Total Pokemon Island

by A Disheveled Guy

Twenty-two different Pokemon compete on an island against each other to win one million Poke. Various drama ensues. Please don't submit your OCs, I don't want them. Updates whenever I feel like it, apparently.

2. Fortress Frenzy

It was nighttime on the island. All twenty-two campers had gotten settled into their cabins and were now asleep, enjoying their last moment of relaxation before the first challenge began. Gengar and Gardevoir cackled quietly to themselves as they crept into the center of the campsite, air horns in hand.

From inside the cabins, the campers were immediately awoken to the sound of two air horns blaring loudly. Scraggy cursed angrily as he bumped his head on the bunk above his. "The hell was that?" the lizard muttered groggily.

Excadrill hopped down from the top bunk; to his teammates' surprise, he didn't seem tired in the slightest. "It appears the hosts are trying to get our attention," Excadrill informed Scraggy, peering out the window to see the hosts standing there.

"Yeah, no shit," Scraggy groaned irritably. He shot the mole an irritated glare before adjusting his position in bed so he could also see out the window.

Excadrill took a few steps toward the door. "It is probably in our best interest not to keep them waiting," he stated matter-of-factly. "I'll give you all a few minutes to get yourselves ready before we head out."

"Urgh," Zubat groaned sleepily. "I need at least six more hours."

Excadrill frowned at Zubat's comment, but Omastar was already crawling down from his bed. "C'mon, guys, this will be fun!" Omastar said cheerfully. He stood by Excadrill at the door. "It's our first challenge! Aren't you excited?"

"No," said Scraggy crossly. "We were supposed to do the challenge in the morning, weren't we?"

"Technically, they just said we'd begin 'tomorrow,'" Sandslash stated, sitting up in bed. "And it's past midnight by now, so…"

"Oh, don't tell me you're actually defending them," Scraggy said, shooting Sandslash a sharp look. Sandslash merely shrugged in response. "Well, screw this. I'm going back to bed."

The agitated lizard flopped back onto his bed dramatically, pulling the pillow over his head to block out any sound. Omastar laughed brightly and made his way over next to Scraggy's bunk.

"That's no way to feel on your second day here! Let me cure those island blues with a song!" Omastar offered with a grin. "Ohhhhhh, when you're feeling down, just turn that frown—!"

"NO SONGS," Scraggy snapped sharply. Omastar laughed heartily and stopped singing as quickly as he had begun. Fortunately, his singing seemed to have awoken the rest of his cabin-mates; Politoed donned his hat and drowsily got out of bed, though he seemed much less charismatic than usual in his mere half-awakened state.

Excadrill pushed open the door to the Killer Basculin's side of the male cabin to see the other campers beginning to file out as well. Seedot was the first one out from the Spindas' side of the cabin, although he didn't look particularly thrilled to be up this early. Feraligatr walked out after Seedot, though had a bit of difficulty squeezing through the doorway. Even though the large croc was able to fit quite comfortably inside the cabin, the doorway was a bit of a tricky matter, being too short for him to walk through normally.

Drapion charged out of the female Spindas' cabin, casting frantic glances around in all directions. "WHERE IN THE DEVIL DID THAT INFERNAL HORN SOUND FROM?" she shouted. "ARE WE UNDER ATTACK FROM THE NORTH?"

"Drapion, quit shouting!" Raichu called from inside the cabin. "Some of us are still trying to sleep in here!"

"THE TIME FOR SLEEP IS OVER! WE MUST GO ON THE OFFENSIVE BEFORE THEY TAKE US BY SURPRISE!" Drapion shouted back. "FETCH YOUR WEAPONS, MY SISTERS IN ARMS! THIS IS OUR LAST STAND!"

"Whoa, whoa, this is nothing like that!" Gengar announced clearly, waving his hands in front of her. "It's time for your first challenge!"

"Ah, yes. That makes a great deal more sense," Drapion said, twitching violently. "Proceed."

By this time, the rest of the campers were all filing slowly out of their cabins. Gengar and Gardevoir gestured for the campers to follow them to the cafeteria, and eventually all of them arrived. The campers situated themselves at the tables in similar formations to what they had done the previous day; it seemed like most of them were hesitant to stray away from the few other campers they had gotten to know.

Gengar cleared his throat. "Now that we've gotten your attention, it's time for us to begin!" he said. "As many of you have surely guessed by now, it's time for us to begin your first challenge!"

"Really? I never would've guessed," Swadloon said sarcastically. Despite her usual snarkiness, the bug did appear tired; the lack of sleep had evidently impacted her on a physical level.

"Why, yes, Swadloon. It is that time," Gengar said, not bothered by Swadloon's sarcasm. "Gardevoir and I put a great deal of thought into what we could do to make this entertaining for us as hosts, you as contestants, and the viewers as...viewers. And eventually, we settled on this!"

Gardevoir, who had briefly stepped out of the cafeteria to fetch something, now walked back inside, pushing a covered object along in front of her. Despite the white cloth that completely obscured the mystery object, the campers could tell it was shaped like a wheel.

"Behold!" Gengar chanted proudly. "The Wheel of Challenges!"

Gardevoir dramatically tore the cloth away from the wheel, revealing it to be covered in numerous wooden panels along its outer rim. Each of the panels seemed to be concealing something underneath it.

"Wheel of Challenges?" Abra asked hesitantly. "Do you mean to say that our first challenge is random?"

"Don't be silly, Abra. Of course I don't mean to say that," said Gengar dismissively, shaking his head. "I mean to say that ALL of your challenges will be random!" he announced enthusiastically.

This announcement piqued the interest of the campers, many of whom had expected the show to be much more structured than this. Gardevoir took this as her cue to continue the explanation, briefly clearing her throat before beginning. "Here's how this will work," she began. "Each time there's a challenge, we'll spin the wheel to determine what it will be. Once the challenge is decided, all of the campers will participate in the challenge until the winners are determined."

Metang yawned loudly as Gardevoir explained the rules. "Obviously we don't want you to repeat any challenges either, so once a challenge is picked by the wheel, we'll remove the panel containing that challenge so it can't be selected again. This is how we'll begin every morning on the island until there's simply no more challenges to be done."

"That's very interesting," said Clefable, seeming genuinely intrigued by the idea. "I can tell that you two put a lot of thought into this."

"Well, it's only one of many great ideas that we have in store!" Gengar said, giving Clefable an appreciative smile. "Does anyone here have any questions about how this works?"

Ninetales raised a paw hesitantly, and Gengar nodded at her. "Will we have any idea of what the challenges are ahead of time?" she asked.

"You'll only be informed of what each challenge is once it gets selected by the wheel," Gengar answered. "That pretty much levels the playing field for everyone, since nobody knows what to expect. Any other questions?"

"Let's say, just hypothetically, that someone were to get injured on the show," Cherubi said slowly. "Is there a place on the island where they can receive treatment and recover?"

"Yes, we're obligated by law to provide basic medical care for each of you," Gengar stated. Cherubi let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "Does anyone else actually have any challenge-related questions?"

"Um, when do we get served breakfast?" Shuppet asked timidly.

"That's not a challenge-related question, Shuppet," said Gengar, shaking his head. "I don't have to answer that one."

Shuppet looked down in embarrassment as some of the other campers glanced at him. "Maybe I just shouldn't talk," he muttered to himself. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

"If no one has any more questions, I suppose we can move along rather nicely," Gengar commented. "So on a completely unrelated note, we'll be serving you breakfast before the challenge begins!"

Gardevoir had stepped behind the counter of the cafeteria and was now lifting up several trays that were covered in some type of mysterious gray mush. Gengar gestured for the campers to go up and get some. "Eat up! The challenge will be revealed in a half hour, so be quick about it."

Monferno was the first one to step up to the counter. He hesitantly held out a tray, and Gardevoir plopped some unidentifiable mush onto it. Monferno eyed it suspiciously but went over to sit at one of the tables, too afraid to say anything.

Swadloon, on the other hand, was not afraid to say something. "What is this?" she asked as Gardevoir tossed some mush onto her tray.

"Hey, I get paid to make food," Gardevoir said. "But I don't get paid to make food well."

Swadloon blinked. "Fair enough," the bug muttered, waddling off to sit across from Monferno. Gardevoir served some mush to Metang, who took it with a disgusted look on his face.

####

"My opinion on this place has not changed much yet," Excadrill confessed. "Breakfast was a bit of an unpleasant surprise, however. It's a good thing I'm a Steel-type, because I'm certain this could have otherwise poisoned me."

####

Cherubi moaned in discomfort. "I think I have food poisoning," she managed to get out before vomiting in the toilet.

####

The campers were beginning to settle in, situating themselves at the tables by team. Most of the Spindas sat toward the right side of the cafeteria, while the Basculin members sat on the left. Omastar laughed good-naturedly as Scraggy choked on his breakfast, which earned him a deathly glare from the lizard.

Feraligatr prodded the mystery mush with a spoon timidly. "Not hungry, big guy?" Metang asked, sitting down next to him.

"I think I've lost my appetite," Feraligatr said, watching as Abra raced over to the trash can and began retching loudly.

"What a great way to start the day," Seedot muttered to himself. The little Grass-type was seated just across the table from Feraligatr and Metang. "Can't wait to see what the hosts have in store for us."

