Episode 14: Tanks in Advance.
-Last Time On Quarantine-
"YOU FOOL! NEVER shout your weaknesses no matter where you are!"
The contestants were sent on ANOTHER exploration mission to a castle.
"But this time you are all on your own."
This time it was to find a rare gem known as Diance's Diamond.
"Just rush in and find the gem!"
The contestants had to fight through traps...
"Oh come on, Iron Maidens? Devouring chairs? Pears of anguish?"
...conspiracies...
"You're the one conspiring to have me kicked off!"
"That's absurd!"
...rivalries...
"You didn't want to become friends! You just wanted revenge for a past incident!"
...and guardians.
"Ha! That all you got? It takes more than that to stop me!"
Grant got immunity, and Drenig and Aria were on the chopping block.
"Drenig shouldn't go home because of me. I should have stopped myself sooner."
Thanks to Grant's evil actions, Aria was sent home and Drenig was spared elimination.
"Mark my words, Grant! You will regret your actions!"
We started with eighteen, and now only a mere third of those eighteen remain. And now, it's time to start Quarantine.
-We Can't Go On Together With Suspicious Minds-
Deep below the peninsula, Dagger Eyes was talking to Medulla about his potions factory. Medulla still seemed scared after yesterday.
"You haven't forgotten your fate, have you?" Dagger Eyes asked. "As useless as you are, I still need someone to maintain the potion factory. How high is our stock?"
"It looks like fifty-billion cases so far," Medulla said.
"WHAT!?" Dagger Eyes shouted. "That's quite a lot. Will we even need that much?"
"Not likely," Dagger Eyes said. "However it never hurts to have extra zombie potions on hand in case if, you know, something happens."
"Maybe you are not so useless after all," Dagger Eyes said. "Okay, return to your duties. But first, bring in Gola."
"Yes Mr. Dagger Eyes sir," Medulla said before rushing out of the room. Eventually, Gola came in, looking confident as ever.
"Something you needed from me Master Dagger Eyes?" Gola asked.
"Not much, just a few questions," Dagger Eyes said. "I just wanted to clarify, what was that device that made you strong?"
"The Lapis Lazuli of Lugia," Gola said.
"Good, and what gem is said to drain your power again?" Dagger Eyes asked.
"The Diance's Diamond," Gola clarified.
"And what did I tell you not to do?" Dagger Eyes asked.
"What happened!?" Gola yelled, obviously getting the point of what Dagger Eyes was trying to do.
"THEY FOUND THAT GEM!" Dagger Eyes roared. "RIGHT AFTER I TOLD YOU NEVER TO SAY YOUR WEAKNESSES!"
"How is that possible!? How did they know? How did YOU know?" Gola asked.
"Our hiding place for the gem is GONE!" Dagger Eyes stated. "I mean the gem is gone from our hiding place. WHATEVER! This whole place is bugged! Bertram is listening to our every word! Why do you think he's ALWAYS a step ahead of us!?"
"But he's just a Bibarel!" Gola shouted. "He is NOTHING compared to us! How is he listening in on us!?"
"Are you def!?" Dagger Eyes yelled. "THIS WHOLE PLACE IS BUGGED! There's NOWHERE we can speak in private!"
"What!? I'll destroy that barf-brained beaver where he stands!" Gola yelled. "It's time to assemble the troops!"
"And hurry! He probably knows about THAT too!" Dagger Eyes suggested. "Oh I hate Bertram. I will have him destroyed if it's the last thing I do!"
"I'll make sure to get my troops assembled as soon as possible," Gola said. "I still have many zombies on board AND my army of dragons at my base. We sill set forth by morning. They will be burnt where they stand!"
"You better hope so," Dagger Eyes said. "One more screw-up, and you are history."
"Right where they stand, Dagger Eyes," Gola reiterated. "Right where they stand."
Back at the bunker, Wren was having a hard nights sleep. He still wondered if he had made the right choice to vote for Aria. He felt were it not for him, his friend would still be here. And what about Grant? Was he more trustworthy? And what about Muffy? What if SHE was to blame as well.
"No! Aria forgive me!" Wren cried out into the night. "I was having a moment of doubt, I still want to be friends! No! Not the Superpower!"
Everyone awoke once Wren started shouting out in his sleep. He was having a nightmare that caused him to fall out of bed.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Wren screamed.
"Wren! Wren! Wake up!" The first one to run over there was Kiki. She was one of the only ones who doubted the situation and Aria's betrayal, so she was the one who ended up having the most sympathy for him. Even Muffy didn't want to go near him.
"Huh? What's going on?" Wren asked before he lied up. "Oh, I was just... having a bad dream. Hi Kiki."
"Listen, I know you feel guilty but that is natural," Kiki said.
"Eh? Ay, what's he feel guilty about?" Drenig asked.
"I... I feel like I just done something terribly wrong," Wren stated. "Aria was my friend, yet I voted her off cause I didn't trust her."
"Ay can't say I know all the details," Drenig stated. "But I'm always willing to help ya out if you need it, man."
"We can all help," Kiki said. "Me, Drenig, and possibly Muffy."
"He has no reason to feel guilty," Muffy said. "He did the right thing by voting off Aria because she is a horrible creature."
"Gee, thanks for the help Muffy!" Kiki shouted.
"Ay, don't you think you're being harsh?" Drenig asked.
"...Maybe," Kiki said. "But don't forget that you still have friends."
"We can always be your friends, Wren," Drenig stated.
"It's nice to know you two are friends, but... what about Grant?" Wren asked.
"Grant? Oh, he is a good kid," Kiki said before nudging Drenig.
"Yeah, heart of gold there," Drenig stated.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"I don't want Grant to know I'm suspicious of him," Kiki said. "So I told a little lie to Wren. Though I should probably get Wren alone and tell him how I really feel."
-After Confessional-
"Maybe you should take a shower," Kiki mentioned. "You might feel better after a hot shower."
"And there is that hot-tub we won before the merge," Drenig stated.
"Wow, I forgot we had the hot-tub," Wren said.
"I didn't even know," Muffy said.
"Yeah, why are we just hearing about it?" Jet asked.
"Cause it was a prize given to the old Team Zap-Dos," Kiki said.
"That's me, Kiki and Wren," Drenig said.
"I want a hot-tub," Jet whined.
"No one's stopping you from using it," Wren stated.
"Don't mind if I do," Jet said before rushing out to the hot tub.
After Jet left, Wren hopped over to the door. He was considering Kiki's suggestion.
"That's a good idea Kiki," Wren said before hopping through the door to the bathroom.
Kiki looked in the room and saw Muffy, Grant, herself and Drenig were left in the room, but Grant was still sleeping. Kiki decided to whisper in Drenig's ear.
"How's about we take a shower too?" Kiki asked.
"Uhhh, okay," Drenig agreed. "But why? I don't get it."
"You'll see," Kiki said as she and Drenig went out of the room.
Eventually, they all met up in the bathroom where Wren was already taking a shower in the first stall. Kiki and Drenig entered the first and second stall. As they pulled the curtains back, all you could see where their silliouettes behind the curtains, which was nice of Bertram to give them that sense of privacy. That's when they started talking.
"Alright, I called you two here for a reason," Kiki stated. "I wanted to talk about Grant."
"Yeah, what about him?" Drenig asked.
"Grant has to go," Kiki said. "I talked to Aria about what I heard yesterday and she swears she didn't say the things me and Muffy heard her say."
"Are you saying Aria was innocent?" Wren asked.
"I'm saying I have a sneaking suspicion she was," Kiki said. "I looked inside the room Aria was supposedly talking to Grant in and found no one else in the room. Granted I didn't look very hard, but still."
"And what else pertains the situation?" Wren asked.
"The fact that I talked to Aria about it, and when Aria spoke she seemed to be completely honest," Kiki said.
"How could you tell?" Drenig asked.
"Look,our dojo also takes courses in reading your opponents mind through their face and actions," Kiki stated. "Aria gave no signs that she was lying."
"NOOOOOOOhohohooooo!" Wren cried.
"Wren, I know you feel upset, but it's over with," Kiki stated. "There's nothing left we can do about it."
"I knew I should have voted for the other guy instead," Wren said.
"...Ahem!" Drenig coughed.
"Oh, no offense Drenig," Wren said, trying to save face.
"Eh, maybe you should talk to him alone Kiki," Drenig said.
"Why?" Kiki asked simply.
"I don't want to come off as petty by saying something stupid," Drenig stated.
"I understand," Kiki said. "Now Wren, I want you to act like you are still that pig's friend, but never trust him. He cannot be trusted."
"Okay, got it," Wren said.
...Unfortunately for them, Muffy had snuck into the bathroom to check up on the three. She suspected that something was up when they were talking about warm showers, and Muffy wanted to check on them. She was disturbed by what she heard and ran back to the bunker where she woke her "friend" up from his slumber.
