Time for the next update. Let's get on with it! I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while, as it kicks off the next fifth of the story as a whole!
VOTE FOR WHICH PEANUT GALLERY MEMBER YOU WANT TO RETURN AT THE MERGE ON THE POLL IN MY PROFILE!
Without further ado, let's get into it!
The episode opened on the night of Rodney's elimination. The night was in full swing, and a handful of campers had already retired to bed. A calming tune played as the camera panned across the dark camp before finally coming to rest on the Rec Center. A quick cut inside showed Beardo, Gwen and Duncan still staring intently at a TV screen. A game controller was clutched in each of their hands, and the coffee table in front of them was full of empty snack bags and beer bottles.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Duncan said under his breath, eyes wide as he furiously pressed a combination of buttons. His on screen character got squished by a giant zombie and the delinquent let out a gasp unbefitting of his punk status. "No! He got me, I'm dead!"
"It's okay, we got this," Gwen said confidently. Her 16-bit sprite took out a machine gun launcher and began to pepper the colossal zombies with bullets.
Duncan placed his controller on the couch next to him and reached for a chip bag. When he realized it was empty, he scowled and crumpled the bag, tossing it carelessly over his shoulder.
"No!" Gwen attempted to dodge a massive swipe of the boss's rotting paw but mistimed it, getting smacked off screen and dying. "God damn it!"
"This is our thirteenth attempt," Duncan sighed, running one hand through his mohawk as he took a sip of beer with the other, "If we can't get this done next time I quit."
"No need," Beardo spoke up, eyes narrowed in concentration as he flicked the joysticks with surprising precision. "He's low, I just need to get this C4 on the back of his head and it's game over."
"Be careful though, his spine comes out and strangles you if you take too long," Duncan warned, "remember attempt #7?"
Beardo winced, "don't remind me…" His character ducked under a kick of the zombie and hooked his knife into the back of the final boss's thigh. He quickly scaled the back of the zombie, getting closer to the head.
Duncan and Gwen were leaning forward in anticipation. Gwen took an almighty sip of her beer to calm her nerves as the two willed Beardo to finish his mission.
Beardo's character leapt onto the back of the zombie's head and planted the C4. At the same time, the zombie's spine burst from it's back and headed right towards his sprite.
"Look out! It's too fast!" Gwen cried.
"I know!" Beardo replied, sweat dripping down his face as he took out his rocket launcher. He aimed it right at the spine.
Duncan gripped his head in panic, "no! The spine is indestructible! It won't work!"
Beardo fired, and the rocket exploded uselessly against the spine. The spine continued forward, but stopped abruptly. The propulsion from the rocket launcher had launched Beardo's character out of range, and he fell to the ground, alive. The beatboxer mimicked a shotgun cocking as his character detonated the C4, and the zombie's head exploded into gruesome 16-bit gore.
"YES!" All three cheered, jumping to their feet as a victory tune began to play from the TV. Duncan and Gwen's characters respawned and began to dance.
"Let's go, Beardo!" Gwen cheered, wrapping the boy in a hug as Beardo mimicked the victory tune that was playing from the TV. To their left, Duncan was mimicking the choppy dance from the characters, grinning.
Beardo and Gwen separated and the boy wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That was hella close," he admitted, "I wasn't sure that was gonna work."
"Who cares," Duncan cackled, still dancing, "we blew his freakin' head off!"
"We?" Gwen repeated incredulity creeping into her smiling tone, "didn't you get squished right off the bat? And stop dancing, you look like a total dork."
"Yeah and who got to the final stage as a solo on attempt #3 when you and Beardo got annihilated?" Duncan asked. He didn't stop the dancing, making Beardo laugh and Gwen roll her eyes.
Suddenly, Beardo's stomach rumbled. "Oh snap, I think we missed dinner," he noted, patting his stomach.
"Really? What time is it?" Gwen asked, turning to look at the clock that was above the mini fridge. Her eyes bugged, "11:45!?"
That finally got Duncan to stop his obnoxious dancing, "wait, seriously?" He asked, "we've been doing this for like eight hours?"
"Time flies when you're blowing out zombie brains!" Beardo said, referencing one of the lines from the old video game. He even changed his voice to match the character, and the three shared a quick laugh. "Anyways, I'm gonna see if theres any leftovers in the Mess Hall," he pat his rather large belly, "snacks ain't quite gonna cut it, if you know what I mean."
"Sounds good, man," Duncan said, turning to the TV and beginning to turn off all the equipment. "Nice job clutching up."
Beardo beamed at the delinquents back. "Y'all need help cleaning up?"
"Nah, go for it," Gwen told him, waving a hand dismissively, "consider it your prize for winning."
Beardo shot her finger guns, "fair enough, I'll see ya guys later." He took his leave, whistling a tune as he went.
Behind her, Duncan moved back to the coffee table and began to grab the trash off it. The goth walked over and joined him, scooping up an armful of beer bottles.
"I'll tell you what, that dude can really pack away the beers," Duncan observed, chuckling as Gwen struggled to keep the beer bottles balanced in her arms.
"Yeah, well, you're one to talk," Gwen shot back, "how many did you have?"
"Takes a lot more than 5 beers to get me going, Pasty," Duncan told her mockingly.
"My name is Gwen," she told him pointedly.
Duncan rolled his eyes, "whatever you say, Pasty."
Gwen bit back a smirk and dumped the bottles into the recycling with a loud clang. Duncan joined her and tossed the empty chip bags and cookie containers into the garbage. "Y'know," he continued, "you were looking pretty nervous about that stupid question earlier today."
Gwen quickly walked back to the coffee table, a little embarrassed. She bent down and began to neatly wrap up the cords of the controllers. "Which one?" She asked with a feeble attempt at ignorance.
"You know which one," Duncan told her, "you looked as unsure as I was about the answer." He spoke plainly, without anger or sadness, and that made Gwen feel a little less awkward. His face broke into his signature wolfish grin, "don't tell me I've got two ex-girlfriends that hate my guts now."
This time, Gwen failed to hold back her laugh and she shook her head, straightening up and turning to look at Duncan with her hands on her hips. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" She told him, no real venom in her voice.
"So I've been told," Duncan nodded sagely. The punk grabbed the last of the garbage and crossed the Rec Center to deposit it. "You're dodging the point," he accused, unable to keep the nervousness out of his voice.
Gwen's face softened ever-so-slightly as she stared at the punk's turned back. She mulled her words over, opting to choose them carefully, "I guess I don't hate you," she finally said, "I just hate our past."
"Our past?" Duncan repeated, turning around, "c'mon, we had some good times."
"Of course we did, but that doesn't change anything," Gwen told him pointedly, "I regret everything about it."
"Oh," Duncan blinked, genuine surprise on his face that quickly gave way to poorly-masked hurt, "oh…"
"Let me be clear," Gwen added quickly, instantly feeling a little guilty, "I don't regret you, if that makes sense. Just everything about how we got together, and how it ended. I mean c'mon, you can't admit it was exactly fun."
Duncan looked a little comforted by her clarification, but still seemed pretty shocked. "No, it wasn't fun," Duncan agreed, his tone a little sad, "in fact, it was hell. But…back then, you made it worth it."
Gwen flushed a little, but Duncan didn't comment. "For a time, I thought so too," she told him, also sad, "then I grew up."
Duncan made a tsk sound, shaking his head and letting out a long sigh. After a few moments of silence between the two, the delinquent shrugged. "Well, it's all in the past now, I guess. What's done is done."
"Yeah," Gwen held her arm at the crook of her elbow, an old nervous habit, "this…got awkward."
The tension snapped, and Duncan smirked. "Yes. Yes it did. Well forget that crap, let's finish cleaning up and get to bed."
Gwen shot him a relieved little smile, "sounds good."
The two finished tidying up and observed their handiwork. The table had been cleaned off, the video games put away nicely, and the couch rearranged. The dim light reflected off the pool table and a nice breeze rolled in from an open window. It really was a cozy place.
"Good enough," Duncan said, covering his mouth as he let out a loud yawn. "Anyways…see you tomorrow, Gwen."
Gwen nodded, "see you…"
(Confessional: Gwen.)
"All in all, I'd say that was a good talk," Gwen sighed, her knees brought close to her chest as she idly fiddled with the ends of her messy ponytail. "We just have so much past baggage with each other, I don't think we can ever go back to being friends like we were before all of this…and honestly? That bums me out. I just hope he knows it too."
(End Confessional: Gwen.)
