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.

3. Stress Balled

000

A pair of eyes slowly opened up, taking in the early sights of the morning. In other words, they were staring at the wall.

The eyes belonged to Rane, who let out a sigh as he sat up, rubbing them. Yesterday had managed to be a successful day for him, as his team didn't lose a challenge, so none of his teammates went home.

However, with that accomplishment came concern. Usually, the players that showcased their strengths really early were labeled as threats and disposed of whenever others saw fit; prime example being what happened the previous night with Morris. He didn't want to be a victim of that.

Scratching under his chin, he decided to get out of bed and started heading to the showers. He could already hear the television in the living room playing some kind of horror movie. He could tell by the ear-piercing scream that he heard as soon as he stepped out.

He grumbled to himself as he continued his way toward the bathroom. Once there, he could already hear some running water and saw that Steve was preparing to enter the shower section in the back.

The Toucannon spotted him before he entered, a small smile forming on his beak. "Morning," he greeted with a nod.

Rane nodded back in response as he steadily approached, eventually passing by the Cannon Pokémon to enter the shower area. In the back, the showers had eight cubicle-like sections for 'privacy' reasons. He started walking further back, glancing back at Steve momentarily. He still couldn't believe what the Toucannon had told him, but at the same time, it wasn't that big of a deal to him.

His mind wandered away from the sergeant's sexual orientation back to his own concern about his position on the team. He was a valuable asset, but when it came to the game long-term, it didn't mean much.

However, his mind switched back once he heard Steve speak again. "So, I wanted to ask you something," he began, walking towards him. "I don't know if you can even talk or not, so just nod or shake your head to answer."

Rane internally groaned to himself. He really didn't feel like dealing with anyone just yet, but he knew that he didn't really have a choice in the matter at that moment. So, he folded his arms to listen to the Toucannon's question.

"Now, we saw what those ingrates on the other team did last night," he began, speaking in an abrasively softer tone in case anybody else walked in. "They decided to take out one of their muscle instead of the lazy fuck or the smaller ones. That's a problem."

Rane cocked a brow in surprise, not expecting Steve to be worried about the same thing as him. Once again, he was hoping that actual progress could be made. However, what he said next led him to sigh internally.

"If those guys can throw away their strength so easily, then what can happen to us?" he inquired. "We're outnumbered, so I think we need to stick together. I value your strength, and I'd like to think you value mine…"

000

Rane stared at the camera with a blank expression.

000

"...so what do you say to a partnership?" Steve proposed. "We watch each other's backs and just…" He paused to let out a sigh, "...continue to carry this team until our backs are aching."

Rane blinked, which seemed to have been a confirmation for Steve, "I'll take that as a yes. I knew I could count on you. You're really a soldier."

The Golisopod grew a bewildered expression as the Toucannon turned back around. He hadn't even responded! No gestures, no verbiage, nothing. Yet, Steve walked away in order to enter his cubicle, satisfied with himself. The Hard Scale Pokémon shook his head before entering the closest cubicle to him. This was going to be a long competition for him.

000

"Rane will be a very valuable asset for me in this game," Steve stated. "He doesn't say much, and he doesn't have to. I think he and I are on the same wavelength."

He let out a sigh, "I wish I could say the same for some others on this team. He and I are outnumbered, so we'll either have to make sure we keep winning these challenges, or convince a few of the others to not vote for us if we ever lose."

He sighed, holding his head, "I can already feel the headache…"

000

Lee crawled out of his bed, a tired expression on his face. He could barely get any sleep the previous night, as he had so much to think about now. They voted out Morris, someone who was not only physically adept, but who (probably) would have been a much better personality to be around if given enough time.

It was his own fault, though. You don't just believe rumors about others from different regions and expect them to be true. Now, they were still stuck with Stain and Travis. The Boltund let out a disappointed sigh as he opened the door to his room, only to see that Simen and KG's door was open as well.

He decided to go across and see where their heads were at, now. The Morris vote was spurred on because of their interactions with him. He peeked into their room and saw that Simen was sitting on the bottom bunk of the bed. "How're you holding up?" Lee inquired, startling him a bit.

Seeing who it was, the Voltorb let out a sigh. "I mean… Okay, I guess? Like, I knew that Morris wasn't a racist asshole, but-" he revealed.

Lee grew an expression of confusion, interjecting, "What?! How come you didn't say anything?!"

"It just didn't make sense to me," he explained, sitting up a bit. "Why would he randomly start being a jerk towards KG, but not against anyone else? I know selective racism can be a thing, but… It didn't feel right," he continued. "Plus, I didn't want to just invalidate KG's feelings when he clearly felt disrespected,

Lee groaned, pressing his head against the door frame in frustration. He could understand the Sphere Pokémon's dilemma, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He took a sharp breath before removing his head from the door frame, blowing out a breath from his nostrils. "Well… Now we know that Travis and Stain can't be trusted," he stated. "Not that I trusted them anyway…"

"They knew that we probably trusted Roy more and used his lack of knowledge against us…" Simen reasoned, letting out a sigh. "At least we have Roy on our side, now. So, if we lose again, we can easily get rid of them."

Lee huffed, "Yeah, that's one good thing to come out of that." He looked around the room before inquiring, "So, where's KG?"

"He went to the bathroom," Simen answered.

"And how'd he handle everything?" the Boltund pressed. "He didn't really say anything at dinner last night…"

Simen sighed, "I don't really know. When we got back, he just sat in the Game Room for hours until he decided to come to bed. Given that, though, I'm guessing he's upset or at the very least, annoyed."

-000-

KG was sitting in a bathroom stall, still mulling over what happened last night. He felt… manipulated…deceived… stupid. He let out a soft groan, rubbing his face. "Que diablos paso…" he muttered to himself.

The entire time he thought that Morris was being a racist jerk towards him, when he was actually just an idiot listening to rumors. Now, they were down a strong guy and still had to deal with Stain. And it was all because he was so emotional. Granted, what Morris did was still very dumb and offensive, but the Fuecoco could have just sucked it up for a bit longer.

"Should have just focused on Stain…" he grumbled to himself as he hopped off of the toilet and proceeded to exit the stall. He heard water running, and looked over to see Roy washing his face with his hands.

The Fire Croc Pokémon's eyes tightened at the Throh. If Roy hadn't told them to focus on Morris, they'd have been rid of the Sludge Pokémon and would have still been a decently strong team. Granted, he couldn't blame Roy entirely since he was new to the competition scene, but… still.

Seeing the Fuecoco's look from the mirror, Roy let out a sigh. He already felt guilty, so KG's angry look wasn't doing him any favors. "KG, I'm sorry. I didn't know anything about the rumors or racist stuff. I just-"

"-did what you thought was right," KG finished for him, holding his head. He took a breath, "It's okay. I was just as much of an idiota."

"Yea- Wait, huh?" Roy replied, recognizing the insult.

"I took what Morris said to heart instead of just ignoring him and well… Now, he's gone. We can't do anything about that, can we?" the Fuecoco continued. "We just have to either win… or get rid of Stain."

"Well… We'd have to hope that our next challenge isn't as tough as the ones yesterday," Roy replied with a sigh. "Rane… He's intense. So, I'm a bit worried about how things will go."

KG let out a sigh, rubbing his face. "So many regrets…"

"At least we could do what you said…" Roy responded, stretching his arms. "Get rid of Stain…"

KG nodded in agreement, though there was another thought going through his head. After they eliminated Stain… What would be their next move?

000

"Even if we do get rid of Stain… What are we gonna do?" KG inquired, throwing his hands up. "We'd only have Travis and Roy as our main strength, and if we still lose…"

He let out a sigh of irritation, "If push comes to shove… I think we'd have to vote Roy out. This is just… complicated."

000

Nick, Lexico, and Tate were with Dale at the beach. Even though the Wailord now had the means to see everything on the island via the TV cart, they much preferred being around him in person. This time, though, it appeared that a certain gremlin decided to tag along with them.

"I can't believe dose bozos actually eliminated one of deir muscle so fast," Martin cackled. "Dat's da dumbest move yous can make early in dis game. Dey're so screwed." The Devious Pokémon truly felt that his fandom of the series made him an expert of certain aspects of it, even if he didn't like the way things were going.

The guys weren't too comfortable with the Morgrem's presence, but decided to still be cordial. They were planning on voting him out whenever they lost an immunity challenge, so having him around put a kibosh on any kind of valid strategy talk they wanted to do.

Nick decided to speak up, "Well, little dude says that if they want to weaken themselves, then that's on them."

Surprisingly, Tate chimed in, "We can't assume they're weaker now. We don't know what the next challenges will be…"

"Holy shit, yous can actually talk?" Martin uttered in surprise. Tate threw him an unamused look in response.

Ignoring him, Dale concurred with the Pincurchin. "Tate's right. You never know what the challenges will be. They can make or break everything. I mean, we kinda got lucky that yesterday's challenges were about strength. The next ones may not be like that…"

Martin scoffed, "Please. Dese white bread hosts are just gonna keep doing dumb wimpy challenges dat'll be easy for Rane t' do and we'll be in the winner's circle again. Compared to da 'real' series… Dis is nothin'."

"Well, I'm glad that I'm with these hosts instead of the ones you keep praising," Dale countered. "I'd rather enjoy my time instead of just being miserable…"

The Morgrem rolled his eyes, "Yous is da biggest one out 'ere. Yous is tellin' me you're scared of some pain and action? Pathetic…"

"Dude, I don't think anyone legitimately signs up for painful things," Nick replied. "Sure, it's a competition and it may happen, but still. Some of us actually wanna have fun."

"The pain and challenges are the fun parts of these shows!" Martin argued. The Morgrem huffed, shaking his head. "Yous lot just don't know a thing about these competitions and how good dey used to be…"

The Devious Pokémon began walking away, disappointed by his interactions. Once he was gone, Dale let out a sigh of relief. "Jeez, what's his deal? Things change. What's so bad about this show not being all about pain and suffering?"

"Little dude says that Martin may have some screws loose…" Nick relayed, rubbing his icy head. "It's weird…"

Lexico gave Nick a look before rolling his eye.

"All the more reason to take him out as soon as we can," Dale followed, letting out an exasperated sigh. "He won't be useful in challenges, and he's really just… He's too adamant about everything needing to be painful."

"Hey, you know that we're all on board with getting the dude out of here," Nick responded. "We just have to lose a challenge, which… may or may not happen."

"I'm not gonna hope that it happens, but yeah…" Dale agreed. "The more we win, the greater our own chances are. At the same time, though, a loss wouldn't really hurt."

Tate just listened on, letting out a soft breath. He understood where the guys were coming from, but the entire conversation just felt like it was leading to nowhere.

000

"Wanting to eliminate Martin… Underestimating the other team… Acting like a loss wouldn't hurt…" Tate listed. "This could be bad."

000

Stain was sitting in the living room, begrudgingly watching another competition show. Predictably, he was making asinine, sexist comments every time he saw a lady or gay person doing anything.

"All that Liepard slut was doing was getting fucked… How the hell did they let her win when the other guy was more deserving…" he muttered with a soft belch. "Stupid, lousy…"

As he continued grumbling to himself, Travis came to the front in order to grab a small juice box from the fridge. At the same time, Roy emerged from the back hall as well.

Travis whistled as he saw what was on the television screen. "Gahdamn… That's one fat ass right there…" he commented, taking a seat on a different part of the couch. "Why couldn't I have gotten on a show with baddies like that? It's just a sausage fest here…"

Stain huffed, a fart escaping him, "You wouldn't have had a shot in the Distortion World. Like I said yesterday, these damn shows are all rigged."

"Hey, I wouldn't care as long as I got something out of it," the Electivire countered. "Getting some easy ass or hey, maybe getting me a ride-or-die girl…"

"Eh… Dunno why you'd want that either. Those stupid whores are so high maintenance and naggy. They wanna be independent so damn bad, but still want us alphas to do everything for and with them…" the Muk groused. "They need to either shut the fuck up and stay in their place, or get over themselves and stay single and lonely like they deserve to…"

Travis was slightly taken aback by the Sludge Pokémon's miniature tirade, but eventually shrugged it off.

000

"Hey, if I've learned anything… is that guys like Stain never pull any bitches to begin with," Travis chuckled. "So hey, if he wants to be all anti-woman or whatever, that's fine. More girls for me."

