Chapter 6: Renovation Revelation
-Last Time On Quarantine-
"What the heck's going on!?"
Contestants found themselves in the wrong bunkers deep below the earth in Dagger Eye's lair.
"Mwehehehe, welcome to the prison of yours truly."
Contestants went through one day of ruin before making their escape...
"Uhhhh... Kiki, you were supposed to grab the Drowzee's scruff and grab the key out of the Drowzee's helmet."
...by first freeing the guard captains...
"I can't think by myself now."
...and then scaling a dangerous ravine...
"Uhhh... Drenig? You know you're breaking the rules by using your mouth, right?"
...then escaping from prison...
"They each have a key, and fortunately we stuffed wires in our pants before we got here."
...and finally beating Cort at his own game.
"To the victor go the spoils!"
Team Zap-Dos came out on top, and Team Artic-Uno sent Ruce's sister Abigale and her absolutely adorable costume home for a suspicious page AND being the weakest member of their team.
"I'm sorry I wasn't more help to the team."
Fourteen players remain. But the prize is still up for grabs. Who will claim it in the end? Only time will tell.
-What's With The Drab Colors?-
The contestants were doing their usual hunting routine. Grant of course stayed in the bunker to work on his coconut robot. Ruce was keeping an eye on him. She still had suspicions of him, but kept suspicions on Jet too.
"Hmmmm... last I checked, I needed some moveable support," he said. "I have the power source, I have all the wires and boards and what-have-you. I just need some support."
"Why did you plant the page?" Ruce blurted out.
"Ruce, we've been through this already, I didn't plant the stupid page," Grant pleaded.
"Really... So you don't have any guilt haunting you?" Ruce asked.
"What do I have to be guilty about?" Grant asked.
"I know you're not a real evil person," Ruce stated. "Did you cause my sister's elimination yesterday, that incident will haunt you into confession."
"I'm still not ruling out Yoshi," Grant said. "He tries to act all innocent and other, but he could very well be hiding something. You have no idea what motives any of us could have had."
"...True," Ruce thought for a moment.
"While we're on the subject, are you SURE you didn't see anyone plant a page? Are you sure you didn't see her go to bed with the page. Or even wake up in the middle of the night maybe looking for a cheap thrill?"
"That's not how my sister acts," Ruce said. "I've never met a more clean person than her."
"Of course, she's your sister, and sisters care for each other," Grant said. "But... I suppose she was a pretty nice girl. And now that I have no reason left to act evil, I suppose I can say... she really was clean. She's probably the nicest person on the show. But that page... it still baffles me."
"So you're absolutely sure you didn't do it," Ruce repeated.
"I'm sure," Grant said. "I'm sorry your sister had to be eliminated. If you wish, I can help you find out who did it."
"That... that would be nice," Ruce said. "You know, you can be a pretty cool guy when you want to be."
"Thanks," Grant cheered. "I try. ...But can I still act evil just for kicks?"
-Confessional Session(Ruce)-
"Maybe I was wrong about him," Ruce said. "I know how he tried to act all evil and what not, but deep down he's a pretty good person. I do hope he can help with finding the one who planted the page."
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Phase one COMPLETED!" Grant said. "And... as the great Julio Shazar once said: keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I earn her trust and the trust of everyone else, then I get her alone for a moment, then I tell her the gruuuuesome details. Right before the others are in earshot: Ruce explodes, people think she's crazy, boom! Bye bye bunny. Phase two initiated. ...Oops, I forgot to say: Spoiler alert."
-After Confessional-
Over in the hunting grounds it was typical business as usual. Percy and Jet were hunting for game and Muffy was helping too. But Lilly wasn't picking berries by herself. She had Yoshi help her.
"Thanks for coming with me," Lilly said. "I guess I have felt... kind of alone picking berries by myself."
"It's not a problem for me," Yoshi said. "By the way, how's your leg."
"It's gotten better, thanks Yoshi," Lilly said.
"I... didn't even do much," Yoshi admitted.
"But it was nice of you to care," Lilly said. "And what's more is that you did it out of righteousness and not lust. ...Like that stupid Gallade who keeps following me around."
Speaking of stupid Gallade, Chauncey was actually approaching the fence just as usual.
"I got you some more Pecha berries," Chauncey said.
"Ummm... thanks," Lilly replied before taking the Pecha berries.
"It's my pleasure Lilly," Chauncey said before looking at Yoshi. "Ummm... hello? What are you doing?"
"We were just taking a walk together," Yoshi stated.
"That's something I would like to do with Lilly once we get to the merge," Chauncey stated.
"Yeah, good luck with that," Lilly said before turning back to Yoshi. "You know any good places for berries."
"Now that you mention it," Yoshi stated. "There's a big Watmel berry vine a long ways from here."
"I could get you a Watmel berry," Chauncey blurted.
"You are not going to launch a big Watmel berry over the fence," Lilly responded.
"That's no good?" Chauncey asked. "What about Cheri berries? I could get you some Pinap berries at the beach, but it'd be a long ways from here. But I'll go the extra mile just for you Lilly."
"Hmmmm..." Lilly thought for a moment. It would be a good opportunity to get rid of Chauncey for now. "I really could go for a Pinap berry," she said. "Why don't you get me one of those?"
"Right away!" Chauncey cried before running off. Eventually, he was out of sight.
"Good... he's gone," Lilly said before returning to Yoshi. "Now... About the Watmel berry bush you mentioned."
"Yes, the Watmel berry bush is over here," Yoshi said. "Come this way."
Yoshi lead her to a place with a big Watmel berry tree away from the fence. Chauncey eventually came back carrying Pinap berries, but Lilly was nowhere to be found.
"Lilly?" Chauncey called out. "Lilly!? ...I guess she's not here. I'll give them to her later then."
Eventually the campers came all the way back to their bunkers for breakfast. Back at the bunkers, a certain Krookodile was thinking about his food again. Dustin watched as Drenig hesitated to eat his food.
"You aint going through that again, are you buddy?" Dustin asked.
"No," Drenig said. "I guess I'm just... not hungry."
"You're lying," Aria mentioned. "You still have guilt caused by killing your food."
"I thought we agreed that was natural though," Wren said.
"You're starting to become a pansy, you know that?" Kiki stated.
"Okay then," Drenig started. "Pretend that Emboar you're eating right now is a Zigzagoon." Drenig was utilizing one of Kiki's favorite animals to prove a point. Kiki started to look at her plate with a bit of sadness in her eyes.
"Toothy..." she muttered when staring at her food.
"Now who's the pansy?" Drenig asked.
"You uh... said "toothy," Riley pointed out. "Does that word mean something to you?"
"He... back at the dojo there's a friend of mine named Toothy," Kiki said. "He's a brown-belt in judo, and also a student of mine. But more than that, he's my best friend."
"Brown belt... that's right before black belt, right?" Wren asked.
"Yes, right before it," Kiki stated.
"What if your best friend was a Pignite?" Drenig asked rhetorically.
"I... I..." Kiki was at a loss for words.
"You see? Having sympathy for food isn't anything new, it's something a lot of us have," Drenig stated.
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"I have friends too," Drenig stated. "Yes, friends other than Dustin. Friends I hold even closer to than Dustin. Yeah, we're best buds and all, but I've never had to help him through hard times like some of my others. That Dustin kid's tough actually."
-After Confessional-
Eventually, Chauncey came to the door, balancing Pinap berries in his arms. He then set them down on the ground in the corner.
"You guys can have some if you want," Chauncey said. "But please leave one for Lilly."
"Okay," Kiki said with a smile before turning to the rest of the group at the table. "Eat every last one," she whispered.
In a matter of seconds, Bertram appeared on the screen in both of the bunkers. It seemed like it was time for the day's challenge.
"Boring..." Bertram blurted out. "These bunkers, they're boring!"
"I couldn't agree more," Aria stated. "Nothing but drab grey inside, and it looks like a Beedril's thorax outside."
"Well now I think it's time for a change," Bertram said. "Today you will be given the chance to renovate your bunker."
Over at the Artic-Uno bunker, things were a bit... iffy so to speak.
"Awww, an home-deco challenge!," Jet whined. "That sounds boring!"
