~~DAY 3~~
~~TEAM MAGMA CAMP~~
Minun is still lying down in the shelter, the blanket over him. He appears to have just woken up, and is still rubbing his eyes.
"So I just woke up, I only got maybe a few hours of sleep last night… I was too busy celebrating our success last night. Sure we lost the challenge, but we all agreed on someone to vote out, and I think morale's at an all-time high. And now here I am, watching some guys play Mafia… what a morning…"
One of the lesser-known benefits of being a Psychic-type is that one's ability to read minds can extend to even the most mundane of thoughts. As such, eight members of Team Magma had the idea in the morning of playing Mafia, a simple party game where the innocent party had to try and figure out who the villains were and stop their murderous rampage. Normally a live game would involve handing out cards to identify everyone, but here one could simply get a Psychic-type to keep those thoughts internalized. And luckily for them, Gardevoir was kind enough to be their moderator to make sure the game ran smoothly.
"Good job everyone, you've managed to eliminate one of the mafiosos. There are four villagers left and one mafioso, so please try and figure out who it is before this villain strikes again."
Said first mafioso, Sudowoodo, sat back while a pair of victims, Kadabra and Sableye, sat by him. Besides those three, the five remaining players consisted of Breloom, Petilil, Braixen, Pikachu and Glaceon. Besides Gardevoir as host, this of course left Minun and Sneasel as mere spectators to the chaos, Sneasel because she didn't want anything to do with this and Minun because, as established, he'd just woken up. If the final five couldn't eliminate the right person, then they'd be down to just three. The game was on.
"Look, all I'm saying," Braixen asserted, "is that Pikachu is being awfully suspicious. Look at how he's shifting in his seat!"
"Jeez, I'm shifting 'cause this log hurts to sit on." Pikachu winced as he gave up and got off the log, standing instead of sitting. "If we're gonna talk about being suspicious, all you've been doing is accusing folks."
"Well isn't that what you're supposed to do? Think logically and make accusations based on those thoughts?"
"Well, sorry for the accusation, but I don't see how 'Sableye's the killer because his eyes are red' is very logical."
"Sableye eyes aren't normally red, you know. They're blue-ish."
"Hehe, it's true…" Sableye rubbed the back of his head. "I'm kinda one-of-a-kind. No Sablenite required for these fine jewels!"
"How absolutely relevant to the task at hand…" Petilil shook her head. "We're just trying to figure out who killed Sableye, right? I, for one, am interested in how this is connected to last round's investigations. Remember how half of us thought Sableye did it? And now he's the second victim? Suspicious, is it not?"
"Hmm, I'm thinking that perhaps Sableye knew something that we didn't." Glaceon perked her head up and smiled in a smug fashion. "And I'm here to get straight to the bottom of it. And I'm starting with…" Glaceon shifted her gaze around the circle, with her four fellow players surrounding her. "Breloom? Got any new information? You're the detective, remember?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, right…" Breloom chuckled, having seemingly forgotten. "Right, well, last time I checked you and you were innocent. Then I checked Petilil, she's also innocent. I think that just leaves… those two, right?"
The others looked toward Pikachu and Braixen, who were supposedly the only ones who hadn't been cleared of suspicion yet. The focus was now on determining which of them had killed Sableye the previous night. Finding out that Sudowoodo had killed Kadabra was easy, since he was a terrible liar, but this could prove to be more difficult. Nevertheless, the three other players were ready and willing to put in as much effort as needed to figure out the true culprit. The chase was on.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
Unfortunately for the spectators, what instead happened was an awkward, dry debate based around scenarios which no one was really sure actually happened. Seeing that things were getting quite dull, Minun decided to get up out of his little bed and join the eliminated players in their spectating. He might as well try and strike up a conversation to get the others to cheer up; after all, cheering was one of his specialties, being a Minun and all.
Kadabra is meditating underneath the shade of a palm tree, not even bothering to look at the camera.
"As I attempt to focus on myself, this… electric rodent decides to make himself a nuisance. We were having a fine time before he showed up to try and 'cheer us up,' or whatever he calls it. Bah, what a simpleton."
