Incensive Tribute

## Overview

Pilot of second episode (season 2)

## Prologue

Bagon, Raichu and Minun were sunbathing together at the resort beach, the sun was perfectly on spot already in the morning. The scales of the dragon turned on a vivid color under that sunlight, reflecting the shiny blue of the ocean in the background.

"Ahh. Nothing like winning the first day. We utterly deserved this time." He put off the goggles turning on the belly exposing the back to the intense sunlight, stretching the small tail. "This suntan is golden extra to the top of the cake. Dont'cha agree?"

Raichu nodded from the flit of his sunglasses while Minun was reading but seemed also checking the horizon continuously.

"Dude, what's up? You seem unnerved."

"I am. Worried for Plusle." Minun explained "I still have to get used at the whole idea we're doing this in separate teams. What if she was eliminated already? Or worse." They're all missing since yesterday midnight..."

"Nah, your sister is powerful and I doubt Lester would even think to eliminate her this early. Same for everyone else." Bagon comforted him "Relax then. We have already been into worse situation than this, like, all of us a season behind! Plusle is a veteran like me, you, Squirtle, Lester. She can deal perfectly with Marshadow as we did with Jirachi."

"Thanks, it's just I can't stay relax without thinking at her fate." Minun let out a deep sigh and utterly leaned the back of the head on the deckchair looking at the sky: he swore there could be a cloud resembling Plusle for a moment. Instead was something way more solid.

"Givin' a peek, hun?"

"Woah!" He almost fell backward after realizing he was cloud-spotting Castform. This one was stoically dressing a tight lifesaver suit.

"I am the fanservice."

**<<Mantine Bar Confessional<<**

**"Apparently every private beach needs one to fill this role." motionless, a dead inside Sunny Castform explained while drinking a bottle of Fresh Water that poured down all over her curves, intentionally. "Too."**

Squirtle was enjoying the sea, instead, doing some surf Mantine session: he rode it like a cowboy in a rodeo. "Yahoo! I'm addicted to this stuff already. Look at this maaad skillz, maaan! Triple Magikarp combo: oh yeah. Absolutely dominatin'." He launched the challenge to Raichu "Want to see who does the best journal score, man? Get the board and face me."

"Nah, I skip for today. Still fine after yesterday. Leaving you all the waves spot today, bro, but don't get used to it." the Alolan rodent declined the offer and applied more sunscreen all over the body. Pikka watched vehemently shaking the head in disagreement "See? This lack of dedication is why you are still daydreaming to become *the famous* Puka. So lame."

"Sis, I've the surf in the pocket, don't worry: it will happen anyway." stretched and yawned with confidence. "I have just surfed my way from Mele Mele to here, and yesterday, now I'm tired to see waves."

"LAZY." Pikachu Libre returned to her training session.

"Lookin' absolutely slick from there, man. Okay, then I'll be solo. Now see ya, I'm goin' for the big mom of the waves: expect a Gyarado-ooh--ooooh--wohoooohh-os DUDE!!!" Squirtle was overconfident facing a long wave tube, let apart trying the acrobacy said. He was glomped by the waves, heeled over with all the board, bulleted in the air and landed face first on a merging rock.

"Uhh! You fine, man? Uhm, water is too deep there for accidents. You managed to hit, like, the only hurdle in the open sea: quite an achievement." Raichu gave his professional point of view. Squirtle thumbed up proudly after hearing that. "Y-Yehow, dude...was actually going to dive with a flip but it was destiny I entered in the history...oukk."

Cursola merged completely to the surface, holding him a drink. "Here's your order. You wanted it *on the rock.*"

"Ah, sure." Squirtle drank with the dislodged mandible. "I utterly felt the rock indeed." Then the surf board and Mantine catched up onto him falling back from the sky.

**<<Mantine Bar Confessional<<**

**"Happens. This is what the leash is for, and why I evolved a surf board attached to my own tail." Raichu commented the accident in stride, shrugging, while being served a Pinhecolada. It stung. "My tongue! You leff thornfs."**

"Be glad I removed the explosive parts." was the answer of Cursola, attending the bar with the help of Ninjask flashing orders to the customers and the little Amaura for the ice condiment: "More ice, mister?"

"Yef, it's very appreffiated now."

The rest of the Hackers was experiencing the many services offered indoor:

-room service

-spa treatment

-entertainment

"Ok, I finished the order for Dedenne." Chandelure was talking from behind a giant stove of tropical berries curry. "Middle rare cooking as the client requested, but the composition is on the chef's house."

"Looks like Spinarak's butt, but with even blood pouring from the eye cavities." Zigzagoon's humble opinion. Spinarak twitch twitched at this comment, but Chandelure didn't deny "I found sudden inspiration in the skull designed on her back and made the plate: Panic Attack Curry. Serve it..." the chandelier approached to the ananas on the top and burned it like a candle "On flambé."

No time for a reaction that another customer ordered for room service. "Hallo."

"Here's the Weezing Bros Co. The directive for the brunch is..."

Seviper shut the door storming outside. "I refussse to do this! I ssserve none than me. There should be Dunsparce in my place! Ssscrew you teammates."

"If she does, I rebel, too." Zigzagoon bit off her maid outfit. "Rock is freedom! Let's riot!"

"Come on you two, we were assigned to this, we can't waste much time, there are so many duties to do in an hotel and if we don't help each other." Spinarak remained alone and abandoned herself to the fate of doing it all by herself. "Sigh. Here's the room of Dedenne. Knock-knock. Room service."

"Finally, thanks. I was starving!" Dedenne flashed on the food immediately.

