Total Pokemon: Underdogs

by Dark Arcanine 33

Oh god, they're back AGAIN! This time, 44 Total Pokemon underdogs have been brought back for a chance at 5 MILLION POKE! What will happen this time? Find out here! (Season 7)

34. Blunder Storm

Announcer: Last time on Total Pokémon Underdogs, the contestants, the blasts from the past continued in earnest. However, unlike the previous one, this one was tiring for all of the right reasons.

With Aspen gone, Shine, Morgan, Sally, and Aura knew that they were going to have to turn to Amethyst and Ashton if they wanted to keep control of the game. Unfortunately for them, the pair knew that they were just going to be used, so they weren't truly interested. However, they agreed to hear the other girls out anyway.

Connor realized that there could be more statues hidden on the island, as nobody ever reported on the original pair of statues that were in the game. And due to forgetfulness, an extra one was planted during the merge, which was found by Titan and used by him. So, there could be three statues on the island. He explained this to Titan and Amethyst, and while Amethyst was happy to hear that, Titan couldn't care less.

In the reward challenge, where the contestants participated in an eating competition, Amethyst came out on top and earned an advantage in the second part of the challenge. However, the second challenge was another Awake-A-Thon, once again calling back to their first official season.

Deciding not to use her advantage, Amethyst dozed off after a while, along with a majority of the contestants thanks to added difficulties such as warm milk and a serenade from Meloetta. In the end, a deal was made between Titan and Morgan, earning Morgan immunity, but at a price.

At the elimination ceremony, Morgan held up her end of the bargain, throwing a vote for Shine, who she'd just learned might be pregnant. However, it turned out to be a fake out, as Sally went home instead, thanks to Connor.

Nine remain, and the game's getting insane. Who's got the chops to make it to the top? Find out right now on Total… Pokémon… Underdogs!

000

*Intro plays*

000

The sky wore a veil of light gray, covering the bright sun that usually beamed down upon the island. Harsh winds caused the leaves of trees and shrubs to bounce and shake, and a faint smell of moisture filled the air.

An obvious conclusion could be made here; it was about to rain or even storm! The island hadn't had much precipitation, so this was a welcome change in weather.

With the previous night's elimination still fresh on their minds, all of the remaining ladies decided to meet up on the first floor of the jail in order to plan their next moves.

Now that they'd had a good night's sleep, their heads were back in the game, and they were more determined than ever to put the guys in their place. Or at the very least, they would attempt to.

Ashton let out a disappointed sigh as they all sat inside of the large metal building. She stared out of the door and at the raging sea and sand blowing in the breeze. Not only did she dislike storms, but she did not want to be there. She was more interested in talking to the guys and finding out what happened because it seemed like Shine was their initial target, but something changed after she and Amethyst left.

Did they intentionally lie? Or did something happen? As much as she wanted to leave, she knew that she needed to be there in order to keep up appearances.

"Well, looks like it may storm today," Aura commented, looking out of the door.

"Fitting how a real storm's coming when we're planning a storm of our own," Morgan joked.

"I mean, aren't we just gonna stick together and vote out whatever guys don't get immunity?" Amethyst inquired. "Seems pretty cut and dry to me…"

The Aurorus was down with joining the girls to take out the guys, especially now since they voted out Sally instead of Shine. She was just a bit confused as to why they needed to meet up and act like they were concocting some grandiose plan. There were five girls and four guys, simple math.

"Yeah, well look at what 'cut and dry' got us last time…" Aura deadpanned. "You guys voted for Shine instead of Titan, and the guys took control."

"Where is Shine, anyway?" Ashton inquired, noticing that the Espeon wasn't with them.

Morgan sweatdropped. "Um… She's still resting. She's uh…" she glanced up toward the office, letting out a sigh. "She's got a lot on her mind right now, and we don't wanna disturb her."

The Persian knew that she couldn't tell anybody about Shine's possible pregnancy. If it got out, the results would be disappointing either way. Either Shine wasn't truly pregnant, and she'd be extremely saddened, or she was pregnant, and she'd have to leave. However, in the back of her mind, she felt a bit scummy, because if Shine was pregnant and they didn't tell, the egg could be at risk.

"Yeah, we can just tell her later," Aura concurred. "So, what's the plan? Are we still targeting Titan?"

Morgan shook her head. "Not this time. You saw what they just did. They made three of us think that they were targeting a 'big threat', but then ended up eliminating someone else. We need to return the favor…"

Aura's eyes widened as she realized where she was going with this. She shook her head, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not voting for Phill! He may be voting with the guys, but he doesn't deserve-"

Morgan quickly assured her, "No, no, we're not voting for Phill. Though, we'll have to sooner or later, y'know."

Aura gave her a look but remained silent. She knew that Phill would need to go sooner or later, but she wasn't willing to go against him just yet.

"So… Connor or Kojo, then?" Amethyst reasoned, as those were the only two remaining options.

"Since we've made it clear that Kojo and Titan are our main targets, going for Connor seems to be the best course of action," Morgan explained. "They wouldn't really expect it."

"Plus, he made it pretty far in the eating part of the challenge yesterday," Aura added.

Morgan nodded. "So as long as Connor doesn't win the next immunity, everything should work out this time. We all have to be solid on this. No... wavering..."

The Persian leered at the Meganium and Aurorus with a stern expression as she said the last sentence. They were the main ones, aside from herself, who hadn't voted with the other girls yesterday. Not only that, but they had willingly voted for Shine, so she wasn't sure if their being there was genuine or not. Sure, they both had some sort of bond with Sally, but that didn't mean that they were really upset about it.

Amethyst and Ashton exchanged glances, not saying anything. Ashton already knew what she was going to do, but Amethyst was beginning to weigh her options. However, knowing that they'd need an actual response, Amethyst replied, "We got it…"

The Persian still wasn't entirely convinced, but given that she had no other options, she decided to leave it be.

"Well," Aura said, getting to her feet. "If we've got all of that settled, should we get back up to the office?" she asked Morgan. "I don't wanna be down here when-"

Suddenly, the sound of booming thunder was heard, cutting the Glaceon off. Rain began to pour down as thunder continued to boom outside of the jail. The wind became even harsher, with the sound of shaking leaves and splashing water becoming slightly louder as a result.

"-the storm starts," Aura finished with a sigh.

"I really hope they don't make us do a challenge today," Ashton whispered to herself, looking at the raging storm.

000

Phill and Kojo were inside of the Loser Cabin, the roof leaking slightly due to the rotting wood and cracks of the raggedy building. The Raticate stared out of the window, watching as the rain came pouring down and the branches and leaves quaked from the violent winds.

"It's really coming down today, huh?" Phill commented. "Hope the girls are doing alright…"

Kojo huffed. "Considering that Morgan, Shine, and Aura are always in its jailhouse sanctuary… I'd guess that they're doing just fine," he responded, lying on one of the bottom bunks. "And I'd think that Ashton and Amethyst would be in their side of the cabin."

"Fair enough…" Phill responded, moving away from the window. He took a seat on the bunk across from his friend. Given the weather, there was a chance that there wouldn't be a challenge today, so Phill began thinking about his place in the game thus far, as well as what happened yesterday.

"So… Do you think they're really mad at us?" he inquired. The guys hadn't filled them in on the target swap, and they were close to her. The Raticate had a feeling that they were going to be upset and against them now. Especially since the two of them joined the other girls in seeing her off, while the four guys returned to the campgrounds.

The Mienshao raised a brow. "For voting out Sally?" he specified questioningly.

"Yeah," Phill answered. "I mean… They were friends with her, and we didn't tell them that Connor wanted to change the vote."

Kojo sat up with a grunt. "Well, if they're upset, then… Connor's screwed," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It was his idea that got Sally eliminated, so they'd have to be made at him, not us…"

Phill nodded in understanding. It was the Bouffalant's idea, so he would be an easy scapegoat if the girls were upset. If they weren't upset, though, that was even better. "And, if they somehow aren't mad at us…?"

"We're still good," Kojo responded. "I mean, either way, we're in the clear. If they're mad, we blame Connor. If they're not mad, we just target Shine or Morgan again. Easy."

"It's never that easy," Phill deadpanned.

Suddenly, the door of the cabin swung open. Titan entered the building, his fur drenched from the rain and adorned by leaves and small twigs.

Grumbling, the Galvantula shut the door behind him. "I think one of the weather boys is getting a good wank off…" he deadpanned.

"Well, given that we've met them... It's plausible," Kojo responded. "And I'd bet money on Thundurus being the one…"

Titan huffed as he started shaking in order to get the water and debris off of himself.

"Where's Connor?" Phill inquired. With the storm raging outside, he'd think that Connor would be just as eager to get to actual shelter as they were. He was also usually with Titan, so it was odd that he wasn't there.

Truth be told, Titan didn't know. All he knew was that Connor said that he was going to start looking for the statues, so he could be anywhere on the island. "No clue. The bloke decided to take a walk even though I told him that a storm was comin'. So, he's either gettin' drenched, or he's at another place."

An idea formed in Kojo's head upon hearing that. It would have to wait a bit, as he didn't want to alarm anyone, but he felt that once Morgan and Shine were gone, Connor should be the very next one that they take out.

"Well, hopefully the storm blows over soon, because I'm hungry…" Phill commented, lying on his back on the bed.

Kojo and Titan exchanged looks as thunder boomed outside again, startling them.

000

Connor rushed into the gym, desperately wanting to escape the rain as the sound of thunder continued to reverberate. He panted softly, happy to be out of the rain. However, now he had a new problem, as the air-conditioned building was frigid on the inside. With him being covered in water, the cold air caused a chill to run down his spine.

"DAMMIT, IT'S COLD!" he exclaimed. He tried to shake himself dry, but he was still chilly being inside of the building.

He had been out and about searching for the statues before the storm fully began. He had no clue if his hypothesis regarding them was correct or not, but he wanted to try to look for them anyway. If yesterday was any indication of how the game was going to be going forward, then he was definitely going to need the statue.

If all of the girls were really pissed off by Sally's elimination, including Ashton and Amethyst, then he was going to need to have some sort of safety if he couldn't win an immunity challenge. They were likely going to be blaming Titan for her leaving, as he was the one who made the deal with Morgan. However, this game was unpredictable, so he couldn't even be sure if the next challenge would be a vote out or an automatic elimination.

He let out a sigh as he started climbing into the ring. His horns and afro got caught on the ropes for a moment, but he managed to get inside of the ring. With the storm still raging outside, the Bouffalant figured that he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, so he decided to lie in the ring until the storm died down.

He let out a sigh, lying his head on the matted surface. Thoughts on his place in the game, and everything that had transpired so far, began swimming in his head. Despite being eliminated early back in season two and considering himself a non-entity for most of his time there, he managed to make it to the final nine.

Not only that, but he actually started to stand up for himself and take charge more. It was very awkward and painful in the beginning, but he actually grew, got a boyfriend in the process, made a few more friends, and found himself in a better position than he originally was. He really thought that being brought back would be another humiliating venture. Especially since Victini consistently spoke negatively of them and treated them like they were less.

