But I see it in my dreams even though I erased it. Maybe I'm done. Just one more time before saying goodbye. I'm just kidding, please forget I said that.
TRIGGER WARNING: Some discomforting imagery might pop up in this chapter so take caution.
Staravia put her wings together with an impatient expression. She counted every single second it took between her announcement and right now, to make sure that there was enough time for a commercial break. Bellossom has already removed her tutu by this point and Staravia was more focused on being the best temporary host to even bother forcing her to wear it again.
"Okay people! We have a challenge to get to! We don't have all day!" She yelled out as the remaining contestants, save for Oricorio, lined up into their respective groups in front of her. "We'll start with the Shuppet first so uhh… pick someone to go first or someone can volunteer?! Let's make this quick before I make the choice for you!" She then giggled, whispering quietly to herself. "Not that I mind that or anything. It's always nice to get to be in the spotlight more~"
The Shuppet were about to discuss this but their decision was then made as a huffy-looking Cramorant took a step forward, folding her arms.
"I volunteer to be like first or whatever." Cramorant announced. "I mean, it's not like I have better things to do cuz my phone is fried. Can't even waste time by playing Candy Crush…"
Staravia looked rather disappointed by this but mustered a smile. "Okie dokie, Cramorant! Step right up, enter the cottage then have a small chance of winning a prize if you succeed! Are you ready?"
"... Hashtag W-T-F?!" The cormorant just blinked as her fellow bird put a wing around her back then pushing her into the now-opened cottage. Who even opened it!? Wasn't it closed a few seconds ago!?
Cramorant turned around as she stepped foot into the cottage, raising a finger. "So, what do I-" But before she could finish, the door just closed on her face… and neither Staravia or Bellossom even touched it.
"So uhm… is she alright?" Chansey piped up in concern.
"She's fine!" Staravia assured… before turning to Bellossom with a clueless grin. "Uhh… she's fine, right?"
"Why are you asking me that!?" Bellossom gawked back at her, turning to the contestants with a sigh. "It's VIRTUAL REALITY! So the worst that could happen is-"
"She could be stuck in virtual reality and risk dying or ending up in a coma if she died in virtual reality!?" Magcargo gasped in shock. "That sounds terrible!"
"I… wasn't even done explaining." Bellossom said, worn out already. Magcargo was about to open his mouth to answer but Bellossom forced a wide grin. "Please shut up right now, okay? I'm explaining like a good host would!" Nobody said anything after this. The Grass-type sighed in relief as she continued. "Anyways, the interior of the cottage is just an empty cottage but once Cramorant went in, it changes form to accommodate her fear. So for example, if she was afraid of sharks, the room would be 'flooded' and a shark would appear. Cramorant would FEEL both the water and shark because this is technically not even Virtual Reality. It's like… a dream. Yeah, that's the easy way to explain things."
"That does sound difficult to follow but I understand the gist." Klinklang commented. "So, it is like a dream produced by the cottage. Hmm… I'm guessing Darkrai played a part in its creation?"
"I don't know obviously. I'm just an innocent little intern!" Bellossom replied. "But I do know it was a 'gift' from Palkia!"
"Interesting." Klinklang nodded in understanding as he floated to the side.
Vanilluxe looked shocked by all of this though, sweating bullets. "L-like a dream!? So, does that mean-" He swallowed a huge lump in his throat as he was starting to see red. "H-hahaha…"
Cramorant groaned as she turned around after being forced into the dark cottage. Her eyes widened as what she saw… was not a normal cottage interior. She was somehow outside?! Even though she remembered literally entering a building a few seconds ago.
She took a step back, but panic quickly set in as she realized that the door she came in from, wasn't there anymore. Instead, she could actually walk through where the door was. Was this what they meant with virtual reality?! "Wait a minute! If this was VR, there would still be walls in the same place. I have over a hundred hours of X-P on the Oculus headset to know that. I literally bumped into every wall while trying to play any game."
She fell to her feet as she gathered her thoughts. "Unless… this isn't virtual reality?! This is a hecking scam all along?! Hashtag cancel Staravia and Bellossom… Starrossom?! Is that their ship name or whatevs?!" She shook her head at these stray thoughts. She had a challenge to worry about and she SHOULD be experiencing her fear anytime soon, right?
Her question was immediately answered as it started to rain. At first, it was just light but as time went on, thunderclouds began to appear and Cramorant gulped at this. Sure, she wasn't scared of thunder in particular but being very very weak to electric-types gave her some anxiety. She stood up and scrambled to find shelter but somehow, she was just standing in the middle of a flat grasslands without a tree in sight or anything else. It was just an endless expanse of grass.
You have nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.
Cramorant tensed as her mind was starting to get filled with a monotonous voice speaking over her thoughts. Even worse, she had no idea what they were about. This was a simple Fear Factor challenge… right?
I have nowhere to go… why was I born this way?
"Okay, rude much!? Who is even saying that!? I'm literally the only girl h-" She held back a scream as a bolt of lightning barely missed her. That was too close for comfort. "OKAY, this is not funny. This isn't even my fear. I'm scared of my PHONE breaking or being lost, not thunderstorms! HASHTAG HELLLP!"
Looking through a screen, I see myself. Someone is reaching. Save… me.
Cramorant started running, hoping she would outrun the thunderstorm but in the process, she accidentally tripped over her own feet and dropped her phone. This was the tipping point. She was FINE being fried by lightning but her PHONE?! It was her everything. Without it, she was nothing.
Poipole looked panicked as he was staring at a tablet, containing the footage from the challenge. "OKAY… PALKIA lied to me. He said this was useful for fear challenges!?"
After a few minutes, Cramorant emerged from the building with a rattled expression, left eye twitching as she had her grip tightened around the door knob.
"So, how was it? You earned a poi-" Staravia was about to congratulate her but Cramorant let out a scream as she fell to her knees. "Ookay… girl, we are on national television. Get yourself together. This is why amateurs aren't allowed on set."
"Uhhm… Staravia, shouldn't you do something about this?" Bellossom pointed out, crossing her arms. The bird just gawked at her in confusion.
"Isn't this the reason why we have paramedics on stand-by?! Chansey, get to work!"
The nurse blinked, before deflating. "I'm a contestant, not some staff member you can boss around, you know…"
"Oh uhm, help?! Please?" Staravia urged, eyes shifting from the uncertain nurse and the blue bird, who was close to lying on the ground, holding her head. "What even happened there?"
"M-my phone… I saw it…" Cramorant managed to choke out, teary-eyed. Staravia leaned closer to listen to her fellow bird's melancholy that was slowly starting to get drowned in sobs. "B-b-broken!"
Silence. Staravia deadpanned at this. "Isn't your phone broken? This is not something new. I can't even milk this for drama, girl. At least, have a better story next time?"
"It's like reliving your worst trauma!" Cramorant defended herself, running off to join back with her team.
Staravia shrugged, indifferent to the cormorant's plight. She just wants to carry on with the challenge instead of focusing too much on the fluff anyways. "Okay, since Cramorant survived a minute facing her fear, the Shining Shuppet have earned their first point in the challenge!"
While Staravia continued to congratulate the Shuppet on their initial success, Chansey turned to Cramorant, not only out of concern for her wellbeing… but also because she was a bit alarmed with her behavior after going inside the cabin. She grew worried that it wasn't just her phone getting broken. "So, how was the-" Cramorant covered her ears as she shook her head, muttering no all over and over again. "Uhh… okay? I'm guessing it was that bad, huh?"
"Oh please, she's just being overdramatic, as usual." Klinklang chimed in nonchalantly while the bird shot a glare at him. "It's no secret that Cramorant here is just shallow and too self-absorbed. Her fear is just as shallow-"
"Oh wow, EFFF you!" Cramorant exclaimed, flashing her middle finger before storming away from the group.
Staravia blinked… before clasping her wings together, forcing the most 'wholesome' expression she could muster. "I love the drama and everything but that was a bit too much. Know your limits, dude!"
"I shudder at the thought of you being in charge, despite being no older than any of us." Klinklang muttered. Staravia winced, a bit uncomfortable.
She did a fake cough, hoping to get the challenge along smoothly without too many delays. They already had a lot of problems with Nihilego being sick and everything. They had a schedule to follow and Poipole was counting on her and Bellossom to take over and make sure that they can get this episode over with.
"I will pretend you didn't say anything. Since Cramorant completed her fear, she earned a point for the Shining Shu-" Staravia stopped as she noticed a curious Magcargo raising his appendages. "Yes, do you have any problems?"
"So, how exactly can you say that someone has faced their fear? It's all a simulation, right? And I don't think there's any way for us to leave the cabin while it's happening, so how do we… win or lose a point?" Magcargo queried, since confused about the concept of the challenge.
"Didn't I mention that it's supposed to be one minute inside..? And uhhm… to lose, I think if the simulation senses that you WANT to leave, it ends the scenario and you are forced out." Staravia explained, thinking over what Poipole told her about the cabin. Her gaze went over to Bellosom, hoping that her fellow temporary hostess can shed more light but the Grass-type just shrugged in response. "I know it's hard to understand but it's one of those cases where once you're inside, you'll understand how it works eventually!"
Skwovet snorted, rolling his eyes. "It's almost like you don't know what you're actually doing." Klinklang and Empoleon both nodded in agreement in the background. Staravia raised a wing, thinking of the best argument she could think of. But at the end of the day, she was a goal-oriented type of person and arguing with the contestants wasn't going to be a good way of showing that she's a great potential future host.
"Mhm, okay. Whatever floats your boat. We're moving on to the Twinkling Trubbish anyways. So, who wants to go first?"
The members of the Twinkling Trubbish all had a look of uncertainty, after just seeing Cramorant's reaction from facing her fear in the simulation. Some of them held envious looks directed at Oricorio, who was sitting on the sitout bench, passing the time by muttering cheers under her breath.
For a few seconds, it looked like nobody wanted to step up… until Skwovet took a step forward with his best attempt to make a straight face.
"You know what… Klinklang might be right and Cramorant is just a huge drama queen." Skwovet intoned, anxiety clear from his twitching smile. "I mean, how bad can it be… right?"
"Uhh… okay then, Skwovet." Bellossom spoke up as she walked over to the squirrel to start leading him into the cabin, to his surprise. "This won't hurt… much."
"What is THAT supposed to mean?!"
Klinklang gazed at the camera with an uncaring and chilling expression. "I do not care if I come off as aloof or abrasive. Not that those can exist similarly. I just find it hard not to comment on Cramorant and her flaws. Despise me all you want for that, but it's just who I am."
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "This game has been going on for longer than I expected it to be, so I suppose you could say that I'm reaching my limit…" He paused, eyes closed until a forced smirk crept its way up his face. "Nonsense. I approach everything, taking advantage of everything I can! Something like that is just impossible."
"I would be foolish to put my emotions first before logic and Cramorant surely feels the same. She is a brainless bimbo but I'll give her this, she puts her phone over everything else. She has her priorities and that is respectable…" He chuckled stiffly to himself. "Now, if only she focused on something that actually mattered."
Skwovet leaned back on the chair with a shaken expression. "I don't have any fears… or well, any dark fears you usually keep pent-up inside 'ya or something but if Cramorant came out like THAT, then I am justified for being nervous about this challenge right now."
He shuddered, hands hugging himself tightly. "I mean, VIVILLON could show up in my simulation to ruin my day and that would suck… NO, it would be worse. I think my body would just tell me to fuck off immediately and help us lose the challenge. UGH, it's making me really stressed out that my hands are starting to sweat!"
He shoved his damp fingers into the camera with a weak chuckle. "SEE, it's really soaked!"
