I do not own Pokémon.

Scavenger Hunt

Nicole lounged back against the Jeep's cool seats and grinned at her Gastly. "Aren't we lucky Abra has the teleport move? Some might call that cheating, but I call it thinking smart."

Gastly cackled in agreement and Nicole spotted the city coming up ahead. She grabbed hold of her black book bag and got ready for departure. She squinted ahead and spotted the rickety bus that held the other contestants roll up and stop by the Cerulean City gym. "Well, looks like rest time is over. Ready to keep up this winning streak?"

Gastly nodded and the duo hopped out of the Jeep and ran over to the contestants that were gathering by the glass doors of the gym. "Hey, guys. How was the ride?"

"Sweltering hot," Jason said coolly. He was very much aware that Nicole had obtained an Abra and had no doubt used the teleportation move to get her to the finish line first. In his mind, that was classified as cheating and he wasn't at all happy about it.

Nicole shrugged uncaringly and leaned against the building. Ash, Dawn and Brock climbed out last and waved the bus ahead. Brock held up the camera and Ash straightened his cap and stood in front of the contestants. "Welcome back to Total Pokémon Master! Our ten contestants recently partook in a task to catch their second Pokémon. Nicole came in as the victor and Ray as the loser."

Nicole whooped loudly and everyone scowled at her. Ash cleared his throat and continued. "Today will be a challenge, in which the winner will gain privileges and the loser will get a punishment. You will pick a partner and travel through Cerulean City on a scavenger hunt. We'll have a special host today, so please welcome my good friend Misty!"

The doors to the gym slid open and Dalton nearly pitched backwards due to temporary loss of balance. Misty ignored this stumble and sauntered out, short red hair swaying around her face.

"How much do you want to bet that if Ray were here, he would be whistling?" Danielle whispered to Crystal, who giggled.

"Hey guys!" Misty grinned at them and took over Ash's place. "For this challenge, you will travel around using bikes." She gestured towards Dawn, who stood by a collection of bikes and holding a set of lists and maps. "You are not allowed to share the location of the items with anyone else. No asking anyone where these items are. Trust me; we'll know if you do."

Brock shot a frantic glance at Dawn. "I can't be in five places at the same time!" He hissed.

Dawn waved a hand dismissively "Lucky for you, we managed to rope in some help."

A few gangly teens stood off to the side, armed with cameras and goggling at the girls. "Interns," Dawn exclaimed proudly. "Kids from Tech College that need a credit from the field. We don't need to pay them and they're doing it willingly."

"We'll start that challenge when Ray gets here." Misty informed them. "For now, you can take your Pokémon to the Poke Center to heal up and pick your partner."

Everyone scrambled to claim a partner that they would get along with. "Hey Ivory!" Jason hollered towards the blue-eyed girl. "Want to be partners?"

Ivory looked up, startled, at Jason's eager face. She glanced down at her Eevee, who nodded a bit nervously. Ivory nodded in acceptance and Jason punched his fist in the air. "Awesome! We'll totally dominate."

Ivory smiled softly and the two set off for the Center. Nicole pursed her lips and studied her fellow contestants milling about. Her eyes fell on Yuna and she tilted her head to the side. Flying Pokémon could be really useful... "Yo Yuna!"

Yuna jumped at the sharp voice and looked nervously at the loud girl. "Y-yes?"

"Wanna be partners?"

Pidgey narrowed her eyes and glared at Gastly, who sneered at her. She cawed loudly in protest but Yuna bit her lip and nodded. Nicole smiled in satisfaction and motioned for her to follow. Feeling a bit uncertain about this partnership, Yuna scooped up her bag and followed.

Dalton frowned as he regarded those left. No one was really as skilled as he was, but maybe Crystal might be of some use to him. And she was pretty hot. "Crystal-"

"Be my partner!" Dalton was shoved aside (and received a quick apology) by Danielle as she bounded forwards. "Between the two of us, we can't lose!" Danielle enthused.

Crystal grinned. "Sure! I would love too."

Dalton scowled as the two hurried away. "Shut up!" He snapped to his snickering Cyndaquil. "I didn't really want her as a partner anyways. I guess I'll have to make do with-"

"Geez! Finally made it!"

Ray stumbled up and collapsed by a startled Marcus' feet. Kelvin, who had been in the process of asking him to be his partner, frowned down at the exhausted Ray and Totodile. "What did I miss?" He asked weakly.

"We have to pick partners for the next challenge." Kelvin explained patiently. "Everyone else brought their Pokémon to the Center to rest up."

"Oh, awesome. We'll totally win this one. Want to be partners Marcus?"

Kelvin's jaw dropped as Marcus agreed. He helped Ray up and the two went off to the Center with Marcus explaining how the challenge worked. Kelvin and Dalton were left, and the two stared at each other in disbelief.

"Ah, crap."

...

"Nice to see you, Ray." Misty smiled at the sweat covered boy as he stumbled into the Center.

"Thanks," Ray panted, managing to work up a charming smile. "And may I say it's amazing to meet you."

