The scene opened on the sights of the ocean, waves crashing along the shore before shifting up towards the skyline. Wingull flew across the sky as the camera set its sights upon an island along the horizon, revealing a figure in the far distance.
In the blink of an eye, the camera zoomed in, revealing the figure in full. Said figure appeared to be an orange, anthropomorphic otter, with blue pointed fins on his arms, a teardrop pattern on his belly, and yellow flotation sac around his body. He was a Floatzel, one sporting an excited grin on his face as he addressed the camera.
"Hello viewers, one and all!" He spoke to the camera, his voice booming out in his excitement! "The name's Floatzel, and I'll be your host for…Total Pokemon Elemental!" Gesturing back toward the island just behind him, he continued, "We're here live at one of the many islands of the Légendaire Archipelago, preparing to drop one of the hottest new reality shows on television. You may be asking, what could that possibly be-"
"It's not like this is the first show to do this sorta thing, they know the deal," said someone offscreen, likely the cameraman. The host narrowed a glare to the side.
"Oi! I didn't ask for your commentary!" The otter shouted angrily while the cameraman laughed. The host cleared his voice with a grumble, before continuing, "Sorry about that. Now, where was I…Oh, right! Here on Total Pokemon Elemental, we've gathered eighteen Pokemon to compete on this archipelago for a chance at one million dollars! But to get that, they'll have to deal with intense challenges, mother nature, and most importantly…Eachother."
As if on cue, a fog horn blared, the camera panning and then zooming in to see a large ship sailing toward the island.
"And it looks like they're arriving now!" Floatzel said from offscreen. "Well, there's no time to waste; let's meet our lucky contestants!"
The scene transitioned to the deck of the ship, where eighteen mons had gathered, most of whom were looking out to the island in front of them in awe.
The camera focused on one of these Pokemon, another otter, however this one was blue with a pair of white V-shaped whiskers, and a dark blue fringed arrangement of fur, with a pair of seashell like objects attached to it. However, those whiskers were about three fourths the length of the average.
"Dewott!" Floatzel announced from offscreen, just as Dewott took hold of the railing, looking out to the island with a sense of wonder on his face.
"Wow," he whispered in awe, leaning forward- Only to lean a little too far, his grip slipping as he accidentally started slipping forward. His eyes went wide, "Oh no."
He let out a gasp, as he started to fall. Thankfully, a pink aura surrounded his form just before he had to suffer the consequences of such a blunder. He stared down at the water below in horror, a vision passing over him of almost having to swim to shore, before noticing he was hovering upward, eventually snapping him back into position where he had been standing prior.
"Woah," he whistled, before throwing on a sheepish smile and turning to his left with a chuckle, "Hehe, uh…Thanks."
"You're welcome," said the rescuer, who came in the form of a humanoid-like lady dressed in a black layered dress with a white bow on each layer, her head tear drop shaped with another bow on top. On her purple face was an expression that could read as slightly bored as she looked out to the ocean.
"Gothitelle!"
Instinctively, Dewott tried to move- only to notice he was still locked in place, the pink hue having not left. He let out another nervous chuckle, turning to his savior in confusion, "So uh…You going to let me go now?"
Gothitelle hummed aloud, looking over the otter. Specifically his improper footing and off-balance, which this close, would lead to disastrous circumstances once again. "...Nah."
The otter merely groaned in acceptance, nodding along to this decision as if he knew her reason for why already. Oddly, the smallest fraction of an amused look formed over her face, before just as quickly disappearing.
The camera shifted over to a different pair. One being a short green plant, who seemed to be wearing a dress. Her light green head adorned with leaves and two yellow olives. The other was another green plant with stubby legs, arms, and tail. A blooming yellow flower adorning her head as she floated.
"Dolliv and Skiploom!"
"There it is!" Skiploom beamed, practically jumping in place as she turned to her fellow plant, "Oh boy, oh boy, I'm just…So excited!" Skiploom continued to skip in place, Dolliv merely nodding along calmly as she stared out at the island herself with a reserved smile.
From there, the camera panned to the next in line, his back to the railing. His appearance came in the form of a short panda with a green leaf in his mouth, a smug grin ever prominent.
"Pancham!"
Pancham turned to the side with a grin, musing, "Ya know, the view's real pretty…But not as beautiful as you- ACK!"
Pancham gagged as multiple tails snapped at his face, smacking him backward, courtesy of a silver four legged fox. Her nine silver blue tipped tails were flowing gracefully in the breeze…You know, when they weren't smacking small pandas. Besides her was a cream colored bipedal cat with shades of brown on his feet and tail and a gold koban coin right on his head.
"Ninetales and Meowth!"
"Yeah, no." Ninetales stated bluntly. "I've heard a lot of pick up lines, shorty, and that was not it. Try harder."
"Or maybe just…Don't?" Meowth spoke up. "Makes for a bad first impression don't you think?"
With a groan, Pancham pushed himself up off the ground, readying to speak up and dig his grave even further- only to suddenly feel his weight give out from under him, his body suddenly being lifted by the leg by what looked like a cloth-like arm…Which connected to a floating golden shield that held on to a shield in the other arm. His lone eye just giving Pancham a look before he began floating away
"H-Hey! Where are you taking me!?" Pancham shouted to the sword, who didn't reply. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"
"Aegislash!"
Meowth and Ninetales merely looked on at the drifting pair, the former slowly asking, "What…Just happened?" His question was only met with a shrug by the vixen.
