Survivor: Dewford Islands

by Gomamon

Sixteen castaways are about to begin an adventure of a lifetime. For thirty nine days, they will be stranded on the islands of Dewford with a minimal of protection and assistance against the harsh environment. Who will be the Sole Survivor?

5. Episode 5: Emancipation

Survivor: Dewford Islands
By: Gomamon

Last Time on Survivor:

In the Huntail tribe, somebody left a hurtful message for Brock on the motorboat. Brock accuses James based on their past conflicts, but neither of them knows that it is actually Drew who hatched this scheme. At the same time, TK had to be evacuated from his tribe for a night when he got attacked by a bear, resulting in a badly wounded leg.

Takuya is upset at the Gorebyss tribe for voting out Zoe at the previous tribal council, but most of the women didn't share sympathy for his loss. When he wins the reward challenge, Takuya gets his revenge when he decided to not share the food reward with Gorebyss. After he returned to camp, he only shared this secret stash of food with his ally, Rika. Gorebyss lost another immunity challenge, causing Cassidy and Mimi to reconsider how worthless Delia is to the tribe. Despite Casey's attempt to save her ill friend, the tribe unanimously voted Delia out in a 5-1 vote. Twelve remain, who will be voted off next?

Episode Five: Emancipation

Gorebyss: CASEY - CASSIDY – MIMI – RIKA – TAKUYA

Huntail: BROCK – DREW – JAMES – JP – MAY – TAKATO – TK

- - -

DAY 13

This morning, James felt like he needed to escape from Huntail. A gut feeling inside him urged James to run away from his tribe and spend the rest of the day in peaceful solitude. If he had a choice, James would run, run, run away and never come back. He wanted nothing more than to lie on a sandy beach, to be soaked under the warm sun rays, to sleep and forget all of his problems in this game. And when he woke up, he wished that a miracle would launch itself upon him, a miracle that would somehow, someway make his many worries vanish in thin air.

As he sailed around the sea in the tribe's motorboat, James realized that he had no idea where he was going. He also remembered that Brock had said something about not travelling alone around the island, but James never gave too much weight to the advices that the Huntail leader provided, even though he knew Brock was only trying to ensure no more accidents happen within the tribe. Since the first day, Brock has made it very clear that James was not welcomed on this tribe because of his background. No, it wasn't just Brock who acted this way towards him. They all did. Sometimes, James wondered if his tribe members even respected him as a person.

James: All of my tribe members view people as black or white, right or wrong, good or evil. Since I'm a proud member of the Team Rocket organisation, they're naturally inclined to think that I'm the bad guy. But...I disagree with this type of thinking. Humans are complex creatures and we all have different layers and dimensions to our personality. To just label me as a…a one-dimensional bad guy is…like, I don't know. It's a bit hurtful because nobody wants to be the bad guy. I certainly don't.

His enigmatic green eyes were cast down on the ground, not meeting with the cameras around him.

James: It's so easy to judge people because of their faults and flaws. Most often, it's an inaccurate and superficial opinion. I think if any of my tribe even tried to know me a little better, they might realize that we don't live in a black and white world, and that, even though I lead a different lifestyle from them, it doesn't make me any lesser of a human being.

"I think I'm going to spend the day on Shipwreck Island," reported James. He was talking to one of the accompanying cameramen, who could do nothing more than nod and tag along on the boat.

Luckily, James knew how to navigate a boat from his vast experiences, so he had no problem driving it towards Shipwreck Island, a tiny island that the tribe found during their first sea expedition. It was the habitat of many exotic Pokemon, such as the jovial Seel and the pleasant Aipom. James loved this island, the scenery, the animals and most importantly, the isolation. On this remote island, he felt he was distanced away from a harsh reality. Sometimes, he and Drew would put on the pretence that they took the boat to go fishing, when in reality, they actually came to this island to slack off and enjoy the scenery.

"What our stupid tribe members don't know won't hurt them. We'll feed them a couple of lines about how we worked so hard to catch fish, but we were just so close, yet so unsuccessful. They'll believe us." Drew had told James a few days ago.

James had laughed and agreed with him. He didn't know how to describe the short and mysterious Pokemon Coordinator, but there was definitely something unique about Drew. Every time he spoke, he talked with such a colossal confidence in himself, yet he timed his words carefully so he wouldn't sound like a blubbering idiot either. James could sense that Drew was different from the rest of his tribe members. And because of that, James could relate to Drew. James didn't trust Drew well enough to confide his secrets to him, but out of everybody in Huntail, Drew was the only person he could remotely tolerate.

But right now, James didn't want to talk to anybody, not even Drew. He just needed to be alone in a place where he wouldn't be disturbed. He needed this island all by himself, so he could recollect and unscramble the messy chains of thoughts in his head.

James: When you're like me and you spend all of your time alone, you…you start thinking about everything. I constantly think about my strategic position in the game. Things aren't looking too optimistic for me! I think I'm in a precarious position right now, mostly because I'm not on the best of terms with Brock. I clashed with him on multiple occasions and a few days ago, he blamed me for doing something that I didn't even do! Of course, nobody believes me. I'm used to it.

He sighed deeply, looking very troubled.

James: Anyway, I really don't know how I could survive any longer on this tribe. I was hoping that TK's injury would make him a liability in challenges, but he's actually doing pretty well despite his condition. And you know, that's a really bad thing – well, it's a good thing because TK's leg is recovering and I'm happy for him, but at the same time, this is bad news for me. There's no reason for them to keep me around.

Strategy was not the only thing that James pondered about. Sometimes, he reminisced about his past, his friends, and his rocky, adventurous life. Sometimes, he thought about the more mundane things in life, like that soap opera show he's an avid fan of or that bottle cap collection he started since he was a little child. And sometimes, James wondered if his tribe members would miss him if he was gone (he hoped they did).

Meanwhile, the rest of the tribe was just waking up and everybody was carrying on their usual routine. Brock and May were preparing breakfast for the tribe, while JP energetically entertained Huntail with a few jokes every now and then. Sitting beside his friend on a log, TK felt a bit flustered that he couldn't jog around the island this morning, but he carried a bright and optimistic smile on his face nonetheless. He was just thankful that his wounded leg was slowly recovering.

"What's for breakfast this morning, Brock? Something smells as delicious as the breads in my dad's bakery!" Takato asked cheerfully.

"The usual," replied Brock. He grinned. "You know, the good stuff."

"I don't care what kind of food it is. I'll chow down anything that my body could digest!" JP laughed, rubbing his stomach for emphasis.

Drew forced a weak, insincere smile on his face. He moved his hand through his hair and flipped it over his shoulder.

"Hey, where's James?" Drew suddenly asked.

The tribe stopped what they're doing as they turned their heads and looked around. Judging from the puzzling expressions on everybody's faces, it seemed like this was the first time that they even noticed the absence of a certain Team Rocket member.

"Oh wow, ha ha!" JP began chuckling. "I didn't even notice that James isn't here!"

"Now that you mention about it," said TK as he scratched his head. "James wasn't in the shelter when I woke up…"

"Do you think he's okay? He's not hurt or anything, right?" May asked, looking concerned.

"He's fine, he's fine." JP said dismissively as a goofy smile crept across his face. "James is a man. He can take care of himself."

"Wherever James went, he took the motorboat with him," said Brock, pointing his direction at where the boat originally was.

"May be he took the boat to go fishing?" Takato suggested.

"I hope you're right…" May said uncertainly, gazing at a distance and hoping to catch a sign of the motorboat in the vast blue sea.

May: This morning, we discovered that James wasn't in the shelter when we woke up. Uh…we figured that nothing probably happened to him, but it sure gave me quite the scare. I don't understand why he would just leave like that without even informing one of us. He just disappeared from our camp as if he never existed, and it's amazing that none of us really noticed his absence until Drew brought it up.

May weakly smiled at the cameras.

May: That really got me thinking, because this incident showed me that Huntail could function just as well, if not better, without James' presence. I mean, if we don't even know that he was missing for such a long time, may be it doesn't make a huge difference if he's on our tribe or not.

She started rubbing her chin with her index finger.

May: Huntail is a close-knitted tribe. The six of us get along with each other and it's almost like we're a family. James is like the misfit who doesn't really belong in this family. He's like the distant uncle that never visits in family reunions. He just doesn't fit in. I hate to say this, but if we lose an immunity challenge, he's probably the easiest person to get rid of in tribal council. Sorry, James.

- - -

Hunger was becoming an issue in the Gorebyss tribe. Mimi might have been an exceptional chef, but she could only work with very limited resources. Every meal consisted of tasteless rice, mushy corn, sour apple slices and occasionally, an overcooked bird. Meal after meal, they ate the same thing. No matter how many different combinations Mimi tried to invent, the quality of their food was always less than desirable. As of result, Gorebyss never got to enjoy a truly fulfilling meal.

To make matters worse, Mimi found out that they were running low on their corn supply this morning.

"We should've conserved and rationed our food a bit more carefully…" Mimi muttered as she sat down in front of the campfire. She leaned her arm on Casey's shoulder for support.

"Does this mean that we're going to have to eat apple slices for both breakfast and lunch?" Casey asked in a very helpless voice.

"Don't worry, Casey!" Mimi smiled, squeezing the petite baseball fanatic under her arm. "Look on the bright side, you know, think of this as a diet! Look at me…I think I lost the extra five pounds that I didn't want when I first came here!"

Casey: If there ever is a food reward challenge, I'll do everything to make sure my tribe wins it because I'm…I'm starving. None of our bodies can function well on an empty stomach. The reason why Gorebyss keeps losing so badly is because we aren't well-fed. How can we compete against the other tribe when we barely have any energy to move ourselves? We need fooooood!

On the surface, Takuya and Rika were supposed to retrieve this morning's tree-mail for the upcoming reward challenge, but they were actually enjoying themselves a couple slices of pepperoni pizza and pop. This morning, Mimi announced that their breakfast consisted of only three apples. Needless to say, Takuya knew that he needed some extra food to energize himself for the challenges. Unbeknownst to the women of Gorebyss, he hid a secret stash of food somewhere in the forest. Every morning, he and Rika used the excuse of retrieving treemail in order to sneak off to the forest and fill up their stomachs.

After they finished their real breakfast, Takuya and Rika went to retrieve the treemail. Normally, there would be a brief announcement about an upcoming reward challenge, but it was different this time. When Takuya removed the tiny scroll of parchment from Wingull's beak, he was surprised to discover that there will be no reward challenge today.

Instead, a twist was going to occur.

"Congratulations on making it to Day Thirteen! The second twist of this game is about to take place," said Takuya as he read the text on the page out loud. "If the leader that was chosen on Day One has not been voted off from your tribe, send him or her to meet with Professor Birch for further instructions." Takuya paused and then read the little subscript at the bottom of the page. "P.S. There will be a feast."