Skwovet mentally prepared himself as the door behind him shut and he found himself in a dark room. The simulation wasn't running yet from the looks of it, but that made the squirrel even more nervous as the loud sound of machinery running in the background became more prominent and slow but steadily, the environment around him began to change.
Skwovet wasn't sure when it happened but he blinked for a split second and when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a tight space. The walls have closed in on him and he was forced into an uncomfortable position as the ceiling was forcibly going down on him as the walls slowly enclosed his body.
"W-what? Wasn't this place larger… a few seconds… ago." Skwovet muttered to himself as he tried to stand up, only to realize that the ceiling was very low, so low in fact that he, a small Pokemon, would hit his head on it sharply, making him let out a cry of pain at the sudden collision.
He fell to his knees until the best position he could make was a fetal position with him hugging his knees close to his chest, while ignoring the fact that he felt that the walls were going to close in on him completely.
And if that wasn't enough, Skwovet started to feel a tightness around his chest and neck.
"Too… tight…" He tried to examine his chest for any weird occurrences but there weren't any problems so why was he feeling pain all of a sudden.
"A-aaa… Ah!" Skwovet struggled to scream as the tightness went down his body, until even his tail was stuck in an invisible grip that covered his entire being.
Claustrophobia, the fear of tight spaces. Skwovet always didn't feel great in small and secluded spaces because it gave him mild anxiety. He had a subconscious fear that the walls would start closing in on him and CRUSH him.
But that doesn't explain the tightness. It felt like someone was strangling him, crushing him. "Oh… so this is how it felt… all… along."
Even as Skwovet tried to ignore the pain, he couldn't hold out, falling unconscious in the process as his surroundings returned to the dark room he was in earlier, signifying that he failed to complete his challenge, only lasting for about 40 seconds in this customized torture chamber.
Skwovet exited the building with a pale complexion, coupled with an anxious expression as if he had just seen a ghost. While everything that had happened and everything he felt was all in his head, he can't help but feel out of breath.
To make matters worse, Staravia shook her head at the squirrel's direction, putting up a thumbs-down. "Okay, I know this might sound rude and awful after everything, but you didn't finish the whole 1 minute so you did NOT earn a point for the Twinkling Trubbish."
Skwovet gave her a look, frowning. "…"
"Hey now! I don't know what your fear is so I'm not trying to make fun of you or anything!" Staravia assured, waving her wings out of reassurance at the Normal-type's face.
"Whatever." Skwovet grumbled as he passed by the bird, grabbing some pins that the bird had in her person at the same time.
Staravia noticed this though but ignores it, since she had extras anyway. Clasping her wings together, she yelled out. "Okay, the current score tally is 1-0, with the Shining Shuppet in the lead. And we're back to the Shining Shuppet. Will they earn another point to further their lead or will they falter and give the Trubbish the perfect opportunity to catch up?! FIND OUT… after the commercial break!"
"Since everyone else was focused on the challenge, I feel a bit left out." Oricorio admitted sheepishly. "So I do want to do SOMETHING. I mean, part of the reason I joined the cheerleader squad is because I liked the fast movement and energy behind cheerleading. So, of course, I want to do something instead of just sitting on the sidelines."
"TWINKLING TRUBBISH, YOU'RE THE TEAM! THAT WILL WIN THIS CHALLENGE, THAT'S THE DREAM! FACE YOUR FEARS BEHIND THE DOOR! WIPE THE OTHER TEAM INTO THE FLOOR!" Oricorio stood on top of the sitout bench, wings cupped in front of her mouth to make her cheer louder. "SHINING SHUPPET, YOU WILL LOSE. WE WILL WIN, YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE!"
Staravia blinked, surprised by Oricorio's sudden outburst, expecting her to sit pretty while the challenge was happening. "Uhm… what are you doing? Can't you see that we are having a COMMERCIAL BREAK here?!"
"Actually, the commercial break ended 10 seconds ago." Bellossom reminded her cheekily.
"DANG IT. You should've reminded me!"
"Sorry, but it's your job as the main host."
"But you're my assistant so-"
"TWINKLING TRUBBISH-"
Staravia face-palmed, turning back to Oricorio who sat back down immediately as the bird looked more annoyed than usual. "Okay, I am FINE with cheering and all but nothing is even happening. AND, I hate to say it but your cheers aren't going to be heard inside the cabin so save your breath… LITERALLY!"
"S-sorry…" Oricorio said sheepishly, looking down in embarrassment.
"Besides, your cheers aren't better than the ones I can come up with in like… ten seconds so you have a lot of work to do-"
"I thought we're supposed to get on with the challenge?" Bellossom pointed out. "Or did you forget for the fifth time ever?"
"What?! I didn't do it on purpose! Hmph, you can't just expect me to be perfect. Hmm… maybe that could be good material for next time…"
"Uhmm… before Oricorio interrupted, let's just proceed with the challenge so nobody's time is wasted." Klinklang suggested.
"Err.. yes, has the Shining Shuppet decide on who is going next for their team?" Bellossom intoned.
Klinklang takes a step forward nonchalantly. "We don't need to drag this out."
"Okay then. Let's get to it then." Bellossom ordered as Staravia was pushing Oricorio AND the sit-out bench off-screen so that the Electric-type wouldn't disrupt the challenge with her attempts to cheer on her team.
Klinklang entered the building and just like with Cramorant and Skwovet, he found himself in a dark void… which immediately changed to a dimly-lit room with metallic walls and floor.
"Interesting… this is supposed to be my fear?" Klinklang muttered to himself, slightly amused by how… mundane his surroundings looked.
He scoffed as he floated over to the wall to prepare himself for his 'fear'.
Klinklang is a naturally logical person. He was a firm believer that 'fear' was irrational and knew that whatever he was going to face in this simulation was something so irrational that would get under his nerves. But with the pure existence of walking annoyances like Cramorant, Klinklang was more than confident that he would succeed.
CRACK…
Klinklang felt his body grow tense suddenly, at this sudden sound. Before he could react, the walls of the building have turned from metal to mirrors, showing his reflection.
"Is this all?" Klinklang remained unfazed through all of this. The mirror walls all began to crack, shattering his reflection. He felt slightly uncomfortable but discomfort was easy to deal with, once he kept reminding himself that this was all just a simulation.
The reflection suddenly changed into a Duraludon's. Klinklang's eyes widened at this. This wasn't his fear. Why was this suddenly happening?
This isn't real. They're not real. Everything isn't real. You're not real. I'm not real.
Feeling slowly light-headed, Klinklang was starting to lose his composure.
And the reflection kept changing. From a Duraludon to a Magcargo to a Ferrothorn to a Cramorant to a Klefki. It was a repeating set of images.
Keeping his body pressed on the wall, he decided to close his eyes. This was a simulation so he could easily ignore his fear. As long as he can avoid the desire to leave this simulation, he can survive the one minute… but for some reason, the minute felt longer than it should.
Everything started shaking and the jagged pieces of the mirror were fixing it self then immediately shattering to pieces. An endless cycle that reminded Klinklang of what he was truly afraid of, deep inside.
"Klinklang… what are you doing?" A familiar voice chimed in. Klinklang swallowed as he reluctantly opened his eyes to find the pieces of glass merging together to form an amalgamation of Duraludon, Magcargo, Ferrothorn, Cramorant and Klefki.
"What… I already apologized." Klinklang said coldly as the 'monster' took a step closer. "You were not supposed to take it personally."
Klinklang braced for impact as the 'monster' lunged for him but before he knew it, he was back where he came from, outside of the cabin, with Staravia congratulating him for succeeding in facing his fear.
Despite his success, he still can't shake off the fact that something was wrong. A thinly-veiled threat hidden in the simulation. He wanted to say he knew himself and his fears but even he was shocked by what he saw and what he experienced but one thing's for sure, some things are better left buried.
"Fear is something that everyone experiences but I don't let my fear consume me and stop me from doing what I have to do." Klinklang rationalized his thoughts, while piecing together the subliminal messages. "I know what I'm scared of and while it sounds like cowardice to avoid it, it's what the rational mind strives to do. Yet, the simulation identified a different fear. Something I didn't think I had."
He looked thoughtful for a split second, emotion for once visible on his cold expression… before shaking his head with a scoff. "But technology is never right always. Some things will have to be reevaluated and perhaps, Poipole needs to ask for reimbursement for the shortcomings of what he had purchased."
As Gossifleur volunteered to be the next contestant to enter what Staravia had decided to call the "Trauma Center", Klinklang was trying to distance himself from… basically everyone, still shaken from his experience, though he would just deny it internally. This attracted the attention of a curious Magcargo, who just wants to check up on his friend.
"Klinklang, are you alright? Uhh…" Magcargo struggled to say anything further since the Steel-type was usually introverted so this was nothing new but in his gut, he felt that something was different.
"Are you assuming that I am not alright?" The gear asked in a flat tone.
"Oh, I'm just curious… since uhmm… Skwovet told me that the simulation can be a bit… surprising?" Magcargo explained. "You don't have to answer that actually."
"In case you must know, my simulation was no hassle." Klinklang assured the snail. "I do not know what Cramorant or Skwovet faced in their simulations but I am not surprised that they were shaken, since they're the type to confuse fantasy with reality."
"I dunno. I mean, I haven't did the challenge yet so it could FEEL very real." Magcargo remarked, eyes shifting to the side anxiously.
Klinklang met his gaze, scoffing. "Oh please, fantasy is just that. Fake and a false reflection of reality. There is no need for melodrama."
"I don't know about that…" Magcargo muttered to himself. Noticing the Steel-type starting to float away, he shook his head, crawling forward towards his companion. "B-but uhm, I do get what you mean!"
"Okay. Conversation over then?"
"Wait-" Unfortunately, Magcargo's slow speed worked against him as Klinklang had managed to evade him and leave the area. "Oh…"
"So Skwovet, what was your fear exactly?" Vanilluxe queried, struggling to hide his anxiety of going inside the building.
"Why do you ask? Does it even matter when I already done my challenge thing?" Skwovet intoned, pressing his palms together, avoiding the ice cream's stare. "It wasn't TOO bad."
Vanilluxe blinked… before deadpanning, unamused. "Didn't you lose your challenge though?"
"OKAY… maybe, it was a little bit too hard but it's not my fault, okay!"
"Well… what exactly did you face then?" Vanilluxe questioned, not backing down without getting an answer out of him.
Skwovet blinked, surprised by the ice cream's insistence to know. He looked to the side, not wanting to remember the tight space he was forced into… and Vanilluxe getting closer and closer felt awfully similar to that experience. "OKAY OKAY… it was a REALLY tight space. It was really hard to breathe."
"You're scared of Santa Claus?"
"What-"
"You know… since you're claustro-"
"I get it, I get it." Skwovet face-palmed in exasperation as the ice cream pouted in response. "Don't make a joke out of my fear, dude."
Vanilluxe nodded, blushing in embarrassment. "S-sorry."
"Why are you even insistent on wanting to know what my fear is even?" Skwovet queried, cocking a brow. "Kind of creepy. Do you have any..?"
"W-what?! No, obviously! I'm just… really… curious about uhm… simulations." Vanilluxe stammered, voice quieting down to a hush. "… i-it's no problem."
"Really? I told you my fear." Skwovet leaned in teasingly, patting the ice cream on the back. "So, it's your turn to share."
"Well… it's uhm… fire. Scared of melting!" Vanilluxe said, with a few gaps in between, which made it clear to Skwovet that he was lying. "And being eaten! P-people… think… that I'm uhhm… ICE CREAM, yeah…"
"You're the ice cream Pokemon so… makes sense." Skwovet pretended to believe the Ice-type, who just nodded shakily. "Uhm… good luck with your challenge then?"
