Notes: Emily doesn't tell Stephanie the truth about her doctor's appointment. She dances instead of Richelle. Michelle still counts as an Elite win.
The first couple of chapters are quite similar to the show but it will begin to differ more noticably later on.
A little bit of information before we begin.
This means that the dialogue is a talking head.
TheNextStepTheNextStepTheNext
Riley: It is the beginning of the competition and it's very, very tense. There's The Next Step on one side and Elite on the other.
Kate, Phoebe and Lucien walk into the room. It was obvious that the tension was still there between them. Kate begins to explain the rules of the competition. "All of the names have been placed in a hat. You may face a member of The Next Step or Elite, so please be prepared to face a teammate". No one said anything but it was clear from the drop in mood that this was not a prospect which excited anyone.
Phoebe reached into the hat and pulled the first name. "Hunter". He seemed pumped to be going first until he reached into the hat, read the paper and spoke. "Eldon".
Eldon: This goes against everything I stand for and this is why I didn't want to compete in the first place and now I have to compete against Hunter.
"Alright. Let's do it", Lucien spoke, clearly satisfied with how his latest scheme was going. Hunter took the floor first. This was the third battle between him and Eldon and although it was on friendlier terms this time, he was still determined to get one-up on Eldon. The music started and so did Hunter.
James: He's giving it his all. He knows what's up.
Eldon: Part of me wants to go easy on him, but I know once I get out there, there's no stopping. I need to dance my hardest for me and the team.
When the battle was over Kate took the floor. "Ok. Do we have a winner. On the count of three, everyone point to the dancer who should be one the team. One. Two. Three". Everyone in the room pointed at Eldon. The disappointment on Hunter's face was evident, as was his happiness that his best friend was going to Internationals. Eldon and Hunter hugged before the latter left The Next Step for the final time.
"Eldon. Since you won, please pull the next name from the hat". Eldon reached his hand into the hat and pulled out the slip of paper which read "Abi".
Noah: I've seen Abi dance before and she's incredible. I don't like her but i'd love to get to know her.
"Noah", the petite girl spoke.
Noah: Of course. I'm not even surprised.
Abi is in the music room as Noah approaches. "Do you need room to practice", she asked sweetly. The moment begins to get awkward as Noah replies, "No. I don't need to rehearse at all actually". Laughing, the blonde dancer continued to press him for answers. "Why. You think you're so good you don't have to try and beat me". The comment was almost like a catalyst for the former J-Troupe member to begin waffling. He couldn't get out of the room fast enough after he told her about his cat and cake obsession.
An hour later, all the members of both studios met back in Studio A. Noah went first and took the floor as the music started.
Eldon: Noah is a beast. I can see a bit of an Eldon touch in there which is kind of cool.
Kate: He's doing even better than I expected. His technique is phenomenal. His performance is amazing and he really looks like an A-Troupe dancer.
Abi looked intimidated yet confident as ever, all at the same time. Any ounce of nervousness seemed to fade as the music went on. It may not be enough to beat Noah but her dancing was true quality. All of a sudden she stumbles and the feeling around the room is clear. That has cost her.
"1. 2. 3", Kate speaks. "Congratulations Noah. You are on the Internationals team"
Again, a name is pulled. "Skylar". An excitable looking girl walks out. "Cierra". Both of the girls face's dropped.
The sisters sit on the floor in the music room. "One of us will be at Elite and one of us will be at The Next Step. We can't do it". They sat and talked about their options. 20 minutes from the battle they rejoined Kate, Phoebe and Lucien in Studio A. "You're back early", Kate was surprised that they weren't making the most of the time they were given. "We don't want to dance. We can't go to two different studios".
Kate was shocked by the way this 14 year old girl was talking. She was the same age as the newest member of A-Troupe in Noah yet she was wise beyond her years. "I know it is a difficult situation to be in so I have a proposition for you both. Whoever wins goes to internationals. The other is welcome to join B-Troupe". The woman stood and waited for the sisters to decide. "We would love that. Thank you so much". Skylar stopped herself before she hugged Kate but only just. They rushed off to get a final rehearsal in before the battle.
20 minutes later it began. Cierra went first. The song started and she did her solo.
Emily: Wow. This girl is incredible. Her technique is some of the best i've seen. If I wasn't intimidated before, I am now.
Skylar went next and although not as good as Cierra, she was still fantastic and would be a great fit in B-Troupe. The girls hugged and Cierra sat down mext to Amanda. It was almost a statement of intent towards Lucien.
Cierra: I'm with The Next Step now. Elite is in the past and so is Lucien. The Next Step is going to win this competition.
Chloe versus Jen was the next battle. They were both classically trained but it was clear than Chloe was a far superior dancer.