"Grant! Grant!" Muffy shouted. "Wren, Kiki and Drenig are conspiring against you! They don't trust you either!"
"What?" Grant asked. "I suppose it's natural that they don't, I just wish there was a way I could gain their trust."
"I don't know what to tell you," Muffy stated.
"Well... I suppose I could hang out with them more," Grant said. "Try to tell a few jokes, serve them, do all sorts of things. I want people to see past my evil get-up and see me for who I really am. ...But that might be hard."
-Confessional Session (Grant)-
"Ugh! This is a major impairment to my game," Grant stated. "The more enemies I make, the harder my devious plans are going to be to pull off. But I still have Muffy and Jet to work with. ...Hmmm, Jet's going to be useless when it comes to befriending them, but Muffy is a friendly character. ...I think. She's kind of whiny though, and a bit of a suck-up. She was going to be my next target, but I need to get rid of the others first. ...But how? If I can't earn their trusts... maybe try and make them turn against each other or something? I'm thinking this up on the fly."
-After Confessional-
"Well, maybe we should get some sleep," Muffy said.
"Yeah, I'll need the rest of the morning to think about things," Grant sated before curling back up in his bed.
Muffy went back to bed shortly before Wren, Kiki and Drenig got done with their shower. Jet stayed in the hot-tub all night long. After Wren's outburst, they were pretty groggy, so sleep came naturally. ...but ended shortly.
Morning struck and competitors were still asleep. That was when a siren sounded around the bunker. Everyone awoke with a startling leap.
"WAAAH! Evil furries!" Grant shouted.
"Evil what-now?" Kiki asked as she woke up.
Suddenly, Bertram appeared on the screen. He was wearing an army helmet.
"Attention subjects!" Bertram shouted. "This is not a drill! Please report to the bastions and man the cannons!"
"Wait, what's going on?" Muffy asked.
Suddenly, Jet rushed through the door. He seemed frantic about something.
"Dra... DRAGONS! They're coming!" Jet shouted.
"Dagger Eyes is done fooling around," Bertram stated. "Dagger Eyes wants to take us out NOW, so he's bringing his army in! Grant! Muffy! You take the bathroom front cannons! Jet and Drenig take Team Mol-Tres' cannons, and Wren and Kiki will take the ones above the kitchen! MOOOOOVE IT!"
Muffy, Grant, Wren and Kiki ran out of the bunker and saw a big hoard of Pokemon coming at them. They even had cannons in the mix too. They really weren't fooling around right now.
"Oooooooooooooooh shitake mushrooms," Kiki blurted out.
Everyone went to their respected cannon towers to prepare for Gola's takeover. Their cannonballs, fortunately, were fully stocked, except they seemed different. They weren't the usual dodge balls. They seemed to be clear orbs filled with purple liquid.
"You may notice the change in the cannonballs today," Bertram said through the loudspeaker. "These orbs contain Savil's potion. ...Remember Savil? It's like we haven't mentioned her since we fought Hespute. Anyway, like Vower and Hespute's army, Gola's army is filled with zombies. Shoot those cannonballs at the incoming horde!"
"Uhhh... are we still fighting zombies?" Wren asked.
"You're forgetting Gola and his henchmen are zombies," Bertram mentioned.
"Right Mr. Bertram sir?" Muffy shouted.
"What could those stupid dragons do to us?" Jet asked.
Over with Gola, he was looking rather confident about himself. His zombies were charging forward and his dragons were manning the cannons. And with their army, it looks like Team Mol-Tres was outnumbered.
"Ha! Looks like they didn't have enough time to prepare," Gola spouted. "Dagger Eyes will be thrilled to hear that I wiped them out!"
"But what about the bastion towers?" an Axew alongside Gola asked.
"What about them?" Gola asked.
"They could still be controlling them," another Axew said.
"Yeah, but how likely would it be for those puny cannons to stop us?" Gola asked. "Now my faithfuls, ATTACK!"
As the armies drew near, the contestants waited for Bertram's signal. After a bit of a pause, the army was deemed close enough to fire at.
"SCREAM, AIM AND FIRE!" Bertram shouted.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Muffy screeched as she loaded her cannon and fired a shot into the army.
Muffy's orb broke right on the heads of some of the zombies. Suddenly more shots were fired from the resistances cannons. Still, the zombies weren't changing their costumes at the moment.
"Do not consume the potion!" Gola shouted. "Just power through the shots!"
Back at the bunkers, as they watched the zombies advance, Team Mol-Tres started to get worried. Why weren't they slowing down.
"It's not working Bertram!" Wren shouted.
"It will soon," Bertram said. "The potion will soon vaporize and turn into gas. After that, they will have no choice but to consume the potion!"
"Got it, so shoot in front of them," Drenig said out loud before doing exactly that.
Suddenly the potion started to turn into gas around the zombies. Eventually they were stopping in their tracks. This did NOT please Gola.
"Oh what is going on!" Gola asked. "Stupid gas potion!"
But the dragons weren't zombies. They would need more shots to beat.
"Don't let up the attack! Keep charging in!" Gola shouted.
"But Gola, our zombies are turning on us!" one of the Axews shouted.
"Then annihilate them!" Gola shouted. "Nothing is standing between me and Quarantine's destruction!"
"Rodger," the other Axew said. Suddenly, Gola's army started to charge faster. They were even firing off the cannons now.
Gola's cannonballs hit the bunker and the loud noises rang in the contestants ears. They started to fear Gola.
"Are you crazy!?" Jet shouted. "They're using real ammo!"
"Aim for the cannons!" Bertram shouted. "Destroy the cannons, and they will be much easier to pick off!"
"That should be easy!" Wren said as he pointed his cannon over at the enemy.
The contestants were firing away at Gola's army, at both the cannons AND the dragons. The dragons were getting knocked out, the zombies were reverting, and the cannons were falling down. So far, it seemed like Quarantine was beating Gola. And Gola was getting angry.
"ARGH! What is wrong with you losers!" Gola asked. "GET THEM!"
"We're trying!" one of the Axews said.
"They're better defended than they look, and the reverted zombies are STILL rebelling!" the other mentioned.
"ARGH! THEN FIGHT HARDER!" Gola screamed. He was getting frustrated.
"We're trying... we really are," the first Axew whined.
Little by little, Gola's army was losing ground. With every shot the contestants fired, the army got smaller and smaller. ...Of course, the show was scripted that way.
"This seems... too easy," Kiki said.
"Of course, Bertram wouldn't actually let us lose unless it was part of the show's script," Wren called to Kiki.
"STOP BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL OF THE SHOW!" Bertram shouted.
"Sorry!" Wren and Kiki called out in unison.
After a few more shots, the army got really small. Gola just could not keep up.
"ARGH! That does it! We need more troops!" Gola shouted. "Retreat to base for now!"
"I think that's best sir," the other Axew mentioned as they started to fall back.
-Now the REAL Battle Begins-
There wasn't much of a celebration back at Quarantine. After all, they knew they were going to win. Still, they did have fun shooting the cannons.
"Ha! That was too easy!" Jet shouted.
"But it was fun," Muffy said aloud.
"Hey Bertram, could you bring them back?" Grant asked. "I was having fun."
"Don't worry, you guys will have PLENTY of action," Bertram stated. "Observe in the sky."
"WOAH!" Muffy cried happily.
"No way, man! AWESOME!" Drenig cried just as gleefully.
"...So what?" Kiki asked, being a bit less impressed.
In the sky there were six carrying helicopters each carrying a small war tank. Eventually the tanks were set down onto the ground in the amidst of the bunkers.
"No way! I've always wanted to drive a tank," Wren stated as he got out of the cannon and started heading down to the bunker grounds.
"So when do we start driving these things?" Grant asked.
"Well, you should probably eat breakfast first," Bertram suggested. "After that, THEN we'll talk about the tanks."
"Alright, that sounds good, I guess," Kiki said. "So... who's going to cook."
"I'll do it!" Grant offered. "I missed doing the cooking to be honest. People don't think much of me as a cook because, well, stereotypes that evil doesn't cook and all that."
"Uhhh... why don't I try it?" Kiki asked. "I'll ask Wren, Muffy and Drenig to help."
"What about me? I wanna cook," Grant asked.
"Hey, maybe Jet would like to cook too," Drenig suggested.
"No," Jet said resoundingly.
"Alright, just me, Wren, Muffy and you then," Kiki said to Drenig.
"What's wrong with Grant cooking?" Muffy asked.
"Nothing is wrong with it," Drenig said. "We're just... uhhhhh..."
"Not confident with his cooking abilities," Kiki said.
"Plus, I'd really like to taste something from you Muffy," Wren said.
"Really? Awww, thanks guys!" Muffy cried.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Muffy is such a suck-up," Kiki said simply. "You say even the smallest things to her and she gets giddy with excitement. She's kinda cute that way."
