"Me and my big mouth…"
"Like it?" Mew liked the looks on some of the Pokemons' faces, snickering when he saw some of them worried about it potentially swaying side to side.
"What… the hell is it?" Meowth remarked, his eyes narrowing at the platform.
"Your first challenge!" Mew declared, before floating over to sit on top of the platform. "This first challenge is designed to give a good idea on what to expect from you and your fellow competitors. If one decides to get their hands dirty, or if they play fair… if winning is more important than fellow competitors, so on. It's going to be a simple game of Sumo."
"I'm already liking this!" Machoke laughed, putting a fist into his palm to crack his knuckles. "I feel bad for whoever I gotta face."
"Calm yourself, as I'm still explaining the rules." Mew grinned. "There are eleven on each team, so that means we're going to be going to a best of eleven. If one team gets six wins, that's the end of the challenge. That means we can either have all eleven matches play out… or a simple six match wash."
"Some of us might not participate?" Jigglypuff asked.
"It's a possibility. However, then that begs the question. If one doesn't, would that be better than participating and losing? Would your team vote you off despite doing nothing?" Mew shrugged, leaving the choices up to the contestants. "It's a simple challenge, but one that's going to shape the game going forward."
"So… are the match-ups random?" Chansey asked, Mew floating back down to them at face level.
"Great question! For that, we have two wheels set up. Once someone participates, they're removed from the wheel and will not go twice. As for the challenge itself, I have a few more rules." Mew beckoned Mewtwo over.
The clone of Mew walked forward and held a Mega Stone in his hand, specifically the X stone that Mewtwo could use on himself. "Some of you have the possibility of a Mega Evolution. If not you, then a later stage in your evolution line. As of right now, the only possible one to do so right now is Beedrill."
"Yes?" The bee cocked her eye at the co-host.
"That means, that if you were to Mega Evolve, you have a step up on the competition at almost all times. To maintain a sense of fairness, you'll only be allowed to Mega Evolve once in the competition. That goes for anyone who obtains a Mega Stone going forward. Pick your time right." Mewtwo warned the competitors, before he stepped back.
000
Magikarp pouted as he flopped about. "I completely forgot about Mega Evolutions! It barely concerns me… if I was a Gyarados, maybe, but as long as I'm like this? No shot."
000
Meowth looked thoughtful. "That Bee might just be more of a threat than I realized. Her social skills haven't impressed anyone yet, but if she has that in her back pocket… I might need to do something about it." He fixed a whisker, before he provided a grin for the camera. "And I have a few ideas on how to do that~"
000
"Lastly, no Moves on the platform. This is purely a test based off of reactions. You can punch and kick, but no Mach Punch or Low Kick, got it?" Mew added that last rule, with some grumbles as the response but everyone got the memo.
"Great. Now-" Mew went to pull the wheels out, before he was interrupted.
"That platform is going to remain still, right? It's not gonna bounce or shake?" Tangela asked.
Mew huffed but turned back around. "We'll inform you if we add any caveats to a match. If we don't, assume the platform will remain still. Once someone is knocked off of the platform, the match is over."
He summoned the wheels to the side, along with some audience bleachers for those not partaking in their match yet. Mewtwo spun the wheels and the first fight had been made. Mew smiled from the fight right off the bat. "Should be interesting, Geodude vs Tangela!"
000
Geodude remained quizzical in the confessional, but hopeful. "Tangela… not bad for a first round. Should at least help me prove that I don't need to be physically carried all the time."
000
Tangela wasn't as calm. "I'm not a fighter! All I really do is just… make snarky comments, how am I supposed to fight a rock with arms like Machoke?!"
000
The two fighters were on the platform, suspended about ten feet above the ground. To prevent any sort of game altering injury, Mew provided a bit of a softer landing than hard ground. He opened a moat under the platform that would fill up with water. Geodude would have preferred the ground, in all honesty. Tangela's only solace was that she saw her opponent gulp when looking down at the water below.
"Remember, this is for the first point! For one team to win the challenge, they need six! Fight!" Mew announced, a bell sounding off.
Geodude used his arms to propel himself forward, Tangela immediately trying to circle the perimeter of the platform to prevent any sort of easy win for Geodude. The rock huffed as he had to hoist himself up to turn around on a dime, and by then Tangela had already kept the distance on him.
"Rocky's having a bit of trouble catching her already?" Magmar asked, crossing his arms with a huff.
"I bet you it's not that easy when you're up there." Bulbasaur tried to stick up for his new friend, which the Fire-type snickered at.
"I really don't think it can be that difficult."
"You have legs, and a significant size advantage. What if it was Snorlax as your opponent?" Bulbasaur replied coolly as the Fire-type looked over to the still slumbering cat on the opposing team.
Magmar gave it a little bit of thought… honestly, the sheer size of that man would provide the most difficulty. "Fine, I see your point. Let him prove me wrong." he replied to the Grass starter, with Bulbasaur softly taking in a deep breath.
