Cuida la Stingrayda

## Prologue

A little dot between the waves stranded at the fading sunrise at the horizon. The barely visible creature was smoothly surfing on the board as a part of the body itself, calmly taming the sea under its feet. A sudden drift, entered in a tube formed by the rushing foam, it barely wet the skin that was dried immediately after by the wind, and landed on the beach. The pokémon scrolled the yellow-brownie fur tanned in stripes and dried a few drops remained in the ears, then folded the surf board back on his place aka the tail. After a long journey started from the nearby island, he was eventually touching the first sand of Akala!

"I'm arrived, aloha, Akala. Wow...it is even bigger than I remember Pikka told me about. This is rad! Alright, time to hold the lash and jump this Sharpedo: *Victini, here comes Puka spalooka.*"

The Alolan Raichu reached the address signed on his inVictation: **Resort Hanu Hanu, Kantai City**. Kantai was the top spot for alolan vip culture, the place where all the stars of the region took their holidays and this was an extra plus to his excitement: talkin' about a five star hotel here, dudes! It was the most astonishing when Raichu stopped to feel the sand under his feet and walked in front of the hallway filled with trophies, photos and statues of the four deities pouring water. Stopped by Tapu Koko's for a sec: "Tapu Koko, give me the stingada to do this." Bowed expressing his desire with closed eyes in a very religious moment, strong was believed to be the influence of legendaries in the alolan life and Raichu had grown up making no exception. The electric surfer finally entered.

"At last as usual."

"Makes better rates for the suspense, no?" Raichu bounced back the quote in easy. The other pokémon rolled the eyes slightly visible from the mask.

"Looks like you didn't make any improvement all this time, so I don't know you."

"C'mon, Pikka, last time we've seen I was still a Pichu!" Raichu replied with a smirk. "And now, I'm taller than ya, dolly."

The reply he received was instead a kick in the belly that choke his breath apart. Pikachu sneered in satisfaction crossing arms "And I'm still the strongest Pikachu of before. Don't forget."

"G-Gotcha ya."

They were only two of the pokémon crowding the hotel, afterall. Many different muzzles arrived from all over the islands of Alola and even beyond were now attending for the host. A small black one was wondering what he was doing here, shyly looking around, but was spurred by a twin of unusual Koffing fused in the same body: a rare Galarian Weezing was pushing Pyukumuku to the nearest camera.

"Remember: you're the next star this region is waiting for." the smallest head spoke with a bright accent.

"I am sure?"

"We put all our efforts into you! Of course you will, child." the biggest one had a solemn somewhat authoritarian voice "Just look the cutest chibi creature in this world and everyone will love you. You are the offspring of a thousand selection of 51 years plan: the universal testimonial. The sponsor will eventually change its name after you, to say the least, and will be just the first of an infinite chain succession."

"T-T-Thousands Pyu-pyukumuku you mean? Oh..."

"Obviously! And that was just the final step, what did you think?" the little brother rolled eyes to the sky starting to inflate the breath "Oh, kid, so innocent and so naive. If only you spent a day in this business...The first selection was between all the existing species of pokèmon, then we rounded up to a single species, then we breeded to obtain the rare shiny until we gave up out of sheer exhaustion of 51 years of attempt and resigned to...!"

A serious glance from the older brother was enough to make him shut up on the remaining part of the story. "Cough, cough."

"Just be your cute self, Pyukumuku, rest will come natural." He reassured, but the oloturia seemed still perplexed about and was about to ask again... "Now, you want to excuse us. We have the other client to cure interests for and other business to organize. Good luck, kid, make us proud."

"Make us proud!" the other one echoed. Then whispered "*Although, I still think we should have stuck with the original plan, brother. It doesn't look different from any other Pyukumuku at all.*"

"*It will, if he wins.*"

"*Eh. Luckily we have the other wildcard to bet on*."

Pyukumuku focused on someone that could be shy the same of him in that context, and he noticed a small pokémon curled up in itself alone in a corner. He approached to this metallic sphere with a lightning popping out, what looked like a tail. But as he said hi, the ball shrank even more and raised a layer of pointy needles all over the surface. So there was someone feeling even less comfortable than him...

