I release this chapter early because I don't feel like it's fair to make my old readers wait. Proof reading the older chapters only benefit new readers and re-readers. I'll do it before I release chapter 31, the finale on October 26th instead.
Reply to Reviews
Worma-Sir
Sometimes, I wonder if Drifblim is too overpowered since her strategic game is as good as mine. However, she can't be more overpowered than Lucario who basically got everything but emotional intelligence. Well, I create the elimination list before I write so I've no way of knowing how annoying Darmanitan can be. Some like him, some don't. That won't be taken into account for his placement. If I'm you, I'll actually put all of my eggs inside Farfetch'd's basket.
InfernoMaster64
I'm still thinking about the challenges for Season 2. More simple ones or more complex ones? Be ready to duck curveballs. If you can't handle the suspense then check every tiny little detail. Although, be careful of red herrings. Darmanitan got a shot. Can't tell you any more than that. Only three episodes away from the finale. The wait won't be too long.
Parousia45
That is a neat coincidence. I'm glad that someone takes Duosion's side. Both of them are right and wrong in their own ways. I like it when my viewers have different opinions. Yeah, Farfetch'd lost himself for a moment there. Drink some seawater and I'm sure he will be back to normal. The message about the lottery number is Bronzern Mole. I started off in Fanfiction as The Mole Mario stories reader.
Fallenstreet01
The finale will be epic. This is all I can say to prevent spoilers.
Dark Arcanine 33
You think Aromatisse will win? Finally, someone has faith in her. Even though she doesn't receive much development since Chapter 18, it doesn't mean she can never win.
Episode 28: Stay Sharp and Smart! Two Tales of Shocking Shrines!
In the lonely night with noisy silence, Nosepass began to feel increasingly anxious. Without Farfetch'd in the cabin with him, he was accompanied by many intangible and imaginary roommates instead.
Guilt tugged his bed sheets, pressuring him to do the right thing. Find Farfetch'd and confess.
Fear suggested the opposite, wanting him to hide like a coward. It pulled the blanket up to cover more of his face.
Relief shrugged, satisfied with the current situation. It yawned before telling Nosepass that he should sleep.
Loneliness…
An abrupt knocking sound chased the feelings away temporarily.
"Homie, can I sleep here for the night? After spending one night alone, I want a real roomie to chill with." Darmanitan requested, opening the door slightly to peek his head inside.
Nosepass pondered. On one hand, it would be nice to have someone break the loneliness. On the other, Darmanitan wasn't exactly his ideal roommate. Nosepass always had the impression that he was secretly violent because of his idolization toward Lucario.
"Where is Farfetch'd?" Darmanitan disrupted Nosepass' thoughts once again with another question.
"Uh, don't know either. Maybe, the restrooms. Anyways… come in." Nosepass hesitated.
"Thanks, homie." Darmanitan gave him a small smile before entering inside fully. Nosepass widened his eyes to see Darmanitan bringing a plush of a Dewgong with a head mirror with him.
"This is Doctor Chillman, homie." Darmanitan explained after seeing his confused countenance. "Last night, I felt really lonely sleeping alone so I went to the snowy area to get a chill roomie like him."
"Aren't you embarrassed to sleep with a plush like a baby?" Nosepass questioned with a flustered face.
"But this plushie is my childhood hero, homie." Darmanitan averted his eyes, sighing. "I guess I really am a big baby. You and Scolipede are right. I should be ashamed of myself."
"No, no. I didn't mean to call you a baby." Nosepass shook his hands. "Back at home, I sleep with a Cresselia plush too. It helps me to fight those nasty nightmares. If someone here is the baby, it is me, not you." He blushed.
"You aren't a baby, homie. You have a good reason to sleep with a plushie. Actually, both of us doesn't need to be a baby. Who says that only a baby can sleep with a plush?" Darmanitan pointed out.
"I guess you are right but, I always thought that I'm the only one. The only coward around here. Even Tyrunt and Snorunt are both braver than me." Nosepass said with low self-esteem.
"You aren't the only one, homie. Here, I always feel out of place being Lucario's blind fanboy. I let everyone push me around left and right, not knowing that it hurts the homie inside. I'm equally a coward as you do. I didn't just run away from the shroom homie's knife. I… ditched Lucario." Darmanitan empathized.
Nosepass was shocked to hear those words coming from Darmanitan's mouth. He realized that maybe it wasn't the size or species that dictates whether someone was a coward. Maybe, he and Wimpod weren't born as cowards after all. Rather, they made themselves into one…
Seeing Darmanitan's friendly facial features and his empathetic and shining smile opened a new perspective for Nosepass. Maybe, just because Darmanitan was Lucario's fanboy didn't mean that he was also a violent, mean bully like Larvitar.
Maybe…
Nosepass could only play with the thoughts in his mind. Thinking but never acting. Maybe, he would confess. Maybe, he would try harder to be brave. Maybe, he would accept Rhydon for what he truly was and is now…
"Homie, why are you crying?" Darmanitan asked worriedly.
Nosepass wiped his tears. He didn't even realize that he was crying until Darmanitan asked about it.
"Nothing, let's just sleep." Nosepass suggested, dodging the question. He quickly pulled the blanket over his face, hiding from Darmanitan's dazing stare.
"Homie, can you sleep comfortably like that?" Darmanitan questioned.
"Yes." Nosepass gave a soft reply. Darmanitan shrugged before sitting down on the bed next to Nosepass' bed.
After a while, Nosepass pushed his blanket away and turned to face Darmanitan. He sat on his bed, meditating peacefully.
Suddenly, Darmanitan opened his eyes as if he was aware that Nosepass was watching.
"Ah! You scare me." Nosepass got spooked. "Why haven't you slept yet?"
"Sorry, homie. I just want to wait for Farfetch'd. I find it fair if I also ask him if I can sleep here. Maybe this is his bed and he doesn't want me here for some reason." Darmanitan clarified.
"Oh, I see. Usually, Farfetch'd should be asleep by now. I find it weird that he isn't here yet." Nosepass tapped his chin. "Hopefully, something bad doesn't happen to him."
Darmanitan frowned, agitated by the thought. "Lately, the stalkie homie got really unlucky. Like I remember the time he dropped a rock on his foot. I should go out and check."
Involuntarily, Nosepass got off his bed as Darmanitan was about to exit the cabin.
"Homie, you comin'?" Darmanitan asked. Nosepass gaped, caught off guard by his impulse again. No… Guilt pushed him off his bed.
"Y-yes." Nosepass stuttered in a reluctant manner.
"You don't need to come if you don't want, homie. I don't mind and probably Farfetch'd as well." Darmanitan assured.
"I might be scared of the dark but I… want to do it." Nosepass ignored Fear's pleas. Darmanitan beamed.
The two searched outside, checking the restrooms, the Feckless Flygon boys' cabin and the mess hall.
"Where can he possibly be?" Nosepass mused.
"The infirmary maybe, homie." Darmanitan suggested and Nosepass nodded.
They yawned as they traveled to the infirmary. Unfortunately, Farfetch'd wasn't there. They returned to the Crazy Crawdaunt boys' cabin. Perhaps, he was already inside, sleeping. Sadly, no. They decided to check the beach area as their final location before calling it a day and giving up on poor Farfetch'd.
"Why would he be in the beach area?" Nosepass asked doubtfully.
"No idea, homie. Just checking to make sure." Darmanitan scratched his head sheepishly.
Fortunately, Farfetch'd was there. He sprawled across the sand, falling asleep after restless crying and laughing.
"He is sleeping. We shouldn't wake him up." Nosepass suggested. Relief nodded. The sooner they slept, the better. Nosepass preferred to avoid dealing with Farfetch'd's accusations. Without Duosion, the suspects got narrowed down.
