Announcer: Last time on Total… Pokémon… Underdogs, the contestants found themselves remaining split as they competed for immunity as a double elimination loomed closer. The Wyndon crew had time to decompress and relax before being thrown right back into the mix, while the island crew simply spent time together and to get to know each other a bit more.

Kojo threw a reward challenge to give Aspen an advantage, wanting her to replace Amethyst in their alliance. However, this backfired as Aspen divulged this information to Amethyst and Ashton, causing distrust to form.

Back in Wyndon, Shine continued to dominate, winning the reward challenge. With their loved ones there, a new idea was brought up.

With immunity on the line, each group of players worked with food, having to either cook curry or decorate a cake, which would then be judged. Tensions were high, with Sally calling Shine out on her haughty attitude, and Connor and Aspen sabotaging themselves. With her cooking prowess, Ashton won the curry challenge, and Shine edged out Sally with a bit of extra frosting.

At the island elimination ceremony, Connor got the most votes, but used the immunity statue to save himself, sending Klavier home. And at the Wyndon elimination ceremony, Sally chose to vote with the alliance of ladies, sending Holly packing.

The final eleven. Who will be eliminated next? Find out right now on Total… Pokémon… Underdogs!

000

*Intro plays*

000

Mew and the six players from Wyndon returned to the island. Immediately upon touching down at the dock, they were greeted by Virizion and Xerneas, who filled them in on what had happened in their absence.

With this new information, the six players immediately began heading toward the campgrounds to meet up with their alliance members. As they left, the two hostesses saw the look on Mew's face and immediately grew a bit worried.

"Are you okay, Mew?" Xerneas asked softly, nudging him.

"Not really," he replied, folding his arms. "I ended up making Holly upset by bringing her bitch of a mother on, and… It's been eating at me. She's one of the few good ones and… It's making me feel bad that it actually upset her as much as it did."

Virizion and Xerneas exchanged looks before looking back down at the New Species Pokémon and nuzzling him. "It'll be okay, Mew," Virizion responded. "You feeling that way just shows that you have a bigger heart than people realize."

"You didn't mean for things to happen how they did in that situation," the Life Pokémon stated. "It's perfectly fine."

Mew let out a sigh. Despite what they were telling him, it just didn't feel fine. "I guess…"

000

After a night's rest, all of the contestants were back to business. With only eleven of them left, they were definitely going to have to put their best foot forward and make decisions that may make or break them.

Back in the jail, Aspen was giving the others a recap of what had transpired while they were having their own challenges. From the conflicting plans, to the challenges, to Connor having the statue, she spilled all of the details, her added frustration giving the retelling a bit more oomph.

"Wait, wait… So Connor had the statue this whole time?!" Morgan exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes. He didn't tell us anything about it because apparently he wanted to save it for later on," the Furfrou groused. "Fucking stupid…"

"I'm more concerned that he insisted on keeping Kojo," Shine spoke up, beginning to pace back and forth. "That is a completely idiotic move."

"Exactly!" Aspen shouted. "He kept going on about this dumb strategy to keep him as an easy vote! And we kept trying to tell him that the longer he stays, the easier it is for him to win immunity!"

Morgan gained a realization. "Actually… with Shine back, she may start winning immunities again, meaning that we can still try and vote him out."

"There's only three of us, since Connor doesn't want him gone," Aspen reminded her. "Maybe it'll be four if we can get Amethyst on our side."

Shine stopped pacing. "Right… Amethyst is probably still going to feel scorned," the Espeon reasoned. "If we can convince her to work with us, then that's another person in our corner. We may be able to convince Aura and Sally, too."

"Sally?" Aspen responded in confusion. "Doesn't she still have a problem with you?"

"Oh, she does," Morgan growled. "She admitted that her reasons for feeling how she does toward Shine are dumb, but she still has the same attitude. And not only that, the bitch got Phill, Titan, and Holly to vote for me!"

"And she was still willing to help us vote out Holly," Shine countered. "So, there's a chance that she'll work with us."

Hearing that, Morgan huffed, "After she plotted to vote me out? I sincerely doubt that, Shine."

The Persian didn't trust Sally at all. How could she? Nothing that the Ampharos said or did made any sense and frankly, she annoyed her. She berates Shine for having the audacity to use her Psychic-type moves in the competition, but then says that she'd do the same thing in her shoes. She has the conversation with them in the hotel room, but then makes her own plot to vote her out, only to back out? There was no way that Morgan was going to trust anything she said anymore.

Shine let out an exasperated sigh. She understood Morgan's lack of faith, as she had her own doubts as well. Even if there was no way that Sally would work with them, they had another possible saving grace.

"Well, at least the statue's back out there…" Shine commented. "At least I hope that it is…"

"That's true, I guess," Aspen replied. "Hopefully they'll tell us if the statue is back in play or not. We'll have to try and find it before he does again."

"At least he's powerless without it right now," Morgan sighed, seeing the bright side of the situation. "And if we convince Aura and Amethyst to vote with us, we'd just need one more person to have the majority."

An idea formed in Aspen's head, a small smile creeping on her face. "Not… entirely…"

Shine raised a brow, "What do you mean? Do you have an idea?"

Aspen nodded affirmatively. "If we manage to get at least Amethyst and Aura on our side, we can talk to Connor and tell him that we're gonna vote out someone else who's not Kojo. And if he relays that idea to Titan…"

Morgan saw what she was getting at. "...the two of them would be voting for someone else, which would leave Kojo and his alliance with only four! Giving us the majority!"

"Right!" Aspen chirped, loving the idea she laid out.

Despite Morgan and Aspen's newfound cheeriness in discussing the plan, Shine wore a look of uncertainty. "That plan sounds good on paper, but there are some things that we aren't exactly sure about. Connor is unlikely to believe that we aren't targeting Kojo, and even if he did, who's to say that Titan won't try to knock some sense into him?"

Aspen's smile faded, as that was a valid point. Especially after she spoke to him how she did, how could they expect him to believe anything that they said? The Furfrou let out a sigh, "Well, this sucks…"

"We really need to figure this out," Morgan grumbled to herself.

000

"We have to figure something out if we want to have any chance of the game," Morgan stated. "All we have going for us is the possibility that the statue is coming back into play."

"I feel like there's an obvious answer, but it's not coming…"

000

After being told what transpired in his absence, Titan let out a sigh, "Well, I guess you're lucky that I let you keep it."

"Tell me about it," Connor replied sheepishly. "But, now we'll have to find it again, fast. I have a feeling that I'm still gonna be a target for them."

Titan shot him a look of confusion. "Mate, why would they target you again? With Kojo and his alliance back, I think they'll focus more on them."

Connor sighed, "Well, like I told you, Aspen and I had a disagreement about who the target should be. So, she may still be annoyed with me and could convince the others to vote against me."

"You saved Kojo, didn't ya?" Titan responded. "I'm pretty sure that'll grant you some favor with that group. 'Specially since Sally and Aura voted out Holly despite supposedly bein' with her."

"I guess you're right about that…" Connor exhaled. "I just can't help but feel worried. There's only eleven of us left, so we have to watch our backs a lot..."

Titan nodded in understanding, "Nah, I getcha, mate. There's just much bigger fish to fry. Tryin' to go for you or me would be dumb on their part. 'Specially since we don't have the statue anymore."

Connor countered, "Well… Yeah, but they could still try and vote us out if they think we'll find it again."

The Galvantula knew about that possibility, although he wasn't entirely bothered by it. It would still be a dumb move on their part, in his opinion. Targeting a possible threat instead of an actual threat always sounded counterproductive, which is why he was a bit annoyed that Connor didn't just vote Kojo out like the others suggested. However, knowing that scolding or arguing with the buffalo wouldn't solve anything, he kept his opinion to himself.

"Tryin' to go for you or me would be dumb on their part," Titan repeated tonelessly. "Just because we could find it doesn't mean we will find it. Heck, for all we know, it could've been a one-time thing. So, I ain't gonna be too bothered."

"Okay, but what if it is put back in play?" Connor inquired. "We're gonna have to do something. The person who has the statue has the most power."

"I know," Titan replied. "But after how much trouble that damn thing has caused me, I don't care. If they hide it again, I'll help you look for it, but it'll be all yours."

The buffalo raised a brow in confusion, as there was a simple solution to the problem. "I mean, as long as we don't tell anyone that we have it, we should be fine," Connor stated. "The only reason it caused issues for you is because everyone found out. If we keep it strictly between us, we should be fine."

"Whatever you say, mate," Titan responded, rolling his eyes. His interest in the statue was completely nonexistent at that point. He wasn't interested in putting a target on his back again, but if Connor cared about it so much, he was happy to humor him.

000

"Yeah, at this point in time, I don't care about the statue," Titan stated. "It honestly isn't worth it. Both Kojo and Shine's alliances are still going after each other, so it'll be best for me and Connor to just let them mess with each other."

"I'll admit, as dumb as I think the move to not target Kojo is, it may have given us more time," he commented.

000

Kojo was lying in his bunk, facing the wall. He was absolutely floored by what had happened. Not one, but two members of his alliance were eliminated on the same night, even though there was a clear majority and understanding on both sides.

Now, he had no idea who he could trust. He knew that Phill was still in his corner, but Aura voted against Holly. Sally voted against her as well, which was a bit of a surprise to him. He also already knew that Amethyst wanted him out now, so he had no idea what to expect.

The door of the cabin creaked open, with Phill entering with an awkward smile. "Heeey, bro."

He didn't get an answer, which he understood. Their alliance was essentially in ruins, and it seemed like he, Phill, and Ashton were the only ones who were still truly interested in sticking together. "Well, uh… Ashton made us all omelettes, since she won access to the Winner's Cabin. If you want one…"

At the mention of food, Kojo let out a sigh. "I guess I can eat," he grumbled as he sat up.

"'Atta boy," Phill cheered as he watched the Mienshao get out of bed. "Can't just lie down and die…"

"I wasn't planning to," Kojo responded, passing by his friend as he made his way outside. He took a deep breath. Ashton had mentioned 'dealing with him' once everyone got back, but he had no idea what the Meganium meant. She hadn't said anything to him since last night, so he was a bit concerned.

Walking toward the gazebo, he eventually saw the four ladies left in their alliance all sitting at a table. He and Phill approached, taking a seat on either side of Aura, who was sitting alone on one side of the table.

There were omelettes with bacon, ham, and cheese sitting in front of each of them. "Uh… hey," Kojo greeted.

"Alright, he's here, so what now?" Amethyst asked, immediately turning to Ashton. She was obviously still peeved with Kojo, so she was holding Ashton to her statement of 'dealing with him'.

Ashton let out a sigh, "Well, there's obviously a lot of things going on that aren't really good for the entire alliance. So, I feel that we should take this moment to talk about it, get it all out in the open, and deal with the issues. If we want the alliance to remain strong, this is our best option."

There was a bit of silence, with Phill gnawing on his omelette. Eventually, Kojo spoke up, folding his arms as he glared at Sally, "Okay then. I'd like to know why the hell you two thought that voting out Holly would be a good idea. Doesn't really help our alliance at all..."

"Neither does trying to toss me aside for Aspen!" Amethyst retorted, glaring at him. "And I'm still not entirely sure why Aura's with us. She's the one with the connections to Shine's alliance!"

"Hey, I have just as much of a right to be a part of this group as you do. And what's wrong with being associated with both of you?" Aura argued.

"Did you just hear yourself?" Sally stifled a laugh. "You being with both alliances makes it harder to trust you! So how do we know that you won't just-"

"Hey!" Ashton shouted, getting their attention. She didn't want there to be too much hostility, so she took a breath once all eyes were back on her. "Okay, let's start over without yelling. Kojo…"

The Mienshao huffed, once again turning to Sally. "Why would you vote out Holly when you had a clear opportunity to take out Morgan? She was clearly the bigger threat."

"Are you sure?" Sally inquired, raising a brow. "Because we're always talking about how Shine and Morgan are big threats, while ignoring the quiet people who can easily just slip by. Holly was one of those people, so in that situation, it made more sense to get rid of her."

Kojo scoffed, shaking his head. "You've gotta be fucking with me. You spent all this time talking shit about Shine, but as soon as you have an opportunity to weaken her, you don't take it?"

