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Worma-Sir
Lucario and Archeops both have their flaws and strengths. Neither of them is perfect. They aren't purely evil or good. The same can be said for Grovyle. True, Lucario is a sore loser but he really cares about his team. True, Archeops can be selfish but she can also be selfless. Nice, I make you like a Pokemon you don't. This actually happens to me once with Bronzong. How long will Jumpluff survive? Does she have what it takes to win? What does it takes to win my season? Thinking about these things might help to predict future events. However, I have more curve balls and twists planned.
Episode 7: Freeze Me Once, Shame On You. Freeze Me Twice, I Will Get My Revenge.
Skarmory sipped hot cappuccino as he breathed in fresh air of the early morning. He then turned to the camera to start the opening.
"Another day, another challenge, another elimination. I like my job. Anyways, last time, Houndour and Duosion braved through the legendary Skarmory Cave. They faced their eternal adversary, Ursaring. This diligent intern is infamous for his traps and tricks. With his extra pay on the line, he sent garbage rolling into the duo. Let's say, it ended in a humiliating outcome. On the other hand, Archeops promised her team countless Skarmory tokens if they win the challenge. Which they did. Speaking of the challenge, the contestants babysat some brats or rather became their slaves. Grovyle pulled through the challenge for his team, what a great guy. In the end, Oddish got eliminated for her grave mistake. What will happen this time? Will Archeops be able to pay? Will someone refill my cappuccino? Find out in this electrifying episode of Total Skarmory Island!"
Nosepass traveled in the forest with Rhyhorn. They seemingly headed toward Skarmory Cave. Noticeably, Nosepass was behind Rhyhorn the entire journey. In addition, Nosepass nervously glanced through his surroundings. Unknown to him, a leaf fell on his head.
"Help! Something is biting my head!" Nosepass shouted for help. Seeming spooked, he ran away in fear. This caused the leaf to fell down his head. Rhyhorn looked back at the fellow rock type with a confused expression.
"Nothing threatening is on your head." Rhyhorn pointed out.
Nosepass looked back to see a puny leaf on a ground. He then blushed in embarrassment.
"I thought it was a bug Pokemon. They are just creepy and dangerous." Nosepass clarified.
"Rock types have a type advantage against bug types." Rhyhorn reminded.
"Yeah, but I can't fight. I will lose anyways." Nosepass said, feeling shameful and weak. His eyes turned sideways, dodging Rhyhorn's gaze.
"…" Rhyhorn said nothing.
Nosepass slowly turned his eyes to Rhyhorn. He looked very deep in thought as if he was in a trance.
"A-are you alright?" Nosepass asked with worry.
"It's nothing. Let's continue." Rhyhorn replied as he led Nosepass to Skarmory Cave. Nosepass realized that he had no choice. Therefore, he followed Rhyhorn obediently.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Rhyhorn is never the type to talk. He is usually quiet and reserved. It makes him mysterious. Usually, I don't hang around with someone like him but… I think I can trust him."
The Treasure Trio took a day off from exploring Skarmory Cave. They had enough Skarmory tokens to buy items from Skarmory Shop. Meowth left to meet his 'customer'. Meanwhile, Houndour and Duosion talked to each other, somewhere in the forest area. Accurately, a grassy clearing with a giant tree in the middle. Both of them sat under the tree, enjoying a cool shade. The wind blew against them calmly, creating a certain atmosphere.
"We live pretty close to each other." Duosion stated. Apparently, they asked each other about where they live. However, Skarmory didn't air that part of the conversation.
"That's great. We can see each other after the show ends. As friends." Houndour paused slightly before he said 'friends'. His muscles looked tense.
"Yeah, friends." Duosion said, quieter than usual. She also fiddled with her stubby arms.
"It is nice and relaxing to sit here and talk but my muscles are sore and stiff now. It just feels unnatural. Usually, we explore the cave. Suddenly, the pace changes and we sit here." Houndour hinted that he felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave.
"I feel the same. We should probably leave." Duosion agreed as they separated awkwardly.
Confessional
Houndour: "Sitting alone with her suddenly feels weird. I don't know how to… explain it properly. I'm not the most experienced with girls. Sure, I have a few friends that are girls but this is… I don't know how to describe it."
Duosion: "My heart is torn in half. A part of me wants to confess and say something. I feel more and more attracted to him lately. Noticeably, I spent most of my time with him. Still… The other half feels very uncomfortable and dreadful. What if our relationship isn't successful? Many examples and cases in reality television shows suggest this. Statistically, it won't work."
Nosepass moved sluggishly behind Rhyhorn in Skarmory Cave. He was so slow that it took a whole minute for him to move five steps.
"I'm s-scared." Nosepass cowered behind Rhyhorn.
"I'm here with you." Rhyhorn turned back to assure him.
They made their progress slowly inside the cave. Eventually, Nosepass found a Fighting Gem. He reached over to collect it. However, he accidentally stepped on a pressure plate. It released a screech of a Zubat.
"Ah!" Nosepass screamed as he fled the cave as fast as he possibly could. Rhyhorn ran over to see Nosepass shaking outside of the cave.
"It is a trick. Not a big deal. Sometimes, fear plays with our mind. Danger isn't always there. Fear and danger are two different things." Rhyhorn advised.
"I don't want to do this anymore." Nosepass refused to enter the cave again.
"This is your choice. However, do you want Skarmory tokens?" Rhyhorn asked. Nosepass nodded at this.
"Get the Fighting Gem then exit." Rhyhorn motioned for Nosepass to enter the cave. Nosepass composed himself as he entered the cave.
This time, Nosepass panicked less and managed to get the Fighting Gem. Afterwards, they exited the cave like Nosepass wanted.
Confessional
Nosepass: "I don't want to enter the cave again. It is finally over with." Nosepass sighed with relief.
Rhyhorn: "I want to help Nosepass..." Rhyhorn opened his mouth to speak more but he decided against it and exited the confessional.
Meowth was in the auditorium, sitting on the front row seat. To his left, Machoke stood tall. To his right, Darmanitan stretched his arms. They were like bodyguards of a prosperous businessman. A deal was about to go down as there was a huge bag of Skarmory tokens behind Meowth on the second row seat. Archeops was on the stage, she breathed in deeply before she started talking.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank you Meowth for wasting your precious time with me. May I ask why you have these two with you?" Archeops felt uneasy upon seeing Machoke and Darmanitan. It was a great intimidating factor.
"I use my Bulky Bodyguard Technique to protect my friend from potential harm. Who knows if you are going to steal the Skarmory tokens?" Machoke answered. Archeops gulped a bit.
"Chill out, we aren't here to mug or harm you. Just don't think of anything reckless." Darmanitan assured. He sat on his seat comfortably unlike Machoke.
"Alright, I will continue. As you probably already know, I want to borrow some Skarmory tokens. Around fifty to be exact. I promise that I will repay you guys back." Archeops requested, she held her claws together in anticipation. Her eyes pleaded for Meowth to accept the deal.
Machoke used his fingers to count the amount while Darmanitan looked at Meowth, expecting an answer. Meowth coughed a few times before he started to criticize Archeops for her presentation.