"So shy? I'm sorry for the disturb."

Then maybe he would have needed to look for a different profile of pokémon. There was a giant orange one that was sitting at the piano-bar station. Deep in his music, Dragonite barely averted the audience increasing: Pyukumuku crawled to the free stool next to the pianist seat. "Wish I could play this. Ah...it's beautiful. Ehm, my name is Pyukumuku, yours?"

Dragonite listened to the question but didn't say anything. He played a very short track.

"Do-Re-A-G minor..."

The dragon smiled then, finishing on a pitched octave note.

"Nooote. Nite! Oooh. You're Dragonite."

Nodded. Dragonite stretched fingers, and then put Pyukumuku gently on the keyboard. That water thingy was so little that it covered a single black pedal but Dragonite seemed perfectly aware of it.

"Me?"

"Mi." pointed at the extreme right of the piano.

Pyukumuku moved to the Mi on the highest octave.

Dragonite started to play "*Fur Elizabeth*" at memory, until it came to the part of multiple octave Mi closure. The last one was executed by Pyukumuku!

"Funny!" Pyukumuku waited again for his turn in eager. Dragonite repeated the sequence of notes and once again left the Mi to his 4 hands limbless partner. Pyukumuku was playing for the first time in his life and was enjoying every bit of it.

"Can I play, too?" a dragon head merged from the innards of the piano at sudden time. Dragonite got so scared that abruptly changed sequence: he pressed hard on the gravest notes to shake the whole keyboard and catapult the poor Pyukumuku in mid air. That repeated hammering sequence of low key notes repeated the same peace of the heart beats of Dragonite in that moment. It had been Dragapult the cause.

Pyukumuku landed on the top of the flat head of the second dragon, where a couple of little lizards told him to leave immediately. "Okay, but why?"

Dragapult shrugged right then "Oh well, this looks more entertaining actually. Ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"I aimed at the swimming pool on the visual. Launch will start at the end of the countdown: 3-2-1 Ignition!"

"Aaaaaaaaah!" The launch was far from perfect and the black and pink pokémon landed instead in a campsite outside. Somehow he was stuck now inside what? An helmet? He could just roll outside the tent in that way.

"Who crossed the *castra*? The war has started before anticipated? or worse the enemy sent a spy? Legionaries, at turtle. All with me!" The Falinks commander pointed the spear head at the intruder, then ordered the troop to low down the shields again. "No, it's a volunteer for the army! A new addiction to the legion is always welcomed in a period belli. Ave, welcome in the castra. You'll be assigned to the 7th centuria." Pyukumuku was still too confused to understand anything they said. He followed the line blindly. "You'll need a couple of shields on the battlefield, too, puer. Alright, let's do a patrol to warm up the new soldier!"

"Impressive. It has already interacted with five different characters in about 10 minutes."

"Told you it's a moneymaker: that Pyukumuku has something special inside." The Wheezing Bros stayed apart watching. "And a sixth encounter is on the line..."

"Look, look, look. What do we have here?" a Turtonator picked Falinks up, contemplating. "Looks like a bunch of living cannon balls."

"A surprise attack! Everyone at his place. Form a-"

"Shhh. Bombs don't talk." the sadic Turtonator put the commander in the long hole in the nose, needless were the efforts of the other five soldiers to retrieve him. "Let's help me with a little ballistic experiment, uh? Since I heard about this lake exploded in Sinnoh, I got obsessed to reply it. How a cannon ball would do blasted in the middle of a swimming pool?!"

Pyukumuku was finally able to understand what was going on and impulsively exposed the innards to counterattack: a giant fist hit the tortoise from behind almost sending him in the water. "Ehm...ehm...leave my commander or I'll shoot again!" The other Falink members looked in astonishment.

"Uh uh. Looks like I found much better explosive: a Pyukumuku. Your innards make amazing explosions." Turtonator stomped squeezing the black mass like a sponge. "First let's assure you get enough damages to become a living dynamite ready to explode!" He let out an harsh evil laughter.

"PKO out of nowhere!"

