Disclaimer: I own Fat Man, Larry, Lewis, and Vallowsmeir. Everything else is probs not mind.
Ben's Note of Sheer Awesome: Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter of TDASB! Things are really starting to pick up, so hopefully I can keep pumping out these chapters! Do keep in mind that I have started Gender Battle officially, so I do want to finish that episode soon. BUT, do expect the next chapter to be out somewhat soon! Also, I have a bit of a weird announcement. See, my computer is malfunctioning and I'm forced to use a program where I can't see my word/page count. So, after writing this chapter out and checking it on a program that works... the total was 112 pages and 29000 words. I SERIOUSLY didn't mean to make this chapter this long. But, you guys get more of the story this way I guess. The next episode shouldn't be that long word wise, but just so your aware! Enjoy the chapter!
If You Seek, You Will Find... Something
E23 P2: Patience for Patients
(Beth)
As the challenge started and time slowly began to tick away, Beth quickly started her search. She had torn open her envelope to find a young man with grey skin and a large forehead, wearing turquoise clothes and had some tentacles on his head. She was currently reading the information provided for her and was scowling at it.
"Snafu, born of the demon Swanko. He foresees success, his natural instincts driven to prevent it. He typically finds those with lofty goals and prevents those goals from succeeding," Beth sneered. "What kind of demonic power is that? What would you even do with it anyway? Sounds like a wasteful life choice if you ask me."
Beth muttered more to herself as she quickly looked around. The Labs, despite appearing small, was quite a big area, especially to the view where Beth stood. Before her she could see rollercoasters, pools that looked like small oceans, and even a small forest inside the borders of the Labs. Beth groaned, shaking her head angrily.
"How the #$% am I supposed to find one person in this big an area?! #$% YOU LEWIS!" Beth screamed angrily.
As she had her tantrum, a young boy slid up behind her. "You know," he said, making Beth jump in anger. "If I were looking for someone, I'd start at the lost and found." Beth turned and found a boy with brown skin and a long snout nose with big brown ears. He had a smile on his face as he looked over at Beth. "Finder, at your service."
"Whatever," Beth grumbled. "I don't really give a #$% about you. Unless you know where I can find someone who prevents success, I don't really give a #$% about anyone here. So word of advice? BACK THE #$% OFF!"
And here I thought I would run into a nice one, Finder thought to himself. "Well, if you're referring to Snafu, who's really the only one here who can and does that kind of thing, I might be able to point you in the right direction." Finder gave a sniff in the air, waiting for a moment. "Follow this path until you come to a bridge. Cross the bridge and turn right and keep going until you find a rock. He's on top of the rock."
Beth raised a suspicious eyebrow. "And why the #$% would I trust those directions?" Beth asked flatly. "I know you #$% aren't supposed to interfere with the challenges, but how do I know you aren't #$% all the rules and doing what you #$% want?"
"I was born to Xeptu, demon of misplaced objects. I can find literally anything," Finder said simply. "Take my word or not, I know where everything is at all times. I might be able to lie, but I'm telling you, I'm not lying."
Beth eyed the boy, glaring at him fiercely before giving a sigh. "Not like I have any better ideas," Beth muttered. "Fine. But I #$% swear, if I don't find him where you say he is, count my words, you're #$% screwed if I ever have to deal with you again." Beth flipped Finder off angrily before running off, remembering to follow Finder's instructions exactly.
Once Beth was gone, the boy from her photo emerged from a patch of grass literally three feet away. He walked over to Finder with a smirk, standing next to him as they watched Beth walk off. The boy handed Finder a twenty, his smirk still prominent on his face. "Thanks for the mislead, as per the usual," Snafu chuckled.
"It pained me to lie, but hey, it is a competition. You can't always trust what you hear," Finder said, pocketing the money. "Knowing you though, you're going to keep trolling her, aren't you?"
"What can I say? She's already off the track of success. Why not push her failure more?" Snafu chuckled, returning to the patch of grass he was previously in. "Have fun Finder!"
"The things I do for him," Finder chuckled. "Now, to find me a decent meal... which would be twenty feet behind me to my right, if I'm not mistaken. And I seldom am."
Confessional: Being wrong is worse than being half right.
Beth: (Still seems suspicious of the whole situation.) On one hand, I still don't trust anyone worth #$%. I mean, did you see how shifty that idiot looked? But on the other hand, it's not like I have a lot of allies in this contest anyway. The only one who remotely counts is Tyler, and that relationship is strained as it is. If this punk knows how to earn me immunity so the eliminations go smoother, then #$% yes I'm following his directions! Better not be #$% with me though! (She mutters some other obscenities before leaving the confessional.)
(Bridgette)
Thinking to take a simpler approach then aimless wanderings, Bridgette was slowly making her way forward, looking thoroughly around the main courtyard before moving on. She decided to take a street that looked bright and cheerful, which had a few occupied buildings down it. Bridgette started to make her way down the street, glancing around carefully.
As she did so, Bridgette took a look at the information she has. The picture showed a young girl with light blue skin and a few dark blue splotches on her body. Bridgette took notice of her tentacle on her back and her poufy dark blue outfit that had a lot of frills on it. Bridgette scanned the other information and smiled.
"Has the power to spray water through her tentacles," Bridgette mused. "Must be fond of the water. Maybe she and I have a lot in common, since my passion is the water and all. Maybe... if I were a water based person, I'd hang out in a place with a lot of water? That'd be better than checking every little place."
"I don't know," someone said, making Bridgette look up to see Finder. "Looking everywhere is smart, especially if you lost something. Going to places that it would logically be would be indeed a good idea, but you never know where something might be hiding. Finder, patient 158. Nice to meet you."
"Bridgette," the surfer girl smiled. "I take it that you invest your time in finding things?"
"You could say that," Finder chuckled. "I typically work at elementary schools part time, since kids can get lost so easily, but I also take odd jobs. One time I was hired to find a donut. That was an... interesting case, since I knew exactly where it was, or at least, what was left. I led that guy through the sewers till we found the remains of the thing. Not my finest case to be honest."
Bridgette let out a giggle, smiling at him. "Sometimes things are found in the grossest places," Bridgette said. "But if it's important enough, we have to keep looking. Hey, if you're so good at finding things, would you mind helping me?"
"Sorry, but I've been banned from helping in the contest unless it's hindering," Finder said simply. "But, if I were looking for Yin, I would try somewhere with lots of water, but not a pool. She typically hangs out with her half-brother, so I'd also find a place with the polar opposite of water that works in harmony with each other."
Bridgette thought about the comment for a moment before grinning. "Got it. Thanks Finder. Anything I can do for you in return?"
"Yes. I believe this was meant for Larry, but it got lost in the mail," Finder said, pulling an envelope out and passing it over to Bridgette. "I meant to return it to him myself, but I have other things to find. Can you see that it finds him?"
"Sure thing," Bridgette smiled. "Thanks again! I wish you good luck in your findings!"
"And I to you," Finder nodded as Bridgette ran off. Once she was gone, Finder smiled and turned, seeing that he was in front of a small building that appeared to be selling chocolate covered ants and other variety of insects. "Ah. Best food place ever," Finder chuckled, walking inside.
Confessional: When you find something good, eat it.
Bridgette: Finder seemed like a really nice guy. Then again, a lot of guys I've met in this contest are super nice. Hopefully my hunch about Finder's hint is right though. It's not like I absolutely NEED immunity, but I don't really have a lot of friends in this contest. Katie and Mal are definitely going to try voting for me when they deem it necessary, but hopefully Larry and I can fight them back using their own fire power. I just hope people won't judge me too harshly when they find out how badly I screwed up...
(Dakota)
While everyone else was scrambling to win the challenge, Dakota was taking it in only half stride. While she was all for immunity, she wanted to take this time to de-stress and relax as much as she possibly could. Currently she was inside a small store, looking over a well-made dress that was green and had sparkles to it. As she was admiring, she heard shuffling behind her and took a glance.
A skinny man stood behind her had a giant smile on his face. He had sickly green skin and wore orange and white Hawaiian clothes. He only had one eye in the center of his round head and was completely bald.
"Hello there!" he said, his grin still huge on his face. "Wendy Pleakly, owner of this fabulous store. I see you have a liking for that particular dress. Hand stitched it myself! Spent twenty years studying clothes once. I don't really have a lot of souvenirs for it, but that's one of them!"
Dakota smiled back at him, giggling. "It's a well-made dress. I'd buy it, but I think I should save it if I win the contest," Dakota said, putting the dress back. "So did you make all of these yourself?"
"Most of them. Can't take all the credit though," Pleakly sighed. "I sponsor a group to have an emotional group to handle their emotions call E.A.R.W.A.X. Some of these are outfits designed by some of the members to let off some steam. In fact, come here."
Pleakly led Dakota over a few racks before stopping. He fingered around the clothes until he came to the one he wanted. He pulled it out and Dakota gasped. It was a nicely made brown jacket that appeared to have been made entirely of hair. Dakota felt it and shivered at how soft it was, admiring the jacket as if it was one of the most brilliant things ever made.
"Who made that?" Dakota asked.
"A young girl, one of our younger patients here," Pleakly said. "She's the daughter of a Hair Lord down in Hell, who feeds off of human hair. She typically expresses herself through hair, and this is probably one of the best items in the store. My proudest pupil, honestly."
Dakota continued to admire the coat before she finally made up her mind. "How much?" she asked, reaching to her pocket and pulling out a wallet.
"Really? I thought you were saving money," Pleakly blinked.
"I am. But that jacket... it's just so amazing. Plus, I want to sponsor your program. If your members make things like this, it's definitely something worthwhile. Here, I'll give you my family's card," Dakota said, pulling out a card and a few twenties. "Give my dad a call. He might not really understand the demon side of the world, but I'm sure he'd be willing to do business with you."
"Oh, you misunderstand. I'm simply mutated. My whole family only has one eye and we don't have a drop of demon lineage. But still, I deeply appreciate your kindness," Pleakly smiled, taking the card and the money, handing Dakota the jacket. "You know, if your free, I'm sure she's available right now if you want to meet her. She works at the salon right across the road." Pleakly pointed and Dakota turned to see a salon open. "Ask for Clip. I'm sure she's available."
"Thanks, that sounds great. I've been thinking about getting a haircut," Dakota giggled, before pausing. "Wait, Clip? Like this Clip?" Dakota reached into her pocket and pulled out the envelope, handing Pleakly the picture of a girl with long blonde hair with a pink bow on her head.
"Hey, that's her!" Pleakly chuckled. "What a small world we live in, am I right?"
"Yeah, it is," Dakota giggled. "Sorry to purchase and run, but I have an appointment with a certain hairstylist! It was nice to meet you... Wendy, right?"
"Please, everyone calls me Pleakly. It's easier to remember," the green skinned man chuckled. "It was nice to meet you too Dakota! Stop by again if you ever need to talk!"
"I'll keep that in mind!" Dakota said, about to leave the store before pausing. "Hey, that program you do with some of the patients. Does it support anger management problems?"
"Yep! We mostly focus our program on hugging things out, thanks to Spike, our resident hugger," Pleakly mused. "Why do you ask?"
"Do you mind if I participate in a few meetings? If you don't mind!" Dakota said.
Pleakly physically beamed. "Of course I don't mind! The more the merrier!" he said with a grin. "We meet here in the attic at about seven in the evening! Stop by around then if you want to join the meeting and I'll help you anyway I can!"
"Sounds great! Thanks Pleakly! I'll see you later!" Dakota said, quickly dashing across the street.
Confessional: Help me manage my boringness!
Dakota: (She seems to be grinning from ear to ear. She's also wearing the brown hair jacket.) This is perfect! I have a great and creative jacket, I made a great friend, I can finish the challenge a lot quicker than I thought I could, and I might have a way of keeping Bean in check once I get him! (Her smile seems to grow.) Honestly, everything in this game seems to be going my way right now! I hope I didn't just jinx it...
(Dawn)
Having visited the Labs before in her life, Dawn knew exactly where she was headed. She had opened the envelope and read it over, but she pretty much already knew what it was going to say. The picture in hers was of a bigger guy wearing dark purple construction equipment and an almost buzzed head of purple hair that only had a square left on top of his head and on the sides. She was rereading the information with a sigh.
"Makes earthquakes? I love you Lewis, but that's not the most detailed description in my opinion," Dawn sighed. "If it were me, I would explain that he has a tail that causes vibrations in the Earth that are similar to earthquakes but not as devastating. I've seen destruction of earthquakes Lewis, and Richter isn't that bad if he's focusing."
Dawn continued forward, breathing deeply as she did so. She lightly rubbed her belly as she did, smiling down at it. "You agree with me, don't you?" Her belly, of course, didn't respond, but Dawn already knew her child's thoughts, which made her smile. "That's what I thought."
After a few minutes of walking out of the more populated area and into a field area, Dawn found herself near a rocky cliff side. Dawn smiled, recognizing the area when she spotted a narrow cave entrance surrounded by rocks. Dawn started toward the entrance when she spotted to boys standing out by the sides, grunting as the moved rocks and dug into the cliff.
One of the boys had tan clothes and a drill tail on his rear. He had a brown comb over and a large under bite. He was currently leaning against the cliff wall and was slowly digging downward with his tail. The other boy had a grey hue to his skin and a small face. His hands appeared to be giant shovels and he was wearing blue overalls. He was currently digging into the cliff face with his hands, scooping rocks aside as he did so.
"Digger! Backhoe!" Dawn said with a smile. Both boys turned around and couldn't help but smile when they saw the moonchild standing in front of them. "It's good to see you two."
"If it isn't the daughter of Lewis," Digger chuckled in a southern accent. "You see that Backhoe? The prodigal niece has come to us lowly southerners at our work! It's quite amazing, wouldn't you agree?"
"Why shoot," Backhoe chuckled, scratching his head with one of his giant hands. "I haven't seen her since she was a... was a... say Digger, when did I last see her? I don't think I can quite remember myself."
"She was a girl, I reckon," Digger mused. "Long before all of this Scott drama, wouldn't ya say?"
"Sure Digger! I'd say a lot of things I wouldn't mean."
"That bein' one of them I reckon," Digger chuckled, then looked at Dawn with a smile. "Now, what to ya' need? We be mighty busy, but we're willin' to help out any fine ladies who be needing our help if you need it!"
Dawn smiled and leaned against a rock to regain her stability. "Thanks guys. I'm doing a challenge for the show I'm on and I need to find Richter. Is he in the mine somewhere?"
"Why shoot, of course ol' Richter is in the mines!" Digger laughed. "Ain't that right Backhoe?"
"Uh, sure Digger. I think so," Backhoe said, very confused.
"He's been workin' in this here mine since forever!" Digger said, looking up in reminiscence. "He's a great worker! Shakes up the loose ground for us to mine! That's what we call partnership right there!"
"Ok, thanks," Dawn smiled. She started to walk toward the mine's entrance, but before she could get close, Backhoe immediately slid in front of the entrance, holding up his hands. Dawn paused, looking at him confused. "Um, Backhoe, I need to go inside. Could you move please?" Dawn asked politely.
"Uh, well, I don't think I'm supposed ta... am I Digger?" Backhoe asked, scratching his head.
"I'm afraid Backhoe's right," Digger said with an apologetic smile to Dawn. "We can't really let you into the mine. Richter's orders, I'm afraid. But I reckon he'll be out in no time if ya just wait a bit with us!"
Dawn paused, a small frown appearing on her face. "Why would he specifically keep me out?" Dawn asked.
"Well, I'd have to reckon it's the baby," Digger mused. "Mine is no place for an expectin' woman. I understan' all this 'equal rights' nonsense, but it's for your own safety I would recall. Just wait patiently for him ta finish, he shouldn't take too long!"
"Well... I guess that makes sense," Dawn said awkwardly, sitting down and folding her legs in the lotus position. Dawn glanced at the two southern boys cautiously before closing her eyes. "I'll wait for him a little bit, but I need to be quick."
"Sure thing... who is she again?" Backhoe asked in confusion.
"Don't you worry about it Backhoe. We have work to do and we better get to it lest we get Richter on our skins!" Digger said, aiming his drill tail at the cliff wall again and began to drill. "Ya remember what happened when we didn't dig far enough to find that oil, right?"
"Oh yeah. That was a dark day," Backhoe shivered.
Confessional: Not everyone here is completely city.
Dawn: (Meditating, although looks confused.) Their auras were off, and it's not because of the baby. I don't think Richter wants me to win the challenge. I can't be for sure, since Digger and Backhoe's auras are simple and not that deep. (Pauses.) That's not meant as an insult to either of them, of course. They both excel at what they're good at, they're just more... innocent compared to some of the others.
(Ezekiel)
"Not too sure where I am eh," Zeke said, turning around in confusion. He appeared to be in a forested area next to a giant cement wall. Zeke, somehow, had wandered all the way to the very edge of the Labs, which he found was unbelievable. But, remembering he was once a feral monster, he figured it could have been weirder. "I bet I'll be able to find my way around eventually though. If I'm dating Izzy, I should become familiar with the place."
Glancing down at the note Lewis wrote, Zeke decided to walk south to find Retro. The picture he had was an orange haired boy with a mushroom cut and wore a geeky orange shirt and dark orange shirts. The note explained that Retro returned certain objects to their primitive states, which Zeke found fascinating himself.
