It was morning out on the lake. Everyone was asleep and adrift on two rafts, with the Gophers on one and the Bass on another. An alarm clock in the water rang out, waking almost everyone up. "What?" Destiny mumbled, still drowsy. "Where are we?"
"Chris must've sent us adrift after we went to sleep," Greg reasoned.
"Yeah," Scott agreed. "Wait. I don't remember anything after dinner."
"Dinner?" Cameron realized. "That's it!" The scene flashed back to dinner. Chef scooped Cameron a spoonful of weird pasta. "Ew!" Cameron moaned. "What is this?"
"Turkey buttolini," Chef explained. "Enjoy your nap! Er, meal."
"Turkey makes you drowsy," Cameron explained to the others, "So mutant turkey must have knocked us out cold! Genius!"
"There's a kink in your chain-mail logic, Cameron," Greg told him.
"You mean turkey doesn't make you sleepy?" Destiny asked.
"No, it isn't that. Sky, Bridgette, and Dawn don't eat meat, and Mike didn't even touch the food, so explain how they ended up unconscious." Bridgette pulled a small dart out of her arm. "Could this be your answer?" she asked Greg.
"Tranquilizer darts?" Dave wondered as he pulled one out of Sky's arm. "That's a bit inhumane."
"Or someone's desperate excuse to tie loose ends," Luna said with a weird smile.
"Ignore the lunatic," Jo told the others.
"Ugh," Mike groaned as he woke up, "Where am I? Last thing I remember, Chef was chasing me and-"
"Good morning," Lindsay greeted. "Hey, what's with your peacock tail?" Mike turned around to see that he had multiple darts in his butt. "The fact that it took more than one dart to take me down says something, doesn't it?" he muttered to himself as he began to remove them.
"Great," Scott told the others. "We're gonna be some stupid shark's dinner."
"No," Destiny answered, "He won't find us with all this jash floating around."
"Junk plus trash," Greg whispered to some of the others.
"Hey, Shawn!" Destiny called out as she pulled out a hat from a chest floating by. "Found you another topper." She placed it on top of his head. "Hey, Jasmine!" she waved. "Look! Your boyfriend has a matching hat now!" Shawn shoved her into the water.
Confessional: Shawn (Killer Bass)
"I don't want that stupid songbird butting into my business. Besides, you know how dating works. First comes love, then comes marriage, and then comes your brain being eaten by a zombie baby that was hiding in your pillow!"
Confessional: Destiny (Killer Bass)
"Did you see those sparks? Sierra told me she already started a fanbase on her TD blogs for Jashawn, or Shasmine, whatever you like to call it. She also got posts for Duncney, for Gwent, for Zoke, for Rodga, and she even got posts for Aleheather and Coderra! She also mentioned something called Grestiny to me, but I haven't figured that one out yet."
End Confessionals
Greg was pulling Destiny out of the water. "Thanks, Greggy," she thanked him. "If I knew I was gonna be out at sea, I would've brought a bathing suit."
"No problem, Desi," Greg replied, blushing a little. "But I doubt anyone could predict us being adrift out in the water like this. This is almost as scary as that boss battle on my Swii."
"No way. You had nightmares for, like, three days before you managed to beat-"
"The Big Blooper!" they said at the same time. Greg and Destiny laughed at the memory. Dawn smiled at the sight until Dakota tapped her shoulder. "Got any sunscreen?" she asked her.
Confessional: Dakota (Killer Bass)
"This is so not how I wanted to get back on the show! Now that my looks are on hold, I need an ally. I think I got Sam. He's so dedicated. But having another girl to chat with wouldn't hurt, either. Sky's the only one I'd be seen with post-makeover. So I guess it's time to start the 'friend-ing' process? Is that what's it called?"
End Confessional
Chris and Chef drove up in speedboats. "Morning, suckers!" Chris told the campers. "How'd you enjoy your turkey buttolini?"
"Hey, Chris," Dakota taunted. "How many times did you call your mommy today?" As she talked, she began to grow in height, to Chris and Chef's shock. "I had no idea that Tabasco was used as a thumb-sucking deterrent until I started interning for Sippy Cup McLean."
"Uh..." Chris stammered, at a loss for words. The Gophers and Bass were giving Dakota an odd look. "What?" she asked. "What are you all staring at?"
"Uh," Destiny finally began, "Your hair is already growing back."