Pikachu Libre jumped from the trampoline and grabbed the turtle by the collar forcing his neck and head to bump on the verge of the swimming pool and thus bounce back from the recoil directly in the water with a big splash.

"Wow. . ."

"*Perfect timing*." Big Weezing smiled while smoking an expensive pipe.

"*And perfect feud to begin with her.*" added Small Weezing sharing the smoke.

Pikka soon rescued Pyukumuku and the Falinks checking about their condition, then turned at the swimming pool with a serious claim holding a microphone. "If you do it again, next time I'll kick your ass further down that you'll kiss the filter of the pool with your ass." Then dropped the microphone in the water and walked back inside.

"Splut, splut. Grrr. *I can't wait to toy with you then..*." all wet and unable to fire at all, he retired inside too, but turned at the last second: "And with you either, *cannonballs*."

"Oh-oh."

Back indoor, someone else had joined Dragonite in making music. "Music"...A cocky Galarian Zigzagoon was jumping wildly on the piano from an octave to another, messing up the exhibition of Dragonite that looked pretty upset. "T**HIS IS HOW YOU PLAY A PIANO, YEAAAH! IF IT DOESN'T CREAK IT DOES REEK, THAT RETARDED NOISE YOU WERE MAKING WAS GOOD ONLY TO FALL ASLEEP, LIKE THAT BRELOOM! SUCKS**. **BLACK METAL RULEZ, AWWWWW! Zoink! Zoink! Zoink! Boring. You know what? I feel the urge to do something else already. (**And my lungs are already tired to talk this loud. Pant...**)"** She flashed inside the case of someone and re-merged with her paws multicolored. Soon after she was running along the walls in crazy fervor "I'm expressing my art urge, any problem?!?"

"Not bad, not bad, I did a good job. Lot of this things stolen are worthy a resell..." Nickit was about to hide everything collected in the hotel rooms when she could only realize to have been victim of a theft herself. "My paint set! What happened? Uhm, there are so many footsteps that only an amateur could leave. Spotted."

"Vandalize this five star hotel is going to be the best thing ev..."

"STOOOOOP! In the name of the sacred V. What do you think you're doing, vexing scoundrel? This ends right now already. Marshadow!"

Suddenly the ink stains on the wall got life and surrounded Zigzagoon, scaring the shit out of her. She petrified seeing her tail being held in the air by the same "artwork" she had made. "I-I won't do this anymore, let me go, pwease."

"Seems sincere in animus."

"Are you sure? Smells like trouble from a mile: check if it's DITTO in disguise."

"I will give my final judgement then." Marshadow examined the possible prey balancing the pros and cons of her soul. "She's a lie, but not in the form of Ditto at all." That was the sentence.

Victini relieved. "Let her free, then." Soon he said that, Zigzagoon jumped to find shelter inside the piano, getting a glare from Dragonite before everyone focused on the host finally.

......

"VVelcome, contestants, to the second season of my reality show: **V***VS*V! Are you ready? There's no turning back once you take the path of the victory. Who is going to win this time?"

Everyone shout "ME!"

"Exactly what I wanted to hear." Victini put the arms on the hips showing pride and satisfaction. "You're the vanguard of this season, but in the meanwhile..." snapped fingers and all the room opened automatically "They are my vip. Very Important Predecessors. On one side the newcomers that already watched the show, on the other the elite that already observed you all this time since you arrived: this season will be **VIP VS VANGUARD! Surprise."**

Old and new stared at each others.

## Marshadow Nightime

Midnight. The giant hourglass of Marshadow was filled with black lavic sand. "7th hours from now." Marshadow voice had turned in a somber and hollow whisper. Lester and his Kombyners were sitting on the beach in circle, surrounded by green light flames. "Welcome to MY trial. You're called to vote between two alternatives: a judgement of absolution or damnation. Insert your choice then."

Two totems appeared from nowhere in the darkness, one resembled Victini and the other Marshadow. Idols of all the Kombyners were sitting at the feet of each statue.

