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Yuka Ayna The Being of Balance
I don't want to spoil things yet. Wait to see if you are right about your theory. Shedinja x Cryogonal, is it possible? Maybe, Shedinja didn't seem very fond of Cryogonal though. Why don't you read this chapter and see if Houndour will return? Don't lose hope yet. Anyways, thanks for another review.
Sun Demigod
Houndour is probably the most popular character so I'm pretty sure everyone feels the same. I like him but well not everyone can be a winner. It is tough for me to decide thirty-one losers when every single one of them is worthy in some way. Except Oddish, she is probably my least favorite character, given the fact that I create her moments before chapter one. Hey, Lucario can win. He just needs to… Um, win every single immunity challenges. He is the strongest contestant. However, intellectual challenges will be the death of him though. Only if he is a bit more socially likable…
Octoriter
Hey, I slacked off to play Pokemon Sun too. No need to apologize. You like the Meowth & Co. alliance. Interesting choice. Yeah, Shedinja is a real surprise. I wouldn't see it coming either unless I'm the author. Challenges take time to create. Don't worry. It can sound good on paper but end up being horrible so you need to test it out. Imagine yourself competing. Is it exciting? Is there any flaws or loopholes? Try your best.
Roran the Zoroark
It takes time to come up with creative challenges. I'm a gameshow fanatic so I have a broad knowledge on this subject. You can take inspiration from some of mine and modify it to your own version.
Parousia45
Your analysis is pretty spot on. Lucario doesn't show his weakness because he can't afford to. In the Aura Beast, everyone look up to him as being invincible. He needs to present himself as a strong and (sometimes) heartless leader for the sake of his team. Lucario cares about Feckless Flygon like he cares about the Aura Beast. However, he won't hesitate to make a ruthless decision. Eliminating Houndour is one of them. Back in episode two, when Houndour shared noodles to his team, Lucario took note of that. Yet, he is also aware of something. Houndour is too nice and might eventually rebel against his plan. Lucario has been shown to embrace dirty tactics at times like in the berry challenge. Houndour isn't very fond of that. Their relationship is truly a special one. Anyways, it is up to your interpretation. You can see Lucario as a pure, selfish jerk and you will still be right as long as you got evidence to back it up.
Dark Arcanine 33
Yeah, I noticed that but probably forgot it by now. I'm not trying to follow the pattern but it just happened. Houndour is too obvious to be the winner. I don't feel like he is competitive enough to win either. I can imagine him saving his competitor in the finale and cost himself the million. I agree with you, Shedinja has issues. But I think he also deserves some sympathy. Lucario needs to win all the challenges like you said. No one is going to keep him until the finale and get absolutely destroyed. Except Darmanitan.
Episode 16: Rise and Fall? Fall and Rise!
The scent of the sea salt wafted into a small motor boat, entering the nose of a certain armored bird. He took a deep breath and relished upon the smell of defeat as an island appeared on the horizon.
The raw power of the engine sliced the blue surface into half, splashing the now pale white liquid around. Murmurs could be heard from the local Alomomola and Basculin as they glared at the inconsiderate speedy boat.
The host stretched his head out of the boat, spreading his wings as a breeze passed by. He gazed at the expanding island, unveiling itself slowly. Retracting himself back into the boat, he eyed a camera with a smile.
"Viewers, we are about to reach Loser Island. Excited? This is where fifteen losers gathered around to cry and moan about their 'unjust' defeat. By now, their salty tears can fill up the ocean! Just kidding of course, the situation there is much more tamed. Maybe it is because we never show them any footage of the episodes. They only have witnesses to pry for information. Let's pay them a visit, shall we?" Skarmory interacted with the viewers while Chef Drapion controlled the engine. He pulled a lever and the boat halted to a stop near the beach.
The island was by no means luxurious. Comparably to Skarmory Island, it was much smaller and less… preserved. Sights of Pyukumuku and some rubbish littered the beach. A few trees collapsed, probably from a storm. Sounds of wild Oranguru, Passimian and Mankey disturbed the peace. Not isolated but rather wild like a random island with no clear authority.
Despite all of this, a moderately adequate building settled in front of Skarmory. The host observed it without any familiarity. His eyes absorbed in the surroundings as if it was his second time here; his talons pressed down on the sand carefully to avoid the hazards of Pyukumuku.
"Hey! Skarmory is here, everyone!" Archeops shouted, notifying ex-contestants about his presence. The prehistoric bird then eagerly flew down stone stairs to the meet the host on the beach.
"Finally, I will get my chance to return to the island and win!" Archeops exclaimed, flapping her wings erratically.
Upon seeing a fellow flying type, Skarmory facepalmed himself.
"I could fly and that will be a lot easier…" Skarmory mumbled quietly to himself.
"Pardon?" Archeops asked, arching her brow.
"Oh, nothing." Skarmory brushed the question off. "Looks like the others are coming." Skarmory noticed the other contestants behind Archeops.
Houndour speeded down the stone stairs excitedly with Jumpluff tailing behind him. Machoke jogged down carelessly without looking at his steps, nearly tripping himself but recovered by holding the rails.
"Phew. That was close." Machoke sighed in relief. However, his sudden break caused Meowstic to crash into his back. Both of them rolled down the stairs, moaning in pain at their misfortune.
"I thought my Stair Stopper Technique works." Machoke said in a disappointed tone.
"Tacky trick. What a clumsy fool…" Meowstic grumbled.
"Be careful." Snorunt cautioned, stepping down slowly with Helioptile holding her right arm. Magikarp and Feebas splashed down slowly behind them.
Farfetch'd waited patiently at the top of the stairs for them to advance down. Facing his leek stalk, he engaged in his own personal conversation.
"Mr. Stalk knew this day would come. He yearns for redemption. No stairs or challenges can stop us. Let's go, Mr. Stalk." Farfetch'd addressed his prized possession, nodding determinedly. He placed his leek on the right rail and jumped on it, sliding down to the beach.
"Mr. Stalk is also a professional skateboard player." Farfetch'd proclaimed.
"Did you just magically float down the stairs?" Oddish said nonsensical stuff. "Amazing!" She cried, sounding fake. In addition, she drooled as she waddled down the stairs.
Last but not least, Tyrunt walked down with a smile on his face. Seemingly, things turned out well in Loser Island for him. Unfortunately, he accidentally slipped on Oddish's saliva. The gamer was about to plummet down the stairs until…
A burly hand grabbed his arm, preventing a fall. This helpful Pokemon got antennae on his head and yellow fur with black stripes.
Tyrunt turned around and thanked him. "Thank you very much for helping me, Electabuzz." Elekid had recently evolved into Electabuzz. Evidently, his muscles grew as well as his size. He was no longer a 'baby' Pokemon.
"No problem, friend." Electabuzz emphasized with a smirk. The two were the last to descend down the stairs. There was no sight of Aromatisse or Larvitar behind them.
"Ew." Tyrunt recoiled as he stared at his wet feet, disgust written all over his face. "Oddish, can you stop with your fake stupidity? You are already eliminated! Are you trying to spite us?" Tyrunt accused, glaring at her with a mean scowl.
"What are you talking about?" Oddish sweated. Tyrunt groaned. Electabuzz patted his left shoulder and approached Oddish.
"Oddish, please behave yourself. None of us like your cavewoman antics. You are a smarter girl than this, aren't you?" Electabuzz asked nicely. However, his powerful and commanding voice contrasted it.
Oddish gulped. "Alright, I learn my lesson." Electabuzz nodded in approval. Skarmory looked impressed as he spectated the situation.
"Wow, you changed." Skarmory said, widening his eyes. "You look stronger and… you also have a deeper voice too." Skarmory stared at him in awe. Electabuzz scratched his head, blushing a little at the compliment.
"Indeed, Electabuzz even put Larvitar in his place! Right now, that bully is probably crying in a corner somewhere." Tyrunt revealed satisfactorily.
"Interesting. How did you two reconcile after that fall out in the seventh episode? Can you go through the details of how Tyrunt apologized, Electabuzz?" Skarmory interviewed purposefully to inform the viewers.
"Well, he held his head low and just apologized sincerely. He told me that he will do anything to recover our friendship." Electabuzz explained.
"Yeah, anything." Tyrunt said nervously.
"What do you want from him? You didn't tell any of us yet. Please tell me!" Jumpluff interrupted, sparkling curiosity in her eyes. The other ex-contestants also looked curious. On the contrary, Tyrunt looked anxious.
"What is it, can you tell us?" Skarmory pressed for answers, getting up-close to him.
"Well, I will tell all of you later. Why don't we head inside?" Electabuzz indicated, heading up the stone stairs beforehand.
