This chapter is filled with everything from awesome audition tapes, to epic competitions, to clever schemers.

What more could you ask for?

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"Alright, everyone," a backstage supervisor called out. "We're on in twenty minutes. Our hosts want this episode to be excellent. Oh, I hope that competition they have will be as good as they say."

The interns and other workers nodded and quickly got everything set up. As they worked, one of the workers, a woman with short brown hair, approached the supervisor.

"I was asked by Sam to deliver something to one of the guests," she said. "Can you tell me where the dressing rooms are?"

The man nodded. "In the hallway and to your left. Can't miss it. Say, I haven't seen you here before. Are you new or something?"

Though the woman got nervous, she didn't miss a beat. "Yes, I'm new. That's why I didn't know where the dressing rooms were. Thanks for telling me, sir."

"Of course. Carry on."

The woman smiled and headed down the hallway. Soon, she opened the door she was directed to, and it revealed another hallway with a large star on each door.

She went down this new hallway, then spotted a bathroom. She quickly went inside, then took a look in the mirror. With a smirk, she removed her brown wig to reveal long, blonde hair.

"Can't believe that worked," said the woman. She pulled out a notebook to look at her list of things to do, crossing off "Get into the studio". Also on the list was "Impersonate a guest", "Win the spot back in the game", and "Take down Chris".

"Looks like the first part is done," she said. "Chris, that idiot Topher may not have been able to succeed, but I am more than a match. Total Drama will be mine."

*theme song*

The audience gave a standing ovation to Sam and Snake, who were waving as they sat in their accustomed spots on the center sofa. To their left, a larger group than the last two shows sat and waited while looking at the three empty sofas to the hosts' right.

"Hello to all fans of Total Drama," Snake called out.

"And welcome back to…." Sam began.

"THE TOTAL DRAMA EVERYTHING 2 AFTERMATH SHOW!" they both yelled, and the audience broke into applause.

"I'm Sam."

"And I'm Snake."

"And boy, we've got a lot in store for you guys tonight," Sam said.

Snake nodded. "To start us off, we're giving you a recap of what has happened on the show. Ever since we saw you last, we've seen love, deception, companionship, and of course, drama. Can't remember? Here's a few clips."

Sam hit the button, and the famous TV screen lowered and turned on.

The first clip was of Connie distracting the lion long enough for the other competitors to escape, which led to her being attacked by that very lion.

The second clip showed Julie finally kissing Leo, then her being eliminated.

The third clip was when, during the Quidditch match, Sonic flew right in front of Ruby to defend her from the bludger, then got hit by the crazy ball himself.

Next came the ordeal Yusei and Nom Nom had in escaping the elevator, then Nom Nom stepping forward to take the blame, keeping Yusei from being eliminated.

The last one was Gaz and Mandy's climactic battle on Lyoko, then Mandy's shocked face at realizing she had been brutally betrayed.

"So yeah," Sam said. "We certainly have a lot to talk about."

"And to help us out, here's our peanut gallery of guests!" Snake exclaimed. He looked to his left, where Jak/Daxter, Rarity, Zelda, Dante, Superman, Toph, Coco, Fred, Cynder, Po, Goku, Deadpool, Maya, Stan, Princess Bubblegum, Ash/Pikachu, and Shrek. The audience applauded to the group.

"So how have you all been?" Snake asked.

Fred shuddered. "I'm still recovering from that ghost story swap Deadpool had some of us do on his radio show. Especially that last story."

"Like I said, you should be lucky it wasn't the director's cut," Deadpool said. "I guarantee that ol' Supes here would have nightmares for weeks if I told it to him."

"Doubt it," Superman said.

Sam laughed. "Speaking of which, how's Morning Merc?"

"It's slowly but surely paying off my debt to Nohr," he said. "And I'm sure the entire group here watched my Talent Show of Power. Heck, even Mandy and Nom Nom were there."

Snake stood up. "Speaking of them, they are both in the back waiting room along with Connie, Julie, and Sonic. Tonight, so we don't waste time, we're going to bring out all five guests at once. And after the interviews and audition tapes, we're going to get to what all of our guests have been waiting for."

"As you all know," Sam explained, "the plane's previous stop with the Lyoko challenge was the show's last challenge before the merge. That's right. Next time you see the remaining competitors, the teams will be combined and it will be every person for themselves."

"But it's not over yet for everyone here either," Snake said. "Before the show is over, two of us will have earned a coveted spot back in the competition!"

The audience cheered, and everyone in the peanut gallery smiled.

