Total Pokemon Ultra Revival

by Nihilego Fanatic

It's been four years, since Total Pokemon Ultra Space ended. A lot of spin-offs happened... drawing ire to the Ultra Beasts for their lack of effort in following through with them. Thus, Nihilego and Poipole are forced to host a second season, filled with love, drama, random craziness and other misc. stuff that I won't add because of the character limit. Who wins! Who will lose!

19. EP 12: Blast From The Past

It was unnecessary. Should've let it stay buried.

---

The sun rose in the distance, signaling the start of a new day. But instead of panning to the island where the competition was taking place, the scene quickly shifted to a different location: Loser Land, a luxurious resort situated on another island within the same archipelago. Here, the eliminated contestants had spent the past month mulling over their embarrassing defeats while indulging in the show's provided amenities to recuperate.

By the pool, Unfezant sat chatting with an anxious Pikachu and Dedenne, while Chansey and Gourgeist sipped on tropical fruit juices at the nearby bar—no alcohol allowed, for obvious reasons.

The scene then transitioned to the resort's interior, where Musharna and Bayleef were still fast asleep. A "Do Not Disturb" sign hung on Skwovet's door, though muffled thumping noises could be heard from within.

Meanwhile, a small humanoid Pokémon adorned with crystal jewels paced back and forth in the hallway, humming the melody of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

These were the ten losers eliminated so far in Total Pokémon Ultra Revival—some of whom hadn't been seen on camera in ages. But all of that was about to change… real soon.

---

Staravia grinned as she strutted down the docks, holding a camcorder in one wing and a microphone in the other. Her punishment for railroading the game during the tape-finding challenge? Interviewing the eliminated contestants for the special twelfth episode of the show, commemorating the halfway point of the competition.

"Hello, Pokémon World! I know, I know—who is this gorgeous woman hosting right now!?" Staravia declared, clapping her wings together. "Well… cue the music!"

Silence.

She deadpanned. "Whimsicott, do something?"

"...You know I'm only here to film you, right?" Whimsicott pointed out. "I'm not your personal musician, or your musical director, or whatever."

"Hmm… you're right there." Staravia admitted before abruptly dropping the camcorder on the ground and dramatically pointing to the sky. "I am a one-woman show! I can do a cappella! Today is yet another beautiful day in the life of ME~ What I didn't know was that there was a waiting trageDY!"

Whimsicott blinked, then sighed and stepped into frame, picking up the fallen camcorder. "This cost 200 dollars on eBay… don't just break it."

"Time breaks down your mind and your body~ I think I'm having a mental breakdown and—"

"Staravia, I was a theater kid too, but… you're, uh… different." Whimsicott muttered, face-palming before returning to the camera. "Can we just get this over with? I still have to binge-watch footage with Bellossom later!"

Staravia sighed, placing a wing on her hip and shaking her head. "It feels like you just don't appreciate art, Whimsicott! That doubt inside you is just eating you up! But don't worry, because—"

"You'll save me, yada yada. Star, I'm a TPI expert, I can see your next moves. More song references, more musicals, more stage adaptations—none of which I mind, but we're on the clock. So let's go!"

"The sun'll come out tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun~"

"Okay, I'm leaving."

Staravia gasped in mock devastation before dramatically bursting into tears. "That really hurts my feelings, Whimsicott. Don't you know I have severe abandonment issues? I'll never be the same if you leave me alone! Don't you know you're my fifth favorite staff member here?"

"Uh-huh." Whimsicott muttered, putting on wireless earphones. "Talk to me when you're ready to start."

"Whimsicott?! You can't leave me like this!" Staravia pleaded, dropping to her knees. "Whimsicott?! Whimsicott!"

The cotton Pokémon rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone, scrolling through online forums she'd become entrenched in over the past few days.

"..."

"Okay, this isn't funny! Not at all. If anything, this is making my problems worse, Whimsicott!"

"..."

"Hmph! If you think I'll submit to your unfair demands, you're sorely mistaken. I shall proceed with recording the entire day on my own terms—not because you asked me to!" Staravia huffed, planting both wings on her hips before strutting toward the island.

Whimsicott sighed and followed, camera in hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming! Sheesh. Working behind the scenes on a TPI is way less interesting than I expected…"

---

Staravia and Whimsicott arrived at the poolside bar, where Unfezant was enjoying a large mug of Pinap Berry Juice.

"It's the woman of the hour and my unofficial twin sister! Unfezant, hello!" Staravia greeted loudly, waving enthusiastically.

Unfezant groaned and rolled her eyes, already realizing she was about to be dragged into the spotlight again. "Ugh… who even are you? And no, we're not twins." She placed her drink down on the counter and turned to face them. "Don't tell me you're the backup those weirdos were talking about last night."

"Backup?" Staravia blinked, momentarily confused, but quickly shook it off. She positioned a microphone near the pheasant's beak. "I don't know who those weirdos you're talking about are, but I believe we still need to properly introduce ourselves! I'm the dazzling, the magnificent—"

"She's Staravia, an intern. I'm Whimsicott, a cameraperson," Whimsicott cut in, waving a hand dismissively in front of Staravia's face. "No need to drag things out, you know?"

"But that's no fun! Where's the dramatic flair?! The presentation?! Unfezant wouldn't remember us with that awful introduction, Whimsicott! Aren't you a Total Pokémon enthusiast? We should go high-budget with our approach!"

"Uhhh… we weren't given a budget. Besides, I don't think Unfezant cares that much, to be honest. She's got that major 'couldn't care less' energy." Whimsicott shrugged.

"Oh, that's true!" Staravia admitted with a curt nod.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not right here," Unfezant grumbled, crossing her wings. "Why are you two even here?"

"My good friend Nihilego tasked me with interviewing the eliminated contestants to get some insight after their eliminations! And since you were the first one out, we're starting with you!" Staravia added a few theatrical flourishes to make the situation seem far grander than it actually was. "So, Unfezant, I hope you can spare a few moments with us today!"

"I'm guessing I don't really have a choice, huh?" Unfezant arched a brow.

"Nope!"

Unfezant groaned, rubbing her face. "Fine, fine… ask away. What do I even need to say here?"

"Well, you need to reintroduce yourself to the viewers first! It's been a while since you were in the game, so they need a refresher on who you are!" Staravia explained.

"...Okay?" Unfezant deadpanned before facing the camera with a blank stare. "Hey. I'm Unfezant. I was the first boot." She turned back to Staravia. "Was that good?"

"That was terrible! Who's the REAL Unfezant?! Try to answer that question with some actual personality!"

"I don't think that's necessary. I'm not about to share my personal information on national TV," Unfezant countered. "There are a lot of creeps out there—no thanks."

"Just answer a few questions, pretty please?!" Staravia urged, batting her eyelashes dramatically.

"No. Just no," Unfezant said flatly.

"Unfezant, who are you talking to?" a voice called out from behind the group.

Staravia and Whimsicott turned around to see Chansey approaching, wearing a comically oversized pink sunhat.

"Oh great, it's you again. Didn't I already tell you that I don't want to talk?" Unfezant grumbled, glaring at the nurse.

"Oooooh, I didn't know you two had beef! Do elaborate… smile for the cameras, you two!" Staravia giggled, leaning in eagerly.

Unfezant rolled her eyes and took another sip of her fruit juice. "She voted me off because of that psychotic idol of hers. That was very annoying."

"I thought you didn't even want to compete?" Staravia pointed out.

"Yeah, sure. But I'd rather go out on my own terms and, you know… not look embarrassing on camera because I got blindsided," Unfezant explained. Then, she suddenly snapped her gaze toward Whimsicott. "Wait… Whimsicott, you're the camerawoman, right? Fuck you for capturing so many pictures of me at shitty angles. Are you trying to ruin my reputation?!"

"No. I don't even know you," Whimsicott deadpanned.

"Sure you don't…" Unfezant muttered.

"Unfezant, I just wanted to apologize for voting you off because of Mage—errr… Mew. I probably would have voted for you regardless since you were kind of rude to me, but—"

"You call that an apology?"

"W-"

"Whatever. I don't even care anymore. You're out of the game anyway, so consider that your karma," Unfezant said flatly.

"K-karma?! I didn't even do anything wrong!"

"Whatever, whatever."

"That's a bit unreasonable, considering you weren't the one being manipulated by someone pretending to be your idol!" Chansey shot back, pointing at Unfezant.

"Hey, hey, let's not start a fight here—" Whimsicott began, only for Staravia to clamp a wing over her mouth, grinning widely.

"No, no, let them fight! We need the drama for this episode anyway. I didn't think we'd get any, given that they're all staying at a luxurious resort, but hey… glad to be wrong!" Staravia beamed.

"You know what… I'm kind of eating it up…" Whimsicott admitted, blushing in embarrassment as she started filming the escalating argument.

"Maybe you shouldn't have stuck your tongue up her ass, then," Unfezant quipped.

"Excuse me?! You don't know how much she helped me through hard times!" Chansey shot back defensively.

"You don't even know her personally. That's called a parasocial relationship, dude. I'm not even trying to insult you—just saying it like it is," Unfezant pointed out.

"I-I'm not deaf, Unfezant! You're literally insulting me right now!" Chansey huffed, clenching her fists. "I don't know why you're using your so-called 'realism' as an excuse to make fun of me, but I literally came here to apologize, and now you're turning it against me!"

"I mean, why even bother apologizing? The damage is done. The game's over for both of us. I'd rather not be reminded that you got me voted off first," Unfezant said coolly.

"Okay?! You're acting like you even cared about the game in the first place—" Chansey blustered before sighing in exasperation, rubbing her forehead. "Okay, this is getting too heated for me. I didn't even get this worked up against Magearna…"

"Simp behavior, much?"

"S-simp?! She was a fake!" Chansey stammered, averting her gaze awkwardly.

"Uh-huh. Your face is turning red. That's tooootally the face of someone who isn't a simp."

"W-well… at first—" Chansey stopped herself, clenching her eyes shut. "I-I… okay, I'll just leave if you're going to embarrass me like this!"

"Bye-bye!" Unfezant chuckled, watching the nurse walk away with her tail between her legs.

As Chansey disappeared from sight, Staravia cleared her throat and positioned the microphone back under Unfezant's beak. "Okay… and she's gone now. Are you ready to answer some questions?"

"You're still going on about that? I already told you—"

"We can bring Chansey back if you want," Staravia drawled, deadpan.

Unfezant groaned. "FINE! Just ask your questions already so you can leave."

"Glad to hear it!" Staravia smirked, taking a seat next to Unfezant. "Okay… first question—how's life been since your elimination? You were the first person voted out, so there have to be some harsh feelings there!"

"What do you mean? I didn't care much about the game."

"But you were mad at Chansey for voting you off!" Staravia pointed out.

"Because she didn't even bother to tell me. There's a difference," Unfezant clarified.

"I… don't think so?" Staravia remarked. "Well, anything else!? Why did you even sign up if you didn't care?! You know there were so many hopefuls who would've killed for your spot in the game! COUGH COUGH me COUGH COUGH!"

"My mom signed me up. Against my will. She thought it would be a good way to get me to 'grow' as a person, but I knew it was a scam. She only picked this show because it was free. She's such a stingy bitch."

"I don't think you should call your mom that on live television, kid," Whimsicott pointed out.

"Oh please, you're old." Unfezant scoffed nonchalantly.

"I'm 23! That's not old!" Whimsicott huffed, glaring at the unpleasant bird. "Staravia, say something!"

"Yes! Whimsicott is my dear friend, and she is simply not old! She would have to be wise and—"

"You know what?! I take it back! I don't need you to defend my honor!" Whimsicott face-palmed.

"Moooving on!" Staravia continued dramatically. "Unfezant, you were forced into this competition, but that doesn't mean you didn't form some relationships with the other players! Who do you think was your strongest connection in the game—whether it was positive or negative?"

"I didn't really like anyone, so I guess I'll say… I hated everyone equally." Unfezant answered with a bored expression.

"Expected. What do you think was your best moment in the game?"

"I was voted off first. Do you really think I had moments?" Unfezant reminded her.

"Being voted off was a moment!" Staravia suggested brightly.

"Yeah… no." Unfezant said flatly.

"So you don't like anyone and you claim you didn't have any moments?! That makes you… a… a…" Staravia trailed off before letting out an exaggerated gasp. "...A NON-ENTITY! You're like those Pokémon stage props…" She shuddered, hugging herself. "Those were dreadfully boring times. How did you even survive?!"

"What the fuck are you even talking about?" Unfezant questioned. "And is that all the questions you wanted to ask? If so, get the fuck out. I need some alone time."

"I think you've had more than enough alone time, Unfezant! You were here alone for at least an entire day until Pikachu joined you… and it looks like you never really bonded with anyone over here! I'm not one to nag, but don't you think that's a bit… a bit…"

"?"

"What's the opposite of excessive again?"

"Lacking?" Unfezant suggested, slumping further back into her chair. "Yeah, I don't care. Just leave me alone."

"WOW! Okay, rude! I don't know why people kept asking if I was your sister when you're this much of a bitch!" Staravia snapped, pointing at the pheasant.

"Is that the worst you can do? Even Chansey's got more pointed words than that." Unfezant intoned.

"OKAY, OKAY… before we leave, though… one last question," Staravia announced, leaning in dramatically. "Do you have a dark backstory that made you this unpleasant to deal with?!"

Unfezant arched a brow, crossing her wings. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, everyone in this game had a story to tell, so maybe that can give us context for your terrible personality and social skills! Ha, like my shade?! I can throw it too, you know!" Staravia chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully.

Unfezant's grip on her cup tightened.

"Okay, NOW you're silent!? Well, not that it's any different from your shitty evasive answers to our questions, but—"

"Whatever." Unfezant grunted, looking away.

"And it looks like this conversation is over! Unfezant, everyone! Not exactly a fan favorite, but according to online polls, she's somehow more liked than Pikachu and Vanilluxe. I don't know how she managed to outplace Vanilluxe, but hey, I don't make the rules!" Staravia declared.

"Uhhh, Staravia? We can't leave just yet," Whimsicott pointed out as the starlet turned and started walking—no, jogging—away from the other bird. She was more than ready to leave.

"What do you mean!? We already asked every question we had for her, and it's not like she's going to take us seriously with any future answers!" Staravia reasoned.

Whimsicott looked around before stepping closer, whispering into her ear. "I turned off the cameras as soon as you finished riling Unfezant up… but she mentioned something about 'weirdos' arriving on the island before us. And no, I don't think she was talking about the last guy eliminated from the show."

"So you want Unfezant to give us a bit of exposition?"

"No, I just want her to point us toward where those 'weirdos' went. I don't know why… but my gut is telling me it's something important. And you know not to doubt my gut, mhm!"

"Are you implying that this is more important than interviewing Pikachu?"

"Yes," Whimsicott answered simply.

"…True! You know I love a good mystery… even if it means talking to Unpleazant again." Staravia turned around. "Hey, Unfezant!"

"Ugh… you two are still here?! I thought you had other contestants to interview, so why are you bothering me the most right now?"

"Oh, trust me, we don't want to keep talking to you!" Staravia assured. "But we just have one final question, and then we'll be out of your feathers for good."

"Ask away. I don't have all day," Unfezant muttered, leaning forward on the counter.

"Those 'weirdos' you mentioned earlier… where did they go?" Staravia asked.

"I thought you weren't related—"

"Do you want us to stay here or leave!? Just tell us where they went so we can give you some privacy!"

"Fiiiine, that'd be great," Unfezant relented. "Last I checked, they decided to stay in Musharna's room since she offered… even though there were still vacant rooms in the hotel. Honestly, I don't know what's going on in that head of hers. It's almost like she's just sleeping 80% of the time and not really thinking."

"Got it! Have a nice day, Unfezant!"

"I will. Now go away!

---

Unfezant sat in front of a camera set up inside what appeared to be her hotel room, her wings crossed as she stared at the lens with clear disinterest.

"I don't know why there are cameras in these rooms, but that Poi… Poi-whatever guy said it's like a video diary we can use while we're stuck here. Whatever. Not like I'm planning to use it much, anyway. I'm tired of the game, and I don't need any reminders that I even competed in some washed-up reality TV show."

She exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes.

"Ugh, I don't even know why I'm using it right now… but whatever. That Staravia bitch told me I had to do confessionals on this island since this apparently counts as an actual episode?! Lazy ass couldn't even be bothered to set up a proper confessional booth or something. Whatever. I guess it's better than having to record this crap in the bathroom or something. Who even does that?!"

---

"Hello, Musharna!" Staravia waved as she and Whimsicott stepped into the dozing tapir's room. Inside, Espurr, Brionne, and Vikavolt were huddled together on the bed, deep in a serious conversation. "Thanks for having us!"

"Mmm… don't… thank me or anything. I knew… you'd be here. Mmm… yes… I saw it in my dreams already," Musharna murmured, her voice slow and hazy.

"Uhhh… okay!?"

"This… is for my interview… right?" Musharna asked, blinking drowsily.

"Oh, no! We just wanted to see the people you've decided to accommodate in your roo—" Staravia started, only for Whimsicott to smack her lightly with a grunt.

"Staravia, I thought you were a better actress! Don't just announce why we're here!"

"Uh?! Then don't confirm it by hitting me!" Staravia shot back, rubbing the spot where Whimsicott smacked her. "That actually hurt."

"Thanks! Guess all those times I trained for Total Pokémon really paid off!" Whimsicott grinned.

"Okay. I see why you're here… well, you can meet them too. We have… bonded since they arrived," Musharna said.

Just then, Espurr hopped off the bed, her expression skeptical as she approached the door. "Musharna, who are you talking to—" She gasped upon spotting the new arrivals. "Why did you let them in!?"

"Don't worry. I trust them," Musharna assured her, lazily smacking her lips.

"T-that's not exactly reassuring!" Espurr pouted, shifting her gaze away from the duo's watchful stares.

"Hello, kid! I'm Staravia, and this is my platonic girlfriend, Whi—OW! Did you really have to hit me again?!"

"Don't spread fake information in your introductions, m'kay?" Whimsicott threatened with a listless smile.

"You're no fun! My friends back home always played along with my improv. I expected you to play along too!"

"Yeah, no. This might actually be a serious conversation," Whimsicott sighed before turning to Espurr. "Anyway, who are you? You look young. Do you have an adult supervising you, or…?"

"W-what?! Musharna asked me that too, and—well, I'm not a kid!" Espurr pouted, her ears twitching in frustration.

"How old are you then?" Staravia asked coyly.

"No comment!" Espurr huffed, folding her arms.

"I'm guessing 11—"

"I'm 12! I'm not that young!" Espurr snapped before clamping her mouth shut, her face turning red. "I-ignore what I just said… I really am all grown up, though!"

"I'm pretty sure your age is the least pressing matter right now, but uh… let's just head in," Whimsicott remarked as she floated past the small cat and Musharna, eager to check out the other guests.

The moment she got a good look at them, her eyes widened in shock. "O-OH MY GOD… Is this really happening?!"

Staravia walked past her, arms crossed as she arched a brow. "Something wrong, Whimsicott? You just stopped."

"Staravia, do you not recognize them?!" Whimsicott gestured frantically at Vikavolt and Brionne, who exchanged nervous glances on the bed. "T-they're… they're…"

"They're what? Oooor are you just dragging this out for suspense?" Staravia mused. "I'm proud of you for taking notes from me, but now might not be the best time."

"Staravia, do you seriously not know who they are?!"

"I don't."

"Really?! You joined this show as an intern, and you don't know anything about the first two seasons?!" Whimsicott gawked, grabbing Staravia's shoulders.

"This show had more than one seas—"

"Staravia, I'm serious! That's Poppy! She was the fifth boot of Total Pokémon Ultra Space and the [REDACTED] of Total Pokémon Ultra Vacation! And that Vikavolt is Breon, the second boot of—"

"Okay, okay, you're fangirling over two people who competed on a reality show? I thought they were actual celebrities or something—"

"Hmph! You just don't get Total Pokémon like I do! I memorized the cast of every season! I was the only member of the Nurse Jenny fan club! I started the 'I Can Fix Travis' movement from Total Pokémon Maelstrom! And I—"

"Okay, okay! You're obsessed with these shows, I get it! Now I see why you complain about my theatrics—you're being, uh… very hyped up right now." Staravia noted.

"I don't care! This is like meeting Taylor Swift Swim… or Combeeyoncé for other people! It's my Roman Empire!" Whimsicott declared, still starstruck.

Musharna floated behind the cottonweed, with Espurr following her, still wearing a suspicious look on her face. "Mmmm… yes… they did say they competed on this show once. Thank you for the confirmation, Whimsicott. I knew I could always… count on… zzz…"

"Musharna, don't sleep! This is a moment you should capture for the ages! It's a good thing I brought my camcorder for this and—"

"Uhm, Musharna… Do you know them?" Staravia chimed in, while Whimsicott retreated to the back of the room to calm herself down. "I mean, you let them sleep in your room, making it hard for you to sleep… and we all know how much you love sleeping, so isn't that a bit of a hindrance to your sleeping habits?"

"Mmmm… I can sleep anywhere… so I slept in the bathtub," Musharna answered before yawning. "... while the water was running. It was good."

"Musharna, who are these two? Why did you let them in?!" Vikavolt questioned, stepping in front of Brionne to protect her. "Don't tell me Nihilego found out we're here already!"

"Oh, you! Don't worry too much, Vik! We can trust them!" Brionne reassured.

"My name's—"

"We can't use our names, I think! Musharna told us enough yesterday, 'member?" Brionne reminded the bug, who sighed as he kept his gaze on the wannabe actress.

"Fine… if Po—ugh… Brionne trusts you, then I guess I can trust you too," Vikavolt muttered.

"Okay! I'm glad to know! Whimsicott, we can l—" Before Staravia could turn around, the cottonweed returned, regaining her composure as she put an arm on her hip.

"No, Staravia. We can't leave just yet. I'm just curious."

"Curious about what?" Brionne asked before giggling. "Is it about the reason we're here? I guess we can share~"

"B-Brionne, are you sure?!" Vikavolt asked the seal, mouth agape. He sighed in defeat as the Water-type nodded. "Okay… fine. Go ahead, tell them. It was your idea anyway."

"Mkay! Well, as you both already know, some campers have gone missing in previous TPIs and—"

"What?" Staravia and Whimsicott said at the same time.

"Yeah, some campers never returned after competing and—"

"What?!"

"They just vanished into thin air, and guess what?! Total Pokémon Ultra Revival is ALSO a TPI, so it's likely to happen again—"

"Woah, woah, woah, this is the first time I've heard about this. What do you mean by 'gone missing'? If that really happened, wouldn't it be on the news?!" Whimsicott pointed out, eyes wide in shock. "What… is even this?!"

"Oh! Trevenant, the showrunner, had to cover it all up. He said he didn't want his daughter to find out the dark side of TPIs before she takes over, thinking that she should cherish her innocence and childhood while she can!" Brionne explained. "Nihilego hasn't been the showrunner since Total Pokémon Ultra Vacation… after everything, so she had Trevenant take over for the rest of the series. Trevenant's also the showrunner of other TPIs like Total Pokémon Amusement Park, Basically A Total Pokémon Island Sequel, Total Pokémon Pink Party, and—"

"Okay, this is way too much exposition! You should split these reveals into multiple acts!" Staravia suggested, crossing her arms. "But… yes… I honestly… I'm not even sure if I understand. Who is Trevenant? Why are Pokémon going missing?! Who's the DAUGHTER?! Inquiring minds want to know!"

"Well! She's my personal friend, actually! She's very, uhm… interesting, to say the least! And that's not anything against her, but she has a few weird tastes—"

"Says the one who still reads and writes—"

"V-Vikavolt, now's not the time to bring up my many hobbies!" Brionne stammered before clearing her throat. "That aside, we didn't just come here because this is another TPI. I actually got anonymous information that apparently something big is going to happen on this show… and well, I don't know how it can get bigger than a few Pokémon going missing!"

"Uhm… okay, that just made me worry that something's going to happen here in LoserLand…" Whimsicott remarked, looking to the side awkwardly.

"I don't know if anything's going to happen here… but uhh… Vikavolt and I are going to keep a lookout and let you know if anything happens. Vikavolt will get to the island in a flash!" Brionne assured.

"Okay! Understood!" Whimsicott said before her eyes drifted over to Espurr, who just sat on the bed, hands in her lap. "What about her? Was she part of the plan? I uhh… don't recognize her like I did with you guys."

"Oh, she's here without our consent!" Brionne answered with an unbothered look.

"WHAT?!"

"What she's trying to say is… Espurr snuck onto the boat while we weren't looking, so we had no choice but to bring her along," Vikavolt explained with a deadpan stare. "We didn't want to bring a kid here, but she left us with no choice. We only found out when we were halfway here."

"H-hey! I'm not completely useless! I can h-help out with the investigation!" Espurr blustered, puffing up her cheeks immaturely. "I can, uhm… write down any useful information we find and I can use my psychic abilities to—"

"Mmm… sure you can… it's not like you're… twelve… good luck being a hostage… or whatever…" Musharna muttered in her sleep, making the cat's face turn red from embarrassment.

"I-I'm not that useless! I'm basically an adult!" Espurr reasoned.

"You can help, Espurr! Just stay where we can keep our eyes on you!" Brionne reassured, and the little cat nodded in agreement. "Okay! That settles it! I'll head to the island tomorrow and do some digging—"

"W-wait a minute! Where do Staravia and I come in? Heck… when does Musharna help with the plan? I mean, you told us everything for a reason, right?!" Whimsicott pointed out.

"Oh, just keep doing what you're doing and let us know if you see anything suspicious!" Brionne urged.

"That sounds simple enough," Whimsicott murmured as she pulled Staravia aside. "Staravia, what do you think—" She paused, noticing the bird with stars in her eyes. "Staravia, are you okay? I don't think now's the right time to be starry-eyed."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but WOW… we are important in the grand scheme of things! We are in the know!" Staravia pointed out, clasping her wings together as she stared at the ceiling, mouth agape. "I'm still pretty shocked about what Brionne and her friend told us, but do you know what this means?!"

"It might be better to cut our losses and leave before this show breaks down on its own?"

"Nope! You sounded like Bellossom for a moment there! But, well… that means we can help stop this! THIS was the evil Floatzel was talking about when he arrived at the show. Yes, I watched the footage, so don't look at me like that."

"Honestly… if this disappearance thing was a common thing, I wouldn't be too surprised if it was the actual reason Floatzel even signed up for this, but eh, how would I know?! Let's just proceed with the interviews and act like nothing happened."

"Uh-huh. Definitely!" Staravia agreed before turning around. "Brionne, Vikavolt, Musharna, Espurr, it was nice chatting, but Whimsicott and I have more interviews to conduct!"

"It's fine! You go do your other interviews! Vikavolt and I—"

"AHEM!"

"Okay… Vikavolt, ESPURR, and I will discuss what to do on our own! Have fun!" Brionne said with a sheepish smirk.

---

Whimsicott and Staravia exited Musharna's room, prepared to search for Pikachu to give him an interview. Just then, Vivillon exited Skwovet's room with a dreamy expression. Staravia and Whimsicott exchanged a glance before walking over to the dazed butterfly.

"Vivillon, have you seen Pikachu?" Staravia asked.

"..." Vivillon didn't react.

"Vivillon?"

"..."

"VIVILLON!"

The butterfly's relaxed expression then dissipated as she glared at the bird. "WHAT?! Why are you shouting all of a sudden?! You're ruining my mood."

"Uh-huh, you were ignoring me," Staravia pointed out, arching a brow.

"Whatever. I don't need to cater to your needs anyways." Vivillon scoffed, rolling her eyes. "... Actually, who are you people?! Are you the hired help? Thank GOODNESS! I'm tired of asking Skwovet to do favors for me."

"We're not hired help—"

"Then, why the hell are you guys here? To do nothing?!" Vivillon gawked. "I swear this show hired so many useless workers to do absolutely nothing! That's ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous!"