-After Confessional-
Even though Kiki didn't want Grant to cook, Grant decided to sneak into the kitchen anyway. The first thing he did was go over to Muffy.
"Okay... how do I show them I'm a good guy?" Grant asked.
"Try offering to help," Muffy said.
"How hard can that be?" Grant asked. "Hey Kiki, is there anything that I..."
"No," Kiki said. "Like I said, I'm not sure I trust you as a cook."
"I really can cook though," Grant said. "You want me to make Oran juice?"
"No," Kiki said.
"What about toast?" Grant asked.
"No," Kiki said again.
"What about..." Grant started.
"Guys! He knows you don't trust him!" Muffy shouted. "He's just trying to do something nice to show you he can be trusted!"
"Oh, so he knows," Kiki said. "Well, let me just lay it out plain and simple... He CAN'T be trusted!" Kiki said.
"What do you mean?" Muffy asked.
"Kiki thinks Grant staged Aria's betrayal," Drenig added.
"What!? You have no idea what I had to go through in that small room!" Grant shouted. "You have no idea of the horrible things she wanted to do to me!"
"Was she actually IN the room?" Kiki asked.
"Yes she was!" Grant shouted.
"I didn't see her in there," Kiki mentioned.
"You weren't looking hard enough!" Grant asked.
"Muffy! Snap out of it," Wren said. "Don't you think, even for a second, there might be something wrong with Grant?"
"And what does "evil furries" mean?" Kiki asked.
"Wasn't one of the past contestants a furry?" Drenig asked. "You blurted out something that related to a past contestant."
"That was just a random dream, Abigale wasn't in it," Grant said.
"And what happened to our pie two days ago?" Kiki asked.
"Muffy dropped the spices in there," Wren said. "The filter cap was loose."
"Why would the filter cap be loose?" Drenig asked.
Suddenly, Jet came into the kitchen. He seemed to be excited.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" Jet asked.
"I don't know, it just was," Grant said, completely ignoring Jet.
"Hey, stop ignoring me!" Jet asked.
"And what about the tripwire you tripped me with?" Kiki asked, still ignoring Jet.
"Oh, he grabbed that out of the tomb before I caught up to him," Jet said. "And speaking of which, thanks for leaving me down there Grant."
"Uh, I'm not affiliated with you, so your safety is not my concern," Grant said.
"What, you said you'd help me," Jet said.
"Help you with what!?" Kiki asked.
"I... wanted to help Jet become more likeable too," Grant said before glaring at Jet.
"Yeah, right, how's that coming again?" Jet asked.
"You see, Muffy?" Drenig asked. "Grant cannot be trusted."
"Muffy, help me!" Grant said. "They're scaring me! All I want is to be liked and appreciated!"
"See what you guys are doing?" Muffy asked. "You're making him feel miserable! For what? Why are you making him feel miserable!?"
"We're just telling our concerns," Wren said. "We're not trying to make him feel..."
"You guys are terrible," Grant whined. Grant was starting to cry. "I just... wanted... friends... Muffy! Why don't they like me!?"
"He's faking it!" Kiki shouted. "He's giving off no body signs that he's genuinely crying! He's trying to get your sympathy Muffy!"
"SHUT UP!" Muffy shouted!
"Muffy, how easily did you two become the best of friends?" Drenig asked. "It's like you just one day decided to be his friend."
"He's a bit sensitive," Muffy stated. "He seems so dark and mysterious because he likes to act that way. I want to help him realize how kind he can be, and protect him from bullies like YOU!"
"So that's it, you're basically babysitting him?" Drenig asked. "You think he's sensitive, weak and defenseless and you think you're helping him?"
"That's right! I am helping him!" Muffy shouted.
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"Poor poor Muffy," Drenig said. "She's so wrapped up in trying to defend people, that she can't see it. She refuses to realize what a shifty character Grant is."
-Confessional Session(Muffy)-
"Muffy just wanted to befriend Grant to help him out," Muffy said. "He's kind of cute even, but those mean people won't let him be nice! ...They scare me too."
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"I don't know who's side to be on," Wren said. "Kiki and Drenig seem awfully stern about their beliefs on Grant, and Grant does seem suspicious. But I can't help but feel maybe the two were going to hard on him. ...Unless Grant truly is as bad as they say."
-After Confessional-
Wren decided to talk to Muffy outside as Kiki and Drenig were cooking breakfast. He wanted to tell Muffy how he felt.
"Listen, I know those two can be a bit... stern at times," Wren mentioned. "But they do mean well."
"How was THAT "mean well?" Muffy asked.
"They're only trying to watch out for you," Wren said.
"By scaring Grant into crying!?" Muffy asked.
"They don't trust him," Wren said. "And to be honest... neither do I."
"What do you mean you don't trust him?" Muffy asked.
"I... I still can't believe Aria would try to plot against you," Wren said.
"How well did you know Aria?" Muffy asked.
"Well..." Wren stuttered a bit.
"You didn't, did you?" Muffy asked.
"...I guess not, but I still tried to be her friend, and I still don't know what to think," Wren said. "And I just don't think Kiki is lying. I'm sorry, but you might have to consider that maybe Grant isn't being entirely honest with you."
"No, he's a nice guy," Muffy stated. "Why won't you give him a chance?"
"I'm trying to," Wren said. "But that doesn't mean I should ignore his suspicious activities either."
"But... but..." Muffy was at a loss for words.
"Please Muffy," Wren stated. "Kiki and Drenig mean no harm. They're just looking out for you."
Eventually, Kiki and Drenig came out with two plates of food. Kiki handed her plate to Muffy and Drenig handed his to Wren.
"Here you go Muffy," Kiki said. "You need to keep your strength up."
"See, they're not bad guys," Wren stated.
"Nah man, we're awright," Drenig said with a smile.
"I... I think you guys are wrong!" Muffy exclaimed. "Muffy knows him better than you guys do. Grant would not lie to me."
"I really would like to put that to the test," Kiki said.
"Muffy will show you," Muffy said. "Grant is a nice guy, and I'm going to help him prove it."
Muffy then walked off into the bunker with her plate of food. She needed a little alone time.
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"Maybe she doesn't see the same things Kiki does," Drenig said. "Even though they were in a lot of the situations, she just doesn't want to accept that, maybe, there actually is something wrong with Grant."
-After Confessional-
After everyone had had their breakfast, it was time to head out. Outside waiting for them were Bertram and a familiarly hideous Bastiodon. ...Then again, ALL Bastiodon were pretty hideous.
"AteeenTION!" the Bastiodon called out. Suddenly, Team Mol-Tres formed in a line infront of him and Bertram.
"I'm assuming everyone had breakfast?" Bertram asked. "Now, I am sure you remember our army vessel constructor. Please welcome back... Stronghold."
"Bertram has requested my duties once again to whip you slugs into tip-top fighting form!" Stronghold shouted.
"I thought I told you not to talk that way," Bertram said.
"I will talk any which I want, private!" Stronghold shouted. "Now! You all know what a tank is, right?"
"Duh! You think we were born yesterday?" Jet asked.
"Well I've heard of them, but I aint never seen one, especially not in my shop," Drenig stated.
"Well YOU are talking to ace Rock-em Sock-em Golurk pilot Jet here!" Jet said proudly.
"This aint no game private!" Stronghold shouted. "This is war! And if it weren't for me, you vermin wouldn't be standing here right now! You'd be lying under the blood soaked claws of your enemies, and is that what you want!?"
"They may have, but I have a black-belt in Judo so I doubt they would have hurt me," Kiki said.
"Confidence is key young lady, but that training will get you nowhere here!" Stronghold shouted. "Now, if we are done with the clutter, let's get to war double time! NOW MAN YOUR TANKS!"
The contestants started to walk around the tanks. But at the same time, they were also very confused.
"Ummm, which one is ours?" Muffy asked.
"Oh for Pete's sake, just pick one!" Stronghold shouted.
"Okey-dokey Mr. Stronghold sir," Muffy said.
Eventually everyone got into a tank. It was very dark inside, but everyone seemed to be situated.
"Okay troops," Stronghold started. "To operate the tanks..."
"Yeah, just turn the key, move vertical lever up to go forward, back to go back, horizontal lever turns tank, wheel controls tank's cannon by turning the wheel and lifting it up and down, and buttons shoot," Jet said in one breath.
"WHAAAAAAT!? We have a wise cracker among our ranks!" Stronghold shouted.
"How did he know that?" Drenig asked.
"Ha! Let's just say it's my little secret," Jet said.
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"The Jet-frog wants to maximize his talents," Jet stated. "I've read just about every instruction manual in the bunkers, and that included manuals on tanks. Besides that, it's not rocket science. ...I could probably master rocket science too."
-After Confessional-
Before the tanks headed out, Stronghold had one more feature to explain. This feature was one even Jet didn't know about.
"You'll notice to beeping radar on your tanks hub," Stronghold stated. "That there radar tells of the location of Gola's base."
