Vanity Falls

**10:30 PM**

The Jirachi Jigglers were celebrating “Yuhuuu! This is the 2nd time in a row we got the V-class. Let’s celebrate with a party!Unz-Tunz-Unz-Tunz )))”

“LOW DOWN THAT INFERNAL MUSIC OR I’LL TOSS THE STEREO OUT THE PLANE, I NEED TO CATCH MY ZEDS! You know I would be perfectly capable, sgrunt.”

Squirtle wearing a particular pair of pizza sunglasses pumped up the volume “Cammon, madd dog! We deserve a party after such an achievment, yeah-yeah. UNZ-TUNZ-UNZ-TUNZ-UNZ-TU-“

“KERASH! Fiiiiiii.. here.” Lucario picked the Hi-Fi tech and sent it in the stratosphere with a kick. “I WARNED you once. Don’t wake me up again, clear?”

“Ok, sorry, dude..” Squirtle waited to see the cranky deeply asleep and raised out the suitcase another home theather stereo “But a real party dude has more than one stereo!!! Let’s go party, wooh-wooh!”

“Enjoy these moves, chicks” Swellow did a dance performance making Oshawott and Piplup to faint for the fascination. Bagon didn’t think only to the party… “Hey, Swellow, we’re the only awake now, let’s talk about what happened today. Okay?”

Swellow dumbfounded “Why? Because what happened?”

“You know it, when we met Celebi and you ran away like a girl with a sheer excuse. Don’t want to be rude, but you showed in this way to be a liar whenever you narrate about your swellowsome deeds…”

“Oh, that. I just simulated to see if you guys were able to handle a danger exactly as I would do, I say you did a decent work, slaying down Dark Cresselia.”

“It’s Dark Celebi, and she was just black and absolutely not a threat. Also, if you would have wanted to test us, you should know what happened at all, instead you just left the Ilex Forest!”

Swellow opened the beak to say something, but didn’t know how to reply, instead he inflated the chest and returned to dance, Squirtle invited Bagon to do the same “Dude, go on the dancefloor. This is OUR party: we have all tomorrow to think about the rest! Master Swellow, can you teach me some of your cool moves?”

“Of course, but they’re swellowsome moves, not simply cool.”

**12:30 AM**

“Unz-Tunz-Unz-Tunz! I’m starting to learn something, woppa!”

“You’re still a rookie but you’re improving, by the way forget to be swellowsome like ME.”

“Sure, master. HOPPA GENGAR STYLE!”

**2:30 AM**

Squirtle was dancing on the snooker table using the triangle like an hat while the stereo aired *Poison It* of the *Black Eyed Skorupeas* “POISON IT! Holla! POISON IT! HOLLA! POISON POISON IT!” that woke up Bagon, fallen asleep earlier on the night.

“Yawn, Squirt-Bro, do you know what time is it? It’s very late, you risk to don’t wake up tomorrow. Even Swellow has got to sleep in the meanwhile.”

“Nah, I don’t stop a party until I give in for the whole night.” Squirtle wore on a second pair of shades resembling the 8-balls for the snooker. “This is my code, Bag-On, sorry. Also I’m used to stay late at night, don’t be so concerned, YEAH!” The track on the stereo changed to *Solrock Your Body* and Squirtle continued.

*…In the actual episode morning….*

**9:30 AM**

“Man, I danced the entire CD without a stop until dawn, majestic. But I feel like striked now… yaaaawn…plof! ZZZ...” Squirtle dove the face into his milkshake. Bagon shook the head with a sneer “I told you you would have been KO today, buddy.”

Piplup was having her usual tea-session “Welcome to the 5th tea-party, the exclusive event of the morning. Exclusive because restricted to an élite whom Oshawott was banned from very recently.” She gave a provoking grimace to the ott, that replied with sass “Not exclusive because there are only two pokèmons in your party aside from yourself?” Both Lucario and Chimecho sipped their drinks in silence. Piplup swallowed down an entire cookie for the jumpiness, turned the shoulders to Oshawott, and spoke to the guests “Time to have a classy chitchat: what’s the rumour of the day?”

“They say Swalot has a double identity, like sometimes his jelly is purple, sometimes other is pink, he must be undercover.” Lucario took proudly another sip, then spilled out realizing “NAH, SURE YOU BELIEVE IT! Tsk, I’m here only for the tea, don’t bother me.” Piplup glared at him “Mine was a rethorical question, because I already know the best journal rumor.”

She smirked mischievously “Oshawott has a double personality complex, as stating to her biography, and this is because she never accepted to be inferior in everything compared to her bigger sister. This may justify why she’s so unskilled and psychotic, she lives on a perennial frustration, oh-oh-ohu! She hopes to be successful like her sister one day, but really how many chances she can have judging by her approach so far? The destiny of a folk can’t be changed, this is so sad and sooooo pathetic. Isn’t it?”

“I couldn’t care less.” Lucario commented dryly. Chimecho looked in worry at Oshawott: she seemed prompt to explode, shivering like a set on Electrode. But Oshawott didn’t react tossing Piplup out the window (as everyone expected) but outburst in tears and walked to a corner rather upset. Bagon approached to her but she pushed him back, he turned then to Piplup “You made her cry. This isn’t a nice behavior.” “It’s not my fault if she’s so emotionally instable. A real lady has always self-control and takes the worst from the life with superiority. Suuurp.”

“Still cold..”

“Pf. Don’t worry much for such a drama queen. She will be soon supported by her stronger personality and be fine within a minute.” Piplup versed more tea in her cup “Next topic of this session is the secret crush of Dunsparce. Who do you think he loves other than Sylveon: Aurorus, Gorebyss or Seviper?”

“He clearly loves Aurorus, too. I recognize love stuff from 1 mile because I watch lot of romances at…tsè, I don’t even have a TV. DON’T LOOK AT ME IN THAT WAY! However he also called her \*Aury\* in an occasion and blushes whenever she speaks to him.” Lucario finished to drink. “Tea finished. Give me another cup, pl-pl-pl-ples…plas…pleae...you got it.” He shifted to Chimecho looking for comprehension, but she closed eyes ignoring him. “Urgh.”

“Looks like there’s lot of tension between the others, certainly because they’re not swellowsome like me.” Swellow and Swalot were having their luxurious breakfast apart from that heat spot. “Munch, crunch..who cares? As much as I can eat expensive food I’m happy, about the rest I ignore everything around me. I have delicacies? Good. Screw everything else. Wait..*OH SHUGAR*..I have a commission to do!” Swalot lurked quickly away.

“A-hem.” Bagon coughed to get the attention of Swellow “You don’t seem busy now, maybe we can have that important thing to talk together. Squirtle, back me up.” “Sure, man, yaaaaaawn\*..” The two took seats next to Swellow, interrupting his artificial solar bath. The swallow scoffed in annoyance “What’s up now? Be fast, I’m having my journal tanning.”

“Ok, I’ll be short and span: or you start teach us something for real, about how to be cool and how to fly, or we’ll the others what did you do yesterday. Am I right, Squirtle?” the turtle wobbled half asleep giving a weak nod “Listen, we were patient for two days and don’t like to do blackmails. What do you think will be the reaction of the girls if we tell them your deed with Celebi?” Swellow gulped “Okay, okay, but shhht stop, I have a reputation! If you ruin it, I ain’t able to help you. I promise to give you more effective hints since now.”

“Ok, begin right now.” Bagon directed to the emergency escape door, wearing on the goggles “I’m ready for true flight lesson and don’t care if we’re on a moving airplane.” Swellow accepted reluctant and Squirtle stayed inside “Good luck with the lesson, Bro-gon! I’m tired..hey, Osh, mind if I sit here to take relax?” Oshawott agreed in a sad voice “No, if you don’t disturb me.”

“R you okay? You don’t look at your best, probably I missed something during the breakfast.”

“Just Piplup that managed to knock out me in the worst way. I can beat her with a single punch, but her sharp tongue kills me inside. That’s her advantage on me.”

“So, resuming, she used her tongue like a sword and defeated you? Then why you didn’t block it with your arms?” the Hot Water had misunderstood the common expression as usual, making Oshawott to laugh “Ahahah! I would have liked to knot it inside her beak for real, but mine was just a way to say that she hurt me with her speech. You’re not a peak, right?”

“Infact, since I ain’t a rock type. However I rock n’ roll more than a Golem!”

“OSHAHAHAHAH!” she laughed again so hard that sent her scallop to the ceiling. “You’re so dumb that makes me believe to be clever for once. Thanks, sniff, I needed a genuine laugher, *especially before my nasty ego inflated my frustration to the limit giving me project of revenge and other forms of cruelty.*” “No prob, it was a pleasure. Uhhh yeah!” “Ihihih..ok, excuse me, now I have to recuperate my shell climbing the air-conduct.” “No prob, ketchup you later. Ronf..zzz.”

Bagon and Swellow went outside on the Tail of Losers. The flow was powerful and the wind howled at that speed, Bagon enjoyed the fresh stream for a whole minute. Swellow took off immediately starting to do acrobacies to hit on Aurorus, Gorebyss and Seviper’s attention as habit.

“Do you have to fly right here?! It’s enough difficult to sleep knowing to be on the neck of the death line every single minute, watching all the lancets of the clock for the whole night.” Anorith complained in a very bitter tone, returning to sleep. “Bagon, admire my performance and maybe you’ll learn something: it’s a matter of position, class, and beauty, a wing here another there, stretch and voilà! A perfect 8-loop.”

“This is not a true lesson, I need to start from the beginning. C’mon! Stop boasting with the other females and get down here to explain me everything better.” Swellow rolled eyes and quickly landed on the Tail of Losers again. “Well, first of all you have to listen to the wind, if it blows in your direction, you can fly in easy, just take a big run up, flap your wings and….GOOO! Just like me, baby. Ok, NOT EXACTLY LIKE ME, MY SWELLOWSOME UNIQUE STYLE CAN’T BE REPLIED.”

