Announcer: Last time on Total… Pokémon… Underdogs, the players dealt with some big problems in a big way. Phill and Aura got a bit closer, actually beginning to feel like a true couple.
Back at the campgrounds, what looked like a meteor landed outside of the cabins, leaving a huge crater and confusion as to what was going on. While they all waited for answers, Amethyst started becoming conflicted about working with Sally due to her attitude.
At the reward challenge, a few of the players had to hold onto poles for as long as they could in order to win a three-day stay at a hotel. After a while, Phill and Sally came out on top and their group would be the ones going on the trip. However, during the challenge, Sally had let it slip that Aura and Phill were seeing each other, causing a bit of shock among those not in the know.
Aura, feeling like she was being treated as a traitor, decided to step away from her alliance for a while and continue to hang out with Phill and his alliance. At the same time, Sally tried talking to Amethyst and apologized for her behavior, but the Tundra Pokémon was still uncertain.
In the immunity challenge, a Dynamax Battle Tournament took place, giving us all an updated look at how well the remaining players can battle. At the end, though, Shine came out on top. It seemed like Sally was the easiest way to go, but good points made by both Phill and Ashton caused the vote to switch to Ace, who was the second biggest mental threat.
We're down to the final thirteen, and today's challenges will definitely cause a divide. Wanna see what we mean? Find out right now on Total… Pokémon… Underdogs!
000
*Intro plays*
000
The sky was a deep black, the only source of light coming from the stars. Three black ravens were soaring through the air, carrying carriages containing the winning contestants from the previous reward challenge.
One carriage was occupied by Phill, Aura, and Holly. The former two were napping on the velvet seats, snuggled close to each other, while Holly sat in silence, looking around as they soared through the night sky.
She honestly felt a bit bad that Klavier wasn't with her, but there wasn't anything that she could do about that. This could very well give her a chance to actually get to know Phill and Aura a bit better, since she hadn't really spent any time with them one-on-one. She honestly hadn't gotten to really know anyone truly since she was always around the others she was aligned with. This could be a prime opportunity if she was able to take it.
Another carriage was taken by Shine and Morgan, who were both trying to think about their next move. They were down another alliance member, and they weren't sure if Aura played a part in it or not. All they knew was that their chances of lasting longer in this game were slim.
The Espeon let out a sigh, turning to the Persian beside her. She noticed that the Classy Cat Pokémon had an expression of disappointment on her face as she stared out of the side of the carriage.
Knowing the reason for this, she decided to speak and try to inject a bit of humor into their situation. "Well... At least we get to have a sort of vacation before we're completely screwed."
"The only screw I'll take is from Hex…" Morgan retorted. Her eyes moved away from the window, going to the floor. "I'm not letting my game tank like this. I made it to the final four last time, and this time I intend on going all the way…"
Shine nodded, "Well, if we wanna make it further. We're gonna need to make sure that the other alliance crumbles when we get back."
"All I know is that we're gonna need to talk to Aura when we get here, because what just happened doesn't make sense," Morgan responded. "Either she's with us or she's against us. I'm not dealing with this bull. I know that she's somehow with Phill now, but she should know not to let that mess with our alliance."
Shine nodded in understanding. The Glaceon's new relationship was indeed causing an issue. It made her think. "Do you think we should try and get rid of Phill when we get back?"
Morgan rose a brow, as it was something to consider. However, there was also a chance that in doing so, it'll cause a larger divide and make Aura even less likely to work with them.
They were going to have to really think.
From across the way, in the last carriage, Sally sat in silence, staring out of the window at the other Flying Taxis. She honestly couldn't believe that she was still there. She was sure that she was on her way out, but apparently Shine convinced the others not to vote for on reactions, Titan was one of the only people to vote for her. And wouldn't you know it? She was sharing her carriage with him.
The EleSpider Pokémon was asleep, so neither of them would really have to interact with one another during the ride. That was great for Sally, because she definitely didn't want to be stuck with him. But, that was just how things went.
She let out a soft sigh, thinking about her new situation. She didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she was lucky to still be in the game and going on this reward, but on the other hand, it was Shine who presumably saved her.
She still didn't really like Shine, but was glad that she intervened. She didn't know if that meant that she was legitimately trying to do something nice or if she was only thinking about strategy. She didn't know what she was planning on doing once they got to the hotel, but there was no way that she was going to be able to avoid Shine and Morgan.
After another minute, she rested her head on her arm. "Whatever… This is a vacation. This is time away from the game. Just focus on relaxing…"
-000-
An hour or so later, the three Raven Pokémon landed in the parking lot in front of an enormous building. The towering building bore a somewhat sinister aura, especially during the night. The Gothic and Victorian aesthetic of the large structure did not help its case, either. As the awake contestants filed out of their carriages, waking their sleeping comrades in the process, Mew, Virizion, and Xerneas exited the hotel in order to meet them.
Once they were all in front of them, Xerneas introduced them to their location. "Welcome to the Rose of the Rondelands! Your home for the next three days."
"Man, this entire city is nuts…" Phill commented, looking around as the sounds of the city echoed around them. "They have a Ferris wheel, too?"
"Yep," Mew answered. "Wyndon is the second largest city in the world, right behind Lumiose City."
Virizion nodded, "So, you guys have the hotel, but you can also explore the city if you so wish. The Wyndon Stadium is the site of a lot of intense battles, there's a cafe nearby with delicious treats, there's a salon and boutique…"
Titan cut her off, deadpanning, "And… uh… how exactly are we supposed to indulge in any o' that without money?"
Both Virizion and Xerneas gave the Galvantula a look of irritation. The Grassland Pokémon cleared her throat, "Well, if you follow us inside… We'll explain further…"
The three hosts turned around to enter the hotel again, with the contestants following them inside.
000
Returning to the campgrounds, Klavier let out a sigh of disappointment. "Well, I guess the next few days are gonna be pretty boring with half of us gone."
"Only if we let it be…" Kojo responded, following behind him. "We could still have fun here…"
As Kojo sat down on the Loser Cabin's porch, Amethyst posed an idea. "M-Maybe this could be a chance for us to actually get to know each other better. Now that there won't be too many distractions, it seems to be a good time."
Ashton nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that actually sounds like a pretty good idea. We hardly ever truly talk to each other. It's always about this game and how much we don't like it or what we need to do to make it further. It doesn't feel like we really… value each other at all. We've known or known about each other for decades, and yet most of us still don't know too much about each other."
Kojo and Klavier exchanged looks. They understood what she was getting at, but Kojo didn't feel like it was a bad thing. "Well, over eighty of us have been in this game, it's not too hard to believe that some people wouldn't care or would only be close to certain people," the Mienshao reasoned.
"That's true," Ashton nodded. "But, it would give us something to do in the meantime and maybe even make us stronger as an alliance."
Kojo let out a soft sigh as he got back to his feet. "Alright… Fine. But, we might as well all be involved. Where's Connor and Aspen?"
-000-
The Bouffalant and Furfrou were currently walking along the beach. Given that they were the only two associated with the minority alliance, Aspen figured that it would probably be in their best interest to stick together.
They hadn't spoken to each other too recently, but with nobody else around them, this was the prime opportunity to discuss their options, despite their scarcity.
The Poodle Pokémon let out a sigh, "This is just great… While our remaining associates get to spend these next few days in luxury, the two of us have to stay here in squalor with the others…"
Connor rose a brow as they continued walking. Remaining on the island didn't seem too bad; especially with some of the 'bigger players' gone. "I mean… Couldn't this be a good thing?"
Aspen stopped in place, looking at him in bewilderment. How could he think that staying behind from an amazing reward was a good thing? She scoffed, "You're kidding, right?"
Pausing himself, Connor looked back and shook his head. He was very serious. With this, Aspen's look of confusion returned. "How is being left out of a reward, and not having your allies with you, a good thing?" she challenged.
"Because…" Connor turned back around, "...the ones that are on the reward right now, are the ones that are being targeted the most. With them gone, we may have a chance to form bonds with these guys and maybe get more in their favor."
Aspen was surprised to hear him say this. "Wait, so you think that we should just work with the rest of these guys?"
Connor elaborated, "Moreso we should try to actually get to know these guys on a better level. With Morgan and Shine, I haven't really been around them too much as of late, but it seems like they're more interested in sticking with the alliance than trying to really branch out."
Aspen thought about it momentarily. She slowly realized that Connor had a point, the most recent example being how they acted when they learned about Aura and Phill.
The Bouffalant continued, "We haven't really gotten to know some of the others that well, so this could be our chance. Who knows, maybe they won't think about voting for either of us for a while."
"And what if they decide that we're too nice to keep around?" Aspen countered.
"If that was the case, then Ashton and Holly would've been eliminated a while ago," Connor explained.
The Poodle Pokémon let out a sigh, as that was a valid point. "So what do we do now?" Aspen inquired.
-000-
"Titan had helped me realize that the others in the alliance aren't really gonna be looking out for me in the long run," Connor explained. "So, I figure that I might as well try to get into the good graces of the other alliance."
"And if I somehow convince Aspen to jump ship, too, then that leaves Shine and Morgan alone. And with Sally still here, too, we have three easy votes before things start getting super serious," he reasoned.
000
Inside of the Rose of the Rondelands, a golden chandelier was hanging from the ceiling with teardrop shaped jewels hanging off of it. On the floor, below the chandelier, was a marble Roselia floor design. Continuing forward was a miniature staircase that led to the front desk, which had three separate stations occupied by different Pokémon.
On either side of the main foyer was a section with a large rug and two tables. The circular table had two sofa chairs at it, while the rectangular table had two sofa chairs and two sofas at each edge. Paintings hung on the side walls of these sections, and large windows occupied the back.
Standing in front of the front desk with the hosts, each of the seven players was now in possession of a special card. The card was ruby red in color, had a number printed on it, and had both a chip and a magstripe. Phill admired the card, chuckling, "Niice."
"Each of those cards has 750 Pokédollars on it," Virizion explained as the contestants inspected their cards. "Use it for whatever you want; room service, admissions to buildings, whatever. I only hope that you all won't waste away that much money in just a few days."
Sally hummed, "Well, that'll depend on how much the stuff costs in this place and out there."
Hearing that, Titan rolled his eyes. "Well, we know who's gonna be broke by tomorrow night," he deadpanned, earning a glare from the Light Pokémon.
"You'll be fine," Xerneas assured. "Just be cautious and mindful."
Morgan, Shine, and Holly nodded, while the remaining four were simply waiting for the hosts to finish talking so that they could enjoy themselves.
"Alright," Mew began. "We won't take anymore of you guys' time. Enjoy the next three days, and we'll be back when it's time to go."
"Wait, what about our rooms?" Morgan inquired.
"That's what those numbers on your cards are for," Xerneas explained. "That's your room number. You insert the chip into the door in order to get in."
"Any last questions?" Mew inquired, folding his arms.
"Nope," Phill stated as he started waking toward the elevators. "You guys can head back, now…"
"Uh huh…" Virizion deadpanned as she watched the Raticate walk toward the elevator. She turned her attention back to the remaining six. "What about the rest of you?"
"We're good," Sally responded. "Money, room, and freedom, we've got everything we need."
With that assurance, the hosts exchanged looks. "In that case, now we're definitely gone," Mew said as he teleported himself, Xerneas, and Virizion out of the hotel.
The sudden 'ding' of an elevator got everyone's attention as they turned their heads to see Phill entering one.
"Hold that elevator, Phill!" Aura called as she walked toward it. The others followed suit, deciding that checking out their rooms should be the first thing that they do.
000
Shine hummed, looking over her card, "Well, this should be interesting."
000
"Wait, so none of you actually work aside from me?" Kojo stated, confusion evident in his voice. "That's… a bit unbelievable..."
"Well, not everyone needs or wants to work," Aspen responded with a shrug. "So, it's not too unbelievable."
"Yeah," Klavier concurred. "Like, I'm fine where I am."
"Heck, if we wanna get technical, being on this show could be considered a job in itself," Connor reasoned.
With a thoughtful shrug, Kojo replied, "I guess that's true."
Aspen huffed, "If that's the case, then this is the worst job ever..."
The group shared a laugh, agreeing with the sentiment. After it died down, Ashton let out a sigh, asking, "D'you think the others have made it to their hotel and everything, yet?"
"Probably," Connor answered. "Corviknight are pretty fast."
Klavier groaned, "Let's not talk about the hotel. Still kinda jealous and don't wanna think about what they're probably doing or gonna do."
"I wish they'd at least let us in the Winner's Cabin," Aspen commented, looking at the vacant building, "No one's been in there in a while."
"Yeah, the food in there's probably spoiled by now… and I don't even remember if the air conditioner is still on in there," Kojo commented, hands on his hips.
"They probably haven't let anyone in it lately because they implemented the new reward system, and they started forgetting about it," Ashton reasoned.
"Well, I'm definitely gonna remind them when everyone gets back," Aspen declared. "I wanna actually relax in a decent place. These cabins are just… blegh."
Just then, Connor let out a soft yawn. He was growing a bit tired, and there wasn't much else he wanted to really say at that moment. He was tempted to ask about joining or forming a new alliance, but it felt like the wrong time to do so.
"Well, I think I'm gonna head to bed," Connor stated as he started walking away. "We've got some free time for the next few days, so we can probably talk more tomorrow."
"Yeah, it's getting kinda late," Amethyst concurred. "We should probably get some rest."
"I mean… We don't have any challenges or anything tomorrow, so we could just keep chilling for a while," Kojo replied, not wanting the night to end so early. However, he knew that he couldn't stop anyone, so he added, "But, if some of you guys are tired, then you can head to bed."
There was a brief moment of silence as Amethyst and Ashton started walking into the cabin. Ashton hummed softly, "We'll talk to you guys tomorrow. Good night."
Klavier waved to them. "G'night."
The door closed behind them, with the Gliscor looking back to the other remaining players. "Well, I'm good to stay up," Klavier stated with a shrug.
"Same here," Aspen replied with a sigh, resting her head on her paws. "Just feels like the next few days are gonna be awkward…"
"How come?" Kojo inquired.
"Well, we're not gonna be with our usual groups," Aspen explained. "We all have our own plans and there are some things that may only be kept between certain people."
Kojo rose a brow, expressing, "I mean, that's fair, but our interactions don't need to strictly be game-related. We're still people."
Klavier concurred, "Yeah, I mean, sure… This game is still a pretty big thing, but it doesn't take away the fact that we have feelings and our own thoughts."
Aspen didn't reply. The guys had a point, but she couldn't think of anything to say.
The ensuing silence caused Kojo to sigh to himself. Assuming that there wasn't going to be further conversation, the Mienshao replied, "Well, I'm gonna go on a walk… You guys can head to bed or… do whatever you're gonna do."
The Martial Arts Pokémon started walking away, leaving Aspen and Klavier at the cabin.
000
"I guess things are gonna be awkward if these guys aren't gonna wanna really engage too much," Kojo commented. "I mean, we managed well enough earlier, talking about our lives back home, or lack thereof."
"This wasn't even my idea," he continued. "But, maybe we'll see if things change in the next few days."
000
Days passed, with each group of contestants having much different experiences.
The group that remained on the island didn't do much of anything. With the Winner's Cabin still locked and not much to do on the island, the players spent most of their time just talking, walking around the island aimlessly, and hanging out in the different places on the island.
Ashton and Amethyst stuck together most of the time, with Aspen accompanying them occasionally. Connor, Kojo, and Klavier usually hung out around the gym where there was air conditioning and at least some sort of activity. In essence, the guys hung out with the guys, and the girls hung out with the girls.
Similarly, the group at Wyndon spent most of their time in distinct pairs.
Shine and Morgan spent most of their time and money buying clothes and relaxing at the city's Battle Café, and occasionally walked around, exploring the city.
Phill and Aura only left the hotel occasionally, per Aura's request. One day, they went on the Galar Hurricane, the city's big wheel, a few times. Another day they went to a salon, much to Phill's dismay. The rest of their time was spent in their hotel room, where they just relaxed with room service and watched television.
Holly and Sally wound up reconnecting a bit and spent their time walking around the city and taking in the sights of the city.
This left Titan alone, which he was completely fine with. He spent his time at Wyndon Stadium, watching more experienced Pokémon participate in different battles, and learning new techniques.
Much to the surprise and delight of the players, they were barely recognized by the public. The only way that they would gain an ounce of recognition was if people asked where they were from and what they were doing there.
Eventually, their final day of vacation arrived.
-000-
Phill and Aura were sharing a bed, sleeping soundly while nuzzled close to each other. That peaceful slumber was eventually interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. The two began to stir, until finally, with a groggy groan, Phill rolled over to pick up the phone.
"What?" he drawled, with Aura looking over her shoulder to see him.
Mew was heard on the other end. "Good morning to you, too", he sarcastically replied. "Meet us in the lobby in five minutes. We have an important announcement to make."
"Is it that we're gonna live here from now on?" Phill inquired with a serious tone.
There was a moment of silence, before Mew responded, "Wh- No! Just get down here."
With a groan, Phill droned, "Fiiiine". The Raticate hung up the phone and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Aura did the same, asking, "What happened?"
"They want us to meet them in the lobby. They have some kind of announcement for us…" Phill explained as he got out of their bed.
Proceeding to do the same, Aura sighed. "Well, given that today's our last day here, it's probably just gonna be us having to leave early for whatever reason…"
"Probably…" Phill replied as he stretched. "Well, I'm going to the bathroom. You can head on down…"
Aura nodded in understanding as Phill entered their room's bathroom, closing the door behind him. The shiny Glaceon proceeded to exit the room altogether.
-000-
Upon stepping outside, Aura saw that everyone else was making their way out of their designated rooms and heading toward the elevator. It seemed that they all got the same call.
As she followed suit, she found herself walking alongside Shine and Morgan. This was a bit awkward, as all of their initial plans and thoughts of what'd happen when they got there didn't even occur.
Aura ended up staying in her and Phill's hotel room majority of the time, not giving Shine or Morgan the opportunity to talk to her. Seeing her outside of her room, Morgan teased, "Oh, you finally came out of your cave?"
Aura blushed before responding, "Hey, we came out a few times…"
"Well, we need to talk while we have a chance," the Persian replied as she, Shine, and Aura waited for the next elevator.
Aura had a feeling that this was coming, letting out a sigh. "Talk about what?"
"Ace…" Shine stated firmly, finally speaking up. She turned to the Glaceon. "What the hell happened?"
"I didn't vote for him," Aura reminded them.
"No, but you said that you knew about the plan to get him out and didn't tell us," Shine countered as the elevator doors opened.
As they entered, Shine inquired, "So what is it? Are you with us, or are you just working with Phill and his alliance now?"
Aura let out a sigh. "It's complicated, alright. I-"
"Hold on!" Phill's voice was heard. Peering out of the elevator doors, the three girls saw the Raticate rushing toward them.
Aura let out a sigh of relief as she held a paw out to keep the doors from closing all the way, allowing Phill to get inside.
"Made it!" the Raticate chirped.
Shine gave Aura a dissatisfied look, which the Glaceon ignored.
000
"I said that I didn't vote for Ace," Aura replied. "That alone should let them know that I'm not plotting against them!"
"Seriously! If you're on a sinking ship, what are you gonna do? Go down with the ship or swim away?"
000
"Aura's making this needlessly complicated," Shine stated in exasperation. "She's either still with us, or she's joined the other side. We're likely screwed either way unless we get lucky somehow."
"But, judging by her dodging us, I think it's safe to say that Aspen, Morgan, and I are on our own," she reasoned.
000
Morgan, Shine, Phill, and Aura all exited the elevator and approached the group that was in front of the door. Surprisingly, though, instead of being accompanied by Xerneas and Virizion, Mew was accompanied by Zahku.
Seeing the four of them approaching, Mew began his explanation. "Alright, now that everyone's here, I can make the announcement…"
"Please tell us that everyone else is gone and we're the final seven," Sally commented.
Mew held back a laugh. "You wish it was that easy," he replied, much to the Ampharos' chagrin. She knew that it more than likely wasn't the case, but with this game, you never know.
"Anyway," Mew continued. "You may be wondering why Zahku is here instead of Xerneas and Virizion…"
No comments were made, though the contestants did glance at the Hariyama.
"Just get on with the announcement, mate," Titan deadpanned.