"Yes, we know about Gola's base," Kiki stated.
"We've been there already," Grant stated.
"Well that there radar will remind you where it is incase you forgot," Stronghold said. "All you have to do is infiltrate his base after shooting it down with your tanks then lure Gola out and throw an ammo orb at his mouth when you reach outside."
"Uhhh, what about the Diance's Diamond?" Muffy asked.
"I'm glad you asked," Bertram stated. "You need to confront Gola with the gem to retardent his powers. He's useless with the pink gem in his vicinity. One of your tanks will have to carry the gem..."
"Me! Pick Muffy!" Muffy cried.
"Kind of redundant to give the fairy type the gem," Bertram stated.
"Very well, I will take it," Grant said.
"NO!" Kiki shouted. "Muffy will do just fine."
"Agreed," Drenig and Wren said together.
"Oh alright," Bertram said as he climbed up a tank and opened the cockpit. ...Inside was Jet.
"Oops, wrong tank," Bertram said.
"Hey, why not give it to me?" Jet asked. "I'm much more trustworthy than Muffy."
"Well I'm already up here so here you go," Bertram said before dropping the gem into Jet's tank and closing his cockpit.
"Alright, are the troops assembled now?" Stronghold asked.
"Yep! All set," Drenig called out.
"The time has come soldiers," Stronghold started. "Remember to unload some of your ammo when you get there. You'll need to lob balls at Gola to transform him into a normal Pokemon. And now... MOOOOOOOOOOVE OUT!"
Eventually the tanks started to leave the bunker area and were headed for Gola's base. It was looking like another fun adventure for Team Mol-Tres. ...But will the bad guys let them win this time?
-Gola Be Gone-
Gola was marching around his factory, steaming after his last plan didn't work so well. Right now he was thinking of another way to fight the contestants. When suddenly he marched infront of a screen that turned on. On that screen was Dagger Eye's silhouette.
"UGH! You are just as useless as that uselessly useless Hypno and his useless plans that waste useless time!" Dagger Eyes shouted. "You are to report to me immediately for execution!"
"Execution, I don't think so," Gola said. "I still got work I need to do, and I plan on re-raising..."
"SILENCE! You are more of a hindrance than help Gola!" Dagger Eyes shouted. "Now get down here!"
"I don't have to!" Gola counted. "You can't just make me march to my death Dagger Eyes. And besides that, you know what Medulla said: The most useless henchman is a dead one."
"Grrrrrr, stupid Medulla," Dagger Eyes grumbled. "Fine! I'll let Team Mol-Tres kill you. Unless you can find a way to destroy them, you are terminated any which way."
"Ah, but would a useless henchman think to install a brand new automated defense system to their factory?" Gola asked.
"A worth-while henchman would have had them installed the FIRST time!" Dagger Eyes shouted.
"Well we can't change the past Dagger Eyes!" Gola counted. "Observe grandma with what big eyes you have!"
Gola pulled out a remote button from behind his back. He then proceeded to press the button, but it's effects would come later.
Meanwhile, the tanks were rolling in. They had just spotted Gola's factory and were ready to strike.
"Ha! Another win for the Jet-Frog," Jet said to himself. "Time to relive my mech training."
"Somehow I have a feeling this isn't going to be as easy as it seems," Kiki said to herself in her tank.
Like the mechs they used many episodes ago, the tanks had private intercom. Grant decided to turn his private intercom on to talk to Muffy for a moment.
"Hey, Muffy are you there, over?" Grant asked.
"Rodger," Muffy said happily.
"I'm still trying to think about what I can do to make them like me," Grant said. "I think I have a plan to do it, over."
"Sure, I wouldn't mind hearing it," Muffy said.
"Could you do the whole "over" thing?" Grant asked. "It's more fun if we end our sentences with over, over."
"Now that I think of it, that does sound fun, over," Muffy responded.
"Alright, I'm thinking maybe you or I could trigger a situation where one or more of the contestants are in a life death situation," Grant started. "And then I go in and save their bacon without a self pun intended, over."
"I don't know Grant," Muffy started. "That sounds very dishonest. And what if someone actually gets hurt, over?"
"What's dishonest about it, over?" Grant asked
"You can't just fake the situation," Muffy stated. "If it was a real life-death situation that would be fine, but faking it will probably backfire. ...Oh right, over."
"Hmmm, real life-death situation, huh?" Grant said to himself.
"Huh? What did you say, over?" Muffy asked.
"Yeah, you're so right Muffy," Grant told her. "I should find another way to gain their trust, one that is... more honest shall we say, over."
"Yeah, I wish I could help you out more, but..." Muffy started talking, but then Grant cut her off.
"ARG! Get away evil furries!" Grant shouted. "There's two of them! Run!"
"Grant! What's gotten into you, over?" Muffy asked.
"Oh... just the nightmare I had last night is recurring, over," Grant said.
"I thought Wren had the nightmare, over," Muffy said.
"I had one too, over," Grant responded.
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
Grant let out a huge sigh before talking. He felt like he was going to say something important.
"Abigale... She was my friend... and I betrayed her," Grant said. "It's finally coming back to haunt me. My dreams last night involved a punky Pikachu much like Abigale's costume, and alongside her is a big and strong Raichu. The Raichu wasn't Wren, and probably represents her sister, Ruce. ...What am I doing? I thought being a real villain would be fun, but... No. No Grant, you did nothing wrong. You are just playing the game, and that means to double-cross your adversaries behind their backs. And it's been working so far. So please, don't feel bad. It's not like you hurt anyone."
-Confessional Session(Muffy)-
"Why would Grant think about putting someone through a near-fatal experience just to prove he can be nice?" Muffy asked. "I thought he would be a bit more honest than that. Maybe Wren and the others are right not to trust him. ...Or maybe he's just desperate. That's the only other explination I got.
-After Confessional-
As they were getting closer and closer to the base, the contestants were caught off guard. Eventually they saw large turrets shoot out of the ground in front of them, ready to shoot at the tanks.
"What the!? Stronghold said nothing about turrets!" Drenig shouted.
"Where did THESE THINGS come from?" Wren asked himself.
"They weren't here before!" Kiki shouted.
Eventually they started shooting at the tanks and the tanks were feeling the damage. Eventually, some of the contestants saw a flashing bar on their tank's dashboard.
"Guys? What with the flashing bar, over?" Muffy asked over the intercom.
"That must be our tanks life bar," Wren mentioned.
"What happens if the bars are gone, over?" Muffy asked.
"Then I'm assuming our tanks shut down," Drenig mentioned.
"But what happens if Jet's shuts down, over?" Muffy asked.
"Relax! That aint happening!" Jet said confidently. ...Right before getting hit. "Argh! Get ready to face my wrath!"
Jet fired off a shot at the turret. It was hard to tell if the turret took damage, but it seemed to.
"Jet's right guys," Grant stated over the intercom. "We have to fight back, over."
"But what if all our tanks get destroyed, over?" Muffy asked.
"Don't think, just fight, over!" Grant shouted.
With that, the contestants started aiming for the turrets. They sent shot after shot at those turrets. Eventually, they started to come off.
"It's working," Wren said.
...But the Turrets were still firing away, and the tanks were taking damage. Eventually, Jet's tank got low on energy.
"No, no, NO! THis can't happen to me!" Jet said as he shot more shots at the turrets.
...Suddenly, with one last shot, Jet's bar was at zero. And his tank stopped working.
"ARGH! This is insulting!" Jet shouted. It's obvious Jet wasn't as good at handling the tank as he thought.
However, the other players, especially Drenig, were really hammering away at the turrets. But the turrets were hammering away at the tanks too.
"My bar's getting low!" Kiki shouted over the intercom.
"Don't panic, I'm helping!" Drenig said as he aimed his cannon at the turrets firing at Kiki. ...Only to have shots take they both out.
"Huh? Aww man," Drenig said as his tank shut down.
"Blast!" Kiki shouted as hers shut down.
"Don't panic, we only have a few to go, over," Grant said.
"Trying not to, over," Muffy shouted.
"Guys! I'm... going down!" Wren shouted.
With one last hit, Wren's tank stopped working as well. There were only two tanks left.
"We can do it Muffy, over!" Grant shouted.
"RAAAAARGH!" Muffy roared as she started driving like mad into the Turrets, firing away at it. She managed to destroy the turret, but there was one last one, and Muffy was about to go down. "Oh no, why did I do that, over!"
"Muffy!" Grant shouted as he aimed his cannon at the remaining turret. ...Finally, the last turret fell down, and the turrets were destroyed. "Phew, what a relief. Uhh, any other working tanks?"
Grant tried to talk over the intercom, but it appeared that no one else's tank was functional. Muffy had just taken her last hit.
Eventually, the contestants got out of their tanks to observe the situation. Things did not look good.
"So... who still has a tank?" Kiki asked.
"I do," Grant said, raising his hoof.