"I can. This place is awful," Metang said bluntly.

"That was sarcasm," Seedot clarified, rolling his eyes. "Regardless, the first challenge is almost upon us. Better prepare yourselves."

Shuppet swallowed nervously and shoveled some more mush into his mouth.

####

At the other end of the Spindas' table, the female members of the team were chatting. Raichu cast the occasional glance at Seedot to see what he was doing, but the acorn just sat there eating mush and looking bored the whole time.

Drifblim set down her tray on the table with a light clatter. Swadloon and Dragonair glanced over at her. "Hello," Drifblim said to them, noticing that she had their attention.

"Hey. Good morning, by the way," Swadloon replied.

"To you as well," Drifblim said. "I must admit I'm curious about the way challenges are going to be run around here. Have either of you heard any more details from the hosts regarding challenges on this show?"

"Uh, no. Haven't talked to either of them much since yesterday," Swadloon said, eyeing Drifblim curiously. "Well, I guess I complained about breakfast to Gardevoir, but she didn't seem to care."

Drifblim didn't look surprised by this. Then again, she didn't look surprised by anything. She either had difficulty expressing emotions or she didn't have any.

"I've been taking notes about the island while everything is still fresh in my mind," Drifblim revealed to Swadloon and Dragonair, pulling out her journal and sliding it across the table for them to see. "This book contains compiled observations of all of the campers here, mostly about members of the opposing team. I've been trying to figure out what weaknesses they may have, as exploiting those weaknesses will likely be the easiest way to make them lose challenges."

Swadloon flipped through the pages of the small book. Only the first few were written in, yet Drifblim had taken some surprisingly detailed notes on each camper. Swadloon was a little put out by the fact that she was labeled as 'not a threat,' but she decided to take that as a good sign.

Dragonair peered over at Drifblim's notes as well. Certain members of the Basculin team were labeled as threats—Politoed, Clefable, and Aipom were among the ones on the other team that Drifblim seemed to consider threatening. "So what do you plan to do with this?" the Dragon-type asked.

"Nothing yet," Drifblim said, tucking the little book away before any of her other teammates saw it. "But the purpose of showing you this was to give you some incentive to work with me. I'm proposing an alliance between the three of us."

"Why us?" asked Swadloon dubiously. Having someone ask for an alliance this early in the game seemed a bit suspicious.

"You two seemed dependable from your behavior yesterday. I figure that neither of you would alert the rest of the team of my offer, even should you choose to decline it," Drifblim said. Her eyes were fixated on Swadloon, and she didn't blink. Maybe she couldn't. Her face remained a mystery to be solved another time.

Drifblim continued in a hushed voice. "And I suppose, in truth, it was more a matter of narrowing down my options. I'm not familiar enough with any of the males on this team, and the other three campers in our cabin are not ideal choices," Drifblim explained. "Raichu is far too impulsive to be trusted, and I hope I don't need to explain why inviting Drapion into this alliance is a terrible idea. Mimikyu is a bit of a wild card; I'm not sure whether or not she can be trusted, so I'm not taking the risk."

The Blimp Pokemon's eyes settled on Dragonair. "And that brings us to where we are now. Do either of you accept this offer?"

A long silence passed between the three female Spindas as Drifblim awaited a response. The only sound that could be heard was the background chatter of the other campers.

"I'm in," Dragonair concluded after a moment of deliberation. "Three Pokemon have more voting power than two. And two still have more than one, if you're not in," Dragonair added, looking at Swadloon.

Swadloon considered her options and shrugged. "I'm in," she agreed after a moment's hesitation. "But only on the condition that I can still leave whenever I want."

"Of course. I don't intend to control your every action in the game. I'm only looking for your cooperation in eliminating other contestants," Drifblim reasoned. She got up from the table. "Thank you for your time."

Dragonair and Swadloon watched as Drifblim left the cafeteria. Dragonair cast a glance at Swadloon and then went to dump her breakfast in the trash.

####

"Drifblim doesn't strike me as the backstabber type, which is why I joined," Dragonair confessed. "That said, I will have to keep a closer eye on her now."

####

Aipom was shoveling the breakfast mush into her mouth at a frightening rate. Sandslash watched, astonished, as she dumped the entire tray's worth of content into her mouth at once and swallowed.

"All right! How many of you said I couldn't finish it all at once?" Aipom asked smugly. Sandslash, Ninetales, and Abra each raised a hand. Aipom rubbed her hands together greedily as each of them handed her five Poke.

"Well, this blows. Here for less than a day and I'm already losing money," Abra joked. Zubat snickered from a few seats down the table.

Aipom burped loudly and rested her head on the table. "Wake me when it's challenge time!" she shouted. Clefable eyed the monkey disapprovingly. Aipom seemed to be rather noisy and impulsive, two qualities that didn't impress Clefable.

Politoed removed his top hat and turned it upside down. He pulled out a bag of chips from inside and opened it up, tossing a few chips in his mouth.

"Where'd you get those?" Ninetales asked, noticing the chips in Politoed's hand.

Politoed smiled at her and turned his hat upside down again, revealing a stack of four more bags of snacks inside. "The hat's not just for show," he told her with a smirk.

"Mind if I take one? I don't think I can bear to eat another bite of this," said Ninetales, gesturing to her breakfast. Politoed shrugged and held out the hat for her. Ninetales pulled out a bag of gummy Wurmples and began eating those.

####

"Politoed's a bit strange. I won't deny that," Ninetales said. "But I don't think he's a bad guy altogether. He's actually been really nice to everyone so far."

####

"Winning the favor of my teammates when possible should hopefully help in the long run," Politoed said. "I believe I may have alienated a few of them already, such as Scraggy and Sandslash, but I'd much rather make allies when I can."

####

Gengar appeared before the campers after they had all finished eating. "Listen up, campers! Your first challenge is about to begin!" the host announced.

Scraggy gave Gengar an irritated stare. "Oy. You should get some better grub around here. This stuff has to break several safety regulations," he said, holding up his breakfast tray.

"It's time to spin the wheel!" Gengar said enthusiastically, completely ignoring Scraggy's complaint. The campers all watched in anticipation as Gengar gave Gardevoir the signal to spin the wheel. The co-host forcefully spun the wheel, sending it rotating around several times before finally coming to a halt. The arrow at the top of the wheel pointed to one of the covered panels, which Gardevoir then lifted to reveal the challenge.

"Your first challenge is…" Gardevoir began, but Gengar cut her off.

"Ooh, Fortress Frenzy! That's a fun one!" Gengar exclaimed eagerly. "Rather than a team building exercise, it's more of a...team destroying exercise, centered around sabotaging the opposing team!"

"That doesn't explain the challenge at all," Metang pointed out.

Gengar made a frown at Metang. "Well, maybe I planned to explain the challenge once we were finished setting it up, Mr. Sucky Spinda." That seemed to shut Metang up.

"Team destroying exercises do sound more fun than team building ones," Cherubi commented to Abra. "Or more exciting, at the very least."

"They also sound more dangerous," Abra said back. "The fact that they mentioned sabotage already makes me think this challenge will require a bit of strategy."

"I'm not scared of a little strategy!" Cherubi said optimistically. "I am a little scared of everything else that could possibly go wrong, though."

Abra couldn't figure out how to respond to that comment, so she just nodded awkwardly.

####

"I like Cherubi. She seems pretty cool so far, and I've talked to her the most out of anyone on my team," Abra admitted. "But I'm really not sure what to make of her bad luck. Is she actually cursed or something?"

Abra shook her head quickly. "No, curses aren't real. Be rational, Abra," she told herself.

####

"If everyone would please follow us, we'll show you what your challenge will actually be like," Gengar explained. The campers stood up and shuffled out the door after Gengar and Gardevoir. The two hosts led them through a wide path in the woods until they reached a sizeable clearing.

In the middle of the clearing, two forts had been constructed from stones. The forts were impressively large; they towered above the tops of the trees, casting shadows over most of the clearing. The two forts also notably stood opposite each other, which gave some campers a clue about what was in store for them.

Some of the campers still hadn't caught on, however. "What's with the forts?" Monferno asked casually while pointing at them.

"Allow me to explain!" Gengar offered. "In this challenge, each team will get a fort! That fort is yours to protect, and it is essentially the most important part of this challenge!"

"The goal of the challenge is to destroy the other team's fort," Gardevoir continued for him. "Obviously, you want to do so before they manage to destroy yours. The team who manages to destroy the other team's fort first will win, and the other team loses."

Drifblim's eyes flickered back and forth between the two forts curiously. The fort on the left had fewer walls, and the walls were much shorter than the other fort. However, the walls were also thicker, providing an extra layer of protection. The fort on the right was taller and had more walls, but its walls appeared thin by comparison.

"As you can see, each fort is a little different," Gardevoir said. "We'll allow each team to pick which fort they want. If both teams pick the same fort, we'll decide who gets it with a good old-fashioned coin flip."

"Coin flips aren't actually fair, you know," Metang interrupted. "The odds of one side winning are greater than the other, depending on which side is—"

"That's enough out of you, mister," Gengar said, giving Metang a distasteful glare. Metang mumbled the rest of his sentence to himself bitterly, giving the host an equally dissatisfied look.