"Pick Victini and you will give an immunity vote that will make the member closer to the victory than the defeat, pick mine and you will give a nomination that could send it to the death sentence." Explained solemnly. "The leader will always vote first."

Everyone looked at Lester, different type of glances ranging from anxiety to glare. Lester followed the path enlightened by the torches and found himself standing in front of the giant copycats of the two hosting legendaries. Marshadow became his own shadow.

**<<Totem Ceremony>>**

*"None else is allowed to listen the confessions under my shadow. Speak your reasons in fine."*

**"Wow, quirky special effects...Ehm, by the way!" Lester pondered accurately "Dragapult screwed us for sure, but I never liked obvious eliminations and I see a quirky potential into her, so..." and threw the doll of Dragapult in the mouth of Victini Totem, producing a flaring light all over the statue. "She's going to leave another day because of me, ah! This is Lester's judgement for this night."**

*"Next turn is yours, Plusle."*

**"I'm so excited! Didn't expect so many changes compared to the former season.." Plusle picked up the idol of Dragapult and put it in the Marshadow, that burned it down producing a black mist. "I also learned the lesson after the previous experience: if you have someone that makes troubles in the team, get rid of her as soon as possible."**

**Up next was Drifblim: "Piplup. There are not many things I can't forget, but I never forgot how she should have been eliminated in my place! This time we're not in the air and there is no lobster...scorpion...? I remind he had pincers for sure..."** On her way back from the ceremony, she still rummaged on that meeting halfway with the companion "Oh Dunsparce, do you remember who had claws in the last season?"

**"Eh? Ehm..." He proceeded anyway, throwing the vote in the Marshadow. "Just, Dragapult, I don't like the Seviper vibes she gives me. I mean, she shoots Dreepy like nothing, and I relate with those Dreepy, too. Who better than me has experience in having been used and abused by someone that posed to protect me all the time?"**

**"I wanted to show my progresses since I trained a lot in swimming and also wanted to make Squirtle proud of me but not only I've been placed in a different team but also my flag was knocked down by that Dragapult! Go burn to hell." Dewott razored in half and tossed the idol in the cavity of Marshadow with disdain.**

**"I certainly wasn't the only one that didn't score any point. Dragapult, Lotad, Drifblim, and those whose flags were knocked down, too. But someone didn't even try." Piplup voted against Lotad, adding. "Swalot 2.0, trust me."**

**"I owed her a nomination for a long time. Sorry, I could read the name in Piplup's soul: "Lotad." Chimecho.**

**"Dragapult. If there's someone I don't have any feeling with is her." Pyukumuku was pretty emotional while doing his first nomination ever. Squeezing a little the body was able to use the hand, not without a little trembling, and tossed his vote in Marshadow's pit.**

**Falinks burned down the idol of Piplup. "It's historical domain that during a war the Senate was always ruining the efforts of the soldier. We're soldiers for the people, not for senators! Piplup, and Gumshoos later, are *morituri te salutant."* Did the famous imperial thumb down with an utterly soulless expression.**

**And speaking of Gumshoos, the wannabe president of Alola made a cunning smile before tossing the idol of Dragapult in the immunity totem. "The ratings of this pokémon are very low among the teammates, it would be a shame to keep her around as a scapegoat for easy votes everytime. No?"** The light of the flames of victory consuming the last idol for that night made his shark teeth shining in the foreshadow.

*"Ceremony is over."*

As Gumshoos took place next to his teammates with a satisfied sneer, Marshadow proceeded with the results. "I give malasadas instead of macarones. They're way better."

"..." everyone of the old contestants exchanged sarcastic glances one to another.

"First malasada goes to the leader, that gained immunity automatically. Then Lester."

"Therefore I am the first contestant to ever received a malasada! For the record, ah." Dex Rotom boasted putting the arms on the hips. He received a pitiful look of rolling eyes from all his previous season colleagues and a quizzical one from the newcomers. Pyukumuku even asked "He's always like this?" getting a general nod in reply. Lester didn't seem because of his color, but was blushing in embarassment. "By the way, who will be the second one to get this honor and at least a mention after my name? Ahem."

"Pyukumuku." The irony of life. Marshadow stared silent in wait of something.

