Total Pokemon: Underdogs

by Dark Arcanine 33

Oh god, they're back AGAIN! This time, 44 Total Pokemon underdogs have been brought back for a chance at 5 MILLION POKE! What will happen this time? Find out here! (Season 6)

21. Burst Your Bubble

Announcer: Last time on Total Pokemon Underdogs, the contestants had to load their pipes and sing their hearts out. Annie began feeling a bit bad about how she acted, but continued to make good advice that was quickly ignored. Hex revealed that his parents planned the sexual encounter that made him and Aspen siblings and asked Morgan to bond with and help her out. In the main challenge, five players from each team had to choose or write a song to perform in front of the hosts. There were many really good performances from the likes of Lassie and Ashton, and not-so great performances from Carson or Fez. It all ended with an amazing performance from Kojo, which was combined with a marriage proposal to Summer. At the end of the day, Annie was the one eliminated due to her annoying tendencies and uselessness.

What will happen today? Find out right now on Total… Pokemon… Underdogs!

000

*Intro plays*

000

Cramad woke up in her Loser Cabin bed. At the party last night, she ended up taking a few Jell-O shots and ended up feeling a bit woozy and sick. Titan insisted that she go back to the cabin and get some rest, and eventually she did.

Her head was pounding from the alcohol she had consumed. With a groan, she stood up on her mattress and noticed that nobody else was inside. She rose a brow in confusion, initially. However, given the depiction of party aftermaths in movies and television shows that she'd seen, she had an idea of where everyone was.

Heading to the door, she pushed it open and saw that it was still a bit dark outside. She rose a brow, "Huh, it must be early."

She exited the cabin, only to see Titan sprawled out at the door in front of the boy's side. She could only shake her head in amusement. She walked up to him and started poking him in order to wake him up. Given that he didn't budge, Cramad sighed, "Well, he's hammered. That's great…"

She started walking toward the gazebo, expecting to see a lot of her fellow competitors passed out and randomly lying around. Her expectations were well grounded, as what she expected was actually the case. A number of her teammates were sound asleep either on or around the party site. The lights were dim, the tables were turned, some balloons were deflating, and there was still a fair amount of food left over on the tables.

She groaned to herself, "Yep." Looking around, she noticed that none of the Lugias were around. Summer wasn't there either, nor was Klavier. She rolled her eyes in slight annoyance as she thought about the cause of the party: Summer and Kojo's engagement.

The Parasect was happy for them just as much as everyone else, but what Annie said held true. They were moving too fast for their own good. And the favoritism on the team, as well as in the competition in general, needed to stop. She wasn't one to shove her ideals down her throat, as she started this show lacking any real ideals of her own. But, she knew that she was going to have to talk to the self-proclaimed leaders of the team and try not to get on their nerves.

However, seeing that everyone was pretty much buzzed and unconscious, she knew that she'd have to wait a while before she was able to really talk to anyone. She looked up at the sky as the cool breeze of the early morning jostled the leaves. She yawned as she looked around, seeing that the breeze was bothering a few of her teammates. There was nothing that she could do about it, as a fair amount of them were too big to carry or drag back.

She decided to just leave them be for the time being and head back to bed. Going back to the cabin, she eyed Titan's unconscious form. She was tempted to leave him out there for fun, but given that he was already so close, she decided to drag him inside of the girls' side of the cabin.

000

The newly engaged couple had been talking non-stop since the party ended and everyone just dropped. There were in their usual room, and strangely enough, they weren't talking about any wedding plans or anything of that nature. Instead, they were just staring at the ceiling, talking about their current situation.

"Well, I'd be an idiot if I didn't think that the proposal was a bit sudden," Summer stated. "It's only been about two months of this show. I mean, I know that I love you and I want to be with you. But… My mom also told me that marriage is sacred and you can't just throw yourself into it."

"I told Phill and Klavier that I wanted to wait a few more months," Kojo explained, still staring at the ceiling. "I wanted to officially dump Floatzelle, face the obligatory backlash that I'll get from it, and just spend a lot more time with you outside of the game. Then, if we were still holding strong, I'd pop the question."

"And Phill told you to just do it anyway, right?" Summer giggled.

The Mienshao chuckled in response, "Yeah, you got it."

"Well… We can still wait for that," Summer replied, grabbing hold of his hand with a yawn. "We can spend more time together before anything serious really happens."

"If you wanted to, you could have said no. I wouldn't have minded and my original plan would have be set in stone," he responded with a chuckle.

"Well," Summer began, rolling over onto him. "You're stuck with me now, because I'm not taking it back unless we have a huge argument or you cheat on me."

"Well, technically I'm already cheating with you, so that'd mean I'd have to have a side chick for my side chick. Well, fiancee…"

The Typhlosion over him smacked his chest before pressing a finger against it. "And for the record, if I found out about that side chick, I'd kill her since I can't kill you."

"But then you'd go to prison…"

"I can't die, either, so I'd just keep kicking those bitches' asses until my time was up," Summer explained playfully as she yawned again.

Kojo chuckled, "Is someone tired?"

"Well, we've been talking all night. What do you think?" Summer asked as she adjusted herself and lied on him.

Kojo smiled as she nuzzled under his neck. He was so happy that she was understanding and fine with waiting as long as they needed. He kissed her forehead, "I love you…"

"I love you, too," Summer yawned before finally closing her eyes and resting.

The Mienshao rolled onto his side, holding onto her, before drifting off to sleep himself.

000

Hours passed. The sun slowly rose over the horizon and shined down on the island. The cool breeze that was gusting earlier in the day was replaced with blistering heat.

Feeling sunlight beam down on her face, Aspen shuffled a bit in her sleep, flipping over so that it didn't irritate her. She felt breathing against her face upon turning around and finally opened her eyes to see Aura's sleeping form. She looked around slowly, attempting to register everything around her.

She was still a bit groggy and her head was pounding. As she slowly stood up, she felt the heat hit her like a truck. She groaned, "What the heck? Why is it so hot?"

She began gaining a bit of understanding of her surroundings. She was still standing in the gazebo next to the tables. She was still under the shaded part of the gazebo, but she felt the heat.

She saw that a lot of her teammates were either still asleep or in a daze. She heard her stomach start gurgling and shuddered a bit. She leaned down to nuzzle Aura awake. After a while, Aura groaned and came to, sitting up while rubbing her eye.

The heat she felt made her feel a bit woozy as she almost collapsed on the concrete. Aspen helped her up, seeing that she was about to fall over. "Aura, are you okay?"

The Glaceon moaned before weakly responding, "No, I don't feel too great…"

"Come on. Let's get to the washrooms," the Poodle Pokemon insisted. "I don't feel that great, either."

Aura suddenly gagged. "I-I need a bathroom…"

Aspen nodded as she started walking away from the gazebo, passing by the still sleeping forms of the likes of Phill and Fez. The two of them seemed to be the only two that were still completely knocked out, which made sense since Phill at the most out of everyone and Fez got drunk and then got his block knocked off by Lassie for trying to kiss her.

-000-

The two girls made it to the outside of the washrooms, but Aura was unable to hold herself and rushed to some nearby bushes. She retched violently, making Aspen flinch as she did so. After a while, spitting sounds were heard and Aura returned, trembling a bit before collapsing on the ground.

Gasping in concern, Aspen rushed up and nudged her, "Aura, come on."

The Glaceon could only groan softly in response. The poodle, despite feeling a bit uneasy and sick, herself, helped her friend onto her back.

Marie was already inside of the washroom, bathing. She briefly paused, holding her head with one hand, while her other hand was against the wall of the washroom. The cold water rained down on her face as she panted softly. She could vaguely remember what happened last night. The only thing she remembered was waking up on top of Anthony and having a very strong feeling that something happened between the two of them.

She was unsure, but she decided to just accept it if it did happen. The only thing she was really worried about was whether or not she was gonna end up pregnant. She sighed to herself before hearing the door creak open and seeing Aspen enter with Aura on her back.

The Feraligatr rose a brow, "I see you guys are finally up. What happened?"

Aspen sighed as she lied Aura down in a shower compartment. "Hangovers… And this heatwave is just making everything worse. Aura puked and passed out."

Marie nodded, "Well, just… Get her under some cold or lukewarm water; it'll wake her up a bit. I was a bit groggy earlier too."

Aspen nodded in response as she reached up to turn on the water. The water rained down upon the both of them, causing a bit of shock for Aspen at the sudden feeling. She shuddered and closed her eyes as she started relaxing and letting the water rain down normally.

Some of the water washed over Aura, who slowly began to sit up due to the water. She groaned, holding her head before looking around. She vision was a bit blurry initially, but she got readjusted and saw that Aspen was just sitting under the showerhead, allowing the water to cleanse her.

Understanding her and knowing what she was doing, Aura joined alongside her, allowing the cold water to wash over her as well.

000

"Arceus, my head is still pounding from last night…" Aura groaned. "I hope they don't give us a challenge today… I'm sure that everyone would still be pretty hungover."