000
Bulbasaur looked nervous as he sat down on the box's seat. "I don't really get involved in a lot of confrontation. I have a lot of friends that do though, so… I tried to emulate that. It's not Geodude's fault Tangela can run around so fast. I see Magmar, and to an extent Electabuzz, and… n-no, I shouldn't talk about them right now. I barely know them, maybe it was just a first impression bias?"
000
Tangela was about to put the brakes on Geodude again, but she lost her footing on the platform and tripped to the ground. It allowed Geodude to push forward, and grab her by one of her many vines. Lifting a kicking and squirming Tangela up, she was then gently tossed off of the platform and into the water below, Geodude resting on the platform after hearing the splash.
"And Geodude nets the first point for Team Red!" Mew announced, Tangela resurfacing and spitting some water out of her mouth.
The two Pokemon were returned to the bleachers, Magmar patting Bulbasaur on the back after being proven wrong… even if the Fire-type thought he got a lucky break from Tangela tripping. Bulbasaur didn't catch it though, he was thankful to see early team camaraderie!
"Sorry guys…" Tangela returned, sopping wet while Farfetch'd tried to fan her dry with a wing.
"One point isn't the end of the world." Dewgong reassured her, looking up to see Beedrill almost treat it as such… at least the bee remained quiet about it.
"Next fight is… ooh, Koffing vs Jigglypuff!"
The two circle shaped Pokemon gave a nervous glance to each other, before they found themselves on the platform.
000
Electabuzz didn't look too pleased. "Our only Fairy-type, and she goes against a Poison-type? I would have called it as it being rigged… but I don't wanna put a target on my back just yet. So I'll just be annoyed in silence." He crossed his arms and scowled at the camera.
000
"Aye, Koffing!" Mew shouted up to the platform. "No floating too high, even if Jigglypuff can float up to you! We can't have you camping!"
Koffing looked back down. "How high am I allowed to float?" He asked, before Mewtwo lowered him to about a foot, foot and a half off of the ground of the platform. The Poison-type groaned at a little handicap, but he would try to fight nonetheless.
"This rule goes for my Flying-types and floaters… Haunter." Mew looked to the ghost.
"Ugh, fine…" Haunter looked down to the ground in faux disappointment.
"GO!"
Jigglypuff tried to get any advantage she could get, jumping to glide over and throw in a back kick to Koffing. Koffing was able to dodge it, and Jigglypuff had immediately entered the remnants of a gas cloud he left behind. Jigglypuff hit the platform, skidding a bit from a shaky landing, but she was still able to fight.
"S-sorry!" Koffing tried to apologize, before dodging another attack from her.
"I thought you said no moves, Mew!" Beedrill shouted. "He's confusing our teammate!"
"Did you see a move play out? I can't just tell Koffing to stop pushing gas, that's kind of impossible." Mew rolled his eyes. "Kind of difficult to mark him for a body quirk."
Beedrill just groaned, before looking up and seeing the same sight play out. Koffing dodged a harsh and almost telegraphed attack from a dazed Jigglypuff, and the balloon flew through more gas and eventually over the edge of the platform. Koffing had won!
"And Koffing nets a second point for Team Red!" Mew shouted as Jigglypuff was moved telekinetically, landing softly on the ground to prevent her from going underwater.
"I-i did it?" Koffing looked incredulous about his victory. "I did it! I-"
"Hurry off of it, Koffing, other competitors need to fight with clean air!"
"S-sorry, Mew!"
000
Meowth facepalmed, careful not to hit his own face with his claws. "This is ridiculous… I'd rather not start off the game with a blatant washout in the first challenge…"
000
"Poliwag vs Snorlax!" Was announced to utter silence, as pretty much no one anticipated such a… unfair match-up.
"You've got to be kidding!" Magmar shouted.
"Zip it, 2-0!" Electabuzz shouted back at him.
"You wanna go?!"
"I don't need a wheel to kick your ass!"
"Bring it-"
"ENOUGH!" Mew shouted, snapping to the teams. "Poliwag, Snorlax, up there now!"
Suddenly… Snorlax woke up! He smacked his lips and stood up, going to the platform! "My turn already?"
000
Farfetch'd looked shocked. "I thought he'd have been asleep the entire game!"
000
Dewgong had a hopeful smile on her face. "As much as I like everyone here so far… Poliwag can't get an upset like that, can she?"
000
Poliwag stepped onto the platform, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the uphill battle she had against this opponent.
Snorlax took one step on the platform when he got on, and suddenly the platform lurched like a seesaw. That meant, Snorlax went down and Poliwag went… up.
The other contestants, Mew and Mewtwo looked up as Poliwag was launched like a trebuchet, her screaming as she flew over the trees and a distant splash was heard in the distance. Snorlax looked to the hosts, wondering if they needed to redo something.