There was a bit of silence as the Ampharos cleared her throat. "Well… Things change…"

Realizing her tone shift, Kojo gave her a look. "You're thinking of working with them now, aren't you?"

All eyes went to Sally, who scoffed. Sure, it had crossed her mind given that she and Shine talked and semi-mended things. However, despite that, she needed to act astonished. "Wha- Where'd you get that from?!" she exclaimed.

"Considering the pause you took and how you said what you said, I can only assume," Kojo explained. "I mean, you essentially hated the woman's guts for winning stuff. You get a chance to knock her down, but suddenly it's better to keep 'easy votes?' It doesn't really add up for me."

"Well, what about you!?" Sally countered. "You wanted to get rid of Amy and bring Aspen in, and she's a part of that other alliance. So why don't you explain that?"

"Yeah," Amethyst chimed in. "I'd really love to know your thought process behind that."

Kojo gave the Tundra Pokémon a look. "Amethyst, no offense, but you've barely done anything useful. After you evolved, you apparently got on people's nerves and nobody wanted to work with you, so you just joined us and have just been here. That's why."

"So, instead of telling her to step it up or trying to encourage her… You opt to replace her?" Aura inquired, finally speaking up. "That just makes it look like you think people are disposable if you don't deem them 'good enough'."

Ashton could agree with that notion. "Yeah. There were better ways to deal with the situation rather than simply trying to replace her. Plus, who's to say that Aspen wouldn't just lie and give Shine and Morgan the info?"

"Not to mention, you'd end up reconnecting her with Aura," Sally responded, folding her arms. "It was just a bad idea in general, because Klavier essentially got voted out because of it."

"No, no, " Kojo disputed. "Klavier got eliminated because Connor had Titan's statue. So at least we tried to get out someone who wasn't in our alliance."

Sally scoffed, rolling her eyes, as did Aura.

Ashton sighed, looking at Phill, who had been eating everyone else's omelettes amidst the arguments. "Do you have anything to say, Phill?"

"Phill's the only one here besides you who hasn't done anything," Amethyst stated before looking at all of their now empty plates. "Besides stealing our breakfast…"

The Raticate put down the omelette he had in his hands and let out a sigh. "Well, I honestly just think the situations are stupid in general and that everyone's in the wrong in some way, shape, or form. Kojo shouldn't have tried to replace anyone, Amethyst shouldn't have tried plotting in retaliation, and Sally and Aura shouldn't have voted for Holly."

"Hey, if Kojo was coming for me, I had the right to go for him," the Aurorus defended.

"You have the right to, but that doesn't make it a good move," Phill retorted. "I mean, if we want this alliance to have any chance of sticking together, we're gonna have to put all of this stuff behind us and just work and vote together until it's just the six of us."

There was a bit of silence following that, with a few of the alliance members throwing looks of distrust toward each other once again.

Noticing this, Phill smacked his lips before picking up the omelette again. "Nevermind…"

Ashton sighed, muttering to herself, "This is going to get worse before it gets better. If it gets better…"

000

Amethyst wore a look of irritation. "Okay, you know what? Screw that alliance. I'm sorry Ash, but I'd rather just work with Connor and Titan."

000

Mew was back in Solgaleo's room, having slept there overnight due to his newfound stress from the previous challenge. He had still been upset about what had transpired and spent a long while talking with Solgaleo and Entei about it.

Like Xerneas and Virizion, the pair had told him that he shouldn't worry about it too much, as he didn't intend to hurt anyone's feelings. Accidents tended to happen and he needed to move on and not stress about it.

After a night of sleep, the New Species Pokémon awoke, curled up on Solgaleo's back. He rubbed his eyes and let out a soft sigh as he floated off of the Sunne Pokémon's back. He glanced over and saw that the white lion and Entei were snuggled close together, still sound asleep. Knowing that opening the door would probably wake them, he simply teleported out of Solgaleo's room.

Heading toward the kitchen, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Those two are gonna end up actually getting together one of these days," he muttered to himself. "Maybe 'Leo would feel a bit better overall…"

Entering the kitchen, Mew spotted Zeraora sitting at the kitchen table munching on a slice of buttered toast. A small smile formed on his face as he floated closer and greeted her, "Morning, Zera…"

The Thunderclap Pokémon smiled back, waving at him. "Hey Mew. How're you doing?"

The pink feline sighed, "I'm… decent, I guess. Still feeling a bit bad about what happened yesterday. The others have told me that I shouldn't harp on it, but… I dunno, for some reason it's lingering. Especially since we've done worse in the past..."

"Well, what happened?" Zeraora inquired, wanting to see if she could offer any help.

"I brought on a kind contestant's mother for a challenge, but didn't realize that her mother was an abusive bitch," Mew explained. "The contestant ended up crying and feeling mostly bad for the rest of the day because of it, and she ended up getting voted out by the end of it. It just felt… bad, overall."

Zeraora nodded in understanding. She began, "Well, from what we've talked about, you and Victini's entire series had you messing with the contestants and brushing off the pain that you caused them."

"Right…" Mew sighed, his ears flattening slightly.

Standing up from her chair, she inferred, "Maybe you're starting to feel even more responsible and getting more upset when things turn out poorly since this season has already proven itself to be… challenging for you to even complete. I mean, you never wanted to do it to begin with, and Victini just left you there to try and salvage his mess."

She hugged the New Species Pokémon, which he accepted, though it made him blush. She continued, "You shouldn't have to feel burdened by anything. What happened to that contestant sounds awful, but the more you dwell on it, the worse you'll feel."

Mew took a deep breath. "Yeah…"

"Xerneas and Virizion care about you a lot. You should listen to them," the electric feline replied, releasing him from the hug. "Just try to let it go and move on. You're almost finished, so there's no point in dwelling on the negative."

Mew nodded with a sigh. "...Thanks…"

Zeraora smiled at him, scratching his head. Mew blushed once again, which in turn caused Zeraora to blush. When she noticed a familiar pair approaching, she ceased her scratching and cleared her throat. "Well… You're welcome. I'll talk to you later, since I'm pretty sure it's about time for you to go…" she said, gesturing behind him.

Turning around, Mew saw that Virizion and Xerneas were standing in the doorway of the kitchen wearing knowing smiles. His eyes widened as Zeraora walked past him. Xerneas and Virizion moved aside to allow the Thunderclap Pokémon to exit the kitchen.

"So… Wanna explain what was happening here?" Virizion inquired with a smirk. It was more than obvious, to them, at that point that there was something between the two of them.

"Uh… N-nothing, nothing," Mew stammered. "Zera was just trying to make me feel better."

The couple exchanged looks, with Xerneas giggling, "We can see that, but did it work?"

"Yeah…" Virizion followed, a bit more serious. "Do you feel better about yesterday?"

Mew sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess. It still sucks for Holly as a whole, but… I can't dwell on it…" he stated.

The two co-hostesses nuzzled the New Species Pokémon, happy that he was feeling a bit better. Virizion let out a content sigh, "Well, at least today's going to be a bit of a load off for us. We're gonna be having a returning guest handle the challenges."

Mew raised a brow in confusion. "Returning guest?" he questioned.

"Remember your first real season?" Xerneas inquired. "The boot camp challenge?"

Mew's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, you actually got Mewtwo to agree to do that again?"

The couple nodded affirmatively. "Yes, your little brother agreed under the condition that we never ask him to do anything for the show again," Virizion explained. "It's… pretty annoying, but there are plenty of other Psychic-types around here, including you."

Mew smacked his lips. "Well… I guess this is gonna be interesting, then."

000

Following the gazebo meeting, Phill lied on his bunk, staring at the ceiling. At that point in time, he was unsure of what was going to happen anymore. If the animosity at the gazebo was any indicator, it was that their alliance was no longer secure. All it took was splitting them up to cause cracks, which in hindsight, made sense.

"Final eleven… and things are getting harder," Phill sighed. "I'm surprised that I'm even still here."

Hearing the door creak open, the Raticate glanced over the edge of his bunk and saw that Aura was entering the cabin. "Hey Phill…" she greeted.

"Hi…" he responded flatly.

"Are you okay?" the Glaceon inquired, noticing his demeanor. "You look upset…"

"Well, considering that our alliance is essentially dead… Yeah…" the Raticate retorted. "It's all just so petty and annoying, so now I'm just sitting here. Not much to really do anymore."

Aura let out a soft sigh. She could understand his frustration, but at the same time, this was a good thing for her. This wasn't her intention, but if this alliance was splitting up, this was the perfect time for her to break away and work with Shine and their alliance again. Or, maybe she could convince Phill to vote with them.

"Well… the question is…" she began, leaping up onto his bunk. "What do you want to do? If you think the alliance is sinking, then you've gotta do something to help yourself."

Phill let out a breath. "The thing is… We could still work together; people just need to let go of the crap that happened. But, I don't think that's an option, especially with Amethyst."

The Glaceon rolled her eyes. However, she figured that she should share her own plans. "Well… considering that Kojo doesn't really trust me anymore, I'll probably just work with Shine and the others again. You're up to join me if you want, but I know that you're loyal and probably wouldn't want to go against anybody in the group."

Phill remained silent. He had a feeling that this was coming, considering that she voted with them yesterday. He couldn't really get upset, as she was working with them first, anyway. He just didn't have anything to say.

Given his lack of a response, Aura sighed. She just didn't understand. "Phill, you really need to start actually caring about yourself," she stated, hopping off of his bunk. She proceeded to leave the cabin, leaving the Mouse Pokémon alone.

000

Aura sighed, "I have no clue what to do about Phill. This alliance is essentially dead in the water, but he still thinks that it can be salvaged."

"I mean, I can guarantee that he won't be going anywhere anytime soon. But the others… not so much."

000

Sally sat on the couch in the jail office, with Morgan, Shine, and Aspen all giving her looks. She had just given them the rundown of what happened at the gazebo, and needless to say, the girls were finding it a bit hard to believe. It just seemed too good to be true.

"So… You're saying that Kojo's alliance is disbanding?" Morgan questioned with a raised brow. "Like you guys are all just… done?"

Sally hummed, "I dunno about Phill, Ashton, and Kojo himself, but I know that I'm done with it, Aura's done with it, and Amethyst is done with it."

Aspen giggled, "Well, that worked itself out easily."

Shine was a bit suspicious about what the Ampharos was saying. It just felt too coincidental that there was a discussion about getting the other girls back on their side a while ago, and now Sally was telling them that the people that they wanted to talk to were done with the opposing alliance.

"Yeah, perfect timing," Morgan commented, faking a smile. She shared the same sentiments as Shine. This was way too coincidental for her liking, and considering that it was Sally giving them this info, she was on high alert.

Just then, the sound of the elevator got their attention. The doors opened and Aura walked out with a sheepish smile. "Heeey, girls…"

Aspen smiled, while Morgan and Shine exchanged looks of surprise. Deciding to test if Sally was being truthful after all, Shine inquisitively responded, "Hi… Aura. Uh… Sally told us that you guys were done with Kojo and his alliance?"

"Yeah…" the Glaceon confirmed. "We voted Holly out, so we're no longer trustworthy, even though Kojo was trying to replace Amethyst…"

"Yep," Sally concurred. "So, screw that alliance, we'll be over here going forward."

Shine and Morgan were still a bit wary of Sally, as she could easily flip back over and work against them. However, at the moment, they were willing to accept her.

"Well, I guess the idea to take out Kojo has a chance to work, now that there's five of us," the Persian inferred.

"...and if we talk to Amethyst, that'll make six," Aspen chimed in. "So, unless Kojo wins immunity, he's guaranteed to go."

"But what if he does somehow manage to win?" Aura inquired. "I mean, just because Shine's back here, doesn't mean it's impossible for him to win."

"If Kojo wins, then we still have three other guys to choose from," Sally replied, nonchalantly. "We outnumber all of them, so it'll be easy."

Aura gave the Ampharos a look, unappreciative of the fact that she thought that Phill would be going anywhere if Kojo wasn't an option.

Shine spoke up, "Well, if that happens, Titan is the next best option. We don't need him to find the statue again."

"Right," Morgan nodded. "The faster we get rid of him, the better. Kojo is still the bigger threat, but Titan is just as dangerous."