"T-thank you…"
Gossifleur exited the 'Trauma Center', with a surprisingly unfazed expression, which surprised Staravia, who expected her to be completely destroyed by her fear.
"Uhh… you look surprisingly fine." Staravia commented, faking a gasp. "Oh no… how did I not notice it before?! You are the chosen one, the one who will save-"
"What?" Gossifleur looked confused, tilting her head to the side. She giggled, slightly amused by the bird's delusions of grandeur. "My fear came out a little bit TOO abstract in the simulation that it didn't feel like a fear in the end."
"Ah, your fear is so complicated that the simulation decided to piece together something comprehendible for this challenge that it strung together something that could barely be identified as your actual fear. It's like translating a phrase through Google Translate, going through different languages. The end product is so vastly different from the original that it might as well be a different phrase." Staravia deduced as she took up a British accent.
Gossifleur just nodded with a listless smile. "Err… I guess that's the reason why."
The flower then walked past the prospective actress, to join with her friends Sableye and Vanilluxe, who both looked relieved that she managed to finish her simulation in one piece.
"H-haha… Gossifleur, I'm glad that you managed to complete that simu… what is it called again..?" Sableye remarked as the Grass-type sat down next to them.
"It wasn't much trouble anyways." Gossifleur admitted. "Not to make light of what the others have experienced, it was like a light jog through an empty hallway. Maybe, it's because I mastered the art of being a bad girl that I faced my fear so easily."
"I uhh… don't think that's what happens…" Sableye murmured, twiddling his fingers awkwardly. "N-not that I would know…"
"What did you see in your simulation? How real was it?" Vanilluxe's expression was panicked and worried as he questioned his friend. "… did it hurt? And if so, how much?"
Gossifleur arched a brow, expecting the ice cream to say a pun to her expense, "Uhm… why do you ask?"
"Asking for a friend. They're getting COLD feet!" Vanilluxe answered. "They're getting brainFREEZE and feeling ICED out."
"Is this friend you then?"
"W-what?! I can't be friends with myself!"
"I dunno. It's not too bad." Sableye said offhandedly, shrugging.
"!" Vanilluxe and Gossifleur both turned to stare at the gremlin, with pitying expressions. "
"W-what? S-stop l-looking at me like that. I-it's making me nervous… h-hah… ha… HA!"
"Uhm… hang in there, Sableye." Gossifleur said, patting the gremlin on the back before turning back to the ice cream, whose mouth was quivering from pure anxiety. "Anyways Vanilluxe, it didn't hurt… for me at least. Different people have different experiences."
Vanilluxe looked disappointed, nodding reluctantly. "Ah… I see…"
"Why are you even asking?" Gossifleur queried. "Is your fear… pain?"
Vanilluxe tensed as his eyes shifted to the side. "M-maybe…"
Gossifleur sighed, feeling bad for her friend, since her fear was something she had already lived with for her entire life so it barely affected her but Vanilluxe's seemed to be actively harmful to him that she hopes that the ice cream can survive through his fear without any problems.
"Vanilluxe… you don't have to face your fear, if it's really bad." She muttered, so that their other teammates wouldn't overhear.
"W-what?! We can't lose this challenge… I am a USEFUL member of this team!" Vanilluxe gaped in shock at the flower's words. "The CREAM of the crop…"
"Vanilluxe, it'll be f-fine. We can g-get Oricorio and be the majority of the vote!" Gossifleur pointed out. "Your safety is more important."
"M-maybe I'm just overreacting then…"
Sableye and Gossifleur exchanged a look at this. The ice cream was PANICKING earlier, scrambling to check on how the simulations worked. It was the equivalent to a child asking their doctor if an injection hurts to stall for time. And all of a sudden, he was panicking for a different reason. Did he… WANT to face his fear?!
"Vanilluxe, this is something I learned through my father's lessons and it is that sometimes, self-preservation takes priority." Gossifleur explained. "Your company can't run if you're dead after all."
"D-d-d-dead?!"
Gossifleur blinked, blushing in embarrassment at her poor choice of words. "W-wait! That's not in a literal sense! Nobody's going to die. This simulation won't kill you-"
"Wow Gossifleur, you are r-really getting better with being a villainess, h-hah…" Sableye commented.
Gossifleur huffed at him in mild annoyance. "I w-wasn't trying to scare Vanilluxe any further!"
"D-dying… n-no… I can see the light…"
"V-Vanilluxe, don't go into the light… VANILLUXE!"
"It wasn't my intention to instill fear into Vanilluxe to prevent him from doing this challenge." Gossifleur said. "B-but I supposed I accidentally leaned into the fearmongering part of the lesson so…"
She shook her head, determined. "If Vanilluxe wants to go through with his fear, then I believe in him. Belief can't buy you anything but maybe just maybe, it's the push needed for the right direction."
Chansey is the next contestant to enter the Trauma Center and just like the previous simulations, hers start with darkness.
"Why is it cold here..?" Chansey thought to herself. "Don't tell me Magearna's going to show up here… she's not my fear… right?"
THUD! Chansey grunted as she hit the wall. She was surprised to find that there were boundaries in this simulation, expecting it to be an endless space that adapts to what was needed for each contestant.
"That hurt…" Chansey struggled to find her way in the dark, taking a few steps back hoping to find a light switch at least so that she could make better sense of what was going on in the darkness.
Chansey groaned as she bumped into another wall in the opposite direction. "I should probably start searching for the light switch…" She raised her hands in front of her and began feeling for any bumps that might be the switch.
She slowly made along the dark room… until she felt something bumpy and hard. "Okay… that doesn't feel right." Chansey said outright in shock- which just amplified, as the lights suddenly turned on, revealing that what Chansey had touched… was a STAKATAKA.
"W-what?!
"STAKA… TAKA… TAKA… STAKA…"
"Err… I hope this doesn't sound offensive, but what exactly are you saying..?" Chansey asked, slowly backing into a corner as the menacing Ultra Space was slowly moving over to her… one eye glowing that made chills go down the nurse's spine.
Chasey winced as the Steel-type roared at her. Stakataka aren't the type of Ultra Beast who would roar… right? Chansey braced for impact as Statakataka was already a few inches away from pulverizing her but surprisingly, a strangely masculine voice came out.
"Want to play a game?"
"W-wh-what?!"
Chansey blinked, confused by what just happened. "Okay, I know that Saw was a very scary movie… and probably haunted my nightmares for a short while back in middle school, but w-was that really my fear?! Why did Jigsaw even turn into a Stakataka..?"
"Congratulations Chansey on facing your fear!" Bellossom clapped her hands together as the nurse left the building with a confused expression. "That makes the tally 3-1."
Staravia nodded, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "An underdog story in the making. Can the Terrible Trubbish pull through or will we not even get to see the rest of the fears, since the other team has double their score?!"
"WOW, it's not like we're TRYING to lose here!" Skwovet commented, annoyed with the bird's attempts at theatrics. "Ugh…"
"Don't w-worry… we could still win!" Sableye assured him half-heartedly.
"Yeah, yeah…" Skwovet pretended to believe the gremlin's words as he went over to Floatzel, who was just seated on the sand, lost in his thoughts.
While the squirrel did not want to do anything with him, he knew he wasn't exactly in the best position on this team so hey, he could at least take advantage of the fight he accidentally caused.
"Uh… hey?"
Floatzel remained aloof as he continued to avert his gaze, wanting to remain alone for the most part. "…"
"Hi?"
"…"
"Okay, are you going to just ignore me or something?"
"…" Floatzel crossed his arms, reluctantly turning to the Normal-type's direction. "… what?"
"I was just curious… uhmm… are you and Teddiursa still..?"
"We're not on speaking terms…"
"Ah…"
"…"
"…"
"Okay… this is very awkward as fuck… maybe, I should snatch his- UGH, no, why am I even thinking about that right now?!" Skwovet's head began to be filled with thoughts as the weasel's stare grew more intense the more time he spent by his side. "Oh crap, he's just looking at me. Maybe, this is a bad idea all along-"
"What are you doing..?" Floatzel broke the silence, still skeptical by the squirrel's presence. "Don't tell me you're planning to do something obscene and unpredictable again. It's not going to work again."
"I wasn't trying to do anything!" Skwovet said, trying to hide his fidgeting hands from the sharp scanning gaze of the larger Pokemon. "I was just curious, since I'm still shocked that Teddiursa just lashed out at you like that."
"…" Floatzel's hairs tensed at this, obviously uncomfortable with discussing anything about the little bear Pokemon. "It's not all that shocking."
"Well… since she doesn't trust you anymore, maybe you should vote-"
"We haven't lost yet. So, this is not the right time to be discussing the vote." Floatzel interrupted him shakily, noticeably troubled. Skwovet blinked, a bit uncomfortable… and while he was a bit of a mischief maker, even he had standards.
"Uh… hang in there then, I guess-"
"You took my ballpoint pen just now." Floatzel called out, deadpanning. The squirrel's face turned red as he awkwardly dropped a pen in front of the Water-type's feet.
"Oh! H-hehe… I don't know how THAT got there but uhmm… have fun being you… and uhm…" Skwovet slowly took a step back before quickly turning away. "I'll get going now! See'ya!"
"…" Floatzel's eyes narrowed as he focused them on the retreating squirrel.
Skwovet crossed his arms, unamused with his recent failures in the game. "Okay okay, I know I have been a bit complacent since Vivillon got voted out but I'm better than that. I like to think I'm a guy whose head is in the right place to be thinking one step of everyone but at this point, I think everyone thinks I'm see-through and that's just not true!"
He put both hands to his hips as he leaned closer to the camera with a huff before sighing, turning to the side. "Right?! Am I really that obvious?!"
"THAT was your fear?!"
Magcargo and Chansey were both seated next to Oricorio on the bench, discussing Chansey's apparent fear that she successfully conquered. The duo were talking rather casually while Oricorio was doing her worst attempt to try and eavesdrop.
"Yes… it was a bit surprising since it was a movie I haven't watched in ages. I doubt I could even remember the plot by heart, at this point…"
Magcargo looked shocked yet intrigued as he leaned at the edge of his seat. "I guess that's the perks of virtual reality taking a deep look into your subconscious! It used your buried memories as a blueprint to build up a scenario. That's kind of an intriguing concept and now, I'm wondering how Groudon and Palkia even had access to this type of technology in the first place and-"
"Magcargo, b-breathe!" Chansey reminded him, noticing the snail's face starting to lose color. The Fire-type nodded, taking a long deep breath before mouthing a quick thank you. "I guess that is an interesting take to the whole challenge though. I guess that's how they took something from way back, something I could barely remember in the first place."
"I wonder if that means one of my worst childhood fears would show up in my simulation then…"
"What's your childhood fear exactly?"
"Trypophobia! Don't look it up, by the way…" Magcargo answered with a wide grin which quickly broke off as he realized what he just said. "It's less of a fear and more of a lurking discomfort, since there are just some places that shouldn't have holes on them!"
"Isn't that the fear of holes being clumped up together or something?"
"Pretty much! I just don't like it… heck, I don't like singular holes you can't see the bottoms of. Like a bottomless pit! It's just so mysterious and makes me feel umcomfortable. If I could, I would cover all holes!" Oricorio stifled a chuckle at this, which attracted the attention of the duo who haven't noticed her presence much for the entirety of their conversation.
"Oh, Oricorio! You were here too? You should've joined in the conversation. We don't mind!" Magcargo chirped, humming to himself as Chansey just nodded in affirmation.
Oricorio blinked before waving her wings around in front of her, with an embarrassed flush. "O-oh, don't mind me! I was just minding my own business. I just so happened to hear you just now, since up to now, I was honestly tuning out most of this challenge since I'm sitting out and everything."
