"Last time on Total Pokémon: Rebooted!" shouted Diancie once the camera was recording. "Thirty fed-up contestants arrived on this island in an effort to win a hundred million Pokémon Dollars, not knowing what was in store for them!"
"Also, our first challenge took place; a swimming competition!" continued Zeraora. "The Krazy Kartanas almost triumphed over the Pushy Poipoles, but someone…"
"Jonesy," Diancie coughed.
"...wouldn't participate. This lead to a tie," said Zeraora.
"So one more race took place," finished Diancie. "The Poipoles won it and the Kartanas were sent to the campfire. Lyko, who had lost the final race, and Jonesy, who didn't participate, were on the chopping block. Eventually, Jonesy was eliminated."
"But what's happening today?" said Zeraora. "Will the Kartanas lose again? Will the Poipoles lose for the first time? And will the smell of chlorine ever come out of my fur? Find out now, on…"
"Total Pokémon: Rebooted!" cried both hosts.
Meanwhile, the contestants were eating their breakfast. Many of these still smelt like chlorinated water, and only a few had actually had a wash. "Do you even know what a shower is?" Gwen asked Katie, who was munching on a panini.
"Doesn't perfume mask the smell of everything?" she replied. Gwen's face cringed in disgust and she budged away from Katie.
"I kinda feel bad for Jonesy," said Catrina, sipping on a well-brewed cup of hot chocolate. "I mean, it isn't his fault his type is weak to Water."
"You actually feel sympathy for that dancing dork?" asked Gloria. "He would've been voted off even if he DID swim."
"Isn't he the only Fire-type contestant?" said Gregory, filling a bowl he took from a counter with Honey Nut Cheerios.
"No, Torracat is Fire type as well," explained Shawn. "I can't remember if he swam either,"
"Before he could even try to swim the Poipoles went again," replied Litten, who was serving sandwiches with Oran Berry juice on one counter. "If the hosts had taken a point off of their team too, you guys would have won. Anyway, where's Diancie?"
"The real question is how are you making Oran Berry juice if the blender is right over there?" laughed Torracat, who was eavesdropping on the Kartanas' little conversation.
"One, no it isn't, two, you don't make juice in a blender—you squeeze it, and three, why are you even over here?" said Litten. "You don't even like this type of juice."
"Touché," Torracat blurted, darting back to his table.
"I hope you've almost finished because—" said Diancie, who had just arrived at the door. "Ew, did any of you actually take a shower?"
"Yeah, ew!" added Zeraora, sniffing. "Why didn't you guys take a shower? There's enough showers in the cabin for the majority of you!"
"What do you mean the majority?" asked Torracat, who didn't even have to have one (since he didn't swim).
"Well, showers are expensive," explained Diancie. "Money doesn't grow on trees, you know, and we can't afford showers for all of you."
"Well, actually, money is made out—" started Orville.
"It's a figure of speech!" interrupted Diancie. "Anyway, as I was about to say, I hope you're almost finished because the next challenge is about to start."
"Well, I'd say you should give it a little time," Zeraora smirked. "People need to have a wash."
"And if you don't have one they'll be consequences," said Diancie.
"Anyway, meet us at the stage by the beach for the challenge after you've had one."
It took a very long time for everyone to arrive at the stage, which was quite far from the cabins, unlike the pool. This was not only because of the distance, but also because some contestants took a long time to get ready. For example, Xayah unknowingly spent fifteen minutes in the shower, and Marissa refused to go in because it was 'too modern', though she eventually gave up and reluctantly climbed in. Eventually, though, everyone had arrived at the stage.
"Before I reveal the challenge, I have to say that I'm impressed," said Diancie. "You all actually washed and dried yourselves properly. Even you, Aero."
Aero's cheeks turned crimson after hearing this and he stammered, "W-why are you t-talking about me?"
"Anyway, today's challenge is harder than the swimming challenge," she continued. "It's a singing competition!"
"How is a singing competition harder than swimming?" asked Devin.
"With an audience full of very picky Jigglypuffs."
"Me and my big mouth…" he said.
"The way this works is not that complicated," informed Zeraora. "Perform a song for the Jigglypuffs. If one of them does not like it, you will be sung to sleep by the move Sing. These Jigglypuffs like variety so you can't sing the same song that someone else has sung."
"If the Jigglypuffs like your song and you are not sung to sleep, you will not lose a point from your team. You all start with 15 points," Diancie added.
"That won't work," sighed Phoebus, appearing out of nowhere. "The Kartanas have only 14 contestants."
"Someone from the Kartanas will have to sing twice," answered Diancie. "The winner is decided once every contestant has competed. If it is tied, the people who sang but did not fall asleep will sing again, and this is repeated until it is not tied."
"Finally, everyone has to participate," said Zeraora. "If you don't, you'll be sung to sleep immediately."
"Damn it!" shouted some of the contestants.
"Discuss who's singing first," said Diancie.
"And also," informed Zeraora quietly, looking at the camera. "Most songs that our contestants will be singing are copyrighted, but we have reserved the right to use them for this challenge, and only this challenge."
A few people looked at Zeraora, bewildered. Next, the teams talked for about a minute then sent their first singers up: Mecca for the Kartanas and Logan for the Poipoles.
"I'm unsure if sending Logan is a good idea," said Alice. "He's just going to be a hypocrite as always. But, I'm not one to argue, and I don't exactly like my team, so…"
"Okay!" cried Zeraora. "Mecca, you're first." Mecca stood up and ran onto the stage. Litten handed her a wireless microphone and mouthed 'good luck'. She nodded, opened her mouth and sung an incredibly fast rap. It seemed as though she sung it faster than the actual rap song; she had finished it in less than a minute.
"Well," said Diancie. "That was… unique. But what do the Jigglypuffs think?" The Kartanas eyed the Jigglypuffs. They had realised that it didn't matter whether all of them liked it. If only one Jigglypuff hated it, Mecca would be sung to sleep and the team would be losing.
