Total Pokémon: Maelstrom

by Dark Arcanine 33

Anticipating the backlash from his 'reboot' trilogy, Victini decides that the franchise needs a few seasons that will cushion the blow. And who better to host them than some the most respectable and responsible Legendary Pokémon in Hall of Origins? Who will be the last male standing and win the 1 million Poke? Tune in to find out.

1. It's a Sausage Party?

000

Mostly darkness was in view. A simple cascade of black, signifying a void of nothingness.

Honestly an overstatement, as a sliver of light pierced through it, coming from the underside of what appeared to be a door. The light bounced off of the close, surrounding furniture, allowing them to be easily identified.

However, the furniture was not the only thing identifiable. A figure could be made out, one of two familiar Pokémon. Reshiram, the Vast White Pokémon, was snoozing peacefully against the chest of her husband of over 400 years: the Deep Black Pokémon, Zekrom.

The pair was still sound asleep in their room. Deemed some of the most responsible Pokémon residing in the Hall of Origin, the couple made sure to keep their room in order, stayed out of drama, and tried to keep a decent sleep schedule. This was often a failure, but they did not have too much going on anyway, so it didn't really matter.

Truthfully, they didn't leave their room too often unless there were meetings, they were summoned, to shower, or when they actually felt like seeing what was going on with their fellow Legendary Pokémon in the Hall. It was much easier to keep themselves out of the crosshairs of others when they didn't engage as often as others. However, unbeknownst to them, that was about to change.

Knock, knock, knock…

The sound of knocking against their door attempted to awaken the pair. However, the couple remained still, the only movement being Reshiram snuggling closer to Zekrom's neck.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK…

This time, the knocking was more audible for them, with Reshiram clenching her eyes shut in irritation before slowly opening them back up with a sigh.

The fluffy, white dragoness rose up from her husband's chest, rubbing her right eye as Zekrom groaned to himself.

The knocking persisted as Reshiram got to her feet to approach their door. Opening it, she looked down to see none other than Celebi floating on the other side.

"Yes, Celebi?" she inquired softly and groggily.

"Hi," the Time Travel Pokémon greeted, actually looking a bit apologetic. "Sorry to interrupt your sleep, but… Arceus and Giratina want to speak with you and Zekrom."

Cocking a brow in intrigue, the dragoness prepared to inquire about it, but felt a yawn coming on. After covering her mouth, she yawned before asking, "Do you know what it's about?"

"Well, from what I saw, it involves Victini," Celebi answered. "So make of that what you will…"

Letting out a soft sigh, Reshiram rubbed her eyes. "Okay," she replied. "Zek and I will be there in a few minutes."

Once Celebi left, Reshiram closed the door and flicked on their light, illuminating the room. She looked back at their bed, her icy blue eyes meeting Zekrom's piercing red ones. Having overheard everything, the drake began to stand up. "I have a bad feeling if Victini's involved," he commented while stretching.

Reshiram nodded in understanding, as Victini was seen as a pest there. "Yeah, but we don't really pay him any mind around here, so we should be okay. It's still rather… strange, though."

"I guess we'll see," Zekrom commented as he started walking toward the door.

000

Entering the Alpha couple's room, Reshiram and Zekrom were greeted with the sight of, not only Arceus and Giratina laying in their enormous bed, but also Victini, who was floating at the foot of their bed while holding a clipboard.

Acknowledging them, Arceus greeted them thoughtfully. "Hello, Reshiram and Zekrom. Apologies for any disturbance, but we… well, mostly Victini, would like to speak with you."

It was still bewildering to them how Arceus and Giratina were allowing Victini to request these kinds of meetings. Perhaps it was because they knew that he knew not to screw with them or try any funny business.

The couple looked to the Victory Pokémon, who chuckled to himself while smacking the back of his clipboard. Clearing his throat, the rabbit began explaining himself, "Alright, now… I've been doing some thinking, and I decided that, as the executive producer of my and Mew's series, I would like to ask you both to act as extra hosts of the series."

Stunned, the couple immediately exchanged bewildered looks with each other. Had they really heard him correctly? Why would they want to do that? Even further, why was he asking them? They rarely interacted with each other.

"Um… it sounds interesting," Reshiram commented, uncertainty oozing from her tone. "Why us in particular, though? We haven't necessarily been the most 'active' with regards to the reality show community since we ended our trial season."

Giratina cleared his throat, chiming in to expound upon the situation. "Basically, with regards to the series being run by Victini at this point, despite a slight change he's implemented, there is still a lot of warranted negativity and disappointment regarding the treatment of essentially the same competitors for decades," the Renegade Pokémon stated, glowering at Victini, who avoided his gaze.

"So, as a result, he would like to do another pair of seasons concurrently with his self-proclaimed 'reboot' trilogy of seasons," Giratina concluded.

Arceus added, "Due to you both having run one of the more well-received versions of the format at the time, in addition to you both often being the most respectful to the competitors that are brought here for challenges, we thought that you both would be the best options for the role."

"And, as you've said yourselves, you both have not been as active as others have been," Giratina explained. "So, this will be an opportunity for you both to reintegrate into the space."

"Plus, it's not like you guys have anything going on," Victini opined. "You're just like Mew, just not pathetic."

Zekrom gave him a look before glancing at Reshiram, who still was unsure about the entire situation. They knew how bad shows could get and how awful the participants were often treated. Their trial season wasn't necessarily free of pain, but they were never deliberately malicious.

"Uh-huh…" the Deep Black Pokémon grunted, folding his arms, "and what kind of season would you have us do? More of what you've done to others?"

"Nope," Victini replied, shaking his head. "It'd be completely up to you what challenges you want to do and how you treat them. The themes are already set, the contestants have already been chosen and only need to be called. Plus, I've already gotten a different island settled, close to the Isle of Armor, and all of the cameras are there. Everything's set for the most part."

Zekrom cocked a brow upon hearing that, while Reshiram looked down in thought. Most of the work was already done, they just needed to contact the players and come up with the challenges. However, with this, they were technically working for Victini, which soured their feelings.

"So, essentially," Victini spoke up. "They'll be you guys' seasons, but it'll be under our series umbrella. Simple as that."

Reshiram sighed, "Just… give us a bit." She grabbed Zekrom's arm and moved a bit away from the other three. They were really going to have to think about this.

-000-

"What do you think?" the dragoness inquired softly.

"I… I don't know," Zekrom responded, glancing down. "I don't entirely trust Victini, and I don't like how his shows, or any other shows, normally end up with people getting hurt physically and mentally."

Reshiram nodded before explaining, "Well, if we're being technical… These seasons are essentially being given to us to do what we see fit. This could be a chance to show that not all of these shows are full of malice and pain…"

"That's true, but… what's the incentive? What exactly do we get from doing this?" Zekrom queried. "We're honestly just going to be 'palate cleansers' for people who dislike the other seasons he's having done."

Reshiram understood what he was saying. Essentially, he felt like they were being used because they were actually good Pokémon. She placed a hand on his cheek, "I know how you feel. But…" she let out a sigh, "...maybe we can just try to make the best of this. And if we don't get any enjoyment out of them, we don't ever have to do these again. "

Zekrom sighed, delicately grabbing her hand. "Alright… Fine," he responded, earning him a kiss from Reshiram.

-000-

Coming back over, Zekrom took a breath. "Okay. Fine," he stated. "We'll be your hosts for these seasons you have already planned. However, after this-"

"-If we still don't enjoy these shows-" Reshiram cut in.

"-We're done," Zekrom stated firmly.

Victini simply shrugged his shoulders in response. "Fine by me," he replied.

Even if they decided to quit after what he had planned for them, he still got them to host. Given that they were goody-goodies, in his eyes, their seasons would probably not be 'problematic', compared to the others, which was all he needed. People could hate certain things all they wanted, but as long as there were still good moments or good seasons, that was all that mattered.

Arceus and Giratina both nodded in approval. As long as Victini wasn't causing as much havoc around the Hall of Origin and simultaneously wasn't causing too many issues for the players he chose, they were fine.

"Now, what 'themes' were you talking about?" Zekrom questioned.

"All boys… and all girls," Victini revealed. "So, this first season that you guys do will only have male competitors, and the second will only have female competitors."

"Oh…" Reshiram commented, a bit surprised by that. "That'll be… interesting, I suppose?"

"Yep," Victini said, handing Zekrom the clipboard. The clipboard was around Victini's size, which was still relatively small compared to the Yin-Yang couple. It had multiple sheets of paper on it, but again, it was pretty small. "Everything you need is on there. The location, the names and numbers… and some extra paper on the back for you to brainstorm challenges."

The Deep Black Pokémon gave Victini a look of displeasure. "Your clipboard is small. How are we supposed to-"

"You guys have fun. You should know how to handle everything," Victini interrupted before disappearing, leaving only the two couples in the room.

Zekrom let out a groan, turning to his wife, "I feel like we're going to regret this…"

Reshiram simply took the clipboard from him with a soft sigh, squinting as she brought it close to her face. He really couldn't have been bothered to help them out with it.

"Um… Allow us to help," Arceus responded as her eyes illuminated a light red. The clipboard in Reshiram's hand grew slightly larger, allowing her to read normally.

"Thank you," the Vast White Pokémon said with a nod.

Zekrom let out a soft sigh as he and Reshiram exited the alpha couple's room. Hosting a show after so long was going to be quite the experience.

000

A somewhat disheveled wooden dock was seen. Clear signs of wood rot were prevalent, with the cheap, splintery wood cracking in different areas, showing blatant discoloration, and emitting an unpleasant aroma.

Lining each side were small poles that looked relatively old and worn, with slash marks and discoloration on different ones. One pole in particular, the left one nearest to the shore, had a small rowboat attached to it with a dingy rope.

Suddenly, Zekrom and Reshiram landed on the wretched dock, which was lucky enough to hold both of their weight.

"Hello everyone!" Reshiram greeted, waving to the main camera. "My name is Reshiram."