"The first one will be decided by our little competition," Sam said. "We're going to have all twenty-four of us-myself and Snake included-narrowed down to twelve, then six, then three. The three left standing will do one final contest where the winner will earn their place back on the Total Drama Everything Plane."

"And as for the rest of us, our hopes won't be completely dashed yet," Snake told everyone. "The producers have also picked one person from the group as their own choice. Whoever they choose, we will find out later in the show. So whoever loses the competition will still have a chance. In the meantime, let's get things rolling."

The audience and peanut gallery cheered.

"And before you ask, we have not yet gotten word of Lammy's whereabouts yet," Sam added. "Since she is not here, she will not take part in the competition, but may still be the producer's choice."

Deadpool giggled. "If so, I know someone on that plane who is going to freak out."

Snake rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we have a couple audition tapes before we bring out our guests. The first one will be Mega Man's. Enjoy."

The screen flashed a couple times before the video came on.

(Mega Man's audition tape, submitted by sdgeek)

(Mega Man is seen in a futuristic room with multiple workbenches and tools.)

Mega Man: Hi! I'm Mega Man, and I want to join your show so I can have some fun! You see, there was this guy who used to try and take over the world, but he seems to have disappeared, making it BORING around here! So sign me up? Please? I can shoot metal saw blades out of my hand!

(To prove this, he shoots a metal blade out, but he was in front of the camera. You do the math.)

*end*

"Whoops,"Sam said. "I hope that camera wasn't expensive."

"His dad's a scientist," Dante called out. "Don't count on it."

Snake shrugged. "Fair enough. Mega Man's still in the competition, and even has the distinction of being the only veteran who made it to the merge, that DIDN'T make the merge first time around."

Rarity slumped. "I'm jealous."

Everyone laughed. "And here's Zelda's audition tape too," Sam said. Zelda looked up, expectantly.

(Zelda's audition tape, submitted by sdgeek)

(Zelda is seen in a bedroom, where she is sitting down on the front of the bed.)

Zelda: My name is Princess Zelda, and I want to join your newest season of Total Drama. Now I may not look like much, just a dainty damsel in distress. But I'm very wise and I am skilled in magic. If that's not enough, I can do this!

(She mutters, "This is not smart Zelda," before transforming into Sheik. She then removes the mouthguard/bandages around her mouth to speak.)

Zelda/Sheik: Ta-da! This may not look like much, but as this... alternate form I can perform many aerobic feats, or as you would understand, ninja stuff.

(She transforms back into Zelda.)

Zelda: Hope you pick me!

*end*

"Oooh, I wanna see you go Sheik right now!" Dexter exclaimed.

Zelda grinned a little. "Maybe later," she said.

"Are you ok?" Shrek asked her. "Your voice is kinda funny."

"I'm fine. It's just a cold."

"Okay then."

Sam then said, "On that note, it's time to bring out our five guests for this evening. First, let's see how they're doing. And as a heads up, Connie let her friend Steven heal her with his own powers, so that lion attack is but a distant memory."

The screen then turned on. Connie was polishing her sword, Sonic was zooming back and forth to keep himself busy, Nom Nom was talking on his phone and Julie and Mandy were waiting on the couch.

"We're about to go on, and you're talking on your phone?" Julie asked Nom Nom.

"Maybe if this show weren't so slow, I would have had no trouble ordering my pizza," Nom Nom griped before returning to the phone. "Anyway, do you guys have olives? No? Just pepperoni then."

Connie smiled. "It must be awesome to be rich," she said.

"Yeah, well I wouldn't know," Mandy said. "That evil witch! I helped her stay under the radar, and this is how she repays me?"

"What's Nom Nom?" Sonic asked. "Chopped liver?"

"At least he only did it as a punishment."

"Good point."

Then a worker came in. "They're ready for you guys."

"Wonderful," Mandy said. "Let's get out there and make fools of ourselves."

The audience all laughed. "Someone hasn't changed," Stan said.

"With that, let's bring them in," Sam said. "Our first guest is a normal girl on one side, and a proficient sword wielder on another. Having befriended numerous world defenders and even stepped up to protect the rest of the cast, it's Connie!"

Everyone cheered as Connie stepped out and waved, then took a seat on an empty sofa.

"The next one is a down-to-earth tennis player with a complicated love life," Snake said. "She had a hard time getting over a recent breakup, then found love again and mended her heart. Here's Julie!"

Julie smiled in front of the applauding audience and went to sit next to Connie.

"Guest number three is the world's fastest supersonic hedgehog," Sam stated. "He lives for being fast, and for defending his friends, no matter what it takes. Give it up for Sonic!"

Sonic ran onto the stage, waved quickly, then zoomed to where Connie and Julie were sitting.