"So, you'll be participating in the twist," muttered Rika.

"Alright!" Takuya pumped his fist enthusiastically in the air. "Forget the stupid twist. All I'm looking forward to is the feast."

"Listen, this twist is going to affect the structure of the tribes somehow. I can just…sense it." Rika crossed her arms across her chest and scowled. "You need to be serious and use this opportunity to your advantage."

A boyish grin spread across Takuya's face.

"Yeah, I know." Takuya laughed. He began shaking his hips from left to right in a momentum. "Hopefully, there'll be a huge shake-up in the tribes!"

"When you see May, please do her a favour and stop being such a dumbass." Rika shook her head slowly and sighed.

"Screw you, Rika!" Takuya shouted in mock anger. He playfully shook his fist at her. "Kidding, kidding! Don't hurt me!"

"Hey, goggle-head." Rika didn't seem to be amused at his antics. In a rare moment, Rika wore a certain look of uncertainty on her normally emotionless face. "You'll come back, right?"

"Of course I will!" Takuya raised an eyebrow. "Nothing is going to happen to me."

Rika quietly nodded her head, but said nothing. Suddenly, Takuya stretched out both of his arms in front of her. She looked up at her partner with a puzzled face.

"What the hell are you doing, goggle-head?" Rika asked in surprise. She immediately jumped back a few steps, distancing herself away from Takuya.

"C'mon, give me a friendly farewell hug." Takuya grinned boyishly. "You know you miss me."

"Leave now before I seriously hurt you." Rika growled.

Takuya laughed and retracted his hands, shoving them back into his pockets. He turned around and began jogging away. Takuya was running away from her, running away from the women, running away from the Gorebyss tribe. With a small scowl on her face, Rika watched the athletic Huntail leader run away in a distance, until she could no longer see him behind the trees.

He was gone.

Rika: Nobody knows what to expect from this twist, but I've a feeling that it will change the dynamics of the current tribes. I don't know if I trust goggle-head to make any smart or rational decisions, but hopefully…he won't mess things up too badly.

After Takuya left to meet with Professor Birch, Rika decided to go hunt in the forest by herself. But she was unpleasantly surprised when Cassidy wanted to join her on today's hunting expedition. If Rika had a choice, she preferred to work alone. Sometimes, when she was in a sociable mood, she might choose to join Takuya as they trek around the forest. But for the most part, Rika didn't like to surround herself with people, especially people she had no respect for. However, Cassidy was persistent and she followed Rika around whether the Tamer liked it or not.

"So, this is where you hang out everyday?" Cassidy asked curiously, looking up at a tall and brooding tree.

"I don't hang out." Rika said sternly. "I hunt."

"Right, right…same difference," said Cassidy dismissively, sounding a bit annoyed. She played around with a wooden arrow in her hand. "How's the hunting coming along?"

"It's okay." Rika simply replied.

Cassidy slowly nodded her head. She was struggling to find another subject to prolong this brief conversation. Rika wasn't helping matters. She was walking a few steps in front of Cassidy, clearly hinting that she didn't want to be disturbed.

"You know what, Rika? Your name has been tossed in the air for a couple of votes, especially by Mimi. But I always insisted that we should keep you around, because you're a hard worker and I appreciate that." Cassidy said, grinning widely like a menacing shark. She found these words funny because it was very rare for the Team Rocket member to be complimenting someone other than herself. "But the thing is…you're not helping things at all. In fact, you're making it worse."

Rika stopped walking and turned around. Like always, she wore an emotionless expression on her face.

"What do you want?" Rika asked.

"I'd like to keep you around, but you're being way too quiet. Besides Takuya, you hardly interact with any of us at all." Cassidy explained. A dainty smirk appeared on her face. "How can you expect to do well in this game if you don't even socialize with your tribe members?"

An ultra-competitive woman like Cassidy had not only high standards for herself, but also for other people. Because of that, Cassidy always had a difficult time liking anybody in this game. She hated Suzie because the perky girl was too stupid and naïve. She hated Zoe because the beautiful blonde was too fake and sickeningly sweet. She hated Delia because the single homemaker was too weak and useless. Cassidy hated so many different types of people that sometimes, one have to wonder if the feisty Team Rocket member liked anybody at all.

If there was one type of people that Cassidy actually liked, it was hard-working people. She only respected those people who had strong work ethics, people who contribute to the tribe, people who do their fair share of work around camp – people like Rika Nonaka.

Cassidy: Looking at a person's work ethics is a great example of seeing how this person will fare in the game. Hell, it can tell you how a person will live their life in general. Let me tell you something, I didn't get where I am at the Team Rocket organization by being a lazy slacker. I worked my ass off day and night to please the boss in order to become the executive member that I am today. My hard work paid off and I deserve everything good that's happening to me.

She smirked smugly at the cameras.

Cassidy: Rika is like me in many ways. She's a hard worker and she doesn't take shit from anybody. Yeah, the chick is okay. I'd like to keep her on my tribe because she knows how to hunt and she brings back a lot of food to our tribe. If we can rely on her as the sole provider in our tribe, we'd no longer need to depend on that little punk, Takuya. That's fantastic because quite frankly, Takuya annoys the hell out of me!

"In this tribe, there are a few people who just like to hear themselves talk, even when most of the words coming out of their mouths are crap," muttered Rika. She flashed an impassive glare at Cassidy. "I'd rather keep my mouth shut and only speak when I've something intelligent to say."

"If you're talking about Mimi, then I've to agree with you." Cassidy laughed.

Rika turned around and began to walk again.

"I wasn't just talking about Mimi," said Rika.

"You've got guts to say that." Cassidy narrowed her eyes menacingly at the back of Rika's head. "But I like that kind of fire in a person."

"I don't understand one thing. If you find Mimi so annoying and lazy, why didn't you vote her off earlier?" Rika asked.

The wide smirk on Cassidy's face slowly faded away.

"I've my reasons," replied Cassidy. Rika didn't reply back. She just kept on walking ahead of the Team Rocket member without saying another word.

Cassidy had too much face to admit this in front of the cameras, but there was a very simple explanation why she kept Mimi Gorebyss despite her many weaknesses: Mimi was her friend. Mimi was a friend who Cassidy could confide in, a friend who Cassidy could bitch to, a friend who Cassidy could strategize with. Ever since Butch got voted off, Cassidy had lost the only friend she had outside of the game. And since then, she longed for a companion who would be able to ease her loneliness. In a sense, Mimi became her substitute for Butch.

It was difficult to imagine somebody as confident as Cassidy would feel insecure about herself, but she was only a human being, after all. People seek companionship as a method to escape from their loneliness and isolation. Cassidy could put on a front as the authoritative, ruthless and spiteful dictator in front of the cameras, but even she couldn't deny the forces of human nature.

Even Cassidy needed a friend.

- - -

With six men living on the same tribe, it was obvious that Huntail would be a tribe packed with macho testosterone. In front of May, the men all appeared to be courteous and polite gentlemen, but she would be surprised to hear how much the conversations changed without her presence. In a way, this tribe could be described appropriately as a stereotypical "guys' locker-room", where the jokes were rowdy and the conversations were crass whenever the boys were left alone by themselves.

This morning, five of the Huntail men sat around the fire as they ate breakfast. James had not returned from wherever he went and May was taking a bath by the river. So naturally, the casual conversation between the five men shifted towards Brock's favourite topic: women.

"I'd be heartbroken if Mimi got voted out of Huntail last night," said Brock, who was wearing a very wide grin on his tanned face. "She's definitely the hottest girl here."

"Dude, are you kidding me?" JP scoffed and shook his head. "How can you think about Mimi when we've May on our tribe? She…she's a bombshell!" He lifted his arms in the air as if to demonstrate a dramatic fact. "Best looking girl in the game, hands down!"

TK: JP has an enormous crush on May. I can see it in his face…his smile really brightens up whenever he's talking about May – how cute she is and what a great personality she has. I don't even think May knows about it, but JP is smitten with her. He's one step away from starting his official fan club for May.

TK coyly smiled at the cameras.

TK: Then again, it's not just him. I think everyone genuinely likes May in our tribe. She's a total sweetheart. May has this endearing, girl-next-door charm about her that makes her very appealing to men. You can't help it, you just have to like her.

"I'm afraid you've never checked out Mimi's smoking body in the challenges!" Brock sighed dreamily. "She makes my heart go flitter flutter whenever I catch a glimpse of her magnificent beauty…in a swimsuit!"

"I am sure that's not the only part of your body that's going flitter flutter," said Drew, smiling. Several of the men laughed at that sardonic remark, including Brock.

"Mimi is too skinny. I can break her body in half like a dead twig." JP stuck out his tongue to express his distaste. "On the other hand, May has the looks, the body and the personality. You can't beat the total package!" He turned over to Takato, who was sitting beside him by the fire. "Hey Takato, what do you think? Who's the best looking girl in this game?"

"Well…" Takato smiled bashfully. "May."

"I knew it, Takato! You've got good taste in women, my man!" JP laughed heartily, patting Takato on the back as if to congratulate him. Then, he narrowed his tiny eyes at the goggle-headed boy and lowered his voice into a loud whisper. "But remember, I saw her first!"

It was the playful and nonchalant manner in how JP said the sentence that made the men laugh. However, their laughter abruptly faded away when they saw May striding towards them, returning from her bath by the river. Clad in only a two-piece swimsuit, a piece of crimson red cloth tightly clutched to May's body, showcasing her well-developed physique. She sweetly smiled at the men and waved at them.

"Gentlemen, I rest my case." JP clapped his hands together and grinned.

"What's up, guys?" May asked as she walked towards the men, oblivious to how some of them were gazing fixatedly at her swimsuit. She grabbed a nearby beach towel and wrapped it around her body.

JP: Any man who doesn't see how gorgeous May is must be blind! Not only is she beautiful in the physical sense, May also has a fun personality and a compassionate heart to match with her good looks. Dude, what more could a guy ask for?

JP grinned widely at the cameras. He tapped his large hand on his chest a few times to emphasize his point.

JP: May resembles what my dream girl looks like. She's so AMAZING!

"Hey May, a little birdie told me that it's your birthday in a few days, am I right?" JP asked, wearing a goofy smile on his face.

"Yeah," replied May, nodding her head. "I can't believe I'll spend my birthday with you guys! It's going to be so exciting!"

"What an exciting life you must lead." Drew said dryly.

"May, I almost forgot to show you this!" Takato suddenly spoke up, picking up a piece of parchment that he placed by his shoe. "We've got treemail, but uh, it's not a reward challenge."

"Really? What does it say?" May asked.

"It's the second twist," explained Takato. "And since you volunteered to be the leader on Day One, you'll be the representative of Huntail who's going to participate in this twist. I think you need to meet with Professor Birch right away."