"We're here to interview each and every one of you, and we're looking for Pikachu," Staravia explained, forcing a smile.

"He's usually in his room, so you should check there," Vivillon advised before flying away.

"Thank you, Vivillon!" Staravia said before whispering under her breath, "... bitch."

"Pikachu's room is down the hall, Staravia. Let's get going," Whimsicott said as she started floating toward the yellow mouse's room, knocking gently to avoid shocking anyone inside. "Pikachu, are you in there?"

"..." Sounds of clattering could be heard from inside, followed by footsteps rushing to the door. "Y-yes, I'm here!"

"Can you let us in? We're here to conduct an interview!"

"U-uh… who are you!? I thought I'd be left alone now that I've been eliminated!" Pikachu stammered. "I don't recognize your voices… don't tell me you're actually here to capture me or something!? I swear I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Pikachu, we're not here to do anything but ask you questions!" Staravia assured him.

"That doesn't sound any better! What if I flub, say something wrong, and accidentally ruin your reputation further?!" Pikachu pointed out.

"What are you talking about?! You were the second boot. I don't think your reputation got ruined or anything!" Staravia remarked.

"I watched the clips! It was embarrassing!" Pikachu answered. "I g-got voted off UNANIMOUSLY. The other person who got voted out that way was Magearna, who was a psycho, and Vivillon, a total bitch. What does that say about my character?!"

"That you're indecisive and can't make a single decision to save your life?"

"Okay. Just go away. This interview is over!"

"Pikachu, don't be unreasonable. I have to interview everyone, and that requires you letting me into your room!" Staravia said before her tone lowered, "Unless… you want me to break into a song and threaten you that way. I can 100% do that, you know?"

"D-don't threaten me! OKAY, OKAY, I'll let you in!" Pikachu sputtered out as the door slightly opened, revealing the little mouse covering his entire body with a blanket and a nervous expression. "T-there… you can come in now!"

"Why are you covering yourself?"

"I t-thought you were someone shady, so I was hiding in the bed at first… and I honestly still think you're shady!" Pikachu explained, twiddling his fingers awkwardly. "Was that rude!? That was rude… I probably shouldn't have said that, but I don't even know either of you, so I'm completely justified here!"

"I'm Staravia, and this here's Whimsicott!"

"Staravia, I don't think telling him our names is going to make things any clearer when he hasn't even met us before, let alone heard about us," Whimsicott pointed out flatly.

Staravia gasped before turning back to the electric mouse. "Really!? Do you not know me, Pikachu!?"

"I don't know you! Do I have to?!" Pikachu asked, averting his gaze.

"I'm Staravia! The future STAR of Total Pokémon Ultra Revival!" Staravia declared. "I might just be an intern now, but I'll be climbing the corporate ladder eventually! It's a good day today, if you ignore the fact that we're at rock bottom and—"

"Uhhhh… so you're just an intern then?" Pikachu asked.

"Just an intern?!"

"F-fine! An intern who can sing!" Pikachu whimpered, teary-eyed. "This is nerve-wracking, okay! I don't know if I should treat you seriously or not!"

Staravia deadpanned before grinning from ear to ear. "Mkay, first question... red or blue?"

"W-what!? I d-don't want to offend the red enjoyers… but maybe the blue enjoyers are way worse, and… can I choose both? That'd make purple, right?"

"I wasn't giving you that option in the first place. Just choose one color—"

"How is this even relevant to the show?!"

"It's 100% relevant to the show's lore!"

"Uh… it just sounds like you want to get under my skin!" Pikachu muttered, looking to the side as Staravia and Whimsicott walked into the room. "W-wait, you're heading inside?! Y-you don't have to come in!"

"Sorry, but you don't get a choice there!" Staravia giggled as she made her way to the bed, sitting down. "Isn't that better for you? You don't have to make any stupid decisions that you constantly have to worry about!"

"I don't worry that much!" Pikachu defended himself.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...

"Okay, maybe I do! But it's not like I'm acting all paranoid like Floatzel was!" Pikachu added. "I was just looking out for myself, and that meant making sure I didn't make bad choices!"

"Isn't that the textbook definition of paranoia?" Staravia retorted smugly. "The Nile just ain't a river in Egypt, ooh~ You think you can keep your secrets locked up in a crypt? Nu-uh!"

"I… I… I uhh… what's the right way to react to that..?" Pikachu asked, gaping in disbelief.

"Any reaction is better than no reaction, Pika Pika!" Staravia teased as she leaned forward, pointing the microphone in Pikachu's direction. "Now… are you ready to proceed with the interview? And no, we're not taking no for an answer!"

"Then why are you asking me that question if I can't say no?!" Pikachu pointed out, closing the door behind him and walking to the bed where Whimsicott and Staravia had situated themselves. "I didn't give you permission to sit on my bed, b-but uhh… I'm sure I have bigger worries than that! S-start the interview or whatever!"

"Mkay! First actual question… Pikachu, what's the deal with your indecision? It's kind of unnatural, and I wonder if it stems from anything!" Staravia asked.

Pikachu looked to the side before focusing his gaze on the bird with a quivering lip. "U-uh… I don't think I want to just… drop my b-baggage on live television, sorry. I don't think it's my place to say. Besides, I don't want to give people more reasons to criticize me or anything!"

"Uh-huh, what do you mean?"

"W-well! Some of your words are… easily misunderstood, and you can't defend yourself when you're on international television!" Pikachu explained, making rapid hand gestures. "So, if I was boring… or played it safe, then that's better than being an embarrassment… but s-somehow, I think I still embarrassed myself with my whole performance, and now I wish I had played the game better."

"I mean, you didn't really commit to any alliance… or even talk to your teammates much. You were very anti-social!"

"Way to rub salt in the w-wound, huh? S-Sableye and I did get along for a bit… but his smell… it was too strong. I couldn't survive for too long," Pikachu admitted anxiously. "Empoleon was very frightening… and Chansey was nice, but that made it harder to talk to her… since I didn't want to look like a fool in front of the people whose opinions I actually cared about… if that makes any sense. Ugh, maybe I should've phrased that better."

"Oh, you should've phrased it better! I mean, you didn't even mention me~" A sultry voice chimed in from underneath the bed.

Pikachu's face turned red as he started looking around frantically. "W-was that Gourgeist?! W-where did she come from?! Don't tell me she's here. You heard her too, right?"

"Nope!" Staravia lied.

"Really?!"

"Nah, I did hear her. I'm shocked, though. Wasn't she the quitter girl?" Staravia remarked, looking around. "She sounds like she's nearby."

"I want to get below you too, Staravia! You are so cute!"

Staravia's face turned red from embarrassment. "O-okay, enough! Where is that voice coming from?!"

"I think it came from…" Whimsicott suggested, pointing down.

"From the first floor? Her voice must be really loud then," Staravia commented.

"Or under the bed," Whimsicott added.

"Under the bed," Staravia repeated, deadpanning.

"Yep!"

"Did I hear that right? Under the bed?"

"Yeah!"

Staravia turned to Pikachu, eyes widening. "Pikachu, I didn't know you and Gourgeist were doing freaky things behind the scenes. EXTRA, EXTRA! Pikachu actually matched Gourgeist's freak! I am completely and utterly gobsmacked by this revelation!"

"W-what!? No, we don't!"

"Oh, we definitely do~" Gourgeist's voice interjected, making Pikachu's flush intensify.

"G-Gourgeist! I know you're in here! Stop putting words in my mouth!"

"Nu-uh, you're the one putting words in your own mouth! I'm just suggesting!"

"Gourgeist! Just get out of there… please?!"

"..." Gourgeist didn't respond, and the room fell silent for a few moments.

"... Uhh… is she gone now?" Whimsicott asked with a concerned look. "That felt too easy."

"I think so!" Pikachu muttered, quickly overcome with relief… which immediately dissipated as Gourgeist popped out of thin air in front of the group.

"HELLO!"

"G-Gourgeist, where did you come from!?" Pikachu asked, eyes wide.

The pumpkin shrugged, waving her tendrils at the Electric-type dismissively. "I was just doing some sightseeing and ended up underneath your bed! I was curious to see—OR hear—if you were doing anything naughty! I mean, I swung by Skwovet's room, and he and Vivillon were definitely up to something! Hmm… do you like anyone here?!"

"W-what?! N-no, I don't!" Pikachu shouted, clenching his fists. "Can you leave… please?! I'm being interviewed right now, and I can't focus when you're here!"

"Aw, you don't have to worry! You're not my type!" Gourgeist said flatly. "Hmm… maybe if you were more submissive, if you know what I mean!"

"I know what you mean, and that sounds disgusting!" Pikachu gawked, covering his face. "Shouldn't you be, uhh… vanishing into thin air or something!? You always disappear for a couple of days, and NOW you're showing up to torment me!? D-don't tell me it's because I said something rude! I knew I made a mistake back then…"

"Oh, you didn't!"

"Really!? I remember us having a weird conversation before I got voted off… are you sure I didn't..?"

"Pikachu, you overthink so much that you forget about the things that actually matter!" Gourgeist teased. "You should calm down! Not everything has to be a hard decision~ I mean… let's start with something simple! What do you want to eat—"

"NO, NO, NO! I don't think I'm ready! What if I get indigestion and—"

"Uhhh… are we interrupting something? We're still here, you know," Staravia pointed out, crossing her wings. "I don't appreciate being ignored like that, but I guess having to bear witness to this scene is a decent consolation prize…"

"W-what!? NO! Can we redo?! Gourgeist, please leave… the interview isn't over yet—"

"Oh, I can join in!" Gourgeist suggested. "I have some questions I want to ask too!"

"Wait, you can't do that—"

"Sure! That sounds like a great idea!" Staravia hummed to herself with an amused smirk. Pikachu's mouth gaped at this proposition, and he bobbed his head down in despair. "Okay… where did we leave off again? So Pikachu, are you fine with just being so isolated even after you've been eliminated?"

"I mean, it's better to be alone than to disappoint people you care about!" Pikachu answered, still shaken from Gourgeist's intrusion. "I don't want to hurt people with the choices I make, since they can have permanent repercussions that I just can't prevent or minimize the damage they cause!"

"Huh… that reminds me of something Floatzel, Empoleon, or Oricorio would say," Whimsicott chimed in.

"I doubt it. I never talked much with any of them, but wow… they were so intimidating that I just never bothered… they were… too much. I feel like talking to them would've led to a failed conversation," Pikachu admitted.

"You wouldn't know if you don't try, but ANYWAYS… next question… who was the hottest Pokémon on the island, in your honest opinion?!"

"Bwuh!? W-what?!" Pikachu's face turned beet red. "Do I have to answer that?!"

"Ooooh! You definitely have to answer this! It's a really important question that will decide whether or not you have good taste!" Gourgeist intoned slyly.

"W-what?! I don't want people to think I don't have good taste! Nobody would even want to talk to me outside the game!" Pikachu started hyperventilating, biting his nails. "Uhhh… let me think about this… uhh… do I have to just name the girls or the guys too?"

"If you can, it has to be among EVERYONE!" Staravia said with a cheeky wink.

"W-well… it's hard when I don't even know the personalities of half of these people!" Pikachu pointed out. "I'll just go by looks here… most unattractive has to be Vanilluxe, right? He's uhhh… an ice cream."

"Ouch. Less attractive than Sableye? That has to sting," Staravia said.

"H-hey! I think Sableye has some appeal with his uhh… ratty appearance and smell? I don't know. I'm also going with vibes, and… Sableye and I had a positive relationship, so that helps!" Pikachu defended, looking to the side. "Next up is, uh… Gossifleur? She was cute… but not my type. And—"

"We don't have all day here. Just say your top 3, then we can move on to the next question!" Staravia chided with a bored stare.

"OKAY, OKAY! Uhhhh… f-fine! Top 3 has to be Empoleon, Floatzel, and Oricorio!"

"Hmm… two guys and Oricorio. Interesting…" Staravia commented.

"You rushed me before I could fully deliberate! I think Empoleon's uhh… muscular body and looks are really pleasing! Floatzel was REALLY loud when we were on the island together, but when I got a closer look… yeah… he's attractive. And Oricorio is, uhm… really physically toned from all that cheerleading, so that's why I chose those three. I w-was a bit unsure if you'd slam me harder if I ranked Klinklang or Magcargo above any of those, so I chose not to include them!"

"... So do you have a crush on Empoleon, Floatzel, or hell… ORICORIO!?"

"W-what!? NO! That was an objective ranking of looks and appearances!" Pikachu explained, eyes spiraling as he put his hands on his head. "Don't read too much into it! If I added personality, voice, and aesthetic, my ranking would be 100% different!"

"What's so hot about Magcargo?"

"W-well, I know he's not conventionally attractive, but—" Pikachu started, only to begin foaming at the mouth. "Uhh… uhhh… w-why am I even saying this when you can edit the footage to have me say things out of context!? I will plead the fifth now, okay! I don't have a crush on anyone! Gourgeist, don't tell anyone about this!"

"Aw, that's just tempting me to tell people!" Gourgeist joked before staring at Whimsicott with vacant eyes. "Though, Pikachu has BAD taste. He named three people but forgot Teddiursa, Gossifleur, AND Marill? Hmm, I guess he thinks they're too low-brow for him!"

"I don't!"

"Mmhm! So you like tall Pokémon, then?"

"When did this become about t-their heights!?"

"Is it not?"

"Well, I think I'd like it better if I didn't have to get on my knees to stare someone in the eye and—GUUUUUUUH! Stop making me say things I don't really mean!"

"You definitely meant it! I mean, you're blushing in embarrassment right now, so—"

"I'm not!"

Gourgeist laughed maniacally as she wrapped her tendrils around the Electric-type's arms. "Oh, so you wouldn't mind if I calmly ripped your arms off and squished you into an indiscernible ball of carnage, then, huh?" Her voice turned even more high-pitched. "I'm not a singer, but I made a song about it… it's going to be on my new studio album! Its title? Pikachu Ball—"

"You're crazy!" Pikachu gawked.

"It takes one to know one!" Gourgeist teased before tilting her head to the side. "Though, I do hope you make sure to lock your doors! There might be felons or worse… villains with terrible intentions who plan to take you captive!"

"W-what?!"

"Oh, it was just a hypothetical situation I ran in my head! You know… like you do, when you try to answer a question!"

"W-"

Gourgeist then turned to Staravia and Whimsicott, smiling innocently. "I believe that can be the end of the interview! If you don't mind, Pikachu and I do need to chat!"

Staravia blinked, opening her beak to speak, "Actually—"

"You embarrassed him enough with all of your questions, and while it was hilarious to listen to his ramblings… there are some things we absolutely have to talk about!"

"Uhh… what are you—"

Gourgeist's smile dropped, and any semblance of emotion disappeared from her expression. "... Just go."

"Okay, okay, we're leaving!" Staravia stammered as the pumpkin started leading her and Whimsicott out of the room, with sounds of Pikachu screaming for them to stay being heard as they left

---

"I'm not really the type of person to easily open up because of some dumb interview…" Pikachu admitted, hugging himself. "It's just a whole bunch of questions designed to… get me to talk, and well, I'm not going to do that now! After all, any wrong word I say… any wrong opinion I share… would be used against me. That's why I prefer to just shut up when asked! It's better that way for everyone, right?!"

---

"Well, that went well!" Staravia muttered as she and Whimsicott were seated in the hotel lobby, taking a breather after an intense interview session with Pikachu. "That leaves us with eight more people to interview… then we're done for the day—"

"Actually, we still have to handle that!" Whimsicott pointed out.

Staravia sighed, face-palming. "I almost forgot about that. Well… I'm sure we can manage! I wish Bellossom or Carracosta were here so I had more people to bounce ideas off of. You're surprisingly not much of a talker, Whimsicott!"

"I mean, I'm working. What would I even talk about?!" Whimsicott added. "I can't exactly do small talk while I'm manning the cameras."

"You have a point there…"

"Staravia, Whimsicott!" Just then, a familiar voice called out to them from the entrance of the hotel. Staravia and Whimsicott turned to find Bellossom, Carracosta, and an armored blue Pokémon walking toward them, with Musharna floating behind them. "How are the interviews going?"

"Bellossom? Carracosta? What are you two doing here?!" Staravia asked, raising an eyebrow. "And who's the blue Pokémon? So many new faces I haven't met before…"

"Oh! Nihilego sent us here for backup, and well, we ran into Ceruledge on the boat ride here." Bellossom explained.

"More like she ran her speedboat into ours…" Carracosta corrected, face-palming. "She insisted that she had to join us here… I told Bellossom we shouldn't… but…"

"I mean, we have to hear whatever she has to say!" Bellossom explained, turning back to Staravia. "Anyways, how are the interviews going?"

"They're going pretty well! We're done with Unfezant and Pikachu for now!" Staravia answered before her gaze met Musharna's barely open eyes. "Actually… since you're here, we can start your interview, Musharna!"

"Mmmm? I think that's not necessary." Musharna insisted. "You should take a break."

"A break?! There's no breaks in showbiz!" Staravia reasoned.

"Hmmm… I think you should take her word for it, Staravia! Take a break!" Bellossom suggested, looking to the side awkwardly.

"Huh!? If Whimsicott and I both take a break… who'd be filming things on camera?!"

"… I would." Carracosta volunteered with a bashful expression.

"Okay?! Well… fine! I mean, I would usually be against this, but this has been a very exhausting day so far… so uhh… Whimsicott and I will head to the poolside bar then!" Staravia muttered, waving as she started leaving the building.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Whimsicott hopped off her seat, walking over to Bellossom, her voice turning to a whisper. "Bellossom, what is this about?"

"Oh! Musharna just told us that she had something to tell us!" Bellossom explained plainly.

"… So this isn't an interview then?"

"Nope! I have a feeling Staravia knew too… but just didn't have the energy to argue." Bellossom said.

"Ah… well, be sure to tell me later when we're binge-watching, okay?"

"Of course! What episode are we on again?"

"Episode 12!" Whimsicott answered with a coy smirk as she soon followed after Staravia, leaving Ceruledge, Musharna, Bellossom, and Carracosta alone.

"So… mmm… Ceruledge, feel free to share why you're here." Musharna told the knight, who looked a bit skeptical.

"I don't know. I mean, I'm surprised you knew my name before we even met…" Ceruledge pointed out. "How did you…?"

"I am a Psychic-type… I have my ways…" Musharna explained in a playful yet ominous tone.

"Ah… okay then. I don't know why you asked those to leave, but well… do you guys know about… disa—"

"Disappearances going on behind the scenes in Total Pokémon shows?" Bellossom finished, folding her arms.

"I— How did you know that?!"

"Nothing!" Bellossom stammered, laughing awkwardly.

"Well… it's basically that. My friend went missing after he got eliminated, and… it's been a year since then. I contacted his real-life friend… only to find out that he actually signed up for this show." Ceruledge explained.

"Who's your friend? Gossifleur?" Musharna asked, arching a brow… before chuckling. "Just kidding, obviously. I know who you're talking about. I had… a feeling after peeking into his dreams while on the island."

"Wait, you were spying on people's dreams!? That sounds very suspicious!" Bellossom sputtered out.

"Mmmm… I'm a Musharna. It's expected… yes?" Musharna pointed out, closing her eyes. "There are some things that you can only find out in dreams… I was blessed to be on a… very turbulent team. Floatzel, Empoleon, Chansey, Teddiursa, and Magearna all had… interesting dreams. It was also very interesting that Sableye didn't dream on any of the nights I tried checking on him… Mmm… that's one reason why I regret making the mistakes I did, getting eliminated so early."

"I guess that makes sense, even if it's still pretty… creepy to think about," Bellossom commented.

"... Ceruledge, did you play against—"

"No. You already asked me that. I did not compete on that show that Kartana and Celesteela hosted," Ceruledge said, much to the turtle's disappointment. "I heard that show got canceled… because of everything too… and judging from my information, this all started during Total Pokémon Ultra Vacation!"

"So, that's why you came to this island?" Bellossom asked.

"Yes. I even called Poipole… but I think it was useless since he didn't even know who I was. Maybe, if I had Goodra or Flapple call him, it would've worked better… but I haven't heard from either in a while. I'm actually worried for them," Ceruledge admitted.

"Mmmm… I'm sure they're fine," Musharna remarked.

"Uhm, what are you talking about?" A feminine voice then interrupted their conversation. The group turned to the direction of the hallway leading to the stairs, where a Rock-type Pokémon known for its magnificent pink crystals emerged. "Hello!"

"... okay, who is that?" Bellossom asked, deadpanning.

"That's Diancie," Musharna said with a bored expression.

"!" Ceruledge and Bellossom had matching surprised expressions while Carracosta cocked a brow in confusion.

"Is this the real Diancie, or is it another fake like Magearna was?" Carracosta asked.

"Aww, don't be such a party pooper! I'm the Pretty Pink Princess! I'm Diancie! Hello, hello! Nice to meet you all!" Diancie interjected, sizing the group up, unimpressed. "Hmmm… none of you are breaching my pink territory… but WOW, you all look dreadful."

"Isn't Musharna pink?" Carracosta pointed out.

"She's carnation pink! I'm hot pink!" Diancie explained, sticking out her tongue playfully. "100% different! We could collab, if she wants!"

"Mmm… never in a million years."

"Awww, you really are a party pooper!"

"Uhh… Musharna, should we just leave?" Bellossom asked, looking to the side.

"Mmmm… I don't mind having that interview, actually… with Diancie here spectating," Musharna suggested, floating over to take a seat. "Ask me questions… I'm prepared to answer."

Ceruledge gawked at all of this, having her important conversation interrupted by Diancie of all Pokémon. Bellossom and Carracosta weren't interested in actually conducting an interview, but they didn't exactly have a choice here.

"... okay. Uhh… Diancie, do you mind if we conduct an interview here?" Bellossom asked. "And uhh… are you accepting job applications in—"

"Just start the interview already so we can get back to things," Carracosta grumbled as he held the camera up with one hand. "Ask questions, and we're good. Ceruledge… I think you should leave since I don't think the viewers would recognize you…"

"W-what!? Where should I go then? I only came here to get answers, and you're not giving me any!" Ceruledge intoned, crossing her arms.

"MMMmmmmm… just head to the room marked with Pikachu's face. We'll meet you there when we're done…" Musharna whispered. Ceruledge sighed in defeat as she scattered away to head to Pikachu's room. "Anyways… what's the first question?"

Bellossom nodded as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Okay then… first question… what's your—"

"Do you believe in the 'Pretty In Pink' privilege?!" Diancie interrupted, rubbing her hands together with a wide grin. "I mean, I asked Mew about joining the Pink Squad, but they told me they were going to troll Magy instead! What a jerk! That left me with Palkia and freaking Mesprit, and don't you guys know how emotional Mesprit is!? She is a CRIER, 100%!"

"..." Musharna, Carracosta, and Bellossom deadpanned. Even Musharna didn't expect Diancie to be… this talkative. She knew Diancie was the real deal after checking her dreams, and Nihilego had even publicly introduced her to the group as Magearna's temporary replacement. Why did they even need replacements for pre-mergers?! Musharna had a few guesses, but this was something she didn't expect when they first met.

"... I don't believe in that because… I don't think I even get that privilege, with how many people absolutely… mm… love to wake me up from my sleep," Musharna answered halfheartedly.

"Aww, well that's because you're not subscribed to the 'Pretty In Pink' initiative, whose goal is to propagate pink in our community!" Diancie explained, eyes widening. "Oooh ooh! If you want to know about the perks, then—"

"Uhh… are you really a Mythical Pokémon, Diancie?" Carracosta chimed in, clearing his throat with a frown. "You don't act like one…"

"I—"

"Carracosta, you've never met a Mythical or Legendary Pokémon before… have you?" Musharna expounded, eyes opening for a brief moment. "Some of them… have larger-than-life personalities that are… mmm… unbecoming for something of their status, but we still revere them regardless, so they see no need to change themselves because they don't please everyone… and, mmm… well… Diancie here… is strange… but nothing too strange? Is that odd for me to say? I might have a bit of experience with Teddiursa…"

"I see." Carracosta nodded in affirmation as his eyes went over to Bellossom to continue. The dancer gawked, not really sure how to proceed with the interview, given Diancie's sudden interruption.

"Uhh… f-fine. Let's just pretend Diancie didn't interrupt us. Musharna, do you have good memories to take away from this experience?"

"It's a bit too early to say," Musharna muttered. "Ask me in… two months… then I can answer."

"What do you mean? You're already eliminated from the game. It's not like you could—" Before Bellossom could finish talking, the tapir had fallen back asleep. "Musharna! You fell asleep again!? Musharna, wake up!"

"..."

"Musharna!" Bellossom yelled out. The Psychic-type groaned as her eyes forced themselves open to glare at the flower. "Oh good! You're awake again. I think you fall asleep way too often. Do you have any explanation for that?"

"I can sleep at my own time…" Musharna remarked, rolling her eyes before closing them again. "I'm lethargic… but well… you would be too if you… mmmm… on second thought, I think I SHOULD take this seriously so that we can move on faster."

"THANK YOU, Musharna! Now, can you explain what you meant earlier?"

"Mmmmm… I think you already know what I mean…" Musharna said. "Isn't that right, Diancie?"

The Mythical Pokémon gaped in shock at being addressed again after clamming up following the comments about her exterior personality. "Wuuuuh!? You're asking me!?"

"I mean… I am a de facto member of the Pink Posse, right?"

"Pretty In Pink Initiative," Diancie corrected with a listless smile.

"Yeah, I don't care. Do you agree?"

"With what?"

"..." Musharna deadpanned, getting annoyed again. "You know what… let's just move on. Next question, please?"

"Okay, okay! Musharna, you don't seem like the type to be active, so inquiring minds would like to know… why did you even sign up for this competition, knowing that it'd be physically and emotionally demanding?" Bellossom queried, looking to the side.

"Hmmm… I don't have any personal reasons… nothing in particular," Musharna said flatly.

"Uh-huh, you know that doesn't sound believable when you're the one saying that," Bellossom pointed out. "You don't just do something for no reason… I mean, you keep saying how you only put in the energy for things that matter, so how does this game matter?"

"That question is very specific. Hmmm… but if you want the clearest answer… it'd be… the truth."

"And?"

"The truth."

"What?"

"I answered your question."

"What do you mean?!" Bellossom's eyes widened as she was almost tempted to shake the tapir furiously.

"Zzzz…"

"Okay, this is going nowhere. I asked you two questions, and I'm already feeling exhausted. Carracosta, take over." Bellossom sighed in exasperation as she passed the microphone to the turtle, who raised a brow in confusion.

"What do I… do?"

"Ask questions!"

"I don't think that's… mmm… necessary…" Musharna said.

"What do you mean?! We have to be consistent here! We can't just have two interviews and, uhh… this! I don't know how much Staravia and Whimsicott did with their interviews, but I'm not going to have this on my shoulders!" Bellossom intoned. "So answer two more questions, and then we can leave Diancie."

"Leave me? Where?! Nobody can leave Pink Party Land!" Diancie mused as she started twirling around in a circle… while not budging an inch.

"Uhhhhhhhh… well, yes! Just answer Carracosta's questions fast. You don't have to make this difficult."

"I'll try…" Musharna said, rolling her eyes.

"Do I really—" Carracosta began, only to mouth out an 'Ow' when the Grass-type shoulder-checked him. "Okay, fine. Musharna, who do you think is playing the best game?"

"Easy. Gossifleur. Don't even try to ask further. I know we've never even talked, and you're going to try and lead up to a follow-up question about that," Musharna answered with a faint smile.

"Final question then… do you really know anything about Alt—"

Musharna's eyes both opened, and the turtle was suddenly enveloped with pink psychic energy. "I don't think I will answer that question… well… not yet, anyways. I think we have more pressing matters to talk about…"

"But—"

"Mmhm… I'm good… I think I want to go to sleep already…" Musharna yawned. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…" The tapir closed her eyes as she started floating upwards, then teleported out of the vicinity, leaving Carracosta and Bellossom with their mouths agape.

"Did she just?!" Bellossom turned to Carracosta.