However, his experience this second time around was a lot more… fulfilling. There was still pain, sadness, humiliation, anger, depression… Just a ton of negativity in general, but there was still a bit of good there for him.

Thunder boomed louder and louder as lightning streaked across the sky. Eventually, the lights in the gym began to flicker before shutting off completely. The Bouffalant groaned in annoyance. "At least the air's off…" he commented flatly.

He knew that it wasn't likely that there was something in the gym, but he was tempted to search. However, with the lights now out, he continued to lie in the ring. He'd probably come back to check this place out if he remembered.

000

Morgan and Aura were back in the office of the jail, having left Amethyst and Ashton on the ground floor because of their larger sizes.

"Hopefully they won't think we're isolating them on purpose…" Morgan sighed as she lay on the couch next to a still sleeping Shine. "We really need their votes…"

Aura huffed, "If you ask me, we're screwed regardless. So, I honestly don't think it matters."

Morgan didn't even have to ask why, as she had her own doubts, anyway. She just let out a sigh before glancing at Shine, who was still sound asleep.

"I would've thought that she'd be up by now…" Aura commented, eyeing the snoozing Espeon. "...must still be sick…"

"Yeah, I guess you can say that…" the Persian responded before laying her head on one of the arms of the couch.

At that point, she just felt doomed. There were just so many variables that were likely to work against her that she felt like she had no shot at winning anymore.

Shine had signs of being pregnant, so she'd have to leave if she was; Amethyst and Ashton were likely not truly with them and were probably going to vote with the guys; Aura was a number, but practically useless in challenges; and there was a chance that Titan could find the statue again if it was out there!

With all of that against her, she wasn't sure about what she could do to save herself aside from winning immunity.

A thoughtful look suddenly formed on her face. Maybe there was something that she could do. She'd just have to ask the hosts a single, important question.

Noticing the change in the Persian's visage, Aura smirked, "You look like you've got an idea..."

"Yeah…" Morgan attested. "It's basic, but… We just need to know if the statue is back in play. They never told us if it was or not. And if it is…"

Aura let out a sigh. She understood where Morgan was going with this, but she wasn't sure if it would bring the results the Persian wanted.

"...if it is, then there's no guarantee that we'd find it before any of the guys do," the Fresh Snow Pokémon argued. "If one of them finds it again, we'll just be even more screwed."

Morgan already knew the risk, but it was literally their only option if they didn't have the numbers. "Well, we don't really have another choice unless the two other ladies down there decide to vote with us instead of with the guys. And I honestly don't trust that happening..."

Aura let out a sigh, "Maybe we should wake up Shine and ask her. She may be able to come up with a plan. She can see the future and everything after all…"

"Yeah, but she gets migraines from doing that," Morgan recalled. "And in her condition, I don't think that'd be a good idea."

Aura cocked a brow in confusion before her eyes shifted between the Espeon and Persian. Were they hiding something? Her eyes settled back on Morgan, seeking answers, "What do you mean? What's her condition? She's just sleeping, isn't she?"

Morgan then realized her mistake. She quickly skated around it, explaining, "Well, yeah, but she was really sick yesterday, remember? We don't need to make it worse."

Aura groaned in frustration, "Well there goes that angle…"

"We just need to ask them if the statue is back in play, and then look for it," the Classy Cat Pokémon explained. "It's the best that we can do in this situation…"

Aura huffed to herself. She really didn't think that Morgan's idea would pan out how she thought, but apparently, she didn't really have a say on the matter.

000

Ashton and Amethyst were sitting inside one of the more decent looking cells that was situated away from the door.

The two were currently considering their options, with each of them wanting different things. Ashton wanted to go back to the guys in order to see what happened. She wasn't particularly bothered by Sally's elimination, but just wanted a straight answer. Meanwhile, Amethyst was now more hesitant to work with the guys due to them eliminating Sally.

"They lied to us, Ash," Amethyst stated matter-of-factly. "There's no way around it. They told us one thing, then did another thing behind our backs."

The Aurorus didn't understand why Ashton was still willing to work with the guys after they lied and eliminated their friend instead of the obvious threat, Shine.

"I understand that, but we don't know the reason why," Ashton explained. "If they can explain themselves, then-"

"Why do we have to listen to an explanation!?" Amethyst argued. "They lied and voted out Sally instead of Shine! They practically screwed us!"

Ashton sighed, shaking her head. The Tundra Pokémon wasn't listening or thinking properly. Sally getting eliminated really upset her. "Amy… Working with the guys is much better for us than working with these girls!"

"Better for us… or better for you?" Amethyst countered, glowering at the Meganium.

Now Ashton was even more confused. Amethyst was vehemently against working with the girls, or even hearing them out, but now, just because Sally was eliminated, she changed her mind? "What…? Amy, we've literally talked about how the girls are only gonna use us for votes and then immediately get rid of us once we've fulfilled our purpose! When I say better for us, I mean better for us."

Amethyst countered with a scoff, "Yeah, well we said that, and look at what's happened. The guys used us so they had the majority, not the girls."

Ashton could understand Amethyst's point, but in the grand scheme of things, the guys posed less of a threat than the girls. She needed her to understand that. "Yes, I get that. But we need to use our heads and not hold Sally's elimination against them. They're still our best option."

"Ash…" Amethyst began, raising her voice a bit.

"Sticking with the girls will cement our places at the bottom!" the Meganium argued. "The guys are more divided, so we'd be better off with them until Morgan and Shine are voted out."

"And what if they decide to vote us out instead? Hm?" Amethyst retorted. "They voted out Sally. They could vote us out, too!"

"You're not listening to me!" Ashton exclaimed. "I know that you're upset that Sally's gone. It upset me, too. But, we shouldn't stop working with the guys over it if we're better off with them!"

Amethyst started walking out of the cell, in disbelief that Ashton was still willing to trust the people who just got rid of their friend. It really showed the kind of game that she was playing. She was the one who wanted to listen to the girls in the first place, even though she didn't even agree with them. Now, when the guys have literally lied to them, she still wanted to work with them instead of the girls.

Amethyst wasn't even big on working with the girls either, but with Sally now gone, she felt that she could trust the remaining girls more. She couldn't trust them completely, as they were still the biggest threats and would cut her once they got what they wanted. However, at the moment, she was more comfortable with them.

Seeing her start leaving, Ashton inquired with worry, "Where are you going?" The sound of thunder startled her as she started following Amethyst out of the cell. "Amethyst!" she called.

The Aurorus huffed, turning to her before responding, "I'm gonna need to rethink some things. Don't follow me…"

Ashton was shocked as she watched the Tundra Pokémon enter a different cell. She could only sigh in disappointment. Her eyes went to the jail's exit. If Amethyst was going to be difficult, then she was going to have to have some agency of her own.

000

Mew was, surprisingly, back in his own room for once. He knew that he needed to try and get back into the swing of things if he was going to try and seem fine. He was tired of worrying the few people that actually cared about him and retreading old ground. No matter how much he's grown to despise participating in the series, he couldn't just keep unloading the same stuff over and over. It wouldn't solve anything.

He sat up in his bed, rubbing his temples with a sigh. "Get it together… Just do what you need to do…" he said to himself.

As he floated toward his door, he heard a knock on it. He already knew that it was either one of three people. Opening the door, he was greeted by, as he expected, Virizion.

"Hey V," he greeted with a wave. "I was just about to head to the showers so we can get on with today…"

Virizion let out a sigh, "That's… What I came to get you for. We may have a problem…"

Mew couldn't help but twitch his left eye. Why was there always something making his life difficult?!

-000-

Mew, Virizion, and Xerneas sat in front of the large television inside of the living room. They were on the news channel, where a Castform was explaining that a severe thunderstorm was occurring in the area where their island happened to be located.

"Looks like there's a storm going on," Xerneas stated. "So, I don't think a challenge in those conditions would be the greatest idea..."

"Yeah," Virizion concurred. "As much as you want this to end as quickly as possible… I don't think we should put the contestants through that."

They knew that Mew and Victini had done challenges while it was storming before, so it wouldn't really be a huge deal. However, given how awful this season had been to the contestants so far, they wanted to avoid doing that again.

Mew understood the concern, as they were all being much more considerate with regards to the competitors and their well-being. However, he did not want to take the break. He wanted this done. "Well… Who said that the challenges had to be done outside?" he inquired rhetorically.

The ladies exchanged looks of confusion. They knew what Mew wanted to do, but had he forgotten that the island only had a few areas that were completely indoors?

"Mew, I don't think having them do a challenge from inside of their cabins will be very exciting or entertaining…" Virizion commented.

"I could make a cover over the stadium so that it doesn't rain on them," Mew explained. "We'd be able to still do the challenges that way."

The ladies exchanged glances once again. It sounded like it could work as long as they took the proper precautions.

"That… actually sounds interesting," Xerneas grinned just before an idea hit her. "Oh! We could have them do pretty simple challenges. Like games that you'd play when you're stuck in the house!"

"Hmm…" Virizion ruminated about the idea for a bit. "Well… the games we choose could be simple, but we'd need to somehow make them work well as 'big challenges'."

"We've done this kinda thing before," Mew stated. "I think we'll be fine. We'll just need to get with Zahku so that things work out."

"Well, let's see what we can do," Xerneas said, rising to her feet.

000

After her discussion with Amethyst, Ashton ran back toward the cabins so that she could actually talk to the guys. She needed to give them the rundown of the situation and get answers. Due to her running through the rain and feeling the harsh, cold winds, the Meganium was still shivering, so Kojo placed a blanket over her.

Ashton let out a sigh, "Thanks…"

"Uh… No problem," Kojo responded. "Where are you coming from? We thought that you and Amethyst were next door."

The Herb Pokémon shook her head. "No, all of the girls were inside of the jail. We agreed to meet there after what happened yesterday…"

The guys exchanged looks of worry, with Kojo inquiring. "And uh… What were you all talking about?"

Ashton was about to explain, but she needed her own questions answered first. "Ah-ah, before I tell you guys, I need to know what happened yesterday. Why did you guys change the vote to Sally instead of Shine?"

The guys all exchanged looks, as Ashton sighed. She promptly explained, "Look. I'm not that bothered by it, but I still need answers…"

"Wait… so… is Amethyst upset?" Phill inquired, fiddling with his fingers. He was actually pretty anxious about that knowledge, as the Aurorus's involvement would make or break their place in the game.

"Like I said, I'll explain everything, but I need to know what happened," Ashton restated.

Titan decided to go ahead and nip it in the bud, as he was more interested in learning what the girls were planning, if anything. "The idea was still gonna be Shine after you two left, but Connor mentioned that Sally had her foot in with Morgan's group, and with you and Amethyst…"

"Yeah, and we saw all of you girls talking at the last challenge and... well…" Kojo explained sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Ashton let out a sigh. They voted out Sally because they thought she was trying to get all of the girls together. Granted, she was, so the Meganium couldn't blame them. What made things even worse though, was the fact that if she hadn't agreed to hear the girls out, Sally could have still been there.