"Really? Yay!" Dakota touched her head, which now had short, spiky, green hair. "Um, when did you all get shorter?"
Confessional: Cameron (Screaming Gophers)
"Remarkable! All the toxic waste in the mine has caused some sort of evolving mutation. Hello cover story for Bubble Theory Magazine!"
Confessional: Greg (Killer Bass)
"I didn't think something like that was even possible. I thought that only happened in comic books!"
Confessional: Dawn (Killer Bass)
"I'm afraid this was the darkness Dakota has met. If we do lose, and Scott might make that happen, Dakota must leave in order to heal. It's the only way."
End Confessionals
"First things first," Chris announced. "If any of you are still looking for that statue I hid on Pahkitew Island..."
"Someone found it?" Dave interrupted.
"Someone found a statue. Can't say it's the statue yet, so you can keep searching if you want to. And speaking of digging things up, today's challenge is about winning the ultimate reward: life itself! Your first challenge is to race to the shore by any means possible. First team there wins a handy reward. Last team gets a heinous penalty before embarking on a quest for buried treasure."
"You're using us to dig up treasure now?" Dakota asked Chris. "Weak."
"There was treasure here once, but I found it years ago. How do you think I bought the place?"
"Must've been a pretty small treasure. Right, budster?" Dakota elbowed Sky, making her wince in pain. "Hey, Dakota!" Chris called out to her. "Catch!" He tossed a mirror to her. "What's this?" she wondered. "Ooh, a picture of a scary monster. Big deal."
"Dude," Scott told her, "That's a mirror." Dakota screamed at her reflection. "I'm a monster!" she cried out. She crushed the mirror in her hand. "When I get my hands on you," she threatened Chris, "I'll tear you apart!"
"Ah!" Chris screamed. "Game on!" He and Chef backed away in their speedboats. Jasmine broke off the sign on her team's raft and passed it to Lightning. "Get to rowing," she told him.
"Who made you the boss?" Lightning asked her.
"Hey, if you don't wanna be captain of our rowing team." Lightning's eyes widened. "Lightning is captain on every team!" he declared. "Let's do this." Jasmine smirked at this. "Using Lightning's ego to our advantage," Heather told her as she walked over to her. "Well played."
"Guys?" Trent spoke up. "Is it me, or are we missing a few people?"
"Worry about that later," Heather told him. "Let's move."
"We have to do what the Gophers are doing," Greg told his teammates. He, Sky, Dave and Destiny tried to break the sign off their team's raft. "Hurry up!" Dakota demanded. "When I get to shore, I wanna SMASH Chris!" She grabbed the sign and flung it off. Sky gasped at this. "Sorry," Dakota apologized to her. "This whole 'mutant' thing is totally stressing me out! Hold me." Sky gave her a nervous look.
Confessional: Sky (Killer Bass)
"It's really nice that Dakota wants me to help her. I just hope she doesn't crush me in the process."
End Confessional
"We have to get some distance from that freakshow," Heather told Lightning. "Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!" Lightning began to row the raft slowly to shore. "Can't you go any faster?" Owen asked him.
"Maybe if there wasn't extra weight," Heather lashed back.
"Looks like we will have to get in the water," Mike replied. He grabbed Owen and Trent before diving into the water. "Hey!" Trent sputtered. "Why'd you drag us in?"
"I said 'we'," Mike told him. "Not 'me', not 'you', 'we'. Quit moaning and start pushing the raft." As Mike and Owen pushed, Trent glared at Mike before joining.
Confessional: Trent (Screaming Gophers)
He groaned in frustration. "I am sick of Mike doing this stuff to me. I might say something to him if it keeps up."
End Confessional
"We won't be able to catch up now," Greg moaned.
"Dakota didn't mean to strand us," Sky told him as Dakota hugged her. "There, there, Dakota."
"You're a good friend," Dakota told her, "Even if your hair is all wrong."
"Looks who's talking," Dave muttered.
"If we want to catch up," Courtney told the others, "We'll have to get in the water and kick."
"No way," Scott argued. "The shark, remember?" Courtney just shoved him in the water. "Hey!" Scott told her as she, Jo, Greg and Destiny dove into the water.
"The sooner we get to shore," Courtney told him, "The sooner you're out of the water."
"Fine. You two, ladies."
"Sky's scared of the water," Dave told Scott.
