world? Ghosts, ghosts!"
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"It's here," Espeon whispered furiously to Skitty. "The Easter Bunny - I can hear it."
They padded down the path, until the sound of rummaging and scavenging had come to a climax. Peering over the rocky ledge, Espeon's jaw dropped.
"What is it?" Skitty asked hastily, her eyes alight with concern as Espeon shook her head.
After taking another peek over her shoulder Espeon stifled a snicker. "The Easter Bunny…" she tried to explain, her nostrils flaring as she held back another burst of cynical laughter. "The Easter Bunny is Victreebel."
Sure enough, Skitty noted as she took a peek for herself, Victreebel sat beside a foil-wrapped egg, gazing at a nearby wall in some sort of trance. To Skitty's amusement, Victreebel was wearing a false set of Bunny Ears, with a small tuft of white fur glued to her backside as if it were a tail.
Choking on her laughter, Skitty piped up, "How do we get the egg off Victreebel? Our plan won't work; Victreebel is too mean to sympathetically give us the egg."
"Don't worry," Espeon reassured her with a wink. "Victreebel and I are best buddies."
Without hesitating, Espeon tore herself away from the ledge and strolled confidently towards Victreebel.
"Victreebel," she mused. "How much is Shaymin paying you to wear that?"
The grass-type blinked back her surprise, before replying, "Oh, why sweetie, Shaymin isn't paying me a penny, for there is no need to! She is paying me with her kindness."
Espeon's jaw dropped as she heard the Victreebel speak in her gentle, fluid voice. Gone was the poetry, the loathing and the menace of the Victreebel she had befriended rather recently.
"What has happened to you?" Espeon asked abruptly, eyeing the Victreebel with disdain. "Why are you being nice?"
Victreebel furrowed her eyebrows. "Why, kindness is what makes the world go round, my sweet!"
Backing away, Espeon hissed to Skitty. "This is not the Victreebel we know."
"Does that mean that we can continue with our plan?" Skitty asked in a hushed voice.
"I think so."
Skitty leapt up from behind the rocks, making a show of tripping over the small pebbles before falling face-first into the ground. Promptly, she burst into tears. Loud, blubbering hu-hu-hu tears.
"T-that hurt," Skitty wailed, clutching at her stomach.
Raising a paw, Espeon smacked her own face. Skitty had pretended to fall flat on her face, but now she was clutching at her stomach; Victreebel wouldn't be fooled by those pathetic acting skills. To her surprise, though, Victreebel only gushed.
"Oh, sweetie!" Victreebel came running over to where Skitty lay on the ground. "Is there any way I can make you feel better?"
"Um… Give me your Easter Egg?" Skitty asked, trying to forcing herself to wince in pain.
Espeon shook her head, exasperated, while mentally thinking to herself, "Wow, Skitty. Way to be subtle."
"Of course, dearie!" Victreebel exclaimed, throwing a vine from her body and wrapping it around the egg. Pulling the egg towards herself, Victreebel pushed the egg towards Skitty. "Here you go, darling."
"Thank you!" Skitty beamed, before rolling the egg out of the cavern. Espeon, her eyes wide in surprise, trailed after the cat, completely speechless.
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"I have no idea why Victreebel was being nice for once or why she was the Easter Bunny," Skitty professed, grinning. "But I'm not complaining!"
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"Hey, Victreebel," Haxorus greeted, smiling cheerfully. "I passed by Skitty and Espeon on my way here, and apparently, you're really nice today. But then they told me I was going the wrong way, but whoop-dee-doo, I found you anyways!"
Victreebel glowered at her, her glare as sharp as daggers.
Her smile becoming sheepish, Haxorus continued her ramble, "Um… You know, you can be friendly to me too! No need to glare at me like that."
The grass-type only sharpened his gaze.
Haxorus laughed nervously. "Okay, then. I have no idea why you're being cold to me and nice to Skitty, but I don't exactly appreciate it, you know."
"Get lost," Victreebel replied curtly, her eyes not daring to leave Haxorus.
"Not a chance!" Haxorus insisted. "We're going to be friends, you hear me? Do you like ice-cream, because I do; roller-skating too. We can be best buddies, if you like roller-skating."
Victreebel scowled. "I have no business with roller-skating unless it means that you'll roller-skate out of here."
Unfazed by the harsh, cold tone of Victreebel's voice, Haxorus grinned before whipping out a pair of roller-skates. "Well, Victreebel, it's your lucky day! I happen to carry around a spare set of roller-skaters everywhere I go." She tossed the pair of shoes towards Victreebel, who only hissed in response.
"Leave. Me. Alone."
Haxorus waved away Victreebel's glare. "Come on. Just put them on! Your feet can't be that big; you're a girl, after all. Boys are the ones who usually have big feet. You know what they say: the longer the feet, the longer the-"
"The longer the what?"
Her eyes flickering towards the exit, Haxorus forced a pained smile onto her face. "The longer the… um… Giggle Stick?"
Victreebel roared, her mouth wide open as she lunged for Haxorus. Yelping in surprise, Haxorus dashed towards the exit.
"Noctowl!" Haxorus called out. "Now!"