The next morning was sunny and warm. Birds chirped merrily and there was nary a cloud in the sky. The overall feel of the camp was tense, however. Rodney's elimination the night previous had Team Alpha in shambles. Zoey thought that Lightning was going home, and Lightning was sure Zoey would be sent packing. Zoey had counted on Izzy and Lightning had counted on Noah, and now the team was in utter turmoil.
Team Oddball, despite losing two members right off the bat, was easily the most amicable and comfortable team in the competition. There was no drama between the team members despite Owen's situation with Izzy, and even though Bridgette knew that she would be a goner once they eventually lose, she was starting to believe they could keep up their win streak all the way to the merge.
Team Nuclear was a mixed bag. Everyone on the team was very confident in their place in the game, as both duos of Beardo and Jo and Gwen and Sammy thought they had Duncan on their side, giving them a 3-2 advantage over the other. Unfortunately for Beardo and Jo, they were unaware of the deal Gwen had made with Duncan to ally unconditionally with him until the merge. Likewise, Gwen and Sammy were in the dark about Duncan's alliance with Jo.
Regardless of the situations of each team, all thirteen campers found themselves in the Mess Hall eating breakfast as Chris arrived, an especially troublesome grin etched across his handsomely weathered face.
"I've seen that smile before," Jo griped, the first to noice the host's entrance, "it means today is gonna suck."
"Oh, Josephine," Chris said playfully, "in the words of the great Chris McLean, I kindly ask you to 'shut your dumb face', okay?"
"Maybe you should shut your dumb face," Jo shot back smugly, pleased with her lightning-speed wit.
"My face is not dumb at all, unlike yours," Chris said calmly, his arms crossed.
"Looked in a mirror lately?"
"Jokes on you, it's a window!"
Jo was about to open her mouth, but Beardo nudged her and shook his head, "it ain't worth it," he whispered.
Pleased at getting the last word, Chris cleared his throat and adopted a more hostly vibe, putting his arms behind his back. "Now, today's challenge is gonna rock all of your worlds, because there's one very special difference than any other challenge we've ever had on Total Drama!"
This piqued the interest of the campers. Anticipation filled the air as they waited for the host to finally announce it, but you could bet your butt that Chris was dragging it out as long as possible. He actually pulled out his smart phone and started scrolling, much to the immediate ire of the campers.
"Stop being a dick!" Shawn exclaimed.
"What is it?" Izzy said excitedly, "I wanna know, I wanna know!"
Chris sent a quick tweet and pocketed the phone. "Today, every team will be voting someone off!" His words had an immediate, much desired effect. The campers erupted into chaos, screaming and shouting and hollering. A few were panicking, like Bridgette. Others were angry, like Jo. Some, like Izzy, flicked morsels of breakfast at Duncan from across the Hall.
"You're seriously cutting three people in an already small cast?" Noah questioned. The scrawny boy had his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed, the very picture of incredulity. "That seems…excessive."
"What can I say," Chris shrugged, "we've got some ways to make up for the numbers later down the line."
"So what's the point of even having the challenge, then?" Jasmine asked, shooting a concerned look at a devastated Bridgette. "If we're all losing anyways?"
"There are a special set of rules for this challenge and a special reward." Chris explained, "think of it almost like a merge challenge, as you'll all be competing individually within your teams! Exactly one member from each team will win immunity, at the cost of their vote!"
"Another one of these?" Jo smacked her forehead, "why do we have to cancel the votes of the winners?"
"It's actually a good idea," Gwen admitted, not looking too pleased about consequentially praising the host. "It adds another layer of strategy."
"Correctamundo," Chris confirmed, grinning like a madman, "is it worth it for your buddy Bobby to win immunity if it means you don't have the numbers to eliminate Suzy? But if Bobby doesn't win, then Suzy might and you're really screwed!" He rubbed his hands together, "this challenge is gonna be awe-haw-some!"
Team Oddball especially were a little shaken by this new announcement. Shawn and Jasmine were starting to look a little worried for the first time, and Bridgette was torn between hope and despair.
"So what's the challenge gonna be?" Lightning asked, "Lightning has immunity he needs to win. Sha-Victory!"
"If you'll all follow me, I'll show you," Chris announced. "Let's get moving, people."
Breakfast forgotten, the campers quickly left their tables and hurried after the host, the bombshell of information leaving many rattled to their core.
(Confessional: Shawn.)
"This is trouble," Shawn grumbled, "if Bridgette wins, that means Jazz and I have to cut Owen, which would totally suck. If either her or I win, we have to rely on Owen not betraying us and siding with Bridgette!" He sighed and removed his beanie, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair, "Ideally, I guess Owen wins," he theorized, "so Jasmine and I control majority votes…worst case is I win, because Owen's more likely to turn on Jasmine than me." He shook his head, "this is gonna be a stressful challenge, I can already tell."
(End Confessional: Shawn.)
(Confessional: Bridgette.)
Bridgette inhaled deeply, very nervous. "Well, I think I might actually have a chance here. Ideally, I can just win the challenge, though I know that'll be super tough against Shawn and Jasmine," she shook her head, "but if either of them win, I can try and get Owen to side with me, right?" She lost a bit of her nerve, "I mean, I know that's kind of mean…but I want to stay!"
(End Confessional: Bridgette.)
(Confessional: Noah.)
Noah groaned. "This game just keeps hoofing me in the nads."
(End Confessional: Noah.)
Chris led the campers into the woods, were a large clearing had been marked out. The campers were greeted with various colored squares built into the ground, winding in a serpentine trail through the clearing.
Shawn walked up to one and tapped it with his foot. It made a hollow ringing sound, confirming it was made of metal.
"Is this…a game board?" Sammy guessed.
"You are correct, Sammy!" Chris told her, "you are all competing in an epic board game!"
"I hate board games," Duncan said flatly, "they always have so many rules."
"Yes, and this is no different," Chris agreed, "listen carefully, because I'm only gonna say the rules one time. Understand?
Rule 1: The board is thirty spaces long. The first member of each team to reach the finish line wins immunity.
Rule 2: When it is your turn, you will role a six-sided die. You move forward that amount each turn. You CAN use your roll to further someone else's turn, but you will not move forwards.
Rule 3: Everyone has ten 'coins' and each square has a mini-challenge to complete or an event to endure. You can also refuse a challenge at the cost of some coins. You can also buy advantages for yourself or disadvantages for others at the cost of coins.
Rule 4: If you run out of coins, you are out of the challenge and cannot win.
Rule 5: Beware of insta-death spaces! These will immediately eliminate you from the challenge and are located every eighth space, so spaces 8, 16 and 24.
Rule 6: Ganging up on other contestants is both encouraged and applauded!" The host scratched his chin, "I think that about sums it up."
"What happens is everyone from one team gets eliminated from the challenge?" Zoey asked.
"Last person standing on a team wins, even if they're not at the finish line," Chris clarified, "any other questions?"
"Yeah, what happens every turn? Can we get some more specifics?" Jasmine asked, "what are these so called mini-challenges?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Chris scolded, "now, if there are no further questions, everyone line up on Space 0!"
Chef came on screen, holding three large die in his hand. One was gold, one was purple, and one was deep orange. He tossed one each to Beardo, Izzy and Bridgette.
"You go alphabetically by team. Let the challenge begin!"
Bridgette, Beardo and Izzy threw their dice onto the ground. A four showed up for Bridgette, a six for Beardo, and a two for Izzy. They moved to their correct spaces, waiting to see what would happen next.
A cutout of a crusty innkeeper sprung out of the ground, making Izzy clap with excitement. "Greetings, weary traveler! You seem tired, spend a night in the inn and rest up! You get +2 added to your next roll because you're so refreshed!"
"Ooh, fun!" Izzy clapped.
Bridgette walked to the her square, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she turned to the host, confused.
In response to her confused look, Chris just shrugged. "Some squares are just normal squares with no effects," he told her. "No positive or negative gain."
"Full six for ya boy," Beardo hummed as he went to spot six. Suddenly, a classic robber popped out of the ground. "I'll be taking two coins from you! Haha, thanks, sucker!" Beardo sighed as the robber disappeared back into the ground.
Duncan, Lightning and Jasmine were up next. After a quick roll of the die, it was revealed that Duncan got 5, Lightning got 1, and Jasmine got a 6. The Aussie joined Beardo on square 6 and lost two coins, while a grumpy Lightning took one step forward.
"Lightning threw that die WAY too hard for it to land on a one," he grumbled. Suddenly, a shady looking man appeared from the square, chuckling behind his hand. "Say, that's a tough start, traveler! What say you go 7 spaces forward for a mere 1 coin?"
"What a steal!" Lightning boasted, "Lightning accepts!"