"'He also likes to hang out in areas where he can change things privately. Makes me wonder how primitive things can go eh," Zeke mused. "I guess I was in my primitive for a long time myself, but I'd rather not return to that form eh. I might just be a simple farm boy eh, but I don't want to be that simple ever again."
Zeke shivered at the memory of his feral state and continued to walk forward, breathing in a deep breath of air. He noticed the farther he walked along the wall, the more moss was growing on it and the less damage to nature was done to it. Figuring he was walking too far into the forest, Zeke turned and changed directions, noticing that the area was a little more disturbed, signifying that life had been around the area recently. Zeke kept his eye open for the boy while he mused to himself.
"The game has been going smoothly so far eh," Zeke said to himself. "Sure, we may have the biggest alliance in the merge, but I'm sure no one is too worried about us. Izz has an advantage in keeping her safe in challenges, Dakota has heart, I'm not too bad at challenges, and Noah's a vote eh. We all contribute something good to the team, so I'm not too worried."
As Zeke continued to walk, he mused with himself. "Hmm... does make me wonder who's a big threat though eh. I don't really know a lot of people left in the contest, but Tyler and Mr. Coconut seem really close eh. Must be a brains and brawns duo. Maybe we should cripple them next eh. Izzy would know which one to focus on, so I'll ask her later eh."
Confessional: Izzy focused? Ha!
Zeke: I'm not really all that smart eh, but I'm pretty sure now is the time threats are important to take out eh. Maybe that was before the merge, but I'm pretty sure threats are going to rise above a lot of us if we don't take them out quick. Since it seems that Retro won't be as easy to find as I thought he would, I'd ponder over everyone else. Mr. Coconut seems pretty smart eh, but Tyler is a physical threat. I might have no clue what I'm talking about, but I might as well try, right?
(Izzy)
As luck would have it for the red head, Izzy happened to recognize both names on her envelopes and barely bothered to check the information before chucking it aside. She was very determined to win the challenge and she wasted no time skipping off to win it. She hummed to herself a little tune as she did so, shaking her head back and forth with a huge smile on her face.
"I love Yaarp! Next to Uncle Fib, Yaarp is fun!" Izzy giggled. "We have competitions to see which of us can be louder! I typically lose, but that's because Yaarp has a cone on the top of his head that makes him super loud! I don't think that's super fair, but I guess I do sniff his brain waves when we play two truths and a lie! Not everything is fair, nope!"
"Indeed. Like when Fluttershy accidently reveals her cards because she turns into a turtle. Those things just happen you know."
Izzy stopped bouncing for a moment, looking around. She sniffed the air and smirked, turning around and staring at a giant Loch Ness Monster thing standing behind her. "Discord! You know that was a fad when I accidently went swimming with Cannonball and Short Stuff!"
Discord chuckled, the monster disappearing in a flash of light and Discord's normal body appearing in front of Izzy. "Indeed I know that, I was just testing your memory," Discord mused. "It's not bad, but it could definitely be more... on guard." Suddenly, a helmet appeared on Izzy's head, making both people laugh.
"As random as this is, I have something I need to do!" Izzy said, pulling the helmet off. "Can we chat later? I'd love to talk about blowing things up if you have time!"
"While that does deeply intrigue me, I'm afraid this isn't just a friendly visit," Discord said. A flash of light blinded Izzy for a moment until she noticed Discord wearing a formal black suit. "Ever since your uncle promoted me and Fluttershy, we've been working a lot of the paperwork in a location that will remain unnamed."
"Fluttershy's cottage?"
"Unnamed."
"It's not a secret that you two live together!"
"Fine, we work paperwork at Fluttershy's cottage! Are you happy?" Discord grumbled. "Point being, we have information. Fluttershy of course can't make it due to her other job and there's already enough chaos here when I'm not present. I just decided to pop in and give you this." Discord snapped his fingers and a live fox appeared in his hands, looking very much confused. "Oh, whoopsie!" Discord snapped his fingers again and the fox rolled up until it was a case folder, which he hands to Izzy.
The wild girl accepted the folder and opened it. It contained one document inside, which Izzy quickly scanned before frowning. "This isn't right," Izzy said. "This is saying that Lewis isn't as rich as he says he is. Didn't he take that tokoloshe job over in Africa that paid him over fifteen million dollars?"
"And the job I sent him on involving rabid hyenas," Discord said. "Don't ask, it's a private matter. Suffice it to say, Lewis is a very rich man indeed, but that document smells fishy."
"You rubbed salmon all over it, didn't you?"
"Fluttershy yelled at me for hours for that one," Discord grumbled. "She hates it when I abuse animals. But she did agree heavily with me in stating that the document in question shows a transfer of almost all of his money to a separate bank account. I, of course, already know all of the details, but..."
"Chaos is a harsh master!" Izzy giggled. "I already know a lot of things that are going to happen too thanks to Benny boy! What should I do with the document?"
"Give it to Fat Man. He could use it to piece things together," Discord shrugged. "Now, I have a date with the sexiest girl I know. If you'll excuse me." Discord snapped his fingers again and a toilet appeared. He stepped into it and shivered. "Be glad Lewis didn't use the Flush of Shame. In that universe, so many gross things happened." Discord flushed himself and he spun around until he and the toilet both vanished.
"Makes me glad I'm in this universe and not that one!" Izzy giggled, sliding the folder into her hair. "Now, clock tower, here I come!"
Confessional: Random works when scenes are boring.
Izzy: (Giggles as she's sitting on her head.) I guess I needed something to cheer up my scene! (She giggles louder and returns to the normal sitting position.) Makes me wonder why Lewis is almost broke. I don't particularly care, but I am his niece! We might not be that close but I still worry about him! Hopefully Fat Man will be able to take care of this without all the drama this contest seems to bring to this family!
(Katie)
While everyone else was focusing on finding their specified patient, Katie had a different goal in mind. After the challenge had started, she had made straight for the nearest spa, going past a lot of buildings before finding one labeled, 'Peaceful Bliss'. Feeling in the mood for bliss, Katie opened the door and walked inside.
Upon entering, Katie was enveloped in a strong mist, breathing it in deeply. When she let her breath out, she felt energized and calmed. Katie couldn't help but smile to herself as she walked over to the counter, where a young girl with light blue hair done in pigtails and light blue skin was standing. She had a few tentacles on her back and was wearing a light blue tank top and matching shorts.
"Hey there," the girl smiled at Katie as she approached. "Welcome to Peaceful Bliss, the most harmonious spa here in Rehabilitation Labs. I'm the co-owner of this establishment, Yin. How may I help you today?"
"I'm looking for something that can take me away from the stress and drama of Total Drama," Katie said. "Do you have anything that can do that?"
Yin smiled and stepped around the counter. It was revealed that Yin had a set of tentacles for feet as well. "I'm sure we have just what you're looking for," Yin said, beckoning Katie to follow. "My brother specializes in heat based relaxation. If you want your muscles to relax and feel amazing, I recommend his hot rock techniques."
"Sounds amazing, thanks," Katie smiled, then paused. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but is your brother Yang by any chance?"
"That's him," Yin giggled. "We're pretty much polar opposites of each other, in more ways than one. You see, I specialize in water relaxation and using water to calm people down. Yang focuses more on fire and heat. He's a little more forceful than I am, but we're siblings, and we love each other like so."
"How do you guys have such diverse powers if your siblings?" Katie asked. "Sorry if that sounds rude of me."
"Not at all," Yin giggled. "We're actually half siblings, sharing the same human father and two different demon mothers. My mom was a variation of Nereid while Yang's mom was a volcanic demon. Being half human, we both were given to our father to be raised."
"Is it hard? Being half demon, that is."
"Not really. My father loved me the moment he had custody over me. Other humans weren't as accepting, but I always had Yang. We're a year apart, me being the younger one, so I never really had any memories without him. We might be opposites, but he's still my best friend."
Katie smiled a knowing smile. "I know what you mean, in a sense anyway," Katie said. "Sadie and I have known each other since birth practically. Our moms were best friends, so it was destined for us to be best friends too. We practically grew up together... and she feels like a sister to me. Sure, we squabble, but that's what siblings do, right?"
"Yep," Yin giggled. "I remember one time that Yang and I argued about who could sink a ship faster. I argued that I could fill it with water and he argued he could melt a hole in the bottom. When we both came here, we tried settling the argument by sinking two ships made by a group here who likes making things to settle anger issues. It turned out we both tied, since there's a boy here whose father was responsible for sinking ships in the Bermuda Triangle."
Katie giggled at that. "So silly! I remember that Sadie and I would totally argue over this bunny and who it liked better! It turned out the bunny didn't like either of us, it just stuck around because our moms grew carrots in their gardens!"
"That's nothing. One time, Yang and I fought over which of us could run a farm. Let's just say it ended with a giant sterile field."
"Oh, I have to hear about that one!"
"Ok, ok! It all started when Yang though he could grow plants faster with the heat of lava opposed to the sun..."
Confessional: It's theoretically possible!
Katie: (Giggling so hard she's having a hard time breathing.) He... he... he set the whole farm on fire! (Bursts out laughing.) That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! (Her breathing slows as her laughing subsides, a smile taking full form on her face.) That was nice. Maybe taking a me day really was what I needed. On the plus side, Yang is here too, so when I need to go, I can just grab him and get out of here. This is really starting to look up for me!
(Larry)
Larry was currently studying the information he was given with the most excellent care. He had studied the photograph to memory, which was of a transparent green boy with elfish features and no feet, instead the bottom of a ghost. He seemed to be wearing a green jacket and shirt and had a mysterious smirk on his face.
"Phantasmo," Larry read as he briskly walked forward. "A creepy name for a creepy person. He has the ability to possess inanimate objects. Why do I feel as though this person is going to be particularly weird for me to meet? I'm typically inanimate but I have a conscious of my own. I wonder how that's going to work?"
Larry continued his way forward, glancing around at a set of buildings. He was looking for one in particular, as he had read something in Phantasmo file that intrigued him. After a few minutes, Larry found the particular building he was looking for, which happened to be a toy store, and walked inside. Looking around for a moment, the head let out a depressed sigh.
"This will take a while," Larry grumbled, staring at the isles upon isles of toys. "Better start and the beginning and work my way down. It'll save time that way if I do it organized instead of looking randomly everywhere. I just have to be alert for moving toys..."
Larry started to walked farther into the store, making his way to the first isle. However, after a few steps, his suit suddenly went rigid, refusing to move forward. Larry tried to move it forward with all his mental strength, but it did no good, refusing to move. "Great. I'm in a hurry and my suit stops working," Larry grumbled.
"This thing is super outdated," came a voice. Larry tried to turn his suit to see who was talking to him but it continued to not budge. "Then again, there's a lot of featured to it that aren't typically added to this kind of design. Water proof, air conditioning, the works."
"Excuse me, but I'm having trouble turning around. Could you identify yourself for me?" Larry asked politely.
Suddenly, a green head poked through the bottom of Larry's suit, inside the glass Larry's head was resting. Larry instantly recognized him as Phantasmo, who still had a mischievous smirk prominent on his face. Larry's movement problems suddenly made absolute sense, as Phantasmo appeared to be inside his suit, which was an inanimate object.
"Phantasmo, making and possessor of toys for all the little children," he giggled, his smirk growing wider. "This suit isn't a toy though. How'd you get your head on something so expensive?"
"Lewis Ellimist bought me this particular suit. I owe him a favor in the future. My original suit was destroyed in an accident concerning a fallen angel," Larry said. "May I ask that you exit my suit so I can talk with you? I have a favor to request if you don't mind."
"Hmmm," Phantasmo said, before giggling and sinking back into Larry's suit. Larry felt his arm stretch forward, revealing the information about Phantasmo. "Oh, so you're the one who has me for the challenge! I was expecting a human, but you'll do just nicely! Ohuhuhuhu!"
Letting out a groan, Larry's suit began to walk out of the store and make its way away from the toy store in the opposite direction from the platform. Larry tried to stop moving but it was no use as Phantasmo had complete control of all his programs. Larry's suit slowly began to get farther and farther from the goal, and the poor head couldn't do anything about it.
Confessional: This confessional is brought to you by ghosts!
Larry: (He grumbles, unable to move his body.) Phantasmo agreed to let me come here to broadcast how annoying he is! Let's go back to the plaza first and then you can goof off with my suit! (Phantasmo popped his head outside of Larry's suit and stuck his tongue out before going back inside. Larry began to leave the confessional, making the head groan.) I hate this challenge...
(Mike)
Mike was carefully looking around a section of the Labs that contains what appeared to be countless amounts of theatres. He looked back at his sheet, viewing a picture of a guy with red skin and a pudge face. He had no hair on his head and had an obnoxiously large nose. He was on the shorter side, looking a bit too wide, and wore a green sweater and giant green glasses and a green ball cap.
"Nosy," Mike said to himself, looking around the theatre district. "Well, with how much a drama queen this paper says he is, I would assume this is the place to go. I actually admire actors, as I want to be one when I'm a little older, so if he's around here, I'll need to ask him for some tips."
Mike took a turn and glanced at a few more theatres. Each one appeared to be staring a different play, which Mike couldn't help but grin at. "Sure are a lot of productions going on," he mused. "This entire street is dedicated to just Shakespeare. I wonder how many actors are dedicated to the arts."
"Six. Most of them are just trying it out," came a voice. "Heck, Reuben only acts in some of them if there are sandwiches involved! This one time, he actually ate a sandwich during the production, which he got yelled at for by everyone else in the play!"
Mike paused, turning around. No one was behind him, but he did notice a speaker connected to one of the buildings. Mike glanced around the street, trying to see if anyone was playing some sort of trick on him. When he found he wasn't, Mike walked over to the speaker, glancing at it suspiciously.
"Excuse me," Mike said to it, "but can you hear me?"
"Yep! You found one of my gossip seekers, which I have to admit is quite impressive!" the speaker said. "I get all of my information from these things! Jumba and Reuben have no clue I even have any of these set up! Never had to use the two-way function before, but I admit, this is quiet fun gossiping over long distances!"
"Gossip? You mean you listen for things people don't want you to hear and then you use that dirt against them?"
"What? No! Well, sort of! I don't blackmail people, I just like knowing everything!" the voice said. "Sometimes I publish it in my magazine, Nosy's Dirt, though! It gets me a lot of money, especially when I do a segment on a celebrity!"
"How do you get dirt on them?" Mike asked curiously. "Aren't you here and not Hollywood?"
"Yes, my observant one, but get this! I've been to a lot of places in my day before I came here! Each popular city with juicy information is rigged with my gossip seekers! I get so much dirt I probably don't logically have enough time to go through it all! I still manage to listen to forty or so recordings a day!"
While Mike wasn't really one for gossip or revealing secrets, he had to admit that this guy knew how to set up a pretty good system. After thinking about it for a moment, Mike paused for a moment and glanced at the speaker nervously for a second. "You haven't happened to rig Not-So-Silent Hill, have you?"
"Are you kidding? I have mountains of recordings for that city! Especially since a television show was just located there. Ever hear of Total Drama? Great place to get dirt if you ask me!"
"Um... I hope you don't mind me asking, but could we possibly meet in person? I have a few questions about that particular show if you don't mind," Mike said. "Plus I think you're who I'm supposed to be looking for. Nosy, right?"
"You seem like you know some things I'd like to know," the voice mused. "Sounds good! Meet the Penguin Theatre! It's just down the road and take the third street on your right. Can't miss it! I'll find you though, so just take a seat and enjoy the show!"
Mike gave a nod, despite knowing that Nosy couldn't physically see him. Turning around, Mike started to make his way toward the Penguin Theatre. While he kept the need to get Nosy to follow him, he had an ulterior motive in the back of his mind.
Confessional: Is the back of the mind the back of the head?
Mike: Look, I know that a challenge is going on and that I need immunity pretty bad. But Nosy has dirt on everyone in the contest and then some, right? Maybe he has some dirt on me. I mean, think about it. I've been blacking out every single night and I can't remember how the eliminations go. If Nosy has dirt on what's going on, maybe I can sort it out with the others. It might sound like a complete long shot, but at this point, I'm willing to try anything.
(Mr. Coconut)
DESTINATION Mr. Coconut was briskly jogging toward where he assumed the Lab's main electricity boxes were. Inside of his envelope was a picture of a yellow skinned boy with shaggy blonde hair and two giant antennae out of his head. He was wearing a golden jacket with a bright white T-shirt. The nut quickly figured out where he needed to go and was headed straight there.
"Anyone with powers over electricity would be where the facilities main power source is," Mr. Coconut mused. "The letter obviously stresses Sparky's reliance on electric current and the need to shock things. What better place than the main electricity circuits? And what better place for the circuits than the center of the Labs. It's all a matter of thinking things through."
Mr. Coconut continued to quickly make his way toward the logical spot to where Sparky should be. As he progressed, the nut slowly began to notice that his suit was slowly moving... slower. Mr. Coconut frowned and brought his arm up, looking at it intently. He let out a groan, stopping in his tracks.
" #$%it. Of all times for my suit to run low on power, it had to be now," Mr. Coconut grumbled. "I could risk looking for Sparky, but I doubt I'd make it. Ugh... I'm having a moral dilemma. That is highly depressing on a number of levels." The nut paused for a moment before sighing loudly, turning around and bolting back to the main area.