As soon as Victreebel had stepped out of the cavern, Noctowl swooped in at an incredible speed, reaching down and plucking the egg that had been concealed towards the end of the cave.
"Got it!" Noctowl exclaimed with glee, her talons tightly gripping the egg as she flew out of the cavern and back into the open air. "Well done, Haxorus! I'll be sure to find you a new set of roller-skates!"
"Don't worry," Haxorus assured, turning back to see whether Victreebel was still pursuing her. To her relief, the Victreebel had retreated back into the cavern. She halted her frenzied running and leaned against the nearby tree. "Let's just get this egg back to Shaymin."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Krokorok asked as he and Absol crept into the depths of the forest.
Absol shrugged away the crocodile's concern. "Relax, will you? I've done this prank heaps of time."
The duo had found Victreebel, adorned with ridiculously fluffy and pink Easter Bunny ears, sleeping near a lake, the egg left isolated beside her. Krokorok was already creeping forward to try snatching away the egg, but Absol had other plans.
"All I need to do is get this bowl of water beside Victreebel, and put one of her vines inside it. While she's sleeping, she should accidently, you know, wet herself!" Absol explained, guffawing.
Krokorok only shook his head. "Alright, prankster prowess. Just don't have any accidents-" Just as the words escaped his mouth, he watched in horror as Absol tripped over his own feet. The bowl of water that was so carefully balanced on his head went flying into the air, and water came sloshing down onto Victreebel's face.
"Aw, shit," Krokorok murmured, biting his fingers nervously as Victreebel's eyes snapped open.
"WHO DARES TO DISTURB MY SLUMBER?"
Absol, backing away in a helpless stumble, bumped into Krokorok. "Should we be running?" he asked the crocodile, his eyes locked securely on the furious Victreebel in front of him.
"YOU FOOLS! I WILL END YOU!"
Grabbing Absol by the tail, Krokorok gulped. "We should be running like hell."
"EURGH!"
0000
Panting rapidly, Absol grimaced at the camera. "Skitty said that Victreebel was in a good mood today!"
0000
Garchomp and Lurantis had found themselves in a lavish grotto, surrounded by untamed flowers and weeds. Though they had found the Easter Bunny Victreebel, this one was vastly different in comparison to the Victreebel that the others had faced. While Skitty and Espeon had found a kind Victreebel, Haxorus and Noctowl had found a rather rude Victreebel and Absol and Krokorok had confronted a downright terrifying one, the Easter Bunny they had found was simply lazy.
"Bellsprout, Weepinbell," the Victreebel groaned. "Fight these intruders for me."
Both of them frowning, Garchomp and Lurantis exchanged glances as the summoned grass-types came flocking around them.
"I'll fight them, and you take the egg?" Garchomp suggested.
Lurantis shrugged. "Will you be able to handle all of them?"
"Of course," Garchomp snickered. "I'm a warrior."
"A lover and a fighter, hey?"
Garchomp rolled her eyes, watching carefully as Lurantis shrunk into the shadows, presumably to find a subtle approach to the egg. Without wasting a second, Garchomp eyed her competition - the hundreds of Weepinbells and Bellsprouts that now surrounded her - and then glanced proudly at the scythes along her arms.
"Hello, gorgeous," she murmured to the scythes.
Then, she was upon the grass-types, slicing and twirling and ducking. Fifteen of them were already unconscious before the others could even move.
As each of them fell unconscious by a hit from Garchomp, they gagged an awful scent, like curdled milk and vinegar. The reek grew, overpowering the dust that rose from the trees as Garchomp swept past them, swiping away with her scythes.
Garchomp watched with detest as a Weepinbell lunged for her, its mouth opened up like a festering wound, and she dodged the grass-type and swiped low, throwing it far into the bushes.
Grass-type after grass-type tumbled down at her feet, and once she was sure she was finished, Garchomp leaned against the tree, waiting. To her relief, none of them rose from their unconscious slumber.
Lurantis suddenly appeared at her side, an egg wrapped within in foil in his arms.
"A warrior, indeed," he remarked, before he and Garchomp stalked away into the shadows.
"So…" Shroomish began awkwardly, taking another peek at the Victreebel who was standing beside a river, her eyes fierce as she paced around her egg protectively. "How are we going to get that egg from Victreebel?"
His lips creased into a frown, Golisopod eyed the Victreebel carefully. Suddenly, his mouth curled into an almost sadistic grin as he declared. "I have a plan." He turned to give Shroomish a wink. "And you, Shroomish, play a vital role in it."
Shroomish gulped.
0000
"Join Total Phokémon Island, they said," Shroomish muttered to himself, almost hysterically. "It'll be fun, they said. Everyone will look after you, they said."
He released a frustrated groan.
"They freaking lied!"
0000
"Just get the egg and go already!" Lucario called out from inside Victreebel's mouth.
He and Pancham had managed to find a Victreebel Easter Bunny, but to their dismay, the Victreebel they had was simply hungry. She had instantly gripped onto Lucario with a vine and shoved him into her mouth, relishing the crunch as he pounded her from the inside.