"And besides," Sky added, "Dakota needs a little more time." She held up a napkin. "Okay, blow," she told Dakota. She blew her nose, covering Sky and Dave in snot. "Ew!" Dave panicked.
"Double time, dudes!" Lightning told his teammates. "They're gaining!" He paddled until he hit a giant squid. "AHH!"
"Aw," Chris gushed as he and Chef flew by in a helicopter, "It's playing with them."
"I won't be some calamari's dinner!" Jasmine shouted as she bashed the sign on the squid's tentacles. She kept whacking, though she only managed to hit Lightning's face. "You're hitting the Lightning!" he told her. WHACK! "Hey!" WHACK! "Stop!" WHACK!
"Giant squid dead ahead!" Dakota warned.
"Keep quiet," Greg whispered. "Maybe we can sneak by it." They kept pushing the raft silently. Just then, Fang swan behind Scott and snorted at him, making him panic and shout. "SHARK!" Scott screamed in fear as he ran around the raft.
"Are you trying to get us killed?!" Jo told him. Fang leapt onto the raft, to everyone's shock. "Go away, you big BULLY!" Dakota told him as she punched his nose, sending him flying right into the giant squid's eye. It dropped the Gophers in its grasp. "Race for the shore!" Mike told his teammates. "Move, move!" They began swimming towards the shore.
"Dakota, that was amazing!" Sky told her. "You saved us!"
"I guess I did," Dakota realized. "You're welcome, friend that owes Dakota big time."
"Great," Shawn sarcastically muttered, "The two freaks are bonding."
"That aside," Dave interrupted as he pushed him away, "What will we do about that?" He pointed to the giant squid, who raised its tentacles up. "It's a real-life Blooper!" Greg gulped. "This makes that game seem tame to this!"
"Excuse me, Mister Mutant Blooper?" Destiny asked the giant squid. "Greggy and I could give you a little performance if you could get everyone here to the shore."
"Desi, what are you doing?!"
"Get those pipes ready for a duet, Greggy!" Destiny began to play on her guitar. Greg gulped before he began to sing. "I'm at war withe the world and they," he sang, "Try to pull me into the dark. I struggle to find my faith as I'm slipping from your arms."
"It's getting harder to stay awake," Destiny sang, "And my strength is fading fast. You breathe into me at last."
"I'm awake!"
"I'm alive!" they chorused together.
"Now I know what I believe inside," Greg sang, "Now it's my time. I'll do what I want, 'cause this is my life. Here!"
"Right here!" Destiny sang.
"Right now!"
"Right now! I'll stand my ground and never back down!"
"I know what I believe inside..."
"I'm awake and I'm alive!" Greg and Destiny finished. The squid froze in place. It pushed everyone to one end of the raft, then it lifted one of its tentacles, which was spiked. "Songbird and her nerdy friend just doomed us!" Jo complained. The screen paused. "Will the Bass be doomed because of Destiny and Greg?" Chris narrated as he wore a squid hat. "And what's up with Dakota? Find out after the break."
(cue commercial)
The squid raised its spiked tentacle up. "Ready!" Destiny told it. It hit the other end of the raft, sending everyone flying to shore, to the Gophers' surprise. "Thanks, Mister Mutant Blooper!" Destiny waved to the squid. It waved back before ducking back into the water. "I heard of singing for your supper," Greg moaned, "But never singing to save our skins."
"Hey," Sky realized, "We're in first place!"
"Yay," Dave moaned.
"How am I suppose to vote off my teammates if we don't lose?" Scott grumbled under his breath.
"Where's Chris?!" Dakota growled. She had grown more in height, she had spikes on her elbows, and she had yellow eyes. Chris and Chef flew by in their helicopter. "Get down here, you!" Dakota growled. She leapt up to try to grab them before slamming back into the ground. "Calm down, uh, BFF," Sky told her. "Violence won't solve anything. Besides, we won!"
"And because you won," Chris announced, "You get these!" He tossed down some stuff, which Sky grabbed. "A map and compass!" Greg exclaimed. "Sweet!"
"Well," Chris announced, "Look what just washed up." The Gophers soon came onto the shore. "I told you to go faster," Mike muttered to the others.
"Who died and made you king?" Trent lashed back. "Honestly, how can Zoey tolerate you for so long?" Mike grabbed him by his shirt. "What did you say?" he demanded.
"You heard me," Trent told him. "I'm surprised Zoey's still friends with a jerk like you!"
