Episode 1: Welcome to Poke-Quarantine

-Initiation-

"Well... this is it... Stay calm."

Six trucks carrying three Pokemon each in the back driven off to a desert location.

"Nothing bad will happen to us, right sister?"

Everyone had a good idea of what they were in for upon arrival of the mystery location.

"Years of preparation. This will only be a claw-note on the path to achieving my goals."

But they didn't know for sure. They would be certain nothing bad would happen to them.

"I hope this dump-truck won't be an indication of what's to come."

And they knew a magnificent reward would come of it.

"Then I unsheathe my sword and attack the mob. ...Snake eyes..."

But each thought it would be much less challenging than it would really be.

"They might as well give up. What chance do they have?"

However, as the trucks drew near, the anticipation grew larger and larger. And one thing was set ins stone: The only way out was to claw your way to the top of the ranks as 18 Pokemon from around the globe tested their abilities in an insane reality show: Quarantine. This was a world where no humans existed, only Pokemon. From all walks of life including rescuers, explorers, and many more. It would all be for... glory, fame, and a big check. Some have their eyes on the prize, while others came here for fun. But no one should underestimate or be underestimated. Welcome to the realm of Quarantine.

As the trucks got closer, the commotion started. Each of the six trucks contained three Pokemon.

The first truck carried a Raichu, a Charmeleon, and a Golem. Currently, the Raichu was taking a nap on the side of the Charmeleon eventually walked up to the Raichu but said nothing. He didn't seem to have a look of enthusiasm, or any admiration for the guy. But as he turned around, he saw another creature: a Golem looking a bit interested in the two.

"What are YOU looking at?" the Charmeleon, who was named Riley, asked the Golem, Stawolt.

"Uhh, I just want to know if we end up on the same team," Stawolt started. "Maybe we could... You want to be friends? I figure alliance is important and..."

"Do you just go up to everyone and do that?" Riley asked. "I work alone. Got it? We may or may not be team mates to start with, but I aint your buddy just with a snap."

The Raichu, Wren, eventually woke up to the commotion. Riley's words were starting to get to him, and he felt the need to settle the fire down to embers.

"Easy there," Wren started. "He didn't mean anything by what he said. He just wanted to form an alliance. And early in the game, the challenges are going to come down to team work. Even if you don't like it..."

"Thanks for the interruption Professor Pansy," Riley said rudely. "But no one asked you. Besides, what good would it do me?"

"Well, you would probably last longer in the game, for starters," Wren mentioned.

"Dah, he has a point Riley," Stawolt said.

Riley was a bit antisocial. He was used to working by himself instead of as a team. But when Wren brought up that tidbit, he kept his mouth shut. He had nothing to add to the discussion, and considered something Wren had said to him.

The second truck carried three more competitors, a gruff looking Granbull, a cute Pika... ahem Marill... and a relatively large Azumarill. The Marill and Azumarill were currently playing with Eevee dolls when suddenly a strong looking creature loomed over the Pikachu imposter.

"Gee, what a cute outfit," the Granbull, named Muffy, taunted as she brought her paw to the Marill, Abigale's head, just about ready to kick her Pikachu helmet off. "Would be a shame if it turned into football practice. Why don't you take it off?"

"No!" Abigale shouted. "I put so much work into my costume! My sister helped me with it. We don't have the money to make a new one!"

"Well maybe you shouldn't be wearing it in the first place," Muffy said before she charged up for a kick. However, she was immediately stopped.

"Not so fast, you brute!" the Azumarill named Ruce shouted before walking up to Muffy and raising a fist. "Do you enjoy crushing children's dreams!? She put her life savings into that and you just want to destroy it!? Why don't I destroy you you ugly mutt!?"

Ruce wasn't as big as Muffy was, but imagine Ruce is a girl off to a giant green castle, and Muffy was the cowardly Luxray. That's exactly what happened as Muffy started to show signs of fear in her eyes as she backed off. Muffy was deathly intimidated by Ruce. Imagine that.

"I love you, big sis," Abigale said cheerfully.

"Don't worry, it doesn't look like she has the guts to try that again," Ruce said reassuringly.

The third truck carried a dastardly creature: A cackling Grumpig who called himself Grant. Inside the truck were two more Pokemon, a Gardevoir named Lilly who had a book in her face, and Kiki, a Combuseken who was concentrating martial arts right now.

"Mwahahaha!" Grant cackled."Soon, Grant the Dastardly will become a household name. EVERYONE will cower in fear before ME!"

As Grant resumed laughter, Lilly and Kiki stopped what they were doing and stared at Grant. They were angry with his display.

"Hush, idiot," Lilly said, not intimidated. "No one's afraid of you, and I'm trying to read right now."

"No one?" Grant asked. "Time to unveil my latest. Tremble before the power of... the device!" Eventually, Grant pulled out what looked like a laser gun. "...The name is still pending." Grant pointed it right at Lilly, who rolled her head at the device. Then Grant made the error of showing it to Kiki.

"It's a toy, nimrod!" Kiki yelled, slapping the "ray gun" out of Grant's hooves. The fact it didn't shatter upon hitting the floor suggested further it was a mere plastic toy.

"Ha! Some toy!" Grant taunted. "It's armor is impenetrable. Only I could devise a gun so..."

Before Grant could pick the toy up, Kiki walked over and stomped on it, smashing it to pieces. Grant stared at the smashed gun and turned to Kiki, furious with what she did.

"You shall pay for this you insolent wench!" Grant said. Lilly said nothing, she just tried to read her book again.

But the tensions only flared hotter with the fourth truck, as a tall Prinplup, a gigantic buff Purugly, and a sharply dressed Gallade were all inside.

"Ugh, is this ride going to end soon?" the Prinplup, who was named Dylan spouted off.

"It might if you clam up for just a minute or two!" the buff Purugly named Percy said.

"I can talk all I want!" Dylan yelled. "Why don't you!"

"Please! Silence! Concentration required," the Gallade, Chauncey, orated eventually.

"And who made YOU the boss of me!?" Dylan shouted.

"Fists or tail?" Percy asked Dylan, trying intimidate him.

"I said clam it fatty! Dylan asked.

"Tail it is," Percy said before releasing his tail from his waist, revealing a less top bulky Purugly who was still pretty strong looking. ...And wasn't really fat at all. Eventually, he wrapped his tail around Dylan and squeezed hard, causing him serious discomfort.

"No no no, I cannot think cleverly," Chauncey said, also being discomforted.

Things got even weirder in the fifth truck. A cool but cumbersome Krookodile was playing dice with a Watchog dressed as a knight. Just standing there was a Bisharp with a large banner on his back.

"The Dragonite is sound asleep," the Watchog by the name of Dustin said. "Come young comrade, together we shall slay thee. Prepare thy spells Drenig the Demolisher! While it's still sleeping, thou must strike!" Dustin was talking in a deep tone that was obviously not his real voice.

"No warrior who caught you striking an opponent while they slept would be your comrade in battle," the Bisharp, Yoshi interrupted.

"Where did you come from?" Dustin asked. "Speak thy name."

"Ay man, not cool!" Drenig said as Yoshi rained on their parade. "We're playing Dungeons and Dragonites, man. This aint no real battle."

"Yeah, we're just role-playing," Dustin stated, talking in a tone that was more likely his real voice.

"Hmmm, I guess if it's just that it's fine," Yoshi said. "But you wouldn't get away with that in a real battle."

"You think this is a game?" Dustin asked in his deep voice again before reverting to his real voice. "Why not?"

"Because it's dishonorable," Yoshi said simply. "It's what most people call cheating."

"Ay man, alright man, we won't do that then," Drenig said, still rubbed the wrong way.

One last truck carried three last Pokemon, a Pancham, a Malamar, and a seriously narcissistic Frogadier.

"Oh boy!" The young Pancham, Pudge said."I can't believe my parents let me join the show. I can't wait to jump right in!"

"Wait... for what, for you to get booted off?" The Frogadier, Jet said.

"Oh yeah? Bring it, big guy," Pudge said, thinking he was merely playing. But Pudge was misinformed.

"You have a lot to learn about the real world," Jet said. "You think you can just talk big and beat the competition that way? WRONG! You were unfortunate to meet me. I'll show you just how naive you are little guy."