The camera panned over to another feline that was standing away from others while reading a book. With dark blue fur highlighted with white stripes on his ears and tail, as well as a white fur collar around his neck. Rounding off his appearance with tufts of fur at his hips and white paws.
"Meowstic!"
Meowstic continued his reading as he noticed a shadow shift over him, making him look up. "Can I help you?" He asked in a bored tone.
The figure looking over him was revealed as a pink jellyfish-like being with wavy appendages and a round tip to her head, which resembled a royal crown.
"Frillish!"
Flinching back at the cat's glare, the ghost just barely managed a weak, "Um…H-Hello." The feline looked her over judgmentally as she stammered under her breath, forcing a smile, and asking, "I-I just wanted to see…I-if you wanted some-"
"Company? No. Leave." Meowstic cut her off very pointedly before going back into his book.
This left Frillish in a bout of silence, before she spoke up again, "O-Oh…Oh. S-Sorry. I'll just…Leave you alone then…Sorry." She floated backwards awkwardly after the exchange, careful to avoid the cat's attention, only to accidentally bump into someone else.
This "someone else" in question came in the form of a mostly gray hyena, with a black coat going over the length of his body and along his legs along with a black triangle pattern below his eyes. He bellowed out a growl as he slowly turned to the girl.
"Mightyena!"
"Oh, I'm- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean anything, I-I didn't even notice you were there," Frillish stammered, completely flustered, only to shake with fear at her wording, "N-Not that you're not notable, I-I'm just blind! Blind I say! W-Well not…Literally, I-I just mean…Sorry!"
Mightyena just looked at her for a moment, before scoffing, "Whatever. Just pay attention next time. Alright?"
"O-Oh, okay…S-Sorry again!'' Frillish muttered, which soon descended into a nigh-constant onslaught of apologies, Mightyena groaning in defeat as he slowly realized this was his fate for however long he was stuck on this boat…
The camera wisely panned over to someone else.
Namely two other Pokemon on the ship. The first being a bipedal rodent covered in mostly dark orange fur and a white belly. She had yellow cheeks, a tip of a tail shaped like a lightning bolt, that is chipped at the end, and bifurcated ears that are currently being covered by her paws as she is trying to tone out the Pokemon next to her. That being a smaller insect with a bigger head than her body while being covered in yellow with a brown scarf around her neck, along with large white wings on her back.
"Raichu and Ribombee!"
"I mean, seriously, don't you just hate it when people constantly think you're weak when you're not. I mean come on, like, say that to my face so I can show you just how weak I am, y'know?!" Ribombee complained, Raichu helplessly cringing in place beside her as her ears hung loosely at the sides of her head.
"...Yeah…That sounds…Awful," the rat nodded along, hoping that'd draw the bee's unyielding words to a close-
"Oh, and don't even get me started on how the bigger guys talk to me! Oh, let me tell you, it's the worst!" Ribombee continued, as Raichu hung her head in dismay. The bee just kept talking and talking, going on and on about.. Whatever the hell she was talking about, and while Raichu was trying her best to tune her, such an action was near impossible!
Much to her relief, however, she'd receive momentary relief in the form of someone else floating over. She appeared to be a coned dark blue petaled flower but at the same time was more crystal rather than plant. She had a tail of lighter purple petals while her head was just a black transparent cone with yellow eyes inside.
"Glimmora!"
"Hello," the flower greeted…Then said nothing to follow it, merely looking on awkwardly in an off-stance, barely conscious of the world around her.
Both Ribombee and Raichu just looked on at the new arrival, Raichu more so wondering if this was going to go anywhere while Ribombee scoffed, "Hpmh! A poison and rock type." Ribombee commented, looking at Glimmora bitterly. "I'm not dealing with this right now," she turned to the rat, and for a moment, the bee's expression lightened up, "how about we talk later, Raichu. Cool? Cool! Seeya!"
She beamed at the mouse, before casting another glare, Glimmora's way, then flying off. Raichu just…Blinked…Before falling backward against the deck, a relaxed smile forming over her face in relief, "Finally…"
Meanwhile Glimmora just watched the bee leave, humming unusually to herself, before nodding, "She's nice."
The camera shifted for a penultimate time to two Pokemon using a table for a round of arm wrestling, a third watching from the railing. The first was a blue duck that had a red gem on forehead's center, a cream colored beak, webbing between her digits, and a long tail. The other combatant in that match was a large burly blue dragon with crimson spikes along his arms, back, and tail to match his crimson head. He also had wings on his back. Finally the one watching them was a slouching red wolf with white fur along his legs, arms, and chest. He had rock claws along his sides which connected to a large mane that went along his back and overhead, covering a bit of his face.
"Golduck, Druddigon, and Lycanroc!"
Soon after the camera arrived to the scene, the dragon overpowered the duck in their contest, crushing the water-type's arm. Grinning smugly as he did so, the dragon muttered, "Easy win, as expected. Don't feel too bad though, wasn't any other way this was going down."
"Oh really, hotshot? Cause I think I had you for a moment there," Golduck noted, her pride merely bruised, not scarred, by the loss, as she boasted, " Give me another try, and I bet I'll floor you!"
"If what you're saying is you want to start a losing streak, then be my guest! Come at me!" Druddigon laughed, prepping his arms for another round as the duck prepared herself.
Meanwhile Lycanroc just looked on without saying much. It was either this or watch the ocean, and one of those things was mildly more entertaining. Still, he just leaned on the railing while waiting for this ride to end-
"BOO!"
"Shit!" Lycanroc shouted, jumping forward and hitting the deck hard. He looked up in shock, and saw floating just above him the final Pokemon aboard the ship.