"Oh, and your gal pal Gwen's still hanging out with sanguijuela here? The Spanish word for leech."
"So what's Spanish for dog-faced hot head?" Mike tackled Trent, and the two started to fight. "As much as I would like to see this continue," Chris told the campers, "Part two is a rescue mission to save your teammates. We've got two teammates for each team. Gophers..." He turned on a monitor, showing Gwen and Zoey trapped in a dim box. "What the-?" Gwen wondered. "Oh, no. I'm buried alive?"
"We're tr-trapped?!" Zoey stammered.
"HELP!" they screamed as they pounded on the wooden box. Trent and Mike stopped fighting to turn their attention to the monitor. "G-Gwen?!" Trent stuttered with worry.
"Zoey!" Mike cried out.
"And as for the Bass..." Chris continued. He pressed another button, and the monitor showed Brick and a still-asleep Sam in a different wooden box. "S-so dark," Brick stuttered. "T-t-too dark...HELP!" He pounded on the box. "So that's where that cadet disappeared to," Jo muttered under her breath.
"Sam!" Dakota exclaimed with joy. "Sam's okay! Does he still have crush on Dakota?"
"Guy ate a whole pot of Chef's buttolini," Chris explained, "So he didn't put up much of a fight." Dakota growled at him as she began to change. Her shoulders grew spikes, she grew a tail, and her green hair grew longer. She growled as she grew in height and her skin turned bright orange, to the shock of her teammates. "SAM!" she bellowed, her transformation complete.
"We're gonna need some elephant tranquilizers," Chris told Chef. "Bass, you've got your compass and your map to the general vicinity of the chests at the northern tip of the island. Now go!" The Bass began running. "Uh-duh-duh," he told the Gophers as he landed the helicopter. "Not so fast. To the losers go the penalty belts. Chef, lock 'em in." Chef began placing metal belts on some of the Gophers. "These must weigh a hundred pounds!" Lightning complained.
"120, to be precise," Chris clarified. He then placed a metal detector on Lightning's back. "A metal detector?" Jasmine wondered. "How is that gonna help us find a wooden chest?"
"It's not."
"Perfect," Trent sarcastically said. "If it wasn't for Meat-Mouth," He pointed to Mike, "We might've won."
"You're one to talk!" Mike lashed back. The two growled at each other. Topher took this moment to snag one of the belts from Chef and attach each end to Trent and Mike's wrists, binding them together.
Confessional: Topher (Screaming Gophers)
"I hope all you people saw that! What spells out more drama than two rivals being chained together? They'll either have to work together or tear each other apart!"
End Confessional
Trent and Mike noticed their bound wrists. "Real funny, Mike," Trent bitterly told him as he tugged on his end. "Now let go!"
"Does it look like I enjoy this?" Mike lashed back as he tugged back. "Somebody do something about this!"
"I don't know," Chris put in, "This seems like it'll get interesting."
"No way do I wanna be chained to him!" Trent told him.
"Ditto!" Mike agreed. "That little-"
"The more time you spend arguing," Cameron told him, "The less air Zoey and Gwen will have left." Mike froze for a moment. He then dashed off, dragging Trent behind him. "Wait!" Trent cried out.
"This seems like it'll be fun," Jasmine muttered under her breath.
"Our best option is to keep out of their way," Scarlett reasoned. "If they self-implode, then we vote one of them off." Jasmine and Heather shrugged at this reasoning. Meanwhile, the Bass had reached a toxic swamp. "That looks so unclean!" Dave moaned.
"It smells like home," Scott sighed.
"Don't worry, Davie," Luna assured him."I've got something to help you." She pulled out a vial filled with green liquid. "A little of this will perk you up!"
"Nuh-uh!" Dave refused. "No way do I want to be your guinea pig!" He tried to run off, but Luna tossed the vial at him, covering him with the green liquid. "Luna!" Sky scolded. "Don't test your things on people! Just what does that stuff do, anyway?"
"Nothing," Luna eerily answered, "Well, besides turn someone into this crow-human hybrid." A puff of green smoke went around Dave, and in a moment, his arms had black feathers on them, and his feet turned into bird feet. "AHH!" he cried out, though it sounded a little like a caw. "I'm a BIRD!" He began running around in a panic, waving his feathered arms around. "I'm a nasty, germ-covered BIRD!"
