Total Pokemon Redux!

by Dark Amphithere

Mew and Mewtwo return yet again for an all new season! Returning to the original Island that started it all, 32 Pokemon, new and old, compete once again for the chance to win a million dollars and endless Poffins. Who will win? Find out in Total Pokemon Redux! Rated M for language, occasional crude humor, and dark/scary moments.

21. Mew's Fantastic Fair of Fun!

It's time to get another up. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Also slight error last time: Mew IS actually the host of this chapter.

ALSO IMPORTANT INFORMATION: For the first time, I have gone back and changed something. As far as chapters go, I have never done this, but I went back and changed Total Pokemon World Tour Chapter 38- namely, Hypno's backstory and secret.

Long story short, Hypno is a shiny now rather than his overcomplicated original backstory. This makes things a lot simpler and easier to go with. As for the chapter, very little was really changed, but the scenes with Hypno, and multiple other scenes with Hypno, have been changed to reflect this.

Any reasonable questions, shoot me a message and all that. :)

000

"Hi everyone, welcome back to another premiere of Total Pokemon Party!" announced Dragonite.

"We're pleased to have you joining us once again for another showing of your favorite reality stars!" added Lapras, smiling.

She looked around the house, which was just as bustling as usual. In the corner near the TV sat Gardevoir, who was talking animatedly with Bronzong. While he didn't seem to be particularly happy about the situation, the bell was relaxed and seemed to be pretty comfortable in his armchair. Nearby, Mismagius was talking with Ninetales on some beanbag chairs, though their conversation appeared to be private. Celebi had returned once again, making her rounds to the other Legendaries that had attended- Zapdos and Articuno had paid a visit, and were currently taking up a large portion of the kitchen with their bulk. Arcanine leaned against a countertop nearby, eyeing the legendaries curiously, while Garchomp, who was loitering by one of the windows, was making short discussion with a nearby Mawile. Finally, Wooper and Marill had been cornered by Trapinch, and were looking rather awkward as Trapinch was blabbering on about SOMETHING.

"Well, who should we visit first?" asked Dragonite, smiling brightly.

"Er...no offense but I really don't want to talk to ANY OF THESE PEOPLE," whispered Lapras.

"Why not?" asked Dragonite, frowning in confusion.

"No offense but all of this looks really awkward...," muttered Lapras.

"Fine...I'll go then," offered Dragonite quietly. Dragonite motioned the camera to follow him, before he realized that everything DID look a little awkward...well, other than the Legendaries, but they were big and kind of scary...he decided to see Gardevoir and Bronzong first.

"So...Bronzong and Gardevoir!" he said cheerfully, sitting between them. "How are you tonight? Cacturne not around?"

"He's uh...handling some business," offered Gardevoir, putting on a small smile that looked a bit forced.

"Business? Like...musical business?"

"Like taking Houndoom out drinking with him, Charizard, and Rhydon business," mumbled Bronzong. Nearby, Ninetales's ear twitched.

"O-oh...that's a sort of strange combination of people to go together," commented Dragonite. "Wait, Cacturne drinks?"

"He doesn't, but someone has to be sober," said Gardevoir.

"And...Rhydon went with them?"

"Well, yeah, they weren't on necessarily good terms on the show but well...Rhydon's not so bad now...he's a pretty okay guy and he's Charizard's good friend," admitted Gardevoir. "Have you seen his girlfriend? She's a sweetheart, she probably wouldn't be with him if he was all bad."

"Or she's stupid," suggested Bronzong.

"Talking of girlfriends...," added Gardevoir.

"No."

"Come on Bronzong, let me try and set you up on ONE date!" begged Gardevoir.

"Oh? You're trying to get Bronzong a date?" asked Dragonite, curious.

"No she is NOT," snapped Bronzong. "Have you seen those blind date shows? They're either completely fake or all butterflies and idiotic rainbows. I do NOT want a date, Gardevoir. I am perfectly happy in my state of lonely indifference."

"But I could find you a girl that suits your wants! Plus, you wouldn't have to be so lonely anymore!" protested Gardevoir, scowling at him. "Besides, I know you take time to warm up to other Pokemon, but once you do, you're just as nice as-"

"-a room full of Primeapes on a bad day," finished Bronzong. "Besides, I already know this'll be a slippery slope. First you'll want me to go on a date, then double dates with you and Cacturne, and then you'll be trying to plan MY wedding instead of yours..."

"Can't you just at least tell me your type? Just one word."

"Absent," drawled Bronzong.

"You're utterly impossible...maybe I'll try to hook you up with someone at the wedding...you know, the one YOU RSVPed to the day after."

"Shut. Up. Woman!" growled Bronzong. He flashed a look at Dragonite. "And you...there has to be SOMEONE better to interview around here than us."

"Well uh...I mean...oh, right, off track...so Bronzong! Thoughts on your departure?" asked Dragonite, trying to shift the subject so he could at least get something out of the bell. Gardevoir flashed Bronzong a look that screamed that their conversation wasn't over. The bell heaved a sigh.

"I did some good. I did some bad. I don't really want to discuss details about it. It's over, I can relax and move on."

"Anyone who you want to win? Or want them to watch out for?"

"Besides Mr. B? I'm still trying to figure that one out. As for anyone else, Krookodile's as much of a scoundrel as usual and Bisharp's a tyrant. Nothing new."

"Nothing about your old enemy Alakazam?"

"He'll be out before long. Too many enemies, as usual. Honchkrow and him are in a spiral to the end. I'm just curious who's gonna fall first."

"And...no one you want to win?"

Bronzong was silent.

"Say it," said Gardevoir, smirking.

"No."

"C'mon, you admitted he was your friend."

"We're not doing this."

"He wants Banette to win," whispered Gardevoir.

"I'm leaving," stated Bronzong flatly. He got up and headed towards the door. "Where's the nearest bus stop?"

"Wait, Bronzong you...urgh, you're so difficult!" hissed Gardevoir, chasing him down. Dragonite watched them go, before shrugging.

"I guess uh...okay then!" said Dragonite, smiling. He floated over to Lapras, who was talking with Mismagius and Ninetales.

"Hello Ninetales!" said Dragonite a bit warily. Lapras gave him a tiny nod. Ninetales turned to face the dragon with a small smile on her face. Ninetales was looking a bit unkempt- her fur wasn't nearly as sleek and well groomed as it usually was, and her eyes seemed tired with a few bags underneath. She gave Dragonite a courteous nod.

"Hello there Dragonite."

"And hello to you too, Mismagius," said Dragonite. Dragonite gave Lapras a glance of confusion- now that Mismagius and Gardevoir had made up, it was a bit surprising to see her not sitting with her old friend. Maybe it was still awkward between them.

Mismagius gave a small wave. "Hey. Ninetales and I were just talking advice."

"Oh? What kind?"

Lapras shook her head, but Ninetales had already started talking.

"Relationship advice. Mismagius and Roserade are having a couple of problems. Mismagius wanted my input as I'm a bit...well, at least now I'm experienced in that regard."

"Ah...I see...I mean, if it's private we can leave," offered Lapras.

"It's fine," said Ninetales, giving a sad smile. "It's just how life is...sometimes you don't always work out for the better. Houndoom and I had something good once but...it's not really the same anymore. I've made my mistakes, he's made his...I'd rather not go into details."

"Oh...well, that's fine...so...Mismagius, are you having a problem?" asked Dragonite. Lapras groaned internally.

"Well...no...not really I mean...it's just...Roserade sometimes says things that can bother me," mumbled Mismagius.

"Such as?" asked Dragonite, smiling. Lapras loved him with all of his heart, but the last thing she really wanted to hear was another one of Mismagius's relationship problems. She moved away, shifting towards the kitchen towards Arcanine and the others.

"Well Roserade's very uh...honest. Which is NICE, don't get me wrong but I dunno...I just...I'd rather her not comment on how pretty Gardevoir is," grumbled Mismagius. "And I mean like, I get it, Gardevoir's pretty, but after the fiasco on World Tour..."

Dragonite finally understood why Mismagius was over here and not with her old friend. But rather than getting fired up, it was good to see Mismagius trying to handle the situation calmly.

She sighed. "And the last thing I want to do is get Gardevoir involved, we JUST got back on good terms and it's not her fault she's so precious and gorgeous and...ugh. I'm such an idiot."

"She isn't perfect," pointed out Ninetales. "Gardevoir makes mistakes just like you."

"Not mistakes like Trevenant," growled Mismagius, her eyes hardening.

"Talking of which, anyone hear about him lately?" asked Dragonite, frowning.

"Still in physical therapy...he uh...really got a number did on him," commented Mismagius. "But the point is...I dunno...I feel like I really rushed into this...I might need to take more time to figure out myself before doing ANOTHER relationship...I think that was my mistake with Trevenant."

"...well it might not hurt to take a break...maybe see how you feel after some time and then talk with Roserade?" suggested Dragonite.

"Sounds like a good idea...I'll talk to her tomorrow," said Mismagius. "I'm gonna grab a snack. I'll be back in a few."

Mismagius floated off. Ninetales watched her go with a bittersweet smile on her face. Dragonite glanced at her. "Are YOU okay?"

Ninetales shrugged. "If you want the truth, Dragonite, it hurts. Losing someone who meant the world to you at some point always hurts. Even if we don't feel the same anymore, I can reflect on the times when everything was perfect. But then I made a horrible mistake with Arcanine, and Houndoom forgave me for it when he shouldn't have. Now I try to be honest but struggle to make decisions, and he's too blunt and when he's angry, he has a card to play against me. It's become a bad thing and it's better for both of us if we're rid of it. I only hope that we can be civil again soon."

Dragonite sighed. Ninetales may have made the mistake, but Houndoom wasn't known to handle problems well- the dog had well known anger issues. From the sounds of it, it was better for both of them. "Good luck, Ninetales."

"Thanks."

Dragonite floated away, deciding to approach the Legendaries and Arcanine, who had finally worked up the courage to go talk with them. Articuno and Zapdos were currently laughing about something, while Arcanine had a nervous grin on his face.

"What's going on over here?" asked Dragonite, smiling at the sign of no drama for once.

Articuno smirked. "Arcanine here just asked if he could hang out with us, as his species is known as the 'Legendary Pokemon'."

"Old joke, but still a good one," chuckled Zapdos. "Believe it or not, you'd be surprised at how no one thinks to ask to chill with us. We're a pretty cool bunch, in my opinion."

"So...Articuno and Zapdos uh...how are things?" asked Dragonite.

Articuno shrugged. "The same as usual. The Legendary duties are so simple and so complicated. We guard our islands, our various homes...and in our case, we also deal with weather in our regions...I keep track of snow, Zapdos of storms, and Moltres of clear weather- he also brings about spring."

"Which is why Moltres is so grumpy- Articuno only has to work one part of the year and in certain places," joked Zapdos.

"Yes well, he doesn't melt in the heat," drawled Articuno.

"You don't melt around Ho-Oh," commented Zapdos with a smirk.

"I keep hearing things about Ho-Oh, is he that cool?" asked Arcanine.

"He's the nicest and coolest guy. There's no argument for it," said Zapdos simply. "And since he's dating my sister here, we chill out with him a lot."

"What OTHER Legendaries can you tell us about?" asked Dragonite, his tone curious.

"Depends. Who do you want to hear about?" asked Articuno, smiling at them.

"Uh...how about Reshiram?" asked Arcanine.

"Kind of a prat," said Zapdos, shrugging.

"Zapdos!"

"He is!"

"Reshiram is very...honorable and kind...brutally honest at times...but he's a very polite Legendary," explained Articuno.

"Yeah, a very polite prat," agreed Zapdos, earning a glare from Articuno.

"How about the Deoyxs siblings?" asked Dragonite. "I've been curious ever since I heard about Mewtwo and S..."

"S is pretty chill...I guess all of the speed makes the world seem slow for her, so she's sort of slowed herself down as a result...she used to be really hyper," explained Zapdos.

"As for the others...A is aggressive and she loves to fight...N is pretty neutral, he's an all around good Pokemon...and well...D is sort of a geek," said Articuno.

"Damn...," muttered Arcanine. "Hey, what about-"

Dragonite had already moved away to let Arcanine continue to unload his barrage of questions. He found Lapras near Mawile and Garchomp and decided to join her.

"Garchomp and Mawile, how's it going?" asked Dragonite.

Mawile smiled and waved, while Garchomp immediately scowled, before she sighed and gave Dragonite a nod of acknowledgement. Dragonite scratched his head- it was well known that Garchomp was not a fan of him, but on the other hand, it seemed like she was getting a handle on things.

"It's been okay...Garchomp was telling me about the latest challenge that's happening," said Mawile.

"Oh yes, that one," said Dragonite, grinning. "I only wish I got to host this one, but I guess Mew really is the challenge king...this is gonna be a blast. So Garchomp, you're gonna be working in that challenge."

"Yeah," muttered Garchomp. "Didn't really want to but I...well...maybe it'll give me more time to hang out with you guys before this is all over...maybe talk with uh...Pokemon."

Mawile sighed. "Charizard can wait...you need to work on you. And you can see I'm not awkward around Wooper, right? Look- he brought his new girlfriend and he was STILL friendly to me."

"Wooper was a whole SEASON ago," snarled Garchomp

"Back onto that challenge- what does have Mew have planned? I've heard that you and Dragonite are going back to the island for it, but I'm not sure exactly what it'll be," interrupted Lapras.

Dragonite grinned. "I think it's an amusement park, but don't quote me on that."

"Yeah, it's a damn theme park- some challenge," snarled Garchomp. "I hate those places."

"You hate those ROLLER COASTERS," said Mawile, smirking. Garchomp started growling.

"Mawile, I haven't heard much about you- what's going on with your life?" asked Lapras kindly.

Mawile shrugged. "I got a new job, I guess. I help run a bookstore- still dating that same Machop as I was in World Tour, so that's good. Not as awesome as being on a show for money but it makes ends meet."

"Must have some popularity for the store, since a famous celebrity works there," pointed out Dragonite.

"I draw and stay low key- I'm not big on the spotlight, y'know?" muttered Mawile uncomfortably.

"Fair enough...well...I suppose we only have one group left to see...Dragonite, do you mind?" whispered Lapras.

Dragonite glanced at Trapinch who was still babbling to Marill and Wooper. Wooper seemed to be horribly awkward. Dragonite flew over to attempt a rescue.

"And what are you three up to?" asked Dragonite.

"Oh nothing...hey Dragonite, do you have any news about Diglett? Because Wooper and Marill have been so busy being selfish and happy together that they haven't been thinking about Diglett since they have no idea where he is or what he's doing and I'm trying to track him down because I think Diglett made a huge mistake in dumping me and because I personally think that we'd still be great together-"

"Help me," whispered Wooper. Dragonite nodded.

"He sent me a message saying he wasn't feeling well."

"SO HE'S AT HOME?" asked Trapinch, eyes gleaming.

"Er well...don't know where he is...," said Wooper, smiling.

"Maybe hospital," added Marill.

Trapinch groaned. "UGH! I'm wasting my time! I need to go find Diglett!"

With those words, she quickly scuttled to the door and slammed it as she ran off. Dragonite, Wooper, and Marill cringed. Dragonite leaned in close to Wooper.

"Where is he?"

"A bunker deep underground with three weeks of food and entertainment. He has a lot of comics," whispered Wooper.

"Yikes," whispered Dragonite. "So has she been hounding you?"

"Unfortunately- with Mamoswine and Luxray back on the show, I'm the only one who really knows Diglett...not to mention that I'm kind of like...easy to find," said Wooper with a chuckle.

"You should tell her to leave you alone!" protested Marill.

"Meh...it's kind of funny in a sad way sometimes," said Wooper with a shrug.

"So...how goes it for you two?" asked Lapras, moving towards them.

"Oh, same old same old...Marill's doing some comedy gigs, and I'm just sort of...plodding through life!" explained Wooper.

"Although the gigs are mainly me being comic relief...but one day! One day I'll knock 'em dead so hard, the comedy club will turn into a cemetery!" vowed Marill.

Nearby, Garchomp groaned at the bad joke. Marill seemed proud.

"Well...for once, it seems like everything is going...sort of okay," mused Lapras. "Other than the whole situation of awkwardness between Ninetales and Houndoom, there hasn't been much drama tonight."

"Yeah...that's actually a pretty good thing...and since Houndoom's out drinking, we don't have to deal with it!" added Dragonite brightly.

There was a knock at the door.

"At this hour? The party started ages ago!" protested Lapras. "I wonder who it could-"

The thought wasn't finished as Rhydon kicked down the door. Houndoom and Charizard burst into the room, cackling loudly. Charizard proceeded to flip off the entire room.

