Episode 4: Steak Through The Heart
-Last Time On Quarantine-
"Last night, we made him realize that he is expendable, and he learned from it."
Contestants were sent to a dark cave that housed a powerful witch doctor.
"I run my own little apothecary right here that sells potions and ingredients. And I know how to make the potion you seek."
Contestants were sent to a hospital, a tech lab, and a jungle.
"Let's make post-haste to THE TECH LAB!"
Yoshi helped Muffy become more confident, Abigale cracked Grant's code and found his true nature, and Jet... Well he's still Jet, but he's trying.
"Hey! Butt-face! How about a taste of the Jet?"
Meanwhile, heads were hurt, words were criticized, costumes became wet, and tummies became sick.
"Lesson learned. If water looks disease ridden, chances are it's disease ridden."
But in the end, the mad villain Grant orchestrated a potion fit for zombie royalty. And Pudge's reckless thinking cost his team the challenge.
"No, you fool! You were supposed to cut the legs and the leaves off first!"
At the elimination, it was between Pudge and Chauncey. Chauncey's love for Lilly was getting in the way of his thinking.
"I can't help it. Lilly is such a beautiful person and I really do want to get to know her."
Team Zap-Dos gave Chauncey one more chance, and sent the young-gun Pudge home, kicking and screaming the whole time.
"All in favor of putting kids through a maturity test before letting them on the show?"
With one more Pokemon out of the running, it's now time for a challenge that combines skill and creativity. And now, we start Quarantine.
-Cower before Vower-
"I don't know how he does it."
At Team Artic-Uno, they were spending the night eating primitive-Clauncher.
"Mignon must be an amazing chef," Percy said.
"Forget the Clauncher," Jet said. Jet was standing away from the table was kicking a soccer ball about until kicking it in the air before doing a back flip, then catching the ball. "It's like he knew I loved sports."
"Not everyone shares your fascination for sports," Lilly said.
"I don't know, I could go for a game of hockey," Percy stated.
"Yeah, that's the spirit, Percy," Jet said. "Let's play hockey. Team Jet VS Team Percy."
"No thanks," Lilly said.
"Aww, come on Lilly," Percy said. "Do you play sports often? You can be on my team."
"Well... Alright," Lilly said, agreeing to Hockey.
"Fine, but me and Abigale are on the same team," Ruce blurted.
"Aww, come on sis," Abigale started. "Some friendly competition might be fun."
"Well, I guess," Ruce responded, thinking maybe being on opposite teams would be a new experience. "Alright, you're on."
"I'm gonna beat you sis!" Abigale said.
-Confessional Session(Abigale)-
"Me and big sis always played together," Abigale said. "We rarely play on opposite teams. You could say we're pretty close sisters. But in this case I think it might be fun trying to beat her at something. Hey, why not? No one said sisters always have to team up."
-After Confessional-
In a matter of minutes, the outdoors was set. There was a big wall where the stairs used to be and a fence blocking off the way to the rest of the peninsula. There were trash cans set on both ends, Percy was goalie for his team and Muffy was goalie for team Jet. Percy had Lilly, Abigale and Grant on their team, while Jet and Muffy had Yoshi and Ruce. ...There seemed to be a strange pattern.
"Of course Jet picks the stronger players," Lilly said.
"Don't worry, nothing's getting past me," Percy said.
"Behold the power of the device!" Grant said, holding a hockey stick above his head. Something then struck Grant. He forgot to put his motherboard away. "Speaking of which, can I take a quick break first?"
"Go ahead," Percy said before watching Grant run in the bunker and putting his board away before coming back outside to join his group.
"Here comes the doom!" Grant proclaimed.
"If you're gonna make a catch phrase," Lilly started. "I would avoid the word "doom." Too cliche."
"Enough talk, start!" Jet said as he walked up to the center of the hallway where he met against Grant. There was a small ball between the two. "You must be shaking in your boots right now, little pig."
"Ha! You're more terrified of me!" Grant cried. But right before squaring off, Grant saw something. "What the heck!?"
"What the heck what?" Jet asked as he looked to where Grant was pointing and saw... nothing. Grant was playing a trick on him.
"Made you look," Grant said before stealing the hockey ball away from Jet and then running through his team. Abigale was on the other side when Ruce and Yoshi tried to attack Grant for the ball. Grant shot the ball through Yoshi's legs and passed it to Abigale. Abigale smacked the ball and sent it straight at Muffy and the goal. Muffy blocked the ball, but unfortunately not with her stick.
"OW! My knee!" Muffy cried, keeling over. Not only was Muffy not a fan of getting bullied, she didn't care for pain either.
"Muffy, remember our talk?" Yoshi asked.
"You're right," Muffy said. "I am strong." Muffy started to fight through the pain, trying to show she wouldn't be deterred by it.
"Whatever, my team gets the ball," Jet said.
Ruce was next to get the ball. She managed to plow through team Percy's rather puny defense before taking a shot at the goal. Unfortunately, Percy effortlessly blocked the shot. Throughout the game, many tried to get through Percy, but he was just too big and his defense was too high to get past.
"I'm calling shenanigans!" Jet shouted, interrupting the game. "You as the goalie is not fair! You're too big!"
"I'll admit my size is rather intimidating," Percy said. "But do you think it's fair that you get all the other strong athletes?"
"Wait, huh?" Jet looked at his team and started to scratch his head. "Well... yes?"
"I'll tell you what, why don't we make a trade, then I'll leave the goal post?" Percy requested.
"Uhhh,,, fine," Percy said. "I'll take Grant, and you can have that whiny brat in the back."
"What did you call me!?" Muffy yelled.
"Awww come on, that's not a fair trade," Percy said. "You're getting rid of one of your strongest players."
"Sorry. Sorry," Jet told Muffy before turning back to Percy. "Fine, you can have Yoshi then."
"Deal," Percy said before walking away from his goal. "Yoshi, can you play goalie?"
"I'll see what I can do I guess," Yoshi decided. "I've never played hockey before, but how hard can it be?"
With Yoshi as the goal tender, the game became a lot more fair. The teams spent all night playing, but ended up in a tie game. The night for them was rather pleasant.
Team Zap-Dos also got a nice sleep. After they eliminated Pudge, things were much more quiet. Both Aria and Drenig made a full recovery from their sickness, and decided to walk outside to stretch.
"Ahhh, looks to be a nice day today," Aria said, looking at the sky.
"I guess it's time to go hunting," Drenig said. "What do you want today Aria."
"Well, I suppose I could go for primitive-Golduck today," Aria decided.
"Something different, ey?" Drenig said. "Alright I'll... Huh?"
Drenig looked at the wall dividing their bunkers and saw a big poster.
"What the heck!" Drenig cried out. Everyone came outside to look at the poster. It depicted a large shadowy Snorlax above the words "D. Vower is your Judgement." You could just make out the Snorlax's face. Its eyes were open and it seemed to have a long straight mustache. Also, seemed rather strong, and bigger than most Snorlax.
"Vower? Who is he?" Stawolt asked.
"He's our judgement?" Wren asked. "What's that supposed to mean."
"Bring him on!" Kiki cried. "I can take him!"
Aria went closer to the poster and took a better look. She then started to giggle.
"Bertram's not even trying," she said.
"Uhhhhh, what was that supposed to mean?" Riley asked.
"Oh nothing," Aria lied. "I thought I saw a typo but I guess not."
-Confessional Session(Aria)-
"Okay, I've been wrong before, but I know I'm not this time," Aria said. "The so called "D. Vower," is actually named "Derick Bower." He's a well renowned food critic who takes his job very seriously. Some say he's too gentle with his reviews, because he never tries to be negative, but his reviews on food are rarely doubted. He's also a professional wrestler on the side, though his track record is average. I wouldn't be surprised if Bertram got him as a guest for the show. But, I'm gonna humor the poor beaver and pretend I don't know. But then again, maybe I'm supposed to know.
-After Confessional-
"Ay, mind telling us who this D. Vower guy is Bertram?" Drenig yelled at the screen. ...No response given.
"Tee hee, guess we'll have to wait and see what professional food..." Aria started. "I mean Vower wants with us. In the meantime we should resume our hunting routine."
"And how," Chauncey said. "It will be fun going hunting with you guys."
Everyone stared at Chauncey. They knew what to expect from him.
"Have fun ogling Lilly, Chauncey," Kiki said.
"What? Nah, I'm going hunting with you guys," Chauncey said. "Maybe I could shoot today's kill?"
"All in favor of primitive-Golduck?" Aria asked.
"Thy shall dine on thee," Dustin said.
"Stop talking like that!" Kiki said. "It's not quirky, it's just annoying."
"Ay man, back off," Drenig defended. "If he likes L.A.R. as a knight, then why ruin his fun?"
"I can't win that one, can I?" Kiki asked.
"I don't have a problem with it," Wren said.
"Me neither," Stawolt answered.
"Doesn't hurt anyone," Chauncey said.
"Doesn't bother me much," Aria mentioned.
"I for one agree with Kiki," Riley said.
"...Thanks Riley," Kiki said with a smile.