"It's alright! The more the merrier! Didn't you say that once?"
"I did… didn't I..?" Oricorio looked embarrassed while she hid behind her wings. "Well… I guess I can't say I'm not relieved to be sitting out honestly…"
"Oooh ooh! What was your fear?" Magcargo asked, who sounded more than eager to hear.
Oricorio gulped as the lava snail leaned closer to her with interest evident in his eyes. "It's B-Beedrills…"
"Why? Beedrills look harmless-"
"I wouldn't try to generalize all those things, if I were you…" Oricorio advised with a nervous chuckle.
"Why are you scared of Beedrill?" Chansey asked, hoping to jump into the conversation.
"Well, I already told this story earlier but…"
Teddiursa entered the Trauma Center and waited for a few minutes for the simulation to boot up. A few seconds later, flickers of light began to rise up from the darkness… until Teddiursa was slowly consumed by this bright flash.
The light eventually died down, revealing that the little bear was now in a narrow hallway of a school building.
"Uhhh… I know school sucks… but I dunno if this is my actual fear…" Teddiursa thought to herself as she started walking down the hallway that seemed to be endless with no exits or entrances leading elsewhere.
The little bear stopped immediately when she noticed three familiar figures, just standing idly in her path.
"…" A blue elephant Pokemon with some red markings on her body stared blankly at her direction, making Teddiursa shudder internally. This was Phanpy. She used to be Teddiursa's lab partner who had a bit of an eccentric personality. They didn't talk much outside out of working in the lab together as partners… and that's for a good reason.
"…" A pink heart-shaped fish Pokemon stood on the opposite side of the elephant with a vacant expression, which was somehow worse than Phanpy's because of how different she's acting from how she usually is. Alomomola… yeah, Teddiursa preferred not to talk much about her.
"…" The final Pokemon stood in the middle of Phanpy and Alomomola. She was a fox-like Pokemon with well-trimmed brown fur, a bushy tail and a fuzzy cream-colored collar around her neck. Her neck was contorted into a strange position that it almost looked impossible to do. This was Eevee.
"…" All three Pokemon remained silent even as Teddiursa took a step forward to get a better look.
"Omigosh… don't tell me… it's the basic bitch squad?!" Teddiursa yelled out, cupping a paw to her mouth in faux-surprise. "Wait… that's my fear? I mean… Alomomola and I didn't exactly have much problems with each other so this doesn't make sense… I honestly expected something more gross and scary like-" She stopped as she noticed Phanpy leaning into her face, breathing heavily. This made alarm bells ring in Teddiursa's head but she managed to muster a weak smile. "P-Phona? When did you-"
A wide smile formed on the elephant's face rather abruptly that it simply looked unnatural. Teddiursa took one step back cautiously as she started to get a sense on what her fear may be.
"Hi tEdDiuRsA! loNg TImE, No SeE!" Phanpy said flatly, with no emotion in her tone. "mY naMe iS PhONa! hi HeLlo th-"
Teddiursa quickly covered the elephant's mouth with one paw, using the other to face-palm. "Rude much? You'd think my subconscious would call me by my ACTUAL first name…"
"What's your actual first name?" Phanpy said, mouth seemingly phasing through the little bear's paw.
"W-Why are you asking me, OwO?!"
Phanpy's listless expression quickly turned to that, copying Teddiursa's, which made the Normal-type severely disturbed. ThIS was definitely not normal. "OwO!"
"And now, you're copying me. Alomomola, Eevee… how about yo-"
Teddiursa looked past Phanpy only for her eyes to widen as she realized that the other two figures had the exact same expression as Phanpy.
"Wadafudge?!"
"Fudge…" Phanpy mumbled, nose pointed upwards as she sniffed her surroundings while Eevee and Alomomola gathered around her.
"Y-you're all copying me?! Is this some sick joke?!" Teddiursa remarked, pointing at Phanpy first. "Like you… you're a tomboy who's not like other girls… but of course, you say that to get the boys to like you."
"Not like… other girls." Phanpy muttered, blushing furiously.
Teddiursa then pointed to Alomomola. "And I don't know you much but you were sniffing and snorting up glitter during lunch period every time I've seen you. I'm pretty sure you eat glitter for dinner even-" She gaped as Alomomola started to drool, a sparkling purple liquid slowly trickling out of her nostrils. "… ew."
She then turned to Eevee, who was observing her two peers with complete interest. "And YOU… oh, you were definitely the worst one. You had creepy tendencies and acted like you were better than everyone else even though you're no-" Before she could finish, Eevee was already walking over to her, paw reaching over for the little bear's arm. "W-wait what are you even trying to do?!"
"Let me… give you some glitter." Alomomola sputtered out, eyes vacant as glitter casually spilled out of their sockets. "It will be fun and make your world more shiny and bright and wow, it's even a good side dish."
"Okay! I GET IT NOW!" Teddiursa gulped as she started making huge steps away from the three anomalies. "You're not the actual Phan, Alomomola OR Eevee and I'm not just saying that because this is all happening in my head either!" Pointing a shaky finger, she continued to back away. "Y-you're bodysnatchers! Y-you replaced the real deal!"
"I play sports… I'm not like other girls. Please notice me… Bergy…" Phanpy mumbled as she lunged forward to reach for Teddiursa's arm. The little bear screamed for dear life as she was successfully caught easily.
"N-NOOOOOOOO!" Teddiursa whimpered as Phanpy's face suddenly opened upwards to reveal a mouth underneath with jagged sharp teeth and a long tongue extending out of it. "THIS IS WORSE THAN A BODYSNATCHER! WAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Glitter…" Alomomola followed suit, preparing to pounce with Eevee right behind her. Teddiursa just closed her eyes, hoping the simulation ends soon since this was taking way too long for a short simulation supposedly happening in less than a minute.
"Want to eat my glitter casserole?" "Have I mentioned how much I love my sister..?" Multiple voices were starting to blare at the little bear's ear and even when she tries to tune it out, they come back stronger than ever. Eyes still closed, Teddiursa was scared that more familiar faces had joined in the mob.
"Don't do this!" Teddiursa's eyes quickly jolted open at a familiar voice. It was Floatzel. Teddiursa internally winced since she didn't expect their relationship to be that close that he's starting to appear in her subconscious. The water-type had managed to fight off the trio of annoyances, with all three crumpled on the ground around the little bear, unconscious.
Teddiursa blinked before rubbing her arm awkwardly. She didn't quite expect this to even happen, especially after what had happened between them recently. "Thank you for saving me? You're just my subconscious bitch, so don't expect me to forgive you really… but again, thank you uwu!"
"..."
Teddiursa started to grow suspicious as the weasel didn't say anything in response. If she was truly saved from her fear, then wouldn't that mean her simulation should end? "Why are you not saying anything? I'm talking to-" She let out a loud gasp as Floatzel's head turned around… in a complete 360 angle revealing that his face was a strange amalgamation of the three girls that he had defeated. "What the fu-"
Before Teddiursa could finish her statement, she is immediately pinned to the ground by Floatzel and the simulation immediately faded into nothingness and the last thing the little bear felt or seen was her former friend attempting to hurt her… or something like that. She wasn't sure but for once, she was relieved to not find out.
Teddiursa sat in the confessional, fur noticeably unkempt. "Okay… I… am not feeling too good right now. I can't even force a UWU or a smile. It was that bad. I don't know what made me feel like that was my fear in the first place but wowie, I'm just glad that it's over but… it's still hard to forget about. It's not fun knowing someone you know could probably be pretending to be who they are! WAIT… is that why I was after Magearna's ass that much?"
She shuddered, putting both of her hands on her head. "And Floatzel and I aren't talking much… that simulation made it worse. And no, it's not because I despise him with every fiber of my being. Things like that can just make you want to put shit off."
Teddiursa exits the building, looking worse for wear. Staravia clapped her wings together, ready to congratulate the little bear for earning another point for her team, bringing the total closer… but is surprised to find that the Normal-type just stomped past her, not even stopping to hear whatever she wanted to say.
"Okay… that was rude."
"I mean, she did face her worst fear there." Bellossom pointed out, checking her fingernails with an ambivalent expression. While she WANTED to care, she kind of grew despondent once she realized Staravia was just going to keep talking over her.
Meanwhile, Floatzel stands anxiously as Teddiursa was marching to his direction. Internally, the weasel was hoping that Teddiursa would at least try to talk with him about everything but he felt nothing but disappointment as the Normal-type walked past him to hug Sableye with a pout.
"Sableeeeeye, that was the scariest scaredy fear ever! Hug me tighter. It's a really good thing that I earned a point or I would've rawred and bit a bitch… literally, no joke. I would've been very angwy!" Teddiursa said, leaning into the gremlin who was blushing in embarrassment.
"Uhm… w-was it really that bad?" Sableye asked, slowly backing away from the little bear. "N-not to think your f-fear wasn't that bad, h-hehehe…"
"Of course, it was! I don't think I can look at people like Klinklang the same way ever again!" Teddiursa replied, face-palming. "Which bee tee dubs, he wasn't in my simulation. It's just… his cold stare, it's going to give me chills."
"Uhm…" Sableye started to sweat profusely as he had NO idea what to even say in these types of situations before mustering a weak murmur, "A-at least it's over now, right? W-we're starting to catch up… r-right, hahaha…"
"I guess, I guess. But it's not gonna be worth it until we win, you know?" The little bear put a paw on the gremlin's shoulder, starting to walk past him. "I do need a we break, wanna come?"
"W-we break?"
"Oh, just need some directionless chatter to distract myself."
"D-do I have t-" Sableye's words were cut off as Teddiursa grabbed his hand and began dragging him away from where he was standing. As this was happening, Floatzel had a grim expression as he watched from afar. Was this really happening?!
Floatzel's eyes were wide like saucers as he held his head between his hands, breathing heavy as he struggled to gather his thoughts. "That can't be happening… SABLEYE, of all people?! Him?! Teddiursa is ignoring me to… ah… it… no, I knew it… she was always planning this all along."
He looked up at the camera, eyes red as he struggled to muster a look of frustration which immediately collapsed into a look of realization that maybe, it really was over. "It's not like I meant it… or maybe, I did and Skwovet just nudged me at the right direction. What do I even do now? Get voted off?!"
While Dedenne was the next to head into the simulation, Cramorant had gathered Gossifleur, Chansey and Skwovet, hoping to promote camaraderie as people who have finished facing their fears and the bird had a feeling that the simulation wasn't exactly that much kinder to everyone else.
"Thank you for coming to-"
"What is this exactly?" Gossifleur raised a hand, confused by the entire arrangement as Cramorant had managed to get chairs, with Gallade's help, putting them around a circle. "I mean, when you said that we needed to talk, I thought you meant… in private."
"L-O-L, this is private. A private forum!"
"Not to sound like killjoyklang, but this is not private. We're in the middle of a challenge." Skwovet pointed out as the camera zoomed out, revealing that the group was still near the Trauma Center with Staravia and Bellossom watching them with shared confused expressions; and the other contestants kind of pretending they're not doing anything as they went about their own day. "So yeah, what's the point?"
Cramorant rolled her eyes, pouting at the squirrel. "Don't be so rude. I'm being a kind earth angel, gathering y'all so we can vent about our fears. Think of this as a part 2 to our earlier convo. Like a PM recently re-opened."
"That metaphor doesn't make sense!"
"Actually, it's a simile-"
"Does it look like I care?"
"Big L to your head, Skwov! I mean, like… you need to pretend to be interested in your socielle game, you know? Do you want to be cancelled?" Cramorant said.
"Okay, now I get why Klinklang is annoyed with you." Skwovet remarked, folding his arms.