"Yeah, homie. I'll carry him back." Darmanitan agreed, lifting Farfetch'd's body up gently. However, he woke up out of the blue.
"Are you the thief?!" Farfetch'd got off Darmanitan and immediately accused him.
Relief ran away, replaced by Guilt and Fear.
"No, homie. I'm not the thief. I'm too chill for that." Darmanitan denied.
"Nosepass, you aren't the thief as well, right?" Farfetch'd interrogated with an unnerving glare.
"I'm not the thief." Nosepass lied. Fear grinned, giving Nosepass a thumb up. Guilt threw Nosepass a dirty look of disapproval.
"Then, it must be Drifblim! Aromatisse wouldn't help me find Mr. Stalk and you two wouldn't come out to find me if any of you was the thief." Farfetch'd inferred.
"Yeah." Nosepass nodded. Relief patted his back.
"Homie, must there be a thief? What if no one here is the thief? You might've lost him accidentally, homie. What if he is under your bed all along?" Darmanitan posed the question seriously.
"Are you stupid?! I would never lose Mr. Stalk. He is my life and blood! I check under the bed already. You overgrown idiot!" Farfetch'd lifted Darmanitan up by the scruff of his neck and threw him away angrily. Nosepass trembled. Guilt flinched, Fear got a jump scared and Relief fainted.
Farfetch'd fumed, jerking his face back to the cabin.
Darmanitan dragged his body back to the Flygon boys' cabin, looking on the ground miserably. He would sleep alone again tonight.
Guilt grew quiet, questioning its very own existence. It soon scowled at Nosepass before leaving in a hissy fit.
Fear breathed heavily, slowly losing its mind. It succumbed to stress and broke down.
The unconscious Relief got dragged back to the cabin by Loneliness.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "Wait until I find this thief… I'll tape this shameless criminal to the Moon and bat it to the Sun."
Darmanitan: "I'm just trying to help…"
Nosepass: "I can't handle this anymore. What the hell should I do?! Confess? Blame it all on Drifblim? Eliminate myself? So much is going on inside my mind."
The camera saw the host with the most… lost cause in the opening post of any game show in existence.
"I see you, thief. I give you, grief…" Skarmory tried to imitate Farfetch'd. However, he failed miserably with awkward wings and legs movements. The screen got split into two, showing the loved original and the cringe cover side by side.
"…no breaks, no snacks." Skarmory finished, fairly satisfied with himself. To his defense, he managed to follow the rhythm correctly.
"Viewers, I hope you enjoy my short cover of Farfetch'd's newest single. Remember to check it out in Poketunes and your local music store. Music aside, mystery still shrouded the disappearance of Mr. Stalk. Last time, Farfetch'd locked his stalking sights on Duosion and spent his entire day going after her. He tried to block her from entering Darmanitan's charity event. He solely targeted her basket in the challenge. He sang to annoy the hell out of her." Skarmory listed, pausing for a short breather.
"Most importantly, he slashed her out of the competition in the tie breaker. He was definitely the star of yesterday's episode with one catchy song and another creepy. What will happen this time? Will someone finally confess? Find out in this electrifyingly sharp episode of Total Skarmory Island! Gonna get good!" Skarmory shouted, snickering as he cleverly hinted about the challenge.
As soon as Drifblim woke up, she immediately started her game plan in preparation to face the consequences of the Mr. Stalk stunt she pulled with Nosepass.
First, she discussed with Aromatisse about the future of their game together.
"Aromatisse, are we still solid? Final two together?" Drifblim asked for confirmation.
"Of course, girl. I rather face you in the finale than going up against a muscle man like Darmanitan or a crazy stalker like Farfetch'd. Although, I might be tempted to bring Nosepass with me instead. No promises on that one." Aromatisse said truthfully. "I'm sure you understand and will probably do the same."
"Girl, keeping Nosepass any longer in this game is totally not fabulous." Drifblim shook her head in disagreement. Aromatisse raised her left eye.
"Facing Nosepass in the finale is certainly advantageous for everyone. However, everyone also fails to realize that going up against him in the final three is extremely disadvantageous. If you don't win immunity then kiss your beautiful face goodbye. Aromatisse, it actually benefits you the most to get rid of him now." Drifblim advised.
"Why?" Aromatisse cocked her head.
"Other than Nosepass… who is the least threatening?" Drifblim tried to lead Aromatisse to the answer rather than giving it to her directly.
"Me?" Aromatisse pointed at herself, not sounding very confident.
"Bingo. I certainly would bring you to the finale and Farfetch'd as well. You are the closest to him among all of us. Both of you are returners and you have helped him to find Mr. Stalk. Darmanitan isn't the most obvious one but he will definitely bring you to the finale too, no doubt." Drifblim stated confidently.
"Why? I don't get it. Can you just tell it to me directly?" Aromatisse couldn't figure this one out.
"Think about your team." Drifblim hinted.
"Team? I'm in the Feckless Flygon but I don't see why… Wait, I get it now. Lucario." Aromatisse realized.
"Bingo, Darmanitan is Lucario's fanboy. He will definitely want a Feckless Flygon member to win. The only one that he might bring instead of you is Nosepass who will most likely lose. In that case, there will still be a Flygon winner and that's Darmanitan, not you." Drifblim clarified.
"Why couldn't you just tell me everything right away in the first place? Is this some kind of test?" Aromatisse questioned.
"Girl, you said that you want a sophisticated conversation. Here's one. I give you a B minus. Happy with your performance? If not…" Drifblim nudged her. "Psst, tell you what? Next time, I'll give you a cheat sheet. Just turn your back against the camera and do some make-up while reading the script secretly. You will surely look smart." She whispered temptingly with a smirk.
Aromatisse rolled her eyes. "As if I need one. I can survive just fine using my own brain. Thank you but, no. Psst, when will you give me the sheet?" Her voice was barely audible at the end. The two shared a laugh afterwards.
Confessional
Aromatisse: "I should really try to follow Drifblim's advice. I need to make myself look unthreatening and just nice in general. Those boys will bring me to the finale and when they least expect it, I'll strike them down. Hopefully, they forgot about what I'm capable of. Larvitar's revenge was like ten days ago. I doubt that they remember."
Drifblim: She held a diary in her hand. "My plan is to swiftly silence Nosepass by eliminating him out of the game today. From my analysis of him, I should capitalize on his impulse just before the elimination, convincing him persuasively that he will be safe if eliminated. I also need to reinforce the fact that he should never throw my name under the bus."
Farfetch'd woke up, his body aching and mind numbing. The duck lightly poked his head with Ms. Stick. He soon regained sensibility to his surroundings. Something out-of-place caught his attention.
He noticed a Dewgong plush on a distant bed. While Nosepass and Farfetch'd shared the Crazy Crawdaunt boys' cabin, they didn't sleep next to each other. In fact, they never changed their beds. The bed they slept on the first day was still the bed they slept on the present day. The bed Darmanitan picked yesterday was Rhydon's.
Farfetch'd could've sworn that he found a few of this peculiar Dewgong plush in claw machines before. He dug through his memory a little and remembered that it was called Doctor Chillman. No doubt that it belonged to Darmanitan.
Upon the mention of Darmanitan, Farfetch'd was hit with a pang of sudden guilt.
The miserable look of Darmanitan's face flashed upon his eyes vividly and Farfetch'd shuddered.
"What have I done?" Farfetch'd regretted.
Farfetch'd decided to bring the plush over to Darmanitan and apologize. He walked heavy-heartedly, dreading the response.
Farfetch'd soon arrived at the Feckless Flygon boys' cabin and knocked on the door politely.
"Come in." Darmanitan tried to reply normally. However, there was still a hint of sadness.
Farfetch'd opened the door slowly and entered inside with a lowered head. Darmanitan focused his eyes on the plush.
