"Welcome to the greatest show on Earth…" The camera focused on a shot of a sandy beach, surrounded by azure waters largely untouched by Pokemonkind. Palm trees swayed in the distance, creating a feeling of tropical bliss and relaxation. And in the center of the shot stood one small Pokemon, almost unidentifiable in the vast pale sands. Suddenly, the camera zoomed in on the speaker, a small tan creature with big orange v-shaped ears.
"The name's Victini! Although I'm sure you already recognize me, from such hits as Giratina's Kitchen and the Great Galarian Bake-Off. Today, we're taking our first steps into my first foray into a reality competition that's not at all related to food… Total Victory Island!"
Victini gave an aside glance to the camera. "Listen we're still workshopping the name so just go with it okay."
"Anywaaaay!" The shot suddenly shifted to a dock connected to the beach. Compared to the luxuriousness of the beach it looked rather shoddily built and clearly held together by duct tape. "As you know, eighteen competitors from all over the world, selected by yours truly, are set to compete in a series of grueling challenges in order for the chance to win a whopping one million Poke!'
Suddenly, Victini appeared at the edge of the dock with a flash of pink light. "Now then, before we can get on with all the festivities, I think it's only important we get to meet all of your victims, huh? Luckily for us, they're scheduled to be arriving… right now!"
The first Lapras arrived, carrying a large mantis Pokémon covered in a craggy, rock-like exoskeleton. It made its way down Lapras's back, being careful not to accidentally strike any of the Transport Pokémon's vulnerable areas with the axe-like appendages at the end of its arms.
"Kleavor! Looks like you're the first one here. What's up, man?" Victini greeted cheerfully.
"I see… so you must be our host. It is an honor to make your acquaintance." Kleavor bowed politely. "I have trained many a year for the moment where I could prove my skills on a stage as grand as this. I can only hope to match your expectations, Victini-sama."
"You've trained for years to be on a… reality tv show?" He regarded the bug with a quizzical expression on his face. "Well, you're not usually the type that shows up for these things, but I guess that'll make things a whole lot more interesting! Anyway, let's move on to our next contestant…"
As Kleavor made his way down the wooden dock, the next Lapras arrived. This time, a black cat Pokémon with red eyes and yellow ring patterns gracefully hopped off Lapras's back.
"Tch…" The Moonlight Pokémon glanced around the island, a look of frustration settling onto her features.
"Umbreon! Lovely seeing you here so-"
"Save the chit-chat." Umbreon cut in, interrupting Victini's standard intro. "I don't bother with introductions."
"Ooookay then… looks like we got a tough crowd over here. Moving on then, our next contestant is…"
Umbreon wasted no time in disappearing, leaving the front of the dock open for the next contestant. This time, a round grey lizard covered in bony scales stumbled her way onto the wooden surface. Her two yellow eyes, the only thing visible through her heavily armored body, bore a look of undeniable nervousness.
"Ummm… H-hi…" She shyly greeted the host.
"Ah, feeling a bit of stage fright huh Shelgon? "
"Huh!? N-no… maybe…" The dragon Pokémon looked away sheepishly. "I'm just not used to being on T-TV.. B-but from the bottom of my heart, I h-hope we can all get along!"
"That's a very cute sentiment to have!" The victory Pokemon chuckled. "Not sure how far that's gonna last, but que sera sera. Moving on!"
The next Lapras arrived at the dock, carrying a small white rodent that was barely visible among the gray ridges of Lapras's shell. As soon as the Transport Pokemon closed the distance between the ocean and the wooden dock, the little white Pokemon jumped off and managed to land just a ways from Victini. "Nyeheheh, looks like it's my turn! Hellooooo world, I'm coming to you live straight from this ramshackle island in the middle of Arceus knows where! Here with me we have my phallic-shaped friend and host of many a mediocre game show, Victini!"
He gestured towards the Victory Pokemon with mock excitement, which the host met with a very unimpressed glare. "Hahaha, veeeeery funny Pachirisu or whatever your name is. Anyway, any last words before we move on?"