000

After hearing the Muk's tirade, Roy was about ready to just walk back to his room. He didn't want to deal with or hear his hateful diatribes over the same old subjects. Plus, he was still annoyed that he went along with their plan.

However, before he could return to his domicile, he was acknowledged by the Muk in question. "So, snitch…"

Roy flinched at that, stopping in place with an annoyed expression forming on his face. He turned back to face the pair on the couch.

"...are you still with us? Or are you a crybaby?" the Sludge Pokémon inquired.

"We voted out one of our strong guys because you had a problem with him," Roy shot back. "How am I the crybaby?"

"Get over yourself," Stain jeered, turning off the television. "This is a competition. Everyone's a threat. Just because we got rid of that stupid hick doesn't mean shit. If you're not a female and you wanna win this game, you need to use your head, not your heart. We're all here for the same thing. To win."

Roy wanted to counter his claims, but he almost couldn't. What the Muk said actually made sense to him. He knew about competitions getting cutthroat and everything, but he just wasn't sure if it's the way that he wanted to play.

Travis chimed in, "Yeah, dude. We all got an equal chance at winning this thing. I mean, it's still early and everything, so you never know what can happen."

"Those beta males can be all mad and try to act like they're so high and mighty, but we are the ones truly in charge," Stain declared. "We're strong and they're weak. They need us."

Travis nodded in agreement, "Speaking of which… I say we take out the homo next. He was shit in both of the challenges. Hell, the ball did better than him. Plus, he's just gonna be a distraction."

"A distraction?" Roy questioned, confused by what he meant. "What are you talking about?"

"Okay, I know I'm not the only one who's seeing him, right?! I know he said he's taken, but he literally has the figure of a bad bitch, and it just makes me… uneasy…" Travis expounded, folding his arms.

Stain gave the Thunderbolt Pokémon an emotionless look, while Roy just looked dumbfounded. "Uh…"

Seeing the looks he was receiving, the Electivire questioned, "I'm not crazy, am I?!"

Stain shook his head. "No… That fag is the most beta of all of the males in this competition," he ridiculed with a belch. "He definitely does look like a bitch, and we need to get rid of him next… Your reasoning is just really suspicious."

"Suspicious how?" Travis argued.

Roy and Stain simply looked him, not saying anything. Eventually, he understood what they were getting at, bellowing, "I AIN'T GAY!"

000

Roy let out a groan, "Okay, on one hand, they have a point. This is a competition and everyone's gonna do what is in their own best interest. I still think the decisions they make are stupid, though!"

"Like, we just got rid of Morris because he didn't wanna work with Stain. Now they essentially wanna get rid of Lee because… he's gay? And Travis sees him as a distraction because he's kinda girly? Like, they said he did bad in the challenges, but we all did bad in the challenges!"

He took a deep breath, "These shows are a lot more difficult than I thought."

000

Reshiram stood at the stove in the kitchen, appearing to be making an omelet with a few veggies. The dragoness let out a soft sigh as she flipped the egg over, sprinkling a bit of pepper on it. There was another omelet, covered with cheese and peppers, already set aside to her left.

Zekrom was sitting at the table with two plates of bacon and ham, and two glasses of apple juice in front of him. Yesterday was a relatively decent start to their show. He wasn't happy with certain players, but he knew that he would need to suck it up.

He and Reshiram had talked at length last night about Stain and Martin, and, despite his vexation with the two, he reassured her that he would keep his composure if they said anything that they found unsavory.

However, despite this, he could tell that something was bothering her. When they were sleeping, she'd held him tighter than usual. As she came over with the two omelet, placing them on the table, the Deep Black Pokémon inquired, "You alright, baby?"

Looking at him, Reshiram let out a soft sigh before giving him a half-smile. "I'll be fine, honey," she answered, trying to reassure him.

It didn't work; her wording was a dead giveaway. Zekrom grabbed her hand, standing up. "No, you're not. What's going on?" he questioned.

Being the dragoness who leaned on the side of truth, she knew that she couldn't lie to her husband. It wasn't like her. Letting out a soft sigh, she got closer, pulling him into a hug. Zekrom wrapped his arms around her, holding her while rubbing her back. Letting out a soft breath, he picked her up, carrying her through the kitchen and into the living room.

As he took a seat, Reshiram adjusted herself in his lap, resting her head against his chest. After a few moments of silence, where Zekrom was stroking her side in order to comfort her, the Vast White Pokémon finally answered.

"It's just… the negative commentary," she explained, feeling embarrassed for even bringing it up. "Stain's comments about me and just women in general… Martin's comments about the show… I know that I said that I was fine and I can handle it. And… I can, but… it doesn't change the fact that they're horrible things to hear."

Zekrom nodded in understanding. He knew that he was right for feeling the way that he did. Just because someone appeared fine on the surface didn't mean that they really were. He kissed the dragoness' forehead, rubbing her shoulder. "Well, we are the ones in charge of this. What do you want to do?" he inquired with a serious tone.

Reshiram took a breath. As she said, she could handle the commentary; it was just that she didn't want to. She didn't have an answer right away, so Zekrom posed a simple solution. "Well, I say… That we make a new rule: No degrading comments towards us in our presence," he proposed. "If either Stain or Martin break it, we can disqualify them from the competition."

Almost immediately, Reshiram shook her head in disapproval. "No," she stated, much to Zekrom's surprise.

The Vast White Pokémon felt like her husband's proposition was too targeted. As much as she didn't want the negativity to continue, she didn't think it would be fair to deliberately force others into silence or risk elimination. It was a situation that she just couldn't come up with an answer to.

"As much as I dislike the unsavory comments, I suppose… I can just continue to ignore them for the time being," she said with a sigh. "I don't want us to add new stipulations to the game just so that we feel better."

"Are you sure?" Zekrom replied. "Sweetie, you shouldn't have to deal with that kind of disrespect if we can do something about it, even if it is only a couple of them."

Reshiram gave him a peck on the lips, stroking the side of his face. "It'll be fine. I may not like it, but it's not worth getting too riled up over. If everyone else can deal with rude players, so can we, right?"

Zekrom didn't like it, but seeing the look in his wife's eyes, he could tell that she was serious this time. He let out a sigh. "Alright," he conceded.

The couple shared another kiss before Reshiram rose up from Zekrom's lap, allowing him to get up on his own. "Well, if we're not gonna do anything about those two and their comments, the only thing we can do is hope that when either of their teams lose, they get the boot."

Reshiram nodded in agreement. Their conversation didn't amount to any significant change, but she was fine with that. She actually felt a bit better after expressing her displeasure, having been trying to maintain a calm and unbothered demeanor. She grabbed her husband's right arm, resting her head against his shoulder. "We need to finish our breakfast and get ready…" she stated, with Zekrom nodding in agreement as the two proceeded back into the kitchen.

To their surprise, they saw Victini sitting at the table, eating one of the two omelets that Reshiram had prepared. Their expressions quickly turned to annoyance as the Victory Pokémon acknowledged their presence.

"Damn, Resh… You really are the best cook we have here…" Victini complimented, licking his fingers.

Reshiram let out a sigh, proceeding back to the stove, now having to remake her own breakfast. Zekrom glared at the Victory Pokémon, disappointed by yet another early encounter. "What do you want from us, now?" he prodded, knowingly.

"Glad you asked," Victini responded, covering his mouth to hold back a burp. "It's a bit early, but… It's time for you guys to have some guests…"

The couple exchanged looks of confusion. What was he talking about?

"Uh… Elaborate," Zekrom requested, approaching his wife before she could crack another egg.

"Just like how Arceus always had Mew and I act as 'show mentors' for newcomers they invite here, you guys are gonna do the same thing," Victini explained.

Concerned, Reshiram immediately pointed out a flaw in that idea, "This is the first time we've hosted a show since our trial decades ago. How would we offer any kind of competition guidance?"

"Yeah," Zekrom concurred. "It makes no sense for us to act as mentors when we've just started, ourselves. So, we implore you to reconsider that."

Victini let out a groan, rolling his eyes. "Fine… Whatever, I'll just get Virizion and Xerneas to do it," he conceded.

The pair nodded affirmatively. As long as it wasn't them, it was fine. They would have enjoyed meeting more of their fellow Legendary Pokémon, but with their current situation, they did not want to make a poor impression.

After a bit of awkward silence, Victini inquired, "So… Morris was the first one out, huh? I thought he'd last a bit longer."

As Reshiram started cracking eggs again, Zekrom kissed her cheek and started stroking her back. The pair's focus was back on each other.

Seeing that they weren't going to be as receptive to him now, Victini rolled his eyes before making his exit. He'd certainly made a good choice when it came down to 'sanitization' for the series.

000

Needing to get out of the house, Lee decided to take a walk. He wanted to clear his head and get some fresh air before they were called for breakfast, or brunch. He decided to head toward the pond for a bit and think about his best course of action going forward.

Unbeknownst to him, he had someone following him. Eventually, they called out, "Yo, amigo! Wait up!"

Turning his head, Lee saw that KG was running after him, panting heavily. "Oh, hey KG," he greeted. Remembering what Simen had said, he added, "Are you feeling okay?"

After catching his breath, the Fuecoco let out a sigh. "I'm… unsure. I mean, on one hand, Morris was stupid, but on the other hand… He was stronger and more tolerable than Stain. So, I'm just feeling like this was my fault and that I could have just held on and ignored him…"

Lee nodded in understanding. "I mean, it was honestly a reasonable response," he opined. "Morris thought that acting racist towards you would make you stronger. That's his own fault. You shouldn't blame yourself for reacting how you did."

KG sighed in response. He knew that the Boltund was right, but he still didn't feel better. He still felt that he could have just toughed it out.

Noticing that the Fire Croc Pokémon's demeanor hadn't changed, Lee let out a breath. "We can't change what happened. The only thing we can do now is push forward," he soothed, petting KG's head. "I mean, we have the majority now, so if we lose again… we can easily take out either Travis or Stain," he concluded with a smirk.

KG nodded back, though his dismal expression didn't waver. He'd already spoken to Roy about it, so he figured that Lee, and by extension Simen, would have the same idea. It was good, as it was now a guarantee that the Muk was a candidate for elimination, but he still couldn't help but feel frustrated.

Letting out a groan, KG said, "This is why there needs to be some mamacitas around. They would distract me from feeling like this."

Lee chuckled as he proceeded with his walk."Calm down lover boy… It'll be fine. Heck, if there were girls here, you'd probably be dealing with a lot more…"

"Better than this," KG countered with outstretched arms. Letting out another sigh, as their next course of action was settled, he caught up with the Boltund and inquired, "So, where were you going?"

"Just walking for now," the Boltund answered. "I needed to get out of there and clear my head — figure things out. So, I'm just heading to the pond."

KG nodded. "Well, mind if I tag along?" he asked, hopefully. "I don't really have a lot going on right now, and I don't feel like being in the house."

Lee tilted his head in an attempt at a shrug. "Sure. I mean, you already are…" he replied.

"Gracias, amigo," KG sighed as he continued alongside him.

Lee nodded back, not minding the company. As the pair continued down the dirt path, KG decided to try and fill the inevitable silence with conversation. Recalling something Lee had said previously, he inquired, "So, how'd you and your boyfriend meet, exactly? I'm sure you had plenty of options since you look like this."

Lee giggled at the compliment. It was something he heard often, but he never fully understood it. To him, he didn't look any different than others of his species, yet he constantly got mistaken for a female and propped up for his figure. "Well, we met in middle school, so it was before I even looked like this," he explained.

"Ah, so el tipo just got lucky," KG chuckled.

Lee hummed, "I guess you can say that. The funny thing is that we kinda hated each other at first. I was the smartest one in our class, and he was essentially the bully or a class clown."

"Ah… Like one of those cheesy movie setups?" the Fuecoco reasoned.

Lee gave him a look, "I mean, I wouldn't call it cheesy. Our teacher paired us up for a project. We didn't want to work together and things kept getting screwed up… We got into an argument and I left the room, and when I came back… The project was almost done."

KG grew a bit confused. "Wait… So he did the project when you're supposed to be the smart one?"

Lee nodded, "And… there wasn't anything wrong progression wise. I was shocked, but then he said that I don't know him and that he wasn't a dumbass like I said he was. He was… actually just as smart as me, but just dumbed himself down because his family is…"

He paused, letting out a sigh. He looked around, checking for any visible cameras. However, knowing that whatever he said would be caught, regardless of if he could see the cameras, he closed his eyes.