"A loan of fifty Skarmory tokens is a huge deal. You can't expect me to give it to you so easily. I doubt that you are creditworthy enough. For one, I don't know how long you will stay in this island. Will you be eliminated before you repay me?" Meowth looked doubtful.
"I will, I'm in a great spot in my team." Archeops assured.
"I can't take your words for it. How about, when will you repay?" Meowth asked.
"Five days? I will give ten Skarmory tokens back per day." Archeops tried to be realistic.
"It is no different than begging if you can't give me a reason why I will benefit from it. We are on different teams, Archeops. Lucario will be very furious if I donate Skarmory tokens to you. You need to pay the interest rates. From the look of your face, you didn't expect this. Don't you?" Meowth finished his evaluation of the deal. His feedback disheartened Archeops.
"Interest rates? How… much?" Archeops looked hesitant and concerned.
"Fifty percent. You must give me twenty-five Skarmory tokens to cover your interest." Meowth solidified his offer. Archeops sweated a bit.
"Can it be a little lower?" Archeops pleaded.
"No." Meowth denied.
"Then, no thanks." Archeops left empty handed. She looked down on the ground before she lifted her head to eye the bag. She shook her head as she flew away depressingly.
Darmanitan carried the bag of tokens for Meowth as the three exited.
"For your protection, I will give you one token each." Meowth offered to pay them.
"It's no big deal, homie. I can do this little favor for my friend." Darmanitan refused to accept it.
"Yeah, no big deal. I get to look cool as a bodyguard. Check out my Bulky Bodyguard Technique." Machoke tried to lift a nearby rock. He grunted with effort and lifted it up before dropping it instantly. Both of them chuckled at his attempt as Machoke rubbed his head.
"I'm grateful to have loyal friends like you two…" Meowth said charmingly.
Confessional
Archeops: Archeops seethed a bit inside the confessional. She then calmed down a bit and began to talk. "I can't believe this! Meowth is so stingy. What am I going to do now?"
Machoke: "I look pretty strong right? I mean without my strength, I'm nothing. I can't find a job with muscles like these. I'm a Machoke, others expect me to be a labor worker. Otherwise, what am I going to be?"
Meowth: "There is one thing that I like more than loyal customers. Blind customers. Hahaha. Even if I sell an expensive, low quality product, they will buy it regardless with my brand name. Speaking of that, this is my business card." Meowth was about to show it until there was a static on the screen.
Skarmory: "We don't advocate shameless advertising."
Tyrunt ate scrumptious meatballs in the mess hall joyfully. Apparently, he ordered it from Chef Drapion yesterday. He picked a meatball up, licked his lips and threw it inside his mouth. Skrelp looked with disgust from a distant corner in the mess hall. In front of her was a plate of sludge, a spoon, a fork and a napkin.
"What an unconventional way of eating." Skrelp scoffed.
"Hey, I'm just enjoying myself. Enjoy using spoon and fork to eat your plate of sludge." Tyrunt retorted as he wiped his mouth with his bib. Skrelp observed the meat sauce dripping down from his mouth and his bib with revolt. She quickly ate and left. Tyrunt felt much better being in a mess hall alone rather than being with Skrelp.
Suddenly, the door opened. Tyrunt was shocked to see Elekid entering with a remote in his hand. Next to him was a Porygon.
"My buddy, Tyrunt. Look at my new invention. The future is now, thanks to science. This robot Pokemon can be ordered around with my remote control. It has many functions like measuring weight and heart rate. Although, it can't move or talk on its own. I need to control it with my remote." Elekid looked enthusiastic and exhilarated with his new invention like a kid that got a new toy for Christmas. He rushed over to Tyrunt immediately.
"Want to try it out?" Elekid asked. Tyrunt looked stunned. He needed time to adjust himself.
"How did you invent this?" Tyrunt asked with awe. He also observed the Porygon carefully. It looked like any other Porygon except for the fact that it has an antenna on its head.
"I'm an inventor, remember? It is in my bloodline. Try it out." Elekid shoved the remote control into Tyrunt's hands.
There was a circular red button, a yellow button, a green button (all arranging horizontally) and a joystick.
"This is like playing video games!" Tyrunt exclaimed as he moved the joystick precisely, navigating the Porygon around the tables for fun.
"Yeah, although this is still the prototype stage. It can't do much like attacking. However, try out the buttons. The red button checks your heartbeat. The yellow button checks your weight. However, don't press the green button. I don't think it is safe just yet." Elekid warned.
"I will keep that in mind." Tyrunt responded even though he didn't seem to pay much attention to Elekid. He was obsessed with his new toy.
Confessional
Elekid: "When I perfect my skills, I will start selling these robots. I can probably earn a living from this."
Tyrunt: "Man, Elekid is smart. He sure can do cool stuff like this. All I can do is play video games competitively. However, that doesn't matter. I should find a job that I love and that is to be a professional gamer."
Grovyle sat on the benches with Dedenne and Drifblim. He opened his arms wide as he crossed his legs. This gesture annoyed Dedenne a bit but she didn't say anything. Seemingly, they all enjoyed talking to each other.
"I'm a friend with this guy, he is a Vigoroth. He used to be a Slakoth. Pretty much, he was very lazy. Many Pokemon didn't want to be friends with him. It was because he would always miss the school bus and be late to parties and stuff. However, I stuck by his side until the very end because I'm a very loyal person with integrity and benevolence. Now, it pays off to be a good guy. As a Vigoroth, he is a very cool, athletic and charming Pokemon. Most of the girls go to date with him. Most of the guys want to be friends with him. I proudly say that I'm his friend beforehand." Grovyle told the two girls about his story.
"Wow, that was very nice of you, Grovyle. There should be more Pokemon like you in this world." Dedenne complimented as Grovyle nodded a bit profusely.
"I agree. You aren't one of those bandwagoners." Drifblim said as she observed Grovyle.
Confessional
Grovyle: "I think I might exaggerated the story a bit. Sure, I'm his friend and all but I didn't do that much stuff with him. I have cooler friends at that time and I spent more time with the cool kids. However, I did talk and sit next to him during lunchtime occasionally. A little bit of exaggeration should be fine."
Dedenne: "Guys like Grovyle make me regain faith in Pokemanity and this world."
Drifblim: "I think Grovyle thinks very highly of himself like Skrelp. He believes that he is a good guy with morals, loyalty and integrity. However, I can see that he also has a bad side."
Shedinja slept in the cabin peacefully for hours and hours. The only other Pokemon in the cabin was Scolipede. The bug stared at Shedinja for a moment before he decided to cut it off as it made him look like a stalker.
"What are your true colors, Shedinja?" Scolipede asked himself.
"No, there is nothing wrong with you. I shouldn't doubt you." Scolipede felt conflicted.
Ledyba coincidentally passed by and looked at Scolipede through the window worriedly. Afterwards, she knocked on the door. Scolipede opened it and he looked unamused.
"What?" He asked simply, his voice was a bit cold.
"What are you doing alone inside the cabin?" Ledyba asked.
"Being with Shedinja." Scolipede stated the obvious.
"Aren't you tired of being alienated and paranoid? The more you act like this, the more others will be distant to you." Ledyba tried to help Scolipede to open up to others. Scolipede looked annoyed due to Ledyba's constant pestering. He wanted her to just leave.