"You much yourself, young man," interrupted Aria the Malamar. Pudge stood and stared at Aria as she spoke.

"Whoa... your voice is pretty," Pudge said.

"Thank you, young panda," Aria said before rubbing his head. "Many people think so."

"Ha! That won't get you anywhere!" Jet said. "You need skill to win."

Aria just stared at Jet. "Puh-lease," she said. "You think I'd be here if all I could do was sing? If you think mere athletics will get you far? Hun... You have oatmeal for brains."

"Hmph, I take it you are intimidated," Jet said.

Neither Aria nor Pudge could help but laugh at the upstart Frogadier for that comment.

-Welcome to Quarentine-

The time had come, the trucks had all stopped inside a large facility, and everyone was unloaded to see a huge wall of mist. They all watched the mist until a figure eventually stepped slowly out of the mist. Once he stepped out of the mist field, he revealed himself as a middle-aged male Bibarel with a cane and some expensive looking clothing. But what was striking about him was how serious he looked.

"Good evening," he said to the group of contestants. "You are now in QUARANTINE. As you'd guess, the only way out is to be the last one standing. I am Bertram, and I will be the admin of this little contest. Now..."

Suddenly, he heard another fit of laughter and caught Jet cracking up. This greatly displeased Bertram.

"You? You're the host of this show!? This is too good. I'm taking orders from "Bibs." Can anyone imagine a more silly host than..."

Bertram slammed his cane into the ground before a bolt of lightning struck Jet, knocking him to the ground.

"Any more smart-aleks, legs?" Bertram asked.

"He he he, Legs? Is that the best you..." Jet started before being struck once again.

"You'd be surprised how much we Bibarel can do," Bertram said. "Now, if you want to remain concious, I suggest you refrain from making another word."

Jet just lied there in a mangled mess. He wasn't moving, even when one of the competitors touched him.

"I think you killed him mister," Pudge said.

"I did not kill him," Bertram said walking over to Jet and noticing he had fainted. "Oh... Oh well, seventeen competitors left then. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do, except maybe..." Bertram paused and then turned around back to the mist. "NURSE!"

Eventually, an Audino rushed out of the mist and ran over to Jet. She was actually quite concerned.

"You really should be more careful with the competitors," she said before popping a Reviver seed in Jet's mouth. She then sent a pink blast at Jet and eventually he came to.

"Everyone, this is Betty," Bertram said. "She will be here to assist you if you are ever seriously injured. And if you had not guessed by our frog-legged friend, you do not WANT to be seriously injured. Right Jet?"

Jet still seemed a bit sore, but he also seemed to show more respect to Bertram.

"So when does the game start?" Muffy asked loudly. "Let's go!"

"You should open your mouth an inch wider next time," Percy told Muffy.

"Oh you shut... yer..." Muffy started before taking one look at Percy. She started to shiver uncontrollably, and didn't find it a good idea to press on.

"No!" Bertram called. "Before that, let's get things situated. First off, we have eighteen Pokemon here, and in mere minutes you will be split into teams of two. When you are chosen for a team, you may go into the team bunker where you will find four bunk-beds and a large cot."

"Do these bunkers include a board game?" Pudge asked.

"Maybe some books to read?" Lilly asked. Lilly didn't notice, but she had a certain someone staring at her before letting out a sigh.

"I already know which team I choose to be on," Chauncey said before walking over to Lilly. Suddenly, Bertram slammed his cane again to get everyone's attention.

"Silence!" Bertram cried. "There will be NO CHOOSING! You will be situated into a team at random." After that tidbit, his voice became more calm. "We also have plenty of old books you can check out. We do NOT have any board games, but we DO have chances to win some during the contest."

"So just books for now?" Dylan said angrily. "Not all of us read you know!"

"Yeah, reading is boring," Pudge commented. "Makes me feel like I'm in school."

"I personally don't mind," Kiki blurted. "I actually like reading."

"Good," Bertram said, smiling at Kiki. "Hopefully the rest of you can LEARN to like reading."

"How many rooms?" Aria asked. "What say I wanted to practice my singing, but didn't want to disturb people. Am I allowed outside the bunker?"

"Trust me," Bertram said. "There are times when you will NEED to. When you need food and water, it's all provided outside the area. There are clean plantations that provide fruits and vegetables, but your protein can only be found outside. There will be primitive Pokemon to hunt, including lost undeveloped cousins of popular meat Pokemon such as Grumpig and Combuseken and Miltanks! ...Huh? No Miltank contestants. Oh well, it may still shock you to find out where all your meat come from."

"Cannibalizing on Grumpig?" Grant asked before smiling. "Sounds evil." Even though he had a smile, he was quivering a bit.

"Water can also be found in the plantations," Bertram said.

"Can't we just make our own?" Ruce asked.

"No!" Bertram cried. "The use of known moves is forbidden. Anyone caught using moves will be disqualified and sent home!"

"Ugh this is complete trash," Riley muttered under his breath.

"To catch food and carry water, there will be buckets and supplies for making tools provided," Bertram added. "Now... It is time to sort the teams. Every few days there will be a challenge. Players will not only be playing for reward, but for the chance of staying in the game. Just be warned... Most of the challenges will see someone going home afterward.

Bertram walked to the crowd and stared the contestants down, even the ones who were bigger than him. Even though he may not SEEM that intimidating, his stare showed seriousness, telling them what could potentially happen. "...However, the challenge we will be having today will be an exception. In honor of the first challenge, and initiation, no one will be sent home. ...Today. But come the next challenge, fear should be kept in mind."

"I look forward to what you have, Bert-san," Yoshi said.

"Very well... Let us begin," Bertram said. Eventually the mist started to disappear and what could be seen in the background was a big cylinder with a door in it. "Step inside the cylinder. You will see a giant merry-go-round which will determine your fate."

"Merry-Go-Round?" Stawolt said happily. "I've always wanted to ride one, but mom and dad said I'm too heavy and I'll break them."

"Splendid," Bertram said. "Then this should be *ahem* enjoyable for you. Now... single file please..."

...Of course that didn't fly. Jet raced off to the cylinder, wanting to get their first. Muffy raced off after him, and tried pushing him over to get in there before him. Pudge wasn't far behind, also wanting to get in first. But the others hesitated. ...Until Dustin shouted a war-cry.

"Onward to victory!" he said in is LARPing voice before rushing off.

"Ey man, wait up!" Drenig blurted before running after Dustin.

"Come on sis!" Abigale said before running off next. Ruce ran right after her, not having much to say, except she was trying her hardest to run in sync with her sister.

"Aint getting nowhere by standing around," Wren spoke up, bolting toward the cylinder. Stawolt slowly followed him to the cylinder as well, but by then Kiki, Dylan, and Grant had passed him. Meanwhile, Chauncey was walking over to Lilly and held his hand out.

"Well... shall we?" Chauncey asked. Lilly just stared at him. She didn't know what to think.

"I... don't even know you," she said before walking off. Chauncey felt a bit rejected.

"Wait, give me a chance," He said before trying to catch up to her. That left Riley, Percy, Yoshi, and Aria left behind. Percy, Yoshi and Aria slowly walked toward the Cylinder, but Riley waited for everyone to get in before walking inside.

The huge merry-go-round mentioned by Bertram had eighteen slots. The Pokemon all chose a slot to stand in before eventually the floor around the merry-go-round, and the walls around it started to tilt down into two ramps, each leading to two doors on both sides of the merry-go-round. Eventually, you could see Bertram at the lever.

"Here's how this will work," he started. "I pull this lever, and everyone becomes dizzy. Eventually your slot will tilt and you will fall down one of the two ramps. The ramp will lead to your team bunker. This wheel is fixed so that only nine Pokemon can fall on each side. And let me make this perfectly clear: There will be no trading, no switching, and no whining. All teams are final. And to reiterate, ALL TEAMS ARE FINAL! And now, without further delay, the sorting ceremony will officially as of right now begin."

As soon as Bertram pulled the lever, all the contestants spun around. After about a minute of spinning, the first slot tilted. It was Pudge's slot, and it fell to the slope on the right. Not long after, the slot belonging to Abigale tilted her into the slope on the left. After a while, Muffy's slot tilted, and sent her sliding down the left slope, right before Wren's slot tilted him into the right slope.