"Lightning, no!" Noah yelled, but it was too late. The square launched upwards like a springboard, propelling a screaming Lightning all the way onto Space 8. The jock groaned and rubbed his head, but was unable to even pick himself up before a formidable black knight rose from the square. He glared down at the boy with evil red eyes, and thundered out his sentence of judgment.
"You have trespassed onto my turf. You will not survive." With his bit said, the entire square dropped, sending Lightning plummeting out of sight. The square closed back up, leaving everyone else in shock.
"Is he okay?" Noah asked quickly.
"He's fine, there's padding down there…I think," Chris told Noah, "unfortunately for Lightning, he hits the insta-death square and is out of the challenge."
"That idiot," Noah groaned, "he couldn't see the obvious trap!"
"Thank goodness," Zoey told Noah hotly, "that's one less person in the way of my immunity."
Noah glared at her, but didn't respond.
Duncan went to square 5, but it turned out to be just like Bridgette's. No effect for the punk meant he was trailing his opponent Beardo by a mere one square.
Owen, Gwen, and Noah were up next. Owen rolled a 5 and Noah rolled a 4, while Gwen got a 1 as well. Owen and Noah had no effects, but the shady man once again appeared as Gwen stepped onto the first square. The goth declined the offer of moving 7 spaces forward, and the man praised her for her smarts, giving her one extra coin.
Shawn, Jo and Zoey were the last to round at the first turn. Shawn hurled his die to the ground and got a respectable 5.
"I'm giving my 5 to Owen," Shawn announced, taking some of the others, Chris included, by surprise.
"Aw, thanks buddy!" Owen called back to him. The big oaf walked forward five steps, ready to see what the square was. He stopped at space 10.
Instantly, a cutout of a poor man popped out, holding a hat out pleadingly. "Please sir," the cutout exclaimed, "I'm so hungry! Will you spare a coin to help a man in need?"
"Aw, being hungry is the worst! You got it, dude!" Owen told the cutout exuberantly.
"Dearly appreciated, my good man. It's not much, but take this in thanks." The cutout whirred and a piece of paper suddenly appeared from its mouth. Owen cautiously grabbed it, "Gamble card. Use on yourself or someone else. Contains a random positive or negative effect…AWESOME!" He pocketed the card, "thanks again, Shawn!"
"You got it, Owen!" Shawn called to him. At Jasmine's curious look, he just gave her a wink. Bridgette saw this and gasped.
(Confessional: Bridgette.)
"Shawn, that little sneak!" Bridgette exclaimed, looking like she was torn between being angry and impressed. "He wants Owen to win! That way, he can't vote and it'll just be me, him, and Jasmine and I'm gone for sure!" She punches her palm with a fist, "it's on now!"
(End Confessional: Bridgette.)
Jo looked down at the 2 she had rolled. "I guess it's better than nothing," she grumbled, going to the second square and receiving the +2 speed for her next roll.
Zoey, on the other hand, got a 5 and thus had no effect.
"Alright, now that Teams Oddball and Alpha have gone through one cycle, it's Bridgette and Izzy's turns! Sammy, you're up as the last member of Team Nuclear," Chris announced, "keep it moving, people!"
The three girls were tense as they tossed their die. Izzy rolled a three, which meant five spaces forward as she had a +2 from her previous turn putting her at space 7. Sammy got a four, and went to the normal space. Bridgette got a 6, and joined Owen on space 10 where she gave the hungry man a coin in exchange for a Gamble ticket.
"I'm going to play this gamble ticket on myself," Bridgette announced immediately. Chef ran on screen, now dressed in a wizards costume to make Leonard jealous, and grabbed the ticket out of the girls hand. He pulled out a small electronic device and scanned the ticket. He showed the screen to Bridgette as the device randomly cycled through dozens of options, before finally landing on the option "Go forward spaces at the price of 1 coin per 1 space." The surfer read aloud. After giving it a quick ponder, she decided against using the effects. Coins seems too valuable to just throw away willy-nilly.
Izzy walked up to space 7 and a normal knight appeared. "Avast," it said in a bizarre pirate accent, "cross sabers with me or walk the plank!"
"Aren't you a little metal-y to be a knight?" Izzy said cheerfully, getting into a classic fighting stance.
A log and ax rose out of the square. "Cleave the log in one fell swoop and I'll let ye pass. Fail, and I'll be takin' some of ye doubloons!"
Izzy grabbed the ax and unceremoniously sliced the log in half. The ginger didn't even break a sweat and tossed the ax behind her, making Duncan scream and run away since he was only two spaces behind her.
"Back to your square, Duncan," Chris sighed, "and Izzy, don't hurl weapons around like that."
"Ye seem to have muscles," the knight conceded, "no plank-walking for you, arghh! You may pass!"
Izzy turned to the host and beamed, "This challenge is the best!"
"You're welcome," Chris said arrogantly, blowing on his fingernails. "Next campers go."
Since Lightning was out, Noah was up next for Team Alpha. He along with Jasmine and Beardo threw their dice onto the ground, waiting to see what results waited for them. Noah was relieved to see a 5, just missing the insta-death and landing himself on space 9.
Noah approached the space. An angry farmer appeared, "this is my land!" He bellowed, "back to where you came from, stranger! Go back to the space you originated from this turn!"
"Well that's just great," Noah snarked, returning to space 5.
Jasmine rolled another 6, netting her space 12. The giant woman approached with confidence, ready to see what her space would be.
An evil witch popped out, cackling evilly. "Give a curse, take a curse, dearie!" she shrieked. "Give yourself and another person one negative effect!"
"No thanks, I'll pass," Jasmine said politely.
"I wasn't asking! Now choose a person, or I'll choose for you!" The witch warned.
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Fine then. I guess I pick Bridgette." She looked over apologetically at Bridgette. "Sorry hon, nothin' personal."
Bridgette slumped a bit, but kept up her good sportsmanship. "I understand…"
"Both of you experience a freezing cold that stiffens your joints! Your next roll is reduced by 3!" The witch cackled, "take care, dearie!"
Beardo had rolled himself a five and walked up to space 11. A beautiful fairy rose from the square with a gentle smile. "Hello traveler. Would you like my spell? There is a 50% chance to transport you to space 16, and a 50% chance to transport you to space 18."
"Careful, Beardo!" Jo warned, "space 16 means your out."
"I know!" Beardo called back with a thumbs up. "I got this!" He turned back to the fairy and bowed. "I will take the spell!"
Everyone watched with baited breath as each of the fairy's hands began to glow. Eventually, her right hand faded, and the left one lit up with the number 18.
"Luck is in your favor, adventurer. Proceed to space 18."
Beardo sang out a victory tune and marched ahead to space 18, putting him far ahead of the rest of the pack.
Duncan, Owen and Zoey were next. Duncan rolled himself a six, putting him at the same spot as Beardo.
"I'll take the spell too," Duncan said confidently to the fairy. Her hands glowed again, but this time it was the right hand portraying the number 16 that remained. Duncan cursed as he walked to Space 16. The same evil knight appeared and dropped Duncan to his doom. Duncan screamed as he fell, and the square closed back up.
"Another player down for the count," Chris chuckled.
Owen rolled a 3 and went to space 13. It was a normal space, and had no effect. Zoey got a 2 and faced the same challenge as her teammate Izzy. Just like her teammate, she cleared the challenge from the weird pirate-knight no problem.
Shawn, Izzy and Gwen were the next set. Shawn rolled a 3 which he opted to take himself, as adding 3 to Owen's current 13 would result in him being eliminated from the challenge on space 16.
A zombie appeared from space 3, making Shawn scream and reflexively karate kick it's head off. "Ahhh! Die, zombie!"
"Whoa!" Chris exclaimed as the head sparked and smoked, "Shawn! What are you doing, man?!"
Shawn held a hand over his heart as his blood pressure began to dip back to normal, "sorry," he panted, "that just scared the crap out of me!"
"That looks like a five coin penalty to me for personal damages," Chris warned, "one more strike like that, and you're DQ'd from the challenge!"
Shawn looked a little sheepish, "whoops, heh heh…"
Izzy rolled a 6, and joined Owen on space 13.
"Hey Owen!" Izzy said happily, grabbing his arm in excitement, "isn't this challenge super fun?"
"The funnest!" Owen agreed, cheeks reddening a little.
Gwen rolled another 1, much to her annoyance, and she moved to space 2. "At least I get that speed boost next turn," she grumbled.
Bridgette rolled her die along with Noah and Jo. The surfer was able to get a 4, but only moved 1 space thanks to the slowing effect she received from Jasmine earlier. Now on space 11, she was faced with the fairy. "Do I have to take the chance?" She asked, not really wanting to risk her game on a 50% gamble.
