Happy Hallowe- Oh wait, that was days ago... Uh... See you next year!
Kidding, but I'll probably continue writing random stuff until I actually have something important to say here. (Which will probably never happen, ha ha ha)
On another note, I will not be probably not be able to post as fast as I am now, but it all depends on what's happening in my life, mainly if school's going to be a pain in the butt or not.
Also, I want to thank everyone who has put their time into reading and reviewing my story, you guys are the best! :D
000
Zubat couldn't get over it. Why Porygon? Of all the people anyone could vote for, they voted him? No, it couldn't be possible. that was what he told himself, but the votes couldn't be wrong, could they?
"Well, I guess you got what you wanted," Zubat mumbled angrily, "Now nobody knows about your secret."
Well, except for Chikoreta, but he didn't think she would tell anyone. He tried finding her after the elimination, but she was a quick mover, and by the time he stumbled back into the cabin, he was too tired to try and find her. Now, as morning rolled along, he flapped his way out of bed, and soar through the skies.
"There's one benefit," he joked, sighing into the morning air, "At least in the sky, there's nothing to worry abou-"
Suddenly, he slammed into something. Hard. Zubat fluttered dizzily, before he began dropping down through the air. He fell for a moderate amount of time, before landing flat on the ground. He groaned audibly as he picked himself off the ground. He flapped his wings to dust them off, and tried picking up any noises.
"Hey Zubat, are you okay?" asked a voice from behind him. He let out a yelp and turned around. He tried determining the voice, but he couldn't make out who it was.
"It's me, Chikoreta," the voice said, Zubat sighing in relief, "Sorry if I scared you."
"It's fine, I'm used to it," Zubat rushed, obviously still a little shaky, "So, uh, what's up?"
"You crashed into a tree, that's what's up!" she exclaimed, somewhat angrily, "Why were you flying so low?"
"I was?" asked Zubat, surprised, "Well, I guess I was just a little distracted."
"Distracted? By what?" asked Chikoreta.
"Well," Zubat mumbled through gritted teeth, "You know..."
"Porygon? Yeah, I'm still not over it either," Chikoreta finished for him, "But you shouldn't let it get to you."
"I know, I know, it's just that," Zubat sighed audibly, "I just want to know how it happened. I mean, I'm certain I didn't vote for him, yet..."
"Me too, but what's done is done. We can't let it show," Chikoreta chided, giving Zubat a warm smile, "Besides, you're our team captain! We rely on you, and if you don't do your job, then we can't do ours."
"Well, I guess," Zubat replied guiltily, completely forgetting his duty, "I'll try my best."
"Good." Chikoreta said, and with that, Zubat could hear her walking away.
"Thanks Chikoreta..." he mumbled to himself. He continued floated there, rethinking the events of last night.
Zubat: "Chikoreta's right, if I keep moping around, it's not gonna do any good for my team. I should keep this inside for now and rethink what happened if I have the time. Who knows, maybe I'll find something out by staying low-key... It's what Porygon would've done..."
000
"Sad to see you've survived the elimination." Purrloin sighed, smirking at the approaching Murkrow. The three of them had arrived at their usual hiding spot to discuss important matters.
"It was a stroke of luck, actually," Murkrow replied, "I managed to find a worthy opponent."
"Wait, wha- So, you found someone who's as powerful as you?" asked Starly, awestruck.
"I'm not sure, but they definitely found a way to pamper with the system." Murkrow replied, not answering directly.
"Who is it?" asked Purrlion, curious.
"I won't spoil it," Murkrow smirked, beginning to leave, "You can find out for yourselves."
"Hey, wait!" exclaimed Purrloin, but Murkrow had already taken off. She rolled her eyes and bid Starly farewell, leaving the bird alone. He couldn't help but laugh at what happened.
Starly: "It would be just like Murkrow to keep valuable info from us. This isn't the first time he's done this, and it certainly won't be the last. Now to prove my worth, let's find out who this Pokémon is."
Murkrow: "Espurr... I feel like I remember her from somewhere, but my mind is blank. Oh well, I'll remember when we meet again."
000
"Ouch... my back still hurts from yesterday's challenge." groaned Chimchar, rubbing his aching back. He, Mudkip, and Squirtle were down by the coast this time, but instead of watching Mudkip surf, they were just talking.
"Dude, you need to stretch more," Mudkip joked, "You sound like an old man."
"Ha ha, you try carrying a few bodies around and we'll see how you like it." snapped Chimchar, smirking. Squirtle was just listening to the both of them with a peaceful smile.
"So, how did the elimination go?" asked Chimchar, curious, "Obviously, you weren't the one."
"No, it was Porygon," Squirtle answered, recounting the event, "Which was pretty surprising. I mean, he's kinda emotionless, but I thought he was pretty cool."
"Maybe the others didn't like him." suggested Mudkip.
"Maybe so, but I feel like there was something weird behind that elimination." Squirtle said, a look of concentration on his face.
"Well, whatever the case, that's not the reason I asked you guys to come here." Chimchar piped up.
"I thought the reason was so we could talk casually." Squirtle smiled.
"Or ride some waves?" asked Mudkip hopefully.
"That sounds fun." Squirtle began moving, but Chimchar stopped him.
"No no, I have an actual reason," Chimchar announced, pausing for dramatic effect before continuing, "I want to form an alliance."
There was a moment of silence before Squirtle spoke up.
"Okay, sure." he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Wait, what?" Chimchar doubled over, "You're just gonna agree so easily?"
