Well, this chapter is longer than I expected.
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Nihilego Fanatic
Thank you very much for your first review. I greatly appreciate it. Your favorites are certainly interesting. Cross your fingers and one of them might win. Remember, everyone got a chance to win, even Heracross.
InfernoMaster64
The reason most of the contestants get curb-stomped is to convey a sense of 'final boss' feeling into Raticate and the insane amount of damage each enemy deal in Breath of the Wild.
Drifblim is created to be a likable villain. Meowth is created like her as well. However, you can argue that Drifblim isn't a villain but rather a neutral-type mastermind if you prefer.
I understand your concerns for Aromatisse. However, she won't be a floater or at least I hope.
I like to flip my viewers' expectations. I'm well aware that readers nowadays are smart so keeping that in mind, I can create unexpected twists.
I'm praying that the notifications get fixed as well.
Episode 22: Shiinotic's Secrets and Dangerous Dares!
The camera filmed the empty dock. (What?! Where's Skarmory? I guess it is time to improvise.)
Err… The wooden planks looked nice and comfortable…
The 'Skarmory Island' sign showed ownership of the island…
The beach area had sand… Um… (How dare Skarmory slack off?! The author is panicking here!)
Suddenly, the camera rotated 180 degrees, turning to the side of the sea and… Skarmory. The host secretly hid behind the camera the entire time.
"Surprise?" Skarmory asked rhetorically. "Well, Raticate isn't here today. He took a day off for some unknown reason. Maybe, he is getting tired of working for me for free. Who knows? Last time, the contestants fought against our smoking, ugly rat intern. With a wide variety of weapon at disposal, he eliminated nearly all of them except for Lucario and Rhyhorn. The latter basically stayed in his cabin and did nothing while the Hero of Darkness sealed our intern away in darkness." He paused for a short breather.
"The story didn't end there. Meowth, the divorce lawyer, wanted to break Ledyba and Scolipede apart. He leveraged his wealth to make his business empire a reality. Unfortunately, he mismanaged his Pokemon resources and employed two violent street punks to antagonize the other contestants. As a result, those punks got voted against by many. At the elimination ceremony, we got ourselves a first tie between two Pokemon: Heracross and Scolipede. In the tiebreaker, Triple G was on Scolipede's side. However, a good knee to the nether region sure guaranteed Heracross her 'clean' victory. What will happen in this secretive, daring episode of Total Skarmory Island? Stay tuned to find out." Skarmory finished the opening.
Lucario and Meowth left their cabins early. They decided to meet with each other very early in the morning so that none of the contestants were awake to spy or eavesdrop them.
"A Meowrendezvous in the beach every day, how does that sound, Lucario?" Meowth asked while walking to the beach. Apparently, Skarmory stopped censoring the name now because Meowth and him came into an agreement to help advertising each other.
Lucario didn't stop walking. "Great, but what's with the strange name?" He asked curiously, turning to Meowth.
"Oh my, I don't wish to bore you to death or complicate things in a manner wish you can't understand. To put it simply, our gigantic corporation started out as a small merchant group one hundred years ago. During the time, foreign trade laws were very strict due to international disputes. My great-great grandparents circumvented the embargoes through secret rendezvouses. We used to carry commodities like copper and such from Lesteel across the sea for millions of miles to Crystalia, tolerating turbulent winds and tough negotiations." Meowth explained, sounding vague at certain parts.
"I can see why you are very tolerant toward the living conditions here and work hard in challenges consistently." Lucario complimented. Meowth smiled.
"While I appreciate all the informal communication, I have important matters to discuss in this rendezvous." Meowth quickly moved on from the topic in a serious, business-like manner.
"What is it?" Lucario asked.
"After a long night of deliberation, I found a different way for us to control the elimination without those two laborers. It is risky but I think we can…" Before Meowth finished, the camera cut to the confessional.
Confessional
Meowth: "I decided against it at first because it might backfire on my sales. However, I'm willing to take that risk after seeing those two laborers dirtying my name. Let me release an official statement from Meowth & Co. Ahem." He cleared his throat.
"We decided to cut our ties with Ms. Miltank and Ms. Heracross in light of their atrocities in yesterday's events. We would like to absolutely make it clear that they are external workers that lack any direct connection with our company. Meowth & Co. is a limited liability company that prioritizes the safety of everyone in Skarmory Island."
Lucario: "Meowth is a real friend that I can talk to comfortably with. I will carry him to the finale even if it means that I need to sacrifice myself."
Darmanitan's pillow got drenched in tears. The fire type didn't mind the wetness one bit. He covered his face with his pillow, refusing to rise to the call of the morning sun.
Darmanitan was a big fan of Lucario for years. It was the strong, unbreakable friendship between the Aura Beast members that attracted him to them, Lucario specifically.
The leader would always protect his teammates, caring for them like a father figure. Sure, Lucario beat other competitors up ruthlessly and disrespected them afterwards but Darmanitan could always ignore that. However, the fanboy couldn't cast a glance past one thing though…
Lucario sold him for one vote. A measly, single vote.
Darmanitan felt like an ignorant, blind sheep after looking up to Lucario for years. He was an optimistic idiot to think that a nobody like him could chill Lucario out for the better. Darmanitan realized it too late. The damage was already done; Scolipede got eliminated. Darmanitan simply couldn't change this fact.
"Homie, I'm sorry that I voted for you." Darmanitan sounded very guilty, removing his face from the pillow. The homie boy eyed Scolipede's bed before quickly averting his eyes.
Confessional
Darmanitan: "The homie is a phony. I thought that he is a good leader. Yet, I kept my promise like a stupid fanboy." He sighed. "I should go and apologize to Ledyba."
Ledyba sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes were on the verge of tears. However, she held them back in, knowing that she promised Scolipede to never be sad.
Her top left and right arms held her chin and cheeks, preventing it from dropping down into depression. She pushed her cheeks up trying to make it seems like she was smiling.
Her middle left and right arms hugged herself self-consolingly. She tried to recall his warm body and soothing skin.
Her bottom left and right arms pushed against the edge of the bed, supporting her sitting posture.
Aromatisse and Cryogonal saw this and made their way over to her bed, sitting next to her left and right respectively.
"You don't need to hold back those tears, you know? It is fine to cry if you are really sad. Even I cry sometimes." Cryogonal said softly.
Ledyba shook her head. "No, I won't be sad. It won't be long before I get to see him again. He is just taking a vacation in Loser Island. Yes, he is just taking a vacation." Ledyba refused to cry.
Cryogonal and Aromatisse exchanged a glance.
"Ledyba, that's a fabulous way of thinking about it. But um… you know that Loser Island is a horrible place where I got this injury, right?" Aromatisse pointed to her face. The black marks minimized after nearly a week. It hadn't been fully healed yet. That Pyukumuku must be insanely strong to cause such a sickening damage.
"That doesn't mean that something like that will happen to Scolipede, be optimistic." Ledyba seemed annoyed.
"Alright, I will be optimistic. Girl, you seem fine. A lot better than both of us expected." Aromatisse admitted and Cryogonal nodded.
"Yeah. Ledyba, you are emotionally strong." Cryogonal praised.
The tears in Ledyba's eyes vanished and she smiled brightly after seeing her friends cared about her like this. To be honest, she was about to really cry. However, she needed to act strong for Scolipede. Ledyba could trick her mine to be happy whenever she wanted. It was a trick she learned after the Zorua's incident. Still, that didn't make her invulnerable to negative emotions.
Duosion approached Ledyba in an apologetic manner. Cryogonal glared at her a bit before turning away. Aromatisse looked down a bit. Ledyba could only give her a weak smile.
"I'm sorry, everyone. It's my fault that Scolipede got eliminated. I'm too stubborn to realize the errors of my ways. I just thought that I'm doing the right thing. I thought that I'm being smart. I thought that since I'm a psychic type, I would be right. Foolish me." Duosion apologized sincerely, turning to check Cryogonal's response first.
The snowflake soon looked at her eye to eye. "Don't look at me. Ledyba is who you should apologize to the most. If she forgives you, I forgive you." Cryogonal gave her response. Before Duosion even begged for forgiveness…
"I forgive you." Ledyba said in an instant. Cryogonal was shocked by how fast she said that.
"That's immediate." Duosion commented, surprised. "Why did you forgive me so soon? I don't know what to say. I-I'm so thankful."
"It's okay. We are friends. Just because you made one mistake, it's not the end of the world." Ledyba assured, placing one of her arms on the psychic consolingly. Ironically, the one that lost her boyfriend from yesterday consoled the one that thought she was being savvy by targeting Miltank, causing a rift in the votes. It was a rather… amusing imagery.
It seemed like they all forgave each other in the end.
"I believe that we should analyze and interpret the data from yesterday's elimination. The tie ruled out many possibilities. Since three Pokemon received votes and there were fifteen voters, Scolipede and Heracross received either six or eight votes for a tie to occur. I voted for Miltank. What about the rest of you?" Duosion asked, looking around for an answer from each of them.