Bagon followed eagerly the indications: took a run up over the whole plane, started to shake the arms and eventually realized “Wait, but I don’t have wings. Oh-oh. Ahhhhhhhhh!” unable to brake in time he fell in the void, but luckily few miles down there was the left wing of the plane. “Phew. Bump Tump! *I saw the Dusknoir for a minute*. Swellow, it can’t work, I need another technique to learn..” Swellow had returned to show-off in the middle of the sky, ignoring him at all. “Bah, nevermind, I give up for now.” With still the heart beating terribly, the dragon opened the window and got inside, discouraged.

“Man, so, how was the experience? Learned anything new?”

“I’m afraid I’ve asked to the wrong pokèmon, I almost died. Swellow is just…bof, wake me up when we’re arrived, I need some minutes of rest.”

“’Kay, sheik, if I manage to stay awake.”

In the meanwhile, Swalot reached the bottom of the airplane carrying a whole of berries. “Alright, yes, I know that I forgot about you and that you don’t eat anything by 48 hours or more, something that you could sue me for, and blah-blah-blah, sincerely I don’t care much, so spare me from the usual shrills, Swirlix, and prepare to eat your breakfast, okay?...hmm. Which was the right luggage?” Ditto assumed his true aspect, wandering in search of his bag, but it had apparently disappeared. Then he saw it, hanging on the claw of a metallic crab pokèmon: Metang. “You are looking for this, I ponderate.”

Ditto’s eyes widened and quickly resumed the shape of Swalot “Oh, no. Ehm…mine is of another color.”

“Ditto. It’s written in caption lock right here.” Metang started “I know everything about your plan to return in the game, after having collected and linked all the elements. After your disqualification, you aggressed and locked in your bag the original Swirlix, taking her place soon after, but your trick was ruined by the fact Swalot ate you up.” Swalot gulped in shock “At this point you found yourself trapped inside the body of Swalot, I wondered a lot about the pink jelly tracks he dropped down his mouth continuosly unable to digest your cellular composition before to get to this conclusion, you waited that the night came to exit from it, rid off of the original Swalot and the day after you replaced him, but as much you can imitate perfectly every pokèmon, you can’t have the same bottomless stomach, and that’s why you threw up at the final challenge.”

“Ahahah! This is a joke, right? None substituted me, and I don’t know that Ditto you’re talking about.”

Metang opened the bag letting Swirlix to come out “This is an evidence…”

“Mhh..MHH! Ptù, finally! Ditto, you jerk! I swear you’ll go soon in prison!” Swirlix bounced towards the mutant jelly but all of sudden Metang attacked with Meteor Punch, squelching her sugar body in crumbles. SPLOATCH! “…**of how much wrong is to oppose to ME**. So, Ditto, do you think this is still a joke? I calculate:no.”

Ditto shivered, returning to be himself immediately. “Glom. Fine, I confess all you said to be true, I panicked soon after I was eliminated for just a joke made on Victini, I acted instinctively because I wanted so damn to enter in the show again! Actually, I don’t care about the victory, this is for me an occasion to introduce myself as the **best actor ever seen**! So, what do you want me to do to keep this secret between you and me (and keep myself alive)?”

“Do whatever I ask you whenever I ask you without ever complaint. Yet, don’t worry, you will like your role since now…” when was about to lurk away, Metang added “I control everything, I calculate every possibility, I have solutions for each problem. **Remind this before to think again this is a joke.**”

// Vent Confessional //

“*Remind this before to think again this is a joke*. Pft!” Ditto imitated Metang in the vent “ *Because I’m Metang, the Next Arceus of this World.* Ohh, I’m shivering! Rattle-Rattle. Brr, I-I’m shivering for real, eventually. Y-You can erase this record, right???”

“DIN DON! Good vibrant morning, contestants! The V-plane has just landed.” The voice of Victini spoke through the hearing implants.

### **Couriway Town**

Couriway Town was a pretty spot in the land of Kalos, a town built on a wooden made bridge that overlooked a majestic triple waterfall. Everyone gazed in amaze. Minus Beheeyem “I see a steamboat there, where’s Mickey Minun? Oh, he’s here, splendid.” The negative mouse frowned “Not funny. C’mon..stop with this kind of jokes on my species, please.”

“Yes, Megaphone, zip that suction cup because I’ve lot of things to say before to explain the challenge and none cares about your annoying wiz.” Victini dashed in the middle of the group giving a serious glance to the Venturers “I’m not satisfied of your performance so far, you lost the highest number of times and changed already three different leaders (that all were my fa-V-orites, especially Sylveon), I confirm Seviper to be the new head of the squad, but since you’re not deserving to carry my victorious name, you won’t call anymore: you will be the Jirachi Jigglers since now.” he spun to the opposite side “Jirachi Jigglers, congratulation, you’re the new Victini Venturers! Continue to win in return of this great honor.”

“Yu-uuuh! We’re the superior team!” Squirtle high fived with Oshawott, Bagon and Lucario, but this one refused at the end. “Thanks to whose leadership?” added Piplup, lifting her beak up.

“Seriously, Victini?” Tropius twitched for a minute, then realized “Basically, nothing changed then. Well, okay, we’re Jigglers now. Weird.”

Lester was about to speak but Victini was first “Before you ask, your name will stay the same, Leviathans.” By the way the red Rotom spoke soon after “My question is another: can we change the name into Lester Latias Leviathans? This is because I provided for all the victories of the team so far, without me they’re nothing than a band of average pokèmon, and actually the change would be minimal, since there’s a little slight flat difference between *Laser* and *Lester*, plus Plusle already prepared the new cheering motto while I started off the project for the new logo: there will be a photo on me riding the Latias already depicted on it!” Lester zigzagged zapping for the excitement “So, what do you think? Can I? Can I? Can? K’mon! K’mon! K’mon! Can I? Can I? Can I?!”

“STOOOOP!!! Aaanf, you’re freaking kinetic, it’s the first time someone makes me feel exausted. Only with words. Yes, you can rename your team.” “Really thank you!” “Dear Reshiram…”

**// Vent //**

“That Shiny freaky Rotom had more energy than me.” Victini took a long breath “Impossible.”

Minun (in the company of Plusle) complained “I didn’t like this decision of Lester, I have to be sincere. He boasted way too much in this occasion and belittled the actions of the rest of us, also forgot that he was absent and gave absolutely no contribute to the challenge in the first episode. He’s absolutely sympathetic and smart (in a convoluted way) but needs to deflate his ego a little.”

Victini massaged his front for the headache “Let’s continue. Lester Leviathans, since last time you lost Formcast or whatever was her name” everyone shifted in seriousness at Drifloon “I think her name was Caterpie by the way, Mister V.” “*Mister V? I like it*. I have a surprise for you: say welcome to Inkay!”

A blue and pink squid appeared from nothing, she floated upside down like swimming in the mid-air, immediately offered a tentacle and introduced herself: “Bye to all! Good evening, my name is Yakni so Inkay or Inky for the friends or Ykni for the closer friends. Wayany, I feel upsy daisy for the emotion to join, I can’t wait to go in action, ihihihink!”

The other pokèmon stared. “Eh…..? Did she just say bye? And good evening? WHAT?”

Victini explained “Alright, she’s an original style of life: she says and does everything at the contrary. Example, if she says bye she means hi. (*I swear this is the last time I hire Jirachi as my talent scout -.-*) Afterall,she’s surely less boring than Costfarm.”

“C-a-t-e-r-p-i-e! And they say I have memory issues.”

**// Vent //**

Minun facepalmed in front of the camera “You must be kidding me. Castform, that was one of the few almost normal in a team of total odds, was the only eliminated and got replaced by this inverted Inkay?!!” Plusle punched him on the arm “Awch, I know this is not a positive approach, but it’s impossible to don’t have it! Awch. Sister! Stop punch me, please. I’ll give her a chance, fine?”

Victini warped himself and the cast on the part of the bridge at the top of the waterfalls. Here Bagon did another attempt with the method of Swellow jumping in the void.

“Ok, a big run-up, I stretch at most my arms and goooooo! Flap..flap..fiiiiiiiiii…Conk! Conk! CONK!” the dragon bounced against many rocks and boulders until the end of the falls. “Oww, bro! How are you?” asked soon after Squirtle. “@I’m fine, don’t concern@” answered feebly the other.

“Now, about the challenge. You start from here. In, between and near these waterfalls there are hidden rings, minerals and caskets of three different color, orange for the New Venturers, yellow for the New Jigglers and magent for the Leviathans, that contains pieces of a mosaic. The mosaic should represent Me, Jirachi or Latias.”

“Really? Think I expected Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde, but doesn’t matter.” Said Beheeyem posing to be startled. Lampent, bashful, covered a gig.

“None cares of your yap, too, Beheeyam. Continuing on my explanation, the aim of the challenge is to collect all the tiles and finish first the mosaic with the symbol of your team. You can swim, dive, walk by, or climb but not fly, float or flutter to recuperate them. Only to see them and eventually indicate your teammates where they are, I’m referring to Lunatone, Chimecho, Rotom, Drifloon and Inkay in particularly. Oh, and the B.E.M. monster, too.”

Lester grinned “Got it absolutely! Can we go?”

“Still one last thing to do: spin the wheel! Who feels to have this courage? Remember, V-Waves can blow a lucky and victorious stream in your favor or versus.” Victini waited until Inkay stepped forward but doing it backward. “I offer!"

“Ta-dah! The positive V-Waves of today are water type, instead the waves of bad luck will blow (again?) on the psychic one. Sorry for you that are partially it (and myself but at least there’s also Beheeyem that will suffer, vihihihih).”

“Fulwonder! I just wanted this result. Ihihihink!” Inkay smirked mischievously unlike the other psychic pokèmons.

“I think you didn’t get exactly the meaning of the result, but, anyway, the challenge begins right now! Good luck to all minus Beheeyem.”

The whole group of the former Venturers renamed Jirachi Jigglers stared at the waterfalls for a long minute. It was an huge height from there. “I-I would prefer to climb down if I dare to say my opinion.” said quickly Dunsparce, trembling in the voice. “Tsssk, it’s just water. The most poisonous snakes live in the rivers and the oceans: go sssswim. Or do you need back mommy SSSylveon?” She gave a little push to him, so he got right on the ridge of the cliff. “S-Sylveon…

“Seviper, this is just an impossible task for him! His species isn’t used to live in the water.”