"Hey… I'm very sorry for snapping at you yesterday. I lost control of myself. Without Mr. Stalk, I've been really frantic lately. I don't know if you will forgive me and it's fine if I'm not forgiven. I just hope you know that I don't mean any of those things I said yesterday. Sorry, Darmanitan." Farfetch'd apologized sincerely, handing the plush to Darmanitan before turning to the door.
"Homie, I forgive you. Also…" Darmanitan said, stopping Farfetch'd from leaving. He turned back to face Darmanitan.
"I want to ask you something. What will you do if you manage to find the thief? Beat him or her up? If so, please don't do it. Don't repeat what happened with Lucario and Rhydon. Please." Darmanitan pleaded, holding both hands together.
Farfetch'd didn't answer. He only gave Darmanitan a thoughtful look before leaving. Darmanitan's eyebrows drooped.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "Swanna, can I really forgive the thief that made me suffer so much?"
Darmanitan: "I don't feel like setting up the charity event today anymore."
Skarmory guided the contestants to the far edge of the desert area. There, they saw two circular stone pedestals. Each with a strange statue on top. The one on the left depicted a Magneton pushing a metal cube. The right illustrated a frozen Decidueye with a horrified, contorted face.
"My poor Decidueye, who did this to your handsome face? That bottom tier loser will pay!" Aromatisse agonized, rubbing his face consolingly.
"You will find out soon enough." Skarmory pushed her back with the others. Aromatisse nearly resisted.
"Anyways, the objective of today's challenge is simple. Complete your shrine the fastest. The Magneton shrine is for the boys and the Decidueye is for the girls. Don't worry, both equalize in difficulty and time to complete from multiple intern tests. There is a good reason as to why we separate the five of you into two groups and it isn't because of your gender. You will find out on your own hopefully. I don't want to ruin the surprise." Skarmory explained. Drifblim looked enthusiastic.
"Each shrine will be occupied by one contestant at a time. The rest will wait here. Once you finish solving the puzzle, your time will be recorded and you will be teleported back to the camp area. Any questions?" Skarmory asked the usual. Everyone seemed to understand the challenge.
"Good. Anyone wants to go first?" Skarmory asked and Drifblim immediately raised her hand.
"I'm very excited to compete in this interesting challenge." Drifblim expressed eagerly. Skarmory blinked.
"You are certainly weird today, Drifblim. I'm actually prepared to counter against your complaints about balance issues." Skarmory remarked.
"You want me to complain? Seriously?" Drifblim raised her right eye.
"No thanks." Skarmory shook his head. He then glanced at the boys, Darmanitan volunteered since the other two didn't.
The challenge eventually began. Drifblim and Darmanitan got on their respective pedestal. Soon enough, a blue mystifying light teleported them underground.
Confessional
Drifblim: "Very unprofessional, Skarmory. You shouldn't ask for a contestant to complain about your show."
Darmanitan emerged out of the light, witnessing a shocking sight.
He was in a dark room with blue torches lighting up the walls. They illuminated what appeared to be an electricity conductivity puzzle.
In front of him was a giant hi-tech magnet. It got two buttons on it: push and pull.
In the lower right corner of the room, a container locked the giant Triple A battery inside for safety.
There were four sets of line on the floors. They functioned like wires. The line near the battery container lit up in green light.
At the end of room were two metal cubes and a locked door with two switches on the left and right side.
The first line shaped like an 'L'. It connected to the container. It also had a small gap to the 'U' shape in the middle of the room. The 'U' shape split off into two 'I' lines. Each line connected to a switch directly.
Turning to the back of the room, Darmanitan saw a wall of dry leaves. He wasn't tempted to burn them one bit. Rather, he was against all kinds of pyromaniac activity. Zen taught him the sensible and chill path.
Picking the magnet up, Darmanitan concentrated on the puzzle right away. He experimented with the motion controls of the magnet first. He pressed the pull button and the cube got attracted immediately. When he turned the magnet around, the cube also rotated. Wherever he moved, the cube followed unless it got stuck against the wall.
"This should work." Darmanitan dropped the cube down between the 'L' line and the 'U' line. The 'U' lit up in green light as a result.
Here came the mind-boggling part. With one metal cube left and two switches, how was it possible to solve the puzzle? Darmanitan started to meditate for the answer.
Confessional
Darmanitan: "I advise everyone to meditate whenever they got stuck on something. It helps, homie." He mostly addressed the viewers.
Drifblim met with something completely different. Unlike the boys' shrine, the girls' shrine shone luminously due to the bright Sun shaped lighting on the ceiling. Drifblim blocked her eyes from the blinding light.
"Way to make your contestants go blind, Skarmory." Drifblim complained, focusing her eyes on the ground.
The floor got painted in five different colors (excluding the words):
Red with the words 'Bottom Tier' written in black.
Blue with the words 'Low Tier' written in black.
Green with the words 'Middle Tier' written in white.
Silver with the words 'High Tier' written in bronze.
Gold with the words 'Top Tier' written in bronze.
In addition, there were seventeen cardboard cut-outs all over the place. Sixteen male contestants and Decidueye. Lastly, five ice blocks scattered across the room with a frozen treasure chest inside. A flamethrower lay next to the one closest to her.
Drifblim rolled her eyes, instantly getting the theme of today's challenge.
Confessional
Drifblim: "Let me guess, Bisharp is getting revenge on the girls and Grovyle is getting revenge on the boys." She folded her arms.
The screen flashbacked to yesterday's night.
The door of the cottage opened, slowly revealing a dark figure that blended well with the darkness. It was Bisharp.
"Glad to see you again, Skarmory." Bisharp bowed as a polite gesture before shaking his right wing.
"Glad to see you too, Bisharp. You have finished watching the tape I sent, right?" Skarmory asked.
"Indeed." Bisharp frowned. "While I'm not vindictive by any stretch, I'm very displeased that they have taken things too far. They have degraded me into a joke, unaware of the dire implications that I must deal with back at home. My parents are watching the show and they take things very seriously."
Skarmory's eyes hid guilt. He was the one who started the gag in the first place but Bisharp didn't know that. The footage only showed Aromatisse and Drifblim insulting him. The host just wanted to create funny moments for the viewers, not considering Bisharp's side of things.
"I see… Bisharp, let me remind you of your mission. You will return as a special guest tomorrow for the final revenge special. The two girls will need to solve a puzzle in a shrine created specifically for you. You might wonder about the boys. Well, another guest will return alongside you. There he is." Skarmory indicated, pointing behind Bisharp.
Bisharp turned around, disappointed after seeing that it was Grovyle.
"Glorious Guest Grovyle will make his comeback as a new man today. My fans, I hope you look forward to that." Grovyle started blowing kisses and waving at the camera.
"Can't it be someone else?" Bisharp glared at Grovyle with spite.
"That should be me asking." Grovyle glared back.
"Let me ask both of you a few questions for the fans. Grovyle, how are you doing after you got eliminated? Has your stay been enjoyable so far in Loser Island?" Skarmory interviewed curiously.
"Great. I'm not as hated as Skrelp, Larvitar or Heracross so that's a plus. Although, nobody allows me to call myself Good Guy Grovyle anymore. That is why I'm now Triple G. A much cooler nickname I say." Grovyle said proudly.
"Stands for Guilty Guy Grovyle." Bisharp added sharply.
"Only for you, Bucket Boy Bisharp." Grovyle retorted to Bisharp's chagrin.
"Bucket Boy Bisharp? How did you get that nickname?" Skarmory suppressed his laugh.
"I rather not talk about it." Bisharp blushed slightly, avoiding direct eye contact with the camera.
"From another of his fishing misadventures. I show him good." Grovyle told in a vague manner, grinning smugly. Bisharp groaned.
"What is the relationship between you two now? You started off as allies. Then, you both became friends, turned into enemies at the end. Anything to say?" Skarmory glanced at both of them.