"So, you boys having fun? Anyone know where Sneasel went?"
"No," Kadabra asserted. "She went out into the woods to carve her name into more trees. Sudowoodo's still shaken up over it."
"Indeed…" Sudowoodo was visibly frowning at the mention of Sneasel's name. "I am no tree, yet I feel a great kinship with them… like we are distant cousins. At least with the shelter, we are using them for an honorable goal. It is what they want, I would feel."
"…" Minun blinked, not sure how to respond at first. "Alright. I'll take your word for it, I'm not that great with trees. I'm just an entertainer."
"Ooh, an entertainer! My cousin by marriage is also one of those! Or, at least, he sincerely wishes to be one! Not of the battling kind, or the cheering kind, but more of a… roadside dancer, a busker is what he called it! A street performer!"
"Oh, really?" Minun's interest was suddenly piqued. He'd never met anyone who had such an interest n music as he did. "I'm also a bit of a musician, though I'm not real big at the moment. It's just lo-fi hip hop, the… the sad boy kind. If you've ever heard Lil Mareep, it's that kind of deal…"
"…no, I can't say I have." Sudowoodo shrugged, watching as the remaining players seemed to get their act together and figure out who the culprit was. "Regardless, perhaps my cousin might. He likes all sorts of things! I'll have to tell him about you."
"Really, you'll do that" Minun's face beamed with a smile. "That's awesome, thank you so much."
"Of course, any time!"
As their conversation finished up, it appeared that the players finally came to a consensus. Braixen, for as accusatory as she was, had shown in her previous interaction that she was just acting like her normal self, brash and confident with little regard for others' feelings. Pikachu, as a result, seemed the most likely suspect, and Sableye's "death" was little more than a ploy to get Braixen thrown out. At least, that's what everyone assumed by the time they voted for him. Gathering all the votes in her head, Gardevoir smiled and began her internal spiel for all around to hear.
It appears you all have selected Pikachu… and you are right! Congratulations, all of the mafiosos have been eliminated!
"Shucks, y'all really found me out, huh?" Pikachu laughed off his failure to survive another round, instead choosing to take it in stride. "Well, 'grats guys, the good guys win again."
Pikachu is enjoying some peace and quiet on the beach, listening to the waves.
"Well, we played a lil' game of Mafia 'cause I joked that Honchkrow might've been in that whole organized crime thing, and well, it was fun. Heck, I think I got to learn a little more about my fellow players along the way. That'll be pretty useful for later, but mostly I'm just glad I got to have some actual fun out here."
It wasn't long after everyone started celebrating the victory that Sneasel finally reappeared, arms cradling Berries. After dropping them in with the rest of their food supply, she returned to the shelter to sit down.
"I got food. Hope your game went well, I guess."
"Oh gee, thanks Sneasel." Minun smiled at her. "Was starting to get worried."
"Don't," she responded bluntly. "I can manage by myself. I don't need you guys worrying about me or what I'm doing, and that's final."
"…alright."
With those remarks, the tribe returned to its celebration. Games of Mafia were far from common around camp, but every now and then folks would need something to get their mind off the game, if only for a little while. That was just how things went over at Team Magma; a simple, relaxed life without anyone trying to rock the boat. After what happened with Honchkrow, no one really wanted to take charge and rock any boats, after all. But how about their competitors? How are the Pokémon over at Team Aqua doing?
~~TEAM AQUA CAMP~~
Things over at Team Aqua camp were… a bit more tense, in the nicest way to put it. News of the rival alliances had already spread like wildfire, and it wasn't long before some people started picking sides. While no firm lines had been drawn yet, it was very clear that the struggle for dominance on Aqua was going to be between the Heads and the Fairy-types, who even had an alliance name of their own now. They took to calling themselves The Fae, named for their majority-Fairy membership. Though everyone was still friendly and cordial to each other, they knew it was a matter of time before heads began to roll… metaphorically, of course.
There was one player who decided to go on a little adventure through the woods that night. It was, in fact, Marill going on his little voyage. Was it to find food? Wood for the fire? It was none of those, in fact; he was instead taking a page out of Sableye's book, one which he hadn't read. It was time for an advantage hunt.