"Nevermind…" he refuted. "There was just more to him than he let on and… after we spent a lot more time together after the project and we got out of middle school, I fell in love with him. Then, he asked me out once he came over to my house again. We've been together ever since, even though there were a few… hiccups."

"Aww…" KG teased.

Lee scoffed, rolling his eyes playfully. "Don't do that," he chortled, swatting him with his tail.

"Why not? It's sweet," the Fire Croc Pokémon replied.

Lee rolled his eyes. Now that he spilled about his own relationship, it was time to prod the Fuecoco about his, if he had any. "What about you? Any experience with chicas?"

KG's expression immediately shifted, his eyes widening as he began to stammer, "Uh… Well, uh… Y-You see amigo, I…"

The Fuecoco was soon cut off by Zekrom's voice echoing from the loudspeaker. "COMPETITORS! PLEASE REPORT TO THE MESS HALL! I REPEAT, PLEASE REPORT TO THE MESS HALL!"

"Aw, would you look at that? We have to go back…" KG replied, feigning disappointment. "Guess we'll have to continue this another time."

Lee wore a smirk, humored by the Fuecoco's hesitance. "Uh, not really," he teased, playing along as he turned back around. "Just because they called us down doesn't mean we still can't talk on the way back~"

KG paled, letting out a shaky sigh.

000

"Uh… Yeah, I… I haven't actually been successful with any hot mamis," KG admitted, fiddling with his fingers. "They'd either just laugh or ignore me or think I'm a creep, so it hasn't really been good for me."

000

At the Mess Hall, all of the remaining males, barring Dale, sat in wait for their hosts to arrive. Their breakfast to-go boxes were already sitting on one of the tables, but nobody had started eating yet. Well, nobody aside from Stain, who simply devoured the entire box, as he usually did; and Travis, who was just hungry.

The boxes contained Kalosian Toast sticks, two sticks of bacon, a small container of oatmeal, and a poached egg. Looking at the contents of Travis' box, Roy whistled, "Wow… Greasy Al's sure does have a lotta stuff."

"No duh," Martin replied, grabbing and opening his own box. "It's got lotsa good shit. Breakfast, lunch, dinner… dem fancy food times like brunch n' linner…"

A few of the guys gave the Morgrem looks of confusion. What had he just said?

"Uh… Linner…?" Simen inquired, confused. He'd never heard of that in his life, nor did a majority of the others.

"It's exactly what it sounds like, ball boy," Martin responded, popping one of the bacon strips into his mouth as he kicked his feet onto the table. "The twink knows… He's got dat fancy, prissy look an' attitude."

Lee glared at the imp, growing tired of him, before noticing that there were now a few curious eyes in his direction. Letting out a sigh, he calmly explained, "Yes. Linner is legit. Like how a meal between breakfast and lunch is called 'brunch'. One between lunch and dinner is called 'linner' Or… 'lupper', 'dinch', or 'dunch'. It's all the same thing…"

"There's a word for everything these days, huh?" Steve huffed, shaking his head playfully.

"Old man, your generation is probably the one that named it," Stain deadpanned, farting shortly after.

The Toucannon threw a glare at the sludge pile's direction as Travis eventually spoke up. "I don't care what it's called. Food is food," he commented, scarfing down the last of his Kalosian Toast sticks.

Just then, the hosts entered, with Reshiram greeting, "Good morning, players. We hope that you all are doing well, so far."

Stain huffed, "It'd be better if you actually catered us some decent-"

"Anyways," Zekrom interrupted, not wanting to hear from the Sludge Pokémon. "Today's first challenge will take place in the gym, so meet us there in an hour."

With that, the hosts left the Mess Hall, leaving the guys all wondering what the day's challenge would entail. Like the last time, most the guys vacated the building shortly after the hosts' appearances.

000

"A challenge at the gym, huh? Looks like I'll definitely be carrying my team," Travis chuckled, flexing his muscles. "I was made for this."

000

After an hour passed, the remaining males, excluding Dale, all made their way to the gym. They were still uncertain as to what they would be doing there. Was there going to be a workout competition?

They all were waiting in the front, as many of them hadn't set foot in the gym yet, so they were surprised and intrigued by its setup. Roy was sitting next to the sauna room, glancing at the television every so often. Stain was next to the entrance, taking a nap. Steve was standing next to the door that led to the other section of the gym, and Rane was simply sitting against the wall. Most of the remaining guys were all sitting in front of the television, which was showing a black-and-white cartoon.

Travis was lifting weights while they all waited for any indication of what they were meant to do. Seeing that nobody else was taking the opportunity to get stronger during their downtime, the Electivire chortled, "You guys are really wasting time just sitting around," he grunted, lifting a dumbbell in each hand. "This is obviously gonna be a strength-based challenge, so pumping should be our first priority, not watching baby shows."

Martin huffed, "Oh yeah, we should totally waste our time, right before a challenge, exertin' a ton o' energy using da heavy shit around us. Dat'll help us for sure…"

Hearing this, Travis looked down at the weights in his hands before seeing the discouraged looks his teammates were giving him. He glanced across the room and saw that Rane was still leaning against the wall, unbothered.

The Electivire's eyes drifted back to the weights in his hands before dropping them with a huff. "Whatever," he grumbled, folding his arms.

000

"Gotta love jocks…" Lee sighed. "Always thinking with the head that's between their legs and depriving their brain of much needed blood."

"And yes, I know that's not how it really works…"

000

Eventually, the door to the labelless room swung open, startling a few of the guys as it struck the wall. Ahku emerged from the room, his eyes scanning all of the guys there.

"About damn time," Stain snorted, having been awoken by the door slamming the wall.

Eventually, the Iron Hands spoke, "It is time. Please enter."

Exchanging looks, the guys all proceeded to file into the next room, with Stain being the last to enter. Ahku closed the door behind them as they all momentarily scoped out the second workout room. They all saw that the door inside of that room was already open, revealing the battlefield.

"Proceed," Ahku stated, pushing a few of them forward with his floating hands.

The guys all entered the vicinity, where their eyes immediately set upon Reshiram and Zekrom, who were standing in the middle of the battlefield with five rolling baskets of balls surrounding them. Approaching them, the guys got better looks at the balls in the baskets and saw that they were… abnormal to say the least.

"Welcome to your next challenge," Zekrom began.

"Uh… Dodgeball?" Simen inquired, a bit skeptical, seeing the spheres.

"Yes, and no," the Deep Black Pokémon answered, picking up one of the balls. The ball was red, like a normal dodgeball, but it also had yellow and orange accents. "There are five kinds of balls inside of these baskets, and you'll be using them for two purposes: hitting each other…"

Martin huffed, rolling his eyes, "No duh…"

"...and…" Zekrom continued. A large target suddenly shot up from the ground behind him. Moving swiftly, the obsidian drake hurled the ball toward the target, setting it ablaze on impact. He turned back to face the competitors, who looked astonished. Some mouths were agape, while others' eyes were wide. "...hitting targets," he finished.

Reshiram decided to take over, expounding a bit more. "There will be three rounds in total," she began. "Your goal is to be the first team to destroy all of the targets on the opposing side."

Zekrom began reaching into the baskets, showcasing each of the five balls they will be using. He held up another red-and-orange ball, "This is a Fire Ball. It'll burn your target to a crisp." He took a step back, showing the now smoldering target that was behind him.

He continued his explanation. There were pure, yellow balls, identified as 'Thunder Balls', that would zap their targets, disintegrating them. There were periwinkle balls, called 'Ice Balls', that would freeze their targets solid and require another ball to smash them. There were dark blue balls, labeled 'Water Balls', that would drench their targets and cause them to shrivel up. Finally, there were balls covered in moss, suitably called 'Moss Balls', that would ensnare their targets in vines and crush them.

Once all of the information was relayed, a few of the competitors grew skeptical. "Uh… So yous is just ripping off Mew and Victini's show again? They did dis shit in dey first season."

"No one cares, beta dork," Stain gurgled, rolling his eyes. "None of these shows care about originality, just agendas…"

"Yeah, just like yous don't care 'bout hygiene," the Morgrem clapped back, fanning the Muk's stench away.

Ignoring the two of them, Reshiram proceeded with the remaining instructions. "Now, while your main goal is to destroy all of the targets on the opposing team's side, you all will also be getting hit."

"You guys have three lives out there," Zekrom added. "If you get hit three times, you're out of the round."

"Wait… That sucks!" Roy called out. "Doesn't that mean that we can just go after the other team's players and deal with the targets once they're all gone?"

"Nope," Zekrom refuted, shaking his head. "If a ball is blocked from hitting a target, or caught, a player can re-enter."

"Wait, so how does blocking work?" KG inquired. "Does it still count as a life?"

"Yes, it will still count as a life, but if you or anyone else gets out in that same round, they can immediately rejoin the game."

"Okay, this sounds really complicated," Nick commented, holding his head. "So who gets hit with what?"

The host couple exchanged looks, contemplating if they should do basic dodgeball instead. Deciding against it, as they already had everything set up, Zekrom attempted to simplify the rules, "There are five targets on each team's side. You guys each have three lives. Getting hit causes you to lose a life. Lose all three lives, and you are out of the round. Everyone understand so far?"

Everyone either nodded or gave no response, feeling bored by the constant talking. "Can we get on wit dis? We's not five," Martin deadpanned, his arms folded with a glare.

Steve huffed, "Are you sure about that?" Despite getting a glare from the Morgrem in response, the Toucannon turned his attention back to the hosts. "Carry on."

"If you catch the ball, a player is able to re-enter the game. If you intentionally get hit by the ball in order to block it, you will lose a life, but you will also allow a player to re-enter the game. However, they will only have one life," the Deep Black Pokémon clarified.

"Yeah yeah, balls to the wall," Travis brushed off, punching his palm. "Let's get this party started."

"Uh… huh…" Zekrom replied, still unimpressed by the Electivire.

"Oh, and before we forget, there's no need to worry about Dale for this challenge," Reshiram brought up. "Due to the Machamps losing the previous challenge, you would need someone to sit out anyway so that the teams remain even."

"I'm here for support, though, guys!" they suddenly heard.

Turning back to the door, they saw Ahku wheel in the same TV cart from the previous challenge, with one of Dale's eyes once again being broadcast on a monitor.

000

"I'm just glad that I get to be included in some way," Dale opined.

000

All of the players got situated on their respective sides of the battlefield. Multiple balls were situated on each side, as well as on the line dividing each side.

"Alright guys, make this a good fight!" Zekrom called. "In three… two… one… GO!"

-000-

Five targets sprung up on each side of the field as all of the guys sprang into action.

Lee and Simen immediately rushed toward the rear of their side of the field, as they were the only two who were incapable of throwing efficiently. Lee could have grabbed a ball, but it would've left him vulnerable, and he wasn't interested in being seen as weak again.

Travis grabbed multiple balls off of the ground and started launching them toward the other side. KG was dodging any balls that were heading in his direction while holding a Moss Ball. Due to how short he was in comparison to his teammates, he knew that he wouldn't be hitting any targets.

Instead, he set his sights on Tate, who was slowly making his way toward the rear of his team's side. He prepared to throw his ball, only for it to be yanked from his grasp by Travis.

"Hey!" the Fuecoco called.

"Hush, runt! Let the big boys handle this!" the Electivire retorted, throwing the ball and striking Nick, who became ensnared in foliage.

"Wha-! Hey!" he exclaimed.

KG growled before he noticed Martin quickly approaching him with a Water Ball. With a gasp, he swiftly tried to run, but was unable to escape the blow. The Morgrem launched the ball, striking him in the back and drenching him.

"Pathetic…" Stain scoffed, seeing the display. He was sitting out in the open while Travis and Roy launched balls toward the other team.

Lee, hiding behind one of the targets, scoffed, "Look who's talking. You're not even trying!"

"Coming from the beta cuck trembling behind one of the targets…" the Sludge Pokémon jeered as a Thunder Ball zoomed by his face. "At least I'm out in the open."

Simen groaned, sitting behind Lee. "We don't have time for t-"

He was suddenly cut off when the target that he and Lee were hiding behind was suddenly struck, setting it on fire. "Crap!" Lee yelped as he and Simen retreated from the shadows of that target and joined the others in the open.

