AleHeather (Chapter 8): I'm so glad you liked the AleHeather moments that chapter. That was probably my favorite part of writing the theatre challenge.
AleHeather: The two of them certainly spice up the game. But only time will tell about where they'll place.
MarkLevins: The moments involving the Pahkitwins, Jo, Brick, or Lightning were definitely my favorite moments to write from the previous half of the challenge. And I'm glad you're interested in the Mike storyline.
MaverickNerd: It's pretty sporadic, but I try to do one chapter a month. As you can tell, I've been slipping on that recently.
Well, here's the second part of the chapter. I'm so sorry for the wait. I've been busy scrambling to find an apartment after I moved to California, and after I finally found on, work in Grad School started to pile up like crazy. Hopefully I'll be able to get future chapters out quicker, but I can't promise anything.
Scott and Gwen struggled to push the other backwards as their clubs colided. Alejandro was delivering a flurry of hits at Emma's club, her guard remaining, but begginning to be overwhelmed. Brick ducked a swing from Kitty's club, but suddenly found himself down on one knee due to a powerful kick to his left leg.
"Urgh!" Brick grunted.
Kitty smiled as she brought down her club on Brick. However, the cadet managed to block it with his own club just in time.
"Impressive. I take it that you've underwent military training?" Brick asked.
"I got a brownbelt in kickboxing if that counts." Kitty replied.
Noah slowly crawled to a nearby rock while the action was happening. The good news was that it looked like Alejandro, Scott, and Brick were too distracted fighting the other Shortcakes to notice him. The bad news was that the treasure chest was still too close to the others for him to take it without being seen.
Amy and Sammy were crouched behind the carriage, looking at the scene. "There has be something we can do to help Brick out." Sammy said.
"Agreed, There's no way unibrow can get that treasure chest when dealing with all of these other losers. We gotta do something to get that chest Samey."
Sammy was surprised that Amy agreed with helping someone out. "Alright. What's the plan?"
Amy stood up an immediately made a break for the treasure chest.
"What the-?" Noah reacted. Evidently, she didn't care much about being stealthy.
Emma and Alejandro, the ones who were closest to the treasure chest, were quick to notice Amy running up to them. Without even saying a word, they stepped fighting with each other and both swung at Amy at the same time. Surprisingly, Amy leapt over the two of them with little difficulty and landed next to the treasure chest, picking it up from the ground.
"What the?!" Emma asked.
"Cheerleaders practice more than just how to look pretty, grandma." Amy answered.
"Grand...I'm 21!"
Before Alejandro and Emma could rush her, Amy tossed the treasure chest towards the carriage. "Samey!"
Sammy saw the chest flying through the air. Sammy ran underneath where it would land, catching it. She was pretty surprised. Amy was actually co-operating with her?
Amy immediately made a break for the carriage. "Move it Samey! The longer we keep the chest, the more we get paid!" Amy yelled. She ran towards the carriage
"Huh? Oh!" Sammy turned around and put the treasure chest in the carriage.
"Execellent job soldiers!" Brick stopped his clash with Kitty and ran with Amy towards the carriage.
"After them!" Emma commanded. Emma and Kitty ran after Brick and Amy, Alejandro following. Gwen was about to as well before she was suddenly hit in the back and knocked to the ground.
"Who said you're going anywhere?" Scott asked. He brought down his club on her, but Gwen blocked it with her own.
"Newsflash. You can't get the chest either if you spend all your time keeping me here." Gwen told him.
"Please. I got the rest of the Blades for that. The less competion, the better. Besides" Scott rose his club up again. "I have a score to settle with you!"
Gwen blocked the strike again. "What are you talking about?"
Alejandro was closing the gap between him and Emma, and rose up his club. Emma and Kitty were both too focused on chasing Brick to notice. He doubted he'd reach Brick and Amy in time, but he at least could take out one of the Shortcakes.
Suddenly, a padded arrow hit him on the back of the head, causing him to fall face first on the ground. Emma and Kitty kept running forwards, not seeming to have noticed. "Ughh...well Gwen, if you insist on-" He turned his head around and saw that Scott and Gwen were too busy fighting to have fired the arrow at him. "Then...who fired that arrow?"
Noah was crouching by a boulder, smirking as he got out another arrow.
(Confessional: Noah)
"Nice try Eelejandro, but I'm not gonna let you whack a team mate. Let alone my girlfriend."
Amy and Sammy got inside the carriage while Brick leapt on one of the horses. "Move, move, move!" Amy yelled.
"Forward!" Brick flicked the reins of the horses, causing them to run through the pathway.
"No!" Emma yelled.
"Now what?" Kitty asked. "They're going way too fast for us to catch up!"
"We just have to keep following them and hope they come to a stop."
Alejandro thought the situation over for a little bit before turning around and running back to the return point.
(Confessional: Alejandro)
"Even if I could catch up to the carriage, the odds would be against me far too much with me on my own."
Alejandro ran past Scott and Gwen as they were struggling to overpower the other. Scott took a brief glance at Alejandro before once again bringing down his club on Gwen. The goth rolled out of the way of Scott's swing before standing up. "Seriously, what score do you have to settle with me? I've talked to you, like, 3 times in my life. Including today."
"I don't have to explain myself to you!" Scott swung at Gwen, who blocked it with her club.
"If anything, I should be the one who's mad. Zoey told me about all the stuff you did in Season 4. And you're probably the reason Cody got eliminated." Gwen jabbed Scott in the stomach.
Scott didn't respond. Instead, he kicked dirt in Gwen's face.