"Great," Shawn complained. "And now it's three creeps." Sky gave him a swift punch to the gut, silencing him. "Dave, calm down," she told him. "Luna, how long does that stuff last for?"
"I don't know," Luna answered. "Maybe a minute, maybe an hour, maybe a day, maybe a week, maybe a month, maybe a year, maybe a decade, maybe a century, maybe forever..."
"F-forever?!" Dave stammered.
"It won't be forever," Sky assured him. "Don't worry, I'm here for you."
"Let's see..." Greg thought as he looked at the map, "There's a path around this swamp...but it'll consume too much time."
"The Gophers don't know that," Scott told them. As soon as everyone ran off, Scott drew an arrow in the dirt that lead into the swamp. "But I'll make sure they do," he muttered. Dakota was carrying Sky and Destiny in her hands. "Come on, Buh-Fuh-Fuh," she told the girls.
"Buh-Fuh-Fuh?" Sky wondered.
"Short for BFF."
"Oh, man," Scott feigned loud enough for Dakota to hear, "Sam's probably suffocating by now!" Dakota gasped at this. "Sam!" she cried out as she dropped Sky and Destiny. "I save you!" She dove into the swamp water. "Thanks, Scott," Sky told him. "I'd better stick by Dave, though." She flew over the swamp water. "What Sky said," Destiny told Scott as she got to her feet. "Thank you."
"No problem," Scott answered. "Destiny, if I tell you something, do you promise to keep it a secret from the others?"
"Of course. What is it?" Scott pulled out a statue of Chris's head. "You found the statue?" Destiny asked him. "The the statue?"
"Yeah," Scott replied. "I still can't believe it. But I trust you enough not to tell anybody, right?"
"Sure." The two shared a smile for a bit, until they heard the sound of Trent shouting. "Hold up, Mike!" Trent told him as he was dragged through the dirt. He yanked on the chain, pulling Mike back. "What was that for?" Mike asked.
"You need to slow down," Trent replied. "You're forgetting we're chained together at the moment." He dragged Mike over to the swamp, making him cover his nose from the smell. "What's going on with you two?" Scott wondered.
"Ask him," Trent answered as he pointed to Mike. "He got us in this mess in the first place."
"My fault?" Mike nasally argued as he kept holding his nose. "You started this!"
"Says the guy that shoots off his mouth every other minute!" Trent lashed back as he leaned in closer to Mike's face.
Confessional: Mike (Screaming Gophers)
He coughed as the camera was zoomed in on his face. "I don't know if it's the swamp or Trent's breath, that stench was the nastiest thing I ever smelled before! Worse than a spray from a skunk! No offense." The camera zoomed out to show Trent in the confessional, as well. "None taken," he bitterly replied. "Is my breath that bad?"
"Don't start," Mike told him.
End Confessional
Soon, the Gophers reached the swamp. "That stench is rank!" Lightning moaned.
"Not to mention hazardous," Cameron commented as a fly flew past as a toad hung onto it with its tongue.
"Look!" Topher pointed out. "An arrow leading into the swamp."
"Tell you what, Lightning," Heather told him, "If you find the chest first, you might get the rank of team captain."
"Now that's a rank I can live with!" Lightning declared as he dashed into the swamp. The rest of the Bass were going through the swamp. "I'm telling you, Scott is not to be trusted," Greg told Destiny. "Dawn told me his aura is so dark, she would not be surprised if he sold his own mother to get ahead."
"Is that how he got the the statue?" Destiny wondered out loud.
"He has what?!" Greg cried out. "Th-that means we can't vote him off!"
"Vote who off?" Sky wondered as she flew in while carrying Dave. "He's calmed down some, but he's still in shock, I think."
"Cr-cr-cr-" Dave stammered.
"A crow isn't the worst bird in the world," Destiny told him. "At least you can fly like Sky now."
"Cr-cr-crocodile!" Dave pointed behind them. A mutant crocodile with tentacles for hands began to chase them. The Bass began running away towards the trees. "We can hide in that tree!" Greg pointed out. Almost everyone was up high in the branches. "Hurry!" Bridgette told Destiny and Greg, who were struggling to get up. "It's coming!"
"I'm trying!" Greg told her.
"I'll help!" Sky told him. She dropped Dave off on one of the branches and flew down to pick up Destiny and Greg. However, Destiny accidentally pushed Sky back into the water as soon as they climbed into the branches. "Water!" Sky screamed, catching Dave's attention. "Not the water!"
