Total Pokemon: Zero

by Dark Arcanine 33

A prequel to (my) entire Total Pokemon series. Every wondered how the series came to be? Well, as it turns out, a trial season was required before the actual series even began. Who was part of this first season? What were they like? And most importantly, who was the first ever winner? (Season 0/7)

12. Rhyme Scale

000

Jessica sighed as she, Sasha, and Tonya returned to their cabin. "Well, I guess Max wouldn't wanna talk for a while, now…" the Bruxish expressed with a frown. "I was really looking forward to having some fun with him."

Climbing onto her bunk, Tonya exhaled deeply. "Well, hopefully he doesn't hold it against us," she said as she started draping her sheets over herself. "I mean, it was a reasonable decision. Sure, we didn't eliminate a 'threat', but I think we'll be able to manage without him."

"I agree, but… now I'm a bit worried," Sasha responded, sitting down on her bed. With Tim gone and no definite date for when the teams were gonna merge, the Nidoqueen was growing nervous about the team's next moves if they lost more challenges. "What are we gonna do if we lose more challenges? It's gonna be even harder…"

"Well," Jessica began. "Not necessarily. We can start thinking forward like Mew and Victini suggested. Zahku's made it pretty clear that he doesn't want an actual relationship and he's too strong for his own good. It'd be in our best interest to eliminate him if we lose."

An expression of dejection formed on Tonya's face, as despite her failed advances, she still didn't want Zahku to go. Just then, realization hit her as she thought about the situation. "Wait," she started. "There are ten of us left, so that means that the merge may happen tomorrow. We may not even have to worry about this."

Sasha and Jessica hadn't even thought about the numbers. There were six of them left on the Red Team and still just four of them on the Blue Team. If the merge did come the next day, things would most definitely change. If not, then they stuck with the plan to eliminate Zahku if they lost.

Speaking as if the merge was happening, Sasha relayed an idea to the other girls. "Say..." she began, "...since we outnumber the other team, and none of us really want to vote each other off, why don't we get rid of all of the people left on the Blue Team, first?"

Tonya and Jessica exchanged looks with raised brows. It wasn't that bad of an idea at all. All of the members of the Blue Team were threats in their own way, so taking them out early would make things a lot easier for them. However, choosing who to vote for after all of the Blue Team members were gone would be just as difficult as it was currently.

The Bruxish hummed in response. "That's a maybe, because if we vote out all of their members, then we'll just be stuck again."

Sasha nodded in understanding, having momentarily forgotten about that. "Okay. I guess we can just play the game however we want when we reach that point."

"Yeah," Tonya concurred. "And if we're still in teams tomorrow and we don't wanna vote out anyone else, we're just gonna have to work even harder and make sure that we win."

Jessica and Sasha both nodded in agreement. With Tim gone, each of the girls had a guy that they either liked or cared about, no offense to Tim. They just didn't want to make any more tough calls.

000

"I was really hoping to get it in with Max tonight…" Jessica explained. "But, having just voted out Tim, I doubt that he'll be in the mood to talk about his problems."

She let out a disappointed sigh. "Well, there's always tomorrow. Hopefully he isn't still upset about it."

000

Max sighed as he lied on his bunk, staring at the ceiling. "Well, that's just the game, I guess."

"Yeah," Kane said, taking a seat on his own bunk. He still couldn't believe that Tim was eliminated instead of Zahku. He didn't think that the girls would choose to keep the Makuhita, who had just recently joined, over their friend. "But, I guess they were thinking about what'd be best for the team going forward."

"Even though they said that the merge was coming soon," Max grumbled, rolling onto his side. He then realized the Makuhita was in the room and cleared his throat. "And Zahku… no offense about the vote. You're just a very physical threat for the merge."

Zahku only shrugged in response before beginning to climb onto the bunk above Tim's. "Zahku take as compliment," he explained, grunting as he pulled himself up. "Glad he seen as strong threat."

"Yeah, that's cool, but that may also become an issue in the merge," Kane chimed in. "No one really wants to go up against someone who can kick our asses in challenges."

"If they scared of Zahku and Zahku out because of it, he still okay," the Guts Pokémon replied. "Let Zahku know he doing good job."

Kane and Max exchanged looks, a bit surprised that he was fine with being eliminated. But, then again, he said that he took it as a compliment, so they weren't too confused.

"Well, that's a good attitude, I suppose," Kane responded. "But now I'm a bit worried about how the girls are gonna handle another elimination. I mean, there's three of us and three of them, so it could end up being a tie…"

"Unless we're able to convince one of them to vote with us if we lose," Max explained. "I mean, I think we'd have a chance if we can convince Jessica to help us vote out uh… another one of us."

Max gestured to Zahku with his eyes, which Kane was able to catch. The bruin nodded in understanding. After receiving this confirmation, the Delibird yawned, smacking his lips. "Well, I guess we just wait to see what happens tomorrow," he said, rolling over to face the wall. "G'night guys."

"Good night, " Kane said, though he wasn't really tired. The Ursaring just lied back, staring at the bottom of the top bunk.

As the lights went out, courtesy of Zahku, Kane started thinking about his chances of winning. At this point in time, he felt secure, as his teammates saw him as a reliable asset. But, when the merge came, he was most definitely going to be in the same position as Zahku. He needed to come up with a way to insure his longevity in the game once the teams were dissolved.

He could easily form an alliance with Sasha, as she would never vote him out. At least, he hoped so. But then, that'd just be one other vote. He looked at the other beds and thought about asking Max and Zahku. Both of them were maybes, but Max seemed to be the more willing of the two. That'd give him an alliance of at least three. Heck, maybe their entire team could have an alliance in the merge. That sure was an idea. Then, once all of the Blue Team members were gone, it'd be a free-for-all. With the thought in his head, he rolled over to meet the wall, a smile on his face.

000

"If I can talk the others into making an alliance with me at the merge, I may have a higher chance of making it further," Kane reasoned. "I just have to hope that they go for it."

000

With his evolution, Dade couldn't help but feel a bit more confident about his team's chances. Now that he could fly and he had a few more useful moves, they could very well win more challenges. However, as the merge draws near, the Mothim actually found himself a bit conflicted about what he wanted to do next.

He was losing trust from Belladonna, Portia probably still had her resentment toward him, and he was actually becoming a bit more wary of Art since he really proved his worth in the challenge. Not only that, but apparently Tim got eliminated, so he was already down an alliance member.

He felt vulnerable. All Art had to do was join Portia, and Belladonna if she went against him, and he was gone. He didn't want to risk it, so he was going to have to make sure that his team won these next few challenges until they reached the merge.

The Mothim's thoughts were soon interrupted by a question. "Hey, mothball, you okay over there?"

Breaking free of his mental chains, the Moth Pokémon turned to the source of the inquiry, Art. "Huh… what?"

"You've been staring at nothing for the past ten minutes…" Art acknowledged. "Something's going on in that mind of yours…"

Not wanting him to know about his feeling of vulnerability, Dade decided to blame the merge as the cause of his deep thoughts. "Oh, uh… just thinking about the merge and what may happen if we make it. There's a lot of strong people on the other team, and I'm a bit worried that once we're there, they're just gonna eliminate us back-to-back."

Art shrugged, "Probably so, but that's what these immunity challenges are for, so that we can't be eliminated."

Dade shrugged along in agreement. "I guess."

Noticing that he no longer had his cocky demeanor, the Ferrothorn suspected that something was afoot. "So... are you still dead set on eliminating Portia?" Art asked. "Or are you just going with the flow now and hoping that we don't go back to elimination?"

Taking a deep breath, Dade turned to the Ferrothorn with a serious visage. "At this point in time, I'm all about self-preservation," he answered sternly. "We need to win more of these challenges so that we're not totally outnumbered in the merge. But, with regards to the original plan, yes, we'll still be voting for Portia if we lose."

Art nodded along in agreement, though he had his doubts about Portia getting eliminated. The Moth Pokémon was obviously nervous about something. He was so confident and eager to vote out Portia if they lost another challenge, but now he was claiming to be all about self-preservation? It didn't add up with him.

000

"Seems to me like the shrimp is worried about getting voting out," Art reasoned. A smile formed on his face as he chuckled to himself. "My guess is that the pet rock has finally gained a mind of her own."

"And if that's the case," the Ferrothorn began chuckling, "I guess that he has the right to be worried."

000

Portia, having been thinking about the proposition that Art made, sighed as she sat on her bunk. She didn't know whether to trust in the Ferrothorn or not. For all she knew, he could've been baiting her. But, then again, there was a chance that Belladonna could rebel, making it so they did get rid of the newly-evolved Mothim. She just didn't want to risk it.

She had planned on lying to him, but further thinking made her realize that it wouldn't really be doing her much good. During the merge, Art was more likely to be eliminated fast, so lying to and voting for him now would do nothing for her. Dade was the bigger threat. She let out a sigh, holding her head.

Seeing her distressed expression, Belladonna called out to her. "Are you okay, Portia?"

The Rhyperior looked at her briefly before letting out another sigh. With how close they were to the merge, she decided to express her frustrations. "If I'm being honest, Bella... I'm worried," she explained. "With you working with Dade, I have no idea what to expect right now. If we lose another challenge, Art and Dade are just gonna vote for me and… I don't know if you're gonna follow suit or not. We have our bond, but I'm still nervous."

Belladonna was surprised that Portia thought that she'd vote for her. They had an agreement that when it came down to it, they'd team up on Dade when things got hairy. "Portia, you know that I'd never vote for you. We agreed to go for Dade and… I'm ready to commit to that. I'm not worried anymore."

Portia's eyes widened, not expecting to hear that from the Golem. "Wait, so you're done working for him? What happened?"

Belladonna let out a sigh of her own before walking over, taking a seat next to her. Now that she was no longer planning on working with Dade, she felt that exposing his plans would prove beneficial for both herself and Portia.

"Okay," she began. "I was okay with going along with his plans for a while, but with your paranoia and Art's accusation, I was starting to get nervous and still trying to figure out if I wanted to go through with it. With him evolving, his spiel about him being too insignificant and small doesn't work anymore, which I feel puts me on the line."

Portia was nodding along in understanding, somewhat proud of herself for partially contributing to Belladonna's decision. The Golem continued her explanation, "And, earlier today, he showed me that he made some sort of backup alliance, or like some sort of extended alliance with people from the other team."

Hearing that caused Portia to pale. "Wait, wait… he made another alliance?"

Belladonna nodded. "He told me that he was more than likely going to be voted out soon, and that this alliance was for when we reached the merge so that we have insurance. It just made me even more worried."

Portia groaned in frustration. "Well, who else is in this 'merge alliance'?"

"Well, besides us, Max and… I think Zahku," Belladonna explained. "Tim was in it, too, but he didn't come back with the others, so I think he's gone."

"Max?" Portia inquired, confused about the choice. "Why would he want to join that alliance when he's pretty stable already?"

"Well, he didn't really look like he wanted to be there at all, so he may not even really be in it," Belladonna explained. "So, in all actuality, it may still just be me and him."

Portia let out a sigh of relief before remembering another name she mentioned. "Wait, what about Zahku? Weren't he and Dade good friends?"

"Dade mentioned him, but he wasn't there, so I don't even know if he'll go along with it," Belladonna explained.

"So, there's really no merge alliance, he just thinks there is…" Portia pieced together based on the information she was being given.

"Pretty much," she explained. "So, we can both go for Dade, they'll vote for you, we can force a tie, and hopefully Dade is the one who goes."

Hearing the mention of a tie, a small smile formed on the Drill Pokémon's face as she recollected Art's proposal. "Actually… there's a chance that Dade will go easily. Art talked to me after you two left the mess hall and said that he'd help me vote out Dade if I didn't vote for him."

"Okay, that's great!" Belladonna cheered.

"Yeah, but… I declined," Portia explained. "I still don't trust him. He could be lying to save his own ass."

Belladonna rose a brow at her hesitance. "Portia, if Art helps us vote for Dade, he's stuck. It'd be the two of us versus him. So, I don't think he's lying. I think he knows just how threatening Dade is and thinks he needs to go, too."

Portia hadn't thought about it as broadly as Belladonna did. A look of realization and embarrassment appeared on her face as she covered her face. "I feel so stupid."

Belladonna pat her back. "You're just worried. You're not stupid." She got closer, whispering to the Rhyperior, "We've got this."

Portia let out a breath before nodding in response.

000

"Yes!" Portia cheered ecstatically. "Bella's done with Dade, so the means that he's the next one to go!"

"After he's gone, hopefully the merge will happen and we can just play the game without worrying about him slipping under the radar or getting in some big alliance."

000

As the sun rose over the horizon, bathing the island in the warm light of the morning, a few of the contestants began waking up. Though, some seemed to already be awake.

The sound of creaking wood and soft grunts caused Max to stir in his sleep. Eventually, the Delibird realized that trying to get back to sleep was going to be pointless if the noise was going to continue. He sat up with a sigh, rubbing his eyes.

He looked to the side and saw that Kane was doing sit-ups on the floor beside him. Seeing this, Max sighed, "Well, that explains it."