"Hopefully I won't fall too far behind the others," Mr. Coconut muttered. "It's better to at least try and win then not winning at all. This better not cost me..."
Confessional: Last I checked, you didn't have to pay to be here.
Mr. Coconut: My suit actually has a long power strip if charged for a significant amount of time. Larry has a newer model so I bet his suit contains double the amount of power efficiency mine has. I typically charge it at night anyway but I've been neglecting it for a few days now. (Sighs.) Hopefully I'll be able to get to the start before my power runs completely out. It doesn't take my suit too long to charge, but it'd be long enough to set me back. And while I might not need immunity desperately, having it would definitely help.
(Noah)
Noah, unlike everyone else, was reading his book back in the courtyard, musing to himself. Lewis and Pinkie had both left to do some things while the contestants were off, leaving Noah alone. Noah was reading a particular page that made him frown.
"Why?" Noah grunted. "This book makes no sense. Why must my shortened life be so annoying?"
"Life is like that," Lea mused, walking up to Noah and sitting next to him. Noah made no acknowledgement to Lea's presence, which made Lea chuckle. "I don't recognize a lot of the remaining contestants, but I definitely have you memorized," Lea said. "Always so negative."
"No point in being positive. I mean, look at where my life went so far. Everyone here is completely stupid and useless and I'm going to die. There is nothing positive worth mentioning," Noah grumbled. "And don't use the Dakota card, because that won't work crap on me."
"Alright. But in all fairness, she does care about you. Might as well show her the same respect she shows you. Plus, last I checked, she'll need you for the next few rounds. Could you at least try winning immunity for her?" Lea asked.
Noah stopped reading and let out a sigh. "She thinks she needs me because the human mind has to rely on something," Noah said flatly. "She doesn't need me. She can get through this show without me. If I'm eliminated, so be it. I don't give a #$%. Dakota will survive without me."
"If you say so," Lea said, giving up on that conversation. "Moving on from that, I have a question about Latus for you. Since you defeated him, I thought you might have something to say about the whole situation."
"Shoot. I don't care."
"How potent can his fire get? I know you've been infected with it, and I was just curious and all."
"From my understanding a single flame can cause it, but not very quickly," Noah said. "If Latus grazed me with one flame, I would have maybe twenty more years opposed to the two or three I have now. But don't confuse heat with flame. He can cause severe burns to surfaces by touching them through heat, but burning them by fire is entirely different. You would know if you got burned."
After a slight pause, Noah decided to screw it and set his book aside. He pulled up his shirt and Lea visibly winced. Black, destroyed flesh covered Noah's torso, leaving it completely scared and burned. Noah let the shirt drop and sighed, shaking his head.
"To think all that time ago I thought I was going to die in contact with the flames," Noah muttered. "Heat hurts Lea, but flames burn. That's what Latus said to me all those nights ago. I honestly find it a little funny to be honest. I'm Latus' candlestick in a sense. Once I sputter out, he knows his end is close by. At least he'll know the person that killed him died alongside him."
Lea was silent for a moment before standing up. "Sounds like to me you did the right thing," Lea said. "You might have sacrificed yourself, but you've doomed a fallen angel. My whole life I've been dedicating my services to killing evil and aiding my friends in the destruction of those who wish harm upon others. You? You took a fallen angel out with no ulterior reason. You probably didn't even know who Latus was at the time. You just did it because you felt you had to. That's the spirit I wish I had. Got it memorized?"
Noah said nothing, staring blankly into space. "And here I thought you weren't sappy," he finally drawled. "But I guess being wrong is what I'm good at these days. Don't you have patrolling or something better to do?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just an expert on fire so I was just curious about Latus," Lea said, brushing it aside. "I'll leave you to the challenge you are so obviously ignoring. Take care."
Lea walked away, leaving Noah alone once again. After letting out an exasperated sigh, Noah turned to pick up his book again. However, as he went to do so, he found himself staring at a green skinned girl wearing an orange prison outfit with sharp teeth and pointed ears. She had light blonde hair and two small antenna poking from her head.
"What do we have here?" she said, flipping the pages of the book. She visibly blanched, shivering as she briefly read some of the contents. "What the heck are you kids reading now-a-days? This is complete garbage!"
"That's what I say about my life every day," Noah grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Depending on the person, yeah, no kidding. You probably are garbage, considering how hard you hide your books. But if they're as trashy as this crap, then your life is considerably more crappy," the girl grumbled. "Hey Clyde! I found the safe guy! He reads trash!"
"Cool!"
"No Clyde, that's bad!"
"Oh yeah, I totally knew that! Hey, did you know Lewis was back? He has a complete wardrobe of bathrobes with him!"
Noah, pinpointing the voice, turned around and saw a chubby boy with yellow skin. He was a lot taller than the girl and seemed to have more human features than her. However, the one kicker was his right arm, which was a cybernetic arm that was completely integrated into his nervous system. Noah himself didn't know that, but he could guess. Noah also took note that Clyde was outside the courtyard, which was probably done on purpose.
"No way! I love those things! But remember what Pleakly told us. 'We have to control our impulses despite how hard it is.' Might as well try."
"Sure Bonnie! Anything you say!"
Silence.
"Wanna steal the bathrobes?" Clyde asked a second later.
"Of course I do dummy! Let's get out of here!"
Bonnie jumped off the bench, looking over at Noah. "Hey, if you're ever interested in doing a job, just give us a call. We're not that hard to find," Bonnie said, walking off. "Oh, and say hi to that girl you keep talking to! She looks like a keeper, that's for sure!"
As the two patients walked off, Noah let out a sigh. "The fact I let the ticket to winning the challenge walk off shows how little I care about this show and everyone in it. Geez... I wonder how Dakota even handles me. I'm starting to get sick of my attitude, and I've been living with me for years."
Noah reached over to grab his book again before he paused. "Oh you've got to be kidding me..." Noah groaned. He reluctantly stood up and began to walk in the direction Bonnie and Clyde went off to. "I swear this show is out to get me..."
Confessional: Had to get him off his butt somehow!
Noah: I honestly think that the world should just speed up the process and kill me right this second. I want out of this contest and the next thing I know I'm following after two criminals to win a stupid challenge. (Sighs.) Ok, you know what? Maybe it's one of those cheesy plots that I force myself to read over and over. If I actually try, maybe I'll fail like I want and be eliminated. (Sighs.) I really miss Dakota's trivial complaints right now... it keeps me company.
(Scott)
Scott's interpretation of the challenge was very different than everyone else. He took one look at the picture and instantly went to the girl's bathroom. His picture was of a smaller sized girl with pink feathers mixed in with her red hair and some pink feathers on her skin. Her arms were covered in pink feathers, forming wings. She wore a red tank top and a pink and black skirt. Scott, of course, looked past all of that and was just hanging out upside down in a bathroom meant for the opposite gender.
"Hello everyone!" Scott chuckled, peeking through the stalls. "I'm looking for a girl named Hunkahunka! She's a demon of love and looks absolutely adorable. Is she in here so we can have some private fun time?" Scott let out a loud perverted giggle as he checked the next stall, coming out empty again.
"She's not in here."
"Gah!" Scott screamed in surprise, jumping back a little bit and turned. Maud was standing creepily in the doorway to the bathroom, staring at the boy with bored eyes. " #$%it you actually scared me," Scott breathed, smirking. "Pinkie's sister, right? You aren't my cup of tea, but I'll do you either way."
"You're not my type," Maud said flatly. "Nor are you interesting in any way. At least Lewis is a worthy adversary that can easily irk me at a moment's notice. You're just a sad excuse for a dirt farmer. Dirt forms rocks, and it's sad that you don't have the potential I thought you might have."
"I'm not hearing a no," Scott smirked.
"No."
"You're just saying that because..."
"Why did I even think this was a good idea?" Maud asked herself in monotone. "I'm going away. She's not in here. Get out."
Maud left the bathroom, leaving Scott alone. Scott stood there for a second before shrugging to himself and smirking. "She'll come around. They typically do, whether I force them or not," he chuckled, promptly leaving the bathroom, seeing no reason to stay there.
Confessional: Why would the bathroom be anyone's first impression?
Scott: Let's be honest with ourselves. Girls like to collectively gather in bathrooms. It's a logical place to check, just ask science. Sure, I'm giving into a little pleasure since I can't mess with Dawn right now, but that's bound to change! Once we eliminate everyone she loves, then I can feel free to mess with her again! It's really just a win-win on my part, so I'll just kick back and relax until that point comes!
(Tyler)
After opening his envelope, Tyler could instantly recognize the type of person Kixx was and exactly where to find him. The person in the picture was a hairy guy, with short cut purple hair and thick purple mutton chops. He had dark skin and thick, giant arms. He also appeared to have another set of arms below his first set. He wore no shirt, revealing mass amounts of muscles.
"I've seen a lot of talented people in my day," Tyler chuckled, jogging quickly. "But in all honesty, this guy is the strongest looking person I know. Where else would this guy be other than a gym?"
After a few moments Tyler stopped his jogging, a big smile creeping onto his face. He was in front of a giant gym, which appeared to be the type of place Kixx would hang out. Tyler was about to walk inside when, suddenly, a dummy came flying out of the door and hit a wall across the street, giving out a monotone 'Ow'.
Tyler gave a wince, even though it was merely an inanimate object. However, so was Mr. Coconut, and Tyler considered it to be the same situation. He was about to go grab it when someone said, "Don't worry about it. It was specifically designed to withstand my punches."
Tyler turned around and gasped when he saw it was Kixx standing behind him. He was wearing a pair of purple shorts and he appeared to have more muscles than the picture showed. Tyler let out a squee with a blissful look on his face, grinning ear to ear. Kixx raised an eyebrow and backed away for a moment.
"That wasn't weird at all," Kixx said, completely weirded out. "Can I help you?"
"Sorry, sorry! I was admiring the muscles!" Tyler said, flexing. "I have complete muscle envy. I'm Tyler, I'm participating in Total Drama. The challenge is for me to bring back one of the patients so my quest led me here."
"Oh. You came to the right place then," Kixx chuckled. "I'm Kixx, the best boxer on the property. Pleasure to meet you. Now, how can I be of assistance in your challenge?"
"I just need you to follow me," Tyler said. "Once we get back to the courtyard, then you can come back and do what you do."
Kixx thought about it for a moment before smiling. "Sounds good. But, before we go, I have a little challenge for you. How would you like to spar with me for a bit? Once we have a little match, then we can go and finish your challenge. Sound good?"
Tyler seemed to physically beam in pure happiness at that statement. Kixx beckoned for Tyler to follow, to which the jock happily did so, looking forward to the match that was ahead of him.
Confessional: Boxes are boxing!
Tyler: This is sweet! I found Kixx, who is probably a great role model for kids by the way, and he's willing to spar with me! Who wouldn't love today?! Wait until I win the challenge too! That would make today so much more awesome! (Tyler let's out a sigh of happiness.)
(Vallowsmeir)
The demonic puppet was briskly walking toward the hotel, knowing precisely where the person he was looking for. Val was smirking when he spotted Fibber standing in front of the hotel, watching Val intently as the demon walked up to him. Val towered over the boy with a loud chuckled, shaking in pleasure.
"Didn't take you long," Fibber said simply. "My educated guess would be that, as king of demons, you can track and locate any demon in the area based upon their set of powers. If this isn't the case, then I'm greatly impressed with your finding skills. If it is the case, I have merely one word for you."
"And that word would be?" Val asked.
"Cheater."
"Then I'm a cheater," Val chuckled. "Now then, I have a particular challenge to win. You are bound by the rules of this show to follow me. Whether you like me or not, you must follow me. And if you refuse, I will hurt you."
"That sounds... terrible, actually," Fibber said, shaking his head. "Val, you're a demon. I'm half demon. I'm not going to scoot around the lines and play dumb, because let's face it, it's not my style. You don't like my type. Frankly, I love a lot of people here and who I am. You might not, but that's your opinion, not mine, and I won't change that."
"You're boring me," Val said, his voice pitching in anger.
"Whether you think you're in charge or not, the fact of the matter is, you're not," Fibber said simply. "I am allowed to hinder you in any capacity that I see fit. So, I chose to hinder you like so. You must answer a question I have with absolute truth. Until you do, we will walk around the facility on my terms. We will go nowhere close to the courtyard until you answer my question with complete truth."
Val's face twitched, obviously growing angrier. "Fine, so be it," Val grumbled. "But mark my words. I will kill you when this facade drops. You will die. I will make sure you die. You will end, and that, Fibber, is a promise."
Fibber sat silent for a moment. When he did not beep, he nodded. "You mean that statement with truth. I'll keep that in mind," Fibber said. "My question to you is simple. You've hated Izzy since the start of this contest. You've wanted to kill her since the start. So, I ask you this. If I return to you to the courtyard, will you promise to never lay a single finger on Izzy in your entire lifetime?"
"Yes, I won't ever hurt Izzy."
BLARGH!
Fibber smirked as Val scowled angrily at him. "As you can hear, you just lied," Fibber said. "Any hidden intent, any doubt, any hesitance, I detect it. That statement was not a true statement, and thus, we will not be returning to the courtyard at this time. If you would follow me, I'd like to go on a walk before I ask you again."
Fibber stood up and began to walk off, whistling to himself. Val clenched his fists angrily, wanting to desperately kill him. If I kill Fibber, it'll give me away, Val thought. I have to buy time for Pink. Right now though, she doesn't have a lot of it.
Confessional: Does anyone have enough time?
Vallowsmeir: (Looks enraged.) HOW DARE THE INFERIOR SCUM DEFY ME! I CONTROL HIS FATHER! I RULE OVER HIS FAMILY! HE IS A TAINTED LITTLE #$% THAT DESERVES TO PERISH IN A FIREY INFERNO! (Breaths.) Fibber is a little piece of #$% that deserves nothing. He will end with his blood on my hands. Until then... I'll have to live with him and his annoying little game he's playing.
(Staff Area)
As the challenge went on without a hitch, Lewis, Pinkie, Jumba, and Maud were all gathered in the main staff building at a table. Each one had a set of cards with a big stack of cards in the middle. Pinkie had the most amount of pairs beneath her hands, having twenty pairs. Jumba had three and Maud and Lewis had none. The cards they were playing with had pictures of the patients instead of being regular playing cards.
"Maud," Pinkie said, staring at Maud with intensity. "Do you have any... Hecklers?"
"Yeah. Here," Maud said, handing Pinkie the card.
"Hmm... Lewis," Jumba said, shuffling his cards in his hands. "You don't happen to have Patient 501, do you?"
"Go fish," Lewis said, making Jumba sigh. "You know, I never understood why you referred to us by patient number instead of our names. Is there a reason for it?"
"Well, I use the numbering system so that I don't get too attached to the patients," Jumba explained. "It's why I work with Reuben so closely. He gets to know them on a personal level while I focus on their abilities and how to best help them. I remember a select few patient's names, just because I need to work closely with them."
"I guess that makes sense. I was just curious why you always referred to me as Patient 630," Lewis shrugged. "Maud, any Richters?"
"Fish," Maud said in monotone. "Because that's how boring you are. Fish are nowhere close to being as fascinating as rocks. Lewis, do you have any of yourself in your hand?" Lewis frowned, giving Maud the card he had just picked up. Maud laid down the pair and looked over at Lewis. "Proof that I am better than you. Ha. Ha. Ha."
"Pinkie, while I love you above all else, I despise your sister," Lewis muttered.
"More or less than Scott?" Maud asked.
There was a brief silence, enough to notice Lewis' pause. However, he quickly recovered and said, "Less. Scott will forever be my least favorite person in the world, especially after what he did to my niece. Bart doesn't even reach as low as Scott does."
"Do you want to kill Bart?"
Lewis was quiet again, staring carefully at Maud. The two continuously stared at each other, the awkwardness in the room rising to intense levels. Pinkie glanced nervously between her husband and her sister and coughed. "So, um... that weather, right?"
"You just made the situation far more awkward than it was," Jumba said simply.
"Maud," Lewis said, ignoring Pinkie's statement. "Bart disowned me. He stole my spot in my mom's will, killed my father, and almost did unspeakable things to Pinkie. He's done terrible, terrible things, to both me directly and to other people. But, Maud, he did not rape my niece. So, to answer your question, yes, I would kill Bart. But I'd kill Scott over Bart any day of my life."
Silence.
"That weather sure looks great!"
"Pinkie, stop," Jumba said.
Maud continued to look at Lewis before resting back in her chair. "You really should keep your anger in check Lewis," Maud said flatly. "I heard what you said to Mr. Grills last night. Keep yourself in control."
"What did you say last night? You just told me that he gave you a promotion," Pinkie asked, now curious despite her attempts to defuse the situation.
"Nothing, nothing," Lewis said, standing up, sighing. "I might have lost control and threatened Mr. Grills that I would kill Scott if he didn't arrest him. I shouldn't have said it, but I've been struggling with Bean for some reason and I'm unsure as to why. If you don't mind, I forfeit. I just need to relax a bit before we wrap up the challenge. Talk to you later?"
RAGE "Of course silly. Anytime you need me," Pinkie said. Lewis nodded and walked off, leaving the three alone. Pinkie glanced at Jumba, a worried look on her face. "Did he ever act like this before when he was a patient here?"