"Please leave. You will never understand someone like me." Scolipede wanted to release all of his emotions that were built up in the past few days. However, he was scared to do so.
"Please tell me, I understand. I can help." Ledyba insisted. Scolipede lost it as he snapped.
"This is none of your business! You don't know anything about me! It hurts to see you play with my emotions. I doubted and doubted you again. However, you kept proving me wrong. It creates a dilemma inside me. I feel so goddamn conflicted because of you. You make me want to trust you and others. Regardless, you don't know what trust destroyed inside me. Stop trying, please. I beg of you. Leave." Scolipede had a very pleading look in his eyes as he sobbed. Ledyba saw his tears and left.
Confessional
Scolipede: "I want to share my story with her but I can't. Deep inside me, I still doubt her. What if she uses it against me?"
Ledyba: "I want to help him because I know how painful it is to distrust…"
Tyrunt controlled the Porygon outside of the mess hall. He was having fun, crashing the Porygon around.
"Be careful." Elekid warned as Tyrunt moved the joystick forward. The Porygon rammed into the door of the mess hall.
"This is fun!" Tyrunt said with a bright smile.
"Fun for you but not for me." Elekid mumbled. Tyrunt continued to play as a crowd started to appear.
The Porygon inevitably turned into a subject of interest for many. Skrelp, who was nearby, casted a disapproving glare against the two momentarily before she left. Meowth asked for the price of the Porygon. However, Elekid refused to sell it. Some contestants like Bisharp and Lucario viewed the Porygon as none of their business. Scolipede spectated it from a far distance. Aromatisse had no interest in machinery. For the majority, they swarmed around the Porygon.
"Gosh, can you push the buttons for me? I want to see it." Jumpluff said with excitement and curiosity.
"Yeah, show me your techniques." Machoke wanted to see its functions as well.
"Of course. Let's see." Tyrunt considered which button to push. He pressed the yellow button randomly. Elekid had a look of concern on his face. The Porygon started to speak.
"Miltank, average weight is 75.5 kilograms. Actual weight is 80 kilograms." Porygon randomly selected a contestant to analyze with its monotone, robotic voice.
Miltank's face was red as she stomped toward them. The crowd started to distance themselves from Elekid and Tyrunt. The gamer gulped immediately.
"Run!" Elekid shouted as he fled first. Tyrunt tried to run away shortly after. However, his poor legs couldn't carry him that far. Elekid already successfully hid in the boy restrooms. Tyrunt, on the other hand…
"I will teach you a lesson that you will remember for the rest of your life!" Miltank threatened as Tyrunt kept running.
"Help!" Tyrunt shouted desperately.
A shadow started to consume Tyrunt. He dreaded the worst. Miraculously, Archeops came to his rescue and grabbed him with her talons. She flew away with him quickly after.
"Damn you, Crazy Crawdaunt." Miltank shook her fist as they escaped.
Confessional
Archeops: "Hopefully, this means five less Skarmory tokens. I have such a huge debt. Therefore, I need to pay my team by other means."
Tyrunt: "Archeops is my heroine." Tyrunt looked unusually happy.
Elekid: "Tyrunt, why did you press that button? You should have pressed the red button to check others' heart rate. Weight is a very sensitive subject, you know?"
Heracross: "Miltank requested me to either eliminate Tyrunt or Elekid if we lose tonight. Well, why not? Both of them are neither that useful."
Archeops landed and placed Tyrunt down on the ground. They were in front of Skarmory Cave.
"Thank you, thank you…" Tyrunt repeated the same word a few times.
"You don't need to thank me that much. We are in the same team, remember?" Archeops reminded.
"Still, thank you." Tyrunt said it again.
"Also, there is one thing that I want to request." Archeops hesitated as she didn't know how Tyrunt will react.
"Anything for my savior." Tyrunt ogled.
"I don't think… I can pay you what I promised. Can you forget about the tokens?" Archeops said slowly with an ashamed expression.
"Absolutely. I don't care about the tokens anyways. I understand that you did it for the team." Tyrunt gladly complied with her request.
"Great." Archeops looked relieved.
Confessional
Archeops: "As of right now, I have ten Skarmory tokens. I need to pay eleven contestants. Where can I find forty-five Skarmory tokens? Argh, this is such a burden. At least, I'm happy that Tyrunt is obedient. This makes me want to keep him longer."
Elekid slowly sneaked out of the restroom and hid in his cabin instead. Grovyle was inside, he looked very dissatisfied.
"What's wrong?" Elekid checked.
"I still didn't get my tokens." Grovyle answered as he lay on his bed.
"Yeah, me too." Elekid empathized with Grovyle.
In the Crawdaunt girls' cabin, Skrelp looked very annoyed as well. She released her rage to Drifblim.
"I don't care if she has liquidity issues or monetary debt. I expect immediate payment!" Skrelp's voice was pretty loud.
"Don't worry, you are just the smartest. Archeops can't afford to lose a precious member like you." Drifblim flattered and stroked Skrelp's ego.
Confessional
Drifblim: "I feel like I can be the glue of this alliance. I can stick them together or split them apart."
Archeops slowly approached the campsite. She tried to avoid her fellow members as she glanced around cautiously. Unfortunately, Dedenne saw her.
"Archeops, you need to keep your promise." Dedenne reminded.
"Dedenne, what if I pay you one Skarmory token instead?" Archeops tried to negotiate.
"Here she comes!" Grovyle interrupted as he opened the door of his cabin. Everyone soon followed him out. After a while, every single Crazy Crawdaunt member stood in front of their indebted leader. Tyrunt had a sympathetic look for Archeops.
"I'm sorry but I don't have enough tokens. Will any of you let me go easy?" Archeops clamped her claws as she looked at her teammates. The pressure in their eyes made the situation worse.
"Hey, go easy on her. She did it for the team. She tried to motivate us!" Tyrunt spoke up to defend her.
"By tricking us." Grovyle added.
"Grovyle, you want to be a good guy. This is your chance." Tyrunt tried to persuade him. Grovyle's eyes darted around a bit.
"Alright, I will be merciful." Grovyle wrote off her debt.
"I guess I can be a bit lenient." Dedenne agreed.
"Well, if you say so, Tyrunt." Elekid agreed as well.
"Just let her go easy. I never expect her to be able to pay anyways. Money is tough to find. Desperate times call for desperate measures. This is life, be satisfied with what you have." Heracross sided with Archeops.
The Crazy Crawdaunt members gossiped, mumbled and discussed about what to do with their debtor. Most of the contestants forgave Archeops except for a few…
"You owe me one." Jumpluff half willing spared Archeops.
"I expect more from you, Archeops. It is impetuous to promise what you can't deliver. There will be no second chance if this occurs again." Skrelp was less forgiving than most contestants.
Confessional
Archeops: "I disappoint my team, my alliance. It hurts my pride."
Elekid: "Tyrunt is getting too close to Archeops. I don't know how I feel about this."
Heracross: "I knew a long time ago that Archeops can't pay. I'm in an alliance with her, remember? She has like what, ten tokens? Honestly, I can understand why she did it. Therefore, I'm not going to hold grudges, beat her up or anything. However, it certainly makes her a lot more unreliable in my eyes. I might jump ship after the merge hits."
Bisharp: "Grovyle kept attracting attention to himself. I'm not exactly pleased with this."
