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?

7. Episode 7: His True Colours

Survivor: Dewford Islands
By: Gomamon

Last Time on Survivor:

The hunger issue is becoming a problem in Gorebyss and some tribe members are worried about Casey's health. Despite her circumstances, Casey continues to be optimistic and determined about the game, even though she knew she would be voted off in a unanimous vote. At the immunity challenge, Rika pulled through for her tribe, breaking off Gorebyss' continuous losing streak.

In the Huntail tribe, JP and May make a promise to never vote for each other in tribal council. In addition, JP further secures his position in the game when he agrees to join Drew's alliance to vote Brock off. An unsuspecting Brock firmly believes that Drew will become the fourth vote in his alliance as they target TK for his liability. But he and his allies were shocked when Drew's true allegiance was revealed, and Brock ends up getting blindsided in a 4 to 3 vote. As the merge approaches, ten remain. Who will be voted off next?

Episode Seven: His True Colours

Gorebyss: CASEY – JAMES – RIKA – TAKUYA

Huntail: CASSIDY – DREW – JP – MAY – TAKATO – TK

- - -

DAY 19

Takato Matsuki was staring at a young, whimpering boy. His large, round eyes were matched by a pair of eyebrows that gently arched upwards, giving the boy a look of childish innocence on his round and boyish face. The corners of his lips quivered a little, but the boy had gathered up enough inner strength to fight the tempting urge to cry. His face reminded Takato somewhat of a small puppy, hurt and trembling, silently pleading for somebody to rescue him from this state of agony and confusion.

How pathetic.

Takato picked up a small stone from the ground and tossed it in the river. The image of the pathetic little boy disappeared instantly, briefly replaced by a couple of resonating ripples. The timid Tamer closed his eyes. He did not want to see his reflection return again.

It was the day after the sixth tribal council, which offered him plenty of time to recover, yet Takato still had difficulty coping with last night's shocking outcome and its horrifying aftermath. Normally when Takato felt depressed in this game, he took consolation in knowing that he would hear Brock's comforting words, magically soothing whatever burdening thoughts that plagued the Tamer's mind. But now, Takato sat by the river all by himself. He still needed some time to accept the fact that he lost his idol, mentor, role model and best friend last night. Brock was gone. He was really gone.

In the midst of Brock's departure and Takato's dejected response to the event, there was luckily one thing for him to look forward to: the merge. Professor Birch had already announced that on the nineteenth day of this game, which was a little less than the mid-point of their journey, the remaining ten players will merge into one tribe. No more Gorebyss, no more Huntail, no more tribal effort. After today, they will be playing a strictly individual game.

Sighing heavily, Takato stood up and shoved his tiny hands into the pockets of his brown khaki pants. He flashed a weak smile at one of the cameras nearby.

"I'm okay now," said Takato. He was talking to one of the cameramen. "I just needed time to think things over."

He gave a small, polite bow. Then, he began to walk slowly back to camp.

Takato: The two tribes are going to merge together today. To be honest, I'm still a little overwhelmed. I mean, I do feel excited that I finally have the chance to meet with everybody in the game, don't get me wrong! But on the other hand, I'm a bit nervous. I don't know what to expect once the ten of us starts living with each other.

The petite Tamer was holding his aqua blue Huntail buff in his hands. He clutched the buff tightly and gave a small, joyous chuckle.

Takato: I can't believe that I won't be wearing this buff when I wake up tomorrow. It's going to be a little hard to adjust. All these new people, new friendships, new strategies…everything about this game is going to change once more. I'm scared, but I'm also really looking forward to it. It should be fun!

When Takato arrived at the desolate Huntail camp, the only other person awake was May, who sat by the campfire by herself, gazing sadly at the pot of water that she was boiling. Takato could realize that the effects of Brock leaving were also taking their tow on May as well.

"Good morning, May." Takato said quietly as he approached her.

"Oh, good morning…I was wondering where you were when I woke up." May forced a small smile on her face.

"Are you sure you got enough rest? It's kinda early," mumbled Takato.

"Huh? Yeah…I'm fine." May said, nodding her head. The tone of her voice was surprisingly dull, almost as if the usual energy in her voice was drained away.

Takato cast his eyes on the pot of water for a few seconds before he turned his focus back on May again.

"The merge is coming soon." Takato said, attempting to begin a friendly conversation with May. "Do you think we'll be moving to a new camp?"

"Oh gee, I hope not. We worked so hard on building this camp, so I don't want to see it abandoned." May murmured.

"Yeah," said Takato. He paused for a hesitant moment before continuing. "Besides, I don't know if we're capable of building another shelter without Brock's help…"

"Camp life is going to get a lot tougher without Brock around, that's for sure," sighed May.

"I miss him…" Takato muttered.

"Me too, Takato." May wrapped her arm around his neck in a friendly manner. "Me too."

A serene silence passed upon the two of them for the next few minutes. Takato just sat there, looking dumbfounded, lost in his trains of thoughts. Meanwhile, a fidgety May got up every now and then to check on the pot of boiling water.

"Hey May, what do you think we should do at the merge?" Takato asked.

"I'm officially done with Huntail." May replied in a soft whisper. "After they blindsided Brock last night, I've seen their true colours. I can't trust traitors."

"That's true, but…but how are we going to stay in the game if we don't stick with Huntail?" Takato mumbled.

"Well, I've a few more tricks up my sleeves." May grinned toothily. She turned her head around to check if anybody was eavesdropping before continuing. "Nobody knows about this yet, but I made an alliance with Takuya a few days ago. It should come in handy when we align with Gorebyss at the next tribal council."

Takato gasped in surprise.

"Gorebyss currently has four members in their tribe, right?" May continued, holding up four fingers in her right hand. Then, she raised two other fingers in her left hand. "Once we join them in the vote, there will be six votes out of a possible ten. And just like that, we'll be in the majority again."

"May, are you sure that Gorebyss is willing to work with us?" Takato asked. His quiet voice seeped with uncertainty. "We don't know them that well…"

"Don't worry, I've talked with Takuya before and he seems like a good guy. I know some of the men here don't really like his aggressive attitude, but we can trust him." May added.

"That's cool." Takato nodded his head, smiling faintly.

"But don't tell Huntail about this." May whispered. "Or someone like Drew and Cassidy may ruin our plans."

"I promise I won't." Takato said. "I'm just glad that we'll be working with Rika instead of working against her."

May: Right now, the other tribe is at a slight disadvantage because they've less people than Huntail. I'm guessing that it's going to be Huntail versus Gorebyss at our first tribal council. And if it goes this way, the easiest thing to do is to pick off the four Gorebyss members one by one.

She paused, brushing a few strands of her hazel brown hair from her eyes. The gorgeous Pokemon Coordinator grinned sheepishly at the cameras.

May: Huntail thinks they've the majority, but they'd be surprised to know that they don't have the numbers anymore. Everybody expects that Takato and I have no choice but to align with Huntail at the merge, but they don't know that we have other plans in mind. But yeah, we'll give them the impression that we're staying loyal to Huntail. Let them experience how it feels to be blindsided at tribal council. It's time for some people to get a bitter taste of their own medicine.

- - -

As the upcoming merge loomed upon the players, many new strategies were beginning to assemble amongst the players. This was extremely true for the Gorebyss tribe, who was lagging in numbers compared to Huntail. It was critical for them to build a solid strategy in order to survive when the merge arrived. Takuya had thought about this matter for a fairly long time and at last, he had the 'perfect' plan. Or at least that was how Takuya described it. Rika knew Takuya's faults too well to trust him and his annoying tendency to exaggerate the truth.

"I thought it was obvious. We need to vote out Cassidy the first chance we get." Rika grunted in her usual harsh and tomboyish manner. She put her hands on her hips and glared sternly at Takuya. "Don't get off track, goggle-head!"

"I'm just saying…I don't want our dislike for Cassidy to hinder some of our long-term goals in this game." Takuya shrugged his shoulders, sounding so relaxed and laid-back that it irritated Rika even further. "Besides, it's no good for us to target Cassidy if the rest of Huntail is going to pick us off one by one. They do have the majority over our tribe, you know."

"Get to the point. What are you suggesting?" Rika asked.

"I have an alliance with someone from the Huntail tribe. If we work with them, Gorebyss wouldn't be instant prey at the merged tribe," said Takuya, sneering confidently. "Don't you see, Rika? They're a strong tribe, but the last time I was at their camp, I noticed there are some very visible cracks in their dynamics. It's far more important to break Huntail apart instead of making Gorebyss self-destruct!"

Rika crossed her arms across her chest. Judging from her standoffish posture, Takuya knew that his ally was not impressed with his idea, not one bit.

"I know what you're thinking. I know, I know. But Rika, be more flexible…" Takuya began.

"If Cassidy makes it to the jury, she won't vote for either of us." Rika grunted.

"Not unless we're in the Final Two together, then she'll have no choice." Takuya grinned, attempting at a joke to loosen the tense atmosphere. He nudged her in the shoulder with his elbow. "Am I right?"

"Stupid goggle-head…" Rika muttered angrily.

"Hey, where are you going?" Takuya asked, chasing after Rika, who was walking away from Takuya in another direction.

"Don't follow me. I'm going to get treemail," replied Rika. She shot an icy glare at Takuya. "Leave me alone."

Takuya stopped in his tracks, almost wincing at Rika's harsh words. He silently watched the Tamer march away and soon, her slim and petite figure disappeared behind the ocean of trees. Then, Takuya turned to the cameras with a weak smile, mouthing the word 'ouch' to one of the grinning cameramen.

Rika: I just don't understand how that goggle-head's brain works sometimes. The correct answer is so obvious and so easy, yet he has to take a stupid risk and lose everything. I don't give a damn what Takuya says. We've seen how Cassidy acts when she ends up in control of a tribe. She's a huge threat and she needs to be voted off instantly.

Elsewhere in the forest, Casey and James were also having their own strategic discussion. Despite their visible differences, the unlikely duo had bonded with each other due to the limited circumstances of this tribe. They were not close friends by any means, but James did respect Casey's endless zest and spirit, while the mouthy baseball fan preferred James' company over the likes of Takuya or Rika. Thus, in a strange way that nobody could have predicted, James and Casey both enjoyed each other's company for the past few days. And by now, James felt comfortable enough with Casey to divulge some of his inner thoughts to the petite girl.

"It's so hard to predict what will happen at the merge." James sighed. "Especially since we don't know who got voted off from the other tribe. For all I know, it could be Brock – and I'd be a very, very happy man."

Casey chuckled, nodding her head slowly as James spoke.

"Yeah, let's worry about the merge when it actually happens," said Casey. She turned to James with an envious smile. "You're lucky, James. You got to know everybody from both tribes. That puts you at an instant advantage over me."

"I guess. But you've to understand that they all hate my guts and the feeling is mutual. I-" James was about to start a new sentence when he was suddenly interrupted by Casey's loud cry.

"Oh my god! What's this?" Casey shouted with enthusiasm, pointing her finger at a nearby bush.

Casey ran over to the bush and kneeled down on her knees. Stretching her short and bony arm, she slowly pulled out an empty soda can from the bushy plant.

"Wow." James chuckled, sounding amused. "I didn't know these things grew on trees."

"What on earth is a soda can doing in the middle of our island?" Casey asked, also chuckling. "How weird! Did a producer leave this here or something?"