"Our next guest holds the title of the Cutest Bear on the Internet," Snake explained. "While his record on the show is mixed, what matters is he'll do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Nom Nom!"

Nom Nom didn't even wave or smile. He just shrugged as he went to sit down.

"And the last guest is a girl with a mean streak a mile long," Sam announced. "She's the friend/master of Death himself, and is one kid you REALLY do not want to cross. Give a big round of applause for Mandy!"

Mandy simply walked to the other four without a word, sitting as far away from them as she could.

"Now that all five of you are here, let's have some fun," Sam said. "We'll start with Connie. How are you feeling?"

"A lot better. Steven used his healing powers to fix me up, so it's all good."

"And did you get all of our get well cards?" Snake asked.

"I did. Speaking of which, I wanted to know. Deadpool, was shaving the lion and sending me his pelt really necessary?"

Deadpool shrugged. "Hey, you were a fellow Moon with me, and I had always wanted to shave a lion. This was my excuse. Speaking of which, how do you like it and the standee I sent you?"

"Well Steven's dad turned the pelt into a fur cape that he can't get enough of, and Peridot tore apart the standee once she saw it. She still hates you from when you came and wiped them in sparring."

The mercenary laughed. "Guess she had a good reason."

"And your parents?" Snake asked.

"They're still suing Chris. And I had to beg as hard as I could to even come here tonight so I could try and get back in."

"You should have scared them into submission," Mandy told her. "It's what I do."

Sam laughed. "And what about you, Julie? We all heard you made up with Ben."

"We did," Julie explained. "He understood what happened between us and made peace with the fact that Leo and I are together. So we're now simply friends."

Ash raised his hand. "That reminds me…."

"You wanted me to explain everything that happened with Storygirl000?"

Everyone shouted, "Yes!"

"Well, she beat us up with her Gardevoir and had her Ditto pose as Ben. Then she had our memories altered with her Musharna. Next, she was ready to have her Salandit make it so that Ben would be in love with Story. And that's basically it."

"Have you seen it yet with her ambushing the plane?" Sam asked. "That was awesome."

"Deadpool showed me the video," Julie said. "During that, Leo found out what was going on, so Story had to let us go. We made her apologize for what happened, and Ben's working on filing a restraining order against her."

That made Deadpool laugh. "Well, I hope he succeeds as much as TheMasterKat has failed. She keeps threatening me with plans to file a restraining order, but she hasn't yet. And I even forgot to mention Shiklah and I split up. So I'm a free man."

(Author's Note: *gulp*)

"Last I heard, Story's made plans to pursue this one guy in space who pilots a giant lion robot," Julie finished. "So yeah, Ben and I shouldn't have to worry about her for a long time. Although, I am flattered that she's a fan of mine."

Everyone laughed.

"And how have things been for you, Sonic?" Sam asked.

"Everyone has congratulated me for what happened during the Quidditch match," he said. "Even Shadow was mildly impressed. The bad thing, though, is that I had to face Amy."

"I'm guessing she's found out about…"

Sonic nodded. "Even after the attempts to have her fall for Shadow instead-speaking of, I watched their duet at the Talent Show of Power and it was hilarious-she's still obsessed with me. Amazingly enough, she's cheering for Ruby."

That surprised everyone. "But why would Amy cheer for her?"

"Because Amy knows Ruby will try to avenge me and everyone else taken down by Ivy. And I know Ruby can do it. She's cute, and she's awesome. And she's a lot like me. She goes where the wind takes her, and can't sit still. She is also willing to do whatever it takes for her friends. In the end, I am glad I met her, and she rocks my world."

Some people then said, "Aaaawwwww."

"Are you guys going to get to me yet?" Nom Nom asked. "I'm a world-renowned Internet celebrity, and I need my screentime."

"I knew he wouldn't be able to resist," Maya said.

"Well, then how have things been for you?" Snake asked, slightly annoyed.

Nom Nom groaned. "Those three bears have been making fun of me ever since I got back," he said. "Claiming I'm finally turning into a nice guy."

"And you're not?" Goku asked.

"Just because I try to fulfill a debt to someone, talk him out of heartbreak, work together with him to escape from an elevator, and then save his butt from elimination, doesn't mean I'm turning into a nice guy. In fact, I couldn't hate everyone more than I do right now because no one will shut up about it."

Bubblegum looked at him. "Well, at least you're being honest."

"Shut up."

"So we can understand why you did the thing with the quicksand and the heartbreak, but sacrificing your job to keep Yusei in the game?" Snake asked. "You're not exactly the type of person to do that, and you got Yusei eliminated last season in the first place."