Down at the bottom of the slope, Abigale and Muffy were dusting themselves off. And Muffy started to look at Abigale with nefarious intent. Muffy stretched her paws forward while starting to chase Abigale. Abigale just moved slowly back in time with Muffy's advancement. And then... the next competitor fell down the left slope, none other that Abigale's sister Ruce, who immediately got up, ran over to Muffy, and punched her in the face.

"Leave my sister alone!" Ruce yelled at Muffy. ...Muffy then started to cry, as if she'd been seriously injured even though Ruce's fist hardly dented her. If Muffy was really a bully, she wasn't a very good one.

Back at the wheel, the next slot tilted. Dustin's slot sent him down the right slope as he ran down with his plastic sword thrust forward.

"CHARGE!" Dustin yelled as he ran to the bottom where Pudge and Wren. Pudge and Wren quickly moved out of the way, just in time to watch Dustin crash into the wall of the bunker thanks to the force that kept him in motion.

Dylan was next, as his slot tilted into the left field. Afterward, Aria and Kiki were sent right. In another minute, Yoshi and Jet were sent left. Afterward, Stawolt's slot started to move as well. ...But under Stawolt's weight, it had a hard time doing so.

"Grrrrr," Bertram growled as he walked over to a control panel and pushed a lever under Stawolt's name. The slot finally jettisoned Stawolt down the right side. His massive rocky frame rumbled down the slope and caused everyone there to run in fear. In anticipation, they watched Stawolt roll toward the wall, and were worried he would crash right through. ...Fortunately he did not. He stopped right before crashing.

Six Pokemon left as the wheel got faster. Next, Lilly's slot tilted her to the left. Chauncey didn't see her fall when he became the next competitor to, but too bad for him he fell right. When Chaunce looked around at his team, he got confused.

"Wait... where's Lilly?" Chaunce asked. Bertram was there watching.

"On the other side, away from creeps like you," Bertram told Chauncey angrily.

"No!" Chauncey cried. "I have to be on her team! Can't I switch sides?" Bertram got even angrier at Chauncey.

"What part of "ALL TEAMS ARE FINAL" did not register with you?" Bertram asked. "Was it the "Final" part? Maybe the "All" part!"

Dustin was looking on, hoping to have his best friend on his team. "Come forth Drenig," he said.

Dustin watched as someone finally fell onto his side, but it wasn't Drenig. It was Riley. Riley got up after landing at the bottom of the slope and dusted himself off.

"Ugh, stupid careless beaver," Riley said to himself.

"What about Drenig?" Dustin asked Bertram out of character.

"Still on the wheel," Bertram said. He then looked over to the wheel as the third to last slot tilted. The little devil pig, Grant, officially made it over to the left side, leaving only Percy and Drenig left.

"COME FOURTH DRENIG!" Dustin shouted back in character. Finally, someone fell to their side, and he was big. ...Very big. As he got to the bottom of the slope, he shook his head off and looked at his final team. And the first thing that caught his eye... was a happy Watchog.

"Great tidings, young knight," Dustin said, helping his friend up. "Welcome to the knights of the round, Drenig." The Krookodile held his fist out as he bumped it against Dustin's, showing signs of their friendship.

That meant Percy was finalized for the other team. As he fell down the slope, he heard some cheering going on from his team mate.

"Yes! YES!" Grant shouted obnoxiously.

"Can't lose with you on our team," Dylan complimented.

"Sheesh!" Jet started annoying. "Meat-head shows up, everyone's like "Yay, we can't lose!" Yet the greatest athlete on the planet doesn't get the same welcome?"

"Maybe it's because I have a sense of humility that makes me pleasant to be around," Percy retorted.

"I'll give YOU humility!" Jet said. Eventually he started to summon a water move, one that didn't go unnoticed.

"HEY! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT USING SPECIAL MOVES!" Bertram screamed.

"Uhhh, oh sorry, I forgot B-guy," Jet excused.

"I'm letting you off with a warning this time," Bertram said. "But next time, you will be expelled from the game, got it!"

"But then again, maybe we can," Dylan said to himself.

Over on the other side, Dustin was just about ready to name his team.

"All hail the Knights Of The Round," he proclaimed.

"Sorry, but you don't get to choose your names," Bertram. "You are both assigned a team. Do you see the icy blue markings on your side left team?"

The left team looked at their bunker and noticed two different shades of light blue coloring their side. On the right side where yellow and black stripes.

"Anyone who sees icy blue shades on their side of the wall is now officially on Team Artic-Uno," Bertram said. "The ones who see yellow and black are team Zap-Dos. Welcome to your new home."

The slopes then bent inward, ensuring no one could climb back up. And since not a single player could fly, it made it that much easier.

"We of the community hope you enjoy your stay," Bertram said before walking away at the top of the bunkers.

"Hey! Get back here!" Kiki cried out, but to no avail. He was already out of ear shot by the time she called.

-Hello, I'm On Team Blank-

The contestants looked around their areas and saw more than just a bunker. There also seemed to be a storage shed outside each of the bunkers. ...But what were the storage sheds for? Riley was the first one to aproach a shed.

"What's this here for?" Riley said as he went inside and saw a bench at the back of it.

"I see you found a sound-proof confessional shed," Bertram's voice said inside the storage shed. "In here you can unload all your thoughts in private. Thought you may want audience to hear, but not your team mates. Have fun."

"Hmmm, I suppose I could use this right now," Riley said before he closed the door and sat down.

-Confessional Session(Riley)-

"I don't like working in a team," Riley said. "I've spent so much of my life working alone, and for a good reason. Every time I work on a team, I get stuck with a bunch of half-wits, who are completely incompetent at what they're supposed to be doing. ...But maybe this could be a new experience for me. They cannot be ALL bad, can they? ...Oh who am I kidding? The only semi-competent player on my team is Kiki. All the good players are on the other side. What could possibly go wrong?"

-After Confessional-

"Now it is time for your first look at your new home," Bertram's voice blared over the loudspeaker.

The Pokemon on team Zap-Dos walked cautiously to their bunker where they opened to see not much but a campfire stove, a cot, some bunk-beds, cans of food, a bookshelf stocked with some old books, and a lone table. As you would expect the first impression was not a good.

"Hmmm, I haven't done any survival-horror role-plays," Dustin said before walking in.

"Aay wish I could say something positive," Drenig started. "But this place reeks!"

"But it's home for now," Aria mentioned. "We'll just have to make do with it."

Chauncey B-lined for the table, and started to write on paper with a pen, both things he brought with him as a luxury item. Everyone was allowed a luxury item, and pen and paper was Chauncey's choice. It's technically two items, but the producers allowed it.

"Hmmm, what rhymes with "resistance," Chauncey asked himself.

The others were trying to think of a good word. Eventually, Wren came up with one.

"What about "existence?" Wren asked. Chauncey's mind lit up with that.

"Amazing, that works perfectly!" he proclaimed before jotting down what Wren told him.

"Anything I can do to help," Wren said happily.

Stawolt looked at the beds. Deep down, he felt tired.

"Duh... the beds aren't labeled," Stawolt said. "Which one am I supposed to sleep on?"

"You can sleep under my bunk if you want," Wren suggested.

"Daw, thanks," Stawolt said. "...Uhhh, what's your name again?"

"They call me Wren," he said.

Meanwhile, Dustin and Drenig were picking their own beds together.

"You take the top bunk," Drenig said. "I can't say I think heights are cool."

Dustin happily accepted as he climbed his bed and placed his sword down. Like Chauncey, Dustin brought a luxury item, which was his favorite LARPing sword.

Meanwhile, Pudge was starting to take a shine to Aria. He still admired her voice.

"Hey, pretty lady?" Pudge asked. "Can I sleep with you?"

"First off, my name's Aria," she said. "And I'm not a lady, I'm actually quite old. But sure, you can if you want."

Pudge looked at Aria and noticed she was being assertive with him, which kinda made him feel intimidated.

"Uhhh, okay," Pudge said, accepting anyway. Pudge then helped himself to the bottom bunk, not even bothering to ask.

