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Worma-Sir
Nosepass and Rhyhorn is an interesting pair isn't it? You will see… Comparing Giovanni to Meowth? You might be right. Scolipede doubts nearly everyone. He will get some right and some wrong. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You don't need to think that Archeops is nice because of the author. You can have your own interpretations of the characters. Yeah, I will reduce the lingo. I'm just used to writing business essays. Grovyle is quite a complex character yet he can be seen as simple 'Good Guy Grovyle'. Thanks for the compliment about Elekid. I tried my best to write character properly. Some can be tough and some can be easy. Elekid is around the middle for me. Skrelp is created to be hated. Not even love to hate. Yet, she can still have fans. I will let you enjoy the chapter now, bye.
Episode 8: Fear Me Not
The screen was turned on. At first, everything was all foggy and hazy. Little by little, the camera zoomed in deeper into the fog. There was a figure inside, flapping its wings to clear up the fog. Suddenly, a sound of a certain host could be heard.
"Boo!" Skarmory tried to scare the viewers. Instead of the usual dock, Skarmory stood in front of a haunted mansion. Noticeably, he wore a black cape.
"That's pathetic and cringe-worthy. I can cook food scarier than you." Chef Drapion mocked behind the camera.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. With your six-stars cooking skills." Skarmory retorted sarcastically while nodding his head. Chef Drapion frowned at this.
"Anyways, last time, contestants were frozen solid as they shot each other down in our frigidly cold challenge…" Chef Drapion accidentally stopped recording and the opening was cut short.
They needed to redo the opening again. It was nighttime as Skarmory returned with half-closed eyelids to the front of the mansion. He no longer had his cape.
"Thanks Chef Drapion, for pressing the button intentionally." Skarmory accused Chef Drapion of sabotage.
"Hey, it wasn't intentional. I don't even know how this stupid camera works. I told you to hire real cameramen. Nevertheless, you already got a lot of footage to work with anyways." Chef Drapion defended himself.
"That isn't the point. We look unprofessional on international television. Now, the ratings are going to drop." Skarmory indicated.
"More like ratings are going to increase. It makes things more… interesting." Chef Drapion argued.
"Yeah, totally, absolutely." Skarmory remarked sarcastically. "Last time, Elekid got eliminated. Opening is over." Skarmory ended it just like that.
Houndour paced back and forth in the forest. He looked bothered by something. After a moment, he heard someone chanting the word "zen" behind some trees.
"It must be Darmanitan." Houndour guessed. The canine walked curiously toward Darmanitan, assuming he's right.
Through the trees, Houndour saw Darmanitan meditating as expected.
"Dude, you are meditating in the early morning?" Houndour asked. He didn't expect him to woke up so soon.
"Yeah, just arrived here several seconds ago. I need to keep up my zen training to build up my inner peace and tranquility." Darmanitan explained.
"Cool, can I meditate as well?" Houndour asked.
"Of course." Darmanitan accepted in a friendly manner.
The two sat on the ground, their eyes closed, their legs crossed, chanting the same word (zen) over and over again. Eventually, Houndour ran out of patience and opened his eyes after five minutes. Darmanitan opened his as well to check on him.
"This doesn't help that much." Houndour seemed disappointed. His eyes looked skeptical about the effectiveness of this meditation.
"Depends, homie. Zen meditation requires a lot of patience and effort. So far, Machoke is the only homie around here that can do it." Darmanitan informed. He didn't look offended by Houndour's opinions though.
"I see. I just want to clear my mind about… something." Houndour told, he struggled to explain it properly.
"About what, homie? Maybe, your boy here can help." Darmanitan offered to help.
"I just feel weird around Duosion lately. Sometimes, I feel my heart beating fast and my body heating up. I don't know if it is love or not but I'm not exactly comfortable with it. If… it is really love, it complicates things." Houndour tried to convey his feelings with the best of his ability. Darmanitan listened carefully as he nodded.
"Homie, I'm by no means a love expert but I can give you a friendly tip. If you aren't sure about this relationship, then take it slow. No need to be a hot head, see if things work out between you two and make a decision later." Darmanitan advised. However, Houndour still looked bothered.
"I will think about it. Thanks for the help anyways, dude." Houndour thanked Darmanitan sincerely for the help.
"No biggie, homie. I'm always here to help." Darmanitan was content with helping Houndour. The fire monkey eventually went back to his meditation.
Confessional
Darmanitan: "I'm glad that the homie asked for my help. One of the most important principle of zen is knowing when to ask for help because you can't do everything by yourself. I hope that Machoke will understand that someday."
Houndour: "I still can't make up my mind about this relationship… I have a few options. Either we remain as friends or we take it one step further. Either way, there will be a change that I need to cope with. I'm not exactly sure about us being a couple. Don't get me wrong, Duosion is nice and all but… it just comes with complications. For one, I don't know what the viewers will think of us. We are being watched by millions of Pokemon. If something goes wrong… I don't want to think about it. I need to take my time like Darmanitan said."
In the Flygon girls' cabin… Duosion stared at the ceiling, trying to find a solution about something. Her eyes rarely blinked as if they were stuck in a daze. Ledyba noticed this and looked a bit worried.
"Duosion, are you alright?" Ledyba asked. "You can tell me if something is bothering you."
"Oh… I'm just thinking about something. Maybe, you can help. However, please keep it confidential." Duosion accepted her help as long as it is confidential.
"Don't worry, I will never tell a soul. However, we should probably talk somewhere else." Ledyba pointed out the other sleeping female contestants. Meowstic drooled in her sleep as she hugged her pillow. Miltank snored as she hung one arm down the bed. Aromatisse slept beautifully without any bad habits. Cryogonal woke up already, she was outside somewhere.
"I agree. You can choose the location." Duosion allowed Ledyba to choose.
"How about the benches?" Ledyba chose, trying to be considerate. The benches weren't that far from their cabin, it was next to the mess hall and peaceful. An ideal location, indeed.
"It is your choice." Duosion was fine with it as they floated/flew to the lonely benches outside of the cabin. It was still early in the morning so no one could be seen. Most likely, they all slept like Snorlax.
"Start when you are ready." Ledyba was prepared to listen. Her eyes were very attentive as well as her ears.
"Well, I'm having some issues with a… relationship." Duosion said vaguely.
"Can you please explain a bit more so I can understand? What kind of relationship? Is it love or is it friendship or whatever it is?" Ledyba asked for clarification.
"It is about… love." Duosion revealed shyly, which was very unlike her. Her face reddened a little.
"Aww… No need to be embarrassed. I don't judge. I assume that it is between you and Houndour, right? What can be the problem? You two are a cute couple!" Ledyba squealed, her heart fluttered at the thought of them being together.
"Here is the problem, I'm not exactly confident with this relationship. What if something goes horribly wrong? What if he doesn't reciprocate my feelings? Statistically, the number of failed relationship in these shows are higher than the numbers of successful ones. What if…" Duosion listed her worries rapidly. However, Ledyba interrupted her with an arm on the shoulder.
"Don't overthink it. Logic and statistics can't dictate a successful relationship. Just answer these simple questions. Do you like him?" Ledyba asked. Duosion nodded. "Are you willing to commit to this relationship both inside and outside the show?" Duosion nodded again.
"There, you are set and stone. Don't worry. Houndour is a very nice boy. When I offered to carry Eevee for him, he refused to throw a burden on a friend. I think he is also interested in you." Ledyba assured.
"Really?" Duosion didn't think that Houndour has any interest in her. It came off as a bit of a surprise.
"Yep." Ledyba reassured.
"I really appreciate your help. I don't understand why Scolipede would doubt someone so generous and kind hearted like you." Duosion mentioned Scolipede. This made Ledyba look a bit depressed.
"Oh, I apologize if I bring back any painful memories." Duosion apologized, she feared that she might have hurt her feelings.
"It is nothing. How about this? I will help you to practice confessing in front of him." Ledyba changed the topic. Duosion didn't mind it.
Confessional
Duosion: "I feel more nervous confessing to him than doing my final exams. Does anyone feel the same?"
Ledyba: "I just feel partially guilty for making things worse with Scolipede. He is probably suffering really badly right now."
Tyrunt cried silently in his cabin, covering his face with a white pillow. Although, the pillow started to change color due to the tears. He blamed himself for everything. For being such a terrible friend. For being such a crybaby. For being such a disobedient and hot-tempered son. All of his mistakes haunted him.
"I'm such a disgrace. All I can do is cry, whine and throw tantrums." Tyrunt insulted himself. Grovyle looked at him with sympathy.
"Want to talk, man? Do you need a shoulder to cry on?" Grovyle tried to help.