000

Mew groggily got up, holding his head. He saw that he was lying on a couch in the living room of the Hall of Origins, which was very messy. There were pizza boxes, ribbons, confetti, pie pans, and an overall sweet scent in the air.

While they decided to throw a party for the contestants celebrating Summer and Kojo's engagement, back at the hall, Entei and Lunala decided to throw a party for Solgaleo to try and lift his spirits. However, while all of the other legends had a great time, the lion's demeanor didn't change.

"Fuck me…" he groaned as he floated off of the couch. He wasn't really drunk, as psychic-types couldn't really get drunk or feel the effects of drugs, he just had a major headache from all of the food, loud music, and movements that he felt.

He looked at the clock beside him and saw that it was nearing noon. He was unsure about whether or not he should even do a challenge due to his grogginess and Virizion and Xerneas' possible drunkenness. He wasn't entirely sure how the contestants were doing, either. But, then he realized that the faster they get these challenges done, the sooner he'd be free.

He decided to go see how Virizion and Xerneas were doing and, knowing them, went to Cobalion's room. On his way to the 'wall of doors' he saw Raikou and Suicune sleeping in the kitchen, Tapu Koko and Tapu Bulu lying under an overturned table, the Regis lying in holes in the wall, and Keldeo hanging from a light fixture.

He just shook his head at them as he floated up to the room of the Iron Will Pokemon. He knocked on the door and waited for a moment, but got no response. He pressed a button to open the door a bit so that he could see what was going on. Upon going in, he immediately twitched at the sight of the two sleeping girls, as well as Cobalion.

He floated back out of the room before slamming the door. He did so to hopefully wake them up. He heard groaning and shuffling from inside and rolled his eyes. "XERNEAS! VIRIZION!"

He got a groan in response. It took a few more seconds for one of the girls to respond. "Yeah?" Xerneas groaned from inside.

Mew continued, "We've got a challenge to host. C'mon, we've all gotta get cleaned up."

It was Virizion's turn to speak, "Do we have to do a challenge today?"

Mew deadpanned, "Hey, the sooner we finish the show, the sooner we'll be able to just chill here again. Now come on..."

He decided to go ahead and float to the showers on his own.

000

"Arceus, I'm glad that I settled on just having a bit of wine," Morgan groaned as she stretched in her bed. A chill went up her spine, however, as the entire cabin had a significantly lower temperature then usual. "Why is it so cold in here?" she shivered.

Shine offered an explanation, "It's 97 degrees outside, so I turned on the air conditioning in here. I'm just hoping that they don't expect us to still participate in a challenge after most of you ended up getting very drunk."

Ace, who was still halfway covered up with his bed's blanket, spoke up, "Yeah. I'm glad that I didn't drink anything. Seeing how some of you all acted really scared me."

"Well, I barely remember what happened," Sola replied, rubbing her eyes. "But, what exactly scared you?"

"Well, some of the activities of last night included, but are not limited to: Aspen and Aura making out for a good ten seconds, Taylor and Connor having sex again, Anthony and Marie going somewhere private in the woods to likely have sex, Phill eating a majority of everything and acting erratically, Fez trying to kiss Lassie and getting knocked out by her, Sally trying to pole dance, and Sola, you almost made out with me, but I stopped you…"

The girls stared in shock upon hearing that. Even Morgan didn't remember seeing all of that happen!

Seeing their looks of disbelief, Shine continued, "Yeah, so I just teleported us all back here before things escalated further."

"Good call," Sally stated. "What the hell was I even gonna do on a pole?! I don't know any stripper tricks!"

"But, you could learn," Sola corrected, giving her a sultry smirk.

Sally gave her a look in response, "Don't. Just don't."

Morgan sighed, "Well, let's ignore that and talk about the results of yesterday's challenge. All I have to say is… We did almost incredible."

"Yeah, I have to agree," Shine chimed in. "Ashton really surprised me…"

Ace nodded, "I think she surprised everyone. She got the second highest score if I remember correctly…"

"You'd be right," Shine responded. "If she keeps this up, we may have another valuable teammate after all."

"And speaking of value…" Sola started, "Anyone else think that Carson has overstayed his welcome at this point?"

Sally nodded, "Oh, there's no question about that. He hasn't proven himself useful in the slightest besides when we used him for Sunny Day in the snow challenge. And even after that, he's failed or done poorly in challenges that he has tried to be helpful with."

Morgan stated matter-of-factly, "Amethyst is trying to shove herself and her friends down our throats so that we don't vote for them, and Connor and Taylor are apparently going to help them and hurt them at the same time. So, we're in a bit of trouble if we lose more challenges."

"Well, not necessarily," Ace corrected. "There's twelve of us left. And with six of them trying to go for one of us, all we have to do is get Kojo on our side and we're golden."

"Except Kojo is close with Holly, who is dating one of his friends," Shine explained. "Unless we put up a convincing argument, I feel like he's not going to help us…"

The Persian shrugged, "We'll never know unless we try. And until we lose another challenge, we shouldn't really worry about it."

She started getting out of bed, the cold causing her to shiver. "I'm gonna make some breakfast…"

As she left the room, the others began to exit as well. "I think I'd rather just have a cup of coffee," Sola commented as she followed them all to the front of the cabin."

000

Klavier and Holly were lying in a bed together. It wasn't in a very intimate fashion as, despite pushing two of the beds together, they remained separate. Klavier was very worried about sending the wrong message and upsetting her. He didn't want that, especially after their loving moment in the previous challenge.

The couple wasn't alone in the room, as Amethyst, Ashton, and Carson were all still pretty much sound asleep. The couple was awake at the moment, with Klavier staring at the ceiling and Holly preparing to leave the bed. Seeing his distant expression as he stared at the ceiling's wood, Holly grew a bit concerned.

"Klavie, are you okay?" Holly asked, holding a wing on his forehead.

The Gliscor breathed out silently, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just… Thinking a bit. That's all."

"Thinking about what?" the Swoobat inquired.

Klavier continued to stare at the ceiling before turning to her and then looking back up at the ceiling. "Just… You and me… I never want you to feel uncomfortable with me, so I'm just… Keeping my distance, I suppose."

Holly giggled at this, "Klavier, you don't have to worry about that. You don't make me uncomfortable."

"I just don't know…" Klavier expressed with a sigh. "I feel like I'm pressuring you."

"Pressuring me to what? Be with you? Like you?"

Klavier didn't respond, but his frown gave Holly his answer. She scooted closer to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. "You don't have to feel that way. You're not pressuring me to do anything."

Klavier sighed as Holly hugged him.

000

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Klavier explained. "I'm happy that we're dating and that she's accepting, but I just… Can't help but feel insignificant. Even after yesterday!"

He sighed, "Well, hopefully the feeling goes away."

000

Anthony walked out of the guys' side of the washrooms before leaning against the doorway, holding his head. "Mother of Arceus, what was last night?"

After a while, he heard someone exit the girls' side. He saw that it was Marie and, upon her exiting, the two locked eyes, faint blushes appearing on their faces. The Blastoise cleared his throat as he approached the Feraligatr, "Hey."

Marie took a while to respond, "Hi…"

Anthony sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Uh… Do you happen to remember anything that happened last night?"

Marie opened her mouth to respond, but found it difficult to do so as she was still unsure. She didn't feel anything inside of her, but then again, he might have pulled out. "We may or may not have had sex," she explained.

Anthony blinked in response, afraid that that was the case. He sighed before sitting down against the wall, holding his head. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me…"

Marie rose a brow at this reaction. She briefly thought that he'd be impressed that they were able to get that drunk and not remember it and the fact that they possibly had sex. However, the conversation about protection they had a while back flashed back in her mind and she understood his concerns.

She sat down next to him, "Well, I don't know if you pulled out or not, nor if it actually happened. And if I do get pregnant… We'll just have to be responsible."

Anthony turned to her before sighing. "Yeah, I guess. And don't worry, as confused as I'll be, I won't be a deadbeat if you're pregnant…"

Marie smiled upon hearing that. Most guys would've been immature and told her to get an abortion or that they weren't going to help her. If she had to be honest, given the Blastoise's personality, she thought that he'd just fall into that same boat and they'd end up having an argument. She was glad that her assumption was incorrect.

She immediately grabbed him and kissed him. This came to a surprise to the Blastoise, but he accepted it. She pulled away after a while, staring at him lovingly. Anthony returned the sentiment, wrapping an arm around her to pull her closer. He kissed her cheek and rubbed her arm.

000

Marie was blushing, something that wasn't really common for her. She exhaled, "We don't even know if we really had sex, but he's actually saying that he'll be there if I turn out pregnant.."

"Didn't really expect him to take it that seriously," Marie continued. "Our relationship was never anything major. We just distracted ourselves with each other for a while and just let things take their course since then."

"I think we should just wait a while until I can get a test or I start to feel weird to actually start panicking or worrying," she explained. "Sometimes unprotected sex still doesn't get a girl pregnant. Or, like I said before, maybe he pulled out. Neither of us really remember much. But, I'm just glad that he'll be willing to stay and help out if we are."

