Who doesn't love a little underwater adventure? Especially in a place like the Great Barrier Reef?

Spoiler alert: Chris is permanently banned from there.

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Chris' recap: "Last time on Total Drama Everything 2, we gave our competitors a bit an awesome celebration for making it to the merge, but they didn't share this joy alone. Our two returning competitors finally revealed themselves, and things immediately got interesting. Zelda made people excited and nervous at the same time. Lammy, she just made people nervous. And it didn't end there. Right away, the group was thrust into a spooky late night challenge in Transylvania. BOO! Yeah, things happened. From spiders to werewolves, everyone was running for their lives. Mega Man finally finished his future job, but a little slip up from our new intern Wakko let Ivy know what he was up to. Apparently she's not too keen on someone else controlling the future of the game like that. The challenge went to her in the end, as everyone else was either too scared, too stupid, or just got caught by the devious plant lady, who set her sights on Mega Man. Luckily for the Blue Bomber, everyone else had a different agenda, and it was potential threat level that sent our favorite wizard Harry right back to Hogwarts. Bummer for him. And oh yeah, Double D and Gaz finally admitted their feeling for each other, but mutually decided to put the potential relationship on hold. Pretty smart, considering who's left. Will Mega Man remain out of Ivy's reach? Could Yusei and Lammy get anymore awkward together? And will we be stealing yet another song to parody it? Find out right here on Total. Drama. Everything 2!"

*theme song*

"So you're the princess of a faraway kingdom?" Ivy asked to Zelda in first class. "That is actually really cool."

Zelda looked at her. "It may be so, but may I remind you that it is also a serious position that bears a lot of weight? That weight mostly comes from the trials my predecessors have all faced."

(Author's Note: I realized I never really cleared this up, but I am using the Twilight Princess version of Zelda in my stories. Even now, she is one of the more mature reincarnations. However, she has the memories of all past and future Zeldas in all timelines. That may be confusing, but I'm rolling with it.)

"That reminds me. How's Link?"

"Oh, he's well. He contacted me after I earned my spot back on the show. Apparently he was so happy for me he had almost no words for it."

The girls both laughed.

"You certainly are an intelligent girl," Ivy stated. "Guess those goddesses you mentioned chose well."

"You're pretty smart yourself," Zelda told her. "Although if you're using them to get further in the game, you might want to consider another way to do so."

Ivy quickly knew what Zelda was talking about. "Yes, I do admit my tactics in this game are a little unorthodox. But I am merely using any tools at my disposal to do the job, so I think they're justified."

"Justified? I don't recall there being a reason to justify betraying your only ally in the game."

"In truth, I feel really bad about what I did to Mandy. She truly was someone I could trust. I just got scared is all."

The princess sighed and said, "That may be true, but that is still not a good justification."

Ivy smirked. "Clearly, we both have different views on how to play this game," she said. "But hopefully, there will be more trust in the future and we can both work on helping each other."

"I hope so to."

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"I'm not stupid," Ivy said. "I know she sees right through me. And no, I don't feel the least bit sorry for Mandy's downfall. She had it coming. Zelda's way too smart, and she has the advantage of having watched the season before she came on here.

"But eventually, I feel Zelda will come around. She will realize allying with me will be more beneficial than working against me.

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"Out of everyone left besides me, Ivy is the one that scares me the most," Zelda stated. "I had the privilege of watching the first part of the season. I know indeed what she's capable of. But I have to assess the situation. Should I really take the risk of going against the competitor who betrayed her ally without a second thought? At least Nom Nom had a more valid reason.

"There's the famous saying of 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'. I don't want to go against her yet. If I do, I may not survive. I'll simply bide my time and make her think I'm on her side. And when the time is right, I will honor all who have been eliminated by her and remove her from the game. Time for the waiting game."

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"I hope Zelda knows better than to believe her," Ruby said while she, Moka, Yusei, Leo, Mega Man, Gaz, and Double D sat in the cafeteria.

"She's one of the smartest girls we know," Mega Man told her. "Odds are, she'll make Ivy think she's on her side."

Leo smiled. "True. In fact, I've been hoping to form an alliance with her myself."

The others were surprised. "You are?" Moka asked.

"And no, I'm not talking about an alliance in the game. You see, my kingdom, Nohr, is currently at war with the neighboring Hoshido. My belief is that if I talk to Zelda, she may choose to pledge Hyrule support for Nohr."

"Assuming you manage to get your dad to agree to whatever Hyrule wants in return," Gaz said.

"You have a point, but he wants to win the war more than I do. Shouldn't be too difficult. Besides, this may be a win-win for me should I somehow get eliminated in the future. This way, I'll at least bring home an ally, and I'll actually still be able to live in the castle."

"Why do you even still live there if you're dad is that bad?" Yusei asked.

Leo smirked and said, "Downside of being a part of the royal family. But don't worry. I got this."

Mega Man laughed a little. "Famous last words." They all started to laugh (except Gaz).

At that moment, Lammy walked into the room, and the whole group fell silent.

"Sorry, guys," she said. "Just passing through." Then her eye caught Yusei's. Then they looked away.

"Hello," she said shortly.

"Hello Lammy," Yusei responded, just as briskly. "If you're looking for your guitar, we put it in the cargo hold to keep it safe."

"Thank you," she said.

"Want some food? Leo made pancakes."

"No thank you. I already ate."

"Very well."

Without another word, Lammy started walking to the cargo hold. She and Yusei refused to look at each other as she walked by.

"Brrrrrr," Ruby said, faking a chill.

"Oh ha ha," Yusei said.

Gaz just scoffed. "I'm starting to think no one should ever fall in love when on these shows. All it does is make everyone dumber."

Luckily for her, she and Double D knew how to put on poker faces.

Then, Wakko walked into the room. Everyone covered their ears.

"SPECIAL GOOD LUCK MESSAGE TO DOUBLE D!" he screamed at the top of his lungs while banging a drum on his back.

"I wish he would stop doing that," Leo groaned.

Double D took a few seconds to gather the courage for him to grab the message device. Wakko gave him a thumbs-up, then walked back out of the room, just as loud as he came in.

"Just what kind of security did they have in that water tower?" Yusei asked.

"Not enough," Ruby said.

After recovering from the noise, Double D went to the corner so he could watch his video in private. He pushed the button, turning it on.

(Double D's message, submitted by Storygirl000)

(We open inside of what looks like a house. A Lucario is facing the camera, looking exasperated. Behind him, Story is rocking out on air guitar while listening to a song.)

Story: Oh, I'm holding my breath~Won't lose you again~something's made your eyes go co-old...

The Lucario: (holds up a sign) "Hello, Double D. The name's Ruka, and Story's my trainer."

Story: C'mon, c'mon, don't leave me like this!~I thought I had you figured out!

Ruka: (holds up another sign) "She was going to send you a good-luck message, but she got too caught up trying to find the perfect song to describe Lammy and Yusei's current...relationship." (rolls his eyes)

Story: Something's gone terribly wrong~you're all I wanted...

Ruka: "Anyways, congrats on finally sucking it up and confessing to Gaz. We're all thrilled to see what will happen next, since you're the last OTP standing."

Story: C'mon, c'mon, don't leave me like this!~I thought I had you figured out!