"Ahem, please sleep on top," Aria said, still being assertive.

"Yyyes maam," Pudge said, retreating to the top.

Riley, as you would expect chose the lone cot. Leaving Chauncey and Kiki to share a bed. Right now, Kiki was practicing tai-chi, since Chauncey was still writing his poem. Kiki didn't have the chance to ask if he wanted the top or bottom bunk.

"Doth we squander our existence on opposite sides of the resistance," Chauncey spouted out loud. Kiki shook her head at Chauncey.

"Forget about Lilly," Kiki said. "She's not on our side. Deal with it. Now do you want the top or bottom bunk?"

"Your tone is completely uncouth!" Chauncey cried. "You have not been strucken by an arrow..."

"Stricken," Wren corrected. "Or struck, one of the two. But not strucken."

"In any case," Chauncey continued. "You have not been stricken by an arrow of love. So back off."

"You only like her cause she's a Gardevoir," Kiki said. "You wouldn't even care if she was something else."

"Silence!" Chauncey yelled. "Let me just get back to my literature!"

"Fine," Kiki said. "But I will take the top bunk if that's the case."

-Confessional Session(Chauncey)-

"Ugh, what nonsense!" Chauncey cried. "To think someone as rude as her exists on this planet? She is lucky we are on the same team, but that doesn't mean she's any less uncouth. ...Hmmm, I really need to learn some more words. I hope the bunker has a thesaurus."

-Confessional Session(Kiki)-

"I can tell Chauncey is going to choose Lilly over the game," Kiki said. "And that is gonna be a big problem, cause it just may cost us a challenge or two. Or even all of them. But he does seem a bit thick-headed. I doubt getting him to see reality is going to be all that easy."

-After Confessional-

It was team Artic-Uno's turn to see the inside of their bunker, and they got much of the same response.

"Blech! This place is fowl!" Dylan yelled.

"We know, do you need to make it a statement?" Lilly asked.

"I dunno, just put a big complicated machine in the room and it looks kinda swell," Grant complimented.

"Are you a complete and total loony-toon?" Dylan asked.

"I'm EVIL!" Grant proclaimed. "Evil loves dark, gloomy places!"

"I don't think you're really evil, mister," Abigale stated. "You're just pretending."

"Silence!" Grant raved. "You doubt my evilness? Maybe I should teach you to respect... the device! ...Oh wait that stupid chicken BROKE my device!"

"What are you talking about?" Ruce asked.

"Oh, Kiki on the other team," Lilly started. "Grant was waving around a plastic toy, and it annoyed Kiki so she destroyed it. This happened while we were still in the truck. Now if you don't mind I'm going to see what kind of books they have."

-Confessional Session(Grant)-

"Curses," he said in a sad tone. "That furry fellas onto me. Yes, truth is I'm not really evil. I just grew up watching too many cartoons. And come on, you cannot tell me the villains aren't usually cooler and more awesome than the good-guys, can you? Be honest, you know it's true. But still, playing the role of a super villain is kinda fun. Maybe I should find a way to convince them I am truly evil. ...But how?"

-After Confessional-

Percy immediately walked over to the cot, the only bed big enough to fit him.

"Mind if I call the cot anyone?" Percy asked. This was followed with a stream of confirmation allowing Percy the permission of using the cot as his bed.

Meanwhile, Ruce and Abigale were going up to one of the beds.

"Okay, you take the top bunk, I'll take the bottom bunk," Ruce said.

"Got it big sis," Abigale said before she climbed the ladder up to the top bunk. Abigale also brought a luxury item, her favorite plush-toy that she prized almost as much as her furry costume, an Eevee with a pink dress and floppy hat. Ruce's luxury item was another Eevee doll with green overalls and a wide smile.

Eventually, Dylan walked up to Ruce and tapped her shoulder.

"Uhh, she your sister?" he asked "Any reason why she's dressed as a Pikachu?"

"She really loves extravagant depictions of Pokemon," Ruce said. "That's why her costume has a colorful purple mohawk and a mismatched tail."

"Yes, but why would she dress up as one?" Dylan asked.

"I guess she just loves them that much that she wants to be just like them," Ruce said.

-Confessional Session(Dylan)-

"Okay," Dylan started. "I have seen so much stupid stuff in my life, but a Marill that wants to be a Pikachu with a mohawk and a fluffy tail!? Is this a trend or something? Or am I living in a fun-house right now?"

-After Confessional-

Grant had someone breathing down his neck, looking angry. It was Muffy the Granbul.

"Hey, evil punk!" Muffy said. "Maybe you'd like to make another device and show it to me. I'll smash it right in your face!"

"Such strength," Grant said. "Such fury and carefree-ness! You are worthy of being my sidekick." ...That was a mistake.

"Sure!" Muff said before she swung her leg around and chopped Grant's hip with it, sending him to the floor. "How's THAT for a "side kick?"

"Hmm, you got humor down at least," Percy said, looking up from his cot. "Do you have some humility? Cause if I catch you harassing people, you'll be singing soprano. Capiche?" Muffy started to get teary eyed again.

-Confessional Session(Muffy)-

"No! I can't let people intimidate me like this," she said. "Not again! I worked hard getting where I am right now! I don't want to relive my past. I don't even want to think about it. I'm a bully now! They can all kiss my tooth for all I care! ...Awww, but he's so big." Miff started to shiver.

-After Confessional-

Lilly was right next to a bed when Yoshi walked up to her and held his hand out.

"May I?" he asked. Lilly gave him another look.

"I don't know you either, so why would I dance with you?" Lilly asked.

"No, I meant may I have the bottom bunk," Yoshi confirmed.

"Oh, by all means, go ahead," Lilly said to Yoshi as he picked his bed.

The others had no particular alliances with anyone else, but Miff allowed Grant to sleep on the same bed with him, and surprisingly Grant forgave Miff for kicking him. Grant took top while Miff took bottom. Over by the remaining bed, Dylan was going for the ladder when Jet immediately jumped onto his head and onto the top bunk.

"Hah! Right where I belong! At the top," Jet said.

Dylan got angry at him and immediately shook the bed as hard as he could. Eventually, Jet fell off and Dylan climbed up.

"Top bunk's mine, stupid!" Dylan yelled. "You sleep on the bottom."

"...Why always me," Jet said, staying on the ground.

-Trials Of Three-

In about an hour since they got here, a loud alarm blared off, disrupting many of the things the contestants were doing.

"Argh! Do you mind!" Dylan roared at the sound of the alarm. Ruce noticed Abigale was scared of the sound and decided to comfort her with a big hug. Everyone else was scrambling outside.

But on the other side, things were even more hectic as a certain panda was running around screaming.

"AHH! THERE'S NO HOPE FOR US LEFT, IT'S ALL OVER!" Pudge screamed.

"Calm down little one," Bertram's voice called out once the alarm shut off. "That's not a danger warning. Or, I should say it's not a death warning. There will be PLENTY of danger though. Come outside."

Eventually everyone was face to face with a big wall containing a screen, a big slot below the screen, a rope inside the wall right below the mechanical slot, and of course a pit of mud.

"I'm sure you are ALL familiar with tug-of-war," Bertram's voice said. "To start the show off, we will have not one, but THREE challenges, each putting the three trinities of excellence to the test: Strength, speed, and smarts. First, we shall have the test of strength. Now, choose the three strongest competitors on your team and be prepared."

On team Artic-Uno, there was pretty much a unanimous decision on who would go.

"Well, I don't mean to toot my own horn," Percy started on team Artic-Uno. "But isn't it obvious?"

"Yeah, it kinda is," Lilly said. "But who else should go?"

Muffy was starting to shake nervously but eventually stepped forward and raised her paw.

"Me! I should go!" she said, quickly changing attitudes from nervous to gruff.

"What about you, sis?" Abigale asked.

"Huh? What about me?" Ruce asked.

"You're strong. You can do it," Abigale responded. Ruce started to flex her arms to see if she really did have what it takes. Ruce actually was quite strong for her species.

"Yeah! I'll do it!" Ruce said, walking by Percy and Muffy.

"Time to make those Zap-Dos punks cry!" Muffy shouted.

Team Zap-Dos however had a much harder time deciding.