A Jigglypuff in the front row of the seats opened its mouth, about to sing. The other members of the Krazy Kartanas and the Pushy Poipoles ran to the backstage, where they could not hear the Jigglypuffs. Noting that Mecca was still on the stage, the Jigglypuff sang a lullaby. Mecca fell asleep and a scoreboard rose by the stage. Originally saying 'Krazy Kartanas: 15, Pushy Poipoles: 15', it changed so that the Krazy Kartanas' score read 14. An ensemble of groans and facepalms could be heard from backstage, as there was a scoreboard there, too.
"Logan, come up!" shouted Diancie. He grabbed the microphone from the floor before Litten could and stared at the Jigglypuffs. This is gonna be better than the others, he thought and opened his mouth.
"Start!" said Zeraora.
Logan sang a catchy but strange song. The Jigglypuffs seemed to like it, especially one right at the back. Once it had finished, Logan braced himself. "Okay," said Diancie. "I have no comment, but what do the Jigglypuffs think? Is it good, or is it bad?".
Logan eyed the Jigglypuffs and murmured. "If you make me fall asleep I don't know what I'll do," he said. Eventually, the Jigglypuffs made their decision. They put down their microphones and clapped.
"That means Logan moves on!" cried Zeraora. "Now, teams, send up the next person."
"I'm going up!" shouted Gwen. "And there's nothing any of you can do about it!"
"Fine," said Ishtar. "But if we lose because of you you're gonna be the one voted off tonight."
"Well, that's not nice," said Katie, in her sweet voice. "You—"
"Stop talking like a little girl!" shouted Dallas.
"Why are we arguing?" cried Gregory.
"I have no clue," said Catrina. "The hosts should alert them."
At that moment, Zeraora screamed, "Hurry up!" and it ceased immediately. Gwen walked onto the stage and was given the microphone by Litten. She started singing as soon as Litten ran off the stage. The song she sang was well known—however, this may have meant that the Jigglypuffs would not like it because of its commonness. However, they liked it. One Jigglypuff was about to sing along before they realised that that would send Gwen to sleep, so they quickly covered their mouth. All of them clapped again and Gwen left the stage.
"Well, the Kartanas are still losing, but at least they didn't lose another one," said Diancie. "But if the Poipoles win, you're going to be sent to the campfire again!"
"Anyway, Poipoles, you're up now," informed Zeraora. "And I don't want another argument, just your singer!"
"I'll go," said Evan. "Is that okay with everyone?"
"Okay," cried Xayah.
"Fine…" sighed Torracat. Evan climbed up onto the stage and waited for the Jigglypuffs to focus on him.
"Now… start!"
Evan sang a slow love song. The Jigglypuffs reacted very quickly, all singing. None of them liked the song, so the lullaby was very loud. Both of the hosts stuffed earbuds in their ears and Litten did the same, except with his paws. The backstage was filled with extremely loud groans and the scoreboard read, 'Krazy Kartanas: 14, Pushy Poipoles: 14'.
"Well, no one liked that," chuckled Diancie, dragging Evan off the stage. "But now it's tied. If you want to sing, sing what the Jigglypuffs LIKE!"
"How the heck are we supposed to do that?" asked Torracat. "You never told us what they like."
"You'll find out!" cried Zeraora. "Next person, please!"
"Well, since Evan lost," said Doriann. "I'm going up."
"No!" shouted Torracat. "I don't want our team to lose again, so I'm going up!"
"I don't want a massive argument like what happened with the other team, so just decide!" squealed Shawna.
"Fine, Doriann can go," said Torracat. "But if we l—"
"We know," interrupted Hunter. "You don't have to tell us."
Torracat sighed. "If these people were smart, they'd let me sing!" he cried.
"They are, you just don't notice," sniggered Litten from the outside of the confessional.
"Litten!"
"Doriann," said Zeraora. "You didn't do much in the last challenge so I expect a lot today."
"Okay," she nodded, picking up the microphone, which was about to fall off the centre of the stage. Looking at the amount of Pokémon in the audience, she gulped and walked to the centre of the stage.
"Okay, now that you're on stage…" Diancie uttered. "Start!"
Doriann sang for around four minutes. The song she sang was quite slow and melancholy. After the song, the Jigglypuffs thought for a while then reacted by singing their signature lullabies. "At… least… I… tried…" she said, drowsily. Her eyes closed and she started snoring.
"Well, now the Poipoles are losing!" cried Diancie, as the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 14, Pushy Poipoles: 13'. "Maybe the Kartanas will win this challenge? Who knows!"
"Talking about the Kartanas, you guys need to send your next singer!" shouted Zeraora.
"Can I go up?" asked Clacie.
"Sure," said Leaf. "I don't see why not."
"Okay," agreed the rest of the Kartanas.
Gwen eyed the scoreboard and thought to herself, Are any good people going up? We might be winning, but that's mostly because of me.
Clacie got off her seat and ran onto the stage. "It's Clacie!" said Diancie. "What are you singing about?"
"You'll see," she answered in a confident voice, picking up the microphone.
Zeraora focused his eyes on Clacie and shouted, "Start!"
Clacie opened her mouth and sang. Unsurprisingly, the song was about gemstones and the caves they were located in. In the backstage, a small, faint groan could be heard and the person who did that said, "Typical." Some Jigglypuffs looked at Clacie in confusion, while others laughed at the song's randomness. After the song had concluded, the Jigglypuffs thought to themselves for about a minute and a half. Eventually, they made their decision. Every single one of them clapped.
"Oh! Apparently, no one hated it, they just found it a bit weird," cried Zeraora. "You move on, Clacie!"
"Yay!" she shouted proudly, running backstage.
"You're lucky," said Gloria, who was the one who had said "Typical."
"I guess I am," she smiled.
"Poipoles!" said Zeraora. "Your next singer, please."
"Me!" cried Dennis.
"I can trust you," said Torracat, slightly aggravating a couple of people. "But no magic. I know about that."
"Yeah, no magic. This is a singing competition, not a talent show," agreed Litten, who had opened the backstage curtain after hearing Torracat. He then murmured, "Wow, we actually agreed about something."
"You can go, we don't mind," said a few contestants.
Dennis quickly dashed onto the stage. "Dennis," said Diancie. "I don't know what you're going to sing, but I don't want a—"
"I know, I know, people have already told me," he interrupted. "You don't have to tell me as well."