Hearing the grogginess in his voice as he sat up, Kane sheepishly looked at the Delivery Pokémon, realizing that he had woken him up. "Sorry, dude."

Max shook his head in response. "It's whatever…" he responded as he moved his sheets off of him. "I needed to wake up anyway."

He flew out of his bed and went toward the door. Seeing him do this, Kane was tempted to stop him and ask about an alliance. However, since he had just woken him up, he decided against it. The Ursaring got to his feet as the Delibird exited the cabin.

He sat down on his bed, letting out a sigh as he looked around the cabin. Besides probably exercising, there was nothing for him to do and nobody for him to really talk to, guy-wise. Zahku is an odd one, Max didn't seem to have much in common with him and seemed like more of a loner type, he knew nothing about Dade, and Art was a maybe, because he talked to him and R.J. when he was still here. However, that may have only been because of R.J. alone.

He sighed as he got up once again, stretching, "I guess I can see what the girls are up to…"

000

"Well, I'm up a bit earlier than usual and I was alone in the cabin. I could've kept working out, but… I just didn't feel like it," Kane explained. "With Tim gone, and Zahku and Max out, I got pretty bored. So, I thought, why not go talk with the girls? I plan on talking to them about an alliance anyway..."

000

Tonya, Jessica, and Sasha were all sound asleep in the room next door. Their soft breaths providing the room with a soothing, tranquil ambiance. However, their peaceful slumber was soon interrupted.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Hearing knocking at their door, Sasha, being the closest one to the door, groaned. "Who the heck is knocking on our door so early?"

"Who is it?!" Jessica grumpily shouted.

"Uh… it's Kane," they heard from the other side of the door.

Immediately, both Jessica's and Sasha's eyes popped open as they immediately sat up. Despite her focusing more on the game, Sasha was still attracted to Kane and enjoyed his company. She scrambled to get out of bed, falling on the floor in the process.

As she did this, Tonya and Jessica narrowed their eyes at her. To them, it wasn't really that crucial. The Nidoqueen quickly got back to her feet and composed herself before opening the door.

Seeing the burly bruin on the other side of the door made her smile, as he hardly ever came over to their side. Maybe this was the start of a new routine for him. "Hey Kane…" she greeted.

"Hey," he responded. "Sorry if I woke you girls, but I'm just a bit bored and wanted to come over to chill."

Overhearing this, Jessica giggled before chiming in, "Well, you guys always welcome in here."

"Thanks," Kane chortled before entering the cabin. He immediately looked around and saw the condition of Sasha's sheets. He had to stifle a laugh and look to the Drill Pokémon closing the door. "Uh… did you fall out of bed?"

Before Sasha could answer, Tonya chimed in. "Yeah, she fell out trying to rush to the door and let you in," she revealed.

The Nidoqueen blushed before giving the Accelgor a brief look of annoyance. Kane chuckled in amusement before taking a seat on an unoccupied bunk. "Didn't think that me paying a visit would be a big deal," he commented.

"It's not; it's just… you hardly do," Sasha explained, taking a seat beside him.

Jessica spoke up again, "So… what brings you here?"

With a shrug, Kane responded, "Well, like I said, I was bored. There's not many guys left for me to talk to and I didn't feel like continuing to work out. So… here I am. We can just… talk about anything."

"Ooh~," Jessica cooed, floating off of her bed. "Okay. So… first thing that I really need to know… how upset is Max about yesterday's vote?"

"Oh," Kane began before shrugging. "Well, he's a bit bummed, but he's not too upset. He knows that this is how the game works."

Jessica let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. So, I still have a chance tonight…"

"Jess, if you want to have sex with someone here, why not just go for Zahku? Or, just ask Max if he wants to instead of using another reason?" Kane chuckled.

Tonya's eyes widened a bit upon hearing his suggestion, but luckily, Jessica shook her head in response. "I don't really find Zahku all that attractive, plus I think Tonya would hate me if I did anything with him."

The Accelgor scoffed dramatically. "I wouldn't really hate you..." she responded. "...that much…"

Jessica rolled her eyes playfully before looking back at the Ursaring. "And as for asking Max, I'd rather kill two birds with one stone and help him with his relationship hang-ups by giving him advice and an experience."

"Okay, I guess I can understand that," Kane responded. "Like giving information and then giving a demonstration like in school."

"Uh… weird way to put it, but yeah. Pretty much," Jessica explained with a giggle.

Tonya, deciding to get in on the conversation, started getting out of her bed. Once free of her covers, she hopped off of her bunk and sat on Sasha's messy bunk. "So, Kane," she began. "How'd you find out you were gay? Was it a random experience? Did you have to look at something? Did you just know?"

Kane chuckled and he started thinking, "I think I figured it out in middle school during gym. My gym teacher, Mr. Kizer, was a pretty muscular Blaziken with a bit of a feminine physique. His mannerisms were a combination of a male and a female, and I found that attractive. I learned that some guys could have feminine tendencies, but still be pretty damn masculine and buff, and that some guys are similar to girls anyway, and that was it. I started noticing other guys like him with a clearer lens and… yeah."

"Huh, that's interesting," Sasha opined. "You and R.J. had very different realizations."

"Yep," Kane chuckled. "I had my gym teacher and… he had me. But, that's enough about my revelation. Maybe we should talk strategy for a bit."

"Oh, do you have a plan?" Jessica queried.

Kane hummed, "More like an idea."

"Well, let's hear it," Tonya stated.

The bruin responded with a nod, beginning to explain. "Okay, I was thinking that when we reach the merge, our team can have an alliance and not vote each other off until the remaining members of the Blue Team are gone."

Sasha perked up upon hearing his idea, as it was the same idea that she had the night prior. Knowing this, the girls exchanged looks. Jessica decided to break it to him, saying, "Uh… funny thing. Sasha had that same idea yesterday."

"Oh, okay, that's good," Kane replied, patting the Nidoqueen's back. "Great minds think alike."

Tonya further explained, "Well, we actually said 'maybe' to the idea, because it'll still be pretty tough to vote out each other if we make it to the final six. We're too tight."

Kane was a bit surprised by their explanation. Sure, they were all pretty close, but this was still a game. If it came down to just the six members of the Red Team, it wouldn't really be that big of a deal. They could just play for themselves. "Uh… girls, I understand that we're all good friends, but this is still a competition. When it comes down to it, we're gonna have to vote for each other regardless."

"Hmm… I guess you're right about that," Jessica acquiesced. "No matter how much we all like each other, only one person is gonna win this. So, I suppose that the team alliance idea could actually work."

Sasha beamed, "So, we're going through with it?"

"Sounds like we are," Tonya said, folding her arms. "We're gonna have to let Max and Zahku know."

"Yep," Jessica nodded.

000

"Okay, we have a chance of making it to the final six," Sasha spoke. "Now that Dade's evolved over there, the entirety of the Blue Team is threatening. Getting rid of them will be a huge weight off of all of our shoulders."

000

Mew yawned as he floated into the kitchen. He scratched his chest as he opened the fridge. Moving around the butter, eggs, sliced meats, and condiments, he eventually found what he was looking for.

Taking out a jug, the New Species Pokémon saw that the Moo-Moo Milk that normally filled the jug was mostly gone. "Son of a… Who put the jug back in the fridge? There's almost nothing left in here!" he exclaimed.

He began hearing faint laughter from behind him, followed by a snide remark. "Mew, you realize that no one cares, right?" Celebi spoke. "All you have to do is refill it."

"That's not the point," Mew responded. "Someone else could've filled it back up instead of leaving it nearly empty."

The Time Travel Pokémon scoffed as she grabbed a croissant out of the dish on the table. "Get over it. We all have to deal with each other's crap. That includes having empty milk jugs."

As his ex left the kitchen, Mew grumbled to himself as he held the jug steady and closed his eyes. The jug began filling with milk, eventually getting back to the top.

He placed the newly-filled jug on the table before floating over to the cabinets. As he did this, Terrakion entered the kitchen. He glanced around and noticed Mew taking down a bowl. A few of the others were giving him and Victini a tough time due to the success of their show and because of their actions around the hall, prior to the whole 'reality TV game show' thing.

"Hey Mew," the Cavern Pokémon greeted as he approached the fridge.

Mew didn't really have much of a relationship with Terrakion. They were civil, but they never really talked much. He was usually hanging out with Heatran, and sometimes Entei and Latios, while Mew mainly aligned himself with Victini. "Hey Terrakion," he responded as he placed his bowl on the table.

"How's the show going so far?" the ox queried as he used one of his horns to open the fridge. "You guys having fun with it?"

Mew shrugged as he opened a box of cereal called, EnigmO's. "It's a pretty cool experience. Gives Victini a bit of an outlet to do weird or crazy stuff, but also a bit of responsibility since he can't really do any lasting damage to any of them."

"I would hope so," Terrakion chuckled through his teeth, pulling out a bag of bagels.

Since he was one of the only guys that was nice to him, he decided to ask about his show with the other Swords of Justice. "What about you guys' show? How's that going?"

After placing the bag of bagels on the counter, Terrakion let out a sigh. "I quit after about three days. Cobalion and Virizion still have a lot of tension and argue a lot, and Keldeo's a good kid, but… he's a bit annoying at times. And I couldn't handle it."

Mew chuckled. "Yeah, it makes a little more sense why you hardly hang with them around here."

Terrakion nodded in response. "Yeah… I'd rather just be around my boyfriend instead of Keldeo and 'Will they or won't they?'."

"Understandable," Mew replied with a chuckle. "Before I left, I would've have told them to shut up and make out already."

Terrakion chuckled, "Yeah, it's pretty obvious that those two want each other, they're both just too stubborn to admit it."

The two of them shared a laugh just as Victini floated in. "Hey… what's going on in here?" he asked playfully.

"Nothing, really," Mew answered as he started . "Just… talking a bit."

Victini nodded along, suspecting something. "Uh huh…" he responded before glancing at Terrakion. "So… how far along are you guys' with your show?" he asked, putting an arm on his back, trying to gage the competition.

"Uh… I'm not in the show, anymore," Terrakion responded with a chortle. "I quit around when we first started."

"Oh…" Victini responded, a bit surprised. He withdrew his arm and instead folded them. "Cobalion and Virizion still in denial?"

"Pretty much," Mew chimed in, taking a bite of another spoonful of cereal.

Victini stifled a laugh while shaking his head. "Pathetic… Those two really need to just get a room already."

"Yep, that's the general consensus," Terrakion chuckled. As he started putting putting a few bagels on his horns for himself and Heatran, he decided to reciprocate the question that Victini posed to him. "So, you asked me about my ex-show, but how far are you two along?"

Mew and Victini exchanged looks, with Victini chuckling. "We're down to ten players, so we're halfway finished."

"Huh. Good job, guys," he commended with a nod. "Hopefully you guys have some success once your trial is over."

"That's what we're hoping for," Victini nodded with a wink. "Now…" he smacked Mew's back abruptly, causing him to nearly spill his cereal. "We've gotta go and provide food for our contestants."

Mew groaned, "Of course." He picked up his bowl and floated over to the sink, running the water in order to rinse it out.

"You enjoy your bagels," Mew told Terrakion before following Victini to the lobby. The Cavern Pokémon could only chuckle in response.

000

Back on the island, everyone was going about their day, either engaging in a few leisure activities or waiting for Mew and Victini in the mess hall.

Zahku had climbed to the top of the cliff and was doing a series of yoga-esque poses, as well as a bit of a workout.

As the Makuhita laid down and began doing push-ups, he could sense someone approaching him from behind. He swiftly got back up and turned to face the potential assailant with a defensive stance, retracting his left arm, as if he was preparing for a punch, and putting another arm forward to block.

Seeing this, a yelp of fear was emitted from the person behind him, who was none other than Dade. "AH! IT'S ME!" he bellowed, flying backwards a bit.

Zahku lowered his guard, though he was still a bit surprised that Dade was there. "Oh, hello."

"Hi…" Dade responded, a bit more at ease. Sure, he was still a bit panicky because of his situation on his team, but at least he wasn't getting beaten up.

The Guts Pokémon inquired, "What brings mothman to cliff with Zahku?"

Dade explained, "Oh, uh… I was just flying around, getting used to these new wings and seeing the sights. What uh… what are you doing up here?"

"Zahku meditate, do yoga, and work out up here sometimes," the Makuhita explained. "Quiet and peaceful for him."

Dade nodded. "Okay, okay. That's cool," he replied. A few moments later he cleared his throat, asking, "So, uh… how's life on the other team so far? I mean, you ended up getting laid, so I'm sure that's a plus for you, but uh… anything else interesting going on?"

Zahku paused for a moment, thinking about it. When nothing outstanding came to mind, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Zahku really not pay much attention to other teammates besides in challenge. They nice, though."

Dade was a bit perturbed, but nodded in understanding. Zahku decided to shoot back, asking, "How other team doing? Still have group with rock ladies?"

The Mothim let out a sigh. "No, I don't think so. I'm… actually a bit nervous. Belladonna's losing trust in me, and I think she's gonna flip. Portia already doesn't trust me, so all Art has to do is vote with her and Belladonna and I'll be the one gone. I'm really gonna need help if I'm gonna last in this game."