Mew rolled his eyes before going ahead with the announcement. "You guys will not be heading back to the island just yet…"
The contestants exchanged smiles and began to cheer a bit, but Mew wasn't finished. "...but, you guys won't be relaxing."
Everyone grew confused, exchanging bewildered looks.
"Wait, so… why are we still-" Aura began before a thought entered her head. "Wait… Don't tell me-"
"The seven of you, and the group still at the island, will have separate challenges today," Mew explained, causing the players' eyes to widen. "One of you from each group will receive immunity, and one of you from each group will be eliminated."
Looks of fear and uncertainty spread across nearly all of the players' faces. The player who was the most shocked by this was Titan, who froze.
000
"... I don't have access to the statue… Connor ain't here," Titan stated. "If we end up doing an elimination here instead of on the island… I'm totally fucked…"
000
Morgan sighed in relief, "Seems like the odds just got better for us…"
000
Meanwhile, on the island, a collective shout echoed across the land as the same information was relayed to the six still there.
"What do you mean that the six of us are gonna compete for immunity!?" Ashton exclaimed in confusion.
Everyone was sitting in the gazebo, expressions of shock and worry on everybody's faces. Virizion and Xerneas stood in the middle, explaining the situation at hand.
"Today will be a double elimination," Xerneas explained. "Each group will have someone win immunity and have someone eliminated."
"But why do this now?!" Connor argued. It just didn't make sense to him.
"This was always the plan," Virizion revealed. "One group would go to a different location, everyone else would stay here, and we would do separate challenges for a double elimination."
"...Man, this game sucks…" Kojo groaned.
000
Aspen let out a sigh. "I have no idea what's gonna happen," she expressed. "Connor and I are the odd ones out here! It's obvious that they'll choose to vote one of us out if one of them gets immunity."
"I'm gonna have to work my ass off to make sure that I'm not the one who goes," the Furfrou stated.
000
Virizion and Xerneas led the six island inhabitants from the gazebo toward the beach, where several lines of platforms of decreasing size were seen floating in the water.
"Alright," Virizion began. "Your first challenge is simple."
"Each of you will start on the largest floating platform," Xerneas explained. "After ten minutes, you will have to move onto the next one, which will be smaller than the last."
"If you fall off, or in the cases of Kojo and Klavier, touch the platform with something other than your feet or tail, you're out," Virizion explained. "Last player standing wins an advantage in the immunity challenge."
"Alright, everyone choose a line and get settled," Xerneas instructed. "We're about to get started."
000
Amethyst groaned, "This challenge is gonna suck… There's water involved? And I'm the biggest one here? It's like they don't want me to have a chance at all."
000
Mew and Zahku led their seven players toward the Galar Hurricane, the site of their first challenge. The big wheel towered over them, making them seem like Joltik in comparison.
"Alright guys, welcome to your first challenge," Mew introduced. "You guys will be competing head to head in pairs, answering trivia questions given to you by people sitting in the Galar Hurricane."
"You guys just love making us answer questions, don't you?" Morgan replied, rolling her eyes.
"Especially when this one's still here," Sally replied, gesturing to Shine.
Shine gave her a look of irritation. She ended up saving Sally in the last elimination round, wanting to hash things out, but never had a chance to do so here. So, of course, the Ampharos' attitude towards her remained the same.
"Hey, it's an easy challenge," Mew admitted with a shrug. There seemed to be some kind of trivia challenge in almost every season. "We were gonna have you guys battle in Wyndon Stadium, but… you guys literally just battled in the last challenge. So… Yeah, trivia. Oh, and the reward for this challenge is an advantage in the immunity challenge, which will take place later in the day."
"Okay, uh… problem," Holly acknowledged. "There's seven of us, so how is that going to work with pairs?"
Mew nodded toward Zahku, who stepped toward the seven players. He pulled out a hat filled with slips of paper. Mew explained, "Each of you will pull out a slip of paper. All but one of them have a blue strip. The person who has the blank slip will not have to compete against anybody in the first round and will simply move onto the second round."
000
Sally sighed, "If I'm able to just move onto the second round and have a better chance, that would be great. I know that Shine is the biggest threat, so if she manages to get knocked out, it would be glorious."
000
After all of the slips were pulled, everybody looked around to see who had the blank one. Looking at his, Phill chuckled, "Well, well, well… Looks like I'm automatically in the second go 'round."
"Yep," Mew replied with a nod. "Phill, you're good for this round, so go ahead and move to the side."
Phill happily moved to a nearby bench and took a seat. Sally groaned to herself. "Of course the one who doesn't even care gets to skip a round…"
Mew explained. "Now, let's get you guys into pairs…"
000
"Hopefully the questions aren't that difficult," Holly worried. "Or if they are, I hope whoever I'm paired with is worse than me."
000
After another round of drawing slips from a hat, Holly was paired with Aura, Morgan was paired with Sally, and Shine was paired with Titan. Everybody seemed to be okay with their pairings, at least almost everybody.
000
Titan wore a look of disappointment and irritation. "You gotta be fucking kidding me…"
000
Back on the island, the six competitors were situated on their chosen row of floating platforms. Considering that all of them, aside from Kojo and Klavier, were quadrupeds, there were significant difficulties with swimming out and climbing onto the moving platforms.
"This challenge is honestly unfair," Aspen commented, dripping wet from her swim. "Kojo and Klavier have a big advantage."
"Yeah, Kojo's an actor and they go through all of that fancy training," Connor added. "So, he won't have too much trouble staying up. And Klavier can fly!"
"You guys may think that, but you don't know," Kojo replied as he stood in a crouching position in order to keep himself balanced.
"You guys are two minutes in so far!" Xerneas called.
Ashton sighed. "I honestly don't thi-"
Suddenly, a screech and large splash were heard and felt as Amethyst fell off of her platform and into the water. The wave that occurred after she fell in caused Ashton, who was the closest to her, to slip slightly.
"Amethyst is out!" Virizion called.
Her head rising to the surface, the Aurorus panted heavily before sighing in disappointment. As the Tundra Pokémon slowly swam back to the shore, Ashton shook her head. "This challenge is going to be over quickly…" she assumed, moving her legs slightly.
"Hey, don't count yourselves out," Klavier replied, who seemed to be having the easiest time in the challenge. "You guys are still in this."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we'll be able to stay in this," Connor snapped back, his limbs frozen in place. The platform was already slippery; he didn't want to risk falling by moving any of his legs.
"Five minutes left!" Virizion called out.
Aspen sighed. "Out of all the challenges they could've given us…" she mumbled.
"Well, hopefully things are just as stupid for the others…" Kojo commented.
000
"Alright, there will be ten questions given to each pair," Mew explained. "To answer, you will press the buttons on the ground in front of you."
He gestured to the ground, where two red buttons sat. Compared to the set-ups in the past, this was much more low-tech.
"Whoever answers the most questions correctly will move onto round 2," Mew continued. "In the event of a tie, an extra question will be asked, which will determine the winner."
"Why not just make it an odd number of questions to begin with?" Shine inquired, not seeing the point of having an even number of questions for pairs.
"Because ten is a well-rounded number and also a standard," Mew countered. "So, we're gonna go with that…"
The Espeon rolled her eyes.
Mew clasped his hands together, "Now, let's get started. The first pair to compete will be… Morgan and Sally."
The two ladies exchanged looks before stepping forward, each of them positioning themself in front of a button.
000
"Well, Morgan's kinda smart," Sally commented. "But, I think I'll be able to take her…"
000
The big wheel began turning, giving the players a few glimpses of the people inside of the passenger carts. Upon seeing some of them, expressions of surprise and joy formed on the contestants' faces.
"Wait…" Aura began. "Are all of them…"
Eventually, the first cart stopped, revealing a familiar Stoutland. "Hex!" Mew announced.
Morgan gasped before rushing toward her husband, who stood up with a smile. The two nuzzled each other, with Morgan purring all the while. "I love you…" she whispered.
"I love you more," he whispered back before the two shared a quick kiss.
"Alright, alright, break it up," Mew responded, chuckling to himself. Morgan and Hex glanced toward him before the former returned to her spot in front of her button. "Jeez, every time you guys see your significant others, you act like it's been years."
"That's what this show feels like. You can't blame us," Shine shot back.
"Touché," Mew retorted with a shrug. "Anyways, yes. All of the questions will be given by your loved ones. No particular reason, we just thought that it'd be easier. But, since they're here, I guess they can stay for a while after this first challenge is over. So, no need to run to them every time you see them."
"Question time. Ask," Zahku stated, thinking that Mew was spending too much time on the subject.
"Right," Mew nodded, getting back on track. "The questions are about miscellaneous topics. Pokémon, Pokémon moves, Pokémon abilities, towns, cities, and the like. So, just answer to the best of your abilities."
Sally and Morgan nodded.
"Alright, then let's get this challenge underway," Mew responded.
-000-
Hex looked through the cards he was given, eventually settling on one he thought would be easy. "Okay, this one is easy. Who is the lord of the Distortion World?"
Sally stepped on her button immediately, answering, "Giratina!"
Mew nodded, "That's correct. One point for Sally."
Zahku, now standing next to a chalkboard with all of the participants' names on it, wrote a tally mark next to Sally's name.
"Alright, next question," Mew continued as the big wheel started rotating to the next cart, revealing a Parasect. "Cramad!"
Titan's eyes widened. "Oi!"
Cramad waved a claw at everyone. "Hey guys," she greeted, albeit feeling a bit awkward due to the circumstances that resulted in her elimination.
Some waved and greeted her back pleasantly, but others were still annoyed. "Hi…" Aura responded flatly.
Deciding to get right to the point, Cramad looked at one of the question cards she had. "Okay, this question is multiple choice," the Mushroom Pokémon began. "Which Pokémon species does not have an even gender ratio? A. Gardevoir, B. Lopunny, C. Granbull, or D. Lurantis."
Unlike the last question, this took a while for either of them to answer. There were two possibilities. Either it was the obvious outlier, or they would really have to think.
"Uh… Well, this is a weird one," the Persian commented. "But, I think I know what this is trying to d-"
Sally immediately pressed her button, cutting her off. "Granbull," she answered.
Mew nodded, "Correct. Another point for Sally."
The Ampharos smiled, as Morgan threw her an irritated look. Sally smirked back at her, shrugging her shoulders, "Hey, you shouldn't have said anything. I wouldn't have thought about it."
"Wait, so you're saying that Granbull is uneven, but the others aren't?" Phill responded. "What the hell?"
"That should be a lesson," Shine commented. "Looks don't mean anything…"
"To you…" Sally grumbled under her breath.
The big wheel rotated again, this time revealing an Umbreon. He wore a visage of indifference, but upon setting his eyes upon Shine, a small smile appeared on his face. The Espeon returned the smile. However, their smiles disappeared as Mew began talking, putting them back in the game.
"And… here's Shade to give the next question," the New Species Pokémon imparted.
Aura gave Mew a look, growing annoyed by his introductions. "You can stop doing that," she deadpanned. "You already told us that they're all our loved ones, so we know who everyone is… For the most part, anyway."
"And the faster we get through this, the faster we actually get to spend time with them," Sally added. "So, let's keep this going."
Mew rolled his eyes, giving in their request. "Fine. Shade, give them their question…"
000
Ten minutes had passed, meaning that the five remaining players would need to move onto the next set of, slightly smaller, platforms.
As expected, Kojo and Klavier managed to complete the transition easier than Ashton, Aspen, and Connor.
The Meganium began trying to climb onto the platform, but had difficulty doing so. The amount of fur on Connor was also making it very difficult, as his large afro was sagging from the water, covering his eyes. Aspen sighed as she finally climbed onto the smaller platform.
"Man, this challenge is tedious," Aspen commented, panting softly.
"Okay, I can't do this," Connor stated, deciding to cut his losses and just started trying to swim back to shore.
Ashton sighed and started swimming to the shore as well. "Yeah, this isn't really gonna go well for me, either…"
Kojo sighed as he watched them swim off. He was a bit disappointed that they gave up, but he understood.
"Alright, Connor and Ashton are out as well," Virizion stated as she watched the two of them swim in their direction. "Only three players remain…"
"Ten minutes, you guys!" Xerneas called.
Klavier let out a sigh, turning to his right to look at Kojo. "Well, since it's just us and Aspen… Should we talk about our options?" the Gliscor whispered.
Kojo raised a brow. "I mean… I guess? I don't know if talking about it with someone still here is a smart move, though."
Aspen, who was to the right of Kojo, was still able to hear them. She turned in their direction, irritation oozing from her tone. "You realize that I can still hear you, right?" she spoke up.
Kojo and Klavier turned to her before looking back at each other. A moment of awkward silence followed.
After a while, Aspen sighed, shaking her head, "You guys might as well just say what you were going to say. Connor and I can't do anything anyway. So, if you're planning on eliminating one of us, just say it to our faces."
Kojo turned to Klavier once again before turning back to Aspen.
"Well, you know that there's other things that we can do," Kojo responded, still making sure that he remained stable on his platform. "We can always vote for Amethyst."
Aspen rose a brow, a bit suspicious by his quick answer. She felt that he was being dishonest. "Really?"
The Mienshao responded with a shrug, "Sure."
Aspen gave him a look, his nonchalant answer not reassuring her of anything. "See, I dunno if I can trust that…"
Sudden waves came over, causing their platforms to move a bit. This, in turn, caused the three of them to wobble and shake slightly. Klavier, who was balancing on his tail, ended up falling backwards into the water, only to immediately dart back up.
"Damn it," he cursed.
"And Klavier's out!" Virizion announced. "Come on back to shore."
The Gliscor sighed before he turned his attention back to Kojo and Aspen. "Well, good luck you two…"
As Klavier flew back to shore, Kojo and Aspen exchanged looks once again. Kojo felt like he had the challenge in the bag already, while Aspen still felt like she and the others had a disadvantage from the get-go.
000
Aspen shook her head in annoyance, "This challenge fucking blows."
000
Eight questions had gone by already and it was currently a tied game, with both Morgan and Sally having four points each. The wheel had already made a full revolution, with additional appearances from Chase, Autumn, Jet, and Holly's mother, Lorraine.
Hex was currently before them again, reading another question. "What was the name of the Burned Tower before it burned down?"
Sally immediately slammed her foot down on her button, a smile on her face. "Brass Tower. Lugia used to perch there."
Hex let out a soft sigh of disappointment, having wanted Morgan to get it. "Correct," he responded.
"Alright, that's five points for Sally and only four for Morgan," Mew recapped. "So, Morgan, you need to get this next question correct in order to have a chance."
The Persian took a deep breath as the wheel turned, once again showing Cramad.
"Alright, bring it on," Sally urged confidently.
Morgan rolled her eyes at the Ampharos' cockiness.
Cramad looked at the next question card and cleared her throat. "How many forms of Meowth have been discovered thus far?"
Morgan smirked, but as she prepared to hit her button, Sally hit her's first. Sally giggled in triumph as she answered, "Three. Holly and I saw a Galarian Meowth guy when we were exploring this place."
"Uh… that's not right," Cramad replied, looking at her card.
Sally's confident smile immediately faded, being replaced by one of confusion.
Seizing the opportunity, Morgan hit her own button. She cleared her throat before calmly answering, " Four. Kantonian, Alolan, Galarian… and for some reason a Gigantimax form…"
"That is correct," Cramad responded.
Sally scoffed, "Oh, that's bull. She's an evolved Meowth, of c-"
"Don't start," Titan stated, already annoyed. "You're tied, now deal with it."
Sally grumbled to herself, folding her arms.
Looking at the board, Mew let out a sigh, "Well, that's five for Morgan and five for Sally. So, looks like we're doing an extra questi-"
The host was cut off by a groan, coming from Phill. "Can we get on with this? I feel like we've been here for an hour…"
"We probably have, knowing how long these trivia challenges last," Aura muttered.
Mew blinked. "Okay, fine… I get it already. After this round, we'll go down to three questions per pair. Best two out of three will win. That better?"
"You could have just done that at the start but, no," Shine grumbled to herself.
Hearing the new setup, Sally scoffed, complaining, "Well that's bullshit. I win by default then, since I answered the first two questions fir-"
"We're finishing this round off," Mew cut her off as the wheel rotated again, landing on Shade.
"Damn, still you two?" the Moonlight Pokemon commented, seeing that he was in front of Morgan and Sally once again.
"Yep. You're the tiebreaker for them," Mew explained. "So, go ahead and give them their last question."
Shade sighed, looking through his question cards again. He eventually pulled one out and read, "True or false? Eevee has a Gigantimax form..."
Sally slammed her button quickly. She didn't know the answer for sure, but she had a 50/50 chance of getting it correct and she really wanted this. "Um… true?" she answered, uncertain.
"Yeah, that's right," Shade deadpanned, tossing the card away.
"YES!" Sally exclaimed in delight, raising her arms in victory.
"That means this round goes to Sally," Mew reasoned. "Now, we can actually get this done a bit quicker. Holly and Aura, you two are up."
Morgan let out a sigh as she and Sally moved away from the buttons to allow Holly and Aura to take their spots.
000
Morgan sighed, "Fucking annoying…"
000
Kojo and Aspen were still on their platforms, though they were now significantly closer to shore.
Knowing that this challenge was going to take a while, but also wanting to gain more trust with Aspen, Kojo sighed to himself before deciding to jump off of his platform. Seeing this, Aspen was stunned.
"And out of nowhere, Kojo drops! Meaning that Aspen wins the challenge!" Virizion announced.
Aspen was still a bit surprised by Kojo throwing the challenge, but smiled as she jumped off of her platform and started to swim back to shore.
000
"If I can get Aspen to trust us, then we can easily get rid of Amethyst," Kojo explained. "It's not like she's really helping us anyway besides being another vote."
000
With everyone gathered back on the shore, Xerneas and Virizion turned to Aspen. "Alright, congratulations Aspen, you've earned an advantage in the next challenge," the Life Pokémon notified.
Aspen nodded with a smile. "What is it?"
"We'll let you know when we get to that challenge," Virizion retorted. "For now, you guys can head back to camp and rest. We'll call you back when it's time for the next challenge."
The hostesses began walking away from the six players, who started heading back to camp. On the way, Aspen stopped Kojo and took him to the side to ask about what happened during the challenge.
This didn't go unnoticed, as both Klavier and Connor paused briefly, looking back to see what was going on.
"Alright, spill it," Aspen demanded. "You and I both know that you had no business falling off."
Kojo shrugged, "You said you couldn't trust when I said that we could vote out Amethyst instead, so…"
Now understanding, Aspen nodded. "Well… thanks."
"Hey, it's the least I can do," Kojo replied, folding his arms. "Now you know that you can trust us… You're safe."
Kojo started walking back towards the campgrounds, not noticing a small smirk forming on Aspen's face.
000
Aspen giggled, "Well, the plan was to just join their alliance and ingratiate ourselves with them so that they wouldn't eliminate us…"
"But…" she continued. "I've been talking to Ashton and Amy for the past few days, and I don't think that they'll be too happy to hear that Kojo's willing to get rid of one of them…"
000
As Aspen came back to the campgrounds, she saw that Kojo, Klavier, and Connor were walking away, leaving Ashton and Amethyst at the cabins. Aspen approached them, eager to share the new information she was given.
"Where are the guys heading?" she inquired.
"They're going back to the gym," Ashton answered.
Nodding, Aspen lied down next to the two of them. "Well, I guess I got lucky that Kojo threw that challenge…"
Hearing that, Ashton's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, so he did throw it. Weird…"
"Well… He told me his reasoning for it and uh… I don't think you're gonna like it," Aspen cautioned.
"Why?" Amethyst inquired, concerned about her statement.
"Well, Kojo said that he was willing to vote you out," Aspen explained, gesturing to the Aurorus. "The reason that he threw the challenge was to try and gain my trust."
"What?!" Ashton exclaimed. "That doesn't make any sense!"
"Well, that's what he told me," Aspen responded matter-of-factly. "So-"
"He needs to go…"
Aspen and Ashton turned to Amethyst in surprise, who wore a look of annoyance on her face.
"I mean…" Ashton began. "He could've been lying-"
"No, he was serious," Amethyst countered, turning to them. "If Phill is dating Aura, and is also Kojo's friend, that means that Aspen would need to be brought in as well since she's connected to Aura. So, if he's throwing my name out, then he's more than likely being serious."