Marill is talking to the camera and proving his confessional while he's simultaneously searching.
"These folks think I'm looking for berries. I'm actually trying to find myself an advantage, because everyone knows it's those guys who start proactive, get things started immediately, that make it far, not the ones who sit around camp and do nothing… thanks for teaching me that, Glacie."
Marill continued to walk aimlessly, in search of something helpful. He carried a simple satchel with him, as many other players did, to hold any small items he wanted to keep by his side. And per the rules, no one could look through another player's belongings without their permission, so he was pretty much good to go as far as he was concerned. However, he noticed that he wasn't finding anything in those woods, just a bunch of twigs and rocks. Wait… rocks… maybe that was the answer?
"…there's a bunch of rocks near the beach. Maybe I should go check that."
Indeed, he recalled a certain patch of beach near a cliff, and said cliff was lined with stones. Maybe he could find something there, he thought. His search taking him in a new direction altogether, Marill grabbed the largest, juiciest berries he could find and stashed them away to make it seem like he'd been productive. Sure, he was basically a bright blue orb, but he was surprisingly stealthy making his way to that beach. It was only a matter of time before he found himself there.
"Okay, I just have to lay low. Can't let anyone know I'm being sneaky."
Marill's journey to the rocks was soon to prove fruitful. Immediately, he saw a wall of stones with gaps between them, just big enough for him to fit his arm into. Looking through each gap, one caught his eye almost immediately: There was something small and brown, with some tan attached to it. Could this be what he was searching for? Through sheer force of will alone, he was able to yank it out of its prison and hold it in his hand. It was the same sort-of idol that Sableye had found back at his camp, complete with the parchment explaining how it was meant to be used.
"Wowee, I found something… I should probably figure out what this paper says."
As Marill began to read out loud, he soon found himself mindlessly waddling over to camp. It was a very slow waddle, but a waddle, nonetheless. No one saw him at first, but it wasn't long before he was stopped in his tracks by a very calm Magneton. Marill bumped into him, nearly falling over in the process. After picking himself up, he soon realized what he was doing, and suddenly appeared a lot more sheepish.
Magneton is on the beach again, alone this time. He appears awfully proud of himself.
"It appears that I caught Marill attempting to obtain an advantage in this game. I was expecting him to try and cover up his actions with a half-baked lie, and yet he did not. It was at this point when I realized that I could use this as an opportunity to advance myself further in this game."
"Y-you didn't hear anything I said, did I…?" Marill chuckled, knowing fully well he'd already read through the entire parchment at least twice.
"I heard every word of it," Magneton responded. "It even works up to the Final 6, does it? A very interesting advantage you have there, Marill."
"…ahah…" Marill stood uncomfortably. It was at this moment that he knew, he messed up. Badly. "You're… going to tell your entire alliance about this, aren't you?"
"More than likely. You're a lot brighter than you let on, Marill." Magneton closed his eyes for a brief moment, thinking over his next words carefully. "Though perhaps… we can come to an agreement?"
"An… agreement?"
"It's simple. We can ensure each other's safety. I don't vote for you, and you don't vote for me. And I will make sure my alliance knows not to target you specifically. And as a result, I keep your idol secret until it's absolutely paramount. How does that deal make you feel?"
That was definitely a deal that Marill would have to think over. Having the idol, on top of a promise not to be targeted by the rival alliance, it all seemed like a great deal. On the other, he couldn't be sure that Magneton was even telling the truth. He wasn't exactly an expressive sort, so it was hard to read his emotions to judge his truthfulness, so he just had to go off of his word. Though since he did admit that he was probably going to tell his alliance about the idol before proposing the deal, he did seem the bluntly honest kind of guy. With that in mind, it was hard to see Magneton as anything but truthful with his offer. With a hint of reluctance, Marill nodded.
"Alright, you've got yourself a deal."
"Thank you. I'll be off to camp now. Feel free to follow if you'd like."