"I voted for Miltank as well. I convinced Scolipede to vote for her too." Ledyba told.
"I voted for Heracross, obviously." Cryogonal thought that it was a bit unnecessary.
"Ditto." Aromatisse said simply.
"Now I can conclude that Scolipede and Heracross both received six votes. The main question is who voted for whom?" Duosion brought up for discussion.
"Shedinja voted for Heracross for sure." Cryogonal stated the obvious.
"I think Drifblim voted for Heracross with us. She seems like a good girl." Aromatisse suggested.
"I'm pretty sure Meowth voted for Heracross." Ledyba sounded fairly confident.
"Ledyba, I hate to break it to you but Meowth voted both Houndour and Scolipede out." Duosion revealed.
"What?! This isn't true, right?" Ledyba denied the truth, turning to Aromatisse and Cryogonal for support.
"It doesn't sound fabulous but I agree with Duosion. I mean who else can control the votes other than Meowth?" Aromatisse made a good point.
"Yeah, Meowth can't be trusted. Ledyba, When I played Monopoly with him, he tricked me into making bad deals." Cryogonal stated from experience.
"Duosion, he gave you a Pokepuff for free! All of you are just joking, right?" Ledyba said, somewhat delusional.
"Ledyba, please don't be naïve. Nothing is free in business. Accepting things from Meowth is like accepting candy from a stranger or taking a loan from unreliable financiers. Even though he said that the Pokepuff is free, it isn't exactly free. He expected more in return from you like giving him votes. A cheap tactic commonly used to build trust." Duosion explained without trying to be condescending.
Ledyba grew silent and contemplated on all of these things. Did Meowth manipulate her all along? Did he see her as only a blind customer? Did Drifblim hint that Meowth was the mastermind behind Scolipede's elimination?
Darmanitan knocked on the door. "Ledyba, can I talk to you?" He asked timidly.
"Yes." Ledyba replied and opened the door, confused about his strange mannerism.
Darmanitan shuffled his feet awkwardly, fidgeting with his hands. He seemed very anxious and antsy. He avoided direct eye contact and his eyebrows drooped down.
"What's with the withered face, Darmanitan?" Ledyba asked with concern.
"Ledyba, I-I'm sorry for voting Scolipede out." Darmanitan confessed with difficulty at first before forcing the truth out of his trembling lips. He didn't even say 'homie'. This was out of his character.
Ledyba was stunned for a moment. "Why did you vote my boyfriend out? Because he acted a bit mean against Doctor Chillman? His apology wasn't good enough?" She assumed.
"N-no, I-I need to go. Sorry for everything." Darmanitan dodged the question and left. He wouldn't care if they all blame him. All the fire type wanted was an end to all the heated conflicts. Furthermore, blaming Lucario felt strange. He had every right to do so but some sort of feeling lingered inside his soft and chilly heart.
Ledyba felt baffled. She couldn't comprehend why Meowth or Darmanitan would vote for Scolipede. If they had a problem with his attitude, they should just tell her. She could adjust that. She found it much easier to forgive someone with a good reason… like Zorua. His reason wasn't the best but still, it was better than nothing. Ledyba preferred to hear their reasons first before actually being angry at them.
Suddenly, Skarmory's words from the first day materialized itself back into her mind. A painful recall that caused her to clench her fists.
"Whatever, you will learn it the hard way."
Ledyba thought the best of others because she was scared that they will commit suicide. That sounded extreme and ridiculous but once you witnessed someone jumping off a building, you are traumatized forever.
Cryogonal wrapped her snow chains around her clenched fists. "It's unlike you to be angry."
Ledyba loosened her fists and sighed. "You are right. I don't know what possessed me for a second there."
"That's unlike Darmanitan." Aromatisse commented.
"There must be a reason that he can't disclose to us. My best guess is that Lucario got some sort of involvement to it and Darmanitan didn't want to snitch on him." Duosion speculated.
As Duosion said that, Meowth carried something over to them…
A pile of delicious breakfast boxes. Four to be exact. Eating utensils like spoons and forks were placed on top. The box contained rice, fried eggs, Oran Berries, Flygon meat, Crawdaunt meat and honey crepes.
This was his plan? Bribing them with breakfast boxes? Seriously? The ingenious businessman could only come up with this disappointment after a long night of deliberation?
"My beautiful acquaintances, here are the breakfast boxes. I bring them to you since recession struck yesterday. This should cheer you all up. Enjoy." Meowth smiled lovingly as he placed them down.
"Smells good. The Flygon meat is going to taste fabulous." Aromatisse eagerly grabbed one.
Duosion glared at her rebukingly and Aromatisse placed it back down, frowning a little. Ledyba seemed conflicted due to recent events. However, seeing how Duosion reacted, she didn't dare picking it up either. Cryogonal had a sour expression on her face.
Meowth looked down on the ground, disheartened by their actions. "I see… I-" Before Meowth could finish, however…
"There you are, little bastard! How dare you feed our enemies?!" Lucario went berserk, storming suddenly toward them and kicked all the breakfast boxes away. The beast grabbed Meowth by the neck and shook him in a throttling motion. The businessman struggled to breath or talk in the grasp of the professional athlete. His body 'splashed' hopelessly like a Magikarp.
The girls gasped at the outrage.
"Lucario, you are hurting him really badly. Stop!" Ledyba tried to intervene.
"God! What the hell are you doing?" Cryogonal tried to pull Lucario back with her snow chains to no avail.
"Do you want to be disqualified? Severely injuring other contestants is against the rules." Duosion reminded threateningly.
"You are one brutal barbarian." Aromatisse insulted. Although, she didn't help much.
Lucario hissed before dropping Meowth down to the ground. The cat hyperventilated as Ledyba checked on him, lifting him up. At this point, Shedinja and Drifblim arrived to spectate.
"Do you need to go to the infirmary?" Ledyba asked with concern. Meowth feebly shook his head.
Lucario clapped and laughed mockingly, sneering at Ledyba.
"What's so funny?" Ledyba scowled.
"I ordered Meowth to vote for Scolipede, Ledyba. Guess what? This little coward submitted to my supremacy like a total spineless coward!" Lucario fabricated believable lies with his aggressive voice and hostile gestures.
Drifblim looked amused, smirking. She didn't expose them though. If she did that, it was no different from suicide with Lucario around.
Ledyba nodded to herself. She understood everything perfectly in her mind now. Meowth and Darmanitan voted for Scolipede, true. However, it was all Lucario's fault!
"Lucario, you jerk!" Ledyba fumed furiously. A rather rare occurrence. "Just because you can't stand Scolipede doesn't mean you have the right to threaten both Meowth and Darmanitan. You should have just told me so that I can scold Scolipede so he will stop getting on your nerves. I can't believe that I thought of you as a good leader." She lost all love and respect for him.
"I also can't believe that I thought of you as an obedient teammate. From here on out, all of you are dead to me." Lucario whipped thin air with his right arm to dismiss all of them before leaving coldly.
"T-thank you." Meowth said gratefully.
"No problem." Ledyba gave him a smile in return. Duosion didn't seem to approve this.
"Look at all the fabulous food. They are all ruined." Aromatisse pointed at all the spilled breakfast boxes on the ground. They didn't look appealing to eat anymore.
"Don't worry, my hungry acquaintances. I will rebuy them all." Meowth assured. The girls looked very pleased at this or… most of them to be accurate.
"Shedinja and Drifblim, want one as well?" Meowth offered considerately.
"That will make me one happy camper." Drifblim accepted.
"Better hurry before they become lunch boxes." Shedinja quipped.
"My service is fast and reliable. I can guarantee that." Meowth grinned.
Confessional
Duosion: "Bribing me with food? It won't work, Meowth. I know that you are Lucario's accomplice."
Cryogonal: "Thinking of it again, I did have fun playing Monopoly with Meowth even though he absolutely crushed me. Maybe, Duosion misjudges him."
Aromatisse: "I don't appreciate eating all those ugly sludges every day. Finally, I can have a fabulous meal for once."
Ledyba: "I should have more faith in Meowth. Of course, he always has a good reason for everything. I hate Lucario so much right now." She took deep breaths to calm down.
Meowth: "Now, Meowth & Co. is saved. Such great showmanship from Lucario. He is willing to be more than my bodyguard. He is willing to be my provision shield, burdening all the unexpected expenses to himself. Such an honorable man." Meowth was deeply moved.
Lucario: "We will discuss about the elimination later. For now, Meowth need to keep his cool with the others while I taunt all of them to target me. As long as I can win immunities, I will be safe and we will have power to control the outcome of this game."
Drifblim: "I'm loving it! Meowth is actually putting up a fight. However, you will need to do more than this to beat me. Trust me, Meowth. You see, hiding behind Lucario is a cute and adorable tactic but you can't stay there forever. Soon enough, your lies will be exposed… and I will make sure to be the one who exposes you."