"Uh… Snorlax wins a point?" Mew guessed, not really thinking it could go any other way.
"Cool." Snorlax smiled, getting off of the platform to head back to the bleachers… and then slept some more. The supposed dead weight of Team Blue got them their first point…
"I'M OKAY!" Poliwag's voice could be heard off in the distance.
000
After Poliwag was fished out of the surrounding ocean, she had been placed back onto Team Red's bleachers, where not many people faulted her for losing that battle. The next battle had been set up in the meantime, with Ekans facing off against Farfetch'd. The battle started, with the bird preparing to do battle with his trusty leek.
At the same time, Ekans planned for that, and launched his tail to try and grab onto it. As the leek was coiled around, Farfetch'd used that to pull his leek to make Ekans fly along with it. He tried to fling Ekans off of the leek and off of the platform, but Ekans was able to fight as he was spun.
"Creative! Ain't gonna help ya though!" Shouted the snake as he was spun, his voice wavering from the momentum. He snapped to where both tail and head were nearby, almost in a U shape, and bit down onto Farfetch'd's wing. The bird cried out and stopped spinning, which led Ekans into an advantage. He plucked the leek from the bird and tossed it down onto the ground below, avoiding the moat.
"You fight a bit dirty." The bird noted, holding his wing with the other while he grimaced from both the effects of the bite and the fact that his leek was tossed overboard.
"Well, when you're someone like me, you gotta." Ekans remarked, coiling up a bit as he anticipated the next move. "I'm not gonna be all sportsmanlike and get stomped because of it."
Farfetch'd shook his wing from the bite, and avoided a sudden lunge from Ekans. Ekans shot over the shoulder of the bird, and was suddenly grabbed at his midsection. Ekans tried to coil around the wing of the bird, but Farfetch'd chopped him in the head with his other wing enough to disorient the snake.
"Shame I gotta stoop to your level then." Farfetch'd remarked, unraveling the dazed snake and tossing him overboard to the moat. Mew seemed happy at that exchange.
"And the score is 2-2! Tie game, both teams having some very solid contenders!" Farfetch'd flew down to grab his leek, all while helping Ekans get back out of the water. Ekans didn't make eye contact as he was helped out.
000
"'Guy like me'? What did he mean by that?" Koffing was rather confused. "I mean… I know us Poison-types get a bad rap about anything but… Ekans didn't seem like he has it as bad as kinds like me, or the Grimer line…"
000
Farfetch'd polished his leek as he sat. "I'm all for honor and fair fights. However, if I'm not going to be given that same respect, then my opponent has lost mine. I won't be impaled by my own hubris."
000
Machoke looked rather relieved… but it turned into disappointment. Fighting-types didn't do well against Flying-types or even Psychic-types, but it seemed like any of the opponents left didn't have anything damning for him. Moves weren't a possibility here, so even if someone had a shock strategy for him, they couldn't use it.
"Machoke vs Beedrill!"
Machoke snapped back to what was happening in reality, listening to his opponent… Beedrill, while not a Flying-type, did have wings and enough agility to out-speed him. This was going to be a workout.
Machoke took one look at the bee, who looked prepared to dish out a beating… and he grinned. A challenge was what he was looking for.
000
Machoke pumped his arms. "Sure, I could have been hoping for the easy point and fight someone like Chansey, or Sandshrew, or even Dewgong… but where's the fun in that? That bee might be the biggest fight on that team. If I can beat their strongest person, I should have a great time going into the finals.
000
Beedrill hovered down where she was supposed to, similar to Koffing. She looked at the muscle-man that was Machoke and prepared her stingers. She wasn't holding back, she needed to get her team the lead.
"GO!"
Machoke didn't rush, but was quick to approach. He stopped and dug his heels in when the bee charged him, his purple hands grabbing her two stingers and lifting them up. She went to throw her rear stinger at him, but he jumped and went to drag her over the edge already!
Not one to fall immediately, she pushed his hands back with her stingers, and clapped him in the head with them. He cried out and let go of her, holding his head. "Dirty trick!" he shouted, angrily trying to clothesline her now. She evaded fairly well and smacked him in the back of the head with a stinger to send him across the platform.
"Winning is what I'm focused on." Beedrill stated, going to push the humanoid Pokemon off of the platform by having him slide across it.
Machoke fought it off with an elbow, smacking her arm and causing her to retreat a little. Machoke then went to stand up and charged her again…
…only for him to miss when she sidestepped, and flew right off the platform in a charge gone wrong.
"Ooh, and an offensive maneuver gone wrong nets Team Blue a third point and the current lead!" Mew announced when Machoke resurfaced. He crawled out in a small fit of rage as the next match was announced.
"Magikarp vs Chansey!"
000
Machoke looked like he was fuming for a bit, before he took a deep breath… and laughed a bit. "Sounds like I got something to work for now. That bee got a fluke win. She'll see that she's no match for me soon enough!"