Riley stayed away from the group. He didn't think highly of ANYONE there. "Hmph, they're all useless," he said to himself.

"Okay, we're probably going against Percy," Aria mentioned. "Do we have ANYONE who can beat Percy?"

"Hey, why dun we make it harder for those punks by giving them some heavy opposition," Drenig suggested.

"It makes sense Drenig," Kiki said. "But you and Stawolt are the only heavy ones we got."

"Eh, you want me to play?" Stawolt asked.

"Yes, you and Drenig definitely," Kiki said. "But maybe we should balance the heavy with someone who is strong."

...No response from the others. A few of them even scratched the back of their heads, nervous that they were not strong enough.

"Fine, I guess I'll go," Kiki said.

-Confessional Session(Percy)-

"I can't help but feel a bit sorry for the other team," Percy started. "After all, you're looking at someone who can bench-press over five-hundred and eighty pounds. Me verses them? It doesn't really seem fair, does it?"

-After Confessional-

Eventually the teams were set. Percy, Muffy and Ruce on one side, Stawolt, Drenig and Kiki on the other.

"I'm sure you all know how tug of war works," Bertram said. "So if I need to explain that if you're pulled into the mud you are out, then I can guarantee you have been living in a cave for your entire life. You will notice a big slot below the screen. It covers a window that lets you see who the opponents are, but it will not be revealed until the match is over. Now... Take your positions. Quickly now, we're on a timed schedule. ...Aaaaaand... TUG!"

Percy decided to go a bit easy on the other team to start with as the other team tugged with all their might. Because of Percy's current lenience, Artic-Uno was behind.

"What's going on!" Ruce asked. "There can't be anyone stronger than Percy on the other side."

"Are you even trying!?" Muffy asked.

"I... I don't want it to be too easy," Percy said.

"I don't care what you want!" Ruce said. "We have to stay strong!"

Eventually, Ruce was hanging on the edge of the mud pit. She was about to fall in. And eventually, she did.

Over on the other side, a symbol above the top-left of the screen in the form of a blue X lit up.

"Attention team Zap-Dos, that X means you have annihilated a victim," Bertram said on the screen.

"Huh, this is a bit easier than I expected," Kiki said out loud. "Are they not using Percy?"

"I'd expect him to be stronger than this," Drenig said.

-Confessional Session(Drenig)-

"I tend to work with a lot of heavy tools at the mechanics shop," Drenig said. "Sometimes I even get a wagon stuck on me and I have to lift it up, usually by myself. I'm actually pretty tough when you look past my gut." Drenig then proceeded to slap his belly, something that fat characters like to do when they're feeling proud.

-After Confessional-

"GRRRR! Percy, knock it off!" Muffy screamed, wanting Percy to get serious.

"You know, I could just let go and have you deal with them," Percy said to Muffy. It seemed like the two were about to form a rivalry.

"Percy, PLEASE! My reputation is on the line!" Eventually, Muffy started to tilt into the mud. She was about to fall in. "I CAN'T GO BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE!" And with one last give, Muffy fell in. And on team Zap-Dos, another blue X lit up about the screen.

"Hey! That Percy guy isn't so strong after all!" Stawolt said to the team, proud that they were winning.

"Okay, no more fooling around," Percy said to himself before giving it everything he got. And surprisingly, he started to gain ground really quick.

"Huh?" Kiki said as she noticed her team was starting to head towards the mud.

"I think he just wanted to show off," Drenig commented.

Over on Percy's side, he kept grabbing the rope hand over hand, and seemed to have little trouble pulling the other team in. Kiki fell in the mud first, and that caused a yellow X to appear above the screen on team Artic-Uno's side. With a few more tugs, Drenig ended up being next, causing a second yellow X to appear. But Stawolt did not want to suffer the same fate. He tugged and tugged and tugged as hard as he could, but Percy just wasn't budging. And with a few more tugs, Stawolt too found himself in the mud, giving a two to three victory for team Artic-Uno.

...But not everyone on team Artic-Uno was happy.

"What the heck, Percy!" Ruce shouted, getting out of the mud. "You had all that strength and you didn't even use it till you were the only one left!?"

"I... I was just trying to be nice to the other team," Percy said.

"But they're the other team!" Ruce yelled. "You're not SUPPOSED to be nice to them."

"I'm gonna kill you, Percy!" Muffy roared.

"Muffy, what did you mean by what you said before you fell in?" Abigale asked as she walked up to the mudpit where her sister was.

"Huh? That's none of your business," Muffy said before climbing out. Ruce did as well. And afterward, the slot below the screen opened up and everyone was visible. Kiki saw Percy and couldn't help but feel angry that he let them eliminate two of their team mates and then show off.

"You stink, you ugly cat!" Kiki cried as she saw him.

"Hey man, you think showing off is cool!?" Drenig asked.

"Ugh, my head hurts," Stawolt said, grouping with the rest.

"...I was just trying to give you guys a chance," Percy said.

"You call that giving us a chance!?" Kiki hollered.

"Now now, let's fan the flames a bit," Bertram said over the screen. "Besides, the next event is going to happen, the trial of smarts. Please choose your three smartest players to go up. They will have to work with a word puzzle, a wire puzzle, and a number puzzle. Remember you cannot select anyone who you have already used, so the remaining three better have some athletics."

"You had me at "words," Chauncey said on team Zap-Dos. "I shall do the word puzzle."

"Okay, but I hope you're as good with them as you say you are," Aria said, unsure if it was a good idea, but had no reason to object.

"Ooh! Can I do the number puzzle?" Dustin asked.

"Why is THAT a good idea?" Kiki asked.

"We work a lot with numbers, especially with rolling dice and adding statistics," Dustin said.

"That sounds like regular role-playing, not live-action role-playing," Kiki said.

"I do both," Dustin said.

Team Zapdos looked at the four remaining contestants.

"Yeah right I'm running," Aria said. "I'll do the remaining wire puzzle," she said.

That led Wren and Pudge to join together for their partnership in the final round. ...But Riley, once again, stayed away from the group.

"Come on man, you're with us," Wren said.

"Yeah mister, come on!" Pudge proclaimed. Riley just looked back and turned away again.

"Whatever, I'll join you when the event starts," Riley said.

Over at team Artic-Uno, they too were deliberating on who to send over. One Pokemon proclaimed immediately he would join.

"He he he! Wires you say?" Grant asked. "Well, I build many great things, so I have a high familiarity with wires."

"Yeah right!" Dylan shouted.

"Oh? Think you can do any better?" Grant asked. Grant paused.

"Hmmm, no I'll take the number puzzle," he said.

"Great, either of you object to me taking the word puzzle, then?" Lilly asked No one spoke against it.

Eventually the teams were set and the beaver started talking again.

"Okay teams," Bertram said through another screen. "Return to your bunkers, I am sure you will find the puzzles there."

As the teams returned to their bunkers, they found on the table three pieces of paper each with a puzzle on it. Grant immediately ran over to his paper and got to work.

"Remember, the first team to get all three puzzles done wins," Bertram's voice said from outside the bunkers.

"Ha ha ha, this will be simple," Grant said confidently.

"Whatever," Lilly said, sitting next to Grant to work on her word puzzle. Dylan sat down as well to work on his.

Over on Team Zapdos, they were quietly working on their puzzles.

"Hmmm, a bunch of small words," Chauncey said. "I was kinda hoping he would have been more prolific with them."

"I got it! Forty five!" Dustin proclaimed.

"Huh, you're done already?" Aria asked.

"Great, if you think you are right, come out to see me," Bertram called out from outside. Dustin walked outside to confirm his test. Then Chauncey had a breakthrough.

"Yes, yes!" he sang happily. "If at first you don't succeed, try try again!" Chauncey then rushed out to show his puzzle to Bertram, leaving Aria back to complete her puzzle.

"Hmmmm, maybe if I changed the color of this wire," she said to herself.

Back with Artic-Uno, Grant was having a tougher time with his puzzle than he thought.

"Come on! Come on!" Grant said. "Somewhere in this giant brain is the answer! Where is it!"

"Maybe if you'd stop shouting and calm down, you'd know!" Dylan yelled.

"Well excuse me for not complaining about EVERY LITTLE THING!" Grant roared.