000

"Come on you two…" Mew stated as he waited outside of the legendaries' washroom.

After a few minutes, the girls exited the washrooms, still a bit wet from their showers. They held rather annoyed expressions, as they felt that a free day would be acceptable.

Mew, noticing their annoyed expressions, rolled his eyes. "Come on, like I said, the faster we finish this show, the faster you two can do whatever you want with Cobalion again. Granted, you girls have been all over him ever since both of you decided to share him and it'd be in your best interest to show more personality than that."

Virizion rose a brow as she looked at Xerneas, who was just as confused and a bit offended, "And what does that mean?"

"The fact that most people who watch the show see you two more as sex icons than actual hostesses is a bit annoying to me," Mew explained. "Hell, even some ladies who watch the show call you two 'stereotypical girly girls who were only in the show for sex appeal'. And while I know that they're idiots, I can see their points at times."

"But we barely even mention Cobalion while we're doing our jobs!" Xerneas argued.

"I think it's the fact that you two are always around him here, the fact that you two kissed on the island when you first got there, and those tight outfits you wore during the last challenge," Mew explained.

Virizion huffed, "Well fuck everyone who thinks that way. We're not gonna change for the vocal minority. Let's just go host this next challenge…"

"Glad to see that it put some pep in you guys' step," Mew said, admiring their new confidence.

The girls gave the feline a look of unamusement, leading him to clear his throat, "L-Let's get to the island…"

000

"So… You're proposing a voting pact?" Lassie queried as she, Marion, and Cramad conversed in the girls' side of the Loser Cabin.

After the two of them woke up, Cramad decided to explain what Annie was talking about, albeit in a more civilized manner.

"In a sense, yes," Cramad replied. "Even though she explained it rather horridly, Annie was right about the favoritism on the team. But, it's also been going on for a majority of the time on the show."

"Seriously, what favoritism?" Lassie queried. "This is a competition. We pick and choose who we want to eliminate based on whether someone is useful or if we actually like them or not."

Cramad sighed."No, that's actually common sense. I mean that they decide to keep certain people here despite them being completely useless, too. And there's the fact that a good amount of people who've competed on the show are put on a high pedestal and can do no wrong."

Marion looked to Lassie, who held her head. "Uh, Cramad, why try bringing all of this up now? You saw how it went with Annie."

"Because, Annie helped me understand how the show and how we all work a bit better, " she explained. "I understand that we all have friends that we want to keep in longer than others, but if they're just as useless as you're making other people out to be, that's just completely unacceptable."

Lassie rose a hand to stop her, "Okay. Again, this is a competition. People will do whatever they want and join forces with whoever they want in order to make it further in the game. Now, I will agree with the 'getting mad at one person when another person is just as bad thing' being annoying and unfair, but that's how life works. It's like in school when a whole bunch of kids are talking, but the teacher only decides to call out one person despite everyone else being just as guilty."

"Ugh… I hated that," Marion groaned, folding her arms.

"Now, about this 'pedestal' thing, you mind elaborating on that?" Lassie queried.

Cramad took a breath, "Well, let's see. Lila is probably the most popular female on the show, yet she's literally castrated someone during the first season. Spike ended up gaining a following and a brand of needles named after him because of how he kept stabbing Flynn in the first season. Shade has literally committed murder, but still isn't it jail. Nate has a dark side that wants to rape and kill whoever is in his way, but he isn't in an insane asylum. Essentially, all of the people who are seen as 'awesome', 'badass', or 'nice' and are popular do fucked up things and nobody bats an eye. And if someone does say something, they're an asshole."

"And… Annie told you all of this?" Lassie queried, raising a brow. "Does she really care that much about what we do and how popular we all are? Jeez..."

"And that leads to this. I'm telling you guys this now, but when Annie tried to call out the favoritism and the fact that Summer spends more time with Kojo, she got voted out," Cramad continued.

"Uh… No," Lassie replied. "Annie got voted out because she was useless and annoying. She kept trying to blame other people and tell us how-"

Cramad gave her a look, making the Froslass pause, as she understood what she was getting at.

"Annie made good points. Aura, Aspen, Klavier, Phill, and Fez are pretty much useless, too. Yet she gets targeted for… What? Telling them the harsh truth? Now, I admit that she could have just said it in a non-confrontational manner, but her points still stand."

"Except the fact that Lila was going to be sexually assaulted, Flynn almost let Spike hurt himself as a baby, Shade has had mental and physical trauma, and Nate didn't want to nor does he want anything to do with that dark side of his. He's actually tried fighting it off on numerous occasions," Marion explained.

"That doesn't excuse it," Cramad shrugged. "And I'm not trying to sound apathetic or anything, but there are ways that things could've been handled differently. Lila could have just called for help, Shade and Shine could have stepped in and told Spike to stop and severed all ties with him, Shade should've gone to therapy or a mental institution, and the same goes for Nate."

"Look, Cramad, just get to your point. What do you want from us?"

"Well, I'm gonna talk to Anthony and Marie about the favoritism thing today. If they don't decide to do something about it, I say that we take out either Phill, Aura, or Aspen on our own," she explained.

Lassie shrugged, "Whatever. As long as I'm not the target."

Marion, however, was unsure. She, Titan, Annie all tried to eliminate her, so trusting her now was out of the picture. Though, the more the she thought about it, the wider her smile grew. "Um… Sure, I guess."

000

"Annie, Cramad, and Titan tried to vote me off, so I guess I can use this to get a bit of payback," Marion shrugged.

000

"CAMPERS! REPORT TO THE BEACH FOR YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE!"

"Ugh, they're seriously making us do a challenge in this heat?" Lassie expressed in discontent. "I was lucky enough to make it cold in here for us!"

"Well, hopefully the challenge deals with something else that's cold," Marion thought out loud.

The two of them began filing out of the cabin, with Cramad gazing at Titan's still sleeping form and letting out a sigh.

000

A majority of the campers made it to the beach, the heat beaming down on all of them made standing outside unbearable for the non-fire, ground, and water-types. Some of the players were still a bit grog and lead-footed from last night, as well ass annoyed that they were out in the heat.

"Well, we can see that some of you are still a bit tipsy and tired from last night, but the show must go on," Mew explained. "The faster we finish the show, the faster you guys are free."

"But how do you expect us to get anything done if some of us are still a bit out of it?" Marion queried.

"It's okay. We brought some Antidotes for you guys," Virizion explained as Xerneas dragged a cardboard box over. "These antidotes should set you guys' minds straight again."

"What about everyone else that's not here?" Holly queried.

There weren't many players that were absent. The only ones that really weren't there were Taylor, Connor, Fez, Phill, Kojo, and Summer.

Mew shrugged, "Eh, the rule that Victini placed still stands. You can skip out on challenges if you want, but if you miss more than two and your team happens to lose when you're absent, you're automatically out of the game."

"Wait, so is it too late to go back to bed?" Anthony started, making Marie elbow him.

"Anyways, take your Antidotes. We're not gonna tell you the challenge and risk you all not knowing what to do later on," Virizion said.

The players that knew that they were still a bit off all went toward the box of medicine in order to detox and set their minds straight. Once they did so, they returned to their places to receive their challenge. Some still felt rather tired, though.

"Okay, now that you all are back to your right state of mind, let's move on to the challenge," Mew started.

He gestured to the ocean, where numerous red balloons were seen floating, each of them attached to something. "As you can see, there are numerous balloons set up out in the ocean. Using those speedboats, you are required to pop those balloons until you find one with a key inside."

Carson interrupted, "Uh… W-What's the key for?"

"We were getting to that, Carson," Virizion responded, making the Bronze Bell Pokemon flinch. "Now, the key will be used to unlock one of your fellow campers, who will be locked in a box that will slowly fill with water."

Mew gestured to two transparent boxes sitting up side-to-side. The campers present all stared in awe and fright. This was a challenge that Victini would come up with!

"The team that finds the key and unlocks their teammate the fastest wins immunity. The losing team loses a player," Xerneas finished.

"So, this challenge may actually be short depending on how lucky you guys get," Virizion said with a smile.

"Nice," Ace commented with a smile.

"So, where are these speed boats that are apparently large enough to hold over ten people?" Aura asked sarcastically.

"They're located near the dock," Mew explained, gesturing to the dock. "However, before you guys do that, you need to decide who's going into the water box."

"What gave you guys the idea of a water box anyway?" Sally asked, still in disbelief about the contraption. "It feels like something that Victini would do."

"Well, you guys are immortal, so you can't necessarily drown," Mew explained. "So, this isn't something that you guys really need to worry about."

"So, get to choosing and you guys can start cruising," Virizion said.

"If you don't mind me asking, but is it necessary for everyone on our team to be on the boat?" Shine asked curiously. "It sounds more counterproductive and will likely slow us down."

"Oh, speaking of that, we forgot to mention something else about your speedboats," Xerneas started, turning to Virizion and Mew.

