Hello everyone… It is I… back with another chapter!
It feels like the time she fell through the ice then came out alive
Ah… morning. The sun crept over the horizon, bathing the camp in soft golden light. It had been a few days since Musharna's elimination, and the atmosphere felt sluggish. The campers had settled into a monotonous routine, unsure of when the next challenge might shake things up.
Down by the beach, a green Psychic and Fighting-type Pokémon hummed an upbeat melody as he was cleaning up the beach, clearing the debris left from the last challenge.
Just as his silhouette began to come into sharper focus, the camera transitioned away elsewhere.
In the girls' side of the Trubbish cabin, the girls were getting ready to face the day, already dreading to eat breakfast, prepared by the 'great' chef, Indeedee.
Gossifleur hummed as she hopped off her bed, only to be held up by a smiling Oricorio and an annoyed Vivillon. She blinked in surprise, gasping in shock, "W-what are you guys doing?"
"You have been waking up later than usual recently," Oricorio explained, putting a wing on the flower's shoulder. "And well… you know what they say… it's better to wake up bright and early to face the day… since oversleeping can be really harmful and…" Noticing the flower's confusion, she sighed, putting it in simpler words, "To phrase it better… you're usually an early bird. Is something keeping you up at night?"
"Huh?" Gossifleur tilted her head to the side, not exactly knowing what the bird meant. "Is there a problem? I'm sorry… I don't quite understand."
"SEE! I told you she wouldn't explain why!" Vivillon groaned in exasperation. "I mean… she woke up really early before, right?! So I think this is a HUGE improvement!"
Gossifleur blushed as her eyes met the butterfly's, "This is about… my waking time?! Oh… well… I want to try something new…" Sighing, she closed her eyes, "Errr… it's nothing c-complicated. I mean… I also wake up early back at home and…"
"You haven't talked to us about your home actually…" Oricorio realized with an intrigued look, putting a wing to her mouth. "I almost forgot you weren't with us back then…"
"Uhhm… what?" Gossifleur asked in confusion.
"Oh… it's a long story… but well, it was the day of the hide and seek challenge," Oricorio answered, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… I remember now. You were asleep back then. We talked about things… nothing much, since some boys from the other team interrupted our conversation."
"Hmph! Serves you right for waking up early that day," Vivillon scoffed, unamused.
"H-hey! I just want to promote proper sleeping habits!" Oricorio blushed in embarrassment, folding her arms as she turned to the butterfly. "B-but… maybe I shouldn't have woken you up early without getting your permission… I know that now. Thank you for opening my eyes, Vivillon!"
Vivillon groaned, deadpanning, "Okay… now you're making me feel BAD! You shouldn't forget I can literally buy and sell your family…"
"You're very funny, Vivillon!" Gossifleur giggled.
"It was not a joke. Who do you think I am?! Vanilluxe?!" Vivillon looked offended by Gossilfleur's comment, looking away from the two. "You're lucky I'm feeling benevolent… for the sake of the game…" She whispered the last words to herself.
Oricorio sighed, smiling weakly, "O-okay… errr… I think we moved off-topic here. I was asking Gossifleur about her life…" She paused before flashing a thumbs-up, directed to the Bug-type. "Err… sorry if that was rude, Vivillon. I promise to give you a special cheer complimenting your…" She tapped her chin as she thought out loudly, "Beauty?"
"Why yes, I am indeed beautifully rich and talented," Vivillon drawled flatly before turning to leave, "I can leave now, right? I don't know why I should even be included in this conversation…"
The butterfly sweated as the cheerleader pulled her closer for a hug, "You're an important member of this team too… and I think you and Gossifleur can be closer friends after a bit of bonding time!"
"... what?" Gossifleur gaped at this, watching Vivillon struggle to break free from Oricorio's tight grip. "I d-don't get-"
"If you don't want to share about your life, I'm fine… but bonding is bonding. It helps us grow," Oricorio explained, nodding firmly. "So… what do you say?"
"Uhmm… I think I want to eat breakfast now?" Gossifleur lied, laughing nervously.
"Likewise," Vivillon grunted, finally escaping Oricorio's clutches, annoyed. "I do not want to waste my morning with trivial things like…" She scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Bonding…"
"Well… I just wanted to… well… get along better, since we won three challenges in a row… so I want to make the most of our time together," Oricorio admitted with a sheepish look.
"Aren't we already all getting along?" Gossifleur queried politely.
"... more than that obviously…" Oricorio huffed, pouting cutely. "I mean… it's been over a week since we've been on this island… and I feel bad, since I feel like we don't know each other that well…" She laughed awkwardly to herself, "Don't you both feel the same?"
Vivillon and Gossifleur both exchanged a look before the Bug-type shrugged indifferently, "I believe not? Maybe, a tad smidge since I am feeling generous."
"Vivillon…" Oricorio said with a sigh.
"What? I'm being honest. Honesty is the best policy after all," Vivillon reminded her with a haughty expression. She then waved a wing towards the cheerleading bird, "Anyways… I'll be heading off now…"
"W-wait!" Oricorio tried to stop her again but it was too late, as Vivillon dodged her and hastily flew out of the room, leaving her alone with Gossifleur. The room was silent for a few seconds before Gossifleur chimed in with a low voice.
"Errr… are you still going to insist on having a pleasant conversation, despite the fact Vivillon just left?" She murmured, unsure what to say to the downtrodden bird.
Oricorio blinked at this, shrugging, "Uhmm… if you don't mind?"
Gossifleur's eyes looked up to the ceiling as she thought to herself… before smiling, "I'll pass. Goodbye!" Humming, the flower then quickly left the room. "See you later!"
Oricorio was alone now… and she groaned, waving her wings around in exasperation, "Why does nobody want to hang out and unwind on this team?! If only Dedenne and Skwovet weren't too busy… b-but I don't want to seem like I'm playing f-favorites…" A red blush formed on her face as her hands went to her face, "W-wait… that's implying I am the leader of this tribe… I haven't been doing so well voicing that I don't want to be the leader…"
Laughing nervously, Oricorio followed Gossifleur out of the cabin to head to the mess hall for breakfast and the cabin was empty for the first time today.
"I must admit… I slept past my usual bedtime and snuck out after curfew!" Gossifleur boasted, puffing up her chest in pride… before she deflated, smiling weakly, "Oh no… should I not just mention those since it ruins the point of doing such things?" She groaned, shaking her head, "I can't believe I'm failing already… which doesn't usually happen, funnily enough… so it by itself is already a pretty devious act, if you know what I mean!"
The grass-type attempted to do an 'evil' laugh, before she gagged, clearing her throat, "O-okay… that hurt. Maybe, I should tone it down…"
"Gossifleur is probably one of the more reserved people out here so obviously, I would be concerned…" Oricorio admitted sheepishly. "It always seems like she's fragile… so yeah… give me a Y! E! S! I agree with you, Oricorio! Oh wait… why am I even trying to engage in a conversation with the audience?!" Sighing, her head bobbed to the left, "I'm not the leader… but I'll see what I can get…"
Klinklang had a blank expression as he stared from the side of the mess hall, spying on Magcargo, who was heading out of it carrying a plate… FILLED with MUSH. It was basically a tall mush mountain! The snail was in a great mood as he carried this on his shell, slowing down once in a while to make sure it wouldn't fall off. Klinklang watched inquisitively in silence… until a voice called out from behind him.
"K… Klinklang? Is that you? Didn't take you to be the type to spy on people for no reason?" The gear Pokemon turned around to find Dedenne sizing him up with a curious look on his face. The mouse slowly walked past the gear to see what he was looking at, eyes narrowing, "So… who are you…" He cocked a brow, confused, "Magcargo? Okay… that's probably the least interesting person to spy on… after Vanilluxe, of course."
"... I was curious," Klinklang explained nonchalantly.
"Uhh… about what?" Dedenne looked unconvinced, folding his arms. "His favorite mush dishes? Doesn't sound too interesting if you ask me."
"... okay, you have a point there…" Klinklang begrudgingly admitted before shaking his head, "But to explain my side of things, I was following Magcargo. He says he was heading to the mess hall to eat but my processors are processing whether he may be hiding something from me."
"Magcargo's literally one of the most candid people on the island though?" Dedenne pointed out in disbelief. "'Fess up… did Floatzel infect you with his paranoia or something?"
Klinklang groaned, rolling his eyes, "That's a bold opinion. No, I was not quote unquote infected. I was genuinely curious about what Magcargo does in his free-time."
"That still doesn't make sense, don't you think?" Dedenne commented flatly.
"I'll be frank. He is my ally," Klinklang admitted candidly. "Yes, I am fine revealing that information. We 'hang out' sometimes and talk. Since we haven't lost a challenge yet, our partnership hasn't been too useful."
"Oh, I didn't take you to be… straightforward and honest with me, seeing as we haven't talked much before…" Dedenne admitted, surprised.
"It's compensation for the fact that I'm aware that…" Klinklang started before whispering quietly, "You, Skwovet and Oricorio are in some sort of alliance… and I have no problem with that. However, I believe it would be a boon if you add me and Magcargo to said alliance well."
"Actually, Vivillon's also in it," Dedenne corrected before quickly covering his mouth, stammering, "O-okay… fine, you're right… and well… I don't mind… I mean, either way, you two weren't exactly the people I want gone."
"That is great news. This alliance will serve us both well then," Klinklang remarked… before deadpanning, "Now that I'm done with business… were you spying on me perchance?"
"..." Dedenne's eyes shifted to the side. "I was just… around."
"... doubtful," Klinklang said dryly.
Dedenne laughed nervously, twiddling his fingers, "Okay fine… I was curious about what you were doing, since you seemed… robotic from the few talks we've had… NO offense obviously." He scratched his red cheek awkwardly, "But I think you're waaay different than what I expected?"
"I appreciate it?" Klinklang said, cocking a brow in confusion. "I am very unsurprised with the fact that you thought I was robotic though. It's not something I can change, it's just who I am."
"Uh-huh…" Dedenne muttered. "What do we talk about now? We're both down for an alliance… and I don't want to jinx ourselves by talking about the vote either…"
"We part ways… it's not like we came here together," Klinklang suggested nonchalantly.
"Okay?" Dedenne remarked in disappointment. "I honestly thought you would be more talkative with your allies…"
"There's no need for unnecessary chatter." Klinklang stated.
"I'll be leaving then?" Dedenne queried rhetorically.
"Alright. I'll be… here…" Klinklang drawled, eyes not even blinking.