Nom Nom looked at him. "Just because I don't think friendship is worthwhile for me doesn't mean I'm a heartless guy."

"Says the guy who got half the cast eliminated last season," Dante said.

"What about Ivy?"

"She's a self proclaimed supervillainess," Cynder said. "That one is obvious."

Nom Nom shook his head. "Anyway, you guys think I'm just completely heartless, but I was playing the game the way I knew how. I didn't need friends to get as far as I did. And in Yusei's case, we're completely different in every way. I saw him as too different. That's why I wanted him gone. That incident on that bridge, combined with what Lammy did for me in the final three, prompted me to at least pay him back.

"But after Lammy dumped him, it became more than just paying him back. It became a mission to get my rival back, because it's not fun if it's too easy for me. In truth, before Lammy left, I had planned several alternative ways to eliminate Yusei. After that, I threw those plans away. However, when Ivy tried to make me look bad, I simply could not let it stand. I like being behind plots, but only when I know what role I played. The both of us kinda developed a better understanding of each other in that elevator, when we had to work together to get out. And I realized what he was talking about.

"As for the elimination, there was no way, after everything that happened, I was going to let Yusei get kicked off. Besides, I hated that job. So I just quit. I may disregard friendship, but I do have morality. I just never used it until this season."

"And what about Yusei himself?" Sam asked.

"Oh, I still hate him. Just not as much as I used to. And we're still going to be rivals, no doubt. We just understand each other better."

Jak nodded. "Makes sense."

"Well, that just leaves Mandy," Sam said. "This should be good."

Mandy rolled her eyes. "And I thought you guys had forgotten about me."

"So Mandy, how have you been?" Snake asked.

"I watched the full episode," she said. "And I still can't believe all that had happened. First, I get beaten by that copycat Gaz. Then Ivy has the nerve to betray her ally just to get further in the game? Nom Nom just wanted to punish me for siding with you guys. She did it for herself."

"Sheesh, don't bring me into this," Nom Nom said.

"Shut your mouth. I still haven't forgotten what you did."

"It was last season. Get over it."

"Anyway, that's not even the worst part of it all. The worst part was that Gaz was right. I have no idea how she managed to find out, but she knew what Ivy was going to do. Being me, I didn't believe her."

"Yeah, because you hated Gaz too much to do so," Po said.

"Shut it, fatso. I'm still trying to get over that."

Snake looked at Mandy. "So do you still hate Gaz?"

"What do you think? I hate her more than I did back on the plane."

"Then why did you tell her to defeat Ivy before you left?" Sam asked.

Mandy glared at her. "I hate her, but she was right about Ivy. She was right all along. So I simply feel it's Gaz's responsibility now to win the game and make that cow pay for what she did to me. And if she fails, I just want Ivy to pay. Heck, after the show, I'm going to make her pay whether she loses or not."

Sam nodded. "Quite the promise."

"You should know by now that I am fully capable of keeping that promise," Mandy said.

"Even I'm scared," said Superman.

"You should be."

After five seconds of silence, Snake looked at the audience. "Now that all five of our guests have had something to say, we have three more audition tapes to go through before we get to our little competition. This next one was from our resident Sockhead, Double D!"

He turned on the screen to show the video.

(Double D's audition tape, submitted by sdgeek)

(Double D was seen sitting in a neat room, with everything folded and not a speck of dust to be seen.)

Double D: Hello Christopher McLean, my name is Eddward, with two D's, so refer to me as Double D if you would do so kindly! The reason for this audition tape is for me to request permission to join onto your show!

Voice behind the camera: Or the aliens will come and take our drumsticks!

Second voice behind the camera: Shut it, Lumpy!

(Double D looks at the mysterious duo with mild annoyance.)

Double D: As I was saying, I would make a great addition to your show since my extraordinary IQ levels would provide a useful advantage to my team!

Second voice behind the camera: If you don't die first!

(Double D goes pale, the speaker starts to snicker, and the camera is turned off.)

*end*

Nearly everyone in the studio was laughing. "Now that was fun to watch," Sam said, wiping away a tear.

"Well, it's a good thing he was honest," Julie said. "He did help plan the design for our fortress back in Aomori City."

"Who's next?" Toph asked.

"Well, we also have Gaz's audition tape, so this will be fun," Sam said as the screen came on again.

(Gaz's audition tape, submitted by sdgeek)

(Gaz is seen playing on her Game Slave, in a purple room.)

Gaz: My name is Gaz Membrane and I want to be on your show so I can win the money and buy me the Game Slave 3. And you will pick me. Or else.