Heracross licked her wounds lonelily inside her cabin, sulking. She started to wonder where the hell Miltank was. Her friend wouldn't leave her, right? As she started to doubt their friendship, the door opened up.
"Hey there, how you are doing?" Miltank greeted quietly.
"The hell you are? I got stuck in this depressing ditch for ages." Heracross replied.
"Just taking a short walk outside." Miltank sat next to Heracross on her bed. "Girl, I have been wanting to tell you something."
"What is it, you got a plan to beat Shedinja?" Heracross sounded excited.
"No, I think we should put an end to all this drama. Everyone hates us right now. Perhaps, we should play a bit nicer." Miltank suggested.
"You want us to give up?!" Heracross shouted in disbelief.
"No, girl! We won't give up. We will still crush those weaklings with our might, nice or not but you know… I'm not here to beat others up. I'm here to show my strength and we are both here for the money. Get what I mean?" Miltank tried to talk some sense into her.
"Yeah, I get you girl but Shedinja is a pain in the *beep* ass. He makes me so irritable and enraged. I kinda wish Archeops' here. Working with her in the early game is such a luxury. She might be a bit of a downer every time we lose but she sure keeps her members in line, maybe even better than Lucario." Heracross paused for a moment. "I want to ask you one thing. Between me and Shedinja, who will survive on the streets better?" She asked a very important question.
"You girl, Shedinja ain't beating you!" Miltank obviously supported her friend.
"Of course! I will destroy that ghost bug. Once we get him out of here, we can chill like the homie boy or whatever." Heracross made her decision and Miltank gave her a small smile.
Confessional
Heracross: "I don't care if we are under Lucario's wings or whatever. As long as Shedinja is out, I'm happy."
Miltank: "I want to get Shedinja out and all to make her happy but getting rid of Lucario will make me sleep hell a lot easier."
Nosepass got stuck in the mess hall with two predators: Farfetch'd and Lucario.
Farfetch'd sliced up the Flygon meat inside his breakfast box like a bloody butcher.
Lucario ripped the Crawdaunt meat into pieces and feasted upon it like a carnivorous beast.
Nosepass stared at his plate of special delicacy before pushing it away. He then left the mess hall. The nose Pokemon eyed Meowth and the others with envy before trudging back to his cabin. The sight of the honey crepe was too much for him. The honey drizzled on the thin pancake, bringing out its natural sweetness and flavor. Ledyba took a big bite, reinvigorating her entire body instantly. (Hungry now?)
Confessional
Nosepass: "I'm tired of being surrounded by those monsters. Rhyhorn won't even be there to protect me anymore. What am I going to do?"
Rhyhorn skipped breakfast and locked himself in his secret base. He wrote something down furiously with a pen in his mouth. He soon stopped and took a short break.
Confessional
Rhyhorn: "I can't protect Nosepass directly from now on. It is better if he stays far away from my life. However, I will leave something for him to inherit. Through countless silent observations, I managed to accumulate enough information about all the contestants to create a guide for Nosepass on how to win this game. I should finish by the day after tomorrow."
Time moved quickly and it was soon lunch. Who would have guessed that Meowth approached Skarmory to buy lunch boxes for his customers once more?
Unfortunately, he was running low on cash. Fear not, he got credit. However, would Skarmory accept it?
"My dear shopkeeper, I'm running low on the wherewithal to pay. How about, I promise you to pay back later with an interest charge of five percent?" Meowth negotiated.
"I will normally accept it, except when all the lunch boxes together cost three hundred Skarmory tokens and that's already the discounted price." Skarmory felt like Meowth asked for too much to warrant the transaction.
Meowth furrowed his brows and tapped his chin. Suddenly, he got an idea. He sneaked his way to Skarmory's right ear and whispered something.
"How about I give you a luxurious Meowrendezvous diamond ring after the show ends so you can give it to your wife as a present?" Meowth tempted. Apparently, Lucario told Meowth about Furret.
Skarmory pushed Meowth away to the businessman's dismay.
"Thanks, but no. I got money, Meowth. Lots and lots of it. I can buy one on my own." Skarmory rejected.
Meowth looked frustrated. However, he wouldn't give up so easily. Meowth got a cunning smirk on his face.
"Money is one thing but connection is another thing. Skarmory, I can empathize with your pain. You got a mate in a different egg group. I know that the ancient Shuckle professor invented a device that allows inter-breeding between different egg groups but it is still difficult, isn't it?" Meowth whispered, placing his right hand on his own cheek.
Skarmory blushed heavily. "What are you offering this time? I don't get it."
"I know a few doctors that can help you with your little problem." Meowth clarified.
Skarmory sighed in defeat. "Just take all of it for free, Meowth."
The businessman collected all the lunch boxes gleefully before realizing that he had another business here.
"Oh, I almost forgot to ask something. Does the advantage cancel out the challenge immunity in the second elimination?" Meowth used both hands to make a whispering pipe, keeping it as quiet as possible. Skarmory looked annoyed. No one was around them. This was a bit unnecessary. Meowth acted like it was some top secret, confidential corporate information.
"Nope, that's way too overpowered." Skarmory answered.
Confessional
Meowth: "Sometimes, you need to be able to dig up some juicy information in order to finalize a deal. Just because I hate romance doesn't mean I don't understand it. I know some stuff. Most importantly, I got a better idea on how to use the advantage now."
Drifblim, Cryogonal, Shedinja, Aromatisse, Ledyba and Meowth were enjoying their lunch boxes. Truth to be told, the lunch boxes were the same as breakfast boxes. Just the name change. Duosion got one as well but she wasn't exactly too keen on eating it. If she ate, it was because of politeness.
"Special snowflake, remember yesterday when you cried and ranted about how I never cared about you?" Shedinja teased.
"Stop already, Shedinja!" Cryogonal reddened. Aromatisse and Drifblim shared a giggle. They seemed to be having a great time gossiping with each other.
Ledyba and Meowth conversed with each other, mostly about the food. However, Meowth strayed over to business topics a little. The bug seemed confused but she just nodded her head and went along with it.
Duosion ate slowly, mostly staring at Meowth with distrust and contempt. The cat noticed that. However, he wouldn't let it get to him easily.
Soon enough, Darmanitan passed by, sneaking a look at all the food. His stomach started to grumble.
"Darmanitan, Duosion got some food left. Why don't you share with her?" Meowth suggested without Duosion's consent. It was as if he was trying to intentionally annoy her.
"That's a great idea. Duosion, you should share!" Ledyba persuaded.
"Can I? Homie, no pressure. I can eat the chef's food." Darmanitan addressed Duosion.
Despite Duosion's animosity toward the likes of Meowth and Lucario, the thought of sharing food reminded her of Houndour. Besides, Duosion didn't see Darmanitan as merely Lucario's puppet anymore. She still had her doubts against him, especially when he refused to tell the reason behind voting for Scolipede. Yet, he sounded apologetic.
"Sure." Duosion decided to share food with him. Darmanitan gave her a warm smile as he sat next to her.
Seven Pokemon sat in a circle, enjoying their food and conversations. It was very similar to a nice picnic. Yet, tension hid underneath the lunch boxes.
Darmanitan became remarkably quiet whenever there was a mention about Lucario, Scolipede and yesterday's elimination.
Meowth delivered a message to Drifblim's eyes with a sharp stare, conveying something. Drifblim beamed in delight.
Ledyba seemed oblivious to it all, believing that everyone was merely having a great time.
Confessional
Darmanitan: "The food is nice and all but I don't feel comfortable eating with everyone."
Duosion: "I find it gullible of my friends to easily trust Meowth because of food. As a member of the Treasure Trio, I spent more time with Meowth than anyone here and I can't stress this enough. Meowth can't be trusted."
Drifblim: "I will translate Meowth's body language for the viewers. He trusts me completely now. Soon enough, he will reveal something big to me. That will be my chance to strike."
Meowth: "Drifblim is a smart employee. I'm sure that the superfan doesn't want her time in this game cut short. She should just follow her boss' orders like a good, little girl and stay safe. I'm pretty sure she won't betray me, evident from the fact that she voted together with me throughout the merge."
Skarmory instructed the contestants to gather over to the first intersection. Once they arrived there, they saw two giant carpets. One colored green with the word 'Truth'. One colored red with the word 'Lie'. The carpets were next to each other. The truth to the left and the lie to the right.
Behind the carpets were multiple giant present boxes. Seven to be exact. Perhaps, they had something to do with the 'dare' part of this challenge.
Shiinotic stood on the carpet, tapping her feet as she waited impatiently. Once everyone gathered around, she had a satisfied expression on her face.
"Welcome contestants, to a short, nice and easy challenge." Shiinotic emphasized.
"Easy? Yay!" Nosepass threw his arms into the air.