The turtle sighed, nodding in affirmation. "She did… she teleported out of the conversation. We should… probably head to Pikachu's room and check on Ceruledge then…"

"I mean… it's not like we have a choice! The Pokémon we were supposed to interview just… bounced on us," Bellossom exclaimed. "I didn't think there were contestants who were just… bold like that."

"I'm not. We never met her before she got eliminated, so we didn't know what to expect from her in the first place. But I won't lie in saying that I'm a little bit unsurprised."

"Mhm—"

"Where did Musharna go?" Diancie piped up, drawing the attention of the two temporary hosts, who had almost forgotten she was still there. The Mythical Pokémon abruptly broke into tears, her knees giving out. "D-did she leave because she didn't want to sign up for my reality show? I swear I have good ideas! Total Pink Island! It will take place… in Barbie World!"

"..." Carracosta and Bellossom exchanged an exasperated look before Bellossom whispered closer to the turtle's ear. "Let's just go."

"Agreed…"

---

Musharna yawned as she floated upside down in her hotel room. "Hello… it seems like today's the day something interesting will finally happen around here… mmm… I mean, it was… expected, but meh. I've been bored out of my mind, just waiting. But… hmm… I'm not sure what else to expect. There are just some things you can't predict… I mean, I didn't expect my elimination… for the most part."

Her eyes slightly opened as she was suddenly surrounded by a light pink aura. "Mmm… I don't mind getting more time to sleep though… it's exhausting having to balance… so much, mhm… maybe I can give that advice to Teddiursa the next time I see her… or Ceruledge… zzzzzzzzzzzzz…

---

The scene transitioned to show Pikachu sitting on his bed, hands on his head as he was surrounded by Ceruledge, Gourgeist, Vivillon, Skwovet, and a random life-size Raboot plush. He was hoping to get some privacy, but Ceruledge showed up… and he did NOT know who she was! This drew the attention of Vivillon and Skwovet, who just so happened to be around. Skwovet was carrying a Raboot plush he'd gotten from a 'friend.' It was absolute chaos. Ceruledge was sitting in a chair, reading through a magazine. Vivillon and Skwovet were… well, it might be better not to explain in detail. Gourgeist was passionately making out with the Raboot plush.

"..." Pikachu's left eye twitched as he was internally screaming for air.

"I-I knew signing up for this was a bad idea! I knew it all along, and-"

"Hello! Is anyone here?!" A voice called out from the door.

"..." Pikachu's hands immediately went to his mouth. He did NOT want this room to get even more crowded. It was already overwhelming, and he was starting to get overstimulated by everything happening around him.

"Pikachu, I know you're there! It's Chansey! I'm looking for a plush, and I heard from Diancie that Skwovet grabbed it and brought it to your room!" The voice, now identified as Chansey's, yelled out, annoyance evident in her tone.

"..."

"Pikachu, please OPEN THE DOOR, or so help me, I will make sure you don't go home in one piece!" Chansey threatened, only to add a sheepish giggle. "Whoops, I almost broke character there, huh?"

"... N-no! Don't hurt me! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!" Pikachu groaned as he grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Gourgeist released the Raboot plush, eyes bouncing around suggestively. "Chansey's here too? I wonder if she's interested in a threesome!"

"NO! Nobody's having a threesome in here! And you're doing it to a plush toy! Are you serious, Gourgeist?!" Pikachu pointed out.

"Hey~ I didn't say I wasn't desperate, mhm! I was just jealous that Skwovet and Vivillon can be so touchy-feely~ All the girls here are boring. When are Gossifleur and Oricorio getting eliminated? I know they have a LOT of stamina and-"

"S-stop, please?! I regret asking already…" Pikachu said, his face turning green. "Mmmph… I can't hold it in anymore… this is disgusting."

Ceruledge arched a brow, closing her magazine. "Are you not opening the door? That knocking's getting louder and-" She paused, eyes narrowing. "Wait… why do you even have a Raboot plush?"

"Oh, I got that by the beach after those new people showed up!" Skwovet explained, wiping sweat off his brow while Vivillon looked disappointed that the squirrel had pulled away. "I don't know why… but hey, I'm keeping it."

"It's-" Ceruledge began before crossing her arms. "You know what… I don't think you guys would understand…"

"Hello!? It's Bay LEE! I am looking for my missing PLUSH ASAP!"

"It sounds like Chansey got replaced by Bayleef now…" Ceruledge added, facepalming. "Are there any shapeshifters on this island?"

"Nope! Magearna was one, but she went AWOL after her elimination and-" Skwovet said.

"I am not AWOL. I'm right here and-" Ceruledge deadpanned as she went over to the door, opening it to reveal Mew giggling.

Ceruledge's eyes widened at this… then she shut the door immediately, going back to her chair to sit down. "Okay. Not exactly who I expected. For some reason, I thought this was a BATPIS reunion or something. But nope, it was just a Mew."

"Mew?! That guy's a psycho!" Pikachu said. "It's a good thing you never let him in! He's… well… he's a menace to society!"

"That's bold coming from someone who never even interacted with Magearna!" Gourgeist mused. "Weren't you naturally voted off for being unreliable and useless?"

"... No comment on that…" Pikachu breathed out before pointing to the door. "Now, can you guys leave if you're done… doing… things in here? Ceruledge can stay since she hasn't done anything, but everyone else? Please leave! I don't even have to think that through… you're all just too much!"

"Are we not talking about the Mew outside the room right now?" Skwovet remarked, crossing his arms.

"Nope! It's not our problem! He's a troll!"

"A troll who randomly showed up now, of all times? Uh-huh, I'll bet Vivillon's wallet that he's up to something… probably out to troll us after his TPI flopped or whatever…" Skwovet said.

"Do not just bet my possessions, HMPH!" Vivillon complained.

"I know you like that, b-" Skwovet started, only for Vivillon to slap him, leaving a faint mark. "OKAY! Ouch!? That was a joke! Warn me next time?!"

"HMPH! I will be taking my leave now!" Vivillon huffed as she flew to the door to leave. Mew wasn't standing on the other side of the door by this point. Skwovet facepalmed as he followed after her.

"Finally… people are leaving…" Pikachu sighed in relief as he lay back down. "I think I need to sleep… for a week or two. My head is killing me…"

"..." Ceruledge's eyes shifted to the side before she spoke in a hesitant tone. "Pikachu, I have to ask you something before you go to sleep… did anything weird happen on the show?"

Pikachu looked annoyed as he opened his eyes. "Why are you asking me? I d-don't want to get in trouble if I speak out against the show or anything!"

"Bet!"

"What is that supposed to mean, Gourgeist?! Was that meant to be an insult?! Don't leave me hanging here! Do I have to decide if I want to bet anything? I don't think the risk is worth it and—"

"I asked you a question. Can you at least try to answer?" Ceruledge requested.

"I d-didn't see anything weird… not at all!" Pikachu remarked, eyes shifting to the side. "I was eliminated second, so if anything weird did happen, it would've been after I got eliminated. I think you're better off asking Chansey or Dedenne! They were more recently eliminated!"

"I see… How's… Floatzel, by the way?" Ceruledge queried. "I watched the show and I noticed he's close to Teddiursa and that… Sableye."

"W-what!? I'm not sharing any information with a stranger! I'm not that unreliable!" Pikachu said. "Why are you even asking in the first place?!"

"Oh, we're friends!" Ceruledge explained.

"That's a lie! Floatzel doesn't have friends! He's intimidating and very loud!" Pikachu pointed out. "How can anyone TRY to be his friend even!? I weighed my options and I think it's more trouble than it's worth to try to get close to him, and—"

"Uh-huh, he's a mess, I know."

"Obviously!" Pikachu stammered. "Uhhh… so, is that fine!? I don't think I can share much about someone who scared the flipping crap out of me… when we only talked 10 times at most…"

"... I see. How about that Sableye?"

"Do you know Sableye too?" Pikachu asked cautiously.

"Nope!"

"Then why are you even asking?!"

"I mean, I did some research and—"

"I knew it! You're a stalker! I'm leaving! Is that fine!? Wait, why am I even asking you?!" Pikachu jumped off the bed, hands raised in apprehension. "I can't take this anymore! I need AIR!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you~" Gourgeist warned.

"I think anything's better than being interrogated by a stranger after Vivillon and Skwovet did THAT on my bed!"

"Actually, wai—" Before Gourgeist could finish, the electric mouse quickly ran to the door to escape, slamming it loudly behind him.

"..."

"..."

"So, Ceruledge, Pikachu is out of commission now… but I do want to hear about you!"

"I don't think I'd want to share now…" Ceruledge remarked with an anxious laugh as she returned to reading. "..."

"..." Gourgeist's eyes narrowed before she returned to hugging the Raboot plush tenderly

---

"Pikachu's room is just at the end of the hallway, I think," Bellossom murmured as she and Carracosta made their way to the room to talk with Ceruledge more… only for both of them to gasp in shock at the sight of a familiar face walking toward them.

It was Mew in the flesh! He had a bored expression while sipping from a large cup of soda. He immediately stopped drinking when he noticed the two interns gaping at his appearance.

"... Uhhhhhh…"

"Magearna—I mean, MEW?! You've been here all along?!" Bellossom exclaimed, almost dropping everything she was holding. "I thought you vanished into thin air to do… SOMETHING else?!"

"Oh? That! Well, I sneak in once in a while, you know? Since I got banned from the Hall of Legends after Magearna, Shaymin, Victini, AND Virizion all filed a complaint against me. It's not my fault that trying to be someone else was so fun—"

"Wait, I know you did your best to ruin Magearna's reputation in the game, but uh… when were you the other three?" Bellossom asked, arching a brow.

"Oh! Shaymin, I signed up for her show as a random Lycanroc who liked meat. With Victini, I told him we'd host together, but I dipped mid-season and he had to host the whole thing! I think the Bellossom won that season, actually… And Virizion? I slept with Cobalion in her body, and well, it wasn't that great. I don't see the hype in that—"

"What?" Bellossom said, turning to Carracosta, who had remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"Why are you addicted to shapeshifting?! You're a Legendary Pokémon!" Bellossom remarked in exasperation. "This is ridiculous…"

"I don't know what's ridiculous about—" Mew began, before instantly changing his form to something familiar.

"!" Carracosta's eyes widened as he almost took a step back.

"Hello! I'm Altaria! I'm not like other girls! I actually read and don't care about my looks!" Mew, now in the form of an Altaria, teased before changing back to his original form. "Phew! Maintaining another form takes a lot of work! I hope Nihilego is thankful that I did well—"

"What do you mean, 'I hope Nihilego is thankful'?" Bellossom queried.

"... Why Altaria?" Carracosta muttered in a low voice.

"Hmm? What did your turtle friend say?" Mew remarked, not hearing Carracosta before looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Hmmm… it's a funny story, but Nihilego actually asked me to compete… I think! I mean, I submitted an obvious troll application and got accepted, so I'm assuming she really wanted me on!"

"Wow… Nihilego must really not know about background checks…" Bellossom muttered.

"Anyways! I hope I explained my presence enough, since I want to sneak another drink from the poolside bar while everyone is distracted!" Mew said calmly. "So, can you let me leave? I'm bored after Pikachu rudely didn't even bother to play along with me."

"Uhhh… we don't exactly have any other questions… Have fun with… whatever you're doing, I guess?" Bellossom commented as the feline winked at her before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Bellossom sighed, turning to Carracosta with an exasperated look. "Okay, why are so many things happening right now? First, that Ceruledge rams her boat into us… then Mew's suddenly freeloading? And now, we're finding out that Marill sucked at casting for this game if she let Mew get through with whatever application he sent in!"

"I… have a creeping suspicion…" Carracosta muttered. He then shook his head, putting his arms on his head. "... but now's not the time for that. I think we should just continue the interviews… I don't think I'm in the mood to try and get Ceruledge to reveal everything."

"What—" Bellossom asked, reaching for the turtle, who had turned around to go back downstairs. "Carracosta?! Carracosta?! Don't leave me!"

---

Meanwhile, Bayleef sighed as he sat by the pool, trying to enjoy the warm, sunny day while watching Dedenne swimming on a paddleboard. After a few loud sighs, the Electric-type's smile immediately faded as he paddled over to the grass-type.

"Bayleef, are you okay? You're being annoyingly loud right now…" Dedenne commented flatly. "I'd expect that behavior from Floatzel or Emp—"

"I don't t-think you should say his name right now…" Bayleef stammered, his neck hanging low. "I still have mixed feelings…"

"About what? Emp—"

"I t-think you're doing that on purpose, and I-I don't like it!" Bayleef said, teary-eyed.

"Sheesh, I was just asking a question. If I wanted to get on anyone's nerves, it'd be Pikachu. At least he has funny reactions. You just whine a lot," Dedenne remarked, rolling his eyes. "What is this even about? Do you have a crush on him or something? I don't think he's worth it. I can recommend some sites so you can curb that desire or whatever—"

"I'm not into Empoleon!" Bayleef exclaimed. To Dedenne's shock, this was probably the first time he'd heard the green dinosaur so confident. "It's just that… he was my only friend on the island, and he still treated me like garbage."

"I mean, you were probably dickmatized—"

"I already told you—" Bayleef started.

"Hello, kids!" Staravia chimed in, walking over to the group, now wearing a swimsuit and holding a coconut drink.

Dedenne facepalmed, groaning in annoyance. "Unfezant, is that you? Ugh… don't you see that we're having a conv—" He paused, examining Staravia from head to toe. "Hmm… you're Unfezant's cousin, huh?"

"WHAT!? Is that seriously the recurring joke you want to keep referencing?!" Staravia squawked, almost dropping her drink. "Do you know what that's called in theater… or basically everywhere else?! An unfunny joke!"

"Uh-huh, so who are you again? Not really ringing any bells," Dedenne commented with a small smirk. "Shouldn't you be working or something?"

"I'm taking a break since I deserve it, honestly!" Staravia huffed. "I mean, I took the blame for the whole Sunflora incident out of the goodness of my heart… only to be punished more than I deserve. I'm a walking martyr, so yes, I—"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh! Don't need to hear more than a single sentence from you," Dedenne scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"HMPH! I didn't want to talk with you anyway!" Staravia huffed, taking a seat next to Bayleef and looking him in the eye. "Now, you, Bayleef? You're prime for a second act to your character arc! How's life?"

"A-are you talking to me?! I'm n-not sure if…"

"I mean! Consider this your interview or whatever! My job today is to interview all the eliminated contestants, and you're next on the list… after Musharna, but I'm sure Bellossom and Carracosta are handling that!" Staravia declared.

Bayleef gulped, leaning downwards. "O-okay… i-if it makes you leave faster… y-you're scary…"

"Did all that experience with Empoleon not give you any confidence?" Dedenne scrutinized, chuckling. "Or were you too busy looking at his eyes or whatever?"

"J-just… shut up already!" Bayleef tried to glare at the little rodent, but it only looked like he was about to bawl his eyes out. Sighing in defeat, he turned to Staravia. "Y-you know what… just ask your questions… I-I need to vent."

"Of course! First question… What's your main takeaway from the game? You were voted off pretty early, so I know there's not much, but just answer this as best as you can… or whatever. The questions they gave us were honestly really basic," Staravia remarked. "What's even the point of knowing the type of fruit most similar to your gameplay?! Ugh… but ignore that for now!"

"Hmm… w-well… I was voted off early… and for most of the game, Empoleon pushed me around… and I only accepted that fact after I got eliminated since… Empoleon was the only person who actually tried to take me seriously…" Bayleef answered. Dedenne opened his mouth to interject, but the dinosaur continued, "I don't know if he actually saw me as a friend… or if he thought I was so easy to push around."

"Oh, he definitely thought of you as a friend," Dedenne cut in with a frown. "He brought you up so much that it was annoying. I thought he would have more tact, but hey, he might be a little too obsessed with you."

"D-don't even go there… I know you're going to t-try and push that again!" Bayleef whimpered. "I don't even like Empoleon in that way… I don't think I'm even ready for a serious relationship, especially after t-this game."

"I mean, I'm sure you had some affection or admiration for Empoleon."

"I don't…"

"Uh-huh."

"I keep telling you that I don't like him! It's platonic! We're just friends… or whatever he thinks of me!"

"There's something called denial, but hey, I'm not going to stop you from believing whatever you believe. I mean, my little sister believed in Santa Claus until she was 14, and I had to tell her the hard truth so she could move on… she just avoided me for months, giving me the silent treatment." Dedenne gestured to the side.

"I don't…" Bayleef frowned at this statement. "T-that is not a good comparison to e-even try and make! L-let's just not talk about this anymore? I don't think it's even relevant to the rest of the interview!"

"I won't lie… I don't even know what interesting questions to ask you… that don't mention Empoleon," Staravia admitted. "But don't you worry, I uhh… prepared some handy alternatives in my mind, just in case you weren't ready! So let's move on to the next question. I would like to ask for some silence as the drum rolls sta—"

"Just fucking ask the question already? We'd be here all day if you spend too much time trying to transition between questions!" Dedenne exclaimed pointedly.

"Okay… ouch? Does nobody have any appreciation for dramatic flair these days? Okay, fine… I shall proceed with the next question… Bayleef, some fans online have mentioned that you and Pikachu were alike! Was that enough for you to form a relationship with him because of common ground? Do you agree with that statement?"

"Pikachu? W-well… he never leaves his room much, so we never got the chance to talk as much as I wanted to…" Bayleef admitted.

"Really?! You've been here for over two weeks, and you guys never… bonded over stuttering a lot?!" Dedenne remarked, also shocked by the Grass-type's answer. "I mean, I haven't seen Pikachu much either, but I thought he would've left his room enough times to run into anyone here."

"W-we did talk once… but I think he was scared of me… that was so awkward since I didn't think I was that intimidating at all," Bayleef added. "D-don't get me wrong… I'm a bit terrible with people too… and get… really nervous around them, b-but I don't think I overthink myself or… well… just avoid people… even if Empoleon r-really scared me a lot."

"So Pikachu's smart enough to run away while you're too scared to run, leaving you with no choice but to stick with Empoleon?" Dedenne assessed.

"... I w-won't put it that way b-but well… I-I think a better way to explain it is… I w-worry about the present while P-Pikachu takes into account… t-the future. I know Empoleon was s-scary… b-but… the longer we hung out… I d-did start to warm up to him… a-as weird as that may sound. I-I think Pikachu's just too stubborn to s-switch up from his i-initial impressions. H-he plans in advance… and d-double-guesses himself!"

"That's one scathing read, Bayleef. I'm impressed," Dedenne chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully. "Hmm… maybe you should break up with Empoleon and hang out with me instead. I mean, I'm not actively looking for friends, but hey, I think I'd prefer talking to you over being forced to be the third wheel between Vivillon and Skwovet."

"I t-think I'm good," Bayleef murmured.

"Your loss," Dedenne shrugged, while Staravia cleared her throat to keep asking questions.

"Okay, okay. Next question—"

"Hold on." Dedenne interrupted, crossing his arms.

The bird cocked an eyebrow, offended. One of her major pet peeves was being interrupted, so this better be something important. "Yes, Dedenne? It's not your interview! You can't just tell me to hold on!"

"I mean, I don't think any more questions would be interesting. You don't even have any camerapeople filming this," Dedenne pointed out.

"What do you mean? There are cameras all over the resort! So, this moment?! It's all caught in 4K!" Staravia huffed, crossing her wings.

"Uh-huh. Good to know, but anyways, I have some questions."

"WHAT!? YOU have questions?! This isn't a two-way interview, Dedenne… heck! It's not a three-way interview, if you expect Bayleef to jump in too!"

"Does it look like I care? I'm eliminated anyways. I can break the rules if I want to." Dedenne scoffed. "I'm just curious… why are they letting an intern like you conduct these interviews? Wouldn't it be better if Nihilego and Poipole did this themselves? Or are they too lazy to get up?! I mean, I'm not that shocked. Legendary Pokémon these days can't even be bothered to do anything, not even host a TPI or anything."

"I'm not just an intern!"

"Uh-huh? Who are you then?"

"..."

"..." Dedenne arched an eyebrow, waiting for Staravia's answer.

Staravia groaned in defeat, waving her wings frantically. "FINE! I'm just an intern, and this?! It's for an episode, and it's my punishment for the whole challenge where Sunflora broke loose! Nihilego and Poipole probably have better things to do with their lives anyways!"

"I don't buy that explanation."

"H-hey! Cut her some slack… s-she's being underpaid…" Bayleef defended the bird, concerned.

"THANK YOU, BAYLEEF! At least, someone here has empathy!"

"I'm just curious, okay? It's just weird."

"I think it's even weirder that you're acting like a jerk right now!"

"Wow, that's the best insult you have?"

"Oh, I have a lot! I wouldn't be so talented if I only knew basic terms!" Staravia boasted, brushing a wing on her chest. "But anyways… I don't have a better explanation for me being here, but if that's weird, then maybe you shouldn't ask me?! Ask Nihilego!"

"Haha, very funny! How can I ask her when I'm eliminated?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have been such a buffoon with your team then." Staravia snarked, chuckling behind her wing.

"... you know what, this conversation is over." Dedenne grumbled as he swam to the side of the pool, hopping out to leave. "Bayleef, my offer to talk is still open. Staravia, I don't think I'd want to be interviewed. Goodbye." And with that, the Electric-type skittered away from the pool, heading toward the hotel. At the same time, Carracosta and Whimsicott walked past him, slowly moving toward Staravia.

"Staravia, are you done swimming?" Whimsicott asked, carrying a wine glass filled with pineapple juice. "I see you're with Bayleef. Carracosta told me they've finished interviewing Musharna, so I hope you're finished with Bayleef too."

"I asked two questions, and it immediately got derailed," Staravia sighed in exasperation, turning to Bayleef, who was starting to sweat nervously. "Bayleef, do you want to continue the interview where we left off?"

"S-sure… I feel bad that Dedenne had to disrespect you like that," Bayleef commented, smiling awkwardly.

"Good, good!" Staravia said, sighing in relief. "Whimsicott, do you want to join? And uhh… Carracosta, I thought you were supposed to be with Bellossom?"

"I wanted to take a breather," Carracosta explained. "Just continue with the interview and pretend I'm not here."

"Mkay! Let's continue the interview then!" Staravia said. "Bayleef, if you were on the other team at the start of the game, how would your game change?"

"I-I think I'd still be in the game since they were winning a lot of the challenges! It'd be different starting from the swap, and I c-can't predict what would change if I were there…" Bayleef answered the best he could, trying not to stress out the temporary judges even further, sensing a bit of lingering tension in the air from Dedenne's abrasiveness.

"Okay! Next question…" The scene faded to black as Staravia and Bayleef continued their relatively normal interview

---

"I'm not sure if I want to see Empoleon again, b-but… I do want closure," Bayleef admitted. "So if I get another chance, I'd take it… even if it feels intimidating. I… r-really want to know how much of it was serious… or if he really just thought little of me. D-Dedenne didn't help by providing context… he just made things sound even more complicated."

---

Bellossom sighed as she sat in the lobby, clutching her hands together. She wanted to give Carracosta some space after their random encounter with Mew, which had left him a little shaken. While she was curious to know more about the turtle's past, she didn't want to pry too much. She was tempted to continue heading to Pikachu's room, but she wasn't prepared to go in there alone, especially when she was still unfamiliar with whatever Ceruledge and Musharna might have been discussing.

Left alone, Bellossom began reflecting on her motivations—why she even signed up to be an intern, despite the diminishing returns due to the TPI scene being less respected in the current day. "This was probably the dumbest decision I ever made…"

"I should probably not get too caught up in Carracosta, Musharna, or… well, anyone's drama, honestly. It wouldn't end well for me. But… I do trust Whimsicott, and I don't want her trust in me to be misplaced. She did tell me about finding tapes for past cancelled TPIs for a reason… and I'd be a fool to just throw that away…"

Closing her eyes, she found herself in an empty cabin. When she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to see that the scenery hadn't changed. She was somehow still in the cabin. Musharna floated in front of her, her eyes wide open and her expression free of exhaustion.

"W… where am I?"

"..."

"Musharna, is that you? Is this a dream? Why am I dreaming about you?" Bellossom asked rhetorically, looking around. There was a window to her right, showing a treacherous blizzard raging outside. "It's… snowing?"

"Bellossom, I'm the real Musharna," Musharna finally spoke up, her voice hoarse yet firm, as though she had just woken from a deep slumber. "I just wanted to talk to you, so I used Hypnosis on you while you weren't paying attention. I apologize if that's a breach of privacy or whatever. I know I told you enough while we were with the others and Ceruledge, but this is something I had to tell you… and only you."

"I'm… confused. What is this supposed to mean?"

"You're an important piece of the puzzle," Musharna explained. "Staravia, Whimsicott, Carracosta—those are important pieces too, but you, in particular, have an important role. So I hope you can listen carefully."

"I'm still confused. What puzzle are you even talking about?"

"Do you remember that Flapple that showed up after the tape-finding challenge?" Musharna reminded her.

Bellossom's eyes widened. How did the tapir know about that when she wasn't even competing? "How did you—"

"I have eyes and ears on the island," Musharna explained. "Ceruledge, Brionne, and Vikavolt might seem like too many pieces on the board… but I couldn't help it. I needed a backup, in case things go south faster than I expected."

"So… you're the reason they even came here?"

Musharna nodded. "Yes. I want to be transparent. I told them about the missing Pokémon incidents, and how they ended up on the cast, so they'd have no choice but to investigate. But they only need to take action if we're backed into a corner. I mean… Gourgeist told me enough about their plans, and you know I'm not the type to be scared, but… it's terrifying."

"What plan? Can you just tell me?"

"I can't… I can't risk it. They'd find out if too many people know. I need you to lay low and gather files on the entire cast. I have my suspicions about a few, but I need confirmation…"

"W-what!? I can't just steal from Marill!" Bellossom argued. "I'd just get in more trouble… or even worse… FIRED!"

"I know it's a big risk, but it's a risk we need to take."

"We?! You're not even in the game! How are you…?!"

"Mmm… I'm almost running out of time… I'm getting… exhausted from talking to you here… but… just… remember to be on your guard… mmm…"

"Musharna?! Musha—"

---

Bellossom let out a loud gasp as her eyes were forced open. She blinked, realizing she was still at the hotel lobby. Blinking, she wiped off the drool forming around her mouth as she looked around frantically for any trace of Musharna's presence

---

"I'm so glad you let me join you on a walk, Unfezant!" Skwovet expressed, winking as he walked by the pheasant's side.

The Flying-type facepalmed as soon as they reached the beach. "What do you mean!? You split off from Vivillon to follow me! What's the deal with that?!"

"Hey, I just wanted to hang out with you, okay? Nothing wrong with that." Skwovet said. "I mean, we never really talked, so hey, I just want to talk to someone different, you know? Hear someone else's opinion for once…"

"Okay? Thanks?! I don't think I need the flattery from another premerger." Unfezant grumbled, crossing her arms. "Besides, aren't you and Vivillon dating?!"

"Ha! No! We're just fooling around. It's nothing serious!" Skwovet explained coolly, brushing his tail. "Besides… that wasn't even a flirt or anything!"

"Oh… huh? Really? Damn… I'm shocked you're not acting suspicious right now. I mean, I still know you're a total klepto, but if I didn't know, I'd have thought you were just a normal guy or whatever." Unfezant commented. "Well… not the type of normal guy Dedenne claimed to be. He's just a dick."

"Hey, you know I'm working on that!" Skwovet said, stroking his chin. "I mean, whenever I steal, it's less on impulse and more of a… uhhhhh… genuine desire."

"And that's better?!" Unfezant squawked.

"I mean, I don't just grab things from everyone's pockets anymore. That's already a massive step up, don't you think?" Skwovet added. "I grabbed too many keychains from Magcargo and Vanilluxe…" He shuddered. "Some of them were really weird keychains too."

"Uh-huh! Congrats on being less of a sticky-fingered thief?!" Unfezant said, arching a brow. "That doesn't make me feel less nervous that you wouldn't try anything with me. I don't have any valuables, but I know that's not going to stop you or anything. UGH, it's like you have no life honestly."