Pancham bit his lip, pulling the egg closer to his chest. "I can't just leave you, Lucario! There is no integrity in that!"
"You're still on about that integrity stuff?" Lucario asked with a sigh. "I'll be fine, dude. She'll spit me out eventually. All ladies do."
The panda winced. "Eww. I did not need to hear that."
"Um… whoops?"
"Anyways," Pancham said with a sigh. "I'm not leaving without you."
Dropping the egg to the ground, Pancham stormed up to Victreebel and, without hesitating, slammed his small fist into her stomach. The grass-type gagged in response, her mouth forcing itself open as she coughed.
Just as she choked out a moist, fleshy cough, Lucario came sprawling out of her mouth, landing on the ground with a thud.
"Quick! Before she tries to eat you again!" Pancham cried, grasping for the egg and running his way to the exit.
"Coming!" Lucario replied, wiping some of Victreebel's slobber from his face and jumping onto his feet. As he neared Pancham, he lifted the small panda onto his shoulders, and darted away.
After a few minutes of running, Lucario came to a stop, allowing himself to catch his breath. "Thanks," he puffed to Pancham. "That was a spectacular rescue. Let's never do it again."
Incineroar stared at the cavern before him, anxiously noting the crumbling state of the cave, distinctly aware that even the most subtle of movements could lead to the structure caving in.
"Alright," he sighed, turning to face Lycanroc. "You are not going to hunt the Easter Bunny with me."
"Yes, I am!" Lycanroc responded eagerly.
Incineroar shook his head adamantly. "No, you're not. One, you're too loud and unsubtle-" before he could finish his argument, Lycanroc had already leapt inside the cavern.
"Lycanroc!" Incineroar fumed, before stalking into the cavern. "Get back here!"
As he entered the cave, he found himself struggling to restrain his laughter. Within the depths of the cavern was Victreebel, dolled up in frilly Easter decorations, chewing Lycanroc in her mouth.
"I looked in the heart of darkness and ate it all!" Lycanroc shrieked from within Victreebel's stomach. "Get me out of here now!"
Incineroar only scoffed. "No, you deserve to be eaten by that menace! That's what you get for not following simple instructions-"
He was cut off by Victreebel, who had conjured up a large ball of spit in the back of her throat. After a retching sound, she spat Lycanroc out of her mouth, firing him straight towards Incineroar.
The fire-type could only curse as the ball that was Lycanroc shot straight towards him.
"Oh shit."
0000
Incineroar scowled at the slobber in his hands. "Lycanroc needs to go," he demanded, his nostrils flaring.
0000
"Put me down!" Victreebel screeched.
Meowstic only shrugged. "No can do, sorry."
The feline, utilising his psychic skills, had left Victreebel floating in midair as the Egg Brothers rummaged around the grotto, hunting down the egg.
After a while, Tor finally stomped his foot. "I found it!"
Releasing a sigh of relief, Meowstic padded over to wear the Egg Brothers stood and lifted up the egg. Suddenly, a frown etched its way onto his face.
"Are you sure this is a chocolate egg?" Meowstic asked, weighing the egg in his hands. "It's too heavy to be a simple chocolate egg."
"I a-agree!" Egg managed to squeal out, before being interrupted by Tor.
"Not a chance!" Tor hissed, scowling at his brother. "I was once an egg! I know my eggs! This is the right one!"
Ex shrugged helplessly, exchanging a weak smile with Meowstic. "Well… If you insist, Tor."
Absol and Krokorok were still sprinting as they approached the cafeteria, where several of the contestants who had already returned successfully with eggs were resting. Upon seeing them, Shaymin grinned.
"Did you guys get the eggs?" Shaymin asked, her head tilted to the side.
"Yes!" Absol exclaimed.
Krokorok simultaneously huffed. "No, we didn't."
The two boys exchanged startled looks. "But, surely, your tail-" Absol began to protest, glancing at Krokorok's tail.
"My tail doesn't steal anymore! Remember?"
"Oh."
Cackling at the boys, Shaymin wiped away a tear. "Don't worry, guys. Your team isn't losing just yet; it's a tie, in fact. The Groudons are on two points, and the Kyogres are also on two points."
"Well," Krokorok offered. "I guess that is sort of a relief."
Espeon rolled her eyes. "Don't get too excited; we're not winning either. If we lose, you guys might be on the chopping block."
"That's reassuring," Absol quipped, earning himself a scowl from the psychic-type.
0000
"Even Skitty is better than that obnoxious piece of Ratata's ass," Espeon hissed, glowering at the camera. "If we lose, he is out."
0000
"Run!"
Her grip like iron on the egg, Salazzle dashed through the forest, with Vespiquen trailing behind her. The two had managed to snatch the egg away from Victreebel, only to be pursued by an angry mob of grass-types.
Silently, the two of them rushed past the trees that barricaded their path, weaving through the woods until they found a narrow passage.
"This way," Vespiquen instructing, heaving herself past several rocks as she threw herself down the path.
Salazzle followed suit without muttering a word, and the two crouched behind several of the rocks, watching with relief as the enraged flock of grass-types ran past them.