"Augh!" Gwen started to rub her eyes. Big mistake. Scott swung at her once again, bringing her to the ground.
"I don't have any handcuffs to eliminate you, but knocking you out is another way to take you out of the game. Heh heh, you know, a lot of the fans have said that I've lost my touch in All-Stars. Wonder what they think now?" Scott rose up his club, ready to knock her out.
Gwen rubbed her head in pain. "Ughh...wait a second...this is about Courtney isn't it?"
Scott widened his eyes, before gritting his teeth in frustration. "Shut up!"
"Scott, do you seriously still believe Mal's lie that I caused you and Courtney to break up? I had nothing to do with that!"
"Yeah, I realized that. That's not the point!"
"Then what is the point?" Gwen asked.
"None of your business, that's what!"
"I can answer that." A voice offered. Gwen and Scott turned their heads, seeing Dawn standing near them. She was aiming an arrow at Scott's head.
"Oh great. You." Scott said.
"You're back!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Indeed. Noah's plan worked. Brody and I eliminated Lightning and took his handcuffs, though Brody was eliminated as well." Dawn said. "Now Gwen, do you remember the Truth or Electrocution phase of the Florida challenge?"
"You mean the one that revealed that she was crushing on someone in the challenge?" Scott teased.
"Hey, can you fire that arrow at him now?" Gwen asked Dawn.
"Do you remember what Heather asked Scott? She asked if he resents Duncan for making up with Courtney while he hasn't." Dawn pointed out.
Gwen widened her eyes. She realized where Dawn was going with this. Gwen then turned to Scott. "Seriously? That's why you're mad at me? Because I'm friends with Courtney again like Duncan is? How petty can you get?"
Scott turned to Dawn. "Looks like you don't know everything with your aura reading schtick. You're only half right. Sure, maybe Duncan being on good terms with Courtney again while I'm not creases me a bit."
"Whcih for the record, you're the one who called it off with her." Gwen pointed out.
Scott turned back to Gwen. "But my issue with you isn't jealousy, blue. It's that you try to keep up that self righteous attitude when you're just as cutthroat as the rest of us!"
"Excuse me?!"
"After all the stuff you did to Courtney. Kissing Duncan behind her back, trying to get her eliminated over it, acting like Duncan and Courtney broke up before you kissed him, blackmailing her into voting for herself. You don't deserve to still be friends with her!"
Gwen immediately gew furious. She was about to try and club Scott in the head right then and there. Scott already rose up his club again to try and knock her unconscious. Gwen wasn't sure if she would hit him before he hit her.
Suddenly, Gwen heard a metal clang before Scott fell to the ground. Dawn ran up to Scott, having fired a padded arrow at his head, and got out a pair of handcuffs. "I was initially planning to negotiate, but it was apparent how that wouldn't work.
Dawn put the handcuffs around Scott.
"And right when he was about to defeat Gwen, the sudden appearance of Dawn has led to Scott's elimination!" Chris announced.
Dawn helped Gwen stand up. "Here." Dawn handed Gwen a pair of handcuffs. "This can help you eliminate members of the opposing teams."
Gwen took a pair. "Thanks Dawn." She then turned to Scott, exchanging glares with him.
"Don't pretend that anything I said was a lie." Scott said.
Gwen said nothing before turning back to Dawn. "Let's help out Emma and Kitty."
Dawn nodded before the two ran off in the direction the carriage went.
(Confessional: Noah)
"I saw the whole thing from the bushes. Was planning on firing at Scott's head when he was distracted, but Dawn was there before me, so no need. I knew since Day 1 that Scott had a grudge against Duncan, but not gonna lie, the bit with Gwen was a surprise."
The camera cut to the carriage being pulled across the path at high speeds. Amy was catching her breath inside the carriage. The fact that she wasn't spending the whole ride rubbing in Sammy's face how she basically saved the day shown how exhausted she was.
"Ugh...that loser, McLean, better be paying us a lot for all this." Amy said.
"You two saved the unit from a pretty dire situation back then Great work soldiers." Brick complimented.
"Oh! Um, thanks Brick." Sammy replied.
"But I did the best job, right?" Amy asked.
Before Brick gave an answer, he noticed something. Brick pulled on the reins to cause the horses to come to a sudden stop. "What's going on?" Sammy asked.
"Enemies." Brick said.
Amy and Sammy took a look out of the carriage and saw three contestants running up to them, Duncan, Leshawna, and Bridgette.
"There's the carriage!" Bridgette pointed out.
Duncan got out an arrow. "And army boy's the only guard left!"
Brick turned to the twins. "Soldiers, when I give the signal, you two need to retreat with the treasure chest."
"But Emma and Kitty are heading toward us from the other way!" Sammy pointed out.
Brick smiled. "Hopefully that'll give you an opportunity to slip away."
"Huh?" The twins reacted.
"NOW!" Brick yelled.
Amy and Sammy, while still confused, lept out of the carriage and ran towards the opposite direction, the latter holding the chest.
Duncan fired an arrow at Brick, who smacked it away with his club. "Go for the chest." Duncan told Leshawna and Bridgette.
The two nodded and chased after the twins. As they ran past the carriage, Brick leapt off the carriage and onto Leshawna's back, putting an arm around her neck. "Sorry about this!"
"What the-?!" Leshawna reacted.
"Leshawna!" Bridgette stopped running in shock and turned to her friend.
"Keep going girl!" Leshawna yelled. "If we get the chest, we win!"
Bridgette didn't like it, but she turned around and continued chasing after Amy and Sammy.