"Great idea, we should give the viewers a tour of your housing." Skarmory agreed, turning to the direction of the boat afterwards. Chef Drapion was loafing around.
"Chef, get a camera and follow me." Skarmory ordered to Chef Drapion's dismay. He muttered a few things under his breath before he got out. Nobody could hear him but it wasn't hard to guess that it was something unpleasant.
"Did he eat something wrong?" Magikarp wondered.
"I thought he was always like this even though I only lasted for one day." Feebas replied.
"How can you eat 'something wrong'? I never know that such a food exists with that kind of complicated name." Oddish made a stupid remark. Feebas and Magikarp both distanced themselves from her. The grass type frowned.
Feebas sighed. "When will she stop? I can't believe that my sanity is still intact after staying with her for more than one week."
"Larvitar is worse though. He tries to beat us up." Magikarp reminded.
"Yeah, but you used Splash on him courageously and he ran away." Feebas ogled over Magikarp for a few seconds.
"Honestly, I never thought that it would work. Maybe, it hit his sore spot or something." Magikarp said humbly. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Magikarp looked at her weirdly.
"Oh… nothing. We should catch up with the others now." Feebas turned away shyly and splashed up the stairs. Magikarp shrugged and splashed after her.
As everyone moved up the stairs, Skarmory faced the camera.
"Viewers, let me give a brief overview of this island. It is named Moss'up Island. Don't ask me why, I don't own it. I only rent it because it is cheap and convenient. Approximately, the island takes up about 120 square kilometers. A lot smaller than Skarmory Island. Oomph." Skarmory bumped into the glass door of the cottage, completely unaware. Chef Drapion cackled at him.
"That's not very funny, Chef Drapion." Skarmory disapproved, shaking his head slightly.
"Whatever, everyone else is already inside. Hurry up." Chef Drapion sneered at him until he also accidentally hit the door with the side of his head.
Skarmory cackled back at him. "Watch where you are going. You got a bit too close to the door." Skarmory returned a mocking smile and Chef Drapion groaned.
The cottage got a small front yard with a few white tables and chairs. Skarmory looked around a little. A few potted plants caught his eyes. They seemed to grow delicious-looking Oran Berries. He tilted his head upwards to see that the cottage was a three-story building with a wooden roof while everything else was concrete. Windows could be seen on all floors. The host eventually entered the premise, where everyone was waiting for him.
"Well, how is life here?" Skarmory asked the contestants as he glanced around.
The first floor was a large living room with a mini kitchen and dinner table to the left. This particular section looked small, considering that fifteen Pokemon live here. The main focus in the middle was the large circular couch with multiple cushions, holding up to twenty Pokemon at maximum. Facing it was a television with a large number of movies being stored below. Straight to the end was a door connecting to the backyard. Lastly, there was a restroom and staircase to the right corner.
"Inadequate and pretty shabby." Aromatisse criticized while filing her nails. "I can't believe that this place manages to top Skarmory Island on how horrible it is."
"Great, complain about tropical islands. Pokemon nowadays are so spoiled. Why don't you go outside and breath in fresh air a bit, huh? I didn't see you back at the beach." Skarmory pointed out.
"Who in their right mind would want to go outside and risk the chance of stepping on a Pyukumuku? No thanks, I don't want a leg surgery." Aromatisse stated her reason for not going outside. Skarmory rolled his eyes.
"Wait, where is Larvitar?" Upon realization, Skarmory questioned the bully's whereabouts.
"Last time, I saw him yesterday." Electabuzz told. "I confronted him and denounced his negative energy. In response, that psychopath swung a kitchen knife around so I knocked him out cold as self-defense." Everyone around him nodded, confirming the truth.
"So, none of you know where he is?" Skarmory asked. No one said anything.
"Well, looks like he might get disqualified from the redemption challenge. Hmm…" Skarmory contemplated. "Anyways, let's change the topic back. How's life here?"
"Great! I'm only here for a day but there are so many new things to explore!" Houndour said positive things.
"Jolly and relaxing. The view is perfect! I want to post pictures to my social media account already!" Jumpluff shouted enthusiastically.
"Well, from a scale of one to ten, I give it a six." Snorunt answered quietly.
"Is there a number called six?" Oddish acted dumb again. She was ignored and shunned.
"Amazing, I get to cook food for everyone here!" Helioptile told.
"Really? Please demonstrate sometime soon." Skarmory seemed intrigued.
"Well, she's a great chef. There isn't much to eat in the first few days without her." Magikarp praised.
"Mr. Stalk agrees but Mr. Stalk says that he is a better chef. He used to cook in five-star restaurants." Farfetch'd bragged. Some doubted what he said, giving him condemning looks. On the other hand, there were those that believed him.
"You never cook for us." Magikarp glared at him accusingly. "How can we know that you aren't lying?"
"I agree. I saw you cooked but you only cooked for yourself." Feebas indicated.
"Hey, if you don't believe, Mr. Stalk will prove it all to you." Farfetch'd looked serious.
"All of you suck, I'm the best chef. I cook food and all of you eat it." Chef Drapion boasted. Skarmory laughed uncontrollably, rolling on the ground. The others soon joined him with the laughter.
Chef Drapion seethed, gritting his teeth.
"Ridiculous, chef. But I got to admit that you are humorous. Maybe, you should be a comedian instead." Skarmory suggested an alternative career path for him.
"So, who is the best chef?" Machoke asked, scratching his head.
"We have a lot of time before the challenge so why don't we decide through a cooking competition?" Skarmory proposed, licking his lips a little.
"Great idea!" Tyrunt supported, clenching his bib.
"Sounds yummy." Snorunt agreed, giving Helioptile a motivating look. "I'm sure that Helioptile can deliver."
"Thanks for the encouragement, Snorunt." Helioptile beamed.
Skarmory glanced around and everyone seemed satisfied.
"Alright, our competitors please make your way to the kitchen and cook us delicious food. We will have a time limit of one hour." Skarmory instructed. "Hurry up and begin now. I'm hungry!" Skarmory hastened impatiently. Tyrunt dedicated his eyes at the fridge.
"I remember that there are Slowpoke tails somewhere inside." Tyrunt chatted with Electabuzz.
"You remember what I said right? Take care of your health and diet or else you will be sick." Electabuzz warned.
"Yeah." Tyrunt said, his tone wasn't very reassuring.
The three chefs shared the mini kitchen. Apparently, there were only two ovens, one microwave and a single frying pan. Additionally, the prepping table and the sink was also pretty small. It might be very inconvenient to work in this kind of environment.
Chef Drapion pushed his way through to the fridge. He hurriedly tossed random berries out. Meanwhile, the other two chefs washed their hands/wings first. Skarmory observed all of them closely.
"I will make my special delicacy." Chef Drapion declared once he saw Skarmory near him. Everyone looked revolted. Some even covered their mouth.
Skarmory avoided Chef Drapion and went to see what the other two was cooking up.
Both of them preheated their own respective ovens before they gathered their ingredients.
Farfetch'd rushed to the fridge first. He grabbed a package of Slowpoke tails hidden deep inside, onions, Oran berries and a few other things before he was about to close it. However, he kept it open once he saw Helioptile hurrying over there.
"Thank you." Helioptile said gratefully. She proceeded to grab sugar, eggs, baking powder, flour, butter and a few extracts.
"Are you baking a cake?" Skarmory asked, eyeing the ingredients.
"Yep, I want to try something new and different. Usually, I just cook meat and vegetables." Helioptile told.
"I look forward to it." Skarmory said before he got out of her way since the kitchen was small.
The host turned to Farfetch'd, who removed a box of cooking utensils and a pot from the cupboard underneath the prepping table.
"What are you cooking, young chef? Slowpoke tails?" Skarmory asked the same.
"Mr. Stalk is a savory kind of guy. He wants to serve all of you a hearty meal. Therefore, I will make a Savory Slowpoke Stew." Farfetch'd told before he placed the Slowpoke tails inside the pot.
"Right now, I'm going to season all the tails with salt and pepper to caramelize its texture." Farfetch'd explained once he saw Skarmory staring at the pot.
"Alright, good luck." Skarmory wished the very best for him before he squeezed his way to where Helioptile was cooking.
At the same time, Oddish invaded the kitchen and fixed a mean stare at the Slowpoke tails.
"You! You killed the Slowpoke for food?" Oddish accused.
"Do you even know the biology of Slowpoke? Must Mr. Stalk teach you? He is also a great teacher I swear." Farfetch'd scoffed at Oddish's ridiculous claims. The dumb plant girl cocked her head.
