Welcome back to another episode.
Reply to Review
Worma-Sir
It is nice to see you read my story. I must say that your insight on some characters are accurate. I won't say anything else as it might be spoilers. For the challenge, I can understand that the debate part can be a bit boring. I used to compete in debates as well even though I'm not that good. Skrelp's part is the hardest to create. Well, I could give you a hint about how far your favorite contestants will make it. However, I will leave you to analyze this chapter if you want to find that out. There are some foreshadowing and some red herrings as well. I like to keep things unpredictable.
Episode 2: The Key Relay
The camera lighted up again. Skarmory stood near the dock, sipping green tea instead of coffee this time. The host then placed the cup down and focused on the camera.
"Welcome back, last time, thirty-two contestants were introduced. Some appealed to the viewers while some ended up as a laughing stock. Cough, cough, Larvitar. They got their heads twisted with the two twists. One allows a contestant to gain a secret advantage. One allows contestants to see Chef Drapion less." Skarmory said, feeling amused.
"Hey, I hear that!" Chef Drapion shouted from a distance.
"Furthermore, they competed in a challenge. The Feckless Flygon proved that they have the brawn but not the brain. Vice versa for the Crawdaunt. It came down to the beauty challenge, even though it was the second challenge. Aromatisse gave the Feckless Flygon the lead. However, Feebas gave the Crazy Crawdaunt the miracle. As a result, she was booted off my island. What will happen this time? Will some contestants like Shedinja get more screen time or will the bug fade into obscurity? What kind of alliances will be formed? Will some contestants show their true colors? Find out in this exciting episode of Total Skarmory Island." Skarmory announced energetically before he received a phone call through his earpiece.
"Ah, you are the new intern. I hope you know your job."
Houndour woke up first in the Flygon boys' cabin. The sun was still sleeping at this time. He yawned a bit as he got off his top bunk bed.
Confessional
Houndour: "My ability is Early Bird. It allows me to wake up sooner than others. I guess this is a good time to explore before Lucario forces us to exercise."
Houndour ran past the intersection into the forest area excitedly. It was cluttered with trees. Fortunately, his body was small and agile. He maneuvered through the forest quite skillfully. After an hour of hopeless search, he was a bit frustrated.
"Where is this treasure Skarmory mentioned? There is nothing to be found." Houndour complained as the path got narrower and narrower until he reached a small clearing. There was an underground cave in front of him alongside a sign.
"Skarmory Cave. The host really thinks highly of himself and his island." Houndour read and commented, his voice had no hard feelings for Skarmory.
The cave was quite intimidating. Houndour hesitated before he stepped forward slowly.
"What are you doing?" Duosion asked from behind. This surprised Houndour as he jumped back. Duosion snickered a bit.
"What about you? Don't you feel drowsy? It is still very early. I thought that you are more like Tyrunt or Skrelp. Intelligent contestants that prefer to stay indoors." Houndour assumed.
"I don't need much sleep. Also, please don't compare me to both of them with stereotypes like that. I'm immensely different than both of them. I usually earn my knowledge through exploring old caves, ruins and historic sites, not reading books." Duosion explained.
"What do you gain from it?" Houndour asked in confusion.
"Ancient literature and records are much more interesting than you think. It makes you appreciate this modern life that our ancestors granted us. Our world used to be filled with wars, you know?" Duosion's words intrigued Houndour.
"Wow, that certainly is interesting. Maybe, I will check it out. You are really the smartest member in our team." Houndour complimented.
"Don't pressure me like that. I can't beat Skrelp or carry the team in mental challenges, you know?" Duosion shook her head, refusing to accept the compliment.
"Believe in yourself a bit more." Houndour patted her gelatinous back without any signs of revolt.
"Thank you for your kind words. I believe we should head back before Lucario scolds us." Duosion suggested.
"I will follow you back to the camp soon. Just want to explore a bit more in case I get some rare items." Houndour said as Duosion nodded at this.
The canine headed deeper into the forest instead of exploring the scary cave. He eventually found Meowth holding a golden object called a Nugget.
"Ah, Houndour nice to meet you. Do you want to trade? Anything for a Nugget is fine." Meowth offered.
"No, thanks. I don't have anything. How did you manage to find stuff this fast? You were still sleeping back then." Houndour asked with a curious expression.
"My Pickup ability is certainly useful. Here, take this Nugget anyways. Consider this start-up capital as a present to a fellow business partner." Meowth generously offered.
"Are you sure about this? There is no need to give me this, you earned it." Houndour rejected reluctantly, trying to give it back.
"I see… you see me as a shady businessman. A drug dealer at best. My heart wilts due to your suspicions like a money tree about to be chopped off." Meowth's sad expression guilt tripped Houndour.
"Absolutely not. I will accept it then." Houndour accepted the nugget. Both of them then headed back to the camp.
Confessional
Meowth: "For starters, this business strategy is called promotional or penetration pricing. Setting the price low at first so that the customer receives more than you take. This makes the customer into a loyal customer. With a strong enough customer base, you can increase the price later."
Archeops woke up early as well. She flew to the mountain area to explore a bit. Archeops looked at the peak of a mountain, there was a brown figure with something. Suddenly, a slingshot nailed her in the head and she fell down.
Ursaring stood on the peak of a mountain, smiling victoriously.
Confessional
Ursaring: "Yes, Skarmory allowed me to use the secret intern confessional. Flying types better not think that they can take the extra pay away from me."
Archeops: "What the hell was that? Did Ursaring just best me with a slingshot?" Archeops said as she held her head in pain.
Archeops entered the Crawdaunt girls' cabin with a bandage on her head. Other members looked at her in shock. Snorunt in particular, trembled.
"Who did this to you? I will kill that-" Heracross didn't finish as Archeops interrupted her.
"It was Ursaring. He shot me down with a slingshot. Apparently, he can use tools to make it even harder for us to get the advantage." Archeops explained.
"I hate that damn bear. Can't we set up bear traps or anything?" Heracross suggested.
"That might work. Does anyone here know how to make the trap?" Archeops asked and everyone shook their head.
"There goes that plan. Don't worry about it, enjoy your free time before the challenge." Archeops allowed her team to do whatever they want. The Crawdaunt girls started to leave the room.
As Drifblim and Heracross was about to exit, Archeops signaled them to close the door with her wings. The three of them were the only contestants in the cabin.
"I want to solidify my leadership. Therefore, I want us three to be in an alliance. All of us possess the qualities to make it to the final three together. Don't both of you agree?" Archeops offered them a place in her alliance.
"I'm totally in this." Heracross instantly agreed.
"Fine. However, I think we need more members to solidify our control." Drifblim accepted the offer with a smirk.
"What about Skrelp? She might not be the most likable Pokemon but she is extremely intelligent." Archeops asked her alliance for their opinions.
"I'm not sure about this." Heracross hesitated a bit with a worried expression.
"The more members, the merrier." Drifblim said chirpily.
"The majority rules." Archeops decided.
Confessional
Archeops: "I hope all of us can get along."