Dedenne gaped at Klinklang's cold attitude. While he didn't expect much… he didn't think that the steel-type would be this logical and standoffish. He didn't want to give up on trying to get through to him… but it looked like he wasn't going to budge. Turning around to leave, he was quickly surprised to see MAGCARGO, of all people, staring right into his eyes widely.
"Aaaah, Magcargo?! You scared me…" Dedenne remarked, putting a hand to his chest in shock.
The snail in question was munching on a piece of mush, swallowing it before replying, "Hehe… I saw you guys, from the corner of my eyes so I thought to myself… wow, what are Klinklang and Dedenne doing? Then it hit me… is Klinklang making friends?! If so, I'm SO proud of you, Klinklang!"
"We're not friends. We have recently formed a partnership built on mutual preferences," Klinklang corrected dryly. Dedenne sighed at this, clearly annoyed. "What? Is it not true?"
"I mean… I can't exactly disagree…" Dedenne admitted, face-palming. "But you could've said you thought of me as a friend. I mean, I'm not exactly one of the annoying people on the island and I thought you would appreciate that."
"... then I shall correct myself. Magcargo… Dedenne here is a quote unquote friend," Klinklang revised with a blank expression.
Dedenne smiled, satisfied before turning back to the snail, "Oh! Seeing as you're here… us, Oricorio, Vivillon and Skwovet are now an alliance… yay!"
The fire and rock type blinked in confusion, "A… alliance? I'm confused."
"An alliance is a group of allies that will vote together, on the occasion we lose a challenge and face Nihilego in the campfire ceremony," Klinklang explained, floating closer. "I agreed since it's a group of people I find tolerable… so I am fine excluding Gossifleur, Cramorant, Gourgeist and Vanilluxe."
"Oh okay? I don't know much about alliances honestly," Magcargo started as he began to trail off, "Though, I wish we can keep winning since I do genuinely like everyone here… except for maybe Gourgeist. I think she appears in my nightmares for no reason. I don't know why. She's unsettling. Do we have to exclude the others though? I think they're all pretty good people and we might stay on this winning streak until the merge and-"
"It's the logical option for all of us," Klinklang interjected coolly. "We rub each other's backs and it keeps everyone who matters safe for at least four rounds."
"... I guess you have a point there…" Magcargo muttered before shaking his head, swiftly deciding to change the topic, "UHHMM… on another note, is anyone in the mood for mush!? Indeedee was in a really great mood earlier so he made me SECONDS and THIRDS… mmmm, I'm going to be sooo full today. BUT, you're both of my friends so I can share, if you want."
Dedenne's face turned green at the snail's suggestion, "Err… I would rather pass… no offense to Indeedee. His cooking is very… interesting?"
"Awww… how about you, Klinklang?"
"... I would have to refuse as well. I am still full," He lied nonchalantly.
"More mush for me then!" Magcargo exclaimed with a wide boasting grin. "You guys are really missing out. Indeedee made a new type of mush… it's called Tangy Orange Mushy Goodness, that mixes the wonders of Sitrus Berries, Oran Berries, Tanga Berries with his mystery meat. It even has a SMILE so it looks like it's staring into your soul and it gives me goosebumps…" He laughed weakly, adding, "But in a good way, of course!"
"I'll err… take your words for it…" Dedenne said, laughing nervously before quickly walking away. As he left, Magcargo turned to Klinklang with a proud expression.
"Wow, you're making friends at a faster rate than I expected!" He exclaimed. "I'm so glad. I was worried!"
"... why would you be?" Klinklang asked, intrigued.
"Well, you were a bit standoffish so everyone assumes you're really hard to get along with but in my HONEST opinion, you're a great person to hang with!" Magcargo explained with an enthusiastic look. "I'm so glad we're bunkmates!"
Klinklang stared at his bunkmate with a thoughtful expression, examining the words he just said, thinking of the perfect reply but found himself speechless, muttering quietly, "I guess I appreciate it."
The snail's eyes glimmered at the cold steel-type's compliment, jumping over (surprisingly high for someone heavy like him) to glomp him. Klinklang groaned in mild annoyance as the Magcargo brought him closer to show his blatant appreciation.
Bayleef gulped at the plate with the meal Empoleon prepared for him. It was an entire MOUNTAIN made up of mush with a bright yellow ooze drizzled all over it. The penguin faced him expectantly, arms folded. During the earlier days of the game, Empoleon's 'training regime' for Bayleef 'only' included a 'light' jog around camp and destroying boulders around the island… but the penguin felt that he would amp it up a 'tad bit', after the multiple losses his team suffered, which put him in a worse mood recently.
"E-Empoleon… don't you think this is…" Bayleef started, face red from embarrassment. "Overboard?"
Empoleon arched a brow, confused, "What are you talking about?! This is literally child's play. You need to fucking TRAIN, if you even want to help this team win. I am so sick of losing all of these challenges. After this, we are running around the island THEN we'll lift boulders."
"W-what?!" Bayleef paled at the penguin's suggestion, starting to feel overwhelmed. "I d-don't think I can e-even help in a body bag…"
"You're overreacting," Empoleon ignored his complaints, rolling his eyes. "You're stronger than that!"
"Are you s-sure?! I don't even think I can eat a single bite…" Bayleef shuddered, prodding the mush with his fork, "I t-think it just moved… I think t-t-this mush is ALIVE!"
"I know Indeedee's food is awful but it's not that awful," Empoleon tried to reassure the fellow starter, grabbing a spoonful of mush then quickly plopping it into his mouth, left eye twitching just from the rancid odor, "SEE! It's not bad once you get an acquired taste for it. I mean, that Magcargo on the other team likes it…"
"... I still don't know about it…" Bayleef muttered, vine quivering as he attempted to bring the spoon closer to his mouth, only for him to flinch as he looked away from the mush. "I… I…" He whimpered as his vine fell on the table, dropping the mush from the spoon. "I don't think I can do this…"
"Do you want to fucking starve and lose us the challenge?!" Empoleon snapped, smacking the side of the table in frustration. Bayleef squealed, eyes widening in shock.
"N-n-no?" He stammered, trying to gather his thoughts. "W-w-well… I don't want to be a burden or anything…"
"Then, fucking eat the mush," Empoleon threatened, scooping up a lot of mush into his spoon then raising it to the grass dinosaur's mouth. "I don't how you even fucking survived on this island, if you don't want to eat… you're seriously making me regret wanting to keep you for three eliminations…"
Bayleef gulped at this, "I-I'll uhhmm… do my best!" Reluctantly, he leaned forward to eat the mush on the spoon, eyes closed and blocking his nostrils with vines to mask the smell, gagging at the taste, "T-this is… y-yummier than expected?!"
"Of course it is. I made it!" Indeedee chimed in, stroking a knife gently as he tilted his head to the side with a sweet look. Bayleef and Empoleon both shared a shocked expression at this. The chef has somehow appeared from out of nowhere… Bayleef sweatdropped, silently making a mental note not to criticize the chef's cooking, on the off-chance he appeared from out of nowhere. "How is it? I'm trying to change up my recipes and add up other ingredients into them. It makes the mush so much better, don't you think?"
"... it's good," Empoleon managed to comment, successful in composing himself. "Though, might need more aragu-" He paused, upon noticing Indeedee's expression darken as his eyes started twitching. "Uhh… you know what?! It's fucking good already. No need for any improvements. You're a good chef, Indeedee!"
Indeedee's warm smile returned as he waved the kitchen knife around playfully, "Thank you! Do you want more? I'm in a good mood right now!"
"... we'll pass. We're going to be full after we finish this," Empoleon lied flatly.
"Aww… that's fine… but if you ever want more, don't hesitate to call for me!" Indeedee mused, waving his knife at the penguin's face, winking at him playfully. "Anyways, I'll be going and cooking LUNCH!"
Empoleon and Bayleef exchanged an unsure look as the chef went back to his kitchen…well, not before stabbing the door with his knife before opening it for no reason, turning to face the duo with a chuckle before finally leaving the room.
Bayleef blinked, shrinking even further back onto his chair, "Indeedee m-m-might be scarier than you…"
"You think I'm scary?!" Empoleon retorted, looking offended. He groaned, face-palming as he shook his head slowly, "You know what… I'm not in the mood to argue with you. We need to keep our spirits HIGH if we even want to win the challenge. The psychotic pumpkin carrying their team, not one… not two… but THREE challenges in a row?! It's looking more and more rigged!"
Bayleef nodded weakly in agreement, "I k-know… you mentioned that so many times already…"
"I'm venting!" The penguin defended himself in exasperation. "It's just SO annoying… ugh, I'll be really pissed if we lose another fucking challenge… like really really really fucking pissed." Bayleef gulped as Empoleon casually shattered a glass that was on the table in frustration. "You know how I feel, right?!"
"... meep…" Bayleef replied, as he looked down in fear.
"UGH! Do you think that pumpkin bitch is cheating or what?! She can't be that unbeatable… this is just ridiculous!" Empoleon growled, slamming his flipper on the table with enough force to make it creak. His grimace twisted into a smirk as he flexed his fins, making the dinosaur lean back on his chair, sweating profusely. "I mean, look at this, Bayleef! I'm not built to lose this many challenges! You get what I'm saying, right? That pumpkin better be sharing her damn training routine… UGH!"
Bayleef nodded quickly, doing his best to avoid triggering the penguin's temper further. "Y-yeah… I d-don't get it either. I mean, how does she k-keep pulling this off? L-last challenge was our best shot at beating her, but…" He hesitated, nervously rubbing his vine against the back of his neck. "...some people weren't exactly willing to share their secrets and—"
"Damn right!" Empoleon interrupted, punching the table again, though this time he followed it up with a thumbs-up. "You're fucking right about that! And let me tell you… if someone tries to tell me their secret is collecting toenails… oh, they are DEAD to me!"
"U-uhm… t-that wasn't me if it helps…" Bayleef whispered, vine quivering as it scratched the dinosaur's back. His skin was basically crawling. If this was what Empoleon felt after losing thrice, he didn't want to see him after a potential fourth loss. "I… uhm… don't think I had my secret revealed even…"
Empoleon softened slightly, letting out a loud huff before giving Bayleef a reassuring pat on the back. "And I believe you! You've been trained by me, Bayleef! You're not a loser! You've got grit. You've got potential." He managed a small, genuine smile… which didn't help ease the dinosaur's worries at all.