"Not to my knowledge. He did spend increasingly amounts of time with Patient 032, or 'Fibber' as he's known. I'd ask Pleakly about it, since Lewis was in his E.A.R.W.A.X. program," Jumba mused. "But, more often than not, Lewis was more or less how he normally acts. Perhaps someone or something here is triggering Bean and making Lewis feel angrier than he normally is."
"Maybe," Pinkie sighed. "Hopefully we figure out what it is. Lewis is no fun when he's angry."
"Does this mean you'll divorce him and make me a happy sister?" Maud asked.
"No silly! Still love him to pieces!"
"Darn," Maud said om a disappointed monotone.
(Beth)
Beth had obediently followed Finder's directions and had crossed the bridge he told her to. Beth had turned right and continued down the path until she found a giant rock. She was expecting to see Snafu standing on top of it, like Finder said. However, when she got there, she let out a loud groan, nearly tearing her hair out.
The rock was standing before Beth, like Finder had told her. However, Snafu was not standing on top of it. Instead, a statue that looked completely identical to the picture Beth had of Snafu stood on top of the rock instead. A note was written on the rock in spray-paint, which Beth nearly screamed her voice away at the sight of it.
You just got punked.
-Snafu
" #$% you Finder!" Beth cursed angrily. "Ugh, I should have known those directions were complete #$%. Well, I guess he was technically right, but he was probably in on it. #$% all the stupid #$% bags in this #$% laboratory..."
"Hey, that's not very nice. I spend a lot of time trolling people around here. You're just extra fun to troll because your goal is to find me. I'm not a very easy guy to find you know."
"Huh?" Beth said, looking around. "Is that you Snafu? Quit being a #$% #$% and come out! I'm not playing this #$% game of yours #$%it! Where the #$% are you so I can wring your neck and drag you back to the #$% courtyard?!"
"Wow. That sincerely touched my heart," the voice said. "Ok, you've won me over! I'm sitting on the other side of the closest tree to your right. Come and get me and we'll be on our very merry way!"
Beth muttered angrily and walked around the tree. Sure enough, Snafu was standing behind the tree, leaning against it innocently. Beth angrily started to march toward him, but as she took a few steps, she heard a very distinct SQUISH. Stopping dead in her tracks, Beth looked down and saw her feet... in a bunch of cement. Groaning angrily, Beth tried to lift her feet out, but the cement had completely dried, making Beth scream angrily, glaring over at Snafu, who was chuckling to himself.
"Wow. I have to thank PJ for that one," Snafu said, standing up straight and began to walk off. "Don't worry, no lasting damage to your feet will occur. It's peel off quick dry cement. It'll randomly become rubber in ten minutes, give or take three hours. Just enough time for me to scram. Nice trolling you."
Snafu backed up from Beth and disappeared in a patch of grass. Beth continued to glare at the particular patch of grass for ten minutes before trying to move her feet. When they didn't move, Beth let out a very loud scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..."
Confessional: OW!
Beth: ...RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGG! Curse that blasted piece of #$%! I swear, by the end of today, I will have made sure that he will learn to never mess with me EVER AGAIN! YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU TROLLED BETH, SNAFU! YOU WILL BEG FOR MY MERCY!
(Bridgette)
Bridgette was currently wandering around a particular street, glancing up at certain signs, sighing to herself whenever she did. She continued to make her way forward, glancing up at signs and merely sighing in complete failure. "Come on... I know I took Finder's hint the right way. Where is it?" Bridgette grumbled.
Bridgette continued to search the buildings by looking intently at the signs. She continued to let out sighs as she passed each one, shaking her head. After taking one last turn, she let out one final sigh and sat on the ground, shaking her head. "This is pointless. No way am I going to find Yin. I might as well just give up..."
"Hmph. Giving up is like hot soup. It burns far too much," someone said in a gruff voice. Bridgette looked up and saw a dark skinned guy with hands that were black with orange glowing lines all across them. He had black hair and two decent sized mounds on opposite sides of his head, matching the color on his hands. He was wearing an orange tank top and blue shorts. "Giving up is a poor way to show self-confidence."
"What's the point though? I have no idea where I'm going, I'm not even playing this game by my own rules anymore, and there's someone here who despises me because of things I wasn't a part of," Bridgette sighed. "What's the point of moving forward when none of my options are any good?"
"Your fault you got there in the first place," the boy grunted bluntly. Bridgette blinked in shock at his words and the boy smirked. "Stung huh? But think about it. You're in this situation because you made some wrong choices. Sure, you feel bad for them now, but wallowing in them doesn't do anything for you. Just face it head on and burn your way past them. That's how you have to handle your problems, not just lay around so you can be beat up by people who think they are better than you."
Bridgette was quiet for a moment before smiling. "You're right. I need to quit being a wet blanket and take things head on! Thanks," Bridgette smiled. "Hey, I know you guys aren't supposed to help me, but... do you know where a spa is around here?" The boy instantly burst out laughing, making Bridgette frown slightly. "What's so funny?"
"Look behind you," he said, pointing. Bridgette turned and blinked, seeing that the spa she was desperately trying to find was, in fact, behind her. "You were so focused on your problems you couldn't see the solution. Stop wallowing in the shallows! Bring the heat and don't hold back."
"Thank you so much!" Bridgette said, grinning. "I didn't catch your name."
"Yang. My half-sister and I run the spa," Yang chuckled, heading for the doors. "I got a call from my sister saying someone was here to see me. Come on in, I'll help you find what you're looking for."
Yang beckoned Bridgette to follow him into the spa, which she did with a smile on her face. The two walked in and Bridgette follow Yang as he led her past the misty entrance and down a few hallways before they came to a steamy pool. In the room was a girl who Bridgette recognized as Yin... but her eyes immediately met with Katie's. Bridgette stopped in her tracks and the two girls stared at each other in awkward silence.
"Um... is this normal?" Yin asked awkwardly.
"What do I know? I'm a guy. These type of problems are not my cup of tea in the slightest. Keep me out of it, and we'll be golden," Yang grumbled.
Confessional: Golden like sunshine!
Bridgette: Um... so the girl who thinks I'm her enemy is in the same place I am. That's a whole lot of bad luck. (Sighs and then thinks about it for a moment.) Wait... maybe this is a good thing. Yang told me to face my problems and take it head on. Maybe I should quit being a wuss and just take it. I don't always need Larry to help me, right? I can face my problems alone, once and for all. I just hope I can do it...
(Dakota)
The mutant girl had walked across the street and walked inside the salon. When she did so, she heard a sweet voice say, "Hang on a moment! I'll be right there!" Dakota nodded although no one was there to see and looked around. It seemed to be a simple hair salon, but Dakota noticed something curious on the wall. Curious, the girl walked over to it, looking it over.
On the wall was a lot of pictures, each one containing two people. Each one had a girl with blonde hair done in pigtails with pink bows on each one. She wore a yellow blouse and blue tattered shorts and pink sandals. Her hands looked peculiar, as they had normal fingers, but something about the fingers looked off. Next to her in each photo was a person with a styled haircut, smiling next to the girl.
"Every customer I've ever had," said the voice Dakota heard earlier. The girl turned and so the girl in the photos smiling behind the counter. "Doing hair relaxes me. It brings me great joy to look back at all the customers I've ever had."
"We all have something that calms us," Dakota smiled. Looking at the girl in person, Dakota instantly saw what was weird about her hands. Her fingers were all thin, almost like razorblades. It didn't look wrong at the right angle, but Dakota could definitely see it from where she was standing.
Clip looked at Dakota for a moment before her smile widened. "You bought my jacket!" Clip said, beaming. "I didn't think it would sell! I mean, who wants to buy a jacket made completely of human hair? It's not something most people want to buy really!"
"I love it!" Dakota smiled. "I took one look and I was in love. It really is a great piece of art. You should make more of them, really!"
Clip blushed, smiling gratefully. "Thank you so much!" she giggled. "I've had to miss some of the meetings because I've been literally starving. I don't know why, I'm typically on a strict schedule on when I have to eat, but I just couldn't stop eating since a few nights ago. It was really weird!"
Dakota thought about that statement for a moment before something clicked. "Your dad is a Hair Lord, right?" Dakota asked. "Pleakly told me about it. Do you feed on human hair?"
"Yep!" Clip giggled. "My anatomy is closer to that of a human, but unlike a human, who can't digest hair, my anatomy is set up so I can only digest hair. It also works in a sense that I don't have to eat that often. A plate of hair lasts me three days, maybe five if I have seconds. I've been eating nonstop though, which is weird for me."
"Bodies are weird, especially for us girls. It's probably something random, I wouldn't worry too much about it," Dakota smiled.
"Makes sense!" Clip giggled. "So are you here for an appointment? I'm free right now if you'd like!"
"No, no, I'm actually here to... on second thought, my hair is a bit long," Dakota admitted, feeling her long green hair. "I'm totally up for something new. Alright, sure, give me a haircut!"
"Goodie!" Clip giggled. "If you don't mind, can I go freestyle on you? I know you might not trust me to do that, but I do my best work if you let me do my thing."
"Go for it. I can't wait to see how it turns out," Dakota smiled.
Confessional: Did any of you remember that Dakota still has orange skin and green hair?
Dakota: (Her hair is now shorter, just above the shoulder, and two bangs are curls on the side of her face. She has a huge smile on her face.) Clip is totally my kind of girl. I learned that her mom was also a hair stylist and that's how her mom and dad met. Her dad was super hungry and he ran into Clip's mom and they made an arrangement for her to supply him with hair. She's also one of the few people here who meets and has regular conversations with her demon parent. She's a really sweet girl and it was really nice meeting her. Plus, do you like my hair? She's right, she does do her best work when she follows her heart. (Dakota giggled, her smile so big it filled the entire confessional.)
(Dawn)
It had been quite a while since Digger had told Dawn to wait, and Dawn was still meditating outside of the mine. Richter had not made any appearance outside of the main mine and Backhoe still stood guard. Dawn was still feeling off about the situation, unsure why it was taking so long when Digger told her that Richter would be out of the mine soon. Finally, the moonchild stood up and walked back to the mine entrance.
"Are you sure he'll be out soon?" Dawn asked Backhoe, who was the only one currently digging at the entrance as Digger had to enter the mine for some reason. "I really need to hurry and finish this challenge. I'm not really a target or anything, but immunity helps."
"Uh, I think so. Digger said he'd be out any minute," Backhoe said simply. "I can't be too sure though. That was a long time ago. I do remember he told me not to let you in the mine. He was very clear about that, yep."
Dawn nodded, biting her lip quietly. Backhoe's back was to her and he was focusing on digging a hole some ways away from the entrance. Quietly, Dawn slowly began to sneak toward the entrance, lightly stepping on the ground. She managed to get super close to the entrance and was about to run into the mine when Digger exited, a smile on his face. However, upon seeing Dawn, he frowned slightly.
"What did I tell you? You can't enter the mine. That simple," Digger said simply. "There are things down there that can damage your health, and we don't want to be responsible. Richter will be out soon, I promise you."
If Dawn was looking away for a second, she would have missed Digger's aura. However, she immediately saw that in his aura Digger's true thoughts. It's a harmless lie. Richter has his reasons. Who am I to defy him? Lewis needs to learn a lesson, and that's what we're giving him.
Dawn didn't even remember what happened next.
When she came to, she groaned, having a splitting headache. Blinking, she saw Digger was rubbing his head, also having a massive headache from the looks of it. Backhoe was still digging, oblivious to what was going on. Digger was glaring at Dawn before stepping out of the mine and stepping aside, glaring hateful darts to her.
"I've only ever had one headache that bad, and that was when Amnesio blanked my memory on accident," Digger said angrily. "Fine. You want to hear the hard truth? Git in there. Richter won't be nearly as kind as I was being."
Dawn nodded, flinching that she had given Digger a headache. "I'm really sorry," Dawn said. "I don't know what came over me. If it makes you feel better, I got one too. I'm really, really sorry."
"Whatever. Git, before I change my mind," Digger grumbled. Dawn nodded and walked into the mine, walking quickly. She knew she heard Digger said, "Ungrateful little #$%," but she didn't think much of it.
After walking some ways into the mine, she quickly round Richter, who slammed his giant purple tail into the ground, causing a mini earthquake. Rocks fell and cracked, causing Richter to chuckle to himself. Dawn smiled sweetly and walked forward. However, after a few steps, Richter groaned, grabbing his head, as if he got a splitting headache. Dawn paused, taking a few steps back.
This isn't me, Dawn thought to herself. I can't influence the mind, just nature around me. But Digger had a splitting headache, Richter has a splitting headache, and they only happen when I'm around. Who else... oh...
" #$% rocks. Must have bonked me on the head," Richter cursed, shaking his head. As he shook, he caught a glance at Dawn and paused. Letting out a sigh, Richter shook his head, muttering under his breath. "You got past Digger and Backhoe, even though I specifically told them to tell you the mine was dangerous," Richter muttered.
"I just needed you for a moment," Dawn said. "I need you to help me win this challenge. It won't be for long, I promise. Then you can come back to work and we can..."
"No."
"Huh? But..."
"Dawn, I was trying to do this the nice way," Richter said flatly. "But I guess I have to get mean because you aren't used to being denied what you want."
"What are you..."
"I'm not going with you," Richter said flatly. "The challenge, from what I know, says I can hinder you in any way I so desire. I wish you didn't have me because I'm the only one who would probably do this to you. You are spoiled, far beyond the normal person. Normally, I wouldn't say anything, because I know you well, and I have no ill will against you. But, when it comes to this contest... it's rigged for you."
"But I never wanted..."
"It doesn't matter," Richter said, interrupting her. "The point is, it's still rigged. Lewis loves you. Everyone is afraid to vote you off because it'd peeve off Lewis. Heck, Scott doesn't lay a finger on you because you're still a precious little toy to him. No one in this contest is targeting you because they're afraid to."
Dawn was silent, saying nothing. Finally, she said, "I never wanted this Richter. Lewis is here because he loves me, yes. But that's not stopping people from voting me off. They can and I wouldn't care. I'd get to see Alejandro again. Being voted off wouldn't be a problem with me. I just haven't been a target."
"And that, is why, this show is rigged," Richter said simply. "I'm not attacking you as a person. You are an amazing young girl. But, if I'm involved in any challenges, I will make sure you lose them. I'm sorry, but Lewis needs to understand this bias he has for you is wrong. Wait outside the mine and I'll walk you there so you can at least not lose. But I'm not helping you win."
Dawn nodded, saying nothing, completely understanding where Richter is coming from. She turned and started to leave before stopping. "Sorry for the headache," Dawn said. "My fault. I accidently did it to Digger too. The baby doesn't know how to control its powers yet." And with that, Dawn left.
Confessional: Control that temper!
Dawn: (Sighs, shaking her head.) So I'm going to end up losing the challenge. It doesn't really matter though, because Richter's right. Maybe people don't want to vote me off because they're scared on what Lewis might do to them. (Sighs.) I didn't mean for people to think badly of me because of my uncle. I love him and I need him... but I don't want people to fear him. I don't really know what to do now...
(Ezekiel)
The prairie boy continued to walk near the border of the Labs, still looking around the heavily forested area. He figured he was getting close when he saw an abandoned fishing pole that was only made of a stick and a little string. According to the note, Retro had the ability to turn objects and people to their primitive state and judging by the fishing pole, it was pretty primitive.
"I'm still confused what makes things primitive eh," Zeke mused to himself. "I mean, if Retro were to get a motorcycle, would it turn into a bicycle? Or would it turn into a wooden thing? I'm just a little confused on how the whole thing works eh."
Zeke continued to go forward until he came to a stop. There was an obvious path in front of him, but as he was coming from the forest and not an actual path, he was at a fork, unsure which way to go. However, lucky for Zeke, a sign made completely out bones in front of him. Zeke walked over and took a look at the sign.
Don't touch the T-Rex. Come see me before you do something stupid. -Retro
"T-Rex? How the heck did that end up a thing eh?" Zeke blinked. The sign was pointing to the right, so he assumed that Retro was in that direction. "Some things just don't make sense to me. But maybe that's a good thing eh. Better than to not understand than to get a headache over it."
Zeke continued to walk for a moment, edgily looking for the alleged T-Rex that was roaming around. After walking a good distance, he came across a boy talking to a small reptile like thing, clicking and hissing in what Zeke assumed was a different language. Zeke recognized the boy as Retro from the picture Lewis had given him, making Zeke smiled a little.
"Hey eh," Zeke said, getting the boy's attention. Retro made a few more hissing noises and the reptile seemed to nod. Retro looked up and offered Zeke a weak smile. "Are you Retro?"
"Indeed I am," he sighed. "Let me guess, you want to pet the T-Rex? Hang on, let me call her..."
"No, no," Zeke said. "I'm from Total Drama eh. I've been assigned to find you and bring you back to the starting point. It's for a challenge. If your busy, I can wait eh."
Retro stared at Zeke for a few moments before his eyes widened. "Oh! You're Zeke. I can't believe I didn't recognize you. You're by far one of the most intriguing people I've ever seen. I specialize in primal behavior, and your feralness was fascinating."
Zeke blinked, surprised. "I don't know eh. A lot of people didn't like me as a gross, disgusting human eh. I wasn't sure I liked myself much either. I had a simple mind and I was driven by an instinct I couldn't ignore. I'd rather be the normal person I am now eh."