Ruka: "But be warned...Ivy's not gonna make it easy for you, or any of the competitors for that matter. Last we checked, she was gunning for Mega Man. Might wanna warn him about that."

Story: Can't breathe whenever you're gone~Can't turn back now, I'm haunted!

Ruka: "Good luck!"

*end*

Double D kept looking at the screen even after it was turned off. First off, he thought Story needed to get a life. Second, he was too embarrassed to admit he knew what song was playing. Third, Mega Man was in danger.

"Hey, Mega Man?" Double D called.

(Ten minutes later…)

"And that's how they all got those items throughout the season," Mega Man said. "I had really hoped nobody would figure it out."

"It's fine," Double D said. "But what are we going to do about Ivy?"

"I have no idea. By the looks of it, my best option is to win invincibility as much as I can. In fact, if I can win the next challenge, we may have a shot at voting Ivy off."

"If anyone wins but her, she has a good chance at going."

"Yep."

A few seconds later, the intercom came on. "Competitors, it's time to put on your wetsuits and get ready for a challenge guaranteed to make you soaked with excitement," Chris said.

The moment she realized what this meant, Moka gulped.

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"Did he just allude to a water-based challenge?" Moka asked. "Uh, he he. I hope he's joking."

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"Why on Earth is he landing this stupid plane in the middle of a street?" Leo asked, holding onto his seat.

"I'm going to guess it's the Warners," Double D answered, trying to hold back the pancakes he ate.

(In the cockpit…)

"Yakko! It's my turn to fly!"

"Get your own cockpit, Wakko!"

"Guys! Give Chef back the wheel! I never said you three could land the plane!"

It took a few seconds for Chris and Chef to wrestle the wheel from the Warners. By that point, it was too late, and the plane was already in the middle of a busy street. No one inside or outside of the plane got hurt, but the inconvenient landing spot was causing a major traffic jam.

Chris sighed. "Looks like my eighth headache since the Warners got here."

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"First there's the issues regarding Yusei and Lammy, then I get pranked by some unknown party, then the backlash I got after the lion attack on Connie, the whole debacle with Ivy, we wind up making an emergency landing in the middle of nowhere, some super fan somehow gets to the plane on a Pokémon, Scarlett hacks the plane to literally crash Deadpool's talent show, and I haven't gotten any sleep since the Warners showed up. I swear, if this keeps up, I am going to go completely insane."

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Everyone walked out of the plane completely shaken. Double D looked close to vomiting. And Chris and Chef were currently chewing the Warners out.

"If you three ever try and fly this plane again, I will throw all three of you off," Chris said, barely able to contain his anger. "Understand?"

They all nodded, giggling to themselves. Chris then walked to the competitors. "Let's just go," he said as he walked to a small dock on the beach, with everyone else following him.

"You okay?" Zelda asked. "You seem a little…"

"I'm fine, Zelda," said Chris, still angry. "I just need to calm down a little, so don't agitate me for a bit. Now, do any of you guys know where we're at?"

Zelda raised her hand. "Australia."

"Correct. Specifically, we're in Cairns, a coastal tropical city. In fact, we are at the closest point in Australia to the Great Barrier Reef. And that's where we're going. Here's the boat now."

They looked at the ocean, and a large boat was heading towards the beach. Finally, it stopped on the dock. "All aboard," Chris said as he stepped aside for everyone to board.

After it seemed like everyone was on the boat, Chris stepped on, but then noticed Moka was still on the dock.

"Uh, you know it's time to get on the boat now, right? Didn't you see everyone else get on?"

Moka nodded, but she was clearly scared.

"Okay, look," Chris told her. "I don't care what vampires hate. Now get on the boat."

She still looked scared.

"Hey, lay off her," Yusei said. "If she doesn't want to get on the boat, just give her invincibility and let her sit out of the challenge."

Chris pretended to consider that. "Hmm, let me think about that." Then he quickly grabbed Moka's arm and roughly pulled her onto the boat.

"Hey!"

"Oh, chill. Besides, we made accomodations for you in this challenge. So stop being a wimp."

(Later…)

After thirty minutes of riding on the boat, Chris checked his watch. "Okay, we should be there in five minutes," he muttered. "Guess it's time to discuss the challenge."

He turned to the competitors. "Okay, everyone. This challenge promises to be quite fun. A step up from Transylvania, am I right?"

Crickets.

"Anyway, this challenge is simple and alludes a little bit to our challenge at Yokai Academy. That was a coin scavenger hunt, as you all remember."

"How could I forget?" Moka asked (she was hiding under the seat to avoid being touched by splashing waves).

"Quiet, you. Anyway, here's how the challenge is going to go. Everyone is going to get into wetsuits and diving gear and dive down into the reef. We managed to secure for us an area almost the size of the island from last season. Scattered around that area are numerous flags. Rest assured, these flags are designed not to harm the environment. Each one can be one of five different colors: red, green, blue, yellow, and black.

Leo smiled. "So I guess that means we're grabbing flags? Interesting."

"It's more than interesting, Leo. You guys will be doing this in teams of two."

Everyone's eyebrows raised. Interesting for sure, but scary. Especially since there were some people who didn't want to pair with others.

"Yep, you guys are doing this with a partner. In fact, each team can only collect one color of flags, depending on the color of wetsuits they're wearing. Also, various boats are scattered across the surface of the area in case one needs to surface for an oxygen refill. The first team to make it back to THIS boat with all ten flags of their corresponding color will win invincibility and first class. Also, there is one other flag. This one is gold. And whoever finds it, that person will also share invincibility, though not first class. Or you can give it up to another competitor. Your choice."

Zelda looked at him. "There's another catch, isn't there."

"Indeed. It took a lot of permission from every agency that worries about this, but we managed to mind-control various animals-vicious ones-to make this more fun. I mean, let's face it. Just watching you guys look for flags would be boring. Any other questions?"

Moka raised her hand.

Chris nodded. "We, of course, are aware of what happens with you and water. Just touching it will turn you into a walking taser, and full immersion can cause paralysis. That's why we have a special diving suit for you so not a single drop of water will touch your skin. At the same time, you will still be able to swim fully with it on."

"Thank you," Moka said.

"Now that the Moka business is taken care of, we can get started. Since I'm feeling generous today, you all can choose your partners."

"Or he's just too angry," Ivy muttered.

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"Someone let this guy have his way with a protected wildlife environment?" Double D asked. "Haven't they forgotten he turned the original island into a radioactive death trap?"

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After a period of silence, it was assumed that it was time to pick partners. So everyone started walking around the deck.

Yusei had started walking around, wondering whom he should stick with, when he noticed Lammy, and both locked eyes for a second. And by the looks on their faces, neither wanted to partner with the other.

Quickly, Yusei looked around, looking for other options. As luck would have it, he saw someone.

"Ruby. Wanna be my partner?" he asked.

Lammy could only watch in relief as Yusei and Ruby high fived. Then she started looking again. Then she saw Ivy still sitting. She had decided to just pick whoever would be left, figuring no one would pick her. Lammy's necklace started glowing.

"Hey, Ivy," Lammy said. "Since we're likely going to be the last two, we might as well team up."

Ivy smiled. "It's about time someone agrees to work with me," she said.

Then she looked at Zelda. "Hey, see how Lammy chose me to work with her today? If she can choose me, then I'm not half bad."