Heracross: "There is just something about that seahorse… It just irritates me."
Drifblim: "Do you know what I hate the most about Total Drama? A dominating alliance. I don't want all three of us to be in the final three together. That is so predictable and mundane. Sorry Archeops, you aren't as safe as you think. Skrelp is a controversial figure. Including her in the alliance will make things more interesting…"
Speaking of Skrelp, she was sitting on the beach, reading her book as always.
"Hey Skrelp, want to have a chat while we eat the chef's food or go out exploring?" Jumpluff persuaded.
"No." Skrelp denied simply.
"Why? We can be besties." Jumpluff insisted. Skrelp didn't say anything.
"Come on, say something. Be social." Jumpluff nagged again. Skrelp reached her boiling point.
"Can you just shut up, attention-seeking *beep*?" Skrelp swore as Dedenne just passed by. Jumpluff cried and ran away to the confessional.
"What the hell are you doing?! You are very vulgar and rude." Dedenne disapproved.
"I'm allowed to get rid of that stalking swine, she was invading my privacy. I already gave her the chance to leave quietly." Skrelp replied coldly.
"You are insufferable as much as Larvitar." Dedenne degraded Skrelp.
"Comparing me to that little ruffian? Your pathetic efforts are laughable." Skrelp left after she said this. Dedenne looked very frustrated.
Confessional
Skrelp: "I know that it isn't strategic to make enemies. However, their miniscule votes mean nothing. Why? I'm just too valuable to the team. If they vote me off, they will lose their smartest member. Simple as that."
Jumpluff: "She is just so mean. I hate her now." Jumpluff sniffled.
Dedenne: "Does she have a superior complex or something? It was unnecessary for her to be rude to Jumpluff."
Drifblim eavesdropped the situation a bit before she approached Skrelp, acting innocent as if she heard nothing.
"Skrelp, nice to see you. Can you spare a moment? It appears that Archeops has something to offer you." Drifblim informed.
"As I expected. An alliance deal? All of you made the right choice." Skrelp assumed arrogantly.
Drifblim slightly nodded, she then guided Skrelp to see Archeops in the cabin. Drifblim opened the door for Skrelp and allowed her to enter first. This stroked Skrelp's ego.
"Skrelp, I want to offer a place in the alliance for you. We want you to be our strategist." Archeops offered kindly.
"I will take this obligation willingly." Skrelp said with a smug look on her face.
Confessional
Drifblim: "This is the perfect way of creating chaos and make things interesting for the viewers. There is no need for me to be a villain myself, when I can manipulate the villains. Skrelp is an arrogant, overconfident narcissist. This type of Pokemon will surely destroy the alliance inside out. I just need to stroke her ego a bit more to ensure that. In the end, I will take Skrelp down myself. This will earn me love and support from Skrelp haters. To all the followers of my blog, I hope all of you anticipate an insane season."
Skrelp: "Archeops, do you really think you are in control of this team? I will ensure that I manipulate all of the alliance decisions and then you will take the blame for it if it pisses our team off."
Grovyle maneuvered through the forest like an expert, swinging from vine to vine. In his arms were three Dusk Stones. He found them inside a tree's trunk.
"This should be enough for now. I'm pretty good at this." Grovyle praised himself as he exited the forest.
As the gecko reached the intersection, he met Bisharp.
"Do you want to start an alliance?" Bisharp asked.
"Obviously, I want to. What is our first move?" Grovyle said hastily with interest in his eyes.
"I will lay low while you distance yourself from me. Acting as if you aren't in an alliance. Socialize and have some fun. Minimize the target on our back." Bisharp instructed before he left.
Confessional
Grovyle: "Chef Drapion will regret insulting me. I might not be strategic but I have a strategic partner, that is what matters. My strategy is to make myself look like a gullible idiot that follows Bisharp's orders mindlessly. Therefore, he keeps me safe. In the end, I will snipe the victory."
Bisharp: "Grovyle fits my criteria because he is not threatening or suspicious. No one expects him to work with me. Most importantly, I can control him."
Jumpluff entered the mess hall. She thought some food will help her cheer up. Tyrunt and Elekid sat in a table next to the door. To her surprise, Larvitar was working alongside Chef Drapion as his personal assistant. Larvitar looked really depressed.
"Keep on working, you idiot! You better finish making food for the contestants by the next hour or else I will slug you up." Chef Drapion threatened. Larvitar winced in fear.
"Chef Drapion, what is going on?" Jumpluff asked in confusion.
"This coward ran crying to me yesterday. He complained and whined about sleeping on the cold, hard ground. Due to pity, I generously offered him a place to sleep in exchange for him cooking the food." Drapion stated. Larvitar was red in embarrassment from this.
"Wow, this is a shocking scoop. I will spread this all over my social media account after the show ends." Jumpluff said cheerfully. She was back to her normal self now.
"What? Don't do that!" Larvitar pleaded desperately. Chef Drapion smacked him in the head to shut him up. Larvitar rubbed his head in pain.
Afterwards, Jumpluff floated next to Elekid and Tyrunt in an attempt to socialize with them.
"I'm a competitive virtual Pokemon battler." Tyrunt told Elekid before he waved at Jumpluff who just approached their table.
"What are you boys talking about?" Jumpluff asked curiously.
"We talk about electronic, games, machinery and stuff. Both of us share similar interests." Elekid answered.
"Can I join?" Jumpluff asked, trying to get involved.
"Of course, do you play any video games?" Tyrunt asked, expecting her to at least have minimal knowledge of the subject.
"No, I'm not good at them. I feel like it is too complex. Let's talk about something else." Jumpluff tried to change the subject.
"What do you want to talk about?" Elekid asked. Tyrunt had a curious, yet worried look on his face.
"What about fashion?" Jumpluff suggested. Both of the two boys stared at her awkwardly. They then turned to each other and whispered something.
"Should we go along with it?" Tyrunt asked quietly so Jumpluff doesn't hear it.
"Let's try it." Elekid replied.
"What are you two whispering about? I don't feel included at all. Are you guys talking behind my back?" Jumpluff felt nervous.
"No, no, we just finish our old conversation. We want to get it out of our mind before we talk to you." Elekid came up with an excuse. Tyrunt nodded to reinforce this.
"I see. Let's talk then." Jumpluff said happily. For the next several minutes, Tyrunt and Elekid listened to Jumpluff rambling about fashion. Occasionally, she asked the boys a few questions. They just nodded in reply.
Confessional
Tyrunt: "That was awkward. I don't care about fashion really. I just don't want to hurt her feelings. Making enemies is a poor strategic move. In the free-for-all mode of video games, you need to focus on making allies and avoid creating enemies."
Elekid: "I never expect this kind of situation to happen. Both Tyrunt and I agree that staying under the radar will be our strategy. Hopefully, having Jumpluff around won't make us a target."
Jumpluff: "My life is centered around social media and talking to others. It is just so much fun. I literally check my social media account every ten minutes. I hate it when my friends hide something from me or don't include me in their conversation. Luckily, these two boys are very nice. I'm dying to check my account already. Why can't Skarmory give us access to the internet?"