"I've always been fascinated with how much humans have evolved," Retro mused. "Stich typically lets me study him, since he's the most normal patient that's ever been here. Heck, he's a healthy, advanced human. No demon part of him whatsoever. It's why he's such a good person to experiment on to see how primitive humans can get."
"Well, it wasn't really fun for me eh," Zeke told him. "It's not something I would ever wish upon anyone. You aren't... real, eh. Instinct is who are you and it's not something that I would ever want to revert to. If it's something interesting to you though, keep studying it eh. I just didn't enjoy that state of mind."
"Completely understood," Retro nodded. "Well, I have nothing holding me from helping you on your challenge. Mind if I let Hell come along? She doesn't like being alone."
"You named your dinosaur Hell?" Zeke asked curiously.
"That's what she gives you if you leave her alone for too long. I thought it was fitting," Retro shrugged.
Confessional: Plus, Hell is referred to being a woman in several cultures!
Ezekiel: You know, I really wasn't proud of my feral state, but it had its perks eh. I didn't like the mental state and not being able to act for myself, but I was able to do things I normally wasn't, like hunt for food and survive in the world. I wouldn't ever go back to that form eh, but it did teach me a few things that have made my life better. I guess I don't regret it, but I didn't enjoy it eh.
(Izzy)
After her chat with Discord, Izzy had continued to bounce away toward her goal. It didn't take long for her to come to a giant clock tower. Right as she got to the tower, a distinct sound came from the tower, making Izzy giggle.
TOOT!
"Aw! He knows I'm coming! And he also made everything think it was one o'clock. Oh well! He knows I'm here!" Izzy giggled, walking into a small door into the inner workings of the clock. It was a room full of working gears and a set of stairs right in front of her. Izzy started to walk up the stairs, which ran up the big clock face. "Yaarp! I know you're in here!"
TOOOOOOOOT!
"Now everyone thinks it's two o'clock!" Izzy giggled. A rope next to the stairway Izzy was on dropped down, making Izzy giggle. A boy wearing a turquoise jacket and a white undershirt and turquoise jeans slid down the rope smirking at Izzy. He had two pairs of arms and had green hair that was done in a giant curl. "You're screwing up the time Yaarp!"
TOOOT!
Yaarp's hair, briefly during the noise, formed a small horn. However, as soon as the sound stopped, his hair went back to normal. "You know I don't give crap about time when I see an old friend running toward me," Yaarp chuckled. "Race me to the door?"
"You're on!" Izzy giggled.
Yaarp continued to slide down the rope, tooting as he did so. Izzy, giggling to herself, dove off the side of the stairwell, diving down a lot faster than gravity dictated. Yaarp merely blinked as Izzy passed him and hit the floor of the base of the clock tower. When Izzy landed, she did so perfectly in her feet, dusting herself off as if it was nothing.
"Yaarp! I won! Stop screwing up time!" Izzy said, right as Yaarp reached the end of the rope. Yaarp scowled playfully before chuckling. Izzy smiled to herself, beaming on the inside.
Confessional: That was random.
Izzy: I do stupid stuff like that all the time! (Giggles.) Especially when people aren't doing their jobs! You had one job Yaarp! Just one job! Anyway, Yaarp agreed to come with me, so now I just need to find Swirly, who should be wandering around senselessly. But, if I know me, I have the least sense I know! He should be a cinch to find.
(Katie)
"Wait, so you started surfing when you were two?"
"Yeah! My dad was this big shot surfer when he was younger. Since I was going to be his only child because of complications with my pregnancy, he decided to teach me young. And guess what? Here I am now."
"Wow! Sadie and I tried surfing once when her family went down to Hawaii for vacation, but we always ended up in the water. We ended up with so many mouthfuls of sand we just quit and never looked back."
"That's the kicker. If you judge a surfer by how many waves they've surfed, you'll find a selfish git. If you judge a surfer by how many mouthfuls of sand they've gotten, you'll find yourself a dedicated member of society. My dad taught me that."
"Huh. I never thought of it like that before."
Katie and Bridgette were both in a small room with two tables. The girls were lying face down as Yang was giving them a gentle massage, sending heat to his hands to make the girls relax even more. Bridgette and Katie were having a very deep conversation, despite the giant elephant in the room both knew was there.
"Sometimes it takes a statement you don't expect to motivate someone," Bridgette said. She was silent for a moment, thinking about her words. "It also takes a big girl to make an adult choice. When I was little, my dad always helped me decided what I wanted to do with my life. I've made my own choices, but I've always gotten his advice. If my dad were here, I'm sure I would be scolded a lot for the choices I've made."
Bridgette let out a breath, glancing over at Katie. "Look, what I did to DJ wasn't right. I realized that now. Larry has helped me come to terms with my mistakes and I need to move on. You might not ever trust me again, and Katie, I understand that. I don't deserve to be trusted. But please know that I am deeply, humbly, sorry."
Katie was quiet for a long moment before a small smile came onto her face. "Bridgette, I've dedicated today into relaxing," she said. "I don't care about the challenge; I don't care about the elimination. I just wanted today to be all about me. But... I think relaxing today has led me to you. I think that I need to move on and just focus on bettering myself. I don't think I will ever trust you, and I'm still mad at you for what you did... but I forgive you."
Bridgette smiled slightly. "Thank you," she said. "I'll try to gain more trust from you as I try to redeem myself. Until then, I think I'll just sit here and relax. I mean, I found Yin, so I can leave whenever and still be good."
"Same, only I have Yang," Katie smiled. "I think it's funny we ran into the opposite sibling we were supposed to find. What are the odds of that happening?"
"Slim," Yang answered gruffly. "Totally didn't plan on it for once. But hey, I'm a strong believer in fate, so whatever."
Confessional: Fate is as strong and those you share it with.
Katie: Sure, Bridgette hurt me by stealing my boyfriend. I understand it was completely one sided and DJ wasn't involved, but it still really hurt me. But... after relaxing today, I realized maybe I took it too hard. I should have recognized that she's trying to change and not try and hurt her more. (Sighs.) The things you see in hindsight, huh? But, I still have a mini grudge against her. I might have forgiven her, but she still has to earn my trust. She hasn't quite gotten there yet.
Bridgette: (Lets out a loud sound of relief.) I might not be completely trustworthy, but being forgiven is a small and necessary step. If I keep trying to gain everyone's trust, I might be redeemable soon enough. (Smiles.) Now I only have to worry about being blackmailed. I mean, Katie and Larry already know, plus Mal and Scott, but it's this kind of thing that could easily get me eliminated. I'm glad Katie has forgiven me and all, but if she still has a chance to vote me off, she could easily take it.
(Larry)
The head's suit was still running as far away from the courtyard as physically possible against Larry's will. Larry attempted to control the movements as he did his whole life, but thanks to Phantasmo, he was a sitting duck in his own body. The suit continued to run forward, eventually coming to a large lake.
"Curious," Phantasmo said, Larry's suit stopping. "Your suit's battery hasn't dropped at all since I've possessed you. Maybe it's feeding off my life energy. Must be! Like the walk Larry? You used to take long walks before the contest, correct?"
"Yes, but I'd prefer it you don't read my suit's logs," Larry grumbled. "Those are private. Can we please return to the plaza? I'm at your mercy right now and I desperately need to try and win this challenge. So, if you don't mind, turn around."
"I haven't even told you why I brought you out here!" Phantasmo giggled, his head appearing right in front of Larry's head. Phantasmo turned and made Larry's hand point forward. Larry looked to where he was pointing and saw a stack of surf boards, thirteen by the look of it. "I saw Foxy moving those yesterday during the previous challenge."
"So?"
"I know for a fact that Cannonball, Sinker, Yin, and Richter were all talked to yesterday by a member of the staff," Phantasmo giggled. "Plus, I've also caught Lea tinkering with the nut's suit. Water proof settings, by the look of it."
"What's your point?"
Larry sat and watched as Phantasmo used Larry's arm to reach down into a bush. After feeling around for a moment, the hand pulled back, revealing the Bart Idol in hand. "Let's just say that water and suits don't mix," Phantasmo giggled. "I would hate for some well-made toys to malfunction. Play this on Mr. Coconut tomorrow. His suit is more prone to malfunction than yours."
"Why help me?" Larry asked. "All you see me as is a toy. Why go through the trouble of trying to aid me in the game?"
"Who said I was helping you win? For all you know, I'm setting you up to lose," Phantasmo giggled. "All I want is my toys to be preserved. That's all I want out of the deal. Anything else doesn't matter to me in the slightest. Come now. Let's get back to the start, shall we?" Phantasmo gripped the idol tight and made the suit run forward, leaving Larry to think things over in his head.
Confessional: Toys are fun if played with correctly!
Larry: (Seems to be thinking about something.) I have the Bart Idol to play on Mr. Coconut. If I remember correctly, the Bart Idol sits one person out and prevents them from voting at that night's elimination. If Phantasmo's hints are true, then if we have a water challenge tomorrow, his suit is in danger of malfunction. And since he relies on his suit more so than I do... maybe playing the idol on him isn't such a bad idea. Plus, he isn't exactly on our side, so if he doesn't vote, we have less opposition to worry about.
(Mike)
After a short walk from where he previously was on the street, Mike found himself in front of the Penguin Theatre, nodding to himself in satisfaction. Mike walked forward and pushed open the doors, finding himself immediately in a sort of auditorium. Mike quickly found that he was one of the only ones in the theatre, with a few others being scattered around in seats. Currently on the stage was an orange skinned boy with a cone shaped hair and a few strands of orange hair. As Mike entered, the boy on stage looked directly at him, smirking.
"Oi, look at the cat dragged in," he said with a smirk. "No, literally! This guy looks like a cat had to drag him everywhere because he's lazier than the cat!"
The few members in the audience burst out laughing while Mike scowled, personally offended. The boy said a few more insults as Mike sat down, making Mike's scowl deepen after every one. The boy soon turned his attention to someone else right as Mike sat down, making Mike sigh in relief.
"Heckler might insult you, but even he has dirt on him that can get him to shut up," came a voice next to him. Mike glanced to the side and noticed that he had taken a seat next to Nosy, who he recognized from the picture. "Heckler's more of a pawn demon, born to one of the lesser breeds. He's supposedly supposed to weaken one's self esteem through insults, which allow poltergeists and other demons be allowed to possess people. It's quite effective, but Heckler is one giant softy once you get past the insults. Don't tell him that came from me though."
"I won't take it personally," Mike said, obviously not meaning that statement. "So, I'm sort of doing this challenge, and I think that I'm supposed to..."
"Bring me back to the starting line so you can win?" Nosy said, smirking when he saw Mike blink. "I told you over the intercom, I hear everything. I know things you would only ever dream to know."
Mike thought about this statement for a moment before slowly nodding. "Yeah, about that," he said nervously. "You said you had recorders all over Not-So-Silent Hill. By any chance... did you happen to pick up anything on me?"
"Depends on who you are," Nosy said. "I know you're a contestant on Total Drama and you know Lewis pretty well, but we haven't exactly been properly introduced."
"Oh, I'm Mike. I sort of voted off my ex-girlfriend a few episodes ago," Mike said awkwardly.
"Oh, that's who you are! Boy, do I have dirt on you!" Nosy said, then sighed. "Unfortunately, Lewis sort of saw this coming and flat out banned me from telling you anything about the contest. I know too many things, so obviously it was a smart move on his part. I can't say much without getting a lawsuit."
Mike sighed, shaking his head. "I guess it was too good to be true," he sighed. "I really just wanted to figure out what was going on with me. I thought maybe you had the answers, but I guess Lewis makes a good point. I'll figure it out after the contest I guess."
"Well," Nosy said with a smirk. "I guess it wouldn't technically be saying anything if I told you that Bridgette might know something about it. It's not like it's actually telling you what's going on, but she might be able to help you more if you just go ask her."
"Huh. Noah mentioned Larry might know something about it too. Larry said he didn't, but he and Bridgette have been pretty close lately," Mike mused. "I might have to check with them again. Thanks. Mind coming with me so I can at least try to win the challenge?"
"In a sec. Heckler's going to get around to insulting Slushy in a sec and I want to see how this turns out," Nosy said, a giant grin on his face. "This is going to be GOOD!"
Confessional: Probably something about him being as cold as ice.
Mike: So Larry might know something about why I can't remember things at night after all? Why would he lie? Maybe he really doesn't know and Bridgette does, but if those two are tight and Bridgette knows something about me, wouldn't she have told Larry at this point? Maybe it's just me over thinking things. Hopefully I can find out answers soon. This whole thing is driving me nuts... I miss Zoey. Is that wrong? I know we broke up but... (He sighs, shaking his head.) I guess you guys wouldn't understand. It's personal, I guess. Oh well. Back to winning, hopefully.
(Mr. Coconut)
The nut was briskly walking back to the start, hoping desperately a charger would be there to restore his battery. Mr. Coconut was glancing nervously at his power bar as it sunk from yellow to orange to red. He tried moving quicker, determined not to fail the challenge due to a technical malfunction.
"Come on. You don't ask a lot of the universe, mostly because you don't believe in that higher being stuff, but if my suit could just make it to the charger..." Mr. Coconut said, putting all his effort into his run.
However, despite his best efforts, they were all in vain. Mr. Coconut's suit shuddered violent before in collapsed, making the nut groan. A warning sign told Mr. Coconut that emergency life support was activated, which was a small relief for the nut, despite the fact it didn't help him in the challenge.
"And my run in this challenge is over," Mr. Coconut grumbled to himself. "Lucky enough for me my translator is equipped separately to my suit's systems, so that's a plus. Ugh, why must challenges be so against me?"
Mr. Coconut's suit lay motionless for a moment, stuck on the ground with no hope of movement. However, after a few minutes, Mr. Coconut heard speaking come closer to him. The nut seemed to recognize the voice and sighed in relief.
"Val? Is that you?"
Indeed, Val was approaching the spot where Mr. Coconut was flat on the ground, a scowl on his face. Mr. Coconut couldn't see Val, but Val was talking to Fibber, which led to the recognition of his voice. Val heard Mr. Coconut and stared at him blankly, unsure if he should laugh or not.
"Yes, it's me," Val said, glancing at Fibber, who had fallen silent. "Did you want something?"
"My suit's out of power. You might be strong enough to lift me back to the start or the hotel so I can charge really fast. I'd owe you big time. I'm aware we're already allies, but another favor or two would help your game."
Val was silent for a moment, considering the offer. After a minute of pondering, Val shrugged, looking smug. "No thanks," he said, starting to walk off.
Mr. Coconut was silent for a second. "What? But we're allies!" Mr. Coconut said.
"Yes, but helping you would hinder me," Val said simply. "I don't have time for you, plain and simple. I need to win the challenge as well, even if it's not that important right now. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a challenge to win."
Val continued to walk off, Fibber silently following him. Mr. Coconut was mixed with emotions, but decided not to act on them. Instead, he said calmly, "Val, one day this decision will come to bite you in the back. Mark my words. I will be the one to take you out when I have the chance. Understand?"
"I #$% dare you. You have as much power in this game that Alejandro does. And last I checked, he doesn't have any," Val laughed. Mr. Coconut was about to say more, but Val was already gone, chuckling as he went away.
Confessional: Never laugh at power failure.
Mr. Coconut: (Looks upset.) Why wouldn't he help me? We're allies, or last I checked. It would have benefited him to help me. He's made an enemy of my alliance, so the second it's worth my time, Val's out of here. (He scoffs.) Not helping your allies. What kind of #$% move is that? He had a good number of the votes. Why just throw it away for nothing?
(Noah)
Noah had reluctantly followed Bonnie and Clyde, who were running as fast as they could toward the hotel. Due to his physically weak structure, Noah couldn't catch up to them. His only real advantage was the fact he was good at predicting which direction they would run, which he managed to do off just small glimpses of Bonnie or Clyde.
" #$% thieves. Their lifestyle is far too exhausting," Noah breathed, trying to catch his breath as he ran. "And why am I even chasing after these two? For a bunch of trash in a book I don't even want to read? Ugh, when did my life get so trivial?"
Noah continued to run, but soon couldn't go any farther. He collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. He immediately lost sight of Bonnie and Clyde, but Noah didn't care. He laid on the ground, gasping for breath, trying to regain some of his stamina he had lost. He shakily got off the ground, gripping the edge of a booth that was set up on the street he was on.
"What'll it be for you, sir?" came a voice. Noah glanced to the side to spot a chubby man with messy red hair and big beefy hands. He was wearing a brown vest and brown slacks, looking like a professional business man. He also wore a tan sun hat. "I have anything and everything for today! Big sale too! Mules, which were originally twenty dollars got their prices slashed fifty percent!"
"There aren't any mules around here," Noah pointed out flatly. "And why a sale? Wouldn't that hurt your business?"
"Not for ol' Slick, let me tell ya," the guy smirked. "Tell ya what? I'll let you get any three items for free, just to show how humble I am. Just name it, and it's yours! Just don't go spreading around this deal, because it's a once in a lifetime deal only you get."
Noah was about to point out how bad of an idea this was for any type of business man, but held his tongue. He figured if he could get something for free, it might be a benefit for him. He thought for a moment, wondering what he could possibly want.