"SUP BITCHES!" he roared, before coughing and flopping onto the floor. Cacturne made his way in, struggling with Rhydon on one shoulder and Houndoom cackling maniacally. He threw Dragonite a look that screamed "HELP ME".

"Oh man!" yelped Dragonite. "Uh...that's all for this show! You'll see us sooner than you think!"

000

"Competition is thinning fast...and I tink dat while Mr. B is certainly a jerk...I gotta keep an eye on dat genius...," mused Honchkrow.

000

"Bronzong out of the picture is PERFECT...unfortunately, I made a promise to Honchkrow...let's see me wriggle out of this one," grumbled Krookodile.

000

Noivern groaned as she crossed off Bronzong's name. "Damnit, I'm running out of potential people in my band..."

000

"In the quiet moonlight, as we rest by the sea there's the lovely Spinarak girl...," sang Luxray. "She looked real surprised, and it showed in her eyes, when we went for a sail 'round the world. And now I've grown old and I've settled on down, and I now have a lovely wife...but I won't forget the kisses, of the beautiful missus, Spinarak for the rest of my life..."

Noivern sighed, staring at Luxray miserably. "I'm so bummed she doesn't want to join my band, can you hear that voice? It's INCREDIBLE."

Gliscor chuckled as he took a bite out of his meal. "I mean, pirate shanties aren't really your style of music anyway."

The two of them had decided that another double date with Mamoswine and Luxray was worth a try. They had decided that it would be best if Mamoswine did not have a constant supply of food to fuel him and Luxray's antics. It had been a good payoff, and the two of them were a bit calmer than natural. The air was crisp and nice as they sat on a hill near the base of the mountains. Luxray was currently attempting to garner support of the plants with her nautical songs. Her plan was to turn the land itself against the other competitors, using the Island as a weapon to win Redux. She had previously written a contract promising the Island a really cool hat if it complied. Noivern was strumming her guitar thoughtfully, while Gliscor ate and played on his game system. Mamoswine, on the other hand, was extremely quiet- his nose was buried in Looking Through The Loopholes. The book was a garish cyan color with Mew's face plastered on the front. Noivern glanced at it.

"You're STILL reading that thing?" asked the flying dragon. "I know he told you to read it, but he's not going to PUNISH you for not reading the whole thing."

"I know, I know," admitted Mamoswine. "But...it is actually kind of interesting, at parts. I mean, it depends on the chapter. Like, Tips and Tricks to Prove Your Significant Others Wrong is a bit droll, but I quite liked Working Loopholes for Workplace. Blackmail and Extortion Loopholes is actually kind of shocking, that's Chapter 15..."

"It sounds like it'd be bloated with ego and pride...like Mew," piped up Gliscor.

"Oh, it is. But it's kind of cool to see how his mind works."

"Dang...maybe that'd be an advantage for the upcoming challenges...bands are important, but I'll need the money to run it...are you SURE Luxray wouldn't want to do it?" muttered Noivern.

Mamoswine chuckled. "She's already being fought over by most engineers and scientists to join their companies. Her skill set is great. The only problem is she always wants to switch jobs. At one point she wanted to just open a food truck, and the week after she was doing forensics."

"Dang," said Gliscor, before dying in his video game. "AW, DOUBLE DANG!"

"BUT I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ENDORSE AND SUPPORT YOU IF I WIN THE BIG BUCKS AT THE END!" yelled Luxray from right above Noiven, causing her to jump.

"Yo, for real? That'd be sick!"

"I COULD ALSO DRAW YOUR BAND A LOGO!" yelled Luxray.

"Wh-what? No way...you can also-?" gasped Noivern.

"AND SUPPLY YOU PLENTY OF SKULLS FOR YOU TO SIP UPON THE ESSENCE OF YOUR ENEMIES SOULS-"

"Okay, Luxray, dial it back a bit."

"WE CAN RESTRUCTURE DEBBIE INTO A TOUR BUS. THE SOULS OF OTHER CARS ON THE HIGHWAY WILL BE DRAINED AND ADDED TO YOUR OWN MUSICAL BRILLIANCE."

"Alright Luxray, let's uh...not drain the souls."

000

Kabutops stepped into the clearing, yawning as he glanced at Banette and Gengar. Gengar waved happily, while Banette gave a wave to Kabutops. Kabutops glanced around, but Weavile was nowhere to be seen.

"Weavile not coming?"

"She's waiting in line for a shower- you'd be amazed at how long Honchkrow preens herself," explained Banette. "I'd figure I'd explain some plans to her later, but we have to get a handle on the current situation. Might as well meet up with you guys now for it."

"Right...the plan...Mr. B or Krookodile. Unless you think they're the same dude," said Gengar.

"I'm not sure about that- Krookodile doesn't seem to have the brains for it," argued Kabutops.

"Does Mr. B really have a smart plan? So far he's just left cryptic notes and everyone goes nuts and causes a huge blowup before the elimination ceremony. That's how he works," explained Banette. "No real work required."

"So...who's sort of pattern does the guy fall into? Breaking Tyrunt and making threats...if Weavile wasn't on our side, I'd guess it's her," said Kabutops.

"And she did get Mismagius out...maybe it was for you!" gasped Gengar.

"Guys...you're thinking about this backwards," said Banette. "You're not gonna find out who Mr. B is at all like this. And I'm pretty sure it isn't Weavile."

"How do you figure?" demanded Kabutops.

"Because you're focusing on what he DOES," explained Banette. "You need to look behind it and see what HE or SHE is doing. What did the letters DO, Kabutops?"

"They uh...scared everyone and pissed everyone off?" muttered Kabutops.

"Right...but would that work if they were from, say, Trevenant?"

"The pissed part, definitely, but not the fear and stuff...why is everyone so freaked out by this guy?" asked Gengar.

"Because we don't KNOW who Mr. B is. That's the main problem. We're scared because they're anonymous. And when they cause a problem, what does Mr. B do?"

"Well...he tries to get someone eliminated," pointed out Kabutops. "But I don't see-"

"No. There's something more there. Mr. B is deflecting the attention off of himself. We get the letter from them, remember Gothitelle and Crobat. No one cared about who Mr. B was after that letter was received. They all focused on Gothitelle and Crobat! That's what he or she does, guys! It's all a big distraction ploy."

"You're saying that...Mr. B's just trying to trick us into eliminations because they want to fly under radar?" asked Kabutops. "That's...pretty clever actually. But what about my Tyrunt? That didn't really distract anyone...it just pissed me off."

"And messed with me," added Banette. "I don't like ripped up dolls. Bad memories. That's the one part I don't get...why did they do that?"

"Maybe it's a warning to you guys," mumbled Gengar. Then his eyes widened. "Wait, hang on a second! Maybe...no wait...yeah, it could be!"

"Finish the sentence," drawled Kabutops.

"Well, uh...remember that coin Froslass gave me? The good luck charm? It was gone this morning!"

"What? You lost it?" asked Banette sharply.

"Definitely not, man! I even salvaged it from my kart after Houndoom's challenge. But like...I've been wearing that thing daily and it's been going pretty well...but like...it was on my nightstand last night, and now its gone."

"And the doors don't have locks...," mused Banette. "Anyone could've snuck in and stole it."

"Someone wanted your good luck I guess," joked Kabutops. "Tough, dude."

"I think it's more than that...don't you find it odd?" queried Banette. "Think about it. Kabutops's doll...which could've been towards him and towards me...now your coin...we won't know unless Weavile gets hit up but...it'd be a pretty big coincidence."

"You...you think he KNOWS about Team Storm?" blustered Gengar.

"That would be bad," growled Kabutops.

"Maybe, maybe not, can't confirm it just yet...but if this is Krookodile, he's doing a great job distracting us," admitted Banette.

"Speaking of distractions, I hate to interrupt, but how did you get so good at this?" asked Kabutops. "You're ON Mr. B."

Banette smiled. "Bronzong gave me some pointers...I can better figure out the guy now."

"I was so sure that bell was up to something. He fits the description," admitted Kabutops.

"Bronzong wouldn't do something so cheesy or with that much effort. In that case, he fits Mr. B, but the tactics are all wrong."

"And you're SURE it's not Weavile?" asked Gengar. "She knows the alliance, right?"

"Guys, we've been over this- Weavile was innocent during the bone scandal too, and I trust her."

"Only because you're banging her," suggested Kabutops, shrugging.

Banette and Gengar gaped at Kabutops in shock. They hadn't expected him to be so blunt. Kabutops stared.

"What? We all have girlfriends here, right?"

"Well...I mean...yeah but...well...," mumbled Banette awkwardly.

Kabutops and Gengar exchanged a glance, before Kabutops smirked. "Wait...you mean...even though you guys had a one night stand...now that you're dating, you haven't..."

Gengar giggled. Banette sighed.

"No."

"Banette, c'mon!" laughed Kabutops, Gengar snickering beside him. "I mean like...I get it if you want to wait, but like...you had an affair with a MARRIED WOMAN, I figured you of all people-"

"It's just a little awkward right now!" protested Banette. "I don't know if I can jump right into that, I mean-"

"I'm sure," snorted Gengar. "C'mon, not once since you-?"

"Oh, and you've gotten it on with Froslass all the time, right?" snapped Banette at the phantom. Gengar opened his mouth stupidly, before his shoulders drooped. Kabutops gaped.

"Wait...you TOO?"

"We haven't been dating as long as you and Scizor!" sputtered Gengar.

"Long enough, I'd say," argued Banette, smirking.

Kabutops just stared between them. "Man, am I the ONLY one getting laid out of everyone...well...not regularly anymore, but still..."

"Yes," grunted Banette and Gengar simultaneously.

"Okay...well uh...in that case I think I'm just gonna...go do some laps in the lake or something...you guys uh...yeah! Good meeting!"

Kabutops scampered off. Banette and Gengar exchanged a look.

"Well, cheers," said Banette, sarcastically miming himself raising a glass.

"You and me both," muttered Gengar discontentedly.

000

"I mean, not that it matters or anything!" protested Gengar.

000

"Yeah, I mean like...I'm cool with waiting and...god damnit Kabutops, you made it weirder," grumbled Banette.

000

Weavile frowned. "I feel like I missed something...hmmm."

000

Krookodile stomped out of the cafeteria before letting out a loud belch. He picked some food out of his teeth before finding a large vegetable lodged back there. It might've been a day or two old...but Krookodile didn't care, he just plucked it out and chewed up. Nearby, a tree shuddered, but the crocodile didn't notice. He just continued to walk away, muttering quietly under his breath.

A pair of yellow eyes lit up in the tree and Crobat emerged, taking to the skies silently as he flew away. "Ugh...did he really just...that is so nasty..."

He fluttered along in the air before he landed on a familiar mountaintop, where Honchkrow was waiting. She was laying in the sun, drying off after her long shower and she gave a lazy wave of greeting when Crobat showed up.

Crobat cocked a brow. "For someone who's got a million plans going on, you sure have relaxed attitude."

"A lady's gotta relax at times," murmured Honchkrow, yawning and sitting up. "Besides, as of right now you and I are in a good spot. With Bronzong, Gothitelle and Trevenant out of da way, Bisharp and Alakazam are both crippled. Not to mention our scaly friend. Speaking of dat, you keepin' an eye on him?"

"Yeah...he's uh...pretty disgusting...but he doesn't seem to have made any moves against us or Alakazam yet."

"No news is good news," said Honchkrow, shrugging. "So...what do you tink should be our prime objective, here? Alakazam? Bisharp? Or maybe figuring out Mr. B?"

"So it isn't you?" asked Crobat, smirking.

"No it sure as hell ain't me," snapped Honchkrow. "I get more results when Pokemon know my identity- den dey know I mean business."

"Speaking of business...what's your plan of attack?"

"Mr. B is a problem and a threat," admitted Honchkrow. "But I tink everyone's going about it da wrong way. He or she's gotta be clever, right? So, my entire proposal is dis- eliminate da threats and Mr. B might disappear."

"...you think it might be Alakazam?" asked Crobat.

Honchkrow hummed in thought. "Hard to say, really. He's definitely got da brains for it, but it doesn't make sense why he'd force Gothitelle in dat position. Bronzong was da best guess so far."

"That's fair. Anyone else you think? Maybe it's Krookodile."

Honchkrow tapped her beak. "I definitely could see dat. He's a slimeball and a clever one at dat...still, we can't be sure. I had thought it might be Bisharp. What do you tink?"

"Bisharp? Possibly...but you're gonna have a hard time proving that one. Bisharp's slippery. The only problem I see with that is that he's a stickler for rules and competition."

"Mr. B hasn't broken a rule- he's just tampering wit da voting process," pointed out Honchkrow.

"True, but do you think it's really Bisharp's style?" argued Crobat.

"Not really. But he's hiding a lot of secrets. I wouldn't be surprised if it was more than one person even. Maybe he got Toxicroak in on it. Or maybe Banette and Weavile are scheming."

"You think Banette or Weavile too?"

"Why not? No one's above dis, Crobat. We're all playin' to win. Still, B isn't my priority right now. I have some stuff left to finish."

"So, Alakazam then," said Crobat simply.

"Sounds about right. Brainiac first, and then we'll worry about da nasty notes," declared Honchkrow.

000

"Attention campers!" The intercom blared loudly and Mew's voice filled the island's air. "I'm going to need all of you to head over to the other side of the snowy mountains! Wherever you are, start heading over there now. Veterans, lead the newbies over because this challenge is a good one! I want to get it under way soon! Trust me, you'll know when you see it!"

"If he wants it sooner, he should just teleport us there," growled Bisharp, putting away a crossword puzzle and heading for the center of camp.

He arrived in the center, waiting patiently while Honchkrow and Crobat landed. Weavile wiped herself off with a towel before heading over as well. As the remaining players made their way out of the woodwork, Bisharp glanced around and catching Medicham's eye. She started a little, and he looked away. Right. They had had that talk last time. That was still a bit awkward in his mind.

Eventually all of them had gathered. Banette held up a hand. "Okay guys, I think I know exactly where Mew is talking about. I'll lead the way."

"Yeah, me too. I'll head up there with you," offered Mamoswine. Banette nodded and the two of them began to lead the other campers throughout the island's environment. Medicham smiled as she passed a flowery bush. She glanced at Bisharp, who was beside her.

"This is such a nice island...I wonder what it would be like if Mew was not here. A lovely vacation spot for sure."

"This ISN'T a vacation, though," said Bisharp shortly. "We have a purpose for being here. No real time to take in the scenery."

Medicham sighed. Back to this again. "I suppose."

"What do you think's gonna happen today?" whispered Toxicroak to Crobat.

Crobat shrugged. "Tough to say...I never really went back here too much as a contestant...but I think Mew's scheduled to host this time, right?"

"I think so," agreed Gliscor. "He said we'd know when we saw it."

They continued walking through a forest. Gliscor peered around.

"It's not in here right? How close are we to the mountain?"

"We're around the base right now...we just can't see it through the trees," answered Mamoswine. "If we kept going left, we'd eventually hit the swampland, and if we kept going straight, we'd hit some plains and then the desert. We have to move forward and to the right and we should be going around the snowy mountains."

"You know the island's layout quite well," commented Medicham.

Mamoswine blushed a little. "Well, I've spent more time on this island than anyone else here I think...so I should know it more than most."

"Right...I forgot he was a runner up," whispered Toxicroak to Bisharp. Bisharp gave a firm nod. Mamoswine was indeed a threat. Not very active, but he wasn't someone Bisharp was content to tangle with in the finals.

"I wonder what he's set up this time...knowing Mew, and knowing the old challenges, it's not going to be very easy," drawled Alakazam, though he still sounded a bit curious.

"Well, whatever it is, it should be-" began Weavile.

"Whoa," muttered Banette, stopping.

Everyone froze up (although Gengar kept moving and bumped into Banette. Banette and Mamoswine had just reached the edge of the forest on the other side of the mountains. Mamoswine's jaw dropped. Gengar moved around Banette, before letting out a gasp.

"Whoa...what the...holy shit, man!"

"Lemme see!" growled Kabutops, pushing to the front, Noivern and Gliscor soaring over head. Noivern burst out of the trees and glanced around, before her eyes widened.

"OH MY GOD! NO WAY!"

Ahead of them, close to the enormous mountains, was a huge amusement park. From the edge of the forest, they could see plenty of attractions- a ferris wheel, roller coasters, a funhouse, and other rides. Long lines of multicolored booths and stalls could be seen clustered around the rides- which included a swinging ship, bumper cars, spinning cups, and more. Mew was waiting at the entrance, grinning as the various contestants ran over to him.