000
Beedrill just shrugged. "I've seen tougher thugs around my hometown… and those thugs are Rattata. I'm not impressed by him."
000
Dragonair coiled up in the seat and looked thoughtful. "As you're waiting for your turn to fight, you start noticing everything in your team and the opposing one. Mew was right, I've learned a fair amount of things so far."
She sat up a bit and shook her tail. "The next few fights was what caught most of my attention. I'm curious on what to do if some of those contestants make the merge."
000
The fight… if one could call it that, was rather one sided. It started off with Magikarp trying his best, but he flopped forward and barely smacked her with his tail.
"Sorry about this." Chansey picked him up and gently walked over to the ledge so she could drop him in the water.
Now Magikarp was known for their kind being rather pathetic and overlooked, not really expected to do much. Being treated like some dead weight by the opponent, where they don't even think of him as some modicum of a threat… it lit a fire in him.
The fish started to flop violently in her hands, with him eventually leaping out of her grip! "No you're not! You're not sorry, none of you!" He shouted, falling back down and aiming to slap the back of her head with his tail.
Chansey turned around while he fell to explain herself. "I didn't mean it like that, I assure you! I only meant that- Ah!"
She got slapped in the face by the tail, the disorientation being enough for her to stumble backwards… and off of the platform.
She lost to Magikarp.
It took five minutes for Mew to calm down from laughing at the sight.
000
Chansey looked embarrassed, dripping wet as she just got out of the moat. "That… could have gone better… hopefully I can make a case for myself if we lose tonight."
000
Magmar erupted in laughter.
000
Electabuzz erupted in laughter.
000
Meowth facepalmed again. "This team is gonna give me an aneurysm… so far, Jigglypuff and Chansey haven't shown a good game, and Jigglypuff at least has an excuse of being gassed. A MAGIKARP?!" he threw his hands up and groaned.
000
Electabuzz and Magmar were in the room trying to smack each other silly, one of them "hogging" the confessional longer than they should have and the other wanting to use it.
000
Mew finally calmed down, him holding his stomach and wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh… oh my gosh, that's amazing! My stomach hurts!"
Team Blue looked at him angrily as Mew adjusted the wheels.
"Whew…" he finally got the wheels to where they showed the 5 remaining contestants on each side. "Score's 3-3, with anything possible apparently!" The wheels were spun, and the next fight was selected.
"Bulbasaur and Sandshrew!"
000
Paras looked thoughtful. "From what I've seen so far, the both of them look like pacifists. Not sure who I was really expecting to win going in."
000
"FIGHT!"
The both of them looked rather nervous, Bulbasaur eyeing her as if to try and predict if she'd do something out of the blue. With Sandshrew doing the same, the icy shrew was trying to predict what the Grass-type would do.
It made Mew bored. "I guess now's a time to introduce some… motivations!" He hit a button and would cause the platform to lurch.
Both Pokemon cried out as the platform now wobbled, as if trying to balance from their weight on top of it. Bulbasaur ran to the middle, which made Sandshrew think he was charging him. She cried out and went to bum rush him in a purely instinctive manner.
The Kanto starter cried out and grabbed her by his vines, holding her away. This move was also when Beedrill cried out.
"How is that not a move!?"
"I don't see Vine Whips! I just saw a vine grab her!" Mew shouted, the Bee about stabbing the bleachers in front of her.
Sandshrew's icy body was causing the vines to start freezing around her, and the freezing crawled up the vines to encroach on Bulbasaur. The Grass-type only caught wind of it when he felt a sudden chill, and shouted as his vines were starting to freeze on top of him!
"S-stop doing that!" He shouted, unable to let go of the shrew as the vines around her froze as well.
"I-I'm not meaning to!" She shouted as well, wiggling and failing to break free of the grip.
Bulbasaur eventually had to do something. He made his way to the wobbly center of the platform, and threw his vines down. They shattered on impact, and Sandshrew felt the vines break around her, which caused her to fall… and miss the platform. She went to the water below, Bulbasaur growing out new vines almost immediately and shaking himself warm.
"And a good defensive play by Bulbasaur grabs the lead back for Team Red!"
"Let's go, nice play!"
Bulbasaur turned around when he heard cheering, and soon smiled when he saw Geodude clapping for him.
000
Haunter looked impressed. "Lotta friendships starting off already. Geodude looks like he's a fan of Bulbasaur, Koffing seems to want to try and be friends with Ekans… and honestly, I think Electabuzz and Magmar are wanting to be friends." He said with an honest smile… before laughing hard.
"Nah! I couldn't even make that sound true if I wanted to!"
000
"Paras vs Meowth!"
The platform was reset and the two of them stood on it, with Meowth psyching himself up.
Paras turned around to face Mew to ask a question. "Is the platform going to wobble again like it did last time? You said you were going to announce it when you did, I didn't think it meant mid-match!"