Leshawna tried shaking off Brick, but his grip was too tight. Duncan tried shooting at Brick from afar, but even while on top of Leshawna, the army cadet managed to dodge each arrow. Soon Brick got out a handcuff, and put it around Leshawna's arms.
"After displaying some surprising dodging and rodeo skills, Brick has eliminated Leshawna" Chris announced.
Brick gave a salute to Leshawna. "Sacrificing yourself for your team is a noble cause, ma'am. Though personally, if I were on your team, I'd have-"
Before Brick could finish that sentence, a wooden club was brought onto his head, knocking him out.
"About time he stayed put." Duncan dug through Brick's pockets and took his handcuffs, before cuffing the unconscious cadet's arms together.
"And Brick, the final guard, has been eliminated by Duncan! Can Amy and Samey last the remaining hour and a half? Or will one of the teams steal their chest?" Chris asked.
"Not bad turkey legs. But those cheerleaders already have a headstart on Bridgette. You gotta help her out, pronto." Leshawna said.
"I realize that." Duncan then turned to the carriage. "And I think I found a way to catch up."
Emma and Kitty continued running down the path. "This is hopeless. We'll never catch up on foot!" Emma yelled.
"What else can we do though?" Kitty asked.
"Don't worry. I can sense that we're getting closer to several auras." Dawn stated.
Emma and Kitty both came to a screeching halt, shocked at Dawn's sudden arrival. "Wait...when did...how did you...?" Emma began to ask.
"Don't bother asking." A voice said. Gwen walked up to the sisters. "I was with her, and even I don't know."
"Well, based off what Chris said, all the guards have been eliminated, so those twins won't have anymore protection." Emma said.
"Yeah. And the only members of the Blades left are Duncan and Bridgette." Gwen said.
Kitty suddenly pointed forward. "I see something!"
Sure enough, three blondes were heading towards the Shortcakes. Amy and Sammy, the latter holding the chest, who were both being pursued by Bridgette.
Amy and Sammy stopped running. "Not good! It's like I said, we were running right towards a different team!" Sammy pointed out.
"Ugh! What was monobrow thinking?!" Amy complained.
Bridgette noticed the Shortcakes and gulped nervously. It was one thing to chase down the twins, but dealing with four people on the opposing team at once? And all on her own too? Maybe if she just stole the chest and ran back from where she came...then what? The challenge was to return it to Chris at the starting zone. Going in the opposite direction wouldn't help anything.
(Confessional: Bridgette)
"I won't lie. I didn't think I would last long. But I just told myself that I wouldn't be accomplishing anything by just standing there scared. So I went for it."
"Yahhhhh!" Bridgette yelled. She ran past Sammy, snatching the treasure chest away from the nicer twin, and continuing to run forward.
"What the-?" Sammy asked.
"Way to go, butterfingers." Amy said.
Bridgette just continued to run towards the Shortcakes, not looking back.
"Sorry Bridgette, but we'll be taking that from you." Gwen said as she got out a staff.
Bridgette tried to swerve around the four, but it didn't do her any good. Emma swept at her legs with her staff, causing Bridgette to fall and for the treasure chest to skid across the ground. Gwen and Kitty immediately held Bridgette in place when she fell.
"Dawn, you got the handcuffs from Lightning, right?" Emma asked. She had an arrow pointed at Amy and Sammy, in case they made any sudden moves for the treasure chest.
Dawn nodded as she got out a pair of handcuffs.
"INCOMING!" A voice yelled out.
Amy and Sammy turned their heads towards the direction of the voice. Duncan was riding the carriage formerly ridden by the twins, making the horses rush down the path. Speeding dangerously fast towards the girls. "What the-?!" Amy reacted.
Sammy grabbed Amy by the arm and pulled her off the path.
Duncan mentally sighed in relief before he had the carriage continue heading towards the Shortcakes. Emma, Kitty, and Gwen jumped off the path, Gwen instinctively grabbing Bridgette and taking her off the road as well before Dawn could cuff her. Dawn was the only one who remained standing on the pathway.
Meanwhile, while riding, Duncan fired handcuffs from his bow at Kitty and Gwen, similar to what Jo did to Zoey. However, aiming while moving in the carriage was difficult for him, the handcuffs soaring over their heads.
"Duncan, are you crazy?!" Bridgette asked as she stood up.
"Not exactly the words of gratitude I was expecting." Duncan said.
"Dawn get out of the way!" Gwen yelled.
Dawn simply stood there, waiting for the horses to come closer, while she had an arrow pointed at the carriage. Several tense seconds passed as the carriage was getting dangerously close to running her over. Soon, Duncan groaned and pulled hard on the reins, causing the horses to come to a stop mere centimeters away from Dawn. "Called my bluff, eh?" Duncan said.
"You don't have it in your heat to trample over someone. Also, your love for the game Chicken is quite present in your aura." Dawn replied, still aiming an arrow at Duncan. Emma, Kitty, and Gwen recovered from the shock and pointed arrows at Duncan as well.
Duncan raised his hands in the air. "Alright, alright. You chicks beat me."
"Out of the carriage. Now." Emma said.
Duncan took a glance at Bridgette as he slowly stepped out of the carriage. "Well, looks like my whole team is getting cuffed. This bites. Gotta hope I win the tie breaker I guess."
"Put all your handcuffs on the ground, now." Emma demanded.
Duncan complied. "Well, far from the first time I've been cuffed. Fire away."
Emma nodded at Dawn, who walked up to Duncan, a pair of cuffs in hand. Suddenly, a different pair of handcuffs were fired from behind Dawn, locking her legs together and causing her to fall to the ground.