000

Sally hummed to herself. "What we have is essentially an all-girl's alliance, which is interesting. However, I don't see myself staying with these girls long-term."

The Ampharos explained, "Shine and Morgan are still major threats in this game, but they trust me for the moment since I worked with them to oust Holly. So, I'll probably just work with them to vote out Kojo and Titan, but after that… They need to go."

000

Ashton had returned to the Winner's Cabin, defeated. She just wanted to try and air out all of the alliance's grievances so that they could get back on the same page. Sadly, the others didn't see that as a valid possibility due to everything that occurred in the separate groups.

She could understand Amethyst's irritation, as Kojo had no business trying to 'replace' her. However, she could also see what Kojo was trying to do. It was still a foolish endeavor, but she could understand where he was coming from.

As for Sally and Aura, she had no clue what to think. The logic that they used to betray Holly was the same logic that Connor tried to use to convince them to eliminate Klavier. If the current plan for people was to target the more under-the-radar players, then she was surely in danger.

She let out a sigh as she lay on the couch. "Unless I win immunity or find the statue, I'm finished," she said to herself. "Phill and Kojo are probably the only ones who would still work with me, but they won't be enough. This is gonna be a long day…"

000

"Unless I'm just being paranoid, I'm pretty sure that people are going to start targeting me next," Ashton reasoned. "Connor didn't want to go right for Kojo, so he took out Klavier, and Aura and Sally wanted to keep Morgan a bit longer, so they voted out Holly."

She continued, "The only ones left would be me, Amy, and Phill, since Titan's with Connor, and Aspen's with Shine and Morgan. Aura is still aligned with Shine's group, so Phill won't go anywhere; Sally, I suppose, made up with Shine, and Amy is probably going to try to talk to Connor and Titan. So, that just leaves me out in the open."

"Things aren't going to be-"

"ALRIGHT, ALL COMPETITORS MEET AT THE BEACH IMMEDIATELY FOR TODAY'S CHALLENGE!" she heard Virizion instruct.

The Meganium sighed.

000

The eleven players all began heading down to the beach, where they were met by the three hosts, as well as Mewtwo, who had a stony look on his face. Similar to twenty-four years ago, the Genetic Pokémon was wearing a military sergeant's uniform.

Once everyone was lined up, Virizion cleared her throat. "Alright, welcome to your next challenge," the Grassland Pokémon began. "Today is essentially going to be a callback to one of your original challenges from the first season: Mewtwo's Boot Camp."

Upon hearing that, and seeing Mewtwo there, a few of the original competitors grew a bit confused, as they did not recall a Mewtwo-centric challenge. Shine was the only one who cocked a brow in intrigue, commenting, "Well, that's interesting…"

"I don't remember him being part of a challenge," Kojo said, shaking his head. "I remember him being here earlier for that battle challenge, but I don't remember him from first season."

"You were eliminated before he got there," Mew explained. "Of the original players in this group, Shine's the only one who was still in the game at the time."

Titan groaned, "Great. Another advantage that she has…"

Shine huffed, rolling her eyes. "All I remember is that all of the girls, Sonan, and Spike, had to stay in the mess hall while the guys did the challenges."

A few of the girls smiled upon hearing that, as this would likely mean that only the four remaining guys would be up for elimination. Sally chuckled, folding her arms, "Well, looks like it's not just a Shine-centric advantage."

Connor paled, "Oh sweet mother of Arceus…"

"Don't get your hopes up," Mewtwo stated, speaking up. "Times have changed. Gender equality and all that…"

"In other words, you're not being sexist this time around," Virizion simplified.

"Call it what you like," the Genetic Pokémon responded dismissively.

"Essentially, nobody is safe this time around," Xerneas chimed in. "Doesn't matter your age or genitalia, you're participating in today's challenges."

"And, Mewtwo will be in charge of all of them," Mew finished. "And we've given him clear instructions as to not go as hard as he did back then, but, we'll see what happens."

"He makes the rules this time around, so listen to him carefully," Virizion added. "We'll be monitoring you back at the hall. Now, without further ado, Mewtwo… take charge."

000

Shine groaned, "I remember a lot of yelling and the guys getting hurt. So, this is definitely not going to be fun."

"I don't necessarily consider myself a 'girly girl'. I can hold my own just fine, but I just have a bad feeling…"

000

Surveying each of the eleven players with hard eyes, Mewtwo began, "Alright… ATTENTION!"

Nobody moved, as they were already standing in place. Seeing this, Mewtwo let out a low growl. "I said… ATTENTION!"

Immediately, everyone stood firm, stiffening their bodies as Mewtwo paced in front of them. Seeing that they were now standing at attention, the Genetic Pokémon continued.

"Now, you hosts have put me in charge of a challenge once again, so you'll be reporting to me for a majority of the day," he stated. "Firstly, you will refer to me as sir. Any screw ups or lack of respect will earn you ten minutes in the hole."

A few of the players cocked a brow upon hearing that, though Aspen was the only one who actually said something. "The hole?" she inquired.

Mewtwo approached the line, glaring daggers at the Furfrou. "Did I give you permission to speak, dog?!"

Aspen squeaked, not saying another word. Getting no response that time, Mewtwo huffed, "That's what I thought."

Stepping away from the line, a few of the ladies glowered back at Mewtwo, but didn't say anything. The large feline continued, "Again, I am in charge. Therefore, you will do exactly as I say, when I say it, and how I say it. Any insubordination will land you in the hole as well."

The players exchanged glances of uncertainty with each other. They all already knew that they weren't going to enjoy this challenge. Given its theme, and how Mewtwo was behaving, it was going to be a major pain.

"Now, unlike the first season, where the males started with points and lost them as time went on, you misfits will earn your points by competing in my challenges," Mewtwo explained. "First one to finish will receive 100 points, the last to finish will receive no points, and you can use common sense to figure out the remaining point breakdowns in-between."

Given that there were only eleven players left, a few of the players were easily able to make out the number of points that would go to each place. However, it was then that Mewtwo dropped a bombshell.

"Now, while the point system has been reversed, the result is still the same," the Genetic Pokémon stated. "The one with the lowest number of points is automatically eliminated."

Immediately, nearly everyone gasped.

000

"Are you kidding me? An automatic elimination challenge!?" Sally groused. "We're hosed…"

000

"Now, that is all you need to know at the moment," Mewtwo explained. "If I have more to say, I will. For now, consider this next instruction a pre-challenge…"

Looks of bemusement spread across the group. What did he mean by a 'pre-challenge'?

"Alright, for this pre-challenge, all of you are going to run to the stadium," he instructed. "The last one to arrive gets a disadvantage in the challenge there. Now, GO!"

Mewtwo vanished without further explanation, prompting the players to start running in the direction of the stadium.

000

"Hopefully I'll be safe today," Kojo sighed, folding his arms. "I don't have any military experience, but I have a biological advantage. I just hope that there's no curveballs. We all know that this show loves to fuck over people."

000

Morgan and Shine were in the lead, both being decently-sized felines. Aspen followed close behind, with Kojo catching up. Titan, surprisingly, was quickly skittering across the sand with ease. Aura and Sally were following close behind, with Ashton and Amethyst bringing up the rear.

Despite her larger size, Ashton eventually managed to pass Aura and Sally, much to their surprise. Aura growled to herself, "You've gotta be kidding me…"

It was then that Sally realized something, "Hey, where are Phill and Connor?"

Aura's eyes widened as she glanced behind them and only saw Amethyst running behind them. She whined to herself, "Please Phill… Don't do this…"

000

Aura sighed. "I just want Phill to take care of himself instead of acting like nothing bothers him and that there's no big deal. We haven't been dating for that long, but I still want him to try!"

000

The run didn't last too long, as they weren't too far from the stadium in the first place. Mewtwo was standing at the entrance, his arms behind his back. It had been a long time since he'd actually been back in the action on a show, in a major role anyway.

After he and Deoxys did their trial season, they never did it again. He only ever came onto other shows momentarily, as he preferred being back in his lab. There was a reason he was more aggressive and essentially rushed the challenges back in the first season. He just played the role and got out of there.

Now, he was back yet again, with this being his second appearance in this season alone. He was very irritated when the hostesses asked him to reprise this role, but he and Deoxys were arguing about a chemical formula, and she wanted some time alone. So, with the stipulation of him never being required to help on this show again, there he was.

Eventually, he sensed the competitors approaching. Panting heavily, Morgan arrived first, with Shine following behind her seconds later.

"Alright, congrats pussycat… You're first," Mewtwo stated.

The Persian smirked, looking down at the Espeon beside her. "Finally beat you at something…" Shine rolled her eyes playfully as Morgan's eyes went back to Mewtwo. "So, what do I win?"

Mewtwo glared at her, folding his arms. "Repeat that?"

Morgan, realizing her mistake, let out a sigh. "What do I win, sir?"

"Who told you that there was a reward for this?" the Genetic Pokémon questioned. "I sure as hell didn't…"

Shine reasoned, "Uh… you said that the last person here gets a disadvantage, so-"

"Did I say anything about the first person?" Mewtwo countered.

Both felines glared at him in annoyance. They were under the impression that if the last person to arrive got a disadvantage, then the first person would get a true advantage. Looks like they were wrong.

Noticing the irritated visages on the pair's faces, Mewtwo huffed. "Wipe those looks off of your faces before you get sent to the hole. Now file into the stadium and await further instructions."

The Classy Cat and Sun Pokémon made their way inside of the stadium, still annoyed. A few moments later, Kojo arrived, with Aspen hot on his tail.

With their arrival, Mewtwo huffed. "Beaten by women already," he commented, eyeing Kojo disapprovingly.

The Mienshao defended himself, explaining, "Yes, I'm fast, but they're cats. Of course they're faster!"

"Excuses," Mewtwo scoffed. "Take your ass inside…"

Kojo grumbled as he entered the stadium, with Aspen following close behind. Mewtwo didn't even acknowledge the Poodle Pokémon, which was perfectly fine by her account.

-000-

Inside of the stadium, Morgan and Shine were lying in the middle, awaiting the arrival of the others.

Seeing that Kojo and Aspen were approaching, the Persian smirked before commenting, "So... How about this pre-challenge?"

Aspen huffed as she lied down. "It's fucking ridiculous…"

"Tell us about it," Shine responded. "There's not even a prize for being first, just a disadvantage for being last…"

Kojo chuckled, folding his arms, "Yeah… That sounds about right for this game."

-000-

Titan came up soon after, with Ashton close behind, both panting heavily. Mewtwo rolled his eyes upon seeing the two of them. He wasn't really impressed by anything he was seeing from the players, so he gestured for the two of them to go in.

A bit later, Sally rushed up, with Aura padding up behind her a few moments later. Seeing that neither Connor nor Phill were there yet, Mewtwo shook his head.

"I'd have thought that the damn buffalo and rat would put forth an actual effort, but I guess my expectations shouldn't be too high with you misfits…" he commented, much to the chagrin of Sally.

The Ampharos went inside, with Aura following, though she remained at the doorway. The Glaceon didn't really care about what the Genetic Pokémon had to say, she was just worried about where Phill was. Amethyst was steadily approaching, meaning that Phill's only chance would be to beat Connor, which she didn't see happening.

However, after a few seconds, a faint figure could be seen in the distance, dust being kicked up behind it.

Seeing it, Aura raised a brow in confusion, as did Mewtwo. As the figure became clearer, they could see that it was Connor charging toward then.

Aura's heart sank. She knew that this was only a pre-challenge, but if Phill got the disadvantage, she just had a feeling that he would just not care and allow himself to get zero points.

As Amethyst started slowing down to catch her breath, knowing that she was practically there, she could hear the sound of rushing hooves coming behind her.

She turned around, and before she could react, she was passed by Connor, who skidded through the stadium entrance after trying to stop.

The Bouffalant panted heavily before collapsing on his stomach. Seeing his sudden arrival, Aura quickly ran up to him as Amethyst and Mewtwo entered as well.

The other players that were waiting began getting back to their feet, if they had been lying down.

"Alright," Mewtwo began. "Looks like that rat is gonna be the last one to arrive. Pathetic..."

Growling softly, the Fresh Snow Pokémon questioned the tired Bouffalant, reasoning that he was the last one to see him. "Connor, where's Phill?!"