Hearing his friend's dilemma, Zahku could only shrug. "Not much that Zahku can help with. Feels bad for moth friend."

Dade groaned, "I wish you were still on our team. It'd make things so much easier for me."

Zahku only hummed in response. He didn't really have much to say to Dade. Sure, they were friends, but they were on different teams now, and Zahku had already helped his team in the last challenge. He had nothing to offer.

Given that he had asked about it, Dade decided to segue into a talk about his merge alliance. "So… uh… you're still interested in our alliance, right?"

"Zahku indifferent," he responded as he began doing push-ups again.

"I'll take that as a yes," Dade interpreted. "So, if I'm able to make it to the merge, I say that we start working together again. Maybe you can bring in Tonya and she can help us out, too."

Zahku paused in his position, giving the Mothim a look of annoyance. He thought that he had made it clear that there was nothing going on between him and Tonya; there was no connection. "Why would Zahku do that?"

Dade was a bit bemused by his response. Didn't he understand that more people meant more votes? "I mean... Tonya is another person for our group, and four votes are a lot more effective than just three."

Zahku rose a brow as he got back to his feet. "Four?"

Dade nodded, "Yeah. I talked to Max and Tim to see if they'd join, too, but Tim got eliminated. So, that leaves us with Max."

"Santa bird afraid of Zahku, though," the Fighting-type revealed. "Voted for Zahku because he threatened."

"What!?" Dade exclaimed. He had made it clear that voting for other people in the alliance wasn't going to be helpful! He groaned in annoyance, though he felt that he should have expected it with the way Max was acting during their meeting. "Okay… I guess it would just be me, you, and Tonya, in that case."

Zahku let out a sigh as he started walking toward the edge of the cliff. "Not asking Accelgor lady. Not giving satisfaction. Nothing between us."

"Zahku, we need to work together if we make it to the merge," Dade explained. "We may have a chance! I mean, you can choose someone else if you want, but… I don't think anyone else will agree!"

Zahku jumped off the cliff, making the Moth Pokémon sigh. "I'm doomed."

000

"I really hoped that Zahku would help me, but I guess being on the other team has changed him," Dade explained. "It's like after he fooled around with Tonya, he's just flustered or something and insistent that nothing's happening between them."

"Maybe she needs to go…"

000

Inside of the mess hall, Max yawned as he rested his head against his arm. As people began pouring in, he saw that most of them were dripping wet. He rose a brow at this, a bit confused as to why they were the way that they were.

"Uh… why are all of you guys wet?" the Delibird inquired as all of his teammates began sitting with him, which was a first.

"We decided to hang out in the water for a while," Kane explained, scratching behind his ears. "Mess around... bathe... just relaxing for the time being. We don't know if we're gonna merge today or not, so..."

"Speaking of that, we need to talk to you," Tonya chimed in. She glanced over to the other tables, where she saw Portia and Belladonna sitting at their usual table. Looking back, she explained, "We plan on sticking together at the merge. That way, we can boot off the people on the other team."

Max was surprised by the idea, but he wasn't opposed to it. Sure, Dade wanted him in his alliance, but he was already on the other team. Plus, he felt much more secure with people that he actually liked and knew than someone who barely spoke to him. With that in mind, Max decided to go ahead and let everyone know the Mothim's plan.

"Okay, well, since you guys are mentioning alliances, I think I should mention this," he began, causing a few expressions of curiosity to form on his teammates' faces. He cleared his throat, "Dade came to me and Tim with an alliance offer if we made it to the merge."

The others were surprised by this revelation, with Jessica questioning, "Wait, what? Why you and Tim?"

"I remember him saying something about how Tim had to deal with Honey for a long time, and I've been pretty neutral in the game," Max explained. "He's kinda going for the whole 'unlikely to win' set up."

Sasha huffed, "Well, if we all reach the merge, he'll definitely be the first one to go."

"Well, he was acting like he was the next one to go over there if they lose again," the Delibird explained. "So, I say that we should probably go for Belladonna first. He mentioned something about making the alliance so that she still had some help if he got eliminated."

"Sounds good to me," Kane concurred, folding his arms. "I'll admit, I didn't expect Belladonna to be part of an alliance, at least without Portia, but I guess she's a lot more strategic than I thought."

The others nodded in agreement, as Max brought up another important detail. "Besides that, Dade also talked about bringing Zahku into the alliance, and mentioned that since he and Tonya did their thing, there's a chance that she'd tag along."

Tonya sighed, shaking her head. "Well, he'd be very wrong. I may like Zahku, but I'm not some obsessive skank that'll do the same things hedoes. Plus, who's to say that Zahku will even go for it again?"

"Well," Sasha began, rubbing the back of her head. "Zahku was with the other team longer than he's been with us…"

"Plus, Dade said that Zahku was his closest friend here," Max added. "And, to emphasize this point even more, neither Dade nor Zahku are here right now. So, for all we know, they could be talking about it right now."

"Okay, so, getting rid of Zahku as soon as possible is probably our best bet," Jessica opined.

Tonya immediately spoke out, "Now hold on guys, let's not be too hasty. Zahku may not go with Dade and Belladonna. Just because he was on their team doesn't mean that he'll flip back over to help them in an instant. Maybe we can just talk to him and see where his loyalties lie."

"And if he decides to align himself back with the others?" Kane inquired, a serious expression on his face.

"Then… we eliminate him," Tonya responded with a shrug. She didn't really want that to happen, but it'd be for the best. "I mean, he'd be a great asset, but if he doesn't help us… we'll have to cut him loose, I guess."

As the others expressed their agreement, Mew and Victini appeared on the scene, the former holding bags of food as per usual. "Hello, contestants!" Victini greeted. "How're we all feeling today?"

"Pretty good, I would say," Jessica opined, looking around.

"I would think so, you guys are in the top ten!" Victini acknowledged as Mew placed all of the food on one of the tables. "And, I bet that you guys would think that being at the halfway point means that you're gonna merge, right?"

In that tone, it sounded like he was about to fool them with false hopes, so they reluctantly nodded and expressed their excitement.

As they expected, Victini dashed their hopes, saying, "Well, you'd be wrong. Because there will be no merge… today."

Groans of disappointment filled the air as Victini chuckled to himself. "Hey, we told you guys that the merge would be soon, not the next day," he responded while shaking his head.

As everyone settled back down, he continued, "Anyway, today's challenge will be taking place at the mountains once again. So, be prepared for a rather tough and irritating time."

"Woo-hoo…" Portia deadpanned.

"Hold the enthusiasm, Portia," Mew responded in a joking manner. He let out a sigh, folding his arms, "Well, we'll be seeing you guys in the challenge. Go ahead and get filled up. You're gonna need it."

The two Psychic-types began heading out of the mess hall, leaving the contestants inside with the breakfast boxes.

000

Art exited the Blue Team's cabin with a yawn. He wasn't completely sure about how to feel about his current standings. If Portia came to him with the plan to eliminate Dade, he would be safe, and Portia would have to stick to her word and not vote him out. Though, he had a feeling that she would betray him and vote for him afterwards anyway.

On the other side of the coin, if he did go along with her, and by extension, Belladonna, and they were still in teams afterwards, he'd be screwed! Once Dade was out of the picture, if the girls wanted to, they could just throw a challenge just to get rid of him immediately.

That posed a dilemma for the Ferrothorn. He could either vote for Dade with the girls and risk being eliminated next, or he could vote for Portia with Dade and either get rid of her, or force a tie if Belladonna was truly no longer with Dade, as he suspected.

As he walked toward the beach, he saw Zahku walking past him and heading to the mess hall. He honestly hadn't really given the Makuhita much thought when it came to the competition, but he was a miniature powerhouse. If he was able to make it to the merge, maybe there was a chance that he could align himself with him and make it a bit further. Perhaps there was a chance that he could ally himself with Dade, too, if he lasted.

As he reached the beach, he gazed out into the distance with a thoughtful glance, running the possibilities through his head.

000

"Upon further thought, I've realized that voting for Dade is not an option for me," Art stated. "If these hosts decide to keep us in teams for longer than we thought, once Dade's gone, if we lose again, I'm gone. And there's no way in the Distortion World that I'm taking that risk!"

"Voting for Portia would be great, because not only would she be a force to be reckoned with in the merge, but she wouldn't be able to continuously flap her gums about who's a threat," he explained. "And that leaves Belladonna no choice but to come crawling back to us for security, because I'm pretty sure that the people on the Red Team won't be interested in keeping us around for long."

000

As he started heading back toward the mess hall, he saw Dade flying toward the building at a rather lackluster pace. Being that he moved rather slowly and he didn't want anyone else around, he quickly tried to get the Mothim's attention. His body became outlined in a yellow aura before a streak of electricity went toward the Moth Pokemon, striking the ground beside him.

Startled, Dade looked around for the perpetrator. "What the he-?"

He turned back and saw that Art was lifting one of his feelers and swinging it, as if gesturing for him to come over. A bit confused, the Mothim flew back over to the durian's direction, curious as to what he wanted. Art hardly ever seeked out someone to talk to, so this made him a bit wary.

"Uh… what's up, Art?" Dade inquired.

"I'm just letting you know that I'm completely fine with eliminating Portia. And, I need to know if Belladonna is done with you," Art explained. "I have an idea that could help us out if we reach the merge."

Dade's eyes lit up in delight.

000

"YES! I HAVE A CHANCE!" Dade exclaimed. "Thank you, Art!"

000

"What's the plan?" Dade eagerly queried as he and Art re-entered the cabin.

"First off, let me just say this," Art began. "I made a deal with Portia that I'll vote for you as long as she doesn't vote for me," the Ferrothorn explained, causing a look of dread to form on Dade's face.

He continued, "But, now that I've thought about it, I've realized that doing that will only screw me over. So, I'm still with you as long as it saves my own ass."

Despite being a bit disgruntled, Dade decided to move on. "Again, what's the plan?" he deadpanned.

"Okay, secondly, I need to know if Belladonna is still with you or not," Art responded. "Because that'll either give us a tie, or it'll get rid of Portia indefinitely."

Dade sighed. "I don't think she really trusts me anymore, and I doubt that she'll vote for Portia, anyway. So… I guess she's against me now."

"Okay, so that poses a problem for us," Art acknowledged. "We don't know what these guys will do for a tiebreaker, and when up against Portia, I'm pretty sure she'd throttle you. So, we have two options: we either risk a tie… or you convince Belladonna to vote with us again."

"There's no way in the Distortion World that Bella is gonna vote for Portia. They have too tight a bond," Dade explained. "That'll be like trying to pry a Komala from its log."

"Well, you'd better think of something," Art stated. "Unless you're willing to take on Portia in a tie, this is your only chance. And then again, there's a possibility that we may win the next challenge and we'll have to deal with those two and whoever is left on the other side when the merge comes."

Dade sighed, "That's why I told Zahku that I wish he was still on our team. That way, it'd be easier to get rid of Portia."

"Yeah, speaking of that guy, what the hell is he?" Art queried. "I mean, how is he the way that he is?"

Dade shrugged, "He says it's just training and, since there's no other explanation, I'm inclined to believe him."

"Okay… and what're your thoughts on possibly bringing him into this?" Art queried.

Dade let out a sigh. "I tried to ask him for help, but when I mentioned Tonya getting involved, he pretty much declined."

"And… why would you mention her?" he asked, a bit bewildered as to why the Accelgor was brought up in the first place.

Dade explained, "Because I thought that she'd be helpful in the merge. And because she and Zahku had already connected intimately. I thought that he wouldn't mind."

Art groaned. "Okay, how about this time you tell him that, if all of us make it to the merge, somehow, the girl won't be involved…"

Dade nodded along. "I guess."

"Good," Art responded. "Now, let's go see what the hell's going on today."

000

Following breakfast, the contestants all made their way to the mountains, as they were told that the challenge of the day would take place there. As they approached the large landform, they all noticed that the outside of the mountain had an abundance of obstacles, including rock climbing steps, what looked like oil, a net, explosives, and many others, causing their eyes to widen and their mouths to go agape.

They eventually met up with Mew and Victini, who were hanging out at the base of the enormous landform. "Hello contestants," Mew greeted as they all approached. "Welcome to your next challenge…"

"Can anyone guess what it is?" Victini added.

Portia looked up, "Well, judging by the amount of obstacles and climbing materials… I'm guessing we're going mountain climbing."

Victini cracked a smile, "And you'd be correct. Today, both teams will be making their way to the top of this mountain. Now, as you can clearly see, that won't be as easy as you think. There are plenty of obstacles that will act as hindrances to you. Ice, oil slicks, adhesives, netting, explosives, and many more surprises await you as you make your climb."

"Now, we notice that you guys are a bit lopsided with regards to the teams, and that each team has at least one or two players that are able to fly to the top easily," Mew explained. "So, we're gonna make things even."

"Yep," Victini followed with a firm nod. "So, since the Blue Team only has four players remaining, and Dade can now fly thanks to his evolution, he will not participate in the climb. That leaves the Blue Team with just three capable members."

"And, because of that, the Red Team will be sitting three of their own players out. That way, it's a three-vs-three race to the top," Mew explained. "The group of three makes it to the top the fastest will win it for their entire team, and the losing team votes someone another one of their own tonight."