"Enthusiastic, aren't we? Let me explain. It is a simple game of truth and dare. I tell you something and you judge whether or not it is a truth or a lie. Stand on the carpet to confirm your answer and don't get it dirty. If you are correct, you move on to the next round. If you are wrong, you need to do a dare in order to survive. There are seven dares in total and I get to select them. Any questions?" Shiinotic explained, looking around for questions.
Drifblim raised one of her arms. "Why isn't Skarmory here? Is it because he is lazy?"
"Bingo." Shiinotic answered simply. Drifblim chuckled, shaking her head in disapproval.
Lucario raised his right hand. "What if you run out of dares?" He had a confident look on his face. "Seven won't be enough to take me down."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Lucario. These dares are all extremely terrible and humiliating. Even if I run out, I can re-use some of them. Trust me, it gets progressively worse." Shiinotic answered, rubbing her long fingers in excitement after there were no more questions.
"This isn't easy!" Nosepass complained, feeling deceived.
Confessional
Nosepass: "When will I get a challenge that I can win?"
Duosion: "Statistically, one of us should win. However, I learn that probability is thrown out of the window with Lucario around."
Lucario: "No matter what the dare is, I can do it." He looked really smug. "That stupid mushroom chooses the wrong athlete to mess with. I still remember all the bad things she did to me. Yesterday, she got lucky because I'm busy with Smeargle. Today, I will annoy the hell out of her. Not only will it be satisfying to give her a headache as a payback, I will be on everyone's radar instead of Meowth."
Drifblim: "I wonder if the viewers will be interested to hear Shiinotic's secrets. Well, better than them knowing mine."
Heracross: "I do dares all the time. Easy-peasy, chicken dinner, tasty Torchic. Lucario and Shedinja are going to get stomped."
Aromatisse: "Please don't do messy dares."
"First, I'm 25 years old." Shiinotic revealed her age, real or fake?
"More like thirty to me. 6.5 % less cheese? (Chapter 13's pizza) You sound like one of those middle-age women that are unreasonably worried about their weight." Lucario mocked. Shiinotic seethed. She pinched the skin of her face to calm down. Heracross and Miltank snorted.
"We should divide into two groups. One will always vote for truth, the other for lie. Sounds like a good idea?" Duosion suggested.
"Spreading the risk? A decent business strategy." Meowth commented.
The 'anti-Lucario' gang soon divided into two groups. Duosion, Meowth, Cryogonal and Shedinja will stay on the green carpet while Ledyba, Aromatisse, Darmanitan and Drifblim will stay on the red carpet.
"Quickly decide." Shiinotic snapped her fingers.
Lucario, Miltank and Heracross chose lie while Farfetch'd, Nosepass and Rhyhorn chose truth.
"Sorry, green carpet contestants. I'm 26 years old." Shiinotic revealed.
"An easy one please." Nosepass begged. He looked so pitiful as he clasped his hands together.
"Oh, don't worry. We are starting off easy." Shiinotic walked over to a purple present box with a black bow on top. She unwrapped it to reveal… Chef Drapion. He held a giant pot, filled to the brim with his special delicacy.
"I will stuff your bellies full with my sludge." Chef Drapion asserted. "Keep it inside your mouth or else you are out."
"Hah, that's pathetic!" Lucario jeered. Shiinotic groaned. Chef Drapion bubbled in anger.
"Pathetic? I will *beep* these kids up!" Chef Drapion said inappropriately as he shoveled the sludge forcefully with a ladle and shoved it into the contestant's mouth one by one.
Nosepass closed his mouth with both of his hands to keep the sludge inside. Farfetch'd's cheeks were stuffed full of sludge. They were about to explode. Shedinja didn't show much emotion and slowly ingested the sludge. Cryogonal closed her mouth with her snow chains. Meowth tried to swallow and suck it up. Duosion gave Lucario and Chef Drapion looks of disgust as her body suffered from the sludge.
Rhyhorn vomited it all out intentionally. It was one revolting scene. (There, I spare you the details.)
"There goes our first victim, Rhyhorn." Shiinotic announced.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Why is big brother out so easily? I don't get it. Is he even the big brother I used to know anymore? Probably not." He looked down on the ground.
Duosion: "Gee, thanks, Lucario, for making it worse."
Drifblim: "If I need to pick a contestant that I don't know anything about, it is Rhyhorn. The guy is too mysterious. Very dangerous to keep around."
Rhyhorn: "My time here is about to end."
"Next one, I have more than ten boyfriends." Shiinotic stated something ridiculous.
"I bet they all break up with you because you are such a picky eater!" Lucario attacked her with his words again. At least, he didn't use his fists…
"I bet no one wants to be with you and deal with your childish tantrums, you man-child!" Shiinotic retorted. Aromatisse, Cryogonal, Chef Drapion, Drifblim, Duosion, Heracross and Miltank all laughed at this. Lucario grumbled about how he hates relationships anyways.
"I don't have a good feeling about this. Maybe we should change our carpet." Cryogonal expressed her concern to Duosion.
"I know that it sounds ridiculous but maybe that's what she wants us to think." Duosion advised against it.
"Yeah." Shedinja agreed. Cryogonal sighed worriedly and remained on the green carpet.
Lucario chose truth while Farfetch'd, Nosepass, Heracross and Miltank all chose lie. The anti-Lucario gang remained on their designated carpet.
"It's true. To be specific, I have eighteen boyfriends. I broke up with fifteen while three broke up with me." Shiinotic revealed an astonishing fact. Most of the contestants in the red carpet dropped their jaws.
Confessional
Aromatisse: "Eighteen?! Girl, that's messed up."
Ledyba: "Why did she break up with so many? I don't get it."
Lucario: "Haha! Called it."
Darmanitan: "The shroom homie is crazy. First, the knife and now this?" He gasped suddenly, stepping backward. "This is one crazy thing I'm about to say but by 'breaking-up', did she mean stabbing them with the knife and taking their body parts? Doctor Chillman, I need medical help!" He ran outside the confessional. (You are overthinking it, Darmanitan.)
Drifblim: "Skarmory's interns impress me on their own ways."
Cryogonal: "Now, I feel fortunate."
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk feels like she's too picky. Love isn't all about perfection. It's about compromise. I do compromise a lot for my girlfriend."
Shiinotic approached a fern green present box with yellow bow on top. Lurantis got released, holding a wide variety of embarrassing props like fake mustaches, girly dresses and much more.
"I will take an embarrassing picture of you and post it on the official website of Total Skarmory Island." Lurantis explained. "Do you dare to accept this punishment?"
"How embarrassing?" Aromatisse asked fearfully. Shiinotic smirked.
After some time…
Nosepass once again wore the Lurantis pants on his head. The legs of the pants were no different from his ears by now.
Lurantis drew two black circles around Farfetch'd's eyes. She then surrounded both with straight lines, turning them into suns.
Aromatisse wore a prisoner uniform in black and white. "This is so bottom tier." She complained.
Ledyba wore a fake, soggy mustache. She scratched her nose a little as the mustache made her feel itchy.
Miltank wore a Snorlax costume. It enlarged her body, making her look overweight.
Drifblim got her arms all chained up while her face got wrapped around by toilet paper like a mummy.
Worse of all, Darmanitan wore a pacifier and diaper, all white. His face turned extremely pink from this humiliation. He used his two hunky arms to cover the front side of the diaper.
"Homie boy is a baby. Hahaha…" Miltank laughed and Heracross soon joined in as well. Lucario scowled before he whispered something inside Lurantis' left ear. She nodded and left to get something.
Darmanitan felt even more embarrassed. He wished that he could bury his face under the ground.
"Darmanitan, no one is going to judge you." Aromatisse assured.
"Think of it like this, Darmanitan. You get to go back to your childhood days. How does it feel to be young again?" Ledyba tried to uplift his spirits.
"You are just shooting an advert about infant products, Darmanitan. You can do this." Meowth cheered. Duosion was a bit shocked by what Meowth said.
Hearing so many cheering cries and encouraging his looks from his friends, Darmanitan felt motivated to endure this humiliation. He meditated, the power of zen cleansed his mind free of the public humiliation.
"Heracross, I got something for you." Lurantis called her name and Heracross turned. Her face paled immediately once she saw a pink diaper alongside a pacifier of the same color.
"I won't do this!" Heracross freaked out and ran away. Now, the others started to laugh at her.
Confessional
Darmanitan: "I must thank all of the homies. Without them, I couldn't do it."
Lucario: "That might be the last thing I can do for you, Darmanitan. In front of you and the others, I need to be a beast. None of you are suited to join my team and follow my heartless path. Therefore, there shall be no room left for you and the others inside my heart." His sadness was replaced by madness. "I will destroy all of you so that Meowth can win!"
The photo was taken and only Heracross was eliminated. The contestants quickly removed their props while Farfetch'd washed his face. Shiinotic moved on to the next round.
"I broke up with one of my boyfriends because he bought me cheese sticks with one more percent cheese than what I asked for." Shiinotic claimed.
"If I'm one of your boyfriends, I will shove those cheese sticks down your throat! You should just stay single for life." Lucario continued to annoy her. Shiinotic clenched her fists.