"No, thanks." Tyrunt wasn't ready to talk to anyone. Grovyle sighed at this. Nosepass also looked at Tyrunt with empathy. Bisharp and Rhyhorn were outside the cabin.
Confessional
Nosepass: "I can empathize with Tyrunt in a lot of ways. We are both pathetic and weak. We will probably be voted out next." Nosepass spoke in a hopeless tone.
Grovyle: "I don't understand the guy. What's the big deal? This is just a game."
Tyrunt: Tyrunt sucked his left claw as he rocked back and forth in the confessional. "Elekid, I'm sorry. Archeops didn't even check or console me. She doesn't truly care about me at all. I realize it now." Tyrunt sobbed.
In the Crawdaunt girls' cabin, Skrelp smiled with relish as she read her book peacefully. Everything went according to her plan. Elekid got eliminated. Tyrunt was now weak and frail. Lastly, Archeops fell under her control. She lowered her book a bit to see Archeops looking crestfallen on her bed.
Confessional
Skrelp: "Perfect. Archeops' morale diminished to zero. Ostensibly, her Defeatist ability is starting to infect her as well. The Defeatist ability is unique to her species. It halves her Attack and Special Attack when she receives a lot of damage. It is debatable whether mental anguish counts. However, it is certain and undeniable that she probably won't recover from this downfall. I plan to utilize her weakness to my advantage. I want her as my shield to the merge. For what purpose? Lucario will surely try to take out a big threat. Therefore, I need someone close to me that is a bigger threat. As of right now, I need to make the next move."
Jumpluff was in the mess hall with Dedenne. Both of them didn't feel like eating their horrible food. Neither of them looked optimistic or hopeful.
"Another elimination went wrong. How? I thought that we have enough votes." Dedenne tried to find a flaw in their plan yesterday.
"I know right? Me, you, Tyrunt, Elekid, Snorunt and Grovyle. These Pokemon sum up to six votes already. My friends at home are probably screaming the answer to me right now. They will be like… No! Jumpluff, you are such a silly airhead. This is what actually happened and then I will be laughed at. How humiliating." Jumpluff came up with her hypothetical scenario.
"Perhaps, you should reassess the credibility and trustworthiness of your friends." Skrelp advised as she entered the mess hall.
"Shoo. Get out. You are not welcomed here." Jumpluff tried to make Skrelp leave to no avail.
"Since when you own the mess hall? This place is opened to public access." Skrelp scoffed at her pathetic attempt.
"That's true, Jumpluff." Dedenne admitted. This shocked Jumpluff and made Skrelp laugh.
"Hey, you are supposed to be on my side!" Jumpluff scolded Dedenne.
"How laughable. Anyways, since your little commotion amuses me, I will give you a handicap. Check Tyrunt." Skrelp hinted before she left.
"Check Tyrunt?" Dedenne said, clearly looking confused.
Confessional
Skrelp: "They will soon turn against each other. I'm such a mastermind at this game."
Dedenne: "Tyrunt acted weird lately. Grovyle told me that he kept crying in the cabins. Something is definitely wrong."
Ursaring sat under the giant tree in the middle of a grassy clearing. Coincidentally, it was the same one that Duosion and Houndour sat under last time. In front of him was a picnic basket. He opened it and grabbed a sandwich.
"Perhaps, I should share my sandwich with the contestants. Knuckle sandwich that is." Ursaring laughed at his own joke. He chewed his sandwich until Rhyhorn approached him.
"You again? When will you stop bothering me?" Ursaring said with food in his mouth.
"I need that advantage." Rhyhorn kept his words simple as he charged at Ursaring. The bear lifted out a freezing gun from the last challenge and froze him before he could react fast enough.
"You will thaw out in the next hour or so. Not like that I care." Ursaring informed as he picked up his picnic basket and changed location.
Confessional
Ursaring: "Can't an intern enjoy his breakfast without being interrupted nowadays?"
Machoke carried Miltank on his back as an exercise. The milk Pokemon convinced him that it will be 'easy'. However, it was the antithesis of easy. Machoke sweated and panted heavily.
"Come on. I'm as light as a feather." Miltank exaggerated.
"Sorry." Machoke gave up as he dropped Miltank down after the first ten seconds. He then collapsed.
"Are you trying to say that I'm fat?" Miltank looked offended by his demeanor. She lifted her right fist up.
"No, no! I'm weak. You are light as a feather." Machoke talked his way out of trouble.
"Yeah, muscle boy. You need to train harder. As of right now, you are very weak." Miltank criticized.
Confessional
Machoke: "How did I get myself into this mess? Geez."
Miltank: "After what happened yesterday, I need to prove that I'm light."
All alone, Snorunt stared at the waves crashing against the sand of the beach area. The sound was soothing.
"You don't socialize much. Is everything alright?" Drifblim asked as she appeared next to her.
"Yeah." Snorunt replied simply. She didn't say much but something was clearly in her mind. The snow hat Pokemon viewed the waves crashing over and over again.
"If you need anything, feel free to ask." Drifblim said before she left.
Confessional
Snorunt: "When I think about the numbers and how the elimination ended… I can't help but doubt Drifblim. Seven votes eliminated him. I'm in the minority against a powerful alliance. Elekid is a nice guy and I prefer him to stay over Skrelp."
Drifblim: "Snorunt is a smart player. She doesn't go around telling others things. She keeps all the information to herself. Scary, indeed."
Shedinja looked lethargic as he just woke up. He observed the cabin. Everyone was already long gone.
"Early birds get the bagel and nocturnal creatures get the Wurmple." Shedinja drawled. "Not like it matters."
He then left the cabin and floated slowly to the mountain area. Eventually, he reached it. The slope was steep but there were stairs. Not like it mattered for the ghost bug. He simply floated over the mountain.
Shedinja didn't really show any emotions. He was apathetic yet it could be somewhat decipherable that he wanted to stay in the game to some degree. Or else, he would quit all the challenges and be lazy all the time.
He reached the peak of the mountain and saw Cryogonal in the distance. She was building a snowman in the snow area.
"Meh." Shedinja said carelessly as he turned back and headed to the camp area.
Confessional
Cryogonal: "Staying in the snow area reminds me of home. Building snowmen and opening Christmas presents. Only if I really have a… true home in the first place. I never see my parents even once. I was stuck in the orphanage for ages. The caretaker there told me that my father had a 'fun time' with a Ditto and didn't want me. I absolutely despise him. In the orphanage, I kind of acted like Shedinja to be rebellious. I was apathetic, lethargic and emotionless until I was adopted by a kind girl that wanted a sister. My life changed since then. I wonder what kind of life Shedinja had. Perhaps, this is why I'm so curious about him. It is nice to get this out of my chest. However, I don't think I can tell my team just yet. Although, Scolipede gave me suspicious looks."
Tyrunt sobbed in his bed for ages. He didn't even eat anything. His stomach growled but he didn't care one bit.
"Tyrunt, why are you acting so miserable and heartbroken?" Dedenne asked from outside. Tyrunt didn't reply at first. However, his guilt pressured him.
"What is going on with you? Please tell me. I might be able to help." Dedenne encouraged Tyrunt to tell her.
"I… voted for Elekid." Tyrunt hesitated at first but he eventually admitted it. Dedenne gasped instantly.
"But he is your friend! I can't believe this!" Dedenne enragedly stomped off.
"I can't believe it either." Tyrunt groaned with mental anguish as he continued to cry in his bed.
Confessional
Dedenne: "I can't believe that Tyrunt is a dirty, lying backstabber. I will shame him in my blog alongside the others like Skrelp."
Tyrunt: "I don't really care about the game anymore. Vote me off so what? I don't want to stay in this *beep* island anymore." Tyrunt's eyes were teary and sore.
Nosepass entered Crawdaunt boys' cabin to check on Tyrunt. He slowly approached his bed.
"Go away." Tyrunt tried to get rid of Nosepass by waving his hands. He accidentally got his claws too close to Nosepass.
"Don't hurt me!" Nosepass screamed in fear from seeing Tyrunt's claws and sharp teeth. He tried to run. Upon seeing what he did, Tyrunt felt guilty.
"I'm sorry." Tyrunt apologized limply. The gamer ran out of strength from all the crying.
"You aren't going to… hurt me?" Nosepass asked apprehensively.
"Hurt you? Hahaha… I can't even." Tyrunt laughed hysterically. He placed his hands on his belly as he laughed like a madman. After ten seconds, Tyrunt's voice turned into a muffled laughter.
"Are you alright?" Nosepass asked, fearful of the consequences of talking to Tyrunt in this… state of mind.
Tyrunt started to cry. "No, I'm not. I betrayed my best friend. I'm a monster. I'm a monster! Screw this *beep* game. I should already know that something like this will happen. My emotions were toyed with by a girl that I had a crush on. Stupid me, I should just sabotage the team in the first challenge and get eliminated." Tyrunt answered Nosepass' question.