"Yeah, I agree," Aspen concurred with a nod. "Kojo has too much power. We need to do something about it."
Amethyst nodded. "Definitely."
Ashton sweatdropped, "Right…"
000
Ashton let out a sigh. "Well, I guess the alliance is going through more changes… Now Kojo's trying to target Amy and the girls are wanting to target Kojo in return."
"I just know that this is going to go poorly…"
000
Holly had successfully beaten Aura with ease, having answered the first two questions of their round back-to-back. The same rang true for Shine, who easily thrashed Titan, who didn't even try. He already knew what the results were going to be, so why would he bother?
With the first round settled, the losers of their matchups all took refuge at or around the bench that Phill was still sitting on. With the second round about the begin, Phill let out a sigh.
"Well, looks like it's my time to fail," Phill sighed as he hopped off of the bench.
"Probably so…" Titan stated. "Especially if you end up going against Shine…"
Overhearing this, the Espeon let out a soft sigh. "You guys seriously need to stop acting like I'm the smartest person in the world…"
"Hey, at this point, you should just take it as a compliment," Mew commented. "They think you're a frontrunner, so just let it happen."
"Yeah, everyone in the game knows that she's one of the biggest threats," Sally spoke up.
Growing exasperated, Shine groaned.
"Just win this reward and then win immunity. Then, you won't have anything to worry about until the next time," Mew advised, shrugging his shoulders. To him, it was common sense. If people see you as a big threat, then there's not much that you can do about it unless you have loyal allies or you win immunity. "Anyway, next matchups. Phill, you'll be against Sally. Shine, you'll be against Holly. So, Phill and Sally, come on up."
The two of them approached the buttons. Sally wore a confident smile, believing that Phill's pessimistic attitude probably meant that he wouldn't try too hard.
"Alright," Mew began. "Now we're gonna have some fun with the wheel and have it be random."
"I mean, I don't think that really means anything. Questions are questions," Morgan chimed in.
"Can I just do my job?" Mew sighed. The extra commentary from them was really becoming more and more annoying.
The wheel started spinning again, eventually stopping on a Flareon who was twitching a bit inside of the cart.
"Nice to see you again, Chase," Mew commented.
"Get me out of this fucking thing…" he growled, slowly turning to the New Species Pokemon. When the Flareon had to present a question earlier on, he had snapped at Mew for putting him in that situation, as he revealed that he hated ferris wheels.
Mew explained. "Yes, I know that you're afraid of these things. Sorry again, but the faster this is done, the faster you get out of there. So, give them their question."
Chase groaned in irritation. At least he was back on the ground, for the moment anyway. Combing through his question cards, he eventually pulled one out. "What is the biggest Pokémon so far?"
Sally stepped on her button immediately," Uh… the one that made us all grow. Uh… Eternatus!"
"Yes, now can I get out of here?" Chase stated.
Giving up, Mew pinched the bridge of his muzzle. "Yes. Sure, get out of there and sit with the others."
The Flareon swiftly sprang out of the wheel cart and let out a sigh of relief before walking toward the group that was sitting on the bench.
Once that was settled, Mew let out another sigh before getting back on track. "Alright, Sally wins the first point," he stated. He then turned to Phill, who simply looked bored.
"Before we proceed… Phill…" Mew gave the Raticate a serious look. "Are you even gonna try?"
"Probably not," he deadpanned. "Either way it goes, I'll end up losing."
Mew blinked. He was really becoming more and more irritated and unmotivated as this continued. Not entirely a new feeling for him, but he was growing tired of experiencing it. "Okay, Sally, you win by default. Shine and Holly, you're next," an exasperated Mew stated.
Sally smirked as she stepped away from her button, while Phill shrugged as he moved back toward the bench, earning a look of disappointment from Aura. "Phill, you really need to stop doubting yourself so much…" she suggested.
"Maybe when we're outta this game," Phill responded flatly.
Holly and Shine approached the buttons next as the wheel turned, revealing a Leafeon.
"Alright Autumn, go ahead an-"
The Verdant Pokémon cut off the host, getting straight to the point. "Multiple choice: What makes Drampa angry? A. Hurting children, B. Nothing, C. Nature destruction, D. Rock slides", she read from her card.
Shine immediately pressed her button, answering, "A."
Autumn nodded, "That's correct."
"Alright then," Mew responded. "Shine gets the first point. Let's see if you manage to end this quickly like the last round…"
The next cart came down, revealing Lorraine, Holly's mother. She was an elderly-looking Swoobat, having a few wrinkles on her face.
"Hello again, mother," Holly greeted rather flatly, a look of apathy adorning her face.
"Daughter…" Lorraine responded in a similar tone. It was obvious that the two did not have a positive relationship. "I'm surprised that you're still in the running for a prize in this cheesy reality show haven you've inserted yourself in. You'd think that they wouldn't allow murderers…"
Holly glared daggers at her mother. Lorraine still wasn't over Holly's sister's tragic death and still considered her a murderer. "And I'm surprised that you're even here considering that you act like I'm to blame for everything bad that happens to you. Let me guess; you couldn't say no to a free TV appearance?"
"If only it was you, and not Kelly…"
Holly's eyes widened, as did the eyes of others, including Mew's. This got extremely uncomfortable really quickly. "OKAY! Uh… Let's just-"
"F-FUCK YOU!" Holly shrieked, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
The wheel turned, removing Lorraine from the equation. Shine patted the Swoobat's back, trying to comfort her as she sobbed softly. Holly was usually the positive force of the group, so seeing her like that was very upsetting.
Mew let out a sigh, having not expected that kind of interaction. "Holly, I apologize. I didn't know that your mother was… that."
"She's always nice and smiley with everyone else, but with me, she acts like I'm Giratina and that I deserve nothing," Holly choked out.
"Okay, um…" Mew trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, after that, I guess that you don't have to continue."
"No! I can still participate," Holly responded, wiping her nose with a wing. "I'm not gonna let her ruin my chance."
"'Atta girl," Titan called from the sidelines. "But, it's not like you really stand a chance with who you're next to…"
Shine glowered at the Galvantula, as did the other girls around him, aside from Sally. Now was not the time for those kinds of comments.
"It doesn't matter who I'm against," Holly growled. "Let's just finish this and move on…"
"Well, if you insist," Mew responded, still harboring a feeling of guilt. The wheel turned, passing Lorraine and bringing up a Floatzel.
He wore a rather bored expression, holding his stack of cards in one of his hands. He really didn't want to be there, especially in such a boring role like this. However, his wife was there, and he would have a chance to spend some time with her after she's been away for a long time.
"Alright Jet, give them your question," Mew instructed.
Rolling his eyes, the Floatzel looked at his card, reading, "True or False? Male Meowstic are mostly white."
Shine pressed her button immediately, surprising nobody. "False. The females are the white ones."
Jet tossed the card, "I'm pretty sure everyone knows that…"
Ignoring the comment, Mew announced, "And with that, Shine wins this match."
Holly sighed and flew over to the bench, where she was immediately comforted by the other ladies. Shine felt a bit bad about it, especially after what she'd just witnessed, but this was still a game. She needed to win, and Holly said that she was still willing to play.
000
"I really hope that people don't start painting me as the bitch over this…" Shine groaned. After a moment, she let out a sigh. "Who am I kidding? I'll end up being the bitch, regardless…"
000
As Sally took Holly's place, she wore a look of slight irritation. She knew that she was going to have to go against the Espeon, anyway, but it was still annoying.
"Alright, the final round: Sally vs. Shine," Mew began. The New Species Pokémon felt that he already knew the end result, which was fine for him. At that point, he just wanted the challenge to be over.
As the ladies exchanged looks of equal disdain, he explained, "There will be only one question for this last round. Whoever answers it correctly, or gets the closest to the answer, will win the entire thing. You two got that?"
Both ladies nodded affirmatively.
Mew nodded back. "Alright… Last question," he cleared his throat. "How many contestants have been a part of this series, thus far?"
Sally's mouth sat agape, while Shine's eyes widened. How the heck were they supposed to remember exactly how many people have competed on the show? There were like six seasons in! Not to mention the fact that there was a trial season that happened before they even started in the first place.
"How are we supposed to be able to guess that!?" Sally bellowed. "We've never met some of the people in seasons that we weren't in, and you guys had a whole other season before you brought us in!"
"That's why this is mainly a guessing game," Mew retorted calmly. "Whoever gets closest, or somehow hits it on the money wins…"
"So, this is pretty much just chance," Shine deadpanned.
"Not really," Mew responded, shaking his head. "Some of you guys have competed multiple times over the years, so it's essentially testing your memory."
Still irritated, Sally huffed, "Can you at least tell us how many people you had in that first first season that you did?"
Mew obliged, "Twenty, including this big guy." He gestured to Zahku.
"Wait, he was a part of it?!" Aura exclaimed from the sidelines.
"Yep," Mew responded. "That's how we got him…"
With this new information, both Sally and Shine were trying to remember as many people as they could, while also counting the twenty from before their time..
Sally didn't want to be the first to answer, because there was always a cheap tactic that could be used with these kinds of questions. Luckily for her, Shine answered first.
Letting out a sigh, the Sun Pokémon stated, "I'm just gonna say 151. I have a feeling that you would have some kind of significance…"
"Okay…" Mew nodded before turning to Sally. "And your answer, Sally?"
"Uh… I'll go lower," Sally replied. "I'll say 150…"
Shine threw the Ampharos a look of annoyance. Did she really just do that? "That's extremely cheap of you…"
Sally shrugged, "Call it what you want. People do it all the time with these kinds of situations."
Mew chuckled slightly at her tactic. It was cheap, but it was sometimes effective. "Alright, alright, the answer is… 161, meaning that Shine… You're the closest, so you win the advantage!"
Shine let out a sigh of relief, while Sally scowled. "Ugh, I knew I should've gone higher."
"And, as established, you guys will have the opportunity to spend some time with your loved ones," Mew reminded. He eyed Holly momentarily. "Aside from you Holly… I uh… I understand if-"
"It's fine," the Swoobat cut him off. "My loved one is still back on the island anyway…"
Mew nodded before clasping his hands together. "Okay," he proceeded. "Let's get everyone out of this wheel, then."
000
"My relationship with my mother has been poor ever since the incident," Holly explained, her tone somber. "I've hardly spoken to my family since I first joined the show."
"Just another reminder that not all parents care or want what's best for you," she concluded.
000
Having relocated to the gym, Kojo was jogging on one of the treadmills, while Klavier hung upside down from the ceiling. Connor was lying near the door, thinking about his options. He had managed to somewhat get in good with Klavier and Kojo, but with the prospect of today being a double elimination, he was struggling with what his next step should be.
Out of the six that were still on the island, Kojo was obviously the biggest threat. He was charming, strong, seemingly smart, and was acting as the new leader of the alliance after Anthony got eliminated. He was a prime candidate for elimination if he didn't win immunity, especially given the fact that he gave up the advantage for the next challenge.
If Kojo went, that'd be one big threat gone, and depending on what happened with the people still at the resort, that would be another one gone. A part of him actually wanted to keep Kojo, as his threat level served as a good shield for him. So, if he didn't go with Kojo, he'd have to choose between Ashton or Klavier.
His thoughts were interrupted when Kojo jumped off of the treadmill and inquired, "So, what are you guys thinking?"
Connor remained silent, as he was still thinking things over. Klavier, on the other hand, responded, "Well, the obvious choice would be Amethyst, since she's the least useful in the alliance. And you pulled that whole thing with letting Aspen win the advantage so that she'd replace her. Our choices are pretty limited this time around."
Kojo concurred, "Right. Amethyst is a bit of a non-factor, but she's another vote for our side. On the other hand, Aspen still has connections to the other alliance and we may not want that…"
"Well, Aura still technically has connections to them and we're letting her stay in the alliance," Klavier countered. "So, Aspen, or Connor for that matter, shouldn't be any different."
"Right…" Kojo sighed, scratching his head. The Mienshao was honestly unnerved by the fact that people were trying to get with the alliance in some way, shape, or form. It made him a bit paranoid, as there was always a chance that something was happening behind the scenes that could ruin his game.
However, he could not make his paranoia known. The only thing he could do is hope that he won immunity… despite giving up the advantage to gain Aspen's trust.
000
Kojo sighed with a facepalm, "I'm a fucking moron…"
"I wanted to get Aspen's trust, so I threw the challenge and gave her the advantage. But there's absolutely nothing stopping her from trying to get rid of me if she ends up with immunity tonight…"
"This alliance stuff is really starting to fuck with me…"
000
Connor hummed to himself. "Maybe Klavier would be the right way to go. He's essentially Kojo's other right-hand man besides Phill, and it'd still weaken their alliance in some way."
"It'll probably be difficult considering that it'd be me, Aspen, and Amethyst vs. Kojo, Klavier, and Ashton," he surmised. "Unless…"
000
Following the trivia challenge, most of the players decided to return to their rooms with their loved ones, while others decided to take them out on the town.
-000-
Sally and Jet sat inside of the nearby Battle Cafe. As the Floatzel took a sip from his coffee cup, he noticed a distraught look on her face. He knew that she had lost the reward challenge, but he didn't think she would be so upset about it. Was it because her order was taking longer than usual?
"You okay?" he asked, sitting his cup down. "You look like you've only got a few hours left to live."
Sally let out a soft sigh, "Yeah, well if I don't win the next challenge, that's practically gonna be the case. My life in this game is gonna be over."
Jet folded his arms, raising a brow. "How are you so sure about that?"
The Light Pokémon gave her husband a look. He couldn't have been serious, could he? "Well," she began, clearing her throat. "Considering that most of these people don't like me and are essentially cliqued together, I think it's pretty obvious that I'm the main target."
Jet shook his head, finding that hard to believe. "So, you sincerely believe that you'll be the one gone if you don't win immunity? There's nobody else that has a better reason to go instead of you? It's just you? No ifs, ands, or buts about it?"
Slightly irritated, as she felt that he was missing the point, Sally groaned softly. "Jet, you're missing the point. I am essentially alone in this game. Nobody wants to work with me and everyone else is aligned in some way, shape, or form. I am the odd one out."
Jet kept his same expression as she continued, "So, it doesn't matter if there's a bigger threat, they're gonna wanna be dumb and just vote out who they don't like instead, which is me…"
"Uh huh…" Jet deadpanned, still not buying it. "So, you're telling me… they're all dead set on voting for you? Holly? Titan? Phill? I really feel like you're selling yourself short."
"What do you mean?" Sally asked. She felt that she knew what he was trying to say, but needed a bit more clarification.
Jet sighed, expounding, "Well… I'm pretty sure that everyone here knows that Shine and Morgan are the biggest threats on this side."
"Yeah…" she trailed off, urging him to continue.
"Okay… and there are seven of you here, overall," Jet stated. "I don't think it'll be too hard to sell to the other four that one of them should go instead."
"You underestimate how stubborn some of these people are," Sally retorted. "The only people that I could possibly see voting with me are Titan and Holly. Aura's partially connected to Shine and Morgan still, and Phill's her lap dog at this point."
"Well, babe, you have two options…" the Floatzel reckoned. "Either win immunity, or try to knock some sense into them, because your options really aren't that limited."
Sally stared at him with a blank expression, as that's what she already knew. "Honey, I love you… but that's what I was already gonna try to do." She then looked toward the counter with a sigh. "What's taking so long?"
Jet gave her a look. She didn't really get it, did she?
000
Jet sighed, "I hope that she realizes that even if one of them wins immunity, that leaves the other one vulnerable. Either way it goes, if she actually gets them to listen without coming off too harsh, she'll still be fine in the game."
000
"So… what? Is this guy gonna be our new stepdad or something?" Chase inquired, gesturing to Phill.
The news of Aura dating Phill just surfaced, and, of course, there were different reactions. Shine already knew, so wasn't necessarily bothered. Although, she still needed a complete answer as to whether she was still with them or not, despite that.
Phill, feeling a bit awkward, stammered, "W-Well, uh… we really just started, so I think it's a bit too early to talk about that, r-right?"
"Far too early," Aura giggled awkwardly. "But we are dating, so just keep it cordial…"
"And you just be careful around this one…" Shade told Phill, gesturing to Aura.
Aura gave the Umbreon a look, finding the joke to be stale. "Can you not?"
Shade shrugged, "Just saying."
"Well, all I know is that if you fuck with my mother, you're throat's gonna end up outside of your body…" Autumn warned Phill with a cold glare.
The Raticate paled, as Shade chuckled at his daughter's hostility. "Calm down, Phill's one of the good ones. He doesn't really do anything to anyone, so I don't think you'll have to worry."
Autumn huffed, "That's how they always appear."
"As long as you don't expect me to call you Pappy, Pops, or whatever, I don't care," Chase responded.
"Oh, that'd never be the case, don't worry," Phill replied.
Wanting to see how the game was going, Shade inquired, "So, what's going on with this? You guys all on the same page?"
Shine and Aura exchanged looks. "Not… necessarily," Shine replied. "Things are a bit complicated…"
"Complicated how?" Shade pressed. "If you three and Morgan stick together, then you should be able to target whoever you want."
"Yeah, well… that's up to Aura," the Espeon stated, causing the Glaceon to give her a look.
Shade let out a groan. "Are you two seriously fighting again?"
"No!" Aura defended herself. "She's still in a huff because I didn't let them know that the others were targeting Ace and he got voted out."
Chase rose a brow, a bit surprised. "Wait... You didn't try to keep Ace in?"
The Glaceon let out a sigh. "Chase, it wasn't anything personal. I didn't vote for him, but the others wanted to, so I just let it happen. Plus, it wasn't like there was anything that could be done since he was in the minority."
"No, I understand that. It's the game, just a bit surprised is all…" Chase explained.
Now understanding, Shade let out a sigh. If Aura enabled Ace's elimination, then there was no telling if she'd act the same way when it came down to Shine or Morgan. The Umbreon got to his feet. "Alright, uh… Shine and I are gonna go talk. You kids stay here, or… maybe your mother and Phill can take you out somewhere around here."
Shade gestured for Shine to follow him, which she obliged, though she was a bit perplexed. As the two exited the room, Aura let out a sigh. She turned to her two kids with a small smile, "Well, do you two want to do anything while you're here? We do need to catch up since it's been a while..."
000
Aura took a deep breath. She really felt that something bad was going to happen after Shade left with Shine. "I don't know what he's gonna say to her, but I hope that he doesn't try and twist everything against me…"
000
Hex and Morgan were resting in the Persian's bed. The couple just wanted to enjoy each other's company before Morgan would have to go back out and compete in another challenge. Nuzzling him, the Classy Cat Pokémon let out a blissful sigh. "I miss you so much…"
Hex smiled, nuzzling her back, "I miss you, too. But, you know that I'm still just a phone call away…"
Morgan moaned softly, nuzzling him more. "Yeah…"
The two shared a quick kiss as Morgan climbed onto the Stoutland's furry chest. Now even more comfortable, the motherly instinct in her kicked in, as she inquired, "How's Alexa? Is she still doing alright? It's… It's been a while..."
Hex nodded, "Yes, she's doing fine. She misses you a lot, though. Almost everyday she asks me when you're coming home."
A small frown formed on Morgan's face, an over feeling of sadness suddenly washing over her as she laid against Hex. As much as she tried to fight it, tears began to form in her eyes.
Hearing her begin sniffling and trembling, a small smile formed on Hex's face. He wasn't happy to see her upset, but the fact she was getting emotional about their daughter really made him smile. Hex licked her cheek and held her close, consoling her as she sobbed into his fur.
"It's okay, baby," Hex whispered as he comforted her.
"No," Morgan sniffled, lifting her head up. "It's not okay. I've been away for so long playing this stupid game. I feel like I'm missing things and-"
"Hey, hey…" Hex interrupted, wiping away her tears. "Alexa is doing just fine. You haven't missed anything big, and I'll be sure to tape everything for when you get back. For right now, I want you to just stay focused and win this thing… Alright?"
Morgan sniffled, slamming her head back into his fur. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Hex rose a brow, uncertain of who could be at the door at that time. "Who is it?" he asked.
"It's Shade and Shine," the Umbreon's voice responded. "We need to talk for a bit."