"Oh, giving me the boot already?" Pachirisu gasped dramatically. "Whatever, I figured I'd get my jabs in before you put me through humiliating and probably illegal challenges all for the sake of entertaining all of the empty-minded simpletons watching at home."
Victini considered his words for a few seconds. "You know what… fair enough. Still, we have to move on to the next simpleto- I mean, contestant."
Pachirisu wasted no time in making himself scarce, right on time for a brown fairy like creature with a main of fluffy cotton hair to drift in. "Hii! Hii! Hii! I'm soooooooo happy to be here!" Her voice was remarkably loud and high-pitched, enough for Victini to break his professional facade and cringe ever so slightly. "Oh, are you mister Bikuteenie?"
"It's Victini, geez!" He corrected, annoyed. "A-anyway, at least one of *you* is actually excited to be on this show! Welcome, Whimsicott!"
"Show?" Whimsicott cocked her head quizzically. "Oh… was this not like a free vacation to Alola?"
"N-no? First of all, we're not even IN Alola…"
"Huh…" A downcast look crossed Whimsicott's little face for a moment. "Well, whatever! As long as there's a spa nearby I'm all good!"
"About that, ther-" Unfortunately, Whimsicott had already waltzed off sight before Victini could deliver the bad news that the bathing situation on this island was… far from luxurious. "Eh whatever, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Moving on to number six!"
The next Lapras carried a bipedal mushroom Pokemon with a powerful pair of legs. "Yo, what's up?" He introduced, casually crossing his arms behind his neck.
"Finally someone normal!" Victini sighed in relief. "Welcome to the party, Breloom!"
"Uh, yeah haha, I guess so!" Breloom chuckled awkwardly. "I'm not sure about the "normal" part though, I'm more of a fighting… grass type myself."
"Haha, very funny. Anyway, you can just mosey on down to the rest of those chumps okay?" Breloom didn't complain and followed Victini's gaze to the growing crowd of contestants forming down the dock. As soon as Whimsicott caught a glimpse of her fellow grass type, she started hollering at him with a dangerous look on her face.
"Oh my goooosh," She called, waving her hands. "Hot hot hottie, hello!"
"He-hello?" Breloom greeted back out of habit, even though his entire face was now a burning red. Any redder than that and he might need a Burn Heal.
"Heeeeey, my name's Whimsicott," She greeted coyly. "But you can just call me later, okay?
"Ugh," Umbreon made a mock vomiting gesture. "That was so cringe I almost threw up in my mouth."
"Excuse me, who asked you!?" Whimsicott snapped, fixing Umbreon with the meanest glare the little diva could muster up. Umbreon, for her part, met her glare with an indifferent side glance. "Who the hell even are you!?"
"Hey now, there's no need to fight!" Breloom managed to stutter out, raising his hands in a vain attempt to assuage the situation. "I'm very flattered you find me handsome-"
"Ooooh, such a gentleman too!" Whimsicott cooed, snapping back to her flirt mode. "Say, why don't we go get some drinks at the bar later? I can show you a reaaaaally good time~"
"W-waait a moment, you're moving way too fast!"
The rest of the contestants watched the proceedings with a mixture of morbid curiosity and secondhand embarrassment. "These are truly fascinating individuals." Kleavor murmured. "It should be an… interesting endeavor competing against them. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Um… they're… kinda weird… and loud." Shelgon responded under her breath.
"Verily." Kleavor affirmed with a nod. "It is a stark departure from my quiet life in the mountains. Whether it's a welcome change remains to be seen."
"Anyway, our next guest is… Typhlosion!" While that scene was going down, the next contestant had made his way onto the dock. Its neck wreathed in a powerful red flame, Typhlosion stood tall over Victini - which isn't a feat in itself, but still. This absolute specimen of a Typhlosion stood a good foot taller than most members of his species, a fact strengthened by his stance.