"Oh. Oh, wow." May laughed. It took her a few seconds to digest this surprising information in her head. "Oh my god!"

"I'm sure everything will be alright," said Brock sincerely. "I believe in you."

May smiled weakly at her friend and sighed.

"If you have to make a huge decision that affects this entire game, don't panic and just follow what your heart says." Brock continued.

"What if I mess something up and the other tribe gets the advantage? Hey, it could happen…" May shook her head. "Aw, I'm so not ready for this."

- - -

Neither May nor Takuya knew what to expect in this meeting with Professor Birch. Takuya was confident and excited about the upcoming twist, while May had a nervous feeling in her stomach. However, all was forgotten when both of them saw the massive feast laid out on a dining table in the middle. Professor Birch stood at one end of the table, grinning.

"Welcome, Takuya and May!" Professor Birch smiled. "Today will be a very important day. But for now, it's time for you to get to know each other a little bit. Feel free to talk, play, sleep and of course, eat." Takuya laughed as he rubbed his hands together excitedly. Professor Birch gestured his hands to two sleeping tents beside the table. "You'll be spending the night here in individual tents, so you've plenty of time to prepare yourself." He nodded his head. "Without further ado, dig in!"

May and Takuya grinned at each other as they both ran towards the table. Professor Birch wisely got out of the way and left the two leaders alone with the feast. It seemed like Takuya wasted no time throwing as much food into his mouth as possible. He grabbed a chicken wing and took an enormous bite out of it. Meanwhile, May was enjoying a bowl of vegetable soup, happy to have something else to drink beside boiled water.

"Wow, you must be really hungry." May laughed, looking at how Takuya was stuffing his mouth with food in awe.

As Takuya tried to reply, he almost choked with all of the food in his mouth.

"Okay, that was an understatement. You look like you're famished! Are you alright, Takuya?" May asked. Takuya nodded his head quietly as he tried to swallow the huge chunk of chicken in his throat.

"Yeah," said Takuya, nodding. He grinned. "I guess I got too excited when I saw all the food on the table, heh."

"Is the food situation that bad in Gorebyss?" May asked with a concerned smile.

"Seriously, it's so bad that I never want to eat another apple in my entire life again!" Takuya replied while May burst out in laughter. "No apple pie, no apple juice, no apple jam, no apple anything!"

"I can totally relate to what you're saying!" May grinned. "But to be fair, Brock is an excellent chef. And he does wonders to each meal of ours, even with the limited supplies on this island."

Takuya nodded his head as he took another bite out of the chicken wing.

"And hey, you did win the pizza at the last reward challenge, so at least your tribe had a variety of different foods for a while!" May said, putting her hands on her hips. "We've had nothing!"

"Uh…yeah. My tribe just loved the pizzas." Takuya muttered as he forced a weak smile on his face.

May: A few days ago, I've had a dream when I fantasized about food that didn't really exist. So when I first saw the food on the table, I had to pinch myself to make sure this wasn't a figment of my imagination. But oh my god, the food is real and it tastes SO good! I'm not exaggerating – the food in my mouth was like…melting! I almost didn't want to swallow the food because I wanted to keep the taste in my mouth forever, ha ha!

"This is so delicious! I almost feel bad that my tribe isn't enjoying this with me." May said as she nibbled on her turkey sandwich.

"The feast almost makes up for having to live in a tribe with seven women for so damn long!" Takuya laughed. He looked at May and smiled. "We deserve this, we really did."

"To be honest, I didn't think I'd even be here on day thirteen. I thought I would have gotten voted off as soon as I was switched over to the men's team!" May returned a sincere smile at Takuya. "But hey, look at us! We're still here!"

"I'll drink to that!" Takuya chuckled, pouring some soda into his mouth.

"So, how is it?" May asked curiously. "Living with seven other women must be pretty tough."

"Let's just say that you got the better end of the deal, May. The women in my tribe have claws, man!" Takuya grinned in a jovial manner. "They're ripping my soul away!"

"Well, you've got to give me all the details. I want the scoop," said May giddily.

"You know Cassidy, right?" Takuya asked as May nodded her head. "Well, she's the big bad bitch in Gorebyss and she thinks she's untouchable." He rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately, she is in a position of power, so you can just imagine how bloated her ego must be by now!"

"Ah, I didn't like the looks of her." May shook her head and made a face. "That's why we voted Butch out first!"

"And then there's Mimi and Casey, Cassidy's blind and brainwashed followers." Takuya continued, angrily pounding his fist on the table. "They're so far up Cassidy's ass that I'm surprised they could even think for themselves without their cult leader telling them what to do. And the way they all gossiped about Zoe behind her back! These women are malicious and catty and…"

Takuya's voice trailed off and he eventually stopped talking. Sitting on the other side of the table, May flashed a small, sympathetic smile at Takuya.

"You aren't happy with your tribe, are you?" May asked quietly.

"No." Takuya sighed. "No, I wished I had a happier experience to share with you, but I don't."

Takuya: My first impression of May is pretty nice. And when I say that, I meant she was really pretty and she was really nice too. It's actually refreshing to talk with such a sweet and sincere girl because we don't have much of those in Gorebyss! I can instantly tell that she doesn't have a malicious bone in her body.

Takuya: When I was talking with May, I felt very relaxed. I ended up telling May almost everything about our tribe – except my secret alliance with Rika, but that's about it. Hey, I had nothing to lose. I mean, I definitely trusted May a whole lot more than some of the women on my tribe.

"If there's any consolation in this, you're so different from what some of the guys in my tribe say about you." May said, smiling sincerely. "They thought you were going to be this arrogant, obnoxious dictator who controlled the Gorebyss tribe with an iron fist."

"I'm sorry, but I don't see how that was supposed to make me feel better…" Takuya laughed.

"Well, I'm just glad you turned out to be a much nicer guy than what they say about you." May quickly added.

"I'd like to think I'm a more complicated guy than I appear to be," said Takuya, grinning. "And hey, just so you know, I think you're a pretty cool chick too. You're very cool."

"Aww…thanks!" May cooed.

Takuya paused for a moment, casting his eyes down at the food on the table. He seemed to be thinking very deeply.

"May, I have a crazy idea." Takuya said. He tossed a brief glance at May for her reaction as he spoke. "What if…what if we made an alliance with each other?"

"The two of us?" May asked, widening her eyes in surprise.

"We don't need to tell anybody in our old tribes. It will be our little secret." Takuya's voice grew more confident when he saw that May seemed intrigued by his proposal. "If we happen to be on the same tribe as each other at any point of the game, we'll watch each other's backs."

"An alliance?" May took a sip of soup from her spoon. She laughed, "Hey, I like that idea!"

"Nobody will expect the two leaders from opposing tribes to form an alliance with each other," said Takuya in a persuasive voice. He smiled, for he could see that he was easily winning May over with his charm and charisma. May was already nodding her head to his every word.

"Okay, okay. Let's do it," said May, beaming happily.

"Booyah! May, you and I are gonna rock the game!" Takuya laughed. He took his soda can and raised it high in the air. "Let's toast!"

May: I think I made the right choice to form an alliance with Takuya. I know I'm in an alliance with Takato and Brock already, but it never hurts to have a little bit more security in this game. You know what they say, the more the merrier…

May's finger was playing with the collar of her shirt as she spoke.

May: Takuya and I talked for a long, long time. I was pleasantly surprised by him, actually. Drew and TK sometimes made jokes about how Takuya was this cocky alpha male, but that must be a guy thing because I didn't get that vibe from him at all. He was very friendly and very energetic about everything. I think he's a great guy and a trustworthy ally.

Hours passed as May and Takuya shared mundane stories with each other, stories about their ordinary lives outside of this game. May talked about her life as a Pokemon Coordinator and travelling around the world. In return, Takuya exchanged a lengthy summary of his explosive adventures in the Digital World. Neither of them talked much about strategy or the game. A few times, they did wonder about how the upcoming twist will affect the game, but it was purely speculation and they dropped the subject when Professor Birch didn't show up for the rest of the day.

After they ate dinner, May and Takuya finally decided to catch some much needed sleep.

"Goodnight, Takuya!" May smiled sweetly, crawling into her blue tent. "I've had a fun day."

"See ya next morning!" Takuya grinned as he walked towards the red tent.

When Takuya was inside his tent, he was delighted to find that there was a pillow, a mattress and a thin blanket provided. In a spontaneous spur of the moment, he leapt on the mattress happily, squealing with joy. It was then when he first noticed a white envelope on the pillow. No words were written on the envelope, but it seemed obvious that it was directed for him. A curious Takuya ripped the envelope open and two things fell out of it: a pen and a small, rectangular card.

"What the…?" Takuya asked as he picked up the rectangular card. He began reading out loud, "It is time for the second twist! As the leader of the Gorebyss tribe, you have the ability to send one member away to Huntail." An excited grin quickly formed on Takuya's face as he interpreted the words. "In return, the other tribe leader will send one member from the Huntail tribe to Gorebyss."

Takuya pumped his fist energetically in the air. A switch! This twist allowed him to send one tribe member away from Gorebyss and even receive a new tribe member in return!

"However, the tribe member that you choose to send away will also receive an immunity necklace that he or she could use at any tribal council, up until the Final Four. Also, you may also choose to send yourself to the other tribe. Using the provided pen, please write down on the back of the card, the name of the person who will be emancipated from your tribe."

Takuya: Immediately, my first thought was to send Cassidy away. This was the perfect opportunity handed to me on a silver platter! I could break her tyrannous empire in Gorebyss, just like that! But I also knew that if I sent her away, she'd receive an immunity necklace that she could use at any time. I'll basically hand over a massive amount of power to Cassidy and I…I feel so uncomfortable with that. She'll find a way to abuse that kind of power.

He sighed deeply as he looked at the empty card that he held in his hand.

Takuya: Then I thought about it, and I knew another option would be to send myself away. I think I'll be safe on the Huntail tribe. I've an alliance with May and an immunity necklace. Plus, I'd get to reunite with my buddy, JP, and that's always good! After all, I was originally on Huntail, so it's natural for me to switch back to this tribe! This could mean a new beginning, a new fate, a new…revival for me in this game!

Takuya sighed again, this time he sounded even more troubled and upset than before.

Takuya: But then, I remembered Rika. Unlike me, she's trapped in Gorebyss. As long as Cassidy stays in that tribe, she'd also stay in power. That would make Rika a helpless prisoner in Cassidy's dictatorship, living in a seemingly doomed fate. It's in my best interest to switch over to Huntail, but that would mean I've to abandon Rika all by herself. Can I desert a friend who needs me? On the other hand, can I close the door that will lead me to a new chance of winning the game?