"I see… I'm sorry to hear about that." Nosepass said sympathetically.
"Sorry? Really?" Tyrunt was astonished by this. He asked Nosepass to make sure that he heard it correctly.
"Yeah. What's wrong with it?" Nosepass looked puzzled.
"You don't hate me?" Tyrunt asked desperately, Nosepass' words filled something that Tyrunt felt he lost.
"Hate? Errr... what you did is wrong but I understand how it feels to be pathetic and worthless. I can relate to you about that. I'm used to the feeling of failure and incompetence. It becomes natural to me now. I always mess up. Everything that I do is wrong and I hate myself for it. Therefore, I can sympathize and empathize with you. You aren't the only one that is meaningless." Nosepass answered with lack of confidence. Yet, he managed to convey his message. Nosepass lay down on the ground.
"Nosepass, you aren't that bad, you know? Better than me at the very least. You aren't a bad Pokemon." Tyrunt lay down on the ground next to Nosepass.
"No, I'm even worse than you. I voted for a Pokemon that I actually like, out of fear." Nosepass persuaded.
"No, I'm worse. I'm inconsiderate toward my best friend." Tyrunt argued.
"No, I'm worse than you. Literally, I'm scared of everything." Nosepass countered.
"Why are we arguing about who is worse?" Tyrunt asked as he chuckled a bit.
"Yeah." Nosepass agreed as they shared a laugh.
"Having you on my side nearly persuades me to stay in this game, you know?" Tyrunt admitted.
"You are going to quit?" Nosepass looked a bit shocked. He stood up and stared at Tyrunt immediately, trying to see if he was kidding.
"Yeah. My stay here is pointless." Tyrunt seemed sincere about really quitting.
"But what will the viewers think of you? What about your parents? Despite many times when Larvitar bullied me, I clung on to the hope that someday I will be strong and awesome. Will you really surrender and hold the white flag just like that?" Nosepass discouraged Tyrunt from quitting.
Tyrunt thought about Nosepass' words carefully. He stood up, his eyes were still teary. Tyrunt tried to wipe the tears away gradually. Little by little, Tyrunt looked more determined.
"I can't face Elekid ever again if I quit. I need to… redeem myself!" Tyrunt mustered all of his courage and energy.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Wow, I got a new friend today. Never knew that I could do something like that." Nosepass smiled proudly.
Tyrunt: "The first thing that I need to do is apologize to everyone. Hopefully, they forgive me."
Bisharp sat on the dock with his fishing rod. He swung it to the sea and waited patiently. While he was waiting, he turned his head around, enjoying the view until he saw Jumpluff and Dedenne near the bonfire. They both looked depressed and hopeless. Bisharp left his fishing rod and tried to get a bit closer to them.
They didn't notice his presence as he walked toward them. Bisharp heard the word "Tyrunt" and immediately turned back. His face showed that he knew what they were talking about. However, he didn't want to get too deeply involved with them. Still, he turned and looked at their miserable faces one last time before he went back to fishing once again. His face turned miserable as well.
Confessional
Bisharp: "A few days ago, I once said that I will catch the big fish but… If my parents are here right now, they will tell me to be strategic and take the easy route. They will force me to stick with Skrelp and her alliance. Even if that takes me to the merge at the very least… it is not how I want to play this game."
Bisharp remained still on the dock. His eyes looked solemn as it focused on the fishing rod. There was little to no wind.
"Hey! Fishing again?" Jumpluff greeted, trying to keep a cheerful smile. Bisharp was a bit surprised. However, he kept his cool as he turned around.
"Indeed. May I ask why you are here?" Bisharp said formally.
"No need to be so formal. We are friends… right?" Jumpluff was a bit hesitant to tell him the reason that she was there.
"Friends? For the duration of this game, yes. However, if you are referring to post-game events… Unfortunately, no." Bisharp stated, his lips seemed forced.
"W-why? I consider you as a friend. Am I annoying?" She said worriedly as she looked down on the ground. Jumpluff suddenly remembered Skrelp's words about her annoying attitude.
"No, this applies to everyone here." Bisharp corrected. Jumpluff was shocked.
"Why? I don't understand." Jumpluff asked, seemingly confused. Bisharp moved the fishing rod away during this time.
Bisharp patted the wooden board of the dock as he moved sideways, signaling Jumpluff to sit on the edge of the dock with him. She sat down as Bisharp answered.
"My parents prefer me to associate myself with a specific group of Pokemon. A group of talented, skilled geniuses. Therefore, they will strongly oppose if I have any kind of friends other than the one they select." Bisharp told her as he swung his legs a bit. His movements were a bit awkward though. It was as if he wasn't used to it.
"Are your parents really that demanding? I can't believe it." Jumpluff said with disbelief. Her background was quite the complete opposite. "If it is up to me, I will let you do whatever you want. Maybe, I can persuade your parents." Jumpluff's words made Bisharp laughed a bit.
"What? I really mean it. I want to show you the beauty of having a lot of great, real, genuine friends." Jumpluff emphasized.
"Maybe, you can do it… Regardless, I don't wish to continue telling anything anymore. I hope you understand." Bisharp got to his feet as he was about to leave.
"Wait." Jumpluff interrupted. Bisharp turned his attention to her for one last time. "I should tell you why I'm here as well. I want your… vote." Jumpluff was a bit embarrassed to request for something like this. However, she looked really desperate.
"I understand that you are in the minority but… I can't afford to be their enemy." Bisharp refused. Jumpluff sighed in disappointment. Bisharp expected her to snap at him.
"I understand. Like you said, you have more to lose in this game than me." Jumpluff didn't mind it. She tried to be considerate toward him.
"You aren't angry or mad at me?" Bisharp was baffled by her response.
"Obviously! A true friend will not abandon you just because of something this petty." Jumpluff assured. Bisharp looked deep in thought.
"Okeydokey, I will leave now!" Jumpluff exclaimed, she didn't want to guilt-trip him anymore. Therefore, she tried to be optimistic as she left.
Confessional
Bisharp: "A true friend? What is a true friend? Is someone like Grovyle, a true friend? All of my friends are just merely acquaintances."
Jumpluff: "I don't want to be that kind of contestant… Winning is great and all but what can I do with that much money, anyways? I will probably go on a shopping spree and that's it. Poof, all gone."
Currently, Jumpluff reached the bonfire. She saw Dedenne, Tyrunt, Nosepass and Grovyle together in the campsite. Something must be going on. She was about to head there until someone interrupted her.
"Desperate, aren't you? I saw you begging for votes." Skrelp mocked. She sat on a wooden log with her book on her fins. Jumpluff didn't reply. She continued to float to the camp.
"If you are really cornered, I have a solution for you. Vote for your so called 'friends' and I will spare you. Does this entice you?" Skrelp offered.
"At I least I value my friends unlike you." Jumpluff retorted as she left.
"Fine." Skrelp stopped caring as she continued reading her book.
Confessional
Skrelp: "I'm in the majority. Who cares about her insignificant vote?"
Jumpluff: "I just don't even… Screw her."
Tyrunt's heart rate increased as he approached Dedenne and Grovyle near the path to the bonfire, albeit very sluggishly. The two were talking to each other. He walked alongside Nosepass as his only company. The Nose Pokemon was once distant to him but, now he was the only one he could truly trust.
"I'm scared." Tyrunt told Nosepass. The gamer grabbed his left hand for comfort.
"I'm scared as well." Nosepass expressed his worries.
Grovyle suddenly saw Tyrunt and Nosepass. He nudged Dedenne, her face darkened immediately once she saw Tyrunt.
"Traitor, you will pay for your crimes." Dedenne threatened. Tyrunt gulped.
"I'm sorry. I got manipulated." Tyrunt tried to explain.
"I don't want any excuses." Dedenne refused to listen.
"Be nice. I messed up the elimination as well. I voted for Heracross." Nosepass tried to share the blame.
"Nosepass, that doesn't matter. Because both you and Rhyhorn voted for Heracross, the number of votes needed for a majority turned to six. Grovyle, me, Tyrunt, Elekid, Snorunt and Jumpluff should be the majority." Dedenne explained.
"Yeah, I voted with you guys because I'm a very loyal person with integrity." Grovyle lied. "Unlike Bisharp and Drifblim who were swing votes and ended up with Archeops' alliance." Grovyle threw Bisharp under the bus.
"Hey, Bisharp isn't that bad." Jumpluff joined the conversation at this very moment.
"Jumpluff, Grovyle has a point." Dedenne supported the gecko. Grovyle nodded at this.