"And that's one point for the Conkeldurrs!" Reshiram announced.

-000-

"Nice shot, Steve!" Dale shouted from the sidelines.

The Toucannon chortled to himself as he picked up another Fire Ball with his beak. He took aim at the opposing side, locking onto one of the targets that wasn't being guarded. Firing the ball, it looked prime to strike, but Roy leapt in front of it, taking the ball to the stomach.

The Throh groaned in pain as he landed on the ground, clutching his gut as a wave of fiery pain washed over him. "Damn… it…"

000

"Burned again… What the hell!?" Roy groused, his body a redder tint.

000

Martin cackled at the Throh's misfortune, not paying attention the Thunder Ball hurling in his direction. He was struck, electrocuting him and sending him to the ground.

KG, still dripping wet, got back to his feet. Seeing that Martin was groaning on the ground, he chuckled to himself. He glanced over and saw another Water Ball near him. He picked it up, only for it to, once again, be yanked from his grip.

"CABRÓN!" the Fire Croc Pokémon exclaimed in frustration.

Launching the Water Ball, Travis managed to strike one of the targets that were further back. "HELL YEAH!" he cheered.

"And that's one point for the Machamps! We're dead even right now," Reshiram recapped.

000

"First one on my team to hit a target…" Travis boasted, putting his arms behind his head. "I'm totally gonna be the frontrunner here…"

000

Seconds after Reshiram's recap, the Electivire was struck by an Ice Ball in his lower regions, bringing him to the ground with a squeak.

"Ooo!" Simen winced.

Steve chuckled at his accomplishment before looking at his other teammates. Nick was still ensnared by the foliage and wriggling around with Lexico simply floating above him. Martin was just now getting to his feet, and Tate was hiding behind one of the targets. He groaned to himself before turning to Rane, who hadn't really been doing anything aside from dodging any balls that came their way. Had he been the only one really doing anything? How?!

The Toucannon was confused, "Rane! What are you doing? We need-"

The Golisopod help up a finger, urging the Toucannon to wait. Steve was befuddled; what was he waiting for? Why was nothing being done?

With Travis now being down for a moment, Rane watched as KG picked up a Thunder Ball and attempted to hit Martin with it. Steve, also seeing this, prepared to pick up a Moss Ball and fire it at the Fire Croc, but then he heard a shout from the other side.

"KG, WAIT! THAT'S OUR LAST BALL!" Lee called.

It was too late, though. The Fuecoco chucked the ball at the Morgrem, who was struck and electrocuted once again. "Payback!" he shouted, pointing at the shaking gremlin.

"Nice going, genius… Now we don't have any fucking balls over here!" Stain chided. "Though, that was already the case for some of you."

Steve slowly looked back over to Rane, who nodded back to him in affirmation. Looking around his own team's side, the Cannon Pokémon realized that all of the balls were on their side.

000

"...He's great," Steve chuckled.

000

"Ooh, and it looks like the Machamps have accidentally left themselves vulnerable with no balls on their side of the field," the Vast White Pokémon commented. "But, things could easily change when the retaliation begins."

Travis, still holding his freezing crotch, got back to his feet. He growled, "That was a cheap shot! This ain't over until it's over!"

Roy slowly removed his arms from his stomach, still suffering from his burn. "All I ask is if we get a Water Ball over here… Please hit me with it…"

"With pleasure," Steve chortled as he picked up a blue ball with his beak.

The Toucannon fired the ball at Roy, who didn't make any attempt to dodge it. The ball connected with his face, drenching him in water. The Throh took the hit and actually sighed in relief, rubbing his face. "Thank Arceus…"

"You idiot! Now you've only got one life left…" Stain huffed, prompting Roy to flip him off.

"At least we've got a ball on our side, now," KG acknowledged, walking over and picking up the still-dripping Water Ball.

Rane rolled his eyes in response. His team was still in the power position, even if the other team had a ball. He wasn't too concerned, so he decided to go over to cut Nick free of the vines constricting him.

As Rane did this, Steve chortled to himself. "You know… We can easily just take all of you out without a problem, but… What fun would that be?"

Stain huffed, "Sounding awfully cocky coming from a team of betas who are relying on one alpha."

Steve glowered at the Muk. "The fact that you keep acting like you're some pinnacle of masculinity is laughable," he chided. "You're just a disgrace to males everywhere."

"Coming from a bozo from the generation who was forced to train and go to war to prove how manly they were? Yeah, I don't wanna hear it," the Muk shot back. "Insecurity oozes from every bone in you boomers' bodies."

Steve twitched, ready to bombard the sludge monster with balls. However, he needed to keep himself calm. As much as he wanted to throttle him, he knew it wouldn't do any good to continue interacting. He even saw Lee shake his head, telling him that it wasn't worth it.

Stain continued though, "Ah, no response, huh? Looks like I'm right."

The Toucannon tightened his glare at the Poison-type. Males like him would never learn.

As those two continued engaging in a back-and-forth, Rane finished freeing Nick, who let out a sigh. "Thanks, Ra-"

He was immediately cut off by a Water Ball to the face, courtesy of Travis, who had been aiming for Rane.

"DAMN IT!" the Electivire shouted.

"Travis! Now we've got nothing again!" Lee shouted in frustration.

"Shut it, twink! I was aiming for Rane!" the Thunderbolt Pokémon shouted, turning around. "You're not even doing anything! Just being a little bitch!"

Lee took a step back from the sudden exclamation. However, upon glancing behind the Electivire, his expression softened a bit. In fact, a small smile formed on his face.

Simen stammered, also looking behind the Thunderbolt Pokemon, "U-uh… F-From the looks of it… I don't think you're gonna be doing anything either…"

Confused by what he meant, Travis turned back around, only to be met by Rane and Steve, who were directly in front of him, each holding a different ball: Fire and Ice.

Travis deflated immediately upon seeing the looks of anger on both of their faces, "U-Uh…"

The two of them struck the Electivire at the same time, sending him flying back into one of the targets, shattering it.

"Ooh…" Zekrom winced. "Uh, well, that makes two points for the Conkeldurrs," he relayed.

"And Travis is now out of this round!" Reshiram added.

000

"My team sucks…" Travis groaned, clutching his body, which was red from the Fire Ball thrown at him.

000

"Ugh…" Stain groaned in frustration. "Figures. Now I'm gonna have to be the one who tries to salvage this shit show since you lousy betas can't do anything right."

Simen and Lee exchanged a shared expression of annoyance. Given his awful personality, and lack of effort in the previous challenges, the two of them expected absolutely nothing from Stain.

Having overheard the Sludge Pokémon's statement, Martin stifled a laugh. "Really? Yous think dat you're gonna do somethin'? Man, yous know what…"

The Morgrem stood right on the line separating the teams' sides. "Try and hit me," he challenged. "I guarantee yous won't get shit."

Stain's unimpressed expression didn't change. He picked up one of the balls that was thrown at Travis and launched it at Martin, drenching him in water while also sending him into one of the targets.

Everyone stared in shock as Stain huffed. "Meh, coulda been better…"

000

KG blinked, astounded by what he witnessed, before exclaiming, "What in the Distortion World?!"

000

Despite her still recoiling from the shock, Reshiram announced, "Uh… a-and the teams are even again!"

"Not only that, but Martin is now out of the round!" Zekrom added.

Steve shook his head in disapproval. "Fucking idiot…" he grumbled.

Lee emerged from behind a different target, a look of genuine confusion on his face. "Wait… So you actually are strong?" he questioned. "Wh-"

"Yes, you dumb twink," Stain belched, interrupting him. "Why the hell do you think I say what I want? I'm not scared of any of y-"

The Muk was suddenly struck by two Water Balls, drenching him in water. Stain turned his attention back to the others before getting struck once again by an Ice Ball.

"And Stain is out!" Reshiram announced, a proud smile on her face.

The Muk scoffed as he moved off of the field, "Pathetic beta move… Hitting me when I'm not looking…"

Steve chortled to himself, happy to see the pile of sludge out of the round. He turned to Rane, who was spinning a Thunder Ball on one of his fingers. "Well, now that those two idiots are out of the picture… Let's handle the rest of these targets, huh?"

In one swift motion, Rane chucked the ball at Roy, who had been running toward one of the Water Balls that'd been thrown to their side. The ball connected, shocking the Throh and sending him to the ground.

"And Roy is out!" Zekrom announced. "Looks like Machamps are down to only three players now, and… only one of them can actually throw…"

000

"I wish I coulda been of more use, but uh… Yeah… These kinds of things aren't my strong suit," Nick commented, rubbing th back of his head.

000

Steve and Rane began launching balls at the remaining targets on the Machamps' side. Simen, Lee, and KG were doing their best to avoid being in the way, as they knew that they wouldn't be able to retaliate. Well, actually, KG could retaliate, but he was too small.

Nick, Lexico, and Tate just sat and watched, which only irritated Travis more. "Oh come on! This is bullshit! Those two are the ones carrying that sorry team! How are we-"

In response, Steve launched another Ice Ball at the Electivire, once again hitting in the crotch and sending him to the ground, clutching his jewels.

With one final throw, Rane demolished the final target with a Fire Ball as Lee, Simen, and KG caught their breath and looked around at all of their team's destroyed targets.

"And the Candid Conkeldurrs take the first round!" Reshiram announced.

Dale, Martin, Tate, and Nick all cheered, while Lexico remained quiet. Steve glanced at Rane with a smile, while the Golisopod simply stretched, not even noticing.

000

Steve chuckled, "I know my partner enough to say that if we weren't married… Both of us would be all over him."

000

"Nice job, stooges…" Stain chided, glaring at Lee, Simen, and KG as they came over. "You worthless cucks didn't even try to block or catch anything to bring one of us back in!"

"Does it look like we have the ability to do that?!" Lee defended, glaring back.

Travis grunted, still covering his crotch, "Well, you look like you like taking hits anyway, so-"

Hearing that, the Boltund twitched. W-What was his problem? What had he ever done to him? Lee's eyes narrowed in a death glare toward the Thunderbolt Pokémon as he letting out a low growl out of fury. Seeing this look, KG swiftly grabbed hold of Lee's tail while Simen quickly rolled in front of the angry Dog Pokémon. Roy was taken aback, while Stain and Travis remained unfazed.

The others on the opposite team couldn't help but watch, as they were loud. Steve glared at the scene, while the others were uncertain about how to respond. Well, aside from Martin, who was cackling. "Look at da twink trying t' be scary! It's so pathetic," he jeered, prompting Rane to bop him with a Thunder Ball.

Doing his best to hold a teary-eyed Lee back, the Fuecoco groaned, "Cabrón, antagonizing him doesn't help us!"

"I don't get why you keep acting like this, anyway," Simen chimed in. "It's not our fault we lost this round! We literally couldn't do anything since we don't have the limbs or size for it! Meanwhile, you and Stain got out because you were too busy berating Lee. At least Roy was trying!"

"Sí, so how exactly is the blame on us when you guys were the ones who were supposed to take charge, but you got out because-?" KG argued.

"I don't wanna hear it. You three are the weak links," Travis shot back, ignoring their valid arguments. "The twink is the worst one since he sucks at everything so far. Even you got a win yesterday, while he's been trash altogether!"

"I mean, what do you expect from a-"

"QUIET!" Steve suddenly exclaimed, flying over, with Rane following a bit behind. He had enough and he had heard enough. He could see the rage and sadness in Lee's eyes and body language, and couldn't let it continue.

"You pathetic low-lifes are only treatin' him that way because he's gay, and that's it. You're so damn insecure and caught up in wanting to be all macho and manly for females who'll never want your punk asses to begin with that you're picking on someone who you think is weaker like a buncha fifth-grade bullies..." he growled.

"Oh please, boomer. Don't act like your generation didn't do the same shit," Stain huffed, rolling his eyes. "You old fools recognized that pathetic fags like him are the weakest of the male species and dealt with them accordingly."

"Yeah, like I told him. I ain't got no prob with the gays, I just don't want anything to do with them. And I'm literally just saying the truth. He hasn't helped us win anything!" Travis argued. "I'm not gonna say that gay people aren't strong, but they're not as strong as they should be…"

"Okay… Then here's some news for you, Mr. 'Alpha'," Steve stated, approaching the Electivire with his own glare. "I'm gay… I kicked your little punk ass, and I'll continue to until you're off this fuckin' island!" he threatened. Once again, despite having the advantage, Travis trembled in fear from the Toucannon.