"Hm? Did you say something The Volcano Pokemon asked in a gruff voice. "If you're going to greet a stranger, do it with all your spirit and passion!"
"Huh? What are you-"
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Typhlosion snapped, raising his voice by at least one hundred decibels. The flames around his neck flared orange, burning hot enough to singe the dock below him.
"WELCOME TO TOTAL VICTORY ISLAND TYPHLOSION!" Victini greeted, managing to match Typhlosion's volume at the cost of his vocal cords.
"Gyahahaha, much better!" Typhlosion laughed heartily, his flames withdrawing back into the back of his neck. :The name's Typhlosion, the Undying Flame! Carve it into your skulls!"
"Wow, what enthusiasm!" Victini said with a haggard voice. :You're sure to be an entertaining one. Let's just move on…"
As he said that, he realized that the next contestant had arrived some time ago - a lovely blue bird wreathed in clouds, waiting patiently behind Typhlosion. Looked like his imposing presence managed to completely overshadow the patient bird.
"Oh, is it my turn?" She hummed sweetly.
"Ah, Altaria! Have you been here all along?"
"I've been here for a while, but it felt rude to intrude on that guy's big show." Altaria smiled pleasantly. "I know I'd hate someone rushing in on me while I was in the middle of a big performance."
"Gotcha. So you're a singer, I take it?"
"Right on the nose! Singing has always been my passion, ever since I was a fledgeling-"
"That's cool, but you gotta save your backstory for later." Victini interrupted. "We're on a tight schedule and our next guest is arriving right now!" Altaria sighed, but didn't raise any objections as she joined everyone else. The next Lapras arrived shortly after, carrying an ominous looking knight Pokemon with ghostly blue flames emanating from its body.
"Hm, this place shall suffice." He stated ominously. "It seems several have already arrived before me, kehehe…"
"Erm, Ceruledge?" Victini tilted his head to the side. "You okay there buddy?"
Ceruledge turned his gaze to face the Victory Pokemon. "Oh, do not mind me, I am simply scouting out the competition. And what competition they are… kehehehe…" His eyes passed over every single other contestant that had arrived before him, lingering for just a few moments. Whimsicott gave him a flirty wink, while Shelgon retreated further into her shell than should have been possible.
"Ooookay then, let's move on before I get anymore creeped out." Thankfully, they didn't have to wait for long. The next Lapras had arrived, dropping off a tiny green Pokemon wearing a skirt made of green and yellow leaves. She had a satchel draped across her chest, decorated with various cute pins of… Victini?
"Hi! My name's Bellossom, I'm fresh outta high school, and I'm super stoked to be here!" She greeted cheerfully, pink blush marks on her cheek.
"And we're happy to have you here, Bellossom!"
"Ohmigosh, I can't believe I'm talking to you right now! I've been a huge fan, ever since you hosted The Great Galarian Baking Show!"
"Yeah who isn't- I mean, that's great! I truly appreciate all the support I get from my fans! But we have to move on, unfortunately, because-"
"Hi." A strange voice interrupted. A brownish white snake with big green eyes behind a pair of round spectacles peeked his head behind Bellossom. Startled, the Flower Pokemon scurried off, dropping a few Victini pins in her hurry.
"Agh! Geez, don't sneak up on me. Anyway, Silicobra, right?"
"Yep, that's correct. Make sure not to wear it out. That name carries major clout in certain areas of the internet, you know. My loyal followers and those that are privileged enough to know of my exploits may recognize me as… TheDigster843."
Victini let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, anyway. Let's move on, we still got seven more of you to go. And the next one just so happens to be…"
This time, it was a Wailord that arrived instead of a Lapras - and seeing who the next contestant was, it wasn't hard to see why. A massive boar with two large tusks stood atop the struggling Wailord. He managed to jump off the Float Whale's back and onto the dock, shaking the wooden platform hard enough that Victini feared that it might break entirely. Thankfully all that duct tape managed to hold it in place, but it didn't seem like Mamoswine particularly cared.