"He has a reason…" Jumpluff tried to defend him. Bisharp walked back toward the camp. He heard their conversation a bit. However, he missed Grovyle's part. The five contestants turned to look at him. Bisharp quickly left because it was none of his business.
"Anyways, Tyrunt. You are still a traitor! How could you backstab a friend like that?" Dedenne scolded. Grovyle nodded hypocritically.
Tyrunt apologized to the best of his ability. "I'm sorry! I had a crush on Archeops and she manipulated me into voting for my best friend. She didn't even like me back! I messed up and messed up so much that I don't know what I can do to redeem myself." Tears started to flow from Tyrunt's eyes. The others looked at him with some sympathy. Nosepass patted his back.
"We should give him a chance." Grovyle spoke genuinely.
"Fine, one last chance." Dedenne submitted to Tyrunt's sympathetic state. However, she didn't look at him straight to his face.
Confessional
Grovyle: "That isn't betraying. It is called distancing myself from him. Didn't Bisharp say that he wanted me to be distant from him so nobody knows that we are in an alliance? I'm doing him a favor here."
Bisharp: "Did Jumpluff… defend me?"
Dedenne: "I still can't fully forgive Tyrunt for what he did. I will keep my eyes on him for now. However, I know that I can trust Grovyle. Yesterday, he said that he will vote for Skrelp and he probably kept his words."
Nosepass: "That was intense. Why can't this show be more Nosepass friendly? There should be a new rating called Nosepass friendly for wimps like me."
Jumpluff: "I don't think I should blab about Bisharp's parents. It is just too personal. This might sound weird coming from me. Usually, I'm bad at keeping secrets. If I have access to the internet, I will gossip about so many things."
Tyrunt: Tyrunt sobbed a bit in the confessional. He then stopped. "I need to redeem myself. No more crying."
It was lunchtime, Skarmory sold hamburgers today. Lucario looked at the menu with disgust.
"There aren't enough vegetables! Put some more lettuce leaves and berries in it." Lucario complained.
"Being a host is tough. Contestants are so whiny nowadays." Skarmory complained as well. Lucario eventually got what he wanted by paying extra for vegetables.
Tyrunt was about to buy something until he saw Archeops about to do the same. Tyrunt left without a word. This guilt-tripped Archeops even more.
Confessional
Lucario: "My health is very important. I need healthy food with a lot of nutrients."
Archeops: "I…" Archeops didn't say anything else.
After a refreshing lunchtime, the challenge was about to begin. Skarmory called all the contestants over to the haunted mansion. The contestants all traveled with uneasiness in the haunted area. Tombstones were among dead trees. Skeletons of various Pokemon were on full display, hanging from branches. The ground was dark and murky. Worst of all, the irritating mist.
"I can't see anything." Nosepass clung onto Rhyhorn for support.
"We must be close." Rhyhorn stated as he saw a figure in the distance flapping its wings. Nosepass trembled as he saw this. The figure was about to scare the contestants until…
"Skarmory, I know that you are there." Drifblim ruined the surprise. Skarmory defogged the mist with an annoyed expression on his face. The host was in front of a haunted mansion.
"Thanks for ruining my surprise." Skarmory said sarcastically, he then covered his body with a black cape.
"Contestants, welcome to Skarmory Mansion. A place where the dead screams with terror." Skarmory tried to build the atmosphere.
"Another place with a generic name. Your name makes this place as scary as a kindergarten." Drifblim mocked. The other contestants laughed a bit.
"I feel like a martyr sometimes for being nice in this goddamn job. I can be mean if I want, you know?" Skarmory threatened.
"Yet, you can't. Maybe, because you care about us." Drifblim assumed. Skarmory rolled his eyes but he didn't say anything.
"Anyways, there will be two parts to this challenge. First, find a white envelope in the first floor of this mansion. Don't open it until I say so. You have one minute, begin now!" Skarmory started the challenge by surprise and quickly flew out of the way.
The contestants all rushed into the mansion. Lucario was in the lead. Heracross and Miltank weren't far behind. Grovyle tried to push Darmanitan out of the way. Tyrunt distanced himself from Archeops. Speaking of her, she tried to tell Bisharp about passing down the leadership to him. However, he was too busy struggling to get inside. Drifblim lifted Machoke back to the end of the chaotic line.
"What?! I can fly." Machoke imagined himself flying. Drifblim giggled as she dropped him down. Machoke realized how wrong he was.
"I thought that I'm the first flying Machoke." Machoke said in a disappointed tone.
Skrelp, Snorunt, Nosepass and Aromatisse didn't bother fighting to get inside. At this point, Lucario and the frontrunners were already inside. As a result, the Pokemon at the back of the line could finally enter. Skarmory smirked as he entered the mansion last. He covered himself with his cape.
The mansion was quite gloomy. The only light source was a chandelier on top of the foyer. A grand, double staircase in the middle connected to the second floor. Between the staircases appeared a table with a vase on top. To the left was the door to the garage. To the right was a door to the kitchen.
Lucario ran up to the vase and smashed it open. There was an envelope inside.
"Got one!" Lucario told his teammates.
Heracross went inside the garage. The room was filled with cobwebs. In the middle of the garage was a black car. A skeleton of a Pikachu held the steering wheel. The room was poorly lit with only a candle on a table as a light source next to the car. Tools like wrenches were scattered across the room.
Heracross ran around frantically and recklessly. Consequently, she slipped on a wrench, making her face slammed against the window of the car.
"Ouch!" Heracross yelled as she punched the window out of frustration. She saw an envelope under the skeleton of a Pikachu and took it.
"One envelope for me!" Heracross announced. Grovyle just entered the garage and tried to search for another one.
On the other hand, Rhyhorn hurriedly rushed to the kitchen. However, Miltank blocked the door.
"We are wasting both of our time." Rhyhorn reasoned. Miltank hesitated before she decided to enter.
The kitchen was pretty small. There was a wooden table in the middle with four chairs surrounding it. Empty plates stacked on the table. To the right were cupboards and drawers as well as a fridge. To the left was the prepping table and a cooking station.
Miltank rushed to the plates on the table. She lifted them up, nothing was under them. Rhyhorn opened the fridge with his horn and saw an envelope.
"Damn it!" Miltank was frustrated as she looked through the drawers. There was a dozen of cup noodles but no envelope.
Drifblim floated inside the kitchen shortly after. She looked under the table. There was an envelope attached under it. Miltank groaned at this.
Confessional
Miltank: "I entered first. This isn't fair."
Shedinja floated slowly, observing around the foyer while others were entering the rooms left and right.
"This place looks more alive than me." Shedinja commented as he luckily saw a slight edge of white under the carpet on the foyer. He checked it to see an envelope.
"Yay." Shedinja said unenthusiastically.
Ledyba was in the foyer as well. She looked up at the chandelier. There was an envelope.
"Another one for our team!" Ledyba announced, feeling upbeat.
"Time's up!' Skarmory ended the first part of the challenge.
"Finally." Nosepass said with relief. He trembled in fear. The interior of the mansion freaked him out. He didn't care about the envelopes. In contrast, the contestants with envelopes were all eager to open it.
"First, you miss one envelope." Skarmory threw his cape away. It was revealed that a white envelope was attached inside.
"Sneaky." Drifblim commented.
"I will take that as a compliment." Skarmory seemed proud of his accomplishment
"Second, open your envelopes." Skarmory instructed. The contestants ripped the envelope out. There was a green card with the word 'exemption' inside.
"The contestants that found the envelope will be exempted from the second part of the challenge and receive one point for their team. Trust me, you want to be exempted." Skarmory looked around at each contestant. Some looked nervous while some were scared out of their mind like Nosepass.
"Follow me to the second floor." Skarmory ordered as they ascended the double grand staircase. The Feckless Flygon grouped together and took the right staircase. The Crazy Crawdaunt took the left staircase. Skarmory flew up on his own. He turned to the right and opened up a door. They found the plain white room in the second challenge. However, there was something else this time. In the middle of the once empty room, was a steel helmet on top of a chair. There was a logo of a Bronzong on it as well as a lightbulb and a few antennae on top. The contestants observed the helmet with curiosity. Meowth looked as if he knew who created this helmet.
"I will now explain the second part of the challenge. It is the unoriginal fear challenge." Skarmory revealed. Fear was evident on the faces of contestants without an envelope.
"Thanks to our top sponsor, Bronzong Enterprises, we are supplied with a fear helmet. This helmet will scan your mind for your deepest fear and project it in your head. Its size can also be adjusted. Afterwards, you will be warped to the dream world where you need to face your fear. You can't take real physical damage inside. However, you will still feel pain due to your nervous system. If you wish to quit, say 'I give up' and I will remove the helmet. Lastly, because I'm very nice, an Alakazam intern will be the only one to see your biggest fear other than me. Don't worry if your secrets are going to be revealed to other contestants. Until the episode is aired, of course. Who wants to start first?" Skarmory finished as he asked a question that no one wanted to answer.