"That's no way to talk to a host, but I don't care," laughed Zeraora. "Dennis, time to sing!"
"Okay."
Litten grabbed the microphone, which was perfectly balanced on the top of the backstage stairs, then gave it to Dennis. Dennis ushered the other people of the stage then immediately started to sing. The song was moderately short, and it didn't exactly have a rhythm to it. After the song had finished, he patiently waited for the Jigglypuffs to make their decision. Three Jigglypuffs dotted around the audience opened their mouths and sang the lullaby. Dennis flopped to the floor clumsily and started to snore, as the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 14, Pushy Poipoles: 12'.
"Oh, for Arceus' sake!" screamed Torracat. "I never should have trusted Dennis! This is why I should go up!"
"Welp, the Poipoles are losing, unsurprisingly," Diancie chortled. "Step up your game, guys!"
"Yay! We're winning!" cried Katie. "Please could I go up?"
"Okay. But if you want to get further in this show you've got to be more independent and, well, mature." said Remington.
"Mature?!" said Katie. "I'm twelve and a half!"
"And who will we choose?" moaned Torracat, in a very slightly sarcastic tone of voice.
"Marissa?" suggested Hunter. "She hasn't done anything bad, you know."
"You do realise the reason he asked is because he wants to go up, don't you?" whispered Jasmine, poking her head into the Kartanas' area.
"Yeah, but she can still go up."
"Yes, I will go up," agreed Marissa.
"Not at this moment of time, though," said Alice. "It depends on who Diancie or Zeraora picks to go up."
"Who said my name?" queried Zeraora, poking his head through the backstage curtain. "Oh, one of you guys. Maybe if you go up first you'll have a shot at winning this challenge."
"You jinxed it, you idiot!" shouted Devin, as Marissa flew up and through the curtains.
Marissa's talons touched the ground and they picked up the microphone. She kicked it up into the air, then grabbed it with her wings and started to sing. The song was sort of medieval, and she was constantly doing actions, of which the most notable was shooting an arrow into the side of the stage. A few Jigglypuffs in the middle row gasped, and once she had finished they were the first to clap.
"Those Jigglypuffs liked it, but do they all like it?" questioned Diancie. "Also, did that arrow do any actual damage to the stage? Find out when we return, on Total Pokémon: Rebooted!"
After the break that followed, Marissa looked at the Jigglypuffs in slight suspense. Every Jigglypuff except the one in the top clapped. Marissa and Litten both looked at that Jigglypuff, waiting for it to make its decision. After around a minute, that Jigglypuff clapped.
"Yes, yes, yes!" cried Marissa. "Thou art amazing, Jigglypuff!"
"Now it's time for Katie!" shouted Leaf.
"Okay," said Katie. "I'm a little nervous, but I'll be okay."
"Kartanas, send up your singer!" cried Zeraora. Katie ran onto the stage quickly and picked up the microphone.
"So, Katie," said Diancie. "You're probably too young to understand, but your team is actually winning."
"I'm not too young!" Katie screamed. "I can understand that, you douchebag."
"In fact, it's only lost one person," continued Zeraora. "If you break this streak, it's not gonna be good."
"Okay, okay, I get it," murmured Katie. She started singing as soon as Diancie left the stage. The song was quite girly, and some people in the backstage just facepalmed.
"Well," said Diancie. "I don't think anyone really liked that. Even the female Jigglypuffs."
"Don't say that," interrupted Katie.
"But it's not about what we think at this moment in time," she continued. "It's about what the Jigglypuffs think." Katie silently looked at the Jigglypuffs, and they quickly reacted. Almost all of them sang their lullabies and Katie fell asleep a few seconds later. The scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 13, Pushy Poipoles: 12' once Katie had been dragged off the stage.
"Who are we going to send up next?" Phoebus moaned emotionlessly.
"Aero, maybe?" Daisy suggested.
"N-no!" he cried. "I c-can't go u—"
"Yeah," agreed Shawna. "That'd be good."
"Okay, Poipoles," said Litten, appearing from the stage. "I heard some chit-chat coming from you, so I assume you've chosen your singer."
"Yeah, we have!" smiled Daisy. "Aero!"
"Okay," nodded Litten. "Aero, go on stage and I'll get you the microphone."
"Oh, y-you've G-GOT to b-be kidding me!" shouted Aero. "What is wrong w-with my t-team? Except you, Alice."
Aero slowly walked onto the stage and started to shiver in fear. "Aero!" cried Zeraora. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"
"N-no," he replied.
"Well then," said Diancie. "Time to sleep!" The Jigglypuffs sang Aero to sleep and the scoreboard became 'Krazy Kartanas: 13, Pushy Poipoles: 11'. Once this happened, a few groans were heard from beyond the backstage curtain.
"Aero, if we lose tonight, I am so voting for you!" screeched Devin.
"'kay, Krazy Kartanas," said Zeraora. "Who are you sending?"
"We're deciding!" informed Dallas.
"How about I go?" asked Lyko, smirking slightly.
"Okay," said Gregory. "What are you smirking about?"
"Oh, nothing," he replied, running up onto the stage.
"Lyko!" cried Zeraora. "I have no idea what you're gonna sing, but I hope it's good."
"Oh. It will be!" he smiled. Lyko took the microphone from Litten and started to sing. The song he sang was quite weird; it changed from good to bad many times. It lasted about five minutes before it finished. The Jigglypuffs' expressions were very mixed. For example, three Jigglypuffs in the top left corner stuffed their small hands into their ears, while one in the front row looked at him weirdly.
Once the song had finished, the smile on Lyko's face grew larger. "So," said Diancie. "I personally didn't like that. Sorry, Lykke."
"It's Lyko!" he replied. "But it's alright, anyway."
"Let's see what the Jigglypuffs think," she continued. As soon as Diancie said that, a lot of Jigglypuffs opened their mouths and sang their songs into their microphones. Despite this, Lyko's eyes failed to even close. He smiled even more and a little while later, the Jigglypuffs stopped singing.
"What in the name of…" gasped Zeraora. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"It's a thing called Vital Spirit," he replied.