"Too bad the nays have it," Aria brought up.
"I guess," Kiki said as they walked to the hunting grounds. "Alright Chauncey, show us your stuff."
-Confessional Session(Dustin)-
"She who walks the path of disturbance faces the trials of many sorrows," Dusting said in his L.A.R. voice before switching back. "I don't if a knight would actually say that, but it holds true. If you choose to be bothered by someone else joy, then you will find it hard to be joyful yourself. I can't help it, knights are cool. They wear neat-o armor, get cool weapons and gear, slay Dragonites and Drudgeons. ...Although I do wish knights got cooler mounts. Rapidash is kinda... lame really."
-After Confessional-
Over at Team Artic-Uno, they were hunting primitive-Gogoat. As usual, Lilly was off picking berries. Ruce, Abigale, Yoshi and Muffy were talking as Jet was trying to help Percy with his aim. Percy had thrown a spear at a Gogoat, but missed.
"No, you can't just dampen your power, you're over-thinking it," Jet said. "You think if you throw too hard you'll miss. Throw with all you've got."
"I'll try that," Percy said as he threw his next spear, but this one flew way too far.
"Try to aim lower," Jet suggested.
"Of course," Percy said before trying the next thing Jet suggested. This time he got a successful hit and nabbed today's meal.
"There you go," Jet said with a smile. Percy smiled back.
-Confessional Session(Percy)-
"He does seem to have changed quite a bit," Percy said. "But I can't help but wonder if he's really my friend or he's only pretending to be my friend. Whatever the case I should keep my eye on him. For now though I'll tolerate it.
-After Confessional-
Over with the others, they were talking about the mysterious Snorlax from the poster.
"Say Ruce, who do you think D. Vower is?" Abigale asked.
"I can only assume he's part of our next challenge," Ruce asked. "But I don't know further details."
"Muffy's not afraid of no fat bear," Muffy said.
"We may not be fighting him though," Yoshi said. "One Pokemon, two teams? How would they make a challenge out of fighting one monster? What if we have to please him somehow to win? That you could work teams into."
"Not to mention the poster," Ruce started. "D. Vower is your judgement. That could mean that he is a judge. A judge who decides which team wins."
"Wow... That makes sense," Muffy mentioned.
"But how do we get him to choose us as the winners?" Abigale asked.
"We have to wait for the challenge," Yoshi said.
"Say, anyone seen that stupid four-eyed ham sandwich anywhere?" Muffy asked.
-Confessional Session(Muffy)-
"I would not say I hate Grant or am afraid of him," Muffy said. "But what is his obsession with acting like an evil genius? Maybe he should become friends with that weird Watchog kid and they can go to L.A.R. conventions with each other. Cause in a way, isn't Grant basically just another glorified L.A.R. ? Even Dustin doesn't take it THAT seriously though."
-After Confessional-
Of course, Grant was back at the bunker, putting a motherboard into his robot.
"Alright I just add this," Grant said. "And now to test the action of my ultimate destructo robot OOOF DOOOOOOOOOM! MWAHAHAHAHA!"
Grant then turned on the robot with a press of the button. ...But once again, nothing happened.
"Oh come on!" Grant said. "What is the problem now! This whole project has been a failure! Ugh, books! Something about robots has to be in these books."
Grant started looking through all the old books one the shelf. None of them had anything on robots. He then looked at the books on Lilly's bed. Still nothing.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Grant cried. "Wait... I forgot to put one in my control remote. ...But I'm still missing something else." That's when it hit him. He snapped his fingers in delight. "Of course, motors. The wires and board have nothing to operate. Oh, but where will I get motors."
We leave Grant to think about his robot and go back to Team Zap-Dos where Chauncey was doing the hunting this time. Drenig and Kiki were helping him a bit.
"Remember the laws of parabola," Drenig said. "Aim slightly above your target, or you might undershoot."
"And don't hold back," Kiki said. "If you can use your force, you'll make a killing blow."
"Right, makes sense," Chauncey said as he spotted a primitive-Golduck in a pool of water. Chauncey threw the spear the best he could, and managed to land a hit in the head.
"Not bad for your first try," Kiki said.
"Thanks for the help Drenig," Chauncey said. "That tip really did help."
"Uhhh, Kiki helped too," Drenig said.
Chauncey looked at Kiki, but swiftly looked away. He didn't seem to be a fan of her.
"Is it about Lilly?" Kiki asked. "I already said you could visit her if you wanted."
"I just think you can be very rude at times," Chauncey said. "I still remember when you insulted my super-lative vocabulary."
"You mean "soo-pur-luh-tiv?" Kiki asked. "You're pronouncing the word wrong."
"I know how to say the word," Chauncey said.
"Man... Kiki's actually right about the pronunciation of that word," Drenig said. Drenig then watched Chauncey fell another Golduck.
"Whatever," Chauncey said as he grabbed the second duck and cut a few chunks out. "I am sure Lilly will appreciate it if I shared some of my prey with her." He then ran off to find Lilly.
"Ay, what's his problem?" Drenig asked Kiki.
"Chauncey doesn't seem to like me very much," Kiki said. "He seems to think I'm rude. I don't try to be. I have a trigger, but I'm still likeable. ...Aren't I?"
"Well, you did insult my friend earlier," Drenig said to her.
"I'm sorry," Kiki said. "But he does kind of annoy me."
"Ay, just let it go for now," Drenig finished.
Meanwhile the others were talking about Riley, who once again was sitting in his tree away from everyone else.
"Why is he always staying away from us if he has the option?" Aria asked.
"I guess he just likes being alone," Wren said. "That's what I can tell."
"Thy has faced many trials in his life," Dustin started. "But he conceals his inner wealth."
"Duh, could you clarify that?" Stawolt asked.
"Uhh, I think what he means is maybe there is worth in him, but his life experience causes him to be less open about it," Wren tried to answer.
"Well done, young sir," Dustin said.
"But he still needs to learn teamwork," Aria said.
"Duh, didn't he help in getting the key for the bunkers?" Stawolt asked.
"No, he just gave us the idea," Aria answered.
"Oh, I thought he helped," Stawolt said.
"Well, he did help in the last challenge," Kiki said, walking over to the group.
"Still, he could be a bit less... Antisocial," Aria declared.
Over by Chauncey and Lilly, Lilly was at the same berry patch picking berries , but had a few pechas in her arm. Chauncey was approaching her with the Golduck meat behind her back.
"Uhhh, hello?" Chauncey greeted.
"What do you want," Lilly said.
"I see you found a Pecha tree," Chauncey said.
"Yeah, not too far from here," Lilly stated.
"Anyway, I wanted to give you some of today's kill," Chauncey offered, showing her the Golduck meat. "It's Golduck. Not sure if you've ever..."
"UGH! That is disgusting!" Lilly yelled.
"Huh? No good?" Chauncey asked. "What if I got Unfezant instead?"
"No! No Unfezant, no Tauros, no Emboar or any meat of any kind! I hate the taste of meat!" Lilly yelled. "And I also don't care about the idea of having other creatures die for our convenience when we can avoid it."
"Whoa, I'm not trying to be mean," Chauncey said. "I was only trying to be nice."
"I know," Lilly said before she started walking away. "But you should ask someone what they like before presenting them with something they loathe."
-Confessional Session(Chauncey)-
"Me again," Chauncey said to the camera. "Yeah, I guess I struck out again. But I'm not giving up. Over the course of the game I will learn about her so I can avoid those mistakes. But then again the team. Lilly, the team, yadda yadda yadda come on we've been through this already."
-Iron Chefs-
After the teams had aten breakfast, who would pop up on the screen besides their old pal Bert?
"He's almost here, he's almost here and we're short staffed," Bertram said.
"Who's almost here? You mean D. Vower?" Abigale asked.
"Yeah, who's this Vower guy?" Muffy added.
Over on the other side, Aria was trying to hold back a giggle fit.
"He's only the most dangerous and terrifying food critic around," Bertram said. "He has shut down over 47 restaurants for forgetting to provide condiments."
-Confessional Session(Aria)-
"BAHAHAHA! Ooh, big terrifying food critic," Aria said. "Come on, that's not even feasible! Bower's only shut down three restaurants, and that's because their food was beyond repair. EVERY food critic does that."
-After Confessional-
"Wow, he must be a tough critic," Percy mentioned.
"D. Vower is not just a tough critic, but is also very strong," Bertram continued. "He has been known to kill Pokemon just for serving his burger well done."
-Confessional Session(Aria)-
"BAHAHAHAHA! That never happened!" Aria laughed. "Bower's a gentle Pokemon. Sure, he's big and strong for his species, but killing others for serving his burger wrong!? Bertram's just making this up as he goes along."
-After Confessional-
"Why would they let someone like him get away with all of this?" Kiki asked.
"They didn't," Bertram stated. "One day a restaurant decided to put sleeping drugs in his food. The owners shipped him off to Quarantine where he was bitten by zombies and now controls an entire legion of hungry creatures."