Best described as a blue and purple vampire bat mixed with an insect, he had pincer-like claws, a stinger tail he used to hang onto the railing, red thin arms and chest, and black wings that could be used for gliding. He had surprised Lycanroc by using his tail to spring up from the railing unnoticed. Of course now, he was laughing at Lycanroc's expense.
"Gliscor!"
"What the hell was that for!?" Lycanroc shouted at the bat, expecting the other two to speak up as well… But they were absorbed in their match to really take any notice, much to Lycanroc's dismay.
"The look on your face…HA! Truly priceless~" Gliscor snickered.
"That didn't answer anything!"
"Oh, but why must I answer, huh? It's more fun this way, no?" The bat responded, Lycanroc groaning as ground-type took in the exchange with a laugh.
Fading back in from black, the scene showed the boat having docked onto shore, as Floatzel stepped out in front of the camera.
"Welcome back to the island, folks! Our eighteen contestants are on the ship now, waiting for the call to disembark, and officially start the competition. Now, I could just stand here and talk about official junk before we bring them in…But I'd rather get into the thick of things. Look alive!"
Floatzel then pulled out a megaphone from seemingly nowhere (editing magic, baby), before shouting into it, "Everyone off the ship! Move, move, move!"
Shortly after the announcement, the cast came filing out. Ranging from walking off normally, flying off, jumping, or in Pancham's case, being thrown by Aegislash, it was about as orderly as one could expect.
Pancham screamed as he was thrown, quickly hitting the sand and causing dust to fly up into a cloud. As it dispelled, the panda plucked his face from the ground, growling as he turned to shout out, "Thanks for the trip, asshole! 'Ya freaking ruined my fur!"
The sword floated down mere moments later, apathetic to the panda's frustration as he floated past him with a side-eye. The panda growled, before dusting himself off and reluctantly following, though not without muttering incoherent curses under his breath.
Soon enough, everyone had arrived onto the beach, where they met the grinning Floatzel. The otter looked over the crowd with a knowing smirk, clearing his throat, before gesturing and exclaiming, "Welcome everyone…To Total Pokemon Elemental!"
Such a statement was greeted by cheers and applause of excitement from the cast of eighteen, all ready and excited to begin the competition. After a moment of letting the excitement sink in, the host held up a hand and added, "As of today, you eighteen will be competing here for a chance at one million dollars!"
This, of course, drew up another wave of excitement, as he continued, "Along the way, some of you will make friends," Glimmora shifted an eerie grin at Ribombee, seemingly smiling without a mouth as the bee squirmed under the expression, practically looking ready to gag.
"Or in some of your cases, maybe enemies will be a more apt term." Pancham readied a glare at Aegislash, only to growl when the sword merely looked away.
"And along the way, you'll be given the chance to face immeasurable challenges," Druddigon cracked his knuckles, grinning, a sentiment quickly shared by Golduck, who practically mimicked the movement herself.
"Which many of you will no doubt fail miserably at!" Lycanroc just slumped and sighed, shifting uncomfortably in place while Ninetales scoffed nearby, already looking more than a little bored of the preamble.
Floatzel leveled a smirk, "But no matter what, come the end of this game…And there's only going to be one of you left to stand here beside me."
And with such words, the crowd straightened up, the everlooming potential of loss lingering over them like a storm cloud. With…One exception.
"So," Gothitelle started, twirling a strand of her hair in slight boredom, "when exactly are we starting?"
Almost seeming caught off guard by the goth's nonchalance, Floatzel cleared his throat and forced a smile, "Well, today will largely be relegated to explaining rules, setting stuff up for later, and getting you all used to the environment. Your first challenge won't be till tomorrow!"
This answer elicited just as many groans as it did sighs of relief from the impatient cast, as the host snickered knowingly, "Oh, trust me, I want to see you all clawing each other's eyes out too! But sadly, a formula is a formula for a reason. Now if you'll follow me, we'll discuss more at what'll be your common area."
With that, Floatzel turned and started walking down a path from the beach. With nothing else to do, the cast followed behind.
After a fairly paced walk, everyone soon found themselves facing the so-named, "common area". Resembling something of a campground, there were two large wooden cabins that looked fully capable to fit many people, along with another wooden building a bit away in the distance from these cabins. In front of the cables was a campfire pit, as well as benches for casual relaxation.
"Wow…Seems homey!" Skiploom exclaimed, her always bright smile beaming at the sight as Dolliv passively nodded.
"Eh…Far too plain for my taste. I expected more "Summer Getaway" over Summer…Camp," Gliscor said, turning his head away dramatically while Raichu rolled her eyes.
Floatzel smiled at the cast's reaction, explaining, "For the most part, everything needs to be able to be taken down when this all ends, so the simpler the aesthetic, the easier the clean-up. Anyway, everyone take a seat here so we can get started!"
Everyone went and took seats along the benches around the campfire pit, or in the case of those who could fly, just floated in arm close by. Once everyone was situated, Floatzel stepped up, explaining, "So, to begin. Over the next few weeks, you will be competing here, on the Légendaire Archipelago, which for those who don't know, is a-"
"A set of six islands, largely notable for the mysterious quality of how five of said islands seem to correlate around one or more unique typings generally associated with our species…Correct?" Meowstic stated matter of factly, never once looking away from his book, as most of the cast looked him over in shock and surprise.
"...Know-it-all," Mightyena coughed out, earning a look from Meowth.