Virizion's eyes lit up, knowing what she was talking about. "Oh, right. In order to pop the balloons, your speedboats are equipped with a bean shooter. You must use the bean shooter to pop the balloons until you are able to get the key."

"Okay, now how is that going to work?!" Morgan asked, befuddled by the new rule for the challenge.

Mew decided to speak up, "Now, for your questions and concerns. Shine, as long as at least five to six of you are in the boat, you are fine. The rest of your teammates can stay on the beach with us."

The Espeon nodded in understanding. The New Species Pokemon then turned to the Persian. "As for how the bean shooter works, it is attached to the back of the speedboat and is already filled with beans. One of you simply has to mount it and fire when you're close to the balloons.

"Are we allowed to fire at the other team's boat?" Cramad queried.

"Yeeeee-ah," Mew strained, turning to the hostesses, who nodded in confirmation. Getting the go-ahead from the girls, he continued, "So, go ahead and decide who will be getting into the box, and who will be going out to sea for the challenge."

000

"Okay, so we're missing three of our players…" Marie recapped, bringing her hands together in annoyance. "But, the challenge must still go on."

"Can't we just go find them and wake them up so that they can participate?" Marion queried.

Marie shook her head, "No, no, I think we'll still be okay. We still have nine players. "

Hearing that, Cramad gave Lassie a look. The Parasect found it oddly coincidental that two of the three that were absent from the team were two that Annie expressed her distaste for. The Froslass rolled her eyes upon receiving the look.

"Well, if that's the case, I say that either you or Anthony get in the box. You guys are water-types anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue," Titan reasoned.

"Goes from being passed out drunk to actually making sense. Instant change," Aura giggled.

"Those Antidotes are a godsend," Titan replied simply.

Anthony and Marie exchanged looks. They were both perfectly fine with going in the box, but Anthony felt that he should do it just out of respect for Marie. "I've got it," the Blastoise said.

Marie smiled softly, nodded affirmatively. She turned back to the remaining players on the team. "Okay, we need a good driver and a good shot. Then the rest of us can just pile in as we please."

"Well, I'm not a good shot or a good driver, but I know I'm going out on the water. This heat is ridiculous!" Aspen stated as she lifted her paws repeatedly. "It even hurts to stand still in the sand for too long!"

"Uh… okay," Marie replied with a nod. "Now for the actual driving and shooting, we'll need people that have good, functioning appendages that can grip."

"In other words, myself, yourself, Aura, Marion, or Klavier. Even Summer or Phill if they end up waking up in time," Lassie replied.

"I still say that we should go get them," Aura replied. "We need as much help as we can get."

Anthony rose a brow, "We only need the shooter and driver and it can be done by anyone with actual, functioning appendages like Marie said. You guys will be fine."

"Uh… I can do the driving, I guess," Klavier shrugged.

"And… I volunteer Aura to the firing," Lassie stated, patting the shiny Glaceon on the back.

Said Glaceon gave her a look before responding, "Hey, why don't you go Ms. Cold Touch?"

"Because I participated in the last challenge and was the only one to even break twenty points," Lassie explained, her arms folded. "Meanwhile, you've been looking rather… Useless."

Aura scoffed, "We're all useless in some way, shape, or form. No use in even bringing that up. I don't even know why that's even still an insult or reasoning. But, if it gets you off my back… I'll happily man the bean shooter."

Lassie shrugged, "Whatever you say."

"Okay, and who's going to tag along other than Aspen?"

A light bulb immediately illuminated in Cramad's head, "Uh… I'll go with them!"

Marie nodded, "Okay, and we need one more person."

"I'll do it," Marion stated. "I've got nothing better to do…"

Marion had a feeling that Cramad was going to try and inform Aspen, Aura, and Klavier of the same thing she had told her and Lassie about. The Marionette Pokemon knew that once the challenge was over, she'd have to act fast and talk to them before they make their votes.

Marie smacked her lips, "Okay, good luck you guys. Just give it your all."

The five participants nodded in understanding as they began deliberating about what type of strategy they should use.

000

"Okay, we need to get Taylor, Kojo, and Connor out of the cabin," Sola stated sternly. "Taylor's the only water-type we have, so it shouldn't even bother him to be under."

"But didn't they say that we couldn't drown?" Carson reminded.

"Yes, but I feel like it's in our best interest to not risk even feeling like we're going to drown," Shine explained. "So, I'm gonna bring them here so that they can actually participate."

"We have the person going in the box, in that case," Morgan spoke up, while Shine's eyes glowed blue. "We need to determine who's going to handle firing the bean shooter and who's going to drive us around."

Amethyst decided to leave things alone this time around. She wasn't going to pressure her friends to participate anymore. Seeing Holly and Klavier's interaction in the previous challenge really ate at her and made her feel like a jerk for how she'd been acting.

"Hmm… Maybe I should do something," Ace suggested. "I haven't really been doing much for the team, to be honest."

"Sure Ace," Sola shrugged. The Absol giggled in her mind. She honestly hadn't done anything major either, yet she was still doing well in the game. That was going to change as time went on, of course, but it was still funny and interesting to think about.

"Okay, so would you drive or fire the weapon?" Holly queried.

Eventually, Taylor, Connor, and Kojo were all teleported to the beach, landing in the sand under the blistering heat. A collective groan was heard from the three guys, with Kojo being the one on the bottom.

"What the heck happened?" Connor groaned, lying on Kojo's stomach.

"Get up," Shine stated sternly. "We've got a challenge to do."

The Bouffalant, upon hearing that, groaned in annoyance. He shakily rose up, his head throbbing a bit. He ended up lifting up Taylor, who was still passed out with a dopey look on his face. The Milotic slipped off of his back, smacking his head on the sandy ground.

With a groan, Kojo slowly picked himself up as well. "Mother of Arceus…" he said, holding a paw against his head. He and Summer didn't really drink that much, knowing the possible outcomes, but he was still a bit drowsy since they stayed up late.

Sally walked toward the guys, holding three antidotes. She handed one to Kojo, while Connor's was unscrewed and placed into his mouth for him to drink.

"What's this for?" the Mienshao queried as Connor threw his head back to down the medicine.

"It's to get all of the alcohol out of your system so you can focus…" Morgan explained. "Now, come on. We know that you and Summer want some more 'special time', but this is just as important."

Kojo gave her a look, "What happened to my break?"

"Kojo-"

"It's okay, Morgan," Sally interrupted as she poured the Antidote down Taylor's throat. "We told him that he wouldn't have to play a major part in challenges for a while. I'll use the bean shooter."

Morgan huffed, "Well, then I guess Ace will be the one driving."

She glanced at Kojo vexedly, unappreciative of his lack of cooperation. Yes, they made a deal with him, but this was still a team effort. He still needed to participate. However, her look softened the more she thought about it. If she was in his shoes, she wouldn't want to do anything either. She decided to just let it go and move on.

"Okay, so we still need three people to go along for the boat ride," Amethyst reminded.

Sola shrugged, "I'll go. I'm not sure why more than two people are required, but it'll be good to be around the water instead of just the heat."

Holly shared the same sentiments as Sola, believing that being out in the water would be a relaxing experience, aside from the challenge portion, after all. "I'll go, too," the Swoobat chirped enthusiastically.

"Wait, what is the challenge anyway?" Connor queried, a bit annoyed that they weren't filled in or woken up earlier. "And if you guys already had things covered… Why bring us out?"

"We aren't going to let you guys ruin your chances," Shine replied. "You're actually of use to us, so getting yourself automatically eliminated from being absent isn't in our best interest."

"Wait… That thing Victini told the other team is still in effect?!" Connor replied in shock.

Ashton let out a sigh, "Apparently so…"

Connor groaned, "Great…"

"Taylor! Wake up, you've got a job to do," Amethyst stated, shaking him a bit. She only got a dopey giggle out of him as a response.

Amethyst sighed before turning to Connor. "Connor, your boyfriend isn't getting up."

The Bouffalant chuckled sheepishly, a blush on his face. "Well, uh… That's probably my fault. Last night was uh… Really intimate."

Sola gave him a look, "And by that, you mean you fucked his brains out…"

Connor blinked, "Yes…"

Upon hearing that, Shine groaned, "Well that's perfect…"

"Actually, it really is," Carson chimed in. "It means that he won't protest to anything since he's still contained in his… Afterglow, I think that's what it's called."

"I'm more surprised that you actually knew the context of that," Morgan stated. "But, you have a point. We can just stuff him into the box. However, we still need one or two more people to agree to go out to sea."

Amethyst shrugged, "I'll just go so we don't waste more time."

Morgan still didn't think she had much to offer, but she didn't really have any complaints, either. And then again, it was just a ride, not much to it. She sighed, "Fine."

"Okay, so we're all good?" Sola queried, looking around. Seeing that no one else was saying anything, she nodded to herself.

000

The contestants all turned their attention back to the hosts, coming back over. Seeing them, Xerneas cleared her throat, "Alright, we can see that you guys are done. So, who from each team is going into the water box?"