"Mute Skwovet!" Cramorant said, puffing her cheeks as she decided to focus her energy on the other Pokemon who've shown up. "Anyways… how about you two? My fear was personally trauma-inducing and will probs make me cry into my pillow later but it's your time to take center stage. I promise not to retweet!"
"My fear was Saw." Chansey said matter-of-factly. "It's not like it was serious… I didn't even know that would be my fear."
"T-that's it?"
"What do you mean?" Chansey queried, eyes narrowing at the cormorant's disappointment. "I mean, torture's torture and even if you're not scared of it, it's painful… very painful. My sides still hurt."
"I mean sure but… I thought it'd be heavier… you know? With the Mage-"
"I already said it so many times, let's not talk about that when it's all over." Chansey cut in with a frown. While she liked to consider herself a very patient woman, considering how long she put up with Magearna, Cramorant WAS starting to break down her patience.
"Okie, okie. Sorry about that, didn't mean to uhm… make you feel terribad. I thought you were over it." Cramorant said, awkwardly rubbing her beak.
"They were the last person eliminated." Chansey reminded the bird. "Maybe, I'm still on the hill called 'getting over it' but it'd be easier if nobody brings that up… preferably ever."
"Ya ya, that was kind of me flopping and failing to meet the vibe check, ig." Cramorant admitted, pressing her wings together as she awkwardly looked to the side. She quickly turned to Gossifleur, hoping to just change the topic. "Hbu, Gossi? Got any bad bad dreams or fears in that sweet little head of yours?"
Gossifleur smiled weakly, looking down. "I'm not little… so don't call me that, like I'm a kid."
"You're adorable!" Gossifleur's adorable piercing glares were not enough for Cramorant to drop the teasing, even when Chansey actually stifled a chuckle, hiding it behind a hand. "Take it as a compliment, girl. I mean, it's not everyday someone calls you cute."
"Well, I still don't like it." Gossifleur murmured, twiddling her fingers impatiently. "But to answer your question, my fear wasn't that bad. If anything, it was calming."
"And it was..?"
"D-do I have to tell you?" Gossifleur said, leaning back into her chair. "Nothing against you, but I wouldn't tell Sableye or Vanilluxe either. Anything you say could be used against you, as my father did once say."
"Are you sure? I mean, you can trust me-" Cramorant assured, only to gawk as Gossifleur replied with a firm shake of her head. "Oh booo… you're no fun. I mean, I'll tell you what I faced. It was my phone breaking, R-I-P! It really hurt me internally but like, s'all good now!"
"I mean, we're not trying to one-up each other here, on whose fear was worse." Chansey added, putting a hand to her chest.
"Yeah, just wanted to share my own experiences and was a bit disappointed Gossifleur doesn't trust me enough to share! No biggie!" Cramoran answered, giggling into an open wing.
"Ah okay…" Chansey muttered.
"Well, I still wanna find out but since Gossi doesn't wanna share then I'll just make my own theories on what it is!" Cramorant said with a cheeky pout. "You're rich, right? So… what business does your daddy do?"
"I prefer not to say." Gossifleur answered matter-of-factly. "Not because it's shady or anything, but I just don't know if this is the right time to say that."
"Suuuuure, that's definitely what it is." Cramorant said knowingly.
"I'll ADMIT, my super secret reasoning for that public forum is not just for socielle gaming, but I wanted to see what Chansey and Gossi are trying to hide, 'cuz getting info on everyone else is very crucial to help me get a better read of the game cuz when Magearna left, I feel like I went from bottom of the tribe… to even below the ground itself." Cramorant leaned on the side of the confessional with a determined expression.
Her expression quickly turned grim as a jolt went down her spine. "I can't like, let Klinklang walk over me, bury me further and worse… WIN this over me?! I can't just go home bc he is a P-O-S! UGGGGH… this is all Maggy's fault cuz he has Klinklang WHIPPED so ofc, Klinklang is not gonna touch any one of his friends so guess who's left out?! ME!"
Gossifleur looked uncomfortable as she sat in the confessional. "I'm not sure what Cramorant is trying to do, or if this is another one of her tests to get under the skin to unleash my inner 'bad girl'. I appreciate the effort but I am not the type to overshare much about my personal life because well, I will admit, it's just something I didn't think would be important in games like these."
She paused, cocking a brow. "I mean, it's a bit of a stretch to assume that someone would come into this competition, with an agenda related to their personal life."
Dedenne exits the Trauma Center a few seconds later with a nonchalant expression, after succeeding in facing his fear. This time, Bellossom was the one to walk up to him.
"Congratulations, Dedenne! I didn't believe in you but you somehow, you did it! And you're extending that lead since now it's 4-2 with the Trubbish behind. They have to pray that everyone left earns a point or they're losing this again."
"OH FUCK YOU!" Skwovet yelled from where he was standing, annoyed with the prospect of losing and having to vote someone off again when he wasn't even sure he would survive another vote.
Dedenne rolled his eyes at this, walking past the grass-type. "It wasn't that hard. It'd be nice to win this challenge though."
Bellossom looked rather confused since nearly everyone who had gone through their simulations were rather shaken coming out, with the sole exception of Chansey and Gossifleur. She knew Chansey's fear was just straight from a horror film while Gossifleur was a bit of a question mark that she has no idea what's going on in that little head of hers. "Okay? Well, it's time for the Twinkling Trubbish to pick their next competitor to head in."
"T-this fast?! We're really zooming past this… I'm feeling a bit of a cabin fever over here." Vanilluxe was barely hanging on as in the past few minutes, he was in a state of being awake then immediately falling unconscious as he realizes that he HAS to face his fear eventually. "Someone give me some ice… I'm…"
Sableye, who was with Teddiursa for their important 'we-time', felt bad that he couldn't go over to the ice cream's side immediately as he was preoccupied with something else. "..."
Floatzel grunted, arms crossed, as he walked over to the Trauma Center. It was going to happen sooner than later, and he was starting to feel sick, just watching Teddiursa and Sableye acting like they're each other's best friends while forgetting he even existed. "I'll go."
"Thank you for volunteering. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten… if anyone even remembers it in the first place." Bellossom said nonchalantly as the weasel walked past him to enter the building. "Okay, wow… That's a perfect record of people ignoring me for the nth time today. It's like a piece of furniture or something."
"Don't say that!" Staravia said reassuringly… before giggling. "You're a block of wood at best. I mean, you don't exactly do much. Like, where's the dramatic flair? Where's the shock value?!"
"It doesn't matter-"
"Spoken like a bore."
"Spoken like a boor~"
"OKAY, DON'T EVEN GO THERE-"
"I wish I could say that my fear was… terrible, but I can't. And I'll be honest, I feel bad but it's hard to." Dedenne admitted, looking at the camera with a stern expression. "Whatever, I'm over it."
Dedenne walked over to Empoleon, who quickly went on-guard upon noticing the rodent's quick approach.
"Hey now. Don't worry, I just wanted to talk." Dedenne assured with a calm expression. The penguin remained vigilant since their last interactions didn't exactly resolve peacefully. "I know, I was a bit of a dick to you sometimes, but maybe, you did deserve it-"
"Fuck you, I don't have time for this." Empoleon growled, starting to move away but was stopped by Dedenne ramming his way into the penguin's side… then just nuzzling the Water-type casually, leaving him paralyzed. "ACK! That didn't hurt but what the fuck, Dedenne?!"
Dedenne rolled his eyes at this. "Okay, I just want you to hear me out here! And we're not going to make any progress if you decide to just run away."
"UGH!" Empoleon tried to move but he was momentarily paralyzed. He can barely move his feet… BARELY. And it's times like these that Empoleon absolutely despised with every fiber of his being. He didn't like being all helpless. "FINE! Just spill it already!"
"Since Magearna basically decided to bomb her entire game, she left this tribe in a weird position and I don't like it. Klinklang, Magcargo, Chansey are all a trio and I know you're probably wanting to vote Cramorant off but that leaves us in the minority." Dedenne explained.
"... and why are you telling me this? You could just vote me off afterwards, cuz you're tight with your old teammates!" Empoleon snapped at the little mouse, not even looking him in the eye. He HATED how smug he alway sounded. "You keep talking shit about me and Bayleef too! I haven't forgotten about that."
Dedenne scoffed, jabbing a paw at Empoleon's leg. "I know you're all macho and in denial about Bayleef and stuff but sure, it's all my fault. I'll take accountability for that, but don't act like it was completely unjustified."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You're a dick. And everyone knows about it. We all know about how you were kind of loud and rude during the first challenge. Vanilluxe and Cramorant can vouch for that." Dedenne pointed out. "So, consider this a retaliation against your actions."
"Are you trying to make me fucking mad again?" Empoleon could barely clench a fist amidst the mild paralysis.
"See, you're doing it again. Lashing out for no reason. But I don't want to be your enemy or anything! I just want you to know that I'm very willing to work with you."
"You're fucking annoying… but I get what you mean." Empoleon muttered before grumbling. "But that doesn't mean I'll like this…"
"You don't have to! I mean, I'm not controlling you like you tried to do, with Bay-"
Empoleon growled at that, stomping at the little mouse, which mildly intimidated him. "Don't fucking talk about that."
"... y-yep… I won't."
"I'm not the type to get scared easily, but sure, Empoleon can be scary if he tries." Dedenne mumbled, staring at the camera with a sharp gaze. "I might have crossed the line, trying to get into his head about Bayleef but some lines have to be crossed and I mean, he's not exactly a nice person."
He sighed, leaning his head to the side. "Yes, justifying it with his own behavior sounds like a cop-out but I need him on my side. I hate the fact that I'm saying that, but with what happened to Vivillon and Magearna, I need more allies. And beggars can't be choosers!" He groaned, obviously dissatisfied. "Yes, I hate it! What gave it away?"
"I don't trust Dedenne obviously. I'm just using him to get past this team!" Empoleon clenched both fists with a feral growl. "I don't see why I need to trust him and he didn't prove he deserves my trust in the first place. UGH! I wouldn't be forced to do this if Chansey took my apology!"
Meanwhile, as soon as Flotzel entered the cabin, his surroundings quickly changed to a dark hallway that oddly resembled the one Teddiursa was in, while facing her fear. He wanted to say he was prepared but even though it has been a long time since then, he was still rather damaged from 'it'.
His shaking intensified as he noticed a familiar figure in the distance. It was an Audino, who had a grim expression on her face. Her hands were shaking as she struggled to look the weasel at the eye.
"FXXXXXXX, is that you?" The Audino called out, surprising the Water-type. It's been so long since he heard his name from her mouth that it made him feel nostalgic but at the same time, awful for what had happened between them. "Why aren't you answering my calls? You're just ghosting me? I thought we had something?! You're just going to keep lying to yourself?!"
"Audino, I told you… it wasn't my fault in the first place it had to be that way. It's how you acted after that fact that made me lose trust in you." Floatzel looked away but somehow, he could still feel the Normal-types stare burning at the back of his head. "Don't act like this."
"You are a terrible person. I knew I shouldn't have trusted yOu iN tHe fIRsT pLacE…" Audino's voice was starting to get distorted as Floatzel continued to block her out from his mind. "wHy aRe YOu LiK-" The normal type's voice then dropped completely afterwards, which made Floatzel even more uneasy. He wasn't used to this much silence.
A red liquid began to drip on the walls as the lights started to flicker on and off. What was even happening? Floatzel was sure his simulation was going to be centered on 'her' but it looked like it was going to change to another scenario. SOMETHING was clearly up and Floatzel had a strong feeling that something was wrong and no, it's just his fear, but with the simulations themselves.