"*Oh, right!*

*Eat Malasada like I do*

*My name is pyukumukù*

*So tasty, the flavor is all natu-real*

*guaranteed by your favorites oloturia!"*

Was that an hidden publicity? Lester was between envy and boredom when he said "Tsk tsk, one star and I'm generous by the way. You have still ton of work to do to become an expert sponsor-hogger like me. But I was never encouraged to, unlike you!"

"Gulp."

"Ohy ohy, you just made the worst enemy possible in my humble opinion. I would change name in *Pyukuminun* if he won't do it already by tomorrow." Dunsparce whispered at Pyukumuku's ear adding salt to the injury. Then he was called for the immunity.

"Dewott, Chimecho, Dragonite, Falinks. All malasadas."

Five pokèmon left for two immunities only, for a second Drifblim forgot she was yet to be saved. "Phew, I'm glad to not be in their place."

"What are you talking about, darling? You're still in charge with all of us."

"Drifblim" right then.

"Well, no more!"

Piplup made a grimace of envy.

"The last malasada of tonight was reserved for..." Marshadow stopped to look at the four contestants to catch the intensity of their fear "**Dragapult.**"

"GASP:"

"How?!"

"Unexpected..."

Gumshoos giggled as he already knew who had voted for him.

Dragapult flew to take her immunity and stuck out the tongue at the peanut gallery "This dragon girl isn't going anywhere: eat this!"

"Now, what, Voltorb or whatever of Victimization?" Piplup asked visibly annoyed and resigned.

"Follow me. Everyone."

<< << <<<

The group was following the footsteps of Marshadow for an hour or more, barely visible in the moonlight. Actually, they could not see anything else than him and one another at this point, as it seemed the darkness itself was walking with them. They could only avert the noises of the surrounding: a rushing water, in particular, increased step after step...

"Where we are exactly? Anyone who has Flash, please."

"Don't, it's better..." Dunsparce suggested being the only one able to see in that context.

Plusle used Charge providing for a slightly better illumination, enveloped in her own sphere of electricity. All the other pokémon walked within her energetic area by this moment.

Marshadow broke the silence: "Never judge a book by the cover: ***today you judged Lotad, Piplup and Gumshoos basing mostly on their first impression***. There's a story about it that is shared in the Akala culture. *A young fisherman couldn't afford a boat because of his poor family, so he was prevented from fishing in the sea. He desperately managed to fish something climbing down the cliff but it was never enough to change his situation. One day, he explored the cliff better and discovered a small fissure in the rocks, wide enough for him, he crossed through it and discovered a secret lagoon.*"

The rushing noise grew even more.

"*The lagoon was populated of fishes he had never seen before, that looked easy to be caught. He fished there for hours managing to come back home with a full net. How about their taste then? They were delicious. He had discovered a goldmine. The fisherman returned the day after but struggled to catch a single fish: they seemed to hide better this time. After an entire day wasted, he lost the patience and pursued the last of the fishes escaped from his grip. He realized then it wasn't the same fish of before...it wasn't the fish he thought to be...it wasn't the easy prey he had judged after the first encounter. It was him the prey. Attempted to escape but was surrounded by the fishes feeding of his fear, his wounded arrogance, his superficial judgement. He just couldn't escape anymore. The weakest fish alone had become the strongest in the group."*

"Are you a step parent of Lampent as well?" Lester questioned with a sarcastic grin making Plusle and Drifblim to giggle. Marshadow ignored it.

*"*Tonight, maybe, we'll discover if their judgement on you was the same wrong, Lotad, Piplup and Gumshoos." Gumshoos's smile disappeared.

"What do you mean?! This should be over with the elimination of the most voted of us. End."

Marshadow smiled for the first time so far, a somber smirk: "Not under my trial."

The rushing noise became unstoppable. The three pokémon found themselves at the verge of a waterfall. The first of a series of three ending in a lagoon. The other 10 pokémon all stepped back on invite of the co-host. "Capture three Wishiwashi at each waterfall, if the last one is the shiny you will be definitely absolved from this nomination and the next one."