"What the?!" Emma turned around. She noticed that Bridgette fired a pair of handcuffs from her bow and arrow at Dawn, standing far away from Kitty and Gwen.
"Alright!" Bridgette exclaimed.
"With some distraction from Duncan, Bridgette has eliminated Dawn!" Chris announced.
"Gwen! Kitty! Why didn't you keep an eye on her?" Emma asked.
"We were focused on making sure Duncan didn't make any sudden moves!" Kitty replied.
"Me and Dawn had that covered. You guys should have kept your eyes focused on the other enemy. That way, they won't be able to get the jump on-"
Emma was interrupted as she felt somebody put her arms together and put a handcuff on them.
"And Duncan has eliminated Emma!"
"You should listen to your own advice." Gwen told Emma.
"Argh!"
Bridgette ran up next to Duncan, who picked up the handcuffs dropped by Dawn. "You did a good job there surfer girl. Now it's 2 on 2." He turned his head to Kitty and Gwen and got out his bow.
"This isn't good. Duncan has all of our handcuffs now." Kitty whispered to Gwen.
"Yeah, things could be better." Gwen whsipered back. "Still, he didn't take all of them."
Before Kitty could ask what Gwen meant, Dawn yelled something out. "Amy and Sammy have escaped!" Dawn yelled.
"WHAT?!" Bridgette, Duncan, Kitty, and Gwen all turned their heads. Sure enough, the twins were long gone, as was the treasure chest that Bridgette previously dropped.
(Confessional: Brick)
"I remember one of the first war lessons taught to me by my father. When dealing with multiple different enmies, make them distracted by having them focus on each other. Then while they're busy dealing with each other, secure the objective from underneath their noses. That's how he won over Mom back in high school!"
Amy and Sammy were running through the forest again, Sammy holding the treasure chest. "Ok, we have about an hour left to keep the treasure chest away from the other teams." Sammy said to her sister.
"Great. An hour left of running through the woods. Meanwhile, all of the people who were supposed to be guarding us couldn't even last more than half of the challenge." Amy complained.
"Hey, those guys did their best to save us."
"Oh good. I hope that Chris will be giving out participation trophies if we lose."
Sammy stopped running. "Seriously?"
Amy stopped and turned to her sister when she noticed she stopped running. "Hey Spareamy, we kinda have more important thing to-"
"Ok, what's your deal? You were always a jerk to me, but now you've been going out of your way to be mean to everybody."
"What's my deal?! YOU were the one acting as if I didn't even exist for almost a year!"
"You treated me like garbage for literally over a decade, but me occasionally ignoring you is a line for you?" Sammy replied.
"Oh, enough with the 'woe is me' schtick of yours! You lost your right to that when you literally poisoned me!"
"Ugh. Forget it. I shouldn't have bothered giving you attention."
Amy clenched her fist before snatching the treasure chest away from her sister.
"Hey!"
"We're going back to the starting point." Amy said.
"But we still have-"
"Exactly. The teams will still be looking around the rest of the forest for us. Meanwhile, we'll just be waiting for time to run out in the last place they'd expect. You're welcome for the brilliant idea."
Sammy thought it over then shrugged. "Might as well try."
(Confessional: Sammy)
"I had no idea if Amy's plan was a good idea or not, but we lost our carriage and all of our guards. Having a plan was better than nothing."
Duncan turned to Bridgette. "Get in the carriage."
Bridgette nodded and ran towards the carriage, Duncan staying behind.
"Think we're just going to let you?" Kitty asked.
Duncan got out a pair of handcuffs, and aimed his bow at Kitty. "Sure you wanna make any sudden moves?"
Immediately, Gwen got out a pair of handcuffs, and aimed her bow at Duncan. "Do you?" She asked.
"When did you-?" Kitty began to ask.
"Dawn gave me a pair after we eliminated Scott." Gwen then turned her head to Duncan. "Anyway, we shouldn't fight right now."
"Um...yes you should." Emma said from on the ground.
Gwen ignored Emma. "Duncan, if we don't catch those two, all teams have to send somebody home this challenge."
"Yeah. Which is why my team will be catching up to them, while you guys stay here." Duncan responded.
"Think about the time we're wasting right now. Think about the possibility that if you eliminate Kitty, I'll eliminate you. Then both our teams will have even fewer members who are still in the challenge."
"Besides, the whole reason Amy and Sammy escaped is because we were distracted dealing with each other." Kitty pointed out. "It's a safer bet for both of our teams if we just go on the carriage together to catch up to Amy and Sammy and cuff them."
"Not to mention Heather's team. They haven't lost a single teammate this whole challenge. Meanwhile, our team only has 3 members left, and your team has less than that. Who knows what they're up to? They could be the biggest threat right now.
Duncan closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Bridgette! We're letting Gwen and Kitty on the carriage."
Bridgette jumped in the carriage. "I get it. Temporary truce until we catch up to the twins. Then all bets are off."
Duncan, Gwen, and Kitty ran up to the carriage and jumped in. Soon, the carriage rode off down the path.
"Huh. Gotta hand it to Gwen. Wasn't expecting her to be the strategic type." Emma said. "The odds are slightly better for our team now."
"Yes. Though strategy wasn't her only motivation." Dawn said.
Emma raised an eyebrow before shrugging it off. "So, do we basically just stay here until the challenge is over, or...?"
The camera cut to Amy and Sammy sprinting through the trees, on their way back to the starting point.
"What do we do if a team decides to look for us at the starting point?" Sammy asked.