*end*

"Cococococococo?" Coco asked.

"Yes, that was it," Snake answered. "Gaz is certainly never the most talkative competitor we know."

Deadpool smiled. "Guess who is. Now where's the last one? I want to get to that competition already."

"We're getting to it," Sam said. "Anyway, here's our last audition tape. This one was from Mandy."

Mandy's eyes widened as they turned on the video. Her hands were clenching.

(Mandy's audition tape, submitted by sdgeek)

(Mandy is seen sitting in her room, with Grim and Billy sitting to her left and right respectively.)

Mandy: My name is Mandy, and you will pick me. Why? Well, to my left is the Grim Reaper. He has taken souls before. To the right of me is an idiot. You do not want to listen to him.

Grim: That's why he has duct tape around him.

Mandy: Yes, he does. But you should pick me because not picking me would mean that I will find and torture you. Just ask Fred Fredburger.

(The camera then cuts off on that high note.)

*end*

"Well, you were certainly direct," Sam said. "That much is certain."

"Hey, who's Fred Fredburger?" Stan asked.

"This one creature from the Underworld. He's so annoying that he makes a great torture device. If you don't believe me, ask that bald British kid I tortured one time to find out about that organization he represents."

Zelda then started laughing. I'm going to have to find out about that later," she said.

Then most people noticed something odd about Zelda: she never laughed like that.

"Are ya sure you're ok?" Shrek asked.

"Oh, I'm totally fine."

"Anyway, it's finally time," Sam told everyone. "It's time for the main event. The Total Drama Everything 2 Returnee Competition!"

Everyone cheered.

"And since Sam and I are taking part, we brought someone in to take over the hosting duties for the rest of the episode. Beerus, come on out!"

Then, out from stage left came a tall, bipedal purple jackal/cat creature of some kind. He looked annoyed to be there. Deadpool and Goku both gasped.

"Deadpool's not the only one willing to hire gods for his stuff," Snake said. "We got Beerus, God of Destruction to help us out."

"Just as long as you pay the amount of money you promised," Beerus said. "Even gods want to be rich."

He then turned look at everyone. "Will everyone on stage please join me in a circle?"

Once the circle was formed, he said, "Alright. If I'm going to do this, all of you are going to play fair. If any of you cheats, you die. Got that? Winner of this stupid competition will earn a spot back on your little reality show. Losers, hope the producers pick you. Got that?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then we're going to start round one. This one is a simple game of chance."

He waved his hand, and twenty-four large barrels appeared, spanning the entire length of the stage.

"Each of you are going to pick one of these barrels. All of them are filled with mud, and all of them contain one miniature Chris figurine. Twelve of them are green, and the other twelve are red. When I say go, each of you are going to dig into the barrel until you find the token. If you find a green one, you move on to the next round. But if your barrel has a red token, what else can I say? Poor you. Now everyone, go pick a barrel."

The twenty-four competitors all started scrambling to find a barrel they wanted. However, Zelda was taking more time than the others. She seemed to be covering her left ear with her hand before picking one.

Soon, everyone was standing behind the barrel of their choice. "And since it's required in the show, you're picking these out one at a time, and while you're singing a song," Beerus said.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Oh, just wonderful," Toph said.

(Author's Note: I simply had Beerus host this because Morning Merc made him look like a great host. Anyway, this song has a pop beat to it, and is called, "Chance".)

Beerus: Snake, you're first.

Snake: Here we go, it's time to move

Because of the circumstance

Now we'll see, if I move on

If I stand a chance.

(He puts his arm in the mud, then pulls it out to reveal a red token.)

Snake: Shoot!

Beerus: Too bad, Snake. Toph, you're up.

Toph: Not hard for me, because I have

Super excellent sense

No sight for me, but now I will see

If I stand a chance.

(She moves the mud aside with her earthbending powers, then pulls out a green token.)

Toph: Nice.

Beerus: Not bad. Dante, you're next.

(Dante pulls out a green token from the mud.)

Beerus: No singing?

Dante: You're not Chris. Besides, twenty-four stanzas will take a long time.

Beerus: True. Fred, you're up.

(Fred pulls out a green token.)

Fred: Jackpot:

Beerus: Maya?

(Maya pulls out a red token.)

Maya: Dang it.

Beerus: Oh well. Up next is Mandy.

Mandy: I want to get back in this game

To wring her stupid neck

That complete backstabber eco-terrorist

Will look like such a wreck.

(She pulls out a red token.)

Mandy: You have got to be kidding me.

(Ash pulls out a green token.)

Pikachu: Pika!

Ash: Nice.

(Sam also pulls out a green token.)