Seviper hissed in annoyance at Aurorus “Oh, here we go another mother for Lil’ Dunspy..seems really that he can’t fly solo without a babyssssitter.” Dunsparce changed expression “Stop this now. Seviper, you don’t have any far idea or what a mother is and does, and I ain’t pretending to be that!..not yet.” Aurorus’s eyes shifted to the feet for a second, then she continued “I’m just saying the naked truth: that he doesn’t have the necessary to be a swimmer. Short body, little flabby wings, zero agility. It would be a suicide.” Eventually the coward land snake dove in the bed of the river, immediately sank, and the stream carried him away very quickly “Oh, no, I knew it. He drowned. Dunsparce, resist!” The sauropod stretched her neck to grab him before the fall, at contemporary Tropius did the same “Got in time! Ops, what a coincidence.” “Does he breath?” “...Yes.” “Are you okay, tiny?” Dunsparce nodded weakly, coiling up for the trauma, whimpering “Y-Yep, t-thanks but maybe you should have not saved me. I did another disaster..s-sigh. Sorry for all the troubles I cause. Cough.”

“Don’t say that absolutely neither for joke.” Aurorus replied in severity “It was fault of Seviper and her wanton cruelty if you acted in this way.” “Mine? I gave him ssssincere trust in himself, who did the opposite, and influenced him with a negative attitude and insecurity? You. Ssssssso obvious he would have failed with such a mood, despite my friendly support.”

“I didn’t..! A true friend doesn’t expose another to a danger that knows perfectly he can’t handle. You have no responsibility if you don’t care…oh! Neither I…uhm..”

Tropius interrupted the argument “Actually, he didn’t fail. On the contrary, there’s a ring hanged on the tail, right here. Good work: it’s our first piece of the mosaic.” Dunsparce loosen his body feeling a little warmed “R-Really I did something worth?” Anorith roughly tossed it in a bin “Nope: this is orange, we need yellow items. Forgot we’re now the Jirachi Jigglers, hm?” Dunsparce got depressed again “Of course, I should have expected this. Sigh, that’s it, I’m useless at all, and stop.” Tropius struggled interiorly with the instinct to kerb stomp the Fossil Mind for this.

“Anyway, we’ve lost enough time, in the meanwhile the rivals have already started to climb and similar stuff. I’m going to provide for the victory as usual since I’m tough and CAN SWIM. Splash!” Anorith dove easily, looking carefully on the fundal, collected all the minerals he encountered: why waste time to check, afterall? Once he was full, he merged. “See? That’s what I’m talking about. I swam in trouble waters far far far way before you other pokèmon existed.”

“Ok, Anorith, but these are common rocks, not minerals.”

“What?”

Seviper smashed a rock in two halves that resulted to be empty “Ssssee any tile inside?”

// Vent //

Anorith scoffed “Okay okay, maybe after 51:000:000 years of age I must put on the lenses, since my sight is more and more reducing. But, first, I have still to find a pair of glasses wide enough, second I have still to find a girlfriend and don’t want to have the aspect of an old fossil. I’m still young! Crackle. Ouk, my sciatica..”

“Whatever, I’ll search for the rings, then, meanwhile you look for the right minerals here in the upstream, where the water is enough shallow. (to Lunatone) I need someone to help me see them, and tell..bah, forgot you don’t talk! (to Tropius) Fly Type, go in recognition and tell me where they are.” Tropius flew over the river “Ok, I see plenty of them on the board of the waterfall between the boulders and cliffs.” “Steep rocks and cliffs? My natural habitat. This is easy.” Anorith dove directly down the waterfalls (contemporary with Squirtle of the opponent team) but his light body was immediately swept by the strong flux of water, he tried to clench a ring but didn’t have enough time, another instead wedged in his wings but was of the wrong color, he swore “Ahh! What the \*\*\*\*?!”

“Wohooo, baby, this is like an aquapark! No?” Squirtle managed perfectly to swim despite the force of gravity, unlike Anorith that kept bouncing like a flipper “Aquapark? I’m not having fun. Absolutely! DARN!” until his fall finished in the Couriway Lake. Wobbling, the anomalocaris got out the water pretty dizzy. Squirtle arrived soon after, with a complete different attitude, giving the first pieces of the mosaic to Chimecho.

Tropius reached Anorith “What happened? You looked like a flipper from my perception point.” “The stream is a bit stronger than I thought, and my lightweight made things worst. I’m not born to swim in rivers and rapids, I swim better on the bottom of the sea, here there’s too much pressure for me. I lack of the necessary speed and agility to steer in quick, grab the rings, and complete the deed before the waterfall ends.” Anorith reflected “Here only a perfect swimmer would achieve this…”

“Like Gorebyss?”

“Yeah, just like her.”

“So, where she is…? I didn’t see her yet today.”

“Where she is…ops. Oh no!” Anorith’s eyes widened “I know where she is: still sleeping in the plane! I forgot to set on her alarm tonight.” blushed “Ehm, she isn’t used to wake up by herself, but she’s slowly slowly (SLOWLY) trying to learn how to do it…however she has still huge difficulties. Groan, I’ll bring her soon as possible, promise. Just the time to feed her for breakfast and I’ll be back, don’t tell the others about this. Zoom!”

“Uhhh, I love this challenge! It’s totally for me. Chimecho, teleport me again, thanky. Let’s go!” Squirtle, hyped, returned on the top of the waterfalls to repeat the deed: this was already the 4th time but was a piece of cake. Looked like the weariness of the previous night had utterly vanished. Few opponents competed with him in the water, and none of them was originally of his same water type: Seviper stayed in the upstream collecting just the crumbles and Rotom looked for a wreck abandoned in the water where to enter in and eventually found an oven, possessed it, and logically short circuited.

The majority of the pokèmons had taken the way of the climb for the research of the hanging rings and (hopefully) hidden caskets: for the New Venturers there were Bagon, Lucario, Ninjask, Oshawott, and Swellow, the latter , flying, could give only indications (whenever he wasn’t focused to boast in front of the tourists that taken photos). Lucario had decided to go despite the warnings of the medic and the companions about his recent injures, because you know how much he’s stubborn and also that he would have never had the patience required to assemble a complicated mosaic, and would have probably broken it on the hips in a moment of frustration. Chimecho, Piplup and, just because he could have not had any other utility, Swalot, were assigned to this role.

During the dangerous climb the Leviathans counted on the acrobatic experience of the electric twins, the versatility of Porygon 2, and the combination of strength and strategy of Metang , meanwhile Drifloon, Inkay, Lampent and Beheeyem had the double duty to guide them in the blind angles created by the massive mist and to assemble the puzzle, being the cleverest (well, only Beheeyem, but this is another story).

“Keep going on that way, you must meet a ring on the right..no on the left!..I mean that you have to go backward since I gave you subverted indications, this is because I always confuses the left with the right and the light with the reft..ahm, no, the reght with the lith? I’m more confused now. However I sure saw a ring right there! Or it was a rock? Can’t remind the difference. Inkay, help me.”

Inkay smiled “Sure. There are shining rings on the left part of the waterfall, move down and touch the rocks until you feel them.”

“Fine, thanks. Watch out, Plusle, this part is very steep and we’re just under the water, no crazy moves here.” “Promise, I’ll be careful. Hey, but there’s nothing here!”

“Of course, you misunderstood my indications at all.”

“Eh?”

Drifloon enlightened “Oh, I know why, I know! This is because Inkay means always the opposite when she talks. Oh, wow, for once I remember something!” Inkay nodded in approvance. “She learned it quick, take for example. Yes, I confirm you followed the riiiight direction.”

“So, the wrong one.” Explained Drifloon proudly.

“Ugh, seriously?” exclaimed Minun almost on a crisis, seeing also in the meanwhile Lester, that tried with another wrecked electric householder, becoming this time Mow Rotom, and failed again.

“Considering the factor of the dampness, the steepness of the cliff, and the missing of organization there’s the 30% of possibility to fall down”. Porygon 2 analyzed the situation.

“Alright, Drifloon, forget also about your helping role since now, and ,Inkay, thank you… *at the contrary*. Lampent, please, think you about. I really asked this to Lampent? I ASK LAMPENT, L-A-M-P-E-N-T!” Plusle invited her brother to be positive meanwhile “Updating data: there’s 50% of possibility to fall down now.” Minun took a long breath “Aaaaanf…pheeew. Then, Beheeyem. Can you give us decent indications, just normal indications?”

“Fine. Listen carefully: move three steps on your left, climb up of two inches, then do a little jump and grip the rock you encounter.” Following the speech of the alien, Minun and Plusle ended both in the water with a loud splash, but managed to attach on a lower steep. “At the end recognize to have been just pranked. After this experiment I can add naivety to my report on the Earth Life with no doubts. Thanks for having been the gerbils.” Minun and Plusle glared angrily at him: “You are not helping.”

“Updating data on the last seconds: from that spot the possibility to fall has increased of 40% arriving so to a total of 90% or 95% if I calculate the smoothness of the surface of the rocks.“

“Neither are you, PORYGON 2!!!”

“Is this the e-motion A.N.G.E.R.?”

“Screw you all, we’ll arrange by ourselves together Metang, the only sane one.”

“By the way” Beheeyem shrugged “It doesn’t depend on me since there aren’t red rings or similar contraptions visible. Said this, if you need me, I’ll be on the bridge to assemble the imaginary pieces of our mosaic in the wait you provide for the real ones.” Minun reflected “There aren’t items of our color? Uhm..” Plusle reacted “Hey, Minnie, don’t waste your energies mulling over B.E.M. that is a liar that probably didn’t check anything for laziness. Let’s show them that we’re independent! Except for one from the other.” Winked. “*Yeah, except for it…*” The two restarted to climb quickly reaching the previous height from the ground, during all this time Metang stayed apart in silent, as waiting something.