Victini turned to the Red Team. "Now, because we're sitting out Dade for the Blue Team, that obviously means that Jessica and Max will be the two players not participating for you guys. We'll give you a few seconds to determine the last player who will be sitting out."

The Red Team got in a small huddle and began weighing their options. Kane and Zahku were obvious participants, so it was between Tonya and Sasha. After a few more seconds of deliberating, they made their decision.

"Alright Red Team, who else will be sitting out the challenge?" the Victory Pokémon inquired.

"I will," Tonya said, raising her hand.

"Alright, Max, Tonya, and Jessica are out for the Red Team. Dade is out for the Blue Team," Mew recapped. "The rest of you, go to whatever starting position you'd like and we'll let you know when to begin."

000

Jessica giggled, "Seems like the perfect opportunity for me to have some fun with Maxie…"

000

At the top of the mountain, Mew and Victini, as well as the four non-participants, were peering down. Seeing the obstacles from above caused them to appear much more menacing. This gave the contestants that were not participating a feeling of relief.

"ALRIGHT!" Victini yelled down. "THE CHALLENGE STARTS NOW! START CLIMBING UP!"

As they saw the contestants on the ground level approach the mountain and begin climbing, Jessica lured Max a bit away from the edge so that they could talk.

"Okay, Maxie… how do you wanna do this~?" she asked, licking her lips as she got close to him.

Max let out a sigh, sweatdropping at the closeness of the Bruxish. He had told her that he didn't mind the informality of intercourse, and that he probably wouldn't turn down an offer, but he began feeling a bit awkward about the situation. After thinking about it the night prior, he realized that he really just wanted to get advice. However, with Jessica's clear ulterior motive, he was having second thoughts about going to her.

He took a breath, looking at her thoughtfully. "Actually Jess… I'm not entirely sure if I want to… y'know… have my first experience with you."

Jessica was a bit shocked when he said that. He had said that he didn't mind earlier on; what changed? She cleared her throat, straightening her face. "Um… okay, I guess. Did I do something?"

"Well… no…" he began. "I mean...sorta. I just… It's me, okay? I guess I'm feeling a bit more unnerved about the aspect of random sex than I thought," Max explained, twisting his tail.

Now understanding the situation a bit better, Jessica nodded with a small smile. "It's okay, Max. I won't try anything if you're uncomfortable. I'm still willing to give you the advice you want, if you don't mind, though."

"You sure?" Max queried, a bit surprised that she wasn't upset.

"Yeah. I'm not gonna force someone into doing what they're uncomfortable with," Jessica explained. "Though, while it would have been enjoyable, I would rather you be willing."

A small smile formed on Max's face as he let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks."

"Hey! Max and Jessica, come back over! We have another task for youall," Mew instructed.

Hearing their names called, the two of them went back over to the group. Jessica whispered, "We'll talk more after the challenge, okay?"

Max nodded in response as they finally made it back to the group.

"Alright," Victini began. "You guys will now be able to hinder the opposing team." He gestured to a pile of junk that was placed nearby. "You may either use your moves or you may throw objects from the junk pile. Just as long as you are hindering the opposing team."

The four contestants at the top simply exchanged looks with each other. Dade grew concerned due to the numbers advantage on the opposing team and the fact that Jessica was part Psychic-type. "Wait, they have more people and Jessica's a Psychic-type. How is that gonna be fair for us?"

Understanding where the Mothim was coming from, Mew decided to establish a bit of a restriction on the other team. "Hmm, you're right in that regard. It definitely gives the Red Team more power. So, with that in mind, Jessica… you're not allowed to use any direct psychic influence for this," Mew stated, causing the Bruxish to sigh. "As in, you can't use any Psychic-type moves directly on the contestants. You can only use telekinesis to lift the objects."

Jessica nodded in understanding.

"Okay, and what if we don't wanna throw things down at them?" Tonya inquired.

Victini shrugged, "Then you can sit it out and just let the opposite team possibly get ahead. Up to you. If you have low expectations for the opposing team, just do whatever you want up here until someone wins."

"But, know that the challenge has already started, so you may wanna go ahead and make that decision now," Mew said, still watching the contestants that were climbing up.

000

Grunting as he pulled himself up onto a ledge, Kane sighed as he wiped a few beads of sweat from his head. Gazing upwards, he saw that Zahku was making his way up like it was no problem. He hummed to himself as he got to his feet. "Do you really think that Zahku's gonna stick with us like he said we would?" the Ursaring asked aloud.

A soft grunt was heard as Sasha pulled herself up onto the same ledge that Kane was standing on. "I'm not sure," she answered as Kane helped her up. "But, I sure hope he does. Having the numbers advantage will be great going into the merge."

"Especially if we're able to win this challenge, too," Kane added as he approached the wall once again. "That way, even if Zahku decided to rejoin them, it's four to five," he said as he dug his claws into the landform.

As he hoisted himself up and continued his climb, he grabbed a hold of the net that was above them. Without using his legs, the bruin was able to simply climb up and roll over onto the opposite side of the net before getting back on his feet and climbing onto another, smaller ledge.

Sasha couldn't help but let her tail sway a bit upon seeing the display of upper body strength. "Why does he have to be so damn hot?!" she thought to herself. She shook her head before looking at a wall that had a few rock climbing pegs jutting from it.

There was no way that she was making it up that net, so she immediately went over to the pegs. "You good down there, Sasha?" Kane inquired as he continued his climb.

"Yeah!" the Nidoqueen shouted back as she started climbing up the pegs. "Not about to deal with the net."

Kane chuckled as he continued making his way up. He was glad that his team went along with his alliance idea. Now, he had a better chance at making it further. As he thought more about it, he found himself getting hit in the head with a can.

"Ow! What the hell?" he cursed as he gazed up, looking for the source of the thrown object. He didn't get a definite answer, though, as a trash bin began falling down toward him.

His eyes widened before he braced for impact, gritting his teeth. Luckily, the bin missed him, instead landing in the net under him. He breathed out a sigh of relief before looking back up.

Having seen the falling trash bin, Sasha inquired. "What the hell was that?!" She looked up with an expression of concern.

"I'm guessing that they're making things even harder for us," Kane reasoned as he continued climbing up. "As if the obstacles they already have set up aren't enough…"

Sasha eventually made it to a higher ledge, dusting herself off. She looked up and saw how much higher they all would have to go. "Well, this is gonna take a longer while, then."

"Yep," Kane grunted as he pulled himself onto another ledge. On this ledge, he found a cavern that led into the mountain. Not knowing what was possibly inside, and not wanting to risk it, he decided that he wanted to keep climbing up in a regular fashion. There was a rope ladder against the wall leading up to another set of rock climbing pegs.

However, before he continued his climb, he decided that he might as well wait for Sasha. It was a team effort, after all. He had completely lost sight of Zahku, so it was pretty much just the two of them.

"C'mon Sasha," Kane called as he saw the Nidoqueen looking around on a nearby ledge. He noticed that there was a pole with two ropes placed parallel to each other that were separating the ledges. "Hey! See if you can use the ropes to shimmy across and come over to me."

Sasha, having overlooked the ropes, sighed to herself. However, noticing that Kane was on seemingly a lower ledge than her, she rose a brow. "Wait, why don't you come up here? Won't that be easier?"

"Are there any other ways to continue climbing around you?" Kane asked. "Because I've got a rope ladder over here."

"Um… not that I can see. It's just regular climbing over here," the Nidoqueen explained as she looked around.

"Then come on over," the Ursaring insisted. "We're gonna need to help each other if Zahku's just gonna leave us in the dust.

"Obviously," Sasha playfully scoffed. She gazed at the rope hesitantly, nervous about going across. However, because Kane was watching her and he was willing to help, she sucked it up and started going across.

As she grabbed the top rope, she let out a sigh. She started shimmying across, with Kane coaching her through it.

"Alright Sasha, you got this. You're halfway there already," Kane said, motioning her over with his hands. As he was doing this, a trash bag landed at the back of his legs. He shook his head before sticking out his hand for Sasha to grab.

She grabbed it, allowing him to carefully yank her back over onto the ledge he was on. "Thanks," the Drill Pokémon said. Kane gave her an earnest nod before looking up and seeing a a car tire bouncing down toward them.

They swiftly jumped back, allowing the tire to bounce off the ledge and continue its way down. "Are they trying to kill us?!" Sasha exclaimed.

"I don't know, but let's just keep moving," Kane suggested as they moved toward the ladder. "Just watch out for falling objects as you go up."

Sasha nodded as she started climbing. "I have a feeling that the other team is doing a lot better than us."

000

"This is probably the easiest challenge that these people have given us," Art stated as he climbed up the mountain. With the spiky ends of his feelers digging into the landform, he was able to keep himself stable. "The three people who more than likely lived in mountains or caves before and have experience with them."

"Yep," Portia agreed as they continued climbing up. "And them throwing stuff down at us isn't really doing anything, either."

"Nope. So, they're pretty much handing us a free win," Art commented as he continued going up. He eventually came upon another ledge. The ledge was covered in ice due to a nearby fan that was blowing gelid air onto the rock.

He stabbed through the ice and pulled himself up with ease. Knowing that the girls were more than likely gonna follow him up onto that same ledge, he decided to go ahead and break the ice for them. He had a feeling that if he didn't the girls would slip and fall hard. And, as humorous as that would be, he didn't want to risk it.

He slammed his feelers onto the ice, breaking it apart and sweeping it off to the side. The air, while it could probably serve to cool them off, needed to go. One of his feelers illuminated a bright purple. He lifted it and swung it at the fan, knocking it off of the mountain.

Belladonna saw this and grew confused as she pulled herself up. "What're you doing?"

"Got rid of that stupid fan," Art explained as he thrust another one of his feelers into the side of the mountain. "It was making the ground slippery."

As he began climbing once again, Belladonna watched him, with Portia bringing up the rear. As she got up, the Rhyperior inquired, "What happened? I saw something get flung from up here. Was it them throwing stuff at us?"

"Naw, Artie just decided to knock a fan off of its post because it was making this platform icy," Belladonna said, picking up a piece of ice.

Portia huffed, "As much as I'd like to lose just to get rid of Dade, it's good to see Art kicking it into serious mode again. Winning is a lot more fulfilling."

"Yeah," Belladonna giggled. However, as Art grew more and more distant, a thought formed in her head. The merge was obviously close, and if they got rid of Dade, their team would be in more trouble if they didn't win immunity challenges.

Seeing the Megaton Pokémon's expression, Portia rose a brow. "Something's on your mind..."

"Yeah," Belladonna explained, turning to her. "Since we're gonna be outnumbered going into the merge, why don't we try to align ourselves with the other girls and try to have a girl's alliance? Then, we can take out the guys and go from there."

A small smile crept onto Portia's face. "That… actually sounds crazy enough to work. A girl's alliance would dominate this game."

"Exactly," Belladonna responded. "So, we just need to make sure that, if we lose, we get rid of Dade. After that, hopefully we'll be at the merge, and it'll be five girls against four guys. And since all of them, minus Max, are really strong, we'll have to be careful when it comes to individual challenges."

"Right," Portia concurred. "But, in that case, wouldn't the better option be to eliminate Art? I mean, sure, Dade is pretty manipulative, but he's screwed anyway. Art? He has a chance at winning invincibility if he makes it, and I don't think we wanna risk that."

"Hey, even if we kept him in, Dade would have a chance, too," Belladonna responded. "There's always gonna be a chance for one of them to win immunity. We just have to keep our focus and get there, first."

A sudden exclamation pulled the two of them out of their conversation. "HEY!"

Startled, they both looked up and saw that Art was on a much higher ledge. "Are you two gonna get up here or not?!"

"We'll make it up there when we're ready!" Portia shouted up at him.

With that response, the Ferrothorn groaned in annoyance before turning away. He didn't know if they were intentionally trying to lose, or if they were just being stupid, so he just left them alone.

000

"Looks like we're gonna be facing a tie tonight," Art deadpanned.

000

While the girls lagged behind, Art continued making his way up. His trek got him to an obstacle that would actually pose a bit of a challenge for him: a net. With his spiky feelers, he would more than likely get tangled up and stuck.

Not wanting to deal with that, the Thorn Pod Pokémon made his way around the net, finding himself at a ledge that held a cave. The ledge had a black fluid oozing off of it, a familiar scent filling the air. Art chuckled to himself, as he enjoyed the smell of oil. He got onto the ledge, taking a deep inhalation of the odor of the fluid.

He hummed to himself as he gazed at the cave entrance. He didn't know if they had done anything to the caves so that they couldn't use them, but the possibility of there being a Pokémon inside that would wreck him was all too high given the 'obstacles' in previous challenges.

Due to this, he ignored the cave and starting climbing around it, taking a mailbox to the face as it came soaring down toward him. "Ow!" he exclaimed.

He grumbled to himself as he continued jamming his spikes into the mountainside. It seemed that more objects began raining down as he carried on, pummeling his steel body in an attempt to knock him off.

Among the objects raining down, there were wrenches, teddy bears, cardboard boxes, a toy car, and even a truck engine. Art growled in agitation, still finding the addition of falling objects superfluous and idiotic.