"Vital Spirit?" queried Diancie.
"It's an Ability," informed Litten. "It prevents Pokémon from falling asleep using moves."
"Well then, what're we gonna do about that?" questioned Shawn, poking his head out of the backstage curtain.
"Take off half a point, I guess," said Zeraora, as the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 12.5, Pushy Poipoles: 11'. Actually, Zeraora wrote '.5' on a piece of cardboard and hung it up on the scoreboard, next to the Krazy Kartanas' points. "Next person, please."
"Could I go?" said Catrina.
"Sure! I think your song's going to be good!" Gregory smiled.
"Thanks," acknowledged Catrina, blushing. She flew onto the stage and was greeted by Zeraora.
"Hi, Catrina. What are you singing today?" asked Zeraora.
"A song I really like," she replied.
"Okay."
Catrina received the microphone and started her song. From how it sounded, it was an anime song. Catrina confidently sang the song all the way through, and once she finished she looked at the Jigglypuffs. "That was so cool!" cried Diancie. "I wonder what the Jigglypuffs think." Catrina looked at the Jigglypuffs silently and the only thing that could be heard were Catrina's flapping wings. One by one, the Jigglypuffs started to clap until all of the audience were clapping.
"I'd never think anyone would like that," said Catrina. "Diancie's hard to please, and these Jigglypuffs are picky! Or are they?"
"Good job, Catrina!" said Zeraora. "You move on! Also, Poipoles, send up your singer!"
"We're losing by one and a half points!" cried Torracat, as Catrina went back to her team. "We need to win this, people!"
"Says the person tha—" began Shawna.
"I'll go!" Alice unintentionally interrupted.
"Well, okay," said Shawna.
Alice climbed onto the stage. "So, Alice," informed Diancie. "Your team is losing."
"Yes, I am aware about that," she said, taking the microphone from Litten. "I'll try my best."
"Okay, so when you're ready, start!"
Alice nodded and started her song. It was not a pop song, as would be expected from someone like her. Instead, it was more like a punk rock song, with some slight pop elements. As soon as she finished she looked at the scoreboard and the Jigglypuffs, then listened carefully. A Jigglypuff in the middle row clapped, followed by one on the left column, then one right in the middle, before every single one of them clapped.
"These Jigglypuffs are strange," said Shawna. "They like some things, and don't like others! All of them seem to like the same thing, and have little to no opinion of their own! Jeez."
"Okay, everybody," informed Diancie. "This is the fifteenth singer, so we're just about halfway through the challenge."
"This is the halfway point?" cried Daisy. "It feels like we've been doing this stupid thing for AGES!"
"Daisy, please be quiet," said Diancie. "You didn't complain during yesterday's challenge. Anyway, it's the Krazy Kartanas who are sending up a singer now!"
"Who are we gonna send up now?" questioned Gwen, looking at the scoreboard again.
"I'll go!" Shawn volunteered, standing up. "I'm going to do good!"
"Okay," she said, tutting a little. "Just don't get your hopes up." Shawn quickly jumped onto the stage and ran through the curtains.
"Shawn!" Zeraora cried. "You're up before your sister? I thought she would want to go up first!"
"You do realise we're on different teams, don't you?" he said.
"Yeah. You're the co-host!" shouted a voice from backstage, likely Shawna's. "You should know."
"Okay, okay," said Diancie, as Shawn received the microphone from Litten.
Shawn sang his song somewhat confidently, with little stutter. However, near the end he realised that he had forgotten the final lyrics to the song. The only reason I sang this song was because it's my second favourite song, he thought, as he started to sweat. But I've forgotten the lyrics! He knew the tune, however, and started to hum it. "Erm… aren't you supposed to be singing?" asked Litten.
"I've forgotten the lyrics," he quietly announced. Unbeknownst to him, the Jigglypuffs had heard him.
"Well then, that must mean the song is over," said Diancie. "Let's see what the Jigglypuffs think!"
A Jigglypuff in the second column shouted out, "We have names, jewel-girl!"
"I don't actually care!" she cried back. "Just do your work!"
"Okay," he said, singing. Shawn cursed under his breath and fell asleep.
"Did I jinx it? Probably," laughed Diancie, as the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 11.5, Pushy Poipoles: 11'. "Poipoles, your turn!"
"Devin could go!" cried Daisy.
"Me?" Devin snorted. "Why?"
"Everyone needs to sing," said Phoebus. "That includes you."
"But Aero didn't—"
"He's self-conscious, probably has stage fright and doesn't like singing," Alice informed. "You're not like that, so quit your whining and sing!"
"How do you know all that about him?" asked Devin, suspicious. "Oh, let me guess. Because you love him."
Phoebus sighed. "I'm not one to show emotion, pick sides or do anything like that, but I have to say," he said. "Alice is kind of, well—"
"Actually, I'm going to vote for her," frowned Devin.
"You've supported Aero all the time he's been on the island," he continued. "Just admit it."
"I don't love him!" Alice retaliated. "We're friends."
"No, you're not," said Devin. "You've known each other for less than a day!"
"That completely contradicts what you just said!"
"How?"
Litten walked through the curtains, about to ask why the Poipoles were taking so long. After catching a glimpse of what was going on, he reversed back onto the stage. "Did you get an answer from them?" asked Diancie.
"No," he replied. "There's a heated argument going on between Alice and Devin, apparently about Aero."
This early on in the show? Wow, thought Diancie, before she said, "Oh. We could do another singer from the Kartanas while they squabble."
"That's a good idea," agreed Zeraora. "Kartanas! Some people in from the Pushy Poipoles are having an argument, and it'll delay our competition."
"Why did we need to know that?" questioned Gloria.
"Because someone from your group is gonna have to sing."
"Oh, okay."
The Poipoles' endless quarrel continued while the Kartanas decided their next singer. "Well, guys," said Jasmine. "We have to do another one right after Shawn sang."
"Who put you in charge?" asked Gwen.
"I never said I was in charge, Gwen."
"And I never said you could talk to the group like that."
"Sorry to admit it, but that's exactly—"
"Guys, stop arguing!" interrupted Ishtar. "We need to win this thing."