"Hello campers...from the makers of the Total Pokemon franchise, I present to you...Total PokeLand! What do you guys think of the scenery?"

"IT LOOKS OUTSTANDING!" screamed Luxray, flipping upside down and vibrating with excitement. Everyone stopped and stared at her for a long time, before Mew coughed.

"Well, that's good! Because this is the site for our challenge! And for the most part, this challenge is all about having fun! You'll be able to explore the theme park at your leisure! You can ride the rides, play the games at various booths, and eat the lovely food that has been produced by Mewtwo and other Pokemon...that's right, a few familiar faces have returned. Some of your old friends will be here working at this theme park!"

"So...like...kind of like Gardevoir's challenge?" asked Gliscor.

"Basically! And no worries, this challenge is extremely fun for everyone. Rather than torturing you all and giving you a hard time, we have prizes and things for you to win during your day today. There's no tricks in store today."

"No tricks?" asked Weavile suspiciously.

"None. No automatic elimination or anything. There STILL is a ceremony at the end of the night!" said Mew. "Some points of interest. Most of the rides are clearly visible...the left side of the park tends to have the booths and food. Also, while you can win prizes from games, you'll also win tickets! We have another prize booth that I'll be overseeing at the center of the park. And we have plenty of maps to guide you towards your chosen destinations!"

Everyone exchanged a confused glance. Was Mew really being nice for once?

000

"So like, being straight up, this whole challenge sounds AMAZING!" yelled Noivern. "I could totally win a bunch of stuffed animals to trick out my tour bus! Not to mention, I get to like, see all the eliminated guys again and eat some good food! And I love amusement parks! I'm gonna ride all of the coasters!

000

"I still can't believe Mew is giving us a day like this...it can't be this easy...can it? What's the catch?" questioned Crobat.

000

Mew sighed, seated next to Mewtwo. "With all of the Bellsprout and Dragonite challenges causing problems, we felt it was good to give them a break. It's what corporate wants."

"And you felt bad," added Mewtwo smugly. "Y'know, after all this time, I figured you'd be comfortable admitting you cared about them. They DID save you from Giratina after all."

"I DO NOT CARE!" yelled Mew angrily. "I JUST NEED TO KEEP THEM BELIEVING IN ME SO I CAN PUT THEM THROUGH MORE PAIN."

"Whatever you say," said Mewtwo, shrugging. "But I think Celebi's bringing out your inner softie."

"ARGH!"

000

"Hang on. I have a question," snapped Bisharp. "This is all well and good, but I fail to see the point of all of this. Where's the challenge? How do we decide who wins or loses? Elimination? Immunity? I want answers, Mew."

Mew paused, before smiling. "Ah, yes...the challenge itself...well, I suppose I can sort of give a bit of a spoiler to what's going on. So, out of all of my lovely veterans, who remembers the Veilstone City challenge?"

"The gambling one? Where we had to buy our immunity with the winnings, right?" asked Banette. "What about it? Is that what this is going to be?"

And there it was. Just like that, Bisharp had just reminded all of them that this wasn't a vacation or a day at the park. As always, there was a challenge, and Mew hadn't forgotten. Quickly, the illusion of a fun day riding ferris wheels and winning prizes vanished from everyone's heads. A few people glared at Bisharp for shattering the dream.

"Party pooper," muttered Honchkrow.

"So, as Banette said, YES, the original challenge in Veilstone City was based on gambling, and you had to purchase your immunity to be safe!" explained Mew. "And a similar thing will happen today. You'll have to win enough tickets to purchase your immunity. Depending on the price of the immunity, you could play it safe and spend your tickets on immunity only...but on the other hand, there are other prizes that might divert your attention in the prize shop...such as...a new set of speakers for music..."

Noivern gaped.

"Or a gourmet cookbook with over 100 recipes..."

Mamoswine's mouth watered, while Weavile and Luxray both looked interested.

"And even...oven mitts sized to perfect fit over a certain type of hand...or sickle I presume."

Everybody looked at Kabutops, who folded his arms huffily.

"What?"

"So like...for our safety and convenience...can you just get that?" suggested Gliscor.

"ARE YOU KIDDING-!"

"Hold on a moment...you mentioned that there were different prices for immunity...for what purpose are there different priced immunities?" queried Alakazam.

"Well, that depends...how long do you want the immunity to last?" asked Mew, smirking.

"What? Explain what dat means!" demanded Honchkrow.

"Well, obviously, immunity for one episode is pretty good...but what if say...you could have it for two?" asked Mew, shrugging.

Bisharp had his full attention focused on Mew. Honchkrow grinned. Alakazam tapped his foot.

"Maybe...if you saved up a lot...you could buy three nights of immunity."

Krookodile's eyes gleamed. Bingo.

"So the way this challenge works is easy...I have six immunities. Three of them will grant immunity tonight- you're safe. Another two will give you immunity tonight AND next episode. And for one determined player, they can buy the immunity for tonight AND the next two challenges! And you all have a fair shot, because the challenge only ends when all six have been bought. Any questions about the goal before I can move on?"

000

"That's my goal. Right there," rasped Krookodile.

000

"We CAN'T let Krookodile or Bisharp or anyone like that get it!" hissed Weavile, looking alarmed. "Three nights of immunity for that croc would be a nightmare."

000

"We got a couple more rules to make things more interesting," continued Mew. "You can't ride the same ride or play the same game more than once. You have a ten minute wait time before you can play it again. That way, we have no one hogging the roller coasters or ring toss games."

"Excuse me, but how does one earn tickets for riding a roller coaster?" asked Alakazam, frowning.

"Glad you asked! You obviously get some tickers as a consolation prize, but on some rides, there will be tickets on the sides of the attractions or hidden on obstacles. So, if you're on a roller coaster and you see some tickets along the ride, try and grab them! Just try not to do anything TOO dangerous. Anything else you want to know?"

"Benchmark prices for the prizes? Including immunity and others?" asked Medicham.

"Most low-end prizes are between 1-1000 tickets...better they are, the higher they go. As for the immunities, we have three one-nighters for 5000 tickets, two double-nights for 7500, and the final immunity for three whole challenges costs 10,000," explained Mew. "Fair, right?"

"Strangely enough...yeah...when did you grow a conscience?" asked Banette.

Mew scowled. "Any OTHER questions you want to ask? Any of you?"

"What kind of games are we playing?" asked Honchkrow with interest.

"Various carnival games...you win prizes depending on how well you do! Certain attractions have a versus option, where you win more for beating other competitors! Anything else you want to know?"

Everyone glanced at one another. It seemed to be easy. And almost fun. It was weird but...maybe things were going to go well today.

"Well in that case, have fun exploring! Game ends when the immunities have all been purchased!"

000

"Come on, Toxicroak...we've got research to do," explained Bisharp calmly.

"Research of...what kind?" asked Toxicroak, following Bisharp. "And I thought you'd y'know...uh..."

"I'd what?" asked Bisharp calmly.

"Be hanging out with...Medicham?"

"A truce is a truce, not an excuse for me to spend time with her," answered Bisharp, sounding vexed. "Besides, as of right now, my alliance with you still stands. We come first. I'd like to look at the prizes."

"Why? Don't you just want immunity?"

"Yes, but it's good to know the game...I believe that big kiosk over there is the one."

Toxicroak and Bisharp walked around a large yellow building to see Mew sitting at a desk. Behind him, in front of him, and all around him were various prizes of different values and sizes. Stuffed animals, cool gadgets, and generic amusement park prizes (Bisharp could see inflatable Mew dolls and some crazy hats) were all hanging on the wall. And far above Mew, surrounded by gold frames, were tickets for immunity. They were numbered by how many nights you would be immune for. Bisharp's eyes focused in on all of them, clenching a fist tight.

"Like what you see? Anything catch your fancy?" asked Mew.

Bisharp didn't answer that- the deluxe supply of a laptop complete with writing utensils far at the top was distracting him a little bit. Mew had done his research- he knew that the baking set was sure to appeal to Toxicroak and Weavile, while the punching bag would've caught Trevenant and Medicham's eyes. The prizs were merely distractions...but very powerful distractions.

"Which one do you want to go for?" asked Toxicroak.

"Any one I can get my hands on," murmured Bisharp, frowning. "Okay Toxicroak. It's time for us to go. We'll each go earn tickets the best way we know how. Meet up back here in an hour to compare what we have."

"Okay! You got it!" yelped Toxicroak, running off.

000

"No fucking way, you're here?" yelled Banette, grinning like an idiot.

Cacturne smiled, tossing darts up and down in his hand. "Yes. I'm here. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Since you've been here, no. Since we've gotten a chance to talk, yes! How are you?"

"Good...I see you're all doing well," said Cacturne, nodding to Kabutops, Weavile, and Gengar. Team Storm had decided to beeline towards the games, finding that those would probably be the quickest way to play a lot of games and earn tickets. Weavile smiled, while Kabutops was looking around.

"So you're running darts, eh?" asked Weavile.

"You can all give it a try," offered Cacturne. His stand featured balloons in the background, with Mew's face printed on them. The game was obvious- pop the balloons to earn prizes and tickets. Cacturne had some interesting prizes on display, including some stuffed animals of former competitors, CDs, and a few more morbid items, including snowglobes with the Nightmare Isle inside.

"Sure...I'll go!" said Banette. Cacturne offered him five darts and he got to work. Kabutops continued looking around, before turning to Cacturne.

"Where's Scizor at? Is she here?"

"I think she is," said Cacturne. "Not sure where...perhaps she's running a ride or a stand of her own. As for Froslass, I have no idea. Sorry Gengar."

"Who else is here then?" asked Banette, tossing his first dart and groaning when he missed.

"A lot of us, actually...Lopunny and Swampert were sitting near me on the bus...Charizard is around, but he's nursing a bad headache...same with Rhydon. I believe I glimpsed Wooper pushing Diglett in the crowd."

"So...any tips on what we should do?" asked Kabutops, still trying to find Scizor.

"About?"

"Getting through the challenge. You're one of the smartest guys around, not including Alakazam and the rest of the geniuses. Help us out here."

"Well, I can't slip you tickets under the table, but I could offer you advice," admitted Cacturne. He smiled as Banette popped a balloon with his third dart.

"We could use it," said Weavile. "We need to take down Krookodile. He's scraping by on luck and Mr. B. Hey Cacturne, do you have any idea-"

"On who Mr. B is? Not a clue...suspicions, maybe, but nothing concrete," said Cacturne. "As for taking down Krookodile...there's a loophole in Mew's strategy."

"A loophole? What is it?" asked Weavile.

"You all have an advantage...you can give one person four people's tickets."

"Wait...you can give tickets to each other? Mew never said that!" protested Gengar.

"Why would he? He's the king of loopholes!" laughed Banette as he finished his throws. He looked at Cacturne. "I popped three. What's that get me?"

"One of the medium prizes on the back wall, and 300 tickets. Good job," said Cacturne, handing Banette the tickets. He looked at Gengar. "Mew never said you couldn't hand each other tickets. Work as a team- that's basically what an alliance is. If you gave Weavile or Banette all of the tickets, you could secure the immunity four times quicker. On the other hand, keep a close grip on your tickets...Mew never said you couldn't steal them."

"You think Krookodile would steal our tickets?" asked Weavile, eyes narrowed.

"Anyone could steal your tickets- I don't believe Honchkrow and Bisharp are above it," stated Cacturne gravely. "But I know you can do it. So, play smart."

"Okay...my turn for darts!" shouted Gengar, grinning. "Let's do this!

Banette took a snowglobe and grinned at it. He looked at Weavile.

"What do you think?"

"I think we have to be careful- four Pokemon going for tickets is strong but...who's to say the others will play fair?" asked Weavile.

"Fair point. Let's rock, but be careful. I don't trust that croc...or many others."

000

"So you're running the roller coaster?" asked Luxray. "SPLENDID. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SHALL BE A HELLRIDE OF SUFFICIENT INSANITY!"

"It's good to see you too, Luxray," said Lileep, nodding to Mamoswine. "How's it going?"

"MOLTO BENE."

"How about you Lileep?" asked Mamoswine. "Are things going okay with you?"

"They're going marvelously! Bellsprout and I are going on a vacation for a week soon. Going to see Hoenn and visit my old home! It should be really fun! So, would you like to ride the roller coaster?"

"Yes! TELL ME ABOUT THE STEELIX TRAIN!"

"Well, the Steelix Train is a big metal coaster, one of the three that we have here!" explained Lileep. "And this one's probably the longest one. Luckily, there are lots of tickets hidden along the steel beams of the track, and on the scenery surrounding it. Would you guys like to ride?"

"Sounds fun...and uh...one thing...do you happen to know where the uh...food court is?" asked Mamoswine.

"Over near the party games- Mewtwo's running it."

"Oh thank goodness," laughed Mamoswine. "Okay...we'll both ride-"

"WAIT!"

Noivern flew out of nowhere and landed on the coaster. "I'M SO READY FOR THIS! I JUST RODE THE DRAGONITE EXPRESS IT WAS AMAZING! IS THIS ONE AS GOOD? IT LOOKS MORE METAL!"

"I guess we have another rider!" laughed Lileep.

Mamoswine hopped in next to Luxray, while Noivern was far up at the front. They then noticed Kabutops running up.

"I want one!" he shouted. Then he noticed Lileep. "Oh, hey Lileep. How's it hanging?"

"Good. Yourself?"

"Can't find Scizor, but I won't say no to a roller coaster. Gotta nab up tickets for myself."

Luxray glanced at Mamoswine. "Wait...who should we give the tickets to?"

"Well, let's give them to you," offered Mamoswine. "I mean, Mew never said we had to keep our own ticket. That's totally a loophole- we can give tickets to whoever we want."

He held up the book Mew had given to him. "I reread one of the chapters to make sure it was allowed. We can give tickets to ANYONE."

"Yep," agreed Kabutops. "And steal them."

Luxray focused Kabutops with a deadly stare. "You try and steal our tickets and I'll give you a one way ticket to hell! AND DEBBIE'S THE BUS THAT'LL TAKE YOU!"

"Whoa, whoa! Not trying to say that!" blustered Kabutops. "Just warning you...others might be onto it."

Mamoswine frowned. "Yeah...that's true...okay...I'll worry about that part later! Lileep, start the ride!"

"You got it!" shouted Lileep, pressing a lever. The large roller cars started to move along the track.

"LET'S ROCK!" roared Noivern.

"BANZAI!" screeched Luxray.

The silver coaster started by climbing a large hill. Luxray and Noivern were vibrating in their seats as the car moved higher and higher. Eventually, they reached the top of the massive incline, far above most rides and booths. They hung for a moment, before the coaster dropped, flying down the tracks. Mamoswine let out a squeal of shock, while Kabutops just grinned. Luxray and Noivern on the other hand, started cheering all the way down.

It was gonna be a great day.

000

"Today's been crazy! I'm having a blast! Me and Bisharp are gonna nail this!" shouted Toxicroak, punching the air. He hit the ceiling and winced. "Oh crap..."

000

"So uh...Mew never said we had to be the one to EARN the tickets we cashed in," commented Krookodile, a sickening smile spreading on his face.

000

"Step right up and test your strength!" shouted Swampert, grinning. He stood beside a classic Strength Test machine- hitting the target and seeing how high you could make the block fly.

"Absolutely!" yelled Medicham, hugging Swampert tightly. "I have missed you. Your workout regimens were some of the most fun I have had in years."

"Well, I do try to make things enjoyable for everyone!" laughed Swampert. He handed Medicham the mallet. "Give it a spin! Let me see your form!"

Medicham gripped the hammer hard before bringing it down hard. The block on the pole went shooting up and hit the bell at the top, ringing it loudly. Medicham pumped a fist.

"Excellent! Five hundred tickets for you and your choice out of the prize inflatable hammers we have over here!" said Swampert, gesturing to a large barrel full of hammers. Medicham smiled as she grabbed one that looked like a fist on a stick.

"So, how are you?"

"I'm faring well," admitted Swampert. "This was a nice distraction from everyday life. Yourself?"

Medicham was smiling, but felt her face tense up a little bit. "Well...er...I do not know...it has been..."

"Bisharp still bothering you?" asked Swampert.

"He...he opened up to me after the last challenge...in a way I do not think he has opened up to anyone in a long time and...instead of answers, I am even MORE confused. And on one hand, he can be so...obnoxious, but on the other I almost...want to help him."

"Well, you know what you should do better than I would...I wish you luck. Hey, come back in ten minutes if you want to play again!"