"That was close," Vespiquen gasped, her eyes lingering on the egg, before darting back up to lock with Salazzle's. "You were awfully calm for someone being chased by a wild witch-hunt-esque mob of grass-types."
The reptile only scoffed. "You know, after being chased by Victreebel and Exeggutor, being chased by fifty-seven Bellsprouts is not that horrifying."
The both smiled fondly for a moment, waiting for the furious shouts from the grass-types to cease. After a moment, Vespiquen frowned.
"Salazzle?"
"Hm?"
Rubbing her hands together uncomfortably, Vespiquen felt her shoulders rise with tension. "I was wondering if you could keep the whole Garchomp-slapping thing a secret. I don't want people knowing that she hurt me; not until I found out why she did it. I don't want to cause any unnecessary drama."
"If you insist," Salazzle said with a shrug.
"Thank you."
Salazzle gave her a pointed look. "I'm still going to call her a fire-breathing-bitch-queen."
"I… But…" Vespiquen rolled her eyes playfully. "Fine."
"Hurry up, Gastly!" Buneary barked, as she threw another kick towards Victreebel. "I'm distracting her, so just grab the egg and run!"
"Okay!" Gastly responded, floating hastily towards the egg in the corner. He drifted towards the ground, lowering himself so he could clasp onto the egg. It was when the shroud of purple haze around him completely went through the egg that he realised his problem.
"Um… Buneary?"
"What is it?" Buneary grunted, before lunging forwards with another punch. "Hurry up! I can't fight her all day!"
"I'm a ghost."
Buneary huffed as she stepped hastily to the side, dodging one of Victreebel's many vines. "Wow. Thank you for that enlightening statement. Now hurry up and get the egg!"
"I'm a ghost!"
"I heard you the first time!" Buneary exclaimed.
Gastly, even more frantically than before, began to hyperventilate. "I have no tangible limbs!"
"So?"
"I CAN'T PICK UP THE EGG!"
"Oh," Buneary managed to say, before Victreebel swallowed her whole.
"Not again," Mimikyu huffed, sagging into the ground as she glanced at the Victreebel in front of her. "I should have brought my tractor."
Musharna, though her eyes were closed, began to mutter quietly. "Let her eat me…"
"Eat y-you?"
"Yes…" Musharna breathed out. "Eat me…"
Mimikyu watched, mystified, as Musharna drifted towards Victreebel. Instinctively, the grass-type dropped her jaw and opened her mouth, and Mimikyu watched with horror as Musharna flew straight into the mouth.
"Musharna!" she cried out, hopping out of her hiding spot to sprint up to Victreebel. "Let her go, you m-monster! Spit her out!"
To her dismay, however, Victreebel had not only shut her mouth, but also her eyes; falling into a deep slumber.
"Take the egg, Mimikyu…" Musharna breathed from within the Victreebel's stomach.
Mimikyu's eyes widened. "Sure? Are you alright?"
"No… I'm left-handed…"
0000
"There must be something about the gas around Musharna that puts others to sleep!" Mimikyu exclaimed in realisation. "I suppose Musharna is a lot smarter than she seems…"
0000
"Oh!" Banette cried out with a gasp. "Victreebel is the Easter Bunny!"
Pumpkaboo flicked her non-existent hair to the side. "Ah, no fear! I shall woo her with my Shakespeare and you can steal the egg."
"Good idea!"
Boldly, Pumpkaboo jumped straight in front of Victreebel, speaking, "Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona-"
She was cut off instantly by Victreebel herself, who had released two vines forwards, clasping both Banette and Pumpkaboo within its grasp. Tightening her grip, Victreebel shoved them both into her mouth.
As soon as she was forced into the stomach of the grass-type, Pumpkaboo began to shriek at the top of her lungs.
"LET US OUT, YOU FILTHY, STARVELING ELF-SKIN, YOU DRIED DUCK'S TONGUE, YOU BULL-PIZZLE, YOU STOCK FISH!"
Panting softly, Mimikyu continued rolling the egg up the hill, grimacing as she heaved the egg - which was almost bigger than her - up the steep mountain. Just as she reached the top, she spotted Jigglypuff and Ribombee strolling down the hill, hand in hand.
Seeing Jigglypuff, Mimikyu felt her body tense up with nerves. She squealed to herself quietly as Jigglypuff approached her.
"Eek! Don't hurt me!" Mimikyu screeched gently, holding the egg tightly to her chest, before beginning to ramble. "I already had to f-face a Victreebel Easter Bunny today!"
"Victreebel is the Easter Bunny?" Ribombee asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "How did you manage to get the egg away from her?"
Mimikyu was already dashing down the opposing end of the hill as she screamed, "Musharna put her to sleep!"
Blinking curiously, Jigglypuff watched as Mimikyu darted away. "I wish she wasn't so scared me." After a sigh, she recovered, her optimism returning to brighten her features as she spoke. "Oh, I have an idea!"
"What is it?" Ribombee demanded softly, grinning at her.
"If Musharna put Victreebel to sleep, I can do that too - by using sing on her!"
Ribombee arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure it will put her to sleep? Who wouldn't want to listen to your beautiful voice?"