"Bon appetit." Spinarak closed the door and left, hearing loud chomping noises soon after. Then: "Room Service? It was all so good I want to taste it again, and maybe something else, too. Yummmmh."

"Luckily I have 8 arms. This is going to be a long morning service."

...

"Room Service! Brunch for the *WB Company*."

"Corp, it's a corporate. Mind the difference for the future, please. Let's taste this poison tea. Surp. Mmh."

"There's not that intense flavor of Sinistea we like to consummate in Galar, but it's ghostly the same with this chandelurean ash spread. It's acceptable. Retire yourself, we'll order coffee break later."

...

"Room Serv- BOOM!"

Turtonator laughed the hell out when the booby trap activated as she opened. Smelled the smoke deep into the nostrils "Aaaa. I nurture of explosion early in the morning."

...

"Order number 51 (in the doubt, I guess) for Dedenne on the plate." Chandelure burned the line chart in her flames.

"Anf...anf...here."

Dedenne, still stuffed in the cheeks, rushed to open rolling on the floor like a bowling ball. "Gimme, gimme! BURP\* Congratulations to the chef, I'm stuff for the morning."

"F-For the morning?" Spinarak fleed downstairs, exhausted. In the kitchen Chandelure had news for her.

"Last order is directly for you."

"Me? Could be, ehm...Spinarak at the call. Desire? Oh, boss! I will be quickest possible. Pant. No time to rest! Chandelure, the boss asks for a dark coffee with rosmel berry and Pyukumuku sauce."

"The boss's breakfast, eh?" Chandelure crossed the thin arms leaning and yawned. Then picked up a cigarette. "I'm on break."

"Chandeluuuuure." Spinarak did a pouty face. "This is a max priority and a matter of life and death for me!" The other shrugged at her struggle.

"I can't relate."

"Sob, fuck." Spinarak started the oven. "Where's the main ingredient?!"

"Dead pyukumuku can be found scattered on the beach outside."

"Thanks for the tip."

On her way to the beach, she met halfway with Squirtle.

"Room service, yo! I need"

"Enough. I have only 8 legs!" she used String Shot against the customer turning him into a Cascoon.

"How did she guess I was asking for bandages. . .?"

Togedemaru: "I'm a little nervous, this is the first time I try a spa."

Lucario: "Same, but Chimecho always told me about it and I eventually got curious to see what's so special about having another pokémon touching you for a living."

Porygon Z: "Three with me."

The spa was under the management of the Marauders's captain himself. He scratched the bones lighting on the mystic fire and settled on the fire branches, then led the way through the path. "Follow me bare feet. The flames will purify your body and connect your soul to the other world."

"Of course, why not?!" Lucario walked skeptically on the fire. He could feel the hell lingering under his footsteps. "Chimecho find this relaxing? Of course, she levitates. I should really relax while feeling to feed my limbers to HEATRAN!" Porygon Z similarly didn't feel the pain at all meanwhile Togedemaru decided to roll over the course. "Aaaaaaaaaaah!"

"After all the impurities have been purged from the skin, the frigidarium massage awaits you. Then will be my turn again." Marowak dipped hands and feet in an unknown boiling mixture of ash, mud and oil obtained from Pyukumuku. "This ancient recipe will make your body expell all the remnants fluids and toxic in excess."

"Welcome, customers!" the little Alolan Vulpix waved them all. First you can dive in the icy water pool if you wish." Lucario and Togedemaru went for it immediately. "First client is M.E. then."

Vulpix invited Porygon Z to lie on the table for the massage.

"Start from the neck then legs and if could do the ileus too, ple@se, Internet surfing is a pain in the @ss." The snow fox stared quizzical at the customer's request.

"...Done. Next!"

"Wow, it's the quickest check up I have ever made. And I didn't feel anything, too! I'm ready for the last step of the spa journey."

Vulpix was in await for the next customer: Togedemaru took a while to convince herself. She approached shyly to the table and eventually let her body stretch on it at full, closing one eye: "Please, b-be gentle." As soon as felt the frozen soothing touch of Vulpix's soft paws, she retracted in a ball and extracted the needles. "Oh, Zekrom." Lucario had enough already and skipped to the final treatment.

**<<Mantine Bar<<**

**Alolan Vulpix showed the thorns all over her body: the paws, the tail, pieces of Togedemaru's fur everywhere. "F...k me and my idea to do massages again out of my previous experience."**

**Nickit, that was eating a luxurious berry snatched from the buffet, revealed to the camera the truth about her own experience for the first punishment: "As the animator I managed to convince Breloom to try the expensive golf service where I was supposed to be the caddy of Breloom in the golf pitch buuuut she fell asleep after the first launch out of boredom, so I had nothing to do! Sneaky, lucky, or both? Eh eh eh.**"

Lucario was covered in slick oil that darkened all his fur, but didn't mind. There was something mystic in act that made him refrain from any movement meanwhile Marowak was standing on him hands and feet, rubbing his back: like he was taming him for the first time since Chimecho did. Marowak was indeed asserting dominance as an hidden message. *He was the alpha male and pokémon overall*. It was time to show it to everyone leaving his mark on one of the known toughest contestants of the previous season.

The bone marrows became incandescent. He stroked the skull on them: the flames turned his head in ivory. "At the end you're receiving the mark of the purified." Marowak stamped his skull mark on Lucario's back burning his skin like a tattoo. Lucario screamed in pain for a second than didn't feel anything anymore. He had the sign of Marowak imprinted in the scorched fur now.

"Treatment over."

Lucario left with the feeling of having lost sensibility to his body and mind.

"The bond has formed. Obedience is mine."