"No," the fairy replied.
"Okay, I choose not to use it, then," Bridgette told her, and the fairy shrunk back into the square.
Noah looked at the 2 he rolled and grumpily walked forward two spaces, annoyed with his lack of progress. He lost two coins for his troubles on space 6. Jo, on the other hand, rolled a 6, which meant she went 8 spaces forward and landed on space 10. She paid the coin and, like Bridgette before her, used the card immediately.
Chef the wizard ran over and scanned her ticket. "Pick one player on your team to eliminate from the challenge," the ticket read aloud. Jo whistled in appreciation as the rest of the team gasped. "Heheh, sorry Sammy," Jo said unapologetically, "but since you're farther ahead than Gwen, I'm kicking you out."
Sammy gasped as the space beneath her dropped out, sending her out of sight with a shrill scream. Beardo pumped his fist, glad at the loss of competition since she was so far ahead.
"And Jo opts to take Sammy out instead of Beardo, despite him being in the clear lead," Chris narrated, raising an eyebrow, "guess she's okay with her ally being off the block and unable to vote tonight!"
Jo, who had just moments prior been sporting a victorious grin, felt the grin slide off her face as she realized what happened. "Damn!"
(Confessional: Jo.)
"Ugh, this challenge is so stupid! It actually promotes hindering people!" Jo complained, shoulders hunched defensively. She gave the camera a knowing look, "don't get me wrong, I love hindering the losers here, but Beardo's my ally! You help your allies, right? You don't send them screaming eliminated from the challenge!" She scowled, "at least that's how it's supposed to work! Like I said, stupid challenge!"
The door burst open, and Chris stuck his head, making the jockette jump in surprise. "You're being unusually unbearable today, Jo," Chris frowned, "first you said I had a dumb face, and now you're calling my challenge stupid!" The host glared at the unimpressed, annoyed Jo in front of him and decided punishment was needed, "and for that, you get this." He held up a bottle of cologne, complete with his mugshot on the bottle.
"Ooh, you gonna make me smell like old man?" Jo mocked.
"No," Chris answered patiently, "I'm gonna do this!" and he sprayed it directly into her eyes.
"Aggh! Son of a bitch!" Jo screamed as Chris quickly took his leave, slamming the door behind him. She tried to get up and run after him, but she didn't see that the door was closed and face-planted into the wooden planks. Off balance and out of control, she ricocheted off the door into the camera, and the screen burst into static.
(End Confessional: Jo.)
"Jasmine, Zoey, Beardo. Let's keep it moving!" Chris announced.
Beardo sang another victory tune as he whirled the dice up into the air. It clattered to the ground to reveal a 5, and the beatboxer jogged to space 23. A busty barmaid appeared, a sultry look in her eyes, and Beardo blushed despite her 2-D nature.
"Greetings, fellow traveler," the barmaid purred, "care to take a look at my wares? Only 3 coins!"
The poor, oblivious Beardo took a second to ponder before finally nodding his head. "Sure thing, why not! Maybe I'll get a super cool power up!"
Gwen face-palmed, "Uh, I don't think she means those kinds of wares, Beardo!"
Beardo just look confused as a ticket whirred out of the barmaids mouth. He took it and read it, and his ears instantly turned bright red.
"What's it say?" Izzy giggled.
"You…you get an STD from the barmaid," Beardo stammered, looking entirely humiliated, "you have three turns until you succumb to it and die. Oh my God…"
Chris erupted into hysterical laughter. "Oh ho, I knew adding in that barmaid was a goldmine," he told Chef, who also looked highly amused, "hahah! That's incredible!"
"Isn't this a kids show?" Beardo defended himself, shifting his weight from foot to foot or something, "I thought I'd get like a magic potion or something!"
"Oh ho, you got a magic potion alright," Shawn chuckled.
"That is so gross," Zoey gagged, looking as uncomfortable as Beardo.
"I don't get it," Owen admitted.
"Good," Noah said sternly, "No need to corrupt your mind."
Jasmine threw her dice down, "swiftly moving on, then," She said, seeing the third 6 in a row she got she got. A little nervous, she jogged over to the fifteenth space due to her slowing effect, and was relieved to see it was a no effect space.
Zoey rolled herself a 5 and made it to space 12. The wicked witch appeared and asked who she would give a negative effect to. "I choose Noah," she said quickly. The effect was that each player lost 3 coins. This made Noah a little nervous, as he had already lost half his coins and was only on space 6.
"Yay, my turn!" Izzy said happily, grabbing a die and rolling. "Ooh, a six! Yay!" She cheered.
"Not so fast, Izzy!" Chris interrupted, "this role must take you backwards!"
"What?!" Izzy yelped, "why?!"
"Don't you remember when you took the PCP yesterday?" Chris questioned her, "it came at a major hinderance in the next challenge! I deem this a major enough hinderance to count!"
"Why did you not mention that at the beginning?" Noah asked him, frustrated since Izzy winning was good for him.
"Yeah, I bet you forgot," Izzy said with a wink at the camera, "talk about lazy writing."
"Don't question me," Chris snapped, "get moving, toots!"
Izzy blew a raspberry at him and walked all the way back to Space 7. She chopped the wood easily and resumed her pout after she was done.
Owen let out a loud woohoo as he saw the 4 he rolled. He ran happily to space 17, and was promptly greeted by another robber, this time dressed in nights armor. "Knave!" The robber-knight screamed, "give me half your coins, or prepare to die!"
Owen's face darkened, and he took up a surprisingly good Brazilian ju-jitsu stance. "Bring it!" He roared, "I might not have a sword, but I have my fists of fury!"
"Owen," Chris said tiredly, "you can't fight the two-dimensional man. You just have to pay!"
Owen lost a bit of his verve, "wait, seriously?" He called, looking over his shoulder at the host. His tense body still held its ju-jitsu pose, ready to strike at a moments notice.
"Yes, seriously," Chris told him.
"Like…seriously, seriously?" The tubby boy asked for clarification.
Chris rolled his eyes. "Yes!"
"What if I do this?" Owen asked him, raising a fist and taking a step in the direction of the knight-robber.
"Don't you do it," Chris ordered.
Owen took another step.
"Owen, I mean it!"
Another step. Owen was now within striking distance of the knight, and began to slowly reach his fist towards the cutout.
"Don't make me come over there, young man," Chris warned.
Owen gently rapped his knuckles against the cutout, giggling mischievously as he did so. Most of the others looked on in anticipation, wondering what would come of this rebellious act.
"Fine, you've forced my hand," Chris sighed, "I didn't want to have to do this…but Owen, you are not allowed seconds at dinner tonight!"
The effect was immediate and exactly what Chris had desired. The boy blanched and dropped to his knees, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. "No! No don't do it, Chris! I was just messing around!" He forced out a nervous chuckle, "C'mon, it was funny, right? No need to be hasty or anything!"
"My verdict is final," Chris told him solemnly, and the boy erupted into a fresh wave sobs. "Gwen, please continue with your turn."
Gwen nodded and tossed her die. She rolled a 5, and with her added +2 she made it all the way to space 9. Unfortunately, she was greeted by the angry farmer, and forced to go back to space 2.
"Isn't this game just a blast?" Noah asked Gwen dryly as she walked back past Noah again, downtrodden.
"It could be fun," Gwen said darkly, "if my luck wasn't so bad."
"Welcome to my life."
The next round of contestants were up. Shawn rolled his die and got a 4. "I'm giving it to Owen again," he announced, and Owen happily walked to space 20. Bridgette gulped as the fat boy got ever closer to the finish line. Luckily, it was a space of no effect, and the boy remained where he was.
"Yay, let's get it," Noah drawled, tossing his die. It rolled on a two, and Noah let out a frustrated yell. "Do I have to get dropped, or can I just go back to the trailer and relax?"
Chris smirked, "do you really need me to answer that question?"
"Don would've let me go back to the trailer," Noah said in a sulky voice as he walked to space 8, receiving his insta-death punishment. He didn't even give Chris the satisfaction of yelling as he was dropped out of the challenge.
The host was annoyed by Noah's comment but whirled his hands in a 'keep it going' motion.
Jo drop kicked her dice across the board and grinned at the 5 she got. "Now that's more like it!" She boasted, walking up to space 15. With no effect on her space, she was safe until the next round.
"Looks like its just you and me, Izzy," Zoey gulped as she brought her die forwards.
(Confessional: Zoey.)