"Evil does not decorate," Grant blurted out.
"You will be giving the bunker a new paint job, some new decorations like plants and shrubs..."
"Does that include berry trees?" Lilly asked.
"Yes that includes berry trees I suppose," Bertram stated. "In addition, you will ALSO be installing some cannons at the top of the bunker for your new bunker defense system."
"Boy howdy! That's more like it!" Jet exclaimed.
"Yeah, like that idea?" Bertram asked.
"If it gives me a chance to be evil, then I like it," Grant said. "Will we be hurling poisonous gas bombs or atomic grenades."
"..." Bertram said nothing. He just stared at Grant for his stupid comment.
"Oh, I got it," Bertram said. "Molotov coconuts!"
"How exactly did you get coconuts?" Lilly asked. "I've never even heard of such a thing and I've always kind of wondered what they were."
"Uhhhh..." Bertram stuttered. "You know how sometimes humans appear in the world in the form of Pokemon? Maybe one brought a coconut tree from his world or something? That's the only explination I can come up with."
"Actually I've never heard of them either," Grant stated. "I just cracked one open one day and found the nectar inside tasted sweet. Then I collected a bunch."
"But no, we're not putting anything dangerous in the cannons," Bertram stated. "Just dodge-balls."
"Dodge-balls!?" Grant cried. "Where's the fun in that?"
"THE FACT THAT NO ONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT IS FUN!" Bertram yelled. "NOW SHUT UP!"
"No one tells me to shut up!" Grant challenged.
Muffy had had enough of Grant right now. She ran up to Grant and started to grind her thumb into Grant's head, giving him her best noogie."
"Why don't I shut you up!" Muffy yelled, seriously grating that fist into his head.
"Ow! Oww! Evil still feels pain you know!" Grant cried. Eventually Muffy felt he had enough and let him go, but now he probably knew better than to shoot his mouth off.
"Thank you Muffy," Bertram complimented. "Now, Gungho and some other dudes will be providing you with everything necessary to make your renovations."
"Who's in charge of helping us with the cannons?" Jet asked.
"We will be having military expert Stronghold and his veteran buddies help," Bertram said. "Please welcome Stronghold."
Just then a great Bastiodon appeared on the screen. Everyone was a bit shakey upon first seeing him. After all... he's a Bastiodon. They're not exactly known for their dashing good looks."
"AteeenTION!" Stronghold shouted. "Bertram called me here to whip you maggots into top fighter shape! Now I'll have you..."
"You're an army vessel constructor, not a drill sergeant," Bertram said.
"So? I can still talk like one," Stronghold said. "Besides, we vessel constructors don't have a preferred way of speaking."
"Just talk how you normally do when building cannons," Bertram said.
"Bertram said you need help with cannons, and so I shall!" Stronghold shouted. "This challenge starts now, so lets MOOOOOOOOOOVE OUT!"
Bertram stared at Stronghold. He had told him to act like how he did at work, but he was still acting like a drill sergeant.
"That's how I talk at work, okay?" Stronghold stated. "You have a problem?"
Eventually the teams got up and went outside. There they would begin their challenge.
-It's De Lovely-
And so the renovations began. Team Zap-Dos was deciding what their theme was going to be.
"Uhhh... any ideas on what we want it to look like?" Kiki asked.
"Ooh, how about a music chart?" Chauncey asked.
"Huh, not a bad idea," Aria complimented. "Does it have to do with Lilly?"
"No, I just like music," Chauncey replied.
"Eeeeh, we're building a defense bunker, Kiki stated. "Why would we draw a big music sheet on our walls."
"Ugh, there you go again, Kiki," Chauncey scolded.
"Let the flames begin!" Aria proclaimed.
"I just criticized the idea, I wasn't making a personal attack," Kiki yelled.
"You've been a thorn on my side ever since I confessed love towards a true beloved across the tactical fence!" Chauncey yelled.
"Oh good grief," Kiki moaned.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Chauncey's been a pariah to this group the entire competition," Kiki said. "He has a hard time working as a team even though he's always swearing he'll help the team out just so we don't vote him off. He spends more time staring ga-ga at an opponent, and now he takes offense any time I say ANYTHING!? The sooner we get rid of him, the better off we'll be!"
-After Confessional-
"Thy doubts he might suggest," Dustin started. "Why don't we build a castle?"
"More grey?" Aria asked. "Come on."
"It doesn't have to be," Dustin said. "We can add as many wicked flags as we want. We even have the fabric to do so."
"Oh, that sounds lovely," Aria said. "I do like working with fabric."
"And we can even add some awesome sculptures too," Dustin said.
"Wow, you must be a good landscape expert," Aria said.
"Huh? No, I just like castles," Dustin stated.
"I can relate, castles are cool," Wren said. "Hey Aria, you ever been to a castle before?"
"No," Aria responded. "But there's a first for everything."
-Confessional Session(Dustin)-
"I've seen castles all over the world," Dustin started. So I know quite a bit about castles, and with this challenge I want to combine many different ideas from different castles. If only we could add a moat..."
-After Confessional-
Over at Artic-Uno, Jet was throwing out all his stupid ideas. Ruce was staring angrily at him the entire time.
"Come on! Why wouldn't a sports theme work?" Jet asked.
"Because we're building a place that's supposed to look INTIMIDATING!" Ruce yelled.
"Come on, it doesn't have to," Jet whined.
"You know, it really doesn't," Percy informed.
"See? Percy gets it," Jet said.
"But I still decline the sports theme," Percy returned.
"Oh come on!" Jet cried.
"I'm thinking maybe an ancient ruin theme with pillars and what-have-you," Percy suggested.
"Ha! I can beat that," Grant said.
"Let me guess, an evil science lab?" Muffy asked.
"Ooh, I was gonna suggest a colorful flower theme," Grant said. "But that's even better."
-Confessional Session(Muffy)-
"He wasn't going to suggest a colorful flower theme," Muffy stated.
-After Confessional-
"Wait wait wait, I got an idea too," Lilly stated. "What about a Jhotan Temple?"
"Jhoto? That's where I come from," Yoshi said.
"I know, you kinda gave me the idea," she said. "We could have Gyrados statues planted around the door, maybe some at the top, we could have some tatami flooring inside, and walls that look like bamboo screens, maybe with different images like trees and Swanas and such."
"I... like the idea," Yoshi stated.
"Yeah, that sounds cool," Ruce said.
"I'm on board for the idea too," Percy stated.
"Alright it looks like we got our theme," Ruce began. "Now it's time to tell Bertram the plan."
-Confessional Session(Yoshi)-
"I have a feeling something's up with Lilly," Yoshi said. "I don't know if she's coming onto me or something, but she does seem to take a pretty strong shine to me. But do I want to come between her and Chauncey? ...Or should I protect her from Chauncey? I... don't know enough about Chauncey to know what I should do."
-After Confessional-
And so, the two themes were decided: On team Artic-Uno a Jhotan temple theme, and on Zap-Dos' side a medieval castle theme. Over on Zap-Dos, Wren and Aria were deciding which flags to put up.
"Say, you think it would be cool to put black and yellow flags on the castle to signify our team colors?" Wren asked.
"Honey, you didn't need to ask if that was cool," Aria replied. "It's kind of obvious."
"He he, you're right," Wren said. "What if we drew Zapdos on the flags?"
"Now that sounds like a less obvious cool idea," Aria agreed. "Why don't I draw a rough draft?"
"Go for it," Wren smiled.
Meanwhile, Dustin was checking up on the teams progress.
"Remember, period accuracy," he said.
"What about the inside?" Drenig asked, rushing up to him with a bunch of board.
"Period castles did not use wooden floors," Dustin said. "They use luxurious rugs."
"...Are you sure? I've seen castles use wooden floors all the time," Drenig stated.
"Are YOU sure?" Dustin asked.
"Pretty sure... Although now that I think of it I'm unsure where," Drenig said.
"I'd still rather use a colorful rug," Dustin stated.
"Yeah you're right," Drenig agreed. "A little color hurt no one."
Then Dustin walked off and he saw Chauncey painting.