Seeing that Morgan was still a bit upset, he replied, "Um… we're a bit preoccupied at the moment. Can we-"
"Come in!" Morgan interrupted, much to Hex's surprise.
"Are you sure?" the Stoutland inquired, thinking that his wife wouldn't want to talk to them while she was still teary-eyed.
Wiping her tears away, Morgan sniffled, "I-It's fine. We need to talk anyway, and we don't know how long Mew's gonna let you guys stay…"
Shine and Shade hesitantly entered, as the Big-Hearted Pokémon mentioned them being preoccupied, and given their circumstances, there was only one way to interpret that. Seeing that they were decent, but Morgan's eyes were a bit red, Shine grew a bit concerned.
"Are you okay?" the Espeon prodded. "What happened?"
Morgan waved it off, explaining, "It's nothing. Just… thinking about Alexa and everything…"
Nodding in understanding, Shine let out a sigh. She turned to her husband, who still hadn't really explained his reasoning for pulling them from the 'family meeting'. "So, what did you need for us to talk about?"
Shade took a seat in one of the sofa chairs, "I mainly just want you to explain what's going on with you guys' alliance. I understand that Aura didn't do anything to stop Ace from going, but is it bad enough that you guys can't work something out, still?"
Morgan and Shine exchanged looks. It wasn't that they were unwilling to work something out with Aura, it was the fact that they didn't know if they could really trust her.
"We've been wanting her to explain to us if she was still with us," Morgan explained. "When she started dating Phill, she started hanging around him and his alliance more. And she just let Ace get eliminated without even trying to warn us or give us a heads up!"
"That's the main problem," Shine added. "We want to work something out and continue to work together, but not only is Phill there, we don't know if she'll actually help or if she'll just let one of us get eliminated, too."
Shade nodded in understanding. His assumption was pretty much correct, they didn't know if they could trust her anymore. "Okay, so who're you planning on targeting after this next challenge?"
"I mean, probably either Sally or Titan, but I don't think it'll matter since we're the biggest threats here," Morgan explained.
"Okay… Instead of doing that, maybe you should aim to vote out Phill," Shade suggested. "If he's the reason Aura's going to the other alliance, why not go for him?"
A small smile formed on Shine's face, as that was what she had thought about on the way to the hotel.
Before she could respond, Hex, who'd just been listening intently, suddenly piped up. "I don't think getting rid of her boyfriend is gonna make her want to work with them," he opined. "We all know damn well that if you take out someone's loved one, they're gonna be gunning for you, next."
"That's true…" Morgan sighed. "Honestly, if we want to keep things right, we'd be better off sticking with either Titan or Sally."
Shade thought about it momentarily before inquiring, "Why not Holly?"
The girls exchanged glances, a bit bewildered by the choice, but also… curious.
000
"Well… Holly is an option…" Morgan mused. "I just don't know, though."
000
Titan, Cramad, and Holly were strolling around Wyndon, taking in the sights and scenery of the large city. Since Cramad had never been there before, Titan decided to take her around and see her reactions. Holly had decided to tag along with the couple due to her mother leaving, so she had no loved one to spend time with. However, at the same time, she didn't want to just stay in the hotel.
The way Holly's mother spoke to her really rubbed Titan and Cramad the wrong way, so they happily allowed the Swoobat to join them. It was just an uncomfortable situation in general.
As they passed by a Pokémon Center, Cramad took notice of the statues that stood in the middle of the area. "Ooh, that's pretty."
As they walked closer, Titan didn't have much of anything to say. He had already seen the statues and didn't really see anything too impressive about them. They were just statues of the Corvikinight family. "Eh, these statues are nothing compared to the real thing. We had to fly on one of those things to even get here!"
"That's nice," Cramad replied, not sounding quite as impressed.
Titan sweatdropped at her response before looking over and noticing that Holly was still wearing an expression of sadness. "Say, you alright there? Holly?"
Cramad looked over and also saw that the Courting Pokémon was still looking rather crestfallen. She could understand Holly's sadness. She hadn't heard everything her mother had said, but was filled in once everyone was out of the Galar Hurricane.
Holly sighed. "As much as I want to be, I don't think so…" she answered softly.
"Don't let your bitch of a mother mess with your head," Titan encouraged. "You're doing a lot better without her, so who is she to try and talk shit?"
Cramad concurred, nodding. "Titan's right. She's still holding a tragic accident over your head after all these years, while you've moved on and made something of yourself. Nothing she says has any worth anymore."
Holly already knew all of that, but it didn't stop her mother's words from hurting her. "She's just… she…"
"Ignore her," Titan countered. "I know that it's hard since… well… that's family. But, not every family is created equal. Sometimes, you just have to say 'Thanks for giving me life, but fuck you and everything you stand for'."
Cramad nodded. "As much as everyone wants to value family, sometimes… your family is a wreck. And there's not much you can do about it. So, dwelling on it won't really do anything. It's easier said than done, but… you just have to let it go."
Holly looked down, staring at her reflection in the small pool of water near the statues.
000
Holly let out a soft breath. "I need a break… I really didn't need to hear that stuff from her, today…"
"Titan and Cramad had points, but I just want to clear my head now… I don't care about the challenge or immunity or anything… I just wanna lay down for a bit…"
000
Having left the gym to get some fresh air, Connor started walking back to the campgrounds in order to talk to Aspen. He had an idea that he was sure would work, but it all depended on Ashton. The only way to get rid of either target would be to get the Meganium on their side.
Considering that she was essentially a loyal member of their alliance, it would likely be difficult to sway her. That was why he needed to get to Aspen, explain his idea, and let her handle it from there.
He made it back to the campgrounds, but saw that the ladies weren't there. Or at least, they weren't outside anymore. He approached the Loser Cabin, knocking with his horns. However, he received no answer.
He let out a groan, "What the hell? Where'd they go?"
Due to them not being in the vicinity, he could only surmise that they were either around the beach, the gazebo, or they went back to the forest clearing. Before he could even attempt to search for them, Virizion's voice echoed across the island."
"CONTESTANTS! REPORT TO THE GAZEBO! IT'S TIME FOR YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE!"
Connor cursed to himself, as he wanted to go ahead and fill Aspen in on his idea before the challenge. That way, he wouldn't have to talk to them afterwards and make Kojo and Klavier suspicious. However, given that it was already time for the next challenge, he would, indeed, have to wait.
000
"If we can manage to get Ashton to vote with us, then we could get rid of Klavier and go from there," Connor stated.
000
As everyone approached the gazebo, Xerneas and Virizion wore smiles on their faces. They really felt that this next challenge would be a fun one.
"Alright," Xerneas began. "This next challenge is all about a Galar delicacy: curry!"
"Curry?" Kojo responded inquisitively. "I mean, sure, it tastes good, but a whole challenge dedicated to it?"
"Well, to be specific, each of you will be tasked with cooking a different kind of curry," Virizion expounded. "Once your time is up, we will bring in a chef in order to properly judge you guys' curry. The person who has the best score will win immunity."
"Okay, that sounds… pretty easy," Ashton expressed. It was essentially just another cooking challenge, which never really seemed to be too difficult. It was typically the team aspect that caused issues. "I mean, the cooking part may be hard, but otherwise, it sounds fine."
Given how this challenge was essentially just a cooking challenge, Aspen inquired, "So, how exactly does my advantage come in?"
Xerneas explained, "Well, we aren't exactly finished explaining. We'll get to that."
After receiving a nod of understanding, Virizion cleared her throat, stepping forward. "Now, first things first, the only things that we will be giving you are the pot and utensils that you will use and the recipe for the type of curry you will make."
A collective look of understanding and annoyance formed on everybody's faces upon hearing that. Klavier sighed, knowingly asking, "So, basically, you guys are just giving us the bare minimum and we have to figure everything else out on our own?"
Xerneas concurred, nodding, "Exactly. We're supplying the tools, but you will have to find your ingredients and make a fire by yourself."
Silver pots began being brought to one of the tables, each one having a set of utensils paired with it.
"Okay," Virizion began after placing the final pot on the table. "Each of these pots has a card inside that details the type of curry that you'll be making and the ingredients that you will need"
"And Aspen, since you have an advantage, you get your pot first," Xerneas explained. "Not only do you have the card and utensils, but you also have a lighter and two of your ingredients inside."
Aspen smiled as her pot was pushed in her direction. She felt a bit lucky, but at the same time… she had never cooked curry. Sure, that was more than likely the case for all of them, but still!
"Now, the rest of you, come up and choose a pot," Virizion instructed. Starting with Kojo and ending with Ashton, each player came up to collect a pot.
"Alright, head on out and keep your eyes open. You guys will have three hours," Xerneas followed, glancing in a certain direction. "We'll call you all down when time is up."
000
"Uh… Okay, Pasta Curry," Kojo read, looking at his card. "So… I just need the rice, curry powder, pasta, and some random berries… Easy..."
000
"Sour Bone Curry?" Amethyst read. The Aurorus sighed, "Damn it…"
000
Connor raised a brow, looking down at his card on the floor, "Spicy Toast Curry? Who the heck has spicy toast?"
000
"Bitter Cheese-Covered Curry?" Ashton read, holding her card with one of her vines. "That doesn't sound too hard, it's just curry with cheese."
000
"Dry Fried-Food Curry…" Klavier read before gaining a bewildered expression. "Wait… fried food is usually greasy and moist in some way, isn't it? How the heck am I supposed to make that dry?"
000
Aspen giggled as she looked down at her card, "Sweet Apple Curry… and I already have the Fancy Apple and a Pecha Berry…"
"So, I just have to find the rice and nine more berries, and I'll be fine… I guess. It's still gonna be a bit difficult."
000
Everyone in Wyndon gathered back at the hotel, as it was about time for the contestants to get back in the game. All of their loved ones were teleported away, leaving the seven contestants a bit disappointed. They knew that their loved ones would have to leave, but it still felt bad.
Mew clasped his hands together, ready to get the second challenge underway. He still felt a bit off-put from the first challenge, so he just wanted to get these challenges over with in general. "Alright contestants, it's about time for your next challenge. So, follow me down to the Battle Cafe and we'll get started."
Sally was a bit surprised by this. She had just been at the Battle Cafe with Jet, and she saw absolutely nothing that would indicate that a challenge was going to take place there.
"Well, as long as food is involved, I'm down," Phill commented.
000
The seven contestants found themselves in a back room of the Battle Cafe, where all of the treats were prepared. It was a large, rectangular room, with an island sitting in the middle. There were counters and cabinets covering almost each wall, with different areas having various pans and pots scoured about. Dough, flour, sugar, and eggs decorated and stained different parts of the room.
Noticing the condition of the room, Phill let out a sigh. "Wasn't exactly thinking about making the food…"
"I'm sure you weren't," Mew responded, almost expecting that response from him. "And luckily for the patrons of this establishment, you guys won't be."
"Hey!" Aura protested. "I'll have you know that I can make a mean grilled cheese!"
Mew gave her a look, as did a few others. "...I stand by my statement…" the New Species Pokémon retorted as he floated over to a table that was covered by a white cloth. "Now, what's the most common dessert that you can think of?"
Holly answered, "Um… cake?"
"Right," Mew concurred with a nod as he pulled off the cloth, revealing seven medium-sized cakes of varying flavors: strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, carrot, red velvet, confetti, and lemon. The common trait about them? They were all bare, no frosting covering any of them. "So, this challenge is going to be a bit of a fun one. You guys will be in charge of dressing up these cakes."
As a few smiles and some looks of slight worry formed on the contestants faces, Mew continued. "Cover them with icing, fondant, berries, just whatever you think will make them look good. Then, once your time is up, you will be judged by the owner of this Battle Cafe. Whoever they deem to have the best-looking cake will win immunity."
"Well, this shouldn't be too hard," Morgan commented.
Mew chortled at her naivety. "Yeah, slathering icing on cake is easy, making it look good is the tough part. Take a look behind you."
The contestants turned around and saw Zahku standing behind them, startling a few of them.
"Okay… what? Is Zahku a master cake baker, too?" Sally inquired.
"No, Zahku no bake cakes," they heard, though the Hariyama didn't move a centimeter. Realizing that the voice was coming from behind them again, they turned back around, where they saw that Zahku was standing next to Mew.
Surprised, they turned back around and saw that the Hariyama behind them was still there. Confused, Aura inquired, "Uh… Okay, if that's Zahku, then who's this?"
Mew chuckled, "Yeah… that's a cake…"
Almost everyone's eyes widened. Some of them knew that cake making was serious business for some bakers, but seeing it in person was something else!
"So yeah," Mew began, getting everyone's attention once more. "You all may think that it's easy, but the owner of this cafe made that cake of Zahku while you guys were spending time with your loved ones."
"That explains why my order took so long…" Sally mumbled to herself.
"So, if you think just putting a bit of icing and fruit on a cake will be enough to win, you've got another thing coming," Mew chuckled.
Morgan swore to herself as Mew continued explaining. "Now, you guys will have an hour to decorate your cakes. Shine, since you won the advantage, you get an extra ten minutes to work on your cake."
The Espeon nodded in understanding. It wasn't that great of an advantage, but she would take what she could get.
"So, who gets what cake?" Holly asked. "And is there some kinda advantage to getting certain ones?"
Mew shook his head. "No. This challenge is just about cake appearance, not taste, so it doesn't matter which one you get. As for determining which ones you get…"
Titan sighed, "Let me guess… another hat?"
"Yep," Mew verified, pulling out the same hat from the first challenge. "Take a slip, get your cake, and I'll let you know when your time begins."
Each player retrieved a slip from the hat. Shine wound up with the strawberry cake; Holly received red velvet; Phill got confetti; Aura got lemon; Morgan got vanilla; Sally got chocolate; and Titan got carrot.
After they each retrieved their cake, they moved to their own section of the room. Seeing this, Mew announced. "Alright, the challenge starts now!"
000
The final six had decided to each pair up with a partner so that the challenge would go by faster. It wasn't a race, so there was no real harm in it. The final say would be coming from a judge, so unless somebody was willing to sabotage their friend, there weren't any negatives to working together.
-000-
Kojo and Klavier were near the beach, thinking about their game plan. Their cards had their recipes on the back, so their main challenge, currently, was to find all of their ingredients. The cooking definitely wouldn't take as long as finding ingredients.
"Okay, so what do you need?" Kojo inquired. "I just need rice, curry powder, some pasta and just ten different berries."
Klavier hummed, "I got Dry Fried-Food Curry, and I'm still just confused on how the heck that's supposed to work. I need rice and curry powder, too, but it says that I need to find some Fried Food and ten dry berries... How am I supposed to know what berries are dry?! Don't they all have juice?!"
Kojo chuckled. He had a bit of experience with berries due to his acting careers, so he knew some things about their properties. "Well..." he began. "It's kinda hard to explain, since a farmer told me this years ago, but some berries have different overwhelming properties. So, all of the attributes of the different curries like sour or spicy are because of the berries."
Klavier huffed, "I mean I know about spicy berries like Tamato Berries since they're common and used in hot sauces, but I've never heard anyone ever say something about 'dry berries'."
"Well, berries will be easy to get, so we can worry about that later," the Mienshao replied dismissively. Berries grew on trees, and the island was full of them, so there weren't any worries in Kojo's mind. "We need to be more concerned about where we're gonna find our rice, powder, and main ingredients."
"Do you think they'd put our ingredients around the major landmarks?" Klavier inquired. "I don't think Virizion and Xerneas would just put our stuff anywhere. That'd take forever."
"Wouldn't hurt to check," Kojo shrugged. "So, I'll check the jail and you check the stadium."
Klavier nodded in understanding before they went in different directions.
-000-
Ashton and Amethyst were walking through the forest, heading toward the clearing. The entire time, Ashton wore a pensive expression on her face. She was uncertain about what was going to happen with the alliance. With the cast split up, it should have been easy to just eliminate Aspen or Connor and weaken the opposing alliance even more.
However, it seemed like Kojo was trying to stir things up, and she didn't really like it. Why would he be trying to target their own alliance when they had two other options? And the fact that he was essentially trying to bring them in, was also concerning to her.
Noticing her thoughtful expression, Amethyst grew curious. "Are you okay?"
"Hm?" Ashton inquired, breaking from her thoughts. "Oh, right... Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just… I dunno what we're doing anymore."
"Do you mean for the challenge or with the alliance?" Amethyst inquired.
The pair made it to the clearing, with Ashton letting out a sigh as she placed both her and Amethysts' pots on the ground. "Why the heck would Kojo try to sabotage the alliance? And why is he trying to bring in Aspen and Connor?"
"Because he's only thinking about himself," Amethyst answered flatly. "But, that's why we're gonna try and get rid of him."
"But why can't we just get rid of Aspen?" Ashton countered. "I'd rather us just keep the alliance strong until everyone on the other side is gone."
"Ash, he's trying to target me," the Aurorus emphasized. "If he's trying to get Aspen's trust and telling her that he's willing to vote me out, then I know that I can't trust him anymore."
"But how can we trust Aspen?" Ashton retorted. "She and Connor are alone, so she could have just made up the part about him trying to target you."
Amethyst knew that there was a possibility that Aspen was lying. However, between the two, Kojo was much more of a threat. "Yes, there's a chance that she's lying, but there's also a chance that she's not. And even then, why shouldn't we try and take out Kojo? He's a big threat in the game."
Ashton understood the Tundra Pokémon's point. If the opportunity was presenting itself, why shouldn't they take it? "I mean…"
"Ashton, if we're gonna make it further in the game, we're gonna have to do what's best for us," Amethyst responded. "If Kojo's willing to throw one of us under the bus, why shouldn't we throw him under it?"
"I just feel like if we do that, the others will get upset and-,"
Amethyst cut her off, "And then we can just explain what he was planning on doing. And if they don't believe us, then we'll just have to move on and try something else."
Knowing that the Aurorus wasn't going to budge, Ashton sighed. "Fine," she acquiesced.
"I know that you don't like it, but it needs to happen," Amethyst pressed. "Now, we need to make sure that our curries at least beat Kojo's so that this can work."
"Well," began Ashton, "I have the Bitter Cheese-Covered Curry and you have the Sour Bone Curry. So, our ingredients are the exact same except for our main components and the types of berries we're gonna need."
"I've never even made curry before," Amethyst disclosed. "So, even after we find our stuff, I'll probably need some help."
Ashton nodded in understanding, having already known. She began looking around. "I think that since we're already in the forest, we should try and find the berries we need first."
Amethyst concurred, "I guess that makes the most sense. But, do you know which kind of berries are which?"
Ashton nodded in affirmation. Being both a Grass-type and a homemaker, the Meganium had utilized various types of berries when cooking. "There are tons of berries that have overwhelming and underwhelming flavors. So, some berries may have multiple flavors at the same time…"
Amethyst groaned. "So, which ones are we looking for? If they all have multiple-"
"No, no, no, I said some," Ashton interrupted to clarify. "There are a few berries that have only one specific flavor profile. I just mentioned that some have multiple flavors because that could still enhance the curry."
"Well, you're the berry expert," Amethyst declared. "Which ones do you think we should gather?"
Another pensive expression formed on her face as she started going through all of the berries that she could remember.
000
"There are tons of berries that have different defining flavors, so pinpointing the exact ones we need may be a bit difficult," Ashton explained. "We're each assigned a specific flavor profile for our curries, but we don't know how receptive the judge will be!"
She continued, "I've seen enough cooking competitions to know that some judges are a bit finicky with flavors. If they want something specific, something has to complement it or else it's not good enough. So, we all have to be mindful."
"I don't think the others will think that way, which could be a good or bad thing depending on whoever the judge is…"
000
Connor charged into a tree, causing a few berries to fall. Padding up behind him, Aspen had a thoughtful expression on her face.
"So, explain your idea to me, again," Aspen requested, needing clarity about the Bouffalant's idea . "You don't want to target Kojo, because..."
"He could be a shield for us," Connor explained, a few berries falling into his large afro. "We'd be better off voting out Klavier instead, since that'd still be weakening their alliance."
Aspen nodded. She understood the strategy that Connor was trying to go for, but it felt a bit counterproductive. "Okay… I get that idea, but I don't think it'll work as well as you think."
"How come?" Connor inquired, looking around at the berries on the ground, all of them Pecha Berries.
