~~DAY ONE~~
If one were to look down at the ocean from above, one could see a pair of large boats. On each boat, one could see twelve figures of assorted shapes and sizes. These figures are known as Pokémon, and they've run this world since the beginning. Whether you walked on two legs, four legs, no legs, or some other number, you were still living like any normal human would; you even spoke human languages, conveniently enough. The folks on the boat were sitting on the edges, either conversing with each other or looking out at sea, trying to make sense of what they were about to go through.
This group of twenty-four Pokémon were all being shipped off to an island without any settlements on it, where they were going to be tasked to get along with each other. If they didn't, they risked being sent home early. Sure, most people would love to be sent home early, but there were 100 million Poké on the line, and that could buy you a lot of Rare Candies. They would soon be greeted by a Marshadow, one of the most illusive 'mons out there, which alone was an exciting opportunity for many of them. All they had to do was win the challenges, win the votes, and stay on his good side.
A single Pokémon, a Dewott, sits on a rock near the beach. She clasps her hands together and begins to talk, while footage of her sitting on the boat plays over parts of her talking.
"That boat ride was starting to make me a little nauseous, but I wasn't about to admit that. What sort of… strong, capable warrior gets seasick, and a Water-type no less? Suck it up, Dewy, you have a long road ahead of you."
After briefly focusing on another Pokémon, Breloom, it then cuts to him in a tropical rainforest. As he talks, footage shows the boats slowly approaching the island, their destination.
"Honestly, man, I'm just excited to be here, like… wow, we're on a boat, and there's the island… it's so beautiful, already these are memories I'm gonna cherish for a long, long time."
As some of them began to doze off, the boats came to an abrupt, screeching halt. One nearly fell out of their seat before being picked up by a fellow castaway. They watched on as a bridge slowly and automatically formed between the boat and the island, slanted and wooden. Some of them weren't exactly great swimmers or jumpers, so this was definitely appreciated. Soon, everyone staggered to their feet – or at least, those who did have feet staggered up, the rest just sort-of floating up – and stepped off the boat.
Once off, the groups were greeted by that familiar figure from the promo tape and casting process. This was Marshadow, a pint-sized powerhouse if there ever was one, and he was going to be in charge of hosting duties from the looks of it. As each player left the boat and got onto the beach, he looked on with a smile.
"Wow, here we are. Twenty-four of you came here to participate in this inaugural season. Honestly, I'm at a loss for words, I'm so proud, really. Now, I'd like to hear about that boat ride, how did it go? You, the Pikachu on the right, what do you think?"
There he was, a young Pikachu who was still a bit on the taller side for his species, with an odd, black-tipped tail. He raised his hand and smiled back.
"It was crazy, sir, I almost thought I was gonna get tossed right out, haha! Aww, thank Arceus I wasn't, 'cause beside that it was real fun, yep."
"Excellent, I'm glad. Now, I wanna hear from someone on the left. Magneton?" Marshadow pointed toward Magneton, a floating clump of iron balls with eyes. "I imagine the boat ride was awkward for you, but how does it feel actually being out here, on the island?"
"Hmm. Adequate. The natural atmosphere is moist, yet the dirt beneath is grainy. It is oddly comforting, to be here away from home."
"I see. So, you might all be wondering, 'How are we going to start this?' Well, it's going to be very simple, actually. You can see I've already divided you into two teams. Your partners who you entered the game with? They're all on the other team, so you're going to have to play against them. I'm going to hand you all buffs that I want you to wear, then I'm going to hand you all maps to your camps. There, you'll see basic supplies for building a shelter, and I want you all to pitch in and work on those shelters for me, alright?"
The players, at least the ones who could, all nodded.
"We're off to a great start. Alright, left team, you will be Team Aqua, with the blue buffs." Marshadow tossed a bundle of blue piece of fabric to said left team, who worked on ways to try and fit them around the less normally shaped members. "Right team, you'll be Team Magma, you will wear red buffs." A bundle of red fabric was soon tossed to the other team as well, which they attempted to wear as either bandanas, scarves, armbands, or whatever worked for their bodies. "Alright, now before I give you your masks, does anyone have any questions for me?"
One Pokémon raised her hand, a draconic Pokémon on Aqua. This was Flygon, and she was visibly shaking.
"Y-yes, uhm… so, what are we going to do about… food? Water? All of that?"
"Great question, I'm glad you asked. You'll have access to various assorted berries in the bushes surrounding your camps, and your maps will include directions to water wells which you will drink out of. Keep in mind, you'll have to start a fire if you want to either cook your berries or boil your water, but that shouldn't be too hard for either team, hopefully. Anything else?"