"Well, you got your answer…" Titan spoke up. "What about ours?"

Honoring what she said, Ashton snapped out of her thoughts. "Right, right. Uh… the girls want to do something unexpected, so they're going to try to target Connor if he doesn't win immunity."

Titan groaned internally. On the one hand, he was glad that he wasn't the target for a change. The girls had been aiming for him and Kojo for quite a while, so this was a nice change of pace. On the other hand, though, Connor was his closest ally. If the Bouffalant was voted out, he'd have to mainly rely on Kojo and Phill, and that would all but guarantee his failure.

Phill spoke up, "Well, I mean... If the five of us vote for one of them, instead… that won't really matter, right?"

"Right," Kojo answered with a firm nod. "This time we're definitely getting rid of either Shine or Morgan. End of story". With Ashton on their side, the Mienshao felt that they had nothing to worry about. The fact that the girls were thinking about targeting Connor instead of himself was interesting, though.

Titan glanced at Ashton, who hadn't said anything else once she finished explaining the girls' plan. He couldn't lie, her being so calm and offering this information to them felt a bit suspicious. She had made it clear that she was on the guys' side, but the Galvantula just felt like there was more to it.

A couple of seconds later, more thunder boomed, and the four of them vanished from the cabin.

000

Darkness. Pitch-black darkness. That was all that could be seen as the players found themselves in a new location. While their vision was compromised, they could luckily still speak.

"What the hell is this?!" Morgan swore, trying to look around with no results. "Where am I?"

Upon hearing her voice, and others who began to speak up, Kojo let out a sigh. If he could hear others near him, then there was only one explanation. "Well… I guess they are making us do a challenge today," he sighed in displeasure.

With a huff, Amethyst commented, "Great…" A few seconds later, her sails began glowing a light red, offering them a bit of light in the darkness. With this limited light, the players began looking around and were able to conclude that they were inside of the stadium again. Or at least, they were in an area that was similar to the stadium.

Bright lights soon surprised them as Mew, Virizion, and Xerneas made their presence known. The bright lights temporarily stunned the players, who had to take a moment to recover from the sudden flash.

Once their vision came back, they were able to see that they were indeed inside of the stadium again. The main differences being that now, there was a roof and a door, presumably to keep out the rain. Aside from those changes, they saw that there were multiple stations located around the stadium, each one appearing to have a different task.

"Welcome!" Mew greeted, having a bit more vigor compared to the previous days. "Hope that you all are doing well… Y'know, despite the weather."

"Do we really have to do challenges today?" Phill moaned.

"Yes," Mew answered firmly. "Unless you all are fine being away from your families, friends, and the outside world for even longer…"

The remaining nine players all began shaking their heads, with Kojo even nudging Phill to get him to speak up again.

Clearing his throat, the Raticate responded, "...I retract my complaint…"

"I'm sure you do," Mew responded knowingly, folding his arms. He didn't even want to keep doing this, so why would anyone complain about the game continuing its quick pace? Then again, it was Phill...

Virizion took a small step forward, explaining, "Today's reward challenge will be a bit complicated, but at the same time, it won't."

"If you look around," Xerneas chimed in. "You'll notice that there are ten stations, each with a different game. Your goal is to receive a Nugget from each station and place them into your respective bins..."

Said bins, which were essentially just rusty buckets, were situated in the middle of the stadium, behind the hosts, each one having a contestant's headshot on it.

"...the first player to collect all ten Nuggets will win a one-man or one-woman pizza party!" the Life Pokémon continued. "Two pizzas with toppings of your choice, breadsticks, cheesy garlic knots, and a 2-liter beverage of your choice."

A few rumbling stomachs could be heard from the group as they exchanged glances. They hadn't been served breakfast that morning, due to the storm and the hosts' initial uncertainty of whether or not it was a fitting day for a challenge.

"Now, a few rules," Virizion spoke up once again. "No stealing anybody's Nuggets. If you didn't earn them all, you don't earn the prize."

Aura rolled her eyes. She wasn't planning on stealing anyone else's Nuggets, but it would've been a very smart move.

The Grassland Pokémon continued, "Some stations will only allow a certain number of people at a given time. There will be signs at each station that let you know how many of you are able to participate simultaneously. Do not go above the limit."

Titan raised a brow, glancing at the size of each station. Some were definitely much larger than others, so it made sense.

"No cheating," Virizion stated. "Just do what the game instructs you to do. No added assistance unless permitted."

Needing clarification, Connor inquired, "Wait, so we can't help each other?"

"Oh, well… You can," Mew answered , "but if you're trying to win, I don't see why you would. The 'added assistance' means stuff like Psychic abilities and other 'smart' ways to beat the game through loopholes."

Eyes immediately went to Shine, who was looking tired and somewhat sick. Morgan gained a slight look of worry, but the others didn't seem to be bothered as much.

"Anything else?" Titan deadpanned, wanting to get on with the challenge.

With a huff, Xerneas replied, "That is all..."

With the rules now established, Mew decided to go ahead and give the players the go ahead to begin. "Alright, with all of that being said…. GO!"

All of the players sped toward a different station, except for Shine. The Espeon just felt awful. She was tired, she was hungry, and she felt like she was going to be sick. She slowly got to her feet and started walking toward one of the unoccupied stations.

Xerneas took note of her behavior, watching her slowly walk past them.

000

Venturing around the stadium, Ashton took note of all of the different stations and what they had to offer. She passed by a large horizontal screen that seemed to hold two word search games side-by-side. Kojo and Phill had already occupied that one.

A few feet away from that was a station that seemed to be a 'Floor is Lava' type of game. There was a large section of land that was dug out and filled with some sort of red liquid. The assorted furniture and stepping stones that were positioned in the liquid gave away its intent. Their reward for completing the game sat at the end in a cardboard box.

She hesitated before deciding to move past it. She looked all around and saw that this was one of the few sections that nobody seemed too excited about. It was obvious why, though.

Continuing on, she saw what appeared to be a station that consisted of a table maze inside of a plastic box. A tube attached to it held ten Nuggets. Seeing that it was unoccupied, she curiously approached it.

Taking note of the sign that was next to it, she read, "Labyrinth. One player allowed. Press the button on the box and a Nugget will drop. You will then use the handles attached to the box to maneuver the Nugget to the end without having it fall into any of the other holes…"

She paused to look at the maze once again, this time taking note of the numerous holes inside. Her eyes then went to the exit hole, which was at the bottom right corner. A dispenser sat there as well, ready to distribute the reward once earned.

She looked back at the sign, "If it falls into a hole, you will have to start again. If you get the Nugget to the end, it is yours."

The Meganium let out a sigh, "Mother of Arceus, this is going to be difficult…"

She didn't have any experience with these kinds of games, so her confidence was understandably low. Using one of her two vines, she pressed the button, dropping the first Nugget onto the table. She quickly grabbed a hold of the handles and started trying to maneuver it.

000

Connor let out a sigh as he and Titan were walking around, trying to see which stations would be the easiest. The majority of the stations weren't exactly 'quadruped friendly', so it was difficult.

"You'd think that by now that our gracious hosts would realize that not all of us are able to do some of this crap," Titan murmured as they passed by a 'Skee-Ball' station.

"At least everything looks fun," Connor replied, deciding to look at the bright side of the situation. His eyes then went toward a large wheel, where he noticed all of the girls sitting in front of it, aside from Ashton. "What do you think that's about?"

Not getting an immediate answer, he turned his head and saw that Titan was reading a sign in front of the largest station in the stadium. The station in question seemed to only consist of a large sandpit, confusing Connor as he approached the sign as well.

Now standing beside the EleSpider Pokémon, he inquired. "So, uh… What exactly is this supposed to be?"

"Apparently up to five people are allowed to be in here at a given time," Titan said, still eyeing the sign. "There's nine boxes buried in the sand and they each have a combination lock. There's also number cards with different combinations buried. Each card is different and corresponds to a different box."

Connor raised a brow. "So… We have to dig in the sand, find a box, and then find the right card which has the numbers that will unlock the box you find."

Titan groaned, "Mate, this one sounds like it's gonna be the most tedious one…"

The Bouffalant droned, "Yeah…" He then noticed that the Galvantula was climbing into the sandpit, much to his bemusement. "Uh… What are you doing?"

"Might as well get this one out of the way," the Galvantula deadpanned. "I'd rather have the more interesting ones be last…"

Connor couldn't really argue with that logic. It really did make more sense to do the more time-consuming challenge first. He glanced over to the wheel again and saw that all of the girls were heading toward the bins, as they had each received a Nugget quickly. Seeing this, he was curious as to what that wheel had going on.

"That makes sense… but, I kinda wanna see what the deal with the wheel is…" Connor explained, scraping a hoof on the ground.

"That's up to you," Titan responded nonchalantly as he began digging. "Though, we do need to talk about something important."

Hearing that, Connor cocked a brow. He glanced back at the wheel but let out a soft sigh before joining his friend in the sandpit. "What happened?"

Titan made a soft clicking noise, momentarily pausing his digging, "Well…"

000

After placing their first Nuggets into their respective bins, Morgan decided that now would be an appropriate time to inquire about the statues. The three hosts were still in the vicinity, resting where the players originally stood.

Morgan scanned the area and saw that everyone else was preoccupied, aside from Shine. She didn't want to draw too much attention, if any.

Having been asleep while this plan was discussed, Shine inquired with a soft sigh, "What are we doing, exactly?"

"We're just going to see if we can get a bit of information that'll help us in the game," the Persian answered as they continued walking toward the three hosts. Shine cocked a brow.

Seeing them approach, a bemused expression formed on Virizion's face. "Something wrong?"

Morgan shook her head, "No, no, uh… I just needed to ask about the statue."

"Uh…" Mew and Virizion exchanged confused looks, as they thought that the immunity statues were self-explanatory. "Okay… What about it?" Mew inquired, raising a brow.

"Is it back in play?" Morgan queried. "I mean, I don't think you ever told us what happens after it gets played."

Now understanding what she was talking about, Virizion explained. "Well, we can't exactly disclose that to only you two. Like you said, we didn't tell any of you what happens after it gets played. So, we'll announce it later…"

Morgan swore to herself, as Shine sweatdropped. The Espeon could've told her that they probably weren't going to just tell them. So, they just wasted a bit of time by asking. Though, at least they would get information about it later on.

Scratching the back of his head, Mew said, "Yeah, so for now, I recommend that you two get back to the challenge. You'll have to make up for lost time." He gestured behind the two of them, causing them both to turn around.

In doing so, they saw Kojo and Phill each putting a Nugget into their bin, with Ashton following suit shortly after. Morgan immediately sprinted back toward the stations, as Shine sighed as she started sprinting after her.

Once they were gone, Mew held his head, "We seriously didn't explain what happens to the statues after they're found and played?"

"I guess not," Virizion answered with a sigh, "but, it should be clear by the end of the day."

While that whole conversation occurred, Xerneas didn't take her eyes off of Shine. She could definitely sense that something was going on with her, but she decided to leave it be for the time being.