Nodding, Marill slowly followed along back to camp, several thoughts filling his mind. Was this really the right call to make, just trusting Magneton like this? He wasn't sure he really had a choice, to be entirely honest. It was either trust Magneton to hold to his end of the bargain, or risk being unceremoniously voted out or wasting his idol early. Only time would tell how well the bargain would truly work out for him.
Back at camp, there was a trio of Pokémon sitting underneath the shelter, trying to cool off from the beaming summer sun. Cleffa was firmly exhausted from her journey to gather more firewood and was joined by Lopunny and Pupitar. Attempting to alleviate some of her boredom, the small Fae member attempted to strike up conversation.
"So, you two," she began, "did you get that firewood okay?"
"Oh, me?" Lopunny nodded softly. "I sure did. It's right there by the fire pit."
"Nope," Pupitar responded, blankly. "No limbs, no gathering wood."
Cleffa sighed to herself, trying to be as polite as possible.
"Oh, Pupitar. Never mind the fact that Oddish has been able to pitch in around camp despite having no arms, but Pupitar is just… lazy. Heck, he got some firewood two days ago just fine. He's just making excuses."
"Okay, Pupitar, if you say so."
As Cleffa glanced around at the players around her, she soon noticed something resting on Lopunny's neck. It was a simple, gilded necklace, but what made it stand out was what was used in place of a pendant. There was a small bell, spherical and silver in color with gaps in it. A bell on a necklace was just the most curious thing she'd ever seen, and she wanted to know more. It was just a matter of asking in a way that didn't seem intrusive.
"Uhm… miss Lopunny?" Cleffa looked up at her and asked, politely. "If you don't mind me asking, uhm… that's a cute necklace you're wearing. What kind is it?"
"…huh? Oh, this thing?" Lopunny quickly flicked it, producing a gentle ringing tone. "Thank you, it really is cute, isn't it? It's a Soothe Bell, actually, my mom just attached it to this necklace years ago."
"A Soothe Bell… I've heard of those! Aren't those really expensive, though?"
"No, not really, they're just really rare. They're only made in limited quantities, you know. Do you want to learn how I got ahold of it?"
"Oh, yes please. Maybe then I can learn how to get one when I go home! They say that a Cleffa can only evolve once it's reached a state of maximum happiness, and I'm really not all there yet…"
"Ah, okay. Well, it all started with my childhood…" Lopunny then began to go into detail about her youth, starting from when she was still a Buneary. "Bunearies are usually really timid, you know? Bad in social situations? Well, I was that but twice as bad. Oh, I was just miserable, all the time. I wouldn't even wanna be around me."
"Aww…" Cleffa began to frown. "That's awfully sad…"
"Well, it's fine now. I had a couple of friends who supported me, and my mom got me some therapy! And that's how I got this! Believe it or not, it was originally a prescription, but I guess my therapist let me keep it since he was retiring anyway. He was such a sweet guy… well, anyway, I kept it around for a while, and, well… just like you guys, I got really happy and I just… evolved!"
"Wow, he sure does sound sweet." The smile on Cleffa's face soon returned, almost as if it had never left. She was certainly an impressionable sort: Whatever the mood was around her, she tended to mimic it. "So you got it for your treatment? Wow, that's sure convenient. Do you know where I could get one though? I don't think I need therapy, or anything…"
Lopunny took a moment to think this over. Considering Cleffa mentioned money first thing, she didn't seem like the type with a very high income. Otherwise, she would have recommended the store her therapist got the bell at, but that place was beyond luxury. Her other best option was that department store in Lilycove City, Lopunny recognized Cleffa's accent as Hoennese so she'd probably have easy access. Or… hey, she remembered something! The first Soothe Bells were manufactured in Hoenn, right around Slateport! Surely there had to be some at that market, right?
"…I think you might be able to check Slateport City once we get back to the mainland. I can give you some money to buy it if you need any, no need to pay it back."
"Wow, you'd really do that?" Lopunny could notice a hint of a sparkle in Cleffa's eyes. "Oh my goodness, thank you, thank you! That means a lot to me, you know that? I would have gone earlier, but I didn't have any money, so this is… so nice of you! Is a hug okay?"