"Well, we already, like, know each other pretty well," Mudkip agreed with Squirtle, "We were already practically an alliance."
"Well, there goes my big speech." sighed Chimchar, and the three of them laughed wholeheartedly.
"Hey, here's something we can talk about," Chimchar finally said, "How about the girls?"
"What about 'em?" sked Mudkip.
"Got a girl in mind?" asked Chimchar, a smile crossing his face.
"It's the second day, you can't just choose someone willy-nilly," Squirtle complained, before quietly adding, "Although if I had to choose, Chikoreta looks pretty nice."
"Oh come on, that's so boring," Chimchar rolled his eyes, "No wonder you put on that stupid smile when you're around her."
"Hardy har, what's your pick then?" asked Squirtle, nudging Chimchar.
"I... don't really have anyone in mind," shrugged Chimchar, "I mean, all of them good and all, but I don't really have a top pick."
"Then why'd you ask?" asked Mudkip, joining in.
"So I could get some ideas from you guys." Chimchar responded.
"Well, how about Fennekin?" suggested Squirtle, "She seems nice."
"Fennekin?" asked Chimchar incredulously, "She's practically a princess, she's way out of my league."
"If you say so," Squirtle sighed, "Just keep looking, you'll find someone."
"Hopefully." Chimchar muttered grimly.
Chimchar: "Alright, I have an alliance, so that's good... Sigh, I guess what Squirtle said to be was true. Maybe I should find a girl. Probably soon, or else I might eliminated."
000
"Let's see, ah! There we go." Paras was searching for herbs on the island, and happened upon some nearby. He used his pincerss to clip some off, crushed them, and put them on his mushrooms.
"Ahhhh, that felt better." Paras let out a breath of relief.
"Oh, hey Paras! Whatcha doing?" asked a voice from behind him. Paras was startled and turned around to see Geodude there, carrying some wood planks.
"Hello Geodude," Paras waved a pincer, "I'm just picking some herbs in the morning. You?"
"Helping Combee with a project of his," Geodude yawned, "That guy sure has a lot of puns."
"Ah yes, the funny fellow," Paras vaguely remembered, "I'm about done here. Do you need any help?"
"Say... you're a doctor, right?" asked Geodude.
"Well, I was a pharmacist back wh-" began Paras, before Geodude grabbed one of his pincers.
"Close enough! Come on, we could use your help!" Geodude exclaimed, flailing Paras around like a piñata.
"I will help! I will help! Just please, let go of me." Paras said, weakly. Geodude quickly dropped him and apologized, and the two began making their way to Combee.
000
"This... is certainly unexpected." Paras noted. He and Geodude walked into Combee ordering Ferroseed around what seemed like a wooden platform. Ferroseed was grumbling and creating vines around the wood planks, and Combee was fluttering around, occasionally exclaiming some motivation, or just a bad pun.
"Oh hey," Combee noticed the two, "Geodude is back, and he has Paras?"
"I thought he could help." Geodude smiled and patted Paras on the back.
"I don't know, he doesn't seem like the strong type," Combee judged, and then slyly added, "I think you're bark-ing up the wrong tree!"
"Ugh, terrible." Ferroseed muttered.
"No, not carrying the planks, I mean he could tell us if the thing's good or not." Geodude replied.
"Oh right." Combee remembered. Ferroseed rolled his eyes.
"Well, Paras, you're an architect, right?" asked Combee hopefully.
"No, I'm a-"
"Great, can you tell us what you think?" asked Combee, flying around their incomplete building. Paras seemed like he was about to say something, but sighed and looked at their building. After a few moments, Combee broke the tension.
"So, what do you think?" asked Combee, anxious for Paras' response.
"Well, I was trying to tell you that I'm no architect," began Paras, "But it looks fine."
"Yes!" exclaimed Combee, proud of his accomplishment.
"But please tell me, what are you guys building?" Paras asked.
"He won't tell us," Geodude answered, "Says it's a secret or something."
"It is!" Combee exclaimed, "Just trust me, it'll be better kept as a surprise."
"Not the best way to keep us motivated." Ferroseed said sarcastically.
"Well, if I'm not needed here anymore, I'll be going," Paras began heading away, "I wish you good luck with what you are doing."
"Thanks! You too!" Combee yelled after him. As Paras was walking through the forest back to his team's cabin, he couldn't help but feel at peace.
"Huh." he wondered. A smile slowly crept upon his face, and he continued on his way peacefully.
Paras: "I haven't felt this way in years! It feels as if my burden has been lifted somehow, and it's thanks to those three... Ha, Combee should be a pharmacist, not me. He deserves it more than I do..."
000
Sandshrew explored their section of the island and was fascinated. To think that this section by itself could hold a coastline, forest, and grasslands amazed him. If only one section of the island was this big, how big would the island be in all?
As Sandshrew explored the nature of the forest, he heard a rustling behind. He turned around carefully, and spotted a twitching bush. He narrowed his eyes, and slowly approached the bush, one step at a time.
Suddenly, out of the bush sprang a figure, knocking Sandshrew over. He was dazed for a second but recovered and tried spotting his assailant. He saw an light orange pumpkin run into the woods ahead of him.
"Pumpkaboo!" Sandshrew blurted out, "Wait!"