Grovyle: "See, I'm a good guy. I spared poor Archeops. I'm so proud of myself." Grovyle put his hands on his waist.
Jumpluff: "Honestly, I think she deserves it. She is just a horrible leader."
Tyrunt: "I need to help Archeops. She helped me. She is such a great leader."
Elekid retrieved his Porygon. There were dents and bumps here and there because of Miltank.
"My poor child…" Elekid rubbed and consoled his invention. Tyrunt heard this as he was nearby.
"Getting too emotionally invested in your invention?" Tyrunt revealed his concerns. Elekid looked a bit upset with Tyrunt. However, he tried to fake a smile.
"Tyrunt, why did you press the yellow button?" Elekid remained calm.
"Err. I pressed it randomly." Tyrunt admitted.
"I see…" Elekid nodded with closed eyes. Tyrunt wasn't sure what this body language meant.
Elekid tested the red button to see if his Porygon can still function properly.
"Tyrunt, heart rate is around one hundred something. Bzzt… Scan again… Heart rate is higher than normal resting rate…" Porygon suddenly stopped working.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I need to fix it because of you." Elekid expressed his disdain.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I can help." Tyrunt looked apologetic.
"It is fine. I will do it by myself. However, why is your heart rate higher than usual?" Elekid asked.
"Maybe because I'm nervous when defending Archeops?" Tyrunt answered a bit tentatively.
"Why did you defend Archeops? What about our strategy of staying under the radar? Surely, you remember that." Elekid questioned his friend.
"I'm just trying to be nice." Tyrunt answered, there were shades of pink on his cheeks.
Elekid widened his eyes, stepping back a little with disbelief. "Do you by any chance… have a crush on her?" Elekid accused.
Tyrunt was stunned for a second before he shook his hands and face profusely. "No, that isn't that case!" Tyrunt denied it.
"Whatever is the case, you need to make up your mind. How important I'm to you compare to her? She is our enemy. We need to take her down. I hope you make the right decision." Elekid pressured before he walked away with his Porygon by his side. Tyrunt looked conflicted, vacillating between both options.
Confessional
Elekid: "To be honest, I'm infuriated at Tyrunt. I'm always by his side as his friend for the entire time in this island. When Pancham insulted him, I defended him. I persuaded, no begged Houndour to take Tyrunt with him. How did Tyrunt react? The viewers might not exactly know this because of the edits but… Tyrunt threw tantrums, snapped and complained about the island several times. He kicked and struggled against us when we brought him over to the cave. He didn't listen to my instructions about Porygon… It is just that I feel like he is being inconsiderate and insensitive toward me. Perhaps, the only true friend I have is Porygon."
Tyrunt: "Elekid is my best friend but Archeops… She saved me and…"
Lucario arrived at Skarmory Shop, Skarmory sold ice cream today.
"Another unhealthy dessert." Lucario complained as he frowned.
"It is only one token for a scoop. You get to eat the cone as well. I'm being generous." Skarmory looked tired of the complaints.
Lucario left as Cryogonal happily rushed over to the shop.
"I want six scoops of ice cream." Cryogonal ordered more than usual.
"I expect as much from an ice type." Skarmory rolled his eyes as he clapped his wings.
Chef Drapion walked out of the mess hall with half-closed eyes. He started to scoop the ice cream, which was vanilla favored to Cryogonal. Snorunt ran over and ordered as well.
"I want four scoops. How much does it cost?" Snorunt asked.
"Four tokens." Skarmory answered as he collected ten tokens in total.
Confessional
Cryogonal: "Ice cream is my favorite dessert. I prefer cold and frozen food for me to eat in this show."
Snorunt: "I want to share this with Helioptile. Don't worry, my friend. I will have my revenge real soon…"
Tyrunt couldn't find Elekid in the mess hall that day.
"Where is Elekid?" Tyrunt asked Jumpluff, Dedenne and Grovyle. None of them knew about his location.
Elekid was in the forest all alone with his ice cream. It started to melt but he didn't care. What mattered the most was his Porygon. He twisted a wrench and put in finishing touches. In the end, his Porygon looked as new as before.
"Tyrunt is probably worried about me." Elekid realized just then that he was late for lunch and returned to the mess hall.
Confessional
Elekid: "I guess I'm being bit too emotional with Tyrunt. He is still my friend. He offered to help me fix Porygon after all."
"Is he still mad because I destroyed his Porygon?" Tyrunt asked himself as he played with his food (Chef Drapion's special delicacy).
The door opened and Elekid entered. Tyrunt was lightened up instantly.
"I'm sorry that I caused all that trouble." Tyrunt apologized hurriedly.
"It is fine. I took that a bit too far." Elekid apologized as well. The two reconciled with each other successfully. Skrelp observed from a far distance, she didn't seem to be pleased.
Confessional
Skrelp: "I speculate that both of them are in an alliance. Therefore, the most logical option for me is to eliminate one of them. I prefer to eliminate Elekid as he proved his intelligence through the creation of Porygon.
Skarmory lifted up his megaphone for the announcement of the challenge once again.
"Contestants! It is going to be a bit cold out there with our next challenge. Follow me to the snow area!" Skarmory ordered.
Contestants like Cryogonal and Snorunt were thrilled. The others? Not so much.
The snow area was more lively than most expected. To the right, there was a 'Delibird Workshop' building painted red with a shiny star on top as well as Christmas ornaments decorated around it. To the left, there was an intimidating cave called the Ice Skarmory Cave. A gigantic, luxurious mansion was also nearby. Finally, there was a path to a snowy mountain straight through the middle. Although, it was closed off by traffic cones. Probably will be used for a later challenge. Regardless, the majority of the area was empty.
Skarmory turned around to explain the challenge. "We will play a game called freeze tag. Instead of tagging your opponent, you will use specialized guns that can freeze even ice types!" Skarmory showed them a box filled with freezing guns. Cryogonal and Snorunt felt uncomfortable knowing that they can be frozen solid. Nosepass trembled as Aromatisse sneaked inside Delibird Workshop to get a fabulous scarf. Lucario tried to get a comfortable grip with the gun before dropping it down to hear Skarmory's further explanation.
"Here is the twist, only one team at a time will attack." Skarmory revealed. Seemingly, the contestants were interested except for a few like Shedinja.
"Here is how it works. You have a limited amount of ammunition. By that, I mean very limited. You only have one ammo so use it wisely. Your attacking turn ends when all of your teammates use their ammo. Alternatively, there is a secret time limit in case the fight is too prolonged. For the defending team, all you can do is run and hide. No abusing your ghost and psychic abilities to redirect the ammo or anything. I will be watching. However, you can float and hold the gun as you prefer. As well as use whatever you find in the areas. In addition, I will give each team three Aspear Berries. Pretty much, they will serve as your extra lives. Eat it to defrost. At the end of each round, all the frozen contestants will be out of the challenge for good. Therefore, defrost your teammates as fast as you can. Any questions before I decide the attacking team for the first round?" Skarmory asked.
"What happens in case of a friendly fire?" Drifblim asked, she remembered Lucario's tactic from the berry challenge.
"You can't defrost as the attacking team so good luck." Skarmory smirked as there were no more questions.