"Casey, come on!" James laughed, unsure if the petite baseball lover was being serious or not. "Did you forget that your tribe won that food reward a few days ago?"

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about…" Casey said, scratching her head in confusion. She tried thinking back about the events that happened several days ago, but could not remember such a scenario happening before. Winning a reward challenge? Really?

"Aieeee, your memory is worse than mine!" James giggled. He tapped his finger lightly on the soda can that Casey was holding. "It was the third reward challenge. The participants had to eat gross food or whatever. Takuya easily beat Takato in the challenge and won plenty of pizza and soda for Gorebyss!" He paused, putting one hand on his hip stylishly. "Okay, so you probably finished the three days worth of food by now, but how can you not remember that, Casey?"

"I'm pretty darn sure that we never won a reward challenge. Are you sure you've got the facts right?" Casey asked.

"Yeah, Takato told us all about the challenge when he got back!" James said, nodding his head. "It was the only reward challenge that we didn't win at the time. Pizza and soda! I'll never forget about it!"

"But I never ate any pizza before…" Casey mumbled slowly before her voice was completely drained away by her thoughts.

James stared at Casey in confusion. He still didn't understand what was happening. After all, he only arrived to Gorebyss on the fourteenth day. As a newcomer, James had no idea what happened during the days prior to his arrival.

"What is going on?" James asked, squealing in his usual high-pitched voice.

"Let's ask Takuya. He'd know about it." Casey said, clenching her hand angrily in the soda can that she was holding. "And I hope for his sake that he has a darn good explanation for this!"

Casey: Back at home, I eat three full meals a day in order to keep energized – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes dessert if I feel like spoiling myself. Out here, I understand that the food situation is difficult for all of us, so I don't complain to my tribe members that I'm starving every single day I'm on this island. I even try lying to myself sometimes that you know, I'm not losing a lot of weight and I'm not turning into a skinny skeleton.

Casey had an uncharacteristically dejected expression on her boyish face.

Casey: So, I found this weird soda can in the bushes today. According to James, it was part of a food reward that Takuya won apparently. However, I've never eaten any slices of pizza or drank any of the soda that James was describing about. A gut instinct of mine just knew that Takuya was hiding the food from us. This selfishness is so like him. It's so Takuya. And I wished there was a better explanation for this. I wished this confessional was different.

"Takuya, you've been hiding the food from us this entire time, haven't you?" Casey's voice shouted.

The athletic man turned around. He had been breaking small pieces of branches and adding it to the fire when a loud and booming voice rang in his ears. Looking a little annoyed, Takuya saw that Casey and James were exiting the forest and approaching him in his direction. Even from a distance, Takuya could see the soda can that Casey clutched to in her right hand. There it was – a piece of evidence that he carelessly left behind in the scene of the crime. At that instant, Takuya knew what this was about.

He got caught.

"What are you talking about?" Takuya asked, forcing a weak smile on his rugged face. Whatever the accusation was, he'd try denying it at first.

"This, Takuya. This." Casey yelled angrily. She held up the empty soda can that she held in her right fist. "Don't even try to give me one of your infamous lies, Takuya. James told me everything. How do you explain this?"

Takuya narrowed his eyes at James, who was standing sheepishly behind Casey.

"If you already know everything, then why do I have to explain it to you?" Takuya scoffed in a casual manner. "Yeah, I did it. I hid the food from you women."

"What the hell, Takuya?" Casey yelled. She hurled the soda can at Takuya's direction, which he easily dodged with his quick reflexes.

"Why are you making such a big scene over this? I won the reward challenge by myself, so I enjoyed the reward by myself." Takuya asked. The tone of his voice sounded dignified, almost as if he believed that his logic was justifiable. "I don't see anything wrong with what I did."

"You! You…you're unbelievable!" Casey shot her index finger at Takuya in a hostile manner. "You selfish cad!"

"And you are annoying." Takuya sneered arrogantly. "I guess we all have flaws."

"You don't feel any remorse over this, do you?" Casey asked, still shouting in a tone that was ridiculously loud and intimidating. "While we've been starving every single day that we're out here, you…you have been keeping yourself full and energized!"

"This is Survivor, not a soup kitchen!" Takuya retorted.

"That food could have helped Delia recover from her illness! That food could have given us the energy boost to win all those immunity challenges! That food could have pulled us from the misery and agony that we felt every single day! Don't you understand what an awful thing you did?" Casey screamed hysterically.

"Go ahead and condemn me to hell!" Takuya threw his arms in the air. "I don't care!"

Just then, Rika arrived at the scene with a scroll of parchment. Amazingly, she appeared unfazed even as Casey and Takuya shouted in each other's face. She walked over to James, who had been keeping guiltily quiet in this argument, and handed the Team Rocket member the parchment.

"I got treemail. It tells us that we have to pack our belongings for the merge this afternoon," said Rika. She gazed over at Takuya and Casey, both still screaming angrily in their heated argument. "So, what did I miss?"

"I feel like I've just opened up Pandora's Box…" James mumbled in a weak and trembling voice.

Casey: I…I'm really hurt. He knew that we were starving this entire time and he had the nerve to actually hide food away from us. I wouldn't have done such a thing even to my worst enemy. I try my best to please everybody and they still treat dirt better than me. I wonder if Gorebyss ever considered me a part of this tribe.

She waved her hand dismissively in the air.

Casey: Just forget it. Forget Takuya. Cassidy was right, he IS a scumbag.

A few minutes later, the Gorebyss camp was finally silent again – but that was only because a furious Casey stomped angrily into the forest, breaking off the argument that she described as 'pointless'. James ran after the petite girl, although he did not think his words would have any consoling effect on the stubborn, fuming girl. Meanwhile, Takuya and Rika were inside the shelter, packing their bags as they prepared for the upcoming merge.

"Smooth, Takuya. Right before the merge too. Real smooth." Rika rolled her eyes. She clearly did not sound impressed.

"Shut up," mumbled Takuya. "Just shut up."

He paused and shot a disdainful glare at his friend, Rika.

"Leave me alone."

- - -

Ten players stood impatiently on the sandy beach, six on the light blue mat and four on the crimson red mat. Professor Birch stood in front of them, himself standing on a vivid purple mat. He flashed a pleasant, fatherly smile at the players, a smile which most of them returned. Because they all knew what this meeting was for. It was the day of change – a day that some had been enthusiastically anticipating for a long time.

"Today is the day of the merge. Everybody, drop your buffs. Gorebyss and Huntail are no more." Professor Birch announced.

May beamed happily at the professor as she removed her blue buff from her wrist, tossing the small piece of cloth onto the sand. When she did that, she felt so free, almost as if the buff was a pair of handcuffs that restricted her happiness in this game.

"From now on, the ten of you are the Clamperl tribe." Professor Birch said, grinning. He pulled out some buffs from his lab pocket. "You'll wear purple, the colour formed when red and blue are combined together."

"Aah, nice! I like that!" JP laughed. Professor Birch threw him a buff, which the chubby Frontier caught with his powerful fist.

After all ten players received buffs, the professor turned towards the Clamperl tribe with an important question.

"Now, let's determine where your new camp will be placed…" Professor Birch said, slowly nodding his head. "James and Cassidy, since you've lived on both camps, which one do you think is the most suitable for Clamperl to live in?"

"We have to live in the Huntail camp. It's not perfect, but their place is a paradise compared to the dump in Gorebyss," replied Cassidy.

"Yeah, Huntail is in a slightly better condition." James agreed, although he sounded reluctant to admit that in front of his old tribe.

"Okay, the former Gorebyss tribe will move into the Huntail camp." Professor Birch clapped his hands together. "Next topic – food. Now, I'm aware that both of your tribes are running low on your supplies of rice and corn, so I'll be giving you one bucket of each." He gestured towards two fairly large metallic containers by his feet. Both of them were identical looking to each other. "Rationalize your food carefully, because it'll run out soon."

JP and TK nodded their heads. The two men exchanged excited grins at each other over the prospect of extra food.

"In addition, bring this crate with you." Professor Birch pointed towards an even larger wooden crate beside the two metallic containers. "There's a refreshing surprise for you guys inside. Consider it a way to celebrate your progress in this game. Congratulations for making it to the merge!"

"More food!" JP exclaimed enthusiastically. "Somebody pinch me. This is the best day ever!"

Takato laughed, while TK playfully punched JP in the shoulder.

"On a more serious note, there will be no more tribal immunities." He walked over to Rika and removed the golden Pokeball from her hands. "From now on, this is a purely individual game. For those of you riding on the coattails of your tribe, wake up and start taking the game seriously. Also consider that seven of these people will be members of the jury, who will ultimately decide which person wins the million dollars in the end."

He paused, staring at nobody in particular. A few people's smiles faded away, looking slightly uncomfortable at the professor's sudden shift in tone.

"I'll see the ten of you at the next immunity challenge," said the professor.

A few people cheered in excitement as they ran towards the purple mat to retrieve the containers of rice and corn. James smiled uneasily at the beefy professor. His prophetic words still echoed clearly in the Team Rocket member's mind. While some of his new tribe members obviously didn't put much thought into Professor Birch's long and tedious speech, those same words surprisingly provoked a lot of insight and wisdom hidden inside James. For some unknown reason, he knew that the Professor had a very valid point.

For the past few days, James had been living in a state of ignorant bliss, content to surround himself with the companionship that he desperately longed for in the Huntail tribe. However, this merge brought his mindset back to where it was supposed to be – game mode. As much as he hated to admit this, he knew he couldn't depend on anybody to carry him into the finals. Not even Takuya and Rika, two people whom James sincerely considered as friends. Because from now on, this was an individual game.

And if James wanted to win Survivor, he needed to play for himself.

- - -

The Clamperl tribe arrived at their campsite. For some, they were returning to their usual surroundings. But for others, this camp was an entirely unfamiliar place.

This was the first time that Rika Nonaka had seen the Huntail camp. Although the two campsites were built on a similar landscape and structure, Rika immediately noticed the differences between the arrangements of the Huntail camp and the Gorebyss camp. From their sturdy shelter to the tamed campfire and right down to their neatly organized utensil rack built on the outer wall of their shelter, everything about the Huntail camp was the mirror image of the successful tribe's challenge performances: it was prosperous. Compared to the unorganized Gorebyss camp, where stinky clothes and dirty dishes scattered everywhere on the ground due to laziness, this place was amazing.Rika felt a hazy tint of guilt that she had not taken better care of her old camp before.

"Where should we put the food?" Rika asked, looking at her new tribe members. She was holding one of the metallic containers that either had the rice or corn inside. She stopped and looked by the campfire. "Here?"

"Over there, please." TK said, pointing at the section of camp where the other food containers were placed. As she walked there, Rika immediately identified that place as the kitchen area, because that was where all of their cooking utensils were stored.

"This is our humble abode." May said, smiling sweetly at the Gorebyss members. "I hope you guys enjoy it here!"

May: I'm feeling great! It's soooo good to have new faces around camp! I haven't met with Rika or Casey until today, but oh my god, it's totally refreshing to talk with another woman. I've been surrounded by testosterone for so long that, uh, I just want to hang around with some girls, you know? Well technically, Cassidy is a female…but she doesn't count. We've nothing in common. We don't click at all.

"Well, this place looks fantastic." Takuya grinned, whistling. "Man, you guys did a damn good job at making this place feel like home. No wonder you win all of the challenges."

"We know, Takuya. We know." JP joked in a playful manner. "C'mon, unpack your bags inside our shelter."