Her cheeks blossoming with colour, Jigglypuff smiled.
"Oh, hush you!"
0000
"I swear…" Mimikyu breathed out, her whisper of a voice barely audible. "Jigglypuff's eyes can see through souls."
0000
"I'll save you Buneary!" Gastly cried out, as he floated around in circles, screaming frantically to himself. From within Victreebel's stomach, Buneary was growling at the grass-type, screaming profanities.
Just as Gastly was about to gather the courage to attack the Victreebel, Zoroark and Primarina had burst into the cavern, eyeing Gastly with caution.
"Where's Buneary?" Zoroark asked without preamble, crossing her arms.
Gastly, gulping down the terrified wail that threatened to come out, kept his voice low as he gestured towards the grass-type behind him. "She's inside Victreebel's m-mouth."
Without another word, Zoroark stalked over to the Victreebel and forced her mouth open using her claws, before grappling within the mouth in search for Buneary.
Watching Zoroark pry Buneary out of Victreebel's mouth, Primarina began to soothingly interrogate the ghost-type.
"So… Is Buneary carrying an egg with her, by any chance?" Primarina asked, jerking her head towards the exit as she and Gastly began to leave the cave.
"Er… what?"
Primarina sighed. "Is Buneary pregnant, and carrying her own egg or something?"
Unable to conjure a response, Gastly promptly fainted.
0000
"Mummy got me a condom, and now Buneary is pregnant!?" Gastly wailed, shrieking hysterically. "I'm not ready for this responsibility!"
0000
Primarina shook her head. "I don't understand what flustered Gastly so much," she confessed. "If Buneary is the Easter Buneary, then she must be carrying an egg with her; so Zoroark and I assumed that she was pregnant."
0000
"Jigglypuff?" Ribombee squeaked, as the two of them entered Victreebel's cavern. "I'm scared."
"Why is that?" Jigglypuff asked, her voice as bouncy and bright as ever.
Ribombee glanced down at his feet. "Well, we're about to face Victreebel. We're not the strongest or the fastest or anything; and I, especially, am just average. What if I make our team lose?"
Shaking her head, Jigglypuff clasped onto Ribombee's hand, locking her eyes with his as she whispered soothing, comforting words to him. "Don't be so worried, Ribombee. Together, we can achieve great things."
"You really think so?"
"I know so."
Jigglypuff glanced up ahead of her, ignoring the stones that threatened to tomb over her head with their incessant crumbling.
"Come on, Ribombee. Let's go and rattle the stars."
Glancing up to see the setting sun, Shaymin exchanged a baffled look with Bellossom. "How many teams are left to come?"
"Four teams, miss," Bellossom told her, double-checking the list in her hand. "Er, well, three now." The Flower Pokémon gestured to the side, where Golisopod was strolling over, an egg in his hand.
"Golisopod!" Shaymin exclaimed enthusiastically. "Nice of you to join us. Where is Shroomish?"
Grinning mischievously, Golisopod threw the egg up into the air. "Oh, you know. Having a blast with the Easter Bunny."
0000
"I feel like I owe Shroomish one," Golisopod remarked, with an almost sympathetic smile plastered onto his face.
0000
Victreebel, after looking out for any intruders, stepped back towards her chocolate egg, her lips watering as she approached it. Using her vines, she began to unfurl the aluminium-foil wrapping from the egg, raising it closer to her mouth.
To her horror, the wrapping removed to reveal a mushroom.
"Um… hi?"
A talking mushroom.
Shrieking, Victreebel tossed the Shroomish into the river.
0000
"Golisopod owes me," Shroomish hissed, shaking the water off his body. "He owes me big time."
0000
"What are you doing?" Froslass asked, her eyebrows arched as she watched Stunfisk ogle herself in her own reflection, displayed serenely on the river surface.
After a close inspection of the blemishes on her face, Stunfisk grinned at Froslass. "If Victreebel is going to eat me, I may as well look good while she does so."
Froslass rolled her eyes, murmuring under her breath, "Vain until the bitter end."
The two of them strolled forwards, into the cavern, where Victreebel eyed them carefully. "Well, ladies?" Victreebel began, rolling her voice dramatically. "What's the latest gossip?"
Her eyes narrowing with suspicion, Froslass scowled. "What? Victreebel wouldn't ask that-"
"Oh, finally, someone has some taste!" Stunfisk beamed, slithering over to Victreebel as fast as she could. "I'll catch you up on all the gossip. Firstly, someone messed with Ludicolo's tarot cards and now he's gone, and secondly, Porygon-Z had PTSD! Who knew? I think it's slightly ridiculous, that he was simply triggered by a mere sentence. It's not like anyone called him beastly or anything!"
As Stunfisk began to rattle away, Froslass felt her eye twitch. "Seriously? You really like hearing yourself talk, don't you?"
"Oh my goodness!" Victreebel burst out, still engaged with Stunfisk's gossip. "Keep going, girlfriend! And what did Charizard do? Because I heard that-"
"Froslass," Stunfisk suddenly hissed, while Victreebel began to ramble. "Quick, while I've distracted her, take the egg and run!"