"Yeah!" cried Gregory. "So I'll go up."
"Okay."
Gregory went onto the stage and picked up the microphone, which was almost about to roll down the stage's stairs. "You ready?" asked Diancie.
"Yep!" he exclaimed, starting his song. While he sang his song very well, the faint sound of arguing from the Poipoles' backstage area slightly distracted him. Once his song finished, he started to sweat slightly.
"You won't listen!" shouted Alice, backstage. "We're friends, or maybe just acquaintances, but not lovers!"
"Guys, if you continue arguing we'll never finish the challenge," said Orville. "Devin, just go up. Why did you even have that argument?"
"Fine," he nodded. "Actually, I don't know why we were arguing so much on such a little and irrelevant topic. Sorry, Alice."
"It's okay, just go up."
Meanwhile, Gregory was looking at the Jigglypuffs, worriedly. One by one, the Jigglypuffs clapped until every single one was in a round of applause. Phew, he thought to himself. He walked back to the backstage area and was greeted by his team. "Well done, Gregory!" cried Catrina.
"Thank you."
"Okay, Poipoles. You'll need to do two," informed Zeraora, on the stage. "One after the other."
"Devin's going up now," said Daisy, smiling.
"We can see, Daisy," exclaimed Zeraora. "You don't need to tell us."
Devin walked onto the stage and took the microphone from Litten. "Okay, Devin," said Zeraora. "Your song needs to be good."
"Why?" he asked.
"Erm… because your team is losing," replied Diancie. "It's not rocket science."
"Oh."
"Anyway," she began. "When you are ready, start your song!"
Devin thought for a minute. He was about to ask for a trumpet, but quickly realised that no one else had used an instrument (Marissa had used her bow and some pretty cool dance moves, but no musical instruments), and Diancie probably did not even have a trumpet. He eventually started to sing, and his song had a jazzy vibe to it. However, it probably would have sounded better with a trumpet, or any brass instrument for that matter. The song lasted about four minutes. Once the song had finished, he very quickly eyed the Jigglypuffs. One by one, the Jigglypuffs started singing, until all but a few were singing. Devin fell to the floor like a stick and started to make a sound that sounded a lot more like snorting than snoring.
"Seventeen down, just thirteen to go," said Zeraora. The scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 11.5, Pushy Poipoles: 10'. "Poipoles, send up another singer!"
"Okay, eight people on our team have sung," informed Hunter. "These are Aero—"
"Aero didn't sing," interrupted Orville.
"He still went on stage," Hunter continued. "Anyway, they are Aero, Alice, Devin, Dennis, Doriann, Evan, Logan and Marissa. Who are we gonna send up now?"
Torracat looked at Hunter strangely, amazed that he was able to recall every single singer, and in alphabetical order. "Well, you could—"
"Xayah?" suggested Daisy.
"Actually, you should go up!" she cried.
"Yeah," agreed most of the Poipoles.
"Fine!" exclaimed Daisy. "What have I done to you, anyway?"
"Erm…" Xayah began, but before she could finish, Daisy had disappeared through the curtains.
"Daisy!" cried Zeraora. "Finally, you're going up."
"Um, yeah," she agreed.
"So when you're ready, start your song," Diancie added. Daisy ushered the hosts of the stage then started to sing her song. It was an opera song, a lot like the one that a fat lady would sing right at the end of an opera. Daisy's voice became higher every second, until a mirror that Gwen was holding cracked very slightly. Every single Jigglypuff stood up and clapped, and tears came to some of their eyes.
"Wow!" whooped Diancie. "That was amazing!"
"My mirror cracked," said Gwen from backstage. "That is not amazing."
"Gwen, be quiet."
"Anyway, you're singing, Kartanas," Zeraora informed.
"Mecca, Gwen, Clacie, Katie, Lyko, Catrina, Shawn and Gregory," said Remington, to himself. "Eight have sung, only six left. Who's gonna go up?"
"I will," replied Leaf.
"Okay."
Leaf went onto the stage and grabbed the microphone, before Diancie or Zeraora could even greet him. "Wow, you're excited," Diancie laughed. Leaf shrugged and prepared to sing, her red paws resting on the handle part. She looked up at the Jigglypuffs, then at Litten and the hosts, and finally at her feet.
"Start!" shouted Zeraora.
The Breloom sung a song from a musical that had recently been released was very popular (so popular, in fact, that all performances of it at the Pokémon Musical in Nimbasa City had been sold out well in advance). However, there seemed to be something off about it. Maybe the singing was slow, or it was a note too high. Leaf noticed this and stopped singing for a second to fix it. But once again, it started to sound off. She stopped again, corrected herself, and began singing once more. She started to sweat, worrying that she was cursed or something. Her voice got quieter, and she abruptly stopped singing. No matter how much she tried to sing, nothing came out.
"What is happening to me?!" said Leaf. "Why can't I sing?" She tried singing multiple times, but it either sounded really weird or there was no singing at all.
"I guess you're finished," said Zeraora. "Let's see if the Jigglypuffs liked that." As if Zeraora had set off a firework, a bunch of Jigglypuffs in the middle started to sing. Leaf fell asleep and started sleep-crawling off the stage.
"The Poipoles are going to sing, then," noted Litten, while the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 10.5, Pushy Poipoles: 10'.
"Hey, that's not your job!" cried Diancie. "But yeah, the Poipoles need to sing."
"Who's gonna sing now?" questioned Alice.
"Me!" cried Shawna.
"No, I will," said Daisy. The Poipoles that were awake (and Evan, who was stirring in his sleep and continuously opened his eyes) looked at Daisy. After realising that she had sung just before, she smacked her palm onto her face and sighed, "Yeah, you can sing. I'm just—"
"Why did I say that?" she moaned. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stu—"
Shawna walked up the stairs and onto the stage. "Shawna!" cried Diancie. "Do you think you'll have better luck than your brother?"
"I don't know," she replied, taken aback by what Diancie had just said. "We may be on different teams, but I still think he did as well as he could."
"Well, okay. When you're ready, start singing!"