"Team! We need to face our fears!" Lucario tried to push his teammates to face their fears.
"You got an exemption, you can say it easily." Scolipede said as he tried to distance himself from the helmet. Some of the others started to step back as well. Lucario sighed at his teammates' cowardice.
"Skarmory, can I give my exemption?" Lucario was willing to sacrifice his exemption. Scolipede felt a bit… touched by this.
"Nope, it is more interesting this way." Skarmory denied.
"I want to get this over with." Miltank offered to go first.
"Great." Skarmory commented. He then guided Miltank to the chair. It was an unstable wooden stool. She sat on it and the chair collapsed immediately.
"Don't say anything or else you are dead." Miltank glared at the other contestants.
In the end, she sat on the ground instead with the helmet on. The helmet forced Miltank to close her eyes as it started the illusion inside her head. Apparently, Miltank lost all control of herself in the real world. She showed no reaction. Perhaps, this was why Skarmory need to take the helmet off by himself. Noticeably, he wore an earpiece that allowed him to communicate with Alakazam. When a contestant gives up or the fear is over, he will tell the host.
Miltank was warped into a farm. It was peaceful with a breeze. Fences surrounded Tauros and Miltank alike as well as Rapidash. There was a barn, a silo, you name it. Typical farm windmills and haystacks. In front of Miltank was a weighing scale. Miltank realized her fear and she looked frustrated.
"Stupid fear. I'm not overweight. It is just that I have a lot of muscle mass." Miltank complained as she folded her arms. She stepped on the weighing scale and it broke. The number rose up to nine hundred and ninety-nine kilograms. Miltank kicked the broken weighing scale away.
"Ridiculous." Miltank grumbled as suddenly the farm shrank or rather she expanded.
"Why is the farm shrinking?" Miltank felt confused instead of scared. As a result, her fear was over.
Skarmory removed the helmet.
"Are you alright?" Machoke asked.
"Does it hurt?" Nosepass asked fearfully.
"No, it is quite easy." Miltank didn't think that it was hard.
"Any volunteers?" Skarmory asked again.
"If no one wants to do it… I will get this over with… for Elekid." Tyrunt said, he looked more determined than ever. The other contestants were surprised to see him volunteered. 'Braver' contestants like Archeops and Grovyle looked down on the ground in shame.
Tyrunt lifted the helmet and wore it. He was warped to the bonfire site. Tyrunt looked confused.
"I'm scared of pain. Where is… pain?" Tyrunt asked as someone nudged his back. Tyrunt turned around, his face was pale once he saw Elekid. The eliminated contestant punched Tyrunt's left eye with his right fist immediately. Tyrunt flinched as he stumbled and fell down to the ground.
"You monster, you deserve worse than death." Elekid spat at Tyrunt.
"I'm sorry." This was all Tyrunt could say. He held his left eye in pain.
Elekid lifted Tyrunt up and punched him in the nose this time. His nose started to bleed.
"I'm sorry." Tyrunt repeated the same word. Elekid didn't care. Instead, he delivered an excruciatingly painful kick to the crotch. Tyrunt cried and whimpered in agony. Elekid dropped him down on the ground and took something out behind a tree. It was a metal pole.
"Any last words?" Elekid asked as he slammed the metal pole down on the ground as a demonstration.
"My biggest fear isn't pain. It is losing you." As Tyrunt said this, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact. However, there was no impact to be felt. The fear was over.
Confessional
Tyrunt: "I feel like a new Pokemon. A reborn Pokemon with a newfound strength. It is time to play my A-game and beat some noobs."
Skarmory removed the helmet and Tyrunt instantly checked his body. All the wounds and pain were gone. He hugged himself as he moved away to Nosepass. The Nose Pokemon looked extremely anxious. Other contestants looked scared as well. No one was in a shape to volunteer.
"I will randomize the order now since all of you are such cowards." Skarmory had enough with his contestants. He ordered Alakazam to randomize the order. The first one was…
"Machoke" Skarmory called him. Machoke slowly walked over to the helmet.
"May the Inner Courage Technique be with me." Machoke prepared himself for his fear.
Machoke's fear was simple. He was warped to a circus with Mr. Mime in the middle of the stage. The audience clapped and cheered for the psychic type.
"Stupid Mr. Mime. Don't freak me out." Machoke retreated backward slowly.
Mr. Mime walked slowly to Machoke before he lifted out a bazooka and fired confetti at him. "Hahahaha…" Mr. Mime started to laugh like a psychopath.
"Ah!" Machoke screamed with fear as he ran around in circles. "I give up." Machoke couldn't take it anymore.
The helmet was lifted. "No point for you." Skarmory told the others that Machoke failed. Machoke sat on the ground with his hands on his face. Darmanitan went over to console him.
Confessional
Machoke: "As a kid, I hate Mr. Mime. They squirted water at me, made fun of my body shape and I just hate them."
"Next, Snorunt." Skarmory called, using his memory.
Snorunt didn't want to move at first. However, she eventually gathered her courage.
"I hope it is easy." Snorunt hoped for the best.
Snorunt was in an empty, dark hallway. At the end of the hallway, was Helioptile. She was tied up. Snorunt ran up to her hurriedly.
"This is a trap." Helioptile warned. Suddenly, a Tyranitar appeared in front of her. Snorunt was stunned momentarily.
"Remember me? I used to be a Larvitar. Now, I will get my revenge." Tyranitar slammed his fist together. Snorunt gulped as she slowly stepped backward.
"Don't come any closer." Snorunt wished for Tyranitar to disappear but he was still here. Tyranitar grinned evilly.
"Just give up." Helioptile looked at her with pleading eyes.
Tyranitar started to ram at Snorunt. He was getting closer to her.
"I give up." Snorunt submitted to her fear.
Confessional
Snorunt: "I'm so disappointed in myself. I thought that I'm now more competitive and stronger…"
"No point for you as well. Tied with four to four points for each team." Skarmory updated the score.
"Up next, Meowth." Skarmory called out the next Pokemon. The businessman looked calmer than others yet a glint of fear could be seen in his eyes. Meowth put the helmet on and his fear started to emerge.
The opulent cat sat on a chair inside a gigantic building. In front of him was a table filled with accounting records. He wore a luxurious, brand new watch and a business suit. In his hand was a cup of rich tea. Everything was perfect until…
"Boss! Grim news. Our company is bankrupted!" A Nidoking in a suit opened the door and alerted him. Meowth dropped the cup of tea down. It shattered on the ground.
"Impossible! Last month, our sales reached the projected target. There isn't a single problem within our liquidity or cash flow." Meowth refused to believe it. This resulted in an end to his fear.
"A point for you, five to four with Flygon in the lead." Skarmory updated the score. Meowth sighed with relief as he went back to his team. He looked a lot better than Machoke.
"Grovyle, your turn." Grovyle walked slower than usual to the helmet once Skarmory called his name.
"Wish for my luck, guys." Grovyle wanted encouragement from his team.
"Go, Good Guy Grovyle." Dedenne encouraged.
"Teach the big bad fear a lesson!" Jumpluff encouraged as well.
"Never submit to your fear. Find a way to beat it." Tyrunt advised as the only one on his team that conquered the fear so far.
Grovyle smiled as he placed the helmet on and his fear started to show itself.
In his dream world, he was in prison.
"I'm a good guy, I'm not supposed to be here." Grovyle banged his jail cell.
"Guards, get me out of here." Grovyle begged.
The Klefki guard looked very annoyed and disturbed.
"Why should I let a murderer out? You backstabbed all of your friends. Enjoy prison food for the rest of your pitiful life." Klefki told Grovyle about his crime.
Grovyle collapsed down on the ground immediately. He shook his head.
"This isn't true. This isn't true. I give up." Grovyle submitted to his fear.
"Still five to four." Skarmory revealed that Grovyle failed. His team looked disappointed. They had high expectations for Grovyle.
Confessional
Grovyle: "I don't want to eat prison food for the rest of my life. You can't blame me."
"Up next, Darmanitan." Skarmory announced.
The fire type looked pretty calm. This was due to his zen training.
"Zen, zen, zen…" Darmanitan chanted to improve his confidence. He sat in a meditative pose and put the helmet on.
Darmanitan was in a forest. Everything was peaceful and undisturbed. Until, a leaf fell on his head. This little nuisance flared up his temper. Suddenly, his body moved on its own.
"No, I can control myself." Darmanitan tried to control his body but he failed. He shot a Fire Blast and burned down countless trees.