"…because Kojo's still a strong player and a threat in challenges," Aspen explained. "The only reason I have this advantage is because he forfeit. If he hadn't, then he would have won for sure. So, if we decide to keep him around, there's a chance that he could win immunity and just keep making it further."
It was a valid concern. However, Connor wasn't too certain that Kojo was that much of a threat in immunity challenges. Different challenges catered to different strengths after all. "I dunno. I think that's just a perception thing. He's not that great at challenges. The ones we'd really need to worry about are Shine and Morgan, but since we're technically working with them, I don't know if they count."
"And we don't know what's going on with them," Aspen added. "For all we know, one of them could be eliminated."
"Long story short, I really don't think that Kojo will win multiple challenges," Connor explained. "So, I really think we'd be better off trying something else. And if you can convince Ashton and Amethyst to vote for Klavier instead, then we'll be set."
Aspen was very hesitant, but Connor was adamant that this would be the right decision. She let out a sigh, "Okay… I guess we'll try it. But if he makes it further and further, don't say that I didn't warn you."
"If that happens, then I will happily take the blame," Connor retorted. "But we should focus on finding our ingredients and making our curries."
Aspen giggled, "Well, you just helped me with all of my berries." She began picking up the fallen Pecha Berries in her mouth and dumping them into her pot.
Connor sighed. Pecha Berries weren't spicy, so he was going to have to keep headbutting different trees that he saw with berries in order to get his. "Well, you're welcome, then…"
"Hey, don't worry, I'm gonna help you find your stuff, too," Aspen assured him. "I still need to find rice and stuff anyway. I don't know what types of berries grow on the trees around here, so we're just gonna have to try to keep an eye out."
"It doesn't help that I don't know a lot about berries," Connor deadpanned. "So, I'm gonna have to actually eat some of them to figure out which ones are which. And the fact that I have Spicy Toast Curry is gonna be a pain…"
"Well, what would you rather do first, then?" the poodle inquired. "Look for the other ingredients or look for the berries? We only have three hours."
Connor sighed, looking up at all of the trees. "I feel like the berries will take longer since there are so many trees and bushes, and not all of them grow anything."
"Well, maybe we should check the trees that are close to the volcano," Aspen suggested. "It may be wishful thinking, but it couldn't hurt."
Connor nodded before he and Aspen began heading in that direction.
000
Once the challenge in Wyndon began, all of the players began separating themselves even more, while also using their own techniques to decorate their cakes. Being that none of them were professionals, there were bound to be a few hiccups here and there.
Aura had decided to use a rather tart, yellow frosting to cover her lemon cake. She had her cake flat on the counter and was using a spatula to cover it using a few cans of frosting that were supplied. As she placed the frosting on her cake, she noticed that the frosting wasn't sticking as well as she thought it would.
She looked around and saw that a few of the others' cakes were either still bare or had just a bit of frosting still on it. Upon realizing the problem, she let out a sigh. "Right, we have to wait for these cakes to cool down…" she muttered to herself.
A small smirk formed on her face as she blew her cold breath onto the cake.
000
"The perks of being an Ice-type," Aura giggled.
000
Phill was sitting against the counter, bored. He honestly didn't care about the challenge. Not only because he knew that he would likely be safe, regardless, but because the challenge was also boring to him.
He glanced at Aura, who was working on her cake. Getting to his feet, he decided that he would just be a spectator of the work his girlfriend was doing.
Noticing this, Aura gave him a look. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be trying to frost your cake?"
"This challenge is pretty boring," Phill groaned. "I mean, I'd rather eat the cake and frosting than just put them together."
"Phill, we need as much help as we can get," Aura whispered. She glanced over to Shine, who had her cake sitting on a cake stand as she slathered frosting over it. "You saw that Shade took her to go talk. I don't trust it. He could have convinced her to try and target me or even you!"
Phill sweatdropped. "Babe, I dunno if he's that vindictive. He wasn't in one of his 'phases'," he explained. "But, if you're that worried, then just focus and don't worry about me."
"Phill, can you please just stop being so down on yourself? You're better than you think," Aura sighed as she set her spatula down beside her. "If me and your friends believe in you, why can't you believe in yourself?"
Phill sighed, "I'd rather not talk about it. Just focus on yourself and do your best, alright?"
The Glaceon just didn't understand why her boyfriend typically seemed unmotivated and unwilling to do things that would benefit himself, or even see himself as the good person that he was. Nevertheless, she focused back on her cake. With the dessert now cool, the frosting would be able to stick easier.
-000-
"Well, at least this challenge is calming," Morgan said as she put chocolate frosting on the top of her cake.
"Yeah," Shine concurred, spinning the top of her cake stand around. She had covered her strawberry cake in strawberry frosting and was currently trying to smooth it out using a dough scraper.
Morgan looked around to see how far along everyone else was. She saw that Holly was flapping her wings toward her cake, trying to cool it off. Titan sat next to his cake, trying to use his pedipalps to frost it. Sally was still waiting for her cake to cool off, standing next to it and looking around as well.
She also saw that Phill wasn't even next to his cake and was instead next to Aura watching her work. The Persian hummed before whispering, "So, what do you think?"
"About what?" Shine inquired. "The vote?"
Morgan nodded in response, eliciting a sigh from Shine. "I'm not sure. I mean, Shade made a good point about voting for Holly. She's pretty much getting a free ride to the end since she hasn't really upset anybody and she's so inconspicuous. But… I just don't see her as a threat compared to Titan or Sally."
Morgan nodded in understanding. Compared to the girl aiming for Shine and the guy with the invincibility statue, Holly was nobody. However, given the circumstances, Holly might just be the correct choice with regards to elimination.
"That's probably why she's the best choice," Morgan reasoned. "If we don't see her as a threat, then she'll just keep skating by. Titan and Sally are the obvious ones. If we keep them around, we can easily get rid of them later."
"I see what you mean," Shine replied as she looked around for a piping bag, "but with Titan having the invincibility statue, I just think that we should try to get rid of him this time. I mean, what are the chances that he has it with him? None of us knew that we were gonna have to do any challenges here."
A smile formed on Morgan's face, as she had forgotten about that. If they could get rid of Titan, then the statue would have to be rehidden, giving them more of an opportunity. "I forgot all about that. If he doesn't have the statue, we can vote him out, and we'll have a chance to go find it."
Shine nodded as she picked up a piping bag filled with white frosting, causing Morgan to raise a brow, "You know how to use that thing?"
"Yeah..." the Espeon answered. "I mean… it can't be difficult. Its just a squeeze-bag with frosting in it."
The Sun Pokémon began piping her cake… rather poorly. She was trying to create the frosting border and details that she saw on most cakes, but it came out uneven and too thin. Morgan smirked, while Shine sweatdropped. "Uh-huh…." the Persian teased.
Shine gave her a look, "Hey, don't judge me. Why don't you finish working on your own cake?"
Morgan snickered at the Espeon's snippiness. "If you say so…"
-000-
Holly sighed, picking up a spatula with one of her legs. With her cake now cooled from her wing flapping, she was ready to cover it in frosting. The Swoobat flew to the center island to grab a can of cream cheese frosting before heading back. "Ashton would be great at this," she commented.
"Does she bake a lot?" Sally inquired, still waiting for her own cake to cool down.
"Sorta," Holly answered. "She tries to make desserts almost every two weeks. So, she has some experience."
"So, does that mean you have some experience, too?" Sally inquired.
Holly sheepishly giggled, "No, I uh… I sometimes helped with dinner, but desserts? Not really. But, I do know that you could just put your cake in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it faster."
Sally gave her a look, annoyed at herself because she didn't think of it earlier. She picked up her cake, carrying it to the large fridge near the back, causing Holly to giggle.
Titan let out a sigh as looked down at his mess of cake. Due to not having useful appendages, he was much worse at the challenge than everyone else. As a result, his cake was a mess. It had chocolate frosting covering it, but it was placed on rather sloppily, with none of it being smooth. He didn't even know that Noticing his demeanor and seeing his cake, Holly sweatdropped. "Oof, having a tough time, huh?"
"Yeah. Turns out doing stuff is hard without functioning arms…" Titan sardonically replied. "So, I have a feeling that I'm not gonna win this one…"
"Well, that's just what happens," Holly sighed. "Not every challenge is accessible to everyone…"
"Whatever…" Titan deadpanned. "At least I have my statue…"
"You brought it with you?" Holly gasped.
Even though Titan didn't have the statue with him, he figured that if he could bluff as if he did, there was a chance that he could still save himself. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. All I have to say is be careful when you're voting," he warned.
Holly shot him a wary look, unsure of what to make of him. She didn't know if he truly had the statue or not, but she didn't want to risk anything.
000
"There's only seven of us here," Holly recapped. "Me, Aura, and Phill are probably going to vote together, and Morgan and Shine are likely gonna vote together, so that leaves Titan and Sally in the middle."
"There's just no way that Titan has his statue. Why would he?" Holly questioned. She sighed, "This is gonna be a tough time…"
000
"So, are you feeling better?" the Galvantula inquired. He knew that the Swoobat was still upset earlier on, but it seemed like she was actually feeling a bit better.
Knowing what he was talking about, Holly let out a sigh. "You know… I told myself that I just wanted to lie down and not worry about this challenge or immunity or anything. But… Here I am, trying this challenge anyway."
"Well, I'm glad that you haven't given up. Why would you want to cark-it in this game over your mother, anyway?" Titan inquired. "She's a mongrel as mean as Delcatty's piss…"
Holly giggled at the EleSpider's comment before putting down the spatula. "I just… I try to be positive and make sure everyone else is doing fine. I mean, I wanna be a nurse and help people!" she explained. "So, hearing negativity aimed at you, especially from family… It just hits you harder…"
Titan understood, but he also didn't believe that Holly should worry about that. "Like me and the missus told ya earlier, Sheila. Your mother's treated you poorly since your sister's death, but you're still doing alright for yourself. As hard as it is, you have to just move on."
Holly sighed to herself as Sally returned with her cake, which was now a bit colder. "Cold and chocolatey," she stated. "Now we can get this show on the road."
000
Klavier made his way to the stadium, landing at the entrance. The Gliscor's eyes immediately widened upon seeing numerous wooden poles jutting from the ground, growing increasingly taller until it reached a platform that had multiple bags of rice sitting on it.
Klavier hadn't expected to find the rice there, nor did he expect some kind of challenge to accompany it.. Seeing what he was going to have to do, he chuckled to himself. "Good thing I have wings," he commented.
Before he could take flight, a sign beside the wooden poles caught his attention. He read, "No flying or psychic-type abilities."
He let out a groan. "You've gotta be kidding me!"
The Fang Scorpion Pokémon looked at the line of wooden pillars. He was really going to have to climb up all of those pillars to get the rice. "Why does cooking have to be so difficult?"
He stepped onto the first wooden stump and started climbing up. Luckily for him, the wooden poles were stable, which wouldn't cause too many issues. However, the Gliscor having to take large steps on the skinny poles would cause an issue.
As good as he was at balancing on his tail, Klavier was facing some difficulty as he tried to make it to the end platform. There were eleven poles, and each one got both taller and skinnier the higher he went. He ended up falling off of the eighth one and caught himself, landing on the ground.
He groaned, "Please don't tell me I have to start over every time I fall…"
He glanced back at the sign that was near the start and saw that the backside of it also had writing on it. "If you fall, start back at the beginning," he read.
Seeing this, he plopped on the ground with a loud groan.
000
Kojo looked around in the jail for anything that would be helpful. He checked almost every cell for an ingredient he or Klavier needed. So far, he was coming up short. He sighed, "Come on, something has to be here."
They wouldn't have just placed the ingredients anywhere. The only place left to check was, of course, the main office. He knew what was up there, the special phone. He was tempted to use it, but knew that if he brought Summer there, he would definitely be distracted. So, when he went up there, he was going to focus on looking.
Taking the elevator up, he reached the office and was surprised by how well-kept it was. The sofa, the mini-fridges, the television, it was all great. "No wonder those guys stay in here so often…"
He noticed the room with the bed and phone and immediately turned away from it. His attention went back to the two fridges, a smile forming on his face. "Food goes in the fridge, so…"
He opened the closest fridge first, only to see a couple of canned soft drinks and Oran Berries. He chuckled, "Whaddya know…"
He grabbed the berries and one of the canned drinks. "These could work perfectly…" he said to himself as he stood up and closed the fridge with his foot. Opening the second one, he saw a box of food sitting there. His eyes lit up. "This must be Klav's Fried Food," he reasoned, taking it out of the fridge.
He chuckled as he closed the fridge once again. "Wow, coming here actually helped out more than I thought," he stated as he started walking back toward the elevator.
000
Kojo chuckled, "I honestly thought there would be more to it… I guess I got lucky. Though… How would they have known people would check the fridges?"
"Wait… How come they let that stuff stay there?!"
000
Now near the volcano, Connor and Aspen were looking around the treetops and bushes to see if there were any special berries growing. At first, it seemed like nothing was there, but eventually, they began seeing various berries growing on different trees. Some of them were easily recognizable, but others weren't. Ignoring the few they already knew, they came upon a bush with bumpy, red fruits growing on it.
Connor let out a sigh of relief. "Finally," he chuckled, approaching the bush.
"Hey," Aspen spoke up. "Before you get excited, you may wanna check if those berries are even spicy."
Connor nodded with a sigh, "Yeah, I know. But… they look red like Tamato Berries, so they may…"
"Better to just check and make sure," Aspen pressed, not wanting to waste time.
With a shaky breath, Connor picked off one of the Chople Berries with his teeth before putting it down to take a bite out of it. Immediately, the warm juices of the fruit splashed over his tongue, but it didn't seem to be too bad.
Seeing his lack of a reaction, Aspen hummed. "I guess these aren't the ones we need."
"Nope… They're the ones," she heard Connor wheeze as the Bouffalant turned, revealing his sweaty face. "It just took a bit…" he croaked out. "It's not as bad as a Tamato Berry, but still pretty damn hot…"
Aspen nodded in understanding, though she grew a bit concerned about the Bouffalant's reaction. "Are you gonna be okay?"
"Yeah… Yeah, I just… I just need some water…" he rasped.
"Well, let's get these berries first and we can get you some water," Aspen directed as she approached the bush. She started picking the berries and placing them in Connor's afro.
Once she gave him the amount he needed, the two of them started heading back to where they left their pots. It wasn't that long of a walk, but with Connor's mouth still burning from the Chople Berry, it felt like forever.
"Just hang in there," Aspen comforted him as they continued on their way.
Upon returning, Connor quickly started shaking his afro to get the Chople Berries out. Once he felt that they were all out, he immediately rushed in the direction of the beach.
Aspen watched him go and let out a sigh as she started picking up all of his berries to place inside of his pot. Not knowing when he'd be back, she started mulling over her options. Sure, she had agreed to speak with Ashton and Amethyst about voting for Klavier, but she just didn't believe that it was the correct move for her.
Kojo was a much larger threat than Klavier. When they eliminated Marie, Anthony became the de facto leader of their alliance, and now with him gone, that role fell upon Kojo. If they got rid of him, who would the de facto leader be? Phill? Klavier? To her, Kojo was the only strategic player in that alliance, so if she could take him out, they would be dead in the water.
She could see Connor's points, but she just didn't think that it would work. To her, it was too risky. However, if Kojo managed to get immunity in the challenge, she'd have to go for Klavier anyway. So, if she wanted the Mienshao gone, she would have to try her damndest and hope that he didn't win.
She began looking around the trees again, wanting to see if there were any other special berries that would be of use to her. Eventually, she noticed a few curvy yellow and pink fruits on a nearby tree. She raised a brow, recognizing them from back home. "Mago Berries…" she whispered. "Those could be perfect."
She then saw a pair of vines reach up to grab one of them, surprising her. It was soon accompanied by footsteps and familiar voices, getting her attention.
She ran over and saw Ashton and Amethyst, the latter looking rather bored. Ashton explained, "See, Mago Berries are already naturally sweet, but they taste even better the curvier they are."
She held one of the berries for Amethyst to try. The Aurorus took a bite of it and her eyes widened a bit. "Wow… that is sweet," she opined.
"Hey!" Aspen called as she approached them.
Noticing her, Ashton greeted, "Oh... Hey Aspen."
"How's the ingredient hunt going?" Aspen inquired. "Have you guys found anything else, or are you focusing on the berries right now?"
"Mainly berries," Amethyst answered. "Ashton knows a lot about berries, so we've just been going around different trees collecting different ones."
Aspen raised a brow, "Um… Don't we each need to focus on specific types though?"
Ashton hummed, "Yes… but, we don't know how they're gonna judge us. I feel like we're gonna need to have different elements so that our curries don't taste too… one-note."
"So that's why you're picking Mago Berries, which are sweet, instead of ones that are bitter and sour?" Aspen rhetorically inquired.
Ashton nodded affirmatively. "Did you need some?"
"I was thinking about using some, so yeah," the poodle responded. "Right now, I just have a lot of Pecha Berries."
Ashton hissed, "That's gonna be one sweet curry, then…" She picked a couple of Mago Berries for Aspen before placing them in front of her. "Do you want any other types? We've got plenty…"
Aspen was bewildered by that statement. "Plenty? How many berries have you guys collected? We each only really need like ten."
Without a word, Amethyst reached down beside her to take the lid off of a pot, revealing that it was almost completely full of various berries. Dropping the lid, Amethyst stated, "I told her that we could stop and just start looking for our other ingredients, but she insisted that we keep trying to find more just in case."
"Hey, you can never be too sure," Ashton defended. The Meganium just wanted to be completely prepared and have a variety of options. She didn't see the problem with that, especially when they still had a little over two hours remaining.
"Well… uh… I guess I'll take a couple of… bitter ones, I guess," Aspen answered.
With a nod, Ashton pulled out a Petaya Berry, Rawst Berry, and a Tamato Berry. Seeing the third fruit, Aspen was confused.
Before she could respond, Ashton explained, "I know, I know, Tamato Berries are more spicy than bitter. But, it'll give your curry a bit of a kick so that the sweetness isn't too overbearing."
Aspen nodded, "Um… alright then." She then remembered that she needed to talk to them about Connor's proposal. "By the way, I talked to Connor and he… uh…" she turned back to make sure that the Bouffalant wasn't there. "He thinks that we should eliminate Klavier instead and keep Kojo as a… shield or something…"
"What?" Amethyst huffed. "No way! Kojo's the bigger threat!"
"I know," Aspen sighed. "But he thinks that the longer we keep Kojo in, the longer we'll last since people will keep targeting him and not us."
Hearing the reasoning, Ashton nodded, "Well… Connor may have a point."
"What?!" Amethyst exclaimed, turning to her. "Are you kidding?!"
"No," the Herb Pokémon answered. "Every time we target someone, it's because we see them as a strong threat. If we can have a bit of a buffer before getting rid of them, that moves us closer to the end."
"Uh huh… and after Klavier, who's gonna be next?" Amethyst deadpanned. "You... me... Holly... Phill…"
"No, no," Aspen replied, shaking her head. "No way we'd keep him around for that long."
Amethyst retorted, "We're better off just taking him out now and then going for whoever went on the reward."
The Furfrou nodded, "Exactly! But I think Connor's just set on Klavier."
The Tundra Pokémon rolled her eyes. It didn't matter, as far as she was concerned. "Well… we'd still have the majority regardless," Amethyst stated. "He's not gonna tell Klavier and Kojo his plan, and if he's counting on us, then we have a chance to take control. So, we can do whatever we want, honestly."
"Well, that won't matter if we don't get back to work, now will it?" Ashton inquired, not entirely agreeing with their plan. "Let's just focus on the curry…"
000
Ashton sighed, "This is really getting out of hand."
"Last time, Phill suggested keeping Sally around longer since she's an easy target. Now Connor's saying the same thing, but for Kojo. But since the entire alliance isn't here, Amy and Aspen want Kojo out, which will mess up my game since the others will see me as a traitor and probably target me," elucidated. "I don't know what's going on over on the other side, but I really hope that things aren't as bad…"
000
"Alright… Finished," Sally beamed as she put down a piping bag. Her cake was now completely covered in white and brown frosting. "Chocolate cake with vanilla and chocolate frosting," she stated.
"Not bad," Titan commented. "I mean, it's not good, either, but…"
"Yeah, thanks for that," Sally scoffed. "Yours isn't any better."