Medicham smiled. "Thank you. I would-"

"BAMMO! TAKE DAT, YA CRUDDY JERK!"

Honchkrow grinned before firing the toy gun, knocking down another tin can. Charizard cocked a brow, letting out a small flame of astonishment as she let out another squawk of glory. He growled quietly, rubbing his head in agitation.

"Keep it down, birdbrain."

"You don't tell me what to do, buster!" snarled Honchkrow, firing off another cork at the cans. So far, she was four for four corks. The mafioso bird was a bit better at shooting the toy gun than Charizard was comfortable with. She fired off the last cork and grinned, before folding her arms in Charizard's direction.

"So. Whaddya tink about dat?"

"I think you have to wait ten minutes before playing again...also, pick any of the large stuffed animals at the top...you get that and 500 tickets," groaned Charizard, chucking the tickets at her. She tossed them to Crobat, before giving him a nod.

"Alright, dat's another good bunch for us...so between da two of us, we got about 850 tickets so far...not bad pickings, Crobat."

"We're pretty good at what we do," said Crobat, smirking.

"Well said. So...we go for da immunities, Crobat. And den we take down Alakazam. It's high time we get dat jerk out of here. Last ting I want is him with dat immunity."

"Yeah, him getting one of those would be...problematic," agreed Crobat.

"Well, it's a bunch of games and roller coaster rides...how good could he be doing?" grunted Honchkrow.

000

Mawile sighed as she oversaw the ring toss, watching Alakazam throw another ring onto a bottle. He had a perfect score so far. She had heard whispers throughout the carnival that the Psychic had been playing up all of the games for high scores and tickets. Gothitelle hadn't returned to the island for the challenge, apparently off at a runway show for her magazine deal. With no other distractions, the genius had been swiftly and easily collecting tickets by playing the various games in the park. Alakazam calmly and casually tossed rings onto the bottles, before completing his challenge. He gave Mawile a smirk.

"Another perfect round for me. These games are a good way to gather up tickets."

"I doubt Mew expected you to rack them up so quickly...how many tickets do you even have?" groaned Mawile.

"Well...five rings out of five nets me...how many tickets?"

"Five hundred and a prize."

"And seeing as I have 1500 already..."

"Already?" asked Mawile, gaping.

"These games aren't exactly difficult. You simply need to use your brain, complete the calculations, and adjust your strategy based on tampering or potential tricks set by the booth owner," explained Alakazam. "You can keep the prize. I have other business to-"

"Are you saying these are rigged?" asked Mawile, scowling.

Alakazam threw her a look. "Charizard admitted that the guns weren't always meant to shoot straight. Would you put it past Mew?"

"No," admitted Mawile. "Okay, okay, take your stuff and go."

Alakazam nodded and walked away. Mawile sighed at the peace and quiet, before she heard someone else walk up. Weavile stood before her, glancing at the ring toss.

"So...how does it work?"

"Toss rings, get 'em on the bottles, get tickets based on your score."

"Okay...I'll play...how many rings do I get?" asked Weavile.

"Five."

Mawile handed her the rings and Weavile nodded. She put down her current sum of tickets and gripped the rings. She concentrated hard, trying to throw the rings to land perfectly. She missed the first shot. And the second. The third she made, but the fourth she wasted, She barely made the fifth, groaning.

"Two out of five...well, I still get something, right?"

"You get a small prize and 200 tickets," explained Mawile.

"Okay...so if I take my other tickets...," murmured Weavile, turning to glance at her stash...only to notice it was gone. "HEY WAIT, WHAT THE HELL?"

Mawile gaped. "Weren't your tickets...right there?"

Weavile seethed. "I had like four hundred! You didn't swipe them, did you?"

"Yeah, because I have such a use for them," said Mawile sarcastically. "Someone must've snatched them while you were playing."

Weavile punched her fist on the booth. "Ugh. Give me my tickets. I've got a thief to hunt down."

Behind Mawile's booth, Krookodile smirked. It wasn't gonna be THAT easy.

000

"I bet ANYTHING it was that crooked croc!" snapped Weavile. "He's gonna get a taste of his own medicine before I kick his ass!"

000

Gliscor glanced around, fiddling with his claws. Noivern and him had split up to try and cover more ground. Gliscor had earned a few tickets here and there...he had amassed about 1200 so far from a couple of rides and some party games. He shrugged and reached down, chomping a hot dog while he waited for Noivern. He smiled happily.

This was it, huh? Finally, he had time to relax and enjoy himself on the show. After two fiascos in the past two seasons, he was finally getting to a point where he could take it easy. And it was nice. The whole thing was nice. Especially Noivern. She was REALLY nice.

He heard some voices behind him and turned around. Gengar and Banette were walking together, muttering to themselves. It looked like they were counting tickets. Gliscor gave them a wave.

"Hey guys. How's your time at the fair going?"

Banette rolled his eyes. "Well, Gengar already caved and bought a scarf."

"I BOUGHT IT FOR FROSLASS!" protested Gengar. "It could keep her warm in the cold!"

"She's an Ice-type and a ghost...I want you to think about that for a second," said Banette, giving Gengar an exasperated glance. "We were supposed to pool our tickets together!"

"Right...we can do that...that's why I'm waiting for Noivern! We're gonna score two immunities together!" said Gliscor proudly.

"Seriously, why'd you get the scarf?" asked Banette.

Gengar mumbled something.

"What?" asked Banette, grinning.

"Well...maybe if I give her a gift or something we can...well...you know...maybe?" muttered Gengar.

Banette smacked his face. "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm missing something here," said Gliscor, giving the two a confused stare.

Banette frowned at Gliscor. "How far have you and Noivern gotten?"

Gliscor sputtered in shock, sending bits of hot dogs and mustard splattering on the ground. "THAT'S NOT...I MEAN...THAT ISN'T...why are you even asking?"

"Okay, fine...Pidgeot then. How far?"

"That's not any better! Wait, she's not here, is she?"

"Nah, I asked Dragonite about it when I rode the coaster," said Banette. "He said she turned down the offer."

"Thank god."

"So, my question?" urged Banette.

Gliscor sighed. "Noivern and I haven't been long enough to even consider that. I'm taking it easy."

"Fair."

"So wait, Gengar...you mean you and-"

"CAN WE STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS!" hissed Gengar.

"Why is it even bothering you so much?" asked Gliscor, stunned.

"Kabutops," answered Banette.

"You and Weavile haven't done anything either!" accused Gengar.

"Dude, we well...I mean...we already kinda did before we got together but not like...anything since!" protested Banette. "Look, Gliscor, we gotta go...Gengar, come ON!"

"This argument isn't over!"

Gliscor watched the two of them go away, shaking his head. The two ghosts were swell guys, but a little crazy sometimes. Still, he might have to start thinking about that stuff soon.

"Wonder what Noivern would like...," muttered Gliscor.

"What about me?" asked Noivern, landing right behind him. Gliscor jumped.

"Jeez, warning, babe!"

"Sorry...so...how many tickets you got?" asked Noivern, grinning.

"I got 1200...so if we add yours...how many do you have? You had 600 when we split, right?"

"Uh...yeah...about that...I now have um...200?" responded Noivern, scratching her head.

"Wait...you LOST some? What? How?"

"Well I mean...Gliscor those speakers were...really nice," explained Noivern hesitantly.

"YOU BOUGHT THE SPEAKERS?"

"They were really good ones and they weren't that many tickets!" blabbered Noivern. "I mean, like, dude, immunity's nice but if I don't win, I still have the speakers!'

Gliscor scratched his head. "I...I guess that's true."

"Tell you what! Why don't we get you immunity first? We'll pool our tickets to get you a spot!"

"Uh...sure, I guess..."

000

"Noivern fell in the trap, eh?" muttered Gliscor. "Wonder who else did the same?"

000

Luxray gleefully flipped through the cookbook. "VICTORY IS MINE!"

000

Toxicroak whistled quietly as he held up a yo-yo. "What? It was like...100 tickets!"

000

"With no Gothitelle, I have no distractions," mused Alakazam. "Very well. I've scored enough tickets to keep myself ahead of the crowd. Time to play hardball. Watch your back, bird."

000

Bisharp glanced at the Ferris Wheel before him, wondering exactly how he would find tickets on this thing. He turned to see who was hosting it. "Excuse me...can I have an explanation on how this attraction works?"

Marill hopped around the corner, grinning. "Well hello Bisharp! Is this park to your...amusement? Eh? Eh?"

Bisharp gave her a look of confusion. "What?"

"Nevermind," said Marill, sighing. "So, the ferris wheel is sort of a slow attraction. You go around it a few times. As for tickets, you get 500 just for riding and there are others that are hanging in the air around the Ferris Wheel. Reach out the window and try to grab them all, but you'll need a good reach!"

"Five hundred just for riding?" muttered Bisharp. "And the option to get more? What's the catch?"

"It's slow! You'll be on the thing for a little while! Probably between five and ten minutes."

Bisharp tried to do the math in his head. Was the time limit worth it? Probably. There were six immunities, and he'd be far better poised to grab one of them with more tickets- even if he couldn't nab the immunity for three nights, two nights or even one would be plenty. He gave Marill a nod.

"Very well. I'll ride it."

"Sweet!"

Bisharp slowly got into one of the seats and sat down, his eyes roving around the ferris wheel. He noticed a crease in the seat. He reached in hesitantly and pulled out a few tickets. About 50, all stuck together. He smirked. Not bad. Perhaps this event would be more fruitful in the long run.

"One more, please!"

Bisharp looked up in alarm to see Medicham talking with Marill. He groaned internally. Any other seat, any other seat. But as he heard the door click open, he knew that his hopes were in vain. Medicham saw him seated within the ride.

"Oh, Bisharp! I had no idea it was you here. Are you already riding or getting off?"

"Riding," said Bisharp shortly. "If you don't mind, close the door and get on. We're wasting time and I need more tickets."

Medicham frowned but did as he requested, before taking a seat beside him. He stiffened a little but relaxed as he felt the ride start. Almost immediately, he stood up and began looking outside. Medicham glanced at him and stood up.

"Do you enjoy the view?"

"I've heard you can find tickets hanging around the ride," explained Bisharp. He opened the window and peered outside. His eyes gleamed as he saw some tickets attached to a balloon floating by. He sliced the string and caught the tickets before holding on.

Medicham did not seem impressed. "I see. So you're all business as usual. Unlike our talk the other day."

"Today is business time," snapped Bisharp, turning and throwing Medicham an annoyed look. "I don't have time to sit around and discuss feelings all day. If I don't survive challenges, we won't have the chance to talk again."

Medicham sighed. "Must you have such a one track mind. I am trying to understand you, but you do not make it easy."

"We have our truce- you don't NEED to understand me," growled Bisharp, his eyes scanning around. It was harder to focus on the tickets with Medicham yapping in his ear.

Medicham sighed and opened the window on the other side, quickly finding some tickets taped to the side of the car. "It is more than just a game, Bisharp. You can take this time to discover yourself, make friends, bonds that last-"

"None of which I need. I need the money. Pure and simple. Friendship is secondary."

Medicham folded her arms. Back to this again. "Why?"

"Money helps one accomplish their goals."

"Be serious. Why forsake companionship?"

"That's personal. Just because we have a truce doesn't mean I have to be your best friend," said Bisharp, turning to glare at her.

Medicham scowled. "No. But you do not have to be cold hearted and rude, either."

"You're the one who started pestering ME!"

"Pestering? I was trying to be friendly!"

"Oh please!"

The two began to argue for the remainder of the ferris wheel ride. Marill watched from afar. She gave a kind of sad smile. So much for the peaceful ferris wheel ride, eh?

But aside from that, those two TOTALLY wanted each other.

000

"I procured far less tickets than originally planned. I don't want to talk about," growled Bisharp, rubbing his head.

000

Luxray was vibrating angrily. "NOT TO BE RUDE, BUT CAN YOU TWO STOP FLIRTING? I NEED TO RIDE THIS COASTER!"

Kabutops sighed, glancing away from Scizor. Turns out she was running the last coaster and he just had to go and er...talk with her. Yeah, that was it. Scizor was annoyed as well, but just stepped out of the way. She glanced behind her- true, the Typhoon was a crazy awesome roller coaster, which probably suited Luxray just fine...but damn it, why did she have to get stuck with such a popular attraction? Diglett was just sitting at the basketball toss minding his own business, and Gabite was just reading magazine after magazine while people played her fishing game. Scizor sighed and pointed a claw to the roller cars.

"I'll start the ride. It's the same as all of the other roller coasters, okay Luxray?"

"I AM SUFFICIENTLY SATISFIED."

Scizor pulled the lever and the ride flew off. Kabutops watched the carts sail away on the large rails- he had just gotten off the ride so...he had like ten minutes to kill with Scizor before he could ride again, right?

"So...you're looking as good as ever," commented Kabutops, smirking. Scizor rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Shouldn't you be hunting tickets?"

"The others are hunting tickets, and you saw me nab a good chunk off the roller coaster ride," argued Kabutops. "With four of us collecting, we've got a good chance of crushing the competition. At least one of us should get the immunity."

"Well it should be you- but I'm not one for alliances," said Scizor. "By the way, any idea on the idols? I have a theory."

"No...I mean, we just know it wasn't Bronzong," said Kabutops. "I sort of let that thing go. Who do YOU think did it?"

"Don't get me wrong, Bronzong was a good guess but...I think Krookodile planted the idols. After seeing him carve up the tooth in that one episode...well, at least I think he did...the idol just fits in?"

"And he would've had a good chance to aim for it," murmured Kabutops. "Yeah, that would fit but like...we don't have proof."

"Who says you need proof?" asked Scizor sharply. "Kabutops, be honest with me. This season's been all PROVE IT or HARD EVIDENCE PLEASE and you and I aren't those kinds of people. You think someone's out to get you, clobber 'em. I don't need to have a signed confession- a good kick solves a lot of problems."

"So you think I ought to just go for the croc?"

"What's stopping you?"

Kabutops frowned. He hadn't really thought of it that way. "I guess I didn't have a reason to. I sort of let my feuds with him die after every challenge, even though I'd love to wreck him."

"Well, do you need a reason?" asked Scizor.

"Well, it'd make me kicking his ass easier to explain," admitted Kabutops.

As he was continuously talking with Scizor, Weavile ran around the corner, looking around, eyes wild. When she focused on Kabutops and Scizor (who had jumped to the "making out section" of conversation), she ran up and slammed her fist on the booth.

"KABUTOPS! What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, I was going to round second base," snapped Kabutops angrily. "Why?'

"Never mind that!" hissed Weavile. "We've got a problem! Someone stole my tickets!"

"Ooooh, yeah, we were waiting to hear about that," said Scizor. "I bet it was Krookodile."

"Well, yeah, who else would stoop that low?" growled Weavile. "We've gotta find Banette and Gengar and get our tickets sorted out before the red jerk strikes again!"

"Okay, okay...I'm coming...any idea where they are?"

"You don't know? I think I glanced Banette in the games section, playing Cacturne's darts again, he can't have gone far. Gengar, no idea. You?"

"I thought I saw Gengar near the rides. Like in between the ferris wheel, slides, and funhouse. He might be at one of those."

"Okay! Let's go!" Weavile jerked Kabutops away. He threw a glance back at Scizor. Scizor pounded her claws together. Kabutops grinned.

Reason to knock out croc? Check.

000

"Why the hell did I decide entering Mismagius's funhouse was a good idea?" groaned Gengar.

It had seemed so simple when he had spoken to Mismagius. Three hundred tickets for getting through the funhouse and any other tickets he found he could keep...which was only about eighty. They were either well hidden or he was blind. Gengar sighed. The entire plan to load one person up with tickets seemed like it could have some difficulties. But still, he had to try for his squad.

"Okay...creeping around this corner is- GAH!" yelped Gengar, jumping as something popped out in front of him. He flinched, before staring and realizing that a cardboard Gastly laughing at him.

"Funhouse is bad enough...haunted funhouse is even more obnoxious," grumbled Gengar, pushing the Gastly out of the way. But then he paused, feeling the back off the cardboard decoration...to find some tickets! Jackpot!

"That's about twenty more...okay...sounds good! That's about a hundred!"