Of course, by that point, Lammy's necklace had stopped glowing, and she was regretting the decision. She just held her hand to her face and groaned. The thing about it was that even though Lammy hadn't caught up since her first elimination, she knew well what Ivy was capable of. And her decision to partner with her was pretty rash.

Zelda just looked away, then walked towards Moka. "Hey, I'm willing to partner up if you wish. And if you're still concerned about the water, I'll help out if need be."

Moka nodded. "Okay, thanks."

Gaz was still looking around. She and Double D had made a silent agreement that they should be with different partners so as not to arouse Ivy's suspicions. Even though they had decided to be just friends for now, they had to be careful.

Sure enough, Gaz noticed Double D shaking Leo's hand. This meant the only possible pair left was her and Mega Man. She walked over to him.

"Looks like it's you and me," Gaz said. "Better than Ivy over there."

"True. I'll take anyone over her. I don't know what Lammy was thinking."

Yusei didn't know either. Out of all people to partner with, Lammy had picked Ivy. That was definitely odd.

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"She had nine whole choices on who to partner up with," Yusei said. "Well, eight. She never would have picked me. And that's fine. But Ivy? I mean, Lammy did tell everyone she hadn't caught up with the show, but she knew right off the bat what Ivy was capable of. So what the heck?"

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"Looks like everyone here has chosen their partner," Chris said. "Fantastic. Now for the wetsuits and tanks."

Soon, everyone was taking turns putting on their gear. Well, except one. Since Mega Man was a robot (and thankfully waterproof), he wouldn't need anything to breathe and could communicate with Gaz on his own. And conveniently, he and Gaz were searching for the blue flags, so he wouldn't need any identification on himself either.

Besides them, Lammy and Ivy were in green (Ivy had a special tank that would feed her CO2 instead of oxygen, Yusei and Ruby were in black, Double D and Leo were in yellow, and Moka and Zelda were in red.

Speaking of Moka, instead of a wetsuit, the crew had put her into one of those drysuits to keep her dry.

"I guess when it comes to protection, looks don't matter," Moka said, looking at her suit.

"True," Zelda said.

Chris looked at the competitors, now all fully in their wetsuits and gear. "Thank to the mask, you guys will be able to communicate with your partner from any distance. One setting will have everyone connected, including me. This way, the challenge will go smoothly. You should have the last option turned on right now, because I'll want to do a full check. I can also turn that setting on in case of an emergency or when I'm giving an update. That should cover it. Everyone, take your positions."

The competitors all went to their designated spots at the edge of the boat.

"Is everyone ready?"

Every gave a nod.

"Then time to dive!"

All ten competitors jumped into the water at the same time. They were officially on the hunt. Once in the water, they all found their partners and started looking around.

Chris walked to his walkie-talkie and turned it on. "Okay, competitors. Testing the communicators now. Respond back if you can hear me. Over."

"Loud and clear," said Leo.

"All good," said Gaz.

"This is going to be fun," Ruby said.

"Everything working well," said Double D.

"I'm all ears," said Yusei.

"Sure, whatever," said Ivy.

"No problems here," said Lammy.

"Scared but focused," said Moka.

"On the hunt right now," said Zelda.

"Looks like we're all good," Mega Man responded.

"Excellent," Chris said. "Good luck everyone."

Gaz looked at Mega Man. "Okay, now what?"

"You check the west side, I'll check the east."

Gaz nodded, and she swam in the opposite direction from Mega Man.

"North, called it," Ruby told Yusei.

"Don't know what difference calling a search zone makes but okay then," Yusei told her as he swam away.

Ivy told Lammy, "Let's search together. Strength in numbers."

"Good idea."

Leo just shook his head. "They know that will just make them cover less ground, right?"

"But knowing Ivy, there could be any number of reasons," Double D told him.

Then they saw Moka and Zelda. "I think I'll just follow you," Moka said. Clearly, even with the special suit, the challenge was really scary for her.'

Zelda nodded and they went in another direction.

"Okay, that is completely understandable," Double D told Leo.

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"Hey, at least she's proving her bravery by doing this challenge in the first place," Leo stated. "I still find it funny how a sweet girl like Moka could become this incredible fighter with just the right person tripping and knocking off her rosary."

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"See anything?" Lammy asked Ivy.

"Nothing. No flag in sight, much less a green one."

"Bummer."

Ivy paused again, then took a look back. "Hmm, I just realized we're not the ones with the advantage here."

"How so?"

"Well, all of us need a certain gas to breathe. That includes me, even if that gas is different from all the others. But here's the thing. Mega Man is a robot. He doesn't need to breathe at all. He's the only one of us who won't have to make trips back up to the surface to refill their tank."

Lammy nodded. "That makes perfect sense."

Ivy smirked beneath her mask. "Still, there are ways in which we can turn the odds in our favor. They never said anything about foul play."

(Meanwhile…)

"I found one!" Ruby exclaimed. She was contacting Yusei through the communicator.

"That's one down. Nine to go."

(Later…)

Thirty minutes in, and everyone was still searching. Yusei and Ruby were still on one, but Moka and Zelda, Ivy and Lammy, and Gaz and Mega Man had each found one since then.

"How's everyone doing?" Chris asked from the main boat.

Everyone gave a whoop of celebration.

"Well, I don't think it's going that well at all," Chris said. "I think it's been pretty boring actually. We need a bit of entertainment. And by we, I mean me."

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Okay, he just loves doing this," Leo said. "But what I want to know is how I was able to hear that, because that certainly didn't come through the communicator."

"Don't worry about that little detail," Chris said. "Just sing."

(Author's Note: Let's see. So far this season, I've butchered Frank Sinatra, the Pokémon theme song, and the Animaniacs theme song. I might as well butcher a song from The Little Mermaid now that I'm doing an underwater challenge. This song is appropriately named "Under The Sea-TheMasterKat Edition".)

Double D: Chris has really sent us down here

Why am I not surprised?

Zelda: It looks really beautiful down here

But the enjoyment is compromised

Yusei: But this is our only option

To win invincibility

Ivy: And at least I have the notion

These plants are real pretty.

All: Under the sea!

Under the sea!

Leo: I'm gonna swim

So I can win

Gaz: Immunity!

Moka: Even though I'm scared

I won't give up

Ruby: All we really need

Is just some luck

Lammy: I'm on the move!

Mega Man: Let's get the groove!

All: Under the sea!

Ivy: Always knew I would get this far

With me, it's no contest

Lammy: Speak for yourself, this whole game is hard

Ivy: I think you quit in protest

Lammy: Hey!

Ruby: This challenge is actually fun

Moka: I wish I could say the same

Mega Man: At least I'm the waterproof one

Gaz: Looks like Doctor Light had a brain

All: Under the sea!

Under the sea!

Wakko: Don't leave us out.

Yakko: 'Cause we don't doubt

Dot: This is catchy.

Chris: Oh brother.

Moka, Yusei, Mega Man, Double D, and Ivy: We don't have any time to waste.

Zelda, Gaz, Lammy, Ruby, and Leo: We must hurry, we must make haste.

Double D: Time's gonna fly here

Ivy: Touching the sky here

All: Under the sea!

Leo: Going to look here

Lammy: Why they took me here

All: Under the sea!

Moka: I gonna die here!