"Will these assholes realize that throwing junk down at us won't change anything?" Art inquired with a glare as a bag of chips hit him in the face.

000

Watching them climb up, with the contestants up top throwing things down, Mew let out a thoughtful hum as he saw how far all of the climbing contestants were so far. Sure, they were still making their way up, but with the way they were moving, they all would probably make it up within half an hour or so.

It would be pretty lackluster to just have the contestants climb a mountain and then have the episode be finished, so the New Species Pokémon decided to pull his co-host aside to discuss a possible second challenge.

The pink feline suggested, "Hey, we may need to set up a second challenge and just make this one for a reward or advantage."

"How come?" Victini queried, raising a brow. "This challenge seems good enough."

"They're making their way up pretty quick," Mew explained. "I don't think that having a challenge like this will be good enough for an entire episode."

Victini went over to edge of the mountain top and peered down, only for Zahku to come up and walk past him. The Victory Pokémon sweatdropped at the Makuhita's appearance before looking down once again. He immediately saw that Mew was right, as the remaining members of both teams were making their way up way quicker than he expected them to.

He groaned before floating back over to Mew with a sigh. Rubbing the back of his head, Victini smacked his lips. "Okay, you may be right…"

"I may?" Mew deadpanned, raising a brow.

"Okay, you are right," Victini admitted, folding his arms. "But what other challenge can we give them?"

Mew looked down thoughtfully before looking back up quickly, "I think I have an idea."

000

Kane did a few squats on another ledge before popping his back. "Mother of Arceus, this challenge is tedious," he commented. While rubbing his back, he looked up and saw how far they were from the top. He saw even more obstacles in their way, causing him to sigh.

Sasha pulled herself up onto the same ledge, panting heavily as she approached the bruin. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she placed her other hand on her hip as she looked up as well. Her reaction was more or less the same as Kane's, as she let out a breath of annoyance. "How much longer is this going to take?"

A can of beans struck Kane in the head, causing him to growl in pain. As he rubbed his head, Sasha asked, "Are you okay?"

Kane let out a sigh as a banana peel landed on his muzzle. "Yeah," he said, picking it off and tossing it away. "I'm fine," he responded, rubbing his head again. "Let's just try to get this challenge over with."

He approached a set of metal stepping plates that were embedded in the wall, acting as a set of stairs that led to a hudu. Hanging above the hudu was a rope that was attached to what looked like a cement mixer. Part of the mixer was embedded in the rock, so it wouldn't be dangerous to climb up.

Kane placed a foot onto the first plate, only for it to immediately drop, dropping his foot to the ground. He rose a brow as he watched the plate rise back up immediately. "What the heck?"

He tried to step on it quicker, only to get the same result. He tried to run up, only for them to fall again, dropping him to the ground. Sasha watched on with lidded eyes, eventually saying, "Kane… I don't think repeating the same thing is gonna result in any changes."

Kane sighed as he stopped trying. "I guess you're right. These are like those dumb platforms in video games that fall as soon as you touch them."

"Let's just climb the hudu and keep going that way," Sasha suggested. "And… maybe we can talk a bit more about what you were saying about your gym teacher back at the cabin."

Kane blushed upon hearing that. He didn't really want to go any deeper into it, as there wasn't really anything much to say about it. As he moved over to the hudu, he cleared his throat. "I uh… I don't really think there's more to say. He just helped me realize that I was into guys. That's all."

As he started his climb, Sasha inquired, "Yeah, but you said that he was pretty feminine and you gained a crush on him, right? Why not just go for an actual girl in that case?"

Kane let out a sigh as he continued climbing, eventually making it to the top. "I just wasn't sexually attracted to girls. Sure, they were attracted to me, but I just never reciprocated. I just always preferred being around guys and doing guy stuff. When it came to girls, I still found them attractive in other ways, but sexually, it was a no. And I'm just gonna leave it at that."

Sasha nodded, not wanting to pry further as she started climbing up after him. It was just a bit confusing for her. If he crushed on his gym teacher despite him being feminine, why wouldn't he have a crush on a female? She decided to just leave it be, as she had her own information to think about as Kane tossed a question back her way.

"So, how did you meet your husband?" Kane queried, wanting a bit more information about Sasha in return for her asking about his come-up again.

Sasha hummed to herself as she climbed up the hudu, with Kane grabbing hold of the rope above him. Before she could offer a response, Kane started climbing. Due to his weight, the cement mixer tipped over, causing a batter-like substance to pour over himself and Sasha. Covered in the light-brown fluid, he let out a huff, "Of course…"

Sasha spit out the substance that had entered her mouth. She smacked her lips before raising a brow. "Pancake batter?"

Hearing her, Kane licked a section of his arm that was covered in the substance, confirming that it was indeed pancake batter. "Weird, but whatever…" he responded, shaking his arm to flick a bit more of it off. "You were saying, Sasha?"

Sasha let out her own sigh as she made it to the top of the hudu and began climbing the rope after Kane. "It's kinda corny, but we met at a grocery store," she explained. "I was picking up some carrots for my mother, and we just bumped into each other. We started talking, exchanged numbers, and the rest was… it. We got together, we were happy, then things changed and now I want nothing to do with him."

Kane grunted as he pulled himself up with onto the next ledge, climbing over the mixer. "So what is your husband, anyway? Like what's his species?"

"He's a Blastoise," she revealed, rolling her eyes. "His name's Grant…"

Kane gained an idea upon hearing that, a small smile forming on his face. He looked toward the camera. "Okay, well Grant… if you're watching… you might wanna get off your lazy ass and treat this woman better… or else I'll happily pay you a visit and possibly knock some sense into you."

A blush formed on Sasha's face as she reached the cement mixer as well. As he extended a hand to help pull her, she cleared her throat. "Did you really just do that?" she giggled.

"Yep," Kane nodded. "You've been angry about him since this game started, and you're begging for a divorce, so before you do that, I wanna see if I can get him to be a better man. If it doesn't work, I'm sure R.J. and I can help you move some stuff out…"

Sasha's eyes widened in disbelief as they momentarily stopped climbing. "Wait… y-you're serious?"

"Of course," Kane replied. "You've been pining for me for the longest time and expressing your stress, so why not?"

Sasha immediately hugged him, covering herself with more batter from his body. "Thank you…"

Kane pat her back with a chuckle, responding, "It's nothing. Now, let's try to finish this challenge…"

Sasha nodded in agreement as Kane turned around to start climbing the wall using his claws once again.

000

"The fact that Kane's willing to try to instill some sense into my husband's head before I divorce him just makes me even more jealous of R.J.," Sasha commented. "Kane's amazing… Hopefully Grant can pull his head out of his ass and actually listen."

"But, knowing him, he'll probably dismiss everything Kane says because he's gay and to him, that's not a 'real man'. He's dumb like that…"

000

Portia and Belladonna made it onto a ledge that held a box of lit fireworks. The hissing of the fuses urged Portia to kick the box off of the ledge, with the fireworks going off as soon as they started tumbling down. The rockets started flying and the firecrackers started popping.

"Well, that was easy," Belladonna commented as Portia dusted off her hands. The duo didn't really have that hard of a time climbing the mountain, and were taking their time. They didn't believe that the Red Team had enough strength or experience with mountains, so they felt that they didn't have to rush.

After engaging in a short conversation about previous relationships, or lack thereof, the twosome began talking about their plans for the money if they won.

"So, if you won the game, what would you want to do?" Belladonna queried.

Portia hummed as she took a seat on the ledge. "I… honestly hadn't given it a ton of thought. But… I'd probably do something like open a surfing school or something of the sort. What about you?"

"I'll probably throw a party, maybe save some of the money for bills and groceries and junk," the Megaton Pokémon replied.

The Rhyperior nodded with a smile. "Huh, that sounds like fun and makes sense. Not that bad of an idea."

"Thanks," Belladonna giggled. "Your idea is good, too."

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion startled the two of them. Looking up, they saw smoke coming from an upper section of the mountain, along with a few rocks tumbling down in their direction.

A few rocks landed on their ledge and either rolled off or stopped at their feet. Portia picked one of them up, placing it in the palm of her hand. Facing away from the mountain, she fired the rock from her palm, sending it flying.

Seeing her do this, Belladonna's eyes widened, an idea forming. She looked up toward the peak of the mountain and, as Portia loaded up another one, nudged her.

"Hey, I have an idea of how we can win this challenge quicker," the Golem stated. "You know Drill Run, right?"

"Yeah," Portia nodded in confirmation.

A smirk formed on Belladonna's face, as her plan, if it worked, would not only be beneficial for their team, but it would be fun for her as well.

000

The five contestants that were already on top of the mountain had stopped throwing things down and were instead watching what Mew and Victini were doing. They were putting together a table of food while a box covered in question marks sat on the ground nearby. Foods on the table so far included pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, chocolate cake, cookies, a huge bowl of gummy worms, and pitchers of tea and soda.

They were all pretty skeptical, as they had just dealt with something similar in the previous challenge. The possibility of them falling for it again were slim to none.

"Are you guys seriously trying this again?" Max deadpanned. "I don't think anyone's gonna be eating any of that."

"Well, we can assure you that none of this food is tampered with," Mew replied. "Plus, it's only a reward for the winning team."

"Reward?" Tonya inquired. "You didn't mention any reward. You just said that the first group that makes it up wins the challenge and the losers vote someone out."

"Yeah, well, there's been a change of plans," the Victory Pokémon replied as he placed a roast chicken on the table. "We realized that this challenge would be a bit too quick and viewers would find it a bit boring, so this is being demoted to a reward challenge. Another challenge will happen later today that will determine the overall winner."

The five Pokémon exchanged looks of surprise, but didn't really have any objections. Suddenly, an excited yell was heard and a large boulder flew to the top of the mountain. Belladonna withdrew from her shell with an eager jump. "That was awesome!"

"Whoa, what did you do?!" Dade queried, shocked by her sudden appearance.

Belladonna prepared to answer, but upon seeing the table of food, a look of irritation formed on her face. "Seriously? The food thing again? We're not stupid..."

"It's not tampered with…" Mew repeated. "And this is for a reward, not a break."

"I don't think that makes a difference," the Golem replied. "I still doubt that any of us will want to eat it."

"Hey, if you wanna let good food spoil, if your team wins it, then be our guest," Victini responded with a shrug.

A fierce rumbling was felt by nearly everyone at the top of the mountain. Eventually, a figure emerged from the ground. When the dust cleared, it was revealed to be Portia, who used Drill Run to get to the top.

"Well, that worked," the Rhyperior commented with a smirk. "Great plan, Bella."

"Wait, so she can just drill through the mountain?! That's not fair!" Jessica exclaimed.

"They never said that she couldn't, so technically it still counts," Belladonna chimed in, folding her arms.

"That's true," Mew concurred, with a shrug. They hadn't placed any restrictions on the climbers; they simply told them that it was a race to the top.

Victini nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we never said that you couldn't drill or anything. So, the Blue Team is leading 2 to 1. They're just missing Art. Kane and Sasha need to get a move on if they want their team to win the reward."

Upon hearing the word reward, Portia rose a brow. She looked over to the table and immediately, her expression, like the others, turned into one of displeasure. She gave the hosts a visage of annoyance, saying, "You guys can't be serious..."

"It was a one time thing!" Victini bellowed in vexation. He honestly hoped that the remaining three weren't as paranoid. "Jeez, this food is completely fine."

"Then you eat some, first," Max challenged. "If nothing happens, then we'll believe you."

Victini and Mew exchanged looks before floating over to the table. Mew took a slice of pizza, while Victini cut a piece from the chocolate cake. As they started eating the two foods in order to prove their edibility, a grunt was heard.

Looking toward the edge, everyone saw a green, spiky feeler rise and slam on the mountaintop. A familiar Ferrothorn pulled himself onto the top. His body was noticeably blackened, raising a few questions whose answers were more than likely going to be obvious.

"F-Finally…" the Ferrothorn panted as he collapsed.

"And with Art making it up here, the Blue Team wins the reward!" Mew announced.

"Reward?" Art queried. He looked over at the table of food and groaned in annoyance. "Oh, for the love of-"

000

Everybody was now at the top of the mountain, with Kane and Sasha still covered in batter, as well as a bit of soot from a few of the explosives. The contestants were all lined up, but still separated by their teams.

Upon receiving the same news as the others, Kane expressed his frustration, asking, "What do you mean this isn't the main challenge anymore?"

"It means what it means," Victini retorted snarkily. "This challenge is no longer one for immunity, it is simply for a reward. The immunity challenge will take place later today. For now, the Blue Team won the reward, so they get to chill up here with these snacks and… maybe a movie."

Portia queried, "And you're being completely honest that the food isn't tainted?"

Growing exasperated, Victini and Mew exchanged looks. "Okay, if we have to reassure you one more time, we're just gonna say screw the reward and advantage…"

Upon mentioning an advantage, everyone perked up. They hadn't mentioned anything about an advantage with regards to the food reward, so they were still a bit skeptical. Dade, looking back over to the reward table, noticed that the box covered in question marks was still sitting next to it. He asked, "Does that box have anything to do with it?"