His simple proximity irritated Lucario, he couldn’t forget that he was the starting cause of his injure, that was a scar on his honor, but in that moment there was Oshawott tickling on his nerves with her paranoid, double personality switches, and her clumsiness.

“’Kay, Oshawott, you can do this..swish! Argh, no I can’t!! AS USUAL YOU SUCK AND GIVE UP. PASS THE CONTROL AND I’LL DO SOMETHING USEFUL. No, don’t dare! I’ve enough guts to do it by **MYSELF**, Mayko. Clear? SHOW ME, GO ON. C’MON. Immediately…if I put a feet here I should reach that..gnn..ring…oh, no, I got stuck. Ah..ahi.. AHAHAHAH! IT’S COMEDY TIME? Grrr…shut the shell up!!”

Lucario perked down the ears and burst “SHUT UP YOU TOO! It’s an hour I’m forced to listen to this pathetic play that makes the concentration impossible. As this crap isn’t enough difficult while I still feel a damn pain on my ankle, sgrunt!” Oshawott shouted back “Well, none forced you to come with us, also YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO BURST INTO THE SPEECHES I DO WITH MYSELF, HOW DARE DO THIS?!” “I DARE HOW MUCH I WANT IF THEY ANNOY ME AS HELL! Also, without me you kidz would barely climb a Graveler, that’s why I had to bother doing this fatigue. Instead, why you’re here? You’re just slowing and interfering with ME first, and secondary the others, and most of all **JUMPING ON MY NERVES**. You’re the odd one out of the situation, you don’t have talent.” Oshawott seethed for the rage. “Go a little next to me and I’ll make you repent this for the eternity, AS SOON AS I STICK OUT.” The other muttered something and proceeded further.

Bagon spoke “Oshawott, he has right. This is not your competence: weasels aren’t born to climb waterfalls, but to swim- “I am an OTT.” –yes, anyway, why you aren’t in the water with Squirtle? I’m sure you would do better, there are also the V-waves in your favor.”

Oshawott looked around and sat on an overexposed rock “*The fact is that I’m ashamed*. Ashame to do another poor figure because of my goofiness. I wanted to avoid the possibility of a failure in swimming, the activity in which a water pokèmon is usually skilled. I suck (also) in this: when I try to swim I panic, and do the mistakes of a baby pokèmon, and I exercise in the ponds imagine the rumble in these waterfalls. I don’t want to make this known, at least my biggest flaw is hidden.”

“Oh, but you’ll have to swim at once eventually! It’s useless to keep avoiding the problem, just to cover your dignity until you can. You must face your shame.” Bagon sighed but with a smile “Just look at me: I’m an awful flyer , or better I just can’t fly, but for this I don’t give up. The fact you’re not born skilled for something doesn’t mean you won’t be skilled forever. Believe in it and don’t stop to apply. Ok, better go back at work before Lucario starts shrill like an old jiggler. Ehehe. Want a paw?”

“No, thanks. Your words changed my mind. Splash!” Oshawott smiled grateful and dove with determination in the waterfall, being immediately tossed in the lake behind. “What happened, did you just slip or give up on purpose knowing to be useless there? Pi-Pi-Plup! MPH!” Piplup’s beak was blocked with a ring “Here’s an elegant accessory for you, enjoy it, Lady PP. And now..
Chimecho, bring me up there! I want to swim for the victory.”

Chimecho granted the request warping her together Squirtle back to the top, the turtle was happy to have company “Hey-Hey! You finally joined the fun, I was wondering why you weren’t with me.” Oshawott reddened shifting bashful to the other angle “Since this is your first time at the waterfall park, I’ll do you a tutorial: some things repeat continuously. First a dash along the upstream of the river to dodge the Poison Tail of sore loser Seviper, that’s enraged cuz she and her team are mucking up, then do a little of zig zag through the merging rocks and the floating wrecks, before the real fun begins with the triple water escalation! Bounce at the first to get the position, rip at the second to create the wave, and collect all you get into your hands trusting your instinct by the end of the third, and at the end redo the process. If you know the use of Water Jet it’s a cake. Oh yes.”

The ott twitched “Eh..?”

“Rock on! Let’s go.” Squirtle pushed her in the water “Wait a minute, I must need a second explanaaaatioooon!” They dashed back to back despite Oshawott’s swim was irregular, Seviper placed herself in the middle of the way widening her mouth “Enough of you, prepare to become my sssssecond meal! Hiiiis!” “Here we go, speed up, spin and dodge like me, Otty!” “Sssgrr, I missed him again.” “EH?? O-Ok, I try. Spin, dodge and speed, right? Wowowaaat!” Oshawott blurred and rotated on herself, sweeping away the viper. Squirtle congratulated happily thinking she had done it on purpose “Wowoooh! You owned her totally with your system. I like you move it, move it.” “@ T-Thanks @ Whatever you said, I..I did it intentionally, oshahahah.”

“Let’s see how do you handle the next hurdles, babe.” Squirtle did a quick slalom, Oshawott gulped, tried, and crashed not missing a single scrap. “Osha-WTF! Who’s the freak that threw all this rubbish in the river? Ahh, there’s even a fridge!!!”

“Hey, come back with that fridge, I saw it first! Quirky bad, it was rather new.”

“Holy Shades! I never saw a pokémon surfing on a fridge in this way. Epic.” The tortoise thumbed up and flipped down the fall “By the way,watch out cuz the real roller coaster starts like now!” “WANT TO STOP SPEAK IN SLANG, PLEASE?! I serious don’t understand a shell of what you say. Oh-oh…waaah! Why! I’m! So! Klumsy!” Oshawott rolled down with the fridge smashing and bouncing on the rocks like an avalanche of water, metal and mud, Squirtle turned when it was late “I already collected about 1-2-3..what’s that number between 6 and 8..ah, 7. How many pieces you have got in your pocket?”

After a triple big splash all together, Oshawott, Squirtle and the innocent corpse of the fridge merged on surface and were laughed at by the tourists came to see the origin of that mess. Squirtle shouted “R you kidding me?!?” Oshawott looked at him with sorry “Forgive me. I didn’t have the time to warn you, but now you don’t need words to know THAT..and I also made you lost all the items you collected.” “Indeed. But are you kidding me? What happened was unique: you bounced, I wowed, you shrilled, I jaw dropped, and then I remember only an icy electric household appliance pawning my back!” “Shortening, you think this was COOL?” “Sure the tape of it will be viral on YouCubone. I always wished to be famous on Internet! Really thank for your contribute.”

Oshawott stared a bit incredulous.

“However, I’m not a genius, but I suppose that the tiles I lost ended on the bottom of the lake. Want to dive and help me for the recuperate?” he blinked removing his sunglasses for a second, Oshawott shook herself and nose-dove underwater.

“We got them all! Good job. Hey, Chimey & gang, here’s 7 more jigs for the mosaic. How goes so far with it?”

“It’s early to give an answer.” Chimecho pointed at the incomplete jigsaw: it barely represented a figure. “Many pieces miss. I’m waiting for Lucario to bring them, but I sense like there’s something wrong.” “Okay, I got it. We’ll go back catch for more treasures right now.” “Like the fridge?” Piplup asked with a smirk directed to Oshawott, that glared disdainful. “Remember to be a gentleman and teach her how to swim in the meanwhile, please.” Oshawott hid her bashful face with the shell.

Squirtle turned in shock “What? You cannot swim!?? Big shock.”

“BUT IF I TOLD YOU **THAT** A MINUTE AGO! What did you understand all this time, then?”

“Wow, just that you did that on purpose…you also said this.”

“SHE WAS BLATANTLY LYING, CRETIN. Mayko, stay out of this topic! I mean, oshahahah, to say a complete different thing, let me explain. WHAT’S TO EXPLAIN? WE BOTH KNOW THAT EVEN YOU ARE CLEVER COMPARED TO MR. TURTLE. Argh, shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Don’t listen to me, her, me-her, the evil side so! Ok???”

Squirtle scratched his head “I’m very confused. You know what? I need a shower to wash away this brainwashing sensation. If someone looks for Hot Water, I’m under the waterfall on the left.”

“Spreading all this hate doesn’t benefit to the team.” Chimecho reproached to Piplup.

Nearby Beheeyem, Drifloon and Lampent were utterly focused on their mosaic. The imaginary one. “Where do you think this tile should be put?” “I think..uhm..here.” “I think that I don’t care.” They were unaware of being spied by Victini, that sniggered behind a pole for unknown reasons.

“Ok, after the breakfast and the spa-treatment what’s programmed next? Check on my personal list, you have a list of my journal routine, right? Vanillite always had one different for each day of the week.”

**“For the last time: I AIN’T VANILLITE!” Anorith shouted loudly in the Vent Confessional. “Bah, I’d like to have the courage to say it in front of her.”**

“There’s the challenge of today.” Anorith carried her bowl out the plane using a cart. “Yawn, fine. What’s exactly? I’m curious.” “It’s a challenge made for your fabulous skills in the water, Gorebyss: you have to swim in the heart of a waterfall and at contemporary pick up stuff to complete a mosaic.” “\*Too easy, then.\*” “Well, we’re arrived. There’s not much left to do than wait for the lifter.”

“That isn’t..?” Suddenly the tourists revolved their attention on them, surrounding the abyss female “Gorebyss! The forbidden love of my life is here \*U\*” “An autograph, I beg you.” “Do me a pose for the videotape!!!” “A scale, one of your precious scales as souvenir! PWEEEASE!” Gorebyss pleasured them with her usual soft mannerism, meanwhile Anorith was flattened under the crowd. “This mass of pokèmon is huge: I knew you have many fans but I never get to imagine… ouff! Hey, my spine has centuries ago, watch where do you stomp, brat.”

“Yes I’m known everywhere. I did a calendar here at Kalos in the 2014.” She blinked, but Anorith dumbfounded. “Calendar? These fanatics consider you famous just after this?” Gorebyss giggled in amusement “Seem you don’t really know what I mean. However, this is the life of a top model diva. I don’t mind it, but sometimes…\*FLASH\* Hey! I wasn’t ready.”

“\*FLASH\* Photo-photo-photo! Did you take it, Magneton, right? This will be exclusive: Gorebyss in visit at Kalos. The whole region will invade Couriway by midday.”