He ran after Pumpkaboo's trail, as he saw her dive into a tree and disappear behind it. He hesitated for a few seconds before jumping through as well. Sandshrew was expecting flat land, but was met with a long hill, which he rolled down. He landed with a thud at the bottom, too weak to stand up. He saw a figure stand before him, just as his vision began to blur, and the whole world went black.
000
"Eeep!" Pumpkaboo squeaked, scared by the seemingly dead Sandshrew. All she was trying to do was get him off her tracks, she didn't want to hurt him. She stared at Sandshrew's body for a few seconds, before going back into the woods. A few minutes later, she came back with some Oranberries, which she fed Sandshrew. She waited a moment, before sighing and looking down glumly.
"It's no use..." she mumbled, disappointed in herself.
"Ugh... Pumpkaboo?" came Sandshrew's voice weakly. Pumpkaboo jumped, frightened at the sudden sound, and was about to flee when Sandshrew caught her.
"Wait, Pumpkaboo," his voice was barely a whisper, "I just wanna talk."
Pumpkaboo hesitated for a few moments, before nervously heading back towards Sandshrew. She sat down on a nearby log, and the two stared at each other in awkward silence. Finally, Sandshrew spoke up.
"So, uh... Why were you running away?" he asked softly and calmly.
"I... I don't do well around people." she replied, looking away from him.
"Don't worry, I'm not so good at talking either." Sandshrew tried cheering her up. Pumpkaboo stole a glance at Sandshrew, who was smiling directly at her.
"You aren't?" she asked, her voice a little louder.
"No, the only person I usually talk to is my mom," Sandshrew laughed sadly, "And now that she's not here... I guess I have no one I know that I can talk to."
"Oh.' Pumpkaboo replied embarrassed, not knowing what to say next.
"I haven't really talked to anyone here either besides small conversation," confided Sandshrew, and then adding, "I think I'm actually the most comfortable talking to you."
"Really?" asked Pumpkaboo, surprised.
"Really." confirmed Sandshrew. Pumpkaboo blushed madly as he said it.
"Um... I-I have to go." she said, quickly turning away and running again. Sandshrew barely had the time to reply, and watched as Pumpkaboo disappeared into the woods again.
Sandshrew: "Wow, that was weird... Did I do the right thing? I don't know, I feel like I might have come off as a creep... I think I may have experienced something I never could've shut in my room. I think I finally made a friend."
000
"Hey, old pal!" Beldum felt a pat on his back. He was working on his psychic abilities again, trying to lift up a small, rock structure, before he was disturbed and the structure toppled over.
"Whoops, did I interrupt you again?" asked Deino, smiling slyly.
"What do you want?" asked Beldum, levitating the rocks and throwing them to the side. Deino made no response, but suddenly jumped and charged Beldum. He sighed, as he stopped Deino midway and threw him into the nearest tree.
"Ouch! I'll get you one day." laughed Deino, trying to pull his head out of the tree. Beldum simply sighed and turned back to what he was doing, when he noticed something. Deino seemed to sense it too.
"What? Did you find something?" Deino asked, sneaking up behind the unexpecting Beldum.
"Stop, I know you're there," Beldum ordered, then motioned up a faraway hill, "Look up there."
"Up there?" asked Deino, squinting his eyes, "I don't see anything except- Wait... is that Mienfoo?"
"Seems like it," agreed Beldum, "I can't make out what she's doing."
"Probably training like you." Deino, shooting a Dragon Breath at Beldum, who easily dodged.
"Maybe." Beldum muttered, taking a final glance at Mienfoo, before turning back. Suddenly, before he could react, Deino headbutted Beldum, causing him to fly and hit a nearby tree.
"Ow..." moaned Deino happily, "Hey, looks like I'm getting better too."
Beldum glared at Deino, before grunting and heading back to his team cabin.
"Hey, wait up!" called out Deino, following right behind him.
Beldum: "That Deino may not look like it, but he's pretty strong. He learns quickly, and definitely packs a punch. I'll have to take him out before he turns into too much trouble."
000
"Oh hey, Mienfoo," Chingling called out, "You're here too?"
"Oh Chingling," Mienfoo replied, surprised that Chinglin sneaked up on her, "Are you here to train too?"
"Train? No, I'm just sightseeing," Chingling spoke softly, "Beautiful view, isn't it?"
Of all the people on her team, Mienfoo thought of Chingling as one of the best. She admired how he seemed to be able to remain calm in any situation.
"Yes," she answered his question, "It's very peaceful here, I-"
"Hey guys!" exclaimed a teleported Spiritomb, "Enough chit chat! Meet up at the spinning wheel for today's challenge!"
And with that, he disappeared once again. Mienfo stood there silently, stunned by the sudden entrance.
"Amazing how he can do that," noted Chingling, breaking Mienfoo out of her trance, "I wish I could."
"Well, it seems another day is about to begin," Mienfoo sighed, a little smile plastered on her face, "Let's try to win again!"
Mienfoo: "My sensei once told me that keeping a cool head in battle is more important than having a sharp sword. I'm very proud of Combee and Fennekin for winning last challenge. I hope that I, and the rest of our team, will not hold back either, and that we can win another challenge!"
Spiritomb: "Ugh, I hate optimistic motivation."
000
"Sigh... what stupid challenge are we doing this time?" sighed Snivy, crossing his arms. The teams had now gathered around the spinning wheel, awaiting Spiritomb's instructions.
"Well, someone's gotta spin the wheel." Spiritomb replied, smirking. Vulpix sat nearest to the spinning wheel, so she gave it a little nudge before looking back to her game. The wheel spun and spun, until it landed on one element: Ghost
"Ooh, ghost type," Spiritomb huckled maniacally, "This should be interesting."