"In the beginning of the game, we didn't know each other very well. Both of us were shady characters with ulterior motives that tried to take advantage of the other. Now, we are like exposed, naked prisoners with nothing to hide. We agree to express our hate toward each other openly. I can't stand him and he can't stand me. The more accurate representation than enemies would just be two vastly different individuals that are forced to live together in a secluded island." Bisharp described their rather complex relationship.
"What he said." Grovyle pointed at him before shrugging.
"Good news for both of you. You don't need to work together." Skarmory told to their delight. "Although, your success depends on each other's. If all five contestants fail to complete the shrine, both of you can name two contestants up for elimination. If you both name the same contestant, then it will be an automatic elimination." Skarmory added to their dismay.
"Hope you don't lose to those girls. That won't look good in front of your parents, won't it?" Grovyle provoked.
"Speak for yourself! You got three contestants to take care of." Bisharp scowled.
"Yeah, but I'm up against Nosepass, Darmanitan and Farfetch'd without Mr. Stalk. That's like taking a candy from a… Skrelp." Grovyle used the wrong saying again.
"Baby, Genius Guy Grovyle." Bisharp corrected with sarcasm.
"Thanks, Bucket Brain Bisharp." Grovyle returned an insult. Bisharp gritted his teeth in annoyance.
The situation was very uncomfortable as the three boarded the boat back to Skarmory Island.
Confessional
Grovyle: "Will probably put Darmanitan up for elimination. That goody two shoes, Lucario fanboying, chilling baby needs to learn that gratitude, generosity and being a gentleman don't take you far in life if you aren't Triple G. A good guy needs a reward at the end. Otherwise, there is no point being good. He will end up like Houndour, used by Meowth and abused by Lucario."
Bisharp: "Grovyle is one-of-a-kind. He has a strange superiority complex regarding his intelligence. He usually boasts that he can easily beat Skrelp and me in most areas of expertise with minimal effort. He often blames his countryside background for his lack of book smarts. Dedenne said that he is someone who requires a lot of encouragement and flattery to actually show his good side. He also apparently can't stand it when anyone doubts his ability or question his already questionable morality."
As Drifblim used the flamethrower to defreeze the first treasure chest, she found the thought of creating a tier list to be very amusing. It was a classic in seasons where the girls were all crazy about the hottest guy. However, in this season, they weren't any eye candies really.
Lucario was too muscular. Machoke was too thin. Tyrunt looked like a total nerd. Meowth only looked good in a business suit. Larvitar was too wimpy. Only Bisharp and Grovyle came close to the pretty boy category. Even then, their personalities were mediocre at best, at least in her opinion.
The girl side wasn't any better. Aromatisse was probably the only pretty one while some might consider Heracross to be ugly. She didn't take care of her body well. The dirt, dust and dull showed on her entire body.
Drifblim found it to be a breath of fresh air that there weren't really any love triangles or hot models in the show. Relationship took a backseat this season, making room for crazy challenges and insane strategies.
Decidueye was definitely the hottest, Drifblim agreed with Aromatisse.
Drifblim returned to reality once the ice melted. She opened the treasure chest, hoping for something useful.
"A note? Let's see…" Drifblim picked it up and read. "I score lipids, eating medium rare mussels."
Drifblim thought for a moment. She soon floated over to the cardboard versions of Scolipede, Darmanitan, Lucario and brought them over to the middle tier area.
Afterwards, she burned another frozen treasure chest.
"This is going to take a while…" Drifblim sounded a bit impatient.
Confessional
Drifblim: "Score-lipids as Scolipede and mussels as muscles. I wonder if Bisharp or Skarmory came up with the word puzzles."
Back to the surface…
Farfetch'd approached Aromatisse who gazed dreamily at the frozen Decidueye.
"You still look handsome." Aromatisse mumbled, ogling the statue.
Farfetch'd poked Aromatisse lightly with Ms. Stick to get her attention.
"Aromatisse, I want to apologize for accusing your friend of stealing Mr. Stalk without any evidence. I'm not myself as of late. I'm very sorry." Farfetch'd looked down on the ground, ashamed of what he did yesterday.
"I forgive you, Farfetch'd. After all, you saved me from that barbaric conveyor belt." Aromatisse accepted the apology.
"I guess…" Farfetch'd muttered. Aromatisse looked at him worriedly.
Nosepass listened to the conversation, averting his eyes. Guilt punched his side.
Even though Farfetch'd lost Mr. Stalk and suffered so much, he still had the courage to actually apologize and ask for forgiveness. What about him? He was only a pathetic coward that ran away from his problems with Fear all the time.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "I didn't save Aromatisse. It was Mr. Stalk. All of my skills, talents and abilities are basically his, not mine."
Aromatisse: "Poor Farfetch'd, I hope he reunites with Mr. Stalk soon. When we find out, I'm voting that heartless thief out no matter what."
Nosepass: "I'm really disgusted with myself. Brother, Hickery-o… what should I do?"
Darmanitan was enlightened after a moment of meditation. He examined the dry leaves wall behind him, rubbing it to find some sort of hidden secret. Eventually, he found a small hole. Inserting his fore finger inside, he slid a note out successfully.
"Think like Grovyle to solve the puzzle." Darmanitan read the hint, scratching his head in confusion.
Think like Grovyle? The gecko homie wasn't always the brightest to Darmanitan. Although, he couldn't be underestimated. He was a total sneak, combined this with his cunning and deceitful nature and then you got a quick-witted trickster.
Triple G wasn't smart for many contestants' standards. However, back where he lived, he was the strongest, smartest and coolest. Many contestants seemed to glance past this fact.
Thinking about it, Darmanitan found the puzzle to be extremely simple with a very obvious obstacle. There were two metal cubes but three gaps to fill. Definitely the style of puzzle that Grovyle would create. It tested the contestants' resourcefulness rather than academic intelligence.
"I need to meditate again." Darmanitan returned to his meditative pose and started replaying his memories about Grovyle and anything related to him inside his head.
Grovyle kicked him on the back of his head. Ouch.
Grovyle submitted to Lucario. Not very useful.
Grovyle pushed Darmanitan out of his way during the cooking and fear challenge. What a jerk.
Darmanitan struggled to find the answer. Therefore, he shifted his focus to the battery instead.
Darmanitan remembered how energetic and eccentric it could be, blasting deadly thunderbolts and electric meteors. The memory of the tiebreaker contrasted greatly with the present. Now, the battery calmed down greatly, locked inside the container for safety.
Wait… That's it! Darmanitan got the answer now.
Using the magnet, Darmanitan threw the metal cube at the container, breaking it opened.
The battery charged electricity, aiming at both metal cubes. Darmanitan quickly positioned both near the switches.
The battery zapped the door opened and Darmanitan hurried inside before it closed down, bringing the magnet with him just in case.
The next room was a large but mostly empty rectangular room. In the top left and top right corners were two metal cubes, one on each side. Attached to the ceiling was another giant Triple A battery.
Grovyle stood in the center of attention, holding the gun that shoots out lightning lure disks.
"Ha, you made it. However, don't celebrate just yet. If you want to beat this shrine, you need to take down its owner. That's me, Triple G. Now, it stands for Glorious Guest Grovyle. Soon, it will stand for Grief Giver Grovyle!" Grovyle asserted.
"Homie, what you got against me?" Darmanitan asked with pacifistic eyes. "Can't we just settle it the chill way?"
"Not much. I hate you because of Lucario just like many others. You are the one that should try to seek revenge. What's with that look? C'mon, let's fight." Grovyle initiated the battle, shooting multiple disks toward Darmanitan's direction. The homie boy wasn't prepared to dodge. He got hit by six disks in total.