-000-

"Hmm…" Morgan hummed as she looked around at the different stations. Shine caught up with her a few seconds later, panting heavily.

"Are you okay?" the Persian asked worriedly. "If you're starting to feel worse for ware, then we need to-"

"I'm… I'm fine," the Espeon lied. At that point, she had no doubt in her mind that she was indeed pregnant. She still didn't want to leave the game, though. "Let's just get these Nuggets…"

Morgan didn't believe Shine at all, but if the Sun Pokémon was adamant about staying in the game, she didn't want to fight her about it. "Well… Let's do the 'Floor is Lava', then," she suggested, walking up to the station that was next to the table maze that Ashton had to do.

Shine lay down on the ground, eyeing the station's bubbling red liquid and the furniture strewn about inside of it. She definitely wasn't going to be winning this challenge; especially since wasn't allowed to use any Psychic assistance.

"Floor is Lava", Morgan began to read. "Up to two players allowed. Make your way across the path without touching the lava. If you fall into, or touch, the lava, you will be alerted, and you must make your way back to the start to try again."

"Simple enough," Shine commented.

"You must do the same once you have received your Nugget," Morgan read with a deadpan expression. "If you fall and lose your Nugget, make your way back to the end and try again. Once you get your Nugget back to the start, it is yours…"

"Hmm," the Espeon hummed as Morgan groaned to herself. Shine commented, "Well… that sounds a bit tedious, but I think you'll do fine."

Morgan shook her head in annoyance. "This is going to be a pain; I just know it…"

000

Kojo tossed a small bag toward an elevated ramp with a singular hole at the end of it, missing the hole by a few inches. As he let out a disgruntled grunt, a stifled chuckle was heard from behind him, causing him to whip his head around in annoyance.

Phill, holding a Nugget of his own, immediately ceased laughing upon meeting the Mienshao's irritated eyes. Turning back around, the weasel grumbled to himself as he picked up another bag and tossed it, only for it toland centimeters away from the hole. He growled, "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

The two of them had been at the 'Cornhole' station for around ten minutes. While Phill was somehow able to procure his Nugget easily, Kojo was having a much tougher time. "You wanna come back to this one?" Phill asked, not wanting them to waste all of their time at this singular station.

"No!" Kojo shouted. "I can get it!" He tossed another bag toward the hole, only for it to land on the other bag closest to the hole.

The Mienshao twitched. Seeing his reaction, Phill started walking away slowly, moving onto the station to the left of them. It had only taken him three attempts, while this was Kojo's fifteenth throw. "I'm just gonna… go…"

Kojo clenched his fists with a growl before angrily grabbing another bag from the box.

-000-

Phill went ahead and moved to the station next to them, which had a very simplistic setup. Sixteen medium-sized cards sat face-down on the ground in rows of four; the section of the ground that the cards sat on was transparent. The back of each card was blue and had a picture of an opening Poké Ball on it.

A television screen with a countdown from five minutes on it was hanging on the back wall. A small pillar was sitting on the left side of the station with a circular hole in the middle of it.

The Raticate hummed to himself as he looked at the nearby sign. He already had an idea of what he would have to do, though.

"Meet Your Match," he read. "One player allowed. Match five or more pairs of cards within the allotted time in order to receive a Nugget. As soon as you step on the sectioned area of the ground, your time will begin."

Once he finished reading, he looked at the cards on the ground and chuckled. "Matching five pairs of cards in five minutes? Piece of cake…"

"What's this about cake?" a new voice inquired from behind him.

Recognizing the voice, he turned his head and greeted, "Hey babe."

Aura nuzzled him briefly before looking at the station he was in front of. "Meet Your Match", she read before turning to him. "You think you can match all of those?" she teased.

Phill scoffed, putting the Nugget he already had on the ground. "I only have to match five pairs. And I have five minutes, so… I think I'll do just fine."

Aura giggled, rolling her eyes as she watched him step onto the transparent section of the floor. She eyed his Nugget curiously. "Hey, how many Nuggets have you gotten so far?"

"Just two," Phill answered as he started flipping cards. He flipped over a Palkia card and a Victini card before adding, "So, this'll be my third."

Aura nodded to herself. "I have two, too," she elaborated. "The wheel is essentially a freebie, and the word search was easy."

"DAMN IT!" Aura jumped at the sound of the exclamation. She glanced over and saw that Kojo was sitting on the ground, holding his head.

She huffed. "Jeez, what's with him?" she asked, gesturing to the Mienshao.

Phill managed to match two Xerneas cards, a smile forming on his face. Having also heard the shiny Glaceon's question, he answered, "Oh, uh… Kojo's just having trouble with cornhole…"

Surprised, Aura stifled a laugh, "Wow. I'd think he'd have no problem getting things into holes…"

Phill suppressed his own laugh as he flipped over a card with Palkia's face on it. He hummed, as he remembered flipping over another card with his face on it a bit earlier.

Glancing at the screen, Aura informed him, "You've got three minutes left!"

Moments later, Kojo came over to spectate, deciding to take a break from the 'Cornhole' station. He decided that he would wait for Phill to finish so that he could try the station after him, and they could just move on to another one.

Noticing that Kojo was now there, Aura eyed the 'Cornhole' station curiously and walked over to it. Kojo didn't really acknowledge her, as he was focused on the cards that Phill was flipping, as well as his time.

Not even a minute later, the Mienshao heard a faint, familiar dinging sound. Twitching again, he slowly turned his head and saw that Aura somehow managed to get a Nugget from the 'Cornhole' station. She smugly padded toward her bin, Nugget in her mouth. Kojo rushed back to the station, only to see that one of the bags that was extremely close to the hole was no longer there.

"OH COME ON!" he roared.

000

Ashton was walking away from the large wheel, a Nugget in one of her vines. "Okay… That's two," the Meganium said to herself. It had taken her a while to procure her first Nugget, so she was happy that getting her second one was much easier.

Tossing her Nugget into her bin, she glanced around and saw Amethyst standing in front of a vertical board. The Meganium let out a sigh before walking towards her. She was really hoping that Amethyst had come to her senses but had her doubts.

"...How's it going?" the Herb Pokémon inquired, coming up behind her.

Amethyst glanced behind her and huffed. "Well, considering that I can't really do anything aside from that wheel… I'd say things are going pretty poorly, as usual."

Ashton raised a brow, looking around. She doubted that there was nothing that Amethyst could do. She began reassuring her, suggesting, "Well… You could always do the word search… or whatever Connor and Titan are doing, or…"

The Aurorus threw Ashton a look of irritation, silencing her. Unlike her, Amethyst had nothing to help her with the games. However, despite being upset, Amethyst now understood Ashton's points a bit more. She still trusted the guys less, but she could now agree, upon further contemplation, that they were the better option.

"You were right…" she suddenly stated with a sigh.

Ashton perked up a bit, surprised to hear that. "What?"

Amethyst took a sharp breath. "You… You were right about working with the guys. They're more divided than the girls and are physically weaker, so we really would be better off working with them."

Ashton smiled, though she was a tad uncertain about the sincerity of her response. She could very well be being genuine, but her sudden shift just made it feel a bit suspicious. She made sure to hide her wariness, responding, "I could understand what you were talking about back at the jail. I just wanted you to understand what I was saying. I wasn't trying to invalidate your feelings or make it seem like I'm only in it for me…"

Amethyst nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I got that…" she replied before looking back at the station she was standing in front of. She sighed, "I guess I won't be winning this challenge."

Ashton gave her a look. She was literally just trying to explain what she could do for certain challenges, but the Tundra Pokémon essentially told her to 'shut up' with her eyes. The Meganium looked at the station overall.

The large board had a picture of a Mr. Rime lying on a hospital bed. There were multiple holes carved out of different parts of its body. Each hole was outlined with a silver rim and had a random white item inside of it. The large lump on its body acted as the buzzer light. In front of the board was a long pole with tweezers at the end of it, which was attached to a podium. Under the board was a cardboard box, where they would drop the items after they were taken out.

Ashton eyed the side before reading, "Operation. One player allowed. A traditional game of 'Operation', but with a twist. Using the tweezer pole, you must remove one piece from the board without touching the rims. If you touch the rim, you must reset and try again. Each individual player is responsible for a singular piece. Once you remove your item, you will receive a Nugget."

Ashton looked back at the board and saw that there were exactly nine different holes with pieces inside of them. Some looked much easier to receive than others, which she assumed was the reason why they each only needed to remove one. First come, first serve.

"...I think I'll be able to win our Nuggets," Ashton stated, her vines sprouting from her flower.

000

Mew rested against Virizion's side with a sigh. He knew that he disliked how negative and stressful the series had gotten compared to the somewhat chill and fun trial season they did. It was still his fault that things started going negative in the first place due to his bitterness but remembering the trial season made him a bit happier.

He knew that everyone knew about his and Victini's trial, but he barely heard Virizion and Xerneas talk about theirs. So, he asked, "Say, uh… how did you girls' trial seasons go, again?"

Virizion raised a brow, "Why do you ask?"

Mew shrugged, "I just… You guys are always worried about me. I'm stressed over this game, and I started thinking about my and Victini's trial season and how much fun it actually was before things… y'know…"

The two ladies exchanged looks as the New Species Pokémon continued. "I just don't want things to be all about me. So, what happened with yours?"

Virizion sighed, "Well… as you would expect, I was just essentially the eye candy, but I was the most responsible one out of the four of us, obviously. We only had like… I think… sixteen players?"

Xerneas giggled, "Four for each of you…"

Virizion nodded, "Right. It was basically the standard competition. Nothing too special. It was around when Cobalion and I were still a bit at odds…"

"Oh, right… I kinda remember that," Mew commented with a chuckle. "You guys were more like rivals at first. You could barely stand each other."

"Yes, we went from barely standing each other, to him making it hard for me to stand. Ha-ha," she responded, rolling her eyes. "But… aside from that, Terrakion was still just the big teddy bear and Keldeo was… himself. The contestants were relatively… decent from what I can remember. A few assholes here and there, but you get those in every show. Can't really say that I remember who won, though…"

Mew was intrigued to hear that. Once this season was done, he was probably gonna try and watch hers. He had locked himself in his room for over two decades, so actually, he should probably watch everybody's just to see what happened in all of them. "What about yours, Xerneas?" he inquired.

The cervid let out a sigh, while Virizion had to hold back her laughter. The Grassland Pokémon knew all about it, but she wanted to hear her wife's take on it.

"Well… first of all, I didn't even do a trial until a few months ago when Solgaleo and Lunala were still doing their show and Victini was still here…" she began. "It literally ended like a week before you asked V and I to help again."

Mew's eyes grew wide in shock. "Wait… what?"

"Second of all…" the Life Pokémon continued. "We didn't even get to do it fully. It got cancelled on the first day because Yveltal, being Yveltal, killed all of the contestants while we were doing a challenge to determine the teams!"

Mew was almost speechless. "I… wh-"

"Oh, it gets worse," Virizion chimed in. "Go ahead and tell him what happened after that..."