"...Uh…Yeah, right, that's…That's correct, Meowstic," Floatzel continued, momentarily disparaged from having his moment taken away, though quickly recovering with a smile, "now, currently, we're on Normilne Island, named after the belief that this is just a normal-type island. This is where you will live during the competition. Relax, socialize, eat at the mess hall," he gestured to the only buildings in sight, before continuing, "explore the island, talk the talk, maybe make out, etc. You know, camp stuff."
Pancham wiggled his eyes at the last mention, particularly at Ninetales, who scoffed and pushed the panda away with her tail, "Not happening."
"Then when it's time for a challenge," Floatzel continued, "you will either compete here, or on another of the more…Unique islands. Naturally, for now, you'll be competing in teams, and if your team loses, you will report to elimination. As I'm sure most of you are expecting, there you'd submit your votes, and after boredly going over some math and such…I get to kick one of you losers off my island!"
Frillish gulped at the obvious threat, shifting in her seat as Floatzel lets the cast take in his words, laughing eerily to himself.
The cast took a moment to exchange wary glances and glares, locking eyes with the strangers all around them as they thought over the possibility. Whether they wanted to believe it or not, within a day or so, their eighteen would become seventeen. And none of them were sure yet who the unlucky bastard to lose first would be…
"...So…Speaking of, when are we getting into those teams you mentioned?" Golduck asked.
"Oh yeah, she's right," Dewott nodded, asking as well, "Shouldn't we be in those by now?"
Floatzel let out another laugh, perking a brow at his fellow mustelid, "Impatient are we?" Dewott looked off to the side awkwardly, scratching behind his ear as the host shrugged, "Not that I could blame you. However, those teams of your ain't happening…Yet. First, I'd like you all to settle it. Get to know each other. Eat lunch. Then later on, I'll call you all back and we'll end your first day with team formation. Any questions?"
He gave a pause for questions, only to receive none, "Good! All your luggage is in the cabins. The one on my left is for the dudes, and the one on the right for the dudettes. I'll see you all back here in a few hours. Have fun!" With that. Floatzel stalked off, leaving the contestants to their own devices.
The door swings open to the male's cabin, revealing…Well, a cabin interior. There were five sets of bunk beds, a wooden floor with a large gray rug, a nightstand with cabinets and a lamp, and of course, their luggage. Simple, yet workable. The nine boys all entered the cabin, with Meowstic immediately gathering his things.
"Honestly? I expected much worse," Meowth said as he looked around.
"I like it! I think it's ni- aah!" As Dewott walked by, his foot slipped under the edge of the rug and accidentally tripped him, forcing the otter to fall flat on his face. Aegislash floated over and picked him back up, as the otter chuckled awkwardly. "Thanks."
Gliscor flew over to one of several top bunks, claiming it as his own before looking at the others, pointing a claw at Lycanroc. "You! Bunk with me!"
Lycanroc, naturally, looked at him like he said something insane. "What? Why me?"
"You entertain me!"
Lycanroc just sighed, "I'd put up a fight over earlier…But something tells me you're not going to take no for an answer are you?" Gliscor just laughed a little, as Lycanroc sighed again and walked over, accepting his fate.
"Hope you boys don't mind," Druddigon started. "but I'll be taking this bunk all for myself!"
"Says who?" Meowstic spoke up, looking at the dragon with cold eyes. "I'd much rather have my own bunk. Better than having to deal with any of you more than I have to."
"Wow, aren't you pleasant?" Mightyena snarked, as he was claiming a random bottom bunk.
Scoffing at the wolf, he turned over to Druddigon, "Well? Name me one reason why I shouldn't have to sleep alone-" Meowstic didn't get to finish his thought, as Aegislash floated over and took the top of the bunk Meowstic stood, before peering down at the feline with a blank expression.
The feline gave him a look, wondering how that solved anything- before noticing everyone else had already made up their minds, claiming their own bunks. This left him two options; take the bottom under Aegislash…Or rest with Druddigon instead, as the dragon offered a toothy smirk.
It was clear; either way, Meowstic clearly had lost this fight. This made Meowstic scoff a bit, tossing his luggage under his new bed and grumbling, "Fine…I accept this invite." Aegislash rolled his eye above, as the feline turned a glare toward the winner of such a privilege, "Enjoy your glory…For now, dragon."
Druddgion just laughed at his victory, while the remaining guys got to work setting up their bunks, with Dewott and Meowth bunking together, leaving Pancham to bunk with a displeased Mightyena.
The girls had already gotten into their cabin as well, which was visually identical to the male's cabin. Same bunk set up, same rug…Same arguments over bunks.
"It should obviously be me! I should have the solo bunk!" Ninetales shouted.
"Hmm…Nah. I think I'd like it." Gothitelle replied calmly, Ninetales staring her down harshly in response.
"Um…We don't…Need to cause a fight over this…R-Right?" Frilish said, having already set-up in a bunk with Golduck, who herself was watching the fight escalate as well.
"Nah. I welcome the conflict" Gothitelle replied again, her expression as calm as ever as the opposed fox got into her face.
"Oh-ho-ho, so you want conflict, huh?!" Ninetales started. "Because girl, I will give you conflict!"
"Okay, I don't care how this continues, but I really don't want to be here for it," Raichu said, walking out of the cabin.
"Bye bye!" Glimmora said, seemingly spinning in place.
After seeing Raichu leave, Skiploom floated between the arguing girls, forcing a smile and saying, "How about we settle this fairly! You both clearly want it, so…How about a game!" Gothitelle and Ninetales gave the girl a look, as the plant smiled sheepishly, "You know…A game! Here, check it; I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. The one who gets closest to guessing the right one gets the bunk to themselves. How does that sound?"