"...Great, the pig," Kiki mumbled. "Alright, it looks like we might have to take Diance's Diamond on foot. It's not too far away now."
"Stronghold also said to unload our ammo," Drenig stated. "Not sure why."
"He also said to shoot the walls down," Wren mentioned.
"But with one tank, that might be hard," Grant said.
Just then, next to the base, a screen was on the door, and Bertram's face popped up on it. ...He had screens EVERYWHERE on the island. Very suspicious.
"Awww, some of your tanks broke down?" Bertram asked. "Me and Stronghold forgot to mention on the back of the tanks are some levers that you have to push and pull back and forth to rework power into your tanks. ...I probably should have told you that BEFORE you went, but I didn't think he'd actually have installed turrets.
"How do you know all of this, Bertram?" Jet asked.
"I... have... eyes... EVERYWHERE," Bertram said slowly. "It's not that hard to figure out."
"Yeah, you SHOULD have warned us," Kiki said before running over to her tank. Immediately she found the lever to the tank. She waggled it back and forth until eventually the tanks powered back up. The others did exactly the same thing and before too long the tanks powered up again.
"Good job guys," Bertram said. "Now... uhhhh..."
Everyone had then boarded their tanks and started firing at the base. Eventually, walls were going down, the roof started to collapse and the door bust open from the shots There were still chunks of factory left that they would have to traverse, but the actions of Team Mol-Tres showed business.
"Nevermind," Bertram said to himself.
Deep withing the base, Gola was standing about. ...Until he heard the commotion outside. That's when he started to get FURIOUS!
"ARGH! They got past the defense system!?" Gola shouted.
"Oh, so you're STILL useless!" Dagger Eyes, who was still on the screen, shouted.
"No! I can still make it work!" Gola shouted. "Assemble the troops!"
"They have the Diance's Diamond, you dolt!" Dagger Eyes shouted. "YOUR ARMY IS USELESS NOW!"
"STOP SAYING THAT!" Gola roared. "We may not be able to breath our fire or stomp our feet and roar, but we can still use guns! That stupid diamond won't protect them from guns!"
"You better pray your guns will work," Dagger Eyes. "It's your victory or your life. Don't waste it!"
"I won't let you down!" Gola shouted.
Gola ran out of his room and looked down from the balcony where the Contestants were already coming inside. You could see the anger in his face as he saw the diamond that Kiki and Drenig were carrying.
"You stupid little punks think you can take me just cause you have the diamond?" Gola asked. "If you want me, come and get me! ATTACK MY ARMY OF DRAGONS!"
Eventually, Fraxure troops started to pour out of the wreckage. They were wielding some pretty long guns. ...But Muffy didn't seem afraid.
"Come get me dragons!" Muffy cried as she ran up towards a group of them and quickly punched one in the face.
After her reckless decision, Kiki decided to let go of Diance's Diamond and run up to them too in order to help her. Grant saw this and did not want to be outdone, so he ran up and helped as well. Eventually they were able to take the guns away from the Fraxures, and now Team Mol-Tres had a means of defending themselves.
"Oh yeah, more where that came from!" Gola shouted before he ran across the Balcony to another area.
"Hey chicken!" Muffy shouted. "Why don't you come down here and fight us like a man!?"
"It's not going to be that easy," Kiki mentioned.
"We're going to have to go deeper into the base if we want to catch him," Drenig suggested.
"Got it, but we have the guns," Grant stated.
"Not anymore," Jet blurted right before he yanked away Grant's gun.
"Hey! That's my gun!" Grant shouted.
"Jet doesn't take a back seat to no one," Jet shouted.
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"I promise to help him and THIS is how he's repaying me?" Grant asked. "I'll let this strike go, but next time there will be consequences. CONSEQUENCES I SAY!"
-After Confessional-
In the next hall, there seemed to have been not much of interest. The doorway at the end of the hall was slooped, but that seemed rather innocuous.
"Where are the guards?" Kiki asked. "They should be hear."
"ARGH! Up there!" Muffy shouted before directing her laser beam fire at a couple of passing guards who were walking atop the balcony. Muffy was able to shoot them without much problem before they got ready.
"There's more coming," Kiki said as she looked up to the balcony and shot three more.
"Ha! These dragon kooks don't stand a chance," Jet said. But suddenly, they heard a loud crash.
"That can't be good," Drenig stated.
"Whatever it is, bring it on!" Muffy cried.
But suddenly, out of the ramp doorway, steel drums rolled down the ramp. They were heading for the contestants at blinding speeds.
"Aww man for goodness sake!" Drenig shouted as he saw the barrels.
"Okay guys, I know it's self exclamatory, but be careful!" Wren shouted.
Wren then started to run around the barrels, trying to dodge them. But his abilities could only go so far. That's when Grant had an idea.
"Oh NOOOO!" Wren shouted as a barrel was coming for him.
...But suddenly, Grant ran towards Wren and launched himself at Wren. He managed to knock him out of the way of the barrel.
"There ya go, friend," Grant said with a smile as he got off of him.
"Ummm, thanks?" Wren asked.
"See?" Muffy called out. "Grant CAN be nice!"
Kiki watched Grant's maneuver and she, frankly, wasn't convinced. One good deed wasn't enough to make her think Grant was good.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Nice try Grant," Kiki said. "That doesn't prove anything to us."
-After Confessional-
"Dang, these barrels keep coming," Drenig said, trying to hop between two barrels. Eventually another barrel came and smacked right into his gut. Drenig was pretty big, so the barrel came to a complete stop and Drenig still stood. ...Drenig still felt a bit of pain though. "Owwww."
"More troops!" Wren called over.
Eventually, troops kept pouring off the top of the balcony. It seemed the troops were just about ready to bombard them.
"Hey dragons!" Jet called out. "Try hitting this dude, huh? I dare ya!"
Grant hopped about the room, dodging the barrels with ease. While doing so, he jumped on top of the contestant's heads, including Drenig, Kiki and Grant.
"Ay man, watch it!" Drenig shouted.
"How rude!" Kiki exclaimed.
But Grant was really cross at Jet. Grant started to growl at what Jet just did.
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Okay, that was strike two," Grant said. "I'm going to have to have a talk with Jet later."
-After Confessional-
While Jet was distracting the guards, Kiki and Muffy found a chance to take out a lot of the guards. Eventually, three of them fell over from the balcony. Wren immediately hopped toward the guns.
"Oh wow," Wren said. "Now the rest of us can have guns too."
"Okay, but I'm holding onto the diamond and I'm having some serious crotch-burn right now," Drenig stated.
"What hand are you?" Wren asked.
"Right clawed," Drenig stated.
"I think if you switched the diamond to your left arm, you could use the gun," Wren said.
"Uhhh, okay," Drenig said.
Eventually, the barrels stopped and the contestants each had a gun. Now it was time to ascend up the ramp. Hopefully they would run out of enemies to fight up there.
"How far away do you think we are from Gola's office?" Muffy asked.
"I'll bet not far at all," Jet said.
"There will still probably be more troops though," Kiki mentioned. "Stay on your best guard guys."
"Right!" Muffy cried.
"Hey, how hard can any of the other guards be?" Grant asked. "The ones we took out were easy."
"Something tells me that's the calm before the storm," Drenig mentioned.
"Bring them on, I'll take each of them," Jet said.
"Oh... maaaan, is my hair messed up right now?" Drenig asked.
"Drenig, I think now isn't the time to worry about your hair," Wren mentioned. "Well... let's move on."
Gola was right in his office watching the progress on camera. He was looking... kind of happy.
"Ha! They had problems so far," Gola said. "But they haven't fought half my troops yet. We know you viewers aren't going to be satisfied without a casualty! Stick around, and after the break, hopefully at least one of those losers kicks the bucket! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
-Dragon Me Down-
As they got to the top, they saw nothing but several doors and a path to the balcony. To their right was a window that viewed outside. There were several doors, including one that was labeled "Gola's Office."
"Okay, we just barge in and fight Gola then?" Muffy asked.
"It seems way too easy," Kiki mentioned. "There's a catch."
"Yup, it looks like the door is locked," Wren said. "Well THIS door anyway."
"Wait, what about the door near the entrance?" Drenig asked.
"Good thinking," Kiki said. "Maybe THAT door isn't locked."
While the others were talking about the doors, Grant dragged Jet off back down the ramp. He had some ground rules he wanted to establish.
"Jet, I wanna talk to you," Grant said.
"Yeah, what you got, Grant?" Jet asked.
"I want to bring up a few things to your attention," Grant stated. "First you stole my gun, second you jumped on my head. These two things are NOT things I appreciate. And if I am going to "wink wink" help you out, then YOU need to show some respect. After all, I can have them vote you off in a heart-beat."
"I don't know what to think of you at this point," Jet stated. "It looks like they're starting to figure you out and what you did to Aria and how you imitated her voice to make people think she was bad."