"Well, I had to revive all of the players. Thankfully, none of them knew anything had happened. And to make it up to them, since I was not going to keep going after that," Xerneas continued. "Celebi had to come back with a burlap sack that had slips of paper with different Poké amounts on it. So, we literally decided who won that season… by making them draw out of a bag."

Mew held his head in complete befuddlement. How was any of that allowed? Yveltal seriously killed contestants? He really had no words. He was just… in awe.

"Yeah…" Xerneas replied. "Your show is not the only one that's had awful things happen. None of us talk about it for a reason. And luckily, that season killed Yveltal's desire to have a show…"

"It did?" Mew inquired.

"Well, as you would guess… Arceus and Giratina were furious," Xerneas explained. "So, they banned him from participating in any other shows and from leaving the Hall in general. And I got a good look at Arceus almost… replacing him."

Mew paled. Being replaced was Arceus and Giratina's version of being snapped out of existence. He'd be sent to a different universe and replaced by a Yveltal from another. "Yikes…"

"Yep…" Virizion nodded. "He 'didn't care' when the contestants came to the hall for a good reason…"

Mew could only sweatdrop in response. He was not expecting all of this from a simple question. It almost made him feel a bit better about the series. Almost.

000

Connor grumbled to himself as he continued using his hooves to dig in the sand with Titan. The Galvantula had explained to him that the girls were now gunning for him which, as one would expect, annoyed him.

He just didn't understand the logic of them suddenly trying to eliminate him instead of Kojo or Titan. He stopped his digging with a huff, "I just don't fucking get it… Why me?!"

Titan had already managed to dig up a card, so now he was focused on trying to find boxes in order to try out the numbers. Connor's abrupt inquiry caused him to sigh as he explained, "Like I said, mate… According to Ashton, the girls want to do something 'unexpected' and try to throw us off or something…"

Connor groaned, shaking his head, while Titan chuckled to himself. "Mate, calm yourself. Ashton is on our side, so we're in the clear. You're not going anywhere."

The Bouffalant eased up a bit but was still annoyed that his name was brought up. Plus, even if they had the numbers now, there wasn't a guarantee that they'd keep them. That was why finding the statue again was so important, if it was even out there.

Eventually, Titan was able to dig up a box as Aura approached them. The box had the look of a standard crate, but the presumed front of it had a scrolling combination lock embedded in it that would allow someone to input numbers.

"Finally!" Titan grunted as he began looking around for the card he had dug up earlier.

"So, uh… What exactly is the objective here?" Aura inquired, having not read the sign, but seeing the box Titan had dug up.

Connor didn't want to talk to her, but he decided not to be petty and explain it.

"We each have to dig up a locked box and dig up cards that have the numbers that we'll use to unlock it," he explained.

"And each card goes to a certain box," Titan deadpanned, pushing the card he found away. "This one doesn't…"

Aura groaned upon hearing that. "This is probably gonna take forever…"

"Which is why we're doing this already," Titan stated as he moved to another area and started digging.

"I'm just gonna go to another station," Connor stated as he stopped digging again. He turned to Titan, pleading, "Please find me another box or something in the meantime…"

Titan sighed, not really interested in continuing to work after he finished his task. "Sure, mate," he responded, groaning internally.

Connor nodded to him before stepping away from the station. He passed by Aura, who was now debating whether to stay there or not.

-000-

The Bouffalant looked around, watching his fellow competitors as they took on the different stations.

He approached the wheel and saw that all of the possible options on it said 'Nugget'. Next to the wheel was a small dispenser. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the sign.

"Freebie", Connor read. "Spin the wheel and earn a Nugget."

The buffalo chuckled to himself at the simplicity. He approached the wheel and used his head to spin it slightly.

It, of course, landed on one of the Nugget spaces, resulting in a Nugget being dispensed for him.

He picked it up and started walking toward his bin, eventually dropping it. "Well, that really was easy…" he commented to himself as he saw Phill approaching with his two new Nuggets.

Connor sighed as he started walking back toward the digging station. He figured that he was better off finishing the station that would take the longest, as Titan was.

A new thought entered his head as he passed a few other players, glancing back and seeing Phill returning to the station he'd just come from. "Why does no one ever target Phill?" he asked himself.

The Raticate was just an anomaly. He was hardly, if never, on the chopping block. He had a self-deprecating personality and was pretty bad at most challenges, and yet no one was thinking about taking him out.

Granted, it made sense. If someone was posing zero threat in the challenges, why would you want to get rid of them instead of an actual threat? However, what Phill lacked physically, he made up for socially, and that was just as threatening.

He returned to the 'Cube Digging' station, where Titan was still digging. It seemed Aura had begun digging as well. There were a couple more cards on the surface and so far, no other boxes.

Connor approached Titan, glancing over to Aura for a brief moment before nudging him. He gestured over to an area further away from Aura that hadn't been disturbed yet.

Once they were further away, Titan asked, "What now, mate?"

"You can keep digging, I just want you to listen to me and hear me out," Connor explained as the Galvantula began his digging again. He was a bit hesitant given the way Connor was talking, but obliged.

Connor whispered, "Okay, so… what would you say if… Phill became a target?"

Titan gave him a look of shock.

000

After successfully completing the 'Floor is Lava' station, Morgan and Shine moved to the next station. It had only taken Morgan two tries, thankfully, as she had only slipped into the red liquid, which was identified as Fruit Punch, on the way back after already retrieving her Nugget from the opposite side.

Now, the two of them were standing in front of a single bowling lane with all ten pins sitting at the end. A red bowling ball sat on a pedestal on the side of the station with a sealed box of Nuggets sitting in front of it.

"Bowling," Shine read from the sign. "One player allowed. Bowl a strike and you will receive a Nugget."

Stepping away from the sign, she commented, "Sounds simple, but things like this are always easier said than done."

Morgan sighed, still dripping Fruit Punch from her fur, which was now a faint red color. "This sucks…" she groaned. "How the hell am I supposed to bowl a strike?"

"Hey, you don't know how well you'll do," Shine responded, lying back down.

"Considering my only course of action would be to either awkwardly roll it forward with my paws or nudge it hard with my nose… I don't see myself doing well here…" Morgan doubted.

"Well, you can try it one time, and if it's too much, we can just try somewhere else and come back to it later," Shine expressed. "I doubt anyone is close to finishing, anyway," she said, looking around. "This honestly feels more like an immunity challenge…"

Morgan huffed, "I wish it was, honestly. Then, we can just get rid of Connor, if he doesn't end up winning somehow, and rest."

The Persian eyed the bowling ball on the pedestal and looked down at her paws. She unleashed a groan of vexation as she approached the pedestal and got on her hind legs in order to use her forelegs to push the ball off.

It landed on the ground, partially embedding itself into the dirt. She started pushing it again, getting it out of the miniature crater that it made on impact, before rolling it toward the actual lane.

"See," Shine began. "It's not that bad…"

Morgan threw the Espeon a look before finally getting the ball to the transparent lane. She smacked her lips before letting out a sigh. "Okay, now let's see how this is gonna go."

She positioned the ball straight down the lane before giving it a push. Though the Classy Cat Pokémon felt awkward about rolling it the way that she did, the ball went at a moderate speed. On her first try, she managed to knock down seven of the ten pins. The lane glowed a bright red, which was accompanied by a buzzer sound.

Despite failing to get a strike right away, Morgan was surprised by her results. She hummed to herself as a small smirk formed on her lips. "Maybe I can actually do well here…" she said to herself.

"Well… It wasn't a strike, but pretty close," Shine commented. "You've got this…"

Noticing her demeanor with regards to the past two stations, Morgan inquired, "So, are you just done with this challenge?"

Shine answered with a sigh, "Pretty much. I could do things in certain stations, but with them pretty much limiting my Psychic abilities, and my…situation…"

Morgan cut her off. "Understandable…"

"I mean… I could keep going if you want," Shine said, getting to her feet. "I'm just not too bothered because of the restrictions."

"No, no, you're fine," Morgan assured her, shaking her head. "I'm not gonna make you. It's your decision."

The Persian's eyes went back to the pins, which were all back upright. To her surprise, the bowling ball was back at the front of the lane as well. "This is gonna be tedious…" she sighed as she crouched down a bit before shoving the ball forward. It traveled down the lane, only hitting six pins this time.

She groaned to herself as she waited for everything to reset. While she did this, Shine thought about what they said earlier about helping each other. They could, but it wasn't advised if they were trying to win for themselves. While Shine was hungry, she knew that she probably wouldn't be able to do a lot in her current condition. Though, if she could help out an ally, she would.

She got back to her feet and started making her way to the 'Word Search' station as Morgan continued trying to get a strike.

000

Kojo grumbled as he dropped two new Nuggets into his bin. He managed to procure the Nugget from the 'Meet Your Match' station on his own, but when it came to the 'Cornhole' station, Phill had to help him out.

He was glad that he had the Nuggets, but couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed that Phill had to win one of them for him. The two of them started moving to the station next to them, 'Operation'. They'd seen Ashton and Amethyst at the station a bit earlier, but they had moved on by the time they got there.

After reading the sign and seeing what they had to do, Kojo chuckled, "Well, this should be a bit easier…"

Phill stifled a laugh upon hearing that, "Better hope you didn't just jinx yourself again. You said the same thing at the 'Cornhole' station."

Kojo paused for a moment. He eyed the pole he was supposed to use and the silver rims around each hole. He just had a lot of issues getting bags into holes, so now he was a bit nervous about how this was going to go.

"I'm gonna do the next station," Phill declared. "That way once we both finish, we can just swap and keep moving instead of constantly waiting."

"Sounds like a plan," Kojo responded, though he was still uncertain.

Phill started moving onto the next station, which was the 'Skee-Ball station', leaving Kojo at the 'Operation' station to sulk.

-000-

Phill approached the 'Skee-Ball' station, which only consisted of a standard Skee-Ball machine, and immediately started reading the sign.

He read, "Skee-Ball. One player allowed. Get 1000 points using the five balls given to you to receive a Nugget."

He looked at the side pocket that had the five balls sitting there and hummed to himself. He looked at the ramp that led to the holes and saw that they were labeled in increments of 100, with the corner holes being worth 1,000 points outright.

"This'll be fun and easy," he said to himself, picking up one of the balls. He attempted to roll the ball up the ramp toward the 300-point hole, only for it to miss and roll down to the 200 point hole instead. He shrugged before rolling another ball toward it. He once again missed the 300-point hole and got the same result.

Noticing what he was doing, he chuckled to himself.

-000-

Kojo grumbled as he once again touched the rims of the hole that he was trying to pull a piece from. He was going for a cellphone-shaped piece that was near the hip and was having trouble getting a good grip on it.

He had to reset, which essentially meant moving the pole back to its original position, before trying again. Of the remaining seven pieces, there was one that was still directly under the buzzer, a Belue Berry.