"Lucario, Lucario. Why is it all his fault? Is it so wrong that I'm his fanboy?" Darmanitan questioned with narrow eyes, repressing his anger. He rammed at Grovyle on all fours.
"He ruined my shot at the million. You expect me to like him?" Grovyle performed a front flip over Darmanitan, shooting four more disks at his back.
"Homie, I don't expect you to like him. I know that he can be mean, especially to the Crazy Crawdaunt members. However, please give him a chance. I know that he can change. I'll compete on his behalf and show everyone that the Aura Beast fandom isn't always crazily competitive and ruthless!" Darmanitan appealed with chill conviction.
"You know what? You are right, Darmanitan." Grovyle dropped his gun down and walked toward Darmanitan apologetically with guilty eyes. The homie boy was shocked but smiled regardless.
"I'm Guilty Guy Grovyle. I got what's coming for me. Lucario did the right thing by beating my ass up. It's just that I'm jealous of his fame and leadership, you know? He got fans and so many loyal teammates." Grovyle averted his eyes. "I don't think I can ever be forgiven." He sobbed. Everything sounded so sincere and genuine.
"Homie, I forgive you." Darmanitan patted his back consolingly, dropping his guard. "I'm sure that someday you will have a huge fanbase as well."
Suddenly, Grovyle laughed hysterically.
"Gullible goody two shoes…" Grovyle grinned evilly. Darmanitan widened his eyes. However, it was too late. Grovyle kicked him in the direction of the metal cube on the top right corner. The battery blasted lightning at Darmanitan upon Godly Guy Grovyle's command.
"Ah!" Darmanitan screamed in pain. He received major damage.
"Blind fanboy, this is why you shouldn't trust someone so easily. Not me and certainly not Lucario." Grovyle mocked.
Darmanitan twitched his eyes a little. He took deep breaths before meditating, changing his form into Zen Mode Darmanitan. Grovyle smirked, well prepared for this situation since Heracross warned him about Darmanitan's ability.
"Darmanitan, I actually got an Aura Beast T-shirt, ya dig?" Grovyle countered with Confide, using a made-up secret.
Darmanitan lost his concentration and his Sp. Atk got lowered. Grovyle utilized this chance to snatch the magnet and hurled the other cube at Darmanitan, stunning him.
Grovyle retrieved his gun and fired continuously at Darmanitan until he commanded the battery to rain down meteors upon the poor homie boy.
A gigantic explosion boomed, creating a huge cloud of smoke. It slowly faded, showing an unconscious Darmanitan. Grovyle chuckled at his easy victory.
Confessional
Darmanitan: "Is this why Lucario wants to abandon me? To show me the harsh reality of the things that will happen to Aura Beast fans?"
Grovyle: "Can't believe the guy fell for it. Great Guy Grovyle is jealous of Lucario? Don't make me laugh." Even though he tried to deny it, there was a hint of truth.
"Two grass guys hit rock bottom." Drifblim read her second clue. She immediately knew that the two were Decidueye and Grovyle.
"Aromatisse isn't going to be happy. Better watch out, Bisharp." Drifblim said to no one in particular.
Lifting Decidueye up, she noticed visual hints that weren't presented in cardboard versions of Lucario, Scolipede or Darmanitan.
First of all, the edges got cut sloppily, showing some white areas. Second, the cardboard was too easily bendable. The Grovyle cardboard cut-out experienced the same treatment.
"I get it now." Drifblim figured out a faster way to complete the puzzle.
Instead of wasting time burning frozen treasure chests for ages, Drifblim inspected the cardboard themselves.
Low tier cardboard cut-outs like Machoke, Magikarp, Meowth and Larvitar all bend easily.
High tier cardboard cut-outs like Houndour, Electabuzz, Shedinja and Farfetch'd looked a bit shiny.
Cardboard Bisharp shone brilliantly with a flashy look. Any guesses about his tier?
Tyrunt was middle tier while Rhydon and Nosepass belonged to bottom tier. Drifblim regretted not checking the cardboard cut-outs carefully before burning the frozen chests.
After completion, the door automatically opened.
Drifblim entered the room where Bisharp was waiting solemnly. He held the freezing gun firmly in his hands. Interestingly, he stood on a pillar of ice. The room got flooded with water from two Kingdra statues to the sides, releasing rapids from their snouts. The back of the room got a strange lever. Underneath the water was a drain, preventing the water level from rising.
"You look mad, Bisharp. Angry that you don't look hot in our eyes?" Drifblim teased.
"No. Drifblim, everybody knew what you did in Loser Island. Heracross told us." Bisharp acknowledged. Drifblim frowned, looking anxious.
"Drifblim, I respect the level of gameplay you bring to this show. However, there is always a line in the sand. As a fellow strategist, I must express disapproval against some of your moves in this game. I'm not allowed to tell anyone and I won't. However, can you please explain to me why was it necessary to steal Mr. Stalk? In my opinion, the risk outweighs the benefits." Bisharp questioned in a composed and objective manner.
"Bisharp, we are both strategists. However, here comes a glaring difference between us. I'm a superfan and you aren't. That itself makes a huge difference. I don't expect you to understand. I'm going to deal with my consequences after the game ends, whether I win or not. Right now, I expect you to fulfill your responsibilities as a guest." Drifblim postponed.
"Fair enough. A friendly word of caution… As Farfetch'd's friend, this might be a bit personal. Are you ready?" Bisharp alerted.
"Ready unlike you!" Drifblim initiated the battle by melting the pillar of ice Bisharp stood on with her flamethrower.
Bisharp jumped backwards and froze the lever before shooting the water to create another ice platform. He dug his feet through the ice to stick a proper landing.
Drifblim analyzed his behavior and immediately knew that activating the lever would be advantageous to her. She aimed a Shadow Ball at the ice platform, planning to distance Bisharp from the lever.
Bisharp jumped away again and shot an icy blast at Drifblim which she melted with her flamethrower easily. The shrine boss created another platform for himself before using an unexpected move.
"Embargo!" Bisharp summoned dark chains to restrict Drifblim's use of her item. He smirked as Drifblim was taken by surprise.
Drifblim tossed her unusable flamethrower away before blasting another Shadow Ball at Bisharp. She made sure to curve it so that it chases Bisharp away from the lever.
Bisharp jumped away and created another platform immediately for himself. This time, he didn't bother to counter attack. He set up using Sword Dance instead.
Drifblim utilized this opportunity to charge Fly and struck the frozen lever, activating it. Instantly, the Kingdra stopped releasing water and the drain sucked all the water up.
Drifblim made a big mistake. She didn't keep her eyes on Bisharp. Before she could react, he slashed her with Night Slash. Bisharp followed up with Iron Head, headbutting her down the drain.
Drifblim yelped, struggling to get out of the drain. However, Bisharp froze it, trapping her. He slid over to the blocked drain stylishly, placing his right foot on the frozen Drifblim.
"You fell into my trap. I win." Bisharp smiled victoriously.
Confessional
Drifblim: "Well, I gotta hand it to Bisharp. Maybe he isn't a flat cardboard strategist after all. He is promoted to a colorless, boring whiteboard strategist instead. If he keeps up this performance, I'm sure he will be the bulletin board strategist someday. I'm so proud of my son." She referred to Smeargle's acting challenge.
Nosepass volunteered to take on the shrine before Farfetch'd after a moment of retrospection.
One event greatly impacted him. That time when Tyrunt volunteered to face his fear before the likes of Grovyle and Archeops… it was amazing. Nosepass still couldn't believe that a coward- …
Calling Tyrunt a coward was hypocritical. Nosepass was envious of him. Tyrunt grew a lot more in a span of fourteen days than Nosepass in a span of twenty-eight days or so he believed. Nosepass sometimes wished that he could be like Tyrunt. Then again, maybe that was a bad idea. He would lose Hickery-o and Rhydon.