"Do you have any well written books?" Noah asked. "Not any cheap garbage that people think is good. Actually well written possibly insightful novels?"
Slick thought for a moment before reaching into his vest and pulled out a dark green book and handed it to Noah. The title read 'How to Cope with Stress and Anxiety'. "Fantastic read! Written by Lewis Ellimist if I'm not mistaken. If you ever get a chance to meet him, fantastic guy!"
"I know him," Noah said, gripping the book tightly. Noah thought about the other two items and shivered at a thought he suddenly had. "Um... ugh, I can't believe I'm even going to do this," Noah muttered. "Do you happen to have a necklace that a rich girl might like? She's a mutant of some sort, but she's still proud of her rich heritage and such."
Slick wagged his eyebrows, making Noah scowl. "A gift for a lady is a popular one! And I have something that might fit her tastes," Slick said. Reaching under his hat, he pulled out a nice necklace with a pendant that resembled a fox with a bright orange topaz in the middle of the fox's body. "Found this little beauty on one of my business trips to Hell. Mighty expensive, but I'm a man of my word."
Noah quickly accepted the second gift, muttering his thanks. As he thought about his third gift, Noah stopped to think about what Lea had told him earlier. With a groan, Noah knew what his last request should be. "I want Bonnie and Clyde," Noah muttered.
"Say no more! I got a set of these for cheap at a geek convention! Can't believe it works, but hey, if it sells, then I'll be rich," Slick smirked, reaching back into his vest and withdrew a gun of some sort. "Observe!"
Slick clicked a button on the gun, turning a node on the gun orange. Aiming carefully, Slick fired it, an orange shot firing into the air. He clicked another button and the node turned blue. "Fire that thing wherever you want Bonnie and Clyde to appear when you want them to. Trust me, it works like a charm!"
"Whatever. Thanks though," Noah said, accepting the gun and slid it on his back, jogging back off the start.
Confessional: When possible, make all the references you can!
Noah: Look, I don't like charity, but it's not like Slick knew who I was. Besides, he had things I wanted, despite the fact that I wanted them only for Dakota. (Noah sighed, shivering.) Why do I let that girl affect me so much? Ugh... hopefully she doesn't squee and hug me for this...
(Scott)
Scott was currently inside what appeared to be a dressing room. After Maud told him to scram out of the bathroom, Scott figured the next best place to look was a dressing room near a giant pool he happened to find. Scott was making a thorough search, coming up empty after checking all the stalls and all the places girls might be in the room.
" #$%. Why do all the hot ones always slip away?" Scott mused to himself. "Maybe because they're too afraid of the strategic stud that is me? Yeah, that's probably it." Scott chuckled to himself, shaking his head side to side.
"She's not in here," came a voice. Scott glanced around and smirked when he saw Amnesio standing in the entryway. "She's been purposely avoiding you. I don't blame her. I'd rather forget you myself if I could."
"Why's that? Can't stand how strategic I am?" Scott smirked. "I know; my plans are pretty legit."
"No. I'd forget you because I'd rather not live with moments that you've mentally scarred people for your own amusement," Amnesio said, her eyes staring straight into Scott. "I'd erase from memory your very being. You would exist to no one, and you would merely be a shadow of someone who no longer exists."
"Why not do it?" Scott asked.
"Then you would be able to get away with everything you've done," Amnesio said simply. "And I'm more rooting for you to lose everything. Hunkahunka isn't here. You might as well go back to the start, because you won't be able to find her." Amnesio promptly left the room, leaving Scott alone with his thoughts.
Confessional: A thought for thoughts?
Scott: (He's laughing.) What the #$% was that supposed to be? Was that supposed to tell me that I'm better off being remembered? Well, #$% right I should be remembered! I'm the king of this game. I've gotten Val this far, and we have a lot more rounds to win! People remember me as the best player in this game's history, mark my words! (He laughs.) Like anyone could forget me.
(Tyler)
Inside the gym that Tyler had found earlier, both Tyler and Kixx were standing inside a boxing ring. Kixx and Tyler had both gotten their gloves and gear on and stood on opposite sides of the ring. Tyler eyed Kixx's extra pair of arms, trying to figure out how he was going to be able to take him down without suffering painful drawbacks.
"Now, this match will be house rules," Kixx said. "First one to the ground is out. Since your full one human, I'll hold back a few of my punches, but don't think it'll be easy. Once your head makes contact with the floor, you're out."
"My head? Don't you mean yours?" Tyler said with a smirk.
"I like that attitude," Kixx smiled. "Let's begin... now!"
Tyler and Kixx immediately began to circle each other, holding their arms up. Tyler noticed that Kixx's bottom pair of arms was drawn back, as if though he were saving them for something. Tyler continued to circle for a second before rushing forward, slamming his fist into Kixx's face.
As Kixx was mostly muscle, including his head, the blow didn't do much to faze him. Once Tyler was close, Kixx brought one of his upper arms down, his glove making a sickening sound when in made contact with his face. Tyler was pushed back to the edge of the rings, gasping for air.
Kixx began to walk toward where Tyler was, which was probably going to end him. Quickly, Tyler slid around Kixx, surprising the big guy that he was still with it. Tyler used this moment to jump on Kixx's back, punching his head repetitively. Kixx groaned, buckling from Tyler's weight and falling to his knees.
However, before Tyler could get Kixx down any farther, Kixx used one of his lower arms and grab Tyler's legs and yank him off his back. Kixx brought Tyler around to look at him face to face, smirking proudly. He was about to drop him when Tyler did something completely unexpected...
...he punched Kixx square in the nose.
Kixx, startled, fell backward, dropping Tyler in the process. Using Kixx's falling body, Tyler repositioned his fall so his body fell first, his head not touching the ground. Kixx, unable to reposition himself, fell completely on the ground, his head making complete contact with the ground, making the big guy groan loudly.
"Ha! I win!" Tyler said, beaming in pure happiness. "I can't believe I won!"
"That was a good fight. You know how to sum up your opponents," Kixx chuckled. "I do recommend trying to wear your opponent down a little more. I'm a bad example, but you caught me by surprise, which did favors to you. Other than that, I have to say, I'm pretty impressed."
"Thanks, that means a lot," Tyler beamed. "Oh, yeah, the challenge! Totally forgot! Mind coming with me now?"
"After a fight like that? I'd be honored," Kixx chuckled.
Confessional: Fights are important to jocks.
Tyler: (He seems to be so happy that he doesn't seem to be breathing.) This is the best day I've ever had! I can't even imagine how everyone else doing, because this is the best day EVER! No one can top how happy I am today! No one!
(Vallowsmeir)
"Izzy will befall no harm from me."
BLARGH!
"I will not physically harm Izzy."
BLARGH!
"Come on Fibber. This is nonsense. You have my word that I won't harm Izzy," Val grunted angrily, glaring at the boy standing next to him.
BLARGH!
Val sighed as he shook his head. Fibber was walking next him as they continued on with Fibber's assignment. As Val continued to make meaningless statements to Fibber, Fibber merely beeped at every single one, not making another sound other than beeping. After a few more of failed tries, Fibber stopped walking.
"If you're not going to try, then why bother?" Fibber said simply. "You are making no move to be honest with me. Every word that leaves your mouth is a lie. Why continue fruitlessly when you don't want to make a promise you don't want to keep?"
Val was silent for a moment, saying nothing. He felt inside of him the rage to want to destroy Fibber right then and there, but he held himself back. He stared at Fibber intensely, his insides swirling with an enragement of fire. His puppet hands clenched, nearly exploding as he readied to say words that he would kill himself over.
"I, Vallowsmeir the Schemer, swear on the life of a demon never to physically harm Izzy Crayake. She will never be a target of mine and I will never befall her any harm. If I do, may the fires of Hell consume me and leave me non-existent as the flames eternally consume me."
A loud crack of thunder shouted in the sky, despite the day being clear. The earth beneath Fibber's and Val's feet, slightly cracking. Val and Fibber glared at each other, but during the whole time, Fibber did not once beep. Fibber nodded, changing direction and began to walk forward.
"You swore an oath," Fibber said. "Honestly? I wasn't expecting you to go that far."
"Just keep in mind I'll make well on my promise to kill you," Val said simply. "And I expect that you won't go blabbing to anyone either, kapeesh? It's taking all I can to prevent myself from popping your head open."
"The rules clearly state I cannot aid you in the contest," Fibber said. "Keeping promises is its own version of truth. I won't tell anyone. But for the sake of the contract, not you."
"Hmph. Whatever you say," Val grumbled.
Confessional: And here it comes...
Vallowsmeir: (Looks pissed.) LITTLE PIECE OF #$% MADE ME SWEAR ON OATH! (He takes several deep breaths.) It doesn't really matter, but I shouldn't be making promises with half-breeds. Do you realize how bad that makes me look? (He lets out an annoyed groan.) On top of that, now Izzy's out of play. I can't lay a finger on her, and I'm sure elimination is included. Ugh... good thing Scott made no such promises.
(Fat Man's Office)
Inside of Fat Man's office, Stich, Reuben, and Fat Man were all gathered around Foxy and Chica, who were both laying on beds next to each other. Also in the room was a pair of Siamese twins. They were girls, who shared one body and had their own heads. They had turquoise scales across their body and were wearing overalls with a light green shirt underneath.
"I still think this idea isn't going to end well," Fat Man grunted to Rueben, who was eating a philly cheesesteak sandwich. "We shouldn't risk Foxy's conscience for this."
"Come on Fat Man," Foxy said with a grin. "I be the one to accept, so ye need ta behave. I'll be fine. If Chica knows something we do not, then we need ta be a hearin' about it! Swapper, go ahead."
The two girls smiled at Foxy and nodded. Before Fat Man could argue any further, the two girls beamed in a light green light. Two distinct figures left Chica's and Foxy's bodies, flowing into Swapper. Then, Swapper turned around and the two lights floated back into the dormant bodies on the table.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Foxy screamed, jumping off the bed, looking terrified. His eyes darted around the room, breathing quickly and fearfully. After seeing Stich, Foxy seemed to calm down, whimpering fearfully. "S-s-s-stich?"
"Chica? Is that you?" Stich asked.
"Y-y-y-yeah... why do I feel funny?" Chica asked. She then noticed her body and let out a squeak. "W-w-w-why am I in Foxy?!"
"We needed some answers and this was the best way we could get them," Reuben said. "Hey, I'm Reuben, nice to meet ya. Can we ask you about something that happened a few days ago?"
Chica, in Foxy's body, seemed to relax. "Um... sure, go ahead. Anything to, um, help you," Chica said.
"Well," Fat Man said. "We found a recording that explained more or less what happened. It was you talking to Pink, or at least that's who we think you were talking to. After she threatened you, we heard a gunshot. Did you see who shot you?"
"Um... no," Chica said, making the three sigh. "B-b-but Pink was mad about it before I blacked out. Like she, um, knew who shot me."
"Maybe," Stich mused. "Lewis has gotten in her way before. If it was Lewis, she would definitely be pissed about her witness getting shot." Stich paused for a moment. "Wait, why were you her witness? Something about Slender, but how would you know?"
Chica bit Foxy's lip. "Well... I kind of accidentally found Foxy out in an ally while I was taking the trash out," Chica said. Stich and Fat Man looked at Chica with wide eyes while Reuben took a bite out of his sandwich. "He made me p-p-p-promise not to tell, so I d-d-d-didn't. Pink wanted to know where he was."
"Did you tell her?" Stich asked.
"No," Chica said honestly. "I was shot before Pink could torture me anymore."
"Clever. That is clever," Reuben said, a small smirk playing on his face. "Swapper, that will do. Chica, we promise we'll find your shooter and help you regain consciousness. Do you mind we bring Foxy back?"
"Sure... although I'm not really sure I understand what you mean," Chica asked.
Reuben nodded to Swapper, who glowed green again. The two lights left Foxy and Chica again, being absorbed into Swapper. She flipped herself around and shot the lights back into the original holders. Once it was complete, Foxy seemed confused, looking around the room.
"Did it work? I couldn't tell," Foxy said.
"It worked," Reuben said. "And I figured something out. Pink wasn't looking for Slender to get into contact with the parasite she has in him."
"Then why would she want to know?" Fat Man asked flatly.
"Because she's starving," Reuben said. "Poltergeists can't feed off of other demons. She knew that when she connected her parasite to Slender. I bet she wasn't expecting to go this long without a meal. In fact, I doubt she really planned to have her parasite jump from Pinkie to Slender so fast."
"But why was she looking for him?" Stich asked.
"She needs food, right?" Reuben said. "The only way poltergeists can feed is through one parasite at a time. If she's not getting food from Slender, then she has no use for that parasite anymore. Therefore..."
"She cut ties with Slender," Fat Man said. "And I bet my brother has no idea he isn't being watched by her."
(Izzy)
After exiting the clock tower with Yaarp, Izzy quickly began to bounce around the clock tower, with Yaarp not too far behind her. As she bounced around, she was talking intently with Yaarp about something. "So, me and Zeke. Thoughts?" Izzy asked.
"Between us? I ship it," Yaarp said. "Now, I really did like you and Owen, mostly because you two were super loud, and you know how much I cherish my loud noises. But Zeke seems pretty cool I guess."
"Of course he's cool! He's a farmer! How insane can you get other than being a farmer?" Izzy giggled. "Seriously though, I love him to pieces! I hope we last a long, long, LONG time!"
Izzy giggled again while Yaarp smiled at her. The two continued to walk forward when they saw someone ahead of them. It was a small boy with a big head and very small and skinny body. He had enormous eyes and blue fur and parts of his body. He had sloppy blue hair and was wearing a blue vest and blue shorts. He was hunched over and was walking toward Izzy and Yaarp in a trance.
"Swirly!" Izzy said, a giant smile on her face as the boy came closer. "Just in time! I was looking for you! I'm in this AWESOME game show and I'd like you to come along with me so we can win money! Isn't that like totally exciting?!"
"No," Swirly said in a small voice that sounded like he had inhaled helium. "I've never been one for mainstream. But I'm not everyone, now am I?"
"No Swirly, you are not," Yaarp chuckled. "Seriously though, Izzy's cool. You going to come along and help her? Because I certainly am."
"I'd love to, but I don't think I can right now," Swirly said. "After all, you have an advantage in the challenge for being friends with us. That would help you too much, especially right now."
Izzy was quiet for a moment, seeing Swirley's point. However, a smile came onto Izzy's face. "How about you just hypnotize me?" Izzy said. "You know, make it so that during challenges, I don't remember anything about the area! That way, I don't have an advantage and I can play fair! But, you know, only for challenges until the end of the contest."
Swirly thought about this for a moment before shrugging. "I guess that's only fair," he said simply. "And I can feel less guilty from helping you. Alright. I'll give you a free be for this challenge, but from here on out, you're on your own."
Instantly, Swirly's eyes began to swirl around in white and black stripes. Izzy suddenly felt droopy, her eyes starting to swirl as well. After a minute of staring into each other's eyes, Swirly snapped his fingers, the trance ending, making Izzy blink.
"There. You won't remember any of us during challenges," Swirly said. "It will end when the winner is declared. Now, can we get on or do I have to feel guilty about something else first?"
"We can go now! Thanks Swirly!" Izzy giggled, bouncing forward. "Come on guys! Challenge win, ho!"
Confessional: Round and round all the eyes go.
Izzy: Ok, so that wasn't the smartest move I've ever made! I mean, sure, knowing everyone here is an advantage that everyone else probably wants. I guess now having the excuse I can't use my knowledge should keep me safe, right? Who knows! (She bursts out laughing.) Doesn't matter either way! What's done is done! Swirly's spell is permanent until the dictated moment. Even Swirly can't undo what he did, so I'm stuck with my decision.
(Mr. Coconut)
Despite his best efforts, the coconut had remained in the same spot he had been for the past several minutes. Mr. Coconut groaned over and over, trying desperately to move his body. It was of no use, as Mr. Coconut remained motionless.
"Of all times to lose power," Mr. Coconut groaned. "It's not like I need immunity, but having it would help me feel better. I guess that's what I deserve for inadvertently eliminating Sadie. I deserve a lot worse but this works."
Mr. Coconut sat in silence for a moment, waiting for the challenge to be called and him to be rescued. However, after a few moments of waiting, he felt his suit jolt wildly. His power bar immediately rose to maximum and his suit suddenly jolted upward. Mr. Coconut let out a gasp in surprise, his suit standing and at full functioning power.
"I don't believe in miracles... so this is morally confusing," Mr. Coconut muttered.
"No miracle," came a voice. Mr. Coconut turned and saw a boy who resembled Sparky from his photograph smiling at him. "I saw you needed power and I was on lunch break, so I'd thought I'd give you a hand."
"Thank you," Mr. Coconut said, bowing a little. "I appreciate it. Also... mind doing me one more favor?"
Confessionals: Favors are important!
Mr. Coconut: I don't believe in luck, just facts. Sparky came across me and has given me a chance to win this challenge. I'd be a fool not to take it. It's not luck or fate or whatever other silly things humans believe in. It was mere coincidence. That's all.
(Border of the Labs)
Lea was walking around the outside of the Labs, carefully looking around the area and holding his chakrams ready. After talking to Noah, he seemed to be a little relived, but was suspiciously looking around the area as he walked. "At least his touch isn't fatal," Lea muttered. "That would totally suck for me if it were. Let's find Pink and get this over with."