"Told you, she is the pickiest eater I have ever known. No exaggeration." Chef Drapion reinforced.
Lucario, Miltank, Farfetch'd and Nosepass all chose truth. This left Aromatisse, Drifblim, Darmanitan and Ledyba as the only four to choose lie.
"The correct answer is truth." Shiinotic revealed.
"Finally, no punishment for me!" Nosepass celebrated.
"That's just sad." Lucario shook his head, trying to aggravate him. Nosepass glared with despise.
Shiinotic walked over to a dark green present box with a purple bow. "Everyone, I introduce you to the boyfriend that bought me those cheese sticks. Meet Decidueye." She didn't sound too happy with the reunion.
A handsome archer bird stepped out of the present box. He combed his hair a little before paying attention to the contestants.
"Good afternoon everyone, nice to meet all of you." Decidueye greeted in a charming voice.
"Now, this is top tier material!" Aromatisse shouted with excitement and joy.
Decidueye seemed flattered, turning to Shiinotic. "Miss me?" He asked with a conceited smile.
"Not one bit." Shiinotic turned away.
"Oh, come on. It's just one percent." Decidueye sounded annoyed.
"Just do your job. I didn't call you here just so you can crawl your way back to me." Shiinotic reminded in a serious tone.
"Fine." Decidueye turned back to the contestants, explaining the dare. "All of you will be my target practice. I will attempt to shoot the apple on top of your head. You can't flinch, close your eyes or show any signs of fear in this dare."
"I'm sure you won't miss." Aromatisse ogled, placing her chin on the back of her left hand. Cryogonal rolled her eyes at this.
"Oh, I will also be blindfolded." Decidueye added. Now, Aromatisse sweated a little.
Confessional
Aromatisse: "The guy is like so handsome and fabulous. If Shiinotic doesn't want him, I will gladly take Decidueye."
Drifblim, Aromatisse, Ledyba and Darmanitan pushed their backs against a tree, holding an apple on their heads.
Decidueye put the blindfold on and aimed at Drifblim first. He pulled the feather arrow back and released it. Drifblim didn't even blink as the arrow pierce through the apple on her head successfully. She didn't get hurt one bit.
Decidueye pushed the blindfold up to check the results. He pushed his eyebrows up and down twice flirtatiously at Drifblim. She seemed amused by his attempt.
"Just go, bird boy, you aren't my type." Drifblim rejected. Decidueye frowned dejectedly as he moved on to Aromatisse.
"Please don't miss. If you miss, please don't hit my face." Aromatisse requested.
"Rest assured, milady." Decidueye assured as he pushed the blindfold back down. Aromatisse took multiple deep breaths as Decidueye pulled the arrow back.
Aromatisse focused on his handsome look as the arrow flew toward her.
Unfortunately, Decidueye's face wasn't enough as Aromatisse closed her eyes in fear at the last second. The arrow didn't hit her, however.
Decidueye removed his blindfold and frowned because Aromatisse didn't trust him. The fairy type covered her face in shame.
"I'm such a coward." Aromatisse mumbled, clearly upset.
Darmanitan sat in a meditative pose, the apple balanced itself perfectly on his head. Through the power of zen, he completed the dare successfully as Decidueye never missed a shot.
Ledyba had complete trust in him after witnessing his flawless accuracy. She also moved on to the next round.
Confessional
Aromatisse: "I missed my shot with him. Guess it's time to search for a new top tier guy."
"Next round, I'm… insecure about my weight." Shiinotic admitted, lowering her head a little. Was this an act?
"Obviously, you are. You are such a picky eater." Lucario said rudely and loudly.
"I have a bad feeling about this. Anyone wants to switch?" Darmanitan looked at the other four on the green carpet.
"Fine by me." Shedinja drawled, switching with Darmanitan. The homie boy looked much more comfortable with his choice.
Lucario, Miltank and Nosepass all chose truth while Farfetch'd chose lie.
Suddenly, Chef Drapion carried a mass scale over to Shiinotic. She grinned at the result as Lucario chose truth.
"The answer is lie." Shiinotic revealed as she stepped on the mass scale. Her weight was 9.6 kilograms, lighter than the average 11.5 kilograms Shiinotic.
Confessional
Lucario: "This doesn't make any sense!" He banged the wall of the confessional.
Miltank: "Her head is big as hell. I thought her weight was like 20 kilograms."
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk is a lie detector. Although, he can only occasionally detects lie."
Shiinotic tapped her chin a bit, trying to select a killer dare for Lucario. She chose a yellow present box with a black bow on top.
Inside was a beast. A Pokemon known for stimulating pain against all types of Pokemon.
"This is Masseur Confer, the greatest sports massage therapist that I could find." Shiinotic informed. "Please welcome him."
A Cofagrigus floated out of the present box. He had a sadistic countenance. A man who earned his sustenance through improving other Pokemon's health. At the same time, he was a beast that asserted his dominance over the poor bodies of his patients.
"I will make all of you healthy and young again by breaking your bones." Cofagrigus chuckled in a sick manner. Nosepass gulped. Many others felt uneasy as well.
"A massage ain't hurting me." Miltank looked confident.
"Be my first patient. Don't scream or make any noises for ten seconds and you pass." Cofagrigus gestured for her to come over. Miltank strode over to him, not realizing her mistake.
Cofagrigus squeezed her shoulders with his four arms. Sounds of bones cracking were heard.
"Ouch! Ah! Stop!" Miltank screamed in pain immediately. Cofagrigus released her and the cow crawled away like a scarred child.
"Why did I switch?" Darmanitan questioned his foolishness.
"I take sports massage all the time." Lucario said boldly. "I will be your next patient."
"Your funeral." Duosion remarked. Lucario scoffed as he exposed his back to the coffin Pokemon.
Cofagrigus squeezed Lucario's shoulders. However, the professional athlete didn't show any signs of pain. He relaxed comfortably as the masseur gave him a proper message. Shiinotic seethed as Lucario easily completed the dare. Duosion didn't look pleased either.
No one volunteered next so Cofagrigus picked his victims randomly.
Nosepass screamed before the masseur even touched his shoulders. A small tap sent the coward running away.
Darmanitan managed to grit his teeth and bite through the pain for three seconds before screaming out loud.
Cryogonal thought that her body was shattering after two seconds and decided to stop.
Meowth could only endure the pain for one second before submitting to it.
Only Duosion was left. Could her gelatinous body protect her against the agonizing pain?
"You can do this, Duosion. Keep on fighting for Houndour." Ledyba encouraged. Duosion nodded, resolving to not give up.
"I bet she will last half a second." Lucario betted 0 P. This made her friends cast a dirty and hateful look toward him. Lucario enjoyed the attention that he was receiving. Those fools didn't know that this was all a masterful plan to keep Meowth in the game.
Duosion determined to not let Lucario's words get to her. The masseur placed four of his arms on her body and started the massage of death.
Three seconds passed…
Duosion coated her mind against the pain with memories of her friends.
Six seconds passed…
Duosion had a horrible grimace of pain. She struggled through this with memories of Houndour.
Nine seconds passed…
Duosion opened her mouth. She was about to scream out in pain until…
"You are done." Cofagrigus stopped the massage.
"Duosion, you did it. Way to go, girl!" Cryogonal shouted proudly.
"You look so fabulous, enduring all the pain by yourself." Aromatisse complimented.
"Good job." Even Shedinja said something, which was a rarity.
The others gave her looks of respect. However, Lucario folded his arms as he turned his back at her.
Confessional
Duosion: "I can't allow Lucario to win this challenge. I will take him down once and for all."
Nosepass: "I'm honestly shocked that Duosion could do it. I mean she doesn't look that strong compare to Lucario. Maybe, someone like me can do something like that too… What the hell am I thinking? Nosepass, you are weak. You can't do that! You can only wait for something to be handed to you on a silver platter, you idiot." He found himself to be delusional. Despite the few times he showed bravery, Nosepass felt like caving to his fear still. Didn't he want to be a mineral extractor and stop waiting for things to be delivered to him?
"Round five, I like to gamble." Shiinotic said nonchalantly.
Farfetch'd and Duosion chose truth while Drifblim, Ledyba, Lucario and Shedinja chose lie.
"The green carpet Pokemon are safe." Shiinotic announced, walking to a red present box with a black bow.
Opening it, the contestants anticipated another breathing, living Pokemon. However, they only met a cardboard Bisharp wearing the floral headband.
"This dare is simple. Just tell cardboard Bisharp that he is hot like the sun and kiss him... on the lips." Shiinotic explained.
Drifblim and Shedinja got horrified looks on their faces.
"Kiss him? Ew. I will pass." Drifblim quitted.
"Me too." Shedinja drawled.
"Come on you two, Jumpluff won't be mad. It is just a cardboard." Ledyba tried to change their minds. However, the two still refused to kiss cardboard Bisharp.