Helioptile and Snorunt chatted in the clearing while Farfetch'd trained in the woods. Nosepass stayed in his cabin, hiding from Larvitar. Rhyhorn did something, somewhere as the cameras missed him. He was last seen in the mountain area. Skarmory flew around, looking at the contestants. Everything seemed quiet until…
"We will start our daily exercise! No slacking off!" Lucario announced deafeningly.
All the Feckless Flygon members were presented in the gym. Currently, they were at the field section. Each lap was around one kilometer.
"First, give me ten laps around the field." Lucario ordered.
"This isn't fair for some of us. How am I supposed to run ten laps around the field when I don't have proper legs? Can't I swim instead?" Magikarp argued.
"How many aquatic challenges do you think there will be?" Lucario asked, his head throbbing in the process. Magikarp said nothing, only curling his lips a bit.
"At least reduce the number of laps. A beautiful Pokemon like me should only run one lap around the field. Physical challenges are not my forte." Aromatisse negotiated.
"Do you want to get eliminated?" Lucario threatened. Aromatisse shook her head.
"Then start moving!" Lucario shouted.
Confessional
Lucario: "This is how we do things in the Aura Beast. My teammates obey my orders without any questions or excuses. I'm doing this for their own sake."
Magikarp: "Is he a dictator? How inconsiderate."
Aromatisse: "Why must I get involved in these barbaric activities? It will ruin my make-up."
Darmanitan: "The homie is too serious about winning. I need to calm him down a bit."
Miltank: "Lucario is real tough. I like this guy. He is not afraid to boss his team around."
Lucario sprinted ahead of everyone else. He overlapped Magikarp and Aromatisse five times. Three times for Oddish, Ledyba, Meowth, Machoke, Meowstic. Cryogonal, Shedinja and Duosion were overlapped twice. Houndour and Scolipede were one lap behind. Darmanitan and Miltank were on the same lap as Lucario but they were about to be overlapped. The professional athlete didn't even run at his full speed.
"Wow, you are pretty fast, Shedinja. I thought you are lazy." Cryogonal complimented.
"Naturally." Shedinja drawled, ignoring the compliment.
"Why are you so lifeless?" Cryogonal asked with curiosity.
"This show is boring. Life in general as well." Shedinja replied, there was an indescribable emotion in his eyes. Cryogonal thought it was sadness and maybe determination?
"Keep running! Improve your fitness!" Lucario shouted toward Magikarp and Aromatisse. He was about to overlap them again.
"Yay, our leader cares about our fitness." Shedinja said unenthusiastically as he floated faster, surpassing Cryogonal.
Confessional
Cryogonal: "There is something that he is hiding. I shouldn't pester him about it though. I have one of my own as well."
Aromatisse and Magikarp sweated heavily.
"I expect both of you to be as fast as Oddish at the very least." Lucario criticized.
"Thanks for the compliment." Oddish said, putting on a genuine smile.
"Please… let's stop." Aromatisse begged before she collapsed.
"Yeah." Magikarp collapsed as well. All the other members halted the exercise and ran over to both of them anxiously.
"Why?!" Lucario didn't understand why they collapsed so... easily. He kicked the ground out of rage.
"Homie, you must understand that they are very physically weak. We already have enough physically strong members. Be a bit nicer to them next time." Darmanitan advised. Lucario put his hand on his face in disappointment.
"Forget it. The exercise is over." Lucario announced in his unusual quiet voice before he left the gym area. His teammates stared at him silently.
"Well, we should bring these two to the infirmary." Ledyba suggested after a moment. Everyone agreed.
Confessional
Houndour: "Is it weird that I felt bad when I'm supposed to be angry at Lucario? I feel like I should contribute to this team more."
Scolipede: "This is who Lucario truly is. A demanding leader that can't accept defeat. What a spoilsport. I don't know much about the Pokeathlon but I believe Lucario's record is nearly perfect."
Skarmory landed in the middle of a clearing to set up a stall. By that, it meant he ordered Chef Drapion to set it up. First, they (Chef Drapion) exploded the statues with dynamites because they wasted space of the clearing. The deafening explosion sound annoyed many of the contestants. They closed their ears at this.
"Was it necessary to destroy the statues? We worked hard for that right, Snorunt?" Helioptile asked.
"Yeah, I actually like them." Snorunt said in her usual quiet voice.
"They are obstacles to my future challenges. In addition, they are just cheap statues that Chef Drapion bought." Skarmory explained and signaled both of them to leave as Chef Drapion was still busy.
Chef Drapion did everything else while Skarmory sipped green tea. Chef Drapion assembled a wooden stall and a banner with the words, 'Skarmory Shop'.
"Lazy as always." Chef Drapion grumbled as he carried a pot of noodles to the stall.
"It is the privilege reserved for the host." Skarmory said as he sipped his green tea.
"What about my privileges?" Drapion asked, banging his arms on the stall. The pot of noodles shook a bit.
"You get to cook food for the contestants. Doesn't that make you smile? Serving food to our mostly wonderful contestants." Skarmory stated.
"Forget it." Chef Drapion said as he left. Skarmory brought out a megaphone from under the stall.
"Wonderful customers across the island, Skarmory Shop officially opens for the day! Each day, I will sell a different item. Today, you have a choice between cup noodles that we bought from a convenience store or Chef Drapion's special delicacy. Each cup of noodle costs one Skarmory token. Bring the rare item to me in exchange for Skarmory tokens. We have a no beggar policy. Therefore, any begging will result in you getting pummeled by Chef Drapion." Skarmory spoke into his megaphone. Some contestants emerged in front of the stall.
"How much Skarmory tokens can I earn from three Dusk Stones?" Grovyle asked, handing him the treasures.
"Six Skarmory tokens." Skarmory gave the tokens to Grovyle.
"Can I have two cups of noodles?" Grovyle asked as he paid the price.
Skarmory poured the noodles into two cups. Each cup was roughly around the size of his coffee cup. It was filled halfway, making Grovyle questioned the fairness.
"Why is it only half a cup?" Grovyle protested.
"The owner is always right in my shop. Do you want to get kicked out and be forced to eat whatever the hell Chef Drapion is cooking?" Skarmory threatened as he pointed with his left wing toward the mess hall. Grovyle zipped his mouth. Skarmory handed the cups of noodles to him.
Grovyle received them as he walked over to the mess hall to eat inside there. Houndour appeared next.
"How much can I get for a Nugget?" Houndour asked. Skarmory was surprised when he saw it.
"This is very rare. I thought I told the interns to hide it very carefully. Whatever, this will give you ten Skarmory tokens." Skarmory exchanged the tokens for the Nugget. Houndour smiled at this.
"I want ten cups of noodles." Houndour paid all of his tokens and Skarmory widened his eyes in surprise.
"Are you going to eat all of this by yourself?" Skarmory asked.
"Of course not, I will give them to my hungry teammates. They are exhausted." Houndour corrected.
"I see…" Skarmory understood. Houndour told his teammates to collect the cup noodles in the meantime.