Nosepass felt a strange sensation inside his brain. It was… satisfaction. But, how could he? Nosepass shouldn't be satisfied with being a pitiful cowardly thief that ran away from all of his responsibilities! He shouldn't be under the delusion that just because Hickery-o accepted him, he got nothing to improve on. No, he was still extremely flawed. More flawed than anyone in Total Skarmory Island. He would take one step forward now. Enough hiding with Fear. It's time to ditch that loser and followed Tyrunt's footsteps instead.
Experimenting with the magnet, Nosepass found the clanging sound of dropping the metal cube to startle him a lot. Yet, he kept going with the challenge even when Loneliness was presented.
Unfortunately, he couldn't solve the puzzle and got timed out of the challenge.
Confessional
Nosepass: "I actually don't want the immunity. There is something that I must do today." He sounded serious and resolute.
Aromatisse, just like Drifblim, didn't check the cardboard cut-outs carefully first. Even worse, she decided to defreeze all of the treasure chests before managing the cut-outs. These girls might be secretly inclined to pyromaniac activities. (Chill out!)
The other clues were the following:
Low profits from thin, lavishing slices of fish.
An angelic being with wings, halo and the power to wield electricity lived high in the heavens. (This description fits Godly Guy Grovyle perfectly. Are you sure he doesn't belong to high tier?)
Born in a top-ranking family… Beautiful blades adorned him… His bride was jumpy and fluffy.
Aromatisse rolled her eyes. Soon enough, she read the clue about Decidueye and seethed. She crumpled the clue and threw it away.
"Bisharp, you are crossing the line! I won't do this crappy challenge any longer!" Aromatisse reddened, forfeiting.
Confessional
Aromatisse: "I couldn't do that to my handsome honey. Decidueye, I love you!" She formed a heart with both hands, blushing furiously.
It was Farfetch'd's turn. His failure meant that Bisharp and Grovyle succeeded in getting their revenges. In that case, a deathmatch between Darmanitan and Drifblim was likely to happen. Could he pull off his first immunity win without Mr. Stalk?
Farfetch'd sighed. Working alone without Mr. Stalk was extremely difficult. Sure, he got Ms. Stick but she caused more harm than good most of the time.
Farfetch'd studied the room and ended up in the same situation as Darmanitan. Baffled with the three gaps and two cubes. The room reset after Darmanitan and Nosepass attempted the shrine, with the help of interns. Therefore, there was no advantage in going last.
Farfetch'd rummaged through the dry leaves and soon found the note.
"Think like Grovyle, huh?" Farfetch'd looked thoughtful, tapping his chin. He exhaled, shaking his head after failing to find the solution.
"Ms. Stick, got any ideas?" Farfetch'd asked, a bit hopeful.
"What?! Release the battery? That sounds like a dangerous idea, Ms. Stick. I might get hurt. You want me to do it anyways? I guess… I'll do it." Farfetch'd sounded unsure and hesitant.
Instead of throwing the metal cube like Darmanitan, Farfetch'd held the push button of the giant magnet. The metal cube collided with the container, creating a small crack. Farfetch'd pulled the cube back before pushing it against the container again. He only needed to push the two buttons since the container was straight from him.
Eventually, the container broke and the battery sparked. Farfetch'd panicked and pressed the pull button for too long. The metal cube rushed at him dangerously. Out of fear, Farfetch'd threw the magnet behind him. The magnet lost control of the metal cube, flinging it into the air.
Farfetch'd looked horrified as the metal cube was about to crush his skull. Bracing for the impact, he held his head and ducked. It was too late to run away.
Luckily, the cube barely scathed by him since he ducked. However, it knocked Ms. Stick out of his wings, breaking her in half. She softened the blow for him…
"No! Ms. Stick!" Farfetch'd shouted in agony. He dropped to his knees as he held her remains, crying as if a dying family member was in front of him.
"Don't die please…" Farfetch'd prayed. Suddenly, the battery released electricity toward his direction.
Watch out! Farfetch'd heard a feminine voice yelled out urgently inside his head.
Farfetch'd rolled away, dodging the damage just in time.
"You saved me…" Farfetch'd gaped, treasuring Ms. Stick's remains in his wings. Farfetch'd closed his eyes, tears leaking out. Determinedly, he opened them with a strong sense of emergency.
"Stay strong! I'll bring you to the hospital!" Farfetch'd vowed with a sudden burst of energy. He hurried over to the metal cubes recklessly, not bothering with the magnet.
"Cube brothers, *beep* your square faces!" Farfetch'd fumed, red smoke discharging out of his body ragingly. He kicked both cubes using the move Revenge over to the switches.
Once the Cube brothers paid for their crimes through electrocution, Farfetch'd picked up the magnet and sprinted inside the boss room.
"Triple- ow!" Grovyle got gimped as Farfetch'd swung the metal cube at him without any hesitation.
"Out of the way! Can't you see a dying woman?!" Farfetch'd censured demandingly. "Rah!" Farfetch'd roared ferociously like a beast and performed a spin attack with the cube. Triple G took hits consecutively, crying out in pain until he fainted.
Farfetch'd got teleported to the camp area. The other contestants anticipated the result.
"Farfetch'd, you win-" Skarmory got interrupted.
"Shut up! Save that for later! Quickly teleport Ms. Stick to the infirmary. Now!" Farfetch'd shook Skarmory infuriatingly.
Everyone looked terrified of Farfetch'd. Skarmory ordered Alakazam to hospitalize Ms. Stick in the infirmary as soon as possible.
Confessional
Drifblim: "What. The. Hell. Just. Happened?" She was still processing the situation.
Nosepass: "How am I going to find the courage to confess now?" He hugged himself for comfort.
Darmanitan: "The homie needs to chill out, big time. I might need to buy him a few chill pills." His seemed a bit shaky.
Aromatisse: "He looked like Lucario for a second. His eyes were red." She didn't seem to be exaggerating.
Farfetch'd visited the infirmary, praying for Ms. Stick's safety anxiously.
The door opened and Farfetch'd held his breath.
Chef Drapion came out, handing him the wood glued Ms. Stick. Farfetch'd cried in joy.
"Thank the gods that your surgery is successful. Ms. Stick, I'll never lose you like Mr. Stalk ever again." Farfetch'd promised, wiping his tears away.
Chef Drapion rolled his eyes as he walked away, giving a cringe expression in the process.
"Ms. Stick, I want you to know that even if we never find Mr. Stalk again. I, at the very least… have you." Farfetch'd said emotionally, caressing her.
"Ouch, a splinter." Farfetch'd frowned at first. However, it soon turned into a smile "I… like it. I still remember the first time you gave me a splinter, Ms. Stick." He recalled. "Wonderful."
There was something beautiful about his delusion. The ability to find happiness, sadness, joy, laughter, sorrow and fun in non-living objects was special and rare. A connection that challenged the conventional notions of feelings, emotions and relationships.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "Maybe… I can make a room inside my heart for more than Mr. Stalk and Swanna. Maybe… I can accept others like Ms. Stick and Bisharp."
Nosepass headed down his big brother's secret base in a melancholic manner. When he first discovered this place, he was scared. Now, he felt wistful. Maybe he really did change after all.
Nosepass normally found it difficult to distinguish between an actual change in his personality and mere impulse. However, that didn't mean he couldn't acknowledge the fact he changed. Of course, he changed but… by how much? That was the question in his mind. Sometimes, he reverted back to his original self after facing his fears and predicaments. For example, Nosepass only stood up against Larvitar in light of his wimpy weaknesses. He didn't suddenly become braver. Instead, he realized how weak and pathetic Larvitar truly was. However, this was still the simple version.
Nosepass' mind was complicated. A chaotic mixture of negative feelings swirled around his head with only a few neutrals and positives blending in. It was a travesty to describe his actions as a result of only impulse or fear.