"Less talk, more eating. I want to pig out on the feast." Cassidy smirked. Even as she attempted to make a light-hearted comment, her voice still sounded harsh and snappy. "Let's not get the food cold, people!"

"Yeah! I'm hungry!" JP laughed. He and Drew were carrying the large wooden crate that contained the delicious feast inside.

Takuya raised an eyebrow at his Frontier friend.

"Hmm, I don't know, you guys." He said, looking uncertain. "We can save the food for dinner tonight. For now, I think we have more important priorities in this tribe."

"Dude, what can be more important than food?" JP asked impatiently.

"First of all, we need to expand on the shelter," explained Takuya. He gestured towards the Huntail shelter nearby. "It looks great and everything, but it's a bit too small, don't you think?"

"It's not going to fit the ten of us," added Rika.

"Sheesh, we can do the work later." Cassidy said dismissively. "We're hungry and we're tired after that stupid long hike. Let's eat first."

"If it gets too dark, we won't be able to build the shelter." Rika said, folding her arms across her chest. Drew could also be seen nodding his head slowly, as if he silently supported her reasonable logic.

Rika: There was no way that shelter could have fit ten people inside and just watch, nobody is going to get a wink of sleep tonight. It was getting late, the sun was about to set and it didn't make any sense to stall the construction until it gets too dark to build anything. I think some people just needed an excuse to squirm out of work. Lazy bastards.

"Relax, we have plenty of time." Cassidy said. She rolled her eyes at the icy Tamer. "Don't be such a party pooper."

"Yeah! Cassidy has a good point." JP nodded. "Just chill out! We have the entire day to work. Let's use this time to get to know each other a little better!"

"I agree. Let's chow down!" Casey smiled, also nodding her head.

"If that's what you all want, fine…" Takuya shrugged his shoulders. "But I still think we should work on the shelter first, that's all. The food will probably taste better at night anyway."

As Takuya was speaking, JP and Casey were already opening up the crate, revealing plentiful of food inside. The choices ranged from simple appetizers, like biscuits, to luscious delicacies, like the large roasted chicken. JP screamed like a little girl as he caught the sight of the cooked poultry in front of him. He went to the nearest person, Casey, and squeezed her in a huge bear hug.

"Hey you!" Casey snorted in laughter, attempting to free herself from JP's uninvited embrace. "Stop overreacting!"

"This sight ought to be enough to change anybody's mind." TK chuckled. He rubbed his stomach with a small smile. "I know I did."

"But still…" Takuya began, but he was interrupted by Cassidy.

"Oh my goodness! You haven't changed at all." Cassidy laughed smugly. "You need to learn when to stop beating a dead horse, kid!"

Takuya silently glared at the feisty Team Rocket member, but he said nothing. He exchanged knowing glances with Rika, since both of them were thinking the same thing about Cassidy. Rika just slowly shook her head and turned away, wearing an annoyed scowl on her face.

Yep. Takuya thought, smiling a little to himself. She's still a bitch.

- - -

Night time arrived sooner than some had expected. By the time they finished the feast, the newly formed Clamperl tribe did not have enough time or daylight to expand their small and inflexible shelter, just as Rika had predicted. Takato, who got stuck sleeping in between James and TK, was lying uncomfortably on his back, still awake. Staring at the dark ceiling of the shelter, he was starting to regret his idle participation in the discussion this afternoon – if only he had spoken up at that time!

Suddenly, a foot came out of nowhere and pounded on his stomach. Takato reacted accordingly, leaping up from his position and yelping in pain.

"Sorry! Sorry!" James squealed, quickly removing his left foot from Takato's body. "I just wanted to adjust my spot!"

"It…it's alright." Takato mumbled.

However, Takato was not the only person who had trouble sleeping. In fact, most of the tribe members were still awake, blinking vacuously in the darkness. The only person who miraculously slept in this awkward sleeping arrangement was May, who some had joked could sleep through a loud and disastrous storm. As for everybody else, they had immense difficulty lying still, let alone falling asleep, in this crammed and bumpy environment.

"Anybody wants to leave the shelter with me? You know, make some room for the others inside?" JP asked, calling out in his loud and energetic voice. "I don't want to stare into blank space for hours!"

"I'll go with you. Let's talk by the campfire or something." Takuya replied.

"Just like the old days, dude!" JP chuckled.

And with that, the two Frontier friends climbed out of the shelter, walking over to the campfire (conveniently located nearby the shelter) and sat down on adjacent logs next to each other.

JP: Takuya and I are really close friends outside of this game. And since we were placed on different tribes, there was a lot of catching up to do. Since neither of us could sleep at night, we figured…heck, why not spend this time exchanging some fun stories with each other? I know it was the middle of the night, but I was like: dude, let's talk!

"Hey, I was wondering about this since I got here…but what's that freaking Seel doing in the camp?" Takuya asked, pointing curiously at the baby Seel sleeping on a T-shirt nearby the entrance of the shelter.

"Oh, that thing?" JP chuckled, shooting a brief glance at the Seel. "Takato and Brock found it yesterday. Uh, I think it got injured on Shipwreck Island. It's not in any critical condition though." He paused, and then in a loud voice, he asked, "Is that right, Takato?"

"Yeah…that's right," mumbled Takato, who was attempting to sleep inside the shelter.

For some reason, Takuya started laughing hysterically. JP turned towards his friend, wearing a bemused smile on his face.

"If it was up to me, I would've killed the Seel and ate it for food!" Takuya smacked his hand forcefully on JP's shoulder. "I wished I had the compassion to do charity work like you guys!"

"Dude, charity work?" JP also began laughing. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Come on! You must be a freaking saint to not eat that Seel for food!" Takuya shouted at the top of his voice, still laughing.

Inside the shelter, a few people stirred in their uncomfortable sleeping positions. Drew groaned, mumbling something angrily under his breath.

Drew: It was almost midnight and some of us were actually trying to sleep. But that fat pig and the dumbass frat boy just continued yapping and yapping throughout the night, shouting in those loud and obnoxious voices. I can't believe the nerve of those two. Do they realize how unbelievably inconsiderate and insensitive they are? Just because you can't sleep doesn't mean you have to deprive everybody else of that luxury either.

He rolled his eyes. The normally calm Pokemon Coordinator moved his hand through his green hair and flipped it over his shoulders.

Drew: I couldn't sleep at all because of the idiot brothers. JP and Takuya, this might come as a shock to your huge bloated egos, but nobody wants to hear your lame conversations, so shut up!

"You're kidding me! She said that?" JP's voice bellowed in laughter.

"It's true! It's true! I swear on my life!" Takuya's laughter was even louder and more insufferable than JP's. "And then…hey listen! And then, she was…"

"I can't sleep…" Casey whispered to her neighbour, Cassidy. "Why can't they choose another spot to talk?"

"Somebody tell them to be quiet." TK added in an irritated whisper. Even he was losing his patience.

"That's it!" Cassidy screamed all of a sudden. The aggressive Team Rocket member was not known for her patience or good temper. "We are trying to SLEEP! The two of you, shut the hell up!"

"Sorry, sorry! When we're excited, we get a little too loud." JP laughed. "We'll try to be quieter!"

JP and Takuya tried lowering the volumes of their voices, hopefully satisfying the needs of the people who were trying to sleep. But a few minutes later, their usual loud and obnoxious laughter returned, like an alarm bell that couldn't stop ringing, and their endless conversations echoed in the ears of everybody in the camp throughout the entire night.

"I hate them…" Casey moaned.

And everybody agreed.

- - -

DAY 20

Ever since Cassidy was switched over to the Huntail tribe, she was forced to compromise her personality in order to fit in with her new tribe. If Cassidy reached her highest peak in the Gorebyss tribe, then she must have hit rock bottom during her brief stay in Huntail. Not only had she lost her allies and her power, the authoritative Team Rocket member also felt like she lost a part of her dignity as well. In her mind, she felt that a person of her status and potential was supposed to dominate the game. For her to be scared of a few young punks was a complete insult to her character.

Luckily, things appeared to be reverting back to the way that Cassidy always wanted – everything was going her way again.

Today, the Clamperl tribe unanimously agreed that they needed to work on expanding the shelter. But even with ten people, this project was not as easy as it sounded. They needed a leader to assign tasks and keep things in check. Naturally, Cassidy volunteered to be the leader. Nobody challenged her for this title and Cassidy was not surprised. She always thought of her tribe members as cowardly followers.

So once again, Cassidy found herself in a role of leadership, content to be bossing people around and ordering them what to do. She proudly stood in front of the Clamperl shelter, barking out commands to the other nine players. And to her credit, she was at least an effective leader. Even if she was not a likable person, several people had to grudgingly admit that Cassidy knew how to get a job done. Constructing the new and larger shelter was going more smoothly than most had expected, all thanks to Cassidy's efficient leadership.

Cassidy: I'm really glad that Brock guy isn't here anymore, because I'm now the only visible and willing leader. When I'm in a leadership position, I get to shine. The best part about being a leader is the control. I get to control my destiny in this game. Hell, I get to control other people's destinies.

She cackled maliciously in front of the cameras.

Cassidy: I think I've played a damn good game up until now. Every tribal council I've attended so far, the person that I want out is gone. Stupid Suzie, Bitchy Zoe, Phony Delia, Boring Brock…gone, gone, gone, gone. And I don't intend to lose any of my power at all. As long as there are followers, I'll continue to thrive and dominate in this game. They don't know it yet, but I already have Casey, Drew, JP and TK totally in my control.

Cassidy had her admirers – namely Casey, who always looked up to her as an authoritative figure. But she also had a handful of rebels, those who tried to defy against Cassidy's solid leadership. Every time Takuya or Rika would do so, Cassidy would only sigh and shake her head. Don't those fools learn by now? Why can't they just let her dominate in peace?

Of the two, Takuya was definitely the more annoying one. Cassidy always considered Rika as a cynical loner, but she at least had the decency to get out of Cassidy's sight most of the time. But Takuya was just a pesky little brat who didn't know when to give up. If he didn't like what Cassidy was doing, he can't just pout and cry in the corner like she hoped he would, he had to make an enormous scene about the issue, just so everybody would know how much he hated her. Cassidy didn't mind his juvenile insults – after all, she had faced much more difficult scenarios in her long and bitter life. But still, he was an obnoxious nuisance and he drove Cassidy nuts every time he was around him.

"Hey Cassidy, do you think we should build the roof a little higher?" JP asked. He was holding a machete loosely in his chubby right hand. Cassidy glared at him with stern alertness.

"First of all, don't hold the machete like that unless you want to lose your foot." Cassidy said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, sorry about that." JP chuckled. He did not know why he apologized to her, but Cassidy just had a way of intimidating him even when he didn't do anything wrong. He always felt like he should apologize to her, just so he would be on her good side, just to be safe.

"If you want to rebuild the roof, you'll need some more people to help you with it." Cassidy said. She looked around the tribe for any spare workers – no, she couldn't find anybody. They were already assigned to different jobs. Finally, she settled her eyes on Takuya, who was fidgety with a rope nearby. "Takuya, go help JP rebuild the roof."

Takuya ignored her and continued tying the knot around a pole in the shelter. Ignoring Cassidy was a statement – his statement of telling Cassidy that he disapproved and disrespected her leadership.