"Chris McLame has to have monitors or whatever to see the teams, right? So if any head our way, we'll know and book it." Amy answered.
"This is... surprisingly well thought out of you."
"Duh. I was born with both the looks and brains of the family."
Sammy rolled her eyes. Eventually, the two rain through a bundle of bushes.
"Was expecting the contestants to be the one running here. Not the targets." Chris said.
Amy and Sammy saw that they returned to the starting point. "The plan was to -" Sammy began to say.
"I know Samey. I was watching the camera. Bad news for you guys is" Chris pointed to Team Heather. Alejandro, Heather, and Sierra all had arows drawn, while Mike, B, and Harold were nearby the various log and arrow traps they set up. "So were they."
(Confessional: Heather)
"Ahahaha! I can't believe the targets literally walked right up to us! It's almost disappointing how easy it was. Almost."
The two cheerleaders fled from the arrows being fired their way. B cut a vine with a knife, causing a log to swing towards the Pahkitwins. They jumped out of the way, only for a net to suddenly shoot up and trap the two of them, Amy dropping the treasure chest.
"Oh come on!" Amy complained from inside the net.
"And the trap sets in!" Harold fistpumped the air.
"Looks like your plan worked, Heather." Sierra said.
"Naturally." Heather replied.
"Alright Team Heather! All you need to do is grab the treasure chest and deliver it to me, and your team wins the challenge!" Chris declared.
Heather smiled as she walked up to the treasure chest. Harold turned his head to take a look at the monitors near Chris and widened his eyes. "Uh...Heather?"
"What is it, Harold?" Heather asked. Soon, she and the rest of Team Heather heard something coming from the distance.
"Looks like you're about to get some company." Chris said.
Bursting from the trees and bushes was the carriage, being ridden by Gwen, Bridgette, Duncan, and Kitty, the latter two riding on horse back.
"Yeeee-haw!" Kitty yelled.
"What the?!" Heather reacted in shock.
The carriage came to a halt. Duncan fired an arrow at Heather's head, who jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, this distracted Heather from Kitty, who fired a pair of handcuffs at her legs, cuffing them together and causing her to fall to the ground.
"And Heather has been eliminated!" Chris announced.
"Grrr." Heather growled in annoyance before turning to the rest of her team. "Mike! Use your gymnastics to grab the chest and deliver it to Chris! Everyone else, hold them off with the traps!"
"Got it!" Mike said.
"Oh no you don't!" Duncan said. He and Kitty started firing arrows at Mike, but he nimbly dodged each one. They were slowing down his progress towards the treasure chest though.
"Keep going!" Alejandro called out to Mike. He and Sierra started firing arrows back at Duncan and Kitty.
"Incoming!" Kitty yelled.
Duncan dodged a few of the arrows, though one of Alejandro's pelted him on the head. "Augh! Alright, you're dead, Al!"
Duncan and Kitty started firing back at Alejandro and Sierra, who both took cover behind different trees.
"I get it. Draw their fire so that Mike can get a clearer path." Sierra whispered.
"En efecto." Alejandro confirmed.
Gwen and Bridgette leapt out of the carriage, and ran towards the treasure chest. However, several logs attached to vinces came swinging towards them.
"Uh-oh." Bridgette said. Both she and Bridgette ducked to the ground, the logs swinging above their heads.
B blew on his knuckles then rubbed them on his chest.
"What are you so happy about, motormouth?" Amy asked from the net. "You missed."
B pointed, to Mike, the distraction giving him enough time to reach the treasure chest.
"Crap!" Gwen yelled. She and Bridgette stood up, and ran towards Mike.
Harold ran up next to Chris, who was standing nearby a boulder. "I'm open!" Harold yelled.
Mike nodded, and tossed the treasure chest in the air before Bridgette and Gwen reached him.
"No!" Bridgette yelled.
Duncan and Kitty both aimed their bows at the chest in the air. "I'll shoot that right out of the-" Duncan began to say. Before he could finish, both his and Kitty's hands were struck by arrows, instinctively causing them to drop their bows.
"Ow!" Kitty yelled.
"You two need to be more aware of your surroundings." Alejandro taunted. He and Sierra high-fived each other. Duncan gritted his teeth in frustration.
Harold smiled as he was about to catch the treasure chest. However, before it landed in his hands, a club struck him on the head from behind, causing him to fall from the ground. "Aughhh!"
"What the-?!" Heather asked.
From behind the boulder Chris where Chris and Harold were standing near was Noah, who casually picked up the treasure chest. "Thanks for the distraction team. You too, Blades." Noah handed the treasure chest over to Chris. All of Team Heather gasped in shock.
"And the Strawberry Shortcakes win the challenge!"
"Whoo-hoo!" Kitty cheered.
"Time out! You were here the whole time?" Gwen asked. "And didn't bother to help us out?"
"Umm...yeah. What did you want me to do, signal my appearance out loud and make them aware of me?"
Gwen opened her mouth but realized she didn't have a counter. "Fair enough."
"Wait a second!" Heather brought herself up, and angrilly hopped her way towards Chris. "How did he sneak in here unnoticed? Why didn't he show up on any of the monitors?!"
"What can I say? Cameras have blind spots Heather." Chris answered. "The Shortcakes are safe. So Blades, Team Heather? It's time for the second phase of the challenge."
(Confessional: Noah)
"When you're the youngest of nine siblings, you either have to get really good at hiding, or get used to 24/7 noogie and purple nurples. I made sure to memorize the camera angles that were shown on the monitors so that I could sneak back to the starting point. Then just had to let the others do the work."