"Get out of the kitchen!" Chef Drapion yelled as she blocked his way. Oddish quickly scrambled out of there.
The chef lifted a hammer up and innovated his own method of cooking. He smashed the berries before pouring in a weird purple liquid. Skarmory cringed at this, deciding that it would be the best for him to focus on what Helioptile was cooking.
"What are you doing? Can you please explain why this part is necessary?" Skarmory asked, looking perplexed.
Currently, Helioptile used a brush to grease the pan with butter and sugar. This seemed to confuse the host.
"You never bake a cake before, don't you?" Helioptile asked a question back.
"Well, I have someone to cook for me." Skarmory admitted.
"Chef Drapion?" Helioptile assumed.
"No, someone else close to me." Skarmory said vaguely. A smile crept out of Helioptile's face once she heard this.
"Can you please explain now? That's none of your business." Skarmory looked a bit uncomfortable.
"Fine, I grease the pan so that the cake itself won't stick to it after I heat it up." Helioptile explained.
"I see." Skarmory nodded before he left the kitchen momentarily.
"Is it done yet?" Houndour approached him impatiently, his ears perked up.
"No, impatient as always. One hour, remember?" Skarmory chuckled at his attitude.
"I want to eat already, period." Tyrunt whined.
"Why don't we find something else to talk about?" Skarmory proposed while they were waiting.
"About what?" Aromatisse painted her nails with Feebas, who was observing all the make-up next to her.
"How about you? What did you do here in Loser Island?" Skarmory questioned, he didn't expect much from her.
"Not much. I watch a few romance and comedy movies. Other than that, I take care of my outer appearance. Oh, I also help Feebas to look a bit more beautiful." Aromatisse told.
"That's true. She is very kind to help me with my… issues. She painted my fins a few times, although all of it got washed off every time I touched water." Feebas stated.
Skarmory nodded before he looked around for someone else to interview. His eyes lightened up once he saw Electabuzz descending down from the second floor with a Porygon.
"Electabuzz, what do you want from Tyrunt?" Skarmory asked the question that has been on everyone's mind.
"Oh, about that? Simple, I want him to be healthier. Tyrunt, time for your daily fitness exercise." Electabuzz called him over.
"Are you my parent or my friend?" Tyrunt frowned.
"Your friend. Poryfit will be in charge of your exercise from now on." Electabuzz showed his upgraded robot. It still looked the same as before, only a switch was added on the back.
"Poryfit?" Skarmory seemed confused.
"That is the name of my Porygon buddy, it is created optimally for fitness. Hence, the reason why it can check your weight and heart rate." Electabuzz clarified. Afterwards, he flipped on the switch.
"Master, what can I do for you?" Poryfit can actually talk! Its voice was monotone with no emotions though.
"Wow, it is really upgraded!" Tyrunt looked impressed.
"Poryfit, commence the training session." Electabuzz ordered.
"Yes, master." Poryfit turned to Tyrunt. Suddenly, its eyes reddened.
"What is going on? Electabuzz, is it broken or something?" Tyrunt started to look anxious at how Poryfit glared at him with crimson, bloody eyes.
"No, Tyrunt. You better start to run. It will shoot lasers at you if you don't." Electabuzz alerted.
"Ahh!" Tyrunt screamed as he scrammed out of the cottage as fast as he possibly could. Poryfit started to chase him.
"Heart rate increasing, heart rate increasing." Poryfit repeated.
"Did you really do that to your friend?" Skarmory couldn't believe his eyes at what Electabuzz was doing.
"Nah, I just lied. Poryfit can't shoot lasers. I just want to teach him a reason after he betrayed me." Electabuzz confessed.
"Ahh! Help!" Tyrunt screamed for help to the top of his lungs.
"Heart rate increasing rapidly." Poryfit continued to chase him.
Archeops faced Tyrunt, sadness drowning in her eyes.
"Please help!" Tyrunt cried desperately.
In the corner of Archeop's right eye, Electabuzz shook his head at her.
"Sorry." Archeops looked down before she flew away. Suddenly, she detected someone flying above her.
"Archeops, can I have you for a second? I need to satisfy the curiosity of my viewers." Skarmory asked for an interview.
"I'm okay with that." Archeops allowed and the two landed on the roof. Archeops noticed Tyrunt running down the stone stairs with Poryfit behind him, sighing in the process.
"How are things going between you and Tyrunt? What are your relationship going forward with him?" Skarmory asked rapidly. Archeops took some time to process an answer.
"Well, Tyrunt recuperate from what happened faster than me. He approached me yesterday and told me sincerely that he no longer had any feelings for me, which I'm fine with. The thing is… To be frank, I feel guilty for manipulating him. I'm the one causing this entire mess. Electabuzz now treats him differently than before. I got tempted by my greed… At that time, I saw money, fame and prosperity ahead of me. I thought that I can settle things later and go along with Skrelp for now. I regret it. As the former leader of the Crazy Crawdaunt, I feel deeply ashmed." Archeops sobbed a bit at the end.
"Well, I feel a bit sorry for you. Hope things get better." Skarmory left her alone to give her time to reflect upon her wrongdoings.
The host returned to the kitchen to see their updated progress on the food.
"Close to finishing yet?" Skarmory addressed everyone from the front of the kitchen.
Chef Drapion added some salt to his purple sludge. "Yep." Chef Drapion replied. Skarmory ignored him, he concentrated on the other two.
Helioptile poured the batter into the pan before she placed it down gently inside the oven. "It should be done in thirty to forty minutes." Helioptile told.
Farfetch'd sliced the tip of the tail slightly with Mr. Stalk and added a few droplets of honey lemon. "Not yet." Farfetch'd answered without eye contact, absorbed in his own culinary work.
Skarmory exited the kitchen again to mingle with the ex-contestants a bit more, trying to make them spill juicy secrets or something spicy for the viewers.
"Tyrunt already told me everything! That jerk Grovyle hurt Bisharp and Dedenne." Jumpluff loathed. Skarmory listened attentively.
Skarmory moved on to the next interviewee, Meowstic.
"No one watches my magic tricks anymore! Life is so unfair…" Meowstic rambled. Skarmory yawned, uninterested.
Finally, Machoke. The technician was outside, in the backyard.
The backyard consisted of a swimming pool and a football field after it. For the swimming pool, it was pretty clean. The left side of the pool was shallow while the right was deep. Deep enough for Scolipede to sink at the very least. The football field was nothing special. There were two goals, one to the left and right.
Skarmory saw Machoke playing football with a Passimian local. There was also an Oranguru working as a judge. Machoke saw Skarmory and waved swiftly.
"Hi, Skarmory. We are playing fruit-ball. One on one, first to one point wins." Machoke said as he kicked a green coconut back at the Passimian.
Skarmory spectated the match casually, watching them kicking a coconut ball back and forth. Machoke on the left and Passimian on the right.
The Passimian stepped back a bit before he charged and slammed his feet into the ball, sending it flying to the sky at a high speed. It had a high chance of entering Machoke's goal.
"Time to use my Goal Gutter Technique." Machoke announced as he spread his arms and legs, blocking the goal as much as he could before the ball shot down to the ground like a meteor. It bounced under his legs and annihilated the goal net.
"Passimian wins." Oranguru announced and lifted the right arm of Passimian up as he flexed his muscles in triumph.
"I lost again." Machoke looked disappointed in himself.
"You played with the local Pokemon often?" Skarmory asked.
"Yeah, they destroy me all the time." Machoke rubbed the back of his head.
"At least, you didn't get injured. Cheer up." Skarmory consoled him a bit before he was about to leave. Until…
"Brother Passman, a Larvitar tried to steal our reserve of food so we beat him up and bring him over here for you to decide his judgement." Another Passimian arrived, dragging Larvitar behind him. The bully was bruised up, his eyes were sore and blood bled out of his mouth a little.
"Wait, I know him." Machoke interrupted. "I think he already learned his lesson. Just let him go." Machoke said with sympathy.
"Keep out of this!" Larvitar growled. "I don't need a help from a pathetic guy like you. I can destroy everyone. I'm a god!' Larvitar resembled a delusional loser, his eyes quaked with fear but his lips persisted stubbornly. Machoke was shocked at how irrational he was.
Passman (the one who played with Machoke) banged Larvitar's head against the hard shell of a coconut. The rocky reptile whimpered with both fear and pain.
"You are one foolish degenerate. Know when to admit defeat and be humble when in front of your elders like your friend over there." Passman pointed at Machoke. "If it isn't for him, I will report you to the police for robbery." Passman threw Larvitar straight into his goal.