Knowing what he was referring to, Mew went over to grab the box, as the others watched him attentively. When he returned, the pink feline explained, "To answer your question, Dade, yes. This box holds an advantage that will help you guys in the next challenge." He handed the box to Belladonna, who immediately prepared to open it.

"Hold it!" Victini exclaimed before the Golem could open it, causing her to stop. "Don't open the box until you're at the next challenge, which will take place at the beach."

He turned to the Red Team, continuing, "Red Team, head on back to the campgrounds. We'll let everyone know when it's time for the next challenge."

The members of the Red Team didn't say anything as they prepared to make their exit. They looked over to the table of food and, while it all looked good, they still didn't trust it, despite the hosts' reassurance. So, they weren't completely upset.

As the Red Team left, via Jessica's teleportation, the Blue Team started approaching the food. They were choosing to believe the hosts, but in the back of their minds, the four of them were still very wary.

"Okay," Mew began. "Go ahead and dig in. We'll get you guys' movie set up."

As the four members began to reluctantly dig into their reward. As they feasted, a miniature movie screen and projector, as well as a few theater chairs, appeared behind them.

"Alright," Victini began, getting their attention. "Your movie will start playing in five minutes, so go ahead and get comfortable."

"Hey, will we get to keep the rest of the food that we don't finish?" Belladonna queried before taking a bite of the chocolate cake.

"Nope. You guys are free to save a bit of food for later, but you're not keeping all of the rest of it," Mew explained. "You're free to keep eating for as long as the movie is playing."

"What movie is it, anyway?" Dade asked as he picked up a sugar cookie.

"The Butterfree Effect," Victini answered as he set it up. Once he was finished, he dusted his hands off. "Now, once the movie is finished, you guys will take a few more bites of whatever else you want before heading down to the beach for the second challenge."

"We're gonna leave you guys alone, so enjoy your reward and we'll see you guys in about an hour and a half," Mew said before he and Victini left the vicinity.

The four Blue Team members exchanged looks before continuing to eat and taking their seats in their chairs. The fact that they were gonna be jumping right into another challenge after the movie finished worried them a bit as, with full bellies, they would likely be a bit tired.

"Okay," Portia said as she sat down with two pieces of pizza, a cookie, and a slice of cake. "This is an awesome reward, especially if this stuff isn't laced like they said, but we need to be careful due to the fact that we're going right into another challenge after this. We don't wanna get sick or be too tired to move forward. Do we all agree?"

The others exchanged looks before nodding along.

"Good," she responded. The others began taking their seats with their own food. Well, aside from Art, who once again decided to take a pass on the food and just sat in one of the chairs, puncturing it. "Now, let's see what this movie's all about," she said, taking a bite of one of her pizza slices.

000

"Well, I guess it'll all come down to the second challenge," Dade stated. "Either we win and all four of us possibly make it to the merge, or we lose and risk a tiebreaker."

"Honestly, at this point, I'm hoping for the former," he said. "As much as I want, or well, need, Portia gone, I'd be more comfortable if the Red Team lost another player."

000

"Well, that sucked," Kane stated as he took a seat on the stairs of the cabin. "But, I guess that's just the way it is."

"I mean, that challenge was practically made for them," Tonya commented. "It's two Rock-types and a Steel-type climbing a mountain versus a Normal-type, a Fighting-type, and a Poison and Ground-type."

"That's true," Sasha concurred with a nod. "So, I don't think it's that upsetting. Plus, I'm not entirely sure that I believe that the food is fine."

"I'm not even concerned about the food; we lost an advantage," Jessica stated. "Now we're gonna need to work our asses off so that we don't lose this next challenge."

Kane sighed, folding his arms, "Well, luckily, we have Zahku, and he's just a good as an advantage."

"That's true," Max agreed. "Plus, there's only four of them over there. So, unless they decide to make it even again, we still have a chance."

"Yeah, so let's not get too worked up over this next challenge," Tonya opined. "If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose."

Jessica wasn't completely in favor of that lax attitude. She still felt that Zahku, despite him saying that he'd stay loyal, would go back to helping the members of the opposing team. If they lost this challenge, they'd be down to five, and if Zahku switched, they'd be down to four. It was too risky. Their best bet was to definitely win the next challenge.

However, due to her not wanting to sound paranoid, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself. She realized that now that they were out of the first challenge, this was the perfect time for her to talk to Max. Clearing her throat, she floated up toward the girls' room's door. "Max," she called. "Come with me."

The Delibird, speculating that she was calling him over to continue their talk, got up and waddled over. As soon as the two of them were out of sight, the others could infer what was about to transpire in the cabin.

So, to drown out the inevitable sounds, Tonya decided to ask Kane and Sasha about what they talked about while they climbed up, if anything at all.

"So, uh… what conversations were had on you guys' way up?" the Accelgor queried. "Well, aside from cursing because of the falling stuff."

The Ursaring and Nidoqueen exchanged looks before the latter gained a smile. With a giggle, Sasha began, "Well, we just continued the talk a little bit more about his sexual orientation, and he spun it back around toward me and asked about my husband. Then he decided to talk to him directly and tell him to treat me better… or else."

"Wow, that's certainly interesting…" the Accelgor responded with a laugh. "And to be honest, I'm surprised that we haven't heard more about your husband, Sasha. You always talk about how much you wanna leave and how he sucks, but you never really told us about him."

"That's what I said on the mountain," Kane chimed in.

Sasha let out a sigh. She didn't want to give her husband any further mention, but she felt that it was fair to give them a little more information about him since she had already did so earlier. "Okay, fine. I'll fill you in on him…"

-000-

Inside of the girls' room, Max was sitting on Jessica's bed, with the Bruxish floating next to him, asking about how some relationships come together.

"Okay, I don't wanna sound like a total idiot, but how do you girls choose who you want to be with?" Max queried. "I mean, I know that you each have your own preferences, but I guess that I'm confused by that because some girls like guys that treat them badly, some girls like weak guys, some girls like nice guys, etc."

Jessica hummed before responding. "Well, like you said, we have our own preferences, just like guys. Our choices in what we want in a man is determined by our experiences and just what we find attractive. There's no ultimate, objective criteria."

"Okay… so kinda like what Kane said. You guys all have your own preferences and there's no definitive answer," Max responded.

"No, there's not," Jessica concurred. "We're all different and we all have different interests and preferences."

The Delibird sighed, "Okay, well… I guess I'm just an idiot now. That pretty much answers everything. Why do people breakup? Your preference changes or they do something wrong. Why do people saying or doing the same thing for others get different results? People aren't attracted to the same things. I'm so clueless..."

Jessica giggled, "No you're not, hon. You were just confused and wanted answers. Sure, the answer may have been right in your face, but it doesn't hurt to get another perspective."

"I guess…" Max sighed, looking down. "I still feel dumb, now, though." He took a breath before flying off of Jessica's bed, landing on the ground. "Well… thanks Jessica. I really appreciate it."

Jessica blushed a bit. Talking to Max just felt fun and interesting, even if was a pretty short conversation. Max's genuine curiosity and his personality were pretty outstanding to her. She never met a guy like him before, but then again, most of the guys she met were only interested in sex and rarely talked after. Wanting to talk a bit more, she quickly called out to him. "Uh… wait, Max. We can talk a bit more about… other stuff, if you want."

Max rose a brow. The idea of fornicating with her was completely gone, but she still wanted to talk? He turned back around, a bit curious as to what she meant by 'other stuff'. "Uh… what other stuff?"

The Bruxish couldn't really think of anything nonsexual to talk about off the top of her head, so she stammered a bit before clearing her throat and saying, "Just… anything you want. I just like talking to you."

Max was surprised by her saying this, as the conversation was pretty cut and dry in his opinion. He wasn't against it, as he had no reason to be, so he shrugged his shoulders. "Um… okay, I guess. Not sure what we'd talk about since I'm a pretty average guy, but… sure."

000

Jessica sighed to herself, "Okay, I have no idea what's happening, but… oddly enough, I think I'm finding Max more attractive. He doesn't have experience and actually expressed that he doesn't want me all over him, which is something that hasn't happened to me before."

"Plus, he's cute and… for some reason, talking to him just feels good. It just feels like you can just talk to him sensibly about anything and not feel frustrated or too excited or angry. It's just… relaxed."

"Maybe… we can become more than just friends in a nonsexual way," she thought aloud. "It'd be my first real relationship in a long, long time, and his first one ever. So, maybe this is a chance for me to start over."

000

Due to the silence that filled the air after Sasha completed her tale of Grant Geraldson the Blastoise, Tonya decided to turn the attention back to Kane, posing another question to him. "So, Kane… we know that, surprisingly, you're the dominant one in your relationship…"

Kane stifled a laugh as he folded his arms, "What's surprising about it?"

"I dunno," Tonya responded. "I guess I would just expect a guy like R.J., who's pretty aggressive, to be the dominant one. But, that's besides the point. So, even though you're the dominant one, have you ever let R.J. have control? Whether it be in the bedroom, while working, making decisions…"

"Oh, of course," Kane answered. "Our relationship isn't a dictatorship; I don't really believe in that 'I'll do this, you don't get a say, stay in your place' mentality that most 'traditional' households hold near and dear."

"Oh, so in bed, you've been a bottom?" Tonya asked, raising a brow.

"...Okay, the conversation ends here," Kane chuckled, clasping his hands together. "Not getting into my sex life any longer in this game." He rose to his feet with a grunt and stretched. "I'm gonna go take a nap until they call us down for the next challenge."

The Ursaring retreated back to the cabin, his boredom prepared to be replaced by relaxation.

The girls shared a laugh as the bruin left, leaving them with Zahku, who was just drawing in the sand with a stick.

"So, Zahku… what about you?" Sasha queried.

In response, the Makuhita sweatdropped. He was definitely not interested in talking to them about anything relationship wise. He had a feeling that Tonya was more than likely still hung up about their time together, so he didn't want to bring anything up. "Zahku not interested in conversation topic. Rather not talk about it…"

The avoid any further prodding, the Guts Pokémon immediately got up and started walking away. Seeing this, the girls exchanged awkward looks, with Tonya commenting, "Oh well, I guess our talking time is up. Maybe we should stop trying to get personal..."

Sasha giggled, "Yeah, I guess that Kane is starting to be a bit more reserved with regards to his private life with R.J. and revealing a bit too much, which is weird since a lot is already out in the open. But, if that's what he wants to do, he can."

Tonya nodded before tapping her hands on the stairs. "Well, if there's nothing else for us to do, we can just go take a nap like Kane. We may have to wait for Jessica to get finished with Max, though."

In response, Sasha looked at her with lidded eyes before pointing to the boys' door. "Um… or we can just go into the boys' room and sleep in the empty bunks. Jess and I slept in there when you and Zahku had your fun, so this'll be no different. And I'm sure that Kane'll be fine with it."

Tonya shrugged her shoulders before the two of them proceeded up the stairs, entering the guys' room.

000

An hour passed, with the light of the sun slowly being blocked by clouds. A cool breeze replaced the neutral-warm temperature around the island. At the top of the mountain, Portia was asleep in her chair, while Belladonna was yawning, on the brink of falling asleep, herself. Art was completely bored by the movie from beginning to end, while Dade was finding it humorous.

After a few more minutes, the movie ended, with the credits scrolling across the screen. Seeing this, Art let out a groan. "That was the most boring movie I've ever seen…"

"Oh come on, that's a bit much," Dade responded. "I think it's pretty good."

Art scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Whatever…" he stated. Recalling what the hosts had instructed them to do once the movie was over, the Ferrothorn glanced over and saw that both Belladonna and Portia were sleeping.

"Hey!" Art bellowed, startling both girls. Portia looked at him an annoyed glare, while Belladonna simply let out a sigh, as she had only recently fallen asleep. "Get up, we've got another challenge to get to."

Portia groaned, having been having a good rest. "I honestly wish that they'd just call us…" she said as she stood up.

"Don't be lazy," Art commented as he moved toward the edge of the mountaintop. "Bring your asses…"

Portia tightened her glare at the Thorn Pod Pokémon before following him down. Belladonna grabbed the mystery box, as well as a few more cookies, and began eating them before doing the same. Since they were trailing behind, Dade decided to use it as an opportunity to try and convince her to vote for Portia. He knew that there was a low chance of her listening to him, but it couldn't hurt to try.

Once they all made it down, he decided to approach her. As she munched on one of her cookies, Dade flew next to her. "Hey Bella…" he greeted. "Uh… would you ever change your mind and vote out Portia instead of me or Art? I mean, if you think about it, it's more strategic to get rid of a huge threat like her before the merge hits so that we don't have to worry about her beating us in challenges later."

Belladonna was tuning out the Mothim, as she was no longer planning on listening to any of his suggestions, but something he said stood out. She didn't offer him a response, opting to pick up her pace and catch up to Portia. Once she did this, Dade let out a sigh of annoyance.

When she caught up with the Rhyperior, she quickly nudged her, getting her attention. Portia rose a brow, asking, "What's up?"