The camera cut to Chris, Jo, Brick, Lightning, Amy, Sammy, and all of the teams nearby a river. All handcuffs were removed from anyone who was cuffed. Suspended fairly high above the river was a large tree log was that formed a makeshift bridge. "Before we begin, let's give a thank you to our guests for today's challenge!" Chris exclaimed.
Brick gave a salute. Sammy waved awkwardly. Lightning, Jo, and Amy just looked annoyed. "Where's our money?" Amy asked.
Chris snapped his fingers. Chef came walking in, wheeling a wagon filled with several stacks of cash, of varying sizes. "The money you earned will be based off how well Chef deemed your performance."
Chef walked towards Brick and gave him the largest stack of cash. "You get $3,000 army boy."
"Thank you, sir!" Brick stated.
"What?! I eliminated more people than G.I Joke did!" Jo complained.
"And Brick defended the targets the most. Your whole mission." Chef replied.
"Grrrrr."
"Oh, quit complaining girl! You came in second. You were strong in combat, and adapted well on the battlefield." Chef gave Jo a stack of cash. "Here's 2 grand for you."
Jo gave an annoyed sigh before taking it. "Better than nothing I guess." Jo then turned to Brick. "Don't get a big head over this though, Captain Whiz."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Brick answered, though his smile said everything. He won this round.
Chef gave a small wad of cash to Lightning. "You eliminated one of the physically strongest contestants, but it was all a part of their plan. And in the end, you got played like a fiddle. You only get $500."
"Man, Lightning would have done way better if creepy girl didn't play mind games with me!" Lightning complained.
Duncan, Zoey, and Scott were all surprised at this and turned to Dawn, who was looking pretty ashamed.
"Listen up son. Physical prowess is important on the battlefield. But brains is even more important."
"Well, at least I didn't get last." Jo smirked at Lightning. Lightning turned his head away in annoyance.
"Wait, were those three competing or something?" DJ asked.
"Yeah, Jo had rivalries with both of them." Scott replied.
Chef walked up to Amy and Sammy. "You girls get $1,000 each. You made a lot of mistakes, and your co-operation is sloppy at best. But you shown grit, and adapted to bad situations." Chef turned to Sammy. "It helps that you also either helped out your fellow guards" He then turned his head to Amy "Or shown impressive physical abilities."
Chef gave Amy and Sammy their own seperate stacks of cash. "Th-thank you." Sammy said.
"Whatever. Can we go now?" Amy asked.
"Soon. Like I said, it's time for the tiebreaker!" Chris turned to the teams, specifically, Team Heather and the Killer Blades. "Everyone. We will be re-creating Robin Hood's battle with Little John."
"Meaning...?" Scott asked.
"Read a book." Gwen told him.
"It means that two contestants will be dueling over a log. Whoever falls in the water loses." Alejandro explained.
"Bingo. Duncan. Heather. Step forward." Chris said
Duncan and Heather did so.
"Since you two are the team leaders, you can either fight it out yourselves or have a teammate fight instead at a bit of a risk."
"What kind of risk?" Duncan asked.
"The opposing team leader will get to decide who fights in your place."
"What?!" Heather yelled.
Duncan shrugged. "Not gonna matter for me. I'm definitely staying in to fight."
Heather turned to Duncan. She wasn't exactly liking her odds against him in a fight, especially considering his time in prison. She turned to her team. Knowing Duncan, he would have probably picked either his favorite bullying target Harold, or Alejandro to get revenge for World Tour. She wouldn't be too worried about Alejandro, but what if he chose Harold instead? That would basically be a free victory.
Harold did a few karate poses. "What are you doing?" Mike asked.
"Duncan'll probably pick me thinking I'm an easy target. So I'm getting warmed up to take him down with my mad skills."
Heather rubbed her chin. Then again, Harold did punch out Duncan back in Season 2. Plus, worst case scenario, Harold gets voted out for blowing it, putting a target away from Heather. "Fine. Duncan can pick who he'll fight."
Duncan smiled. Harold gave a determined glare towards Duncan as he made a karate pose. Alejandro cracked his neck, preparing himself for in case Duncan picked him instead.
"Mike." Duncan said.
"Very well. Prepare for...wait what?" Harold asked.
Mike was looking pretty surprised too. "Wait, me?"
"I knew it! You and Mal did have a thing together back in juvie!" Sierra accused.
"Huh?! What are you...no!" Duncan replied. "Where did you even get that from?!"
"Then maybe you're trying to win Zoey over from her boyfriend?" Heather asked with a smirk.
Duncan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
Zoey was looking pretty surprised too. "I'm wonderng too. How come Mike?"
"Yeah. You could have went for an easy win against someone like Harold." Scott said.
"You got beef with Mike or something?" Leshawna asked.
"Not really. It's all about street cred." The delinquent answered.
(Confessional: Duncan)
"Back when he was Mal, Mike pretty much ruled juvie. I won't lie, the guy freaked me out. But after toughing it out in prison, I'm not gonna pass by on an opportunity to take down the king. Yeah, I know that Mike got rid of him, but he got all the strengths of his personalities, right?"
The camera cut to Duncan and Mike both standing on opposite ends of the log. Chris tossed both of them wooden clubs.
"And begin!"
Duncan immediately swung at Mike, who barely ducked in time. "Whoa!" Mike reacted.
"Better be on your toes Mike." Duncan said. He swung at Mike again, but his strike was blocked. "It would be lame to beat you if you don't put up a fight."