No one else raised their hands after that.
"Alright, here are your maps. Good luck, and I'll send you all mail whenever the next Immunity Challenge is about to start."
A pair of parchments were tossed over to each team, which they all gladly grabbed. From here, it was a simple march to find their campsites, albeit a march that would take up to an hour. They were going to need to keep the pace up if they wanted to make it to their camps before the hour was up. After all, less time spent walking meant more time to work on the camp, then more time to nap before the challenge. Still, no one wanted to exactly run off to camp, since that would just leave them exhausted. It was a game of keeping steady and safe.
One of the shorter contestants, an Oddish, has to remain standing to try and talk to the cameramon.
"Man, I really wasn't built for this walking thing, ahaha. It'd be easier if I wasn't just twenty inches tall, but well, here I am. Just gotta go with the flow, man, see where this leads me. The other Team Aqua guys seem pretty good at this, at least."
An individual on the other team, Honchkrow, isn't in the best mood.
"You see, I'm lucky I was able to fly to camp, but that unfortunately means I had to… slow myself down for these simpletons. I slow down for no one, and yet… here I am, forced to bend to the rules of good etiquette if I want any chance of winning the money."
~~ TEAM AQUA CAMP ~~
Aqua arrived at camp at roughly the designated time, meaning they had plenty of hours to work on their shelter. As they arrived, they saw that there… wasn't much there. The only structure that seemed fully built was an outhouse, and besides that it was a simple patch of vegetation near the beach with some supplies. Said supplies included some wood, a tarp, some rope, and some blankets they would likely have to share. It seemed they were going to have to build the actual structure themselves.
"Alright," a Marill chimed in, "how are we all going to build this? It looks like it's gonna be a lot of work!"
"Uwehehehe… this shouldn't be too hard." A Beheeyem chuckled as he spoke, leaving the others silent. "We'll simply need to gather some logs from the forest to serve as our walls and floors. I can use my Psychic powers to lift some, but it would be best if we all helped, no?"
"Well, as creepy as you made it sound," said a short Mawile, "you're right. We're not going to get anything done if we leave anyone out of helping. This shelter needs to go up before anything else, alright?"
The rest of the group nodded along in agreement. From that point on, it was a hustle to get their shelter built from the ground up. While the more dexterous 'mons, the ones with actual hands or paws for gripping, searched for logs to build, those who couldn't worked together to function as pack mules, carrying supplies on their heads or backs. One individual in particular, a Ditto, wound up having to use Transform to become something more dexterous.
Ditto sits on a rock near the beach, contemplating the events that took place before.
"I'm gonna be honest, I don't like that I have to Transform in order to get a lot of things done, but when you're just a cute little blob like me, sometimes you just have to turn into a Machamp and lift logs above your shoulders… sigh, I guess I'm really not like other girls."
As the groups walked, a pair of competitors watched on as Magneton applied a magnetic field to some logs, allowing him to carry them. It was an odd display, yet one they couldn't deny being impressed by.
"Woah, bunny." Pupitar, who was probably going to be able to contribute the least, sighed at a Lopunny who was stuck carrying some logs. "I kind-of wish I could do what Magneton over there was doing. But here I am, with a single short log atop my head."
"I'm with you, and I actually have arms." Lopunny nearly tripped on some vines but was able to pick herself up quickly. "Man, these things are heavy… no wonder I'm not a Fighting-type…"
"Types are interesting, huh? I'm supposed to be a Rock-Ground type, yet when I evolve I lose the Ground typing and become a Dark type. I don't get it at all."
"Tell me about it…"
Lopunny sits alone on the beach, hugging her knees.
"I regret asking him to tell me about it. He means well, but he just rattles on and on whenever you get him talking about something he cares about, and it's… well, I'm lucky I'm still my happy-go-lucky self, because I thought I was about to snap."
After a while, everyone was back at camp, ready to begin construction. Dewott helped to lead the actual building process, all the while a lone Plusle began tying logs together and cheering everyone on from the sidelines. Those who were too weak to aid in this part were simply left with the task of gathering berries and searching for the water well, including Marill, Mawile and a shiny Cleffa. These three took the map and began to search for the well, which hopefully wasn't too far from camp. As they walked, the group began to chat with each other.
"So, where are you guys from?" Marill asked. "I'm from Sinnoh, near the Great Marsh. It's a funny little place, but it gets real humid sometimes."