"My name is Zekrom," the black drake introduced.

"And welcome to a new season of Total Pokémon!" Reshiram continued. "We're here on an unnamed island off the coast of the Isle of Armor, where fourteen Pokémon will be facing off in one of the most popular reality show formats in the world!"

Zekrom stated, "We're sure that most fans have seen these types of shows before, so you already know the format and how everything works. However, for those who are uninitiated, here's how it works…"

A camera panned across a rather barren-looking campground that only had two buildings adjacent to each other, surrounded by trees. One was significantly larger than the other, almost resembling a mansion, while the other was a relatively smaller, average-looking cabin. A single flagpole with a loudspeaker attached to it was in the middle of the vicinity, with a couple of picnic tables sitting near the smaller building.

"The competitors will be separated into two teams and will battle it out in different challenges in order to determine a winner. The winners will receive a reward and immunity, which will lend them safety from the vote," he expounded.

The camera shifted to show a set of old, rusty bleachers sitting in front of a firepit.

Reshiram added, "However, the losing team will have to participate in an elimination ceremony in which they will vote a player off of the island. This process continues until there is only one player remaining."

"The winner of this season will receive 1… million… Poké!" Zekrom announced.

Reshiram nodded before beginning to explain the 'twist'. "Now, unlike other shows that showcase both males and females, for this season, we've decided to focus on one gender to see how everything works out. So, this season will consist of only male contestants!"

"And if all goes well, the ladies will be next," Zekrom stated, "so please don't send us angry emails."

"Right. For now, though, it's all about the guys. So, we hope you're ready for this, because this is Total… Pokémon… uh…" Reshiram hesitated, as they hadn't really come up with a special name for the season. "M-Maelstrom!"

Zekrom cocked a brow at the name choice but decided to go along with it. It wasn't like he had any ideas, himself. At least her name sounded unique and fitting.

000

Having completed their introduction, the pair remained on the dock as they waited for the contestants to arrive. Truthfully, they did not know what to expect. The papers that were on the clipboard did not include the applications. The only thing Victini gave them, regarding the contestants, were their names, numbers, and emails.

Reshiram let out a sigh, looking back at the lush island. Given what happened the last 'big' time Victini chose the island for a season, she was feeling a bit distressed. They were given a map of the island beforehand, but a wave of uncertainty continued washing over her.

Victini said that this season was there's and that they just had to make it how they wanted, but there was still a bit of underlying paranoia, knowing what the Victory Pokémon has done before.

Noticing his wife's stressed demeanor, Zekrom placed an arm around her waist, bringing her closer. "You alright, Reshi?" in asked.

Reshiram looked into his eyes before looking back down. "Just… feeling a bit nervous," she explained, resting her head against his. "We didn't really inspect the island for ourselves, so I'm just wary of what else may actually be here."

Zekrom could understand her hesitance. The island seemed to be relatively average based on the map, but the same could be said of Parafrosyni Island, and they all knew how that went. The obsidian dragon looked toward the island before gazing back toward the open sea. He wasn't entirely sure how long it would take for the first contestant to arrive, so an idea formed in his head.

"Okay, tell you what," he began. "You stay here and greet the competitors as they come, and I'll go get a lay of the land to see what all is actually here. Alright?"

The Vast White Pokémon smiled, nodding back. She looked back at the land before turning back and kissing his cheek. "Be careful," she warned.

Zekrom nodded affirmatively before flying toward the shore, leaving Reshiram alone on the dock. She turned back to the sea, watching the water for any sign of movement.

000

Flying along the clear path, Zekrom took in the sights that the island had to offer so far. He looked around, eyeing the lush foliage. The earthy scent of the outdoors was much more prevalent, filling the drake's nostrils as he continued down the dirt path.

He saw a few Pikipek flying overhead, as well as a few Rookidee. A few Burmy and Wormadam were hanging from nearby trees. As he continued looking around, he saw other feral Pokémon wandering about like Wurmple and Bounsweet. There were just mostly smaller Pokémon about, which wasn't a worry so far.

He soon reached the open campgrounds, his eyes immediately going to the large flagpole, which had the speaker attached to it. "Okay…" he muttered to himself. "This is the campgrounds…"

Doing a quick scan, he didn't identify any kind of threats or abnormalities. He went toward the picnic tables first. There were a few food wrappers, and plastic cups, strewn about, much to his chagrin as he noticed a trashcan right beside them. Letting out a sigh, he began picking up the trash and placing it into the trashcan.

Once he was finished, he turned his attention to the average-sized building. "Okay… so that's the Mess Hall," he muttered.

He approached the rather worn-looking building, which had a shabby 'Mess Hall' sign over the doorway. Entering, his eyes were set upon four tables inside. There was a door at the back, presumably leading to the kitchen, as there was a large window next to the door. Another door was a few feet to the right, which piqued his interest.

"Well…" he began, approaching the door. "We probably won't be using the kitchen here, so it should be fine."

He opened the door, only to be smacked by an absolutely repulsive odor. Covering his nose, he looked and saw that it was a small bathroom. The walls were covered in muck and grime. Only a toilet and a sink were inside. The toilet was filled with a brown sludge that overflowed onto the floor. The mirror over the sink was shattered, with red stains decorating the sink's marble counter.

He immediately closed the door, holding his breath as he walked away from it. Once he was out, he took a deep breath. "Damn it, Victini…" he swore to himself.

000

Instead of still being at the dock, Reshiram decided to make the journey back to the Hall of Origins. If Zekrom was going to survey the island, she was going to need to actually know who she's talking to as the contestants arrive.

Arriving back to the Hall, she entered with an objective: Find Victini and get the applications. She sincerely hoped that none of the players arrived in her absence. That would feel extremely embarrassing and unprofessional, especially since this is their first one in decades. She really wanted to make a good 'first' impression.

Immediately she went to the Victory Pokémon's door and knocked. She wasn't expecting a response, as Victini was usually off bothering others. To her surprise, though, the door opened slightly, with Victini poking his head out slightly. "Oh. It's you," he responded. "Shouldn't you be doing one of the seasons?"

Reshiram folded her arms before asking, "May I please have the applications for the contestants? It's taking a while for them to get to the island, and we'd like to know who we're talking to."

Victini groaned, rolling his eyes before closing the door. Reshiram's face fell in annoyance before the door opened back up. She was handed another clipboard, this time one with the full applications for the fourteen players. However, just like the other one, it was relatively small. She gave him a look.

Victini rolled his eyes before his eyes glowed a bright blue. The clipboard was made large enough for the Vast White Pokémon to actually read. Now they were actually ready for business.

"Thank-"

SLAM! The Victoy Pokémon didn't even give her a chance to respond, opting to simply close the door in her face.

Reshiram stared blanky at the door for a few seconds before shaking her head. She got what she came for, now she just needed to make it back to the island. However, as she made her way toward the exit, she heard her name called.

"Reshiram?"

Pausing, the dragoness turned back around to see that it was none other than Mew. "Oh, hello Mew," she greeted with a small smile. "How're you doing?"

Mew sighed, holding a soda can. "Well, I'm feeling better now that I'm not hosting any more shows. Though, I'm still a bit worried about what Victini's doing with the contestants. He just… doesn't care about them at all, and it's awful."

Reshiram nodded in understanding. "I get it. Those contestants have been through so much, and it's honestly sad that he keeps putting them through it," she commented honestly.

"Yeah…" he sighed. He took notice of the clipboard in her hands and chuckled to himself. "Well, you're out of your room and you have a clipboard, so I'm gonna assume that you and Zek are starting your own show, too?"

Reshiram sweatdropped before letting out a sigh of her own, "You can say that…"

Mew grew a bit confused by her response. "Did you guys not want to? I mean, I understand, but-."

The dragoness decided to explain their situation. "Essentially… Victini wants me and Zek to do two back-to-back seasons: one with all males and one with all females," she explained.

Mew nearly spit out his drink. "He what?! What the hell is wrong with him!?" he coughed out. "Why can't he just leave people alone? Why drag you guys into his bullshit?!"

Reshiram elaborated, "He knows that the other seasons that he's doing are going to elicit a negative reception, so he wants us to host two seasons, under the same umbrella, because we're the most responsible and respectable choices for him."

Mew scoffed, "So he's just using you guys because he knows that he's fucking up. Great. Couldn't you guys decline?"

"We could have," Reshiram explained, "but… even though we dislike what a lot of them do, we want to show that these shows aren't all really malicious. Who knows? It may end up doing some good in the long run."

"So, why not just say 'fuck Victini' and do your own?" Mew inquired, still not understanding how they could go along with it. "You two are great Pokémon. You don't deserve to have your name tarnished because of Victini's crap."

"Well, from what Victini said, this is our own season," Reshiram explained. "Even though he chose the players and the location, Zek and I are in control of everything else, really."

Mew sighed, holding his head, "I just can't believe that he's trying to pull in others to try and fix his mistakes! But… at the same time, I'm not even surprised."

"Zek and I have already decided that if we don't feel any different after these two seasons, we weren't doing more," Reshiram explained, flipping through the applications.

"Please don't," Mew pleaded. "Victini needs to learn to get over it and just let the series end. It's not like too many people are particularly interested in the series after Underdogs, anyway."

Reshiram nodded. "Well, Mew, I'm very glad that you're doing better, despite… this. I've gotta hurry back now, though. Things are already feeling complicated," she explained as she turned around and started flying toward the exit.

"Good luck," Mew sighed as he floated back toward the kitchen, throwing a glare toward Victini's door.

000

Reshiram landed back at the dock, clipboard in hand. Glancing around the vicinity, she still saw no sign of any other Pokémon. It didn't make any sense as to why it was taking so long. Usually, other shows would have their contestants arrive as soon as their introduction was finished, but that wasn't the case this time.

It was irritating, but she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Well, at least there's still nobody here, yet…"

"Wrong," a new voice responded.