"Really? Ooh. I would not displease that." Piplup pondered on the chance she was being given here: maybe, just maybe, she could have turned the table in the team and become the leader like in the times of the Jirachi Jigglers...

"All for a president chair." Gumshoos repeated to himself as a mantra.

Lotad shrugged like he was shrugging in front of the death. "Okay." He was the first to dive down the waterfall, second was Gumshoos and last was Piplup, cheered on by Dewott. "Go, Piplup, we already did a challenge like this!" Marshadow eclipsed in the moon looking everything from above. Dragonite was inspired by the dramatic situation and played a tense background using a couple of empty bones fished from the lake and a drum obtained carving the inside of a cocca berry. "Perfect timing eh!"

The three splashed in the first pond of water almost at contemporary. Piplup and Gumshoos rushed underwater soon after while Lotad remained on the surface, floating.

"He is loitering again?"

"Better for Piplup! NO?"

"I don't know who to root for so I'll neutrally cheer. C'mon, Kombyners, woooh!"

In reality, Piplup was in big troubles: she had never had to fish a fish in her life before! It wasn't her who provided food in the family for sure. She didn't know where to begin: use the beak or use the wings? She decided to try with the beak when a fish sauntered by her. But she pecked the air instead. Gumshoos snatched the fish in her place instead at the very first attempt. "Alolan superiority, baby."

"Baby to me? BABY to me? How dare you filthy country politician."

However, light was even worse underwater and when merged in the surface, Gumshoos realized to have not caught a Wishiwashi but a Magikarp. "Argh! Always said to rid off foreign species would be the renaissance of this region." He returned to swim.

**<<Confessional<<**

**"Vote for Gumshoos: yes, we can m*ake Alola great again*." he proudly pointed at an imaginary patriotic flag.**

Piplup changed approach and tried to pursue a small flock of Wishiwashi until it got cornered at the waterfalls: there it would have been forced to leap out of the water for a second, and Piplup was a bird. Prepared to fly out of the water at the right time. Wishiwashi accelerated swimming to the second waterfall. "A-Ah, I got you, darling!" Jumped outside doing a small flight but failed to catch mid air a single fish and the only one that didn't landed in the waterfall landed instead on the floating nymphea nearby. "Thanks." Lotad revealed himself merging the beak with a smirk upon the face and swam backward letting himself go with the flow till he fell down the water fall himself. Piplup was horrified. By this....this...lack of sportmanship overall.

"PIPLUP, move it. Gumshoos has taken one, too, right now!"

"Of course you know that Sinnoh is just another way to mean slow. Ahahahahah!" the alolan mangoose mocked again.

**<<Confessional<<**

**"Uhm..." Dewott was pensive "These new contestants certainly aren't here to fill the space. If even the ones that scored worst are fighting this much out there, this season will be an utter pain to even merge. I'm also getting worried for Piplup..."**

Lotad repeated the same trick immediately: this time he didn't have to wait for anyone to bring the fishes but just that a Wishiwashi descended from the waterfall itself. "Easier, eh?"

"So this is it?" Gumshoos copied the method but the fishes were all already down at this point, and triggered. "This is rigged!"

**<<Confessional<<**

**Lotad peacefully commented on his performance during the challenge "The key of fishing is patience. I have it, they lack it. Easy. Marshadow is right: if my teammates would have been patient, I could have shown my style of play eventually. Instead I'm likewise to be eliminated." Shrugged looking at the sky.**

Therefore Lotad was the first to reach the bottom end of the lagoon. No more waterfalls, just a flat mass of black water. Lotad gently caressed the surface and swam with only the face underwater, whistling a random minuet. It oddly matched the same rythm of Dragonite's soundtrack, too. A sudden movement and a gleam in the darkness, a yellow teary eye. Shiny spotted! In the meanwhile Piplup had joined Gumshoos at the second level.

Lotad didn't waste time this time and used Rain Dance. A pitched rain began to drop from the sky.

"A Swift Swim user like Anorith?! Didn't see that coming." Lester, Dunsparce and Dewott said altogether.