West: It's nice to know that Chloe will still be on the team. She's part of our family and families have to stick together. I know that not all of our family will make it though. The only question is, how many more dancers will we lose.
Two Elite dancers were next in Max and Nick. It was about as even pairing as you're likely to see. Both were absolute powerhouses but it seemed that Max had a slight edge in terms of tricks and flicks. Combine that woth excellent technique and The Next Step just gained a fantastic asset.
Max approached the hat and pulled out a name. "Thalia".
Eldon: Don't tell James but I kind of like Thalia. I hope she makes A-Troupe.
Thalia read the paper and after a moment of hesitation spoke, "West".
Thalia: This is so unfair. West has been one of my best friends since joining The Next Step and now we have to battle.
Eldon:I don't know why I thought we could have a day at the studio without insane amounts of drama.
West, in typical West fashion used a basketball in his routine. It was like he got better and better with every competition he attended. There was no way that Thalia could beat that creativity and she became the second Next Step dancer to leave.
West pulled the strip of paper with "James" written on it. Out of the blue Lucien decided to get pizza.
As the hungry teenagers swarmed around Lucien, Tess and Daniel carried out his plan. They switched the names in the hat before rejoining the group to signify that the plan was complete. Lucien quickly canceled the order and regained order. James was confident. Maybe too confident. He was a member of TNS after all and when is it ever smooth sailing. "Riley".
Riley: I don't want to do this anymore.
Emily: This is a gamechanger.
James and Riley are in studio B rehearsing their solos.
"I don't know if I can do this", Riley exclaimed.
"Riley, promise me you'll dance your hardest",Jame spoke approaching her.
"I cant make any promises"
"Riley",James said firmly.
"Fine but you have to as well". James looked at her before replying. "Of course. It's for the team. I will dance as hard as I can".
The competition came round and Riley went first. She was dancing amazingly. Better than she ever had before.
James: It's my turn and I already know what I'm going to do.
The music starts and James stands still before walking out of the studio. Riley looked at Emily in shock before chasing after him.
"What was that", Riley was angry. She hadn't thought she would be but he had broken a promise.
"I did this for you. For us".
"There's still time. Go and dance". At that exact moment Miss Kate walked through the door. "What is going on here".
James looked at Riley one last time before saying, "I forfeit" and then he was gone. "Congratulations Riley. You're going to internationals", Kates voice was full of pain as she spoke. Riley just stalked off behind James.
"Ok. The next competitor is "Logan". A boy from Elite stood by the hat. He was by no means the physical specimen that Max and Nick were but the way he walked towards Kate, alone made it clear he was here to win. "Emily".
The two danced there hardest and it was clear that Logan was a fantastic dancer. However at the very end of his dance he failed to land a flip and it was clear that it was not to be his day, with Emily making the team.
Shantel and Shannon were both Elite dancers.
Amanda: I know Shantel from Elite. She was my assistant captain and I know for a fact that she has her eye on dance captain. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants, exactly like Lucien. If she is on the Internationals team, I can guarantee drama.
Shantel did make the team though. She simply was a better dancer than Shannon.
"Tess" was next against "Amanda".
Amanda: It's kind of fate that we ended up paired together for this.
Kate: If Amanda wins this battle The Next Step has its seventh dancer and we are going to Internationals.
'Fire' started playing and Amanda was absolutely killing it.
Chloe: I've never seen her dance this good before. She's even added some acro since Nationals. I still wouldn't say she is phenomenal at acro but it's the only part of her dancing that isn't. Tess on the other hand is having a really bad day. Nothing is going right for her and Amanda is the clear winner.
"Congratulations Amanda. You are officially the eleventh dancer going to Internationals".
"There's only two dancers left. Let's do this", Kate started, "Good luck".
Daniel: It's kind of ironic that Giselle and I are pitted against each other for this last A-Troupe spot.
"Good Luck Giselle", Daniel approached his lifelong best friend.
"No more mind games Daniel".
As Daniel danced it was nostalgic for the members of the team that won Regionals.
Giselle: Honestly, Daniel is one of the most amazing male dancers I have ever seen.
Giselle was next and she was doing unbelievably well.
Eldon: I've never seen her dance like this. She is blowing me away.
Kate: She always impresses me but the goosebumps on my arms as I watch her tell me we have a winner.
"Congratulations Giselle. You are the final member of A-Troupe".
Giselle walked towards Daniel and held her hand out to prevent him from hugging her.
"I did what I had to", he said. "And so did I", she clarified before turning to her teammates and running into the group hug.
"This is officially the team for Internationals", Kate exclaimed.
Cierra: This will take some getting used to but this is my new team. My new home.