I'm so sorry for making you all wait for so long! I went on a two-week hiatus, and before that, I had writer's block. But now I'm back!

I have over forty reviews! (The most…ever.) So, a huuuuuge thank-you to all my amazing reviewers!

If you've read my profile, you'll know that I like the number 42, so I would like to specially honour my 42nd reviewer, Zenigami. You get a double chocolate chip cookie!

Oh, and for those who didn't see my competition notice in the previous chapter, I shall repeat it again here.

Guess-the-winner competition

Basically, this is a competition to guess which shinigami will win the Seireitei Game Show. Either via review or PM, tell me who you think will win, and why. There are two categories in which you can win:

1) By guessing the right winner, coupled with a reasonable explanation. Or,

2) By providing the funniest/most interesting/most unique reason to support your choice. In this category, even if you choose a shinigami who is not the winner, it doesn't matter. But try to keep it reasonable. In other words, if you know that a particular shinigami has been kicked off, don't vote for him/her.

All participants will be credited, and the winners announced (one winner per category) in a mini-chapter after the finale is revealed.

Each winner will get, as a prize, a oneshot about a fandom of their choice, featuring a character and pairing (optional), also of their choice, dedicated to them.

Very sorry for the long author's note. I shall begin the story now.

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The next day, the five remaining shinigami gathered back in the arena.

Ichigo grinned.

"Today is going to be one really entertaining challenge!"

The five shinigami, who had grown to be wary of Ichigo's 'fun' challenges, stared at him dubiously.

Ichigo stared back.

"We're just waiting for our special guest for today!"

As if on cue, a cool wind began to blow, bringing with it the fragrance of sakuras.

Renji turned slightly green.

"Is this who I think it is?"

It was.

Kuchiki Byakuya stepped into the arena, in slow, stately steps, looking at Ichigo down his refined, pointy nose.

Ishida escorted him to the chair sitting in the middle of the arena. After looking at the wooden chair with considerable disgust, Byakuya sat down. Immediately, Orihime and Chad leapt at him, shackling his wrists and feet to the arms and legs of the chair.

Byakuya glared at Ichigo.

"Kurosaki. I was under the impression that I was a VIP."

"But you are! You are the most vital part of today's challenge!"

"I refuse."

Orihime looked at him angrily.

"But you pinky swore! No one breaks a promise when you pinky swear it! Ever!"

"All I did was interlace my little finger with yours."

"That's pinky swearing!"

Ishida rolled his eyes.

Chad facepalmed.

Ichigo turned to the five shinigami, who already had expressions of shock and apprehension on their faces.

"Your job today…is to make Byakuya laugh!"

And so, the daunting, seemingly impossible challenge began. The first one to make Byakuya laugh would win.

Renji tried first.

"Hey Taichou! Look at me! I'm a gorilla!"

Byakuya stared right through him. Fifty years with the same loudmouthed lieutenant had taught him to ignore his antics.

Matsumoto sighed.

"Lemme try."

She proceeded to carry out her smother-the-victim-with-your-humongous-thingys technique.

Unfortunately, that particular technique was meant for suffocating people, not making them laugh.

Kira stared in horror at Byakuya.

"Eek! His face…it's blue!"

Ishida snapped to attention immediately, and brought a clipboard down onto Matsumoto's head with a sharp thwack.

Sighing, Gin took over. He stared at Byakuya, pulling faces, and contorting his mouth into all sorts of weird shapes.

Byakuya glowered at him. If looks could kill, well…the third division would need a new captain, pronto.

Urahara was next. He dragged Gin to the center of the arena, and began a two-man version of 'Swan Lake', complete with (failed) swan leaps aplenty.

The audience roared with laughter.

Byakuya raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

Yoruichi sighed.

"The incompetence of men…"

She stepped up.

"Hey, Byakushi. Laugh."

He stared at her, unmoving.

"I said, laugh."

"Never."

"Laugh."

"Over my dead body."

"You're already dead."

Silence.

Yoruichi decided to employ a different technique.

"Hey, Byakushi~" she sang.

"What?"

"If you don't laugh, I'll give these photos of you hugging your precious threadbare Hello Kitty plushie to the SWA to put in their yearbook."

Byakuya paled.

"Ha."

"That's not enough, Byakushi~"

"Ha."

"More!"

Byakuya scowled.

"How much of this do I have to endure?"

"Well, you don't have to laugh, but if you don't, those photos will be making their way into Yachiru-chan's hands!"

Byakuya mentally cringed. Yachiru was famed, among many other things, for her ability to misinterpret many things. Goodness knew what she would do to that photo.