"Hey Dustin," Chauncey greeted. "I thought this project would very much benefit from my artistic tough. I don't just write poems, I can also be a pretty competent painter. Look, I drew you." Chauncey then turned the canvas over and showed a splendid picture of Dustin looking up, having a noble gesture to him and decked out in his favorite L.A.R. P. ing armor.
"Thy humble leader is pleased," Dustin said. "Could you draw Drenig too?"
"Why not the whole team?" Chauncey asked. "I enjoy painting and wouldn't mind drawing everyone. Maybe we could even do something with pictures of Pudge and Stawolt as well."
"Well... no Pudge please," Dustin said. "He's better left forgotten. Stawolt we can hang as a valiant hero who fell for our cause. ...But mostly to please Wren."
"Affirmative," Chauncey said.
"And uhhhh one more thing," Dustin said. "No pictures of Lilly, not even in your portrait."
"Awwwwwww..." Chauncey moaned as Dustin walked away.
Finally, Dustin ended up with Kiki and Riley. They were working on putting together stabbing dummies.
"Oh, you have everyone's best interest I see," Dustin said.
"Right," Kiki stated. "I just want something to punch."
"I'm kind of the same way," Riley stated. "Still... you do have that L.A.R. P. ing sword of yours. You could use that on these dummies if you wish. Maybe we should carve some bo-staves too."
"I don't need bo-staves, I fight with my claws," Kiki stated.
"Neh, I still like the idea of bo-staves," Riley said.
Suddenly, something caught Dustin's attention. He looked over and saw Aria and Wren holding up some bright yellow curtains.
"Hey look Dustin! Bed blinds," Wren said.
"Me and Wren made them," Aria stated.
"Excellent, well done," Dustin said before looking over to Drenig.
"Hey Dustin, you want to help decorate the interior with candles and plants?" Drenig asked.
"I would be honored," Dustin said before walking over to him and walking inside to help decorate.
Over at Team Artic-Uno, Lilly was putting together pieces of glass, and Muffy was helping. They were mostly using blue glass, so it was undoubted they were making a stained-glass mosaic of Articuno.
"Hey Lilly, does Articuno really live in an Arctic region?" Muffy asked. "And why is its name spelled Artic-Uno instead of Arctic-Uno? And why is our team named so?"
"You been holding those questions in for a while?" Lilly asked.
"I was always kind of shy around others unless they are smaller then me," Muffy said. "Then I used to bully them out of lack of confidence. Yoshi helped me be a bit more open with my true self. Yoshi's a nice person, don't you think?"
The moment Muffy mentioned Yoshi, Lilly went into a trance. It didn't seem like she was thinking about the real world any more.
"Uhhh, Lilly?" Muffy asked again.
"Huh? Oh yeah, Yoshi is kinda dreamy," Lilly said.
"Do you think we have a chance? You know, together?" Muffy asked.
"What? No!" Lilly blurted out. "I mean... no offense but... you two aren't even compatible. ...I don't think."
"Why wouldn't we be?" Muffy asked.
"Cause you're from two different egg groups," Lilly added.
"Oh, but he's such a nice guy," Muffy said. "And we don't need to have children, we can just be together."
"I'm saying he's not your type," Lilly added.
-Confessional Session(Lilly)-
"He's my type..." Lilly said dreamily. "Dah! What I mean by that is that we actually ARE from the same egg group, so we're compatible. ...Okay, maybe I do kind of have a crush on Yoshi. I cannot blame Muffy for having one too. I mean he's such a selfless guy. Especially compared to that Chauncey loser. Oh, I hope they get rid of him soon."
-After Confessional-
Meanwhile, Percy was setting up a nice sand garden to the side of the bunker. He set up some stones and a pit, then started to rake the sand. But suddenly, he heard a metal clanking noise. He looked up and noticed Jet was putting up a volleyball net.
"Having a volleyball court's a good idea Percy," Jet said before setting a pole down on the other side of the garden. After doing so, he looked back and noticed Percy had just pulled the first pole out of the sand. "Hey!" he yelled.
"I'm building a zen garden, not a volleyball court," Percy stated.
"Well I think this place could use some... recreation," Jet stated.
"Why not build a pond?" Percy asked. "You can soak in that."
"How can I without soft ground to dig?" Jet mentioned. "We're standing on cement, we can't dig into that for a pool."
"Well we're not making a fun-zone, we're renovating the bunker," Percy said. "Why not make some straw targets? You can practice throwing spears and shooting bows at them."
"Good idea!" Jet proclaimed. "I'll get to work right on them." And with that, he started to form some straw into targets. That might take a bit though.
Inside, Ruce was putting up some tatami mats while Grant was putting the screen walls together.
"He he, all's going according to plan," Grant said.
"Yup, all smoothly," Ruce stated. "I'm just about ready to put in the wooden table to replace that old one."
"And make some pillows to sit on?" Grant asked.
"Why not?" Ruce agreed after deciding it was a good idea. Eventually, Yoshi came in to check on their progress.
"Looking good guys," Yoshi stated.
"Hey, what do you know about Ruce's sister?" Grant asked.
"Well, she seemed like a nice kid," Yoshi stated.
"Don't give me the runaround, I know you had a hand in her elimination," Grant said.
"Oh not this again," Yoshi said to himself.
"You may act all innocent, but you can't fool me," Grant said. "She was my best friend until you got her kicked out!"
"Grant! We have no proof or evidence he did anything," Ruce shouted.
"We have no proof or evidence Jet did anything," Grant countered. "So what's your point?"
"Okay, I think I'm going to go check on the others," Yoshi said before stepping out.
-Confessional Session(Ruce)-
"I admire Grant for being nice to me," Ruce said. "But I don't admire him for picking on Yoshi. I just have a hard time believing he did anything to Abigale."
-After Confessional-
Yoshi had just went outside and saw Percy and Jet working on straw targets for practice. Seemed like a good idea to have such for recreation. Then he noticed Lilly and Abigale putting up a stained-glass mosaic of Articuno on their new Jhotan bunker. They had both made one for both sides of the bunker.
"Say, maybe we could also make a big hill and a tree to lie under," Muffy suggested.
"That's not a bad idea for those lazy days," Lilly said. "And it could help balance out the zen garden."
"Hey Yoshi!" Muffy called out. "How do you like it?"
"It's coming along nicely, what can I say," Yoshi said.
"Oh he likes it!" Muffy cheered.
"We're glad you're happy," Lilly said. "Now we're putting in a tree for those lazy days. Maybe someday we can both sit under there and talk, Yoshi."
"Uhh... I guess," Yoshi responded.
"I wanna do that with him too!" Muffy cried.
"I keep telling you you two are not compatible," Lilly said.
"But he's so cool," Muffy said. "You're so cool Yoshi."
"You're getting kind of creepy Muffy," Lilly mentioned. "Besides, he's more interested in me. Oops, did I say that out loud?"
"No way, he likes me more," Muffy cried.
"No, we have to stop, we're being uncivil," Lilly pointed out.
"Yes... you are..." Yoshi said before backing away.
-Confessional Session(Yoshi)-
"Okay... this situation between Lilly and Muffy is not comfortable," Yoshi pointed out. "Is this one of those love triangles? Point A and point B are both in love with point C? Or was it point A loves point B, but point B loves point C? That's sort of puts Muffy out and replaces her with Chauncey in that case. I wish I could say I was a love doctor, but I'm not."
-After Confessional-
Eventually, Team Zap-Dos finished their castle, and Team Artic-Uno finished their Jhotan temple. Afterward it was time for the fun part: Placing the cannons. Each side had Shieldons helping the teams with their cannons. Nothing special to these cannons, mostly just four cannons, two in the middle in back, two at the sides in front. Each cannon was guarded by a tower that fit the style of the bunkers. And with the cannons built, the NEW bunkers came to fruition. On Artic-Uno's side, a Jhotan temple with a sand garden, shooting targets, wooden exterior, screen walls, tatami flooring, a tree and a hill, and two Artic-Uno stain-glass mosaics. On Zap-Dos' side, a castle with stone faces, a training ground, portraits, a colorful rug, plants and lighting, bed blinds, and yellow and black Zap-Dos flags. ...But that was only the beginning.