"W-whoah! Be careful there Mamoswine, this dock has definitely seen better days, and I'm not sure if I got insurance on this thing."
Mamoswine fixed Victini, who barely reached his leg's eye level, with an icy glare. "You calling me fat?"
"Not at all!" Victini stammered nervously. "I'm sure you're a perfectly normal weight for a Mamoswine! It's just that-"
"Listen here punk." Mamoswine grunted in a dangerously low voice. "I don't care what frou frou shows you were running before, but here I expect you to not get in my way. I've got a lot riding on this gig and I don't need some washed-up has been messing it all up, capiche?"
"…Haha, sure. But you know, it's not me you have to worry about."
"Like I'd be afraid of any of those chumps." Mamoswine scanned the crowd. His eyes particularly lingered on Altaria, who gave him an awkward smile. "Looks like this job's gonna be easier than I expected."
As the Twin Tusk Pokemon sauntered off, each step shaking the entire dock, Victini let out a sigh of relief. "Not the first time I've been threatened before. Some of those bakers were *fierce*. In any case, it looks like the next chump is up."
The next Lapras carried a plump brown rodent with huge buck teeth. As she approached, she waved her front paw excitedly towards everyone and tried to jump off Lapras's back and onto the- "Eep!"
"Oh sh*t." Victini cursed as the contestant clumsily missed her step and fell right into the water beneath her. She splashed around frantically, trying to keep her head above the water the best she could. Before she could be fully submerged for a third time, however, she found herself being lifted into the sky on top of Lapras's head.
"This isn't really in my job description but…" The Lapras lowered her head just close enough so Bidoof could safely hop off without fear of suffering another unfortunate misstep.
"Aaaaah, thank you so much!" She thanked the Lapras, who gave her a warm yet somewhat pitiful smile. "Sorry, I'm a bit clumsy, that's all. Bad luck seems to follow me everywhere I go…"
"Thank Arceus, nearly avoided a lawsuit there." Victini breathed a sigh of relief. "Welcome to the show, Bidoof! Be sure to watch your step, wouldn't want any other accidents happening, would we?"
"Nuh-uh!" Bidoof responded, fervently shaking her head. "I'll be super duper careful from now on!"
"Moving one once again, our next - oh, what's this?"
The next Lapras carried not one but two contestants - an elegant giraffe with a cold calculating look in her eyes, and a red eyed blue Pokemon covered in jagged spikes. "Hey hey, looks like we're late to the party!" The blue one greeted excitedly.
"Seems so. How unfortunate." The other, taller one stated in a cold, analytical tone.
"Girafarig and Nidorina… Ah, looks like you two carpooled over here, huh?" Victini stated, giving the two a once over.
"In a manner of speaking, yes." Girafarig affirmed. "Me and Nida here are close associates, so it's only natural that we'd share a ride here. Plus, it would spare you the tedium of introducing us separately, would it not?"
"Gah, you can cut all the fancy talk Fari, we're on live TV!" Nidorina scoffed. "And you can also drop this close associate stuff, we've been friends since we first hatched for Arceus's sake!"
"Aaaaah, friendship. It's truly a beautiful thing."
"Yes, I suppose you can refer to it as a friendship." Girafarig stated.
"Suppose!?" Nidorina sulked. "Man, why do you gotta be like this…"
As the two were having their one-sided argument, the sixteenth (technically fifteenth if you discount the Wailord that had to lug in Mamoswine) Lapras arrived. "Ah, looks like another contestant has arrived."
The spherical Pokemon covered in a thick layer of rock floated down to the dock. Despite their face being covered by their stony carapace, they were absolutely bouncing with excitement. "Ah, is it my turn!? Hi everyone, my name's Minior, I'm 18 years old, and I love astrology. I know it's a bit cliche because I'm a living meteor, but I can't help it you know? Oh and sorry for putting my shell on today, I have sensitive skin!"
"That's very nice Minior. Since you got that intro out of the way, we can move on!"