-Confessional Session(Aria)-
"THIS JUST CANNOT GET BETTER!" Aria outburst, her voice becoming so high pitched she could barely talk. "Beware the evil food critic and his army of THE UNDEAHAHAHAHAD! Why didn't he just tell us the truth about Bower and say jeleous food critics did that to him? That would have been SO much more believabAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"
-After Confessional-
"And now we have to serve food to this guy?" Lilly said. "Sounds like a challenge."
"AND his legion of zombies," Bert mentioned. "Oh and one note: To the snarky squid-face who keeps spamming the confessionals with sarcasm!"
"Eh, uhhhh..." Aria said, not exactly laughing any more.
"You are lucky I don't just kick contestants out for being annoying but I am warning you that your attitude is NOT amusing," Bertram said. "You don't even know WHO D. Vower is, and he is NOT who you think he is. He and the guy you are thinking of are two different Pokemon."
-Confessional Session?-
Aria was struggling to open the door to her confessional booth, but it wouldn't open.
"Come on! Why won't it open!" Aria said.
"Uhhh, Bertram told me not to let you in here for the rest of the episode," a voice inside the shed spouted out.
"What!?" Aria cried. "Oh come on! He can't do that! I just wanted to say..."
"You wanted to comment on him saying that Vower and Bower ar two different Pokemon," the voice said. "Well Bert's had enough. You need time to cool off."
"Hmmmm!" Aria pouted before walking back to her group.
-After Confessional-
"Any particular reason why we have to feed him and his zombies?" Lilly asked. "Why can't we just slay them?"
"To answer that," Bertram said. "I have another special guest helping the challenge. Please welcome back Savil the Witch Doctor."
"We meet again contestants," Savil said.
"Okay, I get it," Aria started. "We basically have too..."
"ZIP IT, BIRD JAW!" Bertram roared, having just about enough of Aria's antics.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Tee hee, actually Aria's attitude is kind of amusing," Kiki said. "Especially if it enrages Bertram. ...Wait... Are we supposed to dislike Bertram? I'm not sure."
-After Confessional-
"As I was saying," Savil continued. "Thank you for your splendid potion, Team Artic-Uno. It will prove handy in today's challenge. And to help explain today's challenge is none other than the head chef of Quarantine. Mignon, please show yourself."
Mignon stepped onto the screen sporting his best smile. He was ready to lecture the contestants.
"Faa Favil," Mignon started. "Beu harf fo imforforaa fa poffon faf Frath threathif yethferfey." As usual, no one could understand a word Mignon said.
"Maybe I should just explain it myself," Savil said. "You are to each work in restaurant business and serve to crowds of zombies. A legion of 100 zombies will come to your restaurant and order your food. Then they will each fill out a slip to say if they were satisfied or not. The more zombies that leave satisfied, the more points you get, a point for each zombie. Then you must EACH make a signature dish for Vower himself. He will score each dish accordingly. Maximum of 15 points per contestant, so 120 per team, which leaves a grand of 220 points possible."
"And we have to incorporate the potion into each dish?" Lilly asked. "Sorry, I actually talk Aria's language quite well." Savil let out a sigh.
"Yes, we are doing this to help cure zombification so every dish must incorporate the potion," Savil answered.
-Confessional Session(Lilly)-
"I have no problem with Aria's sarcasm," Lilly said. "I like being sarcastic myself to be honest. You'd be surprised how many idiots I run into, and sarcasm comes naturally over time."
-After Confessional-
"Ugh, a cooking challenge?" Riley asked. "That is completely boring and uncool."
"I don't even know how to cook," Wren said.
"I've always just ate stuff raw," Stawolt said.
"Thy be a knight! Thy does not dabble in th path of cooking," Dustin said.
"Fev fwee fwil feeth foo foo fook," Mignon said. Just then, two Lickitungs came onto the screen with absurdly long tails, but you could not see their tongues.
"Hey! What's happening!" one Lickitung said. "I'm Slice! And my friend there is Dice! We can teach you how to be a chef!"
"Yeah, I guess so," Dice said.
"Come up stairs!" Slice mentioned. "There are kitchens prepared to help you fight the good fight!"
"As you can tell, Slice is quite enthusiastic," Dice mentioned.
-Confessional Session(Abigale)-
"Me and sis also like to cook," Abigale started. "I remember when we made breakfast in bed for our parents. I was only a wee Azurill at the time. ...I also remember the reaction my dad made when I spilled coffee all over his brand new bedsheets. Oh well, I'm sure me and my sister will do good in this challenge."
-After Confessional-
Everyone gathered around at the top. Zap-Dos was given Slice as their mentor, while Artic-Uno got the calmer Dice as their teacher.
"Okay, I guess we should figure out what dishes to make for the zombies," Dice said to Artic-Uno. "We shuld start off with some basics like grilling burgers and frying Blaziken to harder things like stuffed manicoti and chili releno.
"Can we have a vegetarian dish?" Lilly asked.
"Uhh, why would we want that?" Dice asked.
"You never know, maybe a zombie would rather have something less fattening," Lilly said.
"Are you suggesting I'm fat?" Dice asked.
"Did I say anything about you?" Lilly asked. "I said some zombies might want to watch their weight." There was a pause.
"You stupid vegetarians and your excuses," Dice said. Lilly was on the verge of erupting.
"Are you telling me vegetarian cuisine can't be good!?" Lilly challenged.
"Yeah, she didn't even do anything, and you pretty much insulted her!" Muffy defended.
"She called me fat," Dice answered.
"I did NOT!" Lilly yelled.
"Uhh, not sure what to add here," Jet said to Percy as he watched the fire burn.
"Can we just drop it?" Percy asked. "Why doesn't Lilly make her best vegetarian dish for Vower, and if he likes it, you owe Lilly an apology."
"You're telling me to apologize to..." Dice started until Percy walked up to him. Percy was so much bigger than him that Dice felt it best to shut up.
"That was quite noble of you," Yoshi complimented. "And quite noble of you too Muffy for standing up for Lilly."
"Really?" Muffy said happily.
-Confessional Session(Muffy)-
"EEEE! I think I'm getting the hang of it!" Muffy cheered. "I can be courageous and strong. Wait till all the bullies see the new me. They'll rethink their opinions on me then."
-Confessional Session(Percy)-
"Dice seems to be the type that's easily offended," Percy said. "EEEEEEEEEEEAsily offended."
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"How do you go about not eating primitives!?" Jet cried. "How can you give up something so delicious!?"
-After Confessional-
Team Zap-Dos was having a more pleasant time, as Slice already got them started in the kitchen.
"Wow, you guys are working like professionals!" Slice proclaimed.
Aria was removing bones from a primitive Blaziken before frying them up, and her work was pretty good. Wren was right next to her stiring something in a bowl. Wren couldn't help but look over at Aria and smile.
"You cooked before?" Wren asked.
"Honey, have I cooked before," Aria said rhetorically. "You ever been to one of my concerts?"
"No I can't say I have," Wren stated.
"Printed In Ink is the name of our group," Aria said. "We generally like to travel, and we also cook our own food for extra profits."
"How much you make a show?" Wren asked. Aria let out a sigh.
"Only a thousand bucks a show," she said. "Divide that among four Pokemon and I only get around two-fifty average. Barely enough to get by."
"So you came here to get some extra oomph?" Wren asked.
"Pretty much," she responded.
Wren looked to his left to see Stawolt. He was struggling to use the blender correctly and it splattered all over his face. Stawolt looked kinda sad.
"What's wrong Stawolt?" Wren said, shifting his attention to him. "You look like you could use some help."
"Duh, I don't have any knowledge in cooking," Stawolt said.
"It's okay friend," Wren said. "Look it's not too hard, you just have to read the words on the buttons."
"Duhhhh I can't read the words," Stawolt said.
"You're not illiterate," Wren stated. "You read the sign yesterday at the tech lab, I know you can read."
"Those were big words," Stawolt said. "I can barely see the words on the blender."
"Oh, I can help," Wren offered. "The button on the left says slow. You might want to start with that one. The second button says steady, that's like the medium option. The third one says fast, which is the option you should probably avoid."
"Duh, okay," Stawolt said before pushing the slow button. "How do I know it's done?"
Over by Riley, he was making a halfhearted effort in chopping vegetables.
"Ugh, why am I supposed to do this again?" Riley asked himself.
Riley then took a pack of meat next to him, unwrapped it and set it down next to the vegetables and started chopping it too.
"Whoa there," Slice said, rushing over to Riley. "You don't want to cross contaminate the carrots by putting the meat next to it."
"Whatever," Riley said, not paying attention to Slice.
"Come on, show some spirit, cooking can be fun," Slice said.
"Speak for yourself," Riley said to Slice.
"Your not gonna win your team the challenge with that kind of attitude," Slice mentioned.
"I hate cooking," he said. "I don't even care, I just want to get through this."
"Is that so?" Kiki asked, standing right next to him. "Cause you realize if you cost us the challenge that you'll be the next one to go, right?"
"I can handle myself," Riley said.
"Separate your foodstuffs!" Kiki yelled.
"Don't talk that way to me," Riley said.