Anthony rose his hand, eliciting a nod from Mew. Virizion turned to the Lugias, seeing that a majority of them were looking at each other. She rose a brow, "Lugias? Have you chosen?"

Shine glanced over at Taylor, who was still unconscious, "Uh… Yes, but uh…"

"We choose Taylor, but Connor long-donged him last night, and he's still out of it," Sola explained. "Are we allowed to just shove him into the box?"

Mew held his head upon hearing that, while the girls blushed and exchanged looks before looking over to the still unconscious Milotic. Virizion sputtered, "U-Uh… I don't-I don't-"

Mew let out a sigh, growing annoyed at the explicitness he's been exposed to just in this one day, Usually, this was a bit more prominent with Victini. "Yes, he's still a part of your team, so feel free to do that."

"Okay, great," Morgan nodded.

The fairy-type Legendary spoke up, "And who's going out for the challenge?"

Aura, Aspen, Cramad, Marion, and Klavier stepped forward for the Ho-Ohs; Ace, Sally, Holly, Sola, and Amethyst stepped forward for the Lugias.

Nodding in approval, Xerneas started walking toward the dock, "Alright, the ten of you, come with me."

The ten participants followed the large doe toward the site of the season's eliminations. Watching her go, Virizion turned back to the remaining contestants. The hot sun continued beaming down as the challenge steps were taken.

Virizion maintained, "Alright, Anthony and Taylor, you guys need to get into the boxes."

Anthony acquiesced, as he walked toward the transparent boxes "Whatever. It's better than being out in the heat."

Morgan deadpanned, "Meanwhile, we have to literally drag-" She looked down, only to see that Taylor was no longer lying on the ground. Confused, she glanced over to the boxes saw that Taylor was being levitated by Carson and placed into the right box.

She blinked, "Huh. Guess we don't have to worry about him after all."

Anthony entered the box on the left side and closed the door, keeping him inside. Mew floated over with a couple of locks. He placed each of them on a door, locking them inside.

Anthony sighed to himself, folding his arms as he waited for the challenge to begin. He looked to his left and saw that Taylor was still unconscious. "Jeez, Bouffalant boy must have really done a number on him if he's still knocked out. Mother of Arceus, why did the image of the two of them screwing just pop into my head?"

-000-

Mew floated back over, dusting off his hands, "Okay. Now, the rest of you can just chill here until the challenge is over. One of you will have to act as the person who unlocks your teammate from the box."

Shine sighed deadpanned, "So we have to sit here in the horrid heat until the challenge is over?"

Virizion rose a brow before hinting, "Uh… You guys realize that there's still water on the beach, and the wind is kicking up a tad bit, right?"

Nobody replied, as they only exchanged glances.

"Are we allowed to leave at all?" Kojo queried, folding his arms with a huff.

Mew shook his head, "Nah, no one leaves until the challenge is done. However, we'll have Tyson and Colton provide some snacks."

He took out a walkie-talkie, preparing to call the couple down to the beach. As he did so, a familiar Typhlosion walked down to the beach, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. Summer ended up waking up after a while, having felt cold in the cabin and noticing that Kojo was no longer against her.

Figuring that he had just gone to the bathroom, she decided to walk around outside for a bit. She noticed that others were on the beach and walked toward the sandy area in order to check out the scene. However, she didn't know about the challenge, so she was pulled to the side by Marie.

"Summer, what took you so long?"

"What?" the Typhlosion queried in confusion before seeing Mew talking on a walkie-talkie, with Virizion next to him, listening on, annoyed. "Oh… Crap. Challenge time already."

"Yeah…" Lassie said flatly. "We understand that you just got engaged, but you've still gotta focus on the competition."

Summer gave her a knowing look, but decided not to respond to her. Instead, she turned back to Marie with a soft groan, "What's the challenge?"

Marie pointed out to sea, "Five of us have to go out to the ocean on a boat and pop balloons until we're able to find a key that unlocks Anthony." She pointed to the two boxes that Taylor and Anthony are in upon mentioning them.

Summer nodded, "And… Where are the others?"

"The challenge setup is already done," Titan explained.

Summer folded her arms, "Okay, so why are we still here? Other than the unlocking part?"

"No one can leave until the challenge is over," Morgan said, walking over, a few others in tow.

Upon hearing that news, Summer groaned in annoyance, "Great…"

"Well… At least we get snacks," Carson chimed in, attempting to lighten the mood.

Everyone, excluding Ashton, stared at him with unamused eyes. This caused him to sweatdrop and let out a sigh.

000

After articulating their goal with the challenge, Xerneas concluded, "Okay, you guys understand what your goal is, right?"

"So, just pop the balloons until we find the right key," Klavier recapped.

"And you guys actually put a key in almost every balloon to increase the difficulty," Aura followed with an unenthused expression.

"We can pick up multiple keys at a time, but we're allowed to drive back to shore and pass off keys to the others. And we're allowed to fire at each other in order to slow down progression and possibly make each other lose keys," Sola finished.

"In regards to that," Marion started. "What happens if we lose a key and it's the one that we need?"

The fairy-type cleared her throat, "If that happens, your extra teammates can swim down to retrieve it."

"Huh… So there actually was a purpose of having more than two people," Sally marveled.

"Yes," Xerneas responded with a nod. "Now, get into your boats and we can begin the challenge."

As the deer walked away, the ten players entered their self-proclaimed team boats. Doing so, a bit of banter was had between the participants.

"I see that you're having the cream-filled twink drive," Aura giggled. "Better hope those ribbons of his hold onto the wheel as tight as he holds onto my son's headboard."

Ace glowered at her, still holding a bit of resentment toward her despite her change. He knew that it was only a joke at that point, but he decided to get even. "And I see that you're manning the bean shooter. I guess we already win in that case. You can't make anything really shoot off to save your life."

Aura rolled her eyes, while Aspen decided to speak up, "At least we're not relying on the same people for nearly every challenge. How many times have Kojo and Sally been used since you're too scared to let anyone else do something?"

Sally scoffed, "Scared? Please. It's common sense. Kojo and I are the only ones that are able to stand on two legs for extended periods, and grab things with no issue."

"And yet Aura is grabbing onto the shooter triggers just fine," Marion countered, gesturing to the Glaceon, who was sitting while holding the controls to the large vulcan like weapon.

"Well, we'll see how well that decision serves you," Sola huffed.

-000-

Xerneas made it back to the others, leading to Mew taking out a megaphone and turning toward the dock. "Alright contestants! Remember, the first team to find the right key and unlock their teammate wins! In three... Two… One… GO!"

000

Immediately, both boats began speeding forward, with Klavier using his tail to hit the gas, and Ace using another one of his ribbons.

Almost instantly, the red bulbs that were on each bean shooter illuminated, signifying that they were activated. Aura smirked to herself, deciding to draw first blood by firing at the Lugias' boat. Numerous beans shot in rapid progression, striking the sides of the Lugias' boat, as well as a few of them.

Ace growled, turning the boat away from the Ho-Ohs in order to avoid more pelting from Aura. Seeing them heading in another direction, Aura smirked to herself.

Marion groaned, "Aura! You just wasted a ton of beans trying to fire at them!"

Aura shrugged in response, satisfied with what she'd done. "They said that we could fire at them, so I did."

"But that doesn't mean-"

Cramad suddenly interrupted, as she watched where Klavier was taking them,"Hey! We're approaching a buoy with a balloon on it, get ready to fire at it!"

Aura immediately aimed the weapon at the balloon, firing numerous rounds at it. The balloon burst, dropping a key on the top of the buoy. Klavier slowed down in order for one of the girls to grab it. Marion did the honors, procuring their first key before Klavier drove off.

The Banette cheered, "We got one!"

Aspen, despite being enthused, didn't want to cheer too early, "Don't celebrate too early, there are still a ton of balloons left and we don't even know if this is the right key."

"Hey guys, do we want to go back to shore and drop off this key?" Klavier queried as he drove toward another buoy.

Aspen demurred, "No way! We need to have more than just one. It saves us a lot of time and effort."

Klavier nodded in understanding before pulling up to the next buoy.

000

"That fucking bitch…" Ace grumbled to himself. "I hope she knows that bringing up my reaction to Chase just means that he's great at what he does. Fucking firing at us…"

The others, hearing the Sylveon grumbling, realized that they were actually moving off course. They had only procured two keys before they shifted direction.

"Uh, Ace! We're going off course!" Holly exclaimed.

Ace snapped out of his daze, as he began spitefully daydreaming himself being pleased by Chase while Aura had to watch.

"Oh crap!" he exclaimed as he realized that he had driven them far off course and away from the other balloons. He turned that wheel to the left in order to bring them back toward the challenge site.

Amethyst rose a brow at his behavior, "You feeling okay?"

Ace let out a sigh in response, "I guess I let what Aura said get under my skin. She always hated when Chase and I made out or had sex, so I guess hearing her joke about it now, like everything is okay, annoys me."

Sola nodded, "Ah, you don't believe that she's really changed."