"So what's the challenge?" asked Ralts.
"Today, we'll be heading to the haunted mansion on the dark section of the island." Spiritomb announced.
"W-wait, there's a haunted m-mansion?" asked Magnemite nervously.
"Yup, it's like a hundred years old, give or take." Spiritomb answered.
"Wait, why don't we sleep there?" asked Chimchar, confused.
"I repeat, haunted," Spiritomb emphasized the word, "You can sleep there if you want, but you probably won't come out the next day."
That put an end to Chimchar's question.
"So, the challenge?" repeated Ralts, writing some notes in her notepad.
"It's simply to get out of the haunted mansion," Spiritomb smirked, "I'll be teleporting you all there, and you'll have to try to escape. Anyway is fine, and the team with the most people remaining wins!"
"Um, what do you mean by people remaining?" asked Kecleon skeptically.
"There's probably a twist." Snivy answered, rolling his eyes.
"Thanks for ruining the surprise," grumbled Spiritomb, "But yes, there is a twist. You'll be carrying these the whole time!"
Spiritomb teleported in 38, brightly lit candles, one for each Pokémon. Some seemed to be more spooked of the candles than others.
"Ahhhhh!" scramed Magnemite and Honedge, running away and crashing into each other, knocking each other out.
"Hmph." Houndour growled, looking away from the candle.
"If your candle goes out, even if you come back alive, it won't count," Spiritomb said, "We all clear?"
The Pokémon nodded their heads, causing Spiritomb to grin deviously.
"Alright, then," Spiritomb announced, "The challenge... begins!"
"What are you talking abo-" began Snivy, before he hit the ground, unconscious. The other Pokémon fell as well, and soon all the Pokémon except Spiritomb were on the ground. Spiritomb teleported the teams into the haunted mansion and cackled as he watched the challenge play out.
Magnemite: "I h-hate the dark..."
000
"Ugh..." groaned Kecleon, opening his eyes slowly, "Wha- Oh right, the challenge."
"Spiritomb must have knocked us out and teleported us here." deduced Ralts. Kecleon jumped as he heard her voice, and looked around. It seemed the rest of his team was also there, also just waking up, their faces illuminated by their individual candles.
"So, all we have to do is get out, right?" Sandshrew asked groggily, "That doesn't so bad-"
Suddenly, a nailed piece of wood broke off from the ceiling, impaling Sandshrew straight in the head. He dropped to his side, blood flowing from his head.
"Ahhh!" Azurill cried, covering her eyes. Paras coughed and checked Sandshrew's pulse.
"He's dead." he mumbled. Suddenly, Spiritomb appeared right in front of them, spooking the entire team.
"Yeesh, you guys scream like a bunch of wusses," Spiritomb scoffed, "Anyways, yeah, you can die in here. But don't worry, I'll revive you guys after the challenge. Well, that's all for now, happy dying!"
"Wait-" cried out Ralts, before Spiritomb disappeared yet again, leaving them to sit in silence.
"Well, that wasn't very helpful." Starly muttered, carrying his candle and trying to get a sense of surrounding. He scanned the room, feeling for a door, when he suddenly heard a click.
"What the-" Starly began, before an arrow launched through a hole in the wall, piercing his skull. Azurill whimpred at the sound of cracking bone, and Fennekin hugged her and tried to comfort her.
"Quick, I think I found an exit!" exclaimed Ralts, holding her candle up high so that everyone could see her. They took their candles too and scurried over to where she was.
"Look." she moved her candle, and lit up on the ground what seemed to be an air vent.
"Sweet! We can go through there and reach the exit!" Combee grinned widely, "This'll be a breeze, literally!"
"Stop," Ralts levitated Combee away from the vent, "This might be a trap."
"Only one way to find out." Snivy carefully placed his candle on the floor.
"What are you-" began Ralts, before it was too late. Snivy opened the vent and kicked Combee inside. A long scream was heard before it was cut off abruptly.
"Well, now we know." shrugged Snivy, going back to pick up his candle. However, Ralts psychically slammed Snivy against the wall before he could pick it up.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Ralts angrily, "You just killed an innocent Pokémon!"
"Stop..." Snivy moaned.
"What? Why should I-" began Ralts, before Snivy coughed up a large amount of blood on her. She flinched and dropped Snivy, revealing several knives inserted into his back.
"Oh no..." Ralts muttered fearfully, "I did it again, and t-this time, I actually..."
Ralts began looking green, and excused herself into the corner. Pumpkaboo mumbled nervously, while Litwick wrote in his diary, seemingly unaffected by what happened. Finally, Azurill couldn't take it anymore and wretched herself from Fennekin, running around.
"Stop, Azurill!" exclaimed Fennekin nervously, "You're making the others-"
She didn't get any further before a creak was heard from below them, followed by several cracks, and a wall of dust. When it cleared, all that remained of Azurill was a hole in the floor of her same size.
"Wonder where that goes." Chingling muttered nonchalantly. Ralts returned from the corner and tried understanding what happened. All she heard was a lot of moaning and whimpering.
"Please! Everyone, calm down!" exclaimed a voice. Ralts turned and was glad that the voice belonged to Mienfoo.
"Panicking is usually what kills people in these situations," she explained and encouraged, "So we need to stay calm, and stick together."