"I have to win," Zoey said determinedly, "because I bet my butt that Noah and Lightning will want to kick me off. Since whoever wins can't vote, if Izzy wins we can't force a tie!" She sighs, "this sucks! I have to hope that if I win, Izzy can convince Lightning to vote off Noah…otherwise I'll really be screwed if it's just me, Noah and Lightning."
(End Confessional: Zoey.)
The die landed on 6, making Zoey sigh happily as she jogged toward space 18. It was a normal space, so she could vibe out.
Bridgette chucked her die forward and got a 4, bringing her to join Jasmine and Jo on the normal space of 15. "Ladies," she greeted them with a smile.
Beardo was up next for Team Nuclear, and he chucked the die forward with a mighty heave. It rolled onto a 4 and Beardo gave a cry of victory as he passed over the final insta-death space and ended up on Space 27. A jolly king popped up and laughed loudly as a regal tune played. "My boy, you have just evaded death," he pointed out, "for that, you get a reward! Choose yourself and a teammate to get a positive boon!"
"Uh, I guess I choose Jo," Beardo shrugged.
"Very well, you and the chosen person both move forward…." He paused, and a ticket popped out of his mouth. "That many spaces!"
Beardo hesitantly took the ticket, and his eyes widened. He let out a trumpet of victory as the camera zoomed in on the number. As plains as day, the number "5" was printed on the ticket, and the boy leapt across the finish line excitedly.
"And Beardo secures the first immunity with utter ease!" Chris announced, "didn't see that one coming!" He turned to Gwen and Jo, "and despite you two managing to stay alive until the end…there's no need for you anymore! So…see ya! Bridgette and Jasmine, you two might wanna move for a sec."
Bridgette and Jasmine scrambled out of the way as the floor of Space 15 and Space 2 opened up, sending both Gwen and Jo screaming out of sight.
(Confessional: Jo.)
Jo sighed, "Guess I'll have to crush someone in a tiebreaker."
(End Confessional: Jo.)
Jasmine was up next, and rolled her die gently. It landed on a 5 and, once again, made her way to a normal space 20.
Izzy and Owen rolled their die and each got a 5. Izzy went to space 12 and Owen went to space 22. Owen was ordered back 2 spaces and ended up on space 20. Izzy got a bad effect for her and a person of her choice. Since Zoey was the only other teammate still in the game, she had to go with her.
"You each move back four spaces!" The witch decreed, making Izzy and Zoey gasp. Zoey backtracked to space 14, and Izzy backtracked to the dreaded space 8.
"You'll never get me alive!" Izzy bellowed, tackling the evil knight as he emerged. The cutoff snapped and the space opened up, sending both Izzy and the cutout into the pit below.
"And by process of elimination…literally…Zoey wins immunity on Team Alpha!"
Zoey let out a relieved sigh and pumped her fist in glee. "Yay!"
(Confessional: Zoey.)
Zoey punches the air with a couple of deadly-looking blows! "Take that, Alpha-jerks!" She whoops, her tone hard. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily!"
(End Confessional: Zoey.)
"And we're down to just Team Oddball," Chris narrated, "all four members are still in the game. Shawn has been helping Owen and thus only resides on Space 3. Bridgette is a little further ahead at space 15, and Owen and Jasmine are tied up front on space 20. Which of them will secure immunity? Shawn, you're up."
Shawn nodded and rolled a 4. Since that would put both Jasmine and Owen in the insta-death spot, he chose to take it himself and moved to space 7. He chopped the wood effortlessly as Bridgette grabbed her die.
"C'mon…give me a big roll!" Bridgette pleaded with the sky as she threw her die. The number gods seemed to smile on her, and she rolled a six. Bridgette clapped excitedly and ran to space 21. An intimidating sentry guard appeared, holding out his hand in a forceful manner.
"Stop! There is a toll here," he thundered, "3 coins, or it's back to where you came!"
"I'll pay it," Bridgette said quickly, knowing she had coin to spare. Besides, she didn't want to risk going back 6 whole spaces when Owen and Jasmine were both so close to the end.
Jasmine was up next and tossed a 3. At space 23, she was propositioned by the barmaid and turned her down politely. The barmaid didn't like this, and ordered her back one space. Jasmine stepped back onto space 22, and then had to go all the way back to space 20 because of the effect of space 22, which was to send the person back 2 spaces.
"Well that was a load of nonsense," Jasmine grumbled. "Back to where I started."
"My turn, my turn!" Owen rolled a 3 and also went to space 23. Notably, a different cutout appeared. It was still a barmaid, but she was much more innocent looking than the previous one.
"Sir, would you like a meal and board? Only 3 coins, it is," she said in a timid voice.
"Aw, sure thing!" Owen said happily.
"Owen! Didn't you learn anything form Beardo?" Shawn yelled to him, all the way back at space 7. Due to the distance, he was unable to see that the barmaid was different.
"It's all good, dude!" Owen hollered back, "she's different! It's like her sister or something!"
Suddenly the barmaids eyes went red, "Fool! I killed the original barmaid because I'm a robber! I'll take your three coin, and demand you give me two more!"
Owen sighed, "aw, man! I thought you were gonna give me something good! Fine, you can have it!"
"What's this?" The barmaid/robber said angrily, "you're out of coins?! Well that's just great!"
Owen blinked. "I am? He quickly did some math on his fingers as he muttered to himself, "one coin for the dude, five to the robber, three here plus three," he squealed out a gasp, "Great Siberian tigers! I'm outta cash!"
"Well you're no use to me at all! Perish, fool!" The robbermaid screamed. The tile opened up and Owen tired to fall, but his girth got him stuck instead.
"Oops, wow, that's awkward," Owen chuckled as he wriggled around, trying to get himself unstuck. "Whoops! Eh-heh, don't mind me, everyone! Just….hngrhhh," he tried to suck in his gut to no avail, "…trying…hngth….GAH!" He gave up, panting, and began to wiggle in panic. "Someone get me outta here!"
Chris looked at the situation, wholly unamused, and pulled out a remote. He pressed a button on it, and the robbermaid above Owen beeped. Owen stopped his struggling to look up at it curiously, and screamed when it bent at an unseen hinge and folded onto him with a loud bash. The force was enough to unwedge the boy and he was sent screaming out of the challenge.
"He's a hazard," Chris grumbled, pocketing the remote.
Shawn sighed in annoyance. He rolled another 4, but couldn't give it to Jasmine because she was still on space 20, which would've resulted in her elimination if she took the 4. Thus, he moved to space 11. The kind fairy offered him her deal, but he declined.
"Big rolls, big rolls!" Bridgette pleaded again, rolling the die. She got a 5 and and ran to space 26. It was a normal space, and Bridgette clapped her hands again. "I can do this!" She told herself excitedly.
Jasmine rolled the die and got a 5. On space 25, a jester rose up with a small bowl of peppers and a glass of milk on a tray. "Hee-hee!" The jester squealed, "eat these peppers without the milk and I'll let you pass! Attempt it and fail, and you go back one space to insta-death! Refuse entirely, and it's back to where you came!"
The big Aussie weighed her options. With Bridgette on Space 26, there was 50% chance she'd get a roll high enough to win her the game next turn. If she refused and went back, there was no chance she could catch her. If she succeeded, though, there was a chance Shawn would roll a 5 or 6 and steal the win. The answer was obvious. "I'll do it," she said confidently, snatching the peppers and stuffing them into her mouth in one go. "A little heat never bothered me," she boasted, beginning to chew. After a few seconds, she began to sweat a little bit, but otherwise looked fairly unbothered by the peppers. After another twenty seconds of chewing, she swallowed and belched. "Whoa, they are a bit spicy!"
"Well done! You may pass," the jester cheered, "good luck, hee-hee!"
"Alright Shawn," Shawn told himself as he grabbed the die. "5 or 6 and Jasmine wins…c'mon you can do this!" He rolled the large die in his hands, examining it closely. "Papa needs…" he threw the die with some side spin, "a new pair of Jasmine's!"
"You've got to work on your pickup lines, mate," Jasmine chuckled as she watched the die sail through the air. It landed and rolled a lot due to its side spin. When it finally stopped, everyone gasped at what was shown.
It was a 5.
"I give my roll to Jasmine!" Shawn said excitedly. Jasmine jogged past a devastated Bridgette and crossed the finish line, whooping in victory.
Bridgette sank to her knees and buried her head in her hands, on the verge of tears. "I was so close!" She said miserably.
Jasmine instantly stopped her gloating and walked over to Bridgette, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you did amazing!" She comforted, "it took Shawn and I to beat ya. That's impressive, let me tell you."
Bridgette offered Jasmine a watery smile. "Well…thanks, I guess."