Ace shook his head, "People don't really change. And I refuse to believe that a show as toxic as this can turn someone who was a bitch back to a decent person."

"I mean, Solis, Vile, Hope, and Carman all changed for the better," Sola responded. "Sure they're still the same extreme strategists, but as people, their attitudes and demeanors have really changed."

"Even Amy, Taylor and Connor have changed," Holly responded as the boat started slowing down a bit.

Sally, who was focusing on blasting balloons that they passed by, groaned. She had popped give balloons, but the conversation was distracting Ace from stopping the boat.

The Ampharos got their attention, "Guys! As interesting as that conversation probably is, we need to focus. I popped five balloons and Ace just drove right past them!"

"What?!" Ace exclaimed in shock, turning back to her. He immediately turned the wheel again, bumping into another buoy on the way.

Sally fired at the balloon on the buoy, popping it. Holly flew up to retrieve the key.

"Well, that's three keys," Amethyst realized. "We can go head back to shore."

Sally scoffed, "And risk the other team taking our keys? No way! We need to get those keys and then take them to shore."

Sola nodded, "That sounds good. Ace, turn back arou-"

Suddenly, numerous beans were fired in their direction as the Ho-Ohs drove by them, in the direction of one of the buoys they had passed by.

"No!" Sally exclaimed. "Ace, hurry!"

Realization suddenly hit Amethyst, "Wait, Holly can fly! She can get the keys and bring them back! They didn't say anything about flying being prohibited."

"You're right!" Sola concurred, turning to the Swoobat. "Hol-"

The Courting Pokemon already knew what to do, as she flew toward the other buoys. She was excited that she was actually doing something worthwhile for the team. She approached the nearest buoy, picking up one of the keys that was left there.

She noticed that the Ho-Oh's boat was circling back around, as Marion grabbed the keys that were left behind by Sally's popping. She was only able to procure one before noticing Aura pointing the bean shooter in her direction.

She gasped before swiftly flying back toward the Lugias' boat. She returned just as Ace pointed the boat in another direction. She landed with one key and groaned. "They got all of the other ones…"

"Shit, that's right, they have Marion…." Sally growled. "Ace! Head straight to shore."

"On it!" Ace acquiesced as he drove back to shore.

000

While they waited for their teammates out in the water to return, the contestants enjoyed ice cream, popsicles, and cold beverages, courtesy of Colton and Tyson. During that time, they also decided to converse with each other normally, as things were becoming much more calm around the island.

"Huh, well good to hear that you guys aren't trying to jump into things so quickly," Morgan purred as she bit into a Drumstick Cone. "It does take time. But, at least you guys have a plan."

"I just don't see why you agreed to get married if both of you knew that it wasn't the time," Shine chimed in, befuddled. "Relationships go through many trying times, so making this big of a commitment earlier on may lead to disaster."

"Shine, out of curiosity, how long did it take for Shade to ask you to marry him?" Lassie queried.

The Espeon rose a brow at the question, "A little over two years. Why?"

The Froslass nodded before asking another question, "And how were those trying times for you?"

The Sun Pokemon groaned silently to herself, "Is this going to go anywhere? All I'm saying is that it's strange to become engaged, but decide to hold off the actual marriage until you feel that enough time has passed."

"Hmm, to be fair, Shine has a point," Carson contributed.

"We've already discussed it," Kojo replied. "So, we're not really gonna talk about it further."

Marie shrugged, "Fair enough."

She noticed the boats approaching the shore and rose to her feet, hurrying toward the beach. Ashton did the same, not wanting to give the other team a head start.

The Lugias' boat arrived first. Sola immediately handed over the keys to Ashton as Ace immediately drove back out to sea. Ashton immediately rushed over to the boxes, while the Feraligatr impatiently tapped her foot.

Marie growled as their team's boat approached shortly after. However, this was fine, as she noticed that they had seven keys with them.

"Hey Marie. We got a bunch of keys for- Hey! I want ice cream!" Marion exclaimed, noticing the frozen delicacies being consumed by the others.

Marie took the keys from her, "You'll get some when the challenge is done."

Klavier turned the boat and started driving back out on the open water. Marie rushed toward the boxes, which she saw that the water inside of the boxes was just at Anthony's ankles. She looked to her right and saw that Ashton was on her last key already.

She started with her own first key. She inserted it into the lock, but it didn't turn, signifying that it didn't work. This happened for the three keys after, but as she saw Ashton retreating back to the others, a thought entered her head. She eyed the keys that Ashton used and picked them up before deciding to try them out herself. It wasn't against the rules, anyway.

"Huh. Nice thinking," Anthony commended, eliciting a small smile from the Feraligatr.

She fumbled a bit with the keys before trying the first new one. It didn't unlock it, so she moved on to the next ones. After using them all, she growled and threw them back down. "Fuck!"

"Hey, hey, hey. Remember, this is just water, babe," Anthony reminded her. "Even if we lose, we can just take out Cramad. She's pretty expendable anyway."

Marie sighed as she tried the remaining keys in her hands, "I get that, but I think that Fez would be the better choice. He's already not here and he's shown to be a bit weaker than most."

Anthony shrugged in agreement as Marie sighed and dropped the remaining keys, "Nothing."

Anthony smacked his lips, folding his arms, "Well, go and enjoy your ice cream and soda…"

Marie smirked at him, "Oh don't worry, I will…"

Anthony rolled his eyes as he watched his girlfriend head back toward the others. His eyes immediately went to her rump, and he sighed as he rested his head against the back of the box. He took a few steps in the box, with the water splashing around inside.

He couldn't help but think about what he and Marie spoke about earlier. The idea of having a child made him nervous. In fact, he figured that he'd never have to deal with this due to his personality. He was intelligent, but also very sarcastic and a smartass when he wanted to be. He didn't think that he'd be able to get this far into a relationship, or even have one in the first place, to consider this.

Looking at Marie as she sat with the others, he couldn't help but hold his chest momentarily, feeling his heart beating a bit faster. He let out a breath, "You're okay, Ant. Just keep yourself cool. She likes you, and you like her, and she may be pregnant. No pressure…"

A few seconds later, he twitched before resting his head on the front of the box, "Okay, no. Fuck that, there's a ton of pressure."

000

"WILL YOU STOP FIRING AT US, ALREADY!?" Sola shouted as both boats were side-by-side.

Sally didn't want to waste beans, while Aura didn't seem to have a problem with continuously firing at them. Soon enough, though, the bean shooter stopped firing, the red bulb blinking.

"What the-" the Glaceon started before banging on the weapon. This allowed the Lugias to escape the onslaught and carry on.

Their misfortune was immediately called out by the other team.

"Aww… Looks like you wasted all of your beans by being a bitch!" Amethyst teased as they headed away, with Sally popping another balloon.

Cramad groaned, "Damn it, Aura! You wasted all of our beans!"

Aura rolled her eyes, "There are more beans at the dock. Calm down."

"Aura, we're losing time now, calming down is not something that needs to happen right now," Marion responded flatly.

"Klavier, drive us back to the dock," Aspen directed. "We've gotta reload."

Klavier nodded and began turning the boat back toward the dock, with Aura watching in disappointment as the Lugias continued popping the balloons and retrieving keys.

Cramad just shook her head in annoyance, but realized that now was the right time to talk to them.

"Well, while were getting more beans, we should talk about what Annie meant last night," she brought up.

Immediately, Aura and Aspen glared at the Parasect, not wanting to hear what she was about to say.

"How about we don't and we just focus on the challenge," the Furfrou retorted, holding her agitated expression.

Expecting this response from them, Cramad explained, "I'm talking about the favoritism thing, calm down."

Aura groaned, "Cramad, we just got rid of one annoyance that kept trying to shove those ideas down our throats. We don't care. Nobody gives a flying fuck about whether or not-"

Klavier decided to chime in, albeit flatly, cutting off the Glaceon, "This is a competition. Things like that are going to happen whether you like it or not. Bringing this up to try to make a case isn't going to change anything. Everyone's morality and common sense becomes questionable when a big prize is on the line and there are numerous other contenders, so all this talk about uselessness and favoritism is pointless. So can we just stop talking about it completely? Please?"

Everyone stared at him in shock, not expecting that out of him.

"See, even Klavier is tired of hearing that bullshit!" Aspen followed up. "What does someone being useless have to do with you and why does it even need to be brought up?"

Cramad opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Aura, "It doesn't have to be, because it doesn't affect anyone pe-"

"QUIET!" Marion exclaimed, calming everyone down. "Jeez. This conversation is literally getting nowhere, so let's just drop it. This game has been going on for years and people have played it how they wanted to. This season is no exception. Favoritism, cheating, lying, targeting, all of that has happened ever since this game started, so just… End it."

Everyone remained silent as they eventually made it back to the dock. Marion picked up a bag of black beans before tossing it into the boat. She decided to take another one just in case Aura went crazy again.

000

"And… Key number four," Holly said as she retrieved the fourth key. "This is going great so far."

"I agree, but we can't be too confident. They could come back and destroy us completely," Sola replied. "Let's hope that one of these keys is it."