"You are hot like the sun." Lucario said emotionlessly and kissed him briefly, getting it over with.
"You are hot like the sun. Hope you and Jumpluff are happy together." Ledyba kissed him a bit longer than Lucario and removed her lips.
Confessional
Lucario: "I need to wash my mouth with soap."
Drifblim: "Kissing cardboard is just disgusting, especially cardboard Bisharp."
Aromatisse: "I agree with Shedinja and Drifblim. If I were them, I won't kiss that low tier guy either."
"Round six, is Lurantis my best friend here among all the interns?" Shiinotic held Lurantis closed as she said that.
"They seem like real friends." Ledyba commented.
"Yeah, I think so." Duosion didn't sound exactly confident.
"I'm not falling for her tricks again." Lucario said, stepping confidently on the red carpet.
Farfetch'd alternated between the two mats until he decided to stop on the green one with the two girls.
"Sorry, my best friend is the sun and her best friend is actually someone else who doesn't get screen-time on this show." Lurantis revealed to the dismay of the three.
"Yeah, I rather befriend the sun than her too." Lucario nodded.
"And I rather befriend a certain brat than you." Shiinotic hinted, walking to a brown present box with a pink ribbon on top.
Before Shiinotic even opened the box, the voice of a spoiled brat disturbed the ears of the contestants.
"Servants, get me out of here! It is so stuffy and difficult to breath." Eevee whined. The contestants moaned among themselves, not thrilled one bit to meet this devil child once again.
The present box was soon uncovered and Eevee showed her face to the contestants once again. This time, she came back with vengeance in the form of a mud bucket behind her.
"Prepare to taste my mud choreography, servants. After what you did, I will bestow a dangerous dare upon you all. As I wipe mud off my beautiful feet on you low-life peasants, you aren't allowed to say anything for one minute. No complaining, no whining. Shut it!" Eevee addressed the contestants with utmost disrespect.
Duosion sighed, this would be another torturous dare for her.
Farfetch'd, Ledyba and Duosion lay down on the ground as Eevee covered her feet in mud.
Afterwards, she walked ostentatiously toward them, raising her head up high as she swayed her tail. The bratty heiress stooped so low as to dirty her own feet. She gained nothing but vanity as she started stomping on their backs with malice. Such sadistic display of power.
Eevee stomped Ledyba again and again, pressuring her to make a noise.
"Ow, it hurts." Ledyba yelped in pain. She lost her shot at immunity.
Next, Eevee targeted Farfetch'd. The duck sealed his mouth shut. Even when his back was riddled with mud, he didn't utter a single word.
Eevee grew tired of his persistence. She would teach him a lesson. Her eyes locked themselves to his leek stalk.
"Everything that you possess is mine, servant." Eevee tried to steal Mr. Stalk from Farfetch'd.
"Don't get your dirty paw on Mr. Stalk!" Farfetch'd accidentally blurted out. He facepalmed himself with his left wing as Eevee made her way to the final target.
"Duosion, I remember dearly what you did to me. I save the best for last. Prepare to suffer-" Eevee was interrupted.
"Time's up." Shiinotic ended the dare. Eevee gaped in disbelief before throwing a childish tantrum.
Confessional
Duosion: "Serves her right."
Lucario: "So, it comes down to me and Duosion. Interesting."
Meowth: "Lucario needs to win this, no matter what."
"Round seven. See? Seven dares are enough. Last statement, a wrestler is inside the final present box." Shiinotic smirked with subtlety.
The last present box was dark blue with a silver bow on top. Sounds of punching were heard as the box got a few dents and bumps from the inside.
"I will let you choose first because I will be on a different carpet." Lucario told.
"Fine." Duosion replied without any direct eye contact. She didn't even want to see his jerkish face.
Duosion picked the red carpet, believing that the punches were all misleading clues. Lucario stepped confidently on the green carpet.
Shiinotic frowned as she revealed the results. "Duosion, you will need to do the dare."
Duosion had a clear look of frustration as the final Pokemon showed itself, ripping the present box opened with its talons from the inside.
"Braam! All of you are dead meat when you meet Brawk Hawk, the professional wrestler in Birdsville." Brawk Hawk the Braviary introduced himself before the present box fell down and covered his face.
"Who turns off the lights? Help, I'm scared of the dark!" Braviary screamed urgently. Shiinotic removed the box for him.
"Thanks, as I was saying, I'm a professional wrestler. I got this belt to prove it." Braviary pointed at his brown cardboard belt. It got the word 'Chamion' written on it.
"That isn't how you spell champion, you forgot the P." Duosion corrected.
"Oops, give me the marker." Braviary addressed Lurantis, who got the marker which she used to draw the two suns on Farfetch'd's face. Braviary quickly added the P after the A, making the word "Chapmion'. Duosion wanted to facepalm herself.
"Is he even a real wrestler?" Decidueye asked Cofagrigus, who shrugged in reply.
"Here is your awesome dare. Kiss my butt." Braviary turned around.
"What?! Is this some sort of sick joke? Not funny." Duosion thought she heard something wrong.
"You heard it correctly. This is the worst dare. Honestly, I wanted to save this one for Lucario but well you got unlucky." Shiinotic smiled sheepishly at her.
Duosion looked horrified as she stared at his butt. Pieces of cotton candy and cheesy fries got stuck on it. She wondered if she will catch some sort of contagious disease.
"Duosion, you don't need to do it. Just let Lucario win. Trust me, we won't blame you." Aromatisse thought of the best for her.
"Yeah. Not worth it." Cryogonal shook her head.
"Trust your own judgement. I believe in you no matter what you decide." Ledyba didn't want to peer pressure her.
"Let me at least try." Duosion swallowed her own words as she got closer to Braviary. He started jiggling his butt. Duosion held her breath and headed closer and closer.
Aromatisse closed her eyes, not daring enough to watch.
"Think of Houndour, Duosion. He doesn't want this." Lucario discouraged her. "Besides, there is no guarantee that you will beat me. The probability is too abysmal."
Duosion stopped before her face touched his butt. Unexpectedly, Braviary farted and Duosion fainted.
"Oops, I ate too many tacos." Braviary rubbed his head and looked at Duosion apologetically, fanning the gas away.
"Lucario wins immunity… again." Shiinotic said unenthusiastically.
Confessional
Lucario: "Haha, I'm invincible. Suck it, suckers."
Meowth: "Perfect. It is now time for us to collect the profit."
Duosion: "I now officially hate wrestlers as much as I hate bandit groups in ancient times."
Aromatisse: "I should create a new tier for guys like Braviary. I will call it the disease tier."
Miltank: "Lucario's safe. I don't want to admit this but I think either one of us is going home."
Heracross: "If I tied yesterday, I'm eliminated today. Time to go back to the streets, I guess."
Meowth paced around quietly, waiting for his employee near the mountain area. Drifblim soon appeared in front of him.
"That's punctual, good. Drifblim, I want to reveal something important to you. I got the secret advantage. It allows us to trigger a double elimination where the user is safe. Lucario won't lose his immunity if I play this either. More than that, it allows us to inspect the votes and remove one. What do you think? How should we play it?" Meowth asked for her opinion.
Drifblim smiled in surprise, absorbing the knowledge before she started processing it.
"You shouldn't play it on yourself." Drifblim advised. Meowth widened his eyes, appalled by the suggestion.
"Listen to me first. If you play it, the others will ask will these troublesome questions: Where did you find it? How long do you have it for? Why didn't you tell us? Correct?" Drifblim made a good point.
"Indeed. A great suggestion. I'm right to tell you this piece of information after all." Meowth seemed pleased. "This meeting is adjourned. You are dismissed."
"Wait, may I ask where we should meet up next? Our alliance meeting place should always change." Drifblim held him back.
"The forest area. Find the roses and you will find me and Lucario. Don't reveal this to anyone or even tell Lucario. I can do that by myself. Understood?" Meowth turned around and pierced through her eyes in a business-like manner.
Drifblim felt a twinge of nervousness but quickly hid it with a smile. "Yes, Mr. Meowth."
Meowth chuckled at the formality before he left.
Confessional
Drifblim: "Foolish Meowth, you just basically gave me all the corrupted files inside your business. Time to expose them to the government." She smirked. "My masterplan begins now." Unease suddenly crept up on her arms. "Now isn't the time to be nervous, Drifblim. You waited years for this moment. The moment to prove your gameshows mastery to the world. Keep calm and execute the plan."
Meowth: "Now, the question is who should I use it on and when."
First, Drifblim invited Heracross over for a secret meeting inside the Crazy Crawdaunt girls' cabin.
"What's up, Drifblim? Am I leaving?" Heracross asked, sounding rather glum.
"Don't be so down in the dumps. This is so unlike you." Drifblim commented.
