apathetic [wec]

[4 - ring around the-wait this is a Ferris wheel]

"There's Kansai and Mowchan!" Pochi exclaimed, as him and Reycho headed towards the two, who were grappling with each other. [Name], however, paused after stepping off the dolphin bicycle.

"Is this...?"

They walked closer to the small platform to the side, finding a blue button sitting harmlessly on top of it. Turning their gaze to the walkway leading to the four boys, they noticed a faint, horizontal gap in the floor connecting both ends.

"This has to be the drawbridge, I'm sure. I shouldn't take any chances pressing this, just in case..."

"[Name]!" A voice snapped them out of their thoughts, seeing Pochi waving his arms to get their attention. "We need to break the Ferris wheel's power system!"

They nodded, following the two down the ladder after they climbed down. Below the Ferris wheel, water spewed out from the side, splashing the three. [Name] grumbled quietly, wringing out the water from their clothes as Pochi and Reycho observed the power system.

"I guess we should destroy the power system. But how do we do that?"

Luckily, Reycho was already a step ahead and grabbed a lone barrel on the other side of the machine, looking inside for anything useful.

"How'd you two...?" [Name]'s eyebrows furrowed as they nonchalantly walked over the electrified water with no worries.

"...Something wrong, [Name]?" Pochi tilted his head as Reycho walked over to the waterfall and filled the bucket up to the brim.

"...It's nothing." They shook their head, then pointed at the power system. "Just...keep your distance when you pour that."

Reycho nodded, placing the barrel down next to the open wire. [Name] urged Pochi to step farther back from the puddle, and the two watched as the boy pushed the water-filled barrel onto the wire. The electricity surrounding the machine crackled, and in an instant, the machine exploded, leaving clouds of smoke in its wake.

Above, [Name] could hear the rumbling of the Ferris wheel begin to slow down, until it finally stopped. Shortly after, a scream erupted, before it faded away just as fast.

"What's that sound?" Pochi wondered.

"The Ferris wheel must've stopped, so Mowchan probably got taken away." [Name] replied, already heading up the ladder. "Come on, let's go."

The three climbed the ladder and headed to Kansai, who was now alone. [Name] strode over to pick up the wristband laying on the ground, making Kansai raise an eyebrow.

[Chuko's task: Protect the park's facilities until 8 minutes before the time limit]

"So Mowchan had Chuko's task? Then that means—"

"Good, we made it in time!" Pochi breathed out, noticing the unlit Ferris wheel.

"Oh, Mowchan has been eliminated." Kansai grinned, before jumping at a sudden beep echoing throughout the area. "Wh-What is it this time?!"

The two television screens above them flickered on, only to show crossed-out pictures of Tattsun, Mowchan, Chuko, and Nyoro. Giggling from above made them all turn their heads to face Pielope, who was floating towards them, waving.

"Heya! Enjoying the game?" She asked, twirling around.

"You!"

She huffed, crossing her arms. "I was going to go ahead and give you some useful info...but if you're going to be rude, forget about it."

"Before that, I want to check something." [Name] spoke up, startling the group. "I'm guessing that the monitor up there is showing the people who got eliminated as of now, correct?"

"Ooh, a smart cookie, huh?" Pielope floated closer to them and booped them on the nose, giggling as their nose scrunched up. "Correct-a-mundo! You took the words right out of my mouth, so I don't need to say anything more! Now, I'm expecting a nice, lively battle! Don't let me down! Pielololooon!"

The robot floated away once more, making everyone turn to face each other.

"Now that Mowchan is out, the truce ends here, huh." Kansai eyed the three warily. "But three versus one is bad news...time for a quick retreat!"

"How did you figure it out?" Pochi asked [Name] after watching Kansai run away.

They held up the wristband they picked up and handed it to him. "Since the power system was shut down, it would force Chuko to be eliminated because of her Task. And since Nyoro most likely needed Chuko's help for her Task from what we heard earlier..."

"They both ended up getting eliminated," Pochi finished, tapping his fist on his palm. "That has to be why they teamed up."

Reycho waved at the two and jutted a thumb to the other entryway, making them nod.

"Right, no time to talk about this now. Let's go, you two!"

~~~~~

"Huh, no way...now those two have teamed up together?" Pochi mumbled, watching Pai and Aniki talk.

"I'm not surprised..." [Name] thought, making sure to hide behind Reycho and Pochi just in case.

"Nyoro and Chuko teamed up? I didn't see that coming..."

"This is the wristband that Chuko dropped." Aniki pulled out another wristband from his pocket. "Let's see what it says."

"Hmm...[Nyoro's task: Go down the slide with Chuko]?"

"Chuko must have shown this to Nyoro and then threatened her. Something like, "If I get taken out, you're a goner too.""

"That's oddly specific...but now that confirms how their Tasks were related." They thought, listening to Aniki explain why the two got eliminated.

"O-Ohhh, I see. Amazing, Aniki! You saw through everything!" Pai complimented. "Do you have a sixth sense like I do?"

"No...and even if I did, nobody can see through everything."

"Well, true, but..."

"I was the one that gave Chuko the idea, that's how I know." He admitted, smirking. "I guess, for Nyoro, Chuko was also in the way so she died early."

"Damn you, Aniki..." [Name] spared a glance at Pochi, watching as he clenched his console tighter.

"Well, that's that...time for Plan B."

"Right, let's go!"

"What does he mean by Plan B?" Pochi mumbled as they ran off. "Let's follow him and see!"

[Name] sighed, following after the two reluctantly. Pochi turned to them as they kept walking, gaining their attention.

"Hey, so...what do you think happened to everyone who got caught?"

"Why are you asking me?"

He shrugged. "No reason, just wanted your opinion. Both of you, I mean."

Reycho closed his eyes, a frown on his face. [Name] kept walking, eyes straight ahead.

"...They probably got dropped into the Sludgebot."

Pochi sighed. "I hope the worst didn't happen to them..."

"....."

"...We can only hope so."