"You know what?" Lopunny sat up and smiled down at her. "Sure, why not?"
Cleffa attempted to wrap the larger Normal-type in a hug, but due to her small stature, she settled on just hugging her arm instead. She wanted to keep saying just how thankful and grateful she was for the offer, but she didn't want to just yammer into Lopunny's ear all day. Why annoy the Pokémon who was about to do a favor for you, after all?
Lopunny is sitting alone in the shelter, chatting with the cameraman right around nightfall.
"I'm not sure why I was so open to Cleffa back there, I'm not usually that open with anybody. I think she just has this… weirdly positive, empathetic energy to her, the kind that makes me just want to calm down and relax… and yeah, that's pretty much what I spent the rest of the day doing, just sitting, and resting… golly, I'm actually optimistic about my future in this game if people are going to be this nice!"
~~DAY 4~~
~TEAM MAGMA CAMP~~
The next day was a calm one over at the Magma camp. The sun beamed down overhead, leaving many to remain in their shelters as a precaution. A few, however, felt no need to remain cooped up in a dull old shelter all day. Some, like Breloom or Petilil, could just photosynthesize and get their nutrients for the day. Others however were simply bored and needed something to do. As such, one could see a few players moving out to the beach to get some rest or swim in the shallow waters off the coast. It was quite a sight to see Pikachu floating atop the water, his light weight keeping him buoyant.
"Well, shucks, this feels pretty great, not gonna lie…"
"Try not to electrocute the water, then."
As it turned out, Gardevoir had decided to get in the water as well, soon followed by a very reluctant Glaceon. The Psychic-type's size meant she was effectively kneeling in the sand while the others couldn't even touch the water with their paws. Pikachu was quick to wave to the both of them, hoping to strike up a conversation to keep his mind occupied.
"Howdy. Something wrong, Glace? You're looking a little frazzled there."
"I-I'm fine… I'm just… trying to figure out how to swim again." Glaceon's face turned a deeper shade of blue; both of her companions just assumed this was equivalent to blushing. "You bipeds have it so easy…"
"You know I run around on all fours, right? I get it, I had to relearn a lot of stuff after I evolved. These bodies just ain't as built for bipedal movement and all that."
"I suppose…" Glaceon turned her head to Gardevoir as she attempted to doggy paddle in the water. She noticed that the Psychic-type was staring off into space, almost as if in a trance. "What about you? Is something wrong?"
"No… I'm merely reflecting. On my life before this point. Me getting to this point, and where I go from here. Pardon me if I am intruding."
"No, not at all," Pikachu insisted. "Feel free to talk about it. All ears, miss."
"Hmm… if you so insist."
There was a pause, as if Gardevoir was searching for the right words to say. The search was not long, but all parties could tell it was a careful one.
"I was raised into a very… traditional family, gender role-wise. Males were expected to perform a specific ritual to obtain a Dawn Stone to evolve, while females were expected to maintain their normal lives and wait for evolution to come about that way."
"Alrighty?" Pikachu tilted his head, shifting himself so he was no longer floating on his back but instead partially submerged, with the water reaching up to his arms. "That kinda stinks, with how rigid it is and all. Just wish I could relate better, life on the farm's always been fairly liberating."
"I wouldn't expect you to understand, so please don't feel too bad about that." She offered him a faint smile, before proceeding with her story. "Yes, that's just how it was… and so, as a girl, I had no plans to perform the ritual in any capacity. And I was hoping all would be well with that."
"That sounds about right," Glaceon chimed in between breaths. It seemed she was slowly getting used to the warm tropical water, and at the very least she wasn't melting. In fact, her mere presence was cooling the water around them. "Did something go wrong?"
"Well, I got what I wanted… despite what others may have wanted. I remember that the family matriarch in particular wished me to go through with the ritual."
"But you're a girl, ain't you? I don't even think girls can use the Dawn Stone, at least that's what Ma told me."
"Correct… not those who are physically female, at least."
There was a pause. Glaceon seemed like she understood what was going on immediately, but Pikachu need a few minutes to wrap his head around it. Ever the slow thinker, he ran through the possibilities in his head, slowly eliminating the ones that he deemed the most unlikely or insensitive. Eventually though, he was fairly certain he got the right answer."