"Some of us have standards to work with!" Dylan cried.

"Hmmm, If at first you don't succeed, try try again," Lilly said before getting up. "I'll let you two idiots battle it out." With that, she walked out.

"So I'm not up to your standards?" Grant asked?

"Please," Dylan started. "You've been doing this whole "I'm an evil genius" gig ever since you got here, and I'd like you to point out even ONE PERSON IN SOCIETY who's going with that schtick too!"

"Are you calling me a FAKE!?" Grant Screamed. "I've had you and that stupid furry call me fake ever since we got here! When my latest device is perfected, oh ho, you and EVERYONE ELSE WILL..."

"Hate to interrupt you team Artic-Uno," Bertram called out. "But team Zap-Dos had just completed their last puzzle, giving the win to them this round."

"Will WHAT!?" Dylan taunted. "Oh I shall crush all who's done me wrong! Seriously, you're a JOKE!"

Suddenly, they were both grabbed by their scruff by Percy, who decided it was best to separate the two. "I think you two need a little time to cool off," he said.

-Confessional Session(Dylan)-

"Okay, meeting a fur-suiter is weird enough," Dylan said. "But NOW I'm dealing with an idiot who thinks he's an evil genius! What have I gotten myself into?"

-Confessional Session(Grant)-

"Even if the furry keeps her mouth shut," Grant started. "That blabbermouth penguin is already giving away my secrets! How am I supposed to keep a reputation as an evil genius when I cannot even figure out a simple wire puzzle?"

-Tiebreaker-

Everyone had gathered outside of the bunkers for briefing on the final event. Both teams saw Bertram on the screen and noticed a large metal wall across from them with three doors, each with a name on them. On Team Articuno: Jet, Abigale, and Yoshi. On team Zap-Dos there were doors labeled Riley, Pudge, and Wren.

"Oh, it's the third and final leg of the triathlon, isn't it?" Bertram asked.

"It thou be the last round!" Dustin said after a brief pause.

"That... was... rhetorical," Bertram mumbled. "But anyway, I'm sure you are all wondering what the prize is. Allow me introduce to you Quarantine's own prize chef: Chef Mignon."

Eventually, a big Lickilicky appeared on the screen. He looked positively jolly and wore a chef's hat and outfit. He looked adorable really. No wonder his name was Mignon.

"Hoy Comtethence," Mignon said. "Tha mwinna will envoy a ham crafid peetha mae by be." ...You could not understand a word he was saying, he had his tongue sticking out the whole time.

"Chef Mignon," Bertram addressed. "Would you be kind enough to put your tongue in your mouth?"

"Buth ive eth lithy-lithy," Mignon said.

"I guess I'LL have to say it then," Bertram said. "Mignon here is a very skilled chef and will create a giant 18-slice pizza for the winners."

Both teams started to cheer. They found the idea delicious.

"Ha! I can taste that pizza already," Jet said.

"But that's not all!" Bertram exclaimed. "The winning team will also get a present courtesy of one of my other faithfuls. Please welcome Grandma Gungho."

Mingon exited the screen and then Bertram was pushed aside by a big Conkeldurr carrying a wrench.

"Thanks Bert," Gungho said. "I've been building stuff ever since I was a Timburr."

"Ay, I fixed cars for almost that long," Drenig said, feeling like he could relate to Gungho.

"The winning team will also receive some new, fortified walls," Gungho said.

"Wait, how is that gonna benefit us?" Ruce asked.

"Around night time is when the zombies come out," Gungho said. "That's when they like to smack on the walls alot. These fortified walls are soundproof and will protect you from outside noise."

"In other words you're paying for a good nights sleep," Bertram clarified.

"And that's a prize?" Dylan asked.

"No, it's a punishment for the losers," Bertram said. "Tonight there will be zombies running the grounds."

"Zombies or actors dressed as Zombies?" Aria asked.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Bertram yelled. "Anyway... The zombies are always searching for brains and will attack anywhere that looks like it houses living creatures, including your bunkers! They can get preeeeetty loud too. But once we install those walls onto your bunker, the noise will be cut considerably. But the team that DOESN'T get the new walls, well they will have quite a hard time. Now... shall we begin the challenge?"

"Alright, my turn to be awesome!" Jet said running off to his door.

"Ugh, Raise your hands if you want to see him humiliate himself," Dylan asked. He watched as everyone except Abigale raise their hands. Dylan stared at Abigale.

"Oh? And why not?" he asked.

"Well, he does seem to be over-confident, but we do need to win the challenge," Abigale said.

"She does have a point there," Ruce said, lowering her hand.

"Yes, though we may wish him poorly now," Yoshi started. "We should remember he is part of our team. If his performance is true, then we should value his participation on our team." He then walked over to Abigale. "Come little one."

"Do you think I can do it, Big Sis?" Abigale asked Ruce.

"I don't want to set your hopes up, Abigale," Ruce said. "But do try your hardest. You may win, you may not."

"I'm scared, sister," Abigale said.

"Well swallow your feat and get going!" Dylan shouted. "You don't have a choice!"

"That was very rude of you!" Ruce yelled at Dylan.

"Yeah, well she has a challenge to attend to," Dylan squawked. "And if she were semi-COMPETENT, she would be tackling that course now!"

Abigale ran over to her door, just to get away from Dylan.

"Is that why you came here was to pick fights?" Ruce questioned.

"I came here to get away from cry-babies like YOUR SISTER!" Dylan yelled.

"Oh that settles it!" Ruce yelled. "ATTACK!" Ruce then let loose a strong uppercut that knocked Dylan to the floor. Ruce had a very short fuse, especially when it came to people talking about her sister.

"My sister is NOT A CRYBABY!" Ruce roared. Dylan sat up and rubbed his sore beak.

"Oww," he said before laying back down.

-Confessional Session(Ruce)-

"I may have been a bit hard on him," Ruce said. "But NO ONE insults my sister like he did. You hear me? NO ONE!"

-After Confessional-

On team Zapdos there wasn't as much conflict. Wren and Pudge were ready at their doors and Riley was just heading up.

"Well, this is it little guy," Wren said to Pudge. "Don't get cold feet."

"I'm gonna tackle that course with all I got," Pudge said. ...But one thing did pick at him. "Cold feet? Why would I get cold feet."

"It's an expression for nervousness," Wren said before looking at Riley. "You ready Riley?"

"Whatever," Riley said, walking up to his door.

It was a moment of suspense for both teams. Team Zap-Dos was really feeling the pressure as Wren was starting to get cold feet himself.

"Okay Wren, you can do this," he said before he and everyone else opened the door.

When everyone entered, they saw a long running track with a long series of what looked like buttons lining the side of each track. In between three of the tracks was a big fence dividing the two teams, but you could still see each other.

"Welcome to the final round," Bertram said through a screen on the walls opposite from the fence. "Now to end this race, you will partake in... a race! ...No, nothing? Well, this race will take more than just mere speed. It will also take a little strategy as well. You will each be running these large tracks, and the first team to get all three members across the finish line wins. Here's the catch, your opponents can summon hurdles. Along the way you can press one of six buttons: three of the buttons give one of the three opponents a short hurdle for jumping, the other three gives one of them a tall hurdle for ducking. Remember these hurdles appear a bit after the buttons, so if you're a slight behind the number one spot, give that loser a taste of defeat with those buttons. Last note is that the switches AND hurdles have been set according to size of contestant, and shorter contestants will get shorter buttons and hurdles."

"Yeah yeah yeah, can we start already?" Riley interupted.

"Come on, I'm on fire, I wanna get going," Pudge said.

"Hey why should I worry?" Jet asked. "I'll be sooooo far ahead of everyone they won't even get a chance to slap a hurdle on me. And even if they could I'd just jump them."

"Again with shooting your mouth off," Yoshi said. "I swear my home would never accept someone into their realm with that ego."

"Silence and get to your positions!" Bertram said.

Everyone stopped their qualms for a minute and took their positions.

"Okay, I don't think I need to tell you how anything else works including the starting countdown," Bertram said. "So I'm just going to say START! GO GO GO! MOVE IT! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? GET GOING! ...Oh, nevermind then."