Everyone else who didn't know about the sergeant's sexuality was shocked to hear it, as to them, there weren't any 'signs'.

Steve then turned his attention to Stain, who still wore an unfazed expression. "Same goes for you, snot rag…"

The Muk rolled his eyes, "Yeah… I doubt that you're really a homo, too. You're just trying to give sympathy and pander to the people who'll watch this, too."

"You're really all 31 flavors of stupid aren't ya?" Steve scoffed.

By now, Lee had calmed down slightly, wiping away the tears that'd formed in his eyes. He felt disappointed in himself, as he'd let these idiots get under his skin again. He was surprised that Steve spoke up publicly this time, and not only that, revealed himself.

At this point, Reshiram and Zekrom came over, having watched the whole interaction. Zekrom was about to step in a while ago, but Reshiram had stopped him once she saw Steve and Rane approaching the group on their own accord. She knew that things would be, at the very least, 'calmer'.

They didn't think things would end up getting heated so quickly. It was only the first round, after all. Unsure about how things would go now, they felt that they needed to possibly dial it back and make a change.

"Well, after that first round, it is clear that there is a lot of animosity here, and the results of future rounds may remain the same due to said animosity," Reshiram commented. "So, we're going to give you all a choice in where we go from here."

"We can either continue with the challenge anyway, where there could be a chance that the Machamps pull out a comeback," Zekrom explained, "or we end the challenge now, the Conkeldurrs win again, and you all return to camp until the next challenge."

"Hey, I'll take a free victory!" Martin chortled.

"Yeah, I kinda feel… uncomfortable," Dale chimed in. "I don't mind ending this now."

"Wh- You weren't even playing!" Travis shouted. "There's no way in hell that we're just giving these guys another win!"

He looked at the others on his team. Stain, of course, didn't care; Lee, Simen, and KG all glared at him; and Roy awkwardly rubbed his shoulder. Seeing this, the Electivire just shook his head. "You know what… Fine. You assholes win again."

Steve huffed, "Yeah, sure… we're the assholes."

"Alright, so we're calling this another win for the Candid Conkeldurrs," Reshiram confirmed. "You all can head back to camp. And please, be cordial with each other."

"Uh…" Nick began, looking back over and seeing the glares being exchanged by the others. "Wishful thinking…"

000

"Aaand we lost again," Roy sighed. "Stain and Travis are really causing nothing but problems for us. They really hate Lee so much that they got out because they were insulting him, for Pete's sake! Then they just kept acting like he was just useless when he and Simen literally couldn't do anything."

"I don't know what KG's excuse was aside from the fact that… He's smaller than he rest of us…" he realized what he was saying and let out another sigh. "Okay, nevermind, none of them could really do anything, so it was up to us, and we failed! But, of course, in typical fashion, they focus on blaming Lee because he's gay, and they want him out."

"Meanwhile, Steve's been gay this whole time!?" he exclaimed in confusion. "So, what-!"

"Ugh… This game is so damn frustrating…" the Throh groaned, covering his face with his hands.

000

Returning to the campgrounds, the guys all split up, needing some time apart after the recent altercation. Lee, KG, and Simen, not wanting to engage with Stain or Travis, headed to the Mess Hall. Stain and Travis immediately went toward the Sausage Link, unbothered by the trio's feelings toward them.

Roy, being the one in the middle, let out a sigh as he remained outside. The Conkeldurrs all saw this division, but none of them said anything. Well, aside from Martin, who chortled, "Dose babies will get over it. Whateva' happened t' sticks and stones break bones but words don't hurt?"

"The only people who say that are morons who don't take emotions seriously…" Steve responded in a serious tone.

The Morgrem stifled a laugh. The Toucannon had literally been in the military, where emotions were seen as weakness, or at least that was the perception. "Hearin' dat from yous is rich," Martin replied. "Yous musta been real in tune with your emotions bein' among all dose otha' males…"

The Toucannon's glare hardened at the Morgrem, unamused by the comment. However, at the same time, with him revealing his sexuality, he expected it. To his surprise, Nick spoke up, "Martin, dude… Come on…"

"What!? It's a joke," the gremlin defended with a shrug. "Not my fault homos are so touchy."

The Morgrem proceeded toward the Sausage Link as well, leaving his remaining teammates and Roy outside.

Tate, who was sitting on Nick's head, let out a soft sigh. "Awkward day…" he commented.

"More like painfully uncomfortable," Nick replied, gloomily shaking his head as he started walking in the direction of the beach, carrying Tate and Lexico with him.

Roy took a deep breath as he looked back and forth at the Mess Hall and the Sausage Link. He already knew that either Stain or Travis were going to go if his team lost again, so he didn't feel like he needed to talk to Lee, KG, and Simen. However, he wanted to, just to check on them. At the same time, though, he wanted to just wash everything away and rest without engaging with anyone.

"Well?" he suddenly heard.

Turning around, he saw that Steve and Rane were still there, looking at him with eyes of judgment. The Throh was terrified of both of them, but didn't tremble or back down. "Well, what?" he responded, genuinely a bit confused.

"Are you gonna go check on your teammates, or are you just gonna go join your 'alpha male' pals and ignore them?" Steve inquired tonelessly. "I can feel that you aren't that bad compared to Thing One and Thing Two in there, but that doesn't mean a thing if your actions don't show it."

Roy sighed, "Look, I've already spoken to one of them and we're planning on getting rid of Stain if we lose. After that beating in the challenge, I just want to rest…"

"It was one round, and you got hit three times," Steve deadpanned. There was no way that a Fighting-type like him needed a rest after one round.

"Hey, those balls still sucked!" Roy defended. "I literally got burned again!"

As Rane suddenly started walking away, Steve huffed, "Whatever you say…"

The Toucannon himself began walking toward the Mess Hall, leaving Roy in the middle of camp. He now felt the pressure to go and check on the guys. However, he felt that him going after Steve would be 'tainted' since he'd mainly be there because of guilt and not actual care. He did care, but he was just tired.

He just shook his head, "I lose either way…" Believing this, against his better judgment, he decided to head into the Sausage Link.

Steve, glancing behind himself, was surprised to see that the Throh actually chose to ignore them. He honestly expected better. He just huffed in response as he entered the building.

-000-

Upon entering, he saw that Lee was laying his head on one of the tables, with KG petting his head, and Simen sitting on the table.

The Toucannon let out a sigh, approaching them. "You boys alright?" he inquired, getting their attention. "Sorry, that you've gotta deal with those jackasses on your team."

KG sighed, stopping his petting. "So are we…"

Lee raised his head off of the table, a soft breath escaping his nostrils. "Thanks for sticking up for me," the Boltund expressed. "You didn't have to out yourself, though."

Steve shrugged. He hadn't been planning on coming out at all, but he'd already told both Lee and Rane. Plus, it was on camera anyway, so people would find out regardless. "I've been out for decades now. It isn't a big deal. If any piece of shit wants to sart something, it'll be their funeral," he explained.

"I actually respect you a lot more now, Steve," Simen began, causing the Toucannon to raise a brow. "I honestly thought that you were just the typical grouchy, intolerant old dude. I'm kinda surprised."

A small smirk formed on the Cannon Pokémon's face. He could admit that he deserved that, given his initial attitude. He still had his own thoughts about certain subjects that could earn him some ire and the label of 'intolerant', but he was more open-minded than he let on.

He chuckled, "That's why you don't always judge a book by its cover. It may work sometimes, but there's always a chance you'll miss out on things you actually like."

Lee chortled in response, while Simen and KG exchanged looks. The Toucannon took a breath, flying onto the table, "So, I hear that you guys are actually planning on taking out the scum if you lose the next challenge."

"Well, considering it's the only thing we can do if we want to remain sane… Yes," Lee confirmed.

KG took a breath, rubbing his head, "I take it that Roy said something?"

Steve confirmed with a firm nod before following up with a query. "And can I ask why that wasn't the first plan, anyway?"

Simen and Lee looked to KG, who groaned. He really didn't want to go through this again, he already felt stupid.

000

Back at the beach, the alliance of four discussed what had just transpired. It was a very intolerable situation that only made them feel sympathy for the guys on the other team who weren't Stain and Travis.

"I really don't get homophobia…" Dale sighed. "It just doesn't make a lot of sense. Like, aren't most Legendary Pokémon not straight?"

Nick glanced at Lexico before looking back to the Wailord, "Little dude says that it doesn't matter to people who don't see them as gods or all-powerful beings."

"Yeah, but they're still all really powerful and can have some authority over us," Dale replied. "You'd think if they were open with their sexuality, that people wouldn't be against anything that isn't straight."

Nick shrugged in response, "It's weird, but for some reason, some people can't accept that others aren't exactly like them."

"Bigots," Tate stated simply.

"Yeah," Dale replied with another sigh. "It really sucks that there's people like that here…"

"Well, on the bright side… We won another challenge because of it," Nick chirped, trying to inject some light into the darkness of the subject.

The other three just stared at him. Yes, what he said was true, but it still felt wrong given the circumstances.

"I just feel bad for Lee," Dale expressed. How they were treating him was just uncool and undeserved. Luckily, Steve put them in their place, which reminded him. "Though, on the other fin, I'm even more scared of Steve, now…"

"Oh yeah…" Nick remembered. He had almost forgotten what Steve divulged. "I did not expect him to be gay. That's both cool and terrifying…"

"Right, because aren't most military things like homophobic, too?" the Float Whale Pokémon inquired, genuinely uncertain.

"Progress," Tate mentioned. "Women can join. Why not non-straights?"

"Also true," Dale replied, though he doubted that during Steve's time they were as open as they currently were. Sensing that the conversation was coming to an end, thankfully, he decided to shift the subject a bit, "Well… The only thing we can do now is just wait for the next challenge… where hopefully I can at least try to do something."

"Uh… Side note… When did Rane get here?" Nick pointed out.

Glancing over, they indeed saw the Golisopod. He was kneeling in the ocean with his eyes closed, letting the waves of water crash into him over and over.

000

"Out of everyone here, I definitely think that I'm scared of Rane the most," Nick mused, folding his arms. "He's so quiet that you'll never know he's around you until you see him! That, and with him being super strong… If we don't get rid of him before it's too late, he'll end up winning this thing."

000

Back at the Sausage Link, Travis, Stain, and Martin were all in the living room, an old action movie playing on the television. Though the challenge was over already, Martin still did not stop talking about it, much to Stain's annoyance.

"Dey're all just a buncha pansies," Martin chortled, sitting upside down on the couch. "If dey can't handle da heat, den dey need t' get da hell out."

Travis was still reeling over Steve's revelation at the gym. It just didn't make sense to him. He shuddered to himself, commenting, "I still can't believe Steve's gay. Like… He's too masculine for that! Femboys like Lee? Sure, whatever, they're usually built for it, but… a military dude!? He's… It just doesn't feel right."

He knew that masculine, macho guys could be gay, but that was mainly just due to adult videos he was dared to watch back at his frat house. Not only that, but everyone knew about what goes on in some prisons. So, knowing someone in real-life who wasn't the typical gay guy made him a lot more uncomfortable.

Stain rolled his eyes at the Electivire's reaction. He couldn't be serious. "Ignoring the fact that you don't know that gay alphas can exist, though they're still mostly betas, as far as I'm concerned… You actually believe that that old feather duster is a queer?" Stain doubted.

"I mean why would he lie about that?" the Electivire questioned, cocking a brow.

"Like I said back at the gym," the Muk reminded him. "He's just pandering to the woke crowd and trying to give the beta bitch some sympathy. It's pathetic, if you ask me."

"Well, luckily, no one was asking," they suddenly heard as Roy returned to the front in order to retrieve a a Fresh Water out of the fridge. The Throh was still very tired, but he suddenly felt parched once he made it back to his room. He didn't want to return to the front, as he just knew that he would hear something stupid or hateful, and of course… He was correct.

Stain rolled his eyes as the Judo Pokémon closed the fridge. He didn't feel like responding to the Fighting-type. It would be a waste of his breath as far as he was concerned. He had already said what he needed to say earlier, so adding anything else would be pointless.

