On the outskirts of Hulbury, Sebastian surveyed his masterpiece. From his vantage point atop a steep hill, he overlooked the obstacle course he had spent weeks designing. It was a spectacle for all eyes to see—y'know, if there were any other eyes to see it. The course featured a series of enormous flaming rings, a lake teeming with chomping Chewtle, and, of course, a trampoline strategically placed near the edge of an even larger cliff.
Most Pokémon would be terrified by such a setup. But being a Dreepy had its perks—mainly, the ability to phase through objects and avoid serious injury. Well… mostly. He wasn't invincible, but compared to those with physical flesh, he had a distinct advantage when it came to reckless stunts.
Adjusting the straps of his helmet, he casually unfastened it and tossed it behind him without a second thought. In its place, he slid a pair of sleek goggles over his yellow eyes. His tongue flicked out in anticipation as he leaned back against his latest invention: a makeshift slingshot, assembled with just the right amount of tension to launch him straight into the heart of his course.
Or at least, that was the plan.
The moment he let himself fall back, the slingshot gave way with a loud snap. His body hit the ground with an unceremonious thud. Groaning, he pushed himself up, rubbing the sore spot where he had landed. His gaze dropped to the twin sticks that had once held the rubber band in place—both of which were now cracked and useless. The rubber itself was torn in the middle, frayed at the edges.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the area. To his right, a Wooloo stood lazily chewing on the familiar fabric.
Sebastian sighed, rubbing his temple. "Seriously?"
The Wooloo, unbothered, continued munching.
Shaking his head, Sebastian turned his attention back to the real reason he was here. His course was still intact (minus the slingshot), and most importantly, his camera was still in place. Floating toward a nearby rock, he adjusted the device, ensuring it was angled just right before sending the lens a toothy grin.
"Hello, Totally Real World Tour!" he announced, spreading his arms wide in excitement. "The name's Sebastian, and I'm here to show you exactly why you should pick me to be part of your show!"
Gesturing to himself, he continued with an enthusiastic smirk. "I'm young, I'm fearless, and I want nothing more than to compete against the best of the best in the most thrilling challenges imaginable! I want to get my heart pumping! What better way to do that than by winning a million Poké through doing the very thing I enjoy?"
He leaned closer to the camera. "Don't believe me?" His smirk widened. "Allow me to demonstrate."
With a dramatic wink at the lens, Sebastian floated toward the Wooloo still chewing on his slingshot rubber. He climbed onto its fluffy back, striking an action pose.
"Yaw!" he commanded, patting its woolly side.
The Wooloo continued chewing, unfazed.
"I said, yaw!" He patted it again—nothing.
"...Yeehaw?"
The Wooloo finally turned to look at him, its expression flat and unimpressed. "Dude, I'm on break."
Sebastian sighed. "Come on, I'm trying to get into this wicked cool competition," he whispered urgently, as if that might sway the sheep.
The Wooloo, entirely unmoved, swallowed the last of the rubber and bent down to munch on a patch of grass. "Don't care."
Sebastian let out a long, defeated sigh. He turned back toward his camera—only to find another Wooloo gnawing on it.
"Oh, come on!" he cried.
"Ya snooze, ya lose, kid," the second Wooloo mumbled through a mouthful of camera casing.
Grumbling bitterly, Sebastian floated away from the two laughing sheep. At least he still had his obstacle course.
…Or so he thought.
As his gaze drifted back down the hill, he noticed something missing—something crucial.
His trampoline.
"Dammit!"
Sebastian pushed open the door to his home, stepping inside with a tired sigh—only to freeze at the sight in his living room.
His family was there, which wasn't surprising in the slightest. His parents lounged on the couch while his siblings bickered on the floor. All normal.
What wasn't normal was the massive, golden sarcophagus standing upright in the center of the room.
Sebastian blinked. Then blinked again. "Uh…"
"Seb!" his father, a Dragapult, greeted cheerfully, raising a smoothie in one hand. "Welcome back! Did ya send in that TV show thingamajig?"
"Uh-huh," Sebastian muttered, still staring at the literal elephant in the room. "Dad… what's that?"
His father glanced down at his smoothie, then back at Sebastian with a look that practically screamed, Are you serious?
"It's a smoothie, son."
Sebastian groaned, rubbing his face. "I know that's a smoothie! I meant the giant coffin that looks like it belongs in a museum!" He flung a flipper toward the object in question.
"Ohhh," his dad mused, as if just noticing it.
Before he could say anything else, his mother—a fellow Dragapult—smiled sweetly. "Oh, we nicked it from the local museum."
She said it as if she had just picked up eggs and milk from the grocery store. Which, knowing his family, tracked way too well.
Sebastian let out a long, suffering sigh and palmed his face. That immediately drew the attention of his three older siblings.
"Come on, Squirt," his oldest brother taunted. Sebastian hated that nickname. "We steal shit all the time."
"I know that," Sebastian snapped, waving wildly at the sarcophagus. "But you guys have never gone after something like this! Do you even realize that this kind of stuff has trackers on it?!"
The room fell silent.
His family exchanged confused glances, processing his words. Then—
His older brother hiccuped. "Huh?"
As if on cue, red and blue lights flooded through the windows. The distant wail of sirens grew louder until—
"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"
His mother let out a dramatic gasp before screaming, "EVERYONE, SCATTER!"
In perfectly rehearsed fashion, every dragon in the room bolted in different directions, disappearing into various hiding spots as the front door shuddered under repeated blows.
Sebastian stood there, flipper over his face, shaking his head. This. This right here. This is exactly why I need to get on that show.
Don't get him wrong—he loved his family. But they could be a lot, and the idea of getting away from their chaos, even for just a little while, sounded amazing. Competing in wild challenges for a million Poké? That was just a bonus.
A sudden, ear-splitting crack jolted him from his thoughts. His eyes snapped to the door—it was splintering under the force of a battering ram.
Oh, crap.
Without wasting another second, Sebastian sucked in a breath and phased straight into the floor, just as a swarm of officers stormed inside, weapons at the ready.
As the officers swarmed the house, Sebastian listened from his position inside the floorboards, narrowly avoiding capture.
Okay… maybe showing my crazy family should've been the first thing I tried in my audition video, he thought to himself with a shake of his head.
Name: Sebastian
Species: Dreepy
Age: 22
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Hometown: Hulbury, Galar
Created By: Knight of the Dimensions
Totally Real World Tour Contestants
1. Aquamarine the Floatzel
2. Dez the Mabosstiff
3. Enot the Furret
4. Finn the Togekiss
5. Frank the Pinsir
6. Jeff the Galarian Darmanitan
7. Kacey the Roserade
8. Levi the Meowstic
9. Lianne the Frosmoth
10. Loki the Yungoos
11. Molly the Gligar
12. Nina the Bergmite
13. O'Reilly the Lairon
14. Ruby the Durant
15. Sebastian the Dreepy
16. The Peak the Feraligatr
17. Vienna the Houndoom
18. Yuki (and Yami) the Alolan Vulpix (and Umbreon)