"P-Present," Phill stated, a bit shaken,, emerging from Connor's afro, surprising everyone, including Mewtwo.

000

"Just needed to talk to Connor alone for a while. We were really falling behind, but he told me that he could charge quickly and that we'd be fine," Phill explained.

"He didn't tell me that he was that fast, though…"

000

Aura sighed in relief; he was there. She then realized something, but Kojo beat her to the punch. "Wait, if Phill was in Connor's afro, doesn't that mean that Amethyst is the last one to arrive?"

Amethyst growled softly as Mewtwo glowered at the Mienshao. "Yes, it does, femboy. I was planning on correcting myself… Speak out of turn again, and you go in the hole..."

Kojo huffed, folding his arms.

000

"Asshole…" Kojo grumbled.

000

The eleven players were lined up once again, standing at attention per Mewtwo's request. However, there was now a pile of bricks nearby. The sight of the pile brought a bit of fear to everybody's faces. Was he going to pelt them with those things?

"Alright, it's time for your first real challenge," he began. "Each of you will get on all fours in a pushup position. You will each start with one brick on your back," he stated, holding up a brick.

Realizing what was about to happen, a few of the players paled.

Mewtwo continued, "I will continue to add bricks as time goes on. If you drop out or your bricks fall, you're out."

Shine opened her mouth to speak, only for Mewtwo to immediately shut her down, "I already explained the point system, so don't ask me any questions."

The Espeon closed her mouth, though she was swearing in her head.

"And as for your disadvantage…" Mewtwo began, looking at Amethyst. "You'll be getting two bricks at a time instead of one."

The Aurorus looked down dejectedly. She was sure that could possibly hold the bricks in place, but it was still disheartening.

"Now… ASSUME THE POSITIONS!" Mewtwo shouted.

000

Mew, Virizion and Xerneas were in the living room of the hall, watching the large television screen. So far, Virizion and Xerneas weren't too pleased by what Mewtwo was saying and doing, while Mew simply watched on without a word.

Virizion sighed, "Why am I not surprised?"

Mew shrugged, explaining, "You guys know that he has nothing but respect for you all around here. He just doesn't talk to any of you aside from Deoxys or Arceus. He's just hamming it up again."

Xerneas and Virizion exchanged looks, as Mew had a point. Mewtwo rarely interacted with the ladies in the hall, or with anyone really, aside from when they were all in a group. So, for all they knew, Mew could be telling them the truth.

Just then, Entei sauntered into the living room with a slightly larger chimera in tow. Turning toward them, Virizion raised a brow. "Hey Entei, hey Silvally… Haven't seen you in a minute," she greeted.

"Yeah, well… You know that my relationship with the cunt and hunk is… complicated," the Synthetic Pokémon responded before looking toward the screen. He raised a brow. "Huh, Mewtwo's doing a show? Never thought that I'd see the day. The guy doesn't seem like the type."

"He's not," Xerneas explained. "He's just doing this for us so that we don't ask him to do anything for the show anymore."

Watching the screen, Entei stifled a laugh, "This is interesting… but we should probably be getting back to my man. Just needed to stretch my legs a bit."

The ladies both giggled at this, while Mew could only roll his eyes playfully. "I don't think double-teaming him will do ya any good, 'Tei…"

Entei gave the New Species Pokémon a look, "Shut up…"

The pair started heading back through the kitchen, with the ladies turning back to Mew with a look of surprise. "Oh, so are you and Entei actually… friends now?" Virizion inquired, a small smile forming on her face. "That's nice to hear."

Mew sweatdropped. "U-Uh… Well…"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Xerneas giggled, noticing his stammering. "We're just glad that you're actually… talking with more people in a positive manner."

Mew shrugged his shoulders, "L-Let's just focus on this. Make sure things don't get too intense…"

"Uh…" Virizion droned, eyeing the television screen. "Are you sure that he's still just 'hamming it up'?"

000

Currently, all of the players were on all fours in a push-up position. Their limbs were all bent as their bodies were held only a few inches off of the ground. They had to hold that position as Mewtwo placed bricks on their backs.

"Come on, you buncha misfits can take it," Mewtwo egged on as he placed the last two bricks on Amethyst's back. "We've barely started. And I'm sure the majority of you have handled bigger things on your backs before."

A few of the ladies exchanged looks of irritation from the comment. Sure, it was true, but they didn't need to hear that from him.

Mewtwo moved away from the line of players, standing in front of them once again. Folding his arms, he stated, "You're gonna stay like that for five minutes. After that, you'll get more bricks on your backs."

"This is just plain awful," Aspen grumbled, her legs shaking.

After a couple of minutes started passing by, the pain began to set in for a few of the players. Their muscles began to strain a bit. Surprisingly, all of them were still standing, even Phill. Seeing this, Mewtwo let out a dry laugh. "Well, this is surprising…"

Sally could feel her arms and legs start trembling violently, as being in that position was really bringing her pain. Eventually, she collapsed, swearing to herself, "Damn it…"

"Ampharos misfit, you're out. Move to the side," Mewtwo directed. "The rest of you, it's about time for more bricks…"

Sally got to her feet, rubbing her back. While she was annoyed that she wouldn't be receiving any points, she was glad to be out of that challenge. This was definitely a challenge that was better suited for the quadrupeds. They had more experience and muscle, after all.

As Sally moved to the sidelines, Mewtwo began placing more bricks on the remaining players' backs. "Let's see if you all can handle more pressure," the Genetic Pokémon commented as he placed two more bricks on Amethyst's back.

With the Tundra Pokémon being the tallest and heaviest of the group, the extra weight didn't really impact her as much as the others. However, it still wasn't a comfortable position to be in.

Mewtwo returned to his place in front of the group, starting to notice a few more people starting to feel the pain. He was a 'mon of few words, and he would have offered commentary if he cared enough to. Instead, though, he was content with the alternating silence and shaky breaths coming from the group as they tried their hardest to stay in the challenge.

Kojo was still doing relatively fine, being a Fighting-type. It wasn't that big of a deal for him, though the position did start to hurt a bit. Morgan was still doing relatively fine as well, as she was essentially in a slightly-raised stalking position. The added bricks on her back were a bit annoying to deal with, but she could handle it.

Both Aspen and Shine's legs were trembling a bit more, but they were still standing. Titan didn't seem to have any struggles at all. Given his physiology, this challenge didn't feel any different to him just standing while balancing things on his back. Connor's bricks were placed in his afro, which annoyed him, but he was able to manage nonetheless.

Aura grumbled to herself as she tried to stand still. The position was so uncomfortable, she wanted to shift a bit so that it wasn't as bad. However, she knew that if she did so, there was a chance that the bricks on her back would fall off, taking her out.

She looked to her left, seeing how Phill was doing. The Raticate looked very pained, holding his breath as he tried to keep himself up a bit longer. Despite disliking seeing him in pain, Aura couldn't help but smile to herself. As long as he was trying, she was fine.

000

"I am absolutely terrible when it comes to this kinda stuff," Phill stated. "But, I know that I can't just do nothing or else I'm out. So… I'm just gonna try to not suck as much as I usually do. Which means… I'm aiming for a D+ average!"

000

More time passed, and more bricks were added to the players' backs. Eventually, Amethyst had eight bricks on her back, and the other remaining nine had four. Seeing that they were all still standing so far, Mewtwo glanced over to Sally, "So, how does it feel to know that you're the weakest misfit of the group?"

Sally scoffed in response, "Excuse you, sir, but I'm far from the weakest. People who are typically on all fours have a bigger advantage than people on two."

"Watch that tone!" Mewtwo shot back. "And if that was the case, why aren't the femboy and the rat out yet?"

Kojo glared at the genetic feline, while Phill was too busy waiting for others to drop before he could.

The Ampharos responded, "I don't know why or how Phill's still there since… he's him, but Kojo's a damn Fighting-type! Us girls aren't as weak as you may think, big man..."

"I told you to watch that tone!" Mewtwo snapped. "One more time and you're going to the fucking hole."

While he was distracted, Aspen rose up slightly, causing her bricks to fall off of her back. The Poodle Pokémon swore to herself.

"Poodle, you're out. Go ahead and join the other weakling," Mewtwo instructed, his hands behind his back.

Aspen huffed as she stretched her body a bit, grumbling to herself.

000

"The Legendary ladies at the hall really think that he knows how to treat women right in relationships?" Aspen questioned. "Yeah, I have to say that I doubt that…"

000

Eventually, due to her shaking, a couple of bricks slid off of Ashton's back, bouncing somewhat close to Phill, which startled him and caused him to drop as well.

She immediately apologized, "Sorry Phill! You didn't get hit did you?!"

"No…" Phill sighed, getting to his feet and arching his back a bit. "It just felt close."

"HEY!" Mewtwo exclaimed, getting their attention. "Flower dino and rat, you're both out. Join the other weaklings… You can talk about your boo-boos over there."

Ashton let out a sigh. Although this challenge wasn't a vote, she was still out relatively early, which didn't make her feel any better.

The two of them went over to join Aspen and Sally on the sidelines, who were still grumbling about Mewtwo's behavior.

It was about time to add more bricks to the contestants' backs. As soon as Mewtwo went over to the pile of bricks, Aura decided that she had enough, standing up straight and beginning to stretch, "Yeah, I think I'm done with this."

"Join the other weaklings, ice bitch…" Mewtwo said nonchalantly as he walked toward Kojo to put another brick on his back.

Aura rolled her eyes before walking to the sidelines to join the others.

Seeing that the Glaceon was checking out of the challenge, Connor was tempted to do the same. However, he was still unsure of what the other challenges would consist of. So far, this was sort of easy for him thanks to his dense, puffy afro.

Titan, on the other hand, decided to throw in the towel, shaking the bricks off of his back. "Alright, I'm out," he said as he joined the other players on the sidelines.

Mewtwo huffed, "I'm surprised, bug zapper. You were actually handling it the best in my eyes."

Titan explained, "Yeah, it wasn't really impacting me much at all, but I think I've got enough points for right now. As long as I'm in the top percent, I don't care about the place."

Mewtwo nodded in understanding. It was a smart move, though foolish at the same time, as he had no idea what the other challenges would be. He finished adding two more bricks to Amethyst's back, and this time, one of them fell off.

"Alright, ice dino, you're out," Mewtwo stated.

Amethyst's eyes widened, as it wasn't her fault that the bricks fell. "Wait, what? I didn't move or anything, they just fell!"

"You're out," Mewtwo stated much more firmly, glaring at her.

In a huff, the Tundra Pokémon stood up, causing the other bricks to fall off of her. She had actually been doing fine. The position was definitely uncomfortable, but the bricks weren't really hurting her too much. However, Mewtwo was in charge, so he called the shots, much to her chagrin.

Now back in front of the final four players, Mewtwo decided to try a bit of heckling to see if he could get them to drop out. He still didn't care about the commentary aspect, but the faster he could get this over with, the better. He'd apologize at the very end.

"So femboy… How's dating life treating you?" he inquired. "I know you've probably had a few guys here and there…"

Kojo glared at the Genetic Pokémon. He hadn't heard any actual insults from anyone regarding his species' appearance in years. It was the main reason that he initially didn't want to evolve in the first place. At that point, he had a bit more confidence and knew that he looked good, but it was still annoying. "I-I've got a fiancée, for your information. I'm not gay," Kojo defended, his arms trembling a lot more

"Sure," Mewtwo brushed off, rolling his eyes. He turned his attention to Morgan. "So, pussycat, how many times have you found yourself in this position? Haven't really heard any complaints from you, so you must be used to it..."

Morgan huffed, deciding to tune out Mewtwo. She knew what he was insinuating, but she wasn't going to entertain it. Hex was the first and only guy she had ever been with and usually she ended up on top. She kept a focused expression, not even looking at the Legendary Pokemon.

Getting no reaction, Mewtwo nodded to himself before moving on to Shine. However, before he could even say anything to her, she stood up, causing the bricks to fall off of her body.

"Psychic bitch, you're out," Mewtwo stated, gesturing for her to join the others.

Shine knew that engaging Mewtwo wouldn't do her any good, so she didn't say a word and simply walked toward the others.

Now that he was in the top three, Connor let out a sigh of relief. He shook off the bricks on his head, stating, "I'll take third place."