Aside from that, there was still a bone in the left arm, an ice cream cone in the head, a teardrop near the eye, a water bucket in the right leg, a flame in the cane, and the cellphone in the left hip, which he was currently trying to get. The broken heart and butterfly were already absent, possibly in the box.

After failing to get the cellphone once again, Kojo groaned, walking away from the station for a bit. How the hell was he doing that bad with this challenge? These were mostly glorified carnival games for Arceus' sake!

He took a breath and turned back around to try again, but saw that Phill was now there. He let out a groan, mumbling, "Of course he's done already…"

Instead of waiting to return, he went ahead to the 'Skee-Ball' station, which Phill took notice of. "You got frustrated again, didn't you?" he inquired, already knowing the answer.

Kojo threw him an annoyed look before picking up one of the balls and immediately rolling it down the ramp. He missed all of the holes and ball rolled to the lowest level, only earning him 100 points. He growled, holding his head, "You've gotta be kidding!"

Phill let out a sigh. "Bro, you've gotta calm down and just take it easy. Stressing with these games will get you nowhere…"

"Yeah, well, with this being a 'first to finish' challenge, I don't want to make mistakes. And these are just kid's games for crying out loud! I can't be just good at the memory and word junk! " Kojo exclaimed. "Plus, we don't know what the immunity challenge will be, and none of us have eaten, so the pizza will be a boost."

"Okay, yeah you're definitely stressing over nothing," Phill chuckled. "Like we said earlier, we have the numbers, so it doesn't matter who wins immunity. If Morgan gets it, we vote Shine. If Shine gets it, we vote for Morgan. Easy."

Kojo nodded as he let out a sigh, resting a paw on the side of his face. He was honestly still feeling embarrassed about his performances since he felt like the others were outdoing him in these simple challenges. He still wasn't over the fact that Phill was the one who earned him his Nugget from the 'Cornhole' station. Phill, his friend that had zero self-confidence and barely any physical strength.

He was glad that Phill helped him, of course. He was also glad that Phill was showing his underlying skills in these games, even though some simply required luck. It just baffled him how poor he was doing.

He let out a breath, "Okay..."

"Just take your time," Phill chuckled as he started moving the pole around. "I honestly don't think anyone else will be done anytime soon."

Kojo nodded before looking back at the Skee-Ball machine. Taking a few more breaths, he grabbed one of the balls and rolled it up the ramp.

000

"Word Search. Up to two players allowed. Find all of the words hidden among the letters within the allotted time frame. Drag an appendage across the word in order for it to count. Once you find all of the words in time, you will receive a Nugget," Shine read to herself as she watched Ashton and Amethyst engage with the station.

"Okay, we've got one minute left," Ashton commented. She was using her vines to do both word searches, as Amethyst had no practical way to. "Do you see 'Dragon' on your side?" the Meganium inquired.

"Uh… I think it's diagonal from the top left corner," Amethyst identified. "Wait, no… that's 'Drapons'..."

It appeared that the words were the eighteen Pokémon types. Ashton seemed to have three more to find, while Amethyst had five. The Meganium continued to scan her side for hidden words. She still had 'Fire', 'Grass', and 'Ice' to find, while Amethyst still had 'Dragon', 'Ice', 'Electric', 'Fairy', and 'Dark'.

Amethyst sighed, "This sucks…"

"Don't give up, there's still time," Ashton said just as she identified the word 'Fire' on her side. She used one of her vines to swipe across the touchscreen and eliminate the word.

She looked at her time and sighed. There were 30 seconds left and counting. Within that short time frame, her eyes darted around her screen. Within the last seconds, she managed to find 'Grass' backwards in the middle, and 'Ice' on the bottom right, vertically, causing her screen to turn green.

Amethyst, on the other hand, failed to find any other words, resulting in her screen turning red. The Aurorus groaned, "I hate this…"

"Hey, this was just our first try," Ashton said, receiving her Nugget from a dispenser under her screen. "You can try again."

Shine approached, clearing her throat to get their attention. "Can I use that screen since you got your Nugget?"

Ashton nodded, not wanting to block anyone. She moved away from the screen and joined Amethyst, getting on the other side of her.

Shine tapped the button on the screen to begin her time as a new wall of letters appeared with the same words.

Amethyst let out a sigh, "Can we just go to a different station? At this point, I really doubt that we have a chance…"

"Hey, if I can do it, you can do it," Ashton countered. "Plus, now that I'm done, I can help you find the words that you need. No need to give up."

The Meganium used one of her vines to tap Amethyst's screen, starting her time. Shine was breezing through the word search, as one would expect by this point. She glanced over at the two dinosaur ladies, curious as to where their minds were.

From what she'd been told, the target was Connor this time, as the girls wanted to surprise the guys. The Espeon didn't entirely agree, as they would essentially be wasting their votes. Connor was only a threat when it came to specific things. Him almost winning the eating challenge yesterday didn't mean that he was suddenly a force to be reckoned with; his body was just better equipped for it.

The girls had told her their plan as soon as she woke up, mere moments before they were teleported to the stadium. She still felt rather sick, but she was managing to hold it together and it seemed like nothing was wrong. As she found her final word, 'Electric', the Sun Pokémon turned to the two girls and prepared to ask about it, but she suddenly felt a buildup of saliva in her mouth. She swiftly ran behind the station and tried digging a small hole before vomiting into it.

A bit concerned, Ashton went behind the screens to check on her. She saw that Shine was lying down next to the hole and had an exhausted look on her face. "Are you okay, Shine?!"

The Espeon moaned to herself, fighting the sickness she felt. She shakily got to her feet, but felt rather dizzy, causing her to nearly collapse. "I… I'm fine," she lied.

The Herb Pokémon could tell that she was lying. Shaking her head, she challenged, "No, you're not. You just threw up, you could barely just stand, and you almost just fell over again…"

"I'm just feeling sick," Shine downplayed. "It'll be fine…"

Ashton gave her a look. She couldn't stand when people who were obviously hurt or sick tried to act strong. She took a deep breath before her flower began radiating vivid colors, accompanied by a sweet fragrance that began filling the air. Shine realized what she was doing and let out a sigh. She didn't ask for it, but at least things would be better for her. A tingling sensation washed over her as the aromatic smell filled her nostrils.

After a few seconds, the Espeon felt a lot better. Her nausea disappeared and she had a bit more pep in her step than before. Ashton ceased her Aromatherapy and stepped back as Shine took a breath. She looked at Ashton, a small smile on her lips. "T-Thanks," she responded softly.

Ashton proceeded to nod back before hearing an annoyed grunt from Amethyst on the other side of the screens.

Ashton sweatdropped before returning to the Tundra Pokémon's side. Shine did the same in order to grab her Nugget. Once she was back around, she saw that Amethyst's screen was, once again, glowing red. Now that they weren't that preoccupied and she was feeling a lot better, Shine went ahead with her question.

She got closer and began, "Hey, um… Morgan and Aura told me that you guys all talked about Connor being the next target. Can we talk about that?"

Ashton and Amethyst exchanged looks of surprise and unease.

000

"Finally!" Titan groaned as he pulled another card out of the sand. The Galvantula had been digging up card after card trying to find the ones with the right numbers for his and Connor's boxes and re-burying the ones he had already found that didn't work.

"Titan… Come on," Connor urged. "We can talk about-"

"Mate, you are really off your rocker right now," Titan interrupted as he started lining the numbers up on his box. "Trying to make Phill a target does nothing for us. He's more of a threat to himself than others."

Connor groaned, as the EleSpider Pokémon was failing to understand him. "I know that! But if Phill is so 'not a threat', then he can just be taken to the end to be an easy person to beat. He's taking that spot away!"

The Galvantula gave him an annoyed look before finishing plugging in his numbers. Much to his relief, his box finally opened, allowing him to retrieve the Nugget inside. "Finally…"

He started walking out of the sandpit and toward the bins, with Connor in tow. This left Aura alone as she started walking over to areas where she saw Titan rebury cards.

She started digging them up before letting out a sharp gasp as she felt a smack on her butt. She already knew who it was given the context, so she let out a sigh and looked back. Phill waved at her, causing her to giggle to herself. "What is it?" she inquired.

"Nothing, just wanted to smack it," Phill answered with a shrug before plopping down in the sand. "Kojo and I are moving down the line, and this one's next. So… What's the goal here, exactly? We're just supposed to dig?"

Aura explained, "We're supposed to dig up a box, and find the card that has the combination to the box you found. That's pretty much it."

Phill groaned, "That sounds awful…"

Aura sighed, rolling her eyes. "Well… Unless you wanna just save this one for last, I suggest that you just start digging."

As the shiny Glaceon began digging again, Phill found himself just staring at her butt. When he and Kojo put their two newest Nuggets into their bins, they saw that they were already in the lead as they both had five. The others had three or less, so he felt that he could afford to take a bit of a break.

As he watched his girlfriend dig, a thought came to his head. If the girls wanted to eliminate Connor as some kind of 'surprise', what would happen if his name came up? He didn't want to rat Ashton out, so he was careful with his next question. "Uh… babe? Can I ask you something?"

Noticing that his tone was more serious, Aura immediately grew curious. She ceased her digging and turned to face him. "What is it?"

Phill sighed, "Well, um… has my name ever come up in your girls' conversation?"

Aura paused momentarily, as his name had been brought up, but only in the context of her not wanting to vote for him. In addition, he wasn't specifically named, she had just made an assumption based on what Morgan said. She replied, "No, not really… Why?"

"Well, it's getting down to the wire and… I'm just a bit worried since you girls have the numbers," Phill explained.

Aura nuzzled him, understanding his point of view. She was his girlfriend, though! She wasn't gonna let the girls vote him out over the other guys. However, she grew a bit curious as to what was going on with the guys' side of things.

She wasn't entirely sure if Ashton and Amethyst were completely with them or not, so even though Phill apparently thought that she and the other girls were in control, she was just as worried as he was. "So, what about you guys? Has my name come up?"

Phill shook his head, answering, "No. The others are mainly focused on Morgan and Shine."

Aura nodded, a small smile on her face. As long as those two were still there, she was essentially a non-entity. "Okay… Well... As long as I'm not mentioned," she responded. She gave him a peck on the cheek before getting back to work.

Phill let out a sigh as he got to his feet. He turned around and saw that Kojo was walking back toward the bins. The Mienshao had gone to the wheel, while he had decided to join Aura there in the sandpit. He rolled his eyes as he started digging in the sandpit as well. The 'Cube Digging' station was the most time-consuming station, but getting it out the way now allowed him more freedom later.

000

Kojo dropped his new Nugget into his bin, dusting his paws off with a chuckle. He was lucky that using the wheel meant that he was guaranteed to receive a Nugget. Now he was in the lead. He looked back at the 'Cube Digging' station, where he saw that Phill and Aura were still digging.

He decided that he'd try the rest of the stations on his own, while Phill spent a bit of time with Aura. He looked at the other remaining stations and saw that Morgan was at the 'Bowling' station, while Shine, Ashton, and Amethyst were still at the 'Word Search' station, talking.