-Plans-
While waiting for Bertram's announcement, Lilly and Muffy were still going at it as they entered their new bunkers.
"I'm telling you you are not eligible for him," Lilly said.
"I think I still can," she said.
"No, ugh." Lilly then went over to the bookshelf and picked up a book titled "Wedding Bells: Which Mate Is Right For You," and started flipping through them. "Look, see? Bisharps are NOT compatible with Granbull."
"Let me see that!" Muffy growled before swiping the book away. "Huh, what do you know?"
"See, I told you," Lilly said. "Granbull are NOT compatible with Bisharps."
"Neither are Gardevoir," Muffy said, shoving the book in her face. "It says here Gardevoir and Bisharps are two different egg types and are not compatible either."
"Wait, what?" Lilly said, grabbing the book and looking at it in shock.
-Confessional Session(Lilly)-
"NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo..."
-After Confessional-
"Well I don't care," Muffy said. "I still say he likes me more, and I like him more than you like him."
"I don't think so," Lilly stated. "You're creepy, and no one likes creepy."
"I'll give you creepy!" Muffy yelled before raising a fist. Just then, Bertram came up on screen for the announcement.
"Everyone in the bunkers to decide WHO will be sent over," he said.
"Whatever," Lilly and Muffy said in unison.
Over at Zap-Dos, they were deciding who to send out to see the other bunker. And of course, Chauncey raised his hand.
"Let me guess, Lilly?" Kiki asked once he did.
"Maybe," Chauncey said. "Or maybe I just wanted to see their decor."
"We all do!" Riley blurted out. "You are just being selfish!"
"Why don't I and Wren go," Aria offered. "I'd really like Wren to see their place. I bet ours is better though."
"Hmmm... if Aria has any talent at all, it's criticism," Riley stated.
"What? She's good at other things," Wren stated. "She can sing and cook and do all sorts of things."
"Yeah, but how is she athletically?" Riley asked.
"I'll admit athletics isn't a strong point of mine," Aria confessed. "But I do have intellectual talents."
"Like making sarcastic comments," Riley stated.
"Yes, like making..." Aria started. "Wait, what? No, I have others too."
"To be fair, I do agree Aria would be the right for the job though," Kiki said. "Okay, you and wren can go over."
"Aww, thanks," Wren said with a smile.
"I guess it's time we go tell Bertram," Kiki said as the entire group left to go outside.
Meanwhile at Artic-Uno, Yoshi was getting a bit... worried.
"Say... Lilly and Muffy?" Yoshi asked while everyone was in the room. "I was thinking maybe... you could both go and view the place?"
"I personally would like to see their place," Lilly said. "Assuming a certain someone isn't gonna be there."
"Ugh, who cares about that loser Chauncey, you can have him," Muffy said. "I'm staying here with Yoshi."
"Uhhh... okay... now you're getting REALLY creepy," Lilly said.
"Please Muffy, I was just trying to be nice by letting you go to see the other fortress," Yoshi said. "No need to make a big deal out of it."
"She said she didn't want to go," Jet interrupted. "In that case I'll see this new fortress."
"Oh no," Yoshi said. And yet, Lilly seemed to have a different mindset.
"Sure Jet, you can come," Lilly said.
"Wait, really?" Yoshi asked.
"Why not?" Lilly said before going close to Yoshi. "I want to see him embarrass himself in front of the other team," she whispered.
"Well... Alright," Yoshi said.
At the meeting grounds, the teams have gathered around Bertram's screen.
"Have the teams reached a decision?" Bertram asked.
"Our team has," Yoshi said to him.
"Ours too," Kiki said.
"We choose Lilly and Jet to go see the other fortress," Ruce stated.
When Chauncey heard that, he let out a happy gasp. Lilly was coming over for the day? It seemed too good to be true.
"And we choose Wren..." Aria started. "And Chauncey to go over."
"Wait, hold on? When did we decide this?" Chauncey asked.
"The second they mentioned Lilly was coming here," Kiki stated. "And you said you wanted to see the other teams bunker and not Lilly."
"But... but..." Chauncey stuttered as Kiki pushed him in front closest to the screen.
"It's decided," Bertram said. "Lilly, Jet, Wren, and Chauncey, come to Savil's cave."
"Awww maaaaan..." Chauncey moaned.
-Confessional Session(Chauncey)-
"They're all against me having a love interest," Chauncey said. "Every step of the way from eating all the Pinap berries I picked today and now sending me off to make sure I don't meet up with Lilly. Why should I help such an ungrateful team?"
-After Confessional-
Eventually, Lilly and Jet met up with Wren and Chauncey at Savil's cave. Bertram was there to explain things.
"Okay, so... how does the judging work," Chauncey asked.
"What judging?" Bertram replied.
"Don't play dumb, you said pick two members to judge the other team," Jet mentioned.
"Did I say that?" Bertram asked.
"What's going on?" Lilly returned.
"Oh now I remember," Bertram said. "Yeah, that was just a lie."
"Wait, what!?" Wren asked in a confused state.
"How does that work without bias?" Bertram asked. "No, what I really called you four here for is to steal some plans from the other team."
"Whaaaat?" Jet asked.
"Yup, I had the Shieldons plant some plans in the bookshelves of each bunker before they left," he said. "The person who gets those plans shows their entire team the opponents bunker. The losing team will be left in the dark. And the person who successfully brings their plans to their bunker first will earn an added bonus. ...But more on that later. Now, take these."
Bertram started to hand out small ear buds for the contestants. They seemed a bit confused.
"I find it weird that I'm the only one who actually has ears," Wren said.
"We all do," Lilly stated. "We just don't have earlobes like you."
"Now, testing one-two-three one-two-three one-two-three," Bertram said before speaking into a microphone. "It's time to go to your bunkers. Get to know the team first, then later I will give you the signal."
Before they started walking off, Chauncey decided to be predictable and talk to Lilly.
"Sorry I didn't bring any Pinap berries," Chauncey said. "My team ate them all."
"I can't hear you, I have ear buds on," Lilly jested before walking off.
"Why won't you give me a chance!?" Chauncey called out as she walked past.
"Maybe it's because you're just not likeable," Jet said as he walked off.
"Why you say that to my fist!?" Chauncey threatened before Wren tugged at his formal wear.
"He's not worth it, let's go," Wren said. While walking off, he couldn't help but thank Aria to himself. "It sure was nice of Aria to let me see the other bunker."
Eventually, both groups got to their bunkers, but Lilly and Jet arrived first. Immediately Dustin was there to greet him.
"Greetings brave ones," Dustin said. "Welcome to my castle, please make yourself at home."
"This is the bunker our team made," Drenig stated before walking up to the group. "Do you like it?"
"I think it's very nice," Lilly said.
"Oh please," Jet said. "This place is so boring."
"Hey Jet, did you not say you would be more humble?" Lilly playfully asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I did didn't I?" Jet responded.
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"Being humble is not as easy as you think it is," Jet said. "This is especially true when you're used to being on the top all the time. I've won so many awards at sports in college, and you can expect that I value those awards. Every time I get a silver or bronze medal at a sport? ...It devastates me."
-After Confessional-
"Anyway it was nice of you to come," Dustin said. "We provided you with a meal. Would you be so kind to eat with us?"
Drenig showed a nice wooden round table with a beautiful roast primitive-Golduck on the table. Drenig then held up a bowl of chopped berries to Lilly's face.
"We even made a bowl of fruit for you," Drenig said. "We know you're a vegetarian."
"That is quite thoughtful," Lilly stated.
"So will you join us?" Dustin asked.
"You bet!" Jet exclaimed before helping himself to a seat. Lilly sat down as well.
Over at Artic-Uno's, Wren and Chauncey were all taking in the sights. Even the entrance looked good.
"Wow... We've' got our work cut out for us," Wren stated.
"It is pretty nice," Chauncey stated. "But how does it look inside?"
As they stepped in, they saw everyone at a table, gathered around a big plate of chopped primitive-Magikarp and Basculin, as well as some other fishes.
"Welcome to our bunker, guys," Ruce greeted.
"We have freshly caught sashimi for your arrival," Yoshi stated.
"Sashimi? I've never had that before," Wren said.
"Never too late to try new things," Percy said.