Connor started walking away to join the others, leaving Kojo and Morgan as the last two. Mewtwo didn't have anything to say anymore. Now he was just waiting for the final two to drop.

"You misfits need to use your brains. As long as you ain't losing, you're fine," Mewtwo stated, folding his arms.

Kojo glanced at Morgan, who looked back at him. For Kojo, as long as he was safe, he didn't really care. So, he stood up. "Well, in that case, I'm not gonna waste my time anymore…"

Morgan smirked as she stood up as well, the bricks falling off of her back. "Number one again…" she commented with a smirk.

"Yeah, you actually got something out of it this time…" Mewtwo remarked condescendingly. Morgan's confident smile immediately turned into a look of irritation as she watched the Genetic Pokémon walk toward the exit.

"Well, this is fun…" Kojo mumbled, scratching his head.

"ALL OF YOU LINE UP!" Mewtwo demanded.

000

"Mewtwo is a fucking asshole…" Morgan grumbled.

000

Mew, Virizion, and Xerneas were now joined by Zeraora, who was lying on the couch next to Mew. A few of the other Legendaries cycled in and out of the living room as well, commenting on Mewtwo's involvement in the challenge.

"So, is Mewtwo really like this?" Zeraora inquired. "I've never really spoken to him… or… anyone else really."

Virizion and Xerneas looked to Mew, as he had the most information on his younger brother. The New Species Pokémon shook his head, "No, he just doesn't care about these shows. He's just playing up the drill sergeant role so things move faster for him."

Zeraora cocked a brow, "I… guess that makes sense."

"Don't worry, hon," Xerneas responded. "I was just as confused when I first got here… A lot of personalities that you either get used to or avoid like the plague."

"Yeah, you'll be fine," Virizion nodded. She sighed as she glanced back at the television, "Though, I'm not so sure about the contestants…"

"Well, so far I guess Sally's the one in trouble," Mew commented. "We'll see what happens with the rest of these challenges…"

000

All of the contestants were standing at attention back on the beach. Mewtwo marched back and forth in front of them. "Alright, it's time for you misfits' next challenge…"

"Can't we get a break first?" Connor inquired.

"NO!" Mewtwo exploded, startling him. "You'll get a break when I decide that you deserve one!"

Connor shrunk back a bit. He didn't even necessarily need a break, but he wanted to discuss a few things with Titan in private.

"Now, if there aren't gonna be any other interruptions…" Mewtwo continued. He pointed out to the ocean, where there was a line of red buoys floating, each one separated by a row. Each buoy had a flag attached to it. "Your next challenge will be to swim out to those buoys, retrieve a flag, swim back, and attach the flag to the flagpoles behind you."

Everyone turned around and saw that there was a small flagpole behind each of them. The flagpoles were all situated in a well-shaded area of the beach.

"The point ranking remains the same," he stated. "Now, get yourselves-!"

"W-Wait!" Amethyst interrupted. She knew that she was likely the weakest swimmer of the group, so she needed to know if she could sit out or do something else. "S-Some of us can't swim that well, wh-"

Growling, Mewtwo snapped, "THAT'S IT! You're going to the hole!"

Amethyst paled, while a few of the others gasped in surprise. Mewtwo had been mentioning 'the hole' for a while, so they were worried about what it even was.

Aspen attempted to defend the Tundra Pokémon. "Hey, she was just trying to ask a question, that's not-"

"DO YOU WISH TO JOIN HER, POODLE?" Mewtwo threatened, interrupting her while glaring with cold eyes.

The Furfrou shut her mouth once again, letting out a soft growl. Mewtwo was really angering her, as well as the other players, with this attitude. Sure, he was supposed to be a hardass, given the challenge, but this was just too much.

Amethyst was teleported away somewhere, with nobody but Mewtwo knowing where she went.

"Now, if I hear any more interruptions or backtalk, you'll be joining Ms. Longneck," Mewtwo warned, hardening his glare. "But, luckily for you misfits, she did you a slight favor. She's no longer in the challenge, so none of you will get zero points."

While the players were a bit worried about Amethyst, at the same time, they were relieved that they all would get actual points, regardless.

"Now, again… GET YOURSELVES READY!"

000

"Yes… making us swim out in the ocean while our limbs are still aching from the last challenge… What an excellent idea," Shine groused. "But, considering what his job is for this challenge, I shouldn't be surprised."

"At least none of us will get zero points...:"

000

Each player was standing in front of a flagpole, waiting for Mewtwo's signal. Some of them were still a bit tired and aching from the last challenge, and the sun was beaming down on them. So, even though they could find a bit of solace in the water, they definitely weren't going to enjoy this.

Soon enough, after seeing that they all were ready, Mewtwo gave the go ahead. "Alright, GO!" he instructed.

All of the players that were average-to-good in the water sprinted across the beach to the ocean, while others moved at an average pace, still a bit sore.

000

Sally giggled, "Now this challenge I can get behind. Jet's been training me in the water, and since I was the first one out in the last challenge, I'll have a big advantage this time!"

000

So far, Sally was in the lead, swimming swiftly and efficiently toward her buoy. Thanks to Jet's training, she was much faster in the water.

Kojo was close behind. Despite his back and arms still aching, he was still doing relatively well. He didn't swim often, but he could keep up with the best of them regardless.

While the two main bipedal players were in the lead, the quadruped players weren't that far behind. Morgan, having Samurott DNA in her blood, was completely comfortable in the water despite being a feline. Aspen, Shine, and Aura weren't that far behind from each other in their selected rows.

Aura was occasionally looking to the row beside her, where Phill was, to see how well he was doing. Seeing how far back he was compared to the rest of them caused her a bit of worry.

Phill wasn't struggling per se, but he was certainly doing better than Ashton, Connor, and Titan. Ashton was doing decently, using her vines as an extra set of arms. Connor, having all of his hair sopping wet, was moving much slower than he'd like. After finishing in the top three, Connor was not happy to be close to last.

Meanwhile, Titan, despite being able to swim relatively well thanks to his extra limbs, was leisurely swimming down his lane toward his buoy.

000

A hole was seen near the gym, a wooden grate covering the top of it. Inside of it, Amethyst was lying uncomfortably. The Aurorus was cramped in the somewhat narrow space, weeping to herself.

It was unfair. It was all just so unfair. When she first joined the game years ago, she got voted out because Otto wanted to mess with Sven. She gets the opportunity to return and actually attempts to take charge and speak up more, only for people to start seeing her as a bitch, abandon her, and then relegate her to being 'just another vote'.

She had evolved and gotten stronger, but it felt like none of it mattered. Any time she felt a certain way about something, it was just brushed aside. She was getting very sick of it.

Sniffling, the Tundra Pokémon whispered to herself, "I need… to do what's best for me. I keep… I keep trying to push myself and make my presence known, but p-people keep treating me like I'm nobody…"

She looked up at the grate, continuing to sniffle. "I'll show them… I'm gonna make Sven proud, and I'm gonna make myself proud…" she stated confidently.

000

"I'm tired of all of this crap," Amethyst growled. "I'm tired of my feelings on things not really mattering. I'm tired of just being treated as another vote. From now on, I'm just gonna worry about myself."

"If nobody is gonna have my back, then I have to have my own…"

000

As Sally got closer and closer to her buoy, a blue, black, and yellow octopus emerged from the depths, glaring daggers at the Ampharos. Sally stopped in her tracks, confused about its sudden appearance. "What the-"

The Grapploct started heading toward her quickly. Her eyes widening, she quickly used Thunderbolt, electrocuting the Jiujitsu Pokémon. Due to them being in the water, it was much more effective. She swam past it as it sank under the water.

After the first Grapploct emerged, it signalled for others to emerge in each line. Sally had already dealt with hers, even if momentarily, while the others were each about to have their own encounters.

Kojo was becoming fatigued, panting heavily as he continued toward his buoy. "This is so fucking annoying…" he groused.

As he continued to press himself forward, he saw a figure swimming toward him quickly. He glanced around at other rows and saw similar figures swimming. Confused, as Mewtwo hadn't mentioned that there would be anything else out there, Kojo mumbled to himself. "What the- ACK!"

The Grapploct leapt out of the water, tentacles outstretched, and landed on the Mienshao, dragging him underwater momentarily. It brought him back to the surface, but held him in place. Kojo tried to fight it off of him, growling angrily as he grabbed at the octopus' tentacles.

With Kojo now preoccupied, the other quadrupeds were able to swim further than him. Having not seen a Grapploct swimming toward her, Morgan smirked to herself, "We've totally got this in the bag!"

Suddenly, she felt something wrap around her legs, causing her to stop. Before she could even react, she was suddenly dragged under the water.

Shine, having seen one of the Grapploct coming her way, immediately went into defensive mode. Her eyes glowed a bright blue, surrounding the Jiujitsu Pokémon in a blue aura before throwing it into the distance.

Now being attacked by the Grapploct, Aspen immediately called out to her, struggling against it, "Shine! A little help over here!?"

Shine used Psychic once again, an aura surrounding the Grapploct before it was removed from Aspen and thrown away.

Morgan suddenly emerged from the water once again, the Grapploct still holding onto her. "Stupid Grapploct!" she growled, struggling against it.

The Grapploct was suddenly enveloped in a blue light and thrown off, with Morgan panting heavily in the aftermath. She turned to Shine, "Thanks!"

Aura had already frozen the Grapploct in her row and was still pushing forward. She was even ahead of Morgan, Shine, and Aspen at that point!

Phill sighed as he was held in place by the Grapploct on his row. Knowing that he couldn't fight against it, the Raticate attempted to converse with the octopus in order to see what would happen. As hard as it was to talk while being constricted, Phill managed to choke out, "So, w-why are you doing this, exactly?"

The Grapploct initially didn't reply, only tightening its grip. Eventually, it muttered, "We get paid for this…"

Phill squeaked, "W-Wow… m-must be a lot…"

The Grapploct huffed, "Not as much as you think…"

The Raticate cocked a brow, "T-Then why?"

The Grapploct didn't respond again, instead, it looked back toward the shore. The eleven Grapploct had been hired to act as barriers between the competitors and their buoys. They had been paid in actual Pokédollars by the three main hosts, as Mewtwo requested them, and were also told that they'd make an appearance on one of the most popular reality shows.

So far, the appearance wasn't really mattering much, as others were being tossed around like ragdolls and others were just sitting in place holding competitors. Frankly, it was boring, and they deserved to be getting paid more considering they were being thrown around.

The Grapploct released its grip on Phill and started swimming back toward the shore, allowing Phill to quickly get back on track.

000

"Gift of gab…" Phill commented. "Sometimes it helps, sometimes it hurts…"

000

Connor, having dealt with Taylor's coils for a long time, wasn't deterred by the Grapploct. He had continued kicking and propelling himself forward. However, that didn't stop it from being annoying to deal with.

Titan was still swimming casually, passing by the Bouffalant. His Grapploct had already tried and failed to stop him, so he was continuing along his merry way. Seeing him, the Bouffalant called out to him, "Titan! A little help!?"

The Galvantula gave the Bouffalant a look. "Mate… We both lasted pretty long in that first challenge," he deadpanned. "So, even if we're last, we'll be fine as long as we're good in whatever other challenges he has…"

Connor had done the math in his head, so he had that figured out already. He'd just appreciate a bit of help dealing with the Grapploct. "I mean, I understand that, but-"

"Alright then," Titan interrupted, continuing his swim, leaving Connor with his Grapploct. "You'll be just fine." The Bouffalant let out a groan.

000

Back on the shore, Mewtwo was being confronted by the Grapploct that released Phill.

"You need to pay us a lot more for this," it pressed. "'Oh-so powerful' Legendaries being cheapskates and letting us be thrown around like ragdolls and just sitting in-"

"Take it up with the ones who actually paid you," Mewtwo countered, his eyes glowing a bright blue. The Grapploct was picked up and thrown far into the distance.

After the Jiujitsu Pokémon was gone, Sally arrived back at the shore with her flag, panting heavily. Once she saw Mewtwo, she immediately closed her mouth and continued toward her flagpole. She placed her flag and looked back at the Genetic Pokémon.

"Told ya I wasn't the weakest…" she spat smugly.