Reshiram perked up immediately, her face flushing in embarrassment. Had she overlooked an obvious contestant? Dear Arceus, the fact that someone arrived with nobody to greet them made her so upset. She turned around but didn't see anyone at first. She was confused initially, but the 10-foot-tall dragoness eventually looked down and saw a small, black sea urchin standing at her feet.

"Oh, uh… My apologies," Reshiram said. "I didn't see you. And my apologies again for not being here to greet you…"

She was leading the Pincurchin into revealing its name, which he seemed to catch on to. "Tate," the Electric-type introduced himself, "and it's fine. I really wouldn't have too much to say anyhow."

"I… suppose that's fair," she replied. She was still a bit disappointed in herself, but she could shake it. "Well, this dock is relatively unstable, so you may want to head to the beach."

Tate nodded before beginning to make his way back to the dock, slowly but surely. Reshiram took a breath before looking back out at the ocean. Seeing nothing, she started looking through the applications in order to match names with faces, and also to learn a bit more about the players.

"Okay," Reshiram began, reading to herself. She glanced back at the Pincurchin, who was still trying to get across the dock. "Tate is quiet and apathetic. Okay, so he should be fine. No problems there…"

As she continued looking through the applications, she could hear the water moving. Looking back up, she saw an approaching Lapras. "Alright, I guess now we're actually getting started," she said to herself.

000

Zekrom exited the much larger mansion-like cabin, called 'The Sausage Link', wearing a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. There wasn't much he could really complain about, as there were no unwanted surprises inside. The contestants were in for a treat. The name was a bit childish from his perspective, though.

Placing his hands on his hips, he took a deep breath. "Well… I guess that's it for the campgrounds," he commented. After surveying the Mess Hall and The Sausage Link, and seeing nothing dangerous inside of either building, aside from the septic nightmare in the Mess Hall's bathroom, Zekrom began to assume that the other locations of the island would actually be alright. However, he couldn't help but feel like it was too good to be true.

As much as he'd love to just let it be and head back to help Reshiram, he knew that he had to make sure all of the locations were fine.

"Okay… There's a pond down the path behind the Mess Hall," he said, extending his arm in that direction.

He began walking behind the larger cabin and found another pathway lined with painted stones. "If I remember correctly, this path leads to an Arts and Crafts department, which explains the rocks…"

He looked to his left and saw a rocky staircase a few yards away leading up a hill. "That's where the gym is…"

He went back to the front of The Sausage Link and started walking back in the direction of the Mess Hall. There was another pathway between the building and the tables.

"Okay, that way should lead to the field," he said to himself as he started hovering. He looked to his left once again and identified another dirt path next to the one he had originally entered from. "And… that path is to another part of the beach."

He let out a sigh before he realized something relatively important that would save him a lot of trouble. Instead of going down the path leading to the field, he began heading back toward the dock.

000

Hopping off of the next Lapras was a small, red crocodile. A couple of yellow 'hairs' were on his head, and his body seemed to resemble a chili pepper. He was a Fuecoco. Upon seeing Reshiram, a flirtatious smirk formed on his face.

"And here is our next contesta-" Reshiram began before being cut off.

"Ay, mami," he interrupted with a smirk, looking up at the pure white dragoness. "Your body is muy caliente," he complimented, looking over her once again.

Reshiram let out an awkward giggle at the compliment. She already had felt an uncomfortable vibe from the Fire Croc Pokémon, but she maintained her composure, responding, "Well, thank you, KG." After clearing her throat, she inquired, "How do you think you'll do in the competition?"

Chuckling, the Fuecoco responded, "As long as the mamacitas know what they can handle, I think everything will turn out just fine…"

Reshiram sweatdropped upon hearing that. Why did she have a feeling that none of the male contestants knew what was going on? She let out a soft sigh, "Well, we'll have to see about that. So, you can head on to the shore and try to size up your competition."

Back on the shore, aside from Tate, two other contestants had apparently arrived before KG. One of them resembled a wooden ball of sorts. His eyes, which appeared to be carved, made him look very happy, which may or may not be how he actually felt. He was a Voltorb, a Hisuian Voltorb to be precise. He was chatting with Tate near the rowboat.

The other contestant resembled a collection of hands and stones. Literally, his head was in the shape of a hand, and he had more hands jutting from his rocky body. He was a Barbaracle, and he was standing away from the other two with his arms folded.

KG, seeing that none of the other contestants were female, or at least appeared to be female, only let out a soft groan. "Me estás tomando el pelo..?" he mumbled to himself as he proceeded to walk toward the group.

Once he was out of her vicinity, Reshiram let out a sigh of relief, holding her head. "I guess I'm glad that there are no girls competing on this season…" she commented.

-000-

Approaching the other contestants, KG glanced over at the Barbaracle. They locked eyes for a moment before the Collective Pokémon huffed and looked away, staring back out at the water.

He decided to approach the Voltorb and Tate, who were engaging in conversation. Or at least somewhat of a conversation, as the Voltorb was doing most of the talking.

"Hola," he greeted, getting their attention. "Name's Kristian Gaz, but you can call me KG."

The Voltorb responded first, his voice having a slightly high-pitched tone. "Hey there, KG. The name's Simen," he introduced.

Tate simply waved a spike. "Tate."

"What's up with the lone warrior over there? Acting like he's too good to talk to people…" KG commented, gesturing to the Barbaracle.

"Oh, him?" Simen responded. "I think he said his name was like… Morris or something. He said that he doesn't acknowledge the 'weak', so he just went over there and has just been… standing there."

KG scoffed upon hearing that. People who act that way always got on his nerves. "Pendejo," he chided, glancing back at him. He turned back toward the two Electric-types. "Well, at least to me, you guys actually seem kinda cool."

"Thanks," Simen replied. "Same to you."

KG nodded before looking back at the dock, eyeing Reshiram from afar with a chuckle. "So uh… How do you guys feel about that hot mami being the one in charge of us?"

Tate had no opinion at all, so he remained silent. Simen, however, hummed to himself. "Um… I mean she's really pretty, but I've seen other shows that featured her slightly for challenges, and… she's happily married. So, I don't wanna really be disrespectful to her or her husband…"

Simen scoffed, "Please, amigo. Ladies like that are rarely truly tied down. It just takes a little finesse."

Just then, Zekrom flew from the campground path, getting all the guys' attention. Where did he even come from? Upon seeing the obsidian dragon land next to Reshiram and share a kiss with her, KG couldn't help but scoff. "Let me guess…"

"Yep…" Simen confirmed, rolling forward. "That's her husband. Though, I wonder what he was doing back there."

KG huffed, folding his arms, "Cabrón sure wasn't here with his so-called esposa. That's for sure. If my wife looked that fine, I wouldn't leave her side for nothing."

Tate blinked, unsure of what to even say to that, while Simen, despite his expression, felt a bit awkward. "Uh-huh…"

000

"Oh, you went and got the applications?" Zekrom inquired, taking notice of the clipboard Reshiram had.

The Vast White Pokémon nodded with a sigh, "At the expense of missing Tate…"

Hearing the bit of disappointment in her tone, Zekrom brought her close, kissing her cheek. He knew that the dragoness of truth disliked making mistakes, as it made her feel like a disappointment, no matter how small the mistake was.

"It's alright, hon. We weren't exactly given everything, so it's not entirely our fault," he responded, attempting to make her feel better.

"I suppose," she responded, leaning against him. "Is everything safe?"

He explained, "Well, I checked the Mess Hall and The Sausage Link…" Reshiram cocked a brow in confusion upon hearing that name. Seeing this, Zekrom quickly clarified, "Oh, that's the name of the lodge the contestants will be staying in."

"Oh… okay," Reshiram responded, now understanding.

"Nothing was really dangerous, per se, though the bathroom in the Mess Hall was completely vile," he explained. "We could just keep that door closed indefinitely, though. As for the other locations, I came to a realization about something."

"What's that?"

"You typically have a good read on when people are lying or not," he explained. "So, really think. Did you get any bad feeling, not caused by our own paranoia, about what he was saying or what the map showed?"

Thinking back, Reshiram hummed to herself. After a bit, she shook her head. "Surprisingly… no," she answered, seemingly stunned by her own answer. "It actually felt like he was being serious."

"Well, in that case… We're going to trust your instincts and just go from there," Zekrom stated. He glanced back at the four players that were already there and sweatdropped. He then looked out to the sea and saw that a Lapras was approaching. "Okay, can you catch me up a bit? Who is who, so far?"

Reshiram nodded, explaining, "Tate is the Pincurchin, Simen is the Voltorb, Morris is the Barbaracle, and KG is the Fuecoco."

Zekrom nodded, before quickly getting into 'host mode' as the next Lapras pulled up to the dock. "Okay, and it looks like we're getting our next contestant now!"

The contestant in question resembled a pink gremlin or imp. He had long gangs, red eyes, segmented arms, and a green lower half. He had long black hair, with a bang covering his right eye. The end of his hair resembled a pole arm. He was a Morgrem, though there was something familiar about him.

"Welcome, Martin!"

"It's a pleasure," Martin responded. "Been tryna get on dese types o' shows for a while. Always liked da ones wit' Victini on 'em. Givin' them miserable sad sacks what's comin' to 'em."

Zekrom immediately deadpanned, "Is that right?"

"Yous betta' believe it. I always wanted t' be on one-a his shows, but I guess all da crybabies on da internet don' canceled 'im, and now we stuck wit' borin' queers runnin' shit and ruinin' everythin'," he ranted.

"Well, we'll see how well you take this show," Reshiram commented, completely bewildered by the Morgrem's attitude and praising of Victini.

"Ye, hopefully, 'dis is actually worth it. I had t' use up my vacation time for 'dis," Martin commented as he walked past the two of them.

The couple exchanged looks as he made his way to the shore. They already had a feeling that he was going to be irritating. They didn't even need to fully read his application to know that.

The next Lapras pulled up rather quickly, its face looking a slight tone of purple. A purple blob slinked off of the Transport Pokémon and onto the dock, letting out a belch as he did so. He was a Muk.