"Uhm… thanks?" Bayleef replied, tone dripping with uncertainty. "I don't know what you see in me b-but… I… uhm… appreciate it. I wouldn't b-be in this game without your support."
Empoleon bellowed out heartily as he shook his head, "Bayleef! I didn't do anything. That's your own fucking strength! All those times we've spent running around the island and breaking rocks all paid off! You're not going to vote off that easily now!"
"I'm not sure if I was completely safe back there…" Bayleef murmured before giving the penguin an inquistive stare, "B-by the way… why did you end up voting for Musharna? I voted against Magearna. I t-think Musharna had a point back then…"
Empoleon pinched the bridge of his beak, his tone dripping with frustration. "Is it not obvious? Musharna might've been right 'bout some things back then... but come on, she was fucking useless!. Not a single challenge was she useful for the team! And I think you know that she sleeps all the damn time! And as far as I'm concerned, Magearna, even if she's also useless, was still better than Musharna in these challenges!"
Bayleef nodded slowly, his head drooping until his neck rested on the edge of the table. He sighed hopefully, "I guess that makes sense... I just really hope we can start winning soon."
"You don't have to tell me twice! Now, start eating to help us win!" Empoleon yelled out, making Bayleef almost fall off his seat from shock..
Bayleef glanced nervously at his plate of unappetizing, lumpy mush. He gulped, his expression a mix of resignation and dread. "...Y-yeah, sure thing," He muttered, poking at the food with his vine, shuddering as he felt his vine sink into the mush.
"Empoleon has a r-r-really short temper… I'm s-s-starting to wonder… m-m-maybe I should find people w-who I'm not actually scared of… b-b-but then again… I think everyone has i-intimidated me in some way… so I'm not sure…" Bayleef remarked, shivering in fear. "W-w-why did I even sign up for this if I'm just going to be scared of everything?! Or i-is it just because of Empoleon? A-at this point, I don't know…"
He whimpered, slamming his head on the wall, "I t-think Unfezant, Pikachu and M-Musharna were the lucky ones…"
Vanilluxe peered cautiously from the side of the Shining Shuppet cabin, his eyes darting toward the door. He was waiting… hoping, really… for Chansey to step out so they could finally have a conversation. Or at least, that was the plan. Talking to people wasn't exactly his strong suit. If anything, he was the kind of Pokémon who waited for others to approach him. But today, he wanted to take a proactive approach for once.
He could already hear the teasing remarks his friends would throw his way if he chickened out again.
"Classic Lake… always backing out at the last second," A familiar, mocking voice echoed in his head. It belonged to Gholdengo, a co-worker who just can't keep his mouth shut whenever he has something in his mind. Vanilluxe could practically see him rolling his golden eyes as he jeered from afar.
Vanilluxe's cheeks flushed pink, just thinking about this. YES, they were friends… but he didn't need to read him to filth like that. He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve. "Any moment now… Chansey's going to head out for breakfast and…"
He could feel his heartbeat quicken as the door clicked open, but he immediately braced himself, the sound of his teeth clicking together in nervous anticipation. The door creaked wider, and his heart raced… until, to his dismay, Sableye stumbled out instead.
The gremlin wobbled precariously on the cabin stairs, nearly slipping into one of the gaps. He caught himself at the last moment, sighing in relief at making it on the ground safely. He then turned around, his gemstone eyes meeting Vanilluxe's, who he had heard from his nervous teeth chattering.
"Ice cream man?" Sableye called out, his voice dripping with confusion as he stared at Vanilluxe, clearly unsure of who he was. Vanilluxe deadpanned, the flush on his face deepening as he let out a half-hearted sigh.
"I-it's Vanilluxe! Get it right, okay?" He snapped, his voice lowering to a mere whisper. "I'm surprised you don't know my name, especially since you're one of the ones always groaning at my jokes..."
Sableye tilted his head, genuinely perplexed. "What? I never do that! I think your jokes are neat!"
Vanilluxe blinked in disbelief, his gaze flickering to the ground. "Well… thanks, I guess…"
"So, uh… what are you doing hiding over there?" Sableye asked, now twiddling his fingers awkwardly. "Heh, if Floatzel saw you, he'd think you're up to something!" He leaned in closer, baring his sharp teeth as he laughed shakily, "Are you playing hide and seek? Can I play? I'm not great at hiding... or seeking, but I can try! Hehe..."
"What?" Vanilluxe gawked, eyes widening in confusion before he immediately averted his gaze, mouthing out poutily, "I-I was waiting for Chansey. I wasn't playing games or doing anything suspicious! Honest! Look into my ice and you'd see the truth!"
"Look into my eyes… look into my ice?" Sableye muttered before bursting into exagerrated laughter… then stopping abruptly. "I don't get it."
"It was a joke!" Vanilluxe explained after groaning in exasperation.
"Ah… uhh… so is it supposed to be funny? Should I be laughing?" Sableye asked, rubbing his ears awkwardly.
"If you think it's funny… then… yes!" Vanilluxe answered.
Sableye still looked confused but he managed a small awkward smile. "A-ah! I guess that makes a lot of sense. Your joke was neat!"
"But was it funny?" Vanilluxe asked expectantly.
"Uhhhhh-"
Vanilluxe sighed, looking away in embarrassment. "I get it if you didn't think it was funny. I'm working on it. I'm not really the master at comedy or anything…"
"I think it was fine!" Sableye said reassuringly.
"Just fine?" Vanilluxe repeated, his voice tinged with mild disappointment as he mulled over the feedback. Regardless, he nodded, smiling weakly. "Well, I guess that's better than outright hating it! Thanks for the input! I appreciate it, dude!"
"No problem! I'm just happy to help!" Sableye remarked, grinning from ear to ear.
"I don't think my team… trusts me too much, h-hehe…"Sableye confessed, nervously rubbing his arm as his gaze dropped to the floor. After a moment, he glanced back at the camera, his jewel-like eyes clouded with unease. "Nobody told me that they wanted Musharna to leave instead so I was the only one who ended up voting for Bayleef so uhh… v-very awkward, hahahaha…"
His forced laughter trailed off into a long, weary sigh as he scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe it's because of the eating trash thing… I already said I'd stop and I did! Unless if they count Indeedee's mush as trash but that'd be uhh… unfair, right?"
"Chansey never did end up showing up…" Vanilluxe whimpered, teary-eyed.
Inside the cabin, Teddiursa, Chansey and Floatzel were all gathered inside the girls' side of the cabin, at the little bear's request. She was eager to check in with them after the results of the last vote.
"Mkay… about last night so like… that happened, huh!?" Teddiursa began, clasping her paws together as her eyes darted between her two companions. "I hope Musharna is not too mad at me for that, OWO! But it just had to happen! She was being very suspicious and she wasn't really helping in challenges so I guess that's why Empy joined in on the vote!"
Floatzel leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his gaze steady. He nodded firmly. "That does make sense. But, I have to admit…" His tone shifted to that of concern. "I was shocked to find out you girls had an alliance. And then…" He hesitated, his eyes narrowing as his voice dropped. "...Sableye? What was that all about?"
Teddiursa's eyes widened as she threw her paws up in exasperation. "It wasn't my idea! Musharna and Magearna just told me that he was just part of the alliance now… without MY consent!" She exlaimed, doing exagerrated jazz hands. "Trust me, I was shocked too!"
"That is odd…" Chansey noted, biting her lip nervously. She didn't want to distrust Lady Magearna… but… "She didn't tell me about that beforehand… I wasn't even informed until it was close to the elimination ceremony where we voted Pikachu off…"
"If she didn't even bother to tell you, of all people… then… perhaps, Musharna's claims hold more water than we think." Floatzel remarked, closing his eyes in thought.
Teddiursa put a paw to her lips, tilting her head slightly. "Hmm… Floatzy, weren't you investigating something in this game or whatevs? UWU… perhaps, Magy is the one you're looking for!"
" I don't think so…" Floatzel intoned, shaking his head. "She's a Mythical Pokemon… anything she does is highly scrutinized. She's never going to slip under the cracks… I can even surmise that once the general public knows about the cast, they'd all be looking at her first."
"Uh-huh! Guess that makes sense!" Teddiursa mused until her eyes lit up. "UNLESS… she's hiding in plain sight!"
Chansey laughed nervously, putting a hand to her chest. "Can we not talk as if Magearna is some… villainess? She's only playing the game, like everyone else is!"
"Mhm… but you can't deny that it's sus, when she's trying to present herself as a relatable girlie, who donates to charity and some shit!" Teddiursa pointed out, resting her face on her palms as her eyes shifted to stare at the ceiling.
"I'm sure Magearna has a valid reason for all of this!" Chansey assured, looking to the side, with an unsure expression.
"Well… I'll be laying low." Floatzel said flatly. "Thank you for telling me about the alliance… even if it's outdated information."
"No prob! I'll be doing the same too, UWU!" Teddiursa said, nodding in agreement.
"EVERYONE! IT'S TIME FOR THE CHALLENGE! PLEASE HEAD TO THE FIELDS! IT'S A SHORT WALK AWAY FROM CAMP!"
The campers had been summoned to a serene open field tucked deep within the woods. The area was adorned with a vibrant array of flowers in every imaginable color. Yet, what stood out the most was the massive mountain smack in the middle of the field, complete with a cave carved into its side with a tunnel opening on both sides.
As the campers exchanged puzzled looks, Nihilego floated into view, waving enthusiastically at them. The group's confusion only grew. None of them remembered seeing this field, let alone a mountain or cave, even being here.. Next to Nihilego sat Poipole, utterly engrossed in playing with miniature figurines of Ultra Beasts on the ground.
"Hello, campers! Is everyone ready for the next challenge?!" Nihilego called out, her voice brimming with excitement as her tentacles flailed around.
"Hello campers. Is everyone ready for the next challenge?!" The jellyfish questioned rhetorically, waving her tentacles around.
Teddiursa raised her paw, tilting her head in confusion. "Uhm… I didn't know we had a mountain, a cave, or a flower meadow on this island… X_X"
"What? We've always had a cave! What are you talking about?!" Nihilego exclaimed, her tone shifting slightly as her body quivered. Her eyes darted nervously to the side as she let out a forced laugh, her mind flashing back to the events of last night.
"You did WHAT?!" Nihilego's left eye twitched furiously as she stared at Poipole, who stood before her wearing a sheepish grin. He scratched his chin awkwardly with one hand while casually holding a lit stick of dynamite in the other. "Who even let you have dynamite?!" Nihilego snapped, tentacles curling to show her frustration. "I explicitly told the staff not to give you any explosives! I knew something like this would happen!"