Belladonna looked behind her and saw that Dade was flying past them with an irritated expression on his face. Now knowing that she was in the clear, she replied, "I don't think Art is really with us in voting for Dade…"

Portia's eyes widened as she looked ahead at the Ferrothorn and then back at Belladonna. "What makes you think that? Did Dade tell you something?"

The Golem nodded affirmatively. "I don't think he intended to, but yeah. He asked me if I'd ever change my mind and vote for you instead of him or Art. So, that got me thinking… maybe he and Art are planning on working together and Art was lying to you like you thought."

Portia growled to herself. Her hopes of eliminating Dade were slipping away. However, she realized that they had other options. "Well, with that in mind, we have three options: We can either convince Dade to turn on Art, and we get rid of him; we get Art to vote out Dade like he offered, and get rid of Dade; or we just go for a tie and hope for the best."

"Well, Art is Dade's only ally; and I think Art knows by now that neither of us like him," Belladonna explained. "So, I'd say our best bet is to tie."

Portia groaned, "This is such bullshit. Why couldn't Art just go along with us?"

Belladonna shrugged, assuming, "Maybe he thinks that if there wasn't a merge after Dade was gone, and we lost, we'd vote for him. Which we would, so… that's the only reason I can think of."

Portia sighed. "Okay, let's just hope that we win this challenge. We may still have to deal with the two of them in the merge, if we do pull this off, but it'd be worth it if there's not a 50% chance of me going yet."

000

"I really hope that this next challenge is simple for us," Portia said. "I don't wanna risk going home in some stupid tiebreaker."

"Although… I could save myself if I… no, no… I can't. I'm not risking anything."

000

The foursome eventually made it to the beach, as they were directed to, and saw that there were two large mud pits situated next to each other. In front of the pits, near the shore, was a wooden table with multiple slots in them.

They saw Mew and Victini floating in front of the Red Team, presumably waiting for them to arrive. Once their presence was noticed by Zahku via head turn, all eyes fell on them as they walked over.

"Ah, here's the Blue Team. Now we can explain you guys' second challenge," Mew said. Upon noticing the cookies in Belladonna's arms, the Victory Pokémon deadpanned. "Uh… Belladonna, I don't think you're gonna be able to hold onto those cookies in the challenge."

"Put the cookies down," Victini referenced in a strange voice.

Belladonna groaned in disappointment before dropping the few cookies she had saved on the ground.

"Alright," Mew began. "Now for the challenge. Two players from each team are gonna dive into the mud pit, searching for four bags of letter tiles. Once your team has all four bags, two more players from your team will have to use the letter tiles to spell out a well-known song lyric."

"The team that can spell the rhyming lyric out first wins, and the losing team sends someone home," Victini concluded. He turned to the Red Team. "Now, like the previous challenge, we're gonna make this fair, so Red Team, choose two players to sit out."

The members of the Red Team exchanged looks, having not been expecting to have to sit more people out.

"We'll give you guys a few moments to decide," Mew said before turning back to the Blue Team. "In the meantime, Blue Team, open up your advantage box."

Belladonna, having been holding the box, along with her cookies, opened it. Inside of the box, there were multiple stone tiles, each with a different white letter painted on.

"Congrats," Victini stated. "Your advantage is that you already have the equivalent of a bagful of cards, so your team only has to collect three bags."

"Nice…" Dade commented.

"Red Team, have you made your decision?" Mew queried, looking back over to them.

"Yeah, uh… Max and Tonya are gonna sit this one out," Jessica explained.

Mew clasped his hands together, "Alright, then. Max and Tonya, you guys stand over to the side. The rest of you, choose the two people to do the spelling and the two people to do the mud diving. We'll get this challenge started."

-000-

For the Red Team, Kane and Zahku were situated in front of the mud and Sasha and Jessica were in front of the table. Meanwhile, the Blue Team had no real choice in the matter. Belladonna and Portia both had to be the ones going into the mud due to their typings and capable limbs, leaving Dade and Art to handle the table.

"Okay, the challenge is about the start," Victini announced. "The Red team needs all four bags, while the Blue Team just needs three thanks to their advantage. In three… two… one… GO!"

All of the designated jumpers did as they were expected, leaping into the mud to begin their search for their bags. Zahku dove down into the mud, completely submerging himself, while Kane methodically moved through the mud, scooping up large globs of it in an attempt to get a bag out of it. The thick combination of earth and water was proving to be a problem, as Kane couldn't move as quick as he wanted to.

Belladonna and Portia, being Ground-types, were completely fine with the mud and knew how to deal with it. The Golem withdrew into her shell and began rolling around in the pit, using her shell to feel around for any possible bumps. Meanwhile, Portia was simply using her eyes to scan the pit, though it wouldn't really help anything because the mud was four feet deep.

Zahku rose from the depths, completely covered in mud, holding a drawstring bag. He threw the bag out of the pit, allowing for Sasha to quickly go over and grab it.

"Red Team has one bag!" Victini announced.

Kane was still using his same tactic as Zahku immediately dove back into the mud; the Ursaring continued scooping up large amounts of mud with his arms. He kept sifting through the softened earth, hoping that his method would prove successful.

"Kane! Don't scoop, just feel around with your feet!" Jessica called. "You're wasting time!"

The bruin let out a sigh as he dropped the mud in his arms. He started using his feet, as Jessica suggested, but it was proving to be more difficult than his original plan due to the mud's thickness.

Belladonna had felt a slight bump as she rolled around in the mud. She immediately came out of her shell and felt around in the area. She felt something thin and stringy, and gained a smile. She pulled up the bag and threw it out of the pit.

"And the Blue Team finds their first bag!" Victini announced. "Just two more and they can start figuring out the lyric."

Belladonna withdrew back into her shell and began rolling around again, attempting to find another bag that way. Portia started shuffling around in the pit in order to feel for more bags in the mud. Due to her large size, this process seemed to be a good idea. However, she gained a better idea. She didn't know how well it'd work, but if it did, they were golden.

The Rhyperior immediately did as her species name entailed and began drilling down. She planned on drilling a hole big enough to drain a fair amount of the mud out and make it easier for them to retrieve the bags. She drilled a deep hole in the pit, watching as the thick mud slowly filled it up and slightly lowered the amount of mud in the pit.

Belladonna, who had heard the sound of drilling, stopped rolling and got out of her shell to inspect the cause. She looked around and saw that the mud level was a tad bit lower than it originally was.

"And with an unorthodox method, Portia drains some mud out of the pit to make things even easier for the Blue Team!" Victini announced as Mew sweatdropped.

"What!?" Sasha exclaimed. "Come on, that's not fair!"

"Well, we never said it wasn't allowed," Mew responded with a shrug. "So technically, it's fine."

With that now in mind, Jessica decided to help out Kane and Zahku, as that wasn't against any rules. Her protuberance opened up and glowed. The mud in the Red Team's pit began separating, giving Kane and Zahku a chance to walk freely without the ooze slowing them down.

"And with aid from Jessica, the Red Team has a chance to walk in the pit normally to find their bags," Victini announced.

Kane looked at the shifting mud, eventually spotting another bag as Zahku tossed another one out of the pit. The bruin rushed toward the muddy bag as Jessica continued shifting the mud. The Bruxish saw him going for a bag and left the area open for him. Kane grabbed their third bag and tossed it up, allowing Sasha to catch it.

"One more bag, guys, we've got this!" Tonya cheered.

Seeing the quick progress on the other team, Art growled and looked into the pit to see what was going on. "What the hell are you two doing down there?"

"We're trying to drain the mud out so we can find the bags easier!" Portia shouted back as she pulled herself out of another newly drilled hole.

Frustrated, as he saw that the mud was now only knee deep rather than waist deep like it was originally, the Ferrothorn groaned, "Just walk around now! The mud is low enough!"

That much was true, as upon walking a few inches to her left, Belladonna picked up another bag and tossed it out of the pit without a word.

"And it's tied up!" Victini announced. "One more bag and either team can begin figuring out the lyric!"

"Got it!" Kane exclaimed as he tossed the Red Team's fourth and final bag up to Jessica and Sasha.

Dade cursed in frustration, "Fuck! Hurry up, guys!"

Just as soon as he said that, he was hit by their last bag, courtesy of Portia, sending him to the ground. When this happened, Art went over to the other bags that were nearby and started lifting them onto the table next to their box. "Alright, get up, you're gonna have to put these tiles in," he said as Dade let out a groan.

"Both teams can begin figuring out the lyric," Mew said. "It looks like the Red Team already has a bit of a lead."

Sasha and Jessica had already placed all of their tiles on the table, attempting to spell out possible words that could be formed with the letters they were given. Among the letters, there were Ns, As, Is, Ts, Ss, Hs, Es, Ps, Ys, Ls, an 'R', an 'O', and an 'M'.

"Okay, so what are we thinking?" Jessica queried. "We have a lot of Is, As, and Ns. That could mean that they're parts of the words that rhyme."

"Right, right, but we have to think of a song lyric, and there's millions of songs that could have words with any combination of those letters," Sasha reminded. "This could literally take hours…"

She continued, "Like… there's a four-letter word, and a couple of two-letter words. We can spell 'main', 'rain', 'pain', 'in', 'an', or 'on' if we decided to use the only 'O' we have."

"Wait…" Jessica realized. "That actually could be a clue. There's only one 'O', one 'R', and one 'M', so they're probably not that important."

"Well, '-ain' is more than likely gonna be the basis of this rhyme, so we just have to figure out what the actual words are," Sasha reasoned.

On the other side of the coin, the Blue Team had already figured out certain aspects of the lyric.

"Okay," Art began. "There's only two Hs and two Es, and since there are three Ts, so I think it's safe to assume that the two three-letter words are 'the'."

Dade placed the letter tiles into the slots that fit. He floated back, saying, "So, 'The blank blank blank blank blank blank the blank."

Hearing the Mothim read it the way that he did, an idea immediately sprung into Art's head. "'The blank blank blank blank blank blank the blank…'", he repeated. He scanned the other letters that they had left and noticed that the letters A, I, and N were the most plentiful. He was able to put two and two together and his eyes widened in realization. "The rain in spain stays mainly on the plain. Try that," he instructed.

"How the hell did you get that?" Dade queried.

"I've had a few intolerant teachers, now just try it," Art urged him.

Dade started filling in the remaining slots with the letter tiles, spelling out the phrase that Art stated. As he continued pacing them, he began noticing that the words fit really well and started picking up the pace.

"Come on, come on…" Art stated, glancing back over to the Red Team's side, where the girls were still trying to figure it out.

Dade placed the final letter, N, in the last slot, completing the lyric. "We got it!" he exclaimed.

Upon hearing that, Mew and Victini came over in order to inspect their answer. The members of the Red Team were surprised that they already had an answer, and were hoping that they were wrong. Looking over it, Mew nodded, announcing, "The Blue Team wins!"

"Yes!" Portia cheered as she high-fived Belladonna.

Both Dade and Art let out a sigh of relief, as they no longer had to worry about the possibility of a tiebreaker.

"How the hell did they get it so fast?" Jessica queried, looking over at them.

Mew and Victini floated toward them, with the latter chuckling. "Well Red Team, looks like you guys are heading to elimination again."

They all exchanged uneasy glances, but they all knew what would have to happen tonight.

000

"Well, looks like we'll be eliminating Zahku tonight regardless of what he said," Jessica said. "It sucks, but it's for the best."

000

Portia, Belladonna, Kane, and Zahku were all in the water, washing the mud off of themselves. Kane was unsure about what to say to Zahku, as they were more than likely gonna be voting him out tonight. It wasn't gonna be a big deal for the Makuhita, as he was indifferent to the fact that he was voted for in the previous ceremony, but Kane just couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.

Eventually, he cleared his throat. "Well Zahku, looks like we'll be seeing you tonight. You still okay with it?"

The Guts Pokémon shrugged. "Zahku indifferent. But, Zahku now thinks that it may be problem if he leave too early."

Kane rose a brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Even number of males and females right now. If Zahku go and come together happens after, girls outnumber guys," the Makuhita explained. "Girls could come together and go against guys."

"Zahku, our team has an alliance, I don't think that'll be an issue," Kane responded as he scratched at his back.

Zahku shrugged once again, "Other team girls don't like guys on team. Could come to girls for more votes and convince."

Upon hearing that, Kane actually grew a bit wary. Earlier that morning, he made it a point to remind the girls that at the end of the day, they were all gonna have to vote for each other at some point. So, the girls could very well turn against him and Max if they were convinced. Now, he was sure that Sasha and Jessica would stay somewhat loyal, as Sasha still liked him and Jessica and Max had their moment earlier that day. Tonya was the only wildcard, and if they got rid of Zahku, she could do whatever she wanted.

Zahku saw the Ursaring's blank, thinking face and softly chuckled to himself. "Is bear man broken?"

Kane snapped out of it and let out a groan. "Dammit, Zahku. Now you've got me worried."

"Zahku still says that he'll stay loyal to team," he responded. "He will offer assistance in challenges if need to. Zahku just has one request."

"What?" Kane inquired.

000

"Zahku knows that other team girls still don't like spiky man and moth friend, so Blue Team girls would have more bond with other girls if come together between teams happen," Zahku explained. "May make things more difficult later, so better option is eliminating girl first."