"Very touching, very touching," Chris yawned. He hit a button on his remote again, and space 0 opened up. A large platform was lifted out of the ground, showing the eliminated campers tangled in a mess of bodies. "Beardo, Zoey, and Jasmine win immunity! For everyone else, it's fair game! I'll see you all at the elimination ceremony after dinner!"
(Confessional: Bridgette.)
Bridgette dabs at the corner of her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. "Stay strong, Bridgette," she told herself firmly, eyes glued to the ceiling to minimize chances of a tear-spill. "You just have to convince Owen to vote off Shawn, and you'll turn your position into a great one! That's all it takes!" She turned to finally look at the camera, but her hope only lasts a second before she sighs miserably. "Oh who am I kidding? I'm doomed!"
(End Confessional: Bridgette.)
(Confessional: Noah.)
Noah groaned. "So Zoey won immunity? Of course she did. Now I have to choose between Izzy and Lightning. Great. Just great."
(End Confessional: Noah.)
Everyone had eaten lunch and was chilling around the camp. The camera focused in on Bridgette as she searched around outside, looking for a certain someone. She finally found that someone when he walked out of the woods with Shawn, freshly done with an island-wide zombie check.
"So you really think zombies can get to the island?" Owen asked as the two walked towards the Mess Hall. "That seems pretty unlikely."
"You'd think," Shawn agreed, "but they're crafty like that. They love to lull you into a false sense of security and then "Bam!", hit your when you're most vulnerable," the scruffy boy crossed his arms and nodded in sagely fashion, "I mean, haven't you seen Zombieland?"
Bridgette interrupted their conversation by jogging over to them. "Hey guys," she greeted, "mind if I borrow Owen for a second?"
Shawn gave her a weird look, but shrugged. "Sure thing, Bridgette. I'll be in the Mess Hall, man," he told Owen, who gave him a thumbs up.
Once Shawn was out of earshot, Bridgette and Owen walked towards the edge of the woods. "What's up, Bridgette?" Owen asked, "everything okay?"
Bridgette sighed, "Not really," she told him, "which is why I'm here. I need to ask you a favor."
Owen started to look a little nervous, "this is about the elimination, isn't it?"
Bridgette winced, "I'm afraid so," she said grimly, "is there any chance you would vote to keep me and boot Shawn?"
"Aw geez, I dunno," Owen said, tapping his fingers together, a nervous habit of his. "I dunno if I could do that to Shawn…"
"Think about it," Bridgette urged the tubby teddybear, "if I go, then you're guarenteed to go home next time you lose! If Shawn leaves, then you and I can take Jasmine out!"
Owen paused, considering it, "well, that's true," he admitted, "but Shawn and I are buds! I can't just backstab him!"
"Aren't we friends?" Bridgette protested, "I mean, I blew up Anne Maria's game because she targeted you!"
"Of course we are!" Owen slapped his forehead in disbelief, "but c'mon, Bridgette! It's different!"
"Just think about it," Bridgette pleaded, "it'll be amazing for both our games!"
Owen was silent for a moment, staring into Bridgette's big, blue puppy-dog orbs. Eventually, his feeble resolve broke and he groaned. "Aww, okay, fine! I'll think about it," he promised.
Bridgette let out a small smile, "thanks, Owen. I'll see you later. Oh, and by the way," she gave him a quick hug, "I know this is a tough situation for you. Whatever you decide, know we'll always be friends." She turned to leave, hands in her pockets.
Owen watched Bridgette go, a conflicted look on his face.
(Confessional: Owen.)
"Man, this sucks!" Owen said sadly, "Shawn and I are friends, but so are Bridgette and I!" He heaved a mighty sigh, "this would've been easier if Jasmine was available to be eliminated. I'd probably pick Bridgette over her!" He paused, then winced, "Uh…don't tell Shawn I said that," he giggled nervously and let out a fart.
(End Confessional: Owen.)
"Good job winning today!" Izzy congratulated, smashing her fist into her partner's forearm.
Zoey parried Izzy's strike and aimed a powerful roundhouse kick at her head. Izzy ducked it expertly and got under Zoey's guard, sweeping her legs out from under her and sending the ROTI contestant to the dirt.
"You're distracted," Izzy noted, not giving Zoey pause and following up with a smash kick to Zoey's gut. Zoey parried the kick and did a hand spring, regaining her feet with surprising speed.
"Of course I'm distracted," Zoey panted, frustration evident in her tone as she threw a couple of haymakers that Izzy was forced to straight-up dodge, "these past few days have been horrible! Lightning and Noah are taking over! I feel so powerless!"
"Good," Izzy said cheerfully, dodging the remainder of Izzy's strike and smacking Zoey in the neck. "You must use that anger and frustration, young padawan! I know you're restraining yourself!"
"I don't like who I become when I let that part of me overcome my emotions!" Zoey protested, rubbing her neck gingerly as the two paused for a second, circling each other warily, "it's not me!"
"It is you," Izzy disagreed, "and to deny it is pointless! You can use your power without letting it consume you."
"I don't have the strength to control it," Zoey snapped, "believe me, I wish I did!"
"Well let me tell ya something, toots," Izzy told her, moving in for another strike, "Lightning's gonna wipe the floor with you if you can't get it together and be okay with kicking some butt!"
Zoey's eye twitched, "Don't say that!" She told Izzy forcefully, "I can beat him as me! The good part of me!"
Izzy shoulder-rammed into the girl, knocking them both to the ground, "you can't," Izzy told her bluntly, "he's too strong with Noah. And when Izzy leaves tonight, it'll be two versus one."
Zoey squirmed underneath the girl, trying and failing to break free. "Don't say that, you can convince Lightning to vote out Noah!"
Izzy shook her head, looking sad for the naive girl, "Noah has him too tightly. There was a time where Noah would keep me over someone like Lightning, but he's grown bitter after so many losses, and is succumbing to cold tactics to win. You'll be alone, and you'll need to be strong." She got off the girl and helped her to her feet.
"It's not over until it's over," Zoey attempted to say with bravado, but her trembling lip was kind of ruining the effect.
Izzy smiled as she wrapped her friend in a surprisingly gentle hug. "It'll be okay, it's just a game," she said cheerfully.
As Zoey returned the hug, the already cracked dam suppressing her primal emotions got even weaker.
Beardo was sitting on his bunk, headphones on and humming to music. He was in a very good mood, as he had won the challenge and gotten himself immunity all on his own. It didn't matter that it was a primarily luck based challenge in his eyes, because a win was a win. Suddenly, he heard a couple of loud clomps above him, enough to be heard through his headphones, and he paused his music, seeing if they would happen again. After a couple more seconds, he heard it again. Confused, the chubby boy hopped down from his top bunk and walked out of the trailer, peering up at the roof. There, he was greeted by Duncan, who was lounging in the afternoon sun.
"Jeez, you scared me, Duncan," Beardo remarked. "Whatcha doing up there?"
"Just chilling," Duncan shrugged, "the metal's nice and warm," he raised a can of soda, "figured it'd be a nice spot to relax after the challenge."
"Aha, just the two nerds I wanted to see!" Came a new voice, and Duncan and Beardo turned to see Jo jogging towards them.
Duncan rolled his eyes, "what do you want?"
"Relax, Dun-kick-the-can," Jo told him bossily, "I'm just here to confirm on the voting plan. Since Beardo decided to go ahead and make himself useless in the vote tonight," she ignored Beardo's raised eyebrow, "we're going to have to do a tie breaker."
"Good point," Beardo agreed, choosing to ignore Jo's snarky comment about himself, "are you two gonna target Sammy or Gwen?" He looked at Duncan specifically, "I know the blood ain't great between you and Gwen, but it ain't bad either," he told him knowingly.
"I'd rather go for Sammy, since she'd be easier to beat in a tiebreaker than Gothball," Jo said baldly, "Duncan, you think Gwen's gonna want to go after you?"
Duncan thought about it for a moment, but ultimately shook his head no. "I don't think so, they'll probably come after you," he told her, "as much as it makes me sick to admit it, they probably view you more as a threat. If they get you out now, they don't have to worry about you in the merge."
"Heh, can't say I blame 'em," the jockette boasted, "but it doesn't matter to me, I'll crush 'em both."
"Let's go for Sammy, then," Duncan said with an uncaring shrug.
"Aw, protecting your girlfriend?" Jo mocked. At Duncan's death glare, she just laughed in his face and waved her hand dismissively, "relax, it's fine with me. Sammy it is." Her stomach let out a loud growl, "damn, I'm hungry. I'll catch you dorks later, I'm gonna grab some snacks."
"Snacks are good," Beardo said quickly, his own stomach rumbling as he walked over to Jo, "I'm down."