"Get one for yourself! Hurry up before there is none left." Houndour shouted so his teammates could hear. It was lunchtime already so most of them were around the mess hall.
"Yay, free cup of coffee." Oddish said, acting stupid even though it was technically correct. Oddish feasted upon the cup of noodle without chopsticks, forks or manners. The food spilled all over the place. Skarmory and Houndour glared at her with disgust. Skarmory gestured for her to leave as few contestants waited in the line.
"Thanks, Houndour." Machoke said as he grabbed the noodle cup.
"A freebie, I take it." Shedinja drawled.
"I will take one too." Cryogonal collected the fourth cup of noodle.
"Can I have one too? I want to leave some for others as well…" Ledyba hesitated.
"Just take it." Houndour allowed.
Ledyba smiled as she took one. Scolipede observed the situation before he left. Houndour ran to reassure him.
"Scolipede, you can-" Houndour was about to offer a cup of noodle. However, Scolipede interrupted him.
"In exchange for what? My vote? You can't bribe me with a cup of noodle." Scolipede said skeptically. His eyes were filled with distrust.
"No, that isn't my intention..." Houndour said as Scolipede turned around and moved to the mess hall.
Confessional
Scolipede: "I don't trust Houndour, Ledyba or Helioptile. None of them. Their nice acts are lies. All of it."
Houndour: "I'm only doing this because they looked tired after the exercise." Houndour said, feeling hurt.
Houndour carried two cups of noodles over to the infirmary. He gave them to Aromatisse and Magikarp.
"You need this to regain your strength. Keep on fighting." Houndour cheered as he placed the cups on the table next to their beds.
"Thank you, you are a nice friend." Magikarp said as he splashed out of the bed to eat it.
"Thank you too." Aromatisse followed Magikarp to eat the noodle.
Houndour smiled as he exited the infirmary. He met Lucario, who was about to check up on his teammates.
"Do you want one as well?" Houndour offered a cup of noodle. Lucario shook his head before he opened the door. Houndour looked down on the ground a bit before moving on to his next destination.
Meowth walked around in the forest area. He found footprints of Ursaring and turned back immediately. By pure chance, he met Houndour.
"I want to give this to you. You gave me a Nugget so this is rightfully yours." Houndour reached the cup of noodle out to Meowth's hand.
"Are you asking for a refund, dear customer?" Meowth joked.
"Absolutely not." Houndour assured, shaking his head.
"I'm just kidding." Meowth took it as Houndour's face lightened up.
"Now, I have two left." Houndour pondered about who he should give it to.
Houndour walked back to the camp as he continued to think about this. Suddenly, he met Nosepass with his head down.
"What are you doing here, Nosepass?" Houndour asked.
"I'm trying to find a rare item so I don't need to meet Larvitar in the mess hall. However, I can't find anything." Nosepass was upset with himself.
"How about this? You can take one even if you are in the other team." Houndour offered sympathetically.
"Really? Thank you so much." Nosepass joyfully accepted before he left.
Houndour contemplated about the last cup until Duosion appeared. Apparently, she saw what happened. Once Houndour noticed Duosion, he ran to her instantly.
"I want you to have the last cup." Houndour offered willingly.
"Why are you so generous? You earned those Skarmory tokens." Duosion questioned. Houndour shook his head at this. Duosion was baffled.
"It was originally Meowth's, he gave it to me generously. Please accept it." Houndour insisted.
"Regardless, are you sure? You might suffer from disgusting food in the mess hall." Duosion warned.
"I can gobble disgusting food down with my iron stomach. Don't worry." Houndour reassured, exaggerating a bit.
"Let's share it then. At least that way, I can't be guilt-tripped by eating your food." Duosion compromised. "We can ask Skarmory for an empty cup." She suggested further.
"Fine if you say so." Houndour agreed to this.
The last customer approached Skarmory. It was Farfetch'd.
"Mr. Stalk found a mushroom. Can I trade it for a Skarmory token?" Farfetch'd asked as Skarmory inspected it.
"One Skarmory token." Skarmory offered.
"Then I will have one cup of noodle." Farfetch'd ordered. Skarmory handed it to him.
Farfetch'd accepted it, eating somewhere far away from the other contestants.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk devises a strategy for both of us. By acting as if we are both anti-social freaks, others will underestimate our true potential. I'm planning on going solo because my friends mock me. They told me that I can't win without an alliance. I will prove it to them otherwise. I don't need friends here. I already have a girlfriend back at home anyways."
Houndour asked for an empty cup from Skarmory.
"An empty cup. Let see… it will cost… zero Skarmory token." Skarmory teased the contestants.
"That isn't very funny." Houndour commented, not feeling amused, neither did Duosion.
"Fine, none of you have a sense of humor." Skarmory whined as he gave them the empty cup.
They decided to sit on the benches. Both of them grabbed their chopsticks, either with psychic power or paw. They ate it slowly as both of them had a conversation.
"Why are you generous? Is sharing food normal for you?" Duosion asked.
"You are doubting me, like Scolipede?" Houndour asked back with a gloomy expression.
"No! Scolipede doubted you?" Duosion denied before she asked with interest.
"Yeah, he thought that I shared food to bribe others for their vote." Houndour said in a depressed tone. He stopped eating for a while.
"I'm sorry for bringing that topic up." Duosion apologized.
"You don't need to feel sorry. I shared food because of… Lucario" Houndour answered assuringly. Duosion had a confused look.
"Lucario wants to win really badly. That is true. However, he also wants to improve our fitness. As someone who supports a healthy lifestyle and likes the outdoors, I can relate to Lucario. Therefore, I shared food to increase our odds of winning." Houndour explained.
"That is… commendable." Duosion complimented. Both of them finished their food. Their stomachs grumbled a bit.
"My stomach is half-full but my heart is full." Houndour described, making Duosion laughed.
"This is why you shouldn't share with me. Your heart is already full from sharing with everyone else. You don't need to include me." Duosion stated.
"Don't act as if you don't want to eat. You didn't meet me by chance. You were looking for rare items, am I right?" Houndour asked confidently. Duosion nodded.
"You are smarter than I thought." Duosion complimented him again.
"This is why I'm in the brain team." Houndour indicated, smiling at her. Duosion rolled her eyes. Both of them stared up at the sky for a moment.
Confessional
Houndour: "It is nice that someone understands me."
Duosion: "Houndour… he is a better Pokemon than I thought."
Grovyle enjoyed both cups of noodles by himself. His teammates gave him jealous looks.
"Gecko boy, can't you share with us?" Heracross asked demandingly.
"Why? These are mine. If you want, maybe I will buy one and let all of you share it." Grovyle bargained.
"I despise your parsimonious attitude." Skrelp insulted. Grovyle frowned.
"Everyone can share four cups, except Skrelp." Grovyle tossed his four tokens to Heracross. Skrelp groaned and took her lunch from Larvitar.
"I hope you choke to death." Larvitar said this to all of the contestants that ate his food.