"Immature little brat. Won't listen to me, huh?" Cassidy mumbled under her breath. Then in a louder and calmer voice, she turned towards JP. "Forget about the roof, JP. Go collect some more wood in the forest." She paused and eyed the machete in his hand. With a smug smirk, she added, "Hopefully, you'll come back with all ten fingers in your hands, klutz."

"Was that a necessary remark?" Takuya asked, raising his head from the knot that he was tying seconds ago.

"I thought you were ignoring me," said Cassidy, who continued to smirk.

Takuya continued glaring at her, but did not say anything more. Behind Cassidy's back, he could see that JP was motioning him to be quiet and not make a scene over this.

JP: I don't like Cassidy. She's snide and conniving – kind of like Drew, except I know he's only joking and he doesn't mean any of the things he says. But Cassidy is different. She's just hateful to people on purpose. She says hurtful things to someone in order to make herself feel better. It's kind of sad when you think about it. So, she's not only arrogant…she's also pretty delusional too.

He had a small chuckle as he said that out loud.

JP: She isn't my choice of an ally, but Drew likes her…so I guess I have to respect Drew's bizarre decision in friends. As long as I'm aligned with Drew, I'm also aligned with Cassidy by association. I wished it didn't work that way, but dude, that's the way the game flows.

- - -

After hanging around the men of Huntail for twenty days, May had a pretty good idea about the personalities of the people that she lived with. Takato was the innocent one. Drew was the mean one. JP was the fun one. TK was the nice one. But these one-dimensional impressions of them were constantly changing as she learned more about these guys. Every day, May was surprised to discover a new side to her tribe members, or as May would like to call them – their "true colours".

On this hot and sunny afternoon, a majority of the Clamperl tribe were busily working on their shelter. However, Cassidy delegated the task of collecting firewood to the trio of Drew, May and TK. She claimed that they couldn't solely focus on building the shelter and neglect on other important camp chores. As the three of them trekked through the forest, a light and casual was exchanged between the three former Huntail members.

"May, you missed a classic Takuya moment last night." Drew flashed a shrewd grin at TK as he said that. "You fell asleep too soon."

"Hmm? What was it?" May asked. She wasn't too interested in talking with Drew right now. She had yet forgiven him about the stunt he pulled at the previous tribal council. But May did mentally note to herself how rare it was for the cold and distant Coordinator to engage her in a conversation like this. It didn't seem like Drew's usual demeanour at all.

"He acted like a complete idiot, like usual." TK said, smiling vaguely.

May raised an eyebrow. She found it very unusual to hear those words coming out of TK's mouth. He always seemed so kind and so considerate in her eyes. He was the golden boy, after all. JP once joked to her that he thought TK was just a shallow shell of a person filled with mushy compliments and a golden heart inside. May had laughed at that of course, because she had not thought it was possible for the polite and friendly TK to badmouth anybody in this game.

Apparently, she was wrong.

May: It must be an ego problem, but TK and Drew have this tendency to...uh, make fun of Takuya all the time. I nickname it as the 'Bash Takuya' sessions. They've done this a lot of times before we merged, even if they only knew the guy for like, I don't know…the ten minutes that he had been on the Huntail tribe for the first day. Takuya must have given them a really bad first impression for TK and Drew to hate him so much. I mean, they haven't stopped mocking his every flaw ever since!

She frowned, looking a bit concerned at the cameras.

May: I think somehow, hating the same common enemy helps TK and Drew bond together, because they're two really different guys otherwise. So as weird as it sounds, Takuya is the glue that holds TK and Drew's friendship together. It's kind of mean-spirited, but I guess it's a guy thing.

"Like we suspected, he was an insensitive and inconsiderate bragger." Drew laughed in ridicule. "You should have heard him boasting about himself last night." He attempted mocking Takuya's voice, although unsuccessfully. "Oh, I'm so great! I'm the big, bad alpha male that you don't want to mess with! Please. Nobody wanted to hear his stupid conversations with JP, but that guy…he's such a dumbass!"

"What Takuya really needs is a mute button." TK added.

"What Takuya really needs is a swift kick in the head," said Drew with a sinister chuckle. "How does he expect to win a game like this with that frat boy attitude?"

"He's not going to win the game, Drew. He's not even going to make it to the jury," said TK. He paused before he continued in a more cautious tone. "We're going to vote him off next, remember?"

"That's right. He better not win immunity." Drew nodded his head in satisfaction with a smug smirk. Suddenly, he became serious as he turned towards May's direction. "May, you're going to vote with us, right?"

May gulped nervously. This was it. They were asking her the question. Luckily, she had rehearsed the fake answer many times with Takato and in her head.

"Of course!" May said in a cheerful voice. "It's Huntail versus Gorebyss, all the way. And we have the numbers over them! Why mess with such a splendid thing?"

Drew and TK stared at May for a brief moment and May had hoped that her answer didn't sound too insincere. Luckily, the two boys began to talk to each other again, which she hoped was an indication that they weren't suspicious of her. Phew! May felt a sensation of relief brushed all over her body. That fake and rehearsed answer was apparently good enough for TK and Drew to accept without suspicion. Thank goodness.

"I can't wait to see his reaction when he gets voted off," said Drew in his usual overconfident demeanour.

"It's going to be a defining moment in our games." TK nodded his head, smiling. His words always seemed less harsh compared to Drew's ruthless insults, but May noticed that they still carried the same hurtful intent.

The three of them continued talking for a while, occasionally drifting off to other topics, but Drew always managed to turn the conversation back into bashing Takuya. After May felt like she had enough excess of hate for the day, she excused herself from the two boys. As she walked away, Drew exchanged a smug smirk with TK. TK shared a similar expression, carrying a coy and apologetic smile on his handsome face. He looked almost too guilty – too guilty at something.

"I told you she was a clueless girl. It's obvious she doesn't see the situation the same way we do," said Drew enigmatically.

"She doesn't know." TK muttered, shaking his head. "She doesn't know him at all."

Takuya: On Day 13, May and I made a deal to watch each other's backs at the merge. Well, here we are and both of us are still in one piece. I was going to approach the chick and remind her about our deal, but May got to me first. She sure is a smart and resourceful girl. And a pretty cute one at that too.

Elsewhere in the forest, Takuya was slashing his machete viciously at a tree. He stopped, however, when he spotted May passing by, walking alone. He lifted his right arm and waved at her, and she flashed him a pleasant smile, content to see the athletic Frontier by random coincidence. She had hoped for a chance to have a private conversation with Takuya today and here was her lucky chance.

"Hey Takuya, got a minute?" May asked, smiling sweetly at the Frontier.

Although Takuya was a scrawny person by size – like a hairy monkey, as he would often compared himself, May found the sight of him, just standing there with a toothy grin, oddly appealing in her eyes. He was shirtless, with his sweaty body glistening under the sun rays. A Clamperl buff was tied tightly around his bicep, and in his hand he held a machete with the same manner one would use to hold a gun.

Very manly. May thought to herself and giggled.

"Sure, what's up?" Takuya asked, grinning.

"Remember a few days ago when we first met each other? We made a…uh, a deal together, right?" May asked.

Takuya nodded his head, silently indicating that he remembered the event.

"And I was just wondering…is the deal between us still intact?" May asked. She normally wasn't this tactless to ask a question as explicitly as this, but desperate times called for desperate measures and she needed an answer from Takuya now.

"Yeah!" Takuya laughed, replying without any hesitation. "I watch your back, you watch my back."

"Oh my god, thank you!" May smiled gratefully at the athletic man. "You don't know how happy you made me feel just for saying that."

"I don't know what I did to make you so happy, but I'm glad to take any credit for it!" Takuya laughed.

"So I assume the target is Cassidy?" May asked, sounding a bit more serious and level-headed before.

Takuya gave a small nod of the head and that was all May needed as a reassuring answer.

"Thank you…again. I knew I could trust you." May smiled sweetly at him. She paused for a second before continuing, "I don't care what they say about you, Takuya. You're a good guy."

Let TK and Drew insult him like immature schoolboys all they want, but May knew that Takuya Kanbara was different from the rest of them. Although he could be a little obnoxious and somewhat boneheaded at times, Takuya was honest. And trustworthy. And a nice person.

In any case, May at least respected Takuya a few notches better than some of the spineless backstabbers in her old Huntail tribe. With the exception of Takato, she was now cutting ties with the entire Huntail tribe. There was not a single person on that tribe whom she could trust. She did put her blind faith in each of them once, but they had lied to her, they had backstabbed her, and they had disappointed her. But luckily, May was a smart girl who learned from her mistakes. And from now on, she promised herself that she would no longer trust any of the weasels in the Huntail tribe.

Not Cassidy. Not Drew. Not TK. Not even JP. They all fit in the same dirty mould.

She had seen their true, ugly colours.

- - -

Professor Birch smiled faintly as the Clamperl tribe arrived on the beach. Leading the purple merged tribe was none other than Takuya Kanbara, who wore a wide and slightly smug grin on his boyish face. Professor Birch could tell that the goggle-headed boy was feeling very confident today. It was evident in the cocky swagger as he walked each step in the sand. Judging from his confident poise, the professor almost felt that Takuya knew he was going to win the immunity challenge today.

We'll see about that. Professor Birch thought to himself, smirking.

"Professor, let's rock and roll!" Takuya laughed, pumping his fist enthusiastically into the air. Standing behind him, a few chuckled, but many others were just rolling their eyes or shaking their heads in embarrassment.

"Welcome to your first individual immunity challenge, Clamperl." Professor Birch said. He paused and then turned towards Casey, who was hugging the golden Pokeball very closely to her chest. "First things first, I'll need to take that immunity idol back, Casey."

A reluctant Casey handed the golden Pokeball back to the Professor. He placed it on a pedestal nearby.

"There's no more need for tribal immunity. From now on, you'll be playing for this…" Professor Birch smiled, holding up a small necklace in his hand. It was basically a small regular Pokeball with a thin, black string attached to it. "The new immunity necklace!"

James nodded his head. Unconsciously, the Team Rocket member wrapped his fingers around an almost identical immunity necklace that he wore around his neck.

"As you could see behind me, there are ten enormous tanks behind me. Each of them is filled with the same amount of water." Professor Birch gestured his right hand behind his back. There were ten metallic containers, shaped like large cylinders, lined up next to each other. All of them were elevated from the ground by a slightly slanted slope. "If you look closely near the bottom of each bucket, you'll see a piece of masking tape that is covering a small hole in the tank. At the start of the challenge, that tape will be removed and then…water will start leaking out of the tank."

"Ah…" May murmured. She sounded a bit confused with this challenge.

"Each of you will have a pail." Professor Birch said, now holding a small pail in his other hand. "Taking that pail, you'll race to the beach, fill it with as much water as possible and run back to pour the water into the tank. This process will be repeated many times, so it will be a very physically exhausting challenge." After hearing this, a few players groaned, but the professor ignored them. "When you've run out of water in your tank, no more water will leak out of the hole. And when that happens, you're out of the challenge. So this means…the objective of the challenge is to keep water in your tank as long as possible. The last person remaining will win the coveted immunity necklace."

Professor Birch handed a pail to each of the ten players. Then, everybody walked over to a metallic tank before the challenge began.

"Once I give you the signal, remove the piece of tape that's covering the hole. Water will starting leaking and the challenge will begin." Professor Birch raised his hand in the arm. "Survivors ready, go!"