"YOU ARE FORGETTING WHO CONTROLS YOUR FATE!" Kiki shouted. "So far this competition you have had numerous problems working in a team! You know what that leads to? A person who doesn't help the team causes their team to suffer! And a player who causes their team to suffer is GONE!"
"Alright! Alright already!" Riley yelled, finally separating the food.
"Don't forget to re-wash the vegetables," Kiki stated.
"Yes your majesty," Riley mocked right before washing vegetables.
-Confessional Session(Riley)-
"Geeze, Kiki's got a lot of nerve on her," Riley said before smiling. "I kinda like it, actually."
-After Confessional-
Over on team Artic-Uno, Grant was scrounging the kitchen for something until he found an emulsion blender. He turned it on and laughed at the machine as it whirred in his hands.
"MWAHAHAHA! What a powerful motor!" Grant cried before turning it off and putting it down. "In fact too powerful."
Grant wasn't looking so much for a motor, but an energy source that would power his robot. That's when he saw a nice battery-operated can opener.
"Hmmm," Grant thought as he watched Ruce use the can opener. "Not too strong. That could work."
Once Ruce left, Grant went over to the can-opener and tried to look casual. He started to whistle and eventually swipe a hand into the can opener, knocking it to the floor. The can opener smashed to pieces, revealing a good power source and some batteries.
"Oops, sorry," Grant said out loud before quickly taking the things he needed for his robot. It was a hard doubt that he'd do anything for his team.
-Aren't Zombies Supposed to Eat Brains?-
It was almost time for the big rush, and the competitors were working their hardest to learn their last bit of info. Right before the wave, Muffy took the liberty of making her team donuts.
"I thought the team might like some energy before the game starts," Muffy said before holding a plate of donuts out for her team.
"YAAAY!" Abigale cheered as she immediately grabbed one. Everyone else did too. ...Expect for Jet.
"I don't eat fatty foods like that," he said. "It all turns into carbs, and carbs are bad for the figure."
"One donut's not gonna hurt you," Ruce said.
"Come on, I made them special," Muffy said.
"Like I said, I'll have to pass," Jet said.
"TAKE A STUPID DONUT!" Muffy erupted. "...Please?"
"Hmmmm, maybe just half," Jet said before taking a donut, breaking it in half, and then started to panic. "Oh no! Now I want the other half! Why did I eat that donut?"
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"Who can control themselves around sweets," Jet asked. "That is why I don't subject my tongue to them because when you eat ONE, then you want another. The same reason I don't play video games or watch Greninja Warrior. You play or watch it once, and you want to keep going, and that doesn't shave the fat off."
-After Confessional-
"Alright guys," Dice started as he looked over his team. "Why don't we decide on a theme?"
"Deserts Diner!" Muffy cried. "Yeah, we could sell clubs, BLTs, and baked goods."
"The zombies should REALLY love that," Yoshi said.
"Ooh, maybe some malts too," Percy said.
"We could call it Artic-Uno's Treats and Sandwiches," Muffy said.
"Now hang on, we have to incorporate the potion," Lilly said.
"Well, we can infuse all the bacon we cook with the potion," Grant said. "When cooked just right, bacon is quite absorbent."
"Adding it to malts and cupcakes will be easy," Percy mentioned.
"And we can even make donut glaze with the potion," Muffy said happily.
Team Artic-Uno cheered. They really liked Muffy's idea to make a desert diner.
Over at Team Zap-Dos, they were thinking about their theme as well.
"Ay, what about classic diner food?" Drenig suggested.
"You mean like burgers and french fries?" Aria asked.
"Yeah, we could even sell sodas and Reubens and all sorts of stuff," Drenig said.
"We can infuse the burgers with the potion," Wren suggested.
"We can also brine the sauerkraut with it," Chauncey suggested.
"Duh, and maybe put it in the soda?" Stawolt added.
"Doesn't that theme sound a bit easy?" Kiki asked.
"But that's the point," Aria stated. "We take a familiar route, and the zombies will be attracted to familiar food."
"Thy name for our fortress shall be what?" Dustin asked.
"Ay, what about... Rodney's Retro Restaurant?" Drenig said.
"...Why Rodney?" Riley asked. "Who's he?"
"Just a name," Drenig said. "I also work with a guy named Rodney."
"I think it's a fine name," Aria stated.
"Yeah, it will do," Chauncey agreed. "Okay, looks like we're ready."
"Excellent!" Slice called back. Slice was right next to the group just as Dice was, so he could hear clearly the plan. "I guess that raps it up. Now it's time to design the signs for the restaurants."
Minutes later, stalls were positioned at the gates to the hunting grounds. Kitchens were put in the halls for the contestants to work with. Team Artic-Uno's sign had cupcakes and deserts all over it, while Team Zap-Dos' sign had a nice checkerboard pattern and a plate of burgers and fries.
"And here come the customers," Dice said to the teams.
"Let the first ever Quarantine Kitchen Wars begin!" Slice proclaimed.
Eventually, the first zombies came. Aria, Stawolt and Wren were at the front. In the Zap-Dos kitchen, the first zombie was a zombie Meowth that was painted a dull green and had swamp grass on it. One of its eyes was also shut. One contestant in particular, of course, had a hard time not laughing.
"Oh please, that's a zombie?" Aria asked.
-Confessional Session?-
"You're still not allowed in here, you know," the voice in the confessional said as Aria tried to go near it.
"Hmmmm!" Aria pouted again.
-After Confessional-
"You! Sell Raticate burgers?" the Meowth asked.
"Duh, sorry, our burgers are made from Tauros like normal," Stawolt said.
"Wah! That doesn't please me," the Meowth said.
"Oh come on! He's not even talking like a zombie!" Aria cried.
"Wait, maybe we CAN makes something work," Wren said. "You could try one of our burgers, they're even better. Extra Miltank cheese."
"Hmmmmm, okay, let's see what you got," the Meowth said.
"Right honey, I'll get your order ready," Aria said as she went in and got to work. In a few minutes, she came out with a pretty scrumptious looking cheeseburger. "Enjoy."
The Meowth took the burger and took a bite from it. A small smile formed on it's face. ...But then he keeled over under the counter.
"Huh? Darling, what's wrong?" Aria asked. But the moment she looked over, the Meowth came back up, except the paint was gone, the eyes were open and all the grass was gone. He no longer looked like a fake zombie anymore.
"Hey! Not bad!" The Meowth proclaimed. "I need to tell the others about this."
As the Meowth walked off, she just burst into laughter. It was impossible for her to take the situation seriously. Eventually, Stawolt laughed along with her. Wren seemed a bit uneasy about her laughter.
"Aria, I know it's all fake but... It's not supposed to look real," Wren said. "It's just a game show, treat it like one."
"I know, but it's still hilarious," she answered.
Over at Artic-Uno's side, their first customer came and it was a green colored Durant with some more seaweed. Muffy, Yoshi and Lilly were there to greet him.
"Give me a cupcake," he said to the three.
"Certainly," Lilly said before going into the kitchen and started making batter. ...Without eggs. Instead she used her favorite vegetarian substitute ingredients. "I hope the others don't mind," she said to herself.
She then came out with her cupcake and gave it to the Durant. The Durant looked at it and thought it looked funny.
"What did you do?" the Durant asked.
"Nothing," Lilly said. "I just used my own ingredients."
"Wait! You gave him a vegetarian cupcake!?" Muffy asked. "...What's the difference?"
"No eggs in the batter," she responded. "I used something else."
The Durant took a big bite of the cupcake, and just like the Meowth keeled over. The Durant then came up and looked much more normal, just like the Meowth.
"This is a vegetarian cupcake?" the Durant asked. "It tastes as good as a normal one. Excellent work." After the Durant walked off, Lilly felt cause to gloat.
"Did you hear that Dice? My vegetarian cupcakes are just as good as regular ones," Lilly said.
"Whatever," Dice called back from the back of the kitchen.
It was then that the rush started and the kitchens were ablaze with cooking. They needed the whole team for this, but Riley was not working. Drenig, who was currently grilling burgers was looking over at him.
"Ay, could you help the team out?" he asked.
"Ugh, do I have to?" Riley asked.
"This is a TEAM sport," Drenig reminded.
"Whatever," Riley said before going over to a barrel where Chauncey was mixing ingredients for a soda.
"I wonder how you carbonate soda," Chaunce asked before he took a cup in the soda. The soda was mostly water with sweet ingredients and no carbonation, so it technically wasn't soda. It might still taste good though.
"You want me to stir the soda?" Riley asked.
"I think you might be able to help make the swiss cheese for the Reubens," Chauncey said pointing over too a cheese maker.
"Stupid contraption," Riley said before walking up to it and looking at it. "I'm sure I can make it work."
Drenig had just sent out an order to Wren that had some french fries, three burgers and some soda.
"Alright, one order with fries and soda, one with fries and burger, two with burger and soda, four just fries, and two for just soda," Wren said as he started handing stuff out. He handed a soda to a Seismitoad and as usual, he keeled over and came back up looking normal. ...Except his face wasn't happy.