Mewtwo rolled his eyes, deadpanning, "Congratulations, you actually got points now. Now shut up and wait until the rest of these misfits get here…"

In a huff, Sally sat down in front of her flagpole, crossing her arms in annoyance. She was very relieved that she was the first one finished, earning her 100 points. Now, she had a lower chance of going home.

Aura panted as she reached the shore, her flag clutched in her maw. It was a tiring swim, but she managed to not only stall her barrier, but finish in general. She looked back to see how far along everyone else was, and her eyes widened as she saw that Morgan was a few feet away from her.

She swiftly rushed toward her flagpole, with Morgan close behind. She reached her flagpole and put hers on just a few seconds faster than Morgan, earning herself 90 points. Morgan panted heavily, collapsing onto her side. The pain from the first challenge, and exhaustion from this one, mixed with the heat, was doing some damage.

Aura lied down to catch her breath as well as she turned to Mewtwo with a glare. "What the hell was that!? You didn't tell us there would be Grapploct out there!"

"And I didn't need to. I'm the one in charge here," Mewtwo countered, glaring at them. "You're this close to joining the other ice misfit in the fucking hole if you speak out of turn again," he warned, pinching two of his fingers together.

Aura frowned, but turned away from him. A couple of seconds later, Shine and Aspen approached with their flags, just as exhausted as Aura and Morgan. Sally, seeing this, couldn't help but smirk a bit. If her biggest competition were all tired after these first two challenges, and Mewtwo had another challenge planned immediately after this one, then she was guaranteed to win first place again.

Mewtwo glanced over at all of the ladies who were lying in the shade trying to catch their breaths. His eyes softened a bit, but they immediately hardened once he saw Kojo emerge from the water with his flag.

The Mienshao was even more exhausted than the ladies. He struggled with that Grapploct for a long while before he was able to fight it off. That took up a good amount of his energy, but then he still had to get to the buoy, grab his flag, and swim all the way back without engaging with the Grapploct again.

The ladies, minus Sally, had Shine take care of their Grapploct problem with ease, so their main problem was the long swim, as well as the aching from the first challenge.

"Fuck… me…"

"No thanks, bro…" he heard as Phill ran past him and toward the flagpoles.

"Wha- Damn it!" Kojo swore as he rushed after him.

Aura's tail wagged swiftly as Phill made it to his flagpole and attached his flag to it. He then promptly collapsed onto his face in the shade. "I hate my life…" he said, though he was muffled. Aura giggled and nuzzled him shortly thereafter.

Kojo came up a few seconds later and attached his flag as well. "Alright… that… that was bullshit…" he panted as he sat on his butt.

"What…?" Aspen asked with a smirk. "That Phill actually beat you at something?"

"No!" Kojo immediately denied before his face softened a bit. "Well… sure, but-"

"Thanks," Phill interrupted, lifting his face from the ground before planting it back down.

Looking toward Mewtwo, the Mienshao continued, "-you didn't tell us there'd be-" He was interrupted once again when a blue aura surrounded him and he was yanked toward Mewtwo, now face to face with him.

"Femboy, like I told the ice bitch… I am in charge. I can leave out whatever details I want," Mewtwo snarled. "And y'know, since I'm getting tired of this shit, you get to go in the hole next…"

"WHAT?!" Kojo shouted, shocked. If he didn't get a chance to compete, then he could very well go home! "That's not fair!"

Mewtwo glared daggers at the Mienshao before dropping him in the sand. "Deal with it…"

000

"Ugh… I'm really sick of this shit already," Kojo groused. "How many points do I even have right now? 90 in the first one, and… 40 in this one, so I have 130 points right now…"

He let out a sigh. "Well… at least I'll get a break. I just have to hope that the people with high scores suck and it isn't too hard to come back."

000

Within another 10-to-15 minutes, Ashton, Titan, and Connor returned to the shore and planted their flags on their respective flagpoles.

"LINE UP!" Mewtwo commanded.

The exhausted players exchanged looks with each other before slowly getting to their feet and lining up in front of the Genetic Pokémon.

"I'm sure that you all think that a break is in order since you just dealt with two rather… physically taxing challenges back-to-back…" he began.

There wasn't a sliver of hope in any of the players' eyes. They've dealt with this for years, so they knew what was coming already.

"Well, YOU'D BE WRONG!" Mewtwo shouted. "Your next challenge will be a simple one…"

A table with a countdown clock popped into existence in front of them. The clock had thirty minutes on it. The fact that there was half-an-hour on that clock caused varying looks of depression to form on the competitors' faces.

"But, before I continue, I think we should go ahead and do a quick change of the guard," Mewtwo stated. His eyes glowed a bright blue as Kojo's body became surrounded in the same blue aura as before. The Mienshao then vanished before being replaced by-

"Amethyst!" Ashton whisper-shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Mewtwo shouted, glaring at the Meganium, who promptly closed her mouth. He looked to Amethyst, who didn't say a word. "Now, I'm sure I won't be hearing anything else out of you, now will I?"

The Aurorus shook her head, looking down. The others wore a few looks of concern, curious as to what 'the hole' was like. However, Mewtwo brought all of the attention back to himself as he explained their next challenge.

"Good… Now, you all have thirty minutes to finish the following exercises: 40 pushups, 20 sit-ups, and running five laps from the stadium to the jail," Mewtwo stated, folding his arms.

Almost every players' eyes widened. Sure, these challenges sounded simple enough, but they barely had a break! Majority of them were exhausted!

"Okay, how is this going to work, point-wise?" Aspen inquired.

Mewtwo gave her a look before she was teleported away, much to everyone's shock.

Aura whined, "Wh-"

"I'm done with it. No more speaking out of turn and no more fucking questions!" Mewtwo growled. "Anyone else who thinks they're some bad bitch or tough guy can join the femboy and poodle in the hole!"

Nobody said another word, though Morgan was very tempted to. She could afford it, given she was close to 200 points. However, she felt obligated to keep going and make sure that their targets didn't get a large amount of points.

With Kojo out of commission, she would mainly have to worry about Titan. Though, the Galvantula seemed to be content with not trying too hard and doing just enough to get by.

Getting no response, Mewtwo started the clock, exclaiming, "GO!"

000

Virizion and Xerneas were beginning to regret their decision, as they really disliked how Mewtwo was treating the players, especially the ladies. Whether he was just 'acting' or not, it was just plain disrespectful and grating.

By this point, Mew could only let out a sigh. He knew what Mewtwo was doing, but it really wasn't a good look. It especially wasn't good for this season, which was already a train wreck compared to a few of the others.

"Uh… Mew, I think we should go back and take over again…" Virizion stated, a serious visage on her face. She wasn't tolerant of blatant disrespect and, being the only female member of the Swords of Justice, she especially felt that she needed to defend other females if she felt that things were going too far.

"Pathetic," they heard as a familiar rabbit floated into the living room with a tablet in his hands. Having supposedly heard the concerns from the kitchen, Victini shook his head. "You two are seriously bitching about this?"

Both Xerneas and Virizion glared at the Victory Pokémon as he entered the room. Mew, meanwhile, just lied against Zeraora, holding his head in annoyance. Noticing this, Zeraora joined the ladies in glaring at the rabbit as well.

"Get lost, Victini," Virizion demanded. "We don't have time for you to try and belittle Mew again…"

Victini scoffed, "Oh please. If he still wants to continue to be a big whiny baby, then that's on him. I just came down for a soda and heard you say that you should take control of the challenge from Mewtwo."

"He's being blatantly rude and disrespectful, and he's pushing them way too hard!" Xerneas defended. "Making them do three physically draining challenges in a row without a single break or allowing them any food or water in between is too much!"

"Oh please," Victini retorted, waving off her argument. "The first time we did this, Mewtwo literally excluded all of the girls, Spike, and Sonan. You two decided to do this particular challenge again, but didn't want him to exclude the girls, and called him a sexist for doing it the first time. But now, all of a sudden, he's 'going too far' because the girls are getting treated as bad as the guys?"

Mew sweatdropped, as Victini had a point. He didn't want to admit it while he was there, but it was truthful. Virizion and Xerneas were just tuning out the Victory Pokémon at that point. They also could admit that he had a point about their attitudes, since they're the ones who wanted to do this challenge. Everything after that, though, was just him ranting for the sake of it.

"You two really need to get over it," Victini continued. "Plus, this is a boot camp challenge, what the hell did you expect? Jeez, why the hell do women have to be so damn finicky and hypocritical? Leave the damn challenge alone."

Victini floated back into the kitchen, leaving the four of them alone again. Virizion growled softly, "Fucking asshole…"

"Seriously," Xerneas followed. "He had a point of us being sensitive even though we asked for this, but he always has to throw in extra jabs and insults for no reason."

"I can fully see why nearly everyone talks negatively about him now..." Zeraora commented before looking down at Mew, "...and why you've gotten more and more stressed as time went on."

Mew sighed, "This is gonna be his last time, just let it play out and you guys can yell at him or… whatever."

Virizion and Xerneas exchanged worried looks, not wanting Mew to begin feeling bad again. Zeraora began scratching Mew's head again, hoping to make him feel a bit better.

000

Given their time limit and the number of exercises that they were required to do, a few of the players had gotten into their own groups, deciding to do the exercises in different orders. Mewtwo hadn't said that they had to be done in a particular order, just that they needed to be done.

However, due to being exhausted from the last two challenges, nearly all of the players were lying in the shade, taking their own break since Mewtwo wasn't giving them one. Thus far, the only one actively participating and doing the challenge was Sally. She was currently doing the sit-ups, more than happy to take another free 100 points. She had already done half of her push-ups, and after she was done with the sit-ups, she'd be doing the other half.

Mewtwo saw what they were all doing, but decided not to do anything about it. He looked back at Sally, who he had previously chastised for being the first one out of the first challenge, and saw that she was getting into the push-up position.

A smirk formed on his face as he approached her. As the Light Pokémon began her push-ups, she eventually saw a pair of purple feet in front of her. Stopping, she looked up, only for Mewtwo to squat to her level. Sally was unnerved by how close he was and was surprised by what he said next.

"You're free to go," he stated.

Had she misheard him? Confused, she hesitantly inquired, "W-what?"

"You're the only one of these misfits actually doing what I said. You've proven that you're not the weakest, so you're exempt for the remainder of the day," he explained.

Sally's eyes widened. "R-Really!?"

Mewtwo hushed her before looking over and noticing that the others were now looking at them. He smirked again, "Yep. I think Mew said that the mansion thing is open, so go hang out there…"

Sally smiled as she got to her feet, "T-Thank you!" She immediately started running toward the Winner's Cabin, as Mewtwo stood back up.

000

Sally giggled, "I'm free! I can't believe that just happened! I'm not going home and I get to relax…"

"Thank… fuck…"

000

Upon seeing Sally leave, Morgan, Shine, and Aura rushed over to see what had happened.

"Wait, where's Sally going?" Aura inquired. "She didn't do anything wrong!"

Instead of yelling, Mewtwo calmly explained, "Exactly… She was actually following my instructions, while the rest of you just sat over there in the shade. She had more fight in her than I expected, especially after that early performance, so she's exempt for the rest of the day."

Looks of shock and anger formed on their faces. "That's… That's not fair!" Morgan exclaimed. The Persian had literally won the first challenge, and had the most points so far! How was Sally more deserving of being exempt?

"Wanna go to the hole and have no shot at points this time?" Mewtwo retorted, folding his arms. "If I were you, I'd get the hell out of my face and get your asses in gear. Clock's still ticking…"

Looking over at the countdown clock, the three ladies saw that there were only twenty minutes left on the clock, and counting.

000

"Doing the math, so far Ashton is doing the worst," Shine reasoned. "But since Kojo and Aspen are in 'the hole', and he let Sally go, that means that after this challenge, Aspen would be doing the worst."

"We're gonna have to try and push her ahead if there's any other challenges after this…"

000

As soon as Morgan, Shine, and Aura ran to confront Mewtwo, Titan and Connor got up and started running toward the stadium. The laps would be the longest to complete, so they decided to try and finish them first. Connor was still a bit tired, but he knew that he and Titan needed to push themselves to get the points for this challenge.