"The Crazy Crawdaunt will start first since they won the last challenge." Skarmory gave the Crazy Crawdaunt an advantage. They all looked confident and satisfied until…
"However, to make it a bit fairer, I will give the Feckless Flygon an extra Aspear Berry." Skarmory tried to equalize the challenge. The Crazy Crawdaunt groaned at this. However, Dedenne actually nodded in agreement with the small equalizer.
"I appreciate that." Lucario seemed content.
"Head out and discuss your strategy." Skarmory instructed.
Confessional
Cryogonal: "I feel like at home, especially during Christmas with the workshop. I'm in my element this challenge."
Aromatisse: "I like this fabulous scarf. It is painted well." Aromatisse gave the viewers a close-up look at a Delibird-designed scarf.
Lucario: "It is time to obliterate the Crazy Crawdaunt. Oh, if we lose again. My team is going to get it this time. I luckily manage to control my temper today but that might not be the case tomorrow."
Skrelp: "Christmas is extremely overrated. It is a festival for delusional children to ask for unrealistic presents and be disappointed later on when they realized that Santa Delibird is a cheap fraud. My naivety was crushed ten years ago when Santa Delibird didn't even deliver a cheap 100 P book."
Jumpluff: "Oh my gosh! The Delibird Workshop is amazing. I like Christmas because I got so many presents. I have a long list of things that I want from Santa Delibird this year."
Grovyle: "Back at home, there is no snow. This place is strange. I feel like a foreigner here. I don't even celebrate Christmas. Where I live, we got a festival that celebrate ancient royal family or whatever it is."
Darmanitan: "Homie, this is the real definition of chill out. Since I'm a fire type, getting froze isn't a big deal. Keep calm and I'm sure I can cool down some hot heads on the other team."
The Feckless Flygon were in the workshop. Up close, there were two floors. The first floor consisted of a gift shop, a storage room filled with toys and a mini café. The second floor exhibited all the machinery for making toys and presents like a sewing machine.
Darmanitan checked on Lucario a bit inside the café before the discussion.
"Are you chill now, homie?" Darmanitan asked.
"Rest assured, I have dealt with worse situations. I won't let our last defeat get in our way." Lucario assured. He then rallied all of his teammates to the gift shop. There was a Bronzong bell attached to the door. Every time a contestant entered, it chimed.
"First, we should discuss about who should hold the Aspear Berry. It should be someone that can avoid getting froze because it appears that you can't move at all after the ammo hit you. It also should be a fast member that can use it to defrost a frozen member. I volunteer myself for this one. Anyone else wants to have one?" Lucario discussed things out with his teammates.
"I'm pretty fast." Houndour stepped up to the task.
"Me too." Darmanitan took the responsibility as well.
"I feel like I got an advantage as an ice type." Cryogonal got the last one.
"Next, our strategy. Since we are the defending team, we must eliminate them through friendly fire. If you aren't confident, don't do it." Lucario advised. The team dispersed shortly after.
Shedinja was the only one left, he looked around the gift shop before he left. He saw an empty box and a safety goggle. Cryogonal was confused about what Shedinja was doing and checked up on him.
"What are you doing? The challenge is about to start." Cryogonal told Shedinja to hurry up.
"This goggle makes me look smart." Shedinja drawled as he exited. Cryogonal looked even more confused.
Confessional
Cryogonal: "Why is he wearing a safety goggle?"
The Crazy Crawdaunt were in the mansion. It was a luxurious mansion with three floors. The first floor consisted of a dining room, a restroom, a living room, a storage room and a skating rink. In the living room, there was a grand staircase connecting to the second floor. The second floor had five bedrooms. The third floor had a balcony and a workplace.
The Crazy Crawdaunt members were in the living room.
"So our strategy will be getting rid of Lucario immediately. Ask for backup if you see him, alright?" Archeops presented their strategy to her teammates. They all agreed. The three Pokemon that received Aspear Berry were Heracross, Archeops and Grovyle.
Confessional
Grovyle: "I will be a real hero if I freeze Lucario. Everyone will think that I'm cool."
Skarmory blew a whistle as the first round started. The Feckless Flygon got a one-minute head start to hide.
The head start was over and the search began.
Nosepass and Rhyhorn stuck together, with Nosepass on his back. They entered the workshop. Nosepass shook nervously as he held the gun loosely. Rhyhorn gave him his gun as well as he couldn't press the trigger properly. Some toys in the gift shop collapsed. This scared poor Nosepass as he shot the ball of snow straight to the door of the gift shop. It exploded in a pretty big radius and froze the door. Nosepass looked at himself with shame.
"Shoot when I tell you." Rhyhorn instructed and Nosepass nodded. Rhyhorn tackled the door opened and looked around. The shelf where toys collapsed seemed suspicious to him. He slowly walked to it. Behind the shelf, was Shedinja. Rhyhorn finally reached the end of the shelf to see a box turned upside down.
"Lucario is here!" Grovyle shouted loudly from somewhere. Rhyhorn left before he could check it.
Ledyba hid in the drawer inside the café. Meowstic wore a costume of a staff. It was a brown attire with a blue cap. She acted as if she was a staff member.
"Psst." Ledyba whispered from the drawer near the blending machine. Meowtic opened it with a questioning look.
"What are you doing? Hide." Ledyba whispered. She looked uncomfortable as she squeezed herself into the drawer.
"They will never know that I'm Meowstic." Meowstic assured. Suddenly, the door opened as Meowstic closed the drawer. Jumpluff entered and she acted oblivious.
"Hey staff, can you blend me a cup of smoothie?" Jumpluff ordered. Meowstic had a grin on her face.
"Right away." She tried to change her voice. However, as she was about to bend down and get a cup, Jumpluff shot her. Meowstic was frozen solid.
"I'm just kidding." Jumpluff said as she left. Ledyba was safe for now.
Confessional
Jumpluff: "I can see someone like Oddish falling for it. Did she think that our team is stupid?"
Machoke hid inside the cave. There was a dead end so he couldn't go in any deeper. As a result, he hid behind a rock near the dead end of the cave.
Drifblim entered and looked around. It was dark but she was used to it. Machoke readjusted his sitting position and made some noises.
Drifblim headed in deeper and deeper. Machoke sweated more and more.
"Lucario is here!" Grovyle shouted loudly from somewhere. Machoke sighed with relief at this. He got up and turned around… to get shot by Drifblim.
"Too early." Drifblim shook her head as she criticized Machoke.
Confessional
Machoke: "Come on, I expect her to leave and go for Lucario. I'm still useless in challenges."
Snorunt entered the storage room of the workshop. She stepped forward slowly as she looked around at the toys.
"This one looks like me." Snorunt commented on a plush of herself. She missed someone hiding behind a box of toys
During this time, Meowth sneaked outside slowly. He opened the door, it creaked and alerted Snorunt of his presence. Snorunt saw Meowth and shot a blast of snow at him. Meowth closed the door fast enough, making it collided with the door instead.
"Time to run." Meowth said as he ran away quickly. Jumpluff saw him as she exited the café. However, she couldn't do anything without an ammo.
"Lucario is here!"
"Meowth is in the workshop." Jumpluff alerted as well. Meowth ran over to the exhibit on the second floor. Dedenne was there and shot him. Luckily, it narrowly missed and hit Jumpluff who was following Meowth instead.