"Wait, already? Ohmigosh sorry this is my first time being on TV, am I doing alright?"
"You're doing absolutely fantastic." Victini reassured. "Hey, looks like the next Lapras is alrea-"
Before could finish his thought, the Pokemon on top of the oncoming Lapras launched himself high into the air. Before anyone else could process what was going on, a blue blur descended onto the dock and collided directly with Minior, sending them flying into the crowd. Everyone in the crowd managed to disperse in time to avoid being the unfortunate target for the projectile… everyone except Bidoof.
"Eeeeep!"
"Ohmigosh, are you okay?" Altaria flew to Bidoof and Minior's aid. The two managed to land just a few feet into the beach , avoiding an unfortunate encounter with the ocean as well as managing to keep the rickety dock intact.
"Haha, nice!" Pachirisu cheered on from the sidelines.
"This is no laughing matter." Kleavor spoke up, giving Pachirisu a stern glance. "Bidoof-chan and Minior-kun could be seriously injured. This is not in the spirit of competition."
"I-I'm okay!" Bidoof reassured, rubbing a bump on her head from where Minior had collided with her.
"I-I'm okay too! My shell is seriously resistant to physical attacks!" Just as Minior said, there was nary a crack on their shell.
"Lucario, what the hell?" Victini snapped, turning his attention back to the perpetrator of the attack - a bipedal fox like Pokemon with a sheepishly clueless look to his face.
"Sorry, bro, but when I see a ball I gotta kick it!" Lucario replied. "It's the sportsman blood that runs through my veins, man!"
"Okay, but that was definitely NOT a ball!"
"Oh, it wasn't?" Lucario scratched his head. "I was wondering what those weird spiky things were…"
"Just… go stand somewhere else. Our final contestant is about to arrive."
"Roger that, boss man!" Lucario saluted, running off to join the others. At long last, the final Lapras arrived shortly after he had joined everyone else. An elegant white swan flew down in front of Victini, not even looking back to give her Lapras a cursory glance or acknowledgement.
"Oh, looks like I really am the last one. Sorry for being fashionably late." Her voice was haughty and self-important, a tone that matched her condescending glance.
"Swanna! Last but not least-"
"Ew."
"-I'm sorry?"
"This is the island you touted as being a natural paradise?" Swanna looked around. It was a relatively nice island, if a bit old - but given Swanna's ludicrously high standards, it couldn't have been very impressive. "I've seen dumpsters in Castellia City fancier than this excuse of an island. And that smell… ugh."
"Hey, you signed the contract so no backing out." Victini shrugged.
"Ugh, you better hope I win, or else you WILL hear from my lawyers." Swanna threatened. "This has to break some sort of law."
"Ohohoho, you've got NO idea." Victini chuckled darkly. "But that aside, now that we've got you all gathered here, we can FINALLY move on to the main meat of the show. Okay campers, follow me!"
"Alright, so I'm assuming all of you know how this works, right?"
All the contestants had gathered around a campfire some ways into the island. Victini stood in the very front, addressing the crowd from atop an empty milk crate. "You guys are split into two teams, you guys compete in challenges every week, and at the end of the challenge the team that loses gets to send one of their own back home. Yada yada yada, whichever one of you is left standing at the end of the game gets to take home the million dollar prize! After some tax deductions, of course."
"Oooooooh, so it's like, a rip-off of Survivor?" Whimsicott stated, twirling a piece of her cotton hair in her hand.
"If that's how you best understand it, then sure."
"I've never watched Survivor, is there some lore I need to know to understand the plot of this show?" Bidoof interjected nervously.
"Forget about Survivor!" Victini snapped. "Let's just get on with the teams, okay? Like I said, you guys will be split into two teams: the Savage Solgaleos and the Lunatic Lunalas!"
"If I'm not mistaken, those appear to be real Pokemon." Kleavor said.
"Hey Victini," Pachirisu raised his hand. "Did you get their permission to use their likeness?"