"Anyways, pick the fort you want," Gardevoir told the campers. "Discuss it with your teams, and we'll start in a few minutes."

####

"The strategic element of this challenge lies in which fort we pick," Politoed mused. "And also in how we attack the other team's fort, of course. I'll admit that this isn't what I had in mind for a first challenge; they've come up with something unexpected."

The frog smiled at the camera after a moment. "But I'm confident that we can pull through."

####

"I tried to prepare for this show as best as I could before coming here, but this? This came completely out of the blue," Sandslash said, scratching his head gently. "Really makes you wonder what else is hidden on that challenge wheel."

####

"Choosing the fort with the better defenses is our best bet," Excadrill stated, quickly taking charge since no one else had spoken up. "We want to pick the one that will be easier to guard, since the other team will be trying to take it down."

"Yeah, we all figured that out a while ago, genius," Scraggy snorted. "Look, unless you've got some brilliant plan, there's no need to state the obvious."

Even though what he had said was true, many of the Killer Basculin felt uneasy about Scraggy's hostile attitude. If he didn't start contributing to the team, he could be a potential liability.

"Well, how about this?" Sandslash began, stepping forward. "Why don't we go for the shorter fort? I know it looks weaker from the outside, but the walls appear to be reinforced. It might be worthwhile choosing that one."

"Yeah, it might be," Scraggy scoffed. "But what if it isn't? What if the walls are just as weak as they look from the outside? We're better off picking the big fort, since we at least know what we're getting with that one."

"You can't be serious," said Sandslash, glaring at Scraggy irritably. "Why would we choose that one? It's too tall! A single strong hit to the bottom would send the entire thing crumbling down! That's a terrible idea."

"And a single strong hit wouldn't take the other one down?" Scraggy challenged him. "That fort's got fewer walls. If we get hit hard, there's no coming back from that."

"Um, guys, let's be reasonable here," Zubat piped up hesitantly. Both Scraggy and Sandslash gave him hostile glares, and the bat immediately regretted his decision. "We should just, um…"

"Just what?" asked Scraggy, crossing his arms defiantly. Sandslash didn't look like he wanted to listen to Zubat, either.

Zubat felt himself sweating nervously under pressure. "J-just...um…"

"Let's pick the tall one," Ninetales said, trying to defuse the situation before it could escalate further. Zubat looked relieved to have the spotlight taken off of him, but Sandslash threw Ninetales a dirty look. "I know you don't want to, Sandslash, but Scraggy's right this time. At least we know what we're getting by picking that one."

"Yeah," Scraggy said, giving Ninetales an appreciative look. "See, it's not a bad idea."

Sandslash felt numerous pairs of eyes on him, and he finally sighed in defeat. "Fine. Do whatever you want," he said bitterly. "Don't come crying to me if we lose."

Aipom chuckled awkwardly as the discussion drew to a close. "Well, that went horribly!" she said to Omastar.

"We'll be fine," he said, giving her a bright grin. Aipom giggled and gave him a high-five.

####

Meanwhile, the Sucky Spindas seemed to be having an easier time deciding which fort to choose. Surprisingly, it was Drifblim who spoke first.

"We should choose the small fort," she said. Monferno fixed her with a curious look; he hadn't expected her to take charge, since she usually seemed reserved around everyone else. "It has reinforced walls, which will make it easier to defend."

"Okay, that's one vote for the small fort," Raichu stated. "Does anyone want to take the bigger fort, or are we all going to agree on this one?"

"I feel like we're probably safer behind a bigger fort," Shuppet mumbled nervously. "But I don't really know, I guess."

Raichu was surprised to hear Shuppet speak his mind, but she nodded. "Okay, that's one for the big fort," she counted. "Anyone else for the big fort?"

A few more hands went up. Drapion raised both of her claws, followed by Monferno and Feraligatr raising their hands.

"I'm in support of the big fort as well," Seedot added, since he didn't have any hands to raise.

Raichu gave Seedot a disapproving look before finishing the mental math in her head. "That's five, which is less than half of us," she said. "So we're going to go for the small fort."

"Yeah! I wanted the small fort all along!" said the Pikachu puppet goofily. Mimikyu giggled to herself, and Dragonair couldn't help but smile as well. Mimikyu's act, while a bit peculiar, was also rather endearing at times.

"All right. Let's win this challenge and show those Basculin who's boss!" Raichu said, pumping her fist in the air. A few of her teammates cheered along with her, though some like Seedot stayed silent.

"It looks like everyone's finished," Gardevoir mentioned to Gengar, and the two of them walked forward to address the campers once more.

"So, which forts have you decided on?" asked Gengar with a grin. A representative from each team stepped forward to tell him their answers.

"We've decided on the tall fort," Politoed stated calmly.

"And we want the short one," Raichu said confidently.

Gengar clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! So we don't have to do the coin flip!" he said. "Okay, everyone, take the side that your team belongs on. It's time to get this show on the road!"

"Remember, all you have to do to win is destroy the other team's fort," Gardevoir stated. "Good luck to all of you."

Gengar pulled a whistle out of nowhere and blew it, initiating the challenge. Both teams scrambled towards their respective forts, but the action died down when they got there.

"So…" Zubat began awkwardly as the Killer Basculin gathered behind the menacing walls of the large fort. "What's our plan again?"

"We don't have one," Sandslash said, glaring at Scraggy. "Unless Scraggy over here came up with something without telling us."

Scraggy scowled and flipped Sandslash off, causing Sandslash to take a menacing step toward Scraggy. "All right, listen here, you little—"

"Calm yourself, Sandslash," Excadrill stated, his tone as calm as ever. "We must act as one unit during challenges. Whether we dislike one another or not cannot come before our objective."

Sandslash turned his furious gaze on Excadrill. "Well, if you want to point fingers for the lack of team spirit, why don't you look at him?" Sandslash growled, pointing at Scraggy. "I'm at least TRYING to help us win."

"Really? It looks to me like you're just trying to start a fight," Scraggy said. His eyes met with Sandslash's, and the air immediately became heavier. Abra scratched at her neck uncomfortably.

But the Killer Basculin had no time left to resolve their conflict, as a powerful Hydro Pump attack from across the clearing struck the center of their fort, spraying dust down on them and reminding them that they were in the middle of a challenge. Clefable glanced across the clearing through a crack in the fort and saw Feraligatr standing in front of his team's fort, preparing another powerful water attack.

"Way to go, Feraligatr!" Swadloon cheered him on. "Hit them with another one!"

"That was so cool!" Mimikyu's Pikachu puppet giggled happily.

Her Pikachu puppet stopped wiggling suddenly, and she continued talking in a normal voice. "Feraligatr, you're so strong!" Mimikyu praised him. "Do it again!"

"I'm really not that strong, guys," Feraligatr said modestly. "I don't even train as often as I should."

"You don't actually think that, do you?" Raichu asked him. "You were able to put a dent in that fort with a single Hydro Pump! That takes some serious strength."

She gave him a confident nod, and Feraligatr gave her a small smile in return. "I guess so," he admitted. "Should I do it again?"

"Yes, but we have to be quick," Drifblim said quietly, floating forward. "There's no telling when the other team will recover. We either hit them while they're down, or we risk having them retaliate against us."

"Makes sense to me," Feraligatr agreed obediently. He charged up another Hydro Pump and fired it at the Killer Basculin's fort.

The Killer Basculin were prepared this time, however. "Omastar," Politoed said, getting his teammate's attention. "Would you do me a favor and launch me?"

"Launch you?" Omastar repeated, puzzled. "Like, over the fort?"

"Yes, please," Politoed clarified with a kind smile. Omastar beamed at Politoed and lifted him up before sending him soaring over the top of the fort and down onto the other side.

Politoed landed in front of the fort gracefully and watched as Feraligatr blasted another Hydro Pump directly at him. "This should be fun," said the frog Pokemon with a smirk.

Both teams stared in awe as Politoed stood there, blocking the attack from hitting the Basculin's fort. Raichu's eyes widened as Politoed simply absorbed the water into his body, shaking off a Hydro Pump like it was nothing.

Feraligatr stared at the little frog in shock. "We may need a new plan," he said, turning around to face Drifblim. The Blimp Pokemon didn't seem fazed at all; if anything, the fact that Politoed had countered their approach only seemed to motivate her further.

"If they're sending in Politoed to counter Feraligatr, we just need to take care of Politoed in order to move on," Drifblim reasoned. "As a Water-type, he'll be weak against attacks from you three."

Drifblim gestured to Seedot, Swadloon, and Raichu as she said this. Seedot and Raichu looked mutually unhappy to be grouped together, but Raichu sighed and nodded. "She's right," Raichu admitted. "We'll go in and take out Politoed. That should give Feraligatr enough of an opening to fire off another Hydro Pump, unless they pull something else."

"Speak for yourself. I didn't agree to fight Politoed," Seedot argued.

"What, is it your goal to be the first one eliminated?" Raichu asked him threateningly. Seedot stared at her with a bored expression. "If you don't help this team, most of us won't take kindly to it. If that's your mission, so be it; I'd be happy to send you home and stay another day."