“But sometimes is…”

“Pose for me, Gorebyss! I’m you biggest fan, I stalked you since Victini Island. I want to replace Vanillite! Pose, pose, POSE!” Gorebyss got tired of all that attention, and get rid of the crowd with an excuse “Excuse me, your Gorebyss need some privacy, now. I’ll continue later, wink.”

“Ah, she’s so beautiful…let’s return to take photos at the waterfall, people!”

Anorith was finally liberated. Gorebyss sighed in relief, fanning herself with a fin “…so stressful. Auf, this is the other face of the medal, the fans can be very annoying. They follow me everywhere I go under the spotlight.”

“They’re not annoying, but mad! I didn’t expect you to be THAT famous. I mean, how do you handle this kind of life? I would never stand to be so persecuted and admired. I need my space.” Gorebyss shrugged “You get used when you born perfect like a diamond. *Forsooth, I’m tired of all this attention to be honest*. Be beautiful is not roses and flowers, it’s somewhat a curse because I get always the wrong attention: the male gender consider me a candy for the eyes, the female a danger for their relationship. Both refuse to see me for what I’m inside, a person. Even Vanillite: he started as my best friend since middle-high school, then offered to be the waiter of my family, and at the end became my owner. Infact, you noticed how he treated me like a treasure stone. I realized this when he was eliminated.”

“*Better later than never*-COUGH! I realized it immediately: you don’t love anyone if you treat her like a relic.” The bug fossil spoke solemn , and she continued “During all this time I was the shadow of my gorgeousness, until I utterly let the others to do everything in my place like a doll.”

Later Tropius escorted them on the top. Things weren’t going good for the ex-Venturers and Seviper was unattainable. “Aurorusss, Dunsssparce, Lunatone, go sssabotage our enemies with Ice Beam, Drill Run, and Creep Look, and don’t dare to reply this is is unfair, I’m the leader. Ah, looks like finally you came back with the Sssleepy Princess.” Anorith gulped “How do you know about my absence?” Seviper answered “Have my ssssources.”

Dunsparce sighed in the vent: “I am her source of information. Spy others is another code for a snake, stating to Seviper. I sincerely don’t like to do this, but my opinion doesn’t matter.”

“Anyway, I thought she’s the ace in the sleeve we need for this task.” Anorith stood up, the viper crawled around the expensive bowl glancing at Gorebyss jealously, then grimaced looking straight into her eyes “Sssso, are you ready, Miss Gorebysssss? *I hope*.” The coral pink fish touched the water with a fin “Brrr. Not yet, this water has a different temperature from mine, I need a graduate introduction to habit at the colder temperature. May some gentleman start pouring some water of the river in the bowl, please? With moderation, \*please again\*?”

// Vent //

Anorith hurt himself between the cooling fan. “I don’t understand this girl! She seemed a moment before to actually dislike her spoiled life, but now she returns to act like a daddy-girl. What’s wrong with these XX century females?”

Meanwhile Tropius and Anorith prepared Gorebyss for her swim, the remaining three pokèmons did their contribute to make disturb as ordered by their leader, Aurorus made the wall icy with her simple passage making it hard for the other pokèmons to have a solid grip, Dunsparce reluctantly damaged the rocks with the driller, and Lunatone stared with the red eyes. Lucario swore for this triple attack, and once fed up at all, he snatched out and almost risked to fall “Grrrrr…if only I could..”

“Lucario, you should pay more attention. Don’t let your rage to control your body, but make your body control the rage. Be focused.”

“FOCUSED? HOW?! I dare you do this with an horridific floating rock creeping at you all the time!” Bagon gasped totally startled “Woah! What’s up now? I didn’t even talk. You’re very jumpy.” Lucario arched a brow “Then who was?” and took a quick look around, and then down, and eventually noticed to have just been surpassed by the twins, grunted, and continued the escalation, looking in every flit and hole for possible pieces. “Bah, who cares, was my imagination.” Minun and Plusle stopped when they found a crack: inside it there was a casket! “Finally we got something! Pity it’s not red, splendid. It doesn’t contain the pieces for our mosaic. We reek in this challenge.” “MINUN, stop being negative!” “Plusle is right.” Inkay whispered to him “This chest is of a rival team, what an advantage, you should toss it up the waterfall.” “No, this would be a dirty trick. Also..how I toss something up? It’s impossible.” Drifloon rolled eyes and pinced one of his cheek “She obviously means down the waterfall, oh, why you’re so dumb as adorable?” Minun blushed “Ah, me? That’s it, alright, I’ll do it for your happiness#”

The casket, tossed, fell fast like a bullet near Lucario and landed in the water. “HEY, YOU! What are you trying to do?” “Ops, I really didn’t want to... “ Minun excused quickly, but Bagon interrupted “More unfair, that chest seemed the one we were looking for. “So it was something MINE? Grrrr. I feel more and more to the edge of my rage. I would keep climbing in your place, rat.”

// Vent //

“Great, now Lucario wants to make me his new personal chew bone.” Minun flapped his face for the anxiety but didn’t feel any better, and when he noticed Porygon 2 spying from the flits shouted “THIS IS ALL FAULT OF THE ADVISE OF INKAY, AND YES, THIS IS FEAR AND RAGE……BOTH E-MOTIONS FOR YOUR INFORMATION!”

Dunsparce sighed deeply. “What’s up?” Aurorus asked concerned for him “Are you still sad for the error made before? Don’t blame yourself, it was Seviper to press you to go. The important thing is that you didn’t sink, get over the else.” “I already did. Infact, it’s not for that. I’m used to fail, so often that I developped a sort of indifference about.” Sobbed. “Then is it for Sylveon? I know that you felt more than a friendship for her and now you feel guilty for her elimination, but she asked for this, you were totally justified.” Dunsparce blushed “No, i-it isn’t for this. Actually, I’m feeling ashamed of what I’m doing in general, also now, acting in a very horrible way, sabotaging the opponents, spying in the confessional, and not to mention showing ingratitude voting the one who cared for my safety the most…but that’s how a snake has to behave, Seviper says this always. I’m a snake, still not sure to like this way of life to be fair.” Meanwhile he spoke, Dunsparce paralyzed an opponent with the sight. Aurorus stopped to attack, instead: “Listen, you don’t have to do this if this makes you feel this bad, neither I have, Seviper is our leader but doesn’t mean she control you. Doesn’t matter if you’re a snake, you have to live your life the way you feel to do, not you have to do.”

“D-Do you think? I would like to… Nevermind, it’s not so important, afterall, like me. You’re more important and seem to have a bigger problem: c-can I ask you what is it?” the glacial sauropode was startled “S-S-Sorry! It’s just that I heard Sylveon mentioning it when Seviper sent me in the vent to spy the nominations. So now I’m c-curious, forgive my insolence. I know you voted her out, too.” The land snake curled up in himself for the shame, Aurorus escalated to his same position and answered “Yes, I did, you have the right to know since she was your best friend. I didn’t like the decision, but had a secret to protect, and Sylveon was intentioned to reveal it to Victini…she was doing the only right thing for me…on the contrary I know you would never tell something like this, that’s why I feel to trust you” the rest of the speech was whispered by her, Dunsparce gasped “I-I can’t believe..! A-A-Aurorus, you’re putting more than one life in risk, if I dare to s-suggest, just saying. But I promise to shut the mouth since now. Trrr!” accidentally, Dunsparce used Drill Run on an instable wall, causing a rockfall that appeared to be all his fault.

The boulders hit every opponent than Metang with an irrational accuracy: Bagon resisted thanks to his tough head, Swellow dodged, Porygon 2 got the occasion to learn a new e-motion, the pain, the electric mice prefered to dive directly in the lake, Lunatone did nothing to avoid the avalanche, and Lucario faced directly the danger, refusing to dodge for pride and anger. “It’s wise that you give up now in safety and bring the pieces you collected.” “This is not going to stop me, you can try as much you want! I’ll never give up. Argh!” he screamed when the last rock smashed on his injured knee, without the support of a leg, his grasp wasn’t enough solid and slipped down the waterfall. “Nooo! GROWL. Again pawned by that little land worm. Bah, sgrunt. So I lost everything.” Muttering, the dog limped to the shore, where Chimecho, Piplup, and Swalot waited, and ignoring at all the second and the latter, he revolved to the bell wind “That voice in my head was yours, right? OF COURSE IT WORKED PERFECTLY. So I got distracted, lost all the damn tiles I had with me and got again injured, if this was the aim it’s a 100% success. Said this, now heal me. In this way I can return climb and save the day. Hurry.”

“…….”

“Silence? Hey, I asked you a favor. Oh, yes, I forgot the stupid word: plose..plase..or something like that.”

Chimecho continued to meditate as he was invisible.

“What? I said it gently (puah) and still get no result?” Lucario approached to her “You keep with this mysterious silence. I don’t understand why…ah, NOPE! I know what’s your aim: you’re using this psychologic trick to make me say my secret eventually. So obvious, but you think I’m the kind of pokèmon that feels bad to be ignored? It’s the exact opposite, instead! I IGNORE THE OTHERS. EVERYONE, YOU INCLUDED.” Snarled “I don’t need you just like I didn’t yesterday, I run solo , I know the way to heal me by myself…I need only MYSELF without a fluttershy bell to…grunt, runf, baah.” and crawled to the plane dragging his body with the help of a stick “And don’t count anymore on my contribute for this cursed challenge! Clear?”

“Wow, what about give him camomile and not tea the next morning?” Swalot purposed to Piplup. “Considering he already broke two precious cups of my set, I’ll think about. Anyway, where’s that loser of Oshawott, and Squirtle? There’s lot of work for them.”