Totodile snorted and jumped out of Ray's arms and walked up to Nurse Joy. Ray's attempts at flirtation were immediately shot down and the boy slunk into a chair and enjoyed the blasts of air conditioning. When all the Pokémon were healed, Misty ordered them all outside to the Bike Shop.

"You each get a bike, but if you leave your teammate behind you immediately get disqualified. Each of your lists has a set of five items, some same but the majority are different. The finish line will be my gym. Any questions?"

"Can I switch partners?" Kelvin asked shortly. Dalton glowered at him.

"Nope. Alright, on your mark, get set, go!"

Everyone jumped on their bikes and took off, one team member holding the map while the other held the list. Brock and the other camera guys followed a team on rollerblades, catching the action.

Misty watched them all go before turning to Ash. "I can't believe Professor Oak roped you into this."

Ash took a swig of water. "You're telling me. Thanks for hosting this, by the way."

"It was no problem. But I wish that Ray guy would stop whistling at me..."

...

Jason and Ivory

"What's the first item on the list?" Jason asked as the wind flew through his hair as they pedalled through the streets.

Ivory peered at the first one and softly said, "A Nugget."

"I wonder where we'll find one of those..." Jason frowned in thought. Ivory looked around at the scenery and spotted something sparkling in the grass. She called Jason's attention to it and the two went to check it out.

"Good eye!" Jason exclaimed as he dug out a glittering Nugget from the grass. "Now we only have a few more to go!"

The two set off again in search of a seashell. "So, Ivory, what made you want to join this show?" Jason asked, genuinely curious. Ivory just shrugged, not quite knowing the answer. Jason respected her boundaries and was about to change the topic when his bike hit a pothole and he was sent flying.

Ivory gasped in shock and slowed to a stop. "Jason! Are you okay?"

His Charmander nudged him gently. Jason groaned before hauling himself up. Flushing, he sprang upwards and ran a hand through his short, spiky brown hair. "I'm totally fine! Come on, we better get going."

Ivory watched him hop back on his bike and tear off. She smiled softly and giggled before following his lead.

Nicole and Yuna

"Where the heck are we going to find a feather?" Nicole asked irritably as they pedalled down by the sea. Yuna's Pidgey flew beside her master and Gastly snickered slyly. She zoomed up and plucked a feather from Pidgey's coat. Pidgey squawked in outrage and chased after the cackling Gastly.

Yuna bit her lip in concern as the two Pokémon threw attacks at each other. Nicole caught the feather as it floated out of Gastly's grip. "Huh. That's one way to get it. Yo, Gastly, knock it off, will ya?"

The two Pokémon settled down and Yuna looked at her list. "It says here we need a piece of seaweed."

"Who made up this lame-o list?" Nicole muttered. She slammed on the brakes and hopped off her bike. Yuna hesitantly slowed beside her and watched as the girl strode to the edge of the lapping water.

"Nicole, what are you doing?"

The girl gestured towards the calm water. "Well, we need a piece of seaweed, don't we? Wanna dive down and snatch a piece for us?"

Yuna glanced down the shoreline. "I'm sure we can find a piece that's been washed up."

Nicole let out a sigh. "Come on, be a team player."

Yuna shook her head wearily and strode towards the water. It slapped at her knees and Yuna took a deep breath before plunging into the water. Nicole waited a few seconds before growing slightly concerned. "If she doesn't come up...does that mean I get blamed?"

Before Pidgey could caw in concern Yuna spluttered to the surface, a piece of seaweed clutched in her hand. Satisfied, Nicole clapped her hands together. "Good show! Now come on, we got more items to find and not too much time to do it in."

Groaning, Yuna climbed out of the water and hastily followed her partner.

Danielle and Crystal

"So, what's the first item we got on our list?" Crystal asked as she pedalled hard. Danielle pushed her orange hair out of her blue eyes and studied the list she held in front of her.

"We need to get a piece of a stalagmite. Where are we supposed to find one of those?" Crystal asked in disbelief. "Who made this list?"

Danielle peered at her map. "There's a cave near here. We could look in there."

"Well, that sounds like a good idea."

The two girls made their way to the cave and hid their bikes in a bush just in case another team had the same item on their list. Danielle looked around the dark cave nervously and jumped. "Only a dripping noise..."

Crystal bent down and inspected a stalagmite. "Vulpix, do you think you could get a piece loose for us?"

Vulpix chattered and tried tackling the piece of rock. The cave shuddered a bit from the vibrations but a piece flew free. "Great job!" Crystal exclaimed.

A sudden bout of shrieking started up and a flock of Zubats descended upon them. The two girls screamed and waved their hands over their heads, racing for the exit. Vulpix and Snivy laughed before hurrying after their owners.

Dalton and Kelvin

"You moron, we're supposed to go left!" Kelvin snapped, gesturing towards the direction he desired to go.

Dalton scowled at him. "No, we are going to go right. Cyndaquil agrees with me."

Cyndaquil stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. She hopped towards the left path and Kelvin smirked. "Even your Pokémon thinks you're a moron."

Squirtle dubiously looked down the left path before shuffling over to stand beside Dalton. Kelvin gaped and shouted, "Traitor!"