"Back to the shore?" Ace queried, looking back to them.

"Yep," Amethyst replied.

With a nod, Ace started driving them back toward the shore. On the way, a bit of conversation was had. "So, Amethyst, out of curiosity, have you ever let Sven get close?"

Amethyst immediately blushed before stuttering, "Uh, I-I-I prefer not to talk about my personal life in that fashion. Please…"

Sola nodded in understanding, "Okay. Sorry."

Sally decided to fire at another buoy with a balloon above it. Holly flew over to it and picked up the released key before flying back to the boat.

The Swoobat let out a breath, "Key number five."

"Nice work Holly. We're almost there," Sola responded as Ace drove them all closer to shore. Suddenly, they felt a bump, startling them.

Amethyst fretted, "Whoa, w-what the heck was that?"

"Probably just some rocks," Sally shrugged.

Another bump shook the boat, this time in a much more intense manner. Sola growled to herself before looking on the sides of the boat. She caught a glimpse of a blackish-blue fin as it surfaced and receded back into the water. She paled.

000

"SHARPEDO!? SERIOUSLY!?" Sola blustered.

000

Sally expressed her discontent, "Oh come on! They didn't even mention Sharpedo!"

The Ampharos brazenly stood up in the seat and fired a beam of yellow electricity at the sky. This created an electric cloud that rotated over the ocean. Numerous bolts of electricity fired down into the water, electrifying it.

Ace reached the shore, with Morgan and Shine being the ones to retrieve the keys this time. The participants turned to their hosts in anger.

"There's Sharpedo out there!" Amethyst protested.

Virizion and Xerneas immediately turned to Mew, who was confused as to why all eyes were on him all of a sudden. "What? I can't control nature!"

"Yes you can, you're a psychic-type!" Ace argued.

Mew blinked, "Guys, just because I'm much better than Victini doesn't mean that I'm gonna be able to completely keep you out of danger. Plus, I'm pretty sure you guys are strong enough to handle it. Sally's an electric-type and Ace is a fairy-type."

Unsatisfied with that response, the boat just went back out to open water. Mew groaned, "I hate my life…"

The girls looked at him sincerely before Xerneas spoke up, "Mew, you can't please everyone. Plus, how were you supposed to know that Sharpedo would be in the water?"

Mew shook his head, "That's not the point. They see me as some almighty savior compared to Victini, and that makes this even more difficult for me because now if there's any danger, they'll probably start comparing me to him like they practically did earlier."

"Aw, it'll be okay, hon," Virizion said, nuzzling him. "Just be glad that they prefer you overall."

Mew sighed in depression, "I guess."

The girls exchanged worried looks.

000

"I really hope that Mew starts feeling better," Xerneas started. "We don't need another Solgaleo situation."

000

Morgan and Shine returned to the group, as all five keys failed to open the lock.

"Arceus, I wish this challenge was over already," Titan groaned. "It's still hot and sitting on the sand isn't helping anything."

In response, a jet of water was blasted on him, soaking him from head to leg. He deadpanned, "Thanks for that…"

The perpetrator, Marie, shrugged, "What? You were complaining about the heat, so I cooled you off."

The Galvantula grumbled to himself as the girls giggled at his situation. Amidst the laughter, Ashton decided to break the ice and propose a question, "So, what're everyone's plans after this season?"

The contestants exchanged looks of unsurety and stayed silent for a while before Shine spoke up, "Well, that depends on how this season fares. If I end up winning, most of it is just going to bills and maybe a few vacations. But if not, nothing's really gonna change for me."

Morgan nodded in affirmation, "Same here, I suppose. With Hex's part-time job, and the royalty checks from the show, the money would go straight to bills, groceries, and the like. But, I wouldn't be bothered that much if it wasn't the case."

"I'd probably go back and visit Australia. Thought about it for a while, so I might as well act on it now that I've got the funds for it," Titan explained.

"Yeah, now that you bring it up, Titan… How are you here? There's no Australia in our world, as far as I know," Connor spoke.

This led to everyone staring at Titan for a bit. The EleSpider Pokemon sweatdropped, knowing that he'd have to explain himself. "Okay, here's the thing. I'm from Oblivia. Some of us there just call it Australia due to the fact that there's a bunch of legends, dangerous ruins, dangerous places around there in general, and once in a blue moon one of the legendaries would could down for a visit."

"Huh… I guess that makes sense," Carson replied. "Still kinda weird, though."

"Well, what about you, then?" Titan deflected.

Carson, being put on the spot, suddenly started stammering, "Uh, um, you, I, that… Uh… I don't know."

"It took you that long to come up with that?" Summer deadpanned.

Carson blushed, looking down in embarrassment. "Well what about the rest of you?" he countered, wanting eyes off of him.

"Dumping Floatzelle, hopefully keep my career afloat amidst the backlash I get, and just live my life normally with my girl," Kojo replied, lying his head in Summer's lap.

Sumner giggled, rubbing his head, "Yeah, we'll probably move in together somewhere down the line."

Marie huffed, rolling her eyes, "Obviously."

Summer gave her a look, "And what about you Mrs. Anthony? What are you and Anthony planning if you guys don't win?"

Marie shrugged, "Our relationship isn't really 100% right now, at most it's at 72% so we're probably gonna stay on steady terms for a while."

Shine rose a brow at this, as what she recalled last night proved differently. "Are you sure? I mean, you two snuck off last night to go into the woods. I would think that something happened that'd elevate that percentage."

Marie blinked, a blush appearing on her face. Maybe Shine knew whether or not something happened. "Everything's a blur," she replied. "Do you know if anything happened between us? Because, we're pretty confused."

Titan chortled, "Well, I did recall hearing some moaning from the woods, so you two probably did have some fun."

Marie twitched, turning back to Anthony, who was holding his head in thought. She took a breath, "Okay…"

She rose up, walking back toward the boxes, while the others exchanged looks of confusion. Marie approached the box, gazing solemnly at the Blastoise inside. Noticing her expression, he rose a brow.

"What's up, babe?" he asked.

Marie leaned against the box with a sigh. "Well, according to Titan, he heard some noises from the forest, so we more than likely had sex."

Anthony sighed, "Figured as much. But my point still stands; I'll be there if you need me to be."

Marie giggled, "Y'know, I'll be honest. You're the last person that I thought I'd be talking about this with. But, since we've been together… You've grown, and I'm actually looking forward to it, if the case is the same."

"Well, I'll be honest, too. I didn't think we'd even make it this far. But, we've grown accustomed to each other and I've come to admire you a lot more," Anthony admitted with a small smile.

Marie smiled back, with the two staring at each other lovingly for a while. Their loving expressions were cut off by another voice.

"What the hell is going on, here?!"

The couple turned to see that Taylor was now awake and realizing his situation. He turned to the two and growled, "Why the hell am I in a box?!"

"Oh, now you're awake," Anthony replied, folding his arms agitatedly at the fact that he ruined their moment.

"Answer me, dammit!"

Marie groaned, "We're doing a challenge. Your team has to pop balloons and find a key that'll unlock you. And since you were still unconscious from your fun time with Connor, your team decided to put you in."

Taylor twitched and began to sweat a bit as the water continued to rise, "I-I'm sorry, b-but can you please get Connor over here for me?"

Marie rose a brow, making Taylor growl, "NOW!"

"Alright, alright, jeez," the Feraligatr acquiesced as she started walking back to the others.

Anthony narrowed his eyes at the Milotic, "What the hell's your problem?"

"I'm not good with tight spaces, you fuck!" Taylor snapped. "I can't be in here! I-I just can't!."

"You're claustrophobic?" Anthony queried, raising a brow. "Didn't your team have to live in a cave and go down pits in your first season?"

Taylor twitched, beginning to tremble as the water continued to rise. "Do not remind me; I had to hold it together and try not to piss myself when we went down that fucking pit. And for your information, our cave was actually larger and wasn't completely enclosed!"

Anthony rolled his eyes as Connor approached the two. The Bouffalant had a sheepish look on his face, while Taylor was still trembling a bit. Noticing this, he grew concerned, "Whoa, what's the matter?"

The Blastoise decided to speak up, "Your boyfriend's claustrophobic, dude."

Connor paled immediately before turning to Taylor, "Shit… Fuck, babe. I'm sorry, I didn't know! We chose you for this because you're the only water-type and we thought that you'd be fine!"

Taylor only let out a whimper as he tried to move, and while he succeeded, he didn't go anywhere, as his body only coiled in the box.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out!" Connor affirmed as he rushed back to the others.

000

The Ho-Ohs were riding in silence as Aura continued popping the balloons. Marion retrieved each one and kept it on her. So far, they had six more keys and were approaching another balloon for their seventh one.

Just then, a bump rocked their boat, causing one of them to speak up.

"Anyone else feel that?" Aspen queried, looking around.

Cramad shrugged, "Yeah. It was probably a rock or something."