“Ah, nothing like a waterfall shower to rinse my head from the confusion. I feel coolio again.” Oshawott entered suddenly in “Can I talk with you a minute? OSHAAA! You don’t have your shell on! Quick, cover!” “Woah? Knock-knock next time, baby. Ok, just a second, you can open eyes now. Confidentially, was it that terrible show?” the ott blushed and shook “Argh, don’t make me feel worse, please! I have already enough complexes.” He shrugged “So, what’s up?” “I wanted to excuse for before. I didn’t absolutely want to offend you, it’s just my ridiculous condition that forces me: the second personality is the incarnation of all the frustration I accumulated. It’s HER that makes me look like a psycho, okay?! I’d like to rid of Mayko, but I won’t until I’ll succeed in something. The fact is that I have a sister, Azusa the Dewott, that’s the best in everything, in swim, in fight, and in the studies, too! While I’m the worst in all. A complete failure, a joke of a Oshawott. Also Piplup gets on my nerves, grrr, how much she does..” Oshawott begged to the kneels of the turtle “Please, help me to swim! At least this. Something where I can feel at the same level of HER, and this time I’m referring to my sister, not to the second personality, got it?” Squirtle reflected for five minutes and then replied with a smile “Ok, I can give you a shot. Let’s return to Chimecho. But first, you should try some relaxation, check how’s the water.” He pushed her under the jet of the waterfall “Hey, what the shell are you..SCROOSH…ah\*…this is so soothing.”

“You do feel better: close your eyes and imagine a smooth jazz track playing in your eats . Trust me, it’s the paradise.” Squirtle blinked “Because you need a relaxed approach to learn to handle the element of the water and swim.” Oshawott obeyed and distressed the muscles of the shoulders, staying there for a bit.

Meanwhile Gorebyss had finally become acquainted at the temperature of the water, and was ready to go: she jumped outside the bowl with all her gorgeousness and grace, flipped two times her coiled up body and landed in the river with the same smooth touch of an angel. Everyone was astonished, Anorith’s mind totally kidnapped, but the hissing acid voice of Seviper called him back to the reality “Sssso gorgeous sssspectacle, but now get over with it and ssstart SSSSWIM.” “Alright, Gorebyss, we count on you now, let’s go. ..Gorebyss? Gorebyss, no!” the pink fish swam to the waterfall and fell down it making a lot of acrobacies and evolutions, showing proudly her fluent body shimmering for the sun like a star. After every acrobacy, Gorebyss turned to the audience, the bridge was infact full of her admirers and tourists, exhibiting her beautiness and charme for the photos, Anorith understood that he had forgotten to tell her which was the challenge.

“Ehm, what the Heatran she’s doing?” questioned Tropius. Seviper gave a deathglare to the Fossil Mind.

“I’m sor..ahem..she probably misunderstood a little my indications, getting to tell her!” an awkward Anorith dove in the water, trying to swim at the same pace and style of Gorebyss, but he couldn’t reach her level of agility and crashed against many merging rocks while falling down while the stream mercilessly carried him at all “Gorebyss, splut!” strived to say “This isn’t exactly the matter of the challenge, you have to..CONK!!!” Gorebyss turned a minute “Hm? Here, people, you will certainly like my next move, the heaven Hydropump!” before to do a final awesome jump in the void and land like a siren in the lake. Gorgeous, but useless. Everyone cheered minus the ex-Victini Venturers. Anorith finally arrived at the end of the waterfall totally devastated “Ouch..my poor old cartilaginiac bones…”

“How was I? Gorgeous, amazing, majestic or of course all three?” asked the other, flapping the eyelids.

“I think..” panted “That I must explain you which are the rules for this game…anf. Maybe after a little pause. Glulglulglu..”

Victini shook the head watching the scene “I did the best thing switching the names of the teams. Those are just losers that didn’t deserve to carry my vibrant vanquishing name.”

“Still nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“Jeez, how is this possible?” Minun complained “It’s not believable that we have not found yet anything for our mosaic, not a ring or a casket, there must be something wrong.” Gave a little look around seeing Beheeyem and Lampent still focused on the assemblation of the imaginary puzzle, Rotom possessing another absurd electrodomestic contraption stolen from whoever knows with Porygon 2 doing the “pole” for him, Inkay and Drifloon fawning at Swellow’s air moves, and even Metang had disappeared “Not that anyone cares, sigh.” Plusle look at him “I care. I’m always here for you, brother.” “Thanks, Plusle, I appreciate.” He then shook himself and returned to climb “Well, even alone we’ll show them our value so let’s continue the research!”

Bagon had remained alone, too. Lucario had had a rage quit, Ninjask was nowhere to be seen. The dragon had been forced to collect more pieces to compensate the huge number lost by Lucario in the impact, and he had to struggle outside with the nuisance Lunatone and inside with the frustration on Swellow. What a master of flight, he didn’t care for him at all just to cheat on the chicks… “Woah, I almost slipped! Urgh, I can’t continue here.”

“Of course. You haven’t the concentration.”

“Uh, Ninjask?”

“You’ll never learn to fly in this way.”

“I know re-“

“You can’t do this if you keep being distracted by other, your mind has to focus on the aim and only on it always, as you can’t fly if your mind flies away.” Ninjask raised one of the blades showing lot of rings collected “See? I’m flying, not my mind, my mind is focused on the aim. You’ll never fly if you don’t learn first to don’t let your mind fly. “ Bagon twitched “So…you’re telling me I should stop think about it and take care only of the challenge? Excuse, how this can help me to fly?”

“In fact, doesn’t. Not by itself. But it’s the first achievement to do.” Ninjask didn’t add much more and dashed away. Bagon stared but also tried to reflect on those worlds “Uhm…he could be right. Maybe my mind has become so obsessed with the dream of flight that I’m no more able to accomplish anything else. I know what to do now: I want to climb this wall totally until I won’t have found the most pieces possible.” With determination the dragon in miniature returned to climb. Faster. Lunatone simply kept staring, perfectly motionless.

“That odd rock is totally useless.” Tropius flew down and flapped his giant wings creating a typhoon “Sorry, but someone has to stop you, Bagon.” Bagon resisted wearing on his goggles “Don’t worry, I’m used to every sort of streams after all the train I did on the mountains, do your best.” Tropius shrugged but he liked the fire in the eyes of the opponent “Alright. Prepare for a tropical typhoon! Woooooooosh!” Bagon was almost blown away and to keep the grip was forced to leave some tiles away, the wind casted by Tropius was the most powerful ever faced, he would have not resisted much against it. “He needs help. Swellow, do something!” Piplup ordered. “Alright, this is a task for the Swellowsome me! Ladies, please wide your beautiful eyes because you’re going to see a majestic unique miracle these wings” kissed them “will make. Swooosh!” Swellow dashed swelling his pecs in front of Tropius “Just to warn you, I defeated a way more bigger legend than you in this same way, Lugia, to whom I easily reverted back his flurry. I remind having done that using even only ONE wing, eheh.” Inflating more air in the lungs, Swellow stretched his wings at most and started to flap being captured and blown away immediately by the tornado. “ I see..”

Bagon and Piplup both facepalmed. Bagon was at his limit, he didn’t feel anymore the solid grip, and Tropius didn’t stop a second to flutter, eventually Lunatone was blown away too but he was just an addictive obstacle for Bagon, that dodged the impact with him for a skale. “Phew. I don’t want to give up, gnn, I’m stronger than this wind, I can and I am as I will be a flyer!” Hyped, he suddenly jumped right inside the stream and opened his wings…in the mind, as he first rose up and then fell down but landed on Tropius’s back. “Hey, get down. I’m not an airplane that everyone can take for a flight.” Bagon smirked “Sorry but no, I need a passage.”

“Enough with you!” Seviper lost the patience and jumped against Bagon but Ninjask neutralized her with Double Blade “Kssss!!! You’re going to pay thissss ssssoon, too.”

“Wow, real ninja skills.”

“S-S-Seviper, how a-are you if I dare to ask?”

// Vent //

“I never forgot a ssssingle sssscar I gained in a fight, sssscars inject more poison in my veinsss, then I won’t forget these new marksss.” Seviper approached to the camera showing two slashes under her eye. “I payback everytime, Ninjask won’t be an exception.”

Ninjask then used Double Team creating multiple copies of himself around Tropius, Bagon jumped on the rock wall again, and the fast moves of the ninja confused totally the sauropode and consumed his leafy wings forcing him to land. “Thanks for the help, finally a true flyer here. Here!” Bagon tossed to the companion the pieces he had collected “I’ll continue the escalation.”

Ninjask brought quickly the tiles to Piplup, Chimecho and Swalot, said nothing and flashed away again. “Where do you think we should put this piece? It doesn’t resemble yet a Victini. We miss more pieces and I know where they are: underwater!” Piplup pointed in anger at the middle of the lake where Minun had tossed the casket and Lucario had fallen with his tiles “Umpf, why I have always to think at everything? For once that those two ignorants can be useful, they have gone. I’m going to pick them.” The penguin walked to the back of the waterfall and startled the ott and the turtle “Hello there, you 2, mind to do what have I COMMAND you to do about an hour ago from the height of my generosity? And, Oshawott, you can’t wash away your horrible character not even if you scrub forever, give up and move your shell out of here.”

Oshawott that was about to feel finally the interior peace jolted “GRRR, I feel angry again.” Squirtle restrained her before she could have a worse reaction. Piplup continued “Alright, since it looks like you’ve ah head made of shell I’ll do the courtesy to repeat again: dive underwater the lake and recuperate the casket and all the orange tiles you find. Last time I say this. Even with your swanky swim you can do this simple operation.”

“Gnnn..” Oshawott gnashed her shell with the teeth then smirked “You’re right, I can, YOU CAN’T. Being dumb dabbler to dabble.” And dove down to the fundal together Squirtle. They merged seconds later carrying the treasure chest and Oshawott rubbed it in front of Piplup “Ah ah! Eat my butt, tuck my tail, right in your sassy snobbery.” Piplup’s body puffed for the rage “Shut up with that hell of a shell you have as mouth, I’m upperclass, you’re a folk, so I’m the successful only AND YOU’RE THE FAILURE.” Oshawott inflated her..belly..too “That’s it. I dare you swim through the waterfall like I’m doing all the time meanwhile you’re just sitting in the corner giving annoying orders, AND LET’S SEE WHO’S THE TRUE FAILURE!”