Mega Man: Don't wanna cry here

Yusei: Not gonna quit now

Zelda: I'm gonna win now

Ruby: Loving the stuff here

Gaz: All of us love here

All: Under the sea!

Chris applauded. "Bravo! That may be your best song yet! Bravo!"

"Okay, how can we hear his clapping down here?" Mega Man asked. "I know this isn't the communicator."

"Oh, shut up."

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"I think they need a long talk with the producers over this weird issue with the sounds," Mega Man said. "Because now I'm confused."

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After another half hour of searching, all five teams were tied up at three apiece.

"I hope everyone's doing okay down there," Chris said.

"You're kidding, right?" Ivy asked.

"Yeah, I am."

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Well, at least that means he has his attitude back. Although I kinda liked it when he was angry."

"Me too," said Lammy.

Suddenly, Lammy spotted something. "Ivy, look!"

As luck would have it, two flags were sitting next to each other. One was green, and the other was red.

"That's another one for us," Ivy said as she picked up the green flag.

"What about the red one?" Lammy asked. "That's for Moka and Zelda, right?"

"Indeed. But since Moka's way out of her element, I don't feel the need to sabotage either today. Besides, all I really need is that golden flag, because I want Zelda here as long as possible."

"What for?"

"Reasons."

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"I must say, Lammy is turning out to be quite useful to me," Ivy said. "She didn't catch up with the show, but I suspect she knows about my accomplishments. And yet, she is still willing to work with me. I like it. Now all I need to do is try and get Zelda under my wing too."

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Ivy started to swim away, but Lammy kept looking at the red flag just standing there. Suddenly, her necklace started glowing again.

"I wonder what would happen if I did this," she said, grabbing it. Ivy didn't notice. Lammy smiled as she swam to catch up with her partner.

"What took you so long?" Ivy asked.

"Oh, nothing."

(Meanwhile…)

It was starting to occur to Yusei how much alone time he had gotten since Lammy left the first time. And now that she was back, he still had the exact amount of alone time. That suited him. Time to think, time to figure things out, or time to just take a breather.

And right now was one of those times, with Ruby searching on the other side of the searching area.

Right after Lammy had returned to the game, Yusei immediately assumed neither would want to talk to each other. And if they ever had to, they would be as formal as possible. Sure enough, he was right. Neither had said much to the other. And when they did talk, some of the other competitors joked that the temperature in the room would drop ten degrees. That was how chilly things had been.

But still, Yusei wished he could just have one chance to find out what truly happened. What Lammy wanted to protect him from, what she had been doing since she left, and whether or not she still loved him. After all, Yusei definitely still loved her.

Then, from five feet away, he spotted a black flag next to a little coral hand thing. He swam to it, them smiled as he grabbed it. "Ruby, I found one," he said through the communicator.

"Whoo! Getting closer!"

(Later…)

Zelda grabbed a red flag hiding in some seaweed. "They should've hid the green ones here," she said. "They would've blended in with the plants."

Moka smiled. Then she checked her air gauge. "I'm low on air. I gotta head back up."

"Okay, hurry back."

The vampire nodded, then hurried back up to the surface. Quickly, she spotted the closest boat to her, and she swam to it and got on. As it turned out, it was the main boat.

"I need a refill here," she told the intern. Then she stepped out of her suit to rest for a bit (everyone had their normal clothes under the wetsuits). She had to admit how well the suit worked. Not a single drop of water had gotten on her while she was down there.

"Out of curiosity," she asked Chris, "how did you make this thing?"

"Oh, I asked Dr. Light to help me with it. Figured if he could build Mega Man, he could do this."

"Good point."

At that moment, Ivy surfaced as well. "You too, Moka?" she asked as she got on the boat and took off her tank, handing it to a second intern.

"Yeah."

"How many flags do you have left to find?"

"Why should I say?"

"Moka, I'm not going to steal any. I promise."

Moka just sighed. "Three." Then Zelda's voice came on the communicator. "Found one."

"Two then."

"Same here."

The vampire nodded.

Ivy went to sat down as she waited for them to fill her tank. Then she noticed Moka's suit lying there.

Somehow, Moka was doing the challenge despite her weakness to water. Ivy was impressed, but scared. Maybe she should've taken the flag when she and Lammy spotted it. Now they were neck and neck with Moka and Zelda.

Still, Ivy did have one idea. Perhaps if she and Lammy won invincibility but still found the gold flag, they could will it away to Zelda, and this would make her grateful enough to become Ivy's ally.

Ivy knew what to do. In one quick motion, without anyone noticing, she took a thorn and tore a small hole in Moka's suit. Not a big hole, but enough.

(Meanwhile…)

"Psst."

Mega Man turned around and saw Zelda behind him.

"Oh. I thought you were Ivy for some reason."

"I guess Gaz is looking on her own?"

"Yep. Where's Moka?"

"She went up to refill her tank."

"Okay, got it."

Both of them just swam for a bit, looking on the ground.

"How many have you and Gaz found?" Zelda asked.

"Seven. You?"

"Eight."

"Yikes. I thought I was in the lead there."

"You that nervous?"

"Ivy's coming after me, so yeah."

"What for?"

"Remember watching me having to complete all those tasks?"

"Oh yeah."

Then Leo came up from behind Zelda. "Did I miss anything?"

Zelda shook her head. "Nope. Not really."

"Good. In fact, Zelda, if I could have a word with you, that would be great."

"Uh, sure."

Both swam away from Mega Man, who couldn't help but smile.

"So, as I'm sure you watched me tell Julie," Leo said, "the kingdom of Nohr, where I come from, is currently at war with a neighboring kingdom called Hoshido. And what I'm wondering is if you would be willing to pledge Hyrule's support for Nohr. This will also help me to not get disowned if I get eliminated."

"You know I have footage of Deadpool's adventures in Nohr," Zelda said. "Your father doesn't seem like the type of person I would want my own kingdom to be aligned with."

Leo had to admit it, she had a point. "Still though, from one member of royalty to another, I could use your help."

Zelda looked at him. "I'll think about it," she said, then they both swam in opposite directions.

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"I didn't think I would be this popular upon returning to the game," Zelda said. "First, Ivy wants to form an alliance with me. Then Leo wants me to pledge Hyrule support for how own kingdom. Sounds like I already have some interesting things to think about."

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"Looks like our tanks are refilled," Ivy said. She went to the intern holding her tank so he could put it on her.

"Then time for another round of terror," Moka said, clearly not excited as she went to step back into her suit.

"Could be worse," Ivy said. "Salt water's not good for anyone's skin, but I'm sure it's really not good for mine. Downside of being a walking plant."

Moka giggled as Ivy jumped back into the water and dived beneath the surface, then started pulling her suit over her clothes.

That's when she noticed a problem.

"Uh oh."

Quickly, she grabbed her mask so she could contact Zelda. "We have a situation."

"What?"

"I don't know how, but there's a small hole in my suit. That hole wasn't there when I got on the boat."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I have no idea how this happened either."

"Was anyone else besides Chris, Chef, the regular interns, and the Warners on that boat?"

"Just Ivy, and….."

At that moment, Moka realized what had happened. "Of course. Plants can have thorns."

"Yeah, I realized that too."

Moka turned to Chris. "Do you have any more of these suits?"

"Nope. Maybe you shouldn't have trusted the devious plant lady."

Below deck, the Animaniacs laughed.