"Oh, me?" Mawile paused for a second. "I'm from Galar, I live with my father in the countryside. It's a quaint place, but I'm fond of it."
"And I'm from Hoenn, in Rustboro!" Cleffa smiled widely as she talked. "It's a… it's a place! Yep!"
Mawile is in the woods, near some trees. She's leaning against one as she speaks.
"Oh, to be innocent… I was innocent once, Arceus above I miss those days. Building bonds with these guys is important, because for one, they're easy to convince, and two, they're cute and I cherish their company."
"Neat, Cleffa, neat!" Marill smiled back, leaving Mawile as the only one with a neutral expression. "I heard we all got partners here? Is that true? What do you guys think about that?"
"Oh, I think it's an excellent opportunity to get to work with one's friend or family member." Mawile grabbed some berries in her arms. "I think the main issue is… do we want to keep our partners a secret or not? Perhaps I'm a tad worried my partner's reputation shall rub off on me."
"Why don't we tell each other ours, then? It'll be our own little secret!" Cleffa soon saw something rocky and cylindrical in the distance. "You two, I think this is the well! Is it?"
"Hmm…" Mawile pondered it over, before walking over to what Cleffa was the well. Sure enough, with the roof over it and the bucket attached to a rope, it was. "Alright, I'll promise not to tell anyone yours if you promise not to tell anyone mine. Is that a deal?"
Though neither Marill nor Cleffa could nod, they both gestured in manners that suggested approval.
"Very well. Mine's an old friend from my old home, a Sableye. We hadn't seen each other in person for months before applying, but we both wrote often. He's a delinquent, but not a nuisance."
"Oooh, a delinquent." Marill's voice picked up considerably. "Mine's a Glaceon! She moved all the way from the north to be with family down south, and I helped show her around!"
"Ooh, a Glaceon, those are rare!" Cleffa worked on gathering water. "There's this boy, a Breloom, who used to be this really strong battler at a super young age. But now we're buddies, and he doesn't fight anymore!" She began to draw out some water, before realizing something. "Oh, whoops, I forgot his name, sorry! It's Breloom!"
"Glaceon and Breloom…" Mawile considered this new information very seriously. "I'll be sure to remember that. Perhaps once we're all together, all six of us can come together as an alliance?"
"Ooh, that sounds like a great idea, Mawile." Marill worked on conjuring up some water to help with the gathering process. "Here's to working together!"
"Together!" Cleffa was about as on board as anyone else, clearly.
"Yes… together."
Once the trio had their water, they returned to camp, where they found the rest of the players putting the finishing touches on their shelter.
"Hey, you three!" Plusle ran up to the trio with boundless energy. "Come see what we made!"
It was a simple setup, with a floor made of wood and bamboo and the blankets sprawled out on it. The roof was made of the same materials but was also covered in a large tarp to keep the rain out of the shelter. There were beams holding the structure up all over, which were certainly going to help in case the weather got nasty. The fire pit was a couple yards from the main shelter to avoid any arson, and there were already some dry twigs at the ready in case anyone wanted to try starting a fire. Already, it was starting to look like home.
"I'm impressed," Mawile said, "this almost feels like home."
"Aha, well, it's the best we could do given what we had." Plusle chuckled softly to herself. "But hey, I think Magneton wants to try starting the fire? We can roast those berries of yours and get dinner ready for the night!"
"Hmm, alright. That's fine by me."
The trio sat back to watch as Magneton floated over to the fire pit. He lowered himself closer to the ground, and all three of his eyes found themselves staring at the cluster of sticks in the center. There was a pause, before a simple word emerged from thin air.
"Spark."
Small sparks began to form in front of him, hitting the dry sticks and disappearing as quickly as they came. He would keep at this some more times, each time the sticks got hotter and hotter. After a few attempts, the few who were crowded around to help began to smell smoke, and then they could see it. Once they sensed smoke, Magneton kept going until he could see a small ember, at which point he asked the nearby Marill to drop down and blow some air on it; he was a Water-type, so if he wound up getting burned by accident, it wouldn't hurt as much.
Magneton is floating near the water, recalling his time spent working on the fire.
"It was a simple idea. A single spark is enough to set fabric ablaze, so it's not unreasonable to assume it would do the same to twigs. It's not unlike striking a piece of flint, if you think about it. It worked exactly a I assumed it would."