The two girls exchanged a wary glance, before turning back to Skiploom. Eventually, Ninetales caved in with a loud groan, "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine…Whatever. Two, I guess."
"Five," Gothitelle guessed simply. Skiploom looks between them before pointing a hand at Gothitelle.
"It was four, so Gothitelle gets it." Skiploom beamed, the goth smiling in satisfaction as the opposed fox's face burnt brightly in frustration. Noticing her frustration, Skiploom once more stepped in, looking up at her with a sympathetic smile, "Sorry Ninetales. Looks like you'll be bunking with Glimmora."
Ninetales looked over to the bunk Glimmora was at, and watched her spinning around carelessly. Ninetales just groaned. "Fine! But I call the top bunk and that's final."
"Whatever you say bunk buddy!" Glimmora happily accepted, not stopping her spinning as the fox trotted over.
Golduck got up from her bunk. "Well if that's done with. I'm going to the mess hall for some grub." With that, she went out of the cabin as a few others began following suit.
Much like Golduck, most of the cast made their way to the mess hall in order to have lunch. Said mess hall was, like the cabins, largely made of wood. The main sitting area was outfitted with two long wooden tables with chairs, there was a kitchen window that gave a view into a rustic looking kitchen. Within it was also the chef of the mess hall, who came in the form of a brown furred primate with white patches on his chest and legs, golden markings on his knees, shoulders, hands, and chest, and eternal fire ablaze on his head. He was prepping food and bringing out trays for the cast to take and eat. Taking them, the cast started sitting around tables within the mess hall.
"Mmm, ya know. I was expecting much worse" Pancham noted, having already begun to gorge himself on the surprisingly edible slop before him.
"Dude, maybe you should pace yourself?" Meowth asked, watching Pancham in morbid curiosity.
Pancham didn't really listen to him and kept going. That is until he swallowed a bit too much, and started coughing up all over the cat, practically spritzing the feline before downing some water, "Wrong pipe, wrong pipe!" Meowth just groaned in disgust, shaking his hand to try and get some of the ick off.
"I mean, hey, he tried to warn you," Raichu deadpanned across from the two, "don't know what else you expected."
"I was expecting to chow down like Mr. Dragon over there!" Pancham said as he pointed over to Druddigon, who was intensely devouring his meal. Skiploom was seated nearby and was watching, the smile on her face strained a little at the sight.
Upon noticing the sight, Raichu just blinked, then rolled her eyes, "He's not from this world. Simple as that," Raichu said, before going back to her meal.
"Interesting," Gothitelle mused from another part of the mess hall. "Why are you eating Frillish? I thought ghost types don't need food?"
The ghost raised her head, whimpering, "O-Oh…W-Well…We don't…Not really…" Frillish admitted nervously. "But, I thought…Maybe this would help me…Fit in normally." Forcing a smile, she flinched back at Gothitelle's strange drifting stare, slowly turning away from her-
Only to notice Aegislash was floating right next to her. "Oh! Wait! I…I didn't mean it like, "you aren't normal" or…Or-"
Aegislash raised a cloth hand to cut her off, then shrugged. Seems like there was no offense, which made her sigh. Gothitelle merely giggled a little watching that.
"Okay, great, misunderstanding settled, whatever, now can you guys shut up," Mightyena growled, "I'd like to eat in peace."
However, much to his misfortune, he had sat beside Ribombee, "What? Why!? This is perfect entertainment while eating," the bee argued.
Mightyena just scoffed at her. "Yeah, only compared to that story you were yapping into my ear in line about a so-called, "Honey Tree Bandit" or whatever."
"It's not just some story! It's a true tale of my life!" Ribombee said in offense, "You should be honored to hear it!" Mightyena just looked blankly at her, before walking away. "Hey! Come back here! At least finish your lunch! Stop ignoring me!"
Back at the beach everyone arrived at, Dolliv had set up a picnic blanket and just…Sat there. Watching the ocean waves. Breathing in the fresh air. Tears in her eyes. She let out a low sound, almost incomprehensible, as she whispered her first words of the day, "So beautiful…"
"What's beautiful?"
Dolliv squeaked in surprise, before turning and noticing Dewott had come to the beach as well. She breathed a sigh, "You shouldn't scare a lady like that," she said softly.
Dewott chuckled nervously. "Sorry, Dolliv. But uh…What are you doing here?"
"Oh…Well," Dolliv started, "I wanted to come here and just…Take in the natural environment. The ocean, the sand, the forest…It's all so calming, and beautiful…"
Dewott looked around…A tad confused. "Um…"
"Here! Sit with me for a moment. Maybe that will help you see it," Dolliv pats the space next to her.
With nothing better to do, Dewott stepped over and took the seat, looking out at the ocean with her. Both sat there in silence, surrounded by the sounds of nature around them as Dolliv just took it in. Dewott…Didn't really get it, and even closed his eyes, trying to relax. After a moment or two, his usual worries seemed to be pulled back, and…Maybe he'd start to get it-
"BOO!"
Both of them screamed, Dewott going as far as falling on his face from the surprise. Dolliv grasped her heart, breathing in and looking up to see…A snickering Gliscor.
"You sure should have seen the looks on your faces!" Gliscor laughed. "Ah! Priceless!"
"W-We were trying to relax here, Gliscor!" Dolliv spoke up in anger, which for her species, didn't sound much louder than her usual speech, "Why'd you have to ruin that!?"