Lea continued to walk around the Labs, glancing in every direction every few seconds. As he walked, he couldn't help but feel something. It was different, almost a brand new feeling Lea had never felt before. But, after adjusting to the feeling for a moment, Lea did recognize it, if only faintly.
"Your kind of a power booster," Lea said, shaking his head with a smirk. "You better believe I have that tiny fact memorized Pink."
Turning around, Lea found his hunch was correct. Clutching her side and gasping, Pink was leaning against a tree, a scowl on her face. She was super pale, even more so than normal, and looked starving. Lea noticed that her legs were shaking, making him wonder how she was even still standing at all.
" #$% you," Pink spat at him angrily. " #$% Latus. #$% FIRE!"
"Little hot headed?" Lea chuckled, spinning his chakrams in his hands. "Come on Pink. That's not the spirit, is it?"
Before Pink could speak, Lea immediately felt something else suddenly enter the area. The hair on his arms stood on end and Lea froze. He slowly turned and paled at what he saw standing behind him. "Ah #$%," Lea grumbled.
Slenderstine, who had a giant smile on her otherwise featureless face, used her tentacles to smack Lea away, sending him flying. "Val the plaything doesn't require you," Slenderstine giggled, walking toward Pink. "He merely requires us demons."
"Where the #$% were you?" Pink grumbled.
"Does it matter goth? I don't believe so," Slenderstine said. "Are we ready?"
"No. We need to make a pit stop. I'm #$% dying of hunger and all these fire maniacs are driving me #$% nuts," Pink grumbled.
Lea managed to get back to his feet, looking over at Pink and Slenderstine. Before he could do anything, both girls vanished, leaving nothing left but a few rustled leaves. Lea sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "Well, on the bright side, Latus won't be bugging me any time soon," Lea grumbled.
(Plaza)
Lewis and Pinkie had returned to the starting point, awaiting the contestants to return. They both smiled as the first contestant was hurriedly running back, not stopping until they were standing in front of the two hosts.
"Good job Dakota," Lewis said with a grin. "You are the first to arrive. You not only have immunity, but you and any of the other contestants can join me and my family to dinner tonight."
Dakota beamed, her grin almost contagious. "Wow. Today seriously can't get any better, can it?" she asked with a smile.
After a few moments of waiting, Mike appeared with Nosy, crossing the starting line with a sigh of relief. "Did I get immunity?" Mike asked hopefully. "I would really like it."
"Yeppers! You are the second one to arrive, so you have immunity too!" Pinkie giggled.
It didn't take that long for the other two spots for immunity to be taken as Bridgette and Katie both ran up to the spot, panting as Yin and Yang followed them from behind. However, before Yang entered the area, Noah suddenly slid into the starting area. He shot the ground with the gun and Bonnie and Clyde suddenly appeared, screaming in surprise.
"What the heck just happened to us?!" Bonnie screamed.
"I don't know, but I don't care!" Clyde yelped in worry.
"And with that shocking turn," Lewis smirked, "Bridgette and Noah of all people win the last two spots for immunity! Katie, while close, both partners need to reach the starting line. It was close, but not enough. However, you, along with the other four here, will be sleeping in the Hotel tonight."
"Darn," Katie pouted. "Oh well. At least I was close! Today was about relaxing anyway."
It didn't take long for Larry and Zeke to quickly cross the finish line afterward, disappointed and yet not too concerned about the loss of immunity. It also didn't take long to Tyler and Mr. Coconut to walk into the plaza together, as the former had caught up with the latter on his way over.
"I knew immunity was out of my reach for today," Mr. Coconut sighed. "But there are other rounds. I doubt this will cost me too much."
"Larry, Zeke, Mr. Coconut, and Tyler," Lewis said. "You guys don't get immunity, but you four did place middle class today in the challenge. As such, you four will all be staying in the motel tonight."
"I can live with that," Larry shrugged nonchalantly.
After a few more minutes of waiting, Val was the next one to return. He had a scowl on his face as he crossed, looking around for Scott. There was absolutely no sign of him, making the puppet even more infuriated. It didn't help his mood when Izzy bounced across the line next, giggling to herself.
"That was close," Izzy whistled. "Still, I win!"
"You lost," Val huffed.
"So? I love Mr. Stenchy to death, but he smells awful! I totally won!" Izzy giggled.
After a few more minutes of waiting, Scott appeared, a triumphant look on his face. He slid across the start, looking straight at Lewis with confident eyes. "You are a sly little host, you know that?" Scott chuckled.
"And why would you say that?" Lewis asked simply.
Scott pointed across the courtyard, where everyone turned to look at what he was pointing at. Standing at the other end was a statue, which looked a lot like Hunkahunka from Scott's picture. In fact, it was exactly Hunkahunka, who accidently chose this time to sneeze. Scott walked over and pulled a reluctant love bird across the line.
"I knew something was off when a demon of love wasn't in any of the normal perverted places I checked," Scott chuckled. "What better way to screw me over than to hide in plain sight?"
"While you make a point," Hunkahunka sniffed. "I'm a love demon, not a succubus. I'm not perverted in the slightest, you pervert. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to actually be." Hunkahunka spread out her arms and began to become airborne and then flew off.
"Still counts," Scott smirked.
Once twelve of the fourteen contestants were present, everyone knew that the last two would have to gun it in order to avoid punishment. It didn't take long before Dawn became visible, walking with Richter who was walking as slowly as possible. Beth was nowhere in sight, so it seemed like a clear win... or, at least, not a total loss, for Dawn.
"YOU LITTLE #$%!
Out of nowhere, in a fit of rage, Beth zoomed past Dawn, running after Snafu, who was currently wearing Beth's shoes. The two ran straight ahead, Snafu not seeing where he was going. Without meaning to, Snafu ran straight across the starting line, followed almost immediately by Beth.
"And with that, the challenge ends!" Lewis said, right as Dawn approached, sighing in defeat. "Dawn, unfortunately, you will have to suffer the punishment for coming in last. I really am sorry about that. Val, Scott, Beth, and Izzy, you will all be paired off in Timeout Corner tonight. As for the elimination ceremony, Noah, Dakota, Bridgette, and Mike are immune. You have until then to decide who to vote for. I'll see you all then."
Confessional: Everyone won accept for those who lost.
Mike: Hey, I might not know what goes on at night, but being immune at least helps reassure me that I'm not going to get voted out. That's some sort of relief, right? Besides, not only am I immune, but I can relax at the Hotel at least a little bit before the vote. For me, that's a plus.
Zeke: (He shrugs, looking indifferent.) I don't really need to win challenges eh. My alliance is four people, which is a good enough amount. When it comes down to it, I bet we'll all survive the night eh. And if not... at least we gave it our best.
Scott: So I didn't get immunity. Big whoop. Fact is, I'm kind of glad I didn't place high. It makes me look weak so people don't think I'm an immunity threat. If I won immunity every single day, then people might want to target me with more than a reason of rape. Still, immunity might be nice on days that I seem to be more annoying than usual, which seems to be any days that Larry seems to be on my trail.
Dawn: (Sighs, shaking her head back and forth.) I lost the challenge... and I deserved to. Richter is right. Whether I want it or not, this game is rigged in my favor. (She sighs again.) Hopefully the stink will make my performance lower. Maybe then Richter will lay off my case...
(Courtyard)
Tyler and Mr. Coconut had returned to the main courtyard and were sitting across from each other at a table. "That was a good move with the Teef idol," Mr. Coconut noted. "I wasn't aware you had it, but I guess things like that slip one's mind sometimes. I take it you had a reason to play it?"
"Yeah, I did," Tyler said. "Izzy was eavesdropping on Larry last night. She didn't get everything, but she said that Larry was planning on targeting her if he had the chance. I didn't tell Izzy this, but if you think about it, this could be a good move for us."
Mr. Coconut thought this over before nodding. "Yes, your right," he said. "Izzy's a threat to the game because of the advantage she has during challenges. She knows this place inside and out. She might be the perfect choice to go this early in the merge."
"I thought it was a good idea," Tyler beamed. "Now, how are we going to eliminate her? Are we still allies with Val? Maybe he can spread the word?"
Mr. Coconut sighed, shaking his suit. "I'm afraid Val might be more of an enemy than an ally," Mr. Coconut said simply. "I was completely drained of power during the challenge and it was only sheer coincidence that Sparky found me. Val passed by but refused to help me. I don't think he really cares much for us, which is a dumb move on his part."
"Maybe so, but a vote is a vote," Tyler shrugged. "I mean, I did tell Beth about the way we were voting, so that might be a plus."
"Are you two on good terms now?" Mr. Coconut asked.
"Not really. I mean, I think we have more of an understanding now than anything," Tyler shrugged. "I think we should keep her around and see if I can be friends with her again. After all, it's not like she's directly targeted us at all, so I doubt she'd be trouble to keep around."
"Solid point. So long as she keeps votes away from us, I won't pay her any heed," Mr. Coconut said. "Now, to plan out my charging schedule. I do not want a repeat of today ever to happen again."
Confessional: The past repeats itself.
Mr. Coconut: Alas, the challenge did not go as I would have hoped, but none the less, this vote should still be ours. I'm sure if Larry's voting for Izzy, his allies will be as well. I'm not quite sure how well connected Larry actually is, but I'm sure he wouldn't have the thought of mentioning Izzy if he didn't have votes for it.
Tyler: (He's musing to himself.) Maybe Beth would be willing to ally with us completely? I really don't mind her now that I know the truth and she seems to be softening, if only a little bit at a time. Plus, Mr. Coconut and I need votes, so that would help us out a bunch.
Bridgette was quietly waiting for news at another table, looking around nervously. It didn't take long for Scott to arrive, smirking as he sat across from Bridgette nodding over to her. "Waiting for your orders? I see you're already learning who's in charge here," Scott chuckled.
"Shut up. I might have to work with you but that won't ever make me like you," Bridgette sneered. "Who do you want gone?"
"Izzy. She's too good at challenges, especially since she knows the place," Scott said simply. "Vote her off and we'll keep your secret just that: a secret. Now, I have other people to mingle with. Stay sexy."
Bridgette shivered as Scott gave her a perverted look and walked off. A few minutes after Scott was gone, Larry walked up to Bridgette, glancing around. Once he was sure that Scott was nowhere to be seen, he slid across the table from Bridgette, giving her a small nod. "Any word yet?" he asked.
"Yeah. Scott came up earlier and said he was voting for Izzy," Bridgette said. "You going to follow along?"
"I've been thinking about it. I might pass," Larry said. "Despite having a rocky relationship, Izzy is still Dawn's sister. Maybe Dawn still needs her for some reason. You vote for her, and I'll just throw my vote away to someone else tonight, just to keep my conscious clear."
"At least you have that liberty," Bridgette muttered. She reached into her pocket and removed the letter Finder had given her earlier. "That's for you. A guy found it lost in the mail and figured you might need it."
"I appreciate it. I'll get to reading this soon," Larry said, standing up. "Hopefully the challenge went well for you today. Any progress with your issues?"
"You could say that," Bridgette smiled. "Katie doesn't full out hate me anymore, so that's a plus. I still think she'd take the chance to vote me off if she had it, but I think we can at least be civil now."
"Good, good," Larry nodded. "Well, I'd hate to leave you alone, but I have another troubled girl to see. I'll see you at elimination." And with that, Larry walked off.
Confessional: Civilization will one day fall.
Larry: (He's looking at the envelope curiously.) I wonder who would send me mail. My tribe doesn't know about postal service, so it's obviously not them. I don't have any friends outside the contest other than Alejandro from wherever the eliminated players are, but I doubt Al would have been able to send a letter to me that fast. Who's it from?
Bridgette: I guess there are some downsides to being blackmailed. (Sighs.) Oh well. I guess I just have to get used to it. Who knows? Maybe I'll be seen useful enough to bring to the finale. I'd rather go into it with Larry, but hey, I'll take what I'm given.
At a bigger table at the other end of the courtyard, Izzy, Zeke, Noah, and Dakota were all gathered around, each couple sitting next to their significant other. Izzy was smiling and bouncing up and down in her seat while Dakota was holding a reluctant Noah's hand.
"So, you two are immune again!" Izzy giggled. "Awesome! Two less people to worry about! Any clue on who we should vote for?"
"I think Mr. Coconut would be a good idea eh," Zeke suggested. "He's decent at challenges, which could improve as the merge goes along. He's also no stranger to strategy, so we have to constantly watch out for him at elimination eh. He might be a smart choice."
"Yay! Solved!" Izzy giggled, grabbing Zeke by the collar of his shirt. "Now we have someone to talk to, namely Fibber, because he's cool! Bye guys! Oh, Dakota! If you see my uncle Fat Man, make sure he gets these! Discord sent them!"
Izzy tossed a folder to Dakota and bounced away from the table, dragging Zeke behind her. Dakota glanced at Noah and let out a soft giggle and she grabbed the documents and set them aside. "Sometimes I think those two overshadow us," Dakota giggled. "That's a good thing though. I'm sure you love the shadows more than the spotlight."
"You have no #$% idea," Noah muttered. "You stay away from stress today?"
"Yep. Today was absolutely perfect. I have a plan on how to cope with Bean when I get him and I got a haircut. Do you like it?"
"It's... cute."
"Noah, did you just call me cute?"
Dakota giggled when Noah let out a moan, shaking his head. After a few moments of silence, Noah grumbled some obscenities as he pulled out the necklace, handing it to Dakota. Dakota gasped in surprise as she accepted it, a smile forming on her face. She put it around her neck and smiled at Noah, pecking him on the cheek.
"You do care," Dakota giggled.
"Whatever," Noah muttered.
The two weren't able to talk very much more after that though. Dakota tensed up as she saw Val walked up to them, a smirk on his face. Noah merely gave Val a brief glance, not acknowledging his presence with any fear. Val slid into a seat across from them, staring at them both with intensity.
"I think it's clear I still don't like you," Val said. "Whether you like it or not, I am keeping an eye on you. If you don't do as I say, I will hurt you both in front of the other, even if it's just for my own enjoyment."
"And what part of 'I don't give a #$%' don't you understand?" Noah said flatly.
"The part where if you don't cooperate, I won't hesitate in tearing Dakota limb from #$% limb," Val said, making Dakota shiver. "You are both voting for Zeke tonight. You'll mention this to no one and you won't mention me having any part in Zeke's votes. If you don't vote for Zeke, trust me, I'll know."
Val stood up and walked off, leaving the couple alone again. Dakota was silent, out of fear of what just happened. Noah looked over at her and hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder, making Dakota look at him curiously. "I don't give a #$%," Noah said simply. "Never have, never will. But I'm voting for Zeke, if only because you make this existence tolerable. Do what you want though."
Dakota smiled weakly, hugging Noah, who looked pained at the affection. "I love you," she whispered to him, pulling back and smiling. "You do too much for me."
"Nonsense. I do nothing for you. That's why you're so easy to manage," Noah muttered.
Confessional: Things that require nothing are easy!
Zeke: I have to say, tonight's vote is pretty easy eh. I don't really have to worry about any of my allies, Izzy is introducing me to her friends, and I just get to relax with simple strategy involved. (He chuckles to himself.) Today has been a very easy day for me eh.
Dakota: He might say it's no big deal, but to me, it means the world. (She sighs.) What should I do? Voting for Zeke will keep Val off our tale, but that would make Izzy mad if she ever found out. Oh... this is not the type of stress I need right before I absorb the soul of someone who only ever feels hate...
Vallowsmeir: (He shrugs.) I figured since I can't hurt Izzy, it probably extends to me setting up her elimination myself. I might as well go with the next best thing: her boyfriend. I'm pretty sure I can get rid of Izzy without having to lift a finger, but by having her boyfriend as a backup boot, it gives me less to stress about.
Scott, as usual for the past two days, was laying on a table, looking up at the sky. A perverted look was on his face as he laughed at some of the clouds that passed by. "That one looks like an ass," Scott mused. "A nice one, I might add. I wouldn't mind doing it if it weren't a cloud."
Scott continued to muse to himself when Katie walked up to him. Scott lifted his head and gave Katie a grin. "Hey, there's that sexy girl who's giving me a chance of redeeming myself," Scott smirked. "Want to screw the vote and..."
"I'm ignoring your perverted comments right now," Katie said simply. "Who are we voting for? I have a date with the spa in five seconds so make it quick."
Scott lightly scowled but gave a shrug. "Fine. There's time for that later," Scott said. "My source, the last he told me, is that we're voting for Izzy. I'm not sure if that's still the target, but just stick with it. I'll know where to find you if it so happens to change in the next five minutes."
"For all intents and purposes, please don't find me," Katie said and quickly walked away.
"Her loss," Scott shrugged, going back to his cloud watching. It didn't take long for him to be interrupted again as Val approached him, looking pissed. Scott quickly noticed his mood and smirked. "Let me guess? Your patient screwed you over?" Scott asked.
" #$% YEAH HE DID!" Val screamed angrily. He managed to calm down slightly before speaking again. "Fibber, who practically forced me to tell the truth, made me swear an oath to not harm Izzy. And by harm that means ANYTHING that deals #$% with Izzy! I can't vote for her, I can't RIP HER TINY LITTLE #$% HUMAN BODY LIMB FROM LIMB, I CAN'T DO #$%!"