Here's the thing, Nosepass didn't fully understand himself. He simplified how his mind works, unaware that perhaps he was as equally complex as Grovyle or Lucario.
Nosepass had a sympathetic childhood. Betrayed and bullied by many. Therefore, he had low self-esteem and barely any selflessness. He remembered the time when Houndour gave the noodle cup to him. Nosepass never paid back the gratitude. In place of that, he showed ingratitude. Nosepass cheered for Grovyle when he kicked the bracelet away.
Guilt would haunt him for a long time.
Nosepass developed an 'impulsive' nature through Relief's laxness and ignorance. After surviving through some sort of struggle, Relief would always erase his accomplishments and replace all of that with the excuses of impulse. Simply put, Nosepass preferred to forget about all of his bad experiences after feeling relieved. However, the bad experiences still haunted him. He only forgot the positive lessons he learned. Things like why he faced the difficulty in the first place.
Loneliness subjected him to selfishness and lack of empathy. Because his parents weren't really there for him, he got no one by his side until now.
Fear was the vaguest. Just like impulse, it was a simplified term to describe Nosepass.
Nosepass kept other feelings to himself like anger, worry, shame and etc. However, he never noticed them. They resided quite deep in his subconsciousness, influencing his decisions in subtle ways. Eventually, they aggregated into two major concepts: Fear and Impulse.
Fear meant he wouldn't do something out of cowardice.
Impulse meant he did something just because he was an impulsive idiot.
The only two that could break him from the vicious cycle of impulse and fear were Rhydon and Hickery-o. They taught him many precious lessons. Hopefully, he could put them to good use and grow stronger.
Nosepass noticed the giant piece of paper that Rhydon left for him. He walked to it, not expecting to get much of anything other than a good chuckle out of his big brother's messy handwriting.
The little brother found his big brother's handwriting to be hilariously hopeless. Once he evolved, he quickly rewrote everything essential using real hands as a Rhydon. Yet, the handwriting only improved slightly.
There was one section that stood out. The section that Rhydon wrote as some sort of farewell message. Nosepass tried hard to read it. Really, really hard to read it. He ended up needing to rewrite the letters he could decipher and fill in the gaps himself. It took a long while but he did it.
Rhydon wrote the following:
"My little brother, I'm very sorry for being so distant lately. I know it hurts you and makes you feel scared. It hurts me and makes me feel scared as well… I know that I'm not the best big brother. Too mysterious and detached to even be considered a friend at times. Leaving you in the dark for so long, clinging to a fragile faith that I'm some sort of guardian protector… I truly wish that I can be your big brother and do things that brothers do nowadays. The truth is… I always long for a family member. I have no one left after that incident and I can feel lonely at times…"
"However, that's enough about me. I know that it is selfish to ask someone to be a psychopath's brother so I won't do it. Rather, I request you to forget about me for your own safety… Nosepass, I know you will do just fine without me. You have grown a lot in my eyes and I hope you feel the same. I hope you can put my analysis into good use and win this game. Even if you don't, that doesn't matter. What matters the most is how you feel about yourself. If you think it is unfair on the other contestants and decide to not use my help, then feel free to do so."
"Nosepass… I'm proud of you. No matter what happens, I'll treasure you inside my heart even if I'll be forgotten. I love you… little brother."
Nosepass was left in tears. His big brother thought so highly of him… He didn't deserve any of this…
Nosepass felt the irresistible impulse taking control of his body once again. He would embrace it. He would take the responsibility this time. He would confess… so that he would be worthy of the love Rhydon and Hickery-o had given to him!
Confessional
Nosepass: "I've made my decision and I won't go back on it." His eyes and nose sharpened with conviction.
Drifblim traveled to the mountain area, preparing to execute the last part of her masterplan. She soon found Nosepass walking out of Rhydon's secret base. He seemed different this time. Drifblim discerned this Nosepass from the normal Nosepass. The normal one gave off unthreatening and cowardly vibes but this one…
Gave off an intense conviction that shaken her.
"Drifblim, I'm going to confess and I'm going to throw your name out too. Farfetch'd has the right to know everything." Nosepass resolved, fear vanquished from his voice.
"Are you mental?! Farfetch'd is going to kill both of us." Drifblim disagreed strongly.
"He is going to kill both of us after he watches the episodes anyways! It is better to confess and tone down his anger now." Nosepass reasoned in a persuasive tone.
Distress was written all over Drifblim's face. This was unexpected. She wasn't ready to deal with this new Nosepass. However, she wouldn't give up just yet. No way.
Nosepass walked past Drifblim. The ghost girl held his right shoulder, holding him back.
"Nosepass… I'm scared." Drifblim decided to take the sympathy and empathy route.
"Being scared is no excuse. I'm scared and I'm still confessing." Nosepass remained unyielding. Drifblim sweated a little but she persisted.
"You are right, being scared is no excuse. I'm sorry. Nosepass, you are very responsible, mature and brave for choosing this honorable path. I'm so sorry. All of this is my fault. I shouldn't have persuaded you to steal Mr. Stalk. If anyone is the coward here, it is me. Nosepass, the truth is…" Drifblim paused, arranging together a convincing argument. Nosepass pressured her with his critical stare.
Drifblim sighed. "I didn't try to paint you as some sort of monster by making you steal Mr. Stalk. I just want to create drama for the viewers. Something to keep them engrossed with the show. I just want to be remembered. I want to build my own legacy before I never get the chance to compete again. There are many superfans, Nosepass. Most of them are the same. Crazy, obsessed fanatics that can't stop talking nonsense about the show. I don't want to be like them." She took a short breather.
"That's why I take the role of the antagonist. However, I'm a cowardly villain. I can't bring myself to directly hurt others like those heartless monsters you see in these types of shows. This is why I only pull the strings behind the scenes. I can only manipulate villains like Skrelp and Grovyle to hurt others indirectly. I'm well aware that I'm not absolved from my wrongdoings. I'll admit that I'm a bit of a sadist but only for the entertainment of the viewers. I never want any real harm like the Lucario's incident." Drifblim gave it her all. Her voice was genuine. Her eyes were sincere. "However, this isn't all about me…"
Nosepass widened his eyes. What she said at the end reminded him of what Rhydon wrote.
"If you confess without Mr. Stalk in your possession. Farfetch'd will definitely accuse me, Aromatisse and Darmanitan of being the second thief. I'm definitely not that thief. If you throw me under the bus and get me eliminated, I can't magically summon Mr. Stalk and return it to him. Farfetch'd will inevitably accuse the other two. It will be a chaotic mess. You need to put all the blame on yourself and lie by saying that you lost Mr. Stalk." Drifblim emphasized.
Nosepass was blown away by her reasoning. He never thought about that before. Drifblim was right. He nodded, agreeing with her.
Drifblim mustered a small, encouraging smile.
"Nosepass, after the game is over and the winner is decided, I'll accept the responsibility with you." Drifblim reassured, enlarging her soothing smile.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Even if she causes this whole mess, Drifblim is one of the nice few to me…"
Drifblim: She breathed heavily, relieved. "That was… close."
Nosepass walked over to the Crazy Crawdaunt boys' cabin with confidence. He inhaled, sucking his cowardice into his nostrils before opening the door courageously.
He saw Farfetch'd swinging Ms. Stick around as if he was preparing for a battle. Nosepass steeled himself.
"Ha, hya, hyak!" Farfetch'd made a series of sounds and slashes.
"Farfetch'd, w-what are you doing?" Nosepass stuttered a little but he still looked confident.
"Preparing to punish Drifblim. She is the thief. I'm sure of it this time." Farfetch'd told with confidence.
Nosepass took a deep breath. "Farfetch'd…" His lips quivered a little. "I'm the…"
"Hmm?" Farfetch'd raised his left eye.