"Numskull," Grant blurted. "Don't talk so loud. Someone hears us, then my cover is blown. I don't want anyone to know my secrets, especially not Muffy. If Muffy knows, I'm finished. And if I'm finished, then you are as well."
"Ha! I don't need you," Jet said. "I'm better than all of you. I can support myself."
"You lose one more challenge, trust me you are gone," Grant said.
"Then I won't lose," Jet said. "Not to you, not to anyone else."
But while the other contestants were walking along the balcony, Kiki snuck back and tried to eavesdrop on Grant and Jet. She had heard EVERYTHING up unto that point. When she got the info she desired, she put a wily smile on her face and left the scene before they noticed her. She had all the info she needed to bust Grant, but still didn't have the proof.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Silly Grant," Kiki said. "You can't hide from the watchful eyes of a mighty raptor. We ALWAYS find the prey. ...I know Combuseken aren't technically raptors, but I can safely say I have the cunning of one at that."
-After Confessional-
"You did not, I repeat you did NOT just defy me," Grant stated.
"Yeah I did," Jet said. "I can tell you're not as reliable as you think you are."
"You need me... to keep YOU alive," Grant stated. "You may not realize this, but you do."
"I'm sorry, but you don't scare me," Jet said. "I'm going to win THIS challenge and the next one, and YOU are history! I'm going to outlive you in this competition!"
"...Then it's decided," Grant said. "Your fate shall be a sudden and agonizing defeat at the hands of... Oh dear."
Jet and Grant immediately saw troops coming up to the ramp. There were LOTS of them and they were all totting guns.
"Buh-bye now," Jet said as he jumped up the ramp to the next area where he saw guards pouring out of the doors. Some were heading towards the balcony, others were heading towards Jet and Grant.
"I don't think so," Grant said to himself as he followed Jet.
Up on the balcony, Wren, Muffy and Drenig were stuck on top, looking down and around at the troops. Up on the balcony, troops were coming in on both sides.
"Argh, looks like we have a busted hubcap," Drenig stated.
"What should we do?" Wren asked. "Should we shoot our way out?"
"It's no use, there's too many of them!" Muffy shouted.
"Come on Bertram, what do we have to do?" Wren asked out loud.
"I'll tell you what to do!" Suddenly, a voice was heard over a loudspeaker. It was Gola's voice. "Surrender the diamond to be destroyed! We might let you live if you do!"
"Never, Dragon breath!" Drenig shouted.
Meanwhile, Kiki was stuck in a crowd near the doors. She was uncertain where to go from here, but she didn't feel like giving up.
"We'll fight to the death if we have to!" Kiki shouted.
"You defy me!" Gola erupted. "You are severely outnumbered, and you DEFY ME!"
With Grant and Jet, Grant immediately had the plan to sneak through the crowd. He pretended to be Gola's henchman to evade being detected.
"Excuse me," Grant said while squeezing his way through the army. "All hail lord Gola."
Meanwhile, the contestants were thinking of a way to get out of this. Drenig eventually had an idea.
"Alright Gola, you win," Drenig said. "We will personally deliver this Diamond to you in exchange for our freedom."
"You think I was born yesterday!" Gola shouted. "I don't want that gem anywhere near me! I want my friends to take it and DESTROY it!"
"But how do you plan to?" Kiki asked. "Diamond is pretty tough."
"I'll have our most powerful crushing machine in the base to PULVERIZE the disgusting gem!" Gola shouted.
"Oh, I don't think that's gonna work Gola," Wren stated.
"Well, it BETTER!" Gola shouted. "I could deliver it to lord Dagger Eyes of course. He might be able to use the gem."
"Wait, lord Dagger Eyes?" Muffy asked.
"Yeah... That will please him much!" Gola shouted. "In fact, he'll probably spare my life for bringing the gem even if I don't destroy you!"
Meanwhile, Jet noticed Grant squeaking by and wanted to beat him. That's when he started jumping across the guards heads. ...A maneuver that drew lots of attention.
"Argh! Rough Frogadier!" one of the guards yelled. "FIRE AT WILL!"
That was the cue the other contestants needed to fight back. Everyone was focusing on Jet, so the contestants could pick the guards up in large numbers. And none of those lasers were getting anywhere near Jet.
"Ha! Suckers!" Jet shouted as he kept hopping along the play-dead soldiers.
"What are you guys doing!?" Gola shouted. "DESTROY THEM!"
Grant saw Gola jump past him and got anxious. He then sped up , trying to catch up to him. ...But everyone else was catching up as well as the guards were having a hard time focusing and falling by multiples.
"Looks like your guards aren't the best bet for your pokedollars!" Kiki shouted as she reached Wren, Drenig and Muffy.
Eventually, Jet made it all the way around to the balcony near the entrance. There he found an open door to Gola's chambers. Inside he came face to face with the rotted green Dragonite himself, Gola.
"Ha! It's all over Gola!" Jet said before firing the laser gun at Gola. Gola just stared and looked angry.
"Idiot! Guns don't hurt zombies!" Gola shouted.
"Well, technically you are not a real zombie, you're actually just being controlled by Dagger Eyes," Jet mentioned.
"Silence, imbecil!" Gola shouted. "Pesky little Ninjask thinks they're so tough, huh? Why don't you fight me then!"
Gola sucked the air infront of him, seeming like he was charging up an attack. Immediately he breathed a strong purple flame in Jet's direction. Jet immediately leaped out of the way of the fire, but it rattled him.
"Yikes! You're actually going to hurt us!?" Jet shouted. "Is that even part of the script?"
"I don't follow a script you lout!" Gola shouted.
"I don't follow nothing or no one!" Suddenly, Grant appeared in the doorway with his gun in hand. He fired a shot at Gola from his laser gun, and once again it had no effect.
"...Do I have to go over that again?" Gola asked.
Meanwhile, Kiki had something to say about Grant. After the info she pulled off their conversation, she was very eager to prove to Muffy that Grant could not be trusted.
"Hey guys, want to know why I trailed off for a moment?" Kiki asked.
"Awright, but I didn't notice you were away till just now," Drenig stated.
"...Really?" Kiki asked, a bit sad at what Drenig said.
"Oh, naw," Drenig said. "I knew you were gone."
"Okay, tell us why you were away from us," Wren stated.
"Well let's say I dug up a little dirt on Grant just now," Kiki stated.
"Ugh! Don't tell me you're going to demonize Grant again!" Muffy shouted.
"Just hear me out, I hear he was working with Jet to help him win the game show," Kiki mentioned.
"Yeah, he was helping him try to be more friendly," Muffy excused.
"Are you nuts?" Drenig asked. "Jet wanting to be friendly? What are the odds?"
"And I also hear that he got Aria eliminated," Kiki mentioned.
"Yeah, for betraying us!" Muffy shouted.
"No, Aria did not betray you," Kiki said. "Jet even knows. The one you heard yesterday was Grant, not Aria."
"NO! I knew it! Aria was innocent!" Wren shouted. "I knew I should have voted for Drenig."
"...Ahem!" Drenig coughed.
"Oh, sorry again, Drenig," Wren excused.
"No... It can't be," Muff said. "You're lying! You're just saying that because you don't like Grant! Why don't you like him!?"
"He's evil!" Kiki shouted. "He's shifty, manipulative and smug and he will stab you in the back if you give him a chance!"
"...No... That cannot be," Muffy said. "I... I don't know what to think. I... I need to get away for now."
Muffy started to plow through the crowd of dragon types. She seemed to be a bit upset.
-Confessional Session(Muffy)-
"Maybe Kiki is right," Muffy stated. "Maybe Grant really is evil. ...Or maybe Kiki is the evil one, and SHE'S trying to manipulate the game. ...Muffy has to know the truth as soon as she possibly can."
-After Confessional-
Meanwhile, Jet and Grant were running around Gola. Gola kept breathing fire trying to roast them, and they were dancing for dear life.
"Argh! Hold still, will ya!" Gola shouted.
"But if we hold still, our skin becomes charred and I become ham sandwiches," Grant said. "Is that what you want?"
"What do YOU think, porker!?" Gola shouted.
"Ha ha! He called you porker!" Jet shouted.
"Choke on smoke, you wobbly joke!" Grant shouted.
"Okay, are we battling me or each other?" Gola asked before flying over to Grant. Immediately, Gola swiped his claw at Grant. Grant was hit and shoved aside. That's when Muffy came in.
"Grant!" Muffy shouted.
"Muffy?" Grant asked.
"Grant, I really want to talk to you!" Muffy exclaimed.
"Can it wait? Big angry dragon's trying to kill us," Grant said.
"Stupid Granbul, take this!" Gola shouted. Gola charged up and shot another stream of dragon's fire at Muffy. ...But the fire dissolved into nothing as it got a centimeter away from Muffy's skin.