"Maybe it will, maybe it won't!" Mew kept cryptic with a smile. "FIGHT!"
"Paras, look out!" Lickitung shouted from the bleachers. She was still facing Mew!"
"Huh?" But by the time she turned around, it was too late.
Meowth had taken advantage of the fact that she wasn't even looking at him when it started. In what felt like slow motion for Team Red, Meowth swiped her with his claws and she was knocked back almost instantly. She fell from the platform and into the moat before she even knew better.
"And in a stunning display of surprise attacks, Meowth ties the game again!"
"You dirty cheat!" Poliwag shouted up to him, the cat immediately deflecting blame.
"Listen tadpole, I didn't cheat. Mew started the fight before I attacked. I'm not the only one up here playing to win. My mind is on the prize, so should everyone else's." he said, before hopping off the platform and onto the ground. Paras crawled out of the moat and shook herself off.
000
Poliwag looked steamed. "I get what he's saying… but come on! Some of these people aren't even playing fair on the first day?!"
000
"Lickitung vs Haunter!"
When the two of them got up, Haunter was just laughing about something. He didn't see this fight really shocking anyone.
"I can't wait to see the next- what's so funny?" Mew stopped his train of thought when he looked up to Haunter.
"You… you do realize what's up here, right?" he asked, with Lickitung looking upset.
"Hey man, I'm right here." he pouted. Haunter facepalmed and shook his head.
"No, I'm not referring to you!" he turned back to Mew. "Ghost versus Normal type? Mew, we can't hit each other."
Mew looked rather shocked that the random wheel selection had let him down, and this late in the challenge no less! He sighed and crossed his arms.
"Fine… because I don't want to re-spin the wheel and mess everything up, you guys can use moves on each other. Only them, as the last two match-ups can't have something like this happening again." he permitted. "I know the two of you have moves that can touch each other, it can't all be Ghost-type or Normal-type moves."
Lickitung would nod to the host, and then to the Ghost. "I actually didn't pick up on that. I probably would have tried to grab you, honestly." he chuckled, rubbing his back.
"Trust me, I was saving both of us the embarrassment." Haunter replied as the bell sounded.
"GO!"
Haunter immediately tried to disappear, only for Lickitung to… lick him. Haunter had immediately been outplayed! He seized up, paralysis setting in for the ghost!
"Wow, impressive." Dragonair noted, with Paras nodding in tandem. Ekans raised an eyebrow.
"What, what's so impressive about the licking guy licking someone?"
"It's because it's a Ghost-type move." Dragonair replied. "Lickitung can do it to Haunter, but Haunter can't touch him with Ghost-type moves.
Back on the platform, the twitching Haunter grimaced from the feeling of the tongue still replaying in his mind. Lickitung scratched the back of his head. "Heh… sorry about that man, I try not to do it too often. Although you don't taste that bad for a Poison-type…" he whispered, mostly surprised that it wasn't such a bitter taste.
Haunter tried to shake his head. "TMI! TMI, man!" Lickitung got the message, and before Haunter could luck out with a move of his own, used Rollout to send Haunter falling off of the ledge. Haunter floated down to the ground on his own volition, not wanting to be in the water.
"And Lickitung brings Team Red to match point! Will the tenth match be the final?" Mew asked, the score being updated to 5-4.
000
Haunter is seen scrubbing himself, covered in soap and bubbles as he tries to get the feeling off of him. "Ugh, what did he eat?! Arceus, it's so bad!"
000
Dragonair was back in the box, smiling softly. "Lickitung has a bit of strategic genius in him, Meowth will jump on any and all opportunities, and Bulbasaur even has a bit of a mind on him. This challenge has taught me to not overlook anyone… even my opponent…"
000
"Dragonair vs Dewgong!"
If it had been a match like the last one, Dragonair would have been screwed. Dragons are known to not like ice, and Dewgong was one of the very few threats in Kanto that could challenge her kind. The two met on the platform, Dragonair being wary of Dewgong… that damn easygoing smile of her opponent could very have well been a ploy to sucker her in.
"FIGHT!"
Dewgong would speak before the fight, having to float low like the others had. "Hi, I hope this match isn't taken too seriously! You seem nice!"
Before Dragonair could respond to the strange way of opening a fight, Dewgong had started to zigzag over to the dragon to try and nudge her back. Dragonair slithered down and prepared a strategy similar to Ekans, where she threw the back of her tail up to wrap around Dewgong. Unlike Ekans' strategy… it didn't work.
"H-huh? How are you so-" she asked as she had a rough time gripping around her, sliding around all across her opponent's back. Dewgong was slippery, and her tail didn't have the amount of time to coil around!
And unfortunately, due to the fact she uncoiled so easily, she dropped onto the platform roughly. This gave Dewgong enough time to lean down and push the dragon off of the platform. "Sorry!"