But before he could gather his thoughts, the ground below him turned into nothingness and his eyes widened as he fell, reaching up for ANYTHING. Before he knew it, the simulation ended so suddenly like how it started.
"Sorry, Floatzel… but you flopped. You could've earned this point to even things out but now, your team can't win-"
"WHAT?!" Floatzel looked shocked by this. He didn't even remember wanting to leave his simulation. He was fully prepared to complete it, but it looked like he was booted out for NO reason at all. "Can't we redo it!? The simulation ended-"
"Nu-uh. There's no redos here. And the point count right now is 4-2 and you'd need both of your last members to complete their fears and seeing as Vanilluxe is catatonic, I think it's better not to keep your hopes up to let you down." Staravia answered, crossing her wings as her eyes darted over to Vanilluxe who was just lying unconscious on the ground.
"I-"
Before Floatzel could argue any further, Staravia clapped her wings together to gather everyone's attention. "Everyone, the challenge is OVER and while I can milk this moment for extra drama, that's a little bit overplayed. SO, THE SHINING SHUPPET WON THIS CHALLENGE! CONGRATULATIONS!"
It took a few seconds for the news to set in before the Shining Shuppet erupted into sounds of cheering and celebration among themselves. Meanwhile, the Twinkling Trubbish looked disappointed, especially Skwovet and Oricorio, who weren't exactly confident about their chances.
In the middle of this, Vanilluxe's eyes fluttered open as he re-entered the world of consciousness. At first, he was anxious that it was his turn to face his fear but upon noticing the celebration, he looked relieved. "I-is the challenge over? WHOOPEE! Did we… win?" His expression deflated as he noticed the cold stares from his teammates. "Uh… w-what happened?"
Vanilluxe looked nervous as he floated in the confessional. "OKAY… I-I'm so happy that I don't get to face my fears but I have a creeping feeling that they want to ice me out for not doing anything. If so, I'm creamed. I'm snowed in, since I don't think I'm in danger right now but it's never an ice feeling to be so paranoid. I hope Gossifleur and Sableye doesn't just dessert me here because while I'm n-no ice cream of the crop. I still really want to b-be here. It's just this one challenge and…"
Any semblance of keeping it together dropped as he began to shake. "WHAT AM I EVEN SAYING?! I-I'm too much of a coward that they'll probably not even bother to fear me out here and it's not like anyone scares about what my fear would be. I mean, s-sure we didn't have any chance of catching up but people will find any reason to h-hurt you and isolate you and starve you and-"
He paused, gulping. "I'll just have to keep a straight glaze and just hope that I have enough votes to stay… please?!"
Skwovet sat in the confessional, looking oddly confident. "So, we lost… but that's fine. I think I'm all good here. I mean, Vanilluxe did not even try to do anything and it's not like we know if he or Sableye were ever facing their fears. And Teddiursa still hates Floatzel so they're not voting together… ever. But of course, I don't want to sound overly cocky. I need to cover all of my bases here.
Vanilluxe, Gossifleur and Sableye were gathered inside the infirmary, discussing the upcoming vote… and also because Gossifleur was rather concerned for Vanilluxe after his fainting spells during the challenge.
"S-so uhm… just give it to me straight. Is it going to be me?" Vanilluxe asked, eyes barely meeting the other two as he struggled to maintain a straight face. "I d-didn't face my fear b-but uhm… I was very ready for it!"
Gossifleur and Sableye exchanged a look of disbelief before the Grass-type shook her head with a sigh. "I'm not sure if you would've earned a point if you had the opportunity to do so. But, you are my friend… and I don't want you gone here regardless."
"A-and it's n-not like I faced my fear either…" Sableye commented, a bit absent-mindedly. "It's not like I knew what it was going to be though…"
"R-really? I a–appreciate it… but u-uhm… I don't know who else we'd be voting off!" Vanilluxe pointed out. "I m-mean… Vivillon turned people off w-with her personality and I don't think anyone is like her."
"Well, I can name names, if you want." Gossifleur said matter-of-factly. "Floatzel, Teddiursa, Skwovet."
Vanilluxe and Sableye both look shocked by the flower's candid nature. They both expected the Grass-type to be more demure and soft-spoken. Though with how anxiety-ridden and indecisive the two boys can be, it was no surprise to anyone else that Gossifleur, of all people, was the one taking charge.
"That's the rest of the t-team except Oricorio…" Vanilluxe remarked, looking over to Sableye who was sweating profusely. While he had absolutely no attachment to any of the three, he knew Sableye was 'close' with Floatzel and Oricorio. "A-any reason why?"
"I think it's just optimal!" Gossifleur explained. "Since the general idea is that we include Oricorio into our alliance and secure majority of the votes." She then started to pace down the hallway of the infirmary. "Skwovet and I only talked when I asked him to teach me how to be a proper bad girl but he hasn't been a particularly active teacher. Floatzel and Teddiursa… I personally haven't talked to them too much."
"I d-don't want to target Teddiursa and Floatzel…" Sableye said nervously.
"I get it. And I'm not forcing you to do something you don't want." Gossifleur said reassuringly. "After all, Skwovet is a pretty easy option!"
"Oh, that sounds easy enough, h-heh…" Sableye said, still a bit unsure since Floatzel and Teddiursa were still not talking with each other.
"Now that I'm on the team that's voting people off… it is a bit weird, making decisions and plans for everyone else to follow." Gossifleur admitted with an unsure expression. She said nothing for a short while before breathing out, a bit stressed. "I'm not too comfortable with a lot of expectations on me but we'll see if this works out."
She looked to the side awkwardly. "Maybe, this can be my first move as a 'bad girl'... can I even call it that even?"
"By the way… w-why did you suggest that we meet up here in the infirmary?" Vanilluxe asked, eyes shifting to the side anxiously. "I d-don't feel too comfortable here…"
"Oh… that… was my 2nd point of interest that I wanted to talk to you both about." Gossifleur started to explain only to be interrupted by Sableye, raising his hand. "Yes, Sableye?"
"Y-you want to try being a bad girl and sabotage medical, h-hehe?" Sableye stammered, a bit unsure about what he was even trying to say. Noticing the confused expressions forming on his companion's faces, his laugh intensified. "W-what?! Did I say anything weird?!"
Gossifleur's eyes shifted to the side anxiously. "N-no… it's nothing about that." She cleared her throat. "I'm taking a break from bad girl training while we strategize. But… it's about Vanilluxe."
"M-me?!" The ice cream looked bewildered at being singled out specifically. "W-what did I do wrong? Was I too mental? Was I melting? Please tell me I'm not actually melting!"
"It's not any of those… it's well… you were…"
"You did faint a lot during the challenge…" Sableye finished the flower's sentence sheepishly, which she confirmed with a small nod. "I-I'm kind of concerned too…"
"I was just feeling a bit light-headed…"
"Now that I can recall, you did feel squeamish during the last challenge we had before the swap…" Gossifleur added. "I don't want to pry, if you don't want to share obviously but just know that Sableye and I are here, if you need to vent."
Vanilluxe looked anxious despite this, starting to breathe heavily. Even when he tried his hardest to calm down, it immediately circled back to worry. "I-it's nothing. I just… really miss… someone."
"Miss who?"
"W-well, I told Dedenne and Vivillon about this but… I was inspired to be a comedian by… this Pokemon… from Opelucid. They were good at playing the guitar and…"
"Vanilluxe, is that the full truth? You're still hyperventilating." Gossifleur leaned closer, to which the ice cream immediately backed away from.
"It's nothing. L-let's just focus on the vote."
"..." Gossifleur and Sableye exchanged a look. Vanilluxe was clearly not okay and that stress came from the possibility of facing his fear. What was he even scared of? While he was a comedian who told corny jokes, it seemed like there was something darker lying beneath the surface.
Sableye leaned back on the confessional, looking guilty. "N-now I feel bad. I mean… I don't even remember what I'm scared of, h-hehe. It's weird though. You'd think that you'd know what you're scared of but…" He trailed off, mumbling to himself before his eyes widened. "Wait a minute… actually… I don't even remember having parents… weird."
Teddiursa was just seated alone in the mess hall with an unreadable expression hiding behind her general cute facade. She's not the type to be slacking around when it's time to strategize for the vote so this was a sight to behold. Her loneliness was quickly dispersed as Magcargo and Klinklang both entered the mess hall for dinner as she forced a wide grin onto her face, which was barely holding on, evident from her twitching ears and eyes.
"Klinklang, I hope the mush tonight isn't cold mush, since it's been a really cold day! I don't want to just freeze even more just because Indeedee doesn't want to heat up the leftovers. I mean, as someone who likes his cooking, I-" Magcargo was rambling to his companion, not even noticing the little bear until he bumps into his table by accident because he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. "OOF! I'm sorry, t-table! My mama told me to watch where I'm going more often and…"
Looking up, he finally noticed the little bear. "Teddiursa! Klinklang, it's Teddiu-"
"I know. I was actually paying attention to my surroundings before entering them." Klinklang remarked dryly, not really interested in talking to the normal-type right now. "Let us just get dinner and leave her to her own thoughts."
"B-but she looks sad and lonely!" Magcargo argued, all wide-eyed. "I mean, she has a vote and she's here alone?! Isn't that weird and-"
Teddiursa rolled her eyes, slamming a fist on the table in annoyance as she turned to the duo. "HAHAHA! I was just clearing my head! UWU! It's giving fake concern for the sake of maintaining a socielle game but I'm FINE and I am going to plan things out eventually. There's no rush! There is absolutely none at all!"
"That doesn't sound like you're fine-"
"OKAY, maybe I had a terrible day and I'm just even more stressed out that we have to vote someone off but in the end day, it's a solid 5/10 day! Not bad, not good. Don't want'cha hafta be all sadsies and force wrinkles to my face!"
"... oookay, well… Klinklang and I-" Magcargo took a seat next to the little bear, surprising her. She didn't have the energy to just push him off right now so defeated, she sighed to herself. "- are here for you and we'll even eat dinner with you while we strategize for the vote!"
"We're not even voting." Klinklang said, exasperated with the lava snail's very social nature. It was in sharp contrast with his preference to stay alone unless social interactions were absolutely necessary.
"I just can't leave Teddiursa alone here when she's sad!"
"I am not sad!"
"No true sad person would say they're actually sad!"
"T-this is an invasion of privacy!"
Magcargo blinked before nodding in understanding. "You are absolutely right." Teddiursa sighed in relief, thinking Magcargo was going to back off but to her surprise, the lava snail's expression turned serious. "I was going too fast but let's start from the very beginning. I'm Magcargo, a 19 year old from the region of Hoenn. I had a pretty normal homelife and while I was bullied in high school, I didn't let that exactly affect me… okay, maybe I did go to therapy but I still managed to be myself so that I-"
"What are you doing?" Teddiursa stifled a giggle. She didn't exactly knew the lava snail before but she can't help but be amused by his attempts to try and get her to open up. There was something genuine with it that she felt strangely endeared to. But of course, she doesn't want it to look like the fire-type was actually succeeding with trying to break through. "Cut it out!"
"O-oh! I just wanted to get to know you more first then you can share with me what's happening!" Magcargo explained. "I mean, you seemed stressed and-"
"Well… I'm not. I'm just tired because it's been a long day and keeping up with appearances can be exhausting, you know? I mean, I can barely hold a UwU or an OwO! That's how bad it is!" Teddiursa told a half-lie. It's not like it was completely false.
"Aw, you can hang in there! I know being fake is really hard but at least, you're not actually a Ditto or Zoroark!"
"Thanks? That… that was a compliment, right?"
"Yep!"
"Weird compliment but I appreciate it." Teddiursa muttered, eyes shifting to the side.