Sam: Alrighty then.

(Zelda pulls out a green token; Julie, Superman, and Bubblegum pull out red tokens.)

Nom Nom: I want to get back in this game

Just for the heck of it

No Chris or Yusei will influence this

Now let's see if I had the wit.

(He pulls out a red token.)

Nom Nom: This was not worth getting my arm covered in mud.

(Connie and Rarity pull out green tokens.)

Connie: Nice.

Rarity: Yay!

(Goku pulls out a red token.)

Goku: Darn.

Deadpool: Time to have a little fun

And some insanity while I'm here

Time to see if I can make it

Without shedding a tear.

(He pulls out a green token.)

Deadpool: Booyah!

(Sonic and Jak pull green tokens, while Stan and Coco get red tokens.)

Beerus: That leaves Shrek, Cynder, and Po. All three of you, get ready.

Cynder: I hope this ends well for me

Shrek: I'm hanging by the seat of my pants

Po: But now it's time for us to see

All three: Which one of us stands a chance.

(Po and Cynder get red tokens, while Shrek pulls a green one.)

Shrek: Yes!

Beerus clapped his hands. "That means everyone's got their tokens," he said. "Those with green ones, stand back in a circle. Everyone else, sit down. Too bad for you."

Toph, Dante, Fred, Ash/Pikachu, Sam, Zelda, Connie, Rarity, Deadpool, Sonic, Jak/Daxter, and Shrek gathered in a circle, while the rest sat down on the sofas.

"With that done, you guys are going to now start the next" Beerus said. "And you're going to play some simple Rock, Paper, Scissors. I will call two people up, and those two people will play one round. If it's a tie, keep going until there's a winner. Winner moves to the next round. Loser, you know the drill. This will keep going until we have six remaining."

Daxter smiled. "Bring it on!"

Beerus looked at the group. "Dante and Sam, you're up first."

Dante and Sam walked to the middle of the stage. "Here goes," Sam said.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Sam showed paper, while Dante showed rock.

"I hate this game," said Dante.

"Good job, Sam. Up next is Fred and Jak/Daxter."

Daxter said, "Oh, I want to do this one."

"Knock yourself out," Jak told him.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Fred showed scissors, while Daxter showed rock.

"I told you I would be a pro at this," Daxter said to Jak, who rolled his eyes.

Up next was Toph and Connie. "Great, they pitted me against the girl who might already sense what I'm going to do?" Connie asked.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Sure enough, Connie showed rock, while Toph showed paper.

"Yeah, I didn't stand a chance on that one," Connie said.

Toph just shrugged.

"Deadpool and Sonic are up next."

"Oh, you're going down," Deadpool said, his hand ready. "You're going way down."

"Bring it on, dude," Sonic said.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Deadpool showed paper, while Sonic showed scissors.

For five seconds, Deadpool was silent. Then he turned to the camera.

"What gives, readers?!" he asked. "You all didn't have the guts to vote for me? I'm me! I'm pure comedy! And I could have brought that Ivy down! And you didn't go with that? I find myself insulted! And you know what? I demand a recount of that poll. Yeah. TheMasterKat, recount the poll! Make sure you read it correctly! Because I will not stand for this!"

"OH SHUT UP!" everyone in the studio exclaimed.

Beerus sighed. "Let's just continue. Zelda and Ash, you're up."

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Zelda showed scissors, while Ash showed paper.

"Dang it," Ash said.

"Pika."

"That just leaves Shrek and Rarity."

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Shrek showed paper, while Rarity showed rock.

"Of course, you would take advantage of the fact that I don't have fingers and can only do rock," Rarity said, moping.

"Actually, I totally thought you could do tha others."

Beerus laughed. "Well that was fun. Those who lost, sit down and think about how stupid it was for you to do those certain signs."

"Oh, f*** you," Deadpool muttered.

Toph, Jak/Daxter, Sam, Zelda, Sonic, and Shrek then waited for the next round.

"It's time for round three," Beerus said. "You guys are going to have a simple challenge." Some workers brought in several block puzzles. "Your objective is to assemble the blocks so that they form the Total Drama Everything 2 logo. The first three done will make it to the final round. The other three, I couldn't care less. Ready, go."

"You're not going to count down?" Sonic asked.

"Just go."

The six then raced to the puzzles, ready to play. Soon, everyone was hurrying through except Zelda. She was just placing one block after another, not pausing. And what was scary was that it seemed to be right.

Shrek was also not doing too bad. However, Toph had never been able to see the logo. So she was doomed from the start.

Zelda finished the puzzle first. "I got it!" she exclaimed. Beerus walked over to her puzzle. "You did. Nice job."