"You call this soda?" the Seismitoad asked. "It's just syrup flavored water."
The other zombies who got the soda thought the same way. Wren saw one of the zombies place their cup down and decided to drink it. He did agree with the zombies on the drink.
"Chauncey!" Wren called out. "Chauncey I need to..."
But just then, Stawolt was coming towards Wren and his first reaction was to stop right away. Stawolt had just turned around and was caught off guard, causing him to spill the entire plate on Wren.
"Oops, sorry Wren," Stawolt said. Wren started to clean himself off.
"That's okay," Wren comforted. "We all make mistakes friend."
Stawolt couldn't help but smile at Wren. He made him happy.
-Confessional Session(Stawolt)-
"Wren is one of the nicest people I know," Stawolt asked. "I hope we can be friends forever, even when the show's over."
-After Confessional-
Over by Artic-Uno's station, Abigale, Ruce, and Grant were making sandwiches. Muffy even came up to them with toothpick ornaments with smiling Oshawotts on the,
"Guys, don't you think it'd be so cute if we put these on everything?" Muffy asked.
"Huh? Well sure, I suppose but..." Ruce started before stuttering a bit. "Why? I mean, I don't expect you to just come up to us and ask if we add cute toothpicks to our food items."
"I used to really adore Oshawotts," Muffy said. "A lot of the kids at school bullies me for it though."
"They're adorable," Abigale said.
"Wretched," Grant mentioned. "Why does food need to be cute? Who cares?"
"Well I just thought..." Muffy started before she saw Jet immediately hop to the table they were working at and jumped right over their heads.
"Woops, coming through guys," Jet said after he cleared Muffy and went up to the counter.
"That was random," Muffy stated. "But any I just thought the zombies might like something to make them happy before they eat."
"Yeah, but if the food stinks, won't that make them depressed?" Ruce asked.
"I... I don't know," Muffy answered. "I guess I didn't think about it much."
"What do you mean I overcooked the donuts!" erupted from the service counter where Jet and Percy were. Jet was angry that a zombie didn't like his donuts. It was an angry Musharna yelling at him.
"Just that, frog legs," the Musharna said. "The donut is tough."
"Real men like their food tough!" Jet yelled. "You're just finding a reason to complain!"
"Jet, most people are accustomed to softer donuts," Percy mentioned.
"Ugh, I don't need this," Jet said out loud. "I need time to cool down."
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"Is it wrong that I like my food with crunch to them?" Jet asked. "Yeah, I liked Muffy's donut, but it was just missing one thing: That crunchy outside. Chin-Hese bread is a real donut. Every time I go to a Chin-Hese resturaunt, I have to restrain myself at the buffet. Nope, only teryaki Combuseken and sauteed Rhindo berries for me, with maybe a summer roll on the side.
-After Confessional-
Eventually, Yoshi came through with some malts, and was just about ready to give them to customers before Jet rushed past. He noticed he was angry at something, but was unsure what. But he did know now was not the time to be angry. As he got up to the customers, he saw Percy and shot a look at him.
"Did something happen," Yoshi asked before turning back to the customers. "Enjoy." Yoshi took a bow before the zombies started to happily drink their malts.
"Jet went off after someone said he overcooked the donut," Percy answered.
-Confessional Session(Percy)-
"Jet, Jet, Jet, what to say about him," Percy started. "I can't help but wonder if it literally isn't possible for him to be likeable. One day he's the most uncontrollably self-centered creature on the planet, the next he's a happy button waiting to be pressed. Maybe he's just beyond repair."
-After Confessional-
Back at Team Zap-Dos, Chauncey finally figured out how to carbonate the soda. Nearby, Riley was carrying a HUGE log of Swiss cheese.
"Well, I did it," Riley said in a droning tone.
"Exceptional," Chauncey said. "Now to test it." Chauncey then took his elbow and almost started to cut the cheese. ...Except he forgot one thing. "Woops, no natural weapons, I keep forgetting."
Meanwhile, Stawolt was cutting potatoes. ...Very sloppily to be precise. He was also near Chauncey and Riley and offered his knife.
"You uh need this?" Stawolt said before handing the blade to Chauncey blade first.
"Stawolt, you're supposed to hand it to me the other way," Chauncey corrected.
"Duh, right," Stawolt said while fiddling around with the knife. Eventually, he dropped it point first on the floor. Fortunately the Pokemon's toes were spared.
"Oops, why am I so clumsy?" Stawolt asked.
Chauncey sighed as he went over to a sink with the knife and cleaned it off. He then came back to Riley and cut a piece of cheese off to test it. It was... super chewy and tough.
"You didn't run the machine for long enough," Chauncey said.
"Ugh, I just wanted to get it done," Riley said to the two.
-Confessional Session(Chauncey)-
"Stawolt's clumsiness is pretty dangerous, and Riley just doesn't care," Chauncey mentioned. "I don't even know which I'm more willing to work with. Riley's lack of consideration is not going to win us many challenges, but I'm starting not to feel safe around Stawolt. But then again, Stawolt's actually proved himself. Maybe Riley does have potential deep down and he's just not showing it."
-After Confessional-
On Team Artic-Uno, they were just finishing the last few orders. Yoshi, Muffy and Abigale were at the stand. Abigale was just handing the last vegetarian cupcake they had and had earned one more point for the team.
"Thank you, come again," Abigale shouted to the leaving customer despite knowing full well she wouldn't be doing this again.
Eventually, something averted each teams The screens out in the hallway were on and Bertram and Savil were on the screens talking about the event.
"That's all two-hundred zombies served," Bertram started.
"Results will be in shortly as the last converted Pokemon arrives in my cave," Savil stated. "But right now all I can say is that I am proud of you all."
"But you're not out of the woods yet," Bertram stated. "There's still Vower and he is BAD! The only way to satisfy him is with sixteen courses of food."
"How much does he need to eat?" Abigale asked her sister.
"His kind eats A LOT," Ruce stated.
"Remember, one dish per person," Savil stated. "Give them each your best dish and remember to incorporate the potion into your meal."
Just then, a few Pokemon came in and handed Bertram and Savil some paper sheets. After reading them all, Bertram smiled.
"We have news," Bertram stated. "It was a close race... Actually no it wasn't. Eighty-Six to Fifty-Nine points in favor for... Team Artic-Uno!"
"Oh my gosh, we won!" Muffy cried. Abigale was cheering along with her until Lilly broke the news.
"You realize it's not over yet, right?" Lilly asked.
Over by Zap-Dos, they were feeling the pressure.
"I feel so stupid right now," Aria said.
"No... Did I do something wrong?" Stawolt asked.
"Thy is not at fault," Dustin said before reverting his voice. "It was a team screw up."
"Oh please," Riley stated. "We'd be much better off without butterfingers the boulder over there."
"Yeah, well at least I TRIED to help," Stawolt challenged.
"I think you BOTH contributed," Kiki stated. "I don't want to sound mean, but you BOTH need to get your act together."
"Okay," Stawolt and Riley said in unison.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"In my judo practice, I've learned to never back down," Kiki stated. "Someone's gotta take charge, and I'll be the one if I have to. Hopefully they realize I'm just trying to keep the team hungry instead of outright insulting them.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"Ugh, what is wrong with Riley?" Wren asked. "He decides to take it easy, then he throws Stawolt right under the school wagon! I tried to help him, I really did. But maybe he is just lost. There's not much I can do."
-After Confessional-
"Don't give up thought," Savil started. "There's still a chance you can come back. If you manage..."
But unbeknownst to Savil and Bertram, there was a big creature right behind them. It was wearing a big tattered formal shirt with a dirty tie and was painted in the same swampy green other zombies were. The creature was also incredibly plump. No doubt about it, it was Vower.
"Hey! Get out of my way!" He yelled as he violently pushed Bertram and Savil to the side. He then smacked something in front of him and the focus on the screen zoomed to his head. His eyes were both open, unusual for his species who preferred to keep theirs closed. "Well, it looks like my welcoming party got delayed!"
-Who's Cuisine Reigns Supreme?-
"Yikes, he's big," Grant said.
"He doesn't seem to have any honor," Yoshi added.
"Who does he think he is!?" Drenig cried.
"...Hi Derek Bower," Aria taunted.
"You have converted many of my minions so it seems," Vower said. "I won't let that go unpunished. Let's see if you can face up to a REAL challenge! My hunger cannot be satisfied so easily! Do NOT think you can just stick fast food in my face and expect me to eat it, so accept my proposal: Make your best dish and bring it to Savil's cave! That is where we will have our little showdown. If you can satisfy me, I will let you AND these two idiots..." Vower grabbed Bertram and Savil by the necks. "Live. Got it? Good!" He then threw them back away from the screen. "And don't chicken out either, cause I will have the rest of my legion hunt you down."
Finally the screens turned off and contestants were left wondering. What if no one made a dish worthy enough? Obviously he wouldn't kill them so maybe he'd just do the old switcheroo somehow.
"I'm not afraid of him," Percy said. "Come on guys, we can do it. We've been trained to."