"Thanks for the ride, toots," he coarsely expressed as the Lapras swiftly swam away. That was never a good sign.

Reshiram let out an internal sigh, "Uh… Welcome to the show, Chaun-"

"Stain," the Muk interrupted, letting out a soft belch once again.

Confused, the couple exchanged looks before Reshiram inquired, "Pardon?"

"I don't need my government name being exposed out here, toots," the Muk explained. "So, I'm goin' by Stain. Got that?"

"Sure," Zekrom stated, folding his arms as he gave the Muk a slight glare. He could already tell that he was not going to like him. "Go ahead and join the others onshore, Stain."

The Sludge Pokémon slinked his way across the dock, leaving the Yin-Yang couple to question their decision.

-000-

"Oh cool, a Muk," Simen commented, seeing Stain slinking across the dock. "You never see Pokémon like him on these kinds of shows…"

"Ye, 'cuz usually dese shows favor folks wit' actual bodies," Martin explained condescendingly with a chortle. "How'd yous even apply f' 'dis show?"

"One of my friends helped me out," Simen explained. "And any person can win this show, with or without a 'standard' body."

"Dunno 'bout dat, majority of da winners I've seen got full bodies," Martin debated, folding his arms. "So, ya betta' hope whateva' team yous is on carries ya."

"Come on, man, you don't have to crush his dreams like that," KG commented, patting Simen's head. "You never know what could happen out here."

The Devious Pokémon rolled his eyes. He knew he was right, and if they wanted to be all 'have faith', then he wasn't interested in hearing more.

Morris actually glanced over as Stain got onto the shore. He nodded to himself, allowing his hoarse southern accent to be heard, "Finally, an actual competitor."

Stain belched as he made his way to the shore. Looking around and seeing who he would be competing against, he could only groan. "This is honestly pathetic so far," he commented.

"Ya sure? Have ya not looked in a mirror?" Martin countered.

"Great comeback, emo boy," Stain responded dismissively before turning his head and seeing Morris standing away from everyone else. The way he was standing and the fact that he was actually fully evolved, unlike the others, not counting Tate, immediately got his attention.

"Now he looks like an actual competitor," Stain commented, slinking in Morris' direction.

Seeing this, Simen sighed, "Well… I already don't like where this is going."

KG chuckled. "Don't worry amigo, once we start seeing the fine ladies these shows always cast, your mood will immediately brighten up," the Fire Croc Pokémon said, patting the Voltorb's head again.

Hearing this, Tate turned towards a camera with a blank expression.

000

The next Lapras arrived holding a red oni-like Pokémon. He appeared to be wearing a gi and had a monobrow that extended downwards to also form a nose. He was a Throh.

Getting off of the Lapras. He bowed before the two Legendary Pokémon before him.

"Welcome to the show… Roy, was it?" Reshiram greeted.

"Correct," the Throh responded with a semi-deep voice, standing up straight. "I was honestly quite surprised to hear back. I only applied due to a bet I lost at the dojo I teach at. Thank you for having me."

"No problem at all. You seem very nice and respectable," Zekrom commented. "I admire that."

"It is an honor to hear that from a Legendary Pokémon," Roy responded with a chuckle. "We'll see how well I do, though. Hopefully, I won't embarrass my dojo back home."

"We'll see, we'll see," Reshiram responded with a small smile. After back-to-back jerks, it was refreshing to have a somewhat positive and average person before them. "Go on and head to the shore. The rest of your competition is already there."

Roy bowed once again before walking down the dock to greet his fellow competitors. He didn't really have much knowledge about these shows. He didn't even expect to get called back, but he was there now, and he was going to have to really do his best. Hopefully, his competitors weren't too much of a challenge.

-000-

The Throh made it to the beach and looked around. Seeing the Pokémon that were there, he was a bit surprised, but also intrigued. "Hello everyone. My name's Roy," he introduced.

"'Sup Roy," KG greeted.

"Heyo," Simen added seconds later.

Tate once again waved a spike, while Martin simply nodded his head upwards in greeting.

The Throh then glanced over and saw Stain and Morris chatting, though Morris already had a look of irritation on his face. "So, uh… How's everyone feeling about this so far? I'll admit that I've never seen these kinds of shows. I just know that there are challenges and people get voted out."

"Ah, fresh meat," Martin commented, walking up to him with a smirk. Placing an arm around his back, he started guiding the Throh toward a nearby tree. "Well, allow me t' explain what goes on…"

"Oh no…" Simen drawled. The Morgrem had just spent a good five minutes talking about how much he loved seeing the pain and suffering that stemmed from challenges in other shows, so whatever he was about to tell the Judo Pokémon was going to be bad.

000

The next Lapras made it to the dock carrying a green-eyed, yellow, black, and white dog-like Pokémon. He seemed to be wearing a gold bracelet around his left paw. He was a Boltund, and he was lying on the Lapras' back in a rather calm manner.

He got up and hopped off of the Transport Pokémon with a smile.

"Welcome to the show, Lee!" Reshiram introduced.

"Hey there," he greeted, revealing a somewhat feminine tone of voice. "This is honestly super sick. I can't believe I'm really here!"

"Are you a fan of these shows?" Zekrom inquired. Though, given his reaction, it should've been obvious.

"Not until recently, believe it or not," Lee explained. "I've always heard about these kinds of shows here and there, but mainly about how hard and terrible it is for the people who get on. But, one of my friends was actually on one of those shows. I think it was the one that was in Alola; the Incineroar, Randy. So, after that, me and my friends all started watching them more and we all decided to apply."

"Sounds fairly reasonable," Reshiram nodded with a giggle. "Well, hopefully, you'll make it further than your friend did."

Lee chuckled, "That's the goal, aside from winning of course. It'd be fun to brag about."

"I bet," Zekrom replied with a small smile. "Head on to the shore," he instructed.

Nodding, Lee made his way down the dock with a smile and sway. He knew that certain challenges would be difficult for him, due to him being a quadruped, but he was willing to take on any challenges that came his way.

-000-

Seeing the Dog Pokémon approaching, KG chuckled. The sway of their hips, the slim figure, the beautiful eyes? It was time. "Finally, our first mamacita has arrived," KG commented as Lee stepped off the dock.

Hearing this, the Boltund stifled a laugh. "Uh… sorry to disappoint, sweetie, but… I'm a guy," he revealed, taking a seat next to the group.

KG comedically fell on his back before quickly standing back up. "Dude, I'm sorry, but you look and sound extremely feminine. Like…" KG whistled, looking him over once again.

"Uh… KG, I don't think that's the right thing to say here," Simen opined.

Giggling, Lee responded, "It's fine. I actually get that a lot. I'm probably not as tough-looking as other Boltund, but I'm still just as strong. At least I think I am. Name's Lee, by the way."

"I'm Simen," the Voltorb introduced. He gestured to the Fuecoco next to him, "He's KG…"

The Pincurchin waved a spike again. "And he's Tate," Simen stated.

Lee smiled back. "Well, it's good to meet you guys. Glad that I'm meeting some nice people right out of the gate. Usually, from what I've seen on these shows, there are more assholes and duds."

He looked around, taking in the scenery before noticing the two pairs of guys in different areas of the beach. Confused, Lee inquired, "So… what's up with the others?"

"Uh… Well… the Muk and Barbaracle over there ignoring us are Stain and Morris. They apparently think we're just weak and not worth talking to, I guess…" Simen explained.

"Uh-huh…" Lee responded slowly.

"And the pair over there near the tree are Roy and Martin. Roy is absolutely new to these shows, and Martin is probably traumatizing him by explaining how these shows work, through the lens of someone who enjoys the pain of others…"

"I… Oh…" Lee wasn't sure what to say to that.

"-Okay, I'm done. I don't need to hear more," they all heard as Roy came back over. "Jeez, the way you put it, all of these kinds of shows are just televised torture for monetary gain!"

"Yeah… Don't take what he says too seriously, amigo," KG replied. "He's the type to enjoy a child's funeral."

Roy just shook his head with a sigh before actually noticing Lee's presence. "Who's this?" he asked.

"I'm Lee," the Dog Pokémon introduced.

"Hey, Lee. Name's Roy," the Throh greeted, extending a hand in greeting. Lee took it, as the Throh shook his hand and took a seat on a nearby rock.

Martin soon came over as well, laughing to himself, "Yous is really not ready for what 'dis game has t' offa'."

"There's no guarantee that this competition is gonna be like the ones that you like," Simen replied.

"Yous say dat now, but just yous wait," the Devious Pokémon chortled.

-000-

Seeing all of the others on the other side of the beach, Morris was beginning to feel a bit irritated. Not by them, at this point, but by Stain. He had been going on and on about how if they were on the same team, they should boot out all of the ladies first so that the actual competition could begin.

"I mean, really," Stain continued, pausing to hold in another belch. "Girls are good to look at. They're good for sex and cooking and all that, but in competitions like this? They have no business doing them, so we'd be doing them a service, anyway."

The Barbaracle corrected him, "You do realize that, usually, these shows are won by ladies? So, they're not automatically weaker just because they're ladies."

"Those were all either flukes or rigged," Stain dismissed. "You know that feminists like to force their politics down our throats these days. Wouldn't surprise me if it came out that all the competitions won by females were rigged because they were threatening to cancel them or sending dumb emails."

"Uh-huh," Morris deadpanned. "And uh… You said that you think that I'm a strong guy and that we should stick together 'cause you don't always feel like workin' and think I can do the work for both of us…"

"Yeah," Stain responded. "You see how these shows go when they're not rigged. People like us can get further if we make an alliance to get to the end."

"Mhm…" Morris responded with a nod before beginning to walk away. If he was going to have an alliance with anybody, it would be with someone who would actually work just as hard as him.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Stain called.

000

The next Lapras arrived carrying a large, yellow and black yeti-like Pokémon. He was covered in fur, had red eyes, two black tails with red ends, two strong arms, and a couple of antennae with round tips. He was an Electivire, and he wore a rather smug grin on his face.