"Relax?" Gliscor asked, "Are you aware of what you signed up for? The only thing in it for you in your future, is gonna be pure, hot chaos." He gave her a wink, "Like your's truly~"
Dewott emerged from his faceplant, grumbling in expectation, "Yeah, right…"
"Still, you may go back to your peace; I've gotten what I wanted. Enjoy it, before this game takes it away once more!" With that, Gliscor jumped up and glided away, his cackling echoing all the way off into the distance.
Dolliv puffed up her cheeks, wanting to say something…Only to give up sadly. She turned to her fallen companion, "I'm sorry Dewott. Are you alright?
"Yeah…I'm good," Dewott replied, "didn't think he had to go that far, but whatever, I guess. But uh…Hey, I'm gonna go explore the island a bit more. But…Thanks Dolliv. It was kinda nice to relax for a moment."
This much allowed Dolliv to offer the otter a comforting smile, "Oh, you're welcome, Dewott. Feel free to come to me any time."
Dewott gave her a quick wave, before going back to the main part of the island, as Doliv sat back down and continued to relax on the beach.
While most of the cast were out and about on the island, Meowstic had settled at the campground fire pit. He was still reading whatever book he had brought with him, and he was enjoying the peace and quiet.
"Hello."
That was, until Glimmora had floated over to him, causing the feline to silently groan.
"What are you reading? Is it boring?" Glimmora asked as she got closer. Meowstic, using psychic to keep her at a distance, turned away and tried to ignore her. However, while kept in place, that doesn't mean she'd suddenly be quiet. "...Well is it?"
"Leave me alone." That's all Meowstic said as he tried going back to his book, putting it up to his face. Though after about ten seconds, he glanced back-
Only to flush in frustration at the sight of Glimmora floating right in front of him. "I bet it's really boring~"
Meowstic rolled his eyes before getting up and walking over to the boy's cabin, slamming its door in the process.
Glimmora just blinked. "Okay! Good talk!" She started to float away, "He seems nice"
A while later in the day, Lycanroc was walking around aimlessly, having found a path and deciding to just follow it. He had nothing else to do and he didn't really want to just sit around and be left with his thoughts. So here he was now. Walking…Alone…Damn, this was boring.
Eventually the path he went down exited into a grassy field. Nothing notable about it on its own, however, Floatzel and Golduck were there. And oddly…Floatzel was giving Golduck orders as she was moving stuff around for him. Notably, Lycanroc noticed a pair of large placemats and some poles around them.
"Oh, hey Lycanroc!" Golduck said, noticing him. This made Floatzel turn around to see the contestant, grinning.
"Ah, Perfect timing!"
"Uh, what did I just stumble into?" Lycanroc asked warily.
"Nothing bad. This is just the set up for team building" Floatzel replied, "I asked Golduck here to help me set up."
"Because you're being lazy," Golduck snarked.
Floatzel just chuckled, "Guilty as charged. But hey, it builds character…I think!"
"Well…" Lycanroc started, "Shouldn't you have interns for this sort of thing?"
"Normally, yes. However, all of them are currently on another island setting up a challenge or two. So I'm a little short on helping hands right now."
"Uh…Okay then?" Lycanroc replied, looking over to see Golduck carrying another metal pole on her own. " Um…Hey Golduck. Do you want some help?"
"Oh- Yeah! That would make this all go by so much faster!" Golduck said. From what Lycanroc could see, she wasn't outright struggling, but did look like the help would do some good.
"She's right! The faster this gets set up, the sooner I call everyone for teams!" Floatzel said, his excitement on full display. Lycanroc wasn't impressed, but went along to help Golduck anyway.
"Thanks man. I really appreciate it!" Golduck says as Lycanroc helps her in carrying the pole. "Doing work like this with a team makes things all the better, 'ya know?"
"Uh, sorta? Lycanroc admitted, not fully paying attention to the thought, but rather getting the work done.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE! IT'S TIME FOR THE FIRST DAY IN THE GAME TO END! GO DOWN THE MARKED PATH BY THE CABINS AND MEET ME AT THE FIELDS!"
That announcement had rang out through the island, with no way anyone could really miss it. The remaining sixteen contestants that weren't helping Floatzel dropped whatever business they were handling and went over to the designated area as requested. Finding Floatzel, Lycanroc, Golduck, and the set up they worked on. The metal poles having been the foundation to two canopies, one red and one blue.
"Oh, you two were already here?" Skiploom asked, as everyone started to trickle in.
"Yeah, we um…Got roped into manual labor" Lycanroc admitted.
"Like I said, it builds character!" Floatzel said, "Besides, you both did a good job!"
"A job you should have done." Golduck flatly replied.
"Yet you helped him anyway~" Ninetales teased.
"Oi! They better not be getting some advantage out of this!" Ribombee shouted. "It would be so unfair to be getting screwed when we had no idea to come here and help!"
"How is that what you're focused on?" Raichu commented.
"No advantages were given for this, I just needed the help." Floatzel explained. "But enough about that, it's time for what you've all been waiting for!"
"Finally!" Druddigon yelled.
"Let's get right to it. If I call your name, please go under the red canopy…Skiploom…" With a smile, Skiploom flew over to the canopy.
"Aegislash…Gliscor…" Aegislash floated over while listening to Gliscor laughing as he passed.
"Ninetales…Golduck…Pancham…" Pancham smirked upon hearing his name. But as Ninetales walked past him, she swatted him with her tails again, throwing him to the ground. Aegislash eventually floated over and grabbed him, dragging him to the canopy, much to the other's amusement.
"Lycanroc…Raichu…" The two glanced at each other, before walking over.
"And finally, Meowstic…" Meowstic simply shut his book and walked over without a word.