"Ha ha! Muffy's a Fairy type! Muffy can't be hurt by Dragon type moves," Muffy stated. ...Until she thought of something. "Wait a minute, did I just break a rule of the game by absorbing the dragon's breath?"
"...Uhhh, technically no," Gola started. "But I don't think... wait! Nevermind! Breaking fourth wall again! Take this!"
Gola flew at Muffy and swiped his claw at Muffy's face. The claw just squished against Muffy's jaw as if she was made of rubber.
"What's this, I can't even hit you?" Gola asked.
"Ha! Muffy can hit you!" Muffy shouted, raising her fist up to Gola.
As soon as she did so, however, the others came around. Drenig immediately rushed in with the gem.
"Awright man, the jig is up!" Drenig shouted.
Gola stared at the gem in Drenig's claws and immediately got scared. He started to step back in fear. Drenig and Kiki started to get closer and closer to intimidate him.
"What's the matter?" Kiki asked. "The big bwave dwagon afwaid fo a wittle pink gem?"
Wren decided to group up with Muffy and Grant while Kiki and Drenig were doing the intimidation factor. He wanted to talk to Muffy.
"You... said you wanted to talk to Grant?" Wren asked.
"Later, yes," Muffy said.
"Is... Is it alright if I join the conversation?" Wren asked. "I'm your friend, and... you trust me, right?"
Before Muffy could answer, Gola went berserk. He started to stomp the ground in anger right now.
"Ugh! Useless army! Useless guards! Useless turrets! USELESS EVERYTHING!" Gola erupted. "I will not go down this easily! I will kill all of you with whatever power I have left!"
"Give it up," Kiki said.
"You're severely outnumbered," Muffy chimed.
"NEVER!" Gola shouted. "I will see it that if I go down this day, I will take one of you down with me! ...Or ALL of you! Behold! The super virus!"
Eventually, Gola pulled out a hypodermic needle with strange liquid inside. The liquid looked green and nasty.
"Wait, what the... Super Virus?" Wren asked.
"The very same I injected into Lilly!" Gola shouted.
"You WHAT!?" Muffy cried.
"The very same that has contaminated the powdered milk you drink every night!" Gola added. "And the same one that I will use on YOU!" Now I better start running if I were you, because the slowest one of you will be injected!"
"Oh no... Don't we at least get a head start?" Drenig asked.
"What's the matter Drenig?" Jet asked. "Can't run very fast, tubby?"
"Don't call me tubby!" Drenig shouted. "I'm just... thrown off by the sudden game twist."
"Ha! To see you go home today, THAT would make me very happy!" Jet shouted.
"Shut up, Jet!" Kiki shouted.
"Yeah, that's a horrible thing to say," Wren stated.
"...Ahem!" Drenig coughed.
"What did I say that time?" Wren asked.
"I think he was referring to your hypocritical statement," Kiki mentioned.
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"SCORE! Drenig doesn't have a snowball's chance!" Jet shouted. "I have SO waited for this day to happen. When that needle pierces his scaly skin, I am going to LAUGH! ...And Laugh, and laugh some more. So long Drenig!"
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"I have many talents," Drenig said. "I'm very good at building and fixing things, I'm a fast learner, AND I have a good throwing arm. But one thing I can NOT do is run fast. ...Or do anything athletically really. That's kind of a big weakness of mine is that best traits are some minor intellectual strengths and the ability to throw well."
-After Confessional-
"Head start? Knock yourselves out," Gola stated. "But I'm blocking the way you came! I'll have what remains of my troops block the left balcony so you will have to take the long way around! Once you leave my sight from right here, the chase is on!"
"Don't mind if I do!" Drenig shouted before dropping the diamond and rushing out of the room. He wanted to make sure he was the first one out so he had the best head start.
"Of course if you guys don't get out of here soon, I'll start chasing you anyway," Gola mentioned. "So get going already!"
Eventually everyone poured out of the room and started running after Drenig. After everyone left Gola's sight, that's when Gola shot out of the room himself and began his chase on the contestants. Who, if anyone, would make it out of Gola's base alive. ...And why does Gola get to take out a second contestant when none of Dagger Eye's other henchmen have done so? Stay tuned to find out.
-The Prey-
The competitors had no easy time running from Gola. On the balcony there wasn't a lot of room to run around, so competitors would need to be careful so they don't fall off the balcony and hurt themselves. ...Especially onto the traps they had to traverse through in episode ten of Quarantine.
"Awww, those obstacles make Muffy sad," Muffy said when she was running.
"Why so?" Wren asked from short ways in front of her.
"This whole factory does, this is where Gola got Lilly," Muffy whined.
"Stop talking, you'll run out of breath faster," Kiki stated.
As Drenig was running, it didn't take long for Jet to hop in front of him. As Jet did, he decided to make fun of Drenig for being slow.
"Ha! Try and keep up with the Jet-Frog slow toe!" Jet shouted. ...right before biffing it by tripping over his own legs.
As Drenig saw Jet stumble over, Drenig tried to jump over him. Drenig wasn't a very good jumper, but since Jet was a spindly character it didn't take much to make it over him. However, Drenig's tail still hit him.
Meanwhile, Wren ran past Jet and caught up with Drenig. He decided to say a few things to encourage Drenig.
"Sorry for what I said before," Wren said. "Actually I do like you as a friend. But don't let Jet get to you. ...That, or let Jet's insults drive you to victory."
Drenig nodded and kept running. Drenig wanted to maximize his chances of survival by not talking, conserving as much energy as he could. ...But it wasn't enough to stop Wren from running past him. Unlike Drenig, running was Wren's forte. It was what Wren was best at in this competition.
But behind him Kiki had also caught up. She managed to just eek by Drenig sas she did. She couldn't help but look back in sadness when she saw him running slowly. ...But that sadness turned to anger when she saw Jet jump over him again and was heading towards Kiki.
"No more Mr. Nice Jet!" He shouted
Eventually, Muffy and Grant were catching up as well. Drenig couldn't help but feel nervous as they were about to pass him as well. And eventually, the two did pass Drenig. And now, Drenig was running for dear life as Gola was catching up as well.
"Ha! I've never had grilled Krookodile before," Gola shouted.
That's when Drenig took out his comb from his pocket and stared down at it. He winced as he looked down at the comb in his hands.
"It's been nice knowing ya, my man," Drenig said. "We've been through a lot together, pal. Good times... bad times... May you meet some new friends on your journey to the dragon's keep. Just... Just make it back alive."
Drenig was... talking to his comb like it was a person. Drenig seemed to have held that combe dearly to his heart. It's sentimental value was currently unknown, but eventually he lifted it up and threw the comb back at Gola. The comb hit Gola right on the head, leaving a few marks into his skull.
"Oww! Stupid crook!" Gola shouted, slowing down for a moment to regain himself after the comb hit him.
What Drenig did was utilize and sacrifice his luxury item to help him stay alive. As the mantra of the game went: If there wasn't a rule against it, it wasn't against the rules.
Meanwhile, Grant was talking to Muffy about what she was going to talk about before. He was actually eager to know what she said.
"By the way Muffy, what were going to tell me?" Grant asked.
"Later! When we're not running for our lives!" Muffy shouted.
"Drenig's going home anyway, so can you make it short?" Grant asked.
"...Kiki just said she still thinks your evil and that she thinks you sabotaged Aria," Muffy stated.
"She... what?" Grant said sadly before skidding to a stop.
"Grant! What are you doing!?" Muffy asked.
"I... I give up," Grant said.
"What!?" Muffy cried.
"Kiki hates me, and there's nothing left I can do to change her opinion," Grant stated. "I'm going to sacrifice myself! Maybe she'll see that I'm not a bad guy."
"Grant! NO!" Muffy screamed.
"Don't listen to him!" Kiki shouted. "HE'S TRYING TO TRICK YOU! HE WANTS YOU TO GO AFTER HIM!"
Grant stared between Grant and the other runners. Eventually, Drenig ran by Grant and looked back at him. He didn't know what to think, but he suspected something was up with the situation.
"Muffy, listen to Kiki," Drenig said. "He's lying to you."
"No! You've depressed him too much!" Muffy shouted. "He's not a bad person, and now he's going to extremes to prove it!"
Muffy then ran after Grant. She watched Gola close in on Grant, and it looked like he was ready to attack.
"Muffy, NOOOOO!" Kiki shouted from her location.
"Don't do it Grant! I'll save you!" Muffy shouted.
"Muffy, no. I want to do this," Grant said.
"Don't be stupid!" Muffy shouted. "We can pull through this! I WON'T LET KIKI BULLY YOU ANY MORE!"
Eventually, Muffy launched herself upward, jumped over Grant and plunged right into Gola right before he was about to attack. After the tangle, Grant started to get worried.
"Muffy!" Grant shouted.
"OWWWW!" Muffy shouted as the deed was done.
When Muffy attacked Gola, it didn't take Gola long to counter Muffy's attack. He raised his arm and drove his needle right into Muffy's arm. ...And it was finished. Gola had just injected Muffy with the Super Virus.