"I can't violate the principles of zen. I can't fail my homies." Darmanitan shot another Fire Blast at the trees.
"This isn't true. I'm well trained. Zen, zen, zen…" Darmanitan chanted as he was surrounded by a ring of fire. The fire roared with anger. Fortunately, he successfully calmed himself down as his body stopped moving. Eventually, the fire died down. The helmet was removed.
"Six to four. Darmanitan did it." Skarmory revealed. Darmanitan walked back to his team. He was met with cheers and looks of respect.
"Dedenne, your turn." Dedenne heard the words that she didn't want to hear from Skarmory.
"I need to get it over with." Dedenne tried to gather her courage by breathing in deeply. The Crazy Crawdaunt needed a point badly. She wore the helmet a bit hesitantly.
In her dream world, she was watching television on a couch. The program that she turned on was about the election for the next president. Dedenne stared at her television screen with anticipation. Her eyes nearly got too close to it.
"Will it be Senator Miguel Mudkip or will it be Businessman Bill Bibarel? Please let it be Senator Miguel Mudkip. Equal rights for everyone." Dedenne wished.
A Goodra reporter was shown in front of a rally. Dedenne was shocked to see a Garchomp instead.
"Apparently, Crown Prince Hashu, the descendant of the Garchomp royal family that reigned over our land since one thousand years ago gains popularity among many demographics. He entered the election yesterday like a torrential storm. Many experts and analysts predict that we will go back to the old monarchy system. This is your reporter, Goodman Goodra." Dedenne turned off her television immediately.
"No way! Anyone but that notorious crown prince. We can't destroy our democracy and replace it with monarchy." Dedenne was in denial. The television turned itself open. Dedenne gasped as she heard Crown Prince Hashu's speech.
"Our land is tainted by those corrupted politicians. To revert back to our old glory, we must return power back to the royal family. Repeat after me. Return power back to the royal family!" Crown Prince Hashu shouted.
"Return power back to the royal family!" The crowd obeyed his rule. There were millions of Pokemon attending the event. Dedenne tried to shut her television but she failed.
"Return power back to the royal family!" The crowd continued, their eyes swirled.
Dedenne gritted her teeth, she had enough of this. Furiously, she threw her remote at the screen and her fear ended.
"The Crazy Crawdaunt are catching up. Five to six." Skarmory updated. Dedenne shivered a bit after her fear ended. The little mouse clutched her head as if she felt a headache. She stumbled across the room. Kindly, Grovyle supported her, allowing her to walk back properly.
Confessional
Dedenne: "If you don't know anything about history, which I hope not, I suggest you to check some history records and you will understand my fear. I recommend the Desire Era."
"Jumpluff, your turn." Skarmory called out another Crazy Crawdaunt member.
"Oh goodness!" Jumpluff groaned. She floated unwillingly to the helmet and put it on with her cotton puff arms.
In the dream world, she was in a place resembling a classroom. Posters were on the walls. Tables and desks with various sizes were prepared for each specific student. In front of her was a white board, a Chatot stood next to it. Seemingly, he was the teacher. Many students focused their eyes on him. There was a bunch of complicated mathematics equations on the board. However, that wasn't Jumpluff's fear. She knew it. The bell rang and the class ended.
"Yay! Class is over! We now have free time!" Jumpluff exclaimed. No one seemed happy like her.
"We? More like 'you'!" A female Sunkern corrected rudely.
"Yeah, you are annoying. None of us are friends with you!" A male Paras sneered at her.
"But, but…" Jumpluff looked anxious.
"Let's leave." A female Gabite suggested. The other students left Jumpluff isolated in the classroom. Even her Chatot teacher didn't seem to care about her.
Jumpluff sobbed a bit all alone. After a moment, she eventually stopped and left the classroom. It was lunchtime and she was still stuck in this hallucination. Jumpluff decided to go to the cafeteria.
In the cafeteria, each student grabbed their plate of food and sat in their respective groups. Jumpluff tried to approach a lively table filled with students. However, the students all fled whenever she came close to them.
"Wait, come back." Jumpluff pleaded but no one cared.
She sat all alone, eating her stiff plate of 'school special delicacy'. The food resembled Chef Drapion's cooking, worsening the situation. Time passed by slowly. The only thing that Jumpluff heard was the sound of the clock. Tick-tock, tick-tock. She was bored out of her mind so she tried to eavesdrop a conversation between a Hawlucha and a Hitmonlee. However, they noticed her eavesdropping and the reaction wasn't pretty.
"*beep* you, stalking swine." Hawlucha swore as he threw his plate of special delicacy at her. It collided against her face and all the student laughed at her. Jumpluff wiped the food off her face and fled the cafeteria, crying along the way.
"I give-" Jumpluff hesitated to say it. She didn't want to fail the challenge. Seeing as there was nothing better to do, she went to the restroom and washed her face. Fortunately, her fear ended just then.
"Six to six." The scores were tied up.
Even though the helmet was lifted off and the fear ended, Jumpluff couldn't help but to sob a bit nonetheless. Tyrunt, Dedenne, Grovyle and Snorunt consoled her because they knew how painful and tough this challenge could be. Bisharp looked at her from a distance, he felt sorry for her as well.
Confessional
Jumpluff: "I don't want to go through that again. It is just an illusion but it felt so… real."
"Houndour, it is time." Houndour faced his fear many times before but the reactions of those that done it before him weren't very reassuring.
Houndour walked over to Skarmory and put the helmet on. He expected to be in a dark cave and it was a dark cave like he expected.
The cave was very familiar to Skarmory Cave in many ways. The spiky rocks from the ceiling and the ladder at the end of each floor. However, there was something new. A horde of Crobat was in front of him.
"Boys, attack!" The Crobat leader ordered.
"Ah!" Houndour screamed as he ran to the exit. However, the entrance collapsed, trapping him in the cave. Several Crobats charged their Wing Attack and repeatedly slammed Houndour.
"Ouch." Houndour yelped
He was defenseless as the Crobat attacked over and over again. His body started to bleed. He then realized something, he can fight back!
"Enough!" Houndour breathed a Flamethrower at the Crobat horde.
"Eekkk. Fire!" The Crobat all fled like cowards, trying to extinguish the flames on their wings. The fear ended like that.
Confessional
Houndour: "That was easier than I thought. I no longer feel scared of them."
"You did it. Congratulations!" Duosion congratulated.
"Thanks." Houndour felt great for conquering his fear.
"Bisharp, now or never." Skarmory called Bisharp next. Currently, he was leaning on a wall. Hearing this, he sighed as he walked over to the helmet.
The helmet was worn and he was teleported to the dream world. Bisharp landed in a room that was bittersweet for him. There was a shelf with five trophies to the left. That was his. To the right, there were multiple shelves filled with countless trophies and medals. They were owned by his ancestors. He compared the two sides of the room, his shoulder felt heavy.
Worst of all, his father was in front of him. A taller, more masculine Bisharp with sharper eyes than him. He sat on a chair, facing the wall with a glass of water in his hand. A table was next to him. He eventually got up from his chair, sipped the glass of water to calm down and turned around to face his son.
"You lost again? You are such a disgrace to our family. You know the accomplishments of our ancestors, don't you?" Bisharp's father stared critically at him. He looked very disappointed.
"Definitely." Bisharp replied simply. His eyes wanted to dodge the disappointed eyes of his father but he couldn't. That was considered as insolence in his family line.
"Then, why can't you do the same?!" Bisharp's father banged his fists on the table. Some water spilled out from the glass of water. "You ruin the honor of our family. Don't you feel ashamed?"
"I will try harder." Bisharp learned to reply simply and obediently in front of his parents.
"You better! I will not tolerate any more of your incompetence." Bisharp's father splashed the glass of water at him, making his face wet. Bisharp wanted to be angry, clench his fist, snap or something but he couldn't. Not in front of his parents. He was taught to be completely obedient. However, this time…
"May I ask for something in return?" Bisharp requested.
"Something? Something? How dare you? I never ask for something in return in front of your grandparents so how could you…?" Bisharp's father gritted his teeth. His eyes looked like the eyes of a madman. He flung his table at his son and the fear ended.
Confessional
Bisharp: "I should have already known that I will never be able to escape from the curse of my family. The curse of living up to expectations." Bisharp looked very depressed.
"Seven to seven." Skarmory updated the score once again. He never seemed bored of using the same lines.
"I want to get some fresh air." After the helmet was removed, Bisharp told his teammates. They didn't seem to mind it, neither did Skarmory.
No one stopped him so Bisharp left the room. Jumpluff looked worried so she followed him a bit. Skrelp noticed this.
"Meowstic, it is going to be a magical ride for you." Skarmory joked.