"Yo world! I hope you're ready because The Great Travis has arrived," the Electivire boasted, spreading out his arms.

"He sure has," Zekrom commented. He wasn't particularly impressed by the Electivire, but he kept that thought to himself.

"Y'all might as well cut me the check right now, because there's no way in the Distortion World that I'm gonna be beaten," Travis commented with a chuckle.

"Well, we'll have to see about that, now won't we?" Reshiram responded, sharing her husband's disinterest in the Thunderbolt Pokémon. "Head on over to the others."

Travis chuckled to himself as he started walking toward the shore. However, his smug expression noticeably turned into one of slight unease. However, as he got closer to shore, part of the dock cracked under him, causing his foot to get caught momentarily.

He pulled himself out, chuckling sheepishly. "Even the dock can't handle me," he commented, trying to brush past that. He brushed his leg off, though now he felt a slight stinging sensation from it. "Fuck me…"

-000-

Having heard and seen what happened with the Electivire and the dock, the pair let out a sigh of relief. "The dock lasted much longer than I expected it to," Zekrom commented, looking at the janky, wooden platform beneath their feet. "As bad as he came off, I hope he's alright."

"Well everyone, we're down to just our final five cont-"

Reshiram was suddenly interrupted as a large, hunched-over arthropod crawled out of the water and onto the dock. He had a purple body covered in silver plate armor, and multiple arms, with two of them being much bigger than the others. He also had a purple 'mask' that made up his mouth, eyes, and antennae. He was a Golisopod.

Without another word, the dripping wet arthropod moved past the two hosts without a word.

"Okay, that was Rane, so now we're down to our final four contestants," the dragoness corrected. The fact that Rane left without saying a word slightly irritated them, but they couldn't do anything about it. So, they decided to just move on. Now, given what the last three competitors were, there likely wasn't going to be any more Lapras arrived. Well, perhaps for one of them, at least.

-000-

At that point, everyone on the shore was relatively close together. After Morris moved, Stain decided to do the same but remained quiet. Travis was soaking his mildly injured leg in the water, with Martin chuckling while shaking his head. "I'm tellin' yous. It's comin'. Betta' be ready for it," he opined.

"Can someone explain what the gremlin is talking about?" Morris deadpanned.

"From what I understand, he loves the painful challenges and seeing people get hurt on these shows, so he's saying that this show is gonna be the same way, and that we need to be ready for it," Lee explained.

Morris gave the Morgrem a look of displeasure.

"Oh, don't gimme dat look," Martin responded, waving him away. "Yous literally isolated yaself because yous thought we was all weak. Yous don't get t' judge."

"Looks like we've got another one coming," Roy acknowledged, seeing Rane approach.

"Okay, uh… There's literally one, two, three… ten of us here, and still no ladies. What gives?!" KG groused.

"Maybe they're introducing all of the guys first and they're gonna do the girls now, so that it's an even twenty," Simen suggested.

"Ojala…" the Fuecoco responded, folding his arms.

"You good over there, big guy?" Roy inquired, looking toward Travis, who was still soaking his leg.

The Electivire had taken notice of a light, long scratch on his leg, and let out a soft hiss. "Yep! I'm good. I'm a quick healer! Worry more about yourselves. Once these challenges start, y'all are done."

Rane walked over to the group and looked over his competition. He simply nodded to himself before walking over and taking a seat behind the rock Roy was sitting on.

"Huh… He seems friendly enough," Lee commented.

Once Rane sat down, Stain smirked. Another chance to make a quick ally. The fact that the majority of his competitors were already so 'kumbaya' irked him a bit. This was a competition, and the faster you make allies, the better.

However, knowing how things went with Morris, and the fact that he was much closer to everybody at that moment, he knew that he would unfortunately have to wait a while. Plus, he didn't even know what team he was going to be on.

"Buncha morons…" Stain muttered to himself.

000

A black and white bird with a large, colorful beak stood before Reshiram and Zekrom. A stern expression was seemingly welded onto his face. He was a Toucannon, and he had decided to fly to the island himself rather than waste time with a Lapras. He appeared to be slightly older, as well, having a slight gray tint in his white feathers.

Seeing the high status Pokémon before him, the Cannon Pokémon greeted the pair in a respectful tone, "It's a pleasure to be chosen for this kind of show."

"It's a pleasure to have, Steve," Reshiram responded. "How are you feeling? Hope the flight here didn't tire you out."

Steve scoffed, "It was no trouble at all. I've had a lot of military training over the years, so I've still got enough energy."

"Alright then," Reshiram nodded.

"Yeah, I was a sergeant, so whatever team I'm on, I know that I can whip them into shape and get them to do as I say," Steve explained.

"Well, you'd better be cautious with that," Zekrom urged. He knew that nothing irritated males more than being told what to do as if they were children. "People don't enjoy being bossed around."

"I understand that, but things will be different with me," the Toucannon assured. He had his own technique to deal with others, so he wasn't particularly worried about how he would come off.

"Go ahead and head over to…"

Reshiram paused as she noticed something peculiar floating toward the dock. A large ice cube with a hair on it. Zekrom cocked a brow, "Um…"

Turning around, Steve saw what they were looking at and let out a sigh upon recognizing the species. "Fucking Eiscue…" he muttered under his breath. He turned back to his 'superiors' as two black flippers grabbed a hold of the dock.

The Pokémon that pulled itself up resembled a penguin, though the most notable thing about it was that its head was covered by an ice cube that had eyes carved out of it, as well as a beak. As Steve quickly identified, he was an Eiscue.

"Heeey," he greeted in a chill tone. "What's up my Pokémon? It's an awesome day today."

"Hello, Nick," Reshiram greeted. "You decided to forgo the Lapras as well, I see."

"Yeah, man," the Penguin Pokémon replied. "I don't wanna use anyone else, when I can just go with the flow, myself."

Steve huffed, "Permission to reach shore?" His tone elicited a feeling of displeasure, as if he despised Nick's presence.

Knowing the reason why, Zekrom internally rolled his eyes. "Permission granted," he replied, folding his arms.

Steve nodded and took flight toward the shore, leaving the hosts with Nick. The Eiscue chortled, "Bad vibes."

"Well… We're all different," Reshiram replied sheepishly, having no idea what to say to that. "You seem to be a rather relaxed person, though. Do you think that'll do you some good out here?"

"That depends on the people around me…" Nick said, spreading his arms. "If I get good vibes from people, I think it'll work out. If not, it'll be a lot more difficult. If the vibe is off, I tend to get more paranoid."

"That's understandable," Zekrom said with a nod. "We all want to feel safe, and when something feels off, we feel panicked."

"Exactly, man. See, you two get it," Nick beamed. Clasping his flippers together, the Penguin Pokémon said, "But, I'll get out of your hair. I wanna see what the others are doing."

The Eiscue began making his way across the dock, looking forward to seeing what the other players were like. If they were anything like Steve, he was going to have a rough go of it, for sure.

As the hosts turned to watch him go, they took notice of a one-eyed black figure that resembled the letter 'L' attached to Nick's back. It was an Unown. Had it been there the entire time? Or did it show up during their conversation?

"Uh… Nick, can you come back for a second?" Reshiram requested.

Hearing this, the Eiscue turned around and started walking back. "What's up?"

Zekrom cleared his throat. "There's something, or rather someone, on your back," he explained.

"Oh, for real?" Nick asked, trying to check himself, only resulting in him going in circles.

Knowing that him doing that would get them nowhere, Reshiram explained, "It's okay, Nick. We'll take care of it."

Reaching down, Zekrom removed the Unown from Nick's back, which allowed it to float on its own. Seeing it, Nick chuckled, "Hey, it's a funny little guy."

"Lexico, welcome to the show," Reshiram greeted. "We almost missed you. Were you on Nick's back the entire time?"

The Unown simply blinked in response.

Getting no reply, the hosts exchanged looks. Was he okay? Zekrom inquired, "Is… everything alright?"

Still no response. The Symbol Pokémon simply floated there, as if in its own little world. Picking up the clipboard, Reshiram looked through them before finding Lexico's. She read, "Identifies as male. Cannot speak, instead he will-"

"He said that he's fine. Just doesn't want to be a bother," Nick suddenly responded, cutting Reshiram off.

"-latch onto one person, and have them speak for him," the Vast White Pokémon finished. "Well… That'll be interesting…" she said, letting the other pages of the clipboard cover Lexico's application again.

"Looks like you're gonna be Lexico's translator, Nick," Zekrom said, folding his arms.

"Niiiice," Nick opined, turning to Lexico. "This is gonna be sweet, man."

There was an awkward silence before Nick chuckled, "You're a funny little guy." Apparently Lexico had responded to him.

The new pair began heading back to the shore, leaving Reshiram and Zekrom alone. The dragoness let out a sigh, rubbing her face. "Okay, we've only got one player left, and…"

She paused as she happened to gaze out into the distance. "...there they are…"

"What the…" Zekrom gaped.

-000-

Nick and Lexico approached the group, with the Eiscue waving in greeting. "What's up people. Name's Nick, and this little guy is Lexico. He speaks to me in my mind."

The others stared blankly at them for a few moments, somewhat bewildered by what he had just said.

"Well… Looks like there is gonna be an actual freakshow in this competition," Stain commented coarsely.

Martin scoffed, "You mean aside from yaself?"

"You're not funny," Stain responded flatly. He already knew that the Morgrem was just going to be a pest.

Nick defended himself and Lexico, "Hey, he's not a freakshow. The dude can't talk, so he talks to me in my head, and I say it…"

"Oh, so he uses telepathy, and you just translate it," Lee reasoned, now understanding what he meant.

There was a moment of silence before Nick responded. "He says that you nailed it," the Penguin Pokémon informed, pointing at the Boltund.