Ripppppp! Rika tore the small piece of tape on her bucket. A small circular hole was revealed and soon, a small stream of water began leaking out of the tank. Wasting no time, she got up on her feet and raced towards the beach. A few others were already running ahead of her, wagging their empty pails loosely in their hands.

Takuya was the first person to reach to the sea. He bent down and swooped up a handful of water inside his pail. His bucket was not completely full. In fact, it was barely half-fill. But nevertheless, the impulsive athlete was already running back to his container with his pail of water. James and Cassidy were also in the lead, although the two Team Rocket members were being far more cautious as they ran with their pails. James had a slightly difficult time trying not to spill any of the water inside his pail.

Although the tanks were large in size, the water was quickly leaking out. Takuya took a brief glance at his tank and was surprised to find out that nearly half of the water was already gone from it. He hastily poured his pail of water inside the tank and raced back to the beach. He had to make many more trips if he wanted to stay in this challenge.

While many were able to safely return from their first trip to the sea, TK Takaishi was not so lucky. His injured leg was definitely slowing his pace in this challenge and often, he found himself wincing in pain as he dragged his leg in the sand. By the time he filled up his pail with water at the sea for the first time, almost everybody was on their second or even third trips to fill up water. Soon after, Professor Birch gave a disappointing, but inevitable announcement.

"TK, your tank ran out of water! You have been eliminated from the challenge!" Professor Birch shouted.

May smiled sadly as she briefly glanced over at the blonde, who walked slowly over to where Professor Birch was standing. But she did not have time to care about the progress of other players, since she realized that her own tank was running dangerously low in water. She poured her pail of water inside the tank and began jogging back to the ocean. Hopefully, she could make another trip back before the water in her tank ran out.

"May, your tank ran out of water! You have been eliminated from the challenge!"

Too late. May sighed as she joined TK by the sidelines.

As the challenge progressed, many others were dropping out of the challenge as well. Despite their multiple trips back and forth, they simply couldn't catch up with the quick pace of this challenge. With only a small pail, it was nearly impossible to fill up enough water to pour into the tank.

"Drew, you have been eliminated from the challenge!" Professor Birch announced. A few seconds later, he added. "Rika, you have also been eliminated!"

As Rika reluctantly pulled herself away from the beach, she suddenly heard somebody cussing loudly nearby. The Tamer curiously turned her head towards the origin of the voice. It belonged to JP, who had accidentally dropped his pail into his tank while pouring water inside.

"Damn it!" JP shouted. He tried to stretch his arm inside the tank to retrieve the fallen pail, but it was impossible. And just like that, JP could do nothing more but helplessly watch the last of his water leak out from his tank.

"JP, you have been eliminated from the challenge." Professor Birch said, glancing over at his tank.

After four minutes have passed by, only five players remained in the challenge. They ran back and forth across the beach, not knowing the progress of their competitors. An awkward smile crept on Takato's face. For the first time, he realized that he actually had a chance of winning this immunity challenge!

"Casey, you have been eliminated from the challenge!"

"Another bites the dust," muttered Cassidy. With her muscular legs and extensive physical background, it was no surprise that she was the last female contender in the challenge. She bent down and filled up her pail carefully with water. Unlike Takuya's impulsive strategy, Cassidy would rather make one long and lengthy trip than several short and multiple trips.

After filling her bucket completely with water, she began running back to her tank. She briefly scanned the beach. Takuya was pouring water into his tank, while James was dashing back with another pail of water in his hand. Unfortunately, Cassidy's eyes were so focused on the other players that she didn't even see Takato, who was running right in front of her. The two of them collided and crashed, both landing painfully in the sand. To her horror, Cassidy's pail was thrown aside. The water that was in her pail a second ago now formed a small puddle in the sand.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see you! Are you okay?" Takato gasped, running over to Cassidy.

"Get out of my way!" Cassidy pushed Takato aside. As she tried to stand up, a sudden jolt of pain from her knee shocked her into falling down again. Cassidy looked down and finally realized a bleeding cut on her left knee. The injury didn't look too bad, but it was certainly very painful.

"Takato, you've been eliminated from the challenge!" Professor Birch announced. While the petite Tamer was trying to help Cassidy get up, he lost a lot of pivotal time in his delay.

Luckily, Cassidy was still in the challenge. When she was finally able to stand up on her feet, she grabbed her bucket from the sand. There was still some water left inside. And although her knee was aching with a jabbing pain, she still made it in time to pour the water inside her tank.

However, it was not enough. The small amount of water in her pail only bought Cassidy a few more seconds from her eventual elimination.

"Cassidy, you have been eliminated from the challenge!"

Takuya felt like he was running out of breath. He briefly turned his head to see James, who also looked like he was struggling in the challenge. Takuya bent down and hastily filled his pail with water. As he made his way back to the tank, Professor Birch was raising his arms in the air.

"Takuya…your tank ran out of water! You're eliminated from the challenge!" Professor Birch shouted. "Congratulations! James wins immunity!"

Squealing in joy, James dropped his empty pail on the sand and immediately ran towards Professor Birch. The bearded professor handed the excited Team Rocket member the immunity necklace.

"Thank you sooooo much!" James squealed in his usual content, high-pitched voice.

"This must feel good. Now you have two immunities around your neck," said Professor Birch with a grin. He turned towards the rest of the players. "Everyone, good effort in the challenge, but it's not enough. James will be the only person immune tomorrow night."

He paused, glancing at Takuya as he walked up to James and gave him a congratulatory hug. The professor noticed that Takuya no longer walked with that confident swagger in his steps.

"The ten of you have a tough decision ahead of you in tribal council. Get a good night of sleep, because one person will not make the jury after tomorrow night. Who will that be? We'll find out soon…"

- - -

Takato was smiling. His eyes cast upon the shelter in front of him and he felt a gush of pride brushing all over his body. Twenty days ago, he would have never imagined it was possible for him, for Takato Matsuki, to be able to help his tribe construct an actual shelter. But he did it. For the entire day, he helped the Clamperl tribe worked on expanding the tribe's shelter. Together, the tribe of ten efficiently took apart the structure and improved on it, working all the way until late evening. Luckily, they had finished the project before the sky got too dark. And now, many players were looking forward to the reward of their hard work: a comfortable night of sleep!

"What are you smiling about?" Rika asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

With her arms folded across her chest, Rika stood beside the goggle-headed Tamer and wore a bemused expression on her face.

"Oh hey, Rika." Takato grinned innocently at his friend. "I was just looking at the shelter."

"Hmm." Rika responded. She was just raising her foot to walk away when Takato suddenly started talking away. Feeling an unexplainable obligation to stay and listen, despite her reluctance to do so, Rika stood still in her position.

"We haven't really talked since we got here." Takato said, smiling. "How were things back in Gorebyss?"

"It was hell," replied Rika.

Takato chuckled. This was the type of cynical answer he had expected from Rika Nonaka. He missed her.

Takato: I wanted to be on Rika's tribe on the beginning, but things didn't really work out after that weird twist. I mean, I'm really glad that she's at the merge with me! But to be honest, I never thought she would last this long in the game. She's never really good with socializing or opening up to people, so I'm surprised…really surprised that she made it here. But still, it's cool to see Rika again. Yeah, she can be a bit standoffish at times, but that's what makes her special…that's what makes her Rika.

"Why are you laughing?" Rika asked, narrowing her icy blue eyes at the petite Tamer. "Is my misery funny to you?"

"N-no! No, I don't mean it like that!" Takato shook his head. In a panic, his mind reverted instantly to an apologetic mode. "I'm sorry!"

It was only when Takato saw a small smirk creep on Rika's face when he realized it was her peculiar method of teasing him. With Rika, even if Takato knew her for so long outside of the game, he could never tell when she was being serious or not. She always wore this unfriendly scowl on her face, after all.

"Goggle-head, I…" Rika began, but she was interrupted.

"There are two goggle-heads on this tribe now, Rika." Takato smirked. "You'll have to be more specific!"

"You…" Rika's lips turned into a thin smile for a few seconds. "You say stupid things sometimes, just like the other dork." She shook her head, making the smile vanish from her stoic face. "Anyway, I have a question."

"A question?" Takato asked, sounding a bit surprised.

There was a lengthy pause before Rika spoke again. It almost seemed to Takato that she was stalling time in her head, as if she was hesitant to ask this so-called question of hers.

"Does Cassidy still have her immunity necklace?" Rika finally asked.

"No. She used it at the last tribal council," said Takato. He turned to face Rika with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"Don't be annoying." Rika grunted and she began walking away.

"Hey, wait up!" Takato ran after her. "I have a question for you too."

"What?" Rika asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"Are you going to vote for Cassidy at the next tribal council?" Takato asked, lowering his voice into a soft whisper.

"Yeah, I'm voting for her." Rika muttered enigmatically.

"Me too." Takato said with a small smile.

The two Tamers stood as an air of serene silence passed between the two of them for several seconds. Rika hesitated, uncertain if she should walk away or not. A smiling Takato was gazing dreamily at the starry night sky.

"Look!" Takato gasped in surprise.

"Look where?" Rika asked.

"Look up at the sky!" Takato pointed his index finger upwards. A large, toothy grin formed on his face. "I see a shooting star!"

Rika's head shot up at the sky as she tried to search the sky for the shooting star. At first, she thought she saw a brief flash of light blinking rapidly in the night sky, but it was just another regular star, twinkling restfully in the darkness. Wherever the shooting star was, it vanished from her sight.

"I missed it." Rika muttered.

"Don't worry. There will be a next one." Takato said in his usual cheerful voice. Looking at Rika with a wide, innocent expression on his face, the petite Tamer sat down on the sand and grinned. "Let's sit here and watch the sky."

"That's the problem with you, goggle-head…you get amused too easily." Rika said, shaking her head. But she sat down beside him anyway.

As the two Tamers sat in the sand, silently gazing at the starry night sky, Takato couldn't help but feel a small, sheepish smile spread across his face. Because he did something that he knew Rika would never approve of – he lied to her. There had been no shooting star, it was merely a spontaneous tale fabricated by Takato's imagination. But after twenty days of being split up in different tribes, Takato felt a compelling urge to spend some quality time with his friend, Rika. And so, he made up a somewhat believable excuse, hoping that would be enough reason for Rika to stay and keep Takato company for the rest of the night.

He knew that there weren't going to be many words exchanged between the two, because Rika wasn't a sociable person. But he was happy anyway that the two of them could just sit here and watched the sky in silent bliss. Rika would have her arms wrapped around her knees, while Takato would lie down on the ground with both of his hands at the back of his head. They were simply two friends reunited again on the sandy beach of Clamperl.

Just Takato and Rika and nobody else. Just like old days.

Takato: You can learn a lot about yourself in the game. Being on the island without any luxuries really helps enrich the way you see life. I know I'm a lot more grateful to my parents for providing me a loving home and a satisfying life in the past. When I get back home, I…I just want to give them a big hug and treat them a whole lot better. Yep, that's going to be the first thing I'll do when I return home from this game.

Takato nodded his head a few times and smiled.

Takato: Unfortunately, I think there are some people who are in this game for all the wrong reasons. They are too focused on strategizing and deceiving people. They want to win Survivor so badly that they aren't really enjoying the amazing experiences on this island…

Meanwhile, Cassidy was nearby the campfire, preparing for tonight's dinner by herself. Just then, Drew approached her from a distance, smirking arrogantly as always. For a second, Cassidy shot a brief glimpse at the Pokemon Coordinator, but she immediately turned away again. She did not make any attempt to speak to him. Drew also seemed to be ignoring Cassidy, for he walked right past the Team Rocket member without even acknowledging her presence. He bent down and grabbed a water container nearby. As he did that, Drew's mouth and Cassidy's right ear came into contact at very close proximity.