"That's not…" Seedot drifted off as he felt everyone looking at him expectantly. "Okay, fine. I'll do it. Are you happy now?"

"I'd be happier if you were on the other team, but this is a start," Raichu responded coldly.

"If you three all attack Politoed at once, I doubt he'll stand a chance," Drifblim reminded them. "We shouldn't waste any more time. Get out there."

"I mean, if we all somehow manage to screw this up, then Politoed must seriously be a threat," Swadloon said. "I think we'll be fine. He seems pretty harmless."

"Let's get this over with," Seedot muttered, dreading what awaited him. Raichu shoved him out from behind the fort and looked across the clearing for herself; it seemed the only contestant the Killer Basculin had sent outside the fort was Politoed. Raichu's eyes narrowed; there was no way the other team would let them win this easily.

Politoed hummed an upbeat tune to himself as he watched Swadloon, Seedot, and Raichu approach from across the field. They drew closer cautiously, not committing to an offensive strategy yet as they hadn't figured out the other team's angle. Politoed tapped his cane on the ground rhythmically as he waited patiently.

"This is a terrible idea," Metang remarked as Raichu finally led Seedot and Swadloon in a charge toward Politoed.

Drifblim turned to face the metal Pokemon. "How so?" she asked.

"Well, the other team's probably going to ambush those three once they get close enough," Metang pointed out. "By the time they get close enough to Politoed to attack, they'll be close enough for the Basculin to attack them."

"Hm. I hadn't considered that," Drifblim admitted. "You should have said something earlier. I would have listened to your input."

"Well, you'd be the first," Metang said sourly. Drifblim's expression didn't change. Then again, it never really did.

####

"Metang isn't afraid to speak his mind, which I consider to be a valuable trait in a teammate. Granted, I wish he would express himself at more opportune times, but he seems like an intelligent individual," Drifblim said eloquently. "I can picture a few ways in which he might be useful."

####

"Drifblim was so quiet on the first day, and all of a sudden it seems like she's trying to run our team," Metang muttered. "Am I the only one who finds that odd?"

####

"Are you ready to taste defeat?" Raichu shouted, charging wildly at Politoed. The Frog Pokemon had not moved, which seemed like a red flag to Seedot; as much as he didn't care for Politoed, he knew the magician wasn't stupid enough to stand in the way of a direct attack.

Raichu leaped into the air, her cheeks crackling with electricity. She unleashed a wicked Thunderbolt attack that was aimed directly for Politoed.

But before the powerful bolt could hit, two figures burst forth from the earth. Sandslash and Excadrill landed in front of Politoed, shielding him from the attack. Excadrill wore the same serious expression he had kept since he arrived, but Raichu noticed a fire in Sandslash's eyes that had not been there yesterday.

She barely had any time to wonder what it was about before Sandslash jumped into the air after Raichu, lunging at her with his claws extended. She fell back to the ground and rolled away, dodging his attack. Sandslash landed after her and sharpened his claws intimidatingly, as if daring Seedot or Swadloon to try the same thing.

"Oy, Feraligatr!" Swadloon shouted, turning around to face her team's fort. The big croc noticed her calling his name and waved. "Now would be a great time for some more Hydro Pumps!"

Feraligatr nodded and charged up a third Hydro Pump in his mouth. He released the blast, this time aiming for Sandslash and Excadrill rather than their team's fort. The two Ground-types nimbly dodged out of the way, but this gave Raichu an opening to strike Politoed.

"Discharge!" she shouted, this time sending out a massive burst of electricity rather than a concentrated beam. Politoed's cocky demeanor disappeared as he saw Raichu preparing to attack, and he was unable to dodge in time. He took the brunt of her Discharge, dropping to one knee. Politoed let out a gasp as he felt the electricity coursing through his body; his entire body felt numb.

"Politoed's getting smacked around out there," Ninetales said to her teammates as she kept watch through a crack in the fort. "I think we should send out some more Pokemon to help him."

"Yeah, but who would we send?" Clefable asked, gesturing to the rest of their team. Omastar and Aipom were doing some kind of silly jig in the corner, Abra and Cherubi were quietly talking, Scraggy was standing alone against a wall, and Zubat was...blind. "Most of us are hardly capable of doing anything."

"Maybe they're not, but we are," Ninetales said, gesturing to herself and Clefable. "It's possible that we may have to take this into our own hands to win."

Clefable crossed her arms uncertainly. "Okay, but...let's not resort to that yet," Clefable said, not wanting to leave the safety of the fort.

"If you say so," Ninetales agreed, but she looked like she wanted to head out. Clefable peered through a tiny crack to see Politoed getting whacked on the head by Raichu's Iron Tail. The frog toppled over, unconscious.

####

"It seems my performance today was unfortunately cut short," said Politoed, nervously fidgeting with his cane. "I do hope my team isn't mad about this. I'm normally much better in a fight, but that Raichu is something else."

####

Swadloon rolled around across the grassy field, rapidly evading multiple strikes from Excadrill. Excadrill seemed mildly annoyed that he had not managed to hit her once yet, but he was determined, if nothing else.

Meanwhile, Raichu had taken a moment to celebrate her victory as she stood over Politoed. "Ha ha ha," she laughed cockily. "That's what you get when you mess with the Raichu."

WHAM!

Raichu was immediately knocked to the ground by Sandslash, who had not forgotten who his primary target was. Raichu was the biggest threat among the campers that the Sucky Spindas had sent; not only was she strong, she was without a doubt the fastest among them. Raichu stared up at Sandslash from the ground as he watched her warily.

"Not going to strike again? What's the matter, you scared?" Raichu taunted him with a grin. Sandslash's rage mounted, and he impaled the ground with one claw as Raichu nimbly rolled out of the way once more.

Raichu knew that most of her moves would have no effect on Sandslash; he was immune to damage from her electric attacks, and Iron Tail wouldn't do much against a defensive Pokemon like him. She was about to call for another Hydro Pump from Feraligatr when a barrage of seeds pummeled Sandslash in the chest.

"You're welcome," Seedot drawled as he walked past her, approaching Sandslash. Raichu was grateful for his assistance, but neglected to thank him anyway; she was still at odds with him, despite being on the same team.

However, Sandslash was not down for the count. He quickly recovered from the Bullet Seed that had struck him and lunged toward Seedot. The acorn wasn't able to move particularly fast, so he simply allowed Sandslash to tackle him to the ground. Sandslash struck Seedot with his claws several times consecutively, rendering him unconscious.

The Spindas' team watched as Seedot was taken out and Swadloon continued to dodge Excadrill's blows. "We need to send more Pokemon out there," Drifblim observed quickly. "To counter their Ground-types, it may be a good idea that I go. Monferno, your fire attacks may also be of use in defeating Excadrill."

"Right," said Monferno, nodding. "I'll help Swadloon. You go finish off Sandslash."

Drifblim floated out of the fort through its open top; this way she had a clearer view of the battlefield. Currently, Raichu and Sandslash were exchanging blows, though the way things were going, Raichu was dodging most of Sandslash's. Monferno was running over to help get Excadrill away from Swadloon, which meant that now was a good opportunity for Drifblim to participate in the action.

She drifted down to Sandslash and Raichu carefully, so as not to alert Sandslash of her presence. Raichu caught sight of Drifblim descending behind Sandslash and decided to distract him to give Drifblim an opportunity to strike.

Sandslash lunged at Raichu once more, but a cold wind from behind knocked him to the ground. He immediately rolled over and pushed himself to his feet to see his new opponent; it was none other than Drifblim, preparing another Icy Wind attack.

Sandslash's brow furrowed in frustration, and he dove at Drifblim, claws extended. Drifblim evaded him, drifting to the right in an instant; she was astonishingly nimble, even if she appeared to be an easy target. A second Icy Wind threw Sandslash backwards into his own fort. He struggled to get up, seeing Raichu and Drifblim both closing in on him now.

But the Killer Basculin were not finished yet. Ninetales, fed up with waiting, darted out from behind the fort and blasted both Drifblim and Raichu with a Dazzling Gleam, blinding both of them temporarily. "Sandslash, get up!" Ninetales ordered abruptly.

Sandslash stabbed the earth and stood back up. "Well, you certainly took your time," he said, giving her a glare. "Where's the rest of the team when we need them?"

"Inside the fort. We can't go on an all-out offensive," Ninetales reminded him. "That's too big of a risk."

"We're going to lose at this rate if we don't do something," Sandslash growled. "Get them out here and let's finish this challenge already."

Ninetales frowned, but she nodded and returned to the safety of the fort. Drifblim and Raichu had recovered by now, but Sandslash tackled Raichu to the ground and started slashing at her viciously, determined to put a dent in the other team's strategy.

"Ah! Get off!" Raichu shouted, kicking at Sandslash from underneath him. Drifblim blasted another wave of cold air at Sandslash, and he rolled off of Raichu. The two Spinda girls could already tell his stamina was low; another attack or two and he should be down.

Meanwhile, Monferno and Swadloon were having a tricky time handling Excadrill. The mole Pokemon was clearly no stranger to the battlefield, as he effortlessly employed maneuvers that Swadloon and Monferno were unable to keep up with. Excadrill clasped his bladed arms together and tunneled underground, out of sight of the two Spindas.