"I suppose we could sit down and eat while we are here," Chauncey said.
"Yeah, wouldn't hurt anyone," Wren said as they both sat down. They hesitated to start eating though.
"So... tell me about yourselves," Wren said.
"I'm Ruce," she greeted. "I am Abigale's sister. You may notice that Abigale isn't HERE!"
"We're still trying to find out who got her kicked off," Grant added.
"No, we know she had that incriminating paper with her the whole time," Muffy stated. "Ruce is just in denial."
"You little witch!" Ruce yelled. "I keep telling you she would NEVER do something so disgusting!"
"Uhh... Is something wrong?" Wren asked. The rest of the group looked at Wren and Chauncey.
"Yeah yeah yeah yeah, I'm sure that's a fascinating story, but I want to know about Lilly," Chauncey blurted out.
Everyone froze for a moment. There were wondering how to respond.
"Yeah, well playing the blame game isn't helping!" Muffy yelled at Ruce.
"I refuse to believe my sister inflicted it on herself," Ruce said. "She's never been one to do that, and I spy on her A LOT!"
"It's all over with," Percy stated. "Let's just drop it."
"Oh shut up!" Muffy yelled at Percy.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"Blugh, glad I'm not on that team," Wren said. "Is this a daily on-going battle? I feel like I'm in a wrestling ring right about now."
-After Confessional-
Over at Zap-Dos, Jet was trying his hardest not to brag about stuff, and Lilly was kind of coaxing him too.
"Come on, Jet," Lilly started. "Tell me about the time you won the cross country race."
"Uhhh, not right now," Jet said, trying to seem pleasant.
"Tell us about all those trophies you've won," Lilly taunted.
"No... I should not," he said.
"Tell us..." Lilly started up again before she was interrupted.
"Drenig, you're twirling your food again," Dustin said.
"I'm even more nervous," Drenig stated. "We have a vegetarian over, and I'm feeling even more finicky."
"What do you mean?" Lilly asked.
"I... I don't know if I want to eat meat anymore," Drenig said.
"I see. You show great sympathy for your food, is that correct?" Lilly asked. "Why do you think I became a vegetarian? It's because of the suffering animals go through..."
"Suffering animals go through?" Aria asked. "You mean like the suffering all the poor little primitive-raticates and nicadas go through after choking on poisons used to feed you vegetarian hypocrites?"
"Who you calling hypocrite?" Lilly asked. "People like you hate it when vegetarians use sympathy tactics to make people stop eating meat, yet you use them to force vegetarians to eat meat."
"Well it's just that..." Aria started.
"And you hate it when vegetarians talk about hurting Pokemon for it, yet have no shame in talking about hurting primitives because of SOME of us," Lilly added.
"But that's because..." Aria started.
"And you forget to mention that some of those crops feed YOUR food!" Lilly yelled.
"Can we just..." Aria started.
"Yes, vegetarianism is flawed," Lilly stated. "But that doesn't make hunting ANY MORE ANGELIC! I stopped eating meat not just because I wanted to minimize the amount of primitives I was responsible for, but because I was sick and tired of being associated with major-league class-A hypocrites like YOU!"
Aria shut up after that last sentence. She was speechless.
"I think you're right Lilly," Drenig said. "I'm considering going vegetarians." He then shoved his plate away from him.
"Wait Drenig," Lilly started. "It's natural to feel sorry for your food. I'm sure your friends have taught you this. But you cannot just quit meat cold turkey. And truth be told, vegetarianism isn't for everyone."
"Well..." Drenig stuttered.
"I appreciate your sympathy, but you don't have to change for me or anyone else," Lilly said. "Only you should decide what you eat. ...But considering you're a carnivorous Pokemon, I'd probably suggest against it."
"I... I guess I'll stay on the fence," he said. "Maybe I can do without some meats."
"Do whatever you feel is the right thing to do," Lilly stated.
"Okay, time to cut the cord cause the Jet frog's getting bored," Jet said.
"...Really dude?" Riley said, speaking up for the first time during the conversation.
"Okay, let's hear your riveting story," Kiki said.
"Yes, enlighten us please," Riley added.
"Let's talk about the time I won the cross country race," Jet said. "You see, at the start of the race, I noticed my shoes were untied, so I took a minute to tie them, and then I took off and I swear it felt like the competitors were all Macargo as I bolted past every last one of them. Like, they couldn't even beat me with a head start."
"Now you see why I brought this guy?" Lilly asked. "He sure is a riot, isn't he?"
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"Lilly's words did mean a lot to me," Drenig said. "I'm going to give up Tauros and Emboar and stick with eating just birds and fish from now on. ...Aww, but maybe I should make an exception for primitive Sawsbuck. ...No, I can't. ...Well... Maybe... I've always liked Sawsbuck. But what I'd really like to try some day is Cobalion. ...Except I'd probably not live long enough."
-Confessional Session(Aria)-
"I've not been this humiliated in a while," Aria stated. "I do all of that towards vegetarians. Maybe I should bite my tongue more often, except my beak is too sharp. ...I'm so glad Wren didn't see that."
-After Confessional-
Ruce and Muffy were still going on about Abigale. It was getting on EVERYONE's nerves.
"You HAVE heard all those stories, right?" Muffy asked.
"So WHAT!?" Ruce yelled. "Just because it's true for SOME furries doesn't make it true for ALL furries."
"Have you ever saw P.S.I.?" Muffy asked.
"So WHAT!?" Ruce yelled again. "THAT was a TV show."
"Based on a REAL story!" Muffy challenged.
"SO WHAT!?" Ruce roared.
"GUYS! CUT IT OUT!" Chauncey screamed.
Muffy and Ruce both shut up. Now attention was on Chauncey.
"I've been here for a while, and all I wanted was to check out the decor and learn more about Lilly."
"Lilly?" Muffy asked. "What's so great about her? She can have you. I want Yoshi."
"Wait what?" Chauncey asked.
"Uhh, this might be a good time to add that..." Yoshi started.
"What do you mean "She can have me," and "I want Yoshi?" Chauncey asked.
"Yoshi is one of the nicest people I know," Muffy stated. "He's dreamy, cool, and makes a great motivational speaker. He helped me become what I am today."
"What, you mean a loud-mouth sister eliminator?" Ruce asked.
"I DID NOT PLANT THAT PAGE!" Muffy roared.
"But do you have proof?" Grant asked.
"Do you have proof YOU didn't do it? Does ANYONE have proof?" Muffy asked.
"Ugh, I thought it might be peaceful without Jet here," Percy said.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGH! JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" Chauncey roared. "Did you tell me that Lilly actually likes Yoshi!?"
"What, you didn't know?" Muffy asked.
"You know, I was going to say this..." Yoshi started.
"Me and Lilly BOTH have our sights on Yoshi," Muffy said. "Lilly has no interest in you if THAT is what you are wondering."
"Muffy, I have a girlfriend already!" Yoshi yelled.
"Aww, how cute," Muffy said to Yoshi before turning to Chauncey. "Now he's playing "hard-to-get." How can you not like that?"
"But I'm serious," Yoshi said. "Heck, she even auditioned as a guard in yesterday's challenge. None of you saw her because she only appeared in my cell during the part where the Drowzee guards tried to beat us up with batons."
"Right, your girlfriend is a Drowzee," Muffy said.
"Well, yeah," Yoshi stated.
"What a funster," Muffy said after turning to Chauncey. "I love it when Yoshi makes jokes like that. As if Drowzee and Bisharp could actually be compatible."
"No... this isn't right... That can't be... Lilly!" Chauncey said to himself.
Just then, right behind the groups, Bertram appeared on the screen.
"It was nice of you to give each teams a warm welcome," Bertram said. "But now I think you should let the visitors in by themselves to help them further evaluate the rooms. Too much background noise might make it hard for them to concentrate."
"Huh?" Muffy said, looking up at the screen. "Okay, Bert."
Eventually, Muffy, Ruce, Percy, Grant, and Yoshi left their bunkers, and Kiki, Riley, Drenig, Dustin, and Aria left theirs. This left Chauncey and Wren at Artic-Uno's bunker, and Lilly and Jet at Zap-Dos' bunker.