Gengar tapped his chin. Maybe his luck was changing since he lost that coin. He felt pretty bad about it, losing a gift from Froslass like that. But it wasn't as if he had MEANT to lose it- in fact, someone probably DID steal it. Was it Mr. B? Krookodile? Aw, he had no clue. But still, it wasn't good. Gengar paused, looking around and jumping again as something on a web fell in front of him. Slapping the small Joltik decoration out of the way, he moved forward, trying to find a solution to his dilemma. His eyes lit up. The prize booth! Maybe Mew had something there...yeah, he could replace the coin and-

Gengar didn't have time to finish that thought. He stepped on a switch and before he knew it, a crazy looking stuffed Bisharp popped out of a picture, giving off a cheesy evil laugh.

"DAMN IT, I HATE THESE DECORATIONS!" shouted Gengar, stomping his foot. Mismagius had filled her funhouse with tons of booby traps, including cardboard displays that popped up when triggered, creepy pictures where the eyes followed you, strange mirrors, and Gengar's personal least favorite, creepy dolls of the other contestants that could be set off like traps. He had already encountered a Crobat doll hang from the ceiling and a Wooper doll that had popped out of a nearby vase. And each time they had caught him off guard.

He whacked the Bisharp plush aside, knocking it into a lamp, which started flickering and sparking. Gengar leapt back and took a deep breath, before remembering he didn't breath. He groaned and walked into the next room. It was a living room, but it was in such a state of disarray that it looked like a crime scene. Sofas were overturned, there were scratch marks in the walls, and various dolls were splayed about the room. There was a door on the other side. Gengar started walking towards it, returning to his thoughts regarding the coin.

But replacing it was gonna be bad- Froslass gave him that coin and she would know if he replaced it. Mew would absolutely have cameras around the prize shop and then his jig would be up. Gengar smacked his forehead. He should've seen that coming. How was he EVER supposed to get further with Froslass if-

Gengar stopped. No. It was more important that he showed Froslass that he appreciated her. Which he did! He really did! But it would also be nice to-

Gengar shook his head. "I hate you Kabutops, why'd you have to go and make it weird."

He stepped into the room and flinched when he heard a squeak. He looked down and saw a small Diglett plush sticking out of the floor. He relaxed and continued on. They looked lifelike in the dim light. There was a Marill plush on a chair, its button eyes staring at him unsettlingly, and he could glimpse a ripped up Swampert plushie sitting in the corner. Even the Toxicroak plushie on the floor looked real. Gengar chuckled and gave it a small kick before continuing on.

He reached the doorknob and turned it, before he heard something behind him.

"Mmmm...hey, why'd you kick me? I...how long have I been out?"

Gengar felt something grab his foot, before turning around and seeing the plush Toxicroak rising from the floor, rubbing his head.

Gengar let out a terrified scream. Toxicroak's eyes widened and he let out a scream as well. There was a brilliant flash of light as the room seemed to come to life.

The screams continued, only to be drowned out by a maniacal laugh.

000

Gengar was staring at the camera, frozen stiff.

000

Toxicroak was sitting in the confessional, shivering. "I...I had entered the funhouse...and-and...I was looking around for tickets. And I was in the living room before I suddenly heard something behind me...and then nothing."

He rubbed his skull. "Man my head hurts. But on one side, HOLY SHIT. On the other side...someone took my tickets..."

000

Krookodile whistled quietly, counting his tickets. "Let's see...I think I'll go polish this little heist off with a snack. One more sucker after that? Immunity is MINE."

000

Alakazam calmly strolled forward to the ticket palace. He had enough for an immunity. The question was...would anyone try to stop him? Alakazam allowed himself a little smile as he fingered the tickets in his left hand. The games had been easy, simple enough. It didn't really matter what he decided to go for at this point. Once he had the immunity, he could go back and win any prize he wanted. No one had really thought that far ahead- while there were a lot of prizes to be won, when did Mew say that you couldn't continue to win prizes after you're immune.

"It's hard being this clever sometimes," murmured Alakazam. Once he was safe, he could truly enjoy the festival. Maybe Mew would allow him more than one immunity to be bought. Alakazam was sure they wouldn't stack but...it wouldn't hurt to give his foes less options.

Finally, it was in his sights. He saw Mew lazily laying at the prize booth. Alakazam's smile widened. He stepped forward, ready to cash in his winnings when...

"Hold it, pal."

Alakazam stopped, closed his eyes in brief annoyance, before glancing to his side. Honchkrow. And on his other side, he could hear the faint beating of wings. And Crobat. Marvelous.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We've heard you've been winning a lot of tickets...so, we'll be taking them," explained Crobat, smiling.

"Really? Stealing tickets? Is that allowed?" asked Alakazam, mocking surprise in his voice.

"Totally!" said Mew, laughing. "They've been staking this booth out for about ten minutes now. Sorry, bud!"

"Well, I can assure you, these tickets are mine," said Alakazam. "Although...you'll have to take them by force. That is...if I'm holding them."

"You wouldn't have hid them," argued Crobat. "You don't trust anyone for instant here."

"Except me...and I'm confident no one saw them," laughed Alakazam. Crobat paused. He nodded at Honchkrow. Honchkrow smirked and slide her and Crobat's tickets into the ruff of fur around her neck. Alakazam's eyes tracked her every move.

"No use, brainy...you may have use Crobat against me once, but I'm immune to your Psychic little tricks," said Honchkrow with a chuckle.

The two Flying types homed in, while Alakazam closed his eyes. In one brief instant, he immediately threw his tickets into the air. Honchkrow and Crobat froze, looking up at the hundreds of tickets in the air. Alakazam ran past them and slammed his hand down in front of Mew.

"You just ditched half of your tickets!" yelled Mew. Alakazam chuckled before slapping his hand onto the table.

"I ditched about 500 of them, but that's nowhere near half. Anyways, 7'500 tickets. Count them."

Crobat looked over, eyes wide. "Honchkrow, he still has enough!"

Honchkrow, who had been snatching tickets out of the air, froze and turned to watch. "WHAT?"

Mew looked them over, putting them into a machine. The total tickets added up to 7,652. Mew grinned. Not bad...but one final test would be good.

"You SURE you want the two-nighter? The three-nighter is still available if you get more tickets. I CAN give you these babies back if you want to go for it.

"I would like to purchase two nights of immunity- I don't need more than that," insisted Alakazam. Mew shrugged, but grinned. He handed Alakazam a silver card.

"Just to keep track. And no, no one can steal your immunity card from you," confirmed Mew. "You bought it fair and square."

He reached for his speaker before yelling into the intercom. "ATTENTION CAMPERS! ALAKAZAM HAS PURCHASED ONE OF THE TWO DOUBLE-NIGHT IMMUNITIES! THERE IS ONLY ONE LEFT! GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN!"

"Aw, shit!" snapped Honchkrow, groaning. But Alakazam wasn't done yet. He motioned for Mew to pass the intercom to him. Mew looked dubious, but shrugged. Alakazam held the device up to his lips.

"Attention, my fellow contestants," he said, smiling at his foiled opponents. "If you would like a good chance to grab plenty of tickets, my remaining winnings along with Honchkrow and Crobat's are up for grabs at the Prize Booth."

"What?" snarled Honchkrow. "What da hell do you MEAN mine are up for-?"

Alakazam grinned as he telekinetically grabbed Honchkrow's tickets from inside her neck feathers. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed them high into the air, scattering them into the winds. Crobat's jaw dropped. Honchkrow let out a chirp of horror.

"YOU...YOU...!" sputtered the black bird.

"If you're so focused on me, I doubt you'll be saving all of your tickets," said Alakazam, grinning.

Crobat frowned. "Oh please. Yeah, some might try, but I doubt our friends-"

"BANZAI!" screeched Luxray, dashing in and grabbing some tickets before dashing back out towards Mamoswine. "COME, MAMOSWINE! WE HAVE PLUNDERED THE INNOCENT! TO THE NEXT ADVENTURE!"

Mamoswine threw them an apologetic look but...technically, stealing was a part of the challenge. And Crobat and Honchkrow were nice and all but...they weren't exactly allies. He plodded after Luxray, not looking back.

Honchkrow huffed and went to snatch a ticket out of the air, before something whizzed past her. Honchkrow stared.

"NOIVERN! WHAT DA HELL!"

"Sorry, Honchkrow, but I need to get immunity for Gliscor!" hollered Noivern, fluttering around grabbing stuff. Crobat gaped as Gliscor popped out of the ground, grabbing tickets. He gave Crobat a grin.

"Hey man, all's fair in immunity, right?"

Crobat narrowed his eyes. "I can take them back."

He dashed towards Gliscor, but he kicked up some sand and vanished into it. Crobat coughed on the grains, before flapping the dust away. He stared in shock as all sorts of contestants were running into grab their tickets. He saw Krookodile scooping some into his jaws from a hole had dug before tunneling away, while Bisharp quickly and methodically snatch every ticket in his path. Crobat was stunned. They had all turned on them, just like that. Even Krookodile who SAID he'd help take out Alakazam. Were they really that hated? Alakazam smiled at the shocked bat.

"You always say I'm alone, but don't forget that the only allies you two have are each other," said Alakazam with a chortle. "And two is a bigger target. I may be a team of one, but I function better when everyone's against than you two will."

He strode away, a satisfied look on his face, while Honchkrow and Crobat continued to scramble to collect their winnings. Crobat grit his teeth. Yeah, working with Honchkrow had been going great so far, but now that it was everyone for themselves, they definitely had to grab more allies. It wasn't good to be an island surrounded by a sea of enemies. He'd talk with her after the game was over.

A shadow appeared in the center of the chaos. Some clawed hands popped out and snatched some tickets before the shadow slipped away. Once it was safely around a corner, hidden behind the prize booth, Banette popped out, grinning as he slightly unzipped his mouth and stored the tickets inside for safekeeping.

"Sorry, but my alliance is coming first," said the puppet with a chuckle. He felt a yank on the back of his head and winced. "Hey, what the-!"

"There you are! We thought you were in the games section, what gives?" hissed Weavile, folding her arms and tapping her foot.

"Well I heard the intercom and check it out!" said Banette. He grinned and held up his tickets. "Nabbed some from the mafia."

Weavile sighed. "Well, yeah that's good but...well we have bigger problems. Someone stole my tickets!"

"Someone stole yours?" asked Banette, gaping. "Krookodile?"

"I don't KNOW who, but he's my guess."

"Lemme clobber the guy," offered Kabutops. "I don't need proof. Let me wreck him."

"You're not Trevenant," pointed out Banette.

"And he's not Mismagius. What's your point?"

"Look...before we wreck anyone, we need to regroup...we have to plan...where's Gengar?" asked Banette.

"We came to get you first," said Weavile. "Now if we go find him-"

"No need," groaned a low voice as Gengar slipped around the corner. His eyes were darting around nervously and he seemed to be extremely tired. "Uh...how's our ticket hunt going?"

"I lost most of mine- they got stolen. I've managed to snag a small amount before I found you guys," said Weavile.

"I gave most of my tickets to Banette. I can barely hold the damn things," growled Kabutops.

Banette quickly slid his tickets out of his mouth while no one was looking and put them altogether in his and Weavile's hands. Gengar added his to the mix, counting nervously.

"I organized them by hundreds so...I think we have a little over 5000 actually. Thank god you're the only one who lost tickets, Weavile."

"It sucks. The plan was for all of us to gather 2500 tickets each," groaned Weavile.

"Well only me and Banette made the grade," pointed out Kabutops. He glanced at Gengar. "Which reminds me...you didn't have a lot of tickets and you look like shit. You feeling okay?"

Gengar stiffened a bit and looked around nervously. It was now or never. "I really do NOT want to do this but uh...can...can I make a request?"

"Sure. What's up?" asked Banette, glancing at the others. What was bugging Gengar NOW?

"I...I would REALLY like that immunity...the first one we buy. Like...as soon as we can."

"Well we were gonna try and save for the three nighter," said Weavile uncomfortably.

"I need it," whispered Gengar. "Like, one night is enough! I need it tonight!"

"Yeah, but why?" asked Banette. "Just like...explain it. Did something happen?"

Gengar nodded.

"What's wrong?" asked Weavile, looking concerned.

Gengar sighed and began to explain.

000

"Oh, Gengar," moaned Weavile, smacking her forehead. "Gengar, Gengar, Gengar, Gengar...why?"

000

"Are you SHITTING me...I just...okay, calm down, we can handle this," said Banette.

000

"GOD DAMN IT GENGAR!" yelled Kabutops, stabbing the wall furiously before his sickle got jammed. Gritting his teeth he pressed his foot onto the wall and attempted to pull it out.

000

Mew eyed the four campers in front of him, a smirk on his face. "Pooling your tickets together...and what exactly are you purchasing today?"

"We want a one-nighter immunity," said Banette shortly. Mew cocked a brow.

"Four of you gathering tickets and you're going for a ONE NIGHTER? What the heck?"

"Can we get it or not?" demanded Weavile. Mew rolled his eyes at the rudeness and proceeded to count the tickets using a machine. It turned out that they had a little over 5000.

"Yeah, sure. But who's it for? Only one of you gets it."

"Me," said Gengar, raising his hand. Mew shrugged and floated up, grabbing one of the tickets and handing it to Gengar.

"Congratulations," said Mew, before grabbing his intercom. "ATTENTION CAMPERS! GENGAR NOW HAS IMMUNITY FOR TONIGHT ONLY! FOUR IMMUNITIES REMAIN, INCLUDING THE TRIPLE NIGHTER!"

Gengar sighed in relief. "I'm sorry, dudes."

"Just work your ass off...we might not be able to get the three-night immunity but...maybe we can grab immunity for another one of our alliance," said Banette tiredly.

"Got it."

000

"So let me get this straight," said Bisharp, an annoyed look on his face. "You entered the funhouse to find tickets. You were looking around in one of the rooms. Suddenly, someone hit you on the back of your head and knocked you out, stealing your tickets in the process. You wake up to someone kicking you."

"I think it was Gengar," said Toxicroak, rubbing his head. "But I don't remember...but they screamed, I screamed, there was a flash and I got whacked on the noggin again. And then you found me. I think."

"So, in theory, Gengar was the one who hit you the second time. Perhaps you startled him, though that doesn't explain the flash. Unless...no, that's unlikely."

"What's unlikely?" asked Toxicroak.

"Never you mind. And you know nothing of who knocked you out the first time? They're the culprit who stole your tickets."

"I never saw them," said Toxicroak, shaking his head.

Bisharp was a little sympathetic. "Well, you probably won't be getting immunity. I, on the other hand, should be able to get what I want. I can easily afford a one-nighter but...I prefer to aim for as high as I can. If you wish, you can donate your tickets to my cause."

"Totally, dude!"

Bisharp smiled. "Thanks, Toxicroak. I'll ask around, see if I can figure out who attacked you. But first, the challenge calls."

"Right behind you!"

000

"Tickets, Mamoswine!" screamed Luxray. "We have the tickets! We have the moves! SOON, IT'LL BE ALL GRAVY!"

"Well, hold onto my tickets for now," offered Mamoswine. "I don't think I can do another coaster...I'm so hungry! I need to get to the food court again."

"Well, you could always get into an eating contest...if someone challenges you, you'd destroy them!"

"I think that's why no one will challenge me," said Mamoswine with a laugh. "Besides, I can play some games better with a full stomach. And then we can ride the Ferris Wheel together!"

"Again?" asked Luxray, eyes shining. "Oh...you're the best, Mamoswine!"

Mamoswine shook his head. "WE'RE the best."

Luxray purred loudly, rubbing her head against him. "I felt bad for stealing the tickets from those two, but I want one of us to be safe."

"Well, it'll be you," said Mamoswine, smiling.

Luxray frowned. "You haven't been here long. I think you should keep it because they might want you gone again!"

."I'll be fine," said Mamoswine with a laugh. "I've kept my nose out of things for the most part. I shouldn't be on anyone's radar. But you're a wild card and you know how they feel about those."

Luxray sighed. "Okay. We'll figure it out later. Maybe we can just forsake immunity and buy some fun things at the prize booth?"

"Is that smart?" asked Mamoswine dubiously.

"No. But it IS fun."

Mamoswine laughed warmly. "Fair enough. Anyway, I'll be at the food court! Hope you enjoy the next coaster!"

"I'll see you soon!" shouted Luxray, bounding away. Mamoswine sighed.

"I love that woman. And I also love food! Food court, here I come!"

000

"So, how do da bumper cars work?" asked Honchkrow, eyeing the attraction curiously.

Rhydon rubbed his head. "It's pretty simple crap, but the only problem with it is that you can either play one player or multiplayer. What's your preference?"

"What's da difference?"

"One player, I turned on the bumper cars and they'll drive around automatically. You have to bump them more than they bump you and you'll win tickets based on your score. With the multiplayer option, you can play against others, and if you win, you'll get even more tickets. So, you interested?"