Lotad swam underwater at maximum speed opening the small beak but didn't encounter a single Wishiwashi... It was a swarm that moved altogether like a single being. Where was the shiny one seemed impossible to see even at light speed.

The swarm suddenly had a voice "Guess which pokémon I am and use the correct move." It assumed the form of a jellyfish, but one never seen in Hoenn before. A small dome resembling a hat capped a series of thin tentacles ending with two longest looking like legs. In the complex they formed the figure of more an human than a marine being. "Well, I go for Jellicent. Astonish!"

"Wrong." Lotad missed the attack as the fish swarm dismantled in a million of Wishiwashi in different direction only to reform another giant figure behind him. Wishiwashi Totem pounced on the prey as a unite body.

Few seconds of battle and the corpse merged to the surface: Lotad had failed the trial.

Piplup and Gumshoos were contending the same fish caught at contemporary when they heard the "eulogy" announcement from Marshadow. Gumshoos yawned openly in front of Piplup causing her overreaction. "HOW DARE YOU. . .! Oh, that kind of Yawn..." Wobbled for the drowziness letting the grip on the fish in favor of him.

"Goodnight to the opposition." He dove to the last waterfall where the fainted Lotad was cruisin' through the surface of the lagoon. "Victory will be mine, if not it's rigged." Gumshoos was oozing overconfidence and arrogance. Submerged.

"Trial of Wishiwashi: guess the figure or perish."

"Bring it on, then the shiny one will be my trophy on the wall of the Reshiram House."

Wishiwashi assumed the jellyfish form, Gumshoos was quick to counterattack with Mud-Slap: "Nihilego: filthy xenos from outer dimensions with no rights to stay in this region or to exist at all. Now my price!" The swarm was astonished by the attack and broke open for a short period allowing him to look better for the single fishes but couldn't find the shiny in time that the swarm reformed a new figure almost trapping him. "Riggers! I knew it. The weakest useless creatures are always the dirtiest one."

"What pokèmon I am now?" the swarm talked again.

"A filthy Jellicent, eat this!" he crunched on a couple of Wishiwashi breaking open the swarm again. This time he was able to spot the shiny Wishiwashi "Finally! Come here." But he was too slow than the fish that found soon refuge in yet another swarm. The swarm assumed the Totem Wishiwashi and attacked directly this time. Gumshoos fleeted from the monster down the seabed, here he used Sand Attack to blind it and Pursuit to capture the eye of it, represented by the shiny member, as he attempted the escape. "As I promised, you will be the first trophy of my presidential room." Even eyeless Totem Wishiwashi launched at HIS pursuit. "Aaaaah!" He leaped out of the water right when the barely mobile Piplup fell down the last waterfall with a Wishiwashi in the beak.

They conked each other in the impact with Piplup falling definitely asleep. Gumshoos had the strongest skull and managed to re-merge holding the Wishiwashi of Piplup. "What? No. Nooo. Nooooooo! I was rigged! I caught the shiny fair and square!"

"A judge considers always the final proof and the final evidence you bring there it's a normal Wishiwashi. You were the best, indeed, but you still failed the trial as they did." Marshadow ceased the controversy and the challenge.

**<<Dhelmise of Demise>>**

"Trial is over. Here's the final results of your companions and my judgement."

The 10 Kombyners, some too tired to stay awake, some too excited to fall asleep, were sitting on the beach while the 3 pokémon waited for their final destiny on a cliff in the middle of the sea. This had been a very very very long night. Piplup was barely able to keep her eyes open, Gumshoos muttered the word "rigged" in a loop, and Lotad left his emotions to be expressed in the previously recorded confessional:

**<<Lotad: "Defeat? Happens."**

Dragonite played on a different track, and ,like a director, orchestrated the Wishiwashi swarm providing for a sinister chorus meanwhile they swam in circles around the three.

"Eh?" Piplup was woken up by the voices. "Who's singing...?"

https://youtu.be/Jhw48EKaW9w

"The first contestant eliminated from Victini's Vip VS Vanguard..." Marshadow casted out something from the bottom of the sea, like tentacles metallic rusty chains crawled towards Lotad, Gumshoos and Piplup and tied each to their rock. Everyone looked in horror at the scene.