Takuya was bombarded with those moral and strategic questions for a long time. It took him several hours of debating with his brain and his heart in order to achieve a final decision. At last, Takuya wrote down a name on the back of the card and inserted it into the envelope. Then, out of sheer exhaustion, the athletic Frontier collapsed on his pillow and instantly drifted off to asleep.

When Takuya woke up tomorrow, things were going to change forever.

- - -

DAY 14

After a luxurious night of sleep, May woke up feeling fully refreshed and rejuvenated. Her arms were no longer sore and her legs didn't feel groggy anymore. The young girl didn't know how to describe this sensation to the cameras, but she just felt better about herself. And the only way that could make this morning start even better was the prospect of a humungous breakfast. When May climbed out of her tent this morning, she looked forward to filling her stomach with even more delicious food.

Unfortunately, there was no breakfast and there was no food. All May saw was the friendly face of Professor Birch, who was dressed in his usual outdoorsy attire. May sighed a little under her breath, but maintained an optimistic smile on her face as she greeted the professor.

"Good morning!" Professor Birch said jovially. "I hope both of you had a fantastic night of sleep, because things are about to change around here."

"I can't wait!" Takuya exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"There will be a swap between two players from the opposite tribe." Professor Birch declared, gesturing his hands towards the two leaders. "Last night, the two of you are supposed to choose one person from your tribe and send them away to the opposing tribe." Takuya and May both nodded their heads. "That person's name is contained inside the envelopes that you're holding right now."

"Heh-heh!" Takuya chuckled. The talkative Frontier turned towards May and grinned. "May, how does it feel to hold somebody's destiny in your hands?"

"I'm really nervous." May giggled.

"Here's what I want you two to do…" Professor Birch explained. "Exchange envelopes with each other. Do it now."

Takuya and May obeyed as they swapped envelopes with each other. May gulped nervously, looking down at the paper in her hand. This was it. A new tribe member was about to join the Huntail tribe.

"From now on, those two tribe members will stay permanently on their new tribe. They'll also receive an immunity necklace that they could use at any time of the game." Professor Birch explained, nodding his head. "The two of you must now visit the opposite tribe and explain this twist to the players. Once you're at the enemy camp, you'll open the envelope and reveal the name of the person who'll join your tribe. That person will gather his or her personal belongings and leave their old tribe immediately. Afterwards, you'll guide that person to where your camp is."

Professor Birch paused, carrying a tiny smirk on his bearded face.

"However…you might have switched yourself to the other tribe," said Professor Birch. "In that case, things will get a little more complicated."

"I bet it would!" Takuya laughed.

"That's about it. Remember to not open the envelopes until you've arrived at camp!" Professor Birch said, "There is a map printed on the envelope, so you do not need to worry about the directions. Other than that, have a safe trip and…" Professor Birch paused. The smile on his face grew slightly wider. "Remember to take advantage of your new situation!"

"So, I guess this is goodbye…" May said sadly, shaking hands with Takuya.

"Good luck, May." Takuya nodded his head, flashing a cheerful grin to May. "Don't forget about deal, okay?"

May nodded her head, which Takuya hoped was an indication that she would honour the alliance that she made with him yesterday.

Hopefully.

Takuya: Yeah, I've thought about joining the Huntail tribe. Are you kidding me? They're such a strong tribe and they're probably ten thousand times nicer than most of the women on my tribe. But…I couldn't abandon Rika in that hellhole all by herself. I couldn't do it. It would be so selfish of me to forget about my ties to her and start a brand new game on the Huntail tribe. That's a coward's move and I, Takuya Kanabara, am not a coward.

He shot a confident look into the cameras, indicating that he was comfortable with the decision that he made last night.

Takuya: I made a promise to Rika. We're going to stick together. And if keeping my loyalty to a good friend is my ultimate downfall in this game, then so be it.

Several hours later, Takuya managed to successfully navigate through the dense forest and arrive at the secluded Huntail camp. Needless to say, everybody was surprised to see the unexpected visitor from the opposing tribe. They were certainly not expecting somebody to arrive from the other tribe! What happened to May?

"Dude, Takuya!" JP was the first to react. He leapt up from his seat and immediately ran towards his goggle-headed friend. "Dude! What are you doing here?"

"Greetings, Huntail!" Takuya grinned stupidly as he scanned the shocked expressions on everybody's faces. "My name is Takuya and I come in peace."

"What's going on?" Brock asked, looking very confused.

"No worries! This is just part of the twist!" Takuya announced, still grinning.

A few tribe members exchanged nervous glances with each other. Drew crossed his arms in a stiff manner. He didn't like the idea of a twist that involved Takuya as the center of attention.

"You're not joining our tribe, are you?" Drew asked pessimistically. Please no! He added as an afterthought in his head. The Pokemon Coordinator wanted nothing to do with that abrasive goggle-head whom he always despised. He wasn't the only person who shared this thought.

"Nah! That's too out there, man!" Takuya laughed, shaking his head dismissively. "Although I've got to hand it to you guys, Huntail is a successful tribe! You keep kicking our asses in every challenge so far!"

"Dude, we know that we rock!" JP laughed. He walked forward and slapped a high-five with his friend Takuya.

Drew: Just like I've expected, Takuya acted like a complete idiot when he first arrived at our camp. He suddenly comes out of nowhere and we're all looking at him like he's an unwanted intruder, but the boy just doesn't get it. He just stood there as dumb as a log, wearing that shit-eating grin on his face and not telling any of us what was going on.

He smirked at the cameras, flipping his slick green hair over his shoulder.

Drew: I'm not surprised that Takuya and JP got along with each other. They definitely have something in common: they're both as dumb as a bag of rocks! In fact, there are so many rocks between the two of them…I bet Brock could start his own damn gym around here.

"It's just so awesome to see you around here." JP grinned excitedly. "Takuya, how's it going?"

"Actually…I'm a bit hungry." Takuya smiled, rubbing his stomach. "They didn't feed us breakfast this morning, so I've been walking on an empty stomach the entire morning."

"I think we've some leftovers from breakfast." Brock said, looking back at the pots and pans that were scattered behind him. He flashed a confused smile at Takuya. "Wait here, I could fix you something."

A grateful Takuya thanked the Pokemon Breeder, who jogged back to the campfire to prepare a bowl of leftovers for their new visitor. Brock didn't know what was going on, but it never hurt to be friendly towards everybody.

"Is May coming back?" Takato asked the question that was on everybody's mind.

"May be. May be not." Takuya shrugged his shoulders, making an uncertain gesture with his hand. "Anyway, that's not why I'm here…"

"Please tell us. Why are you here?" TK asked impatiently. By now, the blonde was growing a bit frustrated with Takuya, who reminded him of another similar goggle-head that TK wasn't too crazy about in real life.

Takuya grinned obnoxiously.

"Last night, May and I had the opportunity to send somebody away from our original tribe to a new tribe." He explained. A few tribe members gasped in surprise. "May wrote down the name of that person inside this envelope and that person will now join the Gorebyss tribe."

James widened his eyes in surprise. Could this be it? Could this twist be his escape route from Huntail?

"What?" JP clasped his hands over his mouth. "Whoa, that's so crazy!"

"I know, I know." Takuya laughed. He ripped open the envelope. "But yeah, don't shoot the messenger. I'm just here to take the person who's going to be on the Gorebyss tribe."

Takato nervously swallowed, fearing that he would be the one who was selected to go to the other tribe. He loved it here on the Huntail tribe. He didn't want to leave.

"And the person who May picked to send away is…"

Takuya pulled the card inside of the envelope. There was only one name written on that card.

"James."

Everybody turned their heads towards the tall and slender man, who was standing at the back of the pack. He was there the entire time, but nobody had noticed him because he was just so quiet. James smiled awkwardly as he stepped up to Takuya.

"I guess…it's me." James said. He put a sad smile on his face. "I'm the reject of Huntail."

"Don't say it like that, James…" Takato muttered. He glanced over at Brock, who was jogging back with a bowl of mushy corn in his muscular hands.

"Hey Takuya, I've got your breakfast right here…" Brock smiled confidently. He handed the bowl of food to the Frontier. "So, what happened when I wasn't here?"

"Well, James is now an official member of the Gorebyss tribe." Takuya reported. He dug his left hand into his pants pocket and pulled out a crimson red buff. He dropped it in James' hand. "Oh yeah…here's your buff, James."

"Oh." Brock muttered, putting his hands on his hips. He didn't let any emotions escape from his stern face. "That's just too bad."

"Let's get going then. We don't have the whole day." James said in a quiet voice. He immediately tied his red buff around his neck like a fashion item. His old and forgotten Huntail buff was somewhere inside the shelter. James had hardly worn that buff.

"You're right…it's a really long hike and we should leave before it gets dark." Takuya nodded his head, grinning. "Goodbye, Huntail. And thanks for breakfast, Brock!"

"No problem. Have a safe trip! Bye!" Brock smiled, almost a little too eagerly.

There was not a lot of commotion as Takuya and James disappeared into the thick forest, not once turning back to look at the Huntail tribe. Although Takuya felt that this was supposed to be an important turning point in the game, the farewell was dull and uninspired. There were no farewell hugs. There were no farewell handshakes. There were no emotions. Only Takato and TK politely said goodbye, while the others just stood there, watching silently as James departed from the Huntail camp.

For a tribe that seemed so strongly unified from the outside, Takuya didn't understand the sheer iciness of this situation.

It was almost as if the Huntail tribe never cared about James at all…

- - -

Ever since the first day, Rika stood out in the Gorebyss tribe like a sore thumb. No matter what way she looked it, she just didn't fit in with anybody in this tribe. For starters, Gorebyss was consisted of incessantly noisy and talkative tribe members, including Takuya. But Rika had always been a quiet person who spoke very little. Being put on a tribe where the people thrived on endless conversations was her biggest nightmare. The constant talking, chattering, bitching and yapping were enough to give Rika perpetual headache. On some days, the situation was so bad that Rika just wanted to tell all of them to shut up.

Today was one of those days.

Ever since Takuya left, the chatty Cassidy hadn't stopped talking. She was in good spirits today due to the absence of a certain goggle-head from their tribe. Mimi and Casey joined in the conversation of course, just like the obedient lapdogs that Rika always thought they were. The quiet Tamer tried to isolate herself from them as much as possible, stating that she wasn't interested in talking about mindless matters like fashion or guys (both of which were Mimi's favourite topics). Instead, Rika chose to disappear in the forest for many consecutive hours. She didn't care where she was, as long as she didn't have to be stuck with those bimbo women.

"Ugh, I can't stand Rika!" Mimi vented to Cassidy and Casey as the three women prepared breakfast together. She stuck her tongue out like a little child. "She's so crabby and miserable!"

"I don't think I've seen her ever smile before," added Casey.