"Thank you very much, Jungle Leader Passman." Machoke respectfully bowed, pleased at the outcome.
"Village leader?" Skarmory was genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, I befriended him some time ago after he saved me when I got lost in the jungle. I'm not good with directions." Machoke gave a sheepish grin.
"He seems very strong and proud." Skarmory commented before he checked up on Larvitar. "How are you feeling?"
"Do you need to even ask? Don't you have eyes to see that I'm suffering?" Larvitar retorted.
"How rude of you. I thought about helping you, you know that? Now, I don't feel generous." Skarmory said condescendingly before he left.
Even though Larvitar looked like a mess, he scowled at Machoke. Another Pokemon that could potentially help him.
"Err, you don't want me to help because I don't know any healing techniques?" Machoke scratched his head, asking obliviously.
"All of you are inferior to me. Someday, I will turn into a Mega Tyranitar and destroy all of you!" Larvitar continued with his nonsense before he limped back inside the cottage slowly.
"Geez, what's wrong with him?" Machoke scratched his head again before he re-entered the cottage as well.
One hour passed and the food was done. Tyrunt salivated as his appetite expanded after a long, grueling exercise. Electabuzz emerged from upstairs and Tyrunt immediately crossed his arms.
"You lied." Tyrunt said, looking touchy.
"You betrayed me. It is even I say." Electabuzz countered.
"I thought you are my friend. How vindictive." Tyrunt crossed his arms even more, averting his eyes.
"I thought you said that you will do anything for me to forgive you. I did that for your own good, Tyrunt." Electabuzz argued.
Archeops looked guilt-tripped as she heard the exchange between the two.
"You are just like my parents! You do everything 'for my own good', without being considerate of my feelings!" Tyrunt snapped. Electabuzz was about to reply until Archeops interrupted.
"Stop, you two! Instead of blaming each other, blame me instead! It is my fault that you two got torn apart. I'm your leader, I should be held responsible." Archeops talked some sense into both of them.
Tyrunt lifted his eyes to Electabuzz, who also did the same. The two faced each other.
"Maybe, I'm a bit too harsh." Electabuzz spoke first. "Sorry." He apologized.
"I guess I should see the bigger picture. You want the best for me but I-I'm disobedient. I'm sorry as well." Tyrunt also apologized. Both of them shared a hug at the end.
"Aww…" Jumpluff looked touched.
"Dudes, that was very mature. Both of you. Forget and forgive." Houndour praised.
"Should we eat now?" Snorunt pointed out meekly, ruining the moment a little. However, neither of them minded it.
Larvitar glared at everyone in a corner before he hissed and left.
"Boys and girls, the food is ready! Wait, what's wrong with him?" Helioptile asked as she stared at his retreating figure.
"He is hurt, we should go and help him." Houndour suggested.
"No matter how many times he calls me ugly, I can't see him starve and die. Who is going to be responsible for his corpse?" Feebas brought up a good point.
"His parents will be worried too." Magikarp added.
"Yeah, they will probably sue me." Skarmory quivered at the thought of that.
By this point, the smell of delicious food lured all of them to the dining table.
"Larvitar can wait, let's eat!" Tyrunt licked his lips.
Everyone couldn't resist the temptation and decided to eat first, Larvitar second and redemption challenge for last.
The table was small so they needed to stand up while they eat. Unfortunately, with thirteen hungry Pokemon (excluding Farfetch'd, Helioptile, Larvitar and Chef Drapion), there wasn't a lot of food going around.
"Mr. Stalk serves a savory bite of a rare and delightful Slowpoke tail to all of you. This stew includes the main ingredient, a few Oran berries, onions and lettuces for a healthy meal. The Slowpoke tail was stuffed with honey lemon to exemplify the sweetness of the tail yet contrast it with the sour taste of the lemon. Slowpoke tail is commonly known as a sweet and tender meat. Therefore, Mr. Stalk hopes to flip that expectation around and innovates this cuisine into something special while trying to remain authentic and stay true to the original taste. I hope all of you enjoy it." Farfetch'd explained his process of cooking while everyone dug in on the meat.
"Aren't we hurting the Slowpoke? Don't eat meat, guys. Free other Pokemon." Oddish campaigned ignorantly.
"So, you want us to eat you instead?" Skarmory used her words inadvertently against her. Oddish became silent.
"I'm not a big fan of meat either but at least most of the meat we eat are artificial nowadays. Didn't you learn that from school?" Jumpluff questioned.
"Err…I-I" Oddish stuttered.
"I can't really tell if you are being serious or are acting dumb sometimes. When I show my magical tricks, you either say random things totally unrelated to the subject or believe them whole-heartedly." Meowstic spoke up while chewing on her Slowpoke tail.
"Close your mouth while eating. How un-ladylike and immodest of you." Aromatisse scolded as bits of food spilled from Meowstic's plate.
"Wear a bib, both you and Oddish." Tyrunt suggested. He emptied his plate and wiped his mouth clean with his bib before he grabbed another serving.
However, Electabuzz slapped his hand.
"For your health. Take care of your diet." Electabuzz reminded. Tyrunt frowned grumpily.
"Scrumptious, restaurant quality." Skarmory complimented.
"Creative idea but I still prefer sweet food." Feebas commented.
Unsuspectingly, Larvitar sneaked down from the second floor, eyeing the pot of Slowpoke tails. He maneuvered stealthily and quietly.
"My turn. It is time for all of you to eat my special delicacy." Chef Drapion instantly swapped the pot out for his plate of special delicacy. At this moment, Larvitar struck and stole the whole plate.
"Haha suckers, I got all the tasty-" Larvitar was dumb-founded once he saw the chef's special delicacy. "This isn't supposed to happen!"
"Larvitar, since you like it so much that you even steal it in front of our faces, you should have all of it. Right, everyone?" Skarmory asked. Everyone agreed and nodded.
"You better eat all of it or else…" Chef Drapion threatened evilly. Larvitar gulped.
As everyone enjoyed their dessert, a vanilla cake with chocolate toppings, Larvitar ate the chef's special delicacy to his heart's content. He even cried tears of joy. Of course, it must be tears of joy. What else could it be? Tears of agony and revulsion? Preposterous!
The redemption challenge was about to begin. Before that, Skarmory held a special confessional session where everyone took turns talking to the camera privately.
Confessional
Feebas: "I want to redeem myself after my humiliating defeat. Hopefully, Magikarp gets to return with me." She said dreamily at the end.
Magikarp: "Personally, I don't want to return. Everybody should know by now how I feel about Lucario. I prefer someone like Houndour and Jumpluff to return. Their loved ones are still in the game."
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk says that he will stick to the old strategy. I will listen to him. Mr. Stalk is never wrong about anything twice. If I am to return, I will stay by my convictions. My girlfriend doesn't want me to make alliances so I won't make alliances. Last I heard, she said that she wanted to fly to the island to see me compete. I can't fail her like that."
Helioptile: "I'm glad that everyone seems happy with my cooking skills. Farfetch'd tied with me for first while Chef Drapion got third. Well, about the redemption challenge… I'm happy to stay in this island so that I can cook for more Pokemon and make them all smile."
Larvitar: "I'm the best. I will destroy all of those losers. After I return, I will beat my traitorous nose minion, that boring Rhyhorn and that stupid seahorse up!"
Oddish: "Meowstic promises me free pretzels if she wins. Yay, I will help her to win. Bah! I already look ludicrous for acting dumb. Therefore, I thought why don't I pretend to actually be stupid so nobody realizes that my foolproof strategy didn't work. Genius, right?"
Electabuzz: "I want to return. To show how stronger I have become. This time, everyone will take me seriously. I won't be some nerdy loser anymore but a real threat to win the game."
Archeops: "There is only one reason for me to return… To right my wrongs. If I can return and stop Skrelp then that's all I can ask for."
Meowstic: "I'm such a great magician. I used my dark magic on Oddish so that she will do my bidding. Mwahaha… Scolipede, I will get my revenge!"
Machoke: "Well, returning is nice I guess. I get to see Darmanitan. Hopefully, I will also be a bit more useful in challenges. Or else, I rather stay here if I'm not good enough yet."
Snorunt: "I prefer to stay here with my best friend, Helioptile. I rather let Jumpluff return instead of me."
Aromatisse: "Well, I'm not very fond of returning to that dirty island but this place isn't fabulous either. I feel like I'm the representative of beautiful Pokemon in this game so perhaps I should."
Jumpluff: "I really miss Bisharp. I want to return. I'm scared that he might do something that he will regret if I don't."
Tyrunt: "I want Houndour to return. He helped me through a lot of things. The guy deserves it."