"H-haha… don't put me down like that, dude… I'm not doing any stealing… just wanted to look at the sunset with someone new." Skwovet said coolly.

Unfezant deadpanned before a look of disgust appeared on her face. "Okay, what the heck happened to Skwovet, and why are you suddenly normal?!"

"Ouch… did you have to go for a low blow?" Skwovet chuckled self-deprecatingly, sitting down on the sand. He patted the sand next to him expectantly. "If you want to know more about me, we can just do some small talk!"

Unfezant facepalmed before she took a seat next to the squirrel. "Okay! Fine, I'll humor you. Don't make me regret this."

"Nice!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"OKAY! Why are you acting normal and actually… endearing for once?! Did Vivillon actually teach you some manners?! If she did, then maybe I should actually be scared of her!" Unfezant gawked.

"Heh, I'll admit this game brought out my… very awkward side that I didn't wish anyone to see, but hey… if it happens, it happens. Honestly, I just hope it doesn't ruin my credibility as a thief!"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh!? So you got stage fright or something? I mean, you acted immature enough for it to look realistic."

Skwovet rolled his eyes, laughing. "Haha, very funny! But no, my big mistake was trying to think that I can actually… be one of the greats. I can never be as great as Kleavor, Chimecho, or hell… ZOROARK! Hmm… but I guess that's not really part of the game now, huh?"

"Well… at least you're self-aware…" Unfezant complimented coyly, cupping a wing around her beak.

Skwovet bobbed his head down in shame as he took a long breath and muttered to himself, "If I was self-aware… I wouldn't be doing this at all…"

"What did you say?" Unfezant asked, not hearing what Skwovet had said to himself.

"It's nothing…" Skwovet lied, stretching his arms out in front of him as he chuckled. "I was just… talking to myself?"

"Uh-huh? You should probably get that checked out. My mom HATES it when I mumble…" Unfezant stated, jabbing the squirrel's tail with her talon gently. "I'd say you can trust me, but meh, I don't even trust myself with any sort of important information in the first place…"

"..." Skwovet started sweating nervously before letting out a deep breath. "O-okay… it's hard to hold it in anymore. You saw how much I tried to do that in the game?! But whoops, trying to hold it in and acting like I'm a stand-up citizen just made me fail. It's better not to give people any false impressions! It's really hard to understand… or even try to fix it since everyone keeps saying that I need to work on myself. Do they not freaking know how much WORK I do?!"

Unfezant's eyes widened, a bit shocked that Skwovet had just… spilled his guts spontaneously. I guess the squirrel was right when he mentioned being a victim of his impulses. This wasn't even the first time she had seen someone act out of character, remembering her quick encounter with Klinklang. "Uhh… are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just said some stuff in my head without thinking…" Skwovet said through gritted teeth. "Do you think any of the greats had any problems? Why do you think they started doing this, huh? I know it sounds pathetic for me to say, but sometimes, I feel like I'm the only one like this."

"… Does Vivillon know?" Unfezant said in a hushed tone.

"Hey, I told you already. We're just fooling around!"

"Mmhm, that's what you think. What if she starts thinking you want to go all the way?"

Skwovet sighed, ears dropping down. "I mean… at the end of the day, she's rich as hell, while I'm…" He shook his head, clenching a fist. "So… I don't think it'd work out even if I did like her. I'll give her this: she has a lot of spunk and spice that I do like and…" He paused, facepalming. "Okay… I think I already said too much!"

"Well, it turns out that maybe you're just not good at keeping secrets. You already gave away too much." Unfezant teased, rolling her eyes. She tapped her beak as a smile crept in. "Though… I do like that you're being genuine… you feel real, and I like that."

"Thank you? Am I really that obvious?"

"Very. And we never even talked, so you know I'm serious." Unfezant smirked smugly.

Skwovet chuckled as he forced a smile again, rolling his eyes playfully as he leaned forward. "Whatever, whatever. I guess I should probably… get better at what I do… if I want to keep doing it. But that'd mean I already figured things out…"

"For one, everyone knows who you are. You should probably evolve."

"Ouch… your words really sting, Unfezant. And to think, I actually thought we'd be on the same wavelength here."

"I just want to tell you the truth," Unfezant said flatly.

"And I appreciate it!" Skwovet said, before tapping his chin awkwardly. "Okay, not really. But I guess it's better than you trying to sidestep around things."

"Why the heck are you even stealing things from people?" Unfezant asked.

"O-okay?! Now you're asking for my backstory!? I don't think you did anything to deserve to know!"

"I mean, I'm tolerating your presence. Cut me some slack here," Unfezant quipped, a small smile creeping onto her face. Skwovet bit his lip, unsure if he wanted to elaborate. Unfezant sighed and shook her head. "You don't have to tell me. I'm literally a stranger you met in some stupid reality TV show."

"..."

Unfezant sighed again as she coolly combed through her head feathers. "You know what… since you shared about your life, I guess I can tell you about myself." She paused, deadpanning. "Though, don't just assume I tell this to everyone who decides to unload their sob stories on me… I don't pity you at all. I just don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of your vulnerabilities… or whatever. UGH… I'm sure my mom would say this is a lesson in empathy, but it's more of a lesson in common sense."

"You… don't have to," Skwovet choked out, grabbing a handful of sand and letting it slip through his fingers. "I mean… with how much you talk about your parents… they probably love you a lot…"

"... they—" Unfezant was about to say, before sighing and kicking sand in front of her. "Well, it's complicated. Mom still thinks I'm a kid… I'm 17. I know that's probably younger than everyone else here, but… she still thinks I'm the same 12-year-old who enjoyed performing on stage in front of everyone. That's just a lot of pressure. When you fail, everyone keeps their eyes on you… and once you fail, you just rarely get the chance to get back on stage…"

"..."

"But I… ugh… I hate… I hate to validate their feelings, but bleh… maybe they love me… and I'm just taking it too lightly because they're being a bit too much with it," Unfezant admitted.

"Unfezant… you actually stuttered…" Skwovet commented.

Unfezant glared at him. "Zip it. I'm not sharing this for you to insult me like that!"

"Well, it takes one to know one…" Skwovet said flatly.

Unfezant rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smirking in amusement. She was actually enjoying (?) her conversation with Skwovet. Who knew it could feel good to let it out?! To someone she hadn't even talked to in the game? "Ha! You have a point there, but my mom said all my problems were personality problems, so HA, I guess we're more different than you think!"

"My dad's pretty much the same, but I appreciate that he sees something in me… other than, you know… THIS!" Skwovet awkwardly gestured to his entire body as he slumped forward. "Goes to show that sometimes, someone can see something good in trash."

"Here's to being trash, I guess," Unfezant drawled, pretending to raise a glass. Skwovet laughed and raised his hand to collide with Unfezant's raised wing. "Promise me you won't lose yourself to the upper-class circles Vivillon has… or whatever."

"I told you… we're just friends." Skwovet corrected his phrasing with a smile. "You know… since… I always give back everything I steal! So that's no different, don't you think?"

"... interesting…" Unfezant muttered.

"... Unfezant…"

"Yes?"

"Hearing that you actually love your mom… is it bad for me to admit that… I absolutely… despise my parents…" Skwovet admitted casually, making the pheasant blink in surprise.

"I thought you said your dad loved you enough to see some good in you?" Unfezant pointed out.

"He's not my real dad…" Skwovet said.

The two were silent for a while. Skwovet's single sentence was enough to tell Unfezant the full picture, and she felt like it would be too imposing to ask the squirrel to elaborate further.

"..."

"..."

Unfezant put a hand around the squirrel's back, rubbing him gently while Skwovet looked shocked by this gesture. But he relaxed as the two stared out at the ocean for the next few minutes.

After the moment had passed, Unfezant turned to the squirrel, retracting her wing. "So, do you want me to scratch behind your ears and call you a good boy whenever you do something good in your life as motivation? Or should I tell Vivillon or Musharna to do that?"

Skwovet's face turned red from embarrassment, and he burst into laughter. "Don't even try to joke about this! This—this is… BAHAHAHAHAHAHA… Unfezant, are you serious?!"

"I'm always serious."

"Well, I appreciate you being here… I know I kind of forced you to be here since you're the first one I saw, but honestly… I'm thankful I ran into you…" Skwovet expressed, wiping a stray tear from laughing. "Just… don't tell everyone else I was… feeling… like this. Especially Vivillon. I don't think she would just—"

"..." Unfezant didn't let him finish as she resumed scratching the squirrel's head, surprising him.

The Normal-type's blush returned as his ears grew stiff. "U-Unfezant… I don't think I need that much cheering up now…"

"Positive reinforcement… Or something." Unfezant said. "My mom would give me rewards when I did something good…" She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "As much as I rag on her, I think that was good advice. Just… take things one step at a time, and you'll get there eventually."

Skwovet just gaped in shock as he was overcome with familiar emotions. "... you know… Dad said something like that too… thank you for this, Unfezant."

Unfezant also looked shocked by this… she was just playing around for the most part, so to hear some gratitude… wasn't new, but it was surprising to hear in this game that she never really cared about. "... don't mention it. Really, don't! My mom would think her decision to sign me up for this paid off."

---

Skwovet took a deep breath and smiled weakly, which was different from his usual attempts to maintain a certain air of bravado in the game. "When I signed up for the game, I thought I'd just get iced out again… and I guess, in a way, I was… but I'm more at peace with that right now."

He then chuckled as his confident smirk returned. "But don't think I'm going soft or anything! I'm still the same old Skwovet as ever! And I'm gonna be better than ever! Look out, Total Pokémon Ultra Revival! Here I come!"

---

Back at the pool, Staravia, Whimsicott, and Carracosta had just finished interviewing Bayleef. Whimsicott agreed to accompany Carracosta to interview someone else, while Bayleef and Staravia remained by the pool to relax. As soon as the cottonweed and turtle departed, Vivillon flew into view, sporting comically large sunglasses over her antennae. She landed beside Bayleef, who instinctively nudged away in fear.

"HMPH! Bayleef, you're supposed to be applying sunscreen on me, so stop moving!"

"S-since when did I agree to that?!" Bayleef whimpered, covering his eyes in distress.

"Please, I could literally buy and sell you! You're basically obligated!" Vivillon scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Vivillon, was it? I think you shouldn't be so harsh on dear Bayleef here," Staravia interjected, adopting a Galarian accent as she batted her eyelashes innocently while doing a backstroke in the pool. "He's such an innocent chap—dare I say, too sheltered for his own good? He's simply afraid of the dark… and your rather intimidating presence! Perhaps you should ease up a little?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh?! Do I have to remind you about—"

"W-we already know who you are! You keep reminding everyone that you're rich and the heir to a successful film studio!" Bayleef stammered, trying his best to glare at the butterfly but flinching with every attempt.

"HMPH! FINE… I shall be gracious! After all, I've received a lot of… emails from peasants calling me a, quote-unquote, 'bitch.' And to that, I say… fuck off?! I mean, I'm rich for a reason!"

"Nepotism?"

"Shut up, Bayleef!"

"Maybe you should learn some humility… sheesh. I know I love hogging the spotlight, but you? You're on another level," Staravia remarked.

"A-are you saying I'm on the same level as C-tier celebrities like Togetic?! I think not! I… shall be humble, if only to maintain my reputation!" Vivillon huffed, rolling her eyes. "Even Dedenne won't talk to me, so I suppose I might have made a couple of mistakes already…"

"A lot of them…" Bayleef muttered under his breath.

"Let's talk about your problems then! If that'll help make me look relatable!" Vivillon declared. "Bayleef… how do commoners… survive?"

"I'm m-middle-class!"

"What's your net worth, then?" Vivillon asked flatly.

"Uhhhhhh…"

"Exactly. You're a commoner. Or… hmm… is that too offensive? What should I call you? Peon? Peasant? Poor person? Hm… I do like the sound of 'flop'—"

"J-just call me by my first name! That's not too hard, right?" Bayleef blurted out before quickly covering his mouth, realizing he'd spoken out loud. "Uhh… ignore that…"

"EXCUSE YOU?! You're trying to smack-talk me now? Hmph… I suppose I deserve that, but don't do it again! You should know your place!"

"..."

Staravia sighed as she swam back to the poolside, hoping to talk to Vivillon—to get a closer look at her… abrasive personality. She also wanted someone to bounce off of, but she kept that to herself for obvious reasons.

"Vivillon, how's your situationship with Skwovet?"

Vivillon's face turned red as she nearly lost her balance, almost tumbling backward from the bird's comment.

"W-what!? What situationship!? We're not even serious! Hmph! We're friends with benefits at most!"

"W-what!?" Bayleef gawked, his face also turning red. "You and Skwovet…"

"Yeah, we sleep around! It's nothing serious!" Vivillon huffed, face-palming. "I'm telling you both because, honestly, I don't see the point in hiding anything! You'd just make your own assumptions if I kept quiet anyway!"

"Oh! So that's why you're less bitchy than usual! He's really melting that ice from your heart, huh?!" Staravia giggled before batting her eyelashes cutely, her voice suddenly turning high-pitched. "Okie dokie! Ms. Vivi, you are such a hopeless romantic, huh? You really wanna fix Mr. Skwovet that badly?! I mean, I'm all for love, but let's not abandon critical thinking here!"

"Grr… we're not serious!"

"Vivillon, are you okay?" Bayleef asked, arching a brow.

"I'm FINE! Why are you even asking?"

"Uhh…" Bayleef pointed at the butterfly's eyes, which had turned into two distinct spirals as she teetered in place, struggling to keep flying. "You're… looking kinda weird right now."

"Of course, I am! After all, you're assuming things about me and Skwovet?! He's the last person I'd be interested in, anyway! It's far more likely I'd end up dating Floatzel or Empoleon… or Klinklang, if you really want to stretch it! Our relationship is purely contractual. After the game, we might as well be strangers! I mean, he's stubborn about being a thief, so even in the rare case that we were actually serious, it wouldn't work out."

"…" Staravia and Bayleef exchanged an awkward glance. The more Vivillon tried to defend herself, the more verbose she became, and the less believable it sounded that nothing was going on between her and Skwovet.

"I will give Skwovet this! He's more charming… and endearing… and honestly… very cute. And he's gotten better with his words after the game ended, but that doesn't change the fact that he was a bumbling fool who accidentally poisoned me and—"

Bayleef blinked, raising a leg. "Uhh… w-wait a minute. Weren't you insistent that he did that on purpose? Why are you suddenly saying it was an accident? Y-you're actually agreeing with Skwovet now…"

"…Ignore that." Vivillon muttered.

"Hmm… so there's nothing going on between you and Skwovet, then? Maybe we can test that out with some roleplay." Staravia suggested. "I'll be Skwovet, and Bayleef can be Gossifleur!"

"Why?! And why Gossifleur?!"

"She's your #1 rival for Skwovet's love!" Staravia insisted.

Vivillon blinked before muttering under her breath. "This will probably not end well, but…" Clearing her throat, she locked eyes with Staravia. "Fine, I shall humor you. Let's do some… roleplay."

"FINALLY! Someone plays along! Maybe you're not a complete bitch after all, Vivillon! Anyway…" Staravia cleared her throat and then spoke in a deeper voice. "Hello! I am Skwovet! I have kleptomania! Hello, Vivillon!"

"…What?" Vivillon deadpanned.

"I'm getting in character!" Staravia huffed, puffing her cheeks proudly. "Okay… let's think of a situation… hm… I got it! AHEM… Viv… I really want to tell you something… important."

"Okay? Spit it out then! Hmph, you must be so confident if you think this is worth my time, Skwovet!" Vivillon immediately immersed herself in whatever Staravia's made-up situation would be, surprising the bird with how seriously she was taking it.

"Well… do you remember that challenge where I might've… you know… poisoned you? I'm going to own up to it. Even if it was an accident, I shouldn't have acted so harshly when I was swiping some valuables from you on the sly."

"Uhh… ahem… I suppose I appreciate the apology, Skwovet." Vivillon remarked, narrowing her eyes. "HMPH! But you'll have to give back everything you stole and—"

"Oh, trust me! I'll give it back! Gossifleur is here too, so you know you can count on me!"

Bayleef blinked, unsure of what to say. "U-uhhh… w-what?!"

"I SAID… GOSSIFLEUR is here too!"

"I don't even know who she i—"

"Just make something up!" Staravia face-palmed before snapping back into character. "You don't want to keep Vivillon waiting now, do you? She's very high-maintenance!"

"Uhhh… s-sorry… uuhhm… hi, Vivillon! I know we were on the same team, but I don't think we saw eye to eye! I'm rich too, but… how rich is your family?"

"I have no idea why you're acting so strange, Gossifleur. I doubt you have any interest in things like that… but Skwovet, don't keep me waiting. You haven't given back my wallet yet. Cough it up… NOW!"

"Heh, you're really riled up to get down to business, babe? I like that about you." Staravia chuckled, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Since we're both eliminated, what do you say to—"

Vivillon scoffed, covering the bird's mouth with a wing. "Shut up, Skwovet! I won't deny that our feud didn't help us, but are you really trying to act like you're on my level?! You don't even have anything to show for it!"

"I guess that just means I'll have to pull off the greatest heist of my life to get on your level, sweetheart."

"S-sweetheart!? You're making fun of me now… saying this in front of GOSSIFLEUR?!"

"Uhh… I'm still here… hi." Bayleef chimed in, looking to the side awkwardly. There wasn't really any reason for him to stick around but he was… kind of silently obsessed over Vivillon and Staravia just roleplaying in front of him.

"You don't get the privilege of calling me your muse when you've been going around, telling people we're fooling around. I guess you don't know how important it is to be private about some things, Skwovet!"

"Maybe, you can teach me~"

"No." Vivillon said flatly, crossing her wings.

"But-"

"No… just no. Skwovet is not this forward. You need to pivot."

"It's a different take to his character! I mean… do we really know about the REAL Skwovet!? Or is the Skwovet just a visual representation of what he wants the camera to see! He's always hiding something… you really need to peel through the layers…!"

"..." Vivillon bit her lip, looking to the side.

"Now that Staravia mentioned that… I actually don't know Skwovet that much either…" Bayleef admitted. "W-we weren't on the same team but he did sneak a lot around our cabin… p-probably to steal things. He wasn't really happy when I told him about this…"

"Skwovet is different from the rest. He's not that complicated!" Vivillon insisted, rolling her eyes. "He's… just like you, Staravia! You both are obsessed with the spotlight!"

"Uh-huh, pot meets kettle?" Staravia scoffed. "BESIDES… I am not just doing it for attention! I do it to give a show! For the art! Honestly, I'm shocked you took our quick roleplay that seriously, Vivillon! Hm… perhaps, we can star on a show together!"

"Tch, it's not that shocking! My father owns a film company and a magnificent theater on Broadway! So it's no surprise that I inherited the talent to hold up my own!" Vivillon explained confidently. "Besides, it is not difficult playing a character… when that character is myself! Get that into your thick skulls!"

"Okay, I'm not going to try and suck up to you because I have dignity but if you ever need any auditions or anyone to be the main star of your next performance, you know who to call!" Staravia gasped, starry-eyed. "You've definitely done a massive turnaround for me, Vivillon! I'm shocked."

"HMPH! I am more forgiving and benevolent than people would think! My stupid team were idiots voting me off before they can even see my real potential but whatever, I'm rich so I'm over it." Vivillon huffed.

"Uhhm… I k-know I wasn't important to the conversation but uhhh… h-how did you work things out with Skwovet? I remember when Skwovet got eliminated and you two screamed at each other for a whole day…" Bayleef pointed out.

Vivillon's face turned red from embarrassment as she looked to the side awkwardly. "UGGGGGH… do you really think I'm going to give you a full explanation?! If you must know, Skwovet challenged me to something and well, I'm not a loser so I took him on for it! It's been… over 2 weeks since then… and well, I guess my personal grievances just diminished when I actually got to know about him as a person!"

"WOW… so you must really know about the real Skwovet then, huh?!" Staravia commented, putting a wing over her mouth.

"..."

---

"This is all SKWOVET'S fault. He dared try to tangle with me and… be a major thorn on my side even after the game!" Vivillon gawked, the flush still evident on her face. "I don't even know anything about his past or why he's telling people about… us but hmph! I'm not taking that sitting down!"

She paused, a small smile forming on her face. "I'll give him this… he's the first person who actually made me feel so much passion… even if that passion was put into hating him as much as possible."

---

"Okay, we finished interviewing Gourgeist, Chansey and Dedenne. It sucks having to go out of order but uhh… that'll just be edited post-production." Whimsicott commented as she and Carracosta were back at the lobby after having an impromptu interview with Dedenne after running into him by coincidence. "That leaves… Skwovet, Diancie and Vivillon then!"

"Uh-huh…"

"Carracosta, are you alright?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" The turtle's furrow was just getting deeper and deeper by the second. "I'm fine."

"You haven't said anything during the last 3 interviews and I mean… okay, fine!? I'm fine asking the questions anyway but you were just… standing by the side. I mean, I appreciate that you took over manning the cameras but I'm a bit worried for you!" Whimsicott explained.

"I saw Mew." Carrocosta said simply.

"W-what!?" Whimsicott blinked, shocked that the turtle would share his thoughts so freely.

"Yes… apparently, they have been sneaking around the place since they were voted off… and Mew shapeshifted into an Altaria. It brought back… terrible memories." Carracosta explained, clenching a fist.

"Who is Altaria..?"

"Altaria was my childhood friend… and girlfriend." Carracosta said. "She signed up for a TPI like this… but she went missing… so I…"

"WAIT WHAT!?" Whimsicott screamed before covering her mouth, lowering her volume immediately. "What show did she compete in? I watched nearly every TPI but I don't remember seeing her in one… hell, she wasn't on Ultra Vacation either."

"It wasn't even aired. So… it was all for nothing. Nobody even won either. I heard that the show took place on the same island as this show so… I signed up to be an intern." Carracosta continued.

"... why are you telling me this?" Whimsicott asked.

"... I trust you. That Teddiursa on the show asked a bit too… and I didn't share much with her but you… I think you are trustworthy. My hunches have never disappointed me just yet." Carracosta said breathily, crossing his arms.

"..." Whimsicott looked to the side awkwardly before replying in a shaky tone, "Carracosta, I have to tell you something too. You know how Musharna and Ceruledge were talking about something weird brewing behind the scenes? I-I… it's similar to your story. There have been missing contestants reported… but unlike with Altaria, their seasons actually aired."

"That…"

"I think there's a lot of missing pieces but… thank you for trusting me even if… we haven't exactly talked much before this."

"Don't mention it… thank you for the information too… I need all the help I can get… and honestly… the interns were the only group of people I knew I could trust 100%" Carracosta continued to explain.

"You won't regret it!"

---

An hour after Whimsicott and Carracosta's conversation in the lobby, Ceruledge was now sitting on the bed inside Pikachu's room, deadpanning. Gourgeist had left her alone for a while now and she wasn't sure if anyone was going to come and get her. She wanted to just get down to business but she needed to lay low and not alert Nihilego or Poipole with her presence.

"Hello?" A different voice called out from outside.

Ceruledge arched a brow at this. It was a new voice. She didn't know the entire cast so she didn't know who it belonged to. Not wanting to give away her presence, she said nothing.

"Pikachu! It's me!"

"..."

"Pikachu? Are you not there?" It's me! Diancie, the prettiest and pinkest Legendary out there! I just wanted to talk with you and-"

"Diancie, what are you doing standing out here?" Another feminine voice could be heard. "Do you need Pikachu? Is he not answering the door?"

"Yep! I knocked five times and said my name, to announce my presence… but he's not answering. I don't think he's inside!" Diancie said in disappointment. "Chansey, I thought he didn't leave his room much so why is he not there?"

"I think he went out! Why? Do you need him for something?" Chansey asked.

"Yep yep! The pretty butterfly told me that we had to gather around the pool for some important news!" Diancie explained.

"Oh! Let's get going then! I'm sure we'll run into Pikachu there!"

"Awww… you have a point! Let's get going, Pretty Pink Party!"

"What?"

As soon as both Diancie and Chansey's footsteps could be heard retreating, Ceruledge looked to the side in disappointment. "So it looks like I'm just going to have to sit here for another hour, huh? Wouldn't hurt to do some busywork… Pikachu's room is a bit messy… I hope he doesn't mind if I do some spring cleaning…"

---

"Pika Pika is not part of my squad but Chansey? She's so demure, so mindful… so PINK! If she was more famous, I'll definitely invite her to join my squad!" Diancie remarked, hands on her cheeks as she bobbed her head playfully.

---

The eliminated contestants were all gathered around the pool while Staravia, Whimsicott and Carracosta were situated by the poolside bar. They eagerly waited for whatever announcement the bird had in store.

"Hello everyone! I'm Staravia and-"

"Yes, we know! You've been conducting those stupid interviews for the whole day." Vivillon pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"And you actually answered those questions really well!" Bayleef added. Vivillon retaliated, splashing water onto him, making him yelp out a bit.

"I know everyone is confused about me and my friends' sudden presence on the island… well… I'm proud to announce that it's part of the twist that Nihilego had prepared for the ga-"

"Just announce it?! I have better things to do than be forced to sit next to people I hate." Dedenne scoffed while Chansey and Skwovet awkwardly moved away from him.

Staravia face-palmed, sighing in exasperation. "Buzzkill, much?! WELL, YOU CAN'T BEAT ME DOWN TO THE GROUND! I am a lover… not a fighter. But in this war, I-"

"Just spit it out already!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Dedenne… but we'll be dragging this out!" Staravia intoned while Carracosta and Whimsicott set out a projection screen behind her. "It was nice getting to check in with players that haven't played for… well… ages! But, it's time to gather your general thoughts on the players still in the game!"

Staravia clapped her wings together as an image was displayed on the screen. "Let's get-"

"Why are you showing a photo of you wearing a tree costume?" Chansey queried.

Staravia cocked a brow before looking behind her, blushing in embarrassment as she realized she was accidentally showing her photos as a kid. "O-oh! This is not the slides I wanted to show… Whimsicott?"

"On it!" Whimsicott stifled a chuckle as she went over to the projector to change the clips to show an image of Cramorant. "Okay, it's fixed!"

"PHEW… nobody can know about my tragic past!" Staravia wiped sweat around her brow as she sighed in relief. "Anyways… we're doing this alphabetically! Let's start with Cramorant!"

"She's… weird." Bayleef commented, looking to the side awkwardly.

"Crammy is NOT part of the Pink Parade but you can't deny that she did her best to serve us a look even though Cramorant are notoriously FUGLY!" Diancie chimed in.

"What look? She should be embarrassed for herself for bringing that phone addiction and lingo to the island…" Pikachu commented in a surprisingly calm tone.

"I'm with Pikachu here. She was surprisingly fine to work with, but he always seemed… unhinged honestly." Dedenne added. "So, I didn't know if I could trust her or not."

Skwovet scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Oh please! Don't act like you're trustworthy and easy to work with! You just look down on people you think are inferior to you."

"I don't see how that's relevant to Cramorant but well, do I have to remind you that you caused your own elimination with how you acted in the game!? I was completely justified!" Dedenne reasoned.

"WOW! You must be hot stuff, lasting for TWO more episodes than me, huh?! That's so much better!" Skwovet drawled. "But seriously… can you stop trying to undermine us? It's annoying!"

"I mean… at least. I have restraint."

"WHY YOU-"

"Did I miss anything? I thought you and Dedenne were friends?" Whimsicott chimed in.

"Chansey filled me in that Dedenne was just trash talking everyone! Friendship be damned. He's worse than Vivillon! At least, Vivillon doesn't try to play nice and talk shit behind my back! She does enough of that to my face!" Skwovet grit his teeth in frustration.

"Whatever. Does it look like I care about what you think? You're literally a criminal!" Dedenne said.

"..." Skwovet opened his mouth to interject but found it difficult to make a rebuttal.