"Uhmmm…" Poipole stammered, his nervous laugh trailing off as he shuffled his feet. "Well… I didn't think it'd make that big of an explosion," He offered in weak defense. "I just lit the dynamite, and boom! It blew the whole side of the mountain open!"
"Poipole…"
"What?"
"Please throw that dynamite somewhere far far away… it's making me feel uneasy," Nihilego requested, deadpanning. "We don't want you to blow something else up…"
"Can I throw it into the mess hall?" Poipole asked, batting his eyelashes faux-innocently.
"NO! Indeedee will literally kill you," Nihilego warned… before adding, "TWICE!"
"Awww…"
Nihilego clasped her tentacles together, letting out a weak laugh. "Oookay… let's just drop the whole cave thing, shall we? For the record, this mountain and field have always been here. You guys just don't explore enough."
Gossifleur raised a hand hesitantly, tilting her head. "I've been taking long walks around the island for days now, and I've never seen this place before…"
"Well," Nihilego said with a dismissive wave of her tentacle, "clearly, you haven't taken a really long walk around the island. But we're burning daylight, folks! This challenge might take a while, so let's get to it. It's a little thing called… Spelunking!"
"Spe… lunking?" Sableye blinked in confusion. "Oookay… what's the real challenge?"
"Sableye, are you serious?" Nihilego groaned, exasperated. "Spelunking is literally the word for what you'll be doing! But fine, let me spell it out for you. In simple terms: you'll be exploring these tunnels. There are two of them. The one closest to us will be for Team Shuppet, and the one on the other side of the mountain will be for Team Trubbish. Don't even ask why this mountain is so… thin, okay?"
Nihilego continued, eyes glistening in awe. "Deep inside the cave… lies a marvelous stash of DIAMONDS that we've placed just for this challenge. The task is simple. Traverse through the caves, find a diamond and bring it back to the surface! But here's the catch, your whole team has to be back outside with the diamond. So if you lose anyone inside…" She shrugged nonchalantly. "Then tough luck, I guess. You'd be better off counting votes for your elimination ceremony later tonight."
"That sounds easy enough," Empoleon said with a confident smirk, crossing his flippers.
"Sure, sure, go ahead and think that," Nihilego replied with a sly grin, her voice dropping into an ominous tone. "You'll see soon enough that it's not as easy as it sounds." She clapped her tentacles together as she then declared, "Take your positions so we can begin!"
The campers all exchanged uneasy glances before scrambling to their respective starting positions.
Poipole stood nearby, a mischievous grin on his face as he held a gun aloft. "Alright, everyone, on your marks… get set… GOOOOO!" He pulled the trigger,covering an ear haphazardly only for the gun to make a feeble 'BANG' sound as a flag popped out. His shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Aw…"
With that, the contestants dashed into their assigned tunnels, the challenge officially underway!
"Spelunking? It sounds so interesting. I think it was on my bucket list once," Magcargo recalled, with a wide grin. "I wonder what we'll find… and diamonds are very shiny too. I think this might be the funnest challenge ever!"
Sableye's eyes were glimmering as he gaped at the camera, "D-diamonds?! Gah! Sableye, pull yourself together… b-but… hehehe…" The Sableye grinned widely as he tilted his head to the side… only to groan as he hit his head on the wall again.
"I'm honestly curious about what we'll find in these caves…" Gossifleur said to herself, giggling. "Though… maybe, NOW's the best time for me… to have some fun for myself?!" She paused after she said this before sighing, "Okay… that sounded rude…"
"HURRY UP! WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!" Empoleon yelled, turning back to the around members of the Shuppets, who were already starting to get tired. "This is literally a straight hallway so we need to find those diamonds FAST, if we even want a chance of winning!"
"Y-you're too fast! The challenge hasn't even been five minutes yet!" Sableye pointed out, already out of breath as he lagged behind the group. Bayleef, who was nearby, gave him a sympathetic stare. "I d-don't think I can… even…"
"Do you want to lose?!" Empoleon threatened, clenching a fist.
"N-no!" Sableye muttered, sweating profusely.
"Hey no. Don't threaten people. We need to pace ourselves… if we use up all of our energy… we'll really fall behind in the longrun," Magearna pointed out, twiddling her fingers as she floated pass the penguin. "Let's take a short breather and gather our energy? Or… slow down to a jogging pace, maybe?"
"... fine…" Empoleon begrudgingly agreed, face-palming… before groaning as Teddiursa and Sableye both decided to collapse from exhaustion at that moment. "SERIOUSLY?! You're both down for the count already?!"
"UWU! I don't run much, tee hee…" Teddiursa admitted, lifting her head off the ground. "Awks… so much… walking…"
Before Empoleon can interject, Chansey chimed in with a nervous look, "Bayleef, you can carry Sableye and Floatzel, you can have Teddiursa ride on your back while they can recover their energy. If we get too exhausted, I can use Softboiled to recover everyone's energy." Floatzel's face turned red at this suggestion while Bayleef looked a bit unsure.
"Or better idea… some of us stay behind while the rest look for the diamond? They didn't say we all have to go find the diamond together!" Teddiursa pointed out, putting a hand to her waist. "I don't think Floatzel would appreciate carrying me throughout this whole thing anyway~"
"... yes… you're right…" Floatzel murmured, laughing nervously.
"Ugh! You two can do that then," Empoleon commented, exasperated. "The rest can look for the diamonds… but you better fucking be at the exit and not get lost!"
"It's literally a straight hallway. You're panicking too much!" Teddiursa shrugged indifferently, winking playfully.
"... true…" Empoleon admitted, nodding.
"Then, Sableye and I will be heading back then!" Teddiursa chirped, turning around to go back in the direction they headed from. "Ready, Sableye?"
"Uhmm… c-can't we have a break first?" Sableye requested.
"Sure… I guessies…" Teddiursa sighed in exasperation, shaking her head. "Anyways, you guys can go ahead. The other team might be ahead of us by now."
"... right," Empoleon said before resuming to run… slower than earlier, but well… it was still faster than the rest… deeper into the straight hallway.
"Stay safe, you two…" Chansey said, bowing politely before scampering after the penguin with Bayleef, Floatzel and Magearna reluctantly bringing up the rear.
Soon enough, Teddiursa and Sableye were alone, with the little gremlin groaning as he face-planted on the floor. Teddiursa winced, feeling pity towards him, looking away quickly.
"Ouch…" Sableye groaned to himself as he struggled to get back his used up energy.
The Trubbish were walking in a mostly straight file, due to Oricorio's suggestion with the cheerleader herself in front with Magcargo bringing up the rear. The snail was thinking to himself as he was absentmindedly staring at the walls of the cave.
"Wow… it looks so… stony… wait… that doesn't sound too interesting. Am I seriously thinking about walls and rocks at a time like this?"
Magcargo chuckled at his own thoughts, confusing a nearby Gossifleur. "Magcargo, are you alright?" The flower chimed in, breaking the snail out of his thoughts. "You look… distracted… well, more than usual."
"I was thinking about caves!" Magcargo explained, smiling weakly. "Since… well… the walls look very wall-like!"
"It's a wall for a reason," Gossifleur pointed out, still confused. "What were you thinking about really? I will prod you until you share the information because I am not willing to stay out of this conversation like a polite little goodie two shoes of a girl!" Magcargo and Gossifleur then blinked simultaneously with the snail coughing at the flower's awkward phrasing.
"Uhh… say what now?" He asked, cocking a brow.
"Oh uhhmm… you know what… forget everything I said…" Gossifleur retracted her statement, face burning up from embarrassment. "I will be… err… leaving this conversation now…" The flower nervously skittered ahead of the snail, quickly clinging onto a nearby Skwovet, who was shocked by her sudden appearance.
Seeing this, Magcargo blinked… thinking to himself as usual, "Wow… Gossifleur is… interesting, to say the least. I will admit it… we haven't exactly bonded as much as I liked but wow, she's more interesting than I expected. Maybe, we should talk more but then again, she didn't come to my celebration party after our last win…"
CRACK…
"Hmm… what was that sound? It almost sounded like cracking… if I were to compare it to something, I would say, a plastic bag being crumpled up to a smaller size then swallowed then churning in your stomach as you realize that you can't digest it… wait no… that doesn't sound right…"
The snail then looked up as rubble was falling off of the ceiling. "Wow… rubble rain! This is very very-"
THUUUUUUUUD!
Magcargo's eyes widened as he could barely react to the floor he was walking on… suddenly COLLAPSED, making him fall to the groun below. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
His scream quickly alerted the Trubbishes in front of him, with Oricorio quickly making her way to the back of the pack, gasping to find Magcargo having fallen down into a pit. "M-Magcargo?!
The snail groaned as he was crumpled on the floor of the chamber that was through the pit he fell through. Lifting his head weakly, he looked up to see Oricorio looking down on him, "Oricorio? What happened? For some reason, there's a sharp pain all over my body, as if I fell about… three storeys high."
"... you fell into a pit… or the ground was very unstable," Oricorio answered, concerned. She then turned to the other Trubbishes, examining them individually. "So… does anyone have any ideas how to save Magcargo from… this really deep pit? Wait… it doesn't even look like a pit. He looked like he's in a very spacious chamber."
"Arceus… so much for a straight hallway adventure, huh?" Dedenne groaned in annoyance. "Can't either you, Klingklang or Vivillon carry him back here? We can't afford to lose anyone since everyone needs to leave this cave to win…"
"... are you fucking serious? Magcargo is really heavy," Vivillon argued, rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to waste my energy trying and failing to lift him off the ground. Not even if you pay me a million Pokedollars sin-"
"You're rich. We know," Dedenne drawled flatly.
"I can't carry Magcargo either," Oricorio admitted before turning to Klinklang expectantly, "How about you, Klinklang? Maybe, you might have better luck?"
"You seem to be forgetting my lack of apendages," Klingklang reminded her with a nonchalant expression.
"Then, how are we going to save Magcargo?!" Oricorio questioned, sighing to herself. "Like Dedenne said… if we can't even get him back… it wouldn't even matter if we leave with a diamond. We're missing one player."
"Maybe, Nihilego should've given us spelunking gear for this…" Vanilluxe remarked, laughing nervously.
"Gourgeist, can't you like… use your vines to like… help?" Cramorant questioned the pumpkin, eyes unfocused as she stared at her phone. "Or like… is that something you can't do?"