He hummed to himself. He was sure that he could trust Ashton, but at the same time, seeing her in different conversations made him uneasy. The 'Labyrinth' and 'Floor is Lava' stations were the only ones unoccupied. However, he decided to join Morgan at the 'Bowling' station just so he could continue going down the row.

He approached the Persian as she rolled the ball toward the pins again. She managed to knock down nine pins, causing her right eye to twitch. After reading the sign, Kojo sighed, "You have to get a strike? Seriously?"

"Yeah, and it's terrible," Morgan groused as she sat and waited for everything to reset once again.

While she waited, Kojo decided that he'd try to poke at her and try and see where her mind was. Ashton told me what they were planning, but he was curious about what Morgan would say. "So, where's your mind right now? You know, sooner or later, you're gonna have to worry more about yourself than about your group."

Morgan huffed, "I could say the same to you."

"Oh, we already know," Kojo chuckled, folding his arms. "We're mainly together since you girls pretty much left us no option."

"Uh huh… You guys have no options and yet you guys voted for Sally instead of me or Shine," Morgan deadpanned. "You guys had options yesterday, but you went with the option that didn't make sense."

"Hey, it made more sense for us," Kojo defended with a shrug.

Morgan rolled her eyes as the bowling ball and pins returned to their original states. "Well, I'm gonna be here for a while, most likely, so you can just go…" she stated, placing a paw on the ball.

"Mind if I try really quick?" Kojo inquired. He wasn't great at bowling, but he wanted to see how well he'd do.

Morgan gave him a look. There were two other free stations right beside them, yet he wanted to try the station she was already occupying. She hated when people did that. However, she didn't want to be a bitch, and she'd tried a dozen times to get a strike and hadn't succeeded yet, so what could be the harm? "One roll, then you go back to waiting…" she stated, backing away from the ball.

Kojo nodded before picking up the ball. He backed away a bit before moving forward and rolling the ball down the lane. He used a lot of force, but only wound up knocking over eight pins.

He let out a sigh, "Well, at least I know that I can get close to it…"

"Yeah, sure…" Morgan responded indifferently as she took his place back at the start of the lane. "Now, if you'd please…"

Kojo rolled his eyes and prepared to walk to the next station when he saw Shine approaching. Turning his head toward the bins, he also saw Amethyst and Ashton dropping Nuggets into their respective buckets. He decided to go ahead and move to the next station, not wanting to possibly lose his lead.

As he rushed toward the 'Floor is Lava' station, Shine watched him with a raised brow. What did he want? Her attention went back to Morgan, who was preparing to attempt to get a strike again for the thirteenth time.

"I take it that you still haven't had any luck?" Shine inquired, despite already knowing.

As the ball knocked over only five pins, Morgan let out a disgruntled huff. "No… This is so damn annoying."

"Well… I got you another Nugget," Shine explained, showing the Nugget she was holding with her tail.

Morgan's eyes widened in surprise. She'd seen Shine walk away and go to another station, but she wasn't expecting her to actually get a Nugget for her. "Wait, you're actually gonna give me that Nugget?"

Shine nodded, placing the orb on the ground in front of her. "They said that we could help each other, so…"

"Yeah, but they said we can take Nuggets from each other," Morgan argued. "You should keep it for yourself."

The Espeon threw the Classy Cat Pokémon a stern, lidded look. "Morgan, aside from this, I haven't done anything here aside from the wheel," she explained flatly, gesturing to the large wheel near them. "I'm probably the one with the worst chances of winning the reward. So, just take it."

Morgan was hesitant, repeating, "They said we can't-"

Shine interjected, "-steal. They said that we can't steal. They never said anything about giving."

Morgan raised a brow. While that was technically true, she wasn't sure about taking it, because even though they mentioned that they couldn't steal, they also said no loopholes. "Well-"

"Just take it," Shine responded, exasperated. "And if it still doesn't count, then you can do the word search. It shouldn't take too long. They said that we could help each other out, so unless they clarify more, it should be fine."

Morgan looked at the Nugget on the ground and sighed.

000

"Hmm… This challenge is actually taking a lot longer than I thought," Virizion stated. She, Xerneas, and Mew were now higher up in the stands, spectating from a better angle so that they could see everything. "Do you think we should just make it so whoever wins this gets the reward and immunity?"

"Well, having a bit of a longer challenge with these circumstances is kinda okay, I think," Mew explained. "I mean, this challenge isn't really painful or strenuous. Time-consuming, yes, but I think keeping it this way will be fine. And I'm sure the players would rather be in here than back at their camp…"

Xerneas inquired, looking up and around, "Is it even still storming? I haven't heard anything from outside in a while…"

"Oh, that's because this place is soundproofed," Mew explained. "I didn't want the background noise, so I just made sure no sound came in."

Virizion giggled at his explanation. "Well, it's good to see that you're thinking and doing better."

Mew simply shook his head in response, internally rejecting the compliment, but the girls saw it as him just being embarrassed.

With a sigh, Xerneas spoke up. "Well, I agree with V. I honestly think that we should just have this be the only challenge, and they can just stay in here until the storm blows over," she suggested.

Mew honestly didn't have any qualms with the suggestion; he was just thinking about keeping the contestants out of the weather conditions. "Alright, in that case…"

An air horn appeared in his hand. Seeing this, the ladies braced themselves as Mew pressed the button, causing it to blare out.

All of the players on the ground floor flinched before turning toward the source of the sound. With everyone's attention, Mew explained, "Alright, quick change! Instead of this being just a reward challenge, this challenge is for reward and immunity! So, if you've been taking your time or not caring, it's time to kick it into high gear!"

The players began to shout in discontent, finding it unfair. Some of them didn't care about the reward, which was why some of them weren't as urgent, while others couldn't do as well without help.

While this was going on, Xerneas' eyes went straight to Shine once again. The Espeon appeared to be in better shape than she was earlier, but Xerneas still sensed something. It was stronger when the Espeon was close to them, so she'd need her to be closer.

"And Shine! Could you join us up here for a moment?" Xerneas added. "Everyone else, carry on."

Upon hearing that request, Virizion and Mew exchanged looks of confusion before looking back at the Life Pokémon. "Is there something wrong?" Virizion queried. "Why are you calling her up here?"

"I just need to check something," Xerneas stated vaguely.

The Espeon was a bit confused and hesitant, as was Morgan. The pair exchanged uneasy looks as Shine started walking toward the hosts. Morgan took a deep breath, hoping that things wouldn't be bad.

-000-

Once the Sun Pokémon was in the stands, she hesitantly inquired, "W-What is it?"

Virizion and Mew looked to Xerneas, as she was the one who'd requested her appearance. Xerneas' eyes had widened as soon as Shine got closer, as she could now guarantee what was going on. Earlier, she didn't think much of it, but now she was sensing something a lot stronger.

"Are you pregnant?" she asked. Virizion and Mew froze momentarily before looking back at the Espeon.

She paled, stammering, "I-I… Um…"

"You need to tell us the truth, Shine," Xerneas urged softly. The Life Pokémon could sense the aura around her and already knew the answer, but she needed Shine to admit it, herself.

Shine's ears drooped as she felt herself begin tearing up. "Yes…" she answered in a shaky whisper.

Mew and Virizion were shocked to hear that, having no idea. The New Species Pokemon scratched the back of his head awkwardly, given the circumstances. "Well… Um… congratulations, first of all. But, sadly, if that's the case…"

"I know… I'm out..." Shine sobbed. "It's not fair…"

Virizion raised a brow, "How so? I thought that you always wanted to have children of your own…"

"I do, and I'm happy, but… This is the farthest I've ever gotten in this game. It felt like I had a decent shot for once," Shine wept.

Xerneas approached her and nuzzled her, "Trust me, bringing new life into this world for you to love and cherish is worth a lot more than getting money on a show like this. You'll be fine. Get your head up."

"Yeah," Mew added. "You may not win, but you guys still get residuals, you still have eternal life, and you have the child you always wanted…"

Shine sniffled, as they had a point. She just didn't want to be seen as less anymore. With nothing else to say, she just lied down, waiting to hear what to do now.

Virizion sighed softly, as they now had a new dilemma. "Well, what are we going to do? Do we stop the challenge since Shine is no longer eligible to compete?"

Mew shook his head, "Nah. They can keep competing. They still have the reward to look forward to, at least."

"That's true, but now that Shine is the one leaving, the immunity doesn't matter," Xerneas explained. "We should probably explain what's going to happen and go from there."

Virizion nodded in agreement. With this, Mew picked up the air horn once again and pressed it, causing it to blare again.

000

"Ugh… What do they want now?!" Titan groused as he dropped two Nuggets into his bin, having done the 'Meet Your Match' and 'Cornhole' stations with help from Ashton.

As he returned to his group, he heard the hosts begin to speak again. "Alright, we have an important announcement," Mew began. "It's come to our attention that Shine is pregnant..."

Hearing that elicited gasps and looks of shock from the other players. Aura looked over at Morgan, whose head went down in disappointment.

"...so, there will be no elimination ceremony tonight," Virizion continued, taking over. "Therefore, this is back to being strictly a reward challenge. However, we are going to sweeten the deal."

"Whoever wins the challenge will not only win the pizza party, but they will also receive a clue to the location of the Immunity Statue," Mew elaborated.

Connor's eyes widened, as did a few of the others. The statues were in play. Wait… statue?

"So, you all are still technically playing for immunity," Xerneas added. "So, keep the same pace…"

"Shine, do you have anything you wanna say?" Mew inquired.

The Espeon sniffled. "Good luck…" she said. "I'll… see you guys around."

The others responded in kind as the Espeon was seamlessly teleported away.

000

Aura immediately rushed over to Morgan, a serious look on her face. "Did you know?"

Morgan didn't respond right away, but as she was about to, Aura repeated herself, "Did… you… know…?"

"We weren't entirely sure until today!" Morgan defended. "I didn't think that they'd pull her from the game! She wasn't showing any concrete signs!"

Aura huffed, shaking her head as she plopped down on the ground. "So what do we do now? We're screwed!"

"The only thing we can do is either win immunity or find the statue..." Morgan explained. She looked around to see where others were. Phill was still in the sandpit, Kojo was leaving the 'Floor is Lava' station with another Nugget, and Connor, Titan, Ashton, and Amethyst were all around the 'Operation' station. "From the looks of it… I think we're on our own…"

Aura sweatdropped upon hearing that. With Shine gone and Amethyst and Ashton obviously not truly with them, this was the prime opportunity for her to start working with Phill again. If she didn't, she'd just be a sitting duck whenever Morgan finally got eliminated. Her apprehension was written all over her face, which didn't go unnoticed.

Morgan saw the look on her face and sighed, "If you don't wanna work with me anymore, then just say it."

"It's not that, it's just…" Aura trailed off, trying to think of the right words.

"Shine's gone, and Amethyst and Ashton aren't with us, so you want to jump to the other side…" Morgan stated, giving her a look.

Aura blinked. That was exactly what she was thinking. She began stammering, "I… You… Well…"

"Just… leave me alone," Morgan replied, turning back to the bowling lane.