Her jaw dropping with surprise but amazement, Froslass didn't hesitate before complying to the instructions.
0000
"Wow…" Froslass remarked. "I have to admit, that was pretty darn clever of Stunfisk."
0000
"We did it!" Jigglypuff exclaimed, throwing her fist into the air, before gently patting the egg that Ribombee was cradling. "Who knew that Victreebel would fall asleep so quickly?"
Ribombee smiled weakly, preoccupied with the egg in his hand. "Yay?"
"Yes, yay!" Jigglypuff confirmed, smacking him gently across the shoulder. "And to celebrate, I shall give you a rock!" She reached down and plucked a small pebble from the ground, weighing the stone down in her hands.
"A rock?" Ribombee echoed, tilting his head to the side. "Not a flower?"
Jigglypuff winked at him. "Stones are eternal. Flowers are not."
"But flowers are better!" Ribombee insisted. "For one, they're almost as pretty as you. They depict the colours of life, they attract bees, their nectar is pure, and even though they are short and don't live long, they're nice to look at."
Blinking with surprise at the bee, Jigglypuff grinned. "That has to be the most passionate I've ever seen you be!"
"Oh, whatever," Ribombee huffed, his cheeks swelling with a rosy colour. "I'm getting you a flower anyways. Not a rock."
"Alright, let's do a point tally," Shaymin said decidedly, looking down at her cast from the air. "From the Groudons, the following teams have retrieved an egg: Espeon and Skitty, Salazzle and Vespiquen, Stunfisk and Froslass, Noctowl and Haxorus, and finally, Golisopod and Shroomish. That gives them a grand total of five points!"
The Groudons cheered, exchanging beaming smiles. Shaymin then turned to face the Kyogres.
"From the Kyogres, the teams that managed to find themselves an egg are: Meowstic and Exeggutor, Jigglypuff and Ribombee, Lurantis and Garchomp, Mimikyu and Musharna, and of course, Pancham and Lucario. That means that you also have five points. However, we are still waiting on Zoroark and Primarina, so maybe they can get you that final point you need-"
"We're here!" Zoroark called out, just as she made her way towards the cast, Primarina gracefully sliding behind her. "And we not only have an egg, but the Easter Buneary herself!"
With that, she plopped Buneary onto the ground before reaching out and giving Primarina a high-five.
Shaymin's eye twitched. "I said Easter Bunny, not Easter Buneary!"
"There is no such thing as the Easter Bunny, though," Primarina insisted, provoking several gasps amongst the rest of the cast.
"I know, I know," Shaymin replied. "Which is why I got Victreebel to dress up as the Easter Bunny!"
Bellossom suddenly raised her arm. "Wait, but Victreebel is right here."
The entirety of the cast turned around to find Victreebel snickering at all of them from the side of the cafeteria, her usual scowl replaced with a bemused snark.
"Victreebel?" Shaymin exclaimed, baffled. "You were supposed to be dressed up as the Easter Bunny-"
"I got my descendants to do that for me," Victreebel retorted.
The cast stared at Victreebel inquisitively, until Espeon finally snorted with understanding. "We weren't getting the eggs from Victreebel the co-host, but her children. That explains why the Victreebel we had was so nice."
"Nice?" Shroomish scoffed, a towel wrapped around his body in an attempt to dry away the water that was still dripping from his body. "The one we faced was horrid."
"The one we had loved gossip," Froslass added, arching her brow.
Victreebel rolled her eyes. "I have more than one child."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Shaymin burst out, narrowing her eyes towards Victreebel. "Why do you even have children in the first place? There shouldn't be anyone for you to mate with-"
"Let's just say that Manaphy isn't the only one who knows how to get it on with a purple blob," Victreebel remarked with a wink.
"You went to the Day-care, didn't you?"
"Maybe."
Shaymin groaned, before turning to face her cast. "Anyways, it seems that both teams are tied on five points. Well, shit. Now I need to come up with a tie-breaker-"
"No need for that," Bellossom quickly interjected, gesturing towards the egg that Meowstic and Exeggutor had received. "Look!"
The egg was beginning to crackle, with long, thin fissures running up and down the egg. After a moment, the crack marks consumed the egg and forced the shell to cave inwards, revealing a small Bellsprout holding itself together in a foetal position.
"I knew it wasn't a chocolate egg!" Meowstic huffed, deadpanning at the Egg Brothers beside him. "It was too heavy to not be a real egg!"
"Well then," Shaymin cautiously began, peering inside the egg to stare down the Bellsprout. After pushing the egg towards Victreebel, she stated, "While I am impressed, the task was to get the chocolate egg from the Easter Bunny, so Meowstic and Exeggutor have ultimately failed to earn their team a point, which means that the Groudons win today's challenge! Kyogres, you better get voting again!"
0000
"Today is going to be an intense voting day," Zoroark commented, nervously rubbing her hands together. "A lot of us totally screwed up."
0000
"Welcome to Lord Magikarp Worshippers anonymous. We are gathered here today to discuss a traitor in our midst."
In the centre of the room was Magikarp, surrounded by a circle of his fellow worshippers. Each worshipper had a paper bag concealing their faces, muffling their voices as the spoke.