"Takuya could at least pretend to be friendly when he's in a good mood, but Rika is just impossible. I just give up on her. Seriously, I'd really like to vote Rika off before Takuya!" Mimi hissed. She glanced at Cassidy for reassurance. "Do you think that's a good idea, Cass?"

"Hell no!" Cassidy snapped. "That's a stupid idea. We know Rika couldn't talk her way out of a paper bag, so there's no way that she would form an alliance with the opposite tribe. As long as Takuya isn't there to open his big flap and make deals with Huntail, Rika will stay loyal to Gorebyss all the way."

"Hmm, that's a good point." Mimi muttered, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh well, it was just a suggestion."

"Hey, is someone coming?" Casey asked, turning her head towards the direction of the forest. "Umm…is that Takuya?"

"No…I think that's May!" Mimi gasped in astonishment.

May smiled nervously at the three women as she approached. Mimi leapt up with a huge smile on her face, embracing May in a friendly and sincere hug.

"Hi, May! It's so nice to see you here!" Mimi said brightly, albeit she was a bit confused at May's presence in this tribe. "But um, excuse me for my bluntness…why are you here?"

"There's a funny story about that…" May began, but she shook her head. "Actually, I'm here to announce the second twist in the game. Takuya sent one person to be a permanent tribe member on the Huntail tribe. I'm here to supposedly bring that person to my tribe."

"Wow." Casey said, looking impressed.

"Yeah, so…uh, let's see who he picked!" May said, tearing open the envelope in her hand. She pulled out the tiny rectangular card and read the name that Takuya had written.

Mimi: When May told us about the twist, my head was just like, spinning! I tried to keep a brave face, but inside, I was begging to the Survivor gods to please not let it be me. I didn't want to go to the other tribe all by myself! I'm so weak and worthless in challenges, I know I wouldn't have a prayer on Huntail. At that moment, my entire game flashed in front of my eyes and I realize…this twist is horrible.

May looked up at the three women's faces with an uneasy smile on her face.

"Um...Cassidy, you're now a member of the Huntail tribe."

What followed the announcement was an extremely long moment of shocked silence. The three women glared at May in disbelief.

"This is awful!" Mimi cried, burying her face in her petite hands.

"You can't take Cassidy away from us!" Casey added, yelling as well.

"I'm sorry, but that's what I've to do. Welcome to Huntail, Cassidy." May glanced at the two girls uncomfortably. She handed a blue buff to Cassidy, which she refused to take and let it drop on the ground.

"Bullshit. This is bullshit." Cassidy shook her head. She kicked her foot in the sand like a frustrated child not getting what she wanted on Christmas. "I should have known that he would get rid of me the first chance he got!"

"Cassidy…" Casey said meekly. She looked at the Team Rocket member in fright.

"Damn it. Damn Takuya. Damn him." Cassidy growled, forming a fist in her right hand. She snatched the red buff away from May's hand.

"Um, you also get to receive an immunity necklace that you could use at any time…" May said, struggling to draw the words out of her mouth. This scene was more emotional than she had anticipated.

Cassidy raised her eyebrows, but did not ask May to elaborate on that. Mimi and Casey looked far too upset to even notice what May just said.

"Alright girls, I have to go." Cassidy said, glancing at Mimi and Casey. "But here's what I want you to do…"

Mimi was unintelligibly mumbling the word 'no' over and over, but Cassidy ignored her.

"Befriend whoever's coming over from the Huntail tribe. Form an alliance with him," said Cassidy, unconsciously including May into this conversation. "If you lose another challenge, the three of you have to stick together and vote Takuya or Rika off. Got that?"

"Alright girls, I have to go. But here's what I want you to do…befriend whoever's coming over from the Huntail tribe and form an alliance with him." Cassidy turned towards Mimi and Casey, unconsciously including Rika in this conversation. "If you lose another challenge, the three of you have to stick together. Got that?"

"Yes…we will remember!" Mimi muttered, wiping the tears that were dripping from her eyes.

"Good." Cassidy said emotionlessly. She turned towards May and nodded her head once. "Who did you send from the Huntail tribe to here?"

"Uh…James," replied May.

May: I wanted to make a decision on what's best for our tribe, so that's why I chose James to go over to Huntail. Even though TK might be a liability in physical challenges, he's such a pleasant guy who adds a lot to the tribe morale. And then there's Drew, who I think is very shady and gives me this uneasy feeling that he's up to no good. But in the end, James is the outsider in our tribe. He's the one who weakens Huntail the most. He has to go.

May smiled uncertainly at the cameras. She put both of her hands on her knees as she talked.

May: Nobody really likes James and I'm pretty sure he doesn't like any of us either. If there's somebody who is making our tribe's morale less pleasant, it's him. So yes, James is the person who I picked to send over to the Gorebyss tribe. I can't say that any of us will miss him a lot. Hopefully, this decision will not cause too many divisions in our tribe.

With May leading the way, the two Huntail tribe members began walking into the brooding forest as they headed back to camp. Casey and Mimi stood alone next to each other, looking uncertain at what to do without Cassidy.

"Bye, Cassidy!" Casey said, waving. "We'll see you soon!"

"Be careful, Cass!" Mimi cried hysterically.

Cassidy took one last glance at the Gorebyss camp. This was the tyrannous empire that she worked so hard to build for the past two weeks, but now, she was forced to abandon her palace. She had no other choice but to leave her two allies in the dust and reluctantly join a new tribe. Cassidy was no longer a Gorebyss member and it was no longer a part of her.

Although she did not know at that time, this was the last time that Cassidy would ever see the Gorebyss camp ever again.

- - -

Brock and Takato stood outside of the entrance of the forest, anxiously waiting for the return of their ally, May. After Takuya's ominous declaration of the twist, Takato was a little worried about the arrival of a new tribe member. His foot tapped on the ground impatiently. The petite Tamer was never good at waiting.

"Who do you think Takuya sent from his tribe, Brock?" Takato asked.

"I don't know. Having any woman from the other tribe is wonderful, but I hope we're lucky enough to get Mimi." Brock grinned, holding two fingers in his muscular hand. "I'm crossing my fingers!"

Takato smiled softly as he turned his gaze back into the forest. A tiny voice in his heart hoped that it would be Rika who joined the Huntail tribe, although he did not know how the unsociable Tamer would bode in this tribe.

Rika would butt heads with everyone here. It's probably best if she stayed on her old tribe. Takato thought to himself.

Brock: I'm pleased with May's decision to send James away from our tribe, because he's the person who caused all the unnecessary drama in our tribe. Without him around, I predict that we'll be even a stronger tribe than before. Actually, I'd want James to say on our tribe so I could vote him off, but either way, his time in this game is due.

A while later, May and Cassidy walked out of the forest together, neither of them speaking to each other. Cassidy still looked like she was fuming after being swapped to a new tribe by Takuya and May looked relieved to be finally out of the forest. She smiled awkwardly at Brock and Takato, waving at the two men as they ran towards her.

"Hey! Welcome back!" Takato beamed brightly at the two women. "You're Cassidy, right?"

"Yeah." Cassidy nodded her head, forcing a weak and civil smile on her pointed face. "I'm a Huntail member now."

"You're going to love it here, Cassidy! We're the winning tribe." Takato laughed. Soon afterwards, Brock and May joined in as well. Meanwhile, Cassidy had to use every muscle in her body to suppress from rolling her eyes in front of the laughing trio.

"C'mon ladies!" The two of you must be hungry." Brock smiled, putting his hand around the two women's shoulders. "I'll make dinner early today."

"Did you eat a lot of food at the feast, May?" Takato asked giddily.

"Oh yeah!" May laughed. "You wouldn't believe all of the food that was available on the table. I wished I could've packed some of it for you guys, but they wouldn't allow us to bring leftovers. Sorry guys."

"Ah, that's alright!" Brock grinned. He looked up at Cassidy with a goofy smile. "Since there are now two beautiful women on our tribe, I'll make sure that you're both fed like queens!"

"Oy…don't make me pull your ear, Brock!" May laughed, playfully hitting Brock on the shoulder.

"Where are the other tribe members?" Cassidy asked, searching desperately for somebody else to talk to on this tribe.

"I think they're sitting in the shelter. I bet they'd love to meet you, Cassidy." Takato smiled naively at the feisty Team Rocket member.

"Oh boy, I can't wait!" Cassidy feigned enthusiasm in her sarcastic voice.

Cassidy: I hate it here in Huntail. Takato and Brock must be the two most insufferable men I've ever met in my life. Sure, they're nice and they smile a lot, but they're so damn bland and boring! I thought they would make me hold hands with everyone and sing Kumbaya by the campfire. Help me…this place is crushing my soul! I need to go back to Gorebyss. Damn Takuya. Damn him!

She angrily pounded her palm with her fist.

Cassidy: But now that I'm stuck on this tribe, I've to make the best out of this atrocious situation. Everybody on Huntail has tight friendships with each other and two days isn't a lot to fit into a new tribe that I have nothing in common with. If I've to go to tribal council any time soon, I'll definitely use my immunity necklace to save my ass.

As soon as Cassidy arrived at the Huntail tribe, she knew that she needed an ally. Brock, May and Takato were out of the question, since Cassidy couldn't stand five minutes hanging out with those goody-two-shoes. No, Cassidy needed somebody whose mind was in the game, somebody who was cunning enough to strategize and plot with her, somebody who shared the same determination to win as her. Somebody like Drew.

The two of them first met with each other inside the tribe's shelter, where Cassidy was unpacking her personal belongings. To her surprise, Drew showed up at the shelter and he appeared to more than willing to talk with Cassidy before she even approached him for an alliance. Since everybody else had dispersed elsewhere on the island in their tiny little cliques, Drew and Cassidy were the only people in the shelter. Drew was a smart guy. He knew a good alliance opportunity when he saw one.

"Tell me what happened in your tribe's first tribal council." Cassidy asked, folding her arms across her chest. "I had that weak little boy with the goggles pegged to go first. Why did somebody like Drew get voted off?"

"It's very simple. Brock led a crusade against Butch. That poor guy never stood a chance." Drew said, smirking. He conveniently left out the part that it was he was one of the major catalyst that switched allegiance at tribal council, which caused Butch to get voted off.

"Hell no! It is on!" Cassidy raised her left fist in the air and snapped her fingers. "Oh, somebody is going to pay for this shit!"

"Brock has been in power ever since." Drew added. "He doesn't even try to hide his alliance with Takato and May. Everybody knows about it."

"I can instantly tell those three had an alliance." Cassidy cackled.

"They're very transparent players," said Drew casually.

"Unfortunately, Brock doesn't realize that his alliance only has three members. There are four of us who are not his allies." Cassidy sneered, turning towards Drew. "You know what that means?"

"Brock's days are numbered." Drew smirked.