"Hang on!" Dave told her. He began to flap his arm and flew closer to her. At that moment, the potion wore off, turning Dave back to normal and unable to fly. "I hate Luna," he grumbled before falling and landing on top of Sky. "You okay?" Dave asked as he picked Sky up. She spat out some water before nodding her head yes. The mutant gator was about to attack the duo when Dakota leapt in and punched the gator's head. "Dakota!" Sky breathed out.
"Buh-Fuh-Fuh forever!" Dakota replied. The gator bit onto her tail, dragging her away. "I'm gonna turn you into PURSE!" she growled as she punched it away before going after it.
"Let's go!" Greg told everyone. "Our teammates won't have much oxygen left!"
"What about Dakota?" Sky wondered. "Should we help her?"
"I think we'd be in the way," Scott sneered. Dakota was punching the gator with its own tentacles. "Why you hit yourself?" she taunted. "Why you hit yourself?"
"That's one problem," Dave muttered. He saw the ripped map in Sky's hands. "The map!" he gasped. "It's ruined! Is the compass okay?" Greg searched his pockets but came up empty. "It's gone!" he told him.
"Way to go," Scott told the boys. "Now we'll never find them."
Confessional: Scott (Killer Bass)
He held up the compass. "Gotcha! And I have Destiny in my hands. And where she goes, her nerd friend follows."
End Confessional
"Let's go," Destiny told her teammates. "Greggy said that Sam, Brick, Gwen and Zoey are running low on air. But don't tell that to the boys now."
"What boys?" Sky asked her.
"She means Trent and Mike," Scott explained. "Those two got chained together somehow."
"Speaking of which," Greg put in as he pointed to the pair coming towards them. Trent and Mike tripped over a stone and fell at Jo's feet. "I told you to slow down!" Trent scolded.
"And here comes the competition," Jo muttered. "Don't bother trying to look for the weird gothball and her friend." Trent stood up at once upon hearing this. "What did you say?" he demanded.
"'Don't bother trying to look for the weird gothball and her friend'," Greg repeated as he ducked behind Destiny. "Jo's words, not mine."
"Gwen's more than a weird gothball, Jo!" Trent lashed back at her as Sky and Dave backed away.
"Please," Jo scoffed, not seeing Trent's scowl. "Like a freakshow like yourself could beat me." Trent suddenly lunged at her, dragging Mike into the fight.
Confessional: Trent (Screaming Gophers)
The camera was zoomed in on his face. "I'm usually not one to lose my cool so easily, but being around that arrogant, loudmouthed maniac is starting to become a bad influence! No offense." The camera zoomed out to show Mike in the confessional. "None taken," he shrugged.
"Really?" Trent wondered, surprised.
"I've been called worse things so...colorful, it would make a sailor tear up."
End Confessional
Dakota was still fighting the mutant gator as the Gophers watched. "Man, Freak Dakota's owning that gator!" Lightning exclaimed. "Not that I couldn't do the same."
"Oh, really?" Jasmine asked him as the others began running off. "Well, here's your chance." She walked off, leaving Lightning confused until he turned to see two mutant gators behind him. "Uh, sha-friends?" he meekly asked them. They tackled him into the swamp water.
"Thanks for losing the compass," Scott scolded to Greg. "Now we're guaranteed to come in last."
"Maybe not," Shawn told him. "Moss grows on the northern sides of trees, and Chris said our goal is to the north. So, we need to go...that way." He pointed towards a big thorny bush. "A thorn bush forest?" Destiny gasped. "We can't go in there." Dakota flung the gator at the thorns, knocking them down. "Fantastic," Scott sarcastically mumbled.
"Let's move," Shawn told the Bass. Sky, Dave, Destiny and Greg paused to see Jo pushing Trent and Mike off of her, making them fall onto the ground. "Nice going," Mike, now bruised up, scolded Trent. "You dragged me into your brawl. We're chained together, remember?"
"Says the guy who gets into a fight every other day!" Trent, with bruises and a bloody lip, lashed back.
"At least I don't drag others into the crossfire, leech!"
"You're one to talk, dog!" Trent and Mike growled at each other as they stared each other down. "Oh, dear!" Sky gasped as she and the others watched the scene. "I can't watch!"
"I can fix this," Destiny told them as she held her guitar up and walked over.
"Like another song will make them stop," Jo scoffed.