Chris was confused by the laughter. "Okay, how the heck did they hear that?"

"Is the hole too big for you?"

"It's not particularly big, but definitely too big for me. Water's just going to seep through that thing. I'm sorry Zelda, but I can't continue this challenge."

Zelda sighed and said, "It's okay. I'll find the last two flags."

"Okay."

Feeling defeated, Moka sat back down. "I feel like an idiot."

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"Everyone says I tend to trust people a little too much," Moka said. "One time, I believed it when someone told me Tsukune was a peeping tom. Even I'll admit it, I can be a little naive. I'm no Stephen Hawking." (Quick Note: That's my way of tribute in this chapter. Rest in peace, Stephen Hawking.)

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"Well I can't believe Ivy would go and do that," Zelda stated. "If Moka hadn't spotted the hole before going into the water, she could have been stuck there. I'm really doubting that Ivy would make a great alliance partner."

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Lammy was still searching around, even after Ivy had resurfaced for air. She had just gotten word that Ivy was back in the water and was continuing her own search. They were so close to the end. Only two flags left.

"If I were a green flag, where would I be?" she asked herself.

She was so focused on looking at the ground that she almost collided with someone. And once again, it was the last person she wanted to run into.

"Sttl searching, Yusei?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yep."

A tense silence followed. This was getting awkward.

"Where's Ruby?"

"Other side of the area. She just said she was going back up to refill though. Where's Ivy?"

"Just got done refilling. We're searching for each other as well as the flags right now."

"Oh."

More awkward silence. But still, Yusei had a question on his mind, and he wanted it answered.

"Why did you want to partner with Ivy?"

Lammy figured this question would come up. "Devious as she is, she's a strong competitor. I figured, since I only just got back, that would be a good person to have as a partner for the challenge."

"Okay, got it," Yusei said, but he was still unsure.

And it wasn't over yet. "Well, why did you pick Ruby?"

"Well, we were on the same team once," Yusei said, though it was only half the. They both knew Yusei picked the first competitor he thought of to get away from Lammy.

"Makes sense."

Then came even more silence.

"I gotta go," Lammy told him. "Still more flags to find."

"Okay."

They both swam away from each other, both filled with complete confliction.

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Lammy was close to tears. "It's as though everything I've been hiding from him has been on the verge of breaking out. I want to tell him what's going on. I really do. But I can't. And it's not just about everything he did for me either. You guys wouldn't understand, and neither would he."

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"I almost can't bear the fact that the both of us have become like this," Yusei said. "It's as though the girl I met last season is gone. And I don't even know what happened. That Story person said Lammy wanted to protect me. I just wish I knew what it was. Is that too much to ask?"

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"Oh, Zelda," Ivy said. "I didn't expect to run into you during this challenge."

"Uh, we're doing the same challenge, so I think that's obvious."

Ivy laughed. "Oh, right. Hey, where's Moka?"

"Still on the boat," Zelda said in an accusing way. "She said someone poked a hole in her dive suit, and now she can't help me in the challenge anymore."

"Oh, that. I wonder what happened there."

"That's what I wanted to ask you."

It was as though Ivy was being interrogated for a crime. "Even if it were me, it would have been a complete accident. I can't always control where my thorns go."

"Ivy, if you really want to form an alliance with me, let me tell you that you're walking on thin ice," Zelda said. "The last thing I would want is an ally who treats the game like her own personal snack. Think about that."

With a stare that bore into Ivy's soul, Zelda swam away, leaving Ivy smirking.

"Oh, you'll come around," she whispered. "I'm sure of it."

She turned and began to head for another spot on the reef, but someone caught her eye.

"Oh, Mega Man. Hello."

Mega Man heard her call him, but then just kept swimming. He didn't want to have to deal with the woman targeting him. But then, Ivy spotted something in his hand.

The golden flag.

"How the heck did you find that?" she asked.

The robot paused, then turned to her. "What does it matter? I found it, okay?"

On the inside, Ivy was livid. Of course someone else found the flag before she did. That meant her plan was failing. However, she did have one idea. It would sacrifice first-class, but at least it would be easier than just trying to win the challenge.

"So Mega Man. Congrats on finding that flag."

"Uh, thanks."

"Now that you have it though, I wish to make a small deal with you."

Mega Man quickly saw the writing on the wall. "I'm not giving this to you."

"And I figured you wouldn't. But my request is that you use it on me should Lammy and I lose the challenge."

"And why would I do that?"

Ivy laughed and shook her head. "Look, I know about the tasks that the future robot guy gave you. And quite frankly, I am not too keen on someone besides me controlling the game."

"So you're after me. What's the point?"

"My point is this. Do you really believe that this one little flag will protect you forever? Once it wears off, I'm coming after you. In case you haven't noticed, I always get what I want."

All Mega Man could do was think about that comment. Ivy had a point. But should he…?

"Here's the deal I wish to give you. Use the flag to give me invincibility tonight should Lammy and I lose, and I will owe you one. Any future challenge, I will help you with. Not that you need the help. You are a powerful robot, after all. But anything could happen. Remember that."

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"She has a point," Mega Man said. "Now that my tasks are done, no one could have too much protection on this show. Not even me."

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(Later…)

All five teams were searching at top speed. Soon, Moka and Zelda (or just Zelda at the moment) had just one left, and so did Ivy and Lammy. Everyone else had two left.

Currently, Zelda was having trouble. "Where the heck is that flag?"

"Have you looked everywhere?" Moka asked from the boat, through the communicator.

"Yes, I've looked everywhere."

"Well, considering the area we're searching is the size of the old island? It has to be around here somewhere. Keep looking."

"Moka, I mean I have literally searched everywhere."

Moka's eyes widened. "Wow, is that possible?"

"I would know. And I can't find the flag anywhere."

"Not good."

(Meanwhile…)

"Twenty-three good jawbreakers in the store, twenty-three good jawbreakers," Double D sang as he searched the reef. "If one of those gets sucked down to the core, twenty-two good jawbreakers in the store."

He looked at the camera. "What? Eddy taught me that song."

Then he turned on his communicator to contact his partner, who was all the way on the other side of the area. "Hey Leo, how's it going?"

"Still two short for us."

"Well, wonderful. Know if anyone else has found them all?"

"No idea."

Then, Double D came to a strange, cave like structure.

"Huh? What's this?" he asked. "Hey Leo, I found a cave. Maybe there's a flag in there."

"It would make sense," Leo said. "Leave it to Chris to make things harder."

Double D laughed, then swam into the cave.

"Ugh, I can't see a thing."

"Tell me about it."

Hearing that voice, Double D turned on his light. "Oh, hey Gaz. Guess you were curious too?"

"Yep." Then she noticed what Double D was wearing. "Really?"

"What?"

"You're wearing your hat underwater? What's under that hat anyway?"

"You don't want to know."

Gaz rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Sockhead."

Then she noticed something right behind Double D. "Hey, are those flags behind you?"

Double D turned around to see, and his light let them see what it was. "No, it's a shark," he said matter-of-factly.

It took five seconds flat for them to realized what that meant. Then…

"RUN!" Gaz screamed.

"Don't you mean 'swim'?"

"Shut up!"

They swam out of that cave as fast as they could while being chased by the shark.

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"Sharks?" Double D asked in disbelief. "Really, Chris?!