-Confessional Session(Chauncey)-
"No! I will not let that stupid Bisharp take Lilly away from me!" Chauncey yelled. "Yoshi is going DOWN!"
-Confessional Session(Yoshi)-
"It does sound kind of strange, but Bisharp and Drowzee actually are compatible," Yoshi mentioned. "Both are classified as "Human-Shape" egg group Pokemon. ...I understand why a Hypno would be classified as such, but a Drowzee? That seems kind of odd, since you can hardly call Drowze "human-shaped, but I guess species don't change egg-type when they evolve."
-After Confessional-
Eventually the rest were gone and Bertram started to go into business.
"Are they gone?" Bertram asked.
"Huh?" Lilly said as she heard speaking in her ear. "Yes, the others are gone, just me a jet remain."
"Great. Remember what I told you," Bertram started. "The plans should be in the bunker's bookshelf. Can you find them?"
"Ha! Right here," Jet said before rushing to the bookshelf and pulling out a big schematic with pictures of Zap-Dos' bunker on them.
"Very good," Bertram said. "Now, they're still outside, so escaping through there just will not happen. Each bunker has a new trapdoor installed to the defense system. You can use them to escape."
"Got it," Lilly said. Her eyes saw the trapdoor and her and Jet immediately rushed to it. It was time to put the plan in action.
But outside, the teams were getting suspicious. Zap-Dos couldn't help but notice two big posts at each end of the hallway, and a big net shadowing the entire group. There were even some rope bridges present.
"Okay, what's the deal?" Aria asked.
"This is TERRIBLE!" Bertram blurted out, coming onto the screen."I tried to tell them not to, but your rivals JUST STOLE THE BLUEPRINTS TO YOUR BUNKER!"
Everyone gasped when they heard this. ...Everyone except Aria.
"Got it," Aria said. "These so-called blueprints are news to me. We don't have any blueprints that I remember."
"Well shoot the opponents down before they get to their bunkers!" Bertram said. "Through the trap doors inside!"
"What happens if they get away with our plans?" Riley asked.
"One more Pokemon on your team goes home then," Bertram asked.
"On it!" Dustin said before scurrying inside.
"Remember, one of you will not get a cannon, so maybe you can chase after them," Bertram stated.
"I'll do that," Riley said before going inside.
"Well, the spies aren't gonna knock themselves out," Aria blurted as the team went inside to mand their new cannons.
-It's A Trap!-
Chauncey and Wren emerged from the bunker and saw all the rope-bridges. There were some smaller ones connecting the bridges to the roof and the wall, but they had different patterns.
"Okay, it should be smooth sailing now," Bertram said. "You just have to walk across the rope bridges back to your bunker."
"Seems simple enough," Wren said.
"It's not. Each bridge and the wall is connected by a puzzle," Bertram said. "On Artic-Uno's side, you will first come across a circle bridge with nine circles. You must step on each of the circles in order or else it will flip on you and send you into the net below. You may NOT step on one a second time."
"Sounds easy," Chauncey said.
"Does it?" Wren asked. "That may be easy for you, but I'm technically a quadruped. Do you notice I do most of my walking on all fours?"
"No," Chauncey said.
"I have to do all that on my feet," Wren said. "And if you haven't noticed, they're big, and big feet are meant for hopping, not walking. So no, that won't be easy."
"Then you must walk across a rope bridge while the opposing side launches dodge balls at you," Bertram said. "AND also while another member of the group chases you."
"Tee-riffic," Wren said.
"On Artic-Uno's side attached to the wall is a steady board," Bertram said.
"Cake," Chauncey blurted.
"Except it's covered in slippery goe, it's skinny, and it isn't straight," Bertram said.
"Not cake," Chauncey said.
"Next, the wall," Bertram said. "It's thick, sturdy, but the opposing spies can easily knock you off here."
"Should not take much to knock that frog off," Wren stated.
"The first thing Lilly and Jet should encounter is a pair of ropes," Bertram stated. "One foot on one, the other foot on the other. You can use your hands if you must."
"Thanks," Wren stated.
"Followed by another rope bridge and a spinning drum," Bertram stated. "The drum doesn't spin by itself, but it uses the weight of the competitors."
"Good thing we brought out lightest competitors," Chauncey said.
"Yeah, but the bad news..." Wren started. "...So did they."
Chauncey stared across the bunkers as he saw Lilly at the other end. He was really nervous.
"Oh no, I can't beat Lilly, can I?" Chauncey asked himself. "I want to prove I'm strong for her. I want to show her that I am the one. But I can't beat her, it shant be done. ...No! I have to do it, for my team! Forgive me Lilly!"
"If you fall down in the net, you must start over at the last checkpoint you crossed," Bertram said. "The checkpoints are just past each of the four gimmick bridges. And remember: Cannons. Also you will have one Pokemon chasing after you."
Lilly looked out across the field at Chauncey. She was just about ready to put him in his place.
"Good thing I brought you along," Lilly told Jet. "You're the only person I can stand less than Chauncey besides maybe Muffy, but you've got athletics on your side."
"Aww, thanks Lilly that is very..." Jet started before he realized Lilly also bashed him. "Hey! I'm not that unlikeable am I?"
"Here come the defenders," Bertram said. "Last note: BOTH members of your team must make it safely back. The chase begins... NOW!"
Lilly and Chauncey both took the start. Chauncey had no problems on the sequence steps, and Lilly managed to balanace well on the ropes. Both of them easily made their way to the first checkpoint. But Wren and Jet were having a harder time. Wren decided to go through the first obstacle on his toes. Wren put one foot down on the first button, then put the other on the second one, but he stumbled afterwards and fell, his left paw hitting the fourth button before his feet left the first two. This caused the steps to flip, and he dropped to the net. And when he got up, he had come face to face with Muffy.
"You better get moving punk," Muffy stated. There was a rule against keeping the contestants down in the pit before the first obstacle. In fact, Wren had to clear the first obstacle before Muffy was allowed to touch him. Even at the first rope bridge, Muffy would have to wait on a platform next to the checkpoint and wait for Wren to cross a yellow line on the bridge before she could touch him there. Bertram wanted to make sure things were fair.
But Jet wasn't having much better luck. When he was on the double ropes, his long legs caused the ropes to separate, giving him not only the splits, but a hard time staying on balance. Like Riley said, he was in charge of taking on the escapees on his side.
"Come on Wren, you can do it," Chauncey said as he started on the rope bridge. Before Chauncey knew it, the balls were flying. One flew right by his head, causing him to lose a pit of balance, but regain it and trek on.
Meanwhile, Wren tried his hardest to keep up on the sequent steps. He tried standing on his whole foot this time. This allowed him for better footing, but it would allow for less speed and put more weight on the steps, which swing a bit regardless of whether he hits the right buttons.
"Come on Wren!" Chauncey called out right before making it to the checkpoint. ...And getting kissed in the face by a dodge ball before putting one foot on the checkpoint, making him start the bridge over.
"Ha! Bulseye!" Grant cried out, claiming to be the one who made the shot.
"Good shot, Grant," Ruce called out.
Meanwhile, Jet tried a different approach by grabbing one rope with his left limbs, and the other with his right. But this proved challenging as well, as he fell through the ropes again. Lilly looked back at him in disappointment.
"Pathetic, I thought you'd be better at this," Lilly said.
"Duh, to be fair," Jet started as he climbed back up. "Athletics doesn't always mean balance."
Lilly shook his head and continued. She tried to stay low to avoid getting hit as badly, and grabbed onto the bridge every time she was hit.
Wren was making slow but sure steps. Using his whole foot gave him a little more balance, but he had to lift as lightly as he could cause he could topple over of he lifted to heavily. But finally, he made it past the obstacle. But now, Muffy was on their tail.
"Ready or not, here I come!" She called out, stomping across the sequence steps.
Lilly was the first to make it to the second gimmick obstacle. Lilly needed little but steady footing to cross the barrel, and it was easy enough for her. She then looked back at Jet and couldn't help but feel even more ashamed.
"Oh come on!" Lilly cried out.