"Yeah, magic." Meowstic didn't seemed to be enthusiastic one bit.
She wore the helmet shakily. After it was placed on her head properly, she lost control of her body as the illusion formed itself inside her head.
Meowstic was on a stage. There was a large audience in front of her. She performed a trick by pulling out a Buneary from a hat. The magician smiled as she awaited applause from the audience.
"You are a filthy fraud!" A Scolipede shouted from the audience. The audience then booed and threw rotten tomatoes at her.
"I give up." Meowstic couldn't take it anymore.
"Meowstic failed." Skarmory told her teammates. Lucario didn't seem pleased.
Meowstic looked terrified until she saw Scolipede. She hissed and distanced herself away from him.
"What's wrong with her?" Scolipede asked no one in particular.
"Skrelp, are you confident?" Skarmory asked.
"I assume that I'm next. To answer your question, fear is all about perception. It is a defensive mechanism induced by a specific stimulus…" Skrelp tried to explain.
"Just stop." However, Skarmory interrupted her first.
Skrelp looked a bit annoyed but she didn't say anything, she just put the helmet on.
In her dream world…
"I give up." Skrelp said it instantly.
Confessional
Skrelp: "I will not reveal my fear to the public. That is just irrational and illogical. I can't afford to show my weakness or else the others will exploit it. I will just lie, telling them that my fear is instant death."
"No point." Skarmory removed the helmet shortly after it was worn by Skrelp. He didn't look impressed neither did her teammates.
"My fear is… instant death." Skrelp fooled her teammates by hyperventilating. Some like Nosepass felt some sort of sympathy for her. However, a few like Rhyhorn casted her suspicious looks. The other team had a conversation about this as well.
"What a liar." Scolipede whispered to Machoke. The fighting type scratched his head.
Meanwhile, Bisharp sat on the ground, outside of the haunted mansion. He held his knees together as he stared at the white mist. Jumpluff watched from a distance.
"Why are you following me?" Bisharp felt her presence.
"I'm… worried about you." Jumpluff told him sincerely.
"Why are you worried? I will soon be your opponent in this game." Bisharp turned around and gazed at her, his eyes were filled with pain.
"Because… I just want to be a friend. My worst fear is being lonely, neglected, isolated. I told you already that I want to show you how it feels to have a real friend." Jumpluff said, she looked very sincere.
"It must be very nice to have a true friend. However, if it means that I have to disobey my parents to have a true friend. I rather not." Bisharp let go of his knees and lay down on the ground. "My life is tough. It really is tough." Bisharp complained. The ground comforted him a bit. Jumpluff looked at him with increasing levels of sympathy.
"Then, why don't you reason with your parents? If you keep on persisting…" Jumpluff advised. Bisharp interrupted her.
"It won't work. No matter what, I will never have the authority over my life. All of my life choices, decisions and paths will be dictated by them. Then, one day, I will become like them." Bisharp looked hopelessly at the sky.
"Then, are you willing to let go of your dreams and everything? And live miserably for the rest of your life? I don't want that to happen to a friend! Personally, I can't live like that! I may not be a perfect student with perfect academic grades but I'm always in control of my fate and destiny. That's because my parents want me to follow my dreams. Even if my life choices aren't perfect and I stumble across an obstacle, I won't regret it one bit." Jumpluff tried to make a point, using her personal experiences and all.
"If I follow my dreams, my parents will disown me for sure. Then, I will have nothing left." Bisharp was still in his hopeless state.
"You at least still have your friends! Me and the other Crazy Crawdaunt members! If your parents are that cruel and strict, I will persuade them myself if you can't. I will spam their social media accounts every day!" Jumpluff offered to help. Bisharp's eyes widened. "I will… I will…" Jumpluff tried to come up with something else.
"So this is a true friend… I don't want to throw all of my personal dreams away in pursuit of maintaining our family curse." Bisharp admitted as he clenched his fist. His eyes looked a bit teary.
"I never want to do it! I want to feel it, the joy of making my own decisions. Who cares about those empty trophies? Who cares?!" Bisharp screamed. He immediately got up and stood confidently.
"Oh my god! You did it, you are free. Freedom, here we come." Jumpluff exclaimed excitedly. The two eventually returned back to the plain, white room.
Confessional
Bisharp: "Thanks to the fear challenge and Jumpluff, I realize it now. I don't want to be a puppet of my parents. I will live my own life, make my own moves. I don't need to feel burdened about losing because if my trophies are what my parents only care about… I will move away. At least then, I will be happy. If I don't want to cross that line in the sand like my parents wanted, I have the right to do so. I don't need to betray Grovyle or become a master manipulator in this game. I will play the game like myself."
Jumpluff: "I'm so glad that I managed to make someone happy. I want to at least do something before I get eliminated. I want my stay here to at least have a small meaning so that I can socialize with my friends about it. I don't want my friends at home to leave me because I look so pathetic in this show. I'm always scared of what others are thinking of me. I'm usually more social but Skrelp, Archeops and a few others just ruin this experience for me."
The footage was cut directly to Cryogonal's fear. She was in a snowy tundra. There was a severe snowstorm. In front of her was an egg, it was neglected.
"This is my baby self." Cryogonal acknowledged it. "I don't want to relive through this again."
The egg finally hatched. A small Cryogonal came out of the shell. All it could do was cry and cry for help. She was abandoned.
"I'm here." Cryogonal tried to console her childhood self but she couldn't. She was like a ghost in her dream world. She wrapped her snow chains around her younger self yet she failed. The snowflake Pokemon was stuck here, watching the baby cry.
"It might be true that I'm an orphan but I was adopted and I'm eventually happy." Cryogonal was optimistic about the situation and her fear ended.
"Another point for the Feckless Flygon." Skarmory announced that Cryogonal succeeded. She just floated to her teammates, looking a bit melancholy. Despite the point, facing their biggest fear was still traumatizing to many contestants. For example, Tyrunt shivered upon the thought of being beaten up by Elekid even though he conquered his fear.
Bisharp and Jumpluff entered the room at this point.
"What drains your time?" Skrelp asked curiously. Jumpluff didn't answer.
"I observed the intriguing interior of this mansion a bit." Bisharp answered formally. Skrelp accepted that answer. However, her eyes looked a bit doubtful.
Scolipede was up next. He dreaded the worst as he put his helmet on.
In his dream world, he was in school. More accurately, a corridor inside of school. Scolipede was about to cry once he saw his ex-girlfriend in front of him. It was a Leavanny. Next to her was a Muk, he wore a top hat, holding a wand. Scolipede's lip was sealed. He didn't want to say anything in front of them. His eyes were spiteful for a moment.
"Dear Scolipede, do you remember the time when I broke up with you? That was the best moment of my life. I revealed everything about my master plan. I faked being your girlfriend to make my boyfriend Muk jealous. Did all those massages feel nice? Oh, and the chocolates tasted good, am I right? They were just cheap second-hand junk. Yet, you still ate it like a gullible idiot." Leavanny ridiculed. Scolipede cried, his tears flowed down his face.
"My love, why are we talking to this loser? Let me get rid of him. Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam." Muk casted his magic spell with his wand and a Metagross appeared behind a cloud of smoke. It chased Scolipede around.
"Ah!" Scolipede screamed as the Metagross chased him away with Meteor Mash. Muk and Leavanny kissed during this time. Scolipede accidentally saw it, he wanted to puke.
"I… give up." Scolipede submitted to his fear.
Confessional
Scolipede: "I can't believe that she broke up with me for a magician Muk. What a horrible taste in men." Scolipede cried in the confessional.
After the helmet was lifted, Scolipede cried and left the room. Other contestants were a bit surprised at his sudden outburst. Ledyba was worried and followed him.
"Nosepass, your-" Skarmory stopped once he saw that Nosepass fainted out of fear. Tyrunt tried to shake him awake but it wasn't a success.
"He is probably scared of everything." Skarmory assumed as he moved on. "Nosepass is disqualified." The Crazy Crawdaunt all looked disheartened by this.
"Aromatisse, please be a bit braver than Nosepass." Skarmory didn't have a lot of faith in Aromatisse.
"I will try…" Aromatisse stepped forward to the helmet slowly.
"This isn't going to be fabulous." Aromatisse dreaded as she put the helmet on.
Aromatisse was scared of a facial surgery going wrong. Since, it wasn't interesting, Skarmory cut the footage out. He only left the part where she screamed "I give up!".
"Feckless Flygon, you need to earn another point to secure your victory. Currently, you have eight points. On the other hand, the Crazy Crawdaunt have seven points. Archeops and Duosion are the last ones left. Duosion, you are next." Skarmory informed. Duosion took a few deep breaths.