"Where'd he go?" Monferno asked Swadloon frantically, scanning the ground for any signs of a slight tremor that would give away Excadrill's location. He had no such luck, as their opponent was stealthy. Moments later Excadrill burst from the ground behind Monferno, ramming the flame-tailed monkey to the ground.

Swadloon sent a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at Excadrill in retaliation, but Excadrill deflected the projectiles with his blades. Monferno took this opportunity to ram his fist into Excadrill's face, sending the mole toppling backwards as he tried to reorient himself. Monferno grinned and engulfed his fists in flames; now the tide of battle was turning in his favor.

As soon as Excadrill's senses returned to normal, Monferno launched himself at the mole. He latched onto Excadrill's shoulders and started wailing on him with fiery fists. Excadrill held up his blades to block the incoming attacks, but this gave Swadloon an opportunity to close in on him and attack with another Razor Leaf. Excadrill felt the sharp leaves scratching at his sides, but he kept up his blades to block Monferno's more threatening assault.

Monferno was about to try a new approach to get past Excadrill's defenses when a sudden blast of water hit Excadrill from behind, knocking both Excadrill and Monferno to the ground. Monferno pushed the unconscious Excadrill aside to see Feraligatr giving him a thumbs-up from across the field. Monferno grinned and gave him a thumbs-up in return.

Drifblim floated higher into the air once more, deciding to let Raichu deal with Sandslash. Now that she was within close proximity of the fort, another option had presented itself. A single Explosion attack at such close range would almost certainly decimate the Basculin's fort. It wasn't an ideal plan, but perhaps it could work. Drifblim closed in on the fort, thinking that she had won until she saw what awaited her inside.

"NOW!" shouted Aipom abruptly as soon as Drifblim appeared above them. Zubat opened his mouth, and a loud screeching sound was emitted. Drifblim couldn't react in time, and the noise disoriented her; she came crashing down into the fort, where the remaining Killer Basculin surrounded her.

"Well, well. We caught ourselves a Sucky Spinda," Scraggy commented casually, glancing at Drifblim's fallen form. "Still think we can salvage this challenge?"

"If we get out there now and fight back, we may have a chance," Ninetales told him. "Excadrill was holding up fine earlier, but Sandslash won't be able to hold them off for much longer. Now's our chance."

"I guess we don't have a choice," Clefable sighed, peering through a crack in the fort. "Sandslash just lost to Raichu, and Excadrill's down already."

"THEN LET'S GET READY TO KICK SOME BUTT!" Aipom yelled, whipping her tail around like it was some kind of weapon. Omastar cheered enthusiastically next to her, beaming at Scraggy as the lizard gave them both a tired glare.

"I...think I may have a plan, actually," Abra spoke up. All eyes turned to her, and she hesitantly continued. "We'll need to draw out the rest of the Spindas somehow. Anything would work, really—just some kind of distraction to make them leave the fort."

"Okay," said Clefable, crossing her arms. "And how do you propose we do that?"

"Well, Aipom is loud and distracting," Abra offered. "I think she'll suffice."

"Yeah!" Aipom agreed willingly, pumping her fists up and down eagerly. "Omastar, you wanna come with?"

"Totally! That'd be super rad," Omastar nodded without hesitation. The two of them scrambled out from behind the fort before Abra could even finish her thought.

Abra glanced outside after them. "I guess that means we're doing it now," she muttered. "Okay, Scraggy, I'll need you with me."

"What, me? Why?" Scraggy asked, genuinely surprised. "I take it you're not just bringing me along to have company, right?"

Loud whooping noises could be heard from outside as Aipom and Omastar tried to get the other team's attention. "Just trust me on this one," Abra told Scraggy. "You know a move like Rock Smash or Brick Break, right?"

"Sure," Scraggy said, fixing Abra with a curious look. "But you better tell me what this is about as soon as we enact this little plan of yours."

"In the meantime, um…" Abra said, glancing at Zubat, Cherubi, Ninetales, and Clefable. "You four can pretty much do whatever you want."

"Great. That basically means we do nothing," Clefable huffed. Zubat, on the other hand, didn't look too upset to hear this. Doing nothing was within his skillset.

####

"They're taunting us!" Drapion hissed with a scowl as plain as day. "That little monkey is making a mockery of everything we stand for!"

She was referring to Aipom, who was indeed doing a dance that could be interpreted as a taunt to their team, but Shuppet glanced at Monferno instead, looking confused. Monferno didn't appear to be taunting their team, but then again, Drapion wasn't known for making sense.

Metang stared across the field and sighed. "So she is. Here's an idea: why don't you go out there and stop her?"

Drapion cackled madly and punched the inside of the fort. "PERHAPS I SHALL," she hissed ominously before skittering outside and charging headlong at the enemy fort.

"Um...was it really a good idea to send her out there alone?" Shuppet asked Metang hesitantly.

"What? No, of course not. I just wanted to get rid of her," Metang replied bluntly.

Shuppet stared at him blankly. "Oh. Uh, that makes sense. Right," the puppet muttered awkwardly. "Silly me."

####

"CHAAAAARGE!" screamed Drapion, covering the length of the clearing in mere seconds. Monferno, Raichu, and Swadloon all moved out of her way as she ran wildly at Aipom and Omastar.

"Should we stop her?" Monferno muttered to Raichu. The electric mouse shrugged.

"I don't think we could stop her if we wanted to," Raichu admitted. She glanced at the Basculin's fort and shook her head. "And I don't think Drifblim's coming back out of their fort, either. We need a new course of action."

"They're not really doing a good job of defending their fort from the outside, though," Swadloon commented. "Couldn't we just go up and attack it now?"

"I don't think Aipom and Omastar are going to stop us," Monferno agreed. "We could probably pull this off."

"No," Raichu said, holding out an arm to stop Monferno. He gave her a quizzical look. "They're clearly meant as a diversion. Why else would the other team send them out defenseless like this?"

"Politoed was a diversion, too," Monferno pointed out. "We just have to go in and hope for the best."

Raichu withdrew her arm, and Monferno gently pushed past her. Swadloon shrugged and followed after him, rolling herself along the ground to move more quickly.

Raichu turned around and gave Feraligatr a signal with her hand. "KEEP UP THE HYDRO PUMPS!" Raichu called across the clearing. Feraligatr charged up another Hydro Pump and fired it.

More dust sprayed down onto the heads of the Killer Basculin. "Does anyone else have any brilliant plans?" Clefable asked hopefully. "Because only Drapion was dumb enough to fall for our decoys."

"Speaking of which, how's that going?" Scraggy muttered.

Clefable looked through the small crack in their fort to see Drapion and Aipom involved in some odd form of a wrestling match outside. Omastar was watching from the sidelines and cheering Aipom on, waving his appendages happily.

"Well, it's certainly got her distracted," Clefable sighed, shaking her head. "But if this fort takes any more Hydro Pumps, I feel like it's going to crumble."

"Knowing my luck, I'd say we're pretty fortunate that it hasn't collapsed already," Cherubi said brightly.

"So what do we do?" asked Zubat helplessly. "I don't want to lose the first challenge."

Abra frowned. "Okay, I know this isn't ideal, but we may have to go ahead with the plan even if they still have Pokemon left in their fort. Scraggy, are you ready?"

"Ready for what? You still haven't explained anything," Scraggy said irritably.

"I don't know how many Pokemon are left in the Spindas' fort, so we may want to bring some fighters, too," Abra mentioned. "Ninetales, you can battle, right? I saw you using Dazzling Gleam before."

"...I've dabbled in battling before, but I wouldn't say that I'm any good at it yet," Ninetales said modestly.

"Actually, I'm not bad in a fight," Cherubi boasted. "Granted, my last battle ended with me in the emergency room, but it was for totally unrelated reasons!"

"That doesn't exactly inspire confidence," said Clefable doubtfully.

"We'll take whoever we can get," Abra said quickly. "Even you, if you're willing, Clefable."

Clefable went pale at the thought of having to battle. "I'll pass."

"Suit yourself. Okay, you three, grab onto me," Abra instructed her teammates. Scraggy and Cherubi each placed an appendage on Abra's arms, and Ninetales placed a paw on Abra's shoulder. Just as soon as they were all done making contact with her, they vanished.

"What the—where did they go?" Clefable sputtered in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Zubat asked, oblivious to what had just transpired.

Clefable stared at him as if it was obvious. "Our teammates! They just disappeared!"

"Oh. That sounds neat," Zubat told her, fluttering in place. "I wish I could have seen that."

Clefable rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to the events unfolding outside. It appeared that Drapion had gained the upper hand in her wrestling match with Aipom, and Monferno was leading Raichu and Swadloon directly toward the fort. Clefable felt her heart rate quicken; maybe she would have to fight after all.

####

Scraggy gasped suddenly as Abra warped the four Basculin into the midst of the Spindas' fort. The Spindas looked just as surprised to see them as they were to be there.

"Your plan was to teleport us into the enemy base?" Scraggy exclaimed, throwing up his hands. Abra shrugged nonchalantly, not wanting to confront Scraggy here of all places. "Yeah, nice plan. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Hi there, friends!" Mimikyu's Pikachu puppet greeted them as the cloth-covered ghost scuttled closer. "What brings you to our fort?"