"It's safe." Cassidy suddenly whispered.

"Is Casey with us?" Drew asked, speaking in a soft and barely audible whisper.

"Hell yes." Cassidy smirked. She had mastered the skill of speaking without actually moving her lips. "I have that girl wrapped around my hands."

"Good." Drew said as he took a sip of water. The blank expression on his face did not change. "It's exactly as we had planned."

"Are you sure those brats are going to vote with us?" Cassidy asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry. We have the whole game under control," said Drew.

And then, he walked away, carrying the battered container in his small and delicate hands. Cassidy also turned back to her work, with a smug and overconfident smirk plastered prominently on her piercing face. She sighed, almost a little too romantically, as she poured some rice into a wooden bowl. Although the discussion between her and Drew only took place for less than thirty seconds, it cleared out any of Cassidy's doubts about the upcoming vote. In fact, Drew's words helped confirm one very thrilling prospect – Cassidy was in a position of power again.

Tomorrow night, Cassidy would go to another tribal council. And the person who she wanted gone would be the one who left. It had always been like that. Things had always gone accordingly to Cassidy's shrewd, strategic plans. And Cassidy didn't intend for any of that to change at the next tribal council.

Nothing could go wrong tomorrow night.

Absolutely nothing.

- - -

DAY 21

This morning, TK was resuming his daily routine of jogging by the river. Well, it wasn't so much of a jog anymore. At the snail-like pace that he was moving, it felt like an easy stroll in the park by an old man. But after ten days of resting inactively, TK was not complaining. At least he was making progress now. And progress was good. Very good.

"I've gotten lazy in the past ten days." TK smiled weakly at the cameras. "I had to take a break from my usual jogging because of…you know, the incident."

He cast a brief glance at his left leg, which TK seemed to be dragging in the sand rather than lifting it.

"Anyway, I feel a lot better now, just walking around the island and enjoying the scenery." TK's smile grew slightly wider. "I'm a pretty realistic guy. For example, I don't intend to win a foot race any time soon. But hey, I've got to think positive!"

Although TK was chuckling lightly at his own remark, the tone of his voice appeared less enthusiastic than his words. It almost seemed like he was trying to persuade himself of what he was saying.

"Got to think positive…" TK mumbled.

During his senior year of high school, TK Takaishi was captain of the basketball team, star of the track team, and also athlete of the year. In addition, he was on the honour roll as well as being a pivotal member of the student council. Had he not followed his mother's footsteps in pursuing a writing career, the handsome blonde could have breezed through life as a famous athlete or a successful politician. No matter how difficult the task, TK always found a way of excelling in anything and everything that he attempted. He was the golden boy, after all.

With so many successful attributes in his resume, TK was not used to being inept at anything, especially sports. But ever since his fateful encounter with an Ursaring ten days ago, TK can only sit and watch as his body, his abilities, and his dignity slowly decay into nothingness. Back when he was on the Huntail tribe, his injury gave him no choice but to sit out during many of the challenges. TK Takaishi, who was once named athlete of the year, had to succumb to watching the action from the sidelines. Although TK did not admit this to anybody, there was a tiny part of him that felt so helpless and so emasculated. Before his own eyes, the once mighty TK Takaishi was being reduced into nothing.

TK: I don't know how to describe the pain in my left leg. It's like…numb pain, eh, I'm getting used to it by now. And while I'm very thankful that the wound is recovering, I can't ignore that it's still hurting me a lot. I don't perform as well in challenges as before. I can't help out around camp as much as before. And just overall, I feel weak and useless. I know I've the potential and the capability to do so much more, but I…I just can't do anything in my current condition.

He gazed sadly at the cameras. He had his hand wrapped around his left ankle.

TK: Yesterday, I was the first person eliminated in the immunity challenge. I got last place in a challenge that was basically about running back and forth on a beach, ha! I can already feel the bitter taste of irony in my mouth. I wished I could put on a 'good-sportsmanship' smile and pretend everything is alright. But it kind of hurts a little. This is a huge jab to my self-esteem.

"Life is good though. I got targeted at the last tribal council, but as long as I'm still here…" TK flashed another stressed smile at the cameras. "I'm just happy to be here."

He bowed slightly to the cameras. With his head tilted down, the white bucket hat that he was wearing fell and dropped into the river. At first, TK expected the rapid waves of the river to carry his hat into the ocean, where it would be impossible for him to retrieve. But luckily, it was caught in between two small rocks in the water.

"Oh damn." TK frowned. He looked around for any available assistance, but found nothing.

He sighed. Guess I have to take care of this by myself.

TK dipped his right foot into the river and then, he carefully placed his other foot – the injured foot – into the water as well. He tried to ignore the water brushing violently against his wound, although the pain was exhilaratingly painful. TK bent down and reached out his arm to pick up the hat. Unfortunately, his foot made an untimely movement, causing the blonde to slip and fall in the river.

Luckily, the blonde landed on a relatively flat spot and did not hit his head on any sharp rocks in the river. Out of instinct, his left hand was gripping tightly to the shore, the only thing that held him from being washed away by the currents.

"I can't even do a simple…" TK let his voice trailed off. He did not want to think about what he was going to say next. Instead, the blonde closed his eyes and cussed in a frustrated and uncharacteristic manner. "SHIT!"

TK tried to pull himself up with his hands. For a brief second, his body was slightly elevated from the water. But just then, his strength seemed to have evaporated and TK fell once again in the water.

"Useless! Useless! You're so damn useless, TK Takaishi!" TK paused, biting his lips. "You useless piece of shit!"

Calm down, this isn't like you at all. TK thought to himself inside his head. I have to calm down. Then in a more sarcastic tone, his mind unconsciously added, Easier said than done.

"Hey…"

TK suddenly opened his eyes, surprised to hear a human voice out of nowhere. In his rage, he did not even notice the presence of another person around him.

It was Takato Matsuki. The Tamer's gentle face was looking down at him, smiling sympathetically at the fallen blonde. He offered his hand to TK, which the blonde accepted as he used Takato's arm to pull himself up from the river.

"Takato, you were…" TK blushed, looking slightly embarrassed at the thought that Takato probably witnessed his breakdown. "Thank you."

"Do you remember on the first day of the game, I jumped of the boat too quickly and fell down on my butt?" Takato asked.

TK nodded his head, although he did not remember the incident. With Takato's help, TK managed to climb out of the shallow river.

"You were the first person to offer your hand to me, TK. You helped me get up on my feet, even when I felt so insecure about myself at the time." Takato continued. "And now, I'm doing the same thing for you."

"Takato, I…" TK mumbled, sounding a bit in awe.

"I have a friend who's just like you." Takato said, smiling vaguely at the blonde. "He's friendly, he's mature and he's also a bit of an overachiever. I sometimes envy him because he seems so perfect all the time." The Tamer paused and gave a small chuckle. "But I know that deep down…it's tough for both of you to put on a façade. It's tough trying to pretend that everything is okay, even when they're falling apart right in front of you. Even as hope slips away from your hand…"

TK remained speechless. He closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"It's not always easy putting up an image. It's not always easy keeping your feelings bottled up." Takato said, putting his hand on TK's shoulder. "Just know that you have friends here who will listen to your problems, no matter what. You don't always have to walk this path alone."

Takato paused. With a coy smile, he looked up at TK again.

"If you want, I can take this walk with you tomorrow…"

The blonde opened his again. For the first time in a long while, a genuine smile spread across TK's handsome face.

"Thank you, Takato…"

TK: This game is not only physically demanding, but it also takes a huge tow on your mental state as well. It's so ugly sometimes. It's a game that draws out all your insecurities, all your fears, all your worst attributes and magnify them in the most unflattering light. I'm usually pretty calm and anchored, but I kind of lost it today. I'm just glad that Takato was here to knock some sense into me when I most needed it. He's a good kid.

TK nodded his head and smiled sadly at the cameras.

TK: I could put on a fake smile and tell the cameras that everything is a-okay with me, but I'm not going to do that. It's not healthy to compose my emotions inside myself all the time. I still have some issues that I've to sort out on my own. I think I could become a happier person if I'm more true to myself, starting from now.

- - -

Cassidy tapped her foot impatiently. Breakfast was getting cold and she was getting hungrier by each second. Sitting beside her on the log, a yawning Casey also looked like she was fed up with waiting. The only other person present was Takuya, who was standing distantly away from the two women. He was not keen on starting a conversation with neither Cassidy nor Cassidy, and the feeling seemed to be mutual.

"TK and Takato are here!" Casey waved. She beamed as the two boys sat down on adjacent logs. "Good morning, TK! Good morning, Takato!"

"Morning, Casey." TK looked around at the inactive camp. "Where is everyone else?"

"Drew and James went fishing on the stupid motorboat," said Cassidy in a bored voice. "They said they wanted to catch some fish in the early morning."

"May and JP are checking treemail or something," said Casey in an equally nonchalant tone.

"And Rika…" Takuya paused and then he laughed. "I don't even know where the hell Rika is. But I bet you she's by herself, just like always."

"I guess we have to wait for them before we eat breakfast…" Takato said, sighing.

"It's impolite to eat this without them," added TK, looking at his bowl of apple slices dejectedly.

"I'm so sick of waiting! When did it become a rule that we have to eat together as a tribe?" Cassidy asked, pumping her left fist angrily in her other hand. "I'm hungry and the food is getting cold and I just want to eat, damn it!"

"Yeah, me too." Casey put her hands on her hips in mock anger. "It's their faults that they don't appreciate my cooking!"

"Okay, so it's decided then!" Cassidy said. She picked up her bowl of apple slices from the ground. "Let's eat!"

"Now, now…I'm sure they'll be back." TK said, glancing at the sea for any trace of a motorboat. "I don't think JP will be pleased if we start breakfast without him."

But despite what TK was trying to say, an impatient Cassidy was already digging in the food. She munched on the slice of apple in an unusual loud manner, perhaps even deliberately loud to tempt the others. Casey looked at her tribe members uncertainly, but she began to eat too. Finally, Takato and Takuya joined in, also eating the breakfast laid out in front of them. TK sighed, feeling the peer pressure effect taking place. And soon, he too gave into temptation as he began to eat the apple slices in his bowl.

Cassidy: We aren't in kindergarten anymore, so there's no reason that all ten of us have to be there at each meal. I don't feel bad – we had no obligation to wait for them. They could have leftovers when they come back…if they're lucky.

She cackled with glee.

Cassidy: Honestly, I couldn't care less if there's no food left when they come back. It's not MY problem that they were stupid enough to be away during mealtime! Casey isn't going to cook another breakfast and I sure as hell won't cook anything for those latecomers. So if they're hungry, tough luck!

"Hey Takato, you were really good at the immunity challenge yesterday," said Takuya, grinning at the other goggle-head sitting nearby. "I didn't think you were that good of an athlete, but…wow, you surprised me, man! If you didn't stop in the middle of the challenge to help Cassidy, you might have won the thing!"

Cassidy shot a spiteful glare at Takuya's direction, but said nothing as she bit on a slice of apple.

"No, I'm not really that good…" Takato laughed modestly. "It was just dumb luck."