Shawna walked to the centre of the stage and received the microphone. She braced herself and started singing. The song she sang was a mix of country and pop, and she tapped her feet to the rhythm, like she was a cowgirl. It was quite similar to Marissa's song, but there were definitely parts where it was different. The end of the song was an example of this, as the last line was repeated three times. As well as that, the last repetition was sung so quickly that Shawna started breathing heavily.
As soon as the last line finished, a Jigglypuff in the second row started clapping, followed by the one next to her, then the one behind, and so on until all of them were clapping. "Thank you, thank you," curtseyed Shawna.
"Well done!" cried Zeraora. "Now for the Kartanas' next song."
Shawna ran backstage and met up with her team. Meanwhile, the Kartanas were choosing their next singer. "Jasmine could go up," suggested Gwen. "Let's see if she can take this too seriously."
"How do you know I take things too seriously?" asked Jasmine.
"Yesterday, when we were deciding our beds," she began. "You—"
"Okay, I'll go," the Mienfoo interrupted. "Sheesh!"
Jasmine stormed onto the stage and was greeted by Diancie. "So, Jasmine," she said. Jasmine looked forward, with no reaction, straight at the audience of Jigglypuffs. A few of them looked back at her. Diancie continued, "Your team's winning by half a point." Once again, Jasmine did not react at all. "So make sure you do good, or you'll be losing by half a point."
"Right," she nodded.
"So, when you're ready, sing!"
A second later, the stage was almost empty. Diancie had quickly ran off the stage and the only two things on it were Jasmine and the microphone, which she was holding in her paws. She began her song, which, from the sound of it, was an anthem, like one that the crowd would sing at a football game. The song was just under four minutes long, and it had made many of the Jigglypuffs nod their heads or tap their feet, but not all of them. One, almost right in the middle, didn't seem to like it. Once Jasmine had finished the song, that Jigglypuff sang and Jasmine fell on the floor, falling into a deep sleep.
"Wow," said Diancie, as the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 9.5, Pushy Poipoles: 10'. "I didn't expect that to happen." She then thought, And I want more of it!
"Neither did I, and now the Kartanas are losing." added Zeraora. "Poipoles, we need your next singer!"
"Five more people!" cried Torracat. "Who's going up now?"
"How about Phoebus?" suggested Orville.
Phoebus looked at Orville and raised his right eyebrow, then muttered, "Fine, posho."
"Posho?" Orville mocked. "What sort of insult is THAT?!"
"Shut your mouth, both of you, and Phoebus, get on stage," said Daisy. The two looked at her strangely and Phoebus ran onto the stage.
"Why is Daisy acting negative?" said Orville. "It doesn't really fit her personality."
"Phoebus," began Zeraora. "Phoebus, Phoebus, Phoebus."
"What?"
"You're singing!" Zeraora cried.
"Well, I have to, we all do," said Phoebus. "Otherwise your Jigglypuffs will make me sleep."
"Anyway, sing as soon as you're ready," uttered Zeraora.
Phoebus took the microphone and started singing immediately. Unsurprisingly for someone like him, it was a depressing song, or at least it started as depressing. About halfway through, he started to wonder whether he should have sang that song. He had already realised that the Jigglypuffs only like certain genres of music, and this song's genre was not one of those. Once the song had finished, he waited carefully, a little scared that he'd be sleeping in just over a minute. A Jigglypuff in the penultimate column clapped, and one by one every Jigglypuff started to clap.
Phoebus wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed, "Yes."
"Nice, Phoebus!" shouted Diancie. "We don't have many people left, so we're gonna have another break."
"So, who will the Kartanas choose? What team will win the competition? And who will be voted off? Find out in just a bit, on Total Pokémon: Rebooted!
During the break, the Kartanas decided who was going to sing next. There had been a very small argument, but Dallas was chosen to sing. He ran onstage and was greeted by Diancie, who then said, "Dallas. The youngest contestant on this show."
"Yes, I know that," he smirked. "I'll start singing, just give me the microphone." Litten gave the microphone to Dallas and he started singing, even before everyone else was off the stage. The song started off quiet and got louder every so often. The song itself was a rock song that was very popular about thirty years ago. Dallas shook the bulbous thing on his head like a rockstar's hair, and started to play the air guitar. After the end of the song, he gave the microphone back to Litten and waited patiently for the Jigglypuffs to react.
"Rockin'!" cried Zeraora. Dallas groaned and looked at him with a 'that's not funny' expression on his small face. He continued, "Anyway, what did the Jigglypuffs think?" After Zeraora said this, there was ten seconds of silence, until it was broken by a clap, then another two claps and finally about twenty-nine claps.
Diancie walked toward Dallas and smiled, "Good job! The Kartanas are still losing, though. Pushy Poipoles, next singer!"
"I'll go!" exclaimed Xayah. "There's only three people left to sing on our team!"
"We know," said Torracat. "And I'm—"
"Go up, then," humphed Phoebus, cutting off Torracat.
"Okay!" she agreed, running up the stairs and onto the stage, where she was greeted by Diancie, and was given the microphone by Litten.
"Seven more contestants," Zeraora informed. "Four more Poipoles, including you, and three more Kartanas."
"So you've got to sing well," added Diancie. "Anyway, once you're ready, start!"
Xayah started singing. Her song didn't really have a genre, but it was definitely recognisable. It was not very long, either. Strangely, it made some sense, but not too much. As soon as the song finished, a Jigglypuff started to sing, right as Diancie was talking to Xayah. The Haxorus was unable to hear Diancie because the lullaby was sending her to sleep. Once she was asleep, the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 9.5, Pushy Poipoles: 9'. "The Pushy Poipoles are back to losing!" cried Diancie. "Kartanas, back to you!"
"Remington needs to go up," said Gloria.
"You do, as well," he murmured, before quickly shouting out, "Okay!"
"Go up, then!" shouted Gwen. Remington scowled at her and climbed up onto the stage.
"Hi, Remington," greeted Diancie. "Ready to sing?"
"Hello," said Remington. "And, I guess so." Diancie left the stage and Litten gave Remington the microphone. He thought for a short period of time, then started his song. The song was war-themed—this was because Remington was a war veteran. The song's duration was about two minutes, making it one of the shortest.