"No, I shot my friend." Dedenne face palmed as Rhyhorn and Nosepass chased after Meowth. The cat reached a dead end in the exhibit.
"Go after the gold, not silver. Get Lucario." Meowth tried to persuade them. However, Rhyhorn signaled Nosepass to fire. Meowth was frozen solid.
Confessional
Jumpluff: "Very, very cold. Brrr…" As a flying and grass type, ice was quadrupled effective.
Cryogonal, who hid in the Christmas tree outside of the workshop considered saving Meowth. This was until… she saw Lucario getting ganged up by Archeops, Grovyle, Heracross, Bisharp and Skrelp.
Meanwhile, in the mansion… Houndour and Duosion were in the skating rink together. It was an open space with nowhere to hide. However, that was not their plan.
"We need to waste their ammo. If we can skate around and avoid a few shots, our team will get an advantage." Duosion told Houndour, who nodded in reply.
Bisharp entered. This time, he looked more serious than ever.
"I won one shooting tournament. My pride as a sharpshooter is on the line." Bisharp bragged.
"Show us first, sharpshooter." Houndour challenged as he started to skate around while Duosion floated. With an Aspear Berry, the two felt confortable. Bisharp observed and observed. He noticed one moment where both of them were near other. Bisharp chose that specific moment and froze them both. Bisharp blew his gun with a victorious smile.
"Lucario is here!" Bisharp quickly left to find Lucario.
Confessional
Bisharp: "Finally, I get to prove my competence. A burden has been lifted from my shoulder."
Archeops looked around the first bedroom. It was a very bland and ordinary bedroom with a table and a chair. As well as a bed and a television. Archeops checked under the bed, there was no one. Archeops exited and entered the next one.
The second bedroom was smaller with a laptop on a table. A bookshelf on the side. A Poketendo 64 console, a television and a bed. Archeops couldn't find a single contestant and left. As she opened the door, she accidentally collided with Tyrunt. He rubbed his head.
"Are you alright? I'm sorry." Archeops apologized.
"I'm alright. You did nothing wrong, it is my fault." Tyrunt blamed himself. Archeops didn't understand why Tyrunt was so nice to her.
"Lucario is here!"
"You should go. I will stay here in case another Feckless Flygon member hides here." Tyrunt decided not to pursue Lucario.
"Alright." Archeops nodded as she left.
"Wait… Is that a Poketendo 64?!" Tyrunt exclaimed happily.
Confessional
Archeops: "I don't understand Tyrunt sometimes."
Elekid searched the dining room. He looked under the dining table, opened a few cupboards and drawers. No one was there. Elekid searched through the restroom instead. Again, no one was there. He finally reached the storage room. He opened the door and a bucket of water fell on his head.
"What is this?" Elekid was surprised. Miltank was in the storage room, which was filled with janitor equipment. She hurriedly threw Elekid's gun away and fled.
"Lucario is here!"
Skrelp tried to open the third bedroom but it was barricaded by a bed.
"I can guarantee that someone is in here. Someone that is physically capable enough to barricade the door." Skrelp analyzed. She was right, Scolipede was inside.
She left to the fourth bedroom first. It was empty except for boxes of equipment and items as if someone just moved in. Darmanitan hid under a pile of boxes. Skrelp saw this and shot him. However, Darmanitan kicked the boxes at her first. Skrelp ended up freezing the boxes instead. Darmanitan fled away quickly.
"Lucario is here!"
"Darmanitan isn't worth it." Skrelp pursued the bigger target instead.
Heracross entered the last bedroom. It was pretty pink, filled with dolls and plush. Aromatisse was currently doing her make-up in the room.
"Wait." Aromatisse wasn't well prepared. Unfortunately, Heracross froze her immediately.
"Are you serious? Doing your make-up in a challenge?" Heracross thought that it was ridiculous.
"Where is Lucario anyways?" Heracross asked, getting the answer immediately.
"Lucario is here!"
Confessional
Aromatisse: "That was rude. I didn't even finish doing my make-up yet."
Grovyle skipped through everything and headed to the third floor. This was because he expected Lucario to hide on the highest floor. First, he ran to the balcony.
Grovyle gripped the balcony as he thrusted his head forward and looked through the areas surrounding the mansion. He then quickly left to the workplace. The door was grand and gigantic unlike the other common doors. Grovyle tried to open it but it was locked. Grovyle walked backward and ran to accelerate his speed before he jumped and kicked the door open.
"I look cool. Right, Lucario?" Grovyle was full of himself. This gave Lucario an opportunity to escape. The professional athlete showed how it was done by running up and jumping on Grovyle's head.
"Ouch!" Grovyle yelled in pain as his head was stomped.
"Lucario is here!" Grovyle screamed deafeningly with all of his energy as he began chasing Lucario.
Lucario rushed to the balcony first. He did the unexpected. He jumped off the balcony! The professional athlete was well trained and he landed safely. Grovyle tried to mimic his success and jumped off as well only to plant his face under the snow.
"My face hurts." Grovyle's voice was barely audible under the ground. He popped his head out of the ground and ran after Lucario after a moment of recovery. At this point, Archeops, Heracross, Skrelp and Bisharp exited the mansion.
"Get him!" Archeops shouted as she tried to aim with her gun.
Lucario tried to position himself so that it hit Skrelp instead. Archeops fired impulsively and it went as planned.
"Archeops, you contemptible-" Skrelp froze before she could finish.
"Sorry." Archeops apologized.
"Give me the gun." Bisharp demanded from Grovyle.
"I can do this." Grovyle looked stubborn.
"I'm a sharpshooter, Grovyle." Bisharp said more seriously this time. Grovyle looked hesitant but he gave the gun half willingly to Bisharp nonetheless.
"Block him." Bisharp ordered as Heracross tried to intercept Lucario. However, Lucario jumped over her. Bisharp composed himself with a few deep breaths as he started to aim.
Grovyle tried to throw snowballs at Lucario. Every shot missed so far. It was very difficult to aim at Lucario as he would suddenly change his direction every now and then.
Archeops flew in front of Lucario to grab him. The athlete slid under her instead this time.
It was Drifblim who was a bit more competent than others. Lucario was fast approaching the cave. He never expected Drifblim to trip him up. Bisharp used this opportunity to shoot him.
"*beep*" Lucario swore as he was defeated.
"Hooray!" Grovyle cheered with the rest of the team. They defeated the Feckless Flygon's strongest member.
Confessional
Bisharp: "My parents will be very proud of me for beating a professional athlete. I have fully regained my confidence."
Bisharp used Elekid's gun to guard Lucario. Everyone else except Heracross guarded Lucario as well. They didn't have ammunition but they were all eyes and ears. Bisharp was the equivalent of the ultimate guardian that kept the aura beast away from the Crazy Crawdaunt. He temporarily gained the position of a leader.
Darmanitan hid inside the cave, Lucario was very close to him but Bisharp was in his way. The fire type was patient as he played the waiting game.
Heracross used Tyrunt's gun to hunt down the weaklings or at least, she assumed that they were weaklings. Heracross entered the gift shop. The bell chimed once again. Heracross searched until she saw a brown bug with a halo behind a shelf. The safety goggle was nowhere to be found. The beetle smirked immediately.