Once Roy was gone again, the Muk continued as if he hadn't even made an appearance, "Anyways, the shitty cereal mascot's generation always hated gays, hippies, and anything that wasn't the status quo. They were right about males needing to stay dominant and deserving respect, but only really wrong about like… taxes and shit."

Travis had honestly tuned the Sludge Pokémon out, as the image of Steve engaging in any homosexual behavior was now etched in his mind and making his skin crawl.

Eventually, Martin spoke up. "Eh, given how dat old bastard acted when 'Thunderclap Dem Cheeks' over dere acted like catching da gay was bad or whatever, I can believe it," the Morgrem replied with a shrug. "So… It just adds insult t' injury. Yous is getting beaten by a gay guy!" he cackled. "Not t' mention dat da bozos on your team don't like yous and dey outnumber you. You suckas are donezo."

Stain gave the chortling Devious Pokémon a wry expression, annoyed by his mouth. "You probably shouldn't be so smug, Gizmo. Your rag-tag group of giga-betas don't like you either, so your ass will probably go as soon as you lose the next challenge."

Martin scoffed dismissively, "My team's got da strongest guys on da island. I ain't worried 'bout nothin'."

Stain smirked upon hearing that. He'd looked over to Travis, expecting to see a similar expression, but saw the Electivire's face was twisted into one of distress and disgust over the imagery going through his head. The Muk rolled his eyes with a groan. "Fucking idiots…"

000

"Well, the seeds of cockiness have been planted," Stain chuckled. "Now we just have to wait and see if that stupid whore, karma, actually does her job."

000

Half-an-hour passed. Some players had returned to the Sausage Link to rest, while others were still out and about. With a stretch, Roy emerged from his bed with a groan. He definitely felt well-rested, but now he was seriously contemplating his next moves. He was initially all for eliminating Stain since he was causing issues with his pettiness. However, given his showcase of strength in the last challenge, he was reconsidering it.

On one hand, he had Stain and Travis, two strong jerks who would be good in challenges, but bad for his sanity. On the other hand, though, he had Simen, Lee, and KG, three weaker guys who would be bad in challenges, but good for his sanity. Given that they'd failed at every challenge so far, he was more inclined to go with Travis and Stain, as much as he hated the thought.

At the same time, though, the Throh knew that Lee, Simen, and KG all had potential and could be strong under the right circumstances. He always taught at his dojo that everyone has strength, but it simply varies, so he wasn't going to completely write the guys off.

Letting out a sigh, the Judo Pokémon exited his room, passing by the closed doors of Stain and Travis' rooms. He shook his head as he proceeded to the front to grab a snack from the pantry. Doing so, he saw that Steve and Rane were sitting on the couch, watching the news. He held his breath, not knowing if either of them would engage with him after what'd happened earlier.

Much to his dismay, he heard Steve say, "So, you still avoiding the guys your little friends treated like shit?"

Flinching as he grabbed a bag of tortilla chips, Roy exhaled. "Look, I'm not avoiding them on purpose. I'm just not planning on talking to anyone until we get to the next challenge. It's just easier for me that way. I've got some things to think about since this'll impact how I proceed in this game."

Steve huffed, "Well, I'll say this, since you claim to not know much about these shows. Whether you like it or not, your decision impacts others' games too. So, you'll have to decide who deserves to stay in this game: the bigoted jerks who aren't proving anything or the guys who's only crime is not fitting into the jerks' preferred box."

Roy looked down, eyeing the bag in his hands. He didn't say a word in response, simply deciding to head back to his room.

Once he was out of sight and earshot, Steve scoffed, "Bastards like him are just as bad as the ones who do the shit-talking. Don't ever wanna pick a side because they're worried more about themselves…"

Rane rolled his eyes before focusing back on the television. He couldn't be bothered to insert himself in the conversation.

000

Lee had finally made his way to the pond, lying down at the end of the water. He took in the scenery with a deep breath. Being around water always soothed him. It was just something about the rippling waves and light that reflected off of the surface that put his nerves at ease. His home had a large garden in the backyard with a miniature pond that he would nap near, and he always slept more soundly when it rained.

Whenever he felt overwhelmed by school, or his emotions in general, he would just let his proximity to water wash it all away. He couldn't explain it, but it all helped. With how he was being treated, he was really missing home… his friends… his boyfriend… He wanted to do well, but he never expected to deal with guys like this. He knew that Randall had to deal with a few odd characters in Alola, but this was just unbearable so far.

As he watched the water whip and tremble from the light breeze, he took another deep breath. "You got this, Lee…" he reassured himself. "These assholes don't control you… You control them. You're a boss bitch… You got this."

The Boltund stretched, getting back to his feet. "I've gotta start being more aggressive. No more crying… More action…"

000

"I'm feeling a bit better, considering everything," Lee explained. "Steve helped me again with his talk at the Mess Hall and being at the pond calmed me down a bit more."

"Now I'm ready to take on whatever these bastards throw at me."

000

Simen and KG were in the game room, with Simen spectating and KG playing what appeared to be a platformer. Simen watched intently before starting to think about Lee. The way that Stain and Travis kept treating him was gross, and even with Steve talking to all of them, he felt that the Boltund was steadily growing more and more depressed.

Turning to the Fuecoco beside him, Simen inquired, "Do you think that Lee's okay? He's been gone for a while."

KG was busy controlling his weird, orange character, jumping over multiple gaps. Eventually, once he was safe, he answered, "I think he just needs more time to cool down. Steve obviously made some good points, but now I'm more suspicious of Roy."

"You don't really think that Roy would side with Stain and Travis do you?" Simen worried.

Even though he'd spoken to the Throh earlier that day, after what Steve told them, he wasn't sure if he could be trusted. "He'd be a major cabrón if he does…" KG huffed. "I get that they're 'strong', but sometimes you just have to use common sense and go with what's in your heart."

"This is a competition though, and… I think he'd like to win more than worry about his heart," the Voltorb sighed.

KG grumbled, "Well, then it'd be a tie. We'd have to make sure that he understands that it'd be better to keep us than the two jerks."

"Hopefully he'll listen," Simen sighed. "Or, hopefully we win and we don't have to worry…"

KG shrugged, getting back to his game, "Depends on the challenge. If it's another strength one… We're screwed."

000

"Roy and I literally talked about booting Stain," KG groused. "If he seriously changes his mind, or was just lying to me…It's gonna be trouble."

000

Everyone met up at the pond, where they took in the sights and smells of the damp vicinity. Nick sneezed, somehow sniffling through his Ice Face.

There were multiple rectangular padded platforms floating in the pond, stretching from one side to the other. Ahku was sitting on another platform, made of wood, on the side. What appeared to be a tennis ball blaster was sitting in front of him. The Iron Hands wore an intimidating visage as he casually twisted the blaster back and forth.

"Yeah… I don't think I like that…" Roy commented, throwing a pointed look at the Paradox Pokémon.

"Alright," Zekrom began, getting everyone's attention. "Welcome to your immunity challenge of the afternoon. Hopefully, you've all simmered down from earlier…"

"Oh yes, we're all the bestest of friends now," Stain deadpanned, earning a few coarse looks from his fellow contestants. "Can't you tell?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, the Deep Black Pokémon continued, "Well, hopefully with enough time, you'll all be able to get along, or at the very least be tolerable of one another."

"Dis is a competition, obsidian shill," Martin jeered. "We ain't gotta get along or nothin' if we don't wanna."

"If you don't wanna last long in this game, that is…" Steve interjected. "Now, hush and let them explain the challenge."

Martin huffed, "Whateva', Old Man Quivers…"

The Toucannon threw the Morgrem a piercing glare, which was instantly brushed off.

000

"Now dat I know dat da old geezer's a boy lover, I ain't gotta be worried 'bout nothin' he gotta say," Martin chortled. "I got cousins dat's gay dat're probably stronger dan 'im."

000

Reshiram decided to take over, as she could sense Zekrom's frustration slightly rising. As much as she disliked how a few of them spoke, they had a job to do. "Now, compared to the challenge we had earlier, this one is relatively simple."

A camera slowly panned over the water, showing the floating platforms once again, as Reshiram began explaining. "Each team will start on opposite sides of the pond," she expounded. "One at a time, a person from each team must make their way to the other side of the pond by jumping from pad to pad. While doing so, Ahku will be firing tennis balls at you to try to knock you into the water."

Zekrom decided to chime in, "If you get knocked into the water, you will have to start over. The first team to have all of their players cross will win immunity. The losing team will see us at elimination."

"And, as per usual, since there are uneven teams, Dale will be sitting out due to his inability to participate," Reshiram explained.

"Jeez, why is he even here, then?" Travis scoffed.

"Hey, he has just as much a right to be here as you do," Nick defended.

"If he's not competing, then I just don't see the-"

Zekrom suddenly interrupted, not wanting more arguments to start. "Everyone get your strategies in order," he stated. "Conkeldurrs, you're on the other side of the pond."

000

"Finally, something not strength-focused," Simen sighed in relief. "We may actually have a chance, here!"

000

"And of course I'm going first…" Simen flatly muttered.

The Hisuian Voltorb was put up first for the Machamps, much to his dismay. Meanwhile, Tate was put up first for the Conkeldurrs. It seemed like both teams had the same idea: sacrifice the 'weakest' so that they got their turns out of the way.

"Alright, if everyone's ready. This challenge is going to start in 3… 2… 1… GO!"

-000-

Simen hesitantly bounced onto the first pad, which was a bit unstable. The pad bobbed upon impact, almost causing him to roll off. He sat still, waiting for the blue pad to stop moving so that he could continue.

Tate, being spiky, was able to hook himself to the platform using his sharp feet. Plus, with him being one of the lightest guys there, the pad he landed on barely moved to begin with.

"Hurry it up!" Stain shouted as Simen bounced onto the next pad. The Sphere Pokémon flinched from the Muk's sudden exclamation, almost causing him to roll off. He needed to focus; he didn't need the jeering.

Tate was taking his time getting across. He was definitely the slowest, but he was being efficient. He eased his way forward, made a grand leap, landed, stuck his feet into the next pad and continued with that process.

Ahku, having been waiting silently, aimed the blaster and began firing at the two small guys. The barrage of balls pelted the guys as they attempted to cross the platforms. Simen, being closer to the blaster, was struck numerous times, causing him to involuntarily roll off the pad he was on. "Dang it," he groaned, now floating in the water while balls continued to be fired.

Travis facepalmed, "We're fucked…"

"And Simen is the first into the drink," Zekrom commentated. "Now, he'll need to start over… As soon as someone gets him back to land."

"Get going, Rover," Stain fumed, shoving Lee forward. "We don't have all day."

The Boltund growled, turning back to the Sludge Pokémon, "Touch me again, and it's the last thing you'll ever do…"

Travis was surprised by this sudden threat, as was KG and Roy. Stain, however, remained indifferent, commanding, "Shut up and fetch."

As much as Lee wanted to lay into him, he knew that doing so would only waste time, and Simen needed help. With a huff, the Boltund leapt into the water in order to retrieve his friend.

000

"It's funny how that pathetic beta was trying to act all tough, yet still gave into my demands since he knew his ass was on the line if he didn't," Stain belched. "They need to learn to stay in their place…"

"Just like these other shows that have more bitches and betas than alphas. Hear that, Brick! You're the only one on that shitty female show so far that has my attention. You better put them in their place!"

000

Tate, being a Pincurchin, wasn't too bothered by the tennis balls being fired his way. A few of them actually got stuck on his spikes, which helped him defend himself from others. He was still close to being knocked off numerous times, but he steadily made his way across by stabbing into the platforms.

Meanwhile, Lee made his way back to shore with Simen. As Lee rolled Simen back onto land, Travis watched intently as Lee climbed out of the pond, water dripping from his fur and figure. The Electivire quickly averted his gaze as the Dog Pokémon shook his fur.

000

"Don't fucking look at me like that. You see how he looks!" Travis defended, pointing outwards.

000

"Well, that sucked," Simen groused, water dripping from his round body.

"No time for talking. Get your ass back out there!" Stain instructed. "The spiky beta from the other team is almost across."

Simen let out a sigh as he glanced over and saw Tate still making his way across, his spikes covered in tennis balls. "I mean, he-"

"Come on, amigo," KG interrupted. "Just do roll jumps!"