"And it's tied again! 5-5, match point!"
000
Dewgong looked sheepish. "I swear, I didn't mean for that to come off as cocky. I wanna be friends with people, even if they're on the other team! Hopefully Dragonair thinks that I meant well…"
000
Dragonair looked peeved, not facing the camera. "'I hope this isn't taken too seriously!' I didn't know she'd use such tricks, but I know I'm not going to fall for those again. Damn Ice-types and their cockiness… if it weren't for the obnoxious Fairy-types, they'd still be the most annoying to be around!"
000
"...huh." Mew stated, seeing the two contestants left who had yet to fight. "Thankfully, random fortune favors television content."
One of those contestants picked up on that. Electabuzz stood up and pointed to Magmar. "Oy! Fire butt! We're the final fight, get your ass up there!"
"Oh, I've been waiting for this all damn day, this is gonna be payback for the Wailord trip!" Magmar almost raced the Electric-type to the platform, both of them set on kicking the other one's ass.
"Are you just going to let them go at it?" Geodude asked Mew.
"They're big boys, they know the rules by now. When it gets too far, that's when I step in." Mew smiled, thankfully the wait on their fight now going to pay off! Geodude rolled his eyes.
000
Koffing mused around in the box for a bit, chuckling to himself. "Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll take both of themselves out. Two less threats…" he sighed, the thought being amusing but nothing he'd put stock into.
000
"FIGHT!"
The two barely had a moment of breathing on the platform before they charged each other, the two of them grabbing each other's fists and going for a test of strength on the other. Electabuzz went to open his mouth for a cocky taunt, but he was instead met with a headbutt from the Fire-type and forced Electabuzz to retreat just a bit.
Magmar pushed his offense, with him charging forward carefully and going for a side tackle. Electabuzz planted his feet square to his hips and fought Magmar off great, him going to wrap his arms under Magmar's stomach and hold him in some waist-lock.
"For people who hate each other, they both fight extremely well." Tangela commented, as this fight looked to be about the most professional one of the eleven that happened.
"Yeah…" Meowth wondered, looking up to the fight.
Magmar was fought off, wiggling free from the waist-lock as it met back up in the middle. Electabuzz elbowed Magmar and got him into a headlock, only for Magmar to grab Electabuzz by the stomach and lift him into the air! A side suplex took place, both of them landing on the ground.
Machoke looked invested now. "Hey, these guys can wrestle!" Machoke cheered, always one to commend a good fight when he saw one. "C'mon Magmar, kick this guy's ass!"
Seeing that their team needed some pep in it, Chansey took the chance to raise some morale for her team. "Electabuzz, get up! You can take him!"
Back on the platform, it got to where the guys scrambled back to their feet and heard various cheers for their names. Magmar chuckled and wiped his mouth. "Seems to me they like me more than you." He remarked, shooting for the legs.
"Fat chance!" Electabuzz fired back, jumping and kicking Magmar in the gut to send him sliding to the ledge. "Hearing my name more than yours, Fire Butt."
Magmar groaned and went to get up, dodging another kick from Electabuzz and pulling him down by his leg. "Sparky, I think you're going deaf." he retorted, before flinging the Electric-type behind him and over the edge… thank Arceus he was-
Magmar shouted and slid over the ledge, grabbing onto it with his hands. He looked down and saw Electabuzz dangling from his leg!
"Hey, he's off the platform, we win!" Paras shouted.
"Nope!" Mew would shout. "As long as he's there and holding on, he's still in the game!"
"What?!" Ekans shouted, with Bulbasaur adding to that surprise.
"You said when someone's knocked off the platform, they're out! He's not touching it!" The grass starter retorted to that argument.
"But he's holding onto someone who's holding onto the platform." Mew countered. "He's not floating, nor is he cheating, he's just desperate to win!"
"That's a load of Tauros!" Geodude remarked.
"I hear a lot of complaining over on Team Red!" Meowth stoked the fires a bit more, smirking as he gently shook off Chansey trying to get him to stop.
"Cheap plays gotta stick together apparently!" Magikarp fired back.
"Listen fishy, don't get mad that you didn't think of it first!" Beedrill shouted. "Take that fluke win of yours and can it!"
"Shut it!"
The contestants turned to see Electabuzz shouting, climbing the heated body of Magmar in an attempt to get a hand on the platform to climb back up. Magmar, in response to that, shook back and forth to try and get him to lose his grip.
"Maybe you're not that deaf, but you're not winning!" The Fire-type shouted as he tried to use his free arm to smack at him. Electabuzz would falter slightly, unable to grab the platform in time. In his last ditch effort, he slammed down his hand onto Magmar's hand on the platform and tried to get him to let go.
The two of them fell at pretty much the exact time… but sadly, Electabuzz was the one who hit the water first, him being the cushioned landing for Magmar.
"And Team Red takes the first win!" Mew announced, the winners thankful that they didn't lose to such controversial rules.