Titan chortled, "Oh, I've made my peace with that already. I'm not gonna win immunity, but that doesn't mean I'm goin' anywhere."
Sally huffed, "What makes you so sure?"
"He says that he still has his statue with him…" Holly chimed in softly, messing with a bit of fondant.
The Ampharos' eyes widened before she started looking around, making sure the other four weren't paying attention. She moved closer to the Galvantula, a glare on her face, "There's no way that you have that thing with you. How would you have known to bring it?"
"Don't worry about it," the EleSpider Pokémon retorted. "All you need to know is that I have it, so I ain't going anywhere anytime soon."
Sally growled softly, not believing that he truly had the statue with him. However, it was then that an idea formed in her mind. Hiding a smile, she walked back to her cake, picking it up in order to place it in the freezer.
000
"If Titan's claiming to have his statue, that's awesome," Sally giggled. "There's no way in the Distortion World that he has that statue here. None of us knew that there were gonna be challenges or even an elimination here!"
"So," she continued, "If the others catch wind of him saying that he has the statue… they can try and vote him out and flush it. If he has it, then whoever he or the rest of us vote for will go. If he doesn't have it… then he's gone, and the statue's back in play. It's a win-win."
000
Aura hummed as she looked over her cake. It looked decent enough. The lemon frosting was smooth enough, but not perfect. All she had used was a spatula, so it definitely wasn't too great.
"It looks… naked," Phill commented, eyeing the yellow cake.
Aura scoffed, giving him a look, "You wanna talk about naked?" She looked over at the Raticate's, still untouched, confetti cake.
"Hey, like I said, don't worry about me," Phill retorted. "Now, your cake looks pretty… boring, so… let's add a bit more to it…"
The Raticate went to the center island and grabbed a couple of frosting tubes, one with red frosting and one with black frosting. Coming back over, he requested, "Scooch over a bit."
Aura was a bit confused about what Phill was planning, but she stepped back to let him do whatever he needed to. Though, this perplexed her even more. Why was he so willing to help others, but unwilling to help himself?
She already knew his view of the world in general, but that didn't mean that he had to not care about doing stuff for himself.
000
"Why is he doing this? First the reward challenge and now this?" Aura asked herself. "I don't want him to keep giving up on himself."
She sighed, "I don't know if there's something wrong or if he's just genuinely that carefree about this."
000
"And… done," Phill said, hopping off of his seat. Aura got back up and was surprised by what she saw. It was a Pikachu face. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was good enough regardless.
Stunned, Aura stammered, "P-Phill… How did-"
"It was easy," Phill shrugged. "Seeing all of that yellow, it was the first thing that popped up in my head."
Aura hugged him, kissing his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, nuzzling him.
"No biggie," he responded with a smile. He honestly didn't see the big deal. All he did was put a Pikachu face on a cake.
-000-
"Well… This works," Morgan said as she finished topping her cake with sprinkles.
Given that she didn't really wait as long as others did, the frosting didn't set. She was going to need to put it in the freezer. Knowing that she'd have to rely on Shine, she glanced over and saw that the Espeon had a somewhat annoyed look on her face. Looking at her cake, one could say that it looked decent.
The strawberry frosting covering it was relatively smooth, but it was evident that she still had issues with the piping bag. The Espeon sighed, "Well… This could be a bit better…"
Morgan giggled, "Wow… Finally something that you aren't great at…"
Shine gave her a look, "Very funny. I'm trying not to rely on my Psychic abilities as much this time around. If I had, then this would be a lot better…"
Morgan sighed, "I still don't get why you care so much about what others think. You should be able to use your abilities to do whatever you want. This is a competition."
"I know," Shine sighed. "But when people won't shut up about you having it easy, it starts to eat at you. So, I just wanna prove that I can achieve things without using my abilities."
Morgan shook her head as a wry expression formed on her face. "It's so stupid how some people still don't get that we all have strengths and weaknesses in different things," she grumbled. She looked back over at Sally and Titan before looking back. "We should have gotten rid of them when we had the chance. Did you even talk to Sally?"
Shine, understanding where she was going with this, groaned softly. "No… I hadn't had a chance," she replied. "She either was always with Holly, ignored me, or just wasn't around…"
Morgan groaned in annoyance. The Espeon didn't want to eliminate Sally because she wanted to bury the hatchet, and throughout the entire time they'd been there, she never did. Morgan took a breath, stating, "Well, you and I are both done with our cakes… Why don't you put them in the freezer and take this time to actually talk to her?"
Shine raised a brow, "You really think that she'd be interested in talking to me now? During a challenge?"
Morgan rolled her eyes, "Her cake's not near her, she's practically finished, too. You told us not to vote for her, even though she's been the biggest pain in the ass for you. So, put our cakes away and go talk to her…"
The Persian decided to go over to where Aura and Phill were and see how their progress was going. Shine let out a sigh, glancing over at Sally, who was chatting with Holly as she tried to figure out the fondant.
000
Shine sighed, "Well… Morgan has a point. If there's any time to get Sally to talk to me, it's now. I just hope that she doesn't act stubborn…"
000
Shine had asked Sally to talk with her in the short hall leading to the storage rooms. Though hesitant, and frankly annoyed, Sally obliged. The Ampharos still wasn't fond of Shine. Even if she did save her, which she didn't really understand, she was still major competition and a general annoyance for her.
"Alright… What did you want to talk about?" Sally inquired flatly, folding her arms.
Shine sighed, "Look, I have no idea why you and a few others are so against me. I don't know if I actually did something to you, or if it's just because I'm still in the game, but I just want things to be cordial between us so that there's no more issues."
Sally was surprised by this. Shine was actually confronting her instead of tuning her out? "Uh… What?"
Shine took a breath, explaining, "It just feels like no matter what I do, you, and others in the game, act like I'm public enemy number one. Like I've actually done something horrible to you, and I'm honestly sick of it. Why do you guys have such a problem with me when I'm just playing the game like everyone else?"
Sally gave her a look. Did she seriously not see it? She stifled a laugh, "Do you seriously not understand?"
Shine raised a brow, but at the same time, she had a feeling about what was coming next. Whenever someone laughed like that during this type of situation, things got worse. Against her better judgment, the Espeon responded, "Understand what?"
"That you're an uptight bitch!" Sally answered, causing Shine's eyes to widen a bit in shock. "Or at least you act like one when you're in the game..."
Shine expected that response, but didn't say anything. It wouldn't have done her any good to say something anyway, as Sally continued. "You think that you're so much better than everyone else. You can just flaunt your Psychic-type abilities around, finish all of the challenges in the blink of an eye while the rest of us struggle to get by. You proved it even more back at the Yamper challenge when you acted like Amethyst and I were just useless, even though I had a reason to be afraid!"
Shine growled, "Why do you guys keep acting like me using my abilities means that I'm stuck up?! Holly's a Psychic-type, too!"
"And she doesn't pull the same shit as you, now does she?!" Sally snapped back. Shine paused for a moment, looking down as the Ampharos continued. "Holly actually works with us. Holly doesn't just use her abilities at literally any given opportunity to take the easy way out. Holly is actually friendly and cordial with everyone. And most importantly… Holly. Actually. Tries."
Shine sat down, continuing to look down, letting the Ampharos finish. "So no, we don't have a problem with you for 'playing the game like everyone else'. We have a problem with how you do it, and how you act like we're wrong and just complaining for no reason when we just want a fucking fair shot!"
Shine remained quiet, her head still facing the ground. She felt like a child that just got scolded by her parents. She honestly had no idea that she was coming off as stuck up or anything. She was just playing the game and using her abilities like everyone else. Sure, being a Psychic-type gave her a major advantage, but she didn't think that it was that bad to use them.
Seeing her expression, Sally let out a sigh. As good as it felt to get all of that out of her system, she didn't want to completely break the Espeon down.
000
Sally took a deep breath. "Arceus, I really needed to get that out of my system. She acted like she ran the place and beat most of the challenges with her Psychic-type abilities, but didn't get why people were getting pissed off and seeing her as too threatening?"
She scoffed, not believing that someone as smart as Shine would lack common sense. After a moment, her face softened a bit as she let out a sigh. "Although… I guess I can see why she wouldn't see it as a bad thing. I mean… If I was able to dominate with my Electric-type moves, I'd be using them a ton, too."
After a couple of minutes of thinking, her face dropped and she held her head with a sigh, "What in the Distortion World is even happening anymore? I'm just… I just want to win this game, but I feel like this stuff is just gonna make it even harder..."
000
Sally took a seat next to her, unsure of what to say after all of that. Now that all of her anger was out of her system, Sally sighed, resting her head against the wall. "This game is a nightmare…" she muttered.
Hearing that, Shine looked to her and saw that the Ampharos was getting upset as well, which confused her. "Why are you upset? You're not the one who just got shat on for apparently using her abilities too much," she sniffed.
"Because…" Sally began, shaking her head, "now that I'm actually thinking about it… This whole thing is just stupid. I mean… Like you and other people have said, we all have our own shit going on and abilities that we use to go forward. If I was in your shoes, I'd be doing the same thing!"
Shine sighed, resting her head against the wall as well. After all of that, now the Ampharos was actually seeing her perspective of the game? What sense did that make? "What, did you just need to yell at me to actually see things our way?"
Sally didn't answer, as she wasn't sure herself. It felt like everything hit her at once after she actually told off Shine and heard herself.
Given the silence, Shine divulged, "I only saved you so that we could try and hash things out so that there are no problems between us and we can move on. No more petty bullshit, no more complaining… I just want to be able to do what I need to without being scrutinized."
The Ampharos sighed, "Again, Shine. With you using your abilities how you do, you can't get mad at us for getting pissed and thinking that it's unfair. Like I said, if I was in your shoes, I'd do the same. And I'm also sure that people would be pissed off at me, too."
Shine groaned softly, with Sally adding, "We've all been through absolute hell in this game, especially in this season. Not to mention that we've had our shit kicked in and our minds fucked over and over throughout the years. And after all of this, all each of us wants to do is win so that it wasn't all in vain. So, just try to remember that."
The Ampharos rose up and began walking back toward the front, leaving Shine alone to think.
000
"OH, COME ON!" Klavier bellowed as he landed on the ground once again.
"Dude, you are bad at this…" Kojo chuckled, having come to the stadium to see what was taking Klavier so long.
"I shouldn't be! I balance on my tail all the time!" Klavier argued as he walked over. Seeing what Kojo had with him, he sighed, "At least you have something."
"Including your Fried Food," Kojo said, handing the Gliscor the box of food.
Klavier looked in the box and saw that there were fried Combusken balls, fried tofu, fried rice, and french fries inside of it. "Thanks," he replied.
Kojo nodded, walking toward the wooden pillars. "Well, unless you wanna keep trying, I'll handle getting the rice for us."
Klavier looked at his box of food and let out a sigh. He didn't want to just have Kojo take over and do it, but it would likely be for the best. "Fine…"
Kojo immediately started scaling the pillars with ease, eventually reaching the top platform in order to pick up two bags. He started heading back down. "Alright, we've got the rice. Now we need to find the powder and get more berries, and I still need to find my pasta…"
"Well, the rice was here, so I guess that's proof that we have to check landmarks," Klavier reasoned. "Maybe we should head back to the gym or check the cabins."
Suddenly, Virizion's voice echoed across the island, "AN HOUR AND A HALF REMAINS!"
Hearing that, Kojo hissed, "Let's get going. We don't have too much time left, especially if there may be more challenges like this, we're gonna have to shake a leg…"
000
The Bouffalant had returned from getting water, only to see that all of the ladies were together. Not only that, but they completely shut down his idea before he could even get a word in.
"No, Connor," Amethyst said firmly. "Kojo needs to go. Not Klavier."
Connor groaned in annoyance. Of course, they saw Kojo as the bigger threat, but not the opportunity they had before him. "Are you girls thinking about the bigger picture? Yes, of course Kojo's a big threat. Knowing how many people are still on the trip, it's almost a guarantee that either Shine, Morgan, or Sally will go. But, that'll still leave two burners. Keeping Kojo gives us a third one!"
"That doesn't make any sense," Amethyst argued. "If we have three burners, then we have to start targeting each other instead of the actual targets! And not to mention that they could still win immunity! You're the one who's not thinking."
"Okay!" Ashton exclaimed, growing tired of the bickering. "Look, we only have an hour and a half left and none of us have our specific ingredients aside from Aspen. So, let's discuss this later."
Amethyst kept her look of irritation, but agreed with Ashton. "Fine. Let's split up… We'll cover more ground."
Connor started walking away without saying another word. Not only did they no longer have much time, but the girls had no interest in hearing him out. Now, he not only needed to find a loaf of bread, rice, and powder, but he needed to think about what his options were.
With him gone, Aspen sighed. She didn't think that Amethyst handled Connor particularly well, and now she was a bit concerned. "Well, hopefully he doesn't decide to do something else instead…"
"What do you mean?" Ashton inquired as she used her vines to pick up everyone's pots. She knew that, due to being the only one with any real cooking experience, she was likely going to have to handle cooking everybody's curry.
"Hopefully Connor doesn't decide to just forget both plans altogether and try to vote for one of us, instead," Aspen muttered sarcastically.
"Over not getting his way?" Amethyst asked with a huff. "Even if he doesn't go with us, the least he could do is tie the vote. And even then, all we'd need to do is fill Kojo and Klavier in on his plan and they'll turn on him pretty quickly."
A lightbulb went off in Ashton's head. "Um… and why exactly are we not thinking about voting for Connor instead? I mean-"
"No," Aspen immediately stated. Why would she want to eliminate the only true ally she hadthere at the time, not knowing who all was coming back from the other side? "Let's just deal with this challenge and figure it all out later. We'll have more time, then. Ashton, you stick around here and try to get some things started early. What was your ingredient, again?"
With a sigh, Ashton responded, "Moomoo Cheese."
Amethyst and Aspen went in different directions as Ashton put the pots back down with a look of disappointment on her face.
000
Mew was back inside of Solgaleo's room, resting against the Sunne Pokémon's side. He had come back to talk with him for a while about Zeraora and Shaymin. Despite the white lion's depression, he was still a good person to come talk to. However, given that he was inside of Solgaleo's room, of course there was a guest.
"So… Are you gonna actually ask either of them out or…?"
Solgaleo sighed, "Entei, you're not helping…"
Entei pouted before responding, "I mean, that has to be what this leads to. He's talking to Zeraora, but he's still a bit hung up on Shaymin. He has to choose one or the other. Can't have both unless he's trying to be like Cobalion."
"He doesn't have to do anything," Solgaleo argued. "He could just leave things be if he wanted to…"
Mew sighed, finally deciding to speak for himself. "The first time I asked Shaymin out was decades ago, after me and Victini finished our trial season," he explained.
"And then she rejected you, since she started dating Keldeo, leading you to close yourself off for like… what was it? Twenty years?" Entei recalled.
Mew deadpanned, "Thanks…"
"You really did that?" Solgaleo inquired. "I heard about it, but didn't really think it was true…"
Mew sighed, "Yes, I didn't take the rejection well, closed myself off, and came out really salty and just as bad as Victini back then. But now…"
"Now you hate Victini like the rest of us," Entei chuckled. "And he's the one dating Shaymin now…"
Mew chuckled at the reminder. "And Y'know, I stupidly tried asking her out again months ago while she was still with him?"
Solgaleo sighed, knowing that Mew's decision was a poor one. "You did?"
"Yeah… and this time, she not only mentioned that she was with him, she said that I was boring," Mew explained.
Solgaleo cringed a bit, keeping his head down.
"So, to answer your question Entei, I already tried again with Shaymin, but of course it was the wrong thing to do," Mew explained, holding his head. "Now, I'm talking with Zera and I'm just… I don't know…"
Entei chuckled at the New Species Pokemon's predicament. It was not in a jeering way, instead, it was more of a realization. "Well, the only thing you can do is try to forget about Shaymin altogether," he suggested.
Mew huffed, turning to his side and folding his arms, "Easier said than done…"
"If Shaymin is constantly rejecting you and has different partners each time you ask, I feel like that should be a sign for you to cut your losses," the Volcano Pokémon explained. "You've been holding onto this for decades. I'm pretty sure it's time for you to move on."
Mew raised a brow, stifling a chuckle, "This coming from the guy who won't leave Solgaleo alone despite being rejected by him?"
Entei purred, eyeing the larger lion. "I do whatever he needs and wants me to do," he explained. "And I like to think that he's warmed up to me by now."
Solgaleo threw Entei a look. The Sunne Pokémon honestly had no clue what to think or how to feel about Entei. He mainly saw him as a hunk of meat at first, and then started acting like he was his significant other.
Given his condition, Solgaleo didn't care about that and just let the Fire-type do whatever. He had to admit that Entei's company, although initially unnerving and unwanted, made him feel a bit more comfortable.
The white lion grumbled as a blush formed on his face and he turned his head away, causing Entei to giggle softly. He turned his attention back to Mew, "Our situations are different for obvious reasons. So, even though he's 'rejected' me, I've stuck with him and slowly started to build up trust with him."
"...And you slept with him…"
Entei narrowed his eyes at him, "Yes… That, too…"
Solgaleo decided to speak up. "I understand what Entei's saying in this regard, though all of the extra stuff regarding me is a bit unnecessary. As much as you like, or liked Shaymin, she doesn't like you back. And, unlike me, she probably won't tolerate being pestered about it."
"And you're talking to the new chick Zeraora, right?" Entei rhetorically inquired. "You'd be better off focusing on her since she seems to like you, too. Forget about Shaymin."
Mew sighed to himself. The pair had a point, which was a bit strange, especially coming from Entei. The Volcano Pokémon was an aggressive jerk around the hall, or at least he was.
"Are you feeling alright, Entei?" Mew chuckled. "You're actually trying to give me helpful advice."
Entei chuckled. "Don't get used to it. I may not be as irritable as I used to be, but I'll still snap you like a twig," he stated firmly. He then turned to Solgaleo, a dreamy look on his face. "Let's just say that… I feel like things have gotten a lot better for me since our second show got canned."
After engaging with Raikou during their season, it seemed that Entei was slowly becoming less and less aggro. Then, after their second season got cancelled, he felt like a big weight was off of his shoulders. Now with Solgaleo in the picture, Entei seemed to be much more cordial and content, at least to an extent.
Mew nodded before letting out a sigh. "Well, I don't think I want to try anything until I'm done with this season. I've felt absolutely awful ever since this dumb season started. The contestants still don't like us, the challenges were dreadful at the beginning, so much unnecessary drama happened because the contestants rarely interact with each other outside of the competition unless they're in a relationship…"
Entei interrupted, "...and that's why I'm glad we got cancelled. I don't have time for all of the idiotic shit that the 'lesser Pokémon' have to go through, and coming up will all of those challenges is a huge pain in the ass. Not worth losing my sanity over it."
"Well," Solgaleo breathed out. "You don't have a lot of contestants left, do you? If not, just try and finish it out and be done with it."
"Right…" Mew said to himself. "It's probably about time for me to go back, anyway…"
"Do what you gotta do," Entei shrugged, resting his head against Solgaleo's side.
The New Species Pokémon teleported away, leaving the pair in the Sunne Pokémon's room.
000
Kojo and Klavier exited the gym, with Kojo holding a wheel of cheese. "Okay… Well, now we've got Moomoo Cheese," Kojo stated. "Guess someone's gotta make a cheesy curry."
"Well, it's not for us," Klavier replied, eyeing the wheel. "It's not really fair for us to take it."
"I mean, true enough," Kojo replied with a shrug, "but, we're gonna have to do whatever we need to in order to make sure we get immunity."
"Stealing someone else's ingredients isn't really a good look," Klavier warned. "Plus, we haven't seen anyone else since the challenge started, so-"
Before he could finish, he spotted Connor approaching the two of them. "Oh, nevermind..."
"Uh… hey guys," the Bash Buffalo Pokémon greeted, looking around. "Um… We need to talk."
Kojo and Klavier exchanged looks in confusion.
000
"If the girls are so adamant about getting rid of Kojo, then I need to switch strategies," Connor groaned. "I don't want to have to use the statue if I don't have to, but I will if it gets my plan to work."
000
Deciding to check LeGrae High School next, the three guys started heading in that direction. During their walk, Connor went ahead and divulged the girls' plan, omitting his own plan to eliminate Klavier.