"I guess. So I'm da only one here."

"Didn't say that. We have another guy here already."

Honchkrow cocked a brow and shrugged, walking into the attraction. It was a wide field with a cool holographic floor that changed colors. She looked around at the bumper cars, before she smirked- though they were all the same style of car, she had to admit that Mew was great at callbacks- the bumper cars in the attraction were painted to resemble the karts from Houndoom's challenge. Honchkrow quickly found the black car that looked similar to her old vehicle and sat in it. She craned her head, looking around for her challenger until-

"I'm right here."

Honchkrow tensed up and glared to her right. She saw Alakazam casually sitting in his own bumper car, reading a magazine. He glanced up, smiled, and placed the magazine in his lap.

"I've been waiting for you."

"Da hell? What are you even DOING here?"

"Since I have immunity, I'm able to do whatever I please for the remainder of the time," explained Alakazam. "From winning prizes, to stealing immunities...to preventing you from getting ANYTHING."

Honchkrow's eyes narrowed. "You really tink you can stop me?"

"I already have," said Alakazam, smiling. Honchkrow's scowl deepened and she pressed down on the pedal, surging forwards towards the smug Psychic. Alakazam's smile widened and he swerved around before ramming against her, sending Honchkrow veering into another stationary car. Honchkrow cursed under her breath and turned as quickly as she could. She accelerated quickly, but Alakazam rolled out of the way and only got skimmed. He responded by slamming his car into hers twice more, sending Honchkrow spinning out into one of the corners. Honchkrow slammed her feathered fists on the car.

"Damn thing...doesn't drive right..."

"I'd say that the fault lies more with the driver," offered Alakazam.

"Da hell did I do to ya? Yeah, me and Crobat tried to swipe your tickets, but you WON da immunity. Why not buzz off?"

Alakazam's eyes gleamed as he fingered the wheel. "You challenged me. You chose to take me on and make a special effort to see me off of this island. And I've accepted that challenge. But like Hypno before you, I'm not going to sit by and just let you take free shots at me. The merge is here, Honchkrow. Who is going to be the first to go?"

"You," scoffed Honchkrow.

"Maybe. But I'll break you first. I've caught on to your strategy now."

"What strategy?"

"The fact that you have no strategy. You switch your plan every time. You transition from needling me and belittling me to make me look weak into making me look strong. Your goal is to annoy me to the point where I go full force, and then point out that I'm a threat. You manage to try it in different ways every challenge, but the underlining goal is the same. The only thing I have to do is watch you every challenge and figure out your plan."

Honchkrow was stunned as he called her out so easily, but she kept her poker face on. She put her car in gear as she hurtled towards him. "And if dat's true, den why are you having so much trouble wit me?"

She bumped Alakazam to the side, but he easily returned the favor afterwards.

"I've had other priorities and you know it," scoffed Alakazam. "I already have a good guess as to how this game is going to play out."

"Did your Mega help you out wit dat?" shot back Honchkrow. Alakazam's gaze darkened for a moment, before he regained his composure.

"No. My normal brainpower is enough to figure out how this will play out."

"Humor me den. What do ya tink is gonna happen?"

Alakazam gave her a small smile. "You won't beat me."

"We'll see about dat!" roared Honchkrow, flying forward in her bumper car.

000

"He...is so...AGGRAVATING!" shouted Medicham, slamming the mallet down onto the button. Swampert's eyes widened as the block slid up and collided with the bell...hard. He smiled sympathetically as he handed Medicham more tickets and an inflatable hammer.

"All I try to do is be kind and understand him and he simply...gets in my face and annoyed with me!" hissed Medicham. "I cannot understand it all. Of course he has never had a friend in his life- he simply does not WANT one."

Swampert shrugged. "Medicham, you can't force someone to like you and open up to you. Perhaps you're going about it the wrong way. And I doubt that talking to him during challenges is going to make him more bearable. He has a one track mind."

"But if he just realized that the challenges are NOT the most important thing-!"

"But he doesn't feel that way right now. Yes, I agree with you, the experience is what counts, but Bisharp has his eyes on one thing, and that's winning."

"So what do you suggest I do?"

"You won't like my advice," said Swampert simply.

"Tell me anyway."

"Leave him alone and focus on the game, and not him," said Swampert. "Let him come to you, if he decides to. Besides, I'm pretty sure the best way to get on his radar is to either disobey him or beat him at a challenge. Why not focusing on winning this first? How many tickets do you have?"

"Enough for one night of immunity," admitted Medicham.

"Save up. There's plenty immunities left. Once you're immune, you'll have plenty of time to talk to him."

Medicham nodded and smiled. "Fair enough. Thank you for the advice."

"No problem. Why not head over to Diglett's basketball game? I'm sure your aim is on point," commented Swampert.

Medicham laughed. "Okay. I will give it a try. Take care of yourself Swampert."

Swampert waved as she walked away, before heaving a sigh. "You too, Medicham. I hope you know what you're getting into."

000

"GO GLISCOR GO!" roared Noivern. Gliscor grinned in content as he throw another softball. The object flew into the pile of bottles and sent them all crumbling to the floor. Wooper jumped and down, tapping his feet wildly.

"Good job, Gliscor. That should net you about 400 tickets!"

"Which puts us at...wait, I think we're above the 5000 count...we could buy an immunity!" said Gliscor.

"Awesome! Let's go and tell Mew!"

"Wait! You also get one of the prizes up there!" shouted Wooper, jumping up and pointing. Gliscor glanced up and grinned, grabbing an electric blue stuffed Teddiursa and handing it to Noivern. She blushed a little and hugged it, before sliding it under one of her wings.

"Okay! Now we've gotta grab your immunity!"

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" yelled Noivern. "I told you I would!"

As the two turned and moved towards the booth, they heard a loud voice.

"WHOA THERE! DO YOU SEE ITS EYES?" roared Luxray, reeling in a line while Garchomp watched her with uninterested eyes. She yanked the plastic fish out of the water, tossing it in a bucket. "Dead eyes...like a doll!"

"It IS a doll," snapped Garchomp angrily. The land shark glanced down at her hour glass. "About 20 seconds left."

"Hey girl!" greeted Noivern, landing next to Luxray. Luxray smiled bright and proceeded to harpoon three plastic fish with her tail. Garchomp stared in shock as Luxray turned and talked to the others, all the while spearing fish.

"Actually, Noivern. I wanted to see you!" said Luxray. "I finished designing that logo for your band!"

Noivern and Gliscor exchanged a stunned glance. "A-already?" stuttered Noivern. "Luxray I mean...we haven't even thought of a name yet. It's like...how do I put it...oh forget it, SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME!"

"Wait for it," said Luxray. Noivern and Gliscor sat for a moment, as Luxray finished playing her game, receiving her prizes from Garchomp and taking her tickets. She groomed herself for a moment before smiling at them. Noivern and Gliscor glanced at each other again.

"Uh, Luxray, where-?"

POOF! A floating piece of paper appeared in front of the two Flying types, causing Gliscor to flinch. Luxray grinned.

"I drew it while I was riding the Typhoon! I used this cool paper I created by mixing radioactive materials and cotton candy and-"

"That's cool and all, but can we see it?" asked Noivern, excited. Luxray glanced at the paper, before poking it towards Gliscor and Noivern. The two of them looked it over, eyes widening.

"Whoa...is that..."

"Cool."

"WICKED BITCHIN'!" shouted Noivern, before covering her mouth. "I MEAN UH- IT'S AWESOME!"

"I'm glad you like it! Obviously we can make changes, but I figured the blue fire and the light raining from the heavens was a good artistic touch," said Luxray, smiling. "I mean, we'll have to add your band name. But I've got a little bit of all of you in there!"

"Yeah, I see!" said Noivern, noting the sound waves that represented her, and the wings that looked like Gliscor. "Where's Banette?"

"Haven't added him yet! You think there's something he'd like?"

"Run it by him and find out! Oh man, this is so great!" squealed Noivern. "Now we just need some more members and a finished logo and then we can go on tour and have a tour bus with a hot tub and-"

"Breathe Noivern!" laughed Gliscor, patting her on the back. Noivern took a deep breath and smiled.

"The dream is coming, bro. We gonna ride this wave or what? BUT FIRST...I am a rocker woman of my word. Let's go get you that immunity!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I SHALL FOLLOW- MAMOSWINE HAS GIVEN ME PERMISSION TO BESTOW IMMUNITY ON MYSELF!" said Luxray.

"But where are your tickets?" asked Gliscor, folding his arms.

POOF! A pile of tickets appeared floating in the air next to the diagram Luxray drew. Gliscor stared.

"Should I ask?"

Luxray smiled. "Nope!"

"Wicked bitchin'," whispered Noivern.

000

"Two more immunities gone," groaned Banette. "This is NOT looking good for us. Not to mention, being around Weavile all day is just...DAMNIT KABUTOPS."

000

"This is looking grim. Time to kick things into high gear," said Bisharp angrily.

000

Mamoswine tottered over to the food court. He immediately walked up to Mewtwo, who was sitting next to a pile of hotdogs. Mamoswine's mouth immediately started watering as he stared down the pile of hot dogs.

"Oh man, please tell me those are free."

"Everything's free on this island," grumbled Mewtwo. "But no. They're for an eating contest. Waiting for more challengers and all that-"

"I'LL BE A CHALLENGER!" offered Mamoswine, his eyes glowing with hunger and happiness. Mewtwo stared him down, before shaking his head with a smile.

"Well damn. I feel bad for the other guy now. But sure, you're in. Head around the booth, you'll find your plate and challenger there."

Mamoswine happily bounded around the corner, before stopping. There, sitting at the table, was a familiar red and black reptile. Krookodile glanced behind him, before a smirk appeared on his face.

"Long time no see, piggy."

"You," said Mamoswine, his eyes searching the crocodile's face. Mamoswine wasn't an idiot- he knew that Krookodile was the type of competitor who was always up to no good. He was the type to go to any means to win, whether it was fair or not, and he had no qualms about who he hurt on his pathway to the top.

In addition, Mamoswine knew that he and Krookodile did not have the best relationship. In fact, the other Pokemon seemed to loathe Mamoswine in particular- the giant pig saw the way he scowled at him and muttered crossly when he thought Mamoswine wasn't listening. Krookodile had a vendetta against him, and Mamoswine knew it. The way Krookodile had savagely attacked Mamoswine in various challenges, such as Bellsprout's and Lopunny's. But for all of his wisdom, Mamoswine had no idea why Krookodile hated him. He knew that there was something wrong with him- his skinniness and bad attitude said it all- but he couldn't figure what he did to make Krookodile loathe him.

"Hot dogs, eh? You ready to lose?" asked Krookodile.

"I don't plan to," said Mamoswine, eyes narrowing.

"Good. I can't wait."

000

"No one plans to lose," said Krookodile with a sneer. "You MAKE 'em lose. Wanna know Mamoswine's weakness beside food? He's a good person. Nice guys finish last."

000

"Attention everyone! Luxray has just purchased the second two-nighter immunity, and Gliscor is now in possession of another one-night immunity! That means that only the coveted three night immunity and a last one-nighter is left!" shouted Mew over the intercom.

Banette looked up and cursed. "Well, that's shitty. I doubt I'll be able to score enough tickets for the one-nighter."

"I kind of figured that," muttered Weavile, sitting in a chair and turning a steering wheel. "Isn't that why we just split up and just did what we wanted?"

The two of them were in the arcade, which was happily ran by Gardevoir. Banette was surprised that she had opted to sit inside a building all day, but she seemed to be enjoying herself- she was playing a fighter game in the corner. In addition, the arcade was heavily air conditioned. Banette was happy to be in here and would have liked it all day long, but like most attractions, you had a limited time in the arcade. You could only stay in the arcade for 10 minutes and then you had to wait 10 minutes before coming back.

Kabutops had opted out of the arcade and went to go see Scizor. Gengar, on the other hand, was hungry, and decided to go wolf down a burger.

"You two should really stay positive," offered Gardevoir. "After all, you got one immunity already."

"To Gengar- if he hadn't royally screwed up, we would've fine," said Weavile, rolling her eyes. "I just hope we didn't waste it on him."

"What did he even do?" asked Gardevoir, turning around with a curious look on her face.

"Something we are NOT talking about," said Banette. "Let's just agree that it was really stupid."

"Seriously," groaned Weavile.

"Mind you, he's been having a rough day," admitted Banette. "So I'll let it slide."

"Yeah, I was gonna ask how the meeting before went- he's seemed a bit off ever since that meeting," commented Weavile, hopping out of the driver's seat. She moved over to play some Pacman. "Anything happen? I asked Kabutops, but he just laughed and said that you and him were having some problems."

Banette scowled at the shooting game he was playing and blasted a robot. Of course Kabutops was laughing- he was the only one without a "problem".

"Did you two have a fight?" asked Gardevoir, concerned.

"What? No, we didn't have a fight he's uh...just...having some lady problems with Froslass," said Banette.

Gardevoir looked interested, but didn't comment. Weavile narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"How? Froslass was eliminated ages ago?"

"Well...I mean...he's just...he just wants to know they're okay, he's just worried," explained Banette, trying to do ANYTHING but tell Weavile what was going on.. "You saw how he got her the scarf? Plus he lost the coin and all."

"How does that give you a problem?" asked Weavile, but Gardevoir was staring at Banette. Banette felt hot under her gaze- shit, she could sense emotions, right. Gardevoir's eyes widened, and slowly, a huge smirk slid on her face. Weavile looked away from her game for a moment, waiting for a response.

"He just uh...wouldn't shut up about it. It was annoying," said Banette smoothly. That wasn't a total lie, but it was Kabutops that wouldn't shut up.

"Oh...well uh...okay then. Wait, you said his coin got stolen?"

"Yeah, we think it might've been Mr. B. Your thoughts?"

"Could be. Or Krookodile might've done it. Unless they're the same of course."

"Yep."

"Well, after this, maybe we should go try and stop Krookodile. I bet he's got a lot of tickets right now. There's no way we're going to outrace him now that we had to abandon our plan and help Gengar."

"Fair enough," said Banette. "How long as it been, Gardevoir?"

"Too long for you," said Gardevoir, with Banette glaring at her. "You guys should get out of here."

Weavile shrugged and stood up from her game, but as she opened the door, she looked at Banette. She sighed exasperatedly.

"Learn to lie better, Banette. I know you're a ghost, but I can seriously see right through you. I'll find out what happened after the challenge. Sheesh."

Banette stared as Weavile walked out. He glanced at Gardevoir, who was chuckling.

"Don't laugh! I'm screwed!" hissed Banette.

"Isn't that the OPPOSITE of your problem?" replied Gardevoir. Banette smacked his face.

000

"Okay, you two. Winner gets 1000 tickets," grumbled Mewtwo. "This event is worth more, on the grounds that two Pokemon have to do it and because you both may throw up later so...any questions?"

Mamoswine sniffed his hot dogs, grinning, while Krookodile licked his lips. They both glanced at Mewtwo, waiting.

"GO!"

Mamoswine immediately dove into the pile of hot dogs, scarfing down as many as he possibly could. His eyes were filled with the sights of food, his nose was filled with the scent of food, and soon, his stomach would be filled with food. He gobbled them up as quickly as he could, spearing a few on his tusks by mistake, but he'd get those later. He continued to eat and eat, but eventually, he glanced to the right.

He was shocked that Krookodile was managing to keep up with him. The crocodile was grabbing handfuls and dropping them into his gaping maw, chomping the food to bits before swallowing. He seemed to be focused, but his eyes would occasionally dart to Mamoswine and he would sneer at him. Mamoswine snorted and continued eating.

They ate. And ate. And ate. And while Mamoswine was by no means full, he was shocked that Krookodile of all people was able to go toe to toe with him. Mamoswine wondered what was keeping him in. An enormous appetite? Desire to win? Spite? But Krookodile continued on, chomping dog after dog, all the while with a foul look on his face.

The two continued- Mewtwo kept replacing their empty plates with more and more hot dogs. Mamoswine looked at Krookodile. He had to know. There had to be a reason. Maybe Mamoswine could fix it.

"I have a question...why do you dislike me?"

"Shut up, porker. I'm eating," snarled Krookodile. "And if you haven't noticed, I don't like most people, and you're included in that large number. So shut up."

Mamoswine scowled. "There's no need to be rude. It was just a question."

Krookodile stopped. Then he looked at Mamoswine.

"Okay, buddy. You really want to know why I don't like you?" asked Krookodile, a nasty look on his face. "You have everything. You've got money, you've got food, I assume you've got a job, and you've got a nutso girlfriend who may be fucking bonkers, but she adores you and is a genius with a job."