Steve scoffed, sitting a bit of distance away from the others. He had no idea what he was even looking at. Lee was a girly boy, Stain was a petulant blob of filth, KG was a wannabe ladies man, Martin was just a disrespectful delinquent, and Nick was an Eiscue, a Pokémon that he despised due to their lack of care about anything. "What is wrong with this generation…?" he mumbled to himself, shaking his head.

"INCOMING!" the group all heard as they turned their heads and saw an enormous blue whale swimming towards the other side of the shore that they were on.

"What in the everloving hell? Is that a Wailord!?" Morris exclaimed in shock.

The Wailord stopped at the shore, making sure not to beach himself. The contestants all approached the Float Whale Pokémon, not sure of what was going on.

"Uh… Hi?" Simen greeted in confusion.

"Hi," the Wailord replied, its voice unusually deep, yet soft. He had been worried about being late, so he swam quickly, which was why he shouted a bit earlier. "I'm Dale," he greeted.

"Um… Hi, Dale?" Roy greeted back. Suddenly, the realization hit. "Wait… Are you competing here too!?"

"I mean yeah. Why not?" the Wailord replied.

The other guys were completely stunned. How was Dale supposed to compete? Could he even compete with how large he was? They had never seen a Wailord compete on these shows before.

000

With all fourteen contestants present and accounted for, Reshiram and Zekrom could truly begin their show. The introductions took much longer than they expected, and it honestly felt repetitive after a while. They didn't really have many good talking points, nor did they have that eager positivity that others had. They were still a bit out of practice, after all.

With all of the players now crowded around Dale, who they honestly still didn't believe was chosen, for obvious reasons, this was their time.

As they landed on the beach, the guys heard them and turned to face them. Having their immediate attention, Zekrom cleared his throat, "Alright guys, welcome to Total… Pokémon:… Maelstrom!"

"Maelstrom?" Stain scoffed. "The hell kinda name is that? Are all the challenges gonna be in the water or something?"

KG spoke up next, looking around, "Also, uh… I'm noticing a distinct lack of… chicas. Aside from the lovely mami hosting this."

"To answer both of your questions," Reshiram began, ignoring KG's comment. "No, challenges will not only be in the water, but there will be some that are water-based. It is called Total Pokémon: Maelstrom, because this competition only has male competitors."

Looks of surprise spread across everyone's faces, aside from Rane, Lexico, and Tate, who didn't seem too bothered.

"What do you mean there's no girls competing here? That's gay!" Travis groused.

Lee rolled his eyes. Were people still trying to use 'gay' as an insult or to mean 'bad'? He couldn't even bring himself to say anything. It wasn't worth it.

Steve, on the other hand, didn't take kindly to the statement. "What're trying to say boy? Is the military a bunch of sissies because it's all men?" he snapped, glaring at the Thunderbolt Pokémon.

"Well… no, but-"

"But what?! Just because you're desperate for woman to touch your package doesn't mean the absence of them is gay. Shut your trap," Steve scolded, keeping his glare at the Electivire, who shrank where he stood. Noticing the looks he was getting from the others, he then cleared his throat and got back into a more respectable position. "My apologies, hosts. Uh… continue," he stated, now feeling a bit awkward.

"O… kay," Reshiram began, just as surprised by the sudden outburst as the other contestants. Zekrom, on the other hand, had a feeling that something like that would come out of him, so he wasn't really shocked. Reshiram cleared her throat as she continued, "Anyway, the reason for the name is because it is a pun based on the setup."

"Aside from this season being only males, the game is relatively the same," Zekrom explained. "You all will be competing in multiple challenges, trying to earn immunity. If you lose a challenge, you will have to vote somebody off of the island."

"That process continues until only one of you remains to win the grand prize of one million Poké," Reshiram chimed in.

There were a few cheers as competitive glares were thrown about. Given that this was an all-male season, this was going to be quite interesting.

"Now, before we split you all into your teams, we're gonna give you a very brief tour of the island," Zekrom explained. He then realized a big problem, as Dale was unable to leave the water, so he wouldn't be able to experience anything the island had to offer. "Oh… right. Well, actually, I guess due to Dale being unable to really move on the island, we'll separate you all into teams now. That way, you all don't have to walk all the way back."

Dale let out a sigh. He knew that his size would cause problems, but he really wanted to try and compete. He didn't mind not seeing camp, honestly. At least he would know who was on this team while everyone was still there. It made him feel truly involved, at least.

Reshiram began, "When I call your name, please move over to the right."

The guys listened carefully, exchanging looks with each other. There were some guys that were very desirable, and others that were extremely undesirable.

"Travis…"

The Electivire perked up, still a bit shaken from being yelled at. He moved to the side quietly.

"Roy… Morris…"

The Throh glanced at the Barbaracle, who had already started moving to where Travis was. The Judo Pokémon smirked to himself, glad to have strong teammates.

"KG…"

The Fuecoco soon joined his team. He felt confident, though he couldn't help but be slightly worried.

"Lee… Simen… and… Stain," Reshiram concluded.

Stain couldn't help but smile. He had some strong-looking guys on his team, so he felt that he would be just fine. Lee swore to himself as he joined the others on his team. Stain and Travis were two guys that he wanted nothing to do with. Simen rolled over without much issue. He was glad that his team seemed strong, but he was a bit worried about personality clashes.

"You all will be known as the Mighty Machamps," Reshiram informed.

"Nice!" Roy beamed, giving a thumbs up as he glanced around at his fellow teammates, some looking more pleased than others. He seemed to be the main one feeling good about his team, aside from Stain, anyway.

Zekrom turned to the remaining players, who had already pieced together what that meant for them. "That leaves the rest of you…"

"Nick… Lexico…"

The Eiscue waved, while the Unown simply floated there, still unblinking.

"Rane…"

The Golisopod cocked a brow as he folded his arms. He glanced around and let out a soft sigh. This team was going to suffer wasn't it?

"Dale… Martin… Tate…"

The Wailord simply gave a small smile, as he couldn't really do anything else. The Morgrem simply rolled his eyes. The other team had the stronger-looking guys, so he couldn't care less about his team. Tate, who had managed to get onto Nick's ice-covered head, simply sat there without a word.

"...and Steve…"

The Toucannon's eye twitched slightly. They couldn't be serious, could they? Compared to the other team, his team was a mess! He felt ready to blow up again, but he held himself together. Instead, he faked a small smile.

"You all will be known as the Candid Conkeldurrs," Zekrom notified.

"Cool…" Nick opined, nodding his head slightly.

Martin huffed, "Whatever."

"Now that the teams are all settled, let's get to the campgrounds so we can show you around," Zekrom said, clasping his hands together.

"So, is da big boy just not gonna be comin' t' camp?" Martin inquired, pointing his thumb back at Dale.

"It's fine by me," Dale commented, finally speaking up. "You all don't have to worry. As long as I'm still able to be a part of the game, it doesn't matter."

"We apologize for this, Dale," Reshiram stated anyway. The Wailord said that he was fine, but she still felt that it was slightly unfair.

"Like I said, it's fine," the Float Whale Pokémon reiterated. "You guys go on ahead."

Zekrom nodded, "Alright, everybody please follow me."

The obsidian drake began floating toward the campground path, with Reshiram floating alongside him. The contestants followed suit, with Nick, Tate, and Lexico staying behind a bit to chat with Dale.

"It's a bummer that you can't join us, dude," Nick commented. "There shouldn't be a penalty for big guys like you…"

Dale hummed in though, "I don't really see it as a penalty. Like I said, as long as I get to be a part of the game, everything's fine by my account."

"Hm?" the Penguin Pokémon suddenly hummed, turning to Lexico. "Oh, that sounds cool… Lex wants to know if you'd be interested in an alliance?"

"An alliance? Already?" Dale inquired in shock.

Nick paused for a moment before stating, "Yeah, he says that you, me, him, and Tate could be a strong group, and we'd have the majority easily."

Dale couldn't help but feel a bit hesitant. Alliances were always good in shows like this, but making one so quickly was a bit suspicious. However, given his situation, this was likely going to be one of his only chances to create allies. He had his doubts that people would be coming to the beach often unless it was for a challenge. "Hmm… I guess I'm in, then," Dale accepted.

"What about you, spikes?" Nick inquired, referring to Tate.

The Pincurchin hadn't really spoken much since he got there, only listening and observing those around him. Given his current situation and who else was on his team, this was definitely the better option. "Okay," he stated nonchalantly.

"Niice!" Nick chuckled. "Dudes, we have an alliance. This is gonna be so dope!"

Realizing that they were taking too long, Lexico actually floated in the direction of the path before turning back to the others.

"Oh, right. We should hurry and go," Nick replied, realizing what was happening. He turned back to Dale, "Seeya around, man!"

The three of them left, leaving the Wailord alone, but with a higher degree of confidence. Whether or not he could actually trust them was another story, but for now, he felt a bit safer.

000

The sky was beginning to turn a veil of light-orange, blue and pink, showing the signs of a setting sun. As they reached the campgrounds, the contestants present were in awe at how 'open' it was. The fact that only two buildings were present, and there were multiple, branching paths, made the area feel particularly barren.

Unimpressed, Stain scoffed, "Wow, this place is as dead as my parents' marriage…"

Reshiram responded, "Yes, we are well aware that it may feel that way, but there are things here for you all to do in your downtime."

"We're gonna get to that relatively soon, but first, uh… Conkeldurrs, it appears that you are missing a few players," Zekrom acknowledged, taking note of Tate, Nick, and Lexico's absences.

Rane remained relatively unbothered, while Martin and Steve turned around and saw that their other teammates, aside from Dale, were currently missing. Steve growled to himself. This was a prime example of why he despised his team so far. Of course one of the people missing was Nick.

Not even a minute later, Lexico floated up to the group, with Nick, and by extension, Tate, following shortly after. Panting softly, and seeing all of the eyes on them, Nick explained, "Sorry peeps, was just reassuring Dale…"

As he rejoined the group, he wound up next to Steve who, under his breath, snarled, "If you ever embarrass me in front of the hosts again, I'll make you wish you were never born. Got it?"