Ralts: "Mienfoo is a great team leader. She can keep her cool and bring her team together in any situation... Sigh, unlike me..."
000
"I thought the plan was to stick together!" exclaimed Squirtle, running and panting heavily.
"You wanna go back there?" Eevee asked rhetorically. Their team had been doing fine when they got out of their room. Not so much when they got into the hallway. Secret spikes and hidden hatches had picked off some of their team, but what really did it was when they heard a huge growl. It didn't take long before the monster, whatever it was, began chasing them and hunting them down mercilessly. Even now, Squirtle could hear the muffled cries of his teammates, followed by a roar from the monster.
"Why... why did I even join this competition?" asked Squritle, panicking, tears forming in his eyes.
"Suck it up." Eevee tackled him the chest. Squirtle groaned from the pain, but he was no longer crying.
"Good, now let's find a way to escape this place." Eevee began exploring her surroundings, carrying her candle to help her see. It was a miracle their candles hadn't gone out yet. Maybe Spiritomb designed them that way, Squirtle wasn't complaining.
"So, uh... about yesterday," Squirtle awkwardly reminded, "I'm sorry for assuming-"
"Shut it," Eevee clamped her paw over his mouth, "You're not the first."
Squirtle tried replying to what she said, but his voice was muffled by Eevee's paw. Finally, she rolled her eyes and removed her paw from his face, allowing him to breath again.
"Wuss..." she muttered, unemotionally. Eevee got up and began moving through the hallway again, followed closely behind by Squirtle.
Squirtle: "You've done it again, Squirtle... Geez, and here I am giving advice to Chimchar."
000
Boom. The entire room came crashing down on them, killing almost everyone. Fennekin scrambled up from the remains of the rubble, trying to determine where she was. To think that only a few months ago, she had been practicing good manners at the castle.
"And now, I eat with my paws." she sighed grimly. In a way, she almost missed not being back at the castle, but those thoughts were soon cascaded by the surrounding darkness. In the distance, she thought she could hear laughing, but it was probably her ears playing tricks on her. Slowly, she got up, and tried feeling around for any sign of life. Suddenly, she saw the glint of a knife in front of her, but by the it was already too late. The knife found it's way to Fnnekin's heart.
"Ahhh!" screamed a voice from afar. As she lay dying, Fennekin could have sworn she heard Ralts shouting, but by then, she was already knocked out for good. As Ralts came rushing towards Fennekin, she used her psychic abilities to tear the attacker in two. Ralts continued breathing heavily for a few moments, before what she did kicked into her mind. She fell to her knees, staring at the mess she had made.
"I-I failed again..." she shuddered, clutching her head with her hands. She was so preoccupied with the situation, that she didn't realize another creeping shadow, before the world went black for her as well.
000
Frillish couldn't remember what came first, her screaming or the spear thrusting through Solosis' body. Whichever it was, she forgot quickly as she ran away and hid behind a nearby object. Funnily enough, she had forgotten to bring her or Solosis' candle along with her, and thus she had to make her way through pitch darkness.
"Hmm... I feel like I've been here before." Frillish thought, but her mind drew a blank. She shrugged and continued heading through the darkness, when she saw a faint light. She made her way towards it, and saw it was a candle.
"Murkrow?" she asked, seeing the dark-feathered Pokémon. She ran towards him, only to have an arrow plunge through her heart. Murkrow slyly moved his talon off a pressure plate, causing the trap to go back into the wall.
"Foolish girl." he sighed, the death not effecting him at all.
"Hey Murkrow!" exclaimed a voice from behind him, "Found anything- Gah!"
Smeargle cringed at the sight of Frillish's body, and looked at Murkrow with a fearful look.
"Did she just die? Yo, we gotta get out of here!" Smeargle tugged on Murkrow's wing, wanting to leave. Murkrow simply flashed him a glare, stopping Smeargle in his tracks.
"I'll go ahead." Murkrow said, monotone, as he took his candle and flew on ahead.
"Wait! Stop, why are you-" Smeargle began, before a claw from behind took out his throat. Purrloin stood over his body with a distasteful frown.
"So close..." she muttered, looking for Murkrow with death in her eyes.
000
"Great, now our captain's dead," muttered Ferroseed annoyingly, "This challenge is going great."
"We were never gonna win it," replied Houndour pessimistically, "With you here, at least."
"Ha ha, what happened to your candle, by the way?" retorted Ferroseed.
"Um.. I, uh, didn't need it," Houndour scoffed, "Candles are for pussies."
"Oh hey, guys." said a voice from behind them. They both flinched and spun around, seeing Mareep looking at them with a pleasant smile.
"Ha! You got scared." Houndour smirked.
"You got scared too!" Ferroseed countered, glaring at Houndour.
"Whatever, Mareep, tell this-" began Ferroseed, before he got stabbed with a knife and collapsed to the ground, dead. Houndour's jaw went slack, as he turned to Mareep, whow as now wretching the knife from Ferroseed's dead body. She turned to him, her eyes a bright shade of red, and that same smile still stuck on her face.
"Now it's your turn." Mareep said, shooting a Thunder Bolt at Houndour, who just barely dodged.
"Ahhhh!" Houndour screamed, as he bounded away from Mareep, who was chasing him and laughing maniacally.
000
"F-fear not, Honedge," Honedge muttered to himself, "E-even though the others may perish, you m-must stand strong! For the king!"
Suddenly, he ran into something metallic.
"Ahh!" he yelped, trying to curl up, but ultimately just ended up looking like a fool.