"A traitor?" One of them gasped. "Who could it be?"
Magikarp grinned sardonically. "None other than Dragonite."
As soon as the name had been announced, the Pokémon around the room began to bicker amongst each other.
"No way! He was so nice!"
"But didn't he push our Lord and Saviour off the cliff just today?"
"He must leave."
Nodding in agreement, Magikarp allowed his resonant voice to echo around the room. "Indeed, he must leave. It is upon all of you to vote, if you can, or encourage your friends to vote for him too. We must not let this sinner taint our holiness."
"Yes, sir," the worshippers responded, each of them saluting.
"Brilliant," Magikarp responded. "Now, before you are dismissed, speak the oath."
Without missing a beat, the worshippers spoke in complete unison.
"I am the circle and the circle is me."
"Welcome to today's elimination, Kyogres!" Shaymin greeted, her eyes absorbing the nervous expression from the Kyogres. "Two eliminations in a row? Ouch."
"It's better than three," Jigglypuff refuted. "Or four."
Shaymin shrugged her shoulders. "Don't jinx it. Anyways, you and your hubby, Ribombee, are safe. So are Lucario, Meowstic, Pancham, Pumpkaboo, Exeggutor, Primarina, Musharna, Lurantis, Zoroark, Mimikyu and Banette."
As they all retrieved their Gracidea flowers, they moved to the side. Pumpkaboo squealed in delight as she hugged Banette and Mimikyu, saying, "The chocolate-eating-spirit-squad prevails!"
Ignoring them, Shaymin turned her attention to the three remaining campers: Dragonite, Garchomp and Magikarp.
"Garchomp, you obviously have some sort of hater on you, but you've only gotten one vote; therefore, you are safe for today."
"Isn't that a relief?" Garchomp retorted, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
Tapping her foot impatiently, Shaymin waited for the dragon-type to move to the side before continuing. "Now, Dragonite and Magikarp; you both really fucked up today. You threw each other off a cliff. I mean, I know you're called the Killer Kyogres but please refrain from killing each other."
The cast chuckled slightly at this, especially seeing that both Magikarp and Dragonite were completely mummified with bandages across their bodies.
"And the final Gracidea Flower goes to…" Shaymin began, a smirk on her lips as she saw her final two contestants tense their muscles.
Glowering at each other, neither Magikarp nor Dragonite uttered a word as they glared, awaiting Shaymin's final announcement.
"... Magikarp. Dragonite, on eight points, you have been eliminated."
0000
"It kinda sucks that I have to go," Dragonite admitted, examining the bruises on his chubby arms. "Especially since no one believes that Magikarp is a fraud. But I hope Poddie - I mean, Golisopod - wins, and shows Magikarp who is boss."
0000
"Don't you dare open the window," Incineroar hissed, propping himself up on his bed as he watched Golisopod approach the glass screen. "The temperature in our room is perfect."
Golisopod snarled at the feline. "Not a chance. I hate sweating when I sleep, and you're a fire-type so you're practically a furnace. So I'm opening the window." He gave Incineroar a threatening snicker before adding, "You can sleep in the bathtub if you have a problem with it."
"No-"
"Hush, you two," Krokorok interrupted, rubbing his eyes. "Let's just open the windows for now, and if it gets too cold in the night, we can just shut it. Okay?"
Grinning triumphantly, Golisopod approached the window but abruptly halted to a stop as he saw Dragonite, luggage in hand, slowly ambling down towards the docks.
Without another word, the arthropod rushed out of the room and down to the docks, calling out after him, "Dragonite!"
The orange dragon had just finished throwing his luggage on the boat, and he turned to smile sadly at Golisopod.
"Hi, Golisopod."
The arthropod, recovering from his short breath, shook his head. "I don't understand. Why are you leaving, and not the Magikarp? I thought he was the one who pushed you both off the cliff!"
"He was," Dragonite responded, his mouth creased into a frown. "Oh well. I guess you're going to have to be the one to expose him as a fraud."
"Oh, I will," Golisopod promised. "Tomorrow, first thing-"
Dragonite stopped Golisopod with a shake of his head. "No. You need to get evidence and everything first, otherwise no one will believe you. They're too obsessed."
"Arceus, you make this so stressful," Golisopod remarked, rubbing the back of his head. "So… I guess this is good-bye?"
"No, it's not," Dragonite responded, calmly. "Because even when we're apart tomorrow, I'll be with you every step of the way as you reveal the truth about Magikarp. And not even just that step, but every step after - wherever that may be."
Golisopod exhaled a deep, long breath. "Goodbye, Dragonite."
"Goodnight, Golisopod."
"You can call me Poddie," Golisopod huffed, awkwardly glancing up at the sky. "Just this once."
The big orange dragon squealed in delight.
"Thank you, Poddie! I'll miss you!" Before Golisopod could protest, Dragonite enveloped him in a tight embrace.
"Dragonite… You're choking me…."
0000
"I knew his loyalty would get him eliminated," Golisopod confessed, fidgeting with his hands. "But, man, I had no idea that it would be his loyalty to me rather than Magikarp."