Team Artic-Uno all scratched their heads. They were a bit nervous.
"I agree with Percy," Jet said. "We can do it! We've got a whole show to go through. He can't be the worst of it."
They were still very nervous. They didn't know what to think about Vower, though he did raise a point. The show would only get harder as contestants fell out.
"Well me and my pal Percy aren't afraid," Jet said.
"You and your pal Percy?" Ruce asked.
-Confessional Session(Ruce)-
"Me and my pal Percy aren't afraid," Ruce mimicked in a squeaky voice. "I swear, he's trying to suck up to him. No one is going to appreciate that."
-After Confessional-
"Well me and my minion aren't afraid either," Grant said. "Evil HAS no fears!"
"To evil!" Abigale said. "He he, you're funny Grant."
"Yes, you've told me that several times minion," Grant said.
"I have something to prove," Lilly said. "I want to prove that NOW."
"Lets GO!" Muffy cheered. With her cry, everyone went to their kitchens to prepare.
...But over at Team Zap-Dos, they were getting even more nervous.
"The dark horse rides to the castle of victory, thou we are stuck in the mountains," Dustin stated. "How will we make a come back from our position?"
"I know I'm a good cook," Aria said to the group. "But one good cook will not be enough. ...I don't even know."
"I know what I'm making," Chauncey stated. "I've got a great idea for a vegetarian dish that I..."
"Let me guess, Lilly?" Kiki asked.
"What? No!" Chauncey said. "Lilly's no vegetarian. I just wanted to try something new."
"Alright, maybe I was wrong," Kiki said. "Sorry about the outburst."
"Sure you are," Chauncey said, still having a rivalry against Kiki.
"Duh, I still don't know how to cook," Stawolt asked.
"Don't worry, I'll help you," Wren said. But just then, Vower came back on screen.
"Oh and by the way," he started. "I have taken the liberty of infiltrating a security base stationed in Savil's cave, so I see everything you do and hear everything you say. So I ask you NOT to help each other. This is STRICTLY to be your dish. Got it? Good!" The screen then logged off.
"Whaaaaaaat!" Wren cried. "I can't even help my friend out!?"
"I'll be fine Wren," Stawolt said. "I... I think I can handle it on my own."
"I wish I could ask if you're sure," Wren started. "But I don't really have a choice. I hope you do alright."
"Alright guys! Let's get cooking!" Kiki yelled.
Team Zap-Dos got to work right away. Aria decided to make a comfort dish in the form of mac n' cheese and shredded fried Combuseken strips with some spices, Kiki decided to prepare some fresh sushi rolls out of fresh primitive-Basculin, Drenig made a classic Calicona burger with some seasoned potato wedges, Dustin decided to make smoked ham "old kingdom" style, Wren made three-cheese grilled sandwiches with some fresh Tamato berry soup, Stawolt made some extra-fudge brownies for desert, Riley just made a simple baked Combuseken sandwich with greens and mayonnaise, and Chauncey... made a lettuce bowl in the shape of a flower filled with some steamed vegetables.
"I call it the Lilly special," Chauncey said out loud. ...Right before Kiki shot a look at him. "I mean... I don't have a name."
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"Chauncey seems to be attracted to one of the opposing members of Team Artic-Uno," Wren said. "But as long as he can keep his focus on the team, I don't see a problem with that. I don't get why Kiki has to nag at him. ...I know she's just looking out for the team, but still."
-After Confessional-
Over at Artic-Uno, they were really getting going. Yoshi made an eastern stew from his homeland which he hoped the judges would like, Ruce made a big breakfast sandwich with eggs, ham and cheese to remind her of the days she and Abigale would make breakfast in bed for their parents. Likewise, Abigale made some pancakes and sausage. Lilly was working on a spinach and cheese lasagna, Grant was working on some kind of drink and Muffy made some soft sugar cookies in the shape of Excadrills with licorice frosting.
"Oh these cookies are so cute!" Muffy said, showing them around. "I wish I could just eat them now."
"WHO BROKE THE CAN OPENER!" a sound erupted from deep in the kitchen. They could see Jet with a can of jalapenos next to the device that a certain porker decided to break apart for his robot. Of course Grant kept his mouth shut. "I can't open this can without a can opener!"
Percy, who was working on grilling a steak ran over to Jet and looked around. He looked at all the tables and shelves but didn't see a spare can opener.
"They don't have a spare?" Percy asked.
"No! I checked," Jet said. "I need the jalapenos for my light and spicy Blaziken tacos."
"Maybe you should just stick with Pico-de-gayo," Percy said.
"They already have pico-de-gayo," Jet said.
"I think they will be fine without the jalapenos," Percy said.
"Maybe," Jet thought. "But I still want them to be spicy."
"Well I guess it can't be helped," Percy said to him. But then he turned back to his steak and noticed it was burning. "ACK!" Percy yelled before he went back to the steak. "Aww man I can't serve this. ...But I don't have time to fix it. *Sigh*"
Eventually attention turned to Lilly as she put a sprig of parsley on her lasagna.
"I hope he won't kill me for this dish," Lilly said.
"I'm sure you'll do fine," Yoshi complimented.
"I'm still kind of nervous making a vegetarian dish for Vower," Lilly stated.
"You'll do fine," Yoshi repeated.
"Right. Time to prove Dice wrong," Lilly proclaimed as she started out past the kitchen and lead her team to the cave.
Team Zap-Dos was feeling the pressure, with their team behind they were quite shaky. Even Aria was kind of nervous.
"Well, I hope you guys have put all of your heart and soul into each dish," Aria called to the rest.
"Ay did what I could," Drenig said. "But I don't make burgers often, so I'm nervous."
"We can't show fear," Kiki stated. "Even if we lose, we must not show weakness. Cause what doesn't kill us..."
"Makes us stronger?" Riley asked.
"Exactly," Kiki stated.
"Hey, Aria," Wren called out. "When presenting to Vower, do you think you could show him an example of your beautiful singing voice?"
"Huh... That could work maybe to win a few points," Aria stated. "I hear Derick Bower really likes good music."
"Wait, who?" Stawolt asked.
"Oops, I meant vower," Aria said sarcastically.
"Thy tongue assassin in black coat," Dustin started. "Do you know something we don't?"
"Well, if you hadn't guessed, Vower is actually an actor," Aria stated.
"We know," said everyone else except Stawolt.
"So you're pretty much just playing along," Aria assumed.
"Something among that," Kiki mentioned.
Eventually everyone made it to the cave where Vower was waiting at a long table. Eventually, six zombies arose at the table, three on each side. They each started lighting candelabras on the table right before Vower took a dinner cloth tucked into his shirt and threw it onto the ground in front of the table.
"So... You have arrived on schedule," Vower said.
"Yes." Eventually both teams looked at the other side of a cave and saw Savil and Bertram in a cage. "Of course they wouldn't stand you up. They care about their host, don't they?"
"Enough!" Vower said before he looked to the groups. "Well... who would like to go first?"
"I would," Aria started.
"Fine, what do you have?" Vower asked.
"Well..." Aria started.
"It's the kind of treat that can't be beat!
That famous taste gets you off your seat!
That secret cheesy blend so fine!
This recipe is so divine!
You're gonna love this treat!
A spicy blend of herbs and kick!
Those chicken strips will make you tick!
It's Aria's special Mac N' Cheese!
Plus Aria's chicken hits those keys!
You're gonna love this treat, yeah yeah yeah!
You're gonna love this treat, ah one more time!
You're gonna love this TREEEAAAAAT!"
All the contestants clapped after Aria's performance. Aria felt good about herself too.
"That's how you sell food," she said. "With a catchy jingle and a smashing perform..."
"What do you think this is, a kids show!?" Vower yelled. "Your food better deliver after having me sit through that."
Vower started to eat the dish right away. Normally, mac n' cheese and fried chicken wouldn't go together in the same bowl, but after Vower took one bite, he took the bowl and dumped the rest right down his gullet.
"Well," Vower said. "That was actually pretty delicious. You got lucky."
"Thank you," Aria said.
"One note I should make," Vower started. "It's not a good idea to mix the two together: macaroni and chicken. But both were cooked very well, so I will give you a very high score for this solid dish."
-Confessional Session?-
"I already told you you CAN'T come in here today," the voice in the confessional told Aria yet again.
"But I'm not insulting anyone this time, I swear," Aria said. "I just wanted to tell the world how proud I am that he liked my dish."
"No one likes a mon with pride," the voice said.
"Hmmmm!" Aria pouted once more.
-After Confessional-
"Now," Vower started up. "Who would like to go next?"
"Me!" Muffy said, bringing her cookies up to Vower. "I made these cookies special. They're shaped like Excadrills, because don't they remind you of those toaster pastries? Especially the shiny ones. ...Aren't they cute?"
"You know what doesn't look good?" Vower asked. "CUTE! CUTE doesn't look good!"
Vower then took one of the cookies and took a bite. It took him about three bites to finish the cookie.
"I've had better," Vower said before passing the remaining cookies around. After each zombie took one, Vower took the last one for himself. "However, it's nice and soft and has decent flavor, so you're cookies will get a fair rating."