Jo nodded, unbothered by Beardo's company. The two walked off, and Duncan eyed the two suspiciously as they left.
(Confessional: Duncan.)
"On one hand, voting Sammy off isn't that bad of an idea," Duncan admitted, "because it forces Gwen to stick closer to me." He paused after realizing how dodgy that sounded, and quickly shook his head. "Not like that," he amended quickly, "I mean like in the game. If she has no other allies, I won't have to worry about her backstabbing me. On the other hand…Jo's really annoying."
(End Confessional: Duncan.)
The contestants were all quietly eating dinner when the megaphone in camp blared to life. "Alright campers, finish up your dinners! I need everyone down to the elimination ceremony in five minutes!"
Lightning wolfed down the last of his food and stood up, clapping his hands together with a loud smack. "Sha-booyah! Let's get it over with already! Three more losers are about to leave!"
"You're awfully confident," Jo noted from Team Nuclear's table.
Lightning flexed his muscles, shooting Jo a cocky smirk, "you know nothin', Jo Snow!"
Jo gaped at him, "that…that was actually pretty good!" She admitted, "when did you get good at puns like that?"
Lightning kissed his bicep, "Lightning has a multitude of talents! Sha-yeah!"
Zoey shot him an angry glare as she finished her food. "If being a big-mouthed jerk is a talent, then yeah," she grumbled to herself. Noah, having overheard this fom the seat next to her, shot her a surprised look.
"What did you say?" Noah asked her.
Zoey slid her annoyed glare from Lighting to Noah. "I was talking to myself," she told Noah coldly.
"Uhh, okay then," Noah said, blinking back his curiosity, "I'll let you get back to sulking in peace."
One by one, the campers got up and headed down towards the elimination area. It was a cloudless night, and the stars twinkled merrily in the sky.
Chris stood in his usual spot, three separate trays balanced precariously on the oil barrel in front of him. The host was grinning mischievously as they approached, but that quickly changed when the dark smoke from the crackling fire changed direction, floating directly into his face.
"Ahh, justice," Gwen smirked as the host coughed and hacked. After a few more seconds the wind changed and shifted away from him, letting him recover.
"Now that that's done," Chris said quickly, coughing a couple more times to clear his throat, "let me explain to you guys how this is gonna work. We're gonna go team by team. Team Nuclear is up first, so sit your butts down."
"What about the rest of us?" Jasmine asked as the five members of Team Nuclear took their seats.
"Just sit there and be quiet," Chris ordered them. The other 8 campers shuffled to the side, letting the camera focus on the 5 members of Team Nuclear. The host picked up the orange tray with four marshmallows on it, glancing from camper to camper as the usual dramatic riff began to play. "Alright, let's get this show on the road," Chris told them. "Beardo, you won immunity so you get the first marshmallow. Congrats."
Beardo grinned happily as he caught his marshmallow. He gave it a quick kiss before gulping it down.
"Gwen, you're also safe tonight," Chris revealed, tossing the happy goth a marshmallow. "Also safe is…Duncan."
Duncan nodded as he caught his marshmallow, his face unreadable.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Jo sighed, cracking her knuckles, "what's the tiebreaker, Chris?"
"Ah-ah-ah," Chris tutted, "let me finish and make any potential tiebreaker official."
Jo rolled her eyes and then smirked at Sammy, who was looking a little nervous.
"The final marshmallow for Team Nuclear goes to…
…
…
…
…
Sammy."
Jo's eyes bugged as Sammy let out a relieved breath. Beardo let out a squeak of alarm.
"What?!" The jockette shouted, her mind racing as she tried to comprehend the event that had just happened. She took one look at her teammates and zeroed in on one of them.
"You little traitor!" She growled.
Duncan shrugged, "nothin' personal," he offered, "just doing what I had to do."
"Sit on it," Jo spat.
"Jo, you've been eliminated from Team Nuclear," Chris told her unnecessarily, "sit tight while we go through the other teams."
"I can't believe this," Jo said, sadness threatening to break into her angry tone. She shuffled over to the side with the rest of her ex-teammates, glaring a hole in the dirt.
"Team Alpha, you guys are up next." Chris told them. Noah, Zoey, Lightning and Izzy sat down. "Zoey, you're safe cause you won today, so here's your marshmallow."
An unhappy Zoey caught the marshmallow.
"Noah, you're safe too," Chris told the egghead. "Izzy, Lightning, this is the final marshmallow. It goes to…
...
...
...
...
...
...Lightning!"
"WHAT?!"
This time, the voice that spoke up came from someone not on the team. A shocked Owen was gaping at Team Alpha, confusion etched deeply on his face. He kept looking between Noah and Izzy, having trouble process what was happening.
Izzy turned to look at Noah, "I hope you made the right decision, my large-foreheaded friend," she told him seriously.
Noah had the decency to look away, his expression guilty. "It wasn't personal," he offered, though he know it sounded lame, "I…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"You did what you thought was best," Izzy said, putting her hand on his shoulder, "like I said, I hope it was the right call."
"Izzy, wait!" Owen called desperately, beginning to walk towards the eliminated redhead.
"Everyone stop!" Chris commanded, "Owen, you're going to have to wait until after the final elimination ceremony to chit-chat. Team Alpha, please move off to the side and let Team Oddball sit."
Team Alpha complied. Zoey was glaring daggers at the duo of Noah and Lightning, the former of which was looking extremely guilty while the latter was wholly indifferent.
Team Oddball took their seats. Bridgette was looking extremely nervous and even Shawn and Jasmine had an air of trepidation around them. Owen was still in shock from Team Alpha's elimination, and Chris was eyeing the Oddballs like a shark about to eat its next meal.
"Alright, time for the final elimination of the night," Chris said excitedly, "Jasmine, since you won, you are safe."
Jasmine nodded and caught her marshmallow.
The dramatic music began to swell as Chris eyed Bridgette, Owen and Shawn. "The next marshmallow goes to…Owen."
Owen sadly caught his marshmallow, looking nervously over at Team Alpha. He tried to make eye contact with Izzy, but Izzy was busily staring into the fire.
"Bridgette, Shawn, this is the final marshmallow of the night," Chris told them. The dramatic music was now truly ramping up, as Bridgette and Shawn eyed each other. For the first time that season, Shawn gulped as he zeroed in on the tray. He trusted his buddy Owen, but he also knew that the previous winner had a strong friendship with Bridgette.
Bridgette was a little more pessimistic about her chances than her partner in the bottom two. A feeling her gut told her Shawn was safe, yet she still dared hope.
"It goes to…
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Shawn!"
Bridgette couldn't help the disappointed moan that escaped her lips as Shawn pumped his fist in glee. The scruffy boy caught the marshmallow and turned instantly to Bridgette, his eyes and voice sympathetic. "Sorry it had to go down like this," he offered her a handshake, "no hard feelings?"
Bridgette shook his hand, smiling sadly at her former team. "No hard feelings, guys. I understand…"
Owen finally returned his attention to his team. "Ahhh, I'm sorry Bridgette!" He burst into tears, "I didn't know what to do! I couldn't backstab Shawn, I just couldn't!"
"Oh, Owen, honey, it's okay!" Bridgette exclaimed, rushing to the boys side and giving him a big hug. "Sssh, don't worry!" She assured him as she rubbed his big back. "I don't blame you!"
Jasmine and Shawn exchanged a sad look as Bridgette continued to comfort a devastated Owen.
"Yes yes, very sad," Chris said happily, "but Izzy, Jo, Bridgette; it's time to say goodbye to your teammates!"
Zoey stood up, "bye, Izzy. I'll miss you."
"Kick their butts for me!" Izzy asked her, shooting her a signature Izzy grin.
"I will," Zoey promised.
Lightning snorted, "you ain't doing squat, Zoey," he told her harshly. "You're just lucky you got immunity today or you'd be going home!"
Zoey turned to Lightning, "butt out, Lightning!"
"And you!" Lightning turned to Izzy, "why are you talking to her like she's some kinda good guy?"
"Uh, because I am the good guy!" Zoey interjected before Izzy could answer.
Lightning let out a mirthless shriek of laughter. "Okay, so the girl that goes behind Lightning's back to get his girl kicked off is a good guy? That's sha-HYSTERICAL!"
Zoey gasped in horror, anger quickly engulfing her normally kind eyes as she took a couple steps towards Lightning. "Excuse me? I did NOT orchestrate Sky going home!"
"Uh, yeah you did," Lightning said dismissively. "Don't lie to the Lightning."
"I did not!" Zoey retorted, true anger in her tone now. "I voted for her, sure, but it was Noah's plan!"