"W-What the hell?"

"...by the Dhelmise of Demise..."

The Wishiwashi swarm swam in a smaller circle closing around the three, like a bullseye for the mysterious entity, increasing their chorus. IT strengthened the grip on them, a strange kelp began to crawl over the chains...

"...is. . ."

The fishes split in three circles spiraling and forming whirlpools, first in equal measure then they increased and decreased around each of the contestants, and then stopped signing the target meanwhile Dhelmise fully revealed itself from the whirlpool. Dragging the pokémon away, sinking in the dark ocean again with all the cliff.

"**Piplup**."

* Lotad: x x = 2 nominations
* Piplup: x x x = 3 nominations
* Gumshoos x x = 2 nominations
* Dragapult: (v) (x) (x) (x) (v) (v) = 0 nominations

"Noo! Unacceptable outcome! F-Free me from this monstrosityyy! Not the humiliation to be the first vip elimiii..°.°" only the foam of the aftermath remained.

"Judgement over: *the condemn was executed on Piplup*." Marshadow's figure faded in the moonlight. "Exploit the few hours of darkness left before the day of tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Alone here? Who sleeps now..." Pyukumuku and everyone else glanced at the black sea, where Piplup was before. It was all flat and peaceful now.

## Epilogue

"Alright! The best way to overcome the night in *hostis* territory is to build a *castra*." Falinks aligned the Kombyners on the beach giving the order: "Woods. Rocks. Bones if anything. Build a fence from here to there. Ghost types sign at turn for the guarding of the perimeter. Each one stack their tent an *iugerum* of distance from the companion."

"An huge eh?"

"Balleis korakas, malàka! Your culture is too little that don't even know..."

"Psst, commander. *That was in greek."* whispered one of the soldiers in the line.

"Ahem. Just build this castra already or you prefer to follow the fate of the senatrix Piplup?!"

They all rushed to mount on their shelters. Dewott was the first to finish but didn't care much to sleep. She stranded on the sand looking at the stars and playing with them moving her shell between the constellations. A small game she used to do when she was little and couldn't sleep at all. "Ooh, seems amazing. Can I play, too?"

Dragapult was the second to complete her tent for the night. "Yeah, a cake by the ocean when you have been in the army already." She proudly said, stretching over the beach and invading Dewott's personal space with the long tail. "I use my Dreepy to fight that constellation that I think is the Crabrawlancer, meanwhile your shell keeps busy the Decidueyerius!"

Dewott quickly curled up on a side, looking to the opposite direction, and assumed to sleep. "I was actually falling asleep but I like to do it always hearing the rustle of the waves. 'Night." Before she closed eyes for real, she watched the sea for the last time, sighing. "*I would have liked to spend a new season with you more than anyone else. Hope you're fine wherever you are now, Piptney*."

"Hey, you forgot me in the sea. You forgot me in the sea! In the name of the future charge of presidency of Alola: UNTIE ME ALREADY!"

"Relax, by tomorrow we'll certainly be saved and brought back for the new day with a little of executive meddling." Lotad pointed out wisely with stoicness.

"Screw that, I can't let my electors watch me treated like a deported. I'm 100% pure Alolan, not like you." Gumshoos's reply was full of scorn. Then he continued to shout at the wind. "I'm elite material, in case you didn't notice I AM a Totem. And I NEVER deserved this treatment since I WON! Untie me, untie me, untie me, untie me, untie me already or you're fired from Alola once I AM the fukkin' president!" Lotad rolled eyes and isolated his mind from that sound. Suddenly, Gumshoos slipped in the water: Dewott had cut the chains that hold him to the cliff.

"Goodnight, gov' nor!"

"**President**. Splut."

"Same shit."

. . .

The fainted body of Piplup was stranded on a beach out of the maps. A pair of yellow tentacles enveloped and dragged her to the ground.

"Keep sleeping. So you are the first eliminated to join my cast.. soon there will be enough to start my own reality." There was already another pokémon asleep and tied on an anchor: Sylveon. "Doolid."