000

In the mess hall, the girls from the Red Team were talking, with the main topic being the vote. Despite them agreeing that their main target was Zahku, Tonya asked Jessica and Sasha to talk and possibly reconsider it.

"Do we really need to eliminate Zahku now?" the Accelgor queried. "I mean, sure, he's a threat, but all of us are threats in our own ways. And, if the latest challenge is any example, just because he's strong and durable, it doesn't mean that he's guaranteed a victory."

"Tonya…"

"Please, just listen to me for a second," the Shell Out Pokémon responded. "I know that I said I'd vote with you, but I don't think voting for Zahku will really benefit us. I honestly think that we'd be better off voting off Kane."

"What?!" Sasha exclaimed, her eyes widened. "Why would we do that?"

"Remember what he said this morning?" Tonya queried. "He told us that we're all gonna have to vote for each other anyway since this is a competition. Plus, his husband was aligned with the other team, so he could already have some friends over on that side. I don't think that's trustworthy."

"Uh huh… but Zahku's in the same boat," Jessica reminded. "Remember, he was actually on the other team. You're just speculating that Kane will go over because of R.J., which most likely won't be happening. We just need to stick to the plan and vote for Zahku. Whether we like it or not, he's still a threat."

Tonya argued, "Okay, sure, he's a physical threat, but socially? No way. In these types of shows, the winner is determined by the votes of people that make it to the merge. So, Kane is definitely the bigger threat both physically and socially. We need to think long-term."

Jessica actually took that into consideration, humming, "Well, you're right in that regard, but I think that we'll still be better off getting rid of Zahku first. And, since you brought it up, remember that Kane's right and that we're gonna have to vote someone out regardless of how much we like them…"

Tonya sighed. There was no way to get through to them. They were just stuck on Zahku. It was so annoying that they were fine with eliminating Zahku immediately because of his strength and connection to the other team, despite him pledging his loyalty to their team earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Kane, who is a physical and social threat with partial connections to the opposing team and who was eager to remind them that they'll have to get rid of each other at some point, as if he didn't care if one of them was eliminated, was perfectly fine. Though, it wasn't that much of a surprise, as Sasha crushed hard on him and Jessica found him handsome.

"Oh well…" she said as she exited the mess hall.

Jessica and Sasha exchanged looks, with the Nidoqueen asking, "You think she'll be okay?"

The Gnash Teeth Pokémon nodded, "She'll be fine. She knows that he has to go; she just wants to have another chance with him before it happens."

"Speaking of chances…" Sasha responded, turning to the Bruxish. "How did it go with Max?"

Immediately, Jessica blushed. She and Max hadn't done anything, they just talked about life and stuff. She learned a bit more about him and vice versa. "Uh… it went okay. We didn't really do much, we just talked."

Sasha was surprised by that, having expected to hear something different. "Oh… I thought-"

Jessica explained, "Max made it clear that he wasn't really into the whole possible sex thing, so we just talked. It was… kinda nice, to be honest."

Sasha smiled upon hearing that, "Well, that's good to hear."

A few minutes after Tonya left, Kane entered the mess hall, a thoughtful expression on his face. As he took a seat at their table, Sasha rose a brow. "What's up Kane?"

He looked to her and scratched his head before explaining, "Nothing, I uh… I'm just thinking about the next vote."

Having just dealt with Tonya trying to change their mind, Jessica let out an exasperated sigh. "What's there to think about?" she inquired. "We said that we were gonna vote out Zahku. That should be the end of it."

"Yeah, but Zahku raised some reasonable points and I started thinking more, too," he replied.

Sasha grew curious upon hearing this, asking, "What did he say?"

Kane immediately paused. He felt that if he brought up the guys vs. girls thing, the girls would think he was out of his mind and think that he didn't trust them. But, he didn't want to lie, so he just told them the truth.

"Well," he began. "He brought up the point that the girls on the other team could try to get you girls' help and maybe convince you to join forces to take out all of the guys that are left," he explained.

"WHAT!?" Jessica exclaimed. "You seriously agree with that!?"

"No, no, I mean… sorta, but no," Kane explained. "I trust you girls completely, but I also know that we agreed that when the merge happens, we'll stick together, but it'll essentially still be a free-for-all."

"Kane, I think that the game is getting to you…" Jessica stated. "We're gonna stick together. Zahku's just trying to get you to have second thoughts. Wait, that's completely out of character for him. What the hell?"

"Yeah, I was a bit confused as well," Kane explained. "Like… he never showed any interest in planning or anything, but all of what he said made sense."

"Oh, there's no doubt about that. What he said is valid and those are definite possibilities, but we're not going for it," Jessica responded. "I just think it's strange…"

"Did Zahku say anything else?" Sasha asked.

Kane chuckled, "Well, he said that he'd be willing to help us in other challenges during the merge if we keep him. And he asked me to vote Tonya with him."

"What? Why would he want to get rid of Tonya?!" Sasha queried.

"Well, he said that he's starting to feel uncomfortable with her since she tries to get closer to him despite him telling her that he didn't want a relationship," Kane explained.

"Well, he should've thought of that before bedding her down," Jessica explained. "Plus, he's returned the affection multiple times!"

"I'm honestly just thinking about how he said that he'll help us out during the merge," Kane said. "That's my main thing. If he's willing to do that, then I wanna keep him around for a bit longer."

"Kane, seriously? You wanna vote out Tonya instead of Zahku?" Jessica deadpanned.

"I'm not saying that you girls have to. That's just how I'm thinking," Kane explained. "I'd rather have someone help me out later. That's all."

The girls exchanged looks, actually contemplating changing their minds after Kane's final statement. Jessica was still dead set on Zahku, though what she heard made a bit of sense. Sasha, on the other hand, was unsure.

000

"I don't know what I'm gonna vote tonight," Sasha stated. "Zahku makes the most sense, but if he's offering to help us, then it makes sense to keep him."

"I'm just… I'm so confused," she said.

000

The Red Team arrived at the elimination ceremony later that night, taking their seats on the benches. Looks of genuine unease were cast on everyone's faces, as conflicting voting ideas made things very difficult.

Mew and Victini arrived at the ceremony after a while. This time, Victini was the one with the chips, only this time he was carrying them inside of a box, making things easier. Mew clasped his hands together, greeting them. "Well, welcome to you guys' second elimination ceremony in a row."

Mew continued, "We're not gonna waste any time. Six is about to turn into five, so let's just jump right to the vote. You all know the drill by now, if your name is called, you get chips and you're safe."

Zahku looked to Kane, who didn't return to gaze.

"First up… Jessica," Mew said, with Victini throwing her a bag of chips.

Jessica already knew that she was safe, but she still smiled anyway as she stopped her bag in mid-air with kinesis.

The New Species Pokémon continued. "Max and Sasha, you two are safe as well. No votes," he stated as Victini tossed their bags to them. Max caught his with his tail, while Sasha simply reached out to catch hers. She looked toward the others with a worried expression.

"Kane, Tonya, Zahku, unlike these three… all three of you received votes," Mew revealed, causing both Kane's and Tonya's eyes to widen.

"W-What?!" the Ursaring inquired, stunned by the revelation. "Why did I get votes?!"

"Yeah! Same here!" Tonya exclaimed.

Victini chuckled to himself before commenting, "It seems like some of your teammates are thinking long-term for a change."

Kane gulped. Had they changed their minds because of his idea? They couldn't have, right?

"But, luckily for you, it wasn't enough," Mew stated. "You're safe."

As Kane caught his chip bag, he let out a sigh of relief. Tonya scoffed. "Come on! I got more votes than Kane?"

"Well, Tonya, Zahku… one of you is going home tonight," Mew began. "Now, I know that we said that we weren't gonna waste any time, but this is very interesting."

"So," the pink feline began. "From our understanding, you two hooked up during Honey's elimination ceremony, but after that, Zahku wanted no real part of you. What happened there?"

Tonya sighed, not wanting to have to explain again. "Well, Zahku and I were talking and getting to know each other a bit more, and I grew more and more interested in him. He had talked about some kind of training regime that he has in place that sometimes includes hooking up with larger Pokémon to help with his overall stamina and endurance. I suggested that he try it with me and… we did it."

"Okay… that's a bit weird, but I guess it's alright," Mew stated. "Zahku? What's your take? Why do you all of a sudden not like Tonya?"

"Zahku is fine with fast snail lady as friend," the Makuhita emphasized. "He no ready for relationship; just want strength. Constant advance and closeness make Zahku uncomfortable, so Zahku try to distance himself when not in challenge."

"Oh…" Tonya responded upon hearing that, looking down. She didn't realize that she was partially pushing the Makuhita away or annoying him with her actions toward him."Um… sorry I was making you uncomfortable. And… to be fair, it is my fault that I'm a bit hung up on him. I was the one who suggested that we do it, I fell for him, and… he's not interested. Nothing I can do about that."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm sorry, but I still don't buy that," Jessica spoke up. "Tonya, you don't need to apologize. Zahku has seriously been treating you perfectly fine. He kissed you in front of Groudon, he carried you bridal-style in the mountain, and he literally said your name in the kitchen during the last challenge, from what I heard. I don't really see how you're annoying him at all."

"Zahku distance himself when not in challenge," he repeated. "Kiss was for big red man, carrying was to get out of pit, and it random. Zahku can say name if Zahku want."

"Uh… this is just my two cents," Max chimed in. "Zahku probably likes Tonya, but like he said, he's focusing on his strength. So, while he doesn't mind the affection, he doesn't necessarily care for it. Also, I've barely seen them interact outside of challenges, so Zahku may have a bit of a point in that regard."

"Okay… and with that, let's just get to this final vote," Mew stated. "The one going home is…

…

…

…

…

…

...Tonya."

The Accelgor's eyes widened, as she turned to the others in shock. "Why did you guys vote for me?! What happened to sticking together in the merge?"

Kane sighed, "Sorry Tonya, but… Zahku asked me and he had some good points and… I shared those points with the others. No hard feelings."

Tonya turned to Zahku, shocked to learn that he was the cause of her elimination. "Zahku… you…"

Zahku let out a sigh. "Zahku sorry, but bug lady is gonna be distraction," he mumbled to himself.

Tonya looked down, but felt a peck on her cheek a few moments later, courtesy of Zahku. And, although he didn't reciprocate her feelings completely, she smiled a bit in response.

"Well Tonya, it's time to go," Mew said as the Lapras arrived on the shore.

The Accelgor nodded before heading to the Transport Pokémon. As she did this, the others waved, with Zahku taking a deep breath. The Lapras began to swim away, with Tonya waving back at the others.

"Alright, that's it, head on back to camp," Victini instructed.

The members of the Red Team did as they were told, but a look of genuine disappointment was glued on Jessica's face.

"Well, that was another surprising elimination," Mew commented, turning to the camera. "Tonya is gone and what have we learned here today?"

"Zahku needs a lot more experience with women than just sex," Victini laughed. "You can't tell a girl that you don't want a relationship, and act like a boyfriend at certain times. That just confuses everybody."

"Yep," Mew chuckled. "And now we're down to nine players. I wonder when that merge'll happen…"

"Will we have a tiebreaker in the votes? Will Max get his first girlfriend? Will Zahku ever get eliminated already? Find out next time on our island challenge!" Victini concluded.

000

"Hopefully the rest of the team sticks to the plan," Jessica stated. "I'm voting Zahku."

000

"Well, the merge has to happen soon, I'd rather have Zahku on my side than Tonya. Sorry," Kane stated.

000

"Kane told me to vote for Tonya because she may flip when the merge comes and because Zahku said that he'll help us in challenges later on in the game," Max stated. "I don't know why he's believing Zahku's word over Tonya's… but I'm not falling for it. Zahku needs to go."

000

"I'll just vote for Tonya with Kane," Sasha stated. "Hope she doesn't get mad."

000

"I'm voting for Kane," Tonya stated. "He's a much bigger threat."

000

"Zahku like Tonya," the Makuhita admitted. "She nice, she intrigued, she good in bed... but, Zahku only focusing on strength in game, and she make him feel weird. And, there chance that females outnumber males, so Zahku vote for her. Still like her."

000

Votes:

Tonya - 3 votes (Kane, Sasha, Zahku)

Zahku - 2 votes (Jessica, Max)

Kane - 1 vote (Tonya)

000

Teams:

Red Team - (Jessica, Kane, Max, Sasha, Zahku)

Blue Team - (Art, Belladonna, Dade, Portia)

000

Elimination Order:

20th - Kay Yarbrough (The Elitist)

19th - Xavier Steele (The Wannabe SQUIP)

18th - Marley Banner (The Pranking Prodigy)

17th - Lawrence "Lucky" Addams (The Unlucky Charm)

16th - Lynn Jamison (The Calm Leader)

15th - Christopher "Chip" Torwood (The Buff Brain)

14th - Christine Reynolds (The Composed Musician)

13th - Richard "R.J." James Mitchell (The Flustered Hothead)

12th - Honey Winchester (The Royal Pain)

11th - Timothy "Tim" Lester (The Affable Introvert)

10th - Tonya Newman (The Inquisitive Speedster)