"Now I don't wanna watch," Greg gulped as he covered his eyes. "She's cutting the Gordian knot."
"What are you-?" Dave began but a BAM! cut him short. Everyone winced as Destiny held up her guitar as Trent and Mike laid on the ground. "What knot?" Destiny asked. "I just bashed them El Kabong style to keep them from fighting." She turned to Trent and Mike as they got to their feet. "You boys listen up," she told them. "I don't know what caused this fight, but if you want to save your gal Fridays, you need to work together. Okay?"
"Fine," Trent and Mike sighed in defeat.
"Over here!" Scott called out. He was digging at the ground. "I think I hear them!"
"Really?" Destiny asked him.
"Would I lie to you?" Meanwhile, the Gophers had arrived. "Excuse me, Jasmine," Ella asked her, "But where is Lightning at?"
"Told ya!" Lightning exclaimed as he, scratched up and bruised, ran up. "Those things totally gave up after I lost most of my blood. M-V-P!" He soon passed out. The metal detector went off over a rock, which Jasmine kicked aside to reveal two keys. "Two keys?" she wondered. "The small one must be for the cuffs!" Soon, everyone was unchained. "The other key looks old," Cameron reasoned, "Like treasure chest old! It must be for the chests!" The ground beneath him began to thud. "Somebody let me out of here!" Gwen muffled.
"Help us!" Zoey cried out.
"It's too dark in here!" Brick called out.
"We'll get you guys out!" Cameron told them as he began to dig.
"And get us in the winner's circle!" Jasmine declared.
"Hurry!" Greg told his teammates as they continued to dig. "The rest of the Gophers are here! How deep did Chris bury them?" Jasmine used the metal detector as a shovel as the Gophers dug, unintentionally covering Lightning with dirt. Soon, Jasmine heard a THUD as she hit the boxes. "Help!" Gwen cried out. "Get me out of here!"
"And the Gophers win it!" Chris announced from his helicopter.
"What?" Greg gasped. He turned to Scott. "Thought you heard them here, huh?" Cameron used the key to open Gwen and Zoey's box. "Freedom!" Gwen cried out as she hopped out.
"Thanks, guys," Zoey breathed out as she stepped out. "Um, anyone seen Mike?"
"Or Trent, for that matter?" Gwen wondered. Trent and Mike noticed the girls. "Gwen!" Trent breathed with relief.
"Zoey!" Mike called out with joy. The boys ran and embraced Gwen and Zoey in a hug. "Glad to see you're okay," Trent told Gwen.
"What happened to you guys?" Gwen wondered. "You two haven't been fighting each other, have you?"
"No," Trent and Mike said at the same time. "We haven't."
"But-" Destiny began but Greg quickly covered her mouth. "Desi, don't," he warned. "Here, ignorance is bliss."
"Besides," Trent told Gwen, "Things are cool with me and Mike."
"Yeah," Mike agreed.
"Guess you boys won't need this," Topher said as he held up the key to the chains.
"Hand over that key!" Mike and Trent shouted, making Topher stumble over and drop the key. The boys quickly unchained themselves. "Just because we're not enemies doesn't mean I wanna be chained to you," Trent told Mike.
"Ditto," Mike agreed as he rubbed his wrist. Cameron and Ella kept digging for Brick and Sam. "SAM!" Dakota bellowed. She shoved them aside and went over to the hole. "I save you!" She punched the box open, flung Brick out, and held up the still-asleep Sam in her hand. "Sam!" Dakota cried out. "Dakota hug!" As she hugged him, Sam stirred awake. "Dakota?" he wondered.
Confessional: Sam (Killer Bass)
"Whoa. The girl of my dreams just got a thousand times more awesome!"
End Confessional
That night, the Bass were walking back to the camp. As Scott walked off, Greg began to talk to the others. "We need to decide who to vote for," he told them.
"It should be Scott," Dave put in. "He made us dig in the wrong place."
"Unfortunately, we can't boot him. He has the invincibility statue. Desi told me herself."
"And you believe her word?"
"Look, as long as he's holding onto that statue, we can't take our chances to boot him. If we do, he'll null our votes so that only his counts."
"So, what do we do?" Sky asked.
"I have an idea," Dawn spoke up. Soon, the Killer Bass were at the campfire ceremony. DJ, Duncan, Geoff, Bridgette, Courtney, Brick, Jo and Alejandro were in the back row while Luna, Scott, Shawn, Harold, Destiny, Greg, Dawn, Sky, Dave and Dakota were in the front row. Sam was sitting on Dakota's lap. "Sam still like Dakota?" she asked him.