"Wait, so… the girls want to eliminate me?" Kojo inquired for clarification. "Even Ashton?"
"I… don't know about Ashton, actually," the Bouffalant disclosed. "All I know is that Amethyst and Aspen are all for it."
Klavier let out a dry chuckle. "So much for trying to replace Amethyst with Aspen. Turns out they both want you gone anyway."
Kojo groaned, holding his head in aggravation. "Well now I have to win immunity or else I'm screwed!" he roared.
"Actually…" Connor realized. "It'd probably end up being a tie. Like I said, I don't know where Ashton stands."
"Well, then we need to find her and make sure she's standing with us and not them," Kojo stated firmly, as they reached the school. "Let's check the school, see if it has anything, and then go find her."
"Well, luckily for you, there's your box of pasta," Klavier said, noticing a box of angel-hair pasta sitting on a rocky stair.
Kojo approached it and picked up the box before looking around. A look of confusion formed on his face. Seeing his puzzled expression "Uh… What's wrong, Kojo?" Klavier inquired.
"It just feels like there should be some kinda challenge or something," Kojo commented. "They had something for the rice, so I guess I'm just surprised…"
"Wait, what's with the rice?" Connor asked, as he hadn't even searched for the rice.
Kojo chuckled, "Well, uh… let's just say that you quadrupeds are going to have it extremely rough…"
Connor deadpanned, "Perfect…"
"Well, if you agree to help us, we can help you with the rice," Klavier offered. "Or, well… Kojo can help you with it."
Kojo gave the Gliscor a look.
000
Amethyst had made her way back to the campgrounds, needing to find a pack of Brittle Bones. She still couldn't believe that Kojo was trying to target her and replace her with Aspen… if that was even the case. The game was such an emotional rollercoaster for her.
She started off soft-spoken and hesitant about a lot due to her personal issues. Then, after coming on this season, she gained a bit more confidence and started being more outspoken, only to evolve and start getting on people's nerves. Now, she was just seen as useless and being targeted. She just couldn't comprehend it.
"I admit that I was being a bit of a bitch, but I changed," she grumbled to herself, her sails turning a reddish color. "But even after proving that I was able to handle things, I'm being treated like I'm nothing."
She decided to check the Loser cabins, still brooding over her current situation. Looking through the beds on the ladies' side, she didn't find anything of use. However, when she went into the guys' side of the cabin, she immediately spotted a bag of Brittle Bones on one of the lower bunks.
Amethyst raised a brow before letting out a sigh. "This whole time, my main ingredient was close to the gazebo," she mumbled to herself.
She picked up the bag of bones with her mouth before deciding to head back to the forest to drop them off with Ashton. Granted, she still needed to find rice and curry powder, but she could only do so much at a time.
On her way back to where Ashton was, the Aurorus began thinking about her situation, taking her earlier conversation with Ashton into account.
There really was a fifty-fifty chance that Aspen fabricated the story about Kojo wanting her gone. If she was that cunning, then maybe she was a bigger threat. She had already rejected Connor's idea and given Ashton a spiel about how Kojo was a huge threat that needed to go if they wanted a chance. Now, upon further consideration, she was really contemplating if that would be the right move.
000
"If Aspen is to be believed, then Kojo definitely needs to go, since he's willing to swap out alliancemembers for no real reason, and because he's a physical threat," Amethyst expounded.
She let out a sigh, "But if she's lying, then that likely gives her alliance more power, since Aura could come back and decide to go back to them. And Phill would probably go, too."
Amethyst groaned, "Both of them are good options to go, but I just need to think about what works better for me."
000
All Aspen truly needed to do was find the rice and curry powder and she could head back and try to help Ashton with the curries.
"FORTY-FIVE MINUTES REMAINING!" Virizion's voice echoed once again.
The Furfrou let out a sigh as she stopped running across the beach. "Fuck… I still need to search so many places on this island…"
Like Kojo and Klavier, she decided to hit the major landmarks first. Approaching the stadium, she immediately saw the wooden poles jutting from the ground and grew confused.
"What the-" She turned her attention to the sign and sighed upon reading the rules. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
000
"Another challenge that's not quadruped-friendly... Just perfect," the Poodle Pokémon seethed.
000
Aspen stepped onto the first wooden pole, managing to get all four of her paws on it. She grumbled as she reached for the second pole and climbed up. As she continued her ascension, Connor, Kojo, and Klavier returned to the stadium.
Upon seeing Aspen there, Kojo huffed, folding his arms. Connor had Kojo's Pasta and the Moomoo Cheese sitting in his afro. The Bouffalant spoke up, "Aspen!"
Distracted, the Furfrou fell off the pole and landed with a THUD. She groaned as she rolled over and looked back in their direction. Seeing that Connor was with Kojo and Klavier, Aspen's eyes widened.
"Connor… What are you doing?" Aspen inquired hesitantly, getting to her feet. She had sincerely hoped that he hadn't done what she was thinking he'd done.
"Well-" he began.
"He told us about your little plan to eliminate me," Kojo interrupted, glaring at the Poodle Pokémon.
Hearing that, Aspen let out a sigh. He had done it. "Seriously Connor? Is getting rid of Klavier that damn important to you?!" she exclaimed.
It was Connor's turn to go wide-eyed, as suddenly all eyes went to him. Klavier was the one who broke the sudden silence, asking, "What? So… You were trying to take me out, and she and the other girls want to take Kojo out? "
"I mean… Yes, but-"
Raising a claw, Klavier silenced him before flying away. Kojo shook his head. "Alright, looks like we're actually on our own," he said, taking the cheese and pasta out of the Bouffalant's hair.
"Hey!" Aspen called. "That cheese is supposed to go to Ashton!"
"Okay, then we'll give it to her," Kojo responded. "You two can handle your own shit."
The Mienshao started walking away, causing Connor to let out a sigh. Aspen stomped toward Connor with a look of anger. "What the hell did you tell them for?!"
"Because you girls wouldn't listen!" Connor shouted. "Klavier is the best one to do, but you're gung-ho about Kojo! He can go a little bit later, but right now, he stays to stay."
"And you're so gung-ho about Klavier that now they know the plans!" Aspen countered. "We're supposed to be working together, but you just messed it all up!"
Connor sighed, "Look. The main thing we want is to weaken their alliance, right? We both want the same thing. If you're not willing to compromise-"
"Oh-ho no, this is on you," Aspen blamed, glaring at him. "Amethyst wants Kojo gone, Ashton actually mentioned eliminating you, and Kojo and Klavier are probably gonna be targeting one of us, now. So, if they all get together, it'll probably be one of us going!"
With that possibility now in her mind, Aspen decided to go back to ascending the poles to get to the rice. Connor let out a sigh, as what she said may have had some truth to it. He had screwed things up, and now there was no way that Kojo and Klavier would work with them. However, he did have an ace in his afro.
000
The Bouffalant groaned, "I really don't want to use the statue right now! I'd rather use it later, when I'm closer to the end!"
He sighed, "But, if the others plan on targeting me or Aspen, then… I'll have to use it. I'm such an idiot..."
000
"Alright," Mew said, clasping his hands together. "I think we're about ready to get the judging started."
All seven players' cakes were sitting on different tables in the front section of the Battle Cafe. Meanwhile, the players themselves were still in the back, out of earshot of the front.
"So… Why do we have to stay back here again?" Aura inquired.
"This is only going to be about the cake," Mew explained. "So, you guys will not have a chance to influence the judge with your appearances or by talking to them."
"Yeah, I wouldn't want my natural beauty to influence anyone," Phill joked, brushing his whiskers.
"Uh huh…" Mew deadpanned. "But, yeah… Just chill back here, and you'll get the results later."
-000-
Mew floated back toward the front just as Zahku opened the door, allowing an Alcremie to enter. The small cream creature entered the building, its arms behind its back.
"Hello!" Mew greeted her. "Ms. Crou, thank you again for allowing us to use your shop and for judging it."
Ms. Crou waved away his thanks, responding in a somewhat elderly tone, "It's no problem. Always willing to help, especially when my shop gets to be on television. Now, let's judge some cakes, shall we?"
"Alright, then," Mew responded with a nod.
They approached the first cake, which was a confetti cake with nothing covering it. Being that it was completely void of any frosting, Mew let out a sigh. "Well, uh… This cake is naked," Mew nervously stated. "I already know who owns this cake, so, no need for a rating."
They moved to the second cake, which was covered in yellow frosting. The only defining feature of it that made it special was the Pikachu face on top of it. Seeing it, Ms. Crou giggled, "How humorous. The concept is endearing, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired."
"Hm?" Mew inquired, raising a brow.
"To elaborate, the composition is rather… atrocious, to put it lightly. The frosting is patchy, and the eyeballs and cheeks are not as round as they should be," Ms. Crou elucidated. "Overall, a 3 out of 10."
Mew's eyes widened slightly, "Uh… Okay. Let's move on."
-000-
"Wait… What?" Morgan inquired, her teeth bared, having pulled Shine aside to ask about her and Sally's talk. "So… You using your Psychic-type abilities… is unfair and makes you stuck up because… you finish challenges fast? And she's mad because the rest of us… don't have that ability, even though Holly actually does? What kinda logic is that?!"
Shine sighed, "She's essentially saying that I overuse my abilities to take the easy way out, and that the rest of you hardly get a fair shot…"
Morgan growled, turning back in the Ampharos' direction. "I outta-"
"She's not wrong," the Espeon continued, immediately causing Morgan to turn back and face her.
The Classy Cat Pokémon was dumbfounded. How could Shine possibly agree with that? "What are you talking about, Shine? We all have an equal opportunity to win this game."
"No, not that," Shine clarified before letting out a sigh. "About… taking the easy way out, and... being stuck up. She already admitted that if she was in my shoes, she'd be doing the same things as me, so I'm not really that bothered. But…"
Morgan understood what she was getting at, letting out a sigh of her own. "Shine, I'm pretty sure that every single person who has ever competed in this game has some kind of issue. Not to mention… None of us are flawless. I mean, it's not like you're intentionally being stuck up. You're just using your abilities like any other smart person would. That doesn't make you stuck up, that just makes you look stuck up to them, since you're doing what you want in order to get further."
The Persian continued, as Shine listened, "I mean, you just said that Sally would do the same thing if she was in your shoes. Plus, if using your abilities so much doesn't make it fair, then why aren't all of the winners of these kinds of shows Psychic-types?"
That was a fair point. There were Psychic-types on plenty of other reality shows, and she couldn't think of too many that actually won. However, at the same time, she couldn't help but understand Sally's point, as a Pokémon who wasn't a Psychic-type.
Morgan continued, "There are so many different elements to these shows, so Sally trying to make it seem like you're being a bitch or making it unfair for everyone else is complete bullshit. Especially since I don't think it's unfair, and neither does Aspen. Plus, I'm guessing her opinion of you hasn't changed, either..."
Shine explained, "I actually think we're… decent, now. After telling me all that, she essentially said that what she was complaining about was stupid and that the main point is that we've all been through hell in this game and all everyone wants is a fair chance so that this wasn't in vain."
Morgan was slightly confused now. "What? So, she calls you out of shit she doesn't like, but then backtracks to say that the game is awful for all of us?"
"I wouldn't say backtracks, but more like realized," Shine explained.
Morgan sighed, "Okay, we're gonna have to have a talk with her later, because this is too much right now…"
Shine nodded in agreement before the two of them walked back toward the group, who were still standing near the door.
000
Morgan huffed, "What the hell was Sally even on about? How is Shine stuck up for using her abilities? How is it unfair for everyone else, when again, we all have something special that we're able to do?! For fuck's sake, if there's a challenge that needs electricity, she'd have an advantage! Does that mean we can complain about her, then?"
"Why is it so hard for people to understand that?" she asked herself. "I understand that it's a competition and we're all out for ourselves, but seriously! I'm getting really tired of having to repeat myself because assholes won't listen."
000
"FIFTEEN MINUTES REMAINING!"
"Ugh…. Hurry up, Connor!" Aspen exclaimed. "We don't have a lot of time!"
Connor charged toward the largest pole once again, attempting to knock it over. The rule only mentioned no flying and no Psychic-type abilities, so this was technically allowed. "I'm trying!"
The Bouffalant grit his teeth and charged toward the pole once again, this time continuing to push against it. Growling, Connor continued to push it. The pole didn't budge an inch, causing him to sigh. "DAMMIT!"
Aspen growled, "This is just great. We have less than fifteen minutes left, and we don't have fucking rice or the curry powder! Not to mention we're supposed to cook, too! We're screwed..."
Connor let out a sigh as Aspen started walking away, defeated. He looked up at the tall pole and grumbled to himself. If Aspen hadn't blabbed about him wanting to eliminate Klavier, then they'd have the rice by now. He couldn't dwell on that, though. If he couldn't get the rice, then he was just going to have to try to finish without it.
His pot was still with Ashton, and with Klavier and Kojo being upset, who knew what the could do to his pot. He hadn't even found his loaf of bread! With less than fifteen minutes, he was definitely screwed.
000
"Well, this sucks," Connor muttered. "I guess I really do have to use the statue tonight if I want to stay in the game, because I'm damn sure I'm not winning immunity."
"I'm debating on whether or not I should tell Aspen, because then she'd be expecting to be saved," Connor reasoned. "Plus, she could probably tell Amethyst, they could vote for Kojo, and if I used my statue, he would go instead."
"This is tricky…" he muttered.
000
"This is why I was skeptical of everything," Ashton muttered as she stirred multiple pots of curry with her vines. "Connor and Aspen only had each other, so of course they would try to do something to weaken our alliance."
"So… Wait, you didn't tell Aspen that you were willing to get rid of me?" Amethyst inquired, wanting clarification.
Kojo let out a sigh, "No, I did. But, after all of this-"
"So how can you expect me to trust you, if you think I'm disposable?!" Amethyst exploded, hurt in her voice. "Why should I even be here if you're more than willing to replace me!?"
Klavier turned to Kojo, who was looking down, holding his head. "Hey, this is still a game," Klavier defended. "We all have to make decisions that we think will benefit us the most. You were more than willing to eliminate Kojo, too."
"Because he wanted to eliminate me, first!" Amethyst countered.
"Will you stop arguing?!" Ashton suddenly shouted, surprising them. "Both of you are in the wrong! Kojo, you shouldn't be trying to replace anyone right now, and Amethyst, you shouldn't be so vindictive."
"Ashton, he was the one trying to mess up the alliance!" Amethyst argued. "How am I in the wrong?!"
"I'm just tired of this," Ashton replied, stopping her stirring for a moment. "I've spent this entire day thinking about why we aren't just sticking together to take out obvious targets when we have the majority! It's a lot easier and causes less arguments!"
Amethyst grumbled to herself as Klavier looked at the pots around them. He and Kojo had brought theirs to Ashton, too, having to stop her from helping Connor and Aspen. Given that the two of them were the only ones with rice, they decided to share it evenly for the four of them. Now, Connor and Aspen's curries were sitting on the side getting cold.
Eventually, he cleared his throat," Well… If we're taking one of them out, I think it should be Connor. And not just because he wanted me out. Between the two of them, I think Connor is sneakier, since he's not as obvious as Aspen."
"And he led us on," Kojo added. "He didn't mention anything about him wanting Klavier gone, just that you girls wanted me out."
"Fine by me," Ashton replied.
Aspen emerged from nearby bushes, immediately getting the group's attention. They all glared at the Furfrou, aside from Ashton, who was focusing on cooking.
Aspen let out a sigh, knowing what they were thinking, "Look. I know that you guys probably won't believe a thing that I say anymore, but please don't vote me out…"
"Why shouldn't we?" Kojo inquired. "I mean, I offered you something that'd get you a bit further in the game, but you tried to spin it against me."
"You were more than willing to betray someone in your alliance!" Aspen argued. "How do you expect me to not use that to my advantage? I don't even see how any of you even trust him anymore."
Amethyst glared at the Mienshao, her sails turning a light red color. "That's actually my point," she expressed. "But of course, my feelings don't matter."
Ashton sighed, "Amy, your feelings do matter. It's just that right now, while we're in this situation, we're better off just sticking together. We'll deal with Kojo when everyone gets back."
Kojo raised a brow upon hearing that, not expecting anything further. However, he could understand why, so he remained silent.
Amethyst huffed, "We'd better…"
Aspen spoke up, "If you guys are gonna vote for one of us, I will happily vote for Connor with you guys since he's the reason things got screwed up in the first place."
"Who said that we were voting for Connor?" Kojo retorted, folding his arms.
Aspen gasped softly just as Virizion's voice echoed across the island for one last time. "TIME IS UP!"
000
Aspen sighed, "This day just gets worse…"
000
The six contestants returned to the gazebo, with all six pots of curry sitting on one of the tables.
"Well, uh…" Xerneas began. "You all certainly had troubles with this challenge."
"Why the hell did you set the rice up that way?!" Aspen complained. "No one aside from Kojo and Klavier could even get all the way up there!"
"Well, we honestly believed that you all would search for the main ingredients first and worry about the berries last," Virizion explained. "The forest is large, so you could find berries in numerous trees at any time."
Xerneas nodded, "Yes, and given how you all work together, we believed that Ashton would use her vines, or Kojo and Klavier would be able to scale it with ease."
"Looks like things didn't work out the way any of us thought," Kojo commented. "I don't even think anyone found the curry powder or seasonings. You two didn't exactly leave us actual clues to where to find everything..."
"Um… well…" Virizion responded, her and Xerneas' faces went to the furthest back table, where numerous canisters of curry powder were sitting.
Everyone looked where they were looking, only for their eyes to widen. Amethyst growled, "Oh come on, how were we supposed to know?!"
Xerneas sighed, "I told you guys to keep your eyes open didn't I?"
"Well ya sure didn't specify here," Klavier retorted, waving a claw toward the canisters.
"ANYWHO," Virizion said, raising her tone to get things focused once again. "Despite the difficulties that you all faced with this challenge, you each at least have something to serve our guest judge: Liksur!"
A Lickilicky walked up, wearing a chef's hat. "Heya everyone! Nice to see you again," he greeted with a smile.
"Liksur? Jeez, how long has it been?!" Kojo responded in surprise. He was the only one who truly remembered the Lickilicky, though he was a Lickitung both times he competed.
"A very long time," he replied. "I was a bit afraid that I had been called back to compete, but I'm just here to judge some curry!"
"Wait, you competed before?" Ashton inquired in confusion. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."
Liksur chuckled, "Yep. I was only on the first two seasons and I got cut early on both. So, that's why."
"And you're a chef now. Makes sense," Kojo chortled.
Liksur nodded, "Yep! Now, where's the food? I'm ready to judge and have my belly slightly filled."
"Alright," Virizion began. "The pots are all over there. We won't tell you who made what curry, nor will the contestants."
"Every time you taste one, just give it a ranking out of five stars, and we'll go from there," Xerneas added.
"Right!" Liksur said as he moved toward the six pots, which each had a label describing what they were.
He approached the first one, which was Klavier's Dry Fried-Food Curry. Inhaling the scent, he hummed in interest.
He picked up a spoon and dipped it into the pot, withdrawing rice which was covered with a brownish-fluid. He took a bite and hummed again.
"Nice flavor, but I don't really taste the dryness from the berries. It's a bit sweet, even," Liksur commented. "3 stars…"
Klavier groaned. Ashton was trying to tell him what berries to use, but he didn't pay attention and just tossed a few in while she was stirring.
Liksur went to the next pot, which contained Connor's Spicy Toast Curry. There was only a faint smell, as Ashton didn't finish cooking his completely, since Kojo and Klavier took his place.
Liksur grabbed a new spoon and dipped it inside, only getting liquefied red fluid. Taking another smell, he immediately recoiled. "Okay, this is simply Chople Berry paste. So, it has the spicy, but I don't see curry or toast. 1 star…"
Connor let out a sigh, having expected either that score or a zero.
"Technically, none of them even have curry powder, so doesn't that mean none of them are really 'curry'?" Ashton inquired.
"We are aware," Virizion replied. "But, despite that, we still need a winner. And so far, the Dry Fried-Food Curry is in the lead."
Liksur moved to the next pot, which contained Kojo's Pasta Curry. The Lickilicky smelled and hummed once again.