"That's none of your business! Alrighty, here are our teams!"
"SAVAGE SOLGALEOS!"
"Girafarig! Nidorina!" Nidorina excitedly tugged on Girafarig's leg, but her childhood bestie seemed mostly indifferent.
"Altaria! Bidoof!" Bidoof and Altaria, who were seated next to each other, smiled warmly at each other before returning their attention back to Victini.
"Silicobra! Typhlosion! Lucario!" Typhlosion guffawed loudly, while Lucario pumped his fist into the air. Silicobra took a look at these two and audibly sighed.
"Ceruledge! Mamoswine!" Both Ceruledge and Mamoswine stood in the back of the crowd, but neither showed any visible emotion at their placements. They just stood there… menacingly.
"Now moving on to the LUNATIC LUNALAS!"
"Shelgon! Bellossom! Breloom! Whimsicott!" Whimsicott scooted closer to Breloom, who nervously scooted a little further away.
"Umbreon! Swanna!" Swanna and Umbreon both rolled their eyes.
"Minior! Pachirisu! Kleavor!"
Victini tossed two different banners at Bellossom and Nidorina - Bellossom caught the purple one, emblazoned with an insignia resembling the legendary Pokemon Lunala - ergo, Lunatic Lunalas. "Aw yeah, purple is my favorite color!"
"Meh, orange is a bit tacky." Nidorina held up the orange banner with Solgaleo's insignia - the Savage Solgaleos. "You got anything red in stock?"
"Nope!" Victini smirked. "Your state of the art cabins are right behind you as well. They're four of them, each divided by team and subsequently by gender, whichever you identify with. All your luggage has safely been delivered and has been neatly tucked away inside. Don't worry, we didn't search through your belongings or anything, besides just to sniff out for any dangerous weapons. Someone had the bright idea to bring along nunchucks."
"They're for self defense!" Silicobra argued.
"He doesn't even have arms to hold nunchucks…" Altaria asked beneath her breath, staring quizzically at the sand snake.
"Minior, since you don't really *have* a gender, you're free to pick whichever cabin you feel more comfortable in."
"Oh, um…" Minior turned to glance at their team - it's not like they had a preference for either gender, but looking at the scowling faces of Umbreon and Swanna and… whatever Whimsicott was on, Minior felt themselves drifting more towards the relatively normal men in their squad. "I think I'm going to bunk in the boy's cabin for now, if that's okay with you guys!"
"Sounds good to me." Breloom nodded, giving Minior a thumbs up.
"That aside," Victini clapped his hands, drawing attention back to him. "Let's move on to the next segment!
Victini: The confessional can be used to air out your dirty laundry. Anything you want to get off your chest is fair game. Grudges, crushes, alliances, it's all between you and the camera. And well, the audience as well.
Umbreon: Ugh, I only signed up because I needed the cash to go to college, and now that I'm here I'm beginning to think none of this was worth it in the first place. Everyone here is a huge weirdo.
Shelgon: Th-there's so many people here… I-It's scary… Wh-why did I even agree to be here?
Breloom: Personally I think it's great. I've always been a huge fan of shows like this. My one concern is that I think that Whimsicott girl is coming on a little too strong…
Whimsicott: This island is full of soooo many hot guys! Like Kleavor's got that sexy samurai look going for him. And Typhlosion's a total hunk after you get past all the shouting! But my favorite hottie has gotta be Breloom! Aaaaah, maybe this vacation totally was worth it…
BOYS CABIN - SAVAGE SOLGALEOS
"Man, I can't believe I have to bunk with all these guys… talk about a sausage fest." Lucario collapsed onto one of the lower bunks. Minior wasn't kidding - their armor was rock solid. That kick had really taken a lot out of him,
"I know right." Silicobra sneered. "At least our squad has some serviceable females to keep us company on our stay here, wouldn't you say? That Altaria is quite the looker."
"Uh…" Lucario looked at Silicobra with confusion. "I guess."