"U-uhm… back to Cramorant… I think she's very… strange." Chansey interrupted, hoping that everyone would try to act civil now. "She tried to repair my relationship with Magearna. It was very weird. I'm shocked she's still in the game since it feels like she's more focused on her phone than the game sometimes."

"You can't blame her for that. If I could bring my phone to the island, I wouldn't even bother talking to any of you." Unfezant said with a nonchalant shrug.

"I w-wonder why she's obsessed with her phone anyways…" Bayleef wondered, bobbing his head to the side. "My p-parents don't encourage that much screen time… so I'm uhh… curious on why she's attached to her phone. S-she brought a lot of back-ups to the island…"

"Honestly, I'm confused that she even has a working phone. Didn't they all fall into the water!?" Skwovet pointed out.

"Maybe, she has some back-ups that were waterproof!" Pikachu suggested. "She's addicted to her phone so it'd make sense that she has some that can't be broken from getting wet!"

"Then why was she whining and complaining about how her phone was broken for ages then!?" Skwovet asked, annoyed.

"It's a mystery~" Gourgeist chimed in with a playful giggle.

"Let's move on to the man of the hour, Empoleon!"

Chansey had a warm smile, clasping her hands together. "Empoleon and I didn't have a good relationship for most of the game but he really did his best to make it up to me in the final stretch so I have nothing but hope that he can make it far… even with the broken wing. I believe in him!"

"We lost all of the preswap challenges!" Unfezant pointed out flatly. "I mean, I wasn't there for most of it, but it just sounds like he was not really a good leader. I'm shocked he's in the game and I'm shocked that people kept him even with an injury."

"I was shocked too!" Chansey affirmed, glaring at Dedenne who just rolled his eyes.

"I know I got voted off after you but I still don't regret it. It would've worked out if Klinklang wasn't an idiot but hey, I'm not exactly a clairvoyant or anything." Dedenne scoffed.

"Whatever. I'm over being blindsided anyways…" Chansey stammered, twiddling her fingers awkwardly.

"Empoleon…" Bayleef muttered.

"OKAY… is it me or is Empoleon hot?!" Diancie asked, hearts replacing her eyes. "Like… he's so manly! I'm swooning already!"

"Hmph! He's not my type. I prefer my men to have more class. But I won't deny that his physique did make me look a couple of times." Vivillon commented. "But… he is VERY loud… and has an interesting smell. Is that the usual smell of masculinity? If it is, then I have absolutely no interest."

"Empoleon and I never really talked… though, he is very abrasive and rough, from what I saw." Skwovet commented. "Honestly… it helps that I'm honestly too intimidated to go around him since I think it'd be tough to try and hide anything from him!"

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that~" Gourgeist teased. "As for abrasive and rough… he has a gentle touch, that I can assure you~ His attacks tickled! I wish Empoleon and I were on the same team~ He seemed… fun to mess with~" Gourgeist continued, humming to herself. "We love a clueless himbo!"

"I don't think he needed anyone to mess with him, with how terrible his challenge record has been…" Pikachu whispered, deadpanning.

---

"I'm still not sure what to feel about Empoleon… and I know I'm just repeating myself about that but… it's just that… he hasn't leave m-my thoughts since I got voted off." Bayleef admitted, teary-eyed. "I… guess… I just feel so pathetic that I can't even be mad at him even knowing that he didn't treat me well… I…"

---

"Next up is Floatzel, the loudest man you've ever seen!"

"OKAY… HE was hot!" Vivillon admitted, fanning herself as her face turned to an intense shade of red. "He was almost my type… until he voted me off, so I didn't even get to bask in his likeness. So disappointing."

"WHAT!?" Skwovet yelled out. He then covered his mouth as he realized everyone started giving him an awkward look. "Nothing… I just wanted to comment on Floatzel… yes… he existed. I guess my biggest move was accidentally causing a rift between him and Teddiursa. I… feel a bit bad for that, since I think people might think I did that on purpose…"

"Floatzel was loud and annoying on Day 1 but he kind of simmered down as the game went on." Pikachu commented. "Being with Teddiursa really helped him be more grounded. I don't know why he was very loud and paranoid during the first week anyways. He willingly signed up for this! This is what happens when you don't make the right decisions in your life!"

"I d-don't think he was that loud!" Bayleef defended with a nervous expression. "Other than that, I don't think we interacted m-much and we were on the same team…"

"With Empoleon boxing you in, I'm not surprised." Dedenne said.

"He didn't…" Bayleef interjected, frowning at the rodent. "Empoleon j-just trained me… but he didn't stop me from t-talking to everyone else. I g-guess I was just intimidated by Floatzel… but now, I wished we talked more since he really seems like he's a really nice guy!"

"Eh? He's fine. Honestly, I'm shocked that he didn't grind my gears too much when he was quite a nag." Skwovet admitted. "I can see us being friends after the game."

"I liked Floatzel but after we got swapped, we never talked as much… which is a shame, since I know he was suspicious of Magearna from the get-go and I wish I believed him and Teddiursa sooner." Chansey remarked.

"Floatzel was… there for me? At the very least, he didn't vote me off… but I'm shocked to hear that apparently, he's normal and not screaming at people?!" Unfezant said.

"Mmmmm… Floatzel is a troubled individual… you shouldn't judge him based on first impressions." Musharna mumbled. "I hope he finds what he's looking for…"

"Give it up for the next one… it's Gossifleur!"

"Oh! It's her!" Diancie commented before spacing out immediately. "Uhhhh… who was she again?"

"You weren't even competing." Vivillon scoffed. "But Gossifleur is fine. She wasn't annoying and that made her better than some of the people on that stupid island."

"She's pretty cute, don't you think?" Skwovet joked, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively. Vivillon gave him a look, prompting him to laugh anxiously. "Hey now? I was just joking! Gossifleur and I never really clicked… since well, uhh… let's just say we didn't click. She does have a good head on her shoulders so honestly, rooting for her since she's really handy…" Skwovet then shuddered. "Though, she might have to stop with the bad girl thing. Don't know why she'd just go around announcing that like it's nothing…"

"She's just there for me. Did she do anything?" Dedenne said.

"Oh please! Gossifleur is still in the game so she's already better than you!" Vivillon retorted.

"Mmm… Gossifleur is so… mysterious… and I don't think she's even trying to hide it. She definitely has… a winning personality." Musharna said.

"Gossifleur is really cute~ I'm almost disappointed I had to quit since our relationship was going really well~" Gourgeist mused, flapping her tendrils flippantly.

"Gossifleur and I never really talked much but she was a positive presence when we did get the chance to talk!" Chansey commented. "I don't know why people think we're similar though… if what Staravia said during my interview was accurate at all. I think we're pretty different. She just has that aura… honestly, it reminds me of when I first saw the fake Magearna!"

"Gossi is not a girls' girl if she voted off the girls honestly. But, I guess she doesn't care about that and just wants to win and like, okay girl! Get that bag!" Diancie giggled playfully.

"The next one on the list might be a contentious point for discussion… it's everyone's favorite… and only gear, Klinklang!"

Chansey's smile dropped as she looked to the side. "I appreciate that he voted with Magcargo after my elimination but that doesn't change the fact that his behavior always made me feel… so unwelcome. I don't want to sound judgemental when Magcargo was really close with him… but… that's just my grievances against him. I hope he's not like this outside the game and maybe we can actually hang out together with Magcargo."

"So you're not jealous of him?" Dedenne asked, arching a brow.

"Why would I?" Chansey looked confused by the Electric-type's statement.

"I mean… he and Magcargo are pretty close… he's standing in between you and Magcargo's-"

"Oh! I'm not in love with Magcargo and never was!" Chansey answered calmly with a straight face.

"Wait what?!" Skwovet remarked, eyes widening. He turned to Vivillon. "DAMN… guess you were right. They really were just close friends after all!"

"Why did everyone think we had a crush on each other? I don't even like guys… errr… awkward phrasing there! I don't date guys is what I meant!" Chansey pointed out.

"Ouch… Vanilluxe wouldn't like this." Pikachu commented with a small grimace.

"Did you have a thing for Magearna?" Diancie queried.

"Uhm… can I choose not to answer that question in public?"

Gourgeist rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Of all the cute girls on the island, you chose Magearna? Oh well… I guess it's nice not to have rivals~"

"What about Magcargo?! Did he have a crush on Chansey though?" Skwovet asked, confused. "Dedenne, I hate you… but please answer that question for us!"

"Uhh… I actually asked Magcargo about that and he was very adamant that he didn't have any romantic feelings for Chansey. He sounded so believable too!" Dedenne admitted.

"OH! So NOW you think Magcargo likes girls but you keep assuming that I have a thing for Empoleon!? What the heck is t-this double-standard?!" Bayleef yelled out, to the shock of the entire premerge group. The dinosaur blushed in embarrassment as everyone was looking at him expectantly. "U-uh… stop looking at me? I j-just wanted to make it clear that I also don't have a thing for Empoleon… since Dedenne kept insisting!"

"Wow~ You're more feisty than I thought~ It almost makes me want you!" Gourgeist teasing before deadpanning. "Correction… I'd never want you but you are subverting expectations, brick by boring brick!"

"T-thanks?"

"Uhh… since Magcargo was next anyways… is Magcargo..?" Skwovet muttered.

"I think so too! He was weirdly too close with Klinklang and he's the biggest bore on the island… and probs a power bottom too, if I have to add!" Gourgeist remarked, twiddling her tendrils while humming to herself. "I won't be shocked if Klinklang voted against Dedenne because he has a teeny tiny crush~ I wouldn't have a crush on an ugly lava snail but it's nice to know that everyone has different tastes~"

"Klinklang actually having FEELINGs for someone sounds CRAZY!" Skwovet admitted. He smirked, laughing to himself. "Though… it's funny to think about. It's… pretty… nice to see some people try to surprise us about themselves, really."

Unfezant nodded in agreement but she still looked a bit unsure. "Hmm… I have mixed feelings on him… but if he managed to crack… then I guess he's more relatable than I thought. He's still pretty much a mixed bag since I don't know what made him decided to just hold everything in like he can't feel a single thing. Like… is there a reason or..?"

"I remember him sounding like a robot on Day 1, I think…" Pikachu recalled, folding his arms.

"He definitely was a robot on Day 1! I would know! We were on the same thing and everything… guess Magcargo really shook him out of his RoboSpeak…" Skwovet commented.

"Like how Vivillon shook you out of your Flop Era!" Gourgeist teased, making the duo blush in embarrassment. "WOW! Now I know why Teddiursa uses dated internet slang! It's an effective weapon!"

"Klinklang is probably the worst person in the game. He made himself look like he'd actually have SOME logical thought in that empty head of his but then he just… backtracks, by voting me off!? I don't get it. I really thought he'd understand me the best but now, it's like I don't even know him." Dedenne grumbled.

"I mean, you're a massive dick… so is it really no surprise that you got played?" Unfezant said sarcastically.

"Weren't you voted off first because you were annoying too!?"

Unfezant laughed dryly, glaring at Dedenne, "It wasn't a unanimous vote so I guess one of us is more annoying than the other, huh?!"

"... you know what. I'm not even going to waste the energy trying to fight with a first boot." Dedenne grumbled, averting his gaze.

"Mmmmmm… you're all loud…" Musharna complained, opening her eyes for a brief moment. "We're at… Magcargo, right? He's… pure… surprising honestly. I guess… there's room for one… in every cast. I'm shocked… he made it to the merge… he's far too emotional… he lets himself be controlled by it… so easily. But… Klinklang did… keep him in the game… so I think… he's not going to be… too mad… which is good. I'm tired of the boring… old… friendship breakup that keeps happening in this game… mmmmm… zzzz…"

"Magcargo's nice!" Bayleef commented. "I… wish we were on the same t-team since I know we would've been friends… despite everything!"

"I mean, he's buddying up with Empoleon so you should probably be more jealous-"

"S-shut up, Dedenne!" Bayleef huffed, actually glaring threateningly at the Pikaclone. Dedenne shut up immediately at this, looking away.

---

"I'm still annoyed at Klinklang for voting me off… after everything we've been through." Dedenne expressed, glaring at the camera. "I know I'm not exactly the nicest guy out there but I thought he would appreciate my frankness and straightforward personality but turns out he was too wrapped up in Magcargo, of all people!"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I hope he can regret voting me off since well… I don't know how that was a good move, even if you explained it to me in Paldean or Kalosian!"

---

"Next up on the list is Oricorio!"

Vivillon sighed, actually looking thoughtful, "Oricorio and I… had a complicated relationship. While I still resent her for trying to change me when I didn't need to change… I suppose I appreciate that she made an attempt to actually get to know me and not just steal from me, poison me or vote me off immediately!"

"H-haha… was that shade towards me? I thought we're good now…" Skwovet chuckled anxiously, eyes shifting from side to side.

"Hmph! Of course, but that doesn't mean I won't stop reminding you of your shortcomings!" Vivillon smiled smugly as Skwovet's face turned red from embarrassment.

"Oh, you're a drama queen now, huh? I guess all that talking with Staravia must have had her rub off on you or something." Skwovet joked.

"Maybe!" Vivillon said.

"I love that you two are finally so in-love but like, can we talk about how eleganza Oricorio is!? She's serving so many looks that she's stomping all over the other girls!" Diancie interrupted the duo's banter, making them even more flushed from embarrassment. "Those pom poms?! Those eye markings… oh, she really said, I'm gonna slay the competition with my looks if I end up flopping overall! I'm so proud of her. She's showing versatility… what a mother."

"What did she just say?" Pikachu whispered, sweating nervously.

"Bitch, do you really think I speak dumbass bimbo?!" Unfezant scoffed, scooting away from the nervous rodent.

"Oricorio is cute~ It's a shame that she's not into girls…" Gourgeist sighed in defeat, slowly shaking her head. "She would've been fun to play around with but she didn't even get that I was trying to flirt with her so many times… but it made her even more cute! Especially when she didn't understand what 'Slippery When Wet' was!"

"Oricorio mmm… we never talked… at all… but I'm interested in talking with her… more…" Musharna mumbled.

"Oricorio and I weren't on the same team but I think she might be… a bit too much sometimes." Chansey admitted. "Her attempts during the Fear challenge were a bit awkward. I don't know why she tried to have a team bonding moment with people outside her team."

"I t-think she's nice!" Bayleef nodded in agreement.

"Let's move on then… to Sableye!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Staravia deadpanned, putting a wing on her forehead. "... is nobody going to comment on Sableye? More than half of you were on the same team as him, you know!? Let's not have some dead air here!"

"I was on his team and I don't even remember him. He was the one who smelled bad, right?" Unfezant commented. Chansey nodded at this, making the bird groan. "Oh… that was right?! How the fuck did he make it this far then?! Does nobody care about his attempts to assault our senses?"

"Sableye is a nice guy! I think he's a bit misunderstood." Chansey commented. "He was a bit… odd but he definitely means well!"

"Sableye and I got along… I think…" Pikachu recalled, unsure.

"Sableye was very suspicious, when we were on the same team! I always thought he was planning to steal from me like Skwovet did… but he did nothing." Vivillon admitted.

"Weren't you together for a single day-"

"Shut the fuck up, Dedenne. Nobody cares about how long we've been on the same team! His stench wasn't that bad though. I'll give him that."

"Sableye's a cool guy to hang with. I bet he'd want to hang out with me after the game honestly. He was a bit too attached to Floatzel though so it was hard getting a word in… I thought they didn't like each other but apparently, they're friendly enough to stick together with Teddiursa." Skwovet said.

"I think I can see a dragon in my dreams right now… mmmm…" Musharna chimed in randomly, which everyone proceeded to ignore.

"I'll give my piece too. Sableye was really weird. I tried talking to him in my last challenge but he just blew me off… really rudely, if I might add!" Dedenne exclaimed. He rolled his eyes as Skwovet let out a snicker. "Haha, I know you're going to say I deserved it but I don't think I crossed any lines in this game so you're being very unjustified with hating me."

"No comment." Skwovet chuckled, mimicking a zipping motion on his mouth.

"Is it me or is Sableye hot though?" Gourgeist commented with a listless smile.

"Really?!" Skwovet exclaimed, shuddering. "Not that I hate the guy but… you don't think I'm hot but you think that gremlin's hot?! I could smell him from the other cabin even…"

"Eh, you never saw him in his prime!" Gourgeist said playfully. "He was a high-flier! Even if he wasn't too great at it~ But, he really did shine!"

"Are we still talking about Sableye or..?" Unfezant asked, arching a brow. "Sounds like you're talking about another person…"

"Hm… depends on who you ask!" Gourgeist said, smile widening. "I think they're interchangeable but I guess I'll comment on 'Sableye' then! He's really cute~ I know you all have been making fun of him for his smell and being just a dork but that's not exactly something he can control… okay, maybe not the dorky part! He was always like that~"

"Who are you even talking about? Who's Sableye and this other guy?!" Unfezant gawked.

"He's cute!"

"What?!"

Skwovet sighed, shaking his head. "Gourgeist has always been this confusing. I'm not surprised by this point honestly. Don't expect her to be so easy to understand honestly." A small smirk crept up his face. "Though… I always like a good challenge."

"We're almost done here… let's move on to Teddiurs-"

"UWU!" Everyone said at almost the same time.

Staravia blinked before putting a wing to her hip. "Wow… you all coordinated this without me?!"

"Sorry, we all know Teddiursa better than you, I guess." Dedenne snarked, hiding a smirk behind his paw.

"If we can all agree on one thing, it's this… Teddiursa was annoying, right?!" Unfezant pointed out, crossing her wings.

"100%" Pikachu agreed with an uncharacteristic scowl. "She was so… intrusive, not minding her business! And the way she talks?! It really got on my nerves, like nails on a chalkboard! I don't know who told her that was a good idea but I know enough to know that, that was not a great decision to make!"

Skwovet cocked a brow, leaning back. "Eh? I mean… she was pretty over the top with her thing but I think she was definitely playing up a character. I should probably take notes from her, since you guys keep pointing out how I've been… not subtle with everything."

"You better not start saying weird things." Vivillon said.

"Oh? So you want to keep hearing from me, if I keep being myself then? I really appreciate it! Really helps bump up my confidence!" Skwovet teased. . He chuckled as Vivillon glared at him. "H-hey… don't bite! I meant that as a joke!"

"Speaking of cute, I really feel bad for not trusting Teddiursa's warnings about Magearna immediately… it would've made my time on the island less stressful if I took her word for it and voted Magearna off immediately instead of waiting for the swap." Chansey added. "I hope she can make it far!"

"Teddiursa… mmm…" Musharna smiled slightly at the mention of the little bear.

"Okay… let's end this off with Vanilluxe!" Staravia put her wings together as she was grinning from ear to ear as they were almost reaching the end of the discussion.

"Vanilluxe was a contestant on Total Pokemon Ultra Revival." Dedenne said, deadpanning.

"He existed." Unfezant spoke.

"His jokes were dreadful but now that I have more experience with Skwovet… he was definitely not that bad." Vivillon muttered.

Skwovet rolled his eyes, giving the butterfly a look. "Experience, you say?"

"Oh shut up! You know what I mean!"

"I really don't!"

"Vanilluxe was sweet but uhm… is he really in love with me?" Chansey queried with a concerned expression.

"He was down bad!" Skwovet confirmed. "I don't know if that was aired on TV but he… talked too much about you, when he wasn't cracking any jokes."

"Oh… uhh… I don't know how to feel about that…" Chansey laughed nervously, rubbing the side of her arm awkwardly as her gaze grew distant. "I… well… I don't want to invalidate his feelings but…"

"I t-think he made me faint with a terrible pun…" Bayleef shuddered, kicking his feet in the pool and making a small splash. "I t-think I erased that pun out of my memory by now but uhm… I'm shocked he's still making jokes w-when people don't like them. He has more confidence than I ever would."

"..."

Staravia nodded as she sat next to Chansey after everyone had decided to stop giving comments on Vanilluxe. "Okay… that's everyone done! Finally… it's over! We can move on-"

"Move on?" Chansey arched a brow, pulled back to reality. "Is something happening?"

"Yes! The day's not yet over! You see, there's 10 players still competing in the game… and there's 10 players here… wasting away in their bitterness! Well, that's about to change!" Staravia declared, pointing to the sky. The 10 contestants all had different reactions to this, with Chansey, Dedenne, Vivillon and Skwovet moving closer in anticipation; Bayleef and Unfezant exchanging a worried expression; and Diancie just not paying attention to anything. "Today… two of you will be returning to the game!"

Gasps of surprise went across the crowd as everyone began chattering about Staravia's sudden announcement.

---

"T-this is… this news is… I can't believe it! So t-there's still a chance all along!" Bayleef had an elated expression as he was bobbing his head from side to side in amusement. "I really want to tell Empoleon about what I feel about our whole friendship! And I guess it wouldn't be so bad getting another chance to prove myself since I don't think I performed that well…"

He laughed nervously, holding back tears. "I-I don't want to seem like a pushover when all my friends think I'm one… so uhh, I want to try this time! M-maybe I can make it far and people would start believing in me more!"

---

Chansey put both hands on her waist, shaking her head. "I'm not sure about what to think of this! I wouldn't mind returning so that Magcargo isn't alone but at the same time, I don't want him to just rely on me! I think I'm satisfied with how well I performed in the competition, but I'll give this a good college try!"

---

"Great, just great… do I even have a chance in this? If I do end up returning, would people even think about working with me, when everyone here doesn't even like me?!" Dedenne exclaimed, putting his head between his hands.

---

"I would like to make a public pitch to the television screens! After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity never done before! In case you have already forgotten about me… I am Gourgeist, the Gourgeist with a capital G!" Gourgeist said flatly.

"Life is meaningless but if I'm back in the game, I'm sure to bring meaning to all of yours! It's the least I can do, as a saint… a giver! I only provide after all! It's not like I can just… go back without winning this comeback competition!" Gourgeist smirked as she looked to the side knowingly. "I implore my dear friends Tyranitar, Gossifleur, Dragonite, Musharna and Absol… to believe in me. I have got this in the bag!"

She nodded as she placed her tendrils on the camera, tilting her head to the side. "I mean, who here doesn't have baggage they want to take care of?... except for maybe Chansey, but not everyone's so lucky. After all, I need to bury the skeletons in my closet too… oh, and I think I forgot to submerge my edibles in a vat of acid~ If you know, you knooooow~"

---

"I need this!" Pikachu's eyes were wide like saucers as his gaping mouth turned to a wide grin.

---

"Mmmmmm… yes… it's a comeback… I'm not too worried about it. There are some outcomes that are inevitable… so the least I can do… is to prepare." Musharna commented, opening her eyes. "Two of us… will get another chance… mmm… I hope nobody misses me too much now."

---

"What is going on?" Diancie said, using a hairbrush as a microphone as she stared at the camera with a dazed expression. She is definitely out of it.

---

"A second chance, huh? Those don't really come around too much!" Skwovet remarked with a small smirk on his face. He ran his fingers around his ear… revealing a coin with a weak smile. "I might've stole this off Marill during the first day so hey… want to give it back, you know? So isn't that enough incentive to want to return?"

He leaned closer, making it more obvious that his smile was a tad bit forced from the creases between his eyes. "My whole conversation with Unfezant… pretty much made me reevaluate things… and honestly… I really really want this second chance. With Vivillon or hell… Unfezant! I promise it's something I wouldn't waste this time!"

---

Ünfezant rolled her eyes, blowing her head feathers off her face. "I don't want to come back when I literally didn't like being on that island too much. Uggggggh, I guess I'll just not have to try for this comeback challenge then. It's going to be hard though, given my competition…

---

"I was very much robbed in this competition, because my team was full of people who don't understand me and my status at all! Hmph… so I am very much hoping to get another chance so that they can finally see what they have missed out on!" Vivillon said snootily. "There being two returnees… Skwovet is clearly the best pick on who to return with. Not for any sentimental reason… just strategy. Nobody knows we've made amends so nobody would even see us coming!"

Her face turned red as she looked to the side in a huff. "If anyone thinks our relationship is beyond that… they don't know anything!"

---

"So what's the challenge to decide the two returnees?" Dedenne queried.

"I'm glad you asked!" Staravia replied, clapping her wings together as the projector started to show static. "Before we can proceed… the first returnee will be announced now!"

"Wait really!? But we haven't done anything yet." Chansey pointed out.

"Don't tell me those interviews were all a facade for a quiz that we had to ace or something!" Pikachu said, shuddering. "I'm pretty sure I botched it and wish we could get redos, now knowing they matter…"

"That'd be a good idea for the next season but nope! You see, the ten players in the game were already asked to vote for one of you to return back in the game so we'll be checking their votes right now to see which of you got the majority!"

Unfezant arched a brow as she leaned back. "Those people get to decide? Well, I'm nervous now. I don't really trust Empoleon or Sableye to make decent choices here."

"Tell me about it! Nobody's voting for me to return… except maybe Cramorant." Dedenne complained, deadpanning. "Haha, I know everyone's silently laughing that I mismanaged people too much so I'm out of the running here but it's not my fault everyone's too sensitive these days!"

"Uh-huh! That complaint should apply to ME since nobody even bothered to discuss the vote with me on that tribe. Oricorio did not even tell me anything… or the fact that she was going to vote me off with the others!" Vivillon argued.

"Can we just know the votes!? This is making me so nervous!" Pikachu suggested, twiddling his fingers.

"Okay okay! Here were the votes! Note that they were informed that the person with the most votes was returning to the game!"

---

"I like… vote for Dedenne to come back. I mean, I don't think any of the eliminated flops are gonna work with a H.B.I.C. like me anyways. L-O-L! Dedenne and I have history so he def needs to come back… even if I know these bores are probs not even voting him back on." Cramorant complained, tapping on her phone in frustration.

---

Empoleon sighed as he leaned on the side of the confessional. "Bayleef… I vote for him. I wanted to make things right for once… he can be the one pushing me around this time, I don't fucking care. I just want to be a better fucking friend for him. Someone he can actually look up to."

---

"I don't really knew any of the players voted off… but I think I can trust Bayleef the most?! He was an open book and for that, he deserves a chance to play again. Our team was honestly cursed." Floatzel remarked.

---

"I'm voting for Unfezant. She is a wildcard contestant and I feel like the best option to go for here. Also, I know she's a baddie so maybe she can teach me some pointers on how to be a rebel?" Gossifleur said.

---

"I would be foolish if I voted for Chansey to return after targeting her… but… I don't want to… make Magcargo sad… for some reason. I don't know why. I vote for Chansey to return." Klinklang said with a pained expression.

---

"CHANSEY CHANSEY CHANSEY! She needs to come back! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!" Magcargo chanted as he looked up to the ceiling for clarity.

---

"I'll vote for Unfezant to come back. I think she was a nice kid… just a bit misguided." Oricorio remarked. "I failed trying to reform Vivillon… but maybe, I can try with her? Besides… I see myself in her, I think. Is that weird for me to say?"

---

"I don't know who to vote for but uhh… I'll vote for M-Musharna… I don't know why but… I just feel like it? I haven't had much sleep recently so maybe he can help!" Sableye commented.

---

"Mushy needs a second chance! I think I did her really dirty and I want to have a girl to gossip with again!" Teddiursa voted.

---

"UHHH… who's the least likely to bring conflict to the game?! Unfezant was the first boot so she definitely made the least enemies so I will vote for her to return!" Vanilluxe sputtered out, sweating profusely.

---

"..." Everyone had a shocked expression after listening to all the votes play out consecutively. Staravia clapped her hands, drawing attention back to her as she started pacing back and forth by the poolside.

"By a very close vote.. Unfezant… you are officially back in the game!" Staravia declared, waving her wings around to try and emphasize enthusiasm, that the other bird was clearly lacking as she just stared off at nothing with her beak agape. "Unfezant? Earth to Unfezant! Are you alright?!"

Dedenne gawked at this incredulously, glaring at Unfezant who was suddenly at a lost for words. "Why the fuck did UNFEZANT, of all people, get voted back in?" He face-palmed, shaking his head. " Did she really make that much of an impact in the 2-3 days she was even on the island?! This can't be real…"

"Mmmm… I believe she was voted back in… for her lack of an impact specifically. Not even a guess… just judging from the votes that were directed at her…" Musharna suggested, opening her eyes for a brief moment.