"W-who goes there?" he asked nervously. He still hadn't quite recovered from last challenge, and his back still ached every second. He wrapped his candle around his scarf, holding it out to illuminate his nearby area.
"Wooooohoooo!" exclaimed a voice from behind him. He flinched and turned around, seeing Joltik riding a show-like beast.
"Wha..." he was speechless, as he saw Joltik ride by him.
"Oh hey, Honedge!" was all Honedge heard, before Joltik pulled him by the scarf. He began choking, but Joltik raised him up, and slammed him atop the shadowy beast.
"Wha- who... Oooooh..." Honedge fainted, and laid flat on the monster's back.
"Huh, must have a weak heart." thought Joltik, as he gave another woop of excitement. He was entranced by the thrill of the ride to not hear the dying screams of both his teammates and the other Pokémon below him.
Joltik: "I may have went a bit overboard on that one. But do I regret it? No way, that was way too good!"
000
Zubat couldn't help but laugh at the situation. He had been split up with most of his team, and the ones who were still with him were all scared and nervous of the monster coming back again. He somehow was calm through all of this. Maybe it was the fact that he couldn't see nothing but darkness that pushed him on, or maybe it was Chikoreta, who miraculously stuck with him, and who was helping and encouraging him and the rest of the group.
"I think we're close to the end." she said enthusiastically, directly behind Zubat, who was leading the scattered group. She tapped him once on his left wing, signalling that they should turn left. Zubat whispered his thanks and called out to the rest of the group to head left. Their system was working so far, and all was going well until...
"Hey look!" called out Sentret, "A window!"
Zubat was pushed around as all the other Pokémon gathered to see. He sensed the others were ahead of him, assuming that's where the window.
"Move aside, I'm breaking through." ordered Gible, cracking his knuckles.
"Um.. I'm pretty sure that's not a good-" began Zubat, before he heard the cracking of glass and the screaming of Gible, followed by a earthly thud.
"-Idea..." he muttered grimly. This was a very bad day to be blind. Suddenly, a great roar shattered Zubat's thoughts.
"Wait, what was th-" Zubat began, before the shadowy monster swallowed him whole.
"No! Zubat!" Chikoreta exclaimed remorsefully, too scared to move from her place. She saw as the monster began devouring everyone, with what seemed like the sound of laughter coming from it. She clutched her candle even closer. Finally, once the monster was done, it turned back towards Chikoreta with deathly red eyes. She whimpered, shielding herself using the candle. In her mind, a part of her told her that there was nothing to fear, but the rest of her was shaking. She was about to give up, when she remembered Porygon and Zubat.
"They wouldn't have run away." she muttered to herself. Slowly but surely, she turned to face the monster. She swallowed her fear, and approached the monster with courageous eyes.
"Take this!' she exclaimed, running towards the monster, holding her candle out as a weapon. Suddenly, her body was engulfed in a bright light that blinded the monster. Chikoreta's form began to change. She got taller, and the leaf on her head grew longer. The buds around her neck grew as well, now visibly surrounding her neck. Her skin had changed as well, turning from a light green to a more vibrant yellow. She had evolved into a Bayleef!
Suddenly, she felt a weird tingling feeling, and the monster in front of her was replaced by a smirking Spiritomb. She stared in confusion until she looked around her. She was outside the mansion.
"Wha- How?" she asked, at a loss for words.
"How did you get out?" Spiritomb finished her question for her, "You faced the monster head on. According to the ghosts of the mansion, that deserves a win."
"Wait, so I win?" asked Bayleef excitedly.
"Not yet," Spiritomb smirked, "There's still some Pokémon left in there, some of your own team. Now, we just sit and wait for them."
"Also, did you get smaller?" asked Bayleef curiously. Spiritomb smirked in reply.
"No, you just got bigger."
000
Purrloin was getting very tired of chasing Murkrow. That stupid bird had escaped her multiple times now, even with her keen senses, and she was getting mad. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something shining black. A feather. she immediately pounced upon it, just as Murkrow burst out of the shadows, a few millimitres from her grasp.
"Try again." he taunted, flying away. Purrloin snapped and chased him, regardless of what was happening around her. She was just about to slash him when he disappeared right in front of him.
"What?" she looked around for another sign of him.
"Better luck next time." answered a voice from behind her, as she felt a kick from the back, and then flowing air, as she plummeted into the darkness.
"Ahh!" she screamed, bracing for impact. She landed on her feet, but even then, the force of impact caused her to faceplant into the ground. When she rose up groggily, she could hear the faint sound of laughter.
"Ah! The team captain of the Darkclaw Brotherhood!" spoke a voice, "Glad you could make it."
Her vision returned to her, just as she saw Spiritomb staring at her face. She responded by swiping at him.
"Hey hey! No need to fight," Spiritomb smirked, "Miraculously, you and candle made it."
"My candle?" asked Purrloin confusedly. She looked around and saw it was by her side. She could have sworn she dropped it somewhere in the mansion when she was chasing Murkrow...
"That blasted bird." she mumbled smirking, realization dawning on her.
"What are you so happy about?" asked Spiritomb.
000
Joltik was having the ride of his life on the monster. Honedge was not. Once his voice cracked, he resorted to whimpering and weeping, clutching the monster's back tightly.
"Come on, you'll enjoy it!" exclaimed Joltik cheerfully, "Just give it a shot!"