"I'm trying as hard as I can," Jet said, this time grabbing the ropes between his hands and knees. This worked better for him as it gave him better grip, but slowed him CONSIDERABLY. ...But he eventually did cross. "Ha! I did it!" Jet said. "The rest of the course should be a breeze."
"Hurray, good for you," Lilly said sarcastically after stepping on the second check point. "Remember, it doesn't matter if I make it across, we BOTH need to."
"Ha! Got it," Jet said before hoping across the bridge. Jet was... surprisingly fast. Riley had no chance to catch up as he crossed the two ropes.
"Ha, now there's the Jet I expect to see," Lilly said to Jet as he got to the barrel.
Wren was crossing the bridge as nature intended him to: on all fours. The problem? His feet were not designed for crawling. Literally, his anatomy is designed to hop, and not much more.
"Hmph, let's see how he likes a ball to the face?" Ruce said before firing a ball right at Wren's head. Wren, startled by the ball immediately fell to the net below. "Direct hit!"
Meanwhile, Chauncey got back up to the checkpoint, but started to cross the bridge. But Muffy was on his tail.
"I'd start running if I were you!" Muffy said as she chased Chauncey. ...But when she got close, she was hit by a ball. ...From her own team. She was knocked down to the net.
"What the?" Ruce called out and noticed the shot came from the Pokemon on the middle-left cannon: Yoshi.
"Oh no," Yoshi said. "I hit her. Come on, I have to get Chauncey." As it turned out, Yoshi was not a great shot. None of them were, as Chauncey found his way to the end of the bridge.
Jet finally got to the spinning barrel, but was having a hard time with it.
"Uhhh... how do you do this?" Jet asked.
"Don't tell me, the great and powerful Jet can't do THAT either," Lilly said.
Jet's frog legs just would not allow him to cross that barrel. His anatomy made him illsuited. His legs were too long, and they bent oddly, making going on it on two legs almost impossible for him. And going on all fours wouldn't work either.
"Uhhh, no I think I can," Jet said before trying to sidle across. ...Nope, wasn't gonna happen, he fell backwards onto the drum and into the net.
"Oh brother," Lilly cried.
"You try doing it with frog legs!" Jet cried out.
Chauncey slowly but carefully trudged through the slippery surface of the slippery bridge and made it to the wall where Lilly was.
"Huh? Oh no!" Chauncey said.
"Get out of my way creep," Lilly said.
"Why can't you just give our love a chance?" Chauncey asked.
"Because you are only thinking about yourself," Lilly said. "Why do you think I like Yoshi more? It's because he does things out of the goodness of his heart, while you only care about what you want."
"What!? No, that's not true!" Chauncey cried.
Chauncey and Lilly were in the middle. Yoshi was trying to aim for Chauncey.
"Come on, please don't hit Lilly," he said to himself.
"No, I want what's best for you," Chauncey said. "I love you Lilly."
"You are so shallow!" Lilly yelled. "You need to either gain some selflessness or give up, because at this rate..."
Lilly was intimidating Chauncey, which caused Chauncey to back up and Lilly to go forward... And it also helped Yoshi misfire again. Yoshi tried aiming for Chauncey, but Lilly got in the way, and he hit Lilly instead, sending her into the net.
"No! Lilly!" Yoshi cried out, depressed by what he did. It did give Chauncey the chance to run across though.
"I'm sorry Lilly," Chauncey said. "I have to win for my team." Even with balls firing off from both sides, Chauncey managed to make it to the end.
Jet had to start all the way back at the bridge. Once again, he was making quick work at it, but Riley had a plan.
"Kiki, shoot me would ya?" Riley called out.
"Uhh... okay," Kiki said before firing a ball at Riley. Riley quickly caught it and fired it at Jet's back. This caused Jet to fall of the bridge in astonishment. And Riley even showboated a bit by blowing his finger.
Wren tried the same thing he did before with the rope bridge, and managed to get by before Muffy had a shot at him. Wren may not have had the balance of other Pokemon, but it was his best bet anyway. Next up was the sludge crossing. Wren played it safe by going slow and steady on the sludge bridge before winding up at the wall where he was confronted with an angry Gardevoir.
"Did someone on my own team just knock me out?" Lilly yelled before looking back. Lilly walked forward along the wall, trying to deflect balls coming from both sides. It was then she came face-to-face with Wren.
"Umm... hello," Wren said with a happy but nervous smile.
Suddenly, Lilly tried to push him off. Wren countered by grabbing her arms, engaging in a shoving war. ...Neither were that strong though. ...But eventually, Lilly was hit again, this time by the opposing team, a shot that happened to be fired off by Aria's cannon.
"All lights green, Wren!" Aria called out.
"Thanks Aria!" Wren called out before finishing the wall.
Chauncey was really booking it. The spinning drum was no problem for him just like it wasn't for Lilly, but when he started on the bridge, he had to deal with Jet, who was charging right at him.
"Oh no you DON'T!" Jet yelled as he rushed on the bridge. Eventually, he jumped right over Chauncey, landed right behind him with his hands, then gave him a nasty pair of head scissors with his legs before throwing him off. Jet laughed at Chauncey before getting back to the spinning drum. That's where he saw Wren trying to cross.
"You're still back here?" Wren asked. "Maybe you should try bending your legs, you put more density onto the barrel and it might help you balance. And if that doesn't work, try grasping it with arms and legs."
"I know how to do this," Jet said before trying the second approach. He spun over as Wren expected, but was still holding on.
"And if you can just grab the edge, you should be able to right yourself," Wren stated. ...Jet did just that.
"Thanks for the help goody-two-shoes," Jet said before pulling him up. "You just cost your team the win. Good luck trying to cross the drum.
"Hmmm..." Wren was actually better equipped for it than Jet. His big feet would actually help him here as it gave him more stability to allow him to cross easier. He'd still be slower than Lilly or Chauncey, but he was still able to do it faster than Jet. ...Speaking of which, Jet was making lots of ground now, taking out the wall effortlessly. And now Lilly was crossing the wall too.
"We haven't lost yet Lilly," Jet said as Lilly.
Except Jet forgot one thing: Riley.
"Hey! Shoot me another one!" Riley said to Kiki. After being shot another ball, Riley waited for Jet to cross the sludge bridge first. ...But Jet slipped on the sludge bridge and fell. "Huh, never mind."
Chauncey had recovered from his last fall and was following Wren on the bridge. Wren was going quite slowly, but they were farther away from enemy cannons so they were in safer waters now.
"I think we can do it Chauncey," Wren said. "We just have to get across the two ropes, then we're good."
Chauncey kept looking back at Lilly. He was kind of ashamed to be beating her right now.
"No, now is not the time to be dozing off," Wren said. "We have to get to the end."
"Huh? Right," Chauncey said while crossing the bridge. But now it came to the two ropes, and Wren would have a hard time with is since he didn't have knees to grab onto the ropes with.
"I think if I just..." Wren started, trying to go with his usual tactics of making use of his ground stability.
Chauncey looked back and saw Lilly had just cleared the sludge bridge, and Jet was slowing his progress down on it.
"Come on Wren, hurry up," Chauncey said.
"I'm going as fast as I can," he said. "I can't go much faster."
Eventually, Wren did make it across, leaving Chauncey left to the two ropes. ...But he would have to move it, as Lilly and Jet were gaining ground. Chauncey tried Jet's strategy and grabbed the ropes with his arms and legs.
"I... just... have... to..." Chauncey tried moving as fast as he could, and Lilly made it to the sequence steps. But Chauncey was almost there, and Wren was there to help.
"Grab on," Wren said as he held his tail out.
"That's using your abilities," Chauncey stated.
"Then grab my paw," Wren said, holding his hand out.
Chauncey grabbed Wren's paw with his left and holding onto the side with his right. Eventually, he was able to pull himself up, and right before Jet had a shot at the sequence steps. Eventually, the loudspeakers sounded off to announce their victory.
"Team Zap-dos wins again!" Bertram called out through the speakers.
As you'd expect, there was more fanfare from the team as they all went out of their cannons to celebrate their victory with Wren and Chauncey.
"As winners for this event, you all get a look at team Artic-Uno's Jhotan inspired temple," Bertram started. "In addition, Mignon has prepared a giant loaf of primitive-Tauros meat for Team Zap-Dos' victory."