"I-" Unfezant sputtered out, eyes darting from side to side, noticing the hostile looks she's been getting from Pikachu, Dedenne, Vivillon and even Bayleef. "Does it look like I even understand what happened!?"

"Honestly… good game, Unfezant. I'm not shocked that nobody voted for me to return but hey, it's not like I expected much from these people in the first place." Skwovet commented. He's surprisingly calm and not pissed off at not receiving any votes, shrugging… just happy that Unfezant was voted in, after their conversation earlier.

Vivillon scoffed, rolling her eyes as she bit her lip to hide her frustration, " I don't care either but I am still appalled that Oricorio bothered to NAMEDROP me AND not even vote for me… like where is the logic?! I would like to call a doctor to check up on her since clearly her head has a few screws loose that caused all fact and logic to jump out of her… since what the hell is this bullshit!? Why is she trying to pivot in the first place and-

"Yeah yeah, you're pissed. We all know." Dedenne drawled, splashing water at the butterfly who hissed in retaliation. "You're not the only one who's bitter here. Good on Cramorant to actually think with her head and not her heart but Klinklang just continues to baffle me. "

"Don't just say that without knowing what he's really thinking-" Chansey said.

"You're just saying that because he voted for you. You're such an angel that even the assholes in this game start bending their backs for you. It's ridiculous" Dedenne complained, rolling his eyes.

Meanwhile, Bayleef was teary-eyed as he stared at his reflection in the water. "Empoleon…"

"I always knew he had a sweet side all along~ It took some time… and a lot of pain and suffering but he's showing it off, huh?!" Gourgeist chimed in, patting the dinosaur on the back with a smile.

Bayleef just gaped, shaking his head. "It's… making me more confused…"

"Uhhh… so… what do you think about all of this?" Pikachu asked Unfezant, who has gone silent again.

"..."

"Uhm…"

"Why did nobody vote for me?" Diancie interrupted everyone's thoughts, batting her eyelashes as she looked around the crowd for any sort of validation.

"…" Everyone gave her a confused look while Diancie raised both her hands in frustration.

"WHAT!? I thought I made a good impression when I starred in the Princess Diaries! Did Julie Charmandrews steal my thunder?"

"OKAY, I'll give everyone this. I am SO glad that nobody's actually taking Diancie seriously." Dedenne admitted, leaning back with a smug smile.

"UHHHM… RUDE?!" Diancie glared at the Pikaclone, hands on her hips. "You don't know how hard it is to maintain a good work-life balance in this economy! I work so hard to achieve the perfect pinkish glow that everyone needs to see every day too!"

"No offense but uh… I'm with Dedenne here." Skwovet begrudgingly admitted, avoiding the Mythical Pokemon's eyes.

"HMPH! This is exactly why you're just boring beige… you refuse to expand your worldview and open your eyes to the truth!" Diancie grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Yeah yeah! We all LOVE the Princess Diaries but we still have more things to do, everyone!" Staravia declared, clapping her wings together loudly to get everyone's attention. "Since Unfezant is officially a returnee. She doesn't have to compete in the nextchallenge for today! This will be deciding the second returnee! Here's how this will work… you will be grouped into three groups of three!

"Oh great, we have to work together to return? Sounds like a faulty plan in the first place…" Skwovet muttered, rolling his eyes.

"HMPH! Speak for yourself! I would rather self-immolate than work with the ingrates who don't appreciate my grace and beauty!" Vivillon announced, glaring at everyone. "I mean… we already know what happened when I was swapped into the worst team in history!"

"Oh boo hoo, at least your team didn't have painfully annoying people to talk to." Dedenne sneered. "I'd take Floatzel, Teddiursa and Gossifleur over Klinklang, Magcargo and Empoleon any day of the week."

"Does it look like we care about what you think?" Chansey pointed out, folding her arms as she shook her head. Dedenne opened his mouth to reply but Staravia chimed in to continue her explanation.

"Okay! Everyone, please shut up… I'll be randomizing the groups now… give me a second… " Staravia then took out a phone then started typing on it.

"I didn't know you had a phone." Chansey commented.

"This belongs to production so not exactly mine… not that it stopped me from downloading Google Docs to type my screenplay on… I mean WHAT!?"

"That kinda looks like Cramorant's phone…" Pikachu commented.

Staravia gave him a look. "Uhh… yeah? Phones just look similar, you know?"

"... y-yeah…" Pikachu stammered out.

---

"I can't believe I was actually voted back into the game… it's ridiculous and poetic justice at its finest…" Unfezant hid her face beneath her wings as she took a really deep breath. She then stared at the camera, frowning. " I would like to say I'll just waste this opportunity immediately but knowing that some of these people really wanted this does make me a bit… hhmm… what's the word? Insecure… ugh… probably not that."

Unfezant scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Blech, not really a fan of talking about my feelings. That's just some psychologist jargon that my mom would like to rag me on about. But… hmmm… it still sucks… feels like other people would've done more with a second chance…"

---

Skwovet's eyes shifted to the side as his hands trembled in front of him. "I'm terrible with groups ugggh. Back when I was in high school… nobody would want to be on a group with me since they knew about… well… it's complicated. I'm probably not returning to the game so whatever… but it's nice to try and hope… right?" He forced a smile which immediately crumbled as he put his head in his hands. "Oh, what am I even saying!? We're probably going to just flop this challenge… at the very least, hopefully… Vivillon and I aren't in the same group because while funny, we are not really the dream team…"

He paused, staring at the camera before sighing. "OKAY… maybe that was a bit too harsh but I had been hating on her irrationally in the game so… consider that as me… continuing on from what I've started."

---

"Vivillon, Skwovet and Bayleef are on Team A!" Staravia read out the first team.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Vivillon and Skwovet both yelled out at nearly the same time, surprising Bayleef who almost falls into the pool.

"Uhm… u-uhhhm-" Bayleef stammered, looking around frantically.

Skwovet sighed, patting Bayleef on the back, shocking him even further. "You know what… this is not completely a bad thing. Bayleef, I'll take you under my wing. You wanna know how I can do some… sleight of hand tricks?" The dinosaur just looked very confused in reaction. "You're into that, right!? Wait… why am I even suggesting that, ugh?"

"Uhhm…" was all Bayleef could sputter out, overwhelmed by Skwovet's… sudden intimacy.

Skwovet deadpanned at this, face-palmed. "Ugh… we're screwed."

"Speak for yourself… I have trained my mind and body for this so I'm forced to carry us!" Vivillon boasted, smirking confidently to herself.

"Like you carried us in uhhhh…" Skwovet recalled.

Vivillon forced a smile, flapping her wings incessantly. "Oh shut it!"

"Dedenne, Gourgeist and Chansey are on Team B!" Staravia continued.

Chansey's expression completely dropped as she just… stared off into the distance, already dropping all sliver of hope she did have to return… hell, she's throwing away every desire to return with this announcement even. "..."

"Oh great, I'm with the goody two-shoes. She better not drag us down." Dedenne complained, rolling her eyes.

"I think she's the least of your worries~" Gourgeist teased.

"Whatever." Dedenne mumbled.

"And last… but definitely not least, Musharna, Diancie and Pikachu will be on Team C!" Staravia finished.

Pikachu smiled weakly as he looked back and forth between Diancie and Musharna. "Uhhhh… I promise not to drag us down?"

"…. Mmmm… I trust you won't" Musharna assured.

On the other hand, Diancie's eyes glazed over before she realized what was going on. "Uhhh… what happened?"

"Us both and Pikachu are on the same team." Musharna said simply.

"Oh uhhhhhh… that's so random! Musharna, I appreciate that you're pink but I think Pikachu doesn't match our aesthetic." Diancie criticized, sizing up the electric rodent. " Is it too late for us to switch him for… I dunno… Chansey?"

"W-WOW… FUCK YOU!" Pikachu yelled out with a nervous shudder, surprising everyone for a bit before Staravia nodded at everyone already discussing with their teams.

"Okay! With the teams all organized… come follow me to the beach. I think Carracosta has finished setting up for the challenge!"

---

"I don't know how much these teams would affect who returns but I'm definitely… less concerned about returning if it increases Dedenne's chances to return." Chansey admitted, hands on her lap as she stared at the camera with a concerned look. "I am over Magearna… but him? That's still fresh. I don't think I can forgive him when he's still fresh in my mind…"

---

At the beach, there are 3 seperate rows of podiums, for each group facing one podium where Staravia and Whimsicott are situated. Each Pokemon took their place with their respective teams.

"Now, here's how this will work. This challenge will be divided into 2 parts. In the first part, each team will compete against each other. Then the team that wins this first part will be competing between each other on who will be the second returnee. Does everyone understand?

"Oh great, I'm shocked you're just… giving opportunities for other people to just… drag me down. That's so great. As if those 5 rounds with Empoleon weren't enough." Dedenne complained. "You could've made this into an individual challenge, you know?"

"Uhm… " Chansey muttered, left eye twitching from annoyance.

"LOVE the drama but let's get through this, okay?!" Staravia suggested, clasping her wings together. "We've been here long enough!"

The bird looked around to see if everyone was paying attention before continuing, "Anyways… this challenge will be a test to see how much you know your fellow players. Everyone will be asked questions about your fellow players.!" She took a short breath before continuing, " Anyone who gets it right will get a point. The player the question is related to doesn't answer but their teammates will get 2 points for answering the question right! You have whiteboards in your podiums to write on!"

"Uhhhh… and you're expecting us to answer questions about Diancie?" Pikachu raised his hand in concern. "We don't know anything about her other than her being pink… and a princess? I don't even know if those are true or if she's just delulu like she always is!"

"Don't worry, Team Pretty Pink Princesses and Some Electric Mouse! We got this in the bag!" Diancie assured, twirling around in a perfect circle.

"Do you even know anything about us?" Pikachu asked, pointing judgementally at the 'princess'.

Diancie deadpanned, replying in a flat tone, "I know you're a little whiny bitch! " She then returned to her wide beaming smile as she claps hands together. "See! I think I know both of you and Mushy Mushy so much already! We're winning!"

Pikachu blinked, a bit put-off by how fast the Mythical Pokemon switched personalities. "Oh… we're so screwed."

Behind him, Musharna yawns…barely opening her eyes… and she doesn't close it immediately for once, gazing at her competition, preparing to take no prisoners.

Skwover groaned as he put both of his hands on his podium, "Well, let's get this challenge over with." He looked to the side, expression unreadable. "I don't know how to feel about this challenge but eh, it can't be that bad, right?"

"Nope!" Staravia assured, making the cast all sigh in relief… until Staravia's grin larger as she continued explaining, "It'll be worse!" Some of the eliminated contestants can be seen looking down at the ground awkwardly at the prospect of more of their dirty laundry being aired out. "Anyways, since everyone's ready, let's begin! Let's see here… OH! Skwovet, it's your lucky day since you're first up!

Skwovet laughed nervously as he tried to look like he didn't care at all. "Yeah yeah… get it over with. It can't be that bad, right!?"

Staravia nodded as she started reading through her flash cards while the screen showed the question as soon as she was done reading, "Question 1: Why did Skwovet skip school constantly until completely dropping out?"

Skwovet deflated as his eyes sank, "... what t-the fuck are these questions supposed to even…"

Vivillon gave him a concerned look… or well, the most concern she ever shown in her expression before glaring at Staravia. "Why are these questions these specific? I thought these would just be answered with a Yes or a No? … and do I even ask you even received this information?"

"Oh! Marill prepared these questions!" Staravia explained as she sifted through her flash cards to double-check. "Yep… it's definitely smelling like questions Marill thought of. I always knew she was a professional shit starter… it's always the quiet ones you need to be afraid of, in the end!"

Bayleef started to sweat nervously as his gaze went between the smiling bird and Skwovet, "O-oh no… I'm starting to think these questions will really reveal too much… S-Skwovet, are you alright with..?"

"O-of course not!" Skwovet sputtered out, keeping his hands in his pocket as he avoided everyone's gaze. "Do you think I'm comfortable with my dirty laundry just being aired out?!" He then paused, eyes widening in realization. "W-Wait… do I need to explain things to confirm the correct answer? I don't think I want to share, even if my team got it right… just saying."

"Nope! We have accurate information on everyone in the cast, provided to us by the Lovely Marill! So, you don't need to confirm anything!" Skwovet sighed in relief at the bird's answer… before his pupils shrank as he realized something.

"Wait… h-how did Marill even find out? I didn't include this in my application and-"

"Oh… she did extensive background checks on everyone, I think. Or well… that's what she told us!" Staravia explained. "Anyways… time is ticking!"

Chansey looked uncomfortable hearing this, "Does that mean that someone was watching my every move? I don't know but that sounds like a major breach of privacy, don't you think?"

"T-that sounds creepy… is that even legal!?" Pikachu questioned rhetorically as his fingers scratched on the podium as his right eye began to twitch.

"Well… they might be… tightening up security behind their casting…" Musharna defended, mumbling to herself. "Mmmm… it's not like it worked but… an effort was made…"

"Still pretty much psychotic for them to do." Dedenne stated.

"This challenge is so much fun~" Gourgeist remarked, ignoring everyone's distress.

Staravia hid a smirk behind her wing before clearing her throat. "While I love hearing about everyone's complaints… I'm sorry to say this but time is up! Show your answers!"

Vivillon had "Laziness" written down. Bayleef wrote "Smelliness". Gourgeist and Musharna both wrote "Lack of Motivation". Diancie wrote down "Oh, he was so jealous of the girls… he was so intimidated that he decided to just ghost for the whole school years". Pikachu, Chansey and Dedenne all somehow wrote a variation of "He stole something so he was scared that he'd get exposed".

Skwovet rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "First off… I'm not smelly. I take frequent showers… don't think I'm like Sableye or anything. Secondly… do you r-really think I'd risk stealing anything, knowing I'd get into so much trouble?!"

Chansey and Dedenne shared an unsure look, with Chansey smiling weakly as she commented, "Errr… I assumed t-that you'd be the type to want to take bold risks to show your character!" Skwovet looked unamused by this, making Chansey sighed as she looked down in guilty. "Err… I apologize for making assumptions… I didn't think things clearly…"

"Hmm… judging from the fact that you didnt comment on my answer… does that mean I got it RIGHT?!" Vivillon commented, still unsure of her answer. "Ugh… why does it feel like I'm wrong? I don't think you are the type to just… drop out for such a stupid reason."

"So, why did you answer that then?" Skwovet asked flatly.

"... because I legitimately had no idea, other than you know…" Vivillon answered, looking to the side awkwardly. "It's still a better response than Bayleef… who I assume is throwing this challenge because he wants to see me for fail for no good reason."

"I p-panicked!" Bayleef reasoned, rubbing the back of his head with a vine. "I didn't know Skwovet's school… h-he never really shared anything about… w-wait… we never really talked, I think…" He chuckled shakily before looking the butterfly in the eye. "Did you guys talk about this?"

Vivillon blinked before deadpanning, "Obviously not…" Her gaze went over to Skwovet who tried to maintain the best poker face… but failing miserably as his hands were basically fidgeting. "Skwovet, hmm… do you have anything to… share about that?"

Skwovet smiled coyly as he put a hand over his eyes to hide his expression. "No comment about that honestly…"

As the group were discussing, Staravia had finished checking everyone's answers. She clapped her wings together, declaring, "Let's see how everyone did! Vivillon, you were… close… ish… but well, it was still a very wrong answer so you don't get a point for that. Musharna and Gourgeist, I don't know HOW you knew to answer the same thing, word for word… but that's correct." Skwovet put another hand to cover his mouth, concealing his full expression at this. "And… Diancie, what the fuck is that answer!? Is that even a serious answer or are you just not taking this seriously?"

Diancie scoffed, limping her wrist. "Skwovet is like… just so blah. Like who said beige, brown and cream were a good color combo when designing Pokemon?" She then continued explaining and justifying her answer, while just staring at her nails. " It's times like these where I think Arcy wasn't thinking straight when he was designing his own type like oh my word… if I was the God of Pokemon, everyone who have pink and pink accents and-"

"Please… stop talking?!" Dedenne pleaded, already mentally exhausted from dealing with the Mythical Pokemon's antics. "I think I'd rather take the fake Magearna over… this!"

Diancie giggled, amused by everyone's reactions to her behavior. "Ooooh, someone's really pressed right now. Is it because of my star power!? Oh, it's definitely because of my star power!"

"UGH!" Dedenne gawped, focusing his flare on the 'princess'.

While the two continued to squabble while Staravia was preparing the next question, Vivillon gave the squirrel an intrigued expression, mildly surprised. "So Skwovet… lack of motivation, hm? I didn't expect that. Is it really… not about your… kleptomania problem?"

"Haha… very funny." Skwovet laughed dryly, expression unreadable as he put down both of his hands to his side.

---

Skwovet crossed his arms, staring down at the camera… as if he could make it leave him alone… before he sighed, slumping down on his seat. "I'm not sure how Marill even got this information but well… I don't like this show casually dropping off my baggage for all to see. Whoop de doo, might as well expose everything that I can still manage to hide, huh?"

He took another prolonged breath as he started scratching his tail as shiny coins began falling out onto the ground. "I'm just gonna have to… grin and bear it, huh? Ugh… why am I even trying to say that in front of camera, expecting it to work?" He put a hand to his cheek, squeezing it until it turned red. "... am I really that terrible at keeping myself under control? This… this… it sucks, okay?"

---

"... I never really knew anything about Skwovet… even though our relationship improved since the game…" Vivillon whispered as her lip slightly quivered. "... not that I needed to, but looking at it from my perspective… it does… show that perhaps, I'm not too knowledgable in everything after all-" She paused before glaring at the camera. "HMPH! Don't think I'm being hot and bothered just because Skwovet never told me anything. He has no reason to… and it's not like I want to find out everything about him, hmph! I respect his privacy and honestly… when you're as big as me in the entertainment industry, you learn to appreciate the secrets you can hide from the cameras!"

---

"Let's not have any more delays here! Moving on to Question 2! Who is Chansey's first crush?" Staravia questioned, to Chansey's relief.

"Oh! That's not as bad as I expected…" She muttered, putting a hand to her chest, having expected something more serious after the first question.

"Sooo… who exactly was your first c-" Dedenne tried to ask, only for Staravia to hiss at him, making gestures with her wings to show an X.

"BZZZT BZZT! No sharing answers to your own team! That's cheating!" She warned. "Stop trying to break the system and just answer!"

Dedenne sighed, face-palming. "Well… it was worth a try."

After a few seconds, time was up and everyone shows their answer. Vivillon, Skwovet, Bayleef all answered 'Magearna'. Musharna and Gourgeist both answered 'Her childhood friend, Delphox'. Diancie answered herself while Pikachu and Dedenne both answered with random names that… really didn't sound like real names.

"Not to be rude but… Dedenne… Pikachu… what were you trying to answer? Who's Jezebel and Iris Belle the Witch of Steel?" Chansey queried, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly.

"I dunno… characters from your romance novels?" Dedenne shrugged. "I don't really know your type… unless Magearna was your type?" This made Chansey gape as her cheeks turned red. "Ah… hmmm…"

"Okay… Gourgeist… Musharna… I dunno how you knew this answer too but congratulations, you got it right again and got a point for your teams!" Staravia declared. "Everyone else… sad to say… but you're all wrong."

"How in the world did they even get this question right?!" Dedenne pointed out in disbelief. "Your answers were really specific too… Chansey, did you even tell them about this?"

"Uhm… I don't think I have…" Chansey expressed.

Gourgeist giggled, waving her hair playfully. "Awww! Don't sweat the details too much! We're winning! I'm just really good at making really good guesses, you know?! Maybe you two can follow my lead and try guessing too! You can earn us more points that way!"

"Ugh… guess I can't really complain if you're earning points for us…" Dedenne admitted, crossing his arms.

Vivillon rolled her eyes, turning to Staravia. "I disagree. Do you not think that they have access to private information about this challenge? They answered both questions the same way… no wording changes… no spelling differences. It's quite suspicious and NO, I would argue about this even if they're on my group since I know they would use that against me in the final round so do not be smug about it, Dedenne!"

Dedenne sighed as he nodded in agreement. "Wait… I forgot about that final round… that does sounds unfair." He gave Gourgeist a look, hoping she can try to share her secrets. "How… why do you even know these answers?"

"I already told you! It's a lucky guess!" Gourgeist explained vaguely while Musharna can be seen bobbing her head up and down in the background.

"Right… lucky." Dedenne muttered dryly.

"Uhm… is nobody going to talk about the fact that Chansey didn't have me as her first love? That's really weird, don't you think?!" Diancie chimed in. Everyone proceeded to ignore her.

"Unless you guys can find proof that Gourgeist and Musharna have secret information, I can't really do anything… so in the meantime, let's move on!" Staravia announced. "Question 3: What is Diancie's top grossing movie in her entire filmography?"

Everyone exchanged a knowing look. Finally, an easy question. They didn't say anything else as they wrote down their answers. When it was time for them to show their answers, everyone but Dedenne answered "The Princess Diaries" while Dedenne answered "None".

Staravia did an exaggerated gasp as she was bouncing up and down. "WOW! Looks like things are getting heated up since for once, everyone got it right!"

"Everyone but Dedenne got it right, you mean." Whimsicott corrected, bouncing into the scene. "I don't know how you got that wrong when Diancie loves to remind everyone about being in that movie but well… I guess not everyone's a superfan like me to really remember specific details like that, huh?"

Dedenne blinked in complete and utter shock. "Wait… she was actually telling the truth!? I thought… I thought she was just being delusional about that…"

Diancie giggled as she looked directly at the Pikaclone's back. "Oh you~ I am just really versatile! Though, you should probably ditch your Fairy typing since you're just really embarrassing me right now!" Her expression then fell as her eyes grew hollow. "Do you want to know how difficult it is to survive in the industry, huh? I have so many brand deals because I have a family friendly brand and I know how to play nice… but do you know that nobody worthwhile is watching this show so I can go full sicko mode on you right now, huh?" She then giggled as the color went back to her face, like nothing happened. Dedenne just looked shocked by this immediate flip. "Was that clear enough? I hope that was clear enough! Being a Pretty Pink Princess is hard work!"

"Okay… what the fuck was that?!" Dedenne was shaking as he pointed at Diancie. "What did you do?!"

Musharna yawned, rolling her eyes. "Hmm..? Diancie didn't do anything… why are you shocked?"

"W-what!? She threatened me on national TV!" Dedenne refuted, backing away into his podium. "Is she… is she okay!?"

"What do you mean?" Chansey asked, genuinely confused as she didn't notice the Mythical Pokemon's personality switch, focusing on waiting for the next question.

"..."

---

Diancie looked dazed at the camera for a short while… before she managed to flash a cocky grin as she fixed the gems on her pink tiara. "Anyways… a little bit about me! But well… as a Mythical Pokemon, I get some… special privileges and I used that privilege to break through in the film industry and even star on some sitcoms like Worsties, Mausdern Family and Young Shieldon! Buuuuut, I have been pretty much pigeon-holed into being the innocent and young impressionable girlypop icon who can't do anything no wrong. Head empty, no thoughts!"

She rolled her eyes as she put both hands on the table, knocking the camera off-balance. "Sooooooo my manager told me I have to be so cutesy and promote Pretty Pink Posse or whatevs here and well!? I had a bit of a realization that nobody even watches this showe! Like hello?! This is some Total Pokemon show! Do you know how much they went downhill?! Like there's so many. Yveltal sending his entire cast to the hospital, some players going missing on diff shows, illegal gambling, workplace violations… the list goes on! So here's the sitch, I don't really have to always act like some vapid dumb ass to the camera. I'm a MYTHICAL Pokemon. Why am I shoehorned to these dumb roles anyways!?"

Her eyes then glistened as she put a hand to her chest. "If there's one thing I didn't lie about, it's the fact that I'm a living star! I just need to get better roles…. Hmmm I hope there's some action flicks casting because I really think I can pull off being a bad-ass!"

---

While everything was taking place at the beach, Unfezant decided to head back into the hotel lobby to stew in her thoughts after it had been announced that she was officially returning to the game, with no option to refuse. While she can just choose to quit immediately… she didn't feel great about making that decision, especially knowing how much some of the others, like Bayleef and Dedenne, really wanted to return to the game.

Unfezant sighed as she shook her head. "This sucks…" She did NOT like feeling too sentimental about returning to the competition, just because of everyone else… but she can't just help it right now. "... this will be fine… right? Ugh… thinking about it too much makes me feel even worse about winning…"

As she continued to ponder to herself, Pikachu walked past her without saying a word… just continuing out of the hotel in a daze. This caught the pheasant's attention immediately since… last she checked, Pikachu was with the others so why would he just be leaving the hotel when he was… outside with everyone else and she was the only one to return to the hotel since then.

"Pika… chu?" Unfezant was about to stand up to call out to the electric rodent… but she decided to stop herself. It's not like she really knew the Electric-type anyways. Sighing, she rolled her eyes. There was no use wasting her energy on trivial things that wouldn't matter in the first place.

"..." As she leaned back, she jolted forward as she just realized that Bellossom had taken a seat next to her without her noticing. "..!"

"... hey…" Bellossom said casually, leaning on the pheasant's shoulder for support. She looked mentally exhausted for some reason. "Do you mind?"

"I mind." Unfezant said flatly, slowly scooting away from the Grass-type who just looked up at her with an unamused look. "I prefer to keep my space, okay?"

Bellossom's eyes narrowed before she took a deep breath, "Yeah yeah… I get it…" She then sat straight, looking away from the bird. "Hmm… by the way, shouldn't you be with the others? I thought the returnees were being decided today…"

Unfezant grimaced at the word 'returnee' before clenching a wing behind her back, "Sorry to disappoint you but you're looking at one of the returnees… in the flesh. Pretty underwhelming, huh?"

"Oh… I missed that?" Bellossom commented, failing to hide her disappointment. "Dang… I actually wanted to see the proceedings. I guess that's on me for deciding to mope instead…"

"So… you have something to hide too, huh?" Unfezant commented smugly.

Bellossom rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Does it look like I'm going to just… tell you? I don't even know you. I'm an intern, you're a former player-" She stopped herself, biting her lip awkwardly as she corrected herself immediately, "... correction… returning player. There's a clear difference in the power dynamic and I'd rather not get in trouble for… mingling with the contestants."

"Ah yes… I know what you're talking about." Unfezant said sarcastically.

"Shut it. This was supposed to be just Staravia and Whimsicott's job." Bellossom explained. "But apparently, Nihilego told me they needed back-up… and told me it'd be a good opportunity for me to join them but apparently, it's just to facilitate some twist for their show. It's ridiculous and honestly, I never really got the general appeal of these types of shows honestly. It feels like a bit of a waste."

"I mean… if you ask me, signing up to be an intern already sounds like a waste, don't you think?" Unfezant specified callously. "You barely get paid… don't get much credit and… Nihilego's free to humiliate you on national TV, if she wanted to. There's no going back from that."

"It sounds like you don't understand." Bellossom said, standing up from her seat to face the pheasant. "The path to your ideal life is paved with shitty decisions that you would regret at first but with hindsight, you realize that it was completely necessary. I know that these shows… are terrible and usually poor quality but building connections within the industry is already a massive boon!"

"Nihilego doesn't feel like the sentimental type to pay your work forward…" Unfezant reminded her, arching a brow skeptically.

Bellossom sighed, shaking her head. "... she's a really tough nut to crack… trust me, I'm not really doing anything to brown-nose her or anything since I know from experience… that's not really the best course of action. Poipole, sure. But Nihilego? She'll just kick you out the moment she realizes that you have 'other' intentions."

"I see…" Unfezant murmured. "You are like Klinklang then, huh? We talked… a bit in the game and you're reminding me of him."