"This is for beating me in the berry challenge." Heracross wanted revenge as she pressed the trigger. She froze Shedinja. However, upon closer inspection, it was a plush of a Shedinja. Heracross didn't check carefully enough.
"Fool me once, shame on you." Heracross said angrily as she stomped on the ground. She was outsmarted by Shedinja.
Shedinja was long gone, the bell chimed only when Heracross entered and exited.
From a distance, Miltank threw a rock toward Bisharp. It hit his head. She then immediately hid in her pitfall.
"Check that pitfall." Bisharp looked irritated as he ordered his team to check it. Rhyhorn, Nosepass, Snorunt and Dedenne headed toward it. There were now less people guarding Lucario.
Another rock was flung at Bisharp from a Christmas tree. Cryogonal was the one who threw it.
"I will go and check." Archeops volunteered.
"Houndour and Lucario have two Aspear Berries in total. This means they only have two left." Bisharp revised what happened so far.
Another rock was thrown at him from inside the cave. Bisharp gritted his teeth as he ordered Grovyle to check it.
"What is this mental game, Feckless Flygon?" Bisharp started to lose his control.
"Ah!" Suddenly, Grovyle screamed as he was tossed at Tyrunt and Elekid, knocking both of them out. The defense forces protecting Lucario were weakened severely.
Bisharp realized a specific rule regarding the end of a round. If a round ends, all frozen contestants will be eliminated. This is the last ammo. Bisharp was about to press the trigger until Darmanitan knocked it out of his way. Bisharp and Darmanitan were both in a standstill. Seemingly, they wrestled with each other.
"Everyone, waste the last ammo so Lucario will be eliminated!" Bisharp shouted to everyone on his team.
The four fell down the pitfall with Miltank blocking them.
Cryogonal pulled Archeops away from the gun with her snow chains.
Drifblim tried to get it but was stopped by Shedinja and Ledyba.
Scolipede rolled on the ground with Heracross. The beetle eventually overwhelmed Scolipede with pure strength and rushed over to the gun. She pressed it and the round ended.
"Yes!" Heracross cheered happily. However, none of her teammates cheered with her.
The Crazy Crawdaunt made a huge mistake. They didn't guard the other frozen contestants. Houndour, who was defrosted, sneaked over to Lucario while everyone else was occupied and fed him his Aspear Berry.
"Next round, we will have our revenge." Lucario bumped his fist together. The Crazy Crawdaunt looked very demotivated, especially Heracross.
Confessional
Cryogonal: "Let me explain the whole story of what really happened. Since Darmanitan was in the cave, we were left with one berry. However, Shedinja proposed the idea that we defrost Houndour. This is smart because Houndour had another berry. The Crazy Crawdaunt would also never expect Houndour to be revived because they thought we are all going for Lucario. It was a great distraction. I didn't know that Shedinja could come up with these tricks."
Heracross: "I will get my revenge someday. Shedinja, you hear me?" A rivalry was born between Shedinja and Heracross.
Bisharp: "You don't need to brag about your strategy, Feckless Flygon. I'm tired of Cryogonal praising her own team."
The next round could be described with two words, Lucario's Domination. The professional athlete suggested a very creative idea. Taking the entire team out in one shot. Therefore, they can't use their berries. Pretty much, Lucario dragged a Crazy Crawdaunt member over to the Christmas tree and tied him or her up. As of right now, Bisharp was the last one remaining.
"Why are the good guys always getting tied up?" Grovyle complained.
"Great, we are all tied up like losers." Heracross groaned with discomfort. The rope was tied extremely tightly.
"Remember the time limit?" Archeops tried to be optimistic.
"Only five minutes passed." Drifblim stated. Elekid nudged her as she was the closest to him.
"I got a last resort, everyone." Elekid whispered and passed the message around.
Confessional
Elekid: "I pressed the green button before the challenge. Auto-control mode activate."
Bisharp hid in the workplace. He barricaded the door and made his last stand there.
"I believe in myself. I believe…" Bisharp repeated the same words over and over to keep the little confidence he had left.
Bang! Lucario slammed the door.
Bisharp grabbed a chair as he was ready to fend for himself until he found something weird. Underneath the chair on the ground was a brown button camouflaging well with the floor. Bisharp pressed it out of desperation, the ground underneath him disappeared and he was dropped down to the third bedroom. Luckily, he landed on the bed.
"Skarmory sure knows how to spice things up." Bisharp was glad that the host hid such small secrets. Bisharp barricaded the third bedroom once again.
Lucario broke the door open with the help of Miltank.
"No one is here. How is this possible?" Lucario was dumbfounded by the sudden disappearance of Bisharp.
Confessional
Lucario: "I don't understand. I heard him talking inside there."
"Are you sure that he is in here?" Miltank asked.
"Just keep searching." Lucario looked a bit frustrated.
Porygon eventually reached the Christmas tree.
"Free us." Elekid ordered.
"Syntax error. Error." Sparks started to fly off Porygon.
"Is this our last resort, a malfunctioning robot? I have seen stuff in a garage sale worth more than this piece of junk." Heracross insulted the Porygon.
Lights came off from the Porygon and it exploded in front of the Crazy Crawdaunt members. The blasted didn't harm any of the members but it covered them with black dust and smoke.
Confessional
Grovyle: "Thanks Elekid, for making the situation worse."
Elekid: "I didn't know that this will happen. It is our last hope, team. I hope they don't eliminate me for this minor accident."
Lucario found out that the door to the third bedroom was barricaded. He kicked it open with Miltank and Darmanitan. Bisharp gave up as he was dragged and tied up with the others. Lucario shot all of them with a single blast and eliminated all of them.
"Game over! The Feckless Flygon win. What an amazing challenge I witnessed." Skarmory announced the results with satisfaction.
Confessional
Skrelp: "I know who I'm going to eliminate.
Nosepass: "I'm just going to vote for Heracross, she is kind of scary."
Jumpluff: "I want to vote Skrelp off, she is really mean and cold like the entire snow area."
Grovyle: "Mr. Robot Maker, you messed up. Nah, it isn't personal. Heracross told me to vote for you and I will vote you out to maintain a positive connection with her."
As the Crazy Crawdaunt thought about who to eliminate, the Feckless Flygon congratulated Shedinja for his major contribution in the challenge. The ghost bug remained emotionless.
"Great job, you have proven to be an essential part of this team." Lucario complimented.
"Whatever." Shedinja didn't care in the slightest as he went off on his own to the forest.
"Why the hell is he doing this?" Cryogonal couldn't comprehend Shedinja.
"I guess he doesn't like social interactions. Not a big deal, right?" Houndour tried to come up with a reason as to why he went off on his own.
The Feckless Flygon members allowed Shedinja to do whatever he wants. However, Cryogonal followed him.
"We are just praising you, what's wrong?" Cryogonal asked.
"I don't care." Shedinja drawled.
"You don't care about winning challenges at all and even this game?" Cryogonal asked further.
"I don't care. This show is boring." Shedinja's tone remained monotonous.
"Why did you sign up then?" Cryogonal asked again.
"You will never understand. Fine, if you are that curious and frustrated about my actions. I will explain in a very simple manner. I'm here to infuriate a relative." Shedinja said before he left. Cryogonal looked even more baffled.