"Miltank and I know it. Because Lucario is safe, they are coming for us instead. I really do wish to go back to the old days with Archeops and you. Those days are the best. I look strong and mighty but now I can't even beat Shedinja. I don't understand why I can't just curb-stomp him. I always tried my best but that stupid bug beats me easily. Gah! I hate it! I wish I can drag him down to elimination with me." Heracross vented off her frustration, stomping on the ground. She visualized herself crushing Shedinja underneath her foot.
"Then do it, who's stopping you from beating him?" Drifblim asked rhetorically. Heracross grew quiet, looking down on the ground.
"You, yourself. Only if you got more on the brain side, Shedinja is no match for you." Drifblim lifted Heracross' face up.
"Heracross, I need an ally for myself as well. While I have great plans, I can't execute them by myself. I can convince the others to vote for Miltank instead of you. Will you join me? I can't guarantee that I will keep you until the finale. I can't guarantee that I will split the money with you. However, I can guarantee you that Shedinja will be eliminated." Drifblim offered.
Heracross grinned. "What's our plan?"
Confessional
Heracross: "Drifblim told me everything. The girl is up to something big. Time to mess around with this game."
Drifblim headed over to the Feckless Flygon girls' cabin next. Along the way, she checked the Feckless Flygon boys' cabin. Apparently, Lucario and Meowth weren't there.
"Oh, Drifblim, glad to see you here. We are discussing about who to eliminate between Heracross and Miltank. You should join us." Aromatisse said invitingly.
"Of course." Drifblim followed her inside. She heard an argument between Duosion and Cryogonal.
"Duosion, please just vote for Heracross this time. We need to unite our votes." Cryogonal pleaded.
"We can unite our votes against Miltank." Duosion argued before noticing Drifblim. "What is your opinion? Since you are the member of the Crazy Crawdaunt, you probably know Heracross better than the rest of us."
"Heracross is so, so incredibly dumb. She works for Skrelp the entire time. She can never think for herself other than beating Shedinja up. What an imbecile. Miltank, on the other hand, lasts far longer in challenges, smarter and stronger. Just vote for Miltank." Drifblim exaggerated on certain parts with a persuasive voice.
"Cryogonal, convinced now?" Duosion asked, feeling victorious. Cryogonal sighed and threw snow chains up in defeat.
Once everything settled, Drifblim held Aromatisse back. The fairy type eyed her inquisitively.
"Girl, look at your face. It is getting better and better but I think it will look even better if you decorate it with roses, you know? Maybe, Decidueye will fall for you then." Drifblim suggested.
"Yeah girl, I will go pick them up before the elimination starts." Aromatisse said giddily, nearly running into the door. Luckily, Drifblim held her back again just in time.
"Thanks. I don't know what got inside my head for a moment there." Aromatisse said sheepishly.
"Girl, I don't think you can do it by yourself. You are a nervous wreck right now. You will end up picking all those non-fabulous roses. I suggest you ask Ledyba kindly to do it instead. She owns a berry garden, right? She also seems knowledgeable about floriography." Drifblim manipulated.
"You are right, I will go and ask Ledyba." Aromatisse ran hurriedly over to her friend. Ledyba obviously accepted the request.
Drifblim looked all flushed, her plan was about to complete.
Confessional
Ledyba: "Oh, I know that place, I have been there with Scolipede often. That's our dating spot besides the berry garden which is also nearby."
"For Meowth & Co! For Meowth & Co! Cheers!" Meowth shouted and toasted with Lucario. They collided their wine glasses filled with Soda Pop together. The two shared a hearty laugh as they drank all of it.
"Those two laborers will be out of jobs within no time. After that, Duosion, Farfetch'd, Rhyhorn. We will keep on going until there are no competitors left." Meowth planned ahead.
"Indeed, all of this for the prosperity of Meowth & Co. When Heracross, Miltank and Drifblim are all gone, no one will know the existence of our secret alliance." Lucario indicated. This reminded Meowth of something he had been meaning to ask the professional athlete.
"Lucario, can I ask something? Can you use aura to see if anyone is following us? In case our employees turn against us and reveal our location." Meowth inquired.
"Sorry, Meowth. Unlike all the other Lucario, I only practice how to utilize aura offensively. That's why I'm debatably the strongest Lucario of my age." Lucario told. "I can try but it's not effective. I use my other senses like hearing or sight for that kind of task."
"That's regrettable." Meowth shook his head in disappointment.
Suddenly, bushes rustled nearby. Lucario immediately grabbed Meowth and hid underneath patches of rose.
Ledyba hummed a tune to herself as she flew over to collect the roses. Inevitably, she spotted Lucario and Meowth.
"Meowth… Lucario… Why are you two together in a patch of rose?" Ledyba was astounded. Suddenly, everything clicked. The ladybug quickly flew away, shedding incensed tears of wilted rose fragrance.
"Wait!" Meowth got up and called for her. The businessman knew that he couldn't chase her fast enough. Therefore, he turned to the speed demon next to him.
"Chase after her and ask who sent her here." Meowth ordered and Lucario obeyed, blazing through the forest in no time.
Meowth tailed after Lucario, running multiple scenarios and solutions in his mind. Suddenly, Meowth saw Heracross anticipating his arrival.
"You must save me, Meowth. Vote out Miltank!" Heracross clung to his feet.
"Now isn't the time, you filthy, homeless degenerate!" Meowth yelled furiously. Heracross was stunned by what Meowth just said. The cat realized that he lost control for a moment there.
"Forgive me, my customer. I will tolerate your sympathetic begging for the last time, please let go." Meowth said in a much more calm and controlled manner.
"Please save me, I can help you." Heracross begged again.
"She is right, Meowth. The commotion leads me here. What's happening?" Drifblim acted oblivious. Meowth glared at her skeptically.
By now, Lucario returned, ready to report his discovery.
"So, why is she there? It is out of place for someone to be there when the elimination is going to start soon." Meowth demanded an answer.
"Aromatisse, she wanted the roses to attract Decidueye." Lucario revealed, lowering his head.
"Aish!" Meowth yelled out in rage. "Everything is ruined because Aroma-fricking-tisse wants roses?" He laughed at his misfortune.
"Meowth, not all hope is lost. Remember when I told you to not use the advantage on yourself?" Drifblim reminded.
"Do you want me eliminated?" Meowth accused. "Everyone is carrying pitchforks over to my company."
"Calm down, Meowth. Not all hope is lost. You know Ledyba well. She won't tell the others just yet. She will contemplate and deliberate on it first. Therefore, you need to eliminate her now. Silence her. However, here is the thing, if you use the advantage on yourself, Heracross is gone for sure. You are much more likable, Meowth. Want to take a risk to save your company?" Drifblim enticed.
"You are implying that Heracross should use the advantage?" Meowth asked. Drifblim nodded and Heracross grinned.
Confessional
Heracross: "Thanks for the free advantage, Drifblim."
Ledyba: "I can't believe that Meowth tricked me all this time. He even hurt himself to manipulate me. Unbelievable… What if Lucario tricks Meowth to create that scene? Is that even possible at this point? I want to trust him but… I don't know anymore."
Lucario: "Aromatisse, why the *beep* did you want roses? Stupid coincidence."
Meowth: "My monopoly, everything is gone… all because of Aromatisse's whimsical choice? If she manages to win this game after this fluke, I will donate one thousand roses for her to enjoy for free."
Drifblim: "I will explain a few more things after the elimination is over."
The craziest elimination ceremony started. Meowth and Lucario hid their fears under their serious demeanors. Drifblim felt exhilarated. Heracross patted Miltank's back. Aromatisse asked for the roses from Ledyba, who said nothing. Duosion and the others started to feel concerned for her strange behavior.
"You know the drill. I will now start giving out the berries." Skarmory initiated. The contestants straightened their postures and fixed their eyes on the host.
Normally, Drifblim would make a snarky remark by now. However, she wasn't in the mood.
"Lucario" He got a large Leppa Berry.
"Duosion" She got her eyes on Miltank.
"Meowth" He sharpened his claws.
"Drifblim" She looked the most comfortable out of everyone.
"Darmanitan" He meditated in tranquility.
"Rhyhorn" …
"Nosepass" The coward felt content that he survived another day.
"Cryogonal" She feared that something like yesterday would happen again.
"Shedinja" He had a small smile on his face.
"Aromatisse" She daydreamed about the roses and top tier guys.
"Ledyba" She was lost in the sea of deep thought.
"Farfetch'd" He gave the berry to Mr. Stalk.
"Heracross…" Skarmory paused to build suspense. Miltank and Heracross hugged each other.
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…
…
"You are safe." Skarmory revealed the results. As Miltank was about to leave to the confessional, Heracross stood up.
"Wait, I got the advantage, everyone." Heracross publicized.
She walked over to the bonfire and dug up something with a wide grin on her face. Duosion and her friends started to panic. Miltank gaped in disbelief. When did she have the advantage?
She dug the entire silver Skarmory statue up for Skarmory to inspect.