Bellossom gaped at this, face flushed. "W-what!? We're NOTHING alike!" She face-palmed, eyes leering at the Flying-type. "I don't know why you're making bold statements when you barely know me but just know, I don't appreciate it."

"I mean…"

"I plan AHEAD… for the FUTURE!" Bellossom justified. "You can't be too prepared, you know? I guess you're just too young to know."

"I'm not that young." Unfezant pointed out.

"Well, you're the youngest member of the cast, along with Gossifleur… you're the only two who aren't even legal adults." Bellossom clarified.

"Say that again one more time…"

"You're still young and have room to grow-"

Unfezant put both her wings around her ears as she stood up, "Uh-huh! I'm going back to my room…"

"What?!" Bellossom said. "Aren't we still talking?!"

"This conversation is over." Unfezant said flatly. "Might as well enjoy my last few hours of peace and quiet before I'm thrust back into the game."

"You're…" Bellossom balled her hands into fits as she huffed, "This is just immature, don't you think!? Can't we continue our discussion like civilized adults..?!" Unfezant doesn't say anything as she just stomped back to her room. Bellossom sighed in exasperation as she shook her head. "... teenagers…"

---

"I don't like it when people keep telling me they know more about me… it's something I should be the first to talk about obviously!" Unfezant complained, glaring at the camera. "So… Bellossom acting like I'm too young… made me really mad. It's reminding me of when mom would just think that I'm still the same girl as I was… literally years ago. I don't even remember anything honestly! It's been so long for it to even matter!"

---

Back at the beach, the challenge was still taking place… and there were some minor hiccups when some of the eliminated players were starting to ask for more leniency regarding their answers.

"So… uhh… why c-can't you count my answer? T-the question was about Musharna's f-favorite toy and I answered a p-plush-" Bayleef asked.

"Sorry, it had to be specifically a TEDDIURSA PLUSH…" Staravia explained, shaking her head. "She literally carries it around. It's the most obvious question so I can't really give you a pity point…"

"Oh…" Bayleef muttered in disappointment while Gourgeist shook her head with a wide insensitive grin.

"Better luck next returnee challenge!" Gourgeist joked as she giggled. "Don't worry! You're still doing better than Dedenne so you can take solace in that!"

Dedenne gave her an annoyed look for this. "Can you try not to drag me down with you?"

"Sorry, it's just too fun trying to get under your skin!" Gourgeist said.

"Okay… if nobody else has any complaints… Diancie, Musharna and Pikachu are still in the lead with 15 points! Chansey, Dedenne and Gourgeist are closely behind in second with 12 points! Bayleef, Skwovet, Vivillon… you have-" Staravia started to announce only for Vivillon to cut her off with an annoyed look.

"We have 7 points. We're losing. You do not need to keep rubbing it in our faces." Vivillon scoffed, glaring at the wannabe actress. "You claim to be a bonafide actress but you're terrible at keeping us at suspense."

Staravia deadpanned, "Uh-huh… sorry if you guys are losing so hard that I can't even spin it to sound any better for your chances."

"She's right… we're pretty fucked right now, huh?" Skwovet commented, laughing nervously. "Gourgeist and Musharna are just going to keep answering questions correctly and-"

Vivillon hissed at him to stop talking, "Please quit it with that attitude. We are going to win… just believe!"

"Uhm… I d-didn't expect you to uhm… be saying these things, V-Vivillon…" Bayleef commented, a bit shocked. "It's reminding me of Empoleon and-"

"DON'T JINX US! Empoleon lost almost every challenge! The one challenge he won… was something he didn't participate in… and I guess the challenge where I was unfairly eliminated… but you get what I mean…" Vivillon huffed. "I suppose our backs are on the wall but how is that no difference from our times in the game? So do not botch this up for me."

"You're not really the one answering these questions for us…" Skwovet criticized, earning him a glare which made his skin crawl a bit.

"Please shut up so that we can continue with these questions… Question #9: What is the hardest decision Pikachu had to make?" Staravia interrupted everyone's conversations as she looked… basically bored out of her mind.

Everyone wrote their answer down… then time was up yet again!

Musharna and Gourgeist both answered 'Choosing between his mother and father after their divorce'. Chansey, Dedenne, Skwovet, Vivillon and Bayleef ALL answered 'Signing up for this competition', while Diancie answered 'Choosing which outfit to wear to this competition cuz giiirl teal ain't your color'.

"It looks like Gourgeist and M-"

"STOP!" Dedenne yelled out, waving his arms around as he was starting to glare at the two pink Pokemon.

Staravia arched a brow, placing her flash cards down in confusion. "Dedenne… is something wrong?"

"Musharna and Gourgeist… they're cheating…" Dedenne accused, tapping his foot on the sand in frustration. "How else are they answering these questions correctly?! How the fuck did they know Pikachu's parents had a divorce!? Pikachu, did you even tell them?"

Pikachu blinked, confused. "U-uhh… I didn't even… know uhhm…"

"Pikachu, answer me. Did you tell them? Your answer will reveal if they're cheating." Dedenne said.

"Dedenne… just drop this, please? This isn't anything serious. It's just a chance to return-" Chansey tried to reason only for Dedenne to glare back at her, as volts of lightning began to form around his whiskers.

He pointed at her accussingly. "Chansey, I know you're only trying to justify this, knowing Gourgeist is going to beat me in the final round since you don't like me. You're not good at hiding it." Chansey's eyebrows knit together as she put her hands behind her back. "So… just let me get some answers, okay? That's not so different from Floatzel and you all don't hate him, HUH!?"

"This is ridiculous. Your team is not the one losing so patheticallly right now… at least, you have a chance to compete in the final round!" Vivillon sneered. "Stop complaining and let us proceed with the challenge… okay?!"

"..." Dedenne doesn't say anything as he quickly averts his gaze.

"Oh, he's bitter~" Gourgeist whispered, eyes staring forward.

---

Gourgeist hummed to herself as she fiddled with the headphones around her neck… before she noticed the camera recording her. Her smile quickly dropped as her neck contorted in an unnatural way. "Oooooh! I almost forgot I was in a competition! Hey hello! I'm not planning to confess anything but hmmmm… just commenting on Dedenne's meltdown… I can't say it was completely unjustified~"

"What?" An unknown voice asked her.

"Oh pleaaaase?! Ceruledge, it's for the greater good!" Gourgeist said, winking at the camera.

"... why are you doing this in Pikachu's room?" Ceruledge walked into frame, crossing her arms.

"Well, it's not like he'll be back anytime soon~" Gourgeist said smugly. Ceruledge's expression turned frantic as she started looking around.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"He's taking a loooong walk!"

---

"Okay… since Dedenne interrupted us… we're just moving on. Both Musharna and Gourgeist earned points for their teams. Let's move on… and no, Dedenne… you can't interrupt me again!" Staravia warned, staring down at Dedenne who just rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Question #10: What are Bayleef's thoughts on Empoleon right now?"

Everyone's eyes immediately went over to Bayleef, who blushed in embarrassment. "W-wait… why is my question about Empoleon… I have a life outside of him, y-you know! Everyone else has questions about themselves outside the game… I-I don't know why I get a question about my time in the game…"

"I… I'm not too sure either…" Musharna commented, narrowing her eyes… looking stumped for once.

"Uh-huh… that sounds weird…" Dedenne drawled, rolling his eyes.

"Oh please… you don't know… who you're messing with…" Musharna said in between yawns. "You're… acting so smug… for someone… soooo… in the… dark… mmm…"

When the time was up, everyone showed their answers. Vivillon and Skwovet both answered 'Mixed feelings'. Chansey answered 'Confused… but leaning on positive…'. Dedenne, Gourgeist, Pikachu and Musharna all answered 'Bitterness' while Diancie was the only one to answer 'Love?'.

"... I w-wasn't in love with Empoleon…" Bayleef clarified, confused.

"But… w-were you bitter?" Pikachu asked… deflating when Bayleef shook his head. "W-wait… really?!"

"Are you serious? You don't feel bitter after everything he did to you!?" Dedenne questioned.

"Tch… stop being ridiculous. It's why he has mixed feelings. It's both a positive and negative emotion." Vivillon criticized. "Besides… do you really think Bayleef would be that hateful!? In the end of the day, Empoleon shaped him up enough to instill some confidence."

"U-uh… yeah…" Bayleef affirmed, shocked that Vivillon would be following with his ramblings when he was just sharing his thoughts to various people to try and get over things.

"Mmhm! Skwovet and Vivillon are both right! Chansey… hm… it's not technically wrong… so I guess I'll count that as correct too!" Staravia declared, making Bayleef, Skwovet and Vivillon all sigh in relief. "This makes things closer! Musharna, Pikachu and Diancie are still in the lead… but it's still everyone's games!"

"..." Pikachu gulped as he scratched his neck. It was getting too close for his liking.

"Next up… Question #11: Who is Dedenne's favorite player in the game?"

Musharna frowned at this, arching a brow. "... what? Why are the questions… all of sudden..?"

"I didn't make these questions so if you have any problems, you have to ask Marill!" Staravia said playfully.

"M-Musharna… is anything wrong?" Pikachu asked, starting to get even more nervous. "Y-you're going to answer this-"

Musharna rolled her eyes, giving the electric mouse a look. "... I'm thinking… don't interrupt me…" Pikachu gulped at her pointed words, nodding reluctantly.

… a few seconds passed… and time's up!

Musharna and Gourgeist answered 'Vivillon'. Pikachu and Skwovet answered 'Cramorant'. Diancie answered herself. Chansey answered 'Unfezant'. Vivillon, Skwovet and Bayleef all answered 'Nobody'.

"Wow… interesting… Vivillon, Skwovet and Bayleef are the only ones-"

"T-that was a trick question?!" Pikachu asked as his left eye started twitching.

"Yes, it-"

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!?" Pikachu yelled out as his nervous expression turned into a grimace, shocking everyone at the beach.

"Uhhh… is every rodent planning to have a public breakdown or..?" Whimsicott commented, backing away slowly. "Skwovet… don't tell me you have any problems with our hosting right now…"

"What!? I don't! I don't know what's going on with Dedenne and Pikachu!" Skwovet defended himself, waving his hands around with a confused look.

Pikachu's eyes started glowing as he was starting to get enveloped… by a strangely familiar pink aura. Chansey backed away, recognizing this immediately.

"U-uhh… P-Pikachu… are you okay?" Chansey asked… before screaming as the electric mouse aimed a Thunderbolt over her head. "Okay… this isn't Pikachu…"

'What..?" Dedenne grimaced, starting to get lost in what was happening. "Excuse me!? What do you mean by that?!"

"I-It's Mew!" Chansey explained while Pikachu groaned as his form changed… until a pink feline was floating where the Pikachu once was. "S-see… it's Mew!"

"Uhm… Mew!? What the hell are you doing here?!" Diancie asked, shaking. "I was literally called to replace you but you're apparently still here!? Did you really want to waste my time like yo ruined Magy's reputation or-"

Mew rolled their eyes as they crossed their arms. "Whatever… I was just… annoyed that they put a trick question for no reason. They were asking for a favorite contestant but apparently, you can answer nobody?! How does that even work?!"

"Uh… uhhh…" Staravia could say nothing as she was still gathering her thoughts.

Whimsicott stood in front of her, clasping her hands together. "Uhm… well… like she said… Marill was the one who wrote these questions."

"..." Mew doesn't say anything as everyone kept their eyes on them. "... uh… yeah… soooo… does that mean I get to-"

"What happened to Pikachu… the real Pikachu!?" Whimsicott asked skeptically.

"W-what!? Does it look like I know!? I just switched places with someone missing… and when I saw Pikachu wasn't here, I saw an opportunity to sneak back into the game…" Mew pointed out before rolling his eyes at Musharna, "But then Musharna started to throw…"

"I wasn't throwing… I… didn't expect the questions to be about… things in the game…" Musharna explained. "Mmm… not that… I knew about the fact that there was going to be a comeback challenge… or anything…"

"... okay… Musharna, I hate to say it… but I'm starting to see the grounds of Dedenne's accusation…" Whimsicott pointed out flatly.

"... whatever… mmm…" Musharna mumbled as she fell back asleep while Diancie raised her hand.

"W-wait… does that mean I won't even get a fair chance to return cuz I'm on the same team as a fake Pink Princess and a cheat?" Diancie asked in concern.

"You didn't even have a chance in the first place…" Dedenne drawled, deadpanning. Diancie glared back at the Pikaclone.

"Uh… uhhh…" Staravia sputtered out before clearing her throat. "Okay… well… this is awkward… Musharna isn't even trying to dodge the allegations… and Pikachu… you're not even Pikachu."

"Guilty as charged." Mew said sarcastically.

"Well… this means your group has to be taken out of the challenge… sorry." Staravia declared.

Diancie sighed as she started floating away with this announcement. "Weeeeell, if anyone needs me, I'm gonna read my next scripts. Byeeeeeeee!"

Musharna just remained asleep as she teleported from the area. Mew just crossed their arms as they stood their ground. "Well… whatever. Everyone knows I'm here so I'll be staying in this resort for as long as I want…" Huffing, he mumbled to himself as he left, "... n-not that I'm allowed at the Hall of Legends after the pranks I pulled on Manaphy and Magearna…"

"..." Everyone remained silent at this… until Gourgeist spoke up.

She yawned, batting her eyelashes innocently, "Now that those people are dealt with, let's proceed with the challenge~"

"..."

"What?" Gourgeist asked, ignoring the looks she's been getting. "Is there something on my face? I promise to floss when I return to the game! Honest! Scout's honor… mother's honor… or whatever you'd like me to say honestly!"

"Gourgeist… were you cheating in the challenge?" Whimsicott asked plainly.

The pumpkin blinked before forcing a smile. "Yes- OH WAIT… I mean, no~ Of course not! Cheating just doesn't sound so… fun for me to do, you know!? I would never cheat. I always play fair!"

"... okay, she definitely cheated. Get out of here." Whimsicott told the Ghost-type who deadpanned in response.

"Boo, your ratings will crash…" Gourgeist warned… before her usual chilling smile returned. "Bye!" And just like that, she exited, stage right. This left Dedenne, Chansey, Skwovet, Vivillon and Bayleef at the beach.

---

Musharna yawned before giving the camera… a slightly annoyed look. "Mmm… I can't say that I'm perfect… but well… this isn't the end of the world anyways…" She laughed for a bit before falling back asleep. "... zzz…"

The sleeping tapir started floating off-screen… as soon as she was out of the way, Espurr walked over to the camera with a confused expression as she started tapping at the camera lens. "Why is there a camera in the bedroom? Musharna, explain?"

"..."

"Musharna, are you sleeping? Musharna… w-wait…" Espurr stammered as she walked off-screen to call-out to the other Psychic-type while the camera fell forward to show nothing but the footage of the floor.

---

Skwovet crossed his arms, arching a brow. "So… what now? Is the challenge… just over then?"

"Obviously not. We haven't even decided on the second returnee yet!" Whimsicott pointed out. "... this is just a minor malfunction so uhm… Staravia and I will be figuring things out?"

"We don't exactly have all day here, you know?" Dedenne chided, shaking his head. "Just tell me that Gourgeist's cheating isn't going to disqualify Chansey and I, just for association."

Chansey twiddled her fingers awkwardly as she looked to the side. "Errr… I don't mind pulling out of the competition. I don't see anything else I can do in the game anyways…"

"Well, that's just you. I want to return so don't drag me down with you." Dedenne said flatly. The nurse shook her head at this. "I mean… let's be real. Your elimination was pretty much inevitable. Mine? Klinklang had a severe lapse in judgement and I don't even know what came over him… he had no reason to vote me off there."

"Are you still not over that?" Skwovet queried rhetorically, deadpanning. "It's been a few days since you got out. Get over it."

"I'm never getting over it, when it was clearly a bad move for him." Dedenne justified.

"I doubt it." Skwovet drawled.

"Wow… fuck you, Skwovet." Dedenne said, glaring at the squirrel. "Weren't you the one who literally got eliminated because nobody liked or trusted you?"

Skwovet opened his mouth to answer before closing it immediately as he deadpanned, "... okay… you know what… this isn't worth my time…"

"I mean… you didn't really pull through on that promise you made on the first day." Dedenne pointed out.

"HMPH! I know I despised Skwovet back on the island, but this is just ridiculous!" Vivillon scoffed, standing between the two rodents. "This is about you and Klinklang, so stop dragging him into your argument just because he got under your skin!"

"Uh-huh! Says the raging bitch-"

"Why you-"

"G-guys… let's all calm down now… please?!" Bayleef urged, biting into his necklace as he started sweating profusely. "Chansey, back me up here?"

Chansey smiled awkwardly as she looked away. "I… am not r-really sure how to stop them from fighting…" The dinosaur whimpered in response.

Whimsicott and Staravia broke out of their private discussion… to just look shocked at another argument breaking out right in front of them. Vivillon was basically ready to aim and fire at Dedenne who was starting to grow increasingly agitated, while Skwovet was foaming at the mouth as his hands were basically twitching.

"What the fuck is even going on here?!" Whimsicott yelled, which stopped the fighting almost immediately as they returned to their spots, acting like nothing happened. "We just turned around for one minute and everyone's acting like feral Pokemon already…"

"Don't you think that's too far?" Dedenne said, pushing back his glasses to hide his disdain.

Vivillon rolled her eyes, eyes slightly twitching. "I would disagree with that notion. You have been quite tactless for someone who claims to know more about everyone, when you're not even a people's person!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!? This is exactly why you got voted off immediately!" Dedenne yelled, glaring daggers at the butterfly's back. "I wouldn't be shocked if you are bumped off your dad's inheritance for acting like a full-on bitch during this whole competition and-"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Vivillon was shaking at the Pikaclone's words, eyes red from anger. "You know NOTHING about my life!"

"I know enough about your character to judge." Dedenne said flatly. He chuckled condescendingly, narrowing his gaze. "Controversy probably follows you around like wildfire…"

"...WHY YOU… you really are annoying…" Vivillon said, gritting her teeth.

"Oh? So you're not going to try attacking me? I'm shocked." Dedenne said. "Maybe, you have that over Empoleon after all."

"Dedenne, be mature about this…" Chansey remarked, shaking her head in disappointment. "We still have a whole challenge to get through…"

"..." Dedenne doesn't say anything in reply as he looked away in a frustrated huff.

Whimsicott face-palmed before pointing at the Pikaclone. "I don't know… what your problem is. But well… this is not me being biased or anything… but Chansey, Dedenne… you're both eliminated from the challenge, since at the end of the day… Gourgeist earned nearly all of your points so-"

"Y-you can't be serious!" Dedenne gawked in disbelief. "I… can you give us a second chance-"

"Dedenne… I'm fine pulling out of the race. It's the fair thing to do." Chansey pointed out.

Dedenne looked annoyed as he grit his teeth, "Ugh…"

"I'll be leaving now." Chansey murmured awkwardly as she just… walked away from the beach, not wanting to be involved in everyone else's personal drama.

"W-wait… d-don't leave-" Bayleef pleaded, sighing as he watched the nurse exit the scene discreetly. "O-oh… okay… we're really… whittling d-down the group one-by-one…"

"I can't believe this actually happened…" Dedenne commented, crossing his arms. "... WHATEVER… not like this game was worth my time, in the first place…" The Pikaclone turned around and started running away from the beach. Skwovet, Bayleef and Vivillon exchanged an anxious look as he left. That was… a lot of things happening all at once, one after the other… and just like that, they were the last 3 standing.

Whimsicott sighed, relieved. "I'm glad he's gone… we can finally proceed to the final part of the challenge."

"J-just like that?" Bayleef commented, still unnerved by everything that had just transpired. "N-not that I have any problems but… w-we're moving on that fast?"

"We don't have all day." Staravia explained. She smirked as she waved her wings around, making sure that they spread as far as possible. "Besides, life is a stage! We need to roll with the punches and move on!"

"... d-doesn't sound healthy when you say it like that… b-but… sure!" Bayleef mumbled, deadpanning.

---

Skwovet had an excited look as he was shaking and squirming on his seat. "Who would've thought that I'd actually get THIS close to returning to the game!? I expected Musharna to just steamroll us and never give us a chance… but wow, one thing came after another, and we just… made it to the final round! And we didn't even have to do much!"

He took a deep breath, as he sat straight to lock his gaze on the camera head-on. "While I wish things were just as easy this was… I'm not just gonna waste this potential second chance! I know I said they never usually pan out but hey, that's why third and fourth chances exist… right?!"

---

Vivillon rolled her eyes before glaring at the camera. "Dedenne is idiotic for thinking of starting a fight or squabble with a person of my caliber. He is like those annoying paparazzi who don't know when to quit and that is just really really annoying to even bring back into my memory!"

"Thankfully… karma is real and he got what he deserved. I will be sure to win this game in his memory, so that he can live knowing that I will always be better than him in any regard!" Vivillon said with a condescending smirk.

---

"I… I-I don't know if I deserved to have made it this far, when so many things happened… and I f-feel really uninvolved with everything…" Bayleef admitted before mustering a smile. "B-but… if this means that I can return to the game… then I'm not going to complain about it at all!"

---

"The final round is similar to the first half of this challenge. You'll be answering questions!" Staravia announced before quickly adding, "... BUT they'll be questions about players still in the game! And, there'll only be 10 questions and it's first come, first served… so beneath your podiums are buzzers that will make a so-" Staravia winced as a loud beeping blared as she said this. "OKAY… glad to know that they work… but PLEASE… don't do that while I'm talking?!"

"Sorry… saw a red button, thought it needed to be pushed." Skwovet pointed out, raising his hands with a frown. "Regret it though… my ears are ringing…"

"I'm glad that you're owning that up immediately…" Vivillon remarked flatly. "Can we please forgo these buzzers? They are loud… and my hearing is very important."

"Sorry about that. I didn't think it'd sound that annoying." Staravia admitted, clasping her wings together. "But… I see your point… just uhm… raise your hands, if you-" She paused as she saw Bayleef waving his vine. "Yes, Bayleef?"

"W-what if I can't really raise my hands fast en-" He asked.

"You can use your vines." Whimsicott answered, crossing her arms. "So… is everything clear?" She sighed in relief as everyone just nodded in agreement. "Okay! Let's get started then!"

"Mmhm! And where else would we started other than with Question 1!? It's about everyone's favorite and sloppiest paranoid freak, Floatzel! What is his job?"

Skwovet raised his hand immediately. Staravia nodded, signaling for him to state his answer. "Detective! The trench coat kinda gave it away."

"Yep! That was indeed… CORRECT!" Whimsicott stated. "This puts Skwovet at the lead at 1 point!"

"Oh… so he wasn't cosplaying as one?" Vivillon commented before shaking her head. "And no, I'm not saying that to sound like Dedenne… but I'm just shocked."

"W-we were on the same t-team so I know he was very serious about it…" Bayleef said, sighing in disappointment. "I-if only I wasn't slow at raising my vine… good job, Skwovet."

"Okay, let's move on the Question 2 then! What is Cramorant's username on Tweeter?" Whimsicott questioned.

Skwovet, Vivillon and Bayleef all exchanged a confused expression. None of them even knew the answer to this, nor could they guess any when they barely knew ANYTHING about the phone addict.

Bayleef weakly raised a vine, answering, "Uh… Cramorant?"

"... are you serious?" Staravia asked flatly. "That answer is obviously wrong. Vivillon, Skwovet can steal this question, if they want."

"..."

Skwovet raised a hand, arching a brow, "Cramo-Ranter?"

"Nope! That answer is wrong! You're out of this question! Vivillon, this is the last opportunity for you to answer. What is Cramorant's username on Tweeter? One question, one answer. It's not that complicated… I think." Staravia said.

"Honestly… looking at the answer… I'd be shocked if Vivillon can even answer it…" Whimsicott said, showing Staravia the flashcard with the answer, making the bird's eyes widen in shock.

"Uuhhh… you know what?! Good luck, Vivillon!"

"Tch… I don't need luck. Is the answer… CramoQunt?" Vivillon responded.

"Oooh, that's close but the answer is actually UltraDivaCram0Qunt… with a ZERO, instead of an O, by the way. So you don't get a point… not even a half point for effort!" Whimsicott announced, shaking her head.

"Now, this is just ridiculous. Does it look like I knew any of these… people before the game?!" Vivillon scoffed, slightly annoyed. "Are all of these questions going to be personal or are you easing us into the game-related ones… because I doubt I would answer questions about Empoleon's favorite type of cheese or Gossifleur's postal code…"

" Don't worry. I'm sure the rest of the questions will be easier." Staravia assured, sifting through her flashcards. "Hmm… okay, depends on who you ask."

"Wow… how reassuring." Vivillon said flatly.

"Well, it won't be a challenge if it's too easy!" Whimsicott pointed out, taking a step forward. "So, let's move on to the next question! Question 3: Who is Klinklang's emergency contact that he listed on his application?"

Skwovet raised a hand, arching a brow. "Uhh… nobody?"

"..." Staravia deadpanned… before breaking a smile, "Yep, that's right! Yes, it's a trick question. Dedenne would be pissed if he was still here, but yes… Klinklang didn't even bother to fill this part of the application in."

"I'm not even that shocked about that." Vivillon remarked.

"T-that's a bit sad…" Bayleef said sadly. "

"Well, it's Klinklang." Skwovet pointed out. "He's never sad."

"I know but…" The dinosaur stammered, trailing off.

"Skwovet extends his lead as he now sits at 2 points while everyone else is at 0. Let's move on!" Staravia continued. "Question #4: What is the name of the Comedy Club Vanilluxe works at?"

"..."

"Oh great. Another question nobody knows the answer to." Vivillon drawled, rolling her eyes.

Bayleef looked frantic as he raised his vine. "U-uhh… Sundae's Best?"

Staravia shook her head, to the Grass-type's disappointment. "Nope. Not even close."

"O-oh…" Bayleef said.

"Vivillon, Skwovet… this is your chance to swoop in and answer this correctly!" Staravia told.

"Does it look like we know the name of this stupid comedy club or whatever?!" Vivillon scoffed. "These questions are alternating between obvious and really difficult… and it's starting to annoy me, if I'm frank."

"How about you, Skwovet? Any ideas?" Whimsicott queried.

Skwovet shrugged, confused. "Nope! Vanilluxe and I never did talk that much and when we did…" He shuddered, left eye twitching slightly. "He was either cracking a joke at the worst times… or trying to remind me about his ugly keychain that I nabbed from him on the first day. Honestly… I'll give him this. He really has a good memory and knows how to hold a grudge. You might have competition, Viv!"

Vivillon's face turned red, looking away. "What is THAT supposed to mean?! You can't seriously be grouping me together with that… that… comedian!"

"It was just a joke!" Skwovet teased, letting out a small chuckle. "But yeah… I don't know the answer for this so uhhh… let's move on?"

Staravia nodded in agreement. "Okie dokie! Let's move on!"

---

Bayleef looked at the camera, putting on the most determined expression he could ever make. "I-I'm… r-really falling behind on these questions but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up or anything! I REALLY want this. I need this second chance… I… I can't even put it into enough words to show how much I want this!" His head leaf drooped down as he stared at the floor. "S-Skwovet and Vivillon has their own… unique talents, while I'm not really good at anything, but Empoleon saw something in me. I don't know what he saw in me but that has to count for something, right?"

"I hope that Skwovet and Vivillon just… messes up with the rest of these questions b-but is that too selfish for me to put out there?" Bayleef murmured, eyes gazing to the side.

---

"Question #5: What is Gossifleur's age?" Whimsicott asked plainly.

Vivillon smirked as she raised her wing. "Oh… FINALLY, an easy question! She's 18!"

"BZZZZT BZZT!" Whimsicott stated, making a cross with her arms. "That's not right. Sorry, Vivillon."

"WHAT!? That's just ridiculous! She told me she was 18, from what I can recall!" Vivillon complained, glaring at the cottonweed. "Maybe, you are misreading the answer since I'm very confident about this-"

"Just let it go, dude. We have the actual records. She's not 18. She probably lied to you when she told you that." Staravia said, deadpanning.