Stain moaned in annoyance, growing increasingly annoyed by his team. He was literally watching as a member from the opposing team made their way across, and these idiots were wasting time talking and trying to give pep talks. "What the hell are you on ab-?"

Roy covered the Muk's mouth, having been growing increasingly annoyed by him. "KG, you're gonna have to explain, because we really are losing time here…"

The Fuecoco sighed, as he felt that it was obvious. "Start rolling forward and just jump every time you need to. Keep the momentum."

"Like skipping stones?" Lee inquired.

"Sorta, yeah!" KG beamed. "You need to hurry, though. We need a lead!"

"If you screw this for us, you're gone," Stain threatened, knocking Roy to the side. He wasn't fond of being silenced. In fact, the Throh doing that pretty much secured his place as a beta in the Muk's mind.

"Thanks for the encouraging words…" Simen flatly responded, turning back to the water.

KG's plan was plausible, and the Voltorb could easily guess where he got it from. The problem was that the platforms were just floating, connected by a rope on either side. Plus, with Ahku firing away, he could get knocked off again. So, admittedly, he was very nervous.

"And Tate crosses the pond first!" Zekrom announced, getting the Machamps' attention.

Sure enough, the Pincurchin, still covered in tennis balls, had managed to make his way across the pond. On the other side of the pond, they could see a few of the members of the Conkeldurrs celebrating this feat.

"Oh for fuck's sake, will anybody go?!" Travis exclaimed. "At this rate, the Unown guy will make it across before we do!"

KG rolled his eyes before stating, "Watch me!"

-000-

"Alright, we's got da littlest one across," Martin stated, hands on his hips. "L + Ratio, yous is next. Den it should be smooth for da rest of us."

"Wait… Lex floats everywhere! How's he gonna do this?" Dale questioned.

"Everyone has to go on their own," Reshiram reiterated. "He can hop across like Tate did."

000

"Little dude says that he hates his life," Nick said, with Lexico looking visibly annoyed.

000

KG had managed to make it across all ten floating platforms with minimal difficulty. He almost misstepped a few times and underestimated a few of the jumps; but he took all of the tennis ball blows and managed to get to the other side. Though, he did faceplant onto the opposite shore.

"And KG makes it across for the Machamps!" Reshiram announced.

The Fire Croc Pokémon winced as he got back up, rubbing his face. "SEE NOTHIN' TO IT, AMIGOS!"

There wasn't much cheering from the other side, but he could see that there was another argument beginning to happen, causing him to groan.

-000-

Lexico was on the first pad in the water, feeling uncomfortable due to the fact that he rarely, if ever, used his limb to walk. He bounced forward, approaching the gap between the first and second pad. He internally groaned before glancing over and seeing Simen bounce across the platforms in a speedy fashion, the tennis balls fired from Ahku not effecting him. He eventually made it to the other side, but the momentum he had caused him to roll right into a tree-

BOOOOM!

-and explode.

Luckily, the tree was large, so his blast didn't do anything detrimental… besides knock Simen out.

000

Simen groaned, "Ugh… Yeah, with enough stress, I'll just end up exploding if I hit something or something hits me."

000

"And that makes two for the Machamps!" Reshiram spoke up. "The Conkeldurrs need to pick it up!"

"Okay, if he can't go, then I will!" Steve stated, stepping up. They had already squandered their lead, and he didn't want there to be a bigger gap.

To his chagrin, Martin refuted, "No! Dey just got bofa deir weaklings across! We need t' do da same thing if we wanna have a shot."

"Well, wasting our time ain't gonna help!" Steve argued. "We need to keep moving!" Despite feeling bad for Lee and the others on the opposing team, he still preferred that his own team win the challenge. It was a pride thing.

Having ignored the Toucannon, Martin cackled as he watched the other team, across the pond. "Look, dose bozos are sending Stain next. We'll be fine."

"Little dude! Use the floating balls to help!" Nick pointed out.

Ahku had been firing tennis balls nonstop, but was currently paused because nobody was truly moving. This meant that there were many tennis balls floating in the water. Seeing what the Eiscue was getting at, Lexico watched as one of them drifted near him.

He hopped onto it, causing it to sink slightly before rising back to the surface. He hopped onto another ball before taking a soft breath and landing onto the second pad. He let out a soft sigh of relief.

000

Martin pinched his nose. "Da spiky one was able t' jump across the pads without using da floating balls… and he's da smallest one on da damn team. How da hell did da Unown have a problem?"

"Guess he was born a 'L' for a reason…"

000

"Go, Stain!" Travis cheered on, while Roy and Lee just remained silent, simply exchanging glances. As much as they wanted to win, they refused to cheer for the Sludge Pokemon.

The Muk, being lazy and unenthused, slinked across the platforms. Ahku had begun firing again, but the tennis balls simply absorbed into Stain's body, so he wasn't affected.

Turning to the Paradox Pokémon, he jeered, "Nice job, moron."

Now annoyed, the Iron Hands decided to turn his attention to Lexico, who was steadily making his way across. As he landed on the sixth platform, he was suddenly bombarded by a barrage of balls, which sent him into the water.

"Ooh!" Zekrom winced. "And Lex has to start over!"

"Okay, screw this!" Steve snapped, shoving Martin to the side.

As Lexico floated back to the shore, Steve stepped onto the first pad. He wobbled a bit, finding his balance, before taking a deep breath and steadying himself.

Once he felt stable enough, the Toucannon began jumping from pad to pad. Despite his shaky start, he was having a much easier time due to his experience and durability. The Iron Hands continued firing away, managing to strike Steve numerous times. He grunted to himself as he was pelted.

The side of his beak… his chest… his legs… his wings… Essentially, the right side of his body was blitzed by the tennis balls. Despite the flurry of green spheres, Steve managed to make it across, landing next to Tate while panting heavily. "There!"

"Yeah… Congrats on taking so many balls to the face!" Stain gibed as he reached the other side.

"And the Machamps maintain the lead: Three to two!" Zekrom announced.

Steve growled in annoyance, as he could see Martin talking to the others and gesturing towards him.

000

"That little shit had better not be trying anything…" Steve growled.

000

"And dat kinda crap is why he needs t' go," Martin stated, pointing across the pond. "He just wants t' be da boss an' not listen t' nobody else. He dinks he's better than da rest of us."

"Martin, now's not the time!" Dale scolded. "We need to worry about who's going next! We're still behind!"

"We need t' get dis runt across!" the Morgrem argued, pointing to Lexico. "If he goes last, he could blow it!"

"Okay, how about you go across and we'll deal with little dude," Nick suggested. "'Cuz, you're not really helping, bro."

The Devious Pokémon groaned in annoyance, but decided to use this to his advantage, trying to score a deal. "Fine, but if we's lose dis, you vote Steve…"

"No promises," Dale deadpanned.

"Well den, I guess-" Martin was cut off by Rane picking him up by his hair. Struggling in the Golisopod's grip, the Morgrem exclaimed, "Ey! What is yous doin', ya-"

Rane tossed the gremlin onto the first pad, where he faceplanted and was splashed by water. "Sonuva-" he growled, slowly getting to his feet. "What did yous-"

He was interrupted by a tennis ball to the side of the head. Growling as he rubbed his head, he looked back at his team and saw Rane pointing across the pond, urging him to go. He groaned, "FINE! Yous is lucky you're stronger dan me…"

-000-

"Alright, twink, you go next," Travis stated firmly, folding his arms. "I'll be the one bringing it home for us."

Lee huffed in response. "Yeah, no," the Boltund refuted. "I ran track in school, and I always wound up in the top percent, so I think I'd be the best one to 'bring it home' if the other team manages to catch up."

Travis scoffed, shaking his head. There was no way he was going to let a girly boy be the one who nets them a win. "Uh-huh, sure… Too bad that I said-"

"We don't have time for this! We're finally winning something!" Roy shouted, not wanting to deal with another petty argument. He was glad that Lee was standing up for himself more, but now was not the time for a back-and-forth. "I'll go next and try to keep our lead."

Travis groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm the strongest one on the team! I should-"

He turned to the Electivire with an irritated huff, "Travis, stop trying to be a gloryhog and let Lee actually help. You called him a distraction because of how he looked, anyway, so why would you want to watch him go before you?"

Lee's ears perked up upon hearing that. "I'm sorry… You called me a what?!" he growled.

The Thunderbolt Pokémon moaned in vexation, not wanting to have this conversation. He was the biggest one on the team, so he should be the one calling the shots. However, knowing that things would escalate whether he responded or not, he stated, "You're a fucking femboy. Don't act surprised."

The Boltund's eyes widened before narrowing into a sharp glare.

"Side note: Roy, I'm gonna kick your ass for this…" the Electivire threatened, sending a pointed look in the Throh's direction as he hopped onto the first pad.

"Uh-huh, sure…" Roy brushed off, rolling his eyes.

Travis glanced back at Lee, who still held an expression of anger. The Electivire somewhat expected this, but at the same time, he didn't care. "You should at least see it as a compliment," he groused.

Lee's mouth gaped. There was no way that he just said that. "Excuse you? A compliment? Given how you and your boyfriend Stain constantly treat me, that's anything but a compliment! And the fact that you think that saying that is a good thing says more about you than it does about me…"

The Thunderbolt Pokémon's eyes tightened in a glower. "I ain't gay, if that's what you're trying to say."

"Oh, really?" Lee fumed. "Then tell me this…. If you met another guy that looked or acted like me and there was a chance that nobody would know… Would you try to fuck them or even date them?"

Travis looked over the Boltund once again before thinking to himself. He knew that he had seen male Lopunny and Gardevoir before, and he knew that a few other species had figures that he'd like. However, he started shivering and shook his head, shaking the thoughts out. He growled, "Stop trying to convert me, ya damn fairy!"

Lee's eye twitched. The audacity… The sheer audacity of this guy. He did not just say that! "Conv- ASSHOLE! I TOLD YOU THAT I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" the Boltund snarled. "You're the one saying that I'm a distraction because you keep looking at me! You say that I make you uncomfortable, when you're the one sexualizing me over my normal figure! I'm not trying to do anything but get you pricks to leave me the hell alone!"

Travis rolled his eyes, "Sure…"

Lee shook his head in disbelief. There was no way this was happening. There was no way that he was seriously dealing with a guy this brainless. Now… Now he wanted to lose. He wanted, no, he needed to get rid of Travis. Stain was a Grade-A piece of work, but Travis… He just couldn't tell if he was legitimately homophobic, in the closet, or just an idiot. He just knew that the Electivire was pissing him off with his accusations and sexualization.

However, after what Steve mentioned regarding Roy, and how he never talked to them after what happened in the first challenge, he didn't know if it would be feasible. Growling to himself, he turned his attention back to the water and watched as Martin was popped in the jaw by a tennis ball, sending him into the water.

Roy held out his left arm, trying to block the tennis balls being blasted toward him. Despite this, the balls still hit him in the face and side, as well as his back, as he hopped from pad to pad.

000

"How the hell is that thing blasting so many balls?!" Roy groaned, rubbing his jaw. "At least I wasn't burned again…"

000

"And Roy makes it across for the Machamps! That's four to two!" Reshiram announced.

Travis kept his arms folded as he and Lee exchanged glances. The Thunderbolt Pokémon was irritated, but still felt a tad bit bad about what Roy revealed. Lee, however, was still very much furious as he considered his options. If he won it for his team, Travis and Stain would still be in he game. However, if he lost, there could be a chance that Roy would stick with those two for strength. As much as he hated to say it, it was better to play it safe at the moment.

He turned to the Electivire, and after taking a deep breath, he commanded, "Go…"

Travis gave him a look, "Like I told you, I-"

"GO!" he exploded, snapping at the Thunderbolt Pokémon.

Travis looked at the Boltund in surprise and slight fear. Grumbling to himself, he glanced back to the other team, where he watched as Martin was knocked off of one of the platforms again.

-000-

Steve groaned, holding his head with his wing. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't be. The other team was actually beating them, somehow, even though they were the ones closer to Ahku and the tennis ball blaster! The Toucannon growled to himself as he watched Martin swim back to the opposite shore.

He looked over and saw Travis stepping onto the first platform, where he almost immediately fell into the water. He threw his arms around, trying to find his balance, before eventually calming down and stabilizing. He let out a breath before leaping forward to the next one and almost falling over once again.