Eventually, the two of them made it to the stadium and started running back toward the beach. Now having a chance to talk to him, Connor asked Titan, "So… Titan… What do you think about Phill?"

Titan cocked a brow, not expecting that question, "I mean, the bloke seems alright, though it does feel like he's stonkered at times…"

Connor, having no clue what that meant, responded in confusion, "Uh…"

Titan sighed. He should have expected that the Bouffalant wouldn't understand. "He almost always looks and acts defeated, mate. Like he doesn't have confidence or nothin'."

Connor nodded in understanding, "Ah…"

The Galavntula inquired, "So why'd you ask? Does it have to deal with you two being some of the last two to make it back in the first challenge?"

"Sorta…" Connor replied as they approached the spot where everyone else was. As they ran past, they saw that Morgan, Shine, and Aura were doing push-ups, and that Ashton and Amethyst were running past them from the opposite direction. "Phill and I talked about the possibility of working together. Like Amethyst told us before, their alliance broke apart, so he wanted to see if he and Kojo could work with us, since I was trying to keep Kojo in."

Titan rose a brow in surprise. Given their earlier encounter with Amethyst and how irate she seemed to be, he had his doubts. "I dunno if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Remember that Amethyst came to us earlier and wanted to work with us again. Don't think she'll take kindly to Kojo working with us after he tried taking her out."

They eventually reached the front of the jail, stopping to catch their breaths for a bit. Connor understood what Titan was getting at; Amethyst practically despised Kojo for his attempted betrayal, so having him suddenly join their alliance would definitely cause issues. "Hey, Phill?!" he shouted.

Suddenly, Connor's afro started moving as Phill popped out again, similar to what he'd done earlier on. The Raticate groaned, using his tail to hold his head. "Man, that doesn't get better. It's soft up here, though..."

Titan gave the two of them a look of disbelief, "Again, mate?" It was funny the first time, but this time it just looked like Phill was using Connor as a free ride.

"Hey, whatever works," Connor replied with a shrug. He didn't see anything wrong with helping Phill. "So, uh… dude. Titan said the same thing I did, so… Kojo probably won't join us. You're free to, though."

Phill shrugged, "Eh, kinda figured. I'll just tell him who to vote for and we can go from there…"

Titan stared blankly at them. Did they seriously not see the problem, still? Clearing his throat, he explained, "Uh… mates… Amethyst doesn't like Kojo, remember? So I don't think she'll be good with Phill being around, either since she knows that they talk!"

"Well… Then we tell them the plan before we fill Amethyst in. Easy," Connor responded. "We'll have five votes and... Shine and her group will have five votes…"

"Well, Ashton and Amy are pretty close, so I think we can get her on our side, too," Phill added.

Titan had serious doubts about that. Heck, he had a lot of doubts after the challenge initially started, his only solace was the fact that this was an automatic elimination challenge.

Just then, Connor paled as he started hearing the sound of someone running. He glanced over and saw that the ladies were speeding toward them. He slurred, "Uh… Well, if that's all settled, we should start heading back… and maybe take out some of the smaller exercises, too!"

He immediately started running again, with Titan letting out a groan before following him.

000

"What the hell are these blokes thinking?!" Titan exclaimed. "There's only four of us menfolk left in the game, and seven women! Getting all of us guys together could be a good plan, but if Amethyst catches wind of what they plan on doing, we're all done for!"

"If Amethyst gets Ashton to help us, it really could work, but I'm not too confident…"

000

Kojo and Aspen were both sitting across from each other in the hole. When Aspen first appeared, Kojo was surprised, but also amused since he wasn't the only victim there. Both of them felt that they were there unfairly, but there wasn't anything that they could do about it.

Despite being out of commission for the challenge, and their disagreement the day prior, the two of them began to engage rather civilly. Neither of them wanted to be there, but if they were going to be stuck together for however long, they might as well try to get to know each other a bit more.

"So… uh… How's life?" Kojo inquired. He didn't really know what to ask about. All he knew was that the Furfrou was from a rich family and she had a chill, yet wimpy boyfriend.

Aspen gave him a look. Was he seriously trying that cliché route? "Really?" she deadpanned.

"Hey, I'm trying," he argued. "We don't have to just sit here in silence."

"I know that," she said, getting to her feet. She looked up at the grate, sighing to herself. "There's not much for me to really say. I mean, I'm rich, my boyfriend and I live together, and… that's it. Not really that exciting, especially compared to an actor."

Kojo stifled a laugh, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "Well, it's not as exciting as you think… especially with me. A lot of weird roles that can make or break you, dealing with snobby actors and overbearing directors, putting your body through the wringer for certain roles, shoots last for weeks to months… and not to mention the paparazzi watching your every move…"

Kojo took a breath, as Aspen soaked in everything he said. She had occasionally heard about his gripes, usually involving his ex-girlfriend. However, he made it sound like his career as a whole was a negative for him. "Oh. Well... If it causes you so much stress, then why are you still acting?"

"It's still a fun and worthwhile experience," he explained. "I mean, it's a lot better than this crappy show. Plus, the pay is still great. Plus, I've gotten used to it by now. My main issue was feeling lonely since Floatzelle was being a bitch, but… Summer's fixed that."

Aspen giggled, "Yeah, we all could tell. You proposed to her after only a few months."

Kojo shrugged with a blush, explaining, "We're not in a rush to get really married. We just put it out there for now. We're still engaged, but it'll be a pretty long time before any real wedding talk happens."

Aspen nodded, urging the Mienshao to pass her a question in return. "So, have you ever thought about what you would do if your boyfriend proposed?"

Aspen blushed. That possibility had crossed her mind, but she didn't know whether or not it crossed Dominic's.

"Uh… Well… I've sorta thought about it. I'd be happy to get married, but I don't know if Dom would…" Aspen sighed, a look of disappointment on her face.

Kojo cocked a brow. "Well, have you asked him? I mean, I know that some people are nervous about marriage, but talking about it usually helps…"

Aspen thought about it momentarily. Talking about it with Dominic had crossed her mind at some point, but she just felt that he wouldn't be as receptive given his family's history. "I guess…"

Kojo nodded. "You just have to talk to him and deal with whatever happens…"

Aspen sighed, as she still wasn't entirely sure. She wasn't in any rush, so she felt that it wouldn't be worth it. However, at the same time, she knew that at some point that they would need to discuss things.

000

Aspen sighed, "Dom's family is… pretty dysfunctional. A lot of divorce, abuse, cheating… You name it. So, I think marriage will be a bit of a touchy subject for him."

000

Amethyst and Ashton were walking back from the stadium, with Amethyst filling the Meganium in on what happened within the hole.

Ashton was probably the only one that Amethyst felt that she could confide in completely, so she was fine with disclosing her plan to her.

"Wait… you're just gonna work by yourself?" Ashton inquired, surprised by the Tundra Pokemon's declaration.

"That seems to be my best course of action…" Amethyst replied with a sigh. "Nobody seems to really care about my input or feelings. I'm just 'another vote', so I'm better off just working on my own…"

Ashton was perplexed by the Aurorus' logic. She felt that nobody saw her worth as anything but a vote, so she was going to work alone and possibly waste her vote?

"Hon… I think you'll just be hurting yourself," Ashton stated. "I understand how you feel, but isolating yourself won't really help you."

"Ash… Please, I know what I'm doing," she replied. "As much as the hole sucked, I had a bit of time to think about this…"

Ashton was still concerned, but decided to trust her and let her do her thing. If Amethyst was adamant about this, then she wasn't going to push against it.

000

Ashton sighed, shaking her head, "I really don't like this… At all."

000

"NINE MINUTES LEFT, MISFITS!" Mewtwo announced.

Ashton and Amethyst made it back to the main section of the beach, as Connor, Titan, and Phill passed them, heading back toward the stadium. Due to their now limited time, the two ladies figured that they would be better off trying to finish the more minor exercises.

As they prepared to start, they saw Morgan sprinting across the beach, trying to catch up with the guys. She moved so quickly it looked like she was chasing down prey.

Ashton and Amethyst exchanged looks as Shine came into view a few moments later. The Espeon slowed down upon reaching the main section of the beach again, with Aura slowly following her.

Upon seeing Ashton and Amethyst, Shine decided to approach them. The idea was still to try to convince Amethyst to come aboard and vote with them. This round may have been an automatic elimination, but that didn't mean that they couldn't prepare anyway.

She was unsure of Ashton, as the only ones who willingly left the alliance were Amethyst, Aura, and Sally. The Meganium could be an additional asset, but she could also be a problem if she still had some sway over Amethyst.

Despite her qualms, the Espeon still decided to speak with them, with Aura acting as backup. Clearing her throat, Shine greeted them, "Hey, Amethyst… Ashton…"

"Oh, uh… Hi Shine," Ashton responded. "What's up?"

"Well, we mainly need to talk to Amethyst," Shine explained. "It's no offen-"

Amethyst immediately cut her off, stating, "Anything you say to me, you can say to Ash. I'd tell her later on, anyway..."

Shine let out a sigh in response, prompting Aura to take over. "Look," the Glaceon began, doing a few push-ups in the meantime. "Basically... you two... hold a bit of power…"

Ashton and Amethyst each cocked a brow. The Aurorus inquired, "How do you figure?"

Aura stopped doing her push-ups, panting softly before explaining, "Sally and I are working with Shine, Morgan, and Aspen again. That's five of us. We only need one more to have the majority and we'll dominate the rest of this game."

"But… aren't you and Phill still together?" Ashton argued. "Why don't you just get him to work with you?"

"Do you really think that Phill will be willing to vote for Kojo?" Aura deadpanned. "None of the guys are willing to vote for who we want, so it's up to all of us girls to take control."

Hearing that explanation, a small smirk formed on Amethyst's face.

000

"Wow, so as soon as I decide to focus on myself, all of a sudden, a new opportunity falls into my lap," Amethyst commented before a small frown formed on her face. "Unluckily for them, I'm not stupid. I know that as soon as they get what they want, they'll try to vote me out."

"So, I'll have to think about it…"

000

Eventually, the countdown clock reached zero, causing an ear-splitting sound to be emitted from it.

After a while, all of the players returned to the section of the beach that Mewtwo was in, wanting the results. At that point, a majority of the players were completely exhausted. Despite this, they were all still required to stand. Morgan and Connor both looked like they were on the verge of passing out.

"Alright misfits, here's how it breaks down…" Mewtwo began, taking out a clipboard. "Cat bitch did the most, so she gets the most. Then it's buffalo boy, rat, psychic bitch, ice bitch, spider, flower dino, and ice dino."

"Top three? Woo-hoo!" Phill exclaimed.

"Shut it, rat!" Mewtwo shouted, immediately causing the Raticate to clam up. Once he was silent, the Genetic Pokémon sighed. "Alright, I guess by now you all deserve a brief break."

Once again, no one said anything, expecting another fake out. However, a couple of seconds later, they heard a few familiar voices from behind them. "Come on up players! There's a few snacks in the gazebo."

Turning around, the eight players that were on the beach saw salvation, as Mew, Virizion, and Xerneas were standing on the higher level. Immediately, they rushed up and started heading toward the gazebo, leaving Mewtwo on the beach. Virizion and Xerneas still wore looks of displeasure, while Mew sighed.

The hosts went down to talk to him, while the other players all went to the gazebo for their much-needed break.

000

The gazebo had buttered rolls, meat, and cheese spread on each of the tables, so people could eat them individually, or make sandwiches if they chose to. There were also cups of water on the tables so that they could hydrate, as well as a few fans blowing in the vicinity, which would allow the players to cool down.

Kojo, Aspen, and Sally were already there, with the former two already chowing down. As the others came over, some of them immediately laid their heads on the tables. Seeing this, Sally stifled a laugh, "So, how'd the rest of the challenge go?"

Almost everyone glared at her, not giving her a proper response. The Ampharos couldn't really blame them for being upset and annoyed, especially since she was immune.

"Mewtwo is a fucking asshole," Morgan groaned, panting softly. The Persian was just so tired and hot. She was glad that she could just sit for a while under the gazebo. She grabbed one of the rolls and started to eat it.

"Well, on the bright side, you're in the lead," Shine responded, rubbing her back. "If you wanted to, you could just sit out the next challenge and still be okay."