"You're a smart kid. Very cool." Cassidy nodded her head in satisfaction. She turned away and glared directly into a nearby camera. "Don't worry, Butch. I'm here to avenge for you! By the time I'm through with this tribe, they'll regret ever writing your name on the parchment!"

Drew: I lied to Cassidy when she wanted to know why Butch was voted off. I told her that it was Brock who led the whole tribe against Butch in tribal council and she believed it. That's true to a certain degree, but anybody who watches this show will know it is I who masterfully manoeuvre his ouster in the game. Of course, Cassidy doesn't need to know about that little detail. What she doesn't know won't hurt her.

Drew snickered, seemingly amused with himself as he spoke.

Drew: All I need to do is keep fuelling on Cassidy's anger and she'll eventually act on her rage. She knows that Brock's alliance needs to be broken apart. Trust me on this…that day will come very, very soon.

- - -

Rika didn't find out about the twist until shortly after James and Takuya arrived at the Gorebyss camp. At first, she was a little surprised that the three harpies weren't in the middle of their usual gossiping around the campfire. But as she soon found out from Takuya, Cassidy was no longer a part of Gorebyss. She was no longer a part of Rika's life. And that news made Rika uncharacteristically happy.

"She's gone. She's really gone," muttered Rika.

"We should host a celebration around a bonfire or something. Don't they usually do that when a bad curse is removed from a tribe or something?" Takuya joked.

Rika: Cassidy's reign of terror in the Gorebyss is over. Mimi and Casey are now two headless chickens scrambling around in frantic panic. They're so scared that nobody will be there to tell them what to do anymore. The whole tribe dynamics changed drastically in less than twenty four hours. I couldn't have written a better script myself.

"Your tribe is really nice! It's much nicer than I pictured it to be," said James as he looked around the camp. "The guys over at Huntail thought your shelter would be battered and you wouldn't even be able to get a fire started." He paused, shrugging. "As you could tell, they didn't think very highly of you guys."

"We've something in common," said Rika in a deadpan voice. "I don't think very highly of Gorebyss either."

Takuya snickered, putting an arm around James' shoulder.

"That's Rika, the most cynical person I've ever met in my life. And I do mean that in the most flattering way as possible," whispered Takuya.

Rika glared at the goggle-head, grumbling angrily under her breath.

"We got a good trade, don't you think? James is definitely an improvement over Cassidy." Takuya grinned, clapping his hands together.

"I love it here already." James smiled modestly at Takuya as he scratched his head.

"Hey, where's Mimi and Casey? Aren't they going to meet the newest member of our tribe?" Takuya asked.

"They're in mourning." Rika sneered. She motioned her thumb towards the shelter. "You can visit Cassidy's funeral service inside the shelter."

"Oh man! Those girls are probably weeping now that their cult leader is gone!" Takuya snorted in laughter.

"On the way to camp, Takuya told me how bad it was when Cassidy was here." James said.

"Picture what I say and then make it ten thousand times worse," said Takuya with a mordant chuckle.

"Mimi and Casey must be scared shitless that they can't ride on Cassidy's coattails anymore," said Rika.

"And who do you have to thank for that?" Takuya grinned, running his hand through his bushy brown hair.

He walked up to Rika and gave her an enthusiastic high-five. James looked at the two of them with a slightly puzzled expression on his face.

James: I don't know…Casey and Mimi are probably not as bad as Takuya makes them out to be. I like him, but he tends to exaggerate things a lot. I know both Takuya and Rika absolutely despise the women in Gorebyss, but I think I should get to know my tribe members a little better before I make a judgment on their characters.

Later that evening, the tribe of five gathered around for dinner, enjoying yet another meal cooked by Mimi. By now, everybody had met James and they all welcomed him with open arms. James didn't know if they genuinely cared about him or if they were just feigning fake interest in order to win his affection. But at least they cared about him, which was more than anything that James could say about the people on Huntail.

"James, I want to know what happened in your old tribe! Tell us more, tell us more!" Mimi smiled softly at the new Team Rocket member on her tribe.

James beamed happily at the talkative brunette. As the new and enigmatic member of the Gorebyss tribe, it was no surprise that the conversation at dinner quickly focused on him. James loved being flattered by this type of attention.

"My old tribe was horrible to me. They…they all hated my guts." James said sadly. "I got into a confrontation with almost everybody on the tribe except Drew." He gave a small chuckle. "Actually, he might be the only person who I kind of liked on that tribe."

"Aww…" Mimi cooed, patting him on the shoulder. "Nobody should go through what you have to go through, James."

"I was in a similar situation on Gorebyss, you know…it was just a few days ago." Takuya said, grinning stupidly. "Rika was the only person who I could remotely tolerate on this tribe."

Mimi shot a spiteful glare at Takuya's direction, but she quickly covered it with an overly sweet smile on her face.

"Is that so, Takuya?" Mimi asked. "You and Rika don't really get along with a lot of people on our tribe. May be that's why the two of you always hang out with each other in the forest."

"That's because some of us makes life a living hell," said Takuya, narrowing his eyes at the brunette with disdain.

"Really? I didn't get that feeling at all. Everything has been peachy!" Mimi said enthusiastically.

"Don't try to pretend you're an angel, Mimi." Takuya spitted his words out angrily. "Remember some of the things you said about Zoe?"

"Zoe got everything that she deserved. She didn't bother trying to know any of us." Casey piped in.

"She was too busy flirting with Takuya to notice any of us," added Mimi. She turned towards James and whispered, "Just so you know, the two of them had a fling."

"I didn't know about that! It sounds interesting…" James said.

Takuya glanced over at Rika for support, but she was just quietly observing this conversation without adding her two cents in. Feeling a bit frustrated that he had to battle this verbal argument alone, he turned away and searched in the air for a retort against Mimi.

"James, you have to know that Gorebyss acts like a clique. These women made sure that Zoe had no way of fitting in with our tribe!" Takuya angrily snarled at Mimi and Casey. "Zoe tried to be civil towards you women, but what did you do to return her kindness? Oh that's right, you exchanged gossip and insults about Zoe behind her back!"

"Oh Takuya, why couldn't you let that go…it was such a long time ago!" Mimi shook her head and sighed dramatically. "Why are you such a sore loser?"

"Why are you such a bitch?" Takuya muttered under his breath.

James: Wow, dinner was intense tonight. Actually, Gorebyss is a really intense tribe with a lot of strong personalities clashing. I feel like I'm in the middle of a tug of war between two sides that are at war with each other! This might be a problem because I like both Takuya and Mimi. If I have to go to tribal council, I don't know if I could choose between the two of them!

James smiled weakly.

James: But yeah, I really like it here. This is nothing like Huntail, where I'm automatically the outsider just because I'm that bad guy from Team Rocket. At Gorebyss, they gave me a chance to prove myself. They welcomed me with open arms. They actually like me, they actually care about me, and they actually want to be my friend. I…I feel touched.

As he was saying this, James was getting a bit misty-eyed in front of the cameras.

James: It's so good to finally have friends…

- - -

DAY 15

Mimi sat around the fire by herself, gazing emotionlessly as the logs blazed in the flames. As the tribe's resident chef, she would normally be cooking breakfast for the Gorebyss tribe. But this morning, Mimi didn't feel like doing much of anything. She could complain to the cameras about how unfair and unjust the game twist was, but she already spent the entire night yesterday sulking to the cameras about this subject. The shock of losing Cassidy had a more massive impact on Mimi than anybody could imagine.

Mimi: Cassidy was a pivotal member of Gorebyss. She was the person that held this tribe together despite all of our losses. But yesterday, we lost the heart and the soul of our tribe. And without her, I think we're just going to bleed to death. It's over. It's so over.

Mimi sighed softly under her breath. She was so entranced by her thoughts that she didn't even notice Casey walking towards her. The petite little girl sat down beside the brunette and frowned.

"You've got to stay positive, Mimi. We might be a batter down, but there are still plenty of rounds left in the game." Casey said.

"But why did it have to be Cassidy? Why couldn't it be somebody like…Rika?" Mimi sighed, resting her head on Casey's shoulder.

"That's how it goes sometimes." Casey said, patting Mimi on the back. "But we can't give up yet. You know what the Electabuzz motto is? Never give up."

Mimi mumbled something unintelligible as a response.

"Besides, we promised Cassidy that we'll align with James, remember? We can't let Cassidy down…" Casey said enthusiastically.

"You know what, you're right. You're absolutely right. Thank you, I…I needed that." Mimi slowly nodded her head as a soft smile dawned upon her beautiful face. "Oh my god, is that what you sports people call a pep talk?"

Casey snorted in laughter.

"Anyway, I'm going to start cooking breakfast." Mimi said, her voice sounding more cheerful than before. "I'll win James over with my cooking!"

"Where is James?" Casey asked, turning her head around inside the shelter. Only Rika was inside and she was still sleeping.

"I think he is in the forest with Takuya," replied Mimi.

"Oh damn." Casey said.

"You know, the two of them are spending a lot of time together…" Mimi said, frowning.

"We've got to do some damage control," added Casey.

Mimi: If we've to go tribal council tonight, James will be the deciding vote at tribal council. My biggest fear is that Takuya has already befriended James in this short period of time. And I…I don't even have the chance to really know James! I'll need to start sucking up to James right away. Every second counts as valuable bonding time!

Both Takuya and Mimi understood the fact that James was an important person to align with. If they had to go to tribal council, it was very likely that his vote would be the deciding one. And that made James the most popular person of the hour. Fortunately for Takuya, he had one distinctive advantage over Mimi: he was quicker. Early in the morning, Takuya had woken James up and he decided to provide James a lengthy tour around the island. Not only was he using this time to bond with James, he was also keeping Mimi and Casey's influence away from James.

"Rika and I go hunting every day in this forest. I think the birds are getting a little scared of us because we kill them so often," said Takuya.

"Do you guys really eat the birds? Like, really eat them?" James asked curiously.

"Hey man, when you're desperate for food, you'll eat anything." Takuya said, shrugging. "It might sound gross, but it's no different than eating a fish that you catch in the sea."

"That's true." James nodded his head.

"Besides, Gorebyss will probably starve without Rika and me providing all of the food in our tribe." Takuya boasted. "I mean, Casey sometimes collects a few apples from the trees, but the amount is so trivial compared to what I bring back. And then there's Mimi…"

"What about her?" James asked.

"Let's just say that she's worthless. She's a total city girl. She could never survive on her own out here." Takuya chuckled.

"Back when I was in Huntail, Drew caught most of the fish for our tribe. Sometimes, a few of us would tag along and share part of the credit, but he's the main provider for that tribe," explained James.

"I'm surprised! I would've thought that Brock provided all of the food for your tribe! He looks like the one with the most experience outdoors!" Takuya exclaimed.