Duncan repeatedly swung at Mike, who ducked or jumped over each one of the swings.
"You can do it Mike!" Alejandro cheered.
"Keep up the pressure, Duncan!" Leshawna yelled.
Scott turned to Zoey. "You're pretty quiet. Don't know who to root for?" He asked.
Zoey didn't respond. Partially because she knew Scott was trying to get a rise on her. But also because she was too distracted with the fight. "Mike isn't fighting back." She noticed.
"He's afraid." Dawn said, popping up near the Blades.
"Whoa!" DJ reacted.
"When did you...?" Leshawna wondered.
"Afraid of what?" Zoey asked. She was used to Dawn's sudden appearances at this point.
"Himself." Dawn answered.
"Oof!" Mike grunted. Duncan managed to strike him in the gut. Duncan then hit him in the head, Mike beginning to stumble.
Team Heather gasped in worry. "Mike, don't fall!" Harold yelled.
Mike regained his balance and barely jumped out of the way from Duncan's next swing.
"Come on man. Those skills won't do you any good if you don't actually fight back." Duncan said.
Mike gritted his teeth and swung his club at Duncan's side, the delinquent using his club to block it. "Happy now?" Mike asked.
Duncan smiled. "Well it's a start."
Mike and Duncan collided clubs, both fighting to overpower the other. However, despite his scrawny body, Mike was stronger. He was overpowering Duncan and slowly but surely, was pushing the delinquent closer off the log.
"And it looks like Duncan is on the brink of losing!" Chris announced.
Team Heather began to cheer, while DJ, Leshawna, and Bridgette were yelling words of encouragement to Duncan.
Suddenly, Duncan smirked, and moved to the side, dropping the wooden club he was holding.
"Whoa-!" Mike lunged forward, and tripped off the log.
"NO!" Team Heather (minus B) yelled.
Mike grabbed onto the edge of the log before he fell into the river.
"And Mike barely avoids falling into the river. But it doesn't look like he'll last much longer!" Chris announced.
Duncan, having picked up both clubs, turned to Mike, who was still hanging from the log. "You put up a fight, but I'm kinda disappointed. Mal was way tougher than this."
A look of fury grew on Mike's face. In the blink of an eye, he launched himself upwards and headbutted Duncan in the face. "I'M! NOT! MAL!"
Duncan fell onto the log as Mike walked towards him. "Whoa! And it looks like Mike made a comeback! All Mike has to do is push Duncan off and his team wins!" Chris announced.
"Whoo-hoo!" Heather, Harold, and Sierra exclaimed. Alejandro looked somewhat concerned though.
Mike grabbed a club and struck Duncan in the gut.
"Augh!" Duncan yelled.
"And I'm not Svetlana either!"
"Um...Mike?" Harold asked.
Mike repeatedly struck Duncan with a club while he was laying on the log. "Or Chester! Or Vito! Or Manitoba! I'm Mike!"
Everyone watching was looking either shocked, or worried.
"Ok?! OK?! OK?!" Mike screamed in between strikes.
"Whoa. Didn't think multi-brain was so aggressive." Jo said.
"Knock it off, already!" Gwen yelled at Mike.
"Mike, stop it!" Zoey yelled. If Mike heard Gwen and Zoey's protests, he didn't acknowledge them, continuing to strike Duncan repeatedly. Zoey began to run towards the log, but was held by the arm by Chef. "Let go of me! I have to stop-"
"You can't interfere with the challenge girl." Chef told her.
"Um, you won dude. You just need to -" Chris began to tell Mike.
Suddenly, Duncan lifted his legs up, kicking Mike square in the chest. Mike stumbled before losing his balance and falling off the log, making a splash in the river.
"...And Duncan wins the tiebreaker for the Killer Blades!" Chris declared.
"Whoo-hoo!" Leshawna Bridgette, and DJ cheered.
Zoey was absolutely stunned. She never saw Mike flip out like that. What should she say to him? What can she say to him after seeing that?
Mike rose up from the river, looking absolutely furious. "I'm Mike...I'm Mike..." He said.
"Mike, that's enough!" Alejandro jumped into the river, running up to Mike.
"Huh?" Mike reacted.
Alejandro wrapped his arms around Mike. "It's ok, amigo. It's ok."
Mike took a look at the contestants and widened his eyes. Gwen looked incredibly angry at him. Dawn looked concerned. So many of the others looked shocked, or even afraid. And Zoey? She looked confused. Haunted.
"I...I didn't...I'm-I'm so sorry, I-"
Mike was interrpted by Chris as he blew an airhorn. "Alright, with that extremely awkward note to end on, everyone it's time to go! Team Heather, it's time for the elimination ceremony!" Chris yelled.
Duncan walked off the log and towards his team, holding his gut in pain. The Blades as well as Gwen ran up to him. "Are you ok?!" Gwen asked.
"Urgh...I'm fine." He answered. The painful coughs he gave immediately afterwards didn't reassure them.
"You sure man? Mike didn't pull any punches there." DJ said.
"Dude, I got mauled by a shark, like, three challenges ago. I've had worse." Duncan started coughing again. This time however, there was a little bit of blood.
Bridgette covered her mouth in shock. "Duncan, you need-"
"I said I'm fine." Duncan then turned to Zoey. "I'm more worried about you though."
Zoey didn't know how to react to that.
"Alright everyone, back to your boats! As for our guests, we'll be having a seperate boat pick you guys up soon."
"Thank God. I almost barfed on that loser boat." Amy said.
The teams began to disperse. Before Duncan could start leaving though, Chef walked up to the Blades, and slung Duncan on his back. "Hey! Let go of me!"