Sure enough, once the ember was met with some carbon dioxide, it began to expand. Within only a few seconds, it could be considered a full-fledged fire. The others began tossing some more sticks in to keep it going, and once their fire was strong enough, everyone backed away. This was it, the fruit of their effort. They had shelter, they had fire, and they were about to have food in just a few minutes thanks to the others grabbing berries on the way to and from the well. As Magneton convinced Flygon to grab the pot so they could roast their dinner, the air at camp was, suffice to say, incredibly positive for the remainder of the evening.
Flygon sits down, her wings folded up. She begins stammering as she talks.
"S-so, we got fire… and we got food… and I know I should be happy about that, and I am, but… I don't know, the fire freaked me out a little. Oh well, I guess everything freaks me out a little… it's still a net positive though, because everyone else was so happy, so… you know what, I think I'm going to try being happy too… for them…"
~~ TEAM MAGMA CAMP ~~
It took a hot minute for Team Magma to arrive at their camp. Much like Team Aqua, Magma only had their basic supplies, their map, and a vision. Immediately, Honchkrow began barking out orders.
"Listen," he began, "I want to see this camp looking as hygienic and livable as possible, so I expect folks to start following my orders, alright?"
"…hmph." A lone Sneasel walked off in search of food. Whatever her deal was, it was clear she didn't want anything to do with Honchkrow's shenanigans.
"Fine, if she's going to be like that, then I don't want to see any of you trying to start anything with her. Got it?"
Honchkrow got no response. No one wanted to deal with this right now, they just wanted to get this camp built now instead of later. If that meant ignoring Sneasel for now, then they might as well; she wasn't exactly great company on the boat ride here, anyway. Thanks to Magma's greater proportion of players with hands to players without, more players were able to pitch in with menial taskwork. A quadrupedal Glaceon served as a pack mule, while others were stuck using their arms to carry wood.
Glaceon is lying on the ground, practically loaf-like.
"As the only true quadruped on the team, the electric rodents don't count, I was only able to carry supplies on my back. Luckily we had pouches for carrying supplies, but I was going to pitch in regardless. I need to let the others know that having no thumbs doesn't make me dead weight, and I won't let them forget that."
Back at the main camp, working on tying logs together to serve as the floor, the aforementioned Minun was helping to motivate the other players while tying knots. Pikachu, alongside a Gardevoir and Sableye, were collaborating on the knots as a collective.
"Shucks, Minun, how'd you get so good at cheerleading?"
"My girlfriend got me into it," Minun responded. "It's not my greatest passion in life, but I love her enough that getting to cheer folks on with her is a close second."
"Your girlfriend?" Gardevoir held a hand to her chin. "Would that happen to be the Plusle I saw on the other team, by any chance?"
"Gee, is it that obvious?" Minun was left blushing as he finished tying his first knot. "I mean, I know our species' have a supernatural bond and all that, but I was hoping I'd get to keep that secret going longer, aha."
"Guess it can't be helped. I bet none of y'all can guess who I'm partnered up with." Pikachu then noticed Sableye beginning to zone out, then poked him gently. "Sableye, you alright? You look like you just saw Arceus at the pearly gates."
"H-huh?" Sableye shook his head in an exaggerated manner. "Nothing, I was scheming- dreaming! I meant daydreaming! About… schemes! I like those!"
The trio around him tilted their heads, perplexed.
"Y-you know, like… scheming to find an advantage somewhere in that jungle! You know there's gotta be something hidden in there, right? I'm just saying, if I find whatever's out there, I could be the king of this tribe, and not that stupid bird. You guys hate him too, right?"
As much as they didn't want to admit it, Honchkrow really did get on their nerves. It was a combination of his bossiness and his threatening demeanor, like he really would stab you with his beak if he wanted to. No one wanted to be around him, and no one wanted to listen to his strategy talk.
"…my heart has no place for hatred," Gardevoir said, "but I have no love for that man. Especially how he ostracized Sneasel as he did."
"I don't like her either," Sableye admitted, "but jeez, that was pretty harsh of him. But yeah, once we're done with this shelter, I think I'm gonna go scurry off and look. Don't tell anyone, okay? It'll just be our little secret!"
"Well, if you say so."
Minun shrugged. He finished up the last of his knots before he started humming something. It wasn't a song any of the others recognized; it had a simple, catchy, yet oddly bleak melody to it. As he did so, the rest of the tribe got back from whatever they were doing and began gathering their supplies up in a pile. Now, it was time to get to work.
"Oohoohoo!" A Sudowoodo dropped his cluster of wood on the floor near the four who were left to tie knots. "You four have done an excellent job! It is as they say, a great foundation builds a mighty house!"