"Ooh! I think I know why they're here!" Mimikyu cut in, her voice returning to normal. "I think they're here to sabotage us from the inside!"

The Pikachu puppet laughed eerily. "Well, you know just what to do to stop 'em, Mimikyu!"

"That's right!" Mimikyu perked up, giggling quietly to herself. "It's time for the claw!"

Cherubi was about to ask what Mimikyu meant by 'the claw,' but her question was answered before it was even asked as a shadowy claw swept out from underneath Mimikyu's cloth and knocked Scraggy off of his feet. The lizard let out a surprised yelp and landed on his back with a thud.

Metang floated closer to the intruders, watching them through wary eyes. "You really must not be smart, coming right into the enemy's territory like this," he droned. "Let's make this quick."

"We'll see about that!" Cherubi challenged him, running at the metallic Pokemon at full speed. Metang rolled his eyes and sent her flying backwards with a quick telekinetic burst.

"Ow," Cherubi moaned as she hit the hard stone wall. "Never mind, I think I might have broken something."

Dragonair slithered up behind Metang, eyeing the Basculin carefully as if anticipating their next move. Shuppet was busy cowering in the corner, wanting nothing to do with the battle unfolding before him.

Scraggy grunted and pushed himself back up. "Well, if we're already here, there's no sense in holding back anymore," he growled. "Let's finish this already."

Mimikyu giggled once more and swiped at him again with her Shadow Claw. Scraggy dodged backwards this time before immediately lunging at her, catching her off guard. He swung full force at Mimikyu, snapping the head of her Pikachu puppet backwards; otherwise, his attack seemed to have no effect.

"You've got to be kidding me," Scraggy groaned. "The head's just part of her damn puppet?"

"Hey! You meanie! You hurt Pikachu!" Mimikyu shouted. She swiped at Scraggy with her Shadow Claw again. "Go away!"

Scraggy blocked her attack to the best of his ability, and Abra tapped him on the shoulder from behind. "Scraggy, don't forget what we're here to do!" she told him. "You focus on destroying the fort. Ninetales and I will handle the other team."

"If you say so," Scraggy agreed reluctantly. He sprinted over to the wall of the fort and brought his fist against it in a shattering Brick Break attack. The wall, as sturdy as it appeared, shook violently from the impact.

"Well, that's not good," Metang said, stating the obvious. "Dragonair, take out Scraggy. Mimikyu and I should be able to handle Abra." Dragonair nodded and slipped past Metang as the metallic Pokemon focused on Abra.

But just as his eyes settled on the floating psychic, she vanished. He was about to alert Dragonair when he heard a voice from behind.

"Hidden Power!" shouted Abra, unleashing a bright burst of energy. Metang was unprepared, and the force of the blast sent him sprawling along the ground until he crashed into the wall of the fort, which was steadily growing weaker.

Dragonair lunged for Scraggy, attempting to prevent him from damaging the fort further, but a beam of frigid ice stopped her in her tracks. Ninetales stepped forward, blocking Dragonair's path.

"Sorry, but we've got a challenge to win," Ninetales said apologetically. "I'm sure you understand."

Dragonair rolled her eyes. "Thunder Wave," the serpent murmured under her breath. Ninetales let out a gasp as she fell to the ground, unable to move. Dragonair slithered past her, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Hurry up, Scraggy! I can't fight all of them at once!" Abra shouted, dodging several swipes from Metang, who hadn't been affected much by her Hidden Power. Both Mimikyu and Dragonair were closing in on Scraggy, who was still busy attempting to take down the fort.

####

Raichu peered behind the wall of the Killer Basculin's fort. "It's...empty," she reported to Monferno and Swadloon with a raised eyebrow. "Huh. Guess they decided to abandon ship after all once they realized they'd lost."

"That seems unlikely. They're probably hiding so that they can ambush us with a surprise attack or something," Swadloon remarked.

Raichu rolled her eyes. "You really think they thought that far ahea—?"

"USE SUPERSONIC, ZUBAT!"

Raichu's senses were assaulted as an ear-piercing screech filled the vicinity. Zubat fluttered down from above, emitting the harmful sounds from his mouth. Clefable stepped out from behind a tree and faced the three intruders with a disappointed expression.

"I can't believe that worked," Clefable muttered. "Whatever. Moonblast."

Clefable held out her palm and a shimmering beam shot out, blasting Raichu square in the chest. The mouse tumbled to the ground, but she seemed to have recovered from Zubat's confusion tactics. Swadloon and Monferno were recovering quickly as well, and Clefable's confidence began to fade.

Zubat took this opportunity to swoop in on the Spindas, smacking Swadloon around with a rather ridiculous looking Wing Attack. Nonetheless, it seemed to do the trick; Swadloon toppled over and didn't get up.

Raichu scowled at Clefable as the Fairy-type backed up and took a defensive stance. "If that's how you wanna play this, two can play at that game," Raichu said. Her lightning-bolt shaped tail began to glow with a metallic sheen, and she ran at Clefable, swinging her tail in an arc at the Fairy Pokemon.

As Raichu's tail was about to make contact with Clefable, an invisible barrier blocked the attack. Raichu's brow furrowed as she saw that Clefable's hands were raised in front of her; she had used Protect to mitigate the effects of Raichu's attack.

Out of the corner of her eye, Raichu saw Monferno dash at Zubat, leaping into the air and ramming a blazing fist into the bat's face. Zubat let out a pained cry and crumpled to the ground, folding his wings in front of him to block any further attacks.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" Raichu taunted Clefable. Clefable was about to spit out a retort, but she held herself back; with Zubat down, it seemed unlikely that she'd be able to fend off Monferno and Raichu on her own. Perhaps it would be best to surrender and hope that Abra's plan worked.

Raichu gave a curt nod to Monferno. "Hit the fort with a Rock Smash," she ordered. "I'll keep an eye on Clefable."

"Roger that," Monferno agreed. He cracked his knuckles and stretched out his arms before slamming a fist into the Basculin's fort with tremendous power. The fort shook, but didn't fall just yet.

Raichu stuck her head out from behind the fort and shouted across the clearing again. "FERALIGATR, BRING ON THE HYDRO PUMPS! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!"

The electric mouse's expression quickly switched to one of confusion as she noticed that Feraligatr was no longer waiting outside the Spindas' fort. Instead, there seemed to be a lot of commotion coming from the inside of the fort, which raised some concern for Raichu.

"Looks like it might be too late for you," Clefable said smugly. Raichu swiveled around and fixed Clefable with an angry look. "Notice how only Zubat and I are still here? Where do you think the rest of my teammates went, hm?"

Raichu's eyes widened in realization, and she anxiously glanced across the field again. The Spindas' fort shook violently, but she couldn't tell where the attack was coming from, meaning that someone had gotten inside.

####

"I can't believe it! They outsmarted us!" Raichu ranted angrily. "We had everything going perfectly until we decided to leave the fort, but they tricked us somehow!"

Raichu stared into the camera, her arms crossed in determination. "Well, make no mistake! I ain't about to be a part of the losing team—no matter how many battles they win, I won't let them win the war."

####

"The plan worked, somehow," Clefable muttered, examining her hands with a bored look. "I guess I didn't give Abra enough credit before. Still, I don't trust her—anyone like that could potentially be a threat later."

####

Feraligatr had entered the fort again upon hearing attacks being thrown about inside, but he was immediately greeted by a Magical Leaf to the face from Cherubi. The Cherry Pokemon had managed to recover from Metang's previous attack, and she appeared determined not to let Feraligatr reach Scraggy.

"Come at me, I dare you!" Cherubi challenged him. "The type matchup isn't in your favor this time, pal!"

Unfortunately for Cherubi, as Scraggy pounded the wall another time, a rock from the top of the fort dislodged itself and dropped onto Cherubi's head, knocking her out in an instant. Feraligatr scratched his head and awkwardly stepped over her unconscious form, thankful to have avoided an unnecessary conflict.

Scraggy grunted in frustration and slammed his fists into the wall again. Brick Break was doing its job and breaking the wall, but not fast enough. Dragonair slithered up behind him and began coiling herself around his torso, pulling him away from the wall.

"Hey, what the hell? Let me go!" Scraggy shouted, hitting Dragonair with his fists. She constricted him tightly to prevent him from reaching the wall, but an Ice Beam attack from Ninetales hit her from behind, causing her to loosen her grip on Scraggy out of surprise. Scraggy slipped free and smashed the fort with another Brick Break, this time triggering a massive reaction from the fort.

Rocks tumbled down on all sides, burying Cherubi, Metang, and Mimikyu in rubble. Abra teleported out of the way just in time, breathing a sigh of relief as the Spindas' fort came crashing down around them. Dragonair and Shuppet stared at the wrecked fort in disbelief.

"Congratulations, Killer Basculin! With the destruction of the Sucky Spindas' fort, you have officially won the first challenge!" Gengar announced, walking across the field to address the campers with Gardevoir in tow.

Metang groaned audibly and pushed some of the rubble off of himself. "Well, that's just great," he muttered. "What happens now?"