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"What was that?" Yusei asked himself. It sounded like something was getting closer.

"Hey, run!" Gaz yelled.

"We got a shark problem!" Double D exclaimed.

That's when Yusei saw the shark. "Uh oh," he said, because now he was being chased by it too.

And it didn't stop there. Soon, the three being chased caught sight of Ruby and Leo, who were somehow searching near each other. They saw the shark, then freaked out.

"I don't want to know," Leo said as he and Ruby ran for it too. Now there were five people chased by the shark.

Soon, Mega Man also joined in being chased by the shark. After that, Ivy wound up in the group too.

"Wait, why am I being chased?" Ivy asked in panic. "I'm made out of plant! I thought sharks were carnivores!"

"I guess it just doesn't like you?" Gaz asked. "I know how it feels!"

"Shut up!"

"I am going to kill Chris when this challenge is over!" Leo stated.

Soon, the group with the shark at their tails were coming to the boat Moka was on. And Lammy was right on that boat. However, her necklace started glowing, and instead of doing what the others did, she swam behind a large coral structure and to safety.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Leo asked. The chasees all screamed again.

However, what Lammy didn't notice when she swam away was that the red flag she had picked up fell out of her pouch and sank to the ocean floor.

"What's going on down there?" Moka asked Chris, who was looking at a monitor.

"Something fun. Most of your fellow competitors are being chased by a shark. What the don't know is that we can't order the shark to eat anyone. We can only get them to scare it. Oh, and Ivy finally got away from the group."

Sure enough, Ivy had finally managed to escape from the chase. "That was close," she said. Then, she noticed something next to her feet. The last green flag.

"Yes! Okay, I had better move it fast before someone beats me to it."

Moka facepalmed. If Ivy got to the boat, she and Lammy would win the challenge. Then, she noticed something on the monitor. "What's that? That's a red flag."

"Well, how many have you and Zelda found?" Chris asked.

"Nine. After the suit got ripped, she's been handing them all to me for safekeeping."

Chris was surprised. "Ouch, so close. Ivy's still pretty far from the boat, but now there's no way you're going to get that flag in time. I know you all hate her, but looks like that won't matter tonight."

Moka looked back at the monitor. She wanted them to have the best chance at eliminating Ivy, and she did want payback for what happened to the suit.

"Maybe it just might," Moka said, smiling. "Chris, I need an oxygen tank and mask. But bypass the suit."

"Okay, what are you doing?" Chris asked.

"Something scary."

She grabbed her communicator. "Zelda, Ivy has her last flag and is heading to the boat. There's a red flag right under me, and there's only one way for us to win now."

She could hear Zelda freaking out. "Moka, don't. If you go down there, you're going to get stuck."

"So? I'll still have an oxygen tank for as long as I need it. I'll just have to have someone else get me back on the boat."

"Still, it's risky. Do you really want to risk your hide over a challenge?"

Moka then stated, "I want to get Ivy out of this show as much as anyone. This may be our chance."

Then, another voice voiced their opinion from inside Moka's head.

"You idiot. Zelda's right, this plan is way too dangerous. And if I could, I would smack you right in the face for even coming up with such an idea."

Well, at least Moka's inner self was looking out for her.

"I'll be fine," Moka told both of them. She had finally got the mask on and the tank ready.

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"I had once willingly jumped into a swimming pool when Tsukune was being attacked," Moka said. "This was nothing new for me. Besides, I figured since it was salt water, the paralysis would happen slower, leaving me just enough time to get the flag."

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"For such a sweetheart, you are one gutsy girl," Chris said.

"Well it helps to be two different personalities."

With that, Moka jumped into the water.

"You jumped, didn't you?" Zelda asked through the communicator. "At least you had the sense to put the mask on."

"True, although I can feel myself already getting stiff," Moka said as she swam down.

Sure enough, every push Moka made to the flag was harder than the first. It definitely wasn't an easy job as her limbs started freezing up. Thanks to the mask, she could still breathe, but not even that could help the rest of her body.

Then, just as her body became completely immobile, she used the last bit of movement in her fingers to grasp the red flag at the bottom.

"I got it!" she yelled in the communicator.

"Good job, Moka."

"Yeah. Too bad I'm stuck now."

She had already figured she would stay there until someone came, but them Moka remembered something from the shark chase. "Hey Lammy, you still over there?"

Lammy poked her head from behind the coral. "Moka, what the heck are you doing?" Then she noticed the flag in her hand. "Oh, you found a flag?" Lammy asked.

"Right under the boat."

"Well, I guess it had to be or you would never have gotten it like that." (Lammy actually didn't remember stealing that flag in the first place).

"Yeah. Hey listen, you think you could get me back to the boat? I literally can't move a muscle right now."

It seemed like Lammy was about to move to her, but then Moka noticed the necklace start glowing.

Then, Lammy sneered. "I think you're just fine on your own."

"Wait, what?"

Lammy turned to swim away, but Moka called her.

"Hey! You can't leave me here. I thought you were better than that."

"I have my own partner to worry about. You have yours. I think you're pretty well taken care of."

Without another word, Lammy swam away from the immobilized Moka.

"Wait! Lammy! Come on!" She couldn't believe it. Sure, she knew Lammy had been having problems lately, and she had done some questionable things this season, but to actually leave her on the ocean floor? Moka started to feel bad for Lammy and Yusei. Clearly, their issues were more complex than she thought.

Chris' voice came through the communicator. "Moka, can you hear me?"

"Yeah. I can still move my face thanks to the mask."

"Well good. Just sit tight, and I'm sending a rope down. Let me know when it's around you, and I'll tighten it just enough to pull you up. And I have to say, you may be nice than your inner self, but you two are one and the same in this case."

After some adjusting and instructions from Moka, Chris had finally gotten the rope around Moka's waist. Then he slightly tightened it, and he and Yakko started pulling her up from the boat.

"I'm all good," Moka said, contacting Zelda again. "Chris managed to get a rope tied around me, and they're pulling me up now."

"That's a relief. Just don't ever do that again, would you?"

Silence. "Moka, what's wrong?"

"Lammy was right next to me. And she ditched me. What do you think that was?"

While Zelda was aware of the role the necklace had in Lammy's behavior, she didn't really understand it anymore than the other competitors. So all she could answer was, "I don't know, Moka. I don't know."

(Three minutes later…)

Moka sat on the deck waiting for the other competitors to get back. And she was covered in several towns, as she wanted to get dry as quickly as possible. Though she could finally move enough to sit up, she was still really stiff, and the second downside of vampires touching water had taken into effect.

"I guess the shock thing is another part of the 'don't get wet' deal?" Yakko asked.

"Yep," Moka said before feeling another zap.

"So cool. I didn't think vampires could be like this. So, can you turn into a bat or something?"

"No."

"Darn. I guess I read too much Bram Stoker."

They then heard something pop out of the water. It was Ivy.

"Chris! I got the final flag! Lammy and I win!"

All Chris did was laugh as Ivy got on the boat. "Actually, Moka just beat you to it."

"Wait, she what? I thought her suit was damaged."

"Apparently she'll do anything to win the challenge, even if it means going in with just an oxygen mask and tank."

Ivy looked at Moka, who shrugged.

"Now, as for the other competitors, Zelda and Lammy are on their way here now, but I don't know where the rest are." he turned on the monitor. "Oh, they're still being chased by a shark."