"Brock only cooks the food. Believe me, nobody on Huntail is who they appear to be." James said dismissively. He wasn't about to praise somebody like Brock in front of Takuya, even though he knew that the Pokemon Breeder did a whole lot more for the Huntail tribe than cook food.

Takuya nervously laughed. He didn't know how to respond to that, so he changed the conversation in another direction.

"So, do you like it here on Gorebyss?" Takuya asked in a very casual manner.

"Yes! Gorebyss is simply wonderful. You're all soooooo welcoming and friendly." James beamed. "I wouldn't trade the feeling of being accepted for anything in the world."

"You're a good guy, James." Takuya flashed a boyish grin to the blue-haired Team Rocket member. "And just between you and me…this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"

Takuya: I don't know exactly how the Huntail tribe treated James in the past, but he didn't leave his old tribe on the friendliest term. He suffered a lot of abuse from that tribe, far worse than any treatment I got from Cassidy. I mean, I always had Rika and Zoe by my side even at my lowest hours. James had nobody. But that's about to change though. I want James to know that no matter what happens, he now has at least one friend that he could always rely on in this tribe.

- - -

When the tribes met Professor Birch at the immunity challenge, he would normally ask for the Golden Pokeball from the winning tribe and then give them the instructions on how to win immunity. Huntail still had to put their immunity up for grabs (although they were confident that their tribe shall prevail in the challenge again), but Professor Birch was about to give two people immunity without even beginning the challenge.

"James and Cassidy, you've been rejected by your old tribes and shuffled into an entirely new tribe. I'm sure you're well informed about the little gift that comes along with your swap." Professor Birch smiled. He pulled out two necklaces from his lab pocket and handed one to each Tribe Rocket member. "Before you go to vote at each tribal council, you will have the opportunity to pull this necklace out and protect yourself from the vote. This power will last up until the tribal council in the Final Four."

"So cool." James squealed excitedly as he received his necklace. It was basically a small golden Pokeball attached to a thin black string, but James looked as happy as a little child who received his favourite present on Christmas.

"Anyway, let's carry on the challenge! Immunity is back up for grabs!" Professor Birch instructed, holding up the golden Pokeball in the air. "In this challenge, there will be five heats. Each round, the two competing participants will ride on a Ponyta and race on the beach." Professor Birch released the pony Pokemon from a Pokeball. "You'll eventually cross a white line on the beach, where you will jump off Ponyta and dig around in the sand for a small, ordinary Pokeball. The first person to find a Pokeball and bring it back to me will win that round. The tribe that wins three heats first will win immunity!"

Mimi looked a bit anxious at her first time of riding on a horse. She didn't seem too confident about her chances in this challenge.

"Huntail, which two tribe members are sitting out?" Professor Birch asked.

"Professor, we'll sit TK and Takato out." Brock replied.

"Okay, pairs have been randomly drawn." Professor Birch clapped his hands together. "In the first round, Takuya and JP will face off in the horse race!" He handed the two Frontiers each a Pokeball containing a Ponyta. "When I give you the signal, you'll release your Ponyta, climb on it and then begin the challenge. Survivors ready? Go!"

Takuya and JP both released the ponies from their Pokeballs. Like a natural athlete, Takuya jumped on the fiery horse with ease and began running away the course in an agile speed. On the other hand, JP was struggling to climb on the horse and he accidentally kicked it with his foot a few times. His Ponyta reacted violently to his mistake, stomping on its hooves and making it even harder for him to climb on. By the time JP calmed down his pony, Takuya was already halfway finished with the race.

A minute later, Takuya crossed the painted line on the sand on his horse and he jumped off. He knew that the Pokeball he needed was around here, somewhere. He got down on his knees and began digging through the sand with his bare hands. For a while, he couldn't find anything in the sand. But just when JP was arriving, albeit in a bit of a struggle, on his Ponyta, Takuya pulled out a Pokeball from the sand. Excitedly, he pumped his fist into the air and jumped back onto his horse. It was an easy trip as Takuya scored the first point for his tribe.

"One point for Gorebyss!" Professor Birch announced. "Next pair – it's gonna be Casey versus Drew!"

The two shortest players walked up to Professor Birch and received their Pokeball from the professor. They called their ponies out from their Pokeballs and immediately hopped on. For most of the race, the two of them were pretty even with each other, although Drew did gain a slight lead in the end. However, luck wasn't on Drew's side because he couldn't find a Pokeball anywhere in the sand. Casey, who was not far behind, quickly found a Pokeball somewhere by the white painted line. She rode her Ponyta back to Professor Birch, holding the Pokeball proudly in her hands.

"Two points for Gorebyss! One more point and they could take home immunity!" Professor Birch exclaimed. "Okay, the third round consists of a race between Mimi and May!"

At the beginning of this round, it was obvious that Mimi had absolutely no experience in riding a horse before. She nervously looked at her Ponyta and approached it in such a cautious manner, causing her to lose a lot of time. May easily leapt on her horse and sped through most of the race like a breeze. When she crossed the white line, it took her a few minutes to actually dig up a Pokeball, but Mimi was still nowhere to be seen. This was not a close race at all. May brought back the Pokeball and a point for Huntail before Mimi could even hop off her horse.

"Huntail is still behind with one point!" Professor Birch said. "And the participants in our next round are…James and Brock!"

Although the athletic Brock had no problem running an entirely smooth race on his Ponyta, James surprised him by keeping very closely behind. The two men dug around the sand for a while, desperately trying to find a Pokeball in the sand. It was James who found the Pokeball first and he excitedly jumped on the Ponyta, hoping that he could ride his way to a Gorebyss victory. But a few seconds later, Brock also found a Pokeball and immediately chased after the Team Rocket member. It was a close race between the two of them, but Brock's athleticism eventually shone through. In the middle of the race back, he passed by James, scoring yet another point for Huntail.

"It's now tied…and it comes down to the final round between Rika and Cassidy!" Professor Birch gave the Pokeballs to the two women. "This is for immunity! Survivors ready? Go!"

Cassidy's approach to her horse intimidated Ponyta, causing a bit of difficulty for her to actually ride on it. Rika took advantage of her petite structure and had no problem jumping on the horse, although she did have some difficulty navigating it around the course. The disobedient Ponyta was reluctant to move forward. It occasionally turned around and even tried to hinder her progress!

"Stupid horse! We're going this way!" Rika yelled, forcefully steering her Ponyta in a different direction from where it was heading.

Due to a bit of a struggle that Rika had with her horse, Cassidy managed to buy some time and caught up to her. However, her horse also failed to listen to her commands and just before it crossed the white line, her Ponyta refused to move any further! While Cassidy shouted meaningless insults and cuss words to her Ponyta, Rika crossed the white line and jumped off her horse. She immediately began to look for her Pokeball.

A minute later, Cassidy aggressively made her horse move the few extra steps that she needed in order to begin digging. And as soon as she left her horse, Cassidy started to dig like a mad caveperson digging for her life. It was a race between just her and Rika. Whoever found that Pokeball first would be guaranteed three more days on this island.

Cassidy scratched her nails on the sand, mumbling frantically to herself. She had no time to form any bond or alliance with her tribe members. She needed to win this challenge.

And she did it. Cassidy burst into a wide maniacal grin as she pulled out a Pokeball from the sand. With a smug expression on her face, she quickly jumped on her horse and rode back to where Professor Birch was standing. Her tribe members were cheering as she handed the professor her Pokeball.

"Huntail wins immunity! Again!" Professor Birch screamed at the top of his voice. He handed the Golden Pokeball to Cassidy, who could do nothing more but wear a wide grin on her face.

Rika pound her fist angrily into the sand. This was her fourth consecutive time losing an immunity challenge – and it didn't feel any better than her first three losses.

"Gorebyss, I'm sorry to say that you're going to tribal council tonight." Professor Birch said sadly. A tear was rolling down Mimi's cheek as he made this announcement. But however cruel it might sound, he had to remain his neutral stance as the host. "Someone is going to be voted off from your tribe."

For just a brief second, the grin on Cassidy's face faded away as she saw the distressed expressions on Mimi and Casey's faces. Casey was hugging the skinny brunette, whispering meaningless consolation words into her ear. And just for that second, Cassidy felt a flicker of an unlikely emotion inside her heart. She actually felt sorry for her former allies, who had to suffer through yet another tribal council. This time, they weren't even certain that they had the majority of the votes.

But when that second passed, Cassidy turned her head away from them and the callous grin returned to her jagged face. She might have felt sympathetic for Mimi and Casey in that one second, but Cassidy was still a selfish, insensitive and uncaring woman.

And she didn't feel pity for anybody but herself.

- - -

Just before her fourth trip to tribal council, Mimi had an opportunity to talk with James in a private conversation. She didn't know how much time she had to persuade the Team Rocket member to change his mind, but she hoped it was enough. She was determined that she would be able to win his vote. Mimi knew that her chances of surviving in this game were at peril ever since Cassidy left. But Mimi didn't want to go home yet. She wasn't ready to leave this game without a fight.

"You know what I think? Professor Birch needs a total makeover." Mimi said, giggling. "He needs to ditch the geeky lab coat and wear something way more stylish."

"I know!" James snapped his fingers enthusiastically. "I'd get rid of that scruffy beard too. He's not the one who has to live on an island for fifteen days, why does he need to keep a beard?"

Mimi laughed, running her hairs down her slick brown hair.

"Please don't get me started on his cheap out-of-the-dollar-store sandals either. If you don't have good feet, don't wear sandals!" Mimi shook her head as if it was a lost cause.

"That man's fashion sense is atrocious!" James put his hands around his throat as if he wanted to choke himself.

Mimi nodded her head, giggling to every word that James said.

"The conversations between us just flow. It's been so long since I could talk to somebody like this on the island. It feels really nice!" James chuckled. "We've so much in common, Mimi."

"I really enjoy your company too," said Mimi, who wore a faint smile on her face. "But…"

"But what's wrong?" James turned his head towards Mimi, looking confused.

"I don't normally ask for favours, James." Mimi began. Her voice was growing softer and sadder by each word. "But you've to help me survive this tribal council. You've to vote with Casey and me!"

James gulped. He was naïve enough to hope that he would be able to escape this type of conversation before tribal council. Obviously, he was wrong.

"Who do you want me to vote for?" James asked in a shaky voice.

"Rika. If it wasn't for Cassidy always protecting her, I would have voted her immediately out of our tribe." Mimi said. "Nothing personal, but she's so anti-social. She might be a hard worker, but she's a bit dull and boring."

"Yeah…" James said, but his voice was trailing away.