Houndour: "Well, I promised Duosion that I will return no matter what. Here goes nothing."
Skarmory led all the contestants out to the stone stairs. There, he explained the challenge.
"The redemption challenge will be split into two parts. The first is called 'Rise and Fall'. Only four contestants will advance to the final round. Do you all see the buoys floating out there on the sea?" Skarmory indicated. The ex-contestants stretched out their view to the sea, there were fifteen buoys with fifteen baskets attached to it. In addition, a face of each contestant was stuck on each buoy. The farthest left had Feebas while the farthest right had Houndour.
"The objective of this game is to throw Pyukumuku into the basket of the contestant that you want to eliminate. Once your buoy sinks, you are eliminated. The game goes on until four buoys are left or…" Skarmory paused to build suspense. The contestants all anticipated what he was about to say next.
"Moss'up Island is known for inconsistent tide changes. Once the tide rises, all the Pyukumuku will be gone by then. The challenge ends and we tally the Pyukumuku inside each basket. In case of a tie, there will be a special tiebreaker. Any questions?" Skarmory asked, looking at each and every contestant.
"We can't exactly throw the Pyukumuku, what do you expect us to do?" Magikarp referred to himself and Feebas.
"Well, you need to hope that you either evolve…" Magikarp didn't seem pleased with this answer, neither did Feebas. "… or lucky enough that none of the other ex-contestants hate you." Skarmory answered, not very helpful.
No one else asked any question so Skarmory flew up into the air and blew a whistle, signaling the start of the challenge.
Houndour sprinted ahead while Archeops flew with great agility to the beach. Jumpluff floated to avoid the crowded stairs. Farfetch'd slid on the rails once again. Electabuzz tailed Houndour by a bit, dragging Tyrunt behind him. Meowstic was not far behind, with Oddish next to her. Aromatisse, Helioptile, Snorunt all made their way slowly. However, Larvitar pushed Snorunt down.
"Haha, loser." Larvitar laughed and pointed mockingly.
"You!" Helioptile angrily kicked him on the knee and Larvitar dropped down to the ground.
"It hurts." Larvitar moaned in pain.
Helioptile helped Snorunt got up to her feet.
"Thank you." Snorunt said quietly.
Machoke was at the back of the pack, alongside the two splashing Pokemon.
"Time to use my Stair Leap Technique." Machoke jumped down recklessly and lost all sense of balance once he landed. He ended up rolling down the stairs.
"Watch out! Ah!" Machoke warned as he rolled into Meowstic and Oddish. Fortunately, Aromatisse, Helioptile and Snorunt clung to the rail and dodged successfully.
"What the hell!" Meowstic shouted furiously as the three rolled into Tyrunt, Electabuzz and Houndour, snowballing into a pile of mess at the bottom of the stairs.
"How did this happen?" Houndour asked as everyone landed on him. "Ow, my back. Eevee is a lot lighter than this." He seemed to be in pain.
Archeops took the lead with Farfetch'd right behind her. She grabbed a Pyukumuku with her talons and tried to deliver it to a basket until Skarmory stopped her.
"Unfair advantage." Skarmory ruled it out. Archeops frowned as she returned back to the ground.
Right there and then, Farfetch'd grabbed a Pyukumuku and hurled it up.
"Mr. Stalk, I hope your baseball skills aren't rusty." Farfetch'd said before he batted the Pyukumuku with his leek stalk, sending it flying into Larvitar's basket.
"Hey!" Larvitar shouted angrily.
Jumpluff carefully lifted a Pyukumuku up, avoiding the pink spikes and threw it as well. It barely missed Larvitar's basket.
Larvitar clenched his jaw and rushed down the stairs hurriedly.
Gradually, everyone got up and going after the snowball accident. Machoke, Tyrunt and Electabuzz pulled Houndour up, helping him to stand properly.
"Sorry, my technique didn't work." Machoke apologized.
"It's okay." Houndour assured. Although, his eyes circled around dizzily and his back made a few cracking sounds. Not very reassuring in the slightest.
Archeops used her claws to threw an overhead shot. The Pyukumuku went down Larvitar's bucket. The buoy looked like it was about to sink.
"One more, guys." Archeops persuaded them all to go for the bully.
Helioptile threw one as well, aiming at Larvitar's basket. However, it curved to the left and entered her own basket.
"Stupid me." Helioptile facepalmed herself.
"What a blind loser." Larvitar insulted as he threw one as well, aiming at Helioptile's basket. Coincidentally, it happened to curve to the right and fell down into his own basket. The buoy sank immediately.
"Larvitar is eliminated." Skarmory announced. The rock type stomped off angrily.
"Serves him right." Helioptile smiled, not aware that she was about to be the next target.
"Helioptile already got one, eliminate her!" Meowstic influenced, throwing one but missed. Helioptile looked worried.
"Yeah because that's the dumb thing to do." Oddish acted stupid.
"Go for Oddish instead." Snorunt tried to divert the attention to someone else. Surprisingly, it worked. Nobody likes Oddish and they all ganged up on her. The buoy sank in seconds.
"Wow, that's… smart." Oddish said, speechless after that. She walked up the stairs, passing the splashing duo. Both of them gave up a long time ago.
"I think we have no chance of winning." Magikarp said pessimistically.
"I agree." Feebas hopelessly stared at the others on the beach.
Farfetch'd hurled the Pyukumuku up into the air before he swung again. This time, he aimed at Archeops' basket. It entered successfully.
"Why me?" Archeops questioned his decision.
"You are a threat." Farfetch'd stated his reason simply, lifting another Pyukumuku up.
"You are a threat as well." Archeops pointed out. She tried to throw one into his basket.
However, Farfetch'd batted his so that it collided with hers. The Pyukumuku canceled each other off.
"You can do that?!" Archeops was astonished by his performance. Farfetch'd didn't waste any time to scavenge for more Pyukumuku.
On the other hand, Machoke scratched his head as he couldn't find one.
"Where are they?" Machoke walked around carelessly and accidentally stepped on one.
"Ow." Machoke yelped, stumbling down. He landed on another Pyukumuku. This time, the spikes pierced his butt.
"Ouch!" Machoke yelled in pain, throwing both of them away. He didn't even try to aim. However, he somehow managed to land one in Feebas' basket and another in Magikarp's.
"Lucky me." Machoke said in disbelief.
Archeops' buoy was about to sink after constant pressure from Farfetch'd. The prehistoric bird was preoccupied with her opponent. Electabuzz used this opportunity to hurl one into her basket.
"Archeops, eliminated." Skarmory announced. Archeops sighed in disappointment before she left.
"That's for manipulating Tyrunt." Electabuzz told. Speaking of Tyrunt, he struggled to throw one into a basket at all. The gamer didn't have enough strength to throw one far enough.
"This is tough." Tyrunt complained, sweating horribly.
"Let me help you." Electabuzz offered.
"I don't think I can do it." Tyrunt had no faith in himself.
"No, you can do it. Turn sideways, stretch your feet back a little." Electabuzz corrected his stance.
"Aim at a forty-five-degree angle and try to throw it! Don't give up!" Electabuzz encouraged, clapping to motivate him.
Tyrunt took a deep breath before he threw the Pyukumuku with all of his might. It entered Meowstic's basket.
"I… did it!" Tyrunt jumped up in joy.
"Bravo." Electabuzz congratulated.
Meowstic saw what happened and fumed.
"Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam!" Meowstic enchanted her throw with superstitious and clairvoyant power. Miraculously, it entered Tyrunt's basket. She smirked with satisfaction.
Electabuzz and Tyrunt saw what happened.
"You know what to do right?" Electabuzz smirked mischievously. Tyrunt had the same idea. Both of them tossed their Pyukumuku into her basket.
"Meowstic eliminated. Eleven contestants left." Skarmory updated. The magician ranted on and on as she walked up the stairs.
Aromatisse nervously approached one of the Pyukumuku.
"You won't hurt me, right?" Aromatisse asked, rubbing its non-spiky area gently.
The Pyukumuku didn't said anything. Rather, it spat its innards out straight into her face forcefully.
"*beep*! My pretty face!" Aromatisse swore, covering her damaged face. She clenched her fist. It was rare to see Aromatisse acted like this. Everyone stared at her. With one hand covering her face and other lifting the Pyukumuku up, she chucked it mightily. Unintentionally, it entered Houndour's basket. Aromatisse didn't bother looking at what she did at all. Instead. she quickly left the beach to clean up her face inside the restroom, crying a little along the way.
"Well, you better start throwing." Tyrunt advised Houndour.