"A-Arceus, pro-protect me..." shuddered Honedge. Joltik rolled his eyes and continued looking ahead. He heard a screech behind him, so he looked around. What was originally Honedge was now just a pool of blood.
"Wait... swords can't bleed." thought Joltik. His thoughts were interrupted when the body of Mareep was grinning at him.
"Um... hello?" he asked, waving his hand. He was replied with a horrendous growl, just barely dodging a Spark from Mareep.
"Woah!" Joltik continued dodging the series of attacks from Mareep. He turned back to face forward, when something caught his eye.
"A window!" he exclaimed, steering his monster to the left, slamming into a wall. Mareep was floating quickly behind, and was gaining on him.
"Come on, just a bit more..." he strained, beads of sweat dripping from his head. He took a quick glance back towards Mareep to see she was preparing a final attack. A cry turned his attention back to the front. He saw on the side, Houndour was fearfully barking for help.
"Hoo boy..." he breathed, preparing himself. In one swift motion, he dropped to the side of the monster, grabbed Houndour by the tail, and smashed through the window just as Mareep shot off a Thunder Bolt. Joltik and Houndour ended up falling from the second floor of the mansion, and landed on the ground hard.
"Ooooh..." Joltik moaned, but a smile crept up on his face, before lying down unconscious. Houndour tried walking around dizzily, before he also fell on his side and was out cold.
"Huh, I guess that works," mumbled Spiritomb, "But it looks like they don't have their candles, so Joltik and Houndour don't count!"
"Aren't you being a bit unfair?" asked Bayleef sympathetically.
"And when did I say you could commentate?" asked Spiritomb, annoyed. Bayleef backed off, head down. Suddenly, a crash was heard, followed by the opening of the front doors. Squirtle and Eevee busted through, sprinting as they were being chased by another monster. The monster was about to chomp down on them, when it disappeared into a pile of ash, leaving behind a very tired looking Squirtle and Eevee.
"Seems you two had a wild ride," Spiritomb said, smirking, "But it looks like only Eevee has a candle, so Squirtle doesn't count!"
"What?" asked Eevee incrudlously, "Where'd yours go?"
"Uh... I may have, uh, dropped it on the way." Squirtle answered sheepishly. Eevee just groaned angrily, and walked away. Squirtle just looked on with a hrut expression on his face.
"You screwed up," Spiritomb stated, "But did the others? Let's see-"
Just then, Litwick was seen walking out of the front door, writing in his diary, oblivious to the world.
"Darn, pencil snapped," complained Litwick, "Oh wait... this isn't the mansion."
The Pokémon who made it facepalmed, and Spiritomb who had no hands just sighed.
"Well, looks like he made it too," Spiritomb rolled his eyes, "And would you know it? He still has his candle- I'm done."
Litwick just arched a brow, wondering why everyone was looking at him.
"Well, I think that's everyone," Spiritomb sensed no other living Pokémon in the haunted mansion, "There goes the suspense..."
Litwick: "Hmm... where's a sharpener when you need one?"
Squirtle: "Why did I drop the candle!?... Stupid, stupid, stupid..."
000
"Now tallying the scores..." Spiritomb calculated, "And it looks like... Team Something Cool wins!"
Bayleef and Squirtle high fived, while Eevee simply glared at the happy pair.
"Woah, you evolved?" asked Squirtle, just noticing the change.
"I did?" asked Bayleef, equally surprised.
"Sigh..." Eevee didn't even bother.
"And it looks like today's losing team is, drumroll please, the Darkclaw Brotherhood!" Spiritomb exclaimed. Purrloin almost doubled over.
"Wait, how were we beaten?" asked Purrloin, "Litwick and I both have one candle!"
"Plus, we have more Pokémon." Houndour backed up.
"Purrloin, repeat your last sentence." Spiritomb smirked.
"What? Litwick and I- He counts!?" she asked incredulously.
"I didn't specify what candle you had to bring back," Spiritomb argued slyly, "Could be a Pokémon, for all I care."
"Ugh." Purrloin groaned, glaring at Houndour and Joltik. The two shuffled away sheepishly.
"Oh yeah, almost forgot," Spiritomb laughed, "Gotta revive everyone!"
With a blink of an eye, all the missing Pokémon were teleported outside the haunted mansion, the difference being they were alive again.
"Wha- Wait... I thought I was at the mansion." Kecleon scratched his head, very confused.
"Yeah, and I was running from that monster," Mienfoo tried recalling, "And then an explosion, and then..."
"Hey, you killed me!" exclaimed Ferroseed angrily.
"I did? Sorry, I didn't mean to." Mareep apologized, smiling sweetly. Ferroseed just rolled his eyes and glared at her.
"So, small recap," Spiritomb settled the crowd of Pokémon, "Zubat's team won and Purrloin's team lost."
"We won?" asked Zubat cheerfully, "Wooo!"
"Eh, you win some, you lose some." shrugged Deino.
"But we haven't won any." Solosis countered.
"Don't worry about it, dudes," Mudkip encouraged nonchalantly, "We'll win the next one for sure."
"We can hope." Solosis sighed.
"Also, since Something Cool won this challenge, they get a prize!" exclaimed Spiritomb enthusiastically. He teleported in bags of candy, one for each member of the team, "Enjoy!"
"Wow, something good from Spiritomb?" asked Snivy sarcastically.
"Ha ha!" Gible gloated, wolfing down his sweets in front of the other teams, who hatefully glared at him.