Gourgeist shrugged, smiling widely, "I don't think I can even carry someone as heavy as Magcargo, even if people falsely accused me to be too overpowered. It was dumb luck, I'm telling you!"
"Uh-huh?" Cramorant remarked in disbelief.
"So… Magcargo is stuck there?" Oricorio said, face-palming. "Wait… I have an idea… two to three of us can head back and ask Nihilego for help. There's no rules against that, right? And Nihilego didn't mention everyone being required to reach the chamber with the diamonds together. She only said everyone had to be outside with the diamond… so we can do that!"
"Ooooh… I LOVE loopholes!" Skwovet commented, a grin forming on his face… which quickly disappeared as Gossifleur clung to his arm tighter.
Klingklang nodded in agreement, "I believe so… if that were the case… I suggest Gossifleur and Gourgeist can head together back outside, to call for help. Magcargo… you can stay there and keep yourself busy. Help is on the way."
Magcargo blinked… before smiling widely, "Okay! I'll be fine. I ALWAYS wanted to be trapped in a cave once… it's all for the experience!" Klinklang sighed at the snail's overwhelming positivity. He could never get used to it honestly.
"Err… okay? But what if Gourgeist and I also fall into a pit while calling for help?" Gossifleur asked, raising a hand.
"Just watch your step and don't get distracted," Oricorio suggested before turning around in the opposite direction. "Anyways… let's all get going… the other team might be ahead of us by now."
"Okay!" Skwovet sighed in relief as he escaped the flower's clutches… for now, following after the cheerleader deeper into the cave. "Everyone, let's get going. Don't fall into any pitfalls, unless you wanna die!"
"Like, you don't have to tell us twice," Cramorant rolled her eyes as she brought up the rear with Klinklang, Dedenne, Vanilluxe and Vivillon.
Gossifleur turned to Gourgeist, smiling warmly as they were left behind, "Let's get going? The sooner we save Magcargo, the better!"
"What if I don't want to save him?" Gourgeist pouted childishly.
"Wait what?!" Gossifleur blinked in surprise.
Gourgeist giggled, patting the flower on the head, before walking back to where they came from, "I was joking… MOSTLY!" Gossifleur gaped at the pumpkin's back for a short while… before her eyes surprisingly glimmered with interest.
"WOW! Gourgeist… is interesting. I can LEARN a lot from her," Gossifleur muttered to herself.
The pumpkin turned back to her, deadpanning, "Hey… are you coming?"
"O-oh… okay! Wait a second!" Gossifleur stammered, skittering to her, masterfully avoiding the hole that Magcargo made on the floor.
"Gourgeist scares me… but I just realized… she might be the perfect person to teach me how to be a 'bad girl'!" Gossifleur said, swaying her head from side to side in happiness. "Do I have to sleep late? Sleep in? Throw toilet paper around and leave the faucet running? I am so excited to learn more!"
"Guys… we have a problem…" Empoleon called out to the Shuppets behind him.
Magearna stepped forward, peering over his shoulder. Her mechanical eyes widened as she took in the sight before them—a vast chamber with not one, not two, but ten branching passageways. The dimly lit cavern loomed with an almost taunting presence, each hallway stretching into the darkness. The Mythical Pokémon blinked in disbelief, taking a step back
"Okay… t-this has to be a joke, right?" She remarked, eyes wide. "How are we going to find the diamonds if there are too many directions to choose from?!"
Floatzel leaned agains the cave wall, folding his arms. "Maybe, we can force our way through this and dig using our moves?" He tipped his hat, muttering, "I'm not exactly in the mood to waste my time, walking through all of these hallways and potentially getting lost. Nihilego must think it's some sick joke, putting us through this… mess of a challenge."
"I d-don't think we should be rash…" Chansey piped up, twiddling her fingers. "If we get too rough… the cave might collapse on itself… and we might not even make it out alive, let alone find the diamonds in the first place."
"What if we split up then?" Magearna suggested, shrugging. "We can cover more ground that way."
"Splitting up sounds like a recipe for disaster," Empoleon countered in disbelief. "We need to leave this cave together, remember?! Splitting up just increases the chances of anyone getting lost…"
"B-but it will take us ages to check every nook and cranny for the diamonds!" Magearna retorted, waving her arms around in frustration. "We need to take our chances and split up… if we get lost… then I'll be the biggest person and say that whoever gets lost can be the target for elimination, if we lose…"
The penguin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Are you sure about that?"
"Of course… we are on a losing streak… if we don't pull ourselves together, we'll have no choice but to trim the fat," Magearna affirmed, nodding. "Chansey and I can go together. Bayleef and Floatzel are a group. And Empoleon, since you're confident… you can go on your own."
Empoleon blinked… before smirking confidently, "I'm fine with that. I don't need anyone to drag me down!"
Floatzel smiled weakly, scratching the back of his head, "Wouldn't you prefer being with Bayleef?"
"Eh, he can handle himself," Empoleon said flippantly. The dinosaur whimpered as he nodded reluctantly in agreement. "Let's head out and start choosing which direction each of us will take."
"Alright then, let's move," Magearna instructed. The group stepped into the chamber, spreading out to discuss which path they'd take.
Magearna placed a reassuring hand on Chansey's shoulder, offering a small smile. "Chansey, what do you think? Which direction should we take?"
Chansey looked startled, scratching her cheek weakly, "What? You're asking me? I think it would be best if we trust in your judgement, Lady Magearna… you're a Mythical Pokemon so you know more than us after all."
"Not necessarily, " Magearna corrected with a sigh. "I don't exactly have any experience with caves… and to say the least, I'm still a bit feeling unwell after my poor position at the last campfire ceremony…"
"Uh… okay then. I don't want to stress you out too much, La- err… Magearna. Let's head to…" Chansey turned to look at the multiple passageways leading out of the chamber before pointing to a random one. "That way!"
Magearna deadpanned, "That's where we came from."
"Oh… I apologize… I got absent-minded there…" Chansey looked sheepish before pointing to another direction to her left, "How about that way?"
"I'm fine with that," Magearna intoned, shrugging as she led the nurse and herself to that direction, leaving the chamber… well, not before signalling to the rest of the Shuppets where they were heading so that nobody would accidentally follow them.
"I'll be honest… I'm absolutely willing to… sully my hands to get far in this game," Magearna admitted with a cold expression. "The last round may have been a win for me… but I don't feel too safe, in my position. Thankfully, Chansey fully trusts me…" She laughed dryly, looking down, "I almost feel bad for her…"
Meanwhile, Bayleef whimpered as Floatzel kept prodding him for which direction they were heading after Empoleon also went through another hallway, "Bayleef, where are we heading?! Empoleon trusts you for some reason… so I guess you're more competent than you look. So which way?!"
Bayleef's face morphed into a grimace as the weasel leaned closer to him, shaking visibly as their eyes met, "W-wait?! You're asking ME?! I don't know ANYTHING a-about cave… w-what makes you think I'm q-q-q-qualified to even make this decision…"
"Empoleon trusts you," Floatzel said simply.
"W-w-w-w-what?!" Bayleef whined, head bobbing around as he struggled to comprehend this. "I don't think… I d-don't think it should be me. M-m-maybe, YOU should be the one choosing which way we should go."
"Uh-huh… sure," Floatzel looked unamused, rolling his eyes before turning to a random direction, pointing to a hallway he knew nobody had passed through yet, "We're going there then." The dinosaur gulped as he nodded, following after the weasel.
The remaining seven Trubbish were still tense after the whole mishap with Magcargo as they continued to proceed through the increasingly dark hallway. Nobody was even bothering to talk… or well, until Vivillon decided to break the silence with an exasperated look on her face.
"Are we seriously not talking?!" She complained, rolling her eyes. "My wings are already starting to get EXHAUSTED and this boring silence is not helping."
"The morale is in the rocks…" Vanilluxe said, forcing a smile. "Get it? Since the cave has a lot of rocks?!" He groaned as nobody reacted. "To put it simply, M-Magcargo falling through… really dampened everyone's mood and I honestly don't know what we can even talk about…"
"Uhhmm… we can talk about how prettier and more superior I am," Vivillon suggested… scoffing as everyone groaned loudly. "Why are you all complaining?! It's better than this deafening silence!"
"... uhhh… maybe, I can tell a joke?" Vanilluxe suggested, inciting groans from the rest of his teammates again. "OOKAY… wow, I know I'm ice cream but I could never get used to the… cold reception like this! Get it?!"
"Hard pass. I'd rather talk about my own life," Skwovet drawled sarcastically before pausing, sweating as he looked to the side. "Okay, you know what… maybe I'm pushing it too much. Vanilluxe, I'm fine with you giving us a few more jokes."
"UGH, we better find those diamonds ASAP! I think I'm already starting to get crazy…" Vivillon grumbled, rolling her eyes. "It feels like we've been walking through the same hallway all over and over again… when will it even END?!"
"You're overreacting. Nihilego just wanted this to be a tough challenge so these hallways are always going to be long," Oricorio reassured her with a warm expression. "Only a few minutes and we'll find the…" She then stopped as she saw something in the distance. "... diamonds?" The rest of her team grunted as they bumped into her accidentally, surprised that she stopped walking.
"Oricorio?! What's the problem? I thought we were supposed to be walking in a straight file here…" Dedenne queried, cocking a brow. He peeked over the bird's shoulder, looking more confused at what he saw. "Ookay… is this… normal?"
"What's going on?! Is it tentacles about to MAIM us?!" Cramorant queried, squealing with anticipation. She squinted to see what was closing in from the distance…
It was… a Sunflora? Wait no… for some reason, it looked way different with dark bulging eyes and an ominous closed smile that gave most of the team chills. Oricorio blinked, laughing nervously as she turned to her teammates, "So… are Sunflora usually found in caves? Or did they get… lost, for no reason. I think Nihilego would've known about this… r-right?!"
"Uhh… what?! A Sunflora? That doesn't sound too interesting," Skwovet raised a brow, crossing his arms. "I thought you saw something like a pile of dynamite or something…"
Klingklang deadpanned, as he faced the squirrel, "Usually, it would be an uninteresting sight… but given the circumstances… it is a bit… uncanny. I mean, checking my database, I believe Sunflora shouldn't be roaming underground. They need sunlight for energy… which they can't exactly attain underground where it's mostly dark…" He flinched as the Sunflora turned to his direction and started to speak.