Everyone of course had started once he said "Start." And the race was underway. Currently it was Jet in first, followed by Wren, then Riley, then Abigale, then Pudge, and finally Yoshi who actually wasn't that fast at all and barely keeping up with Pudge.

"Ha ha! Catch me if you can losers!" Jet said, taunting from his side of the fence.

Wren was the closest to Jet, so he pushed Jet's hurdle to try and slow him down. Jet effortlessly jumped his though. Wren tried again, but to similar results. Wren tried one more time, but once again failed to knock him forward. Meanwhile, Jet was setting up Wren's hurdles too.

"Ha! You idiot! Why are you bothering?" Jet taunted.

Over with Wren, a smile lit up his face. He had an idea.

"You couldn't outrun my grandma, and she's only a Seismitoed!" Jet taunted again. "Why don't you just leave the challenge to OOF!"

With some quick thinking, Wren slipped him the high hurdle and caught him off his guard. Causing him to jump into the high hurdle and crash. After a few seconds he fell to the ground.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Who didn't want to see that happen?" Bertram asked. "Well done Wren."

"Thanks Mr. B," Wren said as he got a better lead.

Meanwhile, Yoshi and Pudge were going at it. Yoshi threw Pudge a low hurdle which pudge fell over from. Afterward, Pudge assaulted Yoshi with some hurdles of his own, but whether they were low or high, Yoshi didn't have much of a problem dodging them.

"I can see the fire in your heart," Yoshi said to Pudge right before ducking under a high hurdle. "Fire is not enough. You need training, devotion, and lots of patience." Yoshi slipped him another low hurdle which Pudge also fell over. Pudge was not having an easy time with the hurdles.

...And neither was Abigale. Abigale was along with Riley, but unfortunately Riley kept summoning hurdle after hurdle, hurdles that Abigale had a really hard time jumping over, and kept losing her position until Yoshi eventually caught up.

Over with the other team mates, Ruce was getting angry at Riley for what she saw. The teams each got to watch the race on the screen in and across from their bunkers, and Ruce chose to watch outside.

"What is that bully doing to her!?" Ruce cried.

"It's just part of the game," Percy reminded.

Back at the race, Abigale was starting to feel disappointed in herself, finding it hard to sum up the courage to keep going.

"No! I don't wanna let my sister down!" Abigale cried.

"Don't worry, I'll help you," Yoshi said. "Only a coward would turn his back on a friend."

With that, Yoshi summoned a few hurdles for Riley to jump over. At first, Riley seemed in good shape, but he was tripped up eventually and lost some ground, giving Abigale and Yoshi a chance to catch up.

"Thanks Yoshi," Abigale said with a smile. ...You actually couldn't tell what her emotions were under that suit, and it probably wasn't helping the challenge.

"You might have been able to run better without that costume," Yoshi mentioned.

"It's kind of a...," Abigale started. "This suit is something I hold near and dear, almost as much as my sister. I don't like taking it off."

"If those are your feelings, I suppose I have no right to tell you to take it off," Yoshi said to Abigale.

"Really?" Abigale asked. "Most people don't like this suit, but you are one of the few people I met who accept it? You're cool, Yoshi."

Yoshi couldn't help but smile inside. Abigale was actually kinda cute in her own little way.

Meanwhile, Jet was still challenging Wren. Jet had recovered from the previous mishap and was back in it.

"Two can play at that!" Jet cried as he started summoning some high hurdles. But Wren wasn't fooled and stayed on ground, running under them. Eventually Jet summoned a low hurdle and that caused Wren to crash into it, allowing Jet to regain his lead.

"Ha ha! I told ya big foot!" Jet said right before he jumped across the finish line, being the first to cross. "Oh yeah!" he said with a confident smile.

Abigale, Yoshi and Riley were all neck-and-neck, but Pudge was quickly catching up.

"Move over I'm coming through!" Pudge exclaimed, running as fast as he could.

"Abigale, you take Pudge. I'll finish Riley," Yoshi suggested.

"Okay!" Abigale said, summoning a low hurdle for Pudge to jump over. Since abigale was ahead, Pudge's hurdle was farther ahead, making it good practice for honing his hurdling skills. Pudge succesfully jumped over his hurdle and was now catching up. Abigale tried another but Pudge was unphased. Finally, Pudge summoned a hurdle for Abigale which, once again Abigale tripped over, allowing Pudge to get ahead of her.

Meanwhile, Yoshi was getting ahead once more and Riley and him were duking it out. Yoshi was dodging low and jumping high over his hurdles, seeming to use his lack of speed to prepare better. Riley was not having as easy of a time. With a few quick maneuvers, he eventually got hit by a high hurdle and lost his lead to Yoshi. Riley couldn't help but feel annoyed by him.

"Why won't he trip up," he said to himself. "No. One way or another I will see to it that he goes down!"

Meanwhile, Wren had just finished his course and was ready to cheer on his team.

"Go Zap-Dos!" He cheered.

"How does it feel being second best big foot?" Jet asked. But Wren wasn't paying attention to Jet, he was cheering on his team. "I know, humiliating," Jet said to himself.

Riley was trying his hardest to trip Yoshi up as they were coming to the finish line. Riley sent one hurdle at Yoshi, then a high hurdle, then another high hurdle, and finally a normal one. But no matter what, Yoshi passed all of them, refusing to be tripped up. Riley did beat him to the finish line, but he was still frustrated with Yoshi. Eventually he rushed up to the cage once Yoshi had finished and started to go on a tangent.

"What was that?" he ranted. "Are you a psychic or something?"

"Haven't you heard the story of the Torkoal and the Lopunny?" Yoshi said.

"...The Lopunny just goofs off," Riley said. "How does that exactly denote to slow and steady?"

"I took my time," Yoshi said. "As a result, I was able to clear obstacles easier.

It was down to Pudge and Abigale, and Pudge was in the lead.

"Ha ha, I'm winning!" Pudge taunted, sending another hurdle at Abigale.

But this was where Abigale was done losing. This was where she gave it all she had and started to sprint, finally managing to clear a hurdle.

"Not for long!" She called out. "I must win this for my team AND my sister. ...And Yoshi."

Abigale then hit another button for a hurdle right as she was talking. Pudge, being distracted by Abigale's words, was hit by the hurdle and lost a little ground. Eventually, they were running together and nearing the finish line. They were giving each other the works trying to shake them off, but both of them were determined.

"I'm not gonna lose!" Pudge said, very eager to win. But who would be more eager.

As they both neared the finish line, it was a big leap of faith for both Pudge and Abigale. They both hoped they would reach the finish first, and it was a very close call. But in the end, one came out on top. ...Abigale.

Abigale had just narrowly edged out Pudge by an inch, beating him at the race. Pudge stumbled on the ground, not knowing what happened. "Huh? Did I win?" Pudge asked his team.

"Team Artic-Uno has just barely clutched the victory!" Bertram called out.

"Awwww," Pudge frowned, disappointed that he lost.

"You did your best," Wren said after crawling to him. He patted him on the back for reassurance.

"Ha! I told you I was the best!" Jet taunted.

"Hmph, for now anyway," Yoshi said before looking down at Abigale. "You did it, little Furry. I'll bet your sister is proud of you."

"Sister! Ruce! Did you see that?" Abigale asked, running out to the bunkers. "Sister!"

As you'd expect, Ruce was out there with open arms, about ready to give her sister a hug. But at the same time she could not find the words to say.

"I should say I knew you would do it," Ruce started. "But I can say I did have my doubts. But in the end you pulled it off. I'm very proud of you Abigale."

Abigale then took her Pikachu helmet off and smiled, getting closer to Ruce right before Ruce kissed her on the cheek. Yoshi and Jet arrived just in time to see Abigale without her helmet. She didn't look much different from a normal Marill, but she was still very cute.

"What's the big deal, she was the last to finish on our team," Jet said to the group.

Jet and Yoshi watched as Percy walked up to them, He had his paw out, probably wanting a handshake.

"Wow, you were amazing out there Yoshi," he said. "Dodging all those obstacles. I don't think I could have."

"Hey, sometimes being slow isn't such a bad thing," Yoshi stated.

Jet coughed really loud. He hated being outdone. Percy, deep down, didn't want to admit it, but he was impressive too.