And so, the group of Aegislash, Gliscor, Golduck, Lycanroc, Meowstic, Ninetales, Pancham, Raichu, and Skiploom stood under the red canopy.
"From today on, you will be known as…The Gigantic Groudons!" Floatzel announced.
"What a wonderful name!" Gliscor shouted.
"Eh, I can work with this," Golduck shrugged with a smile.
"As for the rest of you. Please step over to the blue mat," Floatzel started, "Druddigon…Gothitelle…Dolliv…" Druddigon looked pumped while going to his canopy, while the ladies just went calmly.
"Mightyena…Dewott…" Dewott smiled as he went up, while Mightyena seemed like he couldn't care less.
"Frillish…Glimmora…Meowth…" Glimmora just spun around as she went on, much to Meowth's confusion.
"And finally, Ribombee."
"Saving the best for last I see? Good choice" Ribommbee said as she flew over to the canopy… before noticing Glimmora. She sighed, "Great."
And so, the group of Dewott, Dolliv, Druddigon, Frillish, Glimmora, Gothitelle, Meowth, Mightyena, and Ribombee stood under the blue canopy.
"From today on, you will be known as…The Krashing Kyogres!" Floatzel announces.
"Oh yeah! We'll make that other team crash and burn!" Druddigon cockily said. This earned groans from much of the rest of the cast.
"Boooo!" Shouted Dewott.
Raichu facepalmed, "Can I just be eliminated now?"
"Nope!" Floatzel answered. "Anyhow, these are your teams. Love 'em or not, I don't care! You're stuck with each other for a while, so get used to it. Now there's one more thing before today is all over. Follow me."
"Wait!" Lycanroc said, "Um, what about the canopies? Don't they need to be taken down?"
That question left Floatzel quiet for a while before he sighed. "Note to self…Call the intern team when they get back…" With that, he started walking away with the cast following him.
After a thankfully short walk, everyone came into a smaller clearing, housing a pair of tents, one blue and the other red. Floatzel stepped over and opened one of the door flaps, showing everyone that inside was a camera and a large stump for seating.
"This is the confessional," Floatzel said, "Come here to speak your mind, spill the tea, or just vent to the viewing world. We'll have one of these set up on every island for your convenience."
"Oh, that's…Helpful?" Frillish said.
Floatzel nodded, "Now how about you all end the day with some confessionals, then relax for the night. You'll need it for your first challenge tomorrow!
The inside of the tent itself was nothing special. Just the color of the tent as the background (with said color in question seemingly shifting between blue and red depending on who was currently there and what team they were on), and the person using the confessional. In this case, Raichu.
The rat in question awkwardly scratched her arm, muttering, "Um…Okay…I guess I'm doing the first confessional. Well…Hi? I'm Raichu. And…I can already tell I'm really out of my depth here. I mean, look at some of these weirdos!"
She groaned, practically throwing her head into her arms, before shifting her gaze up the length of the tent and muttering, "...Well, I'm already here. May as well try to give this my all, right?" She let out a sigh…Then shrugged, "Guess I'll just have to see how this goes."
Druddigon laughing up a storm, throwing up a fist and declaring, "Oh yeah! I'm pumped! The rest of these wimps better start counting their days, cause Druddi here is going all the way to the top, baby!"
Pumping a fist, he thrust it forward- only for his claws to actually tear straight through the top of the tent. He flinched back, especially as a voice called out, "Oh, come on, it's only the second one, people! Those are more expensive than you think!"
"Seeing as I am on a team now, I'll probably be expected to 'play nice' with my new peers," Meowstic grumbled lethargically, before looking dead into the camera with uncompromised malice, "but make no mistake; none of them are worth my time. However, I intend to win. So if I must stoop to their level…So be it."
He smiled smugly, the first time he had shown much of any emotion that day, "And it'll all be worth it when I take home the money I so elegantly deserve."
"Umm… H-Hello world," Frillish started, "I-I'm Frillish- w-hich you…Already knew…Um…A-And…Um…I…I'm sorry- it's hard to get my thoughts together. Oh, I hope my team will like me…A-A few of them are a little In…In…I-Intimidating… But…M-Maybe I'll do well…I hope…"
She whimpered desperately.
Skiploom waved chipperly at the camera, her smile as wide as could be, "Hi-Hi! I'm Skiploom, and I'm skipping in delight to be here~" She laughed excitedly, shaking peppily as she said, "Hopefully we can have as much fun as possible while we're out here! Sure, I know it's a game for money and whatever, but what's a game without some fun, right?"
Clapping with a wide smile, she leaned in and whispered, "And sooner is better there! I'm gonna go see if I can sneak in an early giggle fit! Haha!" She gave the camera a wave, "Wish me luck!"
Dewott chuckled nervously, raising a hand and muttering, "Well, I'm Dewott. I'm…Hoping all of this will go well. I'm a bit of a…Mess, I guess? Or at least I think that's the word…But I don't want that to tie me down or anything. I'm gonna do my best out here; fresh start and all that, so I'm gonna give it my all no matter what! Yeah!"
He pumped a fist…Which swiftly resulted in him going off balance, "W-Woah!" And like that, he promptly went falling off the stump, hitting the ground with a thud…Only to throw up a thumbs-up from the ground, "I'm good!"