Team Blue looked less than thrilled, only Haunter perking up when he saw Electabuzz get smacked by Magmar as the Fire-type climbed out of the water and tried to heat his body back up. "As for you guys, you'll be meeting by the campfire tonight for the show's first ever elimination ceremony!"
"There won't be a smoke trail, as it'll be night. However, the trail leading south from your cabin will take you to the ceremony." Mewtwo told Team Blue, them understanding as the two Psychics left to do hosting things. It left the contestants to do what they wanted up until tonight, or the next challenge in the case of Team Red.
Snorlax snored awake, smacking his lips. "Hmm? We win?"
000
"First elimination ceremony… great." Jigglypuff pouted. "I'm probably going to be mentioned for my poor performance, and I wouldn't blame them… just need to find out how to not go home first!"
000
Meowth scratched at the wall of the box, another sticker falling down to the ground. "Way I see it, there's six people I wanna vote off tonight. To settle on just one… hmm."
000
The sun was starting to set on the island, and that meant in about an hour, one of them was going to be voted off. The threat of such a fate befalling one of the members of Team Blue made many try to act against it.
Such was the case of Jigglypuff when she found herself in the Mess Hall, eating her dinner… and looking over to a contestant that did good in the challenge. "Meowth? Can I talk to you for a second?"
The cat perked up, having finished his food. "Eh, what da hell, I got time. Make it quick though, I might have to use the bathroom soon after that cooking of Mewtwo's."
"Sure thing." Jigglypuff didn't miss a step and began to speak her case. "To be frank… I fear I might be going home tonight. I didn't do that good in the challenge, and today was a series of good first impressions for most people."
"And… what, you want me to help you stay?" Meowth guessed.
"On the dot!" Jigglypuff smiled. "You're quite perceptive. Anyway… yes, I'd much rather stay than get voted off, and I don't know if I'll have the pull to make my case alone."
Meowth would sit up and think about it… before grinning. "Hmm… sounds to me like you need a few more safety votes. If I go around and spread the word, I'll need something from you."
"Name it." Jigglypuff didn't falter, her gaze focused on the Scratch Cat.
"Vote with me on the next couple eliminations. I didn't make the best of impressions today myself, but I'm sure my good performance today got eyes off of me just for a moment. If you can vote with me for the next few times… I'll save your bacon."
"Deal!" The balloon immediately stuck out her hand. Meowth, surprised from the action at first, relented and shook her hand with his paw. "Thanks Meowth. Before you do go… do you have an idea on who to vote for instead?"
Meowth grinned and leaned forward. "Truth be told, I do. I wasn't gonna vote for you today because you got yourself paired with the gas guy. Instead, I was thinking more along the lines of-"
000
The ceremony started up not too much later, with the eleven members of Team Blue sitting on stumps, tufts of dirt… or the ground itself when it came to Snorlax's case. Mew floated before a podium, a plate on top of it with ten Oran Berries.
"Oran Berries. They're small, unassuming at first… but they can save you when you're in a pinch and help you fight another day. That reason is what makes Oran Berries your items of immunity tonight." Mew explained with theatrics in mind. "There are ten berries here. Whoever does not receive an Oran Berry tonight, will be eliminated from the game and thus lose Total PokeDrama: Kanto."
"When I call your name, you are safe." Mew stated, with him holding up a Berry. "Dewgong."
The Ice-type took a breath she was holding in as the berry was thrown to her. She nibbled on it with a smile.
"Farfetch'd, Beedrill, and Meowth."
The three who had also won their fights today caught their berries, Jigglypuff casting a small glance to the cat before she looked forward. She shouldn't give away the idea she requested help.
"Tangela, Haunter, and Sandshrew."
The three who had lost their fights caught their berries, all sharing a look of wonder that read "the team thought my loss wasn't bad enough to kick me out". Their berries felt more relieving to feast on.
"Electabuzz… and Jigglypuff."
Electabuzz rather his name been called sooner, but he took his berry alongside Jigglypuff. The balloon caught hers and looked thankful to Meowth, who made sure he kept his word.
"Snorlax… I'm honestly not sure why you're here. Maybe the competitors thought you aren't taking the game seriously, or worry about your involvement in future challenges." Mew began as he talked to the final two who had not received an Oran Berry.
A snore was his response.
Mew sighed and turned to Chansey. "And Chansey… you lost to Magikarp. A damn MAGIKARP." Mew rubbed it in and shook his head. Your team must have used this blunder to vote for you."
Chansey looked rather upset that such an event did happen. She went to defend herself, before Mew hushed her.
"But you'll have the chance to defend yourself another day. You get the last berry." he tossed it to a relieved Chansey, who then turned to Snorlax. "I'm kind of surprised, but it's quickly disappearing. Mewtwo!"