"Dude, relax," Scott shrugged. "We have the votes for Izzy anyway. You might have sworn an oath, but I didn't do that dumb #$%. I'm not an idiot. I'll take out Izzy and you vote anyone other than her. That simple."
"I know. I'm voting for Zeke instead, just in case Izzy falls through. I just needed to let out three weeks of pent up anger," Val said flatly. "Three weeks of not killing any human scum is far too long from what I'm used to."
"Hey, I have the itch for sex, but do you see me from freaking out?" Scott asked. "We'll both get what we want soon. Want me to find Mal tonight before I go off the prison to take care of our Latus problem?"
"Sure. Might as well have SOMETHING go our way tonight," Val muttered.
Meanwhile, a little ways away, Beth was listening in. She was smirking to herself and slowly made her way away from Val and Scott.
Confessional: My way is your way!
Beth: I figured that puppet was up to no good. Not my problem though. I'm more interested in his little back up plan. Might be worthwhile to humor him...
Scott: Val needs to legitimately take a chill pill. Yeah, we're allies and sure, we're pals. But keeping him in the contest isn't as easy as it sounds. I'm playing for two people right now, one of which is a rapist and not well liked by the audience. Keeping us both in isn't a cake walk you know.
Larry had secluded himself a little bit as he read through his letter. He had torn the envelope open and began to read. The head seemed to be happy, if only a little bit as he read. The letter was written in a language that humans couldn't read. But, thanks to Larry's translator, he was able to read as follows:
Dear Larry
You have done well in controlling your darkness deep within you. I fear that this darkness is not only in you, but everyone left in the contest. This is no fault of your own. I have reason to believe dark days will be upon you and your fellow contestants within the next few episodes. Be wary of the King. He is not as he appears to be.
I'll be at the Orange waiting for you. I have recovered well and I have missed your company. I will await your elimination... or your success if you win. I'm rooting for you.
Sincerely,
Shrub
"I missed him," Larry chuckled, smiling at the letter. "Hopefully I get to see him again soon. I really missed having him by my side."
Larry continued to read the letter over and over when Dawn approached him, looking around nervously. However, a smile appeared on her face when she saw Larry's aura. "Your aura is bright yellow," Dawn said with a smile. "That means you're really happy. I know my aura reading is off, but I'm sure this is accurate."
"It is. I have a letter from Shrub. Cryptic as always, but it's nice," Larry chuckled. "So, how are you doing? Worried about the vote?"
"No. The answer for my vote is clear," Dawn said with a shrug. "Scott. I know I don't have numbers, but I don't think I ever will have numbers. I've promised to vote for him every time that I'm able until Alejandro is avenged. He's hurt me so much... it's time for him to suffer, if only a little."
"Never thought I'd hear that from you," Larry noted. "I'll help when I can. You are a dear friend of mine and I will assure that Scott leaves this show one way or another."
"Thanks Larry," Dawn smiled. "I'll see you at elimination?"
"Certainly," Larry nodded. Inwardly, he was thinking, I just hope I don't disappoint you with what I'm going to do there.
Confessional: Back from the Shrub!
Dawn: (Smiling as she rubs her tummy.) I've been reading its aura for a majority of the challenge. It's doing well, but I still can't explain what happened to Digger and Richter. I know that the baby was involved, since I don't have those types of powers... but how was the baby able to do it? It makes no sense...
Larry: Dawn is my best friend I have right now. I don't want to disappoint her with my choices at eliminations, but I feel my vote could be better spent on someone other than Scott. I won't vote for Izzy; I wouldn't do that to Dawn. But I do have someone else in mind that could still be a crippling blow to our relationship...
Katie and Mike were both relaxing in the hotel spa, sighing as Lax gave both of them foot massages at the same time. Both were enjoying a little 'me' time, barely acknowledging the other was there. After a few moments, Katie glanced over to Mike briefly.
"Up to voting Izzy for tonight?" Katie asked.
"Sure. Anything that keeps me in the game," Mike shrugged.
"Good. Back to relaxing?"
"Totally."
Mike and Katie went back to relaxing, sighing in relief. However, as they relaxed, Zeke was standing in the doorway, looking stunned. "Well #$% eh..." Zeke mumbled, quickly and briskly walked off.
Confessional: Simple and chill.
Mike: Hey, say what you will about spas, they really do make you feel relaxed. (He sighs in bliss.) As for the vote, I'm immune. Take that mysterious force that controls me at night! (He pauses.) Wait a second... you don't think maybe... nah, that's crazy! Right?
Zeke: Looks like we aren't that safe after all eh... what do I do, what do I do?
(Luau Plaza)
The fourteen remaining contestants had made their way down to the plaza for elimination. Some contestants looked nervous while others seemed confident. On in particular seemed to be a mixed bag, slowly sneaking something into someone's pocket. After a moment, Lewis appeared at the podium, smiling.
"So, things were pretty hectic in the challenge today," Lewis noted. "Let's get on asking a few of you some questions. Let's see... Beth. You probably had the most elusive patient to deal with out of every here. Do you think you would have lost if you hadn't lured him to the start on accident?"
"THE LITTLE #$% WOULDN'T COOPERATE!" Beth screamed. "I tried being civil, but noooo! The little brat had to keep punking me! Well guess what? The little turd got REVENGE PUNKED!"
"Uh huh," Lewis said, shaking his head. "Katie. You had a pretty relaxing day. Do you think that will be counted against you tonight?"
"Not really. Sure, I kind of made today a 'me' day, but that's just because I deserve a day off every once in a while," Katie said simply. "I've been stressed out since DJ was eliminated a few days ago. I deserve to forget myself and move on until I see him again, right?"
"Makes sense," Lewis chuckled. "Mike? Anything interesting happen to you today?"
"More or less," Mike shrugged. "Oh, Bridgette? I need to talk to you after elimination if both of us are still here. I have some questions for you."
"Bridgette, any idea what these questions might be?" Lewis asked.
Bridgette fidgeted nervously. "Nope! No idea, none at all!"
"Alright then. Last question... Dawn. Suck to lose the challenge today?" Lewis asked.
"Yes. But I deserved it, in a sense," Dawn sighed. "It's better to lose the challenge for a good reason than to win it for a bad reason. That's just how I think things should be done."
Lewis nodded, looking at Dawn apologetically. "Well, that wraps up the questions I have for you," Lewis said. "Izzy, why don't you start of the voting tonight?"
"Kay!" Izzy giggled, bouncing over to the confessional.
Voting Confessional: Merge Round 2!
Izzy: (She seems to shifting around weird.) My butt feels odd! I know that sounds weird out of context, but that's just how it feels! Oh well, I guess I'll figure it out soon! I vote for Mr. Coconut! He's cool, but I like simple votes! (She giggles and crosses out Mr. Coconut's picture.)
Dakota: (Looks nervous.) What do I do? I should make this simple and not worry about it, but Zeke is my friend! Noah's my boyfriend though and that's more important... oh, I really shouldn't have all this stress on my shoulders right now...
Tyler: (He shrugs and crosses out Izzy's picture.) I played the Teef idol for a reason. Izzy's a challenge threat. Might as well make good on the follow up and vote her off. That simple in my mind.
Vallowsmeir: (He angrily crosses out Zeke's picture.) I have no #$% desire to vote this way, but thanks to that little #$%, I don't have a #$% choice! Scott better follow through with the elimination, otherwise I'm going to #$% KILL SOMETHING!
Bridgette: (Wordlessly crosses out Izzy's picture.) I'd rather not provoke Mal's rather right now. Although... Mike wants to talk... or was that Mal? I really can't tell the difference between them! (Shivers nervously.)
After Beth cast the final vote, Lewis quickly left to go tally them. After a few minutes of being gone, Lewis returned, holding a trey of thirteen bags of popcorn. "Here I have thirteen bags of popcorn. There are fourteen of you. The person who does not get a bag of popcorn has received the most votes and must take the Spring of Shame and be out of the contest."
The was a brief silence.
"However," Lewis said. "Due to the sneakiness of one contestant, the person with the most votes is safe. Izzy, bring up the Green Chris Idol."
Izzy frowned, obviously confused. However, it soon dawned on Izzy what was going on. "Oh! That that's what's been bugging my butt!" Izzy giggled, reaching into her pocket and pulled out the Green Chris Idol. A lot of people groaned, especially Val, who looked like he was going to kill something. Izzy tossed the idol up to Lewis, who caught it.
"Now, those immune receive the first few bags of popcorn," Lewis said. "Staring with Dakota."
"Noah."
"Bridgette."
"Mike."
"Izzy, for playing the idol."
"Next safe are... Katie."
"Dawn."
"Tyler."
"Vallowsmeir."
"Larry."
"Beth."
"Scott."
Mr. Coconut and Zeke both sat without a bag of popcorn. Izzy actually looked quite worried for Zeke while Tyler glanced uneasily at Mr. Coconut. "Coconut, Zeke, this is the last bag of popcorn," Lewis said simply. "The person who will be receiving this bag and moving on in the contest is...
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Mr. Coconut."
The nut sighed in relief as he caught the remaining bag of popcorn. Izzy's hair suddenly deflated and glanced over at Zeke, who smiled and stood up. "I saved my girlfriend eh," he said simply. "That's what matters. It was a rocky road, but that's just Izzy's favorite ice cream eh."
"Aw! You remembered!" Izzy giggled, kissing Zeke on the lips. "I'll win this for you! I'll miss you a lot... but I will win! EXPLOSIVO WILL AVENGE YOU WITH EXPLOSIONS!"
"Sure eh," Zeke chuckled, glancing at Noah and Dakota. "Keep an eye on her eh. I'd appreciate it."
Noah and Dakota both gave Zeke a nod. Zeke sighed and walked up to Lewis, accepting his fate. Sproing walked out and flattened herself completely, holding a board above her. Zeke walked over and quickly got on top of the board, bracing for the flight ahead of him. Sproing shot into the air, sending Zeke straight into the air. "EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!" Zeke screamed before quickly being caught by Ace, flying off to who knows where.
"There you have it," Lewis said. "Idols can be the undoing of yourself if you chose to give them away. Give them wisely. You all may go."
The thirteen contestants all left, some upset about Zeke's elimination, others about Izzy's idol. Once they were all gone, Lewis gave the camera a grin. "What will happen next time? Can Izzy overcome Zeke's elimination? Will Val come up with another plan on getting rid of Izzy? Can Tyler and Mr. Coconut continue to thrive? And will Beth ever take a true side? Find out on Total Drama All Stars!"
"Where none of the staff is famous," Sproing mumbled.
"Hey, we talked about this! You're the fan fav elimination device!"
"Yeah, because I want to be known as an elimination device..."
Confessional: This show got 100% less naïve!
Vallowsmeir: (Looks pissed.) #$% #$% #$%! HOW DARE THAT LITTLE #$% PLAY AN IDOL?! SHE HAS NO RIGHT! IZZY WILL SUFFER THE WRATH OF HELL THROUGH SOME OTHER MEANS! SHE WILL PAY FOR SCREWING WITH VALLOWSMEIR THE SCHEMER!
Izzy: (Looks creepily at the camera.) You try to vote me off, shame on me! You vote my boyfriend off... you're no friend of Izzy. I will find you all... and you will all FALL! HAHAHAHA!
Mr. Coconut: Well, that didn't go according to plan, but at least people saw Zeke as a threat over me. Hopefully I'll be able to do better in the next challenge. That will at least assure I can move onto the next round with ease and not worry about stray votes.
Beth: So I voted Zeke. So what? (She shrugs.) It was a #$% smart move. If I tell Val and Scott that I voted for him and helped Zeke go, they'll see me as an ally. And I need some form of allies after all the dip #$% allies I've had. Sure, Tyler and I have some sort of #$% understanding or whatever, but he'll just vote me off when he wants. This is more solid.
(Fluttershy's Cottage)
"Fluttershy? I'm home!" Discord said, appearing in Fluttershy's cottage, which was a vast room with several animals inside. It was dark, which threw Discord off a little bit. "Perhaps she's asleep," Discord mused. "Although... she loves staying up to watch the bats..."
Discord took a few steps into the room, glancing around. It was then he noticed that the door to the cottage was open ajar, which was odd, especially for Fluttershy. Discord suspiciously walked over to the door and noticed that it was forced open, the knob shot off its hinge. Discord glanced around the room and noticed more things he had initially missed.
All the animals in the cottage were terrified. Discord knew the animals Fluttershy tended to were typically shy like her, but the animals weren't acting shy. They were scared by something. Discord walked over to them, an uncharacteristic seriousness on his face. "Where's Fluttershy?" he asked in a dead serious voice.
The animals did nothing, too scared to move. However, on bunny in particular bounced up to Discord and pointed to a table. Discord turned and saw a letter resting on the table, a series of gun shots all around it. Discord walked over and grabbed the letter, reading it fiercely. Here's what it said.
Discord,
You found information you weren't supposed to find. We'd simply dispose of you if you weren't important. But you are of use to us. Remain at the Labs until we summon you. Try and make contact with us before hand and we will shoot Fluttershy. And without Fat Man's help...
...she'll die.
We'll make contact in six days. Remain on the down low. We are always watching you.
Discord finished reading the note, shivering in anger. Typically, he would frantically begin searching for Fluttershy, trying desperately to return her safely home. However, something about the letter was different. He looked at the writing, and one distinct feature of it made Discord's blood boil.
The writing was in purple.
"Lewis," Discord hissed. "Mess with me and you get chocolate rain. Mess with Fluttershy?
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...
...
Then you'll get HELL!"
Beth: Zeke
Bridgette: Izzy (VOID)
Dakota: Zeke
Dawn: Scott
Ezekiel: Mr. Coconut
Izzy: Mr. Coconut
Katie: Izzy (VOID)
Larry: Zeke
Mike: Izzy (VOID)
Mr. Coconut: Izzy (VOID)
Noah: Zeke
Scott: Izzy (VOID)
Tyler: Izzy (VOID)
Vallowsmeir: Zeke
Zeke: 5 Votes
Mr. Coconut: 2 Votes
Scott: 1 Vote
Izzy: 6 Votes (VOID)
Merge: Beth, Bridgette, Dawn, Izzy, Katie, Larry, Mike, Mr. Coconut, Noah, Scott, Tyler, Vallowsmeir
Eliminated: Heather (V), Sierra (H), Owen (H), Jo (V), Sam (H), Courtney (V), Lightning (V), Cameron (H), Brick (H), Justin (V), B (H), Cody (H), Geoff (V), Lindsey (H), Duncan (V), Gwen (V), Harold (V), Zoey (H), Sadie (V), DJ (H), Trent (V), Alejandro (M), Ezekiel (M)
Idols
Bart Idol: Sits one person out of the challenge and makes them unable to vote (HELD BY LARRY)
Chris Idol: Immunity
Green Idol- (INADVERTANTLY PLAYED BY IZZY)
Purple Idol- (HELD BY MIKE)
Pink Idol- (HELD BY DAWN)
Elmo Idol: Gives someone a disadvantage (NOT FOUND)
Pinkie Idol: Immunity for someone who isn't the one playing the idol (HELD BY VALLOWSMEIR)
Slender Idol: Only the user's vote counts in an elimination (NOT FOUND)
Teef Idol: Gives someone an extra challenge on top of what they already have to do *Merge Only* (PLAYED BY TYLER)
BN: And there's the chapter! Merge chapters are HARD! I actually had memories of the fear challenge way back in episode 7, and that was probably the chapter I actually had nightmares of writing. I managed to stomach through this challenge, but it was HARD, let me tell you. But, let's talk about something you care about.
ELIMINATION: EZEKIEL A.K.A ZEKE
Zeke was probably one of the more changed contestants from my original starting point to the ending point. Originally, Zeke was supposed to remain feral and place twenty-seventh. He was really only ever going to be a filler, but as the aforementioned fear challenge occurred, a lot of crap changed my mind.
It started as a desire to at least give Zeke a better ending. I figured him being feral wasn't the best end for him, so I just changed his overall outcome. However... that's not what happened. I felt like Zeke had more to flesh out of him, so I kept him around to see what I could do with him. He expanded in helping Izzy and becoming her boyfriend and being a supporting role to her. I felt as though Zeke's role was mainly to be Izzy's supporting role, which he fit well in.
If we all remember his failure in season 1, we remember that all Zeke wanted was the money and to be popular. I feel as though the shift of Zeke's focus changed this season. He didn't really care about the money and he only really had Izzy and Dakota as friends. (Noah doesn't really count.) But really, Zeke didn't seem to mind and was content with what he had instead of wanting more.
I do feel as though I made Zeke a tad boring and botched his accent. Zeke had a tendency to just be there as an extra vote. Plus, he always just seemed to be off to the side and never really put much input to any of the eliminations. I tried to make him more relevant toward the end of his stay, but unfortunately, his usefulness as ran dry.
Whether you loved him or despised him, Zeke places fourteenth.
Next Time: A dinner is held for Dakota and Noah while Fat Man gets some much needed information from the file and Discord. Mal tries to find Latus, but runs into Lea instead. Slender and Magenta help Leroy switch locations and Reuben makes Pink's nature clear. Drama happens and the challenge involves some surfing... and obstacles.