"Well, that song was very unique!" cried Diancie. "But, again, it's not what we think, it's what the Jigglypuffs think!" A second later, some Jigglypuffs in the eastern part of the audience started to clap, followed by one in the middle, then a few in the front row. Eventually, whether Remington would stay awake or not was dependent on the opinion of two Jigglypuffs; one in the back row and one closer to the front. Remington looked at the two so carefully that he almost went cross-eyed. In just under twenty seconds, the two Jigglypuffs clapped.
"I rest my case!" cried Shawna.
"So, the Krazy Kartanas continue their winning streak," informed Zeraora. "Poipoles, your turn!"
Hunter thought for a second. "We have three contestants that need to sing. I'm one of them, so I'll sing," he said.
"Okay," nodded Orville. "Get up there, and I'll go next."
Hunter walked onto the stage. "So, Hunter," said Diancie. "This challenge is almost finished. As I've said before, if you want your team to win, try to do good." Hunter nodded in agreement and snatched the microphone from Litten. Litten looked at Hunter, a little aghast, but simply shrugged and walked off the stage. Hunter started singing a little while after that. The song didn't sound very good, but Hunter was able to sing it confidently. Some Jigglypuffs clapped after the song finished, but others sang their lullabies. Hunter fell asleep and curled up into a ball.
"The Poipoles continue to lose!" shouted Diancie, as the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 9.5, Pushy Poipoles: 8'. "Back to you, Kartanas!"
"Ishtar, you need to sing," said Gwen.
"Fine!" she cried, running up to the stage and walking through the curtains.
"Hello, Ishtar," greeted Zeraora. "You ready?"
"Yeah," she stated. "Give me the microphone, and I'll start singing."
"Okay," said Litten, taking the microphone from Hunter's paws and giving it to Ishtar.
Ishtar began to sing. The Jigglypuffs looked carefully at Ishtar while she was singing, which took around three minutes. The song wasn't the most popular song around, but it was known (and liked) by some of the Jigglypuffs. Once the song was over, Ishtar clenched her class and narrowed her small eyes, waiting patiently. The Jigglypuffs that liked it started to clap, followed by many more, and finally the rest of them. Ishtar was the third Kartana in a row to have all of the Jigglypuffs clap.
"Yet again, the Kartanas lead!" smiled Zeraora. "Poipoles, your turn again."
"I'm going up, then," said Orville.
"Yes," uttered Daisy. Orville pulled his tentacles up and climbed onto the stage.
"Hello, Orville," addressed Diancie. "After you, there will be two more singers."
"Noted."
"So, when you're ready," she began. "Begin!"
Orville started his song. It was a posh song; it sounded like one, at least. The Octillery looked at the Jigglypuffs cautiously while he sang, which made some of the Fairy types tremble a bit. It may have been because of this that as soon as the song ended, these Jigglypuffs sang, along with a few others.
"What even was that?" chuckled Diancie, as the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 9.5, Pushy Poipoles: 7'. "Gloria is the only one of the Kartanas that needs to sing, so get up here."
"Okay, jeez," said Gloria, appearing from behind the curtains, and walking onto the stage.
"Gloria, do you think you'll continue your team's winning streak?" asked Diancie.
"Well, you can't be so sure," she shrugged. "Give me the stupid microphone, then."
"Okay!" screamed Litten, throwing the microphone into her shell-shaped arms. Gloria started to sing soon after that.
The song she sang was very similar to Gwen's. The Lopunny noticed this and cried out, "Hey! That's my song!"
"Be quiet, Gwen!" screeched Diancie. "Gloria, continue singing." Gloria nodded and continued to sing. The Jigglypuffs, however, had realised that it was similar right at the beginning of the song, and many of them just waited for the song to end so they could sing.
"Did you actually steal her song?" asked Diancie, just after Gloria finished.
"No, of course not," she scoffed.
"Anyway, what do the Jigglypuffs think?" Zeraora interrupted. Most Jigglypuffs started to sing right after, and the scoreboard changed to 'Krazy Kartanas: 8.5, Pushy Poipoles: 7'.
"Okay, now the only Pokémon that needs to sing is—" said Diancie
"ME!" shouted Torracat, running on stage. "Finally!"
"Yes, you, Torracat."
"Last singer, phew!" cried Catrina. "But don't we have to go again?"
"You ready?" queried Zeraora.
"Yeah," replied Torracat. Litten reluctantly handed the microphone to Torracat and rushed off the stage and looked at him very excitedly. Torracat started singing once everyone was off the stage, and he sang well. So well, in fact, that almost everyone in the audience and even some in the backstage area started singing. A full on five minutes of song took place, which was incredibly unusual for Torracat. Litten, while he wasn't singing along, looked at Torracat in awe. Once the song finished, all of the Jigglypuffs broke into a round of applause, and even some people in the back.
"So, that's everyone," Diancie stated. "However, don't the Kartanas need to sing again?"
"I wouldn't bother," said Gwen. "Regardless of what happens, the Poipoles will be losing."
"Good point," agreed Diancie. "Poipoles, Litten will be meeting you at the campfire tonight."
"Yes," cried Litten. "Be at the campfire at dusk!"
The sleeping contestants were woken up, and the two teams were let out of backstage and went to their cabins. In the Krazy Kartanas' cabin, the contestants were talking. "Amazing work, guys!" said Mecca, talking in a groggy voice.
"I don't know if you're being ironic," sighed Remington. "But you've been asleep since the beginning."
"What?"
"Anyway, dinner might be ready soon," uttered Shawn, randomly. "I'll go check."
"Okay…" said Gwen. Shawn ran down out of the door to the food hall while the Krazy Kartanas continued their chat.
Meanwhile, Litten had just arrived at the Poipoles' cabin. "Okay, Poipoles," he said. "Dinner's almost ready, so I want you to be down at the food hall in five minutes. Also, one of you needs to go to the confessional to cast your vote."
"I will!" shouted Orville, almost spontaneously.
"No, I'd suggest someone that was awake for the entire challenge," grinned Torracat.
Actually, that's a good idea, Litten thought to himself, before saying, "Okay, Torracat, you cast your vote. The rest of you will vote after."