Ceruledge looked up from stuffing away his trinkets into the little cabinets they were provided. "You seem conflicted. Is she not your type?"
"Nah, not really. I'm more into sporty chicks. Someone I can just ball with. That girl doesn't even have arms, just these weird cloud thingies. How am I supposed to shoot hoops with that?"
"I see… so you value someone who shares the same passions as you. You seek companionship with like-minded individuals… Fascinating, kehehehe…" Ceruledge chuckled ominously.
"... Kinda creepy thing to say dude." Lucario looked between Ceruledge and Silicobra. Silicobra's smug look of superiority, Ceruledge's constant chuckling… The major creep vibes were off the chart. He wasn't sure whether to be more afraid of having to listen to Silicobra go on a rant about why modern gaming is dying or the possibility of being murdered in his sleep by Ceruledge. Both equally terrifying outcomes.
Elsewhere, on the other side of the room, Mamoswine had managed to cram himself into an especially made king-sized bunk that barely accommodated him. Typhlosion bunked just across him. "So, what's your deal?"
"Me?" Typhlosion gestured towards himself. "Grahahaha! I am the Undying Flame, a once insignificant Cyndaquil that spent years training in the depths of hell, all for this moment where I-"
Mamoswine snorted loudly, interrupting Typhlosion's whole speech. He could already tell this was going to be a waste of time. "Forget I asked."
GIRLS CABIN - SAVAGE SOLGALEOS
"Are you sure you're feeling alright Bidoof?" Altaria said, checking Bidoof over for any visible wounds or bruises.
"Oh, I'm fine, I swear! They didn't hit any vital organs." Bidoof assured, confidently thumping on her chest.
"Yes, this Bidoof does appear to have an exceptionally high defense stat, far greater than what it should be at her level." Girafarig analyzed. "Unfortunately, the rest of her statistics are… middling, at best."
"You can tell just by looking?" Altaria asked, raising a hypothetical eyebrow.
"Impressive, right? " Nidorina butted it. "That's been her special skill ever since we were grade schoolers. It's kinda the trade off for her having absolutely zero social skills."
"Bold of you to make that claim in front of me, Nida. Even if I can't quite deny it. You've always been far more of a social Butterfree."
"Haha, guess we even ourselves out then!"
"Oh, what a sweet friendship both of you have. I'm jealous." Altaria commented with her trademark warm smile. Bidoof's mood, on the other hand, seemed to drop just looking at the other girls getting along. She tried to force a smile, but even then she couldn't stop the stray few tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.
"Haha, yeah…"
BOYS CABIN - LUNATIC LUNALAS
"You good Minior? That guy did fling you pretty hard." Breloom asked. Minior had a bandage placed on the spot where Lucario had kicked them, but even without it they seemed to be doing perfectly fine.
"I'm good! His throw was not hard enough for it to break my shell. Trust me, I've had some seriously bad falls, it's gonna take a lot more to make a dent in this shell!"
"A relief, to say the least." Kleavor nodded.
"Looks like Victini went out of his way to pick all the weirdos." Pachirisu snorted. "Not you guys of course! I'm talking about the other team."
"Y-yeah, I can't disagree there. We've definitely got some odd ones. But that just makes things more colorful, right?" Breloom nodded, looking around at the rest of the room.
"I'm looking forward to making lots of new friends!" Minior chirped.
"Agreed." Kleavor affirmed. "Companionship blossoms even in the most adverse situations."
"Ugh, why did I get stuck with all the saps…" Pachirisu whispered to himself.
GIRLS CABIN - LUNATIC LUNALAS
"Ugh, just as I suspected. You'd find better lodgings in a junkyard."
"It kinda has like, a rustic charm I think?" Whimsicott spoke up, floating right behind Swanna. "One of my besties told me that camping in the wilds is totally the big craze right now."
"As long as the beds are comfy, I really don't mind!" Bellossom said, laid out on one of the upper bunks.
"How can all of you be satisfied with this? Do any of you have *any* standards?" Swanna snapped. "Figures. I wouldn't expect anything less from the lower class."