"Boy! I've never seen you guys around these parts!" The Sunflora mused in a… strangely cheerful tone. "I'm Flowey the Sunflora! Do you want some LOVE!"
"..."
"..."
"Did he just say his name was FLOWEY?!" Cramorant raised her voice, putting a wing over her beak. "LOL… talk about lack of originality, am I right?"
"I don't think now's the right time to tell jokes." Klinklang said, starting to back away slowly. He had a VERY bad feeling about this.
"He's just a Sunflora. I don't see the problem here." Oricorio commented, looking to the side.
Dedenne gave the cheerleader a look, face-palming. "It's a Sunflora who is offering to give us love from out of nowhere!" He pointed out, "If this isn't raising red flags to any of you then I don't even know what to say."
"Uhhmm… can somebody stomp on it?" Vivillon requested, dead-panning. "I am getting dreadful vibes… specifically, those that belong to a creep…" She paused before taking a deep breath. "Do I have to pay him… or her to go away?"
"You can pay ME to go away-" Skwovet suggested, only to cry out in pain as the butterfly slapped him in the face in exasperation. "Okay… what was THAT for?! It was just a joke!"
"You were being very rude!" Vivillon huffed before turning back to the Sunflora. "Anyways, what do we do about… that? They're blocking the way. We have diamonds that need to be found!"
Oricorio nodded as she walked over to the Sunflora, "Er, if this sounds offensive, I apologize in advance but I don't think we have any time for your love since we're actually competitors in a reality tv show and we have to go deeper in the cave and well, you're quite wide and blocking the rode. So can you give me a P! Give me a L! Give me a S! Please move away!"
Sunflora blinked, tilting her head to the side, "Aw shucks, I apologize. I just wanna share my LOVE with y'all. I promise it won't take too long. It's just gonna be a sec-"
"El oh el, omigosh… you remind me of those incels online who are so tryhard and keep acting clingy, thinking that'll get them a girlfriend," Cramorant accidentally spoke out loud… before her eyes widened as she quickly covered her mouth. Sunflora's… expression quickly dropped.
"Gee… I don't know why you're deciding to insult me… but…" A malicious grin appeared on the Sunflora's face. "At least, I won't feel bad killing all of you."
"Lol," Cramorant said simply, laughing. "You almost sound like you're going to kill us." Cramorant then noticed that her teammates were all slowly taking a step away from Sunflora, making her gulp. "G-guys?! What are you like… doing? It's just a Sunflora, it's not like they could actually do anything." The bird laughed loudly… or well, until her eyes widened as a vine emerged from the ground next to her… and the vine was riddled with sharp thorns. "W-w-w-wha?!"
"GUYS! RUUUUN!" Oricorio yelled as she began running to the opposite direction with the rest of the team following, except for Vanilluxe who blinked in confusion as he stared at the murderous Sunflora.
"I dunno about you guys but I think he's cute," Vanilluxe commented with a weak smile, yelping as another vine emerged from the ground which he BARELY dodged. "OKAY! Not cute anymore. BYEEEE!" The ice cream quickly floated as fast as possible away from the flower, who tilted her head with a dark look.
"Aww… leaving so soon? I haven't even taken your soul yet…"
"Okay… this challenge is already DREADFUL… what were the chances we would even encounter a psychotic murderous Sunflora underground?! Not zero… but it's still very very low!" Vivillon confessed with an annoyed stare. "We better win this, or I will legitimately sue Nihilego for causing harm on my well-being…"
"Sableye, hurry up! I think we're close to the exit!" Teddiursa said in a singsong voice to Sableye, who groaned, deciding to change the topic as he took ANOTHER short breather.
"Uhh… h-hehe… coming… but since we're alone…" Sableye, started only to be met by the wagging finger of the little bear. "W-what? I was just curious… since last round, Musharna left home and I was pretty much blindsided, cuz I thought the whole alliance was going to vote Bayleef off… and well, he's still here."
"Oh that?" Teddiursa blinked, a bit surprised that Sableye asked… since she didn't think that the gremlin was the type to see through the lies immediately. She expected him to just remain confused about voting in the minority. She laughed, forcing a smile, "Musharna was really very rude to Magearna so the girls decided to vote together and send her out of the game. It doesn't matter, since we can still vote Bayleef off this round."
"But what about Musharna's last words?" Sableye added, squatting down to breathe. "She said that Magearna can't be trusted. I dunno how to feel about that honestly, h-hehe…"
Teddiursa shrugged, stopping to turn to the gremlin, "I dunno… Musharna was on her last legs so she might be throwing any shit that she thought wou-" Her eyes then narrowed, "WAAAIT, you are changing the topic so that we would stop to rest… this is literally the FIFTH time we stopped and rest… omigosh, I can't believe I still fell for it though… I guess I took my cute dumbness shtick too seriously…"
"I was tired…" Sableye reasoned, cocking his head down in shame. "It feels like we've been walking through this hallway for AGES…"
Teddiursa sighed, but her patience was beginning to wear thin. "You're overreacting, UWU! We'll get to the exit eventually!" She straightened up and marched confidently ahead, glancing back at him. "See? It's easy! If we just keep walking, we'll—"
Her words were cut short when she suddenly bumped into something solid. She stumbled back, dazed, as she hit a wall that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"W-What the—?" Teddiursa groaned, her head bobbing around as she tried to regain her balance, but within moments, she crumpled to the cave floor, unconscious.
Sableye's eyes widened in disbelief as he rushed to her side. "W-WHAT?! T-Teddiursa… don't tell me you're DEAD?!" he panicked, kneeling beside her. Her eyes were now comically replaced with X symbols, making her look more like a cartoon than a real danger.
"... UWU OWO Wowo…" was what Teddiursa could only reply to the distraught Dark-type as mini-Teddiursa, dressed up in angel outfit floated around her unconscious head.
Sableye's left eye twitched as he quickly looked around. There wasn't any way out… even though it was a straight hallway and they just returned to where they came from… where there wasn't even an exit, there was a dead end instead.
Somehow, they got lost… in a fucking straight path.
The gremlin fell to his knees as he stared at the ceiling, screaming, his voice echoing through the cave. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"HOW DID WE GET LOST?!" Sableye was curled up in a ball in the confessional, waving his hands around in worry before quickly retracting to support himself on the seat as he nearly lost balance. "I-I d-don't think this challenge is really easy now…"
Magcargo… was just sitting on a rock, waiting to his rescue, eyes occasionally moving over to the hole where he fell through, hoping that somebody would come and save him soon… but well, nobody came so Magcargo felt that the obvious thing to pass the time was talking to himself while nobody was listening.
"Klinklang is actually pretty handsome, in a rugged and coldhearted way… but at the same time, he's a gear… so I'm not exactly sure if that romantic relationship is even possible. Heck, I think he's pretty much emotionally distant with most people so it would be kind of a soap drama cliche to try and get him to open up to me so that he would love me…" Magcargo said to himself as he thought of hypothetical scenarios in his head.
"Vivillon is probably a good match with him, with her iconic shrewd attitude… but she's a bit… too rude and might step too much on Klinklang's nonexistent toes…" Magcargo continued to mutter under his breath, still somehow not running out of breath. "Hmm… Skwovet maybe? I don't know much about Skwovet. Maybe, we'll get more of an opportunity to bond but he's not part of my rescue party so I guess that's out of the window…"
Not even the sound of nearby footsteps were enough to interrupt the snail's ensuing monologue, "Or maybe… Gossifleur and Gourgeist would also fall down so I actually have somebody to talk to…" He paused, eyes widening as he quickly backtracked, "Ookay… that was rude and I shouldn't joke about something like that… what if they get hurt?!"
Shuffle shuffle shuffle shuffle…
"Unless I catch them, then nobody gets hurt!" Magcargo suggested to himself before deflating, "If only I have hands…"
"Hello there!" A voice suddenly called out to him from a distance, knocking the snail out of bored stupor. Magcargo quickly turned to the direction of the voice to find… a congenial-looking Sunflora. "I'm Flowey the Sunflora! You look like you're new to these parts… nice to meet 'ya!"
"Uhm… hi?" The snail was struggling to find the words to say since he didn't expect anyone to find him soon… and well, he didn't remember there being a Sunflora in the game. "Are you from the other team? Darn it… I knew I should've memorized the teams by now…"
"Oh shucks, I don't know what you're talking about…" Sunflora muttered before shaking his head, "That doesn't matter! Do you want some LOVE?!"
Magcargo's face turned beet-red at the flower's words, "W-what?! I don't think I'm ready for that commitment yet! Ask me uhm… not right now? I don't think I can give you an answer but it's not a no, so don't cry. So uhh… please jot that down as a maybe. You live in this cave, right? But you know how to get outside, so you can do that and ask me after this-"
"Aw… I just wanted to give you friendship bracelets!" Sunflora interrupted with a pouty expression.
"But it would burn off…" Magcargo pointed out glumly. "Unless, it's specifically fireproof but you're a grass type so I-"
"JUST ACCEPT THE FUCKING THORNY VIN- ERRRR, FRIENDSHIP BRACELET!" Sunflora snapped back before returning to an unsettling smile. "Sorry, I almost got carried away there. There's not many people around these caves so I've been really REALLY lonely…"
"What is a thorny vine?" Magcargo queried, tilting his head to the side.
"It's another way to call a friendship bracelet," Sunflora lied, clasping his hands together innocently.
"Aw, great! I want one then! I was starting to get really lonely, talking to myself. It's been AGES since Gourgeist and Gossifleur left to go find help…" Magcargo admitted with a nervous chuckle. While the Trubbish easily saw through the Sunflora's ruse… Magcargo was different. He actually SYMPATHIZED with their plight as Magcargo wasn't really good at being alone. He was always surrounded by people in his day-to-day life.
If the Sunflora didn't come to find him, he would've started to go crazy and babble crazily to himself to pass the time so for that, he was also grateful for the new arrival, unaware of the obvious trap being laid in front of him. Sunflora blinked, shocked that Magcargo actually got fooled before a malicious smirk formed on his face.
"That's good! Just touch the vine! It'll wrap around your… arm? Appendages? Whatever you got honestly," Sunflora explained darkly. "And ta-da! That's your friendship bracelet! I'm sure we'll be super close friends, Magcargo!"
"Okay! Where's the-" Magcargo was caught off-guard as a really spiky and thorny vine jutted out of the ground just next to him. Sunflora groaned, annoyed.