"Luxray is NOT bonkers-!" interrupted Mamoswine hotly, but Krookodile talked over him.

"Shut up! You have all of this goddamn shit, your life is so wonderful. Perfect for you, perfect relationship, perfect goddamn LIFE and you know what you do? You decide, hey! I'm gonna go apply to this stinkin' show that I've been on twice already because I want more money and food because I'm a fucking glutton. That's why I don't like you Mamoswine. You play this big, friendly, lovable oaf card, and behind it all you're here to satisfy that big stomach of yours. Win the game? Please. Most people I'd be okay with seeing walking away? But you? Tubby rich boy who's got the perfect life? You don't deserve it. None of it. And now you're back for the merge, instead of somebody else who could've used that chance more than you? Please. Go to hell."

Mamoswine stood there and winced as every venom filled word hit his ears. But on top of Luxray being insulted, Mamoswine felt himself getting angrier and angrier. This guy didn't know him at all. Mamoswine turned away from his plate and stomped on the ground. Krookodile immediately stood up as well, standing his ground.

"Uh...guys," said Mewtwo, but neither one heard him.

"For starters, I am NOT here just for the money," snapped Mamoswine. "I come here to enjoy myself, hang out with friends, and have a great time. I do have a very nice life, but there is nothing wrong with me returning to improve it! Everyone deserves a good life and to be happy! I want everyone to have a good time, but that's an impossible dream! Krookodile, you're the one who's being unreasonable. I have done NOTHING to you and you come along, call me fat, lazy, and tell me I don't deserve to come back. Where do you get that right?"

Krookodile scowled. "Yeah. Everyone deserves to be happy, right? Yeah, maybe, but that's not how the real world works, bub. Sure, we can pretend this competition is about happiness and fun times, but that's now it works for everyone. And you're a big fat reminder of how unfair this whole thing really is."

"And you have the right to judge that?" shot back Mamoswine. Krookodile slammed his tail on the ground and let out a snarl of fury. Mamoswine stepped back. There was a strange look in Krookodile's eye as he reached for another hot dog and forced it down. It was a mix of loathing...and hunger.

"Yes. Yes I fucking do," breathed Krookodile. "You wanna know why you're Mr. Happy Get Along. Because you've never NEEDED anything in your goddamn worthless life. You WANT to have fun, you WANT to do this. Well guess fucking what? In my life, I never got to WANT anything. Instead, I had needs. Like finding enough food so I don't starve. Or finding some way to sneak into a gym so I can take a shower. You want to have fun, Mamoswine, but I NEED this money like no one else here. So if and when I lose my one chance to get out of this worthless life I've got, at least you had the fun you wanted to have, right?"

Mamoswine was stunned. "Krookodile, I-"

"No. Shut that mouth of yours!" growled Krookodile. "You don't goddamn know a thing. You don't know cold. You don't know suffering. You don't know hunger. You've got a perfect goddamn life and you don't know what it's like to fight everyday. But I do. And I will Mamoswine. Because I'm not gonna let you stand in my way."

Mamoswine was frozen stiff. He wanted to say something in response, but the words wouldn't come out. He...he had no idea. From what he said, Krookodile's situation was a lot more dire than he could have guessed. Was the crocodile homeless? Did he come from a broken home? Was he abandoned? It was hard to say, but Krookodile wasn't opening up. Mamoswine looked at his feet uncertainly. Maybe Krookodile was right- maybe he WAS being selfish. He had already been a runner up and enjoyed two seasons of playtime, but...he didn't need that money, it wasn't too important to him. He just wanted to spend time with Luxray but...he could do that anywhere...anytime. Whereas this Pokemon in front of him...yes, he was unpleasant and rude, but his desperation and determination...that was something Mamoswine couldn't begin to understand. He closed his eyes.

"Mewtwo. I forfeit. Let Krookodile have the tickets."

Mewtwo stared in shock. The revelation was enough, but now Mamoswine forfeited? Mewtwo frowned at Krookodile. He had to be up to something.

"Krookodile, take your tickets."

Krookodile grabbed the tickets, before glancing at Mamoswine. The pig had turned back to silently eat his hot dogs. Krookodile glanced at him, before looking at the table- Mamoswine's remaining tickets were beside his plate.

"You get it now?" barked Krookodile.

"Yes...I can understand why you're upset with me. I can't really change anything...but I'm sorry."

"Well if you feel that bad...I'll just do this."

Krookodile leapt forward and snatched Mamoswine's tickets. Mamoswine stared in shock.

"Hey!"

"I said you wouldn't stop me," reminded Krookodile, his teeth forming a nasty grin. "Sorry, piggy. You've just become my meal ticket to immunity. See you!"

Krookodile ran off, while Mamoswine stood up, trying to follow him. But to no avail. Krookodile disappeared around a corner. Mamoswine stomped the ground.

"He...he...!"

"Mamoswine, you're a good person," said Mewtwo sympathetically. "And that's good. But a bad person won't hesitate to use a good person against themselves."

"...I better find Luxray," said Mamoswine, sighing unhappily.

000

"He...he absolutely played me...I can't believe I fell for that," groaned Mamoswine. "I mean, I'm sure he was telling the truth, but to use it against me and throw it in my face..."

The great pig sighed.

000

Luxray was bristling angrily. "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT WRETCHED REPTILE, I SWEAR..."

000

"Uh huh...8000...9000...yep, 10000," said Mew, eyeing his machine with a smirk. "Not bad Krookodile. How many people did you stab in the back to get that immunity?"

"Doesn't matter if I get three nights of it," said Krookodile smugly. Mew shrugged, floating up into the air and grabbing the golden ticket. Krookodile grabbed it all too eagerly and cackled. Mew reached for the intercom.

"Ladies and gentleman...the three-nighter immunity has been claimed...the one to get is none other than KROOKODILE!"

"WHAT?" screamed Weavile.

Bisharp slammed his fist against a nearby wall. "Blast it!"

"We've still got a single one-nighter left so you all might want to kick it into high gear if you're scared of going home tonight," said Mew, glancing at the laughing crocodile with concern.

Bisharp sighed in defeat. There it went...the immunity was out the window and gone. He rubbed the back of his head in irritation. Well...that wasn't completely true. He still had a chance for immunity tonight...but that wouldn't help him sleep any easier. His uneasy ceasefire with Medicham aside, Bisharp knew he wasn't on the radar right now- Bronzong and Mr. B had seen to that. But when Honchkrow and Alakazam finished their battle and Mr. B was figured out...he wouldn't be in the game much longer. Bisharp stroked his chin, before shrugging. One night of immunity was better than none.

He quickly made his way through the park, spotting Mew's prize booth and walking towards it. He carefully counted the tickets in his hands, before he heard someone calling him.

"Bisharp! A moment please!"

Bisharp turned and saw Medicham jogging towards him. He folded his arms and rolled his eyes- what did she want now? But he was stunned when Medicham ran right past him and walked up to Mew.

"One night of immunity please."

"What?" spat Bisharp. He stomped forward and slammed his tickets on the table. "Mew, I was RIGHT here."

"Yeah but...she asked first so if she has over 5000 tickets...," said Mew hesitantly. Bisharp threw a livid look at Medicham. What the hell was that? Did she call his name just to distract him? Medicham simply watched Mew count the tickets. Bisharp felt his heart sink when he saw she had more than enough.

"And the last immunity goes to Medicham!" shouted Mew over the intercom. "So, to recap, Gengar, Gliscor, and Medicham have immunity tonight! Luxray and Alakazam have immunity for tonight and the next challenge. And Krookodile has immunity for three nights! Congratulations to the winners! Those of you with tickets, fear not. You can still head over to the prize booth and cash in to receive your prizes."

Medicham smiled as she looked at her ticket, before turning to Bisharp. He was already walking away, leaving his tickets behind. She took them and carried them over to him.

"You should see if there are any other prizes you want."

Bisharp grabbed them quickly and threw a glare at her. "Really? That's all you have to say?"

Medicham folded her arms. "It's a game, isn't it? You've said that yourself."

Bisharp's eyes didn't change. "Yes. It's all a part of the game. But that was a dirty trick. I wonder what your honor code thinks of that."

He turned and prowled away. Medicham felt her confidence slip. Did she just stoop to a lower level because of him? Was she losing a bit of herself because of her drive to win. She closed her eyes. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought.

000

"He slipped through our fingers. AGAIN!" snapped Weavile. "THE DAMN CROCODILE IS IMMUNE FOR THREE NIGHTS NOW! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GONNA DO NOW?"

000

"Dat red rogue's got explainin' to do- HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP WITH ALAKAZAM!" snarled Honchkrow.

000

"What no one realizes is that Mew's cut the number of people you can vote for nearly in half," said Bisharp gravely. "This elimination is tense for those of us who don't have immunity."

000

"Well, I may not have gotten immunity, but I bought a ton of glorious loot from Mew's prize wall," admitted Banette.

000

Honchkrow was trotting along, her eyes seeing red as Crobat fluttered behind her. She looked around several corners of the campground before finally spotting her target. Krookodile was carving rude pictures of Mew into the tree with a smirk on his face.

"You dere! Scalebutt. I gotta bone to pick with you!"

"What a pleasant surprise," growled Krookodile. "What do you want?"

"YOUR END OF THE BARGAIN," snarled Honchkrow. "You said you'd help take down Alakazam. So what da hell are you doin' lettin' him grab immunity and den you snagging it for yourself?"

"Hey, I said I'd help you!" protested Krookodile. "You guys dropped the ball first, letting Alakazam grab two nights of immunity-"

"Which you could've helped prevented," interrupted Crobat icily.

"I'm sorry, helping does NOT mean drop everything and risk my neck to sabotage Alakazam. I had my own skin to look out for too!" growled Krookodile. "Besides, I did you a favor. I crippled a few other players."

"Oh really?" asked Honchkrow.

"I grabbed a few tickets from those here and there...," said Krookodile. "Take your pick of the lot. As long as you stay in for two more challenges, I can help get Alakazam out while I'm still immune."

"Who's to say I won't destroy you da moment dat immunity is gone?" threatened Honchkrow.

Krookodile scowled and leaned in. "What's stopping me from backstabbing you two with three nights of immunity backing me up?"

Honchkrow glared. She hated being one-upped, but she had been preparing to deal with Alakazam...not Krookodile. And unfortunately, he was in the position of power now. She narrowed her eyes.

"Fine. We regroup once Alakazam is taken down. As a show of loyalty, you vote for who I tell you to tonight."

"So who is it?" asked Krookodile. "Bisharp? Banette? I'm all ears."

"Neither of them are too important at the moment," said Crobat. "Banette probably has an alliance going. And eliminating him first wouldn't be wise. Don't wanna poke that Beartic."

"So, your suggestion?" asked Krookodile.

Honchkrow thought for a moment, before the answer came to her.

000

"I cannot BELIEVE he got away with it," growled Kabutops. He was playing a with a small slinky, one of his many prizes from Mew's fair. "Why the hell didn't you let me clobber him?"

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty," admitted Banette, casually hitting a paddleball. "Might not have been a bad idea. No real good letting you do it now though."

"So what? Who do we vote for?" asked Gengar.

Banette sighed. "Your decision. You can vote Bisharp, Honchkrow, Noivern, I don't care. Not my call tonight."

"Eh, I'm still voting Krookodile then," said Kabutops with a chuckle.

"Throwing away your vote?" asked Gengar, gaping. "What if you go home?"

"I'll sock Krookodile as I walk out."

Weavile snorted. "That would be nice, but wouldn't help us. Regardless, I might just vote Honchkro and call it a day. Throw Alakazam a bone."

"Does he need the help? He's got two nights of immunity," pointed out Gengar.

"And you have one night. Does it really matter? I wanted Krookodile gone, but it's clear that's not happening."

"Well, whoever leaves...I hope it isn't one of us," said Banette, rubbing the back of his head. "Still, at least I won all this crap before I go."

Weavile looked at Banette's pile of winnings. The puppet had used his high scores in the arcade to net himself a nice beanbag chair, a puzzle, a board game of some kind, and more. Kabutops was enjoying his slinky, which he was currently using with a set of oven mitts so he wouldn't cut through it (he buckled down and bought them at Gengar and Banette's urgings). Gengar, who had opted out of any prizes due to his immunity, was glancing at one of the cookbooks that Weavile had won.

"I've gotta use the bathroom," groaned Gengar, running off. "See y'all at the ceremony."

"Yeah, I might go as well...or see if Mewtwo has anything tasty in the cafeteria," said Banette.

The two ghosts walked off after Banette gathered his things and Kabutops made to follow, stretching as he got up. He looked around before glancing at Weavile and shrugging.

"I guess I'll just go wandering around cutting up trees until the ceremony comes around. Catch ya later."

"Oh no you don't!" said Weavile, running forward and grabbing his arm. "You and I need to talk."

Kabutops's eyes widened. "What? Shit, the hell did I do now?"

"What? No, not that! Look...I just have a few questions for you is all..."

000

Kabutops snorted loudly. "Oh man...this'll be funny to see if none of us go home."

000

Luxray was seething. "Oh, if he wasn't immune, I'D KICK THAT KROOKODILE OFF THE ISLAND MYSELF!"

000

"What Krookodile was doing was so not cool, but he has immunity...and I have no idea who to vote for," groaned Gliscor. "I guess Bisharp? He's sort of a hardass."

000

"Mamoswine is pretty threatening...," admitted Crobat. "Since Alakazam's safe, might as well send Mamoswine home. I don't really want to fight a finalist and he's already come back once."

000

"I say Honchkrow. Thank me later, Alakazam," said Weavile, chuckling.

000

"Bisharp? No...I mean...oh, who do I choose?" whispered Medicham.

000

Mew grinned as the campers gathered down by the campfire for their elimination ceremony. He clapped his hands. "So! Did you guys have fun? Or did you guys have FUN?"

Noivern and Gliscor smiled at each other. After Gliscor had gotten immunity, they had spent the rest of their tickets on snacks and other prizes. Gliscor had a baseball cap that say "Flying High", while Noivern grabbed a bunch of mood rings which were all on her talons. Bisharp was scribbling in a new crossword puzzle book with vague interest, though anyone with eyes could tell he would've preferred immunity. Alakazam had bought a mystery novel collector set and was currently flipping through the pages lazily, almost ignoring the ceremony entirely. Toxicroak continued playing with his yo-yo, and also seemed to be enjoying a jawbreaker in his mouth. Mamoswine had already eaten all of his prizes.

"Not bad," admitted Banette. "Every dog has its day."

Mew sighed. "Okay, smartass. That being said, let's get this ceremony underway. If you're immune, stand up and get over here. You all know who you are."

Krookodile immediately stood up and stomped over, while Alakazam followed at a more leisurely pace. Luxray was throwing nasty looks at Krookodile the whole time, which Gliscor and Medicham continued to stare at. Gengar was last, taking his block and standing with the others.

"Now that that's done...Banette...Weavile...Kabutops...Crobat...Noivern."

Banette pounded Kabutops's mitted scythe, while Weavile sighed in relief. Crobat and Noivern flew up side by side, glancing back at the other contestants.

"Toxicroak...Honchkrow..."

Honchkrow let out a low breath, while Toxicroak slowly walked up to snag his block.

"Mamoswine...and Bisharp."

"Wait...what?" asked Weavile, as Mamoswine and Bisharp hesitantly stood up. They walked forward and Mew handed them their Pokeblocks. Everyone looked confused. No one was left sitting down, waiting to be judged. They were all safe?

"Mew, what's going on?" asked Banette.

"What do you mean?"

"You gave everyone a Pokeblock?" said Noivern. "Does that mean we're all safe?"

"Oh RIGHT!" said Mew, laughing. "Well uh...you see...due to some insanity, we've actually got a different elimination planned...ahem...GENGAR! GET YOUR PURPLE BUTT UP HERE!"

Gengar leapt into the air, his eyes wide as he walked forward from the crowd and stood in front of Mew. Mew shook his head.

"Gengar, Gengar, Gengar. While I may be evil and horrible to you all at times, I like to think I'm a pretty fair host. I let you know the rules, I let you know the challenges, I let you know everything works. And most importantly, I let you know the consequences. Isn't that right?"

Gengar gulped.

"Maybe you realize now that you're going to be going home because you broke a big rule," said Mew, smiling. "That's what you get for MEGA EVOLVING AGAIN!"

Everyone gasped and stared at Gengar, while Banette groaned and rubbed his head. Yep. He already knew. They all knew. And they had hoped that giving Gengar immunity would help him avoid this but.