"Your insults are meaningless, you scullion." Skrelp insulted back. Larvitar's face was red with anger. Skrelp seemed satisfied with his reaction.
Larvitar continued to serve Chef Drapion's special delicacy. It was a purple, edible sludge. Poison types like Scolipede and Skrelp didn't mind it. Steel types like Lucario and Bisharp ate it without any signs of disgust either. However, for everyone else…
"I want to puke my intestines out." Tyrunt said as he wiped his mouth with his bib. His face was purple as well. Heracross only shared the noodles with Archeops, Drifblim, Dedenne and Miltank.
"Hey, Grovyle said that we must share it with everyone else. Why did you share it with Miltank? She's in the other team. I won't tolerate this." Dedenne protested.
"Don't eat it then." Heracross said as she snatched the noodle cup away from Dedenne. This rude act infuriated the little mouse.
Dedenne stomped off the mess hall without eating anything. Grovyle gave a disapproving thumb down to Heracross and left to see Dedenne. Archeops looked stressed out.
Confessional
Dedenne: "I really hate some members of our team. Mainly, Larvitar, Skrelp and Heracross."
Grovyle: "That isn't cool Heracross. I told you to share it with everyone, except Skrelp."
Archeops: "Why is my team like this?"
Heracross: "Where I live, you take whatever you get. No complaining. If I share it with everyone, I will barely get to eat anything. It is better to make four stomachs half-full for the challenge instead of ten mostly empty stomachs."
Dedenne sat on the bench alone, feeling hungry.
"Hey, I still have one leftover." Grovyle gave one of his cups to Dedenne. It was eaten a bit by Grovyle.
"Thank you very much. Why is our team filled with jerks?" Dedenne asked.
"This is Total Drama. The other teams probably have jerks too." Grovyle answered.
"Thank you for making me feel better." Dedenne ate the noodle happily now.
"If you need anything else, tell me." Grovyle said as he walked back to the mess hall. Dedenne gazed at his back dreamily.
Skarmory ate noodles as well, alongside his cup of green tea.
"Convenience store noodles taste better than I expected." Skarmory continued to eat until he realized what time it was. He called someone with his earpiece.
"New intern, aha. I see, you found Rhyhorn. What? He built a secret base in the mountain area and filled it with traps? He nearly caught Ursaring? Luckily, Ursaring escaped. I see… Give him more weapons and gadgets to spike up the difficulty. I don't want the advantage to come in play this early. Also, bring Magikarp and Aromatisse out of the infirmary." Skarmory checked up on his new intern.
Afterwards, he pulled out his trusty megaphone from under the stall to make an announcement.
"Contestants, it is time for a challenge! Meet me next to the noodle stand." Skarmory announced with his megaphone. He then ate the noodles, while waiting for the contestants.
All the contestants eventually arrived. However, Skarmory was still eating his noodles.
"Stop being an unprofessional host and start the damn challenge." Drifblim was frustrated at Skarmory.
"Impatient contestants…" Skarmory grumbled before he explained the challenge.
"Anyways, we will play a game called 'Key Relay'. Created by your benefactor and awesome host, Skarmory." Skarmory showed off his creativity as Drifblim shook her head.
"It is similar to a relay. However, here is the catch. New intern!" Skarmory called.
A Pokemon with two spoons and a special stone teleported in front of the contestants.
"A fellow magician?" Meowstic asked with excitement.
"Magician? Our psychic abilities are magic in itself. I'm Alakazam, a new intern. Nice to meet all of you. Let me explain the challenge. First, you will be teleported randomly all over the island, except for one member of each team. I will give that member a golden key." Alakazam snapped his fingers and two golden keys appeared.
"Wow, magic. How did you do that?" Meowstic stared in awe. The other contestants gave her weird looks. Even Oddish accidentally did it.
"It is a high class move called Teleport, now I will continue. Our great host, Skarmory will carry a treasure box around the island. Your objective is to pass the key around to each of your members at least ten times. If you don't have the key, you can't speak or move. This means that some of you might not even compete. The eleventh member and onwards can catch Skarmory and get the treasure box. The key strategy to this game is to choose who to pass your key and information to. After you pass the key, you will be out of the challenge with my Teleport. Any questions?" Alakazam finished explaining.
"Me, me, me. Can you really teleport all of us to random locations? It requires a tremendous amount of power." Meowstic asked energetically while waving her hands.
"With Alakazite, yes." Alakazam activated a Mega Stone. The stone's energy consumed the Alakazam, transforming him into a different Pokemon. More spoons appeared and his mustache grew longer. Meowstic screamed like a fangirl to see such a talented psychic type. Scolipede rolled his eyes at this. Most of the contestants focused their attention on Mega Alakazam, ignoring Meowstic in the process.
"I have another question, mustache guy. What if we talk or move without the golden key? Can we steal the key from the other team? You can't stop us from doing that, can't you?" Larvitar underestimated Mega Alakazam.
"I can disqualify and teleport you to Chef Drapion." Mega Alakazam warned. Chef Drapion exited the kitchen with a frying pan. Seemingly, he wanted to hit a contestant really badly. His eyes were filled with aggression.
"Lawsuits will not save you from me this time. I'm allowed to hit a contestant as long as I have a proper reason." Chef Drapion threatened. Larvitar and Dedenne gulped.
"Where will we be teleported to after we pass the key?" Lucario asked.
"An isolated, empty room. It is located somewhere in the island. I will teleport all of you back when the challenge is over." Mega Alakazam explained. Since there were no more questions left, Mega Alakazam floated back.
"Decide which member will get the key and we will start." Skarmory took charge again.
The Feckless Flygon were led by Lucario again. He kept things very simple.
"Never give the key to Magikarp or Aromatisse. I will start things off. Announce the number of times the key is transferred. Any objections?" Lucario said, his voice lacked the usual energy. His team said nothing.
"Good." Lucario ended things just like that.
The Crazy Crawdaunt discussed their strategy much more intricately.
"I prefer the team to keep track of Skarmory's location. Pass the information down to each member. Keep track of how many times the key is transferred as well." Skrelp suggested.
"Those are great ideas. Anyone else wants to contribute?" Archeops asked.
"How about we exclude physically weak members like Skrelp?" Jumpluff recommended opinionatedly, giving Skrelp a cold stare. The seahorse smirked at this.
"Yes, I actually agree with that." Skrelp agreed. This made Jumpluff mad.
"Okay, try to pass the key to physically strong members if you can. I also have an idea. We should have a flying type catch Skarmory. I want to step up to this position. Is that fine with everyone?" Archeops observed her teammates. None of them disagreed.
"Finally, who is going to start first? Any volunteers?" Archeops surveyed her members. Grovyle and Drifblim wanted the position.
"Since Jumpluff kindly excluded me from this challenge. I want to kindly include her in the challenge. Her species are generally fast, aren't they?" Skrelp suggested, which annoyed Jumpluff.
"Me? I'm not sure about this." Jumpluff said with concern. She didn't look confident.
"That is true, Skrelp. Jumpluff, please take the starting position. Be confident in yourself." Archeops pressured.