"Ha ha ha. Okay, I laughed. Happy?"

Yoruichi tilted her head back to glance at Ichigo.

He nodded.

Yoruichi punched the air.

"YESSSS!"

Renji tapped Yoruichi on the shoulder.

"Ya didn't actually have the photos, did ya?"

"I did. I had Kisuke do them for me on Photoshop. But now that I know it's true…"

She grinned an evil grin.

Renji stared at her in horror.

"Oh no."

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

The next day dawned bright and early.

All the shinigami gathered at Soukyoku Hill, just as they had been told.

Waiting for them were Ichigo, Ishida, Unohana, a twelfth division filming crew, and a senkaimon.

Ichigo grinned.

"Everyone, we're going on a one-day food trip to Hokkaido!"

Everybody whooped. Hokkaido was a beautiful place, known for its scenery and its food.

Urahara blinked.

"Waaaaait. We're the losers, right? How come we get a reward too? What's the catch?"

"Yeah. And what's Unohana-taichou doing here anyways?" Matsumoto chimed in.

Ichigo grinned widely.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Unohana's mouth.

"Minatsuki."

The huge stingray-like monster appeared.

"Eh? What's Minatsuki doing here?!"

Said monster opened its huge maw, and swallowed the three Green Monkeys in one gulp.

Ichigo beckoned for the two Yellow Penguins to sit on top of Minatsuki, along with Ishida, Unohana, and the filming crew.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

They landed in Asahikawa, a part of Hokkaido, to enjoy the sight of Hokkaido's tallest mountain, Asahidake. Then it was off to Sapporo for lunch.

They enjoyed delicious food, including Hokkaido potatoes with butter, crab meat, and Sapporo-brand beer.

As for the Green Monkeys? They also had lunch.

Seeing as they were in Minatsuki's stomach after all, whatever Minatsuki ate would reach them.

Unfortunately, they had forgotten that Minatsuki was vegetarian.

Urahara studied the green mess that was polling quickly around his ankles.

"No way am I eating that."

Gin prodded the puke-coloured slop.

"I think that this is what were once leaves."

"Ew!"

Matsumoto paused.

"Hang on. We're in Minatsuki's stomach, right?"

"…Yeah. So?"

"Aren't stomachs the part of the body that digest the food?"

Urahara stared at her.

"Waaaaaait. Stomachs contain hydrochloric acid, don't they?"

Gin froze in shock.

Matsumoto looked horrified.

"Oh POOP!"

They had evidently forgotten that while stomach acid was indeed hydrochloric acid, it was also very, very diluted.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

They returned to Soul Society in the late afternoon, to endure their elimination challenge.

Ichigo grinned at them.

"We're not holding the voting today, so all of you will be taking part in the challenge: babysitting Yachiru."

There was a stunned silence.

Ichigo explained the rules, oblivious to the looks of terror on the three faces in front of him.

"You three are going to be chucked into a room with Yachiru. Whoever leaves the room first, for any reason, will be eliminated."

And so, the three shinigami found themselves in a violently pink room in the eleventh division barracks, starring at a pink sugarbunny bounce off the walls.

Yachiru bounced up to Matsumoto.

Matsumoto grinned at her.

"Ne, Yachiru-chan, if I give you candy, will you go bother the guys and leave me alone?"

Yachiru stared at Matsumoto. More accurately, she stared at the huge wad of candy canes Matsumoto had produced from the sleeves of her shihakusho.

(They were actually leftovers from Christmas about twenty years ago, but Yachiru didn't need to know that, did she?)

Yachiru grabbed the candy canes, ripped the wrappers off, and stuffed the whole pile down her throat. Then, keeping to her word (a first), she ran off to the two males.

"Hi, Hat-and-Clogs!"

Urahara grinned.

He chucked her a bumper pack of MnM's, and whispered: "Why don't you go and bother Gin instead? I'm sure he could use your company."

Yachiru, by now on a sugar high, bounced over to Gin.

"Hey, Slitty-eyes."

Gin was spacing out, and thus, didn't answer her.

She poked his forehead.

"Slitty-eyes."

"Call him Gingin," hissed Urahara.

Yachiru pouted.

"I knew that."

"Gingin!"

No response.

"GINGIN!"

Gin remained where he was, spacing out.

Yachiru gave up.

"KEN-CHAN! GINGIN WON'T PLAY WITH MEEEEEEE!"

A second later, Kenpachi crashed through the wall, grabbed Gin, and chucked him out, javelin style.

And so, Ichimaru Gin was the newest shinigami to be eliminated.

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I hope you liked this chapter!

Please review, and remember to take part in the competition! It will end the day I post the finale chapter.