Most of the Poipoles nodded in agreement and walked out the door, with the exception of Aero, who was sighing on his bed, a tear in his right eye. Alice noticed this and walked over to the Starly. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I-I'm going t-to be eliminated, a-aren't I?" Aero sobbed.
"I don't think so," disagreed Alice. "You didn't sing, but I know that if you did your song would be better than many I've heard."
"R-really?" sniffed Aero.
"Yeah. So, come on, let's go have dinner!" the Minccino smiled, pulling Aero onto her back.
"Y-you know you don't have to d-do that," he said, quite confused. "I can walk."
"But it's fun, isn't it?"
"I g-guess." Alice ran out of the door and the two met up with Shawn, who was running back to the cabin. Shawn explained that dinner was ready, and he was going to tell his team. Alice nodded and walked down to the food hall, with Aero still on her back.
After a few minutes, both teams were at the food hall and were eating cheese pizza. "I don't like this!" cried Katie, ripping her slice of pizza in half.
"No one cares," said Gwen. "Just eat it, it's not like it's poison."
Gregory, meanwhile, was busy eating his third slice. "How can you not like pizza?" he chuckled, his mouth full of cheese. "It's like the best thing ever made!"
"Well I don't LIKE it!"
On the Poipoles' table, it wasn't very different. Torracat, who had just cast his vote, slapped Evan to wake him up. "Where's the beef?" asked Evan, stupidly, once he awoke.
"This is cheese pizza, idiot," said Doriann.
"What? I never said—" began Evan.
"Guys, one of you needs to vote," interrupted Alice. Evan frowned at Alice before slightly shrugging.
The camera flashed forward to dusk, where the Poipoles had just assembled at the campfire—well, a pile of sticks, as it wasn't alight. "Welcome, Poipoles," said Litten. The only thing that could be seen in the darkness were Litten's yellow eyes.
"Err… can you make a campfire?" asked Daisy.
"Okay," Litten replied. He started to regurgitate, until a fiery furball shot out of his mouth and lit up the campfire. "Anyway," he continued. "Diancie told me to give you this." Litten reached under his seat and pulled out what seemed to be a big poffin, coloured purple, atop a small slab, which read 'THE PUSHY POIPOLES' FIRST CAMPFIRE CEREMONY'.
"Why would you give that to us?" asked Phoebus.
"It has a special purpose," Litten explained. "However, it can only be used when you're in teams. I was meant to give one to the Kartanas yesterday but Diancie didn't tell me."
"S-so, did you give them it today?" queried Aero.
"Yeah, along with a note," he replied.
At the Kartanas' cabin, a poffin trophy, this one coloured yellow, had just been discovered at the door. Catrina picked it up and read it to the other campers, "It says, 'Dear Krazy Kartanas. I was meant to give this to you yesterday. Sorry! Anyway, this is a trophy for your first campfire ceremony. It has a special purpose that only works while you're in your teams. See you soon, Litten.'" she read. After this, she placed it on a chest of drawers that was next to the door.
Back at the campfire, Litten was about to read the contestants that would get poffins. "If you get a poffin," he explained. "You're safe. But if you don't get one, you'll be eliminated and you will leave the island immediately."
"Get on with it!" shouted Torracat.
"Yes, master," smirked Litten, throwing a poffin at Torracat. "The rest of the poffins go to Logan…"
"Yes!" the Chespin cried, putting his little hand in the air.
"Marissa…"
"I thank thee!" she thanked.
"Shawna…"
"Yay!" she grinned.
"Phoebus…"
Phoebus scoffed a bit and murmured, "Thanks, I guess."
"Hunter…"
"Whoopie-doo," he said, a little sarcastic.
"Orville…"
"Okay," he nodded.
"Alice…"
"Phew!" huffed Alice.
"Dennis…"
"Well done me!" he bragged.
"Stop bragging!" shouted Evan.
"Hypocrite!"
"Anyway," continued Litten. "Daisy…"
"Yeah!" she cried.
"Doriann…"
The Scolipede yawned and sighed, "Thank you."
"Xayah…"
"Cool," said the Haxorus.
"And…" he sighed as he said this. "...Devin.
"Yes! Yes!" Devin cried.
"So, there's just one more poffin," said Litten, as the Pokémon went up to take their poffin. "The most important poffin in this campfire ceremony. Either Aero or Evan will receive this poffin, which means they are safe and will remain on their team. The other one will have to leave the island. Aero, you didn't sing, and Evan, no one liked your song plus you kept saying things like 'Where's the beef?'. Anyway, the person who will be getting the poffin is…"
A suspenseful wait followed, which was not as long as the one the previous day. The two Pokémon looked at Litten carefully during this wait, and eventually Litten announced it. "Aero," he stated. "Sorry, Evan, you're going home."
Aero sighed and bleakly smiled. "Y-yes!" he cried. "T-thank you!"
"What?!" screamed Evan. "I demand a recount!"
"We counted the votes about four times, and you definitely lost," said Litten. "Evan, the Dock of Shame is that way."
Evan stood up and started to slowly walk, a solemn expression quite clearly adorned on his face. Diancie met up with Evan and laughed, "Evan, the first Poipole to be eliminated."
"Please don't rub it in," he sighed, climbing onto the Lapras of Losers. A small, fiery tear rolled down his face and sizzled in the water. Before he could start having a full-on cry, the Lapras sped off the island.
"Well, twenty-eight people remain," stated Diancie. "Fourteen on each team. But, what do we have in store for the next episode? Will I make Litten do more than he wants? And will anyone realise what that poffin trophy actually does? Find out next time, on…"
"Total Pokémon: Rebooted!" both Diancie and Zeraora, who appeared on screen from nowhere, shouted.
"Hey, where did you come from?"
Finally! After just over five months, a new chapter is out! Sorry that this chapter took so long, I was working on Quartz—Exitimu and Jaiden and Amethyst—Prasidimu and Jay in February and March, and I was just too busy in April, May and June. I was meant to get this out yesterday (the 30th of June for me) but some things happened and I couldn't. No Galar Pokémon will join as contestants, but they'll still appear. Read and review for more, and I'm pretty sure it won't take five months again for the next chapter.