"Can you shut the hell up already?"
"Hm, what was that?" Swanna turned to look at the source of the outburst. Umbreon was glaring at her from the other side of the room. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"
"It doesn't matter who the hell I am, all that matters is that your [REDACTED] and moaning is getting on my nerves."
"Hah! As if *I'd* care about the concerns of some worthless commoner."
"Oh, you think you're hot [REDACTED] huh? For someone so full of themselves, that sure is a ton of make-up on that face. What are you trying to hide, some second-rate beak job?"
The room went deathly silent. "Y-you…" Swanna spoke slowly, a cold fury present in between her words. "What did you just-"
Before things could escalate any further, Bellossom interrupted waving her nubby arms frantically. "H-hey now, let's all calm down! We really don't want to say things that we're going to regret!"
"Yeah like, all this fighting is totally harshing the vibe." Whimsicott commented.
Swanna and Umbreon kept glaring at each other in silence for a few tense moments. It was Swanna that finally broke the staring contest. "...Tch. This is beneath me."
In the furthest corner of the room, Shelgon had managed to keep herself out of the drama by shoving herself underneath one of the beds - her go to safe spot. "I-I… it's gonna be a long few months…"
After getting everything in order, everyone filed out of the cabins to meet back up with Victini. "Looks like you've all settled into your cabins! So, are you enjoying your new homes so far?"
"Why are all the mattresses so wet?" Nidorina asked.
"Excellent question! Anyway, it's been some time since you last ate, so it's time to introduce you to the mess hall! Alright, follow me."
Bellossom: Finally, some food! Oh, I've been starving ever since I left home! I hope they have nice vegan options here.
"Is this really edible?" Bellossom said, poking at her bowl of grayish-blue gruel.
"Anything's edible if you shut your mouth and swallow!" The camp's chef, Zarude, yelled from the kitchen.
Umbreon looked down at her meal of bright red mystery meat patties with a side of what she believed to be tufts of grass pretending to be a salad. "…I'd rather starve."
"It's okay, I can take your share if you'd like." Breloom offered. "My stomach can handle anything you throw at it!"
Meanwhile, at the Solgaleos table, Bidoof was looking down at the conspicuous black clump floating in her stew. "Mr. Zarude … Is this a tuft of fur in the stew?"
The chef scratched the side of his face, letting loose a few stray hairs. "What!? It's shedding season!"
Altaria's blue face turned a shade of green. "I suddenly lost my appetite."
"Attentiiion campers!" The relative silence of the mess hall was broken as soon as Victini burst through the double doors with a megaphone.
"Ugh, we can hear you just fine without the loudspeakers man." Lucario complained, but his words were met by deaf ears. Victini waltzed to the front of both tables, his face contorted into a smug smile.
"Once you're done with the slop, meet up outside. Our first challenge is about to begin!"
"Oh joy, the first of many humiliating congas." Pachirisu snarked, tossing his bowl of unidentified substances aside. "I wonder what torture he's gonna put us through today?"
"It can't be th-that bad, right? It is the f-first challenge…" Shelgon murmured.
"Yeah… I wouldn't get my hopes up." Breloom sighed.
A/N: This isn't my first attempt at a story like this, but I figured with all this freetime on my hands and nothing else to occupy it, why not indulge in some fun writing exercise. I grew up on Total Drama x Pokemon crossovers (which I feel like would be an embarassing thing to say to any other audience), so I've always just wanted to do something like this but never really had the vision to go through with it until now. I know this intro's a bit rough around the edges, but please let me know what you think!
I tried to keep each intro short yet give just enough characterization to give you a solid clue about what each character is all about. Some of the more normal looking contestants might not be so normal... hell, they might be Ghost or Fairy types even. (this joke didnt work from breloom i dont know why it would work for me)
Any early favorites so far? Burgeoning relationships? Characters you're looking forward to exploring? Hoping to learn what the audience consensus is!