Nick wasn't fazed by the Cannon Pokémon's threat, whispering back. "Message received, man…"

The Toucannon growled softly once again, his beak heating up slightly out of anger.

"Well, now that everyone is here, we can carry on with the tour," Zekrom began. He and Reshiram led the players toward the Mess Hall, first. "This is the Mess Hall, where you all will receive your meals," he explained.

Looking at the building, KG groaned, "Ay caramba… We're gonna be served prison food, aren't we?"

"No," Reshiram reassured them. "While the Mess Hall does look… suspicious, all food will be catered by 'Greasy Al's'."

"So… prison food?" Travis repeated. "A name like that does not sound like one that makes good food."

Martin scoffed, "No taste, whatsoeva. Greasy Al's makes da bombest food."

"Yeah, their stuff is actually really good, in spite of the name of the place," Lee concurred. "Don't judge a book by its cover."

"See. He gets it," Martin stated with a nod. "Guess yous isn't just a prissy twink…"

Lee's expression immediately soured. Was this seriously going to be a thing?

Zekrom cleared his throat, getting the attention back on him. "Well, aside from that, there's not much to the Mess Hall. You all can either eat in, or use the tables over there," he explained, gesturing to the set of tables. "Also, if you know what is good for you, do not open the bathroom door in there," he warned.

The ominous nature of his statement caused a bit of confusion, with Morris inquiring, "Uh… Why, exactly?"

"Considering that this Mess Hall has likely been here for a long while, or was moved here from another location… Let's just say it's more than a little… used," Reshiram explained.

"Ah, so it's just completely ruined. Got it," Simen reasoned.

-000-

The host couple approached The Sausage Link, with nearly all of the guys in awe at how big the building truly was. It resembled a large cabin combined with a mansion.

It was white with a black roof. There was a very wide patio, with pillars lining the front, holding up the lower roof. Multiple windows could be seen. A long staircase led to a large black door stood front in center.

"Dude… this place is like my frat house back at school," Travis admired, looking up at the building.

Noticing the sign on it, Roy chuckled, "Is this place seriously called 'The Sausage Link'?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Reshiram answered with an awkward sigh. "This is where you guys will be staying for the duration of the competition."

"Wait, so we are all staying together? This is totally gonna be like a frat house!" Travis beamed. "Awesome!"

"Now, you all are gonna be staying here together, but you're still on different teams," Zekrom chimed in. "Machamps, you get the rooms on the bottom floor, and Conkeldurrs, you get the rooms on the top floor. There is a rather large bathroom on each floor, as well as other fun accommodations to keep you entertained."

"Ooh, this is gonna be pretty fun, then," KG opined.

"Now, that's it for your food and living arrangements, but there's a bit more information regarding your navigation around the island," Reshiram informed.

"Right," Zekrom nodded. "You may notice that there are multiple paths leading in and out of this place…"

This prompted the guys to begin looking around, identifying a few of them.

The Deep Black Pokémon continued,"...each path leads to a different area where there may be a challenge held, or just another area for leisure."

Reshiram nodded before explaining where each path led to, pointing in each specific direction. "The path closest to where we entered leads to another section of the beach; the path near the tables leads to the large field; the path behind the Mess Hall leads to a pond; there is actually a path behind this place that leads to an area for Arts and Crafts; there is a gym over there if you go up the stairs…"

Rane raised a brow at the mention of a gym. That could be interesting, depending on what all was actually there. He wasn't the only one interested, though.

"A gym?!" Travis exclaimed. "Oh-ho, this is definitely gonna be awesome…"

"We get it! You're a musclehead with no game who likes working out. Good for you," Stain crudely stated, irritated by the Thunderbolt Pokémon's growing excitement.

Travis huffed, folding his arms, "I'd rather be a musclehead than have no muscle at all."

"Again, good for you," Stain replied flatly, accompanying it with a belch.

"...and finally, down the path to the right of you all, is the confessional area," Reshiram flatly concluded. "Follow us…"

000

There was a small, beautiful meadow-like area with pink, violet, and blue flowers. A large, singular tree sat in the vicinity. A few feral Pokémon scattered upon once the hosts and players were noticed. A camera was positioned in front of the tree, with a smaller stump sitting in front of it.

"Wow…" Lee admired. "This place is gorgeous…"

"We get to do confessionals here instead of in a stinky outhouse?" Simen queried rhetorically. "Wow…" he expressed in awe.

"Jeez, some of you are easily impressed," Morris muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Well, that's all for the time being," Zekrom explained. "It's getting late, but feel free to explore the island at your own leisure. We'll be back after a while with your dinner, so don't worry about going hungry tonight."

"Appreciate that," Nick commented, saluting them, much to Steve's chagrin.

"And just remember that this is a game," Reshiram added. "Try not to make things too personal, and just have fun while you're here."

The hosts took flight, leaving all of the players alone. It was definitely time for the game to begin.

000

Lee sighed as he sat on the stump, looking around the area, where a few Cutiefly and Flabébé were hovering about. "Wow…"

"Well, so far… I'm not sure about my team," the Boltund sighed. "I mean, I know that I'm decently strong, but I have a feeling that stereotypes are gonna bite me in the ass. This competition is all guys, and we all know how some macho men or just general assholes treat guys like me…"

"I hope that things don't end up going how I think, but with Travis calling stuff he doesn't like gay, and Martin saying that he thought I was a prissy twink… I'm a bit nervous."

000

Morris sighed, "I mean, my team dudn't seem too bad. Aside from Stain, the croc, and the Voltorb, we should be fine. We'll see, though."

"The other team don't look like they're good, but I've seen enough of them old movies to know that strength comes from all shapes and sizes. Regardless, we gon' have to work hard."

000

KG sighed, "I'm honestly annoyed that this game is just gonna be a fiesta de salchichas… I was hoping to meet some fine ladies and see what happened. Have you seen the types of girls they put on these shows?!"

000

Returning to the campgrounds, all of the guys immediately went into the Sausage Link to see what it truly had to offer. Climbing up the stairs, Travis grabbed the doorknob and entered, with the other males following suit.

Stepping on the hardwood floors, cool air hit them all like a truck.

"Sweet Arceus…" Steve commented in awe, looking around.

To the left, there was a kitchen area. A silver fridge sat in the corner, next to a counter where a knife block sat, as well as a few containers of different spices. A stove and oven were connected to the structure, as one would expect, with a microwave sitting nearby. There was a pair of doors next to the counter, presumably being a pantry. The sink sat on an island, which acted as the structure separating the kitchen from the living room area.

To the right, was a rather large living room area. Three black leather couches were placed in a square formation, facing in the direction of the front wall. A coffee table sat in the middle of it. A fireplace sat against the front wall of that area, with a large TV sitting on top of it, and that was just in the front.

Slightly to the right of the living room area was a large staircase that led to the second floor. One could easily spot the hallway on the top floor, which mirrored the hallway on the bottom floor.

"Wowza! 'Dis place looks incredible! Da hell were 'dey thinkin'?!" Martin chuckled as he leapt onto one of the couches.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm about to check the rest of this place out!" Travis exclaimed as he ran down the hallway.

The other guys all started spreading around as well, wanting to see everything the lodge had to offer.

-000-

With the others splitting, Rane was the only one left standing in the doorway. He looked around his surroundings thoughtfully, chortling to himself. He closed the door behind himself as he fully entered the building.

He recalled the hosts stating that the Conkeldurrs had the top floor, so he started heading across the living room and up the stairs..

The Golisopod had remained relatively quiet since he got there, simply reading the room and trying to get a feel for his fellow players on their own.

A few of his teammates had already made it upstairs, so he could hear a few voices as he rounded the corner to go down the hall.

There were a number of doors on each side of the hallway. All of them were open, showing that they were individual bedrooms that looked practically identical.

Entering one of the first rooms, he took note of the way it was set up. There was a single king-sized bed sitting against the back wall. A small chest sat at the foot of it, but he wasn't curious enough to check it out.

To the left of the bed, a dresser sat against the wall. A smaller television sat atop it. A mirror sat to the left of the dresser, which was next to another door.

He entered the room a bit more and saw that there was a closet against the remaining wall. He could easily recognize the closet due to the side-by-side position of the doors. The extra door next to the dresser and mirror piqued his curiosity

He approached it, cautiously opening it. He then let out a soft breath as he saw that the door simply led to the room next door, which looked nearly identical, just mirrored. The main difference, though, was that the room he originally entered had a television, while this attached one didn't.

As he nodded to himself, he turned back around and started walking towards the bed. He let out a grunt as he sat in the bed of his now chosen room.

He could hear footsteps, as his room was close to the staircase, and soon saw Martin walk by and look inside of the room. Upon noticing the rooming situation, the Morgrem bellowed, "Da rooms are connected?! Da hell is 'dis?!"

The Hard Scale Pokémon groaned to himself. As Martin ran off to check the other rooms, Rane got up to close both of the doors of his room. He could still hear a bit of yelling, causing him to sigh.

"Fuck's sake…" he muttered softly to himself, his gruff voice hardly being audible.

000

Dale let out a sigh, still sitting near the dock. "You know, the more I think about it, maybe I shouldn't have applied…"

"My family said that our species will never get anywhere due to our size, so it'd be better to not even try. I really wanna prove them wrong, but… We'll see. I still feel kinda safe so far, but… you never know."

000

"Wow, this place is incredible," Roy commented, as he entered a room that had multiple arcade machines lining the walls. The floor was covered in a black carpet with blue, yellow, and pink shapes.

A singular, black leather couch sat in the center of the room, with beanbag chairs being strewn about. A large, flatscreen television was hanging against the wall, with a table sitting underneath it. A plastic container with multiple game systems inside sat underneath the table. A bookshelf with numerous games sitting on it sat a few feet to the right of the television.

"I'm not much of a gamer, myself, but this is pretty cool," the Throh commented, entering the room.