"Why do I keep missing this?!" He exclaimed… before forcing a smile. "Just go touch it, Magcargo. It won't hurt!"
Magcargo blinked before nodding, cluelessly, "YAY! Time to make another friend!" Without another word, the snail touched the vine… though Sunflora was confused at what he saw next. He didn't expect to see his vines casually getting lit into flames by Magcargo, who was smiling as he was unscathed by the sharp thorns.
"Okay… maybe, I should've accounted for Fire-types…" Sunflora muttered under his breath.
"Are we friends now?!" Magcargo asked as he continued to immolate the vine.
"..." Sunflora didn't say anything but in his head, he was internally screaming.
"... where the fuck are these diamonds?! " Empoleon grumbled to himself as he continued walking on the SAME hallway for what felt like ages. He uttered a lot of curses as he encountered a split in the path, one leading left, the other leading right and a straight path continuing down the hallway.
"This cave is not even normal! How can there be this many passages?! This literally makes no fucking sense…" Empoleon thought to himself as he tried to assess which path to take. He turned behind him, "Bayleef, what do you think?"
"..." Complete silence. Empoleon sighed, realizing he was alone.
Well, it's not like he hated it. I mean, he was thankful nobody was going to drag him down, right? To be honest, he felt a little bit bad that he was bossing everyone around but he had to, since they were on a losing streak.
The Empoleon continued to get lost in his thoughts as he mindlessly went straight, forgetting to think further on which path to take. Has he gone overboard?
He shook his head, clenching a fist. Nah, it's not like he actively hurt anyone on the team… "The worst I did was being bossy… and is that even awful? This team would literally spontaneously combust without me… Floatzel and Sableye hate each other's guts. Chansey and Magearna are too focused on each other. Teddiursa is too conceited. Bayleef is…" He paused, struggling to find the words.
"Bayleef is obviously fucking scared of me for no reason… I've been nothing but good to him. I've been HELPING him too, so I don't know why he's scared…"
He recalled that morning, where Bayleef looked very very SCARED. But he shook his head again, grumbling, "That was Indeedee. Indeedee's fucking scary… so I agree with that…"
"..."
"Unless wait… did I d-d-do something wrong?!" Empoleon gulped, starting to twitch a bit as he stopped walking. "N-no… that can't be. Bayleef and I have known each other for over a w-w-week now and I still don't know anything about him… I-I…"
He froze as every muscle on his body tensed, starting to sweat profusely, "I-..."
"VANILLUXE, WHERE DID EVERYONE GO!?" A voice yelled out just ahead of him. Empoleon blinked as that flushed out his thoughts. "We were running in a straight path… yet, how did everyone disappear… unless they are really fast and already reached the exit… that Sunflora will forever haunt my nightmares. Give me a Y! E! S! I agree!"
He slowly moved forward, watching his step to not alert the voices ahead of his presence, deciding to strategically hide in the dark hallway to see the conversation happening in a chamber in front of him.
"I don't know either… I was kind of… lagging behind," Vanilluxe admitted guiltily. "So I'm not surprised to be left behind, but you were near the front of the pack so… I'm not exactly sure what even happened."
"This isn't funny, if this is one of Skwovet's funny jokes again…" Oricorio face-palmed, before sighing nervously. "Okay… I need to calm down a bit, before I can do anything rash here… we're… in a cave… and we haven't even found the diamond chamber yet, so maybe we should make ourselves useful and look for it then try to regroup with the others."
"Maybe, we can retrace our steps?" Vanilluxe suggested.
"We literally went back… and well, everything LOOKS different," Oricorio pointed out frantically. "There wasn't a wide chamber on our path before?! So, it's almost as if this cave is alive and changing layout every second. I mean, we don't exactly know much about it… and this mountain did appear out of nowhere, so I wouldn't even be surprised."
Vanilluxe sighed before smiling weakly, "Maybe, I can tell a pun to lighten the mood?"
"Fine…" Oricorio answered with a tired look on her face.
"Why don't birds live in caves?" Vanilluxe started. Oricorio shrugged indifferently before the ice cream continued, "Because it would be a bird den! Get it?! Burden, bird den! Ah, homonyms… the source of most jokes."
"... that didn't lift my spirits but I appreciate the gesture…" Oricorio admitted flatly. "I'm honestly concerned for Dedenne, Skwovet, Cramorant, Klinklang and Vivillon. I hope they made it out already."
"Uhh… same here… but this cave is proving itself to be unpredictable so they might be just as lost as we are," Vanilluxe said plainly… before gulping, "N-not that I want to put more on your plate… that's just how things are looking. I didn't mean to worry you…"
"It's fine. But, uhm… what do you think is actually happening here?" Oricorio asked, leaning against the cave wall and giving it a tentative pat, just to make sure it wouldn't vanish on her. "It feels like the layout of these caves is changing every second…"
Vanilluxe nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I think I saw a hallway vanish ahead of us and uhh…" He started looking around frantically. "Is it me or did the path behind us just change… and wasn't this hallway narrower just a second ago…"
Oricorio's eyes widened in shock, and just as if on cue, the cave wall suddenly sank into the ground, sending her stumbling into where the wall once was. "OOF! Okay... something's definitely going on here..."
Vanilluxe looked at the new hallway that suddenly appeared, raising a brow nervously. "Well… t-there's a new path… should we take it?"
Oricorio rubbed her beak as she picked herself up off the ground. "I think we should... give it a try? The road less traveled feels like the right choice, right?"
"I think so? I'm not really sure but uhhh, I'm curious to see where this new path goes…" Vanilluxe hesitated, his nerves clear despite his best effort to appear calm.
"Well… that settles it. We're taking this new path then," Oricorio chirped, still surprisingly upbeat after everything. "Let's get going… I think we've been here for so long, I'm starting to get cabin fever…"
"Okay!" Vanilluxe made a joking salute as he followed Oricorio into the new hallway.
"..." The penguin waited for a few moments until he felt that the duo were out of earshot as he emerged from where he was hiding… before silently taking the hallway Oricorio and Vanilluxe took, as he started to follow them.
"Hurry up, Bayleef! We're burning daylight here!" Floatzel yelled at the dinosaur impatiently as they walked through a straight hallway that showed no signs of letting up. "Chop chop, people!"
"B-but I'm t-t-tired…" Bayleef whimpered, collapsing as he let his legs rest. "We've been walking for… hours now, and we s-s-still haven't found those diamonds… I'm starting to f-feel that there's no diamonds in this cave at all!"
Floatzel paused, turning back to Bayleef and crossing his arms. "Bayleef, I get it. Trust me, my feet are like jelly right now... and wearing this thick trench coat over an undershirt… It's suffocating, honestly. I can barely breathe with all this movement." He frowned, his hands twitching nervously at his collar. "But... I really don't want to see Empoleon's reaction if we lose again."
"B-but…" Bayleef tried to say before sighing in defeat, "H-he is scary even when he's in a good mood…"
"I don't know how you could stand him honestly…" Floatzel remarked, looking to the side longingly. "I mean, he's not exactly the most approachable person in the game. You don't have to force yourself to be his friend, you know?"
"It's n-n-not like I want to be h-h-his friend!" Bayleef snapped before quickly covering his mouth, grumbling, "He… said he wants to 'help' me but I don't think it's working and I think it's just being very very annoying."
Floatzel blinked, about to interject, a little put-off by Bayleef suddenly talking straight, without stammering, "W-"
"Can't he just… GET A CLUE! It's not like I have any problem! I may be a nervous wreck, but I have a stable life. I don't need any help!" Bayleef continued to vent… before realizing that he was talking to Floatzel, a deep blush forming on his face. "Did I…"
Floatzel nodded, eyes closed in thought. "Yes… yes, you did." His eyes opened as a genuine smile formed on his expression. "And honestly… those were words I wanted to hear from you."
"R-really?" Bayleef looked hopeful.
Floatzel nodded, eyes darting to the side as he started to get lost in his thoughts again. "I mean… you're showing that you're not just a pushover. I think I would've loved to hear those words back then too…"
"Back then?" Bayleef raised a brow, confused.
Floatzel's face turned red… which he immediately hit beneath his hat. "It's nothing. Just musing about something that happened in the past. I don't think I'll ever hear those words from him but…"
Bayleef blinked. Okay, he knew the weasel wasn't talking about him anymore. He stroked his chin with a vine, tilting it slightly. "Uhm… w-who are you even talking about right-"
"It's nothing!" Floatzel cut him off, rubbing his eyes. "Being stuck in this cave just made me think a bit."
"Yeah…" Bayleef said, nodding in agreement. He looked to the side, stammering, "T-this is one of the few times I'm not with Empoleon and I won't lie… it feels like there's a huge weight off my shoulders…"
"Well… you should tell Empoleon how you feel." Floatzel advised. "You never know when it'd be too late for a resolution to even happen."
Bayleef bit into his necklace as he started sweating, "Mffrrfrfr…" He spat it out, sputtering out, "W-wait… I don't think I'm ready to say all of that…" He paused, looking down in disappointment. "... to his face."
Floatzel sighed as he looked at the dinosaur with an expression of understanding. "I get it. I feel the same way. I wish I was brave back then but well… we can't exactly predict the future and that's why…"
"Is that why you're uhm… looking for villains in this game?" Bayleef asked.
Floatzel shook his head firmly. "Of course not!"He paused, stroking his chin awkwardly. "But I guess you could say that… it's a symptom of everything that happened. I consider it as my way of apologizing, you know?" Noticing the dinosaur's expression deepening into further confusion, the weasel sighed, putting a paw over his face, "Okay… I feel like I'm just confusing you right now and that wasn't my intention…"
"Yeah…" Bayleef agreed, head-leaf drooping down. "I f-feel smaller now honestly… it's like your life is more… complicated than mine."
"Bayleef…"
"Errr… b-but uhm… what about your relationship with Teddiursa?" Bayleef added, raising his face a little to look the weasel in the eye. "You two… are close. I'm surprised h-honestly since I thought you'd think she's just as suspicious as Sableye."
Floatzel's face flushed pink as he looked over to the side immediately. "We're… friends, surprisingly enough. I thought she would just be fake with me… but she has been upfront with me about everything and for that, I don't think she's as suspicious as Sableye…"
"What about you and Sableye?"