"For once, I'm glad that you asked!" Gengar responded. "Since your team lost this challenge, a voting ceremony will take place tonight. I'll explain more about the details when everyone is there and in the condition to listen, seeing as a fair amount of you are still unconscious at the moment."

"The ceremony will take place at the campfire pit, which is just south of the main campsite," Gardevoir added. "It's near the docks, so it's fairly hard to miss."

Drapion shoved Aipom aside and hobbled over to the hosts, her arms raised. "WE LOST? WHAT KIND OF BLASPHEMY IS THIS?" Drapion hissed. "I DEMAND BETTER. PUT ME ON THE OTHER TEAM."

"Sorry, no can do! You're a Sucky Spinda, through and through," Gengar rhymed. "Of course, should you not want to be a Spinda any longer, elimination is always an option!"

Drapion pondered that option briefly. "No, that won't do!" she said, rejecting the idea. "I must WIN, AND ASSERT MY DOMINANCE OVER EVERY OTHER LIVING BEING HERE."

"In that case, you'll want to be present for the voting ceremony. We'll begin around sundown, so make sure your whole team is there!" Gengar told the Sucky Spindas. "With that said, we'll leave the rest of the morning and afternoon to you! Make your decisions about who you want to vote off and come to the ceremony prepared."

Gengar and Gardevoir wandered out of the clearing and back towards the campsite. Omastar helped Aipom to her feet and the two happy-go-lucky Basculin went to wake up their unconscious teammates. Some members of the Spindas were doing the same.

####

"Well, would you look at that! Not everything went according to plan, but we won!" Omastar boasted cheerfully. "Just like I thought we would! We're unstoppable already, ha ha!"

####

Shuppet stared at the wall of the outhouse guiltily. "...I didn't do anything today," he muttered dejectedly. "And on top of that, my team lost. I'm so screwed."

He sighed deeply. "I mean, maybe there's a chance that I'll make it to the second voting ceremony...maybe."

####

Mimikyu was sitting on the seat in the confessional, her puppet wobbling back and forth as she moved around underneath its cloth. A sewing kit was opened next to her, and she appeared to be fixing the puppet's head.

"There! All better!" Mimikyu exclaimed. "How are you feeling, Pikachu?"

"A little lightheaded!" the Pikachu puppet joked in response. Mimikyu burst into laughter that continued for far too long.

"Are you done in there?" asked an impatient Clefable from outside.

Mimikyu stifled her laughter momentarily. "Almost!" she called back. Clefable could be heard sighing from the other side of the door.

####

"My team won the first challenge, which means there isn't much that I'll be able to do tonight," Clefable revealed, facing the camera. "But I do plan to observe the Spindas' voting ceremony. Figuring out which members of the other team could be allied and which ones are the biggest threats could help in future challenges."

####

Now that the challenge was out of the way, the rest of the day proceeded at a much calmer pace. The food being served for lunch was a step up from Gardevoir's breakfast mush, but only because it lacked any taste whatsoever. Ninetales gratefully accepted another bag of snacks from Politoed instead of eating the cafeteria meal.

"I'm going to run out of snacks at this rate," Politoed commented lightheartedly, gently placing his top hat back on his head.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. But I can't stand this...well, whatever this is supposed to be," Ninetales confessed, prodding the mysterious gray pile of unappealing food warily.

Politoed nodded understandingly and glanced down the table to see what his other teammates were up to. Cherubi was laughing as Aipom tried to balance a fork on her forehead while Omastar cheered her on. Further down the table, Sandslash and Scraggy appeared to be having a petty argument, with Zubat trying to intervene. Politoed glanced to his right and noticed that Abra was watching him.

"Hey. Sorry to bother you," Abra apologized quickly. "I was just curious to, uh...talk to you about something."

"You're doing that right now, aren't you?" Politoed pointed out, smirking.

Abra glanced over Politoed's shoulder at Ninetales and then back at the Frog Pokemon himself. "In private," Abra clarified. "We'll meet behind the girls' cabin, all right?"

"That sounds awfully shady," Politoed remarked. "Would you care to shed any light on what this might be about?"

"I'll explain if you decide to come," Abra said. "We'll meet during the Spindas' voting ceremony, okay? I doubt anyone else will be hanging around the cabins at that time."

Politoed tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, all right," he agreed hesitantly. "I'll admit that you have me curious now."

Abra smiled. "Great. See you then." The Psychic-type got up from the table and instinctively dumped her lunch into the trash.

####

"We've got to pick out someone to go home," Raichu said, leaning over the table to discuss possibilities with her teammates. Monferno, Feraligatr, Swadloon, and Dragonair sat around her. "I don't think it's a hard choice, either. We've got two real options."

"And those are?" Monferno prompted her, drumming his fingers on the table absentmindedly as he listened.

"Seedot and Shuppet," Raichu stated. She glanced around for her teammates' reactions, but none of them seemed to have expressed anything yet. "Neither of them were particularly useful today. I doubt they're going to be useful in the future either, so they're probably expendable."

"I'd vote for Shuppet, personally," Swadloon admitted. She met Raichu's gaze. "I get that you don't like Seedot and all, but he at least contributed to the challenge today. Shuppet didn't do anything."

"Seedot is uncooperative. That's gonna be a problem sooner or later," Raichu stated stubbornly. "He's not even that strong. I don't see why we should keep him."

"Because...he's better than Shuppet?" offered Swadloon with a shrug. "It's up to you, but that's my two cents. I'd rather have an argumentative teammate that helps than a timid one that doesn't."

"I would agree with Swadloon," Dragonair interjected. "I can't think of anything that Shuppet truly has to offer this team. We already have two Ghost-types, and he failed to do anything when the Basculin invaded our fort."

"Well, it seems you've all made up your minds," Raichu said with a sigh. "I can't argue with you. Getting rid of Shuppet might be the better move to make right now."

Monferno nodded, and Feraligatr casually shrugged, not really committing to any side. "I'll see you all at the voting ceremony," Raichu concluded, getting up to leave.

Seedot's eyes followed Raichu from his seat further down the table. As much as he hated to admit it, she was going to be a problem—and he needed to find a way to solve it.

####

"Nobody else on this team really seems dead set on getting me eliminated except Raichu. Thus, if I get her eliminated first, that should clear my path for a while," explained Seedot, his feet dangling over the edge of the seat. "I didn't plan on targeting anyone this early in the game, but you've got to what you've got to do."

####

Eventually, day gave way to evening, and the Sucky Spindas made their way down to the campfire pit as the sun began to set. The hosts were already waiting for them there, both standing behind a wooden podium. Gengar gestured for the eleven campers to take a seat on the tree stumps that were scattered in front of the podium.

As they did so, the ghostly host cleared his throat. "Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" Gengar announced loudly. "Tonight, there are eleven Sucky Spindas sitting here before me. By the end of the night, there will only be ten."

Shuppet swallowed nervously and Seedot's eyes darted to the side, betraying his lack of confidence. Raichu smirked as she noticed this.

Behind the podium, Gardevoir passed a tray to Gengar. The tray had ten brightly colored Poffins on it. "Each member of this team has voted for one Pokemon that they wish to eliminate," Gengar stated. "The Pokemon who received the most votes will be forced to leave the team."

The host clapped his hands together, gaining the attention of all eleven losers. "So, without further ado, here we go!" Gengar began enthusiastically. "When I call your name, you may come up and claim a Poffin. Once you receive one, you are considered safe for tonight's ceremony."

Raichu leaned forward in her seat, eager to hear the first name called. "The first Poffin goes to…" Gengar paused briefly. "Swadloon!"

"Hey, nice," Swadloon said, looking appreciative to receive the first Poffin. Raichu looked put out by the fact that she hadn't been called first, but she kept silent.

"The next Poffin goes to Drifblim," Gengar called. The Blimp Pokemon floated up the host and took her Poffin with a curt nod. "And the third Poffin goes to Feraligatr!"

Monferno gave Feraligatr a pat on the shoulder, and Feraligatr lumbered up to the hosts to take his Poffin. "Dragonair, you're up next!" Gengar announced. The serpent smiled mysteriously and took her Poffin without a word.

"Monferno, you are also safe," Gengar added, tossing a Poffin to Monferno. He caught it in both hands and popped it into his mouth with a grin.

"And lastly, Mimikyu," Gengar said, throwing her a Poffin. Unlike Monferno, Mimikyu did not have readily available hands to catch the Poffin, so it simply bounced off the head of her puppet. Mimikyu scurried over to the Poffin and snatched it up underneath her cloth.

Raichu gave Gengar a confused look. "Wait, what do you mean, 'lastly?' There's five of us left!" Raichu reminded him. Besides Raichu, Poffins had still not been distributed to Seedot, Shuppet, Drapion, or Metang, either.

"You are correct, but this is where our elimination ceremony gets interesting. You see, everyone that remains without a Poffin has received at least one vote in tonight's ceremony!" Gengar informed the contestants. "That means that every one of you remaining has at least one reason to go home! So you'd better hope that you're not the one, or it could be game over for you!"

Shuppet was already shaking, knowing that there was a good chance it could be him. Raichu looked horrified that someone had voted for her already. Metang and Seedot remained expressionless, not wanting to overreact before the outcome was revealed.