Squirtle gave up “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll just let you girls alone. Chimecho, teleport me back on the top.”

“I accept.” Piplup smacked Oshawott with a feather “Chimecho, teleport us there, too.” Chimecho, perceiving an high level of anger in her voice, didn’t try this time to fix things and did what told.

Top of the river. Anorith had finally managed to make Gorebyss useful but she didn’t renounce at all to overexpose her talent to the camera and passed more time in doing dainty acrobacies than collecting but at least she was doing something. Anorith had also found a way to handle the stream and the two fishes were providing lot of tiles for the new Jirachi Jigglers. Squirtle was already in the water when Oshawott and Piplup were warped. The two looked fiercely at each other and swam: not that Piplup was that example of grace and class but her swim skills bested Oshawott who was more like a flipper among the rocks with her zig zag swim.

“See, Oshawott?” Piplup grabbed many rings “I’m proving to be more superior than you.” Oshawott crashed against another rock until they weren’t close to the waterfall and she swam fastest possible do not caring for the risk, pushing Piplup “Are you crazy? In this way we’re gonna die!” “Co-co-co, you’re a penguin or a chicken?” “Ehh! How dare you give me the chicken??” she smacked her again and Oshawott saw everything in red at this point “YOU’RE GOING DOWN, PIPTNEY!”

“Oh-oh, this is not going to end well.. Hot Water, watch behind yourself!”

Squirtle turned again in late as he heard the voice of Bagon, and got overcome by the two starters cat fighting to the death “You said, maaan? WOAH! SPATAPLASH!”

“Ouch, where are they now? Squiirtle? Oshawooott? Pipluup?” Bagon, Ninjask and Chimecho that warped next to them looked around, up and down, but didn’t see anyone. Swalot tossed away (in the river) his pack of popcorn assuming a bored expression “So the catfight has finished in this way? Pathetic. BUUURP!”

Swellow returned on the scene “I saw everything. This is the same that happened me when I found myself trapped in the cavern of Kyogre, but with my strong wings I..”

“Shut up, and Kyogre’s cavern is underwater by the way.” Said Bagon. “Poor Squirtle, bro..where you fell?”

“’,’,’,SCROOSH…SCRROOOSHLE…ROOOSH’,’,’,’,’”

“Ow, my head, what happened?” Squirtle massaged his head.

“See what have you done. It’s only your fault, u.u”

“YOU CHALLENGED ME AND PROVOKED ME. Then it’s YOUR FAULT, PIPLUP!”

“My fault? Ohohoh, then I pushed you like a mad folk or happened the contrary? Answer, Oshawhat a pleb.”

“Grrr, shut up, Piplonk, you’re just good to annoy people with your bossy attitude. And to sink underwater with your plummy body.”

“Again another low insult at my weight, uh? The Oshawhale talks.”

“I’m NOT FAT, Pig-plup, YOU ARE!”

“Oshawank.”

“Pitchplup.”

“Oshawimp!”

“Piplague!”

“Oshame-wott!!”

“PIMPLUP!!!”

“Scallop Brain”

“Pillow for Swalot!”

Piplup stared in horror, then replied. “Swalot’s lover, or better, Oswalott.” Making Oshawott really mad! “I’m GONNA KILL YOU NOW, AND THEN MAKE YOU KISS THAT DISGUSTING PILE OF…”

“STOOOOP! Galz, really, let’s cool it down once for all, c’mon.” Squirtle placed between the two in the heat of the discussion “It’s not cool, okay? Treating yourself in this way won’t brought anywhere, and, in fact, I have no idea where we are now..” he pointed at the ceiling, that was very soak and to the ground that was very steamy that he can barely see his feet. Oshawott excused with him “I’m sorry for having involved you, really didn’t want, but this piss of penguin pushed me over the limit and…oh gosh, Squirtle, I’m sorry also for that!”

“That..what? Did I broke anything?” Oshawott akwardly nodded. He panicked “Oh, no, you’re saying I’ve broken something very important in the impact?” the other nodded again, more akwardly “Yes, your shell is half broken now, from right to left. I’m utterly sorry!”

“My shell?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, phew, for a moment I thought to have broken my precious shades, then doesn’t matter. What a relief.” He said with a smile, the other two starters exchanged a glance. Then Piplup took the lead “Okay, this is obviously an hidden cave judging by the sound of the pitter-pattering water coming from the ceiling. So, the first thing I order to do is..”

“Wait, wait, wait. Who nominated you the leader of the situation?”

“I self proclaimed the leader of the Venturers this morning, already forgotten? This makes me automatically the leader in every situation.” Oshawott replied in anger “No, it doesn’t. I don’t want to be leaded by someone like you, spoiled and with a fake experience of life, I can make my way out of here..ehm..alone. Thud! Ahi.” Pilpup giggled “I-I went against the wall on purpose, osha. Ah, who I want to deceive? Fine: I’m worthless! I KNOW IT SINCE MY BIRTH! Just leave me here.”

“Dude, I mean, ehm, what’s a friendly way to address at a girl, hmm, baby? I’ll try it. Baby, don’t say that not even for joke. None is useless at this world.”

“Oshaworthless! Another nice nickname I could have used..” Squirtle glared at Piplup and she saw Oshawott crying quietly in a corner, using her scallop as a tissue “But I recognize to have my part of responsibility and I apologize. I tend to annoy people with my manners and to see always only their errors and never mines, it’s a sort of habit for an ol-ehm- advanced lady of my rank, but I went too far this time and I maybe should be more of example towards the inf-ehm- folkish pokèmon like you. (With the help of a miracle) maybe I can even help you become a true lady. Maybe.” Piplup choked a gig thinking about the vision of a “polite oshawott” and offered a wing. Oshawott sniffled, dried some tears and offered her paw in return.

“Ohh, finally, you’re friends and no more hot hotties with hot blood in the head!” exclaimed Squirtle leaving the two a little shocked. “Let’s go back to competition? By which direction?”

Piplup pointed to the ceiling “Of course where the sound of water gets louder it means we’re close to an exit, I learned this when I was…ehm..the age doesn’t count, I lost in the Mt Coronet falling in a hole: to get back to the right floor I used the same strategy hearing the sounds of the lake.” Oshawott stayed in silence, Piplup give a simple but proud smile “Even a snooty has true experiences to tell and learn tricks from.” The other blushed.

…The trio walked for a bit in the fog, following the way suggested by Piplup…

“I can’t see anything, this steam mists up the sunglasses totally, but I feel something really soft, not foam and certainly not a rock.”

“It’s my butt.” Oshawott replied, Squirtle grinned “You have a shell of a talent there, baaaby.” She blushed and smacked him with the tail against a wall, this crippled and created a fracture. “DON’T TOUCH ME AGAIN. Oh? I hear a voice coming from here, maybe it’s Bagon or one of the others?” Piplup approached and the two spied from the hole: it was Metang.

“By my researches it should be here…found.” Metang clenched a little mysterious mineral that emanated a powerful and strange energy in his pincer “What an immense source of power: with this I’ll be soon utterly unstoppable.” As he left, Oshawott first, Pilpup then, tried to pass through the hole, even at contemporary, getting stuck. “Urgh, I said you need a diet.” “Not that your belly is of a top model, umpf.” “Girls, girls, do you want an help? I can give you a push.” “Okay, but if you touch again my talent, you’re a dead turtle, GOT IT?” “Totally, don’t worry and chill out.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“You’re back!” Bagon’s eyes shimmered seeing Squirtle safe “Oh, bro, I was so worried. The time is almost over.” The three starters appeared from the opposite part of the lake, wet, soaked and exhausted, but carrying a casket of tiles. “Beside, wow, you two are collaborating, Osha and Pip? I clearly missed something. Whatever, wooh, where did you find a chest? Pity it’s red and not orange, so it interests only to the Leviathans.”

Minun alarmed “Really? Finally something for us: we’ve not found any tile of Latias so far!”

“You want it, man?” Bagon asked tossing the chest in the middle of the lake “All yours.” Payback.

“Thanks for the generosity.” Replied the electric mouse with sarcasm, frowning. “Pity none of us can swim, just a detail… wait, but now we have a squid pokèmon like Inkay! She can recuperate it.”

Inkay denied “Swim don’t I, water the in not. Lony in the air. Yrros”

“Excuse me, you’re a squid and you can’t go underwater?!! Of course, totally logic in the illogic world.” Minun banged his head several times in the Confessional “You kidding me, right? YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT?”

Lester cheered up his team “Don’t worry, my prouds, I’ll posses a submarine and get the treasure, ah!”

“Or maybe I can pick up my flying saucer and use the abductor to recuperate it” joked Beheeyem.

“An UFO! Of course! How I could have not thought about that system, ciaff!” Lester zoomed away “Be right quirky back!”

Unlike Minun and his team, Venturers and Jigglers had collected all they needed and their puzzles were almost finished, but there was something odd in both.

“Uhm…this is a Victini, not a Jirachi.” Anorith looked in perplexion at the figure the tiles were forming, he was sure of one thing only: that wasn’t a Jirachi. Everyone in the team had his same opinion.

“Is this a joke? This doesn’t resemble a Victini at all!” Oshawott kicked the mosaic “It’s that dab of Jirachi. WAIT A MINUTE!” Oshawott and Anorith turned at contemporary at each other and shouted “Confess it: you have rigged this!” The brawl was immediate and soon involved the whole teams: Anorith pinched the tail of Oshawott that in response stomped him with Body Slam, Seviper attacked Ninjask with Acid but he dodged and Squirtle got hit “Noo, acid on my sunglasses. Alright, miss viper, no roses for you but only hydropump jets! Cuz Hot Water is boiling now.” Bagon at first attempted to calm his buddy but then sided with him against Tropius, despite this was just trying to stop the brawl. Angry, he smashed both under his big legs.

Meanwhile this mess was going on, Lester was seen in the background in his Wash Form sucking up the lake with a tube.

“Ding! Please, guys, let the harmony enter again in the house of your soul” suggested Chimecho with kindness, without being listened, so she raised a little the sound of her bell “DOOOONG! DOOONG! DOOONG!”