Sure enough, the monitor showed the rest of the competitors screaming as they swam as fast as they could away from the shark.

He then pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Okay, release the shark. I've seen enough."

(Later…)

"Wait, so you actually jumped into the water without a suit in order to win the challenge?" Double D asked.

"Yeah."

"I still think it was unnecessary," Zelda said.

"My inner self told me the same thing."

"Wait, she talks to you?" Leo asked.

"Yes."

Gaz nodded in amazement. "I admit that was reckless, but that was also really cool."

"Tsukune is a lucky man," Leo added.

"Aww, thanks guys. But don't come close to me yet. I'm still a little damp." Zzzt! "Oh, but Yusei, I need to tell you about something."

"What?" Yusei leaned in so Moka could whisper in his ear.

"Lammy saw me go in for the flag. She was there."

"Did she help you?"

"No. She said she figured I would be fine, and then she ditched me. I know that's not the kind of thing she does, and you know her best out of everyone here."

Yusei had to admit, this was a big piece of information. Hitting people with guitars was one thing, but this was a whole other thing. Suddenly, things were getting scarier.

"Okay. Thanks for telling me."

After that, Chris laughed and said, "Okay, since Moka and Zelda managed to get all of their flags before anyone else, today's challenge goes to them. Ladies, enjoy invincibility and first class."

Both girls cheered.

"Also, did anyone find the golden flag?"

Mega Man raised it up in the air. "Right here."

"Excellent. Now you can either claim the invincibility for yourself, or you can give it to someone else."

Mega Man looked around. Safety was all well and good, but then he remembered what Ivy told him. This little flag would only keep him safe today, but maybe there were ways to be safe the rest of the game.

He made his decision.

"I'll give it away to Ivy."

"YOU WHAT?!" everyone else but Ivy exclaimed.

Ivy smiled. "Oh, and by the way Mega Man, I was kidding. I don't protect fools."

Chris laughed. "Ouch, that was cold. Okay, that's settled. Ivy, enjoy the safety tonight. Everyone but her, Moka, and Zelda are on the chopping block tonight. So let's head back to the plane-which has finally been towed off the road-and vote off a competitor."

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"Mega Man, you idiot," Gaz seethed. "Two people other than Ivy are safe, we had the perfect opportunity to vote her off, and you go and do that. What lies did she feed you?"

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"Obviously, Ivy must have found a way to get into his head," Leo stated.

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"Mega Man's immune to Ivy's love dust since he's a robot," said Double D. "But of all the things Ivy can do, persuasion is one of them."

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"Sad thing is, I mostly wanted to get Ivy out when I jumped in the water," Moka said. "But now that this has happened, I pretty much did all that for nothing.

"Oh, and Tsukune, sorry if I made you worry."

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"She tricked me," Mega Man said. "She tricked me. I realize that now. I feel like a complete fool. And people once told me robots couldn't be fooled! I feel just awful right now.

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"First hitting people with her guitar, and now this?" Yusei asked. "This is definitely not something the Lammy I know would do. I need answers and fast."

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Back on the plane, Mega Man had called everyone but Ivy and Lammy to come to Economy.

"Listen, guys," he said. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for giving Ivy the invincibility. I should've known I was being played, but I paid the price for it, and she's staying on the plane because I messed up. And I'm sorry."

Leo just shook his head. "It's fine, Mega Man. We all could've made the same mistake. Being reassured safety from a powerful player is something not many people would want to pass up."

"Yeah, but I still believed her. I should've trusted my instincts on that one."

"Don't worry about it," Double D said. "Besides, we could always vote off Lammy. She did ditch Moka."

Mega Man just shook his head. "Actually, I wish to make a request."

"What?" Moka asked (she and Zelda had been called down from first-class for this meeting).

"I want you guys to vote me off."

The protests immediately began. "We just said it wasn't your fault!" Zelda exclaimed. "Why can't we just vote off Lammy?"

"Look, what I did back there was selfish. I want to win the big prize, but not by cheating my way there. If I'm going to win the million dollars, I'm going to do it honestly. Giving up the invincibility to someone like Ivy in the hopes of getting further is not honest. I don't deserve the money anymore."

Gaz scoffed. "Neither does she, and somehow she sits pretty."

"Exactly. That's why I want to be voted off."

Then, Ruby raised her hand. "I don't know what's weirder: the fact that Mega Man is asking to be eliminated, or that Yusei didn't protest when we suggested we eliminate Lammy?"

(Later…)

At the elimination ceremony, everyone had already cast their votes. Chris came in, but this time, he didn't have peanut bags.

"First, let me make a slight confession. I actually didn't get permission to mind-control that shark, or any other vicious creature you may have encountered during this challenge. So they have banned me from the Great Barrier Reef for life. Bummer."

Everyone giggled.

"Okay, I've decided to keep this brief today, since all ten votes went to the same person. Why he wanted to go, I don't know, but it's what he wanted, so I don't care. That being said, Mega Man, hit the road."

Mega Man nodded and was given his parachute. "Good luck guys," he said. "Sorry it had to end this way."

"We'll miss you, buddy," Ruby said.

"Hope to see you again," Zelda told him.

Mega Man nodded, put on his parachute, and jumped off the plane and into the sunset.

Then, the other competitors got a glimpse of Ivy's face. She wasn't even hiding her joy.

"I know that look," Zelda whispered.

"Yep," Gaz said. "She planned this."

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"I can't believe that went off without a hitch," Ivy said, clearly full of joy. "The reason I made that deal is because I knew Mega Man would fall for it. He may be a robot, but no one can beat my persuasion. And once he realized his mistake, I just knew he would go and tell everyone to vote him off. This plan is always a little tricky to pull off, but when you have skills like mine, it's second nature."

"She took out her notebook and crossed off mega Man's name. "Another big threat down. Now time for some business."

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As everyone walked away from the elimination room, Ivy tapped on Zelda's shoulder.

"So, have you given any thought on working with me?"

Zelda jost looked at her. "Yes, I have. And you know what, the way you are is not as bad as the way I saw you on TV."

"Oh, thank you."

"It's worse. You planned the whole deal thing knowing Mega Man would feel guilty and ask us to vote him off."

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I had to do something in order to get rid of a big threat. He wasn't just bad for my game, but also yours and everyone else's."

"But he didn't deserve to be tricked like that," Zelda said. "And you wanted to get off scot-free."

"Quit trying to make me look bad."

"Oh, I don't think you need any help with that."

Ivy gasped.

"And you know what, Ivy? I don't care how much it would benefit my own game. I would never align with someone as coldhearted, cruel, and selfish as you."

With a contemptuous look, Zelda walked back to first-class. As she saw the princess walk, Ivy smirked.

"Zelda my dear, you just dug your own grave."

Before Zelda could walk into the cabin though, Leo whispered, "Hey."

Zelda looked at him, knowing what he wanted. "After the season, I promise to take a visit to Nohr to see what your kingdom's all about. If it passes my inspection, I'll get Hyrule to pledge its support for you in that war."

"Great. Thanks."

"Oh, and I haven't said this yet, but congrats on finally getting together with Julie."

(Later…)

"Hey," Yusei whispered to Lammy. "We need to talk."

Lammy nodded, and they both exited the room to speak in private. She was curious as to why Yusei wanted to talk to her in the middle of the night.