"And your Pokémon obviously knows leadership when he sees it." Dalton said smugly. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at his partner. "If you're done wasting my time, then let's get going."

Kelvin clenched his hands into fists and shook his head furiously. "I'm telling you, everything we need is down there!"

The two had been arguing for five minutes straight and a decision had yet to be made. Everything on their list was different types of berries, and the path they were debating over led to two different sections of a forest, just on the outskirts of the city.

Cyndaquil and Squirtle shook their heads and started off down their respective path. Kelvin had just tackled Dalton to the ground, and so the two did not see their Pokémon leave them behind.

Ray and Marcus

Marcus scratched his chin as he stared at the predicament Ray was in. "You're nothing but bad luck, aren't you?"

"Help me!" Ray cried, struggling in the thorn bush in which he was trapped. In an attempt to snag one thorn (it was on their list) he had tripped over his shoelace and pitched forwards. His Totodile snickered and Turtwig chattered in concern.

"Thank you for caring," Ray muttered. "I appreciate it, Turtwig. Totodile, stop laughing!"

Marcus crouched down and carefully grabbed hold of Ray's feet. "This is gonna hurt like no tomorrow."

With a giant ripping sound, Ray was torn free. Thorns stuck to his arms and legs and he had a good amount of blood trickling down him. Marcus shook his head and gently plucked thorn after thorn out and Ray flinched with each removal.

"They're all out." Marcus deposited one into his pocket. "Come one, the thorn was our last item. We better get going."

Ray limped forward and stared at his bike. "Um...can I ride on your handlebars? I don't think I'm in a fit condition to ride."

Marcus rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Don't kill us."

"I'll try not to."

Dalton and Kelvin

"This is your fault." Kelvin muttered as the two trekked through the forest, whacking away branches and stepping over roots. "We are so going to be in last place."

Dalton gritted his teeth and refrained from smacking his partner. "And we still need to find the stupid items on our list. That's it; the next time I'm stuck with you I'll kick you off the show myself!"

"You are such a-!"

"Squirtle!"

The two boys froze and watched in disbelief as their two missing Pokémon came forwards, each holding an armful of the berries they needed to find on their list. Squirtle grinned in triumph and Cyndaquil chattered smugly.

"Uh...is this against the rules?" Kelvin questioned.

"Well...Misty didn't say we specifically had to find the items. And she didn't say anything about getting a penalty if our Pokémon get separated." A wicked grin crossed Dalton's face. "Come on, Johto Boy. We have a finish line to get to.

...

"Are you sure that wasn't cheating?" Yuna asked nervously as they lounged by the gym doors. They were the second team there (having been beaten by Jason and Ivory) and had gotten to the finish line by using Abra's teleportation. Jason was currently glowering at them.

Nicole waved a hand dismissively. "Nope. Misty said we had to bike around to find the items. We did. We were on our bikes when I got Abra to get us to the finish line."

Just then Danielle and Crystal rode up. The two girls grinned when they discovered they were safe and high-fived each other. "We totally rock!"

They handed their items and list to Misty, who cleared them. Jason let out a disappointed sigh when Dalton and Kelvin came next. "Drat..."

A few minutes later Marcus rode up clutching onto Ray's bike with one hand and balancing his bike with the other. Ray sat on the handlebars and their Pokémon rode in the basket. Both boys were covered with scratches and bruises. "What happened?" Crystal exclaimed.

"I don't want to talk about it." Marcus said flatly. Dawn collected their bikes and brought them back to the Bike Shop. Misty waited until all the cameramen arrived (all of them sweaty and panting) and signalled for Brock to begin the show.

"Hey guys! The results are in for the Scavenger Challenge. The winners are Jason and Ivory and the losers are Ray and Marcus. Sorry guys."

Ray sighed. "This sucks."

Jason waved his hand in the air. "I have a complaint. I don't think Nicole should be able to use Abra to teleport her places. That's cheating."

"It is not!" Nicole protested. "It's thinking smart."

Misty pressed her lips together. "I'm only the temporary host, so Ash will have to make that decision."

Ash, who was lounging nearby, shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it is unfair. Nicole, no more using Abra to teleport after this challenge."

Nicole scowled and glowered at a satisfied Jason. "You are so going to get it."

"So, what do the winners get?" Danielle asked curiously.

"The winners get to stay at a luxury hotel while everyone else camps out." Misty grinned at the groans of complaint. Jason cheered.

"What about the losers?" Ray asked nervously.

"I hate to tell you this, but the two of you will battle it out in two days to see who stays and who leaves. All of you will spend that time training your Pokémon. Ash, you want to wrap this up?"

Ash hopped up and took his place in front of the camera. "Tune in next time to see who stays and who gets eliminated. I want to thank Misty for being our guest host for today and I want to thank the interns for assisting us with the camera work."

Two pairs of eyes glared at him and he hastily cleared his throat. "And of course a huge thanks to my pals Brock and Dawn! You guys rock! See you all next time on Total Pokémon Master!"

The two up for elimination are Marcus and Ray. You can send in your votes by PM or review. Please, vote, or else I'm going to have to flip a coin.