"… thief." Nosepass finally confessed. Guilt celebrated, jumping around with Relief. Fear dreaded the worst.
Farfetch'd gawked, betrayed and backstabbed. He pointed Ms. Stick at Nosepass hostilely with murderous eyes.
"Where is he right now?" Farfetch'd tried to remain calm. However, anger was preeminent in his voice.
"I lost him." Nosepass averted his eyes.
"You *beep* lost him?! You *beep* sloppy thief!" Farfetch'd lifted Nosepass up threateningly. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." (Don't worry, he exaggerated.)
Nosepass' eyes turned watery. However, he suppressed his tears. He fought against the fear.
"I'm sorry, Farfetch'd. I stole Mr. Stalk because I just wanted to win the immunity challenge and impress Hickery-o. You are a strong opponent and I wanted to weaken you. I planned to return it to you after the challenge but I accidentally lost it. Hopefully, Skarmory will be able to find it for you after the game ends. Regardless, I'm an impulsive idiot that deserves to be punished so… do your worst." Nosepass shut his eyes, tears leaking out in the end.
Farfetch'd despised Nosepass for what he did. His hatred actually couldn't be described in words. Stealing Mr. Stalk was like stealing family. The punishment would be severe.
Farfetch'd should be able to punish Nosepass easily but somehow, he froze in place. Instead of a dirty thief, Nosepass looked like a misguided coward in front of his eyes. A sympathetic coward that messed up really badly but still had the conscience to confess.
Darmanitan's words rang in his ears. Don't repeated what happened with Lucario and Rhydon. Please.
Farfetch'd dropped Nosepass down before leaving the room out of disgust. He slammed the door shut loudly.
Relief helped Nosepass back to his feet. Both sighed, glad that they survived this life-risking ordeal.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "You got lucky, Nosepass. Leave this island and suffer in penitence."
Aromatisse: "Nosepass, I can't believe you did that. That's so not fabulous." She glared angrily.
Darmanitan: "I can't believe the nose homie did that. He needs to chill out in Loser Island."
Nosepass: "At least I made it out alive." He looked optimistic.
In the elimination ceremony…
Everyone sat far away from Nosepass, constantly flashing him dirty looks. Drifblim sat far from him to conform with the others. However, she gave him a sympathetic look instead.
Loneliness patted Nosepass' back, consoling him.
"Well, it's unanimous." Skarmory said, feeling awkward. "I won't delay this. The contestants know it, the viewers know it. You know it, Nosepass. Everyone gets a Leppa Berry except for you. You are eliminated."
Nosepass got out of his seat, giving Farfetch'd one last apologetic look.
Elimination Confessional
Well, I wouldn't say I've made a great time here. The challenges aren't Nosepass friendly and most of the contestants get the Nosepass seal of disapproval. However, I get to meet Rhydon and Hickery-o so I guess it is worth it at the end. I just realize something. I need to go and get my wrapping paper before I leave!
He hurried out of the confessional
Nosepass boarded his Lapras. Only Drifblim came to see him off.
"Nosepass, I'm very sorry that it has to come to this…" Drifblim looked guilty.
"It's okay, Drifblim. I stole Mr. Stalk willingly. You just gave me the opportunity." Nosepass lessened her guilt.
"Nosepass, you are very brave. I'll write good things about you in my blog. I hope you know that… friend." Drifblim widened her eyes. Did she just call Nosepass a friend?
"I guess we are friends now." Nosepass smiled, pleased to receive a compliment. It was a rare feeling. Drifblim returned the smile. Yes, they were friends now. After all, she showed her true side only to him.
As the Lapras departed, Nosepass watched the soft, blue ocean waves. They appeared all of a sudden and crashed all of a sudden. Kind of like his impulse. Nosepass wondered if the things he did today were impulses.
No. They weren't impulses. Nosepass finally took that step forward just like Tyrunt. He finally faced his fear, conquered his consequences and accepted his responsibility. Finally, Nosepass was someone that could be proud of himself. He was sure that Hickery-o and Rhydon would feel the same way about him.
Nosepass earned something instead of the million. Something truly priceless that he would treasure eternally.
Courage.
He stared into the distance… This was only the beginning. He smiled confidently, knowing his next goal.
Be there by Rhydon's side again.
Confessional
Drifblim: "Final four… I promise Aromatisse that I would bring her to the finale. However, she didn't take something into account. She became the new Nosepass now. Everyone wanted her in the finale. Tomorrow will certainly be interesting." She smirked.
Skarmory landed on the dock for the closing part.
"Viewers, what do you think about this electrifyingly sharp episode? Comment on our official website. We listen to our viewers' feedback. It will help us make Season 2 even better. Do you like our two guests, Triple G the battery god and the whiteboard strategist Bisharp? Personally, I like them. They just bring so much to the show. Funny moments, strategies and deep interactions. Anyways, see you in the next exciting, exhilarating episode of Total Skarmory Island!"
Votes
Farfetch'd: Nosepass
Aromatisse: Nosepass
Darmanitan: Nosepass
Drifblim: Nosepass
Nosepass: Nosepass
Nosepass: 5 (unanimously eliminated)
Grovyle & Bisharp: Revenge Failed
Two males, two females, two Crazy Crawdaunt members, two Feckless Flygon members. Two returners and two non-returners. Coincidence again? Yes, pure coincidence. I don't make my elimination list based on insignificant trivia.
I love Bisharp and Grovyle. The two are my favorites. I just can't have enough of their epic moments. The challenge is extremely fun to write. Bisharp and Grovyle are smart like bosses are supposed to be, using the contestants' equipment and strength against them. More bosses in video games should be like this. I'm looking at you, Bowser. Just press the switch and drop Mario down to the lava already! Geez.
For those curious about the tier list for girls. It's here. I don't discriminate.
Top Tier: Shiinotic, Aromatisse
High Tier: Skrelp, Archeops, Jumpluff, Ledyba
Middle Tier: Duosion, Drifblim, Cryogonal, Dedenne
Low Tier: Helioptile, Meowstic, Snorunt, Oddish
Bottom Tier: Miltank, Heracross, Feebas
This is the list for boys without Bisharp's bias.
Top Tier: Decidueye
High Tier: Bisharp, Grovyle, Magikarp
Middle Tier: Everyone Else
Low Tier: Nosepass, Machoke, Tyrunt
Bottom Tier: Rhydon, Larvitar
These lists are subjected to my opinion. Don't get offended. I know how they look as humans, so take that into consideration as well.
For example, Lucario looks like Kim Jong Kook of Running Man. He is a bit more muscular. However, he got this barbaric caveman look to him with red, devilish eyes. This is why he belongs to middle tier. If beauty equates to muscles for you then, he will probably be top tier alongside Miltank, Heracross and Darmanitan.
In this episode, I personify Nosepass' feelings to help you understand him more. Feel free to imagine them however you want. In a sense, they resemble Fafetch'd's imaginary friends. Nosepass never notice them, however. Neither do they have any tangible effect on the world.
Nosepass originates from Ji Suk Jin of Running Man. He was actually supposed to be fodder at first with his unluckiness, inability to understand challenges and pathetic physical strength. However, I change this since Nosepass is young and I don't find JSJ to fit him well.
Next, I take inspiration from Dark Ampithere's Bellsprout and Zubat. I want to merge the two of them together into Nosepass. However, I find this to be a bit of a rip-off. I soon overhauled his character.
The version of Nosepass I use is based on Luigi and he looks like Luigi in his human form, just younger.
I tone down his unluckiness and make my own interpretation of the coward archetype. He is a pretty complex coward and I think I explain him well enough this chapter.
I don't think Nosepass is based on anyone anymore. He got his own identity as a character. I'm proud to create him.
What are your opinions on revenge specials? Review and tell me.