"Thank you, Mr. D," Muffy said. Muffy then went back to her team.
"Next!" Vower called out.
"I shall charge forward for my team," Dustin said before bringing his smoked ham.
"Hmmm, looks nicely charred," Vower said before tasting the outside of it. "Yes, it is nicely charred."
He then took a bite of the inside of the ham. The next thing he did was smack the plate of food onto the cave floor.
"Ugh! You overcooked the whole thing!" Vower yelled. "But your char will get you some points. Next!"
"Thy have failed," Dustin said sadly.
"Ay man, I'll avenge your fall," Drenig said as he went up to Vower with his burger and fries combo. Vower ate one of the fries first. He smiled as he happily ate some of the other fries.
"Crispy, nicely salted, pretty killer fries," Vower said. After eating all the fries, he took a bite of the burger. Once again he dropped the burger on the plate and smacked the plate to the ground.
"Ugh! Just cause it's CALLED "Well done" doesn't make it WELL DONE!" Vower shouted. "Next!"
"Let's go together sis," Abigale said to Ruce.
"You can go first," Ruce said, standing behind Abigale. Abigale went up to the table and presented the pancakes.
"Here you are mister Vower sir," Abigale said.
"You're awfully young to be cooking," Vower said. "I have no doubt this will be a low quality dish."
"What did you say!?" Ruce yelled right before Vower took a bite of the pancakes and the sausage. He once again smacked the plate onto the floor.
"Ugh! Dry pancakes and overcooked sausage!" Vower yelled. "Your dish is just as worthless as you are, you stupid little furfa..."
"Don't you DARE talk that way to my sister, you overgrown brute!" Ruce roared. "She put her heart and soul into her dish!"
"I am NOT here to go easy on you losers!" Vower challenged. "If YOU can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!"
"You are TERRIBLE!" Ruce yelled.
"So probably will be that pathetic sandwich of yours!" Vower yelled as he stood over Ruce. Vower was practically a fortress compared to Ruce. Ruce started to get nervous and cower before him, showing that Ruce actually did fear him. "Give me that!"
Vower swiped the sandwich out of Abigale's hands and started to eat it. He actually didn't throw it on the ground.
"Hmmm, this is actually not bad," Vower stated.
"Ha! Now apologize to my sister," Ruce challenged.
"I owe HER no such apology you whelp!" Vower roared before taking another bite of her sandwich then throwing the rest in Abigale's face. "NEXT!"
"My brownies, Mr. Vower sir?" Stawolt said before bringing his plate of brownies to Vower. Of course as you'd expect Stawolt to do as been the usual of today, he tripped and dropped his brownies. fortunately, most of them reached the table. Vower shook his head as he grabbed a brownie and tried to eat it. ...But when he did, a sharp pain ran through his face.
"OWW!" Vower yelled. "Did you just put frosting on a bunch of rocks!?" Vower yelled. "These brownies are INEDIBLE!" Vower shoved all the brownies onto the floor. He was disgusted by them.
"You... You can't say that," Wren said nervously. "He tried."
"Silence, whelp!" Vower yelled. "Next!:
"Whatever," Riley said as he went up and presented him with the chicken sandwich. Vower took one look at it and then pulled it apart.
"Is this a joke!?" Vower asked as he cut the chicken. It was almost all pink. "You didn't even cook even the combuseken properly!"
"I do NOT cook, okay," Riley said.
"Clearly not!" Vower yelled. "This sandwich is STILL CLUCKING! NEXT!"
"Ugh! We're losing," Kiki cried.
"I shall go next," Yoshi volunteered. Yoshi went up front and presented Vower with his stew. "Please, enjoy."
Vower picked up the spoon that was in the stew and took a spoonful of the stew. He seemed to have enjoyed it as he took the bowl and poured it all in his mouth.
"Hmmm, excellent," Vower said. "A little generous with the spices though. But still, very good."
"My turn?" Kiki asked.
"Yes, you next," Vower said as Kiki brought him the plate.
"At the dojo, we'd eat a lot of sushi," Kiki stated. "Eventually I became a fanatic."
Vower picked up a pair of chopsticks next to the plate and started eating the sushi. Another dish he seemed to really like, as he ate more.
"A very simple dish, but very delicious too," Vower said. "You could start your own sushi palace." Kiki bowed in honor before going back to Zap-Dos.
"I suppose I shall go next," Percy said as he brought Vower the plate. "Yes, I'm sorry it is overcooked," Percy said. Burnt even."
Vower took a knife and cut the steak before eating a piece of the steak. Then he looked down at Percy.
"That's good, you already know what I'm going to do then," Vower said right before tipping the plate over onto the floor. "Next."
"Aww man," Percy said before going back to the group. Jet ran up to Vower with his dish next.
"Spicy Blaziken tacos, fresco style V-mon," he said before showing him the tacos. Vower grabbed one and took a bite. He nodded his head a few times.
"Not extra-ordinary," he said.
"It's because I couldn't have jalapenos because we didn't have a working can opener," Jet said.
"BUT... these are still quite nice," Vower added.
"Ha! And a good chef? I'm too much," Jet said before going back to his group. Grant came up next.
"Mwahahaha! Bottoms up!" Grant said.
"What is it?" Vower asked.
"It's a special potion I made just for you," Grant said. "I'm sure you'll find it sweet?" Vower took a long long stare at Grant. "...It's a fruit smoothie, okay?"
"Oh, alright," Vower said before drinking the smoothie. Not even a drop was spared before smashing the glass on the table.
"Delicious," Vower said. "But very VERY basic. The furry could have made that."
-Confessional Session(Abigale)-
"...Why does everyone hate this costume?" Abigale asked. "Is it too extravagant? But I put so much work into sewing it together."
-After Confessional-
"Only three chefs remain," Vower said. "Wren, Lilly, and Chauncey..."
"I want to save mine for last," Lilly said.
"Very well. Next?" Vower asked.
Wren brought over his grilled cheese and fresh Tamato soup.
"This should be an old classic," Wren said.
"You think I ate peasant food?" Vower asked.
"Uhhh, please... Enjoy anyway," Wren stated before backing up. Vower took a bite of the cheese sandwich, and quickly nodded his head.
"Too creamy, cheeses don't mix well together," he said before tasting the soup. "Your soup is nothing to write home about either." He then tipped another plate of food onto the floor. This insulted Wren.
"I've had ENOUGH of you!" Wren shouted. "This entire time you have been bullying people over their food. Do you enjoy being a jerk?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," Vower said.
"You stupid tub of lard!" Wren yelled. His team mates had to restrain him. "You can't get away with your attitude! We will defeat you!"
"Uhhh, if I may," Chauncey asked, stepping forward and presenting him with his vegetable dish. "I call it the Lilly Special."
"...Really?" Lilly asked herself.
Vower took a fork full of vegetables and put them in his mouth. This dish actually made him smile.
"Ingenious," he said. "The vegetables are steamed perfectly and seasoned just as well. And this lettuce bowl? Very creative. You are not totally worthless."
-Confessional Session(Chauncey)-
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy," Chauncey chanted. "He said I'm not worthless. Maybe Lilly will give me another chance, and so will my team. I think I'm starting to prove myself as a team player."
-After Confessional-
"Well?" Vower asked, looking at Lilly. "You are last."
"Right," Lilly said, giving a cold stare at Vower, slowly walking up to him with his lasagna.
"Ooh! What do we have here? A lasagna?" Vower said, starting to lick his lips.
"A vegetarian lasagna to be exact," she said.
"A what-now?" Vower asked, widening his eyes.
"No meat, just spinach, noodles and cheese," Lilly said. Vower took a slice of the lasagna, put it on a plate, and then ate it slowly. Very... very... slowly. A tear eventually formed in his eye.
"This is..." he started. "This is just... flawless really."
"I'm sorry, I think I heard you wrong," Lilly started. "Did you say "Flawless?"
"Yes," Vower said. "In fact, one of the best foods I have ever tasted." Vower then handed out lasagna to the other zombies before taking out a peace of paper and jotting some scores down. This may not be close, but it was still suspenseful watching him write the scores down.
-Another Farewell To Be Had-
"Well... I suppose I have dined. Now I shall decide your fate," Vower started. "Your friends remain imprisoned."
"Wait, you're not serious, are you?" Lilly asked.
"A few good dishes didn't satisfy me," he said. "I wanted perfection from all of you. Yes it sounds strict, but that's the point. What kind of zombie overlord would I be if I played fair?"
"Cor-ny!" Aria blurted out.
"And that's it," Vower said. "Your friends stay imprisoned and you shall never ACK!" Vower stopped then grabbed the place on his chest where his heart would be. "What... What is going on! What did you put in that food!?"
"Duh, we didn't put anything in the food mister Vower sir," Grant said.
Vower eventually keeled over behind the table, crouching down till he was out of view. The contestants waited and watched for something to happen. Suddenly, the table started to thump. The zombies that were around the table started to back away as they watched the table move. It's movement became more violent until eventually it bent upward. The zombies started to run away until a creature emerged from below the table, separating it in half, sending the table cloth behind him and throwing the two halves of the table at the zombies, hitting all six of them. Everyone's eyes were now on what emerged. It was Vower, except he was now a normal color and... for some reason his shirt was completely free of tears.