Knowing how this was going to go, Aura decided to go ahead and leave the Persian to her own devices. She didn't want to start an argument.

000

Morgan, drenched in rain, sighed, "I guess I'm on my own. This sucks… I literally have no options aside from winning immunity or finding the immunity statue before someone else does."

"Hopefully someone will want to actually work with me again down the line. Hmm… maybe I can-"

000

"Alright, so we know for a fact that the statue is back, but… I guess there's still only one," Amethyst began.

"Hey!" Connor called, shouting up to the hosts. He was tired of not knowing the full situation regarding the statues.

The hosts looked over, with Virizion addressing him. "Yes?"

"Okay, so earlier in the game, Mew and Victini said that there were two statues hidden, but nobody ever found or mentioned them again. The new one just came out of nowhere and that was it," Connor explained. "Are the old ones still hidden or not?"

Virizion had no idea what Connor was talking about. She turned to Mew for answers and the New Species Pokémon was just as lost. He remembered Victini mentioning those statues, but he never told him where they were hidden.

"I mean… I guess they're still around," Mew replied. "He never told me where they were, and if nobody found them, then… yeah. There's three statues out there. Unless he took them away when he left."

Connor smirked, turning to Titan, Ashton, and Amethyst. "Okay, so as long as-"

"There are possibly two other statues hidden on the island! So, you have three possible keys to immunity!" Virizion announced loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear.

"-they don't announce it…" the Bouffalant groaned. "Well, we have confirmation that there's probably two other statues on the island. No matter who actually gets the clue, we need to be searching for it."

Titan deadpanned, "You already know my stance on that, mate."

"You don't want to look for the statue?" Ashton inquired in confusion. She hadn't been around for some of the previous conversations, so she was a bit surprised.

"After the problems that dumb thing caused? Hell no," Titan responded. "You three can do that. One for each of you."

"Works for me," Amethyst concurred. "We're just gonna have to wait until the challenge is over…"

"How many Nuggets do we all have?" Connor inquired. "I just have one, still."

"I've got five," Ashton answered.

"Four," Amethyst added.

"Three," Titan concluded.

The Bouffalant smirked. "So, if we gave all of our Nuggets to one person, then we'd be set! That'd be more than ten!"

Overhearing them, Mew clarified, "No. You have to receive a Nugget from each station. We said that you could help each other if you wished, but that doesn't mean the main rule doesn't apply."

"Ugh…" Amethyst groaned. "Which stations have none of us done, yet?"

000

Kojo was shakily moving the table maze at the 'Labyrinth' station. He had seven Nuggets and just needed to get the ones from this station, the 'Bowling' station, and the 'Cube Digging' station. He was close to getting the Nugget to the end when-

"I got it!"

Kojo jumped, causing him to drop the Nugget. The Mienshao growled to himself as he turned around and saw Phill holding a Nugget. He didn't understand why he had to tell him instead of just putting it in his bin, but he nodded in response. "Okay, good. I almost just got this one…"

Hearing his tone, Phill sweatdropped as he realized what he'd done, "Oh… sorry, bro."

Kojo turned back around to try again as Phill hummed and looked around. Morgan was still at the 'Bowling' station, Aura was still at the 'Cube Digging' station, and the others were all together at the 'Skee-Ball' station. He had overheard Connor and his group talking about pooling their Nuggets together so that somebody would win, so he figured that they could possibly do the same.

"Hey, you know… They said that we couldn't steal Nuggets from each other. They never said anything about giving them to each other," Phill stated. "If we work together, we could win the challenge and share the reward. They never said that we couldn't…"

Eyes of intrigue adorned Kojo's face as he continued trying to maneuver the Nugget through the maze. He ended up dropping it close to the end again, letting out a groan. "So… We can just pool all of our Nuggets together and win that way?"

"Well…" Phill began. "We still need a Nugget from each station, but yeah!"

Kojo nodded in understanding. "Well, we've done all of the same stations except the last two I did by myself and this one. You did the sandbox thing, so… We've got eight. We just need to do this one and the bowling and we'll be set!"

"Well, I can try and do this one," Phill offered. "You can go see if Morgan will let you bowl and we'll be done."

Kojo looked over and saw that the Persian was now rolling the ball forward with a bored expression. "Hmm… Or maybe…"

-000-

Kojo approached the 'Bowling' station once again, where Morgan was waiting for things to reset once again. Seeing that he was approaching, she huffed. "Great…" she mumbled to herself.

"So, how's it going?" Kojo inquired, holding back a smile. With Shine now out of the picture, Morgan was essentially all alone.

Morgan gave him the side-eye as the bowling ball reset in front of her. She ignored the Mienshao's question and pushed the bowling ball forward.

He honestly expected that kind of response, as he was coming off a bit arrogant. However, he decided to push forward with his idea anyway. "So, now that you're all alone… What would you say to a special arrangement?"

Morgan turned to face him as the ball finally knocked down all of the pins. Hearing the sound of the falling pins, the Persian glanced over and saw that she had finally gotten a strike. "Finally!"

The box of Nuggets sitting in front of the pedestal opened up, allowing Morgan to take one out. It immediately snapped shut afterwards. Seeing this, Kojo raised a brow.

"Now, what kind of 'special arrangement' are you talking about?" the Classy Cat Pokémon inquired. She didn't know if she could trust him entirely, but with Shine now gone and Aura jumping back to them, she figured that she might as well listen.

"Well," Kojo began. "Phill and I are gonna pool our Nuggets together to try and win the challenge, and I was wondering if you'd want in on the action."

Morgan gave him a look. He wanted her to give him the Nugget she spent over half-an-hour trying to get? "And what's in it for me?"

"Uh…" Kojo began. "Well, since you'd help us win… We'll share the immunity clue with you…"

The Persian was skeptical of whether or not he was telling the truth. She was the main threat now, so she found it hard to believe that Kojo would willingly share the clue to the immunity statue. "And how do you expect me to believe that when I've been one of your main targets?"

"You'll just have to trust me," Kojo stated with a shrug. "Up to you…"

Morgan thought about it for a moment. With Shine now gone, the major threats in the game were herself and Kojo. If they could have each other's backs going forward, there was a chance that they could make it to the end. She wasn't sure if he was thinking that far ahead though, as he was extremely tight with Phill.

She stated, "You and I are the biggest threats in the game now. So, it's really up to you. As soon as I'm gone, guess who's gonna be the next target? You…"

Kojo gained a serious visage, a small frown forming on his face. The feline was making a good point, but at the same time, the opposite was true. If Morgan was safe, they'd target him, and if he was safe, they'd target Morgan.

Morgan continued, "Now, I'm willing to work with whoever actually gives me a chance. If you lie to me and end up voting me out, that'll put the big target on your back. So, personally, I'd say that actually trusting each other is good for both of us."

The Martial Arts Pokémon hummed to himself. Phill was his best friend, and he had Aura by association, so if they let Morgan join them, that'd essentially pit them against the others. His eyes widened. "Unless they don't know…"

He smirked, "Okay. I think I have an idea."

Morgan's ears perked up with intrigue.

"You, me, Phill, and Aura make a private alliance," Kojo explained. "You and Aura just keep acting like you're done for. Try to talk to others, make deals, whatever. Just keep acting like nothing's changed. We'll still be working with the others and getting info, but when it comes down to the votes, the four of us will vote together."

"So… lie to the others?" Morgan asked for clarification.

Kojo sighed, placing his hands on his hips, "Yeah, pretty much. I'll probably have to talk to Ashton, though, since I don't wanna lie to her."

"Why not?" Morgan replied.

"Ashton is loyal to me," Kojo explained. "She said she wouldn't vote for me, but I also know that she's closer with the others."

Morgan was about to say something about that but decided against it. "Well, it sounds like it could work."

Kojo nodded affirmatively. "So, about the Nugget…"

Morgan rolled her eyes.

000

Everyone lined back up on the ground floor, with the hosts standing before them.

"Alright, this challenge took a while to complete, but it finally got done," Virizion commented. "Congratulations to Kojo for rounding up the Nuggets from each station. You win the pizza party and the clue to the immunity statue."

The Mienshao wore a smirk, playfully messing with Phill's head fur.

"Now, like we mentioned, there may still be two other statues hidden on the island," Mew explained. "Connor reminded us of the ones that Victini hid, but no one ever found. So, while Kojo may have a clue for the one we gave you, the other ones may still be out there."

Competitive glances were exchanged by a few of the players. Having three immunity statues in play with only eight contestants remaining was bound to create conflict and chaos.

"So, what do we do now?" Titan deadpanned. "Are we free to go?"

Xerneas stated, "The weather outside is still pretty bad, but if you're willing to risk it, then feel free to leave. If you get sick, that's all on you."

The Galvantula gave them a look, letting out a huff.

"Exactly," Xerneas taunted, seeing that he wasn't moving. "Now, you guys are free to stay here until the storm dies down. The forecast said that it will storm all night, but It should be clear by tomorrow afternoon."

"And don't worry about food, because Zahku will be here with you," Mew explained as the Hariyama abruptly landed behind the hosts, causing a small cloud of dust to form around his feet. "We're still gonna get you guys some lunch and dinner, but he'll also have some snacks that you can buy using the Nuggets that you procured."

"And the projector and screen will also be brought back so that you guys aren't just completely bored with nothing to do," Virizion added.

Hearing all of this, Phill chuckled, "Wow! This is actually gonna be fun!"

"Now, Kojo… let us know the two pizzas and the drink you want, and we'll get on it," Mew explained.

Kojo nodded, "I'll take Alolan and… Meat Lovers, with a Lemonade as my drink."

Hearing his choice, a couple of the others either stifled laughs or gave him looks of disgust.

"Alolan?" Aura stifled a laugh. "Really?"

"Hey, don't knock it until you try it," Kojo argued.

"We'll get that to you in a bit," Mew stated. "But, for now, all of you just relax here, and we'll be back later to make sure everything is settled."

The three of them teleported away, leaving the players alone with Zahku.

000

The three hosts appeared in the Winner's Cabin, with Xerneas letting out a sigh as she lay on the couch.

"Hon… Why didn't you tell us that Shine was pregnant earlier?" Virizion inquired. "We could have just dealt with it at the beginning and kept everything the same."

"I could sense that something was off with her, but I just wasn't completely sure," the Life Pokémon explained. "She seemed more sluggish and sicker earlier, but then got a lot better later. That's when I was able to know for sure."

Mew sighed, scratching his head, "Well, that's another pregnancy ejection. Haven't had one of those since… season 3, I think."

"Well, as long as she's safe, that's all that matters," Xerneas stated.

"Yep, but now the question is… Who will be safe next time?" Mew segued, turning to the camera. "There are only eight players left, but there's also three immunity statues out there, apparently. Will they be found? And if they are, by whom? Find out next time on Total… Pokémon… Underdogs!"

The ladies smiled at him, glad that he had done that. However, on the inside, Mew could only groan in annoyance.

000

See ya guys, BYE!