Floatzel's flush intensified as he tipped his hat to conceal this. "... us? Oh… I don't trust him at all… he's a confusing person and I don't quite believe him when he says that he doesn't remember anything but for some reason, he acts so… genuine… and that's giving me mixed feelings since my head is telling me not to trust him since it just feels illogical… yet, I-" He paused, clearing his throat to compose himself. "I don't know how to feel about either… but… I'm reserving my judgement until I get to know them better."
"W-wait… that's what you think about Sableye?" Bayleef remarked, eyes widening in shock. "I thought you would just slam him completely and talk about how much of an obvious villain he is…"
"I'm… shocked too." Floatzel breathed out, hands twitching over his collar as he looked unsure about himself. "You weren't there but…" His mind flashed back to Sableye approaching him at the docks… and the expression he made as they engaged in an actual conversation. A smile without showing any of his pointy teeth. He bit his lip before he stammered out, "... he smiled… a genuine smile. A smile that came from someone you'd think wouldn't be eating trash."
"Wow… I guess your relationship with Sableye and Teddiursa are just as complicated as mine and Empoleon…"
"Yeah…" Floatzel muttered beneath his breath.
Floatzel leaned on the side of the confessional, eyes unfocused from the camera. "I am… feeling really uncomfortable, seeing parallels between the past and the present… converging in real life. I hate to remind myself but… I was just like Empoleon. Obviously, not in the same sense but… I was forceful… and honestly a shitty friend…" He paused as his eyebrows furrowed in regret. "And I had a friend that I really hurt, because I was too caught up with myself that… I forgot how much she cared."
He shook his head, slapping his cheeks to snap himself out of the emotional slump. "But I can't keep dwelling on the past. I have to focus on the future…"
"Talking with someone else about Empoleon… makes me feel… better? Is that wrong for me to say?" Bayleef admitted, looking to the side guiltily. "But… I feel bad, since I think Empoleon has genuinely positive intentions… just a bit of a… h-haphazard approach. Okay, now I feel bad talking behind his b-back without trying to let him know how I feel but…" He sighed, eyes starting to water. "F-Floatzel's right! I can't just sit on these feelings on my own!"
"Okay… are you feeling better now?" Floatzel asked as the dinosaur finally regained enough strength to stand up. "The other team might have a head start on us, while we were just sitting around, doing nothing…"
Bayleef laughed nervously, eyes darting from side to side. "U-uhm… our team has Empoleon and w-we both know that he's never going to stop and take a break!"
Floatzel joined him in laughter as he started continuing along the hallway. "You're right about that! Anyways, let's go!"
Bayleef nodded as he trudged after the weasel, albeit significally slower. The duo continued on their journey to finding out what was at the end of this hallway. Or well, that was the plan… until Bayleef's eyes narrowed as he watched the weasel disappear into the shadows, before his own eyes.
"Floatzel! Wait up!" Bayleef called, his voice echoing off the stone walls. But there was no response.
The Water-type hadn't gotten far, so the sudden silence was unnerving. "Floatzel? Are you still there?" Bayleef tried again, his voice tinged with worry.
Still nothing.
Before Bayleef could take another step, the ground in front of him shifted violently, stone erupting to form a solid barrier blocking his path. His eyes widened in shock. "What the—w-what is going on?!"
Back outside, Nihilego and Poipole lounged on lawn chairs, idly waiting for a team to complete the challenge. The sun had long since set, and Nihilego's patience was wearing thin. Nearby, Marill and Whimsicott played cards under the soft glow of string lights.
"When is this challenge going to end?! And WHIMSICOTT, how are you even filming the campers inside the caves?!" Nihilego exclaimed, throwing her tentacles up in exasperation.
"Microcameras!" Whimsicott replied with a smug grin, only to groan moments later as she tossed her cards onto the table. "Seriously, Marill?! That's the FOURTH time you've beaten me in a row!"
"You don't have a pokerface…" Marill stated plainly with a deadpan expression.
As the two staff members argued among themselves, Nihilego turned to Poipole with an annoyed look, "Poipole… give it to me this straight… WHERE did this mountain come from again? Since this feels… too long, for a spelunking challenge."
"Honestly… I don't even know where this mountain came from…" Poipole admitted, rubbing his arm awkwardly. The jellyfish raised a brow at this. "I was just taking a walk and saw that wow, there's a lot of flowers all of a sudden and…"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT FIRST!?" Nihilego snapped, nearly jumping out of her chair before face-palming as she leaned back. "Okay… excuse my behavior. I just want this challenge to be perfect… if something bad happens… I don't think it'd be good for both of us…" She sweatdropped as she quickly added. "Myself especially."
Poipole's eyes furrowed in concern as he stared down at the ground. "I'm sorry…"
"So… these caves… did you also lie about blowing them open?" Nihilego asked. She sighed in exasperation as the smaller Ultra Beast nodded, confirming her worries. "Okay… what in the world is even happening on this island?"
"I don't know either… b-but uhm… I saw some pictures online that show that this island used to look different last year!" Poipole stated, twiddling his fingers anxiously. "I'm not sure if they were real though…"
Nihilego deadpanned. "Well… shit…"
The two Ultra Beasts had little time to process this new revelation before Gallade arrived, leading three unfamiliar Pokémon into the area. At the forefront was a large, blue, turtle-like Pokémon with an imposing presence. Trailing just behind was a sleek, gray, bird-like Pokémon, her movement dramatic and fluid. Rounding out the pack was a small, vibrant, flower dancer, holding a notebook close to her chest.
"The new interns are here." Gallade announced, drawing everyone's attention. Whimsicott sighed in relief as Marill hopped off her seat to approach the Fighting-type. She can finally take a break from losing.
Marill adjusted her glasses, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. "Well, that was quicker than I expected." She sized up the three new arrivals before turning her attention to Gallade. "Where's the rest?"
Gallade blinked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I thought there would be more interns," Marill clarified, her tone tinged with mild disappointment.
"Actually, we're the only ones," the gray bird chimed in, wagging a wing nonchalantly. "Apparently, turnout for the interviews was so low, we got hired... by default!" She hummed as she spun around in place. "This show is about to get better!"
The flower dancer groaned, rolling her eyes. "Don't say it like that. It makes it sound like they were desperate, and we didn't have the actual qualifications for the job..."
The gray bird gasped in shock as she walked past the blue turtle. "Hmm, you have a point there! Obviously, only the most capable Pokemon were brave enough to sign up… for a Total Pokemon Island season…" She paused for dramatic effect. "... staff!"
Nihilego blinked, crossing her tentacles. "Mkay… what exactly is going on outside the game? I thought it would've died down by now."
"Nihilego… some people just never forget…" Marill pointed out, an ominous glint in her eye. "You know that something happened last year and well… the previous years too. I think it even happened in one of your other shows."
"Yeah…" Nihilego said halfheartedly. "Sure… I guess."
"Uhm! I don't know what you two are talking about but maybe the new interns should introduce themselves!" Poipole suggested, peeking from behind the jellyfish. "Gallade, you're finally going to make some friends out here!"
"What?" Gallade repeated, raising a brow.
"Poipole is just a kidder!" Whimsicott giggled, gathering all the cards off the table. "But sure! Introduce yourselves! I'm excited to know you all more! We're all going to see each other a lot!" She cleared her throat, pointing to herself. "I guess I can introduce myself to set the mood! I'm Whimsicott and I man the cameras…" She looked to the side with a confident smirk. "I also edit the footage to make the finished episodes. Not to brag, but I think I have a natural talent for it!"
"Sure you do." Marill drawled. "I'm Marill… I'm Nihilego's assistant… and I manage things around here, specifically the things Nihilego doesn't have much interest in."
The three new arrivals exchanged a glance before the gray bird stepped forward, taking a bow before looking up to reveal a wide smirk on her face.
"I suppose that we shall start with the absolute best!" The gray bird started as she started pacing back and forth, wings flitting around dramatically. "I'm… STARAVIA! I am a young woman, doing my best to-"
"I'm Bellossom! Nice to meet you all!" The flower dancer cut her off, walking past her with a smile… a clear difference from her mood just earlier. "I have experience writing and taking photographs… if that's useful for this job! But I have a lot of grit!"
"COME ON!" Staravia yelled, glaring at Bellossom. "You didn't even let me finish my dramatic entrance! I was going to do a loopty-loop… and then dramatically drop to the ground. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it a corpse suspended mid-air?!"
Bellossom looked to the side, covering her mouth. "AH! I apologize! You were just taking too long so I thought that I could go ahead and introduce myself! I don't think they'd be interested in listening to your whole backstory, I think."
"You just don't understand the importance of setting the stage!" Staravia huffed, crossing her wings. "After all, the whole thing's going to be a whole mess if you don't set up the pieces! You'd be confusing the audience!"
"We're on reality television." Bellossom reminded her with a listless smile. "I don't think there needs much to be said. This is not that serious. I doubt there's not much… set-up required. People are just getting voted off each round."
"That is offensive but hmph!" Staravia said, looking away.
"Uhm… well… it's nice to meet you… but what about you, big guy?" Whimsicott queried, directing her focus to the large blue turtle, who had just stood in place without saying a word. The cottonweed shuddered, just from his imposing presence. "You're giving me the heebie jeebies a bit…"
"Carracosta." The blue turtle said simply, eyes scanning the group. "That's all."
"Really? You got nothing else to share?" Bellossom asked, raising a brow. She then muttered under her breath, "I should've done that too…"
Nihilego nodded at this, flashing a thumbs-up. "Well… since you three are already here… I guess it's time for you to be put to work!"
Staravia, Bellossom and Carracosta exchanged another glance as the scene faded into black.
Status of Groups:
Teddiusa and Sableye
Empoleon
Chansey and Magearna
Bayleef
Floatzel
Magcargo
Gossifleur and Gourgeist
Oricorio and Vanilluxe
Skwovet, Cramorant, Klinklang, Vivillon and Dedenne
Shining Shuppet - Bayleef, Chansey, Empoleon, Floatzel, Magearna, Sableye, Teddiursa
Twinkling Trubbish - Cramorant, Dedenne, Gossifleur, Gourgeist, Klinklang, Magcargo, Oricorio, Skwovet, Vanilluxe, Vivillon
Eliminated: Unfezant, Pikachu, Musharna
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hello everyone! This is 2024 Nihilego… swooping in to make a retroactive author's note. This chapter was already fine and tightly written so that there wasn't much added… so I decided to add some new scenes before the challenge started to clarify some things and flesh out characters some more. And of course, some scenes were moved, heavily edited. It's all about Floatzel. He was such a confusing character and was more vocally paranoid in the original version.
Thank you for reading!