Shrek was the next to finish. Finally, Sonic finished right before Jak and Daxter could.

"Okay, we have our three winners," Beerus said. Zelda, Sonic, and Shrek are moving to the final round. The other three, you know what to do."

Zelda, Sonic, and Shrek looked at each other, smiling.

"Time for the final round," Beerus said. "You guys are simply going to have a quiz. I'm going to ask you questions about this season, and you will have to answer them. The first to five points will win the spot back in the competition. Are you three ready?"

They all nodded.

"Then here we go. First question: Who were the guest judges in the Hollywood challenge?"

Zelda raised her hand. "The Animaniacs. I heard they're now going to be interns on the plane, to replace Nom Nom."

"I would love to see that," Nom Nom said.

"Correct. Second question: Who had to sit out of the Rome challenge when his name was drawn?"

Zelda raised her hand again. "Yusei. He also had to wear that ridiculous outfit that made me laugh."

Some people looked at her. In truth, Zelda never saw the Rome episode. She was on vacation when they did that one.

"Question three: What outfit won the Paris episode?"

Zelda raised her hand again. "Gaz's turned around version of Rarity's outfit."

"Speaking of which, thanks a lot Mandy," Rarity pouted.

"Hey, it wasn't personally intended for you," Mandy said.

"Ladies, shut up. Question four: what is Mega Man's real name?"

Zelda chimed in, "Rock."

Once again, this raised concerns. Only those who were on the plane at the time heard Deadpool mention Mega Man's name. And Zelda was NOT on that plane.

"Okay, wow. Zelda's flying through this. Okay, question number five: are any of you aware the Zelda in front of you is not Zelda?"

Zelda's eyes widened. "Well, how do you know that?"

"Beerus" smiled, then pulled off his mask to reveal long hair. "Because I am."

Everyone gasped. "Zelda?!"

"Then who's this Zelda?" Sonic asked.

The real Zelda smiled, then walked over to the fake Zelda, then pulled off her mask. "Someone very interesting."

Everyone gasped again. "Blaineley?"

Blaineley huffed. "Okay, this is ridiculous."

"A few minutes before the show started, she shoved me into my dressing room and locked me in. So I used Farore's Wind to teleport myself back outside. However, the show had already started, and Link currently has my Ocarina. So I had to find a way to catch Blaineley myself."

Deadpool sat up. "This should be good."

"I had heard the God of Destruction Beerus was hosting the returnee competition, so I found his dressing room. We came to a little wager. I dress and pose as him for the show, and I help Beerus with this one thing he always secretly wanted but couldn't get because he was a god."

"What was that?" Goku asked.

"A vacation in Hawaii."

(Meanwhile…)

Beerus was relaxing in a lawn chair, with Whis lounging beside him. "This is the life," Beerus said.

"Tell me about it," Whis said, sipping on his smoothie.

(Back at the studio…)

Goku was laughing. "He never told me he wanted to vacation there," he said. "Now that's funny."

Blaineley was seething. "You think you're so smart, do you?" she asked.

"I have the Triforce of Wisdom, idiot," Zelda told her. "She also had a backstage worker as an accomplice. He told her what barrel to go to, how to solve the puzzle, and the answers to the questions. My guards already have that accomplice right now. Mandy, I want you to bring in that Fred Fredburger person in later to torture Blaineley and her accomplice."

"My pleasure."

"Whatever," Blaineley growled. "This was my perfect chance to get onto the show, and then use it to ruin Chris forever. You guys know what a scumbag he is. Many of you have almost died because of him. So what gives? Don't you guys want Chris to be taken down?"

"Not by an even worse scumbag," Maya told her.

Blaineley gasped. "How dare you?"

Snake turned on his ear piece. "Security?"

Immediately, several security guards marched on the stage and grabbed Blaineley by the arms. "You little creeps!" she yelled. "You will all pay!"

"Yeah, whatever," Sam called to her.

Zelda smiled. "So now what? Should we do the competition over?"

Sam shook his head. "Actually, since you were the one who caught Blaineley, we have a better idea. We're going to give you some sort of reward."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. We're giving you the spot on the plane!"

Zelda gasped. "But that's not fair. All I did was catch a crazy TV host. I certainly did not earn that spot back."

"We think you did," Snake said. ""All in favor of giving Zelda the spot in the competition, say 'I'."

Nearly everyone in the studio, audience and stage, said, "I".

"Guess that's settled," Sam said.

Zelda smiled. "Wow, I don't know what to say, guys. I still don't think I deserve it, but if you truly want me to have it I guess I accept. I'll do my best to win the show."