He dipped another new spoon in, taking out a bit of pasta, along with rice and a purplish fluid. Taking a bite, he nodded to himself before getting another spoonful.
"This is very tasty," the Licking Pokémon commented. "Sweet, spicy, with a bit of bitterness to even it out. 4 stars. Very nice…"
000
"Ashton, if I win this, I owe you big time," Kojo declared with a smile.
000
Approaching the fourth pot, there was once again no immediate, distinct smell. This pot contained Aspen's Sweet Apple Curry.
Like Connor's, there was no rice and a reddish paste. However, upon smelling it, Liksur took a bite anyway. "No curry, but the sweetness is there, and I can at least taste the apple. 1.5 stars. The main ingredient being there boosts it a bit."
Aspen rolled her eyes, also expecting a low score.
The fifth pot was Ashton's Bitter Cheese-Covered Curry. Inhaling the scent, Liksur let out a hum longer than the others.
He dipped his spoon in and took out a spoonful of rice, cheese, and a reddish-brown fluid. Taking a bite, his eyes widened. Without saying another word, he took a couple of more spoonfuls.
"This is really delicious," he commented. "The bitterness is completely there, but it's still well-balanced with that sweet and sour taste from the berries. Whoever did this is really good. 4.5 stars…"
Ashton blushed, glad that the chef actually enjoyed her curry so much.
The final pot contained Amethyst's Sour Bone Curry. The smell interested Liksur as he dipped the final new spoon into the pot. Withdrawing rice with a bluish-brown fluid, he reached into the pot to take out one of the Brittle Bones.
He took a bite of the bone before stuffing the rest of the curry into his mouth. He hummed, "Very nice. The sourness is definitely there, with a hint of dryness. As for the bone, eh… Not as juicy as they could be, especially with the fluid. Overall, I'll give it a 3. The best one was definitely that Bitter Cheese-Covered Curry."
"Well then," Virizion began. "It looks like immunity goes to… Ashton!"
The Meganium's nub of a tail wagged. She actually won an immunity challenge! But, then again, she was the main cook of the group anyway.
"Hey, she's the one who made all of the curries anyway," Klavier revealed. "She deserves it."
"Very impressive," Liksur commended. "Y'know, after this show is over, you're free to contact me about a job. You're really good. I can only imagine what you could do with more time and all the ingredients available."
Ashton was astonished. "R-Really?! Y-You think I'm that good?"
Liksur nodded. "Just think about it," he replied.
"Thanks for joining us today, Liksur," Xerneas thanked.
"Hey, better to be brought back as a guest than to compete," Liksur chuckled. "I'm so sorry for you all, by the way."
"Thanks…" Amethyst deadpanned.
As the Lickilicky walked away, the two hostesses turned back to the competitors. "Well, you guys are free to relax until it's time to eliminate someone. And Ashton, the Winner's Cabin is available," Xerneas disclosed.
The Herb Pokémon smiled, while the others groaned. Kojo groused, "You didn't mention the winner would be able to get back in the Winner's Cabin!"
"Hey, you never know what some rewards will be until you win," Virizion teased as she and Xerneas turned to wall away. "Oh, and you all are free to eat the curry that you've made ormake more if you want."
Xerneas decided to give them the locations of the unused ingredients. "Connor, your Loaf of Bread was at the washrooms, the rest of the rice is still at the stadium, and you all know where the curry powder is now. So, have yourselves a good meal and we'll meet you all at the ceremony tonight."
000
So far, Phill's confetti cake received no rating due to a lack of participation, Aura's lemon cake received a 3 out of 10, Titan's carrot cake received a 1 out of 10, and Morgan's cake received a 4 out of 10.
Approaching the fifth cake, which was covered in orange fondant and a few berries. Ms. Crou eyed the cake, "Improper placement. You can still see the creases, and they are extremely minimalist. Fondant and berries are nothing to write home about, but I suppose that the attempt is commendable. 4 out of 10."
The Cream Pokémon moved toward the penultimate cake, which was covered in chocolate icing with a fluffy vanilla border. Ms. Crou nodded. "So far, this is the best one. A classic look, although the frosting is not as smooth as it could be. A solid… 6 out of 10."
Mew didn't know how she was making her choices, as he felt that it was a bit hypocritical and backwards that the 'standard' looking cake was getting higher scores than the cakes that tried something different or fun. However, he wasn't the judge, so he didn't say anything.
Moving onto the final cake, which was covered with a smooth, strawberry frosting. White frosting formed the borders, with a few minute details on the side and top of the cake. Ms. Crou hummed, "Finally, someone who knows how to smooth the frosting and make it presentable. However, the white frosting could have been implemented better. I admire the attempt at extra decor on the side and top of the cake as well. "I would honestly give this one a 6 out of 10 as well."
Seeing that she had given two cakes the same score, Mew inquired, "Well, between this one and the chocolate one, which one would you prefer?"
Ms. Crou hummed, taking a step back to look at both cakes at the same time.
-000-
Still waiting in the back, Titan groaned. "What is taking so long? I thought they weren't gonna eat the cakes."
"Be patient, you know how uppity some judges are," Aura replied. "They can't just look, they have to analyze."
Eventually, Mew returned to the back. "Alright, Ms. Crou has rated all of your cakes. Now, do you all just want the winner, or would you all like to hear your ratings?"
"Spill it," Sally replied, her arms folded.
Mew sighed, "Well, we had her rate them out of 10, and she was a bit… tough. Phill… You didn't even try, which I'm not entirely surprised by, so you got no score."
Phill shrugged, "Seems about right."
"Aura… You got a 3," Mew continued. "She said the Pikachu face was humorous, but leaves a lot to be desired."
The Glaceon sighed, "Of course…"
"Titan, you got a 1, and Morgan and Holly, you each got 4s," he disclosed. "Titan, yours was void of any inspiration, and Morgan and Holly, she mainly liked how you did things others didn't. With the sprinkles for Morgan and using fondant for Holly."
"Jeez, did she really like anyone's?" Morgan inquired.
"I don't know," the New Species Pokémon answered honestly. "All I know is that she gave Sally and Shine the same score and she had to choose what she liked better and… she chose Shine's."
The Espeon's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
"Yep, so congrats Shine, you win immunity," Mew congratulated. "She liked that your pink frosting was smooth and that you actually tried doing more decorative designs with the white frosting."
Sally groused in annoyance, as once again Shine beat her, "Come on."
"Hey!" Morgan shouted. "Do not start that bullshit. He literally said that you two tied at first and that the judge had to choose the slightly better one. Get over yourself!"
Sally folded her arms in response. She'd already spoken to Shine, so at that point, she couldn't really say anything else.
"Alright, well, you all can head back to the hotel," Mew stated. "And if you want your cakes, feel free to take them. I'll let you know when the elimination ceremony starts."
000
Sally sighed, "Well, once again Shine gets the win. At least I know that I'm actually even with her when it comes to cake decorating."
She let out a dry chuckle, "To think I could've won if I added more frosting… Damn it!"
The Ampharos then sighed, "Well, this is likely gonna be my last day in the game unless I can convince them to go for Titan."
000
Entering the hotel lobby, Shine and Morgan stood to the side. They needed to talk to Sally, as well as Aura, about the vote. However, upon seeing this, everyone stopped. There were only seven of them there and the main target had immunity. Not only that, but there were small connections that could influence which way the vote went.
"Um… Guys… A little privacy?" Morgan replied.
Titan stifled a laugh, "There's only seven of us here. If you expect us to leave you all alone, you've got another thing coming."
"So, what? You wanna make it an obvious vote?" Aura inquired as she walked toward one of the nearby couches.
"Hey, we all have our own reasons for wanting certain people in this group out," the EleSpider Pokémon retorted. "Might as well get everything out in the open."
"Oh, really?" Sally questioned, folding her arms. And why do you care if you have your statue?"
Titan stammered, "I uh… Well-"
"Wait, you actually have your statue?" Morgan inquired.
"Yep," Titan immediately answered with a smirk. "So, you'd be better off voting for someone else. I just wanna know what's going on overall."
"Uh huh," Shine deadpanned. "Well, if you guys aren't gonna leave, then we will."
The Espeon teleported herself and the group that she needed away, leaving Holly and Titan by themselves in the lobby. Holly raised a brow, "Wait, she took Sally with them?"
Titan was also surprised by that, but remembering what had happened back at the cafe, he groaned. "I guess when Shine wanted to talk to her, it was something specific."
Holly sighed, "This isn't good…"
000
"I have a bad feeling," Holly fretted. "Shine's got immunity, and Morgan and Aura will probably be inclined to vote with her. And if they're getting Sally and Phill involved, then…"
She sighed, "This day just gets worse…"
000
Appearing in her room, Shine let out a sigh as she approached her bed. Seeing that she was brought with them, Sally raised a brow, "Uh… Why am I here?"
"That's something I'd also like to know," Aura chimed in, giving the Light Pokémon a look of annoyance.
"Because I wanted to talk to her," Morgan stated with a stern glare. She turned to the Ampharos, "What the hell is your problem?"
Already knowing what the Persian was talking about, Sally sighed, rolling her eyes. "Look, I don't have a problem," she answered, already irritated. "I just told Shine how she looks and then realized that it's hypocritical and stupid."
"Yeah, no shit it's stupid and hypocritical!" the Classy Cat Pokémon snapped. "Seriously, why is it so hard for some of you guys to understand that just because someone has an advantage because of their natural abilities or type, it doesn't mean that it's unfair!"
"Morgan, we've all been through bullshit in this game and we all want to win," Sally argued. "If we think something is unfair or annoying, we're allowed to call it out. It's not like we can do anything about it! If I did what Shine does, some of you guys would probably get sick of me, too!"
"I mean… sure?" Phill replied quizzically. "I just don't think I'd complain every time it happens. I'd just get used to it and wait for them to mess up."
"Yeah, or wait for the hosts to restrict them," Aura added.
"See!" Morgan exclaimed.
"I get already," Sally huffed, getting to her feet. "Like I said, I realized it was stupid. Now, if this means that you're not gonna vote for me, then thanks. But otherwise-"
"I don't buy that Titan has his statue," Shine suddenly chimed in.
"Uh… No duh, he doesn't," Sally responded. "Unless he could predict the future and knew that we'd be doing challenges, he doesn't have anything. So, we can vote for him and get rid of his statue."
"Yeah, that'd be easy, wouldn't it?" Morgan replied, looking at Shine. "Although… How would you guys feel about voting for Holly?"
"Holly? What?!" Aura exclaimed. "Why her?! She's not a threat!"
"Exactly," Morgan replied. "If we don't take her out now, then we probably won't. She's in the prime spot to just move through the game with no problems."
"That's… I mean, sure," Aura hesitated, "but… getting the statue out of play is more important!"
"We can get the statue out next time," Shine replied. "Not to mention, this will make up for what's probably gonna happen back on the island. We're probably gonna end up losing Aspen or Connor, so it's only fair that they lose someone, too."
Phill sweatdropped, raising a hand, "Uh… I don't consent."
"Which is another reason why Sally's here," Shine responded. "Obviously you wouldn't vote for your own alliance member."
Sally stifled a laugh, "And what makes you think that I'd vote with you? Just because we're decent now doesn't mean that I'll cater to your whims."
"Probably because you don't really have a choice," Aura answered. "Because, I'm guessing that if it's not Holly… It's you."
"Uh huh…" the Ampharos deadpanned, folding her arms. "And uh… you're okay with voting for Holly all of a sudden?"
"No, I don't really think it's necessary, but…" Aura began, before looking down at Phill. The Raticate wore a look of slight confusion. "...i-it won't hurt them too much, anyway," she hesitantly finished.
Understanding what that meant, Phill let out a sigh.
"Well, if we're mostly settled, then we're all good," Morgan replied. "Let's just hope there aren't any other surprises…"
000
Phill sighed, "I don't like this…"
000
The afternoon slowly faded away on the island, as night took over. The six contestants were sitting at the ceremony area, exchanging a few looks with each other. Aspen was looking down at the ground. She had tried, in vain, to talk to the other four about the votes, but they constantly deflected. Connor simply sat in silence, thinking about his options.
Eventually, Virizion and Xerneas approached the group, though they had no marshmallows. "Alright, welcome back to the elimination area. Today's been pretty interesting, having a double elimination and all."
"Luckily, the others will be back sometime tomorrow morning, so everything will go back to normal soon," Xerneas added. "Now, we don't have any marshmallows, so apologies. However, this will be pretty brief.
"Ashton, you won immunity, so you're obviously safe," Virizion replied. "Amethyst and Kojo, you two are safe as well…"
Kojo smirked to himself, while Amethyst grumbled to herself. The bottom three all expected to be there. Klavier had figured that Connor's vote would remain the same, while it was obvious that either Aspen or Connor would get the most votes.
"The next one safe is… Aspen," Virizion revealed, causing the Furfrou to let out a gasp of surprise and sigh in relief.
"And, with all but one vote against him, the person going home is…
…
…
...Connor."
The Bouffalant, having known as soon as Aspen was deemed safe, shook his head, "Nope…"
"What do you mean, 'nope'?" Kojo chuckled.
Connor began fiercely shaking his afro, eventually causing a small, Mew-shaped statuette to fall out. Upon seeing it, everyone's eyes widened in shock and confusion.
"W-Wait, wait, wait, wait…" Aspen spluttered, shaking her head. "Is that…"
"The immunity statue… Yes," Connor spilled. "Titan let me have it a while back, so… I'm not going anywhere…"
"Wait, so…" Klavier began, realizing.
"Sorry, Klavier," Xerneas sympathized. "That is the statue, so… You're out."
The Gliscor threw Connor a dirty look, which the Bouffalant ignored. Everyone else was still astonished by this, especially Aspen. Why didn't he tell her? Why didn't he tell anyone?! She was definitely going to have some words for him once this was over.
"Time for you to go," Virizion stated.
Klavier sighed, looking at his other three alliance members, "I'll see you guys later…"
"Seeya bro," Kojo replied with a wave, a bit saddened that one of his friends was leaving. Ashton waved with a vine, while Amethyst was still dumbfounded.
"Everyone else, you can head back to camp," Xerneas said, before walking toward the dock with Virizion and Klavier in tow.
As the three of them left, Connor let out a sigh. He honestly felt a bit bad about doing that, but he was guaranteed to go home if he didn't. Now he was vulnerable and probably had a bigger target. "Man, that sucked…"
Hearing that, Kojo huffed. The Bouffalant literally got what he wanted and was suddenly acting like he didn't want it to happen? "Sure it did…"
The Mienshao started heading back toward the campgrounds, with Amethyst and Ashton in tow. This left him and Aspen alone, and despite both of them still being there, the Furfrou was not happy.
"What the hell, Connor?" she growled.
"What do you mean?!" the Bouffalant responded in confusion.
"Why didn't you tell me you had the statue?!" Aspen asked angrily.
"Why did you vote for me?!" Connor countered. "And I didn't tell you, because you wanted Kojo out, which is what I didn't want. So, my statue, my decision."
"You could've used it last time to save Ace and get out Kojo, and the three of us could have tried getting Amethyst on our side to vote out Klavier this time! What were you thinking?!" Aspen scolded.
"I was trying to save it for when I or someone else was getting eliminated down the line! Plus, I thought we were eliminating Sally!" he explained.
Aspen groaned in annoyance. She then took a minute and let out a breath, "Okay… fine. At least the statue will end up getting re-hidden, or at least I hope it does. and the two of us are still here. We just have to hope that we don't lose Shine or Morgan…"
000
Aspen growled. "He had that statue for a while now. He could've told us at any time to try and help us and he didn't. At least now we have a crack in there with Amethyst."
"I hope neither of the girls get screwed…"
000
At the dock, Klavier's narrowed eyes were glued to the Suck of Shame. "Do I seriously have to do this?"
"It's essentially a glorified slide, so you'll be fine," Xerneas responded, trying to make it more appealing.
Klavier sighed as he entered the tube. "At least I don't have to deal with anymore CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
"Well, that was surprising," Virizion commented. "Didn't expect Connor to whip out the statue, but luckily he did."
Xerneas nodded in agreement. "Now, we just have to wait for Mew, Zahku, and the others to come back to see who got voted out…"
000
The seven contestants in Wyndon all sat at the Corviknight family monument near the front of the town. Due to them not having a true campfire area, this area would have to do.
"Alright," Mew began, Zahku standing next to him holding a bag of marshmallows. "I hope you all had a good vacation, but now it's time for one of you to go…"
"How is this even gonna work?" Sally inquired, as this wasn't the typical setup. "Does the person just have to stay behind?"
Mew shook his head. "I temporarily converted that phone booth into a makeshift Suck of Shame," he explained, gesturing to the nearby phone booth.
Varying looks of annoyance and disbelief were on the players' faces. "Oh how wonderful…" Morgan sarcastically retorted.
"Now," Mew sighed, ignoring their looks. "Shine, you have immunity once again, so you're first."
Zahku threw the marshmallow at the Espeon, who caught it with telekinesis.
"Phill, Aura, and Titan, you three are safe, too," Mew went on.
Zahku threw the marshmallows toward them with Titan being the only one to catch his treat with a thread. Phill and Aura's both hit the ground, much to the Glaceon's annoyance.
"Alright, that leaves Morgan, Sally, and Holly," Mew stated. "Morgan, you've made it to the final four in the past, have demonstrated a ton of strength, and are Shine's second-in-command pretty much, making you a threat."
The Persian mumbled to herself, now feeling a bit nervous.
"Sally, well… You're getting on people's nerves with your complaining and attitude," Mew explained.
Sally let out a sigh, folding her arms.
"And… Holly… uh… You've… been too nice? I guess?" Mew said, unsure about what to say.
Holly wore a look of sadness, her anxiety showing itself.
"The next player safe is… Sally," Mew continued as Zahku tossed the Ampharos her marshmallow.
Morgan raised a brow at this. Now she was really nervous, she glanced at a few of the others and noticed a slightly smug expression on Titan's face. She paled.
"The player going home is…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…Holly."
Morgan let out a sigh of relief before getting hit by her marshmallow.
The Swoobat sighed, as Titan gaped in shock before immediately glaring at Sally. "So, you're just giving people false hope, now?"
Sally sweatdropped.
000
"I'll be honest..." Sally began. "I didn't really care as long as it wasn't me. I was essentially a swing vote. Aura, Shine, and Morgan were gonna go for Holly, regardless, and I may have told Holly, Phill, and Titan that I'd probably vote for Morgan with them…"
"Turns out they were right. Holly is a likeable threat. Harder to get them out…"
000
"Wait, what?" Morgan inquired, curious as to what Titan was talking about.
Phill, also a bit peeved, explained, "Basically, she told me, Holly, and Titan to vote for you since you're the second biggest threat, and that she'd be the fourth vote…"
"I said probably," Sally clarified.
"Still screwed up," Titan stated.
Holly shook her head, "No, it's fine. After today, I need to step away and just… get my mind back on track completely."
Mew still felt a bit bad, saying, "Again, I'm sorry about that Holly."
The Courting Pokémon nodded in response before making her way toward the phone booth without another word. The New Species Pokémon let out a sigh.
"The rest of you wait here, we'll get ready to go back in a bit," he said, following Holly to the phone booth.
000
"The time we spent here is gonna cause a whole lotta problems. I just know it…" Phill commented.
000
"Well, Holly, you made it a lot farther than you did on your first season, and you got a boyfriend out of it," Mew stated, attempting to lighten the mood.
Holly only nodded once again, causing the pink feline to sigh. "I didn't think and didn't know that your mother was still full of vitriol towards you," Mew stated. "That wasn't on purpose. You're one of the most positive players we have, so please don't-"
"It's fine, Mew," Holly replied, a small smile on her face. "I forgive you. I'm just… gonna take some time and talk to a few people and, I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm not gonna let my mother get me down."
The Swoobat entered the phone booth, ready to be transported away. Mew pressed a button on the outside, dropping her and sending her off.
Despite her acceptance of his apology, the host still couldn't help but feel bad. He faced the camera. With a somewhat saddened tone, he stated, "Well… there you have it: a double elimination and split challenge. The groups will have to wait and see who's… gone on each side... when we get back to the island. How will this shake things up? Find out next time on Total Pokémon: Underdogs…"
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See ya guys, BYE!