"Absolutely! I need to keep my promise to Duosion!" Houndour started to panic, his eyes darting around for Pyukumuku. Once he found one, he got right into the action. Despite his back injury, he hurled one successfully into Machoke's basket.
"Yeah, you got it!" Tyrunt cheered.
Houndour gave Machoke a friendly, slightly apologetic smile. Machoke didn't seem to mind it.
In the restroom…
"Are you alright?" Feebas checked up on Aromatisse, deeply concerned about her friend.
"My face. My only perfect quality is ruined!" Aromatisse exclaimed.
"It might not be that bad." Feebas tried to be optimistic.
Aromatisse removed her hands from her face to reveal the sickening damage. Feebas stared into the mirror, appalled at the reflection. Her entire face got destroyed. The skin changes color from white into a nasty black with a deep bruise near her left eye. The red pupil blackened. It was as if she suffered from plague, black death over looming her pretty face.
Tears slowly dripped from her eyes. She gaped as she gazed at the mirror, agonizing over her loss.
"It will heal… eventually." Feebas tried to lift her spirits.
"I guess this is how it feels to be ugly. Worthless, pathetic and meaningless." Aromatisse despaired.
"Don't say that! Beauty isn't the only thing in this world! What truly matters is the inside! Aromatisse, not many Pokemon might say this to you but… appearance isn't your most significant quality. It is your heart." Feebas aroused an intense, indescribable emotion inside Aromatisse.
"I don't understand." Aromatisse looked confused.
"Remember the first day on Skarmory Island. You gave me a chance to prove my worth. You see something inside me as well. Even when you are eliminated, you dedicated your time and effort for this ugly fish. You are kind-hearted. Nothing will change that even if you suddenly become the ugliest Pokemon in this world!" Feebas spoke from her heart, waking Aromatisse up.
"You are… right. My look isn't the only thing that I have. I'm too obsessed with it to the point where Lucario overlooked my shining personality. That's why I'm eliminated. I never tried to branch out and do something else other than maintaining my beauty. I want to redeem myself!" Aromatisse felt a sudden boost of resolve and determination.
"That's how I like it, girl. Go out and show everyone else what you are capable of!" Feebas smiled widely.
Five minutes since Machoke got a Pyukumuku in his basket, nothing changed. Why? Seemingly, there was no Pyukumuku left to throw.
"Mr. Stalk, can you detect any nearby?" Farfetch'd asked his trusty partner.
"Pyukumuku, where are you?" Helioptile called. "Where are you?" Snorunt repeated after her.
"My Pyukumuku Pursuit Technique didn't work." Machoke had no luck either. He sighed and decided to sit down for a short rest. However, it was déjà vu when he sat on a Pyukumuku again.
"Ugh!" Machoke rubbed his butt before he grunted and threw the Pyukumuku away. It headed to Farfetch'd's basket.
"Great thinking, Machoke! He is in the lead." Jumpluff complimented.
"I just throw it. What are you trying to like... imply?" Machoke revealed that it wasn't intentional.
Farfetch'd scurried around for something to intercept the Pyukumuku but he got nothing so far. He started to look nervous.
Suddenly, an unprecedented event occurred, the Pyukumuku bounced off the edge of the basket into Helioptile's basket instead.
"What?!" Helioptile couldn't believe how unlucky she was. On the other hand, Farfetch'd looked giddy.
"I need a rest." Machoke sat down again. To no one surprise, Pyukumuku poked his butt once again.
"What the-?!" Machoke nearly lost control of himself. "Wait… My Pyukumuku Pursuit Technique worked. Good grief!" Machoke seemed somewhat happy as he tossed it randomly again. This time, it entered Snorunt's basket.
Shortly after, the tides rose gradually. The challenge was about to end. Farfetch'd, Aromatisse, Electabuzz and Jumpluff got no Pyukumuku in their basket.
"Houndour, quickly throw another Pyukumuku into an empty basket!" Tyrunt told him the only solution.
"I'm trying." Houndour panicked as he ran at full speed around the beach. He thought he saw something at the end of the beach and headed over there.
The tides consumed half of the beach already. At this point, all the other contestants except Houndour ascended up the stone stairs.
"Houndour, be careful!" Magikarp said urgently. "You are a fire type."
"I need to do this for Duosion. Ow." Houndour winced as the pain on his back escalated. He staggered a bit more until he reached the end only to see a rock.
The tides flooded his feet. This was a severe emergency!
"Got you!" Skarmory rescued him luckily at the last second.
"Duosion, I failed you." Houndour mumbled weakly.
"I hurt his back…" Machoke looked guilty as he covered his face in shame.
"I landed on him." Tyrunt averted his eyes once Skarmory dropped Houndour down.
"It's alright, guys. Just an accident." Houndour assured, although his voice was filled with sorrow.
"Farfetch'd, Electabuzz, Jumpluff and Aromatisse please come to the front yard. The rest, head inside the cottage." Skarmory instructed.
Machoke and Tyrunt patted Houndour's back as they helped him to walk properly. The others looked at him with sympathy.
There was a table set up outside in the front yard with four chairs and four cameras underneath each player side. A deck of cards was shown in the middle. All of the four contestants sat down. Farfetch'd faced the cottage. Electabuzz faced the sea. Jumpluff was to the left of Electabuzz. Aromatisse was to the left of Farfetch'd.
"Is your face alright?" Jumpluff asked out of concern.
"It is getting better." Aromatisse said in a slightly optimistic tone.
Skarmory eventually appeared to explain the rules.
"This card game is called Skarmory Match. Let me show the deck first." Skarmory flipped all the cards open. There were pairs of one, two, three, four, five, six and seven. Three eight cards, three Ditto cards, two Drapion cards and one Skarmory. The Skarmory card had a holographic pattern.
"The objective of this game is to score sixteen points. There will be two winners. Every time you got a match on your turn, you earn points corresponding to the card number. For eight, you need to get a three of a kind. To make your life easier, Ditto cards can transform into any cards. For example, if you got two eights, you can use a Ditto to earn eight points." Skarmory paused his explanation to sip some coffee.
He then continued. "Each player starts with three cards in their hand and take turns to steal a card from another player clock-wise. You can't have more than four cards in your hand and you also can't have less than three cards. You will either discard or draw a card if that happens. At the start of your turn, you will get the option to draw a card. Then, you may discard your entire hand and draw the same number of cards at a cost of two points. After that, you are forced to steal a card from the player to your left because that's how it works in clockwise." Skarmory stopped once Jumpluff gave him confused looks.
"I thought clockwise is to the right?" Jumpluff asked.
"Nope, let me make it easy to understand for you." Skarmory demonstrated by walking over to Farfetch'd.
"Looking at a clock is like looking at a mirror, we tend to believe our eyes rather than logic. Farfetch'd is six o clock. Electabuzz is twelve o clock. Jumpluff, you are three o clock, get it now?" Skarmory explained, Jumpluff nodded in understanding.
"Now, let me continue. Reshuffling works uniquely in this card game. For example, after you discard a pair of one and have less than three cards. You don't reshuffle the ones back into the deck right away, you draw first. Therefore, you will never get the same cards. In addition, you can't look at the cards inside the deck. Understand? Need a re-explanation?" Skarmory asked, looking around to make sure the rules are set in stone.
"Mr. Stalk wants to know about Drapion and Skarmory cards. You didn't tell us about them yet." Farfetch'd reminded.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. Well, I save the best for last. The two Drapion cards are penalties. You want to avoid it because it subtracts your point total by one every turn until you reach zero. You can't discard it either unless it is the only card in your hand. Did you notice that I say 'it' instead of 'they'? That is because you are automatically eliminated if you have two in your hand." Skarmory dropped a terrifying twist. Aromatisse gasped. Electabuzz widened his eyes. Farfetch'd gripped Mr. Stalk tightly and Jumpluff looked around worriedly.
"On the other hand, you will want the Skarmory card. It allows you to look at your opponent's hand. Ditto cards cannot replicate the effects of special cards so don't even try. I finish my explanation now. We will start right away." Skarmory piled all the cards together and shuffled them before he handed them out to each player. Subsequently, he tossed a die on the table and gestured for all players to roll it.
"Starting first seems pretty advantageous." Electabuzz remarked, picking the die up and placing it down. "Who wants to roll first?" Electabuzz allowed the others to choose. Farfetch'd contemplated quietly while Aromatisse didn't say much of anything. She just stared at her cards.
"Me, me!" Jumpluff volunteered excitedly. She picked it up with her cotton puffs and dropped it down. It nearly bounced off the table but luckily it teetered on the edge with the number four facing upwards.