"No can do, Duncan." Chris said, walking up next to Chef. "After the Owen incident, legal is making sure we're more attentive about show injuries. We gotta check if you suffered any internal bleeding."
"That doesn't sound too bad. That's where the blood's supposed to be." Brody said as he passed by.
"You'll be getting a check-up and possible be receiving treatment in the infirmary on the S.S McLean." Chris said.
"Ok, sure, whatever, but I can walk on my own!" Duncan protested.
"Too bad." Chef continued carrying Duncan as he walked off.
The camera cut to Harold and B walking through the forest together. "Man, if I was the opponent, I would have totally kicked butt! I have a brown belt in bōjutsu."
B rolled his eyes, but gave Harold a pat on the shoulder.
"Still, I never saw Mike freak out like that before. He was never like this in your season, was he B?" Harold asked.
B shook his head. He didn't last long in Season 4, but he knew Mike never got that violent before.
"Compañeros de equipo." Alejandro's voice said. Harold and B turned around, seeing him walk up to them.
Harold crossed his arms. "What do you want?" He was willing to accept Alejandro as an ally, but that didn't mean he enjoyed his company.
"We need to talk."
"We're not voting off Heather for you."
"Just listen to me before you answer. I'm concerned about Mike's freakout." Alejandro said. B and Harold both raised an eyebrow.
The camera cut to Team Heather on the deck of their loser cabin cruiser, all sitting on stools. Chris, as usual, was holding a tray of shrimp.
"You've all cast your votes and made your decisions. On this plate are 5 pieces of shrimp. When there's 6 of you. Whoever doesn't get a shrimp will be going home. For good."
Mike was the only one who looked worried.
"The contestants who are safe are...B." The silent genius walked up and grabbed a piece of shrimp.
"Harold." Chris said. Harold smiled and grabbed a piece of shrimp, fistbumping B.
"...Alejandro."
The spaniard smiled as he grabbed a piece of shrimp. Chris took a look at the remaining contestants. "One of you will be going home tonight. Heather, your plan to wait with traps at the starting point failed, and you refused to fight Duncan in the tiebreaker. Sierra. You're really annoying. And Mike? You blew the challenge for your team, bigtime."
Mike hung his head down, ashamed.
(Confessional: Heather)
"Bye-bye Mike. Hopefully Alejandro can find a new lackie."
(Confessional: Mike)
"I voted for who Alejandro told me to vote for, but like that's gonna matter." Mike let out a sigh.
"The contestant who's going home is...
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...Sierra." Chris said as he tossed a shrimp to Heather, and a shrimp to Mike.
"WHAT?!" The three of them all reacted.
"But Mike was the one who messed up!" Heather pointed out.
"He messed up because he was constantly being treated more like a conversation piece for his personalities than as an actual person." Alejandro said. "Sierra, you've been bothering Mike constantly not just about his relationship with Zoey, but also about his disorder."
Harold awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Me and B saw how pissed off Mike was gettiing when you were talking asking about it Sierra. Mike screwed up, but you can't exactly say you didn't have a role in it."
Sierra sighed but shrugged. "I guess you're right. Sorry Mike. I didn't mean to offend you like that."
"It's...it's fine I guess..." Mike said. He didn't seem to be fully paying attention.
Heather glared at Alejandro, who smirked at her.
(Confessional: Alejandro)
"That's the difference between me and Heather. She sees a pawn with an insecurity, and she only thinks of them as a way to divert votes from her. However, I see a way to reinforce their loyalty to me. And potentially win a little bit of favor from the others."
Chef came by, driving Boat of Losers. "Your ride's here Sierra." Chris said.
Sierra stood up and walked towards the boat. Before she boarded though, she got out her phone and took a picture of Team Heather. "Might as well take a picture for my blog." Sierra boared the boat, and it began to take off.
Chris turned to the cameras. "Where will be going next! And how will the rest of the contestants act towards Mike now! Find out next time on -
Before Chris could finish his sentence, Sierra yelled something out loud. Something that completely outstaged how Chris would end the episode.
"I'M SORRY, LUPIN!" She shouted.
All of Team Heather widened their eyes. Chris' jaw dropped in shock.
"Sierra...she was working with Arsène Lupin?" Alejandro asked.
Votes:
Sierra (4): Harold, Alejandro, B, Mike
Mike (3): Heather (leader vote), Sierra
Strawberry Shortcakes: Noah, Gwen, Dawn, Emma, Kitty, Brody
Killer Blades: Duncan, Zoey, Bridgette, DJ, Leshawna, Scott
Team Heather: Heather, B, Harold, Alejandro, Mike
Rankings
24th: Justin
23rd: Cody
22nd: Geoff
21st: Sky
20th: Owen
19th: Trent
18th: Sierra
Things are getting interesting. Mike absolutely exploded during the challenge and may have severely injured Duncan. Meanwhile, it turns out that Sierra knows who our mystery thief is, and was even acting as an accomplice for him. How will this play out?
Sierra has been eliminated this chapter (so you can finally stop guessing Sierra will go next Mark, lol). She wasn't meant to go far, but I'm happy with how she turned out here. I was always disappointed how Sierra's fangirl trait was pretty much solely directed at Cody and Chris, so spreading it out by having her fangirl trait directed at more of the contestants throughout several of the chapters was a lot of fun. And worked beautifully to build up to Mike's freakout before Duncan was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Also, I'm SO sorry for the wait. Like I said, was really swamped recently, and the more action oriented challenges take a lot out of me. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next one!