"Why would anyone even lie about something as trivial as their age?!" Vivillon gawked, leaning back as she stewed in silence.

Bayleef awkwardly waved his vine, unsure. "U-uhm… 17?"

Staravia nodded, giving him a thumbs-up. "Yep, Bayleef is right! She's 17! Congratulations, you're on the board with 1 point!"

"She's 17?! I can't believe she lied to me when she's not even that much younger or older!" Vivillon said angrily.

"Gossifleur has a pretty weird agenda, I think…" Skwovet commented, crossing his arms. "I mean… wanting to be a 'bad girl' isn't… normal, right?! I don't know. I'm not her."

"Whatever…" Vivillon muttered.

"Five more questions left! Five points left to be earned… it's still anyone's game so let's end this challenge strong!" Staravia declared.

"Yes, let's proceed. Question #6: Approximately how many followers does Teddiursa have on Pokegram? For this question, the closest answer will earn a point so… write it down, okay!" Whimsicott questioned.

Everyone silently wrote their answers down without saying a word. A few seconds later, Staravia clapped her wings together to get everyone's attention.

"Okay… time's up! Let's see those answers!" She announced.

The 3 players then showed their answers. Skwovet answered 1,500,000. Vivillon answered 7400. Bayleef answered 4 Million.

"Three different answers… the actual number is 6,552,156 followers and since Bayleef is the closest to the actual amount, he wins another point… tying it up between the two boys!" Staravia stated.

Bayleef sighed in relief as he put down his board. "P-phew… I wasn't s-so sure if that was correct but… I'm glad I w-went with my hunch…"

"Teddiursa has that many followers…" Vivillon commented, eyes widening in genuine shock. "... hmm, I might have underestimated the following of my competition, I see. She might even be at my level…" She paused, shaking her head. "WAIT… what am I saying!? Teddiursa's an influencer, right? We're in two different worlds so I shouldn't even be comparing…"

She looked to the side, narrowing her eyes. "Though… I wonder if she's open to working together in the near future… her followers could help with…"

"Vivillon, you okay? Did Teddiursa's huge follower count shock you that much?" Skwovet asked, arching a brow.

"HMPH! I was thinking…" Vivillon said dryly. "Let's just continue with the challenge!"

"Will do!" Staravia said with a curt nod. "Question #7: What sport is Empoleon best at?"

Bayleef perked up as he waved his vine frantically. He actually knew this one. "He's not specializing in any sport since he's confident and great at every sport, in his words and-"

"Uhm… you could've just said all of them, you know?" Whimsicott pointed out, making the dinosaur blush in embarrassment. "I'm not surprised you answered first here… and well.. If it wasn't obvious enough, you got it right too! You're now in the lead!"

"Y-yay!" Bayleef cheered, smiling widely for once.

"Now, can I be in the lead for once?!" Vivillon asked rhetorically, as her expression darkened. There were only THREE questions remaining. She needed to answer ALL of them correctly if she wanted to have a chance of returning and even then, it'd be a tie.

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see!" Whimsicott mused. "Next question… What is Magcargo's greatest fear?"

Skwovet raised his paw, arching a brow. "Swimming? He IS a rock and fire type…"

Whimsicott nodded at this, "Yes! That is correct! Skwovet ties it up again… he's not out of the race!" She then looked over to Vivillon, who just looked done with this whole challenge. "Unfortunately Vivillon… that means-"

"I am not returning to the game because these questions are stupid." Vivillon finished dryly. She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. I don't care about returning to the competition anyways.

"I'm sorry." Staravia said in an attempt to sympathize with the butterfly. "We didn't make this challenges but you tried your best and-"

"Okay, are you trying to copy Oricorio now? I am FINE. I don't need your platitudes or blanket of niceties." Vivillon derided. It looked like she was about to leave like the others do… but surprisingly, she just stuck her ground. "I'll be staying and watching the end of this competition though, if you do not mind. I might as well be here for the end, if you lot decided to waste my time only for me to not even be close to returning… ridiculous."

"Uhh.. sure?!" Staravia said, unsure.

---

While the challenge was taking place at the beach, Carracosta was sitting around the poolside bar after doing his job, setting up the challenge. Drink in hand, he just stared out at the distance, pondering to himself about… everything. As he stared at his glass wistfully, his eyes narrowed as he noticed a familiar pink Pokemon come up behind him, from the reflection on his glass. Turning around, he found Musharna… with BOTH eyes wide open so he knew it meant business.

"Musharna… was it?" Carracosta muttered, maintaining his distance from the sleeping tapir. "What brings you here? Is the challenge over?"

"Oh… I got eliminated…" Musharna said without bothering to clarify further. "But… whatever… I don't care. We need to talk."

"About what exactly?" Carracosta asked, confused.

"Were you the one..?" Musharna asked.

Carracosta took a sip out of his drink before glaring at the tapir suspiciously. "The one who what? I would appreciate it if you stop being vague."

Musharna looked around for a quick second before floating closer after she knew there was nobody else nearby to eavesdrop. "I heard you were… snooping around the island… specifically around a rundown cabin in the middle of the woods…"

"... what?" Carracosta froze, tightening his grip around his drink as he gritted his teeth. "How do you… know that? You're not even on the island…"

"Oh, so you're not going to try and deflect? That's good to know." Musharna commented in a… strangely playful tone. "If you must know… I have my ways. Not that I'll tell you… but I was curious about why you decided to do it… mmm… are you by any chance… working with Floatzel?"

"Working with Floatzel? I don't know him outside the game." Carracosta retorted. "Why are you even asking?"

"I have a feeling that you two… are investigating the same thing…" Musharna explained before she narrowed her eyes. "And I would like to ask… were you the one… who contacted me to play in this competition?"

Carracosta's eyes widened at this. "What?"

"Yes… you see… I was a last-minute addition to the cast… I was… minding my own business when we were contacted to fill in the cast… I'm still confused about that since I don't recognize the voice on the phone that day…" Musharna continued. "I wasn't sure why… but it was… interesting, so I dropped everything I was doing… and… booked a flight to the meeting spot… to go here… riding… a Lapras… mmm…"

"No, I wasn't even involved in the game until I was recruited while this game was already happening." Carracosta pointed out, placing his drink on the counter and crossing his arms as he kept his gaze on the Psychic-type. "Marill was in charge of the casting process so if anything, you should be directing your attention towards her."

"Oh… hmmm… her?" Musharna commented, feigning shock. "I'll look into it… but hmmm… Carracosta… you're really… interesting…"

"Why?" The fossil Pokemon inquired, a bead of sweat forming above his brow.

"You know… I have… looked into the dreams of the players here… but you… this is our first time actually meeting… in-person… so you're basically a blank slate for me." Musharna commented. "And… you were… very interested in our conversation about… Ceruledge and… everything…"

"..." Carracosta remained silent, clenching a fist.

"... so… what show were you involved in? Ultra Vacation..? That weirdly named sequel..? Or perhaps… that short-lived Kalos season…" Musharna asked, floating closer. "Hmm… I need answers…"

"You're being very invasive for someone who's not even competing in the game anymore." Carracosta said, glaring at the tapir. "I… just want to get work experience and earn some money, on the side."

Musharna scoffed, rolling her eyes. "This job barely pays its interns. So, I don't believe you."

Carracosta face-palmed as he put a hand on the tapir, expression darkening. "Look… I don't know why you're approaching me… or if you have problems with me but for your safety, I think you should just mind your own business-"

"Oh! You're… feisty, huh?" Musharna exclaimed, not even fazed by the turtle's thinly-veiled threat.

"I- What does that even mean?!" Carracosta questioned, crossing his arms. "I think you're starting to be too invasive. Do I have to remind you that you're just a contestant?"

"And you're just an intern." Musharna countered flatly.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Carracosta said.

Musharna deadpanned at this. "No? I just wanted to talk and try to clarify things… and hopefully get answers. And you aren't giving me any, while I've been… mmm… nothing but honest and open about my information. You're still pretty much… a confusing person. Honestly… you are reminding me of Magearna. She had a lot of suspicious antics that allowed me… to suss her out. You're an intern but we barely get to see you. Staravia and Bellossom arrived at the same time, but have been more transparent than you… and you are choosing to hide why you signed up. Staravia wanted fame… Bellossom wanted to further her career… how about you?"

"I don't think you need to know…" Carracosta said simply.

"And that's suspicious behavior." Musharna told. "Look… I'm going to tell you this to show you that I'm trustworthy… it's up to you to decide how you'd take these information."

Carracosta arched a brow as the tapir leaned closer, whispering something to his ear. His eyes widened as the tapir started divulging words that even he wasn't aware of, heading into the island. "..."

---

"We're down to the final question. Bayleef and Skwovet are still tied at 4 points apiece… the person who answers this correctly will be returning to the game, with Unfezant!" Staravia declared as Bayleef and Skwovet nodded, exchanging a look of understanding that only one of them would get the chance to redeem themselves in the game. "Vivillon is also still here… but she doesn't even-"

Vivillon rolled her eyes, her wings flitting more rapidly. "Can we please not trying to focus on my failures? Just get on with this already!"

"We just want to make things really clear for the viewers. There are commercial breaks in between, you know?" Staravia reminded her. The butterfly just scoffed in annoyance. "But… the final question is about Oricorio! I hope you two are ready!"

"Oricorio, huh? I guess I should hopefully know this…" Skwovet muttered, unsure.

"Uhhm…" Bayleef gulped, his confidence starting to hit rockbottom. He hadn't even been on the same team as the cheerleader so he had no idea what to expect.

"Oricorio has a fear of this Pokemon-"

Skwovet's eyes widened at this. He actually knew this one. For once, Oricorio's forced bonding sessions was actually paying off. He looked over to Bayleef, who was shaking. It was over. He didn't even know the answer.

Raising his hand, Skwovet answered confidently, "Beedrill!"

"..." Staravia went over her flashcards for a brief moment before she broke into the widest smile. "YEP! Skwovet, you've got it right which means-"

"YES YES YES!" Skwovet interrupted the bird's announcement, jumping on top of his podium to celebrate, doing a cute little dance. "I can't believe it! It's really happening!" He stopped as he noticed Bayleef slumping down, looking at the ground in disappointment. "Oh yeah… shit… Bayleef, I'm so sorry. You were really close."

"It's fine… close wasn't enough…" Bayleef said. "I could've done better but… it wasn't enough."

"There there! You can take solace in the fact that you completely decimated Viv-" Staravia started to say only to be hit with a Silver Wind, pushing her back. "OUCH- Touché…"

"I already told you to stop talking about my failures!" Vivillon huffed flatly.

"Alright… message received." Staravia chuckled to herself, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "With that said… Skwovet, use this final hour to talk with people and bid them goodbye before we leave for the island!"

Skwovet nodded as he tugged at his jacket in excitement. It was… an anticlimactic end to the whole day, but that didn't diminish the fact that he somehow returned, against all odds.

---

Skwovet had a wide grin as he leaned into the camera… basically glowing. He smacked both hands on the dresser, causing the things on it to fall into disarray. "I… I can't believe it! I really didn't believe in second chances but guess what?! I'm back, baby! Better than ever!" He chuckled, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I have so many things that I want… to do… and of course, try to resolve! But honestly, I'm just buzzed from this!"

He then shook his head, letting out a drawn out sigh, "Though, I do feel bad for Bayleef. He was close… so it feels like I'm robbing him… well, I'll just have to not waste this second chance!"

---

The cast had returned to the pool, by this point, when Skwovet, Vivillon and Bayleef returned to join their peers to tell them of the results of the comeback competition. Dedenne was just sitting by the poolside to stare at his reflection with a bored expression. Chansey and Diancie were engaged… in a surprisingly serious conversation while Gourgeist was swimming around the pool while a curious-looking Mew watched from a safe distance, as to not get wet.

"So Magearna did WHAT!?" Chansey exclaimed, putting both hands to her mouth in shock. "I knew I shouldn't put her on a pedestal after everything that happened… but that sounds hardcore."

"Magearna was always really hardcore. She knows she really has to pull in her weight twice as much since she's not really the most memorable Mythical Pokemon out there." Diancie elaborated, wagging her finger thoughtfully. "She was very charitable… but very very uptight about it, true story."

"Wow, I didn't expect that! She always seemed so carefree and nonchalant on camera!" Chansey remarked before she turned to the sound of Skwovet and Bayleef's loud footsteps, arching a brow. "Wait… hold that thought, Diancie! You guys, is that challenge over?"

"The challenge's over? Took you all long enough…" Dedenne complained, crossing his arms. He was still not over the fact that he was 'wrongfully' disqualified for Gourgeist's cheating. Who won?"

"Skwovet did!" Vivillon declared, flying over to a vacant beach chair to lie down. "It was a close battle… but whatever, it's over and I'm just feeling exhausted."

"Skwovet… won?" Chansey reacted with shock. She smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "No offense… but I thought Bayleef had it in the bag…"

"None taken." Skwovet replied drly. "I won, so nobody's going to take that away from me!"

"How does Bayleef feel..?" Chansey asked only to look down awkwardly as the dinosaur stomped past her without saying a word. "Ah… I guess he took it hard."

Dedenne rolled his eyes, scoffing, "With how obsessed he is with Empoleon, I'm not even shocked. He was really desperate…" He stopped himself, sulking a bit. "Okay… now that I've said that, I feel a bit bad since honestly, I feel the same way…"

"That's rich, coming from you~" Gourgeist teased.

"Oh shut up! I would've had a better chance if the questions weren't literally too personal… or if you didn't decide to cheat to get me disqualified in the first place!" Dedenne pointed out in annoyance.

"I don't regret a thing!" Gourgeist hummed before sinking into the water, bubbles appearing in the surface where she submerged for a few moments before disappearing completely.

"Uhm… Skwovet, congratulations on making it back in! I know we haven't really seen each other eye to eye but honestly, I'm rooting for you to have some redemption." Chansey encouraged, clasping her hands together.

"Thanks Chansey. I really appreciate it!" Skwovet commented with a wide smirk. "I'm not sure what I'd do first after returning but… I guess I can apologize to Floatzel, for accidentally ruining his relationship with Teddiursa."

"You can tell them about me!" Diancie suggested with a straight face. Noticing the confused looks she's getting, the Mythical Pokemon huffed, "You don't know the importance of exposure… and rebranding."

"What are you even rebranding to?" Mew asked curiously.

"It's none of your business! I'm not letting you ruin my reputation!" Diancie hummed with a cheery giggle.

As the group continued to chatter about Skwovet's competition win, Dedenne stood up to walk over to the resting Vivillon, crossing his arms.

"So… what do you feel about this?" Dedenne asked.

"What do you mean?" Vivillon looked confused by the Pikaclone's question.

Dedenne looked around before leaning closer to whisper, "About Skwovet returning to the game without you… aren't you worried he's going to get closer with everyone else, with this new mindset he's trying to adopt."

Vivillon rolled her eyes, looking away. "If this is your attempt to get into my head… then I advise you to drop it. I don't have any stakes in the competition now. I'm eliminated. So, I'm just going to enjoy the rest of my vacation now, if you don't mind."

"I wasn't trying to get into your head or anything." Dedenne proclaimed, eyes darting from side to side. "I was just curious about your thoughts since Skwovet might just end up relapsing."

"Relapsing?"

"I mean… I was shocked to hear that he hasn't been going around stealing things out here… but if he's back in the game, he could fall back into old habits that he tried to shake off." Dedenne explained. "He tried to be firm since Day 1 but we all know how that ended and-"

"Can you please shut up? I don't care about what Skwovet does in the game… but at the same time, I hold some respect in him to believe that he can try his hardest to practice some restraint." Vivillon defended, steeling her gaze.

Dedenne tensed at the butterfly's sudden hostility, backing away slowly. "Okay okay! I didn't mean to sound accusatory or anything! I was just stating facts for how they are!"

"And sometimes, your facts are lies… they're merely opinions you just try to push as reality." Vivillon criticized. "Do you think I don't know? I've seen more truth from the paparrazzi… but right now, you're dripping with insincerity."

Dedenne face-palmed as he turned around. "Ugh… fine, if you're going to act like this then I guess I'll just leave then."

"That would be preferable." Vivillon drawled. Dedenne groaned as he bolted into a run, leaving the poolside entirely.

---

Meanwhile, Staravia and Whimsicott entered the hotel to search for Unfezant and Bellossom to inform them that the challenge was over and they needed to prepare to leave for the island. To their surprise, they found… a familiar young feline roaming about, outside her room for once. It was Espurr, the child that accompanied Brionne and Vikavolt to the island. The Espurr was jotting things down on her sketchbook, looking up periodically to examine her surroundings. She froze as she noticed the two interns enter the building, prompting her to close her sketchbook and awkwardly start to bolt away.

"..." Espurr sweatdropped as the two interns were just approaching her.

She started running as soon as she saw Staravia arched her back to spread out her wings. Unfortunately for her, she was a VERY slow runner so Staravia grabbed a hold of her immediately.

"Eeep! L-let go of me!" Espurr blustered out, flapping her sketchbook in front of her as a form of self-defense.

"You! What are you doing here? You're not a former contestant!" Staravia pointed out.

"I… I'm w-with the Brionne and Vikavolt. You met them already, right?!" Espurr sputtered out, hiding her face.

"Oh, I know." Staravia commented, retracting her wings while Whimsicott gave her a confused look.

"Why did you do that then?" The cottonweed asked.

"Dramatic effect!" Staravia elaborated, to the other two's exasperation.

"Well… with that said, can I go now?" Espurr begged, looking around awkwardly. "Brionne and Vikavolt told me not to leave our room but… I had to check something out."

"Oh, you can go!" Staravia said.

The little cat sighed in relief as she started skittering back upstairs to return to her room, tripping on the way but picking herself up immediately. This left Staravia and Whimsicott alone again.

"Well, you wasted our time for no reason." Whimsicott commented.

"It's my favorite past-time!" Staravia joked, stroking her chin. "Though… I thought Bellossom would be waiting for us in the lobby. And she's not here."

"Maybe, she went outside." Whimsicott suggested.

"We didn't see her there!" Staravia pointed out. "If she was, we would've-"

"BOO!"

Staravia jumped at the sound of a shrill voice from behind her. Turning around, she found Bellossom giggling as she wiped her hands on her grass skirt.

"I didn't think I'd actually surprise you, Staravia! Maybe, you're not so infallible all along!" Bellossom commented playfully.

"Bellossom, where did you come from!?" Staravia questioned in shock.

"I was outside! I saw that you guys weren't finished with the challenge so I just took a walk around the place…" Bellossom explained, rubbing her hands together.

"We didn't see you…" Staravia commented before shaking her head. "Whatever! The challenge is over! Skwovet won… so can you call Unfezant so that we can prepare to return to the Island of Cryptids?"

"Oh! I'll call her!" Bellossom murmured as she ran past the thespian to inform the bird of their imminent departure.

As soon as the flower was gone, Staravia turned to Whimsicott with a confused expression. "For someone who was sent to be our back-up, Bellossom didn't do much of anything."

"We didn't need her anyways." Whimsicott remarked, shrugging.

"Hmph! I wished we could've bantered more but it felt like she was doing her own thing!" Staravia admitted, pointing her beak up in a huff.

"I guess so. Honestly… I was more skeptical that Carracosta just vanished on us…" Whimsicott admitted, narrowing her eyes. "I don't want to bitch and moan but-" She paused before taking a deep breath, choosing not to elaborate further. "Well whatever… today's all about the returnees. So, let's focus on that for now."

"Sounds good enough to me!"

---

A few minutes later, Skwovet and Unfezant walked down the docks to leave. Staravia, Whimsicott and Bellossom waited at the end by the boat, prepared to disembark as soon as they get onboard.

"So… it's the two of us returning, huh?" Unfezant mustered a smirk as she passed the squirrel a quick glance. "I can't say I'm too surprised… you were a go-getter, huh?"

"Heh… I didn't think that it'd be the both of us returning either!" Skwovet affirmed. "I guess that makes our talk earlier really ironic, huh?"

"Well… it wasn't! But, I guess I'm not going to take it easy on you after all…" Unfezant said flatly.

The two reached the end of the docks, being stopped by Staravia who winked at the two returnees.

"Skwovet, Unfezant… again, I would like to congratulate you on returning to the game!" Staravia exclaimed, waving her wings around to show enthusiasm. "Nobody expected it to be either of you to return, but you defied the odds. You get another chance at the prize!"

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Skwovet intoned, hopping onboard the boat with Unfezant looking a bit cautious before reluctantly following after the squirrel.

Staravia then turned to Whimsicott, pointing at her as if she was the camera, "With that… we have our 2 returnees and the final 10 becomes a final 12… next episode will be the start of a new phase of everyone: The Merge. Who will crumble underneath that pressure? Who will overcome the odds? Find out next time… on… Total… Pokemon… ULTRA REVIVAL-"

Whimsicott grunted as she stepped on the bird's foot, making her flinch. "I'm not the camera. Don't do that, okay?"

Staravia just flashed an awkward thumbs-up as she started hopping around the dock from the cottonweed's foot. She was surprisingly strong for her looks.

---

On the boat ride back to the island, Unfezant sighed as she stared at the water, still pondering her choices… and her approach to returning to the game. Skwovet walked up from behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Skwovet asked in concern.

"I'm fine… just a bit nervous… I think it should've been Bayleef or Chansey here instead of me… but I'm more… fine with it than I was earlier…" Unfezant admitted, grip tightening on the railing. "I mean… Teddiursa, Empoleon, Floatzel and Sableye… I don't really know any of them so I'm not really feeling that good."

"I think no impression is better than trying to overcome a bad impression…" Skwovet pointed out, hopping on the railing to start walking and balancing on the railing, blushing in embarrassment as he almost fell into the water. "Uhh… look at it this way… you have a friend in me at least." Skwovet hopped off the railing, giving the pheasant another reassuring pat on the back. "I mean… that talk we had earlier… I really appreciate it. It gave me a new perspective on… everything."

"I'm glad to hear, I guess…" Unfezant muttered as she continued to look forward the island started to appear in the distance.

Skwovet gaped in awe from behind her. "We're close!"

"Yeah… yeah, we are…"

---

"That went well!" Whimsicott commented, arranging her video tapes in her carry-on bag. "We have enough footage and extra clips for a potential clip show episode! So I think we can consider this a success, despite the setbacks on the way."

"Yeah! I didn't think we'd get through the whole challenge, after the whole… cheater debacle." Staravia admitted.

"We DID handle that better than I expected!" A smirk crept up the cottonweed's face. "Nihilego, watch out! We're after your job!"

"Oh, you're making me blush~" Staravia said teasingly.

"Uhm… where's Carracosta?" Bellossom asked, sneaking up behind the two. "I don't see him on the boat."

"Actually… while you were calling for Unfezant, we ran into him in the hotel lobby!" Whimsicott explained. "And he told us that he was planning to stay behind… he didn't really elaborate, but… we didn't have any reason to stop him, so he's still in Loser Land… though…" Whimsicott gulped, face flushing. "I guess we have to explain to Marill that the intern count is going down a bit with Carracosta's absence."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind! Don't we have that weirdo Flapple, Sunflora and GALLADE to fill in the gaps?" Staravia reminded her.

"I guess you have a point there but… Carracosta was the strongest one." Whimsicott pointed out.

"I hope he can find what he's looking for then…" Bellossom muttered before shaking her head. "Okay… I'm being too down on myself again. Uhm… what are your thoughts on… the… invaders?"

"There's way too many of them." Whimsicott worded vaguely. "I think we should… keep it a secret from Marill since I don't know how she'd react but I have a strong feeling she'd chew us out if she finds out so… this might sound like me running from responsibility, but we need to run from responsibility."

"I'm with you there! I don't really know why there's so many players on the stage…" Staravia remarked. "And I didn't see any reason to interfere. I just hope it doesn't mean anything serious is going to happen…"

"I hope not… this job doesn't pay me enough…" Bellossom said dryly. Whimsicott and Staravia laughed in unison at this. She face-palmed, shaking her head. "That was serious."

"Well… we have 12 more episodes to go! It will all go well!" Whimsicott chirped, looking up at the crescent moon. "This season will be over soon!"

"... the way you said that makes me feel… a bit unsettled, but I guess we all have something to look forward to." Bellossom commented, biting her lip nervously.

"Yep!" Staravia said before she cooed at the gorgeous crescent moon bathing them in light. "Oooh, the moon looks beautiful tonight! We really spent all day filming this episode! We can finally take a breather!"

"I hope so!" Whimsicott frowned, looking to the side awkwardly.

---

The conclusion to an eventful day… is not grounded in reality. In fact, it wasn't even happening in the real world. Stirring in his sleep, Sableye's expression was contorted as he put a hand to his chest, trying to steady his breathing as a shadow casted over his gemstone eyes.

Floatzel's eyes opened at this sound, narrowing his gaze in concern. "Sableye, are you okay?"

"..." Sableye doesn't respond, just reaching up. His dreams were usually set in an empty void with no life whatsoever but tonight… things were different…

---

Pikachu stared down at his note before looking around in the wooded area of Loser Land. He had received a note to head there alone. He didn't know who slipped that message to him but he found it in his sweater back pocket after he had forced Skwovet and Vivillon to leave his room… and after weighing his options, he decided to FINALLY make a confident decision to confront whoever wrote down the note.

"H-hello? Is anyone there? Vivillon? Skwovet? Was that you? Don't tell me you are playing a prank on me since you think I'm easy to fool…" The electric mouse laughed nervously as he looked up at the sky. The crescent moon shone down at him brightly… though, his eyes widened as a dark shadow crept from the corner of the moon. "Uhm…"

Looking down, he could barely react as an unknown shadow lunged towards his direction, muffling his screams for help as he was buried by the shadow… and soon, the ground gave out, giving way to darkness.

The trees turned into tall stalks, riddled with thorns. The moon being consumed completely as a Dark-colored Pokemon's screech can be heard throughout the place.

"Help… me…" A weakened Pikachu could only scream out before his screams died out completely.

---

MERGED - Cramorant, Empoleon, Floatzel, Gossifleur, Klinklang, Magcargo, Oricorio, Sableye, Skwovet, Teddiursa, Unfezant, Vanilluxe

Eliminated: Unfezant (returns), Pikachu, Musharna, Bayleef, Gourgeist, Vivillon, Magearna, Skwovet (returns), Chansey, Dedenne

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

And this behemoth of a chapter has finally come to a close… and not that it was difficult to write! I just had so many things happening at the same time, that I had to put off making progress into completing this chapter but the layout went through various changes.

The elephant in the room: The returnees. The returnees were an open concept that I was unsure if it was going to end up in the story or not, so I didn't want to close the door completely and kept the opportunity open for this episode since I knew there needed to be a focus episode on previously eliminated contestants. Once I knew returnees were a SURE DEAL, I immediately narrowed it down to Unfezant, , Musharna, Vivillon, Skwovet… The rest were not considered for various reasons:

Pikachu - His arc is going to take a massive swerve this episode that he CAN'T return

Bayleef - Empoleon had a whole arc, focusing on coming into terms with his thoughts with Bayleef so it felt reductive to make him return

Gourgeist - No

Magearna - No

Chansey - Her storyline was basically done

Dedenne - His storyline was basically done

And Unfezant was a GUARANTEED pick since I feel she still had threads for growth… and I initially chose between Musharna and Vivillon… but then I realized Musharna's story can proceed WITHOUT being in the game… while Vivillon's storyline options were lacking compared to Skwovet, who had way too many unresolved plot hooks even without the edits so that's why he became the second returnee!

THE REST OF THE CHARACTERS

The interns and hosting panel and MISC. Characters also get… some scenes here but I didn't want them to take away from the actual cast (mostly the legacy characters). They're here to provide more questions waiting to be answered and open the door for the endgame of the whole game. But this story is not about them. This is about the TPUR cast, debuting interns and hosting panel… but they will get their time in the sun but it won't ever be taking spotlight from the actual focus.

---

Whimsicott: Please review! I can cotton you, right?!

Vanilluxe: HEY! That's my thing! Get your own thing!