"Not bad, I will go next then." Aromatisse took the die and rolled it quickly. She got a three.
Electabuzz gave the die to Farfetch'd and he rolled as well, getting a five.
"My turn." Electabuzz told, shaking the die. He dropped it down and got a six.
"Electabuzz will start first, then Jumpluff, then Farfetch'd and Aromatisse. The cameras will broadcast everything inside. That is where I will be. Enjoy Skarmory Match." Skarmory informed before he left.
Farfetch'd took a peek at his cards before putting them down, masking himself with a poker face.
Jumpluff smiled a little once she saw her cards.
Electabuzz nodded a bit, observing other players.
Aromatisse held her cards tightly, her muscles a bit tense.
The game was about to begin.
Skarmory entered the cabin and faced everyone. "Let us turn on the TV." He suggested, pressing a button with his right wing. Everyone watched as the screen brightened up, showing four split screens. Each screen has a black box detailing the score and cards in each player's hand.
"I want to play! I'm a magician!" Meowstic whined.
"I'm so excited as a gamer." Tyrunt expressed his joy, shaking the couch a little.
"How to play?" Machoke scratched his head. Skarmory handed him an instruction booklet.
"Thanks." Machoke accepted it and shared the booklet with everyone else.
Back to the game…
Electabuzz got one seven and two eights. He tried his best to solidify his face, not showing any signs of happiness.
"I will draw a card." He told other players and swiftly pulled a six into his hand. Electabuzz organized his cards properly, ranging from the smallest number to the largest and placed it down neatly.
Electabuzz turned to Jumpluff and she knew immediately what was about to happen.
"Let me shuffle the cards first." Jumpluff requested and Electabuzz nodded in allowance.
She strategically switched her own cards around, hiding her Ditto card at the back while leaving a three and a one at the front.
Electabuzz made contact with the front card, a one. A smile flashed up Jumpluff's face. Seeing this, he picked the second one, a three instead. Jumpluff sighed in relief to herself.
Electabuzz discarded the three, showing it to everyone before he reshuffled it back into the deck without looking. Aromatisse glanced at the card before she sneaked a look at her hand. Farfetch'd didn't seem to have any interest.
Next turn, Jumpluff was forced to draw a card and got a five. She had a look of deep thought as she placed her cotton puffs under her chin. She pulled the five and the Ditto out, netting herself an early lead.
Jumpluff 0 + 5 = 5
With only a one card in her hand, Jumpluff drew two more cards. She got an eight and a six. The Ditto cards tempted the eyes of everyone as it was shuffled back alongside a five.
Farfetch'd held his hand up for her to select a card. Jumpluff chose the middle one. Farfetch'd handed the card over, staring at her blankly. Jumpluff saw it and was stunned for a couple of seconds.
It was a Drapion card.
Jumpluff 5 – 1 = 4
The other flying type took a quick look at his cards before he faced them down on the table. Currently, he got a Ditto and a four. He was forced to draw another card and it was another four.
"Mr. Stalk, what should we do next? Aha, got it." Farfetch'd talked to himself, weirding other players out a bit.
"Can you please do something?" Electabuzz hurried him up.
"Do you have a good hand?" Farfetch'd asked Electabuzz casually.
"No." Electabuzz said simply.
"Mr. Stalk is a lie detector. He knows when you are lying. You want a Ditto?" Farfetch'd asked a different question.
"Everyone wants one." Electabuzz tried to talk his way out.
"You throw a three away. Your entire hand must consist of four or higher." Farfetch'd speculated. Jumpluff and Aromatisse turned their eyes to Electabuzz.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Farfetch'd are you trying to harass me? Hurry up." Electabuzz looked upset.
"I just want to help you. Don't worry." Farfetch'd assured as he placed a four and a Ditto down and grinned a little, following Electabuzz's gaze on the Ditto card.
Farfetch'd 0 + 4 = 4
Back inside the cottage…
"Why did he use the Ditto? I don't understand." Houndour sounded confused. He lay on a couch, resting his back.
"It is risky to keep a Ditto card in your hand for too long. There is no guarantee that he will get a number higher than four either. Also, look at Electabuzz's hand. He got too many high value cards. As of right now, there is another Drapion card in the deck. Farfetch'd is smart, he wants Electabuzz to be greedy and burn through the deck for the Ditto. He knows that there is a decent chance that Electabuzz will get at least one Drapion from either drawing too aggressively or from Jumpluff." Skarmory analyzed the situation.
"You are very smart and knowledgeable. Just like Duosion…" Houndour praised bittersweetly.
"Well, I created the game. Isn't that expected?" Skarmory said, indifferent.
"Hey, I don't understand what this booklet says." Oddish held the booklet upside down.
"Flip the book." Archeops told. Oddish obeyed, frowning.
"I still don't understand what it says." Oddish continued with her pretense.
"Farfetch'd seems competitive. I don't really like him." Snorunt whispered to Helioptile.
"That is probably because we didn't show him much affection. No one went to see him off. He got a code of honor that I can give respect for though." Helioptile balanced Snorunt's feelings.
"I mean doing that to Electabuzz… Hmm, what do you think, Tyrunt?" Snorunt asked for his opinion.
"I don't like him either and he is a weirdo. Maybe, because I don't really get to know him. Although, he cooks well so not like I care that much." Tyrunt told.
On the screen, Farfetch'd's hand was updated. He got a five and a two from the deck. He also took a one from Aromatisse.
Aromatisse possessed a two and a three in her possession as of now.
Current Standings
Electabuzz: 6, 7, 8, 8 (0)
Jumpluff: 1, 6, 8, Drapion (4)
Farfetch'd: 1, 2, 4, 5 (4)
Aromatisse: 2, 3 (0)
Back outside…
Aromatisse was forced to draw a card. She got a three from the deck and smirked a little.
"Lucky me. I got a powerful card." Aromatisse bluffed. She didn't play anything down yet. Electabuzz sweated a little, agitated at the thought that she might play a Skarmory on him.
Aromatisse revealed a pair of three and Electabuzz chuckled, placing his arms behind his head.
Aromatisse 0 + 3 = 3
Aromatisse drew a four and a seven from the deck, hiding the satisfaction behind her blackened eye.
Electabuzz shuffled his cards around rapidly and randomly.
"Select one." Electabuzz showed four cards lining up horizontally on the table. Aromatisse slid the farthest left over to her.
Her damaged eyes lightened up beautifully as she got a seven. Aromatisse didn't play it yet, however. Perhaps, she didn't want to take the lead just yet.
Electabuzz stretched his arms a bit as he collected his cards back up to his hand, nodding a little at the outcome.
"I will draw a card." Electabuzz announced. He took one with eyes closed and hoped for the best. It was a Ditto.
"Bam! Three eights!" Electabuzz yelled lively, slamming the cards down for everyone to see.
Electabuzz 0 + 8 = 8
Jumpluff looked a bit jumpy because of his lead and her Drapion card.
Farfetch'd remained calm, holding Mr. Stalk close to him.
Aromatisse widened her eyes in surprise, trembling a bit to fool the others.
Electabuzz drew two more cards. He got another Ditto and a three. Electabuzz smiled overconfidently and smugly.
"Wham! A pair of six!" Electabuzz lost control of himself. He was intoxicated with his amazing streak of luck.
Electabuzz 8 + 6 = 14
"Electabuzz, you have become more extroverted. You changed! Why don't you post a picture of you holding cards on your social media account? I will fav and follow." Jumpluffed encouraged. Despite her uncomfortable position in the game, his attitude reminded her of some of her friends.
"Later, I got a game to win. I want to discard my hand." Electabuzz made a bold move, tossing the three away.
Electabuzz 14 – 2 = 12
Everyone watched with anticipation as Electabuzz drew three more cards. He opened the first card. It was an eight.
The second was another Ditto.
The third… was a Drapion. Electabuzz shrugged off his bad luck. He got a huge lead, who cares?
Jumpluff held her cards up, placing the Drapion at the middle. Electabuzz circled his fingers around and stopped at the middle. Jumpluff tried her best to maintain a poker face and…
Electabuzz fell for it.
His face whitened once he saw what he got. He slowly dropped his cards down, revealing two Drapion.
Skarmory exited the cottage to deliver the grim news. "Electabuzz, you are eliminated."
Electabuzz slowly dragged his body back inside, with Tyrunt patting his back along the way.
"I got too greedy. I could have won." Electabuzz regretted his reckless move heavily. "A twenty-five percent chance, darn it." Electabuzz banged his fist against the wall.