"I better watch out though. You're putting up a good fight in the challenges and…" Takauya grinned boyishly and then flexed his right bicep in front of Takato in a playful manner. "There's only enough room for one goggle-head in this tribe!"

"You're funny, Takuya." Takato laughed. Meanwhile, Casey and TK exchanged knowing glances with each other, both resisting the urge to roll their eyes.

"What an ego," muttered Cassidy under her breath.

"Hey, TK!" Casey's head perked up. She turned towards the blonde and smiled enthusiastically at him. "I have been wondering about something ever since I got here…"

"What's on your mind?" TK asked.

"I want to know how you…uh, how you injured your leg." Casey said, casting a short glance at TK's bandaged left leg.

The blonde smiled weakly at Casey. For the past week, he usually wore long pants (mostly track pants) to cover up his injured leg, since he didn't want his injury to be a huge distraction. But due to his accident in the river this morning, TK was forced to change into a pair of shorts, thus revealing the wound on his left leg. It was the first time for some of his tribe members to actually see his leg after the attack.

"I got attacked by an Ursaring in the forest some time ago." TK said. His smile was fading away as he tried recalling the accident ten days ago. "Not the best time of my life, but I'm still in one piece."

"Oh…" Casey muttered. She sounded awestruck and embarrassed at the same time. "I'm sorry."

"You're a pretty tough guy to endure that," added Cassidy.

"There are bears living on this island…?" Takuya asked, raising an eyebrow.

Takato nodded his head, which made Casey look slightly squeamish in her face. She put down her bowl of apples on the ground and sighed.

"Come to think of it, don't you think this island is a little dangerous? There are bears wandering on the land that we live on…" Casey whispered, her eyes shifting nervously at the forest. "Is it really safe to live here?"

"It's safe! As long as you stay away from the bears' territory, you'll be fine. My leg was just a very unfortunate accident!" TK grinned, but Casey didn't look convinced at all.

"I don't think I'm too reassured." Casey laughed weakly. "I may have to sleep with one eye open from now on!"

Casey: I think it's pretty scary to live on the same island as a bunch of bears, especially since they attacked TK before. Come on! Doesn't that make them dangerous predators? I know they won't bother us if we don't bother them, but still…I'm still kind of scared for my life, heh!

"Anyway," Casey forced a small smile on her boyish face. She attempted at a light joke to loosen the tension. "You won't see me take one step into the forest any time soon!"

"Hey, that sounds like a pretty decent piece of advice!" TK added, chuckling.

"I don't think it's that dangerous." Takuya said, frowning. "If you think about it, those bears aren't really that smart. They're just animals…and we are humans! We should be able to outsmart them any day of the week."

He paused and nodded his head a few times.

"Yeah, you know what…" Takuya grinned. His cocky voice was growing more confident as he spoke each word. "If we could capture a bear in the forest, we'd be really eating! We wouldn't have to worry about our next several meals!"

"Don't tell me you're seriously considering this…" Cassidy snickered.

"We're running low on our food supplies." Takuya said, ignoring Cassidy's pessimistic remark. "If we could just hunt that bear and kill it or something…"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Takuya. They're really dangerous." Takato said, wearing an uncomfortable look on his face.

"There's no way you can catch a bear." TK shook his head quickly. "You'll just end up putting your life in peril. Our lives too."

"Don't act like a bunch of cowards! Where's the survival spirit? Where's your sense of adventure?" Takuya said, waving his hand dismissively.

"You're being irrational." TK said.

"Oh, listen, listen! I just got a great plan! We can devise a trap in the forest to lure our prey! It'd be a bear trap!" Takuya pumped his fist in the air with the same enthusiasm as a small child on an overload of caffine. He was obviously ignoring all the concerns that were voiced upon him. "Oh man, I love this idea!"

"Takuya, you…" TK found it more difficult to maintain the calmness in his voice. Before he finished his sentence, he was surprisingly interrupted by Cassidy's outburst.

"For once, I agree with you, kid." Cassidy smirked at Takuya. "The bear trap sounds completely out there, but I think it might just work. I'd be really impressed if you can bring a dead bear back home."

Casey raised her eyebrow at her ally. Out of all the reactions possible, she did not expect Cassidy to actually agree with Takuya's idea.

"Aha! An unlikely supporter!" Takuya grinned awkwardly at Cassidy. "But a supporter nonetheless! Okay, that's that! I'm going to start building the trap when we get back from tribal council."

Cassidy smirked, but said nothing. She popped an apple slice in her mouth and began chewing it.

Cassidy: Takuya is the biggest idiot I've met in my life. How could he be so stupid? It's ridiculous that he thinks he could actually catch a large, burly bear with a schoolboy trap like that! I capture Pokemon for a living and trust me…it's not as easy as it sounds. We often go into months of planning and testing before we carry out a massive operation like this. But that boy, he thinks he could just waltz in the forest and by some miracle, a bear would walk right into his trap and he'd be the hero of the day. Get real!

Cassidy's shrill laughter was piercing to the cameras.

Cassidy: That boy is just way over his head that it's not even funny. Well, it's kind of funny to watch him make a complete fool out of himself. It's obvious that this is another poor attempt on Takuya's part to act like THE alpha male. I don't mind playing along. I'll just keep feeding on his ego because sooner or later, he's going to self-destruct and piss off everyone in the tribe. He's digging his own grave and I'm more than happy to lend him the shovel.

"Oh, you know what…we could use some of the shampoo as bait!" Takuya said energetically. A few of his tribe members tossed him several odd looks, but that just made Takuya's grin widened even more. "The shampoo is honey scented, remember? Man, it would just be perfect for the trap!"

"I hope we don't get eaten by a bear…" Casey chuckled.

- - -

Hours before going to tribal council, a majority of the people in Clamperl felt the need of isolating themselves from each other. The atmosphere was hostile and most people avoided each other in order to achieve some alone time. Rika disappeared inside the forest, while TK took a lonely stroll along the Huntail river. Everybody was dispersed and scattered across camp, hanging out all by themselves. May stared at the inactive tribe, hands on her slender hips, looking slightly confused at the lack of energy in her tribe members. She had expected more strategizing during this time, but everyone was being oddly evasive.

Takato was sitting by the campfire, staring at the pot of boiling water. The baby Seel snuggled cosily by his right sneaker. Going through an amazing recovery, the seal appeared to be in a much better condition than they had found him two days ago. May approached both of them with a wide smile on her face.

"Hi, Takato!" May said in a bright and chipper voice. "Oh, you look a little sad."

"I'm just nervous about tribal council." Takato flashed a weak smile at the Pokemon Coordinator.

"Yeah, me too…" May frowned.

Instead of taking a seat beside Takato, she kneeled down by Takato's feet and stared into the eyes of the baby Seel. As the sea creature played around with Takato's shoelaces, May can't help but feel a large smile spread across her face.

"This Seel is soooo cute." May grinned, looking up at Takato. "Do you have a name for it?"

"Not really," said Takato. He paused, and then as an afterthought, he added, "I was wondering if I should call him Baby Brock, you know, since Brock was his saviour and all. He was the one who healed this Seel from its injury."

"Baby Brock?" May giggled in her usual girlish voice. "That's an adorable name, Takato! I love it!"

JP: Apparently, Takato named his pet Seel with the weird name of Baby Brock. It's supposed to be a reminiscence of the human Brock and all of his contribution to the Huntail tribe. Umm…yeah. Anyway, a lot of us have our eyes on that Seel for a long time, but it's a little different from Takato's innocent reason. You see, Drew told us about how nutritious a baby Seel's meat is and oh boy, I…I just want a taste of it so badly.

He shook his head slowly and began to chuckle.

JP: I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want to eat Brock.

"I guess he better get used to his new name!" Takato leant down and swooped up the baby Seel in his petite hands. "Hey, little buddy…your name is Baby Brock. B-R-O-C-K. You're Baby Brock."

"Oh my god, you're actually trying to teach it his name…" May laughed, looking amused. "You…you're so cute sometimes, Takato."

"Huh?" Takato blushed.

"Never mind." May waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, have you talked with your friend Rika yet? You know…about the vote? Since the two of you are friends before this game, she probably trusts you a lot more than me."

Takato nodded his head.

"That's great! I've talked with Takuya too and…" May lowered her cheerful voice into a cautious whisper. She paused and turned her head to make sure no body was listening in to their conversation. "He told me that they're going to vote for Cassidy tonight."

"Rika said that she's voting for her too," said Takato.

"So, it's confirmed." May smiled, looking satisfied. She began rubbing her hands together in excitement. "As long as we team up with the Huntail tribe in the vote, we're going to be safe."

"Do they suspect anything?" Takato asked. Although he did not mention their specific names explicitly, May knew that he was talking about the four members of the Huntail tribe.

"No, they still think we're going to be loyal to them." May smiled. She paused again and turned her head to see if anybody was nearby. "I'm pretty sure they're targeting Takuya at the vote – TK and Drew told me. And they definitely expect that we'll be on their side."

"Is this okay, May? I kind of…I'm kind of worried. Are we doing the right thing, you know, lying to them?" Takato asked, sounding uncertain. "We're telling them one thing, but we are going to do another…"

"I feel bad about it too." May's voice dropped its cheerful edge. "But…but we have to watch out for ourselves. This is the only way to survive."

Takato nodded his head slowly. He was not convinced with May's answer, but he decided not to upset the Pokemon Coordinator any further. The quiet boy placed the baby Seel on his laps and gently patted its head.

Takato: I feel really bad that we're lying to our old tribe. May seems okay with it – well not exactly, she's kind of struggling with the decision too. I know that Huntail voted Brock out and we're avenging for him in a way, but…but I want to stay true to myself. If it's possible, I don't want to lie to anybody in this game. Okay, I'm willing to betray them if it's necessary, but I'm going to feel really terrible about it afterwards.

He shook his head sadly. Takato looked at the cameras with a small, guilty smile on his boyish face.

Takato: I'm too naïve, right? I'm thinking about that too. I hate myself for being weak.

- - -

Standing by the ice sculpture of a majestic Dewgong, Professor Birch could hear the distant footsteps approaching the tribal council set. He opened his eyes and saw the Clamperl tribe arriving. Leading the pack of the ten was Takuya Kanbara, who exerted an air of deluded confidence like always. Professor Birch wanted to roll his eyes. Although he was supposed to maintain an unbiased stance as host, there were a few players who annoyed Professor Birch to an unthinkable extreme. Drew. Cassidy. Takuya. The astounding arrogance that they display in every tribal council was like a mutating fungus that spread across their faces. As a man who appreciated the characteristics of humbleness and humility, Professor Birch found these overconfident players unendurable.

"Welcome to tribal council." Professor Birch said in a stern voice. "It's been three days since the ten of you merge into one tribe. May, tell me about the developments around camp."

"Everybody is getting along, professor!" May said, flashing a few sweet smiles at some of the players around her. "Umm…we actually expanded our shelter so it'll fit ten people. I think that project really helped us bond together as a group. I guess I shouldn't apply this to everybody here, but I just love meeting new people. It's a great boost to the energy level around camp!"

"Casey, how about you? Do you feel like an intruder as a former Gorebyss member moving into the Huntail camp?" Professor Birch asked.

"Yeah, I felt like an outsider when I first arrived." Casey nodded her head. "I've been on the Gorebyss tribe for eighteen days and suddenly, bam! I'm surrounded by all these people who are supposed to be my enemy in challenges!" She laughed. "It's kind of nerve-wrecking!"