"Oh yeah, and Team Undefeatable," Spiritomb addressed the team, "I forgot about your prize last time, so instead, you get to share Zubat's team's reward!"
"Wait, what?!" Zubat's team exclaimed in unison. they grumbled as Team Undefeatable took half of their spoils, and they looked at their remaining candy, glaring at Spiritomb.
"Mmm!" Combee grinned while eating his candy, "These are pretty sweet!" Gible seemd ready to fight, but he was held back by Squirtle.
"Well, that's all for now," Spiritomb said, "You guys can go back to your cabins. But Darkclaw Brotherhood, you guys meet me at the elimination area tonight."
The two teams walked happily back to their cabins, eating their candies, while Purrloin's team looked at each other nervously and skeptically.
Deino: "Time to vote someone off!"
000
"Mmph!" Slowpoke tried screaming through the gag, but it was no use. He had been strolling through the woods moments ago, when he felt a deep sleep come upon him. The next thing he knew, he woke up, tied by rope to a nearby tree.
"So you woke up." said a voice from around him. Slowpoke looked around and saw Azurill staring directly at him.
"Mmmph!" he tried yelling again, but his voice was muffled by the gag.
"Don't bother, I fastened it tightly." Azurill smirked. Slowpoke couldn't understand why Azurill was doing this, until he looked at her eyes. They were glowing a bright purple. Suddenly, a figure appeared from the next tree over, and Espurr emerged with a twisted smile.
"This is me, Espurr talking." Azurill said, Slowpoke doubling over in response. Espurr's face revealed no emotion, but continued talking with Azurill.
"How am I controlling her, you wonder?" Azurill asked for Slowpoke, "Easy hypnosis and manipulation. I used the same trick on you, but it seems the link get weaker the more Pokémon I possess."
Slowpoke could only stare in confusion and fear, as none of his questions couldn't be answered.
"Why did I possess you too?" Espurr seemed to be able to read his mind, "A simple test to see if I could do it. Once I realized it was a mistake, I knew I had to get rid of you. Unfortunately, our team lost last time, so I had to get rid of somebody else, but this time, you're not so lucky."
Slowpoke tried biting at the gag, but it was also no use.
"Sadly, our time to talk is coming to an end," Azurill's purple eyes began to fade, "And sadly, this is the end for you."
Slowpoke didn't know what that meant, but another trance came over him, and the next thing he knew, he was out cold.
000
"Ah, I see everyone's here already." Spiritomb smirked, as Purrloin's team came to the campfire.
"We just want it over with." Purrloin sighed, her teammates agreeing with her.
"Unfortunately, I have some bad news," Spiritomb said dramatically, "Slowpoke has quit."
"What?!" the team sounded out in surprise.
"Yes, I know, what a tragedy," Spiritomb continued, "I had this whole thing planned out, but oh well."
"Wait, why would he quit?" asked Joltik, astonished.
"Beats me, he just told me he wanted to quit, and that was that," Spiritomb answered, "But that doesn't mean he gets to slip out of the elimination cannon!"
Spiritomb teleported them to the coastline, where a gigantic cannon was propped, and Slowpoke was lodged inside it. Eerily however, Slowpoke seemed strangely calm through the whole thing, with a faraway look in his eyes.
"Well, any last words?" asked Spiritomb, preparing a match to light the fuse. Nothing from Slowpoke, not even a blink.
"Alrighty then," Spirtomb looked away and lit the fuse, "Fire in the hole!"
Before anyone could do anything, a loud blast was heard, and Slowpoke was no more, replaced by a long stream of smoke, leading towards the horizon. Honedge ran away, screaming, while the others gulped and thought about Slowpoke solemnly.
"That's all for this elimination," Spiritomb concluded, "You guys can go back."
One by one, they went back to their cabin, leaving Spiritomb to look over the horizon silently.
"Wonder why." he muttered to himself.
Purrloin: "Hmm... that was unexpected. Why did Slowpoke quit? He didn't have anyone aiming for him... did he? Maybe Murkrow is right, someone's definitely pulling the strings here."
Espurr: "..."
000
Slish, slosh, slish, slosh...
The waves collided with each other and dissipated. Shuppet had been floating around in the middle of the ocean for days now on end. He would not give up, no matter how much the tides had turned him. He would not give up, until he found his master.
He knew his master was there. There was no way Shuppet would let her out of his sight again.
"Master..." he mumbled, as he continued trudging through the storming waves. He was about to fall unconscious into the ocean, when he saw a spot of green far in the distance. Shuppet had to summon all his strength to move over there, the waves fiercely knocking against his frail body. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he reached the coast of the land, and promptly collapsed.
When he awoke again, his vision was blurry, and he looked around him for any sign of where he may be. Suddenly, he felt a presence appear right in front of him, and although his vision hadn't yet returned, he already knew from the scent.
"Master Espurr..." he cried out weakly, "I've found you..."
000
Ho ho! Shuppet is back, and is somehow connected with Espurr, who may have been the cause of Porygon's elimination? What!?
Kidding, but Espurr is getting more and more mysterious... and evil. I feel bad for Slowpoke, he didn't even know what was coming until he got booted. Will Murkrow's gang be able to deal with her? Who knows! Cause I haven't even written it yet
Jokes aside, how do you guys think I did this time? Should I make the challenges longer or shorter, and who do you want talked more about? (Or maybe not talked about at all?) Any review is very much appreciated, and they really help a lot.
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you again! :D
BlandToucan