0000
"This has to be my most brilliant idea yet!" Pumpkaboo announced, as she lied against the cold ground, burping after each word. "I've never had so much chocolate and poffins all at once!"
Her, Banette, Gastly and Mimikyu were all lying against the ground, exhausted after indulging themselves with more chocolate than each of them could handle.
Clutching onto her stomach, Banette suppressed a burp. "I agree. Gastly, your poffins were delicious!"
"Thank you," Gastly responded, flushing slightly from the praise. "I had more, but Buneary ate them-"
He was interrupted by a voice bellowing from the outside. "Gastly? Gastly! Where are you!? It's training time!"
Jerking up, Gastly instantly began to dash towards the doorway. "Sorry guys!" he called out to the remaining ghost-types. "I have training with Buneary!" With that, he threw himself out of the room, to follow behind Buneary.
Banette, Pumpkaboo and Mimikyu exchanged startled looks.
"But… It's midnight," Mimikyu pointed out. "And he did say that they train until after the sun rises."
Pumpkaboo only shook her head. "Damn, she's clingy, isn't she? I just hope Gastly isn't her little punching bag forever."
Mimikyu and Banette nodded in agreement.
"Hey Lurantis," Pancham greeted as he crawled up the cliff, watching the grass-type stare up at the stars. "I wanted to talk to you."
Lurantis turned to stare at him nonchalantly. "Talk, then."
"Have you been receiving letters?" Hearing Lurantis inhale sharply, Pancham quickly added, "I have been getting them too. But my letters have been about you."
"What do you mean?" Lurantis asked, awfully calm in contrast to the fierce glare in his eyes. "What have they been saying?"
Pancham rolled his shoulders. "Well, for one, it's been saying stuff about how you've been doing some pretty bad stuff to the Pokémon on this island. But I've also gotten a message saying that you're not as horrible as you seem, and that there is a chance that I can make you good again."
"No," Lurantis immediately replied, shaking his head. "Whoever is sending you those messages is a liar, and you can tell them to piss off." His usually mellifluous tone was replaced with a colder, brittle sound as the grass-type stood up, preparing to leave.
"So it wasn't you who tampered Ludicolo's tarot cards? It wasn't you who started that rumour about Charizard?" Pancham demanded, marching forwards to try and buff up to Lurantis. "I know the sender of these messages aren't asking you for these nudes. I just want to know who is sending them."
With a simple, fluid movement, Lurantis placed his scythe onto Pancham's nose, pushing the panda backwards. "I don't know who has been sending you these messages, and I don't know why they would send them to you in the first place."
"Because I have integrity," Pancham insisted. "Because I know how to make you become good! You don't have to be a manipulative bastard to win this show, you know. With my help, we can make you good, Lurantis!"
The grass-type laughed, a cruel sound that sent shudders up Pancham's spine.
"Good?" he asked, pressing his scythe down harder onto Pancham's nose. "You make it sound like it's black and white; and perhaps it is. But, let's make this clear, Pancham, I am in the black zone and I intend to stay there."
"But I can make you good-" Pancham began, but Lurantis cut him off.
Leaning down to glare at the panda, Lurantis scowled. "And if you get in my way, Pancham, I will show you how bad I can truly be." Swiftly, he turned around and stalked away, leaving Pancham to ponder upon those words.
"Boy, he really doesn't want me to make him good, does he?" Pancham remarked, a small smile appearing on his face. "Well, sucks to be him, because I'm doing it anyways."
He smiled grimly as the moon shone down its brilliant, radiant light towards him.
"Whether he likes it or not."
Author's Notes!
Tomato Soup (maycontestdrew): Okay, firstly, two BIG announcements! Firstly, you are allowed to send fan-mail to the cast members (as you probably saw with Lurantis and the scene about nudes XD). It would be preferable if you PMed any messages, questions or threats to the cast to me to incorporate in the chapters, because then it is more hush hush.
SECOND BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Next episode is a crossover episode with my dear DSG (ask him what it stands for), Dark Arcanine 33! We're doing a really cool thing where his contestants are coming to Shaymin's Island, and the same events happening but from different perspectives. So my chapter and his chapter will be the same in events, except my chapter will be from my character's perspectives and his chapter will be in the viewpoint of his characters. This does mean, however, that the characters submitted in my SYOC will be in his story for this one chapter. We are collaboratively writing together, so I'm ensuring that the personalities are as accurate as possible. HOWEVER. If you do not want your OC to be displayed in Dark Arcanine's TPI, you must send me a PM IMMEDIATELY. We will rearrange things so that your character will not participate in the crossover at all. If you have any questions or concerns, PM me. :)
That aside, thank you Last Renegade for submitting the fabulous Dragonite! His elimination marks the beginning of the more concerning aspects of the Lord Magikarp cult, and he is the second orange dragon to leave. While I am sad to eliminate him, we have enough Magikarp worshippers to last us a long time. XD Also, I think this might be the first TPI where a Magikarp hasn't been eliminated in the first five.
32nd Place: Dragonite - You're allowed to have your opinions, as long as they are shaped to match society's views.