"MUFFY!" Grant yelled.
"Go on... Save yourself..." Muffy said to him.
With that, Grant ran on to meet the others. With the loss of his "friend" Grant was no on his own with no one to vouch for him. ...But what if it was his plan all along.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"...I tried to help her," Kiki said. "I tried to show her Grant's evils. But she would not listen, no matter what I told her about Grant. And now it's too late. ...Grant finally betrayed her. ...Or so I'm assuming. After what I heard earlier, I can't really believe anything else about him."
-After Confessional-
Outside the base, you could see Bertram on the screen. He was... eating popped Cornn berries right now. It was as if the things he saw amused him.
"I'm gonna miss that Grant kid when this is all over," Bertram said right before lifting up a big cup of soda and drinking out of it.
Eventually, Jet made it out of the building. Right now he was heading toward the ammunition they unloaded earlier.
"Uh buh wait um," Bertram stuttered. "Okay, wait for the others to come, wait for Gola to come, and then launch those glass sugar globes filled with potion at Gola!"
Just as Bertram was explaining, Wren came outside. His instinct was to go to the cannon balls as well.
"Glass sugar?" Wren asked
"Duh, you think we'd actually made you lob something that was dangerous to consume?" Bertram asked.
"UGH! That stupid idiot!" Just then, Kiki burst out of the building. She seemed angry. "Muffy was beyond my control to help after all."
"I'll be sure to tell her that when she comes out," Jet said.
"Oh I wish I could wrap your sharp tongue around itself," Kiki grumbled.
Next up, Grant came out. He was looking sad.
"NO... Muffy... Why did she have to sacrifice herself for me?" Grant asked.
"Wait, what do you mean "sacrifice?" Jet asked. "Don't tell me that loser Drenig's still in the game!"
"Ay, hate to splash about in your swamp Jet." Finally, Drenig came out of the building. Still looking handsome as ever. "But that quote-unquote loser is still in the game!"
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"UGH! He always finds a way to vex me!" Jet cried. "I am sick and tired of that stupid Krookodile always getting the one-up on me!"
-After Confessional-
"Muffy..." Grant whined. "Why did she have to do what she did. We were best friends."
"Cease your Krokorok tears swine!" Kiki shouted. "I and everyone else knows your faking it!"
"What!? Why would you try to antagonize me in a moment of sorrow?" Grant asked.
"I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID, PUNK!" Kiki screeched. "There was a good reason I didn't find Aria in that room, and THAT is because she WASN'T THERE! Just YOU imitating HER voice! Now enough of the charades!"
"What are you talking about!?" Grant whined. "Why do you hate me so much to make up all those stories about me? WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS BEING MEAN TO ME! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAAAAAAAA!"
"Awww, you made him cry," Bertram taunted. "Apologize to him."
"Uh guys, Gola's coming!" Wren blurted out.
Suddenly, Gola was coming out of the factory. He still seemed angry and his mouth was wide open.
"Okay guys," Bertram started. "Ready your throwing arms and fire!"
With his command, Jet, Kiki, Wren and Drenig all threw sugar orbs at Gola's head. A few of them squarely hit his jaw, and sent to potion shooting down his throat. Suddenly, Gola stopped in his tracks. He started to cringe and squirm like he was in horrible pain. His wings flapped wildly about, adding to the illusion. Suddenly, His wings covered his body. And when they opened back up, you could see a more normal looking Dragonite afterwards. All the green from his skin and wings was gone, as were all the weeds that covered his body.
"I'm... Free," Gola said. "I'm not a zombie anymore. You... you guys did this to me?"
"Uhhh..." Wren was at a loss for words. "Yeah, we gave you the potion through these glass orbs."
"Okay, so what's your profession?" Kiki asked.
"You mean you don't know Gola Bernanke from Business Impossible?" Bertram asked.
"That's right," Gola said. "I have a TV show where I help failing businesses make a comeback."
"Oh yeah, I've seen you a few times at the shop," Drenig said.
"Huh? I don't recognize you," Gola stated. "I've never even heard of BigBoss Motors."
"No, on TV," Drenig clarified.
"Oh, right," Gola said.
"So... where's Muffy?" Grant cried.
"Grant?" Eventually, Muffy stumbled out of the building. Except Muffy was a swampy green now. She was converted into a zombie. "Grant, is that you?"
"Muffy! I'm sorry! I didn't want you to sacrifice yourself for me," Grant said, tempted to run after him.
"It's okay Grant," Muffy said. "I will have fallen knowing I helped you as a friend. But I do want to know... Is what Kiki said about you sabotaging Aria true?"
"No! None of it!" Grant whined. "Kiki just hates me! No matter how hard I try to make her realize... I'm good! I'm not as evil as the clothing makes me look!"
"Tauros excrement!" Kiki shouted. "I heard you with my ears! Stop lying to her!"
"Waaaaaaaaahaaaahaaaa! Kiki is meaheaheaheeeeean," Grant sobbed. "Now no will help me clear my name! Why isn't there a cure for the super virus?"
"Now, hold on. That isn't technically true," Gola said.
"Wait! There is a cure?" Bertram asked.
"Not yet," Gola confirmed. "But it COULD be made easily. All you have to do is get the super virus serum and deconstruct it. Then change a few ingredients around and vioala. Unfortunately I used the last of my serum on Muffy."
"Well? Where can we find some?" Kiki asked.
"Only Dagger Eyes has some in his potion factory. If you can find the syrum there, take it to someone who knows potions, and they can convert it into an anti-venom."
"I bet the Aromatisse would be able to convert the potion.," Wren stated.
"Ya don't say!" Jet sassed.
"Before you guys leave, I should return this to you," Gola stated. Eventually, Gola walked over to Drenig and handed him his comb back.
"Awright, my buddy's back!" Drenig proclaimed before styling his pompadour a bit.
"Anyway, I'll help you guys take Muffy back to base," Gola said. "I am truly sorry for what I did to her and Lilly. ...Please, if you guys find the cure, would you be able to forgive me?"
"I'm sure it could be arranged," Kiki agreed.
Eventually, everyone including Gola drove back to base in their tanks. The elimination ceremony came early that night, and Muffy was quickly put into the Quarantine chamber. There, Grant got to say his last farewells.
"I'm sure I'll get over this if we meet again," Grant said. "But some day, I hope we do. You've come a long way since the start of the show, Muffy."
"You... you think so?" Muffy asked.
"What you did back there was not the Muffy that first came onto the show," Grant said. "That was probably the bravest thing I've ever had someone do for me."
Kiki couldn't help but face-claw herself. Grant's shenanigans were really getting her Gogoat.
"Thanks, Grant," Muffy said with a smile. "I won't forget you!"
Eventually, the gas enveloped Muffy and like twelve other before her, she vanished. With that, Muffy was gone.
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Poor Muffy," Grant said sadly. ...But suddenly an evil face lit up on Grant. "Poor pathetic, stupid, GULLIBLE Muffy! I didn't know manipulating people would be that ridiculously easy! I said I would sacrifice myself, and she did EXACTLY what I wanted her to do!"
Grant's face went sad again. He was going through the emotions.
"I... I didn't want to see her go yet," Grant said. "I almost truly liked her as a friend."
The evil face lit up on Grant again. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.
"But Kiki knows my secrets," Grant said. "I could not risk Muffy figuring me out at that point. She was too close of an ally to lose that way. But if she figures it out, I will have nothing left."
The evil smirk went away again. You may almost feel sorry for him.
"...But it won't be long before everyone knows," Grant said. "Should I just quit while I'm ahead?"
...And again, his evil smirk returned. ...Not much else to say.
"No," he said to himself. "I can... still find a way out. I ALWAYS find a way out."
-After Confessional-
Eventually, everyone went back to the Mol-Tres bunker. That's when Bertram decided to close the episode.
"Only five contestants left?" Bertram asked the camera. "We're that close to the end? Wow, it only feels like a week since the whole spiel started, but it's been two weeks now. ...Well two weeks for us anyway. ...But in these final four days is where the real action heats up. It's touch and go in Quarantine now, and only five competitors remain. Until next time, we say goodbye to you for now."
-Next Time On Quarantine-
"Me and this comb have been together since the day I started working at BigBoss Motors."
Before the challenge, contestants will be treated to videos from their loved ones.
"Remember your training Kiki. You've got this. You've got the whole competition in the bag."
Afterwards, competitors must track down a shipment ship filled with Dagger Eyes potions heading out to sea.
"They're NOT flying machines! Surely you can build a boat!"
Competitors must construct their own boats and sail out to reach the ship.
"AHHH! GIANT KRAKEN!"
To the competitor who places their bomb on the ship and touches back onto Quarantine shores, immunity.
"This is where the Jet-Frog stops fooling around!"
All this and more on the next episode of Quarantine: Do You Sea What I Sea?