Confessional
Jumpluff: "I'm fast, fast at checking my social media accounts and reply to any posts or comments, that is. I'm not physically strong. I'm an indoor type of Pokemon. Why did Archeops choose me? I now have a feeling that Archeops is deeply involved with Skrelp somehow."
Skrelp: "Yes, Archeops, keep on supporting my decisions. My enemies will soon be yours. This is my strategic plan all along."
Drifblim: "I analyze many Total Drama contestants. Let's say, I know what Skrelp is doing."
Grovyle: "Geez, can't my team just let me do it? I feel like they are ignoring me sometimes. Actually, this might be a good thing. However, being too secretive isn't good either. I feel very suspicious of Rhyhorn. I can't find him the entire time before the challenge."
Things were intense next to the noodle stall. The two race starters were blindfolded while Mega Alakazam teleported the contestants. Skarmory also flew away during the meantime with a treasure chest beneath his talons.
"Key Relay begins!" Mega Alakazam announced. The two competitors removed their blindfolds as Mega Alakazam teleported to the control room.
Lucario sprinted ahead to the mess hall. He found Chef Drapion with a frying pain. Next to him was a terrified Larvitar. Lucario left immediately.
"Anyone, please help me!" Larvitar begged as Drapion hit him in the head with a frying pan.
"No talking!" Chef Drapion reminded.
Jumpluff followed Lucario into the mess hall. After she saw Larvitar, she left.
"Why are those retards not helping me?!" Larvitar screamed in anger.
"Karma is a *beep*, boy." Drapion said as he laughed evilly and raised the frying pan into the air. Larvitar retreated into a corner.
Lucario checked the Feckless Flygon cabins next. In the girls' cabin, Oddish was there. Lucario ignored her. Shedinja was in the boys' cabin. Lucario ignored him as well.
"Where are the fast contestants?" Lucario wondered as he tried to find the fastest.
On the other hand, Jumpluff looked inside the confessional room. Tyrunt was there.
"First key transfer. Just don't go inside the mess hall." Jumpluff informed before she passed the key to Tyrunt, who was confused. Jumpluff was then teleported away.
Confessional
Tyrunt: "Me? Out of all Pokemon? Oh god, she didn't even explain things in detail."
Jumpluff: "I panicked, alright? I'm going against a professional athlete. It isn't easy dealing with pressure. At least, Tyrunt is better than Larvitar."
Lucario ran into the infirmary. Machoke was there. Lucario ignored him again. Outside, he spotted Skarmory flying above.
"Picky much, Lucario?" Skarmory commented as he left to the mountain area.
Lucario ran to the field section of the gym area next. There were hurdles in his way and Darmanitan at the end. The professional athlete speeded up, breezing through the hurdles.
"First key! Machoke, infirmary. Oddish and Shedinja. Flygon cabins. Skarmory, mountain area. Remember!" Lucario shouted as he passed the key to Darmanitan. His figure then faded away.
"Got it! I will get Machoke, tell him to get Oddish, who will get Shedinja, the fastest one out of all three." Darmanitan understood Lucario's vague message.
Confessional
Lucario: "These locations aren't random. Mega Alakazam tricked us. The stronger the contestant, the harder it is to find them."
Darmanitan: "Lucario knew that I'm his fan. That is why he used the Aura Beast message system."
Tyrunt scrambled as he entered the Crazy Crawdaunt cabins, only Nosepass was there in the boys' cabin. The guy hid under his bed sheets. Tyrunt hesitated before he left. Tyrunt ran breathlessly with his poor legs toward the beach. As he reached the bonfire, he sat down for a small break. Then, he continued. Skrelp relaxed on the beach as well as Meowth, who rested on the dock. Tyrunt looked at his poor legs before he decided to risk it.
Confessional
Tyrunt: "I might play Pokemon Dash but that doesn't mean I'm good at dashing in real life."
"Skrelp, second key transfer. Nosepass is in the Crawdaunt boys' cabin. Jumpluff told me to not enter the mess hall." He said before he handed the key over to her fins.
"Interesting… Jumpluff, eh?" Skrelp absorbed in the information before making her way slowly to the camp. Meowth observed with subtlety.
Confessional
Meowth: "I need a bit more market research. Remember business enthusiasts, do your research before you commit to anything risky."
Machoke now ran to the intersection after he heard everything from Darmanitan.
"Oddish first, Shedinja next, Skarmory mountain something." Machoke rehearsed. He made a sharp turn in the intersection to the camp.
"I still have my Machoke No Sweat technique." Machoke said as he sweated. Luckily, a gust of wind from behind cooled him down.
"Lucky me. I mean my technique worked." Machoke said as he ran faster to the cabins. After a moment, he rushed through to find Oddish.
"Third key! Shedinja, boys' cabin in our side." Machoke said simply, hoping that Oddish can understand it. The key was transferred successfully to her.
"I don't think this is the time to act stupid." Oddish talked to herself before moving to the boys' cabin. It was pretty close so Oddish didn't run. She changed her behavior instantly once she was at the door. Oddish opened the doorknob with her mouth to fool Shedinja. Even worse, the doorknob was tainted by her saliva.
"Fourth key." Oddish said as she gave the key to Shedinja. It was drooled pretty badly.
"Is this the fossil age? Am I still in the present?" Shedinja asked himself as he grabbed the key with a revolted expression.
Oddish found herself in a room with plain white floor and walls. She still drooled at this time. Everyone looked at her with disgust.
"You should wear a bib to clean off that mess, you know?" Tyrunt recommended. Oddish acted oblivious to his words.
Lucario relaxed by resting his back against the wall.
"We are in the lead, four to two." Lucario counted.
Confessional
Lucario: "We better win…"
Tyrunt: "Oddish is just plain disgusting."
Jumpluff: "I put us in this position. Will they eliminate me? I'm… I'm screwed!" Jumpluff started to panic in the confessional.
Skrelp headed into Crawdaunt boys' cabin. She was surprised at first that Nosepass wasn't there, until she saw a huge lump under the bed sheets. She lifted the bed sheets up to see Nosepass trembling under there.
"Third key transfer. Don't go to the mess hall." Skrelp tossed the key to Nosepass before she was teleported away. Nosepass sighed at this.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Why must it be me? I don't want to do this challenge."
Skrelp: "To be honest, I could find a better contestant. However, it is not worth it for me to suffer from this drudgery. I'm not intimidated by the elimination anyways. Logically, it is very likely for Larvitar, Nosepass and even Jumpluff to go home if we lose."
Nosepass scrambled around randomly. He first went to the bonfire, Skarmory sipped his green tea while taking a break there.
"Hey, Nosepass. Are you lost? You can't pass the key? The second syllable of your species is 'pass'. You should be good at this game." Skarmory made a pun. Nosepass didn't laugh. He left to check the restrooms.
"These contestants don't have a sense of humor. Maybe, I should go and check how Chef Drapion is doing with Larvitar." Skarmory said and drank the entire cup of green tea.
Shedinja cleaned the key in the restrooms before he continued with his search. He crossed paths with Nosepass on his way out.