Confessional
Cryogonal: "To infuriate a relative? Why? Relatives are important and precious. I don't even have a relative…"
Skrelp planned the elimination with Heracross, Drifblim and Archeops secretly.
"We have secured votes with Bisharp and Grovyle. Regardless, the six of us aren't the majority. We need one more vote. I strongly suggest that we lure Tyrunt to vote with us." Skrelp told her alliance members.
"Tyrunt, why? He is Elekid's best friend." Archeops was puzzled by this.
"Because throughout my many observations, it appears that he has a crush on you, Archeops." Skrelp revealed a shocking piece of news.
"Impossible…" Archeops didn't want to believe it.
"Reflect upon your memories. He did act strange with you a few times. I saw him staring at you briefly in the mess hall. He defended you when you are indebted. All of these actions indicate that he has a romantic interest with you. I'm not telling you to actually be in a romantic relationship with him. Just use him." Skrelp explained.
"Use him? That is very immoral." Archeops seemed very hesitant.
"Is it anymore immoral than not paying Skarmory tokens?" Skrelp cornered Archeops.
"I guess it doesn't matter anymore. I'm already in this dark path. I can't walk back now." Archeops threw her morals away.
Heracross clenched her fists and glowered at Skrelp. Drifblim placed her right arm on Heracross' left shoulder to calm her down. Skrelp was very satisfied, she smirked victoriously. Archeops was no longer the alliance leader, it was her.
Confessional
Skrelp: "I think I solidified my influence in this alliance. This game is mine!"
Drifblim: "Cocky and overconfident as always. It is so exhilarating to play with a villain. I predict a change in leadership for our team. My guess will be Bisharp taking over."
Heracross: "Archeops created this alliance. Who the hell are you, Skrelp?!"
Archeops: "I don't deserve to be a leader after what I'm about to do. I guess I will pass this role to Bisharp tomorrow."
Archeops met up with Tyrunt in the forest area. She looked very depressed but she tried to mask it.
"Why did you ask me to privately meet you here?" Tyrunt asked, he seemed content with meeting her.
"I'm sorry but you will probably be eliminated tonight, Tyrunt." Archeops lied.
"What?! Oh, I understand." Tyrunt looked down on the ground.
"However, you mean so much to me, Tyrunt. I tried to persuade the others to keep you but..." Archeops paused, she didn't want to do it. However, her debt was like a blackmail to her.
"Elekid is the only member they will vote for other than you." Archeops tried to manipulate Tyrunt. She placed her hands on his shoulders.
"I want you to stay, Tyrunt. Think about this carefully." Archeops tried to make her voice sound sweet. Tyrunt trembled as Archeops left.
Confessional
Tyrunt: "Elekid… y-you are my best friend. At first, I didn't want to stay in this island b-but…" Tyrunt couldn't speak properly.
Archeops: "I'm a disgrace. I will never recover after what I did. I will do anything to keep myself in this game. It is the only thing I have left."
Tyrunt talked to Elekid before he was about to vote. The gamer never looked directly at the inventor.
"We will eliminate Skrelp tonight. Don't worry, our mistakes are minor at best." Elekid assured.
"What if it isn't minor? I'm scared, Elekid. One of us will probably go home. We only got like four votes." Tyrunt stared at his claws.
"Don't worry. We are friends. No matter what, I will stick with you." Elekid patted his back as the elimination ceremony near the bonfire was about to start.
Confessional
Tyrunt: "With these claws, I betrayed my best friend. I'm such a horrible Pokemon!" Tyrunt started crying.
"We now begin the elimination ceremony. One of you will be eliminated and the rest shall remain. These Leppa Berries symbolize life in this game. I will now read the votes." Skarmory started the elimination ceremony differently this time, even though he didn't actually read the votes. Drifblim gave him a criticizing glare.
"Bisharp, Grovyle." Bisharp smiled once his name was called first.
"Drifblim"
"Rhyhorn"
"Nosepass" Nosepass felt like it was unusual for his name to be called this early.
"Dedenne"
"Snorunt"
"Jumpluff"
"Archeops" Archeops didn't eat the berry.
"Tyrunt." Tyrunt didn't catch the berry. Elekid picked it up for him. Tyrunt sobbed a bit, which made his teammates confused. More accurately, most of his teammates.
"Heracross"
"Skrelp, you aren't that useful in physical challenges and you are a mental threat. Elekid, you are also a mental threat. Someone who can invent stuff for real. Skrelp represents theory while Elekid represents the practical." Skarmory used unusual lines.
"Did you ask Chef Drapion to come up with your lines?" Drifblim mocked Skarmory.
"That's very funny. Anyways, Elekid…" Skarmory built up the suspense. Elekid dreaded the worst.
…
…
…
…
"You are eliminated." Tyrunt crushed the Leppa Berry, it was all his fault.
Elimination Confessional
Tyrunt is right but well I can't do much. I don't understand why they take the explosion so personally. I didn't perform that bad in the challenge. I let Miltank escaped but I didn't cause any friendly fires. They probably see me as a threat. Oh well, Tyrunt. You acted very weird today. I don't know if your head is in the game or not but I will cheer for you, buddy. I don't want Skrelp to win because she can be insolent. I also don't want Archeops to win but.. since you have a crush on her, I will let that pass.
Elekid walked over to the dock. Tyrunt was there, he had a look of guilt
"It's okay. You still have other friends, buddy. It's okay." Elekid consoled him.
"It-It's not that…" Tyrunt hesitated.
"What is it then?" Elekid asked.
"I voted for you in desperation to save myself." Tyrunt admitted. Elekid gasped.
"How could you?" Elekid walked away in disbelief.
"I'm sorry. I was manipulated." Tyrunt came up with an excuse.
"Then I guess our friendship isn't strong enough." Elekid didn't look at Tyrunt as he departed. Tyrunt broke down into tears. He kept on crying and crying. Skarmory couldn't end the episode off with him crying like that. Fortunately, Grovyle arrived.
"What are you doing, Tyrunt? Man, are you alright?" Grovyle asked worriedly.
"I betrayed my best friend." Tyrunt revealed as he wiped his tears off. Grovyle's eyes widened instantly.
"We all make mistakes. Good Guy Grovyle will correct your ways." Grovyle carried Tyrunt back to the cabin.
Skarmory landed to end the episode.
"Wow, just wow. What a roller coaster ride. I don't know what to say now. The infirmary streak ends and… It all went down like that. Find out what happens next in Total Skarmory Island." Skarmory ended the episode faster than usual.
Votes
Skrelp: Elekid
Archeops: Elekid
Heracross: Elekid
Drifblim: Elekid
Elekid: Skrelp
Jumpluff: Skrelp
Dedenne: Skrelp
Bisharp: Elekid
Grovyle: Elekid
Snorunt: Skrelp
Tyrunt: Elekid
Nosepass: Heracross
Rhyhorn: Heracross
Elekid: 7 (eliminated)
Skrelp: 4
Heracross: 2
Conflicts escalate as certain things were revealed. What will happen? Will Elekid returns? I have much more in stored for this season. Anyone see this coming? This elimination actually makes me sad. Tyrunt's vote isn't the decisive vote yet he will blame himself for everything.
The next challenge will be very unoriginal but it will have a twist like always.