"Huh," chimed in Petilil, who could barely see above her clump of firewood, "Pokémon really do say that?"
"No," responded a lone Kadabra, who was more interested in levitating his own firewood, "they do not. It's a good concept, but no one says that."
"I see…" the small Grass-type remained silent for a brief moment. "Well, should we just get started? The sooner we get our shelter built, the sooner the others can stop complaining?"
"…fine."
The building process was swift, but silent. Sneasel, who had since returned by this point, handled much of the heavy labor despite her short stature. It was impressive for sure, watching her hoist up logs twice as tall as her to stick in the dirt and act as poles. Doubly as impressive was her ability to climb up said logs to help apply the tarp to the roof, which was mostly comprised of bamboo and strands of rope and grass tied together. Though Honchkrow had to help to get the other end, seeing as he was the only one that could fly, it was largely through her effort that the shelter got done.
Sneasel is etching some words into a tree, talking to the camera as she does so.
"I've lived alone for the last three years, and I'm something of a hermit. I was surprised Pupitar even managed to find me and convince me to apply, but here I am. My only goal here is to prove my worth, so if that means performing menial labor for these idiots, then by all means, I'll get this shelter built for them."
At last, the shelter was built. There was enough space inside for all twelve of them, and that combined with their outhouse and fire pit meant they were good to go as far as amenities went. There was just the issue of making fire…
"…oh, come on," Braixen sighed as eyes found themselves on her, "what could you simpletons possibly want from me?"
"…as a Psychic-type, which you'll likely be one of these days…" Kadabra pointed at the fire pit. "You're also a Fire-type. If you don't know how to start a fire, then I'm not sure what you're doing here."
"Oh, just because I'm a Fire-type, I have to be the one to start the fire?"
"No, but we don't have flint, and if you want your dinner cooked, then you're the only one who can do that quickly and simply."
"Kadabra has a point," Minun interjected. "I'd try an Electric-type move, but, uhm… I'm more of a defensive battler than offensive, so I don't know if it'd make enough heat…"
Braixen sat in silence for a moment, thinking this over. Sure, she could just make Minun try it anyway, but a thought emerged. If she could make a fire, then that would certainly elevate her position on this tribe. Other Pokémon might even see her as a benefactor, someone to look up to. And it's a lot easier to get what you want when people respect you.
"Oh, alright."
With a quick swishing motion, Braixen yanked a stick out from her tail, where she held it for safekeeping. This was like a magic wand almost, though it also helped keep her canines in check. Holding it forward, she pointed the stick at the fire pit and an ember emerged from the end. She knelt down and pressed it against the fire pit, where the ember spread to the firewood. Once the fire began to grow, she stood back up and stashed her stick away once more.
"Tadaaa."
Braixen can be seen on the beach, smirking aggressively.
"And just like that, my place in this game is established. The fact that I'm the only one who can start a fire without sparks, flint, or… any of that first, it proves that I'm such a valuable asset, no one can afford to get rid of me. I'm like the princess everyone has to keep safe, and I won't let them forget it."
"Oh, cool Braixen. Thanks for that." Breloom grabbed a Cheri Berry and popped it in his mouth. "We should totally celebrate with some dinner. Right dudes?"
"Of course, 'dude'." Glaceon found herself resting inside the shelter, one forepaw dangling over the edge. "Let's get this show on the road."
Thus, the first day of the game came to a close. Sableye would go on to forget to search for his advantage, being too busy with his dinner to care for such trivial matters. His three allies figured they might as well remind him the day after, since no one was leaving camp anytime soon. Tomorrow was probably going to be busy, since that first challenge was coming either then or the day after. They might as well spend the night resting to be ready, because none of them knew what to expect.
...
And that's the end of the first Social Phase! Please note that future Social Phases will be structured a bit differently from this oneI mostly did this first one differently due to needing to introduce the setting and characters. Expect almost every Social Phase in the future to take place over two in-game days instead of one. This means that the next chapter will be focused on the Immunity Challenge. Go ahead and make your predictions on who's going to win the challenge, maybe even who gets voted home first. I don't know when that next part is going to come out, but I'll see you then.
~~REMAINING CAST~~
Team Aqua
Magneton
Dewott
Oddish
Beheeyem
Plusle
Cleffa
Pupitar
Marill
Lopunny
Flygon
Mawile
Ditto
Team Magma
Sableye
Breloom
Gardevoir
Pikachu
Sudowoodo
Glaceon
Petilil
Honchkrow
Kadabra
Minun
Sneasel
Braixen