"Are there Crawdaunt members here?" Nosepass asked timidly.
"Hahaha. We are in different teams. That is very funny." Shedinja drawled as he flew away at his average speed to the intersection. Nosepass felt stupid for asking in the first place.
Nosepass checked all rooms in the boy side. There was one room that was locked. Nosepass ducked down to see something green. It must be Grovyle.
"How can I get inside?" Nosepass looked around for any objects that he can use. There was a mop. Nosepass grabbed the mop and rammed into the door. The mop didn't work. Instead, Nosepass' nose opened it through an accidental collision. Grovyle was surprised to see Nosepass. He expected a more athletic member.
"My nose hurts. Fourth key transfer. Skarmory is near the bonfire. Don't go inside the mess hall." Nosepass rubbed his nose as he said this. The key was transferred successfully.
"Something must go wrong for Nosepass to hold the key." Grovyle said as he tapped his chin. Soon after, he ran outside quickly to catch up with the Feckless Flygon.
Confessional
Grovyle: "Also, why did Mega Alakazam lock me in the restrooms? It wasn't a pleasant place to be in."
Shedinja floated to the forest area. He ascended above the trees so he could see things clearly. Cryogonal was on top one of the trees.
"Is this Christmas?" Shedinja drawled. Cryogonal wasn't amused. She gave him a serious expression.
"Fine, fifth key." Shedinja gave the key to Cryogonal.
"Where should I go next?" Cryogonal thought as she floated around the forest.
Grovyle swung from vines to vines in the forest. Eventually, he found Farfetch'd relaxing under the shade of a tree.
"Fifth key transfer, Skarmory was last seen around the bonfire. Don't go to the mess hall." Grovyle informed as he passed the key over.
"Mr. Stalk, use your detection skills to find a contestant. I see… you have already found one." Farfetch'd talked to his leek stalk as he walked in front of a nearby large stone. Farfetch'd lifted Mr. Stalk up and slashed the rock. It appeared that the rock was a fake prop. Under the rock was Rhyhorn.
"Sixth key transfer, Skarmory was last seen around the bonfire. Don't go to the mess hall." Farfetch'd quickly passed the key over to Rhyhorn, who just nodded.
Back to the plain room, Lucario's expression worsen since Grovyle arrived. Another figure started to form. Lucario expected his teammate. However, he was star-struck when it turned out to be Farfetch'd.
"How did you find a contestant this fast? I didn't see anyone around us." Grovyle asked in awe.
"Mr. Stalk detected a fake rock nearby." Farfetch'd explained. No one seemed to believe it.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "No one can reckon our true power. See, I don't need an alliance. The fake rock didn't camouflage well with the surroundings. It wasn't detailed enough to look real."
Cryogonal found Houndour next to Skarmory Cave after she floated over a good chunk of the forest. He looked very bored. His face lightened up immediately after he saw Cryogonal.
"Sixth key." Cryogonal said and gave the key to Houndour.
"Finally, I can stretch my leg muscles a bit." Houndour said as he ran energetically deeper into the forest. He observed his surroundings with his sharp eyes. There was a tree that looked like it was made out of cardboard. Houndour bit down into the tree and tore the cardboard out. Scolipede was inside. He seemed uncomfortable from being stuffed inside a tree. Yet, he glared at Houndour with distrust.
"Look, I know that you don't trust me but please do it for the sake of the challenge. All I know is that I'm supposed to say 'seventh key'." Houndour's eyes pleaded for Scolipede to believe him. Scolipede considered it for a moment before he took the key and left.
Confessional
Scolipede: "I will observe him a bit more. It is still too early to judge him."
Rhyhorn dashed to the mountain area. The ground was hard and tough. He eventually hiked up Skarmory Mountain. There were stairs luckily. Therefore, Rhyhorn managed to meet Archeops at the top. She anticipated what Rhyhorn was about to say.
"Seventh key transfer. Do you want to take it?" Rhyhorn asked. Archeops shook her head.
Rhyhorn nodded and ran down to the other side of the mountain. There was another intersection. To the left, it was the haunted area. To the right, it was the desert area. To the middle, it was the snow area. Rhyhorn believed that these areas are for future challenges. Therefore, he turned back and hiked up the mountain again. As he reached the halfway point, he noticed a gray wallpaper glued to the mountain. Rhyhorn removed it with his horn to see a door. He pushed the door open, Drifblim was inside.
"Seventh key transfer. Don't go to the mess hall. Skarmory was last seen around the bonfire." Rhyhorn informed before he gave the key to Drifblim. She floated up to see Archeops, who shook her head to reject the key. Drifblim floated toward the gym area instead.
Confessional
Archeops: "I might look stubborn from doing this but Skarmory will be in the air, right? We need a flying type to catch him or else it is game over."
Larvitar: "I hate Skarmory, *beep* him. He sat in the mess hall, laughing at me while sipping green tea the entire time."
Scolipede found Miltank under a well, deep inside the forest. He pulled her up as it wasn't that deep.
"Eighth key." Scolipede hurriedly passed the golden key. Miltank ran back to the intersection.
Things kept getting intense as Drifblim found Heracross in the swimming pool. It was eight to eight.
Miltank spotted another fake rock as she was about to exit the forest. She crushed it open to see Ledyba. Nine for Flygon, eight for Crawdaunt.
Heracross found Bisharp in the dodgeball court of the gymnasium. Bisharp was told to find Archeops in the mountain area. Nine to nine.
Bisharp hiked up the mountain… Ledyba searched through the girl restrooms.
Bisharp met Archeops… Ledyba met Meowstic…
"Archeops, this is it. Find Skarmory. Don't go to the mess hall." Bisharp told her, Archeops nodded in determination.
"Meowstic, tenth key." Ledyba said before she was warped to the plain room.
The situation in the plain room was also very intense. Lucario paced around the room worriedly. Some contestants started to throw accusations at each other.
"Why did you pick Tyrunt, out of all the contestants? Who then picked Skrelp, who again picked Nosepass. Jumpluff, do you have an explanation for this?" Grovyle interrogated.
"I panicked. I was competing against Lucario, okay? Archeops and Skrelp shouldn't pressure me to start things off." Jumpluff eyed accusingly at Skrelp.
"You took the position anyways. I believe that it is hypocritical of you to say that." Skrelp argued back.
"Where is Skarmory? How could we miss him the entire time after Nosepass saw him at the bonfire?" Tyrunt asked.
All the contestants speculated about Skarmory's location as another figure appeared. Was the challenge over?
Meowstic appeared with a baffled expression on her face.
"Why is there ten of you? I thought that I'm the tenth member…" Meowstic slowly realized that she made the greatest mistake of her life.
The camera flashbacked to a while ago…
"Tenth key means that I'm the tenth member right? I probably need to transfer the key again." Meowstic said as she looked under Skarmory's stall. There was a fish bowl with Magikarp inside it. Meowstic was about to leave to the beach. However, she saw Archeops in the sky, flying around rapidly to look for Skarmory.