"…just to be clear, you're still a girl, right?"
"Yes, I'm still a girl."
"Alright, sorry, just wanted to make sure I understood what we were talking about here. Don't wanna be like… offensive or insensitive or whatever the term is. Didn't even have internet 'till a few years ago so I wasn't exposed to a lot of this stuff."
"Jeez," Glaceon chimed in, "you must have been pretty isolated, Pikachu. I didn't realize you were that rural."
"H-hey, come on, don't be like that…" Pikachu's face turned to a frown, eyes partially shut. "I'm tryin' my best here."
Gardevoir can be seen at the edge of the water, possibly meditating.
"Well, thankfully I'm surrounded by some forward-thinking people on this tribe. I typically make it an effort to be as forward with others about my background as possible, yet there were some here who… hmm, worried me. I figured I might as well get those ones out of the way first, so I'm grateful that they reacted so calmly and rationally."
"Right… well, is that what you've been thinking about, Gardie?" Glaceon soon found that her legs were starting to get tired, both in the front and the back. "How you got from… that to here?"
"In a way yes." Gardevoir was quick to notice the quadruped's slow turn to exhaustion. She then proceeded to back toward the shoreline, beckoning the others to follow. "I've come a long way since then, and I'm simply amazed that I've been able to go from needing my friends' support to get out of my house, to being here on an island with several strangers. It's… well, it's something of a dream come true, if that makes any sense."
"…aw shucks, we're headed back to shore already?" Pikachu slowly swam his way back to the beach one paddle at a time. "And heck, that's awesome. Dreams don't come true real often, so it's great that yours did, y'know."
It wasn't long before all three were back on shore, drying off in the sun within minutes. From there, it was a short, uneventful walk back to camp, where a few of their friends awaited them.
"Ah, there you are," Petilil said, not having spoken for the past hour, "I was wondering what you three had wondered off to go do. No shenanigans, I'm hoping."
"No shenanigans here, as far as you need to know." Glaceon hopped up into the shelter and curled up, preparing to take a nap. "Now please don't intrude on my privacy, I need to get some shut-eye."
The scene at camp was soon one of dead silence. As that group enjoyed their peace and quiet, others found themselves in the deep woods, either gathering berries or simply going on small adventures. As such, individuals like Sneasel or Sudowoodo, who found solace in these woods, could be found working together to avoid getting lost.
Though one cannot see it, Sudowoodo is indeed behind one of those trees. It appears he is practicing his tree masquerade.
"Oh, Sneasel and I are on good terms now, do not worry. Perhaps I may have… played up my feelings about these trees as a means of lowering my own threat level? Uwehehehe… once they've realized they've fallen for my trick, the money will already be mine!"
"Today is a grand day for berry picking, is it not?"
"…whatever."
It seemed Sneasel wasn't up for conversation right now. As much as Sudowoodo wished to penetrate that deeper layer, he couldn't figure out how to do it. He suddenly remembered something that had happened the night before Tribal Council. Breloom and Sneasel had been gone for well over an hour, and apparently all they did was… talk. Very little strategy, no hunting for advantages, just pure, simple talking about life. What about Breloom made him so good at talking to people when he could barely converse with even the most social and pleasant members of the tribe? He had to learn more, and soon.
Luckily for him, it wasn't long before he came across Breloom with a bundle of firewood in his arms, a very smug-looking Braixen with only a single stick following right behind. This was prime opportunity to figure out just how he worked his magic, was it not?
"Oho! If it isn't my fungal companion and the princess! How excellent it is to see you here!"
"Oh, brochacho, hey." Breloom nodded over at the other two; he would have waved, but his arms were full. "Something on your mind, dude?"
"Oh, but of course, 'dude'. I would love to know…" Sudowoodo paused for dramatic effect. "…how do you get so good at conversation? How is everyone so comfortable around you? I remember discussing with Minun a few days ago about my cousin, but he seemed a bit uneasy!"