While the two were talking, Klinklang had already floated over to the other side of the room to observe this conversation without interruption. His eyes narrowed as it seemed like Magcargo was actually making decent progress.
"Magcargo is a very social person. I don't care about him and Chansey being close since Chansey was someone I expected him to befriend." Klinklang commented with a skeptical expression. "But Teddiursa? No, I did not expect them to be friends at all. Magcargo despised Magearna for a reason and I surmised that he would despise Teddiursa for the same reason. That… doesn't exactly make me feel any better but Magcargo seems to be in an amicable relationship with nearly the entire cast, save for a few oddballs in Empoleon and Cramorant, the reason for which is not difficult to see.
After splitting up from Vanilluxe and Gossifleur, Sableye was spending his remaining free time before the elimination just outside the cabins, spacing out. He didn't exactly have many hobbies and always found himself being dragged around by everyone. This was probably the first time in a long time that he found himself alone, since Teddiursa and Floatzel were still not talking with each other.
Though, his alone time was then interrupted by a surprising sight: Floatzel, who looked worse for wear, hands behind his back. The weasel stopped right in front of the Dark-type with a grunt. "Sableye, we need to talk."
"Floatzel? Anything… up?"
"Teddiursa is still not going to talk to me but she is still fine with you so what's the deal? Is it really over? Is she not going to talk to me ever again?" Floatzel asked, breath shaking. "Nobody's talking to me at all right now. I haven't seen Gossifleur, Vanilluxe, Skwovet or Oricorio… am I going home?"
"Y-you're not!" Sableye assured him with an anxious smile. "And I know you don't trust me but-"
Floatzel sighed, rolling his eyes. "I don't fucking trust you but you're the only one I can rely on RIGHT NOW! So, who are you all voting for?"
Sableye looked nervous before sighing, opening his mouth to give him the answer he needed. Floatzel smirked at the gremlin's answer, affirming it with a firm nod.
"Ori, you got time?" Skwovet asked the cheerleader as they were preparing to head to their elimination ceremony.
"Uhm… right now? Why not earlier?" Oricorio asked, confused by the squirrel approaching him at the last possible minute. "Please tell me this isn't urgent…"
"Vote for Teddiursa." Skwovet said with a confident smirk.
Oricorio blinked… before her eyes narrowed skeptically. "Why exactly?"
"Just trust me on this one. I think my name has been going around so this is my best bet of surviving." Skwovet explained, rolling his eyes. "I get it. I might've messed up, being petty and voting Vivillon off but I've learned from my mistakes and the right decision is for us to stick together. I trust you and I hope you're still planning on sticking with the alliance we made with Dedenne."
"I… okay… yeah… I will." Oricorio found herself at a loss for words. She hasn't exactly made any promises to vote in any direction but she still felt bad just throwing Vivillon away easily without a fight so this made her start to rethink.
"I'll be honest… I was planning on just… throwing away my vote." Oricorio revealed with a sullen look, wings tightly clasped close to her chest. "I mean, I felt bad that everyone was facing their fears while I just sat out, knowing my fear wasn't anything serious. But… maybe, I shouldn't. If Skwovet is serious then he might be catching votes and if he's voted off, that's two people I've been friends with since the Trubbish days, going home."
"I'm just going to go full-on with pushing Teddiursa's name out here. I mean, that's what I've been doing for ages but I feel like some people just aren't budging." Skwovet said with an annoyed expression. "I just really have to ram it into their heads!
The Twinkling Trubbish all sat around the fire with a grim expression. Soon, one of them was getting voted out the game and off the island. While this isn't anyone's first trip here, the anxiety and tension was still palpable. Staravia and Bellosom's presence made things different compared to the first seven elimination ceremonies as Staravia didn't bring a tray of marshmallows and there was a small new makeshift confessional standing behind her that none of the contestants could recognize.
"Welcome New Twinkling Trubbish to your 2nd elimination ceremony as a group." Staravia announced with a coy grin. "Now, you might be wondering… why is this devilish bird hosting the elimination ceremony?" She put a wing to her beak. "Well, it's simple. Nihilego and Poipole are still out of commission so Bellossom and I will be handling things and I figured… why not make elimination ceremonies more-"
"Just get on with it! It's not like we have all night for this!" Skwovet said, annoyed with the bird dragging everything on with every single word.
"Looks like someone doesn't have a certain flair for the dramatic then~" Staravia teased, giggling behind her wing. "Anyways, usually… you all just vote. Poipole or Nihilego announces results and that's it. You're done for the night. But I felt like… what if we added more drama? Some hard hitting questions need to be asked."
"Like wh-" Vanilluxe started, only to be recoil in shock as Staravia immediately got in front of his face with a wide grin.
"Perfect timing! You get the first question!"
"R-really?!"
"Yes really! So about the challenge, how does it feel to be one of two people who don't get to even face their fear? Relieved? Disappointed? Happiness?"
"U-uhm… I f-feel like anyone would be relieved to not be facing their fear." Vanilluxe answered. "And I'm not d-different. It's a huge weight off my shoulders b-but I wish I w-was more help to the t-team instead of doing nothing in this challenge."
"You did faint a lot! That's something!"
"T-that was because I was a bit stressed because uhm… it was hard to breathe… y-yeah. But now, I'm as cool as an ice cream cone." Vanilluxe joked to himself. This time, nobody actually groaned or rolled their eyes since the ice cream was severely sweating himself out.
"Oricorio, how about you? You were randomly selected-"
"That wasn't random at all!"
Staravia giggled, choosing to ignore the cheerleader's protests. "You were randomly selected to sit out this challenge. Any thoughts on that?"
"Obviously, I wanted to compete! I mean, my fear couldn't be that bad."
"Are you sure?"
"It's literally just Beedrill! It's nothing too special!" Oricorio explained, a bit annoyed.
"Well, a boring fear for a boring girl like you." Oricorio opened her beak to make a rebuttal but the temporary hostess has already moved on to Skwovet.
"Let's move on to the game talk. Skwovet, is your vote decided or are you still in the process of making a decision?"
Skwovet chuckled, playfully running a finger through his fur. "Well, I like to think I'm always ready but I don't know. Anything can change and well, there's been some arguments and fighting going on behind the scenes that just can't be ignored." Floatzel winced at this as he tried to look Teddiursa in the eye but unfortunately, the little bear chose to look away immediately.
"Fights? Oooh, spill the tea!"
"Well Teddiursa and Floatzel have a bit of bad blood between them since the last challenge. They haven't been on speaking terms ever since." Skwovet explained, with a faux-neutral expression.
"And whose fault was that?"
"I don't know. It's not like I had any stake in their argument!" Skwovet answered, rolling his eyes.
"Floatzel, can you conf-"
"OKAY, why the fwuck are we talking around this?" Teddiursa face-palmed, annoyed with Staravia's blatant attempt to milk out the drama for what they're worth while they're still fresh. "I know you're a new hostess or temporary something, I don't fudging care but can we please stop this?"
Staravia blinked… before pouting. "Okay, I see your point but it's not like this type of thing has no precent. Pokevivor does it and-"
"Well, do something original for once-"
"OKAY, why are you saying that like you know me?!" Staravia gawked, offended by the little bear's tone. She looked over to Bellossom, who just shrugged. "Bellossom, help me out here."
"I would, but you told me to shut up." Bellossom said sarcastically, crossing her arms. "Besides, it's not like I care about any of the contestants enough to actually intervene. I mean, didn't you say you wanted more exposure? Fighting with a contestant might just get you screentime."
"That… is NOT the point but hmph!" Staravia turned back to the little bear, who was looking more impatient now the more she waited for them to start voting. "Let's just continue. I know this is just like Pokevivor but we didn't have marshmallows so yeah…"
"Awww… I wanted one too…" Sableye commented with a nervous chuckle.
"Floatzel… back to you, can you confirm Skwovet's words?"
"No, I don't want to. Only villains would leak information with little to no disregard for anyone's feelings." Floatzel said simply, while Teddiursa just gagged at his words, which he tried his hardest to ignore. "I don't know why Skwovet felt confident to share information he didn't deserve to have but he is the type of person who just can't be trusted. A true villain-"
"Oh please, stop deflecting. We all know what you said!" Skwovet retorted. Oricorio's eyes shifted to the side, nervous for what the squirrel was trying to do while Gossifleur tilted her head, curious at what was even happening. "You said Teddiursa is a fake lying bitch who shouldn't be trusted!"
"I didn't-"
"Okay, for once… Skwovet is right!" Teddiursa said with a huff. "I'm not going to mention REDACTED's name or try to point fingers but I did hear something by the lines of that. My vote is really affected by that. My feewings were vewy huwt by that, ya know?!" Most of the team winced at this. "Sowwy redacted, it was nice working with you but maybe, it's time to just nip you in the bud while you still hate me."
"I don't-"
"You heard her. We're voting Floatzel off!" Skwovet exclaimed, pointing a finger at the sky with a sleazy grin.
Oricorio, who was sitting next to him, looked confused, leaning forward to whisper into his ear. "I-I thought we were voting Teddiursa off?"
"Teddiursa, Floatzel. Who cares? They're both pretty expandable in my book." Skwovet remained confident as Floatzel and Teddiursa glared at each other.
"Gossifleur, as an outsider to this conflict, do you think that it will be resolved this round?" Staravia asked the flower, as she looked rather anxious. She watched enough shows, musicals and movies to know that this was not going to end cleanly.
"I don't know, for sure… but at the very least, someone within this conflict will be sent home." Gossifleur uttered, making sure not to overshare too much. "Floatzel and Teddiursa both… they don't like each other too much now, but well… some things will have to be done."
"And what are these things?"
"Well, some problems will need to be examined from every angle to check what's the root of it all." Gossifleur explained, putting her appendages on her lap.
"Vanilluxe, do you agree with Gossifleur or is your vote going to go in a different direction?"
Vanilluxe laughed nervously, a bit put-off by the tension within his team. "W-well… we shouldn't be fighting each other… I m-mean, we're all in the same team. We're basically a family and well… I prefer things to be more peaceful. I mean, nobody l-laughs at my jokes since they love to give me the cold shoulder but at least, there wasn't anything serious behind that… but now, they're just… not even hearing what I'm saying since they're too busy shouting at each other and uhm… that just sucks."
Teddiursa giggled, leaning back playfully. "Well, I'm sooooo sorry that your jokes are so bad that we just mentally checked out. It wasn't just Floatzel getting on my nerves… maybe, you're getting on my nerves too."
"W-what?! That doesn't so ice…" Vanilluxe mumbled.
"I'm just saying that you're reading too much into things. I mean, it's not like we were all that close for anything to break apart." Teddiursa explained. "Floatzel and I were basically nothing. We were just using each other for our games. It's nothing serious. We just have friction because he annoyed me for the nth time!"
"..." Floatzel doesn't bother to refute, eyes narrowing.
"Sableye, as someone who was on their team before the swap, do you think Teddiursa is right with her assessment?"
"W-well… this is awkward… I l-like to think… there were some genuine parts to our relationships. I m-mean, we all banded together against M-Magearna and that has to count for something, h-hehehe… sorry, I'm not too good with words. It makes my head hurt." Sableye replied, rubbing his arm awkwardly.
"It was all faaaaake~" Teddiursa said in a singsong voice. "I'm tired of this honestly. Let's just start voting."
"Okay… final question of the night goes to Oricorio, do you have any preferences here?"
"I don't have any particular attachment to either but well… I'm sure we'll see what happens with the vote results honestly." Oricorio said. "There's enough reasons for either to go home here and I wouldn't be surprised by any. I'm sorry if that sounds noncommittal but I don't want to sound like I know what I'm doing here either.