"Anyways, the next Poffin goes to Metang," Gengar called. Metang hovered over to Gengar and took his Poffin with a hollow sigh.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Metang asked Gengar, holding the Poffin in his metal claws.

Gengar chuckled. "You're supposed to eat it, buddy."

Metang rolled his eyes. "Wow, thanks for that," he responded sarcastically. "No, I mean that I don't have a mouth. What do you want me to do, throw this in the trash?"

"If that's what you want to do, be my guest," Gengar said with a shrug. Metang groaned and floated back to his seat.

"I'll take it if you don't want it!" Mimikyu shouted out immediately. Metang tossed the Poffin at her halfheartedly.

"Drapion, you're up next," Gengar said. Drapion didn't seem to be paying any attention to the ceremony, as she was intensely focused on whittling a stick to perfection. The pointed end of the stick already looked sharp enough to murder someone with, but evidently Drapion wasn't satisfied.

"Drapion," Gengar repeated. "Earth to Drapion."

She still didn't notice. "Whatever," grunted Gengar, chucking the Poffin at her. Swadloon nudged Drapion in the leg and pointed to the Poffin, which Drapion then grabbed from the ground and hurled into the distance as far as she could.

"YOU WON'T BRAINWASH ME!" Drapion shouted defensively, giving the hosts a wild look.

"Okay," Gengar said uncertainly, exchanging a glance with Gardevoir. "Anyways, Raichu is also safe."

"Finally," Raichu muttered under her breath in relief. She got up from her seat and took the Poffin from Gengar eagerly, taking a bite from it once she sat back down. It had a pleasant, sweet flavor but a rather dry texture.

"And that brings us to the two of you," Gengar said, facing Seedot and Shuppet. Seedot, who ordinarily looked bored in most situations, had assumed an expression of legitimate worry. On the other hand, Shuppet had already entered panic mode and was frantically muttering things to himself under his breath, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Gengar set the tray containing the last Poffin down on the podium. "You've both reached the bottom two, a place where no contestant wants to be," said the host, his hands clasped together. "One of you will still make it out unscathed. However, one of you will not. This last Poffin will go to…"

Seedot's eyes darted between each of his teammates as he tried to figure out who could have voted for him. There was obviously Raichu, but who else? Who would have wanted him on the chopping block?

Shuppet stared down at his seat, willfully avoiding all eye contact. If ghosts could sweat, he would very much be doing so right now. But ghosts don't sweat.

Gengar twirled the Poffin around in his hand some more, clearly enjoying the tension. "...Seedot," he finished, tossing the Poffin to Seedot.

The acorn let the Poffin drop to the ground, as he didn't have the means to catch it. He was more relieved to hear his name called than anything. "Okay," Seedot murmured. "That was a bit close for comfort."

Shuppet felt himself fighting back tears already. He had made it onto the show, only to be the first one eliminated? He would never live this down when he got home. He was already made fun of enough, but this was happening on television!

"Shuppet," Gardevoir called out his name. The little ghost glanced up at the co-host as she approached his seat. "You received the most votes from your team."

"That means you gotta go," Raichu said. "Sorry it had to be you, but this is the way it's gotta be."

"Actually, Raichu, not tonight!" Gengar announced with a grin. Raichu gave him a perplexed look. "You see, tonight's voting ceremony was not to eliminate someone from the competition, but rather to eliminate someone from your team!"

"What?" asked Raichu, trying to figure out what the host meant.

"What this means is that Shuppet will be leaving your team," Gardevoir clarified. "But tonight's elimination is a bit of a twist, to kick things off with a bang. Shuppet won't be leaving the show; instead, he'll be switching teams."

"Wait, seriously?" Monferno asked. "Nobody's going home tonight?"

"Nope. We thought it might be a bit too early to eliminate someone on their second day here, so instead the punishment for losing is simply giving a reward to the other team," Gardevoir stated. She turned to face Shuppet, whose expression was unreadable. "Shuppet, as of now, you are a member of the Killer Basculin."

"I...what?" Shuppet asked, trying to comprehend what was going on around him.

"You can head back to your cabin now and pack up your belongings. It might be a bit cramped in the male Basculin's cabin, but it is what it is," Gengar said with a shrug. "We'll fill the Basculin in tomorrow on what's happening."

"As for the rest of you, the ceremony tonight is now over. You can head back to your cabins," Gardevoir told the contestants.

As the Sucky Spindas began filing out of the campfire pit, most of them cast curious glances back at Shuppet, who hadn't moved since the twist had been announced.

Once the last Spinda had finally left, Shuppet felt a strange smile spreading across his face. "I'm...I'm still in," he said, feeling a rush of relief as the reality settled in. "I can still do this."

From the bushes, Clefable chuckled to herself. With this knowledge, she could continue to stay one step ahead of the game.

####

"Yes! Yes! This is so awesome!" Shuppet chanted excitedly. "It sucked to be on the losing team, but now I'm a part of the winning team because of it! This wasn't a loss at all!"

He laughed to himself for a bit before his expression grew more serious. "I don't know if the other team's really going to accept me, though," he realized nervously. "What if they hate me? Oh no."

####

"I knew I should have convinced my teammates to vote out Seedot," Raichu sighed. "Oh well. It's a missed opportunity at this point."

####

"I wasn't expecting the hosts to change the rules of the game on us so quickly," Drifblim confessed. "Very...interesting."

####

Shuppet was in the male Spindas' cabin, packing up the last of his belongings before he headed out. He noticed several shadows looming in the doorway, and he turned around to see who it was.

"Sorry to see you go," Feraligatr muttered awkwardly, squeezing in through the doorway and giving Shuppet a sympathetic look. Shuppet's other cabinmates were all there too, except none of them appeared quite as sad to see Shuppet leave.

"It's okay...it's not like this is your fault. And now I get to be on the winning team, so…" Shuppet trailed off as he saw Feraligatr extending a hand toward him.

"It was nice being on the same team, for however long it lasted," Feraligatr said pleasantly, giving Shuppet a small smile.

Shuppet laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah...thanks. It was nice being on your team, too," he said. He reached down and awkwardly shook Feraligatr's hand with the bottom of his cloth body.

Shuppet closed up his small suitcase and headed for the door. Monferno gave him a final wave, and Metang gestured for him to move along. Shuppet floated through the door and stared at the Basculin's door on the other side of the cabin. For some reason, the other side of the cabin seemed even more menacing now that it was where he was going to be staying.

Shuppet swallowed his fears and pushed open the door. There was nothing to be afraid of, right?

####

Clefable had a radiant smile on her face as she looked into the camera. "I'm glad I decided to watch the voting ceremony," she admitted. "It was not what I was expecting to see, that's for sure. We even gained a teammate out of this one, so that's a bonus."

She paused briefly, her enthusiasm waning. "Granted, it IS Shuppet, but he can at least be elimination fodder if we need him to be," she stated. "All in all, this game is going well for me. And that's all I need in order to win."

####

Politoed hummed a jazzy tune to himself as he strolled across the campsite. His head was filled with all sorts of questions as he rounded the corner of the girls' cabin, curious about what awaited him at his destination.

Abra and Cherubi stared back at Politoed as he finally arrived behind the cabin. "Ah, there you are!" Politoed exclaimed, though he was careful to maintain a low volume so as not to alert anyone else. "What did you wish to see me for, if I may ask?"

"Well, first of all, I'm glad you decided to actually show up. That shows that you trust me at least a little bit," Abra said appreciatively. "And on a related note, my next question is going to require a fair amount of trust."

"I'll hear you out, but I can't make any promises until I hear the question," Politoed replied. His eyes darted over to Cherubi briefly; she seemed to be sporting multiple bruises from the challenge, but she was holding up admirably well despite this.

Abra smiled. "Would you like to be in an alliance?"

Politoed gave her a curious look. "It's awfully early for this kind of talk. Don't you think it may be premature to start creating alliances before our first elimination even occurs?"

"The Spindas just eliminated someone," Abra said with a shrug. "And we don't want to fall behind them. Anyways, you and I have talked a bit before, and you're one of the few Pokemon on this team that I could think to ask."

Abra nodded her head toward Cherubi. "Cherubi was the other, and she's already accepted my offer. But an alliance of three would be stronger than two."

"Yep. So, are you in?" Cherubi asked, smiling at Politoed. He closed his eyes for a moment, mulling it over.

"An alliance would benefit all of us, if you ask me," Abra explained. She looked at Politoed expectantly, awaiting his answer. "So what's it going to be?"

Politoed considered the offer briefly, before shaking his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Abra and Cherubi looked at each other in surprise. "Why not?" asked Cherubi, looking a bit hurt by Politoed's choice to decline.

"Like I said, it's too early to make this type of commitment. I'll keep your offer in mind, but I'm not pledging myself to any alliances so quickly," Politoed told her. "I wish the best of luck to both of you."

On that note, the frog turned and walked away. Cherubi gave Abra a perplexed look, and the Psychic-type sighed. Her pitch hadn't worked after all, leaving them short a potentially crucial ally.

"On the bright side, he didn't say that he'd never join," Cherubi said hopefully. "So maybe he's still considering it!"

"We can hope," Abra responded, floating toward the entrance to her cabin. "I'm going to call it a night. See you later, Cherubi."

"See you."