"Huh? Oh jeez, it's really simple, honest." Breloom steadily walked back to camp, the others following behind. "The thing you wanna focus on is making yourself look and feel approachable. You know, casual demeanor, lots of fluidity. Let who you're talking to put themselves first, but don't like… fixate, fixating is creepy."
"Ooh, okay! But what… what is fixating?"
"Oh, that's just what I call like… super-focusing on someone real hard. Like staring at them super hard, trying to make them talk about stuff, let them speak for themselves, y'know. Like… hey, I even remember the name of the school Braixen goes to. Lycée Xerneas de Shalour, I hope I got the pronunciation down."
"Indeed, Breloom, I'm impressed you understood so thoroughly." Braixen's smug visage softened slightly. "Despite being known for its battling courses, it houses among the best general education curriculums in all of Kalos. My partner in this game, for one, finds she is more comfortable studying literature than fighting for fame and fortune, and the academy has what she needs in spades."
"…ooh!" Sudowoodo took this as an opportunity to practice what Breloom had just told him. "You are from Kalos! A beautiful region, or so I hear!"
"Hmm, yes, quite." The foxlike Fire-type had her arms crossed. "I could not be prouder of my homeland if I tried."
Braixen appears content underneath the shade of a palm tree.
"Oh, I could go on for hours and hours about Kalos, the sights, the fine art… fortunately, common sense got the best of me and I didn't. I swear, most of these simpletons wouldn't know fine art if it hit them over the head with a mallet."
"Ah, quite nice, quite nice! Surely nicer than Unova, I would imagine. Unova is urban, much too urban, not enough art."
"…" Braixen raised an eyebrow. "I'll keep an eye on you, but for now… I shall accept the answer you've given me."
It wasn't long before the group noticed the sun starting to set. The next few minutes were spent setting up a campfire to roast some berries, a simple yet effective dinner that would keep all eleven players fed. The rest of the evening was quiet, yet pleasant for everyone, giving them plenty of time to reflect. Everyone assumed that the challenge would be tomorrow after all, so they needed to rest up and wait for the sun to rise once more. That shouldn't be too long… not long at all.
Breloom is standing under a tree, smiling.
"Today was pretty nice, I'm not gonna lie. I hope Sudowoodo took my advice to heart, last thing I want is the poor guy getting himself voted out because he couldn't socialize with people. Dude's kinda off, but maybe he'll get better, who knows? A shroom can dream… speaking of dreaming, shoot, I'm tired. Bye cameradude, have a good one."
~~TEAM AQUA CAMP~~
Night fell on Team Aqua's camp, and all was mostly silent. Everyone was lying down inside or near the shelter, thinking about recent events. Rumors about Marill's idol were already spreading like wildfire, even as Magneton tried to keep suspicions low as part of their deal. It took a couple of players a fair deal of self-restraint to avoid making fools of themselves and start digging through belongings. As such, even as no one talked, the air was so tense you could physically feel it.
Flygon wasn't the first to notice this, but it certainly affected her the most. She was afraid of a lot of things, and tense silence was one of them. The dark was another, but she wasn't about to admit that one. She lied down beneath the shelter and rested her hands on her stomach, staring at the ceiling in discomfort. It wasn't before folks started to notice, and a small conversation began to develop from thin air.
"It's so quiet," Plusle remarks. "I don't get it! Hey, Flygon, are you alright?"
"U-huh… yeah, I'm… I'm fine, aha…"
Flygon is looking at the camera nervously. It's daytime in the confessional shot, meaning this was shot several hours after the fact.
"So, I spent most of last night just… thinking. I remembered that Honchkrow made a fool of himself at the challenge, and I was just a little worried that he might have gotten himself voted out as a result. I mean, he's… he's rough to be around, I get it, but he was one of the few folks from back home who didn't make me feel extremely unsafe, so it… well, it sucks to no longer have that safety net, that friend I can rely on."
"Well, alright," Plusle responded, "I'm not gonna dig too deep into that if you don't want me to."
"T-thanks, aha…"
"Urrgh… what are we talking about?" Dewott lifted her head off the floor of the shelter, rubbing her temple. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, I'm already halfway to passing out."