Lee walked by a bit after, chuckling to himself as he saw the room. "Well, I'll say this, my friends would love this place," he commented.

"Some of mine would, too," Roy chortled, sitting on the couch with a sigh as Lee walked around the room, inspecting the games. Given that this was his first time on the show, he inquired, "So, how do you think the competition will play out?"

"Hm?" Lee inquired, acknowledging him. "Oh. Well, I'm honestly not sure… it'll depend on the challenges and how well we work together. This is a team game for the first half, after all…"

"Well, our team looks strong, aside from a few, so I have a feeling that we'll do pretty well," Roy opined.

"Yeah, well looks can be deceiving," the Boltund countered with a chuckle, starting to head back out of the room. "Hopefully we do well, but you never know…"

The Dog Pokémon exited the room, leaving Roy to think to himself. He was around strong guys every day at the dojo he taught at, and they often performed very well. He understood what Lee meant, but he didn't see it as a negative.

000

"I mean, our team is relatively stacked," Roy stated. "The only outliers are like… Simen and KG, and Stain, since I feel like he's gonna be one of those guys."

"But, I think we can still push through it, especially if the challenges are as extreme as Martin claims they are, we definitely have an advantage."

000

Lee passed one of the rooms down the right hallway, seeing that Stain was already in a bed, fast asleep. The Boltund rolled his eyes as he passed by an empty room next to the one Stain was in. Entering it and looking around, he saw the setup of the room, which was the same as the rooms upstairs, and hummed to himself. He eyed the door to the right and saw that it connected to Stain's room.

"Oh, Arceus no…" he huffed as he moved forward more.

He looked on the opposite side of the hall and hummed at another unoccupied room. He entered it and felt that it would be alright. He was honestly fine as long as he wasn't connected to Stain's room.

As he approached the bed, he heard a familiar, hesitant voice.

"Uhhh…" Turning around, Lee saw that Travis was standing in the doorway that connected the rooms. "So, uh… No offense to ya, dude… but I don't think I'd be y'know… comfortable with our rooms being connected."

Lee gave him a look of annoyance. "Seriously…?"

"Look, I've got nothing against you guys, but personally, I don't rock that way and would prefer it… not around me," Travis awkwardly explained.

The Boltund let out a sigh and exited the room without saying another word to the Electivire. It was just ridiculous.

000

"Hey, I have nothing against the gays, but I just don't want them sleeping near me or nothing like that," Travis explained. "Just makes me uncomfortable, and Lee looking how he does doesn't help."

000

Lee passed by another room, which was actually one of the large bathrooms that Zekrom was talking about. There were sink counters against either wall, similar to normal restrooms, but it also had both urinals and stalls, as well as an entire back section for showers. He turned a corner and saw large glass panels, which allowed him to see a study-like area.

There was a pool table in the middle, and multiple bookcases on the right and left walls, filled with books. A chess board was on a smaller table near the back, with two stools on either side of it. There also appeared to be multiple board games against the back wall.

He turned around to see what was down the other way, but saw no doors, just picture frames. Letting out a sigh, he went back down the hallway he'd just come from and kept walking. From the entrance, he had initially gone down the hall and to the right, so now he was making his way to the left.

He glanced into the first room to his left and saw that Simen and KG were inside. However, their room appeared to be a bit different. Instead of there being a king-sized bed in the room, it was a twin-sized bunk bed.

Noticing the Boltund at the door, Simen greeted, "Lee, dude. Isn't this place awesome?!"

The Boltund gave a small smile. "The building, yes… The people…" he let out a sigh.

"Well… Yeah, I can get that. Some of the others are a bit… rough around the edges," Simen commented.

"Amigo, just say it how it is…" KG responded before turning to Lee. "Some of them are major gilipollas…"

"KG, we don't all speak Spanish," Simen sweatdropped.

"No, I understand him," Lee explained. "I was a bit of an overachiever in school, so I can speak Spanish and French."

"Oh, that's cool," Simen complimented. "I was too lazy for that," he chuckled.

"But… yeah," Lee sighed. "Like, Travis literally said that he doesn't feel comfortable with me sleeping in the room across from him, as if I'm going to do something to him in his sleep."

"Ooh… That's uh… That's pretty bad," Simen commented.

"Homophobia, my friend. Muchachos like him, frat boys, they often reek of it," KG opined.

"Well, luckily, there's a room across from this one if you don't mind being connected to us," Simen chuckled.

"Thanks," Lee accepted. "The further I'm away from those jerks, the better. We're supposed to be team, but I just don't know how well this is gonna work out."

"We'll figure it out," Simen responded. "But, for now, let's just try to have a bit of fun."

Simen rolled out of the room, with KG and Lee exchanging looks before following him.

000

Steve grumbled to himself as he flew off the second story balcony and landed on the living room couch. He had just had an argument with Martin about their rooming situation. Given that Dale would be staying at the beach, that would leave two extra unoccupied rooms.

Given that the Toucannon was seemingly the oldest and most experienced one there, he felt that he deserved to have the rooms. However, Martin argued that he deserved to have the rooms, just because he said so and thought that the 'respect your elders' mantra was stupid.

During the argument, Nick, of all people, had chimed in and pointed out that if there were two extra rooms, both of them would be able to have a room with nobody connected. Once they realized that, Martin laughed and went into one of the rooms, leaving Steve with the remaining one.

After that, the Toucannon just decided to separate himself and sit in the living room. "I can't believe I let that little punk rile me up already…" he grumbled to himself. He took a deep breath. "The game hasn't even started. Just… stay calm."

"You alright there, old timer?" the Cannon Pokémon heard.

He glanced over and saw Morris closing the fridge, a bottled water in one of his hands. Steve glanced up at the stairs before flying over to him.

"Well, considering that my team barely has any strength behind it, I can say… no. I'm not alright," Steve responded in an angry whisper.

"Hey," Morris shrugged. "You've got the Golisopod fella, at least. He looked pretty strong t'me."

"He's the exception," Steve sighed. "He doesn't talk, though."

"Well, you're gonna have to work with it. Gotta bring out the strength in all your teammates if wanna have a chance," Morris said with a shrug.

Steve gave a him a look, "Easy to say when your team has stronger players. I mean, you have a ladyboy, a ball, and a little croc, but the rest of you are fine."

Morris chortled, "Fair enough…"

Suddenly, a blaring sound could be heard from outside, getting the pair's attention. Morris went over to the door, opening it. Reshiram's voice could be heard from the loudspeaker, "Contestants! Please report to the Mess Hall for dinner!"

"It's feedin' time, looks like," Morris commented.

"Good," Steve responded, walking past him. "I need something to get my mind off of this situation."

000

Steve groaned, "I need to keep myself in check. I was a damn sergeant for crying out loud! I know what I'm capable of, and I know that I can get my team to work. I'm just really irritated at the moment…"

"Food usually calms me down, so I should be back up to snuff later…"

000

All of the guys reported to the Mess Hall, entering it and seeing multiple to-go boxes sitting on the tables. They all took a seat, as Reshiram and Zekrom stood at the back. Once they were all settled, Zekrom spoke, "Alright, this is dinner, courtesy of 'Greasy Al's'."

Opening the boxes, the guys all saw gravy-covered steak, potatoes, and peas, accompanied by plastic silverware.

"Oh! The Circhester Steak combo," Lee recognized. "Nice! My friends get this a lot."

"We didn't ask," Stain replied, placing the entire box into his mouth, much to the surprise and disgust of those who saw, including the hosts.

"Uh huh…" Reshiram responded, eyeing the Muk incredulously. Regaining her focus, she stated, "Anyways, tomorrow will be your first challenge. I know that you all are essentially adults and don't need to be told what to do-"

"Nor want to be told what to do," Zekrom cut in.

"-but just be responsible," the Vast White Pokémon urged. "Are there any questions before we go?"

"Lex wants to know about Dale," Nick chimed in, raising a flipper.

"We made sure that Dale got a good meal as well," Zekrom assured him. "No worries about him. Anything else?"

"Is there any other actual food in that building?" Stain inquired with a belch. "I'm still hungry, here…"

"Yes, there should be snacks and other things in the pantry if anyone decides they want to cook for themselves instead of eating what we provide," Reshiram explained. She thought that the fact that there was a kitchen and a pantry made that clear.

There was silence for a while, signifying that there weren't any more questions.

"Okay, and with that… We'll see you all tomorrow," Zekrom stated as he and Reshiram exited the Mess Hall, leaving the players to eat and chat amongst themselves.

000

Nick sat on the stump with Lex on his head, "Hm, Lex says that he thinks this game will be relatively easy to handle. Guys that are so gung-ho about physical strength always forget that mental strength plays a big part, too. So, it'll be fun taking them all down in a competition like this."

The Eiscue chuckled, "This is gonna be so cool, brah."

000

Zekrom and Reshiram stood in front of The Sausage Link, with the Deep Black Pokémon having an arm around his wife's back. "Well, there you have it so far. Fourteen male contestants all ready to take this challenge. Um… at least most of them are, at least."

"Who will be the winner after all of this? Keep tuning in to find out, here on Total Pokémon: Maelstrom!"

With that, the pair took flight, leaving all the guys alone on the island.

000

Tate sighed on the stump, "They'll figure it out soon enough…"

000

Mighty Machamps - (KG, Lee, Morris, Roy, Simen, Stain, Travis)

Candid Conkeldurrs - (Dale, Lexico, Martin, Nick, Rane, Steve, Tate)

000

Don't give me that look. I know that I recently revealed Re-Action, Underdogs isn't quite done yet, and Hoenn is still in the background. I'll still be working on those when I can. If it happens, it happens. But yeah, another entry into the Total Pokémon franchise with Reshiram and Zekrom in charge now. How… wonderful? We'll see what happens.

Anyways, yep. We've got an all-guys season now, and an all-girls season afterwards if I don't actually burn myself out or get too busy. For now, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time. See ya guys, BYE!