"What is it?" Lammy asked, slightly hopeful, but she could tell from Yusei's face that this wasn't going to be good.

"I want the truth, Lammy. Now."

Uh oh. Definitely not going to be pretty.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay, I know you're lying. I want answers. I want to know why you've increasingly been acting weird lately, why you're all of a sudden becoming a complete jerk, and the biggest question of all."

To show what that question was, he held up the small, slightly crumpled slip of paper he had gotten the day Lammy left. The words "We're through" were still written on it.

"I'm surprised you kept the paper."

"I wanted to throw it out, because just looking at it was pure torture for me. Deadpool convinced me to keep it so I could use it to get answers. I want to know why you decided to break up with me without a clear explanation. And while I had gotten some answers, I'm nowhere close to the truth. Right now, I don't care what finally knowing will do for the both of us. I just want to know."

Lammy's head lowered. "Who gave you the basic idea?"

"That one fan known as Storygirl000. She told me you wanted to protect me. Now, is that true, or is it a complete lie?"

The lamb slowly nodded. "It's true."

"Okay. At least we're getting somewhere. Now, I also know this all has to do with the necklace we found in Egypt. Can you tell me what that is all about? Lammy, please."

In truth, she really did want to tell him the truth. The entire truth. Nothing held back. She had done everything she could to protect him. And no matter what, she would always love him. But then an alarming thought came into Lammy's head. That love is the reason she had kept him in the dark. If he knew, he would want to do everything he could to help her. And then it would wind up destroying them both, and not just her.

She backed away and shook her head. "No. I can't."

"But Lammy-!"

"I just can't!"

Yusei just shook his head. "Why not? Whatever it is, I can help you. I always could have, you know."

Lammy back away some more. "You wouldn't understand it. I just have to deal with this on my own."

"I don't care if I wouldn't understand. Whatever it is, I'll do it. Lammy, I would do anything for you. Heck, I would die for you. And I would be willing to deal with whatever this issue is if you would just give me the chance to do so."

"Yusei, I know you want to help me, but I told you. This isn't your issue to deal with. It's mine."

Both were starting to get frustrated. "Lammy, you don't understand. I-"

"No, you don't understand!"

Suddenly, everything was silent. But Lammy wasn't done.

"I appreciate you trying to help and all, but when are you going to get it through your head that I don't want your help? When are you going to realize that I want to deal with this myself? I thought that you, having known me for so long, would understand that!"

All of a sudden, Yusei was ready to fight back. "Really? Because I asked myself the same question after you sent me this note with no explanation whatsoever."

"I had my reasons, Yusei. And none of them are your concern."

"None of my concern? The girl I fell for has problems I should just ignore? Is that it? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"I have problems regarding this necklace that you can't deal with. If I let you help me, you could get hurt, or worse."

"Newsflash: too late! Do you have any idea how heartbroken and depressed after you sent me this note?"

"I imagine it was bad."

"You don't know the half of it. I hardly slept for days after that. I hardly ate, I hardly drank. Deadpool had to force-feed me with a baby bottle! And I cried. Every night. And by the time we got to London, I was close to quitting the game altogether, because I didn't think I could take anymore trauma. If it weren't for Nom Nom, I wouldn't be here!"

"Yeah, I know all that. I didn't watch the show after I left, but someone told me about everything. And another someone told me that you knew why I left."

"And yet, you partnered with Ivy in the challenge?"

"Well-"

"And then you ditched Moka?"

By this point, both of them were furious. "I regret both those decisions already."

"And you don't regret leaving? You don't regret voting yourself off and leaving the plane to find your own solutions to your problems, while I spent days wallowing in depression? Yeah, you didn't want to hurt me. Good luck with that."

"You think I didn't miss you? I spent everyday worrying about you, wondering if you were still in the game, if you were fighting for your team, and if you had managed to get over me."

"I never did do that last part, but now I wish I had!"

"Good, because there is one more thing that I regret."

"Me too."

They both said this at the same time (the parentheses are for who says a certain word): "I regret having ever fallen in love with someone as coldhearted(Lammy)/selfish(Yusei) and unforgiving(Lammy)/unfeeling(Yusei) as you!"

Yet another silence filled the air, and both of them looked close to tears.

"You know what?" Yusei told Lammy. "I think it would benefit the both of us if we just never talk to each other again."

Lammy then said, with the same quiet anger, "You know what? Nothing would make me happier."

Though still angry, Yusei was surprised to hear that Lammy agreed. "Fine," he said quietly.

Finally crying, Lammy ran off into the cargo hold, while Yusei stepped back into Economy. He didn't say a word as he went back to his bed/bench, laid down, and started sobbing.

In the cargo hold, Lammy was doing the same thing, only she let her tears fall more freely. Try as she might, she knew neither of them truly meant what they had said to each other.

But holding the pendant of her necklace in her clenched hand, she did know one thing. That time, it wasn't the necklace saying all those things.

That time, it was all her.

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I think that goes down in history as the best argument I have ever typed down. I'm getting goosebumps.

Using the charms and persuasion she is known for, Ivy finally takes out Mega Man. All she had to do was make him feel guilty enough to ask everyone to vote him off. This gives her the best chance of getting off scot-free.

But she didn't because Zelda and a couple others caught on, and now Ivy has lost a potential ally. Yep, Zelda's Triforce was well-used. Thing is though, in calling out Ivy, Zelda has put a target on herself. Good thing she has brains. Maybe she'll use them to get Ivy before the villainess gets her.

Moka rose to the occasion in this challenge, risking her own hide to get that last flag. Of course, let me remind you that she didn't care about winning the challenge as long as Ivy didn't. So she did have a good reason to go for it, even if it was a little reckless. Too bad it was all for nothing due to Mega Man's mistake. But hey, she has guts.

And Leo may actually have a reason to not get disowned if he loses the competition, as he has convinced Zelda to give Nohr a chance. Interesting alliance formed by my two members of royalty.

I would like to personally apologize if you are not a fan of relationship drama. That argument between Yusei and Lammy even scared me as I typed it up. No joke. Yusei called Lammy out on her leaving, Lammy maintained that it had nothing to do with him, and the whole thing exploded from there. But don't worry. While it seemed bad, there will be a happy ending for them both by the end of this story. But sadly, there will be more trouble for them to come before that happens.

Oh, and if you're wondering what song Storygirl000 is singing in her message for Double D, it's "Haunted" by Taylor Swift. I heard it, and it really does match my current scenario with Yusei and Lammy, though I think "Let Me Go" by Avril Lavigne matches too (and knowing who else is in that song, I will admit now that I'm probably the only person out there who doesn't think Nickelback is that bad.)

And now, a little preview for your next chapter.

It's off to San Francisco, specifically the famous prison known as Alcatraz. While there, our competitors become jailbirds and try to survive the automatic elimination escape attempt. Two competitors act like the other doesn't exist. Another tries to remember something in a form of comedic relief. A third does whatever they can to sabotage another. And while one competitor falls short of their goal, someone else will fall into a huge trap of seduction.

So after a day of sharks and fights, the only things left to do are read and review, fave and follow, send in challenge ideas and locations, give me good-luck stories and audition tapes, and vote on the poll for your favorite competitor.

I've said all I can, and I'll see you next time. TheMasterKat out!