The Legendary clone came forth and lifted Snorlax with his psychic powers, Mew helping him to where the both of them wouldn't be strained. A small boat would be at the dock of the island, as Mew didn't want to risk injuring another Wailord with his departure. Once the boat was loaded with the snoring competitor, it took off in the night.
"You may now leave." He told Team Blue and smiled over to them. "Hope that you do not come back here so soon."
The bulk of them broke up to head back to the cabins, with Jigglypuff discreetly stopping to talk to Meowth. "Thanks."
The cat would eat his berry and swallow, wiping his mouth. "I keep my word. Now, you remember to keep yours."
"Of course." Jigglypuff nodded, before the balloon smiled to him once more and left back for the cabins.
Meowth was in a lax pose in the Confessional Box. "Truth be told? Rather easy to convince some of them to vote for Snorlax. A lot of people felt the same in that Jigglypuff got a bum fight. The hard part was convincing them to vote for Snorlax over Chansey. I'd much rather have that girl on the team rather than Ebeneezer Snooze."
He sat up and started to scratch at the seat a bit. "Maybe that makes Chansey thankful and she helps me vote as well. Kinda thankful the Jigglypuff deal fell in my lap as it did. Now that I have these opportunities, I'm not wasting them. I'm gonna be the one that wins here, no exceptions." he gave one final confident smile to the camera.
000
"Dude, you can let me down now." Geodude told to his ride, Bulbasaur. The Grass-type stopped walking and set him down on the ground.
"That was kind of crazy to think we won that." Bulbasaur spoke, walking slow beside him now that both of them were going to walk back to the cabin.
"If you're talking about that final fight, yeah. Didn't think those two had some grappling skills in them. I'm more shocked about you, that was a good play with the vine breaking." Geodude complimented, with Bulbasaur looking embarrassed.
"It wasn't that big of a play…"
"Nonsense, kid. That's some strategic thinking there for someone your size. With a bit more work, you could be a serious threat in the game." Geodude complimented further.
"Y-you really think so?" the dual-type Pokemon asked.
"I do. There's a lot of potential in ya, kid. I think from here on, we work together. I don't just mean you carrying me around, either. It's time I pay you back for your help." The rock would agree, with him holding out his hand. "If we work together, I'll teach you as best I can about the game and help ya through it. I think we can head all the way to the final two."
Bulbasaur was surprised at such an offer, with most of it being how it was directed toward him. After enough time where he thought about it, he extended a vine to shake Geodude's hand. "D-deal!"
"Attaboy." Geodude would chuckle, shaking the vine as if it was a normal handshake. "We'll start tomorrow. I think getting our asses kicked on that platform makes it a bit hard for any lessons to mean something." Once he heard Bulbasaur laugh, he knew they were in agreement.
000
Geodude smiled as he leapt up and hung from the ceiling, swaying side to side. "I look at Bulbasaur and I see a lot in the kid. There is a bit of hesitation when it comes to certain things, but I'm chalking that up to first day nerves. I think once I start helping him with plays in the game, he'll turn into a serious threat. He's not gonna get overlooked by anyone."
"…not like me."
000
In the middle of the night, two figures had decided to meet up in the forest of the island. It was a fair walk away from the cabins, so this mystery meetup didn't feel risky. The one who was already there was Electabuzz, currently kicking a rock around a tree. He was simply waiting for the other to show up.
And when the other one did… he smirked. He stood up straight and had a cocky laugh. "So… you reckon we have them fooled?"
The other figure who laughed back… was Magmar. "I think we do, Sparky. I think we do. We're gonna run this game from the inside out."
000
And that's the end of the first official day! Not gonna lie, the motivation kicked in here and made me type out everything here fast. The first challenge took place, everyone got some character development I feel, and some moments were made!
Snorlax going first was pretty much the plan, as I didn't have much planned for him other than comedy gags. I think him launching Poliwag completely on accident was a great moment for him though, had a lot of fun writing that.
Now that introductions are over, I'm in my element now. Dynamics of characters is what's gonna get me going. Geodude and Bulbasaur making a partnership, Jigglypuff asking for Meowth to help her from elimination, and the (hopefully) shock pairing up of Magmar and Electabuzz! All will be further explained in later chapters, as will the Legend stuff. I feel as if the conglomerate is best suited for openings of the chapter.
I don't have many ideas for future challenges, so I do take suggestions! The challenges from here on will give me the most difficulty in terms of writing, and even then, it shouldn't be too hard for me to come up with some.
I hope everyone had a good time reading! May your favorite character make it far!
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TEAMS
Team Red: Poliwag, Machoke, Magikarp, Koffing, Ekans, Magmar, Lickitung, Geodude, Bulbasaur, Dragonair, Paras
Team Blue: Beedrill, Sandshrew, Farfetch'd, Electabuzz, Chansey, Dewgong, Haunter, Jigglypuff, Tangela, Meowth
Elimination Order: Snorlax
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Thanks for reading!