"But...but...it was an accident and I didn't even USE it!" protested Gengar.

"I said Mega Evolving twice IN GENERAL was forbidden!" shot back Mew. "I said you can only do it once, and now you've done it twice!"

"Wait...," interrupted Mamoswine. "When did it happen?"

Gengar sighed. "I was in the funhouse, and they had all of these creepy little dolls and I was like okay that's weird but no big deal. But then when I walked past a Toxicroak one it reached out and grabbed me and I...I freaked out and...and..."

Mamoswine frowned. "Did Toxicroak see anything?"

"I totally blacked out after a big flash," piped up the frog.

Mew frowned. "It doesn't matter. Since we KNOW it happened."

"Well, here's the thing...technically we don't know if it happened," said Mamoswine. "I mean, the fans anyway."

Gengar stared. "What."

Mew stared. "What."

"Unless you caught him on camera," added Mamoswine.

Mew was silent.

Weavile stared. "Wait...you didn't catch him on camera? Then how did you know he Mega Evolved?"

"Okay, look, I caught him on camera...I had one in the funhouse watching everything, but since he was so close when the Mega Evolution flash occurred, it messed with the footage and the camera broke...all I got was a garbled maniacal laugh," said Mew. "But that doesn't matter, it confirms it."

"Well...yes...in a way...but what will you tell the fans? We know you've deleted footage before, but if you have unusable footage, how will you explain Gengar going home tonight when he's immune?"

"I...I...Mega Evolution rule trumps the immunity card!" said Mew.

"You never said THAT before," said Gliscor, smirking.

"Not to mention, while you said it could only be used during the competition, Gengar technically didn't do anything with it, so is it a part of the competition?" asked Mamoswine. "In addition, due to the fact you only caught Gengar on camera and not Mega-Gengar, you will have to blame the flash on Gengar due to lack of evidence. In short, Gengar has immunity tonight, and you have no real evidence that proves he Mega Evolved on camera."

Mew stared in utter horror, before his face brightened up.

"Hang on a minute...those strategies...was that from Chapter 18, my Personal Experience in Entertaining and Editing?"

Mamoswine nodded and held up the book.

"Oh wow! You DID read my book, didn't you? Well dang...I can't argue with these awesome loopholes. Seriously this is like...a loophole apocalypse! Holy crap, Mamoswine!"

"So...wait...I get to walk free?" asked Gengar hopefully.

"Yep! You do!" said Mew happily. "Mamoswine's awesome loopholes, along with your immunity and me having to come up with a long complicated explanation is just convincing in its own right. Less work for me. But if you break ANY OTHER rule Gengar, I will personally carry you off the island. You get a freebie. For once. Don't do it again."

Gengar sighed in relief. "Yes sir."

"So...now what?" asked Crobat. "Who goes home?"

"Yeah, I guess since Gengar's immune for the night, I gotta refer to the original plan with the votes," said Mew thoughtfully. He clapped his hands. "Okay! Mamoswine, you're gone!"

Mamoswine gaped. "What?"

Gengar's jaw dropped. "Wait, hang on!"

"WHAT?" shouted all the campers.

"Yep! Mamoswine got the most votes. So he's going home."

"Wait, don't do that, he just saved me from the ride home!" babbled Gengar.

"You can't send him home for that!" agreed Kabutops.

"Actually, I can. Here's the thing Mamoswine. You were a great pupil. But you know, trying to use my methods against me will always screw you over in the end," said Mew, snickering.

Mamoswine drooped, before straightening up. "Well, yikes. Didn't see that coming, haha."

"No!" screeched Luxray. "I refuse! I DECLINE THIS INJUSTICE! HOW DARE YOU!"

"Easy, Luxray...it's no big deal," said Mamoswine, smiling. "Yeah, I'm sad I'm leaving again this soon but...well, at least I had fun right."

Luxray glared at him angrily before whirling around and staring at Krookodile. "YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU STOLE HIS TICKETS!"

"He WHAT?" asked Banette.

Krookodile scoffed. "Yeah, but everyone else was allowed to do it. Not like I only stole his."

"...you stole mine too, didn't you!" snarled Weavile.

"Prove it."

Luxray bounced over to Krookodile, shoving her face into his. "Mark my words. You're going down, boy. You're going WAY DOWN."

Krookodile backed away before he cracked a grin. "Maybe...in at least after three nights."

Luxray didn't waver. "You watch yourself. Mamoswine told me what you said to him. I know your secret."

Krookodile scoffed. "Who says it's true? I could've been bluffing that whole time."

"It's hard to bluff desperation," said Luxray. Krookodile narrowed his eyes, but kept composure.

"Not for me."

He sauntered away, chuckling. Luxray felt a course of electricity run through her body before she sighed and looked at Mamoswine.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine...you'll beat him in the end," said Mamoswine. "Okay, Mew...I'll go get my things."

000

"We all tried to save Gengar and then lost Mamoswine...man that bites," grumbled Gliscor.

000

"Mamoswine dude...I'm sorry!" shouted Gengar.

000

"Well, I guess that's what I get for trying to play Mew," admitted Mamoswine. "Ah well. It was nice to come back for a few days, but truth be told, it's starting to get a little old."

"Luxray, sweetheart, don't let Krookodile get under your skin. You're better than him and I know you'll beat him. I trust you and I love you. Keep on going! And the rest of you, have a great time as well!"

000

Mamoswine smiled at the rest of the campers as he floated away in one cart of the roller coaster that had been changed into a small boat. Luxray watched him go sadly. Gengar stepped over and looked at her awkwardly.

"I'm uh...sorry he got sent home instead of me."

"It's fine...I don't blame you Gengar," said Luxray.

"Well...that certainly WAS an eventful ceremony!" said Mew with a laugh. "Hope you all rest up good since another challenge is coming soon!"

"Really? I'd say that it was a rather bland elimination, minus the shocking twist with Gengar," said Alakazam.

"Bland? What, you weren't entertained enough?" asked Noivern, eyes wide.

"Not what I meant. Notice anything off about this ceremony?"

"...besides the twist?" asked Gliscor.

Alakazam sighed. "Yes. Our anonymous friend has yet to make an appearance today."

"Who?" asked Kabutops. "Wait...you mean Mr. B?"

"Correct. I haven't heard from him at all today. What could that mean?"

"You think...you think it was Bronzong?" asked Weavile. "Now that he's gone, it would make sense."

"Tough to say, really," admitted Alakazam. "Unfortunately, he's gone and can't tell us anymore. However, he had no reason to keep up the charade after he was eliminated. Perhaps B is slowing down to make us THINK he's gone. I would say be on your guards."

Alakazam walked off, while Team Storm was only thinking one thing- Mr. B WAS still on the island if Gengar's coin had been stolen. But still...they had no idea who it was.

"Be on my guard, eh?" muttered Honchkrow. "Take your own advice, brainiac. I'm comin' for you."

000

How had she done it?

Bisharp continuously stabbed a tree in the woods, finding the sound splintering wood to be therapeutic to him. She had beaten him. Plain and simple. Not fair and square, but still within the rules. She had seen a window of opportunity and she had used it to deceive him and beat him.

How had she done it?

"She got me," muttered Bisharp, stabbing the wood again and again. "She pushed aside her own honor code and stopped caring about winning beautifully...to stop me."

It bothered him, though he didn't like to admit it. On one hand, that strategy was dishonest, cheap, and it totally worked. Did that mean Medicham was ready to start playing hardball, the same way Bisharp, Alakazam, and all the rest of the true players did? That was a worrisome thought. While Mamoswine had been a problem, the pig had been distracted by Luxray and had decided not to come after him, which was a blessing. On the other hand, if Medicham was losing her foolish honor, that could render the deal she made with Bisharp void.

Would she stab him in the back? It was possible.

But why did it bother him so much? He had been preaching about playing the game this whole time. Why should Medicham deceiving him bother him?

It was the right way to play, right?

Bisharp leaned against another tree, trying to calm his swirling thoughts. He was confused. He didn't like being confused.

But it wouldn't happen again. Bisharp's gaze darkened. She thought she would make amends with him. She thought they could be friends and get along.

But she went and did this?

No more. He would NOT be fooled by her.

"So, I suppose the truce is no longer a thing," growled Bisharp. "Very well then, Medicham. Let's end this for real."

000

Banette was coming back from a walk to try and relax. He was heading into his cabin before turning and seeing Weavile skateboarding up to him.

"What? You're done already? I was hoping to go out for another ride with you."

"Oh, really? Well I guess I can...thought you were busy with that new cookbook of yours," said Banette, hopping down the stairs. "Where to?"

"Lake sounds nice?"

"I'll follow your lead."

Weavile hopped off her board and parked it beside the cabins before walking ahead of Banette, motioning him to come with her. Banette stretched and trailed behind, enjoying the cool night air.

"How's Gengar doing?" asked Weavile.

"Pretty good, but he's guilty about Mamoswine," said Banette. "I think he's still shaken up about the fact that he got away with breaking that rule. He thinks Mew's gonna grab him in the middle of the night."

"Yikes...but still, Mamoswine got him a lucky break," said Weavile. "Of course, he's been jumpy all day...ever since the whole kart racing episode really. He's been kind of on edge."

"You're one to talk," pointed out Banette. "You've been grumpy all day."

"I don't like that Krookodile's making a mess of everything by being a total scumbag! He totally admitted he stole from Mamoswine and he got three nights of immunity for it. Who would be proud of ruining someone else's time?"

"I dunno...you in Season One?" asked Banette, shrugging. Weavile through him a withering look.

"If I wasn't a girl with thick skin, I would've clobbered you for that. But yeah, that's true. Maybe that's why it irks me so much- because it doesn't have to be a game like that and he's just...ruining everything! And even though we're onto him, he's got three nights of immunity!"

"Well, two after this."

"Yeah but...ugh, and I bet you ANYTHING he's involved in that idol scandal too. All of these small little tricks and traps- the painted bone, the ticket stealing, and the idol scandal- they've all got his name written all over it. But none of us can CATCH HIM at it. He's so sneaky!"

"Well, you've gotta be as a lone villain," admitted Banette. "You think he did the idol trick on the Nightmare Isle?"

"Who else could it be? Bisharp never went there, I didn't do it, I doubt Kabutops would screw Scizor over like that, and no one else fits! Gliscor's claws are too big, Toxicroak's too clumsy and doesn't have anything too sharp on his body, and Bronzong admitted it wasn't him. Kabutops and Scizor both think it's him too, I was talking with Kabutops earlier about it."

"It definitely fits Krookodile's style, as opposed to Bronzong," agreed Banette. "So, you wanna call him out?"

"Not right now."

"We agree on that. He's immune for two nights. The last thing we need to do is let him know how much we know."

"Or else we'll be on his radar and he'll aim for us- we caught a lucky break with Gengar, that won't happen again," muttered Weavile. "I say we focus on him and watch him...see if he gets up to any tricky business. If we catch him and get the evidence, we're golden once he's not immune."

"How do we do THAT?"

"Remember the camera trick I pulled on Houndoom in season one? I just stole one of Mew's cameras and filmed my deal with Houndoom. And Houndoom got in major trouble for it. We do it again if we can get Krookodile to admit what he did."

"We could always sic Kabutops on him."

"I doubt anyone would take a confession seriously if we did that. You can't force this shit. You have to carefully get it out of him," explained Weavile.

"For a retired villainess, you've still got a lot of nasty tricks up your sleeve," commented Banette, grinning. Weavile smirked.

"I didn't forget EVERYTHING, you know. But we'll handle the croc later. Instead I uh...I wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

"Well, like Gengar and myself, YOU'VE been weird all day. What gives?"

Banette sighed. "Well I mean...look it's sort of...hard to explain."

"Not really," said Weavile, her tone blunt. "Kabutops explained it just fine."

Banette felt a strong urge to strangle the shellfish, but he held it in. "Oh."

"Banette, you still feel weird around me? Are you uncomfortable with...well...us?"

"It's not that! It's more like...I don't really know where to go from here," confessed Banette. "I've never started something...like this. Usually it's like "Hey, I like you, let's go do fun stuff" and then that leads up to more stuff and...yeah. But with you, we have a history of mutual dislike, into pity, into a one night stand, into another period of self doubt and hesitation, into dating. Like...it's weird, that's all."

Weavile snorted. "That's it? Seriously, Banette? I think at the rate we're going, we're doing just fine. I'm okay just hanging out and having fun, I'm not a Pidgeot kind of girl. Besides, I think our options for dates on this island are kind of limited at the moment, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, I can only do so many romantic beach walks," agreed Banette.

"That's why I switched up to the lake tonight," pointed out Weavile.

"Yeah, I figured."

"Point is, it's fine...I'm not some dainty chick, and while I don't want to bash on Mismagius, I'd argue my self esteem is better than hers. I'm okay just cooking and playing some video games with you. We're fine the way we are. So don't get so worried about that crap."

"Alright, I'll try not to."

"Trying's not good enough," said Weavile, her tone brisk. "If the subject of THAT issue is still bothering you, then we'll just have to deal with it."

"Deal with it?" asked Banette, sounding a bit uneasy. "Uh what do you mean-"

He then caught sight of Weavile's smirk. "Oh."

Weavile rolled her eyes and laughed, grabbing him by the arm. "Come on."

"OHHHHHHHHHH..."

000

"KROOKODILE, MY REVENGE WILL BE SPICY, SWEET, AND SOUR ALL AT ONCE!" shouted Luxray.

000

"Three nights of freedom is a wonderful thing," said Krookodile, leaning back. "Who's next? Who knows? And who cares?"

000

The night was late. Kabutops was snoring quietly, snuggling up to his Tyrunt. He felt something brush his shoulder.

"Back off, you stupid bunny, I'll kick your sorry...ack...ACK!" muttered Kabutops, his eyes shooting open as he felt someone's hands around his throat. He sat up quickly and saw...Banette? Banette's expression was completely unreadable.

"THE HELL...ARE YOU?" growled Kabutops, but Banette let go, scowling at him.

"Next time you think to open your mouth, CAN YOU NOT?"

"Oh shit, Weavile told you that part?" groaned Kabutops. Banette nodded.

"And also...oh my god, THANK YOU," said Banette, grinning. Kabutops looked confused, before he chuckled.

"Oh, really? Nice."

The two high fived. Kabutops heard a groan in the bunk up above him.

"Uh...Gengar. You awake?"

"Yes."

"Did you uh...hear all of that?"

"YES."

"So, uh, that means that you're the only one among us who-"

"I'm going back to bed," grumbled Gengar, turning over and covering his ears.

000

Finally! After all this time! I've been excited about this chapter for a while since I've always wanted to do an amusement park challenge! I hope it didn't disappoint.

So Mamoswine goes home, instead of Gengar. Actually, in the very first draft TPR, Gengar was going to get automatically eliminated for a THIRD time. But alas, the plans have changed...almost completely actually. So instead, it's a fluke! Gengar stays for another night and Mamoswine, through his mastery of loopholes, sent himself home instead!

Fun Fact: Mamoswine has never won an eating contest on TPI of any kind. He even lost a contest based on baking and eating. The only food related challenge he has won is the Cook Off in Redux due to Krookodile screwing his own team over. This is intentional.

So, this chapter was more of a slice-of-lifey chapter that was less focused on the challenge and more on the people. Similar to Gardevoir's chapter and the opposite of Lapras's chapter. I wanted to show everyone's current plotlines, add some fun characterization for everyone, and keep the game interesting.

We've got a lot of stuff going on. Bisharp and Medicham, despite their talk, have gone back to trading blows. While Krookodile mugged Weavile, Toxicroak, and Mamoswine for their tickets. And now that we have certain contestants immune during certain episodes, I'm ready for everyone's elimination lists to be confused and messed up. Muahahahaha.

There are also some humorous subplots this chapter, including Noivern's band creation and Banette and Gengar's lady problems, not to mention Total Pokemon Party plots and jokes. I thought overall it was a good balance of "OH COME ON" and "WOW". I hope you guys feel the same.

Sorry about it taking so long, a lot of family things going on. The next chapter I hope won't take as long, but I haven't really planned that far ahead. Once I get a solid plan, it should be fine.

Next Episode: Is there another host? No one really remembers. While they are safe and sound, one contestant uses the opportunity to start a warpath towards another. Tensions rise as some contestants try and settle things peacefully, while others continue to get angrier and angrier. In the middle of the battlefield, one contestant finally meets their end on the show. What twists can await us in the next episode?

Mamoswine: -chewing food- You should...totally...review! Yeah!