"Yeah, you're pretty much the frontrunner, so you don't have anything to worry about," Aspen stated, eating a piece of ham.

"I know, but..." the Classy Cat Pokémon sighed. "...we need to make sure that you do well in the next challenge. You're in dead last right now."

Upon hearing that, the Furfrou looked down. If she didn't do well in the next challenges, she was a goner. At the same time, she didn't want to have the others essentially 'carry' her. "I think I can do it on my own. I don't want you all to have to carry me…"

The others exchanged looks, unsure of what to make of her statement. They didn't have doubts in her abilities, but they were still worried.

Aura cleared her throat, "Well, we're still gonna try to help. Not carry, but help."

Aspen nodded. She was hoping that things worked out; it all depended on what the challenge was.

With that passing by, Shine inquired, "So… What happened with Kojo in the hole?"

-000-

Phill was scarfing down cheese and bread as Connor and Titan spoke with Kojo. Connor had to explain the situation and what they were planning to do, while Titan sat with a look of annoyance.

"Wait, so I can't be that involved because of Amethyst?" Kojo scoffed.

"We're just worried that she won't work with us if she knows that you're involved," Connor explained. "So, right now, we don't have anything to worry about since this is an automatic elimination round. But after today, we'll only be able to talk when Amethyst isn't around."

Kojo groaned in annoyance, holding his head. "Figures…"

"Well, that only ends up being the case if she gets a big enough score," Phill chimed in, eating another cube of cheese. "If Amethyst gets the lowest score by the end of the day and gets eliminated, then we'd just have to try and get Ashton on our side, instead."

Connor nodded, "That makes sense."

"Well, let's just hope that this next challenge is something she's bad at, then," Kojo replied. "I really don't need her ruining my game because she's holding a grudge."

Titan let out a soft sigh, correcting him, "You mean all of our games, mate."

The other guys exchanged slight looks of confusion, which prompted the Galvantula to elaborate. However, Phill went ahead and inquired, "What do you mean?"

With a deadpan tone, Titan passed a question to his fellow males at the table. "Mates… How many ladies are in the game?"

Looking around, the guys counted the girls, and immediately understood what he was getting at. Connor sighed, "There's seven of them and four of us… Right…"

"Yeah…" Titan responded, a hint of condescension in his voice. "So, after this round, if Amethyst doesn't get the shaft, it'll likely be in our best interest to try and work on Ashton instead. If we focus on Amethyst and things go wrong, then all of us are done for."

Kojo could understand where Titan was coming from, but what he was saying didn't make a lot of sense. All they had to do was make sure that Amethyst didn't know that they were all working together and they would be fine. The Galvantula was acting like they were all simply doomed for even trying to work together.

"So you're just worried about an all-girls alliance in general," the Mienshao reasoned. "Because that's understandable, but you're making it seem like we can't risk doing anything just because Amethyst got her feelings hurt."

"We have to do something if we wanna last longer in this game," Phill spoke up. "Nothing wrong with taking a risk. Especially since I'm pretty sure all four of us are safe this time around."

Kojo chuckled, "Yeah, I'm honestly surprised that you're even trying..."

"Well, he's hitched a few rides on Connor's head," Titan stated.

"Work smart, not hard," Phill responded as he munched on another piece of bread. "Plus, I may not like it, but if I have to work to stay in the game, I will. There's no guarantee I'll be that great, but eh…"

"Hey, whatever keeps you here," Kojo shrugged. "Gotta do what you gotta do…"

"Right!" Phill concurred.

-000-

"So Shine and Aura already filled you in?" Sally inquired, eating a miniature sandwich she had created.

Sitting with Amethyst and Ashton, Sally wanted to see where their heads were at and see if the other girls had gotten to them yet.

With a dry chortle, Amethyst replied, "Yeah. Apparently we have the most power since we can choose to go with all of you girls or team up with the guys."

Sally nodded, getting confirmation. She asked, "So, what were your thoughts on that?"

Ashton remained silent, as it wasn't her place. Shine had essentially made it clear that the other girls had no interest in including her, so why would she engage? Amethyst, however, glanced over at the table occupied by the other girls, and responded with a huff, "I'm not stupid."

Sally cocked a brow, curious as to why she responded that way. She honestly would have thought that the Aurorus would be thrilled to have more people to work with. "What do you mean?"

"We only have power until we've helped them take out the guys, then they'll just vote us out, too," Amethyst groused. "I'm tired of being treated as 'just another vote'."

Sally nodded in understanding, as it was expressed during their earlier meeting that she was seen as 'not contributing much'. So, once again being relegated to 'just another vote', definitely didn't help anything. However, given that the Ampharos wasn't planning on sticking with the ladies for long anyway, a smirk formed on her face.

"Well, I wasn't planning on staying with them for long, either," Sally explained, much to the surprise of the two lady dinosaurs.

"You weren't? I thought that you and Shine made up," Ashton responded curiously.

Sally shrugged, "We kinda did, but that doesn't mean that I'm gonna stay. I'm in the same boat as Amethyst. I'm not stupid, either. Shine and Morgan are the biggest threats to win this game, but I'm perfectly fine with taking out Kojo and Titan first."

She continued, "Kojo's just as threatening, if not more, since he's a biped like me. And Titan could find the statue again, which none of us want to happen. Once those two are out of the picture, we can go after Shine and Morgan."

"We just have to hope that we beat out the others in the next challenges," Amethyst stated. "Ash and I are dangerously close to getting the boot, so we're gonna have to work our asses off to try to beat the others."

It was then that Sally swore to herself. Ashton and Amethyst were doing awful in the challenges. The only reason that they weren't dead last was because Aspen got sent to the hole. She needed to make sure that they remained in the game, but didn't want to forfeit her immunity.

Before she could say another word, Mewtwo teleported to the middle of the gazebo. "BREAK'S OVER! RETURN TO THE BEACH IMMEDIATELY!" he commanded, startling the others. He then promptly teleported away, looks of annoyance returning to the competitors' faces, aside from Sally.

000

Sally sighed, "I was thinking about letting Amethyst or Ashton swap with me so that they can be immune and I get back on the chopping block."

"But, they've got this… Hopefully…"

000

Despite their annoyance, the competing players made their way back to the beach, where their looks of displeasure shifted into looks of relief.

Mew, Virizion, and Xerneas were still there, while Mewtwo kept his same initial expression. However, they were not alone, as there was now another obstacle course on the beach. The course appeared to consist of many ramps, log-like hurdles, a rope climb, monkeybars, and a net crawl.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Aura groused upon seeing the course.

"Welcome to your final challenge of the day," Virizion greeted, much to the happiness of all of the players. Once their cheers died down, the Grassland Pokémon continued, "I'm sure all of you are happy about that, and you'll also be happy to hear that this challenge will only be completed by those with less than 150 points."

A few of the players' smiles grew wider, while others' faded. Mewtwo, noticing the split expressions, spoke up, "It was a fair compromise. I've given you three challenges, each with the highest score being 100, so it's just sliced in half. It was either that, or the score that you currently have will be your final score."

Upon hearing that, a good number of the players exchanged looks, turning to the three main hosts. "Uh… We'd actually love that. Why wasn't that the default decision?" Kojo inquired.

Virizion and Xerneas exchanged looks before looking to Mew for his decision. Considering everything that had transpired already, he let out a sigh. "Well, we can vote on it if you want," he explained.

Mewtwo smirked to himself, glad that they were doing this. He didn't appreciate the comments that Virizion and Xerneas made to him while the players were on their break, but he didn't really care at the same time. He then noticed that the ladies and Mew were looking at him, as were the players, as if expecting an answer.

"I don't care," he stated. "This is on them, now," he said, nodding to the players.

"In that case…" Xerneas began. "If you're happy with your score and would like to end the challenge, raise an appendage."

Everyone raised, or attempted to raise, an appendage aside from Morgan, Shine, Aspen, and Aura. The four of them were literally just discussing that Aspen had the lowest score! That wasn't fair!"

"Alright, looks like the majority rules. This challenge is over," Virizion declared. "Mewtwo, you can-"

As she turned in his direction, she saw that the Genetic Pokémon was already gone. She huffed, "Should have expected that."

Mew cleared his throat, "Well, if the challenge is over, then we can get to the results. We've kept track of all of your progress and-"

Titan cut him off, "Yes, yes, we already know. Morgan has the highest score and Aspen has the lowest, so-"

"Yes, thank you Titan," Xerneas interrupted, narrowing her eyes at him. She then turned to Aspen, "Yes, Aspen. It's true, you have the lowest score, so…"

"I'm out…" Aspen sighed sadly.

"This is bullshit!" Aura shouted angrily. "Mewtwo sent her to the hole because he didn't like that she talked again!"

"Well, those were his rules," Kojo argued, shrugging his shoulders. He was just happy that it wasn't him who had the lowest score. "He was in charge, so… You just have to deal with it. Hell, I got sent to the hole for questioning the Grapploct!"

Aura glared at him, as did Shine and Morgan.

"Well, Aspen… it's time for you to go," Mew stated. "The rest of you, head back to camp and just try to enjoy the rest of your day."

"Gladly, mate," Titan stated as he and a few of the other players started heading back to the campground.

000

"Well, that actually went… well?" Ashton commented, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "If they hadn't let us vote on it, there's no way that Amethyst or I would've done well on that course."

"I've made it further than I did on my first season," she continued before letting out a sigh. "I just have to keep myself in a decent position and try to keep people… handled."

000

Aspen was standing at the dock with her friends, as well as Phill, who was mainly there to support Aura. The girls were all relatively upset. Not only were they losing a friend, but their alliance was slightly weakened again. The Furfrou let out a sigh, as Morgan nuzzled her. "I'll see you around," the Persian said.

Aspen nodded with a small smile, "Yeah. Probably more often after all of this. Gotta meet my niece, after all..."

Morgan chuckled to herself before nodding back, "Right…"

Aspen's eyes went to Aura, who was looking down, sad and disgruntled. Phill was patting her back in an attempt to comfort her, but it didn't seem to be working. "Aura…" the Poodle Pokémon began.

"It's not fucking fair!" the Glaceon shouted. "You were my only friend here for the longest time. You're my best friend at this point! And Mewtwo just had to be a dick, just like all of the other fucking Legendaries on this show and-"

Aspen placed a paw on the Glaceon's muzzle, silencing her with a giggle. "Calm down," Aspen said softly. "You're gonna be okay. You've still got Shine, Morgan… and Phill is your man, still."

The Glaceon sighed, looking at Phill before nudging him with a blush.

"See?" Aspen replied. "You'll be fine."

Aura looked back down as Aspen was directed to the elimination device. Virizion commented, "Well Aspen, you underwent quite a change this season. Sad that you had to go this way, but… the game must be played."

Aspen sighed as she finally entered the Suck of Shame. "I know… But, I'm also glad that I get to go and actually relax."

"Always a good way to view this," Xerneas stated. "Well, we'll see you around."

Mew pressed the switch, dropping the Furfrou who let out a shriek. Once she was dropped, the others started to walk away. Aura was the main one still hurt about it, as Phill didn't really care, and Morgan and Shine were more so annoyed. Shine didn't even have anything of value to say, as she and Aspen hardly really interacted privately.

000

Shine sighed, "This is ridiculous. Today was completely awful. Mewtwo proved that he's just as big of an asshole as all of the others Legendaries, and now we've lost Aspen."

"We're really going to need Amethyst to work with us, now," she stated. "We just have to hope that she was receptive to the idea..."

000

Mew, Virizion, and Xerneas remained on the dock, with Xerneas letting out a sigh, "After all of that, I really wished we could have just made this a normal vote elimination, instead."

"Well, you two decided to do this type of call back, and we let them end it early, so… we needed to at least stick with the automatic section," Mew responded. "On the brighter side for you two, Mewtwo won't be involved with anything dealing with the show anymore."

"Yeah, I guess that's good for all parties involved," Virizion replied with a sigh. She then turned her focus to the camera. "Well, we're down to the final ten, and we all know that things will only get tougher from here."

"Who'll be the next to go?" Xerneas inquired rhetorically. "Find out next time on…"

Knowing that he'd have to end it, Mew let out a sigh of his own before adding, "Total Pokémon: Underdogs…"

000

See ya guys, BYE!