"Funny Bertram, but clothes don't automatically fix themselves when their wearer turns normal again," Aria taunted.
"Huh," Vower said. "This is a very peculiar place. What would I be doing in a cave?" The zombies even emerged from under their tables looking normal. They must at least have hired some cracker-jack costume changers.
"You were here to release us?" Bertram asked. "The key is in your pocket!"
"Huh?" Vower asked as he dug into his pocket. "So it is." Vower walked over to the cage and opened the door for Bertram and Savil to escape from.
"These nice monsters also decided to provide you a sixteen course meal," Bertram said.
"We also have some number here," Savil stated, giving Vower two pieces of paper with scores on them. "There's a list over there with some more numbers," Savil stated, pointing to Vower's list.
"Yes," Vower said as he ran to the list. "Ah, I see. I was judging a cooking competition. These scores go with this paper, and the others... Hmmmm... Right. So what do I do now?"
"Vower, you should probably announce which team has the most points," Bertram stated.
"Please, call me Derick Bower," he said with a smile and a hand wave.
Team Zap-Dos' eyes were now on Aria, as she had brought that name up several times.
"So you DID know who he was," Drenig assumed.
"Gotcha," Aria teased.
"Well, I have tallied the scores, and I'm afraid there is a clear winner," Vower said. Really, it wasn't even close enough to warrant suspense. "With a score of 187 to 135, the winning team? Team Artic-Uno."
There was a bit of cheering going on with Team Artic-Uno. But for the most part, the one with the most pride was Lilly.
"I think a certain SOME ONE owes me an apology," Lilly said.
"Huh? Oh sorry," Bower said.
"Don't worry, not you. He's not in this room actually," Lilly clarified.
"And speaking of which," Bertram said as he went over to Bower. "Team Artic-Uno gets to enjoy one dish of their choosing from this competition."
"Mrs. Lilly?" Abigale asked. "Mr. Bower said your Lasagna was perfect. Could we try that for our prize?" The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Lilly looked over at Bertram and gave a confirming nodd herself.
"Vegetarian Lasagna it is," Bertram said. "And... you will even have the liberty of working with Slice and Dice to make the lasagna, Lilly."
"That pleases me just fine," Lilly said with a smile.
"And as for Team Zap-Dos," Bertram said, turning around. "Well... I'm afraid I'll see you again at the QUARANTINE CHAMBER. Think long and hard about who you want to send home today."
-Confessional Session(Lilly)-
"Hmmm... I don't know," she said. "Either Riley or Stawolt. We might have to talk this over."
-After Confessional-
Team Artic-Uno was walking back to their bunkers. Grant was walking next to Abigale and decided to compliment her.
"Don't feel sad," he said. "I actually liked your food. I... ate it off the floor. We evil people are used to doing crazy things. He he."
"Thanks Grant," Abigale said right before he walked off.
Ruce, who was nearby, couldn't help but find her attitude weird. Ruce wanted to talk to her about Grant.
"Why do you hang around him so much?" Ruce asked.
"Cause he's fun to be around," Abigale mentioned.
"He's kind of a lunatic, don't you think?" Ruce questioned.
"He's not evil," Abigale brought up. "He just likes pretending to be an evil scientist. He even told me himself in yesterday's challenge. ...And then he told me not to tell anyone." And unfortunately for Abigale, Grant was still in ear shot. In fact, he was right in front of them.
"YOU!" Grant started. "YOU WORTHLESS MINION! I saved your pathetic life back in that shark tank and you repay me THIS WAY!?"
"I'm sorry Grant," Abigale started. "I forgot you didn't want anyone to..."
"GAH! The illusion is ruined!" Grant said. "Now no one will take me seriously!"
"I'm sorry," Abigale said. "Can we still be friends?"
"There's only one way..." Grant said before he ran off back to the bunker.
"Wait! I didn't mean to!" Abigale pleaded. Ruce then walked over to her sunken sister and put her arm on her back.
"I'm sure he's not that upset," Ruce said. "He's still just playing I can only assume."
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"The only way I can resume my reputation as an evil genius is to actually become an evil genius," Grant said. "But... nothing too evil. Not gonna hurt anyone or anything, but I do want people to know how competent I can be. After all it's only a game right? Mwahahaha, release the wrath of the... I can't think of anything good to finish the catchphrase off. ...I'll have to work on it. MWAHAHAHAHAAA!"
-After Confessional-
Back at Zap-Dos' bunkers, the team was deciding who to send home next. It was Aria, Dustin, Drenig and Kiki talking it over.
"Stawolt's been a bit of a jinx lately," Aria mentioned. "Is he worth keeping around?"
"But remember the challenge where he rolled down the hill?" Drenig asked. "Besides, what has Riley done?"
"True," Kiki thought. "And maybe it was just a bad day for Stawolt."
"Well, I was in a challenge with him yesterday," Dustin said. "There was one point where Stawolt rammed into Wren and hurt his head."
"So it isn't something that just happened," Aria said. "He's been a klutz at least since yesterday."
"But so what?" Drenig asked. "Can you REALLY say he's less useful than Riley?"
"It's not an easy decision," Aria mentioned. "I'll have to think about it for a bit."
And finally, the moment came when one more Pokemon would be sent home. Everyone had just drank their milk and Bertram was shuffling his papers. He seemed to be angry about something.
"Come on! Come on! None of you!?" he cried. "None of you voted for Aria?"
"Why should we vote her off just cause YOU don't like her?" Kiki asked.
"Yeah, you're not exactly doing your job by playing favorites," Wren mentioned.
"Whatever, if I call your name you are safe," Bertram started. "Aria, obviously, is safe. The next five are also safe: Kiki, Dustin, Drenig, Wren, and Chauncey. Wow, you're still in this Chauncey."
"Thanks, but you're still playing favorites," Chauncey brought up.
When Wren noticed Stawolt's name hadn't been called yet, he started to give a hug to him out of nervousness.
"I'm scared Wren," Stawolt said. "They wouldn't vote me off, would they?"
"I hope not," Wren stated.
"Hmph, stupid goody-two-shoes," Riley said to himself.
"The last mon who is safe and will NOT be going home yet," Bertram started. Bertram eyeballed Riley and Stawolt, trying to make both of them nervous. Stawolt was shivering in his skin, but Riley just looked away. He didn't seem to care. "The last person staying will be... ... ... ...Riley!"
"Huh!?" Riley blurted in shock.
Wren gasped when he heard Riley's name. Both he and Stawolt froze in dead fear.
"No! Why Stawolt?" Wren asked. "Why does he need to go?"
"The team really despises Riley's lack of teamwork," Bertram stated. "But do not trust their lives around a clumsy Golem, just to clarify."
"But... But..." Wren stuttered. "But he's a good guy! What did he do to deserve this?"
"It's alright Wren," Stawolt said. "I mostly came here to meet friends like you. I didn't expect to make it very far anyway."
Wren still seemed sad as he saw Stawolt walk to the Quarantine chamber. Even a tear shed in his eye. But when Stawolt got to the door, he was too big for it.
"Uhhh, the door's too big," he stated obviously. But right before his eyes, half the capsule opened up to allow him entry.
"Now it's not," Bertram said. Right before Stawolt entered the chamber, he took one last look at Wren and smiled.
"Good luck Wren," he said. "Hope we can still be friends after the show."
And with that, Stawolt entered the chamber. The chamber closed right after him, and filled with green gas. You could see Stawolt's reassuring face until the gas covered him up. And when the gas cleared, he was gone.
"No, I can't believe the one friend I tried to make is already gone," Wren said.
"Maybe we should have maturity tests for MORE than just kids," Bertram threatened.
Everyone had already left to go back to the Zap-Dos bunker. Wren took one last look at the Quarantine chamber before rejoining his group. He was still very sad.
"Well, that was touching wasn't it?" Bertram asked. "Hopefully there will be less of that in the season and more action. And who knows, maybe the crybaby will make some new friends. But only time will tell for that to happen. Well, another episode should be around next week. Until next time, we say goodbye to..."
"A-hahahahaha! YAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" A chilling laugh could faintly be heard up at the chamber as Bertram looked around and started to get scared.
"What was that?" Bertram asked. "Nevermind. Next time! We say goodbye for now!"
-Next Time On Quarantine-
"Time for TROUBLE!"
The contestants are abducted by one crazy criminal.
"You will have to fight ALL MY MINIONS!"
Contestants must fight through groups of brainwashed Drowzee and Hypno wielding nothing but jousting batons.
"You're the only person on the team I actually respect."
But what else awaits them in the Cave of Dagger-Eyes?
"Tee hee hee, time for another twist."
Can Zap-Dos come back from a losing streak and escape the cave first.
"He's just a L.A.R. P. er , he can't actually fight?"
All this and more in the next chapter of Quarantine: Cave In and Cave Out.