"Calm down. You at least made it pretty far. It is just a game." Tyrunt said positively. "As a gamer, I lost often. Sometimes, I raged quit and all but a loss is a loss." Tyrunt lectured. Electabuzz nodded, looking down on the ground as he went over to rest on a couch.
Current Standings
Electabuzz: Eliminated
Jumpluff: 1, 6, 8 (4)
Farfetch'd: 1, 2, 4, 5 (4)
Aromatisse: 2, 4, 7, 7 (3)
"I will shuffle all of his cards back into the deck and we will continue." Skarmory told the three players left in the game.
"Oh god, I'm so close to winning." Jumpluff shook excitedly.
"I already got bad karma from the Pyukumuku. Hopefully, this game will be kind to me." Aromatisse hoped.
"Mr. Stalk is confident in the heart of the cards." Farfetch'd told.
Jumpluff drew a six and smiled.
"A pair of six for me." Jumpluff revealed the cards.
Jumpluff 4 + 6 = 10
Drawing another card gave her a three. She took a four from Farfetch'd.
Back to Farfetch'd turn, he drew a Ditto and fiddled with the card a little.
"I decide to…" Farfetch'd paused dramatically, placing two cards facing down. The others looked at him with interest and uncertainty. "… play my Ditto." Farfetch'd flipped the cards open. It was a pair of five.
Farfetch'd 4 + 5 = 9
Farfetch'd drew a six, recovering his hand back up to three.
"Just pick one." Aromatisse placed her cards down for him to choose. Farfetch'd selected the one on the right. He got a two. Aromatisse sighed in relief.
"Another pair for us, Mr. Stalk." Farfetch'd talked to his trusty partner, revealing two twos.
Farfetch'd 9 + 2 = 11
Farfetch'd drew again, the surface of this card touched his wing in a soothing way. It gave off a powerful aura as he put it into his hand. For some reason, Farfetch'd didn't bother to look at it.
"Mr. Stalk, you can feel it, right?" Farfetch'd whispered. Aromatisse and Jumpluff stared at him strangely.
"Does Mr. Stalk have a social media account?" Jumpluff tried to socialize.
"He shares it with me." Farfetch'd answered. Jumpluff nodded slightly.
It was Aromatisse's turn again. This time, she made a decision that no one made before.
"I don't want to draw a card." Aromatisse refused, playing it safe.
Aromatisse showed them her pair of seven, rising up the leaderboards by storm.
Aromatisse 3 + 7 = 10
Afterwards, she drew a five and a Ditto. Aromatisse was in a tricky situation. If she plays the Ditto now, she will only miss the mark by one point. Deciding to keep it for now, she took a card from Jumpluff randomly. Aromatisse dropped her jaw. It was a four. She emptied her hand, sealing her victory.
"Congratulations, you won first place. Another contestant will join you, Aromatisse." Skarmory announced.
"Congrats." Jumpluff applauded.
"Mr. Stalk wants first place but he said that second is also fine." Farfetch'd told.
"I can't believe it! I won!" Aromatisse felt a boost of confidence. Despite her face injury, she managed to accomplish something to be proud of.
The fairy type entered the cottage to celebrate with her friends, leaving Jumpluff and Farfetch'd in a final showdown.
Current Standings
Electabuzz: Eliminated
Jumpluff: 1, 3, 4, 8 (10)
Farfetch'd: 1, 6, ? (11)
Aromatisse: Won 1st place
It was Jumpluff's turn. She got so excited that she didn't even draw a card.
"I will steal a card from you right away." Jumpluff skipped ahead.
"Alright." Farfetch'd pushed the cards closer to her. Jumpluff picked the middle, she got a one.
"Hooray." Jumpluff said happily, showing a pair of one.
Jumpluff 10 + 1 = 11
Farfetch'd was forced to draw a card. He got an eight.
"Mr. Stalk, life or death, this card decides!" Farfetch'd exaggerated, opening the secret card. A flashy holographic light shined into his eyes.
It was a Skarmory.
"I play it." Farfetch'd revealed the Skarmory to Jumpluff.
"I'm jealous." Jumpluff didn't seem content, revealing a three, a four and an eight to Farfetch'd.
"I also get to draw a card since I have less than three." Farfecth'd told, Skarmory nodded in confirmation.
Farfetch'd slowly brought the card over to his face. This card must be an eight, a six or Ditto for him to win the game.
It was…
…
…
Farfetch'd inhaled deeply and exhaled.
…
…
A Ditto.
"Mr. Stalk wants that eight. He needs the ticket back to Skarmory Island!" Farfetch'd sealed the game as well.
Jumpluff averted her eyes and stared at the ground, sobbing a little.
"I'm sorry Bisharp, I failed." Jumpluff cried.
Farfetch'd stopped celebrating and approached her. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke up. Farfetch'd wasn't very social. He didn't know how to talk to others except for Mr. Stalk and his own girlfriend. He felt like there was some sort of language barrier between him and the others.
"Are you alright?" Farfetch'd asked. "Why are you sorry for Bisharp? Mr. Stalk detects ominous force from him." Farfetch'd was uninformed about their relationship. He didn't know much about any of the contestant, really.
"You don't understand anything! I'm worried sick about him!" Jumpluff snapped and Farfetch'd stepped back, holding Mr. Stalk in front of him like a shield.
"Sorry. It is just a game. I tried to have fun but I'm so mad at myself right now. I can't do anything. This game is so stressful. I thought that I'm in for a vacation. Taking selfies, enjoying good food and make lots and lots of friends. In the end, the pressure got to me." Jumpluff turned to look at him with teary eyes.
"Can I ask you one favor?" Jumpluff asked. Farfetch'd looked at Mr. Stalk before he nodded.
"Please don't let Bisharp do anything that he will regret. Talk some sense into him. Tyrunt told me that he might lose control because I'm gone." Jumpluff explained.
"Mr. Stalk always keep his word. You can trust him and me." Farfetch'd reassured.
"Thank you." Jumpluff said before she left.
Skarmory looked at Farfetch'd awkwardly.
"Err, I will get Aromatisse. We will go back together." Skarmory informed.
Soon after, Skarmory, Chef Drapion, Aromatisse and Farfetch'd all boarded the boat. They all waved at the ex-contestants except for Chef Drapion, who drove the boat.
"See you all later and have fun!" Houndour waved, his back a bit crooked. Although, it looked better than before.
"If there is a second season, I want to play with all of you and show my awesome, new techniques!" Machoke addressed everyone. Skarmory chuckled.
"Aromatisse, hope your face gets better soon." Feebas wished for the best.
"Try your best everyone. Keep on going even at the face of powerful adversary like Lucario!" Magikarp cheered.
"Hope both of you never get a game over screen." Tyrunt said his parting words.
"Work hard and reach your true potential! See you all later!" Electabuzz bid his farewell.
"Try your best to win and beat Skrelp as well as Grovyle." Snorunt said quietly. Only Helioptile can hear it.
"Try your best to win! From Snorunt and me!" Helioptile said it in her place.
"Don't end up like me! Don't be lured by your greed!" Archeops shouted louder as the boat went further and further away.
"Take care of Bisharp, Farfetch'd!" Jumpluff shouted as loud as she could.
"Where is the boat heading?" Oddish asked a dumb question.
"To a magical land of torture and pain." Meowstic forebode, not happy with the returnees.
"I hate all of you!" Larvitar yelled. Everyone glared at him. He grumbled and left, his body still wounded.
The boat departed from Moss'up Island, no one could hear anything now. Farfetch'd sat opposite to Aromatisse. Skarmory sat in front with Chef Drapion.
"What is your game plan?" Aromatisse asked Farfetch'd.
"Same as before. No alliances. Just me and Mr. Stalk." Farfetch'd remained unyielding.
"Are you sure?" Aromatisse asked again.
"Yes. That is how my girlfriend wants me to play and I won't disappoint her." Farfetch'd insisted, a bit annoyed.
"Alright." Aromatisse ended the conversation and opened her make-up handbag for a mirror. She stared at her damaged face melancholily, applying some medicine to alleviate the agony,
The moon shined brightly on the calm water. The returnees awaited this day. The day of redemption. They were about to face their fellow contestants again.
"Stay excited for the next episode of Total Skarmory Island!" Skarmory ended the episode off.
Does it meet your expectations? What is your elimination list going forward? I'm curious.
How about I give all of you a sneak peek of season 2 instead of the next episode?
Machoke will return alongside Magikarp and Feebas. I feel like both of them have untapped potential. I want to expand upon filler characters as well. Another thing, there will be more newbies than veteran. Therefore, the majority of contestants won't return.
Hope you all have a good day! See you all again sometime in this month!