"What am I supposed to do?" Meowstic scrambled around before she gulped heavily and walked back to the stall.
"Magikarp, find Skarmory, please!" Meowstic prayed as she gave the golden key to Magikarp. The fish was dumbfounded.
Confessional
Meowstic: "I'm screwed. I'm screwed. No! A magician always has a trick under his or her sleeve. I won't go down this easily."
Magikarp: "Do you know what Lucario said to me in the infirmary? He apologized a bit about the field incident. Then, he told me that I will probably be eliminated next if we lose." Magikarp sighed.
Magikarp splashed to the mess hall first because it was the closest place to the stall. Unknown to Magikarp, Archeops followed him secretly.
Confessional
Archeops: "I know that I can out-speed Magikarp. If he finds Skarmory, I will just rush in for the treasure chest first."
Magikarp opened the door to see Skarmory laughing as Chef Drapion stuffed an apple inside Larvitar's mouth and served him on a plate of salad.
"I call this dish, Penalized Contestant Salad." Chef Drapion declared.
"This is what you get when you cheated. No talking, Larvitar." Skarmory chided. He then turned around to see Magikarp slowly splashing toward him. Unfortunately for the poor fish, Archeops flew in and snatched the treasure chest next to Skarmory.
"The Crazy Crawdaunt snatch the victory!" Skarmory announced the results as every contestants were teleported to the mess hall.
Confessional
Lucario: "Incompetent! *beep*!" Lucario swore as he threw a tantrum.
Magikarp: "Damn it! I hope the team blame Meowstic instead of me."
"Open the chest." Skarmory instructed with a mischievous smile.
Archeops opened it with a wide smile on her face. However, her smile faded once she realized that it was empty.
"Why is it empty? Why are you in the mess hall as well?" Archeops questioned Skarmory angrily.
"What do you expect? It is heavy to carry a treasure box with real treasure inside. Do you think I'm actually active or vigorous enough to fly around for hours?" Skarmory used rhetorical questions to respond back. Archeops became quiet.
"This is what you losers get for leaving me." Larvitar stuck his tongue out. His team gave him annoyed looks and he stopped for once.
Confessional
Archeops: "Despite our team victory, I felt like a loser. I used Magikarp to win. This is quite degrading. However, I'm more interested in who spread the message to not enter the mess hall."
Lucario didn't rally everyone this time. He only called Darmanitan, Miltank and Machoke to the gym.
"I have enough of this pathetic team! Therefore, I want to assign all of you as leaders. Help me lead those incompetent losers! Do we need to train more? Do we need to wipe all the weaklings out? Tell me why we lost!" Lucario shouted as he stomped on the ground angrily.
"Homie, chill out. One of the principle of zen is to walk the middle ground. It is good that you are competitive. However, you shouldn't be overcompetitive. Have some fun, we will get the Crawdaunt next time." Darmanitan advised.
"That is easy for you. However, I'm a professional athlete. Winning and losing means life and death to me." Lucario said, his eyes looked sore.
There was a knock on the door. Darmanitan was about to get rid of that outsider before Lucario signaled for him to stop.
"Come in." Lucario allowed.
Meowstic entered quite apprehensively, she walked slowly to Lucario before she knelt down and cried.
"Please give me another chance. I will submit my loyalty to you. I will be your puppet, your minion. Anything! I just want to have one last chance at proving my skills to the world. Please!" Meowstic begged.
Lucario considered it quietly.
"If you survive the elimination, that means I'm giving you a second chance. However, if you are eliminated, you know my reason." Lucario said before he exited.
Confessional
Lucario: "Magikarp might have potential to be a Gyarados. However, he isn't loyal to me, especially after I voted Feebas off. On the other hand, Meowstic messed up really badly today."
Meowstic persuaded others like Ledyba as well.
"I will show you my magic tricks. I promise." Meowstic offered. Ledyba reluctantly agreed.
Magikarp also rallied some Feckless Flygon members to help him.
"Houndour, please let me stay. You are my friend, right?" Magikarp pleaded.
"I will think about that…" Houndour replied.
"Aromatisse, we are in the infirmary together, please let me stay." Magikarp continued to do the same for Duosion.
The others were entitled to their own opinion.
Confessional
Cryogonal: "I think you messed up worse."
Scolipede: "I don't trust you."
Meowth: "I will follow Lucario's vote. I want to be a trading partner with him."
Oddish: "You are dumber than me."
Shedinja: "Whatever."
"Back here again? I expect better from all of you. You have a professional athlete on your team. Forget it. I will give out the Leppa Berries now." Skarmory started the bonfire ceremony.
"Lucario" Skarmory tossed a Leppa Berry to Lucario first this time.
"Darmanitan, Miltank, Houndour." The three ate their berries comfortably.
"Shedinja, Oddish, Meowth, Cryogonal." Meowstic and Magikarp were both very nervous.
"Duosion, Scolipede, Machoke, Ledyba." Magikarp gulped.
"Aromatisse" Magikarp and Meowstic were both on the edge of their seats.
"The eliminated contestant is…" Skarmory built up suspense.
…
…
…
…
…
"Magikarp" Magikarp left to the confessional without a word.
Elimination Confessional
I'm very disappointed in myself and my team. I feel like this is undeserved. Meowstic did worse than me. Forget it, I will probably see Feebas in Loser's Island now. Who do I want to win? Aromatisse and Houndour. They are both pretty cool. Anyone but Larvitar is also fine.
Magikarp boarded the Lapras. Houndour, Aromatisse and Duosion were there to see him off.
"We voted for Meowstic like you wanted." Houndour said.
"I know. I feel a bit mad at Lucario. Maybe I will get a chance to return." Magikarp said as his Lapras departed.
"Bye everyone." Magikarp bid his farewell. They waved to him in return.
After all the contestants left, Skarmory landed on the dock. He drank the entire cup of green tea.
"I like close eliminations. They are so suspenseful and exciting. Anyways, thank you viewers for watching another episode of my show. What will happen next time? Will conflicts escalate? Will relationships develop further? Will Larvitar be eliminated already? Will Nosepass man up a bit? Will Feckless Flygon win? Most importantly, will Chef Drapion refill my drink? Find out next time on another episode of Total Skarmory Island!"
Votes
Lucario: Magikarp
Miltank: Magikarp
Darmanitan: Magikarp
Machoke: Magikarp
Meowstic: Magikarp
Magikarp: Meowstic
Houndour: Meowstic
Duosion: Meowstic
Aromatisse: Meowstic
Scolipede: Meowstic
Meowth: Magikarp
Ledyba: Magikarp
Oddish: Meowstic
Cryogonal: Meowstic
Shedinja: Magikarp
Magikarp: 8 (eliminated)
Meowstic: 7
Well, I hope you enjoy this episode as well. The challenge is a bit weird but I try my best to polish it. For the elimination, Feebas and Magikarp was intended to go out first and second. I create these two to tease the viewers. Most would expect them to be a couple and make it far. However, that is just cliché and boring.
As always, review if you want. Next episode will come around the weekend.