“Arr, my old eardrums! Stop it.”

“Not if you don’t all find back the calm. Dooong!”

“Ahhh! Chimecho, please, ok, we’re calm!”

“SSSSTOP IT IMMEDIATELY!” everyone glowered at Seviper when Chimeco chimed again, louder. The serpent surrendered. “Hisss, ok, I’m calm. Happy?”

Chimecho apologised “I don’t like to use the strong manners, but you forced me this time. Now that the peace is estabilished again, it’s clear that it was none’s fault so let’s exchange our mosaics and solve this conflict at the root, in the most easy and peaceful way.” Paused, starting to swing her head again “Otherwise….”

“No, no, no. We’ll do like you say.”

Even exchanging suspicious glances at each others ex Venturers and ex Jigglers were able to switch their tiles, and assemblated their puzzles, right before Victini announced the end of the challenge.

“Here we are, contestants, let’s see if you finished your puzzles!” Victini sneered seeing the Leviathans still trying to open the casket recuperated by Wash Rotom “TIME IS O-V-EEEER!!!!! Everyone stop, it’s time for my judgement that will seal the victorious team and the victimized one.” Sure the Leviathans would have been the loosers having rigged the challenge with they hope to see Beheyeem eliminated, the V-host checked first the mosaic of his (new) favorite team “Congratulation, Jira-ehm- Victini Venturers, you did a good work!”

“Yeah!”

Then he checked the mosaic of Jirachi and it was the same perfect “Excellent, even if Jirachi not Me, JIRACHI, confused the color of your teams and so messed up things with the rings, chests and exc, you both managed to complete your mosaics. “

Seviper was impatient “Ssso who wins the First Class?”

Victini shrugged “Still thinking about, I know only who wins the Tail of Losers.” As he turned the Latias Leviathans managed to open the treasure chest and there was inside the mosaic of Latias complete and perfectly reunited. “V-V-Voles! This is impossible.”

Lester epic posed “Thank of who? Ah! Of me, of course.” Minun rolled eyes but eventually cheered together the teammates. Everyone stared “This issss unfair.” Victini couldn’t do much “Okay, here’s the twist: now you’re up for the second place safety or the nomination. I give another focused look at your works…”

“Do it, Victini, you’ll see just the perfection cause I personally coordinated all the indications for the mosaic.” Piplup pumped the chest returning her usual Piptney self.

// Vent //

Oshawott let out an ironic remark “For a minute I sincerely thought she had become a different Piplup but I was immediately confirmed to be wrong. Oshahah!” Changed expression “Right.”

Victini analyzed the mosaic with carefulness and counted the number of pieces “Each mosaic was made of 51 tiles, here there are only 50 tiles, miss one, that’s also the part of my best profile.”

“Which is the bottom?”

“WHO SAID THAT? V-ery funny, Beheeyem, I know you was..”

“Not this time. I was about but someone had a better timing. Also, I would have used another word, more technic.”

Victini’s interior rage increased “Whatever, cause of this awful mistake, Jirachi Jigglers, you’re going to fly on the Tail of Losers today!” Tropius twitched “Wait, why?” Victini snapped “I ain’t referring to you, now.” Dunsparce raised up a wing “B-But aren’t we the Jirachi J-Jigglers now?” and Bagon did the same “And we the vibrant victorious Victini Venturers?”

“NO, no more. You don’t actually deserve to carry my name, so, you’re now again the Jirachi Jigglers and the loser ones of the day.” Victini smiled to Tropius and the rest of his companions “Congrats, you’re returned to be the V-tastic original Victini Venturers! I hope you’ll become winners by now.”

Tropius shrugged “Ehm, okay, it’s the same but thank you. I guess.” then turned eagerly to his team “Yuhuu, we’re safe, let’s high five!” everyone stared, especially Dunsparce, as he raised one of his giant paw up and projected its shadow over them “Forget it, nevermind.”

**Tail of Losers**

“Ok, time to make the Smug Swellowers work.” Swellow flew between Bagon and Squirtle, wearing a pair of sunglasses and having just finished to narrate another of his unbelievable victories against a legend pokèmon “My alliance will vote all together Piplup! This team deserves a cooler leader and obviously I’m the future one.”

Bagon nodded and Squirtle approved “Yeah, I’m totally hype about! Hooray for the Smug Swellowers, we roock!” soon after fell asleep feeling back the tiredom of the previous night.

On the other side, Piplup was forming a new alliance with the other girls “Thinking about how many times I allowed you to take part to my esclusive tea sessions every morning, I feel like I could found an high class alliance that will make this team an èlite, eliminating the right people.” She served some tea and offered cookies “Opinion? Consider I’m giving you a supreme chance, Oshi.”

Oshawott had a little of hesitation and felt offended for a second “Ehm..I accept the idea. Let’s see how much I can bear you, ahahahah!” Her joke didn’t amuse Piplup, that simply gave her a dull look. Chimecho sipped her tea in peace and quiet “I agree, too. Who do you want to eliminate?”

Piplup dipped a cookie in the tea “There are many candidates for nomination I have in mind, most of all the cavemon Lucario, the jock Swellow and the jelatinous jerk Swalot. Uhm..maybe the last one should be the first target, this team needs seriously a clean up of quality.”

“Mumble..”

// Vent Nominations //

First to enter was Swellow, who voted Piplup blinking at the camera. Squirtle did the same soon after.

Swalot was the third to get into the vent, assuming his real aspect of Ditto, he imitated the one he intended to eliminate “Sgrunt, I hate to be a loser yet I’m a rage quitter. BAHH!” paused doing a jerky grin “Guessed who I am? Mr Cranky, Lucario! Ah ah ah ah!”

Lucario punched the vent and said a single word “Swalot.” And then another “SGRUNT.”

Ninjask’s was the last vote showed in the resume of the nominations: he crossed with his Double Blade the picture of Swellow.

Victini started to fling the macarones “Squirtle, Bagon, Ninjask, Chimecho and Oshawott. All safe.” The turtle and the dragon bro fisted, Oshawott swallowed up her macarone immediately, Chimecho and Ninjask prayed the sky in gratitude. The V-host looked at the 4 left: Piplup and Swellow were very confident, Swalot was eating and Lucario sat grumpily in a corner. “The last macarone of safety goes to…to…to…Swalot. You’re a deadlock but still in the game, enjoy it. By the v-way, time for the final vibes: who will get the Voltorb of Victimization? Lucario, for having been a rage quitter? Swellow for having been a boast boater? Or Piplup for having been an annoying very annoying leader?” He started the countdown.

“3.”

“2.”

“1.”

“VOLTORB!!! BOOOM!”

“Ohhh!”

“Bah, who cares.” Lucario frowned “I ain’t eliminated, that only matters.”

“Cough, cough, so much smoke..” Piplup fanned a wing sitting next to a char-coaling Swellow, that was confused “Argh, my fabolous blue feathers are scorched! This is unbelievable, how could you uncool mass vote the Swellowso-me out in this way? I had also my Smug Swellowers on my side!”

Bagon stepped forward him “No, you had no more. At least, not me. I’m tired of fake promises and I realized that I’ve nothing to learn from you, cause I ain’t good at flight yet you are good at NOTHING than lies and antics.” Squirtle was shocked by the rude tone of him “But, bro, what about me, now? I had to learn from this cool guy how to be really cool.” Bagon shook the head “Nope, you’re already cool as you’re now. Become as this pitiful dandy would make you just empty.”

Swellow stretched his wings and pumped his pec “Tsk, that’s what envious pokèmon always say when they encounter me and realize to be INFERIOR. I’m used to that, even legendaries feels the envy of my skills…they’re legendaries, but I can beat them with a single wing.”

“Then, I dare you beat this.” Victini casted a Generator V straight in the sky, Swellow gulped, let out a loud squeak and fleed away the fastest possible, everyone laughed and Bagon said “For once I liked your temper, Victini.” The V-host interrupted his attack and shrugged “I had to defend the honour of my cathegory from the blabs of that vapid vamooser, fair and vivid.”

**EPILOGUE**

Swellow flew above the skies of Kalos “Shame on them, they lost the best contestant ever they could beg for. The one that defeated Articuno several timez with a single wing, and, this is just one of the many examples I can do. Oh, well, I’ll be soon a star in this region, too, every chick will ask for my moves, and..” someone tap tapped him with the beak, the swallow felt a chill over the spine, turned, and found the legendary bird of the element ice in front of himself. Articuno was about to spoke but “A-A-Articuno? Ohh, what an honor to meet you, ehm, I lied all the time, I admit it, I’m just a miserable boast boater, I never beated your legendary bum, it was just for narration, e-entertainment! Tell it also to Zapdos, Moltres, Lugia, and…every other legendary pokèmon I mocked all the time telling lies on lies and making him/her/it appear a total loser against me. GLOM.” Articuno stared, assuming a serious expression “I-I swear to your legendary majestic name I won’t do it anymore, yes, by now I’ll tell that I’m only able to defeat Feebas! Ahahah! Yes, cuz, Articuno, your’re clearly cooler than me, I’m just a little insiginificant bird and..and..and…I won’t appear anymore on TV, I solemnly promise, don’t seek me. Ahhh!” Swellow zoomed away at the speed of light.

Articuno arched a brow “I just wanted an information: if this is the region of Kalos. I’ll never understand this non legendaries.”

## **Trivia**

* This episode took the most time to be completed, with a delay of three months.
* The title foreshadows the elimination of Gorebyss, Piplup or Swellow, as they're the three characters with the vanity button pushed.
* *Poison it* and *Solrock your body* are parodic titles for the songs *Pump it* and *Rock your body* both of the *Black Eyed Peas* pokèmonized as *Black Eyed Skorupeas*
* The speech of Gorebyss is inspired to a film dedicated to top models.
* The part of Squirtle, Oshawott and Piplup was originally planned to be longer.
* A part focused on Lampent was cut, too.
* Inkay debuts as official replacement for Castform.
* This is the last episode where Victini uses the V-Waves Wheel, that was discarded as plothole.
* This episode was the most difficult to write due to the complexed challenges and the numerous parallel plots.