Lycanroc just sits there, generally looking away from the camera. He steals a glance here and there, but he's mostly trying to figure out what to say. Then he sighed. "I'm just here…To maybe make my life better…"
He grumbled incoherently to himself, scratching at his fur, before groaning loudly and standing up in frustration, "Ugh, this was so stupid-"
Dolliv leaned back, taking a moment to stretch, then yawn. She wetted her lips, then slowly turned toward the camera with a relaxed grin. She sighed calmly…
"I don't have much I want to say," Dolliv said sweetly, "but I guess I'd want to thank this show for the opportunity to experience this island. And to think there are five more to step foot on as well. Truly…I can't wait…"
"Am I excited for this?" Golduck began to answer a question that never seemed to exist in the first place. And said answer came in the form of a grin, "Hell yeah I am! Stuff like this excites the Hell outta me! Kinda sucks to leave the girls back home, but hey, I'll win it for them for sure! I bet I'll even be one Hell of an asset too, practically dominating! Wooh!"
She laughed, tapping her chin with a hum, "Heck, I bet if I can work well with my team, we can go all the way. Lycanroc already made a good impression on me, so I'm sure the rest can too. You know…If they pull their weight."
Mightyena scoffed, rolling his eyes before looking at the camera dead-on. "Look, I'm here to win. Simple as that. Whatever happens between here and then…It happens. And if that has to include me leaving slashing up whatever fool annoys me enough, then…Oh well. Sucks to be them."
He snorted, looking off with a conflicted glare. After a moment, he shrugged, grumbling, "Guess I'll just see how well this goes."
Aegislash just looked at the camera. After a few seconds, he gives what appears to be a nodding motion before going to leave.
"Man, this is gonna be awesome! Pancham said excitedly as he smirked, "a shot at hard cash, a bunch of babes, showin' what I'm made of! What more could you ask for, honestly? Oh, just wait until they all get a taste of me!"
He lifts his head toward the sky, breaking down into a horrendous fit of laughter- that quickly ended as he unexpectedly gagged on nothing, gripping his neck in fear as he gasped out, "O-Oh God! Medic! Medic!"
"Hello world!" Ribombee greeted, leaning in and adjusting the camera, before fluttering back just barely enough to fly at the center of attention, throwing on a pose and an award-winning smile, before asking, "You might be wondering what someone like me is doing here? And the answer is simple…I'm going to show all of you why you should never underestimate me!"
Flaunting a laugh, she smirked in anticipation, declaring, "I won't be pushed around any longer, and frankly, what better way to prove it then by winning this show! Especially with that stupid Glimmora around…Surely she's waiting for her chance to strike at me…But I won't let her have it, you hear! I won't! I'll have the last laugh, mark my words!"
Glimmora was doing what she did best…Just spinning around in circles with happless glee. Although after a bit, she stopped to look at the camera. Blinking…
"...Was I supposed to say something?"
"Ah yes. This competition shall serve wonderfully for me," Gliscor mused with a sickeningly twist snicker, "viewing world, you must be wary! For I will show you all true chaos!"
Throwing up a clenched claw, it opened- only for a flash of light to blind the camera with a crackle. Gliscor's hummed laughter rose up through the blinders, saying, "By the time this program comes to an end, you will know to fear me! For I am…I…I- ouch! Dammit, I didn't think this far ahead! I can't freaking see!"
Meowth made sure no one was around, before taking a seat properly, "So…First day on the show…And I think I'm in the clear so far…" He let out a sigh of relief, slowly looking over the sides of the tent in suspicion, "Just gotta keep things going the way things are…And I should be okay…"
He slowly turned toward the camera- and remembered why he was here, "Oh…Uh…Right," he cleared his throat, "hello everyone. I'm Meowth. I can't really say there's anything special about me, but I'll at least do my best while I'm here. Hopefully you can all get a good show outta me…" He flashed a wary smile.
"Do I think I can win this? Duh, of course I do~" Ninetales said, currently looking over her claws boredly, "These losers have no idea what's coming. Ugh, I'm still mad about the whole bunk thing, but whatever. I'll deal with it…For now. I can always get my own solo bunk later~"
She giggled to herself, and dramatically flicked back her fur, which landed over her gracefully. She sent the camera a wink and a smile to boot.
Gothitelle was sitting down while filing her nails, humming to herself as she mused, "Everyone here is so…Interesting…With how many specialized talents seemed to have signed up for this little game of ours, you'll surely have to put in quite the effort if you want to win. It's going to be a challenge…"
She stopped filing a moment, and after finding herself satisfied with what was on display, turned to the camera with a determined stare, "But I say, its a challenge I'll happily work through. Sorry to everyone else, but I came to win. I'm sure there won't be any hard feelings, no?"
"And that, folks, ends our first episode!" Floatzel said, standing by somewhat deconstructed canopy set-ups. Behind him was a group of interns working to take it all down and store them.
"Our eighteen contestants arrived, got the lay of the land, and were arranged into teams. Next time, their first challenge and elimination await them. That is where the real game begins! Who'll be the poor sap that leaves first? What type of dynamics will form from these teams? And what does the rest of this Archipelago have to offer? Find out next time on Total…Pokemon…Elemental!"
"Hey, that sounded pretty good, sir," chimed in the voice behind the camera, making Floatzel chuckle.
"Thank you…Now get back to work! We need this stuff moved as soon as possible!"
"Y-Yes Sir!"
And with that, the scene goes to black.
That's all for this first chapter. I hope that you all were able to enjoy it. I fully understand how introductions can be a slog, but I think I managed well enough and that's what matters, right? If you want, please leave a review and judge me on my characters as I can only improve if you tell me how it is. I'll see you all, whenever I continue this. Until then, farewell.
[Also thank you TPReboot helping edit so this made more sense. Appreciate ya]