"Thank you for the answer, Oricorio. I guess that's cue for you all to start voting. The voting booth is directly behind me and Bellossom. Once you place your votes, it is absolutely final. Good luck."
"Well, it's not like I liked you or anything. You two just really alienated everyone else too much." Skwovet was cocky as he wrote down Teddiursa's name on his ballot. "Besides, you were kind of annoying… not sorry for that."
Teddiursa scoffed, examining her nails with a bored expression. "I'm so tired of people thinking that they can see right through me. I mean… come on, fake or not, I'm still a cutie through and through. It's annoying."
Oricorio looked at the camera, shocked. "I don't know what even happened between Floatzel and Teddiursa but clearly, it's worse than I expected. Skwovet wanted me to help him out here but… I'm not even sure who to vote for." She gulped, eyes closed. "Well, I'll just have to go with my gut here and it's telling me to-" The confessional abruptly faded to black before she said her answer.
Staravia faced the seven members of the Twinkling Trubbish with an ominous expression as Bellossom walked over to her, carrying the ballot box, containing everyone's votes. The tension was still thick and nobody was ready for this vote. Teddiursa was basically leaning further back and back into her seat while Floatzel was slouching on his, hands on his head. Gossifleur, Sableye and Vanilluxe exchanged a nervous expression while Oricorio gulped when Skwovet winked at her knowingly.
"Okay, it's time for the fun part! Announcing the results! The first person safe and getting an imaginary marshmallow is… Oricorio!" Oricorio sighed in relief as Staravia threw a rock at her, which surprised her immediately.
"W-what was that?!" Oricorio gawked at her fellow bird, who just shrugged.
"I told you we didn't prepare marshmallows so we needed to prepare alternatives so prepare to dodge! The next player safe receiving 0 votes is… Sableye!" The gremlin was about to cheer at this announcement but was clocked in the head with a rock. Vanilluxe sweated at this while Gossifleur skittered over with concern. "Okay… I told you all to dodge and you're not dodging! I knew we should've gone with the alternatives of just giving them daisy chains…"
"That would go against your flair for the dramatic~" Bellosom drawled, rolling her eyes.
"B-be careful with those rocks! This elimination is on the rocks right now!" Vanilluxe casually inserted a joke as he was watching over his friend, who was barely conscious from the thrown rock. "Are you okay, Sableye?"
"I can… see… Cramorant… weeee… she is up to something…" Sableye managed to slur out before falling unconscious.
"SABLEYE!" Gossifleur and Vanilluxe shouted at the same time.
"Calm down… since Vanilluxe, you are joining him! You were also safe with 0 votes!" Staravia hurled a pebble at the ice cream, who winced as it collided with his cone. "That leaves us with the Bottom 4… only one of you survived this week with 0 votes and that person is… Floatzel!"
"W-wait!? Someone actually voted for me?!" Gossifleur gasped in shock at this revelation while Floatzel looked relieved as he dodged the rock thrown in his direction.
"I mean, you kind of deserved it, sowwwy!" Teddiursa giggled, winking at the flower, who still looked shocked.
"Y-you voted for me? I don't know why you did that but uhm… I'll pretend it's because I'm such a bad girl." Gossifleur said, laughing nervously.
"I would leave you in suspense so you can panic some more but sadly, we have a limited run-time and you're safe with only 1 vote!" Gossifleur sighed in relief immediately while Teddiursa rolled her eyes, blowing a raspberry.
"Teddiursa, Skwovet. Two campers left and only one of you will be staying in the competition. Teddiursa, you are a fake sweetheart and you're shockingly proud of that? You had a bit of a fight with your ex-friend, Floatzel and that brought you into the spotlight!"
"Fake? Me?!" Teddiursa said, crossing her arms. "I think you're misunderstanding me, UwO…"
"Skwovet, you're kind of a dick."
"Is that even a good reason to be voted off for, this far into the competition?" Skwovet pointed out with a scoff.
"Depends… but the person stay is…"
"..." Skwovet is staring directly at the bird, hoping it was his name about to be called.
"..." Teddiursa's left eye twitches as she waited for her name to
"..." Floatzel leaned forward, holding his head as Staravia dragged on with the results. Surely, Sableye didn't just lie to him.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Skwovet groaned, waving a hand at the bird in annoyance. "Just say it already!"
"... Teddiursa." Teddiursa looked shocked herself as a rock landed at her feet.
"Oh… I was actually safe?! Wowie, you all are really great at this game!" Teddiursa giggled into her paws. "Thank you oh so much!"
Skwovet, on the other hand, looked like everyone else had just made the worst decision in their entire game. Oricorio was about to walk over to him to comfort him but the squirrel just growled back, shocking the cheerleader who quickly took a step back. "OKAY, this is fucking bullshit. You all seriously kept the fakest bitch on this island?! Someone nobody even liked!? This is really annoying!"
"Don't be so bitter! I mean, it's not like anyone liked you too much either!" Teddiursa snapped back, glaring at the squirrel. "I guess… except for Floatzy~ But real talk, you are metaphorical trash and I'm not so sorry to see you go!" Floatzel winced at this, looking away.
"Oh shut the fuck up! Gossifleur, Sableye and Vanilluxe… why did you even vote me off?! Especially you, Gossifleur. I thought you wanted my help being a bad girl?!"
"Uhm… w-well, some hard decisions have to be made." Gossifleur said, put off by the Normal-type's strong bitterness.
"Oh wow, this was some shitty decision making from you. I guess by bad girl, you meant 'bad at the game' girl." Skwovet scoffed, jumping off his seat. "Whatever, I'm done. Vivillon will never let me live this down…" Without another word, the squirrel followed Bellossom into the woods and soon, off the island.
Staravia faced the remaining 6 members of the team, clasping her wings together as she cobbled up a smile among the tension. "It looks like Skwovet didn't expect this to happen but he's gone now and you're all left to pick up the pieces so I have nothing left to say but good luck, it looks like you all need it."
"I don't know why Teddiursa voted for me but uhm… sure, I guess?! It's not like I cared too much about it but it was still a confusing move, coming from her." Gossifleur remarked, hands on her lap. "Skwovet is gone now and he was definitely very bitter about how it all went down. I'm not sure how to feel about that honestly. We were not quite close."
Floatzel looked relieved as he leaned on the side of the confessional… before realizing what his expression looked like as it quickly deflated. "I'm glad Teddiursa survived… but at the same time, it's not like our relationship is getting better and honestly, it's like she just wants me to lose EVERY trust in her or our friendship ever again."
He smacked the side of the confessional with a grunt. "I mean, whatever. SURE… trust Sableye instead?!" He sighed to himself. "At least, he didn't vote for me? Is that even enough to make me feel better?"
Meanwhile… in another part of the forest, Gourgeist was humming to herself as she sat on a log, just minding her own business. None of the staff aside from Marill even knew she was still on the island. It's been days since she withdrew from the competition and things were starting to get boring. Not that she hated it too much or anything. That just meant that everything was going well but from her sources, she'd hate it if something really does start happening.
"I wonder how Ori and that delicious ice cream are doing… maybe, they are probably still in the game~" Gourgeist said to nobody in particular. "Gossifleur though… it's such a shame we didn't get to know each other better~ She has really smooth skin and-"
"..."
Gourgeist's eyes started glowing as she smirked, turning to an unknown figure. "Oh! It's you! I don't know why you're here but you better not be ratting me out~"
"I already promised you that I wouldn't. Just mind your own business though. I don't know why you're still here but-"
"Oh, I'll finish your sentence for you! I'm here for… let's call it something, and maybe… it's because Gossifleur just really made my heart POP… and I'm too into her."
"This is serious." The unknown voice said coldly as they started walking over to the pumpkin. "Unless ▇▇ brought you along but I told them not to bring any unneeded baggage. UGH, I knew I shouldn't have expected too much bringing too many people into the operation."
Gourgeist tilted her head to the side, intrigued. "What operation?"
"..."
"You can tell me! I'm your neighborhood friendly Gourgeist!"
"... let's just say… a storm is coming. And Nihilego needs to regret what she has done. She never did. She just keeps running away."
Gourgeist's eyes narrowed as she rubbed her chin with a tendril. "I see. Well, your secret is safe with me." The unknown figure started walking past the pumpkin but as she was leaving, Gourgeist added with a strangely serious tone. "... for now."
The unknown figure does not reply as they just disappeared back into the woods, as mysteriously as they came into view. Gourgeist sighed, shrugging it off as she just went back to lying on her fallen log.
"Well, it looks like we're close~ I wonder when I'll be needed!"
!CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION!
FEAR DATA (?)
Oricorio - DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Cramorant - Permanent Phone Disrepair (SUCCESS)
Skwovet - Claustrophobia (FAILED)
Klinklang - [unclear] (SUCCESS)
Gossifleur - [NOT SHOWN] (SUCCESS)
Chansey - Jigsaw + Saw Movie (SUCCESS)
Teddiursa - Bodysnatchers (SUCCESS)
Dedenne - [NOT SHOWN] (SUCCESS)
Floatzel - INCOMPLETE (FAILED)
Magcargo - DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Sableye - DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Empoleon - DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Vanilluxe - DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Vote Count:
Skwovet - Gossifleur, Vanilluxe, Sableye, Floatzel
Teddiursa - Oricorio, Skwovet
Gossifleur - Teddiursa
Shining Shuppet - Chansey, Cramorant, Dedenne, Empoleon, Klinklang, Magcargo
Twinkling Trubbish - Floatzel, Gossifleur, Oricorio, Sableye, Teddiursa, Vanilluxe, Vivillon
Eliminated: Unfezant, Pikachu, Musharna, Bayleef, Gourgeist, Vivillon, Magearna, Skwovet
ELIMINATED: Skwovet, the Shameless Klepto (13th Place)
Skwovet is someone who can be considered… the most filler boots among all the filler. Okay, I won't lie. If I go through the bootlist right now, he's like Pikachu. Someone who is just there to move the story along so his existence is pretty much flexible. Musharna, Bayleef and Magearna were all plot-relevant to the main story at hand while Skwovet's plot was simpler and didn't go too deep and there were no drafts where he made it further than this.
His story before the swap was being someone who was kind of shameless about being a kleptomaniac and just being very blatant with how stank and unlikable he could be. Though, towards the end of the preswap… it happened. The 'berry incident' where he accidentally gets on Vivillon's bad side by accidentally poisoning her and it just collapsed from there. All semblance of him playing a good game shattered as if he couldn't even hide anything from Vivillon, he can't hide anything from anyone else. He zeroed in on eliminating Vivillon to try and get his game back in order but from there, he just solidified his spot as the 2nd person to always be voted out of the team but not without accidentally damaging Floatzel and Teddiursa's relationship.
While he could've stayed if he invested more time in his relationships with Gossifleur and others, he decided to just use the dirt he had instead of actually having a social game which ended up being his downfall. You can't be a villain if you just rely on starting shit up, especially when all his major contributions this season can be chalked up as well… an accident.
The Fears and Unseen Fears
Do not worry since we will be seeing them in some sort of way eventually and if it's not further in the game, it's in a special episode that will be written so they're going to be under wraps for now even if they're going to voted off sooner or later… or who knows? Win the game?! This episode did have a bit of development for Vanilluxe and Floatzel, two characters who weren't exactly prominent since they were mostly supporting cast members but now, it's time for them to step into the spotlight.
SIX FUCKING MONTHS… That's how long this episode took to finish. It was a fun writing process but at least, it's now over and we can close out 2023 with this… or, if I can finish another episode. It's not completely unlikely. But Merry Christmas in advance and I hope you can all enjoy the holidays!
Skwovet: I hate this… just review, okay?