"I've always liked you," Sam told her. "Man hands or no man hands. You were cute before, but now you're like the hottest warrior in Mutazoid 5! You're the Dakotazoid!" Dakota giggled before she and Sam began to make out, to everyone's disgust. "Okay, players," Chris began, "The votes are tallied, and it's near unanimous that-"
"Wait," Harold interrupted. "What about the marshmallows for the people that are staying?"
"No can do. Someone ate all of them when she was in the infirmary."
"Me had munchies," Dakota giggled.
"I just hope the votes aren't for me," Scott grumbled.
"Why?" Dave snapped back. "So you can use your statue to boot one of us off?"
"How-? Destiny! I told you not to tell the others!"
"I didn't tell the others," Destiny told Scott, "I told Greggy." She heard a THUD as Greg fainted. "Greggy?"
"Butterflies," Greg mumbled.
"As I was saying," Chris continued, "It's near unanimous, thanks to Dawn and Sky, that Sam and the Dakotazoid are going home. For good this tme." Dakota and Sam just shrugged as they continued to kiss. Everyone turned to Sky and Dawn. "Her friendship was hazardous to my health," Sky explained. "I had to vote her off."
"And she would be at peace if Sam was voted off with her," Dawn added.
"Yeah," Luna put in. "'Cause he wouldn't have much of that 'plot' stuff without her."
"We didn't ask you, Luna!" Dave lashed back. At the Hurl of Shame, Dakota and Sam were still making out. "Ready to fly, Dakota?" Chris asked her. "Hello?" He motioned to Chef, who pulled the lever and flung them off. At the cabins, Trent was straightening up his bed when Sky walked in. "You and Mike recovering well?" she asked him.
"Yeah," Trent answered, without facing her.
"You know, when I saw that bloody lip of yours, I sorta thought the worst. Still I couldn't imagine you doing something like that to anyone." She noticed Trent had gone silent. "Everything okay?"
"Except I did," Trent finally answered. He turned to show the tears in his red eyes. "I...I did it to Gwen during the camping challenge. But I-I just couldn't help myself! And it's been eating at me ever since!" He wiped the tears away from his face. "But...could you at least check on Gwen for me?"
"Sure," Sky spoke up. "I could ask how-"
"I meant like, well, you know."
"Oh! You mean...that."
"I just want to be on the safe side. Just keep an eye on her, okay?"
"You can count on me, Trent." Sky flew out of the cabin. Trent just let out a sigh of relief. Unknown to him, Mike was listening from a nearby tree. "You are something else," he muttered before dashing off into the night.
And another chapter's up! Okay, where to begin? Well, I know you probably saw the elimination of Dakota, but I added Sam to it because, like Luna said, he wouldn't have much plot without her. (And you might find it odd that Luna sort of broke the fourth wall in this chapter, but this is Luna we're talking about.)
Anyway, onto a few plot points. Scott villained it up just like in canon, but I did put a few twists to it. First of all, he reveals his statue to Destiny and warns her not to tell, but the big change is that she accidentally blurted it to Greg, who told everyone else. Is the statue the real deal? How long might it be before it's used? You'll find out soon enough.
I also advanced the dynamics between Greg and Destiny, Sky and Dave, a little of Shawn and a little of Luna, but I believe the highlight was the climax of Mike and Trent's feud. Added to the fact that, thanks to Topher, they were chained together kind of adds to the drama that Total Drama strives for. (I hope I've written it well, though.)
The next challenge will test the campers' fashion sense. Until next time, this is Dunsparce519 saying enjoy and have a happy New Year!
P.S. The game Greg was referencing was the boss battle in Chapter 3-2 of Super Paper Mario
P.P.S. The song Greg and Destiny were singing was 'Awake and Alive' by Skillet
60) Ezekiel
59) Eva
58) Noah
57) Staci
56) Justin
55) Dakota
54) B
53/52) Katie/Sadie
51) Sol
50) Sugar
49) Phoebe (SC)
48) Tyler
47) Amy (SC)
46) Izzy
45) Leonard
44) Beth
43) Austin
42) Echo (SC)
41) Beardo
40) Max
39) Anne-Maria (SC)
38/37) Dakota (again)/Sam