"Yep, this is the advantage." Skarmory nodded. "Heracross triggers a double elimination where she will be safe. Lucario is still immune as well." He hid other benefits of the advantage to the surprise of a few contestants. This was logical considering if you get to inspect the vote, you would want the others contestants to not know that and vote naturally.
"This means I'm still going to Loser Island?" Miltank asked, believing for a second that she was about to be saved.
"Yep." Skarmory dashed her hopes and dreams.
Miltank's Final Confessional
I thought Heracross is going to save me but I guess not. At least I had a fun time showing off my masculinity. I destroyed those pipsqueaks and blew them out of the water. That's what I want my co-workers to see. A shame I don't get the money but who knows? If Heracross wins, she is going to split with me. Hope she wins and Lucario can just lose.
While the contestants were making their ways to vote inside the confessional, many resorted to body language to communicate with the others. Duosion glanced at Aromatisse, before suddenly darting her eyes to Meowth under the watchful eyes of Lucario.
Cryogonal and Shedinja exchanged a glance before both looking at Rhyhorn.
Ledyba kept her opinion quietly to herself.
Drifblim enjoyed the chaotic scene.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk wants to vote for Darmanitan to weaken Lucario. He feels that Darmanitan still got some sort of connection to him."
Duosion: "Meowth, I will vote for you. You separated me from Houndour alongside Lucario. Your lunch boxes tactic won't work on me."
Nosepass: "Screw all of you Feckless Flygon jerks."
Lucario: "Meowth, please be safe."
Drifblim: "Now that no one got any time to discuss about the elimination, anything can happen."
Meowth: "It's time to abandon my loyal customer." He had a look of regret.
Ledyba: "Meowth…" She looked away.
After everyone finished casting their votes (including Heracross), she got a list detailing who voted for whom.
Heracross: "Thanks, Skarmory, for giving me the list. Let's see… one vote for Duosion, one vote for Darmanitan, three votes for Rhyhorn, four votes for Meowth and four votes for Ledyba. Well, Drifblim told me to…"
"Another round of Leppa Berries. Here we go!" Skarmory started the second elimination ceremony with excitement.
"Lucario"
"Heracross"
"Shedinja"
"Drifblim"
"Cryogonal"
"Aromatisse"
"Farfetch'd"
"Nosepass"
"Darmanitan"
"Duosion"
"Rhyhorn"
"Meowth and Ledyba, both of you are dangerous in your own ways. Well, Meowth you are a smart businessman who seems to always get discounts. Ledyba, you are one of the nicest Pokemon here. Your words are deeply motivational to many. Both of you are tied but, Heracross got another power. She can remove a vote after inspecting it. She ended up breaking the tie. The eliminated contestant is…" Skarmory paused dramatically.
…
…
…
…
Upon hearing Heracross broke the tie, Ledyba accepted her fate.
…
…
…
Meowth stared at Heracross. She seemed inscrutable.
…
…
…
…
Drifblim knew the result very well.
…
…
…
…
"Ledyba" Skarmory announced officially.
Ledyba's Final Confessional
Scolipede, it looks like I will get to see you sooner than expected. That's excellent, right? I'm happy that I managed to make so many new friends and compete in many exciting challenges. It's really a shame that my trust got abused. Maybe, that's why I need Scolipede to keep me in line. Duosion, you are a very smart friend and a great one as well. Cryogonal is a nice Pokemon to talk to when she isn't angry and Aromatisse can be Aromatisse sometimes. I can't really find a word for it other than fabulous. It's time for me to go now. Good luck, girls and Shedinja too. Oh, can't forget Darmanitan as well.
The dock packed full with Pokemon. Ledyba was pretty popular and had a lot of friends so it wasn't strange. Miltank, on the other hand, already left with no one to see her off.
"Chill out and stay safe, homie." Darmanitan wished for a safe journey.
"Have a great time socializing with the ex-contestants." Drifblim came to see her off as well.
"Take care." At least, Shedinja said something.
Cryogonal seemed proud of him. She said something of her own too. "Girl, stay awesome. I know that you are going to have fun with Scolipede, Houndour and the rest so no need for a sad farewell, alright?"
"Of course." Ledyba showed her a bright smile. Cryogonal felt relieved.
"Yeah, have fun with Scolipede. I will admit that he is pretty fabulous." Aromatisse sounded sincere. "Sorry about the roses, it got you eliminated." She felt guilty.
"It's okay, you don't know better." Ledyba wasn't mad in the slightest. Aromatisse felt better and stopped blaming herself.
"Ledyba, thank you for always being on my side, helping me to confess to Houndour, consoling me, you did so much that I couldn't list them all. I wish that I could do more for you." Duosion sounded a bit disappointed.
"It's okay. You did a lot for me as well. It might not be the most obvious of things but I know that you look out for me all the time. Take care, Duosion and everyone." Ledyba bid her farewell, waving to everyone before the Lapras departed.
"Wait!" Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted. It was no one other than Meowth.
"Meowth, you aren't welcomed here. Ledyba told us everything already." Duosion tried to get rid of him.
"Duosion, let him say what he wants." Ledyba gave her a reassuring gaze and Duosion reluctantly moved out of Meowth's way.
"My customer-no, Ledyba. I want to release an official apology from Meowth & Co. but that is impossible. A company can't bow down to one, insignificant customer. No matter how I want to keep you in the game, you must be eliminated for the sake of business. Therefore, all I can do is apologize as a normal Meowth. Have… a safe trip." Meowth said his parting words before turning his back on everyone.
"I forgive you!" Ledyba shouted and Meowth stopped, his ears perked. "Only the normal Meowth, not the businessman." She clarified.
Meowth chuckled lightly before leaving for real.
Ledyba continued to smile as the Lapras headed out further and further.
Confessional
Meowth: "Oh, you silly, blind customer…" He said in an adoring tone.
Duosion: "Meowth, I will be the one who put you out of business."
It was late in the night and everyone already went to sleep, except for Drifblim and Heracross. The two met each other on the beach.
"I was worried for a second that Meowth will be eliminated." Drifblim told, sounding relieved.
"Why do you want to keep him in this game? Care to explain it to me, again?" Heracross asked for a reminder.
"You see, Heracross. He must be eliminated after Lucario. This is the most important thing. The goal of my plan today is just to immobilize him, stripping him of his power. Meowth is now powerless. However, if he is eliminated before Lucario… You don't want to see a true beast, don't you?" Drifblim asked.
"Of course not, but what do you mean by true beast? Lucario is already a beast." Heracross asked, confused.
"Lucario, he is holding back to some extent. He doesn't use his full force all the time. I guess he is having mercy on us. Personally, I find him much scarier than Meowth. That's why my plan needs to be complicated. Lucario can't know that I'm the mastermind or else I might get… hospitalized." Drifblim sounded a bit serious.
"Hospitalized? Girl, are you that scared of Lucario?" Heracross found it amusing.
"I rather be safe than sorry. Regardless, I already got someone that can deal with Lucario." Drifblim smirked.
"Great. Still, it means nothing if he keeps winning immunity. Why don't we go for Shedinja first?" Heracross suggested selfishly.
"Fine, Shedinja, Duosion, Farfetch'd and Rhyhorn. Your pick." Drifblim lifted her eyes toward the sky, viewing the shining stars above her.
After the two left to sleep, Skarmory landed on the dock.
"Well viewers, all I have to say is that there will be a big twist coming next episode. Stay tuned for that on Total Skarmory Island." Skarmory yawned before he flew away to sleep.
Votes
Elimination 1
Miltank: Heracross
Heracross: Miltank
Duosion: Miltank
Ledyba: Miltank
Cryogonal: Miltank
Shedinja: Miltank
Aromatisse: Miltank
Drifblim: Miltank
Meowth: Miltank
Lucario: Miltank
Darmanitan: Miltank
Nosepass: Miltank
Farfetch'd: Heracross
Rhyhorn: Heracross
Miltank: 11 (eliminated)
Heracross: 3 (safe)
Elimination 2
Farfetch'd: Darmanitan
Rhyhorn: Duosion
Meowth: Ledyba
Lucario: Ledyba
Duosion: Meowth
Aromatisse: Meowth
Cryogonal: Rhyhorn
Shedinja: Rhyhorn
Ledyba: Meowth
Nosepass: Meowth (vote removed)
Drifblim: Ledyba
Heracross: Ledyba
Darmanitan: Rhyhorn
Darmanitan: 1
Duosion: 1
Rhyhorn: 3
Meowth: 3
Ledyba: 4 (eliminated)
This is the most insane elimination by far. Takes a lot of skill to craft these.
Did anyone notice 'The Sea in You' foreshadowing about rendezvouses on the beach? I like to put foreshadowing in because it adds a re-read value. You can go on a scavenger hunt for them. An easy trick to spot them is to ignore all the dialogues between characters. It is unrealistic if what they said foreshadow future events. Rather, you should focus on poetic descriptions of the world.
Will one of the four that Drifblim mention be eliminated in the next episode? Maybe…
Does your elimination list change? Feel free to tell me.