Noah rolled his eyes and nudged Lightning. "See? Told you she'd try to pin it on me."
Lightning nodded, "just like you said. Sha-unbelievable." He turned to glare at Zoey. "Y'know, after all Lightning has seen you do, he thought you'd at least have the decency to admit it." Zoey opened her mouth to retort, red-hot, angry tears welling her eyes, but Lightning just steamrolled over her. "But it doesn't matter now. You're finished! Sha-done-zo! You're all alone, and you're next!" He finished his statement by getting up in Zoey's face.
Izzy stepped between the two, a terrifying expression on her face as she leered up at Lightning. "Watch it," she warned in a very un-like Izzy way.
Lightning glared right back, but was the first to break eye-contact and turn away. "Whatever. Defend your sha-scheming friend."
The rest of the campers had been watching this interaction in shocked silence, even the snottier ones like Duncan and Jo dared not interfere at the sparks being thrown in the ruins of Team Alpha.
That feeble, already damaged dam inside Zoey broke apart, and her anger began to flow through her veins like pure energy. She pushed Izzy aside and her hand darted out, snatching Lightning's chiseled chin and jerking his face to hers, startling him.
"I've had it with you," Commando Zoey snarled, and Lightning's eyes widened, recognizing the change. "You better watch your back, Lightning." She shoved the boys head away, and Lightning went reeling, just managing to keep his feet. Her piece said, she turned her back on her team, ignoring them.
"Wow," Sammy muttered to Gwen, "that was…intense."
Gwen gulped, eyes wide. "You can say that again."
"Alright, time's up," Chris said, "let's get it moving, people."
By the Oddballs, Owen sprung apart from Bridgette and wiped his eyes, "wait, Izzy! Before you go, I need to talk to you!"
Izzy looked at him, confused. "What's up, Big O?"
Owen walked up to her, awkward and fumbling. "I…uh, I heard a rumor, well, apparently it's more than a rumor…that apparently…" he tapped his fingers together, "when we played Truth or Dare…"
Chris suddenly popped up between the two, startling them both. "Hate to interrupt," he said, his tone purely disingenuous, "but I believe I said time is up."
"No!" Owen pleaded, "wait, I just-" he was cut off as Chris thrusted the two of them apart, making them both eat dirt.
"You three," he gestured to the eliminated girls, "your time on your teams are done…" he smirked and chuckled a bit, "and…heh heh…hahaha…HAHAHA!"
"Is this funny to you, Chris?" Jo snapped, her patience running thin. She began to stomp down towards the Dock of Shame. "I'm outta here, I don't have to take this humiliation."
Chris began to collect himself, bringing his laughter down to just a chuckle, "ah, man, I love this job!" He called out to Jo, "hey! There's one more thing, so you might wanna get your butt back here!"
Jo stopped and stomped the Dock in frustration. "What is it?!"
Chris's chucklefest threatened to return, "Heheh…well, while it's true that you three are now off your teams…you aren't actually eliminated!"
Everyone gasped.
"Explain!" Jo demanded.
"You three girls won't be heading home tonight," Chris clarified, "instead…you'll each be switching teams!"
After a quick moment of silence in which everyone digested this shocking information, Jo, Bridgette and Izzy erupted into cheers. They were joined by the rest of Team Oddball, who swarmed Bridgette in a group hug.
"You get to stay!" Jasmine said happily.
"Awesome!" Shawn agreed.
"So who's going to which team?" Duncan asked.
"Let's see," Chris scratched his stubble as he looked at the three girls, "let's have…Bridgette go to Nuclear, Jo go to Alpha, and Izzy join the Oddballs! Seems fitting enough to me, since Izzy's nuts, Jo's an alleged 'athlete' and Bridgette's got some past drama."
The girls looked at each other and shrugged. They turned to their teammates to say goodbye.
"Well, it sucks to see you go," Owen said sadly, "but I'm glad you're still here!"
Bridgette gave him one final hug, "don't worry about it," she told him happily.
Jo turned to Team Nuclear. "Well, I'd say its been real, but you guys voted me out and Duncan you're a backstabbing crybaby," she said bluntly. "Beardo, watch yourselves around these snakes."
Beardo chuckled awkwardly, "it was nice workin' with ya, Jo."
"Smell ya later," Duncan saluted.
Jo scoffed in disgust and walked over to the absolute shambles that was Team Alpha. Zoey had her back turned on Noah and Lightning, who were both looking a little unnerved about what had just happened. "Great," the alpha-female commented, "just great…"
"Welcome to the team," Noah said sarcastically, "I'd bake you some cookies to welcome you, but we're a little preoccupied."
Bridgette joined the members of Team Nuclear, where she was immediately given a big hug by Gwen. "This is awesome!" The goth said happily, "welcome to the team, Bridgette!"
Bridgette eagerly returned the hug, "Yay! I'm so stoked to be here," she told the team earnestly, "I dodged a bullet!"
"Welcome welcome," Beardo told her happily, mimicking a party popper going off. " I wish I had some confetti!"
As Sammy and Duncan also welcomed her, Izzy walked over to team Oddball.
"Hey guys!" She greeted happily, as if none of the drama with her previous team had happened.
"G'day," Jasmine greeted with a smile.
Shawn waved, "Uh, welcome to the team, I guess!" He offered .
"Thanks!" Izzy said brightly, "Oh, by the way…what did you want to talk about Owen?"
All three of their gazes turned to Owen, who instantly became awkward and stiff. "Oh," the tubby boy said, flushing slightly, "uh…nothing important really! Heh-heh, I…uh, yeah. Nothing." He kicked at a patch of dirt, "anyways, glad you're still here, Iz!"
Izzy grinned at him, "that makes two of us! Yay to Team Oddball!"
The team cheered.
"Well, that was hysterical and awesome," Chris told them.
"So is anyone actually getting the boot?" Noah asked.
Chris nodded, "yep! You are, Noah!"
Everyone gasped.
Chris cackled, "nah, just kidding."
Noah scowled at him. "Don't do that, jerk."
Chris just waved him off dismissively, "get outta here, you punks. I'll see you tomorrow for the next challenge, which will have a real elimination this time!" As the campers walked off screen, he turned to the camera. "Well there you have it! No eliminations, but a team swap! How will the new teams fare with their new members? Is Team Alpha doomed to disintegrate until theres no one left? How will Owen handle his Izzy-kafafel? Find out right here, next time, on Total! Drama! Generations!"
As he signed off, the camera panned back to the backs of the remaining thirteen contestants as they headed towards their trailers. Tensions were running high, and the competition was still in its early stages. No one knew what was to come, but one thing was certain.
It was going to get ugly.
Voting Confessionals (Team Nuclear):
Duncan: It was a tougher call than I thought it'd be, but I gotta vote for Jo.
Gwen: I vote for Jo. We won't miss her.
Jo: Welp, looks like it's Sammy's turn to dip. Darn shame.
Sammy: I vote for Jo! She's a pretty negative influence on the team.
/
Votes:
Jo - 3 votes: (Ducnan, Gwen, Sammy).
Sammy - 1 vote: (Jo).
Voting Confessionals (Team Alpha):
Izzy: I vote for Lightning, not that it matters. Izzy know's her friend Noah, and how much he's changed.
Lightning: Sorry, Izzy. Lightning like ya, but since Zoey is safe, he doesn't have many other options.
Noah: I hate this. I vote for Izzy.
/
Votes:
Izzy - 2 votes: (Lightning, Noah).
Lightning - 1 vote: (Izzy).
Voting Confessionals: (Team Oddball):
Bridgette: I vote for Shawn. C'mon, Owen...I'm counting on you!
Owen: Gah, this is so hard! I vote for Shawn...no, Bridgette! No...Shawn! No...*inhale* Bridgette! Final answer, I'm so sorry!
Shawn: Sorry, Bridgette, but my vote goes to you.
/
Votes:
Bridgette - 2 votes: (Owen, Shawn).
Shawn - 1 vote: (Bridgette).
Team Alpha: Zoey, Lightning, Noah, Jo.
Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Owen, Izzy.
Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Sammy, Beardo, Bridgette.
Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick, Scott, Sky, Rodney.
SURPRISE! Team switch! Hopefully I got some of you up until the last moment. Hahah, I always planned to do this since the start. This sets up the dominoes for the second part of the story and making some key interactions much more believable for chapters to come. I'm hoping you all will be relieved, since all three ladies that would've been eliminated are super fun to write (and hopefully to read).
Anyways, with the new teams, who's your bet on next eliminated? Let me know in a review! I'll catch ya guys next time.