Team Zap-Dos all cheered at the sound of such a delicious prize. ...All except Drenig, who just stood and smiled. He seemed less enthused about it.
"As for team Artic Uno? Well..." Bertram started. "You have a date with destiny soon. Please make yourselves supper before you come to."
Eventually, Jet made it over to his building, and he had some really angry contestants looking at him. Ruce, Muffy, Percy, AND Grant were all staring at him. Lilly just shook her head. ...But Yoshi seemed to stay out of it.
"Wow, that's your so-called abilities?" Ruce asked.
"They don't include balance, sue me," Jet said.
"You know, you haven't proven yourself much at all on this show," Percy said.
"I won us the first challenge, didn't I?" Jet asked.
"So?" Muffy asked.
"And I did pretty good in the second challenge," Jet said.
"The one we still lost," Grant said.
"I'll do better in the next challenge," Jet said.
"Oh trust me," Ruce started. "There won't be a next for you."
-The Shock-
Team Zap-Dos gathered around the round table in their castle for their meatloaf dinner. It was a big loaf of Tauros meat slathered in barbecue sauce and garnished with primitive-Grumpig bacon. Dustin decided to cut his friend a piece for him.
"Here you go, Drenny," Dustin said, making use of a cute nickname for him.
"I... I'm gonna say no," Drenig stated.
"Huh? You don't want it?" Dustin asked.
"Drenig, we keep telling you," Aria started. "It's natural to feel sorry, but it's still natural to eat meat."
"It's not that, it's just..." Drenig stared down at the table in front of him. "Lilly did have a point. I have been thinking long about this, and I've decided that I'm going to be a pescitarian."
"...Pesky-what now?" Riley asked.
"It means white-meat eater," Drenig said. "I'm going to cut out Tauros and Emboar from my diet and stick with bird and fish Pokemon."
"Drenig, are you sure you've thought this through?" Dustin asked. Drenig got up from his seat, went to the door and grabbed a spear.
"I'm sure Dustin," Drenig said.
"Well..." Dustin started. "If you're sure, I guess we won't try to stop you."
"Sometimes we all make choices that are hard for us," Kiki stated. "I admire you if you're going to go through with it."
"Have fun on your hunting trip Drenny," Wren said. Drenig smiled back to the group and walked out the door.
Meanwhile, at the elimination ceremony, Jet went back to being nervous about himself as Bertram handed out the glasses of milk.
"I guess you guys just like losing," Bertram said looking at each and every one of them. "Remember to drink up. If you don't, you will be disqualified."
Jet was hesitant to drink his milk. He brought the glass to his lips and then... he was interrupted.
"Stop, don't drink..." a voice blurted out. Just then, everyone's attention was on... Yoshi. "I... I didn't come here to win a prize. I came here to meet new Pokemon, and hopefully teach them the ways of life. I thought my kindness would help bring the team together, but I can see it is only tearing it apart. That is why I am quitting Quarantine."
There was a huge gasp let out by the other contestants. Even Bertram seemed surprised.
"Wait, don't pour that milk out, not unless you're sure," Bertram stated. Yoshi looked at his milk then at the rest of the competitors.
"There's more to it then that," Yoshi said. "Jet didn't cost us the challenge."
"He didn't? Even with his sloppy work?" Lilly asked.
"No he didn't," Yoshi said. "I did. I cost the team the challenge."
"No! You can't be serious!" Muffy cried.
"I hurt two people who cared deeply about me," Yoshi stated. "I shot at Muffy AND at Lilly, and I feel terrible for it. If I had hit my intended targets, we may have won. ...I am sorry."
Just then, Yoshi turned his glass over and spilled his milk all over the ground. This was a sign that confirmed he would forfeit the game.
"No! Don't go!" Muffy cried.
"Muffy..." Yoshi started. "You are a brave girl. I helped you build courage to succeed, but you are now letting your emotions run wild. You are fighting with Lilly over me, and you're fighting Ruce over her sister."
"But you know how..." Muffy started.
"Stop..." Yoshi said. "Like I said, I have met many people like Abigale, and some really are strange, but I've met some who are also among some of the nicest people I met. You should not hate Abigale because of stereotypes you have read."
"Well..." Muffy started.
"And Lilly?" Yoshi asked. "You are mellow, smart, quiet, and generous. However, you're also becoming what you dislike most about Chauncey. You want me as a best friend because you want what's best for you?"
"What?" Lilly asked. "Have I really become just like Chauncey?"
"I'm afraid so," Yoshi said. "You and Muffy both. And like I already told Muffy, I have a girlfriend already. She's a Drowzee named Shina."
"Drowzee and Bisharp aren't compatible though," Lilly brought up before pulling the book she was reading from before. "See it's right he..."
But as she read the book, she found out she was wrong.
"No way..." Muffy said. "Yoshi wasn't kidding?"
"She was even in yesterday's challenge," Yoshi said.
"It's true," Bertram said. "Allow me to show you a deleted scene from yesterday's episode."
Bertram brought out a screen and turned it on. It showed two relatively skinny female Drowzee with with batons. One of them was a bit taller too. The shorter one was Shina and she had a bracelet with a dark-purple stone on it.
"Hmmm, I think I'll have to get my hands dirty for this one," the tall one said.
"Give it all you got for lord Dagger Eyes," Shina said before turning to Yoshi. "Hi Yoshi," she said, smiling at him the whole time.
Yoshi kind of giggled right before the tall one swung his baton at him. Yoshi caught the baton and yanked it out of the tall one's hands before knocking her out, then he grabbed Shina and grabbed the key out of her helmet before unchaining himself. He then walked over to Shina and smiled.
"Good job on getting the part," Yoshi said before giving Shina a kiss on the cheek and exiting the room. The video didn't tell much about Shina, but it did confirm his statement about having a girlfriend that happened to be a Drowzee.
"She's always thinking of evolving to make our relationship seem normal," Yoshi said. "But she also thinks she looks cute as a Drowzee and decided she didn't want to evolve. That's why she wears an Everstone around her arm and never goes to an evolving shrine. We actually knew each other since we were kids."
Eventually, Yoshi went over to the chamber. He had already spilled the milk, so there was no going back now.
"And one more thing," Yoshi called out. "Ruce, you don't have to lash out at anyone until you know for sure what happened. Until you know the truth, keep your anger caged." Finally, the door opened and he entered the chamber, ready to be sent home. "Goodbye guys," were Yoshi's last words before the green smoke enveloped him and he vanished. The contestants couldn't help but feel sad.
"Maybe... maybe he's right," Muffy said. "Maybe I have been getting carried away."
"Maybe we all have," Lilly said before looking at Muffy.
"I... I'm sorry I went into competition with you," Muffy told Lilly. "And I'm sorry for the things I said about Abigale."
"I... I guess I'm sorry for getting so angry," Ruce said. "If it wasn't yesterday, it could have been a day from now."
Muffy looked at Ruce and Lilly. She did feel kind of bad for herself.
"Can... can we go back to being friends?" Muffy asked.
"Yes," Lilly responded. "Let's be friends."
Ruce, Lilly and Muffy all joined for a group hug before Bertram broke them up.
"I suppose it is relevant to mention," Bertram started. "That JET, had Yoshi not quit the game, you would have been sent home."
Jet seemed a bit angry. He was thinking about what he had to do to help his team.
"You should thank him that you're still in the game. ...For now," Bertram stated.
"Let's go back to the bunkers," Grant said before he walked up and left. Percy, Jet, and the three girls also followed in suit.
"Well, what an interesting turn of events," Bertram said. "But now it's time to end one more episode. I'll admit though, this one might be hard to top, but we will just see. Until next time, we say goodbye for now."
-Next Time On Quarantine-
"I will prove to you that I am right for you!"
Because cannons just aren't enough, contestants will be learning how to pilot primitive-Golurks.
"I think I might be good at this one."
The competition gets even hotter.
"Water beats fire every time!"
And the shocking duel will put one more Pokemon in it's place.
"I am strong! Girls love someone who's strong.
All this and more...
"You're really sticking to it, aren't ya?"
...in the next chapter of Quarantine: Mech-nical difficulties.