"We try our best to make you feel welcomed, Casey." TK said, smiling politely.

"I know. I overcame my nervousness when I saw how nice these people are." Casey chuckled. "It's a slam being here ever since!"

"So far, I've heard some pretty positive feedback about the merge." Professor Birch rubbed his chin. "Rika, what are your thoughts on this game being more individual after the merge?"

"It has always been an individual game, professor," said Rika. Like always, her response sounded very indifferent and emotionless.

"Yes, that's true." Professor Birch nodded. "But what about tribal ties? Do you think the ten of you are playing as individual players, or is this tribal council going to be a showdown between the alliances in Huntail versus Gorebyss?"

"It has always been an individual game, professor." Rika repeated.

Several players silently laughed. Professor Birch just groaned and decided to move on to the next person.

"Let's see…James!" Professor Birch turned towards the quiet Team Rocket member. "You got swapped to Gorebyss on Day 13 and now, you're reunited with your old tribe once again. How does that make you feel?"

"Considering that I'm rejected by Huntail…" James began.

"I don't think that's a fair statement, dude!" JP interjected, waving his right arm angrily in the air. "May had to send someone to the other tribe because of the twist. It wasn't like our tribe rejected you or anything!"

James opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted by a louder voice yet again.

"May I say something?" Cassidy raised her hand. Without waiting for a response from the professor, she turned her face towards Takuya and smirked. "As someone who was heavily affected by the twist, I'd like to add that every decision in this game is personal. I don't care what excuse these people use, but it's a fact that both James and I have been rejected by our old tribes."

"Unfortunately, you're still here." Takuya muttered.

"I'm still here because I need to dish out my revenge." Cassidy cracked her knuckles menacingly. "I won't be satisfied until certain people leave this game."

"Hmm…" Professor Birch said, gazing at the group of ten with mild fascination. "Drew, you're being pretty quiet tonight."

"A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back," said Drew, smiling faintly. "Good words to follow by in a situation like this."

"You're not that wise, kid." Cassidy laughed. A few players were actually nodding their heads in agreement. Drew just shrugged his shoulders, not responding back.

"Okay, it's time to vote." Professor Birch announced. "Since James has immunity, he can't receive any votes tonight. Anybody else is fair game. Takato, you're up first."

The petite Tamer arrived at the voting booth, smiling nervously. He didn't hesitate as he wrote down Cassidy's name on his piece of parchment.

"I'm really sorry about this, Cassidy. May and I promised that we'll stick with Huntail and vote off the other tribe, but…um, it is an individual game. We decided that it's better if we side with Gorebyss tonight. I wished I could tell you the truth so you wouldn't feel blindsided tonight, but I…I'm just really sorry."

Takuya voted, and then it was JP's turn. He sighed and smiled weakly when he held up his vote.

"Nothing personal, but I'm just getting rid of a bad seed in our tribe. I didn't want to do this, but everybody is gonna vote for you, so…yeah. I know you're really excited about the merge and I wished you could stay on our tribe longer. Sorry, dude. Peace out."

Next at the voting booth was May. She wrote down the capital letter 'C' on her parchment, smiled confidently, and looked up at the cameras.

"Sorry, but you might be too naïve if you actually think Takato and I will stay loyal to you guys. We aren't stupid. After what happened at the last tribal council, there was no way we could trust Huntail again. Let's see how you feel to be completely blindsided at the vote, then you'll understand why we switched over to Gorebyss tonight."

She finished writing the rest of the name on her parchment, folded her vote in half and dropped it into the voting urn.

"This one is for Brock."

Drew and TK voted. The two men exchanged a quick, shrewd smile with each other, since both of them knew they wrote down the same person's name tonight.

Rika was the seventh person to vote. Glaring down at the empty parchment in front of her, she hesitated. Although she had never changed the firm decision in her mind, Rika was still surprised that Takuya's words were echoing softly in her head. She didn't realize that what he said to her earlier this evening would leave this powerful of an impact. Rika shook her head and rid herself of these wearisome thoughts.

I don't care about the stupid goggle-head. Rika thought as she wrote down "Cassidy" on her vote.

"It would be stupid to vote for anybody else. It has to be you. You have to go."

Casey voted. James voted. And then, Cassidy walked up to the booth, swaggering confidently in her stride. As the last person to cast a vote, the feisty Team Rocket member felt a false sense of importance and power tonight. She picked up the black marker and scribbled down six letters on her parchment.

"It really should be the other guy tonight…"

She folded her vote in half and dropped it into the urn.

"But you're just a scapegoat. You have always been the scapegoat."

Carrying a smug expression on her face, Cassidy turned around and began walking back to her seat. Although the votes haven't been read yet, she already knew the outcome of tonight's tribal council. In her mind, nothing could go wrong with her core of control. Absolutely nothing.

- - -

Professor Birch returned with the voting urn, which carried the ten votes that would determine the fate of one player in this game.

"Once the votes have been read, the person voted off will leave the tribal council area immediately," said Professor Birch.

He reached his hand into the urn and drew out the first vote. After a lengthy pause, he turned it over.

"Cassidy."

Any weak-willed person would feel uneasy at the sight of their name in tribal council, but Cassidy had anything but a weak will. The feisty Team Rocket member sat comfortably in her seat, her long legs crossed and her smug face tainted with a piercing smirk.

Professor Birch pulled out the second vote.

"Cassidy."

She continued smirking at Professor Birch. She knew there was no way that she would be voted off tonight.

"Cassidy."

Casey cast a nervous look at Cassidy, feeling slightly anxious for her ally. But Cassidy appeared unaffected even as the third consecutive vote against her was announced.

Professor Birch felt a slight tinge of disappointment as he pulled out the fourth vote. Turning it over, he read out the six lettered name on the piece of parchment.

"Takato."

Takato blinked several times. For a brief moment, the Tamer thought his vision and his hearing both failed him at the same time. Weren't those letters supposed to read Takuya? And wasn't Professor Birch supposed to say Takuya's name instead?

Before he had a chance to react accordingly, Professor Birch was already revealing the fifth vote.

"Takato."

May swallowed. A sudden sense of panic was arising inside of her. She shot a glance at Takato, who looked equally surprised and confused at the results.

"Takato." Professor Birch paused after he read the sixth vote. "That's three votes for Cassidy and three votes for Takato. There are four votes left."

Takato dropped his head into his knees, feeling helpless. He shot a brief glare at Cassidy, whose smirk grew wider as each vote against Takato was being read. She knew! She knew all along! Suddenly, he realized that they were not targeting Takuya tonight. Although they fed him with numerous lies about the importance of Huntail loyalty, his former tribe members had lied to him again. Their true intentions were now clear to him.

They wanted Takato gone.

"Takato."

Four votes for Takato. May finally understood that these votes belonged to her four Huntail 'allies', the same four people who promised her that they would be voting for Takuya tonight. They promised her. And they lied to her. Again.

Professor Birch pulled out the eighth vote.

"Takato." Professor Birch paused. "That's five votes for Takato, three votes for Cassidy."

Oh my god. This can't be happening! May clasped her hands over her mouth, desperately gasping for air. This was partly a natural reaction to the surprise, but it was mostly to prevent herself from throwing up in disgust. Everything was falling apart. Tonight, May thought there would be six votes against Cassidy and four votes against Takuya. But now, she anticipated the worst.

Suddenly, she turned to face Takuya. He was staring enigmatically at Professor Birch, who was pulling out the ninth parchment from the urn. May also caught a brief glimpse of Rika, scowling in frustration.

Did they betray us too? May wondered. She slowly shook her head. No. No, Takuya wouldn't betray us. Takuya isn't the type of person who would be dishonest and-

"The seventh person voted out of Survivor: Dewford Islands…"

Professor Birch turned over the ninth vote. May groaned when she read the six lettered name on the parchment.

"Takato."

Takato sighed as he got up from his seat. He received a few apologetic pats on the shoulder from a few people who sat behind him. The petite Tamer turned around and smiled weakly at these people in acknowledgement.

"That's enough votes, so there's no need for me to read the rest. Takato, please bring me your torch."

There was an awkward silence as Takato walked over to Professor Birch with his torch. The professor slowly snuffed the flame, diminishing it forever.

"The tribe has spoken." Professor Birch said, staring emptily at the dead flame. "It's time for you to go, Takato."

While the professor spoke, May caught a short exchange between the two Frontier boys sitting at the front bench. JP offered a cocky little smile to his friend – it was almost like a smile of victory. Takuya returned it with a lopsided and equally smug grin.

And that was all the explanation that May needed for what happened tonight.

"I'll see you guys later…" Takato mumbled, waving at his tribe before he walked away into the forest.

Professor Birch stood silently by the ice sculpture, watching Takato vanish behind the shadows of the brooding trees. He then turned towards the remaining players on the benches.

"Out of the nine people here, seven will make up the jury that will determine the winner in this game. From now on, every action might affect your chances of winning or losing a potential jury vote." He paused as the nine remaining players pondered over his wise words. "You may head back to camp. Good night."

May turned around to glare at Takuya once more. She thought she saw a sincere and apologetic smile flash briefly on his boyish face, but May ignored it. It was easier for her to blame Takuya than actually try to understand him. She would seek for a better explanation tomorrow morning. May wanted to hate Takuya for what he did, even if it was just for one night.

Takuya Kanbara. May bitterly repeated that name in her head. She felt so stupid to ever trust a sleazy guy like him. Stupid Takuya. Stupid, stupid Takuya.

He flattered her. He promised her. And then, he betrayed her. He was supposed to be her knight in shining armour. He was supposed to be an escape route from all of her problems with Huntail. He was supposed to be a saintly ally who was honest and trustworthy. In the end, he was none of these impressions that May had fabricated in her naivety.

Tonight, she had seen the true Takuya Kanbara for the first time. He was just like everybody else in this game. He was a liar, a weasel, a backstabber.

Those were his true colours.

- - -

Takato's Final Words

Hey, I've no hard feelings for anybody left in the game. I was a bit surprised that I'm voted off, but I guess I've just been outwitted and outplayed, huh? But I'm really proud of myself for lasting twenty one days. I came here as a lost little boy who had no idea what to do and I walk out of this game…well, I'm still the same person, but just a little wiser and slightly more experienced. The million dollars have never been as important to me as much as learning a meaningful lesson on this island. I think I accomplished just that.

I want to wish May and Rika luck for the rest of the game. I know, err…well, I hope they are the two people who voted with me tonight. Thanks, but I'm worried that they've put themselves in a bad situation. Anyway, that's it for me. May the best player win this game!

- - -

Next Time on Survivor –

There is a food thief in the Clamperl tribe…
Cassidy: I have reason to believe that someone in our tribe did this.
(A few people gasp. Cassidy smirks.)
JP: I know what you're thinking.

James loses a crucial possession…
James: Where is it?
(James and Rika are searching around the shelter.)
James: I can't find it anywhere!
(James throws his arms up in frustration.)

And Drew makes an astounding observation…
Drew: JP and Takuya are running this game.
(Cassidy slowly nods her head.)
Cassidy: We need to break the two of them apart.

All this and more on – Episode 8: Birds of a Feather

- - -

Author's Notes: It's a pretty long chapter because of the merge, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Remember to leave behind a review and take the Episode 7 survey! Thanks!