"Oh all right Jet," Percy said. "You proved out there that even though you run that big mouth off of yours way to much that, well, maybe you really can back it up. You did today, anyway." Jet just rolled his eyes, but his mouth smiled a bit, showing he was satisfied.

"Team Artic-Uno!" Bertram said through the screen. "Congratulations on your hard-fought victory. Your pizza will be searved to you in no time. However, only two slices per contestant BUT you each get to choose your own toppings!"

"Give me all the Tauros meat I can handle!" Muffy proclaimed.

"Whoa there, there will be time for that later," Bertram said. "Now I must warn you that you are still on your own for drinks, but remember the plantation has crisp clean water and it's not far outside the resistance. You will have access to that in a little bit. And you also won new soundproof walls, WHICH should be fully installed by the time you are done eating. Team Artic-Uno, you have won for today. But tomorrow, the real game starts."

After Bertram logged off, the Artic-Uno started to cheer. They were looking forward to the rest of the season.

"Team Artic-Uno!" Ruce called out.

"Team Artic-Uno!" Abigale said after.

"Team Artic-Uno," Yoshi said happily but less enthused.

"Team Artic-Uno," Lilly joined in. Afterward, everyone shouted their team name in unison to celebrate their victory. Tonight looked very good for them.

-And so, the season began-

Over at team Zap-Dos, they had all gathered in the bunker. Fortunately they didn't have people like Dylan or Muffy or Jet on their side, so the pouting was minimal.

"I suppose we did all try our best out there," Aria said.

But there was one person who seemed a bit peeved. And she was taking it out on the wall.

"Ugh, stupid Percy!" Kiki yelled. "Who does he think he is anyway?"

She wasn't angry at the teams loss, but was angry at Percy for holding back. She then walked over to the bookshelf and grabbed a book, right before kicking it across the room after it was thrown in the air.

"That mud was kinda fun to swim in though," Stawolt mentioned. "I wouldn't mind being dunked in that again."

-Confessional Session(Stawolt)-

"I don't like water," Stawolt said. "Water is bad. Water hurts skin. Stawolt always preferred bathing in mud. It feels plesant to touch, and I'm a big rock anyway. What do I need with being soaked in water. Maybe when I get home I should have my dad make a big swimming pool of mud. Aww, that would be nice of him."

-After Confessional-

"That Abigale is tough," Pudge said. "I'll get her next time."

Over with Dustin and Drenig, Drenig was congratulating Dustin for winning his event.

"Ay, good job out there by the way," he said.

"I came, I saw, I conquered!" Dustin proclaimed in his LARPing voice.

"Say, do you know each other?" Wren asked. "You two seem to spend a lot of time together."

"Yeah, we're room mates," Drenig said. "We share an apartment, and we eventually became good friends."

"...Are you two gay?" Riley asked.

"No man! We're just friends," Drenig retorted.

"Gay. Hmmmm... I think I could fit that into the poem," Chauncey said to himself.

"Why does it even matter," Wren asked Riley.

"Oh nothing, I guess it doesn't," Riley stated before walking off.

Dustin and Drenig walked over to the group. Dustin seemed to be interested in Chauncey's poem.

"Young brave knight," he said before shifting his voice. "What'chya writing?"

"Ummm, it's kind of a secret," Chauncey said, pulling the piece of paper he was writing on away from the group.

"Is it for Lilly?" Aria asked.

"Secret," Chauncey chanted, not wanting to reveal the poem. But it was safe to assume Aria was undoubtedly right.

Just then, Bertram appeared on the screen. It looked like he was ready to say something.

"Oh and by the way subjects," Bertram said. "Since you lost today's challenge, you are on your own for food. The walls of our last challenge are gone and the way to the outside world will be open for you. Remember, the tools I mentioned are in the confessional shed. Be sure to make use of them. Good luck."

With that, Bertram logged off to leave the team scratching their heads. None of them wanted to go out, and none of them seemed to know how to build tools.

"I suppose I shall venture to new lands," Dustin said. Eventually, Drenig, Aria, Pudge, and Kiki decided to tag along with him.

While team Zap-Dos went for food, everyone on Team Artic-Uno were enjoying their two slices of heaven. Muffy was enjoying the primitive-Tauros meat she asked for, Abigale and Ruce were dining on classic primitive-Emboar pepperoni, and Lilly had two slices of pizza with no cheese, lots of sauce, and green peppers. Lilly's choice suggested she was possibly a vegan.

"This Pizza is delicious!" Dylan said, enjoying primitive-Remoraids on his two slices. "I got no complaints here."

Jet seemed a bit pouty though."Why couldn't I go out for water?" He asked.

"Because water types are forbidden," Lilly said to the upstart.

Speaking of Water, Percy had came through the door carrying two big buckets of clean water. Behind him, Grant was carrying a bunch of coconuts. Everyone was cheering for Percy right now. ...Except Jet.

"Ugh, yay, go Percy," Jet said sarcastically. "He's the strong one, he's the one with muscles. Blah blah blah."

Grant brought the box of coconuts he was carrying over to the others. He politely set it aside so it didn't disrupt the meal.

"In case you guys want an alternative drink," he started. "I brought some coconuts filled with some delicious milk, and there's enough to go around."

"That's awfully nice of you," Abigale mentioned.

"Just try to leave the shells please," Grant continued. "I'll... want them for my next device."

As Grant and Percy joined the group and started passing coconuts around, Bertram appeared on the screen.

"Congratulations Team Artic-Uno," Bertram said. "I brought Mignon here. Tell him what you think of the pizza."

Many comments were simple "Delicious" or "Yummy" type statements. One quote however stood out above the rest.

"We do not eat this kind of food at home," Yoshi said before taking a bite of his pizza, which also had primitive-Remoraid on it. "But when I get home, perhaps I should tell them to invest in a treat like this. Very impressive, Mr. Mignon."

"Fak-u," Mignon attempted to say "thank you" through his tongue.

"Glad you had some nice things to say," Bertram said. "Now, I'm sure Percy and Grant noticed, but the walls should now be complete."

"You just put foam padding on the walls," Percy stated.

"Well they'll do the job won't they?" Bertram asked in a cross tone. "Besides, I'd like to see YOU make soundproof walls work without."

"...Good point," Percy admitted.

"Now I just wanted to check on you to make sure you get a good nights sleep," Bertram said. "You'll need it for tomorrow. Don't assume Team Zap-Dos won't want revenge after today. Until tomorrow, good night."

Nightfall came on the bunkers, and Pokemon started to go up to them and bang on the walls. The padded walls of Artic-Uno's bunker made little to no noise, but Zap-Dos's bunker generated noises that were loud and disturbing, causing the others a restless night. They still had a campfire going on their campfire stove to keep the group warm, but that was about it.

"Welcome to Quarantine," Riley mumbled, barely even trying to sleep through the "zombies."

"Let's make sure this doesn't happen tomorrow," Aria said to the group.

"I won't, don't worry," Kiki said, angry at the noise.

"The enemy castle is just across the battlefield," Dustin said. "Tomorrow, we shall raise our swords in splendor and charge forward to victory! May no obstacle stand in our way!"

The contestants got out of their beds and walked over to Dustin. ...All but Riley of course.

"Team Zap-Dos!" Dustin cried.

"Team Zap-Dos!" Drenig rallied.

"Team Zap-Dos!" Pudge cheered.

"Team Zap-Dos!" Stawolt exclaimed.

Everyone chanted the name of their team much like Team Artic-Uno did when they won today's event. Their cheer showed they would not stand down so easily, and tomorrow... Things just might go a little bit differently.

-Next Time On Quarantine-

"Everybody, this is the Quarantine Chamber."

The contestants are locked out of their bunkers!

"I don't wanna sleep on the ground."

And the key to unlocking their bunker lies high in the tallest tree of a big plantation.

"I don't think I need to say this, but GO GET IT!"

Contestants must find a map and tools to help them scale their tree and unlock their resistance before the other team does.

"It's awn, man!"

Plus conflict between the two teams adds to the pressure. And to the team that finishes last, one member will be going home.

"It's time we rid the deadweights."

All this and more in the next chapter of Quarantine: Building A Stairway To Haven.