"And she walks around with that wretched expression on her face…it's as if we had done something wrong to upset her! We haven't done anything to upset her!" Mimi screamed hysterically, shaking her head. Just on cue, tears were already forming at the corner of her eyes. "Oh James, please…"

"Mimi…" James looked a bit startled. He stuttered as he searched for the right response. "Don't cry! You're going to make me cry too! I…I..."

"You have to do this for us, James. You're our only hope…" Mimi mumbled sadly.

"This is so awkward." James lowered his gaze on the ground.

Mimi grabbed James' hand and brought it closer to her weeping face.

"Oh James, please vote for Rika in this tribal council, just this once. Is that too much to ask from a friend?" Mimi sobbed. James mumbled an inaudible reply.

He closed his eyes. He couldn't look at Mimi in the face right now. It was too depressing to think about voting anybody off.

Mimi: Right now, I think I've a pretty good chance at winning James' vote in tribal council. We share a lot of common interests and we really click with each other. For example, we both love to talk about style and fashion. I don't think he could enjoy this type of conversations with people like Takuya and Rika. They couldn't put a sense of fashion together even if it smacked them right in their faces.

She smiled faintly at the cameras.

Mimi: I don't know what James is thinking. He is a sincere guy and I'm pretty sure he likes Casey and me a lot. Tribal council is going to be a toss-up between Rika and me. I guess I'll find out if my plea worked on him or not tonight…

- - -

It seemed like that every three nights, the Gorebyss tribe would attend to tribal council. All of its members would wear stern and stiff expressions on their solemn faces. They would silently walk in, dip their torches in the fire pit and take their usual seats on the wooden bleachers. Unfortunately, this was a custom that the Gorebyss tribe had grown too familiar with. Casey always thought of going to tribal council as a sign of defeat. No, it was a sign of defeats after defeats after defeats. After every vote, Casey promised herself that she would never, never come back to this horrible place again.

And yet, here Casey was – her fourth consecutive tribal council.

"One thing I've noticed is that the number four seems to be a recurring theme at tonight's tribal council. You lost four immunity challenges so far. You have to go to tribal council for the fourth consecutive time." Professor Birch explained. "And after tonight, Gorebyss will be down to only four tribe members."

"How symbolic," muttered Rika.

"It has been a long time since I last saw you here, James," said Professor Birch. "Sadly, I cannot say the same to the rest of you. This is your fourth tribal council, Gorebyss."

"We know, professor. We know." Takuya said glumly.

"At this rate, your tribe will be completely decimated into nothing. I'll give you my prediction…I don't think you'll be able to get out of your losing streak. You're going to continue to lose and you'll keep coming back to tribal council." Professor Birch said. "Casey, do you think Gorebyss will be able to win another immunity challenge?"

"Our hearts are in the right place. As long as we've the determination, we'll be able to do anything. I believe we can pull of a win." Casey smiled with enthusiasm. "Yeah! In fact, we'll win the next immunity challenge, professor!"

"The underdogs always prevail, man." Takuya grinned confidently, nodding his head.

"James, you were on a winning tribe before. Is this transition from winning to losing tough for you?" Professor Birch asked.

"I'm a little bummed out that we lost the immunity challenge, but I'm coping well in the Gorebyss tribe," said James, who wore a gentle smile on his face. "I'm actually starting to like it here."

"Really?" Professor Birch asked in an incredulous tone of voice.

"James is a great addition to our tribe, professor. We all adore him." Mimi said.

"So Mimi…" Professor Birch turned his attention towards the skinny brunette. "Who do you think was a better member for the tribe – James or Cassidy?"

"Ah, that's tough to say…" Mimi smiled coyly. "Both have their strengths in different areas and I…uh, I love them equally."

"But James has only been with this tribe for what, two days? That pales in comparison with the four of you, who have spent over two weeks with each other." Professor Birch said, "Surely, James must be in a vulnerable position tonight, right?"

"I don't think so. We might have lived with each other for a longer period of time, but that doesn't mean we enjoy their company," explained Takuya. He paused, glaring at Mimi. "Some of us might even despise each other."

"James, is it safe for me to say that you won't use your immunity necklace tonight?" Professor Birch asked.

"I hope I'm not being too arrogant to do this, but…" James shook his head firmly. "No, I think I'm safe tonight, so I won't use my individual immunity at this tribal council."

"Mimi, give me your analysis on Gorebyss as a tribe." Professor Birch said, turning his attention towards the brunette once again. "Are the five of you unified or divided?"

"I think our tribe is divided into two conflicting sides and the vote tonight will reflect that," replied Mimi.

"Do you think the divisiveness is a reason why Gorebyss keep losing in challenges?" Professor Birch prompted. "Rika?"

"Yeah." Rika nodded her head. "Unity is a huge issue in our tribe…but that problem is going to go away after tonight."

"Okay." Professor Birch nodded, but did not ask the quiet Tamer to elaborate. "It's time to vote. James, you're up first."

James went to cast his vote and came back, appearing to be slightly rueful about his decision. A few tribe members tried to read his enigmatic face for a subtle hint, but with little success.

Next was Mimi, who stood at the voting booth with a faint smile on her lips. She wrote the name 'Rika' on the piece of parchment in small, flowery letters and held it in front of the cameras.

"Rika, living with you makes me feel like I'm in the middle of an angst novel gone wrong. I wished you would stop being so unpleasant all the time and just…cheer up, you know? It wouldn't kill you to smile more often!"

Takuya went to the voting booth next, carrying a vindictive smirk on his face. He scrawled down Mimi's name on the parchment and laughed as he held it for the cameras.

"You've attached your wagon to the wrong horse. It's gone off track now and you can't come back. Had your whole strategy not been so reliant on Cassidy, you might have stood a chance after the twist, but she's gone now and I guess this is it."

Takuya grinned, dropping his vote into the voting urn.

"This is the emancipation of Mimi. Love, Mariah Carey."

"We won't start winning any challenges until all of the weak links are gone. And that means you." Rika muttered, holding up the fourth vote in front of the cameras and showing little remorse. As usual, there were no emotions expressed on her stern face or in her monotonous voice.

"I'm sorry," said Casey as she cast the final vote of the evening. She began to walk away and then she turned back to look at the cameras with an apologetic smile. "I'm really, really sorry."

- - -

Although the Gorebyss tribe had faced through this same process for four times, waiting for Professor Birch to tally the votes was never an easy feeling, no matter if it was the first time or the fourth time. An anxious Casey stared nervously as the lumpy professor marched back from the voting booth. He held the much dreaded voting urn in his hands. Another player's fate was about to sealed.

"Once the votes have been read…" Professor Birch began.

The person voted off will be asked to leave immediately, thought Casey inside her head. She had heard this line so many times before that she could actually recite it at the appropriate time.

After his brief but mandatory speech, Professor Birch pulled out the first parchment from the voting urn. He turned it over, revealing a four-letter name on the vote.

"Rika."

The icy Tamer looked unimpressed as the professor held up the vote. There was a defiant look inside her eyes, almost as if she was daring for the remaining votes to have her name written on them.

"The second vote…" Professor Birch said, drawing another parchment from the urn.

He turned it over and this vote read a different four-letter name on it.

"Mimi."

Mimi smiled faintly at the vote. She clasped her hands together and placed it in between her quivering knees. She looked over at James, who she knew would be the deciding vote for tonight. He had no reaction to the vote whatsoever.

"The third vote…" Professor Birch paused, maintaining an air of suspense before he turned the vote over.

Rika stared at the name written on the parchment and smirked.

"Mimi."

"That's two votes for Mimi and one vote for Rika." Professor Birch declared. He put his hand inside the urn once more. "This is the fourth vote."

He pulled out the vote and read it.

"And the fifth person voted out of Survivor: Dewford Islands…"

Professor Birch turned over the piece of parchment.

"Mimi."

Mimi sighed softly, sounding a bit frustrated and unsatisfied at the results. As soon as her best friend Cassidy left the tribe, she knew that this outcome would be inevitable. It was over. She just didn't know that it would be so soon.

"The remaining vote will remain a mystery," said Professor Birch mysteriously.

The skinny brunette got up from her seat and exchanged a brief hug with Casey and James. A poignant smile appeared on her face as she walked over to Professor Birch with her torch. This was it. This was her classy exit. This was her walk of shame.

"Mimi, the tribe has spoken." Professor Birch said as he snuffed the flame on Mimi's torch. "It's time for you to go."

The tall and slender brunette nodded her head once, as if to accept her fate. She began walking into the dark and brooding forest, step by step, until she soon disappeared from sight.

"There is no need for me to read the remaining vote, but let's just say…" Professor Birch paused, briefly glaring at Casey. She did not return his gaze. "The number four is a recurring theme in this tribal council."

Casey's head dropped. Her eyes were staring remorsefully at the ground.

"Whether I see you again in three days is still up in the air," said Professor Birch. "But for now, you may return to your camp."

Casey quietly watched her tribe members stood up, preparing to trek back to the Gorebyss camp. Her observant eyes caught Takuya exchanging a triumphant grin with Rika, both of them silently celebrating about their recent victory in tribal council. James followed closely behind the pair, also smiling in glee. Only Casey remained in her seat, pondering about the drastic changes that had been made into this tribe. Since the twist occurred, Gorebyss was no more the shattered and divided tribe that Casey remembered from the past three tribal councils. From now on, they were unified as a tribe – everybody except Casey, who felt like an outsider desperately struggling to fit in.

Cassidy was no longer a part of Gorebyss. Mimi was no longer a part of Gorebyss.

And very soon, Casey would no longer be a part of Gorebyss…

- - -

Mimi's Final Words

Gosh, who would have predicted that a girl like me would last fifteen days on the island? I was literally isolated from the things that I love the most: shopping malls, hair salons, fashion magazines, my family, and my friends. Actually, most of my friends thought that I would be begging to quit the game by the end of Day One, but I proved them wrong! I even proved to myself that I'm stronger than I thought I was.

Overall, Survivor has been an enriching experience for me. I learned a lot about myself while I was living in the wilderness. I found out what my strengths and my weaknesses are. I also made some really tight friendships that I know I'll maintain outside of this game. Plus, I got a really cute tan, so I'm a very happy girl even though I didn't win the million dollars!

- - -

Next Time on Survivor –

Casey fights for her survival…
Casey: All of my friends are gone.
(Casey smiles weakly at the cameras.)
Casey: I will never give up.

Huntail celebrates May's birthday…
Takato: Happy birthday, May!
Brock: Close your eyes and make a wish.
(May beams gratefully at the two men.)

And Drew gets more ruthless…
Drew: Don't worry. You won't see your name come up in tribal council.
(He smirks at the cameras, flipping his green hair over his shoulder.)
Drew: She is going to get the shock of her life.

All this and more on – Episode 6: Strike Out

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading (and reviewing...you've been reviewing, right?)! Also, please spend a few minutes and complete the survey to give your input on the story!