Confessional
Duosion: "I'm not exactly sure about my fear. I have a few fears but I'm a bit indecisive when it comes to my biggest fear."
Before her fear was shown, the footage of Scolipede crying outside the mansion was shown first.
"Why? Why?! I will never trust anyone again." Scolipede cried.
"Is your fear that traumatizing?" Ledyba asked from behind.
"Why must you always poke your head in others' business? For god's sake! If you want to know it that badly, I will tell. My ex-girlfriend tricked me to make her Muk boyfriend jealous. I was used all along. Everything that she did for me were all lies!" Scolipede revealed. Ledyba looked at him with sympathetic eyes, she also felt guilty for asking.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what you had been through. It isn't my place to try to enforce trust into you. However, please understand that not all of us are bad. Since you share your story with me, I want to share mine with you as well. Is that alright with you?" Ledyba asked. Scolipede nodded slightly.
"Trust can have a positive effect as well. I try to see others in a more optimistic view. Do you know why? Well, there is this Zorua kid. On the outside, he looks very naughty. He tried to steal other Pokemon stuff and just be mean in general. Everyone hated him at first, including me. However, one day I learned that he did all those bad things to gain attention from his parents. His parents never cared about him so he needed a way to make them notice him even if it was through questionable means. I befriended him and…" Ledyba paused.
"And what? He betrayed you?" Scolipede said pessimistically.
"He told me that he would commit suicide if I wasn't there for him." Ledyba revealed. Scolipede was shocked, he didn't expect an ending like that.
"Think about it, okay?" Ledyba left after she finished her story.
"Thank you." Scolipede was grateful.
"You are welcomed." Ledyba smiled as she left.
Confessional
Scolipede: "Fine, I will trust a bit."
Ledyba: "I swear I didn't make that up."
Duosion was in the middle of the camp area, next to the Skarmory Shop. Houndour was next to her, he held two cones of ice creams.
"Want one?" Houndour offered.
"Thank you very much." Duosion accepted it but she seemed confused. Was this her biggest fear? Sudennly, she was met with her answer. Before she was about to enjoy her ice cream…
Houndour attacked her with a Bite.
"What are you doing?" Duosion was shocked. She didn't react fast enough and took the full damage.
"Die!" Houndour continued to bite her.
"This isn't you. You will never do something like this. Will you?" Duosion didn't know what to believe anymore.
"What do you know about me? I just want to use you to get further in this game." Houndour bit deeper into her gelatinous body.
"I give up." Duosion said before she was about to faint.
Confessional
Duosion: "I want to confess something to Houndour today. Perhaps, it should be tomorrow instead."
"No point." Skarmory revealed as he lifted the helmet off Duosion. She shook a bit as she floated toward Houndour. She hugged him, this made Houndour blush.
"Hey, what are you doing? Others are watching." Houndour didn't exactly feel comfortable with this.
"Please comfort me." Duosion requested. Houndour hugged her back a bit. He then chuckled nervously as the others were watching.
Confessional
Skrelp: "Typical lovebirds…"
Jumpluff: "Oh my gosh! A couple."
Darmanitan: "The homie is making some moves."
Houndour: "To be honest, it felt kind of nice."
Duosion: "I just realize what I did. Oh well, too late to change anything now."
Lucario: "I don't care about their relationship. However, if it distracts them, I will eliminate them."
"Archeops, the final one." Skarmory said, looking a bit tired after a long day.
Archeops felt a lot of pressure as the last one doing the challenge. She looked back at the others, they were having fun since they knew that the challenge was over for them. Meowstic showed some card tricks, Skrelp read her book and Darmanitan talked with Machoke.
"Here goes nothing." Archeops sighed as she wore the helmet.
Archeops was in a mountainous area. Above the sky, beyond her, was a shower of meteors. Archeops tried to gather her confidence but the events of these past few days weighted her down. The meteors roared as they were fast approaching.
"I give up." Archeops said lifelessly. Her head wasn't in the game anymore.
Back at the room, they all anticipated the result. The Crazy Crawdaunt members hoped for a miracle. However, their hopes were shattered.
"The Feckless Flygon win!" Skarmory announced the final result. The Feckless Flygon all cheered.
Confessional
Dedenne: "Archeops, after what you did to Tyrunt, I can't forgive you."
Skrelp: "I need to secure more votes. I still need Archeops as my meat shield."
Archeops: "I just don't feel like competing any longer…"
Tyrunt: "Elekid, I hope this makes up for what I did."
Grovyle: "I will stick with Skrelp and take the safe route."
Bisharp: "Jumpluff told me that her fear is being isolated, neglected and left alone. I will repay her for all she has done for me. I will save her friends."
Before the elimination, Skrelp approached Bisharp in the forest.
"Remember about our deal? Vote for Tyrunt tonight." Skrelp reminded.
"Yes." Bisharp said simply.
"Tonight, there should be a tiebreaker at the very least." Skrelp predicted. She kept things simple as she trusted that Bisharp will make the right move. Bisharp looked obedient but it was hard to tell what was actually in his mind.
Confessional
Bisharp: "I will play this game with the Pokemon that I want to play with! Even if it means that my odds at winning are lowered."
"Apparently, someone complained about 'weird lines'." Skarmory stared at Drifblim sullenly. She shrugged it off.
"As a result, I will not talk at all this elimination." Skarmory stopped talking afterwards.
He simply threw the berries without a word. The Crazy Crawdaunt members felt a bit awkward.
First, Heracross. Second, Rhyhorn. Third, Drifblim. The exempted contestants all got their berries.
The following contestants were safe:
Jumpluff
Dedenne
Bisharp
All the contestants that overcame their fear got their berries except for Tyrunt.
Snorunt
Grovyle
Nosepass
Skrelp
The final two were Archeops and Tyrunt. Archeops looked at Tyrunt apologetically. However, Tyrunt just crossed his arms and turned his face away.
Skarmory threw to last berry to…
…
…
…
Tyrunt didn't catch the berry because it bounced off his nose. He picked it up later with a smile though.
"For Elekid." Tyrunt ate it, he looked satisfied alongside the other contestants that voted for Archeops. Skrelp glanced at Bisharp, she didn't seem pleased. Bisharp didn't show any reaction, he remained indifferent. Until… a nudge from Jumpluff made him smile.
"Team, I want to pass the leader role to Bisharp." Archeops delegated her responsibility before she left. Bisharp looked a bit stressed. Skrelp had a smug look on her face after this.
Skarmory pointed to the camp with his wings, signaling all the contestants to leave.
"Salty much?" Drifblim asked. Skarmory sighed as he rolled his eyes.
Elimination Confessional
I have this coming I guess? I'm sorry Tyrunt, I'm truly sorry. I'm also sorry for failing my alliance. My fatal mistake was the Skarmory token deal a couple of days ago. It ruined everything. Other than that, I want my alliance to win and I'm fine with anyone winning honestly. I need time to recuperate from this sickening defeat.
Heracross was the only to come and see her off. The beetle waved at her former leader.
"Money makes Pokemon blind, doesn't it? Don't be in debt." Heracross advised.
"I definitely learn my lesson." Archeops assured as the Lapras departed.
Skarmory landed on the dock as they all left.
"Well, maybe I took that a bit too far but I felt offended. I came up with those lines and they thought that Chef Drapion created it for me. Forget it. Anyways, what will happen next? Let me give you a hint for the next challenge as a compensation for what I did. The codename is 'talent'. Think carefully. See all of you later in the next fearsome episode of Total Skarmory Island!"
Votes
Archeops: Tyrunt
Heracross: Tyrunt
Drifblim: Tyrunt
Skrelp: Tyrunt
Dedenne: Archeops
Jumpluff: Archeops
Snorunt: Archeops
Tyrunt: Archeops
Nosepass: Archeops
Rhyhorn: Archeops
Grovyle: Tyrunt
Bisharp: Archeops
Archeops: 7 (eliminated)
Tyrunt: 5
I revealed so many secrets in this episode yet I still have a few left. By far, this episode was the longest. I also put the most effort in this episode. I hope you enjoy it. The next one will be a bit on the shorter side so I will see if I can release it earlier than usual.
Archeops is one of the first few contestants that I created before the others. Fun fact, Lucario is the first contestant to be created. The next is Nosepass, Archeops, Darmanitan, Jumpluff, Bisharp and so forth. The last contestant that I created is Oddish. (That's why she is such a gimmicky character.) Not like revealing these things will spoil anything. I plan the elimination after I created the contestants. Her 'Defeatist' ability inspired her character. She can become a huge threat if the circumstances were right or the exact opposite can happen.
Some fears were hidden. I want to see if you can guess it. I will satisfy your curiosity a bit. Lucario is scared of losing.