"Then there you have it," Sam announced. "By default, Zelda has won the spot on the plane and in the competition. Congratulations, Zelda!"

Everyone cheered, and Zelda smiled as she sat down.

"Now, before we wrap up, we have one more piece of business," Snake said. "One of us was chosen by the producers to also get back in the game. So who will join Zelda? It's time to find out."

The screen came on again, and it showed several pictures, each depicting one of the remaining twenty-four losers.

"This baby is going to start shuffling, and whatever it lands on has already been set," Sam said. "No randomness here. And whoever it lands on will earn their spot back in the game with Zelda."

"Audience, we need some help here," Snake said.

The entire audience yelled, "3, 2, 1, GO!"

The pictures all started shuffling rapidly. Everyone was looking at the screen, waiting anxiously for it to stop. It seemed to be going on forever. The losers were particularly nervous. After all, it was their chance at the money on the line.

After what seemed like forever, the shuffler started to slow down. It steadily got slower and slower, until it came to a complete stop.

Everyone watched as the shuffler stopped, and then gasps rang throughout the room.

Heck, everyone on stage was surprised too. What they did not expect was the shuffler to stop where it did.

"As Scooby would say," Fred muttered, "'ruh roh'."

"They must have been really looking for drama," Connie said.

"Yusei's going to go ape when he finds out," Goku said.

Surely, no one expected the face of a familiar lamb to be right there on the screen.

"Well, I guess that's it for the show," Snake announced. "Next challenge will be the start of the merge, and our returnees will make their return to the game."

"Zelda, get ready to compete like you never have before," Sam said. "And I imagine our other returnee will be...uh….ecstatic that she will be back on the plane."

Snake nodded. "Definitely. So everyone, keep watching the show, and get ready for the real fun to begin."

"See you next time!" the both said at the same time.

The audience gave them a standing ovation, and everyone onstage clapped too. However, most of the people onstage had uneasy faces. One thing was certain, one of the remaining competitors was in trouble.

(Later that night…)

The moonlight was shining on a single bench in a park. Suddenly, a dark figure approached it, and they took out their note.

"Sit on the bench at midnight," said the figure, who everyone could now tell was Lammy. She pulled off her hood and looked at the bench.

"Someone wanted to drag me out here in the middle of the night for this?" she asked. "I don't even know why I'm still doing it."

After looking in both directions, she sat slowly down and kept looking around. After thirty seconds, nothing happened.

"If this is supposed to be a practical joke, it's not funny," she said, loud enough for anybody nearby to hear.

Then, as she was about to stand up, several people grabbed her and pulled her off the bench.

"Contact Chris and tell him we got her," one of them said, his voice making it clear that it was Chef. "The show now has its second returnee."

"The rest of this season is going to be fun."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Fred said it plain and true. Ruh roh.

In this episode, we got audition tapes, competitions, and a plot was foiled. Poor Blaineley. Now she's going to have to deal with Fred Fredburger torturing her into submission. Actually, that would be fun to watch.

Now let's get to the subject of the returnees.

The reading public has spoken. You wanted Zelda, you got Zelda. The results never changed in anyone else's favor during the entire time the poll was up. And I did the reveal the way I did it just for fits and giggles. That, and I needed some way to have Blaineley taken down. So the princess of Hyrule is getting her chance to compete on Total Drama Everything 2. And knowing her mind, she may find a way to resist Ivy. You never know. Readers, you're welcome.

As for TheMasterKat's choice, yikes! I had always intended Lammy to return as a continuation of the necklace arc I started way way back. And now I finally have the chance to do so. The necklace Lammy found in Egypt has caused so many problems, and it's not going to stop. Soon, it won't be just Yusei and Lammy affected by this intriguing jewelry. It may even affect the entire world.

But for now, all I can say is that Yusei's in trouble.

In any rate, we're finally here after a year of anticipation. The merge is about to start, we have two new returnees, and the drama level is about to be turned up to eleven.

And now, for the preview of the next challenge.

The first merge challenge is in spooky Transylvania, where our competitors get a rude awakening and a visit to a spooky castle. There, our two returnees arrive. While many people are happy to see one of them, the second one's arrival reopens old wounds. Another competitor finally completes their mission, and two more come to an agreement. In the end, the one going home is not who everyone wants to vote off, but has to.

Oh, and I will put back up the Favorite Competitor poll now that we have our returnees.

With that said, remember to read and review, fav and follow, send in challenge ideas and locations, give me good luck messages and audition tapes, and get ready for the big merge.

And Happy New Year! Whoo!

TheMasterKat out!