Seeing that Lee was the only one left, Steve decided to approach him as he waited for his own team to make progress. As the Cannon Pokémon approached, Lee gained a smile. "Hey, old timer," he greeted.

Steve chortled before glancing at a flailing Travis, who was being pummeled by tennis balls. "Well, I see that your team is actually making progress so far. Those bastards haven't screwed you over…"

Lee took a breath, "Yeah, but it's still a lot more infuriating than you think…" He looked over at Travis, who finally fell into the water after being hit in the jaw. "That one apparently called me a distraction because of how I look, as if it's my fault I have this figure," Lee explained, resentment oozing from his tone. "Then, he had the nerve to say that I should take it as a compliment, even though he and Stain have been nothing but awful to me since this game started."

Steve huffed, shaking his head. He'd seen and dealt with guys like that before. "Sounds to me like the boy has some of his own distractions in his head that he needs to worry about more," he replied. "The ones that're always the most vocal against something usually have their own skeletons in the closet."

"Oh, for sure…" Lee chuckled. "I just don't want to be on the receiving end of one his bones."

"What bones?" they suddenly heard as Travis pulled himself out of the water. They both immediately rolled their eyes. "Ugh… Don't tell me you two are talking about boners. I'm literally right here."

"When you should be over there," Lee shot back, glaring at him. "If you don't wanna hear what we're talking about… remove yourself."

Travis eyed the two of them, with Steve glaring back with pure hate in his eyes. Now feeling even more uncomfortable, the Electivire turned back around and started moving onto the first platform once again.

000

"Fucking assholes… They don't do themselves any favors by forcing people who aren't comfortable with them to go away…" Travis huffed, folding his arms.

000

"Ugh… Look at them. Fucking fag solidarity…" Stain jeered, watching Steve and Lee from across the pond.

"Do you ever get tired of being an asshole?" Roy scoffed. "You can't just let people live their lives?"

"Do you ever get tired of being a beta bitch?" Stain countered. "Their bullshit is ruining the male image, and you're actually supporting it. We're the alphas. Alphas are supposed to assert power over females and betas."

"It's called minding your own business, cabrón," KG deadpanned. "If you're letting another guy control or dictate how you act… Isn't that being a follower?"

"And alpha males don't even really exist. It's been disproven for-"

"Shut up, beta," the Muk interrupted. "No one cares about what you have to say. Consider yourself lucky that you're even still here…"

KG and Simen exchanged looks of confusion, as did Roy, who was completely perplexed by the Sludge Pokémon's attitude. "Uh… You realize that this is just the second day of challenges, right?"

"And you realize that there's more than one way to leave this game, right?" the Muk ominously retorted. "Watch yourselves."

000

"Yeah… Stain needs to go," Roy stated. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that was a threat. I thought that I'd actually just keep him around for strength and because people would always wanna eliminate him before me, but… Yeah, screw that."

000

"Okay, this is getting painful to watch," Dale commented as Martin crawled back onto the shore, panting heavily.

"Ey, bub! Yous ain't even participatin', so shut your trap," the Morgrem growled.

"Martin, dude… We're hosed if you don't make it," Nick replied. "The other team-"

"And Travis manages to make it across for the Mighty Machamps! One more and they win the challenge!" Zekrom announced.

Nick sighed, plopping onto the ground, "Well, I guess that's that…"

"Well, if one of yous wanted t' actually try, yous coulda let me stop like I was trying t'!" the Devious Pokémon argued. "Every time I swam back, none of yous stepped up!"

Once he said that, Rane took a step forward, which Martin scoffed at. Where was this energy ten minutes ago? "Little late for dat, bucko…"

Once again grabbing the Morgrem by the hair, Rane began twirling him around like a lasso.

"WHAT IS YOUS DOING YA BIG GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Eventually, Rane released him, sending him flying across the pond.

000

"Remind me to never get on Rane's bad side…" Nick commented, rubbing his head.

000

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Martin landed on the other side of the pond, a few feet away from Tate. Lifting his face up, the Morgrem groaned, "Fuckin' bastard…"

Steve approached the fallen Devious Pokémon, indifferent to his condition. "Took you long enough…"

"Don't start wit' me," Martin countered as he got to his feet. "Yous fuckin' went off script an' ran across here without a care and-"

"Because we were losing time, you moronic delinquent!" Steve chastised. "You expected the letter to make it all the way across before anyone else could go, and that wasn't going to happen. Hell, from the looks of it, without Rane, you wouldn't have even crossed!"

"Technically," Reshiram chimed in. "Martin would still have to cross on his own, since we said that you have to cross using the pads. So, while Rane's move was a smart one, it didn't follow the challenge guidelines."

"So we woulda still-"

"AND THE MIGHTY MACHAMPS WIN!" Zekrom suddenly announced.

Turning around, Steve saw that Lee was no longer on the same side as him, Martin, and Tate. They'd started to have a discussion about his chances and how he was thinking of throwing the challenge, but he had gotten distracted by Martin's sudden landing.

The Toucannon sighed in annoyance. "Arceus, damn it…"

000

All of the players returned to better side of the pond. The Mighty Machamps, despite winning, had mixed reactions. While they were happy with their victory, the fact that certain people would still be in the game really soured the mood.

"Well, a big congratulations to the Mighty Machamps for pulling out a win," Reshiram commented. "Lee, making it across in under ten seconds, very impressive."

The Boltund smirked, much to Travis' chagrin. He should've been the one getting praise from the hot hostess.

"Conkeldurrs… We'll be seeing you guys tonight for your first elimination ceremony," Zekrom imparted.

The members of the Candid Conkeldurrs shared visages of disappointment and irritation. This was their first loss, and it really felt like it could've been avoided.

000

"Well… We lost our first challenge," Dale recounted, letting out a sigh. "At least now we can get rid of Martin. He's the main reason we lost, and he's got too many screws loose."

000

"If dese morons know what's good for 'em in dese shows, dey'll get rid of Stevie Blunder or silent treatment," Martin stated. "Guys like 'em almost always make it far because dey win a lotta shit. Knowing how dumb and babyish everything's been so far, dey'll make a dumb move."

000

After an hour, the Candid Conkeldurrs made their way to the elimination ceremony. Given that this was their first time at the location, a few of them were admiring the scenery. As they all took their seats, Reshiram took a spot at the sandstone podium.

"Hello Candid Conkeldurrs, and welcome to your first elimination ceremony," the Vast White Pokémon greeted. "If you've seen any of these shows before, you know how this process works."

"Whoever receives the most votes must head down the Rocky Road to the Dock of Descent, where you will taken away via boat," Zekrom chimed in, with Reshiram nodding in affirmation.

"Of course, yous two even baby-fied da way we's goes t' da fancy resort place. Great…" Martin groused, folding his arms.

The host couple exchanged looks. Given Stain's comments at the last elimination ceremony, they weren't surprised that everyone knew about the post-elimination resort at that point. Ignoring the imp's petty complaint, Reshiram began, "Now. After a spectacular run in yesterday's challenges, you all seemed prime to be an unstoppable team with another victory earlier today. What went wrong?"

"Well, technically the victory earlier was because of how uncomfortable it was getting for the guys on the other team," Dale reminded, not wanting full credit for that win.

"'Ey, a win's a win," Martin argued. "If da other team wants t' yell at a fag and two weaklings and make dings bad for demselves, den let 'em!"

"I swear, boy… If you say that fucking slur again, I'll peck out those eyes of yours," Steve stated sternly, 100% serious as he threw a piercing glare at the Devious Pokémon.

"Well, hopefully it'll be censored before this completely airs…" Zekrom commented, prompting Martin to cackle.

"Oh please, if what yous implied about Victini being involved in dis baby show is right, den my words ain't goin' nowhere," the Morgrem laughed.

"Little dude says, 'Your words might not, but you might be…'", Nick relayed.

Martin scoffed, "Please. If any of yous seriously try t' vote for me instead of uber hulk, Steve-No, or 'ell… da one who hasn't competed in anything… Yous is way dumber den you look."

"Well, we'll have to see the results, then… Won't we?" Reshiram inquired rhetorically.

000

"Martin. You won't be missed," Dale stated flatly. "Maybe if Victini ever hosts a show again, you can experience all the pain and suffering you want everyone else to experience…"

000

Martin flipped off the camera, "Fuck off, Stevie…"

000

Tate let out a sigh.

000

Once everyone finished voting, the hosts left to review the results. As they all waited, Martin kept his arms folded as he glanced at the others. Steve wore a smirk on his face, while the others wore neutral expressions. The Morgrem huffed, already knowing what was going on.

Eventually, Reshiram and Zekrom returned, with Ahku in tow once again holding a tray of Alolan Rolls.

"Oh… We get bread for safety?" Nick acknowledged.

"Yes," Reshiram confirmed. However, she didn't feel like repeating what she'd said previously, so she said, "Just doing something a bit different…"

"Now, as you can already guess, when I call your name, it means that you're safe," Zekrom stated.

The guys all waited in anticipation, though it seemed like they all knew what the end result was.

"Rane…"

The Golisopod caught the roll as it was tossed in his direction. He knew that he would be safe.

"Nick… Lex… Tate…"

The Eiscue caught two rolls, holding one up for Lexico. Tate's roll simply landed on one of his spikes, requiring Nick to take it off and sit it in front of him.

"Dale…"

With a grand toss, Ahku catapulted the Alolan Roll over everyone's heads as the piece of bread hit Dale in the head, which could be seen by his flinching eye on his monitor. "Uh… nice throw?" he replied awkwardly.

Steve and Martin were the only two remaining. Steve wore a look of confidence, while Martin huffed, his arms folded.

"Well, I believe it's fair to see why you two are on the bottom," Reshiram began. "Steve, while you mean well, you can be a bit abrasive at times…"

The Toucannon nodded in understanding. He was going to try and be better with that, and hopefully, if Martin got eliminated, it'd be easier.

"And Martin… It's pretty self-explanatory. You're rude and sadistic, which both annoys people and makes them uncomfortable…"

"Yeah yeah yeah, just get it over with," the Morgrem huffed.

"As you wish…" Zekrom replied with a shrug. "The last one safe is… Steve!"

Martin rolled his eyes as he stood up, "Figures you losers would take da easy ebay out instead o' doin' somethin' more impactful. Expect nothin' less from a buncha crybabies on a boring parody of an actually betta' show. Good luck with your bunnies and unicorn game, sissies…"

The Morgrem began walking down the rocky path, leaving the remaining Conkeldurrs to exchange looks.

000

"Dis show's gonna flop and it's gonna flop hard. Nothin' worthwhile is gonna happen because all dese guys is a buncha sissies except a few. Da hosts are just kindergarten teachers and da challenges is playground shit. How do dey expect dis t' do good? Did dey not see dat Para-freakazoid season?" Martin complained. "Whateva' I'm actually glad I'm out. Gonna get t' da resort and watch da real show."

000

Eventually, Dale questioned the Morgrem's logic, "Wait… How were we the crybabies when he's the one who was always complaining that things weren't dangerous enough?"

"Projection…" Tate stated.

"Well, regardless of what he said… You all are still in the game and he's not," Zekrom replied. "For now, head on back to the Mess Hall for dinner. Good night."

As the remaining six guys began making their way back toward the campgrounds, the couple turned to a camera. Zekrom let out a sigh of relief, "Well, that's one offensive annoyance down and a few more to go…"

"Thank you all for watching, and be sure to tune in next time to find out who else will head down to the Dock of Despair here on Total… Pokémon… Maelstrom!"

000

Votes:

Martin - 6 votes (Dale, Lexico, Nick, Rane, Steve, Tate)

Steve - 1 vote (Martin)

000

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

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

000

And there goes Martin, unsurprisingly. Yep, the classic 'this thing was better in the older days and it sucks now because I say so' situation. Man, I hate people like that, so having him go so soon is good for everyone else who also hates them. First made his appearance in Underdogs, and finally got contacted to compete… only to whine about his experience without giving it a fair chance. But, seems par for the course.

A few more developments have been made. Roy's confliction about which way he should go. Lee gaining a bit more confidence. Travis and Stain still being pains, though Travis is being more of a weirdo… We'll see what happens going forward.

Anyways, see ya guys, BYE!

000

Elimination Order:

14th - Morris Cirria (The Southern Boy)

13th - Jekyll Martin (The Victini Fanboy)