"Oh, evening Dewott!" Plusle gave the Water-type an energetic wave. "Nah, you're not interrupting anything! We just got started! Come on, join in!"
Sighing, Dewott sat up and turned to face the other two girls next to her. Her eyes were heavy, and her movements were sluggish, but she was otherwise alert enough to hear what the others were saying.
"So," Plusle began, "where are you two from? I'm from here in Hoenn, near Mauville. When I heard this competition was gonna be so close to home, I jumped at the opportunity!"
"Well, aren't you lucky." Dewott closed her eyes and shrugged. "I'm from Kalos, I go to a fairly elite academy there. Thank my family for that, the rich idiots…"
"…I'm Alolan." Flygon shook her head. "Hau'oli City. Public school…" She perked her head up, though only very slightly so as to give the impression that she was actually paying full attention. "I started going to my current one after being put into foster care."
"Foster care?" Plusle jumped up to a higher elevation to make conversing with the taller players easier. "That has to be rough."
"It is, I won't lie to you. My family has done some, erm… awful things. Not to me, no, but you know… to other people, and so, I, uhm… don't live with them anymore. I don't want to, you know… explain myself, because everyone at home already knows and… lots of folks don't wanna associate with me as a result."
"…oh…" Dewott crossed her arms and sighed. "Family issues… yeah, I have those too… nowhere near as bad as yours, though, I'm sorry, I really am."
"T-thanks… but, uh…" Flygon sheepishly turned her head to face Dewott. "You don't mind me asking about that, do you…"
"No, not really. It's mostly a lot of 'Why haven't you evolved yet? How are you going to carry on the family tradition without evolving? You'll never be a good battler as a Dewott, you'll never be worthy in the eyes of your ancestors…' Arceus above, why do they think I care about any of that? Why can't I just do my thing? I want to be an author, not some… seashell-swinging swordsman! Gah!"
That final "Gah!" caused a few players to shoot straight up, waking them up despite their best wishes. Pupitar stared at them with wide eyes, Beheeyem's lights flashed, and the atmosphere overall became much more chaotic. This left Dewott looking and feeling incredibly sheepish.
"…sorry."
Dewott has her arms crossed once more and is sitting down near the shelter.
"I can't believe I lost my composure. Arceus above, I feel like such an idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid… aaagh…"
"Turn off your lights, Beheeyem," said Ditto in a groggy tone, "I can see them through my eyelids. And yes, I do have those."
"Ooh wee, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Beheeyem quickly shut off his light display. "She startled me!"
"Well gee, Dewott, you mind not startling people? Jeez." Pupitar rolled his eyes. "Some of us need sleep to be able to function in the morning."
"Pupitar, could you read the room?" Plusle frowned at him. "She's clearly sorry, you don't need to rub it in. Honestly, you're so rude, like…"
"It's fine, Plusle." Dewott lowered herself back down into a lying position. All she wanted at this point was for this nonsense to end. "No need to drag it out. I appreciate the defense, but… I just want to go to sleep already."
"Alright, Dewott. Sleep tight, okay?"
And that was the end of that. The players who had been woken up slowly struggled to find their way back to unconsciousness, some having more difficulty than others. It didn't matter how long it took, they were determined to fall back asleep with no more interruptions. Tomorrow was the challenge, and they wanted to keep that winning streak going strong. And if they were about to lose out on a win streak because of some bad sleep, then there was about to be anarchy.
Pupitar is floating near a tree, pressurized gas being forced out of him to keep himself afloat.
"And now I'm not going to be able to fall asleep. Joy. And all because someone couldn't stop themselves from screaming at who-knows-what-hour of the day. If we lose this challenge because of this, then I don't see a future for Dewott in this game, I'll have to be honest. Oh well, we'll just have to see when tomorrow rolls around."
~~END OF SOCIAL PHASE~~
And that's the end of that. More character development, some shenanigans, all and all an excuse to get to know the players some more. Next time's the challenge, so follow to stay up to date.
~~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
Kadabra
Minun
Sneasel
Braixen
Eliminated
24th: Honchkrow
23rd: ?