The idea of it just being a simple stone was a bit far-fetched, as they were nowhere near the land, but being as there wasn't any other real explanation, they went along with it. However, a few moments later, the real cause came to light.

"Uh… Well, I don't think that it was a rock earlier…" Klavier trailed off, staring fearfully out at the water.

"What makes you think that?" Aura queried before looking out as well and paling. "Wait, are those-"

"SHARPEDO!" Klavier exclaimed as the Brutal Pokemon began bumping into their boat. Jumping over and grinding it in an attempt to sink it.

"Fuck!" Aura exclaimed as she started attempting to fire at the Sharpedo. The beans didn't do anything to the shark-like Pokemon, In fact, it seemed to make them even angrier.

One of the Sharpedo took a large chomp out of the side of the boat, startling the girls as the boat began to sink.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Aspen exclaimed as their boat sank.

The Sharpedo surrounded the five of them, immediately making them huddle together. Marion took a breath, "Guys, I have an idea on how to get them away, but you may not like it."

"JUST DO IT!" Aura exclaimed.

The Banette unleashed a beam of electricity, shocking everything around her. Klavier, being part ground-type, remained unaffected. The Sharpedo immediately swam away, leaving Aura, Aspen, and Cramad paralyzed, but relieved.

"Well, that worked," Klavier replied. "But now we don't have a boat."

"And we lost our keys," Cramad added.

Aspen sighed, "Well great. Now we're screwed."

"Not necessarily," Marion spoke. "I'll handle getting the keys back."

The Banette immediately dove underwater, leaving the rest of them to gaze at each other in wait.

000

Sally was still firing beans at balloons until, eventually, like the Ho-Ohs, she ran out. "Crud… We're out of beans, guys."

"Well, we've got five more keys, anyway, let's just go back and see if these work. Then, even if they don't we can try the other team's keys. They never said that we couldn't," Sola shrugged.

The other Lugias shrugged, not minding the idea. Ace drove them all back toward the shore, with a few unwanted guests following close behind.

"Uh, Ace, the Sharpedo are back!" Holly called. "May wanna pick up the pace!"

Ace growled, pressing the pedal harder, speeding forward. Eventually, they made it to shore. They jumped out swiftly as the Sharpedo proceeded to mercilessly tear the boat apart.

The five contestants stared at the hosts, but didn't utter a word. Instead, they went toward the boxes, where they saw that Taylor was awake and twitching like mad. Even more disturbing was the fact that the water in his box had a yellowish tint to it.

Seeing this, they grew concerned, especially seeing that Connor was trying his best to calm him down.

"Guys, hurry up!" Connor exclaimed.

"What's the matter?" Holly queried, seeing the redness of Taylor's eyes.

"He's got claustrophobia really bad," Connor explained. "We need to get him out of there, NOW!"

"For the love of- This isn't good!" Sally exclaimed as she fumbled with the keys. She picked up one of them and shoved it into the keyhole of the lock. Seeing that it didn't work, she immediately tossed it, while Sola rushed to get Mew, Virizion, and Xerneas.

"Taylor, say something!"

Taylor didn't say anything, tears continuing to stream from his eyes as the water filled the box more than halfway. The Milotic's eyes didn't even blink, almost like he was in a trance.

Eventually, using the second key, the lock opened, allowing them to open it and free the Tender Pokemon. The stench of urine filled the air briefly as the water poured out of the box. Even then, Taylor didn't move. Connor grew concerned as the hosts came over, along with the others.

"Can someone do something?!" the Bouffalant exclaimed.

Shine's eyes glowed blue as an aura surrounded Taylor. She removed him from the box and placed him into the water, a distance away from the Sharpedo. He sank momentarily, completely submerging before rising back up abruptly with a sharp gasp for air.

He coughed and sniffled as he looked back to shore. Connor immediately rushed to him, nuzzling him. "Mother of Arceus, I'm glad you're okay. Tonight, we're having a long talk..."

Taylor was panting, still trying to get air into his lungs. He began sobbing, coiling around Connor, who nuzzled him back in comfort.

000

Taylor took a deep breath. "I hated that… I hated that so much. I wish they would've woken me up before just throwing me in there. I can't believe I pissed myself and cried like that! I just… I don't know anymore!"

000

"Well, today certainly was a poor experience for those of you who participated," Mew began. "And my apologies for that. The next challenge should be a bit better, hopefully."

"But regardless, Ho-Ohs, since you didn't get Anthony out in time, you'll be heading to elimination," Xerneas said.

The Ho-Ohs exchanged looks as Aura, Aspen, Klavier, and Cramad finally made it to shore, panting and soaking wet. Soon enough, Marion floated in front of them with three of their keys.

"Challenge is already over," Virizion called, causing them to groan.

000

The Ho-Ohs sat at the elimination ceremony, annoyed at their third consecutive loss. Again.

"Well, this is certainly an unlucky streak for you guys," Virizion acknowledged. "But, we've got to keep this going."

000

Cramad giggled. "Well, I was able to talk to Anthony and Marion about their favoritism and how it makes it feel like they're not being fair."

000

"Ugh, fine, Cramad," Marie replied, sitting it Anthony's lap as they sat on the beach. "We'll try to take care of it."

Cramad blinked. "Wait, r-really!?"

"Annie's been bitching about it, and you hardly ever speak out about anything, so it must be something serious," Anthony replied. "We'll talk to the others about it tomorrow or… Whenever they give us another challenge."

Cramad nodded as she walked away from the couple. Once she was out of the vicinity, the Blastoise and Feraligatr exchanged knowing looks.

000

"I think it actually went well. So, I'm gonna vote for Phill to get him out of the way. He seems to be most capable of making it far by doing nothing. Hopefully the others do the same."

000

Mew opened a new bag of marshmallows, taking a couple into his paw. "Anthony, Marie, Summer, Klavier. You guys are safe."

The four of them caught their marshmallows with smiles.

"Marion, Titan, Lassie, Aspen, and Aura, you're safe as well," Mew continued, tossing them their marshmallows as well. "This leaves Phill, Cramad, and Fez."

"What!?" Cramad bellowed, confused as to why she was in the bottom.

"The next one safe is… Fez," Virizion announced as Mew tossed the bird his marshmallow.

The Unfezant sighed in relief. Phill sighed to himself, while Cramad was still surprised.

"Phill, Cramad, one of you is going home tonight, and that person is…

…

…

...

…

…

…

...Cramad."

Phill cheered, "Woo-hoo!"

Cramad was astonished. How did she get voted out if they agreed with her? She turned to the others, "W-Why?"

"Seriously guys?" Titan deadpanned.

"Cramad, we just got rid of Annie for spewing the same thing you were talking about today," Anthony stated. "What in your right mind made you think that bringing that shit up would make a difference if it already got someone else eliminated?"

"I wasn't forcing it down your throat!" the Parasect explained. "And you guys said that you'd talk to everyone else about it."

"Yeah, sorry. We lied," Anthony continued.

Cramad looked down, with Titan sighing to himself.

"Cramad, it's time for you to go," Mew said.

The Parasect walked toward the dock, with Titan following her in silence. The other Ho-Ohs decided to leave, with Marion holding a small smirk.

000

Marion dusted off her hands, "Well, that's taken care of. I'd go for Titan, but he's actually pretty chill and more useful. So, I guess I'm just gonna keep myself safe."

000

"I can't believe they voted for me because I was talking about-"

"Babe, it was pretty obvious," Titan cut her off. "If Annie got on their nerves with that information, it was obvious that the same subject was going to annoy them as well."

Cramad bleated, "Well, why didn't you tell me?! I thought you wanted to protect me, here."

"Two reasons," Titan responded. "One, I was drunk out of my mind this morning and didn't really know and two, you told me that you wanted to be independent, that you could handle things on your own. I warned you about things getting ruthless."

Recalling that, Cramad sighed. "Well, I guess that was my fault, then."

Titan chuckled, "Nah, it's fine, Sheila. Just go on home and have your fun."

Cramad rolled his eyes. "Fine, but at least try to win…"

She kissed his cheek as she walked toward the elimination device. Entering it, she waved a pincer at him goodbye as Mew pressed the button, sending her down. Titan took a deep breath before chuckling, "Well, this should be a bit more interesting now."

He started walking back toward the Winner's Cabin, while the hosts exchanged looks of wonder.

"Hmm, I wonder what he means by that," Virizion said, raising a brow.

Xerneas shrugged, "Probably nothing. Thinking out loud."

Mew sighed, "I just hope that things start looking up again, because this season is just making me hate my life more and more…"

The New Species Pokemon teleported away, leaving the two girls shocked. Virizion turned to the Life Pokemon. "Should we be concerned?"

"Of course! We've already got Solgaleo in a slump, we don't need Mew in one, too," Xerneas replied. "We've gotta do something to make him feel better."

"Like what?"

"Hmm…"

000

And there it is. Cramad gets eliminated and a bit more information surfaces about a couple other contestants. However, this chap seems very lackluster, in my opinion, but oh well. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it and I'll see you next time on Total… Pokemon… Underdogs! See ya guys, BYE!